Back when I was in college (many years ago), we referred to this time of year as “the Dark Ages.” Back from winter break, our next time off was in late February, the weather was usually cold and wet or frozen, and for freshmen, this is when the significant others they had when they left for school the previous summer started breaking up with them. But spring is definitely around the corner so let’s power through with this week’s puzzle.
- Title: Looking Back
- Grid size: 15×15
- Number of entries: 72
- Difficulty: Medium (my solve time: 7:41 (almost spot on my average))
The theme was one that wasn’t immediately apparent during the solve (at least to me) so didn’t really help, but I picked it up on review soon enough after completing. The themers are common phrases clued straight, with certain letters circled that when read backwards spell a type of “look” – hence, “Looking Back:”
- 17A: [Snaky fish used in bisque]: CONGER EEL – I don’t think I’ve ever had conger eel bisque, but I probably wouldn’t leer at it if I saw it.
- 22A: [“Your loss is my gain,” in essence]: FINDERS KEEPERS – “Well, maybe I lost it, and you found it, but can I at least take a peek at it?”
- 35A: [Weather references for growers]: FARMERS ALMANACS – When I was young my Dad would always buy a copy of the “Old Farmer’s Almanac” each year and leave it in the smallest room in the house where you often had leisure to scan it.
- 46A: [Happy-ever-after films, e.g.]: FEEL-GOOD MOVIES – A feel-good movie should not have a scene where someone ogles someone else.
- 57A: [Certain lab assistants]: WHITE RATS – In cartoons set in a laboratory, often the scientists will be shown to stare at the rats in the maze and make a witty comment.
While my solve time was almost exactly on my average for Barb’s puzzles (7:42), it felt a lot harder and I was surprised to look up when about 75% complete and see there was only 6 minutes on the clock – I expected it to be 8 or 9. I solved essentially N to S, with two blank areas in SW and NW that I somehow guessed correctly. The themers are all beautiful longer entries, and that central grid spanner: *chef’s kiss“. There was a lot I just did not know in here so relied on a lot of crosses and was amazed to see the “Congratulations!” pop up when I filled the grid.
Canadian content
- 3D: [NHL’s _____ “Pocket Rocket” Richard]: HENRI – Not being a follower of hockey, this was the blank in the NW I mentioned above. I had __NRI and made a guess it was likely a French Canadian name so Henri fit the bill.
- 16A: [Dirt bike maker from Montreal]: CANAM – I believe this was clued in a previous puzzle as something like “the parent company of SkiDoo” not referencing dirt bikes because I distinctly associated CanAM with snow machines, not dirt bikes.
- 18A: [_____ Anand, Minister of Defense]: ANITA – Ms Anand has served as the minister of national defense since 2021.
- 30A: [Writer Barbara, wife of Conrad Black]: AMIEL – Apparently she is also a British-Canadian conservative journalist and socialite.
- 53A: [Hockey’s Steve and baseball’s Mel]: OTTS – I wonder if American crosswords will start using Steve as a clue in place of the well-worn Mel? We can hope…
- 56A: [Virtue of ice dancing]: TESSA – This clue really threw me, as I was wondering how faith, hope, or love could be of benefit when ice dancing. I now know of Ms. Virtue’s ice dancing accomplishments.
Well this week certainly made up for last week’s paltry Canadian showing, and many of these were unknown to me so I learned a lot this week.
Other stuff:
- 21A: [Sudden, intense surges]: SPATES – There has been so much mention of Covid infection spikes that that’s what I had in mind for this one.
- 26A: [Ran over?]: RELED – It’s clued punnily, so “over” explains the “re” but not sure I get the “led” – I guess if you’re in a foot race and you pass someone again you have re-led them?
- 27D: [Unavailable to buyers, Abbr.]: NFS – For some reason I put NSF in, which I guess would work, as if you have non-sufficient funds any purchase would be unavailable to you…
- 28D: [Something to say to an ENT]: AAH – I can never remember which one is AAH and which is AHH.
- 38D: [____ lamak (national dish of Malaysia)]: NASI – I’d never heard of this, not surprisingly having never been to Malaysia nor knowing of a Malaysian restaurant anywhere. However it sounds delicious – I found a few recipes and may try making this dish myself.
- 43D: [Delicate, crimped fabric]: PLISSE – While I could clearly picture this fabric in my mind, I had no idea what it was called. With the mysteries of 56A and 59A I despaired at ever filling these blanks. But I made a couple of guesses and lucked out. Whew!
- 59A: [Actor Ed in “Dick Tracy”]: O’ROSS – No idea whatsoever on this, and even Googling him didn’t ring a bell. This caused problems with a couple of other entries, as mentioned above.
Advice of the week: “If you have an awkward social encounter you can just say “do you want to see a picture of a cat?” if they say yes, show them a picture. If they say no don’t trust them.”
– Jorts the Cat
(If you’re not familiar with the whole Jorts story, you can get a summary here.)