Well, I spoke too soon yesterday. The second test and the confirmatory PCR came back positive for COVID. So I’m on an enforced vacation this week. Turns out it’s not so much fun lying around when you don’t feel so great.
Thankfully, I have the New York Times Crossword puzzle to take my attention off of this stuff, even for a brief period of time. Ms. Seikel offers us a puzzle which takes the principle of disruption and literalizes it. MOVEFASTAND / BREAKTHINGS leads to three phrases which begin with TH and end with ING. I’m not sure if the moving fast part was also meant to be literalized. People did not move very quickly in THEWESTWING (“walk and talks” indeed). On the other hand, I am reminded while thinking about moving quickly, of Joan Cusack in “Broadcast News.” One of the most hilarious scenes.
One version of ARAMIS
In the realm of potentially winking bonus theme material, we also find 60A: “If it ____ broke, don’t fix it” (AINT). Perhaps Ms. Seikel is offering some much needed advice to the plethora of start-ups in the modern era?
Using Frances’s new abbreviation, ROI (References of Interest), we find things like the ROSETTA Stone (when I first glanced at the clue, I almost stuck ROlling in there, but clearly incorrect); MEGCABOT, a name I would never have filled in without multiple crossings, and SHARIA crossing ISLAM. Sally ROONEY writes with style, even if I don’t always love her plot material.
In any case, I would never give this puzzle ONESTAR. SEEMSOK to me. 3:56, a little slow for a Tuesday.
– Colum
​Well, I spoke too soon yesterday. The second test and the confirmatory PCR came back positive for COVID. So I’m on an enforced vacation this week. Turns out it’s not so much fun lying around when you don’t feel so great.
Thankfully, I have the New York Times Crossword puzzle to take my attention off of this stuff, even for a brief period of time. Ms. Seikel offers us a puzzle which takes the principle of disruption and literalizes it. MOVEFASTAND / BREAKTHINGS leads to three phrases which begin with TH and end with ING. I’m not sure if the moving fast part was also meant to be literalized. People did not move very quickly in THEWESTWING (“walk and talks” indeed). On the other hand, I am reminded while thinking about moving quickly, of Joan Cusack in “Broadcast News.” One of the most hilarious scenes.
One version of ARAMIS
In the realm of potentially winking bonus theme material, we also find 60A: “If it ____ broke, don’t fix it” (AINT). Perhaps Ms. Seikel is offering some much needed advice to the plethora of start-ups in the modern era?
Using Frances’s new abbreviation, ROI (References of Interest), we find things like the ROSETTA Stone (when I first glanced at the clue, I almost stuck ROlling in there, but clearly incorrect); MEGCABOT, a name I would never have filled in without multiple crossings, and SHARIA crossing ISLAM. Sally ROONEY writes with style, even if I don’t always love her plot material.
In any case, I would never give this puzzle ONESTAR. SEEMSOK to me. 3:56, a little slow for a Tuesday.
– Colum  Read More  Puzzle BlogsÂ
