tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6797119770533435005.post874973751012234552..comments2023-12-22T06:42:08.261-05:00Comments on Sun Blocks - A Crossword Blog by Pete Mitchell: Tuesday, August 19, 2008Pete Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00915253628212019131noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6797119770533435005.post-61538778827806203412008-08-19T20:40:00.000-04:002008-08-19T20:40:00.000-04:00Hi joon -- enjoyed your comments! It didn't quite ...Hi joon -- enjoyed your comments! It didn't quite seem like a Patrick Berry puzzle to me either, but it had some tricky spots... especially when I had all those A's in 17A BARBARAANN and wondered if I should take any out before I looked at the crosses that were left. Likewise those E's in GENERALLEE. <BR/><BR/>I was happy about the 39A [Card reader of a sort], thinking wow, ROM -- working with 11D as a "rainstorm", not RAINDELAY. But no, it's just old ATM. And the 5D clue for MORT was out of sight, as you said -- where's my guy Mort Sahl? Retired, huh?<BR/><BR/>I didn't know DIO either, but the answer to 1A clue starting with Re___ couldn't have an answer also starting with RE___, so DEBUG had to be there... I did know ORRIN/ERR, TILL and CCRIDER, each a cute echo of the theme's double letters, as were those S's in POSSESS crossing LETSSEE, with EER right under the latter.<BR/><BR/>I think the theme's double repetition pattern was a clever one, yet at the same time carried the seed of a slight letdown response overall -- too much repetition can leave one a bit bored. Isn't that why we're more pleased with "high Scrabble value" challenges, the surprising use of rarer letters? <BR/><BR/>i loved WANGLE -- we used to wangle small treats from parents when we were kids, though not really as an "underhanded" enterprise... more of a game.<BR/><BR/>∑;)ArtLvrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03869528391374878601noreply@blogger.com