tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6797119770533435005.post7757431767164561780..comments2023-12-22T06:42:08.261-05:00Comments on Sun Blocks - A Crossword Blog by Pete Mitchell: Friday, July 11, 2008Pete Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00915253628212019131noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6797119770533435005.post-69996621656029562792008-07-11T18:43:00.000-04:002008-07-11T18:43:00.000-04:00totally sweet puzzle, which i should have cracked ...totally sweet puzzle, which i should have cracked much quicker than i actually did. the realization that the empty squares had to admit common english words was key.<BR/><BR/>ENGEL v. vitale was a gimme for me, probably just because i memorized a whole bunch of famous supreme court cases back in an earlier life. anyway, it's a big one.<BR/><BR/>WELLMAN was not a gimme. nor INEZ, nor TITO, nor LAG, nor ELIO.<BR/><BR/>PONE also occurred to me for 8D. the corn LAWs were relatively important in... 19th century britain? can that be right? something along those lines, anyway. i only vaguely remember them from european history in college.Joonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07825085755390339668noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6797119770533435005.post-58582301666222789742008-07-11T17:40:00.000-04:002008-07-11T17:40:00.000-04:00"A bear" was my thought exactly! Not including the..."A bear" was my thought exactly! Not including the theme gimmick, really tough clues for a lot of the fill - I agree with you guys: enjoyed it more in retrospect.<BR/><BR/>Pete, thanks for your illustrations: any time I can lay eyes on a still of Barney AND a tartan-clad dog standing human-style, I'm a happy guy!<BR/><BR/>Tony O.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6797119770533435005.post-19279787361488476412008-07-11T06:40:00.000-04:002008-07-11T06:40:00.000-04:00Just to clarify, "van" is a shortened form of "van...Just to clarify, "van" is a shortened form of "vanguard," the troops moving at the head of an army, or more generally, the forefront of an action or movement, such as a political movement. (Merriam-Webster)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6797119770533435005.post-80985106521003112002008-07-11T06:33:00.000-04:002008-07-11T06:33:00.000-04:00You, Dorothy Parker and I would agree on this one....You, Dorothy Parker and I would agree on this one. It was a bear during the solving, but awesome once solved. It required some different skills, as you explained so well in your review. This one will go up on the wall for awhile, until I forget why I put it up there.<BR/><BR/>"In the van" means generally in the lead. Cf. vanguard. I don't imagine there's any connection with a Detroit-issue "van."<BR/><BR/>ENGEL, WELLMAN and ELAH are maybe a little unfairly arcane, but hey, it's Friday. Get outside this weekend, everybody.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com