I additionally wish to say thanks for folks’s birthday needs final week. Sadly, it was one of many extra irritating birthdays of my life since I examined constructive for the coronavirus final weekend. It was in a position to keep away from covid-19 for 3½ years, however it lastly acquired me, and naturally it needed to strike proper earlier than my fortieth birthday. Such unfortunate timing. All issues thought of, although, I’m doing fantastic — I used to be feeling pretty dreadful the primary few days, however I’ve been feeling higher recently. Hopefully by subsequent week I’ll be testing damaging once more, however we’ll see.
Seven starred solutions appear to be reduce brief and don’t match their clues. 27A: [*NBA Hall of Famer nicknamed “The Pearl”] appears to be like like EARL, however that’s simply his first title. The place’s his full title, EARL MONROE? 30A: [*Sculpture garden seen in the video game “GoldenEye 007”] is … STA? That appears like a really uncommon clue for STA, an abbreviation for a prepare station.
There’s a key trace at 129A: [Walking trip that may last from morning till evening … and a hint to this puzzle’s theme] which is DAY HIKE. The starred solutions begin on one line, then transfer as much as the following row for 3 letters, then end on the unique line. The letters that transfer up are the three-day abbreviations for the seven days of the week.
- 27A: [*NBA Hall of Famer nicknamed “The Pearl”] is EARL MONROE, with the raised MON for Monday.
- 30A: [*Sculpture garden seen in the video game “GoldenEye 007”] is STATUE PARK, with the raised TUE for Tuesday. I at all times appreciated this degree after I performed the sport a very long time in the past.
- 58A: [*“Is that all?”] is ARE WE DONE, with the raised WED for Wednesday.
- 60A: [*Michigan city on the Great Lake in its name] is PORT HURON, with the raised THU for Thursday.
- 81A: [*They’re thick as thieves] is BEST FRIENDS, with the raised FRI for Friday.
- 111A: [*Prepares an ambush] is SETS A TRAP, with the raised SAT for Saturday.
- 114A: [*Anesthetizes] is PUTS UNDER, with the raised SUN for Sunday.
I’ve finished a number of “raised letters” themes (see right here, right here, right here, right here and right here), and I’ve finished a number of themes primarily based on the seven days of the week (see right here, right here and right here), so I assume it was solely pure that I’d mix them into one puzzle. My aesthetic is at all times to make use of actual crossword entries on each side of the raised letters in order that it appears to be like like an in any other case regular grid once you’re completed, though I recall gritting my tooth slightly realizing that I’d want STA to tug it off. The letter sequence TUE simply doesn’t have many choices to start with.
Another solutions and clues:
- 32A: [Bachelor party venue?] is ALMA MATER. As in a spot the place folks with bachelor’s levels may need a reunion social gathering.
- 46A: [“Nessun dorma,” e.g.] is ARIA. That is from “Turandot” and it’s one in all my spouse’s favourite arias.
- 1D: [Run uncovered during an NFL game, say?] is STREAK. NFL receivers aren’t those streaking, although.
- 31D: [Island nation whose capital was Koror City until 2006] is PALAU. The capital these days is Ngerulmud.
- 42D: [Newborn who composed the scores for the “Naked Gun” films] is IRA New child. That’s his title, although it’s humorous to think about him composing the music whereas he was a child.
- 56D: [“My Dad Wrote a ___” (comedy podcast featuring a series of erotic novels called “Belinda Blinked”)] is PORNO. This podcast is as humorous as marketed — Jamie Morton and his pals James Cooper and Alice Levine learn via the “Belinda Blinked” books that Jamie’s dad wrote underneath the pseudonym Rocky Flintstone. It’s NSFW content material, clearly, however it’s hilarious.
