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Author Topic: Mon., 7/28 Nichols & Burnikel  (Read 3739 times)

magus

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Mon., 7/28 Nichols & Burnikel
« on: July 28, 2014, 08:42:54 AM »
THEME:   first word of a phrase can be preceded by HELLO
   
GOOD ONES:     
Friendly greeting {& theme}   HELLO THERE   
JFK prediction   ETA [I thought the man not the airport:  I'm so easy]   
Aww-inspiring?   CUTE [The Animal Planet has a show called Too Cute which I enjoy:  I'm so easy]   
   
BTW:   
Refuses to make changes   SITS PAT [seems a mixed idiom:  stands pat and sits tight]   
   
   
RATING: ;D   
Three grins = Loved it; Two grins = Enjoyed it; One grin = A bit bland for my taste; One teardrop = Not much fun   

Thomps2525

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Re: Mon., 7/28 Nichols & Burnikel
« Reply #1 on: July 28, 2014, 05:40:41 PM »
There are a few hundred short words, mostly of three or four letters, that are very common in puzzles. Collectively they are known as "Crosswordese." (I could have called them "Arthur" but I didn't want to steal a gag from the Hard Day's Night movie.) Among the words that appear in several puzles every week are LEI, ALOHA, ESE, OTT, SRTA and ELLA. Subscribing to the Times, Register and Daily News gives me a lot of puzzles to work...but I get dismayed at seeing the same words in several puzzles a week, although I enjoy seeing how many different clues the editors can come up with for the same word. When "LEI" is in three puzzles every week, they can't make it obvious by using the same clue each time. Today's Times puzzle may have set a record for the greatest amount of Crosswordese in a single puzzle: ETA, ETTU, EERO, BLT, BAD, ADO, REO, CHAI, LULU, INCA, NCAA, ASP, OAR, YES, TAI, TLC, ZITI, ELATE, OREO, LASER and TASER. I'd love to see some puzzles with more originality!

Magus, maybe most of us stand pat and it's only the lazy people who sit pat. :)

wbg

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Re: Mon., 7/28 Nichols & Burnikel
« Reply #2 on: July 29, 2014, 09:42:42 AM »
Rewind, my personal favorites are ETUI and ADIT, which I have never once seen or heard except in a crossword. (Amusing, though, to think of a drug user saying to his friend "Jake, have you seen my etui?")  What really bugs me, though, is sticking "RE" in front of any old verb, even if it is not actually used.  RELED appeared recently somewhere, clued with "took the reins again" or something like that.  Filling a grid can be hard, but it seems to me that this really should be avoided.

Bill

 


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