03.24.07 -- Sadistic Saturday

Totally themeless puzzle by Rich Norris with some nasty clues and obscure answers, a hodge podge of unrelated items defying unity. ALLFORIT, puzzles should puzzle; however, a few familiar answers do appear, e.g., ISMELLARAT, NOOSE and LARIAT -- though STICKITOUT and ASKMELATER seem new even if old expressions. SNAPBRIM, MISSME, MASHNOTE, BREADBIN cluing cruelly clever. Clues for NENE, OTIS, INDO, PILE, MAT, ELM, STAMP fresh. Puzzles like this one are akin to shoveling the driveway to find The New York Times (for the puzzle) after a heavy snow wishing to “Escape” to the warmer climate with a PINACOLADA, a couple of MARTINIS, OPIUM, and an ALKA-mint (insert appropriate EMOTICON here, I’ll do LIKEWISE). (Above: Rich Norris at the ACPT. Below: 15A, 49D, 11A (3), 32A, 20A, 54A, 55A, 56D (3)and 25A)

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the picture clues -- glancing at them jogs my memory -- if I can't get it, I open up the completed puzzle, which I did today! Tough nut to crack!