Sally Bowles's flatmate in Chelsea, per a "Cabaret" number / FRI 12-06-2024 / University that awarded the first Ph.D. in the U.S. / ___ prime (focus of a computational challenge in math)

Constructor: Robyn Weintraub

Relative difficulty: Easy breezy (9:29)

Word of the Day: MADRAS (Patterned cotton fabric originally from India) —

Dutch traders arrived in India in the early 17th century to trade in the local calico cloth, followed by the British. The English East India Company sought quality textiles, finding the small fishing village of Madrasapattinam (Madras), and the company established a trading post there in the mid-17th century.

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Hey folks! Malaika here, back for another write-up. I so rarely review the Friday / Saturdays that it feels weird to not have a theme to explain. Before we dive in, a huge thank you to everyone who made suggestions to the playlist I shared yesterday! I really loved reading through all of them. (Btw, I read every comment on every post that I write.... so be nice haha.) I am only adding songs once I listen to them, and I'm still working my way through, but we're already up to over a hundred!

Robyn Weintraub is kind of my hero since she writes easy Friday puzzles, which are exactly the type of puzzles that I hope I am writing. I (and others) associate her grids with conversational entries-- here we had IT TAKES TIME, as well as IS THAT A YES OR A NO and THIS IS NOT A DRILL in symmetrical spots. The latter two were probably my favorite entries in the grid, which surprised me because I usually prefer noun entries. (That's not to say I dislike conversational entries-- but I usually think the clues are a little clunky and don't have much space for word play.) Of course, I loved the nouns as well-- SPIRIT ANIMALS, SIX PACKS, MEERKATS, STING RAY, and CEDAR PLANKS. I love when a clue paints a picture in my head; I love imagining the zesty, earthy, charred smells of salmon being grilled on cedar on a sunny day.

The clues were a little more hit-or-miss for me. I took note of two whose wordplay didn't 100% land for me. [Screenwriter's way of reintroducing some characters?] was a clue for PASTE. I interpret this as how people who type on a computer (that is-- "write" on a "screen") use the copy / paste command to add symbols ("characters") to a file. I actually really liked the latter part but don't think "screenwriter" works here. Maybe if they had added a space, so it was "screen writer"?

I also didn't like [They're often lying in beds and might be kinky] for HOSES. This clue kind of had the vibe of a sixteen year old who's sooooo proud of themselves for making a sex joke but it's clear to everyone else they have no idea what they're talking about. I've never heard of hoses referred to as kinky-- just kinked. And I would never describe a kinky person (which presumably was the misdirect?) as "often lying in beds."

This is not an ad

On the other side of things were the clue for ROTARY DIAL (Turning point in telecommunications history?) which was excellent and [Contact sites] (i.e. contact lenses) for EYES-- more of a misdirect than a pun, but very clever. And I loved the TIA Maria reference. It's so delicious!

Bullets:

• [Teddy alternative] for THEO — This is referring to nicknames for "Theodore"
• [One who gets all snooty when it's time to get a cab?] for WINE SNOB — "Cab" here refers to a type of wine, like Cabernet Franc. I've seen a version of this pun so many times that it no longer hits for me, but I hope first-timers enjoyed it!
• [Issa of "American Fiction"] for RAE— I loved this movie!
• [Checker's move] for TWIST — The clue here is referring to Chubby Checker's hit, "The Twist"

xoxo Malaika

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