It’s starting to feel springlike around here, and while I prefer cooler temperatures, it’s nice to be able to be outside without being bundled up or having to fire up the heater. I’m really getting into the swing of this retirement thing – definitely keeping myself busy with projects around the house and various hobbies. I’m really looking forward to the start of baseball season – already planning to attend as many Orioles day games as I can, and I anticipate listening to a lot of games while sitting out on my deck. I still need to find time to fit in crossword solving and blog writing, so let’s get going on that.
- Name: Exit Strategy
- Grid size: 15×15
- Entries: 70
- Difficulty: Very Easy (my solve time: 5:25)
“Exit Strategy” may make you think that you want to escape this puzzle, but I actually wish it was a bit more difficult so I could spend more time enjoying it. The themers are common phrases or titles with “out” added before the last word and then clued punnily for the new meaning of the phrase:
- 17A: [First “Survivor” player voted off the island?]: ORIGINAL OUTCAST – I have never watched “Survivor” and I dislike most reality TV shows, but I had to look this up: of the 16 original cast members of “Survivor: Canada,” Lew S. was the first one voted off the island; Jacob S. was the sole survivor.
- 28A: [Ibsen play about Barbie’s porta-potty?]: A DOLLS OUTHOUSE – “A Doll’s House” is the 1879 play by Henrik Ibsen about the fate of a married woman who lacked opportunities for self-fulfillment in a male-dominated world. A doll’s outhouse is not an accessory offered for Barbie that I’m aware of. And no, I will not google it.
- 42A: [Heeds Jesse James?]: OBEYS THE OUTLAW – Jesse Woodson James was a notorious bandit in the Old West of the United States until his death in April 1882. As an outlaw, by definition, he did not obey the law, and he was a mean, dirty killer.
- 56A: [Summary conclusion?]: END OF THE OUTLINE – This entry is the last themer, so it’s the end of the line for this puzzle. In case you’re wondering, I don’t prepare an outline for these blog entries, but you’ve probably picked up that I use the same template.
As my solve time attests, this was a smooth, quick solve for me. I liked the theme and the rest of the grid. Two of the themers are grid spanners* that work well with the overall puzzle. Several of the fill entries are interesting and fresh – altogether a fun puzzle (if a little on the easy side for me). I particularly like a non-theme pair of entries that echo each other – 44D and 51A. I also liked that 41D was an entry that included the word “out” but wasn’t part of the theme. I wonder if Barb had been considering making it a revealer and it just didn’t work out. Maybe a clue like: 41D: [To finish putting; or with W added, a clue to this puzzles theme]. Maybe not… There are some crossword constructors and solvers who feel that echoed entries or the use of a theme word in the fill are no-nos. I disagree for the most part – if it’s not confusing or lazy, go for it.
Canadian content:
- 25A: [Bluenose coins]: DIMES – I may have seen the actual Bluenose II before I saw the dime with her namesakes image on it – I was in the parade of tall ships in Halifax in 1994 that she was part of. She didn’t participate in the race that preceded it, however.
- 26D: [Royal Conservatory focus: Abbr.]: MUS – The Royal Conservatory of Music has a mission “to develop human potential through leadership in music and the arts.”
Other stuff:
- 4D: [Schooner alternative]: MUG – Of course my mind went to the nautical use of schooner, especially when I saw 25A. But I couldn’t quickly come up with a 3-letter vessel type (ark?), then remembered when I was in Australia and ordered a beer they’d ask if I wanted a pint or a schooner.
- 1A: [Phishing, vishing or smishing]: SCAM – While I’ve certainly heard of phishing scams, I was unfamiliar with vishing or smishing. With every new technology, there is always an new scam that tries to leverage it to take advantage of people.
- 21A: [You can make your bed with it]: SOIL – Even after I got it, this one had me stumped until I realized the clue referenced a garden bed.
- 60A: [Gold, in Latin]: AURUM – I liked this entry as, even though I didn’t know it, I was able to figure it out and learn something. I knew AU was the atomic symbol for gold on the periodic table, I also knew “auric” related to gold (and was the name of the villain in “Goldfinger”). With help from the crosses and a good guess I got it.
- 61A: [Some bargain bin movie media]: DVDS – Oof. DVDs still seem like pretty new tech to still-VHS-tape-owning me. Another reminder that I need keep an eye out for the senior discount when I go places.
- 63A: [Chucks, in modern lingo]: YEETS – I was so happy to see this in here – I really like this term and used it myself in a previous post.
Quote of the week:
“Beethoven tells you what it’s like to be Beethoven, and Mozart tells you what it’s like to be human. Bach tells you what it’s like to be the universe.”
– Douglas Adams
*I’ve added grid spanner to the glossary this week. I’ll try to remember to mention any new additions to the glossary in future posts.