Well March is coming in something like a lion this week – cool temperatures and breezy. Not a snowflake in sight, though, and I think our chances of a good snow this winter are rapidly diminishing. I am looking forward to more time sitting on my deck before it gets too hot so let’s hope for a long mild spring.
- Name: That Changes Everything
- Grid size: 15×15
- Number of entries: 76
- Difficulty: Medium (my solve time: 7:28)
“That Changes Everything” didn’t mean much to me when I read it – it’s generic enough that it could mean anything. However, its meaning quickly became apparent once I got the first themer. The themers are common (well, except one) phrases that have had an “H” added to the final word and then are clued punnily:
- 18A: [Complaint about the roof, plumbing, basement, etc.?]: HOUSE WHINE – It was either this one or the next where I got the theme. I’ve done my share of whining about various household problems, but nothing that a glass of house wine wouldn’t fix.
- 24A: [Nasty options in a Halloween holler?]: TRICK OR THREAT – I interpreted “holler” as the term used for a valley in Appalachia so that threw me for a short while. If someone “hollered” “Trick or Threat” at me I doubt I’d open the door and they likely wouldn’t get any candy. Come to think of it, “trick or treat” itself is essentially a threat…
- 39A: [Roofing piece in a hurricane?]: SWINGING SHINGLE – Got this one pretty easily as I’d figured out the gimmick by now. A piece of roofing being blown about in a windstorm is very different than a swinging single.
- 51A: [Hasbro line with a knock-off toy?]: MY LITTLE PHONY – I had the last few letters and saw “knock off” in the clue, so knew the end was “phony.” But I honestly lol’ed when I got the first part; the contrast with “My Little Pony” is just funny, so I decided this would be the inspiration for this week’s quote.
- 61A: [Fella in a baby rocker?]: CRADLE CHAP – This one had me scratching my head (ha!) until I went to Google after getting the correct answer but not understanding it. I guess not having kids I’ve never come across “cradle cap,” a malady for babies which thankfully appears to be relatively harmless.
After a mildly hard time breaking in (I initially wasn’t able to get anything in the NW), this was a pretty smooth solve, with no real snags, just a few entries I had to work at a bit. I worked steadily from NW down the diagonal “chute” to SE, then filled in the NE and SW corners. I think the clues may have been slightly more difficult than usual and several entries were on the obscure side which gave me a time just a tad under my all time average (7:37).
Canadian content:
- 49A: [Creature on a Canadian coin]: LOON – The loon appears on the Canadian one dollar coin, and gives it its nickname of the “loonie.” I didn’t realize that the nickname was so popular that the Royal Canadian Mint trademarked it in 2006.
- 63D: [7% add-on, in most of Canada]: PST – According to this table, British Columbia, Manitoba, Quebec, and Saskatchewan have a provincial sales tax, though it’s unclear to me if PST or its equivalent may be hidden in some of the other taxes in the provinces.
Another sparse week for Canadian content, though it’s entirely possible I missed a few things. I also have a hunch that some of the clues and entries have a Canadian spin to them; e.g., 16A is not a usage I’ve come across much if at all in the US.
Other stuff:
- 4D: [Hero in a Christmas book]: ST NICK – I confidently put RUDOLF in here and soon saw that it didn’t work with any of the crosses. Not sure I’d classify St. Nick as the “hero” of Xmas stories, though he is certainly a main character.
- 8A: [Black key to the left of a D]: C SHARP – Key clues are usually referring to a computer keyboard (see ESC, ALT, TAB), so I was kind of thrown by this one, as “S” didn’t fill the space and not all computers have black keys.
- 9D: [Got steamed, metaphorically]: SAW RED – This one flummoxed me for longer than it should have, as I kept wanting to see it as one word and couldn’t make that work.
- 25D: [R.E.M.’s “The ____ Love”]: ONE I – Longtime R.E.M. fan and love this song, so this came easily, one might say automatically. Nice to see one of their songs rather than the band itself as the entry in the grid.
Quote of the week:
“Eternal chaos comes with chocolate rain, you guys! CHOCOLATE! RAIN!”
– Pinkie Pie