Monday, November 20, 2017

Today's time: 6:19.

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Peter Gordon created this puzzle, which takes advantage of the fact that English is non-phonetic to showcase several phrases that have ALLITERATION but not the same letters.  CAESAR SALAD, KELLYANNE CONWAY ("coiner of the phrase alternative facts"), and PHOTO FINISH all have this quality.

This was tough for a Monday.

I'm not as up on my metrical feet as my buddy David.  An ANAPEST started things off slowly for me.  It's a phrase with two unstressed beats followed by a stressed one.  It's the opposite of a dactyl.  The example Gordon gives is "bada-bing."  "A Visit From St. Nicholas" is written in anapestic tetrameter.

RUBELLA is also called German measles.

General John Burgoyne, British officer active during the Seven Years' War and the American Revolution, was nicknamed GENTLEMAN JOHNNY due to his stylish living in high society.  He was also an accomplished playwright.

For "bit of turf on a golf course" I wanted to put *GREEN but it's DIVOT.

For "high-priced theater section" I put *LUGE like an idiot.  It's LOGE.

IONE appeared August 11 as a sea-nymph.  This time it's actress IONE Skye.  She is British-born, dark-haired, and was in Wayne's World and Say Anything.

Figure skater ITO Midori last appeared September 5.  This time she is clued as the torch lighter at the Nagano Olympics.

I knew that MHO is a science unit; it measures conductance.  However, it turns out that this term is out-dated and the proper term for the unit is siemens.

Clever clue: "Ante matter?" is CHIP.

EYED rather have done this faster, but I just found it tough!