Monday, December 4, 2017

Today's time: 4:52, nearly good enough.

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I couldn't finish Sunday's, or rather, I let it beat me.  It just got too much of a slog.  It was a TKO.  No más, I cried.  Today's is by Alan Arbesfeld.  The theme is four phrases with words ending with -ay followed by it.  I know, it's rather thin, but it's a daily puzzle --- they can't all be gems.  The theme answers are SAY IT AIN'T SO, PAY IT FORWARD, LAY IT ON THICK, and PLAY IT BY EAR.

I was slowed down by putting the more elegant *EMBER for "the glowing part of a fire."  It's meant to be the rather bafflingly mundane FLAME.  Boo.

Thinking football, I put *TEXAS for "Cowboys' home," but it's the song-evoking RANGE.

Enya, that Irish New Age singer beloved by crossword constructors, apparently got nominated for an Oscar for a song from Lord of the Rings: "MAY IT BE."

Here's corrupt shitbag corporate raider Carl ICAHN again!  He was obscure enough for a Saturday puzzle on November 18, but apparently is Monday fodder now.

The NATS of Washington are the Nationals, the D.C. baseball team.

What is an OSAGE orange?  It's a tree actually related to the mulberry that has those weird heavy bumpy green grapefruit-sized fruit.  It is also called hedge apple, bois d'arc, or horse apple.

That's the end!  YAY!  But AVON to do even better.