Foursomes - September 2015

Hello Lovers, Hello Dear Readers. We're a married woman now. Married unit. Buckle up!



Longtime Dear Readers know: we've been busy. Getting married.

More from the genius Aida Daneshvar

Marriage is going awesome, by the way. The pre‑marital counseling we did this summer has made a big difference. Better conflicts, more productive conflicts. Snags that would have turned into Big Things instead stay what they are, small snags, or fade to nothing at all. Lots of “you're right [full stop].”

Whoof. That one. Saying “you're right.” Took 33 years to learn that one.

Also, and we promise these Personal Highlights will stop soon and it'll be straightforward Puzzle Recap, unbridled Word Nerd, but it was our birthday the other day and we received a very nice present indeed from Colleen and Notorious Marcel's roommate Yorgos. He expressed disbelief that we had turned 33, and we said [improvising], just kidding, we're 29. Yorgos was relieved. “Because you don't look 33. You don't look 29!” Then Yorgos proceeded to be very stressed out as we explained, woops no, no no, actually we really are 33. He wasn't convinced until we gave the years of our birth, high school graduation, and college graduation. Yorgos paused. “Ok, that checks out.”

Like we said. Such a very nice present :)

The Theme!

Foursomes. Seena thisa one before. Four-way rotational symmetry, so you can't really enter anything until you get the cross‑bracing twelvers. We always end up making Daring Guesses and penciling in drafts long before the twelves are in place. We are not a patient woman.

Highlights!

• 1A) Check for pesky critters (8)
  CRITTERS * anagram = RESTRICT

“Check” as in “checks and balances.” Mwa! Nice and tight, like a clean drum!

• 15A) Curious bleating coming from concrete (8)
  BLEATING * anagram = TANGIBLE

Wonderfu! The strange sheep!!

• 32A) Lose head of steers in woods (4)
  Lose head of (Steers = HELMS) = ELMS

Nice. Thinking now of cowpaths through the woods.

• 26D) Season when a hotel becomes hot? (4)
  hotel becomes hot = no “el” = NOEL

Loved the el out of this one! Stockholm syndrome, you guys. We know we've come out firmly against this type of goofy wordplay in the past. It's winning us over. This was awesome. Spent many summer minutes trying to force a French ÉTÉ in there. No need. No el.

Jor‑El and Kal‑el @ Noël

• 31A) I got to lay off Tchaikovsky's father (4)
  I + (LAY off = LYA) = ILYA

Lovely! Guess IGOR at the outset, just cuzzin. Content knowledge annoys us often, like “do you know this random triv, broh? If not, yer outta luck!!!” but we love the part of puzzles that asks you to engage your vast ur-mind, the part that can infer, “well, it's gonna be a dude's name that sounds like it would have the last name Tchaikovsky, and it starts with 'I' so ... ” And then you solve it and you didn't have to have the prior content knowledge, also because the puzzle was well‑constructed and you're not left with ambiguous crosses, ahem.

• 11A) Crafted leather form a Southern state (7)
  LEATHER * anagram = TARHEEL

Omi Cron, adored this one. Normally, as Dear Readers know, we blitz thru the anagrams, no stress. This anagram took us forever, one of our last solves, but delectable indeed. Fine and smooth, like crafted leather.

• 12A) I regret getting a business degree, leaving a stain (6)
  I (regret = RUE ) getting a ((business degree = MBA) leaving a = MB) = IMBRUE

YASS. Originally had IMBAUD which isn't a word. Any digs at getting business degrees: we are in support.

• 13D) Second gone, twelve's pickings can be slim (6)
  (Second gone TWELVES = TELVES) * anagram = SVELTE

Lean and delightful!!

Aright here we go with two of the twelvers. Linch and pin to entering fill. These both count as highlights, the other two are in Tacky.

• 14A) Has a wrong view of the Church of England—outside it's wildly impressive (12)
  ((Church of England = CE) + IMPRESSIVE) * anagram = MISPERCEIVES

• 25A) Throw dirt on the embassy? It gives one pause (12)
  (Throw dirt = INTER) + (embassy = MISSION) = INTERMISSION

Fresh INTER. Fresh MISSION. Nice. The Sondheim reference is a little lost on us, yea tho we starred in a Sondheim play in high school (A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM). Another personal note (yes yes you love these) is that we're auditioning for our first Second City production tomorrow, which requires a headshot (thank you to Notorious Marcel) and acting resume. No don't get worked up, it's not that big a deal. Typically about half the people who audition get in. But still we were like, “uh acting resume ... is gonna be blank ...” but our friend was like, just put all your high school stuff on there, there're no years on an acting resume!! Timeless.

• 6D) Trapped, needing time? Uprising does (5)
  (time = T) + (uprising (DOES = DEER) = REED) = TREED

Lovely! One of the last clues we got. Fresh use of DOES.

• 28A) A mug shot for a position in South Pacific (4)
  A MUG * anagram = GUAM

Simple easy, but shout out to old friend Dr Alicia of Guam!!

• 27D) Porgy and Bess's finale gets trophy (4)
  (Bess's finale = S) gets (trophy = CUP) = SCUP

Porgy is a fish! Didna kno! Also known as a scup! But love this mostly for the sideways reference to Perry Bible Fellowship:

• Rustic Uber taxis (4)
  UBER * anagram = RUBE

Peasants! Always love. Nice Clean Short Clue! V nice :)

The last set of eights were exquisite:

• 5D) Caduceus designed to be assembled locally (8)
  CADUCEUS * anagram = CAUCUSED

Lovely anagram! Mwa mwa! Speaking of politics, this US Presidential season has a brutal cast of refried beans. Not looking forward to it. Staying in the present.

• 19A) Goodwill gets work of muralist (8)
  MURALIST * anagram = ALTRUISM

Sweet V and we have a running joke about “pure altruism,” which means doing something nice for others and not getting anything out of it oneself. So, like, hugging someone while trying not to barf on them. Pretending to enjoy a friend's personally moving story while gritting your teeth and hating every second. That's pure altruism. Something to shoot for, as a person.

• 17D) Sweet letters stir a misunderstanding somewhat (8)
  sTIR A MISUnderstanding = TIRAMISU

A daring spanner!!

• 21A) It comes after one teardrop, sadly (8)
  TEARDROP * anagram = PREDATOR

Yet another gorgeous anagram that took us three weeks to wise to! Wedding brain, Dear Readers. Beware its impact on your puzzle mastery.

Lowlights!

• 33A) Spanish leaders—each gets official after I empty the sink (4,4)
  (Spanish leaders = SP) each gets (official = UMP) = SUMP PUMP

Meh. Poopadoop. Over‑frequent use of ump removes any oomph.

• 9D) Special terms for the writer: “Wills Covering Death” (9)
  (writer Wills = GARRY) covering (Death = LOSS) = GLOSSARY

Garry Wills? Will someone explain whodat? Also, do you think people say it “Garry” like “starry” to annoy him? “Why waste the 'r'?” they say. So annoying. So antagonistic. Aight who is Garry?

Garry Wills (born May 22, 1934)[2] is a prolific Pulitzer Prize-winning American author, journalist, and historian, specializing in American history, politics, and religion, especially the history of the Catholic Church.

Source: Wikip

Danke.

• 7A) Viet follower follower against government leader (4)
  (against = CON) + (government leader = G) = CONG

When I say Viet, you say Cong! Viet! Cong! Viet! Cong!

Too mucha gimme gimme.

• 28D) Something between springs that adds energy to sleep (4)
  adds (energy = E) to (sleep = NAP) = NEAP

It's always neap. Can't we get something original to tide us over?

• Newt (not Gingrich) enters for fear that I'm least conservative (7)
  (Newt = EFT) enters (for fear = LEST) = LEFTEST

Thought we eft that word in the dust, because it's used so often. Buh.

• 10A) Contributor to blessed existence (4)
  blESSEd = ESSE

which we suppose means “existence”?  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

• 2D) Spottings produced by palsies (7)
  PALSIES * anagram = LAPISES

Like lapis lazuli? Meh.

• 29A) Find some wool itching—that's nutty! (6)
  wooL ITCHIng = LITCHI

Dint we just have LITCHI in the puzzle? Buh.

• 23D) Heir to the throne leaves church in a French town (5)
  (church = CH) + (French town = ARLES) =  CHARLES

Meh, British royalty normativity. Meh, Anglo normativity. Meh meh.

The Tacky

• 7D) Big post with a hundred locks and staffs up on it (12)
  (hundred = C) + (locks = HAIR) + (staffs = MAN) + (up on it = HIP) = CHAIRMANSHIP

• Humors people taking time to be seen in paintings (12)
  (people = MEN) taking (time = T) seen in (paintings = TEMPERAS) = TEMPERAMENTS

People = men. Male normativity. Booooooooooooo.

Up in Vermont for our wedding, we read The Martian, which was a fun light read. But toward the end the [white, male] lead character is like, “wow, a whole planet was rooting for me, put their resources together to try to save me, people are awesome!” Like: he's grateful. But he's not surprised.

And wouldn't it have been interesting to explore the experience of someone who maybe feels the world doesn't value his or her life. People of color. Queers. Women. People with disabilities. People who are told every day that they're defective, not as valuable. What would happen if that person were alone on Mars? What would that person feel when Earth rallied to save him or her?

Come on and comment, lovers!