Jack Joshi author page
1 puzzle by Jack Joshi
with Jeff Chen comments
See the 7 answer words debuted by Jack Joshi.
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| C | R | E | P | E | S | R | I | G | S | D | U | H | ||
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| E | P | O | C | H | S | P | A | N | I | C | S | |||
| F | A | B | C | H | I | T | I | N | T | |||||
| B | A | N | A | N | A | G | R | A | M | S | L | A | O | |
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| D | O | D | R | Y | A | N | A | R | E | N | T | I | ||
| R | E | E | S | E | F | I | G | N | E | W | T | O | N | |
| A | B | A | C | I | T | A | P | E | T | R | I | O | ||
| P | A | L | I | N | S | L | A | W | S | O | T | S |
Finally, a puzzle for us uber-dorks! Forget the NYT crossword's usual snooty art and literature references. Chuck the too-clever culture clues. Screw science fiction — today we're treated to science fact! BARS. METER. GRAMS. NEWTON!
Wait. BARS?
BARS?!
No, no, no! You can't use a non-SI unit when you've used three standards. It should have been PASCALS.
Huh? No in-the-language phrases use PASCAL? Yeah, but—
Watt? No one knows weber SI units are important or not?
Ohm my God, my head hertz.
Reasonable early-week theme, although the parentheticals in clues gave away the idea right off the bat. Even something straightforward as UNIT could have served as a revealer.
Okay fine, no one would have recognized the BAR or NEWTON as a UNIT!
I'm out of lux today.
Although the theme straddled the no-man's-land between techies and fuzzies, I enjoyed so much of the fill. LOLCATS are from a generation ago, but I still lol at them. CILANTRO makes me remember a friend who nearly broke up with someone because he thought it tasted like soap. OOH BABY, that was a lot to enjoy!
ADDED NOTE: It wasn't until I read the constructing trio's note that I realized all the themers are fruit-related. D'oh! That helps elevate the concept, no doubt, and I appreciate that it's an observation I never would have noticed. Still, without some revealer to pull things together — a shame that FRUITY UNIT isn't a real phrase — it's kind of an odd mix-up of fruits and voltables.