Martha Kimes author page
1 puzzle by Martha Kimes
with Jeff Chen comments
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| S | E | T | S | R | E | E | D | S | T | O | L | I |
This was such an easy "Name That Theme." PARTY, CIGARS, HOPPING … post-game celebration! You know, how people hop up and down after they pop the champagne? What does REDDIT have to do with anything, you ask? Exactly my point — REDDIT has to do with everything! Have you seen how much nonsense people debate about on subreddits?
Fine, I'll look at the first words instead. WRAP, CUBAN … CUBAN CIGARS! Oh — that's a themer?
Okay. WRAP CUBAN CLUB SUB. Is it the Castro underwater club, Raul and Fidel piloting ... while wearing saris?
Maybe not as easy as I thought.
I love, love, love Jon Favreau's "Chef" and "The Chef Show." I enjoy watching someone immerse themself in something they love. "Chef" featured his obsession with the drool-worthy Cubano, so it's odd to hear it as a CUBAN. Sure, a CUBAN sandwich is a type of sandwich, but it's not in the same category as WRAP or SUB, which are general terms. CLUB is different, too, since it's ordered all the time with just the one word, whereas I'm not sure what you'd get if you walked into a Denny's and ordered a Cuban. Probably a 911 call.
Consistency isn't essential in all circumstances, but I'd have preferred the original HERO, even with its similarity to the SUB — a much more minor offense. CUBAN ironically left a bad taste in my mouth.
Fun to get such strong bonuses in a debut, ANTENNAE, FLAX SEED, BARN ONE (featured on Monty Hall's rural show ... right, BAR NONE), AP EXAMS. Such color! Speaking of color, DIWALI. That may trip up early-week solvers — it does look odd if you've never seen the word — but it's more than fair. Don't agree? There are about a billion and a half people who might take issue.
I'd have preferred more smoothness, though, especially in the middle. If you have to start with GETAB in a critical spot, it's time to adjust your grid skeleton. Doubly so when you need a tough foreign word like OEUF to make it work.
Enjoyable concept with some forgivable hiccups. Congrats on the debut, Martha!