I've been obsessed with football's Statue of Liberty trick play ever since Boise State used it to win the 2007 Fiesta Bowl. Such ...
read moreI've been obsessed with football's Statue of Liberty trick play ever since Boise State used it to win the 2007 Fiesta Bowl. Such misdirection and flim-flammery!
Not nearly as much deception in today's theme, although it wasn't until I hit TABLET that I was 100% sure it was about the STATUE OF LIBERTY. Neat that her major features — TORCH, CROWN, TABLET, GOWN — can all be hidden (to some extent) at the ends of phrases.
TRIPLE CROWN worked best, since it's 1) a colorful phrase and 2) it doesn't refer to the physical object. ROYAL CROWN would immediately call Lady Liberty's headwear to mind, for example.
ASPIRIN TABLET uses a completely different meaning of TABLET (pill vs. writing pad), which is fantastic. However, it's not snazzy enough to be a theme-worthy phrase. Tough to imagine people asking for an ASPIRIN TABLET as opposed to simply an aspirin.
Like Bruce, I wondered if she wears a GOWN. I always thought of it as a toga, but that makes even less sense than the monument greeting immigrants in a ball gown.
Sticking to only TORCH, CROWN, and TABLET would have made for a stronger puzzle, especially since the central ASPIRIN TABLET forced some newb-unfriendly regions. I'm glad that LILI's clue gave solvers an additional hint, but when the EDER is flowing next door, to the sounds of COSI Fan Tutte, it's too easy to put the puzzle down and do something else.
Going to a 74-word grid could have smoothed things out — a black square around the S of YES I DO (along with much black square rejiggering elsewhere) might have lent our Lady her rightful aura of awe.
Solid July 4th puzzle though, and I appreciated the top-down ordering of her TORCH high in the air, the iconic CROWN next, and the TABLET at her waist.