Caryn L. Robbins author page
2 puzzles by Caryn L. Robbins
with Jeff Chen comments
See the 7 answer words debuted by Caryn L. Robbins.
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| S | A | G | G | Y | S | T | E | P | S | L | E | W |
A year ago, Caryn and I batted around SOMEDAY. MY PRINTS WILL COME, trying to do something interesting with it. I enjoyed the humorously wistful imagery, but it didn't feel like enough to build an entire puzzle around. We ended up going in a completely different direction, but I hope that someday she gets a chance to use it. Perfect title for a cozy mystery featuring an impatient detective.
I appreciated that this was more than a run-of-the-mill homophones puzzle, featuring NCE to NTS. It felt too familiar, though, some detective work turning up several ancestors and one predecessor. It's unfortunate that Paula's used two of the exact same themers, but realistically, only a tiny fraction of the solving population will even have an inkling of past puzzles. Still, it's a point of pride in the construction community to renew rather than rehash.
I did enjoy the two new ones — NO CHANTS IN HELL would be a truly hellish fate for my daughter, who loves to sing at the top of her lungs, bless her soul, but with a decidedly unblessed tone deafness. We're gently working on that.
Curious choice to clue OTTO to OTTO Porter Jr., whose claim to fame is his repeated underperformance sinking many of my fantasy basketball teams. Not that I still hold a grudge.
Great to have the TINSELTOWN sparkle along with Bill Watterson's CARTOONING (not so much "The Family Circus") to help keep up interest, especially for those solvers who might not even notice the NCE to NTS extra level.
| A | B | E | L | E | V | I | L | A | W | A | K | E | ||
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| S | E | R | B | D | O | N | N | E | M | C | E | D | ||
| U | T | I | L | E | R | E | L | A | Y | |||||
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| I | T | M | E | C | O | A | T | I | T | R | A | P | ||
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| R | E | F | E | R | I | M | A | L | L | E | A | R | S | |
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| N | O | D | U | H | Y | M | C | A | T | E | E | N |
What did the stalk of corn say when the farmer asked, "Hey, can I tell you something?"
(I blame my kids and their insatiable appetites for corny joke books.)
Fun collection of ear-heavy characters today, perfectly summed up by the punny I'M ALL EARS. A Family Feud survey asked this very question, and BUGS BUNNY and MICKEY MOUSE were numbers one and two, just like Caryn presented them!
(The fact that the third response was "Mouse" ... I fear for these survey respondents.)
ALFRED E. NEUMAN is another great find. What, me worry about these giant ears?
I wasn't so sure if MISTER SPOCK fit. Is it logical to include him along with three cartoon characters?
Ow, stop Vulcan nerve pinching me!
WELCOME MAT is apt for Monday puzzles, as they should be welcoming to all(ish). Caryn had a difficult task, gridding around a central 13. I appreciated the BUFFET MENU of mid-length bonuses. Not an easy thing to accomplish, given the constraints. LAYMEN OSSIFY KNEECAP — there's a story in there somewhere. Worth the dings like ETE LAMS EDY? I'd say so.
I love slang terms like BOUGIE (think "bourgeoisie"), as these EDGIER entries spice up the joint. Crossing it with AGITA might create some solver agita-tion, though. Perhaps a black square at the S of SERB might have helped.
Head-scratching Ok Boomer moment: There's such a meme as IT ME?
I had a ton of fun daydreaming about what other themers might fit. I think Caryn made the right choices, given that my oddball results spanned from FERENGI to DROOPY DOG to KING MIDAS AFTER APOLLO GOT THROUGH WITH HIM. I don't think twice after solving most Mondays, so well done getting my mind churning, Caryn!