Going in Different Directions
by Emet Ozar
- Play it ↗
- Difficulty: easy
A tiny grid with an apt pair, where CLOSEDOWN and OPENUP provide the
oppositions OPEN/CLOSE and UP/DOWN. I'm always a little disappointed
when an apt pair doesn't match in length, the theme loses a bit of its punch.
Not that the theme contributes that much in this case. The puzzle is easy enough
to solve on its own.
My favorite part of this puzzle is JAZZ in the corner. Sneaking two Z's into a
grid is no small feat, especially when one of the crosses is the playful
OOZED. The fill in general is quite good in this grid; there are a few
crossword staples (ICEE, INN, BCCS, SER) but overall I was pleased.
I also enjoyed some of the gentle misdirections provided by vague clues. "Squat"
for NONE is clever, on my first pass I was stuck trying to think of another
word for the fitness exercise. Likewise with "Just okay", which I had filled
FINE. I finished both of these corners last.
Most of the other clues are forgettable, straight definitions that lean boring. There are a few exceptions, like the post-solve highlight "Powder that might be added to hot milk on a snow day". Verbose yet evocative.
I think I need to rethink my approach towards difficulty categorization. Puzzmo grids tend to be either easy or hard, where medium is somewhere in the 7-10 minute completion time range. Maybe a better idea is categorizing difficulty based on the amount of wordplay, where wordplay themes and wordplay clues are rated more difficult regardless of the time to complete the puzzle. What do you think?
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