THEME: first two and last two letters in random phrases spell animal that make stuffed toys, though a MOLE does not seem appropriate
GOOD ONES: Amazingly, in a 21x21 grid, there is not one clever clue.
There is one clue, however, which sadly is apt for this offering: see 87 Down
BTW:
In addition to being most pedestrian, several entries were iffy at best:
EDITORS as "copy cats" is not quite there; men are no longer called cats and women never were.
Takes painkillers, say AILS [yes, but "taking" is not "aching"]
Stayed too long at the fair? OVERATE [needs several question marks]
Coffee pot remanant DREG [what's one dreg?]
At attention RAPT [in a way, but rapt suggests rapture less than awareness]
Of course I'm nit-picking, but the usually excellent Doug Peterson and Bruce Sutphin did not combine in this Sunday opus for work equal to the task.
RATING:
Three grins = Loved it; Two grins = Enjoyed it; One grin = A bit bland for my taste; One teardrop = Not much fun
