Thu., 1/1 Jeffrey Wechsler

[magus]

THEME:   terms of joy in a 16x16 grid containing a graphic smile
   
GOOD ONES:     
Psalm 100 excerpt {& theme}   MAKE A JOYFUL NOISE [unless you have a hangover]   
Nick working at night?   SANTA [viz. "Nick at Night"]   
Accent pair?  CEES [you really need to notice the question mark]   
Boxer's woe   FLEA [the dog, of course, unless he's always at your feet in which case the woe is also yours]   
   
BTW:   
I found this was a challenging beginning of the year.   
   
   
RATING:   
Three grins = Loved it; Two grins = Enjoyed it; One grin = A bit bland for my taste; One teardrop = Not much fun   

[Thomps2525]

Yes, the smiley face was cute...but 44 black squares in a 16x16 puzzle? Is that too many? The answer to "Not in the bk." was UNL, short for UNLISTED. Perhaps Wechsler could have reworked that section of the grid to allow for the use of a real word. "Swear" was CUSS, which is dialectic; the proper word is CURSE. And our old friends ALE and ORE are here to greet the new year with us. Speaking of which...happy new year, everyone!