Christmas Saturday Tsuris Along with a nod to the holiday, this offering featured tough cluing of simple words while still maintaining a sense of humor.
Deuce follower ADIN [tennis, not cards]
Expeditions, e.g. SUVS [not the trips]
Target area AISLE [the cleanser]
Take over INFEST
Breakfast item LINK
Penn. is on it EST
Change one’s position STIR
Nut for drinks KOLA [I thought HAZEL, etc. then COLA, which made SANK a challenge]
Doomed SANK
Roman numeral TRE
Private entertainers USO
Ready for another voyage REFIT [for example, to make a boat ready to sail]
Makeup of Martha’s Vineyard… CLAY
Piece in the game Reversi DISC
Simpsons creator Groening MATT [“___Helm” or “___Dillon” would’ve been easier]
Ad exec.’s pithy description of {Santa Clause} NICKATNITE [never knew Nick was St. Nick]
They might be stolen BASES [I thought kisses and cars]
Surprises for some swingers OFFSPEEDPITCHES [two hidden baseball entries]
And there were a number of less than household names:
Fibonacci, Gay Head Cliffs, BELLA, RPI, Reversi, Groening, IONA, GREENARROW, TAL, EZRA, SEGA Bass Fishing, Battle of Salamis [Genoa or hard?], Nisan, TYBALT, BRIDGEHEAD, Mt. Narodnaya
RATING:
Three grins = Excellent: Loved it; Two grins = Good: Enjoyed it; One grin = Satisfactory: A bit bland for my taste; One teardrop = Unsatisfying: No fun