THEME: a word Down intersects with a word Across leaving the word Across misspelled because of the intrusion --- but the two words form a familiar phrase reflecting the fact that on the grid the word Down is "in" the word Across (this made sense to me when I wrote it)
GOOD ONES: With SADKDLE, working again, aptly BACK ["back in the saddle": BACK is literally "in" SADDLE]
With FAMSILY, what red hair often does, aptly RUNS [ "runs in the family"]
With BANNK, a financially secure thing, aptly MONEY ["money in the bank"]
"LOOK in the MIRROR" and "DROP in the BUCKET" are equally clever
BTW: Fair ones MAIDENS [I'd use quotation marks around "Fair" since the term is "fair maidens" or "maidens fair." They are not "fair" in and of themselves.]
I was confused when I had SADKD.… I knew I was right, yet how could I be? Then I had FAM_ILY, which also made no sense. Then I got DEUS,
thank God, and BACK made sense.
RATING:
Three grins = Loved it; Two grins = Enjoyed it; One grin = A bit bland for my taste; One teardrop = Not much fun
