Fri., 11/21 Mark Feldman

[magus]

THEME:   initial sound of a phrase is changed to create new meaning.
   
GOOD ONES:     
Where donkeys make noise?   BRAY AREA [gray area]   
Small matter   ATOM   
TV monitor   FCC [I was thinking something like CRT]   
What mayo might be   SPANISH [as in Cinco de Mayo]   
   
BTW:   
Any day now   ANON [kind of a stretch, maybe if "yesterday" were added to the clue]   
   
Excellently   WELL [I guess colloquially they are the same, but it's too imprecise for me]   
   
Some tough cluing, and I like crossing YENTA and SANTA.   
   
   
RATING:    
Three grins = Loved it; Two grins = Enjoyed it; One grin = A bit bland for my taste; One teardrop = Not much fun   

[Thomps2525]

Mister magus objects to me calling AFRO an archaic word. I'd better not say anything about ANON.

In the New York Times puzzle appearing in today's Daily News, "Like many dogs' tails" is the clue for AWAG. I was positive that I would not find AWAG in the Merriam-Webster dictionary. AROAR and ASEA are words that often appear in puzzles and I was surprised that neither of those words is in the dictionary either. The prefix "a-" is defined as:

1. on; in; at: abed.
2. in (such) a state or condition: afire.
3. in (such) a manner: aloud.

That prefix allows crossword constructors to create words that are needed to fill a grid. I doubt that "awag" has ever been used before but it would seem to be a legitimate word based on the dictionary definition of "a-." Does everyone approve of the "a-" words or do a lot of people think they're adumb and alazy?

[magus]

Mister Magus also objects to your using the objective and not the possessive case before a gerund.  {note "your" before "using"}  But he forgives you.    [but why am I referring to myself in the third person --- what a bore!]

[Thomps2525]

I wrote that "Mister magus objects to me calling AFRO an archaic word." Then Mister Magus objected to the way I worded that sentence. I checked several grammar websites and the majority say that "my" should have been used instead of "me." One says  that "my" and "me" are interchangeable and a few say that the correct word depends on the meaning of the sentence. In my sentence, Magus could be objecting to me doing something...or he could be objecting to my calling of something. My use of the word "me" is not really incorrect but "my" is preferred. Magus, I'm happy that you have chosen to forgive my.