Product-testing nonprofit since 1936 / TUE 8-2-22.Leafy shelter from the sun / WED 8-3-22 / Carpente.The point is, well, twofold: there should be no non-theme "ME"s and the fill in general should've been much more interesting. Basically, where the fill was concerned, this puzzle OGLED OGRES. It was really hard even to decide on a Word of the Day today, so uninspiring was the fill. Mostly what we get is very familiar and predominantly dull stuff. The grid is not tough to fill-in fact, the fill really could be saucier and more interesting overall, given how little pressure the theme puts on the grid. Eliminating all non-theme "ME"s from the grid is a way to make the whole theme seem more elegant. But there are, of course, other "ME"s, like in MEATS. If the theme is REPEAT AFTER ME, then that should hold for all "ME"s in the grid, which is why "ME"s should occur only in themers. Also, there should be no other "ME"s in a puzzle like this. The concept just doesn't feel tight enough. But it's not a particularly flashy or even noticeable thing. the "R" in "REPORTS") is the first letter of the next word. the "R" in "CONSUMER") is the last letter in a word and the second of the pair (e.g. Today, the repeated letters break across two words every time (that is, the first of the pair (e.g. Seems like there must be a million phrases that feature "ME" and then repeated letters. I have no idea how high or low the difficulty bar is here. S + D + R + L, that doesn't spell anything I'm familiar with. A double letter following "ME," is that really it"? I thought maybe the repeated letters would spell some relevant. It's possible I'm missing something today, because I don't see what makes this particular concept special. And for the world's dumbest, most preposterous "test question." Even the perfect Michigan vibe in which I am currently living cannot make me warmly disposed to this clunker. That / "D" is seriously the worst "rebus" square I've ever seen. All On Their Own! Actually, now that I think about it, TREE is at least something I've heard of, but PASTEL, yikes, no. LOL how in the world was I supposed to know that? True, PASTEL ( 40D: Hue such as pale mint or lilac) and TREE ( 64A: Leafy shelter from the sun) work for their respective clues, but (wait for it, drum roll, etc.) So Do PASTEL and TREE. not a "D" (which my software would not accept) but. But the worst is that the "D" "answer" is supposed to be. Especially uninteresting in this case, as the question is misleading in the first place (as we've established) and in the second, what the hell "test" would ever have such a question? The very idea that you would take any test anywhere at any time that would have such a question is flat-out ridiculous. Then there's the recurring problem of having instructions and/or questions as your theme answers. This turns out to the be the least of the puzzle's problems, but it's still a pretty big problem. The question implies (strongly) that there is just one such tile.*** There is not. So the very question is stupid from the get-go. "G" also has that point value (if google isn't lying to me). Let's start with the fact that "D" is not the only tile that's worth two points in Scrabble. What is not magically good is this puzzle, holy moly. Even the bad is magically good here in Michigan, is what I'm saying. Even the horrible "Don't Blame Me, I Voted for TRUMP" flag hanging outside a house just down the road turns out to be very handy as a marker for figuring out just when our own driveway is coming up. Farmers markets and sand dunes and picnics and hikes and camp fires and cocktails and ice cream and everything you could hope for from Michigan. Another very brief write-up today, as my Michigan vacation continues for another couple of days.
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