Tuesday August 21st 2018, NY Times Crossword

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Time: 9:01
Tuesday Average: 14:01
Tuesday Best: 6:10

Submitted for your perusal, an ordinary crossword, with a not so ordinary Darwin evolution theme. Obviously, that's to be read in your best Rod Serling voice, since the word perusal is always for Twilight Zone intros in my mind. The theme is quite straightforward, with the circled letters "evolving" toward Darwin, starting strong with Tenacious D and Da Ali G Show and onward to Bobby Darin. For whatever reason, Steely Dan always seems rather over-represented in crosswords. I wonder if it will bother anyone that the letters evolve in almost left to right order, but not quite.

If they were going with Garfield, couldn't Jon have been the star of the Garfield Minus Garfield comic strip? Or would that not have gone over well in a paper that, I assume, is still running Garfield strips for some reason?

I've been eating quite a bit of biryani since arriving in India, including last night waiting for a delayed flight in Jaipur airport. Am I allowed to say that I'm more looking forward to the biryani in Pakistan?

I'm fascinated to learn about Schubert's "The Erl King," even if it comes in the form of crossword fill of the purest sort. I'm currently listening to the first version that came up on Spotify and I can believe that Erlkönig would be described as Goethe's "most famous ballad" per Wikipedia. I couldn't have told you that Bob Iger is Disney's CEO, but I suppose that's another letter string that will come in handy in crosswords.

Finally, darn tootin' is a lovely cross with ate crow; both highly useful phrases. Tin God, "an object of unjustified veneration or respect," was entirely unfamiliar to me, but sure, I like it.

It was a rainy drive in Indore as a setting for crosswording today. But I am enjoying all of the school architecture around here.


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