Tuesday February 12th 2019, NY Times Crossword

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Time: 7:21
Tuesday Average: 13:09
Best Tuesday 5:05

It's another breeze of a puzzle from the ZIPPY streets of Karachi today and I must say that I giggled a bit when I realized what the theme was. Without the clues, they appear to be just normal answers so I'll have to include them, but it's essentially US State abbreviation puns, which even for someone such as myself who doesn't enjoy puns really worked for me.

  • "Psychedelic stuff from the Evergreen State?:" WA SHROOMS. They started with best and most believable, I'd say. 
  • "Underwear from the First State?:" DE BRIEFS
  • "Gambler's action in the Cornhusker State?:" NE WAGER
  • "Forest animal in the state nicknamed Old Dominion?:" VA MOOSE
  • "Mosquito from the state nicknamed Land of Opportunity?:" AR BITER
  • "Highway divider in the Centennial State?:" CO MEDIAN
  • "Pasta from the Golden State?:" CA NOODLES. And canoodles is just a great word by any stretch. 
I can't imagine it's the first appearance of a theme like this, but it's my first time seeing it. Strangely enough, I'm not seeing any unfamiliar fill, but ECHOLOCATE is a very nice one. I'll contest that anyone has ever called a strong tennis server an ACER, but that's about as nitpicky as I'll go. 

Meanwhile, the college fair is about to start so I'm back AT IT. Looking forward to a travel day tomorrow!

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