the "silent" letters in the theme answers had been circled, and B. My friend Finn suggested that people might've appreciated this theme more if A. "Silent COUP … that's a thing, right? Is that a theme answer …?" I wasn't even sure I had all the theme answers counted correctly at first. I don't know if discovering the silent letter angle is going to lead to more "ahas" or "ughs." I only know how I felt. Most people are never going to pick up on the silent letter thing, and are thus going to wonder why the Thursday puzzle skimped so badly on theme content. CZAR? LIGHTS? KOHL? AESTHETES? This is just a conceptual mess. ![]() ![]() That is, yes, every first letter is silent, but then … is DEMESNE part of the theme? It feels abusively intentional, but it's extra-thematic, as far as I can tell. The silent letter angle gives us a completely different take on "silent" … but … again, the placement and frequency of the theme elements seem utterly arbitrary. I am told that the preponderance of silent letters in the grid is somehow involved in the theme (even beyond the six silent letters directly tied to the six theme answers) … and I think this must be correct-otherwise how to explain DEMESNE (43D: Lord's estate), for example, not to mention all the mediocre-to-bad fill generally? But man, I didn't see that angle at all, and at least a few other people I know didn't either.
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