"Taking the Fifth," 3/12/17

This puzzle was terrible! I felt very vindicated to see that Rex also thought it was bad, and then also a little ashamed because he said it was easy but we couldn't finish it. :(

Time to finish/time I gave up: 55:11. I really gave up on one letter and guessed on a few more. It was a sorry state of affairs.
When I checked puzzle there were...I want to say four wrong letters? I don't even remember, it was so unfortunate.

Commentary:
I ended up just throwing in the towel on the LEU (Romanian currency)/AUTORACE (500, e.g.) cross. I should have just stuck it out and tried every letter, but I was so exhausted from ODER (Baltic Sea feeder)/POTHERS (Commotions) that I just gave up instead. Are you kidding me with POTHERS??? Also, the reason I have heard of the word HEGIRA is Joni Mitchell's album, which she spells Hejira. So I was already annoyed with that whole box and ready to be done with this stinker.

The theme was a mixed bag for me. I enjoyed HOTCROSSBUNNY (Sweaty, irritable rabbit?) but really, really hated IRRESISTIBLEUIE (Turnaround too tempting to pass up?) Definitely not good enough to make up for the disaster that was the rest of the puzzle.

Clues I especially liked! Yay!

• I don't think there was any clue in this puzzle that I liked because of the cluing. Here are some things that were in this puzzle that I like as things:
• Roo, from Winnie the Pooh
• Jai alai (because it reminds me of the exchange from Archer where the guy says he's going to hunt "the most dangerous game," and Archer responds, "Jai alai?")
• Waldo
• Chicken wings
• Geese
• Just kidding, I hate geese. They're loud and messy.
• Sydney Poitier

I'm too young for this $h*t

• Nothing specifically here. Let's just move on to all the other terribleness.

Really?

Here are all the things that were at least questionable if not downright terrible, in addition to the stuff that I listed in the first section,

• STERNA (Chest protectors)
• NAUGHTS (The 2000s, with "the")
• YAW (Go off course)
• ISTH (Panama, e.g.: Abbr.)
• TOLDTO (Shared with, as a story)
• ADEE (Ending with chick)
• INOT (Playing a fifth NFL period, say)
• ULE (Suffix with nod-)
• ITER (Road to the forum, e.g.)
• RELO (Move, informally)--I've complained about this one before and I still don't like it.
• NINON (Curtain fabric)
• Exercitation (EFFORT)--in this case it's the clue word to which I object
• SAWII (2005 horror sequel)
• ABATER (Lessener)
• UTERI (Centers of early development)--see also sterna

Things I learned today:

• I learned this a few months ago--Fisher of fashion has reappeared, and her name is still Eileen. Every week I write down things I've "learned," but I wonder if I will really retain them. Here's one I stored away for good! Probably the least useful.
• Teena Marie also making a reappearance. That's two!
• Tampa is nicknamed "The Big Guava." A cursory read of the Wikipedia article on the subject tells me that there aren't actually guavas in Tampa at all. This is not helping Tampa's image in my mind.
• Sanaa is the capital of Yemen. How has this not come up before?
• "Alo" is a greeting in an unidentified South American language. I'm not sure this counts as learning something.
• Erno is Mr. Rubik's first name. "Erno's cube" didn't take off in marketing I guess.

Times I got to use my French major this week 

• Menthe. It's something that there is a creme of.
• Affaire is the French spelling of the English word affair. Which I think could just as easily have been the answer to Romantic liaison. Even the French part of this puzzle was no fun.

Fritz out!