"Coming Full Circle," by Jeremy Newton

Editor's Comments

As a constructor, I've looked up to Jeremy for as long as I can remember, so working with him on today's puzzle was an honor!  I find the "Coming Full Circle" title for a C-to-O change puzzle ingenious, and coming up with such a funny set of theme entries can't have been easy.  My favorite is DUDE WHERE'S MY OAR, though ORATE AND BARREL is a close second.  Also, did you notice that there isn't a single extraneous O or C in either the theme entries or the nonthematic fill?  That's one of Jeremy's signature elegant touches.

The best part is that despite the constraints of not using O's and C's, Jeremy put together one of the liveliest grids I've seen for a theme-dense puzzle—I especially like BADASS, MY TWO DADS, RED WINES, MALL RATS, BIG TIP, and MOTHER HEN!  I also enjoyed seeing EW EW and US MAP, since it's not every day that short fill feels fresh.