Constructor's Comments
This puzzle speaks to the odd use of the term
word ladder, doesn't it, for yes, one can, of course, climb down a ladder, but it's usually got the connotation of something one climbs
up. Anyhow, I am usually not a huge fan of this type of puzzle, but I was encouraged to pursue this one in part because of the unexpected direction it would take (through TOOTHSOME, no less!). The theme imparts a certain feeling to the grid: the top half of the puzzle seems brightly lit; the bottom half seems engulfed in a dark shadow. One of John McPhee's many dear pieces of advice on writing comes to mind. Calling thesauruses "useful" but "dangerous," he writes: "At best, [they] are mere rest stops in the search for the mot juste." Moral:
caveat utilitor.
That was outstanding, Andrew. Once I'd finished and took a close look at the synonyms, they really hold up. It must have been extremely difficult to work out this chain.
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