Conquest of 1953 / SUN 12-27-15 / Spicy fruit beverage often used as tequila chaser / Silas in Da Vinci code notably / Agricultural figure in Canterbury Tales / Muse for DH Lawrence / Female toon with dollink boris

Constructor: Don Gagliardo and Zhouqin Burnikel

Relative difficulty: Easy


THEME:"Binary Code"— all theme clues are double letter (e.g. [FF]); answer are common phrases which, when interpreted in a certain literal fashion, can refer to said double letters:

Theme answers:

• SHOPPING CENTER (23A: PP) [because "PP" is the "center" of the word "shopping"]
• DEAD ENDS (36A: DD) [because "D" is on either "end" of "dead"] [etc.]
• NCAA FINALS (46A: AA)
• WINDOW FRAME (64A: WW)
• ONION RINGS (82A: OO)
• JAZZ DUET (95A: ZZ)
• MINNESOTA TWINS (110A: NN)
• MARRIED COUPLE (15D: RR)
• LEADOFF DOUBLE (52D: FF)

Word of the Day: SANGRITA (9D: Spicy fruit beverage often used as a tequila chaser) —

Sangrita (meaning "little blood"), whose origin dates back to the 1920s, is a customary partner to a shot of straight tequilablanco; a non-alcoholic accompaniment that highlights tequila's crisp acidity and cleanses the palate between each peppery sip. The basic conception of sangrita is to complement the flavor of 100% agave tequila, which is also peppery and citrusy in taste. Before increased worldwide popularity and corporate interest in tequila in the late 1990s and early 21st century, few outside of the Mexican Pacific region bordering the state of Jalisco, where tequila was mainly produced and consumed, knew of the existence of sangrita, and much less its recipe. As popularity grew, so did commercial efforts to recreate the mysterious red, spicy drink that was served with tequila. In fact the drink was not that mysterious. While most outsiders would reference its red make up as tomato juice and spices, locals and traditionalists agree that the one ingredient that most likely doesn't belong is tomato. (wikipedia)

Not a strong Sunday. This isn't a theme so much as a regular NYT cluing convention masquerading as a theme. That is, we regularly see, for instance, CEES clued as [Comedic duo?], [Psychic couple?], and the like. So today, we get that same, common cluing gimmick, but now ... it's a theme. Except the clever clues are ... answers. It's fine as an idle diversion, but it's not much as a core concept for the NYT's marquee puzzle goes. The concept not only isn't original—it recycles like crazy. Clues that have appeared in other puzzles: [Dead ends?] for DEES; [Minnesota Twins?] for ENS; [Jazz duet] for ZEES. The constructors even recycle their own work—they used [Shopping center?] to clue PEES in a puzzle they made for the LA Times in 2012. I guess the idea of making the "?" clues into answers is its own kind of novelty, but it's not much of one. There is nothing *bad* about this puzzle. It does what it does, consistently. And the grid is a little on the staid / old-fashioned side, but it's fine. The problem is that the puzzle does nothing but rehash the familiar; it's just too unimaginative for a NYT Sunday puzzle. Also too easy, but that's not nearly as big a problem.


There was a "Little Rascals" boy named FARINA? Like ... the cereal? Cream-of-Wheat? That is news to me. I know Buckwheat and Spanky and Alfalfa and Darla and Petey and ... maybe some others, but not FARINA. Dennis FARINA, yes. This FARINA, no. Also didn't know SANGRITA. So I learned two things, only one of which I am likely to remember (I drink more than I think about "Little Rascals"). AGELONG is a weird word I wouldn't ever use. I had AGELESS there. I should probably asterisk this puzzle's difficulty level, since I was tipped off by some eager numbskull on Twitter who decided he needed to tell Susan ORLEAN she was in the puzzle before the puzzle ever came out online (49D: Susan who wrote "The Orchid Thief"). I have a whole "crossword" stream open on Twitter, so I saw the tweet, and I don't think she'd've been a flat-out gimme for me, so ... maybe add ten seconds or so to my time (still "Easy"). I tried LYCRA before LISLE at 57D: Durable stocking fabric. Otherwise, no problems at all.

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

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