Pagoda placement consideration / TUE 4-5-16 / Fluffy trio / Climate features of equatorial countries / Speckled steed / Anaheim nine on scoreboard / Savior in popular parlance

Constructor:Dan Schoenholz

Relative difficulty:Easy-Medium


THEME:PAIR OF JOKERS (54A: Cards #53 and #54 in a deck ... or a hint to the answers to 19-, 26-, 35- and 47-Across)— familiar phrases made up of two comic actors:

Theme answers:

• SHORT WINTERS (19A: Climate features of equatorial countries) [Martin Short, Jonathan Winters]
• WHITE HOPE (26A: Savior, in popular parlance) [Betty White, Bob Hope]
• CRYSTAL BALL (35A: Prognostication tool) [Billy Crystal, Lucille Ball]
• ROCK CANDY (47A: Clumps of sugar on a stick) [Chris Rock, John Candy]

Word of the Day:PEABO Bryson(29D: Two-time Grammy winner Bryson) —

Peabo Bryson (born Robert Peapo Bryson, April 13, 1951, given name changed from "Peapo" to Peabo c. 1965) is an AmericanR&B and soul singer-songwriter, born in Greenville, South Carolina. He is well known for singingsoft-rockballads (often as a duo with female singers) and has contribution to at least 3 Disney animated feature soundtracks. (wikipedia)

I've definitely seen Rock, Candy, Short, etc. used in themes for their highly repurposable last names, but never quite like this, I don't think. Didn't care too much for this theme at first—couple of themers felt a little wobbly, especially SHORT WINTERS—but then I hit the revealer and thought, "OK, that works pretty well." I don't know any game wherein a PAIR OF JOKERS is a meaningful unit, but decks certainly have two of them, so it's numerically accurate, if nothing else. My Only real problem with the theme is the answer WHITE HOPE, a phrase I have never seen in non-racial contexts. In fact, I've never heard it without "great" in front of it. "Great WHITE HOPE" was the phrase used by noted novelist, sportswriter and racist Jack London to express his deeply held wish that a white champion (namely Jim Jeffries) would rise up and win back the heavyweight title from Jack Johnson, the black champion. "Jim Jeffries must now emerge from his Alfalfa farm and remove that golden smile from Jack Johnson's face. Jeff, it's up to you. The White Man must be rescued" (quote taken from this NPR story from a few years back). It is true that my Webster's 3rd Int'l has as one of WHITE HOPE's definitions: "one of which much is expected, esp. one undertaking a difficult task." But it's not the first definition. Definition 1: "slang: a white contender for a pugilistic championship held by a colored person" ("colored"??? how old is this thing? Oh, 1961 ... OK then). Too racially loaded, this phrase. Just google it. It's racial. I mean, when Larry Bird comes up on the first page of hits, come on. Also, it is patently absurd to say that WHITE HOPE means [Savior, in popular parlance] unless you radically revise the meaning of the word "popular." I'd've tried to make a different pairing work. There are a gajillion comic actor names out there. WHITE SALES works. FRY COOK, also good. The WHITE HART was the personal badge of Richard II. So there are options. But you might have to rework your themers quite a bit to maintain symmetry.


Loved the "?" clues on both RAGE (55D: Road hazard?) andENVY (58D: Go green?) at the bottom of the grid. Don't really get why you go with DOGS IT (4D: Doesn't give ones full effort) over DOG-SIT (an always current activity), but there's no harm no foul there. I still don't think DARE ME is a thing people actually say, though the title of this Megan Abbott novel suggests otherwise:

I spent the past weekend at the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament in Stamford, CT. I have much to say about it, but I don't have the time / energy to cover it all now. Look for my write-up Wednesday, possibly Thursday. In the meantime, here's my wife's write-up. Also, here's a GIF of Will Shortz looking at me with what I choose to believe is deep admiration:

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

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