Novelist Pierre / SUN 10-16-16 / Principia Discordia figure / Unleavened cornbread / Title for Palpatine Amidala Star Wars / Malicious fictional computer

Constructor:Tom McCoy

Relative difficulty:Medium

THEME:"Emotion"— the letter "e" moves (i.e. is in "motion") in one word in each of the themers:

Theme answers:

• TRICKS OF THE TREAD (23A: Goodyear's carefully guarded secrets?)
• BALANCED EDIT (33A: Revision that satisfies both author and publisher?)
• MINUET HAND (48A: What a pianist uses for triple-time pieces?)
• GREAT SALT LEAK (63A: Result of a Morton's factory explosion?)
• MALES ON WHEELS (70A: Skater boys?)
• MATE MARKET (84A: Dating site?)
• THE CHOSEN EON (99A: Privileged time period?)
• A TEAL OF TWO CITIES (112A: Color used by teams from both San Jose and Jacksonville?) 

Word of the Day:CUESTA(34D: Ridge with a gentle slope on one side and a steep slope on the other) —

A cuesta is a hill or ridge with a gentle slope on one side, and a steep slope on the other. In geology the term is more specifically applied to a ridge where a harder sedimentary rock overlies a softer layer, the whole being tilted somewhat from the horizontal. This results in a long and gentle backslope called a dip slope that conforms with the dip of resistant strata, called caprock. Where erosion has exposed the frontslope of this, a steep slope or escarpment occurs. (wikipedia)

This puzzle is bafflingly dull and old-fashioned, which is startling, as its talented constructor is neither of these things. Simple gimmicks can work if they are executed to perfect, with surprising, clever theme-answer results. But these themers are just workmanlike, at best. I kinda like MALES ON WHEELS, but the rest feel like first-draft ideas that shouldn't been rejected. This is like a theme that hasn't been allowed to simmer long enough. Very undercooked, both at the level of concept (really, you just move .... one "e"?) and at the level of execution (really, these are the best themers you could come up with?). I would expect to see a puzzle like this (that is, competent but boring) in another, putatively sub-NYT venue. Not as the marquee puzzle of the self-described "Best Puzzle in the World." Beyond the theme, even, there's little that is fresh or current. ICE BUCKET, I guess, but that a. seems like a partial and b. already feels dated (52D: Kind of challenge). SANTA'S LAP, I really liked, both clue and answer (37D: You might wish upon it). But the rest, no. Eno.


The fill was clunky and musty. I literally shouted at the grid at one point after it not only crossed UPs (ADD UP / GOES UP) but then (like 20 seconds later) gave me Yet Another UP (SOPS UP). Up yours, puzzle! Also, AHH and AWW in the same grid? Ugh. LOTI? (28A: Novelist Pierre). No ... tee. Multiple OCTS and RDAS? The ridiculous not-a-thing prescription abbr. TER (this one drives my pediatrician friend Erin krazy!). I wonder if anyone is going to be tripped up by the CUESTA / ERIS crossing. I have never heard of CUESTA—I am happy to learn the word (which I will soon forget, no doubt) but the "S" involves some inference, i.e. knowing that ERIS (50A: "Principia Discordia" figure) is oft clued as [Goddess of discord]. I can see dropping an "N" in there, no problem. If you have to rely on the relatively obscure CUESTA to make your grid work, you should make sure the crosses are clued fairly. That is all.

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

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