So-called father of Czech music / THU 4-13-17 / Alternatives to cabs / Certain opera singer for short / Uncommon period in basketball / Strength of solution in chemistry / Bygone fuel giant with torch in its logo / Capital more than two miles above sea level

Constructor:Michael Shteyman

Relative difficulty:Easy

THEME: TRIPLE OVERTIME (54A: Uncommon period in basketball ... or a hint to 19- and 37-Across and 4- and 48-Down)— each theme answer has three OTs in it

Theme answers:

• GO TO THE OTHER SIDE (19A: Made it across)
• DOT DOT DOT (4D: Continuation indication)
• ONE POTATO TWO POTATO (37A: Start of a counting rhyme)
• HOT TO TROT (48D: Eager)

Word of the Day:OTTER POPS(39D: Frozen treats with "six zippy flavors") —

Otter Pops are a brand of freezies—a packaged, frozen dessert—sold in the United States. The product consists of a clear plastic tube filled with a fruit-flavored liquid. Some varieties claim to contain 100% fruit juice. Otter Pops are a frozen treat, but stores generally sell them at room temperature and the consumer puts them in the freezer. (wikipedia)

This is a well-made puzzle that I found totally boring. Got the rebus gimmick very early, and then just assumed I was hunting "OT" squares ... didn't get that there were three of them in selected answers until I hit the revealer. At least the revealer gave the repetitive exercise of filling in "OT" squares some raison d'etre. DOT DOT DOT seems like a preeeeetty cheap way to get your "OT"s. Also, ONE POTATO TWO POTATO is not as coherent and stand-alone as you'd like a themer to be. I mean the clue (37A: Start of a counting rhyme) basically shouts "not a thing" at you. But as I say, this thing has a concept, it executes that concept solidly, and then fills things with utterly inoffensive fill, the highlight of which (for me) was PUMP IRON alongside OTTERPOPS. That pairing gives the grid some color. The rest of the grid just sorta happens.


Theme came to me pretty easily after I got the three non-theme-related Acrosses in the NW (IPAD, ENID, SADAT) and then pieced together a couple of the Downs, and then, with B-G- in place, knew what 13A: Close-minded sort had to be (BIGOT). DOT DOT DOT and PINOTS followed hard after, and then it was a flat sprint. Finding OTs never proved hard, and once you got one, you could turn up the cross real quick. Slow moments came at LHASA (I still can never decide if that second letter is an "H" or "L" ... every time!), and IN SUM (wanted IN TOTAL, briefly—and mistakenly—thinking it had an "OT" in it...). Also thought OTTAWA was OTASCA (it's ITASCA ... and it's a *lake*, argh), and couldn't see the last three letters in MEZZO until I finally got the first two (Z BAR!?). Also, unfortunately, the horrible RECT occupied more of my time than any other answer in the SE (64A: Door shape: Abbr.). You never suspect ... RECT. That clue / answer pairing is about as exciting as a door shape abbr. Most confusing clue was probably 42A: One drawn to kids' entertainment? (TOON). It's a great clue, but all I could think of, before I got the right answer, was "... pervert?" And now if you'll excuse me, I vant to go to Z BAR.

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]