Baby animal in parable in II Samuel / FRI 6-23-17 / Subject of 1984 mockumentary / Edible seed of pumpkin squash / Verdi opera set in fifth century

Constructor: James Mulhern and Ashton Anderson

Relative difficulty: Easy-Medium

THEME: none 

Word of the Day: PERCALE (20D: Bedsheet material) —

noun

noun: percale

1. a closely woven fine cotton or polyester fabric used especially for sheets. (google)

Expected something a little showier here, but all in all it's decent and clean. The long Acrosses don't really sing, though I do like the juxtaposition in the north, i.e. the idea of someone (I assume drunkenly) twirling in SWEAT PANTS while asking "HOW DO I LOOK?" I finished in just over 6. I don't know if the puzzle was easier or harder or exactly as hard as I rated it because I was aided somewhat in the NW, and mightily in the SE, by that niche knowledge I have only because I solve a ton of crosswords, i.e. by crosswordese. I got a superfast start by guessing AMMO right out of the box (1A: They may make the rounds) and then confirming it with (drum roll) ARNESS! (crosswordese the first) (1D: "Gunsmoke" actor James). And then at the end, in the SE corner, I just had blank space below SPINAL TAP, and got a little panicky. Then I tried ATTILA (42D: Verdi opera set in the fifth century). Now I know squat about opera, and I know zero about ATTILA, but something about the clue jogged the answer loose. I didn't trust it At All, but after stumbling with PHOTON instead of PHASER at 43D: Particle beam weapon, I could see it was all going to work out. Shoulda been able to get GARTH from just the "G"; shoulda been able to get PEPITA from the "PE-" ... but shoulda woulda coulda didn't. ATTILA to the rescue.


Other trouble spots:

• Wanted MU SHU at 2D: Kind of pork, but saw the number of squares and wrote in MOO ... SHO :(
• Had the "B" at the end of 7D: Baby animal in a parable in II Samuel and wrote in BEAR CUB
• Wanted THE KEYS instead of CAR KEYS for some reason (35A: Request to Dad, perhaps)
• Could remember only ASNER and ZOOEY DESCHANEL as Ferrell co-stars in "Elf" 
• Could picture SLUGGO perfectly in my head (I own two fat volumes of "Nancy" comics) but for some reason his name eluded me and it came out BLUTTO (39D: Nancy's friend in the comics). 
• TEST SCORES is boring and annoying because when I had ___ SCORES, I expected something specific. I wrote in PSAT, knowing full well no one puts those on their actual applications (do they?)
• 34D: Arm that's tucked away (COVE) — just brutal. Way harder than anything else in the puzzle.
• DRAT for CRUD (48A: "Oh, darn!")

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

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