English headwear with short visor / FRI 11-3-17 / Intense sobbing with contorted face in modern lingo

Constructor: Kameron Austin Collins and Brendan Emmett Quigley

Relative difficulty: Easy

THEME: none 

Word of the Day: SAND DAB (1D: Pacific flatfish) —

The Pacific sanddab (Citharichthys sordidus) is a species of flatfish. It is by far the most common sanddab, and it shares its habitat with the longfin sanddab (C. xanthostigma) and the speckled sanddab (C. stigmaeus). It is a medium-sized flatfish, with a light brown color mottled brown or black, occasionally with white or orange spots. // The Pacific sanddab is endemic to the northern Pacific Ocean, from the Sea of Japan to the coast of California. They are most commonly found at depths of 50 to 150 m (160 to 490 ft), though the young inhabit shallower waters, occasionally moving into tide pools. [...] It is a popular game fish in northern California, found on menus in the Monterey Bay and San Francisco area, though more difficult to find in southern California restaurants and markets. (wikipedia)

I believe this is the most total names ever credited with the construction of a crossword puzzle. Most total *words* is probably one of them JASA-constructed puzzles, but for human name elements, I have a feeling six (two constructors with first, middle, and last names credited) is the winner. I also believe this was a very good puzzle. I say "believe" because I only caught a glimpse of it—I ran through this thing in 3:53, which ... I honestly don't know what my record Friday time is, but this is close. I can identify every single place I hesitated while solving this thing, because there are so few. My brain took a few beats to remember ENTEBBE, though it should've come to me instantly off the initial "E" (7D: Ugandan city on Lake Victoria). NUT MEAT is so ... unpleasant and seldom-heard ... that I mostly allowed crosses to take care of it (17A: Edible kernel). Never heard of "ABIE the Agent" but off the "AB-" I took a guess. I somehow remembered RIAA for the first time in my solving career (21D: Gold-certifying org.), which confirmed ABIE. I wrote KAHN instead of KHAN at first (30D: Sadiq ___, London mayor elected in 2016). I had LTD before YTD (54A: Abbr. in a financial report) but UGLY CRY (41D: Intense sobbing with a contorted face, in modern lingo) took care of that. Neither AGUA (51D: Tequila chaser) nor LARD (52D: It's used in preparing tamales) wanted to fall into place on the first go, but I just went up and in to that SW corner via ROB REINER (44A: Filmmaker whose directorial debut was "This Is Spinal Tap"), and bam, done, right at the central "E" in ENNEADS (61A: The Muses and others).


I think I might've struggled with SAND DAB if my parents hadn't moved, in their retirement, to the Monterey Bay area. They like to go to a little fish restaurant on a pier there, where you can see otters and sometimes Reggie Jackson (true story), and anyway, I think their menu was the first place I ever saw the term SAND DAB. I have a feeling I ordered it and it was tasty. But I have a feeling there will be plenty of people who've never heard of it before. I'm teaching MARLOWE this week and next week, so his name: no problem (26D: "Hero and Leander" poet). We're not reading "Hero and Leander," though. Just "The Passionate Shepherd to His Love" and then Dr. Faustus. TMI? Fine. I liked this puzzle, overall. I *loved* UGLY CRY. I recognize that GOOGLE HANGOUTS is original, but I can't say I enjoyed seeing it (36A: Platform for chatting). Corporate properties, esp. those I don't use, tend not to light my fire. But I'll take originality wherever I can find it, I guess. See you tomorrow.

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]