Asian berry marketed as superfood / SUN 7-1-18 / Certain Spanish murals / One who went a courtin in children's song / Metaphorical time in hell / Guido painter of crucifixion of st peter / Lily Potter's maiden name in Harry Potter books / Another name for porpoise dolphin

Constructor: Sam Trabucco

Relative difficulty: Medium (10:10)

THEME:"Driving Around"— theme answers have to go "around" a vehicle (in circled squares) by way of a PASSING LANE (109A: It's left on a highway ... or a path used by five answers in this puzzle?); that is, clued answer briefly leaves its row and goes up into the row above it, only to return to its original row after it has cleared the "vehicle" ("vehicle" conveniently creates a real, if unclued, answer in the original theme answer row):

Theme answers:

• NOTABIGDEAL
• PLAYINGCARD ("PLAYING DEAD" passes "CAR")(23A: Trying to show no signs of life)
• STAGEDOOR
• LOGCABIN ("LOGGED IN" passes "CAB") (28A: Began a PC session)
• POTTEDPLANT
•    HAVANANS ("HAD PLANS" passes "VAN") (68A: Was forced to turn down an invitation)
• NOOUTLET
• BLOCKBUSTER ("BLOCK LETTER" passes "BUS")(69A: Big character?)
•  UNTANGLE
• STRUCKOIL ("SUNTAN OIL" passes "TRUCK") (108A: Bottle for a beachgoer)

Word of the Day: ADC (7D: General's assistant: Abbr.) —

(abbr. for aide-de-camp) noun

1. a military officer acting as a confidential assistant to a senior officer. (google)

This is a well-made puzzle, especially for a Sunday, but I did not particularly enjoy it. Too many answers and gimmicky clues were just irking me a little too much. It's a taste / wavelength thing, though; I know that. The theme is pretty ambitious and neatly executed. You could say there are "only" five theme answers, but since all those answers are essentially stacked answers (so, two answers), and since there's also a revealer, there's really quite a lot of theme material. And even with that theme density, the grid manages to feel airy, and there are a lot of showy non-theme answers, especially in the Downs.  WHERE IT'S AT, CARBO LOAD, and TIGHT RACE are all lovely. The puzzle overall just wasn't for me. Hate UNPC (because I hate the bogus term "PC," for ... well, reasons), and hate ADC (because holy crappy abbr., Batman), and DAY DRINK just depresses me, the way the crossword's whole jokey way of dealing with drunks depresses me. I really like drinking, but get kinda bummed when the puzzle seems to deal flippantly with alcoholism. Really piling on with GET LIT. And then there's the barfing (EMETIC). It's a bit much. (Remember, these are just personal feelings, not Inherent Flaws in the Puzzle) (although ADC is an Inherent Flaw, wtf).


I call down fire and brimstone and all manner of B.S. on SEAPIG (94D: Another name for a porpoise or dolphin). You know, there is such a thing as adding *too many* things to the wordlist in your constructing software. Discriminate. Dial it back a skosh (sp?). HVAC stands for ... what? (92D: Sort of rooftop unit, familiarly). Something something air conditioning? Something vacuum? Huh, it's "heating, ventilating, and air conditioning." HUAC is better. GUAC is better. Most things are better. HVAC beats ADC, but that's about all it beats. SERTS (47D: Certain Spanish murals) crossing LACUNAR (55A: Relating to gaps) seems potentially lethal, as "lacuna" is pretty obscure in its non-adjectival form, and SERT is known to most of us *only* because we've been solving crosswords for years/decades. I can see some smart neophyte putting an "L" in the last position there, is what I'm saying. AHEMS in the plural, never not ridiculous. And I'm not really feeling LAME (or SO LAME) as an insult any more. Disabled friends talked me out of it a while ago. I'm not offended, but ... I dunno. I probably wouldn't use it. And poker lingo ... not my thing. It's like golf for me, in that I ... it ... it's just not where it's at, for me. I mean, I know the basic poker stuff you see in crosswords, but to me, RUN GOOD is something an old truck might do. Poker shmoker (87D: Enjoy consistent, favorable luck, in poker lingo).


Got thrown by some of the two-word answers, like ROLL BY (49D: Elapse, as years) and ON STILTS (80D: Like many clowns and beachside houses) and STOOP TO (79A: Go as far down as). Those last two crossed, so I really had to fight my way through there. Also went down ACAI alley there at 33A: Asian berry marketed as a "superfood" (GOJI). I knew ACAI was probably not "Asian," but four-letter superfood berry ending in "I" ... my fingers just did their own, automatic thing there. Had another little trouble spot at ANAGRAM—even when I thought ANAGRAM might be in play, I was only looking at "president," and so couldn't see it. But I was leaving part of the ANAGRAM out—"Nerd's epithet" is an ANAGRAM of "THE president," not just "president." Nice. OK, that's all. Good to be back blogging after a week off (during which my mom visited, and my daughter graduated high school, and then wife daughter and I all went to Minneapolis for daughter's college orientation / friend-visiting).




Sometimes it's good to walk away for a little bit. Speaking of which, I'll be walking away again for a week later this month, so if you want to write for me, let me know. See you Tuesday (I get a regularly scheduled day off tomorrow, as it's Annabel Monday).

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

P.S. Thanks to Craig, Brian, Clare, Karen, Don, Ben, and Chris for covering for me this past week. Nice to know I can just hand the keys over and all will be well.

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