Constructor: Gary Cee
Relative difficulty: Easy-Medium (2:58)
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THEME: CLOSE CALL (63A: Narrow escape ... or what the end of the answer to each starred clue is?) — second word (or word part) in each theme answer is a CALL that an ump might make in baseball. No idea how CLOSE is involved...
Theme answers:
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Hey everyone. I weirdly missed you, and all [gestures to screen and untidy home office] this! I spent the last week in Sun Valley, Idaho, catching up with my family and biking and eating and reading and what not. My mom grew up in Idaho and my grandma still lives there, so it feels like home even though I've only been there a handful of times. The whole NW feels that way. I got off the plane in freakin' Spokane once, stood on the tarmac, took one deep breath, and thought, "Yep, this is where I belong." And if I felt that about Spokane, I more than felt it about Idaho (despite most of the state, particularly in the south, being unfathomably, near-literally empty). Rivers and mountains and very temperate summers and hiking and biking and all of it. The state is obviously about 20x more conservative than I am, but it's also so beautiful that I'm willing to risk it. We're putting Boise on the short list of Places We Might Live Next Now That Our Daughter Is Going To College (which happens in four weeks ... which is some family drama I'll deal with when it gets here).
I didn't do any NYT puzzles while I was gone. Didn't look at the blog once, or reply to email, or nuthin'. I did do some crosswords—a stack I put on my clipboard a looooong time ago. Which is why clipboards are awesome. Just load 'em up, carry 'em around with you, and eventually, maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but some day, those puzzles get Done. But today's puzzle was the first NYT I'd done, on the clock, in about ten days, and I'm surprised how fast I was. I mean, my time was about normal, but I felt rusty and clumsy and still came in with a respectable time. I'm noticing now that I really need to trim my fingernails. This may have contributed to the clumsiness (I solve on a laptop). I mostly enjoyed this grid but the theme seems inherently flawed. How is CLOSE involved? If CLOSE is in your revealer, then CLOSE should have something to do with the expression of the theme, and while an ump might need to make a call when the correct determination is borderline, most calls are pretty clear. Not close. Ump calls a BALL if it's one inch off the plate or if it beans the mascot. Still a call. Calls are not inherently close. So this theme ... I call foul, or out, or strike, or balk, or some such negative determination. Also, "eating all the guacamole" is just normal behavior. There might not be more guacamole, so you eat what's there, you snooze you lose, everyone knows this, foul shmoul.
Slowish parts:
P.S. I'm off again tomorrow (it's a regularly scheduled Clare Tuesday!), but then I'm back ... but then next Monday is Annabel Monday, but then I'm back ... and in mid-August there's Lollapuzzoola and then taking my daughter to college ... whatever, I'll mostly be here, with little bursts of not being here. You understand. Forget it, Jake. It's August-town.
P.P.A. Big thanks to Laura Braunstein for filling in all week. And congratulations to her on becoming the newest regular member of the crossword constructor team at American Values Club Crossword!
[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]
Relative difficulty: Easy-Medium (2:58)
Theme answers:
- STATE FAIR (17A: *Annual event displaying agricultural products)
- SPACED OUT (3D: *In a daze)
- PARTY FOUL (25A: *Spilling a drink or eating all the guacamole, say)
- GUMBALL (39A: *Candy from a candy machine)
- AIRSTRIKE (51A: *Attack from the sky)
- HOTEL SAFE (35D: *Vacationer's container for valuables)
Tefal is a French cookware and small appliance manufacturer owned by Groupe SEB. Its name is a portmanteau of the words TEFlon and ALuminium. The company is known for creating the non-stick cookware category and for frying products such as French fries more healthily with far less fat than is standard.In some countries like the United States, Tefal is also marketed as T-Fal. (wikipedia) (emph mine)
• • •
I didn't do any NYT puzzles while I was gone. Didn't look at the blog once, or reply to email, or nuthin'. I did do some crosswords—a stack I put on my clipboard a looooong time ago. Which is why clipboards are awesome. Just load 'em up, carry 'em around with you, and eventually, maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but some day, those puzzles get Done. But today's puzzle was the first NYT I'd done, on the clock, in about ten days, and I'm surprised how fast I was. I mean, my time was about normal, but I felt rusty and clumsy and still came in with a respectable time. I'm noticing now that I really need to trim my fingernails. This may have contributed to the clumsiness (I solve on a laptop). I mostly enjoyed this grid but the theme seems inherently flawed. How is CLOSE involved? If CLOSE is in your revealer, then CLOSE should have something to do with the expression of the theme, and while an ump might need to make a call when the correct determination is borderline, most calls are pretty clear. Not close. Ump calls a BALL if it's one inch off the plate or if it beans the mascot. Still a call. Calls are not inherently close. So this theme ... I call foul, or out, or strike, or balk, or some such negative determination. Also, "eating all the guacamole" is just normal behavior. There might not be more guacamole, so you eat what's there, you snooze you lose, everyone knows this, foul shmoul.
Slowish parts:
- 56A: Roulette playing piece (CHIP)— I saw a wheel and a little ball and maybe James Bond and nothing else. "CHIPs are for poker," my brain insisted. Also, "I HOPE" was toughly clued (52D: "If there's any justice!")
- 10D: Add some style to (SPIFF UP) — Parsing turbulence ahead! Fasten seat belts! SPICE UP was on the table. As was, however briefly, SPIFFEN.
- 29D: Middle-aged women with eyes for younger men (COUGARS)— I dunno, man. Not into this. The whole "cougar" thing is at least semi-derogatory. And there's no equivalent term for men, presumably because *that* desire is unremarkable. Boo.
- 21A: Children's author ___ Asquith (ROS)— never seen this name outside crosswords. There were perhaps a few too many crosswordesey things like this oh well C'EST la TFAL.
P.S. I'm off again tomorrow (it's a regularly scheduled Clare Tuesday!), but then I'm back ... but then next Monday is Annabel Monday, but then I'm back ... and in mid-August there's Lollapuzzoola and then taking my daughter to college ... whatever, I'll mostly be here, with little bursts of not being here. You understand. Forget it, Jake. It's August-town.
P.P.A. Big thanks to Laura Braunstein for filling in all week. And congratulations to her on becoming the newest regular member of the crossword constructor team at American Values Club Crossword!
[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]