Constructor: Natan Last, Andy Kravis and the J.A.S.A. Crossword Class
Relative difficulty: Medium-Challenging to Challenging, largely due to proper nouns and "?" clues (3:51)
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THEME: HIDDEN FIGURES (49A: 2016 Best Picture nominee ... or a hint to the circled letters in 20-, 25- and 43-Across) — "figures" can be found spelled out in the circled squares inside of the theme answers:
Theme answers:
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Yeah, that dude is *not* Tuesday-famous. I get trying to be all "Hello, Fellow Youths of America!" with your "What's the DEALIO?" (who says that ... anymore?) and your YOSHI and all, but the SKYLAR guy is a bit much. For Tuesday, as I say. But that's a minor issue. The (very) major issue here is this theme, which is not good. Those "figures" are not "hidden"—they are not there. They don't exist. There's as much as hidden PRISM in E PLURIBUS UNUM as there is a hidden PLUM, as much a hidden CUBE in SECURITY BLANKET as there is a hidden CITY. Is there a hidden SISTER in NO SURPRISE THERE? Simply finding a phrase—any phrase, especially a *15*-letter phrase, with any random four or five or six letters in it, in non-consecutive order, doesn't strike me as particularly noteworthy. HIDDEN FIGURES is just begging to be a revealer, so I get why you'd go there, but this result is shockingly insufficient. I'm used to JASA puzzles being somewhat more solid, theme-wise.
The grid was way more lively than most Tuesdays, I'll give it that. Probably more Wednesday in difficulty level, again, largely because of SKYLAR (who, I guarantee you, will be the biggest mystery in the puzzle for most) (yeah, yeah, I see you, genius, but you're a single data point, not most) (and again, I'm sure SKYLAR's lovely, but Tuesday material, not yet). Thought the longer Downs were good, for the most part, except, oof, NO BUENO. Allow me to add my non-mock-Spanish expression of disapproval here. Please stow your "Mock Spanish." I just can't. Not in this country, not at this time, no. Tired tired tired of CASUAL racist crap. Such a blot on this otherwise smooth and inclusive grid. The other blot is the plural ETHERS, but that's somehow not as off-putting.
Five things:
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Relative difficulty: Medium-Challenging to Challenging, largely due to proper nouns and "?" clues (3:51)
Theme answers:
- E PLURIBUS UNUM (20A: Coined phrase?) (prism)
- SECURITY BLANKET (25A: Something Linus carries in "Peanuts") (cube)
- NO SURPRISE THERE (43A: "Just as I expected!") (sphere)
Skylar Astin Lipstein (born September 23, 1987), known professionally as Skylar Astin, is an American actor, model and singer. He became known for portraying Jesse Swanson in the musical films Pitch Perfect (2012) and Pitch Perfect 2 (2015). He was also in the original cast of the Broadway musical Spring Awakening, and has since appeared in films such as Hamlet 2 (2008), Taking Woodstock (2009), Cavemen (2013), and 21 & Over (2013). (wikipedia)
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The grid was way more lively than most Tuesdays, I'll give it that. Probably more Wednesday in difficulty level, again, largely because of SKYLAR (who, I guarantee you, will be the biggest mystery in the puzzle for most) (yeah, yeah, I see you, genius, but you're a single data point, not most) (and again, I'm sure SKYLAR's lovely, but Tuesday material, not yet). Thought the longer Downs were good, for the most part, except, oof, NO BUENO. Allow me to add my non-mock-Spanish expression of disapproval here. Please stow your "Mock Spanish." I just can't. Not in this country, not at this time, no. Tired tired tired of CASUAL racist crap. Such a blot on this otherwise smooth and inclusive grid. The other blot is the plural ETHERS, but that's somehow not as off-putting.
Five things:
- 23A: Bob who won the 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature (DYLAN)— totally forgot this happened, so when I went with SKYLER (with an "E") at 5D, well, my guesses for this Nobel guy were all over the map. Bob TYLER? Did Bob TYLER write something? Ugh.
- 55A: Item cut up for a salad, informally (CUKE) — This is all perfectly true, but somehow I drew a total blank. Something about "item" for an edible object just seemed sterile and weird, and also infinity number of things might go on a "salad," so ... yeah, all from crosses.
- 4D: Puzzle (NONPLUS)— yeah I totally forgot this is what NONPLUS means. I try not to think about what NONPLUS means. I avoid it. Just like I avoid "begs the question." I'm never going to understand, and I'm just not going to enter the fray.
- 30D: "Parsley, sage, rosemary and ___" ("Scarborough Fair" lyric) (THYME) — wow this is pretty obscure, who remembers jk this is ridiculous. You may as well just say "the answer is THYME, folks, move along." Too many clue words wasted on something too too obvious. Even for a Tuesday.
- 49D: It may wind up at the side of a house (HOSE) — really feel like I've seen this clue before, but still love it.
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