Constructor: Ross Trudeau
Relative difficulty: Easy
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THEME: PLANETARY / ALIGNMENT (2D: With 36-Down, astronomical rarity ... or a hint to the circled letters)— the SUN and the names of four (?) planets can be found in circled squares in the grid; I guess the planets are "aligned," in that you can draw a straight line from the SUN through all the planet names to SATURN ... pretty ragged "alignment," but defensible, I guess:
Theme answers:
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Kind of an inverted Tuesday puzzle—yesterday's puzzle was OK theme, rough grid. Today's: OK grid, rough theme. By "rough" I mean I don't get it. I don't get how these are "aligned" or why these planets or if this is some astrological phenomenon that's in the news or what (quick Google does not suggest a PLANETARY / ALIGNMENT is imminent). Some of the planetary bodies do the (good) thing where they run across the various words of the phrase they're embedded in, but then SUN and EARTH and MARS are just sitting inside words—not as interesting. Grid has a cool shape and the long answers (all over the place) give the grid real interest, though, so I actually liked solving this much better than I liked solving yesterday's. I solved this one even faster than I solved yesterday's, so that too was enjoyable. All I can say was that getting PLANETARY / ALIGNMENT left me shrugging, not OHO'ing.
Puzzle was easy to start because SPAN x SAN had that whole 3x4 area sorted in no time, and the long Downs followed. Parsing NO OVEN USE was very hard for me (the USE part, specifically), and IS OUT was a harsh speed bump as well, but after that I was just flying (until MARSUPIUM, that is, which caused forward momentum to come to a near HALT). Some issues with the latter part of SEA ROUTES, but other than that, everything seemed to go right in. The clue on BARISTA is wrong, as anyone who has had totally ordinary coffee at, say, Starbucks, can testify (45D: One who won't serve the average joe). No idea who SARA Ramirez is, but happy to learn. NICOLAS Maduro is a corrupt homophobic would-be dictator who is in a *bit* of trouble right now (see, for instance, here). Could've done without him, tbh. I.T. BANDS is a nice answer (they can get tight if you run, and are hard to stretch) ("I.T." stands for "iliotibial"). Always happy to see "MAUS," which is legendary (it's on my comics syllabus yet again this semester; daughter had to read it in high school) ("graphic novel" is a misnomer ... it's a biography / memoir, not a "novel" ... but I'll spare you the comics terminology lecture). Bouncy grid, shruggy theme. I've been happier, but I've definitely been madder.
P.S. Is NO OVEN USE really a common or known "warning"? Google is not taking kindly to my inquiries. Googling ["no oven use" warning] is giving me as a first hit the NYTXW's house blog :/
[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]
Relative difficulty: Easy
Theme answers:
- GESUNDHEIT (15A: Common blessing)
- NO OVEN USE (19A: Safety warning for some kitchenware)
- HEARTHS (39A: Warm and cozy spots)
- MARSUPIUM (56A: Kangaroo's pouch)
- TAKES A TURN (64A: Rolls the dice and moves one's token)
Sara Elena Ramírez (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈsaɾa eˈlena raˈmiɾes]; born August 31, 1975) is a Mexican American actress, singer, and songwriter. Born in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, she graduated with a fine arts degree from the Juilliard School. She began acting in Broadway productions, making her debut with Paul Simon's The Capeman, and later ventured into film and television roles. Ramirez is a recipient of a Tony Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a Satellite Award, among other accolades.Ramirez's portrayal of the original Lady of the Lake in the 2005 Broadway musical Spamalot won her acclaim and the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. She gained wider recognition for her role as Dr. Callie Torres in Grey's Anatomy. She made her debut as a voice artist with the 1999 video game entitled UmJammer Lammy, and has voiced Queen Miranda in the animated series Sofia the First (2012–present).Ramirez released her first single "Silent Night" in 2009. Her self titled extended play debuted at no. 37 at the Billboard 200 in 2011. Ramirez is also an activist and extensively campaigns for LGBT rights. She was awarded the Ally for Equality Award by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation in 2015. (wikipedia)
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Puzzle was easy to start because SPAN x SAN had that whole 3x4 area sorted in no time, and the long Downs followed. Parsing NO OVEN USE was very hard for me (the USE part, specifically), and IS OUT was a harsh speed bump as well, but after that I was just flying (until MARSUPIUM, that is, which caused forward momentum to come to a near HALT). Some issues with the latter part of SEA ROUTES, but other than that, everything seemed to go right in. The clue on BARISTA is wrong, as anyone who has had totally ordinary coffee at, say, Starbucks, can testify (45D: One who won't serve the average joe). No idea who SARA Ramirez is, but happy to learn. NICOLAS Maduro is a corrupt homophobic would-be dictator who is in a *bit* of trouble right now (see, for instance, here). Could've done without him, tbh. I.T. BANDS is a nice answer (they can get tight if you run, and are hard to stretch) ("I.T." stands for "iliotibial"). Always happy to see "MAUS," which is legendary (it's on my comics syllabus yet again this semester; daughter had to read it in high school) ("graphic novel" is a misnomer ... it's a biography / memoir, not a "novel" ... but I'll spare you the comics terminology lecture). Bouncy grid, shruggy theme. I've been happier, but I've definitely been madder.
P.S. Is NO OVEN USE really a common or known "warning"? Google is not taking kindly to my inquiries. Googling ["no oven use" warning] is giving me as a first hit the NYTXW's house blog :/
[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]