Constructor: Zhouqin Burnikel
Relative difficulty: Medium to Medium-Challenging (4:26)
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THEME: CROSS-DRESSING (14D: "Mrs. Doubtfire" plot device — or what the letters in this clue's answer do five times?) — this answer runs through five kinds of "dressing":
Theme answers:
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Found the top half of this rough and annoying, but the bottom half very easy. When I finished, I didn't feel like I'd had a very good time. Then I saw what the theme did, and was very impressed. But there's one major issue for me. If it's not a fatal flaw, it's certainly a giant wart. All of the dressings are specific dressings you might find in most any restaurant, or in bottles in the store, *except* "HOUSE" dressing, which ... isn't that just whatever any specific restaurant says it is??? "Our house dressing is a raspberry vinaigrette." There's no such thing as just "house dressing." All the other dressings are specific things; house dressing is contingent—not the same from restaurant to restaurant. So "HOUSE" dressing simply doesn't belong in the same category as the others. Merriam-Webster dot com defines "house dressing" as "the regular salad dressing in a U.S. restaurant"; I'm told it's *usually* a vinaigrette, but so is ITALIAN, isn't it? Anyway, if you saw the dressings listed on the menu, you'd know what all the others are, but You'd Have To Ask What the "House" Dressing Was. Because it's not actually a dressing. Broken. The theme is broken. Which is a shame, as the concept is so lovely. Also, "THE ITALIAN JOB" starred Michael Caine, what is this 2003 remake crap!?
How is [Trial separation?] RECESS? What is being separated in a recess? Are you breaking the trial into parts? Separating parts ... of the trial? Did not get / like that. Had CONNECT before CONJOIN (3D: Link). No clue on SONAR (30A: Sub system). Honest-to-god just stared at F_C / _ENS because I forgot what oldetymey slang "sawbucks" was and couldn't remember the stupid gov. initialism. Definitely considered that "sawbucks" were hundreds and maybe CENS was some kind of slang for those. You know, 'cause "cen." is short of "century," which is 100 years... so maybe that's slang for 100 dollars? Ugh. Anyway, FTC, [raspberry]. Thought CRUD was CRAP (26D: "Phooey!"). I've heard of REDKEN, sort of, barely, but that's OK (12D: L'Oréal hair care brand). Lots of product names are apt to get by me. I'm just explaining why the top half killed me, while the bottom half ... the only thing I've even bothered marking on the bottom half of my printed-out grid is the "P" is APIA, which I had as an "S" at first (53D: Where Samoa Airways is based). That's it. Hard up top, easy down under, very cool theme with super major flaw. The end.
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]
Relative difficulty: Medium to Medium-Challenging (4:26)
Theme answers:
- JAILHOUSE ROCK (18A: Elvis Presley hit inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame)
- "HAIL, CAESAR" (24A: Forum greeting)
- DUDE RANCH (34A: Vacation spot for city slickers)
- RUSSIAN MOB (44A: Gangster group in "Eastern Promises")
- "THE ITALIAN JOB" (51A: 2003 film starring Mark Wahlberg and Charlize Theron)
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is an independent agency of the United States government, established in 1914 by the Federal Trade Commission Act. Its principal mission is the promotion of consumer protection and the elimination and prevention of anticompetitive business practices, such as coercive monopoly. It is headquartered in the Federal Trade Commission Building in Washington, D.C.The Federal Trade Commission Act was one of President Woodrow Wilson's major acts against trusts. Trusts and trust-busting were significant political concerns during the Progressive Era. Since its inception, the FTC has enforced the provisions of the Clayton Act, a key antitrust statute, as well as the provisions of the FTC Act, 15 U.S.C. § 41 et seq. Over time, the FTC has been delegated with the enforcement of additional business regulation statutes and has promulgated a number of regulations (codified in Title 16 of the Code of Federal Regulations). (wikipedia)
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How is [Trial separation?] RECESS? What is being separated in a recess? Are you breaking the trial into parts? Separating parts ... of the trial? Did not get / like that. Had CONNECT before CONJOIN (3D: Link). No clue on SONAR (30A: Sub system). Honest-to-god just stared at F_C / _ENS because I forgot what oldetymey slang "sawbucks" was and couldn't remember the stupid gov. initialism. Definitely considered that "sawbucks" were hundreds and maybe CENS was some kind of slang for those. You know, 'cause "cen." is short of "century," which is 100 years... so maybe that's slang for 100 dollars? Ugh. Anyway, FTC, [raspberry]. Thought CRUD was CRAP (26D: "Phooey!"). I've heard of REDKEN, sort of, barely, but that's OK (12D: L'Oréal hair care brand). Lots of product names are apt to get by me. I'm just explaining why the top half killed me, while the bottom half ... the only thing I've even bothered marking on the bottom half of my printed-out grid is the "P" is APIA, which I had as an "S" at first (53D: Where Samoa Airways is based). That's it. Hard up top, easy down under, very cool theme with super major flaw. The end.
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]