Constructor: Daniel Grinberg
Relative difficulty: Easy-Medium (3:39)
![]()
THEME: TENNIS (62A: What 8-, 20-, 36- and 52-Across sound like they could be about) — movies with tennis terminology in their titles:
Theme answers:
I was liking the puzzle OK as I was solving it, mostly because I was flying, and none of the fill made me wince much (except maybe CASTRATI ... which seems to be forming some kind of subtheme with SPAYS ...). Well, actually (!), the word SACS always makes me wince a little (a variation on the common "moist"-aversion), and AL JOLSON makes me think only of blackface, and SYN isn't great as fill, so it wasn't all smiles, but I was cruising and things were mostly fine. I couldn't figure out why there were these fairly marginal movie titles that kept coming up. I also couldn't figure out what the 8- and 9- letter Across answers (theme-length answers) had to do with the theme. Well, it turns out they had nothing to do with the theme. The revealer, when I finally got there (and I got there at the very very end) landed with a massive clunk. Turns out I'd been solving an oddly contrived variation on a very basic and kind of sad theme type—set of answers contains words that have something in common. A variation on a first-words or last-words-type theme (here, both last and first words are involved). I imagine some version of a TENNIS theme has been done many times before. This one tried to get clever and make them *movies* about TENNIS, but they don't actually sound like they're about TENNIS. I have "no they don't" written next to the revealer clue. And the grid is very choppy a *and* gunked up with these answers that look like they should be themers, that are longer than the first themer, but somehow aren't themers. It's visually confusing / displeasing. Long non-theme Downs in a puzzle with Across themers, fine; long non-theme Acrosses in the same type of puzzle tend to create an unpleasant visual interference, IMHO. Fill seemed mostly fine. Did not hate this one, but was ultimately disappointed. I appreciate the attempt to make the theme *something* besides just "tennis words," and I appreciate the attempt to publish it in a timely fashion (the U.S. Open just started). But upon review, this shot just missed.
CASTRATI itself doesn't bother me (5D: Singers of high notes in olden times), but somehow having that Italian plural but then an English plural of RISOTTOSin the symmetrical position really does bother me (37D: Italian dishes that are simmered). Actually, I don't know that RISOTTI is an actual Italian plural. I just know that I was sure as hell anticipating it. Maybe that word in the plural is just weird, period. I mostly killed this puzzle, but had some trouble down below. Had SCAD for SLEW (64A: Boatload), and BYLAW took me forever (51D: Standing rule). That revealer corner in the SW was by far the hardest, though. Forgot that CORGI herded cattle (47D: Cattle-herding canine). Couldn't figure out SALOON from first couple letters (43D: Where one might take or dodge shots). And then I misread the clue for STOOGE as [Underlying] instead of 59A: Underling. Lastly, I needed every cross to get the revealer, ha ha. True story. That's all. Have a nice day.
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]
Relative difficulty: Easy-Medium (3:39)
Theme answers:
- "THE NET" (8A: 1995 cyberthriller about espionage)
- "YOU GOT SERVED" (20A: 2004 film about a group of street dancers)
- "FAULT IN OUR STARS" (36A: 2014 romance about two teens with cancer, with "The")
- "LOVE, ACTUALLY" (52A: 2003 Christmas-themed rom-com)
Satori (悟り) (Chinese: 悟; pinyin: wù; Korean: 오 o; Vietnamese: ngộ) is a Japanese Buddhist term for awakening, "comprehension; understanding". It is derived from the Japanese verb satoru.In the Zen Buddhist tradition, satori refers to the experience of kenshō, "seeing into one's true nature". Ken means "seeing," shō means "nature" or "essence".Satori and kenshō are commonly translated as enlightenment, a word that is also used to translate bodhi, prajna and buddhahood. (wikipedia)
• • •
 |
| GAËL Monfils ... a name to watch out for |
CASTRATI itself doesn't bother me (5D: Singers of high notes in olden times), but somehow having that Italian plural but then an English plural of RISOTTOSin the symmetrical position really does bother me (37D: Italian dishes that are simmered). Actually, I don't know that RISOTTI is an actual Italian plural. I just know that I was sure as hell anticipating it. Maybe that word in the plural is just weird, period. I mostly killed this puzzle, but had some trouble down below. Had SCAD for SLEW (64A: Boatload), and BYLAW took me forever (51D: Standing rule). That revealer corner in the SW was by far the hardest, though. Forgot that CORGI herded cattle (47D: Cattle-herding canine). Couldn't figure out SALOON from first couple letters (43D: Where one might take or dodge shots). And then I misread the clue for STOOGE as [Underlying] instead of 59A: Underling. Lastly, I needed every cross to get the revealer, ha ha. True story. That's all. Have a nice day.
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]