Constructor: Aimee Lucido
Relative difficulty: Challenging (8:48 on an oversized 16-wide grid)
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THEME: MIND THE GAP (39A: Underground warning ... or a warning about four squares in this grid)— four squares have "GAP" in them going Across, but represent an actual gap (i.e. an empty space) going Down:
Theme answers:
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I guess the NYT has decided that if you can't beat The New Yorker (the superior crossword at the moment), then just join The New Yorker ... by publishing The New Yorker's regular contributors. Yesterday, Erik Agard. Today, Aimee Lucido. Fine by me. The New Yorker constructor team is ridiculously good. This puzzle played *so* hard for me, and only partly because of the theme. I did kind of fake fall asleep there for a bit, thinking I'd solve in the morning, but instead I got up to solve now (the nighttime), so mayyyybe I'm a little groggy, but I think the clues were just hard, or hard for me to grasp, anyway, I had virtually nothing on my first pass through the entire top half. I think I had, let's see ... EARN, TIE and TOIL, IRE, OPA (wrong), and CLE. That is absolutely it. Finally went SPEAR ESCS (oof, one of the rare ugly bits) CLARITY SPF and got some traction, but even then—blanked on Channing FRYE (73A: Channing with a 14-year N.B.A. career (2005-19), had SLIT at 67A: Cut (SKIP) ... and couldn't get out of that corner. And so the struggle continued...
Eventually stumbled into the center and got the revealer Easy (mayyyybe shoulda found the revealer earlier: note to self!), and so realized that there would be GAPs ... then after getting SNEAKER, figured out one of the GAPs had to be in GYM [space] SHOE, and it was around there that I got SIN(GAP)OREAN, and the full meaning of the theme became clear. But even then, finding those gaps, and just getting all the regular fill, proved slow-going. Everywhere I turned, I just shrugged. Forgot that "Melrose Place" actor ESTES. No idea re: ROSIE the picture book engineer (5A: "___ Revere, Engineer" (best-selling picture book)). Proper nouns are nice when you know them, but brutal when you don't. I don't know how PEES factor into sound recording copyright info or even what the "P" might stand for (31D: Sound recording copyright symbols) (short answer: phonogram). Not expecting SIMP, which feels pejorative, even if it's not, exactly (I briefly thought it was gonna be GIMP, which, yikes) (61D: Fool). I had AIR for ACT (52D: Pretense) and an IMAC Pro, is that a thing? (30A: ___ Pro (IPAD)). [Alternative to ChapStick]??? No clue (EOS). Wanted to SHIR (?) my eggs (10A: Mix, as eggs (BEAT)). TADAS was rough. Had to navigate the horrid EVADE/ELUDE dilemma (64A: Get around). It was a struggle. And extra-wide, so a slightly longer struggle than a normally sized 15x15 might've been. I found some of the fill not great, and it was very much Not on my wavelength in many parts, but the theme is fantastic, and really nicely executed. A very nice puzzle that I wish I'd had a smoother / more pleasant time with.
Helpful proper noun gimmes: MAYA, REGAN, CLE, OSSA, ROO
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Relative difficulty: Challenging (8:48 on an oversized 16-wide grid)
THEME: MIND THE GAP (39A: Underground warning ... or a warning about four squares in this grid)— four squares have "GAP" in them going Across, but represent an actual gap (i.e. an empty space) going Down:
Theme answers:
- THE BI(G AP)PLE (25A: New York City) / "REPO [gap] MAN"(5D: Car tower)
- TO(GA P)ARTY (23A: Classic fraternity bash) / BAD [gap] IDEA (10D: "Uh-oh! Don't do that!")
- SIN(GAP)OREAN (57A: Native of the Lion City) / GYM [gap] SHOE (41D: Bit of workout gear)
- YO(GA P)ANTS (60A: Activewear akin to leggings) / ICE [gap] AGE (44D: Long cold spell)
Robert Estes (born July 22, 1963) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Harry Wilsonon the teen drama series 90210, as Sgt. Chris Lorenzo on the crime drama series Silk Stalkings, and as Kyle McBride on the primetime soap opera Melrose Place. (wikipedia)
• • •
Eventually stumbled into the center and got the revealer Easy (mayyyybe shoulda found the revealer earlier: note to self!), and so realized that there would be GAPs ... then after getting SNEAKER, figured out one of the GAPs had to be in GYM [space] SHOE, and it was around there that I got SIN(GAP)OREAN, and the full meaning of the theme became clear. But even then, finding those gaps, and just getting all the regular fill, proved slow-going. Everywhere I turned, I just shrugged. Forgot that "Melrose Place" actor ESTES. No idea re: ROSIE the picture book engineer (5A: "___ Revere, Engineer" (best-selling picture book)). Proper nouns are nice when you know them, but brutal when you don't. I don't know how PEES factor into sound recording copyright info or even what the "P" might stand for (31D: Sound recording copyright symbols) (short answer: phonogram). Not expecting SIMP, which feels pejorative, even if it's not, exactly (I briefly thought it was gonna be GIMP, which, yikes) (61D: Fool). I had AIR for ACT (52D: Pretense) and an IMAC Pro, is that a thing? (30A: ___ Pro (IPAD)). [Alternative to ChapStick]??? No clue (EOS). Wanted to SHIR (?) my eggs (10A: Mix, as eggs (BEAT)). TADAS was rough. Had to navigate the horrid EVADE/ELUDE dilemma (64A: Get around). It was a struggle. And extra-wide, so a slightly longer struggle than a normally sized 15x15 might've been. I found some of the fill not great, and it was very much Not on my wavelength in many parts, but the theme is fantastic, and really nicely executed. A very nice puzzle that I wish I'd had a smoother / more pleasant time with.
Helpful proper noun gimmes: MAYA, REGAN, CLE, OSSA, ROO
[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]