Eponymous Belgian town / THU 1-2-20 / Cash flow tracker for shortFamously nonunionized worker / Many John Wayne films informally / Former mideast alliance for short

Constructor: Ed Sessa

Relative difficulty: Easyish (4:48)

THEME: THE DARK SIDE (60A: Where Darth Vader gets his strength ... or what eight answers in this puzzle share) — black square before and after answers on the same row represents the word "DARK" (at the end and beginning of each answer, respectively):

Theme answers:

• AFRAID OF THE (DARK) (17A: Nyctophobic) / (DARK) MAN (19A: 1990 Sam Raimi superhero film)
• "WAIT UNTIL (DARK) (23A: 1967 thriller for which Audrey Hepburn received an Oscar nomination) / (DARK) HORSE (26A: Surprise winner)
• BE IN THE (DARK) (36A: Not know something others know) / (DARK) 'N' STORMY (38A: Cocktail made with ginger beer)
• AFTER (DARK) (51A: Post-sunset) / (DARK) CHOCOLATE (53A: Sweet that lacks milk)

Word of the Day: AIR SINAI (3D: Tel Aviv-to-Cairo carrier) —

Air Sinai (Arabic: سيناء للطيران‎ Sīna' lil-Ṭayyarān) is an airline based in Cairo, Egypt. It operates as a 'paper-airline' for parent company EgyptAir under a wet lease-like agreement to serve flights exclusively between Egypt and Israel. // The airline was established in 1982 to fly scheduled services between Egypt and Israel (on routes previously flown by Nefertiti Aviation), which for political reasons could not be handled by parent company EgyptAir. [...] Air Sinai ceased airline operations in its own right in 2002 and operates as a 'paper airline' for its parent company, EgyptAir, using their aircraft without any markings identifying either carrier, although some have been spotted in Tel Aviv in full EgyptAir branding. Flights are not listed in EgyptAir schedules and do not appear on their website or route maps either. As of 2014 Air Sinai flights are displayed on arrival and departure boards at Cairo Airport using the IATA code 4D. (wikipedia)

Well this is dreary. I've seen the black-square-equals-BLACK before, for sure, and I'd be surprised if I hadn't seen -DARK as well, but the over-familiarity of the concept isn't even the main problem. You can take something that's technically been done before and still make it fresh and fun, give it a twist, throw a cool revealer in there, etc. But this one just clonks. Kuh-thud. The revealer is a complete miss because the phrase, however colorful, misses when it comes to describing the relationship between the two answers that share the DARK square. The THE just feels wrong and off. The answers share *A* dark side, of sorts, but not THE. The annoyingness of THE is compounded by the fact that THE is part of not one but two of the themers themselves: AFRAID OF *THE* DARK, BE IN *THE* DARK—which leads to yet another problem, which is all the first themers (i.e. the ones that *end* with DARK) are the same kind of DARK. It's just ... a time-of-day DARK. The kind that comes when the sun goes down. Over and over and over. BE IN THE DARK is metaphorical, I guess, but Audrey Hepburn waits until after dark so Alan Arkin (so good!) will be literally in the dark, giving her an advantage, since she is blind and is thus not afraid of the dark. It's relentlessly the same, this dark, and the fact that "the dark" appears twice just reinforces this fact. The second-half themers (the ones *beginning* with DARK) at least get to be more metaphorical, relate to color, etc. Lots of different aspects of DARK. My point is I got this theme early and there were no surprises waiting, no twists, no unexpected moments, no laughter, just a mirthless march to the end, where not even "Star Wars" could save this thing. At least it was easy.


This felt very easy, but looking back over the grid, I see I got at least a little hung up all over the place. That whole SCONES (5A: Offerings at many coffeehouses) / EFFECT (15A: Result) / CFO (6D: Cash flow tracker, for short) / OFF-SITE (7D: Like much freelance work) area really made me work. And then, even though "WAIT UNTIL DARK" was a gimme, and let me know there was something missing, it took me a bit to figure it out. I first thought the rebus had something to do with the "U" (like maybe UNTIL occupied a single box, somehow), and then, even when I knew it was a black-square-equals-DARK theme, I kept forgetting which answers were themers, and so wondering, for example, what kind of [Surprise winner] could be five letters and start with "H"!?! Then I'd get the answer, go "D'oh!," and keep moving. Had trouble with ATV (32D: Transport to remote areas, briefly), and with MUSK (29D: Perfume ingredient), and with CURBS (54D: Checks), and had no idea that DARK 'N' STORMY was canonically a two-apostrophe 'N' answer as opposed to an ampersand answer or a simple "AND" answer. Didn't take me too long to suss it out, since I knew for sure the name of the drink, but still, seconds are seconds and they add up. But as I say, the rest of this was very easy, so I still came out fast. Bludgeoningly dull theme, boring fill—a definite down-turn from yesterday. Still rootin' for you, 2020!

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

P.S. Erik Agard was recently made editor of the USA Today crossword and suddenly that puzzle is ... good. Very good. They're all pretty easy (M/T level), but they routinely put the NYT to shame with their clarity and currency and broad (and inclusive) frame of reference. Also, so far well over half the constructors have been women. If he can keep it at even 33% he will be (and I cannot say this strongly enough) *crushing* the NYTXW in this department. Not sure how *all of a sudden* there are ample female constructors, and their puzzles are really good? It's almost like the editor's vision and leadership ... matters? Anyway, you can find it on the USA Today site, or get the app and solve it on whatever device you use (or just print it out from the app and solve it on your clipboard in a comfy chair with your morning coffee, which is what I do)

P.P.S. speaking of women constructors, Stella Zawistowski just started her own independent crossword site, "Tough As Nails," where she will be offering Very Hard themelesses (she's a top speed-solver and she likes her puzzles tough). I solved the first one and it was very hard, but very delightful as well. Satisfying. Her work will be a welcome addition to the Puzzleverse.

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