Constructor: Ricky Cruz
Relative difficulty: Easy (untimed, clipboard solve)
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THEME: -FUL-ful — familiar two-word phrases have -FUL added to the end of the first word, creating wacky phrases, clued wackily (i.e. "?"-style):
Theme answers:
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When I figured out the theme (after the second answer) my first thought was "this is a pretty thin concept ... I should not be liking this as much as I am." I mean, just adding "-FUL" to the back ends of words is very basic, as theme ideas go, and since there are lots of words that might be susceptible to this kind of alteration gimmick (mind, gain, pride, law, dread—DREADFUL LOCKS!), the whole enterprise risks seeming flimsy, the themers arbitrary. But ... I dunno, I think they work fine, and I actually think the last one, AWFUL SHUCKS, is legitimately funny. And since the fill is most solid and occasionally excellent, I largely enjoyed myself today. It took me until the second themer to understand what the theme was all about because when I got the first themer, PLAYFUL DEAD, I thought it was a pun on Grateful Dead. Not a particularly good pun, but ... I was intrigued to see where it was going. Then it ended up just going to -FUL -FUL- -FUL -FUL. But somehow that ended up being enough for a pleasant Wednesday experience.
I have two notes on this puzzle. One is that cluing TOOT as [Spree] and ORATE as [Deliver a stemwinder] feels very, very Shortz-voice. Quaintish. Olden. I'd be surprised if these clues were Ricky's. They aren't bad clues. They just ... have a vibe about them that seems yesteryearish. Like the voice of puzzle when I started solving in the '90s. I don't think I've ever seen the word "stemwinder" outside of crossword clues for ORATE. And when I got the "T" at 21A: Spree, the only thing I wanted was TEAR. In fact, I wrote in TEAR. That was the only mistake I made today, and the only real bit of non-theme resistance besides FONSI—once again, for the second day in a row, the only resistance the puzzle offers up comes in the form of a single proper name (yesterday, same thing happened with CECELIA). "Despacito" was a musical phenomenon that I was very much aware of, but ... I was aware of the song name only. Really seems like the song title became world famous, while the *singer's* name ... well, probably also became world famous, just a little less so. FONSI seems like it might be a pretty grid-friendly name. When you have a 13x-platinum hit (!) ... well, that kind of success gives you a certain amount of gridworthiness, at least for a while. I expect to see FONSI again, or (maybe on a Fri or Sat) to see LUIS clued this way. And, perhaps more obviously, look for "DESPACITO" to come your way, eventually.
Some great answers in here today, particularly MEET-CUTE (8D: Introductory scene in some rom-coms), which I can't believe hasn't been in the NYTXW before. The other long Downs were sufficiently lively (have you tried the PAN-SEARED FRUIT FLY? mwah, delicious), and the short stuff mostly held up—which is good, because there's a lot of it in this 78-worder. I like that the grid made room for six Downs of 7+-letter length, and then made the most of those answers (they're all rock-solid). All in all, a pleasant walk in the park. Very much the mood I seek right now. Take care, everyone.
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]
Relative difficulty: Easy (untimed, clipboard solve)
Theme answers:
- PLAYFUL DEAD (17A: Zombies with a sense of humor?)
- CAREFUL BEARS (29A: Grizzlies that don't fall for traps?)
- TASTEFUL TEST (45A: Exam in an interior design class?)
- AWFUL SHUCKS (60A: Terrible attempts at peeling corn?)
"Despacito" (American Spanish: [despa'sito]; transl. "Slowly") is a song by Puerto Rican singer Luis Fonsi featuring Puerto Rican rapper Daddy Yankee from Fonsi's 2019 studio album Vida. On January 12, 2017, Universal Music Latin released "Despacito" and its music video, which shows both artists performing the song in La Perla neighborhood of Old San Juan, Puerto Rico and the local bar La Factoría. The song was written by Fonsi, Erika Ender, and Daddy Yankee, and was produced by Mauricio Rengifo and Andrés Torres. A remix version featuring Canadian singer Justin Bieber was released on April 17, 2017, which helped to improve the song's chart performance in numerous countries, including various number-one positions. "Despacito" has been widely credited by music journalists as being instrumental in popularizing Spanish-language pop music in the mainstream market again. The worldwide increase of Latin pop music consumption from 2017 onwards has been referred to as "the 'Despacito' effect." (wikipedia) (DESPACITOEFFECT (15))
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I have two notes on this puzzle. One is that cluing TOOT as [Spree] and ORATE as [Deliver a stemwinder] feels very, very Shortz-voice. Quaintish. Olden. I'd be surprised if these clues were Ricky's. They aren't bad clues. They just ... have a vibe about them that seems yesteryearish. Like the voice of puzzle when I started solving in the '90s. I don't think I've ever seen the word "stemwinder" outside of crossword clues for ORATE. And when I got the "T" at 21A: Spree, the only thing I wanted was TEAR. In fact, I wrote in TEAR. That was the only mistake I made today, and the only real bit of non-theme resistance besides FONSI—once again, for the second day in a row, the only resistance the puzzle offers up comes in the form of a single proper name (yesterday, same thing happened with CECELIA). "Despacito" was a musical phenomenon that I was very much aware of, but ... I was aware of the song name only. Really seems like the song title became world famous, while the *singer's* name ... well, probably also became world famous, just a little less so. FONSI seems like it might be a pretty grid-friendly name. When you have a 13x-platinum hit (!) ... well, that kind of success gives you a certain amount of gridworthiness, at least for a while. I expect to see FONSI again, or (maybe on a Fri or Sat) to see LUIS clued this way. And, perhaps more obviously, look for "DESPACITO" to come your way, eventually.
Some great answers in here today, particularly MEET-CUTE (8D: Introductory scene in some rom-coms), which I can't believe hasn't been in the NYTXW before. The other long Downs were sufficiently lively (have you tried the PAN-SEARED FRUIT FLY? mwah, delicious), and the short stuff mostly held up—which is good, because there's a lot of it in this 78-worder. I like that the grid made room for six Downs of 7+-letter length, and then made the most of those answers (they're all rock-solid). All in all, a pleasant walk in the park. Very much the mood I seek right now. Take care, everyone.
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]