Eeyore-ish sentiment / SUN 7-5-20 / Czech reformer Jan / First of metalloids / What Franklin famously asked for / Org that kicked off again in 2020 after a 19-year hiatus / Ka southernmost point on Hawaii

Constructor: Laura Taylor Kinnel

Relative difficulty: Easy? Medium? (I was slow 'cause I had a drink)

THEME:"To-Do List"— you have to TICK ALL THE BOXES (43D: Be fully qualified ... or a hint to this puzzle's theme); that is, there are squares that have "BOX" in them (rebus-style) in the Acrosses, but you have to put (or imagine) "TICK" in that same space in order to make sense of the Down crosses:

Theme answers:

• SOAPBOX (18A: Orator's platform) / STICKY SITUATIONS (7D: Imbroglios)
• TOOLBOX (55A: Set of skills, metaphorically) / TICKLE THE IVORIES (56D: Play piano, informally)
• INBOX (53A: Email holder) / PUTS LIPSTICK ON A PIG (3D: Tries to make the unappealing attractive)
• TOYBOX (75A: Playroom chest) / THAT'S THE TICKET (29D: "You nailed it!")
• BLACK BOX (107A: Flight recorder) / CARROT AND STICK (48D: Combination meant to change behavior)

Word of the Day: Ka LAE (southernmost point on Hawaii) (83A) —

Ka Lae (Hawaiian: the point), also known as South Point, is the southernmost point of the Big Island of Hawaii and of the 50 United States. The Ka Lae area is registered as a National Historic Landmark District under the name South Point Complex. The area is also known for its strong ocean currents and winds and is the home of a wind farm. // The name for the southern tip of the island of Hawaiʻi comes from Ka Lae in the Hawaiian language which means "the point". It is often spelled as one word, Kalae, or called South Point or South Cape. A confluence of ocean currents just offshore makes this spot one of Hawaii's most popular fishing spots. Both red snapper and ulua are plentiful here. Locals fish from the cliffs, some dangling perilously over the edge of steep lava ledges. Swimming here, however, is not recommended, due to the current. In fact, it is called the "Halaea Current", named after a chief who was carried off to his death. (wikipedia)

I just find Sundays grinding, and this certainly wasn't any different. They're just so big that if you have a one-note theme ... by the end, it just feels like being bludgeoned. The concept here is actually fine, I guess. TICK (as in "put 'tick' in") ALL THE BOXES (as in "all the squares that contain the word 'box'"), and there you go. And go and go and go. There was some annoying ambiguity, in that technically They're All Boxes, i.e. I'm solving a crossword, so yeah, boxes everywhere! Also, I had TOOLS and TOYS early on and those seemed just fine as answers for their respective clues, so seeing the whole "BOX" rebus thing was actually weirdly hard for me. Had to get the revealer before I had any idea what was going on. Did I mention I'd had a drink? I'm sure it played a role in my slow-on-the-uptake-ness, but still, wow, it did not gel for me for a long time. Also, I had S-A-- at 18A: Orator's platform and happily wrote in STAGE. Whoops. Ugh, that section, with "POOR ME" as a "sentiment," yikes. Rough (4D: Eeyore-ish sentiment). Anyway, I can't say this was any worse than your average Sunday puzzle, because conceptually, it was not, but Sundays have to be *so* good not to be grating, both theme-wise and fill-wise, by the end. There's just not enough interesting variation in the theme or enough sparkle in the grid to make this solve an enjoyable experience today.


The fill was (on occasion) not doing the puzzle any favors. REIMAGE!? You *definitely* mean "reimagine"(92D: Form a new mental picture of). Def in it ely. And wow I have such profanity written in the margins with an arrow pointing to NO RELATION (91A: Elizabeth Warren vis-à-vis former chief justice Earl Warren).HUS idea was that clue!? Bah. It's an OUTCROPping (ping!), so again maybe try reimagining (!) that answer (90D: Protruding bit of bedrock). OSAY, can you ALEE by the ERGS IDLY LAE... Sigh. PUTS LIPSTICK ON A PIG is a colorful answer, as is HERDED CATS (69A: Managed an unmanageable group, figuratively). HOT HAND I like fine (38A: Sustained period of luck, as with dice). There's just not enough to sustain my interest over the whole 21x21 area. Sundays are hard hard hard to do well. If I see one I like, I'll let you know and praise it accordingly. Until then... this was pretty typical, and typical just hasn't been cutting it with me for a while.


Hey, there's a massive new collection of crosswords out now, made by an all-star roster of constructors, all to benefit COVID *and* Black Lives Matter / racial justice charities (it started out focused on the former and then, understandably, expanded to include the latter). It's called "Grids For Good." All you gotta do is provide proof you gave just $10 (you can do better than that) to the org of your choice and you get the puzzles. There's also a metapuzzle contest going on through July 18, so you can get in on that too. I haven't done the puzzles yet but (scans list of names) yeah, I know these people. You know them too (Agard, Berry, Burnikel, Weintraub, etc.). They do good work. So go give (or regive) some money away, and then get your puzzles!

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

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