Constructor: Jake Halperin
Relative difficulty: Easy-Medium (untimed)
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THEME: UNLUCKY BREAK (57A: Bad fortune ... as suggested by 19-, 30- and 47-Across?) — the number "13," which is (to some) "unlucky," is represented in the theme answers by the letter "B," which, if "broken" into two pieces, kinda resembles the number "13"— so ""13" looks like "B" broken or, to put it another way, "B" looks like "13" if its two numerals were pushed together:
Theme answers:
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One of those themes that probably seemed like a good idea initially. But in practice, it's a thud for two reasons. First, the themers, which are not at all interesting. Two of them are just items in a numerical sequence. Bunch of Apollos. Bunch of Oceans. Here's "13." Pfft. It's a simple number swap, but the number doesn't feel particularly special. It's just one of the numbers of that thing. At least FRIDAY THE BTH is a unique thing (yes, there is a "Friday the 12th" at least once a year, but no one ever talks about that). So the number thing is just blah. Further, one of the themers *involves* the number 13's unluckiness (again, the good themer, the first themer). The others ... don't. So you've got inconsistency and wonkiness. And then the phrasing on the revealer (and its clue) doesn't quite make sense, doesn't really land. The "as suggested" by" is odd. So if I "break" the "B" in two I get an ("unlucky") "13"? But if I solved the puzzle correctly, then it's kind of hard to think of that move as "unlucky." Is it my "Bad fortune" to solve this puzzle? I mean, maybe, but that's no way to talk about your own puzzle. And again, with "13" being "unlucky" in only one of the themers, the revealer really lacks punch. "Unlucky" to whom? How? Not with a bang but a fizzle, this one.
Relative difficulty: Easy-Medium (untimed)
Theme answers:
- FRIDAY THE BTH (19A: This occurs at least once - and never more than three times - in a year)
- APOLLO B (30A: Memorable launch of April 11, 1970)
- OCEAN'S B (47A: 2007 heist film sequel)
Ezer Weizman (Hebrew: עֵזֶר וַיצְמָן Ezer Vaytsman; 15 June 1924 – 24 April 2005) was the seventh President of Israel, first elected in 1993 and re-elected in 1998. Before the presidency, Weizman was commander of the Israeli Air Force and Minister of Defense. (wikipedia)
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PUN INTENDED is, by far, the best thing in this grid (3D: Parenthetical comment after an ambiguous witticism). I got thrown off the (theme) scent a little bit early on because I assumed that the answer was a themer, being so long and unusual. After I got FRIDAY THE BTH (having had at that point no idea how to get from "B" to "13") I thought maybe PUN INTENDED was going to have some weird aspect to it as well, but then all the crosses checked out and all I had to do was find a couple more "B" / "13" squares, it turns out. The grid seems solid for the most part, though the Scrabble-f'ing in the SW and SE is pretty glaring, although I guess the "Z" in the SE is from a long (good) answer, FLASH FREEZE, so it's not really gratuitous the way the "J" is. And the "J" is handled well enough. Just seeing that "J" crammed into a tiny space where it's functioning initially in both directions is triggering for me. Makes me think someone's priorities aren't straight. Or someone's idea of a good time is different from mine. But in the end, EZER is the only thing that feels truly unfortunate / crosswordesey (I couldn't name a single person who ever headed the *U.S.* Air Force, so ... yeah, no hope here. Also, Israeli prime ministers seem like very fair game; presidents (as Weizman once was), much less so). Oh, I almost forgot the absolute thing in the grid, which is POT TOP, which looks more like a typo of POP-TOP (or "pop-pop," I guess (see 63A)) than anything else (15D: Palindromic kitchen item). I think those are just called ... lids? Never heard POT TOP. I know y'all like palindromes, but know when to say when.
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]