Farmworker in Wizard of Oz / SUN 12-15-13 / Walt Disney's middle name / Her name is Norwegian for beautiful woman who leads you to victory / Girl group with four #1 hits in 1990s

Constructor: Jeff Chen

Relative difficulty: Easy-Medium

THEME:"A Cut Above the Rest" — Word "CUT" is spelled out at the top of the grid, with Cs (representing the answers "seas""seize" and "sees") making a "C," Us (representing the answers "ewes""use" and "yews") making a "U," and Ts (representing the answers "tease" and "tees") making a "T"; [Cut] then acts as the clue for a series of Downs that are clued "[See above]" (You: "What the hell do they mean by 'above'?" Answer: "See puzzle title")

The CUTs:

• PLAYED HOOKY
• PIECE OF THE ACTION
• ALBUM TRACK
• EDITED DOWN
• KICKED OFF THE TEAM
• SNIDE REMARK

Word of the Day: Angelica (87A: Angelica and others => HERBS) —

Angelica is a genus of about 60 species of tall biennial and perennial herbs in the family Apiaceae, native to temperate and subarctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere, reaching as far north as Iceland and Lapland. They grow to 1–3 m tall, with large bipinnate leaves and large compound umbels of white or greenish-white flowers.

Some species can be found in purple moor and rush pastures. (wikipedia)

Today's puzzle provides a nice reminder that it always helps to consider the puzzle title. I looked at it and promptly forgot about it, which left me wonder how clues could say [See above] when there was no clear referent. Looked for a "note." Scanned the clues. Nothing. Hey, maybe it has something to do with that "U" and "T" you've got up there for no clear reason! Hmmm, can't see how. What do all these  long Down phrases have to do with "-UT"? PUT? BUT? [this went on] [I finished the puzzle in the NW without ever, up to that point, having picked up on the full extent of the theme] [Finally…] CCCCCs! CUT! Oh okay. Yeah, that works. A multi-layered theme that is both clever and Highly doable, with very little true junk in the grid. Hurray.


I would've complained that this puzzle was too easy, except apparently (for me) it needed to be, because I got all those long Downs precisely because I could infer the answers from the (relatively easy) crosses. I finished with a below-average time even though up until the very end I had at best only half-grasped the theme. There's not a ton to talk about, fill-wise. There is a "roll-your-own" quality to both BIONIC LEG (!) and TOOK A TAXI (which, fittingly, sit on the same row). Neither one bothers me too much, but I like the former a lot better (in that I would like BIONIC-anything (well, anything plausible; BIONIC PANCREAS, maybe not), whereas TOOK A TAXI… I don't know—I like TOOK A CAB better, and I wouldn't much like a lot of other stuff that you could plausibly stick in there, e.g. TOOK A BUS, TOOK A TRAIN, etc. Once again the most interesting trivia tidbit of the day involves SIRI. Last week we learned that she's called "Karen" in Australia (?!). This week, that [Her name is Norwegian for "beautiful woman who leads you to victory"]. That is oddly specific—the Norse really have a word for that? How often does one have occasion to use it?


Just a reminder: my Holiday Crossword Gift Guide is up. Useful for those of you scrambling for last-minute presents for loved ones (or for ways to preoccupy yourself during the oceans of "family time" you'll undoubtedly be enduring enjoying). Check it out.

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld