Constructor: Greg Johnson
Relative difficulty: Medium
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THEME: GOODBYE (34A: This puzzle's theme) — theme answers are phrases meaning "GOODBYE," in this and other languages:
Theme answers:
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Startlingly unambitious theme—the kind of thing that feels old-fashioned in the worst way—but thankfully the constructor didn't put all his eggs in the theme basket, so this puzzle was actually reasonably entertaining to solve. But as for the theme—I don't know why a theme like this was approved. Super-straightforward, while also strangely off-kilter. The theme answers aren't even all from different languages. They're just … some phrases in English, some not, all of them meaning, vaguely, "GOODBYE." Loose, inconsistent, weird. Also, it is absurd to have some of the clues refer to a person's name (i.e. "Bruno" ???) where the others don't. I get that you are trying to tip the language there, but names for all or names for none. I mean, the name thing isn't even consistent for foreign-language phrases—We get a Bruno and a Vladimir, but not a Juanita? These inconsistencies wouldn't rankle me so much if the clues weren't clearly *going* for consistency, with all of them being quoted, spoken phrases.
Puzzle had weird moments of brief difficulty. SMILE clue is massively un-Monday (21D: "Peace begins with a ___": Mother Teresa) and the spelling of DOSVIDANIYA was half-guesswork. Crazy-looking. Never seen that phrase written out before today, that I can recall. Also, I'm seeing it spelled "DOSVEDANYA" and a bunch of different ways on-line. Had no idea there was a conventional spelling of this phrase in English. No big deal. Still picked it up fast from crosses. Just one more thing that feels slightly off about this puzzle. Fill is pretty good, I think. Not the slop-fest we've been seeing too much of in recent months. I like AC DUCTS and SKI SLOPES and B-MOVIE, though I totally disagree that a B-MOVIE is "Unmemorable" (25A: Unmemorable low-budget film). The Lord of the Rings movies were unmemorable. Kiss Me Deadly, however, is scorched on my brain forever. Elitist nonsense, that clue.
See you tomorrow,
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
Relative difficulty: Medium
Theme answers:
- 17A: "I'm outta here!" ("SEE YA LATER!")
- 6A: "Gotta go!" ("CIAO!")
- 11D: "Godspeed, Bruno!" ("ARRIVEDERCI!")
- 24D: "Farewell, Vladimir!" ("DOS VIDANIYA!")
- 50A: "Adios, amigo!" ("HASTA LUEGO!")
- 58A: "Cheerio!" ("TATA!")
A wrestling singlet (or simply singlet) is a one-piece, tight-fitting, colored uniform, usually made of spandex/lycra, or nylon, used in amateur wrestling. The uniform is tight fitting so as not to get grasped accidentally by one's opponent, and allows the referee to see each wrestler's body clearly when awarding points or a pin. Unlike judo, it is illegal to grasp an opponent's clothing in all styles of amateur wrestling. (wikipedia)
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Puzzle had weird moments of brief difficulty. SMILE clue is massively un-Monday (21D: "Peace begins with a ___": Mother Teresa) and the spelling of DOSVIDANIYA was half-guesswork. Crazy-looking. Never seen that phrase written out before today, that I can recall. Also, I'm seeing it spelled "DOSVEDANYA" and a bunch of different ways on-line. Had no idea there was a conventional spelling of this phrase in English. No big deal. Still picked it up fast from crosses. Just one more thing that feels slightly off about this puzzle. Fill is pretty good, I think. Not the slop-fest we've been seeing too much of in recent months. I like AC DUCTS and SKI SLOPES and B-MOVIE, though I totally disagree that a B-MOVIE is "Unmemorable" (25A: Unmemorable low-budget film). The Lord of the Rings movies were unmemorable. Kiss Me Deadly, however, is scorched on my brain forever. Elitist nonsense, that clue.
See you tomorrow,
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld