Constructor: Tracy Gray
Relative difficulty: Easy to Easy-Medium
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THEME: VO5 (67A: Alberto ___ (hair care brand) ... and a hint to 16-, 27-, 38-, 46- and 61-Across) — first word "V," second word "O,""5" times:
Relative difficulty: Easy to Easy-Medium
THEME: VO5 (67A: Alberto ___ (hair care brand) ... and a hint to 16-, 27-, 38-, 46- and 61-Across) — first word "V," second word "O,""5" times:
Theme answers:
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Word of the Day: FLAT CAP (51A: Short-brimmed hat known as a bunnet in Scotland) —
I haven't heard the name "Alberto VO5" since the '80s. It's still a thing!? Wow. I know the name only from TV ads of yore. The same era as the Vidal Sassoon shampoo commercials. You know, the "and so on, and so on, and so on" ones? Oh no, wait! I've misremembered my cheesy '80s hair product commercials. The "and so on" ads were for Fabergé—Vidal Sassoon was "if you don't look good, we don't look good!" Let's see if I can find an Alberto VO5 ad to round out the trio ... oh yeah, there we go.
- VITAL ORGAN (16A: Kidney or heart)
- VIDALIA ONION (27A: Georgia's official vegetable)
- VEER OFF (38A: Suddenly change course)
- VIN ORDINAIRE (46A: Inexpensive table wine)
- VACUUM OVEN (61A: Specialized lab equipment for drying)
A flat cap (sometimes scally cap) is a rounded cap with a small stiff brim in front, originating in the British Isles. The hat is known in Ireland as a paddy cap, in Scotland as a bunnet, in Wales as a Dai cap, in New Zealand as a cheese-cutter, and in the United States as a driving cap. Cloths used to make the cap include wool, tweed (most common), and cotton. Less common materials may include leather, linen, or corduroy. The inside of the cap is commonly lined for comfort and warmth. (wikipedia) (my emph.)
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It's possible that VO5 is still all the rage and I just don't know anything about contemporary women's hair products. In fact, that latter part is Very possible. Still, the revealer felt like a blast from the past, which is OK. I'm just unsure about the currency of this product name, is what I'm saying. The theme here works, though it is pretty programmatic and straightforward (yes, those are V.O.s, yes, there are five of them), and the themer set feels a little forced, by which I mean those last two themers are a lot less common and familiar than the first three. I've heard of VIN ORDINAIRE, I guess, but I don't know how or when, and VACUUM OVEN, well, I'm sure that exists, it sounds like a thing that exists, but it's not exactly a household gadget (or term). But as a set, the themers are fairly interesting answers, I guess. The rest of the grid is pretty plain, tending to dull. I really don't like the NE and SW corners, from an aesthetic standpoint. The fill in those corners is fine (how could it not be? they're so tiny anyone could fill them). They're just so small, and so sequestered, that I was semi-annoyed that I had to go in there and finish them off. They felt awfully detached. I guess they're built that way to accommodate the tiny 3-box revealer (VO5). Still, not a big fan of crannies that small.
Had to suffer through NOVA- and ETALI-; I genuinely "ugh" at these crossword moments, because you just don't know which way this crosswordese is going to VEER OFF at the end. Are we getting NOVAS or NOVAE? (1D: Massive pop stars?) Are we getting ET ALIA or ET ALII? (8D: And others, in Latin) It's like the worst suspense movie ever. I don't believe that SESAMES is a legit plural (22A: Seeds on hamburger buns). They are sesame seeds and that is all that they are. If you take the clue at its word, and go the hamburger bun route, even there, the paradigmatic description of said buns uses the word "seed":
No idea what a FLAT CAP was (51A: Short-brimmed hat known as a bunnet in Scotland). Sounds like a mushroom type. Now that I see it, I know exactly what a FLAT CAP is, I just didn't know it's name. Linus wears one of these in the "Peanuts" strip that taught me the word "jaunty":
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| Aug. 4, 1953 |
I would've gone with FLATTEN or FLATTER or FLATTOP there, as they all feel more familiar, and like they would give you much more interesting cluing possibilities than the clue you've got going here, but if FLAT CAPs are good enough for Idris Elba (pictured up top) and Linus, who am I to complain?