Relative difficulty: Medium (6:24 for me)
THEME: OPPOSITES....ISH—Three sets of words/phrases that when divided into two separate words (if they weren't already), have opposite counterparts in a corresponding section of the grid. The catch is that the two words in each set make up a larger word/phrase which does NOT mean the opposite of its counterpart. (There's got to be a better way to describe this theme, but I'm just going to leave that there and hope it makes some semblance of sense.)
Theme answers:
- OVERCOMES (17A: Gets past, as an obstacle) // UNDERGOES (56A: Opposite of 17A?)
- HIGH SEAS (25A: Where pirates roam) // LOWLANDS (45A: Opposite of 25A?)
- LEFT OFF (35A: Omitted) // RIGHT ON (37A: Opposite of 35A?)
Word of the Day: COUCH GAGS (Visual jokes in the openings of "The Simpsons" (a tradition since the first episode) —
The "couch gag" is a running visual joke near the end of the opening credits. The gag generally changes from episode to episode, and usually features the Simpson family's living roomcouch. A typical gag features the Simpson family running into the living room, only to find some abnormality with the couch, be it a bizarre and unexpected occupant, an odd placement of the couch, such as on the ceiling, or any number of other situations.
In the syndicated version for the episodes from seasons 1 to 5, the couch gag for the episode is usually replaced with the one from season five's "Rosebud" where The Simpsons find an exact double of themselves on the couch (though the syndicated versions of the later episodes retain their original couch gags).
The couch gag is frequently used to make the show longer or shorter, depending on the length of the episode itself. For example, longer couch gags have been used to fill time in shorter episodes, such as in "Lisa's First Word", "I Love Lisa", "The Front",[19]"Cape Feare",[20]"Fears of Flying", "Monty Can't Buy Me Love", "Simpson Safari" and "The Bart Wants What It Wants". An extended couch gag was also seen in the first episode to use the new opening sequence, "Take My Life, Please", where the family chases their couch on a tour across the world. Another long couch gag was in the show's 500th episode "At Long Last Leave," showing a montage of previous couch gags. (Wikipedia)
Good Morning! I'm Colin, first time contributor stepping in for Rex as he finishes his vacation. I'm a classical pianist living in New York City and my crossword habit/love/obsession (depending on which member of my family you ask) got kicked up a notch during the pandemic. As the arts and live performances were basically shut down, I had more time and energy that needed an outlet. Crosswords helped me keep my mind active (and, full disclosure, helped me remember what day of the week it was). As we slowly navigate our way out of this pandemic, let us hope we can safely return to performing arts venues as artists and patrons soon. Now, onto the puzzle!
Overall, I thought this was a really solid Monday puzzle. I was impressed with the theme, both during the solve and afterwards. I struggled a bit in the NW (got ORS easily, but wasn't sure about which Sneaky laugh (14A: HEH) it was, nor was I confident enough to throw down HELICES (20A: Spiral shapes) out of the gate.) All of that to say, the first themer set I got to was LEFT OFF (35A: Omitted). When I looked at 37A, I hadn't yet put together that the opposite was referring to the two words of the phrase separately. Had I taken 10 more seconds and asked myself why on earth there would be a '?' after something as straightforward as an 'opposite', then it might have dawned on me. But it being a Monday, I neglected those 10 seconds of thought and went RIGHT ON. It all became clear what was going on once I got to LOWLANDS and I could easily cry OH OH (1D: "Pick me! Pick me!") to finish off the other two sets of themers.
While we're discussing the theme, a few things to praise and one thing to nitpick. To start with the good, I love that the opposites are TIGHT. First off, as full phrases or words, none of them have anything remotely to do with their opposite. Nothing. Nada. And when you treat them as two separate words, I feel like I could ask my 8 year old daughter, 'What's the opposite of (any theme answer in this puzzle)?' and she would respond correctly. OVER/UNDER, COMES/GOES, HIGH/LOW, SEAS/LANDS, LEFT/RIGHT, OFF/ON. There's not one that misses. Maybe an almost-4th grader wouldn't get seas/lands immediately, but once they discuss a certain Henry W. Longfellow poem about a certain Bostonian in a few years, I trust all will be understood. I also really appreciated that both the word form and the grid geography matched beautifully. It was nice to see the plurals (and singulars) match, as well as OVER and HIGH be above UNDER and LOW with LEFT and RIGHT on their respective sides of the grid.
One small themer quibble (for me, at least) is that HIGH SEAS is two stand alone words, while LOWLANDS is, of course, one word. The other two sets match as either one complete word, or two words making up a common phrase. Notice I said quibble (def: a slight objection or criticism about a trivial matter). It's definitely not enough for a SEE ME (39A: Worrisome directive from a boss) situation, but is enough to mention.
Aside from the theme, there was a good amount of fill that I enjoyed. The long fill, especially, was a nice bonus for a Monday (although might have proved a bit crunchy for newer solvers). As a musician (who kind of speaks French), REVEILLES (2D: Wake-up calls played on bugles) was both solid fill and easy. Other nice longs were COUCH GAGS (see word of the day),COMBATANT (31D: Warrior), and SHELF LIFE(3D: Twinkies have a long one). I honestly don't remember the last time I ate a Twinkie.
And I think that's a good thing. (Also, I googled it so you don't have to---In 2013 Hostess modified Twinkies so their shelf life went from 26 days to 45. Yay? I mean, Yay!) The other longs in the SE I don't love quite as much. SOUR CREAM (34D: Enchilada topping, maybe) is fine, but not something I ever OPT (10D: Make a choice) for on anything I eat. And I don't love ETSY STORE (33D: Place to sell homemade crafts online). ETSY has become a crossword staple, so adding STORE seems a bit redundant (especially when the clue specifically says online).I initially had HELIXES instead of HELICES (20A: Spiral Shapes), which I am going to blame on going to music school. (I now know both are accepted forms of the words, but I'll admit that 'C' was the last letter I plugged in to finish the puzzle.) Helices was made harder by the fact that I am not familiar with NECCO (5D: Classic wafer brand) wafers. Smarties, hell yes. Sweet tarts, sure. NILLA wafers, absolutely! ....which is why I confidently wrote that in. That led me to NO HOW (5A: Not in any way, in dialect), but curtailed my progress with the gimme answer of ETUDE (15A: Practice piano piece). I now know Necco Wafers have been around a LOOOONG time, and while I still had HELIXES penciled in, I quickly figured out there is definitely not such a thing as a NECXO wafer. I might prefer that over a 45 day old Twinkie, however.
Most all of the other fill was average at worst with enough bright spots to keep it fun. There were plenty of so-so words with easy clues....but then again, it's Monday so to be expected. Loved seeing SUE (41A: ____ Bird, many-time W.N.B.A All-Star) who just won her FIFTH gold medal! Also enjoyed a decent clue for the ever-present REF (29D: One tweeting about football?) and a slightly tricky for Monday clue for LARKS (13D: Birds that do things just for the fun of it?). Also like seeing SELMA (54A: 2014 Ava DuVernay drama) in the grid.
A few things I didn't love:
- TEC (21A: Private eye, quaintly)— This seems super old and quaint to me, and also seems to be appearing in the NYTXW with more and more regularity. Not a fan.
- LASES (32A: Zaps, in a way)— I suppose this is better than the TASES I initially put in, but still don't love the word, especially on a Monday.
- EGALITE (22D: "Liberté, _____, fraternité)— No problem with the word, of course, or the motto for Haiti. But the word looks really strange to me sitting in the grid without an accent aigu on both 'E's. Not to mention this does feel a little HOT (25D: Spicy) for a Monday.
- A BREEZE (42A: Child's play)—I admit this works with the clue, but it both feels and looks clunky to me.
Overall, a solid start to the week. Tight, solidly executed theme, some nice longs, some tasty crunch (for a Monday, at least), and a minimum of crossword glue. I'll take that every Monday, s'il vous plaît!
One last note before I go -- I'm not going to insert myself into the .puz/AcrossLite debate (I say as I prepare to dip my pinky toe into the issue....). I haven't used that format in years but understand the frustration people are feeling as this shift will alter a long standing routine for many. I definitely think this change could have been communicated much better (i.e. with much more lead time), and with other options for solvers. However, I will say that I find the iPad app to be quite good. It's very user friendly, allows you to clearly see both Across and Down clues, and has zero ads. I much prefer it to solving on a web browser or on my phone. It's not perfect, by any means, but overall a fairly smooth experience. This is obviously not helpful if you don't have an iPad or tablet, so if that is the case, kindly disregard. [Removes pinky toe from water.]
That's it for me! Hope you enjoyed the puzzle, and have a great week!
Signed, Colin Fowler, Court Musician of CrossWorld
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