Constructor: Yacob Yonas
Relative difficulty: Easy
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THEME: not really
Word of the Day: RITA's (30D: Eponym for an Italian ice chain) —
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I feel like maybe you get one of these quaint / archaic A-words per puzzle and that's it. Like, OK, ATILT, that's your one, you've spent it, so you may not also bring AGASP to the party. You're gonna have to incur some kind of penalty for AGASP. We need some kind of a-tax. Demerits. Something. I use APACE more than I use either ATILT (exceedingly rarely) or AGASP (literally never), and I don't really use APACE except at least semi-ironically. Mock formally, maybe. But if I was put off by AGASP ATILT, I was oddly charmed by TEIGEN TIGON; all TIGONs are now named TEIGEN, officially. I mean, as far as I know, the TIGON is like the yeti, i.e. completely mythological, but if I ever see one, I will name it TEIGEN, just as if I ever meet a yeti, I will name it Betty, unless it makes the yeti mad, in which case I'll just call it sir or ma'am or whatever it wants to be called. The point is, there's a bad like-sounding word pair, and then there is a good one, and thus, once again, the universe finds its way to balance. The tao of crosswords. As for this first Across / last Across kinda sorta themeishness ... I'm not a fan, but it's also innocuous. It's harmless. I just don't see the point. AHA MOMENTS and EYE-OPENERS have the same clue ... for what reason? I feel like if you're gonna do a little winky thing like that, there should be something to it. The last Across clue seems to have a whole "IT'S ME AGAIN!" attitude: "Remember me, from the first Across clue. Well, I'm back. Why, you ask? Good question ... OK, bye!"
Relative difficulty: Easy
Word of the Day: RITA's (30D: Eponym for an Italian ice chain) —
Rita's Franchise Company, LLC, doing business as Rita's Italian Ice (informally known as "Rita's Water Ice"), is a privately owned and operated American quick service restaurant chain that operates primarily in the Mid-Atlantic United States. The chain is known for its Italian ice[1] and frozen custard, (Chocolate, Vanilla, Twist) but also offers multiple types of frozen treats and specialty creations. Rita's opened its first restaurant in 1984 in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, where the chain is currently headquartered. As of August 20, 2021, the chain had 540 restaurants in 31 states, most are located in the Mid-Atlantic. (wikipedia)
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We have both NOB and WINE'S NOB in this grid, which seems suspect. You'd think one NOB would be enough. More seriously, I nearly left an error on the grid when I had 13D: Ballpark figs. (ERAS). as ESTS and then ETAS ... and since I don't really know what an AERO-stat is, I had a moment where I thought "is ... is AETOstat a thing??" The only -stats I know are rheo- and maybe photo-? Anyway, thankfully, I correctly guessed that AETO- would be pure nonsense, and then realized, "Oh, *ballpark* figs. Like the *baseball* ballpark. Gotcha." Otherwise, there were almost no impediments to quick solving today. Oh, RITA. We don't have RITA's Ice here. Didn't have them growing up in CA, didn't have them in MI, don't have them here in central NY. It looks like there's one in Horseheads (real place), and if you go over the border to PA you can find a bunch of them pretty quick. Scranton area, looks like, yeah, a couple. But like the TIGON and the yeti, RITA's are fictional to me. Worse than fictional—I've actually heard of TIGON and yeti before; RITA's, no. Although I've probably seen RITA with this same clue in some bygone crossword and said basically the same thing. Not hard to get from crosses, though I did have TEEN IDOL at first for 30A: Musician on the cover of Rolling Stone, often (ROCK IDOL), so it was TITA's Italian Ice for a bit.
This is a very solid grid overall. I like "LET'S DIG IN!" though "DIG IN!" on its own feels like the much much much more common phrase. I like CHIA SEEDS even though I don't think I've had them and I like KEG STANDS even though I don't actually like them, frat stunts and binge-drinking being two things that never held any interest for me. There's a lot of alcohol in here, actually. KEG STANDS and a WINE SNOB and a MARTINI and a TANKARD of ale, and, well, MADD in the corner looking worried. FIREPIT is nice. Marshmallowy. Is DISS really spelled with two "S"s? I think of DIS as the insult and DISS as an abbr. for "dissertation." The SOLED pun was so corny I actually nearly liked it (40A: Cry heard at a shoe auction?). I'm blogging at night, which is not the norm for me these days, so before I get any sleepier / loopier, I'll say goodnight. Goodnight.
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]