Constructor: Adam Simpson
Relative difficulty: Easy? (I timed myself and the clock says 2:49 and I think that's on the fast side but since I don't time myself regularly any more, I have no idea)
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THEME: DOUBLE CROSS (57A: Betray ... or a hint to what can precede each half of 17-, 25- and 43-Across)— the word "cross" can precede either of the two words in each theme answer:
Theme answers:
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I haven't timed my solves in a long time because I found the clock becoming an annoying distraction—concern about time was actually detracting from my enjoyment, which is the best reason to stop doing something: no longer fun. But that doesn't mean that I don't still like the feeling of the wind rushing through my non-existent hair as I tear through the grid. I was never much of a sprinter (many ordinary solvers can absolutely smoke me on a M or T puzzle), but I thought oh why not just get out the clock and see what's what. And I'm happy to report that I seem to be in about as good a shape as I ever was. 2:49 on a Monday is on the low end of what used to be very normal for me, for Monday. The thing about speeding is wow you can really feel the bumps (i.e. the stuff that slows you down), so in that way, speed can actually be clarifying (as opposed to distracting). There are good bumps and bad bumps. Bad bumps = "dang is it ALII or ALIA, they are both so regrettable, and then having to guess at which one, on top of the ugliness ... bah!" (2D: Et ___ (and others: Lat.)). But then there are good bumps like "RICE BOWLS! ... wait, hang on, no ... omg, POKE BOWLS! That's better! And more specific! And more delicious!"
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Relative difficulty: Easy? (I timed myself and the clock says 2:49 and I think that's on the fast side but since I don't time myself regularly any more, I have no idea)
Theme answers:
- WIND SECTION (17A: Where flutes are played, in an orchestra)
- BAR EXAMINATION (25A: Qualifying hurdle for practicing law)
- REFERENCE CHECK (43A: Prehiring formality, often)
Aidan Gallagher (born September 18, 2003) is an American actor and musician. [...] Gallagher first appeared in a minor role in a 2013 episode of Modern Family. He was in the short film You & Me and was in the CBS television pilot Jacked Up, which was not picked up and never aired. He then landed a major role in Nickelodeon's Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn as Nicky Harper, for which he was nominated Favorite Male TV Star in the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards in 2016 and 2017. He was in the show for four seasons until it ended in 2018. // In February 2019, Gallagher began starring in the Netflix superhero series The Umbrella Academy, an adaptation of the comic book series of the same name, as Number Five / The Boy, a 58-year-old time traveller who's stuck inside the body of his 13-year-old self due to an accidental time jump. His portrayal won him critical praise; as The New York Times'reviewer put it, he "carries the show as far as he can". Daniel Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter wrote that "Gallagher is very good in the tricky part of a fifty-something-year-old man trapped in the body of a schoolboy". (wikipedia)
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The toughest part for me, though was probably the dead center, what with the two names I didn't know (or, rather, one I didn't know, the other I forgot—sorry, ILENE) (29D: ___ Chaiken, co-creator of "The L Word"). With DDE crammed in there as well (36A: 1950s presidential inits.), that is probably the weakest part of the grid—but in the puzzle's semi-defense, it's also the part of the grid that was probably hardest to fill cleanly, given the way the grid is built. Trying to put three 5s alongside each other with their first and last letters all fixed in place by themers—weirdly hard. Like, try to refill it without really tearing down the grid. It's not easy. I didn't spend too much time at it, but early efforts were not getting anywhere better than AIDAN MEDIC ILENE. So that part of the grid is forgiven its proper noun roughness. As for the theme—there it is! It's a theme. One of the oldest theme types, and one that rarely YIELDs good results ... but today, you really can't argue with the solidity of this themer set. And the revealer is right on the nose. So sure, why not? Solid Monday execution.
Notes:
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- 20A: Vanish into thin air (DISSIPATE)— anyone fall into a DISAPPEAR hole here? I would have, but the "I" from RESIDE kept me on my feet.
- 10D: Camera brand that merged with Minolta in 2003 (KONICA) — remember cameras?! I do, but damned if I could remember which part of KONICA was "K"s and which "C"s. KONIKA, CONIKA, CONICA, CSONKA ... so many permutations.
- 4D: "I'd wager that..." ("ODDS ARE...")— shout-out to middle-length fill that is actually fresh and colloquial and interesting. You don't want to let the longer answers have all the glory. See also RUN-DMC. Fun stuff.
- 12D: AMC's "Better Call ___" (SAUL) — shout-out also to the greatest show (no longer) on television. Really rooting for everyone involved with that show to take home Emmys later this month, particularly RHEA Seehorn, who will (I hope) be with us in crosswords for a long time to come. What an actor.
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