Constructor: Matthew Stock
Relative difficulty: Medium-Challenging
![]()
THEME: TAKE AN "L" (60A: Accept defeat, informally ... or what the last words of 19-, 24- and 49-Across do vis-à-vis the first) — familiar three-word phrases where the last word = the first word minus the letter "L":
Theme answers:
![]()
The theme answers here are all solid and strong, and I like how the middle word changes each time (and is the same length each time, and remains in the same columns of the grid each time ... tiny structural things, and not necessary structural things, but I notice and appreciate them anyway). The problem for me is that the phrase is "TAKE THE L." I mean, undoubtedly people say "TAKE AN 'L'," so it's not exactly far-fetched, but the way you hear it most often, in sports and gaming situations, is with the definite article: "TAKE THE 'L'." I decided to check by putting the phrases inside quotation marks in a google search, and my search for "TAKE AN 'L'" gave me "What Does 'Take the 'L' Mean?" as the first hit. The "TAKE THE 'L'" search yields way way way more results, though that search is admittedly tainted in part by the Motels' song of the same name. But the *first* thing that comes up in that search is something called an "emote" from the game Fortnite, and that's the correct context: gaming. "TAKE THE 'L'" is somewhat more hostile than "TAKE AN 'L'"—"TAKE THE 'L'" is used in the imperative, often in a mocking or demeaning way, essentially telling someone (your opponent, enemy, some jerk online) to accept defeat. I've seen it a lot. I have seen "TAKE AN 'L'" a lot less. Is this a dealbreaker for the puzzle? Not really. But did it do a chalkboard / fingernails thing to my brain? A little.
Relative difficulty: Medium-Challenging
Theme answers:
- FIGHT OR FLIGHT (19A: Innate response to a threatening situation)
- PAY-TO-PLAY (24A: Ante up for participation)
- "BACK IN BLACK" (49A: AC/DC album after "Highway to Hell")
Brandon Paak Anderson (born February 8, 1986), better known by his stage name Anderson .Paak (/pæk, pɑːk/), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and drummer. He released his debut mixtape, O.B.E. Vol. 1, in 2012 and went on to release Venice in 2014. In 2016 he followed up with Malibu, which received a nomination for Best Urban Contemporary Album at the Grammy Awards, followed by Oxnard, in 2018. At the 61st Grammy Awards, Paak won his first Grammy award for Best Rap Performance with the song "Bubblin". He won another Grammy in 2020 for Best R&B Album with Ventura and one for Best R&B Performance for "Come Home" (featuring André 3000). [...] In 2021, he formed the duo Silk Sonic with fellow singer-songwriter Bruno Mars. The duo's debut single, "Leave the Door Open", became Anderson's first single to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100, and was the recipient of four awards including Song of the Year and Record of the Year at the 64th Grammy Awards. (wikipedia)
• • •
There are a lot of black squares here. A Lot. 44? Speaking of "L"s, there are a bunch of them (and flipped versions of them) in the black-square formations. Bonus theme content! Anyway, black squares eat up a lot of room. They are helping to keep the grid manageable, especially at the top and bottom of the grid (really looking at the blacks before and after both ABA (5A) and EPOCH (68A). Even with those extra blacks down below, you can really feel how constricted the fill gets down there with the pressure from two themers ("BACK IN BLACK" and the revealer). No surprise that that is by far the weakest part of the grid, fill-wise (NIETO and NIH are not really Wednesday words—I wouldn't use either unless I truly had to—and INKUP feels slightly desperate ... though SPUTNIK is so strong that it mostly covers for the rest of it). Other areas of the grid are very clean, and "YOU GUYS!" and BOOM BOXES are outstanding. My biggest struggle was trying to figure out what the hell the clue on NEWS was on about! (35D: The "-spel" of "gospel," etymologically). I was desperately looking for technical names for word parts, but it's just ... the meaning of "-spel" ("gospel" = "good news"). Such an awkward, wonky way to come at such a basic, infinitely clueable word.
The theme part of this was very easy, but the fill has enough rough / tough patches to make it potentially tough for some solvers. XHOSA NIETO NIH PAAK ... I can see any or all of these being new to some solvers. I know and have listened to Anderson .PAAK a lot. Knowing lots of people won't know him, and given that the name is uninferrably spelled, and that there's only one way in the world to clue that name, I don't know if I'd've chosen his name for the grid if I had other solid options ... but I did like seeing him. Names are weird. I'm always cognizant of how much personal familiarity affects enjoyment, let alone solvability. There's no reason you can't drop a new name in the grid as long as you cover your crosses, and these are all unimpeachable ... but I can still imagine a solver getting PAAK and going "... is that right? That doesn't look right?" Philosophies on the use of proper nouns in crossword grids vary Widely. Which is great, honestly. Keeps things interesting. Keeps you on your toes. Hope you didn't take the (or an) L on this one. See you tomorrow.
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
P.S. Happy birthday to my best friend, Shaun, who does not solve crosswords or read this blog, god bless her. In her honor, you all get bonus, date-specific music content. Enjoy!
P.S. new clue coming soon for ANDOR! ANDOR: it's not just a slash conjunction anymore! Step aside, ENDOR! It's ANDOR time! Tonight! (literally, tonight):