Chain of Polynesian islands? / TUES 9-27-22 / Rolling contest roller / Like at least two angles of every triangle / Candy from a "head"

Theme answers:

• JANet (1D: Treasury secretary Yellen) 
• FEBreze(5D: Air freshener brand) 
• MARianas (9D: ___ Trench, deepest place in the 10-Down) 
• APRes (24D: French for "after") 
• MAYan (25D: Chichén Itzá builder) 
• JUNta (26D: Postcoup group) 
• JULes (32D: Verne of sci-fi) 
• AUGie (36D: Hanna-Barbera's ___ Doggie) 
• SEPia (38D: Photo filter for a retro look) 
• OCTet (53D: Duo times four) 
• NOVel (54D: New and unusual) 
• DECor (55D: Interior designer's concern)

Word of the Day: ULEE’S GOLD (39A: With 70-Across, 1997 film in which Peter Fonda plays a beekeeper)  —

Ulee's Gold is a 1997 American drama film written and directed by Victor Nuñez and starring Peter Fonda in the title role. It was released by Orion Pictures.The film was the "Centerpiece Premiere" at the 1997 Sundance Film Festival. Fonda won a Golden Globe Award for his performance and was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor and a Screen Actors Guild Award. The film's title refers most concretely to the honey Ulee produces as a beekeeper, particularly that made from the nectar of the tupelo tree. Van Morrison sings "Tupelo Honey" (the title song of his 1971 album) over the end credits. (Wiki)

Was this the crossword puzzle of the year? Technically, yes. Otherwise, not really. The puzzle was well-constructed and kind of fun, but once you realize while solving that the shaded squares are months, there’s not much left that’s interesting about the solve and you can just put the start of some answers in without there needing to be any thought. The revealer of just MONTH (69A) also left a bit to be desired. 

I figured out what was happening with the theme after three months (JAN, FEB, and MAR), which made the puzzle generally flow nicely for me. I did actually find the top half of the puzzle much easier (when I didn’t know the theme) than I found the bottom half of the puzzle (when I’d filled in all of the shaded boxes). I really was just blasting through the puzzle until I hit a snag somewhere around ULEES (39A) and CSPOT (30D). 

That this puzzle was released today is a bit interesting. Today at sundown is the end of the Jewish New Year, which is maybe why a puzzle relating to a calendar was released on September 27. Wikipedia tells me that Rosh Hashanah is the “first of the Jewish High Holy Days, as specified by Leviticus 23:23-25,” and LEVITICUS (64A: Exodus follower) was in the puzzle, which suggests that the timing is probably not a coincidence. I wish, then, that the payoff was something about the Jewish New Year, even though the names of the months in the puzzle are obviously English and from the Gregorian calendar. Yes, I know the tie-in would have been complicated, but, without it, I think this puzzle would have been more apt toward the end of December or in early January. 

The construction was impressive, as the constructor worked in 12 theme answers plus a revealer, but some of the fill definitely suffered as a result. I compiled just a miscellaneous list of answers that felt usual/boring to me, and I could’ve written down a lot more if I’d wanted to — ALDA; EDEN; VIA; UNA; CFO; EMU; RUN; ATE; VERY; EMIT; AGO; INN; IPA; UPA; ENS; and LOTSA. There was so much crosswordese, and I don’t think the clues were all that spectacular, either. I really dislike I MUST (56D: Possible answer to "Do you have to?"), because no one talks like that (tell me you can’t imagine a scene in a Shakespearean play where someone says “I must go posthaste”). Anagram clues feel boring to me (27D: Surname that's an anagram of NO LIE with ONEIL), though I do understand this one might’ve been there to help people who didn’t know MEAN JOE (25A: Nickname for N.F.L. Hall-of-Famer Greene) or ASNER (37A: Ed of "Up"). Oh, look, there’s JANET Yellen (1D) in another puzzle. And, if we really want to get nitpick-y, don’t jelly doughnuts technically have a hole in them where the jelly is inserted? I know that’s not the type of hole the clue is referring to, but my point stands. (I am a lawyer, after all.) 

I didn’t know or understand the clue/answer with CSPOT (30D: Bill worth 100 bones) at all. Apparently, it’s slang where the “c” is for hundred and spot means bill? I’m still a little confused. I didn’t know STOOLIE (52A: Informal informant), which is more old slang. I’ve never seen (or heard of) the movie ULEE’S GOLD (39A/70A). Apparently, Peter Fonda was nominated for an Oscar for it, and constructors like the double “e” in there (e.g., OGEE (67A: Curved molding, in architecture)), but not knowing the film caused me some serious problems with 40D: Marine swimmer with a tall dorsal fin. I didn’t know if it was a jailfish, bailfish, SAILFISH, etc. 

I did think there were some fun and fresh clues/answers. I loved NEIGHBORS (17A: Fencing partners?). ACUTE (16A: Like at least two angles of every triangle) was another fun one. I like thinking of a LEGO as a plastic brick (59D). TAMALES (23A: Dishes steamed in cornhusks), NOMADIC (54A: Like a wanderer), SAILFISH (40D), and MEAN JOE (25A) made the puzzle a tad bit more interesting. MEAN JOE Greene, especially, as I’m a huuuge Steelers fan and just generally a fan of Pittsburgh sports teams. So, seeing him and longtime Penguin JAGR (32A: Hockey great Jaromir _) in the puzzle was nice!

Misc.:

• As long as I’m on the topic of the greatest sports city in the country… MEAN JOE Greene (25A) is one of the greatest football players ever. I grew up hearing stories about him and how he changed the trajectory of the franchise — my Dad grew up a Yinzer (and a diehard sports fan, at that). Before Greene was drafted by the Steelers in 1969, the team had the worst cumulative record in professional football. Since he was drafted, the Steelers have the best cumulative record. Also, Jaromir JAGR (32A) spent the most productive part of his career with the Penguins, winning two Stanley Cups. He’s maybe a top-10 player of all time, and he’ll go down in history as the third-best Penguin ever (behind Mario Lemieux and Sidney Crosby). He went on to play for a lot of teams after the Pens and is actually still playing at 50 years old in the Czech Republic! 
•  Fun fact of the day: The official term in kpop for big celebrities is IDOLS (6D: Paparazzi targets). So, for example, all seven members of BTS are IDOLS. Now, we don’t love them (or anyone) being targeted by paparazzi, but some companies will allow official photographers at events, so I’ll just put these photos here. (Have a safe flight, Yoongi!). 
• I have a friend from law school named ALEXA (2D: Whom you might ask to turn off the lights, nowadays), who told me that the number of jokes she’s gotten in the last few years, like, “ALEXA, play me a song,” or whatnot is incalculable. There were times I’d say her name while on the phone with someone, and the ALEXA in my apartment would light up and start talking to me. 
• “Up” (37A) is the single greatest movie ever created. That is all. 
• ALOFT (33D: High in the sky) makes me think of how, yesterday, NASA collided a spaceship with an asteroid to see if it could knock it off its course, which is crazy and cool. Also, this tweet sums up how I felt watching the Cowboys-Giants Monday Night Football game:

Signed, Clare Carroll, forever a Federer fan

[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]