Constructor: Laura Taylor Kinnel
Relative difficulty: Medium
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THEME:"Step on It!"— a bug rebus:
Theme answers:
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Before I get to the meat of the puzzle, a word about the title. Well, three words: I hate it. Like, viscerally. It's a vicious, stupid, and ultimately inapt title. Why the &$#! are you stepping on bees? Or any insect, really. First of all, insects are living creatures, so leave them be. Second, stepping on a louse will do nothing. Like, if that is your method for getting rid of lice, I have Big News for you, and it's not good. Third, gnats? You're trying to step on gnats? What are you even doing? You look silly. The title is both casually and cruelly human-centered *and* stupid as hell on a literal level—even if you got your jollies squashing insects, a good hunk of these just aren't plausibly killable with your stupid foot. Just a terrible editorial decision, that title. As for the puzzle itself, it's pretty fun, and very ambitious. Some of those insects are really ... long. I mean, putting an ANT in a box, no problem, but putting a whole damn ROACH or LOUSE in there, that's a little more impressive. In general, I enjoyed discovering the insects, and many of the insect-containing phrases were long and colorful in their own right. The Across themers are something close to impeccable. After I got over the initial rebus-discovery hump, only two of the bugs really gave me trouble. I couldn't find that damn FLY because I had BRIEF as my answer to 72D: In a few words, so I kept wondering "How does this work? is LYN an insect? YNN?" Started thinking maybe the phrase was actually "IN LIKE FLINT" (a '60s spy comedy whose title is a pun on the actual answer). Then realized that 72D wanted an adverb: BRIEFLY. Aha. Worse for me, struggle-wise, was CELTIC KNOT. I found the TICK quick ... but what was supposed to follow "CELTIC," I had No Idea. CELTIC K-O-!? I thought I had an error. Couldn't get the "N" because ERWIN!?!?! (47D: Physicist Schrödinger)! Really? Wow, news to me. Also, DIATOMIC is not a word I really know (52D: Like carbon monoxide) and the clue on WAIT ON was super-ambiguous (56A: Serve), so that whooooooole area was just jacked for a while.
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Oh, and as you can see, I couldn't see WAIT ON because I had an "I" where the "O" should be. Always love to be tripped up by the absolute worst piece of fill in the grid, ugh (VASO!? Vas-no!). So the area around TICK and the area around FLY were pesky, but everything else fell pretty easily.
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Relative difficulty: Medium
Theme answers:
- PYTHAGOREAN THEOREM / LEAN-TO (23A: Hypotenuse-finding formula / 9D: Simple shelter)
- ABOVE REPROACH / BROACHES (40A: Having an impeccable reputation, say / 35D: Brings up, as a subject)
- DESIGNATED DRIVER / SIGNATURE (43A: One drinking soft drinks at a party, perhaps / 31D: Ink on a contract)
- CELTIC KNOT / STICKS (67A: Symbol of Irish heritage / 60D: Adheres)
- INSPECTOR CLOUSEAU / SILK BLOUSE (89A: "The Pink Panther" character / 63D: Shiny top)
- IN LIKE FLYNN / BRIEFLY (92A: Having successfully made it, slangily / 72D: In a few words)
- LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN / BEECH (110A: Composer who studied under Joseph Haydn / 112D: Stately shade tree)
The United States National Security Council (NSC) is the principal forum used by the President of the United States for consideration of national security, military, and foreign policy matters. Based in the White House, it is part of the Executive Office of the President of the United States, and composed of senior national security advisors and Cabinet officials.
Since its inception in 1947 by President Harry S. Truman, the function of the Council has been to advise and assist the President on national security and foreign policies. It also serves as the President's principal arm for coordinating these policies among various government agencies. The Council has subsequently played a key role in most major events in U.S. foreign policy, from the Korean War to the War on Terror.
The NSC has counterparts in the national security councils of many other nations. (wikipedia)
• • •
I thought we agreed that PEPE LePew was a sexual harasser / assailant and no longer welcome in the grid. No? OK. I have been on college campuses my whole life and have never heard anyone refer to their class as meeting SEMI-WEEKLY (78A: Common frequency for college classes). Is that every other week? Like, once every other week? Pretty cushy. Or is it twice per week? Because that is pretty normal ... but again, no one but no one calls it that. We somehow make do with "twice a week." Same number of letters, fewer syllables.
People confuse MANET and Monet's *names*, but no one is going to confuse their actual paintings—no one who is paying attention, at any rate. I mean, does this woman like a haystack? Does she?
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Hmm, maybe. There is something kind of ... triangular about her. Let's compare.
OK, I take it back, they're very similar.
I read [Onetime auto make...], looked at -EO, and wrote in REO. The REO Prizm, LOL, someone design that, please. The '20s / '90s hybrid no one is asking for! Anyway, GEO, man, forgot about that. It's like Saturn or YUGO. Bye bye bye. Bygone. Which ... gives it at least one thing in common with the REO. OK, that's about enough of that. Hope you enjoyed your bug-hunting escapade. See you tomorrow.
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
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