Constructor: Michael B. Berg
Relative difficulty: Easy
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THEME: video games — it's just ... five games, each clued in some figurative way:
Theme answers:
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I don't get this one. The theme is just ... games. There are five games. It's a list. An arbitrary list. So the theme is really all in the cluing, and the idea there is just ... what? The clues looks like regular crossword clues instead of specifically video game clues? I guess the clues are all ... idioms? I don't know why this is interesting, or why you couldn't do this with a list of literally anything. Famous books or movies or dog breeds or whatever. The clues are figurative descriptions of games. I think that's it. If there is more to this, someone will let me know, but if that's it, as I say, I don't get the appeal. The set of games is odd too. Two of them were originally video games of the stand-up / arcade variety, two of them were for home video game consoles, and then ANGRY BIRDS ... is ANGRY BIRDS. That's an app, right? I mean, it's a whole franchised / merchandising universe now, but I feel like you initially played it on your phone, mostly (yes, first released for iOS in '09). These disparities don't really matter, and if the theme had any real coherence, I doubt I'd've noticed them, but when you don't have a lot to work with ... all the cracks and seams start to show. Speaking of cracks and seams, the fill is a little rough. Mostly just stale and bland. OUT OF REACH and NOT A CHANCE are just fine—nice long Downs—but as for the rest of it, I think my favorite answer is BASMATI (but that's just because it tastes good) or BOOP. OK now I really like the nonsense phrase "BASMATI BOOP." I don't know how you'd use it, but go ahead and try. Mostly you've got stuff like LEGSIT (?) and ALGAE and EBON and EENY (again!?). Pretty grim. The clues try their darnedest to liven things up, but it's hard to liven up this much 3,4,5-letter stuff.
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
Relative difficulty: Easy
Theme answers:
- DONKEY KONG (17A: "Barrel of monkeys")
- SONIC THE / HEDGEHOG (28A: "With 50-Across, a blue streak")
- TETRIS (32A: "Shapes up")
- PACMAN (48A: "Ghost in the machine")
- ANGRY BIRDS (64A: "Knock me down with a feather")
Valdez Venita Demings (née Butler; born March 12, 1957) is an American politician and former police officer who served as the U.S. representative from Florida's 10th congressional district from 2017 to 2023. The district covers most of the western half of Orlando and includes much of the area around Orlando's resort parks. It includes many of Orlando's western suburbs, including Apopka and Winter Garden. From 2007 to 2011, Demings was chief of the Orlando Police Department, its first female chief, capping a 27-year career with the department. She has also been first lady of Orange County, Florida, since December 4, 2018, when her husband Jerry Demings was sworn in as the mayor.Demings was the Democratic nominee to represent Florida's 10th congressional district in Congress in both 2012 and 2016. After losing in 2012 to Republican incumbent Daniel Webster, she won in 2016 after the State Supreme Court mandated redistricting statewide.
On January 15, 2020, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi selected Demings to serve as a House impeachment manager in the first Senate trial of President Donald Trump. In early August 2020, Demings was said to be one of the top contenders to be Joe Biden's vice-presidential running mate in the 2020 United States presidential election, along with Kamala Harris and Susan Rice.[3] She was the Democratic nominee in the 2022 United States Senate election in Florida, losing to Republican incumbent Marco Rubio. (wikipedia)
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I don't know if this is a failing or a consolation, but the puzzle was exceedingly easy. After the second themer (TETRIS), I didn't even bother to look at the theme clues anymore. Those themers just filled themselves in from crosses (or, rather, I got a few crosses and was easily able to see what game we were dealing with). The worst / best part was when I got -HOG and then was able to backfill *all* of SONIC THE / HEDGEHOG, again without ever seeing the clue. There were a couple hiccups and (surprise) they both involved names. I forgot Dora's cousin's name :( That cost me about 5 seconds (the "G" from IGLOO pretty much took care of it). And then I forgot who VAL Demings was. I also didn't trust SANER at all as the answer for 53D: More even-keeled. The clue suggests something having to do with temperament, not sanity. So I held back the SA- part, which happened to run through VAL. So I had a harrowing, I dunno, let's say 5 seconds again there, and then SANER proved correct, and wham bam that was that.
I had a lucky guess, getting PEDI off the "I" (could've been MANI—there's an kealoa* I never considered) (41D: Spa treatment, informally). I was completely unsure about the alleged skiing slang "Shred the GNAR!" (sounds like a catchphrase Bart Simpson might've tried to make happen circa 1990) (72A: Shred the ___ (skiing slang for conquering difficult terrain)). But the crosses all checked out, and I could see how you'd get to GNAR from "Gnarly!" (slang I *have* heard), so I left it, and it was good. Puzzle's got two UPs (RANUP, SETUP) but I don't care (with two-letter words, you gotta cross 'em or give me more than 2 before I throw a flag). I did not know ADIEU was "formal" (59A: "Toodles," but more formally). In the 21st century? I would've thought "ironic" before "formal." I mean, unless you're French. Then, it's just, you know, a word. OK, I'm off to play *my* games now (Wordle/Quordle). No giant apes, alas. I do miss 1982 sometimes. Hanging out at Round Table Pizza, Joan Jett on the jukebox, quarters lined up on DONKEY KONG. Probably the most iconically "adolescent" time of my life. I can't believe I'm getting misty about Fresno. OK, bye.
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
P.S. [Person you might see in August?] is GUS because that letter string ("GUS") is literally in the name "AuGUSt" :(
*kealoa = a pair of words (normally short, common answers) that can be clued identically and that share at least one letter in common (in the same position). These are answers you can't just fill in quickly because two or more answers are viable, Even With One or More Letters In Place. From the classic [Mauna ___] KEA/LOA conundrum. See also, e.g. [Heaps] ATON/ALOT, ["Git!"] "SHOO"/"SCAT," etc.