Constructor: Sam Ezersky
Relative difficulty: Medium to Medium-Challenging
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THEME: none
Word of the Day: THALAMI (20D: Egg-shaped brain structures) —
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This grid has some definite highs—I quite enjoyed that NE corner, particularly "WHY SHOULD I?" and that clue on AUDIOBOOKS (18A: Speaking volumes?)—but generally there weren't enough Great Answer to carry this one today. Meanwhile, this one felt like a trivia fest. Yesterday's puzzle had a few names that were tough to navigate, but this one's just loaded with "who was this person?" or "what is this place?"-type answers, over and over and over. A quarterback and memoirist a Venezuelan landmark a role (!?!) in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" a 2022 rom-com an activist a Russian/Kazakhstan border city, etc. Plus, the cluing was trying Very Hard to be Hard, but it didn't have as much playfulness and humor as yesterday's—at least not the kind that landed with me. Admittedly, you're gonna have a hard time getting me to warm up to a grid with BITCOIN-anything, or DOGNAPping, for god's sake (I was a big fan of that clue when I thought the answer was DOGSIT—not a fan of bad things happening to animals, in movies, TV shows, real life, and apparently, crossword puzzles) (42D: Take, as a pointer). I have "Awful" written next to NYSTATE (I live in that state, but man that answer looks/feels bad to me) (and the "Troy" misdirect is olde as the hills). "Awful" written next to [Lastin' line?] (SCAR) (I assure you that pun was not worth the fauxksiness in the clue). "Awful" written next to [Blue belt?] (SOB) (are "belt" and "SOB" nouns here? I can kinda see sobbing as "belting" out your "blueness" (i.e. sadness), but the clue frames "belt" as a noun, and I am not familiar with this meaning of "belt"). I have "Not A Thing" written next to STOLE A PEEK. You steal a look, maybe a glance; you (famously) sneak a peek. Is it supposed to be funny that STOLE A PEEK crosses DOGNAP? OK, that is kinda funny. Grim, but funny.
Relative difficulty: Medium to Medium-Challenging
Word of the Day: THALAMI (20D: Egg-shaped brain structures) —
The thalamus (pl.: thalami; from Greek θάλαμος, "chamber") is a large mass of gray matter on the lateral walls of the third ventricle forming the dorsal part of the diencephalon (a division of the forebrain). Nerve fibers project out of the thalamus to the cerebral cortex in all directions, known as the thalamocortical radiations, allowing hub-like exchanges of information. It has several functions, such as the relaying of sensory and motor signals to the cerebral cortex and the regulation of consciousness, sleep, and alertness. // Anatomically, it is a paramedian symmetrical structure of two halves (left and right), within the vertebrate brain, situated between the cerebral cortex and the midbrain. It forms during embryonic development as the main product of the diencephalon, as first recognized by the Swiss embryologist and anatomist Wilhelm His Sr. in 1893. (wikipedia)
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| ["Please don't steal me!"] |
When you have to provide an anagram for your "Veteran N.F.L. quarterback," then your "Veteran N.F.L. quarterback" is not famous enough to be in the puzzle (50A: Veteran N.F.L. quarterback whose name anagrams to SOMETHING). Commit to GENO SMITH! That clue is insulting. The rest of the puzzle is trying so hard to be hard, and then along comes this condescending "here, just rearrange the letters" clue? On a Saturday? smh. But I can't say that I didn't find a lot of the (occasionally weird-ass) clues fun to work through. Lots and lots and lots of misdirection today. I got 1A: They're seen around diners (BIBS) right away—so proud!—but I struggled (appropriately for a Saturday) with a lot of the other ambiguous stuff.
Ambiguous stuff:![]()
While I didn't love this one so much, it did give me a proper Saturday workout. It tried me and tested me, and not always in annoying ways. So despite my earlier griping, I'm reasonably satisfied with the effort. See you next time.
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]
Ambiguous stuff:
- 15A: Worrisome word from a barber ("UH OH")— thank god for BIBS, because I'd've written "OOPS" in here without hesitation otherwise (BIBS made OOPS untenable). "OOPS" has the advantage of actually being one "word" (although I guess you hyphenate "UH-OH," so ... OK).
- 30A: [Smacks forehead] ("GAH!")— thank god for "I HEAR YA," because I'd've written "D'OH!" in here without hesitation otherwise ("I HEAR YA" made "D'OH!" untenable).
- 43A: Way up in the mountains (GONDOLA) — I was thinking CHAIRLIFT, T-BAR, etc. but my "etc." didn't extend to GONDOLA as quickly as it should have. I started thinking maybe "Way up" was "Very far up." I had the -ON- and sincerely considered some form of YONDER ... YON HILL (!?).
- 5D: Bring around (SWAY)— I was thinking the smelling salts kind of "bring around"
- 4D: Like Beth among the March sisters (SHYEST) — when YOUNGEST (wrong, that's Amy) and SICKEST (grim!) didn't fit, I was out of answers. But I got SEXY fast (17A: Sizzling), and that "Y" gave me SHYEST.
- 39D: Legit (ALL THAT) — these are both slang for "great""the real deal""a wonderful example of its kind" etc.
- 13D: Trace of music (ADKINS) — this wasn't actually that ambiguous to me. I don't know anything about this guy, but I know his name. Sadly, I spelled his name like the diet guy's name (ATKINS). But that wasn't too hard to fix.
- 32D: Cleveland, e.g.: Abbr. (DEM) — LOL at the idea I know the party affiliation of pre-20th-century presidents (except Lincoln). But I had the "D" and after running through all the Clevelands I know (the city ... that character from Family Guy ...), I figured I was dealing with Grover and tried DEM. Success!
- 34D: Turkey bacon? (LIRA) — took one look at this clue, knew it was trying to misdirect me with both words, and just walked away. Not today, goofy clue. I'm gonna let crosses take care of you. And they did (Turkey is the country, "bacon" (slang for "money") is the currency: LIRA).
- 38D: Hill-adjacent field, in brief (POLI-SCI) — As in "Capitol Hill." I went all over hill and gone to find the right hill (actual hill? Anita Hill?), but the terminal "I" (from KITS) settled things pretty conclusively. "POLI-SCI! Oh ... that Hill."
- 40D: Plates for nuts (WASHERS) — at this point there'd been so much misdirection that I really didn't want to venture a guess as to what "nuts" might mean here. Both "plates" and "nuts" are ambiguous here, but you end up with ... hardware.
While I didn't love this one so much, it did give me a proper Saturday workout. It tried me and tested me, and not always in annoying ways. So despite my earlier griping, I'm reasonably satisfied with the effort. See you next time.
[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]