Estefan with a Presidential Medal of Freedom / TUE 7-2-24 / Flurry of finger-pointing / Natural phenomenon first witnessed in 1968 / Unleashing emotion in a less-than-attractive way / One performing a barrel roll or tailslide / Rogers' partner in classic Hollywood

The "signs" (clockwise from the top):

• PLUS
• DOLLAR
• STAR
• NEON
• STOP
• PEACE
• EXIT
• CALL

Word of the Day:"Cranachan" (57D: Ingredients in the Scottish dessert cranachan => OATS) —

Cranachan (Scottish Gaelic: Crannachan pronounced [ˈkʰɾan̪ˠəxan]) is a traditional Scottish dessert. It was originally a celebration of harvest, made following the raspberry harvest in August. The dessert of cream and fresh seasonal raspberries is bolstered by Scottish oats and whisky. It has been called 'the uncontested king of Scottish desserts'. Cranachan owes its origins to crowdie, a popular breakfast in which crowdie cheese is combined with lightly toasted oatmeal, cream, and local honey. Raspberries, when in season, might be added to the dish.

Cranachan is now served all year round, and typically on special occasions. A traditional way to serve cranachan is to bring dishes of each ingredient to the table so that each person can assemble their own dessert to taste. (wikipedia)

Lotta circles. It's actually pretty hard to build a clean grid when you've got fixed diagonals slicing through it every which way. You'd think with no real theme answers in the whole puzzle (besides the revealer) and a modest 37 squares total real estate given over to thematic material, the constructor might have some freedom, but the reverse is true. You've got a situation where most of the answers in the grid (Across and Down) have a circled letter in them somewhere. This makes maneuverability very very tight, everywhere you turn as a constructor. The grid has to be carefully built to contain and cleanly handle each answer that appears on a BIAS. Now that I look at it, that's really just four short "signs" in the corners, but that's still a tall order, construction-wise. The "signs" that appear in "normal" Across and Down positions, no big deal—they don't add any additional stress to the grid, obviously. There's just the challenge of finding two "signs" that also read backward (!) as actual words (RATS, POTS). There aren't any real theme answers today, in the sense that there's no real "sign" content, no longer (8+) clued answers with "sign" relevance, so the whole thing plays like a very easy themeless. I wanna say I miss the thematic content, but then I remember how often Tuesday themes go south, and I look at how clean this grid is overall, and I think "no, yeah, this is fine. I'll take this." 

Conceptually, I like the puzzle as an evocation of the Magic 8 Ball toy we used to play (i.e. fake-prognosticate) with as kids, even though the actual message in the 8 Ball appears to have been just "Signs Point To YES" (no "All" up front). I guess "All Signs Point to YES" is a familiar phrase in general? I've never heard it from anyone but the Ball. I even thought the fact that there were *eight* types of "sign" in the puzzle was a nod to the "8" in "Magic *8*-Ball." Whatever the intent, the Ball is what I thought of, and that was a satisfactory referent. "Hey, I know that toy!" Childhood memory triggered, literal interpretation of the message executed, grid not falling apart under the weight of junk fill. . . mission accomplished. In a grid with no real themers, it's nice to have some longer answers that are colorful so that the whole solving experience isn't just a grim march to the finish. I felt like I was in good hands today as soon as I got UGLY CRYING (3D: Unleashing emotion in a less-than-attractive way). Some phrases you're just happy to write in, and that was one of them. I also liked SOCKHOP and "THAT'S AMORE" and STUNT PILOT and PROWESS. The latter two were among the only two answers to slow me down at all. I didn't really pick up the *kind* of stunt being referenced in 17A: One performing a barrel roll or tailslide so I tried STUNTWOMAN at first, and then, though I didn't write it in, actually considered STUNT CLOWN (I think I was thinking "rodeo clown"—I blame the "barrel"). As for PROWESS (45D: Exceptional ability), after POWERS didn't fit ... I dunno, I just ran out of ideas until crosses helped me out.

I was less happy to see the stupid term BLAMESTORM, which has now appeared *twice* in the grid since late last year, and which I have now, as a result, heard precisely twice in my life (29D: Flurry of finger-pointing). I'm told this term is sometimes used in corporate / business / tech contexts when there is some kind of major failure? Whatever, it's had its day now, let's retire it for a decade at least. Twice in one year for a long answer like this is *plenty*. Please remove it from your wordlists. Also, while you're in there, take out BLAMESTORMS and BLAMESTORMING (and don't go trying to sneak BLAMESTORMER or BLAMESTORMERS in there either! ... and no BLAMESTORMED! You thought I forgot that one, didn't you? No such luck). 

Notes:

• 35A: Estefan with a Presidential Medal of Freedom (EMILIO) — in a puzzle that was otherwise exceedingly easy, this one was a real outlier. I forgot there even was an EMILIO Estefan, or any non-Gloria Estefan. The only Estefan I know is GLORIA, just like the only EMILIO I knew is Estevez. The only Amedeo I know is Modigliani. But that's beside the point.

• 48A: Natural phenomenon first witnessed in 1968 (EARTHRISE)— OK I'll be the dummy who asks "1968? I thought the moon landing was 1969! Who saw an EARTHRISE in 1968?" Looks like the famous photo was taken from lunar orbit (on the Apollo 8 mission), not the lunar surface. Apollo 8 was the "first crewed voyage to orbit the moon" (wikipedia).
• 28D: Actress Dianne of 1989's "Parenthood" (WIEST) — she won two Academy Awards (for Hannah and Her Sisters and Bullets Over Broadway). I thought Parenthood was kind of a random pull from her filmography, but no: she got her only other Academy Award nomination for that one. She apparently has a major role in The Mayor of Kingstown, a TV show I know about solely because I'm subjected to ads for it every time I watch another episode of Love Boat (on Amazon/Paramount+). The ads are terrible (like a parody of every cop show you've ever seen) but people seem to like the show? Question mark? 
• 9D: Rogers' partner in classic Hollywood (ASTAIRE)— this wasn't tough (Ginger Rogers, Fred ASTAIRE), but it did remind me of how many Rogers (Rogerses?) famously had partners. OK, so those other "Rogers" were "Rodgers," but still—Ro(d)gers and Hammerstein. Ro(d)gers and Hart. And then Rogers and ASTAIRE (who were obviously known (much) better as "Fred & Ginger"). Ginger Rogers appeared on a Season 3 Love Boat episode as a show biz legend who makes an appearance as the chairperson of the ship's charity cruise (supporting a Mexican orphanage), and as part of the cruise festivities, just to show how hip and current and with-it she still is, she performs ... well, just brace yourselves, because I promise you you are not prepared for all ... this:

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

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