2003 top 5 hit for Fabolous / SAT 4-4-15 / Title flora in Whitman poem / Ibsen play parodying opera / Ritter's co-star on TVs 8 simple rules

Constructor: Ned White

Relative difficulty: Easy


THEME: none

Word of the Day: SKID (24D: Freight platform) —

n. 

1. The action of sliding or slipping over a surface, often sideways.

2.

a. A plank, log, or timber, usually one of a pair, used as a support or as a track forsliding or rolling heavy objects.

b. A pallet for loading or handling goods, especially one having solid sideboards and no bottom.

c. One of several logs or timbers forming a skid road.

3. skids Nautical A wooden framework attached to the side of a ship to prevent damage, as when unloading.

4. A shoe or drag applying pressure to a wheel to brake a vehicle.

5. A runner in the landing gear of certain aircraft.

6. Informal

a. A period of sharp decline or repeated losses: Bad economic news sent the marketsinto a skid. The win ended the team's four-game skid.

b. skids A path to ruin or failure: His career hit the skids. Her life is now on the skids.(thefreedictionary.com)

This was a SUNNY, delightful puzzle, from start to finish, but it was pretty dang easy. Who knew the Saturday puzzle was going to be this easy? I'll tell you who knew—STEW KNEW:

Pretty good start, that, though I needed the SRAS / AVER crossing to really get going. Hard to know what to say about this. It's smooth. It's solid. It's good. It's got a very conventional structure, and none of the marquee answers are That memorable. But again, they're good. PLAY FOOTSIE is good (though I don't really know the definition in the clue—22D: Work together closely but covertly); KISS MY GRITS is good (old and good … good-old); K.O. PUNCH is good (41D: Flooring delivery) (I had the first two letters and took a flier on PUNCH, which was confirmed by PEAS). Only real issues were in and around SKID—again, not a definition I know, and I also don't know the Fabolous song "INTO YOU" (37A: 2003 top 5 hit for Fabolous), though it was highly inferable; and then in the SW, where I initially found the whole corner intractable. Weirdly (very weirdly), the words "Ibsen" and "opera" in 46D: Ibsen play parodying an opera made me think NORMA, but I have no idea why. I don't know what that work is about. At all. Anyway, confirmed NORMA with OVERT and that corner opened up. Looking at it now, I think I would've gotten "A VIEW From the Bridge" if I'd seen it first. Seems obvious. But that's it for difficulty. All else, cake.


Bullets:

• 1A: Congratulatory gestures (BACK SLAPS) — I wouldn't even call it a mini-theme, but still, nice parallel between clue on this first Across answer and the clue on the last one, 64A: Celebratory gesture (CHEST BUMP)
• 30A: Some joeys (KOALAS) — bit of an editing hiccup here I think; I *swear* I just saw this clue for KOALAS (if it was in some other puzzle, my apologies)
• 40A: Bad case of the blues (DEEP FUNK)— I just like the unintentional musical crossing of FUNK and SOUL(s) (31D: Persons)

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld