Constructor: Leslie Young and Andrea Carla Michaels

Relative problem: Easy-Medium (***for a Monday***)

THEME: DOWN TO A SCIENCE (14D: Implementable with experience and professional ease … or how the starred clues’ solutions will be taken?) — all theme solutions are “Downs” they usually finish in a “science” (i.e. a phrase that may precede “science”):

Theme solutions:

• ANNUAL PHYSICAL (4D: *Routine medical checkup)
• ICE CREAM SOCIAL (13D: *”Cool” get-together with cones and scoops)
• LAST MAN ON EARTH (7D: *Whom one won’t marry it doesn’t matter what!)

Word of the Day: DÍA de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) (19A) —

The Day of the Dead (Spanish: Día de Muertos or Día de los Muertos) is a vacation historically celebrated on November 1 and a couple of, although different days, reminiscent of October 31 or November 6, could also be included relying on the locality. It largely originated in Mexico, the place it’s principally noticed, but in addition somewhere else, particularly by folks of Mexican heritage elsewhere. Although related to the Western Christian Allhallowtide observances of All Hallow’s Eve, All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, it has a a lot much less solemn tone and is portrayed as a vacation of festivity reasonably than mourning. The multi-day vacation includes household and mates gathering to pay respects and to recollect family and friends members who’ve died. These celebrations can take a humorous tone, as celebrants bear in mind humorous occasions and anecdotes concerning the departed. (wikipedia)

• • •

OK so this was pleasant. It’s simply … proper on the Money for a Monday (I actually simply typed “proper on the Monday,” so on the cash for a Monday is that this puzzle!). Here’s what I ask of a Monday: 1. a easy cute theme that simply Works. Original, bouncy solutions are a plus, however actually, the theme simply must be intelligent and never strained. Elegant simplicity is the important thing! And 2. clean fill. Nothing fancy. Just let me journey this highway pothole-free. And in the present day checked each these containers, strongly. Big crimson checkmark, two instances. Let’s take the theme. First of all, it is all Downs, so … enjoyable. Weird. Mildly disorienting. I’m into it. Do your bizarre little factor, Monday! Second, the themers are all 14s, what!? 14s are odd cumbersome issues and so find yourself being probably the most grossly uncared for and underrated of all of the 3-to-15-letter solutions. And but in the present day—4 of ’em! So that is two methods we’re in uncommon territory, and we’ve not even gotten to the precise content material of the theme but! As for that … nicely, I labored the puzzle west to east, left to proper, like a Normal, and regardless of not fairly understanding what the revealer clue was even saying, I found out what the reply was and damned if it’s not a. an actual phrase that b. works completely for its themers. All solutions are the truth is Down, and do the truth is lead “to a (kind of) science.” Ding ding. Success. As for the fill, not a peep out of me as I used to be fixing. All the quick fill is completely acceptable, and we even get some pretty saucy longer stuff in CASH BONUS (16A: Profit-sharing reward, maybe) and (esp.) CON ARTIST (57A: Flimflammer). The puzzle could say ERRATIC MESS-UPS, however I didn’t see something erratic or tousled about this. It hums. This needs to be the typical Monday. This is the bar. Good work, everybody.

[“Good heavens, Miss Sakamoto*, you’re beautiful!”]

[*Literally until just this second and for ~40 years thought this was “Miss Sacramento”]

P.S.