Constructor: Andrea Carla Michaels and Kevin Christian

Relative problem: Easy

THEME: AC/DC (55D: “Highway to Hell” rock group … or a touch to electrical switches present in 16-, 23-, 36-, 44- and 57-Across) — theme solutions include each “AC” and “DC” letter pairs:

Theme solutions:

• SACRED COW (16A: Concept that may’t be criticized or questioned, metaphorically)
• CRACKED CRAB (23A: Seafood typically served with picks)
• BACKGROUND CHECK (36A: Pre-employment investigation)
• JACOkay AND COKE (44A: Cocktail named for 2 iconic beverage manufacturers)
• ACTED COOL (57A: Behaved in a laid-back approach)

Word of the Day: S.Pellegrino (33D: San Pellegrino providing) —

S.Pellegrino is an Italian pure mineral water model, owned by the corporate Sanpellegrino S.p.A, a part of Swiss firm Nestlé since 1997. The principal manufacturing plant is situated in San Pellegrino Terme within the Province of Bergamo, Lombardy, Italy, at 358 metres above sea stage. Products are exported to most nations in Europe, the Americas, Australia and the Middle East, in addition to in Asia in Japan, Taiwan, Singapore and Hong Kong. […]  In 1932, the Aranciata orangeade variant was launched. Containing S.Pellegrino as its main ingredient, the soda added concentrated orange juice. Today, Sanpellegrino S.p.A. additionally produces numerous different flavors of carbonated drinks: Limonata (lemonade), Sanbittèr (bitters), Pompelmo (grapefruit), Aranciata Rossa (blood orange), and Chinò (chinotto). (wikipedia)

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***HELLO, READERS AND FELLOW SOLVERS*** How is the brand new yr treating you? Well, I hope. Me, uh, not nice up to now (COVID, you understand), however I’m 95% higher, and was by no means terribly sick to start with, so I’ve each purpose to consider issues will flip round for me shortly, thank God (and vaccines). Anyway, it is early January, which suggests it is time as soon as once more for my annual week-long pitch for monetary contributions to the weblog. Every yr I ask readers to contemplate what the weblog is value to them on an annual foundation and provides accordingly. I’m unsure what to say about this previous yr. This will sound bizarre, or melodramatic—or perhaps it will not—however each time I attempt to write about 2022, all I can suppose is “properly, my cat died.” She (Olive) died this previous October, very younger, of a silly congenital coronary heart downside that we simply could not repair (thanks all on your variety phrases of condolence, by the best way). I’m wanting on the photograph I used for final yr’s fundraising pitch, and it is a image of me sitting at my desk (this desk, the one I’m typing at proper now, the one I write at day-after-day) with Olive sitting on my shoulder, observing me, and making me chuckle. It’s a joyous image. Here, I’m simply gonna publish it once more:

I like the photograph each as a result of you may inform how goofy she is, and the way goofy she made me. Her loss damage for the apparent causes, but additionally as a result of she was a lot part of my every day routine, my every day rhythms and rituals. She was on a regular basis. Quotidian. Just … on me, close to me, being a weirdo, particularly within the (very) early mornings once I was penning this weblog. She took me out of myself. She additionally made me conscious of how a lot the quotidian issues, how every day rituals break up and manage the day, mark time, floor you. They’re simple to trivialize, these rituals, exactly as a result of they *aren’t* particular. Feed the cats once more, make the espresso once more, resolve the crossword once more, and so on. But dropping Olive made me reevaluate the every day, the quotidian, the apparently trivial. In a elementary approach, these small every day issues *are* life. No someday is so necessary, or so completely different from the others, however cumulatively, they add up, and thru the times upon days you develop a apply—a apply of affection, care, and a focus given to the issues that matter. If you are studying this, then crossword puzzles are undoubtedly an necessary ritual for you, simply as writing about crosswords for you all is a vital ritual for me. It offers me a lot. I hope that even at my most important, my real love for crosswords—for the best way my mind lights up on crosswords—comes by. I additionally hope that the weblog brings you leisure, perception, laughter … even (particularly) for those who disagree with me a lot (most? all?) of the time. 

[man, I really wear the hell  out of this red fleece…]

The weblog started years in the past as an experiment in treating the ephemeral—the here-today, gone-tomorrow—prefer it actually mattered. I wished to cease and have a look at this 15×15 (or 21×21 factor) and take it significantly, take heed to it, see what it was attempting to do, take into consideration what I favored or did not like about it. In brief, I gave the puzzle my time and a focus. And I proceed to try this, day-after-day (Every! Day!). And it’s work. Plenty of work. Asking for cash annually (and solely annually) is an acknowledgment of that reality. There is nothing to subscribe to right here … no Substack or Kickstarter or Patreon … and there are not any adverts, ever. I want to maintain monetary issues easy and direct. I’ve no “hustle” in me past placing my ass on this chair each morning and writing.

I had enjoyable making this puzzle (due to Rachel Fabi and Neville Fogarty for proofing it for me!). For non-snail-mailers who wish to resolve the puzzle, don’t fret: I’ll make the puzzle accessible for everybody a while subsequent month. Please notice: I do not maintain a “mailing record” and do not share my contributor information with anybody. And for those who give by snail mail and (for some purpose) do not desire a thank-you card, simply point out “NO CARD.”  Again, as ever, I’m so grateful on your readership and help. Now on to as we speak’s puzzle…

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Well, apparently I’m feeling properly sufficient (lastly) to aim the Monday puzzle Downs-only once more. Not solely try, however end, with little bother. Unlike with most Downs-only endeavors, I acquired to truly see one of many themers this time—and the revealer, at that. Weird place for a revealer, however I suppose for those who cram on this many theme solutions, house will get restricted and you set it the place you may. That’s not an issue. What is an issue is how skinny the idea appears. There’s an “AC” and a “DC” however I do not get why that is attention-grabbing. I believe the theme solutions themselves are strong, significantly JACK AND COKE (which appears outright unique), however the revealer was an enormous let-down. Worse, the clue on it feels convoluted, prefer it’s pretending that there is extra occurring with the theme than there actually is. What are these “electrical switches” the revealer clue refers to? That makes it sound like one thing is being “switched” as a part of the theme idea, however I believe right here the clue simply means “there’s an AC in there and a DC in there.” That is, the phrasing makes it appear high-concept, however the actuality is simply deathly literal. I do know that AC and DC are currents (alternating and direct, respectively), however the entire “switches” factor I’m not getting. The worse challenge, nonetheless, is only editorial—how is the “BACK” from KICKS BACK allowed to not solely duplicate however truly *cross* the BACK from BACKGROUND? It’s one (unhealthy) factor to dupe an over 3-letter phrase within the grid like that, nevertheless it’s a a lot worse factor to have the dupes cross, *and* to have a kind of dupes be your marquee theme reply. *And then* to place “laid-again” within the clue for yet one more reply (57A: Behaved in a laid-again approach) once you’ve already acquired KICKS BACK within the grid. It’s like this wasn’t proofed rigorously in any respect. So the idea felt a bit flimsy and the modifying / proofreading was subpar. But as I say, the theme solutions themselves are largely respectable stand-alone solutions, so the puzzle wasn’t a complete loss. It was enjoyable to look at these longer solutions come collectively utilizing simply the Downs. 

Outside the theme (and the BACK fiasco) the one actual gripe I’ve with this one is the clue on LEMON SODA (33D: San Pellegrino providing). San Pellegrino doesn’t, from what I can inform, make a product that it calls LEMON SODA. Also, it is Sanpellegrino, one phrase, of their branding. Here, I’ll present you. Here’s a can of the product in query (I assume that is the product in query: a “glowing lemon beverage” referred to as LIMONATA, i.e. “lemonade”):

Note the one-word spelling of “Sanpellegrino,” and the truth that not as soon as does the phrase “SODA” seem on this will. Now sure, for those who lookup the definition of “[any fruit] SODA,” it principally matches what is going on on right here—some juice (or different pure or synthetic flavoring) and a few carbonation. OK. But it is Monday and *iconically* S.Pellegrino makes mineral water, not sodas, and anyway they do not use the time period “soda” of their advertising and marketing, and so … I do not get this clue in any respect. It’s not indefensible, it simply appears … such as you should not want a protection crew for a easy Monday clue. 

My Downs-only whiffs had been comparatively few. I needed to work to get LARVA (unsure why—ought to’ve been a gimme) (11D: Stage in a butterfly’s improvement) and DWEEB (12D: Socially inept type), after which LEMONSODA (clearly) and eventually POLYP (52D: Coral reef producer), which was in all probability hardest of all of the Downs to get with no Acrosses. It’s clued the best way it’s as a result of the puzzle is attempting to try this cutesy successive-clue echoing it generally does: right here, each 51D: Coral islet chain and 52D: Coral reef producer begin with “Coral”—not probably the most intuitive strategy to clue POLYP, nevertheless it’s high-quality, and solely troublesome from a Downs-only perspective, and never that troublesome even then. That’ll be all, I believe. See you tomorrow.

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

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