Constructor: Matthew Stock

Relative issue: Medium-Challenging

THEME: TAKE AN “L” (60A: Accept defeat, informally … or what the final phrases of 19-, 24- and 49-Across do vis-à-vis the primary) — acquainted three-word phrases the place the final phrase = the primary phrase minus the letter “L”:

Theme solutions:

• FIGHT OR FLIGHT (19A: Innate response to a threatening scenario)
• PAY-TO-PLAY (24A: Ante up for participation)
• “BACK IN BLACK” (49A: AC/DC album after “Highway to Hell”)

Word of the Day: Anderson .PAAK (38D: Musician Anderson .___) —

Brandon Paak Anderson (born February 8, 1986), higher recognized by his stage title Anderson .Paak (), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, document producer, and drummer. He launched his debut mixtape, O.B.E. Vol. 1, in 2012 and went on to launch Venice in 2014. In 2016 he adopted up with Malibu, which acquired a nomination for Best Urban Contemporary Album on the Grammy Awards, adopted by Oxnard, in 2018. At the 61st Grammy Awards, Paak received his first Grammy award for Best Rap Performance with the track “Bubblin“. He received one other Grammy in 2020 for Best R&B Album with Ventura and one for Best R&B Performance for “Come Home” (that includes André 3000). […] In 2021, he fashioned the duo Silk Sonic with fellow singer-songwriter Bruno Mars. The duo’s debut single, “Leave the Door Open“, turned Anderson’s first single to achieve primary on the Billboard Hot 100, and was the recipient of 4 awards together with Song of the Year and Record of the Year on the sixty fourth Grammy Awards. (wikipedia)

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The theme solutions listed below are all strong and powerful, and I like how the center phrase adjustments every time (and is similar size every time, and stays in the identical columns of the grid every time … tiny structural issues, and never needed structural issues, however I discover and admire them anyway). The downside for me is that the phrase is “TAKE THE L.” I imply, undoubtedly folks say “TAKE AN ‘L’,” so it is not precisely far-fetched, however the best way you hear it most frequently, in sports activities and gaming conditions, is with the particular article: “TAKE THE ‘L’.” I made a decision to test by placing the phrases inside citation marks in a google search, and my seek for “TAKE AN ‘L’” gave me “What Does ‘Take the ‘L’ Mean?” as the primary hit. The “TAKE THE ‘L'” search yields method method far more outcomes, although that search is admittedly tainted partly by the Motels’ track of the identical title. But the *first* factor that comes up in that search is one thing known as an “emote” from the sport Fortnite, and that is the right context: gaming. “TAKE THE ‘L'” is considerably extra hostile than “TAKE AN ‘L’“—”TAKE THE ‘L'” is used within the crucial, usually in a mocking or demeaning method, basically telling somebody (your opponent, enemy, some jerk on-line) to simply accept defeat. I’ve seen it quite a bit. I’ve seen “TAKE AN ‘L’” quite a bit much less. Is this a dealbreaker for the puzzle? Not actually. But did it do a chalkboard / fingernails factor to my mind? A little bit.

There are lots of black squares right here. A Lot. 44? Speaking of “L”s, there are a bunch of them (and flipped variations of them) within the black-square formations. Bonus theme content material! Anyway, black squares eat up lots of room. They are serving to to maintain the grid manageable, particularly on the prime and backside of the grid (actually wanting on the blacks earlier than and after each ABA (5A) and EPOCH (68A). Even with these additional blacks down under, you’ll be able to actually really feel how constricted the fill will get down there with the stress from two themers (“BACK IN BLACK” and the revealer). No shock that that’s by far the weakest a part of the grid, fill-wise (NIETO and NIH will not be actually Wednesday phrases—I would not use both until I actually needed to—and  INKUP feels barely determined … although SPUTNIK is so sturdy that it largely covers for the remainder of it). Other areas of the grid are very clear, and “YOU GUYS!” and BOOM BOXES are excellent. My largest wrestle was making an attempt to determine what the hell the clue on NEWS was on about! (35D: The “-spel” of “gospel,” etymologically). I used to be desperately in search of technical names for phrase components, but it surely’s simply … the that means of “-spel” (“gospel” = “excellent news”). Such a clumsy, wonky option to come at such a primary, infinitely clueable phrase.