• CASH REGISTER [Sight at a checkout counter] (additionally that is by no means explicitly recognized as theme, which, lmao)
• MARK O’MEARA [Golfer who won the 1998 Masters (Italy)] (golf content material, yay)
• DO A SLOW BURN [Seethe (Norway)]
• QUIT COLD TURKEY [Give up all at once (Turkey)] (that is in regards to the level the place I wished to surrender on this puzzle)
• CHAIR OF THE FED [Major player in U.S. economic policy (Egypt)]
• TIMBER INDUSTRY [Boarding group? (Switzerland)] 
• MAKING A LIST [Activity for Santa (Rwanda)] (most likely my favourite hidden capital right here)
• DOG HANDLER [One who walks to work? (Qatar)] (this one will get a move as a result of I lived right here for a 12 months)
• CAPITAL GAINS [What this puzzle’s circled letters are with respect to the surrounding shaded squares?]

Word of the Day: ANNA [“Inventing ___” (2022 Netflix hit)] —

Inventing Anna is an American drama miniseries created and produced by Shonda Rhimes, impressed by the story of Anna Sorokin and the article in New York titled “How Anna Delvey Tricked New York’s Party People” by Jessica Pressler. The sequence was launched on Netflix on February 11, 2022. Julia Garner starred as Anna Sorokin, the title character. The sequence acquired combined evaluations from critics, who praised the performances (notably Garner) however criticized the inconsistent tone.

Under the assumed title Anna Delvey, Russian-born Anna Sorokin is ready to con members of New York City’s higher crust into believing she is a German heiress with entry to a considerable fortune. She makes use of this persona to obtain lots of of hundreds of {dollars} in money, items and companies whereas working in the direction of her purpose of opening an unique art-themed membership. 

• • •

Once once more, it me, indie crossword individual Christopher Adams, right here to fill in for Rex, and on a Sunday no much less. Despite filling in lots of occasions earlier than, I at all times fear a bit⁠—what if the puzzle is totally scorching rubbish, which suggests I’ve to spend all this time fixing a puzzle I do not like and much more time discovering issues to say about it, as an alternative of doing what I often do with puzzles that do not spark pleasure, which is simply throw them away half solved and by no means have a look at them once more. (Seriously, there’s so many good puzzles on the market, and so little time to unravel them; the day by day crossword hyperlinks publication is an effective place to begin.)

Anyway, all the above holds much more true on Sunday, when there’s twice as a lot to slog by, and which often do not spark pleasure. Oftentimes, they really feel stretched out to fill the additional house, and might need labored higher as a 15×15 puzzle as an alternative. And, sadly, that is how this one felt to me.

It very a lot jogged my memory of the kind of puzzle that Evan Birnholz is keen on doing on the Washington Post, minus all the superb touches that make the Post (imo) the premier Sunday puzzle. Theme entries comprise different phrases (plus an additional letter), and people additional letters spell one thing out. When carried out properly, that additional layer elevates the puzzle, however when not, it falls flat.

Case in level right here: the title, “In The Money”, hints that the shaded letters are most likely currencies, and the circled letters are within the cash. I attempted LIRA and EURO first at 26A earlier than really studying the clue, which most likely would’ve helped since I’m an authorized golf man™ and located that clue straightforward and gratifying (most of you’ll not, and that is OK; the continued inclusion of golf content material in NYT crosswords might be one of many three issues Will Shortz and I really agree on). Anyway, the title does not work, and tbh the reveal (CAPITAL GAINS) would’ve labored higher as a title. No have to put it within the grid; have some religion that the solvers will work out the theme from the solutions / clues (particularly for the reason that international locations are given within the clues), and allow them to get the a-ha from determining the pun on CAPITAL (that means each capital cities and likewise cash stuff right here) quite than railroading and hand-holding them by it.

Which brings me to a 3rd level: when you’re not gonna make it price being a 21×21, then it ought to be a 15×15. Only two of the theme solutions (OK, three when you depend MARK O’MEARA, which I acknowledge most individuals will not) actually stood out as property to me: QUIT COLD TURKEY and MAKING A LIST. TIMBER INDUSTRY was like, yeah, certain, guess that is an actual factor, and stuff like DO A SLOW BURN actively made me frown. (Side notice: when you’re gonna do a factor the place you add additional letters to issues, do not make that additional letter a stand-alone phrase, as occurs with DO A SLOW BURN.) Probably ought to’ve gone all the way down to 4(ish) solutions, actually made all of them sing, and put it in a 15×15. (Of course, you lose the title when taking place in measurement, however I’d be OK with placing CAPITAL GAINS again within the grid if it meant higher theme entries and a greater last punchline.)

extra japanese music suggestions: fishmans

Olio:

• EOS — Would quite see this because the digital camera or the lip balm, however we simply obtained each Friday, so we get Greek delusion as an alternative.
• DEE — [World’s end?] as within the final letter of the phrase “world”, versus, idk, somebody well-known with this title.
• DANA (Queen Latifah’s given first title) crossing LAURENTS (Sondheim and Bernstein’s collaborator on “West Side Story”) — Natick alert right here; that vowel might simply as properly be an E, an I, or an O; A is the most probably choice (or a minimum of appears to be like probably the most proper), and is the suitable letter, however nonetheless, extra care ought to be taken on that cross.
• LIN (Playwright ___-Manuel Miranda) — I’m not a fan of a FITB that splits aside a reputation into two items, even when it is on the hyphen. I’m additionally not a fan of Lin-Manuel Miranda, however that is one other gripe for an additional time.
• TRIDENT (It’s good for 3 factors) — my favourite clue right here, by far.
• NATE (Statistician Silver) — :vomit emoji:
• STU (Nickname that is three consecutive letters of the alphabet) — NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO a thousand occasions NO. I’ve mentioned it earlier than, I’ll say it once more: clue names as precise individuals with these names. (Especially girls; this instance occurs to be a person’s title, however by and enormous it is largely girls who get underrepresented by (not-so-)cute wordplay angles for names.)

• EEYORE (Sad ass) — the title derives from the sound of a donkey (hee-haw, however make it British).
• FRIED EGG (Burger topping that jacks up the ldl cholesterol) — Don’t choose me, Will Shortz; it is scrumptious and I’m gonna preserve ordering it. (More preferable right here, maybe: a golf clue about how a ball buried in a bunker appears to be like like…properly, you already know.)
• MESCAL (Liquor from Mexico) — hated the S right here, each as a result of it is crossing STU (see above) but in addition as a result of it is generally called MEZCAL and there is not any indication that it is a variant spelling.
• LONGER (Like em dashes vis-à-vis en dashes) — a clue after my very own coronary heart; I’m very very keen on em dashes (and parentheses—look, all these tangential ideas want to suit into one sentence, and I’m gonna discover a approach to do it) and can make the most of them wherever potential—right here, for instance.
• SINTER (Fuse by heading under the melting level) — certain, when you say so; a minimum of all of the crossings had been honest (MIA Hamm’s well-enough recognized, or ought to be, to be honest, however when you wanna complain about that crossing, I will not argue with you even when I do not agree with you).
• NRA — this entry alone would’ve ruined the puzzle for me if I did not already dislike it; as an alternative, it is the disgusting cherry on prime. Anyway: home terrorist organizations don’t belong in crosswords, full cease.

Yours in puzzling, Christopher Adams, Court Jester of CrossWorld

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