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Constructor: Kate Hawkins
Relative issue: Medium
THEME: none
Word of the Day: ASMR (25A: Brain-tingly feeling which will come from listening to whispering or crinkling, briefly) —
Autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) is a tingling sensation that often begins on the scalp and strikes down the again of the neck and higher backbone. A pleasing type of paresthesia, it has been in contrast with auditory-tactile synesthesia and should overlap with frisson.
ASMR signifies the subjective expertise of “low-grade euphoria” characterised by “a mixture of optimistic emotions and a definite static-like tingling sensation on the pores and skin.” It is mostly triggered by particular auditory or visible stimuli, and fewer generally by intentional consideration management. A style of movies meant to induce ASMR has emerged, over 25 million of which had been revealed on YouTube by 2022 and a devoted class of dwell ASMR streams on Twitch. (wikipedia)
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I do not know if this was a correct Saturday or if it simply feels like a correct Saturday as a result of yesterday’s puzzle was a Monday, however both approach, I appreciated the truth that it put up a battle. The puzzle is doing its finest to skew youngerer in the present day, with three brief solutions in (or close to) the NW nook which might be prone to make numerous solvers cock their heads questioningly (or some extra excessive response). The first of those was MOTO, which … a telephone advert marketing campaign from, what, the aughts? (3D: “Hello ___” (basic ringtone)). When was that? I had zero concept that “Hello, MOTO” was really a “ringtone”—I can keep in mind adverts that began “Hello, MOTO” or one thing like that; I assume they had been adverts for … a telephone … perhaps a Motorola … one thing or different? Razr, is {that a} telephone? Anyway, the “Hello, MOTO” voice all the time creeped me out as a result of it sounded synthetic / put-on, and kinda jogged my memory of somebody evoking the yellowface portrayal of Mr. MOTO in previous detective movies (he was performed by Peter Lorre, doing principally the similar voice he makes use of for Joel Cairo in The Maltese Falcon … I believed MOTO was performed by Warner Oland, however that was one other yellowface detective efficiency: Dr. Fu Manchu … however I (severely) digress…). But in case you obtained a mobile phone while you had been a teenager within the aughts, then this “ringtone” is probably going Superfamiliar to you (and has zero associations with the Japanese detective). This video has over 3 million views wtf!
APOLOGY TOUR over “NO TAKEBACKS” is a ravishing two-stack (14A: Guilt journey? / 17A: “Too late to vary your thoughts now!”), and the opposite three such pairings within the grid aren’t unhealthy both. Not EVEN A LITTLE unhealthy. I like MARASCHINO / OVER THE TOP since you would possibly put a MARASCHINO cherry OVER THE TOP of your sundae, and even your cocktail, however For God’s Sake do not use these cheap-ass pinkish rubbish cherries you get at most ice cream parlors (or within the sundae fixins’ aisle of the grocery store). It’s Luxardo or get out!
I additionally appreciated HEE HEE over JOLLITY (for hopefully apparent causes), and, nicely, there’s not so much I did not like. I did not just like the metaphorical VIRGINS clue (34A: Newbies), which … I imply, I do not know that I’d just like the literal VIRGINS clue both, however one thing about snickering a couple of “beginner” being a “virgin” is … unnecessarily sexualizing or one thing. It’s only a metaphor that I would not use. It’s regular and high-quality. It simply all the time provides me unhealthy vibes is all.
I had some hassle transferring between the N and W half of this puzzle into the S and E half, however I ended up throwing a bizarre word-rope into the void, and the rope saved going, and it obtained weirdly lengthy, and I figured a few of it have to be unsuitable, nevertheless it wasn’t (!?).
So I linked JIBS to “COULD IT BE?” and simply saved constructing, and one way or the other all of the solutions caught. Not positive why I obtained caught on the again half of HOLE PUNCH (28A: Inefficient confetti-making device) (humorous clue btw). It’s a wonderfully regular “device.” I’ve one sitting right here inside arm’s attain, however all I might suppose was “HOLE … maker?” Bizarre. MY B! I additionally had some hassle getting the again finish of PHONE CALL (I figured the “telephone” itself had a “ring to it,” so what else was wanted, I did not know). Also could not get TREATY (“Compact” means sooooo many factor), STAMENS (I believed perhaps “tunnels”?) (38D: Carpels’ counterparts), or IN A PET, so the SE was briefly elusive, however then PATSY Cline got here using to the rescue, bringing the PEP I wanted to complete issues off. Overall, a pleasant romp, this one, with somewhat youthful taste right here and there … , for youths!
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