Thursday, March 28, 2024
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Constructor: Billy Bratton

Relative problem: Very Easy

THEME: none? (none) 

Word of the Day: TIA Carrere (25A: Grammy-winning actress Carrere) —

Althea Rae Duhinio Janairo (born January 2, 1967), identified professionally as Tia Carrere (), is an American actress, singer and former mannequin who obtained her first huge break as an everyday on the daytime cleaning soap opera General Hospital.

Carrere performed Cassandra Wong within the function movies Wayne’s World and Wayne’s World 2; Juno Skinner in True Lies; Nani Pelekai within the Lilo & Stitchmovies and TV collection; Queen Tyr’ahnee in Duck Dodgers; Richard Lewis‘s girlfriend, Cha Cha, in Curb Your Enthusiasm; and starred as Sydney Fox within the tv collection Relic Hunter, in addition to Lady Danger reverse RuPaul in Netflix‘s AJ and the Queen. Carrere additionally appeared as a contestant within the second season of Dancing with the Stars and the fifth season of The Celebrity Apprentice. In addition to performing, Carrere has gained two Grammy Awards for her music [ed.: Best Hawaiian Album! Twice!]. (wikipedia)

• • •

Ah, here is my Friday puzzle. Themeless, breezy. Very a lot the form of factor one expects to search out on a Friday. A Saturday puzzle, this isn’t. I can not do Saturday puzzles with nearly no hesitation on any reply wherever in any respect in the entire grid, and that’s what the clear up was like at the moment. If I have been nonetheless timing my solves and speed-solving, I’m assured I may’ve introduced this one in below 4, and that might report territory for me, for a Saturday, for certain. Didn’t know two of the names, however LAURIE was clearly LAURIE (after just a few crosses) (36A: Hernandez of TeamUSA gymnastics) and KOFI additionally went proper in by way of crosses, bang bang bang. Helped that one in every of my finest college students this time period is known as KOFI (my college students, I’m fairly certain, do not learn this, so hopefully he does not hear this praise and let it go to his head simply but) (9A: Actor Siriboe of “Queen Sugar”). Beyond these two names, there’s simply … nothing in the way in which of resistance right here. It’s slightly startling. Gave me this creepy feeling like “what is going on? what am I doing improper? what terrors await me across the subsequent nook?” But the terrors by no means got here. Hard to get too excited a few themeless puzzle that does not even appear to need you to spend any time with it. I went coast to coast on this factor with out blinking an eye fixed (within the blink of an eye fixed? yeah, that is the higher expression right here, I believe. Or I may simply cease trafficking in clichés). Look at this begin:

That’s HAT AT HAND RDS HOT WAR OTRA ATOM TRACTS all in fast succession. And then I appeared up and noticed WACO sitting there and simply wrote in TEXAS with out even needing to have a look at the clue (Snickers? And Dr Pepper!? What a metropolis!). The entire NNW part went in no sweat after which I simply rode the STALAGMITE Highway all the way down to the underside. Or, reasonably, I dipped my STALAGMITE toe into the waters down under, seeing if it was protected to go in. Took me just a few seconds of pondering to get TSAR (42A: Peter or Paul, however not Mary), after which I used to be off and operating once more within the SE—a weird transgrid symmetrical begin to my clear up (I do not usually unfold out like that, however you gotta go the place the vitality takes you). Cleaned up the SE nook after which took the PASSING LANE again up once more. Lots and many whoosh whoosh at the moment:

I assumed that the SW and NE corners have been gonna give me at the least slightly roughing up, however my fears have been unfounded. The middle was a bit of cake (cliché once more, sorry!), after which the “Y” and the “Z” from YOGA and ZOOM made the SW nook straightforward to get into and conquer, and that simply left the NE nook, which was perhaps the toughest, in that it was chock filled with trivia, however it wasn’t laborious in any respect (KIWI to the rescue!) (9D: Fuzzy fruit that is technically a berry). While I loved the sensation of ZOOMing across the grid, as solutions go, solely DIPPIN’ DOTS (21D: “Ice Cream of the Future”) and “KINDA SORTA” (52A: “Uh … in a approach …”) felt really impressed. Nothing improper with any of the remainder of it, however in the event you’re not gonna have a ton of floor sizzle, you gotta give me one thing enjoyable or tough within the clues. I appreciated the clue on GUILT TRIP so much (49A: “Travel” for somebody who’s feeling dangerous?). Could’ve used extra of that playfulness at the moment. Yes, I’m really *asking* for extra “?” clues, which by no means occurs. Maybe no more “?” clues per se, however extra liveliness within the cluing for certain.

Notes:

  • 4D: Refuse to squeal (NAME NO NAMES) — talking of “Refuse to,” I “refused to” write on this reply at first (as you’ll be able to see within the final grid posted above), as a result of it’s ridiculous and my mind mentioned “Nope, I cannot be complicit on this.” You title NAME NAMES, for certain. I’ve seen that in crosswords earlier than and appreciated it effective as a result of it’s an precise tight phrase. NAME NO NAMES … oof, I do not know what that’s. You both did or did not NAME NAMES. It’s laborious to think about anybody really saying NAME NO NAMES. “Don’t title names, Rocko, or it is a Chicago overcoat for you!” “Don’t fear, boss, I’ll NAME NO NAMES.” “Why are you talkin’ all bizarre and formal like that, Rocko!? You fear me! You’re my nephew, and I really like you, however you are concerned me!” [end scene]
  • 21A: LED part? (DIODE) — OK perhaps that is the reply that gave me essentially the most pause. I needed to work round it. The “?” was throwing me. I assumed it was going to be one thing actually tough, however it’s simply the “D” in LED. 
  • 54A: Supergirl, e.g. (ALIEN) — had the “AL-” and wrote in ALIAS, which works completely. That’s the form of mistake that may actually get you caught, however not on this puzzle. The apparent IDES (50D: November 13, e.g.) lifted me proper out of the opening and again on monitor.
  • 34A: Time when it helps to be versatile (YOGA SESSION) — obtained this simply, however don’t prefer it. Is this a one-on-one tutorial? There’s YOGA CLASS and YOGA PRACTICE, however SESSION, whereas believable, offers the reply an eerie, off high quality, a la NAME NO NAMES.
  • 6D: Pop open, maybe (UNCAP) — had the “UNCA-” and was all ready to be mad at UNCAN, however then it was UNCAP, which is the mot juste right here. UNCAN is what you do along with your natural natural antioxidant vitamin therapeutic water after your YOGA SESSION. You UNCAN it from the can after which drink it from a lotus flower whilst you sit in silence, NAME-ing NO NAMES. Namaste.

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]



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