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Constructor: Ailee Yoshida
Relative problem: Medium+ (on the robust aspect for a Tuesday)
THEME: SUPERGIRL (62A: Kara Zor-El’s id in DC Comics … or a punny trace to the solutions to the starred clues) — solutions comply with the sample: [word meaning “super”] + [“girl”‘s name]”
Theme solutions:
- GOOD FAITH (17A: *Sincere intentions)
- ROCKIN’ ROBIN (25A: *One who’s “Hoppin’ and a-boppin’ and a singin’ his music,” in a 1958 hit)
- STAR / LILY (38A: *With 39-Across, flower named for its distinctive form)
- PRETTY PENNY (51A: *Considerable amount of cash, in an idiom)
Word of the Day: TERRINE (12D: French loaf baked in an oblong mould) —
A terrine (French pronunciation: [tɛ.ʁin]), in conventional French delicacies, is a loaf of forcemeat or aspic, just like a pâté, that’s cooked in a coated pottery mould (additionally known as a terrine) in a bain-marie. Modern terrines don’t essentially include meat or animal fats, however nonetheless include meat-like textures and fats substitutes, akin to mushrooms and pureed fruits or greens excessive in pectin. They may additionally be cooked in all kinds of non-pottery terrine moulds, akin to stainless-steel, aluminium, enameled forged iron, and ovenproof plastic.
Terrines are often served chilly or at room temperature. Most terrines include a considerable amount of fats, though it’s typically not the primary ingredient, and pork; many terrines are made with typical sport meat, akin to pheasant and hare. In the previous, terrines have been below the province {of professional} charcutiers, together with sausages, pâtés, galantines, and confit. Less generally, a terrine could also be one other meals cooked or served within the cooking dish known as a ‘terrine’. (wikipedia)
• • •
So a lot good power right here. YEETED! (58A: Chucked forcefully, in fashionable lingo). So lots of y’all are gonna hate that one, I can really feel it, however it’s certainly one of my favourite slang phrases, partly as a result of it appears to double as a sound impact, and in addition as a result of I by no means actually know *precisely* what it means and I’ve by no means heard anybody use it who wasn’t half-making enjoyable of themselves for utilizing it. As quickly as you say “Yeet!’ you’ve gotten just about taken the eye away from no matter it was you have been speaking about and put it squarely on the loopiness of the “phrase” you’ve got now chosen to make use of. I’m by no means fairly positive how one can use it and so I by no means do. I’m virtually completely positive that it isn’t a phrase that folks over 30 ought to actually mess with. But it is enjoyable to me. To my ears. The puzzle’s theme additionally has good power, although I believe it’s one reply in need of working completely. The first three themers work fairly properly, however that final one … I actually love PRETTY PENNY as a standalone reply, however “PRETTY” does not come shut sufficient to that means “SUPER,” I do not assume. Maybe if you happen to use it metaphorically to imply “actually artfully finished” (to explain an athletic feat, possibly), it really works, however the main that means of PRETTY is aesthetically pleasing, which does not really feel almost as near the center of the SUPER-verse as the opposite first phrases are. Still, I believe a superb lawyer may exonerate PRETTY PENNY, and the theme as an entire may be very imaginative, with theme solutions that basically sing (“ROCKIN’ ROBIN, yeet! yeet! yeet!”)
The dangerous a part of this puzzle is the NE, and by “dangerous” I imply, “badly edited.” First of all, TERRINE is a very, actually onerous phrase for a Tuesday. Despite its extremely helpful letters, the phrase has appeared solely three different occasions within the Shortz period, and by no means earlier than Thursday. It’s a specialty phrase. I’ve really heard it earlier than, however (and here is the place the modifying is available in, for positive), I could not get to the phrase as a result of “loaf” is such a robust evoker of bread that each one I used to be desirous about was bread. After I lastly acquired it from crosses, I used to be like “wow I believed TERRINE was a savory meaty aspicy thingie…” And it’s. It is, sure, technically a “loaf,” however yeesh. The phrase is already comparatively obscure (I stated “comparatively!”) for a Tuesday; making an attempt to make it additional inaccessible with a bread-looking clue doesn’t really feel like a sporting factor to do. Again, it’s Tuesday. Which brings me to the opposite, much more weird modifying name within the NE—that clue on PACER (9D: Kind of health check for Okay-12 college students). What … within the … what? What is that? I’m … properly, previous, and I’ve had a child not too long ago undergo the Okay-12 system, and at the moment, proper now, is the primary I’m listening to of no matter that is. In my expertise, PACER = [Indiana hoopster] or … possibly a bygone automotive of some form (?) (aw yeah, the AMC PACER! What a looker!). Also, one who paces, presumably. From my perspective, as clued, PACER was a succession of arbitrary letters. So throw the weird (for me, brutal) PACER clue right into a nook that is already acquired a toughly-clued TERRINE in it, and yeah, that is much more unusual roughness than I ever need to see in a Tuesday nook, or any nook. I pity the solver who didn’t know that miso was a “PASTE” (additionally, not the simplest clue) (9A: Miso, for one). That nook was needlessly made rather more inaccessible than it ought to’ve been. Completely out of retaining with the remainder of the grid, and the final good vibes of the remainder of the puzzle.
Love that there are NOODLES in my PHO this morning. Perfect. I’ll all the time eat PHO. Relatedly, I’ll by no means yeet PHO. Now that I’ve, really, used “yeet” in a sentence, I really feel like I’ve had my second of non-public development, so I’m gonna head off to get pleasure from my espresso + cat time. Have a pleasant day.
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
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