Constructor: John Hawksley

Relative problem: Medium-Challenging (3/4 Medium, 1/4 Challenging)

THEME: none 

Word of the Day: SCAN (6D: What traditional sonnets do) —

1. 3. 

   analyze the meter of (a line of verse) by studying with the emphasis on its rhythm or by inspecting the sample of toes or syllables.

   • (of verse) conform to metrical rules. 

     “nicely, it would not rhyme and definitely would not scan” (my emph.) (Oxford languages / Google)

• • •

Short write-up immediately as I’ve issues to do earlier than I head as much as Ithaca and hang around with a sure all-star crossword constructor (and wonderful human being). I took one have a look at this grid and knew it wasn’t going to be my cup of tea. These low word-count, super-segmented, boxy, basically four-part (four-quadrant) puzzles are all the time extra Hard than they’re Fun, and immediately’s was no exception. When your grid requires you to make use of APISHLY (!?!), a phrase no human being has ever truly used and which even the clue would not appear to know the that means of (12D: How an imitator or foolish individual acts), the remainder of that grid higher be sterling, and naturally is demanding grids like this it by no means is. At its greatest, it is fairly good—that SE nook by itself is admittedly spectacular, and impressively clean. Here, there may be simply the one less-than-stellar reply (LIM.) and that reply makes potential an entire array of nice longer solutions. The entire stack of Acrosses on the backside is stable, particularly “IT WASN’T ME” and CAN’T UNSEE, that are great. From YESMAN round to CODPIECE, that nook works actually very well. But it was exhausting to get enthusiastic about a lot else within the grid. SEVENTH SON? (27D: Potentially prophetic youngster). I do not actually know what that’s. Sounds biblical. I’ve heard it used metaphorically, I assume, however, nicely, it is no ATHLEISURE (one of many few longer solutions outdoors the SE that I used to be excited to see) (26A: Fashion development embraced by Fendi and Versace). 

The reality is, although, that I do not keep in mind a lot about this puzzle apart from the NW as a result of ugh, once more, as I mentioned, this stuff all the time break down into basically 4 separate puzzles, and with out actual circulation between the sections, when you get caught, you get Stuck. And within the NW, hoo boy, I obtained caught exhausting. How caught? This caught:

Very acceptable that one of many only a few solutions I had up there was IRKS (and *that* was a complete guess). I educate “traditional sonnets” (not a time period I’d use) each single semester. All the time. From Petrarch to Donne, I actually do have the sonnet type coated. And but confronted with the clue 6D: What traditional sonnets do, I had no thought. I used to be like “Well, RHYME would not match … and I’m out.” I take care of poetic meter intimately, all semester lengthy, and but I’ve by no means as soon as requested myself if a poem SCANs or not. I assume SCANs simply means “has an everyday meter.” This is clearly a case of my being (means) too near the fabric. *All* poetry within the interval that I educate (~1300-1700) SCANs (in fact early on within the interval you continue to have the odd alliterative poem, however … that is most likely greater than you wish to go into proper now…). “Scanning” is widespread to plenty and many lyric poetry; it is not explicit to the “sonnet.” So deflating to get such a basic time period after getting such a selected clue. Then there’s the opposite finish of the spectrum—the subject I do know nothing and care nothing about: PORSCHES! (9D: Taycan and Macan) And company logos (“implied” umbrella?!?). Figured “Fortune favors the courageous” was the motto of some org. My guess is that almost all precise RISKTAKERs have zero consciousness of that idea. Never give it a thought. Thank god I knew HAKEEM, or I’d actually have had no traction in that nook. Finally (lastly!) I obtained *some* god to slot in the —AS part (ATLAS!). And these three new letters, oddly, broke the entire quadrant open. First AMIRITE!? Then MARACAS. And issues fell from there, however not with any nice revelations. What’s the final place I might ever discover myself, query mark? That’s proper, a MAGIC SHOP (1A: Tricky spot to be in?).  This may be very a lot a case of my aversion to the bodily type of the grid coupled with my extremely private, most likely idiosyncratic distaste for a lot of the content material of the grid, in addition to the cluing. It was a correct Saturday exercise for certain. Just did not have sufficient excessive factors for me. But once more, props to that SE nook. It’s a magnificence.
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

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