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Constructor: Sid Sivakumar
Relative problem: Easy-Medium (Challenging … then all of a sudden very simple)
THEME: none
Word of the Day: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry (44A: Mildred D. ___, creator of “Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry,” 1977) —
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry is a 1977 novel by Mildred D. Taylor. Part of her Logan household collection, it’s a sequel to her 1975 novella Song of the Trees. It received the 1977 Newbery Medal.
The novel is the primary e book within the Logan household saga, which incorporates 4 sequels (Let the Circle Be Unbroken (1981), The Road to Memphis (1992), The Gold Cadillac (1987), and All the Days Past, All the Days to Come (2020)) and three prequels (The Land (2001), The Well: David’s Story (1995), and Song of the Trees (1975)) in addition to two novellas (Mississippi Bridge (1990) and The Friendship (1987)). In the e book, Taylor explores struggles of African Americans in Thirties Mississippi by the angle of nine-year-old Cassie Logan. The novel accommodates a number of themes, together with Jim Crowsegregation, Black landownership, sharecropping, the Great Depression, and lynching. (wikipedia)
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Well this was actually all in regards to the NW for me, at the least by way of battle. I spent as a lot time there, at the start, as I did with the remainder of the puzzle. More, most likely. When 1-Across is simple the puzzle tends to skew simple and vice versa and immediately, WOOF (!), I had tons of bother with 1-Across (1A: Eye examination it’s essential to go? => IRIS SCAN). Never received the place they had been going with “go” and could not parse the phrase to save lots of my life. With STAKES and SUPER and CRED nailed down, I saved wanting it to be one thing that broke between the second “S” and the “C,” like CLASS … one thing. You must “go” exams in class, so CLASS … felt … doable. I’m all the time horrible with “phrase that may observe or precede or that goes with X”-type clues and immediately was no totally different. [Word with…] offers you no indication how it’s “with,” whether or not the reply comes earlier than or after or what, so AIR shmair for me, for positive. ESCAPE ROOM was clear (my god crossword folks appear to like this stuff, I do Not perceive—just about any room I’m in with greater than two folks for any size of time rapidly turns into an ESCAPE ROOM, so I don’t perceive subjecting your self to pressured enclosure with different nerds such as you (and me), however hey, get pleasure from). But even having ESCAPE ROOM did not assist a lot with parsing ICE STORM and REST AREA (the uncommon 8-letter crosswordese!). CENTURIES was a kind of phrases that I did not know till I noticed it after which I believed “oh yeah, proper” (I do know jack about cricket, however my spouse is from NZ they usually care a complete bunch, so I’ve picked up terminology by osmosis, largely primarily based on the handful of journeys we have taken there, the following of which begins subsequent week, woo hoo!).
Thank god for NEOPETS (has anybody ever stated That earlier than?) (8D: Website with adoptable digital creatures), as a result of getting out of that nook was additionally dicey. Took me almost to the tip to see MATCHES (29A: Exact hits). And SOLES, yikes, I had no concept till almost all of the crosses had been in place (14D: Flat bottoms). Singular “flat” for “shoe” was tough. I used to be considering first that “flat” was an adjective after which that “flat” was an condo. Anyway, that NW nook was not the toughest nook I’ve ever accomplished, by a protracted shot, but it surely was exhausting, and manner manner Way tougher than the remainder of the puzzle. I went from getting little or no traction in any respect to operating a full lap across the SE earlier than I’d even actually began making an attempt:
After that, there have been a number of issues I did not know, like TAYLOR and FELDSPAR, but it surely appeared like I had toeholds in every single place, so the SE performed just like the Evil (or Good, or … Opposite) Twin of the NW, after which the SW, just like the NE earlier than it, ended up being very simple, nearly incidental—although it did include my two favourite clue/reply pairings of the day: 30D: Let-them-eat-cake event? (CHEAT DAY) crossing 43A: Mug shot topic? (LATTE ART). I hate the thought of diets, so I hate the thought of CHEAT DAYs, however I can not deny the cleverness of that clue. I additionally hate (or do not love) the entire “take an image of your meals” phenomenon, however once more, the clue is masterful in its wordplay and misdirection. I could not pull my mind away from the thought of “mug” as “face,” in order that even when the reply appeared to finish in ART, I used to be considering, like, face tats, or perhaps an injection that you just get in your face, like botox, I do not know. LATTE ART (pleasantly) stunned me.
Notes:
- 18A: Flour floor in a chakki (ATTA) — Didn’t know “chakki” however did not have to as a result of “flour” = ATTA. See additionally 43D: Bhikkhu’s trainer (LAMA)—”trainer” was sufficient.
- 20A: The Father of ___, moniker for the inventor Leo Baekeland (PLASTICS) — wow that’s an terrible clue. Couldn’t get extra trivia-y and boring if it trued. I suppose we’re supposed to acknowledge this dude’s title by its resemblance to “bakelite” (which he invented), however yeah no that did not occur. Father of [absolutely random word] so far as I used to be involved.
- 28A: G, in C (SOL) — do re me fa SOL la ti do … if you happen to’re enjoying in the important thing of C, then SOL is the musical be aware G … I believe I’ve that proper.
- 38A: Rock-forming mineral that makes up over half of the earth’s crust (FELDSPAR) — actually feels like a model title. Has that nightmarishly boring company ring to it: “FELDSPAR: Tomorrow’s Agriculture Today!” or “FELDSPAR: Business Growth Solutions!” or some such nonsense. Also, SPAR crossing SPAR (in MAKESPAR) was … beneath par (or above par … whichever one you suppose is worse).
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
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