Constructor: Ryan McCarty

Relative problem: Easy

THEME: “Some Theme’s Missing” — so, no theme, then 🙁

Theme solutions:

Word of the Day: RON Carter (39A: ___ Carter, most-recorded jazz bassist in historical past) —

Ronald Levin Carter (born May 4, 1937) is an American jazz double bassist. His appearances on 2,221 recording classes make him the most-recorded jazz bassist in historical past. [Aargh, don’t just lift your clues from the first paragraph of a wikipedia entry, come on!] He has received three Grammy awards, and can be a cellist who has recorded quite a few instances on that instrument.

Some of his studio albums as a frontrunner embrace: Blues Farm (1973), All Blues (1973), Spanish Blue (1974), Anything Goes (1975), Yellow & Green (1976), Pastels(1976), Piccolo (1977), Third Plane (1977), Peg Leg(1978), A Song for You (1978), Etudes (1982), The Golden Striker (2003), Dear Miles (2006), and Ron Carter’s Great Big Band (2011). (wikipedia) [emph. mine]

• • •

Look, Ryan McCarty is one among my favourite constructors and that is in all probability about pretty much as good a themeless Sunday as you may make, and but my response continues to be [shrug]. I walked away a number of instances mid-solve to get snacks. Themelesses work when they’re a. robust and b. restricted in measurement, and this one missed on each counts. So many entries that is perhaps fascinating, even eye-popping, in a 15×15 grid develop into simply a lot background noise in a grid this huge. When you could have such an enormous area to work with, when there is no theme limiting you, all of the 12s and 13s and 14s get misplaced amidst an ocean of different solutions. There’s a purpose you body artwork and show it in a manner that offers it room to breathe moderately than cramming all of your artwork on one wall. How am I alleged to see or respect what you are doing when there’s simply a lot different visible noise? Again, I did not hate this, not even shut, however the place fixing pleasure is anxious, it settles for a largely flat and forgettable center floor, avoiding the potential pitfalls of a tiresome theme but in addition giving up on the potential of doing something significantly flashy or memorable. It’s a advantageous solution to spend 10 minutes (or 20 or no matter it takes you). But it is primarily filler. High-grade filler, however filler nonetheless. It’s not even attempting to indicate me one thing new (even when a few of the fill is, in reality, new). It’s simply right here. Hanging out. Being a wonderfully serviceable puzzle. I choose crash-and-burns to this. There’s simply not a lot to say about this.

Nonetheless, I’ll attempt to say one thing. Oddly, I used to be most excited by a really brief reply, which can be at present’s Word of the Day: RON Carter. I first discovered about him, like many many individuals of my era, from A Tribe Called Quest’s landmark 1991 album The Low End Theory, particularly the music “Verses from the Abstract,” which namechecks Carter:

RON Carter’s All Blues sits out close to my stereo always. I by no means reshelve it as a result of I do know I’m simply gonna wanna play it once more quickly, so why trouble. It’s a staple. Love that man. There had been different highlights for me, extra apparent, longer-than-three-letters highlights. Like this time period, what the hell!

I did not know there was such a time period. How usually do ladies play males in opera (when cross-dressing just isn’t an integral a part of the plot)? Ah, I see, it is a vocal vary problem, with ladies enjoying adolescents / younger males. So cross-dressing just isn’t a part of the plot—everybody simply accepts that the character is male despite the fact that it is being performed by a lady. Gotcha. The extra frequent time period for this function seems to be “breeches function” (that is the primary wikipedia entry, anyway). Anyway, PANTS ROLE! That’s my new affirmation exclamation for any time I’ve to do one thing conventionally masculine (and subsequently out of character). Like change a tire or barbecue. “You can do that you are able to do this … ‘pants function’ on three, one two three PANTS ROLE!”

Really not having fun with the SW nook. Are ONE-SHOT DEALS precise “offers” or is “offers” getting used loosely / metaphorically, like “Are you gonna shave your head once more this summer time!?” / “Nah, that was only a one-shot deal” (97A: Some limited-time gives)? ONE-TIME OFFER googles manner Way higher than “one-shot deal” if we’re speaking about precise offers. POLICE REPORTS … I may use much less police presence in my puzzles. And whereas I can tolerate EL GRECO, a number of EL GRECOS … that is asking quite a bit. Plurals galore in that nook. And a non-musical BANGLES, what a waste.

You can inform me HALLOWEEKEND (2D: Portmanteau for an prolonged autumn celebration) is a factor however I’m 53 and have by no means heard it, and since Oct. 31 is regularly nowhere close to a weekend, I name BALONEY. That and MEMESTOCK (28D: Sort of funding buy with a spike in reputation by way of social media) had been each ostentatiously attempting to be contemporary, however … not my type of freshness. Balked on the quaint “AH, BLISS” however type of loved the ecstatic echo of “THIS IS THE LIFE!” Had REST AREAS earlier than REST STOPS, which is about as boring a mistake as you may make. Wanted KNEELINGS (!?!?!) earlier than KNEE BENDS, which is a ridiculous mistake, if not a boring one. Might’ve modified CARPS to one thing like CARNE so as to remove the double CARP up there (with “CARPENTER ANT“). Real shut collectively, operating in the identical path … I discovered it oddly distracting. RAN AT / LASH AT / COMES AT / SIT AT was a bit of a lot, AT-wise. I’ll give GO AT a cross 🙂 See you tomorrow.

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld 

P.S. That GLENN Close clue was very cute (82A: Close up on the display screen?)

P.P.S. Peter Gordon is doing his annual Kickstarter for his Fireball Newsflash Crossword subscription and it ends *at present* Sunday 12-18-22 at 10pm EST. These are very doable and enjoyable puzzles with entries ripped proper from current headlines. They are an effective way to maintain up with names and occasions you might have missed, together with issues that may very effectively find yourself showing quickly in additional mainstream (much less well timed) puzzles (just like the one you resolve day by day!). They’re part of my common fixing rotation. I like them quite a bit. You may like them too.

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