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Constructor: Joe Deeney
Relative problem: Medium (elements performed simple, elements performed laborious, not a lot in-between)
THEME: EYES ON THE PRIZE (57A: “Stay centered” … or a punny description of the position of this puzzle’s circled letters) — circled “I”s sit “on” high (at both finish) of a phrase that means “prize”
Theme solutions:
- ASTROPHYSICIST (15A: Neil deGrasse Tyson, for one)
- PLAYED CUPID (27A: Set up a pair on a blind date, say)
- ZOOMED ALONG (43A: Kept transferring shortly)
- EYES ON THE PRIZE
Word of the Day: John CIARDI (55A: John who wrote “How Does a Poem Mean?”) —
John Anthony Ciardi ( CHAR-dee; Italian: [ˈtʃardi]; June 24, 1916 – March 30, 1986) was an American poet, translator, and etymologist. While primarily generally known as a poet and translator of Dante‘s Divine Comedy, he additionally wrote a number of volumes of youngsters’s poetry, pursued etymology, contributed to the Saturday Review as a columnist and long-time poetry editor, directed the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference in Vermont, and recorded commentaries for National Public Radio.
In 1959, Ciardi revealed a guide on tips on how to learn, write, and train poetry, How Does a Poem Mean?, which has confirmed to be among the many most-used books of its form. At the height of his recognition within the early Sixties, Ciardi additionally had a community tv program on CBS, Accent. Ciardi’s impression on poetry is maybe greatest measured via the youthful poets whom he influenced as a trainer and as editor of the Saturday Review. (wikipedia)
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This was unusual. First, it is undersized (14×15), so if it appeared such as you completed extra shortly than traditional at present, there’s one motive. I, nonetheless, didn’t end appreciably sooner than traditional, even though the puzzle was simply giving “I”s away. Totally unknown-to-me COHAN (14A: “The Walking Dead” actress Lauren) crossing not-your-typical-Tuesday-fare PHILIPPIC (9D: Damning verbal assault) subsequent to not-too-familiar-to-me CIGNA (25D: Big title in insurance coverage) slowed me down sufficient that my general expertise really felt like a toughish Tuesday, perhaps even Wednesday. Then there’s the theme, which really took me some time to see. I completed and … nothing. I’m wondering if the app by some means offers you extra visible indication of how the theme works. Once I noticed it, it was apparent, but it surely’s positively extra of a later-week theme, conceptually. And whereas it did give me a particular “aha” second after I lastly noticed the way it labored, that “aha” didn’t find yourself feeling well worth the journey. The grid felt creaky and musty proper from the leap, with IPASS SHE’S MITRE and LEOI setting a tone after which CRU ENS ILE ESO EDSEL … it simply felt significantly much less recent and clear than a puzzle with this little theme materials ought to really feel. Now perhaps we will blame the “I”s, which will need to have introduced appreciable stress to bear on this grid; a stray “I” right here and there could not appear to be it ought to complicate issues, however each letter you repair in place makes the grid that a lot tougher to work out cleanly. Every “I” actually narrows the chances for each the Down and Across it seems in. The “I”s additionally clarify why we get the bygone names we get, particularly the “I”-ending YANNI and CIARDI (apologies to YANNI, who isn’t really “bygone,” however I have never seen a reference to YANNI exterior of crosswords in thirty years, since roughly the time of the complete Acropolis live performance factor). By the time I completed with that SE nook, with its CIARDI ETAS ADZES ESE, I used to be completed. *I* CONCEDE. *I* PASS. AYE ay ay! Hook up my *I*V LINE and get me my *I*PAD … the “I”s have it at present, and by “it” I imply “a swarmy, exhausting high quality.” The wordplay concerned within the revealer phrase isn’t with out cleverness, however ultimately, I do not assume simply setting “I”s on high of phrases that means “prize” was value it. Not on this incarnation, anyway.
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| [a YANNI update] |
I’m shocked that the puzzle thinks CIARDI is a Tuesday reply. I train Inferno frequently, so I do know the man’s title (he was a distinguished translator of Dante), however yeesh and wow he was by no means what you’d name a family title and I am unable to consider very many individuals underneath 60 would have any clue who he’s. And but it is not the primary time he is appeared within the NYTXW, by a longshot—that is the sixth look within the Shortz period, and the primary time he is appeared sooner than *Thursday*. He was most likely a fairly well-known public mental within the mid-Twentieth century, somebody whom college-educated, northeastern NPR listeners may know. But now, 50 years later, I dunno. If you want him on Saturday and even Sunday, I suppose, however Tuesday?
PLAYED CUPID is the weakest of the themers just because “CUP” is not damaged throughout phrases in its reply. Probably very, very laborious to separate up “CUP,” however nonetheless, these “hidden phrase” themes are extra elegant when each phrase within the theme solutions touches each “hidden phrase” by some means. Exception might be made for the ultimate theme reply, because it’s already doing double obligation (as a revealer *and* a theme reply). But “CUP” simply appears unhappy. Or, reasonably, PLAYED appears unhappy. Sitting there. Looking on. With no PRIZE of its personal to carry. Theme is executed greatest with ZOOMED ALONG—the PRIZE is damaged throughout each phrases within the phrase, and the phrase itself is vibrant and enjoyable. There are different good solutions right here as properly. PLAYED CUPID is great as a standalone reply, as is UP TO SPEED. And I really just like the phrase PHILIPPIC. It simply startled me to see it on a Tuesday. PHILIPPIC: Good phil! Weird day to see it. This puzzle will get excessive marks for creativeness, however falters within the execution.
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
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