Constructor: Rebecca Goldstein and Rachel Fabi

Relative issue: Easy-Medium

THEME: 3x — wacky phrases made out of three an identical elements, the place the primary two elements are one unit and the third is one other:

Theme solutions:

• “TUT TUT, TUT” (17A: Verbal disapproval of a boy king?)
• CHOW CHOW CHOW (28A: Food for a sturdy Chinese canine?)
• “ZOOM ZOOM” ZOOM (47A: Conference name for Mazda’s advertising and marketing group?)
• CAN-CAN CAN (64A: Glutes developed whereas dancing on the Moulin Rouge?)

Word of the Day: CHOW CHOW (28A) —

The Chow Chow is a spitz-type of canine breed initially from northern China. The Chow Chow is a sturdily constructed canine, sq. in profile, with a broad cranium and small, triangular, erect ears with rounded ideas. The breed is thought for a really dense double coat that’s both clean or tough. The fur is especially thick within the neck space, giving it a particular ruff or mane look. The coat could also be shaded/self-red, black, blue, cinnamon/fawn, or cream. (wikipedia)

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Ooh, a great motive to maintain this quick immediately: private bias! These are my pals. Good for them. So comfortable to see their names. This seems like a theme I’ve seen earlier than, like, a very long time in the past, perhaps, and perhaps extra Monday than Tuesday (if such a distinction exists). The theme offered zero problem, is what I’m saying. Once you get the TUT string, the others do not require greater than a cursory look on the clue, and perhaps not even that if you happen to’re simply buzzing alongside and resolve to danger a guess on a themer based mostly solely on the crosses you may have in place. In retrospect, I am unable to say I like to recommend this technique, because it bought me CHOO-CHOO CHOO at first, after which after I in a short time regarded on the clue, I actually solely picked up “Chinese” and thought “is CHOO a Chinese … vegetable of some sort?” Very dumb mind glitch. Speed kills, people. But for the others, I simply needed to see “Mazda” to get the ZOOM one and I do not assume I even regarded on the CAN one … which is just too unhealthy, as a result of the clues are actually the place the motion’s at, with a theme like this. Speaking of CHOO-CHOO CHOO ([Shoe designer Jimmy’s nickname in the train enthusiast community?]?), that is a kind of themes that looks as if it might be executed many occasions over, with completely different themers every time. Where’s my [Scot’s refusal to do a hip-hop dance?] or [Hand drum somehow played by male turkey?]? These are ridiculous sufficient that perhaps I’ve answered my very own query, however nonetheless, there are in all probability a bunch extra potential solutions on the market. That does not take away from these, which work fantastic.