Monodon monoceros extra familiarly / SAT 7-23-22 / First individual to fly solo around the globe 1933 / Gesture signifying perfection / Animal whose identify actually means nostril

Puzzles

Monodon monoceros extra familiarly / SAT 7-23-22 / First individual to fly solo around the globe 1933 / Gesture signifying perfection / Animal whose identify actually means nostril

Team FunTrove

August 11, 2022

Monodon monoceros extra familiarly / SAT 7-23-22 / First individual to fly solo around the globe 1933 / Gesture signifying perfection / Animal whose identify actually means nostril

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Constructor: John Lieb

Relative issue: Easy

THEME: none

Word of the Day: WILEY POST (31A: First individual to fly solo around the globe (1933)) —

Wiley Hardeman Post (November 22, 1898 – August 15, 1935) was a famed American aviator throughout the interwar interval and the primary pilot to fly solo around the globe. Also recognized for his work in high-altitude flying, Post helped develop one of many first strain fits and found the jet stream. On August 15, 1935, Post and American humorist Will Rogers had been killed when Post’s plane crashed on takeoff from a lagoon close to Point Barrow within the Territory of Alaska.

Post’s Lockheed Vega plane, the Winnie Mae, was on show on the National Air and Space Museum‘s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center from 2003 to 2011. It is now featured within the “Time and Navigation” gallery on the second flooring of the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. (wikipedia)

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Your sense of issue will doubtless rely closely in your familiarity with the (appreciable quantity of) names in at present’s puzzle, however for me, this was a cinch. Far simpler than yesterday’s. Much simpler (and extra pleasurable) for me to work round a reputation I do not know (or within the case of WILEY POST, solely vaguely know) than to must surprise what plenty of trying-too-hard clues are doing with their awkward wording and trickery. I do suppose this one is mayyyyybe just a little heavy on the names, although which will merely be as a result of names are in such marquee positions (e.g. 1-Across, 2/5 of that heart stack). In reality, it is actually the stack of COTILLARD and WILEY POST, not removed from EDWARD I and PANETTA, that creates the phantasm of general name-iness. I do not suppose the puzzle really has any extra names than your common puzzle. But at present’s are lengthy names, in essential positions, so they may’ve factored closely in whether or not you sailed by means of the puzzle (like me) or did not. I as soon as wrote an article on “Braveheart,” so EDWARD I was a gimme at 1A: “Braveheart” villain, and as so typically occurs, a 1-Across gimme heralded a straightforward puzzle.

I did that NW nook about as quick as I’ve performed any themeless nook ever. ILE RHINO NARWHAL and the entire thing simply fell. Was not assured that the momentum would proceed, given how completely reduce off that part is from the remainder of the grid, however I simply guessed the SCIENCE a part of DATA SCIENCE, after which, as with EDWARD I, I simply *knew* COTILLARD, and SOLFEGE, and I used to be off and (actually) working. WILEY POST was by far the most important stumbling block for me, however even there, as soon as I acquired some crosses, regardless of probably not realizing who he was, his identify drifted into consciousness, and I by no means felt anyplace near legitimately caught.

Despite the truth that DATA SCIENCE crossing LOGIC GATE tried very onerous to place me to sleep, I believed most of this was [CHEF’S KISS]! Front-page article about New York POT FARMs in my paper yesterday, so [Joint venture?] was completely clear to me. I solely know the phrase CABS IT from doing the NYTXW. Seems a really NYC factor. A really last-century NYC factor. But one of many perks of doing this rattling puzzle over many years is you choose up plenty of regionalisms and slang and place names and what not, which you then find yourself encountering once more solely in crosswords, which creates a type of crossword-produced, imaginary, composite NYC, made up of all of the NYCs that ever had been since in regards to the ’20s. I’m wondering what would occur if I attempted to attract an NYC map if I solely knew about NYC from crosswords. Let’s see, there’s the BQE and MOMA and … NEDICK’S on each nook, possibly? Anyway … CABS IT! And if somebody asks you to take care of their cab whereas they’re out of city, nicely then you definately CAB SIT. Sounds made up, sure, however so does NEDICK’S, so … CAB SIT. “I used to be cabsitting exterior the Nedick’s at 88th and Lex when this pug* named Roscoe …” — and rapidly you have acquired your self a Damon Runyon story!

This puzzle might’ve used just a little extra oomph within the cluing, if solely as a result of it feels at instances like a trivia check. There are a couple of “?” clues (a couple of is the suitable quantity, btw), they usually’re strong, however most of what you get at present within the clue division is exceedingly simple. I like that the “monodon monoceros” (NARWHAL) is crossing the RHINO(ceros). Horny-faced creatures of the world, unite! The weirdest second of the clear up for me was a malapop—it is a time period for while you need a solution that finally ends up being mistaken … however then that mistaken reply finally ends up being *proper* elsewhere within the grid! I believe Andrea Carla Michaels coined that time period a very long time in the past. Sounds like a distinct segment time period, but it surely occurs an Awful lot. Today, I thought of “AW DANG!” at 4D: “Oh, darn!” (“AW RATS!”), and that “G” made me suppose DREG for 26A: Bottom of the barrel (LEES). Fast ahead to—11D: Remnant (DREG). DREG is such a bizarre phrase to see within the singular that this explicit malapop feels deeply unusual. But there it’s! Overall, I loved this suitably Saturday-level fixing expertise, even when the trivia (proper in my wheelhouse) failed to essentially put me by means of the WRINGER (3D: Metaphor for a troublesome ordeal) (which I generally fairly take pleasure in on a Saturday). See you tomorrow.

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

*”pug” is old-timey slang for “pugilist” or “boxer,” however if you would like it to be a canine, I believe the story nonetheless works.

[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]

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