Constructor: Caryn L. Robbins

Relative issue: Easy

THEME: “I’M ALL EARS” (61A: “You have my full consideration” … or one thing 17-, 24-, 38- and 51-Across) — fictional characters with distinctive and / or massive ears:

Word of the Day: COATI (45A: South and Central American mammal associated to the raccoon) —

Coatis, also referred to as coatimundis (), are family members Procyonidae within the genera Nasua and Nasuella. They are diurnal mammalsnative to South America, Central America, Mexico, and the southwestern United States. The title “coatimundi” comes from the Tupian languages of Brazil, the place it means “lone coati”. (wikipedia)

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MAD Magazine followers have to be thrilled. It’s been a giant month for ALFRED E. NEUMAN, I assume! Actually, that ALFRED (E.) NEUMAN / “INITIAL HERE” puzzle appeared in September (the twenty eighth), but it surely was actually latest is my level. But that does not matter, the extra MAD the merrier, so far as I’m involved. But whereas I do love MAD Magazine, and I get pleasure from ALFRED E. NEUMAN as a standalone reply, this theme felt just a little on the weak aspect to me. It additionally felt … oddly mean-spirited? I do not assume it is merciless, precisely, but it surely felt just like the puzzle was stating characters with “massive ears”—and I do know a minimum of just a few people who find themselves delicate about their ears and don’t love even good-natured teasing. These characters are all fictional, so who cares … largely? But one thing about pondering that this group had one thing in widespread felt oddly … I do not know. Let’s simply say that at a literal degree it would not actually make sense. I do not consider BUGS BUNNY’s ears as iconic. His ears are rabbit’s ears, they appear roughly proportional to the ears {that a} rabbit would have. He’s no extra “ALL EARS” then he’s “ALL TEETH.” If individuals did not put on these dumb MICKEY MOUSE ears at Disneyland, I additionally would not assume an excessive amount of about Mickey’s ears both. NEUMAN’s and SPOCK’s ears, being connected to a cartoon human and a fictional humanoid, respectively, are extra … distinctive, in that they’re both exaggeratedly massive / out-sticking (NEUMAN) or pointy (SPOCK). OK … but it surely’s as if the puzzle is saying “take a look at the bizarre ears on all these items” and eh, it is probably not working for me, coherence-wise. 

What’s extra disappointing is the fill, which actually hasn’t been held as much as a clean Monday normal right here. I lately had an editor ship a grid again for revision exactly as a result of she thought it might be higher with out the reply “I DIE” (amongst just a few different little issues), and he or she was proper. And that grid most likely is not even going to be a part of a Monday-easy puzzle. Five theme solutions is on the dense aspect for a themed puzzle, however nonetheless, stuff like “I DIE” and “ÉTÉ” and LAMS and EDY and TRU and UTILE I’d attempt actually, actually laborious to chuck. You normally cannot get *all* of the subpar fill out of your grid, however esp. on simple puzzles, you wanna maintain it approach, approach down, and it simply did not really feel down sufficient as we speak. I did just like the colloquial “IT ME” (I do not “like” the phrase irl, it feels cutesy and cliché by now, but it surely’s nonetheless recent by comparability to a lot NYTXW slang), and I had fondness for the colloquial elder statesman “NO DUH” as effectively. Not too eager on BOUGIE, which, like pointing at somebody with massive ears, feels insulting (Also, I spelled it “BOOGIE” at first after which checked out it like “… uh, I believe, which means ‘dance’!”) (2D: Having a priority for wealth and respectability, in slang).  I assume I would not thoughts “BOUGIE” as a partial music title. Was gonna say you could possibly clue it by way of the Migos music “Bad and BOUGIE,” but it surely seems that, as with many phrases on this planet of hip-hop, the spelling of “BOUGIE” in that music title is … artistic (“BOUJEE!”). 

NOTES:

Hope you’ve got received a pleasant autumn day to get pleasure from. See you tomorrow.