Constructor: Juliet Corless

Relative issue: Medium

THEME: none 

Word of the Day: DPT (11A: Childhood vaccine combo) —

diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus (merriam-webster.com)

• • •

This is a really old style type of grid, one you used to see loads again within the day when 15 stacks have been a type of Friday/Saturday fad. Now, this grid is very uncommon, in that has been rotated 90 levels from its regular place, so the 15 stacks are operating Down, not Across, however in any other case, you’ll find grids that similar to this (stack up high, stack down under) all around the first and early second many years of this century. Before the development software program increase, getting these stacks to work out was an actual feat, however the outcomes have been typically iffy, and will end in a great deal of ugliness within the brief crosses. Nowadays, with assistance from computer systems, pulling off stacks like this is not as arduous, and the outcomes are usually much less clunky. Which is to say, I used to dread seeing these stack-based puzzles, again within the day, however now I simply really feel impartial. Maybe they’re going to work, perhaps they will not. These stacks are remarkably clear, on either side, and although the brief fill is certainly unpretty in locations (EME SES DPT CIR), it principally holds up fairly nicely. The downside for me was the curiosity was Entirely in these stacks, and since all of the fascinating solutions are, nicely, stacked, there isn’t any actual circulate within the grid. The center is much clunkier and fewer fascinating than the perimeters, and it’s a must to type of hack your means via it—no fantastic solutions opening up new vistas for you, and the longer solutions that await you might be issues like FERRITE and BERI BERI (mmm, ailments) and REDEPLOY. So primarily the center portion of the grid is simply filler between the rather more scrumptious edges. The puzzle finally ends up a type of reverse sandwich, the place the bread is the spotlight and the bread contents are simply … there. Taking up house. Fine, however not notably tasty, and definitely not the first cause you are consuming the sandwich (with apologies to scrumptious sandwich bread). 

I began in on the brief stuff (per regular) and was much less initially profitable than I’d’ve appreciated. Got ARE and CEY and (on the opposite aspect) RAE, however thought the [Childhood vaccine combo] was MMR, as a result of, nicely, that *is* a [Childhood vaccine combo] (measles mumps rubella). DPT is bizarre as a result of it appears to be like prefer it’s simply brief for “diphtheria” (DPT = first three consonants, when you misspell it, as I usually do, “diptheria”), however then the “P” and “T” find yourself standing for different issues. Regardless, neither “vaccine combo” is what you’d name “nice fill,” and never having these preliminary letters for the lengthy Downs held me up. Same on the opposite aspect, the place I didn’t initially get JFK, although I in all probability ought to have (1A: “We select to go to the moon” speaker, for brief). Eventually I modified SIFT to SKIM (21D: Go via flippantly), obtained “OK, OK!” off that “Ok” (24A: “I already mentioned I’d!”), and the west aspect of the puzzle opened up from there:

Had KEYNOTE SPEAKERS earlier than KEYNOTE SPEECHES (3D: Conference highlights) … arduous to elucidate why KEYNOTE SPEAKERS is a a lot, a lot better reply, however it’s. The draw is the speaker, typically a giant title. Yes, that speaker offers a speech. But in some way “highlights” steered the *draw*, i.e. the particular person, not the speech. That mentioned, KEYNOTE SPEECHES is okay. JACK OF ALL TRADES is nice, and FREAKING AWESOME, nicely, as an precise spoken time period, I hate it, as I hate FREAKIN’ as a euphemism, however as fill, it is authentic and recent. The stack on the opposite aspect of the grid is the stronger one, with all of the 15s coming in vivid and robust. 

More issues:

• 19A: Usher’s providing (ARM) — I needed RAP, regardless that he is extra R&B crooner than rapper

• 40D: Hollow (DALE) — paused right here, considering “is it VALE?” What Is The Difference!? Not a lot. Both valleys. Just learn, in a def. of DALE: “synonym of the phrase valley” and thought “Ooh, the place is that this ‘phrase valley’ of which you communicate, I wish to go to!”
• 47A: “Shut up!” (“CAN IT!”) — had the “C” and wrote in “CUT IT!” Was in all probability considering “CUT IT OUT!” however who is aware of?
• 51D: Resting spot for some buns (NAPE) — it is “Resting” that is troublesome right here. Really angles these “buns” breadward. I used to be like “why would you relaxation baked items within the NAVE?”
• 34A: Truffle searching possibility (GODIVA) — As with “Resting” within the NAPE clue, “searching” is doing aggressive, sweaty work right here. A bit of toooo determined to misdirect you. Obviously “truffle searching” usually suggests the pursuit of scarce and scrumptious mushrooms. Pigs do that, or assist in it, I feel. But for this clue, the truffle it’s essential to consider is chocolate, and the model (“possibility”) is GODIVA.
• 63A: One backward musician? (ENO) — god assist me, I approve this clue; made me genuinely smile (ENO = the phrase “one” … spelled “backward”)

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

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