Norse god of warfare / THU 4-10-25 / Hundredths of a Swedish krona / Diminutive, diminutively / Titular solver of many a medical thriller in 2000s TV / Worldwide grocery chain based in Germany / Rapper with back-to-back triple-platinum albums in 2000 and 2001

Theme solutions:

• GENTLE NUDGE (18A: Shoveling?) (“shove-ling” or little shove)
• VENDING MACHINE (24A: Martini?) (“mart-ini” or little mart)
• PINKY RING (35A: Bandito?) (“Band-ito” or little band)
• FINGER SANDWICH (49A: Sublet?) (“Sub-let” or little sub)
• GRAIN OF SAND (57A: Rockette?) (“Rock-ette” or little rock)

 
Phrase of the Day: ALDI (27D: Worldwide grocery chain based in Germany) —

Aldi (stylised as ALDI) (German pronunciation: [ˈaldiː] ^ⓘ) is the widespread firm model identify of two German multinational family-owned low cost grocery store chains working over 12,000 shops in 18 nations. The chain was based by brothers Karl and Theo Albrecht in 1946, after they took over their mom’s retailer in Essen. The enterprise was break up into two separate teams in 1960 that later turned Aldi Nord (initially Northern West Germany), headquartered in Essen, and Aldi Süd (initially Southern West Germany), headquartered in neighbouring Mülheim. […] Aldi’s German operations encompass Aldi Nord’s 35 particular person regional firms with about 2,200 shops in western, northern, and japanese Germany, and Aldi Süd’s 32 regional firms with 2,000 shops in western and southern Germany. Internationally, Aldi Nord operates in Belgium, Netherlands, France, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal and Spain, whereas Aldi Süd operates in Australia, Austria, China, Hungary, Eire, Italy, Slovenia, Switzerland, the UK, and the US. In Austria and Slovenia, Aldi operates shops underneath the Hofer model. Aldi Nord additionally owns the Dealer Joe’s grocery chain in the US, which operates individually from the group. (wikipedia)

• • •

That is very intelligent, on reflection, but it surely wasn’t a lot enjoyable whereas fixing, as I by no means had any concept what the theme was imagined to be, which meant that 5 lengthy solutions went into the grid as in the event that they have been unclued. Clearly they’d clues, I simply did not perceive how I used to be imagined to interpret them. Having each single themer be primarily unclued made the puzzle far more difficult than regular. I simply needed to infer … one thing … some believable phrase … to fill in these 5 solutions. This was generally not that tough (not that a lot that may comply with VEND- in a believable phrase), and generally actually onerous (fully died someplace in the course of what ended up being PINKY RING and needed to reboot within the SW). At one level I finished my fixing development and simply went trying to find a revealer … of which there was none, which gave me a light panic feeling (“you are not going to have the ability to clarify the theme! what good are you?!”). So I used to be very acutely aware of the truth that even when I completed (which I assumed I might), I would not be capable of decode the themers. It took …  I do not know, most likely a minute or so, to see the diminutive suffix gag, but it surely felt like an eternity. I may see that “Mart” and VENDING had one thing to do with one another, and {that a} NUDGE was a sort of “Shove,” and that ultimately tipped the entire theme. Out of their regular diminutive context, these suffixes simply do not learn as diminutive, which … clearly is the purpose of the theme. The one suffix that actually reads as diminutive to me is “-ette” and possibly “-ito.” No means on “-ling” and “-let,” and as for “-ini,” that is all the time going to imply pasta to me. Difficult tough. I want the trick had been seen to me whereas I used to be fixing—that is all the time extra enjoyable than discovering it after. However though I did not love the fixing expertise, I’ve to present credit score to this as soon as, conceptually. Very tough, however very slick.

I am undecided I might ever name a VENDING MACHINE a “mart,” underneath any circumstances, in order that one felt tenuous, for certain, however in any other case the themers all work fairly nicely, although man, getting from “band” to PINKY RING, oof—in contrast to “mart,” “band” has a ton of various meanings. Even when I had understood the diminutive suffix gimmick throughout the remedy, I am undecided it could’ve helped there. Is the band a gang? Does it play music? No, it is a ring, like a marriage band, solely not a marriage band, until you put on your wedding ceremony band in your pinky, which, who am I to guage, do your factor. As for the fill, I’ve no actual complaints, although bringing again each ORE (as clued) (14A: Hundredths of a Swedish krona) and TYR (33D: Norse god of warfare) on the identical day made it really feel a bit like Crosswordese Homecoming. TYR ought to solely be allowed to seem on Tuesdays (his namesake day), and even then solely twice a 12 months, max). After which there was additionally JA RULE, holy cow (4A: Rapper with back-to-back triple-platinum albums in 2000 and 2001). I lived via the JA RULE period and even I had hassle parsing that one. He was turn-of-the-century big after which I do not know what occurred. Have not heard his identify outdoors crosswords in not less than a decade.

[“It took me four days to hitchhike from 12-Down“]

Bullets:

• 43A: Button typically pressed moments earlier than noticing a typo (SEND) — once more, the context was simply misplaced on me. I do not consider “SEND” as a “button” that I “press.” Keyboards have buttons. Properly, keys. “It is typically clicked” or “… hit,” that language may need gotten me to the e-mail / texting context. However “buttons” to me are ESC and TAB and CTRL.
• 1D: ___ Hennessy Louis Vuitton, French luxurious items holding firm (MOËT) — what a Frankenstein’s monster of an organization. I noticed the “Vuitton” and thought trend, however later, after I bought a cross or two, I seen the Hennessy, and thought “beverage” … after which thought MOËT (the champagne makers).
• 8D: Diminutive, diminutively (LIL) — that is the puzzle winking at you
• 45D: Titular solver of many a medical thriller in 2000s TV (DR. HOUSE) — why somebody talked about DR. HOUSE to me this previous weekend on the ACPT, I do not know, however I do know he was nonetheless kicking round my mind someplace once I learn this clue, for which I used to be grateful. I do not assume I ever watched a couple of or two episodes of Home (a girl had rabies in a single, iirc … it featured the actress who performed Jack Bauer’s spouse in “24” … it’s bizarre that I can keep in mind these hyperspecific issues a couple of single episode of TV that I noticed as soon as, twenty years in the past). Extremely popular, not my factor.

• 26D: Tabloid speak present host Povich (MAURY) — I feel he movies in Stamford?? There’s def. a TV studio there along with his big mug plastered on it. Appears to be like prefer it was filmed there till the present ended a couple of years in the past. His face continues to be there, although, I promise.
• 32D: Strikes in a left-left-right-right sample (SKIPS) — completely brutal clue. I used to be in search of possibly a dance? After which I used to be bodily kinda attempting to behave out what the hell such a motion could possibly be. Wanted nearly each cross to get SKIPS—an exercise during which the lefts and rights don’t get the SAME aMOUNT of EMphaSIS, which makes the clue, yeah, complicated as hell.

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

P.S. after two days of ACPT write-ups (Tuesday, Wednesday), I am unable to imagine I forgot to say probably the most vital issues that occurred to me, which is: I met Malaika Handa and Rafael Musa (each of whom write for me regularly) for the primary time, At (virtually) The Identical Time! The match is an efficient option to remind your self (myself) that individuals are actual! 3 dimensional! And (as a rule) pleasant. Once more, go to a match a while. You will not remorse it. Nobody regrets it. Who is aware of? You may even win … a trophy! Like this (final time, I promise!!!)