Constructor: Brandon Koppy
Relative issue: Simple
THEME: “Power Play” — a “play” on the phrase “Could the Power be with you…” (from Star Wars); the theme revealer is the corny/punny phrase “MAY THE FOURTH BE WITH YOU” (as a result of at present is Could the fourth … which I assume is Star Wars day now?); so, the fourth sq. of every theme reply has two letters in it, the second of which is all the time “U,” so the fourth letter of each theme reply is all the time “with U” (inside a single field)—these fourth letters (those paired with “U”) spell out STAR WARS:
Theme solutions:
- GINSU KNIFE (22A: Product that “can lower a slice of bread so skinny you possibly can virtually see by means of it,” in previous adverts) / 23D: “Properly, OK” (“SURE”)
- LETTUCE WRAPS (34A: Bunless cookout entrees) / 8D: Dew, for instance (MOISTURE)
- IRS AUDITS (44A: Guide opinions of kinds?) / 45D: The Masters host metropolis (AUGUSTA)
- BEGRUDGING (52A: Given reluctantly) / 53D: Countrylike (RUSTIC)
- BLOW-UP DOLL (87A: Companion who may take your breath away?) / 85D: Huge title in organs (WURLITZER)
- AD NAUSEAM (97A: Again and again) / 93D: Routes throughout low waters (CAUSEWAYS)
- VITRUVIAN MAN (107A: Well-known Leonardo da Vinci drawing with 4 arms and 4 legs) / 102D: Simply what the physician ordered? (DRUG)
- SENSUALITY (122A: Steaminess) / 123D: Sport that takes place in a dohyo (SUMO)
Phrase of the Day: SHISO (46D: Minty herb utilized in Japanese delicacies) —
Perilla frutescens var. crispa, additionally identified by its Japanese title shiso (紫蘇), is a cultigen of Perilla frutescens, a herb within the mint household Lamiaceae. It’s native to the mountainous areas of China and India, however is now discovered worldwide. The plant happens in a number of kinds, as outlined by the traits of their leaves, together with purple, inexperienced, bicolor, and ruffled. Shiso is perennial and could also be cultivated as an annual in temperate climates. Completely different elements of the plant are utilized in East Asian and Southeast Asian delicacies. […] Shiso (紫蘇) is extensively utilized in Japanese delicacies. Purple, inexperienced, and bicolor varieties are used for various functions. (wikipedia)
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| [My actual living room] |
As somebody who finds this “vacation” corny and obnoxious … yeah, this was not the puzzle for me. The entire MAY THE FOURTH BE WITH YOU pun is like one thing that type of makes you smile the primary time you hear it, possibly, however … each rattling 12 months now, everybody reproducing this drained pun AD NAUSEAM. Why would you give IP its personal vacation? PI DAY is much less grating, and that’s … saying one thing. On a technical degree, although, this puzzle is fairly spectacular. Neither THE FORCE nor THE FOURTH is actually “with U,” however STAR WARS is, and all the time within the “fourth” place, too. I’d say “it should’ve been difficult to seek out solutions that match these parameters,” however these days I determine somebody simply wrote a chunk of code or in any other case let some type of software program do the answer-hunting. Nonetheless, good contact to get the “+U” pairs all into the fourth squares. I really did not even discover that bit till after I used to be performed—I simply thought it was a STAR WARS tribute, and that the “fourth” solely had which means in relation to the precise calendar date. Good to find the “fourth sq.” angle in a while. However from a fixing perspective, there was nothing terribly enjoyable about this. It is a rebus puzzle that principally performs like a themeless. It is solidly constructed, nothing shaky about it. But it surely didn’t amuse me almost as a lot as I assume it’ll amuse followers of Star Wars. And puns. What was it John Oliver mentioned about puns? Oh, proper: “the bottom type of human conduct” (see yesterday’s puzzle): I do not fully agree … however I do not fully disagree, both.
Bizarre that the one “bonus” theme reply on this grid, on a day celebrating the Power / Fourth, is LORD VADER (81D: Time period of handle aboard the Demise Star). I Iove it as a standalone reply, however … “Could the Power be with you,” that is the phrase of the nice guys, the place are the nice guys? Foregrounding the Demise Star and never the Revolt—fascinating transfer. Do you know that (Luke) SKYWALKER and LORD VADER are the identical variety of letters? There isn’t any method SKYWALKER would’ve match on this grid with this set of themers, however possibly for those who used the Power you can make it work (and sure, nerds, I do know that Darth Vader is additionally a SKYWALKER (Anakin Skywalker, Luke’s father (spoiler alert)), so SKYWALKER doesn’t essentially stability out the Darkish Aspect—however the clue may very well be Luke-specific). I am simply saying {that a} actual Jedi would’ve discovered a technique to overcome, or no less than stability out, the Darkish Aspect, as a substitute of permitting LORD VADER to march proper by means of the center of the grid, unopposed. Semihilarious (if not SEMISONIC) that OBI-WAN and KENOBI and LEIA and HAN and even WOOKIEE have appeared within the grid many occasions earlier than … however not at present. At the moment, we debut LORD VADER. I assume ANI (younger Vader’s nickname) all the time was probably the most annoyingly persistent Star Wars-related reply of the bunch. Oh nicely, possibly HE-MAN’s right here to characterize the Rebels (25A: Toon fighter of Skeletor). Use the Power, HE-MAN! (now there is a crossover for you!)
The remedy was very simple at present, although for some insane purpose the puzzle determined to place its two most obscure (to me) solutions proper subsequent to one another, making for one small however barely scary patch, simply off-center: SHISO alongside ARTUR. LOL that I’d know something about fashionable boxing. ARTUR Beterbiev was lately, and briefly, gentle heavyweight champion (’24-’25)—he bought beat by another Russian dude, in Riyadh, earlier this 12 months. This may increasingly as nicely all have been taking place on Mars, so far as I am involved. 100 years in the past, boxing was massively fashionable and everybody would’ve identified champion boxers’ names. At the moment, uh, no (51D: Boxer Beterbiev). As for SHISO, even trying it up did not assist a lot. A number of its use in Japanese delicacies seems to be as a garnish, or a coloring agent. However it’s common, so I’ve no complaints about its crossworthiness. Completely happy to be taught a brand new culinary time period (even when I am doomed to overlook it pretty rapidly, in all probability). Anyway, that SHISO/ARTUR patch GOES HARD (critically, goes proper by means of GOES HARD)—hope the expression GOES HARD was acquainted to you; you may’ve been in fairly a repair.
Bullets:
- 26A: French title that is an anagram of a largely German river (HENRI) — I had HENRÔ (jk … although I do confuse these rivers nonetheless, embarrassingly, loads)
- 32A: Model with a line of “Calm + Restore” merchandise (AVEENO) — after an almost 3-year hiatus, AVEENO makes its second look of Could (and as we all know from this puzzle, Could is barely 4 days previous)
- 79A: Dangerous spot for a tear, briefly (ACL) — was studying this as “tear” (rhymes with “beer”), and pondering, “… your EYE?”
- 87A: Companion who may take your breath away? (BLO[W-U]P DOLL) — are we gonna discuss this? “Companion”? “Take your breath away?” So that you’re out of breath … due to your BLOW-UP DOLL? I’ve … questions. I am not going to ask them, as a result of I do not essentially need solutions. However I nonetheless have questions.
- 118A: Invasive Japanese vine (KUDZU) — no-looked this child as a result of the “D” and “Z” have been already in place, what else was it gonna be. KUDZU is a really helpful metaphor for something that proliferates undesirably. “In Europe, kudzu has been included since 2016 on the checklist of Invasive Alien Species of Union concern (the Union checklist). Which means that this species can’t be imported, cultivated, transported, commercialized, planted, or deliberately launched into the surroundings anyplace within the European Union.“ (wikipedia)
- 9D: A nemesisssssss to Indiana Jones? (ASP) — we’re in the midst of a two-part Love Boat episode set in Egypt the place one of many characters is the lowest-rent Indy knock-off you have ever seen. Like, a porn-movie Indiana Jones. They spent possibly 10 bucks on his wardrobe, and made him go unshaven for a couple of days, and voila—anthropologist-adventurer. You see, Doc has come by this golden ankh, which an out-of-breath man gave to him at a bazaar, and it seems it in all probability was a part of some mummy’s tomb, and now porn-Indy and Dynasty‘s Catherine Oxenberg are each after the ankh, and each of them are maintaining their intentions hidden, and one or each of them may be dangerous guys, and all of that is taking place on a Nile river cruise that’s such an apparent knock-off of Demise on the Nile that there is really a Demise on the Nile joke in the episode. All within the Household‘s Jean Stapleton co-stars as Captain Stubing’s previous faculty buddy and new potential love curiosity. Oh, and Rhoda‘s Valerie Harper additionally co-stars as a high-school historical past trainer who will get the hots for her former pupil (now 25) who simply occurs to be on this small Nile river cruise. She’ll find yourself again together with her loser husband (the Love Boat is, in the long run, for all its ambient bikini-clad bottoms, a very conservative present), however for the second … issues are trying thrilling for Rhoda.
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| [John Astin is there too, somehow] |
- 111D: Piece of improv (SKIT) — I ponder for those who all can discover a technique to struggle about what this phrase means at present, as so a lot of you probably did yesterday, and have performed previously (“SNL segments are ‘sketches,’ not SKITs! Any individual inform the editor!”)
- 3D: Poems additionally fancily often called quatorzains (SONNETS) — nobody calls them this, fancily (!?) or in any other case. I really like “fancy” literary terminology, however except you are French, nobody however nobody is saying this. In actual fact, ahem: “When [quatorzain] is used, it’s to tell apart fourteen-line poems that do not observe the varied guidelines which describe the sonnet” (my emph.) (wikipedia) (“quatorze” is Fr. for “fourteen,” btw).
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
