Dessert cocktail with crème de cacao / MON 5-12-25 / Scottish archipelago west of Norway / Famous painter of soup cans / Jazz singer’s improvised syllables / What the circle on the Japanese flag represents / Basic board recreation with the Peppermint Forest and Lollipop Lane

Constructor: Christina Iverson

Relative issue: Simple (solved Downs-only)

THEME: ANDY (56D: Boy’s identify … or the way you would possibly describe 17-, 34-, 42- or 59-Throughout?) — the solutions have two “AND”s in them … so they’re “AND”-Y (that’s, they’re rife with “AND”s—”-Y” is an adjectival suffix, as in, say, “minty“)

Theme solutions:

• BRANDY ALEXANDER (17A: Dessert cocktail with crème de cacao)
• CANDYLAND (34A: Basic board recreation with the Peppermint Forest and Lollipop Lane)
• HANDSTAND (42A: Transfer from an acrobat or breakdancer)
• SHETLAND ISLANDS (59A: Scottish archipelago west of Norway)

Phrase of the Day: SHETLAND ISLANDS (59A) —

Shetland (till 1975 spelled Zetland), additionally known as the Shetland Islands, is an archipelago in Scotland mendacity between Orkney, the Faroe Islands, and Norway, marking the northernmost area of the United Kingdom. The islands lie about 50 miles (80 kilometres) to the northeast of Orkney, 110 mi (170 km) from mainland Scotland and 140 mi (220 km) west of Norway. They kind a part of the border between the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the North Sea to the east. The island’s space is 1,467 km² (566 sq mi) and the inhabitants totalled 23,020 in 2022. The islands comprise the Shetland constituency of the Scottish Parliament. The islands’ administrative centre, largest settlement and solely burgh is Lerwick, which has been the capital of Shetland since 1708, earlier than which period the capital was Scalloway. Attributable to its location it’s accessible solely by ferry or flight with an airport situated in Sumburgh in addition to a port and emergency airstrip in Lerwick. […] From the tenth to fifteenth centuries, the islands fashioned a part of the Kingdom of Norway. In 1472, the Parliament of Scotland absorbed the Lordship of Shetland into the Kingdom of Scotland, following the failure to pay a dowry promised to James III of Scotland by the household of his bride, Margaret of Denmark. […] Many areas on the islands have been put aside to guard the native fauna and flora, together with numerous necessary seabird nesting websites. The Shetland pony and Shetland Sheepdog are two well-known Shetland animal breeds. Different animals with native breeds embody the Shetland sheep, cow, goose, and duck. The Shetland pig, or grice, has been extinct since about 1930. (wikipedia)

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An especially straightforward Downs-only clear up that made me chortle on the finish. Effectively, chuckle. OK, perhaps simply grin. The purpose is that I didn’t perceive that revealer at first … after which I did, and thought it was cute. In my first try to grasp the theme, all I noticed was the primary “AND” string in every reply, and whereas two of these had been, actually, a part of “ANDY” (BRANDY ALEXANDER, CANDYLAND), the others … weren’t. And so I did not get it. Why “ANDY” twice, however then, after that, “ANDS” (HANDSTAND) and “ANDI” (SHETLAND ISLAND). Clearly “AND” is necessary, however what is the “Y” acquired to do with it? Finally I someway noticed the second “AND”s within the themers after which realized how I used to be presupposed to interpret the revealer (punnily!). ANDY? Characterised by ANDs. Rife with ANDs. ANDful. Having two “AND” letter strings in every reply, by itself, not that fascinating, however with the foolish revealer? Mwah. Nice. It additionally helps that the theme solutions are robust all on their very own, no matter their thematic relevance. BRANDY ALEXANDER and SHETLAND ISLANDS can be worthy additions to any grid. I additionally like UNDERDRESS (27D: Present as much as a gala in a T-shirt). The puzzle is just a little heavy on the crosswordese / repeaters, and nobody is ever going to persuade me that TADAS journey in packs (64A: Magicians’ cries), however general that is polished and intelligent and really Monday-appropriate.

Love the little wink the puzzle provides you with (Andy!) WARHOL (29D: Famous painter of soup cans). Do you know Andy WARHOL was on the final season of The Love Boat? (Season 9, Episode 3, 1985). It is true. I do not bear in mind a lot in regards to the episode besides that Andy had only a few strains and a weird entourage, and Marion Ross (aka Mrs. C from Completely satisfied Days) performed a lady who had as soon as been a part of Andy’s complete artwork scene however had since gone on to be some sort of midwestern housewife. And he or she simply occurred to be on the identical cruise as Andy! What a coincidence! After all she’s been hiding her freaky New York art-world previous from her husband as a result of she thinks it is embarrassing, or she thinks he’d discover it shameful, but when I bear in mind accurately, she finally ends up telling her husband all about it and he understands; I imply, after all he understands, he is Tom Bosley—Mr. C from Completely satisfied Days! Married on Completely satisfied Days, married on The Love Boat! What an influence couple.

No hassle with the Downs-only clear up. Solely solutions that gave me pause had been END AT (30D: Go till), and, for some cause, RITE (55D: Formal ceremony). I used to be considering “formal” extra within the celebration sense—GALA or FÊTE. I additionally hesitated at ON TAP as a result of that reply, with that clue, appeared prefer it ought to simply be TAP (37D: Various to bottled). That is as a result of I used to be considering water, not beer. “Bottled or TAP?” is a query I’ve gotten re: water many occasions at eating places. But when we’re speaking beer, which we apparently are, then sure, “ON TAP” is the suitable “different” to “bottled.”