Engagement, quaintly / TUE 4-8-25 / Consciousness of physique place, scientifically / Bluffer’s exercise / Sánchez who wrote “I Am Not Your Good Mexican Daughter” / Hottest sport in New Zealand / Company doings wherein one’s boss might change / Caribbean locale with the slogan “One Glad Island” / Trendy pastry portmanteau / Mexican dish made with pal masa / Huge Ten sch. whose fundamental campus is in Glad Valley

Constructor: Barbara Lin

Relative problem: Medium (regular Tuesday)

THEME: CHIPS IN (37A: Contributes to a gaggle reward … or a touch to 17-, 22-, 48- and 54-Throughout) — there are CHIPS IN the entire theme solutions:

Theme solutions:

• TOLLHOUSE COOKIE (17A: Deal with from a recipe printed on a Nestlé bundle) (chocolate chips)
• POKER GAME (22A: Bluffer’s exercise) (poker chips)
• TACO SALAD (48A: Crunchy Tex-Mex bowl) (tortilla chips)
• DESKTOP COMPUTER (54A: Workplace workstation) (pc chips)

Phrase of the Day: TROTH (43A: Engagement, quaintly) —

1

: loyal or pledged faithfulness 
: constancy

2

: one’s pledged phrase

I do not bear in mind the small print or,
by my troth, even the gist—Stanley Elkin

• • •

The theme works simply positive. All of the chips are totally different (chocolate, poker, and so on.), and the revealer takes “chips” in a unique course nonetheless (since it is a verb and never a noun), so the core of this puzzle may be very strong. “Good bones,” I believe, is the expression. However the non-bones? That was rougher. A lot, a lot rougher. The entire grid felt thick with the form of fill that was fairly commonplace 30+ years in the past however now looks like sludge. Most of it was straightforward for me to get via, since I began fixing 30+ years in the past, however oof, in case you are underneath 50, I do not know the way you understand T. Boone Pickens. I barely know him. The one cause I do know him is due to crosswords. Fairly positive he was my Phrase of the Day, method again when. The very time period “OILMAN” feels prefer it’s from the time when Dallas was on the air (and earlier). But when that have been the one throwback, I would not care. It is all the opposite stuff, the abnormal however regrettable stuff that you just’re supposed to attenuate, not strew far and extensive a la Johnny Appleseed (whoever that’s). From EST ROO proper up prime to “USE ME” (?) down under, wow, it is lots. And the quaintness—it burns! EKE! ERE! EENSY!? (at the very least it isn’t TEENTSY, I suppose, however that is chilly consolation). After which the quaintest of all of them: TROTH. Argh, TROTH. TROTH was in some way worse than TROTH wanted to be in that it was clued in a method that even I, an erstwhile medievalist who is aware of very properly what the phrase “to plight one’s TROTH” means, couldn’t make sense of it. You may see the definition, above (Phrase of the Day). I do know the time period as “one’s pledged faithfulness,” or “one’s phrase.” It is solely on the backside of the definition that you just get “see additionally: BETROTHAL” … which clearly has “TROTH” proper in it, however that did not assist. It did not assist as a result of the phrase “Engagement” is deeply ambiguous. I used to be pondering “appointment,” after which “interplay” (as in once you interact with different folks, or studying materials, or an app, or no matter). Was *not* pondering marriage ceremony. So it is obtained the quaintness (which we’re already drowning in) plus the “backside of the definition” facet, plus the ambiguous clue phrase—you are not speculated to name consideration to your regrettable fill this manner. 

This puzzle went from “Straightforward” to “Medium” on account of one smallish part of the grid: the half the place the underside half of KINESTHESIA (!?!?!) meets … no matter it meets (24D: Consciousness of physique place, scientifically). TROTH, as an illustration. Sure, the place KINESTHESIA meets TROTH is just about the epicenter of all my “struggles” right this moment. The one “Kines-” phrases I do know are KINESTHETIC after which the phrase I truly had right here for a time: KINESIOLOGY. That is the school main that I needed to search for after I was a university pupil as a result of I had no thought what it may very well be about. To be clear, my school didn’t provide this main, I believe I simply noticed that school athletes had this main (they used to announce their majors—they do not nonetheless do that, do they?). So I knew it was the examine of our bodies in movement, one thing like that. For this reason the KINES- was easyish however the remaining, hoo boy no. KINESIOLOGY made me retract ONE CUP, after which the entire nook seized up. Mistakenly thought “KHAN” was the non-Star Trek, Wrath of spelling, so wrote it in KAHN. Couldn’t get a deal with on RACKET as clued (44D: Hullabaloo). All this on prime of not getting the DESKTOP a part of DESKTOP COMPUTER instantly. Remainder of the puzzle was no hassle in any respect, however I positively slipped and fell and obtained up and slipped once more on this nook. 

One factor on this grid that did make me smile was [New York’s Mario CUOMO Bridge] (née Tappan Zee). Have you learnt how unbelievable it’s that the phrase CUOMO would make me smile!? Extraordinarily unbelievable. The one cause that reply introduced a smile to my face was that I simply drove throughout it (twice) on my method to (and from) Stamford, Connecticut for this previous weekend’s American Crossword Puzzle Event, which, as you understand (or at the moment are discovering out), I gained. Properly, we gained. Me and my spouse, Penelope Harper, us. We gained. Sure, I’m being severe. Pairs Division Champions. A trophy, a verify, the entire 9. Here is proof:

[The Sharpers!]

And here is proof:

[yeah, I posted this yesterday, gonna keep posting it, obnoxiously, forever]

However successful, nice because it was, was not even one of the best a part of the weekend. It was the folks. It is at all times the folks. I’m a not-so-secret introvert, however this match is the one place the place social interplay truly feels energizing and provoking, as a result of there are such a lot of folks simply blissful to see one another and hang around and speak store and meet new folks, put names with faces, and so on. It is really easy to work together with folks right here and (you will get bored with listening to about it if you happen to ask folks in regards to the match, nevertheless it’s true), everyone seems to be So Good. It is like folks weirdly turn into one of the best variations of themselves at this match. I do know I did. I had extra conversations this previous weekend than I’ve had (save my spouse, cats and college students) in in all probability the previous yr. Full-on. Continuous. However at all times enjoyable. I can’t advocate the expertise sufficient, it doesn’t matter what stage you are at. For those who’re dedicated sufficient (and dorky sufficient) to be studying this weblog publish, you are prepared. And do not say “I will not know anybody.” That can change immediately. You have by no means met a hotter, extra welcoming group of individuals, I promise. The Pairs Division solvers weren’t in the principle ballroom, however have been divided amongst a number of totally different basement rooms, and I can’t inform you how a lot enjoyable our room was (I maintain saying “enjoyable,” sorry). We hit it off instantly with the groups sitting each behind and straight in entrance of us (hello Shannon, Brad, Pam, Casey). Kristian Home and Narayan Venkatasubramanyan ran our room (distributing / amassing puzzles and so on.) and the vibe was so unfastened and low-key and pleasant. I already miss my Pairs room. So much! Then I met different groups from different rooms, like Zhou and Mallory, who had matching Hawaiian shirts so you may not miss them:

[nicely posed]

[less composed]

So blissful to see so many individuals. We met this couple within the bar (Melinda, Rob) and appreciated them a lot that we simply stayed and ate dinner within the bar with them after which later I virtually begged them to be our pals irl. We’ll see how that goes over, LOL. However the entire weekend was like this. Met (or re-met) so many constructors: Adrian Johnson, Alina Abidi, Kareem Ayas, Adam Wagner, John Lieb, Claire Rimkus, Sid Sivakumar, Tracy Grey, Sarah Sinclair, Paolo Pasco (who repeated as Champion!), and on and on. Oh, and the nice Wyna Liu (if you happen to play Connections, you understand …). I might met her earlier than, however I hadn’t seen her in a few years and it was past pretty to see her once more (and see her getting consideration from adoring followers). Sorry to gush, nevertheless it was the best weekend I’ve had in a while. Possibly one of the best social expertise since earlier than COVID, no joke. Apologies to everybody I did not point out (so many individuals I did not point out, together with all of my *precise* longtime pals, lol, hello guys). Doug Peterson! Angela Halsted! Rachel Fabi! Aimee Lucido! Robyn Weintraub! Dan Feyer! Tony Orbach! Lauren Muse Smith!!!! Now I am simply shouting names! However critically, you must go. For those who like xwords sufficient to learn a damned weblog about them, you must go. Or go to a unique match nearer to you. There are at the very least three extra main tournaments in different elements of the nation between now and subsequent yr’s ACPT. I am going to be sure you promote them. OK bye!

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

[Follow Rex Parker on BlueSky and Facebook]