Hopper of Hollywood / THU 5-22-25 / Movie editor ___ Allen / Nineties Israeli president Weizman / A, to a Frankfurter / Olympic diver’s pleasure, perhaps / Aphorism in regards to the impact of sudden wealth / Nationwide park with a working sled canine kennel / Cardio train program / Biblical determine seen within the sauna?

However this is the beauty of *this* theme … Typically once you get a revealer early like this, the entire puzzle opens up and all of the themers turn out to be clear. I do know I’ve proven you all numerous occasions after I’ve gotten the revealer early after which gone round and stuffed Each Single One of many theme solutions in with no additional assist. Effectively … not in the present day. At this time, regardless of having the revealer in hand, every certainly one of themers remained a novel and attention-grabbing wrestle. I had the important thing, however I had to determine find out how to make the important thing work in every case. I needed to know the foreign money concerned, to start with (completely forgot the COLON, regardless of having vacationed in Costa Rica earlier than!), and second of all, I needed to work out the bottom phrase after which do the “all” / foreign money transformation (or, as occurred a pair occasions, discover the foreign money utilizing the crosses I already had in place after which mentally change it with “all” so as to get the bottom phrase). Getting the themer early did not imply that the puzzle out of the blue grew to become boring. Every themer required consideration. Fairly cool that each the bottom phrases and the grid phrases are completely strong, precise solutions. And the grid was clear general, with neither a ton of trivia nor a ton of crossword arcana. An excellent puzzle from an previous professional.

The most important wrestle, as typical, got here within the NW (I’m wondering what number of paragraphs I’ve began with that precise sentence, or one thing near it—no matter, true is true, gotta inform the reality). The x-referenced ACID / BASE ought to’ve helped me, however did the alternative, as I may consider nothing for 1A: It burns besides RASH, a solution I bought as a result of in contrast to most solvers (I am guessing), my first thought for 4D: Hopper of Hollywood was HEDDA. Been listening to method too many “You Should Keep in mind This…” episodes, I suppose. HEDDA Hopper was a Hollywood gossip columnist of large affect within the mid-Twentieth century. HEDDA would not match, however since RASH appeared presumably proper, I did not pull HEDDA, however moderately assumed (as a result of it is Thursday) that one thing difficult was happening … perhaps there is a clean sq. in her title … for some motive. Possibly we’ll add a letter or her title will probably be leaping one thing, I dunno, some bizarre Thursday stuff. Fortunately, I knew sufficient to desert that space totally and transfer on, and fortunately the world I moved to had the primary a part of the revealer in it (see partially-filled grid, above). As soon as I bought the theme, I made far fewer errors. EINS for EINE (20A: A, to a Frankfurter). CAWL (?) for COWL (38A: Brother hood?). EDER for EZER (64A: Nineties Israeli president Weizman). No concept who this DEDE individual is (67A: Movie editor ___ Allen), however I do not really feel too dangerous about that, and fortunately the crosses down there within the SE had been all completely honest. EZER / DEDE looks like an unlucky / robust title stack (it was robust for me), however … crosses! They’re magical! (OK, as a solver, I do not really feel dangerous about not realizing DEDE Allen, however as a film lover, I do now kinda really feel dangerous—she was thrice Academy Award-nominated (for Canine Day Afternoon (1975), Reds (1981), and Surprise Boys (2000)).

Bullet factors:

• 1D: Olympic diver’s pleasure, perhaps (ABS) — I do not assume you get factors for good abs. I imply, sure, divers are typically reduce, but when I had been an Olympic diver, I might most likely take pleasure in my … diving? Anybody can get “good” ABS, however Olympic diver? That looks like a distinction worthy of pleasure.
• 5D: Help for a glass (MAT) — I checked out this clue a number of occasions, and a number of occasions I noticed [Sport for a tumbler]. My mind simply locked into the misinterpret and wouldn’t let go. Bah.
• 22D: Title that aptly completes the lacking letters in Th_r__n (UMA) — cute, however I do not know if “aptly” actually applies. It is extra bizarre structural coincidence than “aptness.” 

• 66A: Seeded #1, say (ON TOP) — I suppose … nonetheless, this appears off, although. In sports activities, ON TOP simply does not imply this. You are solely ON TOP when you’re actually ranked #1 or you might be truly profitable (a recreation, a match, a event, no matter). You’d say somebody was the “prime” seed, however … I do know I am being choosy right here, however I simply do not just like the match of this particular clue for ON TOP. So many different legitimate, probably colourful, and (to my ear) extra in-the-language methods to go. I did, nonetheless, like that this reply inadvertently tells you the place to search for the revealer (it is the one theme aspect that appears to be out of symmetry, however when you learn it like secret instructions to the revealer, then … voila, symmetry!)
• 8D: Biblical determine seen within the sauna? (ESAU) —whoa. Cryptic clue. ESAU is actually discovered within the phrase “thE SAUna.” Imagining solvers at house going “… I do not … do not forget that? ESAU is … furry … he is a twin … offered his birthright … however, when did he take a sauna?”

See you subsequent time.

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

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