Juvenile locust / SUN 4-20-25 / Peach or plum, botanically / Little flap, possibly / Hotheaded liberal politico who’s keen to listen to? / Dam close to the Philae Temple of Isis / Plant that was a top-five lady’s identify within the Seventies / Smitten particular person’s declaration / “Suh-weet! I like this sandwich cookie!”? / Group that Tiger hires to put in wall artwork? / Make-up of some metallic bonds

Ian Joseph Somerhalder ( SUM-ər-hawl-dər; born December 8, 1978) is an American former actor and present enterprise proprietor. He’s identified for enjoying Boone Carlyle in ABC‘s science fiction journey drama tv collection Misplaced (2004–2010) and Damon Salvatore within the CW supernatural teen drama collection The Vampire Diaries (2009–2017). (wikipedia)

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My mind feels prefer it’s melting—is that actually the way you spell “DEMAGOG”—I might’ve sworn there was a “-ue” on the tip of it. [Looks it up] Oh thank god. I am right. In response to merriam-webster dot com, “DEMAGOGUE” is the spelling—beneath “variants” it says “much less generally DEMAGOG.” I would say “means much less generally.” That reply was most likely the hurtiest of the lot, not simply because DEMAGOG was spelled bizarrely, however as a result of nothing within the clue actually indicated demagoguery in any respect. Being a “hot-headed politico” doesn’t make you a DEMAGOG(UE). For sure, the theme sort of went off the rails for me there. The remainder of it meandered from fantastic to ordinary to awkward. Among the theme solutions appeared fairly snappy (POST POSTAGE AGE, MAD MADISON IS ON, SPAMS SPAMALOT A LOT), however some had been simply too contrived to be humorous (WOODS WOODSCREW CREW) or simply sort of blah (PRO PROCURES CURES—”PRO” appears very weak as a stand in for “Pharmacist”). Had some hassle with “WHOO! WHOOPIE PIE!” principally as a result of “WHOO!” does not actually observe (for me) as a “Suh-weet!” stand-in. “Woo hoo!” is the expression I used to be on the lookout for (the truth that I stay beneath the deep and abiding affect of Homer Simpson could have one thing to do with that). I additionally have not seen / considered a WHOOPIE PIE in years. Many years? Folks nonetheless eat these? The one “sandwich cookie” I do know is, properly, you understand.

The puzzle was fairly straightforward total, although a few of these themers had been exhausting to parse (even if they need to’ve been *simpler* to parse than traditional, given the repetitive nature of the theme). And a number of the fill at this time proved a bit of elusive. The one which held me up essentially the most was DANAE (118A: Mom of Perseus). I take care of classical mythology so much in my courses, however by some means DANAE by no means comes up. Is she well-known for anything apart from being Perseus’s mom? Nope, not likely. That reply was within the thick of the hardest part for me, connecting PETDOOR (exhausting to get from clue) (101D: Little flap, possibly) to URACIL (109D: RNA base). However once I say this part was “the hardest” for me at this time, it actually wasn’t that robust. None of it was. I needed to work a bit of, that is all. I suppose I needed to work a bit of over within the E/SE as properly, the place ABODE had a actually tough clue (96A: Liver spot?) (i.e. the spot … the place one … lives), and ADVENTURE appeared prefer it needed to be … one thing else (90D: Thrill-seeker’s pursuit). I used to be contemplating ADRENALIN. And ugh, that part had that horrible manosphere “thought” “chief” man in it, why, why, why would you do this? Nobody needs that. Sadly, there aren’t another suitably well-known ROGANs you may go to for that clue. It is both use the podcast man or tear it out and refill the grid another means. I believe you understand what means I would lean.

[102A: Smitten person’s declaration]

I learn the clue (3D: E mail period?), took one have a look at the title (at all times a good suggestion on Sundays), and in went POST POSTAGE AGE. Having the core idea locked down made the remainder of the themers a lot simpler, even when, often, they had been bizarre sufficient to flummox me for a bit. Exterior of the aforementioned DANAE and ABODE sections, the one a part of the puzzle that felt considerably exhausting to get ahold of was the aforementioned DEMAGOG, which had each BILOBA and STREGA operating by it. I attempted to spell BILOBA every kind of the way: BILBAO? BILBOA? I really feel like Ginkgo BILOBA was once, like a stylish complement for some time? Within the ’90s? Is it nonetheless? It is supposed to assist with reminiscence or one thing. (52D: Ginkgo ___ (tree species)). If solely there was a complement that would assist me keep in mind … right here, I will use my favourite complement: the web [click click click]. Sure, “mind complement.” “The European Medicines Company Committee on Natural Medicinal Merchandise concluded that medicines containing ginkgo leaf can be utilized for treating delicate age-related dementia and delicate peripheral vascular illness in adults after critical situations have been excluded by a doctor” (wikipedia). As for STREGA, I made it my Phrase of the Day, not too way back, and that … kinda helped (62D: “___ Nona” (kids’s ebook primarily based on a people story)). I nonetheless needed mistaken phrases at first: STRADA, possibly? Nonetheless not loving STREGA as a solution, however a minimum of this time it did not take me fully abruptly. 

Observations and explanations:

• 55A: Dam close to the Philae Temple of Isis (ASWAN) — this reply retains catching my eye and each time I believe “why is A SWAN” on this puzzle? How is that even being clued? … oh, proper, the dam.” 
• 70A: Transcend the opponent’s baseline, in tennis (OVERHIT) — solely simply debuted just a few years in the past (2019), although it appeared in a NYT acrostic just a few years earlier than that. “Baseline” is the instance of the factor being exceeded every time, apart from the one time it was [Send beyond the green, say]. I might’ve thought “OVERSHOOT” for golf, however golf’s not likely my factor, to say the least, so certain, golf too, why not? LOL once I google [overshoot the green] my first 5 hits are cryptic crossword clue clarification websites. However after these, sure, appears like “overshoot (the inexperienced)” is def an actual golf idea. (PS: the cryptic clue in query: [Overshoot the green badly, though not with the driver (9)]. Are you able to clear up it? Reply beneath*. 
• 112A: Plant that was a top-five lady’s identify within the Seventies (HEATHER) — by no means thought of it, however yeah, went to highschool with quite a lot of HEATHERs, and HEATHER Locklear and HEATHER Graham had been well-known actresses of roughly my age (a bit of older and a bit of youthful, respectively), however then, generally within the ’90s it appears like, the HEATHER (and Jennifer, and Amy) market collapsed, and the Brittany / Caitlin / Madison apocalypse started… 

• 129A: What very punctual folks arrive on (THE DOT) — very bizarre to have THE DOT not following a selected time. “I will be there on THE DOT!” What dot!?!?
• 6D: Sure queer id, for brief (ARO) — as in “aromantic.” 
• 16D: Make-up of some metallic bonds (ARCWELDS) — do not keep in mind this in any respect. Should’ve labored my means round it utilizing crosses. Should you arcweld, you weld utilizing an arc created by electrical energy.
• 45D: Juvenile locust (NYMPH) — ah, locust taxonomy! Lastly a topic I am an skilled in! (shouted somebody, presumably … however not me). 
• 85D: Peach or plum, botanically (DRUPE) — principally, a stone fruit. I discovered this phrase from crosswords … after which crosswords promptly stopped exhibiting it to me (it has been 17 years!!!!? and solely the second look within the final 34 years … this surprises me; actually thought the phrase was extra widespread)

[RAH, lol]

See you subsequent time.

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

P.S. Longtime constructor and all-around good man Natan Final has a ebook about crossword puzzles popping out later this 12 months referred to as Throughout the Universe: The Previous, Current and Way forward for the Crossword Puzzle. If I had an advance copy (trace trace!) I would be capable to inform you all about it. However I am fairly certain it is going to be good. We’re in a mini-boom interval for crossword books. Final 12 months we received Anna Schechtman’s great Riddles of the Sphinx: Inheriting the Feminist Historical past of the Crossword Puzzle, and now there’s Natan’s ebook (due out the day earlier than my birthday: Nov. 25, 2025)

My ebook Throughout the Universe: The Previous, Current, and Way forward for The Crossword Puzzle, is now out there for pre-order! Should you can, would you pre-order it by Bookshop, Books-A-Million, Barnes and Noble, or your native bookstore? 

Pre-orders assist books get consideration and stay a strong option to help authors. I have been fortunate to obtain an early blurb from Stefan Fatsis, the bestselling creator of Phrase Freak, who calls Throughout the Universe “a gridful of perception and pleasure … a deft and deep exploration of the crossword puzzle’s obsessive grip on American life.” 

Within the ebook, I’m going by the historical past of crosswords, beginning with the very first puzzles within the yellow journalism-tinged period of the 1910s, plus a postwar crossword craze during which fixing competitions, crossword musicals and flicks, and black-and-white-checkered outfits had been all the fad. I elaborate my very own historical past with the puzzle too, from combing by archives in Will Shortz’s basement to being invited onto a Martha Stewart episode devoted to puzzles (she stated she solved extra whereas she was in jail). All of the whereas, I observe how the puzzle’s id is consistently shifting—turning into, in numerous eras, a frivolous diversion, a literary and creative object (together with for a few of my very own writerly heroes like Gertrude Stein, Vladimir Nabokov, and T.S. Eliot), the most recent recreation for AI to overcome, and even a major income for the trendy newsroom. 

You’ll be able to learn excerpts from the ebook in The New Yorker and The New York Instances; the Instances piece is in regards to the function of video games in moments of disaster, and, sadly, is as related as ever. I will be having some occasions as soon as the ebook comes out, and I will maintain you posted on that. However for now, pre-order in case you can! 

• Cryptic a part of the clue: “Overshoot” = PASS; “inexperienced badly” = anagram of “inexperienced” = ENGER
• Definition a part of the clue: “not with the motive force” = within the automotive however not driving it = PASSENGER