Constructor: Joe Rodini
Relative issue: Simple
THEME: FOOD FIGHT (38A: Cafeteria shout which may provoke the strikes at 17-, 26-, 54- and 64-Throughout) — phrases which are [food] + [synonym for “hit, as in a fight”]
Theme solutions:
- FRUIT PUNCH (17A: Ladled social gathering drink)
- CORNBELT (26A: The Midwest states, agriculturally talking)
- LAMBCHOP (54A: Bone-in lower whose title grew to become an endearment)
- BANANA SLUG (64A: Brilliant yellow creature that strikes about 6.5 inches per minute)
Phrase of the Day: Fairhair dynasty (25D: King in Norway’s Fairhair dynasty = OLAF I) —
The Fairhair dynasty (Norwegian: Hårfagreætta) was a household of kings based by Harald I of Norway (generally referred to as “Harald Fairhair”, Haraldr inn hárfagri) which united and dominated Norway with few interruptions from the latter half of the ninth century. Within the conventional view, this lasted till 1387, nevertheless, some fashionable students view this rule as lasting solely three generations, ending with Harald Greycloak within the late tenth century. The moniker “Fairhair dynasty” is a retrospective development: of their lifetime what little traces there are discuss with them constantly as “Ynglings“. // The Fairhair Dynasty is historically thought to be the primary royal dynasty of the united kingdom of Norway. It was based by Harald I of Norway, referred to as Haraldr hinn hárfagri (Harald Fairhair or Finehair), the primary King of Norway (versus “in Norway”), who defeated the final resisting petty kings on the Battle of Hafrsfjord in 872. […] It’s undisputed that later kings, till Magnus IV (Magnus the Blind, r. 1130–1135 and 1137–1139), have been descended from Harald Hardrada: the ‘Hardrada dynasty’. Nevertheless, some fashionable historians doubt whether or not Harald III or his predecessors Olaf Tryggvason, Olaf II and Magnus the Good have been in actual fact descended from Harald Fairhair […] Students now think about the Fairhair dynasty not less than partly the product of medieval invention. (wikipedia)
• • •
Effectively this was Monday straightforward, easy-Monday straightforward, till the SW, the place I made one oddly consequential mistake—I made my chop PORK as an alternative of LAMB. The perils of backing into a solution. LAMB by no means occurred to me. See CHOP, write PORK. Now hastily there are baseball clues I can not get!? (55D: George ___, M.L.B. participant with batting titles in three completely different many years). LOL George BRETT performed within the coronary heart of my baseball card-collecting adolescence, however I used to be looking at OkayR-T- and had no thought who the participant in query might be. How may I by no means have heard of a ballplayer who was that good a hitter, for that lengthy!? (A: I could not—I simply had an error). Compounding issues down there was the truth that I held again the final letter of OLAF I as a result of who the hell is aware of what number of OLAFs there are or what they did or after they lived. And that lacking “I” was not less than a part of the rationale I could not get 41A: Proctor’s cue (BEGIN). Normally, once I consider proctors (esp. in crosswords), they’re calling “time.” I by no means take into consideration them truly *beginning* the check. So I did not have BEGIN, which meant I did not have the primary letters of all these Downs within the SW, which meant I took longer than I ought to should pry free my PORK error. Oh, additionally in that nook, I am speculated to know a “Co.” with a “Ebook Evaluate” podcast. That is its title “Ebook Evaluate” podcast?!?! Not solely have I by no means heard of it, the title is so generic that I do not perceive how you do not name it one thing else, or why you’ll *ever* use it in a clue for NYT. Does the Instances suppose it is the one publication that has a ebook overview—the one one which critiques … books? Is the present not doing nicely and they also’re utilizing the crossword to plug it? Such a bizarre clue alternative, given how transparently straightforward all of the cluing outdoors the SW nook was. Anyway, I do not bear in mind the remainder of the puzzle, because it required nearly no effort. I bear in mind solely my bloody wrestle on PORK CHOP hill.
OK, I bear in mind just a little about the remainder of the puzzle. What I bear in mind primarily is considering “this puzzle feels outdated.” Any puzzle that opens with AMCS, Jamie FARR, and SRI appears nearly deliberately retro. Jamie FARR! You used to see him on a regular basis, due to M*A*S*H, which was very talked-about. In true, belated NYTXW style, FARR’s grid reputation appears to have peaked instantly *after* M*A*S*H went off the air—so, within the mid-’80s. That reputation continued by means of the early Shortz period, however subsequently waned. Now you see him 0-1 occasions / yr. I would not have blinked at his title however he got here in an preliminary barrage of stale stuff, so his oldenness stood out. You have additionally obtained CAPN ABUT EMO … the aforementioned OLAF … a playground retort (“the bottom type of crossword fill,” per me) … not loads up entrance that’s inspiring actual confidence within the high quality of the fill. However to be truthful, none of it’s disastrous, both. It is very satisfactory, very acquainted. Too acquainted for my tastes, however satisfactory. And the mid-range fill (all of the 7-letter stuff) appears fairly strong. As for the theme, it appears like one thing I’ve seen, however perhaps not. The themers make a strong set, given how slim the parameters of the theme are. These first phrases are all “meals,” and people second phrases are all issues one may do in a “struggle,” so … mission achieved. It is type of cute, actually. I simply want the grid had just a little extra, uh, punch, general.
From a purely aesthetic standpoint, I just like the SE nook finest. One thing a couple of NUCLEAR HYDRA excites me, as does the vivid RED CLAY of Roland-Garros (46D: Courtroom floor on the French Open), and the rollicking verb CAROUSE (47D: Go on a pub crawl, say). Bought just a little apprehensive about that final reply at first, questioning why you’ll be utilizing your CAR- to get round throughout a pub crawl—looks like a really unhealthy thought. However then, it seems, no vehicles concerned. All pub-crawl CAROUSE-ing performed, appropriately (and safely), on foot. Nonetheless loving NUCLEAR HYDRA. Appears like an ideal tacky band title, or a really superior D&D monster. Not quite a lot of good that broadswords, halberds and slingshots are gonna do in opposition to a NUCLEAR HYDRA, I am afraid. Run away!
Bullets:
- 72A: “Two swimming pools of sunshine, a mirror vivid,” in generative A.I. poetry (EYES) — unsure what this clue thinks it is doing. Why is it “generative A.I. poetry”? As a result of it is corny? That is an oddly cavalier and ignorant clue. Like, A.I. sucks in so some ways, however it could actually do poetry higher than this. That is extra like how any hack poet may’ve written at any time in human historical past. Since A.I. steals from all poetry that is ever been written, it has a exceptional potential to supply verse that, whereas soulless, is much extra subtle than this cliché tripe. I simply do not suppose “in generative A.I. poetry” is a coherent factor. It does not work as a descriptor. There isn’t a coherent world of “A.I. poetry”; we don’t all perceive the identical factor once we see this phrase. I assume the puzzle is making an attempt to sound “fashionable,” however they’re doing a reasonably unhealthy job of it. I assumed the thought was going to be that A.I. makes quite a lot of dumb errors (which it completely does—when you’ve had greater than a passing expertise with Google’s horrific “A.I. Overview,” you realize this). So my first reply right here was AYES. I used to be making an attempt to make the “in generative A.I. poetry” make any type of sense. Foolish me.
- 34A: Blanket draping a mountain at daybreak (MIST) — seems my mind has an order of operations in terms of issues blanketing mountains. First is SNOW. Then DEW (the “daybreak” actually needs DEW). Then … nothing, actually. I needed to piece collectively MIST from crosses. “A blanket of MIST“—yeah, I can hear that. But it surely did not come to me simply whereas fixing (one of many few solutions that did not).
- 64A: Brilliant yellow creature that strikes about 6.5 inches per minute (BANANA SLUG) — fascinating transfer, not utilizing UC Santa Cruz within the clue. I determine that is how most individuals know the BANANA SLUG exists in any respect (it is their mascot). My stepbrother went there, as did a few folks I went to graduate college with. It was the very first college I obtained into, and despite the fact that I did not significantly need to go there (if solely as a result of my stepbrother had already gone there), I do bear in mind feeling an awesome sense of reduction that some faculty, any faculty, had accepted me. The college reached peak popular culture fame when Vincent wore a UC Santa Cruz BANANA SLUGs t-shirt in Pulp Fiction (it was an emergency clothes state of affairs—he and Jules obtained blood and brains and stuff throughout their good fits).
 |
| [I own the shirt on the right—a scene from George Herriman’s “Krazy Kat” (Ignatz hitting Krazy with a brick as Offissa Pupp looks on)] |
See you subsequent time, which is to say, Friday. I’ve a (routine) medical process tomorrow and I’ve scheduled two days of substitutes simply so I can have a really lazy restoration. Rafa and Mali will take excellent care of you within the meantime.
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
