Constructor: Andy Kravis
Relative problem: Straightforward
THEME: [body part] THE [noun] — acquainted phrases that observe this sample, with the physique half serving as a verb:
Theme solutions:
- FOOT THE BILL (18A: Pay for one thing costly)
- FACE THE MUSIC (26A: Confront disagreeable penalties)
- SHOULDER THE BLAME (40A: Take duty for a misdeed)
- BACK THE FIELD (49A: Guess on each competitor however one)
- TOES THE LINE (62A: Conforms to expectations)
Phrase of the Day: Stephen Vincent BENÉT (56D: Author Stephen Vincent ___) —
Stephen Vincent Benét (July 22, 1898 – March 13, 1943) was an American poet, quick story author, and novelist. He’s greatest identified for his book-length narrative poem of the American Civil Conflict, John Brown’s Physique (1928), for which he obtained the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, and for the quick tales “The Satan and Daniel Webster” (1936) and “By the Waters of Babylon” (1937). In 2009, The Library of America chosen his story “The King of the Cats” (1929) for inclusion in its two-century retrospective of American Unbelievable Tales edited by Peter Straub.
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It isn’t unusual for me to not look after a theme however discover a lot to like within the fill. Right now, world upside-down. I actually like this theme lots. Like yesterday’s, there’s a chic simplicity—it took some time for the gimmick to totally sink in, however someplace round SHOULDER it did, after which despite the fact that I had it, I used to be nonetheless left curious what physique components have been left to make becoming phrases with. There is a little bit of a cheat there on the finish with the pluralization of TOES (sure, you do have a number of toes, however you even have a number of ft, and shoulders (in all probability) and people seem right here within the singular). However that individual pluralization is a type of “mind notices, coronary heart does not care” moments you expertise when your good will towards a puzzle is simply too sturdy to permit nits to undermine it. However then there’s the fill, which … wasn’t a lot horrible because it was stunning (to me) in its old-fashionedness, its old-schoolness, its “play the OLDIES” vibe. So many issues that I’ve solely (and sometimes) seen in crosswords, issues I would not even know if crosswords did not exist, like the place OPORTO is and who Stephen Vincent BENÉT is. These correct nouns will give long-time solvers a leg up right this moment and, conversely, presumably make issues a bit slower going for individuals who’ve solely been fixing a number of years. However that is simply the tip of the repeater iceberg. IONE and ENLAI are hanging out collectively in a really small again sales space there within the NW, each of them her ACER laptop computer, for some cause. Cat movies, in all probability. In the meantime, in a close-by sales space, ALBEE and AHAB and BIL KEANE are soberly discussing the EEC (gonna give BIL a cross right this moment since he seems in full-name type, although—that takes him out of the routine class) (uh oh, simply seen that BIL crosses BILL. Judges? … no foul! Phew, that was shut). There is a TSAR and Cousin ITT and two (?) totally different hesitation sounds (UMM, ERS), the bushy pair of ESAU and OSO finding out for his or her LSATs, there’s “The APIAN TABU,” which is a fantasy fantasy novel I simply made up, and effectively, lastly the H- I imply N- I imply A-TESTS take us out with a crosswordesey bang. The gang is all right here. Besides ENO and ONO. Complete no-shows. The purpose is, this one felt intentionally dialed again (in time). I solved puzzles again then (in time), so all this fill feels completely atypical. Simply 1993 atypical, is all.
I reacted so negatively to the “dad joke” that my eyes ran away from it holding solely the phrase “4 seconds” after which used crosses to make one thing vaguely associated to that phrase (CLOCK) (my fingers are actually refusing to kind out the complete clue, sorry). Attention-grabbing option to clue KUBLAI that manner (23A: ___ Khan, Yuan Dynasty founder) as a substitute of through Coleridge, although Coleridge is sort of actually the explanation the overwhelming majority of solvers know who KUBLAI Khan is.
Based on Coleridge’s preface to Kubla Khan, the poem was composed one night time after he skilled an opium-influenced dream after studying a piece describing Shangdu, the summer time capital of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty of China based by Kublai Khan (Emperor Shizu of Yuan). (wikipedia)
Have not learn Coleridge for some time so I am gonna have Ian McMillan learn him to me now whereas I format this put up. Take care, everybody.
