Constructor: Kameron Austin Collins

Relative difficulty: Easy

THEME: none

Word of the Day: IRENE PAPAS (9D: Greek actress who brought Elektra, Penelope, Antigone and Helen of Troy to the screen) —

Irene Papas or Pappas (Greek: Ειρήνη Παππά, romanized: Eiríni Pappá, IPA: [iˈrini paˈpa]; born Eirini Lelekou [Ειρήνη Λελέκου]; 3 September 1929 – 14 September 2022) was a Greek actress and singer who starred in over 70 films in a career spanning more than 50 years. She gained international recognition through such popular award-winning films as The Guns of Navarone (1961), Zorba the Greek (1964) and Z (1969). She was a powerful protagonist in films including The Trojan Women (1971) and Iphigenia (1977). She played the title roles in Antigone (1961) and Electra (1962). She had a fine singing voice, on display in the 1968 recording Songs of Theodorakis.
Papas won Best Actress awards at the Berlin International Film Festival for Antigone and from the National Board of Review for The Trojan Women. Her career awards include the Golden Arrow Award in 1993 at Hamptons International Film Festival, and the Golden Lion Award in 2009 at the Venice Biennale. (wikipedia)

• • •

Well this one had me at hello. From square one. What a wonderfully stupid way to jump into a puzzle:

1A: Five-note jingle for "The Gift that Grows"! I was so happy with the answer that I worried it was wrong. But then I checked the "A" cross and it all checked out (10D: Man who made animals talk = AESOP)—the gift that grows, the animals that talk. Again, a delightful way to start off. Then—more fun. I ran every single cross on CH-CH-CH-CHIA, left to right, one after the other, as fast as I could think of answers, not bothering to check if they "worked"—just bam bam bam, as fast as I could think of something to write in. With AESOP in place already, that makes nine answers that I rat-a-tatted, and despite a hit rate only just north of 50%, I still discern both of the longer Acrosses up there from inside the mess, and in getting those Acrosses, fixed my errant Downs, and there I was with a gorgeous NW corner in seemingly no time at all, not because every answer was a gimme, but because I just powered in there and stirred things up and then waited for patterns to emerge. And they did. Great feeling of satisfaction, great-looking corner. Only thing really holding me up was IRENE PAPAS—the IRENE part was easy enough, but her last name remained a mystery for a while. She was one of two names I absolutely did not know today (the other: VERE) (55A: Captain in Melville's "Billy Budd") (I know I've read Billy Budd, but ... not lately, apparently).

The puzzle remained entertaining throughout. Just when I'd think "well, I'm gonna get stuck here," something would click and I'd break right through. Do I know what a VELVET WORM is? (26D: Sluglike creature known for its soft, water-repellent skin). I do not. But I had the VEL- and it wasn't hard to get to WORM from "Sluglike" and after considering and immediately discarding VELCRO WORM (does VELCRO repel water?), I settled into VELVET, which gave me a "DV-" opener at 37A, which I knew was going to be DVD-something before I ever read the clue (37A: Supplementary materials accompanying a home movie purchase = DVD EXTRAS). And so I don't know if this one whoosh-whooshed, exactly, but it got close. Closer than most Saturdays get. This is the puzzle I wish I'd gotten yesterday. A puzzle I moved through happily, a puzzle that was more on my wavelength pop-culture-wise, a more cleverly clued puzzle overall. This puzzle made me remember UPPER VOLTA (last thought of in 7th-grade Geography, probably; hey, Mrs. Stevens, wherever you are) (53A: Burkina Faso, before 1984). It gave me a "texting" clue I didn't resent (because it wasn't about texting at all) (25D: Person who gets a lot of texts? = AVID READER). And it made me think of Little Richard (27D: Has no control = CAN'T HELP IT). Sadly, the puzzle also has barf in it (46D: Fails to keep things down). But happily, I somehow never saw that clue / answers, so it failed to sour my solve in any way. Everything broke my way today. Kam's puzzles are almost always a blast for me, but this one in particular felt like it came with a bow on it.

Only wrong answers today were the ones I rat-a-tatted into the grid up top when I was just getting started: HEDONIC (!) for 4D: Characterized by great happiness (HALCYON); "COME ON!" for "CRIKEY!" (5D: "Sheesh!"); HOT for HET (8D: All worked (up)). There were some tricky clues here and there, but momentum just kept carrying me through. Couldn't get my head around 43A: Ticket selector, for instance. Needed to get to -OTER before I saw it, but getting to -OTER was a cinch, so no real hold-up. VERE held me up, but again, I was able to swarm the answer from all sides and turn it up pretty easily. Knowing ERMA Franklin helped (57A: Singing sister of Aretha). Never entirely sure if she's an "E" ERMA or an "I" IRMA, just as I'm never entirely sure if Ingrid Bergman played an "E" ELSA or in "I" ILSA (49D: Classic film character who says "Kiss me. Kiss me as if it were the last time"). IRMA La Douce, ERMA Franklin, ERMA Bombeck, ELSA the Lion from Born Free, ILSA from Casablanca. There's also an ILSA, She Wolf of the SS, a mid-'70s Canadian Nazisploitation film, but the less said about that the better. Just ask Gene Siskel: "the most degenerate picture I have seen to play downtown." (Believe me when I say you are never going to have to know this movie for a New York Times crossword puzzle. But maybe pub trivia, I don't know.)

Bullets:

28A: Did a boring job? (MINED) — because mining involves boring into the earth. I used to have an English teacher who, as he was about to unlock his classroom after lunch, would take the key, twist it (gently) into your shoulder, and ask "Am I boring you?" RIP Mr. Berglund. I still remember the John Donne you had us memorize.

[24D: "___ of Frankenstein (1939 movie sequel)]

41A: Trap in the water (CREEL) — a crossword word that just floats to the surface whenever I need it and then floats back down again, never to be thought of until the next time a crossword forces the issue.

34A: Sword's alternative (PEN) — as in "the PEN is mightier than ..."
58A: Nervously inhales? (STRESS EATS) — both STRESS EATS and ESTATE SALE just look like an avalanche of the most common letters, but STRESS EATS is actually an interesting answer, and this clue is great—nice, unexpected meaning on "inhales."
36D: Abba's "___ Last Summer" ("OUR") — really though I knew all Abba's singles. One summer (not our last), my best friends and I sat around and listened to and ranked Every Abba Single. This song was not part of that list .... oh. I see that this was the B-side of "Thank You for the Music" (a song that was on the list ... low on the list). I also see that "OUR Last Summer" was featured in Mamma Mia, which probably accounts for its clue-worthiness. I know Mamma Mia is a beloved musical / movie, but you'd have to use violence to get me to watch it. I love Abba too much. Also, there's a reason this song was not a single. . . it's pretty ... limp.

21D: Maya Angelou's "Phenomenal ___" (WOMAN") — Not knowing the poem, I had "WOMEN" here for a bit. It is a poem, isn't it? Yep. Here you go, in its entirety (via poetryfoundation.org):

Phenomenal Woman

By Maya Angelou

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.

I’m not cute or built to suit a fashion model’s size

But when I start to tell them,

They think I’m telling lies.

I say,

It’s in the reach of my arms,

The span of my hips,

The stride of my step,

The curl of my lips.

I’m a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That’s me.

I walk into a room

Just as cool as you please,

And to a man,

The fellows stand or

Fall down on their knees.

Then they swarm around me,

A hive of honey bees.

I say,

It’s the fire in my eyes,

And the flash of my teeth,

The swing in my waist,

And the joy in my feet.

I’m a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That’s me.

Men themselves have wondered

What they see in me.

They try so much

But they can’t touch

My inner mystery.

When I try to show them,

They say they still can’t see.

I say,

It’s in the arch of my back,

The sun of my smile,

The ride of my breasts,

The grace of my style.

I’m a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That’s me.

Now you understand

Just why my head’s not bowed.

I don’t shout or jump about

Or have to talk real loud.

When you see me passing,

It ought to make you proud.

I say,

It’s in the click of my heels,

The bend of my hair,

the palm of my hand,

The need for my care.

’Cause I’m a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That’s me.

And that's me for today. See you next time.

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

[Follow Rex Parker on BlueSky and Facebook and Letterboxd]
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