Noted Berry farm founder Walter / TUE 5-9-17 / Rocky glacial ridge / Garfield's foil in comics / Relatively cool red giant / Obsolescent desktop accessories

Constructor: Peter A. Collins

Relative difficulty: Easy

THEME: ___ a ___ (verb phrases where first and last parts rhyme):

Theme answers:

• SNEAK A PEEK (17A: View furtively)
• SEAL A DEAL (24A: Complete the negotiations)
• GRAB A CAB (30A: Secure some urban transportation)
• GOT A SHOT (44A: Was vaccinated)
• BAKE A CAKE (51A: Prepare for someone's birthday, perhaps)
• WROTE A NOTE (62A: Briefly put pen to paper, say)

Word of the Day: HARRIS Tweed (48D: ___ tweed) —

Harris Tweed is a cloth handwoven by islanders at their homes in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, finished in the Outer Hebrides, and made from pure virgin wool dyed and spun in the Outer Hebrides. This definition, quality standards and protection of the Harris Tweed name are enshrined in the Harris Tweed Act 1993. (wikipedia)

• • •

Well worn. That is both the initial (wrong) answer I had for 57A: Blue-blooded (WELL BORN), as well as how the theme, and so much of the fill in this puzzle, felt. The theme is so remedial it doesn't warrant comment. Honestly, what is there to say about that? What I noticed immediate, and what persisted throughout the solve, was how out-of-a-box (an old box) so much of the cluing and fill felt. Why is John TESH in anyone's puzzle nowadays? He's not a *bad* answer, but his decades-oldness, cultural relevance-wise, set a tone. After a succession of answers that went OMAN (a real place, fine) to OCALA (OK, still real, but a bit more crosswordy ...) to MOREL (same), I hit ARETE and stopped.

I might've literally said 'no.' Again, ARETE is a real thing, but all of these answers are out of the very limited Cruciverbalist's Toolbox of 1993 (maybe earlier). We get OGLE *and* LEER AT, ESAU *and* ODIE. It's a crosswordese hall of fame / museum / graveyard (take your pick). Uninspired, on every level, this puzzle is. We get John TRAVOLTA at the BORDELLOS and then not a lot else.


I woke to find Australians grousing on Twitter about 18D: Qantas Airways symbol (KOALA).

They are reacting to the word "symbol," and the fact that that word suggests the *logo*, which is, of course, a kangaroo:

In fact, Qantas itself *says* that it's "symbol" is a kangaroo:
 

I had no problem with KOALA, both because I had the "K" and because I have no strong or set feelings regarding Qantas one way or the other (I've only ever flown Air New Zealand to the southern hemisphere—their "symbol" is a FERN, in case that ever comes up). Also, I have definitely seen KOALAs in Qantas ads—not lately, but earlier in my life, for sure, and often.



You can see KOALAs in print ads too.

But I would say that "mascot" is probably more accurate than "symbol." "Symbol" suggests something more iconic, in the sense of a single replicated image. Maybe the koala is used more in US advertising, and so actual Aussies are like "WTF!?" I don't know. Speaking of "WTF!?"...


Bullets:

• 28D: Start of the fourth qtr. (OCT.) — sports sports sports ... was all I could think of here, so this was oddly stumperish
• 59D: Plains tribe members (OTOS) — first of all, see comments re: crosswordese, above. Second, this is one of my least favorite "which is it?" crossword moments (see also, e.g., DODO v. DOLT v. DOPE). Today: OTOS or UTES. But this is mainly about my ignorance. Though the UTES interacted with and adopted aspects of Plains Indian culture, they are not officially classified as Plains Indians, and you never see them clued that way. When they're not clued as sports mascots (😒), UTES are typically clued via words like "west" and "western," or any of the states from the Four Corners region.
• 68A: Relatively cool red giant (S-STAR) — ugh, the [letter]-STAR answer is another common bit of crosswordese. "S" is the most common, but you might also see A B C E F G K M N O S. Actually, I suppose, you might see any letter, but those are the letters you *have* seen (possibly) in the past.
• 48D: ___ tweed (HARRIS) — I have no idea how I know this, but I know it. Didn't know exactly what it was til I looked it up, but my brain conjured it up quite nicely. Still, I can imagine HARRIS next to KNOTT (do people outside California know KNOTT?) possibly causing problems for some solvers.

 Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

P.S. I forgot to add to yesterday's write up that the whole LGBTQ theme had been done before (though just as LGBT), almost four years earlier, by Brendan Emmett Quigley, for the American Values Club Crossword puzzle. So if you want your timely themes to be actually timely, consider subscribing to AVCX.

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