Arabian stimulant / THU 8-17-17 / Faction in China's cultural revolution / Golfer Walter with 11 major championships / Tibia connectors / Mesh for securing items in truck bed / Range located along 60th meridian

Constructor: Peter A. Collins

Relative difficulty: Easy-Medium

THEME: GANG OF FOUR (62A: Faction in China's Cultural Revolution ... or a hint to each set of circled letters) — Clues are just [First (then Second and Third) set of circled letters]. Block of four circled letters intersect each answer, and the answer ends up being a clue to which the circled letters are the answer *if* you supply FOUR at the beginning. So:

Theme answers:

• GOOD RATING (circled letters are S-T-A-R => FOUR-STAR) 
• MOTOWN SINGERS (circled letters are T-O-P-S => FOUR TOPS) 
• GLASSES WEARER (circled letters are E-Y-E-S => FOUR EYES)

Word of the Day: Walter HAGEN (5D: Golfer Walter with 11 major championships) —

Walter Charles Hagen (December 21, 1892 – October 6, 1969) was an American professional golfer and a major figure in golf in the first half of the 20th century. His tally of 11 professional majors is third behind Jack Nicklaus (18) and Tiger Woods (14). // Hagen won the U.S. Open twice, and in 1922 he became the first native-born American to win the British Open, and won the Claret Jug three more times. He also won the PGA Championship a record-tying five times (all in match play), and the Western Open five times when it had near-major championship status. Hagen totaled 45 PGA wins in his career, and was a six-time Ryder Cup captain. The Masters Tournament, the newest major, was established in 1934, after his prime. (wikipedia)

• • •

The circled squares ... OK, so the words are both FOUR letters long and the word FOUR precedes them to make a correct answer to each themer. That bit is neat. But there's not much else that's neat. First, it's a answers-as-clues puzzle, and I just dislike those reflexively. GLASSES WEARER? I'm supposed to be glad *that's* in my grid? Also, four letters huddled together like that in an unremarkable square formation hardly connotes GANG. FOURSQUARE is an app ... and it fits in the same space as GANG OF FOUR. Seems more ap(p)t. (I'm being told it's not much of a thing anymore, so you'd have to clue FOURSQUARE as the game, which I played quite a bit in elementary school) (Ooh, you know what I also played a lot in elementary school: CONNECT FOUR! There's a revealer for you, though you'd have to change first themer to GREAT RATING, for symmetry's sake). Further, there are only *three* examples of the theme, and that is really scratching a chalkboard in my mind. Do four of them or go home. Oh, and another thing, a GLASSES WEARER is "FOUR EYES" only if you are an asshole kid from the '60s. It's a stupid low-key slur. Oh, and last of all, when you have GANG OF FOUR in your grid, at least give it the cool clue that it deserves:


Fill was forgettable except maybe CARGO NET (38D: Mesh for securing items in a truck bed). Still not sure how QUIZ SHOW is a [Quest for knowledge?]. Presumably you already have the knowledge and are showing it off for fun and profit. DYE LOTS is an incredibly boring technical answer, and one that creates an unfortunate dye mini-theme (with crosswordesey AZO—20A: Like some synthetic colorants). Are we just calling Ireland "ERIN" now like it's a normal, non-poetic thing? (17A: One side of St. George's Channel). Did you know "Nobelist" anagrams to NIELS-bot? (25D: Nobelist Bohr). Well now you do. Good day.

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

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