Literally art-doer / SAT 11-14-20 / New Zealand demonym / 1960s It Girl Sedgwick

Constructor: Emily Carroll and Erik Agard

Relative difficulty: Easy or Easy-Medium (untimed)

THEME: none 

Word of the Day: demonym (55D: New Zealand demonym => KIWI) —

: a word (such as Nevadan or Sooner) used to denote a person who inhabits or is native to a particular place (merriam-webster.com)

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I've started turning the timer off when I solve in the morning, because speeding just feels very, very antithetical to the whole early-morning vibe that I cherish so much (it's my favorite time of day By Far). We'll see what this does for my solving mood, but so far, so good. I found this puzzle delightful, and comparatively. Thorny in places (especially the "?" clues), but very tractable in the end. All of its long, grid-spanning phrases are worth it—if you're going to take up that much real estate, it's nice when the answers sizzle instead of just lie there adequately. I botched my first go at SO IT'S COME TO THIS because I wrote in SO IT COMES TO THIS (4D: "I see you've left me no choice"). Same letter count. You just move an "S" a few spaces over and it's the same answer. Very, very luckily, I caught the error right away thanks to the very easy clue on WARS (22A: "All ___ are civil ___, because all men are brothers" (quote attributed to François Fénelon)).  That really opened up the grid, for sure. Had a wee scrap with the front end of MNEMONIC DEVICES because, well, I don't know the particular mnemonic device used in the clue (36A: "My Violent Evil Monster Just Scared Us Nuts" and others) (for the order of the planets, obvs), and I really had no idea what 23D: Bath water? was after. Also, it looked like [Bath water?] had to end in a vowel, because its last letter follows an "M" in the cross, but then somehow, after mulling over AVO_ for a few seconds, the whole thing just clicked into place and whoosh went that long answer across the grid. Finished up the east pretty quickly and could immediately see that the end of the 15-letter Down over there had to end in -TION, and then looked at the actual clue for that answer and thought, "hmm, looks like STICKY up top." And it was. Ironically, STICKY SITUATION, not sticky at all.

Really liked ROBOT ARM, GPS UNIT, UMPTEEN, NEW MONEY, and TANDOORI, which I like because it's tasty and because it came to me instantly, with no crosses in place, and lastly because it really helped make the Across answers in the NW easy to see—helped me get off to a pretty fast start. I had GEL ERA IPSE and NEIN (wrote in NYET and then instantly corrected it—stupid brain hiccup); these were all in place, along with the very incorrect AYE at 2D: Parlement vote (OUI), and then TANDOORI slid into place and instantly the long Acrosses up there became obvious, which means my AYE error was obvious. And off we went. Not sure about ON GOD (8D: "I swear!"); definitely the clunkiest thing in the grid for me. Maybe it's olde tymey!? I had "BY GOD!" in there for a bit, but TANDOORI made that impossible. I know that the Canadians stand ON GOD for thee, Canada, but that phrase just isn't familiar to me [update: LOL apparently it's "we stand on guard for thee," you can stop emailing me now, thanks :)]. I also didn't know PALO was "stick" in Spanish. Thought EDIE (39D: 1960s "It Girl" Sedgwick) was an EVIE at first, and now can't remember who *is* an EVIE. Surely someone ... ah, EVIE Sands! Such a crossword name.

Definitely fell for the MEDUSA / ATHENA trap at 13D: Mythical figure associated with snakes, but, as with all today's traps and pits and dead ends, this one was easy enough to get out of. Love the clue on KENT (27A: Lane hugger?). Had the "K" and legit thought "... KERB?" But KENT, yes, he does hug Lois LANE from time to time, if memory serves. I just found the overall frame of reference of this puzzle very suitable to me. Literary terms! (DOGGEREL, a gimme) (37D: Crude verse). New Zealand! (my wife is a KIWI) (55D: New Zealand demonym). Diana RIGG! (of "The Avengers"!) So much to love. See you tomorrow ... for the Sunday puzzle ... why can't the Sunday puzzle have so much to love!? There's so much more of it ... sigh. Oh well, I can always hope. See you then.

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

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