Whom one might not marry no matter what! / MON 9-19-22 / Implementable with expertise and expert ease / Italian vino region / About one-third of Hispaniola area-wise / Cool get together with cones and scoops

Constructor: Leslie Young and Andrea Carla Michaels

Relative difficulty: Easy-Medium (***for a Monday***)

THEME: DOWN TO A SCIENCE (14D: Implementable with expertise and expert ease ... or how the starred clues' answers can be taken?) — all theme answers are "Downs" and they end in a "science" (i.e. a word that can precede "science"):

Theme answers:

• ANNUAL PHYSICAL (4D: *Routine medical checkup)
• ICE CREAM SOCIAL (13D: *"Cool" get-together with cones and scoops)
• LAST MAN ON EARTH (7D: *Whom one might not marry no matter what!)

Word of the Day: DÍA de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) (19A) —

The Day of the Dead (Spanish: Día de Muertos or Día de los Muertos) is a holiday traditionally celebrated on November 1 and 2, though other days, such as October 31 or November 6, may be included depending on the locality. It largely originated in Mexico, where it is mostly observed, but also in other places, especially by people of Mexican heritage elsewhere. Although associated with the Western Christian Allhallowtide observances of All Hallow's Eve, All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day, it has a much less solemn tone and is portrayed as a holiday of joyful celebration rather than mourning. The multi-day holiday involves family and friends gathering to pay respects and to remember friends and family members who have died. These celebrations can take a humorous tone, as celebrants remember funny events and anecdotes about the departed. (wikipedia)

• • •

OK so this was delightful. It's just ... right on the Money for a Monday (I literally just typed "right on the Monday," so on the money for a Monday is this puzzle!). Here's what I ask of a Monday: 1. a simple cute theme that just Works. Original, bouncy answers are a plus, but honestly, the theme just has to be clever and not strained. Elegant simplicity is the key! And 2. smooth fill. Nothing fancy. Just let me travel this road pothole-free. And today checked both those boxes, strongly. Big red checkmark, two times. Let's take the theme. First of all, it's all Downs, so ... fun. Weird. Mildly disorienting. I'm into it. Do your weird little thing, Monday! Second, the themers are all 14s, what!? 14s are odd cumbersome things and so end up being the most grossly neglected and underrated of all the 3-to-15-letter answers. And yet today—four of 'em! So that's two ways we're in unusual territory, and we haven't even gotten to the actual content of the theme yet! As for that ... well, I worked the puzzle west to east, left to right, like a Normal, and despite not quite understanding what the revealer clue was even saying, I figured out what the answer was and damned if it is not a. a real phrase that b. works perfectly for its themers. All answers are in fact Down, and do in fact lead "to a (type of) science." Ding ding. Success. As for the fill, not a peep out of me as I was solving. All the short fill is totally acceptable, and we even get some fairly saucy longer stuff in CASH BONUS (16A: Profit-sharing reward, perhaps) and (esp.) CON ARTIST (57A: Flimflammer). The puzzle may say ERRATIC MESS-UPS, but I did not see anything erratic or messed up about this. It hums. This should be the average Monday. This is the bar. Good work, everyone.

["Good heavens, Miss Sakamoto*, you're beautiful!"]

[*Literally until just this second and for ~40 years thought this was "Miss Sacramento"]

The only issue I had with the puzzle was literally comprehending the clues on two of the themers, namely the aforementioned clue on the revealer, DOWN TO A SCIENCE (14D: Implementable with expertise and expert ease ...) and then also the clue on LAST MAN ON EARTH (7D: *Whom one might not marry no matter what!). On a Monday, I'm not sitting down and spending my time with a clue like it's a good book—I'm scanning and moving, scanning and moving. And these two just made my brain go "Nope! just figure it out from crosses!" And I did. And only later did I realize the perfection of the LAST MAN ON EARTH clue. I'm a little less fond of the revealer clue, as it's cutesy in a semi-cloying way, but whatever, man, as I said, this puzzle is otherwise pretty flawless, so it's all good. What else is there to say? It was easy, as a Monday usually is. I would like to praise the constructors for taking the time to polish The Hell out of this grid. You have no idea what it takes just to make an all-over clean and wince-free grid. It's work. It isn't showy work, but it's work nonetheless. Please respect the work. Thank you. See you tomorrow. 

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld 

P.S.

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