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Constructor: Robin Yu

Relative difficulty: Easy-Medium

THEME: ROLLING BLACKOUTS (34A: Temporary, controlled power shutdown ... or a hint to reading four of this puzzle's answers) — the word OUT is represented by a BLACK circle-like dealie with an arrow in it. You have to imagine the word "OUT" in that space and then follow the arrow into and out of that space in order to make sense of four theme answers:

Theme answers:

• WENT OUT THE WINDOW (2D: Suddenly fell through, as a plan)
• VOTER OUTREACH (14A: Campaign to increase Election Day participation)
• EMOTIONAL OUTLETS (53A: Activities that relieve psychological stress)
• SWEPT OUT TO SEA (43D: Carried away by the tide)

Word of the Day: René Lalique (12A: Style of René Lalique's glasswork = DECO) —

René Jules Lalique (6 April 1860 – 1 May 1945) was a French jeweller, medallist, and glass designer known for his creations of glass art, perfume bottles, vases, jewellery, chandeliers, clocks, and automobile hood ornaments.[...] Lalique was best known for his creations in glass art. In the 1920s, he became noted for his work in the Art Deco style. He was responsible for the walls of lighted glass and elegant coloured glass columns which filled the dining room and "grand salon" of the SS Normandie and the interior fittings, cross, screens, reredos and font of St. Matthew's Church at Millbrook in Jersey (Lalique's "Glass Church"). As part of the Art Nouveau style, many of his jewellery pieces and vases showcase plants, flowers and flowing lines.

Both unique and commercial works of René Lalique are in the collections of a large number of public museums around the world including the Museu Calouste Gulbenkian in Lisbon, the Lalique Museum of Hakone in Japan, the Musée Lalique [fr] and the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in France, the Schmuckmuseum Pforzheim [de] in Germany, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Metropolitan Museum and the Corning Museum in New York State, and the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. (wikipedia)

• • •

Big thank-you to Linda Holmes for (inadvertently) alerting me to the fact that my downloaded puzzle grid did not have the visual element needed to make sense of the theme. My grid just looked standard, so ... you know, I finished, and I "got" it ("OUT"s have been "blacked out") but I didn't get it get it, in that the "ROLLING" part made absolutely no sense. When I opened the puzzle at the NYT Games site and saw what the grid was supposed to look like, I had an "...oh" (as opposed to an "aha!") moment. As in "Oh ... yes, that is very visually literal, that is." I wonder if the arrows made it easier to solve. It was pretty darned easy without them. Anyway, my main feeling about puzzles that rely heavily on physical alterations of the grid for their impact is something less than joy. I can see how the visuals break up the visual monotony of most crossword grids, but I dunno, today, the little swirlies just don't do much for me. Well, they didn't do anything for me, as we've established, but seeing them after the fact did not make me think I'd've enjoyed the puzzle a whole lot more if I'd had them. The theme is fine. It's mildly interesting that in each case, the "OUT" is sandwiched, in its phrase, between a word that ends in "X" letter and a word that begins with "X" letter. Not literally the letter "X"—that would be truly astounding! But you know what I mean. WENT crosses THE at the "T," VOTER crosses REACH at the "R," etc. Doesn't really add anything to solving enjoyment, but it's a nice little flourish. But I think the only thematic energy coming from this puzzle is decorative. You see that grid and go "whoa!" ... and then you've got sort of a ho-hum solving experience on your hands.

[Sorry, I know I post this video every time "black" or "out" is thematically

relevant, but its "F&%^-you!" energy is just irresistible to me]

The fill is a mixed bag. A mixed TOTE BAG, filled with some goodies (DONE DEAL, GOING GAGA, and OPERA BOX (esp. as clued)) and some baddies (really hard to work up any love for ECOHOTEL or VTUBER). Beyond the theme, there is nothing especially tricky or difficult about today's puzzle. And the thematic trick wasn't that tricky to begin with so ... the puzzle is weak in the trick department. Undertricked, I feel. The only things I struggled with were dumb little details like "ugh, is is EEO or EOE?" I wish I had more to say about the fill, but it's rather straightforward. I wrote in DADA before DECO, that was fun. What would DADA glasswork even look like? It was interesting to learn that Jimmy Carter's Secret Service code name was DEACON. I was just telling my wife yesterday that that is what I want to call our next dog. Then I could call him "Deke" or "DEACON Jones" or "DEACON Blues" or "DEACON King Kong" or "Total Deke-lipse of the Heart" or if he's mellow maybe "Dekaf" etc. The possibilities are endless. My wife is currently favoring "Vienna," but I told her we'd just end up singing Ultravox's "Vienna" to her all the time, and that might get boring—though if I sang it in the dog’s voice, that might be fun: (extreme emo dog voice) "The feeling is gone / Only you and I / It means nothing to meeeeeeee / This toy means nothing to meeeeeeee / IIIIII'm Viennaaaaaaaaaa!" I mean, that could work. But I'm still Team DEACON. 

Explainers:

• 41A: News stand? (OP-ED) — a piece that takes a "stand" in a "news"paper. That's kinda cute.
• 21D: Something that's designed to be buggy? (WEB) — Yes, spiders do "design" their webs in order to catch "bugs," so that works.
• 24A: House of reps? (GYM) — best of the "?" clues, for sure. You do reps at the gym. Nice legislative pun.
• 48A: Foil, e.g. (SWORD) — a "foil" is a fencing SWORD, 
• 31A: Exactamundo (BANG ON) — this one clanked. I think of BANG-ON as a fairly ordinary expression, whereas I think of "Exactamundo" as something I've only ever heard Fonzie say. The "word"—in my experience—exists only in the Fonziverse. Nowhere else. Also, it's an exclamation, not an adjective. This clue is very un-Fonzie-like, i.e. uncool

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]