Long Islander of literature / WED 6-12-24 / Minor bump against another car / Home planet of a classic TV alien / Divorcée in 1990s New York tabloids / Rule for a screen-free household / Nonfiction films with an editorial viewpoint, in a New York Times series / Elizabeth with millions of made-up customers / Island on which the Dutch introduced coffee in the 1600s

Constructor: Simeon Seigel

Relative difficulty: Medium

THEME: Hell's-a-pop-pun — an early Father's Day puzzle; familiar phrases with a word for "father" in them are clued via "Pop" puns:

Theme answers:

• DAD JOKE (1A: Pop corn?)
• PATERNITY TESTS (21A: Pop quizzes?)
• "THIS OLD MAN" (39A: Pop song?)
• FATHERLY ADVICE (60A: Pop wisdom?)
• DADAISM (73A: Pop art?)

Word of the Day: "NOIRE et Blanche" (52A: "___ et Blanche" (Man Ray's study in contrast)) —

Noire et Blanche (French for Black and White) is a black and white photograph taken by American visual artist Man Ray in 1926. It is one of his most famous photographs at the time when he was an exponent of Surrealism. // The picture was first published in the Parisian Vogue magazine, on 1 May 1926, with the title Visage de Nacre et Masque d'Ébene. It would be published once again with the current title in the French magazines Variétés and Art et Décoration in 1928. // Man Ray had already published a similar photograph in the cover of the Dada magazine of Francis Picabia, with the title Black and White, in 1924, depicting two statuettes, one European and classical and the other African. // The title of the photograph refers both to the medium of black and white photography and the duality expressed in the dicotomy [sic!] between the caucasian female model and the African black mask. The photograph depicts the famous French model Kiki de Montparnasse, posing expressionless, with her eyes closed and her head lying on a table, holding with her left hand a black African mask vertically upon its surface. The picture juxtaposes the similarities between the soft oval white face of the model, as if she were a living mask, with the shiny black mask, also with eyes closed and a serene expression. It also expresses the artist's interest in African art, which had a huge influence in the artistic movements of the first decades of the 20th century. (wikipedia)

• • •

This was something of a groaner, but maybe that was the point? When the puzzle leads with DAD JOKE, (which is, itself, the answer to a DAD JOKE clue), well, you can't say the puzzle wasn't up front about its whole agenda. Holiday puzzles should be on (or at least immediately adjacent to) the holidays themselves, and this one feels a little too early, but that's not the problem. The problem is the corny concept and especially the dull-as-dishwater fill. The theme answers don't sing, and the fill is just workmanlike. I kinda like LOVE TAP, but not (at all) as a car collision clue (though that is a valid meaning) (42A: Minor bump against another car). I would've liked it to be more affectionate, taps people give to each other, smacks on the butt or boops on the nose or whatever. Or the thing that cats do when they want you to pet them, or when they "fight" with each other. No one wants to see more crashes if they don't have to. Choosing car collisions (even minor ones) over actual love—strong boo. So the best answer in the grid by far got a less-than-cute clue. Otherwise, what is there? NSA and CIA. SOU and ADE. "Words" you (I) only see in crosswords, like IDEAMAP and KIDVID (although usually that one comes as a partial clue for VID—this is the first time we're getting the full KIDVID since 1973 (!!?)). DADAISM is probably the most original, surprising, and boldest of the themers, but it's also one that rings just slightly out of tune for me, as clued. DADAISM is the movement, not the art itself. I was expecting an actual work of "art" (the way "THIS OLD MAN" was an actual "song"). I know I'm splitting hairs, there, but missing by an inch can sometimes feel worse than missing by a mile. That second "A" in DADAISM was my last square (because quote unquote supermodels, ugh, my Kryptonite (63D: Supermodel Delevingne)***—that clue is Irene CARA erasure! (RIP, crossword legend)). Also, is "Pop wisdom" a thing people say? "Pop psychology," I've heard. "Popular wisdom," I've heard—but not with the "popular" abbreviated. Actually, I think I've heard "conventional wisdom" way (way) more than "popular wisdom." Again, off by an inch, but off nonetheless. Anyway, if you love this kind of humor, this puzzle is for you, and if not, not. For me, not. 

Do people still know the song "THIS OLD MAN"? How the hell do I even know it? Where is it from? It's just ... there, in my head, murkily, from times of yore (for me, the '70s), but ... is it a nursery rhyme? I completely forget the context. It feels vaguely related to "This Little Piggie," which is not (as far as I know) a "song." According to wikipedia, it's a "children's song, counting exercise, folk song, and nursery rhyme" all rolled into one. But what is a "knick-knack paddywhack!?" Hang on ... Wow ... talk about things I semi-regret looking up:

In the meat industry, the nuchal ligament is referred to as paddywhack (also spelled pandywack; also called back strap or paxwax). ["The nuchal ligament is a ligament at the back of the neck that is continuous with the supraspinous ligament."]

The word is mentioned in a dictionary of South-west Lincolnshire dialect as a synonym of paxwax (originally faxwax; Old English compound of "hair" + "to grow"). Hence, paddywack has been in use with this meaning since at least 1886.

Dried paddywhack is commonly packaged and sold as a dog treat, hence the phrase, "Knick-knack, paddywhack, give the dog a bone" in the nursery rhyme, This Old Man ^{[citation needed]}. Paddywack is unpalatable as a human food because it cannot be softened or tenderised, but it makes a good natural dog chew. It is classed as offal by the meat industry. (wikipedia)

And here I thought a "paddywhack" was something more like ... well, a LOVE TAP, to be honest. You know, when someone whacks you on your ... paddy? A paddywhack. So much nicer that way. Nicer than offal, anyway. But now you know. You also now know the terms NUCHAL and PAXWAX, so now you'll be prepared when they show up in your crossword on the 5th of Never.

Probably the worst thing in the grid today is OP-DOCS, both because it's inherently ugly as a name (just say it over and over, you'll see) and (more so) because it's such grotesque NYT self-promotion (33A: Nonfiction films with an editorial viewpoint, in a New York Times series). Do puzzles get preferential treatment if they hawk NYT proprietary content, like "THE DAILY" (which appeared recently) or whatever these OP-DOCS are? I'd sooner watch a Doc Ock doc or a reality show called "Top Docs" than watch something called OP-DOCS. Actually, that's not true. I'm sure they're fine little documentaries—it's just that putting NYT-specific content in grids you submit to the NYT feels a little like kissing up. Luckily, the OP part was crossed fairly, though I struggled a bit in that area because I confidently wrote in FINNA at 27A: Planning to, informally (GONNA). I was like "ha, thought you were gonna get me with your slang, did you? thought I didn't know FINNA, eh? well guess what, I do know it, so joke's on you, puzzle!" But no. Joke's on me.

Additional notes:

• 59A: There and back, perhaps (LAP) — my first thought was "that is not how LAPs work." Then I remembered swimming. Also, The Hobbit (which is officially titled The Hobbit, Or, There and Back Again, though I don't remember any swimming) (here's a reddit post on Hobbits and swimming, knock yourself out).

• 30A: The U.S. is its southernmost member (NATO) — read this as "southernmost neighbor" and was baffled. Had the "N" and was like "... NDAK?"
• 45D: One of two in "business suits" (SILENT "I") — the puzzle doesn't usually telegraph its letteral clues like this. By putting quotation marks around "business suits," the clue pretty much tells you "we're talking about the words 'business' and 'suits,' not the suits themselves." Kinda takes the fun out of the misdirection. Which is to say, kinda takes the misdirection out entirely. For real misdirection, see 9D: Demos for democracy, e.g. (ROOT WORD), where the fact that "Demos" is a Greek word is not visually indicated (by quotation marks or italics or anything). This makes things awkward, since "Demos" is also an English word (although I don't know why you'd do demonstrations (or demolitions) for democracy).
• 56D: Elizabeth with millions of made-up customers (ARDEN) — I saw right through the pun here, but still laughed harder at this than I did at any of the dad puns. Which is to say, I laughed. "Made-up" here refers to make-up, not the fact that her customers are imaginary.

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld 

***CARA Delevingne, besides being a "supermodel," is apparently an accomplished actress and musician and is generally Enormously famous, a fact I've just somehow missed. Second season cast of The Only Murders in the Building? Sally Bowles in Cabaret in London? Backing vocals on St. Vincent and Fiona Apple tracks!? LGBTQ icon? Young adult novelist? Man, she works. I got tired just reading her bio. Anyway, she may be the biggest pop culture blindspot I've ever had. "Supermodel" doesn't begin to do her justice.

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