Collectible cardboard caps of the 1990s / MON 12-9-24 / Subjected to public condemnation, in modern slang / $100, in slang / 1986 hit song for Paul Simon / Crinkly kitchen wrap / Predator sometimes called "the wolf of the sea"

Constructor: Elliot Caroll

Relative difficulty: Medium (solved Downs-only)

THEME: "YOU CAN CALL ME AL" (55A: 1986 hit song for Paul Simon ... or an instruction from the starts of 20-, 34- and 41-Across) — first words of themers can all be abbreviated "AL":

Theme answers:

• ALABAMA SLAMMER (20A: Cocktail made with Southern Comfort, sloe gin, amaretto and orange juice)
• ALUMINUM FOIL (34A: Crinkly kitchen wrap)
• ALBERT BROOKS (41A: Writer, director and co-star of "Defending Your Life," 1991)

Word of the Day: ON BLAST (44D: Subjected to public condemnation, in modern slang) —

put someone on blast (third-person singular simple present puts someone on blast, present participle putting someone on blast, simple past and past participle put someone on blast)

1. (slang) To embarrass by publicly denouncing or exposing, especially by using social media. (wiktionary)

• • •

[two "L"s, two "T"s]

OK, first of all, this constructor's name is like a double-dog-dare challenge. Is it the two-L "Elliot" or the two-T "Elliott" or the combo of both or is it just one "L" one "T," two "L"s one "T" ... if I didn't have a computer to remember it for me, I'd be misspelling it all day long, forever and ever. And then add in the last name of "Caroll," which has Exactly The Same Spelling Issues. One or two "R"s? One or two "L"s. Both? Neither? Nightmare. Surprised the constructor can even spell their own name. Clare Carroll has been writing for me (on the last Tuesday of every month) for years now, and I'm *still* like "... is it Claire with an 'I'? Without? Two "R"s? Two "L"s? Both? Neither?" Anyway, congrats on the debut, two-L's one-T one-R two-Ls Elliot Caroll. Man, I just realized that this name also has the two first names / two last names issue. Carol Eliot. Elliot Caroll. It's the slipperiest name imaginable. And so innocuous-looking. Also gender ambiguous! Most of the El(l)iot(t)s I know are men, but today's constructor is a woman. I'm really in awe of this name. It would be so much easier to just call her "Al," but where's the challenge in that? In semi-conclusion, Elliot Caroll is a lovely name, even if I am doomed to never spell it correctly on the first try.

But what about the puzzle, you might ask? Good question. I liked it. Simple, clean theme, perfect for a Monday. Name three things that "AL" can represent ... after the American League, these are, in fact, the three things you'd name: Alabama, Aluminum, shortened form of Albert. Fun musical revealer tying all the longer Acrosses together. Can't ask for much more from a Monday. Plus any puzzle that has ALBERT BROOKS in it has automatically established a vast reservoir of goodwill with me. If your grid has ALBERT BROOKS in it, the rest of it is gonna have to suh-uck for me to have anything less than generally positive feelings about it. A legendary and tremendously underrated filmmaker. I'd put his top five films (Mother, Defending Your Life, Lost in America, Modern Romance, Real Life) up against anyone else's. Plus, his acting credentials are nothing to sneeze at either (Taxi Driver, Broadcast News, Drive, etc. etc.). The documentary about him that came out earlier this year is well worth your time.

A few places in the grid felt somewhat tougher than the usual Monday fare, but these were also the most interesting / exciting / entertaining (non-theme) parts of the puzzle. I was initially surprised to see THE MENU, a movie I saw, but one that doesn't seem Monday-puzzle famous to me. Then, after a few beats, I remembered that it was actually a pretty popular movie—a genuine, money-making hit in theaters, with some rather big movie stars at the forefront (Ralph Fiennes, Anya Taylor-Joy). Plus, it's a seven-letter answer ending in "U," do you have any idea how rare those are? Valid terminal-"U" answers are always going to be crossword gold, so expect to see THE MENU for years to come. The other answer that made me raise my eyebrows (in an "Oh, OK, I see you, nice" way) was ON BLAST, a slang phrase I know well, and one I've known for years, but one that still feels very current. Like much slang attributed to "Gen Z," ON BLAST actually originated in (primarily) Black culture of an earlier generation, specifically the hip-hop culture and rap music of the '80s and '90s. Rap music is certainly how I learned it. To put someone ON BLAST is to publicly denounce or expose or otherwise humiliate them (started out as reference to playing music loud, then ... developed). Despite being decades old, the expression is still in use, and gives the grid a nice boost of fresh flavor. Oh, and HUNDO, same—surprised to see it, learned it from rap music, fresh fresh (63A: $100, in slang).

The Downs-only solve was pretty easy today. If I hadn't known THE MENU and ON BLAST, I might've been in real trouble. As it was, the only trouble came, first, from PULL-ON (2D: Like many comfy pants) (aren't all pants ... PULL-ON? How else are you getting your ... pants ... on ... even if you zip or button them up, you still have to pull them on, don't you? I associate PULL-ON with diapers. I guess it's just that the pants have an elastic waistband, that's what makes them PULL-ON); and then from ONE DAY, which I had as IN TIME (48D: Eventually). I also hypothesized BERNIE in the cross instead of BEANIE because I assumed the answer to 54D: Change, as a bill or a will (AMEND) started with RE-. So ... IN TIME / BERNIE / RE-something, that was the clog there for a bit. But I cleared it without much struggle. I think I had enough of the revealer to pick it up, and once "...CALL ME AL" slid into that SE section, I was good. Overall, this was a good time, from start to finish.

[7D: Collectible cardboard caps of the 1990s]

That's all for the puzzle, now it's time for more Holiday Pet Pics (I started posting these yesterday).

Coco appeared last year, so even though there's nothing particularly "Holiday" about this picture, she gets in because of seniority. And that tongue.

[Thanks, Kitty]

Stanley appreciates this elaborate cat bed that you have built especially for him, please go away now, he needs to sleep

[Thanks, Sarah]

Next up is Pumpernickel! Look how hard he's trying! "Is this ... seasonal?" It is, Pumpernickel! What a good boy!

[Thanks, Marty]

These last two are memorial photos. R.I.P. to sweet Harpo here, who was the best tree guarder of all time, clearly

[Thanks, Pamela]

And as for Lex, well, what can you say about a cat that gets itself into this kind of predicament. 

You can almost hear the needle scratch followed by the voiceover ("I'll bet you're wondering how I ended up here..."). I'll let Barbara tell it: "This is Lex – petite, mercurial, fierce – sadly departed, but vivid in memory.  She’s stoned here on what must have been ultra-potent catnip (in a new Christmas toy), having just wriggled her way into this paper hat, which had been lying discarded on a footstool." We love a high and mischievous cat. You are missed, Lex.

See you next time.

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

[Follow Rex Parker on BlueSky and Facebook]