Interception returned for a touchdown / TUE 10-6-26 / Strategic disk game played on a vertical board / Feline adoption option / Bank with a lion in its logo / Coin dated with the year of its country's imperial era

Constructor: Adam Vincent

Relative difficulty: Easy-Medium

THEME: ACTION / FIGURE (67A: With 68-Across, posable plaything ... or a verbal hint to each half of 4-, 7- and 10-Down and 46-Across) — four familiar two-word phrases where the first word is an "action" and the second word is a "figure" (i.e. a number):

Theme answers:

• PICK SIX (4D: Interception returned for a touchdown)
• TAKE FIVE (7D: Break for a few minutes)
• HANG TEN (10D: Surf with one's toes off the front of the board)
• CONNECT FOUR (46A: Strategic disk game played on a vertical board)

Word of the Day: PEAKY (20A: Pale and sickly) —

• adjective Sickly; peaked. [emph. mine]
• adjective Characterised by peaks. (wiktionary, via wordnik)

• • •

Strange, but in a good way. From the concept to the execution to the grid shape, everything about this theme feels original, imaginative. It took me a few beats to understand it, though. I came down the west side and ended up at the revealer quite quickly. Despite the fact that I already had two theme answers in place at that point, I thought I had only one—CONNECT FOUR—and based on that alone, I couldn't figure out how ACTION/FIGURE worked. The "each half" part of the clue was throwing me—I was expecting both CONNECT and FOUR to be "doing" the same thing, but couldn't figure out how either one related to ACTION/FIGURE. I think the revealer would actually have been clearer if they'd just left the whole "half" part out of it. "... or a possible verbal hint to blah, blah, blah." The entire phrase "ACTION/FIGURE" is the "verbal hint." Yes, the first half is the "action" and the second half is the "figure," but you can see that. The "half" business isn't important. And for me, initially, it was a distraction. It was only when I went and found the other theme answers I had in place (PICK SIX), that the "half" business became clear. Not "both halves" but "each half"—each was relating to a different part of the phrase ACTION/FIGURE. One, the action; two, the figure. Got it. Liked it.

One thing I did not like—that made me literally stop and exclaim (in a whisper—my wife is still sleeping), "Noooo!": the clue on SENSE (24A: One of six, supposedly, for a seer). The clue itself is just fine, or would be, if the answer to that clue didn't cross the "SIX" in PICK SIX, and answer I had just written in. Bad enough to dupe the "six" in the clue, but to dupe it so close to the SIX in the grid—right on top of it. That seemed like such an editorial own-goal that I briefly thought there was gonna be some kind of "six" theme, or number theme. I guess I was right about the number theme, sort of, only duplication of the numbers had nothing to do with it. So that "six" in the SENSE clue was extremely jarring. Less jarring, but still disruptive, was "PEAKY," a word I've only ever heard preceding the word "Blinders" in a well-regarded TV show. I had the "PEA-" part and thought "OK ... why won't 'PEAKED' fit? Is there a rebus? An 'ED' rebus? That seems ... unlikely." I did not know PEAKY was a synonym for (bastardization of?) PEAKED, so I wrote in that "Y" with some trepidation at first, but YEN ended up rock solid, so ... PEAKY it is. "PEAKED" (pronounced with two syllables, like "NAKED") is a word I associate heavily, maybe exclusively, with my MOM. I think she's the only person I've ever heard say it—when I was a child, when either my sister or I didn't look well. "You're looking a little PEAKED." I like the word PEAKED. PEAKY, I like les, but is is, in fact, a word, nothing I can do about common USAGE, sadly. 

[My city weighs a TON (423D: Suffix in the names of many U.S. cities)]

There's maybe a little more gunk than I would like in the short stuff today (CSI ONO ARIA ING MAI NGOS SHH ASEA IFI), but it's holding together a theme that's pretty hard to pull off, architecturally—two 7s, an 8, and an 11 are not gonna fit in any kind of standard theme answer arrangement, so the puzzle gets creative. None of the gunk bothered me nearly as much as RIDES ON did (39A: Gallops into the sunset, say). Something about the clue just seems off. Riding into the sunset implies a conclusion (to a movie, specifically), whereas riding on is just ... continuing on one's way. Which, I guess, is technically what the person galloping into the sunset would be doing ... OK, maybe the clue is fine, on a literal level, but I still feel like there's some kind of temporal wobble here, a concluding vs. continuing incongruity created by the whole "riding into the sunset" image.   

Bullets:

• 46A: Strategic disk game played on a vertical board (CONNECT FOUR) — I was CONNECT FOUR champion in grade school (5th grade? 6th?). I would sometimes get to class early and play this game with whoever was around. I remember it being like a glorified tic-tac-toe, in that, if you played it right, it was possible to never lose—the worst outcome would be "no-winner." But it's been 45 years since I played, so maybe I'm misremembering how easy it was to master. It's also possible my competition was simply feeble. No offense, guys. We were 11!
• 35D: Spur-of-the-moment (IMPROMPTU) — when I got the FIGURE part of ACTION/FIGURE, I remember thinking "What the hell word are they gonna use for the terminal 'U' in the Down." Figured it would some phrase ending in "YOU." Then saw it was gonna end "-TU" and thought "oh that doesn't bode well ... what is that, some long Latin phrase?" but then pow, IMPROMPTU came along and surprised me. What a great word. 
• 45D: Starbucks keepsake, perhaps (MUG) — why would you shill for Starbucks like this? Who gets "keepsakes" from Starbucks? "Ah, this MUG reminds me of that time we went to Starbucks. Remember, honey?" "The one in the airport or the one in the mall?" "No, the one across from Walmart. I can't believe you've forgotten already!? Do our visits to ubiquitous coffee shops mean nothing to you!?"

That's all for today. See you next time.

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

[Follow Rex Parker on BlueSky and Facebook and Letterboxd]
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Dance craze of the 2010s / MON 10-5-26 / Cheap hooch / Internet meme feline / One way to sit while meditating / Clickables at the top of a computer screen / Bygone electric Chevy / Follower of Jah, informally

Constructor: Chase Dittirch

Relative difficulty: Challenging (for *me*, solved Downs-only)

THEME: "THERE'S THE RUB" (52A: "Ah, that's where things get difficult" ... or what can be said about 20-, 35- and 40-Across?) — things associated with "rubs":

Theme answers:

• MASSAGE TABLE (20A: Spot to work out knotted muscles)
• SPARE RIBS (35A: Memphis barbecue staple)
• MAGIC LAMP (40A: Key to Aladdin's success)

Word of the Day: The DOUGIE (46D: Dance craze of the 2010s) —

The Dougie (/ˈdʌɡi/ ^ⓘ DUG-ee) is a hip hop dance move generally performed by moving one's body from side to side and passing a hand through or near the hair on one's own head.

The dance move originated in Dallas, Texas, where it took its name from similar moves performed by 1980s rapper Doug E. Fresh. The Dougie gained notoriety through rapper Lil' Wil, whose song "My Dougie", released in late 2007, became a local hit. Then, a person called C-Smoove in Southern California taught the future members of Cali Swag District how to do the dance. Cali Swag District recorded the song "Teach Me How to Dougie" and filmed the music video in Inglewood, California during the summer of 2009. Subsequently, the video along with the dance became popular on YouTube. (wikipedia)

• • •

80% easy, 20% dead stop, thought I wasn't gonna be able to finish. Eventually, the Downs-Only gods are gonna kneecap me, but not today, satans! It was close, though, partly because I'm an idiot but partly because the puzzle was playing a little dirty. A little DIRNDL-y, in fact. Actually, DIRNDL is a real word that I know, but trying to parse it today, lol, no way. I went through what I thought was every possible letter permutation that could make a word out of DIR--L and ... nothing. No dice. All the crosses seemed rock solid, but I just couldn't get a word to go there. Which meant I started doubting those rock-solid crosses. Which meant everything just kept falling apart even more. [SIGH]!!! I was literally SIGHing and thinking "that's got to be SIGH"! Indeed. But DIRNDL, man, DIRNDL. Oof. Abetting DIRNDL in its mission to kick my ass was The DOUGIE. Ask me for a 2010s dance craze in six letters, I've got NAE NAE, and then I've got nothing nothing. All I had for sure in that dance craze answer was the "U" from RUB, and that wasn't helping. 

Eventually, the only reason I was able to break out of this prison of confusion was PRISON BREAK, which I managed (eventually!!) to see from just the "I" and the "R"! I had been assuming that 26D: Escape from jail was a verb phrase, not a noun phrase. [SIGH] and Aargh. But perhaps the biggest impediment to my Downs-only solve was a clue I'm still mad about: 27D: Clickables at the top of a computer screen (TABS). I had the "B" and ... nothing. Because TABS are not at the top of my computer screen, they're at the top of my computer browser. At the top of my screen is a menu, with headings like (in order) "Chrome," "File," "Edit," "View," "History" ... and the rest! Are menu headings called "TABS"? I just don't think they're the same thing. I assume the clue means browser TABS, but again, I refer you to the fact that those are absolutely not "at the top of [my] computer screen." So understanding that damned "B" in --B-,  oof and aargh. "B"rutal. But PRISON BREAK really broke things loose, and I finished without cheating (i.e. without looking at an Across clue), so victory is mine and it is sweet. 

So the theme: I liked it! Surprised it hasn't been done. It's cute to link these disparate theme answers together this way, and I really enjoyed seeing the revealer come into view and realizing what the theme was going to be. The fill could've been a little stronger—a simple four-theme answer probably shouldn't be relying so heavily on ECRU ACTI SUPE (all in one tiny section!) and then EKES ERE SGT SAO CITI ATAD ATSEA ACH RAH IMO OTOE OHS AWS ESS ETS etc. But CROSS-LEGGED is great (3D: One way to sit while meditating) and PRISON BREAK is good and COWHAND and REPLETE aren't bad, and as I say, the theme seems very nice, simple and funny and elegant, very Monday-appropriate. So I come down solidly on the Plus side.

Bullets:

• 29A: Internet meme feline (LOLCAT) — I feel like we should retire this one. It's too ... Aughts, somehow. Just feels not relevant anymore. Bygone. Stale. A ghost reference. Cats are still big on the internet, but somehow LOLCAT sounds very dated to my ears.

[LOLCATs in a more serious, squirrel-patrol mood]

• 5D: Cheap hooch (ROTGUT) — speaking of dated, everything about this one seems like it came out of Prohibition. ROTGUT sounds like 1920s slang, but it actually dates from 1632 (!). "Hooch" is a much more recent term, dating only from 1897. Did you know that "hooch" is "short for hoochinoo, a distilled liquor made by the Hoochinoo (Hutsnuwu) Indians, a Tlingit tribe" (merriam-webster.com)? Me neither!
• 36D: "___ Window" ("REAR") — the ESE of this puzzle had me so turned around that I actually started doubting My Favorite Movie. "R... ROAD WINDOW? ROSE WINDOW? ROY'S WINDOW? It's gotta be REAR!!" (true). [Note, I don't have a favorite movie, but I do have a Mount Rushmore of favorites, and REAR Window is on it—my cinema gateway drug, for sure]

• 56A: Singer Baker (ANITA) — Just as REAR Window is one of my favorite movies, ANITA Baker's Rapture is one of my favorite albums. Not what you'd expect a 16yo boy to be blaring from his '77 Toyota Sports Coupe in 1986, but that's what was happening, I promise you. I had no shame.

That's all for today. See you next time.

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

[Follow Rex Parker on BlueSky and Facebook and Letterboxd]
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Drawback to a brownstone / SUN 10-4-26 / Victor Hugo's religious epic poem / Electronic musician Steve / Pioneering satellite launched 10/4/1957 / Maxim about surviving in a rapidly changing world / Title for Horatio Magellan Crunch / Prefix with "wife" for some influencers / Seven-plus-hour exam with a lunch break, in brief / No-nos for many high-profile actors

Constructor: Kathryn Bale

Relative difficulty: Easy

THEME: "10-4" — a celebration (?) of TRUCKER DAY (!?!?) (110A: 10/4 celebration ... as suggested by this grid, which is made up entirely of 10- and 4-letter answers) — that's it: all answers are either 10 or 4 letters long

Theme answers:

• all of them, I guess; also:
• "UNDERSTOOD" (21A: "10-4")
• DIFFERENCE (14D: Result of 10 - 4, e.g.)
• SPUTNIK ONE (67D: Pioneering satellite launched 10/4/1957)

Word of the Day: Carlton FISK (93D: Hall-of-Fame catcher Carlton) —

Carlton Ernest Fisk (born December 26, 1947), nicknamed "Pudge" and "the Commander", is an American former professional baseball catcher who played 24 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox and the Chicago White Sox. In 1972, he was the first player to be unanimously voted American League (AL) Rookie of the Year. Fisk is best known for his game-winning home run in the 12th inning of Game 6 of the 1975 World Series, during which he memorably waved his arms hoping for the batted ball to remain fair.

At the time of his retirement, Fisk held the record for most home runs all-time by a catcher with 376 (since surpassed by Mike Piazza). He has held several age- or longevity-related records, including the record for most games played at the position of catcher with 2,226 (later surpassed by Iván Rodríguez, who also shared Fisk's nickname "Pudge"). Fisk still holds the AL record for most years served at the position (24). Fisk was voted to the All-Star team 11 times and won three Silver Slugger Awards which is awarded annually to the best offensive player at each position. In 2000, Fisk was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. (wikipedia)

• • •

I don't have much nice to say about this one, so I'll start by saying I appreciate that they ran this on the day itself (10/4) and I think the grid looks kinda cool. Unusual blocking, with every kind of symmetry imaginable (90º rotational, 180º rotational, plus horizontal and vertical and diagonal mirror symmetries). If you just look at it as a physical object and ignore the fact that it's a puzzle that one has to solve, then the puzzle is very nice indeed. But ... the ultra-restrictive terms of the grid (all 10s and 4s) really really cost you in places, and even if the grid didn't contain some real clunkers, it still just wouldn't be enough. There's almost no thematic content (beyond the revealer and the three answers listed above, one of which (DIFFERENCE) is a stretttttch), so you're left solving what feels like a really awkward themeless .... which is pretty much exactly what it is. 

The "theme" is almost purely architectural. And ... what puzzle is improved by *limiting* itself to 4s?! Those are the answers you usually try to keep at a minimum because you simply can't do much interesting with them. But here it's just 4s as far as the eye can see. They aren't particularly bad fours, they're just ... fours. There's only so much potential upside to 4s. So as far as any interest goes, all you've got are 10s. Some of those are fine, but almost none of them are real marquee-worthy winners, and one of them is the most laughable long answer I've seen ... ever? Maybe. That answer: OLDER PIPES? (8D: Drawback to a brownstone). I'm cackling. I might, maybe, almost, if I was feeling charitable, give you OLD PIPES. OLDER is killing me. It's not that you would never say that, it's just ... older than what? I had OLDER PAINT in there for a bit, back when I had the "12 Days of Christmas" bird as a SWAN (which is what it should've been—there are no DOVEs in that song, only (famously) turtleDOVEs!). "Oh, Danny Boy, the OLDER PIPES are calling from GLUT to BEEN..."

And why do we have this "theme?" For some made-up "day"? I feel bad for truckers because of the high cost of diesel, I really do, so no offense to truckers, but this is not a day, and if it is a day, one on which truckers deserve to be celebrated, well ... they deserve better than this. And then the puzzle can't even figure out how to let you, the solver, figure out the "10-4" gimmick; instead, the puzzle just explains it to you in the revealer clue. That is not how you do a revealer! I'm supposed to figure something out. By solving. That's the contract, that's how it works. It's like explaining why a joke is funny. If you have to explain, you failed somewhere along the line. Maybe if the 10s had absolutely shimmered today I would've had warmer feelings for this thing. But it's hard to have warm feelings for EMAIL ALERT or ABOARD SHIP or END OF AN ERA (58A: Epoch conclusion?) (an "epoch" is not an "era"—this is why Taylor Swift didn't have an "Epochs Tour") or PASTA SALAD or SPRINT CARS or SUIT TO A TEE or SOLO ARTIST or ROAD MARKER or especially ADAPT OR DIE, a loathsome slogan (74D: Maxim about surviving in a rapidly changing world). Also loathsome—the whole TRAD wife thing (most of those "influencer" accounts are fake, and anyway, it turns out anti-feminist men actually hate TRAD wives as much as they hate all women, so what is the point?). You could avoid TRAD altogether. Just put LANE over APEX instead of LAVA over APED, and poof, goodbye TRAD wife (76D: Prefix with "wife" for some influencers).

Bullets:

• 29A: "___ the One" (song on  Springsteen's "Born to Run") — two days in a row that we get a fill-in-the-blank song title clue from a non-famous B-side (yesterday, Abba's "OUR Last Summer," the B-side to "Thank You for the Music"; today "SHE'S the One," the B-side to "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out"). There are genuinely famous musical possibilities for "SHE'S": Hall & Oates's "SHE'S Gone"; Patsy Cline's "SHE'S Got You"; Cyndi Lauper's debut album, SHE'S So Unusual; Cole Porter's "Miss Otis Regrets (SHE'S Unable to Lunch Today)"; etc.

• 71A: Classic brand with the slogan "When it rains it pours" (MORTON SALT) — I really—and I mean really—thought "Morton" was a possessive (i.e. "MORTON'S"). Maybe I'm getting Morton confused with Gorton's—both their mascots are wearing rain gear!!!

• 79A: Electronic musician Steve (AOKI) — forgot about him. He's the AOKI who replaced ISAO AOKI ... Benihana's founder is Rocky AOKI, I just found out. Those are your three crossword AOKIs, and that's it, as far as I know. (The first Japanese ambassador to the U.S. was an AOKI, but that clue hasn't been used since the '50s).
• 90D: Femme fatale-filled genre (NOIR) — this made me laugh. Specifically, the "filled" part. "NOIR: Now With 50% More Femmes Fatales!" There's usually just the one in any given NOIR, if that.
• 93A: Defense in a snowball fight (FORT) — I had MOAT, lol. "Good luck hitting me with a snowball now, suck-" [gets hit directly in face]
• 38D: Victor Hugo's religious epic poem (DIEU) — super-obscure. I've never even heard of it. Why would anyone have heard of this?:

Dieu (French pronunciation: [djø], "God", 1891) is a long religious epic by Victor Hugo, parts of which were written between 1855 and 1862. It was left unfinished, and published after his death.

When it was rejected by his publisher in 1857, Hugo tried to integrate it into Petites Epopées (later La Légende des siècles), eventually announcing that it would form a companion work, along with La Fin de Satan. He had stopped work entirely by 1862, and while the result is fairly coherent, it is less complete than either of the other works, lacking even opening lines. (my emph.) (wikipedia)

• 117A: Nails will do it, but not teeth (RUST) — this is a dirty lie. Just ask a saw.

That's all for today. See you next time.

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

[Follow Rex Parker on BlueSky and Facebook and Letterboxd]
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Five-note jingle for "The Gift that Grows" / SAT 10-3-26 / Burkina Faso, before 1984 / Sword's alternative / Question in a stalemate / Sluglike creature known for its soft, water-repellent skin / Greek actress who brought Elektra, Penelope, Antigone and Helen of Troy to the screen / Outlet for the Jordan River

Constructor: Kameron Austin Collins

Relative difficulty: Easy

THEME: none 

Word of the Day: IRENE PAPAS (9D: Greek actress who brought Elektra, Penelope, Antigone and Helen of Troy to the screen) —

Irene Papas or Pappas (Greek: Ειρήνη Παππά, romanized: Eiríni Pappá, IPA: [iˈrini paˈpa]; born Eirini Lelekou [Ειρήνη Λελέκου]; 3 September 1929 – 14 September 2022) was a Greek actress and singer who starred in over 70 films in a career spanning more than 50 years. She gained international recognition through such popular award-winning films as The Guns of Navarone (1961), Zorba the Greek (1964) and Z (1969). She was a powerful protagonist in films including The Trojan Women (1971) and Iphigenia (1977). She played the title roles in Antigone (1961) and Electra (1962). She had a fine singing voice, on display in the 1968 recording Songs of Theodorakis.

Papas won Best Actress awards at the Berlin International Film Festival for Antigone and from the National Board of Review for The Trojan Women. Her career awards include the Golden Arrow Award in 1993 at Hamptons International Film Festival, and the Golden Lion Award in 2009 at the Venice Biennale. (wikipedia)

• • •

Well this one had me at hello. From square one. What a wonderfully stupid way to jump into a puzzle:

1A: Five-note jingle for "The Gift that Grows"! I was so happy with the answer that I worried it was wrong. But then I checked the "A" cross and it all checked out (10D: Man who made animals talk = AESOP)—the gift that grows, the animals that talk. Again, a delightful way to start off. Then—more fun. I ran every single cross on CH-CH-CH-CHIA, left to right, one after the other, as fast as I could think of answers, not bothering to check if they "worked"—just bam bam bam, as fast as I could think of something to write in. With AESOP in place already, that makes nine answers that I rat-a-tatted, and despite a hit rate only just north of 50%, I still discern both of the longer Acrosses up there from inside the mess, and in getting those Acrosses, fixed my errant Downs, and there I was with a gorgeous NW corner in seemingly no time at all, not because every answer was a gimme, but because I just powered in there and stirred things up and then waited for patterns to emerge. And they did. Great feeling of satisfaction, great-looking corner. Only thing really holding me up was IRENE PAPAS—the IRENE part was easy enough, but her last name remained a mystery for a while. She was one of two names I absolutely did not know today (the other: VERE) (55A: Captain in Melville's "Billy Budd") (I know I've read Billy Budd, but ... not lately, apparently).

The puzzle remained entertaining throughout. Just when I'd think "well, I'm gonna get stuck here," something would click and I'd break right through. Do I know what a VELVET WORM is? (26D: Sluglike creature known for its soft, water-repellent skin). I do not. But I had the VEL- and it wasn't hard to get to WORM from "Sluglike" and after considering and immediately discarding VELCRO WORM (does VELCRO repel water?), I settled into VELVET, which gave me a "DV-" opener at 37A, which I knew was going to be DVD-something before I ever read the clue (37A: Supplementary materials accompanying a home movie purchase = DVD EXTRAS). And so I don't know if this one whoosh-whooshed, exactly, but it got close. Closer than most Saturdays get. This is the puzzle I wish I'd gotten yesterday. A puzzle I moved through happily, a puzzle that was more on my wavelength pop-culture-wise, a more cleverly clued puzzle overall. This puzzle made me remember UPPER VOLTA (last thought of in 7th-grade Geography, probably; hey, Mrs. Stevens, wherever you are) (53A: Burkina Faso, before 1984). It gave me a "texting" clue I didn't resent (because it wasn't about texting at all) (25D: Person who gets a lot of texts? = AVID READER). And it made me think of Little Richard (27D: Has no control = CAN'T HELP IT). Sadly, the puzzle also has barf in it (46D: Fails to keep things down). But happily, I somehow never saw that clue / answers, so it failed to sour my solve in any way. Everything broke my way today. Kam's puzzles are almost always a blast for me, but this one in particular felt like it came with a bow on it. 

Only wrong answers today were the ones I rat-a-tatted into the grid up top when I was just getting started: HEDONIC (!) for 4D: Characterized by great happiness (HALCYON); "COME ON!" for "CRIKEY!" (5D: "Sheesh!"); HOT for HET (8D: All worked (up)). There were some tricky clues here and there, but momentum just kept carrying me through. Couldn't get my head around 43A: Ticket selector, for instance. Needed to get to -OTER before I saw it, but getting to -OTER was a cinch, so no real hold-up. VERE held me up, but again, I was able to swarm the answer from all sides and turn it up pretty easily. Knowing ERMA Franklin helped (57A: Singing sister of Aretha). Never entirely sure if she's an "E" ERMA or an "I" IRMA, just as I'm never entirely sure if Ingrid Bergman played an "E" ELSA or in "I" ILSA (49D: Classic film character who says "Kiss me. Kiss me as if it were the last time"). IRMA La Douce, ERMA Franklin, ERMA Bombeck, ELSA the Lion from Born Free, ILSA from Casablanca. There's also an ILSA, She Wolf of the SS, a mid-'70s Canadian Nazisploitation film, but the less said about that the better. Just ask Gene Siskel: "the most degenerate picture I have seen to play downtown." (Believe me when I say you are never going to have to know this movie for a New York Times crossword puzzle. But maybe pub trivia, I don't know.)

Bullets:

• 28A: Did a boring job? (MINED) — because mining involves boring into the earth. I used to have an English teacher who, as he was about to unlock his classroom after lunch, would take the key, twist it (gently) into your shoulder, and ask "Am I boring you?" RIP Mr. Berglund. I still remember the John Donne you had us memorize.

[24D: "___ of Frankenstein (1939 movie sequel)]

• 41A: Trap in the water (CREEL) — a crossword word that just floats to the surface whenever I need it and then floats back down again, never to be thought of until the next time a crossword forces the issue.

• 34A: Sword's alternative (PEN) — as in "the PEN is mightier than ..."
• 58A: Nervously inhales? (STRESS EATS) — both STRESS EATS and ESTATE SALE just look like an avalanche of the most common letters, but STRESS EATS is actually an interesting answer, and this clue is great—nice, unexpected meaning on "inhales."
• 36D: Abba's "___ Last Summer" ("OUR") — really though I knew all Abba's singles. One summer (not our last), my best friends and I sat around and listened to and ranked Every Abba Single. This song was not part of that list .... oh. I see that this was the B-side of "Thank You for the Music" (a song that was on the list ... low on the list). I also see that "OUR Last Summer" was featured in Mamma Mia, which probably accounts for its clue-worthiness. I know Mamma Mia is a beloved musical / movie, but you'd have to use violence to get me to watch it. I love Abba too much. Also, there's a reason this song was not a single. . . it's pretty ... limp.

• 21D: Maya Angelou's "Phenomenal ___" (WOMAN") — Not knowing the poem, I had "WOMEN" here for a bit. It is a poem, isn't it? Yep. Here you go, in its entirety (via poetryfoundation.org):

Phenomenal Woman

By Maya Angelou

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.

I’m not cute or built to suit a fashion model’s size   

But when I start to tell them,

They think I’m telling lies.

I say,

It’s in the reach of my arms,

The span of my hips,   

The stride of my step,   

The curl of my lips.   

I’m a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,   

That’s me.

I walk into a room

Just as cool as you please,   

And to a man,

The fellows stand or

Fall down on their knees.   

Then they swarm around me,

A hive of honey bees.   

I say,

It’s the fire in my eyes,   

And the flash of my teeth,   

The swing in my waist,   

And the joy in my feet.   

I’m a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That’s me.

Men themselves have wondered   

What they see in me.

They try so much

But they can’t touch

My inner mystery.

When I try to show them,   

They say they still can’t see.   

I say,

It’s in the arch of my back,   

The sun of my smile,

The ride of my breasts,

The grace of my style.

I’m a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That’s me.

Now you understand

Just why my head’s not bowed.   

I don’t shout or jump about

Or have to talk real loud.   

When you see me passing,

It ought to make you proud.

I say,

It’s in the click of my heels,   

The bend of my hair,   

the palm of my hand,   

The need for my care.   

’Cause I’m a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That’s me.

And that's me for today. See you next time.

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

[Follow Rex Parker on BlueSky and Facebook and Letterboxd]
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📘 My other blog 📘:

• Pop Sensation (vintage paperbacks)

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