I guess these fall under the broad definition of "pun(ny)," but they aren't particularly fun(ny), and don't have the really zany wordplay, or the groan-producing capacity, that I associate with real puns. Also, FINAL SALE and TENNIS ACE strike me as pretty weak answers, generally. So the theme feels pretty tepid. The grid is halfway decent for a Monday. I mean, DIALER is ridiculous, but most of the rest of it holds up, and though there's nothing wonderful here, there's a lot of very solid, varied, interesting answers. I think of "denim" as the fabric, and JEAN as ... I don't know what. Half a pair of pants? It's really only ever used adjectivally, predominantly before jacket, or, less appealingly, shorts (although those are just called JORTS now ... I think).
I had the most trouble with YO MAMA (the phrase "playground joke" really gave me very little idea of where the answer was heading) and ASIATIC (which is just a fancy way of saying "Asian"??). Otherwise, at 2:52, my time was dead-normal for a Monday. It's a place-filler puzzle, but I've certainly done worse. And hey, nice clue on NERDY.
SPECIAL MESSAGE for Solvers in Syndication(for the week of January 15-January 22, 2017)
Hello, solvers. A new year has begun, and that means it's time for my week-long, once-a-year pitch for financial contributions to the blog. The idea is very simple: if you read the blog regularly (or even semi-regularly), please consider what it's worth to you on an annual basis and give accordingly. In making this pitch, I'm pledging that the blog will continue to be here for you to read / enjoy / grimace at for at least another calendar year, with a new post up by 9:00am (usually by 12:01am) every day, as usual. Despite my regular grumbling about puzzle quality, constructor pay, and other things that should be better in the world of crosswords, I still love solving, I still love writing about puzzles, and I love love love the people I meet and interact with because of this blog. Well, most of them. Some I mute on Twitter, but mostly: there is love. The blog turned 10 in September, and despite the day-in, day-out nature of the job, I can't foresee stopping any time soon. The community of friends and fellow enthusiasts are all just too dear to me. You can expect me to be here every day, praising / yelling at the puzzle—independent and ad-free. Some people refuse to pay for what they can get for free. Others just don't have money to spare. All are welcome to read the blog—the site will always be open and free. But if you are able to express your appreciation monetarily, here are two options. First, a Paypal button (which you can also find in the blog sidebar):
Second, a mailing address:
Rex Parker c/o Michael Sharp
54 Matthews St
Binghamton, NY 13905
All Paypal contributions will be gratefully acknowledged by email. All snail mail contributions (I. Love. Snail mail!) will be gratefully acknowledged with hand-written postcards. This year's cards are "Cookery Postcards from Penguin"—beautifully designed covers of vintage cookbooks, with provocative titles like "Cookery For Men Only " (!) or "Good Meals from Tinned Foods" (!?). Please note: I don't keep a "mailing list" and don't share my contributor info with anyone. And if you give by snail mail and (for some reason) don't want a thank-you card, just say NO CARD. As I say in every thank-you card (and email), I'm so grateful for your readership and support.
Now on to the puzzle!
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A very basic theme type. There's really nothing bad or good about it. It just is. One clue, five times, five things fit that clue, done. I don't know when you'd follow a DOTTED LINE. Are you a pirate looking for treasure? I sign on DOTTED LINEs, I don't follow them. But everything else is right over the plate, and TWITTER FEED (here's mine!) is a nice stand-alone answer. Speaking of TWITTER FEED, WaPo crossword writer/editor had this to say on Twitter last night re: ONEB (25D: Ruiner of a perfect report card):
I will admit, that clue / answer pair made me cringe hard. Lots of different grades "ruin" perfect report cards. ONE B usually gets clued as a hypothetical apt. number, which is admittedly boring, but I think the goal here is not "Come up with hot new ONE B clue!" but rather, "Ugh, tear that out and start over." Constructor gets himself into trouble with themer positioning: O--B not a favorable letter combo. This is a good example of the "Don't call attention to your crap fill with a stupid clue" rule. Trying to think of a good example of an answer as arbitrary as today's ONE B clue. [Runners' award for a balk] => ONE BASE. Actually, that's much better. [Ingredient some brownie recipes] => ONE EGG. I mean, it's true enough, but ...
Fill on this one was passable, but I hated the way that the puzzle added difficulty: via proper nouns *only*. EDDARD, BENNET, NICOLE. Who? Everything else, Monday cake-walk. EDDARD was particularly ugh because EDWARD. I don't really object to the name's being in the grid—I object to having a puzzle that's 95% child's play and the rest minor names you can get only from crosses. Very, very uneven. I imagine a good number of you have never heard of ELIAS Sports Bureau (no, not *you*, *you* know Everything, but some of the others...) (51D: ___ Sports Bureau (official 58-Down provider for Major League Baseball)). These things happen. But they stand out grossly when there is no other resistance in the grid.
One last thing: the long Downs are colorful, but that clue on GOLD DIGGER is horrid (30D: One who wants a ring for bling?). The term is inherently sexist, but I don't think that puts it beyond the pale for crosswords, necessarily. The song of the same name was a Huge hit for Kanye West, so if nothing else, that clue is available. But wanting a ring? For "bling"? Lots and lots and lots of women want rings. And rings are inherently "bling." So literally nothing about that clue says GOLD DIGGER. The simple fact of wanting him to "put a ring on it" does not make a woman a GOLD DIGGER. Was the "ring/bling" rhyme just too ... rhymey to resist? Was it so shiny and irresistible that you didn't notice the clue made no sense? Apparently. Still, overall, this is a solid puzzle. Tried & true theme type (very low risk), with sensible and occasionally interesting fill (POP-UP BOOKS!). I've had worse Wednesdays.
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
PS I wouldn't cross EMO / EMOJI, as "EMO" refers to same thing in both cases. Bad look.
A long time ago, I was solving this puzzle and got stuck at an unguessable (to me) crossing: N. C. WYETH crossing NATICK at the "N"—I knew WYETH but forgot his initials, and NATICK ... is a suburb of Boston that I had no hope of knowing. It was clued as someplace the Boston Marathon runs through (???). Anyway, NATICK— the more obscure name in that crossing—became shorthand for an unguessable cross, esp. where the cross involves two proper nouns, neither of which is exceedingly well known. NATICK took hold as crossword slang, and the term can now be both noun ("I had a NATICK in the SW corner...") or verb ("I got NATICKED by 50A / 34D!")
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