Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Eric Rollfing

Constructor: Eric Rollfing

Relative difficulty: Easy-Medium

THEME: "WELCOME TO MY CRIB!" (58A: Catchphrase of a classic MTV show ... or a hint for the starts of 16-, 24-, 36- and 48-Across) — first words of theme answers are all parts of a (baby's) crib

Theme answers:

BLANKET POLICIES (16A: Catchalls of the insurance industry)
RAILING AT (24A: Really giving an earful)
MONITOR LIZARD (36A: Reptile that can reach up to 10 feet in length)
MOBILE APP (48A: Play Store purchase)

Word of the Day: Cribs (the "classic MTV show" of 58A) —

MTV Cribs (also known as Cribs) is an American documentary television show that originated on MTV and features tours of the private homes of celebrities. It originally aired from 2000 to 2010. In 2017, MTV produced short-form episodes of the program and distributed it through Snapchat Discover.
MTV revived the show for new full length episodes in 2021.

[Why wasn't XZIBIT in the crossword more often? (just two appearances: 2007, 2014)]

The first show aired in September 2000. By 2005, Cribs had featured tours of the homes of over 185 celebrities including musicians, actors, and athletes over the course of 13 seasons. The show was originally narrated by Ananda Lewis, then narrated by SuChin Pak (originally of MTV News). [...] On January 24, 2009, Cribs created a separate version specific to CMT (a sister network of MTV), dedicating itself to country music artists, stock car drivers and professional bullriders, and other southeastern U.S. culture figures. New episodes were taped to air on CMT with the CMT Cribs title. Also in 2009, the MTV format switched to Teen Cribs, which featured the homes of regular teenagers living in large and otherwise notable homes, straying away from the celebrity element. [...] Producers decided not to include a host to make the show feel more intimate. Each 30-minute; documentary-style episodes begins with the celebrity opening the front door, introducing themselves, and saying, "welcome to my crib." (wikipedia) (my emph.)

• • •

Lot of Cribs fans out there in Crossworld!? No? I'm shocked. Anyway, comments section should be fun today. I definitely (idly) watched this show (way) back in the day, but haven't thought of it in years. Had no idea it had been revived, syndicated, revived again, etc. Thought it died a natural death some time in the Aughts. Lotta older non-rap fans in the solving base, so I'm curious about how this one goes down with them, but I thought it was fine. It's a solid example of a standard puzzle type: a set of familiar phrases linked together by a snappy final phrase that reveals a connection among all the first words of the phrases. Sometimes it's last words, sometimes it's first words, doesn't matter. Today it's first words. The revealer completely changes the context for those first words—this is important. That is, none of the "crib" items are functioning *as* crib items in their respective phrases, i.e. not that kind of "railing," not that kind of "monitor." The magical power of the revealer all of a sudden snaps all those first words into focus, in a new, shared category: a child's "crib." Bonus: the revealer itself isn't using "crib" in the "child's sleeping area" sense. "Crib" is slang for your home, house, dwelling, abode. The slang is an extension of the standard meaning of "crib" (it's the place where you sleep), but it's nice that the revealer isn't just CRIB—that's there's some bonus wordplay in the revealer itself.

The NW quadrant had a bunch of fill that made me kind of sigh and sag in my desk chair—the kind of stuff that can be a harbinger of weak fill to come (SETI, ESO, SRO, ROI), but once you get out of there, it's clear skies, pretty much. I never had that "oof" feeling again (except maybe with ÉTÉ, which I would be happy never to see again). There's not much sizzle to this one, but the fill is, for the most part, quite solid.

Difficulty? Not really. As usual, the hardest part was getting started, and it wasn't that hard. Oh, I got a little over-confident and made this mistake, that was fun:

BLANKET COVERAGE! It's a real (insurance) phrase, and it fits the clue, and (most importantly) it fits the grid! But pfffft, no, nope, wrong. My only other mistake wasn't a mistake but a hesitation—I wanted RAINGEAR, but thought maybe the answer would be RAINWEAR (?) and so left the letter in question blank (10D: Galoshes and umbrellas). Weirdly, my software likes RAINWEAR and does not like RAINGEAR (not as one word, anyway). Looks like RAINWEAR is the more common term. But "umbrellas" ... you don't "wear" those, do you? (do you??). Also looks like dictionaries differ on whether RAIN GEAR is one word or two. Seems like maybe two had been standard, but then people started putting the parts together, and some dictionaries acknowledge that. I've always been terrible at knowing which compound words are one word and which are two. The rules seem (and likely are) arbitrary.

More more more:

15A: Job perk that might accumulate (LEAVE) — interesting clue on this one. I think of things that accumulate as (likely) plurals, but not here. I wonder how much LEAVE I've accumulated over my (too many) years at this job? I've been lucky enough not to have to think about it.
21A: Country that produces surprisingly little Muscat wine (OMAN) — grapes do grow in Oman, but it's not entirely clear that the capital city (Muscat) is the origin of the name of this particular varietal. Per wikipedia:

Because the exact origins of the Muscat family cannot be pinpointed, theories as to the origin of the name "Muscat" are numerous. The most commonly cited is that it is derived from the Persian word muchk. Similar etymology follows the Greek moskos, Latin muscus and French musc. In Italy, the Italian word mosca for fly could also be one possibility with the sweet aroma and high sugar levels of Muscat grapes attracting insects such as fruit flies.
Other theories suggest that the grape family originated in the West Asian country of Oman and was named after the city of Muscat located on the coast of the Gulf of Oman. Another city that is sometimes suggested as a potential birthplace/namesake is the Greek city of Moschato, located southwest of Athens in Attica, with Moschato being a common synonym in Greece for Muscat varieties.

7D: Color whose name comes from the Greek word for "cuttlefish" (SEPIA) — I had no idea. It's funny to think of cuttlefish being associated with a single color, considering they can be virtually any color (and texture, and shape) they want to be. Just amazing creatures:

33D: Dance performed in Smetana's "The Bartered Bride" (POLKA) — the POLKA is a dance from Bohemia (now part of the Czech Republic). Smetana is a Czech composer. Smetana is also (I just learned) "the English-language name for the different types of sour cream traditionally prevalent in Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe, and Central Asia. It is a dairy product produced by souring heavy cream. It is similar to crème fraîche, but nowadays mainly sold with 9% to 42% milkfat content depending on the country." (wikipedia)

34D: Apt name for a financial adviser? (IRA) — an oldie but ... actually, just an oldie. We had a version of it earlier this year. And about once a year, every year, on average, going back to the Stone Age. I.R.A. stands for Individual Retirement Account, which a financial adviser might advise you to have. Financially.
49D: Residents of the Realm of the Four Parts (INCAS) — "Realm of the Four Parts" (Tawantinsuyu in Quechua) was simply the name of the Inca Empire.
50D: Barbecue setting, often (PATIO) — for some reason I was thinking "setting" = level of heat. Wanted SPICY.

That's all. See you next time.

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

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