Santa player in Miracle on 34th Street / MON 12-19-16 / SEC school near Atlanta for short / Neologism for on-screen/off-screen relationship

Constructor: Jason Mueller

Relative difficulty: Challenging (solid Tuesday time)

THEME: actors who played Santa in movies 

Theme answers:

• FRED ASTAIRE (17A: Santa player in "The Man in the Santa Claus Suit")
• TOM HANKS (26A: Santa player in "The Polar Express")
• ED ASNER (40A: Santa player in"Elf")
• TIM ALLEN (51A: Santa player in"The Santa Clause")
• EDMUND GWENN (WHOEVER THAT IS) (62A: Santa player in "Miracle on 34th Street")

Word of the Day: EDMUND GWENN —

Edmund Gwenn (26 September 1877– 6 September 1959) was an English actor. On film, he is perhaps best remembered for his role as Kris Kringle in the Christmas film Miracle on 34th Street (1947), for which he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and the corresponding Golden Globe Award. He received a second Golden Globe and another Academy Award nomination for the comedy film Mister 880 (1950). // As a stage actor in the West End and on Broadway, he was associated with a wide range of works by modern playwrights, including Bernard Shaw, John Galsworthy and J. B. Priestley. After the Second World War, he lived in the United States where he had a successful career in Hollywood and on Broadway. (wikipedia)

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"The Man in the Santa Claus Suit"? What the hell is that? I just watched an entire TCM special on Christmas films and I don't recall that one mentioned at all. Also, EDMUND GWENN?!? Who was never in any other film of note and whose name is not well known and whose name spelled ... like that? Yipes. I've already heard from several people for whom that "W" cross was a stumper. The WTO is of course the World Trade Organization, but it's not like that clue is very specific (65D: Intl. group that's the object of many mass protests). Much of this puzzle was super-easy, but the actor names plus unclear and/or tricky clues like 5D: Little puzzle (TEASER) (not the meaning of "teaser" that I know, unless you put "brain" in front of it) and 7D: One of a series at a wedding reception (TOAST), plus the giant Downs in the NE/SW, at least one of which (34D: Neologism for an on-screen/off-screen relationship => SHOWMANCE) I'd never ever heard of, made this one slower going than your average Monday. I don't really think much of this "theme"—nothing clever or tricky or thoughtful, just names of actors—but the grid had some very nice moments. Weird that a 78-worder (the max) has this many longer Downs and such generally interesting fill. Still, though, that GWENN / WTO / ETATS (ugh) section really shoulda been rethought.


Oh, "OH, SNAP!" was also not at all intuitive as an answer for 27D: Zinger response. That could've been a billion things. And "response" is weird there, since it's not clear whose doing the responding. Usually not the object of the zinger. Usually a third party, if I know my OH SNAP protocol. Again, I say, this should've been a Tuesday.

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

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Home star of Cthulhu in fantasy tales / SUN 12-18-16 / Old German ruler nicknamed Short / Slithy ones / Part of plant embryo / Liliom playwright Ferenc / Florida State athlete for short

Constructor: Derrick Niederman

Relative difficulty: Medium

THEME: "Mirror Reflection" — Across clues have rotational symmetry, i.e. each Across clue has same clue as its symmetrical partner

Word of the Day: XOTH (4D: Home star of Cthulhu, in fantasy tales) —

The following fictional celestial bodies figure prominently in the Cthulhu Mythos stories of H. P. Lovecraft and other writers. Many of these astronomical bodies have parallels in the real universe, but are often renamed in the mythos and given fictitious characteristics. In addition to the celestial places created by Lovecraft, the mythos draws from a number of other sources, including the works of August Derleth, Ramsey Campbell, Lin Carter, Brian Lumley, and Clark Ashton Smith. [...] Xoth (or Zoth) is the green binary star where Cthulhu and his ilk once lived before coming to earth. According to the Xothic legend cycle, it is where Cthulhu mated with Idh-yaa to beget Ghatanothoa, Ythogtha, and Zoth-Ommog. // Xoth is also the native home of Ycnágnnisssz and Zstylzhemghi, and was the temporary home of the latter's "husband," Ghisguth, and their progeny, the infant Tsathoggua. Tsathoggua later went to live on Yuggoth. Afterward, he fled to Cykranosh to escape Cxaxukluth's cannibalistic eating habits. // Xoth may be the star Sirius, since "Xoth" is similar to "Sothis", the Egyptian name for the star. However, it is more likely that Xoth coincides with the star "Zoth" in Smith's writings. (wikipedia)

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This is remarkable, as a construction feat. As a solving experience, it was less than pleasant—the theme does nothing but make the cluing forced and the fill (esp. the Down fill) awkward. But I did have a "whoa" moment when I realized what was going on, and that the gimmick was so thorough. Actually, at first, I thought it was happening w/ the Downs as well, but at some point I noticed clues not recurring, and then realized that having the conceit work with the Downs too would be impossible / ridiculous. Hard enough to do it w/ the Acrosses alone. The problem here is it's All gimmick. Nothin else to talk about. Nada. Words in a grid, all there to serve the "Mirror Reflection" theme. No sparkle, no fun. Impressive, but not enjoyable.


ET UN (87A: Vingt-___ (multiple de trois)) may be the single worst answer I've ever seen in crosswords, ever (and I've seen plural suffixes like -ENCES, so ... that's saying something). But since it's an Across, and the gimmick is so demanding, I'm not that mad. The Downs are what have me more aggrieved. OFFUN? Right near TRYA? Right near OTTOVI (?) (12D: Old German ruler nicknamed "the Short"), three doors down from OLA, three doors down from REDAN? And, o man, ONYM!? Yipes. Then there are the obscure proper nouns, which I actually didn't mind too much: XOTH and MOLNAR (101D: "Liliom" playwright Ferenc ___). They gave the grid some character. Whereas REHOIST, ugh, no. Ever time I look at that word, my brain wants to pronounce it a different way. See also DETAG. In the end, there's nothing to say. Here it is. It does this thing with the symmetry ... [points at puzzle]. Commentary shmommentary.

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

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