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Constructor: Ryan McCarty
Relative issue: Difficult
THEME: none
Phrase of the Day: MITERED (23D: Reduce corners, maybe?) —
MITRE—noun
the official headdress of a bishop within the Western Church, in its trendy type a tall cap with a high deeply cleft crosswise, the define of the back and front resembling that of a pointed arch.
the workplace or rank of a bishop; bishopric.
verb (used with object)
to bestow a miter upon, or increase to a rank entitled to it.
• • •
An ideal Saturday grid, however one which was onerous in (for me) extraordinarily annoying methods, as a result of I had not one however two single squares that I used to be unsure of. In any respect. Properly, the FLAY / FMRI I used to be principally positive of, since FLAY appeared to beat SLAY for plausibility (by no means ever heard of FMRI, nor might I even infer what the “F” stood for) (it is “purposeful”) (???) (10A: Scan in neuroscience analysis, briefly). So I went with “F” and was proper, but it surely’s deeply dissatisfying to have an uncommon initialism like that the place one of many initials cannot even be inferred. FMRI has appeared within the grid solely as soon as earlier than, seven years in the past, and I put a “(?)” subsequent to it then, too. Whereas common previous MRI is within the grid each week, seemingly. FMRI stays a yikes abbr.—for me, anyway. However FLAY > SLAY (or another -LAY phrase—imagine me, I ran the alphabet). So high quality. Dangerous sq. overcome. However the dangerous sq. barrage was not over. Properly, I do not know if another dangerous sq. constitutes a “barrage,” precisely, but it surely positive felt like one. This sq., way more baffling to me than the “F” sq., was what turned out to be the “M” sq. in MITERED / MATS. I saved working the alphabet again and again on -ITERED (23D: Reduce corners, maybe?) and could not make sense of something besides TITERED. Which is outwardly not even a phrase? I knew TITER had one thing to do with chemistry (associated to the power of an answer), so I figured a. it was additionally a verb and b. “lower corners” had one thing to do (metaphorically) with … I dunno, dilution???
As for TATS as a solution for 23A: Stretchers go on high of them, I believed this was (like TITER) a technical time period. Possibly stretchers “stretched” an present tattoo right into a extra elaborate tattoo? Or perhaps stretchers have been some type of gear utilized in tattooing, one thing that offered a sure type of coloring or helped with therapeutic or god is aware of what? I’ve practiced yoga on and off for a very long time, however I do not consider myself (or folks in a yoga class) as “stretchers,” although sure, in fact, on a technical degree we frequently are. I lastly determined, as a result of it made extra sense within the Throughout, that “M” was the way in which to go, however MITERED? No thought what that meant, apart from perhaps “clad in a sharp Pope hat.” A “miter joint,” I in all probability would’ve been in a position to outline, however MITERED, woof and yikes and yeesh, no. So all of the happiness I used to be in any other case experiencing with this powerful however beautiful grid type of acquired sucked out of the room, not as soon as however twice, due to the only squares the place I needed to run the alphabet to get the letter, and even then did not actually perceive why the letter labored.
Checklist!:
- 7A: Product whose essential ingredient is canola oil (PAM) — it is a cooking spray? I have never seen it because the ’70s, besides within the occasional crossword
- 14A: Oratorio spotlight in A-B-A type (ARIA DA CAPO) — yeesh, extra extremely technical vocabulary. I do not actually know what that is, however I do know the phrase “DA CAPO,” and I positive as heck know the phrase “ARIA,” so I pieced all of it collectively.
- 25A: “___-Raq” (2015 Spike Lee movie) (“CHI“) — I remembered this one. Rhymes with “Iraq” (kinda). Set in CHIcago.
- 39A: Comic Eldjárn with the Netflix particular “Pardon My Icelandic” (ARI) — no thought, acquired all of it from crosses. ARI doesn’t appear to be essentially the most Icelandic of names, so nothing concerning the clue helped in any respect.
- 52A: Nonsensical motion (DADA) — Considered “motion” in bodily phrases at first. Undecided DADA itself, as a motion, is nonsensical, however DADA artwork undoubtedly takes issues into the realms of irrationality and nonsense, so OK.
- 34D: Himalayan resting place (CAT BED) — Typically I neglect that cats have breeds, and I undoubtedly forgot that “Himalayan” was one in all them. I went on the lookout for some type of memorial construction favored by the Nepalese, or the Yeti.
Hope you had a neater time than I did. So long.
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
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