Bootleg booze / WED 3-26-25 / British politico Corbyn / Various to a Stella or Sam Adams / Handouts from road preachers / Rave over, metaphorically / Pre-covenant title for a biblical father / Various to a Stella or Sam Adams / Material that George Costanza mentioned he’d drape himself in if it had been socially acceptable / Downward pressure on earth, informally

Constructor: Nathan Hale

Relative problem: Simple-Medium

THEME: COVER ALL THE BASES (40A: Deal with the whole lot … or a touch to what 4 squares on this puzzle do) — black squares “cowl” all of the “bases” on a baseball diamond: 1st, 2nd, third, and residential:

Theme solutions:

• NOT MY [FIRST] RODEO (19A: “I’ve completed this earlier than”)
• HAVING [SECOND] THOUGHTS (25A: Not so positive a couple of marriage ceremony)
• GIVES THE [THIRD] DEGREE (54A: Completely interrogates)
• WRITE [HOME] ABOUT (63A: Rave over, metaphorically)

Phrase of the Day: SATIVA (3D: Hashish selection) —

Hashish sativa is an annual herbaceous flowering plant. The species was first labeled by Carl Linnaeus in 1753. The precise epithet sativa means ‘cultivated’. Indigenous to Japanese Asia, the plant is now of cosmopolitan distribution because of widespread cultivation. It has been cultivated all through recorded historical past and used as a supply of industrial fiber, seed oil, meals, and medication. It’s also used as a leisure drug and for non secular and religious functions. […] The casual designation sativa and indica might have varied, controversial meanings. Morphologically, the title sativa designates tall crops with slim leaves, whereas indica refers to brief crops with huge leaves. Among the many marijuana group nonetheless, sativa somewhat refers to equatorial varieties producing stimulating psychoactive results, whereas indica-type crops from Central Asia are used for stress-free and sedative medication (THC:CBD > 1). (wikipedia)

• • •

I really feel such as you already know what the issue is right here. Actually for those who’ve ever seen a baseball diamond, you already know. How on the earth do you make this puzzle and *not* put the “bases” in the appropriate place???? Or no less than in a “diamond”-type form? I obtained the [SECOND] sq. first, then obtained the revealer and thought “OK, it isn’t gonna sit completely symmetrically, however that is OK, a tough ‘diamond’ will do, I suppose.” However no. I obtained no diamond. None. Only a squiggly top-to-bottom association of the “bases.” It is unfathomable to me that you’d trouble to do that theme with out placing the bases in the appropriate place. 4 squares. “The place ought to I put them? I do know… random locations!” SMH, what the hell? And on Opening Day, no much less. Oh, no, sorry, that is tomorrow, not immediately—yet another factor this “tribute” to baseball will get fallacious. I do not thoughts in any respect that the “bases” do not work with the Downs, however the non-diamond association is killing me. The idea right here is ok—I’ve considered it myself, as has nearly any baseball-loving constructor, I assure you—however the level is it might be robust to do proper as a result of for those who do not put these bases in (roughly) baseball-field place (which is a problem!), your puzzle will look foolish—kinda like this puzzle. I like baseball, and I significantly love Opening Day, so this puzzle simply makes me unhappy. Disillusioned, actually.

So it is a non-starter, when it comes to its execution. I do like the way in which the “bases” are dealt with, with black squares standing in for (or “protecting”) lacking phrases in longer phrases, and all of the phrases themselves are colourful, significantly NOT MY (1st) RODEO. Other than the theme, the spotlight of the puzzle for me was most likely the very finish, once I crossed PBR (51A: Various to a Stella or Sam Adams) with “BEER ME!” (52D: “I might like a brewski”) to shut issues out. I’ve had puzzles finish on lowlights far too many occasions, so it was semi-thrilling to lastly do one which went out on high—peak puzzle expertise, proper on the finish. That PBR / “BEER ME!” second was particularly welcome as a result of it adopted laborious on the heels of absolutely the worst second of the resolve—”GOT YA!” The time period is “GOTCHA!” You need to pressure your mouth gap to say “GOT YA!” Like, you must attempt to enunciate, and differentiate the “T” and “Y,” as a result of that “T”-to-“Y” shift simply comes out “TCH”…. which is why we’ve got GOTCHA within the first place! GOT YA, lol, no, what, cease. You coulda simply turned the YAMS into TAMS and been completed with it. Nobody blinks, nobody balks, nobody winces. Some editorial choices (or non-decisions) are unfathomable to me.

SOAMI stays one of many worst bits of fill on the planet, proper up there with its kealoa* counterpart, SODOI (4D: “Likewise”). SLIGHT BIT feels odd to me, as I might use ONE BIT or THE SLIGHTEST (as in “not in ___”) earlier than I might ever used SLIGHT BIT. “LITTLE” is the adjective that wishes to go together with “BIT.” I by no means cared for Seinfeld (Julia Louis-Dreyfus was the one one on that present I may stand to take a look at for very lengthy—I watched each episode of Veep, a far superior present). Since George is such a dip, I figured the “cloth” he would cowl himself in was VELCRO (33D: Material that George Costanza mentioned he’d drape himself in if it had been socially acceptable = VELVET). That is definitely the material I would cowl him in, if referred to as to take action. 

Bullets:

• 3D: Hashish selection (SATIVA) — went right into a dispensary for the primary time in my life earlier this month, in Michigan, a state that screams “WE HAVE LEGAL WEED!” at you the second you cross the border from Ohio. I used to be with a buddy who is much better versed in such issues, way more conversant in the hashish world. I do not smoke, so I used to be largely only a spectator. It was so skilled, clear, properly organized. The supervisor may’ve been the supervisor of a spa, she was so environment friendly and pleasant. I do not know what I used to be anticipating. One thing … else. One thing cornier, actually. Anyway, I could or might not have left with gummies which I could or might not have tried since and which can or might not have had any impact on me. Cannot stand the odor of pot, so I will not be smoking any time quickly, however I’ll admit to being cannabis-curious. Anyway, SATIVA and INDICA are acquainted phrases to me, as they need to be to you by now, if just for xword functions.
• 69A: Pre-covenant title for a biblical father (ABRAM) — after the covenant: ABRAHAM. I a lot choose this clue for ABRAM to the Presidential center title clue … I am unable to even bear in mind whose center title ABRAM is!!?!? Ah, it is James ABRAM Garfield. Good to remind your self of this stuff now and again.
• 48D: British politico Corbyn (JEREMY) — So bizarre to me that we get JEREMY Corbyn earlier than we get KEIR Starmer, the precise Primer Minister of the UK, and a man whose first title (in contrast to JEREMY) is begging to turn out to be crossword-common (RIP, KEIR Dullea, you have completed yeoman’s work, buddy, however it is time to let another person take over). Hey, do you know a KIER is a [Large vat for bleaching cloth]? Me neither, most likely as a result of the final time it appeared in a crossword was July 12,1992—the fourteenth (!) and last (!!) look of KIER. However I’ve a sneaking suspicion that KIER is likely to be making a comeback very quickly …

[Severance, renewed for a 3rd season, hurrah]

I am pleased to announce (all this week) {that a} new version of These Puzzles Fund Abortion is accessible now (These Puzzles Fund Abortion 5!). Donate to abortion funds, get a group of 23 top-notch puzzles from among the finest constructors within the enterprise—largely normal U.S. crossword puzzles, but additionally some cryptic crosswords, selection puzzles, and even an acrostic. Rachel Fabi and C.L. Rimkus have completed such a fantastic job with these collections over the previous few years, elevating over $300,000 for abortion funds across the nation. I assist a variety of charitable organizations, however hardly any of them give me crosswords in return. So I’ll give TPFA5 my cash immediately [update: done!], and I hope you do too. This is the hyperlink.

See you subsequent time.

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

*kealoa = a pair of phrases (usually brief, frequent solutions) that may be clued identically and that share no less than one letter in frequent (in the identical place). These are solutions you possibly can’t simply fill in rapidly as a result of two or extra solutions are viable, Even With One or Extra Letters In Place. From the basic [Mauna ___] KEA/LOA conundrum. See additionally, e.g. [Heaps] => ATON or ALOT, [“Git!”] => “SHOO” or “SCAT,” and so forth.  

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