Constructor: Adam Fromm
Relative difficulty: Medium (11:37)
THEME: "Border Crossings" — two countries that abut one another (I think), and then there's some word that "crosses" (i.e. spans) the "border" between the two countries (when their names are pushed together)—it's the "border-crossing" word that is clued:Theme answers:
First, the title should've been a revealer. Second, even that wouldn't have helped much, because this is dull as hell. Countries are pushed together. Random words get clued. Clued words have nothing in common. Why? The whole thing is ... I mean, it's far far far more "oh, huh" than "wow." Like, you might observe that this theme is *possible*, but ... like, why? For "leper"? Seriously, why? It felt like some very last-century wordplay. And the fill, well, that was the tell. That was how you knew the whole thing is really not up to date. There's very little of interest, and a whole lot of GUANO and TRIPE. Even the longer stuff is quaint and/or tedious. No idea what TORRES (57D: ___ Strait, separator of Australia and Papua New Guinea) or FLORENZ were, and SWORD DANCE is some ye olde quainte stuff (68D: Scottish tradition before battle). "FLEABAG" and "STICK 'EM UP!" are both fun, but that's it. Fun, over. Aside from having to endure TED f***ing CRUZ, the whole NE is a disaster, and ELOI NANA AEIOU (w/ cutesy clue!) HAAGEN AREOLA A-ONE disaster. COCOA and CACAO really shouldn't be in the same grid at all—too close, sound- and sense-wise. A proboscis is a SNOUT. A SNOOT is a conceited person. ARYA is not a winner—dipping your ladle into the "Random GOT Names" pot does not count as creative grid-building. DAU is one of the absolute worst abbrs. I've ever seen in a grid. I had DA- and ... no idea. I take it DAU is short for "daughter." Yeah, thanks, I hate it. But I don't hate it as much as the definite-article version of THE NEA. That ... is terrible. NEA appears all the time in the grid, no problem big union, seen it, fine, next! But *THE* NEA!? You really have to earn your definite article and the NEA just does not. Not. I have that answer circled with "AWFUL" written underneath it. See, here's the thing: when your theme is a drag, all of a sudden every single flaw and weakness in your grid starts becoming more and more prominent, more and more screechy. You gotta give the people something to love. Barring a genuinely interesting theme, some winning fill, because absent both ... yikes. Also, who f***ing microwaves POPTARTs? They "pop" up ... from a toaster. What is wrong with this puzzle? TIDE POD is the narc-iest answer (89D: Item in a toxic internet "challenge"). It reeks of "hello, fellow youths! Anyone down for some word-crossing? Radical!" It's already a stale-as-hell fad / joke / whatever it was. Also, your age is showing with that FRUG nonsense (104D: '60s dance craze that evolved from the Chicken). Make it FRET and all of a sudden you've got a more accessible and more interestingly cluable grid. Bam bam. But sure, FRUG, knock yourself out. Who doesn't love the FRUG especially when it gets you ... DOGE? I'm just BEMUSED by allll of this. I never, not once, felt "well this is fun" while solving this. By contrast, that's what I felt *most* of the time I was solving Saturday's puzzle. Themes should be better and more interesting and more surprising than a grade-schooler's magic trick or riddle. Also, the clues for the "border" words were themselves So Dull. I guess if you are reallllly into Geography (like, remedial geography) then this puzzle might be a treat. But "discovering" that AUSTRIA and GERMANY abut and also contain (together) a word only slightly more pleasant than "leper" (see 108A) ... yeah, that was not a treat for me.Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld