1924 Edna Ferber novel / MON 7-11-11 / 1972 Bill Withers hit / Pair of cymbals operated by pedal / Holder of birdseed / Icy expanse redundantly

Constructor: Ellen Leuschner

Relative difficulty: Medium

THEME: "Redundantly" — common two-word phrases that are (allegedly) redundant, with every clue ending, "redundantly"


Word of the Day: "SO BIG" (62A: 1924 Edna Ferber novel) —

So Big is a 1924 novel written by Edna Ferber. The book was inspired by the life of Antje Paarlberg in the Dutch community of South Holland, Illinois, a Chicago suburb. It won the Pulitzer Prize for the Novel in 1925. (wikipedia)

• • •

Seems like a fine Monday puzzle, though I've heard some summaries that were Not At All brief, so I'm not buying that one as much as the others. "Brief" is a relative term. A summary is by definition briefER than its object, but, depending on context, might not feel "brief" at all. Anyhoo, it's no big deal. I mean SOUTH is not literally DOWN except by map conventions. I suppose you could pick any of these apart if you really wanted to, but that seems mean-spirited and dark-hearted. My time was actually a little slower than normal, but I made some stupid mistakes and a Lot of typos, so I doubt this is any harder (or easier) than your typical (very easy) Monday.

Theme answers:

• 17A: Place of refuge, redundantly (SAFE HAVEN)
  
• 29A: Icy expanse, redundantly (FROZEN TUNDRA)
  
• 47A: Synopsis, redundantly (BRIEF SUMMARY)
  
• 64A: Where snowbirds head, redundantly (DOWN SOUTH)
  

Here's how a speed solver can go badly awry on a Monday:

• Get confused by the gendering of 1D: Cowgirl's rope (LASSO)—no reason the rope can't belong to a girl, but in a world where the generic is usually masculine (sexist convention, but convention nonetheless), "girl" triggers thoughts of "there's a *girl's* rope?"
• Think that the "celebrity" in 8D: Celebrity is a person (RENOWN)
• Go with SNOBBY before SNOOTY (28D: Having one's nose in the air)
• Spell RAZE "RASE" (31D: Bulldoze)
• Fail to adjust the size of clue box to its biggest setting and thus not be able to read the full clue at 37A: 2006 title film character who says "Pamela! I no find you attractive anymore! ... Not!" (BORAT)
• Try I FORGET before I FORGOT (44D: Excuse for a lapse)
• Assume 55D: Pair of cymbals operated by a pedal is an S-ending plural (HI-HAT)
• Fail, until the bitter end, to understand what 33D: Dead center? was all about (TOMB)

Bullets:

• 29D: Holder of birdseed (FEEDER) — how is this different from [Birdseed holder]. Did you want me to think the answer was ERIC? If so, no dice!
  
• 7D: Like a car with 20,000 miles on its odometer (USED) — that's a long (and arbitrary) way to go for USED.
  
• 35D: Lighter-than-air aircraft (DIRIGIBLE) — Nice word. Is the helium considered part of the aircraft? Or is it considered something you put *in* the DIRIGIBLE (e.g. I don't consider gas, oil, transmission fluid as part of the car). Because the "aircraft" is "lighter-than-air" only with the helium inside.
  

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld