Relative difficulty: Easy-Medium
THEME: EAST TO WEST / WEST TO EAST — Palindromic phrases
Word of the Day: Hermann HESSE (29D: "Steppenwolf" author) —
Hermann Hesse (German pronunciation: [ˈhɛɐ̯man ˈhɛsə]) (July 2, 1877 – August 9, 1962) was a German-Swiss poet, novelist, and painter. In 1946, he received the Nobel Prize in Literature. His best-known works include Steppenwolf, Siddhartha, and The Glass Bead Game (also known as Magister Ludi), each of which explores an individual's search for authenticity, self-knowledge and spirituality. (wikipedia)
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Random 15-letter palindromes do not a theme make.Grid is largely forgettable.
That's all there is to say about this one, besides the fact that it was pretty easy (you really only have to get half a palindrome, after all, and EAST TO WEST (22A: How the sun proceeds ... and how to read the answers to 17-, 37- and 56-Across) and WEST TO EAST (49A: How the jet stream proceeds ... and how to read the answers to 17-, 37- and 56-Across) were practically gimmes. So then it's just a matter of uncovering the awkward palindromic phrases. And that's it. Wish there were more to say. There is not.Theme answers:
- 17A: Rub elbows with an expert on some Japanese cars? (KNOW A TOYOTA WONK)
- 37A: Notice light-colored MacBooks (SPOT PALE LAPTOPS) — do "light-colored MacBooks" exist? I've seen only white and silver.
- 56A: Comment like a "Seinfeld" character? (REMARK A LA KRAMER)
No significant trouble spots today. Didn't know EZRA (5A: Book that begins "Now in the fist year of Cyrus king of Persia ..."), had TAU for 7D: Gamma follower (!?) (RAY), and didn't understand EST. until just this second ("established") (5D: Abbr. on a city limit sign), so I guess that tiny section in the N was probably slowed me down more than anything else in the grid. I've seen the [Legendary battlers] clue for SEXES before; otherwise, it might've taken me much longer to get it. I think of Hulu as offering actual television shows, or clips therefrom; I think of Youtube as offering VIDEOs (65A: Hulu offering). Here's a Hulu offering for you (Hulu is blocked in certain parts of the world, like, uh, Canada, I think, so if the video doesn't work for you, sorry):
Went to a sushi restaurant earlier this evening and heard one of my companions ask her wife "What's smelt?" It's a fish, apparently. Popular in Japanese cuisine. This has nothing to do with the clue for DROSS (3D: Smelting byproduct), of course. Just wandering through the grid trying to find thinks to REMARK upon ... When I say "TSK" it doesn't involve the tongue any more than most words. I thought Colgate competitor, once (IPANA) would be a university at first, but that's probably just 'cause I live in central NY. Today's Colgate is a toothpaste.Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
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