Hawaiian thank you / TUE 12-4-12 / Bride in 1956 news / 1982 Jeff Bridges flick / Monogram in 50s politics / Subject of Euclidean treatise / Troubadour's repertoire / FedEx competitor / Burlesque co-star 2010

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Constructor: Elizabeth C Gorski

Relative difficulty: Medium



THEME: Rated PG — theme answers are two-word phrases where first word starts with "P" and second with "G"

Word of the Day: DHL (36A: FedEx competitor) —

DHL Express is a division of the German logistics company Deutsche Post providing international express mail services. Deutsche Post is the world's largest logistics company operating in all four corners of the globe.^[2] DHL is a world market leader in sea and air mail. (wikipedia)

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Again, I worry that I've missed something. It's just PG phrases, right? There's not some hidden, tricky thing going on here, is there? I like the grid, on the whole, but you could go on and on and on with this theme. These answers make nice phrases, but I expect themes to be a little tighter than this. PETER GUNN, PETER GABRIEL, PETER GRIFFIN, PARTY GIRL, POWER GRAB, PAN GRAVY ... you can play along at home if you like. Maybe a revealer like RATEDPG would've made the puzzle feel tighter. One thing I do like is the decision to go 74 instead of 76 words—that's why you have those nice long Across answers adjacent to the top and bottom theme answers (i.e. MINI-DONUT and "HERE YOU GO") (17A: Small treat for a coffee break + 58A: "As requested..."). There's maybe a little more crosswordese than I like in my Tuesday grid, but the sweet long answers more than make up for it. PEACH PIES (31D: August bake sale inventory) and WIND-UP TOY (11D: Clapping monkey or chattering teeth) add an enjoyable bounciness to the grid.


Theme answers:

• 20A: Weapons-testing area (PROVING GROUND)
• 31A: Subject of a Euclidean treatise (PLANE GEOMETRY)
• 38A: Cheap seating area in a theater (PEANUT GALLERY)
• 52A: Bride in 1956 news (PRINCESS GRACE)

Very daring and modern use of PIMPS in the 1D slot ([Gussies up, in modern slang]). I particularly like the hard tonal and generational contrast between "gussies" and PIMPS. I'd never heard of MAHALO until I actually went to Hawaii (46A: Hawaiian "thank you"). Just noticed that the word is just an anagram of ALOHA + M. I used to have a huuuuuge Grace Kelly obsession (I think I have "Mogambo" on VHS somewhere around here ...). I don't like the PRINCESS business because it effectively ended her acting career. I could watch "Rear Window" over and over. And over. And I have. Where was I? I forget. Oh well. Moving on. Troubadours! I was thinking of a lot of different technical answers here (lays ... gestes ...), but it's just the straightforward SONGS. I have no memory of "Burlesque," so CHER took a few crosses to get  (53D: "Burlesque" co-star, 2010). On the other hand, I do have some memory of "TRON" (40D: 1982 Jeff Bridges flick)

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld