It's a Cover Up!

As I sit here at my desk, picking at the dregs of a bag of popcorn left over from Folk Fest, I’m in a state of both recovery and excitement. I’ve needed a bit more chill time this week, and puzzles are always great for that. I bit the bullet and got a Puzzmo subscription, so I can work through the archives of the various puzzles I like there - their crossword, edited by Brooke Husic, is fun, modern, and on the easier side, and I enjoy a smattering of their other games as well. In the coming week I’ll be going to 10+ Fringe shows, so a few slower days are just what the doctor (me) ordered.

In the spirit of stage and clever wordplay, here’s a Demetri Martin clip I remembered recently - his “beer bottle poem”.

If you’re like me and your August is busy - here’s a little puzzle to give you a few minute’s break from the madness. And if you’re not like me and your August is feeling empty - here’s a little puzzle to give you a few minute’s madness from your break.

Discussion (and spoilers!) below the break.

Play

It’s a Cover Up! by Brandon Cathcart

Discussion

Wordplay! Wordplay! This was inspired by a NYT theme a while back that used “wall” to describe the side entries somehow… I can’t remember exactly what or when it was, but it was a great jumping-off point for my own take. This puzzle is heavier with references than usual, but I was happy to work several in, including some iconic 2000’s movies.

Movie trailers suck these days - bring back 2000’s movie trailers! (Maybe not the movies, though).

Today’s Theme

The co-revealers (36-Across and 35-Across) describe what’s “on a roll” - WALL PAPERS, and describe the four down entries found on the edges of the puzzle. These are TOILET (paper), SAND (paper), NEWS (paper), and TISSUE (paper). It’s fun that all of them (except maybe toilet and tissue) have very distinct purposes.

Behind the Clues

13A. [Bad thing for the environment, but a good thing for a getaway driver to be doing]. Listen, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - if you’re a getaway driver and you’re not IDLING, you aren’t doing your job correctly. You’re going to turn the car off, are you kidding me? (Side note: is Baby Driver cancelled because of Kevin Spacey? I hope not, I love that movie…)

22A. Not the strongest fill (the savvy crossworder’s word for answers), but a specific-enough clue makes it worthwhile. [Expose Remy while he's controlling Alfredo in "Ratatouille"] would be to UNHAT, as Remy hides under Alfredo’s very tall chef’s hat.

37A. SHORTU? What’s a SHORTU you ask? A SHORT U is [A sound found in tub, but not in tube]. Maybe you got it - the original clue was [Something found in a tub, but not in a tube], and while that’s cleverly misleading, it’s a little too off base for a YEGwords puzzle. Save it for the New York Times, Brandon! Okay.

4D. You might not have watched Black Panther, but you’ve probably heard ERIK Satie’s music, even if you didn’t know it. Gymnopédie No.1, anyone? A classic for a reason, and a great song for beginner piano players.

6D. Look at this basketball knowledge making its way in here. Did you know that just standing next to a guy in basketball is a good strategy? Yeah, surprisingly effective. Just set a SCREEN and clean up.

30D. We finish with a stage reference, after all this Fringe talk! It’s [One of my favourite musicals, "Dear EVAN Hansen"]. No need to watch any screen adaptations, just listen to the soundtrack. I’m not always a “listen to the soundtrack outside of the musical” guy, but this one slaps. Specifically the first half (most plays don’t need the second act anyway).

I hope you enjoyed this puzzle!

Until next Friday,

Brandon