Tuesday, October 5, 2021, Hoang-Kim Vu and Jessica Zetzman

Today's theme hits a bit of a down beat: the revealer is HEARTBROKEN and that is what has literally happened to the word 'heart' in three of the theme answers. The clue for the revealer indicates a progression to the heart break that I'm not sure I see. The 'heart' is whole at first, but then breaks into HEA RT (INTHEAIRTONIGHT) and from there to HE ART (SWITCHESPARTIES), but the fourth one is back to HEA RT with HEADFORTHEHILLS. Still, there's UPSET no matter how the heart breaks. I thought the cute "Show of love, for short?" (PDA) and maybe the HATES/LIKES pair in the southeast could be considered bonus theme material. 

I found the puzzle to be on the easy side today - even for a Tuesday - with answers I know by heart like "Wed. follower" (THU), "Sign of sainthood" (HALO), and "Debtor's note" (IOU) - I wouldn't be surprised if we saw some SPRINTER-level times from some of our faster solvers. Despite speedy progress, however, I almost lost heart when I came to the 46A/46D cross where I had the same problem Jim mentioned in his comment on yesterday's puzzle today: the dreaded Natick. I had no idea what the "Stage name of Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys" was or the name of "One of the Spice Girls" even though they (along with a number of other today's C/APs) are in my life-era wheelhouse. I ended up running the alphabet, and thanks to a very faint glimmer of something when I got to "m" (MELB/MCA) I avoided a FWOE/DNF, which is always my heart's desire.

I liked GOBAG and CHEFSHAT. "Drill conductor, informally" for SARGE was good. Interesting to learn that IOWA is the "state generating the highest percentage of its electricity by wind" and that "Fashion dictates that its width be the same as that of one's lapels" (TIE). Fun facts like these, along with clever clues and congenial words keep me young at heart. 

~Frannie.