If it's Wednesday, this must be AGRA.
Or not. We see that answer so frequently in puzzles, it could be any day. But the rest of the puzzle today is classic Wednesday material. It's an homage to the Taj Mahal, whose name can be found in the circled letter on the top of the grid art depicting an ONIONDOME. In my app, the central portion is in gray, making the architectural art stand out.
We also get SHAHJAHAN, the Mughal ERA emperor who commissioned the famous building as a TOMB for his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. He also commissioned the Red Fort and the Shah Jahan Mosque. Prolific fellow! The final pieces of theme material are the FOUR MINARETS which surround the Taj Mahal, and the SPIRE atop each one. It's an impressive amount of the puzzle dedicated to the theme, and yet, even with the triple-checked letters, it's a pretty smooth solve.
I imagine the constructors were PROUDOF fitting in VWJETTA at 30D: Gold alternative, in brief. Especially with that nice hidden capital clue!
Other fun and unusual entries include 34D: No. 2 in the statehouse (LTGOV); 6D: Key with one sharp: Abbr. (GMAJ); and 57D: Focus of some cognitive therapy, for short (PTSD).
There were a fair amount of answers like LBJ, ELHI, and FLA. But I didn't mind. And any puzzle which recognizes Stephanie HSU from "Everything Everywhere All at Once" is a winner in my book.
Fun stuff!
- Colum
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