My time: 3:42, very good!
Theme: five words are reclued as if they were to be read as [verb] a [noun]. So METAPHYSICIAN is clued as "was introduced to the doctor?" as in met a physician. And PANASONIC is clued as "criticize Sega's hedgehog design?" or pan a Sonic.
There were two clues that struck me as poorly written and/or edited. PROPAGATE is clued as "support the pasture entrance?" That's a little odd. Is a gate only a pasture entrance? Are there no other gates? And CARDAMOM, an Indian spice, is clued as "check someone's parent to make sure she's of drinking age?" That is, card a mom. But it's so wordy; why not just "check a parent's ID?"
I've heard of JOAN Didion but not her 1970 book Play It as It Lays, a grim novel about a self-destructive woman who is drawn to the seedy sides of 1960s Los Angeles and New York.
The Egyptian-set opera "Aida" is a crossword mainstay, but usually it's the opera found in the grid, not the composer VERDI.
I really should learn more capitals. RIGA, the largest city in the Baltic states, is the capital of Latvia.
"Corsage flower" is ORCHID. I don't think I ever would have guessed that. I think I only know carnation corsages.
This was a quick and easy Monday, with a fun theme that made me smile, despite my MINOR quibble with a couple of the clues. I think on the whole this one is ON A PAR with some of the best Mondays.
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