Hey! Crossword puzzle posts on consecutive days? Whatttttt. Crazy. I guess it helps when you start the puzzle on a Monday night. I had thought this one would be easier than it was. It wasn’t. It was exactly as hard as it is.

I pulled out 23A Ixnay: VETO because I have always hoped that there’s an “I VETOED” sticker for when POTUS decides to say no to a bill.

Today’s theme:

I don’t know if the clue that links them is 56D Greek H’s: ETAS, but I don’t think it is.

20A Checkout devices at Dublin supermarkets?: IRISHSCANNERS.
34A Urban area around a church district?: PARISHMETRO.
40A Claim that a language in “The Lord of the Rings” is not extinct?: ELVISHLIVES.
52A Suggestion to friends on when to meet for lunch?: TENNISHANYONE.

So they all have an H in the middle of known things.
20A IRIS SCANNERS.
34A PARIS METRO.
40A ELVIS LIVES.
52A TENNIS ANYONE?

The one that bothers me is 52A. Tennis anyone? But also: WHO HAS LUNCH AROUND 10? I can’t eat lunch before noon. I can et before noon, but it’s not lunch. Then again, I guess if the service is slow enough or friends are always delayed, 10 sounds like a way ultimately to have lunch at a reasonable time.

And on the topic of unreasonable times, I finished this one in 16:15.