Nikhil B

I felt like there were quite a few cross-checks in this puzzle that were particularly difficult for a Monday. In the top left, both GONG/BONG and IRAN/IRAQ crossing "_ _ STYLE" were pretty tough. I also disliked ROE/DOE. The left middle fill was particularly bad with YES/YEP/YEA crossing POMP (already an awkward Monday word), surrounded by obscure references and French. I was surprised these cross-checks were supported by the cluing and not mitigated.