Thursday, August 07, 2008

Title: "Gevalt!"
Author: Patrick Blindauer and Tony Orbach
Theme: Adding "OY" to phrases.

• Cling wrap => CLOYING WRAP (17a: Sappy boa?).


• Ann Landers => ANNOY LANDERS (28a: Bother some space vehicles?).



• Tomb raider => TOMBOY RAIDER (45a: Peppermint Patty's panty thief?). As much as I've never thought of Peppermint Patty and panties at the same time, this clue really cracked me up. And I love that tomb raider is the base phrase.


• Bus driver => BUOYS DRIVER (61a: Lifts actress Minnie's spirits?).

Despite the fact that I had no idea what "Gevalt" meant, I really liked this theme. In fact, I think TOMBOY RAIDER is one of my favorite clue entries in a long while. Very nice. Let's see if the rest of the puzzle can keep up.

Sunny Spots:

• 50a: Fanta rival (SUNKIST). I'm more of an Orangina guy myself, but I like the fill.


• 57a: "Romeo and Juliet" : Paris :: "West Side Story" : ___ (CHINO). Paris here is a character in the play, not a location. "West Side Story", of course, is a modern adaptation of the story. Great clue.

Sundries:

• 1a: Eddying (ASWIRL). My first instinct was actually SWIRLY, which wasn't so far off for having no letters in the right place.


• 11a: Brightness measures (IQS). I know I've seen this clue before. I don't know why I didn't know the answer right away. Guess I'm not that bright.


• 14a: Cocoon spinners (LARVAE).


• 15a: Miami University setting (OHIO). Easy for anyone familiar with NCAA basketball.



• 19a: Band with the 1988 album "Blow My Fuse" (KIX). I've never heard of this band. Are they named after the cereal?


• 20a: Sister publication of The Advocate (OUT). Both of these LGBT magazines were new to me, but it certainly makes sense.


• 22a: Like Harvey Fierstein's voice (RASPY).


• 24a: Painting place (ATELIER). An art studio.


• 26a: Parsons of music (ALAN). I haven't listened to much Alan Parsons since college. Here's a flashback for you.


• 33a: Sharp offerings (HDTVS). I've seen this type of clue enough to not be fooled this time.



• 37a: Cry heard after a doughnut is dropped, perhaps (DOH). Homer Simpson reference, naturally.


• 41a: Jump for joie? (JETÉ). This is a jump in ballet, which actually means "throw" in French.


• 44a: Well over 100 million people could, in theory, join it (MENSA). Don't feel so special now, do ya?


• 54a: Binding (FINAL). Tough clue for an easy word, clued as an adjective. I assume this is like a final/binding contract, even though they don't exactly feel like synonyms to me. Part of the nasty SW corner.


• 64a: Word with snow or day (JOB). This contributed to a nasty little SW corner. The last section to fall for me.


• 65a: "The power to make it better" sloganeer (AARP).


• 67a: Fingers, briefly (IDS). Finger is a much more interesting verb than it is a noun, don't you think?


• 2d: Port-___ (mild cheese) (SALUT). You know what clip I'm going to include here, don't you?




• 4d: Penn, e.g. (IVY).


• 5d: Ice cream mix-in (RAISINS). I wanted this to be JIMMIES or COOKIES.


• 6d: Spare (LENTEN). Relating to the season of Lent.


• 7d: Cheek by ___ (JOWL). A great phrase meaning in close proximity.


• 8d: "Yeah?" (OH REALLY).


• 9d: 1998 Angelina Jolie TV movie (GIA). This is one of those crosswordy clues it would behoove you to remember.



• 10d: Kind of sax played by Kenny G (SOPRANO). There aren't that many kinds of sax. Tenor, alto, soprano, baritone.


• 11d: Gets to (IRKS). I had IRES here to start.


• 13d: "(She's) ___ + 17" (1983 Stray Cats hit) (SEXY). Don't recall the song, but it wasn't hard to figure. Here's the video.


• 18d: Sandwich that might be served with a Greek salad (GYRO). I shouldn't blog hungry.


• 25d: It pours over the rocks (LAVA). Were you thinking this was going to be an alcoholic beverage? I was, except I couldn't think of any that were four-letters long.


• 27d: Takes a powder (LAMS). Flees.


• 30d: First place (EDEN). Excellent clue.


• 34d: 1962 film directed by Terence Young (DR NO). Classic James Bond.




• 41d: Weightlifting maneuver (JERK).


• 43d: Jeep safety feature (ROLLBAR). Easy.


• 44d: It's used in the months of Kislev and Tevet (MENORAH). It was a logical guess. I suppose it could have been MATZOHS.


• 47d: Mother of Horus (ISIS). Another crossword staple.


• 51d: Dallas wide receiver Michael who won three Super Bowls with Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith (IRVIN). I'm not a fan of Dallas, but I know these guys.


• 52d: Mount with vigor (STEED). I like the clue misdirection, which makes mount sound like a verb.


• 53d: Earth, in Italian (TERRA).


• 54d: Apple variety (FUJI). I've heard of this, but I needed the J to figure it out.


• 55d: Men's fragrance brand (IZOD). I guess you can't be a serious clothes company without having a fragrance line as well. Is there an LL BEAN cologne, too?


• 56d: Bills (NIBS). Part of that tough SW corner. Reference is to the mouth of a bird (like a duck), not to anything monetary.


• 62d: Fed. whose 18-letter full name alternates vowels and consonants (UAE). United Arab Emirates. Interesting trivia.

Suns of Bitches:

• 36a: "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" singer Shropshire (ELMO). That's a pretty obscure clue. Luckily the crossings weren't hard.


• 69a: "The Secret" author Byrne (RHONDA). The only Rhonda I know is the one from the Beach Boys tune.


• 48d: ___ Mifflin (company in "The Office") (DUNDER). I'm one of the few who hasn't watched this show. My son even has it on DVD, but I've somehow managed to avoid seeing even a single episode.



• 39d: Actor Diggs (TAYE). Here you go, ladies. See, I try to play fair.

I found this to be a pleasantly challenging Thursday, with an entertaining theme. A few tough fills with fair crossings, and one section that was a little tougher than the rest to break open. But overall, it was quite fair. Nice job.

Thanks for listening.

- Pete M.