Friday, January 30, 2009

Title: Weekend Warrior
Author: Karen M. Tracey
Theme: None

Everything at Once:

• 1a: Ballet pose (ARABESQUE).


• 10a: My brothel's keeper? (MADAM). I love this clue. I'm sure I'm not the only one who read it as "brother", not "brothel", the first time around.


• 15a: "Chapel of Love" group, with "the" (DIXIE CUPS).


• 17a: Neither fore nor aft (AMIDSHIPS). This was the first fill I entered, and it helped break out the whole section.


• 18a: Ease up (RELAX).




• 19a: Semirigid colloids (GELS). Very scientific sounding, isn't it.


• 20a: Word "go" (ONSET). As in, "from word 'go'"...


• 22a: 1944 Physics Nobelist (RABI). Had everything but the A from crossings, and the A just felt right.


• 26a: Eccentric wheel (CAM). I tried HAM first, but CAM is more literal.


• 28a: She's behind Biden in the presidential line of succession (PELOSI). Speaker of the House.


• 30a: LP Field player (TITAN). LP Field is where the Tennessee Titans play.


• 33a: "Keeping Up With the Steins" actress (JAMI GERTZ). I got this one through crossings and Zen. I really don't know who she is. Oh, wait! She's the girl from "Crossroads" (the Ralph Macchio one, not the Britney Spears one).




• 37a: One taken in (ADOPTEE). Nice clue.


• 38a: The Lone Ranger, for one (MASKED MAN). This was easier once I realized that Tug McGraw was the baseball player and Tim McGraw was the singer.


• 41a: Red dwarfs (M-STARS). Luckily, I had the M before I saw this clue, so I didn't have to guess.


• 45a: Guitarist at Woodstock (SANTANA).




• 52a: Prime time (YOUTH). This one baffled me for a bit longer than it should have. Probably because I'm not there anymore.


• 53a: Littermate of Rover (FIDO).


• 58a: Little skill (APERY). That's Rich Little, and I've seen this exact clue recently, so it didn't fool me.


• 59a: Listing (AT AN ANGLE). Excellent.


• 60a: Bridge positions (WESTS). Not the most exciting of bridge clues, but a bridge clue nonetheless.


• 61a: Provide sympathetic attention (LEND AN EAR).


• 6d: "Danke ___" (1963 Wayne Newton hit) (SCHOEN). I wasn't sure of the spelling here at first, but got it eventually.


• 7d: Fruity bread spread (QUINCE JAM). Very nice!


• 8d: Swedish university city (UPPSALA).


• 9d: European Capital of Culture for 2010 (ESSEN). Erie rule.


• 12d: Central Park theater (DELACORTE). I had no idea. Which is why this section was the last to fall for me. Between this and CAM and RABI and JAMI GERTZ, there was some guessing going on.



• 13d: Figurine material, perhaps (ALABASTER).


• 14d: Makes as big as possible, as a computer window (MAXIMIZES). A little too easy, don't you think?


• 25d: Spanish city known for its aqueduct (SEGOVIA).


• 29d: Anathema (LEPER).


• 30d: "Live Like You Were Dying" singer (TIM MCGRAW).


• 31d: Like rough-and-tumble kids, frequently (IN A SCRAPE).


• 34d: Museum Mile milieu (MANHATTAN).


• 39d: Get going (ACTUATE).


• 48d: Writer ___ Rogers St. Johns (ADELA).


• 53d: Paavo Nurmi, for one (FINN).

Nice puzzle, with good scrabbly letters. Not as tough as many -- I was able to come in under 20 minutes, which is damned good for me for a KMT/WW. And I was ahead of that pace until the NE corner slapped me down.

Thanks for listening.


- Pete M.

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Title: Chop to it
Author: David J. Kahn
Theme: is spelled out at 39a: Antelope with spiraled horns (and a hint to this puzzle's theme) (ADDAX). In other words, the letters A and X are added to common phrases to create new and unexpected answers that are then clued. Like most themes it's easier to show than to spell out:

18a: Levy on cover girls? (MODELTAX).

60a: Try to influence a game show leader? (COAXHOST).

3d: Person born in northwest Germany 1,500 years ago? (NATIVESAXON).

6d: Deception requiring a vote recount? (TALLYHOAX).

25d: Is a student in a housekeeping course? (TAKESWAXING). Also, I guess, a class one might take in cosmetology

36d: Dissertation about neuron appendages? (AXONPAPER). My least favorite of the themed entries -- because I'm not too hip on sub-atomic stuff and I can't find a picture of an axon.

Sunny Spots:

52a: Place for steamers? (SPA). Love those sauna jokes.

26d: NPR's Hansen (LIANE). Co-host with Will Shortz of the NPR Weekend Edition Sunday Puzzle, which I will win someday.

9d: Start of a noted palindrome (MADAM). As in "Madam, I'm Adam." My first thought was AMANA, as in the start to another noted palindrome "A man, a plan, a canal, Panama."

Suns of Bitches: Nothing really, although I did not and still don't know anything about "Knuffle Bunny" so 47d: Girl in the "Knuffle Bunny" books (TRIXIE) was tough.

Sundries: (Presented sans commentary due to poor time management)

1a: Like some yogurt (NONFAT).

7a: Chip maker (IBM).

10a: With 35-Across, die (PASS).

14a: "Spamalot" costar (AZARIA).

15a: Prix fixe alternative (ALACARTE).

17a: "I want to hear all the details" (DOTELL).

19a: "Idylls of the King" name (ENID).

20a: "Otello" premiere locale (LASCALA).

22a: Accelerate, with "up" (REV).

23a: Edgar Allan Poe character Arthur Gordon ___ (PYM).

24a: Courage and fortitude (METTLE).

28a: Spellbind (ENCHANT).

32a: Adjust one's sights, maybe (REAIM).

33a: Language of Afghanistan (PASHTO).

35a: See 10-Across (AWAY).

37a: Jazz trombonist Winding (KAI).

38a: 60-year-old carrier (ELAL).

41a: Fender flaw (DENT).

42a: ___-en-Provence (AIX).

43a: 11% of DC (LXVI).

44a: Weights (ONUSES).

46a: Franklin (CNOTE).

48a: Sherbet variety (RAINBOW).

50a: Matisse and others (HENRIS).

53a: Galoot (APE).

56a: "Understood" (IGOTCHA).

59a: Line through the poles (AXIS).

63a: Cans (POKIES).

65a: What a zigzag line might represent in a schematic (RESISTOR).

66a: Make clear (EVINCE).

67a: False negative? (TRUE).

68a: Fashion monogram (YSL).

69a: Kitchen appliances (RANGES).

1d: LaDuke was his vice presidential running mate in 1996 and 2000 (NADER).

2d: Triatomic form of oxygen (OZONE).

4d: Ethel's husband (FRED).

5d: Be hurting (AIL).

7d: Cat food brand (IAMS).

8d: Cartel (BLOC).

10d: Epicurean sense (PALATE).

11d: Works at the Whitney (ART).

12d: D.C.'s Union, for one (STA).

13d: Census form info (SEX).

16d: Waldorf salad ingredient (CELERY).

21d: Org. with a staff of Aesculapius logo (AMA).

23d: Mtge. point, for example (PCT).

27d: Gives out (EMITS).

29d: Wild bunch?: Abbr. (NHL).

30d: First name at the 1976 Summer Olympics (NADIA).

31d: "You're going to like us" sloganeer (TWA).

33d: Crayola color that used to be called Flesh (PEACH).

34d: Dress with a flared skirt (ALINE).

40d: TiVo, e.g. (DVR).

41d: Couple (DUO).

43d: Vivien and Janet of filmdom (LEIGHS).

45d: It has four franchises in Calif. (NBA).

49d: Freak ending? (ISH).

51d: Black, in a way (SOOTY).

54d: Knight, e.g. (PIECE).

55d: A lot of stress? (ESSES).

57d: General ___ chicken (TSOS).

58d: Keyboard key (CTRL).

59d: Having a similar quality (AKIN).

60d: Monitor, for short (CRT).

61d: "Jingle Bells" contraction (OER).

62d: Tempe inst. (ASU).

64d: Fertilizable gametes (OVA).




Today's puzzle was brought to you by your friendly neighborhood addax.
Have a nice Thursday, Norrin

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Title: On With Its Head
Author: Gary Steinmehl
Theme: Adding the letters H, E, A, and D, respectively, to the beginnings of phrases.

• 3d: System for keeping closets organized? (HANGER MANAGEMENT). I never saw this Nicholson/Sandler film. With a couple of exceptions, I don't much care for Adam Sandler films, but I tend to like Jack so I'll probably rent it eventually.



• 13d: "The Scream," e.g.? (EMOTION PICTURE).


• 14d: Amelia Earhart flight starter, for example? (ASCENT OF A WOMAN). This is the film that finally scored Al Pacino an Oscar, which is strange to me because I think he's way better in many other earlier films. I thought this particular role was a touch over-the-top. But I still enjoyed the movie.



• 9d: Apprehensive about a train trip? (DREADING RAILROAD).

Nice Tuesday theme. I liked the two film-related theme fills better than the other two, but finding four films that would fit must not have been feasible. Again, we have a 15x16 grid with themes running down, to accommodate the long 16 answers.

Sunny Spots:

• 19a: "American ___" (1980 Richard Gere film) (GIGOLO). Sure, it's a fill-in-the-blank. But it's a great word.


• 52a: Baa maid? (EWE). That's a pretty damned funny clue, if you ask me.

Sundries:

• 13a: Virus named after a Congolese river (EBOLA).



• 16a: Bond villain (DR NO).


• 17a: Canasta plays (MELDS).


• 21a: King, e.g. (FACE CARD).


• 23a: Chad of "Medical Center" (EVERETT).


• 25a: Extremely cold (GELID).


• 26a: To be, in Spanish (SER).


• 28a: Tennis partners? (ENS). Cryptic letter clue. Two 'N's in "tennis".


• 35a: Surname of ALF's family (TANNER).


• 39a: "Cool!" (NEATO).



• 49a: Ticker symbol for Harley-Davidson (HOG).


• 56a: Pica alternative (ELITE). Back before there were 50 million computerized fonts, typewriters were either Pica (10-characters per inch) or Elite (12-characters per inch).


• 58a: "Be honest" (DON'T LIE).


• 60a: Big hits (HOME RUNS). Pitchers and catchers report in 17 days. Giddy-up!


• 65a: Lasso (RIATA).


• 69a: Page of "Juno" (ELLEN).


• 72a: Delta might precede it or calculate it (ETA). A dual-clue -- very cryptic-crossword-like. Here, referencing delta and eta the Greek letters, and Delta the airline calculating ETA (estimated time of arrival). Clever.


• 4d: Game trail (SPOOR). That's game as in hunted prey, not like Monopoly or something.


• 6d: Word with ball or bag (GOLF).



• 66d: Word with ball or bag (TEA). Here, a tea ball is that metal thing you use to brew from loose tea. Not the kids' game, which is TEE ball.


• 8d: Early calculators (ABACI). Beware the plurals that don't end in 'S'.


• 10d: Christian of the cloth? (DIOR). Cute clue, but pretty easy.


• 20d: Act of faith? (LEAP). Verging on over-cuteness.


• 22d: Movie lioness (ELSA). From Born Free.


• 30d: Creator of Genesis (SEGA). Genesis, the video console.


• 34d: "___ Pueblo" (Ansel Adams book) (TAOS).


• 38d: Meshuga (LOCO).



• 54d: Three-time Gold Glove winner Minnie (MINOSO). His prime was in the 50's and 60's, but he came back (albeit briefly) twice after his retirement, once in '76 and once in '80. Pretty amazing for a guy whose rookie year was 1949!


• 60d: Blondie and Dagwood's neighbor (HERB).

Suns of Bitches:

• 12a: Former Kenyan president Daniel ___ Moi (ARAP). Not a name I recall seeing.


• 62d: 2002 Mark Kurlansky book subtitled "A World History" (SALT). Didn't know this at all.

Thanks for listening.

- Pete M.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Title: Hitchcock Double Features
Author: Ogden Porter (Peter Gordon)
Theme: Pairs of Hitchcock movie titles are joined to form wacky phrases, which are then clued

• 3d: Wholly engrossed wackaloon? (SPELLBOUND PSYCHO). is "wackaloon" really a word? i'm pretty sure i've never seen it before, but it was pretty clear from context what it meant.


• 5d: Thing that a second-story man might use to break into a house? (REAR WINDOW ROPE). ROPE is the only one of these movies that i've seen, philistine that i am. it's loosely based on one of my favorite novels, crime and punishment. i think i've seen about 10 minutes of REAR WINDOW while flipping channels at my in-laws' house.


• 10d: Subvert hawks and doves? (SABOTAGE THE BIRDS). this one feels like it hangs together as a phrase slightly less well than the other "double features."


• 18d: Madness in an emergency vessel used after a shipwreck? (LIFEBOAT FRENZY). this actually sounds very much like the plot of stephen crane's story the open boat. (okay, maybe not so much with the FRENZY and maybe more with the grim naturalism that we expect from crane.)

okay, this was a cool theme. i'm no movie buff, and my ignorance of old movies is particularly galling (to some), but by and large, these films are pretty famous. the only ones i'm not familiar with are SABOTAGE and FRENZY. and the resulting combinations are fairly amusing, too.

Sunny Spots:

• 22a: It gets laughs from just a few people (IN JOKE). i don't think i've seen this in a puzzle before. great fill word, and the clue is perfect.


• 64a: Hershey's chocolate bar with toffee (SKOR). yum...

Sundries:

• 13a: Wholly engrossed (RAPT). cute to cross this with SPELLBOUND, also clued as "wholly engrossed."


• 15a: "A Night at the Opera" name (MARX). karl? richard? no, silly. it's groucho et al.


• 19a: Old Testament fratricide victim (ABEL). "fratricide" is one of those words you don't get to use very often in everyday conversation.


• 21a: Tennis coach's concern (GRIP). i'm currently watching novak djokovic play andy roddick in the australian open. both guys are playing well, but it's 120° out there on the court. mercy! of course, it's currently 20° outside my window, which makes 120° seem not so bad.


• 24a: In an easygoing manner (MELLOWLY). i guess that's a word, but boy, what an awkward adverb.


• 26a: Thing that gets socked? (FOOT). not bad, but teetering close to the edge of the "clever but tortured" tag.


• 28a: Carmaker whose logo is a horse rampant (FERRARI). two things i liked about this clue: 1) i knew i knew it, but it still took me a while to remember which one it was; 2) the noun-following adjective "rampant."


• 32a: Euphonium's big cousin (TUBA). euphonium is another name for the baritone horn.


• 34a: Former Georgian president Shevardnadze (EDUARD). matt gaffney recently used SHEVARDNADZE as a theme entry in a "people whose names end with tools" puzzle.


• 48a: Bills, e.g. (NFL TEAM). i had the NF from crossings before i saw this clue, so it was pretty easy for me, but that's a pretty tough clue for a tuesday.


• 52a: Part of PDF (PORTABLE). portable document format. so no, "PDF file" isn't redundant.


• 2d: Hurtle (BARREL). i didn't read this clue carefully enough on the first pass: i thought it was "hurdle," and the answer might be BARRIER with some kind of rebus action going on. but no, it's just the verb BARREL.


• 6d: Number one Hun (ATTILA). hey, this clue rhymes. betcha didn't notice that. :)


• 9d: Musical key with four sharps (E MAJOR). or C# minor, but that didn't fit.


• 23d: Tom and Meg's "Sleepless in Seattle" director (NORA ephron). i always wonder if her nerdy high-school friends nicknamed her "nephron." or maybe her email address is nephron@something. there's gotta be some kind of kidney joke in here somewhere, right?


• 29d: "Exit Ghost" author (philip ROTH). the ninth and purportedly last of the nathan zuckerman books.


• 32d: Many Legoland visitors (TOTS). my son sam is now old enough to play with the playland-sized legos. he's quite deft at putting them together and taking them apart, which is fun to watch.


• 37d: Elbows on the table? (PASTA). great clue. i'm sure i must have seen something like it before, but i enjoyed it anyway.


• 42d: Stones, e.g. (PELTS). both stones and PELTS are nouns, but they are only related as verbs. so what's more gruesome: the idea of stoning someone, or animal-skin PELTS?

Suns of Bitches:

• 5a: Robot dog in "Sleeper" (RAGS). "sleeper," you say?


• 37a: Babyshambles singer Doherty (PETE). babyshambles, you say?


• 50d: Giraffe in the "Madagascar" movies (MELMAN). i have at least heard of the "madagascar" movies. but this answer reminds me only of the planet MELMAC, the homeworld of ALF.

see you next time.

joon

Monday, January 26, 2009

Title: Roman Wrestling
Author: Tony Orbach
Theme: Names that are anagrams of "ROMAN".

• 3d: Joanie Cunningham portrayer on "Happy Days" (ERIN MORAN). This one's a gimme for me. I watched a lot of "Happy Days" in my day, even after they jumped the shark.


• 7d: 1997 A.L. Rookie of the Year (NOMAR GARCIAPARRA). I should have known this right off, but my brain doesn't catalog things by year. Once I had the NOM-- it was all over. Btw, he married soccer star Mia Hamm, so keep that in mind for future puzzles.


• 9d: Actress in "The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg" (NORMA SHEARER). Know the name, that's about it.



• 24d: Actor in "The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg" (RAMON NOVARRO). Didn't know the name at all. Apparently, this Mexican actor played a latin lover in silent films. A bit before my time.


• 38d: Financial guru who wrote "Women & Money" (SUZE ORMAN). Seen her plenty on cable TV.

This is a really cool theme, nicely placed in a 15x16 grid to accommodate the former Red Sox shortstop. Since he was with the Red Sox when he won the ROTY, we'll give a Red Sox tag.

Sunny Spots:

• 25a: Class that ends before labor day? (LAMAZE). Very cute.


• 52a: Drool makeup (SALIVA). Nothing like a good spit clue.


• 1d: Creep around (SKULK). I had SNEAK to start, which slowed me down. But I like SKULK better, it's a great word.

Sundries:

• 9a: Phrase on a menu that includes egg rolls and wonton soup (NO MSG). This messed me up, because I thought the phrase included egg rolls and wonton soup, not just the menu. I get it now.


• 14a: Lagerfeld of fashion (KARL).


• 17a: Arms of the Mediterranean? (UZIS).


• 23a: Royal Dutch Airlines letters (KLM).



• 24a: Sound at the start of an MGM movie (ROAR). From the lion, whose name is "Leo".


• 30a: A head (PER). I had a mental block on this one, even with _ER. And the crossing was no help at all.


• 31a: Walker of whisky fame (HIRAM). Booze tag.


• 33a: Mason of "Chapter Two" (MARSHA). I remember her from "The Goodbye Girl".


• 42a: David Sarnoff's co. (RCA). Really? This seems like a tough clue for a Monday. Luckily I never saw it.


• 43a: Like a 45° angle (ACUTE). Less than 90° is acute, more than 90° is obtuse.



• 51a: First name of a Warner Bros. skunk (PEPE). Le Pew.


• 59a: Girl, in Guadalajara (CHICA).


• 64a: Marvel superhero group (XMEN).


• 67a: Make like a hot dog? (PANT). Cute.


• 68a: Authoritative expression of permission (SAY SO).


• 5d: Record label founded by Sean Combs (BAD BOY).


• 10d: Den drug (OPIUM). Drug reference.


• 29d: Buy a round, say (TREAT). More booze tag fodder.


• 34d: Music royalty gp. (ASCAP).


• 39d: Ike's command in WWII (ETO). European Theater of Operations.


• 40d: One with a pre-K kid, maybe (X-ER).



• 48d: Showy flower (DAHLIA).


• 49d: Got along with minimal effort (SLID BY).


• 51d: Car radio button (PRESET).


• 53d: Slush Puppie lookalikes (ICEES).


• 55d: Tonalpohualli calendar user (AZTEC). Let me guess. Peter Gordon's clue?


• 58d: The Lone Ranger's sidekick (TONTO).




• 61d: Player of the national pastime who became a National (EXPO). Formerly of Montreal, before the team was moved to D.C. and renamed.

Suns of Bitches:

• 11d: Singer Ronnie (MILSAP). I had no clue on this one, even with MILSA_.

Overall, an enjoyable Monday.

Thanks for listening.

- Pete M.

Friday, January 23, 2009

Title: And the Nominees Are...
Author: Roger Depont, or some Peter Gordon anagram
Theme: Academy Awards Nominations

As of the time of this writing, this puzzle wasn't released yet. That's because the nominations were just announced this morning, and it's not easy to come up with a good puzzle on a moment's notice.

But... I'm out all this evening and my Mom is having surgery tomorrow morning, so I probably won't get a chance to blog this puzzle by the time you all have gotten it and completed it.

So... I'm going to do something new. I'm going to pre-blog the puzzle. You can all comment as you wish, as normal. (Joon, if you want to add anything after the puzzle comes out, be my guest.)

The Best Picture nominations are:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Slumdog Millionaire
Frost/Nixon
The Reader
Milk

If I were a betting man (and sometimes I am), I'd guess you'll see these as follows:

READER (6)
FROSTNIXON (10)
MILK (4)
SLUMDOG (7)
MILLIONAIRE (11)
CURIOUS (7)
CASE (4)
OFBENJAMIN (10)
BUTTON (6)

At least, that's how I'd try to do it, keeping the long titles together and in order. Amazing that it works out symmetrically. Still, it's a lot of theme fill, which makes the gridding process tough. Don't be surprised if you see some ugly clumps of black squares around the edges, and/or a few nasty entries. Just producing a viable puzzle from the above is no simple task, so you should be suitably impressed. Peter Gordon is, after all, the man.

It's for puzzles like these that you should go out and buy three friends a Sun subscription. Do you really want these to stop?

Thanks for listening.

- Pete M.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Title: Themeless Thursday

Author: Mark Feldman
Theme: N/A

Yesterday was my birthday, but this puzzle seemed about as easy as most of the Thursdays have been lately. So I guess I haven't totally lost my crosswording skills at the ripe old age of 51.

Sunny Spot:
36d: King's title (REVEREND). A MLK reference certainly seems appropriate this week.

50a: Fresh start (NEWLEASEONLIFE). This seems particularly appropriate this week as well.

23a: Seductive glance (COMEHITHERLOOK). A sexy look with a sexy name. I mean doesn't "come hither" sound much more erotic than "come here"?

Sundries:

1a: Wrap around a fatty Japanese roll? (OBI). Why does it have to be "fatty"? Can't a skinny geisha wear an obi?

4a: Princess in "The Tale of Despereaux" (PEA). Didn't see (or read?) the story in question. Is there actually a princess named Pea, not just tossing and turning trying to get to sleep on one.

7a: Decorative works (MOSAICS).

14a: Show that can be downloaded to an MP3 player (PODCAST). Best crossword podcast that I have found: Ryan and Brian Do Crosswords.

16a: Chaos (ANARCHY). Not necessarily. Anarchy is the absence of government or law. It doesn't necessarily follow that we will descend into chaos. We might just learn to get along.

17a: Italian province (TRIESTE).

18a: Water holder (CANTEEN).

19a: Polo rival (IZOD).

20a: Honeydew source (APHID). Wait a minute. You mean aphids make those melons?

22a: XX x XXXV (DCC). As Roman multiplication goes, this equation is pretty easy.

27a: Family nickname (SIS).

28a: Ocean menace, once (UBOAT).

29a: "Sorrows" poet (OVID). Perhaps he wouldn't be so sorrowful if he knew he was still relevant today. Bob Dylan borrowed some lines from Ovid's Poems of Exile on his album Modern Times.

31a: Meager (LENTEN).

33a: Paradoxical figure? (ZENO).

38a: Spring (EMERGE).

40a: Mad River ___ (Vermont ski area) (GLEN).

41a: 16th- and 17th-century entertainment in England (MASQUE).

45a: Go crazy (RAVE). Or a 20th and 21st century entertainment in England.

46a: "Seabiscuit" author Hillenbrand (LAURA).

47a: Unit used in measuring wire diameters (MIL).

54a: Mess up (ERR).

55a: "12 Angry Men" director (LUMET).

56a: Son of Seth (ENOS).

57a: Meat from a crossbreed (BEEFALO).

59a: Homemade pistols (ZIPGUNS).

62a: Given a new title (RENAMED).

63a: John, e.g. (APOSTLE).

64a: "Most likely ..." (ODDSARE).

65a: Fortune (LOT).

66a: View finder? (EYE).

1d: Light study (OPTICS).

2d: Russian wolfhound (BORZOI).

3d: Translator's challenges (IDIOMS).

4d: Certain step (PAS).

5d: Werner Erhard program (EST). This was huge in the 70's. Everybody was into EST. Valerie Harper and John Denver were prominent participants.

6d: Gorged oneself (ATEATON).

7d: Jungle slasher (MACHETE).

8d: Televising (ONAIR).

9d: Financial inst. (SANDL).

10d: Skill (ART).

11d: Froze up (ICEDOVER).

12d: Depositor's account choice (CHECKING).

13d: Put in phase (SYNC).

15d: Yield (CEDE).

21d: Baby ___ (urban fashion line) (PHAT).

24d: Clumsy ship (HULK).

25d: Rooftop bar? (IBEAM).

26d: Sludge (OOZE).

30d: Kid nurser (DOE).

32d: Logical beginning? (NEURO).

34d: Bus. driver? (MGR).

35d: Voicer of Fred Flintstone (ALANREED).

37d: Understood (KNEW).

39d: Statistics class calculation (MEAN).

42d: Fashionable (ALAMODE). Hmmm, I thought it meant "with ice cream."

43d: Invitation encl. (SASE).

47d: Up-to-the-___ (MINUTE).

48d: "I wish!" (IFONLY).

49d: Apartment dweller, often (LESSEE).

51d: Alpaca's mate, sometimes (LLAMA).

53d: Pins, so to speak (LEGS). The only instance I can think of where legs are termed "pins" is in the somewhat old-fashioned expression "wobbly on ones pins."

54d: Battle of the ___ (Spanish Civil War event) (EBRO).

58d: Sol-___ (does some practice singing) (FAS).

60d: NASDAQ debut (IPO).

61d: Joint stuff (POT).

Suns of Bitches:
34a: Former Finnish currency (MARKKA). I sure miss the franc and the lira, the last foreign currencies I knew anything about.

44d: Guatemala's national bird and currency unit (QUETZAL). Never heard of them. They're pretty colorful though:

52d: Goldbach contemporary (EULER). Never heard of either of them. Evidently they're mathemeticians.

Have a nice Thursday, Norrin.

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Title: Where Have All the Vowels Gone?
Author: Scott Atkinson
Theme: Names a phrases with seven consecutive consonants.

• 17a: Basketball Hall of Fame coach known as "Big Bear" (BRANCH MCCRACKEN). Heard the name before.


• 23a: Rainn Wilson's role on "The Office" (DWIGHT SCHRUTE). Don't watch the show, but that's my own fault.



• 40a: "Li'l Abner" character Joe who has a rain cloud over his head (BTFSPLK). WTFSTHSSHT?


• 50a: Subject of a Pee Wee Hunt rag (TWELFTH STREET). Nice clue, great song.


• 62a: What can be found consecutively in 17-, 23-, 40-, and 50-Across (SEVEN CONSONANTS).

Not much to say about this one. It is what is it. I suppose Joe BTFSPLK is like Mr. Mxyzptlk -- you either know it or you don't. I didn't, but the crossings were all fair, so I don't mind all that much.

I'm in a hurry, so I'm going to breeze through the rest.

The Rest:

• 9a: Vietnam Veterans Memorial inscriptions (NAMES). My eldest son spent yesterday standing amongst the throngs on the Mall in Washington D.C., watching Obama's inauguration. It's a great place to visit in the summer, with the Vietnam wall being especially moving.


• 27a: Figure skater Midori (ITO).


• 36a: Brand in the lyrics of "Kodachrome" (NIKON).




• 43a: With 68-Across, Sri Lanka exports (PEKOE / TEA).


• 46a: Limp Bizkit drummer John ___ (OTTO). I wouldn't have known this, but I never saw the clue.


• 58a: "___ Baby" ("Hair" song) (ABIE). Know it from puzzles.


• 59a: Reacted to reveille (AROSE). The morning bugle call. Here it here.


• 69a: Nobody may go in front of it (ELSE'S). Umm... okay.


• 70a: Partiality (BIAS).


• 71a: Accordingly (ERGO). Therefore...


• 4d: "Told ya!" (I KNEW IT).


• 6d: Energy (OOMPH). Oomph is a great word.



• 10d: Portion of a lemniscate (ARC). A lemniscate is a figure-eight-shaped curve, like the infinity symbol.


• 11d: Beauty aid (MAKE UP KIT). Nice fill.


• 12d: Navratilova rival (Chris EVERT).


• 18d: Lit ___ (college course, informally) (CRIT).


• 25d: Amount of hair (HANK).


• 30d: "Miracle at St. Anna" director (LEE). If it's a director in three letters, it's probably Lee (Ang or Spike). This one's the latter.


• 31d: Cluster on military awards (OAK LEAVES).



• 49d: Actor Astin (SEAN), who played Sam in "The Lord of the Rings" films.


• 51d: Big cheese, in more ways than one (WHEEL).


• 52d: One-third of XXX? (TAC). Tic-tac-toe.


• 61d: Station identification, once (ESSO). I wasn't fooled by this clue even for a second. Don't know why.

Outside of the theme, I thought the puzzle was easier than normal for a Wednesday. There were 29a: Truckloads (ALOT) of Monday-ish clues here.

Thanks for listening.

- Pete M.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Title: Attention to Details
Author: Patrick Blindauer
Theme: Wordplay theme in which D is added to the end of two-word phrases

• 17a: Site of a hospital auction? (BIDDING WARD).


• 28a: Gradual curve in the road? (GENTLE BEND). my favorite of the theme answers. nice base phrase, and a good clue-answer pairing for the modified version.


• 48a: Perform some physical therapy? (MUSCLE MEND).


• 61a: Tiny greeting from Hallmark? (COMPACT CARD).


• 11d: Work for the military police? (BASE TEND).


• 38d: Group that plays during finals week? (TEST BAND).

not the world's most exciting theme, but well-executed with six rock-solid theme answers. the only thing i didn't like about it was having the two vertical entries which weren't longer than the other down answers—indeed, they're each in 3x8 stacks. the stacks are nice, but i actually had some difficulty determining that they were part of the theme, especially since the puzzle is fairly loaded with ? clues in the fill.

i was kind of expecting this puzzle to have something to do with the inauguration, but maybe that's because i expect everything to have something to do with the inauguration. i can't remember an inauguration this anticipated.

Sunny Spots:

• 34d: Plant tissue (XYLEM). i've always loved this word. i mean... it starts with X, and then goes later in the alphabet from there. good stuff. it gets much more crossword play than its counterpart, PHLOEM.

Sundries:

• 1a: What some people do to enter united states? (ELOPE). okay, that's a tortured clue. i did figure it out, and almost smiled. i think i'll give it the "clever but tortured" tag.


• 6a: Storybook elephant (BABAR). also a major particle physics experiment at SLAC.


• 14a: 2008 French Open and Wimbledon champ (NADAL). NADAL is great, but i was pretty bummed that he took out roger federer at wimbledon. but it was the greatest tennis match i've ever seen, so there's that consolation.


• 15a: Hoopster Danny (AINGE). he's now the GM of the boston celtics.


• 16a: Ex of Mickey, Artie, and Frank (AVA gardner). i don't know who any of those guys are, but i recognize this clue from having seen it in many forms before.


• 19a: Where to find a father-to-be: Abbr. (SEM). seminary. tricky clue. it seems cruel to combine misdirection with a not-very-common abbreviation on a tuesday.


• 22a: Caterpillar competitor (DEERE). i guess caterpillar makes farm equipment? or maybe lawnmowers?


• 24a: 1970 John Wayne film (RIO LOBO). there are at least three RIO ___ john wayne movies. i needed the B to figure the rest of this one out.


• 27a: ___ Beach, South Carolina (MYRTLE). i've been there, and yet i didn't get this even after i had MYR_L_. why? because i was misreading it as "southern california." duh.


• 33a: Novartis product (GAS-X). wasn't this one of the central answers in PB2's "big ten" friday puzzle from last october? i liked that one a lot.


• 35a: "Winter of Artifice" writer (anais NIN). not a work i'm familiar with, but there are only so many ways to clue NIN.


• 40a: Blah? (YADDA). in the sense that YADDA YADDA YADDA is roughly synonymous with "blah blah blah." this is a stretch, but i guess with the ? it's okay.


• 46a: Comic strip character who loves Dick (TESS). that's TESS trueheart and dick tracy, but this clue is definitely getting the "sexual innuendo" tag.


• 57a: "It's ___ real!" (BEEN). i liked this a lot: it's a fun way of cluing a boring word.


• 66a: Dry (UNWET). yuck.


• 68a: With 69-Across, Valentine's Day gift (RED/ROSES). don't get me started.


• 1d: Sportscaster with the catchphrase "Oh, my!" (dick ENBERG). i got this instantly, but is it really a catchphrase? it's so... uncatchy. ENBERG is perfectly inoffensive, but he's not exactly memorable.


• 2d: Actress Kazan (LAINIE). no relation to director elia. i think.


• 3d: Like some favorites (ODDS-ON). not sure i've ever seen this fill. it looks like ODD SON in the grid.


• 5d: Member of the Whiffenpoofs (ELI). the poofs are yale's premier all-male a cappella group. i wish i didn't know that, but i do.


• 6d: Bug planter's break-in (BAG JOB). i didn't know whether to sort this into "sunny spots" or "suns of bitches," so i split the difference. cool-looking phrase, but i've never heard of it.


• 9d: The A of A&M (AGR). yuck.


• 13d: Cross-dressing star of "The Royal Tour" on Broadway (DAME EDNA). the clue says "star," but apparently she's a fictional character. i did not know that.


• 18d: Prize that Sartre declined (NOBEL). i wonder if sartre gets jealous that his lover NIN is in crosswords so much more often than he is. i mean, she never did anything as cool as declining the NOBEL prize.


• 25d: About 9.46 trillion km (LTYR). i still hate this answer. the standard way of abbreviating "light-year" is just ly. at the very least, it should get a "Var." tag.


• 41d: Many people bank on them (ATMS). i've noticed that when the clue refers to the answer using a pronoun ("it" or "them") and contains a figure of speech, it's usually supposed to be interpreted literally rather than figuratively.


• 45d: His epitaph says "That's all folks" (mel BLANC). the guy who voiced bugs bunny, among thousands of other characters. interesting trivia.


• 52d: "Annus Mirabilis" poet (john DRYDEN). the "annus mirabilis" is 1666, the year of the great london fire. i'm not sure why they thought that year was so great.


• 62d: Gibraltar bride of 1969 (yoko ONO). i had no idea. gibraltar? really?

Suns of Bitches:

• 43a: "American ___" (Benjamin Nugent book) (NERD). i can't imagine a less helpful clue. there's probably a book called american ___ that i've never heard of for any value of ___.


• 26d: Mrs. ___ of Folgers fame (OLSON). not enough fame, if you ask me, but i've been known not to recognize characters from decades-old commercials. just ask madge, who's soaking in it.


• 39d: "___ Calling" (short-lived Fox series) (TRU). i had trouble with the T here, because the crossing 39a: Glover's specialty (TAP) wasn't doing me any favors. is that danny glover? gary glover? i'm guessing no, but i don't know who it is.

nice puzzle for a tuesday. it's not one of the PB2 outside-the-box specials, but a well-executed puzzle and an enjoyable solve nonetheless.

joon

Monday, January 19, 2009

Title: The Last Hurrah
Author: Andrea Carla Michaels
Theme: "Sis Boom Bah" found at the ends of the respective theme entries.

• 20a: Author of "Word Freak: Heartbreak, Triumph, Genius, and Obsession in the World of Competitive Scrabble Players" (STEFAN FATSIS). I have never heard of this person. Now, sure, it's more likely that a crossword puzzle solver will be familiar with an author about words and Scrabble, but please... it's only Monday. This dude gets less than 35,000 Google hits.



• 36a: Taking decisive punitive action (LOWERING THE BOOM). This is a great phrase. Love it!


• 50a: Muck-a-muck (GRAND POOH-BAH). Love this one too. Reminds me of "Mr. C." on "Happy Days".

I like the theme concept. My only complaint is that if there are only three theme entries, I'd like to like all three of them. STEFAN FATSIS just doesn't measure up to the other two for me. He's just not a well-known-enough name for a Monday puzzle. He'd be a stretch for a Friday puzzle. I would have preferred RISK ANALYSIS or maybe AUTOHYPNOSIS, or even OSTEOPOROSIS.

Sunny Spots:

• 17a: Shares one's thoughts? (MIND MELDS). Wonderful! Star Trek geekiness and clever cluing combine for a real gem here.


• 47a: Little squirt (SPRITZ). Great word, great clue.


• 4d: Ex-lover (OLD FLAME). Excellent fill.

Sundries:

• 14a: Jannings of "The Blue Angel" (EMIL). Didn't know this, but it wasn't hard to figure.



• 27a: Macabre cartoonist Charles (ADDAMS). Inspiration for "The Addams Family".


• 30a: It's a wrap (SARI).


• 34a: It's a wrap (SARAN).


• 41a: "___ Irish Rose" (ABIE'S). There was a time when I would have had no clue what this was. But it's been in enough crossword puzzles that it's second nature now.


• 42a: Basketball court part (LANE).


• 49a: Mountain capper (SNOW). I live in New Hampshire, and let me tell you it caps more than just mountain tops.


• 64a: "Let Us Now Praise Famous Men" writer (AGEE). This is ERIE-rule for me. Writer in four letters starting with A? AGEE.


• 3d: Wine's partner (DINE).


• 9d: Like a nose that resembles an eagle's beak (AQUILINE).



• 21d: "SNL" role for Tina (SARAH). That's Tina Fey and Sarah Palin, for those who might have been living under a rock for the past year. I'd tell you which is which, but I'm afraid I'd get it wrong. :)


• 25d: Power of Hollywood (TYRONE).


• 28d: Genre of "Under the Boardwalk" (DOO-WOP).




• 29d: Buzzkill (DOWNER).


• 37d: Ramshackle structures (RAT TRAPS).


• 38d: Island in the western Mediterranean (IBIZA).


• 56d: Cold-cocked (K.O.'D).

Suns of Bitches:
None to speak of. Well, except for Stefan Fatsis.

Despite this puzzle's bout with stefanfatsisitis, I really enjoyed it.

Thanks for listening.

- Pete M.

Friday, January 16, 2009

Title: Weekend Warrior
Author: Barry C. Silk
Theme: None

Sunny Spots:

• 1a: Leaving while the iron is hot? (FIRE HAZARD). Nice fill, nice clue. Of course, many irons today have auto-shut-offs, as do some coffee makers.


• 15a: Highly flawed plan (ROTTEN IDEA). Excellent.


• 60a: Chinese dumpling (POT STICKER). Yummy. And much more well-known to me than, say, a GYOZA.

Sundries:

• 11a: Butters? (RAMS). Those who butt. Ick. Would have prefered a "South Park" clue.


• 18a: Forest Whitaker's role in "The Crying Game" (JODY). I remember certain key elements of this movie, but not the character names.


• 19a: It's often passed in silence (GAS). Wow, a fart clue! I think that deserves its own tag.


• 25a: Ricky Ricardo's signature song (BABALU).




• 27a: Make up? (ELATE). Okay, that's pushing it a little.


• 32a: Hansen's disease victims (LEPERS). I've seen this here before, I think... yep, September 8, 2008.


• 34a: Seafood delicacy (SHAD ROE).


• 49a: Like pigs' feet (BRINED). Ewww.


• 53a: Brushback pitch (DUSTER). I always assumed a DUSTER was a pitch that not only brushed the batter back, but caused him to hit the ground trying to get out of the way, such that he had to dust himself off afterwards. Maybe that's how it started and it has developed to apply to any brushback. After all, baseball players and announcers aren't always the best stewards of the English language. But anyway, not too long now before spring training starts up. Man, I can't wait! DUSTER is also an old car by Plymouth.


• 63a: It's an indeterminate form when raised to itself (ZERO). Any non-zero number raised to the 0th power is 1. So, should 0 to the 0th be 1 also? Or should it be 0? Well, it's neither. Or both. Don't ask.



• 64a: 1976 Best Actress nominee (TALIA SHIRE). For "Rocky", I assume.


• 66a: Animated film of 2006 (OPEN SEASON).


• 1d: Michigan J. ___ (mascot of the WB) (FROG). Really? Who knew?


• 2d: The Gaels of collegiate sports (IONA). Ditto.



• 7d: Autoharp, e.g. (ZITHER).


• 10d: It has 18° sectors (DARTBOARD). 360 / 18 = 20 sectors. Yep, dartboard works.


• 12d: Landmark seen in the opening credits of "Hawaii Five-O" (ALOHA TOWER). I didn't know this off-hand, but it wasn't hard to figure. If you want to see the reference go here. It's at about the 13 second mark.


• 13d: Global hot spot (MIDDLE EAST).


• 21d: Qualcomm Stadium setting (SAN DIEGO) and 43d: Headquarters for Amazon.com (SEATTLE) give this puzzle a Western vibe.


• 28d: "How Do I Live" singer (LEANN RIMES). Why do I always want to spell RIMES with a Y? Even when it crossed LYZ, I wasn't 100% sure it was wrong.




• 29d: Introductory courses? (APPETIZERS). It's a weekend warrior, lose the question mark on this one.


• 31d: Oldies syllable (SHA). Kind of weak, especially when you also have 62d: When doubled, a ballroom dance (CHA).


• 45d: Lagniappe (TIP). As in a gratuiuty.


• 56d: Son of Eliel (EERO). I missed ELIEL in a puzzle in last year's ACPT, but it wasn't clued in reference to EERO Saarinen.


• 59d: Tic-tac-toe loser (XOO). Luckily I had the _OO when I saw this clue, so there were no guesses to be made.

Suns of Bitches:

• 38a: Graynor of "Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist" (ARI). Didn't know it. Never saw it (the clue or the movie). She apparently plays neither Nick nor Norah, so I'm not sure how famous that makes her.


• 52a: Romance novelist Carlyle (LIZ).

Not as hard as WWs have been lately, it seems. But no major complaints.

Thanks for listening.

- Pete M.

Thursday, January 15th 2009

Title: Size Matters
Author: Matt Ginsberg
Theme: You're going to have print this out, kids. Across Lite won't work because we've got enlarged squares, one TALL, one WIDE, and one BIG. We've also got more than one letter per square and I'm not going to go into the whole rebus vs. Cramalot thing because even though I know I'm right I also know I'm in the minority. Anyway, your themed entries are:



33A: Major (BIGTIME)
35A: Hits the jackpot (WINS BIG)

5D: Important guy, in slang (MISTER BIG) Not modern slang, mind you, but very hep in the 1930s.





And my favorite (because the B-I-G does not refer to size): 33D: Bunker, for example (BIGOT)

On to the TALLs:

28A: They often have tiled floors (SHOWER STALLS)

30D: Scored (TALLIED)

And the WIDEs:

55A: Weblike? (WORLDWIDE)

57D: Harvard library (WIDENER)

57D: Far apart, as eyes (WIDESET)

To put the newest denizen of the dictionary to work -- meh. I was underwhelmed by the theme, which seemed familiar and pretty easy to fill in once you knew how it worked. There was some interesting fill however, and as I'm pressed for time this week, what say we hit the highlights and call it a day?

1A: Abnormal contraction (SPASM) I was thinking something like "Dasn't" (for "Dares not") or somesuch. Different kind of contraction.

49A: "Beautiful Girls" director Demme (TED) I thought this movie -- one of my favorites -- was going to appear in last Thursday's puzzle, but it turned out to be "Drugstore Cowboy" instead, so it was interesting to see it show up this week.

4D: Tahini ingredient (SESAME) And tahini in turn is an ingredient in hummus, which I am enjoying right now. Hope I don't get any on your computer screen.

7D: Exemplar of strength (OAK) Had the first letter and couldn't get it. My mind didn't want to let go of OX, even though that word is obviously not tall enough to go here.

26D: Actress Durance (ERICA) The lovely young lady who plays Lois Lane on "Smallvile"

No SoB's this week. Once you got the theme, it was pretty easy.

See you next Thursday.

Norrin

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Title: Game Points
Author: Peter J. Wentz
Theme: See below

• 17a: With 28-, 45-, and 62-Across, 62-Down (THE AVERAGE).


• 28a: See 17-Across (SCRABBLE SCORE OF).


• 45a: See 17-Across (ALL THE LETTERS IN).


• 62a: See 17-Across (THIS PUZZLE).


• 62d: See 17-Across (TWO).

This is one of those puzzles that is cool and/or a pain in the ass for a constructor to put together, but which doesn't translate to an increased enjoyment for the solver. From a solver's perspective, this is essentially a quote puzzle with a really boring quote. It's neither amusing nor profound. And let me ask you this: How many of you double-checked the math to see if the statement was actually true? I tend to be pretty anal about such things, and I know I didn't bother. Why? Because who cares, that's why. The average scrabble score of all the letters in the puzzle? Why is that interesting? I'm sure it was tough as hell to do, but the bang wasn't worth the buck if you ask me (and since you're reading this blog, that's exactly what you're asking).

So, let's take a look at the rest and see if this puzzle was salvageable, shall we?

The Rest:

• 4a: Luxury Hyundai sedans (AZERAS). This one might give the Olds ALERO a run for its money in the future.


• 15a: Gross parts (DOZENS). A gross is 144, or a dozen dozens. Good clue.


• 16a: Sarah Palin hairstyle (UPDO) goes well with 23a: Jheri curl alternative (AFRO). Add in 53a: Short cut (SNIP) and 54a: Stropped thing (RAZOR) and you've got a real salon mini-theme going.


• 19a: Homer gait (TROT). Baseball, not Simpsons. If Homer hit a homer, he would probably WADDLE. TROT Nixon, on the other hand, would SPRINT. And while we're on baseball, congratulations to Jim Rice for finally making it into the Hall of Fame! I'm guessing he doesn't read this blog, but you never know.


• 25a: Like e (REAL). It's math -- natural logarithm stuff. I'm not going into it here.



• 27a: Disorderly place (ZOO). Guessed STY at first, but I like this better.


• 32a: Short lines at the supermarket? (UPC). Clever clue.


• 35a: Artistic, unconventional community (BOHEMIA).


• 38a: "Sleuth" costar (JUDE LAW).


• 42a: O, e.g. (MAG). The Oprah magazine, I think. Or is that called Oprah and this is something different?


• 51a: Wether report? (BAA). A wether is a (usually castrated) male sheep. Very clever clue, but ouch!




• 52a: "ER" costar of Noah and Julianna (ERIQ). Please, Mr. LaSalle... star in something else soon!


• 64a: Designed with a projecting part for fitting into a corresponding recessed part (MALE). Like a plug.



• 67a: "Survey ___ ..." (SAYS). From "Family Feud".


• 3d: Person in a position of authority (HIERARCH). Unusual to see this form of the word, but easy enough to figure.


• 6d: Better Than ___ (band with the 1995 hit album "Deluxe") (EZRA).


• 8d: Catches some rays, perhaps (ANGLES). Do people fish for rays?


• 10d: London, e.g.: Abbr. (AUTH). I assume we're talking Jack London, the AUTHOR, here.


• 11d: Spaceflight award won in 2004 (X PRIZE).


• 24d: Accommodating person (OBLIGER). Yucky -ER word.


• 31d: Mentaiko's main ingredient (ROE).



• 37d: "Be More Cynical" comic (MAHER).


• 43d: Give in return (REQUITE).


• 45d: "Star Trek" director J.J. (ABRAMS).


• 50d: Simply Socials maker (RITZ).


• 55d: Lugs (OXES). Noun, not verb.

Suns of Bitches:

• 61a: Val's younger daughter in the comic strip "Stone Soup" (ALIX). Never heard of her, and don't ever recall seeing this spelling. But I like it's similarity to AXIL (10a: Space between a leaf and its supporting stem).



• 5d: Barrette-sporting Muppet (ZOE). I can name an awful lot of muppets, but I didn't know this one.


• 39d: Province in Italy's Liguria region (LA SPEZIA). Didn't know it.


• 46d: Playmate of Po (LAA-LAA). I had no idea. My kids were too old for the Teletubbies when they came out. Thank God.

Overall, this puzzle actually felt about right for a Wednesday. As noted, I wasn't overwhelmed by the theme, but it didn't hamper my enjoyment much. Even the hard ones weren't that hard to figure.

Thanks for listening.

- Pete M.

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Title: The Oys of Yiddish
Author: Ogden Porter (Peter Gordon)
Theme: Wordplay theme in which a word gets an initial S changed to SCH phonetically, sometimes with a spelling change

• 17a: Slovenly hitters? (BATTING SCHLUMPS). i don't think i'm familiar with the word SCHLUMP, although at least it looks like what it sounds like. no "toches" here.


• 35a: Set of ads for cream cheese? (SCHMEAR CAMPAIGN).


• 58a: Carried? (SCHLEPPED AROUND). that does it—i'm adding the sexual innuendo tag. its time has come.

okay, the theme was fine. with a wordplay puzzle with only three theme answers, you can often nitpick about consistency; why does the modified word come first in only two of the three answers? why is there a spelling change in only one answer? etc. but i won't. still, it did seem odd that SCHLEPPED AROUND seems like an actual phrase that somebody might say. in fact, it seems like something i've said.

Sunny Spots:

• 16a: Frisbee maker (WHAM-O). i miss college.


• 42a: "None for me, thanks" ("I'M GOOD"). oh, he's pretty good all right.


• 38d: It's big in a May-December relationship (AGE GAP). my first thought: SUMMER?

Sundries:

• 1a: Make sound (MEND). tough clue right off the bat. this puzzle wasn't as much of a killer as last tuesday's, but it still took me a good long while, slightly longer than most wednesdays. i like this clue, though. even after i had MEN_ i couldn't figure it out.


• 14a: ___ Fun Barbie (1997 doll) (OREO). okay, that's a new OREO clue for me. really? OREO fun barbie?


• 20a: Subsidiary of Hallmark (CRAYOLA). so that you can send greeting cards in crayon.


• 22a: Body of water enclosed by an atoll (LAGOON). this word always reminds me of the scene in a buffy episode from season 2 where willow compares a fish-like monster to the "creature from the blue lagoon." xander corrects her, pointing out, "black lagoon. the creature from the blue lagoon was brooke shields."


• 31a: Wide receiver Welker (WES). did somebody say scrappy?


• 68a: ___ Star (brand of beer) (LONE). i'm sure it is. luckily, LONE star is also lots of other things, including a big old state in the south.


• 3d: Make after expenses (NET). i find it clever that this is next to 4d: Online biz (DOT COM), even though peter gordon doesn't like to cross-reference clues if he can help it.


• 11d: Lincoln's first vice president (hannibal HAMLIN). this guy was just in a theme clue for last thursday's NYT puzzle. i think he hails from paris, maine.


• 34d: "My Two ___" (Paul Reiser sitcom) (DADS). would you believe i also know this from the NYT crossword puzzle? months ago, greg EVIGAN (the other DAD of the title) was the answer to a clue, i think in a tuesday puzzle.


• 40d: With 36-Down, source of great wealth (GOLD/MINE). i wanted this to be CASH/COW, but GOLD MINE is a nice expression too.


• 46d: Two-time Wimbledon winner Gibson (ALTHEA). first black woman to win wimbledon, i think. but she wasn't the addressee of richard lovelace's poem "to ALTHEA from prison," which contains the lines "Stone walls do not a prison make / Nor iron bars a cage."


• 57d: Score after six faults and four aces to start a match (AD IN). and also, the player returning serve is probably really bored by now. i bet ALTHEA gibson didn't serve like that.


• 59d: Two-fifteenths of CCCXC (LII). i did this one by estimation since i already had _II from crosses when i read the clue. one fifteenth of 300 is 20, so this one is somewhat more than 40. in this case, 2/15 of 390 is 52.

Suns of Bitches:

• 23d: Secret agent Leamas in "The Spy Who Came In From the Cold" (ALEC). ha. not happening.


• 60d: One million chiliads (EON). chiliads, you say? apparently this is an old (and fancy!) word for 1000 years. that's the thing about peter gordon—he's so obsessed with new clues for common words that you end up with obscurity like this in the same puzzle as clues such as 10d: Day after Wed. and 12d: ___ State Building (Manhattan skyscraper). i gotta say, it's a bit jarring.

other than the clue difficulty going all over the map, this was a pretty enjoyable puzzle. see you next time.

joon

Monday, January 12, 2009

Title: Skip It
Author: Patrick Blindauer and Tony Orbach
Theme: ROPE can be find "skipping" through the theme entries (i.e. alternating letters).

• 20a: It may power a nail gun (AIR COMPRESSOR). Have you seen "No Country for Old Men"? If you have, you'll know why I'm asking.


• 32a: Costume dramas, e.g. (PERIOD PIECES).


• 41a: Ornament symbolizing abundance (HORN OF PLENTY). Also know as the cornucopia, which is one of my favorite words.



• 57a: "Hi Infidelity" band (REO SPEEDWAGON). I am embarrassed to have contributed to this album's being one of the top sellers of its time. If I could "un-buy" it, believe me I would.


• 63a: Skipped thing (and a hint to 20-, 32-, 41-, and 57-Across) (ROPE).

Due to the facts that:
a) This puzzle has two authors; and
b) One of them is Patrick Blindauer
I'm going to start my commentary with a caveat. Assuming there's not more to the theme than I am currently seeing, I find this theme both a bit underwhelming and a bit strange for a Monday. Monday themes are usually pretty straight-ahead and obvious. In this case, I finished the puzzle with no idea what linked the theme entries. It took a while to notice the alternating letters -- you have to admit it's pretty subtle. I'm willing to bet there's a lot of people heading to the blogs to find out what they missed. As noted, I'm not 100% comfortable that there's not more to it. But even if there is (or maybe especially if), it doesn't feel like a Monday theme to me.

On the bright side, I loved all the theme entries.

Sunny Spots:

• 5d: Eatery that sells steamers (CLAM BAR). Mmmmm.


• 38d: Benefit obtained without cost (FREE RIDE).




• 44d: Pesky folks (NOODGES).

Sundries:

• 1a: Redondilla rhyme scheme (ABBA). I would have expected a "Mama Mia" reference. Redondilla? On a Monday? Of course, you know it's going to start with A -- all rhyme schemes do.


• 16a: Pitcher Ryan with a record 5,714 strikeouts (NOLAN). Pitcher Ryan would have been enough.


• 24a: Wind often made from granadilla wood (OBOE). What is this, the "All -dilla" puzzle?



• 36a: Michelle, to Barack Obama (WIFE). I was expecting some sort of pet name. Somehow I doubt he calls, "Hey, wife!". He'd have some visible bruises.


• 39a: Cheer leader? (SIS). "Sis boom bah!"


• 51a: Deem appropriate (SEE FIT).


• 55a: Stripe (ILK). Nice clue. Tricky for early week.


• 66a: Apple thrower in "The Wizard of Oz" (TREE). Very nice way to clue a common word. You'll have to skip ahead to about 8:15 in the following clip to get the scene in question.




• 67a: Noodle concoctions? (IDEAS).


• 6d: Safari sighting, for short (HIPPO). Guessed RHINO at first, but it didn't last long.


• 7d: "When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie" emotion (AMORE). This song was in my head already, from a recent FAZOOL reference (Friday NYT, I believe).


• 10d: Cardinal or canary, e.g. (COLOR). Cardinal red and canary yellow.


• 12d: Loch Lomond locks topper (TAM). Alliteration and consonance.


• 26d: Paas products (DYES).


• 30d: Dept. store inventory (MDSE). Merchandise.


• 34d: Skillet seasoner (OIL). Oik seasons the skillet itself, not the food being cooked in it.


• 35d: "The Celts" singer (ENYA). ERIE rule.




• 45d: Increase in friendliness (THAW).


• 49d: Hardships (RIGORS). Good word.


• 50d: Running mate? (ELOPER). ELOPE and its derivatives produce some of the most clever clues in crosswords. This is a good example.


• 52d: "The Most Happy ___" (Frank Loesser musical) (FELLA).


• 53d: Consider carefully (WEIGH).


• 58d: Christening spot (PROW). Christening a boat.


• 61d: Was down with (HAD). I'm not sure I get this. I thought being "down with" something was being okay with it. Oh wait! We're talking illness here, aren't we. Like I was down with the flu. Okay, I'm down with that.

Suns of Bitches:

• 28a: Japanese dumpling (GYOZA). I eat a lot of different foods in a lot of different styles, but I've never heard of a GYOZA. They look awesome, though. It is Monday, right?


• 9d: Pueblo Indian ancestors (ANASAZI). Ditto. Except for the eating and delicious parts.

Thanks for listening.

- Pete M.

Friday, January 9, 2009

Title: Weekend Warrior
Author: Byron Walden
Theme: None

I broke this puzzle open in the southwest, worked my way east, and then stared at a half-completed puzzle for what seemed like ages. I just couldn't break into the top half at all, even after getting DUCAT and CECI. Finally, CHAKRA popped into my head, but it was like pulling teeth to finally nail it all down. No need to break these out into categories... it was all tough and all pretty cool.

• 1a: Trapper Keeper maker (MEAD). This was not helpful at all, as I had no idea what a Trapper Keeper was. Funny thing, last night watching TV I saw an ad for Trapper Keepers. Weird.


• 5a: Adventuresome preteen originally voiced by Tim Matheson (JONNY QUEST). Took too long to figure this one out. And I didn't realize, or remember, that there was no H in JONNY.



• 15a: "Quantum of Solace" Bond girl actress Kurylenko (OLGA). Haven't seen it yet. It's on my list. But I'll tell you what I have seen lately that's worth going to. "Slumdog Millionaire". Check it out if you get the chance.


• 16a: Crank call? (ARE YOU NUTS).


• 17a: His ravens represent thought and memory (ODIN). I never realized Odin had ravens. Apparently, they're named Hugin and Munin. I should read more about Norse mythology.


• 18a: Sam Rayburn sobriquet (MR DEMOCRAT). I suppose I'm supposed to know this, but I didn't.


• 19a: Word often said with grace and love (NOTE). Grace notes are musical embellishments. You know what love notes are.


• 20a: Respond to soft soap, maybe (MELT). Soft soap is flattery intended to gain favor.


• 22a: Model T time (BRASS ERA). The age of early automobiles.


• 24a: Yogi's energy center (CHAKRA).


• 25a: Get some duck down? (EAT). This one's pushing it a bit.


• 26a: Chillingworth's wife (PRYNNE). From "The Scarlet Letter".


• 29a: Dig a lot (ADORE).


• 31a: Coin for Shylock (DUCAT).


• 33a: President of Bolivia since 2006 (MORALES). How cool would an Esai clue have been? I readily admit I don't keep up on my foreign dignitaries.


• 36a: Risk territory (SIBERIA). My first instinct was YAKUTSK or IRKUTSK, both of which fit and, coincidentally, both of which border SIBERIA in the game. My next thought was SILESIA, but that was Diplomacy, not Risk.


• 40a: Neige color (BLANC). Neige is snow, in French.


• 42a: Difficult burden (CROSS). One's cross to bear.



• 43a: Run through (STAB). I got this right away, but it doesn't feel exact to me. Stabbing doesn't imply (to me) that the weapon comes through the other side. One stabs with a knife, but runs through with a sword or spear. It all reminds me of Aragorn fighting orcs in "The Lord of the Rings".


• 52a: It often makes a big splash (LOG FLUME). Nice one.


• 54a: Former princesa, maybe (REINA). Spanish for queen.


• 56a: Advance man? (SEER). Groan.


• 57a: Prego ad slogan (IT'S IN THERE). I remember these ads, but I couldn't have told you they were for Prego.


• 60a: Pop band? (THE STOOGES). Iggy Pop, that is. This one I knew.




• 62a: Roshis (ZEN MASTERS).


• 63a: "The ___ Wife" (1980 Reginald Hill mystery) (SPY'S).


• 1d: Romantic reflection (MOONBEAM).


• 2d: 1967 John Wayne film (EL DORADO). I went with "True Grit" at first, which didn't help me any in this section. "True Grit" was 1969.


• 3d: Incendiary (AGITATOR).


• 4d: Many residents of the Faeroe Islands (DANES).


• 5d: Transmission blocker (JAMMER).



• 6d: Rotating model (ORRERY). This is a model of the sun and planets.


• 7d: Harpooner on the Nautilus (NEDLAND). No clue.


• 8d: Duma nix (NYET). My lone start in the northeast section.


• 9d: Shul day (YOM).


• 10d: "___ the Maven" (William Safire anthology) (QUOTH).


• 11d: It begins "We the peoples" (U.N. CHARTER).


• 12d: With 41-Down, Illinois setting of the Ronald Reagan Museum (EUREKA / COLLEGE). This didn't even sound familiar to me.


• 13d: Some people find them hard to take (STAIRS). Tough clue.


• 14d: Sandal style (T-STRAP).


• 23d: Period (SPELL). Another really tough clue. Took me quite a spell to figure it out.



• 24d: This, in Magritte's "The Treachery of Images" (CECI).


• 30d: Yeshiva study (RABBINISM).


• 35d: Show with an inaccurate title for Western U.S. viewers (SNL). I'm assuming this is because it runs on tape delay in the west, rather than running live at 8:30pm.


• 37d: 1954 Robert Taylor thriller (ROGUE COP). If you say so.


• 38d: Distance-preserving transformation, as the rotation of a plane (ISOMETRY).


• 43d: Binaca blast (SPRITZ). Did you know Binaca was flammable? Spritz some through a lighter sometime; it's pretty impressive!


• 44d: Become incisive? (TEETHE). Ouch.



• 51d: Pole star? (SANTA). STRIPPER didn't fit.


• 53d: Initial hurdles for those who want to join the Supremes? (LSATS). Groan.


• 55d: Boilermaker part (SHOT). Booze tag!

This was one of the tougher WWs in a while, which is to be expected when you see Byron Walden's name at the top. Usually, I'm more on his wavelength. There were several clues in this puzzle where that was the case, but overall it was a struggle to finish. And yet, there's nowhere in the puzzle that I can point to that I would consider unfair. That's what makes this a great Weekend Warrior.

Thanks for listening.

- Pete M.

Thursday, January 8th, 2009

Title: Themeless Thursday
Author: Mike Nothnagel
Theme: None

When I first got interested in crosswords Mike Nothnagel was one of the first constructors whose name I learned to look for. His puzzles were always great -- tough but doable. Or maybe I was just on his wavelength. Whatever the reason I still get a smile of anticipation when I see his byline.

Sunny Spots:
41A: Ones who have too many white belts (WINOS) Recently on Brendan Emmett Quigley's blog, he was talking about how much he hates puns, and I don't think he's alone. A lot of solvers and constructors don't like them even though they are an integral part of crosswords. I love 'em, thye more groanworthy the better. This one gave me a laugh because of course I was thinking of either a 60's go-go girl or a beginning karate class.

15D: "How many of each animal did Moses take on the ark?" is one (TRICK QUESTION) It's a trick question of course because Moses didn't build an ark, Noah did. But it's still a tricky (if not trick) question when you use Noah himself. Despite what they may have taught you in Sunday School, Noah since he took two of every unclean animal and seven of every clean animal. The Bible does not explain how to tell the difference, and I'm guessing by the end of a 40-day ark ride, all the animals -- not to mention Noah and his family -- were all pretty unclean.

(Now that I think about it, though, Moses did have an ark -- the Ark of the Covenant. But you couldn't put animals in it. It was covered in pure gold, and besides it was only two two cubits long.)

52A: Colorado Avalanche, formerly (QUEBEC NORDIQUES) A perfect example of why I like Mike Nothnagel. I know next to diddly squat about hockey, certainly not where the Colorado team used to play, but once I get a few letters filled in, my brain pulls something from a dusty back corner. I have seen the name Quebec Nordiques before. Where I do not know. Nor do I know what a Nordique is, but I don't have to know what it means, do I? just how to spell it. But, judging from their logo, a Nordique is some kind of headless elephant.

Suns of Bitches:

8D: Centerpiece of a successful line (TAC) I know without a doubt that there's something simple I'm missing here and I'll be embarrassed when someone explains it, but I don't get this.

36A: 1978 role for Richard Pryor, with "The" (WIZ) Not reallly an SOB, I don't guess, but I did miss it. Three-letter Richard Pryor movie must be The TOY and that's what I put down. Speaking of missed movies, I didn't fill it in (mainly because it didn't have enough letters, but my first thought when I saw 16A: 1989 Matt Dillon Film was BEAUTIFUL GIRLS not DRUGSTORE COWBOY. I haven't seen "Drugstore Cowboy" or "The Wiz", but "Beautiful Girls" is a great movie. ("The Toy" not so much.)

Sundries:

1A: Crusty entrée (POTPIE).

7a: Seat of the Bishop of London (STPAULS).

14a: Sources of ornamental feathers (EGRETS).

15a: Pendant shape (TEARDROP).

18a: Academic year div. (SEM).

19a: Cross of "Arrested Development" (DAVID). I didn't discover this show until after it was off the air (Thanks, Hulu!) but it's hilarious. Supposedly they're making a movie. David Cross played psychiatrist slash actor slash Blue Man Group member Tobias Funke.

20a: Becomes legally guaranteed (VESTS).

21a: Pertaining to light (PHOTIC).

23a: Thou (GEE).

24a: Courage (SPINE).

25a: Literally, "divine wind" (KAMIKAZE).

30a: Sham (FALSE).

31a: Sit on one's haunches (SQUAT).

32a: Lay down the lawn? (SOD). Another pun, and a good one.

33a: Sounds of light bulbs going on? (AHAS).

34a: Slow down the growth of (STUNT).

35a: Sister company of Louis Vuitton (DKNY).

37a: Mattress cover (SHEET).

38a: Apportions (METES).

39a: Kings and others (NBATEAMS). Could have been NHL TEAMS too. In fact I think I had that at first when I thought 24d: Indian term of respect (SAHIB) might be RAJAH.

42a: Like some coll. courses (REQ).

43a: Hooks up with (TIESTO).

45a: Newsman who wrote "Flashbacks: On Returning to Vietnam" (SAFER).

48a: Racing form data (SIRES).

49a: Three-time award for A-Rod (MVP).

55a: "Wheel of Fortune" bonus (FREESPIN).

56a: Gives a seat to (ELECTS).

57a: Lectures (TALKSAT).

58a: Dog (REDHOT).

1d: Those hoofing it, for short (PEDS).

2d: Damsel maltreater (OGRE). I wouldn't put it past an ogre to mistreat a damsel, even though that's usually a dragon's job.

3d: Atlantic City landmark since 1984 (TRUMPPLAZA).

4d: Brit's clothespin (PEG).

5d: Finish line (ITSDONE).

6d: Word with tax or sale (ESTATE).

7d: "Space ___" ("Star Trek" episode featuring Khan) (SEED).

9d: "I don't believe you" follower (PROVEIT).

10d: Madison Avenue trade journal (ADWEEK).

11d: Sticks' antitheses (URBS).

12d: Proceeds from a smashing success? (LOOT).

13d: 1974 spoof with the tagline "Would you buy a used secret from these men?" (SPYS). Starred Elliot Gould and Donald Sutherland -- both fresh off the movie "M*A*S*H" -- but this film was not nearly as successful. Maybe they should have spelled it "S*P*Y*S."

17d: Prefix with sac (OVI).

22d: Sound of disapproval (HISS).

23d: Wharton applicant's exam: Abbr. (GMAT).

26d: Clara on "Bewitched," for one (AUNT). Clara on "Bewitched" for one (AUNT) This one just jumped out at me. Isn't it odd how so much of the bad television you watched as a kid stays with you forever?

27d: Push it, in a way (ASKTOOMUCH).

28d: Regions (ZONES).

29d: Maker of Mint Karaoke Cookie ice cream (EDYS). I don't eat much ice cream -- or sweets at all. I have no idea what a karaoke cookie is.

30d: Hall of fame (FAWN). Fawn Hall was secretary to Colonel Oliver North, who evidently kept her busy shredding evidence.

31d: Originate (STEM).

34d: ___ Fu (1994 fighting video game) (SHAQ).

35d: Bit of progress (DENT).

37d: Divine miss? (SEERESS).

38d: Silo contents (MISSILE).

40d: Frequent Ferrell "SNL" role (TREBEK).

41d: Gardening tool (WEEDER).

44d: Like seconds: Abbr. (IRR).

45d: House painter's meas. (SQFT).

46d: Vibe (AURA).

47d: Vibe (FEEL).

48d: Foul mood (SNIT).

50d: Bill kill (VETO).

51d: "Over here!" (PSST).

53d: One for the books? (CPA).

54d: Calculus class letters (QED). Never got to calculus class. Does it mean "quod erat demonstrandum" there too?

Have a nice Thursday. Norrin.

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Title: Georgia On My Mind
Author: Randall J. Hartman
Theme: Phrases with GA added

• 17a: Trip to Libreville? (GABON VOYAGE). Libreville is the capital and largest city, which makes it fair game.


• 27a: Din when enjoying a cigarette? (SMOKING GUNGA). This clue doesn't work for me at all. "Gunga Din" is the name of a poem. You can't just break it in half and treat each half as a synonym of the other. Well... you can, but I don't have to like it.


• 48a: LSD that's out of this world? (GALACTIC ACID). Drug reference tag.



• 64a: Boost actress Sonia? (PUSH-UP BRAGA). Unsurprisingly, my favorite clue of the bunch. At first I couldn't decide whether to grab a picture of Sonia or of a push-up bra. Turns out I didn't have to choose at all.

I like the theme idea, and most of the theme entries are fine. This is the type of theme that helps a little, in that you know a couple of letters that are going to appear. And sometimes you can suss out an answer if your brain is on the same wavelength. But it doesn't give too much away, which is good.

Sunny Spots:

• 15a: Like some professors' wardrobes (TWEEDY). As easy as this was - my only other thought was STODGY - I really like this word.



• 22d: Blue screen character (SMURF). Very nice clue!

Sundries:

• 1a: Harridans (HAGS). I'm pretty sure I've seen harridan in puzzles before, but I didn't know what it was right away.


• 22a: "Lady" group (STYX). I didn't even see this clue.




• 23a: Clown employers (RODEOS). Nice clue. Rodeo clowns are those crazy dudes who distract the bull so the rider can get the hell out of there without being trampled on. I know; I have cable.


• 32a: Show featuring hair and fiber expert Nick Stokes (CSI). The name was useless to me, but what other show would feature a hair and fiber expert?


• 35a: Crustacean eater (IBIS). Interesting clue for this one. Not at all my first instinct, but perfectly accurate.


• 36a: Object of an extended quest (GRAIL).




• 37a: "Oy gevalt!" (OH NO). Yeah, you don't hear "oy gevalt" much up in this neck of the woods.


• 57a: Comic strip written by Jerry Scott and illustrated by Jim Borgman (ZITS). I had no idea who wrote or illustrated this strip. But I've seen it, so once the Z was in place it was a gimme.


• 62a: First name in swashbuckling (ERROL). Flynn, of course.


• 63a: "I'm impressed!" (OOH). 66a: Come up short (OWE). I'm vaguely amused by this duo being side by side.


• 70a: Codger (GEEZER). Both excellent words.


• 71a: Thankful closing? (NESS). I misread this clue and went with LESS (as in THANKLESS), which made 51d DARREL instead of DARREN, but it looked okay to me. Those are the tough errors to find.


• 1d: "The Red Rocker" Sammy (HAGAR). I was pretty sure it wasn't Sammy Davis (Jr.)




• 2d: Poplar tree (ALAMO). Went with ASPEN at first, as I expect we were supposed to. Did I know that alamo was a kind of tree? Maybe somewhere in the dark recesses, but it didn't leap out.


• 4d: Calculi (STONES). As a math major, I remember that calculus means stone - I think it may harken back to the abacus, but I could be wrong and I'm too lazy to double-check - so this wasn't too hard. I would have preferred a more brash clue like chutzpah or cajones, though.


• 5d: "Buzzin'" network (MTV). I can't remember the last time I watched anything on MTV. Remember when they actually ran music videos?


• 6d: "The ___ Adventure" (1984 TV movie) (EWOK). Never saw it. The Ewoks were, in my opinion, the lowlight of the entire first trilogy. Luckily for them, the prequel trilogy came out to provide plenty of lowlight competition. Next to Jar Jar Binks, the Ewoks look mighty fine.


• 10d: Change your locks? (DYE). I wasn't fooled on this one for even a second.


• 11d: Cocktail with scotch and Drambuie (RUSTY NAIL). Booze tag! I've heard of this coctail, but never had one. Scotch should be single malt and unadulterated except for a splash of pure water.


• 18d: Rich girl in "90210" (NAOMI). Never watched it, but I had the _AOM_ before I saw the clue, so it was a pretty easy guess.




• 24d: Jerks (SOBS). I'm assuming this is S.O.B.s, as in sons of bitches, as I can't think of a context in which sobbing and jerking are the same.


• 29d: Oldest brother in Hanson (ISAAC). No clue, but again the double-A made it pretty clear.


• 30d: Arizona county that borders Maricopa (GILA). My first instincts were MESA and TAOS, but GILA was a close third.


• 31d: Film composer North who was nominated for 15 Oscars (ALEX). Didn't know it, but never saw the clue until it was all filled in.


• 32d: Where whips can be seen: Abbr. (CONG). In congress, the majority and minority whips are the disciplinarians of their party.


• 33d: Dan Uggla hit the last home run there (SHEA). Never forget that this is a New York-based puzzle.


• 34d: Flustered (IN A LATHER).


• 41d: Place "it's fun to stay at," according to song (YMCA). This is a Monday clue for a Wednesday puzzle.


• 44d: Paleon., e.g. (SCI). Ick. SCI always feels like it's going to be a decent fill when you're making a grid, but its clues tend to be really ugly, like this one.


• 46d: Record marking (SIDE B). Never saw this clue either.


• 50d: Real (IN ESSE). Latin that shows up enough to remember.


• 51d: Running back McFadden (DARREN). Had DARREL, due to my above-mentioned misread of 71a.



• 55d: "Animal House" party wear (TOGAS). My first-ever R-rated film. It still holds a special place in my memories.


• 58d: Big Ten wrestling powerhouse (IOWA). If you say so. Still, I got it right away.


• 60d: Cheez ___ (WHIZ). Almost worthy of a potty humor tag, but not quite.


• 61d: Pull some strings? (TUNE). Cute.



• 64d: Breed sometimes crossed with a beagle (PUG). What breed isn't sometimes crossed with a beagle? Granted, some combinations are harder to envision that others, but love works in strange ways.

Suns of Bitches:

• 21a: Boutros's successor at the U.N. (KOFI) crossing 7d: Singer with the Grammy-winning R&B album "Because of You" (NEYO) is just mean. Even if you know one or both, crossing KOFI and NEYO at a vowel should give you pause. Throw in 5a: Knit (MENDED), which could just as easily have been MELDED and you've got yourself a pretty nasty section for a Wednesday puzzle.

Except for the KOFI/NEYO/ME(L|N)DED sector and the GUNGA DIN theme entry, no major complaints.

Thanks for listening.

- Pete M.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Title: Turnabout is Vowel Play
Author: Kelsey Blakeley
Theme: Phrases which contain each of the five vowels exactly once, in reverse order

• 18a: Inventive (FULL OF IDEAS). nice. "inventive" also goes well with the adjacent 17a: Twist the truth (LIE).


• 24a: Western's opposite (UNOCCIDENTAL). very awkward. what about SUBCONTINENTAL? i guess it's 14, but it's a totally legit word. the only other single english word that fits this theme, according to my word list, is UNCOMPLIMENTARY. that's a nice one, too, and exactly 15 squares long to boot.


• 39a: Anglican Communion province (CHURCH OF IRELAND). i wasn't familiar with this per se (the church of england is much, much more famous), but it wasn't hard to suss out.


• 53a: French delicacy (DUCK FOIE GRAS). i've had foie gras from a goose before, and it was too gross for words.


• 63a: Italian painter Duccio di ___ (BUONINSEGNA). this... well. read on.

first things first: holy crap, this puzzle was tough for a tuesday.
second things second: i like the idea of this theme, but duccio do BUONINSEGNA is insane. i mean, i know who duccio is (14th-century italian painter) and i think i might even have a book of his paintings, but i didn't know his "last name." michelangelo buonarotti, raphael sanzio, rembrandt van rijn, michelangelo merisi (caravaggio), alessandro filipepi (botticelli), jacopo robusti (tintoretto)... these i knew. duccio, not so much. did anybody know this?

that's fine, though. take this kind-of-tough theme, surround it with tough fill and clues, and run it on a thursday. that's exactly what peter gordon did... except for the part where it's only tuesday.

Sunny Spots:

• 67a: The Leaky Cauldron, e.g. (INN). i didn't even see this clue until i started to blog. i'm smiling now, though—the clue really does a lot for this very common answer. the leaky cauldron is the INN that connects diagon alley to muggle london in harry potter books.


• 3d: Mutant superhero team (X-MEN). this is also pretty common as fill goes, but it reminds me of this board game, which brings back fond memories.

Sundries:

• 15a: Mets pitcher Perez, familiarly (OLLIE). well, he's not a met any more. he's a free agent, and if i remember correctly, the mets didn't offer him arbitration. i remember his huge 2004 season for 28d: The Pirates, in sports headlines (BUCS). also filling out the heavy sports quota for today: 57a: Hawks' home: Abbr. (ATL) and 8d: Midwest League city where the Chiefs play (PEORIA). despite all of these being gimmes for me (including the minor-league baseball clue), this puzzle still gave me fits.


• 22a: Mount Olympus warrior (ARES). "warrior," okay. technically. i mean he was the god of war and all that. but he was also a huge wuss.


• 32a: Spirit of Hope Award gp. (USO). this has something to do with bob hope, i would think.


• 35a: Crow's nest? (TEPEE). i don't think i understand this clue. are the crow a native american tribe?


• 44a: Wimpy cartoonist (SEGAR). i assume wimpy is a character in "popeye," but ... at least "cartoonist" plus a few crossings pointed the way.


• 71a: Conjunction with a separatrix (AND/OR). separatrix! fancy language, that.


• 1d: Coin with the presidential seal on the reverse (HALF). is that what they call it? i call it a "HALF-dollar." or sometimes a JFK.


• 2d: City on Presque Isle Bay (ERIE). i did not know that. fortunately, we can invoke the ERIE rule on this one.


• 10d: Illinois governor Blagojevich (ROD). this clue would have been a lot harder last year, wouldn't it? now he's so famous that we need to see BLAGOJEVICH in the grid. (my money is on KMT to be the first to do it.)


• 11d: Ace (GREAT). tough clue, very appropriate to this thursday puzzle. this time, "ace" is being used as an adjective.


• 12d: Midwest city on I-80 (OMAHA). no OMAHA royals clue? (i kid, i kid.)


• 27d: Gallagher of Oasis (NOEL). i don't know why i instantly thought of him instead of his brother LIAM, who also fits. but i was right.


• 29d: Author of "A Hard Road to Glory" (arthur ASHE). this one, too, although i suspect i've seen this clue before.


• 37d: Her "May It Be" featured lyrics in the Tolkien language of Quenya (ENYA). and definitely this one. with __Y_, it was never going to be anything other than ENYA.


• 55d: Obscure (CLOUD). another toughie—obscure the verb.


• 66d: Ida. neighbor (NEV). wait, really? huh. i guess ida. has that little finger that runs way down there, but still, whoa.

Suns of Bitches:
(make yourselves comfortable.)

• 16a: Gloria's "Sunset Boulevard" role (NORMA).


• 33a: Hawkshaw (TEC). i'm guessing "hawkshaw" is slang for detective, but i've never seen that word before.


• 4d: 1975 hit album for Loggins & Messina (SO FINE). what? who?


• 5d: Actor Gulager of "McQ" (CLU). what? who? the last time i saw MCQ in a crossword, it was a deck of cards rebus puzzle, and the answer was actually steve MCQUEEN.


• 9d: Sambuca relative (ANISETTE). sambuca is "an italian aniseed-flavored liqueur," according to my dictionary. that would have been good to know, but i had no idea what it meant.


• 19d: 1988 Rebecca De Mornay comedy (FEDS). aha! or rather, 23a: Cry of realization (AHA)! i've at least heard of rebecca de mornay. don't know this movie, though.


• 30d: Pulitzer-winning editorial cartoonist Marlette (DOUG). standard peter gordon fare: clue the common name via somebody you've never heard of.


• 42d: Sega robot (IDOG). wha? how can there be a sega robot i've never heard of? and are you sure it's not an apple product for your pet canine?


• 43d: Toches (REAR). this clue was totally opaque to me while solving, but in retrospect, i think i know this word. it's yiddish, and pronounced "tookus." i've just never seen it written.


• 56d: Ice dancer Grushina (ELENA). standard peter gordon fare, except ELENA is somewhat less common than DOUG. well, except in crosswords.

don't get me wrong; i liked this puzzle. i just thought it was really tough, with a tough theme, some tough fill, and some very obscure cluing. it should have run later in the week.

see you next time.

joon

Monday, January 5, 2009

Title: They Died With Their Birthday Hats On
Author: Ogden Porter (Peter Gordon)
Theme: People who died on their birthday.

• 18a: Vice president who died on his 96th birthday, 5/16/1920 (LEVI P MORTON).


• 23a: Catcher who died on his 72nd birthday, 12/20/1972 (GABBY HARTNETT).


• 37a: Gangster who died on his 59th birthday, 7/17/1954 (MACHINE GUN KELLY).



• 51a: Actress who died on her 67th birthday, 8/29/1982 (INGRID BERGMAN).


• 60a: Talk show host who died on his 81st birthday, 8/11/2006 (MIKE DOUGLAS).

This is kind of a weird Monday theme. It's vaguely interesting trivia, but not at all the kind of thing you would actually expect someone to know. And if, like me, you're not up on your 19th-century vice presidents and/or your 1920s ballplayers, then it's pretty darned obscure. On the plus side, there are five theme entries, and each died in a different decade of his/her life, from their 50s to their 90s.

Sundries:

• 10a: Dick Vitale's cable channel (ESPN).


• 14a: Queen in a speech by Mercutio (MAB). From "Romeo and Juliette".


• 17a: Vow before testifying (I DO). A nice departure from the almost obligatory wedding clue, here we get the response to "Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth...".


• 21a: Rho lookalike (PEE). Could have easily gone to potty humor here, but no... a boring Greek letter clue instead.


• 22a: Sauce made with pignoli (PESTO). Mmmm.


• 33a: With 34-Down, three-time World Series of Poker winner (STU / UNGAR).


• 56a: Borden mascot (ELSIE).


• 68a: "Let's Get It On" singer Marvin (GAYE).




• 70a: Boston ___ Sox (RED).


• 1d: Skosh (SMIDGE).


• 2d: Angle unit in math (RADIAN). 2pi radians = 360 degrees.


• 4d: Danny's "Do the Right Thing" role (SAL). That's Aiello, not Devito.


• 5d: Letter in El Al's logo (ALEPH).


• 6d: Olay rival (NIVEA).


• 9d: Orange leftover eaten on Black Friday (YAM). Day after Thanksgiving.


• 11d: Command to a fidgety child (SIT STILL).


• 24d: Bright-eyed and ___-tailed (BUSHY). I've always wondered where this phrase came from. And I've always liked it.



• 25d: Abominable Snowman (YETI).


• 32d: George Smiley, for one (SPY). Well, I was pretty sure it wasn't a SPA.


• 36d: Name signed on MLB baseballs (Bud SELIG), the commissioner of baseball.


• 39d: Chicago ballpark eponym, once (COMISKEY). This is at least the fourth baseball-related clue or answer this puzzle. Does that seem high?


• 48d: Key of Beethoven's "Pastoral" Symphony (F MAJOR).


• 49d: South-of-the-border order (TAMALE).


• 53d: Shirk one's responsibilities (DOG IT).


• 57d: Snoopy's original owner (LILA). I only vaguely recall this plotline, and I couldn't tell you what she looked like at all.

Not too much to say here. This puzzle didn't do much for me, but it wasn't terrible or anything. I wasn't crazy about the theme, which is a problem when you have five theme entries since it doesn't leave a lot of room for sparkling ancillary fill.

Thanks for listening.

- Pete M.

Friday, January 2, 2009

Title: VWLLSS CRSSWRD
Author: Frnk Lng (Frank Longo)
Theme: Essentially themeless, but vowels are removed and there's no Y.

I love these puzzles. They're so... puzzley. Since I'm running late, and since it's not always obvious what the fully vowelled answer is, I will list all the answers and reduce my comments considerably.

• 1a: Director Godard (JNLC). Jean-Luc.


• 5a: Alternative to a true-false test (MLTPLCHCQZ). Multiple choice quiz.


• 15a: Having tender tootsies (FTSR). Footsore.


• 16a: Mixture that can kill (LTHLCMBNTN). Lethal combination.


• 17a: Disappears gradually (FDST). Fades out.



• 18a: Place reviewed in Fodor's (TRVLDSTNTN). Travel destination.


• 19a: One who thinks logically (RSNR). Reasoner.


• 20a: Making global in scope (NTRNTNLZNG). Internationalizing.


• 21a: Result of bad reception (STTC). Static.


• 22a: Caps and gowns are worn for them (GRDTNS). Graduations.


• 23a: "O Canada," for one (NTHM). Anthem.


• 24a: Emetic syrup used in treating accidental poisoning (PCC). Ipecac.


• 25a: Garden outside Jerusalem that was the scene of the agony and betrayal of Jesus (GTHSMN). Gethsemane.


• 30a: Gallery with paintings, sculptures, handicrafts, etc. (MSMFFNRTS). Museum of fine arts.


• 33a: Christmas tree decoration (RNMNT). Ornament.


• 34a: Errata list (MSPRNTS). Misprints.


• 35a: Getting people up in arms (CSNGSTR). Causing a stir.


• 37a: Simulated, as a Civil War battle (RNCTD). Re-enacted.



• 38a: Deep-fried Chinese appetizers (SPRNGRLLS). Spring rolls.


• 40a: When tripled, a classic Christmas carol (LTTSNW). "Let it Snow".


• 42a: Rock to sleep (LLL). Lull.


• 43a: Tangled up, as shoelaces (NKNT). In a knot.


• 44a: Totally dries up (DSCCTS). Desiccates.


• 46a: Hot dog topping (RLSH). Relish. I went with CTSP (catsup) first.


• 47a: Final performance run-throughs (DRSSRHRSLS). Dress rehearsals.


• 51a: Camcorder insert (VDTP). Video tape.


• 52a: Periodical put out by the same parent company (SSTRPBLCTN). Sister publication.


• 53a: Edible green head (LTTC). Lettuce.


• 54a: Team that won Super Bowl XLI (NDNPLSCLTS). Indianapolis Colts.



• 55a: Small, active bird (TMTT). Tomtit.


• 56a: High schoolers' advisers (GDNCCNSLRS). Guidance counselors.


• 57a: Catch in a web (NSNR). Ensnare.


• 1d: D.C. landmark whose interior walls contain excerpts from the Declaration of Independence (JFFRSNMMRL). Jefferson Memorial.


• 2d: Body with 100 members (NTDSTTSSNT). United States Senate.


• 3d: Cause not to have so great an effect (LSSNTHMPCT). Lessen the impact.


• 4d: Good food, warmth, etc. (CRTRCMFRTS). Creature comforts.




• 5d: Temperature at which a solid becomes a liquid (MLTNGPNT). Melting point.


• 6d: English majors take them (LTRTRCRSS). Literature courses.



• 7d: 1982 courtroom drama starring Paul Newman (THVRDCT). "The Verdict".


• 8d: Bees do it (to flowers) (PLLNT). Pollinate.


• 9d: Shedding light on (LCDTNG). Elucidating.


• 10d: Advances aggressively (CMSNSTRNG). Comes on strong.


• 11d: Done regularly and frequently (HBTL). Habitual.


• 12d: Formally declare to be a saint (CNNZ). Canonize.


• 13d: Sound bite, e.g. (QTTN). Quotation.


• 14d: Dividing into districts (ZNNG). Zoning.


• 26d: 1956 uprising during which Soviet forces invaded Budapest (HNGRNRVLTN). Hungarian Revolution.


• 27d: Theme song of Arthur Godfrey's radio shows (SMSLKLDTMS). "Seems Like Old Times".


• 28d: Psychiatric hospital (MNTLNSTTTN). Mental institution.


• 29d: Becomes a factor (NTRSTHPCTR). Enters the picture.


• 31d: Make global substitutions in a text document (FNDNDRPLC). Find and replace.


• 32d: Novel featuring Hester Prynne, with "The" (SCRLTLTTR). "Scarlet Letter".


• 36d: Complete moral purity (SNLSSNSS). Sinlessness, I assume. Not my favorite entry.


• 39d: Phones someone (PLCSCLL). Places a call.


• 41d: Bathroom fixture (WSHBSN). Wash basin.


• 45d: Fancy handwriting embellishments (CRLCS). Curlicues.


• 47d: Throwing water on (DSNG). Dousing.


• 48d: Lived (RSDD). Resided.


• 49d: Join temporarily, as a jam session (STNN). Sat in on? This doesn't feel quite right, as SAT IN should be plenty. But I can't think what else it would be.


• 50d: Al Pacino drama based on a Peter Maas book (SRPC). "Serpico". Tried SFLV ("Sea of Love") first.

The last time one of these came out (about a year ago, and predating this blog), I wrote to Peter Gordon asking if there'd be more. He said there would be a book of them available sometime this past fall, but I have not seen them yet. This puzzle's title (if you can display enough of it)indicates that it will be out "sometime this spring". I hope it's soon, because once a year is not enough for me. I really enjoy these a lot.

Thanks for listening.

- Pete M

Thursday, January 1, 2009

Title: Themeless Thursday
Author: Karen M. Tracey
Theme: None

Happy new year, everybody. Hope 09 treats y'all fine. Norrin2 here and my new years resolution is to not complain about how easy the Thursday Sun puzzles are these days, and it looks like Karen Tracey is helping me keep that resolution. This was a tough one. Tough but fair with several entries that I should have got a lot quicker than I did.

24D: Explore among stalagmites and stalactites (SPELUNK) was my ticket into the puzzle. I knew this one,
even though I also knew that most people who do explores among the stalactites prefer the verb "to cave". Too bad because "spelunk" is a great word. From there I utilized my knowledge of 70's TV to get 44D: Barbarino of TV's Sweathogs (VINNIE)



And that together with 47D: Pie nut (PECAN) allowed me to get 47A: Novel with the character Serjeant Buzfuz, with "The" (PICKWICK PAPERS) I didn't specifically remember the name Buzfuz but I recognize a Dickensian name when I see one. And from there I figured I was off to the races and indeed the lower lefthand corner fell in pretty short order. Since I was already thinking of caves and spelunking I wasn't thrown off the by 55A's the looks-like-a-gerund-but-is- actually-an- adjective Yawning (CAVERNOUS).

But after that things slowed down considerably. I struggled mightily with 23A: Woodstock artist. I was racking my brain to recall who painted that famous picture of the bird on the guitar neck, or maybe she meant musical artist, so I tried to remember some of the more obscure acts at that event. It turns out the clue refers to Snoopy's buddy, who maybe should have been there:



I hate it when I have one in my wheelhouse (I'm a big comic strip fan) and I can't quite mentally expand enough to grab it. No, actually I don't hate it, but it's a tad embarrassing to fess up to.
And speaking of comic strips I had to cheat and look up 60A: 1954 Janet Leigh portrayal (ALETA). I never even knew there was a Prince Valiant movie. It must be pretty bad, even though now that I think about it Janet Leigh seems the perfect choice to play that part.



I'm also a big baseball fan and I definitely should have got 1A:Ballplayer Roy in "The Natural" (HOBBS) but I was sure it was spelled HOBBES like the philosopher (and Calvin's tiger). Plus I never expect to get One Across in a Karen Tracey puzzle, so I successfully psyched myself out.

I have a couple of minor musical quibbles, starting with 45A: Name in the only hit by Dexys Midnight Runners (EILEEN). It's true that "Come on Eileen" was their only hit in the United States, they had several more hits in their native England including a number one "Geno." (Also, shouldn't "Come on Eileen" have a comma in there?) 51D: Like vinyl records (PASSE) CD sales fell for the umpteenth year in a row in 2008, but LP sales are up as are sales of turntables, and you now see albums in places like Best Buy. So I'd say the LP is not passé just yet.

Here, with a minimum of interruption from yours truly, the rest of the first Sun puzzle of 2009:

1a: Ballplayer Roy in "The Natural" (HOBBS).

6a: They're not street-legal in many places (ATVS).

10a: Swift stroke (LASH). I tried to make this harder than it was, thinking it must refer to satirist Jonathan Swift.

14a: Lit (AFIRE).

15a: Sound of alarm? (BEEP).

16a: Service designation (ONEA).

17a: Flonase alternative (AFRIN).

18a: The Plow (URSAMAJOR). This one took a while too. I couldn't stop thinking it referred to hatha yoga asana "The Plow."

20a: "Must See TV" lineup (SITCOMS).

22a: Present (TROTOUT).

23a: Woodstock artist (CHARLESMSCHULZ).

25a: GRE component (VERBAL).

26a: Furtive glance (PEEK).

27a: 2008 hurricane (OMAR). Already forgotten the 08 hurricanes.

28a: Unspoiled locale (EDEN).

30a: Online lad mag (STUFF). Granted, I don't pay much attention to lad mags, but is Stuff online only these days?

35a: Leave-taking word (TATA).

36a: Chokes up, in a way (SILTS).

38a: Anent (INRE).

39a: Suits (EXECS).

41a: Sign of disuse (RUST).

42a: Ness and others (TMEN).

43a: Having no fractional parts (EVEN).

45a: Name in the only hit by Dexys Midnight Runners (EILEEN).

47a: Novel with the character Serjeant Buzfuz, with "The" (PICKWICKPAPERS).

52a: August (EMINENT).

53a: Posthumously published Franz Kafka novel (AMERIKA).

55a: Yawning (CAVERNOUS).

57a: Trig function (COTAN).

58a: Children's book author Jon (AGEE).

59a: Ticks off (IRKS).

60a: 1954 Janet Leigh portrayal (ALETA).

61a: Earns (NETS).

62a: Plain Jane (EYRE).

63a: Signs over (CEDES).

1d: Berkeley business school (HAAS).

2d: Staples rival (OFFICEMAX).

3d: Baby figure? (BIRTHRATE).

4d: Whatnot contents (BRICABRAC).

5d: Lady abroad (SENORA).

6d: Revile (ABUSE).

7d: Long jumper Igor ___-Ovanesyan (recordholder before Bob Beamon) (TER).

8d: Attire (VESTMENTS).

9d: Thin (SPARSE).

10d: Indisposed (LOATH).

11d: Historical region of western France (ANJOU).

12d: Where Samsung is headquartered (SEOUL).

13d: Big name in pet products (HARTZ).

19d: Dummies (up) (MOCKS). Tricky. I thought she meant dummy up as in "be quiet."

21d: Grasse lasses: Abbr. (MLLES).

24d: Explore among stalagmites and stalactites (SPELUNK).

25d: Tribal Council highlight (VOTE).

29d: Lobby list (DIRECTORY).

31d: Monk, e.g. (TITLEROLE).

32d: Not deserved (UNMERITED).

33d: Long program (FREESKATE).

34d: "Twin Peaks" actress (FENN).

37d: Anger (STEAM).

40d: Runoff conduit (SEWER).

44d: Barbarino of TV's Sweathogs (VINNIE).

46d: Dried root from a plant of the madder family (IPECAC).

47d: Pie nut (PECAN).

48d: TIFF part (IMAGE).

49d: Palm cat, e.g. (CIVET).

50d: Delivers a low blow to (KNEES).

51d: Like vinyl records (PASSE).

54d: Santa ___ (New Mexico Indians) (ANAS).

56d: Hung. neighbor (UKR).