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.

Monday, November 24, 2008

Title: Dressing Up in England
Author: Mark Feldman
Theme: Clothes named for a British town or city.

• 17a: Part of an English outfit (ETON JACKET).


• 25a: Part of an English outfit (RUGBY SHIRT).


• 37a: Part of an English outfit (NORFOLK COAT).


• 52a: Part of an English outfit (OXFORD SHOE).


• 61a: Part of an English outfit (WINDSOR TIE).

Straightforward Monday theme. Not much to say there.

Sunny Spots:

• 20a: Take as one's own (COOPT). I love the word coopt. It's right up there with abscond.



• 26d: Hungarian stew (GOULASH). A tasty word, in more ways than one.


• 40d: Black gold (TEXAS TEA). I've seen "The Beverly Hillbillies".


• 50d: With 43-Down, a potentially dangerous situation (POWDER / KEG). Very nice, even though it necessitates losing a beer clue for KEG.

Sundries:

• 1a: Was an art school model (POSED). Here's a great pastel drawing of a model by Sharon Sieben. Click it to go to a site where it and many other originals and prints can be purchased.


• 23a: Shout that might follow "Look what the cat dragged in" (EEK). Do people really say "Eek!" when they see a mouse? And if so, why? As mammals go, they're pretty unintimidating. Now if a bear got in your house, that's a different story...


• 28a: Didn't use, as a news story (SAT ON). Good clue for what could have been a boring fill.


• 32a: ESPN anchor Mayne (KENNY).




• 33a: Minimum number required to transact business legally (QUORUM).


• 42a: "Aha!" (EUREKA).


• 57a: Logophile's love (WORDS).


• 60a: Specimen container (VIAL). Eww.


• 66a: Lake by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (ERIE). Hint: Use the ERIE rule here.


• 69a: Baseball team that changed its name during the McCarthy era (REDS). You don't have to know much about baseball to figure this one out.


• 70a: Four trimesters (YEAR). A trimester is three months.


• 3d: Recordholder for assists in the NBA (John STOCKTON). A good portion of those were doled out to Karl "The Mailman" Malone.




• 5d: Martial arts studio (DOJO). I've seen "Karate Kid".


• 10d: Witheringly denounce (SCATHE).


• 11d: Like some robberies (PUSH-IN). I didn't know this one off-the-top either, but I live in a small town in New Hampshire.



• 27d: Use defamation to block the confirmation of, as a Supreme Court nominee (BORK). A verb coined from the man blocked in such a manner.


• 30d: Their babies are not yet weaned (NURSERS).


• 45d: Shutter slat (LOUVER).


• 48d: Semisheer fabrics (VOILES).



• 53d: "___ Defeats Truman" (11/3/48 Chicago Daily Tribune headline) (DEWEY). Possibly the most famous headline of all time.


• 58d: Water or Bowl preceder (ROSE). Perfume and football. What a great combination.

Suns of Bitches:

• 31a: ___ Canals (SOO). I didn't know this one readily, but it's up on Lake Superior. That it crossed BORK was nasty for a early week puzzle.


• 67a: Sculptor Nadelman (ELIE).

There was a lot of crosswordese here, which is unusual for a Monday. ERNO, URIS, ELIE, ERIE, IDI, ILE, ARA, ORO, EOS, EAU, NIA, plus super fill like ORES, EEL, ICE, and ADO. There was also some excellent fill, and it was just a Z short of being a pangram, but the overreliance on the above words was noticeable during the solve, which is too bad. All in all, an okay puzzle.

Thanks for listening.

- Pete M.

Thursday, October 9th 2008

Hello everybody, it's Robert Loy AKA Norrin2 AKA Green Genius, adding another alias; from now on I'm also the Man Who is Thursday. That is to say, I'll be blogging the Thursday Sun puzzles here until Pete M. comes to his senses and fires me.

Let's get to it, shall we?

Title: Themeless Thursday

Author: Mark Feldman
Theme: None -- well, like most themeless puzzles, there is at least one mini-theme. Here I guess it's rough weather:

20A: 1973 Burt Reynolds movie (WHITE LIGHTNING)

55A: 1977 Tommy Lee Jones movie (ROLLING THUNDER)

Or maybe the theme is "1970's movies named after rough weather." I never saw "Rolling Thunder" (and when I hear the words "Rolling Thunder" I think of Bob Dylan not Tommy Lee Jones) but "White Lightning" was awful. (I confess it's possible that I'm confusing it with some of the other movies Reynolds made around the same time -- "Gator" "Hooper" "W.W. and the Dixie Dance Kings" but it doesn't matter; they were all awful. Comedian Robert Wuhl said that "Burt Reynolds made so many bad movies, when someone else makes a bad movie Burt gets a royalty. My favorite "At Long Last Love" was so horrendous that writer/director Peter Bogdanivich took out a letter of apology in newspapers across the country. ")

In just a couple of days one of the biggest days at the Green Genius household will be upon us -- the great annual Public Library Book Sale. I still need to get in there and update my have it-want it list, but I'm going to try to give this puzzle the attention it deserves. Which, I gotta tell you, is not a lot. I was underwhelmed by this too-easy-for-a-Thursday-Sun puzzle. I only messed up two words. For 54D: Wharves I had PIERS (and then DOCKS) instead of QUAYS, which messed me up on 61A: Glimpse where I had PEEK (when I thought it crossed with DOCKS) instead of ESPY.

Sunny Spots: Honestly, not a lot, as I said. When I look over a puzzle and see, like this one, not one single clue with a question mark (which, of course, indicates wordplay of one kind or another) I know it's not going to be my cup of oolong. That said, there were some mildly clever clues.

1A: Pool need (CUE)

1D: Moves slowly (CRAWLS) not a great clue or answer, but part of another mini-theme as this same clue could refer to CREEPS at 63A (Feeling of disgust, with "the")

58D: Parenthesis, e.g. (ARC) at least an attempt to clue the ubiquitout ARC differently.

Sundries:

22A: Not sharp, briefly (LORES). Yeah, I guess LO-RES is not that sharp, and I must confess I've become something of an HD snob since we got our new TV, but it bugs me now when I download a TV show on I-Tunes I'm forced to download both the HD and the Lo-res versions even though the HD version won't play on my Ipod.

27A: Chopsticks, e.g. (WALTZ) Technically it does have the three beats to the measure, accent on the first beat that makes a waltz, but most people think of a waltz as more elegant than "Chopsticks". Burt Reynolds and Cybil Shepard waltzed in "At Long Last Love" but you'll have to take my word for it since it's never been released on home video in any format. (Bad movie, yall, really.)

57D:Give a shot to (HYPO) Here's another example of why I didn't care much for this puzzle. If they had just left it at "Give a shot" it might be momentarily misleading, sugestive of a stab or an attempt. But "Give a shot to" (4 letters) what else could it be?

38D: Copacati Worshipper (INCAN) Copacati was the goddess of Lake Titicaca and, perhaps because she was sick and tired of people making fun of her lake's name, she was foul-tempered and violent and liked nothing more than razing other gods' temples to the ground.

Speaking of mini-themes, how about this boxing one: 28D: "Rumble in the Jungle" setting (ZAIRE) and 31D: One-two's one (JAB)

7D: Very large numbers (GOOGOLS) That's how you spell the number that is represented by a 1 followed by 100 zeroes. Yes, the web search people spelled it wrong.

Suns of Bitches:
39A: Digestive enzymes (LIPASES) Somehow I've managed to live a half century without ever coming across this ugly word that looks like two body parts that should never meet.

That's really alll I see noteworthy. Wish me luck at the book sale.

Thanks for listening.

Robert

Monday, September 29, 2008

Title: Avian Anatomy
Author: Mark Feldman
Theme: Phrases derived from bird parts.

• 18a: Keen observer (EAGLE EYE).


• 20a: Horripilation (GOOSE FLESH). Ick.


• 32a: Dark red sometimes called Spanish wine (PIGEON BLOOD). Double ick.



• 48a: Jimmy Buffett fan (PARROT HEAD).


• 50a: Certain carpentry joint (DOVE TAIL).

I'll be honest. I could have done without the flesh and blood fills. Give me goose neck and pigeon toed anyday.

Sunny Spots:

• 52a: "Chico and the Man" costar Freddie (PRINZE). I loved this show growing up. Looking back on it now, I'm not exactly sure why.




• 35d: Big lug (PALOOKA). Great word.

Sundries:

• 15a: Yaz had 1,844 (RBIS). I've probably ranted about this before, because I have a real pet peeve against RBIS. The plural of RBI (run batted in) is RBI (runs batted in). One RBI, two RBI, 150 RBI. It's already plural. RBIS is bogus.


• 43a: They're cobbled together (SHOES). Kind of obvious, but sorta cute.


• 46a: Use a blowtorch on, perhaps (WELD).


• 47a: "High ___" (1952 Gary Cooper film) (NOON).


• 56a: Golf hole goal (PAR). Well, maybe. For really good golfers, par is not a great result. For people like me, bogey would be fine. Par is the "expected" result, but not necessarily the goal.


• 1d: Argue over a price (HAGGLE). Reminds me of one of the great scenes in "Monty Python's Life of Brian". Here it is:




• 6d: Grew crops without much water (DRY FARMED).


• 12d: Stall (BUY TIME).


• 13d: Hastened, with "up" (SPEEDED). Shouldn't this just be SPED?



• 19d: Actor Estevez and designer Pucci (EMILIOS). Plural names are always kind of a stretch.


• 21d: Dance that requires a bar (LIMBO).


• 31d: Suddenly reacts to a strong wind, as a window (FLIES OPEN).


• 32d: Holiday during which many bagel stores close (PASSOVER).


• 34d: Like some triples (STANDUP). Baseball clue. At first, I was thinking college dorm rooms, but even there you have room to lay down.


• 43d: Get cheeky with? (SPANK). Cute.


• 49d: Nonkosher (TREF). I learned this from puzzles.

Suns of Bitches:

• 11d: 11th-century French saint (THEOBALD).
Yeah, okay.

Not too much to say about this one. It was okay, but it didn't thrill me.

Thanks for listening.

- Pete M.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Title: Ultimate Band of Fiction
Author: Mark Feldman
Theme: Fictional characters whose last names end with a musical instrument.

• 3d: Main character in "The Omen" (DAMIEN THORN).



• 10d: Hazzard County hottie (DAISY DUKE).


• 21d: "Vanity Fair" girl (BECKY SHARP).


• 31d: TV character who came out of the closet in "The Puppy Episode" (ELLEN MORGAN).



• 39d: 1971 role for Donald Sutherland (JOHN KLUTE). Yes, Joon, another "Klute" clue. You really need to go rent this movie.

Be honest. If it weren't for the title, would you have figured out this theme? I think it would have taken me a while to see it. Which is to say, it didn't help me in the least during solving. Luckily, the puzzle wasn't particular difficult, so the lack of theme help didn't matter. In fact, the theme clues were pretty straightforward "you know it or you don't"-type clues.

Sunny Spots:

• 1a: Body of science (CADAVER). Morbid? Sure. But it's still a great fill at 1-Across.

Sundries:

• 8a: Wiseguy (MADE MAN). Raise your hand if you tried MAFIOSO first. I did.


• 15a: College professor's community (ACADEME). I want this to be ACADEMIA, but I've been disappointed regarding this fill before recently, so I was ready for it.


• 16a: Mother-of-pearl source (ABALONE).


• 17a: Evil (DEMONIC). The fact that this crosses DAMIEN is a nice touch.


• 22a: Collection of electronic newsgroups (USENET). Gimme for me. Usenet was bigger than the World Wide Web back when everything was still text-based. Can you imagine web sites with no pictures? It wasn't that long ago.


• 23a: Billy Blanks workout (TAE BO). I didn't recognize the name immediately, but the AE left no doubt what the answer was going to be.


• 25a: Southpaw (LEFTY).


• 36a: Fake-out in a rink (DEKE).



• 39a: Daughter on "The Jetsons" (JUDY).


• 40a: First "American Idol" winner Clarkson (KELLY). I didn't watch "Idol" back then. Picked it up in Season 5.


• 41a: Cinematic technique (SLO-MO). We just had this fill yesterday. It's like a slo-mo replay all over again.


• 46a: Grig, e.g. (EEL).


• 47a: "___ Song Trilogy" (TORCH).




• 48a: LaBeouf of "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" (SHIA). I knew this, but I can imagine the crossing of this with 48d: Govt. loan agency (SBA) might have given some people fits.


• 50a: Ban's predecessor as U.N. secretary general (ANNAN).


• 51a: Place for taps (BAR ROOM). Not the bugle call here.



• 53a: Its mascot is Mr. Bluelight (K-MART).


• 55a: Son of Cain (ENOCH).


• 58a: Birds do it (WARBLE). Love the clue. Calls for some Ella Fitzgerald, don't you think?




• 62a: Word with box or boy (POOR).


• 65a: Generally (AS A RULE).


• 67a: One of the Leeward Islands (ANTIGUA).


• 70a: Where krónur are spent (ICELAND).



• 71a: Inflatable life vest (MAE WEST).


• 72a: Sublets (RERENTS). I'm not crazy about RE- words, which tend to show up a lot on the bottom row or rightmost column of puzzles.


• 2d: Amtrak train name (ACELA). This shows up quite a bit.


• 6d: Arab chieftain (EMIR). Ditto.


• 12d: Phoebe, to Saturn (MOON).



• 13d: Hathaway of "Get Smart" (ANNE). She played Agent 99 in the movie version.


• 24d: Hit on the bean (BOP). I would have gone with a Ramones clue on this one.


• 33d: "The Elements of ___" (Strunk and White book) (STYLE).


• 34d: "___ la vista, baby!" (HASTA). Classic Ahhnold.




• 44d: Like some missiles (AIR-TO-AIR).


• 52d: Discus great Al who won gold in four consecutive Olympics (OERTER). I'm not sure if I know this from puzzles, or whether I knew it before. Either way, it's fairly deeply instilled now.



• 56d: What an umpire's indicator indicates (COUNT).


• 57d: Cerberus's threesome (HEADS). The three-headed dog of Greek mythology.

Suns of Bitches:

None.

This puzzle ran a little smoother for me than yesterday's. The 15x16 construction was necessary to accommodate the lone 10-letter entry, BECKY SHARP, since central entries in a standard 15x15 must have an odd number of letters. Unfortunately, when CADAVER is your bright spot in the non-theme fill, you know things are a bit on the dull side. Not a bad puzzle, by any means, but a little more sparkle would have livened this baby up a bit.

Thanks for listening.

- Pete M.

Friday, September 12, 2008

Title: How Offensive!
Author: Mark Feldman
Theme: Positions on a football offense.

• 17a: Container with hooks (TACKLE BOX).


• 25a: Shepherds, sometimes (GUARD DOGS).


• 52a: Game-starting face-off's spot (CENTER ICE).


• 63a: Gymnast's maneuvers (BACK FLIPS). The backs, of course, tend to be specialized. You have fullbacks, halfbacks/tailbacks, and quarterbacks, so named because of their relative distances behind the line of scrimmage at the start of a play. If the halfback lines up behind the fullback, he is called a tailback, but it's the same responsibility (runs, short catches, occasional blocking).


• 3d: Public officer in charge of the treasury (RECEIVER GENERAL).


• 11d: Highway sign (END CONSTRUCTION).

This theme is well-timed to the start of the NFL season, and highlights the all-important-but-often-unsung offensive line -- center, guards, tackles, and ends. Six theme entries, with two 15s each crossing two of the other theme entries, is a nice touch.

Sunny Spots:

In lieu of the traditional "Sunny Spots" today, I bring you "An American Love Story":

• 43a: 2002 Mel Gibson movie (SIGNS).


• 35a: Moves ahead slowly (NOSES).


• 61a: Strike a chord, perhaps (STRUM).


• 25d: Vittles (GRUB).


• 65d: Hydrotherapy locale (SPA).


• 8d: "___ Healing" (1982 Marvin Gaye hit) (SEXUAL).


• 56d: Swell (BULGE).


• 37d: Lobby piece (SOFA).


• 4d: Unvarnished (NAKED).


• 46d: Close to the hour (TEN OF).


• 49d: Call of the wild? (TIMBER).


• 5a: A follower, sometimes (PLUS).


• 27d: Leaves speechless (AWES).


• 60d: Nimble (SPRY).


• 47a: "Weird Al" Yankovic's first hit (EAT IT).


• 63a: Gymnast's maneuvers (BACKFLIPS).


• 5d: Request (PLEA).


• 24a: Altar utterance (I DO).


• 2d: Time passages (ERAS).


• 53d: Add-on (EXTRA).


• 1d: Excess (FAT).


• 26d: Flag (DROOP).


• 20a: "Ta-ta!" (SEE YA).

Sundries:

• 1a: Everglades plant (FERN). Don't ferns pretty much grow anywhere? Don't other things grow in the Everglades besides ferns?


• 9a: Ego maniac? (FREUD). Trying a little too hard to be cute here.


• 23a: "House Call" network (CNN).


• 27a: Tom Swifty wd. (ADV). "This coffee is cold!", Tom said icily.


• 32a: Gets rid of (WEEDS OUT). Good one.


• 38a: River through La Rioja (EBRO). Crossword staple.


• 39a: Novel whose four parts are titled "The Plaintiff," "The Defendants," "Brief to Counsel," and "The Trial" (QB VII). By Leon Uris.



• 42a: Driver of Bart and Lisa's school bus (OTTO).


• 45a: U. faculty member's title (ASST. PROF.). This is kind of ugly for an eight-letter fill, don't you think?


• 47a: "Weird Al" Yankovic's first hit (EAT IT). A parody, of course, of Michael Jackson's "Beat It". See the video here.


• 58a: Staff note (MEMO). Trying to sound musical in the clue, but I wasn't biting.


• 59a: Racetrack figures (TOUTS). This one was only vaguely familiar to me. Apparently, it's someone who dishes out advice on bets.


• 61a: Strike a chord, perhaps (STRUM). This one actually was musical.


• 68a: Hiker's snack (GORP). I guess people found "trail mix" too hard to say. Cool word, though.


• 69a: It often gets dressed in the kitchen (SALAD). Cute.


• 70a: Symbols of density (RHOS).


• 71a: "Anywhere Is" singer (ENYA). Got to go to the list of four-letter singers... CHER? No. SADE? No. DIDO? No. ENYA? Bingo!



• 6d: Smash preceder, maybe (LOB). Tennis.


• 12d: Not clean (USING). Ah yes, the requisite drug reference.


• 22d: III, to a modern Roman (TRE).


• 25d: Vittles (GRUB). Both of these words are just very cool.


• 30d: Poule's counterpart (COQ). What? You don't know your French farm animals? Poule is hen.


• 40d: "The Lake ___ of Innisfree" (Yeats poem) (ISLE).


• 41d: Suffix with sulphur (ISE). This is just icky.


• 44d: Dammed up (STEMMED).


• 49d: Call of the wild? (TIMBER). "Oh, I'm a lumberjack and I'm okay..."




• 54d: "Skip" (COACH). Short for "Skipper", what you might call your coach.


• 64d: "The ___ Show" (VH1 reality show) (CHO). I know this from crosswords only.

Suns of Bitches:

• 19a: Ashley's sister in "Gone With the Wind" (INDIA). This is guessable to a point (I guessed correctly), but crossing it with 9d: "Life So Far" memoirist (FRIEDAN) and 10d: Sen fraction (RIN) is just mean.


• 7d: Samoan island where Robert Louis Stevenson died (UPOLU).


• 28d: Mazar of "GoodFellas" (DEBI).


• 33d: Costar of "The 39 Steps" (DONAT).

Not too much else to say here. A good friday puzzle (as opposed to a Good Friday puzzle, which would be a whole different thing), with a nice theme. Today's my 21st anniversary, and I'd just like to say that the "love story" above was completely inspired by the puzzle itself and is not intended to be autobiographical in any significant way.

Thanks for listening.

- Pete M.

Monday, August 25, 2008

Before I start, I just wanted to publicly thank Joon, Norrin2, and CrossMan for their adept guest-hosting last week. It was great to have no worries as we got the kids off to college. We had a great trip through Pittsburgh and D.C., culminating in a Red Sox game in Baltimore on Tuesday night where, as I was riding the throng of people into the streets, I heard "Hey, aren't you Pete Mitchell?" It was none other than New York Times puzzle blogger Michael Sharp, aka Rex Parker. Man, it's a small world. So, let's get back to work, shall we?

Title: Military Medicine
Author: Mark Feldman
Theme: Medical phrases that contain a military rank.

• 17a: Long-running ABC soap (GENERAL HOSPITAL).


• 37a: Open-heart surgeries, e.g. (MAJOR OPERATIONS).


• 59a: "Grey's Anatomy" spinoff (PRIVATE PRACTICE).

This is a pretty straightforward Monday theme, with three common 15-letter phrases. Of course, all operations are major when they involve you or someone you love.

Sunny Spots:

• 1a: Browsing annoyance (POP-UP AD). More insidious than ads that pop up in new windows are those annoying ones that hover over the text you're trying to read. Maybe if people started boycotting sites that used these techniques, they wouldn't be so prevalent. Then again, maybe not.


• 16a: Program that might have naptime on its schedule (DAYCARE). I am a firm supporter of naptime. I wish companies would adopt this practice.

Sundries:

• 8a: Of the surrounding environment (AMBIENT). Especially noise and light.


• 20a: Medieval tenant (VASSAL).



• 22a: One who plays chez Shea (MET). I'll be honest, I didn't even notice the cutesy homophone when I did the puzzle. So, how's Pedro working out for you guys?


• 23a: Ecclesiastical council (SYNOD). This shows up enough that it should be a gimme to regular puzzlers.


• 27a: Diagonally (ASLOPE). First thought: ASLANT.



• 30a: Navigation aid for drivers: Abbr. (GPS). I work for a company that provides digital maps for GPS units, on-line maps, etc., so this was pretty easy.


• 42a: Clouds of interstellar dust (NEBULAS). Sometimes this is NEBULAE, so watch out.


• 49a: Take home? (STEAL). I missed the baseball aspect of this the first time through. Shame on me.


• 51a: Jolson and Jefferson (ALS). Al Jefferson is the young, talented centerpiece of the deal that brought Kevin Garnett from Minnesota to the Boston Celtics. I have no doubt he'll be a great player some day soon, but we got a championship out of the deal, with good prospects for another, so I'm not complaining.



• 54a: "___ Rides Again" (1939 James Stewart film) (DESTRY). Jimmy Stewart is such a classic and great actor.


• 64a: Digs up, as a corpse (EXHUMES). Ewwwww.


• 65a: Ornaments sometimes hidden by socks (ANKLETS).


• 3d: Letter-writing friend (PEN PAL).


• 4d: Runnin' ___ (Mountain West Conference basketball team) (UTES). REBELS didn't fit (and I don't know what conference they're in anyway).


• 7d: Investigate (DELVE). I feel like the equivalent of investigate is "delve into". Seems a little off.


• 10d: Skip over (BYPASS). This could easily have been linked to the MAJOR OPERATIONS theme entry.



• 22d: Christopher of "Law and Order: SVU" (MELONI). He was also in the great Wachowski brothers' film "Bound", with Jennifer Tilly, Gina Gershon, and Joe Pantoliano. Highly recommended.


• 30d: Ashram instructor (GURU).


• 35d: Southern soldier (REB). Also, SECESS. And if you knew that, then you were probably at ACPT 2007 in Stamford, CT.


• 36d: It loses to an open hand in rock, paper, scissors (FIST). Colorful clue.


• 37d: Gaping mouths (MAWS).


• 39d: Ridiculously inadequate thing (JOKE). Insert own political commentary here.


• 44d: Quality of a corrupt politician (SLEAZE).


• 47d: One who expresses an opinion (VOICER). Voicer? Yuck.


• 55d: Don't dele (STET). A crossword staple.



• 56d: "Dick Tracy" character Trueheart (TESS). This is vaguely familiar, but I was never much of a Dick Tracy follower.


• 62d: Prop in "The Wizard of Oz" (AXE). There are lots of props in said film/book, but the Tin Man's axe is certainly one of the more obvious.

Suns of Bitches:

• 21a: "Barefoot Contessa" host Garten (INA). Not crazy about this crossing 1d: "Sexual Personae" author Camille (PAGLIA) in a Monday puzzle. It's a guessable vowel, but you shouldn't have to.


• 6d: 2008 French Open winner Ivanovic (ANA).


• 59d: TV journalist Lindström who's the daughter of Ingrid Bergman (PIA).


• 60d: 1999 Heisman Trophy winner Dayne (RON).

I was a little disappointed in this puzzle, as with only three theme entries I expected more sizzling fill and less INA, ANA, PIA stuff. Nothing terribly wrong, though I don't care for guess-the-vowel name crossings in early-week puzzles. It just didn't thrill me.

Thanks for listening.

- Pete M.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Title: Doughboys
Author: Mark Feldman
Theme: Phrases describe men and end in things made from dough.

• 18a: Clever doughboy? (SMART COOKIE).



• 27a: Macho doughboy? (STUD MUFFIN).


• 48a: Doughboy, to his main squeeze? (SWEETIE PIE).


• 60a: Wimpy doughboy? (MILQUETOAST).

I like this theme, even though it feels flawed. Which of these things does not belong: cookie, pie, muffin, toast? Toast just seems a little off, in that it's not sweet like the other three and in that you don't make it directly from dough -- you make bread first, and then slice it and toast it. But I'm willing to overlook this. Why? Because MILQUETOAST is just such a great entry, that's why. It would be a shame not to use it.

Sunny Spots:

• 8a: Hot Wheels toy company (MATTEL). I still have my old Hot Wheels in a box somewhere, stored in those plastic carriers shaped like big tires.


• 11d: Become established (TAKE ROOT). Great phrase.

Sundries:

• 1a: Bridge designer's deg. (DDS). Dental bridge, that is.


• 4a: Thailand currency (BAHT). I knew this one right off. Probably from puzzles.



• 16a: Simple house (A-FRAME).


• 17a: Not irr. (STD). I started with ORD (for Ordinary). Don't know why.


• 20a: Golden brew? (COORS). Got this one right away, too. Coors, as you probably know if you've seen their hundreds of commercials, is brewed in Golden, Colorado.


• 22a: Oscar-nominated actor in "The Crying Game" (REA). A crossword staple.


• 23a: Makes the first bet (OPENS). Love the poker terms.


• 24a: Oenophile's adjective (OAKY). Wine lovers. You will see OENO- in later-week puzzles, so keep it in mind if you don't know it.


• 32a: Hardtop convertible from Volkswagen (EOS).


• 36a: Gung-ho (RAH-RAH).


• 53a: Platte River tribe (OTOE).


• 56a: Radius neighbor (ULNA). I broke them both as a teenager, so I'll always remember this one.


• 59a: One in the majority? (ADULT). Good clue.


• 64a: Wannabe intellectuals (PSEUDS). I've never heard of this as a noun, but it makes sense.



• 1d: Dance halls (DISCOS).


• 2d: Perform perfectly (DO TO A T). Four "words" in six letters can really throw you for a loop. It took me a while to figure out what was going on here.


• 3d: Crossword alternative (SUDOKU). You know when you clue this that it's going to raise the ire of crossword fans all over, don't you? Sure, there are similarities, but "alternative" implies a sort of "one is as good as the other"-ness that just doesn't sit well. I don't know many people who sit down and say, "Gee, I really feel like doing a crossword, but hey, here's a sudoku. I guess I'll do that instead." To me it's like cluing fish as a chocolate alternative. Sure, they're both food, but when you're in the mood for one, the other one is just not going to cut it.


• 4d: Big enchilada (BOSS). Also the climactic opponent of many a video game.


• 7d: Detached, as a sheet from a notepad (TORE OFF). I had TORE OUT to start, which slowed me down.


• 12d: Fame (EMINENCE).


• 19d: Language related to Malayalam (TAMIL).



• 21d: Gere's "Autumn in New York" costar (Winona RYDER).


• 25d: Hedgerow makeup (BUSHES). Can you guess the song I'm going to link to here?


• 34d: Surfing option (WIFI). Web surfing, of course.


• 36d: Co. in "The Farnsworth Invention" (RCA). I never even saw this clue. Good thing.


• 37d: Firebug (ARSONIST).


• 38d: Certain innkeeper (HOSTELER).


• 40d: Wizard of id (FREUD). Yeah, okay.



• 44d: Certain red algae (SEA MOSS).


• 47d: Twisting force (TORQUE).


• 50d: Stuff completely (PLUG UP).


• 54d: Piano player's practice piece (ETUDE). Here's Sviatoslav Richter playing a Chopin étude. It's more than just a practice piece.

Suns of Bitches:

• 8d: Little ___ (protagonist of the video game Punch-Out!!) (MAC). Never heard of it. Got it from the crossings.


• 62d: Fu Manchu creator Rohmer (SAX).

I've got to admit, this puzzle did not fall like a typical Tuesday for me. I was not on the same wavelength for many of the clues and sections, so it solved in time and manner much more like a later-week puzzle. Which is not a complaint, since I prefer a bit of a challenge -- just an observation.

Thanks for listening.

- Pete M.

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Title: They're in the Money
Author: Mark Feldman
Theme: Last names that are also world currency.

• 17a: "The Face of the Ruling Class" artist (GEORGE GROSZ). I'm going to complain about this one on two fronts. First, who? Second, even if you happen to know that the Polish zloty is broken down into groszy, you're going to use a variant spelling to boot? Whatever.


• 22a: Dancer with lots of fans at her performances? (SALLY RAND). The rand is from South Africa. Sally Rand was an actress/burlesque dancer from the 20s and 30s.



• 36a: 2001 World series co-MVP (CURT SCHILLING). The schilling was once a unit of currency from Austria, as opposed to SHILLING, which was British. Curt has almost undoubtedly pitched his last for Boston, but the "bloody sock" game against the Yankees was a classic and he was instrumental in breaking the "curse" of the Red Sox.


• 56a: "The Cantos" poet (EZRA POUND). You know what a pound is.


• 61a: "The Italian Stallion" (ROCKY BALBOA). The balboa is from Panama, but what's a fictional character doing here with all the other real people? I guess I'll pretend George Grosz doesn't really exist... there, that's much better.

Cute idea, with some decent theme fill. But I think GEORGE GROSZ is a bit too obscure for a theme entry. SALLY RAND is borderline.

Sunny Spots:

This is the section where I write about the really cool non-theme fill and the standout clues that just make you smile.

Sundries:

• 14a: Ring master (ALI). Sauron didn't fit.


• 15a: "Starpeace" composer (ONO). I don't know why, but I was on totally the wrong wavelength here. I think I was trying to come up with ORFF, which of course wouldn't have fit, but since I couldn't come up with it I didn't realize I was off base.


• 28a: Ancient follower of Mosaic law (ESSENE). I have no idea why I know this.



• 29a: Babka morsel (RAISIN).


• 31a: Cartoon character who says "Swiper, no swiping!" (DORA). The explorer, I assume. Never watched it.


• 35a: Pickup game team (SKINS). Yeah, but only when it's all guys.


• 43a: Spinoza book (ETHICS).


• 45a: More meshuga (DAFTER).


• 52a: (CCVI x V) + (VII x III) (MLI). Ok, Gordon, these are getting out of hand... :)


• 55a: Caterer's heater (STERNO).


• 60a: Band with the 2008 album "Accelerate" (REM).


• 67a: Alternative to shrooms (LSD). More drug references by the New York Sun. Though shrooms seems a touch slangier to me than LSD.


• 2d: Some tannery output (SUEDES).


• 3d: Unemotional sorts (STOICS).


• 4d: Eden costar (HAGMAN). They've both been in dozens of things besides "I Dream of Jeannie". Some roles follow you forever, right Neil Patrick Harris?



• 5d: Sierra Nevada product (ALE). This one is a staple in my refrigerator.


• 23d: Healing technique that's Japanese for "universal life energy" (REIKI).


• 25d: Some M&M's (REDS). I guess one drug reference per puzzle is the limit.


• 30d: Nonverbal way to communicate: Abbr. (ASL). American Sign Language.


• 32d: Mo. of the Head of the Charles (OCT). I'm not even interested enough in what the Head of the Charles is to go look it up. If I had to guess, I'd say it had something to do with the Charles River in Boston. But I could be way off.


• 36d: Nationals (CITIZENS).


• 38d: Mrs. Gorbachev (RAISA).


• 39d: "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" trio (TLC). I was going to link in the video to this, but it's so bad that I just can't bring myself to do it.


• 40d: Tupperware pieces (LIDS). I guess one drug reference per puzzle is still the limit. You know, we must have at least fifty Tupperware (and variant) containers and at least that many lids, yet I swear only about a dozen actually match up. How does that happen?


• 44d: Satiny (SMOOTH). The first two times I looked at this clue, I thought it said Sanity. My dyslexia is worse than I thought. Anyway, "Smooth" is also a great Santana song (with Rob Thomas, of Matchbox Twenty).




• 48d: "High Rollers" host of the 1970s (TREBEK). Sure, he comes across as all smart and sophisticated on Jeopardy, but he's still a game show host, and they're not all highbrow.


• 53d: Susan who filled in for vacationing Bernadette Peters in "Annie Get Your Gun" (LUCCI). Easy enough to guess with a couple of crossings..


• 62d: "To Kill a Mockingbird" character Radley (BOO). Great book. Great movie. Kind of dull clue.

Suns of Bitches:

• 16a: Penna. neighbor (WVA). Penna.? WTF?


• 42a: "___ & Dean" (Oxygen reality show) (TORI). Never heard of it. Torvill and Dean? Sure. Tori Amos? Absolutely. Plural of TORUS? No problem.


• 8d: V-Day creator Eve (ENSLER). Huh?


• 9d: Exuding moisture (OOZY). Oozy? Yuck.

This section just killed me. Ok, granted, I should have figured out ONO sooner, and that would have helped, but this little area at the end of GROSZ was, well, gross.

What can I say? The theme was just okay, I'm not crazy about puzzles that start and end with multiple rows of three-letter words, and the non-theme fill had no real sparkle. Throw in that SOB section in and around 8d and you end up with kind of a clunker. Didn't care for it.

Thanks for listening.

- Pete M.

Monday, July 14, 2008

Title: Anatomy of Poker
Author: Mark Feldman
Theme: Phrases that start with a part of the body and end in poker actions.

• 3d: *Basketball no-no (HAND CHECK).


• 10d: *Cosmetic surgery target, often (SKIN FOLD).


• 25d: *Yoga exercise (LEG RAISE).


• 38d: *1997 Jamie Foxx film (BOOTY CALL).


• 42d: *Keep one's ___ (be on the alert) (EYES OPEN).

On the plus side, I love poker. So, I'm predisposed to really love this theme. On the minus side, I'm not crazy about the actual theme phrases. With the exception of "Booty Call", which at least has some pizzazz, I found the phrases pretty dull. And an 8-letter partial (EYES OPEN) seems especially weak. On the neither plus nor minus side, the theme requires a 15x16 grid in order to handle an 8-letter (even numbered) central entry, which forces the theme clues to run down instead of across. I guess, since I didn't even notice the theme while solving, we need to just look at the rest of the fill.

Update: Joon points out my glaring neglect to notice that the first parts of the phrases were all body parts. This makes the theme that much tighter, and we must make allowances for the partial. My bad for missing this, and 50 pts to Joon.

Sunny Spots:

• 36a: "To ___, With Love" (SIR). This is my all-time favorite Sydney Poitier film. A classic.


• 48d: "On the Road" writer (Jack KEROUAC). I always think of this as being a 60s novel, but it was actually written in 1951 and published in 1957.


• 58a: With no exceptions (BAR NONE). Good phrase.

Sundries:

• 1a: Note equivalent to C (B SHARP). There's no black note between B and C, so a half step up from B is C.


• 7a: Egyptian goddess (ISIS). Common entry in crosswords..


• 14a: Kitchen utensil (REAMER). This is the thing you use to juice a lemon.


• 24a: Kingdom that comprised most of Spain (CASTILE).


• 26a: Mushrooms, e.g. (FUNGI).


• 41a: More slothlike (POKIER). Very close to POKER, which is today's theme.


• 46a: ___ fibrosis (CYSTIC). The Sun doesn't seem to have the same aversion to disease that the Times does.


• 48a: Soup and sauce mix brand (KNORR). I don't ever recall buying this stuff, but I've seen it at the supermarket.


• 56a: Stream of electrons (BETA RAY).


• 60a: Miniature racer (SLOT CAR).


• 69a: Complained (RAILED).



• 1d: Super Mario ___ (BROS). A Nintendo game.


• 4d: Radarange maker (AMANA). As brand names go, this one seems to show up almost as much as ESSO.


• 5d: Makeups (RETESTS). As in makeup exams.


• 11d: Body types? (SEDANS). Cute.


• 13d: "Cheers!" (PROSIT). I thought this was Russian, but according to Merriam-Webster, it's German, from Latin.


• 32d: Game for daredevils (CHICKEN).


• 47d: Sleeveless garment (TUBE TOP).



• 53d: With plenty to spare (GALORE). The classic Bond film "Goldfinger" featured Pussy Galore as the bad girl/love interest.


• 61d: N.L. outfielder who won a Gold Glove in 1970 along with Clemente and Rose (AGEE). I only know this name from crosswords.


• 62d: Film that garnered Warren Beatty his Best Director Oscar (REDS). Personally, I liked "Heaven Can Wait".

Suns of Bitches:

• 22a: Writer Aiken and actor Bain (CONRADS).


• 37a: Marinated Philippine dishes (ADOBOS). Never heard of this, and I've pretty up on food.


• 64a: Fall Out Boy bassist Wentz (PETE). Not only have I never heard of Pete Wentz, I've never heard of Fall Out Boy.


• 72a: Rice-___ Stadium (setting of the ceremonies for the Salt Lake City Olympics) (ECCLES). This didn't ring a bell at all.


• 28d: Main character in the musical "Xanadu" (CLIO). I think I've seen this in puzzles before, but it's not something I ever remember.

The fact that there were several SOBs in a Monday puzzle wasn't actually that daunting, since all the crossings were easy enough. All in all, this puzzle was okay for me. Nothing spectacular, but a quick, easy solve.

Thanks for listening.

- Pete M.

Monday, June 9, 2008

Title: Citizens of the World
Author: Mark Feldman
Theme: People whose first names are foreign countries.

• 1a: With 8-Across, "Annie John" novelist (JAMAICA / KINCAID). I am vaguely familiar with the name, but have never read her novels.


• 22a: With 25-Across, singer of "Beautiful Flower" (INDIA / ARIE). I am not even vaguely familiar with this singer.


• 33a: "Jerry Maguire" Oscar winner (CUBA GOODING JR). This one was a gimme for me.


• 48a: With 49-Across, Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer (CHAD / SMITH). I'm a big fan of the RHCP. I have a half-dozen of their CDs and I've seen them live. Even so, the drummer's name didn't come to me until I had a few crossings. This is pretty obscure for a Monday puzzle.


• 61a: With 62-Across, subject of an art museum in Santa Fe (GEORGIA / O'KEEFFE). Tougher-than-average clue for a well-known artist.

I found this to be a really strange puzzle. The first thing I noticed before starting it was the triple stack of 7/7s at the top and bottom of the puzzle. That's usually indicative of a more wide-open, low-word-count themeless. A closer inspection, however, showed just the opposite. This baby has 80 entries! That's very unusual for a major 15x15 publication, where the upper limit is almost always 78 words. Combined with the stacks of 7s, that means this puzzle is jam packed with 3- and 4-letter words. I also didn't find the theme answers to be particularly suited to a Monday puzzle. CHAD SMITH? INDIA ARIE? On a Monday? Wow.

Let's look at the non-theme fill.

Sunny Spots:

• 17a: Bar drink with a red triangle logo (BASS ALE). You know this one's going to get props. Love the beer clues.


• 31a: "Puttin' On the ___" (RITZ). This was a "one hit wonder" band. I'm going to go out on a limb here and not look it up, but I think the band's name was "Taco".


• 8d: Miss Piggy's love (KERMIT). It's not easy being green. Gotta love Kermit the Frog.

Sundries:

• 15a: Senior's skin blemish (AGE SPOT). I like sparkle in the longer fill words; this one is almost anti-sparkle.


• 16a: Sign of a mistake (ERASURE). Yawn.


• 18a: Sound of gunfire (RAT-A-TAT). I truly dislike this fill, even though I knew immediately what the answer was going to be. I've never heard a gun go "rat-a-tat", except maybe in cartoons.


• 21a: Hurry (HIE). I'm going to HIE through this blog entry, as there isn't really all that much else to say.


• 32a: Forest god (PAN). Also, to write a less-than-favorable review.


• 38a: German interjection (ACH). ACH is a great interjection, in that it sounds like you're trying to cough up a furball.


• 42a: Barry Bonds's bat wood (MAPLE). Maple and ash are both common woods for bats.


• 53a: Relating to the sense of touch (TACTUAL). I really wanted this to be TACTILE. TACTUAL just doesn't sound like a word to me.


• 59a: Self-titled album of 2002 (ASHANTI). Needed some crossings on this one. Not my genre of preference.


• 60a: Verbally abuses (REVILES). One of many negative clues in this puzzle, including 4d: Beset (ASSAIL), 9d: Het up (IRATE), and 14d: Can't stand (DETEST).


• 3d: Septiembre u octubre, por ejemplo (MES). I only know this because it's used so often in clues.


• 7d: Finished, as a starter (ATE). Starter, as in appetizer.


• 10d: They compete with the O's for local baseball fans' affections (NATS). Baltimore Orioles and Washington D.C. Nationals (née Montreal Expos).



• 13d: Poker table declaration (I RAISE). All in!


• 20d: Tucson native (ARIZONIAN). Second longest word in the puzzle, and the only sparkle is that it includes the letter Z.


• 23d: Cop at a drug bust (NARC).


• 24d: "Mon ___!" (DIEU). ACH!


• 26d: Report of a shooting? (BANG). Are you sure? I thought it was RAT-A-TAT.


• 28d: Woebegone sound (SIGH). Sigh.


• 29d: Fop's accessory (CANE).


• 31d: Speed (RACE). Hurry! HIE!


• 36d: Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Mitchell (JONI). No relation.


• 41d: Good cheer? (RAH). It's a cheer, sure. But a good cheer? Really?


• 42d: Whirlpool subsidiary (MAYTAG).


• 43d: Relaxed (AT EASE). This would have more interesting if it were clued for A TEASE.


• 44d: Rain garment (PONCHO). "Is that a real poncho, I mean is that a Mexican poncho, or is that a Sears poncho?"


• 45d: One of the Graces (THALIA). It is Monday today, isn't it?


• 46d: 2001 Audrey Tautou film (AMÉLIE). Cute film.


• 48d: Rain forest mammal (COATI).


• 51d: Breather? (LUNG). Yeah, okay.


• 52d: Onionlike vegetable (LEEK).


• 56d: Keebler cookie maker (ELF). Cute pop-culture reference.


• 57d: One who gives a standing eight count (REF). Boxing reference.

Suns of Bitches:

• 46a: Actress Magnani (ANNA).


• 2d: ___ Khan (AGA).


• 5d: Toothpaste whose mascot was Bucky Beaver (IPANA). Is this still around? I'm not familiar with it.

I can't say I cared too much for this puzzle. There were a handful of clues that were silly-hard for a Monday, and a whole slew of really boring short words. I prefer a more consistent, interesting mix. I think the theme should have targeted a little later in the week, with fill and clues to match.

Thanks for listening.

- Pete M.