Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Title: Vowel Movement
Author: Patrick Blindauer
Theme: Two-part phrases where the second part mirrors the first part except that the vowels progress (A=>E, E=>I, I=>O, O=>U).

• 3d: NASA doctor’s collection? (SPACEMAN SPECIMEN).


• 5d: Glittering lymphoid mass? (TINSEL TONSIL). Ewww.


• 8d: With 51-Down, jelly thickener for "The Conference of Champions"? (PAC-TEN/PECTIN).


• 11d: Fad collection of actor Dempsey? (PATRICK'S PET ROCKS). It would be too egocentric to self-reference here, I guess. Eh, Patrick?


• 26d: Breath fresheners for a certain prayer? (MANTIS MENTOS). That's prayer as in "one who prays" -- a praying mantis.

Well, we have give a "potty humor" tag just for the title, don't we? I've seen a theme like this before, though I don't recall the exact details. I don't believe it dealt with double phrases like this one -- I think it was just phrases that were modified by the vowel progression. The 16-letter theme entries force the 15x16 design with theme clues running down. Plenty of theme fill here, and a remarkably smooth fill -- not unexpected from recent Constructor of the Year Oryx winner Patrick Blindauer.

Sunny Spots:

• 27a: Square that might have two sides? (MEAL). I'm certain I've seen this clue before, and it still caught me. Very clever, a square meal including sides. But why two? Why not three?


• 36a: "Play with us" channel (NICK JR). I love this because the CKJR letter combination seems so unplausible during the solve.


• 6d: Sparks could be seen on it in '07 (IDOL). Jordan Sparks and "American Idol". Very nice clue.

Sundries:

• 1a: Medicinal meas. (TBSP). An abbreviation at 1a is not ideal, but we'll forgive this minor indiscretion.



• 5a: Alfred directed her in "The Birds" (TIPPI Hedren).


• 10a: Tail of a Tibetan terrier? (APSO). Cryptic half-of-dog_name: Lhasa apso.


• 19a: The whole kit and caboodle (A TO Z).


• 20a: In "Penny Lane," what the banker never wears in the pouring rain (MAC). Beatles clues are always welcome here.


• 21a: Minor key? (ISLET). Cute clue.


• 22a: Bruno of "City Slickers" (KIRBY).


• 23a: Capital near the Oahe Dam (PIERRE). South Dakota.


• 25a: One with an abode in Aden (YEMENI). Usually it's ADEN in the puzzle, not the clue.


• 28a: Lie-down, to a Yank (NAP). Why to a Yank? Southerners don't nap?


• 29a: Private sleeping arrangement? (COT). Military reference.


• 38a: Australian Open champ before Steffi's three-year winning streak (HANA Mandlikova).


• 39a: Foot massager? (ODIST). Okay, that's pushing it.


• 43a: ___-Poo (character in "The Mikado") (NANKI).


• 44a: 1974 film starring Elliott Gould and Donald Sutherland (SPYS). I was so certain this was going to be MASH. If TRYSTS weren't such a gimme I might have had a real problem here.


• 47a: Most in need of Beano, maybe (GASSIEST). This ices the potty humor tag.


• 50a: Torn up on the screen (RIP). Rip Torn. But you knew that. You've seen this clue before.


• 52a: It borders Sask. (MONT). Montana.


• 65a: Economize (STINT). I wanted SKIMP in the worst way here, but I couldn't make it fit. STINT, to me, means a length of time.


• 68a: Number of pesetas in un duro (CINCO). Pick a Spanish number that begins with C.


• 69a: Chain with chairs (IKEA).



• 70a: Chachi's cousin, with "the" (FONZ). From "Happy Days", of course.


• 1d: Disney mutt (TRAMP). "Lady and the Tramp" is one of my favorite Disney films.


• 2d: Religion seeking world peace (BAHAI). You'd think all religions would seek world peace, wouldn't you? If only.


• 7d: "Our Gang" dog (PETEY).


• 13d: Black Sabbath vocalist's first name (OZZY). Easy, but nice to get that double-Z in there.


• 22d: Military cap with a flat top (KEPI). This is a word I learned from crosswords.


• 34d: Mathematician Lovelace (ADA). Linda didn't fit. And counting to twelve doesn't make one a mathematician... ;)


• 37d: –1, for 180° (COSINE). Speaking of math...


• 46d: Mortarboard tosser (GRAD). That's those funky hats they make you wear.


• 48d: Jolt, e.g. (SODA). "All the sugar and twice the caffeine."



• 59d: Toque wearer (CHEF). Hey, "Hell's Kitchen" has started again. But they don't wear toques. This is the time of year when Fox dominates the airwaves... "House", "Idol", "24", "Hell's Kitchen", ...

Suns of Bitches:

• 16a: Webkinz company (GANZ). Never heard of it. I've heard of Gas-X (in puzzles), but that didn't fit.


• 56a: Subject of the song "Tell Me, Trudy, Who Is Going to Be the Lucky One?" (EDERLE). I'm too lazy to look this up. It's only vaguely familiar.

Another nice puzzle from PB2, as we've come to expect.

Thanks for listening.

- Pete M.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Title: "I Can't Remember If I Cried..."
Author: Ogden Porter (Peter Gordon)
Theme: Commemoration of a historical event of 50 years ago today, as immortalized in song by Don McLean

• 3d: With 10-Down, February 3, 1959 (THE DAY THE/MUSIC DIED).


• 5d: With 8-Down, singer in a fatal plane crash on February 3, 1959 (THE BIG/BOPPER). his real name was jp chesterton.


• 39a: With 66-Across, singer in a fatal plane crash on February 3, 1959 (BUDDY/HOLLY). also a great song by weezer.


• 58a: Singer in a fatal plane crash on February 3, 1959 (RITCHIE VALENS).


• 49a: Song referencing February 3, 1959 (AMERICAN PIE).

this is a nice theme and a fitting commemoration to a major event in american cultural history. the lengths don't work out for a 15x15 crossword with standard rotational symmetry, so instead we have a 15x16 grid with mirror (left-right) symmetry. works for me.

there's no "official" video of this song, of course, since it predates the MTV era by quite a bit. and i didn't love any of the live versions i found on youtube. so instead, here's a somewhat goofy version with the original recording and odd still pictures interspersed. but at least you can click on play and then listen to the song while you read the rest of the blog.

Sunny Spots:

• 30a: Google your own name, e.g. (EGOSURF). that's one of the great neologisms of modern times. here's me. there's some weird stuff floating around in there, but it looks like it's all me (as opposed to some other joon pahk) in the top 50 hits.


• 9d: Painter Georgia (O'KEEFFE). this always looks like a typo. there's something existentially unnerving about the way the Es and Fs pile up.

Sundries:

• 10a: War room fixture (MAP). "gentlemen, you can't fight in here! this is the war room!"


• 14a: Norwegian pop trio (A-HA). i feel like i've seen this clue very recently. anyway, they're the one-hit wonders who gave us "take on me."


• 19a: Urich TV role (SPENSER). robert urich, of "spenser: for hire."


• 22a: Roz portrayer on "Frasier" (PERI gilpin). crossword celebrities: learn them, love them.


• 23a: Like the night sky (STARLIT). this is an appropriate fill word in an "american pie"-themed puzzle, because don mclean's "other" (much lesser) hit song was "vincent (starry starry night)." not a bad song, but nowhere near as iconic as "american pie."


• 26a: Actual (DE FACTO). usually it's IN ESSE, but DE FACTO is much more common outside of crosswords.


• 29a: Third baseman Ron who started three 1970s All-Star Games (CEY). approximate ranking of baseball players in crossworld: 1. ott 2. alou (various family members) 3. a-rod 4. cey 15. minoso 42. zito. what's a guy like mark teixeira to do? (get the yankees to pay him $180 million, that's what.)


• 33a: Prepare for takeoff? (UNTIE). cute.


• 38a: Planck contemporary (BOHR). i appreciate a good physics reference, even if it's to quantum mechanics. my best friend from grad school declared that he "didn't believe" in quantum. this was a bit of a problem, because he was in theoretical particle physics.


• 48a: With 68-Across, star of "Sextette" (MAE/WEST). never heard of the movie, but she's certainly famous enough.


• 65a: Like the score for the first play of a Scrabble game (EVEN). that's because the first player has to play through the pink double word score in the center of the board.


• 4d: Endust company (SARA LEE). what's endust? is that a ... dust product?


• 7d: Antepenultimate word of "Casey at the Bat" (HAS). i love the word antepenultimate, meaning third-to-last. "mighty case has struck out" is how it ends.


• 31d: Lachrymose (SAD). tough clue for an easy word, unless you've, say, sung mozart's requiem.


• 37d: O. neighbor (WVA). not sure i understand this clue. is it supposed to be "Oh. neighbor"?


• 43d: The first century started when it ended (ONE BC). there was no year zero, of course.


• 47d: Sex drives (LIBIDOS). i can't give this the "sexual innuendo" tag, because there's no innuendo.


• 50d: Part of "TMNT" (MUTANT). teenage mutant ninja turtles, teenage mutant ninja turtles, teenage mutant ninja turtles, heroes in a half-shell. turtle power!


• 61d: Drops on the lawn (DEW). i've seen this clue too many times for it to trick me again.

Suns of Bitches:

• 44a: Eel-and-rice dish (UNADON). i know UDON. i know UNAGI. this is neither, but it sounds like it might be both.


• 26d: Couple (DUAD). DUO, yes. DYAD, okay. but DUAD? really?


• 57d: Former E! anchor Jules (ASNER).

one of the things i'm going to miss about the sun puzzle is peter's willingness to take risks and break some rules if a theme warrants it. this puzzle is a good example. i wouldn't have known it was the anniversary of the famous plane crash if not for the puzzle, and solving it has enriched my day.

see you next time.

joon

Monday, February 2, 2009

Title: Cross Sections
Author: Lee Glickstein
Theme: Phrases that end in newspaper sections

• 20a: 1988 comedy with Bette Midler and Lily Tomlin (BIG BUSINESS).


• 37a: Monthly fashion magazine (IN STYLE).


• 52a: College knowledge (LIBERAL ARTS).


• 11d: They can take a joke (GOOD SPORTS).


• 27d: "Back to the Future" theme (TIME TRAVEL).

Straightforward Monday theme, covering five sections of the local newspaper.

Sunny Spots:

• 31a: Convertible (SLEEP SOFA).


• 44a: Like some partners (SAME SEX).


• 33d: Result of reading the fine print, maybe (EYE STRAIN).

Sundries:

• 17a: Established principle (AXIOM).


• 18a: Knowledgeable person (MAVEN).


• 25a: Sweet bread spread (NUTELLA). I've never had this.


• 30a: "National Velvet" novelist Bagnold (ENID).


• 40a: WWI song by George M. Cohan (OVER THERE).


• 60a: Season starter? (PRE). Less than two weeks before pitchers and catchers report!


• 3d: Sasha Baron Cohen title character on an HBO show (ALI G).


• 4d: Splotched (BLOBBED). Is this really a word? Really?


• 5d: English diarist Pepys (SAMUEL).


• 6d: Small cup for coffee (DEMI-TASSE).



• 7d: Roll player (PIANO). A player piano plays rolls. Your average everyday piano does not. Or is roll here meant as some style of music (as in rock and roll)?


• 24d: Dumb cluck (ASS).


• 34d: Warren's "Bonnie and Clyde" costar (FAYE).


• 48d: The E of EGBDF (EVERY). Every good boy deserves fudge (or does fine). There was a puzzle recently with this very theme.


• 52d: Rickey flavor (LIME). Booze tag.


• 54d: "Forbidden Games" director Clément (RENE). Didn't see the clue. But it's a common French name.


• 55d: Baseball Hall of Famer Speaker (TRIS).

Suns of Bitches:
None.

Not much to say. Typical Monday.

Thanks for listening.

- Pete M.