Monday, February 16, 2009

Title: All the Presidents' Best Actors and Actresses
Author: Ogden Porter (Peter Gordon)
Theme: Oscar winners who share last names with U.S. Presidents

• 28a: Best Actress of 1960 and 1966 (ELIZABETH TAYLOR).


• 35a: Best Actor of 1964 (REX HARRISON).


• 57a: Best Actress of 1931 (HELEN HAYES).


• 4d: Best Actress of 1970 and 1973 (GLENDA JACKSON).


• 11d: Best Actor of 2001 (DENZEL WASHINGTON).

Breakin' the rules. Breakin' the rules. Here we have a 15x16 that is non-symmetrical with non-symmetrical theme answers. Did it bother you? Did it affect your enjoyment of the puzzle? This is one of those oft-debated issues among constructors. Are the rules of symmetry there for a reason, or are they just some snobbish clinging to an obscure set of rules for no apparent reason. I won't get into that too deeply here. Personally, I like the symmetry of crosswords. It pleases my mathematical sense of order. But I can honestly say I wasn't bothered by the lack of order during this fairly-easy Monday solve.

The rest is going to be quick, as I'm tired and want to go to bed.

Sundries:

• 4a: Potential petter's discouragement (GRR). This feels weird to me, as it's the pettee that is doing the discouraging.


• 17a: Like the Empire State Building (ART DECO).



• 23a: Sound from the anteater in "B.C." (ZOT). Don't recall this one.


• 24a: Broke (TAMED).


• 42a: Mexican state on the Gulf of Tehuantepec (OAXACA).



• 46a: Star-Belly and Plain-Belly Seuss creatures (SNEETCHES). Very nice.


• 63a: Puts an end to (ERADICATES).


• 65a: Vitality (ZING).



• 3d: Woven mat of Japan (TATAMI).


• 6d: Dad's product (ROOT BEER). I've been fooled by a Dad's clue before, so I was onto it this time. As I recall, it was "Dad's rival", which was AANDW (a nasty sequence of letters).


• 9d: Be taught incorrectly (MISLEARN).


• 31d: Missouri county (OSAGE).


• 38d: Is in the lead by a little (HAS AN EDGE).


• 46d: Former president of Indonesia (SUHARTO). I remember this from "The Year of Living Dangerously".



• 47d: Rum ___ Tugger ("Cats" cat) (TUM).


• 54d: Umenyiora of the New York Giants (OSI). Never saw the clue. Which is good, since I wouldn't have known this at all.


• 56d: Tips of skis? (ESSES). Cryptic letter clue.

That's all for tonight.

Thanks for listening.

- Pete M.