Thursday, February 26, 2009

Title: Themeless Thursday
Author: Tony Orbach
Theme: NA

Here it is, the penultimate Sun puzzle, and a typically excellent one. But the sun (the real sun) is out and I want to go outside and play, so comments will be sparse and brief.

1a: Cruel inquisitor (TORQUEMADA).

11a: Posse members (PALS). I grew up watching western movies with my dad. Posse to me will always involve horses and cowboys.

15a: Did a 180 (ABOUTFACED).

16a: Davis-drawn dog (ODIE). That's Jim Davis of Garfield fame, of course.

17a: Hide (CAMOUFLAGE).

18a: Bubkes (NONE).

19a: Piece of praise (ODE).

20a: Ways (ROADS).

21a: Turkic tongue (UZBEK).

22a: How ham might be ordered (ONRYE).

23a: Electrolyte particles (ANIONS). How might ham be ordered by a physicist? With anions.

24a: Dominatrix, for example (SADIST).

27a: Many pound inhabitants (MUTTS).

29a: Robbie's dad (EVEL).

30a: Sufi beliefs, e.g. (MYSTICISM).

34a: Social goodie (TEACAKE).

37a: Ghost costume cutout (EYEHOLE).

38a: It's made without yeast (SODABREAD). It's made without soda too.

40a: Brésil division (ETAT).

41a: Small recesses (NOOKS).

42a: Adds streets to, say (REMAPS).

44a: Vanilla, e.g. (ORCHID).

47a: French river (SAONE).

49a: Scrupulous (MORAL).

50a: "Fuego del Ande" singer (SUMAC).

51a: Brand of energy drink (AMP).

54a: Continuously (EVER).

55a: "Synkronized" band (JAMIROQUAI). Never heard of them. Very Scrabbly.

57a: Get ready, with "up" (GEAR).

58a: "Theodora Goes Wild" star (IRENEDUNNE).

59a: Throng (ARMY).

60a: Done wrong (MISTREATED).

1d: Soft shell grab? (TACO).

2d: One-chapter O.T. book (OBAD).

3d: Where "Tosca" takes place (ROME).

4d: Status follower (QUO).

5d: One-way street no-nos (UTURNS).

6d: Endeavor (EFFORT).

7d: Language of Singapore (MALAY).

8d: Part of AMPAS (ACADEMY). The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awarded the Oscar to the only one of the five best picture nominees I saw "Slumdog Millionaire." Great movie.

9d: There are nine in F. for every five in C. (DEGS).

10d: Orange additive? (ADE).

11d: Bernard Madoff offering (PONZISCHEME).

12d: Spicy Mexican marinade (ADOBO).

13d: It often stays in the closet (LINEN).

14d: Personal ad word (SEEKS).

21d: Loose (UNTIE).

22d: "Mighty Mouse" villain (OILCANHARRY). I vaguely remember this meanie, although if you'd asked me to name somebody named Oil Can I'd've gone with Boston Red Sox pitcher Oil Can Boyd.

23d: Case worker: Abbr. (ATTY).

24d: Prepares for a spike (SETS).

25d: Subcompact from Chevrolet (AVEO).

26d: Word with heat or meat (DEAD).

28d: Put into service (USED).

30d: Pigeon-hearted (MEEK).

31d: Grain (IOTA).

32d: Rough the passer? (SLAP).

33d: "Kiner's Korner" interviewees (METS).

35d: In a tumultuous state (ABOIL).

36d: Nickname of Mariano Rivera's crosstown rival (KROD). If you wonder how Francisco Rodriguez got the nickname K-Rod and not F-Rod, you should know that in baseball notation a strikeout is symbolized by the letter K. Rodriguez strikes out a lot of batters.

39d: Postulates (ASSUMES).

42d: Lion, at times (ROARER).

43d: Protect from the enemy, in a way (ENCODE).

44d: "The ___ Man" (1971 Charlton Heston film) (OMEGA). One of my favorites, recently redone with Will Smith and a new title (which escapes me.)

45d: Name on a bone-shaped ID tag, perhaps (ROVER).

46d: Beat by a lot (CREAM).

48d: Make ___ (strike it rich) (AMINT).

50d: Draped dress (SARI).

51d: Jessica Simpson, to Bronx Mowgli Wentz (AUNT).

52d: Locks in a paddock? (MANE).

53d: Foot, in French (PIED).

55d: "Broken Flowers" director Jarmusch (JIM).

56d: As (QUA).

Good luck at the ACPT.

Norrin

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.

Monday, December 1, 2008

Title: Five of Twelve
Author: Tony Orbach
Theme: People who have months as names

• 5d: 1946 Best Actor winner for "The Best Years of Our Lives" (FREDRIC MARCH).


• 10d: Pulitzer-winning "Fences" playwright (AUGUST WILSON).



• 23d: Betty Draper portrayer on "Mad Men" (JANUARY JONES).


• 26d: "Lost in Space" actress (JUNE LOCKHART).


• 30d: Baltimore Orioles player who led the A.L. in RBIs in 1976 (LEE MAY). The plural of RBI is RBI. No 's' required.

I'm not sure all these names are Monday material, but that didn't bother me much. The theme was pretty easy to figure, and the names I didn't know at least sounded familiar. And I like that the title evokes the ex-Borg-collective character Seven of Nine, from Star Trek Voyager. The theme answers run down in a 15x16 grid to more easily accommodate the four pesky 12-letter fills, which would be much more constrictive in a 15x15.

The non-theme fill:

• 1a: Vittles (CHOW). My first instinct was GRUB, but CHOW is good too.


• 13a: Ring of the Lord? (HALO). Cute play on "Lord of the Rings", which I've been watching on TV tonight. I don't why, since I have the disks and can watch it without commercials. Am I the only one who will watch something on TV that they own but weren't motivated to put in the DVD player? Though in fairness to me, I was interspersing with the Star Wars movies on another channel, with 2d: Sci-fi character Solo (HAN). I must really sound like a geek. And that's without even referring to HALO, the XBox game (which I don't own, just so you know).


• 16a: Jakarta's country (INDONESIA). This is weird, because I just rewatched "The Year of Living Dangerously" last night, which is a really good film set in Jakarta, Indonesia. It stars a young Mel Gibson and Sigourney Weaver, with an Oscar-winning performance by Linda Hunt, who plays a male dwarf named Billy Kwan.




• 20a: Cerulean (AZURE). Light blue. Tough clue for a Monday.


• 21a: British rule of India (RAJ), which happens to cross 22d: Turkish general (AGA). Both are three-letter crossword staples.


• 32a: Lunatic (MANIAC).


• 34a: Allowing the sale of alcoholic beverages (WET). This is probably a much more familiar term if you live somewhere near a dry county, where sales of alcohol are prohibited.


• 37a: Certain turban wearer (SIKH). I'm glad I read the clue. I had __KH and almost filled in ANKH without looking.


• 46a: San Luis ___, California (OBISPO). I'm a bit on the dyslexic side and can never remember if this is OBISPO or OPISBO. I guessed wrong first this time, led astray by 47d: Watering hole (PUB), which I figured was BAR. This clue pairs up nicely with 65d: "The Bridge of San Luis ___" (REY).



• 50a: Froyo chain (TCBY). This is Monday, right? Who or what is a Froyo? Is this the founder of the chain? Nope, further research indicates that it's slang for FROzen YOgurt. Go figure.


• 52a: Early Nets great, familiarly (DR J). Julius Erving, though I know him from his much longer time with the Sixers.


• 61a: Dressed to the ___ (decked out) (NINES). I can't find a definitive explanation for where this expression comes from.


• 67a: HUAC part (AMER). HUAC is the House Un-American Activities Committee. Typically, "part" of an initialism is one of the comprising words, or its abbreviation. But the 'A' here is activities, so this just feels a bit off to me.


• 68a: Like Cialis takers (MALE). I've complained about this type of clue before. It's limp. Choice of words intended.


• 69a: Coin worth 100 centavos (PESO).


• 71a: "Jeepers!" (OH MY).


• 1d: Penultimate Greek consonant (CHI). ...phi, chi, psi, omega.


• 6d: "All Around the World" band (OASIS). I had OAS__ by the time I got to this clue, so it wasn't a challenge even though I didn't know the song in question.




• 7d: Dust Bowl soul (OKIE). I read "The Grapes of Wrath" years ago. I should probably read it again sometime.


• 9d: Country runner, familiarly (PREZ). I had PRES, which slowed things down a bit.


• 11d: Its opening voice-over ended "to boldly go where no man has gone before" (STAR TREK). The original series. "The Next Generation" went with the gender-neutral "...where no one has gone before". Both are shows where you might find a 12d: Wordless communicator (TELEPATH).


• 17d: ___ Coliseum (home of the Islanders) (NASSAU). I rarely watch hockey, and haven't in 20+ years. And yet I knew this right away. It's nice to see a few sports venues that don't sell out to the highest bidder and rename their stadium every few years.


• 38d: You might turn up the heat during one (COLD SNAP). Won't be long now.


• 48d: Available without an Rx (OTC). Over the counter.


• 54d: Baseball's Tommie and others (AGEES). Plural names for which you can't find two famous people are always a little icky.


• 57d: Comedian who wrote "If Roast Beef Could Fly" (LENO).


• 59d: "Garfield" waitress (IRMA). I'm not a Garfield fan.



• 60d: Sport with wrestlers called rikishi (SUMO).


• 63d: Shout from the bleachers (RAH). Do people besides cheerleaders actually say "Rah"? And if so, why? Where'd it come from?

A couple of missteps and a few tricky clues made this a tad harder than your average Monday, I thought. But there was plenty of good fill, resulting in an enjoyable solve. The inclusion of both a Star Wars and Star Trek clue warrants a "geek" tag.

Thanks for listening.

- Pete M.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Title: Being There
Author: Tony Orbach
Theme: Insertion of conjugations of "to be" into phrases

• 20a: Mexican treat at Van Cortlandt Park? (A BRONX TAMALE). My favorite of the theme entries. "A Bronx Tale" was Robert DeNiro's directorial debut. He also directed "The Good Shepherd".


• 38a: What a customer might request at a flower shop? (FROM THIS DAISY ON). This is probably the most contrived of the resulting phrases, but it's still okay.


• 56a: Chinese galas? (FAR EAST BALLS).

A neat idea, with good base phrases and nice results. I prefer this to the addition of the exact same letters into each phrase. It makes it a touch more challenging, and thus satisfying, when the theme reveals itself.

Sunny Spots:

Well, since I just got back from sunny Florida, I'm going to reserve this section for things that remind me of the trip... :)

• 17a: Said "You're on!" to, say (CUED). All of Disney World is a stage, all its employees are cast members, and the visitors are the audience. We took the "Keys to the Kingdom" tour while we were there, which took us behind (and under) the scenes at Magic Kingdom. I wouldn't recommend it to first-timers or people who are afraid of "spoiling the magic", but I thought it was wonderful. Lots of history tidbits as well as a view into what goes on "backstage".


• 47a: Partner of crossbones (SKULL). Like in the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disney. It's the first ride we went on, which has become a sort of tradition for us.


• 2d: Island in the lyrics to "Kokomo" (ARUBA). We stayed at the Caribbean Beach resort at Disney last week. Its sections include Aruba and Jamaica, side by side, so every time the bus passed through these stops I'd get this exact Beach Boys song going off in my head. And judging from the subtle whistling and humming heard throughout the week, I wasn't the only one.



• 4d: Pleasure-seeker's doctrine (HEDONISM). Like sitting by the pool in the warm sun sipping a Margarita... or riding the Everest coaster four times in a row with virtually no waiting.



• 8d: Fragrance (AROMA). Epcot was having their International Food and Wine festival, so the World Showcase was filled with alluring aromas even more than usual. Between the exotic foods and the wine tastings, why would anyone want to go here with kids? :)

Sundries:

• 1a: Morse code T (DASH). You don't have to know Morse code to get this. If you know that it's made up of dots and dashes (or dits and dahs), then there's really only one thing that fits a four-letter fill.


• 5a: Singer Suzanne (VEGA). Known most for her song "Luka", about an abused child.




• 9a: Intellectual guides (GURUS).


• 14a: Big name in serigraphy (ERTE). Serigraphy is silk-screen printing. If I'd known that, I might have been quicker to get this. Or maybe not.


• 18a: 1995 role for Kenneth Branagh (IAGO). Does anyone know this kind of thing off the top? I mean, seriously, do people actually remember actors' roles by year? I'm guessing more people are like me -- get a couple of crosses, see that IAGO fits, and say "Yeah, that makes sense".


• 19a: Like megalopolises (URBAN). Easy, but you gotta love the word megalopolises.


• 28a: Norwegian dramatist Henrik (IBSEN).


• 31a: Like a drumbeat (CADENT). The adjective form of cadence.


• 32a: Works in an art museum (OILS). Nice verb/noun misdirection on "works".


• 35a: Quark model particle (MESON).



• 42a: ___ Tony (character on "The Simpsons" voiced by Joe Mantegna) (FAT). I knew this instinctively, and I don't watch "The Simpsons" all that often. I just can't imagine what other three-letter adjective fits with a character named Tony. And no, that's not a reflection on this puzzle's author or any other real people named Tony.


• 43a: Sinus of Valsalva locale (AORTA).


• 44a: The Scooter was one (YANK). Nickname of Phil Rizzuto. Not something I knew, but again this is still a somewhat New York-biased puzzle.


• 45a: @ (AT SIGN).


• 50a: Applies pressure to (LEANS ON). An action often associated with the POLICE (52a: NYPD part).


• 59a: It's often locked (CANAL). Tough mid-week clue.


• 62a: Nymph of Greek mythology (ECHO).


• 65a: Andy alternative (DREW). Both short for Andrew.


• 68a: Young of "No Way Out" (SEAN). I've seen "No Way Out" more than once. In fact, I really like the film a lot. And I still couldn't place the name. I remembered Kevin Costner and Gene Hackman, but not Young. Well, Sean is a she, and she's the female lead. I highly recommend the film if you like tension-building crime dramas.




• 69a: Actress famously known for hitting the bottle? (EDEN). That's Barbara Eden of "I Dream of Jeannie". No booze involved here. It's a booze indirection.


• 3d: Daniel of "Breaking Away" (STERN). Also, Howard of satellite radio.


• 5d: Common engines (V-SIXES). Nice letter combination.


• 7d: Smitten (GAGA).


• 9d: Former Big Apple top banana (GIULIANI).


• 11d: Catch (RUB). As in, "Aye, there's the rub..."


• 12d: "The Dead Zone" cable network (USA). I honestly can't keep track of what shows run on what networks. I count on the crossings to figure out which one belongs.


• 13d: Ensign's title: Abbr. (SEN). I didn't understand this until I looked it up afterwards. It's Sen. John Ensign of Nevada.


• 22d: Company that "can't wait" (ALCOA). I've heard this slogan before, probably on TV commercials.


• 26d: Subject of the 2005 bestseller "Conspiracy of Fools" (ENRON).


• 29d: Bukhara had one until 1920 (EMIR). Sounds like a Peter Gordon clue to me.


• 30d: Builds a tree house? (NESTS). Gimme.


• 32d: Butcher's waste (OFFAL). Eww. But kind of a cool word.


• 39d: Shopper list (TAG SALES). "Shopper" in the sense of a printed circular, not one who shops.


• 41d: There's only one in Maine (SYLLABLE). Very cute.


• 48d: Chichi (UPTOWN). Again, I come from the sticks of New Hampshire, so words that mean "trendy" aren't big around here. Luckily, there weren't an OFFAL lot (sorry) of choices once a few crossings went in.


• 49d: It might get smashed (LOB). Tennis clue. Another booze indirection.



• 53d: It contains the Catalogue of Ships (ILIAD).


• 54d: Doppelgänger (CLONE).


• 55d: Krupp works city (ESSEN). This follows Joon's ERIE rule... if it's a German city and ESSEN fits, it's probably ESSEN.


• 59d: Company bed, perhaps (COT). An army company.


• 61d: "Sticks ___ Hick Pix" (famous Variety headline) (NIX). News to me. Read about it here if you're interested.

Suns of Bitches:

Nothing worth singling out. Several tricky clues and a few personal blind spots, but it all felt fair to me.

Thanks for listening.

- Pete M.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Title: Making Out
Author: Tony Orbach
Theme: Two-word phrases that begin with ways of making an out while batting

• 17a: Thing causing a buzz kill? (FLY SWATTER). i dig this clue.


• 21a: Candy that did not, in fact, kill Mikey (POP ROCKS). i'm relieved to learn that he's alive.


• 36a: Doing the Macarena, e.g. (LINE DANCING). hey, macarena!


• 44a: Concern for someone holding put or call options (STRIKE PRICE). no idea what this is.


• 54a: 1978 Goldie Hawn movie (FOUL PLAY). never heard of this movie.


• 64a: Sloppy joe ingredient (GROUND BEEF).

what a great theme! six terrific phrases (well, five and STRIKE PRICE, which is a big "wha?" for me), for the six ways of making an out: fly out, pop out, line out, strike out, foul out, ground out. (there are other, more esoteric, ways to make an out, but they don't have convenient two-word verb phrases ending with "out.") and a perfect way to mark the passing of the 2008 baseball season. congratulations to the philadelphia phillies. (they haven't won yet, as of this writing, but they're well on their way.)
update: they're playing through an absolute downpour. you hate to call the deciding game of the world series early because of rain, but this is absurd. they're practically underwater.
update again: they finally called the game, but only after the rays had rallied to tie it. i'm cheering for tampa bay (sort of), but this is unbelievably fishy. the last inning should never have been played, and by rule, the phillies should be winners.

Sunny Spots:

• 31d: Hershey's product (KIT KAT). first of all, these are delicious. second, i like seeing KITKAT in the grid.


• 42d: Sports reporters' spot (PRESS BOX). good fill. lots of consonants, and an X is always welcome.

Sundries:

• 1a: Both: Prefix (AMBI-). one is all right, but i'm going to complain slightly about also having 71a: Prefix meaning "strange" (XENO-) and 60d: Conference starter? (TELE-). even though i like the X (crossing PRESS BOX), and i also sort of like the cryptic clue for TELE-.


• 5a: "Little ___ of Horrors" (SHOP). nice way to spice up a boring word.


• 9a: Water stopper (DIKE). i had PLUG here for a while. (a short while.) with 0 working crosses, it didn't last long.


• 20a: Part of NIMH (MENTAL). national institute of MENTAL health. nothing to do with rats or mrs. brisby/frisby.


• 25a: Gain a lap? (SIT). cute clue.


• 26a: Breakfast bowl bit (FLAKE). now this one seemed a bit dull. there are more interesting definitions of FLAKE as cluing options.


• 39a: Band with the compilation album "Ticket to the Moon" (ELO). it's always something. but by now, you know what you're getting with a peter gordon puzzle: for a proper noun, you're going to get a fresh clue even if it means you've neeeeever heard of it, day of the week be damned. of course, ELO very much falls under the umbrella of what i call the "ERIE rule": if it could be ELO, it is. so, band in three letters? try ELO first. (then REM.)


• 41a: F in music class (FORTE). only FORTE? last week we were treated to fortississimo! still, a nice misleading clue.


• 42a: Ready for an operation (PREP). ready, the verb. this goes nicely with 8d: Cops catch them (PERPS).


• 46a: Tail, maybe (SPY ON). tail, the verb.


• 49a: Steve Carlton's nickname (LEFTY). how apropos! while reading about world series game 3 (at which LEFTY, looking like death warmed over, threw out the ceremonial first pitch), i learned an interesting bit of trivia: carlton, at age 41, was actually the pitcher that jamie moyer defeated in his major league debut in 1986. now it's 2008, and moyer, going on 46, is pitching in the world series. incredible.


• 50a: Div. of the Department of Transportation (FAA).


• 59a: Where Jaime Escalante taught H.S. (EAST LA). i have no idea who jaime escalante is. is this from that cheech marin movie?


• 67a: "I don't mind ___ / Except as meals": Ogden Nash (EELS). i loved this clue. first of all, any ogden nash is a nice addition to a puzzle. second, EELS would be pretty ugly to clue by ordinary means, whether as the noun or the verb.


• 68a: Sunny (SOLAR). really? sun-related, sure. but sunny? that seems off to me. you couldn't say "it's very SOLAR out today" or "this runs on sunny power." is there a sentence in which the two are interchangeable?


• 70a: Make a pile, maybe (RAKE). almost works well as a misdirecting clue for "make a pile of money."


• 3d: ___ Mawr (Pennsylvania college) (BRYN). mildly weird coincidence: earlier this evening my wife and i were trying to name the seven sisters. i don't even remember why--perhaps somehow related to the ivy leaguers puzzle from yesterday? anyway, i think we concluded that BRYN mawr was the seventh one.


• 4d: "I'm saving this seat" ("IT'S TAKEN"). okay, it's conversational, but it's still a bit dull.


• 5d: Put back into place, as a broken bone (SET). i'm always interested to see how this gets clued. i read once that SET has the most definitions of any word in webster's dictionary.


• 9d: Old Chrysler division (DESOTO). give me hernando over old cars any day.


• 10d: Apple that requires juice (IMAC). i suppose there's only so many variants on this clue; this one seemed a little tired. on the other hand, i love my IMAC. best computer i've ever had.


• 11d: He exiled Khan to the planet Ceti Alpha V (KIRK). khaaaaaan!


• 18d: Newcastle Brown ___ (ALE). do i have to give it the "booze"/"beer" tag just because ALE is in here? i mean, ALE is in practically every singe puzzle.


• 24d: State that borders Chihuahua (SONORA). it took me a little while to correct my first attempt, SONOMA, especially as i'd never heard of STRIKE PRICE.


• 27d: Became animated (LIT UP). this could have been another baseball clue. at least it wasn't smoking.


• 33d: Penman's flourish (SERIF). i realize there are people with decent handwriting in the world, but to me, this is strictly a typesetting word.


• 35d: Speechless dwarf (DOPEY). also, the only beardless one.


• 37d: Back on board? (AFT). good clue.


• 44d: Flip (SNAP). "flip" doesn't have as many meanings as SET, but there are a lot. sassy, upend, somersault, ...


• 47d: Recently (OF LATE). this is a nice expression.


• 51d: "Ragged Dick" author (horatio ALGER). for once, this is actually the most famous title associated with ALGER. i wouldn't have thought peter had it in him.


• 54d: Former Portland WNBA team (FIRE). i don't know most of these, but i know they tried to name many of them "after" the NBA team in the same city. so blazers and FIRE, okay--makes sense.


• 56d: Home dusters, often (UMPS). yeah, they have that little brush that they use to brush the plate after it gets dirt on it. tough clue. most of the time i'm onto the tricky UMP clues, but not tonight, despite the unfortunate non-invisibility of jeff kellogg and the rest of tonight's umpires.


• 58d: White counterpart (YOLK). i was waiting to see what this was going to turn out to be. even with _OLK in place, i was still uncertain.

Suns of Bitches:

• 19a: Actress Ramirez of "Grey's Anatomy" (SARA). not only have i never heard of her, but she doesn't even look at all familiar. of course, i don't watch the show.


• 43a: 1976 Don Knotts movie about a place-kicking mule (GUS). place-kicking mule, you say? this i gotta see.

i loved this puzzle, but it did feel a bit sports-heavy. i didn't mind, because i love sports (and baseball in particular), but i was just talking with somebody who is waffling about subscribing to the sun puzzles because she feels they are too sports-oriented. i hadn't noticed myself, but now that she's called it to my attention, the first thing i see is today's baseball-themed puzzle with a bunch of other sports clues (UMPS, FIRE, LEFTY). it gave me pause.

see you around.

joon

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Title: Sleeping In
Author: Tony Orbach
Theme: Adding ZZ to phrases.

• Blame it on Rio => BLAME IT ON RIZZO (19a: What you might do if you get a dent from someone who slaps your car's hood while crossing the street?). I didn't get this "Midnight Cowboy" reference right away. I need to watch it again.


• Jaywalking => JAZZY WALKING (24a: Cat's means of getting around?). Not your pet cat, but a hep cat. Hey, I DIG! (13a: "Yeah, man!").


• DIY Network => DIZZY NETWORK (47a: Vertiginous association?).


• Freedom fries => FREEDOM FRIZZES (55a: Curly hairstyles that aren't oppressed?). Are "freedom fries" going to stand the test of time? Man, I hope not. It's such a blot on our nation's sensibilities.

This is a very cool theme, with the added benefit of getting lots of Zs into the puzzle.

Sunny Spots:

• 1a: Going places? (LAVS). Nothing like a little potty humor in the 1A position. My first thought was LOOS -- right mindset, wrong execution.



• 9d: George Herriman comic strip (KRAZY KAT). Didn't know this based on the author, but it was easy enough to fill in.

Sundries:

• 5a: "Stiff Upper Lip" band (AC/DC).




• 9a: Entrepreneur who wrote the autobiography "Grinding It Out" (Ray KROC).


• 14a: Zinger (QUIP).


• 17a: Caterer's dispensers (URNS). TINS, PANS, CANS, URNS, VANS, ... lots of choices here.


• 22a: Grayish yellow (FLAX).


• 31a: West ___ (Williams-Sonoma subsidiary) (ELM). My first instinct here was END, but that wasn't working out.


• 34a: Challenge in Games (MAZE).


• 35a: Where lavalavas are worn (SAMOA).


• 38a: Winter Palace residents (CZARS). Early-week, it's probably TSARS.


• 51a: Fen-___ (PHEN). The daily drug reference, this one a weight-loss pharmaceutical whose maker has been sued for causing heart problems.


• 52a: Red River's county (TAOS).


• 61a: Second baseman Bobby whose #1 was retired by the Red Sox (DOERR). Before my time, but as a Red Sox fan, I certainly know the name.



• 64a: Constellation next to Cepheus (DRACO).


• 68a: Like a hunk (SEXY).


• 2d: Architect Loos (ADOLF). I've probably seen this in puzzles before, as it seemed vaguely familiar.


• 5d: "___ se habla español" (AQUI).



• 10d: Hi Ho lookalike (RITZ).


• 12d: '70s All-Star Ron (CEY).


• 15d: Investment options, for short (T-BILLS).


• 20d: Class struggle? (EXAM).


• 26d: Alphabetically last entry in the Official Scrabble Players Dictionary (ZZZ).


• 29d: Game in which a pitcher doesn't allow any knocks (NO-NO). A no-hitter, in baseball.


• 37d: Sahaptin speakers (NEZ PERCE). This one I had a hard time filling in, as I was trying to parse it as one word.


• 43d: Cry from a damsel out of distress? (MY HERO).


• 48d: "Groundhog Day" nudnik Ryerson (NED). Pretty obscure if you've never seen the film, or only saw it a long time ago. I, however, got it instantly. What does that say about me?




• 49d: Mushrooms also known as velvet stems (ENOKIS).


• 50d: Mirlitons (KAZOOS). Really rough clue, but nice fill.



• 53d: Former Boston Symphony Orchestra conductor (Seiji OZAWA). This was a gimme for me, but I can imagine it might have been a tough fill for some.


• 57d: Cinderella's horses, after midnight (MICE). Great clue.


• 58d: Shampoo brand (FLEX).

Suns of Bitches:

• 16a: ___ Haven (neighborhood in the Bronx) (MOTT). Here's hoping that the transition from New York-centric publication to on-line subscription will reduce the blatant New York bias of clues like this one.


• 44a: "A Little Princess" title character Crewe (SARA).


• 8d: "Strangers and Brothers" author (C.P. SNOW).


• 11d: Lyricist Harbach (OTTO). Again, names kill me.


• 25d: Efron of "High School Musical" (ZAC).


• 33d: Capital of France's Moselle department (METZ).

This was a tough puzzle for me, and I enjoyed every minute of it. Lots of names I didn't know, but nothing I couldn't figure out. Slow, but never stalled. Plenty of scrabbly fill. Some standout clues. Just what I want in a later-week puzzle.

Thanks for listening.

- Pete M.

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Title: Themeless Thursday
Author: Tony Orbach
Theme: None. Well, sort of. See mini-theme discussion below.

Sunny Spots:

• 1a: All that (DA BOMB). Nice in-the-language phrase to start things off at 1a.



• 19a: 1961 Jackie Gleason role (MINNESOTA FATS). From "The Hustler", starring Paul Newman. A great billiards movie, though I actually prefer the later "Color of Money", with Newman and Tom Cruise.


• 40a: Figure in the Beastie Boys song "Rhymin & Stealin" (ALI BABA). Here it is, if you're interested.



• 58a: "You've come a long way, baby" sloganeer (VIRGINIA SLIMS). I'm not big on cigarettes or commericals, but this one is just so over-the-top you can't help but like it as a piece of Americana. It also perfectly complements Minnesota Fats, for a nice "mini-theme".


• 64a: Beat walkers' walkout (BLUE FLU). Wonderful.


• 8d: Stir (KERFUFFLE). I've always loved the word kerfuffle.


• 33d: "Cat Scratch Fever" singer (TED NUGENT). For some reason, the first name that came to mind was Bob Seger. Luckily it didn't fit. I know this, too. It sucks getting older.


• 39d: It might need to come before you can go (EXIT VISA). Love the clue. And yes, my mind went there.

Sundries:

• 7a: Incomplete (SKETCHY). A great string of solid 7-letter words.


• 16a: Daydream (REVERIE).


• 17a: Lousy team that wrecks a contender's chances (SPOILER). And this is the time of year (in baseball anyway) when they come into play.


• 18a: Make two cuts in, perhaps (TRISECT). As a math geek, I kind of like this one.


• 23a: Intl. group that issued the controversial MacBride report in 1980 (UNESCO).


• 26a: Supermini of the '70s and '80s (LE CAR).



• 29a: TV series set in the Tanner household (ALF). "Alf" is a little after my time, so I didn't know this off the top, but it was easy enough to deduce.


• 31a: "Boogie Nights" character Diggler (DIRK). Love the clue. Hated the film. I thought it was a real borefest.


• 32a: "You're pitiful!" (GET A LIFE).


• 36a: Gp. that publishes American Spirit magazine (DAR). Daughters of the American Revolution.


• 37a: Dirtbags (SLEAZES).


• 42a: Concert score? (TIX). This is part of the section that messed me up when I chose the wrong Gardner (see below). Good clue, though.


• 45a: "Fer sher ... not!" (AS IF). Yeah, okay. Whatever.



• 48a: Fluke roll-ups? (SUSHI). Great clue. One of my favorites of the puzzle.


• 62a: Worked at a bar? (CHINNED). Uhh... I suppose. Kind of a stretch as a verb.


• 65a: Pertaining to any of five popes (SISTINE). I suppose LEONINE would have fit, but I'm not sure I've heard that one used in regards to popes.


• 66a: Klepto, e.g. (STEALER). This is one of those -ER words I really don't care for. If you steal, you're a thief. Stealer is not a word people use.


• 67a: Afternoon services (TEA SETS). Fooled me for a few, as I was trying to think of religious services (e.g., MATINS or VESPERS). I think there is an afternoon one, but I can't recall what it is.


• 68a: Grapefruit League city (ST PETE). Okay, so what part of this clue indicates that we should be expecting a short form of St Petersburg, Florida? I got it okay, but it grates a little.


• 2d: Really long (ASPIRE). Clever, but you long FOR and you aspire TO, don't you?



• 3d: Like Jaime Sommers (BIONIC). Very good.


• 4d: Balder parent (ODIN). Cute. Maybe a little too easy in such close proximity to the Norse Gods puzzle.


• 5d: Spicy sauce with chocolate (MOLE). Mmmm... mole poblano sauce is one my favorite Mexican flavors.


• 9d: ___-les-Bains, France (EVIAN).


• 11d: Shakespeare title character (CRESSIDA).


• 12d: "Pardon me" elicitor (HIC). I'm just glad this was a three-letter fill and not a four. That's all I'm saying.


• 27d: Ottoman Empire officer (AGA). Standard puzzle fare.



• 30d: Super duper? (LIAR). Very good clue.


• 34d: Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year between Jordan and Shula (ASHE). I can't imagine we're supposed to know things like this off the top, but it certainly makes sense once you get a few crossings.


• 35d: Fünf fifth (EINS). One-fifth of five is one.


• 38d: Suspense novelist Gardner (LISA). I went with ERLE, as I'm sure they expected me to. Slowed down this section quite a bit.


• 44d: McGregor of "Scenes of a Sexual Nature" (EWAN). Everything after McGregor is superfluous, but I'm intrigued. Anyone seen this one?


• 49d: Squelch (STIFLE). Would have loved an "All in the Family" clue here. Even if you don't follow any of the other links, watch this one. It's one of the best Edith scenes ever.




• 50d: Shakespeare title character (HAMLET).


• 53d: Roxanne's boss on "L.A. Law" (ARNIE). I was surprisingly able to recall this, and it's been years since I've seen that show. The mind is a strange thing.



• 55d: BBQ waitress's rack (RIBS). Fantastic clue.


• 56d: Shakes' peers? (MALTS). Nothing like a good chocolate malted on a hot summer's eve.


• 59d: 10/15, e.g. (IDES). As in, October 15.


• 60d: Spotted dog ingredient (SUET). I'm sure I've seen this one before, because I knew it was right after I figured it out from the crossings.

Suns of Bitches:

• 14a: St. ___ of Seville (Spanish encyclopedist) (ISIDORE).


• 21a: Christina's dad (ARI). Christina who? I'm too lazy to look this up. Actually, I just don't care. Christina is too common a name to use as this type of clue.


• 22a: Cyrillic alphabet letter (TSE). Sorry, not up on my Cyrillic.


• 28d: Tony-winning playwright Yasmina (REZA). No clue.

I mostly really liked this puzzle, despite the handful of clues that seemed a bit stretchy and the few names that seemed a bit obscure. None of the tough clues crossed, so the puzzle was eminently fair, and the great fill and nice clues were enough to compensate. It's also one of the best examples of a New York Sun mini-theme (two long, related or complementary clues in a Themeless Thursday) that I've ever seen. Good job.

Thanks for listening.

- Pete M.

Thursday, August 21st 2008

Salutations, Sun solvers! It's your old pal Norrin2, the Green Genius, putting down the shuffleboard cue and my gin-and-Geritol to briefly unretire from crossword blogging.

Man, I can't believe I used to do this five days a week. It's a heck of a lot of work, and Pete M deserves a big pat on the back for putting in the effort every day. (Whether or not he might also deserve a swift kick where the Sun don't shine for letting me guest blog remains to be seen.)

Let's get on with it, shall we?

Title: Dressed to the Nines

Author: Tony Orbach
Theme: Common phrases modified by the inclusion of the Roman numeral 9 (IX)

18A: Orchard Sprites? (APPLE PIXIES)

24A: Sound editor's '80s TV gig? (MIXING DYNASTY)

40A: Animation company's quality control goal? (PIXAR EXCELLENCE) I would say that this goal has been met. I've seen all of the Pixar films and they are all great.

53A: Skipped a trip to Belgium? (NIXED FLANDERS) Flanders is the land of the Flemish (You didn't think they were from Phlegmland, did you?) as such is not only in Belgium, but also in France and the Netherlands. It was the site of some horrific war battles (what other kind of war battles are there?) and was the setting of the most famous poem to come out of that conflict:

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved, and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

63A: Frank fellow who tilts at windmills? (OPEN QUIXOTE)

I have to admit since I retired from daily crossword blogging I don't do the puzzle every day, and I've kind of gotten off Peter Gordon and company's wave length. So it took me a while to get into the swing of things. Music was what allowed me to get a foot in the door. I may not know my Sudanese supermodels or my Saudi Arabian billionaires, but I know about Johnny's golden fiddle: 69A: "The _____ Went Down to Georgia" (1979 Charlie Daniels hit) (DEVIL) and I know that rust never sleeps: 11D: "Hey, Hey, My My" singer (NEIL YOUNG) who also had a song called "My My, Hey Hey," and no, I'm not kidding. After a few dead ends on EVERLY and WINTER, I also knew 7D: Surname of brothers in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (ISLEY) and I speak the language of love so I knew 43D: "___ Means I Love You (1968 Delfonics hit) (LA LA). BTW, this song is featured prominently in one of those movies I love that everyone else hates.

Maybe it's just because I know Tony Orbach is not just a cruciverbalist but also a musician (a modern day Renaissance man -- is that an oxymoron?) but it does seem as though his puzzles always feature a lot of musical clues. Also in this puzzle: 1D: Shabbat song (PSALM) 2D: Dizzy Gillespie's faith (BAHAI) and 61A: Big ___ (Andre 3000's Outkast partner) (BOI) and 50D: Musical with the song "All the Dearly Beloved" (I DO I DO)

Sunny Spots:
71A: Piece of Lamb or Bacon (ESSAY) Francis Bacon is probably best known these days as one of the possible playwrights that elitist snobs who can't believe that a poor boy like Bill Shakespeare wrote some magnificent plays put forth as the real author of said works. Too bad, he was quite an essayist. Here he is on the subject of children: "The joys of parents are secret; and so are their griefs and fears. They cannot utter the one; nor they will not utter the other. Children sweeten labors; but they make misfortunes more bitter. They increase the cares of life; but they mitigate the remembrance of death. " He also coined the phrase "Knowledge is power" but it wasn't always true in his case. He had an idea that you could use snow to preserve meat and he died of a case of pnuemonia he contracted while trying to freeze a chicken.

62A: Character in "The Return of Jafar" (GENIE) Hey, say what you want about kids, Sir Francis, but mine's video watching habits ensured that I had no problem with this clue.

29A: Lucky tip (ASH) Wow, do they still make Lucky Strike cigarettes? Hang on a sec, while I Google that. Yep, according to Wikipedia: "Lucky Strikes currently have a small but very loyal base of smokers." (Small, and getting smaller, no doubt. That's what happens when you kill your customers.) The only reason I know anything about LSMFT is because I am a big fan of old-time radio and Lucky Strike was the sponsor of Jack Benny's radio show.

27D: "A Giraffe and a Half" author Silverstein. (SHEL) It's always good to see Shel Silverstein in the puzzle. Another Renaissance man, Silverstein gave us "The Giving Tree" "A Boy Named Sue" and plenty of great cartoons like this:

Sundries:

55D: Pulitzer-winning Bernard Malamud novel, with "the" (FIXER) I've never read this one, but I've read Malamud's "The Natural" and I can tell you that is one of the few instances where the movie is not only better than the book, it's a heck of a lot better. Terrible book, great movie IMOH.

(And speaking of baseball) 12D: First of three Mets to hit a lead-off home run in a World Series Game 3 (AGEE) Even if you know nothing about baseball you know the answer starts with an A. Four letter baseball name? Got to be either AGEE or ALOU.

60D: "House co-star (EPPS) No, that I'm no longer a full-time crossword blogger I've been catching up on my TV viewing -- I love House. (Can you believe they killed Amber off on the season finale?)

45A: Loss leader? (AT A) I was thinking ELL

3D: Women's undergarment brand (SPANX) I was not familiar with this line of slimming unmentionables, but they evidently carry a full line, including "power panties."

33D: Church recess (APSE) One of these days I'm going to learn the difference between anave and an apse.

Suns of Bitches:

Actually the only thing I considered to be a real son of a B-word was where 9A: Billionaire Khashoggi whose luxury yacht was bought by Donald Trump (ADNAN) crossed 10D: Utterance (DIXIT). There were -- as we shall see -- other words I didn't know but this was the only place where words I didn't know crossed each other. DIXIT? What the heck is a dixit? Or is this another themed entry and it's actually DIT? I don't know. And if I was a billionaire the first thing I'd do is change my name to something less monstrous than KASHOGGI.

51A: Merry, to a Euskara speaker (ALAI) Wow, I guess he didn't want to go the JAI ___ route, but Euskara?

33A: Sudanese supermodel Wek (ALEK) Never heard of her. (him?)

23A: Marquises, e.g. (ILES) I thought they were like French dukes or earls or dukes of earl.

19D: What some whistles lack (PEAS). I remember from crossword blogging back in the day that there were times when I just had to say "I don't get it." It was always embarrassing because as soon as it was explained to me I was smacking myself in the head like the most rueful V-8 drinker. But I have to admit -- I don't get it.

That's about all I have time for. By the way, I still blog, just not all crosswords all the time. One of the things I discuss is my autograph collection. Here's one of my favorites:

Thanks for listening. Thanks Pete M. for this forum. It's been fun but if I can just find my sandals and black socks I'm heading back to crossword blog retirement land -- well, right after a quick stop at Denny's for the early bird special.
Robert Loy AKA Norrin2

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Title: Tucked In
Author: Tony Orbach

Theme: Take a common multi-word phrase and change the first word by adding "B" at the front and "ED" at the end (i.e., "tucking" it into "BED"), resulting in a new phrase, as follows:

• Lend a hand => BLENDED A HAND (20a: Mixed up some cards?)


• (News anchor) Ann Curry => BANNED CURRY (29a: Made a harsh restaurant decree in India?)


• Last chance => BLASTED CHANCE (36a: Vigorously criticized old-time Cubs great Frank?). I would have loved to have seen "Scathed" show up in the clue here instead of "vigorously criticized", wouldn't you? For those unfamiliar with Chance, let's go to Wikipedia:

  "Baseball's Sad Lexicon", also known as Tinker to Evers to Chance after its refrain, is a 1910 baseball poem by Franklin Pierce Adams. The poem is presented as a single, rueful stanza from the point of view of a New York Giants fan seeing the talented Chicago Cubs infield of shortstop Joe Tinker, second baseman Johnny Evers, and first baseman Frank Chance complete a double play.

  
  

• Egg white => BEGGED WHITE (Beseeched a TV game show hostess?), referring, of course to Vanna White of "Wheel of Fortune" fame.


• Oil change => BOILED CHANGE (54a: Disinfected coins?)

This is a cute theme, tied together nicely by the title.

Sunny Spots:

This puzzle runs heavy on food, which we love here, and baseball, which is okay as well, though it might irritate the people who think modern sports are taking over our crossword puzzles. Let's start with food. Besides the theme references to curry and egg white, we have:

• OREO (16a: Crumbled ice cream topping)


• TOFU (58a: Meatless hot dog ingredient)
, with an implicit baseball tie-in for hot dog.

• REESES (49d: Maker of the Whipps candy bar)


• BBQ (41d: Labor Day party, for short). Sure, it's clued as a party, but it's still food to me. Mmmm... Barbecue...


• DOLE (5d: Del Monte rival). Need some healthy fruit to go with the TOFU and balance out all this junk food.


• CROC (25d: Outback steak source, for short). Now, I wouldn't have thought to lump this into the food category if it hadn't been clued this way, but... there you go.

And baseball clues besides CHANCE, above, include:

• BEAN (41a: Hit on the head with a pitch). It's a food and a baseball term! Actually, there's no scarier thing in baseball than when someone gets hit in the head with a ball. Your team, my team, it doesn't matter. When that batter drops to the ground like a ton of bricks, everybody watching just holds their breath and prays.


• AGEE (65a: Only outfielder besides Winfield to win Gold Gloves in both leagues in the 1900s). Tommie Agee played in the 1960s to early 70s. As a former Met, he maintained a presence in the New York area after retirement and thus is fair game for a NY-centric puzzle, I suppose. I got it from the crossings.


• BUNT (54d: It cannot result in the invocation of the infield fly rule ). I love the infield fly rule; it's one of those great baseball rules that people who don't know baseball just shake their heads at (like I do when a Brit or Indian national tries to explain cricket to me). I'll spare you posting the rule here, but believe me, it creates quite the ruckus the first time an umpire calls it during a Little League game.

Other bright spots:

• 2d: Creed in the Best Picture of 1976 (APOLLO). Reference, of course, to "Rocky".


• 18a: Chow line?(LEASH). Food indirection.



• 63a: Severus Snape portrayer Rickman (ALAN)


• 68a: A good bit of razzle-dazzle? (ZEES)
. Another one for the "it's-the-letter-itself" tag.

• 1d: Driveling dullard (GASBAG).


• 3d: Freak (LOSE IT). Nice noun/verb diversion.


• 6d: Hit to a tee from the tee of. Meaning hit the ball perfectly from the tee of (a par 3 golf hole) == got a hole-in-one (ACED).


• 27d: Duvall film role of 1980 (OYL). That's Shelley, not Robert! Nice clue.


• 37d: Determines who gets to break in pool (LAGS). Love the pool clues. (<== Potential theme alert!)


• 39d: Rough house (HUT)

• 46d: Slug (WALLOP). I love "slug" as a verb. And both slug and wallop remind me of Peanuts cartoons ("I oughta slug you!").


• 57d: Decent (CLAD). As in, "Are you decent?"



• 56d: Boggle pieces (DICE). Boggle is a great game for word lovers; we used to play this a lot. I was thinking there was a Harry Potter connection here, but that's a boggart.

Sundries:

• 17a: "Scarface" drug lord. (SOSA). One more baseball reference probably would have scuttled this baby.


• 19a: Zapzyt target (ACNE). Didn't know it, but it's not hard to figure.


• 34a: Pope from 440 to 461 (ST LEO). I much prefer these clues to the reverse (year-of-the-pope) type. And in Crosswordland, 99% of the popes are named PIUS or LEO.


• 42a: Throat "punching bag" (UVULA). Uvula is just a great word.


• 52a: Carpenter's tool (PLANE). Quick raise of hands for everyone who wrote in _EVEL and then checked to see whether "B" or "L" fit the crossing.


• 66a: Having the highest queue rating? (NEXT). I like this clue, and the play on I.Q. (Reader Dan points out that this is more likely a play on "Q rating". Thanks, Dan.


• 4d: Seat-of-the-pants decision? (SPANK). Ah, nothing like a little corporal punishment to spice up a Wednesday puzzle. Especially in fairly close proximity to


• 8d: Behind (TUSHIE)


• 7d: Indiana-based sports org. (NCAA).


• 10d: Surname of literary characters Noah, Tom, Al, Rosasharn, Ruthie, and Winfield (JOAD). From Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath".


• 11d: Story ___ (fiction writer's concern) (ARC). I think this is the third time I've seen ARC clued with this meaning in the past week or so.


• 12d: Koan poser's sect (ZEN)


• 13d: "From Aaron to ___" (name book). (ZOE). You knew it was going to start with "Z" anyway.


• 21d: Chits, in effect (DEBTS). I started with DEBIT/PIUS I, instead of DEBTS/ST LEO.


• 32d: "Ya think?!" (NO DUH!)


• 33d: David Robinson's alma mater: Abbr. (USNA). San Antonio had to wait two years after Robinson graduated Naval Academy to get him on the team. Now I've spent one of the most uncomfortable nights in my life on a battleship before (with a bunch of Cub Scouts), and I'm only 6'3"; I can't imagine how Robinson survived at 7'1".


• 40d: Kitah ___ (first grade, in Hebrew) (ALEPH). Makes sense.



• 44d: "After the Heat" musician (Brian ENO)


• 48d: Director of "The Ice Storm" (ANG LEE). Nice to see his full name for a change.


• 53d: Capital of Baja California Sur (LA PAZ)

Suns of Bitches:

A few toughies for me, that haven't already been mentioned:

• 10a: "Le ___ Hot" ("Victor/Victoria" song) (JAZZ)


• 64a: Opera with the aria "E lucevan le stelle" (TOSCA). These clues for me are basically "Name an opera". Luckily, I had _OSC_, which made it a pretty easy fill.


• 67a: Nickname of Felix and Oscar's poker buddy Homer Deegan (SPEED). I haven't seen "The Odd Couple" in a long long time, so I had to resort to crosses here; couldn't dredge up the name.


• 9d: West German chancellor after Adenauer (ERHARD).

All in all, an enjoyable puzzle. Perhaps a little heavy on the sports references, but fine by me.

Thanks for listening.

- Pete M.