Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Title: Cross References
Author: Peter J. Wentz
Theme: Four clues that cyclically refer to each other, as follows:

• 17a: What 25-Across has (FIVE VOWELS).


• 25a: What 43-Across has (NINE CONSONANTS).


• 43a: What 57-Across has (THREE SYLLABLES).


• 57a: What 17-Across has (TEN LETTERS).

Ok, that's kind of cool. Doesn't blow me away, but it's a decent enough midweek theme. The thing about this kind of "technical" theme, is that now you really have to spice up the surrounding fill or else the whole puzzle can feel a little, well... technical. So, let's see what we have.

Sunny Spots:

• 21a: "How fancy!" (OOH LA LA). Somehow, this phrase makes me think of French maids. Not that there's anything wrong with that.


• 49a: Fool (AIRHEAD). I'd have preferred ditz to fool, but okay.


• 60a: With 7-Down, words on 1950s buttons (I LIKE / IKE). Nice nostalgic combination entry.


• 9d: Balkan Peninsula hot spot (KOSOVO). Topical, and with great Scrabbly letters.


• 45d: Drake's cakes (YODELS). Yodels, Ho-hos, Swiss Rolls -- they're all about the same and they're all good.

Sundries:

• 1a: Like a cream puff (WEAK). We'll give them credit for the food metaphor; goes well with the Yodels, above.


• 5a: Move furtively (SLINK). So, if you want to be furtive, make sure you wear a slinky outfit.


• 10a: Response to a come-on, maybe (SLAP). Ouch! Okay, I take back the slinky outfit comment.


• 15a: "Godzilla" setting (TOKYO). Gimme. But decent clue.


• 16a: Marilu Henner sitcom (TAXI). Not bad.


• 19a: Expectant times (EVES).


• 20a: Stressful type? (ITALICS). I feel like the italics clues are getting a little stale; we need a new angle on these.


• 23a: Press coverage (INK).


• 24a: Smith's block (ANVIL). To go with yesterday's SMITHIES.



• 31a: Pioneering video game (PONG). Remember it well. Space Invaders was the real breakthrough game, though. Then Asteroids.


• 41a: Cherokee, e.g. (SUV). Sport Utility Vehicle, by Jeep.


• 48a: Synchronous start? (GEO). Cryptic clue.


• 52a: Tourist's aid (AREA MAP).


• 56a: Patrick Ewing was one as a collegian (HOYA). Nice one, but again, it seems like we've been seeing the same words over and over lately.


• 62a: Soak up some rays (BASK). I like the word bask. Basking in glory is even better than basking in the sun.


• 63a: Cable channel since 1979 (C-SPAN). Name a cable channel that fits.


• 1d: Internet café convenience (WI-FI). Cool. Modern.


• 4d: Capsizing, with "over" (KEELING). Any term derived from sailing is okay by me. My all-time favorite is "three sheets to the wind", which I personally feel is one of the most awesomely descriptive phrases ever. If you've ever sailed, you may recall that the line that controls the mainsail is called the sheet. If you let go of the sheet, you lose all control of the sail as the wind just flaps it wherever. You've lost your sheet "to the wind". Now, picture a three-masted schooner with all three sheets to the wind, and you've got yourself a pretty vivid image.


• 5d: Daytona 500 vehicle (STOCK CAR). I'm sure driving around in circles really fast would be an absolute blast, but it's insanely boring to watch.


• 10d: Topnotch (STELLAR).


• 11d: Soap brand that contains pumice (LAVA).



• 12d: Spinning leap (AXEL). AXEL is the skating jump, AXLE is on a car, AXIL is the angle of a plant leaf or branch, and AXL was the lead singer of Guns 'N Roses.


• 13d: Tuscan city (PISA).


• 18d: Liana, for example (VINE). I never even saw this clue. I've never heard of Liana, but it wouldn't have been hard to figure out.


• 22d: Female deer (HINDS). I guess I've heard this before. Probably in puzzles.


• 26d: Rack up (INCUR). As in debt.


• 28d: Like many checking accounts (NO FEE).


• 29d: Nickelodeon offerings (TOONS).


• 35d: Gift after golden rings (GEESE). From the "Twelve Days of Christmas" -- six geese-a-laying.


• 37d: Daniel Craig's "Casino Royale" costar (EVA GREEN). I should have remembered this, but I needed several crossings.


• 40d: Qwest Field player (SEAHAWK). Seattle football.


• 41d: Camera with a WYSIWYG viewfinder (SLR). Single-lens reflex.


• 44d: Lacking vitality (STATIC). I had __A_I_ and went with PLACID. I like my answer better.


• 46d: Biennial vegetable (BEET).


• 49d: Literary character whose last words are "Thus, I give up the spear!" (AHAB).


• 54d: Sheik, e.g. (ARAB).


• 50d: College in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (IONA). I've heard of them through NCAA basketball pools.


• 51d: Some loaves (RYES). You know we like food here, but we're getting a little too much RYE of late.


• 52d: ___-Mints (Tums rival) (ALKA).


• 55d: Sibilant summons (PSST). I like the word sibilant (having a hissing sound), but PSST again? Are you kidding me?


• 58d: Small drink (NIP). Had SIP to start.

Suns of Bitches:

• 47a: Tango composer Piazzolla (ASTOR). New one on me, though I can't say I listen to that many tangos.


• 3d: 1982 Peace co-Nobelist Myrdal (ALVA). The only ALVA I know is Thomas Alva Edison.


• 25d: Ravi's daughter (NORAH). Who's Ravi?


• 36d: Winner of "Survivor: Cook Islands" (YUL). Yul Brynner was on "Survivor"? Cool.

Compared to yesterday, this fill was pretty boring. The theme was okay, and there was nothing fatally wrong with the puzzle. But it could have used a little more pizzazz in the fill.

Thanks for listening.

- Pete M.

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Title: Extra Points
Author: Jim Hyres
Theme: Four phrases each have one of the compass points (N, S, E, and W) inserted to make a new phrase. The compass points are positioned appropriately in the grid, which also features a cross in the center making it look more "compass-like". In case you didn't notice, the grid is also symmetric along both diagonals, which means it has the same pattern no matter how you rotate it.

Here are the theme answers:

• In the north: Net assets + N = NET ASSENTS (17a: Nods from a New Jersey hoopster?). Not bad.


• In the south: Peter Nero + S = PESTER NERO (57a: Badger a Roman emperor?). This was pretty easy even not knowing who Peter Nero is. Turns out he's a pianist and conductor, currently with the Philly Pops. But you probably already knew that.


• In the east: Panama hat + E = PANAMA HEAT (11d: Canal cops?). My favorite of the theme answers.


• In the west: Panhandle + W = PAWNHANDLE (28d: Make an en passant move?). En passant is a chess move. A pawn can, on its first move, go forward one or two spaces. If it moves two spaces to land directly beside an opposing pawn, that opposing pawn can, on its next turn only, capture it as if it had only moved one square (pawns attack diagonally forward). This capture is called en passant (in passing).

This is a cool theme for a Tuesday. I'm a sucker for nice symmetry, so I liked this grid layout a lot. But what really struck me was how enjoyable the rest of the fill was, especially for an early-week puzzle. Let's check it out.

Sunny Spots:

• 16a: Bruce Lee TV role (KATO). Bruce Lee once said that he was selected for this role in "The Green Hornet" because he was the only Asian actor who could correctly pronounce "Britt Reid". I had a brain short-circuit and entered KANE at first but that, of course, was David Carradine.


• 20a: Hiker's snack (TRAIL MIX). I was expecting the answer to be GORP, but TRAIL MIX is just as good, with an X to boot.


• 25a: Red state declaration? (I'M MAD). Nice political diversion here.


• 29a: Plant containers (TERRARIA). For the number of common letters in this word, you'd think you'd see it more often in puzzles, but I can't recall seeing it all recently.


• 33a: Wreck (SMASH UP). As opposed to BANG-UP, which can mean excellent (or impregnate). Language can be so cool.


• 36a: Boy in "The Jungle Book" (MOWGLI). The Disney version of this was one of the most-watched videos in our household when the kids were young, so this was a no-brainer for me. And it's such a great-looking fill.


• 50a: Line dances with kicking (CONGAS). Stay away from these; they're dangerous.


• 52a: Childhood home of Jesus (NAZARETH). Great fill. Me, I would have gone a different direction with the clue, but it's all good.


• 6d: "What nerve!" (THE IDEA). Cool, if outdated, exclamation.


• 10d: Tussle (SKIRMISH). Skirmish feels a little more severe to me than tussle, as it tends to imply the use of weaponry, whereas tussle tends to imply grappling. But they're both great words.


• 18d: Forgers' workplaces (SMITHIES). I have a copy of Goya's "The Forge" hanging in my living room that my great-grandfather painted years ago, so I love this clue.


• 22d: Software seller's concern (PIRACY). Easy, but colorful.


• 26d: Malt beverage whose name means "winter" in Russian (ZIMA). I've never tried Zima. Can anyone offer an opinion on its merits? Still, it's a great fill word.


• 30d: Pay down (AMORTIZE). Is this a tough word for a Tuesday? I didn't think so, but my dad's a CPA.


• 37d: Happenings (GOINGS ON). Very nice.


• 46d: Computer class setting (PC LAB). Not many words start with PCL-, so this kind of fill is always great to see.

Sundries:

• 1a: Cummerbund's spot (WAIST). Another good prom/wedding season clue.


• 6a: Happy hour exclamation, perhaps (TGIF). Do people actually exclaim "T.G.I.F."? Are these the same people who say "How about this heat?"?


• 10a: Hand measurement (SPAN). My left hand can span an octave plus 3 notes on a standard piano. This is a pretty discordant sound (an 11th), but I can hit 10ths with comfort, which are nice in jazz.


• 14a: Show rage onstage, say (EMOTE). EMOTE is approaching serious-overuse status. It is showing up an awful lot lately.


• 15a: "Alice Doesn't Live ___ Anymore" (HERE). What a great way to spice up a boring fill word. This was the Martin Scorsese movie on which the TV show "Alice" was based. It's been awhile, but I seem to recall that the language in the movie was much harsher than "Kiss my grits!". I also recall that the movie was pretty good, but it was a long time ago. I'll have to go rent it soon.


• 19a: About (IN RE). Don't confuse this with INRI, which is the inscription on the cross on which Jesus was crucified. Both appear quite frequently in puzzles.


• 23a: Stabler, once (RAIDER). Ken Stabler quarterbacked the Oakland Raiders through-out the 1970s.


• 38a: Earth tones (OCHERS). This color can be spelled OCHER or OCHRE, so watch out for it both ways.


• 39a: Got to (ANNOYED). Good clue.


• 41a: Jimmy (PRY). Ditto.


• 42a: Simpleton (ASS). I don't like this clue. You can be a simpleton without being an ass and vice versa. Who you are may make you a simpleton, but it's your behavior that makes you an ass. Two different things in my book.


• 43a: Greeted as a villain (HISSED AT). Nice.


• 45a: French political division (ÉTAT). French for state. This shows up a lot.


• 48a: Former Toyota model (CELICA). Of all the former car models, this one seems to show up more than I'd expect. I think it's because the letter C can be particularly difficult to cross.


• 59a: Folkie Guthrie (ARLO). Hey, we have an "Alice" mini-theme going here. I won't post the link to "Alice's Restaurant"; you can find it if you want, or just wait until Thanksgiving when fifteen different radio stations play it around throughout the day.


• 60a: Duel tool (EPÉE). Ah, yes, the ubiquitous epée. It should be your first instinct if the clue mentions duel, fence, olympics, sword, or blade.


• 63a: Part of VFW (WARS). Veterans of Foreign Wars. I'm tempted to give this one a "bridge" tag, since so many club games and tournaments are held in VFW halls.


• 1d: Sold (WENT). As in, it WENT for $20.


• 5d: Edison rival (TESLA). Also an 80s hair band.


• 7d: Boomer's kid (GEN-XER). This one's starting to stale a bit from overuse, but it's still decent fill.


• 8d: NYC subway line (IRT). If you're not from NYC, which I'm not, then just remember this one. Because you're going to see it again and again. If it'll help, it stands for Interborough Rapid Transit.


• 9d: Come clean, with "up" (FESS). Fess up is a great phrase. It's also a great name.


• 12d: Courtyards (ATRIA).


• 13d: Very much (NO END).


• 24d: Monopoly quartet: Abbr. (RRS). Railroads: Short Line, Pennsylvania, B&O, and Reading.


• 27d: ___ maiden (torture device) (IRON). Another heavy metal/hair band reference. I visited the torture chamber in Warwick Castle, England, and let me tell you, the human race can be pretty sick and twisted.


• 32d: Actress Milano of "Charmed" (ALYSSA).


• 34d: Bear in the night sky (URSA). Constellation reference.


• 35d: "Yo!" alternative (PSST). (whispering) Psst. I'm getting tired of seeing psst in my puzzles. This is like the third or fourth time in the last week or so.


• 41d: Parts of mouths (PALATES).


• 44d: More difficult to get through to (DENSER). More like a simpleton, but not necessarily an ass.


• 45d: One bringing home the bacon (EARNER).


• 47d: Department in France's Rhône-Alpes region (LOIRE). It's a river and it's a valley, so it's no stretch to assume it could be a department also.


• 49d: Gave a hoot (CARED). Nice clue.


• 51d: Shoot forth (SPEW). This one can be almost too colorful. I'll leave it at that.


• 53d: Architect Saarinen (EERO). Just remember this; it's never going away.


• 54d: Fall preceder? (TRIP). Cute. Sort of.


• 58d: Gp. concerned about emissions (EPA). Environmental Protection Agency.

Suns of Bitches:

• 31a: "Beyond the Dream" author Berkow (IRA). Should I know this? Well, I didn't.

All in all, a very enjoyable Tuesday.

Thanks for listening.

- Pete M.

Monday, June 2, 2008

Title: Feathered Friends
Author: Michael Wiesenberg
Theme: Last names that are also kinds of birds.

• 17a: Member of a '70s TV family (LAURIE PARTRIDGE). Yep, Susan Dey was pretty cute back then.


• 27a: Comedian who had a hit with "King Tut" (STEVE MARTIN). Of all the hilarious bits Steve Martin has done, "King Tut" was not one of his best, IMO. Yes, it got radio play, but still. Actually my favorite line off that same album (and yes, I mean album -- I have it on actual vinyl) is when he's bragging about being a expert in language. "Let's face it, some people have a way with words. Others... oh, ah... not have way, I guess." Still cracks me up.


• 43a: Captain of the Black Pearl (JACK SPARROW). The Sparrow returns; last week in a clue for Johnny DEPP, this time in the fill itself.


• 55a: Architect of St. Paul's Cathedral (CHRISTOPHER WREN).

Nice, simple theme for a Monday. Two fictional characters, two real people -- nice balance. Three from show-biz, one from architecture -- not so balanced. But not a real problem. And we'll give you the benefit of the doubt for reminding us what Susan Dey looked like when she was younger.

Sunny Spots:

• 1a: Costume (GETUP). As in, "That's quite a getup you're wearing, Carmen."


• 39a: ___ pit (rock concert area) (MOSH). Moshing is generally associated with heavy metal, punk, and hard alternative music, which I guess is "rock" in the broad sense. I wouldn't expect to see much moshing at, say, a Pink Floyd show. But it's a nice word.


• 3d: Baseless, as charges (TRUMPED UP). Nice phrase, plus we'll give it the "bridge" tag for using the word TRUMP.


• 9d: What an ace on a deuce might result in? (SET POINT). What a beautiful diversion from cards to tennis! I'm also just dyslexic enough (which is not an advantage doing puzzles, btw) to have read this STEP ON IT when I looked back at the puzzle. Oh no, I'm channeling Merl Reagle... :)


• 38d: Almond-flavored Italian liqueur (AMARETTO). A little sweet for my taste now, but I can remember a summer when I was younger that I used to drink Amaretto sours. Today, give me a single-malt Islay scotch or a nice Añejo tequila.

Sundries:

• 14a: Gillette razors (ATRAS). If I ever have to name some brand, I'm going to make sure it starts and ends with a vowel; it will be immortal (at least to crossword solvers).


• 15a: Storybook baddie (OGRE). What's with the word baddie? I'm trying to think if I've ever heard it used outside of crossword clues... can't think of any such usage. I'm getting tired of it; what's wrong with villain or antagonist, or even just bad guy?


• 16a: Maker of Touch of Sun skin products (OLAY). Not familiar with the product, but Olay is common enough.


• 21a: Crossed (out) (XED).


• 22a: Dangers (PERILS).


• 23a: Law firm assistant, for short (PARA). Short for paralegal.


• 26a: "Evidently" (SO I SEE).


• 37a: Disparaging remark (SLUR).


• 38a: Facing the pitcher (AT BAT).


• 42a: Sleaze (LOUSE).


• 45a: Toiling (AT WORK). I know a lot of people at work who aren't toiling. Or moiling either.


• 48a: "Yeah, right" (I BET).


• 49a: It lost out to "Spirited Away" for Best Animated Feature of 2002 (ICE AGE). I never did get around to seeing this, and I need to because Denis Leary does one of the voices and I'm a big fan.


• 50a: Alley-___ (basketball play) (OOP). Here's a clip of some classic alley-oops.


• 52a: "Arli$$" network (HBO). I never even saw this clue when I was solving.


• 59a: Chief (BOSS).


• 60a: Nats or Nets, e.g. (TEAM).


• 62a: ___ & Chandon (champagne brand) (MOET). You know you're getting a link to this Queen song, don't you?


• 63a: Airport near Paris (ORLY).


• 64a: Cut the grass (MOWED). Past tense of cut; be on the lookout for these.


• 1d: Strong wind (GALE). Also, Dorothy's last name in "The Wizard of Oz".


• 2d: Bibliographer's abbr. (ET AL).


• 4d: Former Egypt-Syr. alliance (UAR). United Arab Republic. I'm going to help you out here: The republic was replaced; the emirates still exist. If it says former (or mentions Egypt or Syria) it's the UAR. If it says (or implies) current (or says it's on the Persian Gulf or bordering Oman or Saudi Arabia) it's the UAE.


• 7d: Dated oath (EGAD). At least it admits it's dated.


• 8d: Watchdog warning (GRR).


• 10d: Dark films (NOIRS).


• 11d: Peter and Gordon song, e.g. (OLDIE). I'd like to know whether this clue was Michael's or Peter's. Either way, it's pretty cute.


• 12d: Symbol of the U.S. Postal Service (EAGLE).


• 13d: Soapmaking solutions (LYES). The first rule of fight club is, you don't talk about fight club...


• 18d: Midyear, e.g. (EXAM). It's a testament to how far removed I am from school that this was not immediately obvious to me.


• 19d: Free ___ (unhampered liberty) (REIN).


• 24d: Head off (AVERT).


• 26d: Prized violins, for short (STRADS). There's something pretentious about having a shortened nickname for an instrument that can cost millions of dollars. It's like calling your Lamborghini a "lamb", or your $20 million-dollar lake estate "the cottage", or a priceless Fabergé egg my "fab". Like it's just some little trinket you picked up with some spare pocket change. It's an unreproducible work of art! Call it a Stradivarius.


• 27d: Talk back to (SASS). Sass and sassy show up a lot, but they're cool words.


• 28d: Mah-jongg piece (TILE).


• 29d: "___ of the Killer Tomatoes!" (ATTACK). Funny, my first instinct was RETURN.


• 30d: Inventor of a rotatable cube (RUBIK).


• 33d: Love, in Livorno (AMORE).


• 34d: D, on a theater ticket (FOURTH ROW). Nice clue to bring in a potentially awkwardly-clued fill.


• 35d: Petro-Canada rival (ESSO). Esso could go bankrupt tomorrow, and we'd still be seeing it in puzzles for the next 50 years.


• 36d: "That's a relief!" (WHEW). I had PHEW to start. I think I've done this before.


• 44d: Puff piece? (PIPE). Cute.


• 45d: It might prompt a "Gesundheit!" (ACHOO).


• 46d: Like headlines (TERSE).


• 49d: Long-range nuke (ICBM). Intercontinental ballistic missile. This was in the puzzle that Bill Clinton (and others) did in "Wordplay".


• 50d: October's birthstone (OPAL). I don't know my birthstones, but I do know that in a crossword it's probably OPAL or ONYX.


• 51d: "Heavens!" (OH MY). Lions and tigers and bears... Oh my! It's almost a mini-theme.


• 53d: Nota ___ (note well) (BENE). This is common crossword fill; if you don't know it, learn it.


• 54d: Like a line, to a math student (ONE-D). I've given up my objection to these. ONED, TWOD, THREED, FOURD, bring 'em on. In fact, I want to see SIXD in a puzzle -- how would you clue that one?


• 58d: "Tommy" rockers, with "the" (WHO). Great album, though not as good IMO as "Quadrophenia". Plus the clue evokes "The Tommyknockers", a Stephen King horror novel.

Suns of Bitches:

• None. Nor should there be on a Monday.

This was a solid Monday puzzle. Not too exciting, but not too bland either. It's hard to expect more from your Mondays.

Thanks for listening.

- Pete M.