SATURDAY, October 31, 2009—Samuel A. Donaldson

THEME: No theme today—This is a themeless Saturday puzzle, a.k.a. "freestyle" crossword

Happy Halloween! My costume is "very tired person staying up too late to blog about this puzzle, despite having had a very long and rainy day to be followed by a cold evening of wearing her feet out trick-or-treating." Super-easy to make. The accompanying yawns are what really sells it.

Okay. Puzzle time! Rich Norris wasn't kidding when he said the signs of moderate retoughenization wouldn't be evident before November. Once again, one of my fastest-ever themeless solving times here. I may have a memory lapse, but I think this is "Not that" Sam Donaldson's first published themeless.

I'm partial to grids with four quadrants of stacked, longish answers. This one's got just two such quadrants, but they have quad-stacked 9s rather than the standard triple-stacked fill. The puzzle combines lively and fresh words and phrases with a lot of ordinary fill, which stands in contrast to the Saturday NYT crossword, which had lots of uncommon but not exciting fill. Sure, TESTS and EMOTE are pretty boring words, but I'll take them over stilted or obscure words.

Here's most of the long stuff and the clues/answers I liked best:

• 1A: War and more (CARD GAMES). I didn't see that one coming. Even with GAMES in place, I was still thinking of actual war.
  
• 15A: Strain (OVEREXERT). I like the X, but wish it had been put to better use—the crossing is the partial AXE TO.
  
• 17A: Place with trays (CAFETERIA). Super-easy clue, no?
  
• 32A: Cosmetic surgeries (NOSE JOBS). Again, easy clue—but crispy crossword entry.
  
• 40A: Sherry, often (APERITIF). OK, this is my cue to look up this word, and probably not for the first time. Turning to the dictionary...aperient, "(chiefly of a drug) used to prevent constipation"...wait, just, a little further...here it is. Apéritif is from a French word which draws on the Latin aperire, "to open." You drink it before you eat to whet your appetite. You eat an appetizer for the same reason, purportedly, but the two ap— words are unrelated. Appetite stems from Latin words meaning "desire for/seek after." Not that anyone asked, but I think sherry is gross.
• Here's the nutty Star Wars zone. 47A: Film that's out of order? is a PREQUEL, while 13D: End of a pentamerous serial is PART V. If you're lucky, that is, PART V is the end of the series. Crazy George Lucas went for VI.
  
• 53A: Seeking advancement at any cost (ON THE MAKE). I almost went with ON THE TAKE, but TAKE has another home in this puzzle.
• 60A: Eastern Canadian province grouping, with "the" (MARITIMES). I'll bet the people near Canada's Pacific coast wish they could be called the Maritimes, too. The Maritime Provinces are Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island. How many of you have been to any of those? I've hit Ontario and British Columbia and that's it.
• 62A: Smithsonian collection (AMERICANA). Hey! I went to the National Museum of American History for my first time this summer. Here's some AMERICANA for you:
  
  
  
  That George Washington was a hottie, huh? Talk about your American beefcake.
  
  
• 4D: Cologne crowd? (DREI). "Two's company, but three's a crowd."
  
• 9D: Child actor's chauffeur? (STAGE MOM). Alternatively, a virtual mother who's going to the party alone is a STAG E-MOM.
  
• 10D: R.E.M. vocalist Michael (STIPE). Who's in the mood for "Man on the Moon"? How about with a little Bruce Springsteen for good measure?
  
  
  
  
• 11D: Tolerates teasing gracefully (TAKES A JOKE). See? This could also have been MAKES A JOKE, though that would be a fairly flat answer, and ON THE MAKE could've been ON THE TAKE. I find that the most of the time when someone says "Can't you take a joke?"—really, that person was being a jerk and the jokee should not be expected to "take a joke."
• 27D: Unwavering (FOUR-SQUARE). Not a term I use. Isn't "four square" also a playground game using a ball?
• 38D: One with immunity (DIPLOMAT). I blew my son's mind when I told him that people with diplomatic plates on their cars can probably get away with parking illegally.
  

As usual, we have several nominees for Crosswordese 101. There's 16A: Turkic inhabitant of Russia (TATAR), and there's 31D: Hairlike parts, such as those that help geckos cling to walls (SETAE). The latter's singular form is SETA, which can also be clued as a two-word partial (as in "___ date") if you're looking to avoid crosswordese. But I like me some rocks and minerals, so I bring you...

Crosswordese 101: MICA! Today it's clued as 55D: Flaky mineral and indeed, it's easy to break off sheets of mica. Talk about cleavage! Mica's got it in spades. Other popular clues for MICA include isinglass and easily split, shiny, or translucent mineral.

See you all here again on Wednesday. In the meantime, be kind to one another! Naughty children will be sent to their rooms without any Halloween candy.

Everything Else — 1A: War and more (CARD GAMES); 10A: R.E.M. vocalist Michael (STIPE); 15A: Strain (OVER-EXERT); 16A: Turkic inhabitant of Russia (TATAR); 17A: Place with trays (CAFETERIA); 18A: Director Kurosawa (AKIRA); 19A: Aide's job (ASSISTING); 20A: Doctor's orders (TESTS); 21A: Rolls on the lawn (SOD); 22A: Hard to nail down (ELUSIVE); 24A: Social blunder (GAFFE); 28A: Eritrea's capital (ASMARA); 30A: Ness et al. (ELIOTS); 32A: Cosmetic surgeries (NOSE JOBS); 36A: Vegan entrée (TOFU); 37A: Imported cheeses (EDAMS); 39A: Cajun pod (OKRA); 40A: Sherry, often (APERITIF); 42A: Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show costar (OAKLEY); 44A: Grab before someone else does (SNAP UP); 46A: It merged with Kmart in 2005 (SEARS); 47A: Film that's out of order? (PREQUEL); 50A: PC panic button (ESC); 52A: Mammal of Madagascar (LEMUR); 53A: Seeking advancement at any cost (ON THE MAKE); 59A: Take out __: borrow money (A LOAN); 60A: Eastern Canadian province grouping, with "the" (MARITIMES); 61A: Saltpeter, to a Brit (NITRE); 62A: Smithsonian collection (AMERICANA); 63A: Spirited horse (STEED); 64A: Nielsen ratings subjects (TELECASTS); 1D: Caesar's partner Imogene (COCA); 2D: Actress Gardner et al. (AVAS); 3D: Court call makers (REFS); 4D: Cologne crowd? (DREI); 5D: Prepares (GETS SET); 6D: Has an __ grind (AXE TO); 7D: Yucatán's capital (MERIDA); 8D: "__ Brockovich" (ERIN); 9D: Child actor's chauffeur? (STAGE MOM); 10D: Height (STATURE); 11D: Tolerates teasing gracefully (TAKES A JOKE); 12D: Formal answer to "Who's there?" (IT IS I); 13D: End of a pentamerous serial (PART V); 14D: TiVo option (ERASE); 23D: Will Rogers prop (LASSO); 24D: "__ grip!" (GET A); 25D: Crooked (ALOP); 26D: High wind (FIFE); 27D: Unwavering (FOUR-SQUARE); 29D: Messy situation (SNAFU); 31D: Hairlike parts, such as those that help geckos cling to walls (SETAE); 33D: St. with counties named Comanche and Choctaw (OKLA.); 34D: Uncle Remus's __ Fox (BRER); 35D: Speaks (SAYS); 38D: One with immunity (DIPLOMAT); 41D: Buried (INURNED); 43D: One leading a spartan lifestyle (ASCETIC); 45D: Marine bird (PETREL); 47D: Blueprints (PLANS); 48D: Ignited again (RELIT); 49D: Cry on cue, say (EMOTE); 51D: U.S.: county :: U.K. : __ (SHIRE); 54D: Moniker (NAME); 55D: Flaky mineral (MICA); 56D: Latin 101 verb (AMAS); 57D: Colleague of Lane and Olsen (KENT); 58D: Those, to Teresa (ESAS).

FRIDAY, Oct. 30, 2009 — Dan Naddor

THEME: West Love* — Qu- to W- sound changes at the beginnings of familiar phrases; wacky phrases + wacky "?" clues = everyone's a quinner!

*["West Love" because the puzzle shows love for the "W," which can stand for "West" ... and 'cause I love The Roots]

I believe my description of the Dan Naddor formula, expressed in my last write-up of a Dan Naddor puzzle, applies perfectly again today. Let's see if I can dig it up. Here we go. Allow me to quote myself (from two weeks ago):

Dan Naddor is prolific, and his stuff is pretty solid, but I feel like his grids are becoming very predictable. I knew who the constructor of this was without ever looking at the credit. Lots of theme answers united by letter/sound change. Wackiness abounds. True, lots of folks do that, but I have this feeling he has a master list of 100s of these types of gimmicks that he's just working his way through, cranking them out in high volume (no one appears in LAT more). There's nothing wrong with the grids, which are almost always well constructed. But ... seems like his work should be getting more imaginative and artful, instead of predictable and workmanlike.

Today, just take the hard "K" sound off the beginning of "Qu-" words. Now you've got "W-" words. Resulting phrases are clever enough, but not brilliant. Not astonishing. Not "wow." Would like some "wow." Sadly, today, the non-theme fill isn't as good as I'm used to with DN's puzzles. HELL WEEK is fabulous (3D: College hazing period), and the NE and SW corners are pretty good too, but the rest is pretty blah. An IMAM in an IROC on the ITEN. Unfortunate plural abbrevs. like RNAS and IRAS, and then just the general yuck of CNS, AAAS, SSS, A JOB, CAN OF, etc. As partial phrases go, I kind of like I BEFORE E. But overall, pretty bland.

Crosswordese 101: TIARAS (15A: Headgear on some runways) — so common is TIARA that I can't believe we haven't covered it yet (assuming the CW101 database is up-to-date ... we make PG deal with that). Royalty and beauty weans tend to be the ones wearing TIARAS in puzzles, but don't forget the pope likes a good TIARA too. TIARA is what he calls that bejeweled crown-like thingie he wears from time to time on top of his head. The one with a cross at the tippy top.

What else? (the "T" edition)

• 42A: As you like it (TO TASTE) — like the catchy clue. When too many answers start with prepositions, I start to notice, and not in a good way. TO TASTE is joined today by ON STRIKE and AT NINE. Why this piling up of prepositional phrases should bug me, I don't know. I'm not saying it's rational.
• 42D: Aptly named mod model (TWIGGY) — because she looked like a twig. Literally. People would often pick her up and start to snap her in half, at which point she would cry out, "Hey, I'm a human being, not a twig," to which the would-be snapper would reply, "Well, you could have fooled me."
• 49D: Golden Horde member (TATAR) — the "Golden Horde" sounds like a college team name, like 'Bama's CRIMSON TIDE.
• 38D: 19th Greek letter (TAU) — this was in NYT today as [Cross figure].
• 58D: Actress Carrere (TIA) — she starred in an '80s movie called "Zombie Nightmare" with Adam West, but if you know her at all, you probably know her from "Wayne's World"

• 44D: Raptor's grabbers (TALONS) — The danger of winging your lectures on Sir Thomas Wyatt is that occasionally you can be heard to utter things like "pigeons don't have feet ... they have those grabby things ... TALONS." Don't ask. It was actually a pretty good class.

See you Monday,

RP

[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter]

THURSDAY, October 29, 2009Don Gagliardo

Theme: Shoes — Theme answers are familiar(?) phrases the last word of which is a type of shoe. (And there's a SHOE "box" of four squares in each corner of the grid. And no, I totally didn't notice that when I did the puzzle last night.—Orange)

Theme answers:

• 17A: Kitchen backups (SINK CLOGS).
• 31A: North Carolina team (TARHEELS).
• 47A: Octane rating sites (GAS PUMPS).
• 64A: Bonneville Speedway feature (SALT FLATS).
• 40A: Container for the end of 17-, 31-, 47 or 64-Across; there's a literal one in each four-square puzzle corner (SHOEBOX).

I have a wide range of feelings about this puzzle. I was immediately put off by the 1A/1D crossing of EOS and ESSO. That's some pretty ugly crosswordese to have to contend with right at the very start. But things got steadily better from there. I laughed at myself when I got to the first theme answer. I had the first few letters and then had come at it from the back end and was looking at SINK*LOGS and thought to myself "Sink blogs? What the ...?" So then I looked at the clue (always a good idea) and thought "kitchen backups" meant, like, the B-team chefs — like the ones that guy yells at on that reality show — and I was surprised there was a word for that. Well, it finally clicked and then ... yuck. Sink clogs? First of all, I don't want to be thinking about my sink being clogged up. God knows what's down there, but it's sure to be slimy. Second, who uses this phrase? And why would you need to use it in the plural? Just ugly. When I got down to the reveal answer at 40A, though, I thought, "Oh, this is a cute theme!" and thought the clunkiness might be worth it. But then again with the plural thing at GAS PUMPS. I get it that it has to be plural for the theme, but I really don't like the look of it.

There are two places where I would bet a lot of you had trouble. The first one is at the cross of KAHUNA (28A: Island big shot) and KLIEG (28D: __ light: filmmaking arc lamp). I thought KAHUNA started with a C, but I've heard of KLIEG lights, so I ended up okay over there. Did some of you stick with the C? Or does everyone but me know that word is spelled with a K? Then, the crossing of OTHO (60D: First century Roman emperor) and DHS (68A: ALers who don't play the field) is just gnarly. I am not one of those people who hates to see sports clues in the puzzles. I actually kind of like them. But if it's going to be a baseball abbreviation, please give me a gettable cross. And not one that, say, could very well be OTTO instead of OTHO. There were four Holy Roman Emperors named OTTO. None of them ruled in the first century, but really, who knows that? It's perfectly reasonable to expect the answer to be OTTO. But, instead, it's this OTHO guy who, by the way, only reigned for three months. So, boo. Also kind of yucky to see both OTHO and OTOE (53D: Oklahoma tribe) in the grid — and please don't get me started on SONO- and ODO- (3D: Prefix with gram / 53A: Prefix with meter).

On the bright side, I noticed a lot of Ks and Xs as I was solving, and those are pretty cool letters. Also, HAS A SHOT AT is an awesome answer (30D: Is in the running for). And it's a treat to see the UTNE READER in its full two-word glory for a change (11D: Eclectic bimonthly digest). Overall, though, not an enjoyable solve for me. Of course, your mileage may vary.

Crosswordese 101: Here are the OMARs you need know:

1. Five-star General OMAR Bradley.
2. The poet OMAR Khayyám, who wrote "The Rubáiyát," the most famous line of which begins "A jug of wine...."
3. OMAR Epps, who co-stars with Hugh Laurie in the medical drama "House."
4. OMAR Sharif, who is most often clued in relation to his roles in "Funny Girl" and "Dr. Zhivago," but who we learn today is also, apparently, a bridge expert.

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Everything Else — 1A: Dawn goddess (EOS); 4A: Starbucks flavor (MOCHA); 9A: Bring about (CAUSE); 14A: "__ 'nuff!" (SHO); 15A: Saint associated with the Russian alphabet (CYRIL); 16A: Weed B Gon maker (ORTHO); 19A: Took to jail (RAN IN); 20A: Alley Oop's girl (OOOLA); 21A: Displayed (SHOWN); 23A: Minnesota twins? (ENS); 24A: Snootiness (AIRS); 26A: Great server (ACER); 35A: Grassy tracts (LEAS); 36A: Illustrator Silverstein (SHEL); 38A: Rub the wrong away (ERASE); 39A: For what __ worth (IT'S); 42A: Veep before Al (DAN); 43A: Put into law (ENACT); 46A: Clears after taxes (NETS); 49A: Widely separated (SPARSE); 51A: Opposite of away (HOME); 52A: Part of a yard (FOOT); 55A: Astronomer Tycho __ (BRAHE); 58A: Western border lake (TAHOE); 62A: Demolish (TOTAL); 66A: Chicago hub (O'HARE); 67A: Tours ta-ta (ADIEU); 69A: Adlai's running mate (ESTES); 70A: Computer image dot (PIXEL); 71A: Manager Torre (JOE); 1D: Gas sign north of the border (ESSO); 2D: Columbus's home (OHIO); 4D: Obama's opponent (MCCAIN); 5D: Skinny Olive (OYL); 6D: Interbreed (CROSS); 7D: Word with five or noon (HIGH); 9D: General Mills cereal (CORN CHEX); 10D: Heavenly altar (ARA); 12D: __ guard: bit of catchers' gear (SHIN); 13D: Tons of time (EONS); 18D: Actor Kinski (KLAUS); 22D: "This means __!" (WAR); 25D: Itch source (RASH); 27D: Musket end? (-EER); 29D: WellPoint rival (AETNA); 31D: Abounds (TEEMS); 32D: Jessica of "Dark Angel" (ALBA); 33D: Exams for future litigators, briefly (LSATS); 34D: Taste or touch (SENSE); 37D: Hula __ (HOOP); 40D: Trips (STUMBLES); 41D: Thereabouts (OR SO); 44D: USN noncom (CPO); 46D: Birth-related (NATAL); 48D: Sea, to Sartre (MER); 50D: Amount of soup on the stove (POTFUL); 52D: Cartoon cat (FELIX); 54D: Outbursts from Homer (D'OHS); 56D: "Stat!" cousin (ASAP); 57D: "__ only known!" (HAD I); 59D: Meccan pilgrimage (HADJ); 61D: Latin being (ESSE); 63D: "__ you serious?" (ARE); 65D: Top with a slogan (TEE).

WEDNESDAY, October 28, 2009—Barry C. Silk

THEME: "Tie the Knot"—Four phrases begin with kinds of KNOTs

I didn't grasp the theme after I had the first two theme entries, but once GRANNY reared her head, I knew the puzzle had a knack for knots.

Theme answers:

• 17A: Life insurance clause (DOUBLE INDEMNITY). Is a double knot an official sailing/scouting/knot-tying sort of knot? Wait, it's the shoelace double bow I'm thinking of. Yes! There is probably a double knot. As for Double Indemnity, I've never seen the movie.
  
  
  
  
• 25A: Hoedown activity (SQUARE DANCE). The square knot is, the dictionary tells me, a particular kind of double knot. But "double knot" is not an entry in that dictionary. You know what you might find at a hoedown or SQUARE DANCE? Bales of hay for decoration. PuzzleGirl knows a woman from her school committee who knows where to go to find hay bales, but she's not gonna do it. There was a memo to that effect. As Joan Crawford is to wire hangers, that committee member is to hay bales.
  
• 43A: Apple variety (GRANNY SMITH). I used to love those apples but then I remembered that sweet is better than sour. A granny knot is a square knot that's gone awry so the rope may slip.
  
• 54A: Inadvertent remark (Slip of the tongue). The slip knot can be undone by pulling on it. Don't use this to tie up your horse or your boat or your child, or you may lose them.
  
• 62D: 17-, 25-, 43- and 54-Across begin with a kind of one (KNOT). Exactly where we like to find the Grand Unifying Answer, in the slot for the very last Across answer.
  

Alrighty, let's take a peek at some of the fill that is decidedly not crosswordese:

• 15A: Known as "the Impaler," prince who inspired "Dracula" (VLAD). Halloween is nigh. How about a creepy Dracula movie clip? Here's the first 10 minutes of the 1931 classic with Bela Lugosi (and parts 2 through 8 contain the rest of the movie). Skip ahead to about the 5:45 mark if you want to get straight to the coffins.
  
  
  
• 22A: Posh (RITZY). Aw, too bad I just embedded a video. It's too soon to have another one, so no Taco's "Puttin' on the Ritz" today.
  
• 25D: Missouri city nickname (ST. JOE). I may or may not have been through there, years ago. Is there...is there hay there?
  
• 26D: Fundamental particle (QUARK).
  

Yep, with XENO joining these other Scrabbly answers, we do have a pangram on our hands. That's the term for a crossword that contains all 26 letters.

How difficult was this puzzle? By my metric, it's as hard as an easy Wednesday NYT, and harder than the typical Tuesday. How about that? A Wednesday L.A. Times puzzle that lands in Wednesday NYT territory! I like this.

Crosswordese 101: Holy bear in the sky! Can it be? Have we really not covered URSA and its Latin plural URSAE by now? 60A: Bears, in Latin are URSAE. We see the singular form much, much more often. The constellation we call the Big Dipper is part of a larger star group called Ursa Major, or the Great Bear. Ursa Minor, the Little Bear, includes the Little Dipper. Fill-in-the-blank clues that end with Minor or Major are usually URSA. Other popular clues include celestial bear, sky bear, and bear in the air.

Everything Else — 1A: Run smoothly (FLOW); 5A: Uzi filler (AMMO); 9A: Bench warmers aren't on it (A TEAM); 14A: Excellent (A-ONE); 15A: Known as "the Impaler," prince who inspired "Dracula" (VLAD); 16A: American competitor (DELTA); 17A: Life insurance clause (DOUBLE INDEMNITY); 20A: Printers' widths (EMS); 21A: A deadly sin (ENVY); 22A: Posh (RITZY); 23A: Neurologist's test, briefly (EEG); 24A: Publicizes (AIRS); 25A: Hoedown activity (SQUARE DANCE); 30A: Poor, as an excuse (SAD); 33A: Second most populous Oklahoma city (TULSA); 34A: Alan of "The West Wing" (ALDA); 35A: Marquis de __ (SADE); 36A: Youngest of the musical Jacksons (JANET); 37A: Golfer's concern (LIE); 38A: Mass of grass (CLUMP); 39A: Vocalized (ORAL); 40A: Defendant's answer (PLEA); 41A: Accountant's review (AUDIT); 42A: Barely squeeze (out) (EKE); 43A: Apple variety (GRANNY SMITH); 45A: Petting places (ZOOS); 46A: BMOC, for one (VIP); 47A: Washington neighbor (IDAHO); 49A: Yoked beasts (OXEN); 51A: Psychic's asset, for short (ESP); 54A: Inadvertent remark (SLIP OF THE TONGUE); 57A: Common news hr. (TEN PM); 58A: "I'd advise against it" ("DON'T"); 59A: Brand with a paw print in its logo (IAMS); 60A: Bears, in Latin (URSAE); 61A: Pump or loafer (SHOE); 62A: 17-, 25-, 43- and 54-Across begin with a kind of one (KNOT); 1D: Lose brightness (FADE); 2D: Weaver's machine (LOOM); 3D: "We're treating" (ONUS); 4D: Surfing area with no water, with "the" (WEB); 5D: Get even for (AVENGE); 6D: LXII x XVII (MLIV); 7D: Quite a few (MANY); 8D: Unusual (ODD); 9D: Regard highly (ADMIRE); 10D: Portable shelters (TENTS); 11D: Part of QE2: Abbr. (ELIZ.); 12D: ABA member (ATTY.); 13D: Perhaps will (MAY); 18D: Ogle (LEER AT); 19D: "Fear of Flying" author Jong (ERICA); 23D: Painter's stand (EASEL); 24D: Like llamas (ANDEAN); 25D: Missouri city nickname (ST. JOE); 26D: Fundamental particle (QUARK); 27D: Radii neighbors (ULNAE); 28D: City in which the State Fair of Texas is held annually (DALLAS); 29D: Out of this world (ALIEN); 30D: Riyadh resident (SAUDI); 31D: Fess up (ADMIT); 32D: Pool measurement (DEPTH); 35D: Batter's dry spell (SLUMP); 38D: Vegas attraction (CASINO); 40D: Evidence (PROOF); 43D: End a vacation, say (GO HOME); 44D: Mimieux of "The Time Machine" (YVETTE); 45D: Mothers of Invention musician (ZAPPA); 47D: Robert of "The Sopranos" (ILER); 48D: Cacophonies (DINS); 49D: "Whoops!" ("OH OH!"); 50D: Strange: Pref. (XENO-); 51D: Alaska's first governor (EGAN); 52D: Japanese wrestling (SUMO); 53D: Nuisance (PEST); 54D: Early Beatle Sutcliffe (STU); 55D: NFL six-pointers (TDS); 56D: Ending with beat (NIK).

TUESDAY, October 27Fred Jackson III

Theme: Playing for Both Teams — Theme answers start with homophones of BYE.

Theme answers:

• 20A: Furthermore (BY THE SAME TOKEN).
• 33A: 1961 Tony-winning musical inspired by Elvis being drafted (BYE BYE BIRDIE).
• 43A: 7/4/1976 celebration (BICENTENNIAL).
• 59A: Retail store financing come-on (BUY NOW PAY LATER).

Have any of you been room parents for your kids' elementary school classes? In a moment of what I can only explain as temporary insanity, I signed on to be the room mom for PuzzleSon's fifth grade class. Turns out that fifth graders do a lot of stuff together as a grade (instead of individually in classes), so all the fifth grade room moms have to coordinate. We held our first meeting at a coffee shop last week and I pretty much sat there with a dazed look on my face the whole time. These women have unlimited energy, hundreds of ideas, and an apparently inexhaustible store of craft supplies.What I'm saying is that they are — how should I put it? — intense. They actually kind of freaked me out. The good news is that they're unlikely to notice that I'm not participating quite as eagerly as they are and if I miss any of the meetings I'll be kept up to date with the inevitable blizzard of emails that will follow. What I'd really like to do is ask them if they might consider that we're overdoing things a little, but I'm pretty sure their heads would explode. So I'm just going to do my best to lay low without actually shirking any responsibility. Should be interesting. But, hey, let's talk about the puzzle.

This is an awesome Tuesday puzzle. The theme is straightforward and easy to grok, but the theme answers are pretty sparkly for a Tuesday. I guess BICENTENNIAL is the dullest of the group, but for me it brings to mind decorating my bike for the Fourth of July parade around the quad at Moorhead State University when I was a kid. So no complaints there. Other than that, the puzzle is a little heavy on the crosswordese in the bottom half, but the fill includes plenty of fun words as well. I don't remember seeing RANKLE in a puzzle before (11D: Fester in one's mind). Even though I wanted Crush, FANTA is kind of fun to say (4D: Classic orange soda). I always like seeing colloquial phrases in the grid and NOT A BIT is perfect today (47D: Cooperative response to "Do you mind?"). What else? Oh yeah, RAKISH (48A: Debonair). Now that, ladies and gentlemen, is an excellent word.

More:

• 10A: Mouse catcher (TRAP). I read this one as "Moose trap" and thought "That's odd. They use traps ...?"
• 72A: Ball-bearing gadgets? (TEES). Cute!
• 5D: Seafood cookout (FISH FRY). I was going to pull a picture off of Facebook of a fish fry one of the Hawkeye wrestlers held recently and found out that he has unfriended me! Oh the indignity of it all! (I'm guessing he wasn't crazy about my politics.)
• 10D: The Dixie Chicks, e.g. (TRIO).



• 60D: Indian breads (NANS). I do not like this word spelled with only one A, but I think I'm going to have to get over it.

Crosswordese 101: I took a few minutes to learn a little something this morning and I'm glad I did. I've been plugging 14A: China's Zhou ENLAI's name into the grid for a while now without really knowing who he was. Turns out he was the first Premier of the People's Republic of China, he was at least partly responsible for Richard Nixon's 1972 visit to China, and it was conflict between the Chinese public and the Communist Party surrounding Zhou Enlai's death that led to the Tiananmen Square Incident in 1976. You don't need to know any of this for crosswords because he is always clued straightforwardly as today. Although sometimes his name is spelled CHOU in the clues.

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P.S. If you missed all the excitement around this Sunday's New York Times puzzle by Brendan Emmett Quigley, you can read about it here. (Scroll down to items 10(c) and (d). Includes spoilers!)

Everything Else — 1A: One-person boat (SKIFF); 6A: College athlete (JOCK); 14A: China's Zhou __ (ENLAI); 15A: Clickable symbol (ICON); 16A: Compete in a meet (RACE); 17A: Ghostly noises (MOANS); 18A: "Let It __": Everly Brothers hit (BE ME); 19A: Peruvian empire builder (INCA); 23A: Barbary ape's cont. (AFR.); 24A: Necklace clasp resting place (NAPE); 25A: Baton Rouge sch. (LSU); 26A: Implore (BEG); 29A: Coastal inlet (RIA); 31A: Take to the clink (ARREST); 37A: Rig on the road (SEMI); 38A: John, to Ringo? (LOO); 39A: Trivial, as chatter (IDLE); 51A: Dr.'s group, maybe (HMO); 52A: Adobe file format (PDF); 53A: Cockney's main Web page? ('OME); 54A: Bears or Cubs (TEAM); 57A: Suffix with Israel (-ITE); 64A: Rick's love in "Casablanca" (ILSA); 65A: Mayberry moppet (OPIE); 66A: Con game (BUNCO); 68A: Nuremberg no (NEIN); 69A: Elbow-joint bone (ULNA); 70A: Embodiment of perfection (IDEAL); 71A: RR stops (STNS.); 73A: Short-winded (TERSE); 1D: Divinity sch. (SEM.); 2D: Drawer projection (KNOB); 3D: "Now __ me down ..." (I LAY); 6D: Triangular sails (JIBS); 7D: Blue part of a map (OCEAN); 8D: Cause for a pause (COMMA); 9D: Patella protector (KNEEPAD); 12D: Way to get in (ACCESS); 13D: Planters logo Mr. __ (PEANUT); 21D: Buffalo-to-Albany canal (ERIE); 22D: Actress Garr (TERI); 26D: Air rifle ammo (BBS); 27D: Needle feature (EYE); 28D: Precious stone (GEM); 30D: Proficient (ABLE); 32D: Coachman's control (REIN); 34D: Netanyahu of Israel, familiarly (BIBI); 35D: Particle with a charge (ION); 36D: Philip who wrote the Zuckerman novels (ROTH); 40D: Chip go-with (DIP); 41D: Young man (LAD); 42D: Christmas helper (ELF); 44D: Analogy words (IS TO); 45D: Give a tongue-lashing (CHEW OUT); 46D: Runner Zátopek (EMIL); 48D: Spring chirpers (ROBINS); 49D: Lucky charm (AMULET); 50D: Enters, as data (KEYS IN); 55D: William Tell's target (APPLE); 56D: Largest New England state (MAINE); 58D: Piano exercise (ÉTUDE); 61D: Supporting votes (YEAS); 62D: Cabinet dept. with a lightning bolt on its seal (ENER.); 63D: Some HDTVs (RCAS); 67D: Corrida shout (OLÉ).

MONDAY, Oct. 26, 2009 — Jerome Gunderson

THEME: "The TERMINATOR" (56A: With "The," Schwarzenegger film released 10/26/1984, and a hint to the puzzle theme found in the first words of 17-, 34- and 39-Across) — those "first words" form the catchphrase "I'LL / BE / BACK!"

Theme is both clever and weak — don't like that the "THE" was left off the title of "TERMINATOR" in this puzzle. If it's your marquee answer, it needs to be complete. Also, infinitely easy to get tons and tons of phrases that begin with "I'LL," "BE," and "BACK." This should have allowed for a construction that included "THE TERMINATOR" and possibly a bonus answer like ARNOLD. That said, the idea is cute, and the rest of the grid is pretty fabulous for a Monday: relatively open and full of odd and unexpected stuff. I especially loved the middle of the grid, with YORICK (25D: "Alas, poor _____!": Hamlet) and his GERBIL POPTART (28D: Rodent kept as a house pet + 24D: Kellogg's toaster pastry). Also love the JUICY (47D: Like ripe peaches) answers KID ROCK (40D: Duettist with Sheryl Crow in the song "Picture") and RUGRATS (41D: Toon babies of '90s-'00s TV). Would have loved FINN to have been Neil or Tim, but that's probably too Kiwi for a U.S. Monday puzzle.


Theme answers:

• 17A: Hymn whose title follows the line "When I die, Hallelujah, by and by" ("I'LL FLY AWAY") — oddly biblical puzzle today with HOSANNAH nearby (10D: Biblical cry of adoration)
• 34A: Scout's motto ("BE PREPARED")
• 39A: How duelists begin (BACK-TO-BACK)

Crosswordese 101: ACACIA (21A: Gum arabic tree) — I don't know much about this tree except that it is 2/3 vowels and shows up pretty frequently for a six-letter non-plural. I got it off the first "A" and I know nothing about trees, foliage, botany, what have you, which means my brain has been conditioned to think of this word, which suggests its frequency. Look also for the reasonably popular AZALEA, which is a bush, not a tree, but in its vowel placement, its first and final "A"s, and its botanicality, has plenty in common with ACACIA.

What else?

• 29A: Relative known for quitting? (uncle) — that's nice.
• 59A: Ford Explorer Sport _____ (Trac) — that's not.

See you Friday

~RP

[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter]

Everything Else — 1A: Highway hauler (SEMI); 5A: Cut off (SEVER); 10A: "__ Silver, away!" (HI-YO); 14A: Gas in a sign (NEON); 15A: Utah city (PROVO); 16A: Sign of the future (OMEN); 17A: Hymn whose title follows the line "When I die, Hallelujah, by and by" (I'LL FLY AWAY); 19A: Fill to excess (SATE); 20A: "Cats" poet (T. S. ELIOT); 21A: Gum arabic tree (ACACIA); 23A: Adviser Landers (ANN); 24A: Traffic cone (PYLON); 26A: Knight's lady (DAME); 28A: Slimy stuff (GOO); 29A: Relative known for quitting? (UNCLE); 33A: Run the country (RULE); 34A: Scout's motto (BE PREPARED); 36A: Kimono sash (OBI); 37A: Air ace's missions (SORTIES); 38A: Climbing vine (IVY); 39A: How duelists begin (BACK TO BACK); 41A: Baseball stats (RBIS); 42A: "Old MacDonald" refrain (E-I-E-I-O); 43A: Rile up (IRK); 44A: Ado (FUSS); 45A: Resided (DWELT); 47A: Dance from Ireland (JIG); 48A: __ Tar Pits (LA BREA); 51A: Daybreak (SUNRISE); 55A: French franc successor (EURO); 56A: With "The," Schwarzenegger film released 10/26/1984, and a hint to the puzzle theme found in the first words of 17-, 34- and 39-Across (TERMINATOR); 59A: Ford Explorer Sport __ (TRAC); 60A: Storage room (ATTIC); 61A: "Star Trek: T.N.G." counselor Deanna (TROI); 62A: Armored vehicle (TANK); 63A: Snappish (TESTY); 64A: Lip-__: mouth the words (SYNC); 1D: Grumpy mood (SNIT); 2D: Morays, e.g. (EELS); 3D: Lawn burrower (MOLE); 4D: Arouse, as passion (INFLAME); 5D: Watch covertly (SPY ON); 6D: The E in Q.E.D. (ERAT); 7D: Solemn promise (VOW); 8D: Sister of Zsa Zsa (EVA); 9D: Fit for a king (ROYAL); 10D: Biblical cry of adoration (HOSANNA); 11D: Popular Apple (IMAC); 12D: Himalayan giant (YETI); 13D: Fit to be drafted (ONE-A); 18D: Queue (LINE); 22D: Political takeovers (COUPS); 24D: Kellogg's toaster pastry (POP-TART); 25D: "Alas, poor __!": Hamlet (YORICK); 26D: Persian Gulf emirate (DUBAI); 27D: Wonderland girl (ALICE); 28D: Rodent kept as a house pet (GERBIL); 30D: Baby beds (CRIBS); 31D: Lee jeans alternative (LEVI'S); 32D: Ice cream brand (EDY'S); 33D: Judge's attire (ROBE); 34D: Scarer's shout (BOO); 35D: Scared response (EEK); 37D: Uncle Tom's creator (STOWE); 40D: Duettist with Sheryl Crow in the song "Picture" (KID ROCK); 41D: Toon babies of '90s-'00s TV (RUGRATS); 44D: Sawyer's friend (FINN); 46D: Frequent, as a diner (EAT AT); 47D: Like ripe peaches (JUICY); 48D: Riga native (LETT); 49D: Distinctive emanation (AURA); 50D: Muffin ingredient (BRAN); 51D: Infatuated, old-style (SMIT); 52D: "This is my best effort" ("I TRY"); 53D: Any minute now (SOON); 54D: Guitarist Clapton (ERIC); 57D: Somme summer (ÉTÉ); 58D: Privileges: Abbr. (RTS).

SUNDAY, October 25Sylvia Bursztyn (calendar puzzle)

Theme: "Done With Addition" — Theme answers are familiar phrases with the word OVER added to them somewhere to create new wacky phrases clued ?-style.

[Note: This is the puzzle that appears in the Sunday L.A. Times newspaper. If you don't get the paper, you can find the puzzle here. Scroll down to see the write-up of today's syndicated puzzle.]


Theme answers:

• 25A: Cost of hens, coops, etc.? (EGG OVERHEAD).
• 42A: Follow up on inventing the wheel? (DISCOVER BRAKES).
• 85A: Embellished reporting? (GILDED COVERAGE).
• 104A: Pitch a president? (HEAVE HOOVER).
• 16D: Sport played among jetsam? (OVERBOARD GAME).
• 24D: The morning after? (HANGOVER TIME).
• 48D: Hyde's cowboy counterpart? (DROVER JEKYLL).
• 51D: Scraps in Dr. Frankenstein's lab? (LEFTOVER BRAIN).

Everything Else — 1A: Temporary tender (SCRIP); 6A: Dell output (PCS); 9A: Cop's collar (PERP); 13A: Indian appetizer (SAMOSA); 19A: "Ain't --- Shame" (THAT A); 20A: Syllable before disant (SOI); 21A: Purim's month (ADAR); 22A: Go places (TRAVEL); 23A: Beyond beautiful (RAVISHING); 27A: Whitney Houston's label (ARISTA); 28A: Asian appetizer (SATAY); 30A: Vena --- (CAVA); 31A: Hwy. (RTE); 32A: Vietnam's --- Dinh Diem (NGO); 33A: Namibian's neighbor (ANGOLAN); 35A: Pueblo people (ZUNIS); 36A: Stein or Stiller (BEN); 37A: Crème-crème filler (DE LA); 39A: Jewish folklore figure (GOLEM); 40A: Blender button (PUREE); 41A: Dix or Knox (FORT); 45A: World-weary (BLASÉ); 46A: PBS program (POV); 47A: Bent a bit (STOOPED); 48A: Costly (DEAR); 49A: Bonnie Bramlett's bandmate (DELANEY); 53A: Parrot lions (ROAR); 54A: Lobster's little look-alike (CRAWDAD); 57A: "A Star Is Born" song (EVERGREEN); 60A: Carson's sidekick (MCMAHON); 62A: Boxer's "Back off!" ("GRR!"); 63A: "A jest" per John Gay (LIFE); 64A: Grimm works (TALES); 66A: Comic Smirnoff (YAKOV); 67A: Whitish (PALE); 68A: Body image of a sort, for short (TAT); 69A: Track break (PIT STOP); 71A: Sing in court (NAME NAMES); 73A: False appellations (ANONYMS); 75A: Sluggish (SLOW); 77A: Method (PROCESS); 78A: Ignominious (VILE); 79A: Like Snow White (FAIREST); 82A: Henson or Morrison (JIM); 83A: Dunne with five Oscar nominations (IRENE); 89A: Used to be (WERE); 90A: Heraldry's red (GULES); 91A: Like Nike (GREEK); 92A: Da ---, Vietnam (NANG); 94A: Mass garb (ALB); 95A: Igloos, essentially (DOMES); 96A: Annie Oakley, for one (DEADEYE); 98A: Doo-wop syllable (SHA); 99A: Knight's title (SIR); 100A: Gyrene's org. (USMC); 101A: Italian scooter (VESPA); 102A: Alpacas' kin (LLAMAS); 107A: Graceless (INELEGANT); 109A: Ply the sky (AVIATE); 110A: Languish (PINE); 111A: Sgt., e.g. (NCO); 112A: Pancho's TV pal (CISCO); 113A: James of "Desperate Housewives" (DENTON); 114A: Big jerk (YANK); 115A: Xer opener (GEN); 116A: Keepsake (TOKEN); 1D: Hair piece (STRAND); 2D: Used plastic (CHARGED); 3D: Cappelletti cousin (RAVIOLI); 4D: "--- the East, and Juliet ..." (IT IS); 5D: Carbo-loader's course (PASTA); 6D: It comes after chi (PSI); 7D: Instrument panels (CONSOLES); 8D: CHP traffic caution (SIGALERT); 9D: Song of tribute (PAEAN); 10D: On tenterhooks (EDGY); 11D: Car-wash cloth (RAG); 12D: Obtained (PROCURED); 13D: Wonder of music (STEVIE); 14D: What Polonius hid behind (ARRAS); 15D: --- -jongg (MAH); 17D: Ushers (SEATERS); 18D: Like firm fettuccine (AL DENTE); 26D: Directional devices (VANES); 29D: Jeffrey of "Arrested Development" (TAMBOR); 34D: Sacto VIP (GOV); 35D: Violinist Pinchas (ZUKERMAN); 38D: "An heir and ---" (A SPARE); 40D: Vatican rule (PAPACY); 41D: Recall cause (FLAW); 43D: DC group (CONG.); 44D: Word with elbow or engine (ROOM); 45D: Word with coffee or jelly (BEAN); 49D: American competitor (DELTA); 50D: Naive, backward and French? (EVIAN); 52D: "The Tower" poet (YEATS); 54D: Munch (CHOMP); 55D: Van Gogh locale (ARLES); 56D: Shift or sheath (DRESS); 58D: Raised lines? (ELS); 59D: Business figure (NET SALES); 61D: Rap sheet letters (AKA); 65D: Cone and cube (SOLIDS); 67D: Arcade classic (PACMAN); 69D: War correspondent Ernie (PYLE); 70D: Tiny hole (PORE); 72D: Jacques' black (NOIR); 74D: Start time for Judy, Violet and Doralee (NINE); 76D: Pieces of pie (WEDGES); 79D: Office keeper (FILE COPY); 80D: CSI collectible (SCRAPING); 81D: Performance en pointe (TOE DANCE); 83D: "They tricked me!" ("I WAS HAD!"); 84D: Spell (RELIEVE); 85D: Marx brother born Milton (GUMMO); 86D: "Rubber Ball" singer Bobby (VEE); 87D: Doughboy's gear (GAS MASK); 88D: Intensify (ENHANCE); 90D: Genesis land (GOSHEN); 93D: Alphonse's friend (GASTON); 95D: Because of (DUE TO); 96D: Jacobi or Jeter (DEREK); 97D: Vote in (ELECT); 101D: Hardy's Diggory (VENN); 103D: Exchange fee (AGIO); 105D: Cabernet container (VAT); 106D: Through (VIA); 108D: Eternity (EON).

SUNDAY, October 25, 2009John Lampkin (syndicated puzzle)

Theme: "Waiting for 12-Across" — Theme answers (and grid design!) are all related to that great mythical figure, The Great Pumpkin.

[Note: This is the syndicated L.A. Times puzzle. It does not appear in the actual newspaper, but is available for free at cruciverb.com.]


Theme answers:

• 12A: This puzzle's honoree (THE GREAT PUMPKIN).
• 27A: Strip where 12-Across first didn't appear in 1959 (PEANUTS).
• 43A: When 25-Down expects 12-Across to appear (HALLOWEEN).
• 56A: Characteristic 18-Down cry regarding 12-Across (OH GOOD GRIEF).
• 79A: 12-Across creator (SCHULZ).
• 82A: Dog once mistaken for 12-Across (SNOOPY).
• 102A: 25-Down maintained them annually (VIGILS).
• 104A: 12-Across tested 25-Down's faith by being one, inevitably, every year (NO SHOW).
• 18D: Friend of 25-Down (CHARLIE BROWN).
• 25D: Faithful crusader for the existence of 12-Across (LINUS VAN PELT).
• 70D: Instrument seen in 27-Across (TOY PIANO).

Wow. Great theme with an ambitious number of theme answers and a hefty dose of grid restriction. In fact, I saw the grid and thought this must be one of Liz Gorski's masterpieces. (Also, I saw the theme name and thought "Godot? You can make a whole puzzle around Godot?") But John Lampkin did a great job with this one. There's a little bit of clunker fill, of course, and it's super unfortunate that symmetry required the inclusion of TOY PIANO, which certainly adds to the Peanuts vibe, but isn't directly related to The Great Pumpkin. With an A+ theme and solid B fill, though, this puzzle definitely makes the grade.

Just a couple other things:

• 17A: Last Supper question (IS IT I?). Crosswordese 301.
• 29A: Loaf (DOG IT). Love this colloquial phrase.
• 41A: Puppy love (CRUSH). Ah, memories.
  



• 75A: Former name of Lake Malawi (NYASA). If you say so.
• 78A: Vampire's home, perhaps (CRYPT). Bonus Halloween answer.

• 93A: Closer (NEARER). Because Mariano Rivera wouldn't fit.
• 97A: Cupid teammate (DASHER). I tried Dancer first.
• 99A: Larynx locale (THROAT). Love that it's crossing 68D: Of the windpipe (TRACHEAL).
  
• 14D: "Sock __ me!" (IT TO). Kind of a retro feel to the puzzle today for me. References to "Laugh In" are always welcome.
• 30D: Form into a mosaic pattern (TESSELLATE). Never heard this words before, but it's pretty cool.
• 66D: Whiny (GRIPY). Remember when I said there was some clunky fill? Yeah.

Crosswordese 101: There are a few different ways to clue the extremely common ARI. Today's clue — 45A: "Exodus" hero — refers to ARI Ben Canaan from the 1958 Leon Uris book. In 1960, the book was made into a movie starring Paul Newman as ARI. Other first string ARIs include Jeremy Piven's character ARI Gold on HBO's "Entourage"; shipping magnate and second husband of Jacqueline Kennedy, ARI Onassis; and former press secretary for George W. Bush, ARI Fleischer. The B Team consists of NPR's ARI Shapiro, Kate & Allie's ARI Meyers (yikes!), and the ARIzona sports teams (on scoreboards).

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Everything Else — 1A: Blockbusters (SMASH HITS); 10A: Si and Am in "Lady and the Tramp" (SIAMESE CATS); 16A: Draw again, as comic book lines (REINK); 18A: Genesis firstborn (CAIN); 19A: Masked one at home (UMP); 22A: Amt. due (BAL.); 24A: And the list goes on, briefly (ET AL.); 26A: Hobbits' region (SHIRE); 31A: Chestnut horse (ROAN); 32A: LPGA golfer Johnson (TRISH); 33A: Hydrocarbon suffixes (-ANES); 35A: The king: Span. (EL REY); 37A: Tropical roofers (THATCHERS); 42A: Elusive guy in a striped shirt (WALDO); 44A: Italian Renaissance poet (TASSO); 46A: Eensy-__ (WEENSY); 48A: Summer Triangle star (ALTAIR); 50A: Sign made with two digits (VEE); 51A: Droll-sounding grain? (RYE); 52A: Verb from Mark Antony (LEND); 53A: Octopus costume features (ARMS); 54A: Every bit (ALL); 55A: Party girl? (DEB); 62A: Mets' div. (NLE); 63A: Noun from Mark Antony (EARS); 65A: Some Protestants (LUTHERANS); 66A: Scholastic nos. (GPAS); 67A: Let fall, poetically (DROPT); 69A: Opposes (NAYSAYS); 70A: Waste allowances (TRETS); 71A: Darkly complexioned, to Shakespeare (SWART); 73A: Himalayan sightings (YETIS); 74A: Picturesque fabric (TOILE); 77A: D.C. bigwig (SEN.); 84A: Put-__: pranks (ONS); 87A: Show contempt for, as a villain (HISS AT); 89A: 11-time Olympic swimming medalist Matt (BIONDI); 90A: Scannable mdse. bars (UPC); 95A: Reagan or Kennedy (AIRPORT); 100A: Board member (TRUSTEE); 101A: Ultimate purpose (END USE); 103A: Does a slow burn (SEETHES); 1D: Coach's gesturing (SIGN); 2D: Add a profit margin to (MARK UP); 3D: __ Zion Church (AME); 4D: Aegean, for one (SEA); 5D: DDE's predecessor (HST); 6D: Cool, like a cat (HEP); 7D: Post-ER area (ICU); 8D: Ethnic group of southern India (TAMILS); 9D: Some auto maintenance store products (STPS); 10D: Paris divider (SEINE); 11D: Enjoyed a cross-country jaunt? (SKIED); 12D: Showed the ropes (TRAINED); 13D: Legatee (HEIR); 15D: River between two Great Lakes (NIAGARA); 20D: Alloy components (METALS); 21D: To some extent (PARTLY); 22D: Nonsense, euphemistically (BUSHWA); 23D: Close behind (AT HEEL); 26D: Periods between vernal equinoxes (SOLAR YEARS); 28D: Wilhelmina's daughter in "Ugly Betty" (NICO); 31D: Gave a treat for a trick, say (REWARDED); 34D: Barefoot (SHOELESS); 36D: Pained cry (YOWL); 37D: Stanley Cup org. (THE NHL); 38D: Colt .45, e.g. (HANDGUN); 39D: Engages, as an attorney (RETAINS); 40D: Some drum parts (SNARES); 41D: NFL snappers (CTRS); 47D: Fair-hiring initials (EEO); 49D: Worldwide fiscal agcy. (IMF); 57D: Our Gang affirmative (OTAY); 58D: "You bet!" ("OH YES!"); 59D: Villa __: Italian landmark (DESTE); 60D: Speck of truth (GRAIN); 61D: Ocean-bottom fish (RAYS); 64D: Prevents littering? (SPAYS); 72D: Summer tops (T-SHIRTS); 74D: Walked-on (TRODDEN); 76D: Smallest cont. in area (AUS.); 78D: Not supporting (CON); 80D: Hurdles for future attys. (LSATS); 81D: Congo, once (ZAIRE); 82D: Yes or no emphasizer (SIREE); 83D: F and G, but not H (NOTES); 84D: Being shown, in a way (ON TV); 85D: Classic grape soda (NEHI); 86D: Puppeteer Tony who mentored Bil Baird (SARG); 88D: 50-50 test answer (TRUE); 89D: The pair (BOTH); 90D: "Nope" ("UH-UH"); 91D: Colombian coin (PESO); 92D: Yacht staff (CREW); 94D: Palais resident (ROI); 96D: Idaho Panhandle hrs. (PST); 98D: Radical '60s gp. (SDS).

SATURDAY, October 24, 2009—Thomas Heilman

THEME: No theme today—This is a themeless Saturday puzzle or, if you will, a "freestyle" crossword

ZOMG! This is merely an easyish Saturday puzzle rather than a shockingly easy themeless. This one landed at Thursday NYT level for me—though I can't be sure, as I write this Friday evening, that the Negra Modelo didn't slow me down a tad. Though I generally find that a drink or two does not impair my crossword solving skills. In fact, I'm contemplating organizing an informal Tipsy Crossword Tournament at the next ACPT. Maybe in the hotel bar.

I haven't seen Thomas Heilman's byline in over a year, and I don't think he's done a ton of themelesses so I didn't know what to expect. The grid features triple-stacked 15s at the top and bottom. Like most triple stacks, these are mostly crossed by short answers—but there are also some kick-ass 8s and 11s intersecting them. Here are those answers:

• 1A: Obsolete item (A THING OF THE PAST). This is a terrific crossword answer. Five words, completely natural language.
  
• 16A: "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" and others (CAUTIONARY TALES). I was thinking of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and tried to wedge HARRYPOTTERBOOKS in there. Nope! Needed to think of Mickey Mouse making Mephistophelean bargains for wizardly power.
  
• 17A: Pet that's larger than a toy (MINIATURE POODLE). Have you seen the incredible ways Sandra Hartness decks out her poodle, Cindy? The picture gallery is here.
  
• 60A: Tax service, familiarly (INTERNAL REVENUE). Can anyone tell me why I started out with NATIONAL here? That's not at all a phrase with the same currency as INTERNAL REVENUE.
  
• 65A: It may be awakened after a period of inattention (RENEWED INTEREST). Ooh, I like this one.
  
• 66A: Retail security staff (STORE DETECTIVES). There's a reason the store detective is not the subject of an entire genre of fiction and movies, isn't there? "Ooh, here's the gripping tale of a store detective who—snzzzxx."
  
• 3D: Hid out, with "down" (HUNKERED). Gotta love hunkering down when the weather is terrible.
  
• 10D: Some triangle sides (HYPOTENUSES). Do you think hippopotamuses could learn to recognize hypotenuses?
  
• 23D: Half-baked (HARE-BRAINED). Hey, look, they both have h.-b. initials. I just asked my husband if he could think of anyone with those initials. He barked "Howard Barkin." Howard is, of course, neither hare-brained nor half-baked. Probably fully baked. And quite often faster than me on crosswords. Also Halle Berry. I don't know about her crossword skills. Rex, are you and Halle crossword pen pals?
  
• 38D: Soviet leader who signed SALT I and II (BREZHNEV). Fun to say. Who doesn't love the ZH sound? Americans lose out. We use the sound but not the spelling. I'd like leisure much more if it were spelled "leizhure." Wouldn't you?
  

Clues of note:

• 18A: Group originally named the Jolly Corks (ELKS). Aw, why'd they change their name? "Jolly Corks" is awesome. The Elks have a ridiculously grand domed building in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood. It stands out, like anything jolly and corky ought to.
  
• 36A: Verdi aria that translates to "It was you" (ERI TU). What the...? Really? That's what crosswordese "ERI TU" means? Does the Spanish song "Eres Tu" mean the same thing?
  
• 4D: "Yea, verily" ("IT IS SO"). It's kind of a crappy answer, but the clue took me straight to it. Gotta love a "yea, verily" when it arises.
  
• 45D: Connecting flights (STAIRS). Aha! Flights of stairs connecting the floors of a building. I've seen this misleading clue before, but I still appreciate it.
  
• 64D: Lab caretaker? (VET). As in a labrador retriever cared for by a veterinarian.
  

CARNET (46D: Customs exemption for an auto) is just bizarre. It looks like it's a strange two-word phrase, CAR NET, but it's a single word from the French for "notebook," meaning a customs permit letting you take a car across the border for a limited time. Crosscan! Do you drive to Washington State and get carnets all the time?

I'm not sure where to go for today's lesson. Not one, but two four-letter European rivers starting with O, neither of 'em the Oder? Both the ORNE and the OUSE have been covered already, Operatic ERI TU is golden crosswordese. Then there's 35D: Alice's chronicler, a folk singer named ARLO Guthrie. The Arlos win today.

Crosswordese 101: You need to know a handful of folkie clues for ARLO, but Mr. Guthrie isn't the only ARLO in crosswords. There's also the comic strip "Arlo & Janis," in which Arlo and Janis are husband and wife. Arlo Guthrie's dad is folk legend Woody Guthrie. Arlo sang "Alice's Restaurant" (that link's a 2005 live video I can't embed here) and he played at Woodstock. And now you are equipped to recognize about 95% of the clues for ARLO. Sing-along time:



Everything Else — 1A: Obsolete item (A THING OF THE PAST); 16A: "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" and others (CAUTIONARY TALES); 17A: Pet that's larger than a toy (MINIATURE POODLE); 18A: Group originally named the Jolly Corks (ELKS); 19A: Zaire's Mobutu Sese __ (SEKO); 20A: No longer serving: Abbr. (RET.); 21A: Bk. before Job (ESTH.); 24A: Themes (TOPICS); 27A: Try to bean, in baseball (THROW AT); 30A: Easing of tension (DETENTE); 31A: Roadside grazer (DOE); 32A: False show (PRETENSE); 34A: Fountain beverage (SODA); 36A: Verdi aria that translates to "It was you" (ERI TU); 37A: Diamond stats (RBIS); 41A: Hearty entrée (RIB ROAST); 44A: Caviar, say (ROE); 45A: Quantities possessing only magnitude (SCALARS); 48A: Veneration (RESPECT); 50A: Seat of Washington's Pierce County (TACOMA); 51A: 1956 Mideast crisis site (SUEZ); 52A: Part of a loop (ARC); 53A: "Given that ..." ("IF SO ..."); 57A: McAn of shoes (THOM); 60A: Tax service, familiarly (INTERNAL REVENUE); 65A: It may be awakened after a period of inattention (RENEWED INTEREST); 66A: Retail security staff (STORE DETECTIVES); 1D: Tiptop (ACME); 2D: Shadow (TAIL); 3D: Hid out, with "down" (HUNKERED); 4D: "Yea, verily" ("IT IS SO"); 5D: Actress Vardalos (NIA); 6D: Contracted, as an illness (GOT); 7D: Burden (ONUS); 8D: Cab hailer (FARE); 9D: Serious trip (TREK); 10D: Some triangle sides (HYPOTENUSES); 11D: WWII zone (ETO); 12D: Kung __ chicken (PAO); 13D: Second man on the moon (ALDRIN); 14D: Choose (SELECT); 15D: Safari menace (TSE-TSE); 22D: Local govt. unit (TWP.); 23D: Half-baked (HARE-BRAINED); 25D: They may end with 27-Down (OTS); 26D: Equal (PEER); 27D: Passes may result in them: Abbr. (TDS); 28D: "Yoo-__!" (HOO); 29D: Alaska and La., once (TERRS.); 30D: Remove pitch stains from (DETAR); 33D: Spanish uncle (TIO); 35D: Alice's chronicler (ARLO); 38D: Soviet leader who signed SALT I and II (BREZHNEV); 39D: Biennial games org. (IOC); 40D: Tennis unit (SET); 42D: Descartes's conclusion (I AM); 43D: Nashville sch. (TSU); 45D: Connecting flights (STAIRS); 46D: Customs exemption for an auto (CAR NET); 47D: Customer ID (ACCT. NO.); 49D: Czar known as "the Great" (PETER I); 54D: Lose color (FADE); 55D: Narrow opening (SLIT); 56D: Normandy river (ORNE); 58D: York's river (OUSE); 59D: "Miracle" 1969 World Series winners (METS); 61D: Chariot ending? (-EER); 62D: "Self-Reliance" essayist's monogram (RWE); 63D: List-ending abbr. (ETC.); 64D: Lab caretaker? (VET).

FRIDAY, October 23, 2009 — Merle Baker

THEME: IXNAY! (60A: Slangy turndown and a hint to how 17-, 22-, 32-, 47- and 51-Across are formed) — take familiar phrases, say "NAY" to (i.e take out) the "IX," and get new wacky phrases; clue said phrases "?"-style; lather rinse repeat; stir

I feel like there should be a massive balloon drop to celebrate the return of (some) difficulty to late-week LAT puzzles! OK, so I can't really call a puzzle that took me 5+ minutes to do "difficult," but it's a Hell of a lot better than the softballs we've been getting the last few months. I actually had to think. A lot. Yay thinking! This is a really snazzy and well-executed puzzle, with a great theme-revealing word — IXNAY — that serves as a really effective exclamation point for the whole thing. Got the theme (or so I believed) at DON QUOTE, but then when I had some trouble getting into MISTER FIT, I thought maybe the removed letters weren't going to be the same in every case. Like ... maybe all kinds of different Roman numerals were going to get yanked out of theme answers, like VI and CL and what not. But no. Just the IXs.

Theme answers:

• 17A: Health nut? (MISTER FIT) — from "Mr. Fix-It"
• 22A: "Make him an offer he can't refuse," e.g.? (DON QUOTE) — from "Don Quixote"
• 32A: Where hogs go hog-wild? (SWINGING STIES) — from "Swinging Sixties" (idea of swinger pigs = highly amusing)
• 47A: DVDs? (NON-TAPES) — from "Nixon tapes"
• 51A: Cocktails at an exotic resort club? (MED DRINKS) — from "mixed drinks"; this one felt iffiest. It's "Club MED" and only ever "Club MED"; been to several, never heard anyone use "MED" independently.

Crosswordese 101: EVAN Hunter (18A: Author Hunter) — If you know him at all, you probably know him better as Ed McBain, the name under which he had a prolific and successful crime fiction-writing career. One of the very first vintage paperbacks in my now enormous collection was a first edition 50s paperback edition of "The Mugger." Super fantastic (book on right is from my collection as well). EVAN could show up as the name of any number of people, but Hunter is a favorite way to clue it. Look also for baseball's EVAN Longoria, 2008 All-Star and American League Rookie of the Year. Then try not to get him confused with EVA Longoria (39A: Longoria of "Desperate Housewives").

What else?

• 26A: Eightfold (OCTUPLE) — really wanted the (made-up?) adverb OCTUPLY.
• 36A: Satirist Mort (SAHL) — see also the far less common [Satirist Freberg] => STAN.
• 40A: Source of 20s, for short (ATM) — I could not, for the life of me, figure out what "20s" was supposed to mean until I got the answer from crosses. D'oh! Did you know it's AUTOMATED Teller Machine and not AUTOMATIC. I found this out the hard way while doing Frank Longo's extremely awesome and brutally difficult "Vowelless Crosswords," which everyone who likes challenging puzzles really must own. Hours and hours of solving fun/torture for an obscenely low price (66 puzzles, 8 bucks).
• 57A: Stiller's comedy partner (MEARA) — love her. As many of you know, one of the highlights of my blogging career was getting an email from her correcting some mistake I made in a write-up.
• 2D: California city near Vandenberg Air Force Base (LOMPOC) — yikes. Pulled this, eventually, from god knows where. This must be an answer designed to give the puzzle a certain California flavor (NYT does similar provincial stuff from time to time).
• 6D: Reproductive cell (GAMETE) — I had ZYGOTE ...
• 10D: "I don't get it" (GO FIGURE) — I didn't get it either, not until I had nearly every cross. "GOTIGURE? GOMIGURE?"
• 25D: Two-wheeled artillery wagons (CAISSONS) — they go rolling along in that song about war that I half-way know.
• 30D: Notable 1969 bride (ONO) — The notable 1970 death of the Beatles followed shortly thereafter.

• 33D: Battered repeatedly, in slang (WHALED ON) — always want to spell this "WAILED ON." Correct spelling brings to mind images of one man flogging another with a sea mammal.
• 43D: Biological divisions (GENERA) — Latin plural of "GENUS."

That is all. See you Monday.

~RP

[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter]

Everything Else — 1A: Angle (SLANT); 6A: Like disco dancers (GO-GO); 10A: "Wow" (GEE); 13A: Explorer __ de León (PONCE); 14A: Structural sci. (ANAT.); 15A: Nightclub in a Manilow song (COPA); 16A: Atlanta university (EMORY); 17A: Health nut? (MISTER FIT); 19A: Prefix with dermal (EPI-); 20A: PC support person (TECH); 21A: Village paper? (VOICE); 22A: "Make him an offer he can't refuse," e.g.? (DON QUOTE); 25A: Toy in a holster (CAP GUN); 26A: Eightfold (OCTUPLE); 27A: Winter mo. (JAN.); 28A: Arg. neighbor (URU); 29A: IM provider (AOL); 30A: Arles assent (OUI); 31A: Get ready, briefly (PREP); 32A: Where hogs go hog-wild? (SWINGING STIES); 36A: Satirist Mort (SAHL); 37A: Blood classification letters (ABO); 38A: "__ who?" (SEZ); 39A: Longoria of "Desperate Housewives" (EVA); 40A: Source of 20s, for short (ATM); 41A: Spokane university (GONZAGA); 45A: Comfort for a griever (SOLACE); 47A: DVDs? (NONTAPES); 48A: Concert venue (ARENA); 49A: Takes to court (SUES); 50A: Tolkien tree creature (ENT); 51A: Cocktails at an exotic resort club? (MED DRINKS); 53A: Bugs chaser (ELMER); 55A: Greek love god (EROS); 56A: Lighten up? (DIET); 57A: Stiller's comedy partner (MEARA); 58A: Form 1040 ID (SSN); 59A: Lhasa __ (APSO); 60A: Slangy turndown, and a hint to how 17-, 22-, 32-, 47- and 51-Across are formed (IXNAY); 1D: Swimwear brand (SPEEDO); 2D: California city near Vandenberg Air Force Base (LOMPOC); 3D: Consecrate using oil (ANOINT); 4D: Big name in 40-Acrosses (NCR); 5D: Mystery writer Josephine (TEY); 6D: Reproductive cell (GAMETE); 7D: In the cooler (ON ICE); 8D: Deep wound (GASH); 9D: Polo Grounds hero (OTT); 10D: "I don't get it" ("GO FIGURE"); 11D: Gastronomes (EPICURES); 12D: Gone from the plate (EATEN UP); 15D: Photoshop command (CROP); 18D: Author Hunter (EVAN); 20D: Turnpike collection spot (TOLL GATE); 23D: Small game bird (QUAIL); 24D: Resting atop (UPON); 25D: Two-wheeled artillery wagons (CAISSONS); 27D: "A __ of Wine, a Loaf of Bread ..." (JUG); 30D: Notable 1969 bride (ONO); 31D: Food in a flat box (PIZZA); 32D: 11-Down, e.g. (SAVORERS); 33D: Battered repeatedly, in slang (WHALED ON); 34D: ThinkPad maker (IBM); 35D: Camp shelter (TENT); 36D: Bun seeds (SESAMES); 40D: Rent-__ (A-CAR); 41D: Attends (GOES TO); 42D: Tarzan, e.g. (APEMAN); 43D: Biological divisions (GENERA); 44D: Down a sinful path (ASTRAY); 46D: Additions (ANDS); 47D: Zaps in a microwave (NUKES); 49D: Salon sound (SNIP); 52D: Pocatello's state: Abbr. (IDA); 53D: Brit. record label (EMI); 54D: Latin law (LEX).

THURSDAY, October 22, 2009Dan Naddor

Theme: In the Mood — Theme answers are rhyming phrases.

Theme answers:

• 17A: Lost it (CAME UNGLUED).
• 25A: Dismissed out of hand (POOH-POOHED).
• 37A: Like Starbucks coffee, every 30 minutes (FRESHLY BREWED).
• 48A: "That's too bad, man" ("BUMMER, DUDE").
• 60A: "I don't feel like cooking" option (TAKE-OUT FOOD).

Before I get started, I just want to say that I have not been keeping up with the blog lately. I don't know what happened, but my life just got super super busy the last couple of weeks. I've been doing my best to catch up as often as I can but, for example, I haven't read Rex's Monday or Orange's Wednesday post from this week. So if I say something that seems totally stupid to say in relation to either of those posts, well ... now you know why. Also, I've seen all the nice things people have been saying in the comments about this little blogging endeavor of ours and I really appreciate the support. I haven't chimed in because I haven't been getting to the comments until a couple days later, but I do read them all and really am grateful that you all think it's worthwhile to participate. (And those of you who aren't participating: What are you waiting for? We'd love to hear from you!) Okay, as soon as I'm done here, I'm going to go catch up! And I'll try to keep up from now on — I promise!

I really enjoyed this puzzle. The theme doesn't seem particularly inspired, but Dan manages to make it both elegant and fun. Elegant because each rhyming word in the theme answers spells the rhyming part differently. Did you notice that? And fun? Two words: BUMMER DUDE. That's just an awesome answer is what that is. There was also some tricky cluing in this puzzle, which I really appreciate after how the puzzles have been lately. Who among us wasn't trying to think of some kind of disease for 15A: Cause of a worldwide 19th century fever? And you thought the 64A: Capital on the Missouri River would be somewhere quite a bit more southerly than PIERRE, didn't you? Throw in a couple question mark clues, some basic foreign language vocabulary, a Norse god, and an Olympic skier and I say you've yourself a puzzle! This was a little easier than what I think of as a Thursday puzzle, but not so easy as to feel like a waste of time. So thank you, Dan — nice job.

With attitude:
• 1A: Sweet Spanish wine (MALAGA). Never heard of it. I got every single letter through the crosses.
• 11A: Inst. that turns out lieutenants (OCS). Officer Candidate School. In the United States, it looks like each branch of the military has one.
• 22A: Ivy in Philly (PENN). Do people usually call this school Penn or U. Penn? I always say U. Penn, but maybe that's because I follow the Big Ten and need to distinguish it from Penn State.
• 36A: Bug (VEX). Wanted irk.
• 42A: Three-time world champion alpine skier Hermann (MAIER). This guy shows up every once in a while, so try to remember him.

• 55A: Prime Cuts in Gravy brand (ALPO). They always try to make it sound so delicious. I'm guessing it's really not though.
• 59A: __ Speedwagon (REO). You may have noticed that I try to pass myself off as a Child of the 80s, but do you really buy it? Do you think I'm really being honest about that? Well, here's some more proof:




["Ain't nobody who talks with his guitar the way Gary does!"]



• 66A: High degrees: Abbr. (PHDS). I tried nths at first. We had an nth-themed puzzle recently, didn't we?

• 11D: Austin Powers catchphrase (OH BEHAVE). There have been only two times in my life that I've stopped watching a movie because it just wasn't doing it for me. And one was during Austin Powers. It really seemed like it would be something right up my alley, but it was really, like, not even in the same neighborhood for some reason. (The other time was "Under the Cherry Moon." I like Prince as much as the next guy, but yikes!)
• 13D: Stretchy fabric (SPANDEX). Please, ladies. Spandex is not always your friend.
• 49D: Raid target (ROACH). Eewwww.

Crosswordese 101: I briefly mentioned ERE once before when we were talking about ERST, but let's give it the full treatment today. Not that it's going to take much. ERE means before. Unless you're the kind of person who uses words like anon and phrases like yea, verily, this is not a word you use. Pretty much ever. It's used in poetry, so clues will almost always refer to poetry or a bard (i.e., poet). You'll also want to be on the lookout for ERE when you've got a fill-in-the-blank Shakespeare quote and the word that goes in the blank is three letters. For example, "How long will a man lie i' the earth ____ he rot?" from Hamlet.

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Everything Else — 7A: In that case (IF SO); 14A: Moves on all fours (CRAWLS); 16A: Old school dance (HOP); 19A: Victoria's Secret offering (BRA); 20A: Bonanza find (ORE); 21A: In copious amounts (GALORE); 23A: Ivy in New Haven (YALE); 27A: Pizazz (STYLE); 29A: Trumpet sound (BLARE); 30A: Party list (INVITEES); 40A: Bard's "before" (ERE); 41A: Software customers (USER BASE); 44A: Feast where the Haggadah is read (SEDER); 54A: Brazilian soccer legend (PELÉ); 56A: Crude fleet (OILERS); 58A: Busy co. on Valentine's Day (FTD); 62A: Enlistees, briefly (GIS); 63A: Slurpee relative (ICEE); 65A: Wee hour (ONE); 67A: Aftershock (TREMOR); 1D: Real people? (MCCOYS); 2D: Biblical debarkation point (ARARAT); 3D: How bad excuses are given (LAMELY); 4D: Bowl over (AWE); 5D: Guzzling sound (GLUG); 6D: "Piece of cake!" ("A SNAP!"); 7D: Inuit home (IGLOO); 8D: Club for country kids (FOUR-H); 9D: Shuteye (SLEEP); 10D: Anomalous (ODD); 12D: Trapped (CORNERED); 18D: Day-__: pigment brand (GLO); 22D: D.C. deal maker (POL); 24D: Nobelist Wiesel (ELIE); 26D: Preoccupy (OBSESS); 28D: Make certain (ENSURE); 31D: Videotape type (VHS); 32D: Land in la mer (ILE); 33D: Norse god of single combat (TYR); 34D: Diminish (EBB); 35D: Pitching stat (ERA); 37D: German miss (FRAULEIN); 38D: Put back in force, as an expired tax (REIMPOSE); 39D: Blubber (WEEP); 40D: Economic warfare tactic (EMBARGO); 43D: Funnyman Philips (EMO); 45D: Mar the beauty of (DEFORM); 46D: Corrida snorter (EL TORO); 47D: More rare, as steak (REDDER); 50D: Protected by levees (DIKED); 51D: "__ Gold": Peter Fonda film (ULEES); 52D: __ volente: God willing (DEO); 53D: Spew lava (ERUPT); 57D: Show signs of life (STIR); 60D: Service reward (TIP); 61D: Service charge (FEE).

WEDNESDAY, October 21, 2009—Donna S. Levin

THEME: "I'll take 'Hockey Terms I Don't Know' for $1,000, please, Alex"—Four "blanking a blank" phrases begin with words that double as hockey no-nos

Theme answers:

• 17A: Electrical worker's action (TRIPPING A SWITCH). This is a kind of icky theme entry, if you ask me. I just asked my husband what sort of "flipping" is a violation in hockey. I'm not an electrical worker, so "tripping a switch" feels like an awkward combination of words to me. I'm sure Dave, my electrician who looks just like Tim Russert, would tell me the phrase is super familiar. If the theme entries weren't all "blanking a blank," this could've been the Dave Matthews Band song "Tripping Billies":
  
  
  
  
• 24A: Discount retailer's action (SLASHING A PRICE). You know what? If they're slashing prices, maybe they weren't starting out at a discount price and don't deserve the moniker "discount retailer." Furthermore: They're only slashing the one price? Maybe it would have been better to do without the thematic consistency of the "blanking a blank" structure to allow a more natural-sounding phrase here.
  
• 41A: Feuder's action (HOLDING A GRUDGE). I like this one. I kept the first four letters blank for a while because it could've been NURSING A GRUDGE too. And yes, I'd like to see the hockey game in which the players wind up in the penalty box because they were nursing.
  
• 54A: Accused speeder's action (FIGHTING A TICKET).
  
• 47D: Place where the starts of this puzzle's four longest answers result in a penalty (RINK). Hockey rink, not a figure skating rink. Although I reckon the figure skating judges would not look kindly on any tripping, slashing, fighting action on the ice rink.
  

I have never seen Slap Shot, but it's a hockey classic. Now that I've watched this clip, I've seen two minutes and seven seconds of the movie. Looks funny. It's been in my Netflix queue for a long time, but we keep forgetting to ever watch Flight of the Conchords, Season 1, so we keep never getting the next movie. Procrastination! *shakes fist*

There's a word in this puzzle that I don't think I've ever seen before: NOVIA (27D: Spanish sweetheart). You guys know this word? I took German and French myself. The L.A. Times crossword does seem to include a few more Spanish-language entries than the East Coast–based puzzles.

The bottom corners of this grid seemed a tad clunky. The CN TOWER is a fantastic entry (50A: Toronto skyline landmark), but yeesh! WKLY and EEEE and RTES crossing ALEE and plural RYES? The southwest corner has a nice intersection between CRASHES and DASHES, plus the start of a theme entry and the capper, RINK, but there's also the possessive SKY'S crossing CFOS and an AGCY.

Oh, hello, BASEBALL! (9D: America's pastime.) Mr. Fiend is watching the Dodgers/Yankees game. My kid noticed that the on-screen scoreboard thingy has two double letters: NYY vs. LAA. Letter patterns! We'll make a crossworder out of him yet. Can't push it. He needs to come to it in his own time. He's only nine, so he could use a few more years to hone his spelling before he gets into crosswords.

Runners know the word SUPINATE (4D: Rotate face-up, as one's palm). I haven't much encountered this word in a hand setting. If your ankles tend to roll outward when you walk, you're a supinator; ankles rolling inward are pronating. The words are related, obviously, to supine and prone, the words for lying on your back and face down, respectively.

When they send the RADIO CAR (37D: Police cruiser) you can expect to see the COPSE (30D: Thicket), right? "Bad boys, bad boys, whatcha gonna do?"



Crosswordese 101: There are a zillion things that SNEE sounds like it could mean. A sneeze that gets stifled? An exclamation like "whee!"? Something those Monty Python knights might say? A variety of snow? It's none of those. It's a 49D: Dagger of yore. Your family of SNEE clues mostly circles around an old, bygone, or pirate's blade, dagger, or sticker, or possibly Ko-Ko's weapon in The Mikado. There's also the snick-or-SNEE/snick-a-SNEE alternative, which can also be spelled in a less crossword-friendly single word, snickersnee. That, too, is about cutting with a stabby little dagger. (Oh, yeah—there's also a football player for the N.Y. Giants named Chris Snee.)

Everything Else — 1A: Droops (SAGS); 5A: Benchwarmer (SCRUB); 10A: Dull (DRAB); 14A: Spiritual guide (GURU); 15A: Pageant trophy (TIARA); 16A: Tot's first word, often (MAMA); 17A: Electrical worker's action (TRIPPING A SWITCH); 20A: Stuff to capacity (SATIATE); 21A: Like the healthiest corned beef (LEANEST); 22A: White House advisory gp. (NSC); 23A: "Don't tase me, __!" (BRO); 24A: Discount retailer's action (SLASHING A PRICE); 32A: Virginia, for one (STATE); 33A: Sits on the sill, as a pie (COOLS); 34A: Absorb, with "up" (SOP); 35A: Exaggerated publicity (HYPE); 36A: Type of servant or engineer (CIVIL); 37A: Ready for picking (RIPE); 38A: "You __ here": mall map words (ARE); 39A: Arrested (RAN IN); 40A: Parson's home (MANSE); 41A: Feuder's action (HOLDING A GRUDGE); 44A: In the past (AGO); 45A: Actress MacGraw (ALI); 46A: Traffic jam causes (CRASHES); 50A: Toronto skyline landmark (CN TOWER); 54A: Accused speeder's action (FIGHTING A TICKET); 56A: On a single occasion (ONCE); 57A: Two-time U.S. Open winner Fraser (NEALE); 58A: Opposite of aweather (ALEE); 59A: "The __ the limit!" (SKY'S); 60A: Freezing cold (GELID); 61A: Bakery offerings (RYES); 1D: Bilko and York: Abbr. (SGTS.); 2D: Subtle emanation (AURA); 3D: "True __": John Wayne film (GRIT); 4D: Rotate face-up, as one's palm (SUPINATE); 5D: Pain in the side (STITCH); 6D: Movie (CINE); 7D: Tabloid (RAG); 8D: Russia's __ Mountains (URAL); 9D: America's pastime (BASEBALL); 10D: Key of Beethoven's Ninth (D MINOR); 11D: Distance divided by time (RATE); 12D: Gremlin and Pacer (AMCS); 13D: Capital of Thailand? (BAHT); 18D: Out of fashion (PASSE); 19D: Time irregularities, in sci-fi (WARPS); 24D: Prefix with foam (STYRO-); 25D: Boutonniere site (LAPEL); 26D: Cupcake topper (ICING); 27D: Spanish sweetheart (NOVIA); 28D: Continuing to operate (GOING); 29D: "Of Thee __" (I SING); 30D: Thicket (COPSE); 31D: Olympics sword (ÉPÉE); 32D: Peacock Throne occupant (SHAH); 36D: Challenging the rapids, maybe (CANOEING); 37D: Police cruiser (RADIO CAR); 39D: On the money (RIGHT); 40D: Poly- equivalent (MULTI-); 42D: Sprints (DASHES); 43D: Went on a tirade (RANTED); 46D: Corp. money bigwigs (CFOS); 47D: Place where the starts of this puzzle's four longest answers result in a penalty (RINK); 48D: Part of CIA: Abbr. (AGCY.); 49D: Dagger of yore (SNEE); 50D: Colombian cartel city (CALI); 51D: How many employees are pd. (WKLY.); 52D: Hard-to-find shoe width (EEEE); 53D: Numbered hwys. (RTES.); 55D: Word before Friday or pal (GAL).

TUESDAY, October 20, 2009Bruce Venzke

Theme: I Got Nothin' — Theme answers are three different ways of describing writer's block.

Theme answers:

• 20A: Suffering writer's block (COMING UP EMPTY).
• 36A: Suffering writer's block (FRESH OUT OF IDEAS).
• 54A: Suffering writer's block (DRAWING A BLANK).

I like this theme a lot! I imagine Bruce sitting around with another puzzle constructor brainstorming for ideas: "Argh! Nothing's coming to me! I'm fresh out of ideas! I'm drawing a blank! Hey ... wait a minute ...." And thus this theme was born. Also, it gives me an excuse to post one of my favorite clips from one of my favorite shows:



Unfortunately, there's quite a bit of crosswordese in today's puzzle. What with the IBIS, Jack PAAR, Max ERNST, and ESSEN. But there are a couple snappy answers too. Like ARMY MULE (11D: Military mascot), TOPNOTCH (5D: Exceptional), GUSTO (21D: Enthusiasm), and EATS DIRT (38D: Admits an embarrassing error). I was going through the acrosses first without checking the downs and had a few bad first guesses. For 15A: It smells, I entered odor instead of the correct NOSE. 18A: Coke or Pepsi struck me as soda instead of COLA. And for ACTS UP (33A: Is bratty), I first entered sasses but saw my error when I got to one of the crosses — 29D: Get fresh with (SASS). Other than the theme, nothing particularly awesome and other than the crosswordese, nothing really horrible. Overall, an enjoyable, solid Tuesday.

The only other thing that stood out to me was SUPE (34D: Apartment house manager, slangily), and I think that's just because I immediately thought of this guy. So let's get on with the CW101 and call it a day.

Crosswordese 101: I'm a little bit too young to remember EZIO Pinza in his heyday, so all I know about him I've learned from puzzle clues: He was an Italian opera singer (a bass) who, after retiring from the Met, went on to a second career on Broadway. There, he played Emile in "South Pacific" (for which he was awarded a Tony) and Cesar in "Fanny." The important thing is to figure out how to distinguish him from ENZO Ferrari, the car company founder. Anyone have a mnemonic for that?

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Everything Else — 1A: Modify to fit (ADAPT); 6A: Nile bird (IBIS); 10A: Early late-night host Jack (PAAR); 14A: __-Bismol (PEPTO); 16A: Golden Fleece ship (ARGO); 17A: Devoured every bit of (ATE UP); 19A: "Peter Pan" pirate (SMEE); 23A: Color gradation (HUE); 24A: "Days of __ Lives" (OUR); 25A: One of the Musketeers (ARAMIS); 28A: Paintings by dadaist Max (ERNSTS); 30A: Really little (TINY); 32A: Sport __: family vehicle (UTE); 35A: "Do it, or __!" (ELSE); 41A: Open fields (LEAS); 42A: Modeling session activity (POSING); 43A: Frequently, to a poet (OFT); 44A: Docking spot (PIER); 46A: Black Sea resort (ODESSA); 50A: Offers from a genie (WISHES); 52A: Small bill (ONE); 53A: Favored student (PET); 58A: Pinza of "South Pacific" (EZIO); 60A: Space-saving abbr. (ET AL.); 61A: Many sculptures (TORSI); 62A: Parking lot fillers (CARS); 63A: Complexion problem (ACNE); 64A: Krupp Works city (ESSEN); 65A: Decides (OPTS); 66A: Letters after pi (RHOS); 67A: Color-coded Monopoly cards (DEEDS); 1D: Geronimo's tribe (APACHE); 2D: Route around the construction area (DETOUR); 3D: Ancestors in Darwin's theory (APEMEN); 4D: Spitter's sound (PTUI); 6D: Acquire, as liabilities (INCUR); 7D: Cartoon flapper Betty (BOOP); 8D: Maui, for one (ISLE); 9D: Sailor (SEAMAN); 10D: Carbo-loader's choice (PASTA); 12D: It goes before beauty, so they say (AGE); 13D: __ v. Wade: 1973 Supreme Court decision (ROE); 22D: Get too personal (PRY); 26D: "__ sin to tell ..." (IT'S A); 27D: Witnesses (SEES); 30D: Henry Higgins, to Eliza (TUTOR); 31D: NYSE debuts (IPOS); 35D: Periphery (EDGE); 36D: Go with the __ (FLOW); 37D: Strategy for reducing loan payments, briefly (REFI); 39D: "Shrek" ogress (FIONA); 40D: Obligated to repay a loan (INDEBTED); 44D: Split __ soup (PEA); 45D: "Cross my heart" ("I SWEAR"); 47D: Few and far between (SPARSE); 48D: Became vaguely aware of (SENSED); 49D: Diet guru who wouldn't have recommended 10-Down (ATKINS); 51D: Reform Party founder Perot (H. ROSS); 52D: Looks boldly at (OGLES); 55D: Rash symptom (ITCH); 56D: Prefix with second (NANO-); 57D: Get beaten (LOSE); 58D: Earth-friendly prefix (ECO-); 59D: Reheat, nowadays (ZAP).

MONDAY, Oct. 19, 2009 — Mark Bickham

THEME: KEY (65D: Computer feature that ends each of the five longest across answers) — theme answers end with ENTER, TAB, ESCAPE, CONTROL, and SHIFT, respectively

First thought: seen it. Multiple times. Let's retire this theme starting ... now. Next thought: it's a very competent Monday puzzle, with cluing that (finally) starts to return to the kind of liveliness that I expect from a major daily crossword puzzle. No reason your puzzle can't be easy (which this was) and still be interesting at the level of both clues and answers. NO MEANS OF ESCAPE is kind of long and unwieldy for a theme answer (prefer tight, clearly self-standing phrases like FIRE ESCAPE or NARROW ESCAPE), but otherwise the theme is nicely executed. UNWOVEN = ??? (27D: Not made of interlaced parts, as fabric) It's the linchpin answer (the Down that holds three different theme answers in place — these theme-spanners tend to go in early in the construction process and are often the place where the constructor is most limited in terms of fill options). It's not a great word, in that I couldn't use it effectively in a sentence, but I've seen worse. I have a puzzle (forthcoming in a book) that used a Much worse linchpin answer. Thankfully, it's by far the worst thing in that grid, and only four letters long. Thus, I hope, forgivable.

Theme answers:

• 17A: "Keep out" sign ("DO NOT ENTER")
• 24A: Pay for everyone's dinner (PICK UP THE TAB)
• 40A: "All exits are blocked" situation (NO MEANS OF ESCAPE) — is "NO MEANS" parallel to "situation" ... feels quite off.
• 50A: Throng management (CROWD CONTROL)
• 62A: Four-on-the-floor, e.g. (STICK SHIFT) — I miss mine. I went from STICK SHIFT Pathfinder to automatic Volvo wagon. Next car will most certain be some kind of midlifecrisismobile. Turning 40 in November, so said mobile might be in my near future.

Crosswordese 101: CASCA (52D: One of Caesar's assassins) — was going to go with ODER or SLUE, but they've both been covered. CASCA is a guy I learned about from xwords, which is weird because I teach Dante's "Inferno" every year and at the bottom of hell, being CHOMPed (50D: Bite vigorously) in Satan's mouth, are two of Caesar's assassins, *neither* of them named CASCA (Brutus and Cassius, to be specific). Plutarch claims that CASCA was the first to strike Caesar with a dagger. Way to show initiative! He's a character in Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" and has been played on screen by Robert Vaughan and Edmond O'Brien, whom I know best as the undercover agent in "White Heat" (1949) — "I'm on top of the world, ma!"



What else?

• 1A: "Overhead" engine parts (cams) — know very little about engines but got this instantly.
• 15A: Between, quaintly ('twixt) — brain wanted only 'TWEEN :(
• 21A: Coll. major for a future concert artist (mus.) — hate this abbrev. Also hate that "Musical" is in the clues (1D: Musical finale => CODA). Someday I will clue MUS like this: [Omega _____: members of a "Revenge of the Nerds" sorority]
• 54A: Witchy woman (hag) — first, not all HAGs are witches. Second, not all witches are ugly. Third, this clue is also the title of an Eagles song:

• 25D: Traveling show worker (carny) — an inherently great word.

See you Friday.

~RP


Everything Else — 1A: "Overhead" engine parts (CAMS); 5A: Shoe undersides (SOLES); 10A: __ the lily: ornament to excess (GILD); 14A: Doing the job (ON IT); 15A: Between, quaintly (TWIXT); 16A: There oughta be one, so it's said (A LAW); 17A: "Keep out" sign (DO NOT ENTER); 19A: Turn on a pivot (SLUE); 20A: Jungian feminine principle (ANIMA); 21A: Coll. major for a future concert artist (MUS.); 23A: Anger (IRE); 24A: Pay for everyone's dinner (PICK UP THE TAB); 29A: Lively Irish dance (JIG); 32A: Peter, Paul or Mary (SAINT); 33A: Not shut, in verse (OPE); 34A: German river (ODER); 36A: Like a cold, damp day (RAW); 37A: Type of notebook (SPIRAL); 40A: "All exits are blocked" situation (NO MEANS OF ESCAPE); 43A: Shiny photo (GLOSSY); 44A: Delivery vehicle (VAN); 45A: WWII submachine gun (STEN); 46A: Floral welcome (LEI); 47A: Mexican money (PESOS); 49A: Mag. staffers (EDS.); 50A: Throng management (CROWD CONTROL); 54A: Witchy woman (HAG); 55A: Place for a ring (EAR); 56A: On-the-job reward (BONUS); 60A: Norse war god (ODIN); 62A: Four-on-the-floor, e.g. (STICK SHIFT); 66A: Atomizer output (MIST); 67A: Division of society (CASTE); 68A: Sunscreen ingredient, perhaps (ALOE); 69A: __ helmet: safari wear (PITH); 70A: Ease, as fears (ALLAY); 71A: Home on a limb (NEST); 1D: Musical finale (CODA); 2D: Soon, to a bard (ANON); 3D: Short skirt (MINI); 4D: Defeat decisively (STOMP); 5D: Sault __ Marie (STE.); 6D: Possess (OWN); 7D: On, as a lamp (LIT); 8D: Like churches, vis-à-vis most taxes (EXEMPT); 9D: Rooster's gait (STRUT); 10D: Tank filler (GAS); 11D: Unable to read (ILLITERATE); 12D: First lady before Michelle (LAURA); 13D: Dork (DWEEB); 18D: Mai __: rum drinks (TAIS); 22D: Small stores (SHOPS); 25D: Traveling show worker (CARNY); 26D: Sedona and Sorento (KIAS); 27D: Not made of interlaced parts, as fabric (UNWOVEN); 28D: Expansive stories (EPICS); 29D: Author Erica (JONG); 30D: "American __" (IDOL); 31D: Precious stone expert (GEMOLOGIST); 35D: Stitch over (RESEW); 37D: Man of La Mancha (SEÑOR); 38D: Acted like (APED); 39D: Contact or zoom (LENS); 41D: "All kidding __ ..." (ASIDE); 42D: No-food protest (FAST); 47D: Snazzy entrance (PORTAL); 48D: Bursts into tears (SOBS); 50D: Bite vigorously (CHOMP); 51D: Pie slice edges, geometrically (RADII); 52D: One of Caesar's assassins (CASCA); 53D: Actress Lindsay (LOHAN); 57D: Longest river (NILE); 58D: Roswell sightings, briefly (UFOS); 59D: Printer's "let it stand" (STET); 61D: To the __ degree (NTH); 63D: One of many in the Aegean Sea: Abbr. (ISL.); 64D: Windy City transportation org. (CTA); 65D: Computer feature that ends each of the five longest across answers (KEY).
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SUNDAY, October 18, 2009Merl Reagle

Theme: "Vowel Play" — Vowels are omitted from parts of familiar phrases to create new wacky phrases clued "?"-style

[Note: This is the puzzle that appears in the Sunday L.A. Times newspaper. If you don't get the paper, you can find the puzzle here. Scroll down to see the write-up of today's syndicated puzzle.]


Theme answers:

• 21A: Additive advice? (WATCH YOUR STP). Watch your step.
• 27A: Where to hear songs with subliminal messages? (ULTERIOR MTV). Ulterior motive.
• 41A: Two things not to mess with in the Old West? (THE LONE RANGER AND TNT). The Lone Ranger and Tonto.
• 57A: Way-ahead-of-its-time novel of 1766? (THE VCR OF WAKEFIELD). The Vicar of Wakefield.
• 70A: Certain airline's in-flight movie? (THE CONTINENTAL DVD). The continental divide.
• 87A: Old ABC series about a paramedic? (HANGIN' WITH MISTER CPR). "Hangin' With Mister Cooper."
• 104A: Top two sellers at the Trail Mix Deli? (NUTS AND BLTS). Nuts and Bolts.
• 111A: Banned Britney Spears song? (OOPS DDT AGAIN). "Oops!... I Did It Again."

I was jumping all over the place today. I couldn't figure out the theme and therefore couldn't come up with any of the theme answers and the crosses were taking too long so I got impatient and kept moving. Finally caught on and it was pretty smooth sailing from there. The Britney Spears theme answer threw me a little because the missing vowels are actually part or all of three words, where the vowels are all taken from one word in the rest of the theme answers. It was easy enough to come up with though, so not that big of a deal.

More:

• 10A: Torte topper (ICER). This is the person who tops the torte, not the topping that's, um, on top of the torte.

• 23A: London vehicle (TRAM). I started with pram. Does a stroller count as a vehicle?
• 25A: Rich tapestry (ARRAS). Learned it from crosswords.
• 26A: Event for Trisha Y. (CMA). That would be the home-wrecker Trisha Yearwood. (Totally kidding. I don't know anything about that situation. I just think it's hilarious how people always call The Other Woman the homewrecker. Like the guy didn't have anything to do with wrecking his home.)
• 30A: Pickett's music (SOUL).



• 50A: Goshawk's grabber (TALON). Which reminds me: Go Hawks!
• 53A: Chilly freight car (REEFER). Huh? Oh, I see ... it comes from the beginning of refrigerator. At first I thought, "That's madness!" See what I did there?
• 79A: "Because ___ so" (I SAID). It's embarrassing how often I say this.

• 116A: Underground network (ROOTS). I could only think of Watership Down. Was trying to think of a name for an underground tunnels and burros that rabbits use.
• 118A: It's for the money (ONE). Anybody read the Janet Evanovich books? I read One for the Money and, to my surprise, found her protagonist, Stephanie Plum, pretty entertaining. To me, the next couple were just silly though. I mean, I know it's beach reading and not serious literature, but still.
• 4D: Paper patriarch (OCHS). Who else was trying to think of a brand name of paper? Crane, anyone? Eaton?
• 5D: Man of art (RAY). Didn't we just talk about him the other day? Yep, we sure did.
• 43D: ___ de triomphe (L'ARC). I was just looking at a picture of L'Arc de Triomphe posted by a friend on Facebook. Can't believe he took that shot with his iPhone. (I was going to post the picture here, but it looks like Facebook may have just been hacked? Not sure what's going on there.)
  
• 56D: Demond's co-star (REDD). Ladies and gentlemen, the greatest theme song in the history of television:



• 85D: On something (STONED). Could have gone along with REEFER. Just sayin'.

Everything Else — 1A: Henry VIII's house (TUDOR); 6A: Tall order? (BEER); 14A: Bank offerings (CDS); 17A: "Phaedra" playwright (SENECA); 18A: Three-card hustle (MONTE); 19A: Ring site, nowadays (NOSE); 20A: Eng. subj. (LIT.); 24A: Deep ___ well (AS A); 31A: Recedes (EBBS); 33A: Jellystone resident (YOGI); 34A: Insect stages (PUPAE); 35A: Little house on the prairie (HUT); 36A: France's old dances (GALOPS); 38A: Sits up for snacks (BEGS); 40A: Some heirs (SONS); 46A: Goes down hard (SLAMS); 47A: Geometric product (AREA); 48A: Execute perfectly (NAIL); 49A: Before, long ago (ERE); 64A: Soccer stadium sound (OLÉ); 65A: Uncouth (RUDE); 66A: Wallaby's cuz (ROO); 67A: Expert (ACE); 68A: Like many dorms (CO-ED); 69A: It's S of Tenn. (ALA.); 77A: Chevy muscle car (CAMARO); 80A: Keats effort (ODE); 81A: TV host Kelly (RIPA); 83A: Village, to a Boer (STAD); 85A: Night sights (STARS); 93A: Wedding shower? (RICE); 94A: ESPN datum (STAT); 95A: Singer Sheena (EASTON); 96A: Dawn goddess (EOS); 98A: "This is only ___" (A TEST); 100A: Tax-deferred plans (IRAS); 102A: Big Apple cardinal (EGAN); 103A: Watt was one (SCOT); 107A: Antoine's "a" (UNE); 108A: Bit of terse verse (HAIKU); 109A: E-file preparer (CPA); 110A: Bettor bunch (POOL); 114A: Very sexy (HOT); 115A: Stake in the game (ANTE); 117A: Breakfast order (OMELET); 119A: Prophet (SEER); 120A: Make ___ meet (ENDS); 121A: Things to do (TASKS); 1D: Remove forcibly (TEAR OUT); 2D: Fictions (UNTRUTHS); 3D: Graphic transfer (DECAL); 6D: Leeward island (BORA BORA); 7D: Flag or rank: abbr. (ENS.); 8D: Caesar's comeback (ET TU); 9D: Comeback (REPLY); 10D: 2, for one (INTEGER); 11D: "Wrong Way" Atlantic crosser of 1938 (CORRIGAN); 12D: Actor Morales (ESAI); 13D: Swab again (REMOP); 14D: Attach, in a way (CLAMP ON); 15D: A ___ second (DISTANT); 16D: Holds (off) (STAVES); 17D: Buckling opening (SWASH); 18D: Say your lines a la Brando (MUMBLE); 22D: 70% of the earth's surface (OCEANS); 28D: Soliloquy start (TO BE); 29D: Soft sound (RUSTLE); 32D: Menelaus's realm (SPARTA); 36D: TV Marine (GOMER); 37D: Furtive fellow (SNEAK); 39D: Speak harshly (SNARL); 42D: Sceaux student (ÉLÈVE); 44D: Big wind (GALE); 45D: Went over like a lead balloon (DIED); 51D: The face ___ angel (OF AN); 52D: Friendly (NICE); 54D: Word on an interstate sign (FOOD); 55D: Mtn. road info (ELEV.); 57D: Gillette's ___ II (TRAC); 58D: Dance under the palms (HULA); 59D: Dutch export (EDAM); 60D: It's S of Wash. (ORE.); 61D: Meeting places? (FOCI); 62D: Serenades (WOOS); 63D: Dusk, to Donne (E'EN); 68D: 1980s tennis star Jose-Luis (CLERC); 70D: Math branch (TRIG); 71D: Kachina carvers (HOPIS); 72D: 19th century cartoonist (NAST); 73D: Church payment (TITHE); 74D: Recipient of the first Social Security check, ___ Fuller (1940) (IDA MAE); 75D: Count ___ (TO TEN); 76D: Hebrew month (ADAR); 78D: He played The Thing in 1951 (ARNESS); 82D: Toxic avenger? (ANTIDOTE); 84D: Grosses out (DISGUSTS); 86D: Rival of Total (SPECIAL K); 87D: Discover accidentally (HIT UPON); 88D: Movie stock (ACETATE); 89D: Songbird (WARBLER); 90D: The insistent type, perh. (ITAL.); 91D: Kiosks (STANDS); 92D: New arrivals (ROOKIES); 93D: Amigo's abode (RANCHO); 97D: Publicity ploy (STUNT); 99D: Finger foods (TAPAS); 101D: Emulate squirrels (STORE); 103D: Magi (SAGES); 105D: Zero (NONE); 106D: In a minute (SOON); 108D: Syrian city (HAMA); 112D: Group of whales (POD); 113D: Wobbly walker (TOT).

SUNDAY, October 18, 2009Alan Arbesfeld

Theme: "The Ultimate Sandwich" — Theme answers have the letter string NTH (as in "the nth degree") hidden (sandwiched) in them.

[Note: This is the syndicated L.A. Times puzzle. It does not appear in the actual newspaper, but is available for free at cruciverb.com.]


Theme answers:

• 24A: Course covering the Roman Empire, perhaps (ANCIENT HISTORY).
• 34A: Pentathlon event (JAVELIN THROW).
• 51A: Rehearse quickly (RUN THROUGH).
• 59A: "Under Milk Wood" playwright (DYLAN THOMAS).
• 77A: Malfunctioned (WENT HAYWIRE).
• 89A: Gardener's gift (GREEN THUMB).
• 102A: One of the Seven Sisters colleges (MOUNT HOLYOKE).
• 121A: College accommodations (STUDENT HOUSING).
• 123D: Ultimate degree hidden in eight puzzle answers (NTH).

Good morning! And I say that because it's a beautiful, glorious morning! Why, you ask? Because I don't have a stupid headache any more, that's why. I've been getting these migraines and they're just super painful, which I guess probably goes without saying. I have some prescription medication that absolutely gets rid of the migraine within, like, an hour, but here's where I screw up. The medication costs me something like $18 per pill (only a slight exaggeration), so I try to ignore the migraine telling myself little Pollyanna stories like "It's just a sinus headache! It will go away on its own very soon!" And that, my friends, is not only wrong, it's just plain stupid. Because here's what happens. If I ignore the migraine and don't take the medication until much later it ... doesn't work. And then I'm stuck with the stupid migraine for the duration. And all I had to do was take the little obscenely priced pill in the first place and I would have been fine. So I guess what I'm saying is it's a beautiful, glorious morning!

Puzzle? Oh, okay. I was cruising through this puzzle when I realized I had no idea what the theme was. I had, like, three long answers that looked like they should be theme answers, but I couldn't remember seeing a wacky clue or thinking very hard about them or anything, which is unusual for Sunday theme answers. So I looked at the puzzle's title again to see if I could figure it out (remember, the Sunday puzzle has a title that can help with the theme). Et voilà! It actually helped. I can't tell you how many times I go looking for a title on a Monday-through-Saturday puzzle. I keep hoping it will be there, but no. But today because the title had the word "sandwich" in it, I figured there was something "sandwiched" between the two words and it was pretty easy from there. Speaking of the theme ...

Theme answers are not very exciting (although WENT HAYWIRE is pretty cool), but I thought it was fun trying to come up with them without crosses once I knew to think about the NTH.

To a lesser degree:

• 7A: Like the best straight, in poker (ACE HIGH). I have clearly not been playing enough poker lately. I'm all "Is there such a thing as a royal straight?" But I did get DEAL IN (93A: Include, at the poker table) easy enough, so maybe I redeemed myself.
• 22A: Scams (BUNCOS). I thought BUNCO was just a game that gives housewives an opportunity to get drunk.
• 42A: Jazz singer Anderson (IVIE). Only know her from crosswords. I'm sure she's lovely.
• 48A: Chaos (BEDLAM). To my surprise, PuzzleSon used the word mayhem the other day. Good word.
• 50A: Slangy "OK" ("YEH"). Ooh ... do not like the spelling here. We've talked about it before, right? The proper spelling of this particular word is yeah.
• 95A: NC State's gp. (ACC). Atlantic Coast Conference? Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

• 100A: Nobelist Morrison (TONI). I missed the conversation about Toni Morrison over at Rex's recently, so I'll take this opportunity to plug my favorite Morrison novel, The Bluest Eye.
• 127A: Horseplay sounds? (SNORTS). Not horseplay as you usually think of it, but horseplay with real horses. Thus the question mark.
• 4D: Old movie house staple (NEWS REEL).



• 5D: Canine coat? (ENAMEL). Canine the tooth, not canine the dog.
• 14D: Slightly more than one can tolerate (A BIT MUCH). Fun, colloquial phrase.

• 34D: Were in accord (JIBED). I hope none of you tried to enter jived. Totally different things.
• 64D: %#&!#! ones (SO-AND-SOS). Speaking of colloquial, this is awesome.
• 90D: Digressions (TANGENTS). Hmm ... what's a tangent? Merriam-Webster online says it's "diverging from an original purpose or course (tangent remarks)." Glad I don't know anybody who does That.
• 101D: "Turn it up, please" (LOUDER).


Montgomery Gentry lyrics


• 105D: John with a colorful wardrobe (ELTON). Not that there's anything wrong with that.
• 114D: Arlington's state: Abbr. (VIRG.). I really, really hate to end on a downer note, but this is the ugliest abbreviation for Virginia I've ever seen. VA, okay. Va., still okay. Vir., close to the line but acceptable. VIRG.? No. Just no.

Crosswordese 101: Although TYNE is sometimes clued as the English river, it's more often clued as the actress TYNE Daly. She was Sharon Gless's co-star on the old "Cagney & Lacey" show. More recently, she appeared in the television show "Judging Amy." She has apparently won six Emmys. And that's what you need to know about TYNE Daly.

Other crosswordese in today's puzzle that we've already covered includes: ENA (57A: Bambi's aunt), REO (85A: Vintage auto), ELOI (3D: "The Time Machine" race), and AGHA (63D: Turkish general).

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Everything Else — 1A: Place to surf (THE NET); 14A: Creature that divides to multiply (AMOEBA); 20A: One-named Tejano singer (SELENA); 21A: Cure-all (PANACEA); 23A: Like hawks, vis-à-vis doves (PRO-WAR); 26A: Earthquake (SEISM); 27A: Pilot (FLIER); 28A: "You're not telling the truth!" ("THAT'S A LIE!"); 29A: White Rose __-Tea, first instant iced tea (REDI); 31A: Take pieces from? (DISARM); 33A: Noodge (PEST); 40A: Service station job (LUBE); 43A: Post with planes (AIRBASE); 44A: __ Raton, Florida (BOCA); 45A: Cut grass (MOW); 54A: Important time (ERA); 55A: Gods' drink (NECTAR); 58A: British county (SHIRE); 62A: Lunes y martes, e.g. (DIAS); 65A: Small songbird (WREN); 66A: Mother of the Titans (GAEA); 67A: "I've been __!" (HAD); 69A: Attend (GO TO); 71A: Deity skilled at archery (AMOR); 74A: Wealthy (RICH); 83A: Toon skunk Pepé (LEPEW); 87A: __ Sebastian Bach (JOHANN); 88A: Lux. neighbor (GER.); 92A: Org. with a longstanding journal (AMA); 96A: "Diamonds & Rust" singer Joan (BAEZ); 97A: Starts (ADVENTS); 101A: Turner on screen (LANA); 104A: Bank-confiscated auto, briefly (REPO); 107A: Reach rudely for (GRAB AT); 110A: Pronto, in memos (ASAP); 111A: Hints at (ALLUDES TO); 113A: Poland Spring competitor (EVIAN); 117A: Bandleader's cry (HIT IT); 123A: "Driver carries __": robbery deterrent (NO CASH); 124A: Like a stiff drink (POTENT); 125A: Operative, as a rule (IN FORCE); 126A: Psychologist's concern (TRAUMA); 128A: Vegas light source (NEON GAS); 129A: __-skelter (HELTER); 1D: Recipe amts. (TSPS.); 2D: "__ we go again!" (HERE); 6D: Paving goo (TAR); 7D: "C'mon, be __!": "Help me!" (A PAL); 8D: Child's plea (CAN I); 9D: Suffix with defer (-ENCE); 10D: Coifs (HAIRDOS); 11D: Sprain treatment (ICE); 12D: Classy fellows (GENTS); 13D: __ yoga (HATHA); 15D: Dishevel (MUSS); 16D: Recorded with a VCR (ON TAPE); 17D: French school (ECOLE); 18D: Tennis great Becker (BORIS); 19D: So far (AS YET); 25D: "Portia is Brutus' __, not his wife": Shak. (HARLOT); 27D: All done, in Verdun (FINI); 30D: Radius times two (DIAMETER); 32D: "If __ a Rich Man" (I WERE); 35D: Big name in labels (AVERY); 36D: Gore who wrote "Lincoln" (VIDAL); 37D: "__ see it my way ...": Beatles lyric (TRY TO); 38D: Letter-shaped girder (H-BEAM); 39D: Enthusiastic (RAH-RAH); 41D: It's bad to be behind them (BARS); 44D: __ B'rith (B'NAI); 45D: Naturalist John (MUIR); 46D: Fairy tale beast (OGRE); 47D: Invitation word (WHEN); 49D: "The King and I" teacher (ANNA); 52D: Berlin conjunction (UND); 53D: "I'm amazed!" ("OH WOW!"); 56D: Indian tea (CHAI); 60D: Go along (AGREE); 61D: Noticed (SAW); 68D: "This seems familiar" feeling (DÉJÀ-VU); 71D: Pond organism (ALGA); 72D: Hired soldier, briefly (MERC); 73D: Crude cartel (OPEC); 75D: Cross, in Cádiz (CRUZ); 76D: Garment border (HEM); 78D: Ladies' club policy (NO MEN); 79D: U __, '60s UN secretary general (THANT); 80D: White house? (IGLOO); 81D: Freshen, as a stamp pad (REINK); 82D: Banks of baseball (ERNIE); 84D: Ladies' hoops gp. (WNBA); 86D: "Dreams From My Father" memoirist (OBAMA); 91D: West Coast castle builder (HEARST); 94D: Not ordinary (ATYPICAL); 98D: Spoils, as a grandchild (DOTES ON); 99D: Holier-__-thou (THAN); 103D: Pakistan's second-largest city (LAHORE); 104D: Woodworking files (RASPS); 106D: Demoted planet (PLUTO); 108D: Dylan's "Ballad of __ Man" (A THIN); 109D: Wilderness Road pioneer (BOONE); 112D: Fender damage (DENT); 115D: Andean of yore (INCA); 116D: Mighty long time (AGES); 118D: Stretched tight (TAUT); 119D: "Woe __!" (IS ME); 120D: Whaler's direction (THAR); 122D: ET carrier (UFO).

SATURDAY, October 17, 2009—Barry Silk

THEME: No theme today—This is a themeless Saturday puzzle or, if you will, a "freestyle" crossword

If you read the comments on the Friday post, you heard the good news—the powers that be agree that the late-week puzzles needn't be as easy as the early-week ones, so beginning in a few weeks, the Friday and Saturday puzzles will offer a more rigorous challenge. Not all the way back up to their 2008 levels, but hey, part way is better than nothing.

This Saturday's crossword, however, lands at about a Tuesday NYT level. There's plenty of juicy stuff in it, though, so we've got a lot to cover. First up is a term I don't know at all, but that is probably familiar to geologists: QUAKE LAKE, or 15A: Basin that can result from a seismic landslide. It's related to the broader category of landslide dams, apparently, and there's a Quake Lake in Montana and a quake lake in Sichuan, China, that formed after the 2008 earthquake. Did you folks know this term?

Favorite answers? Right here:

• 1A: Spears on the table (ASPARAGUS). My first thought was BRITNEY. I don't care for asparagus, so I certainly do not have any recipes for it. I do, however, enjoy the science of asparagus.
  
• It's a Woodstock criss-cross party! JANIS and JIMI are 10A: Joplin at Woodstock and 10D: Hendrix at Woodstock.
  
• Nobody gets excited by PETER I or OTTO I in the fill. But LOUIS XIV looks awesome there, doesn't he? (20A: European ruler for 72 years). Speaking of Louis, have you seen this clip of comedian Louis CK on Conan O'Brien's show? It's hilarious.
  
  
  
  
• 39A: It creates an adjustable loop (SLIP KNOT). Yeah, you don't often see a PKN smack dab in the middle of an answer.
  
• When I was a teenage existentialist, I was 11D: Blown away (AWESTRUCK) by 12D: 1944 Sartre play (NO EXIT).
  
• 21D: Ship in 1898 news (U.S.S. MAINE), I like multi-word entries and those with unexpected letter combos. SSM looks wrong but it's right.
  
• 23D: Lunchbox alternative (PAPER BAG). I don't like this answer so much as the way it evokes the idiom "can't punch his way out of a paper bag." Though I never use "punch"—how about "She can't solve her way out of a paper bag"?
  

Now we'll wind things up with our daily tutorial.

Crosswordese 101: I'm sure that many of you learned this word in the course of childhood piano lessons—and could in fact play an étude in your sleep—but I lacked that exposure. I learned ÉTUDE (58D: Musical exercise) from crosswords, so from my perspective it is crosswordese of the highest order. It's French for "study," n'est ce pas? Other key words you may see in ÉTUDE clues include practice piece, Chopin piece, and piano piece. Here's pianist Andre Watts playing Chopin's "Revolutionary Étude" on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. How often do our musical clips conclude with a hug? Not often enough, my friends. Not often enough.



Everything Else — 16A: Uncooperative words (I WON'T); 17A: Without equal (UNRIVALED); 18A: 1980s attorney general (MEESE); 19A: "Macbeth" (1962) Emmy winner Maurice (EVANS); 22A: "I claim that!" ("DIBS!"); 23A: Metal-beating hammer parts (PEENS); 25A: It ebbs and flows (TIDE); 26A: GI show gp. (USO); 27A: Cotton Bowl site (DALLAS); 28A: AAA suggestions (RTES.); 29A: Give way (COLLAPSE); 31A: Spartans' sch. (MSU); 33A: Apprentice (TRAINEE); 34A: Home Depot kitchen department array (FAUCETS); 38A: Remote (FAR); 40A: It may be cracked by a spy (CODE); 43A: Essayist Francis et al. (BACONS); 45A: Movie set VIP (DIR.); 46A: "Concord Sonata" composer (IVES); 47A: In __: seething (A RAGE); 48A: Notes after fa (SOLA); 49A: Alter, perhaps by using unethical techniques (REJIGGER); 51A: Tehran language (FARSI); 52A: Nuts (CRAZY); 53A: When business is slow (OFF-SEASON); 56A: Iron-rich meat (LIVER); 57A: Everly Brothers hit that begins "I bless the day I found you" (LET IT BE ME); 58A: Musical exercise (ETUDE); 59A: Spoke to (ADDRESSED); 1D: Water conduit (AQUEDUCT); 2D: Driver's glare blocker (SUN VISOR); 3D: Certain conic section, in math (PARABOLA); 4D: 1935 Pulitzer-winning playwright Zoe (AKINS); 5D: Speeds (up) (REVS); 6D: Miss. neighbor (ALA.); 7D: Milk purchase: Abbr. (GAL); 8D: Guitar relative: Var. (UKELELE); 9D: Spiritual Arizona resort (SEDONA); 13D: Where most stay when it rains (INSIDE); 14D: Martin and Allen (STEVES); 24D: Other than that (ELSE); 27D: Comic Carvey (DANA); 30D: Like wax museum figures (LIFE-SIZED); 32D: Has dinner (SUPS); 34D: Beat with a stick (FLOG); 35D: Signs on the back (ENDORSES); 36D: Arduous (TOILSOME); 37D: Tense, as relations (STRAINED); 39D: Gobbled (down) (SCARFED); 40D: Oater wagon formation (CIRCLE); 41D: Past the pain of breaking up, say (OVER IT); 42D: "Been there, done that" feeling (DÉJÀ VU); 44D: Biological ring of color (AREOLA); 48D: Swedish autos (SAABS); 50D: "Did __ and gimble in the wabe": "Jabberwocky" (GYRE); 51D: Fancy party (FETE); 54D: Florist letters (FTD); 55D: Churchill's title (SIR).

FRIDAY, Oct. 16, 2009 — Dan Naddor

THEME: Talk like a vampire ... — "W" sound changed to "V" sound in first words of common phrases, resulting in wacky new phrases, clued "?"-style

Dan Naddor is prolific, and his stuff is pretty solid, but I feel like his grids are becoming very predictable. I knew who the constructor of this was without ever looking at the credit. Lots of theme answers united by letter/sound change. Wackiness abounds. True, lots of folks do that, but I have this feeling he has a master list of 100s of these types of gimmicks that he's just working his way through, cranking them out in high volume (no one appears in LAT more). There's nothing wrong with the grids, which are almost always well constructed. But ... seems like his work should be getting more imaginative and artful, instead of predictable and workmanlike.

LAT Difficulty Watch: Late-week puzzles remain alarmingly easy. This puzzle took me less than 4 minutes. Compare with today's NYT, which took me an eternity.

Musical interlude: POLKA! (17A: Oktoberfest dance)





Theme answers:

• 18A: Seat for eating scaloppine? (VEAL chair)
• 23A: Tool for a dueling snake? (VIPER blade)
• 36A: What Tarzan became after years of swinging? (VINE connoisseur)
• 49A: Egotistical describer of laws of motion? (VAIN Newton)
• 55A: Paleontologist's ski resort discoveries? (VAIL bones)

All these allegedly wacky clues need real help to make them funny / entertaining / snappy. Oddly literal, as clues for wacky phrases go. Where the non-theme fill is concerned — loved SLOW POKE (39D: Hardly a speed demon), but did not love NEON TETRA (33D: Aquarium fish with an iridescent stripe), which felt a bit desperate. TETRA is crosswordese, and this longer form didn't please me much more than the short form would have. I like HOSNI (5A: Egypt's Mubarak), as it used to be one of the many pet names I had for my cat, who now seems to get called just "Mr. Wiles" or "Señor Wiles." When I lived alone, when it was just him and me ... man, did he have names. I remember calling him "Zubin Mehta" for a while. I have no idea why.

Crosswordese 101: NACRE (14D: Mother-of-pearl) — the definition pretty much says it all. As answers.com says, NACRE is "The pearly internal layer of certain mollusk shells, used to make decorative objects." I find it to be a particularly ugly word; it's like NASAL and CANKER had a baby. Yuck. See also OCHRE(S) (27A: Earth tones). "RE" endings are for a. the British and b. the French. SUCRE I can handle. Filthy LUCRE. No. Gross.

What else?

• 43A: Sykora of the NHL (Petr) — If I didn't watch ESPN, I might have thought "WTF!?"
• 20A: Speaker's stand (lectern) — turns out I (still?) can't spell this. LECTURN, anyone?
• 41A: Madison's neat roomie (Unger) — I object to the cutesy "roomie." Also, I am an idiot and neglected the parallel construction rule — wrote in FELIX.
• 38D: Airing in prime time (on TV) — airing ANY time, actually.

See you Monday

~RP

[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter]

Everything Else — 1A: Seawater component, to a chemist (NACL); 5A: Egypt's Mubarak (HOSNI); 10A: Adriatic Sea country: Abbr. (ALB.); 13A: "In other words ..." ("I MEAN ..."); 15A: Decide to participate (OPT IN); 16A: "You stink!" ("BOO!"); 17A: Oktoberfest dance (POLKA); 18A: Seat for eating scaloppine? (VEALCHAIR); 20A: Speaker's stand (LECTERN); 22A: Blue Cross competitor (AETNA); 23A: Tool for a dueling snake? (VIPER BLADE); 26A: Home of the witch who melted (WEST); 27A: Earth tones (OCHRES); 28A: Newspaper ad meas. (SQ. IN.); 30A: Sainted fifth-century pope (LEO I); 31A: Playfully (IN FUN); 33A: Org. once headed by Heston (NRA); 36A: What Tarzan became after years of swinging? (VINE CONNOISSEUR); 40A: Half and half (ONE); 41A: Madison's neat roomie (UNGER); 42A: Bottom-line negative (LOSS); 43A: Sykora of the NHL (PETR); 44A: "The Tempest" king (ALONSO); 46A: Facts and figures (DATA); 49A: Egotistical describer of laws of motion? (VAIN NEWTON); 52A: Month for fools? (APRIL); 54A: Uranium-238, e.g. (ISOTOPE); 55A: Paleontologist's ski resort discoveries? (VAIL BONES); 57A: "Au contraire!" ("NOT SO!"); 60A: Nest egg item, briefly (IRA); 61A: Cheri of "SNL" (OTERI); 62A: Firestone Country Club city (AKRON); 63A: Arch site: Abbr. (STL); 64A: Passover meal (SEDER); 65A: Home of the witch buried under a fallen house (EAST); 1D: Chill in the air (NIP); 2D: Latin 101 verb (AMO); 3D: Texting device (CELLPHONE); 4D: View from Cleveland (LAKE ERIE); 5D: Shack (HOVEL); 6D: "The Barber of Seville," e.g. (OPERA); 7D: Represents (STANDS FOR); 8D: Zilch (NIL); 9D: Peruvian ancestor (INCA); 10D: Taper off (ABATE); 11D: Tender beef cuts (LOINS); 12D: Sacha Baron Cohen title character (BORAT); 14D: Mother-of-pearl (NACRE); 19D: Axed (HEWN); 21D: Atlanta-based sta. (TBS); 23D: Saab competitor (VOLVO); 24D: Trap during a winter storm, maybe (ICE IN); 25D: Prefix with distant (EQUI-); 29D: 22-Acr. business (INS.); 31D: Deep-rooted (INGRAINED); 32D: Miami-to-N.Y. dir. (NNE); 33D: Aquarium fish with an iridescent stripe (NEON TETRA); 34D: Rene of "Ransom" (RUSSO); 35D: Burning desire? (ARSON); 37D: Stick in a parlor (CUE); 38D: Airing in prime time, say (ON TV); 39D: Hardly a speed demon (SLOWPOKE); 43D: Tot's beach toy (PAIL); 44D: Bad picnic omen (ANT); 45D: Hotelier Helmsley (LEONA); 46D: Lincoln's Confederate counterpart (DAVIS); 47D: Separately (APART); 48D: Court case (TRIAL); 50D: Grenoble's river (ISERE); 51D: Boot camp negative (NO SIR); 53D: Debt-laden corp. takeovers (LBOS); 56D: Suffix with Capri (-OTE); 58D: Mariner's "Help!" (SOS); 59D: Que. neighbor (ONT.).

THURSDAY, October 15, 2009Todd Gross

Theme: I Can't Think of Anything Clever to Say About Wrenches — Theme answers are familiar phrases, the first word of which is a type of wrench.

Theme answers:

• 20A: *Bakery fare named for their shape (CRESCENT ROLLS).
• 29A: *Quixotic reveries (PIPE DREAMS).
• 45A: *Playground fixture (MONKEY BARS).
• 54A: *Beat poet who wrote "Howl" (ALLEN GINSBERG).
• 48D: A type of one begins the answers to starred clues (WRENCH).

Good, solid theme today. I always toy with the idea of taking the time to read the reveal clue before I start solving to see if it will help me, but then I always decide just to plow through it without the help. One day I'll try it the other way and see how I do. It will take some self-control though, and I'm afraid that's not my best thing. Only a couple of answers that I really didn't care to see including "DO SO" (8D: "Take care of it"). When I hear "Take care of it" I think of a mob boss saying it to one of his thugs. And it's hard to imagine him saying "Do so" instead. 9D: "Batt. not INCL." seems like quite a stretch. And, of course, no one likes the Random Roman Numeral — 64A: MMX ÷ X (CCI). On the other hand, I had a couple good gimmes that helped me a lot. I knew 47A: Immortal racehorse Man O' WAR right off the bat. Okay, not exactly right off the bat. With the AR in place, the first horse I thought of was Cigar. But he hasn't been around long enough to be considered immortal. I also knew 36D: Minnesota's state bird is the LOON. And, having visited Toronto not all that long ago and made my way to the top of the CN Tower, 42D: SKYLINE was pretty easy to get.

Let's see ... what else?

• 8A: First voice of Mickey Mouse (DISNEY). I can't see Mickey Mouse without thinking of my old friend Paul Woski, who began his career as an illustrator at Disney and now runs his own fabulous graphic arts shop in Atlanta. Very cool stuff.
  
• 39A: Half-__: coffee order (CAF). CrossWorld's favorite coffee. Do any of you actually order this?
• 43A: Certain Sri Lankan (TAMIL). We'll cover this in Crosswordese 401.
• 51A: Opie's dad (ANDY). Hey, guess what! Andy Griffith is in a recent Brad Paisley video. What? You're tired of the Brad Paisley videos? Oh, okay. (It's here if you're interested.)
• 58A: Ohio city north of Columbus (MARION). Hi, mac!

• 67A: "__ Haw" (HEE). Never sure if it will be YEE or HEE.
• 6D: Good thing to keep when hearing opposing views (OPEN MIND). Tried to teach PuzzleSon the concept of "contempt prior to investigation" the other day. Don't know why I think a ten-year-old will get it when his mom still has so much trouble with it.

Crosswordese 101: If you only have room in your head for one European capital, it should be OSLO. Today's clue — 27D: Capital on a fjord — is typical for early-week puzzles. Other information about OSLO that you might find helpful for future puzzles: (1) The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded there (which I'm sure you know after this week, if you didn't know it before); (2) It's home to the Munch Museum; (3) Its airport is called Gardermoen; (4) Many winter Olympics have been held there; (5) It was once known as Christiania; and (6) It's home to the Kon-Tiki Museum.

[Follow PuzzleGirl on Twitter.]

Everything Else — 1A: Premium movie station (SHO); 4A: Hammer-wielding Norse god (THOR); 14A: "This instant!" ("NOW!"); 15A: Will Rogers prop (ROPE); 16A: Rallying cry (ONWARD); 17A: ISP with chat rooms (AOL); 18A: Took advantage of (USED); 19A: Scrubs, as pots (SCOURS); 23A: Actress Holmes (KATIE); 24A: Mothers' month (MAY); 25A: Kid's building block (LEGO); 28A: Part of CBS: Abbr. (SYST.); 32A: 1953 Western hero to whom Joey cried "Come back!" (SHANE); 34A: Vacation home, maybe (RENTAL); 35A: Stately tree (ELM); 38A: "Wait, there's more ..." ("AND ..."); 40A: Prefix with friendly (ECO-); 41A: Sunday dinners (ROASTS); 52A: Coffee dispenser (URN); 53A: Eagle's nest (AERIE); 60A: Pre-holiday times (EVES); 61A: Pester (NAG); 62A: Really digs (IS INTO); 63A: Domesticated (TAME); 65A: Basic doctrines (TENETS); 66A: One-armed bandit (SLOT); 1D: Chips and nuts (SNACKS); 2D: "Way to go!" ("HOORAY!"); 3D: Little barn fliers (OWLETS); 4D: Cease-fire (TRUCE); 5D: L'eggs product (HOSE); 7D: Bureaucratic waste (RED TAPE); 10D: Puffed up, as a sprain (SWOLLEN); 11D: Make queasy (NAUSEATE); 12D: Throw wide of the mark, say (ERR); 13D: NFL gains (YDS.); 21D: Rests one's feet (SITS); 22D: Ham holder (RYE); 26D: Detroit-based financial org. (GMAC); 29D: Variously colored flower (PANSY); 30D: Small weight units (DRAMS); 31D: One way to lower an APR (REFI); 33D: Detest (HATE); 35D: Funny Bombeck (ERMA); 37D: Official spoken language of China (MANDARIN); 39D: Traveling show (CARNIVAL); 43D: Quotas (TARGETS); 44D: Leopold's co-defendant (LOEB); 46D: Hot dog holder (BUN); 49D: Snoopy's flying persona, e.g. (AIR ACE); 50D: Baseball's Jackson, a.k.a. "Mr. October" (REGGIE); 53D: It's a good thing (ASSET); 55D: Ex-senator Trent (LOTT); 56D: Genesis grandson (ENOS); 57D: Pixar clownfish (NEMO); 58D: Sch. near Harvard (MIT); 59D: Enzyme suffix (-ASE).

WEDNESDAY, October 14, 2009—Charles Barasch

THEME: "76 Trombones – 73 Trombones = 3 Trombones"—Three phrases that have nothing to do with musical instruments are clued as if they do



(I didn't actually watch that clip, nor have I see the musical in its entirety. Or in part. Musicals are not my bag.)

Theme answers:

• 20A: Big Southwestern trombones? (TEXAS LONGHORNS). The Texas Longhorns are both a college sports team and a breed of cattle (and beetles!). I was going to include a photo of the Asian long-horned beetles that pose a threat to American trees, but they were too creepy-looking and gave me the willies.
  
• 37A: Refined trombones? (POLISHED BRASS). Horns are brass instruments, which, like anything brass, likes a good polishing. I'm thinking this answer isn't quite an in-the-language phrase like the crisp TEXAS LONGHORNS is.
  
• 54A: Continuously-playing trombones? (SUSTAINED WINDS). You could argue that this isn't an in-the-language term either, but you would be shouted down by Weather Channel junkies who like to watch hurricane coverage. Hurricane season's almost over—hooray for fewer bad storms than in recent years. But the Weather Channel's been more boring this summer.
  

So, just three theme entries today. Luckily, the constructor capitalized on that by including some fun words, 20 answers in the six- to eight-letter range, and only a couple clunkers. I'll put the seven-letter partial phrase ON EARTH (22D: Lord's Prayer words following "Thy will be done") in the latter category, along with the seldom seen partial 4D: EEK A "__ mouse!". Oh, and SHES, clued as 33D: Women. Any of you ever use the plural SHES? No? I thought not.

And now for the good stuff:

• 41A: Imitation (ERSATZ). It's got a Z and it's fun to say.
  
• 45A: Musical beat (RHYTHM). It took me years to learn how to spell this right. Gotta love a word with a Y and five consonants.
  
• 3D: Loud auto honker of yore (KLAXON). This "electric horn or a similar loud warning device" takes its name from the company that manufactured it in the early 20th century. Cool word. You want to know what a KLAXON sounds like these days? Please turn your speakers down, way down, for this:
  
  
  
  
• 36D: Slow-moving, as a river (LAZY). That's a lovely clue for LAZY.
  
• 44D: Crystalline mineral (QUARTZ). I like this because (1) I like me a little geology, (2) it comes in pretty colors, and (3) a Q! and a Z! And now I'm thinking about quarts of milk, which took me to that Simpsons episode where mosbter Fat Tony has been selling rat milk to the schools and Mayor Quimby declares, "You promised me dog or better." That line? It never gets old.
  

Crosswordese 101: Yesterday, PuzzleGirl wanted to cover OKAPI but found it had already been the subject of a CW 101 tutorial. A-ha! There's still a certain 7D: Large antelope called the ELAND that wants its moment in the sun. No, it's not e-Land, where we gather on the internet. It's a really large antelope. I think of antelopes as between a goat and a Shetland pony in size, but that behemoth easily outweighs a zebra. Key words you may see in ELAND clues include (1) spiral- or twisty-horned; (2) African, Kenyan, veldt, or Serengeti; and (3) oxlike—because yo, that thing is big. Doing the Google image search made me sad because about 20% of the photos showed a human hunter with his felled ELAND prey.

Everything Else — 1A: Made a disapproving sound (TSKED); 6A: Witticism (JEST); 10A: Highlander (SCOT); 14A: Cop __: bargain in court (A PLEA); 15A: Healing plant (ALOE); 16A: Oregon Treaty president (POLK); 17A: Trembling (SHAKY); 18A: Having all one's marbles (SANE); 19A: Word processing reversal (UNDO); 23A: Ending for "ranch" (-ERO); 24A: Neither Rep. nor Dem. (IND.); 25A: Thing (ENTITY); 27A: Madame, in Madrid (SEÑORA); 30A: Wide shoe size (EEE); 31A: Geese flight pattern (VEE); 32A: Actress Greer who received five consecutive Oscar nominations (GARSON); 35A: At the ready (ALERT); 40A: Made on a loom (WOVEN); 42A: Med or law lead-in (PRE-); 43A: Command ctrs. (HQS); 49A: Wells's "The Island of Dr. __" (MOREAU); 51A: Fill with wonder (AWE); 53A: Jr.'s son (III); 58A: Clenched weapon (FIST); 59A: Mechanical memorization (ROTE); 60A: Remark to the audience (ASIDE); 61A: To __: perfectly (A TEE); 62A: Sporty sunroof (T-TOP); 63A: Baseball card brand (FLEER); 64A: Wall St.'s "Big Board" (NYSE); 65A: Clownish (ZANY); 66A: Shore birds (TERNS); 1D: Samples a bit of (TASTES); 2D: Ball (SPHERE); 5D: Weekly septet (DAYS); 6D: Argonauts' leader (JASON); 8D: Tune (SONG); 9D: Dainty laugh (TEEHEE); 10D: Sudden gushing (SPURT); 11D: Conspires (with) (CONNIVES); 12D: Octogenarians, e.g. (OLDSTERS); 13D: Boxing ref's decision (TKO); 21D: Whopper creators (LIARS); 26D: Thus far (YET); 28D: Eye unsubtly (OGLE); 29D: Drizzly day chapeau (RAIN HAT); 30D: Some pass catchers (ENDS); 34D: Above, in poems (O'ER); 37D: Penetrable quality of skin (POROSITY); 38D: Makes a cliché of, say (OVERUSES); 39D: Exposed (BARED); 40D: Typist's stat. (WPM); 46D: More petite (TINIER); 47D: Like eggs in an Easter hunt (HIDDEN); 48D: Skinflints (MISERS); 50D: Big name in perfumery (ESTEE); 51D: Dramatist Chekhov (ANTON); 52D: Tearful (WEEPY); 55D: Letter after theta (IOTA); 56D: Drift, as an aroma (WAFT); 57D: Shipwreck site (ISLE); 58D: Air mover (FAN).

TUESDAY, October 13, 2009Fred Jackson III

Theme: Gone Fishin' — Theme answers are familiar phrases the last words of which relate to fishing.

Good puzzle today. Nothing too exciting, but a solid Tuesday. I personally do not care for fishing. Probably because I can't stand the smell of fish. I like to see fish used as a decoration, but I'd rather not see it on my dinner plate.

Theme answers:

16A: Window treatment support (CURTAIN ROD).

22A: Proceed cautiously (WALK A FINE LINE).

46A: Sports show staple (HIGHLIGHT REEL).

56A: No longer in trouble (OFF THE HOOK).

More:

• 1A: Magic amulet (MOJO). Love this word. I'm pretty sure the first time I heard it was in Quincy Jones's "The Dude" back in 1981. Good times.

• 28A: Dynamic start? (AERO-). Here's another one of those tricky clues that you know to take literally by the question mark. Compare to 20A: Prefix with China (INDO-), which tells you straight out that you need a prefix, instead of using the question mark.
  
• 38A: "Put your John Hancock on this line" (SIGN HERE). I had a professor in college who used to encourage people to put their "Lucy Stone" on the line.
• 10D: Giraffe relative (OKAPI). When I saw this in the puzzle I thought I had found my CW101 word for the day, but it turns out we've already covered it.
• 54D: Vintage Jaguars (XKES). I can never remember this. I always want there to be a J in it.

• 57D: Toy magnate __ Schwarz (F. A. O.). I used to work at a building that had the flagship F. A. O. Schwarz on the street level. It's the same building where the big Apple Store is now.
  

Crosswordese 101: Man, are you lucky. Today you're getting a two-fer! Paul ANKA is typically clued as the composer/lyricist/singer of one of his most popular songs: "My Way," "Puppy Love," "Diana," "Put Your Head on My Shoulder," or today's "Lonely Boy." But the ANKA song that makes it into the grid most often is the jaunty "ESO Beso (That Kiss!)." Oh, okay:


Other CW101 we've already covered includes OONA(43A: Chaplin's fourth wife), ENID (59A: Oklahoma city), ERTÉ (61A: One-named Deco artist), and BOSC (63A: Greenish-yellow pear).

Everything Else — 9A: UPS deliveries requiring payment (CODS); 14A: Ship to remember (MAINE); 15A: Related (AKIN); 18A: Christmas trio (MAGI); 21A: Lukewarm (TEPID); 26A: The flu, for one (ILLNESS); 29A: God (DEITY); 30A: Most intelligent (SMARTEST); 34A: Looooong time (EON); 35A: Blocker of offensive TV material (V-CHIP); 37A: Penn & Teller, e.g. (DUO); 41A: Desert rest stops (OASES); 44A: Weepy people (SOBBERS); 50A: Orderly display (ARRAY); 51A: Has a meal (EATS); 52A: Repair (FIX); 55A: Reddish horse (ROAN); 59A: Oklahoma city (ENID); 60A: Numerical relationship (RATIO); 62A: Personnel dept. IDs (SSNS); 63A: Greenish-yellow pear (BOSC); 64A: Treos and iPhones, briefly (PDAS); 1D: Riot squad spray (MACE); 2D: Weighty obligation (ONUS); 3D: Harry Potter's creator (J. K. ROWLING); 4D: Bit of granola (OAT); 5D: Bamboo-eating critters (PANDAS); 6D: __ superiority: obvious confidence (AIR OF); 7D: Juan's "one" (UNO); 8D: Was in first place (LED); 9D: King Arthur's realm (CAMELOT); 11D: "Let's eat!" ("DIG IN!"); 12D: Like a catty remark (SNIDE); 14D: Expensive furs (MINKS); 17D: Dance company founder Alvin (AILEY); 21D: La., on old U.S. maps (TERR.); 23D: Bug in a colony (ANT); 24D: "__ Said": Neil Diamond hit (I AM I); 25D: Minimum-range tide (NEAP); 26D: March 15th, e.g. (IDES); 27D: First of 13 popes (LEO I); 30D: "__ Believes in Me": Kenny Rogers hit (SHE); 31D: His name wound up on a lemon (EDSEL FORD); 32D: Plaintiff (SUER); 33D: Partner of turn (TOSS); 35D: "__, vidi, vici": Caesar's boast (VENI); 36D: Mountain goat's perch (CRAG); 39D: Words after "Look, Ma" (NO HANDS); 40D: Sanctified (HOLY); 41D: Way beyond pleasingly plump (OBESE); 42D: Prez on a penny (ABE); 44D: Kind of electricity (STATIC); 45D: Big name in garden care (ORTHO); 46D: Rabbit look-alikes (HARES); 47D: Smooths, as hair (IRONS); 48D: Smidgen of sand (GRAIN); 49D: Tests by lifting (HEFTS); 53D: Greek "i" (IOTA); 56D: Planet (ORB); 58D: Like cool cats (HEP).

MONDAY, Oct. 12, 2009 — David W. Cromer

THEME: Run Away! — theme answers end with RETREAT, WITHDRAWAL, and FLIGHT, respectively

Interesting choice of theme combined with very solid fill. Sadly, it was so easy that it was barely there. Almost utterly insubstantial. Never saw the theme, and barely saw half the clues, before I was done. When you deprive your grid of any (non-theme) answer longer than 6 letters (and precious few answers that are even that long), your grid is bound to lack compelling fill. The longer your answers, the more interesting you can be (and the harder the grid is to fill). We have 42 black squares today, chopping the grid into tiny sections of mostly 4-letter words. Kind of a snooze. Again, to the constructor's credit, there is very, very little bad fill (esp. tough when there is so much short fill to take care of — most bad fill is short fill). Only NAMER makes me wince even a little bit (65A: Christener). But then only CYPRUS gives me even a little bit of pleasure (28A: Mediterranean island republic).

[Cypress Hill, "Insane in the Membrane" — PROFANITY warning]

Interestingly, NAMER and CYPRUS were about the only places where my pace slowed at all. Went in a straight line from NW to SE, then cut over to SW, then up to W, over to E, and finally up to NE and N, with ESTES being the last thing I filled in. Speaking of ESTES...

Crosswordese 101: ESTES (8D: Colorado's _____ Park) — my sister lives very near here. One time my mom's ... boyfriend? (guy she has now lived with for well over a decade, whatever you call *that* guy ... I call him "Keith") ... was driving me to my sister's wedding in the foothills of the Rockies and overshot the turnoff and he and I ended up at ESTES Park. That is what ESTES Park means to me. And my sister. There is also an opera singer named ESTES — [Bass-baritone Simon] — and an actor named Rob (from the original "Melrose Place"). Apparently Adlai Stevenson's running mate was named ESTES as well. ESTES Kefauver. With a name like that, how in the world did he lose!? The letters in ESTES are ultra-common, even if no particular ESTES is, and so you will see ESTES in xwords from now 'til eternity.

Theme answers:

• 20A: Corporate-sponsored vacation (COMPANY RETREAT)
• 40A: Retirement account transaction that may incur a penalty (EARLY WITHDRAWAL)
• 59A: Local airline trip (COMMUTER FLIGHT)

See you Friday

~RP

[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter]

Everything Else — 1A: A little batty (DAFT); 5A: Fills completely (SATES); 10A: Skips, as ads on a taped show (ZAPS); 14A: "Garfield" dog (ODIE); 15A: What an ump's protector protects (CHEST); 16A: Approximately (OR SO); 17A: Former Italian coins (LIRE); 18A: Main blood line (AORTA); 19A: Loch with a legend (NESS); 20A: Corporate-sponsored vacation (COMPANY RETREAT); 23A: Ruhr valley city (ESSEN); 24A: Largest continent (ASIA); 25A: Sicilian volcano (ETNA); 28A: Mediterranean island republic (CYPRUS); 33A: Place to retire to? (BED); 36A: Tournament matches before finals, briefly (SEMIS); 39A: Matador's foe (TORO); 40A: Retirement account transaction that may incur a penalty (EARLY WITHDRAWAL); 44A: "Iliad" setting (TROY); 45A: Big name in tractors (DEERE); 46A: __-mo replay (SLO); 47A: Challenge a verdict in a higher court (APPEAL); 50A: Money you owe (DEBT); 52A: Follow, as a suspect (TAIL); 55A: Love poetry Muse (ERATO); 59A: Local airline trip (COMMUTER FLIGHT); 64A: "A guy walks into a bar ..." may start one (JOKE); 65A: Christener (NAMER); 66A: Go-__: small racer (KART); 67A: Gets it wrong (ERRS); 68A: Dolly the sheep, for one (CLONE); 69A: Fencing blade (ÉPÉE); 70A: Herbal brews (TEAS); 71A: Sharpened (HONED); 72A: Crystal gazer (SEER); 1D: "La __ Vita" (DOLCE); 2D: "Later, amigo" (ADIOS); 3D: Law corporations, e.g. (FIRMS); 4D: Conical abode (TEEPEE); 5D: CAT procedure (SCAN); 6D: Greeting at sea (AHOY); 7D: __ cotta (TERRA); 8D: Colorado's __ Park (ESTES); 9D: Unwanted radio noise (STATIC); 10D: No-fly __ (ZONE); 11D: Locale (AREA); 12D: Sibilant attention getter (PSST); 13D: Brillo rival (SOS); 21D: Unable to sit still (ANTSY); 22D: Jamie Foxx biopic about singer Charles (RAY); 26D: Previously unseen (NEW); 27D: In the thick of (AMID); 29D: School org. (PTA); 30D: Lines of seats (ROWS); 31D: River through southern Russia (URAL); 32D: Unaccompanied performance (SOLO); 33D: Alpha, __, gamma (BETA); 34D: Wyatt of the Old West (EARP); 35D: Bit of medicine for the eye or ear (DROP); 37D: Suffix with meteor (-ITE); 38D: Tool house (SHED); 41D: Caustic potash (LYE); 42D: Dr. of rap (DRE); 43D: Insurrectionist (REBEL); 48D: 24-hr. cash dispenser (ATM); 49D: Cape Canaveral event (LAUNCH); 51D: Tots' rides (TRIKES); 53D: "Boot" country prefix (ITALO); 54D: Iced tea flavor (LEMON); 56D: Wide open (AGAPE); 57D: Crowd quota? (THREE); 58D: Playful river critter (OTTER); 59D: Planetary center (CORE); 60D: Cajun vegetable (OKRA); 61D: Army meal (MESS); 62D: Actress Russo (RENE); 63D: Barney's Bedrock pal (FRED); 64D: "Jumbo" flier (JET).

SUNDAY, October 11, 2009Sylvia Bursztyn

Theme: "After Midnight" — The first word of each theme answer can follow the word midnight in a familiar phrase.

[Note: This is the puzzle that appears in the Sunday L.A. Times newspaper. If you don't get the paper, you can find the puzzle here. Scroll down to see the write-up of today's syndicated puzzle.]


Theme answers:

• 21A: Dixie Chicks hit (COWBOY TAKE ME AWAY).
• 32A: Newspapers and the like (MASS MEDIA).
• 57A: Reliable investment (BLUE CHIP STOCK).
• 83A: Founder of modern China (SUN YAT-SEN).
• 96A: Weigh in, in a way (EXPRESS AN OPINION).
• 15D: Treat harshly (RIDE ROUGHSHOD).
• 35D: Whistler's Mother, for one (OIL PAINTING).
• 47D: SEALs' kin (SPECIAL FORCES).

Everything Else — 1A: Watchmaker's magnifier (LOUPE); 6A: Nebraska region (BADLANDS); 14A: "No ---!" (PROB); 18A: Auto data resource (CARFAX); 19A: Natural soother (ALOE VERA); 20A: Philbin's foil (RIPA); 23A: Fall setting (EDEN); 24A: Heraldic bearings (ORLES); 25A: Meets with the old crowd (REUNES); 26A: Cliff Huxtable duds (SWEATERS); 28A: Lille Mrs. (MME.); 29A: Base horn (BUGLE); 30A: Civil rights activist Medgar (EVERS); 31A: Word of encouragement (RAH); 35A: Streep's Sophie trophy (OSCAR); 37A: Music's Burnett or Walker (T-BONE); 39A: Catches (ENSNARES); 40A: Climber's spike (PITON); 41A: Play for a fool (DELUDE); 42A: Takes credit (OWES); 43A: Clytemnestra's sister (HELEN); 44A: Hip-hop headwear (DO-RAG); 45A: Catalogue (ASSORT); 48A: Pats baby on the back (BURPS); 49A: Louisiana counties (PARISHES); 52A: Scandinavian tongue (LAPP); 53A: --- hasty retreat (BEAT A); 54A: Pascal's pals (AMIS); 55A: Gp. in 1974 news (SLA); 56A: Reflex ending (-IVE); 61A: Falstaff's prince (HAL); 62A: Comfy footwear (MOC); 63A: 2005 role for Charlize (AEON); 64A: Olympus rival (NIKON); 65A: Haul (TOTE); 66A: Queensland's capital (BRISBANE); 68A: Tankard kin (STEIN); 69A: Filmdom's Javier (BARDEM); 71A: "Billy, Don't Be ---" (A HERO); 72A: It can be stuffed or puffy (SHIRT); 73A: --- wide swath (CUT A); 74A: "Le Morte d'Arthur" author (MALORY); 76A: Hides (SKINS); 77A: Tomes' home (BOOKCASE); 81A: See 98D (AU-FEU); 82A: Bombing on stage (DYING); 84A: A doz. doz. (GRO.); 85A: Doughnuts, for instance (TURNS); 87A: Petite pies (TARTS); 88A: La Brea gunk (TAR); 89A: Kiel Canal locale (NORTH SEA); 91A: One who thinks "Well? Done!" (HEALER); 93A: Bette's "All About Eve" role (MARGO); 95A: Chevron rival (ARCO); 99A: Claimed, per Burns (TAEN); 100A: Came about (RESULTED); 101A: It's a loch (LOMOND); 102A: Exxon, abroad (ESSO); 103A: Surprise hits (SLEEPERS); 104A: Con job (STING); 1D: Anarchic (LAWLESS); 2D: Kill --- killed (OR BE); 3D: Sci-fi sky sights (UFOS); 4D: Settle up (PAY); 5D: Squeezes out (EXTRUDES); 6D: Scott of "Quantum Leap" (BAKULA); 7D: Coeur d'--- (ALENE); 8D: Rotunda topper (DOME); 9D: Notable Virginians (LEES); 10D: "Mogambo"'s Gardner (AVA); 11D: Reporter's transport (NEWS VAN); 12D: Till (DRAWER); 13D: "When I Need You" singer (SAYER); 14D: Ready, to Rimbaud (PRET); 16D: Part of an equation (OPERAND); 17D: Warning wailer of lore (BANSHEE); 18D: "King of the Bs" Roger (CORMAN); 21D: "... "ci, --- ca"" (COMME); 22D: Sponsorship (AEGIS); 27D: Star of *NSYNC? (ASTERISK); 29D: Flat hat (BERET); 30D: Bus. course (ECON.); 33D: Quidnunc (SNOOP); 34D: Bryn ---, Pa. (MAWR); 36D: Fr. holy women (STES.); 38D: Panama's San --- Islands (BLAS); 40D: Western Australia's capital (PERTH); 41D: Column style (DORIC); 43D: Gp. the Hollywood Ten defied (HUAC); 44D: He was Bourne in Hollywood (DAMON); 45D: Out on --- (A LIMB); 46D: Relish (SAVOR); 48D: Designer Geoffrey (BEENE); 49D: "Cry, the Beloved Country" author (PATON); 50D: Cheer up (ELATE); 51D: Capital on the Willamette (SALEM); 53D: Good, to Goldoni (BUONO); 57D: Diamond legend (BABE RUTH); 58D: Denis of "Rescue Me" (LEARY); 59D: Platforms on piles (PIERS); 60D: Sketch (SKIT); 65D: Parcel (TRACT); 67D: Slipper or slip-on (SHOE); 68D: Tibia (SHIN); 69D: Marine markers (BUOYS); 70D: It's an Aleutian (ATKA); 72D: Aspen equipment (SKIS); 73D: Reigns over the reins (CONTROLS); 74D: Captain of industry (MAGNATE); 75D: Night lights (AURORAS); 76D: Impulse junction (SYNAPSE); 77D: Martin Van --- (BUREN); 78D: "I've Got the World on ---" (A STRING); 79D: Neptune, for one (SEA GOD); 80D: 2002 headline company (ENRON); 82D: Philadelphia university (DREXEL); 83D: Three-bean and green (SALADS); 86D: Netizens (USERS); 87D: Shocking weapon (TASER); 90D: Up --- good (TO NO); 91D: "Mayday!" (HELP); 92D: Famed Ferrara family (ESTE); 93D: Puccini heroine (MIMI); 94D: Shortly (ANON); 97D: Wish undone (RUE); 98D: With 81A, French stew (POT-).

SUNDAY, October 11, 2009Dan Naddor

Theme: "Why, Yes!" — Theme answers are familiar phrases with a Y sound inserted into them creating new wacky phrases clued "?"-style.

[Note: This is the syndicated L.A. Times puzzle. It does not appear in the actual newspaper, but is available for free at cruciverb.com.]


Theme answers:

• 24A: Designer Christian doing a pirouette? (REVOLVING DIOR). Revolving door.
• 33A: Unadulterated moonshine? (PURE SPIRITS). Poor spirits. I pronounce the word pour the same as pore, so even when I got this answer through crosses, it took me a while to figure out the original phrase.
• 52A: "Actor Laurie goes after you"? (HUGH'S NEXT). Who's next?

• 69A: Pool tool in the army rec room? (MILITARY CUE). Military coup.
• 87A: Sign at a broken gas pump? (NO FUELING). No fooling.
• 104A: Ongoing dispute about chemical use in farming? (ORGANIC FEUD). Organic food.
• 115A: Former Vietnamese president's dining reservation? (TABLE FOR THIEU). Table for two.
• 3D: Gorgeous newborns? (BABY BEAUTIES). Baby booties.
• 5D: Speechless moments? (MUTE POINTS). Moot points.
• 65D: Coastal Norse horse? (FJORD MUSTANG). Ford Mustang.
• 77D: Late '70s Wimbledon headline? (BJORN AGAIN). Born again.

Fun puzzle today! Not super hard, but ya know what? I don't want my Sunday puzzles super hard, because they're already so big. If it has an interesting theme and no completely hideous fill, I'm usually pretty happy. Well, I enjoyed this theme a lot and only ran across a couple fill words that would qualify for my clunker list. I especially loved seeing BJORN AGAIN. I loved me some Bjorn Borg when I was a kid. He was so ... Swedish.

More? Why, yes!:

• 1A: 1987 film about Ritchie Valens (LA BAMBA). Ya know who else was in that movie? Esai Morales.
• 8A: Birthplace of St. Francis (ASSISI). I can never remember how to spell this. I just decided today that I'm going to need to remember that it starts with the word ASS. Even though St. Francis was certainly not an ASS.
• 26A: "Family Ties" mom (ELYSE). I can already hear the complaints. "What kind of spelling is that? Who knew that they used a funky spelling for her name?" Well, you will see her appear in puzzles now and again, so you might as well just do your best to remember it.
• 30A: Hip-hoppers Salt-N-__ (PEPA).



• 39A: Praying figure (ORANT). I don't believe I've ever seen this word before. Wikipedia describes ORANT as a gesture, not a figure. ("A type of gesture during prayer in which the hands are raised, set apart, and the palms face outward.")
• 59A: Pioneering electronic calculators (CASIOS). I didn't catch the plural in the clue but thought CASSIO sure didn't look right.

• 64A: Martin/Tomlin comedy (ALL OF ME). For some reason I remember that I really liked this movie. I don't remember anything specific about it, but know that it's been brought to my attention I might just watch it again.
• 81A: Done to __: repeated too often (DEATH). This is an awesome colloquial phrase that took me a while to figure out.
• 91A: Ate too much, as chips (ODED ON). I wonder why a colloquial phrase with the word death in it that doesn't literally mean death doesn't bother me, but a colloquial phrase with OD in it that doesn't literally mean overdose does. I'll need to explore that in therapy.
• 108A: Talkative bird (MYNA). Always think there should be an H at the end of this word. Can it be spelled both ways? Why, yes. Yes, it can.

• 6D: Troop gp. (BSA). Boy Scouts of America. PuzzleSon dropped out of scouts last year, but decided to try again this year, which makes me happy. Maybe because I like the scouts' concept of AKELA (105D: Cub Scout leader): basically, whoever is in charge at a given time is AKELA. So in school, the teacher is AKELA, at home I'm AKELA, etc.
• 9D: Brother of Moe and Curly (SHEMP). Thought it was Shep.
• 16D: Chocoholic desserts (MUD PIES). Have you had the Starbucks mud pie ice cream? It's to die for. I quit eating sugar about a month ago and now I dream about this stuff.
• 18D: War on Poverty org. (OEO). The Office of Economic Opportunity. The OEO was discontinued in 1974, but some of its programs (e.g., Job Corps and Head Start) still exist under other government agencies.
• 36D: Medicinal shrub (SENNA). Sorry. The only medicinal shrub I know is aloe.

• 49D: Small-strip aircraft acronym (STOL). No idea what this means. Let's see ... Short Take-Off and Landing.
• 53D: Yankee manager Joe (GIRARDI). I'm sorry, but anything but Torre after "Yankee manager Joe" just looks wrong to me.
• 67D: Mass. senator's monogram, 1962-2009 (EMK). The Liberal Lion, Edward M. Kennedy.

• 71D: Sound barrier breaker Chuck (YEAGER). Whenever I think of Chuck Yeager, I picture Sam Shepard. What's that all about? Aha! Shepard played Chuck Yeager in "The Right Stuff," which I also recall is an excellent movie. I'm gonna have to join Netflix one of these days.
• 106D: Excellent (NIFTY). Your assignment for today is to use this word in conversation.
• 121D: Braves' div. (NLE). Someday I'm going to memorize which teams are in which division. But not today.

Crosswordese 101: Hey what's CW101 doing all the way down here? Well, I noticed that's how Orange has been doing it lately and I like it. So there ya go. ELAN might be an everyday part of your vocabulary, but it certainly isn't for me. I'm not even 100% sure how to pronounce it, although I would guess something like "Ay-lon." Today ELAN is clued as 42A: Gusto. Other clue words to look out for are pizzazz, verve, zest, flair, spirit, zing, panache and enthusiasm.

Crosswordese in today's puzzle that we've already covered includes ULNAS (50A: Radii neighbors), (4D: Son of Zeus), (11D: UN workers' agcy), SSR (19D: Lith., e.g., once), ESAU (54D: Isaac's eldest), and AARE (56D: Bern's river).

Everything Else — 14A: Airheads (DUMBOS); 20A: Hurrying (IN A RUSH); 21A: Ahab or his craft (WHALER); 22A: Accustoms (ENURES); 23A: Lhasa native (TIBETAN); 27A: __ disease: tick-borne illness (LYME); 28A: Dance parts (STEPS); 29A: Tease (RIB); 38A: Hydrocarbon suffix (-ANE); 41A: John, Paul and John Paul (POPES); 44A: Grazing ground (LEA); 45A: "What an exhausting day!" ("I'M BEAT!"); 47A: Like musically challenged ears? (TIN); 48A: Ancient mystic (ESSENE); 50A: Radii neighbors (ULNAS); 55A: Clinch, with "up" (SEW); 56A: Quarreling (AT IT); 57A: Singer Lopez (TRINI); 61A: Leaves port (SAILS); 62A: End of __ (AN ERA); 68A: Long haul (TREK); 73A: In __: stuck (A JAM); 74A: Lives (RESIDES); 76A: Diner's decision (ORDER); 77A: N.L. career stolen base leader Lou (BROCK); 78A: Nobleman's address (MILORD); 83A: Creep (JERK); 84A: Central: Prefix (MID-); 89A: Equally bizarre (AS ODD); 93A: Sgt., e.g. (NCO); 94A: State of mind (TEMPER); 96A: Unruly locks (MOP); 99A: "Later!" ("CIAO!"); 100A: Jack's fairy tale victim (GIANT); 102A: Mature on the vine (RIPEN); 103A: Old Mideast assn. (UAR); 109A: Cousin of calypso (SKA); 110A: Invite for a nightcap (ASK IN); 111A: Garage job (LUBE); 113A: "The meek shall inherit the Earth, but not its mineral rights" speaker (GETTY); 120A: How some stunts are done (ON A DARE); 122A: Prepare to leave one's plane seat (UNBELT); 123A: 1-Across, e.g. (BIOPIC); 124A: Wheel adjuster (ALIGNER); 125A: Seaman's "Help!" ("MAY DAY!"); 126A: Declines (SAYS NO); 127A: Breaks a promise (RENEGES); 1D: Hardly figurative (LITERAL); 2D: Oily compound used in dyes (ANILINE); 4D: Son of Zeus (ARES); 7D: Philip of "Kung Fu" (AHN); 8D: Haywire (AWRY); 10D: Put aside (SAVE UP); 11D: UN workers' agcy. (ILO); 12D: French seasoning (SEL); 13D: "Mr. Chicago" journalist Kupcinet (IRV); 14D: Teeth: Prefix (DENTI-); 15D: Felix the neatnik (UNGER); 17D: Brush hairs (BRISTLES); 19D: Lith., e.g., once (SSR); 25D: AOL and MSN (ISPS); 27D: Swimmer's slot (LANE); 31D: Humorist Bombeck (ERMA); 32D: Blue Ribbon brewer (PABST); 34D: "Portnoy's Complaint" author (ROTH); 35D: Protestant denom. (EPISC.); 37D: On one's rocker? (SANE); 40D: Sesame paste (TAHINI); 43D: Fresh (NEW); 46D: Set the radio dial on (TUNE TO); 48D: Banishment (EXILE); 51D: Rapper with the debut album "Hard Core" (LIL' KIM); 54D: Isaac's eldest (ESAU); 56D: Bern's river (AARE); 58D: "Too Ra Loo Ra Loo __": Irish classic (RAL); 60D: Skyrocketed (SOARED); 61D: Narrow waterway: Abbr. (STR.); 63D: Impassioned (ARDENT); 66D: Keystone Cops creator Sennett (MACK); 69D: Honeydew, e.g. (MELON); 70D: __ use: avails (IS OF); 72D: PC component (CRT); 75D: Bedrock pet (DINO); 79D: Written in mystical letters (RUNIC); 80D: Cappuccino request (DECAF); 82D: Glad (HAPPY); 84D: Comfy footwear (MOC); 85D: Personal: Prefix (IDIO-); 86D: Support column? (DEAR ABBY); 88D: Solitary (LONE); 90D: Caught in the act (SEEN); 92D: Iditarod vehicle (DOGSLED); 95D: Act out in charades (MIME); 97D: Strength symbol (OAK TREE); 98D: Mass communications? (PRAYERS); 100D: NFL Hall of Famer Marchetti (GINO); 101D: Dutch export (TULIPS); 107D: Expected to arrive (DUE IN); 112D: Osso __ (BUCO); 114D: Brink (EDGE); 115D: "Cats" cat Rum __ Tugger (TUM); 116D: Santa __ winds (ANA); 117D: NFL ball carriers (RBS); 118D: __ Maria: liqueur (TIA); 119D: José's "today" (HOY); 120D: Row (OAR).

SATURDAY, October 10, 2009—Brad Wilber

THEME: No theme today—Just a themeless Saturday puzzle or, if you prefer, a "freestyle" crossword

Time again for an assessment of "This Week in L.A. Times Crosswording": Monday was Monday. Tuesday was Tuesday. Wednesday was Monday again. Thursday was Tuesday. But—switching things up—both Friday and Saturday settled in at Wednesday level. This is progress! Last week maxed out at Tuesday. Is this week an outlier, or will we make it to Wednesday difficulty again next week? Tune in for updates.

I gotta start out here with the big "Wha??" answer: SQUIB KICK (29A: Football boot that takes unexpected bounces). Never heard of it! My son's been playing the Madden NFL '08 video game on Wii, though, and he's learned a lot about football from it. More than I know!

These are a few of my favorite answers:

• 15A: Blackmailer in "David Copperfield" (URIAH HEEP). You'd be crooked too if your parents named you that. This is also the name of an old British rock band. I chose this video solely because the singer's wearing an orange satin suit. Orange! If you are prone to seizures, you should not watch this clip.
  
  
  
  
• Great entry, but depressing. 20A: Wall Street down time? (BEAR MARKET).
  
• 37A: Foliage-eating pest (GYPSY MOTH). With the PS in place, I blithely filled in SAPSUCKER, but that's a bird and sap ≠ foliage. Whoops.
  
• I fear I am too old for this one: 45A: Closest pal, in texting shorthand (BFF). Short for "best friend forever." My kid? He's nine. He's the right age group to use "BFF."
  
• Botany! 58A: Shrub with fluffy grayish flower clusters (SMOKE BUSH) is also called the smoke tree, and the flowers aren't always gray. It's closely related to 1D: "Poison" plant (SUMAC).
  
• Oh, no! Look out! It's THE BLOB! (6D: Amoebalike movie alien). I kinda want to switch the clues for 6D and 9D, so that the Title gladiator played by Kirk Douglas is THE BLOB and the amoeba monster is SPARTACUS. My favorite Spartacus is Hank Azaria's Agador Spartacus in Birdcage:
  
  
  
  
• 38A: Exuberant modern compliment {"YOU ROCK!"). Love it!
  

Not all the fill was as entertaining as those answers. INTERMESH and pretax SUBTOTALS and an oddly COCKED HAT didn't do much for me (though the dictionary tells me a COCKED HAT is a thing, a "brimless triangular hat pointed at the front, back, and top," is it a hat any of us have heard of?). The short stuff also seemed heavy. Five entire Across rows and three Downs containing nothing but three- to five-letter words? ANOS, TAS, DMS, OAS, ECK, IPO, Spanish URANO (2D: Seventh planeta), the old crosswordese 7D: Dreaded mosquito, AEDES? Meh.

Crosswordese 101: Today we turn our attention to
TASS (4D: Soviet news agency). Tass was the Soviet Union's official news agency, launched in 1925. It was renamed ITAR-Tass in 1992. You might see this clued as "Itar-___ news agency," or the clue might have other Russian references such as Sputnik, Pravda, the Cold War, or modern Russian rulers. A tougher clue might just call it an "old name in news." (The image is ITAR-Tass's logo in the Cyrillic alphabet.)

Everything Else — 1A: Pretax sums, e.g. (SUBTOTALS); 10A: Hero at the Battle of Cabra, 1079 (EL CID); 15A: Blackmailer in "David Copperfield" (URIAH HEEP); 16A: Actress Téa (LEONI); 17A: They reach very large audiences (MASS MEDIA); 18A: Agreements (PACTS); 19A: Yucatán years (AÑOS); 20A: Wall Street down time? (BEAR MARKET); 22A: Jailbird (CON); 23A: Trains overhead (ELS); 24A: Prof's aides (TAS); 25A: Memorable period (ERA); 26A: "Love Don't Cost a Thing" singer, familiarly (J. LO); 27A: City south of Fort Worth (WACO); 28A: Former Ger. currency (DMS); 29A: Football boot that takes unexpected bounces (SQUIB KICK); 32A: Newsman Huntley (CHET); 33A: Grinch creator (SEUSS); 34A: Bird Down Under (EMU); 35A: Poke fun at (TEASE); 36A: Fail to mention (OMIT); 37A: Foliage-eating pest (GYPSY MOTH); 39A: Lush's sound (HIC); 40A: Chatters (GABS); 41A: Western alliance: Abbr. (OAS); 42A: Luther opponent Johann __ (ECK); 43A: NASDAQ debut (IPO); 44A: Shooter (GUN); 45A: Closest pal, in texting shorthand (BFF); 48A: Product sold below cost to attract customers (LOSS LEADER); 51A: Jezebel's deity (BAAL); 52A: Flannel shirt pattern (PLAID); 53A: Booming voice quality (RESONANCE); 55A: __ Carlo (MONTE); 56A: "Cogito ergo sum" philosopher (DESCARTES); 57A: Came to a close (ENDED); 58A: Shrub with fluffy grayish flower clusters (SMOKEBUSH); 1D: "Poison" plant (SUMAC); 2D: Seventh planeta (URANO); 3D: Plains bovine (BISON); 4D: Soviet news agency (TASS); 5D: Resistance unit (OHM); 6D: Amoebalike movie alien (THE BLOB); 7D: Dreaded mosquito (AEDES); 8D: Darth's daughter (LEIA); 9D: Title gladiator played by Kirk Douglas (SPARTACUS); 10D: West Texas city (EL PASO); 11D: Goneril's father (LEAR); 12D: Old military topper with a turned-up brim (COCKED HAT); 13D: Fit together (INTERMESH); 14D: Repugnance (DISTASTE); 21D: Big truck name (MACK); 23D: Yale Bowl cheerers (ELIS); 26D: Equitable (JUST); 27D: Timid types (WIMPS); 29D: Long-sentence punctuation (SEMICOLON); 30D: Marsh hazard (QUICKSAND); 31D: Rows on pianos (KEYBOARDS); 32D: CNBC interviewees (CEOS); 33D: "... on my honor" ("...SO HELP ME"); 35D: Fed who tracks down money launderers (T-MAN); 37D: Rubberneck (GAPE); 38D: Exuberant modern compliment (YOU ROCK); 40D: Word before Age or cage (GILDED); 44D: Gypsum painting surface (GESSO); 45D: African language group (BANTU); 46D: Looks toward (FACES); 47D: It's pressed on the campaign trail, with "the" (FLESH); 49D: Place to build (SITE); 50D: Consider (DEEM); 51D: Cutting remark (BARB); 54D: Highland refusal (NAE).

FRIDAY, Oct. 9, 2009 — Dan Naddor

THEME: GO on ... — familiar phrases / names have "GO" slapped on the end, creating wacky etc.

Sorry for the posting delay today. As readers of my other blog and my Twitter followers know, wife brought home two strays yesterday, and they spent the night, and dealing with them and my other dogs and my daughter (home from school on holiday) ... took all my attention. I had to get up at 5 just to write the NYT blog before anyone in the house woke up. Dogs have been picked up by the woman who found them, and they're in good hands. Really really hoping they are just lost pets whose owners are looking for them (both purebreds, both sweet), but they might have been abandoned. Some people are just assholes. At any rate, the dogs will get good homes one way or the other. I couldn't let anything else happen to them.

Puzzle. It was fine. Typical. Add some letters, wackiness ensues. I was happy to see that the puzzle (specifically the cluing) had some more teeth to it today than on past weekends. This one took me well over 4 minutes. When it's back to taking me well over 8 minutes, honestly, I will be thrilled beyond belief. Til then, I'll just be happy with the mini-trend toward difficulty.

Theme answers:

• 16A: Tropical fruit that grows underground? (CAVE MANGO)
• 21A: Church game played with cans and bottles? (RECYCLE BINGO)
• 37A: Italian cheese from the Florida Keys? (SOUTHEAST ASIAGO) — most difficult, as "Florida Keys" does nothing to signify "SOUTHEAST" to me, though it's clearly in the SOUTHEAST of the U.S., I can't argue with that :(
• 44A: Fled what was once Zaire? (ESCAPED CONGO)
• 57A: Jargon of ancient Yucatán (MAYA LINGO) — MAYA LIN is the one who designed the Vietnam War Memorial in D.C.

Crosswordese 101: TACET (15A: Be silent, in music) — learned this from xwords, though having had a couple years of Latin helped out a lot. CrossWorld is littered with terms from musical scores, musical terms, forms of music, etc. (e.g. LENTO, LARGO, ARIOSO, ORATORIO, etc.). TACET is high-end as musical crosswordese goes, but you'll see it again, without a doubt — fairly common letters in a five-letter string ensures usefulness.

What else?

• 30D: Library volumes? (WHISPERS) — part of me thinks this is clever, part of me hates the alleged equation between (pl.) volumes and (pl.) WHISPERS.

• 40A: Fictional author of "The World According to Bensenhaver" (T.S. GARP) — yikes. I know the character of GARP, but the "T.S." part I didn't remember at all.
• 20D: Witnessed visiting (SEEN AT) — honestly, I had no idea what the clue was supposed to mean. None. Had to wait for most of the crosses.
• 42D: "When I'm Ready" (NOT YET) — I had NOT NOW, unsurprisingly.

Done and done.

See you Monday,

~RP

[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter]

Everything Else — 1A: Heartless (COLD); 5A: Run in a traffic jam? (IDLE); 9A: "__ fan tutte": Mozart opera (COSI); 13A: Hodgepodge (OLIO); 14A: Aquarium clapper (SEAL); 15A: Be silent, in music (TACET); 16A: Tropical fruit that grows underground? (CAVE MANGO); 18A: Autobahn autos (OPELS); 19A: Exceeded, as a budget (OVERRAN); 20A: Ankle-swelling cause (SPRAIN); 21A: Church game played with cans and bottles? (RECYCLE BINGO); 24A: Workout unit (REP); 27A: More cunning (SLIER); 28A: Not away (IN TOWN); 32A: Michigan college town (ANN ARBOR); 37A: Italian cheese from the Florida Keys? (SOUTHEAST ASIAGO); 39A: Snobs (ELITISTS); 40A: Fictional author of "The World According to Bensenhaver" (T.S. GARP); 41A: Spot to get off (STAIN); 43A: Grant opponent (LEE); 44A: Fled what was once Zaire? (ESCAPED CONGO); 51A: Body shop offering (LOANER); 52A: SWAT team supply (TEAR GAS); 56A: Jet trail (VAPOR); 57A: Jargon of ancient Yucat·n? (MAYA LINGO); 59A: Nanos and minis (IPODS); 60A: Drive the getaway car for, say (ABET); 61A: Prefix with dollar (EURO-); 62A: Last word sung with champagne in hand (SYNE); 63A: Presidential power (VETO); 64A: Future J.D.'s hurdle (LSAT); 1D: Designer Chanel (COCO); 2D: Patron saint of Norway (OLAV); 3D: Like glowing coals (LIVE); 4D: Hall of Fame second baseman Bobby (DOERR); 5D: Stern with a bow (ISAAC); 6D: Chain that serves the Grand Slam breakfast (DENNY'S); 7D: Fall behind (LAG); 8D: "Strange Magic" band (ELO); 9D: Bay of Naples isle (CAPRI); 10D: Continental divide? (OCEAN); 11D: Baseball commissioner since the '90s (SELIG); 12D: "__ big deal" (IT'S NO); 15D: Military higher-ups (TOP BRASS); 17D: G.I. ration (MRE); 20D: Witnessed visiting (SEEN AT); 22D: Enduring opus (CLASSIC); 23D: Navel buildup (LINT); 24D: Bailiff's request (RISE); 25D: Compound containing a hydroxl group (ENOL); 26D: Spitting sound (PTUI); 29D: Giant great who wore #4 (OTT); 30D: Library volumes? (WHISPERS); 31D: Avian homemaker (NESTER); 33D: Hook (up) (RIG); 34D: False god (BAAL); 35D: Brute (OGRE); 36D: Weapon in Clue (ROPE); 38D: Hardly at all (A TAD); 42D: "When I'm ready" (NOT YET); 44D: The King (ELVIS); 45D: Lathered up (SOAPY); 46D: Food fowl (CAPON); 47D: Battery terminal (ANODE); 48D: "Peachy keen!" ("NEATO!"); 49D: "For Me and My __" (GAL); 50D: Bay window (ORIEL); 53D: Wildebeests (GNUS); 54D: Indian mausoleum city (AGRA); 55D: Flue coat (SOOT); 57D: Dallas cager, briefly (MAV); 58D: He's next to Teddy on Mount Rushmore (ABE).

THURSDAY, October 8, 2009Donna S. Levin

Theme: Covert Ops — Theme answers have the letter string OPS hidden (i.e., covertly placed) in them.

Theme answers:

• 18A: Jam on the brakes (STOP SHORT).
• 23A: Soft court stroke (DROPSHOT).
• 38A: Small family businesses (MOM AND POP STORES).
• 49A: Stir-fried dish (CHOP SUEY).

• 59A: Hush-hush activities, briefly, and a hint to the hidden theme in 18-, 23-, 38- and 49-Across (COVERT OPS).

Crosswordese 101: This is going to be awesome. We are now going to learn together what the heck POI is (36D: Luau fare). All I know is that it's something that's eaten in Hawaii, but now that I'm going to try to explain it to you, I'm gonna need a little more information than that. To Wikipedia!

Poi is a Hawaiian word for the primary Polynesian staple food made from the corm of the kalo plant (known widely as taro). Poi is produced by mashing the cooked corm (baked or steamed) to a highly viscous fluid. Water is added during mashing and again just before eating, to achieve a desired consistency, which can range from liquid to dough-like (poi can be known as two-finger or three-finger, alluding to how many fingers you would have to use to eat it, depending on its consistency).

So now we know!

This was a fun puzzle to solve. I got super frustrated with myself because I kept plugging in answers I thought were easy without checking the crosses and they turned out to be wrong.

• 21A: Go astray (SIN). I had err.
• 49A: Stir-fried dish (CHOP SUEY). I don't really know if chow mein is a stir-fried dish, but with the CHO in place, it looked like a reasonable answer.
• 3D: Big name in gas (AMOCO). Mobil.
• 6D: Rodeo rope (LASSO). This is funny. Whenever the correct answer is riata, nine times out of ten I'll enter LASSO. Today I did the opposite.
• 12D: Swing set site (YARD). I tried park.

I don't know if those clue/answer pairs were specifically designed to cause problems, but if they were — nice job!

More:

• 1A: Athenian with harsh laws (DRACO). Whence the term Draconian.
• 10A: Hip-hop mogul who married Beyoncé (JAY-Z). Even if you don't like rap (and I know some of you don't), you have to know this guy. The guy is ridiculously successful and is married to a ridiculously successful woman.
• 22A: Press conf. format (Q AND A). This is what we sometimes call and amerpsandwich. Other ampersandwiches you'll see in crosswords are R AND R (rest and relaxation), R AND B (rhythm and blues), and A AND E (the Arts and Entertainment network). They're difficult to parse if you're not used to seeing them. But now you're prepared!
• 27A: Colorfully patterned fabric (PAISLEY). Awesome. Another excuse to post a video of one of my very favorite performers out there. I'm gonna go with an oldie but goodie today.



• 34A: RCA Victor pooch (NIPPER). Weren't we just talking about NIPPER? Yep, it was back on September 15.
• 43A: Fast time (LENT). Tricky clue! More, please!
• 44A: Gander (LOOK-SEE). Both words are so ... I don't know, old-fashioned? Doesn't seem like you could use them non-ironically without being considered a little on the weird side.

• 48A: World Series mo. (OCT.). I'll admit I don't follow baseball all that closely throughout the year, but when the post-season starts, it's hard to stay away. Especially when there are nail-biters like Tuesday's Tigers/Twins game. Wow! That was exciting!
• 1D: "Judge __": Stallone film (DREDD). Misspelled it Dread at first.
• 61A: Magician Henning et al. (DOUGS). What other famous Dougs can we come up with? Off the top of my head, the only one I can think of is Doug Williams. And that's pretty old skool.
• 30D: Eddie of the '40s-'50s Senators (YOST). No idea.
• 51D: "Star Trek" communications officer (UHURA). Mispelled it Uhuru but caught it from the cross.
• 56D: Eye part containing the iris (UVEA). Future Crosswordese 101 lesson.

Everything Else — 6A: "Star Wars" princess (LEIA); 14A: Grapevine traveler (RUMOR); 15A: Srs.' lobbying gp. (AARP); 16A: "Dies __": hymn (IRAE); 17A: Get hitched quick (ELOPE); 20A: Stick-on design (DECAL); 25A: Wallowing place (MUD); 26A: Pasture (LEA); 31A: Songstress Adams (EDIE); 37A: Altar consent (I DO); 41A: Driver's lic. et al. (IDS); 42A: Lend a hand (ASSIST); 46A: Embarrassed (RED); 54A: Legend automaker (ACURA); 58A: Yellowish earth tone (OCHRE); 62A: Region (AREA); 63A: Shoshoneans (UTES); 64A: __ the side of caution (ERR ON); 65A: College official (DEAN); 66A: Like slasher movies (GORY); 67A: 1954-1977 defense gp. (SEATO); 2D: School tool (RULER); 4D: Admit one's guilt to serve less time (COP A PLEA); 5D: Threat-ending words (OR ELSE); 7D: Weird Al Yankovic parody of a Michael Jackson hit (EAT IT); 8D: It's pumped in gyms (IRON); 9D: PC program (APP); 10D: Holy wars (JIHADS); 11D: Elvis __ Presley (ARON); 13D: Epsilon follower (ZETA); 19D: Water gun stream (SQUIRT); 24D: Desk phone unit (HANDSET); 25D: Orchestra leader (MAESTRO); 27D: Third afterthought, in a ltr. (PPPS); 28D: Old Italian money (LIRE); 29D: Paradise (EDEN); 31D: German artist Nolde (EMIL); 32D: Dimwit (DODO); 33D: "__ Excited": Pointer Sisters hit (I'M SO); 35D: __ dixit: assertion without proof (IPSE); 39D: Sprint Cup org. (NASCAR); 40D: It may take years to settle one (OLD SCORE); 45D: Seoul man (KOREAN); 47D: Lyric poems (EPODES); 49D: Playful prank (CAPER); 50D: Brazen minx (HUSSY); 52D: Grain disease (ERGOT); 53D: Like some simple questions (YES/NO); 54D: West Point, e.g.: Abbr. (ACAD.); 55D: Apple center (CORE); 57D: He bit Miss Gulch in a 1939 film (TOTO); 60D: Pull hard (TUG).

WEDNESDAY, October 7, 2009—Lee Glickstein

THEME: "A-FRAMES"—Four long answers are "framed" by the letter A

Last Wednesday was mustaches; today we have an unusual collection of 15-letter answers that start and end with A. The Wednesday puzzles are still skewing easier than one might have expected (solidly Mondayish in difficulty), but maybe the Wednesday themes are a bit more inventive than the Monday and Tuesdays? Thursday and Friday L.A. Times puzzles just irk me because I want them to be markedly more challenging, the way they used to be. And then I cry on Saturday when a themeless puzzle rolls in at Monday difficulty. But Wednesday! It's not a grievous assault on nature for Wednesdays to be this easy.

Theme answers:

• 17A: 49th state's largest city (ANCHORAGE, ALASKA). Can you see Russia from there? Maybe from the rooftop?
  
• 27A: E.M. Forster classic set in fictional Chandrapore (A PASSAGE TO INDIA).
  
• 47A: Classic Italian "farewell" song (ARRIVEDERCI, ROMA). '50s movie musicals are not remotely in my wheelhouse, but the title is eminently familiar. I think I thought it was a song title, not also a movie. Here's the title tune:
  
  
  
  
• 63A: Two-part drama that won two Best Play Tonys and a Best Miniseries Emmy (ANGELS IN AMERICA). Incredible play—I saw the HBO adaptation. Here's the scene where James Cromwell as an M.D. gives Al Pacino as Roy Cohn his AIDS diagnosis (adult language warning):
  
  
  
  
• 39A: Houses with sharply angled roofs, and what this puzzle's four longest answers literally have in common (A-FRAMES). Now, one could argue that this clue could have dispensed with everything after the comma, requiring the solver to ponder what the four long answers have in common, lay eyeballs on A-FRAMES, and have an epiphany about what the theme entailed—but for a puzzle that's now shooting at Monday easiness, the solver's asked to do less thinking.
  

Crosswordese 101: Most of our crosswordese runs three or four letters, but today's selection has five. 59A: Popeye's creator is named E.C. SEGAR. What do those initials stand for? Elzie Crisler. Yeah, I'd go with the initials too. I've seen ELZIE in tough crosswords a couple times, but SEGAR pops up a little more often. You may be tempted to put SEGAL in there, but don't you do it. Popeye had a corncob pipe, and some people smoke cigars, and "cigar" kinda sounds like SEGAR. Does that work as a half-assed mnemonic? No? Okay, Popeye was a sailor man, who presumably went to sea, where one might see a GAR ( 30D: Needle-toothed fish).



What else have we got here?

• Three sometimes-unsavory *IT words are partying here. 38A: __ for tat (TIT), OK, that's all right. (Quit snickering. A TIT is also a...kind of bird, you know.) 42A: Point to pick (NIT), OK, NITs aren't just lice eggs, they're also small things to complain about. (Etymology moment for the day: NIT dates back to the Old English word hnitu, so lice have been around for centuries. Or millennia.) 68A: Acne spot (ZIT)...hmm, there is no way to make that one not gross.
  
• 12D: Korean soldiers (ROKS). Hmm. ROK is an abbreviation for the Republic of Korea armed forces. Was ROK used during the Korean War to refer to individual members of the ROK army? I'll bet at least five of you know the answer.
  
• 32D: "Hawaii Five-O" nickname (DANNO). Some people think this should be spelled with one N, but there's some compelling evidence that the two-N spelling was preferred by those writing the show's scripts. You wouldn't believe the amount of bloodshed among crossword constructors arguing about the most correct spelling—they just want to get it right, that's all. (Actress Linda DANO is available for one-N clues, of course.)
  
• 44D: Interpret via mouth movements (LIP-READ). This comes in handy when you want to know exactly which swear word a coach or player is using on televised sports.
  

Everything Else — 1A: Perform in a play (ACT); 4A: Skilled (ABLE); 8A: Check signers (PAYERS); 14A: 1950 Edmond O'Brien suspense classic (DOA); 15A: Sliding __ (DOOR); 16A: Hide out (LIE LOW); 20A: Parking spot money taker (METER); 21A: Sly (FOXY); 22A: Grating sound (RASP); 23A: 1/60 of a min. (SEC.); 25A: "Was __ hard on him?" (I TOO); 35A: "What __ is new?" (ELSE); 36A: Washroom, briefly (LAV); 37A: Is ahead (LEADS); 43A: Sam of "The Piano" (NEILL); 45A: Dapper guy? (DAN); 46A: __ about: approximately (ON OR); 51A: Far from tanned (PALE); 52A: Conclude (END); 53A: Loud crowd noise (ROAR); 56A: Community service org. (YMCA); 66A: Freezing period (ICE AGE); 67A: Pesky kid (BRAT); 69A: Clinton press secretary Myers (DEEDEE); 70A: Tax time VIPs (CPAS); 71A: Commercials (ADS); 1D: Eve's mate (ADAM); 2D: Ice cream holder (CONE); 3D: Diplomat's forte (TACT); 4D: Has a crush on (ADORES); 5D: NYC's Bronx, e.g. (BOR.); 6D: Bread purchase (LOAF); 7D: Thus, to a logician (ERGO); 8D: __ win: go all out (PLAY TO); 9D: Afflict (AIL); 10D: Beginning of time, figuratively (YEAR ONE); 11D: Film lioness (ELSA); 13D: Trade (SWAP); 18D: "Steppenwolf" writer Hermann (HESSE); 19D: Way off the turnpike (EXIT); 24D: Young cow (CALF); 26D: Lubricates (OILS); 27D: Health Net rival (AETNA); 28D: One with a trade (PLIER); 29D: Moving about (ASTIR); 31D: Give the slip (EVADE); 33D: Figure of speech (IDIOM); 34D: Stars, in Latin (ASTRA); 39D: Thomas __ Edison (ALVA); 40D: Scuff or scratch (MAR); 41D: Suffix with differ (-ENCE); 46D: Neatness (ORDER); 48D: Paris palace (ÉLYSÉE); 49D: Moore of "Ghost" (DEMI); 50D: Maps within maps (INSETS); 53D: Vice squad action (RAID); 54D: A single time (ONCE); 55D: "The African Queen" co-screenwriter (AGEE); 57D: "The Suze Orman Show" channel (CNBC); 58D: 50-and-over org. (AARP); 60D: City near the Sphinx (GIZA); 61D: Word before rain or rock (ACID); 62D: Sewer rodents (RATS); 64D: The "L" in XL: Abbr. (LGE.); 65D: Goat's cry (MAA).

TUESDAY, October 6, 2009Mike Peluso

Theme: Latin Lovers — Beginning of the theme answers are a Latin conjugation of the verb to love.

Theme answers:

• 20A: 2005 Margaret Peterson Haddix children's thriller (AMONG THE ENEMY).
• 37A: Accumulate wealth (AMASS A FORTUNE).
• 57A: Non-remunerative athletics (AMATEUR SPORTS).
• 31A: Classic language, and with 61-Across, hint to the puzzle theme found at the starts of 20-, 37- and 57-Across (LATIN).
• 61A: Cherish (LOVE).

Crosswordese 101: Today's crosswordese word is pretty easy to spot. ORCA is clued today as 24D: SeaWorld attraction. Other clues for ORCA include "marine menace," "killer whale," and "sea predator." The clue might also reference Shamu (from SeaWorld) and/or Willy (of the "Free Willy" movies).

Not a lot of crosswordese in this puzzle, which is a good thing early in the week. And there were some colorful words in the non-theme fill. I particularly liked seeing SWAG (6A: Pirate's booty), G'DAY (62A: Aussie greeting), TAG UP (68A: Prepare to advance after a fly ball), and CARDIO (49D: Aerobic exercise, in gym-speak). The theme didn't do a lot for me. It totally makes sense, but the first word of each phrase seems pretty random. To me, it would be cooler if the first words all had something (else) in common — like if they were all verbs or they all ended in -LY or something. Does a set of words like that exist? I'm guessing no. So this is what we get.

Et Alli:

• 10A: Twilight time (DUSK). Instead of rambling about Stephenie Meyer's "Twilight" series — which I could do no problem because I'm reading it now and it's very disturbing to me — I will, instead, share with you my favorite song from the "From Dusk 'Til Dawn" soundtrack.



• 14A: Start of an old Army slogan (BE ALL). "Be All You Can Be." I also like the other one: "We drink more before nine a.m. than most people drink all day." Wait. That's not right.
• 25A: In error (OFF). This clue actually seems a little trickier than what we've been seeing lately in the LAT.

• 46A: "Beak" for "nose," e.g. (SLANG). Unless you're talking about, I don't know, Big Bird. Then it's not slang, it's just fact.
• 2D: Slangy assent (YEP). Started out with YEA and thought to myself "Man, I hate it when people spell yeah without the H." Luckily, Mike Peluso doesn't do that.
• 13D: Nairobi native (KENYAN). Insert your own birther joke here.
• 47D: Tart, as a citrus drink (LEMONY). Speaking of disturbing books! I started reading this to PuzzleDaughter and found it completely inappropriate for children. Maybe I'm just intolerant or something. I guess I prefer to think of myself as sensible.

Everything Else — 1A: Washing machine sequence (CYCLE); 15A: Rock group's trip (TOUR); 16A: In the past (ONCE); 17A: Jack of rhyme (SPRAT); 18A: Against (ANTI); 19A: Persia, now (IRAN); 23A: 1958 #1 hit sung in Italian (VOLARE); 26A: Hot tub (SPA); 27A: Lyricist Gershwin (IRA); 28A: Title holder (OWNER); 33A: Property measure (ACRE); 35A: Moray, e.g. (EEL); 36A: Yak (GAB); 42A: On Soc. Sec., say (RET.); 43A: Simpson judge (ITO); 44A: Schoolbook (TEXT); 49A: 100 bucks (C-NOTE); 51A: "__ the ramparts ..." (O'ER); 52A: Trip segment (LEG); 53A: Thurman of "Kill Bill" (UMA); 55A: Fashionable (TRENDY); 63A: Singer Baker (ANITA); 66A: Till bills (ONES); 67A: Fish organ (GILL); 69A: Computer adventure game (MYST); 70A: Oxen connection (YOKE); 71A: Ed of "Lou Grant" (ASNER); 1D: Network with an eye (CBS); 3D: Parking lot siren (CAR ALARM); 4D: Andean beast (LLAMA); 5D: Matador's foe (EL TORO); 6D: Men-only party (STAG); 7D: Refuses to (WON'T); 8D: Writer (AUTHOR); 9D: Reaction to personal loss (GRIEF); 10D: "__ What Comes Natur'lly" (DOIN'); 11D: Pre-riot state (UNREST); 12D: Garlicky shrimp dish (SCAMPI); 21D: Most recent (NEWEST); 22D: Key above D (E FLAT); 23D: By way of (VIA); 29D: Teachers' org. (NEA); 30D: Fairylike (ELFIN); 32D: Lie alongside (ABUT); 34D: Bring in (EARN); 36D: Capri's Blue __ (GROTTO); 38D: Transition to the next subject (SEGUE); 39D: Ear: Prefix (OTO-); 40D: Las Vegas Strip feature (NEON SIGN); 41D: Marked, as a ballot (EXED); 45D: Sample (TRY); 46D: Sinuous ski race (SLALOM); 48D: Mescal sources (AGAVES); 50D: List of mistakes (ERRATA); 54D: Seriously humid (MUGGY); 56D: Old lab burners (ETNAS); 58D: Final grade factor (TEST); 59D: Polio vaccine developer (SALK); 60D: War journalist Ernie (PYLE); 64D: Election Day: Abbr. (TUE.); 65D: Mo. for fools? (APR.).

MONDAY, Oct. 5, 2009 — Billie Truitt

THEME: Simon & Schuster — S&S phrases all around

Not a lot to say about this one. S&S phrases. There they are. Pretty ordinary. No spicy long Downs to add interest to the grid. Well, GUESS WHO? is OK (37D: Phone caller's "Bet you don't recognize my voice!") — esp. the clue — and HAZELNUT does have a "Z" in it (10D: Coffee flavoring — yuck to flavored coffees), but overall, this puzzle is a placeholder. It's solid and inoffensive. It's also 5/8 edible (more if you start throwing in the non-theme fill like KIWI, TATER, etc.)

Theme answers:

• 19A: What little girls are made of, so it's said (SUGAR & SPICE)
• 33A: Out of harm's way (SAFE & SOUND)
• 40A: Light lunch (SOUP & SALAD) — modern versions of this meal are not necessarily "light"
• 55A: Pleasantly concise (SHORT & SWEET)

Today, a lesson in terminology. Specifically, the term "cheater squares"; these are black squares that are added to make the grid more convenient to fill, but that do not change the overall word count of the puzzle. You can see examples today right before CHAR (5A) and after ERST (67A). Sometimes these are unavoidable, or they improve fill possibilities so much that they end up being very useful. But in general, if possible, they are to be avoided. In this case, given the grid, it was probably going to be very hard to get a workable seven-letter Down with the pattern ---A--F. F-ending words can be kind of rough, and past a certain length you're going to be relying on two-word phrases ending "IF" or "OFF" or "OF" a lot. Of course if you add a cheater in one pace, another pops up symmetrically on the other half of the grid. There's no way L--D--- should have forced a cheater, so that one's just there for symmetry's sake.

Crosswordese 101: ATTS (39A: Courtroom figs.) — well, they can't all be pretty or interesting. This (alleged) shorthand for ATTorneyS comes up a lot in crossword grids, but man I hate it, esp. in plural. One of those "avoid if at all possible" answers. I like ATTY as an abbrev. for ATTorney much better than I like ATT. ATT has brand-name clue possibilities (sometimes it's how AT&T shows up in the grid, e.g. [Call letters?]

What else?

• 18A: Reformer for whom a Bible book is named (EZRA) — "Reformer?" Man, I really should read that book one of these days? :)
• 23A: The Blue Jays, on scoreboards (TOR) — Not this October. The A.L. playoffs involve NYY, BOS, LAA, and ... MIN or DET (one-game playoff tomorrow!).
• 54D: Start of a request to a genie ("I WISH") — goes nicely with 22A: first I WISH, then I GET IT!

[this makes me unspeakably happy]

• 12D: Genetic initials (DNA) — did you know that "genetic initials" anagrams to "I INCITE GENITALS?" Well, now you do.

See you Friday,

~RP

Everything Else — 1A: Precious stones (GEMS); 5A: Burn a bit (CHAR); 9A: Roe source (SHAD); 13A: Most eligible for the draft (ONE-A); 14A: Like a snowy landscape (WHITE); 15A: "Royal" nuisance (PAIN); 16A: Put in pigeonholes (SORT); 17A: Duncan __: cake mix brand (HINES); 18A: Reformer for whom a Bible book is named (EZRA); 19A: What little girls are made of, so it's said (SUGAR AND SPICE); 22A: "That makes sense" ("I GET IT"); 23A: The Blue Jays, on scoreboards (TOR); 24A: Place for a napkin (LAP); 27A: Prof's degree (PH.D.); 28A: Spat (TIFF); 31A: C.S. Lewis's "The Chronicles of __" (NARNIA); 33A: Out of harm's way (SAFE AND SOUND); 35A: Border (EDGE); 38A: Prior to, poetically (ERE); 39A: Courtroom figs. (ATTS.); 40A: Light lunch (SOUP AND SALAD); 45A: "Queen of Soul" Franklin (ARETHA); 46A: Supermarket checkout unit (ITEM); 47A: Rainbow shape (ARC); 50A: Hesitant sounds (UMS); 51A: Mexican Mrs. (SRA.); 53A: "Beats me" (NO IDEA); 55A: Pleasantly concise (SHORT AND SWEET); 59A: Fuzzy fruit (KIWI); 61A: "Shucks!" ("AW GEE!"); 62A: Castaway's spot (ISLE); 63A: Post-workout woe (ACHE); 64A: Spud (TATER); 65A: Use a swizzle stick (STIR); 66A: Modernists (NEOS); 67A: Previously, old-style (ERST); 68A: Coop residents (HENS); 1D: Grapevine news (GOSSIP); 2D: Sufficient (ENOUGH); 3D: Combined two companies into one (MERGED); 4D: Occupied, as a desk (SAT AT); 5D: Goatee's location (CHIN); 6D: __ legs: rear extremities (HIND); 7D: '50s nuclear experiment (A-TEST); 8D: Answer (RESPOND); 9D: Designer's detail, briefly (SPEC); 10D: Coffee flavoring (HAZELNUT); 11D: What we breathe (AIR); 12D: Genetic initials (DNA); 14D: "Just suppose ..." ("WHAT IF ..."); 20D: Beatles meter maid (RITA); 21D: Some savings plans, for short (IRAS); 25D: "__ That a Shame": Domino hit (AIN'T); 26D: Writing tablets (PADS); 29D: Supply meals for (FEED); 30D: Iran's official language (FARSI); 32D: Thoroughfare (ROAD); 33D: Labor Day mo. (SEPT.); 34D: Tidy (NEAT); 35D: Jacob's twin (ESAU); 36D: College housing (DORM); 37D: Phone caller's "Bet you don't recognize my voice!" ("GUESS WHO!"); 41D: Facetious "Of course" ("AH SO"); 42D: Tell a story (NARRATE); 43D: Mortgage bank, e.g. (LENDER); 44D: Andy's old radio partner (AMOS); 47D: "__ Fideles": Christmas carol (ADESTE); 48D: Land, as a fish (REEL IN); 49D: Supplies food for, as an affair (CATERS); 52D: Engaged in battle (AT WAR); 54D: Start of a request to a genie (I WISH); 56D: Goes in haste (HIES); 57D: FBI employees (AGTS.); 58D: Depilatory product (NEET); 59D: Wichita's state: Abbr. (KAN.); 60D: Hockey surface (ICE).

SUNDAY, October 4, 2009Merl Reagle

Theme: "One More Letter to Write" — Theme answers are familiar phrases with one letter added creating new wacky phrases that are clued "?"-style.

[Note: This is the puzzle that appears in the Sunday L.A. Times newspaper. If you don't get the paper, you can find the puzzle here. Scroll down to see the write-up of today's syndicated puzzle.]


Theme answers:

• 21A: What today's conifer class will be? (ON PINES AND NEEDLES).
• 33A: Sentiment toward doubters that's a bit extreme? (DIE AGNOSTICS).
• 48A: What the bankrupt organ grinder decided to do? (TAKE THE MONKEY AND RUN).
• 69A: Serenaded a famous tenor? (SANG TO DOMINGO).
• 87A: Sign in an updated version of "Three Billy Goats Gruff"? (BRIDGE AHEAD PAY TROLL).
• 105A: Mel reading his own bio? (BROOKS ON TAPE).
• 119A: Baby picture of a well-known actress? (REESE WITH HER SPOON).

Sorry I'm so late. Kids' soccer and all. Good stuff from Merl today. It's an add-a-letter theme without being restricted by adding the same letter every time. As expected, the resulting answers are all groan-worthy. And I mean that in the nicest possible way.

Quickly now:

• 17A: Fergie, formally (SARAH). Not that Fergie, the other Fergie. Hey look! There's both Fergies!
  
• 31A: Last word of Gilligan's theme (ISLE). If you've got the song stuck in your head, just hold on. There'll be something to clear it at the end of this write-up.
• 46A: "Entourage" character (ARI). I've been looking at Ari Gold clips for, like, half an hour now. Every single one is hilarious ... and yet completely inappropriate to share with you.
• 56A: Ambulance letters (EMS). I first entered EMT, which is just dumb.
• 97A: When "Comedy Tonight" is sung (ACT I). From "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum."
• 114A: "Was it a ___?" "Yeah, a great big one" (line from "L.A. Confidential") (RAT). If anyone finds a clip of this, please post a link in the comments. I don't remember this line, but it sounds funny.

• 130A: Exec's perk: abbr. (ASST.). And believe me, some assistants are perkier than others.
• 71D: Burt and Tony's "Trapeze" co-star (GINA). Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis, and Gina Lollobrigida, back in 1956.
• 72D: Heckle or Jeckle (MAGPIE). I just thought they were crows. But then there's CROWED down at 98D: Boasted.
• 107D: Joy's partner (PRIDE). Oh, you know what's coming, don't you?

Everything Else — 1A: Boston player, briefly (CELT); 5A: Good (at) (ADEPT); 10A: "... flotsam? I've gotsam" poet (NASH); 14A: Newspapers need 'em (ADS); 18A: City served by Noi Bai airport (HANOI); 19A: Spread's other name (OLEO); 20A: Wintry chill (NIP); 24A: Pitcher's stat (ERA); 25A: Wrapped, as a quarterback (TAPED UP); 26A: States, in the comics (SEZ); 27A: The place to go in London (LOO); 28A: Not as wild (TAMER); 30A: Mid-afternoon, in Milan (TRE); 36A: Southwestern pots (OLLAS); 38A: Curving course (ARC); 40A: Less naive (WISER); 41A: It may involve a twist (FATE); 42A: The pizzeria in "Do the Right Thing" (SAL'S); 43A: Radio spot? (STATION); 55A: "It's possible" ("I MAY"); 57A: The Red or the White (SOX); 58A: Test one's metal (ASSAY); 60A: "Unlock this door!" ("OPEN UP!"); 63A: "Take ___ from me" (A TIP); 65A: India's smallest state (GOA); 67A: Unveiler's cry (TA-DA); 68A: Taken ___ (ILL); 74A: Spark space (GAP); 75A: ___ brand (NAME); 77A: "___ gather" (SO I); 78A: Sight between Tucson and Phoenix (MESA); 79A: Dealership duds of 1959 (EDSELS); 81A: Got down, in a way (KNELT); 83A: U-turn from 93 Across (NNW); 85A: With cal, a supplement combo (MAG); 86A: Pre-Q quartet (MNOP); 93A: U-turn from 83 Across (SSE); 94A: Tough ___ (AS NAILS); 95A: Sax object (REED); 100A: Word that aptly finishes "ni___" (TWITS); 103A: W Texas city, to Amtrak (ELP); 104A: Broadly done, on Broadway (STAGY); 109A: "Old song" preceder (SAME); 111A: Buddy (PAL); 112A: Guy on the Ponderosa set (LORNE); 113A: Rooting word (RAH); 116A: Rummy relative (CANASTA); 118A: ___-inspiring (AWE); 123A: Buddhism branch (ZEN); 124A: Sheet of ice (FLOE); 125A: Parting word (ADIEU); 126A: "___ pray" (LET US); 127A: D.C. summer hrs. (EDT); 128A: In ___ (on the same page) (SYNC); 129A: Enfant terrible Jean (GENET); 1D: A ___ (CAPPELLA); 2D: Shallowest of the Great ones (ERIE); 3D: "Trading Places" director (LANDIS); 4D: It precedes "of A" (THE U.S.); 5D: An ___ moment (AHA); 6D: Blocker and Brown (DANS); 7D: Came to a conclusion (ENDED); 8D: He had a scheme (PONZI); 9D: It's knotworthy? (TIE); 10D: Pet restriction (NO DOGS); 11D: "It's ___ and the same" (ALL ONE); 12D: Last word in gangster lines, in old movies (SEE); 13D: Party throwers (HOSTS); 14D: Geritol target (ANEMIA); 15D: Tell others how to act (DIRECT); 16D: Few and far between (SPARSE); 17D: Threaten, dog-style (SNARL AT); 21D: Preminger et al. (OTTOS); 22D: Ostentatious (SPLASHY); 23D: Tony New York eatery (ELAINE'S); 29D: Initially (AT FIRST); 32D: Big name in Art Deco (ERTÉ); 34D: Furry "Star Wars" being (EWOK); 35D: City mentioned in "Casablanca" (ORAN); 37D: Welcome warmly (ASK IN); 39D: Attacked (CAME AT); 44D: Powwow percussion (TOM-TOM); 45D: Spy of a sort (INSIDE MAN); 47D: Food label letters (RDA); 49D: Outback nesters (EMUS); 50D: Cantina appetizers (TAPAS); 51D: Oft-quoted catcher (YOGI); 52D: Impulse carrier (AXON); 53D: Gas bill info (USAGE); 54D: Tennis star Rafael (NADAL); 59D: Flaps one's gums (YAPS); 60D: Boarish comment (OINK); 61D: Backup strategy (PLAN B); 62D: Hapless hare hunter (ELMER); 64D: Spanish inn (POSADA); 66D: IRS type (AGENT); 70D: Bar ___ (NONE); 73D: Nose wrinkler (ODOR); 76D: Feature of op'nin' and hap'nin' (ELISION); 80D: Football, e.g. (SPORT); 82D: QB sneak results, sometimes (TDS); 84D: "Huh!?" ("WHAT THE!?"); 86D: Big name in networking (MYSPACE); 88D: Is sentenced to (GETS); 89D: She, in Salerno (ESSA); 90D: Word with cover or over (ALLS); 91D: Lunges from a hiding place (LEAPS OUT); 92D: Smooth music sections (LEGATOS); 96D: "Under Milk Wood" poet's first name (DYLAN); 97D: Like Chicago in 1871 (ABLAZE); 99D: Bike shop sign (TO RENT); 101D: Continued without letup (WORE ON); 102D: Shortly (IN A SEC); 104D: "Come to your ___!" (SENSES); 106D: Cuts made by a saw (KERFS); 108D: "Take out" alternative (EAT IN); 110D: Gibbs or Maples (MARLA); 115D: You, to the Amish (THEE); 117D: Complex units?: abbr. (APTS.); 120D: Country singer Joe (ELY); 121D: Really move your tail (WAG); 122D: Rough housing? (HUT).

SUNDAY, October 4, 2009Robert H. Wolfe

Theme: "Surprise Endings" — Theme answers are movie titles with the last word anagrammed into another word, creating wacky new titles clued "?"-style.

[Note: This is the syndicated L.A. Times puzzle. It does not appear in the actual newspaper, but is available for free at cruciverb.com.]


Theme answers:

• 24A: Film about a soft-hearted creature? (TENDER IS THE THING). "Tender Is the Night."
• 32A: Film about a computer supervisor? (LORD OF THE FILES). "Lord of the Flies."

• 51A: Film about Los Angeles losing its NFL team? (A FAREWELL TO RAMS). "A Farewell to Arms."
• 69A: Film about Broadway beginners? (WEST SIDE TYROS). "West Side Story."
• 87A: Film about Santa enjoying his holiday cigar? (A CHRISTMAS CLARO). "A Christmas Carol."
• 105A: Film about a home run derby? (DAY OF THE CLOUTS). "Day of the Locust." If you understand the this answer, please explain it in the comments.
  
• 116A: Film about gardening options? (PLACES IN THE EARTH). "Places in the Heart."

Crosswordese 101: There's not much to say about ALEE except that you have to know it. It's generally clued, like today, straightforwardly — 125A: Away from the wind. The clue might also use the word shelter or describe ALEE as "Away from the storm." Simple, right?

Sundays are good days to review the Crosswordese we've already covered. If you had any trouble with these, check out our previous posts:

• 21A: Being, in old Rome (ESSE).
• 38A: Port in Yemen (ADEN).
• 61A: Jack-in-the-pulpit family (ARUM).
• 113A: Hairy Addams cousin (ITT).
• 10D: Pol. letters until 1991 (SSR).
• 53D: Formerly, formerly (ERST).
• 118D: Quarterback Manning (ELI).
• 120D: He followed FDR (HST).

I found a few trouble spots in today's puzzle. Over in Northern California, I didn't know biotin was sometimes called 42D: VITAMIN H; I've never heard of 75A Publisher OTIS Chandler; MINIM (for 80A: 1/60 of a dram) was a total guess; and it took me way too long to get from 68A: Picture-taking word ending to CAM. Awkward clue. There was actually a whole mess of other people I didn't know too:

• 104A: Artist friend of Max Ernst (MAN RAY). We've covered popular crossword artists Ernst, Arp and Miró, but I don't know this Man Ray person, who apparently was part of that crowd. Well, now I know.
• 122A: Filmmaker Riefenstahl (LENI). Riefenstahl has been haled as "the greatest female filmmaker of the 20th century." Unfortunately, she made her mark by creating a Nazi propaganda film and apparently hung out with Hitler. Probably not a great career move.

• 12D: Politico Kefauver (ESTES). He was a senator from Tennessee who was Adlai Stevenson's running mate in 1956.
• 48D: Dramatist Rice (ELMER). Earned a Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his 1929 play "Street Scene."
• 60D: Hall of Fame NFL coach Ewbank (WEEB). It's cool that even a person with a name like "Weeb" can get into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The only real clunkers for me today were a couple of made-up adjectives: FEEBLEST (14D: Most frail) and FLUTY (47D: High-pitched). Oh, and I can't say I'm a fan of cutesy clues for COMA (68D: Long time out; paired with NAP, 79D: Short time out). Ugh.

A few other things:

• 40A: All Saints' Day mo. (NOV.). I started to write in OCT, but stopped myself.

• 74A: Some NFL linemen (RTS). Because I know someone will ask: this stands for Right Tackles.
• 83A: Pretended to have written earlier, as a letter (BACK-DATED). Did you all see Gmail's April Fool's joke this past year? They pretended to roll out a new feature where you could back-date your email. It was pretty funny.
• 96A: Tallahassee sch. (FSU). They were actually playing football on the TV while I was solving this puzzle.
• 97A: Listless (MOPEY). The eighth dwarf.
• 1D: Star in Perseus (ALGOL). Whatever you say.
• 3D: Rose oil (ATTAR). We'll cover this in Crosswordese 301.
• 35D: Nice notion? (IDÉE). Did you get this one? It's all in the pronunciation. Here, Nice means the city in France (pronounced NEESE), and idée is French for idea (or notion).

• 50D: "__ lied" (SO I). Clues like this totally make me think of Merl Reagle.
• 55D: Pre-meal drink (APÉRITIF). Anyone else have spelling trouble here?
• 59D: Sydney's state: Abbr. (NSW). That's New South Wales in case you didn't know. (I didn't.)
• 90D: Explorer Ericson (LEIF).
• 105D: Eatery traditionally modeled after a rail car (DINER). I've been meaning to see this movie again for, like, I don't know ... 25 years or so?
• 110D: Like a movie seat with a coat on it (TAKEN). Cute clue!

Sunday puzzles always feel really big to me. (I guess because they are big.) And I wouldn't call this one particularly easy. So how did you guys do? Please let us know in the comments!

Everything Else — 1A: Make __: match the scorecard, in golf (A PAR); 5A: Little hooters (OWLETS); 11A: Two pages (LEAF); 15A: Second Greek letter (BETA); 19A: Dieter's word (LITE); 20A: Very proper sorts (PRUDES); 22A: Indiana senator Bayh (EVAN); 23A: Gangsters' guns (GATS); 27A: Studio sign (ON AIR); 29A: Chem., for one (SCI.); 30A: Chicago-to-Louisville dir. (SSE); 31A: Name on an armored truck (BRINKS); 36A: Small surgical knife (LANCET); 37A: Landlocked Afr. land (ETH.); 39A: Done (ENDED); 43A: Heat measure (CALORIE); 47A: Come clean, with "up" (FESS); 49A: Certain Prot. (EPIS.); 58A: Continue after a setback, as one's life (GET ON WITH); 62A: Clean a spill (MOP UP); 63A: Poker action (RAISE); 64A: Scary film staple (MONSTER); 67A: Flat-topped rise (MESA); 77A: Chews out (BERATES); 78A: __ Major: Great Dog constellation (CANIS); 82A: Kennel home (CAGE); 91A: Fishing spot (PIER); 92A: Glaswegian gal (LASS); 93A: Drip from a bad pipe (LEAK OUT); 100A: Salt Lake City Olympics year (MMII); 102A: Command to Spot (SIT); 112A: Maintain (ALLEGE); 114A: Harry Potter's pal (RON); 115A: Wreck completely (TOTAL); 121A: Harley or Honda (BIKE); 123A: Forest feature (TREE); 124A: Setbacks (LAPSES); 126A: LAX listings (ETDS); 127A: Things in locks (OARS); 128A: Ad with a credit card bill, e.g. (INSERT); 129A: Ding, but not dong (DENT); 2D: Grand, perhaps (PIANO); 4D: Dwell (RESIDE); 5D: Pick, with "for" (OPT); 6D: Take away forcibly (WREST); 7D: Something to do with a business associate? (LUNCH); 8D: Comic Izzard (EDDIE); 9D: Elevator on the links? (TEE); 11D: Abate (LESSEN); 13D: Light gray (ASH); 15D: Losing (BEHIND); 16D: Demonstrate (EVINCE); 17D: Failed suddenly, in slang (TANKED); 18D: Emotional strife (ANGST); 25D: __ of Wight (ISLE); 26D: Window over a door (TRANSOM); 28D: Campus recruiters, briefly (ROTC); 33D: Govt. loan insurer (FHA); 34D: Pleasant forecast (FAIR); 40D: Not pos. (NEG.); 41D: Like music composed for a libretto (OPERATIC); 44D: Chou En-__ (LAI); 45D: Frequently, in verse (OFT); 46D: Cheering cry (RAH); 52D: Diminishes (WANES); 54D: CD-__ (ROM); 56D: Attractions not to be missed (MUST-SEES); 57D: Baden-Baden et al. (SPAS); 64D: Tiny parasites (MITES); 65D: Poem of praise (ODE); 66D: Music with many subgenres (ROCK); 70D: Religious factions (SECTS); 71D: Ore cars (TRAMS); 72D: Long tale (SAGA); 73D: Low (SAD); 76D: Round Table title (SIR); 81D: Used-car datum (MILEAGE); 83D: Call to Bo-Peep (BAA); 84D: First rescue boat (ARK); 85D: Speak lovingly (COO); 86D: Actress Joanne (DRU); 88D: Accept, as a marriage proposal (SAY YES TO); 89D: Ad writer's award (CLIO); 94D: Trojans' sch. (USC); 95D: Incline (TILT); 97D: Croquet striker (MALLET); 98D: Off the boat (ON LAND); 99D: Summary (PRÉCIS); 100D: Dull finishes (MATTES); 101D: Tale involving Greek gods, e.g. (MYTH); 103D: "That's a shame" ("TOO BAD"); 104D: Syrup source (MAPLE); 106D: Snares (TRAPS); 107D: Oater ride (HORSE); 108D: Type in (ENTER); 109D: Of service (UTILE); 111D: Winter fall (SLEET); 117D: S&L offering (IRA); 118D: Quarterback Manning (ELI); 119D: Suffix with Caesar (-EAN); 120D: He followed FDR (HST).

SATURDAY, October 3, 2009—Bruce Venzke & Stella Daily

THEME: No theme today—Just a themeless Saturday puzzle

So here's how "This Week in L.A. Times Crosswording" went: Monday was Monday. Tuesday was Monday. Wednesday was Monday. Thursday was Tuesday, maybe even Wednesday—and so was Friday. And then Saturday, which ought to be the week's toughest puzzle, drops down to Tuesday level.

It's astounding that newspapers might've gotten complaints about the Saturday puzzle being harder than the Tuesday puzzle, isn't it? I mean, it's great that more beginners can tackle the puzzle, but the rest of us loved the L.A. Times crossword exactly as it was. We don't want an entire week of Tuesday difficulty. We'd at least like Friday and Saturday to reach Thursday NYT difficulty. Is that too much to concede, that the puzzle provide something for everyone?

That's the rationale behind the N.Y. Times' difficulty escalation—get 'em hooked on the Monday and Tuesday puzzle, let 'em build their skills, and they'll progress towards doing the late-week puzzles.

Yes, there are many solvers who don't even bother trying the harder puzzles. There are also many people who skip the easy puzzles because they prefer more challenge. The NYT captures both groups, while Tribune/LAT seems ready to jettison the latter faction. It's disappointing. Rex and PuzzleGirl and I wanted to use this blog to coach newer solvers, to teach them the crosswordese and unveil the tricks behind the tricky clues so that these solvers could triumph over ever more challenging puzzles. And now? Sigh.

Anyway. On with today's puzzle! It's loaded with 15-letter answers—a triple-stack in the middle embraced by pairs of 15s above and below. They're all clued straightforwardly, as are the shorter answers. Not a single question-marked clue in the bunch! (And it's almost certain that Stella and Bruce originally wrote tougher clues for the puzzle.) Here are the big entries:

• 14A: "This can't be true!" ("YOU'RE NOT SERIOUS!"). I prefer the McEnroesque "You cannot be serious!"
  
• 17A: 25-Across's WWII command (EUROPEAN THEATER). Who is 25A? DDE, or WWII general who became pres.—Dwight D. Eisenhower.
  
• 31A: Scorned notion (HARE-BRAINED IDEA). The Hare and Rabbit Anti-Defamation League prefers the term bird-brained.
  
• 37A: Oil and vinegar concoction (ITALIAN DRESSING). Make the vinegar balsamic, please. My kid, he'll eat anything if there's balsamic vinegar on it.
  
• 38A: "Back off!" ("DON'T GET TOO CLOSE!").
  
• 55A: Title guy asked to "play a song for me," in a Byrds hit (MR. TAMBOURINE MAN). I...honestly don't think I know this song. Really. Video time! Wow, Bob Dylan kinda looks like Adam Sandler in that performance.
  
  
  
  
• 57A: Cause of many traveling delays (AIRPORT SECURITY). The TSA line is excellent for training people to be obedient sheep who dare not question authority, isn't it?
  

What else?

• 4D: High martial arts rank (BROWN BELT). This puzzle was so easy, I mucked things up by putting in BLACK BELT and still finished in an easy-Wednesday time. DO I DARE (51A: "Is it worth the risk?") include my solving time here? Seems like a commenter hollers at me for arrogance whenever I do that. I't's at Crossword Fiend if you're interested.
  
• 9D: Whack anew (REHIT). RE-no.
  
• 11D: Nincompoop (TOTAL IDIOT). Uh, is that a thing? "Complete idiot" sounds better to me, but I quizzed my husband on words to precede "idiot" and he said "total."
  
• 24D: Ollie North's '80s "affair" (IRAN-CONTRA). Excellent answer. How many of you saw "affair" in quotation marks and thought of Fawn Hall?
  
• 47D: Japanese aborigine (AINU). I didn't even see this one while solving. Old-school crosswordese! It doesn't get much play these days. You can read about them here. The Ainu don't look Japanese at all.
  

Crosswordese 101: Jean AUEL is the 12D: "The Mammoth Hunters" author. Her first book in the "Earth's Children" series was The Clan of the Cave Bear, and my mom bought me that for Christmas '80 in hardcover. Ayla the Cro-Magnon girl wound up living with Neanderthals, and I totally dug the book. I read the next two in the series but lost interest in adulthood. There was at least one movie, which I heard was dreadful. (So dreadful, in fact, that I couldn't bring myself to post a picture of Daryl Hannah as Ayla.) This was Ms. AUEL's second (or maybe third?) appearance in a crossword this week, and some people commented that they didn't know who she was—so Jean "Surname Is 75% Vowels" AUEL seemed a good choice for Crosswordese 101. (Plus, her Wikipedia bio told me she's a member of MENSA, that 29D: Club for smart guys and girls.

Everything Else — 1A: Many a Yemeni (ARAB); 5A: __ Rouge (KHMER); 10A: Sch. support groups (PTAS); 18A: Algae on the beach (SEAWEED); 19A: Semaphore user's output (SIGNALS); 20A: "__ Blu Dipinto Di Blu": 1958 hit (NEL); 21A: Implement (TOOL); 22A: Nursery bed (CRIB); 28A: Devilish tot (IMP); 39A: SASE, e.g. (ENC.); 40A: Forever and a day, facetiously (EON); 41A: Not much (A TAD); 42A: Spoken (ORAL); 46A: Terminal-to-hotel transport (VAN); 48A: Kind of fingerprint or code (GENETIC); 58A: Afternoon socials (TEAS); 59A: Davis of "Do the Right Thing" (OSSIE); 60A: Words before ghost or doctor (SEE A); 1D: Tars' affirmatives (AYES); 2D: Licentious sort (ROUE); 3D: Certain something (AURA); 5D: Get ready to pray (KNEEL); 6D: 1950s tennis great Lew (HOAD); 7D: Part of a range: Abbr. (MTN.); 8D: Inexact nos. (ESTS); 10D: Beethoven's instrument (PIANO); 13D: Lith. et al., once (SSRS); 15D: French for "sword" (ÉPÉE); 16D: __ Park: Queens area near Forest Hills (REGO); 22D: Scold (CHIDE); 23D: Boca __ (RATON); 25D: "Divine Comedy" writer (DANTE); 26D: Inflicted upon (DID TO); 27D: Collapsed company chronicled in the 2005 documentary subtitled "The Smartest Guys in the Room" (ENRON); 30D: Alerted, as a doctor (PAGED); 32D: Important (BIG); 33D: "Norma __" (RAE); 34D: Want-ad abbr. (EEO); 35D: U.S. Army medal (DSC); 36D: Martha's Vineyard natives, e.g. (ISLANDERS); 43D: Gets as a return (REAPS); 44D: Prefix with sphere (ATMO-); 45D: Book, to BolÌvar (LIBRO); 46D: Express, as an opinion (VOICE); 48D: Exam for a Wharton Sch. hopeful (GMAT); 49D: Port on its own lake (ERIE); 50D: No-frills beds (COTS); 51D: Eins plus zwei (DREI); 52D: Gallic girlfriend (AMIE); 53D: Interest percentage (RATE); 54D: Pop musician from County Donegal (ENYA); 56D: __ Constitution (USS).

FRIDAY, Oct. 2, 2009 — Jack McInturff

THEME: Middle C — "C" is added to the front of "R" words that are also the second words in familiar two-word phrases, creating wacky etc.

Still too easy for a late-week puzzle, but headed back in the right direction from last week's difficulty nadir. This one feels very ordinary, very forgettable. Just CRANKed out. None of the resulting theme answers are particularly memorable / funny / groan-inducing. With this add-a-letter type theme, the real test is the snap of the resulting answers, and today's are just dull. Except PUNK CROCK. That's almost funny. I think my real disappointment with the LAT puzzles right now has to do with the serious restrictions on clues — they are too straightforward, not playful or daring. Half the life of a puzzle is in its clues, and the clues have had the life sucked out of them, probably (again) from people writing to complain that they were too "convoluted" or "tricky" or god knows what. I admit that tricky clues can be dicey, and when they fail they fail hard. But I will take interesting, daring failure over dullness Any day.

Theme answers:

• 20A: Grouch in the army? (MILITARY CRANK) — [Donald Rumsfeld?] ... too controversial, I know, but come on ... give me a real CRANK in the clue.
• 27A: Small-time hood's pottery? (PUNK CROCK) — [Lies from Sid Vicious?]
• 36A: Accident in a qualifying race? (HEAT CRASH) — [Miami team's late-season meltdown?]
• 47A: Family insignia for designer Edith? (HEAD CREST) — love Edith HEAD, so I won't tamper with this one. Don't like "inSIGNia" and "deSIGNer" in same clue, though. Oh, what the hell? [Run a toothpaste company?]
• 54A: Jalopy used as a trade-in? (EXCHANGE CRATE) — uh ... [Soapbox on the trading floor?]

Love HAGGIS, as I love All Things Scottish (and Pizza ... that's an old SNL reference that only about three people are going to get today, but whatever) (47D: Traditional Scottish dish). SPECTER (41D: Phantom) and MOCKERY (13D: Farce) are also hot, but the ETHENES / DIOXIDE pairing is dire (39D: Refinery gases + 40D: Carbon _____). Just horrible. One or the other would be possible, as a dullish word from the world of science, but together they're unlikeable. The small corners of this puzzle feel phoned-in, which is disappointing. PPP + IUM, OSS + ETE, etc. WTF is a PERETTI (43D: Italian jewelry designer Elsa)? Why would you make that your anchor Down in the SE? How many -E-E--- answers are there out there? Dozens? Scores? Come on. Be more imaginative! What about DENEUVE?! Or ... REVENGE!



Crosswordese 101: ZIA (51A: '70s-'80s Pakistani leader) — Learned it from xwords. Overthrew Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (Benazir's father), who was then hanged after being convicted on (probably trumped-up) charges of murdering a political opponent. ZIA later died in a plane crash with several of his generals. All before I had any sense of world politics. ZIA looks cool 'cause of the "Z," but I'd treat it like crosswordese. Use sparingly — only when necessary.

What else?

• 64A: River near Kassel, Germany (EDER) — more crosswordese. Oh, the rivers ...
• 3D: Old Viking descendants of northern France (NORMANS) — as a medievalist, this should have been a gimme, but I just don't associate NORMANS with Vikings. At all. I had those first letters and figured the answer would have something to do with NORWAY.
• 21D: Express's opp. (loc.) — "Opp.?" Maybe "alt." Awkward cluing.
• 7D: Pro _____ (rata) — supercrosswordesey. Blecch (again, except where necessary — in a 4x5 section, it's hardly necessary in this instance).

~RP

[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter]

P.S. Two new cool crossword projects to announce / support this morning.

1. Patrick Blindauer has just launched his 2009 Holiday Puzzlefest. He's going to make a suite of 10-12 Holiday-themed puzzles, which will be tied to a contest, the grand prize of which will be either your registration fee for the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament or the equivalent in cash ($290). Patrick is one of the very best constructors in the country, and you can get in on this Puzzlefest for a mere $5. You must do this. Ridiculously cheap for what will undoubtedly be superior, thoughtful, entertaining puzzle craftsmanship. Go here now to sign up. Right now. Seriously.

2. Matt Gaffney wrote me this morning with the following message:

October is "Hell Month" at MGWCC [Matt Gaffney's Weekly Crossword Contest] -- five spooky Fridays with haunted themes that get progressively tougher as the days get shorter. And unlike other months, *every* Hell Month entrant who sends in the correct contest answer to all five October puzzles will receive a MGWCC pen, pencil and notepad set.

Naturally the crosswords and metapuzzles will be cruel and unusual in difficulty...

As always, MGWCC can be found here. One of the great independent puzzle sites out there.

Everything Else — 1A: List of options (MENU); 5A: "Get lost!" ("SCRAM!"); 10A: Capricious notion (WHIM); 14A: Informed about (UP ON); 15A: Rod Stewart's ex (ALANA); 16A: Parade honoree (HERO); 17A: Sugar and spice product? (GIRL); 18A: Turbine part (ROTOR); 19A: __-Z: classic Camaro (IROC); 20A: Grouch in the army? (MILITARY CRANK); 23A: Upright, for one (PIANO); 25A: Campfire leftover (ASH); 26A: Tell stories (LIE); 27A: Small-time hood's pottery? (PUNK CROCK); 31A: Hardwood tree (ALDER); 33A: Downing St. VIPs (PMS); 34A: Small island (CAY); 35A: Cheeky (BRASSY); 36A: Accident in a qualifying race? (HEAT CRASH); 39A: Ford failures (EDSELS); 42A: "Bad" cholesterol, briefly (LDL); 43A: "The Gold Bug" author (POE); 46A: Hedren of "The Birds" (TIPPI); 47A: Family insignia for designer Edith? (HEAD CREST); 50A: Clod chopper (HOE); 51A: '70s-'80s Pakistani leader (ZIA); 53A: Analyze grammatically (PARSE); 54A: Jalopy used as a trade-in? (EXCHANGE CRATE); 59A: Evening, in ads (NITE); 60A: Concur (AGREE); 61A: Singer Redding (OTIS); 64A: River near Kassel, Germany (EDER); 65A: Like Chicago, so they say (WINDY); 66A: Where the Jazz play (UTAH); 67A: Belgrade native (SERB); 68A: Pair in the middle of dressing? (ESSES); 69A: Very small (TINY); 1D: Morning container (MUG); 2D: Prefix with center (EPI); 3D: Old Viking descendants of northern France (NORMANS); 4D: Separate, as chain parts (UNLINK); 5D: Indian cover-up (SARI); 6D: Congeal, as blood (CLOT); 7D: Pro __ (RATA); 8D: Arctic jacket (ANORAK); 9D: Martin and Magdalene (MARYS); 10D: Spinning sound (WHIR); 11D: Harbingers (HERALDS); 12D: Many O. Henry endings (IRONIES); 13D: Farce (MOCKERY); 21D: Express's opp. (LOC.); 22D: Scorches (CHARS); 23D: Very quietly, in music (PPP); 24D: Periodic table suffix (-IUM); 28D: Old ColorTrak TVs (RCAS); 29D: Cholesterol-reducing grain (OAT); 30D: Repeating series (CYCLE); 32D: __-di-dah (LAH); 35D: Like worn tires (BALD); 36D: With it (HEP); 37D: "My Fair Lady" flower seller (ELIZA); 38D: Old vitamin bottle abbr. (RDA); 39D: Refinery gases (ETHENES); 40D: Carbon __ (DIOXIDE); 41D: Phantom (SPECTER); 43D: Italian jewelry designer Elsa (PERETTI); 44D: CIA predecessor (OSS); 45D: When the French fry? (ÉTÉ); 47D: Traditional Scottish dish (HAGGIS); 48D: Yr.-end auditor (CPA); 49D: Inform on, slangily (RAT OUT); 52D: Really impressed (IN AWE); 55D: Chef's secret ingredient, perhaps (HERB); 56D: Fish-eating birds (ERNS); 57D: Give up (CEDE); 58D: Actor Fernando et al. (REYS); 62D: Author Fleming (IAN); 63D: Short at the poker table (SHY).

THURSDAY, October 1, 2009Jonathan Seff

Theme: Dodo Bird — Clues to the theme answers are all homophones of doe.

Theme answers:

• 17A: Doe (ANONYMOUS PERSON).
• 27A: Do (KEY NOTE IN A SCALE).
• 49A: Dough (BREAD BAKING NEED).
• 65A: D'oh (HOMER SIMPSON CRY).

Here's the thing. Some people really hate this kind of theme, but I sorta enjoy it. Unfortunately, this one doesn't quite hang together as well as I'd like. Why? Well, because I don't think of an anonymous person as Doe — it's John Doe or Jane Doe. Two problems with the second theme answer. One was just my brain — I kept reading KEY NOTE as one word and couldn't figure out what do had to do with a speech. Then when I realized it was about music, well, the word KEY has a specific meaning in music (it's complicated, but it has to do with the tonic triad that's the main focus of a piece of music) and it's totally different than the meaning here (which I read as "primary" or "important"). The third theme answer is okay, but ... aren't the dough and the bread really the same thing? I mean, for bread baking need I would think yeast, flour, rolling pin. But the actual dough? Technically, I guess it's accurate, but it feels off to me.
And, of course, I would rather see the possessive in the last theme answer (i.e., Homer Simpson's cry). It's perfectly legit the way it is but, again, it just feels off to me. The reason some people don't like this kind of theme is that the theme answers themselves are not typically in-the-language phrases. That doesn't bother me much, but I would like the theme answers to be really coherent and make sense.

But, ya know what? Theme answers were all gettable from the crosses and other than my nitpicking, this was another breezy Tuesday. I'm guessing you didn't have a whole lot of trouble with it.

Crosswordese 101: How is it possible that we haven't talked about the ERN yet?! The only tricky thing about ERN is that it can also be spelled ERNE and with the spelling we have today, there are other ways to clue it (e.g., "Directional suffix"). There are certainly other three- and four-letter birds that show up in puzzles (the legendary ROC and the warbling WREN, for example), but if the clue is today's 36A: Coastal bird or "Sea eagle," or includes the words marine, shore, fish-eating, raptor, or predator, you're probably looking at an ERN(E).

What else?

• 5A: Young reporters (CUBS). This feels old-timey to me. Do journalists still use it? I'm definitely not complaining, I think it's awesome. I'm just wondering.
• 21A: French monarch (ROI). Can never remember if its ROI or REI (which is Portuguese).
• 25A: Maker of ergonomic kitchenware (OXO). Not a big fan. They always look really cool, but they don't work as well as you'd think they would based on their price.
• 38A: Dentist's directive (BRUSH). Raise your hand if you entered RINSE at first.
• 55A: __ acetate: banana oil (AMYL). Had to get this one through the crosses.

• 59A: Hitter's stat (RBI). Have you all read Michael Lewis's Moneyball? It's a book about baseball that rests on the premise that on-base percentage and slugging percentage are way more important than the statistics that are typically relied on (like RBI and batting average). I'm only an occasional baseball fan, but the book is fascinating and funny. Worth a look!
• 61A: Duke Ellington's "Take the __" (A TRAIN). When I lived in New York, I used to take the A train to get home, so I always had this song stuck in my head.



• 70A: Altar exchanges (I DOS). I like this and I'll tell you why. Sometimes it seems like constructors just tack an S onto the end of a word because they need help making it fit into the grid. But in this case, the plural is actually something people are likely to say.

• 4D: Hustler (CONMAN).
• 11D: Canadian gas sign (ESSO). We just talked about this two days ago! Please tell me you got it with no problem!
• 19D: "Finding Nemo" studio (PIXAR). If you solved yesterday's New York Times puzzle, you had this one right in the front of your brain. (Hi, Kevin! Does Kevin read us over here?)

• 31D: Pres., vis-à-vis the armed forces (CIC). Read this as press at first and had no idea what it was going for. CIC stands for Commander in Chief.
• 50D: White 66-Down, e.g. (ALBINO). Random! This seems like an awfully long way to go just to include a referential clue, which nobody really likes anyway.
• 55D: One giving Starbuck orders? (AHAB). I had No Idea the coffee place was named after a Herman Melville character! Every Single Day you learn something new!!

Everything Else — 1A: Gillette's __ II razor (TRAC); 9A: Half-and-half half (CREAM); 14A: __ sapiens (HOMO); 15A: European capital (OSLO); 16A: Speed (HASTE); 20A: Get loose for the game (WARM UP); 22A: Long, long time (EONS); 23A: Matured (AGED); 35A: Suffix with ranch (-ERO); 37A: Curb, as spending (REIN IN); 41A: Puppy's bite (NIP); 43A: Nearly boil (SCALD); 44A: Relating to the body's main blood line (AORTIC); 46A: Laddie's negative (NAE); 48A: Indians, on scoreboards (CLE); 53A: Sushi fish (EEL); 54A: Final Four initials (NCAA); 68A: Big name in kitchen foil (ALCOA); 69A: Sculptor's subject (NUDE); 71A: Animal (BEAST); 72A: She-bears, in Seville (OSAS); 73A: Promgoer's concern, maybe (ACNE); 1D: Melting period (THAW); 2D: Gossipy Barrett (RONA); 3D: Passionate deity (AMOR); 5D: Vie (COMPETE); 6D: Military morale-boosting gp. (USO); 7D: Indistinct image (BLUR); 8D: "Already?" ("SO SOON?"); 9D: "Evita" narrator (CHE); 10D: Steakhouse request (RARE); 12D: Oodles (A TON); 13D: Clothing store section (MEN'S); 18D: Bygone Serbian auto (YUGO); 24D: Laura of "Jurassic Park" (DERN); 26D: Plural ending for neur- (OSES); 27D: Meal on a skewer (KEBAB); 28D: 1 + 1 = 3, for example (ERROR); 29D: "__ a Good Man, Charlie Brown" (YOU'RE); 30D: How contracts are usually signed (IN INK); 32D: Has __ up one's sleeve (AN ACE); 33D: City in which de Gaulle was born (LILLE); 34D: Rear-__: hit from behind (ENDED); 39D: Grand Central, e.g.: Abbr. (STA.); 40D: Sweep under the rug (HIDE); 42D: Tylenol target (PAIN); 45D: "Good buddies" (CBERS); 47D: Sheathes (ENCASES); 51D: Cat, in Canc˙n (GATO); 52D: Land chronicled by C.S. Lewis (NARNIA); 56D: Double agent (MOLE); 57D: Pantomimed disco song title (YMCA); 58D: Many August babies (LEOS); 60D: Don of talk radio (IMUS); 62D: Outlet letters (AC/DC); 63D: Golfer's choice (IRON); 64D: AMEX rival (NYSE); 66D: Pied Piper follower (RAT); 67D: BlackBerry or Sidekick, briefly (PDA).