05.22 Sun

S U N D A Y
May 22, 2011
Verge

[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: "And/or" — "OR" is added to familiar phrases to make wacky entries.

Theme Entries:

• 23A: Important meeting for Domingo and colleagues? (THE BIG TENOR CONFERENCE).
• 33A: Pulpit tirade? (BLAST FROM THE PASTOR).
• 50A: Sale of swampland? (MORASS MARKETING).
• 63A: Disloyal union member? (LABOR RAT).
• 69A: "Babe," e.g.? (PIG STORY).
• 83A: Really conservative Conservatives? (OLD SCHOOL TORIES).
• 92A: Comment about a recently razed vacation complex? (THE RESORT IS HISTORY).
• 114A: Maine travel agency's come-on? (MORE BANGOR FOR YOUR BUCK).

Hey, crossword fans. Doug here on Sunday. Today's puzzle is by the mysterious Verge. Is Verge a man? A woman? A couple? A robot from the year 2030?

The theme itself is very basic. Just add OR. But I like the results, and the long 21-letter entries are especially nice. (Yeah, those tenors are pretty big, aren't they?) The only one I'm not sure about is OLD SCHOOL T(OR)IES because I'm not familiar with "old school ties." I think it might be a British thing. A bloke will wear an Eton tie or a Harrow tie or maybe a Hogwarts tie to signify his school affiliation. In other news from the UK, I heard today that Princess Kate Middleton's sister Pippa is now known as P-Middy. Look for that entry in my next themeless puzzle.

Bullets:

• 26A: Cabin fever, e.g. (ANGST) Is that a good clue for ANGST? I'm not sure. I've never had cabin fever.

• 27A: Salon supply (HAIR GEL). Fortunately I don't have enough hair to worry about salon supplies.
• 68A: Half of vingt (DIX). Boy, I'm horrible at these French numbers. "Vingt" is 20 and "dix" is 10.
• 71A: "Anchorman" producer Judd (APATOW). If you don't know the name, you should try to remember it. The alternating vowels and consonants make it perfect for crosswords, and I predict you're going to see it again and again. Here's a list of Judd Apatow films if you want to brush up.
• 69A: "Babe," e.g.? (PIG STORY). This one's dedicated to Crosscan.

• 117A: Online memos (E-NOTES). Real word or not?
• 8D: Legal scholar Guinier (LANI). I know as much about her as I do about 49-Down, Scottish psychiatrist R.D. ___ (LAING). Nothing. We need a new famous person named Lani Laing.
• 16D: Cybernetics pioneer Norbert (WIENER). Insert your own cybernetic Wiener joke here
• 24D: God in a chariot (THOR). I don't normally associate Thor with a chariot. Maybe because I'm thinking of the comic book version. Wikipedia tells me that Thor "rides in a cart or chariot pulled by two goats, Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr, that he eats and resurrects."

• 37D: They may put players out (TAGS).
• 75D: Historic Kentucky county (BOURBON). I did not know that bourbon whiskey was named after an area in Kentucky. Cool.
• 92D: ___-CD conversion: music collection updating system (TAPE-TO). And then you can convert all those "updated" CDs to MP3s.
• 109D: Bush overshadower (TREE). I thought this was going to be something political, but it's just a tree.

A sad note for those of us who watched a lot of (fake) wrestling in the '80s. "Macho Man" Randy Savage died in a car accident on Friday. Snap into a Slim Jim this weekend in his memory. Ooooh yeeeah!

Everything Else —1A: Missouri range (OZARKS); 7A: Very friendly with (CLOSE TO); 14A: Legitimate (LAWFUL); 20A: Incisor neighbor (CANINE); 21A: Lost it (HAD A COW); 22A: His team has an orange-and-black logo (ORIOLE); 28A: "Hmm ..." ("I WONDER …"); 29A: Glom (COP); 30A: Hesitant sounds (UMS); 32A: A long time (YEARS); 43A: Like a hawk's perspective (AERIAL); 44A: __ agreement (ORAL); 45A: Recipe amount (CUP); 46A: Carides of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" (GIA); 49A: Scottish psychiatrist R.D. __ (LAING); 55A: Windows predecessor (MS-DOS); 56A: Sharp sensation (PANG); 57A: Transfix (AWE); 58A: "... __ mention ..." (NOT TO); 59A: Ornamented, as curtains (TASSELED); 62A: Sharpness (ACUMEN); 72A: Place for a large E (EYE CHART); 74A: Wine grape (PINOT); 75A: Tournament break (BYE); 77A: Part of a roof (EAVE); 78A: Boundary (AMBIT); 87A: Welsh breed (CORGI); 88A: 2010 Mark Twain Prize winner (FEY); 89A: Diving seabird (AUK); 90A: Didn't spoil (KEPT); 91A: Meaningful interval (PERIOD); 97A: Region on the South China Sea (MACAO); 100A: Lunch letters (BLT); 101A: Looney Tunes animator Avery (TEX); 102A: Might well (IS APT TO); 104A: Plymouth passenger carrier (RAIL CAR); 109A: Self-congratulatory cries (TA-DAS); 118A: Microsoft reference (ENCARTA); 119A: Italian desserts (GELATI); 120A: Out of fashion (DE MODE); 121A: Tough teammate to handle (EGOTIST); 122A: Obeyed a canine command (HEELED); 1D: Prefix with -hedron (OCTA); 2D: Journalist Paula (ZAHN); 3D: Rare blood type: Abbr. (A NEG.); 4D: Cage components (RIBS); 5D: Work with needles (KNIT); 6D: Circ. part (SEG.); 7D: Hardly top-of-the-line (CHEAPO); 9D: Stimulus used in aversion therapy (ODOR); 10D: Puppeteer Tony (SARG); 11D: Behold, to Brutus (ECCE); 12D: Prepare the factory (TOOL UP); 13D: Hold one's __ (OWN); 14D: Early movie mogul (LOEW); 15D: Gully (ARROYO); 17D: 1981 Hepburn co-star (FONDA); 18D: Gastric woe (ULCER); 19D: Rude looks (LEERS); 25D: Rift (FISSURE); 29D: Grey Cup sports org. (CFL); 31D: Large-beaked talker (MACAW); 33D: Soothing application (BALM); 34D: Green spans (LEAS); 35D: Requiring irrigation (ARID); 36D: Chinese: Pref. (SINO-); 38D: Poetic times (MORNS); 39D: Play genre (TRAGEDY); 40D: Suffers from (HAS); 41D: Some city lines (ELS); 42D: Toll rd. (TPK.); 46D: Cuban base, familiarly (GITMO); 47D: Bury (INTER); 48D: Torment (AGONY); 50D: Movie-rating org. (MPAA); 51D: Beer-making aid (OAST); 52D: Magazine that began as a comic book (MAD); 53D: Some refs. (ENCS.); 54D: Build up (TOUT); 59D: Experian, formerly (TRW); 60D: It's made up (LIE); 61D: Passage (EXCERPT); 62D: Player rep. (AGT.); 63D: __ luxury (LAP OF); 64D: Make __ of money (A PILE); 65D: Exchange, as words (BANDY); 66D: Onetime Siouan natives (OTOS); 67D: Campus military prog. (ROTC); 69D: Smooth, in a way (PAVE); 70D: Ticks off (IRES); 72D: Sniggler's target (EEL); 73D: 2010 earthquake site (HAITI); 76D: Simple country type (YOKEL); 78D: Scores 90+ on (ACES); 79D: Satirist Sahl (MORT); 80D: Liveliness (BRIO); 81D: Borodin prince (IGOR); 82D: Uncluttered (TIDY); 84D: Possess, to a Scot (HAE); 85D: Ring ruling (TKO); 86D: Poetic contraction (O'ER); 91D: Photos (PIX); 93D: Breeding ground (HOTBED); 94D: Bad way to come on (STRONG); 95D: Visit overnight (STAY AT); 96D: Legend subject (HERO); 97D: Acted quietly? (MIMED); 98D: "... world will live __": "Imagine" (AS ONE); 99D: Bank (CAROM); 103D: Facilitate an arrest, in a way (TASE); 105D: Oil acronym (ARCO); 106D: "__ first ..." (IF AT); 107D: Actress Singer (LORI); 108D: LCD flat panel displays have replaced many of them (CRT'S); 110D: Up to it (ABLE); 111D: Like a Jekyll and Hyde personality (DUAL); 112D: Comédie part (ACTE); 113D: Slide wildly (SKID); 115D: "Hmm ..." ("GEE …"); 116D: Word of disgust (UGH).