M O N D A Y September 20, 2010 Samantha Wine

Theme: Hiding Out — First words of theme answers describe something/someone that's not here.


Theme answers:

• 20A: Daydreaming (LOST IN THOUGHT).
• 36A: Failing to grasp a key element (MISSING THE POINT).
• 52A: Not expected back at work until tomorrow (GONE FOR THE DAY).

Nice, simple theme for this lovely Monday morning. Looks like we're just going to ease on into the week, which is fine by me. I finished this puzzle in 3:15 which means there was really no resistance anywhere. I can never remember of the ARTHRO- part of ARTHROscopic (12D: Prefix with -scopic) ends in an O or an A, so I just left that square blank until I came back around to it with the cross. Same with 63A: Mauna LOA. As always, it could very well have been KEA, so I just left that one alone and it filled itself in later.

Misc.:

• 18A: On the __: broken (FRITZ). My dad had an uncle named FRITZ. I think that's an awesome name.
• 26A: Funny Costello (LOU). Elvis Costello is pretty funny too, isn't he? No? Okay.

• 43A: What ballerinas dance on (TIPTOE). There's something just a little off about this clue for me. When people are described as walking on tiptoe, they're not actually walking on the tips of their toes. But when ballerinas dance, they really are. Or maybe they're not because of the blocks in the toes of their shoes. I don't know. It just seems a little fuzzy.
• 1D: Trade name abbr. (DBA). Doing Business As.
• 11D: Store to "fall into," in old ads (THE GAP). I have no memory of this slogan. I guess I wasn't paying attention to The Gap in the early 80s.
• 13D: "Scram!" ("BEAT IT!"). Oh sure, why not?



• 45D: Letter-writing friend (PENPAL). Do they still have those?

Crosswordese 101: Syngman RHEE was 35D: South Korea's first president. He served in that position from 1948 until his resignation in 1960. As far as crossword puzzles are concerned, that's all you need to know about him!

Other crosswordese in the puzzle that we've already covered:

• 19A: Approx. landing hr. (ETA).
• 42A: IRS agent (T-MAN).
• 49A: Utah city near Provo (OREM).
• 63A: Mauna __ (LOA).
• 62D: Prior to (ERE).

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Everything Else — 1A: Persian Gulf emirate (DUBAI); 6A: Aptly named novelist (READE); 11A: Check for drinks (TAB); 14A: Rocket scientist Wernher von __ (BRAUN); 15A: Use for dinner, as dishes (EAT ON); 16A: Realm from 800-1806: Abbr. (HRE); 17A: Jazzy O'Day (ANITA); 23A: More intimate (CLOSER); 25A: __-mutuel: type of betting (PARI); 27A: Abel's slayer (CAIN); 30A: Tsar or emperor (DESPOT); 32A: It follows the overture (ACT I); 34A: Pressed for time (IN A RUSH); 41A: Conceived of (IDEATED); 46A: Slangy agreement (YEAH); 48A: HVAC measure (BTU); 50A: Uproar (TUMULT); 58A: Econ. yardstick (GNP); 59A: Nebraska city (OMAHA); 60A: Tee shot (DRIVE); 64A: Lees competitor (LEVIS); 65A: Ocean ship (LINER); 66A: Bigger picture: Abbr. (ENL.); 67A: Kosher deli offering (KNISH); 68A: Sharp-eyed bird (EAGLE); 2D: Caterer's vessel (URN); 3D: Controversial financial rescues (BAILOUTS); 4D: Cars (AUTOS); 5D: "Be right there!" ("IN A SEC!"); 6D: Get a better int. rate, probably (REFI); 7D: Make on the job (EARN); 8D: Working busily (AT IT); 9D: "The lady __ protest too much": "Hamlet" (DOTH); 10D: Automaker Ferrari (ENZO); 21D: New employee (TRAINEE); 22D: End result (UPSHOT); 23D: Littleneck, e.g. (CLAM); 24D: Centers of activity (LOCI); 28D: Actress Swenson (INGA); 29D: Smartly dressed (NATTY); 30D: Obstetrician's calculation (DUE DATE); 31D: Psychic's asset, for short (ESP); 33D: "Surely I'm not the only one?!" ("IS IT ME?!"); 37D: Altar promise (I DO); 38D: "Drinks are on yours truly" ("I'M BUYING"); 39D: MLB league (NATL.); 40D: Letter-shaped fastener (T-NUT); 43D: Flip back and forth, as an on-off switch (TOGGLE); 44D: Like some denim patches (IRON-ON); 47D: Circular gridiron gathering (HUDDLE); 51D: "West Side Story" heroine (MARIA); 53D: Music genre that experienced a '50s-'60s revival (FOLK); 54D: Sign of the future (OMEN); 55D: Sitarist Shankar (RAVI); 56D: That's partner (THIS); 57D: Corned beef dish (HASH); 61D: Commercial prefix with -cro (VEL-).

MONDAY, Dec. 14, 2009 — Samantha Wine

THEME: "PUT A LID ON IT!" (59A: "Stop complaining!" (and what you might do to the start of 17-, 33- or 41-Across) — theme answers all start with words that are (in other contexts) items that might require lids

Did you know that, according to the cruciverb.com database, PUTALIDONIT has been used as a theme answer a whopping ten times in the past decade (at least twice as part of a hidden "I DO" theme, and at least twice again as part of an "All the theme answers have the same clue" theme, e.g. ["That's enough!"] cluing every theme answer)? And yet it has never been used in this way before, where the first words are all lidded items that appear in non-lidded contexts (though POT-BOILER undoubtedly derives from a pot on the stove). The matter of context is important, as an ideal "phrases that start with" puzzle features those words in contexts *other* than the one that unifies them, i.e. JAR JAR BINKS and POT BOILER have nothing in common *until* you link them via the theme-revealing answer. Anyway, overall, a pretty good experience, and far tougher (and more Scrabbly!) than today's NYT — a "V" and a "Z" short of a pangram.



Theme answers:

• 17A: Comical character in "Star Wars" films (JAR JAR BINKS) — there is very, very little "comical" about him. If anything, he (he?) tends to drive people into rages, with his grating voice and ... unique ... syntax. Horror show.
• 33A: Novel by a hack (POT-BOILER) — really resent the cluing here. Would rather read a competent POT-BOILER (they take skill to write) than most of the so-called "literary" fiction of today, ugh.
• 41A: Ticket-selling place (BOX OFFICE)

Crosswordese 101: LEE J. COBB (26D: Actor Lee J. _____) — I know him exclusively from crosswords. Like TAMI HOAG, he can appear as either a first or a last name. Actually, for him, it's a first name + middle initial (yes, you will see LEEJ in puzzles, not infrequently). COBB is best known for creating the role of Willy Loman in the original production of "Death of a Salesman," and for playing baddie Johnny Friendly in "On the Waterfront."

What else?

• 30D: Rising trend in the market (UPSIDE) — not a term I know, so there was slowness in the middle here. To me, an UPSIDE is a positive attribute.
• 39A: Davis of "Dr. Dolittle" (OSSIE) — ???? he was in that? Oh, the remake! With Eddie Murphy. Gotcha. What a weird way to clue him.
• 6D: Elephant boy portrayer of film (SABU) — never can remember this guy's name, beyond the -BU. Today, I had NABU.
• 39D: "The Wizard _____" ("OF ID") — had "OF OZ," of course. Old, old trick.
• 42D: Cat's front foot (forepaw) — not sure why I like this, but I do.

See you Friday,

~RP

[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter]

Everything Else — 1A: Trumpet mufflers (MUTES); 6A: Like pretzels (SALTY); 11A: CD-__ (ROM); 14A: Observe Yom Kippur (ATONE); 15A: Degrade (ABASE); 16A: Latin lover's verb (AMO); 17A: Comical character in "Star Wars" films (JAR JAR BINKS); 19A: __ Bartlet, "The West Wing" president (JED); 20A: O.K. Corral event (SHOOTOUT); 21A: Old enough (OF AGE); 23A: French designer's monogram (YSL); 24A: Father of Isaac (ABRAHAM); 26A: Takers of pics (CAMS); 29A: Be superior to, as in the military (OUTRANK); 32A: Japanese sash (OBI); 33A: Novel by a hack (POTBOILER); 37A: Hit on the noggin (BONK); 39A: Davis of "Dr. Dolittle" (OSSIE); 40A: "Golden" principle (RULE); 41A: Ticket-selling place (BOX OFFICE); 43A: P. Hearst's kidnappers (SLA); 44A: "Is the gamble worth it?" ("DO I DARE?"); 46A: London guy (CHAP); 47A: "Fencers, prepare to duel!" ("EN GARDE!"); 50A: Sine __ non: essential (QUA); 52A: Seismic event (QUAKE); 53A: "Could be" ("I SUPPOSE"); 58A: Suffix with sub (-URB); 59A: "Stop complaining!" (and what you might do to the start of 17-, 33- or 41-Across) ("PUT A LID ON IT!"); 62A: Lead-in for metric (ISO-); 63A: Whisky __: Hollywood disco (A GO GO); 64A: Dad's brother, in Bordeaux (ONCLE); 65A: Pay-__-view (PER); 66A: Excited cry (WHOOP); 67A: Tries to find (SEEKS); 1D: They're above capts. (MAJS.); 2D: Great Salt Lake state (UTAH); 3D: Bull in a corrida (TORO); 4D: Gets a kick out of (ENJOYS); 5D: Does an usher's job (SEATS); 6D: Elephant boy portrayer of film (SABU); 7D: Not very much (A BIT); 8D: Data-sharing syst. (LAN); 9D: Displeased cluck (TSK); 10D: "Make up your mind!" ("YES OR NO!"); 11D: Indian bigwig (RAJAH); 12D: Last Greek letter (OMEGA); 13D: Digital data transmitter (MODEM); 18D: Hershey's caramel-and-chocolate brand (ROLO); 22D: Hindu wonder-worker (FAKIR); 24D: More hoity-toity, in a cultural sense (ARTIER); 25D: Ruth of the Yankees (BABE); 26D: Actor Lee J. __ (COBB); 27D: Peek-__ (A-BOO); 28D: Hussy (MINX); 30D: Rising trend in the market (UPSIDE); 31D: Puccini title heroine (TOSCA); 34D: Heavy drinker (LUSH); 35D: Fitzgerald of scat (ELLA); 36D: Harvest (REAP); 38D: Instamatic maker (KODAK); 39D: "The Wizard __" (OF ID); 42D: Cat's front foot (FOREPAW); 45D: Same: Pref. (EQUI-); 46D: Gangster Al (CAPONE); 47D: Furnish with gear (EQUIP); 48D: Emergency room VIP (NURSE); 49D: Eva or Zsa Zsa (GABOR); 51D: High hair styles (UPDOS); 53D: Othello's betrayer (IAGO); 54D: Sty food (SLOP); 55D: In days gone by (ONCE); 56D: Fancy hat fabric (SILK); 57D: Sorbonne summers (ÉTÉS); 60D: "That's icky!" ("UGH!"); 61D: Also (TOO).

MONDAY, June 29, 2009 — Samantha Wine

THEME: In the Dirt — three theme answers end with phrase "IN THE DUST," "IN THE EARTH," and "IN THE MUD," respectively

I want to be kind, but I have to be honest: I think this is one of the most poorly constructed puzzles I've done all year. The answers FNMA (47A: Low-cost home loan org.) and INNYC (41D: Where MoMA is) are virtually unforgivable in any puzzle, let alone an early-week puzzle. The fact that they intersect is just mud icing on the dirt cake. You can see what happened. The grid is screwed from the get-go, as theme answers immediately force you into an "I---C" situation, and all the decent answers that will fit there give you a terminal "I" or "A" for your 52A answer. Just because you can find an answer in the cruciverb database (INNYC, 2 examples) doesn't mean you should use it. And if you somehow *have* to use a poor bit of fill like that, dear god don't cross it with something nearly equally terrible. FNMA has just 7 examples in the cruciverb database, and the NYT has never used it. Why? Because everyone knows that the abbreviated form of the Federal National Mortgage Association is (wait for it) ... FANNIE MAE. FNMA spells FAIL in this instance. More FAIL — year in Latin is "ANNUS." "ANNUM" is the objective case (32D: Year in old Rome). You need something in the clue to cue that "M," especially when your cross is a terrible abbr. (FNMA) no one uses ever never. The middle of this puzzle is such a disaster that the quality of the rest of the puzzle (middling at best) is almost irrelevant.

Theme answers:

• 21A: Overtaken and easily surpassed (LEFT IN THE DUST)
• 38A: Classic novel by Ole Rolvaag ("GIANTS IN THE EARTH") — I'm sorry ... what? You said "classic?" By ... whom? This is a Monday theme answer? Really? On what planet?
• 56A: Old fogy (STICK IN THE MUD)
  

I could go on — the clue on BIO LAB (1D: H.S. class with slides) is terrible, in that the "class" H.S. students take is called BIOLOGY. Separate classes called "lab" don't come 'til college. There's a "THE" in the "FBI" answer (3D: J. Edgar Hoover's org.). Why? No one knows. The newest e-bomination to hit the streets is, apparently, the E-LIST (10D: Online mailing tool). I would have clued that [Group below Kathy Griffin?]. It's just yuck everywhere I look. FETISH doesn't even get an exciting clue (37D: Magical object). I would continue to IDEATE (22D: Imagine, ugh) how this puzzle ever got made, let alone published, but I'm just too tired.

Crosswordese 101: IMHO (15A: Chat room "I'm just saying ...") — stands for "In My Humble Opinion," and (in my experience) rarely signifies genuine humility. I was promoting "IMOO" ("In My Obnoxious Opinion") for a while as a more accurate substitute. Do people go to "chat rooms" any more? Where? Seems like such a 90s concept. Abbreviations of this sort are more commonly associated with text messaging and all forms of e-communication. LOL is perhaps the most famous "chat room" abbrev. Look for IMO, OMG, WTF, and ROTFL, all of which have decent currency. Actually, you will likely never see WTF in a mainstream publication. That "F" pretty much kills it.

What else?

• 16A: "It depends" ("I MAY") — OK, I guess that's one of the many, many things "It depends" might, sort of, mean.
• 25A: Like a tinkerer's kit, briefly (DIY) — as in "Do It Yourself," but ... what? Is the kit really called a DIY kit? Do you mean a tool set? A tool box? This clue/answer pairing is just a mess.
• 4D: Country singer Axton (HOYT) — barely there, somewhere, on the margins of my brain. Why?

• 7D: Sodium hydroxide, to chemists (NAOH) — if it's not NACL, I don't want to see it 'til later in the week.
• 11D: Volcanic output (MOLTEN LAVA) — this, and its symmetrical counterpart DON'T RUSH ME, I do indeed like. There. I feel better.

Taylor Dayne - Don't Rush Me (Official Music Video)

See you Friday, for better times, I hope.

~RP

[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter]

Everything Else — 1A: Relaxing soak (BATH); 5A: Confined, with "up" (PENT); 9A: Send back, as into custody (REMAND); 15A: Chat room "I'm just saying ..." (IMHO); 16A: "It depends" ("I MAY"); 17A: Fled to wed (ELOPED); 18A: Follow orders (OBEY); 19A: Each (A POP); 20A: __ mignons: steaks (FILETS); 21A: Overtaken and easily surpassed (LEFT IN THE DUST); 24A: Wall St. trader (ARB); 25A: Like a tinkerer's kit, briefly (DIY); 26A: Try (ATTEMPT); 30A: Flips of hits (B-SIDES); 32A: Farmland measure (ACRE); 34A: Frosty's button, e.g. (NOSE); 35A: Granola bit (OAT); 36A: "__ if I can help it!" (NOT); 37A: Dental thread (FLOSS); 38A: Classic 1924 novel by Ole Rolvaag (GIANTS IN THE EARTH); 43A: Caffé with hot milk (LATTE); 44A: Cashew, for one (NUT); 45A: "Total Request Live" airer (MTV); 46A: Arabian chief (EMIR); 47A: Low-cost home loan org. (FNMA); 48A: Prejudiced (BIASED); 52A: River mouth area (ESTUARY); 54A: Bro's sib (SIS); 55A: Atmospheric pollution meas. (AQI); 56A: Old fogy (STICK IN THE MUD); 60A: Four pecks (BUSHEL); 63A: Exude (EMIT); 64A: Caesar's 53 (LIII); 65A: Orwell's "__ Farm" (ANIMAL); 66A: Au naturel (NUDE); 67A: José's hand (MANO); 68A: Web surfing tools (MODEMS); 69A: Letters on a phone's "0" button (OPER); 70A: Red sky, to sailors (OMEN); 1D: H.S. class with slides (BIO LAB); 2D: Yellowish-brown colors (AMBERS); 3D: J. Edgar Hoover's org. (THE FBI); 4D: Country singer Axton (HOYT); 5D: Keyboard players (PIANISTS); 6D: Like a useless gas tank (EMPTY); 7D: Sodium hydroxide, to chemists (NAOH); 8D: Work at a keyboard (TYPE); 9D: Disprove (REFUTE); 10D: Online mailing tool (ELIST); 11D: Volcanic output (MOLTEN LAVA); 12D: Swinger in the zoo (APE); 13D: Take-home pay (NET); 14D: Cavity filler's deg. (DDS); 22D: Imagine (IDEATE); 23D: Evil Vader (DARTH); 27D: Heath-covered wasteland (MOOR); 28D: Hissed "Hey!" ("PSST!"); 29D: Pianist John (TESH); 31D: "I'll finish it when I finish it!" ("DON' T RUSH ME!"); 32D: Year in old Rome (ANNUM); 33D: Terra __ (COTTA); 37D: Magical object (FETISH); 38D: Cloud-nine feeling (GLEE); 39D: Pet food brand (IAMS); 40D: Going __: squabbling (AT IT); 41D: Where MoMA is (IN NYC); 42D: Rankle (EMBITTER); 47D: Bells and whistles (FRILLS); 49D: Green eggs and ham promoter (SAM I AM); 50D: Horse (EQUINE); 51D: "Play It As It Lays" author Joan (DIDION); 53D: Top-notch unit (A-TEAM); 54D: Nastily derogatory (SNIDE); 57D: Number-picker's game (KENO); 58D: "Still in bed?" response (I'M UP); 59D: Saint with a fire (ELMO); 60D: Emeril exclamation (BAM); 61D: Juan's one (UNO); 62D: Caesar of comedy (SID).