THEME: "LET'S DANCE"—The other four long entries end with names of specific dances
Theme answers:
- 18A: Good horse for a kid is a WELSH PONY. There's a dance called the Pony? There's an equine called the Welsh pony? Both are news to me.
- 23A: Fiery chip dip clues RED HOT SALSA. Hmm, I can't say I've seen RED HOT SALSA. Mild, medium, and hot salsa, yes. The Red Hot Chili Peppers, yes. Have you seen those "literal video versions" on YouTube? They've got one for the Chili Peppers' "Under the Bridge" and it gave me the giggles.
37A: CHARLIE HUSTLE is the famous Pete Rose nickname. Ah, the Hustle! That takes me back to my '70s childhood. I'll do you a favor and not post anything that will implant that horrid little tune in your head. It's there anyway, isn't it? I know it wormed its way into my head in the middle of doing this crossword.- 51A: I had a couple answers in mind for Dickens orphan. Is Tiny Tim an orphan? No, and his name is too short. Pip? Definitely not 11 letters. It's OLIVER TWIST, and I wonder how many people have ever thrown out their back by doing the Twist.
- 58A: Tying everything together is the Ball offer, and a hint to this puzzle's theme, LET'S DANCE. That "ball offer" probably didn't make many of us instantly think of the answer. David Bowie fans mourn his absence from the clue because his early-'80s song, 'Let's Dance," is a classic. You know what? We need another video.
Turn your speakers a little lower for Bowie—this video's loud:
Crosswordese 101: When did the United States abolish the draft and switch to an all-volunteer military? That was in 1973. Who'd have thought that 36 years later, the Most draftable 1-A status would live on in crosswords? That's 15A: ONE-A. Other phrases you may see in clues for ONE-A include draft status, fit to serve, most eligible to serve. The general crossword rules prefer a stand-alone answer to one that fills in a blank in a longer phrase, but I'm afraid I have to give the edge to the "___-Day vitamins" clue because you can find those in any drugstore today. And really, the draft classification has the numeral 1 rather than the word one, so it's already a bit of a trumped-up answer.
An olio of answers and clues:
- 27A: Where Mork and Mindy honeymooned is ORK. 41A: Monk monikers clues FRAS. This clue combo amuses me because yesterday, another puzzle had a clue about Tony Shalhoub's TV character, Monk, but my eyes read it as being about Mork. So Mork shows up in today's puzzle, and so does Monk—but really, it's a little-m monk.
- 33A: Big name in yellow journalism is William Randolph HEARST. Extra, extra! Read all about it at Wikipedia. I can't help thinking about journalism when I see the word PULLET (2D: Young hen), thanks to that bad pun where "pullet surprise" replaces "Pulitzer prize."
- 50A: Tree toppler is an AXE. I missed the L in the clue, so I was looking for a Christmas tree topper. Who the heck decorates their Christmas tree with an axe?!? Uh, nobody. But a lumberjack could topple a tree with one.
- 68A: Howard Hughes's phobia was GERMS. If only he were living today, in the golden age of antibacterial pens and laundry detergent.
- 6D: I also misread the key word in Prominent bulldog features as "building," so I sorta wanted the answer to be DOMES. Buildings with JOWLS would be architecturally magnificent, though.
- 44D: Sponsor's offering? is WORD, as in "And now, a word from our sponsor." Great clue!
See you again on Saturday, folks.
Everything Else — 1A: Shop-till-you-drop outing (SPREE); 6A: Doorway part (JAMB); 10A: Goes (for) (OPTS); 14A: Not quite a liter (QUART); 16A: Like some vaccines (ORAL); 17A: Extremist (ULTRA); 20A: Land in la mer (ILE); 21A: 35mm camera type (SLR); 22A: From Buffalo to Boston (EAST); 30A: Online investing service (E-TRADE); 31A: "___ no big deal" (IT'S); 32A: Org. in the 2008 film "Burn After Reading" (CIA); 36A: Like furry slippers (SOFT); 42A: Salad variety (CAESAR); 43A: Hon, in dialect (LUV); 44A: WWII female (WAC); 46A: More than gladdens (ELATES); 54A: Lobbying group for 50-and-over folks (AARP); 56A: Helpful contacts (INS); 57A: Title Pontiac of song (GTO); 61A: Raring to go (EAGER); 63A: Rara __ (AVIS); 64A: "Mask" actress (CHER); 65A: Achilles, for one (GREEK); 66A: LeBlanc of "Friends" (MATT); 67A: Further (ALSO); 1D: Escort (SQUIRE); 3D: Like many violent films (RATED R); 4D: Bobble the ball, e.g. (ERR); 5D: O'Hare approx. (ETA); 7D: End of __ (AN ERA); 8D: Gibson of "Braveheart" (MEL); 9D: Most contemptible (BASEST); 10D: "Klutzy me!" ("OOPS!"); 11D: Diplomatic etiquette (PROTOCOL); 12D: Salon offering (TAN); 13D: Crafty (SLY); 19D: Lukas of "Mars Attacks!" (HAAS); 21D: Pick pockets, say (STEAL); 24D: Sounds of mirth (HA HAS); 25D: Poland-Germany border river (ODER); 26D: Willowy (LITHE); 28D: Abounding (with) (RIFE); 29D: Kit __ Klub: "Cabaret" setting (KAT); 34D: Christina of "Black Snake Moan" (RICCI); 35D: Neptune's realm (SEA); 36D: Hat material (STRAW); 37D: Heart (CRUX); 38D: "Dig in!" (HAVE AT IT); 39D: eBay visitors (USERS); 40D: Margarita option (SALT); 41D: Hialeah's home: Abbr. (FLA.); 45D: Poncho wool (ALPACA); 47D: Pooh Corner cat (TIGGER); 48D: Revere (ESTEEM); 49D: Baby birds? (STORKS); 52D: Immoral practices (VICES); 53D: Month in el invierno (ENERO); 55D: Man Fri. (ASST.); 58D: Flee (LAM); 59D: "Uncle Tom's Cabin" girl (EVA); 60D: Stanley Cup org. (NHL); 61D: FabergÈ treasure (EGG); 62D: "What __ the choices?" (ARE).
31 comments:
With you on Welsh Pony and Red Hot Salsa.
The FRA/FLA/LUV corner gave me pause because of that "dialect" thing. I know it is common cluing usage, but it makes me wonder how common something has to be before it stops being dialect.
The "Literal" vid reminded me of Title of the Song by Da Vinci's Notebook, a "real" song that's a sendup of all boy band songs ever, which is probably the inspiration for those. Regretfully, the group has split up. Paul and Storm still tour though, and they're still pretty funny/good.
I had a little problem with FLEE being LAM. I've heard "on the LAM" with LAM being used as a noun. FLEE is a verb. Am I wrong? My dictionary shows that LAM as a verb means "to beat".
Otherwise a pretty easy Wednesday.
The dance "the PONY" goes back to my teenage years, so I'm not surprised that you didn't know it. Takes an oldie like me to remember!
"You gotta know how to PONY / Like Boney Maroney [whoever that is]" — "Land of 1000 Dances," Wilson Pickett
Never heard of a WELSH PONY, though. RED HOT SALSA is bad. Rest of the fill seems just fine. I still say I shouldn't be able to do a Wednesday in 3:30, but that's the LAT now, at least for the near future.
I'm with Carol on the LAM thing. I want the whole verb phrase to be something like "take it on the lam", and I suspect that goes back to a taste for old pulp mysteries. I can't get my head around flee=lam since that seems like "to flee" would be the same as "to lam" and I can't come up with a sentance that would ever include that.
I had trouble parsing HAVEATIT. Actually, I wanted to meet the woman who's invocation 'Dig In' matched my parsing of HAVEATIT.
Maybe it's crossword conditioning after all these years, but LAM as a verb seems perfectly natural to me.
I'm with Orange and those who commented above -- never heard of WELSH PONY or a dance called the Pony. I too would have preferred a specific (and real) type of salsa.
A good, fun theme that could have yielded an excellent puzzle had those two theme answers been a bit tighter.
I like Paul Newman's salsa with black beans and corn, if anyone's looking for a good salsa.
@humorlesstwit, my husband and I discussed that answer last night. I think the context you're looking for involves a nursing mom who's teaching her tot to use the words that will later raise the preschool teacher's eyebrow. If it's a conversation between adults, invariably the other party is going to say what my husband said: "Just the one?"
Thank you, thank you humorlesstwit and Orange! That was just the laugh I needed to go on with my day.
I thought HAVEATIT referred to roasted PULLET. In England a bird is a reference to a woman so I suppose TwIT has a point.
See Orange, there is a conspiracy now Mork and Monk are mentioned, where are the actuaries?
Wow, I'm surprised. I thought "Welsh pony" was a well-known term. Maybe I've just had more exposure to farms and horses, and local people who buy ponies for their kids.
Anyway, good puzzle!
I am reminded here of the Seinfeld episode in which Jerry says he hates anyone who had a pony when they were a kid. It turns out his aged nana or aunt is offended: "I had pony!" As Jerry asks later, "Who's gonna think an immigrant's had a pony?" Indeed.
Because of orange and humorlesstwit's hilarious exchange and then orange's subsequent seinfeld reference I am thinking about Elaine telling George to HAVEATIT as she smashes his head into her chest!
Confusing ... my math shows that a litre is not quite a quart, not the other way around. Unless not quite = not exactly, but not quite means 'less than', to me.
@Gary Lowe - Check your math, a Liter is more than a quart.
@Gary Lowe and @Anonymous - It depends upon whether we are talking about liquid quarts (a liter is larger) or dry quarts (a liter is smaller).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Litre
Always remember, I liter is a quart, plus a liter bit more.
I'm w @carol and @gjelizabeth re LAM; never seen or heard it used as a verb. "Let's lam!?" also agree w @humorlesstwit re HAVEATIT and "dig in." I put HAVESOME...made sense but didn't work,,,poor clue
My bigger problem is with the recurring appearance of PETE ROSE aka CHARLIEHUSTLE. Now friends, I don't mean to re-hash the excellent dialogue from two weeks ago--when LAT had a whole puzzle themed around Rose--re whether he deserved it because he was a great ballplayer but just (a) flawed, and/or (b) human and/or (c) venal...we could debate that until the cows come home, as we say here in New England-
No, my lingering issue is w LAT puzzle editor's seeming obsession w ROSE-- Had him again in here last week and lo and behold here the wily one (Rose) is again! Last week I wondered half-facetiously if the LAT had lost a bet w Rose and had to give him PR to fuel his Hall of Fame endless quest...now I'm soon to enter the Dealey Plaza of potential conspiratorial theories w Pete Rose (PR? hmmmm).../
Otherwise, liked GERMS, continue to dislike LAT's sudden use of third-tier "celebs"; what, has some two-bit PR (there's that word again!) agent gotten to the editor to get the likes of Christine RICCI in here, goodness!
Christina Ricci doesn't seem like a third-tier celeb to me. She's a good actress and reasonably "prominent".
@Charles: I kinda agree with you about all the Pete Rose references. Simply said, there have been a lot lately. But, I grew up in KY and followed the Big Red Machine so it makes me happy to get a gimme (remember I'm a newbie). But you do bring up a very good point.
ps. I am sorry if I offended anyone about the reference to the Seinfeld episode re. Christmas cards when Kramer took the R-rated pic of Elaine and George was frustrated about not receiving a card.
@Eileen, I wasn't offended. "You want a card? Here!"
@Eileen - I would have been offended if you thought of a good joke and didn't share it.
Just don't like LAM as a verb... I flee, you flee, we all flee. When's the last time you told yourself, "Boy, I'd better lam".... We don't lam. Do we???
@humorlesstwit and Orange: LOL! The comments are great today.
I have seen the term "red hot" only on a little bottle of hot sauce.
I found this puzzle very easy, so I'm enjoying the rehash and the diversions.
@Gary Lowe: I grew up with the metric system, and a liter to me was usually liquid. According to my cookbooks, the liquid quart is a little more than a liter.
When are you people going to realize that Orange & I are one and the same? - She only invokes me when she needs a straight man!
I'm getting the kids off to bed but wanted to say how mucn I appreciate this puzzle family!
Had the same problem with Dig in, first I had have some which I then changed to have a bit, then when I had to change the B to a T, thought whaaa? Ohhh I get it, three words. DOH! Also had the same snafu reading building features for bulldog, but then again my eyes suck at midrange distance.
I'm sure you've seen people doing the Pony like in "Grease" or "Happy Days," maybe "Hairspray"? I found an awesome video that demonstrates the dances in "Land of 1000 Dances." I kind of wish Loud-Mouth Jerk had been one of the theme answers.
Thanks @eileen for the camaraderie; glad to know I'm not all alone on that; @anonymous, you're right, C. RICCI is more prominent than most of the "who's that" and has-been celebs who seem to be finding their way into the puzzle of late...great thread today..having just given up today's NYT in dismay and confusion being here is even more of a pleasure!
@Charles Bogle: The NYT was hard today. Don't let it discourage you!
@all
Rex always says "google, people" - and I did. I just read it backwards, because that's what I was inclined to see.
The clue for quart is indeed correct.
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