08.22 Mon

M O N D A Y
August 22, 2011
Kelly Clark

Theme: For the Birds — The first word of each theme answer is something birds do.

Theme answers:

• 20A: *Resolve once and for all (LAY TO REST).
• 38A: *Savings for later in life (NEST EGG).
• 11D: *Like unreliable short-term businesses (FLY-BY-NIGHT).
• 27D: *Do some scheming (HATCH A PLOT).
• 56A: Lyric in a Porter song that ends "Let's fall in love," and a hint to the starts of the starred answers (and 1-Across) (BIRDS DO IT).

Happy Monday, everyone. Hope you enjoyed your weekend! We're starting off the week with a very cute theme that begins with a well-known lyric and literalizes it for puzzle purposes. Great idea! (If you're new here, don't worry if you've never heard the word "literalizes" — sometimes I make up words.) As an added bonus, the theme answers are all pretty colorful phrases. I especially like FLY-BY-NIGHT and HATCH A PLOT.

[I couldn't find a video of anybody actually performing this song, but I wanted you to hear it anyway.]

The cluing is really straightforward today. I don't see much that warrants an explanation. It's probably worth noting that the clues for both NYC and AWOLS (42A: B'way setting / 69A: Illegally off-base GIs) contain "shortened" words, which is your hint that the answer will also be a short form. Speaking of AWOLS … I'm pretty sure every time AWOL is clued as a noun someone questions it. It used to sound all kindsa wrong to me too, but now I've seen it in puzzles so often that I'm used to it. Anyone out there know if AWOL is commonly used as a noun in the military?

Bullets:

• 1A: Sound from a tree (CHIRP). Bonus non-theme theme answer!

• 14A: Flamboyant evangelist __ Semple McPherson (AIMEE). I felt like this is someone I should probably know, but it turns out she was a media celebrity back in the 20s and 30s. Of course there are people from back then who I am familiar with, but I guess my knowledge of flamboyant evangelists is limited.
• 17A: Baseball's Nolan and actress Meg (RYANS). Nolan RYAN is CEO of the Texas Rangers, you know.
• 28A: Arrive after a tough trip (MAKE IT IN). This answer shows up in the cruciverb.com data base only one other time. I think it's a great entry.
• 10D: Italian sandwich (PANINI). PANINI is a fun word to say. I thought the PANINI was just the bread for some reason, but I guess it's the whole sandwich.
• 40D: "... or __ thought" (SO I). If we have to have a partial in the grid, I'm glad it's clued in a way that makes me laugh. For some reason, I picture this phrase being said in a cartoonish way, like the same way someone might say "If that is your real name!"
• 49D: Simpsons neighbor Flanders (NED). One day I'll do a crosswordese entry about all the Simpsons stuff you need to know for puzzles.

Crosswordese 101: There are three different ways to clue UTE(S) that you will see often in puzzles. First, it may be clued as a short-form of "utility vehicle" with clues such as 4x4, versatile vehicle, or all-purpose truck. Second, UTES may refer to an American Indian people who now live primarily in Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico. Clues for this meaning of UTE are likely to include the words Western, Rocky Mountain, Beehive State, or Colorado modifying either Indian or native. And, finally, we get to today's clue (50A: Salt Lake City college team, aptly). University of Utah athletes are nicknamed Utes. For this meaning of Ute, you'll typically see the words athlete, player, or team modified by Beehive State or Salt Lake City.

Other crosswordese in today's puzzle that we've already covered:

• 16A: Inter __: among others (ALIA).
• 43A: Slender woodwind (OBOE).
• 62A: Rani's garment (SARI).
• 67A: Italian noble family (ESTE).
• 39D: River of Spain (EBRO).
• 47D: "__ Fideles": carol (ADESTE).

Everything — 1A: Sound from a tree (CHIRP); 6A: Range between soprano and tenor (ALTO); 10A: Cpls.' underlings (PFC'S); 14A: Flamboyant evangelist __ Semple McPherson (AIMEE); 15A: Boston Bruins or Chicago Bears, e.g. (TEAM); 16A: Inter __: among others (ALIA); 17A: Baseball's Nolan and actress Meg (RYANS); 18A: Bath towel word (HERS); 19A: Natasha's no (NYET); 20A: *Resolve once and for all (LAY TO REST); 22A: Many an October baby, astrologically (LIBRA); 23A: A __ alfa (AS IN); 24A: Nairobi native (KENYAN); 25A: Satirical Mort (SAHL); 28A: Arrive after a tough trip (MAKE IT IN); 31A: Schoolroom group (CLASS); 33A: Travelers' lodgings (INNS); 34A: Hypotheticals (IFS); 37A: PC key (ALT); 38A: *Savings for later in life (NEST EGG); 41A: Miracle-__: garden brand (GRO); 42A: B'way setting (NYC); 43A: Slender woodwind (OBOE); 44A: Reacted to fireworks (OOHED); 46A: The Beatles' George (HARRISON); 50A: Salt Lake City college team, aptly (UTES); 51A: "Happy I can oblige" ("GLAD TO"); 53A: Cop's route (BEAT); 55A: Lassos (ROPES); 56A: Lyric in a Porter song that ends "Let's fall in love," and a hint to the starts of the starred answers (and 1-Across) (BIRDS DO IT); 61A: "__ well that ends ..." (ALL'S); 62A: Rani's garment (SARI); 63A: Cease-fire (TRUCE); 64A: Coagulate, as blood (CLOT); 65A: Treater's words (ON ME); 66A: Levels, as a building (RAZES); 67A: Italian noble family (ESTE); 68A: Fava or lima (BEAN); 69A: Illegally off-base GIs (AWOLS); 1D: Poet Sandburg (CARL); 2D: Breezy greeting (HIYA); 3D: "__ be wrong, but ..." (I MAY); 4D: Avis offerings (RENTALS); 5D: Cuban cash (PESOS); 6D: Zeus' daughter (ATHENA); 7D: Popular jeans (LEES); 8D: Small fruit pie (TART); 9D: Mantric syllables (OMS); 10D: Italian sandwich (PANINI); 11D: *Like unreliable short-term businesses (FLY-BY-NIGHT); 12D: Olds Cutlass model (CIERA); 13D: The devil (SATAN); 21D: Canyon edge (RIM); 22D: "Come on, we're late" ("LET'S GO"); 24D: Goal in checkers (KING); 25D: Read, as a bar code (SCAN); 26D: Treaty partner (ALLY); 27D: *Do some scheming (HATCH A PLOT); 29D: Flying toys (KITES); 30D: U-turn from WSW (ENE); 32D: Stable sounds (SNORTS); 35D: Available for a date (FREE); 36D: Puts in a lawn the fast way (SODS); 39D: River of Spain (EBRO); 40D: "... or __ thought" (SO I); 45D: Beat in a Western showdown (OUTDRAW); 47D: "__ Fideles": carol (ADESTE); 48D: Conan of "Conan" (O'BRIEN); 49D: Simpsons neighbor Flanders (NED); 51D: Pre-meal blessing (GRACE); 52D: Lounges around (LOLLS); 54D: Stars, in Latin (ASTRA); 56D: Undoing (BANE); 57D: Cookbook writer Rombauer (IRMA); 58D: Greek liqueur (OUZO); 59D: Its cap. is Reykjavik (ICEL.); 60D: Tracy's Trueheart (TESS); 62D: Cry out loud (SOB).