09.23 Fri

F R I D A Y
September 23, 2011
Daniel Finan

Theme: Numb3rs — For the theme answers, clue numbers are part of the clue.

Theme answers:

• 20: questions (FUN GUESSING GAME).
• 36: hours (ONE AND A HALF DAYS).
• 49: ers (FOOTBALL PLAYERS).

Super clever theme today. Really enjoyed it. If you're still confused by it, look at the way I posted the theme answers at the top of this write-up. (Usually I include an A (across) or a D (down) after the clue number, but I took the As out today so there would be a better visual presentation of the trick clues.) The answers themselves aren't really stand-alone phrases that are "in the language" (as they say). They are, instead, definitions, not unlike the type of theme we see from time to time where the theme answers all have the same one-word clue and each answer is a different definition of that word. Some people love those themes, some people get really bent out of shape that the theme answers aren't "really" theme answers. I like to see it every once in a while for a change of pace. And in this case, as I said, the theme is really clever so it's okay with me.

I definitely had several WTF moments throughout the solve, though.

• 18A: Blanche __, pseudonymous author of the 1983 best-seller "Truly Tasteless Jokes" (KNOTT). Wait, really?
• 22D: Swindler, in slang (GANEF). Ne-Ever heard this term. Oh, I see it's Yiddish slang. That pretty much explains it.
• 44D: Walk bouncily (LOLLOP). Again with the ????

Clues that were definitely amped up for Friday include:

• 14A: San __ (REMO). Geez Louise! Could be anything!
• 45A: Seat of Colorado's Pitkin County (ASPEN). Very familiar Colorado place name, but difficult to see with that clue.
• 7D: Where kip are spent (LAOS). Same here.
• 53D: Hunted (PREY). The clue here is not a verb. That's what makes it tricky.

My write-overs:

• 5D: Dug, so to speak (LIKED). Tried LOVED first.
• 9D: Party pooper (WET NOODLE). Totally wanted this to be WET BLANKET. I was actually writing it in, and then … ran out of boxes.
• 56D: Urban miasma (SMOG). Apparently, I don't know what "miasma" means because my first guess was SLUM.

Bullets:

• 5A: Dey job? (L.A. LAW). The clue refers to Susan Dey who starred on the TV show "L.A. LAW." I don't know about you, but I have a hard time thinking of Susan Dey as anybody other than Laurie Partridge. ("Hello world, there's a song that we're singin' ….")
• 24A: Annual sign of bad behavior? (COAL). It took me way too long to get that this clue refers to the "lump of coal" some people get in their stockings at Christmastime.

• 35A: High point of an Alaskan trip? (DENALI). I used to call DENALI its other name until I met my husband, who climbs mountains for fun. Now I can't even remember its other name. Is it Mt. McKinley? Wikipedia says … yes.
• 62A: Its state bird is the cardinal (OHIO). I had to think for a minute about Iowa's state bird here. I was pretty sure it wasn't the cardinal (it's the golfinch), but Iowa is always a possibility when you're looking for a four-letter state.
• 6D: Heart lead singer Wilson et al. (ANNS). The PuzzleKids were watching "X Factor" last night and it appears that several people who have no business whatsoever singing "Barracuda" were attempting to sing "Barracuda."

Crosswordese 101 Round-up:

• 16A: Adidas alternative (AVIA).
• 57A: Frankfurt's river (ODER).
• 58A: Phils, e.g. (NL'ERS).
• 60A: '70s pinup name (LONI).
• 11D: Where the iris is (UVEA).
• 51D: Sommelier's prefix (OENO-).
• 54D: Pre-coll. catchall (EL-HI).

Everything — 1A: Dollar bill weight, roughly (GRAM); 5A: Dey job? (L.A. LAW); 10A: __ Stream (GULF); 14A: San __ (REMO); 15A: Silly (INANE); 16A: Adidas alternative (AVIA); 17A: From the top (ANEW); 18A: Blanche __, pseudonymous author of the 1983 best-seller "Truly Tasteless Jokes" (KNOTT); 19A: "No ice, please" (NEAT); 20A: questions (FUN GUESSING GAME); 23A: Terhune collie (LAD); 24A: Annual sign of bad behavior? (COAL); 25A: "Alice" singer Lavigne (AVRIL); 28A: Orator's vocal quality (RESONANCE); 33A: Sacramento daily (BEE); 34A: Sched. B item on a 1040 (INT.); 35A: High point of an Alaskan trip? (DENALI); 36A: hours (ONE AND A HALF DAYS); 40A: Seven-time N.L. batting champ (MUSIAL); 41A: Storm dir. (ENE); 42A: They lead to an F (C-D-E); 43A: Six-pack abs? (BEER BELLY); 45A: Seat of Colorado's Pitkin County (ASPEN); 47A: TriBeCa neighbor (SOHO); 48A: Blueprint subject, perhaps (ELL); 49A: ers (FOOTBALL PLAYERS); 57A: Frankfurt's river (ODER); 58A: Phils, e.g. (NL'ERS); 59A: Deception (FLAM); 60A: '70s pinup name (LONI); 61A: Beneficiary (DONEE); 62A: Its state bird is the cardinal (OHIO); 63A: 2-Down unit (DROP); 64A: Fixes (SPAYS); 65A: Place to cross, on signs (X-ING); 1D: Seles rival (GRAF); 2D: Eye care brand (RENU); 3D: Flock response (AMEN); 4D: "The Jungle Book" boy (MOWGLI); 5D: Dug, so to speak (LIKED); 6D: Heart lead singer Wilson et al. (ANNS); 7D: Where kip are spent (LAOS); 8D: Silliness (ANTICS); 9D: Party pooper (WET NOODLE); 10D: Underworld (GANGLAND); 11D: Where the iris is (UVEA); 12D: Neeson who voiced Aslan in the "Narnia" movies (LIAM); 13D: You may have a brush with it (FATE); 21D: It merged with Continental in 2010: Abbr. (UAL); 22D: Swindler, in slang (GANEF); 25D: Trinity test subject (A-BOMB); 26D: Locale (VENUE); 27D: Maker of pieces? (REESE); 28D: Genetic letters (RNA); 29D: One of the convicted Rosenberg spies (ETHEL); 30D: Image Awards org. (NAACP); 31D: 1930s public enemy (CLYDE); 32D: NFL Network sportscaster Rich (EISEN); 34D: Devil's tools, metaphorically (IDLE HANDS); 37D: Touchdown site (AIRSTRIP); 38D: Big shot (NABOB); 39D: More than zero (ANY); 44D: Walk bouncily (LOLLOP); 45D: Modeled after (À LA); 46D: Sneaky devil (SLY FOX); 48D: "It's nobody __ business" (ELSE'S); 49D: Go out (FOLD); 50D: Nose wrinkler (ODOR); 51D: Sommelier's prefix (OENO-); 52D: Singer Horne (LENA); 53D: Hunted (PREY); 54D: Pre-coll. catchall (EL-HI); 55D: Shower in public? (RAIN); 56D: Urban miasma (SMOG).

04.14 Thu

T H U R S D A Y
April 14, 2011
Daniel A. Finan

Theme: Embedded Answers — The clue to each theme answer is a word hidden within the first word of the answer itself. And the answer phrase can be said to describe the clue word. Capiche?

Theme answers:

• 20A: Pan? (COMPANION PIECE). The word PAN can be found hidden in the word COMPANION. Therefore, you might say PAN is a PIECE of COMPANION: a COMPANION PIECE.
• 33A/44A: Ten? (SENTENCE FRAGMENT). The word TEN is hidden in the word SENTENCE, so it's a FRAGMENT of the word SENTENCE: a SENTENCE FRAGMENT.
• 54A: Kin? (SMOKING SECTION). You're getting it now, right? The word KIN is hidden in the word SMOKING. It's a SECTION of the word SMOKING: a SMOKING SECTION.

Super cool theme today. Tricky to catch onto and topped off with a very nice aha moment. Nicely done!

My favorite entries:

• 4D: Emulate Cyrano (WAX POETIC). Because it looks cool in the grid.
• 5D: It may be reckless (ABANDON). Because that's an awesome clue.
• 11D: Afro-sporting "Mod Squad" character (LINC). Because I always loved LINC.

Bullets:

• 9A: Hyphenated dessert name (JELL-O). I probably wouldn't have remembered to put the hyphen in this answer if it had been clued differently.

• 15A: Liner danger (BERG). Ha! Again!
• 23A: Relative of -like (-OID). I remember reading an article about how people have begun using the suffix -OID to mean "little" instead of "like." Especially with the word FACTOID. So what FACTOID really means is something that's not a fact but is, instead, fact-like. But usually when people say the word FACTOID, they mean, like, a piece of trivia that's true. I can tell you're fascinated.
• 30A: Moo chew? (CUD). Ew.
• 48A: Birling roller (LOG). Pretty sure I learned what "birling" is when it appeared in a grid a couple years ago. Couldn't exactly pull it from the cobwebs though. Had to get this one through crosses.
• 63A: Veal piccata ingredient (LEMON). Me: "Um … veal?"

• 65A: N.L. East squad (NATS). I think I mentioned that my new boss is a huge Washington Nationals fan. I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to become something of a fan just so I can have intelligent conversations with him during baseball season. I'll let you know how that goes. And when the hell will Strassburg be back in the line-up?
• 66A: Country sound (TWANG).



• 1D: Very smart (CHIC). I love this definition of "smart." It's never the first one I think of. I tried WISE first.

• 12D: Vacation location (LAKE). Did I ever tell you about the time we took a PuzzleFamily vacation at Platte River State Park? PuzzleHusband thought we should "rent a cabin" or something so I got us all lined up at the Platte River State Park which is just outside of Omaha. Turns out he meant, like, a cabin on one of the Great Lakes or something. He has never let me live it down that I planned a family vacation in Omaha. We had a great time though. He doesn't like to admit that part.
• 30D: Actor's day job? (CAMEO). Okay, this one took me a minute. Does this mean that an actor with a CAMEO part probably only has to be on the set for one day? That's how I made sense of it. Let me know what you think.
• 31D: SEC school that retired Peyton Manning's number (U. TENN.). Any Tennesseans here? I'm gonna need a ruling on whether U. TENN. is an acceptable abbreviation for the University of Tennessee.

• 45D: Hall of fame (ARSENIO). Do the kids even remember ARSENIO Hall? His 15 minutes didn't seem to last very long.
• 56D: Did some selling out (SANG). Here's another one that I didn't understand right away. I think this refers to, like, an informant. Right?

Crosswordese 101 Round-up:

• 37A: Former lover of Riker on "Star Trek: T.N.G." (TROI).
• 38A: Pontiff's wear (ALB).
• 53A: Airline to Copenhagen (SAS).
• 60A: Centipede maker (ATARI).
• 61A: Spice (ELAN).
• 67A: Golden Fleece vessel (ARGO).
• 10D: Some native New Yorkers (ERIES).

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Everything Else — 1A: Flying group (CREW); 5A: Comic Johnson (ARTE); 14A: Half dodeca- (HEXA-); 16A: Hater of David, in Dickens (URIAH); 17A: Theater giant? (IMAX); 18A: In __: confused (A FOG); 19A: High humor? (JINKS); 24A: Wine bar offerings (PORTS); 25A: Moshe Dayan's "oxygen of the soul" (FREEDOM); 29A: Guff (GAS); 35A: Change genetically (MUTATE); 40A: Foreshadowing (OMEN); 41A: Service station vessel (OIL CAN); 47A: Org. whose members are concerned with lies (PGA); 50A: Radius, e.g. (ARM BONE); 51A: San __: San Francisco Bay city (MATEO); 61A: Spice (ELAN); 62A: Yes-__ question (OR-NO); 64A: Part of Caesar's boast (VENI); 68A: Sin in the film "Se7en" (ENVY); 2D: San __ (REMO); 3D: Student's stressor (EXAM); 6D: Update mtge. terms (REFI); 7D: Band (TROOP); 8D: Quaff garnished with nutmeg (EGG NOG); 9D: Technique of ancient samurai (JUJITSU); 13D: Cries of understanding (OHS); 21D: Hill worker (AIDE); 22D: Buggy relative (PRAM); 25D: Depth-of-field setting (F-STOP); 26D: Outfit again (RERIG); 27D: __ Gay (ENOLA); 28D: George Strait label (MCA); 32D: Pasta al __ (DENTE); 34D: Santa's 21-Down (ELF); 36D: O.K. Corral town (TOMBSTONE); 39D: It's usually uplifting (BRA); 42D: Diced and served in a mushroom cream sauce (ALA KING); 43D: "Don't look at me!" "NOT I!"); 46D: Ally Financial Inc., formerly (GMAC); 49D: City on the Rhone (GENEVA); 51D: Jerk (MORON); 52D: Stare master? (OGLER); 54D: Ratatouille, for one (STEW); 55D: Doll's word (MAMA); 57D: Mashhad is its second-largest city (IRAN); 58D: Airing (ON TV); 59D: Intrusive (NOSY); 60D: PC key (ALT).

F R I D A Y November 19, 2010 Daniel A. Finan

Theme: Clueless — Five unclued answers refer to types of people who can be described as "clueless."

Theme answers:

• 17A: - (PEABRAIN).
• 28A: - (DINGBAT).
• 46A: - (AIRHEAD).
• 11D: - (NINCOMPOOP).
• 27D: - (SPACE CADET).
• 61A: Like five answers in this puzzle, literally and figuratively (CLUELESS).

What an awesome theme! So simple and elegant. This is one of those themes where other constructors are going, "Why didn't I think of that?" Five words for people who are clueless and then instead of cluing each one as "Clueless" … don't clue them at all! Brilliant! Of course it helps that calling people clueless results in really funny words.

There were only two things that I just flat-out didn't know:

• 37D: ___ Affair: 1798-1800 France/USA dispute (XYZ).
• 42D: Hindu meditation aid (MANDALA).

But that doesn't mean I didn't have a hard time with some other spots in the puzzle.

I was debating whether to admit this, but I've come this far without lying to you, so I guess I might as well. I couldn't finish this puzzle. Okay, that may not be entirely true. I probably could have finished the puzzle if I had shown a little more patience, but I didn't so I didn't. I haven't decided yet if the part that tripped me up is poorly constructed and/or clued or if my DNF was truly just a consequence of my giving up too soon. But I'm leaning toward the latter because I really like this puzzle and I'd hate for it to be ruined by an unforgivable area. Here's where the trouble started.

I'm not a hockey fan, so I don't know all the team names. I know some of them just from, ya know, being alive, but that's as far as it goes. AVS (5A: Colorado NHLers), therefore, was a mystery to me. Now I can see that the answer is a short form of Avalanche, which I'm sure I've heard of at some point. But while I was solving, I wasn't even sure about that V. The cross, 6D: Sundial number, only confused the matter because I thought the team might just has likely have been the AIM or the AXE. Yes, I'm aware that both of those are hideous names for a professional sports team but who am I to say really?? Seemed possible! But here's where the patience comes in. I should have been able to guess GIO from the clue 15A: Acqua Di __: Armani cologne. I gave up too early because I was all "Wait, you expect to know the name of a cologne? For realz?" But of course I know Armani's first name is Giorgio so if I had thought about it longer, it surely would have come to me.

With all that uncertainty in that area, what really killed me was 7D: One learning about the birds and the bees? What's up with that clue? That seems like a terrible clue to me. What's up with the question mark? Doesn't that mean "the birds and the bees" should be taken literally instead of as a euphemism? Maybe I'm discriminating against this clue/answer because I couldn't finish that section. On the other hand, maybe it's just bad. I'm eager to hear what you all think.

Bullets:

• 8A: They may be surrounded at parties (PIANOS). My first thought? Kegs.
• 24A: Retired New York senator Al D'__ (AMATO). Yesterday we saw Ed Koch and today Al D'AMATO. Both were in office when I lived in New York. Good times.
• 25A: Hi-__ (FIS). Tried "res" first and thought, "Well that's interesting that a 1980 DeLuise film has the same name as a 1969 Dustin Hoffman character."
• 49A: Place for flock members (PEW). I was way too focused on literal sheep here. Totally slipped my mind that a religious congregation can be referred to as a flock.
• 50A: "I __ your long lost pal": Paul Simon lyric (CAN BE). Oh sure, why not.
   
• 54A: Given, as custody (AWARDED). I tried "granted" first.
• 65A: Shell's shell, e.g. (LOGO). Cute clue. Shell Oil's logo is a … shell.
• 3D: Vintage R&B record label (STAX).
   
• 5D: Court star with the autobiography "Open" (AGASSI). Bought it for PuzzleDad sometime in the past year. Christmas? Father's Day? One of those two.

Crosswordese 101 Round-up:

• 22A: Pitts of early cinema (ZASU).
• 39A: "Entourage" agent Gold (ARI).
• 66A: Aquarium denizens (TETRAS).
• 54D: Word in a basic Latin conjugation (AMAT).

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Everything Else — 1A: "When I __ kid ..." (WAS A); 14A: Set up: Abbr. (ESTD.); 16A: Like a maelstrom (ASWIRL); 19A: Cash in Nashville (JOHNNY); 20A: Rolls to the gate (TAXIES); 21A: Colorful cats (CALICOS); 30A: Second degree? (MBA); 33A: In spades (AMPLY); 35A: It's usually four (PAR); 36A: Former 56-Across team (EXPOS); 38A: Cuisine that includes phanaeng (THAI); 40A: English walled city (YORK); 41A: Guard dog command (SIC 'EM); 43A: "__ be a pleasure!" (IT'D); 44A: O3 (OZONE); 45A: Unlock'd (OPE); 52A: Salon sound (SNIP); 56A: Baseball div. (N.L. EAST); 60A: Mel Gibson persona (MAD MAX); 63A: Ring of color (AREOLE); 64A: "Popeye" surname (OYL); 67A: "Bottle Rocket" director Anderson (WES); 68A: Colony workers (ANTS); 1D: Showed relief, in a way (WEPT); 2D: Deported? (ASEA); 4D: Madison Ave. symbolizes it (AD BIZ); 8D: Kind of party (PAJAMA); 9D: Get away from the others (ISOLATE); 10D: In the slightest (A WHIT); 12D: "Yes __?" (OR NO); 13D: Stallone and Stone (SLYS); 18D: Set (READY); 21D: Stand offerings (CAB RIDES); 23D: Odd, as a sock (UNPAIRED); 25D: 1980 DeLuise film (FATSO); 26D: "Can you dig it?" response (I'M HIP); 29D: "Wayne's World" co-host (GARTH); 31D: Shouldered (BORNE); 32D: Out of line (ASKEW); 34D: Golfer's concern (LIE); 44D: "Swan Lake" maiden (ODILE); 47D: Wild goats with recurved horns (IBEXES); 48D: Makes void (ANNULS); 51D: Gladiator's defense (ARMOR); 53D: Window-making giant (PELLA); 55D: Tupper ending (-WARE); 57D: Many millennia (AEON); 58D: Certain NCO (SSGT); 59D: General __ chicken (TSO'S); 61D: Tipping target, so it's said (COW); 62D: Drano component (LYE).

W E D N E S D A Y August 4, 2010 Daniel A. Finan

Theme: Wacky Anagrams — Wacky phrases that consist of "[word] IN [anagram of word]"


Theme answers:

• 20A: Male goose during hunting season? (GANDER IN DANGER).
• 25A: Sought-after former football announcer? (MADDEN IN DEMAND).
• 46A: Fencing implement at the shop? (RAPIER IN REPAIR).
• 51A: Biblical guy who refused to believe the writing on the wall? (DANIEL IN DENIAL)

Fun theme today! Please enjoy this musical interlude while you read about tennis scores.

• 6A: __ Mahal (TAJ).




• 9D: Singer with the Blackhearts (JOAN JETT).

Crosswordese 101: AD IN is shorthand for a particular tennis score. Tennis games are scored in this order: 15-30-40-game. BUT, if both players get to 40, that's called "deuce" and to win the game a player must win the next two points. So let's say I'm serving and the score is deuce. If I win the next point, the score would be (formally) "advantage server" or (informally) "AD IN." If I win the next point, I win the game. If my opponent wins the next point, the score goes back to deuce and we keep going like that until someone wins by two points. In the previous scenario, if my opponent had won the point after deuce, the score would then be "ad out," which also shows up in puzzles occasionally, but not often. AD IN is generally clued as "Server's edge," "Point before 'game,'" "Score just before winning," or 52D: Score after deuce, maybe.

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

• 30D: Video game trailblazer (ATARI).
• 42D: Shallowest Great Lake (ERIE).
• 57D: Gillette razor (ATRA).

[Follow PuzzleGirl on Twitter.]

Everything Else — 1A: Outré (QUEER); 9A: Door parts (JAMBS); 14A: Dictionary note subject (USAGE); 15A: Brandy letters (VSO); 16A: Drools over, in a way (OGLES); 17A: "Call it __": "No winner" (A DRAW); 18A: S or SE (DIR.); 19A: Netizen who might hear "You've got mail!" (AOL'ER); 23A: Novelist Deighton (LEN); 24A: Small, medium, or large: Abbr. (ADJ.); 33A: Le Pew of skunkdom (PEPE); 34A: Like waitresses: Abbr. (FEM.); 35A: Shocking buildup? (STATIC); 36A: Shangri-las (EDENS); 38A: Purple minus blue (RED); 40A: Bingham of "Baywatch" (TRACI); 41A: Get molars, say (TEETHE); 43A: Shiatsu response (AAH); 45A: "Night at the Museum" creature, for short (T-REX); 49A: Free (of) (RID); 50A: __-El: Superman's birth name (KAL); 59A: Part of HDTV, briefly (HI-DEF); 60A: "South Park" brother (IKE); 61A: Main life line? (AORTA); 62A: "Good __!": Charlie Brownism (GRIEF); 63A: Super __: game console (NES); 64A: Cinemax rival (STARZ); 65A: Baby-sits, e.g. (TENDS); 66A: Jetta fuel (GAS); 67A: English class assignment (ESSAY); 1D: Marsh, for short (QUAG); 2D: Meat pkg. letters (USDA); 3D: Take home (EARN); 4D: "Yikes!" ("EGAD!"); 5D: Fix by fusing, as metal (REWELD); 6D: Swanson product (TV DINNER); 7D: B-boy connection (AS IN); 8D: Hoops legend (JORDAN); 10D: With eager anticipation (AGOG); 11D: Fr. miss (MLLE.); 12D: Cold one, so to speak (BEER); 13D: Ukr., once (SSR); 21D: Snorkeling site (REEF); 22D: Chimes in with (ADDS); 25D: Jason's wife (MEDEA); 26D: "Not __ out of you!" (A PEEP); 27D: Driller's prefix? (DENTI-); 28D: "That is ..." ("I MEAN …"); 29D: Rush Limbaugh ex __ Fitzgerald (MARTA); 31D: More agreeable (NICER); 32D: Early seventh-century year (DCIX); 33D: '80s-'90s tennis star Korda (PETR); 37D: Oater lawmen (SHERIFFS); 39D: What a full moon mitigates (DARKNESS); 44D: Cattle unit (HEAD); 47D: Waiting at a light, say (IDLING); 48D: "The magic word" (PLEASE); 51D: Desperate, as straits (DIRE); 53D: Must have (NEED); 54D: Swedish retail giant (IKEA); 55D: Have-__: the less fortunate (NOTS); 56D: S&L offerings (IRA'S); 57D: Gillette razor (ATRA); 58D: Like a shirker (LAZY); 59D: NBA bio stat (HGT.).

WEDNESDAY, January 27, 2010—Daniel A. Finan

Hey, Northern Californians! There's a puzzle event in your area this weekend, the Silicon Valley Puzzle Weekend at the Morgan Hill Library. That link details the weekend's workshops (Saturday) and competitions (Sunday), and you can register here. There are events for both kids and adults, covering crosswords, sudoku, cryptic crosswords, logic puzzles, and word puzzles. Also on the schedule: a constructors panel featuring seasoned crossworders Byron Walden, Tyler Hinman, Andrea Carla Michaels, and Mark Diehl; a talk about crosswordese with Mark Diehl; and more. If you're in the area and you've never attended a puzzle even before, we encourage you to head to Morgan Hill this weekend.

THEME: "Flower Power"—Each of six rhyming word pairs starts with a different category of plant, ergo NURSERY RHYMES or "rhymes for plants grown in a nursery"

It's a well-thought-out seven-piece theme, but it didn't grab me like kudzu tendrils. The large number of (shortish) theme entries fragmented the grid into lots of small sections with 23 three-letter answers. Those include some solid threes (MAR, JIF, AHA, GYM, NUB, RYE) and shortenings (PEC, UKE, BIZ), but also plenty of abbreviations (GED, MSS, plural G.E.'S, LAA, GAO, au courant GPS, SMU), crosswordese (ORT, EKE, FER, Mauna LOA), and foreign words (MER, EAU with a Wisconsin clue, ORO). Stay tuned for highlights after this message from our thematic sponsor.

Theme entries:

• 17A: Longing for a fronded plant? (FERN YEARN). Not crazy about YEARN used as a noun. Yearning is the noun.
  
• 21A: Zinfandel, but not sake? (VINE WINE). Sake is brewed from rice, not grapes, and grapes grow on vines. Sake is apparently not really a wine even though it's sometimes called "rice wine," as it's brewed more like beer rather than made from fermented fruit. (So saith Wikipedia.)
  
• 23A: Oxygen emanating from a lawn? (GRASS GAS). Anyone else have dope and flatulence on their mind now?
  
• 55A: Steep, e.g.? (HERB VERB). Isn't HERB, like GRASS, slang for marijuana? HERB VERB could be clued by the less botanically minded as [Mellow out] or [Have the munchies].
  
• 57A: Like areas above the timberline? (TREE FREE). Tree Brie, tree glee, tree ski...
  
• 61A: Group devoted to small, woody plants? (SHRUB CLUB).
  
• 37A: Mother Goose offerings, or in a different sense, this puzzle's title (NURSERY RHYMES). The meaning of "nursery rhymes" is reinterpreted as rhymes for categories of plants grown in the nursery.
  

Highlights:

• 66A: "I Kissed __": Katy Perry hit (A GIRL). PuzzleGirl said she liked this one. Me, I grouped it with the other two-word partials, HE HAD and ERE WE. I...don't know the song. Yes, I know it was a runaway hit a couple years ago. Don't care. Maybe you will like it. My husband just asked me to turn it off!
  
  
  
  
• 9D: "Riders of the Purple Sage" author (ZANE GREY). My grandma read some Zane Grey. Westerns are not my cup of tea, but you gotta appreciate a full name as a crossword answer, especially one with a Z in it.
  
• 38D: Winter wonderland creator (SNOWFALL). It's a lovely word unless it's January, there's no end in sight to winter, and you are so over snow.
  
• 46D: Bring to a boil? (ENRAGE). Love the clue.
  

How many of you have seen The Big Lebowski? I have a friend who views it as a touchstone in her life, and apparently her kind are legion. "The Dude abides!" they say. I've never seen it. Here's the trailer, and...it doesn't make me want to see this movie, even though I love the cast. 1A is Bridges of "The Big Lebowski" (JEFF), and he just won the Golden Globe for his performance in Crazy Heart...which I also have not seen. I did see Avatar last weekend, though, which is why I chose that other movie poster to accompany FERN YEARN. I think James Cameron totally copied FernGully.



Crosswordese 101: EGESTS is one of those words we hardly ever encounter outside of crosswords. Am I right? When's the last time you used the word? The clue is usually along the lines of 27A: Spews—spews out, casts out, or discharges. You may be thinking that volcanoes egest lava. Guess what? The word seems to specifically apply to discharging or excreting from the body (opposite of ingest). Yes, that's right: DEFECATE would flunk the crossword breakfast test, but EGEST skates right in because most people don't know the bodily substance definition. It can also refer to sweating, peeing, and barfing. Eww!

Everything Else — 1A: Bridges of "The Big Lebowski" (JEFF); 5A: River projects (DAMS); 9A: Ritz cracker alternative (ZESTA); 14A: Swedish furniture giant (IKEA); 15A: Ostrich cousin (RHEA); 16A: Neighborhoods (AREAS); 17A: Longing for a fronded plant? (FERN YEARN); 19A: Connection (NEXUS); 20A: H.S. dropout's test (GED); 21A: Zinfandel, but not sake? (VINE WINE); 23A: Oxygen emanating from a lawn? (GRASS GAS); 27A: Spews (EGESTS); 28A: Bench press target, briefly (PEC); 29A: Côte d'Azur view (MER); 30A: Scratch or dent (MAR); 31A: Ed.'s pile (MSS); 32A: Rural skyline cylinder (SILO); 34A: Rock collection specimens (AGATES); 37A: Mother Goose offerings, or in a different sense, this puzzle's title (NURSERY RHYMES); 42A: Cloverleaf element (ON-RAMP); 43A: Follower of once? (UPON); 45A: Some TVs (GES); 48A: Scrap for Spot (ORT); 49A: Anaheim team, on scoreboards (LAA); 52A: __ Claire, Wisconsin (EAU); 53A: Pair of blows (ONE TWO); 55A: Steep, e.g.? (HERB VERB); 57A: Like areas above the timberline? (TREE FREE); 59A: Govt. auditing gp. (GAO); 60A: Fruit soda brand (FANTA); 61A: Group devoted to small, woody plants? (SHRUB CLUB); 66A: "I Kissed __": Katy Perry hit (A GIRL); 67A: Diggs of "Private Practice" (TAYE); 68A: Golfer Isao (AOKI); 69A: Kidney-related (RENAL); 70A: Fruity drinks (ADES); 71A: Joan at Woodstock (BAEZ); 1D: Choice of "Choosy moms," in ads (JIF); 2D: Squeeze (out) (EKE); 3D: Not agin (FER); 4D: Werewolf's weapons (FANGS); 5D: Channel maintenance machine (DREDGE); 6D: Cry of realization (AHA); 7D: Griffin and others (MERVS); 8D: Cleaning product prefix (SANI-); 9D: "Riders of the Purple Sage" author (ZANE GREY); 10D: "Maid of Athens, __ part": Byron (ERE WE); 11D: Discrimination fought by suffragists (SEXISM); 12D: Talks trash to (TAUNTS); 13D: Size up (ASSESS); 18D: Polite country affirmative (YES'M); 22D: Not o'er ('NEATH); 23D: Modern rental car feature, briefly (GPS); 24D: Hold back (REIN); 25D: Scopes Trial gp. (ACLU); 26D: Turkish mount (ARARAT); 30D: Christie heroine (MARPLE); 33D: Plata counterpart (ORO); 35D: Place where sweaters get fit? (GYM); 36D: The Mustangs of coll. football (SMU); 38D: Winter wonderland creator (SNOWFALL); 39D: Shortstop's boot (ERROR); 40D: Foil alternative (ÉPÉE); 41D: Fly high (SOAR); 44D: Worn-down pencil (NUB); 45D: Was successful (GOT FAR); 46D: Bring to a boil? (ENRAGE); 47D: Shown to a seat (SEEN IN); 50D: Pleads in court (ARGUES); 51D: Simple poetry pattern (ABAB); 54D: Aquarium denizen (TETRA); 55D: "__ it coming": "Serves him right" (HE HAD); 56D: Eng. lesson (VOCAB.); 58D: "¿Cómo __ usted?" (ESTA); 62D: Bakery product (RYE); 63D: Mauna __ (LOA); 64D: Strummed strings (UKE); 65D: Show __ (BIZ).

THURSDAY, September 3, 2009 — Daniel A. Finan

Theme: "Parts of Speech" — The first three letters of each theme answer are "parts" of the word "speech."

Theme answers:

• 17A: Where to hear letters recited (SPELLING BEE).
• 30A: Lady Godiva spotter (PEEPING TOM).
• 45A: "anyone lived in a pretty how town" poet (E. E. CUMMINGS).
• 62A: Recording studio feature (ECHO CHAMBER).
• 37A: Grammar elements, or what the first three letters of 17-, 30-, 45- and 62-Across literally are (PARTS OF SPEECH).

Having some technical difficulties in the PuzzleHousehold today so this probably won't be terribly long. Firefox has decided to stop working for me so I'm using Safari, which I'm sure is a fine, fine browser but I'm totally not used to it. Plus, it doesn't have all my bookmarks and stuff, so I'm not moving quite as quickly as I usually am. Ach! (23A: German "Alas!").

Crosswordese 101: Speaking of ACH, let's make that our crosswordese word of the day. In CrossWorld, this is the exclamation German-speaking people use to mean "Oy!" or "Uff da!" or "Egad!" I don't know if it's actually common in Germany. I have a feeling it's not, but no matter. What you want to be looking for in the clue is a hint to the German-ness of the answer and word that signifies lamentation. So: Oktoberfest "Oh!"; "Alas!" in Austria; Deutschland "D'oh!" The tricky clues you might see for this word include "Hamburger beef," and "Rhine whine."

Here's what's kind of a bummer about the theme: It's hard to explain. That's never good, but it doesn't necessarily mean the theme is bad. Here's what's awesome about the theme's execution: Reading the theme answers from top to bottom, their first three letters actually go through the word "speech" in the correct order: SPE, PEE, EEC, ECH. (Heh heh. I said pee.) I'm thinking this could not have been a super easy theme to (a) come up with and (b) turn into an actual puzzle.

Bullets:

• 14A: Irish writer who said "Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much" (WILDE). He's your go-to Irish writer.
• 28A: Oscar Madison, e.g. (SLOB). When I moved to New York a hundred years ago, the first celebrity I saw on the street was Tony Randall. When my parents moved to New York a few years later, the first celebrity they saw was Jack Klugman.
• 50A: "The Shining" climax setting (MAZE). I sort of shivered as I wrote in the answer to this one. I can't think of very many things creepier than the whole typing "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy" scene. Oh man. I've totally creeped myself out by typing that.
• 6D: Commercial tune (JINGLE).



• 12D: Ravel classic (BOLERO). Is it bad that the first thing I think of when I see this answer is Bo Derek?

• 22D: Wrestling partners (TAG TEAM). This is, of course, referring to professional wrestling, which isn't real wrestling. I can't stress that enough. When I want to see real wrestling (which is more often than you might think) I watch college wrestling. I'm telling you those boys are tough, disciplined, and fit. Athletes in every sense of the word. Wrestling season is starting up any day now and I'll be traveling to several meets/tournaments. Go Hawks!
• 29D: Hamilton is its capital (BERMUDA). I did not know that.
• 40D: Candy in a red and blue wrapper (CLARK BAR). I thought the wrapper was orange.

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Everything Else — 1A: Savory gelatin (ASPIC); 6A: Green gems (JADES); 11A: Delivery experts, briefly (OBS); 15A: All thumbs (INEPT); 16A: One of the Three Stooges (MOE); 19A: Pipe with a bend (ELL); 20A: Sending to overtime, as a game (TYING); 21A: Avoided a trial (SETTLED); 25A: Word sung after a ball drops (AULD); 27A: Prefix with sol (AERO-); 34A: Arena for MacArthur (KOREA); 36A: Have in the crosshairs (AIM AT); 42A: Wavy design (MOIRE); 43A: Tossed course (SALAD); 51A: Tuber with eyes (SPUD); 52A: Harness the wind, in a way (SAIL); 54A: Deli choice (RYE); 55A: Colossal (TITANIC); 59A: Move with stealth (SKULK); 61A: __ Miss (OLE); 66A: Like nos. above zero (POS.); 67A: "Later!" ("SEE YA!"); 68A: Take a piece from? (UNARM); 69A: Bilko's rank: Abbr. (SGT.); 70A: __ throat (STREP); 71A: Wounds (SORES); 1D: Cribside chorus (AWS); 2D: Drink slowly (SIP); 3D: Teeming amount (PLETHORA); 4D: One way to sit by (IDLY); 5D: Salsa singer Cruz (CELIA); 7D: Director Lee (ANG); 8D: Balls' belles (DEBS); 9D: Olympics event with swords (EPÉE); 10D: Proofer's mark (STET); 11D: Denver __ (OMELET); 13D: Not often (SELDOM); 18D: __ to one's neck (IN UP); 23D: Be inquisitive (ASK); 24D: Hoof-on-cobblestones sound (CLOP); 26D: Overwhelms with noise (DEAFENS); 31D: Sorority letters (PIS); 32D: Troublemaker (IMP); 33D: Some Scottish Parliament votes (NAES); 35D: Subject for Bohr (ATOM); 38D: __City (computer game) (SIM); 39D: "... __ quit!" (OR I); 41D: Vague (HAZY); 44D: Actress Sandra (DEE); 45D: Legally impedes (ESTOPS); 46D: Novel postscript (EPILOG); 47D: Most likely to elicit 1-Down (CUTEST); 48D: It's removed at the pump (GAS CAP); 49D: Follower of Guru Nanak (SIKH); 53D: Maui shindigs (LUAUS); 56D: Untouchables leader (NESS); 57D: "Law & Order: SVU" actor (ICE-T); 58D: Grammy winner for "Believe" (CHER); 60D: Pre-P queue (LMNO); 63D: Luis's "Listen up!" ("OYE!"); 64D: Afore (ERE); 65D: Inn offerings: Abbr. (RMS.).

FRIDAY, April 17, 2009 — Daniel A. Finan

THEME: A riff on the classic breakup line "It's not you, it's me" as "it's not U, it's ME" — Four familiar phrases that contain the letter U are changed by swapping in ME for U

Hello again, fans of the L.A. Times crossword puzzle! Orange here. If you're in the Chicago area, come to this Saturday's Marbles Amateur Crossword Tournament at Marbles: The Brain Store. I'll be there as a tournament judge and will sign any copies of my book, How to Conquer the New York Times Crossword Puzzle, that should be fortunate enough to find buyers. Hope to see a few of you there! There's not a ton of difference between the NYT and the L.A. Times crosswords, so the book is relevant even if this here puzzle is the one you go steady with. Okay, this concludes the event- and book-plugging portion of our broadcast. Stay tuned for crosswords...now.

Crosswordese 101: Remember Dave Letterman's poorly received turn as host of the Oscars? The "Uma, Oprah. Oprah, Uma" bit? Today's 32D: Chaplin's last wife (OONA) would have fit right in with them. OONA was the daughter of playwright Eugene O'Neill. When she was just 17, she began dating Charlie Chaplin, 36 years her senior. They wed and had eight children together, one of them actress Geraldine Chaplin. Until today, I don't think I'd ever seen a picture of her, though I've seen her name in crosswords for eons. If the name is unfamiliar to you, don't fret! Soon enough, you will have known her for eons through crosswords, too.

Theme answers:

• 16A: Step in a pizza recipe? (MOMENT OF OLIVES). Mount of Olives is a biblical place and a place in Jerusalem. The concept of a MOMENT OF OLIVES is a goofy one. Goofy is good in crosswords.
  
• 20A: Simpson dad with a dozen donuts? (HAPPY HOMER). Who doesn't appreciate happy hour?
  
• 35A: Hook's mate in his formative years? (A BOY NAMED SMEE). This plays on the Johnny Cash song by poet Shel Silverstein "A Boy Named Sue." (Cash video below.) Smee is the name of Captain Hook's first mate.
  
• 49A: Headline about carpentry work for a new financial institution? (BANK FRAMED). Bank fraud...nope, nothing of topical interest there. 
  
• 56A: Classic breakup line, and a hint to the formation of this puzzle's theme answers (IT'S NOT YOU, IT'S ME). 
  

I took a wrong turn right at 1D: One in Tarzan's family tree? (SIMIAN). I started out with APEMAN. Inaccurate and just plain wrong! Tarzan's birth family was human. His adoptive family were apes. There were no apemen.

For 24A: Floor covering (WAX), I contemplated RUG. Nope.

I had no idea what to put for 41A: Paul who played the principal in "The Breakfast Club". The late actor's last name is GLEASON. You know what this clue tells me? That constructor Daniel Finan is probably fairly close in age to me and came of age in the John Hughes movie era. Jackie Gleason is left on the cutting room floor this time.

Clues from the animal kingdom: Swimming STROKES are 1A: Butterfly units? and 17D: Dogs in shoes? are FEET.

Duplications of words are supposed to be taboo in crosswords. Two forms of the same verb appear in 55A: "Must've been something __" (IATE) and 6D: Satisfy the munchies (EAT). You know what's being scarfed down, don't you? It's QUICHE, 61A: Brunch fare. I often don't notice such duplications while I'm doing a puzzle, but if I don't mention it here, someone is sure to kvetch about it in the comments. Ditto for the number of black squares (40) in the grid. Someone will cry "inelegance" because there shouldn't be more than 38 black squares. Mind you, the stated limit for an L.A. Times puzzle is 43 black squares. Rarely will the count go that high, but editor Rich Norris can tolerate it if the puzzle warrants it.

An Olio of Other Answers:

• 32A: Milo of "Barbarella" (O'SHEA). Milo O'Shea backed up Jane Fonda's Barbarella.
  
• 39A: Pooh pooh-bah (MILNE). A.A. Milne wrote the Winnie the Pooh stories. Pooh-bah ranks right up there with pasha in my list of Words I Like.
  
• 62A: Actor whose birth name was Aristoteles (SAVALAS). Telly Savalas played Kojak in the '70s. Bald + lollipop = timeless classic. Try that look out yourself and you will see.
  
• 4D: Cockney anticipation? (OPE). That's HOPE without the H, as pronounced by Cockney folk.
  
• 11D: Dynamo (LIVE WIRE). Don't touch one, okay? You could get electrocuted.
  
• 38D: German town (DORF). The German word for a bigger town is Stadt.
  
• 42D: __ dictum: passing remark (OBITER) is Latin. Obiter dictum is legalese meaning "a judge's incidental expression of opinion, not essential to the decision and not establishing precedent." Do we have any Latin scholars out there who can shed light on whether this is etymologically related to "obituary"?
  

Everything Else — 8A: Home in the Alps (CHALET); 14A: "Again ..." (IREPEAT); 15A: Rock salt (HALITE); 18A: Cotton plant originally from Peru (PIMA); 19A: Tranquility (REPOSE); 27A: November winners (INS); 28A: Suffix with Caesar (EAN); 29A: Touchy? (TACTILE); 34A: Broadcast (AIRED); 40A: Farmer's concerns (CROPS); 44A: Dander (IRE); 45A: Filmdom's Lupino (IDA); 48A: AOL rival (MSN); 52A: "Awakenings" Oscar nominee (DENIRO); 63A: Thermometer, e.g. (SENSOR); 64A: Gold or silver (ELEMENT); 2D: Routs (TROMPS); 3D: Chart again (REMAP); 5D: Muscular doll (KEN); 7D: Tempest (STORM); 8D: "Ageless Body, Timeless Mind" author (CHOPRA); 9D: Saintly ring (HALO); 10D: Father-daughter boxers (ALIS); 12D: Quartier d'__: July/August Parisian festival (ETE); 13D: Some NFL receivers (TES); 18D: 21st Greek letter (PHI); 21D: Enthusiastic agreement (YESYES); 22D: Chemistry Nobelist Otto (HAHN); 23D: Fit for service (ONEA); 25D: Sailor's heading (ALEE); 26D: Crossed (out) (XED); 30D: City with a view of the Laramie Mountains (CASPER); 31D: Allen and Burton (TIMS); 32D: Chaplin's last wife (OONA); 33D: Film buff's station (AMC); 35D: Suffers (AILS); 36D: Assimilates (BLENDSIN); 37D: Actor Estrada (ERIK); 39D: Vegas's __ Grand (MGM); 43D: Old-timey "not" (NARY); 45D: Bo Diddley hit (IMAMAN); 46D: Loathe (DETEST); 47D: Lime ending (ADE); 50D: Western omen (NOOSE); 51D: Grocery section (AISLE); 53D: Env. contents (ENCS); 54D: Manhattan area above Houston Street (NOHO); 56D: Lex Luthor's 200, and others (IQS); 57D: Datebook abbr. (TUE); 58D: Chi.-based flier (UAL); 59D: "__ been had!" (IVE); 60D: Scot's topper (TAM).