SUNDAY, February 28, 2010 — Peter Wentz (syndicated)

Theme: "Gross Income" — Theme answers are familiar phrases with the letter string ICK added to them, creating wacky phrases which are clued "?"-style.

[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 answers:

• 22A: Martial artist's autobiography? (THE KICKING AND I).
• 37A: Protest against fiery roadsters? (RED CAR PICKET).
• 57A: Really cool security device? (WICKED LOCK).
• 78A: Price tag in the meat department? (HAM STICKER).
• 93A: Communication from perverts? (SICKO'S SIGNAL).
• 113A: Competition for greased-up pooches? (SLICKED DOG RACE).
• 16D: Preserved a liquor bottle? (PICKLED THE FIFTH).
• 44D: Aggressive policy to increase box office sales? (TICKET OFFENSIVE).

I enjoyed this one as much as I can enjoy a Sunday puzzle. (They're just so big.) Solid theme, some great theme answers — I especially liked THE KICKING AND I and PICKLED THE FIFTH — and not a whole lot of crosswordese. Throw in some tricky cluing and overall, I'd call this one a good Sunday workout.

Mentionables:

• 20A: Bob Hope Airport city (BURBANK). Learn something new every day.
• 24A: Combo wager (EXACTA). An exacta bet is when you predict the first- and second-place finishers in order.
• 26A: 1973 Stones ballad (ANGIE). A personal favorite.
  
• 29A: Short timetable? (SKED). I've been doing a lot of puzzles the last couple days, catching up on a bunch of puzzles from this past month. Seems like SKED is in all of them.
• 32A: Foofaraw (ADO). Foofaraw is an awesome word.

• 47A: Try to keep, as a title (DEFEND). Guess who will be defending a national champion title in a couple weeks. That's right! The Iowa Hawkeye wrestling team — can't wait!
• 49A: Madden coached them in the '70s (RAIDERS). This is funny. I didn't know that Madden was a coach. I don't know where I thought he came from, or why he acted so much like a coach, but it just never occurred to me. Weird.
• 69A: Boxing writer Fleischer (NAT). Never heard of this guy. Nat Turner, Nat King Cole, Nat Hentoff, sure. Nat Fleischer? No.
• 81A: LL Cool J label (DEF JAM). Ladies Love Cool James.
• 90A: That ship (HER). Anyone know why ships are female?
• 107A: "__ the Boys": Katy Perry album (ONE OF). Eight-year-old PuzzleDaughter was running around the house singing a Katy Perry song the other day. Yes, that Katy Perry song. *sigh*
• 2D: Doff a bowler (UNHAT). "Doff a bowler" sounds vaguely dirty.
• 14D: Latin king (REX). All Hail the King!!

• 18D: Hipster's accessory (SHADES).
• 34D: Summer refresher (ICE TEA). Yes, yes, I know, I know, it should be iced, blah blah blah ….
• 43D: Drink named for a football team (GATORADE). Another thing I did not know. The Florida Gators? Did you guys know that?
• 72D: Convention booths (KIOSKS). Because of the theme there are an awful lot of Ks in this grid. And this is an awesome K-licious word.
• 76D: Director Howard (RON). Weird to think of him as a grown-up person. I bet some peope can't get past Opie. He's stuck in his teens for me.

• 82D: Bowie at the Alamo (JIM).
• 95D: "Nothing Compares 2 U" singer O'Connor (SINEAD). Remake of a Prince song. Two other popular songs you might not know are Prince songs: Chaka Khan's "I Feel for You" and Cyndi Lauper's "When You Were Mine."
• 108D: Flat beer's lack (FOAM). Ew.
• 115D: "Take This Job and Shove It" songwriter David Allan __ (COE). (There's one bad word in this video around 2:45.)

I do want to spend some time talking about Merl's puzzle today, but I have to do a few things around the house first. I'll be back later!

Crosswordese 101: If you need to know one SNL alum for crossword puzzles it's not Jon Belushi or Chevy Chase or even Gilda Radner. No, you need to know Cheri OTERI. Look at that name. It's perfect for puzzles. If she's not familiar to you, the good news is pretty much all you need to know is that she was on Saturday Night Live, where she performed in the cheerleader skits with Will Ferrell, and she was in "Scary Movie." Easy, right?



Everything Else — 1A: Kept afloat (BUOYED); 7A: Big sizes (JUMBOS); 13A: Things drawn across windows (DRAPES); 19A: Like books for long-distance road trips (ON TAPE); 21A: Savor (RELISH); 25A: "Attention!" ("HARK!"); 27A: Columnist Bombeck (ERMA); 30A: Theater level (TIER); 33A: Formal orders (DICTUMS); 36A: "College GameDay" football analyst Corso (LEE); 40A: Neruda works (POEMS); 42A: ATF employee (AGT.); 45A: Like dried soil (CAKY); 46A: Emotional work (ODE); 51A: Pirate riches (BOOTY); 53A: When Hamlet feigns insanity (ACT TWO); 56A: Not marked up (AT COST); 60A: Mortar trough (HOD); 61A: "Classic" drinks (COKES); 62A: "The queen of sciences": Gauss (MATH); 63A: Thought-revealing drama techniques (ASIDES); 64A: Genre of the band Fall Out Boy (EMO); 65A: Charlemagne's reign: Abbr. (HRE); 66A: Come out with (SAY); 67A: Check for authenticity (VET); 68A: Sibs, uncs, etc. (FAM); 70A: Piercing cry (SHRIEK); 73A: Storage facility (SHED); 75A: Curing solution (BRINE); 77A: Vow after reading vows (I DO); 80A: Entrepreneur's goal (PROFIT); 83A: Actor Feldman or Haim (COREY); 84A: Jewish pancake (BLINTZE); 85A: Alarm setting for one with a paper route, maybe (FIVE AM); 88A: Strew seed (SOW); 89A: Globule (BEAD); 91A: __ brulée: custard dessert (CREME); 97A: Over there, back when (YON); 98A: Gear on the slopes (SKI MASK); 100A: Google had one in Aug. 2004 (IPO); 101A: W. Coast enforcer (LAPD); 104A: Letter sign-off (BEST); 106A: Organic compound (ENOL); 109A: Didn't hold, as dyes (BLED); 111A: It'll put you under (OPIATE); 117A: Energizes (REVS UP); 118A: Sky lights (AURORAS); 119A: "Knocked Up" director Judd (APATOW); 120A: Does an usher's job (GREETS); 121A: Football bettor's concern (SPREAD); 122A: Buds at sea (MATEYS); 1D: Inclusive choice (BOTH); 3D: Castmate of Gasteyer, Ferrell et al. (OTERI); 4D: Gas bag (YAKKER); 5D: Dermal opening (EPI-); 6D: Prefix with -gon (DECA); 7D: Son (JUNIOR); 8D: Impulse (URGE); 9D: W.'s degree (MBA); 10D: Blackball (BAN); 11D: Batting next (ON DECK); 12D: Got around (SKIRTED); 13D: Night vision? (DREAM); 15D: "Unfortunately ..." ("ALAS …"); 17D: High regard (ESTEEM); 20D: It may be circled on a calendar (BIG DAY); 23D: Special gifts (KNACKS); 28D: Remote control? (MUTE); 31D: Break (RECESS); 33D: Got a B-minus, say (DID OK); 35D: Traces (SPECKS); 38D: Tavern flier (DART); 39D: Hound (POOCH); 41D: Niagara Falls prov. (ONT.); 42D: Spider, e.g. (ARACHNID); 48D: Phase (FACET); 50D: John or Jane (DOE); 51D: Series of jokes (BIT); 52D: Football stat. (YDS.); 54D: Emulate Don Juan (WOMANIZE); 55D: Gas mileage calculating aid (ODOMETER); 57D: Can't tell which __ up (WAY IS); 58D: Onions partner (LIVER); 59D: Had too much (OD'ED); 62D: Old school add-on? (MARM); 66D: Humiliate (SHAME); 70D: They may be close (SHAVES); 71D: And so forth: Abbr. (ETC.); 73D: Misrepresents (SKEWS); 74D: "I'm talking to you!" ("HEY!"); 75D: Like some gowns (BRIDAL); 79D: Swindler (CROOK); 80D: Seating __ (PLAN); 84D: Parent's reminder (BE GOOD); 86D: J __ Juliet (AS IN); 87D: Brunch drinks (MIMOSAS); 89D: Humans and ostriches, e.g. (BIPEDS); 91D: Many a sci-fi villain (CYBORG); 92D: Former "At the Movies" co-host (ROEPER); 94D: Bring to the majors (CALL UP); 96D: Experimental runner (LAB RAT); 99D: Stays fresh (KEEPS); 102D: Fundraising dinner unit (PLATE); 103D: Plastic duck, e.g. (DECOY); 105D: Subdue by shocking (TASE); 107D: Fried Cajun veggie (OKRA); 110D: Mountain __: sodas (DEWS); 112D: King whose tomb was found in 1922 (TUT); 114D: Bargain bin abbr. (IRR.); 116D: College résumé fig. (GPA).

SATURDAY, August 22, 2009—Peter J. Wentz

THEME: No theme today—Just a themeless Saturday puzzle

Hello! It is I, Orange, the sole member of the L.A. Crossword Confidential blogging team who has not gone to Queens for tomorrow's Lollapuzzoola 2 tournament. I was one of the test solvers, though, and the puzzles were a hoot, so I know that PuzzleGirl and Rex are in for a good time. The event's organizers, Brian Cimmet and Ryan Hecht, are themselves engaging hoots too. Maybe next year I'll lug the family to New York in August so I can make it to Lollapuzzoola 3.

I do like a themeless puzzle to be clued harder than this one is, but I thought Peter Wentz's fill felt rather like a Karen Tracey crossword—and she's one of my favorite themeless constructors. It's the combination of Scrabbly letters (eight Ks, four Js, one Z), people's names, and lively language.

Let's tackle our Crosswordese 101 lesson before moving on to today's zippiest fill.

Crosswordese 101: Let's see...ERLE and OLLA have already been covered, so let's go with presidential monograms. The only U.S. presidents widely referred to by initials are JFK, FDR, and LBJ (59A: War on Poverty monogram), but other presidents and presidental candidates get initialized in crosswords: namely DDE, or Dwight David Eisenhower, who beat AES, or Adlai Estes Stevenson. LBJ isn't today's crosswordese selection—nope, it's his successor, RMN, or Richard Milhous Nixon (34D: 1960 debate monogram). Does anyone refer to him as RMN outside crosswords? Not so much.

What are the zingiest names in the grid? These ones:

• 14A: Role in the film "W." (JEB BUSH). Kinda unexpected to have a pop culture clue for a recent ex-governor.
  
• 29A: "Cheers" actor (TED DANSON). Another first/last name combo, always cool to see in the grid.
  
• 45A: Leader with a bouffant hairdo (KIM JONG-IL). "Bouffant"? My first thought was of the B52s:
  
  
  
  
• 57A: Title host of a talk show featuring dance routines (ELLEN). That's Ms. DeGeneres, of course.
  
• 62A: Big name at the Peppermint Lounge (JOEY DEE). No idea what this refers to. I may be too young for this one—and I just had a birthday a week ago, so I welcome opportunities to feel too young!
  
• 1D: '80s William Shatner cop series (T.J. HOOKER). I never watched the show, but regardless, I can still appreciate the artistry of the show's title sequence:
  
  
  
  
• 50D: "Crunk Juice" rapper (LIL JON). Here's a guy who likes to have fun with his image. The collision between KIM JONG-IL and LIL JON just might be my favorite crossing of the year.

Other fill that rocked:

• 60A: Uses a MapQuest feature (ZOOMS IN). If you're still using MapQuest, do yourself a favor and move over to Google Maps. The photographic "street view" option is incredible, and I've seen a few nutty route suggestions at MapQuest.
  
• 65A: Impressive way to walk? (ON WATER). The answer looks lousy by itself, but the clue makes it work.
  
• The 39D/40D/41D trio is terrific. Words on some autobiographies are AS TOLD TO. The Stadium vendor's cry is "COLD BEER!" And an Unthinking reaction is a KNEE-JERK response.

Everything Else — 1A: "Bingo!" ("THAT'S IT!"); 8A: Corn piece (COB); 11A: Links standard (PAR); 15A: Griddle fare (HOECAKE); 17A: Went ape, like Bart Simpson (HAD A COW); 18A: Not pointless (ON TOPIC); 19A: Norfolk, Virginia, sch. (ODU); 20A: Flair (KNACK); 22A: Haunted castle sound (CLANK); 23A: It's a crock (OLLA); 25A: Contemporary of Agatha (ERLE); 26A: Bookstore section (HOW-TO); 27A: Firing places (KILNS); 31A: Perform on stage (ENACT); 32A: Kicks (FUN); 33A: Tries again, in court (REHEARS); 36A: Make good on (PAYBACK); 42A: Scrip spec (MED); 44A: Act of insurance fraud, perhaps (ARSON); 51A: Legal search subject (TITLE); 52A: Words after cut or close (A DEAL); 53A: Vacationer's accumulation, perhaps (MAIL); 55A: Style (MODE); 56A: Strict (RIGID); 64A: Down deep (AT HEART); 66A: Suffix with Marx (-ISM); 67A: "The Royal Tenenbaums" director Anderson (WES); 68A: Do some strategic schmoozing (NETWORK); 2D: Front-page grabber (HEADLINE); 3D: Name meaning "servant of God" (ABDULLAH); 4D: Sched. question mark (TBA); 5D: What toadies do, with "up" (SUCK); 6D: "That __ for the record books" (IS ONE); 7D: Block (THWART); 8D: Emotionally overcome (CHOKED UP); 9D: Suffix with ball (-OON); 10D: "You __!": "Certainly" (BETCHA); 11D: Fruit also called "prairie bananas" (PAPAWS); 12D: Very much like (AKIN TO); 13D: S'pose (RECKON); 16D: Time punctuation (COLON); 21D: Score symbol (CLEF); 24D: Suffix with govern (-ANCE); 28D: London's Victoria, e.g.: Abbr. (STA.); 30D: __ sequencing (DNA); 35D: Parts (SEGMENTS); 37D: China's Sun __-sen (YAT); 38D: Boater feature (BRIM); 43D: Regulating gadget (DIAL); 45D: Post-Taliban president (KARZAI); 46D: Fools (IDIOTS); 47D: Large unit of resistance (MEGOHM); 48D: "The Bionic Woman" __ Sommers (JAIME); 49D: Familiar adage (OLD SAW); 54D: West African currency (LEONE); 58D: "Contract With America" first name (NEWT); 61D: Face reddener (IRE); 63D: Deviate (YAW).