MONDAY, August 24, 2009 — Norfleet Pruden

THEME: "Scope of a thorough search" — same clue used on four different theme answers, all of which fit a "[blank] AND [blank]" pattern

I took one look at the constructor's name and thought, "Well, if that's not a pseudonym, I don't know what is." PuzzleGirl agreed. Then she did some digging and found an actual person with that name (not from fiction, not from the 19th century), and so we now think he's real. This puzzle is very real, and very fine for a Monday. Simple, and with a theme that is consistent in two dimensions (every theme answer has same clue, same syntax). I tripped a few times, going with HIGH AND DRY instead of HIGH AND LOW, and NEW TERMS instead of NEW DEALS (9D: Renegotiated contracts), but still managed to come in under 3 minutes, which is well on the fast side for me.

I would happily drink at a FEMINIST WETBAR (52A: Gloria Steinem, for one + 57A: Home beverage counter with a sink)

Theme answers:

• 17A: Scope of a thorough search (HIGH AND LOW)
• 27A: Scope of a thorough search (INSIDE AND OUT)

• 44A: Scope of a thorough search (HITHER AND YON)
• 60A: Scope of a thorough search (FAR AND WIDE)

Crosswordese 101: EIRE (53D: Emerald Isle) — this one is so Crosswordtastic that I think we've all been assuming one of us has written about it before. One of the great challenges in my speed-solving life is the ERIN / EIRE dilemma. It's kind of like the APEX / ACME dilemma, only greener. When you get to late-week puzzles, there's also the EPIC (14A: "Iliad" or "Odyssey") / EPOS dilemma. But back to Ireland — generally, "ERIN" is clued in some way that relates to poetry, or the word's poetic quality, whereas EIRE is just the Irish word for Ireland, and tends to get somewhat more literal cluing. Although today's clue completely confounds that distinction, so perhaps you should ignore me and work out your own ERIN / EIRE-distinguishing mojo.

What else?:

• 62A: Very dry (ARID) — when I typed in HAIRDO (45D: Arrangement of locks), I miscalculated and ended up typing the letters in the wrong squares (when you type in a letter in AcrossLite, the cursor will skip to the next empty square, so sometime the cursor hops letters but your fingers instinctively forget to hop letters and so everything gets screwy). So I had "R" for the final letter of [Very dry]. Then I wrote in SEER, which makes no sense whatsoever (I meant "SERE," which is also wrong, if somewhat less so). This is how I know I can get my times even lower ... I just have to quit having these little typing wipe-outs.
• 66A: Dressed like a superhero (CAPED) — Like the CAPED Crusader, Batman (who is not, I repeat not, a "superhero" — but this clue doesn't specify Batman, so it's off the hook).
• 12D: Physician Walter for whom an Army hospital is named (REED) — love this clue, even if the reason I know the answer (the relatively recent tales of substandard care for Iraq War veterans) is depressing.
• 28D: Made trenches (DUG IN) — I would accept this clue for DUG; DUG IN means something else to me — conveys mule-like resistance, e.g. DUG IN one's heels.

See you Friday — I'll let PuzzleGirl tell you all about this past weekend's crossword tournament tomorrow.

~RP

[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter]

Everything Else — 1A: Dogie-catching tool (ROPE); 5A: Looking like you've seen a ghost (ASHEN); 10A: Poi base (TARO); 14A: "Iliad" or "Odyssey" (EPIC); 15A: Not a soul (NOONE); 16A: Greek war god (ARES); 17A: Scope of a thorough search (HIGH AND LOW); 19A: Rod's companion (REEL); 20A: Sweater wool (ANGORA); 21A: Mythical city of gold (EL DORADO); 23A: Ottoman governor (BEY); 24A: Nightmare street of movies (ELM); 26A: One having a little lamb (EWE); 27A: Scope of a thorough search (INSIDE AND OUT); 33A: Planetary shadow (UMBRA); 36A: Thinks (over) carefully (MULLS); 37A: Partner of a tournament "am" (PRO); 38A: Chat (TALK); 39A: Roman senators' attire (TOGAS); 40A: Immense (HUGE); 41A: Previously (AGO); 42A: Pine product (RESIN); 43A: Headquartered (BASED); 44A: Scope of a thorough search (HITHER AND YON); 47A: Walking on __: elated (AIR); 48A: Doo-wop horn (SAX); 49A: Play segment (ACT); 52A: Gloria Steinem, notably (FEMINIST); 57A: Home beverage counter with a sink (WET BAR); 59A: One with burning pants? (LIAR); 60A: Scope of a thorough search (FAR AND WIDE); 62A: Very dry (ARID); 63A: Up in arms (IRATE); 64A: Bad day for Caesar (IDES); 65A: Lottery-like game (KENO); 66A: Dressed like a superhero (CAPED); 67A: Keeps after taxes (NETS); 1D: Post-op treatment (REHAB); 2D: Offer one's view (OPINE); 3D: Word with bank or back (PIGGY); 4D: Canyon phenomenon (ECHO); 5D: Historical records (ANNALS); 6D: Instant lawn (SOD); 7D: Digger's creation (HOLE); 8D: Carbon compound (ENOL); 9D: Renegotiated contracts (NEW DEALS); 10D: Paved (TARRED); 11D: Vicinity (AREA); 12D: Physician Walter for whom an Army hospital is named (REED); 13D: Norway's capital (OSLO); 18D: Venue for games (ARENA); 22D: Has title to (OWNS); 25D: Champagne and orange juice cocktail (MIMOSA); 27D: Bug (IRK); 28D: Made trenches (DUG IN); 29D: Spiral-horned antelopes (ELANDS); 30D: Numbered work (OPUS); 31D: Encourage (URGE); 32D: __ the line: obeyed (TOED); 33D: Brigham City's state (UTAH); 34D: Wise men (MAGI); 35D: Stain (BLOT); 39D: Fabulous (TERRIFIC); 40D: Solo played by Harrison (HAN); 42D: Jockey strap (REIN); 43D: Put in cartons (BOXED); 45D: Arrangement of locks (HAIRDO); 46D: Acted sleepy (YAWNED); 49D: Put up with (ABIDE); 50D: West Point undergrad (CADET); 51D: Rapunzel feature (TRESS); 52D: Anti-aircraft fire (FLAK); 53D: Emerald Isle (EIRE); 54D: Common street name (MAIN); 55D: "Nobody doesn't like __ Lee" (SARA); 56D: Mouth, in slang (TRAP); 58D: Duplicate (TWIN); 61D: Had lunch (ATE).

SUNDAY, August 23, 2009—Merl Reagle (Calendar puzzle)

Well, kids, I'm pulling double duty this weekend, because PuzzleGirl and Rex both skittered off to New York for the Lollapuzzoola tournament. The results are posted here. They both placed in the top 16% to 29% of competitors, with Rex vying in the Express division and PuzzleGirl in the Local. Well done!

So it seems that the Calendar puzzle is now alternating between Sylvia Bursztyn's crosswords and Merl Reagle's. I've been blogging Merl's puzzle every Sunday for several years, so I'm just gonna copy and paste what's up at Diary of a Crossword Fiend without changing the formatting to L.A. Crossword Confidential style because three blog posts covering five crosswords is really quite enough for one morning, really.

On the L.A. Times website, this puzzle's title is "New Board Games." (It's "Board Games (the Special Editions)" in the Across Lite version I downloaded yesterday from Ephraim's Crossword Puzzle Pointers.) Here's what I had to say at Crossword Fiend:

The Los Angeles Times appears to be alternating constructors for the L.A. Calendar crossword: It had been Sylvia Bursztyn's bailiwick alone, but now she and Merl Reagle are taking turns. Merl's L.A. Times puzzle is the same one that he syndicates elsewhere. And this one is fun! Lots of amusing "aha" moments when the theme entries came together. Here's the theme:

• 22A. [Board game where you might hear, "Colonel Ecru, with the riata, in the oda"?] is CROSSWORD CLUE. How brilliant is that? The game of Clue rendered in crosswordese to embody the familiar phrase CROSSWORD CLUE. The other theme entries redefine a familiar phrase as if it has to do with a board game, but don't have that extra crosswordese oomph.
  
• 30A. [Board game that takes all week to play?] is LONG-TERM RISK. Wait, doesn't regular Risk take a week to play anyway?
  
• 44A. [Board game where you have no car, no kids, no luck, and no money?] is UNEVENTFUL LIFE. The most disappointing part of the SpongeBob edition of Life is that you don't get to amass children and stick them in a car. I kinda miss buying insurance, too. I should get my kid the standard Life game.
  
• 58A. VIRTUAL MONOPOLY is a [Board game that's playable online only?].
  
• 74A. [Board game for kids that's actually painful to play?] is STING OPERATION.
  
• 86A. Ha! [Board game played with no vowels?] is HARDSCRABBLE. I love this one and CROSSWORD CLUE the most.
  
• 99A. Eww! [Just about the hardest (and least sanitary) game ever, unless you're an anteater?] is TONGUE TWISTER. Yeah, it's hard to plant your left foot on green, your right hand on yellow, and your tongue on blue.

Highlights outside the theme:

• 21A. [Cleaner of locks?] is SHAMPOO. Aha!
  
• 50A. [Holliday companion] is EARP. If your eyes are like mine, the double L looked like a single L and you didn't understand where this clue was pointing. Doc Holliday, not Thanksgiving holiday? D'oh.
  
• Lots of short phrases show up in the fill. There's GO TO POT (56D: [Deteriorate]), LET ME IN (46D: ["Open up!"]), RUBS IT IN (73D: [Gloats]), THE FAUN (31D: [Part danced by Nijinsky in a Debussy classic]), and some preposition action with ORDER IN, TACK ON, and SPOKE TO all in the southwest corner.
  
• 61A. MOSES gets a great clue: [One of Charlton's many sans-pants parts].
  
• 75D. [TV's "little buddy"] is GILLIGAN.

SUNDAY, August 23, 2009 (syndicated puzzle)—Gary Steinmehl

THEME: "Changing Sides"—In familiar "blank of the blank" phrases, the first and last words are flipped, changing the meaning

Theme answers:

• 23A: Miners' detritus? (LITTER OF THE PICK). Picture an old-time gold miner with a pick and shovel. Miners did or do use picks to dig the good stuff out of rock.
  
• 38A: High ground at Graceland? (HILL OF THE KING). Elvis!
  
• 61A: Like an estate seller? (FREE OF THE LAND). As in a big country estate rather than the possessions left behind to someone's heirs (see below).
  
• 85A: "Nova" episode about our sun? (SHOW OF THE STAR).
  
• 103A: Heirs? (PEOPLE OF THE WILL). Maybe they'll split the proceeds when that estate is sold.
  
• 15D: Manor owner's jewelry? (RINGS OF THE LORD). I bet he had a big estate. Wait, is this entire theme about Elvis? Did he enjoy mining and astronomy?
  
• 48D: Moments when an omen appears? (TIMES OF THE SIGN).

I did this puzzle last night when I was drowsing off, so it took me a long time. I don't know if the puzzle's uncommonly hard or if my brain was just dialed down to 2. The theme doesn't do much for me—it's more fun when the mangled phrases present funny images, and miners' detritus and a manor owner's jewelry just don't give me the giggles.

For 15D, I had the ___ OF THE LORD part and couldn't for the life of me figure out the first word. MANOR OF THE LORD was a no-go because "manor" was in the clue and manor ≠ jewelry. Then I thought of FLIES OF THE LORD, and that had comedy potential but didn't fit the crossings. What other phrases could lend themselves to this sort of theme? MATTER OF THE HEART could have been clued as a love affair. CLASS OF THE HEAD? That's totally about potty training. I don't know what to do with FATHER OF THE SINS. Ooh! BRIDE OF THE MOTHER, when Heather has two mommies in a state where same-sex marriage is legal.

Crosswordese 101: 21A: She played Roz on "Frasier" is a clue for PERI Gilpin. Her agent really needs to get her into something else big, because one of these years, she's going to be little more than a Theda Bara or Nita Naldi—an obscure actress who's crosswordese. She's better than the PERI clue alternatives, though. We've got the prefix with scope or meter approach and we've got the Persian sprite option.

And now, a few of my favorite clues and answers:

• 2D: Pearl of "St. Louis Woman" (BAILEY). I took a peek at the YouTube offerings for Pearl Bailey and this 1964 Tonight Show clip caught my eye. Usually the videos I embed here have had hundreds of thousands of views—this one, only a few hundred. But it's a good one!
  
  
  
  
• 62D: Ali's pair of socks? (ONE-TWO). Socks are boxing punches too, not just hosiery. This is the best clue I've ever seen for ONE-TWO.
  
• 8D: Friend of Anthony (CATT). I thought this was about Marc Antony and randomly squeezed CATO in there, which conflicted with the crossing. It took me a night of sleeping on it to realize that wer're talking about suffragists here—Susan B. Anthony's friend was Carrie CATT.
  
• 54D: Turkey tender (LIRAS). I wanted BASTER to fit into five squares, but it refused. But that's not what this clue is about at all. It's Turkey, the nation, and legal tender, the currency. You spend LIRAS in Ankara.

Everything Else — 1A: Knotted sash (OBI); 4A: Easy __ (AS ABC); 9A: Magnitogorsk's river (URAL); 13A: "Green __" (ACRES); 18A: Cool, in a way (FAN); 19A: Attacked (CAME AT); 22A: Toast indicator (CLINK); 23A: Miners' detritus? (LITTER OF THE PICK); 26A: Like Mr. Fix-it (HANDY); 27A: One way to think (ALOUD); 28A: Prepare for a job transfer, perhaps (RETRAIN); 29A: Fictional oil family name (EWING); 31A: Jamboree sight (TENT); 32A: Amigo (PAL); 33A: Mag. stand item (ISS.); 34A: Tries to hit (SWINGS AT); 37A: Check out (EYE); 38A: High ground at Graceland? (HILL OF THE KING); 41A: Plastic __ Band (ONO); 42A: "Wonder Dog" of comics (REX); 43A: "Free" gym gear: Abbr. (WTS.); 44A: Operate with a beam (LASE); 45A: __ concern (OF NO); 46A: Fragrant extract (ATTAR); 49A: Beyond slender (BONY); 51A: Spread choice (PATÉ); 52A: Subbed (SAT IN); 53A: Cheats (CHISELERS); 55A: Passé; demo item (TAPE); 56A: Tries to sell (PUSHES); 57A: Hit the trail, in a way (CAMPAIGN); 58A: Thames islets (AITS); 59A: "Purgatorio" writer (DANTE); 60A: 2002 baseball All-Star Game result (TIE); 61A: Like an estate seller? (FREE OF THE LAND); 64A: Word in southwestern place names (LOS); 67A: Go after (SETAT); 69A: Lofgren of the E Street Band (NILS); 70A: Democracy, e.g. (IDEOLOGY); 72A: Does an Act of Contrition (ATONES); 74A: People magazine's 1999 Sexiest Man Alive (GERE); 75A: Idealist's bane (REAL WORLD); 76A: Support (BE FOR); 77A: "Symphony in Black" artist (ERTÉ); 78A: Fishing gear (RODS); 79A: Where lines meet (NODES); 80A: Two-timers (RATS); 81A: Tug's burden (SCOW); 82A: Alter, perhaps (SEW); 83A: Comics cry (EEK); 84A: Pompeii burier (ASH); 85A: "Nova" episode about our sun? (SHOW OF THE STAR); 89A: Outsourced item, perhaps (JOB); 92A: Timon and Uncle Max, in "The Lion King" (MEERKATS); 94A: Fragrant gift (LEI); 95A: Where It.'s at (EUR.); 96A: Guitar __: video game (HERO); 97A: Like a fleabag (SEEDY); 98A: Inn crowd member (BOARDER); 100A: "Foolish Games" singer (JEWEL); 101A: Not exactly vertical (ATILT); 103A: Heirs? (PEOPLE OF THE WILL); 106A: It makes sense (LOGIC); 107A: Tombstone lawman (EARP); 108A: Looked happy (SMILED); 109A: Fed. income supplement program (SSI); 110A: "Dune" director David (LYNCH); 111A: Chop __ (SUEY); 112A: '90s "SNL" regular Cheri (OTERI); 113A: Spell (HEX); 1D: Recently (OF LATE); 3D: Sing, as a Gregorian chant (INTONE); 4D: Sailed through (ACED); 5D: Fraternal org. since 1889 (SAR); 6D: Without principles (AMORAL); 7D: Happened to (BEFELL); 9D: Snooty (UPPISH); 10D: Halter attachment (REIN); 11D: It's measured in degrees (ARC); 12D: "Me, too" ("LIKEWISE"); 13D: Sore (ACHING); 14D: Sound from a forge (CLANG); 15D: Manor owner's jewelry? (RINGS OF THE LORD); 16D: Nip in the bud (END); 17D: Word with jack or box (SKY); 20D: Using coupons, say (THRIFTY); 24D: Mild rebuke (TUT); 25D: Bridge positions (EASTS); 30D: Choice from a list (WINE); 32D: Fan mag graphics (PIX); 34D: Inline item (SKATE); 35D: Poker whiz __ Duke (ANNIE); 36D: Popeye et al. (TOONS); 38D: Next life (HEREAFTER); 39D: Dominates, in sports lingo (OWNS); 40D: Slip by (ELAPSE); 42D: Sing like Satchmo (RASP); 45D: Hops drier (OAST); 46D: S&L holding (ACCT.); 47D: Cuisine using jasmine rice (THAI); 48D: Moments when an omen appears? (TIMES OF THE SIGN); 49D: Father, biblically (BEGET); 50D: D-day invasion river (ORNE); 51D: Maze options (PATHS); 52D: Evening cocktail, to a Brit (SUNDOWNER); 55D: Mr. or Mrs. (TITLE); 56D: Comics frame (PANEL); 58D: Smoking, probably (AFIRE); 59D: Tots' pops (DADAS); 63D: Spread canards (LIED); 65D: Eye up and down (OGLE); 66D: Pink Floyd's Barrett et al. (SYDS); 68D: Space chimp (ENOS); 71D: Life rival, once (LOOK); 72D: Norm of "This Old House" (ABRAM); 73D: Get on (TEASE); 74D: Becomes (GROWS); 75D: "Lady Jane Grey" playwright (ROWE); 77D: Adaptable subspecies (ECOTYPES); 78D: Brings back on board (REHIRES); 81D: Atlantic catch (SHAD); 82D: Diamond theft? (STEAL); 83D: Musical gift (EAR); 85D: Police artist's work (SKETCH); 86D: Obsolescent data holder (FLOPPY); 87D: Deem appropriate (SEE FIT); 88D: One with a shell (TURTLE); 89D: Like some delis (JEWISH); 90D: Ominous words (OR ELSE); 91D: Mess (up) (BOLLIX); 93D: Trace of the past (RELIC); 96D: Chop down (HEW); 98D: Put to sleep, so to speak (BORE); 99D: Major-__ (DOMO); 100D: Sci-fi knight (JEDI); 101D: The whole shebang (ALL); 102D: Happy Meal throw-in (TOY); 104D: __ minérale (EAU); 105D: Self starter? (HER-).

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).

FRIDAY, Aug. 21, 2009 — Dan Naddor

THEME: Double-N — familiar phrase with an "N" in it has that "N" doubled, creating new, wacky phrase, which is then clued "?"-style.

Best vanity theme ever. Don't you see it? Double N. DaNNaddor. Whoa, dude's only got six different letters in his whole name, and his first six letters palindromize. Weird.

Gotta be very brief today, as I have a NYC-bound bus to catch in, oh, less than two hours.

This was one of my favorite DN puzzles. I wish his clues were snazzier. Sometimes there's a listlessness that pervades his puzzles. More swagger, DN! All these theme answers work pretty well, and only SARNIA made me want to cover my ears and scream for dear life (47D: Lake Huron port in Canada).

Theme answers:

• 17A: "Cimarron" actress Irene's carriage? (DUNNE BUGGY)
• 23A: Makers of knockoff artillery? (CANNON COPIERS)
• 32A: Nordic winter wear? (FINNISH COAT)
• 40A: Airer of fashion infomercials? (COCO CHANNEL)
• 50A: Film festival city guidebook for pedestrians? (WALKING CANNES)
• 59A: Cruise down the Rhine, perhaps? (BONN VOYAGE)

Crosswordese 101: OBEAH (25D: Belief involving sorcery) — n., pl. o·be·ahs also o·bis.

1. A form of religious belief of African origin, practiced in some parts of the West Indies, Jamaica, and nearby tropical America, involving sorcery.
2. An object, charm, or fetish used in the practice of this religion. (answers.com)

Don't ask me how it's different from VOODOO, 'cause I'm not sure I could tell you. OBEAH is more like Crosswordese 201 or 301. It's a bit exotic to be an everyday kind of crossword word, but at 60% vowels (and mixed vowels at that), it will stand a constructor in good stead if he's gotta get from O to H in five letters. Nobody wants to see ORACH. Or OPRAH, for that matter.

What else?

• 16A: Aunt with a "Cope Book" (ERMA) — you're welcome.
• 29A: Film director Petri (ELIO) — eeks. New one on me. Or else it's an old one that I totally forgot. I have no aptitude for the EZIO, ELIO, ENNIO, etcetero names.
• 53A: "80's Ladies" country singer K.T. (OSLIN) — why do I think I would laugh out loud if I heard this song?

[Not nearly as sassy and upbeat as I'd hoped ... and what's up with those gloves? Did she just commit a crime?]

• 18D: Activist Chaz (BONO) — Post-op name of Cher's daughter (now son), née Chastity. I believe I'm the first person to put CHAZ in a puzzle, but I can't release that puzzle until a specific date later in the year — which, frankly, is killing me.
• 42D: Leeward Island north of Nevis (ST. KITTS) — this clue meant nothing to me. Got the "ST." and then waited to see which one it would be.
  

OK, see you Monday, assuming I survive the xword tournament in Queens this weekend.

~RP

[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter]

Everything Else — 1A: Dear columnist? (ABBY); 5A: Neighborhood near TriBeCa (SOHO); 9A: Alternative to Hires (DAD'S); 13A: SST nose feature (DROOP); 15A: À tout __: at all costs (PRIX); 16A: Aunt with a "Cope Book" (ERMA); 17A: "Cimarron" actress Irene's carriage? (DUNNE BUGGY); 19A: Worker's end-of-week cry (TGIF); 20A: Abbr. in some Canadian place names (STE.); 21A: 2002 Best New Artist Grammy winner Jones (NORAH); 22A: Cook in a pan (SAUTÉ); 23A: Makers of knockoff artillery? (CANNON COPIERS); 26A: Masters partner (JOHNSON); 28A: Highwayman (BANDIT); 29A: Film director Petri (ELIO); 30A: D'backs and Cards (NL'ERS); 32A: Nordic winter wear? (FINNISH COAT); 36A: Devilish sort (IMP); 39A: "Bambi" character (ENA); 40A: Airer of fashion infomercials? (COCO CHANNEL); 42A: Promotes (SELLS); 43A: Prefix meaning height (ACRO-); 44A: "No kidding!" ("THAT SO!"); 47A: With sophistication (SUAVELY); 50A: Film festival city guidebook for pedestrians? (WALKING CANNES); 53A: "80's Ladies" country singer K.T. (OSLIN); 54A: Eager, in dialect (RARIN'); 55A: Mineo of "Exodus" (SAL); 58A: Fish's last meal? (BAIT); 59A: Cruise down the Rhine, perhaps? (BONN VOYAGE); 61A: "__ the picture!" (I GET); 62A: Car with a four-ring logo (AUDI); 63A: Greek New Ager (YANNI); 64A: Deep-six (TOSS); 65A: Column-lined pedestrian way (STOA); 66A: Spunkmeyer of cookie fame (OTIS); 1D: Contributes (ADDS); 2D: Moët et Chandon label word (BRUT); 3D: Elegant tableware (BONE CHINA); 4D: Over there, old-style (YON); 5D: Encourage (SPUR ON); 6D: Heart, e.g. (ORGAN); 7D: Impressive note (HIGH C); 8D: Moronic intro? (OXY-); 9D: Holds for questioning (DETAINS); 10D: Debated (ARGUED); 11D: Composer Shostakovich (DMITRI); 12D: Like AAA-rated bonds, as bonds go (SAFEST); 14D: Actor Sean et al. (PENNS); 18D: Activist Chaz (BONO); 22D: Peloponnesian War victor (SPARTA); 24D: Auth. unknown (ANON); 25D: Belief involving sorcery (OBEAH); 26D: Boss, in Spanish (JEFE); 27D: "thirtysomething" actor Ken (OLIN); 30D: Some PX patrons (NCOS); 31D: __ cit.: footnote abbr. (LOC.); 33D: Strands at a chalet, perhaps (ICES IN); 34D: Athenian reformer (SOLON); 35D: Acid in gastric juice, chemically (HCL); 36D: Nonstop (INCESSANT); 37D: Jazzman Saunders (MERL); 38D: Bit of trickery (PLOY); 41D: Church area (NAVE); 42D: Leeward Island north of Nevis (ST. KITTS); 44D: Small-time (TWO-BIT); 45D: Tries one's hand (at) (HAS A GO); 46D: Unites (with) (ALLIES); 47D: Lake Huron port in Canada (SARNIA); 48D: Harvard, e.g.: Abbr. (UNIV.); 49D: Bug (ANNOY); 51D: Tiler's need (GROUT); 52D: Positive-thinking (CAN-DO); 56D: Lambs: Lat. (AGNI); 57D: Floral rings (LEIS); 59D: Box score figs. (BAS); 60D: Shanghai-born NBAer (YAO).

THURSDAY, August 20, 2009 — Todd McClary

Theme: Earth Puzzles Are Easy — Theme answers have the word earth hidden in them.

Theme answers:

• 17A: Dispel hostile feelings (CLEAR THE AIR).
• 28A: "Maude" actress (BEATRICE ARTHUR).
• 44A: "Please tell me you're not serious" ("I DIDN'T HEAR THAT").
• 26D: Scarcities (DEARTHS).
• 53A: "The Lord of the Rings" region, and a hint to the shared feature of 17-, 28- and 44-Across and 26-Down (MIDDLE EARTH).

See now, this is what we're talking about. If theme answers are going to have something in common it helps if there's a reason — a unifying idea — behind it. Today our unifying idea is "Middle Earth." The word earth is found somewhere in the middle of the theme answers. Not exactly in the middle, mind you, which I'm sure some people find troubling, but it works for me. I even like the phrase "I didn't hear that," although to me the meaning is more along the lines of "Because of the position I'm in, if I heard you say that I would have to turn you in / fire you / arrest you / kill you, so let's just say I didn't hear it." Yes that's the kind of clue I write. Why, no, I haven't ever had a puzzle published, why do you ask?

Crosswordese 101: I believe every member of the Addams household has appeared in a puzzle at one time or another, but the most popular is, of course, Cousin ITT (46D: Cousin from an "altogether ooky" family). Okay, this is weird. I just looked up all the Addams Family names in the cruciverb.com data base and every single one of them appears at least once clued in relation to The Addams Family. Except ... Wednesday. The word Wednesday does not appear in the data base at all. Not even clued as a day of the week. Every other day of the week is there. But not Wednesday. What the heck is going on there?? Oh wait, I lied. Also no Pugsley. But still: no Wednesday?! Wait, what were we talking about again? Oh yes, Cousin (which I always mistype "cousing") ITT. ITT is occasionally clued as the Former communications contractor / giant / conglomerate, but most of the time words like Addams, cousin, or hairy will tip you off. Previously covered crosswordese appearing in this puzzle includes: APISH (1A: Simian), YENTL (35A: Streisand cross-dressing role) and LAHR (6D: Portrayer of an Oz feline). Just in case you feel like having a little review today.

I'm getting super excited about Lollapuzzoola 2, the crossword puzzle tournament in New York this weekend. Rex and I will be movin' and shaking'. Eatin' with some people over here, drinking' with some folks over there, possibly — finally! — spendin' some time workin' toward comin' through on our threat of makin' his blog pretty. The dropping the g thing is getting old, isn't it? Sorry about that. Anyway! If you'll be in New York this Saturday and you haven't signed up yet, what are you waiting for? If it's anything like last year's event, all kinds of puzzle geeks (like me! ... and you!) will be there having a blast and eating what I believe will be crossword-inspired snacks. That's right: Oreos! You really shouldn't miss it.

But what about the puzzle?

• 6A: Server's tool (LADLE). I can never remember if it ends in -LE or -EL.
• 21A: Sound quality? (SANITY). As in, having a sound mind.
• 26A: RFK Stadium soccer team (D.C. UNITED).



• 30A: Ancient spell caster (MAGE). Ooh, the singular. Me no likey.
• 59A: Nuevo __: Peru's currency (SOL). Money named for the sun. That's cool.
• 63A: Raid targets (DRUGS). I had pests at first.
• 9D: Retiree's abundance (LEISURE). PuzzleHusband would have clued this "Stay-at-home mom's abundance." Because he has No Idea.
• 11D: Where it originally was (IN SITU). Latin!

• 27D: Chess move you can only make once (CASTLE). Well, once per game anyway.
• 36D: Hold spellbound (ENTHRALL). Tried entrance first.
• 37D: Big Apple neighborhood near the Bowery (NOHO). Short for North of Houston (which is pronounced House-ton in case you didn't know).
• 41D: More likely to explode (ANGRIER). (I apologize that I couldn't find a clip of this song without her yammering away for two minutes before they start the sangin'! Seriously, just skip to the 2:00 mark.):







• 42D: "Dog the Bounty Hunter" airer (A AND E). You've been working hard and paying attention and you were Not Tricked By This! (were you?)
• 54D: "In My Bed" R&B group __ Hill (DRU). No idea how I knew this. Only makes me think of Dulé Hill.

[Follow PuzzleGirl on Twitter.]

Everything Else — 1A: Simian (APISH); 11A: Queasy, perhaps (ILL); 14A: Where the 4077th MASH served (KOREA); 15A: Mammy's boy (ABNER); 16A: Zero (NIL); 19A: Bay Area airport letters (SFO); 20A: Nose-wrinkler in the fridge, say (ODOR); 23A: Shoe part (INSTEP); 31A: Drink that can follow a shot (CHASER); 32A: Oldest of the Fab Four (STARR); 34A: Creative pursuit (ART); 40A: "Born in __": Cheech Marin film (EAST L.A.); 43A: Screenwriter Ephron (NORA); 48A: Mentored ones (PROTÉGÉS); 49A: Words of resignation (NO HOPE); 50A: It may be wireless (ROUTER); 51A: It's written on an env. (ADDR.); 52A: Flow back (EBB); 60A: Causing chills (EERIE); 61A: Item on a cocktail toothpick (OLIVE); 62A: Trough site (STY); 64A: Play in the tub (SLOSH); 1D: "Best in Show" org. (AKC); 2D: Ballot figure (POL); 3D: Fury (IRE); 4D: Aquarium frolicker (SEA OTTER); 5D: More puzzling (HARDER); 7D: Pulitzer winner Burrows (ABE); 8D: Microscopic crime scene clue, briefly (DNA); 10D: Knightly news? (ERRANTRY); 12D: Crane, at times (LIFTER); 13D: Bentsen who said to Quayle, "Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy" (LLOYD); 18D: Subject (TOPIC); 22D: Fed. research agency (NIH); 23D: Selectric typewriters, e.g. (IBMS); 24D: Scotch order (NEAT); 25D: Epic tale (SAGA); 29D: Pure (CHASTE); 33D: Cashed in (REDEEMED); 38D: Drainpipe section (TRAP); 39D: Not on schedule (LATE); 44D: 1950 classic sci-fi short story book (I ROBOT); 45D: To twice the degree (DOUBLY); 47D: Events with some very short rides (RODEOS); 48D: Publicity (PRESS); 51D: Malty mugfuls (ALES); 55D: Archaeologist's project (DIG); 56D: Carnival resort (RIO); 57D: Some are HD (TVS); 58D: Snicker sound (HEH).

WEDNESDAY, August 19, 2009—Samuel A. Donaldson

THEME: "Closing Acts"—As 58-Across's clue hints at, four theme entries end with the names of musical performers

Theme answers:

• 17A: Pleased plus (TICKLED PINK). I...don't think I've ever heard a Pink song, but I hear good things, and I love the phrase TICKLED PINK. Okay, I wandered over to YouTube and watched the "Stupid Girls" video, which mocks things like breast implants and vapidity—alas, embedding has been disabled so I can't post that video here.
  
• 25A: Piece of royal wealth (CROWN JEWEL). It's rather sad to have just a single CROWN JEWEL, but the singer/songwriter/poet is named Jewel, so what are you gonna do? I looked at some Jewel videos on YouTube but they made me want to rest my eyes for a bit. Snzzzz.
  
• 36A: Official corporate stock imprint (COMPANY SEAL). Seal is the guy who's married to Heidi Klum of Project Runway fame. My friend Amy says Heidi appears to have the personality of a sponge. I cannot verify this as I've never seen the show. Here's Seal's "Kiss from a Rose":
  
  
  
• 48A: Kiss seeker in a fairy tale (FROG PRINCE). Fantastic crossword answer! Plus, The Artist Once Again Known as Prince is a bonafide musical genius. It saddens me that he doesn't allow his videos to appear on YouTube, because I'd be quite content to post three Prince videos here and call it a day.
  
• 58A: What the last words of 17-, 25-, 36- and 48-Across could be considered, relative to the phrases in which they appear (CLOSING ACTS). Wouldn't it be incredible if there were bands named Tickled, Crown, Company, and Frog, and we could actually buy tickets to a Tickled/Pink or Frog/Prince tour?
  

Crosswordese 101: Today, we turn our focus to a dreaded TLA (three-letter abbreviation): 53A: UN workers' rights gp. ILO today. The 1969 Nobel Peace Prize was bestowed on this worldwide workers' group. If the clue's about worker safety, you probably want OSHA, but for workers' rights, it's ILO all the way.

This puzzle's by Sam Donaldson—no, not that Sam Donaldson. I left town for my birthday last weekend and Sam filled in for me at Diary of a Crossword Fiend on Sunday. It doesn't necessarily shine through in a set of crossword clues, but he's a funny guy. I don't know his age, but I'm guessing he's on the younger side given the particular pop culture slant of his theme today.

And now, my favorite clues and answers:

• 16A: Bad way to go? (APE). They say once you go ape, you never go back.
  
• "I'm sorry. I recant everything. Please accept my sincerest apogee." 33A: Take back (RECANT) / 46A: "My bad" ("I'M SORRY") / 12D: Orbital point (APOGEE) / 29D: 46-Across, e.g. (APOLOGY).
  
• "Aye, aye, sir!" 50D: Respectful refusal (NO SIR) crosses 63A: Group of gods ruled by Odin (AESIR).
  
• I've never heard of this 64A: Arkansas city called OZARK, but I do recall the Ozark Mountain Daredevils from the '70s. My sister and I bought the 45 of "Jackie Blue":
  
  
  
  
• 37D: Lakers coach who trademarked the term "three-peat" (PAT RILEY). He was also famous as the coach of the Knicks and the Miami Heat. He and his hair product have made an impact throughout the NBA. Don't you like it when a first and last name are joined together in a crossword entry? I do.

Everything Else — 1A: Make like (MIMIC); 6A: Biblical king and a captain (AHABS); 11A: Spoil the finish of (MAR); 14A: Long operatic solo (SCENA); 15A: Gouged-out fairway piece (DIVOT); 19A: Shear (off) (LOP); 20A: Song from the choir (HYMN); 21A: Shade of green (PEA); 22A: Nicolas of "Next" (CAGE); 23A: "Eureka!" ("AHA!"); 28A: Slap cuffs on (MANACLE); 31A: Slapstick actors, e.g. (ZANIES); 32A: __ coin: decide randomly (FLIP A); 39A: Draw support from (LEAN ON); 40A: Spots on the tube (TV ADS); 43A: Prove successful (PAN OUT); 51A: __-Xer (GEN); 52A: Teeny (ITSY); 54A: Man Friday, e.g. (AIDE); 57A: New Mexico tribe with a Sun symbol (ZIA); 62A: Night school subj. (ESL); 65A: Numbered rd. (RTE.); 66A: Austin Powers portrayer Mike (MYERS); 67A: Make good on (REPAY); 1D: Yr.-round setting in most of Arizona (MST); 2D: Here, to Henri (ICI); 3D: Tuning pro (MECHANIC); 4D: Like an octopus's defense (INKY); 5D: Devoid of wind (CALM); 6D: Recipe verb (ADD); 7D: African heavyweight (HIPPO); 8D: Miller's "__ From the Bridge" (A VIEW); 9D: Forty-niners' strikes (BONANZAS); 10D: Wall St. buy (STK.); 11D: Mozambique neighbor (MALAWI); 13D: Wards off (REPELS); 18D: Something sent with a ltr. (ENCL.); 22D: Peso fraction (CENTAVO); 23D: Big letters in bowling equipment (AMF); 24D: "I'm sorry, Dave" speaker of sci-fi (HAL); 26D: Showed again (RERAN); 27D: Jackson and Reno (JANETS); 30D: Was mentioned (CAME UP); 34D: Brian of ambient music (ENO); 35D: Critic of the selfless (CYNIC); 38D: Mutual fund designation (LARGE CAP); 41D: Rap's Dr. __ (DRE); 42D: Thesaurus wd. (SYN.); 43D: Maker of Lipitor and Celebrex (PFIZER); 44D: Con __ (ARTIST); 45D: Old cash register key (NO SALE); 47D: Ill-tempered (MEAN); 49D: Words from one who's defeated (I LOSE); 55D: "Young Frankenstein" role (IGOR); 56D: Knock silly (DAZE); 58D: Pic taker (CAM); 59D: E-file org. (IRS); 60D: Singing syllable (TRA); 61D: It's over your head (SKY).

TUESDAY, August 18, 2009—Gail Grabowski

Theme: "Nobody Puts Baby in the Corner" — The first word of each theme answer can follow the word baby in a familiar phrase.

Theme answers:

• 17A: *Nitpick (SPLIT HAIRS). Never heard the term "baby split" before, but now I've got some new jargon to use when getting killed by the PuzzleKids at Wii bowling (4D: Nintendo system involving physical exertion).
• 27A: *Take no action (SIT TIGHT). "Babysit." Now that's more like it. I know what that is. Wasn't ever very good at it, but that's a whole 'nother story.
  
• 46A: *Gold rush phenomenon (BOOM TOWN). "Baby Boom." My parents are Boomers, which I guess makes me a Gen Xer. Whatever that means.

• 60A: *B.B. King's genre (BLUES MUSIC). Ow, it hurts! Sorry, but this one doesn't work for me at all. B.B. King's genre is Blues. Period. Plus I think the phrase "baby blues" really minimizes the phenomenon it's trying to describe. Just like "morning sickness." Of course if they described it accurately, no one would ever get pregnant.
• 11D: *Group that might indict (GRAND JURY). I always thought that if I was ever going to get a fancy piano, I wouldn't waste my time on a "baby grand" but go right for the grand.
• 35D: *Hits the gas (STEPS ON IT). I was just telling someone recently how I'm not good at "baby steps." I'm pretty much an all-or-nothing gal. If I'm going to start exercising, I need to buy new shoes, join a gym, and sign up for some classes. I can't just go walk around the block.
• 55D: Word that can precede the starts of the answers to starred clues (BABY).

Crosswordese 101: Quite a few to choose from today. The only one that jumped out at me that we've already covered is AERIE (14A: High nest). But it looks like today I can bring up that spelling issue I talked about last week. At 25D: Russian rulers of yore we've got TSARS. Sometimes it's spelled CZARS, but in crossword puzzles it's almost five times likelier to be spelled TSARS, so that's my default. What you're looking for in a clue for TSAR/CZAR are names Ivan, Feodor, Nicholas, Peter, Alexander, Paul, Ivan, or Boris Godunov. And often early, old, bygone, or of yore. Also anything about the Winter Palace (which always makes me think of Narnia for some reason).

I feel like I said a lot about the theme and gave you some good information in CW101 and ya know what? Looking through the clues, absolutely nothing jumps out at me as worth expanding on. I liked the puzzle. Simple theme, executed very smoothly. Perfect Tuesday. But nothing else to talk about. If anything grabbed you, please bring it up in the comments. ...

Now it's, like, half an hour later and my search for the perfect PATTI LaBelle (50D: Singer LaBelle) video took me down a winding path that led me instead to Patti Austin, Brian McKnight, and Take 6 singing a Quincy Jones production of one of my favorite songs of all time, "Moody's Mood for Love." So, even though I planned to leave you with Ms. LaBelle, I'm going to take you out with something a little more mellow than "Lady Marmalade." Hope you like it.



[Follow PuzzleGirl on Twitter.]

Everything Else — 1A: Muscleman's quality (BRAWN); 6A: Prefix with sphere (HEMI-); 10A: Taj Mahal site (AGRA); 15A: Smooth out (EVEN); 16A: Rugged outcropping (CRAG); 19A: Detest (HATE); 20A: Rage (IRE); 21A: Neil Simon's "The Goodbye __" (GIRL); 22A: Did some pressing work? (IRONED); 24A: Must-miss movie rating, probably (NO STARS); 26A: Well-behaved (GOOD); 30A: Slim __: snack sausage (JIM); 33A: Scottish singing sensation Boyle (SUSAN); 36A: Boozer (SOT); 37A: "You bet!" ("SURE!"); 38A: Galileo's sci. (ASTR.); 39A: Boston team, briefly (CELTS); 41A: Quickie haircut (TRIM); 42A: Professional charges (FEES); 43A: Classic TV brand (RCA); 44A: Final authority (SAY SO); 45A: Eerie ability, briefly (ESP); 49A: Places for facials (SPAS); 51A: Train track foundation (ROADBED); 55A: Puffs up (BLOATS); 57A: German industrial area (RUHR); 58A: Parisian pal (AMI); 59A: Bee, to Opie (AUNT); 63A: Londoner, e.g. (BRIT); 64A: Assents at sea (AYES); 65A: Use TurboTax, say (E-FILE); 66A: Furry Himalayan legend (YETI); 67A: Take a breather (REST); 68A: Parceled (out) (DOLED); 1D: Washroom tub (BASIN); 2D: Copy, for short (REPRO); 3D: Where Van Gogh painted "Sunflowers" (ARLES); 5D: Bottom line (NET GAIN); 6D: Publisher with a castle (HEARST); 7D: Wicked (EVIL); 8D: La Méditerranée, e.g. (MER); 9D: Moments of clarity (INSIGHTS); 10D: Cold outburst? (ACHOO); 12D: Lender's charge (RATE); 13D: Like fine wine (AGED); 18D: Trumpeter Al (HIRT); 23D: Spoil (ROT); 28D: Sunni's faith (ISLAM); 29D: Caught on to (GOT); 31D: Spring blossom (IRIS); 32D: Note to the staff (MEMO); 33D: Ump's outstretched-arms call (SAFE); 34D: Depletes, with "up" (USES); 37D: Easel, e.g. (STAND); 39D: Goalpost part (CROSSBAR); 40D: Green prefix (ECO-); 44D: Moved like bees (SWARMED); 46D: Cave dweller (BAT); 47D: Most loyal (TRUEST); 48D: Sounds of surprise (OOHS); 52D: Herb garden staple (BASIL); 53D: "Nana" author Zola (ÉMILE); 54D: Chopped into cubes (DICED); 56D: Entice (LURE); 57D: Feels sorry about (RUES); 61D: Chemical in Drano (LYE); 62D: Sighting in the sky, for short (UFO).

MONDAY, Aug. 17, 2009 — Alex Boisvert

THEME: OOK x 2 — three theme answers feature two "-OOK" words apiece

Very loose but reasonably enjoyable theme. Sometimes, similar sounds (esp. kOOKy ones) are enough to hold a puzzle together. All three theme answers are grid-spanning fifteens — would have been nice to have a little more 'zazz in the grid, given how little the theme restricts non-theme fill here, but it is Monday, after all, so perhaps there's only so much fancy stuff one can do before the puzzle starts to drift into mid-week difficulty territory. My only complaint about the puzzle is the utterly substandard spelling of AHCHOO (44A: "Bless you!" elicitor). According to the cruciverb.com database:

• ACHOO — 94 grid appearances
• AHCHOO — 7

Now, that's not terribly surprising given that there's going to be far less call for 7-letter words generally, let alone ones that require the "HCH" combo. But still, I have a revulsion to all fill that can be spelled multiple ways. See the dreaded "ball game" ONE O CAT / ONE A CAT, and then all Latin plurals, e.g. NOVAE (22D: Exploding stars). The Latin plural thing is an acceptable nuisance, actually; much less grating than the arbitrary adding of an "H" to a word that isn't really a "word" to begin with, but an onomatopoeic spelling of a bodily sound.

"K" is my favorite letter of the alphabet, by far, and so I was happy to see a clue for BOND (48A: Agent 007) in a puzzle the theme of which was "OOK." I think "OOK" will be my handle when I become an INTL spy (17A: Like flights from the USA to Eur., e.g.), hanging out with CHIC ladies (7D: In fashion), playing KENO (8D: Popular bar game) and drinking OUZO (40A: Anise-flavored liqueur), while hunting down the criminal mastermind at the heart of the illegal ORCHID trade (25A: Corsage flower).

Theme answers:

• 20A: Gave additional consideration (TOOK a second LOOK)
• 36A: Falsifying accounting records (COOKING the BOOKS)
• 49A: In any way possible (By HOOK or by CROOK)

Crosswordese 101: EKGS (34D: Heart tests: Abbr.) — electrocardiograms. Why is there a "K" in there? Who knows? Apparently this test is sometimes abbreviated "ECG," but I rarely if ever see that abbrev. In puzzles, it's "EKG" (almost) all the way. "K" is just @#$#ing hard to resist (hence my future spy moniker). The main thing to remember with EKGS is that they are not EEGS. EEG = electroencephalography. In short, EKGS measure the electrical activity of your heart, EEGS measure the electrical activity of your brain.

What else?

• 31A: '70s-'80s consumer electronics giant (AIWA) — first of all, I never knew they were a "giant." I don't think they were a "giant" in this country. Second of all, it's only recently that I learned that they are officially a bygone giant. I was sure they were still around in the '90s. Aha, scant research tells me that AIWA was bought by Sony, but only fairly recently (2002) ceased being a separate company. Here's the very sad last line of the Wikipedia entry on AIWA: "As of 2009, the Aiwa website still exists for some territories/regions, but it contains some broken links and blank pages. In other regions, such as Europe, it redirects to a page on the Sony site stating that the Aiwa website has closed down"
• 1D: Slightly (A BIT) — I had A TAD. Like the ACME / APEX dilemma, you get the first letter and now you've got yourself a dilemma... I also initially tanked AIR DRY, entering AIR OUT instead (9D: Hang on a clothesline).
• 37D: Prohibited (NOT OK) — ... hmmm. I think this answer (or clue) is NOT OK. Answer is too slangy for the clue.
• 4D: Ice cream treat (MILKSHAKE) — mmm, good. Can't / don't drink them anymore, as keeping fatness at bay is a priority as I enter middle age. But they are good. Shakes at my college's main eatery were legendary. So thick you had to eat them with a spoon.

~RP

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Everything Else — 1A: Sandler of "Funny People" (ADAM); 5A: Do a pre-vacation chore (PACK); 9A: Musicians' org. (ASCAP); 14A: Island tourist destination in Indonesia (BALI); 15A: 1975 Wimbledon champ Arthur (ASHE); 16A: Words of compassion (I CARE); 17A: Like flights from the USA to Eur., e.g. (INTL.); 18A: "Birthday suit" (SKIN); 19A: Vacation time, for short (R AND R); 20A: Gave additional consideration (TOOK A SECOND LOOK); 23A: Winter toy (SLED); 24A: Bosses (around) (ORDERS); 25A: Corsage flower (ORCHID); 28A: __ Jones's locker (DAVY); 30A: Detox locale (REHAB); 31A: '70s-'80s consumer electronics giant (AIWA); 32A: Sharp cheese (BLEU); 36A: Falsifying accounting records (COOKING THE BOOKS); 39A: "Even __ speak ..." (AS WE); 40A: Anise-flavored liqueur (OUZO); 41A: More than medium (LARGE); 42A: Days at an inn (STAY); 43A: Loving touch (CARESS); 44A: "Bless you!" elicitor (AHCHOO); 48A: Agent 007 (BOND); 49A: In any way possible (BY HOOK OR BY CROOK); 55A: Pine (for) (YEARN); 56A: __ stick: bouncing toy (POGO); 57A: Dust Bowl migrant (OKIE); 58A: Slyly derogatory (SNIDE); 59A: Letter-shaped fastener (T-NUT); 60A: Paris-__ Airport (ORLY); 61A: Less loony (SANER); 62A: Trig ratio (SINE); 63A: Catholic service (MASS); 1D: Slightly (A BIT); 2D: "Book 'em, __!": "Hawaii Five-O" catchphrase (DANO); 3D: Type of sax (ALTO); 4D: Ice cream treat (MILKSHAKE); 5D: Didn't flunk (PASSED); 6D: Made an inquiry (ASKED); 7D: In fashion (CHIC); 8D: Popular bar game (KENO); 9D: Hang on a clothesline (AIR DRY); 10D: Burn badly (SCALD); 11D: Tippy craft (CANOE); 12D: Intense passion (ARDOR); 13D: Company car, expense account, etc. (PERKS); 21D: Suspect's "I was home all night," e.g. (ALIBI); 22D: Exploding stars (NOVAE); 25D: Shamu, for one (ORCA); 26D: Vintage cars (REOS); 27D: Chuck wagon fare (CHOW); 28D: Scatterbrained (DITZY); 29D: Dr. Seuss's "Horton Hears __" (A WHO); 31D: Water in Juárez (AGUA); 32D: Conference table site (BOARD ROOM); 33D: Handed-down stories (LORE); 34D: Heart tests: Abbr. (EKGS); 35D: Puts to work (USES); 37D: Prohibited (NOT OK); 38D: Mel who voiced Foghorn Leghorn (BLANC); 42D: Oklahoma athlete (SOONER); 43D: Toon Wile E., e.g. (COYOTE); 44D: Bottomless depth (ABYSS); 45D: "Laughing" critter (HYENA); 46D: IHOP or Borders (CHAIN); 47D: Nomadic tribe (HORDE); 48D: Shooter with small shot (BB GUN); 50D: Elects (OPTS); 51D: Rice-A-__ (RONI); 52D: Gumbo veggie (OKRA); 53D: Cook's array (OILS); 54D: Florida islets (KEYS).

SUNDAY, August 16, 2009 — Sylvia Bursztyn (calendar puzzle)

Theme: "Way In" — Theme answers are familiars phrases with the letter string WAY inserted in them, creating new wacky phrases which are clued "?"-style.


Theme answers:

• 20A: Headquartered in Tony territory? (BROADWAY BASED).
  
• 36A: Paris' progress? (HILTON HEADWAY).
  
• 53A: First metro? (SUBWAY ZERO).
  
• 81A: Planks for us? (OUR GANGWAY).
  
• 95A: All-around latitude? (GENERAL LEEWAY).
  
• 115A: Mad for paved entrances? (DRIVEWAY CRAZY).
  
• 17D: Boston airport's feature? (LOGAN'S RUNWAY).
  
• 56D: Ornate interstate? (FANCY FREEWAY).
  

Everything Else — 1A: Big bunch (MASS); 5A: K.T. of country (OSLIN); 10A: Beam benders (PRISMS); 16A: AA offshoot (AL-ANON); 18A: Prefix with plasty (RHINO-); 19A: Germanic language (FRISIAN); 22A: Cannoli component (RICOTTA); 23A: Car nut (LUG); 24A: Say something (SPEAK); 25A: Potpourri container (POMANDER); 26A: Whoopi's "Ghost" role (ODA MAE); 29A: Be temporarily (ACT AS); 32A: Cash mach. (ATM); 33A: Night screecher (OWL); 34A: Pat the rocker (BENATAR); 40A: Nighttime noisemaker (SNORER); 42A: Straggle (LAG); 43A: Proust protagonist (SWANN); 44A: "Buzz off!" ("SCRAM!"); 46A: Glass bender's gas (NEON); 49A: Flinched, for instance (REACTED); 52A: Yahoo (LOUT); 55A: Bread boxes? (SAFES); 59A: War correspondent Peter (ARNETT); 61A: Christie or Karenina (ANNA); 62A: Veep after Hubert (SPIRO); 64A: Inn stock (ALE); 65A: Discounted (LOWERED); 67A: Jungfrau, for one (ALP); 69A: Token (NOMINAL); 71A: "Hooked --- Feeling" (ON A); 72A: Get --- in edgewise (A WORD); 75A: "--- yellow ribbon ..." (TIE A); 78A: Cylindrical drawer (PENCIL); 79A: Bialik of "Blossom" (MAYIM); 84A: Emmy winner Daly (TYNE); 85A: Dab of cream cheese (SCHMEAR); 87A: Awl, for one (TOOL); 88A: Direct elsewhere (REFER); 89A: Fasten, at sea (BELAY); 91A: Kind of bull or boss (PIT); 93A: "Ecstasy and Me" author (LAMARR); 100A: Operation Just Cause target (NORIEGA); 103A: Satisfied sigh (AAH); 104A: Murmur amorously (COO); 105A: "Taras Bulba" author (GOGOL); 107A: Finger-pointers (NAMERS); 108A: Great, in Great Britain (SMASHING); 111A: What "there is nothin' like" (A DAME); 113A: "Doo --- Diddy Diddy" (WAH); 114A: Dropping clues (HINTING); 120A: Takes to a party (ESCORTS); 121A: Waugh effort (NOVEL); 122A: Night flight (RED-EYE); 123A: Scabbard (SHEATH); 124A: Chasm (ABYSS); 125A: Polish articles (EDIT); 1D: Calf call (MAA); 2D: "Then what?" ("AND?"); 3D: Part sans silk purse potential (SOW'S EAR); 4D: Freak out (SNAP); 5D: Jerry of "Law & Order" (ORBACH); 6D: Hinduism's female principle (SHAKTI); 7D: Calais lily (LIS); 8D: August ending (-INE); 9D: Silent bid (NOD); 10D: Most mannerly (PRIMMEST); 11D: Costa --- (RICA); 12D: "Time --- My Side" (IS ON); 13D: Strike type (SIT-DOWN); 14D: 1987 John Sayles drama (MATEWAN); 15D: Cross (SNARLY); 16D: In for --- awakening (A RUDE); 19D: Latte topper (FROTH); 20D: McQueen movie monster (BLOB); 21D: Pro vote (YEA); 25D: Knock (PAN); 27D: Sea cow (MANATEE); 28D: Speck (ATOM); 30D: Cheer competitor (ALL); 31D: Showtime competitor (STARZ); 35D: Bausch & Lomb product (RENU); 37D: Arch types (OGEES); 38D: "That rocks!" ("AWESOME!"); 39D: Tzara's art (DADA); 41D: Singer McEntire (REBA); 44D: Downhill event (SLALOM); 45D: Solar eclipse sight (CORONA); 47D: Have (OWN); 48D: Zola demimondaine (NANA); 50D: Klee contemporary (ARP); 51D: Mint (COIN); 53D: Brood (STEW); 54D: 1945 summit site (YALTA); 57D: "The Graduate" girl (ELAINE); 58D: Realtor's client (SELLER); 60D: Mine transport (TRAMCAR); 63D: Cordlike (ROPY); 66D: Dire destiny (DOOM); 68D: Stout serving (PINT); 70D: Stopgap (INTERIM); 73D: Compunction (RUE); 74D: Hang over (DRAPE); 76D: Self (EGO); 77D: Mil. truant (AWOL); 80D: Part of Fiji, e.g. (ISLE); 82D: "Peer Gynt" composer (GRIEG); 83D: Shepard in space (ALAN); 86D: Fragrant perennial (HYACINTH); 88D: Adjective with "avis" (RARA); 89D: Like "Jabberwocky"'s boy (BEAMISH); 90D: Embellish (ENHANCE); 92D: Brace (TWO); 94D: Well-off (MONEYED); 95D: Deep cuts (GASHES); 96D: Pines (LONGS); 97D: Fireplace fodder (LOG); 98D: Century plants (AGAVES); 99D: Sings "The Lonely Goatherd" (YODELS); 101D: Chew the greenery (GRAZE); 102D: Grayish (ASHY); 106D: Word with common or criminal (LAW); 109D: Plato's portico (STOA); 110D: Trumpeter Al (HIRT); 112D: Stable female (MARE); 115D: CODIS focus (DNA); 116D: Knock over (ROB); 117D: Green climber (IVY); 118D: Latin 401 (CDI); 119D: On Soc. Sec. (RET.).

SUNDAY, August 16, 2009 — Mike Peluso (syndicated puzzle)

[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: "On the DL" — Theme answers are two-word phrases, the first word beginning with D, the second with L. (85D: Temporarily not playing, in baseball lingo (and a hint to this puzzle's theme)). (DL stands for Disabled List.)

Theme answers:

• 23A: Vietnam War program (DRAFT LOTTERY).
  
• 29A: Driver's warning, perhaps (DASH LIGHT).
  
• 54A: What spies often lead (DOUBLE LIFE).
  
• 70A: Desert phenomenon (DRY LAKE).
  
• 89A: Place to sign (DOTTED LINE).
  
• 110A: Leer or sneer (DIRTY LOOK).
  
• 121A: It's no longer spoken anywhere (DEAD LANGUAGE).
  
• 38D: Be slain by a stand-up comic? (DIE LAUGHING).
  
• 43D: Murray offering (DANCE LESSON).
  

I really liked about 99% of this puzzle. That would be the first 99% I solved. Then I came to an absolute screeching halt at the cross of LALO and POILU (58A: "Le Roi d'Ys" composer / 53D: WWI French soldier). Didn't help that I can never remember how Ryan O'NEAL spells his last name (37D: Ryan of TV's "Peyton Place") (Me: "It's either the same as Shaq or it's different. Hmmm....") And I wasn't even completely sure about BEEPS (52A: Toots), thinking it might be beers. ("Toot" can be slang for a "drink," right?) So, yeah, that section was a big, fat mess and I'm not going to feel bad about it because I'm sure you all struggled with it too.

In keeping with the DL theme, I noticed a few other baseball clues:

• 22A: Baseball family name (ALOU). When I was figuring out which answer to use for CW101 today Felipe, Moises, and Jesús were all waving their arms wildly trying to get my attention.
  
• 95A: Third-winningest active baseball manager (TORRE). Former Yankee manager Joe Torre. And I'm sorry, he just doesn't look right in a Dodgers uniform.
  
• 41D: One of Willie Mays's 20 in 1957 (TRIPLE). He had a total of 140 in his career.
  
• 115D: National League division (EAST). The National League, of course, includes several Major League Baseball teams. The American League includes the rest of them. I have no idea which teams belong to which league.
  

But what I really noticed was all the French! But, hey, let's do today's lesson first.

Crosswordese 101: We've already covered DSCS (8A: Mil. decorations), AGORA (49A: Public place, in a phobia), ENOS (57A: Hall of Famer Slaughter), OTOES (84A: Onetime members of the Winnebago Nation), and SSTS (92D: Grounded fliers). NSA (129A: DOD division) and OSHA (12D: Workplace protection org.) were covered in our government agency roundup. That leaves us with a few choices today. Let's go with SSRS (15A: Ukr. et al., once), which stands for Soviet Socialist Republics (which, as I'm sure you know, used to be United). If the clue refers to a specific country, the ones you're most likely to see are Lithuania, Estonia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Armenia, and Latvia. Otherwise, the clue will say something like "Old map letters," or "Former political division."

Okay, back to the French. In addition to LALO and POILU, which I talked about above, there's also:

• 35A: Toulouse evening (SOIR).
  
• 114A: __-France (ÎLE-DE).
  

• 34D: Spirit in le ciel (ANGE). I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess this means angel.
  
• 44D: Marseilles crowd? (TROIS). Trois = three, and three's a crowd.
  
• 90D: Romain de Tirtoff, famously (ERTÉ).
  
• 91D: Behind (DERRIÈRE).
  
• 102D: "C'est magnifique!" ("OO LA LA!").
  

That seems like an awful lot of French, even for a Sunday puzzle. How'd you all do with it? Sunday puzzles are so big and there's so much to talk about! But I'm just not going to spend all day on this! Here are a few things that jumped out at me. If you have any questions or want to point out anything else, please be my guest in the comments.

• 19A: Like an albatross (OCEANIC). Would have liked a "Lost" clue on this one.
  

• 51A: Romanov leaders (CZARS). Okay, this is funny. I actually entered tsars here and thought to myself "Maybe I'll explain on the blog how the TS- spelling is so much more popular than the CZ- spelling."
  
• 73A: Henry James biographer Leon (EDEL). The sooner you get over the idea that Leon Uris is the only Leon author with a four-letter last name, the better.
  
• 92A: Online bulletin board runner (SYSOP). Short for system operator.
  
• 101A: So out it's in (RETRO). Great clue.
  
• 125A: Some operators: Abbr. (MDS). That is, Medical Doctors, who operate.
  
• 128A: Fen-__: banned diet aid (PHEN). Once on "Sports Night" Dana Whitaker was asked if she knew what fenfluramine was and she said, "Well sure, it's the fen in fen-phen." Say it out loud. It's funnier that way.
  
• 1D: Wyoming city (CODY). After Casper and Laramie, ya got me.
  
• 14D: Queen's neighbor? (BISHOP). Chess!
  
• 68D: Brown of song (LEROY). Not a big fan of this song, but I am a big fan of Jim Croce, so here's one of his better songs:



• 78D: She played Thelma (GEENA). "Thelma & Louise" was an extremely successful female appropriation of the "buddy movie" that really got people talking about feminist issues (not always politely). But, alas, when I think of "Thelma & Louise" I can only think of one thing. Brad Pitt. I stayed to watch the credits after that movie because I thought, "I wanna know who this guy is. We'll definitely be seeing him again." He was hot, is what I'm saying.
  

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Everything Else — 1A: "In My Own Fashion" autobiographer (CASSINI); 12A: Handicapper's hangout, briefly (OTB); 20A: Conference USA's Miners (UTEP); 21A: __ Lanka (SRI); 25A: Show uncertainty (HESITATE); 27A: Olden days (YORE); 28A: Guitar inlay material (NACRE); 30A: Piston pusher (CAM); 33A: Words after pass and raise (THE BAR); 36A: Daily agenda (TO-DO LIST); 40A: "Ready __ ..." (OR NOT); 42A: Given as compensation (PAID TO); 46A: Singer DiFranco (ANI); 47A: Some pop groups (TRIOS); 59A: Italian scooter (VESPA); 60A: Exhausted (SPENT); 62A: Second century date (CII); 63A: Upper East Side NYC eatery (ELAINE'S); 65A: Recede (EBB); 67A: Contract terms, at times (LEGALESE); 69A: __ Bator (ULAN); 74A: Narrow loaf (BAGUETTE); 77A: Old United rival (TWA); 78A: Rebuke silently (GLARE AT); 81A: __Kosh B'Gosh (OSH); 82A: Belgrade natives (SERBS); 86A: SAS destination (OSLO); 87A: Digestion aid (ACID); 93A: Hole in the head (SINUS); 96A: Old burners in a lab (ETNAS); 98A: Three Dog Night hit written by Nilsson (ONE); 99A: Mesopotamia border river (TIGRIS); 103A: 1066 battle site (HASTINGS); 105A: Take __ (A BOW); 107A: Oxygen-consuming bacterium (AEROBE); 109A: Adm.'s milieu (USN); 116A: Make pictures (DRAW); 120A: Web sellers (E-TAILERS); 124A: Danish shoe brand (ECCO); 126A: Woody's son (ARLO); 127A: The ghost of Mrs. Muir? (SPECTRE); 130A: Like many signers (DEAF); 131A: Syrup, essentially (TREE SAP); 2D: Bat opening (ACRO-); 3D: Precook, in a way (SEAR); 4D: Mariners' park, familiarly (SAFECO); 5D: QB's misthrow (INT.); 6D: Zip (NIL); 7D: Desktop figure (ICON); 8D: Like "aardvark," e.g. (DUTCH); 9D: Entertainment system (STEREO); 10D: Brainy (CEREBRAL); 11D: Thriller hero, often (SPY); 13D: Hair piece (TRESS); 15D: Make fun of (SATIRIZE); 16D: Refinery residue (SLAG); 17D: __ IRA (ROTH); 18D: Haggis ingredient (SUET); 24D: Skin coloring? (TATTOOS); 26D: Connected to the hipbone (ILIAC); 29D: Anticipates in a big way (DROOLS); 31D: Hgts. (ALTS.); 32D: Russian for "peace" (MIR); 36D: It may be periodic (TABLE); 39D: Opposing teams (SIDES); 45D: Actor Davis (OSSIE); 48D: More than great (SUPER); 50D: "I'll do it for __" (A FEE); 55D: Term of endearment (BABY); 56D: Marx collaborator (ENGELS); 59D: Let off steam (VENTED); 61D: Cry of accomplishment (TA-DA); 64D: Dundee denials (NAES); 66D: Lunch initials (BLT); 70D: Visa user (DEBTOR); 71D: Getting unauthorized R&R? (AWOL); 72D: Anchor Couric (KATIE); 74D: "Veni, vidi, vici," e.g. (BOAST); 75D: Computer acronym (ASCII); 76D: Equine gait (TROT); 79D: Go __: agree (ALONG); 80D: Has a few too many (TOPES); 83D: Winning or losing run (STREAK); 88D: Length of time (DURATION); 94D: Soothsayer (SIBYL); 97D: Tempe sch. (ASU); 100D: Like most church services (SOLEMN); 104D: Bring about (INDUCE); 106D: "Eating __ has never given me indigestion": Churchill (WORDS); 108D: __ roses (BED OF); 110D: Profound (DEEP); 111D: Restless desire (ITCH); 112D: Dash, for one (RACE); 113D: Mount of Greek myth (OSSA); 117D: "Darn it!" ("RATS!"); 118D: Indian tourist city (AGRA); 119D: Cry (WEEP); 121D: Family nickname (DAD); 122D: "All Things Considered" airer (NPR); 123D: "Golly" ("GEE").