January 9, 2011
Jack McInturff
[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: "Oui" — The letters "OU" are replaced with "I" in familiar phrases, and the resulting entries are given punny clues.
Today's syndicated puzzle was a good one. Rather than simply adding or subtracting a letter, Jack McInturff pulls a little switcheroo, substituting "I" for "OU." My favorite theme entry is SIR GRAPES because it conjures up a goofy image, and goofy images are the bread and butter of my blog posts. My least favorite is FIR POSTER, because the clue (Dorm room Christmas tree?) feels a bit off. I think the idea is that a college student wouldn't have an actual Christmas tree in his or her dorm room, so the kid might tack up a poster with a Christmas tree on it. Hmmm. Maybe a clue about a "Christmas tree blog" and "blog posters" would make more sense.
Quite a few unfamiliar names in this one, but I didn't have trouble getting them from the crossing entries. Let's begin the bullets.
Jack McInturff
[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: "Oui" — The letters "OU" are replaced with "I" in familiar phrases, and the resulting entries are given punny clues.
Theme Answers:
- 23A: Herb homily? (SERMON ON THE MINT).
- 39A: Like a stroller out of breath? (WALKING WINDED).
- 50A: Golf pro's protection? (GRIP INSURANCE).
- 70A: Coffee at church? (HALLOWED GRIND).
- 81A: Adoptee's goal? (FINDING FATHER).
- 105A: "Last Comic Standing" winning routine? (CHAMPIONSHIP BIT).
- 35D: Knighted vintner's nickname? (SIR GRAPES).
- 46D: Dorm room Christmas tree? (FIR POSTER).
Quite a few unfamiliar names in this one, but I didn't have trouble getting them from the crossing entries. Let's begin the bullets.
Bullets:
- 19A: Yellow spreads (OLEOS). You think "Big Tobacco" is too powerful? What about "Big Butter"? Oleo (margarine) is naturally white. In the early 19th century, the butter lobby supported legislation to ban the addition of yellow coloring to margarine. Some states even enacted laws to require margarine manufacturers to add pink coloring to make the product look unpalatable. By the start of the 20th century, eight out of ten Americans couldn't buy yellow margarine, and those that could had to pay a hefty tax on it. Bootleg colored margarine became common, and manufacturers began to supply food-coloring capsules so that the consumer could knead the yellow color into margarine before serving it. (Wikipedia)
- 26A: Canadian pianist Kuerti (ANTON). First "huh?" name of the day.
- 36A: Van Morrison's singing daughter (SHANA). Second "huh?" name of the day. To be fair, SHANA clues usually reference Shana Alexander, and I don't know her either. Maybe Ms. Morrison can supplant her as the go-to SHANA.
- 44A: Sound relatives (BAYS). Sounds and bays are bodies of water. Tricky.
- 78A: Former U.K. carrier (BOAC). British Overseas Airway Corporation. I once confused this with HUAC, House Un-American Activities Committee.
- 1D: Speaker of note (BOSE). Bose is a company that makes high-end audio equipment. My first guess for this one was TRIS Speaker, Hall of Fame centerfielder.
- 3D: Michael Corleone's bodyguard Al (NERI). Third "huh?" name of the day.
- 31D: "___ Promise You": *NSYNC hit (THIS I). This I promise you: I will never include an 'N SYNC video on the blog. But the Meaty Cheesy Boys are cool.
- 40D: Pianist/composer Chasins (ABRAM). Fourth "huh?" name of the day.
- 64D: Former title-winning women's wrestler Stratus (TRISH). Fifth and final "huh?" name of the day. I couldn't find a SFB (Safe For Blog) picture of Ms. Stratus, so you'll have to google your own. She's a seven-time WWE Women's Champion, and her signature moves include the Chick Kick, MaTrish Reloaded, and Stratusfaction. Maybe Iowa should hire her to help coach the wrestling team. (I'm kidding, PuzzleGirl! I just want to make sure you're reading this.)
- 81D: Bernie, Roz, and Greg, in a 2004 film (FOCKERS). I'm a little surprised to see this entry in a mainstream puzzle. I suspect it would have been disallowed if the word crossing the "O" was the least bit ambiguous. How many of these "Fockers" movies are there anyway? I've seen a lot of billboards for the latest installment.
- 84D: Spy covers (FAKE IDS). Remember "The Bourne Identity" movie? While in Zurich, the amnesiac Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) opens up a safe deposit box and finds a collection of his fake passports and IDs. And all of them have my birthday on them: month, day, and year! Cool, eh? A couple years after the movie came out, I noticed that some company was selling "Bourne Identity" props on eBay, so I emailed to ask them about the fake passports. They said they can't sell items that could be used for fraudulent purposes. Lame!
- 106D: Hugs, on cards (OOO). You don't usually see them without kisses (XXX).
Crosswordese101 Round-up:
- 19A: Yellow spreads (OLEOS).
- 74A: Hindu title (SRI).
- 96A: Pelvic bones (ILIA).
- 108A: It has banks in Switzerland (AARE).
- 24D: One-time partner of novelist Miller (NIN).
- 54D: African antelope (ELAND).
- 65D: Saree wearer (RANEE).
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