03.23 Wed

W E D N E S D A Y
March 23, 2011
Farnk Virzi

Theme: TV Mash-Up — Theme answers are made-up two-word phrases where each word is the title of a television show.

Theme answers:

• 17A: Family line of bar makers? (SOAP DYNASTY).
• 24A: Windfall of chicken pieces? (WINGS BONANZA).
• 37A: Glasgow girl under a spell? (BEWITCHED LASSIE).
• 47A: Frat guy with a spatula? (HOUSE FLIPPER).
• 58A: Unwanted grass at the Cotton Bowl? (DALLAS WEEDS).

Ya know what I like about this theme? The variety of television shows represented in the theme answers. The shows span several decades and some have really become an integral part of our culture while others are more on the fringes. Comedy, drama, prime-time soap opera, western — this theme has it all. Nicely done.

Bullets:

• 11A: Jet or time follower (LAG). I ridiculously entered SET without even thinking. Time set? Um … no.
• 15A: __ vincit amor (OMNIA). Latin for "Love conquers all."
• 22A: "The Road to Wealth" author (ORMAN). Suze ORMAN.
• 27A: Four-time Masters winner, familiarly (ARNIE). Arnold Palmer.
• 30A: Cockamamie (INANE). Cockamamie is an awesome word.

• 32A: Lloyd or Paul of Cooperstown (WANER). No idea. That A was the last letter I put in the grid. If I was still at the ACPT talking about this entry, no doubt Peter Gordon would be explaining all of the WANERs' accomplishments to me and giving me a you're-such-a-girl look. It's really hard to convince a huge baseball fan that a certain obscure baseball player is, indeed, obscure is what I'm saying.
• 57A: Popular ending? (-IZE). -IZE is a suffix that you can tack onto the end of the word "popular" to make "popularize."
• 65A: Terre Haute sch. (ISU). Indiana State University.
• 66A: They may be French (DOORS). I tried MOORS first. Are there Moors in France?
• 2D: "Am __ strict?" (I TOO). Overwhelming answer to this question when asked by today's parents? NO.

• 3D: Nana (GRAN). I tried GRAM first. In fact, I didn't even check the across answer and once I had finished the whole grid, I had to go back and find that mistake.
• 12D: Desilu co-founder (ARNAZ). Yes, that really is how Desi ARNAZ spells his last name.
• 39D: Part of NFC: Abbr. (CONF.). Northern [Something] Conference, right? Football? Yes, Football.
• 45D: Me. hours (EST). Eastern Standard Time in Maine (abbreviated Me.).
• 55D: Not much at all (A DAB). I tried A TAD first.
• 60D: Wall St. action (LBO). Leveraged buyout.

Crosswordese 101 Round-up:

• 44A: City on the Aar (BERNE).
• 64A: Bunsen burner cousins (ETNAS).
• 26D: Turow work set at Harvard (ONE-L).
• 61D: 1940s mil. venue (ETO).

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Everything Else — 1A: Note for a soprano (HIGH C); 6A: Puts away (JAILS); 14A: Heart chambers (ATRIA); 16A: Dander (IRE); 19A: "Wheel of Fortune" request (AN E); 20A: Huge amount (TON); 21A: Malamute and mastiff (DOGS); 31A: Vichyssoise veggie (LEEK); 34A: Teachers College advanced deg. (ED.D.); 41A: Pitches between innings? (ADS); 42A: Clod choppers (HOERS); 43A: Source of Davy Crockett's cap (COON); 46A: Slugger Ramirez (MANNY); 52A: Angiogram image (AORTA); 53A: Like San Francisco's Coit Tower (DECO); 54A: Google Earth image (MAP); 62A: Celestial Seasonings product (TEA); 63A: Hot coal (EMBER); 67A: Reservations (DOUBT); 1D: "... why __ thou forsaken me?": Matthew (HAST); 4D: With it (HIP); 5D: Links assistant (CADDIE); 6D: Mah-__ (JONGG); 7D: Build up (AMASS); 8D: __ and outs: peculiarities (INS); 9D: Blotto (LIT); 10D: Michener novel set in Japan (SAYONARA); 11D: "Michael Collins" star (LIAM NEESON); 13D: Davis of "A League of Their Own" (GEENA); 18D: "Who touches a hair of __ gray head ...": Whittier (YON); 23D: Campaigned (RAN); 24D: Collaborative Web site (WIKI); 25D: Tight spots (BINDS); 27D: Goya's "Duchess of __" (ALBA); 28D: Pond plant (REED); 29D: Reuters, e.g. (NEWS BUREAU); 32D: Big shot (WHEEL); 33D: Cousin of atmo- (AER-); 35D: "Runaround Sue" singer (DION); 36D: Say no to (DENY); 38D: Like some machinery nuts (THREADED); 40D: Fight memento (SCAR); 46D: Sounded like a Siamese (MEOWED); 47D: Greater Antilles nation (HAITI); 48D: Percolates (OOZES); 49D: Lazybones (IDLER); 50D: Orchard fruit (PEARS); 51D: IBM products (PC'S); 54D: Maître d's offering (MENU); 56D: Soft "Hey!" ("PSST!"); 59D: Latin 101 verb (AMO).