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).