05.21 Sat

S A T U R D A Y
May 21, 2011
Barry C. Silk

Theme: None

Fun, tough puzzle to start off our weekend. Or does the weekend start on Friday? Whatever, this one is good. And if you just can't get enough of Barry Silk (and really, who can?), he also has the New York Times puzzle today. I haven't solved it yet. I'm guessing it's hard. But there's a lot to talk about, so let's go straight to the bullets.

Bullets:

• 1A: Unhappy fans, in slang (BOOBIRDS). I don't believe I've ever heard this term before, but it was easy to infer with a couple of the crosses in place.

• 15A: Encroachment (INVASION). PuzzleHusband accused me of encroaching on his half of the bathroom shelf the other day. I told him I was going to need a temporary easement. This is what happens when someone goes to work in a real estate law firm.
• 18A: Cheerios' cousins (ADIEUX). Two ways to say "good-bye." ADIEUX is, of course, the plural of ADIEU. (French!)
• 22A: "The Little Mermaid" prince (ERIC). Isn't the prince in the Nutcracker Suite also named ERIC? ERIC is also the name of the coach on "Friday Night Lights" and my cousin in Chicago. Coincidence? Most assuredly.

• 32A: Dating letters (BCE). Before the Common Era.
• 36A: Centennial debut of 1909 (LINCOLN HEAD CENT). I just learned that Abe Lincoln actually invented the emoticon. Can that possibly be true?
• 43A: Bird suborder that includes gulls and terns (LARI). Needed every single cross for this one.
• 48A: Divine, in a way (DOWSE). This has to do with finding water, right?
• 57A: Rubble creator (TNT). Oh that rubble.
• 62A: Jason, for one (SEAFARER). Oh that Jason.
• 64A: One of only three golfers who briefly kept Tiger Woods out of the World #1 spot between 1/11/1998 and 10/30/2010 (ERNIE ELS). Fun to see ERNIE's whole name in the grid, but this clue is just flat-out ridiculous. I guess January through October is golf season? Is that right? Those dates seem really random, but I'm sure they're not.

• 2D: Available, in a way (ON HIRE). Not a fan of this answer. Would like FOR HIRE much better.
• 8D: Oct. 1975 TV debut (SNL). I remember it like it was yesterday. I guess some people still watch the show. Every once in a while PuzzleSister will say to me, "Did you see on Saturday Night Live last week …?" And I'm all, "Um, I haven't watched SNL for like 25 years."
• 23D: "I Got a Name" singer (CROCE).
• 31D: One concerned with clemency (WEATHERMAN). I thought maybe this was referring to the Weather Underground and its members' concerns for their legal treatment. But no. "Clemency" here is just a meteorological term.
• 39D: Traffic controller, briefly (DEA). Drug traffic, that is. But you knew that.

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Everything Else — 9A: Dinar spenders (IRAQIS); 16A: Scraps (REFUSE); 17A: Cruel woman (SHE-DEVIL); 19A: Poitier title role (SIR); 20A: Sargasso Sea spawner (EEL); 21A: Hunter, at times (SNARER); 24A: Clancy hero (RYAN); 26A: Principle (TENET); 28A: Four-note chord (TETRAD); 30A: Investment company T. __ Price (ROWE); 33A: 160 square rods (ONE ACRE); 35A: Ugly (MEAN); 40A: Downwind (ALEE); 41A: Sunbeam product (TOASTER); 42A: Nth: Abbr. (ULT.); 44A: Prom queen's concern (HAIRDO); 50A: Summit (ACME); 52A: Shade of red (BEET); 53A: High-profile 44-Across (MOHAWK); 55A: Title object of a 1981 film quest (ARK); 58A: Fine wool (MERINO); 59A: Polish (SIMONIZE); 61A: Observation while passing the buck (ANTLER); 63A: On the beach (ASHORE); 1D: "The Deep" co-star (BISSET); 3D: Ready to move on (OVER IT); 4D: Sinister (BAD); 5D: "Of course" ("I SEE"); 6D: Mouth formation (RIVER DELTA); 7D: Decoration under a bowl (DOILY); 9D: Modern-day theocracy (IRAN); 10D: Make an archaeological adjustment to (REDATE); 11D: Hot (AFIRE); 12D: Colonial leader (QUEEN BEE); 13D: "Glad to do it!" ("I SURE CAN!"); 14D: Word with appeal or change (SEX); 21D: They may wake you up (SNORES); 25D: Very old (ARCHAIC); 27D: Big top, e.g. (TENT); 29D: Year in Mexico (AÑO); 34D: Arctic jacket (ANORAK); 35D: Fast-food pork sandwich (MCRIB); 36D: Glorify (LAUD); 37D: Dark clouds, to some (ILL OMENS); 38D: Financial planning yardstick (NET WORTH); 43D: One resting against a stake (LEANER); 45D: Turn in (RETIRE); 46D: Washington of "Glory" (DENZEL); 47D: River rompers (OTTERS); 49D: 1970 Neil Diamond hit (SHILO); 51D: Gold medalist skier Hermann (MAIER); 54D: Passed slowly, with "on" (WORE); 56D: First name in diplomacy (KOFI); 58D: Barnyard bleat (MAA); 59D: Vane dir. (SSE); 60D: Clydebank contradiction (NAE).