Jumat, 10 Juni 2011

06.10 Fri

F R I D A Y
June 10, 2011
Marti Duguay-Carpenter


Theme: Story Story Night — Theme answers are puns in which the first word is a synonym for "story."

Theme answers:

  • 20A: Mount Olympus and environs? (MYTH UNIVERSE).
  • 34A: Thinking like Aesop? (FABLE-MINDED).
  • 40A: One majoring in traditional knowledge? (LORE STUDENT).
  • 54A: Quills for Chaucer? (TALE FEATHERS).
This was a tough theme for me to crack. I had the ends of three theme answers (which I had pieced together through crosses and guesses based on the clues) before I ever had the beginning of any of them. So I wasn't sure exactly what I was looking for. Even after I got the FABLE part of FABLE-MINDED, all I thought was "pun." I still didn't know how all the first words were related. I thought maybe an EE to AY sound change? The second theme answer I uncovered was LORE STUDENT and then I was completely lost. LORE STUDENT? What could the original phrase possible be? LAIR? LEER? LIAR? LURE? It wasn't until after I had solved the entire puzzle, figured out the theme, set the puzzle down, and picked it up again a few minutes later that LAW STUDENT popped into my mind. That's not a great pun is what I'm saying. The others are very clear. Two use a simple sound change, one is just a homophone, and then the last one is a sound change … plus some other stuff. I guess if I'm going to be totally honestly, I have to admit that I've probably heard a New Yorker put an R on the end of the word LAW at some point in my life. But I still don't think the pun works. I'm just stubborn that way.

The last two letters I entered into the grid were the B in DRIB and then the I. [1A: Small amount] had to be either DRIB, DRAB, or DRAM right? MASH IN wasn't going to work for [4D: Knock down during a raid] so that answered the B question. But then I couldn't make sense of [3D: Some OKs] with only A and I as my options, so I thought that B might have been wrong and there was a "small amount" that I'd never heard of. After a slight struggle, I decided that INITS. must mean INITIALS and since OK in the sense I was thinking of it (OKAY) wasn't an initialism, O.K. must stand for something else that I just wasn't coming up with. I know I'm probably missing something obvious here. Anyone?

Bullets:
  • 9A: Rare score note (C FLAT). I wasn't sure if this clue meant that the answer was (1) a rare note or (2) a note in a rare score. Like maybe there are some music pieces out there from long, long ago that have … different notes? I know. It doesn't make sense sometimes the stuff that goes through my head.
  • 15A: Songdom showgirl (LOLA). Her name was LOLA. She was a showgirl. But that was 30 years ago when they used to have a show. Hope you enjoy that the rest of the day.
  • 18A: Some govt. lawyers (ADA'S). Assistant District Attorneys.
  • 27A: Eighth-century Japanese capital (NARA). No idea.
  • 50A: Sinus-clearing condiment (WASABI). WASABI is fun to say.
  • 61A: Early Macy's Day Parade balloon designer (SARG). I think Tony SARG is typically clued as a puppeteer. I remember looking him up once for a blog post and reading about how he was involved with early Macy's Day Parades.
  • 9D: Kennedy designer (CASSINI). We're much more likely to see CASSINI's first name, OLEG, in the grid.
  • 10D: Small distinction (FINE LINE). This is a great clue.
  • 11D: Where to go in London? (LOO). Oh good, bathroom humor.
  • 12D: Eastern N.Y. airport (ALB). I honestly didn't know ALBany was in Eastern New York. I just looked at a map of New York and found that Buffalo isn't really where I thought it was either. Some days it seems as though the depth of my ignorance is truly astounding.
  • 55D: Jazz venue? (ESPN). I knew this clue was referring to the basketball team, so I tried UTAH first. Very tricky!
Crosswordese 101 Round-up:
  • 14A: Spanish actress Chaplin (Charlie's granddaughter) (OONA).
  • 39A: First name in architecture (EERO).
  • 67A: Card, e.g. (NL'ER).
  • 32D: Chiwere speakers (OTOES).
  • 51D: Isolated nest (AERIE).
  • 57D: City north of Pittsburgh (ERIE).
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Everything Else 5A: Otherwise (ELSE); 16A: French garlic sauce (AIOLI); 17A: Sauvignon __ (GRIS); 19A: They don't mix with just anybody (SNOBS); 23A: Court statistic (ASSIST); 24A: Get ready for a competition, bodybuilder-style (OIL UP); 29A: Met (RAN INTO); 31A: Levels (KO'S); 36A: Simple step (A TO B); 38A: Nuke (ZAP); 45A: Howard of Hollywood (RON); 46A: It may be tapped (BEER KEG); 47A: Sainted pope called "the Great" (LEO I); 49A: Escargot (SNAIL); 58A: Up and about (ASTIR); 62A: Highchair component (TRAY); 63A: One of the Allman Brothers (DUANE); 64A: "Grand" or "demi" ballet move (PLIE); 65A: Auxiliary (AIDE); 66A: Game with blocks (JENGA); 68A: Break (REST); 1D: Matter of faith (DOGMA); 2D: Golfer Sabbatini and actor Calhoun (RORYS); 5D: Hyundai sedan (ELANTRA); 6D: California's self-proclaimed "Zinfandel Capital of the World" (LODI); 7D: Pole, for one (SLAV); 8D: Facility (EASE); 13D: "Angela's Ashes" sequel ('TIS); 21D: Govt. jet set? (USAF); 22D: Go nowhere special (ROAM); 25D: Fail, after "go" (UNDER); 26D: Wing: Prefix (PTERO-); 28D: '70s congresswoman known as "Battling Bella" (ABZUG); 29D: Ward off (REPEL); 30D: Eat to excess (O.D. ON); 31D: De__, Illinois (KALB); 33D: Philosopher Kierkegaard (SOREN); 35D: Boy (LAD); 37D: Dressing down (BERATING); 41D: Mountain destination (SKI AREA); 42D: Spill (TELL); 43D: Yanni fan, maybe (NEW AGER); 44D: Exactly (TO A T); 48D: 1987 Beatty/Hoffman flop (ISHTAR); 52D: Finishing nails (BRADS); 53D: "The best __ to be": Browning (IS YET); 56D: Spill (FALL); 58D: Trans. or intrans. (ADJ.); 59D: Go after, in a way (SUE); 60D: Avoid burning, perhaps (TAN).

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