07.10 Sun

S U N D A Y
July 10, 2011
Julian Lim

[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: "4 x 4" — Phrases made up of four four-letter words.

Theme Entries:

• 23A: "We'll find out in due course" (ONLY TIME WILL TELL).
• 39A: Hotel ad phrase (HOME AWAY FROM HOME).
• 53A: "Stay alert!" (KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN).
• 72A: Act rashly (LEAD WITH ONES CHIN).
• 88A: Cry to players in hiding (OLLY OLLY OXEN FREE).
• 106A: Often skeptical words of encouragement (GOOD LUCK WITH THAT).

Hey, crossword fans. Doug here on Sunday. Today's theme is quartets of four-letter words. It doesn't sound that exciting, but it worked out pretty well. The six 4x4 phrases are all good, and I especially like the last one, GOOD LUCK WITH THAT. That's exactly what PuzzleGirl said to me when I told her I'm going to make millions by starting the next big puzzle craze. She's skeptical, but I think my Ziggy-themed sudoku variant is going to take the puzzle world by storm. Look for it in a newspaper near you!

Bullets:

• 27A: 2002 hit for Cam'ron (HEY MA). I've never heard this song, and I don't know whether Cam'ron is a guy or a girl. I like the apostrophe though.
• 23A: "We'll find out in due course" (ONLY TIME WILL TELL). OK, this is a song I know.

• 36A: One who harnesses the power of midi-chlorians (JEDI). Some "Star Wars" gobbledygook. I gave up on that series after "The Phantom Menace."
• 48A: Letter-shaped track (T-SLOT) / 48D: Semicircular moldings (TORI). Ouch. I think the T crossing is going to cause some problems here. Plenty of letters sound good for the beginning of the "Letter-shaped track" and TORI (plural of TORUS) is a toughie.
• 18D: Words of support (WE CARE). I'd put this phrase in the same snarky category as GOOD LUCK WITH THAT.

• 63D: It was once described as an "odious column of bolted metal" (EIFFEL TOWER). Great entry and clue.
• 73D: Target Field team (TWINS). At first, I didn't like the name Target Field, but it's grown on me. Better than U.S. Cellular Field or O.co Coliseum. And in 2010, ESPN The Magazine ranked Target Field as the #1 stadium experience in North America, beating out 121 others. Sweet.
• 83A: Town in a Carlo Levi title (EBOLI). The book is "Christ Stopped at Eboli." I always find this entry disturbing. It looks like a cross between E. coli bacteria and the Ebola virus. That can't be a good thing to catch.
• 106D: Clock std. (GST). Usually this is GMT, Greenwich Mean Time.

Sorry this is a little short today. Feel free to amuse yourself in the comments.