08.12 Fri

F R I D A Y

August 12, 2011

Robert H. Wolfe

Theme: Do I Need to Spell It Out for You? — Each theme answer is a familiar phrase beginning with a word that is a homophone of a letter of the alphabet.



Theme answers:

• 17A: Urban area set aside for pekoe purveyors? (TEA SQUARE).
• 25A: New Zealand lamb-exporting method? (EWE BOAT).
• 28A: End of the line? (QUEUE TIP).
• 47A: "The Look of Love" and "Suddenly I See," e.g.? (EYE TUNES).
• 49A: Pitch notation for Debussy's "La Mer"? (SEA CLEF).
• 58A: Island allotment? (CAY RATION).

Busy day today, so I'll just say that I think this theme is really cute and then we'll jump straight to the bullets.



Bullets:

• 1A: Brother of Ham (SHEM). One day I'll do a CW101 on all the Bible names/terms you should know for crosswords.
• 9A: Performance lead-in (INTRO). I had the NTR in place and was thinking "ENTRE," but that's the "lead in" to an intermission, not the performance intself.

• 16A: Aired, as "Hogan's Heroes," say (RERAN). Oh those wacky POW camps.
• 20A: Cross (SULLEN). Gotta love the one-word clues on Friday. Have you ever thought about how many different meanings the word "cross" can have? Well today you did.
• 21A: Half of MXIV (DVII). Ouch. The dreaded Random Roman Numeral.
• 31A: Swimmer who channeled her energy? (EDERLE). In 1926, Gertrude EDERLE became the first woman to swim across the English channel.

• 51A: Revered Mother (TERESA). So weird. Just yesterday I drafted a letter to someone named "Reverend Mother Thérèse."
• 53A: Team playing in The Big A (ANGELS). Pretty sure I've never seen the nickname "The Big A" for Anaheim (or any other city for that matter). At first I thought it might be Austin (playing off of Dallas's nickname "The Big D") but couldn't think of a pro team in Austin. (Is there one?)
• 63A: Needing darning (TORN). I tried WORN first.

• 65A: What wavy lines may represent (ODORS).
• 66A: It's about a foot (SHOE). "About" in this case means "around."
• 27D: Mad VIPs (EDS.). EDitorS of Mad Magazine.
• 42D: Commemorative pillar (STELA). We covered STELE in CW101 a while back. Turns out it can also be spelled STELA. So now you know.
• 54D: Sodium hydroxide, in lab shorthand (NAOH). That looks like jibberish to me but I'm sure you science-y people out there knew it right off.

Crosswordese 101 Round-up:

• 56A: Icelandic literary treasures (EDDAS).

Everything — 1A: Brother of Ham (SHEM); 5A: Finishes (up) the gravy (SOPS); 9A: Performance lead-in (INTRO); 14A: Mystique (AURA); 15A: Aussie water hazard (CROC); 16A: Aired, as "Hogan's Heroes," say (RERAN); 17A: Urban area set aside for pekoe purveyors? (TEA SQUARE); 19A: Symphony section (REEDS); 20A: Cross (SULLEN); 21A: Half of MXIV (DVII); 22A: "Julie & Julia" co-star (STREEP); 25A: New Zealand lamb-exporting method? (EWE BOAT); 28A: End of the line? (QUEUE TIP); 31A: Swimmer who channeled her energy? (EDERLE); 32A: Store, as ashes (INURN); 33A: Contests ending in draws? (DUELS); 35A: Drifts off (NAPS); 36A: Pinkish yellow (CORAL); 37A: Hoax (FLAM); 41A: Low lands (DALES); 42A: Wine made from the Garganega grape (SOAVE); 43A: Have a one-track mind (OBSESS); 47A: "The Look of Love" and "Suddenly I See," e.g.? (EYE TUNES); 49A: Pitch notation for Debussy's "La Mer"? (SEA CLEF); 51A: Revered Mother (TERESA); 52A: Keen (WAIL); 53A: Team playing in The Big A (ANGELS); 56A: Icelandic literary treasures (EDDAS); 58A: Island allotment? (CAY RATION); 62A: Rubbed-out spirits (GENII); 63A: Needing darning (TORN); 64A: Polis starter (ACRO-); 65A: What wavy lines may represent (ODORS); 66A: It's about a foot (SHOE); 67A: Regretted (RUED); 1D: Wasn't used (SAT); 2D: Shade (HUE); 3D: Stat for CC Sabathia (ERA); 4D: People who knead people (MASSEURS); 5D: Work with clay, say (SCULPT); 6D: Lacking a paper trail (ORAL); 7D: Skin feature (PORE); 8D: Dramatic division (SCENE); 9D: Bargain basement abbr. (IRR.); 10D: As required, after "if" (NEED BE); 11D: "Felicia's Journey" writer William (TREVOR); 12D: Like some saws and tires (RADIAL); 13D: Not remote (ONSITE); 18D: Versatile game piece (QUEEN); 22D: Magazine ad meas. (SQ. IN.); 23D: __ melt (TUNA); 24D: Do another stint (RE-UP); 26D: "Let me think ..." ("WELL …"); 27D: Mad VIPs (EDS.); 29D: Hot star (IDOL); 30D: Turn to mush (PUREE); 34D: "Calm down!" ("EASY!"); 36D: Winery buy (CASE); 37D: Like expensive restaurants, hopefully (FOUR-STAR); 38D: Meet assignment (LANE); 39D: Madison et al.: Abbr. (AVES.); 40D: Cubs' spring training city (MESA); 41D: PC dial-up upgrade (DSL); 42D: Commemorative pillar (STELA); 43D: Lake Ontario port (OSWEGO); 44D: Like some women's evening bags (BEADED); 45D: Refused (SAID NO); 46D: Filled pastry (ECLAIR); 48D: Unlimited, in verse (ETERNE); 50D: Almanac offerings (FACTS); 54D: Sodium hydroxide, in lab shorthand (NAOH); 55D: Sandwich with tzatziki sauce (GYRO); 57D: Family girl (SIS); 59D: Post-op stop (ICU); 60D: Unrefined metal (ORE); 61D: Quiet bid (NOD).