04.12 Tue

T U E S D A Y
April 12, 2011
Jerome Gunderson

Theme: On-Again Off-Again — Each theme answer is a compound word or a two-word phrase where each of the two parts can be preceded by both ON and OFF in familiar phrases.

Theme answers:

• 17A: Where sea meets sand (SHORELINE).
• 25A: Behind-the-scenes worker (STAGEHAND).
• 51A: Distract (SIDETRACK).
• 61A: Sentry's job (GUARD DUTY).
• 37A: Light controller—either of its first two words can precede either part of 17-, 25-, 51- and 61-Across (ON/OFF SWITCH).

Very nice theme for our Tuesday puzzle this week. I thought the reveal clue seemed more convoluted than was probably necessary, but I didn't really spend any time trying to come up with something better, so you can take that criticism with a grain of salt. Theme answers themselves are nice, especially STAGEHAND and SIDETRACK. Nothing super sparkly in the grid, only a little bit of crosswordese, seems like the abbreviations were all kinda bunched there in the middle so by the time I got to ALT. (after DEC. and RTE.) I thought "Okay, enough with the abbreviations already!" and then there weren't any more. Made me feel like I had special powers or something.

Two words in the grid made me chuckle because to me they're just strange words. TATAR (59A: Steppes native) and PITHY (42A: Brief and forceful). To me, TATAR always seems like it should be something else — TARTAR? TARTAN? — or maybe it's like someone trying to say TATER in a hifalutin way. And PITHY, well that just sounds like someone lisping, right? I actually used the word "pissy" in an email this morning. (If you're wondering — and I'm sure you are — I was telling someone in my office that I was in a pissy mood and it kinda seemed like this other person in the office needed to be yelled at so I was volunteering.)

Bullets:

• 5A: Syrup brand (KARO). Mmmm, syrup.
• 9A: Scatter (STREW). Oh here's another one. I know this is a perfectly legitimate word but have you ever heard it actually used? Or have you only heard it as, like, something STREWN about?
• 19A: Like most attics (DUSTY). I tried MUSTY first. I guess the basement is more MUSTY and the attic is more DUSTY.



• 23A: Links elevator? (TEE). Cute. The TEE "elevates" the golfball.
• 56A: Place for a pint (BAR) and Place for a cup (BRA). Cute.

• 10D: Liar's undoing (TRUTH). Oh if only this were true. Sometimes the TRUTH doesn't seem to make any difference. Sigh.
• 39D: Suffix with cord (-ITE). I don't think I know what "cordite" is. Should I look it up? Oh okay, I will. Hold on.
  

  cordite noun: a smokeless powder composed of nitroglycerin, guncotton, and a petroleum substance usually gelatinized by addition of acetone and pressed into cords resembling brown twine.

  Alrighty then.
• 50D: Western dry lakes (PLAYAS). Again, I'm sure this is right, but it doesn't fit with my experience of the word PLAYA. I mean, PLAYA is a beach right? I was tyring to think of ARROYO and, what's the one that starts with W? WADI? Yes, WADI. I think those things are all related, but different.

Crosswordese 101: I don't really know what an ARBitrageur is (except that it is presumably a person who engages in ARBitrage). All I know is that ARBitrage has something to do with Wall Street trading and hedging. Thank goodness that's all I need to know for crossword-puzzle purposes. Clues for ARB will almost always include one word from Group A and one from Group B:

Group A: Wall St., NYSE, market, trading, hedge fund
Group B: hedger, trader, specialist, whiz, figure

See how today's 45D: Wall St. hedger follows the pattern? Well, that's pretty much what you need to know about ARB.

Other crosswordese in the puzzle that we've already covered:

• 24A: Old Great Lakes natives (ERIES).
• 64A: Cold capital? (OSLO).
• 6D: George W.'s first press secretary (ARI).
• 27D: __ Spiegel: German magazine (DER).

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Everything Else — 1A: Poker Flat chronicler Harte (BRET); 14A: Plane opening? (AERO-); 15A: Farsi-speaking republic (IRAN); 16A: Sports venue (ARENA); 20A: Mob enforcer (HITMAN); 21A: Gp. concerned with fluoride safety (ADA); 28A: Christmas mo. (DEC.); 29A: Water temperature gauge? (TOE); 31A: Pro vote (YEA); 32A: USPS carrier's assignment (RTE.); 33A: Words of sympathy (I CARE); 35A: Potato cutter (RICER); 40A: Flora eaters, perhaps (FAUNA); 43A: Pilot's no. (ALT.); 44A: Toothed tool (SAW); 47A: Unused (NEW); 48A: Rock guitarist's aid (AMP); 54A: Spring time (APRIL); 58A: Anatomical ring (AREOLA); 63A: Carrying a lot of weight (OBESE); 65A: Largest continent (ASIA); 66A: Used hip boots (WADED); 67A: Feat (DEED); 68A: Winemaking waste (LEES); 1D: Lambasted (BASHED); 2D: Put to work again (REHIRE); 3D: Titillating (EROTIC); 4D: Singer with the Mel-Tones (TORMÉ); 5D: Brick baker (KILN); 7D: Attacked with clubs and such (RAN AT); 8D: In the future (ONE DAY); 9D: Glum (SAD); 11D: Fact-finding process (RESEARCH); 12D: Understanding between nations (ENTENTE); 13D: Method (WAY); 18D: It stretches from Maine to Florida (EAST COAST); 22D: Make better, as cheddar (AGE); 25D: Lord's laborer (SERF); 26D: Falling object's direction (EARTHWARD); 30D: Stumblebum (OAF); 33D: Roadside rest stop (INN); 34D: Clairvoyance, briefly (ESP); 36D: Like many a slick road (ICY); 37D: Passé (OUTDATED); 38D: Lash flash? (WINK); 40D: Scale fourths (FAS); 41D: Fictional Arabic woodcutter (ALI BABA); 46D: Ares or Mars (WAR GOD); 48D: Stimulate (AROUSE); 49D: Uncle __: Berle nickname (MILTIE); 52D: How to turn something into nothing? (ERASE); 53D: Effect's partner (CAUSE); 55D: Go by bike (PEDAL); 58D: Youngest to reach 500 HRs (A-ROD); 59D: Auto club offering (TOW); 60D: What mad people see? (RED); 62D: Pint contents (ALE).

02.23 Wed

W E D N E S D A Y
February 23, 2011
Jerome Gunderson

Theme: Big Dummies

Theme answers:

• 1A: Court jester (FOOL).
• 17A: Country singer with the 1961 hit "Crazy" (PATSY CLINE).
• 56A: Shameful emblem in Genesis (MARK OF CAIN).
• 64A: Hammer or sickle (TOOL).
• 10D: Hockshop receipt (PAWN TICKET).
• 29D: Remora (SUCKERFISH).
• 38A: 1- and 64-Across, and the first words of the four longest puzzle answers (DUPES).

I really like this theme idea. It's cool that there are so many words that aren't exact synonyms but are close enough in meaning that they hang together pretty well. Unfortunately, even though they're symmetrical, they nonetheless have the feeling of being haphazardly placed all over the grid. Also, if the theme is already this all-over-the-place, I would have worked extra hard not to include another random entry that fits the theme but isn't included in the theme, i.e., NINNY (63A: Doofus). So, yeah. Just seems kind of disorderly to me.

The theme answers themselves are colorful phrases, so that's pretty cool. Other highlights for me include:

• 35A: Sudden ache (PANG).
• 45A: Fastening pin (COTTER).
• 62A: Reggae musician Peter (TOSH).
• 1D: Dandies (FOPS).
• 18D: 2009 Series winners (YANKS).

There were two clues that completely puzzled me. First, [10A: Sourdough's ground breaker] for PICK. Even now after having considered this for a good bit of time (relatively), I still don't understand what it means. Second, [48A: Sponge for grunge] for LOOFAH. To me, "grunge" means only one thing and that's late-80s, Seattle-based, Nirvana-Pearl-Jam-Etc. music so it was hard for me to shift gears and think of it as its former definition. Which I guess is, like, dirt? Only it sounds grosser than dirt. And speaking of gross, if LEPER COLONY never appears in the puzzle again I'll be okay with that. Totally okay.

Oh, and I've never heard the word "calaboose," which I guess is a slang word for "jail," thus [12D: Calaboose compartment] = CELL. I'm not saying that any of these entries aren't perfectly legitimate. I'm just saying that for a puzzle that already seemed kinda slapdash because of the theme, the clues that seemed strange to me were more irritating than enlightening.

Crosswordese 101 Round-up:

• 14A: Quint's boat in "Jaws" (ORCA).
• 16A: Yemen seaport (ADEN).
• 25A: Mine entrance (ADIT).
• 41A: Russia's __ Mountains (URAL).
• 55A: "The Time Machine" race (ELOI).
• 7D: Adidas rival (AVIA).
• 32D: Sharp ridge (ARETE).
• 49D: Hodgepodge (OLIO).
• 54D: First-year law student (ONE-L).

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Everything Else — 5A: Zoo barriers (MOATS); 15A: Polite (CIVIL); 19A: Trickery (WILE); 20A: __-mo replay (SLO); 21A: Vicinity (AREA); 22A: Submerge while sitting poolside, as one's feet (DANGLE); 24A: Australian folk hero Kelly (NED); 26A: 49th state (ALASKA); 30A: Like the son in a parable of Jesus (PRODIGAL); 34A: Bills of fare (MENUS); 36A: Heal (CURE); 37A: Old Norse mariner (ERIC); 39A: Retain (KEEP); 40A: Cranny relative (NOOK); 42A: "Beau __ " (GESTE); 43A: Kitchen areas, perhaps (DINETTES); 46A: Cereal grain (RICE); 47A: Also (TOO); 51A: Play a round (GOLF); 52A: Timing lead-in (TWO); 59A: Puppy bites (NIPS); 60A: Mindy, to Mork? (ALIEN); 61A: Teen bane (ACNE); 2D: Shouted, say (ORAL); 3D: Septi- plus one (OCTO-); 4D: Vegas opener (LAS); 5D: Joel who was the first actor to portray Dr. Kildare (MCCREA); 6D: No longer squeaky (OILED); 8D: Badge material (TIN); 9D: Snow pack? (SLED DOGS); 11D: Beatnik's "Got it" ("I DIG"); 13D: Pants part (KNEE); 23D: Lend a hand (AID); 25D: Synthetic fiber (ARNEL); 26D: Congressionally change (AMEND); 27D: The king of France? (LE ROI); 28D: Atom with a negative charge (ANION); 30D: Mamas' mates (PAPAS); 31D: Hotel client (GUEST); 33D: With 45-Down, Middle Ages quarantine area (LEPER); 35D: Put through a sieve (PUREE); 38D: "The Flying __": Wagner opera (DUTCHMAN); 42D: Explode (GO OFF); 44D: Padre's hermana (TIA); 45D: See 33-Down (COLONY); 47D: Memento (TOKEN); 48D: Pre-Easter period (LENT); 50D: "Uh-oh, I dropped it!" ("OOPS!"); 51D: Big smile (GRIN); 52D: Crisp, filled tortilla (TACO); 53D: Sot (WINO); 57D: Ring icon (ALI); 58D: Sylvester, e.g. (CAT).