03.29 Tue

T U E S D A Y
March 29, 2011
Joon Pahk & Andrea Carla Michaels

Theme: Pack It In — The first word of each theme answer can be a type of "pack." And there are six of them! Get it? Six-pack!

Theme answers:

• 17A: Completely dark (JET BLACK).
• 21A: Getting-to-know-you party activity (ICE BREAKER).
• 26A: Dirty fighting? (MUD WRESTLING).
• 39A: Wearisome routine (RAT RACE).
• 47A: "Wow, she's good-looking!" sounds (WOLF WHISTLES).
• 58A: "Funny Girl" leading role (FANNY BRICE).
• 66A: Some sculpted abs ... and what the starts of 17-, 21-, 26-, 39-, 47- and 58-Across are altogether? (SIX PACKS).

I had heard Joon and Andrea had a puzzle coming out and must admit my expectations were pretty high. Thank goodness they didn't disappoint! Seven theme answers. That's incredible! You'd think with that many theme answers they would have to resort to a funny-looking grid. Oh wait, it is a funny-looking grid. But that's okay. There's actually nothing wrong with a funny-looking grid. What you really hate to see is when high theme density necessitates crap fill. And while I can't say the grid is completely crap-free, it's pretty darn clean considering. In fact, the only entries that really jumped out at me as clunkers were RARES (29D: Filet mignon requests) and the Random Roman Numeral MCCC (6D: Cornerstone 1300). Other than that, I dare say Joon and Andrea were able to sneak in several entries that are a little on the hard side for a Tuesday, but because they have solid crosses I'm definitely not going to complain. All in all, a great Tuesday puzzle.

It's fun to solve a puzzle by someone you know and see their personality in it. These are the entries that screamed ANDREA at me:

• 10D: Its anthem is "Hatikvah" (ISRAEL).
• 24D: Music to a cat lover's ears (PURR).
• 62D: Giovanni's good-bye (CIAO).

As for Joon, well, I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that BLOOP (23A: Soft baseball hit) is all his.

Bullets:

• 1A: Lea low (MOO). I got off to a horrible start right here at 1-Across where I plopped in BAA without even thinking. Oops!
• 16A: Sci-fi author __ K. Le Guin (URSULA). Ya know how I've told you about how writing this blog sometimes throws me off onto tangents sometimes for hours? Usually it's YouTube that does it, but this time I went off on a search for a former college professor who got me interested in women's literature, including URUSLA K. Le Guin.
• 33A: "Weeds" airer, in TV listings (SHO). Weren't we just talking about this show? It's awesome. And the woman who played the school guidance counselor in some of the earlier episodes is a friend of Andrea's. I can't remember her name and I can't find her on imbd. I want to say her name is Amy, but I'm having no luck confirming.
• 45A: "Zounds!" ("EGAD!"). Does this make anyone else think of Scooby-Doo?

• 65A: Orbital extreme (APOGEE). I came across this word last week reading about the whole Super Moon thing, which I don't really understand, but I think it's just because I didn't really focus while I was reading.
• 2D: Nancy who's slated to replace Mary Hart on "Entertainment Tonight" (O'DELL). O'DELL said she is "honored to be the one to fill a TV legend's seat." I'm going to refrain from saying something mean here.
• 11D: Wagnalls's partner (FUNK). I knew these two names went together, but I had to look them up just now to remember that Funk & Wagnalls is a publisher of reference books.
• 13D: 1980-81 Iranian president Bani-__ (SADR). Um … what?

• 41D: Berkeley school, familiarly (CAL). We often see references to college nicknames that are just so wrong. It's nice to see a good one today.
• 50D: __ corpus (HABEAS). Had a little spelling issue here.
• 55D: Bologna ball game (BOCCE). Raise your hand if you pictured lunchmeat being batted into the air.

Crosswordese 101 Round-up:

• 20A: It's not butter (OLEO).
• 43A: Expressive rock genre (EMO).
• 53A: Wrath, in a classic hymn (IRAE).
• 69A: Depilatory brand (NAIR).
• 73A: Tolkien tree creature (ENT).
• 35D: Stone for many Libras (OPAL).

[Follow PuzzleGirl on Twitter.]

Everything Else — 4A: Rocket interceptors, briefly (ABM'S); 8A: Doesn't tip (STIFFS); 14A: DJ's array (CD'S); 15A: Atahualpa, notably (INCA); 19A: Took an intersecting road (TURNED); 25A: Facility (EASE); 36A: Latvian capital (RIGA); 37A: Eastern principle (TAO); 38A: Liven (up) (PEP); 44A: __ of Good Feelings (ERA); 46A: Old boys? (MEN); 54A: Fat cat (NABOB); 64A: Quayle's successor (GORE); 68A: Mother with a Nobel prize (TERESA); 70A: AFL partner (CIO); 71A: Turns over, as an engine (STARTS); 72A: Film pooch in a tornado (TOTO); 1D: Low-paying position (MCJOB); 3D: Bone: Pref. (OSTEO-); 4D: Have a bug (AIL); 5D: __ B'rith (B'NAI); 7D: Benefit (SAKE); 8D: Hindu aphorisms (SUTRAS); 9D: Most loyal (TRUEST); 12D: Make a run for it (FLEE); 18D: Bust's opposite (BOOM); 22D: Spelling contest (BEE); 27D: Day in Durango (DIA); 28D: Lb. or oz. (WGT.); 30D: Couple in People (ITEM); 31D: Tom, Dick or Harry (NAME); 32D: Continue (GO ON); 33D: Eject, as lava (SPEW); 34D: Medal recipient (HERO); 40D: Rep. with a cut (AGT.); 42D: First lady's home? (EDEN); 48D: Identify, as a perp (FINGER); 49D: Most ironic (WRYEST); 51D: Suffix with hotel (-IER); 52D: "Beowulf" or "Star Wars" (SAGA); 56D: Pest control name (ORKIN); 57D: Stupefy with drink (BESOT); 58D: Pool legend Minnesota __ (FATS); 59D: In __: peeved (A PET); 60D: Director Ephron (NORA); 61D: Fails to be (ISN'T); 63D: Stage direction (EXIT); 67D: Tour golfer (PRO).

S A T U R D A Y August 7, 2010 Joon Pahk

Theme: None


Now this is what I'm talking about. This puzzle right here. Sparkly entries, tricky cluing, a couple things I really had to work hard for — in other words, a perfect Saturday. Here's something I noticed about this puzzle — and this is an easy way to distinguish an early-week puzzle from a late-week puzzle: one-word clues that could mean many different things. This puzzle is full of 'em!

• 24A: Hide (SKIN). Hide like in hide-and-seek? No.
• 54A: Fire (SACK). Fire like a flame? No.
• 63A: Draws (STALEMATES). Draws like with a pencil? How about like a chimney? Or maybe it's referring to your opponents in a tournament bracket? No.
• 1D: Nurses (SIPS ON). Nurses like in a hospital? Like feeding a baby? No.

Tricky, tricky, tricky! Love it!

There were a few things in this puzzle that I just flat-out didn't know:

• 19A: Christian denom. that observes the Sabbath on Saturday (SDA). Raise your hand if you tried LDS first. Yes, of course I've heard of Seventh-Day Adventists. But I've never seen them abbreviated.
• 30A: Painting on utensils or furniture (TOLE). I'm finding a bunch of references to this word defining it as the utensils or furniture themselves (the ones that have been painted in a certain way). But it seems that the act of this type of painting can also be described as "tole painting."
• 32D: Gogo's pal, in "Waiting for Godot" (DIDI). This is one of those things that Joon probably knows off the top of his head and can't believe that any educated person would admit to not having heard of. I take solace in the fact, however, that Joon is equally as likely to blanch at a reference to, say, Huey Lewis & the News. ("that seems pretty obscure" he might type in that lower-case way of his.)

• 38D: "Emperor __" (CONCERTO). This is Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major, Op. 73. Oh that "Emperor Concerto"!

Then there were entries that I didn't really know, but could eventually uncover with an educated guess:

• 43A: Angelo's instrument (ARPA). I assumed this answer would be a foreign word for "harp" but I wasn't entirely sure which language (Italian? Yes, Italian.) and in any case I didn't know the word.
• 53A: Robbie's dad (EVEL). I thought of Robbie on "My Three Sons," I wondered if Rob Petrie had a son and if Robbie Benson had a dad whose name I should know. When the V fell into place I realized we were talking about those wacky Knievels.
• 5D: Tycho Brahe's sci. (ASTR.). I'm sure I've only seen this guy's name in crossword puzzles. ("yeah, he only made the most accurate astronomical observations of his time, and mentored johannes kepler, but why should you know him?")
• 30D: Trypanosome transmitter (TSE-TSE). Trypano-whoozits?

• 41D: Theresa Dunn's ideal Mr., in a 1975 novel title (GOODBAR). This is one of those books I feel like I should read but I just never have. Or maybe I should just see the movie.
• 52D: Douze mois (ANNÉE). I know that "douze" is French for "twelve," but I did not know that "mois" is French for "months" until the crosses helped me out.

Finally there was just a bunch of stuff I really loved seeing:

• 1A: Ripped muscles? (SIX-PACK ABS). I originally thought "ripped" in the clue was a verb and the answer would be something like "worked out" or "pumped iron."

• 17A: Like some suits (PIN-STRIPED). Ya know what else are PIN-STRIPED? Some baseball uniforms. ("seriously? you're going to deface this post with a picture of the yankees??" Why yes, Joon. Yes I am.)
• 20A: Fix, as a wicker chair (RECANE). Okay, this one I didn't really love seeing. But it's the only entry that jumped out at me as a blatant clunker.
• 39A: Feverishly (LIKE MAD).
• 60A: Contemporary folklore (URBAN MYTHS).
• 7D: Two-time 1970s NBA champs (KNICKS). Gotta love a coupla Ks.
• 12D: "Not in public, you two!" ("GET A ROOM!"). Ha!

• 13D: "Get Shorty" co-star (TRAVOLTA). I would pay to watch John Travolta read the phone book.
• 35D: Bittersweet farewell (SWAN SONG).
• 36D: Drum site (EAR CANAL). I tried "inner ear" first. At least I was in the right neighborhood!

Crosswordese 101 Round-up:

• 58A: A storm may affect it, briefly (ETA).
• 23D: The Boston Symphony played its second movement to commemorate FDR's death (EROICA).

[Follow PuzzleGirl on Twitter.]

Everything Else — 11A: "House Hunters" network (HGTV); 15A: While away (IN ABSENTIA); 16A: Flying start? (AERO-); 18A: Right-leaning: Abbr. (ITAL.); 21A: WCs (LAVS); 22A: Renaissance Faire word (OLDE); 25A: Biodegrade (ROT); 26A: Prefix with biology (NEURO-); 28A: Cut (SNIP); 31A: Former Monterey Bay fort (ORD); 33A: Ringling Museum of the American Circus city (SARASOTA); 35A: Language subfamily that includes Maltese (SEMITIC); 40A: Defense against intruders (WATCHDOG); 42A: "Vamoose!" ("GIT!"); 44A: Playing a fifth qtr., say (IN OT); 46A: "This I Promise You" band ('N SYNC); 50A: Any U.S. Army E-4 thru E-9 (NCO); 51A: "Iron Chef America" chef Cat __ (CORA); 56A: City SSW of Cleveland (MEDINA); 58A: A storm may affect it, briefly (ETA); 59A: "__, you noblest English!": "Henry V" (ON, ON); 62A: Shuffle alternative (NANO); 64A: Phosphoresce (GLOW); 65A: One may be set on a stage (HORSE OPERA); 2D: When an engine might stall (IN IDLE); 3D: City visited by Marco Polo (XANADU); 4D: "Viewers Like You" help support it: Abbr. (PBS); 6D: Roman goddess of agriculture (CERES); 8D: Going to great lengths (AT PAINS); 9D: Like national elections (BIENNIAL); 10D: "Justine" author (SADE); 11D: Salute (HAIL); 14D: __ Act: 1919 Prohibition legislation (VOLSTEAD); 23D: The Boston Symphony played its second movement to commemorate FDR's death (EROICA); 27D: Surg. specialty (ORTH.); 29D: Moralizer (PRIG); 34D: Comparable (AKIN); 37D: Resort town W. of the Delaware Water Gap (MT. POCONO); 45D: Experiments (TRIALS); 47D: Actress Mimieux (YVETTE); 48D: Like hell? (NETHER); 49D: Midwest League's baseball level (CLASS A); 55D: Not just suppose (KNOW); 56D: Cloying sentimentality (MUSH); 57D: A few rounds, perhaps (AMMO); 61D: Kisser (YAP).