01.20 Thu

T H U R S D A Y

January 20, 2011
Mark Bickham

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Theme: OK, OK! — The letter K is added to the beginning of familiar phrases that start with N, creating new wacky phrases clued "?"-style.

Theme answers:

• 17A: Tough handicap to overcome in a joust? (KNIGHT BLINDNESS).
• 22A: Hoopster featured in a news magazine? (KNICK OF TIME).
• 39A: What "purls of wisdom" is an example of? (KNIT WIT).
• 51A: Was familiar with Britain? (KNEW ENGLAND).
• 59A: Bow tied by mortal hands? (KNOT OF THIS WORLD).

It sure has been a big week here at LACC! Yesterday was very very cool for me and I'm so grateful to all of you for making it a really nice day. (For those of you who missed it, Michael Sharp (Rex Parker) and I constructed yesterday's puzzle.) I've gotten a ton of private messages over the last couple days and haven't been able to respond to them all, but I will! In the meantime, please just know that every one of them is meaningful to me and I thank you. But enough dwelling in the past! Let's talk about today's puzzle!

I was completely delighted by this theme. Remember the other day when the theme was "drop a K"? Well, here they all are! The way I solved this one seemed interesting to me. First I went for the downs 1–13. I knew quite a few of them off the bat, so the first theme answer looked like this:
K N * * * * B L I N * * E S S
Well, even I'm smart enough to figure that out without any more crosses. So I popped in KNIGHT BLINDNESS and thought to myself, "Hmmm … can you come up with the rest of the theme answers without any crosses?" Well, when someone says something like that to me (even if it's my own self), I take that as a challenge, so off I went. And sure enough, all three of the long theme answers fell without any trouble.

In some situations, I might be tempted to think "Well, that was too easy!" but in this case, I thought the theme answers were pretty clever so I just enjoyed the experience without any complaints. I had a little more trouble with the theme answer in the middle. I don't know if it's because it didn't come to me immediately and I figured I could just get it through crosses, or if I was eager to actually start using clues, but for whatever reason I decided to move on.

The rest of the fill wasn't too terribly exciting, except that there was a definite degree of Scrabbliness that's always welcome. Word of the Day for me is definitely AINU (43A: Hokkaido native). I'm pretty sure I've seen that in a puzzle before but I needed every cross to get it today.

Bullets:

• 6A: Stare (GAWK). My first guess was GAPE, so when the G and the A both worked, I thought I was in good shape. Which I was. But not because I actually had the answer right.
• 15A: "Would __?" (I LIE).
• 26A: Leo, for one (SIGN). So WTF is going on with the zodiac. For 45 years I've been a Taurus and now all of a sudden I'm supposed to be an Aries? Sorry, but no.
• 27A: Manhattan neighborhood acronym (NOHO). NOrth of HOuston (Houston Street, not Houston, Texas, although I suppose you could argue that NOHO is north of Houston, Texas, as well).

• 35A: Gave a buzz (RANG).
• 55A: Unlikely lint-gatherer (OUTIE). This is a cute clue, but I'm not sure I want to be thinking about belly-button lint just now. Or ever for that matter.
• 1D: LaGuardia alternative, familiarly (JFK). Did you all know the big crossword puzzle tournament is coming up in March? Some people will be flying into LGA and some will use JFK. I, on the other hand, will be on the Bolt Bus.
• 3D: Like jibs (TRIANGULAR). And when you're adjusting your jibs, you should always wear a PEA COAT (45D: Naval attire). For some reason, that all sounds kinda dirty.
• 7D: Pledge of Allegiance ender (ALL). How far back in the Pledge did you go in order to get this one? I had to start at "one nation, under God …."
• 12D: __ Cuervo tequila (JOSÉ).



• 23D: Cookie information, perhaps (FORTUNE). Have I mentioned that PuzzleDaughter is a Girl Scout and waaay back before I had a full-time job I volunteered to be the Cookie Mom? Big mistake! I mean, it's fun and everything but it sure does take a lot of time! Of course, the end result is cookies, so I'm not sure what the heck I'm complaining about.
• 53D: Modern dash-mounted device: Abbr. (GPS). One of our GPS's got stolen out of our vehicle (my own fault, forgot to lock it) and the other one is on the fritz. Needless to say, I drive around lost most of the time.
• 61D: "I didn't need to know that!" ("TMI!"). "Too Much Information!" But you knew that.

Crosswordese 101 Round-up:

• 16A: Baseball's Moises (ALOU).
• 46A: Old Italian bread (LIRA).
• 33D: Calypso offshoot (SKA).

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Everything Else — 1A: Volkswagen model since 1979 (JETTA); 10A: Charm (MOJO); 14A: Unit of capacitance (FARAD); 20A: Words after post or suffer (A LOSS); 21A: Beginning (ONSET); 28A: Ready to serve (DONE); 32A: Uncertain concurrence (I GUESS); 37A: Snaps (PIX); 38A: Mineo of "Rebel Without a Cause" (SAL); 41A: HBO competitor (TMC); 42A: __ king (ALA); 44A: Shoot for, with "to" (ASPIRE); 48A: Puts on (DONS); 50A: Biol. branch (ECOL.); 58A: Without delay (APACE); 65A: Pinup Hayworth (RITA); 66A: Pianist Gilels (EMIL); 67A: Church parts (NAVES); 68A: They have heads and handles (AXES); 69A: Mug imperfections (ZITS); 70A: Symbol of strength (STEEL); 2D: Suffix with Caesar (-EAN); 4D: Movie poster words (TAGLINE); 5D: For a specific purpose (AD HOC); 6D: Big name in guitars (GIBSON); 8D: November 2006 Nintendo release (WII); 9D: Barbie's beau (KEN); 10D: Took one's place at, as a post (MANNED); 11D: Cries following charges (OLÉS); 13D: Remove from office (OUST); 18D: Sound of reproach (TSK); 19D: End for free (-DOM); 22D: Capital of Rwanda (KIGALI); 24D: Relax, as tense relations (THAW); 25D: Ancient Aegean region (IONIA); 26D: Cordage fiber (SISAL); 29D: Retina-brain link (OPTIC NERVE); 30D: Jerk (NIMROD); 31D: Stand out (EXCEL); 34D: Like ugly remarks (SNIDE); 36D: Fast sports cars (GT'S); 40D: "__ pronounce you ..." (I NOW); 47D: Loyal Japanese dogs (AKITAS); 49D: Sluggards (SNAILS); 52D: "The Matrix" hero (NEO); 54D: Croquet venues (LAWNS); 55D: Creole vegetable (OKRA); 56D: Windows alternative (UNIX); 57D: Handy bag (TOTE); 60D: Casbah headgear (FEZ); 62D: Best seller (HIT); 63D: General at Antietam (LEE); 64D: Step up from dial-up (DSL).

T U E S D A Y December, 7, 2010 Mark Bickham

Theme: Hop to it! — The last word of each theme answer can precede the word "bunny" in a familiar phrase.

Theme answers:

• 18A: Procter & Gamble laundry product (IVORY SNOW).
• 27A: Keep America Beautiful concerns (LITTER BUGS).
• 35A: New England storm (NOR'EASTER).
• 49A: Space particles (COSMIC DUST).
• 59A: Beach Boys album with bees and flowers on the cover (WILD HONEY).
• 68A: Critter that can follow the ends of this puzzle's five longest answers (BUNNY).

Here is a verbatim note I received from Doug Peterson last night: "Is HONEY BUNNY a thing?" Just thought you'd appreciate that glimpse into the glamorous world of crossword blogging. Another smooth puzzle — looks like we're on a roll this week. Theme answers are lively, fill is solid … okay, nobody's ever happy to see SSS (66A: Snake sound) but come on, OOMPH? That's awesome (15A: Get-up-and-go).

Bullets:

• 11A: 1,150, to Brutus (MCL). I know everybody here loves Random Roman Numerals™, right? I wonder if anybody has any sort of problem, possibly bordering on obsession, with them? Hmmm….
• 17A: What cats and bats do (RHYME). Very cute and brings to mind the famous 1996 Election Day Puzzle.
• 42A: Rank below marquis (EARL). There are a lot of videos of doo-wop groups singing "Duke of Earl," but this is one of my faves.
   
• 56A: Kentucky county named for a trailblazer (BOONE). I love it when you read a clue and don't have any idea what the answer could possibly be because it's a fact and you just don't know it. But then you think about it for a second and come up with something that, well, it seems likely, right? Yep, it sure does.

• 1D: NPR auto show (CAR TALK). I love how these guys crack each other up. I was listening to the show recently and a woman called in whose boyfriend thought she was a bad driver so she basically wanted them to tell her that she wasn't. At one point they put her on hold and called the boyfriend. In the end, everybody agreed that her driving sucked.
• 2D: Hamlet's love (OPHELIA). Nice to have a different Hamlet character in the grid. I'm more accustomed to seeing IAGO and OSRIC.
• 6D: Destination in a two-part route (POINT B). Love this answer. How many times have you heard the phrase "go from Point A to Point B" without actually thinking about breaking it up into two parts.

• 13D: Like anarchy (LAWLESS).
• 48D: Melon exterior (RIND). I was just listening to a story yesterday about how bees in a certain area of New York turned fluorescent pink because they had been feeding on the runoff from nearby Dell's Maraschino Cherries Company and had taken in a little bit too much Red Dye No. 40. Yikes.
• 51D: Promise to pay (IOU). Tricky clue. You have to read it as a noun and not a verb.

Crosswordese 101: EROS, the Greek god of love. He has wings and carries a bow and arrows. He is Aphrodite's son and Psyche's lover. In clues, he is sometimes referred to as Cupid's Greek counterpart or as the symbol of love, romance, fertility, desire, or libido.

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

• 39A: Bruin legend Bobby (ORR).
• 8D: Comic Philips (EMO).
• 29D: Eurasian range (URALS).

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Everything Else — 1A: Prepared for pie, as apples (CORED); 6A: Skirt fold (PLEAT); 14A: Speed skater __ Anton Ohno (APOLO); 16A: Author Levin (IRA); 20A: Earl Grey et al. (TEAS); 21A: "The loneliest number," in a song (ONE); 22A: Nickel or cadmium (METAL); 23A: The works (ALL); 24A: Favorite (PET); 25A: Simian (APE-LIKE); 30A: Lawyers' charges (FEES); 31A: Craft that can be rolled (KAYAK); 32A: "As ye sow, so shall ye __" (REAP); 34A: Country rtes. (RDS.); 43A: Nutritious beans (SOYAS); 47A: Razz (JEER); 52A: Asks to the party (INVITES); 54A: King of France (ROI); 55A: 9-Down adviser (CPA); 57A: It follows Wed. (THU.); 58A: Stride (GAIT); 62A: Beyond the fringe (OUTRE); 63A: Columnist Buchwald (ART); 64A: Alleviated (EASED); 65A: __ mix: hiker's fare (TRAIL); 67A: Wipe out (ERASE); 3D: Writer's payment (ROYALTY); 4D: Shady bunch? (ELMS); 5D: Anonymous John (DOE); 7D: "Many-splendored thing" of song (LOVE); 9D: 30-day mo. (APR.); 10D: Mint family herb (THYME); 11D: Toothpaste comparison word (MINTIER); 12D: Cried like a raven (CROAKED); 19D: Note to __ (SELF); 21D: Across, in verse (O'ER); 24D: "Orange" tea grade (PEKOE); 25D: A long time (AGES); 26D: 130-minute H.S. exam (PSAT); 28D: Beach lover's goal (TAN); 29D: Eurasian range (URALS); 33D: Joe of "GoodFellas" (PESCI); 36D: Senate contest (RACE); 38D: Staff associate? (ROD); 39D: Lake Superior natives (OJIBWAS); 40D: Some Impressionist paintings (RENOIRS); 41D: Sickens (REVOLTS); 44D: Mexican peninsula (YUCATAN); 45D: Bayer product (ASPIRIN); 46D: Majestic (STATELY); 50D: Villainous literary alter ego (MR. HYDE); 53D: Little laugh (TEHEE); 57D: Golfer's pocketful (TEES); 58D: Spiritual guide (GURU); 60D: Stick in the lake? (OAR); 61D: Govt. hush-hush org. (NSA); 62D: Bettor's hangout, briefly (OTB).

T U E S D A Y September 28, 2010 Mark Bickham

Theme: And Now a Word from Our Sponsors — Theme answers are familiar phrases that begin with synonyms for "advertisement."


Theme answers:

• 20A: Promo after promo after promo? (AD INFINITUM).
• 35A: Thesis on promos? (COMMERCIAL PAPER).
• 52A: One who takes a promo off the air? (SPOT REMOVER).

I start a brand new job today so this is going to be quick. First time I've worked full-time outside the home since December 2003. Should be interesting!

This puzzle was … a Tuesday puzzle. I mean, really. There's just not a lot to say about Tuesdays! The theme is cute but pretty thin (only three theme answers and no reveal), there's quite a bit of crosswordese, and the cluing is straightforward. Not all Tuesdays are as Scrabbly as this one is, and there are a couple cool words in the grid — ERSATZ, JOVE, LOOSE END — so overall, above average.

Bullets:

• 15A: Sport with mallets (POLO). Because "croquet" wouldn't fit.
• 16A: Like Andean pyramids (INCAN). Someday I will sit down and make myself learn the difference between the Incas and the Mayas. I know it must be simple, but I've just never taken the time.

• 48A: Keebler cookiemaker (ELF). It kind of cracks me up that this is stated as if it's true.
• 50A: Part of D.A.: Abbr. (ATT.). District ATTorney.
• 59A: Little laugh (TE-HEE). As I was typing this, I heard PuzzleSon remarking to PuzzleDaughter (sarcastically) "Tee Hee Hee." True story.
• 64A: "Winning __ everything" (ISN'T). It's the only thing! Second place is first loser! (Of course I'm kidding.)
• 2D: Scream bloody __ (MURDER). This is a great clue/answer combo.
• 3D: Voodoo and wizardry (MAGICS). On the other hand, this one is pretty bad. Plural MAGICS? Yuck.
• 21D: Darth, to Luke (FATHER). Spoiler alert!
• 31D: Banking giant (CHASE). I really wish there was no such thing as a banking giant.

Crosswordese 101: Amy chatted with us about EMS back in August of last year, but she didn't cover today's clue, 47A: Printers' widths. Whenever you see this clue, you know the answer will either be EMS or ENS, but you have to check the cross to know which one. It's a little more likely to be EMS but not enough that you should throw the M in there and feel like you're done. (By the way, these terms are used most often to refer to typographical dashes. If you're interested — and why wouldn't you be?! — you can read all about it here.)

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

• 23A: Ike's WWII arena (ETO).
• 24A: Gumshoe (TEC).
• 26A: Old Olds creation (REO).
• 43A: Black Sea port (ODESSA).
• 49A: "__ Beso": Paul Anka hit (ESO).
• 61A: Aggressive Greek god (ARES).
• 4D: Yemeni port (ADEN).
• 7D: Jai __ (ALAI).
• 48D: Museum Folkwang city (ESSEN).

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Everything Else — 1A: Jane Austen classic (EMMA); 5A: Lose it (SNAP); 9A: Marathoner's pants? (GASPS); 14A: Campus area (QUAD); 17A: More than suggest (URGE); 18A: Loud laugh (ROAR); 19A: Swordsman of lore (ZORRO); 25A: Chowed down (ATE); 27A: Bon mot expert (WIT); 28A: Artificial (ERSATZ); 30A: Put into words (SAY); 31A: Fourth century start (CCCI); 32A: Well-endowed, so to speak (CHESTY); 34A: Oil-yielding rock (SHALE); 39A: "Doe, __ ...": song lyric (A DEER); 40A: Metallic mixtures (ALLOYS); 41A: __ and turn (TOSS); 42A: Astern (AFT); 51A: Portuguese king (REI); 55A: Forest bucks (STAGS); 57A: __ Star State (LONE); 58A: "By __!" (JOVE); 60A: Knock off (DO IN); 62A: Sci-fi writer __ Scott Card (ORSON); 63A: Snow coaster (SLED); 1D: Put "=" between (EQUATE); 5D: Wine-and-soda drink (SPRITZER); 6D: Nary a soul (NO ONE); 8D: Actor's job (PORTRAYAL); 9D: Thingamajig (GIZMO); 10D: "Wheel of Fortune" purchase (AN O); 11D: Twist-off top (SCREW CAP); 12D: Word with board or physics (PARTICLE); 13D: More stuck-up (SNOOTIER); 22D: One-eighty (UEY); 29D: High points (ACMES); 30D: Long-legged bird (STILT); 33D: Building repair platforms (SCAFFOLDS); 34D: World of espionage (SPYDOM); 35D: Waits on hand and foot (CATERS TO); 36D: Dashboard gauge (ODOMETER); 37D: Saviors (MESSIAHS); 38D: Detail to tie up (LOOSE END); 42D: Matterhorn or Monte Leone (ALP); 44D: Really enjoys (SAVORS); 45D: Director Spielberg (STEVEN); 46D: Motionless (AT REST); 49D: "Sesame Street" regular (ERNIE); 53D: Saw or plane (TOOL); 54D: City east of Santa Barbara (OJAI); 56D: Political beginning? (GEO-).

W E D N E S D A Y September 1, 2010 Mark Bickham

Theme: Don't Stand So Close to Me — Familiar phrases that start with words meaning "close by" are clued as if the last part of the phrase is a synonym of its meaning in the original phrase.


Theme answers:

• 17A: Young woman next door? (NEAR MISS).
• 24A: Adjoining floor? (TOUCHING STORY).
• 53A: Proximate coins? (CLOSE QUARTERS).
• 66A: Chess piece within reach? (HANDY MAN).

Can't say I feel strongly about this puzzle one way or the other. It had a decent Scrabbly-ness factor (just a J short of a pangram), a middle-of-the-road theme, and some fine, fine fill. There were also a couple of clunkers but nothing outrageous. Well, maybe that ABBR. / RISHI crossing is outrageous (4A: It's an example of itself / 7D: Hindu poet). I don't understand what the clue for ABBR. means At All. Not to say that it's necessarily bad — just that I don't get it. Perhaps one of you kind people will 'splain it to me in the comments. As a matter of fact, yes. Yes, I'm sure one of you will.

I'm not crazy about the forced pluralization of all of the long downs: PEAR TREES / BRIOCHES / FOURSOMES / PORTENTS. Can't PORTENT be a verb as well? If so, it should have been clued that way if only so we could say that not all of the long downs were randomly pluralized. The only other thing that really slowed me down at all was 33D: Charles LE BRUN, major decorator of the Palace of Versailles. Um, who? But again, that might just be another sign that I'm not actually smart enough for this particular hobby. But I'm not going to let a little lack of knowledge stop me! And you shouldn't either!

More:

• 19A: Green light (ASSENT). Very tricky using "green light" as a verb!
• 43A: Grimace (MOUE). Love this word. I don't think I've Ever said it out loud but I would like to some day.
• 51A: Brought up (REARED). I was thinking about this in terms of promotion, like baseball. Bringing someone up from the minor leagues.
• 70A: Letter opener? (ELL). The "opening" (first) letter of the word "letter" is L (ELL).
• 71A: "When a Man Loves a Woman" singer Percy __ (SLEDGE). Oh sure. Why not?



• 18D: Part of a Clue accusation (ROOM). With a RO in place, I immediately entered ROPE but realized my error almost immediately. Did you all know that they have different weapons in newer versions of Clue?

• 25D: Adaptable truck, for short (UTE). Short for "utility."
• 53D: Biker leggings (CHAPS). The other kind of biker.
• 56D: Pal of Porthos (ATHOS). Whoa. ATHOS actually threw a mountain at Zeus. Oh wait, wrong ATHOS! The one I'm thinking of is a mythological giant, but the one actually clued here is the musketeer.
• 62D: Part of SRO (ONLY). SRO = Standing Room Only.
• 64D: Doze (NOD). Tried NAP here at first.

Crosswordese 101 Round-Up:

• 15A: "Star Trek: T.N.G." counselor (TROI).
• 20A: Architect Saarinen (EERO).
• 32A: Certain fisherman (EELER).
• 3D: Bosc sources (PEAR TREES).
• 34D: Somme season (ÉTÉ).

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Everything Else — 1A: Energy (ZIP); 8A: Pure (CHASTE); 14A: Suffix with verb (-OSE); 16A: Bring about sooner (HASTEN); 21A: Earth pigment (OCHER); 23A: Hide-hair link (NOR); 28A: Fireside emanation (WARMTH); 30A: "__ me!" (DEAR); 31A: '50s White House nickname (IKE); 35A: Annoys (MIFFS); 39A: __ Piper (PIED); 41A: Police sting, say (SET-UP); 44A: Happen as a result (ENSUE); 46A: "Who Can It __?": Men at Work hit (BE NOW); 48A: Exhaust, with "up" (USE); 49A: [see other side] (OVER); 58A: Spell (HEX); 59A: Loosen, as laces (UNTIE); 60A: Emerald City visitor (TOTO); 63A: List of things to discuss (AGENDA); 68A: Dividend, e.g. (PAYOUT); 69A: Germany's von Bismarck (OTTO); 72A: Insolence (SASS); 73A: Generous limit? (SKY); 1D: Area (ZONE); 2D: "Got it" ("I SEE"); 4D: 24-hr. cash source (ATM); 5D: French breads (BRIOCHES); 6D: "The Garden of Earthly Delights" artist (BOSCH); 8D: Old battlefield shout (CHARGE); 9D: Is suffering from (HAS); 10D: Beast of burden (ASS); 11D: Court figure (STENO); 12D: Pavarotti, notably (TENOR); 13D: Datebook notation (ENTRY); 22D: Football play also called a sweep (END RUN); 26D: "Casablanca" pianist (SAM); 27D: Request to a barber (TRIM); 28D: Use a napkin on (WIPE); 29D: Like, with "to" (AKIN); 36D: Links groups (FOURSOMES); 37D: A hothead has a short one (FUSE); 38D: Future plant (SEED); 40D: Couples (DUOS); 42D: Omens (PORTENTS); 45D: "The Three Faces of __": 1957 film (EVE); 47D: Very small (WEE); 50D: Treat as the same (EQUATE); 52D: Affectedly cultured (ARTY); 54D: Corporate department (LEGAL); 55D: Daisy variety (OXEYE); 57D: Calf catcher (RIATA); 61D: Chitchat (TALK); 65D: Grooved on (DUG); 67D: Elaborate affairs (DOS).