05.20 Fri

F R I D A Y
May 20, 2011
Mark Feldman

Theme: Composer puns — Theme answers are puns based on composers' names and movie titles.

Theme answers:

• 17A: Biopic about a time-traveling composer? (BACH TO THE FUTURE).
• 27A: Biopic about a composer who is unrecognized in public? (HAYDN PLAIN SIGHT).
• 48A: Biopic about a composer from a WWII hero's perspective? (SCHINDLER'S LISZT).
• 63A: Biopic about a composer fighting his inner demons? (BATTLE OF BRITTEN).

So the first thing I did when I finished solving this puzzle was log on to cruciverb.com to see if this theme had been done before. BACH TO THE FUTURE seemed like such an obvious pun to me that I couldn't believe it hadn't already been used. About six years ago, Randy Hartman had a Sunday Washington Post puzzle using this same idea, but BACH TO THE FUTURE was the only overlapping theme entry. A year later, however, David Kahn constructed a puzzle for the New York Sun with this theme ... using exactly the same theme answers. I don't think I'm going to take the time to analyze this information here, but I thought I would at least share it with you. There is one difference between today's puzzle and Kahn's: today we have the composers listed in chronological order, which I think is probably good for something although I'm not sure exactly what. It does explain why I had so much trouble with the last theme answer. I grew up playing piano, so BACH, HAYDN and LISZT were obviously familiar to me. BRITTEN, though, is a 20th-century opera guy who, I must admit, I've never heard of.

There are a couple bonus non-theme answers in today's grid:

• 69A: Itzhak Perlman choice (STRAD).
• 9D: More, in music (PIU).

Highlights in the grid for me today include ZYDECO and NO-HITTER (51D: Louisiana folk music / 38D: Historic game). Seems like the NO-HITTERs are coming fast and furious these days, aren't they? For some reason, I really liked the clue [34A: Heavy] for SOLEMN.


Both COE (71A: Canadian LPGA golfer Dawn __-Jones) and TIANT (47D: Three-time A.L. shutout leader of the '60s-'70s) were complete unknowns to me and I got them only through crosses. I also never knew that the little cape worn by some clergy (including ABBOTs, presumably) is called a mozzetta.

Missteps include ERR for SIN (36A: Go astray) and, embarrassingly, ENGLAND for ONTARIO (10D: Where London is). The whole time I was writing in the letters for ENGLAND, this little nagging voice in the back of my head was going "That's too obvious, especially for a Friday. You know there's a London somewhere else in the world. Think, dammit, think!"

Crosswordese 101 Round-up:

• 14A: "Exodus" hero (ARI).
• 25A: __ avis (RARA).
• 66A: Grenoble's river (ISERE).
• 7D: Pub. of a "Distracted Driving" brochure (OSHA).
• 12D: Limerick land (EIRE).
• 55D: Wading bird (IBIS).
• 56D: Brewery feature (OAST).

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Everything Else — 1A: Pale (WAN); 4A: Mozzetta wearer (ABBOT); 9A: Sat (POSED); 15A: Intimate (CLOSE); 16A: Key scene for bursting bombs? (IN AIR); 20A: "... like __ buzzing in blind fury": Pyle (A BEE); 21A: Go after (CHASE); 22A: Traveling, in a way (ASEA); 23A: Builder's options (SITES); 35A: Rondeaux, e.g. (POEMS); 39A: Switch words (ON/OFF); 41A: Political pacifier (SOP); 42A: Ruled quarters? (ROOST); 45A: Devised, with "up" (DREAMT); 53A: Absorbed by (INTO); 54A: Legendary luster (SATYR); 55A: Tiny amount (IOTA); 57A: Sting (SMART); 62A: Zilch (NADA); 67A: Put to the test (TRIED); 68A: Former transp. regulator (ICC); 70A: Takes to the cleaners (HOSES); 1D: Indiana county or its seat (WABASH); 2D: Where Mecca is (ARABIA); 3D: Civilized feature (NICETY); 4D: Put-on (ACT); 5D: Alliance (BLOC); 6D: This and that (BOTH); 8D: Some shirts (TEES); 11D: Some links (SAUSAGES); 13D: "The Sopranos" actress __ de Matteo (DREA); 18D: Doesn't ignore (HEEDS); 19D: Spore producer (FERN); 24D: Cat lead-in (SNO); 26D: Old Egyptian symbol (ASP); 28D: Abbas's gp. (PLO); 29D: He appeared in eight consecutive U.S. Open finals (LENDL); 30D: Love overseas (AMORE); 31D: Figure (INFER); 32D: Ins. plan (HMO); 33D: 1/48 cup: Abbr. (TSP.); 36D: Yearbook sect. (SRS.); 37D: Games org. (IOC); 40D: Musical syllables (FAS); 43D: 1953 Best Supporting Actor Oscar winner (SINATRA); 44D: Big bang producer (TNT); 46D: L.A. Galaxy's gp. (MLS); 49D: Pharmacy concern (DOSE); 50D: Trouble (STATIC); 52D: Daze (TRANCE); 58D: Evening flier (MOTH); 59D: Full do (AFRO); 60D: Sluggers' stats (RBI'S); 61D: Corner (TREE); 64D: Brought (LED); 65D: Some tags (ID'S).

T U E S D A Y November 30, 2010 Mark Feldman

Theme: Workin' at the Graveyard (whoa-oo whoa-oo whoa-oo whoa) — The first word of each theme answer evokes a cemetery.

Theme answers:

• 20A: One debating the unpopular side (DEVIL'S ADVOCATE).
• 31A: Healer using magic (WITCH DOCTOR).
• 41A: Uncredited author (GHOST WRITER).
• 55A: Wee-hours work period for 20-, 31- and 41-Across? (GRAVEYARD SHIFT).

Very smooth Tuesday fare today. I got the theme answers in order and after the first two thought "A Halloween puzzle?!?" I suppose it could be, but people work the GRAVEYARD SHIFT all year, so I guess it's okay. Speaking of the GRAVEYARD SHIFT … have you all ever worked at that time of night? I never have, but I used to work a second shift and when we'd get off at midnight, the late shift would be rolling in and I tell you what. Those were some strange people. Not sure how to explain it except to say they all just seemed a little … off. Maybe that's what it takes to be productive when you should be sleeping.

Bullets:

• 15A: Little suckers (LICE). Um, breakfast test!
• 23A: Washing aid for pupils (EYE CUP). I assume this is something used at an eye doctor's office? I'm not familiar with any sort of eye health stuff. I actually never wore glasses until I turned 40! Of course now I need three different pair and feel like a total old lady.

• 25A: "Hold on __!" (A SEC). Because "to your hat" wouldn't fit.
• 39A: About 1,609 meters (MILE). Just last night I was helping PuzzleDaughter study for a test on the metric system. Isn't it about time the U.S. just converts to the metric system and get it over with?
• 40A: Game system played with gestures (WII). We just got the Xbox 360 with Kinect. Have you seen the commercials??? It's amazing to think that someday people will look back on it and go "Can you believe how we thought that was so amazing?"

• 48A: Pitching miscues (BALKS). I recently did some research on BALKS (and by "did some research" I of course mean "read the Wikipedia article"). I pretty much can't remember anything I learned (did I mention the old lady thing?) but at the time I thought it was pretty interesting. Worth a look if you're a baseball fan and don't understand how the BALK rule works.
• 51A: Where AMZN stock is traded (NASDAQ). I plopped this answer in without even thinking, but I already had the T in place on 55A so that QT mash-up looked all kindsa wrong. (54D: Wax removers (Q-TIPS).)
• 1D: Fine porcelain (SPODE). This word looks vaguely familiar to me. I'm sure I've seen it in a puzzle before but today I needed every single cross.
• 3D: Naproxen, commercially (ALEVE). I know way too much about pain relievers.
• 5D: Held firmly (CLASPED). I tried "clamped" first.

• 31D: Guitar effect (WAWA). Yes, that's the technical term for it.
• 41D: Covers, as a driveway (GRAVELS). I guess I've been a city slicker too long — GRAVEL didn't even occur to me.

Crosswordese 101: GNAR is kind of a weird word, isn't it? I don't recall ever using it, or hearing it, or reading it. Of course, now that I say that, I should find it on the next page of the book I'm reading. Isn't that how it goes? Anyway, it's almost always clued straightforwardly as 55D: Growl, snarl, or "imitate an angry dog." The only way the clue is tricked out sometimes is by referring to a type of dog, e.g., "Grown like a boxer," or "Pointer's warning."

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

• 17A: Turow memoir subtitled "The Turbulent True Story of a First Year at Harvard Law School" (ONE-L).
• 59A: Oklahoma tribe (OTOE).
• 6D: Turkish bread? (LIRA).
• 30D: Pretty pitcher (EWER).

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Everything Else — 1A: Roe source (SHAD); 5A: Scrape, cat-style (CLAW); 9A: 100 kopeks (RUBLE); 14A: Geographical extremity (POLE); 16A: Matriculate (ENROL); 18A: The "Habanera" from "Carmen," e.g. (ARIA); 19A: Blunt, as reality (STARK); 24A: Blood bank fluid (SERUM); 27A: Stew (SEETHE); 36A: "Man oh man!" ("WOW!"); 37A: Out of kilter (AWRY); 38A: Dove murmur (COO); 45A: Long-haired cat (ANGORA); 47A: Part of a family business title (SONS); 58A: Japanese cartoon genre (ANIME); 60A: Naysayer (ANTI); 61A: Deadly (FATAL); 62A: Zip (along) (TEAR); 63A: Chick's sound (PEEP); 64A: Head lock (TRESS); 65A: At __: arguing (ODDS); 66A: Messes up (ERRS); 2D: Sweetheart (HONEY); 4D: Epicurean delight (DELICACY); 7D: Fatty __ (ACIDS); 8D: Make, as baskets (WEAVE); 9D: Fireman, sometimes (RESCUER); 10D: Wild (UNTAME); 11D: Sassy kid (BRAT); 12D: Folk tales and such (LORE); 13D: "Benevolent" fraternal member (ELK); 21D: Having abundant vegetation (LUSH); 22D: Thereabouts (OR SO); 26D: Chanel of fashion (COCO); 28D: Nincompoop (TWIT); 29D: Burrow indicator (HOLE); 32D: Triumphant cry (I WIN); 33D: Math course (TRIG); 34D: Business orgs. (COS.); 35D: Little ones (TOTS); 39D: Form incorrectly (MISSHAPE); 42D: Robust (HALE); 43D: Worldly seven (WONDERS); 44D: Messenger molecules (RNAS); 46D: White House family (OBAMAS); 49D: Onetime capital of Japan (KYOTO); 50D: Filled up (SATED); 52D: Restaurant patron (DINER); 53D: Following (AFTER); 56D: Ceremony (RITE); 57D: Country way (ROAD); 58D: Toward the rudder (AFT).