08.09 Tue

T U E S D A Y

August 9, 2011

Mike Peluso

Theme: Money Money Money — The last word of each theme answer can follow the word "cash" in a familiar phrase.



Theme answers:

• 18A: *Duplicator in an office (COPY MACHINE).
• 24A: *Great Chicago Fire scapegoat (MRS. O'LEARY'S COW).
• 39A: *Classic chocolate treat (MARS BAR).
• 49A: *Take a path of least resistance (GO WITH THE FLOW).
• 60A: Seller's assurance of payment, and a hint to what the last words of the answers to starred clues can have in common (CASH UP FRONT).

Good morning, everybody! I'm back from my adventures and I'm really excited to tell you all about them, but that will, unfortunately, have to wait. I need to try to get back into my regular groove today and that includes … work. Ugh. That whole job thing can really be a time suck, don't you think? So I'm going to say a couple things about today's puzzle and then I'll be back later (probably much later) to let you know about all the fun you missed over the weekend.



I wasn't purposely trying to zip through this grid, but it was very smooth so I kind of did anyway. I didn't take the time to figure out the theme while I was solving, but I'm not sure I would have been able to see it anyway. These kinds of themes don't tend to jump out at me. I do like it though. Very clever. Theme answers seem lively enough. Well, COPY MACHINE is kinda boring, but maybe I think that because I work in an office and use one every day.



I saw the name ARSENE (37A: Thief-turned-sleuth Lupin) in a puzzle I was solving recently (don't remember which one), but obviously didn't pay enough attention to it because I couldn't remember it today. Maybe I will next time. The fill, overall, was really solid and clued perfectly for a Tuesday. I did notice an awful lot of plurals, which I don't care for, but that's really the only negative thing I can say about this grid. Nice job, Mike!



Crosswordese 101 Round-up:

• 47A: Aptly named fruit (UGLI).
• 25D: Old Norse works (EDDAS).
• 26D: Biochemist's gel (AGAR).
• 63D: Originally called (NÉE).

Everything — 1A: The NFL's Montana and Favre, e.g. (QB'S); 4A: __-wip: "real cream" brand (REDDI); 9A: Rap's __ Rhymes (BUSTA); 14A: Suffix with script (-URE); 15A: Apply, as pressure (EXERT); 16A: Not cool, man (UNHIP); 17A: Marksman's skill (AIM); 18A: *Duplicator in an office (COPY MACHINE); 20A: Former boxer Ali (LAILA); 22A: Musician's gift (EAR); 23A: Makes a decision (OPTS); 24A: *Great Chicago Fire scapegoat (MRS. O'LEARY'S COW); 28A: Apt. complex unit (BLDG.); 29A: Ohio rubber city (AKRON); 32A: Canonized Fr. women (STES.); 35A: Grand Coulee, for one (DAM); 37A: Thief-turned-sleuth Lupin (ARSENE); 38A: Nonpro sports org. (AAU); 39A: *Classic chocolate treat (MARS BAR); 41A: "Proud Mary" pop gp. (CCR); 42A: Throbs (PULSES); 44A: Watchdog's warning (GRR); 45A: Prog. listing (SKED); 46A: Spot on TV (PROMO); 47A: Aptly named fruit (UGLI); 49A: *Take a path of least resistance (GO WITH THE FLOW); 56A: Narrow cut (SLIT); 58A: Filmdom's Farrow (MIA); 59A: Short vodka order (STOLI); 60A: Seller's assurance of payment, and a hint to what the last words of the answers to starred clues can have in common (CASH UP FRONT); 64A: Sewing kit item (PIN); 65A: Starts the pot (ANTES); 66A: Army base near Petersburg, Va. (FT. LEE); 67A: 12/24 or 12/31 (EVE); 68A: Iraq's main port (BASRA); 69A: Ritual celebrating the Jews' liberation from Egyptian slavery (SEDER); 70A: __ Moines (DES); 1D: Uneasy feeling (QUALM); 2D: Prickly bush (BRIAR); 3D: 18-wheelers (SEMIS); 4D: Automaker's bane (RECALL); 5D: Lead-in for skeleton (EXO-); 6D: Bank statement abbr. (DEP.); 7D: Laundry appliance (DRYER); 8D: "Be that as __ ..." (IT MAY); 9D: Tampa Bay athlete, briefly (BUC); 10D: Opens, as a gate (UNHOOKS); 11D: Marine salvage crew's job (SHIPWRECK); 12D: Glass darkener (TINT); 13D: Big galoots (APES); 19D: Latin art (ARS); 21D: Throws softly (LOBS); 25D: Old Norse works (EDDAS); 26D: Biochemist's gel (AGAR); 27D: Singer Vikki (CARR); 30D: "... __ and for all!" (ONCE); 31D: Bookish type (NERD); 32D: '90s-'00s NFL Pro Bowler Warren (SAPP); 33D: Bull: Pref. (TAUR); 34D: Speakers at memorial services (EULOGISTS); 36D: Chow mein additive (MSG); 37D: "I can't believe this!" ("AARGH!"); 39D: "Feed me," in Siamese? (MEOW); 40D: Champagne word (BRUT); 43D: Cover completely (SMOTHER); 45D: Prepare, as flour (SIFT); 48D: Red Sox pitcher Jon (LESTER); 50D: Brat (IMP); 51D: Little fights (TIFFS); 52D: Bret who wrote gold rush stories (HARTE); 53D: Ran with ease (LOPED); 54D: Fruit yielding oil (OLIVE); 55D: Some cellar contents (WINES); 56D: Union underminer (SCAB); 57D: Head-turning Turner (LANA); 61D: Mex. neighbor (USA); 62D: Trite (OLD); 63D: Originally called (NÉE).

07.31 Sun

S U N D A Y
July 31, 2011
Mike Peluso

[Note: This is the syndicated L.A. Times puzzle. It does not appear in the actual newspaper, but is available for free at cruciverb.com.]

Theme: "Oohs and Aahs" — "Ooh" sounds are changed to "aah" sounds in familiar phrases.

Theme Entries:

• 21A: Charity that rewards golf talent? (ALMS FOR THE PAR).
• 33A: Treat a Saudi king with TLC? (COMFORT FAHD).
• 56A: Timid officer? (CHICKEN COP).
• 67A: Miniature B-17? (BABY BOMBER).
• 88A: Hall of Famer Warren after garage work? (GREASY SPAHN).
• 106A: Padding in an Easter basket? (CHOCOLATE MOSS).
• 15D: Stuffy trio? (THE THREE STODGES).
• 41D: Onset of boredom? (BIRTH OF THE BLAHS).

Hey, crossword fans. Doug here on Sunday. Today's theme is pretty solid. I tend to like themes that employ a sound change rather than simply adding or taking away letters. The theme answers are a bit tougher to predict, which makes for a fun solve.

I'm betting the names Fahd and Spahn caused problems for some solvers, but the rest of the answers are right over the plate. My favorite is CHOCOLATE MOSS. Mmmm, chocolate moss. OK, it sounds a little gross, but I can guarantee it'd taste better than marshmallow Peeps. I never ate the Peeps in my Easter basket. I'd save them for a few weeks until they got rock-hard, and then I'd smash them on the driveway. The ants loved it.

Bullets:

• 24A: ___ Rebellion" 1786-'87 insurrection (SHAYS'). I remember the name from high school history class, but I couldn't tell you a thing about it. I'll read up on it later.
• 28A: Stitching on Li'l Abner's towel? (HIS'N). Why would hillbillies, or anyone else, say "his'n & her'n" instead of "his & hers"? Does it have something to do with "my" and "mine"? I have more questions than answers so far.
• 33A: Treat a Saudi king with TLC? (COMFORT FAHD). Fahd bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud was the King of Saudi Arabia from 1982-2005. And the fact that there are still countries ruled by kings blows my mind.

• 60A: All-time RBI leader (AARON). Hank Aaron, with 2,297 runs batted in.
• 74A: NYC-based securities gp. (ASE). I'm assuming this is short for American Stock Exchange, more commonly known as AMEX. Is this a better clue than the usual "Enzyme ending"?
• 75A: After-school treats (OREOS). Also great before and during school.
• 79A: Did well on the quiz (GOT A B). I know I've commented on this entry before. It's not completely horrible. (Although some might get confused and think it's supposed to be "Go, Tab!") But it opens up the door to so many other questionable entries: GOT AN A, GET A D, GETS A C, etc, etc. We constructors need to nip this in the bud.

• 88A: Hall of Famer Warren after garage work? (GREASY SPAHN). (Lots of baseball in this bullet. Skip ahead if you can't handle it.) Warren Spahn racked up 363 wins in 21 seasons, more than any other left-handed pitcher. You may recognize his name from the rhyme: "Spahn and Sain, and pray for rain." It was inspired by the performance of Spahn and his teammate, pitcher Johnny Sain, during the Boston Braves' 1948 pennant drive. From Wikipedia: "The team swept a Labor Day doubleheader, with Spahn throwing a complete 14-inning win in the opener, and Sain pitching a shutout in the second game. Following two off-days, it did rain. Spahn won the next day, and Sain won the day after that. Three days later, Spahn won again. Sain won the next day. After one more off-day, the two pitchers were brought back and won another doubleheader. The two pitchers had gone 8–0 in 12 days' time." Not bad. The Yankees are going to try something like that in this year's play-offs: "C.C. Sabathia and pray for a monsoon."
• 94A: Hall of Fame pool player ___ Mataya Laurance (EWA). Seems obscure, but I knew this one. I enjoy watching billiards on TV sometimes. Ms. Laurance was born in Sweden, and her nickname is one of the coolest in all of sports: "The Striking Viking." 

• 114A: Words on some Montana license plates (BIG SKY). Awesome.
• 9D: Reach for the Skyy, excessively (TOPE). Skyy vodka. Cute clue.
• 22D: "Bananaphone" singer (RAFFI). No video will be provided. I tried YANNI first. Yanni and Raffi occupy the same spot in my brain. It's a spot I'd like to have removed.
• 36D: Rapper ___ Shakur (TUPAC). Here's an entry from the first real 15x15 puzzle I ever constructed: ITUPAC. I believe I clued it as "Start of a rapper's formal statement" or some such nonsense. And I had the audacity to criticize Neville's use TIR of yesterday. Shocking.
• 63D: Bond nemesis (SMERSH). Group that opposes Bond, James Bond. Apparently SMERSH is an acronym from two Russian words and means "Death to Spies". I'd rather join KAOS.

Next Sunday's blog will be abbreviated, because I'll be at Lollapuzzoola 4 in Manhattan! I hope to see some of you there. Adios.

07.01 Fri

F R I D A Y
July 1, 2011
Mike Peluso

Theme: Get real! — Each theme answer is a familiar phrase with the letter string ACT removed, creating a new wacky phrase clued wackily.

Theme answers:

• 17A: Free garden supply? (COMP[act]ED SOIL).
• 24A: Cost at a Walmart competitor? (TARGET PR[act]ICE).
• 38A: Become more forgiving? (L[act]OSE INTOLERANCE).
• 50A: Pessimistic brat? (NEGATIVE IMP[act]).
• 62A: "We're on to you!" (and a hint to how this puzzle's other four longest answers were created) (DROP THE ACT).

Is it just me, or have we had some fun puzzles this week? As far as I'm concerned, the trend continues today. Even though the resulting phrases in the theme answers weren't particularly sparkly, I had fun trying to figure them out. And I couldn't get them solely through crosses, because some of the crosses were tough. Overall, that made this one a real puzzler for me which is, of course, what this whole obseshobby is about, right?

I had trouble up and down the west coast today. I'm pretty sure I've never seen the word CAMPO (1A: South American plain). I mean, I've seen it in Spanish phrases and names, but I didn't know what it meant. And the weird thing is that I had two perfectly legitimate guesses: LLANO and PAMPA. Obviously PAMPA gave me some good letters, but I couldn't get that initial P to work, which was really frustrating there for a while.

It also took me a while to figure out the northern California block because, sad to say, I don't know my Marx Brothers and the clue for ALE (30A: Bass, e.g.) was so vague it could have been just about anything! It was Felipe ALOU (27D: Winningest manager in Expos history) who finally broke that section open for me. (Hi, Crosscan!)

Finally, southern California was really tough. The random direction is never a good thing, and in this case it was tough to figure out. I mean, I guess when it's holding down the ends of words, you can sort of guess that a couple of the letters will be S's, but the clue for OPUS (60A: Work) didn't feel like the answer would be plural, so I had to consider an E there too. I don't love the clue for ZAPS (64A: Sci-fi shots), but I'm not going to complain too loudly because it really was the perfect (that is, tough but gettable) end to a fun solving experience for me.

Bullets:

• 16A: Antihero? (GOAT). Well, Merriam-Webster.com defines GOAT as "a licentious man: lecher," so I guess that makes sense. I don't think I've ever heard the word GOAT used that way.

• 19A: Tahoe bar, say (AXLE). The vehicle, not the lake.
• 20A: Cheese from Veneto (ASIAGO). Funny cheese story. I saw a magazine article the other day about cooking that listed various substitution ingredients you might use if you find yourself without something you need. For parmesan cheese the substitute was pecorino. That cracked me up. If I don't have any parmesan cheese, what do you think the chances are that I have some pecorino lying around?!
• 45A: Petting zoo chorus (AWS). This particular chorus is coming from the humans, not the animals. (You wanted BAAS or MAAS, right? Yeah, me too.)
• 47A: Metaphorical hiding place (CLOSET). Come on out, people!
• 65A: Shekels (GELT). We've been seeing a lot of this word lately, haven't we?

• 5D: James Bond and JFK have worn them (OMEGAS). These are … watches? Right?
• 7D: "... and gentle as __": Matthew (A DOVE). I tried A LAMB first.
• 36D: Vier times zwei (ACHT). German! (Sorry, no French today.)
• 46D: Stuffy type (STODGE). Wait, what? Again, not sure I've ever heard this. I stried STOOGE first, but that O wasn't getting me anywhere. Then I remembered STODGY, so … STODGE. Alrighty then.

Crosswordese 101 Round-up:

• 6A: Fifth pillar of Islam (HADJ).
• 19A: Tahoe bar, say (AXLE).
• 43A: Foreign minister under Meir (EBAN).
• 67A: Harper's Bazaar artist (ERTÉ).
• 10D: Turkish title (AGA).
• 27D: Winningest manager in Expos history (ALOU).

Everything Else — 10A: Back country transports, briefly (ATV'S); 14A: Poppy product (OPIUM); 15A: Bean product? (IDEA); 21A: Cognac designation (VSOP); 23A: It may follow sex (-ISM); 27A: Main response? (AYE SIR); 29A: Feminine principle (YIN); 31A: Boomers are swelling its ranks (AARP); 34A: Vast expanse (OCEAN); 42A: Only brother not in any Marx Brothers films (GUMMO); 44A: Comic Margaret (CHO); 54A: Palme __: Cannes award (D'OR); 55A: Words of agreement (NOR I); 56A: Super Bowl party array (SALSAS); 66A: Hartford-based insurance giant (AETNA); 68A: The same, to Alain (EGAL); 69A: Discomfiting look (SNEER); 1D: First name in soft drinks? (COCA); 2D: Mil. addresses (APO'S); 3D: "La Bohème" role (MIMI); 4D: Leave the larva stage (PUPATE); 6D: __ Honor (HIS); 8D: Jefferson, notably (DEIST); 9D: Heap (JALOPY); 11D: Destructive, as a relationship (TOXIC); 12D: Sibelius's "__ Triste" (VALSE); 13D: Keep from flowing (STEM); 18D: Gray painted by Basil Hallward (DORIAN); 22D: Conviction, maybe (PRIOR); 25D: Fireplace insert (GRATE); 26D: Old empire builder (INCA); 28D: Polite rural reply (YES'M); 30D: Subj. for solvers (ALG.); 32D: Steal from (ROB); 33D: Not quite win (PLACE); 35D: Confer ending (-ENCE); 37D: Paleo- opposite (NEO-); 39D: Slate, e.g., for short (E-MAG); 40D: Hoover, for one (IOWAN); 41D: Join (ENLIST); 48D: Midwestern natives (OMAHAS); 49D: It may be vented (SPLEEN); 50D: Without face value (NO PAR); 51D: Blow (ERUPT); 52D: Thrift store abbr. (IRREG.); 53D: One of two in Mozart's string quintets (VIOLA); 54D: Drop off (DOZE); 57D: Bloat, maybe (SATE); 58D: Promgoer's concern (ACNE); 59D: Have the lead (STAR); 61D: Captain's hdg. (SSE); 63D: Scandalous '80s initials (PTL).

05.11 Wed

W E D N E S D A Y
May 11, 2011
Mike Peluso

Theme: Parlez-vous français? — Theme answers end with French words for the colors of the French flag.

Theme answers:

• 3D: Stuffed chicken dish (CORDON BLEU).
• 5D: Loire Valley grape (CHENIN BLANC).
• 25D: Paris nightspot (MOULIN ROUGE).
• 31D: Its colors appear in proper sequence at the ends of 3-, 5- and 25-Down (FRENCH FLAG).

So here's what happened to me yesterday. It was a great day. The puzzle Doug and I constructed ran in the L.A. Times (see what I did there?) and from what I can tell was well received pretty much everywhere so I was on a puzzle high all day. When I got back to my computer after dinner I decided to update my spreadsheet (I keep track of what puzzles I've submitted, etc.) I realized that I have no puzzles out there in the pipeline right now. None. So I started working on puzzles and once I start working on puzzles it's basically over. Nothing else gets done and I don't go to bed until I can't hold my eyes open any more. I tell you all that to explain why it's now 7:05am and I haven't started the blog post. 22A: "Gadzooks!" ("YIKES!") We better get to it!

Theme answers are all downs today, which is unusual. Livin' on the edge! Also … French! The theme definitely helped me today. I'm not a wine-drinker so CHENIN BLANC was completely unknown to me. But once I had the BLEU and ROUGE in place, I was pretty sure I knew what was going on and could fill in the BLANC and get the rest through crosses. At that point, FRENCH FLAG plopped right down into the grid too and it didn't take long to finish the whole thing off.

Bullets:

• 1A: Letters on some pre-1992 Olympic uniforms (CCCP). Back in the '80s I remember hearing that all Russian diplomat license plates started with FU. I don't know if that's true or not.

• 34A: Stand waiter (CAB). Weird clue. I couldn't even figure out what the parts of speech were until I filled the answer in through crosses. I guess a CAB waits at the CAB stand, so it could be said to be a "stand waiter."
• 50A: Empties upon arrival (UNPACKS). You will be happy to know that the PuzzleFamily is completely unpacked from our move only two weeks ago. Pretty impressive, right? Believe me, it's not because of anything I did. PuzzleHusband kicked butt.
• 59A: Title of respect (HONORIFIC). This always seems like a made up word to me. Like how you would look at a big bowl of fruit and go, "That's fruit-tastic!" That's an extremely lame example, but I think you know what I'm talking about.
• 63A: Coming or going word (ALOHA). Took the PuzzleKids to see "Soul Surfer" this past weekend. I recommend it.

• 10D: Early Grand Canyon settlers (HOPI). I have a lithograph (serigraph? something like that) called "Hopi" by my favorite artist, Amado Peña. It's not actually up on a wall yet, but it will be soon!
• 27D: One of eight, now (EARTH). Poor Pluto.
• 28D: Merry (GAY). Not that there's anything wrong with that.
• 32D: Soviet moon program (LUNIK). No idea. Totally got this through crosses. The LUNIK program existed between 1959 and 1976, so I'm gonna guess that I'm just barely too young to have this one stored in my brain.
• 51D: Italian cheese (ASIAGO). Mmm … cheese.

Crosswordese 101 Round-up:

• 38A: Woody's boy (ARLO).
• 43A: Medit. spouter (MT. ETNA).
• 47A: Never, to Heinrich (NIE).
• 52A: Some VCRs (RCA'S).
• 64A: Baseball family name (ALOU).
• 71A: Ornate molding (OGEE).
• 33D: __ Park, Colorado (ESTES).
• 39D: Polo Grounds legend (OTT).

[Follow PuzzleGirl on Twitter.]

Everything Else — 5A: Suze Orman's network (CNBC); 9A: Bygone Mideast leaders (SHAHS); 14A: Landlocked Asian country (LAOS); 15A: Take on (HIRE); 16A: Best Supporting Actress before Paquin (TOMEI); 17A: Other, in Oaxaca (OTRA); 18A: Verve (ELAN); 19A: To the left, at sea (APORT); 20A: Divinity (GODLINESS); 23A: '70s-'90s Atlanta Hawks home (OMNI); 24A: __ day: Wednesday (HUMP); 26A: Intuiting (SENSING); 29A: Puffed-up fare (SOUFFLÉ); 35A: Obsolescent slope conveyance (T-BAR); 37A: Embryo's home (UTERUS); 40A: Germ-killing brand (LYSOL); 42A: Left (WENT); 45A: eBay caveat (AS IS); 48A: Convalescents, maybe (SHUT-INS); 54A: Like some orders (RUSH); 55A: Fox series with Alfred E. Neuman in the opening credits (MAD TV); 65A: Food for Fido (ALPO); 66A: Sure to end badly (NO-WIN); 67A: Criminal group (RING); 68A: Astonished reaction (GASP); 69A: Medicinal plant (SENNA); 70A: Chick follower? (-ADEE); 1D: Stop up (CLOG); 2D: Opponent of Caesar (CATO); 4D: Longest Bible book (PSALMS); 6D: River through Sudan (NILE); 7D: Foolhardy (BRASH); 8D: Population profile (CENSUS); 9D: Remain in place (STAY PUT); 11D: Out of control (AMOK); 12D: The Beatles' "__, There and Everywhere" (HERE); 13D: Is in session (SITS); 21D: Not out of contention (IN IT); 26D: Puts one over on (SCAMS); 30D: Not a whole lot (FEW); 36D: Pretoria's land: Abbr. (RSA); 41D: Corvallis sch. (OSU); 44D: Kurt Cobain's group (NIRVANA); 46D: Boot attachment (SPUR); 49D: Much of Libya (SAHARA); 53D: Well-built (SOLID); 55D: Provides with personnel (MANS); 56D: Burn balm (ALOE); 57D: Consume (DOWN); 58D: Slender (THIN); 60D: Zero (NONE); 61D: __ dixit: assertion without proof (IPSE); 62D: Manage (COPE).

02.06 Sun

S U N D A Y February 6, 2011
Mike Peluso

[Note: This is the syndicated L.A. Times puzzle. It does not appear in the actual newspaper, but is available for free at cruciverb.com.]

Theme: "Subtraction" — The letter string "ION" is literally subtracted from familiar phrases, leading to zany theme answers.

Theme Entries:

• 23A: "Most Difficult Woman" pageant title? (MISS IMPOSSIBLE).
• 35A: What Nadia Comaneci gave her Olympic opponents? (TENS HEADACHE).
• 57A: Batch of itch reliever? (CALAMINE LOT).
• 79A: Native American Washington baseballer? (CHEROKEE NAT).
• 99A: Timeless witticism? (PERPETUAL MOT).
• 118A: Deal between thugs? (MUSCLE CONTRACT).
• 16D: Restrictions on Cupid? (EROS CONTROL).
• 69D: Number in an Amtrak report? (RAILWAY STAT).

Happy Super Bowl Sunday, everyone! This is Doug, back at the helm. I haven't followed football closely in many years, so my Super Bowl excitement level is pretty low. I used to be a Seahawks fan way back in the days of Steve Largent, but I gave up on them when they changed their colors and moved to the NFC. I'll be pulling for the Packers so I can root against Ben Roethlisberger.

I hope football fans find some time for the puzzle today. Maybe you can solve it during the interminable pre-game show or the half-time nonsense. I really enjoyed this one. Most of the theme entries were fun, and they were clued cleverly. MISS IMPOSSIBLE was probably my favorite. There was some nice stuff in the rest of the puzzle too: ROBUST (I've always liked that word for some reason), TWITCHY, GEHRIG, GRIESE, SIOUX, NINJA, VENDETTA.

Bullets:

• 22A: 1939 retiree who said "Today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth (GEHRIG). One of the greatest baseball moments of all time. And today I'm thinking about a 2011 retiree, Andy Pettitte. He's no Gehrig, but it's sad (for Yankee fans) to realize that we'll never see him on the mound again. And I'm reminded that we'll only have another season or two of Jorge Posada and three or four more of Derek Jeter. Mariano Rivera, on the the other hand, will pitch forever.
• 27A: Nashville-to-Louisville direction (NNE). I've never once figured out an "X-to-Y direction" clue. I always get them from the crossers.
• 64A: Sm., med. or lge. (ADJ). All three of those words are adjectives. Were you fooled?
• 79A: Native American Washington baseballer? (CHEROKEE NAT). D.C.'s baseball team is called the Nationals, or the Nats, for short. And I know PuzzleGirl is the proud owner of an official Stephen Strasburg t-shirt. OK, I promise that's the last baseball-related comment of the day.
• 83A: Hall of Famer Sandberg (RYNE). More baseball? I thought this was Super Bowl Sunday.
• 90A: Fail to take the heat? (MELT). Great clue. I thought it was going to have something to do with guns.
• 107A: Speed, for a running back (ASSET). There's a football clue! I assume the running backs in today's game (whoever they are) are indeed speedy.
• 124A: Kobe mat (TATAMI). I thought they snuck in a basketball clue on us, but this one refers to the Japanese city of Kobe.

• 9D: Acting like one has something to hide (TWITCHY). Coolest word in the puzzle.
• 43D: Starting Miami quarterback in three straight '70s Super Bowls (GRIESE). Now that's an awesome clue for Super Bowl Sunday. Bob Griese was the winning quarterback in Super Bowls VII and VIII. His son Brian won a ring for Super Bowl XXXIII, but he didn't play in the game.
• 51D: French card game (ÉCARTÉ). I just read an interesting article on écarté in the latest (April 2011) issue of Games magazine. It was a big deal in the 19th century.
• 70D: Iowa's ___ City (SIOUX). What? It's not Iowa City, home of the Hawkeyes? I'm shocked.
• 88D: Subject of a "Rigoletto" duet (VENDETTA). I love the entry, though the clue gave me no help.
• 94D: "Jersey Shore" airer (MTV). From "Rigoletto" to "Jersey Shore." Only in a crossword puzzle!
• 100D: DeMille specialty (EPIC). Am I the only person who thinks of the Dutch band Epica whenever I see EPIC in a puzzle? Yes, I believe I am.

• 115A: Ignore a Time change? (STET). I love this Time magazine-related clue for the usually boring STET. To an editor, DELE means "take something out" and STET means "put it back in." Something like that. I only know these words from crosswords.

Have a stupendous Sunday. I'll see you next week.

W E D N E S D A Y October 6, 2010 Mike Peluso

Theme: Fly Like an Eagle — Four themes answers, each one a different definition of "Eagle."



Hey, everybody! Doug here, filling in for PuzzleGirl. She was called away to some high-level meetings today. I don't want to give too much away, but she's on the short list to be Obama's new Wrestling Czar.

Theme Answers:

• 20A: Eagle (KEEN-EYED BIRD)
• 33A: Eagle (LUNAR LANDER)
• 41A: Eagle (TWO UNDER PAR)
• 54A: Eagle (HIGHEST SCOUT)

OK, if you're reading this, then I didn't break the blog. So far, so good!

This is a theme type that some solvers don't care for, but I enjoy seeing it every now and then. I liked the first three "Eagles," especially LUNAR LANDER & TWO UNDER PAR. Those are nice in-the-language phrases and don't look out of place in the grid. HIGHEST SCOUT feels a bit off. HIGHEST SCOUT RANK would be better, but that's 16 letters long. (Constructors hate 16-letter phrases.) Or maybe I'm a little bitter because I only made it to First Class in my Boy Scout career. That's three ranks below Eagle, if you're keeping score at home.

• 18A: Former credit card giant (MBNA). An odd entry that came to me immediately. Wikipedia tells me it was "the world's largest independent credit card issuer," so I guess those initials leaked into my brain at some point.
• 23A: Big pix: Abbr. (ENLS). That entry is all kinds of ugly. We shall not speak of it again.
• 47A: Composer Berlioz (HECTOR). I've heard of Berlioz, but I had no idea his first name was Hector. Hector? Really? My favorite Hector is the one from the Trojan War.
• 5D: Harris of country (EMMYLOU). This is a cool name to see in the grid. Embedding videos is above my pay grade right now, so after you're done reading this, go to YouTube and watch an Emmylou Harris video.
• 9D: Destructive 2005 newsmaker (KATRINA). Another cool name, but I always cringe when I see devastating hurricanes referenced in clues for Katrina, Ivan, Agnes, etc. Wouldn't it be nicer to use Katrina and the Waves in the clue? After you watch that Emmylou Harris video, check out "Walking on Sunshine."

• 27D: Girardi's predecessor as Yankee manager (TORRE). I'm pretty excited about his successor as Dodger manager, Don Mattingly. He was the only bright spot on some very bad Yankee teams when I was growing up. But I'll never get used to seeing him in Dodger Blue. Donnie, come home!
• 32D/7D: Feeling better (ON THE/MEND). I like the way the constructor rescued a partial by pairing it with another entry. Nice touch.
• 45D: Cleanup hitter's stats (RBIS). Postseason starts tonight. Play ball!
• 59D: Pin cushion? (MAT). Cute clue. And perhaps a shout-out to our new Wrestling Czar.

OK, that's enough for my first day. This is harder than it looks.

Everything Else — 1A: Dance fundamental (STEP); 5A: Spreading trees (ELMS); 9A: Cosmic payback (KARMA); 14A: __-up: slow Web connection (DIAL); 15A: Bubbly label name (MOET); 16A: Like some kites (AVIAN); 17A: Menlo Park middle name (ALVA); 19A: Shakespeare's title Athenian (TIMON); 24A: Reagan era prog. (SDI); 25A: Ball club (BAT); 28A: Pancho was his sidekick (CISCO); 30A: Running independently (ON AUTO); 32A: Trite (OLD); 37A: Leg-shaving alternative (NAIR); 39A: "Science Guy" Bill (NYE); 40A: Baking soda target (ODOR); 46A: Tint (HUE); 48A: WWII blockade vessel (U-BOAT); 50A: Joseph of ice cream fame (EDY); 51A: Tic __: mint (TAC); 53A: Sale condition (AS IS); 59A: Ambulance attendant (MEDIC); 62A: Cathedral section (APSE); 63A: "Dark Angel" actress Jessica (ALBA); 64A: Worship (ADORE); 65A: Bring up (REAR); 66A: Diver's haunt (REEF); 67A: Au courant, with "in" (TUNED); 68A: Ancient Persian (MEDE); 69A: Ilk (SORT); 1D: Nebr. neighbor (S. DAK.); 2D: Roofer's piece (TILE); 3D: Whence icicles hang (EAVE); 4D: Does a cabinetmaking task (PLANES); 6D: They may be pierced (LOBES); 8D: Pierces (STABS); 10D: Zealous (AVID); 11D: Part of most eyeglasses (RIM); 12D: "Little Red Book" author (MAO); 13D: Ex-Texas governor Richards (ANN); 21D: Check sent with a ltr., e.g. (ENCL.); 22D: Adored one (IDOL); 25D: Sanskrit for "awakened one" (BUDDHA); 26D: Enjoyed Denny's, say (ATE OUT); 28D: Scratched (CLAWED); 29D: Stupidity (IDIOCY); 31D: "That's __": "Uh-uh" (A NO); 34D: Toledo-to-Detroit dir. (NNE); 35D: Port on the Firth of Clyde (AYR); 36D: Sen. counterpart (REP.); 38D: Road to nowhere, metaphorically (RUT); 42D: Spied (NOTICED); 43D: Schlep (DRAG); 44D: Like monastic life (AUSTERE); 49D: Annual Hollywood gala, with "the" (OSCARS); 52D: Amulet (CHARM); 53D: Syrian leader (ASSAD); 54D: Take on (HIRE); 55D: Fencing sword (ÉPÉE); 56D: Stick on the table (OLEO); 57D: Opposite of unter (UBER); 58D: First president to take up golf (TAFT); 60D: University URL (EDU); 61D: Put on (DON).

WEDNESDAY, September 15, 2010—Mike Peluso

THEME: "Help! I'm Trapped in This Chalet!"—Four long two-word answers have the word ICED embedded withIN them, spanning the two words

PuzzleGirl has been called away on short notice this morning (Is it because she was an alternate for the Women's Masters Wrestling Tournament all-star team and her Wrestling Boyfriend™ was going to be there to cheer her on? I'll never tell) and needed a substitute. I only have 20 minutes to get ready to leave the house and blog, so you're getting a copy-and-paste of my Diary of a Crossword Fiend post.

You know how constructors fall back on ICE IN no matter what season it is, just because the letters come in handy? Mike has promoted ICED IN to a starring role: There is an ICED that’s IN each of the four longest entries. Like so:

• 16a. [What b.i.d. means, in prescriptions] is TWICE A DAY, but that doesn’t fit. TWICE DAILY does, however. You may think this is a horribly dry clue and answer, but your friendly neighborhood medical editor appreciates it.
• 26a. [Some rear entrances] are SERVICE DOORS. Arbitrary plural for the purpose of achieving symmetry.
• 44a. [The first official one was November 11, 1919] refers to ARMISTICE DAY. My grandpa may or may not have been in the Navy then; he didn’t serve in WWI, but I think he was sailing to China and the Philippines prior to 1919. But not much prior, as he was only born in 1901 (lied about his age to get in the service early). Anyway, he had awesome tattoos from Shanghai and once tried opium.
• 59a. [Many are German shepherds] clues POLICE DOGS. Another plural.
• 48a. ICED IN is clued [Stranded at the ski lodge, perhaps, and a hint to this puzzle's hidden theme].

My favorite entries:

• 45d. ICARUS is your [Wax-winged flier of myth]. I like to think his last words were “Da-a-ad! Why didn’t you tell me this would happen?”
• 8d. [San Francisco and environs] clues the BAY AREA. To really make the locals happy, call the area “Frisco” or “San Fran.” They love that.

Crosswordese 101: Please nominate your own entries and look them up the XW101 database. EWERS, EMIR, ORAN? I'll bet they're there. If INGLE is not, look it up in the dictionary. First time I've seen it with a clue tying the word to England.

Gotta run!

F R I D A Y August 27, 2010 Mike Peluso

Theme: It(t)y Bitty — Familiar phrases have the letters ‑ITY tacked onto the end. Wackiness ensues.


Theme answers:

• 20A: Oil company's penchant for employee transfers? (EXXON MOBILITY).
• 29A: Measure of neighborhood drug traffic? (OPIUM DENSITY).
• 46A: Egotism that brings you to tears? (MOVING VANITY).
• 56A: Pigmentation variations? (SKIN DIVERSITY).

I was distracted while I solved this puzzle, so I'm not really sure how hard it is. I know I had some self-inflicted trouble in the Mid-Atlantic area due to how quickly I entered OLÉ where RAH was supposed to go (26A: Arena cheer). I thought, "But shouldn't 27D: Make restitution be ATONE and 28D: Service songs be HYMNS?" Why yes. Yes, they should.

I have to admit I'm a little disappointed in the theme in that two of the phrases are plural, which kind of seems like cheating to me. I actually thought for a quick second that the theme might be adding ‑SITY to the ends of the phrases instead of just ‑ITY. Sometimes a theme's inconsistency doesn't really bother me until I'm done with the puzzle and am reviewing it again. But today, it actually bothered me during the solve. For what it's worth.

Bullets:

• 1A: W.E.B. Du Bois was among its founders (NAACP). I do so love it when 1 Across is a bit, fat gimme.
• 6A: Coot's cousin (RAIL). Are these some type of animal? … Yes, birds. Apparently, a coot looks (and acts) rather like a duck.
• 19A: Far Hills, N.J.-based sports org. (USGA). United States Golf Association.
• 23A: Pennzoil letters (SAE). According to Wikipedia, this refers to the Society of Automotive Engineers' "numerical code system for grading motor oils to their viscosity characteristics."
• 24A: Carrier with a hub at LAX (UAL). Why did I try UAW first? Anybody know? No? Okay.
• 35A: Where Charlie was trapped, in a Kingston Trio hit (MTA).



• 41A: "Liz: The Elizabeth Taylor Story" star Sherilyn (FENN). This is the first entry of the mini-theme of Actresses Who Look Like Other Actresses. Here's Sherilynn FENN and Julianna Margulies.
  
  
  See also 9D: LEELEE Sobieski of "Joy Ride" (2001) and Helen Hunt.
  
  I looked through Sobieski's past work on IMDb but don't think I've seen a single one of her movies or television shows. Which is weird, because I absolutely know her as "that actress who looks like Helen Hunt."

• 44A: "__ Woman": 1975 hit (I'M A). Raise your hand if you tried "I AM Woman" first. Only off by a couple years.
• 66A: Like many a motel air conditioner (NOISY). Ain't that the truth.
• 69A: One who's generally bottled up? (GENIE).
• 4D: Puccini's "O mio babbino __" (CARO). I totally guessed on this one. It just sounded right. I would translate this is "Oh my sweet baby." How'd I do? … Darn. "Babbino" is actually "papa," and "caro" is "dear."

• 31D: Hardly the drill sergeant type (SOFTY).
• 33D: Fowl on a menu (CAPON). Again with the birds. What is this, a duck? I sure don't know much today. A CAPON is actually a castrated rooster.
• 39D: Man, e.g. (OMNIVORE). I'm not a big fan of the word "man" used as a substitute "human."
• 40D: See, and then some (RAISE). Poker reference.
• 48D: Family gathering staples (VIDEOS). Me: "Why would a family be gathering staples?"
• 57D: F and G, but not H (KEYS). This is a music reference. Notes of the scale only go from A to G. So you might hear a song in the key of F or G, but you'll never hear a song in the key of H.
• 60D: Sportscaster Costas (BOB). Love him.

Crosswordese 101 Round-up:

• 10A: Barcelona-born muralist (SERT).
• 15A: Coastal predator (ERNE).
• 62A: Like Erté's art (DECO).
• 29D: '90s "SNL" regular Cheri (OTERI).

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Everything Else — 14A: Of an arm bone (ULNAR); 16A: Hawaii neighbor (MAUI); 17A: "The Wreck of the Mary __" (DEARE); 18A: Benefit (SAKE); 25A: Con opening (NEO-); 32A: Part of CPA: Abbr. (ACCT.); 36A: Doomed city (SODOM); 37A: Red (RARE); 38A: Peruvian address (SEÑOR); 42A: Puccini offering (OPERA); 45A: Muy, across the Pyrenees (TRÈS); 50A: "Wheel of Fortune" buy (AN A); 51A: Half a cocktail (TAI); 52A: "Kinda" suffix (-ISH); 53A: Half-witted (DIM); 60A: Pedestal (BASE); 63A: Any Frankie Avalon song (OLDIE); 64A: Follow (OBEY); 65A: Gardener, at times (HOER); 67A: Crown's girl, in a 1935 opera (BESS); 68A: "Gotcha" ("I SEE"); 1D: Sculptors' subjects (NUDES); 2D: Billy Joel's daughter (ALEXA); 3D: Has __ to grind (AN AXE); 5D: Asset protection plan, briefly (PRE-NUP); 6D: Determined (RESOLUTE); 7D: __-Israeli War (ARAB); 8D: Equitable way to pay (IN KIND); 10D: Blue books? (SMUT); 11D: 1969 road movie (EASY RIDER); 12D: Toupee (RUG); 13D: Madre's hermana (TIA); 21D: Injures badly (MAIMS); 22D: They're not free of charge (IONS); 30D: Frenzy (MANIA); 32D: Coffee asset (AROMA); 34D: Climbers' obstacles (CREVASSES); 43D: Fighting (ANTI); 47D: Kingsley role (GANDHI); 49D: Crowd (THRONG); 53D: Slew (DID IN); 54D: Formal doorstep response (IT IS I); 55D: "Yeah, right!!" ("MY EYE!"); 58D: Slurpee alternative (ICEE); 59D: __ gin (SLOE); 61D: Harlem Globetrotters founder Saperstein (ABE).