09.17 Sat

S A T U R D A Y
September 17, 2011
Tom Heilman

Theme: Nothing! It's themeless! Welcome to Saturday!

Despite the continuous stream of mathematics homework coming my way, it's never Neville here again while PG is away for the weekend. Big ups to Gareth for taking the reins yesterday; hopefully I'll do as nice a job as he did.

Where did you break into this puzzle? I started on the left hand side with the 4D. Long-odds bet (TRIFECTA) which led me down to 25A: Othello game piece (DISC). It wasn't long before I got the star of this puzzle: 36A. Beyond unethical (MORALLY BANKRUPT).

Seems to go against the (ETHOS) clued by 46A: Underlying values, doesn't it? 27D: Settings for "Junkyard Wars" had to be (SCRAPHEAPS), since SCRAPYARDS had overlap with the clue. Slowly I was able to make my way to the right hand side of the puzzle, eventually remembering what the word (JINGOISTIC) means. (IRON AGE) made the NE corner come more easily, since 16A: When forging started was rather straightforward. Eventually I was able to complete this puzzle, but it felt like more of a trial than the usually Saturday puzzle. That wasn't a bad thing - there's nothing really objectionable in this fill - just a tough construction to break!

Bullets:

• 52A: Akkadian king who conquered Mesopotamia (SARGON). This seems like it's part of that classic series "Fiction with Thomas Heilman" - but apparently this is a real person. He's busted to the right.  
• 28A: Corpulent (FAT) is right above 31A. Make fit (CRAM IN). I'm reminded of the hubbub a few years back with airlines requiring larger customers to purchase two seats. Seems like that money is now being used to provide WiFi on flights! 
• 12D: Classroom response, at times (LAME EXCUSE). I love this entry, but not this clue. If I had to pick a thing that's lame, I'd say, "A student's excuse." It's completely in the language and has an X, which endears me too it much more than usual. But this clue made me want something like "Yes, teacher," which is an actual response from the whole classroom. It technically works, but I'm not a fan.
  
• 18A: Discarded storage technology (BETAMAX) - not my first hunch of Zip disk. Not sure how mainstream those were, but at my elementary school, they talked about them like you could fit the entire world into those 100 megabytes. Frankly, the Betamax predates me.
• 29A: Unfavorably influence (JINX) - you owe me a soda! You cannot speak until you buy me a coke. Those are the rules of Jinx, and they are unflinchingly rigid.
• 1A: Make even in a way (JUSTIFY). Look at that - I've managed to justify the text in this bullet point! See? Flush on both the left and the right. Technology allows us so many options. I think that's the meaning that Tom's going for in this clue.
• 23D: She played Elle a mermaid in "Kill Bill" "Splash (DARYL). That's what it would've taken me to get so much as near to the correct solution.
• 8A: Key rings? (JANGLES). Cutest clue I've seen in a while across all outlets. Those would be the noises made when you shake your keys!
• 22A: Moving experience? (EXODUS) is a close second to JANGLES as far as awesome entries go.
• 58A: "Olly olly oxen free!" - (IT'S SAFE). I wanted something more hide & seek related, but this is quite clever. Nice to know that it is safe - I never saw the ending of Marathon Man.
  
At least Mrs. Robinson isn't trying to seduce him?
• 14D. Times of prayer in the Fivine Office. (SEXTS). Who wants to take responsibility and let Rich Norris know that isn't what sexts means.

Crosswordese 101 Round-Up

• 2D: Fonda role (ULEE)
• 57D: "___ tu cle maahiary": Verdi lyrics. (ERI). The what?
• Like I said, most of it is nice - not much crosswordese here!

Thanks for letting be play the puzzle with you today! Until next time, follow PG on the Twitter!

07.16 Sat

S A T U R D A Y
July 16, 2011
Tom Heilman

Theme: None

Posting late today because I had a lot of trouble with this one, but I wasn't ready to give up. I started it last night and got about half of it done. Then PuzzleHusband wanted to watch a couple episodes of "Friday Night Lights" and I really couldn't say no. I decided I'd get up this morning and finish it, but of course I slept in. So here we are.

The northeast and southwest corners came together pretty easily, but the others … not so much. Up in the northwest, I had several answers that went in, came out, went in, came out. It just seemed to take a lot of finagling to get that section to make any sense. Thank God for AXL ROSE (2D: Frontman on the 1987 debut album "Appetite for Destruction") who at least gave me something up there that I knew was right. It was HERBIE (23D: Beetle of note) that finally broke that section open for me. It made GEYSERS become clear (28A: Surface phenomena affected by magma) and allowed me put HOLD back in (23A: A plan may be put on it) which got me to see NATIONS (7D: United __). And then I was off and running. Just one question, though: PASQUINADE?! Really? (1A: Public mockery.)

Other missteps for me included FLORIDIANS for ALLIGATORS (17A: Everglades denizens), NAVY SEALS for SWAT TEAMS (29D: Elite tactical units) and SANTANA for ESTEFAN (36D: Grammy winner for the 1993 album "Mi Tierra").

I definitely had some "aha" moments along the way. My favorite entries include:

• 26A: Pregnant pause, perhaps (TENSE MOMENT).
• 41A: Established favorable conditions (for) (SET THE STAGE).
• 51A: Independent way to live (OFF THE GRID).
• 56A: Private (ONE-STRIPER).
• 11D: Raked it in (MADE A MINT).

Not a fan of seeing both PETR- and PETRO- in the grid (49D: Stone: Pref. / 49A: Chemical prefix?). And the alternate spelling of OYEZ bummed me out a little (55A: Court cry: Var. (OYES)). But I enjoyed the clues for DAMN (18A: Hoot? — as in "I don't give a hoot") and SLIM (53A: Barely better than none? — as "I would say the chances of me getting this blog up at a reasonable hour are slim to none"). And with that, I will leave the rest of the discussion to you.

Crosswordese 101 Round-up:

• 16A: First Dominican-born Major League Baseball manager (ALOU).
• 44A: Narrow ridge (ARETE).
• 48A: Scented souvenirs (LEIS).
• 10D: __ est percipi: to be is to be perceived (ESSE).
• 46D: Pola of the silents (NEGRI).
• 52D: President when the U.N. was created (HST).

Everything Else — 11A: Opening movement of Holst's "The Planets" (MARS); 15A: Cleans up (EXPURGATES); 19A: Occupation (TRADE); 20A: "Lady, shall __ in your lap?": Hamlet (I LIE); 21A: They may be geological (ERAS); 22A: Direct (BOSS); 24A: Artist son of Andrew Wyeth (JAMIE); 25A: Kyrgyzstan city (OSH); 30A: Judges (DECIDES); 31A: Complex design (WEB); 32A: Fatal opening? (NON-); 33A: Statement of equality (IT'S A TIE); 37A: Coastal freeze (FAST ICE); 43A: Pita look-alike (NAN); 45A: Faithful (TRUE); 46A: Crack agent? (NARC); 47A: "Okay then" ("I SEE"); 50A: Poet Walter __ Mare (DE LA); 54A: Railing with molded supports (BALUSTRADE); 1D: Moor feature (PEAT BOG); 3D: Flamboyant (SPLASHY); 4D: Plugs of tobacco (QUIDS); 5D: Seriously suggest (URGE); 6D: Supermarket chain with Chicago H.Q. (IGA); 8D: Components of the Maldives (ATOLLS); 9D: Scoffed at (DERIDED); 12D: Protected, in a way (ALARMED); 13D: Arugula alternative (ROMAINE); 14D: Down times? (SUNSETS); 24D: Playful (JOCOSE); 26D: Use a ring, maybe (TEETHE); 27D: Household (MENAGE); 33D: Discussion-ending words (I SAID SO); 34D: In a word (TERSELY); 35D: Pinball ball, perhaps (STEELIE); 37D: Thomas Mann's "Doktor __" (FAUSTUS); 38D: Caught (IN A TRAP); 39D: Four-wheel drive? (CAR RIDE); 40D: Spy, at times (ENCODER); 42D: Gimcrack (TRIFLE); 48D: Western howler (LOBO).