04.20 Wed

W E D N E S D A Y
April 20, 2011
Don Gagliardo & C. C. Burnikel

Theme: Family Affair — Nicknames for family members are hidden within familiar phrases.

Theme answers:

• 21A: *Ages (FOREVER AND A DAY).
• 29A: *Surgery prep area (SCRUB ROOM).
• 39A: *"Aha!" (JUST AS I SUSPECTED).
• 48A: *Bout with very big contestants (SUMO MATCH).
• 59A: Groundbreaking sitcom, and a hint to four different three-letter words concealed by starred answers (ALL IN THE FAMILY).

Today we have another nice puzzle from veteran Don Gagliardo and my crossword blogging colleague, C. C. Burnikel. As you may know, I'm kinda rushing this week, so let me just make a couple points about this theme and this grid and then we'll jump straight to bullets.

For this kind of theme to avoid being completely boring, a couple things have to happen. First, you really want to start with sparkly theme phrases. In this case, SCRUB ROOM and SUMO MATCH seem a little bland, but FOREVER AND A DAY and JUST AS I SUSPECTED are completely awesome. Second, it's much more elegant for the "hidden" words to span multiple words in the theme phrases. If DAD were hidden in, say, CRAWDAD, well, that wouldn't be very impressive now would it? No, it would not. But starting with a fun phrase like FOREVER AND A DAY and then finding the hidden word breaking across three words is very nice. Even if you started with a fun theme answer like DADDY WARBUCKS, that would still be blah for two reasons: (1) the hidden word is found whole inside another word and (2) the hidden word and the clue for the hidden word have exactly the same meaning. The theme today is well done is what I'm saying.

As for the fill, there are definitely some sparkly entries — STONER, MY HERO, WORF — but you sure hate to see an entry like AGI hanging out over there (47A: Form 1040 calc.), especially when that G could easily have been changed to an N. No, ANI crossing LENO isn't ideal fill, but if it allows you to get rid of AGI, I'm thinking you wanna take that risk.

I'm gonna go ahead and put the Crosswordese 101 round-up right up front today. I know somebody is going to ask about ENS (26A: Minnesota twins?) which, if you've been following the blog for a while you know is a "literal letter" clue. So to you, gentle yet confused reader, here's your answer.

Crosswordese 101 Round-up:

• 25A: Old Olds creation (REO).
• 26A: Minnesota twins? (ENS).
• 7D: Banned apple spray (ALAR).
• 42D: Thurman of "Kill Bill" (UMA).
• 61D: Mythical archer (EROS).
• 63D: River of Flanders (YSER).

Bullets:

• 1A: Berlin Olympics star (OWENS).
• 17A: Pheasant ragout (SALMI). Wow. No idea. Is this a common thing that's just not in my sphere of knowledge?
• 27A: Buff (FAN). Very tricky. With the AN in place, I plopped a T in there without thinking too much about it.
• 45A: "Really __ ...": "Tears of a Clown" lyric (I'M SAD). Oh sure, why not?



• 56A: Prefix with moron (OXY-). I can't hear the word OXYmoron without thinking of George Carlin who, I believe, was the very first host of SNL (64D: NBC hit since '75).
• 66A: Live (EXIST). Another tricky clue depending on which pronunciation you chose to start with.

• 9D: He who is without sin? (STONER). Ha!
• 10D: Links gp. (USGA). I tried LPGA first.
• 30D: Reine's spouse (ROI). French!
• 40D: It usually includes crossed-off items (TASK LIST). Please tell me I'm not the only one who tried TO-DO LIST first.
• 41D: Soccer star Freddy (ADU). Since I started working in real estate law, ADU means Affordable Dwelling Units to me.
• 52D: Big hits (HOMERS). Another tricky clue. I was thinking music, not baseball.

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Everything Else — 6A: Test sites (LABS); 10A: Unexpected result (UPSET); 15A: "The King's Speech" Oscar winner Firth (COLIN); 16A: Touched down (ALIT); 18A: Far from fresh (TRITE); 19A: Snack in a shell (TACO); 20A: Garden figure (GNOME); 24A: Spelling on screen (TORI); 33A: Glob suffix (-ULE); 34A: Mack Sennett lawman (KOP); 35A: Hard-twisted cotton thread (LISLE); 46A: __ tai (MAI); 53A: Droid (BOT); 54A: Go on and on (YAK); 57A: He succeeded Boutros (KOFI); 64A: Arab big shot (SHEIK); 65A: Sleek, in car talk (AERO); 68A: Like the Vikings (NORSE); 69A: Fairway club (IRON); 70A: Religious practices (RITES); 71A: Led Zeppelin's "Whole __ Love" (LOTTA); 72A: At sea (LOST); 73A: Foam opener (STYRO-); 1D: Fall mo. (OCT.); 2D: Klingon officer in the "Star Trek" franchise (WORF); 3D: "The Untouchables" co-author, 1957 (ELIOT NESS); 4D: Powerful liquid, for short (NITRO); 5D: Derisive looks (SNEERS); 6D: Incurring a fine, maybe (LATE); 8D: Antacid choice, briefly (BICARB); 11D: Prevalent all over (PANDEMIC); 12D: Memorial __-Kettering: NYC hospital (SLOAN); 13D: Tube awards (EMMYS); 14D: Draw (TIE); 22D: VapoRub maker (VICKS); 23D: Durante's "Inka Dinka __" (DOO); 27D: Japan's highest mountain (FUJI); 28D: Grad (ALUM); 31D: FedEx rival (UPS); 32D: Bullring shout (OLÉ); 36D: Balance (STABILITY); 37D: Kids' block (LEGO); 38D: Do some cutting (EDIT); 43D: Used a stool (SAT); 44D: "__ card, any card" (PICK A); 49D: Many a Fed. holiday (MON.); 50D: Beefy stew ingredient (OXTAIL); 51D: "You saved me!" ("MY HERO!"); 54D: Shout of delight (YAHOO); 55D: All ears (ALERT); 58D: Handy "Mr." (FIX-IT); 60D: Swedish furniture chain (IKEA); 62D: Type type (FONT); 67D: Chicken general? (TSO).

04.19 Tue

T U E S D A Y
April 19, 2011
John Lampkin

Theme: All About Animals — Each theme answer is an animal commonly known by its habitat.

Theme answers:

• 18A: Grassland burrower (PRAIRIE DOG).
• 23A: Mojave lizard (DESERT IGUANA).
• 37A: Flippered ocean critter (SEA LION).
• 51A: Sure-footed Rockies denizen (MOUNTAIN GOAT).
• 60A: Playful swimmer (RIVER OTTER).

I received a lovely note from John Lampkin last night with some background about this puzzle:

This puzzle is a direct response to Scott Atkinson's fun LAT offering of Monday, 6/28/2010 where he used a "double animal name" theme with TIGER SHARK, ELEPHANT SEAL, SPIDER MONKEY, and TURTLE DOVE. After saluting Scott and kicking myself for not thinking of it first, I realized I could raise the stakes a notch by getting three layers in there: a critter, its habitat, and its characteristic behavior. Some fun!

We've got a lot of what we expect from John in this grid: primarily nature and classical music. I don't recall thinking that John is particularly fond of foreign languages, but there's a little Spanish, a little German, and some French:

• 5A: Comme ci, comme ça (SO-SO).
• 8D: "Yes, yes, Fifi" ("OUI OUI").
• 11D: Earth, in Germany (ERDE).
• 12D: 60-Across habitats, to José (RIOS).
• 21D: Cinq moins deux (TROIS).
• 61D: That, in Toledo (ESO).

41A: Jack Horner's last words (AM I) might also have been clued as French, but wasn't. Is there such a thing as too much French? Maybe the grid had already fulfilled its quota.

By far my favorite entry in the grid is GEEZERS (4D: Old coots). Fun to say (both clue and answer). I also love seeing one of my favorite movies of all time in the grid: 52D: "Paper Moon" Oscar winner O'Neal (TATUM). She really was fantastic in that movie.

The only head-scratcher for me today is 62D: Fast-spinning meas. (RPS). No idea what this means and a quick Google search doesn't help.

As I mentioned yesterday, I'm moving this weekend, so write-ups will be relatively short this week. So far, everything going pretty smoothly — thanks for all the good wishes. We're only moving about two miles away from where we are now, which I think is going to make this easier than our last move (from Iowa to Virginia). I guess we'll see.

And with that, I'll leave you with one last note from John Lampkin:

Oddly, I've never photographed any of these species, but I do have a nice image of a pair of mating MONARCHS. For those of you contemplating trying this at home, do not, I repeat, do not attempt this in a hammock.

Crosswordese 101 Round-up:

• 16A: Hawk's home (AERIE).
• 24D: Container weight (TARE).
• 30D: "Boola Boola" singers (ELIS).

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Everything Else — 1A: Chase, as a fly (SHAG); 9A: Whaler's rear end (STERN); 14A: "__ Fly With Me": Sinatra standard (COME); 15A: Swan's "Swan Lake" wear (TUTU); 17A: Boo-boo, in tot talk (OWIE); 20A: "Hungarian Rhapsodies" composer Franz (LISZT); 22A: "My __!" (GOODNESS); 26A: Boulevard, e.g. (ROAD); 27A: Comical Coca (IMOGENE); 31A: "You betcha!" ("YESSIREE!"); 35A: Bad doings (EVIL); 36A: Soft drink suffix (-ADE); 42A: Zoom or macro (LENS); 44A: Orange-and-black-winged butterflies (MONARCHS); 46A: Dangles a carrot in front of (ENTICES); 50A: Jay with jokes (LENO); 56A: Prayer set to music by Schubert and Gounod (AVE MARIA); 59A: 1945 conference site (YALTA); 63A: Object of worship (IDOL); 64A: Some '80s Chryslers (K-CARS); 65A: Crescent's tip (CUSP); 66A: It flows through Egypt (NILE); 67A: Feel intuitively (SENSE); 68A: AMA concerns (HMO'S); 69A: Slippery fish (EELS); 1D: Chew out (SCOLD); 2D: Canadian comic Mandel (HOWIE); 3D: Not quite right (AMISS); 5D: "The Racer's Edge" (STP); 6D: "... __ daily bread" (OUR); 7D: College football immortal Amos Alonzo __ (STAGG); 9D: Verbally refused (SAID NO); 10D: Like most adolescents (TEENAGE); 13D: Strips in a photo lab (NEGS.); 19D: Wander (ROAM); 25D: Gray matter creation (IDEA); 28D: Flood emergency op (EVAC); 29D: Gp. that funds psychiatric drug testing (NIMH); 31D: "Boola Boola" university (YALE); 32D: Paradise (EDEN); 33D: Email status (SENT); 34D: "Slippery" tree (ELM); 38D: Kansas city (IOLA); 39D: R.E.M.'s "The __ Love" (ONE I); 40D: Au pair (NANNY); 43D: Almost boils (SIMMERS); 45D: Hair-raising product? (ROGAINE); 47D: Like some sandpaper (COARSE); 48D: Continental coin (EURO); 49D: Tattletale (SNITCH); 53D: Nostalgic record (OLDIE); 54D: Ring-shaped reef (ATOLL); 55D: Fairy stories (TALES); 56D: Torah holders (ARKS); 57D: Smoking or drinking, some say (VICE); 58D: "__ Almighty": 2007 film (EVAN).

04.18 Mon

M O N D A Y
April 18, 2011
Gail Grabowski

Theme: Electric Avenue — Each theme answer is a familiar phrase that ends with a word that can be related to electricity.

Theme answers:

• 17A: Mott's product (APPLE JUICE).
• 55A: Gust of wind, e.g. (AIR CURRENT).
• 10D: Nightclub minimum (COVER CHARGE).
• 24D: '60s-'70s passive resistance slogan (FLOWER POWER).

Good morning, everyone, and happy Monday. The PuzzleFamily is moving next weekend, so I'm pretty sure write-ups will not be as lengthy and detailed as you're used to. I'll probably find a sub to cover a day or two as well, so make sure to check back here every day cuz you never know what you'll find.

Today's puzzles is, well, it's a Monday puzzle which means simple theme, nothing flashy. But it's a Monday puzzle by Gail Grabowski, so it's on the smooth side which is always nice.

Bullets:

• 16A: Opinion piece, for short (OP-ED). This always seems wrong to me, because I think the OP in OP-ED is short for "opinion." But it's not. It's short for "opposite." (A newspaper's OP-ED page is traditionally OPposite the EDitorial page.)

• 24A: What daredevils seem to lack (FEAR). Me: "Sanity?"
• 29A: Rail chemical carriers (TANK CARS). Remember a little while ago when I said "nothing flashy"? This is what I'm talking about.
• 62A: Japanese wrestling (SUMO). Two wrestling clues in today's grid but neither one of them the kind of wrestling I like. See also 37D: Wrestling duos (TAG TEAMS).
• 8D: Org. with Raiders and Steelers (AFC). American Football Corporation. (I'm kidding.)
• 13D: Rapids phenomenon (EDDY). Just in case the title I gave this puzzle hasn't done its job, I'll mention here that EDDY is the way EDDY Grant spells his first name. He's the one who sang the unforgettable "Electric Avenue."
• 31D: Cordelia's sister (REGAN). Two of King Lear's daughters.

• 41D: Part of FBI (FEDERAL). The clue isn't asking for part of the actual organization — just part of the acronym. But you knew that.

Crosswordese 101 Round-up:

• 38A: Mythological ship (ARGO).
• 4D: Sinuous swimmer (EEL).
• 11D: Each (A POP).
• 30D: High-altitude nest (AERIE).

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Everything Else — 1A: Key in (ENTER); 6A: The thing over there (THAT); 10A: Stalactite site (CAVE); 14A: Sticky (GOOEY); 15A: Get a new mortgage for, briefly (REFI); 19A: Tear up, as a check (VOID); 20A: __ Moines (DES); 21A: Transvaal settler (BOER); 22A: With all one's heart (DEEPLY); 25A: Place to fish from (PIER); 26A: Wore an upside-down frown (SMILED); 33A: Burgundy, for one (COLOR); 34A: Pitched shelter (TENT); 35A: Dickens's Uriah (HEEP); 36A: State purposefully (AVOW); 37A: Latin ballroom dance (TANGO); 39A: Hop out of bed (RISE); 40A: Whizzes (ACES); 41A: Monastery member (FRIAR); 42A: Fix (SET RIGHT); 44A: University officer (REGENT); 45A: Greenhouse containers (POTS); 46A: Constructed (MADE); 47A: It starts after the overture (ACT ONE); 50A: Newspaper unit (PAGE); 51A: Captain's "I need help ASAP!" (SOS); 54A: Extinguish, with "out" (BLOW); 58A: Hamster's home (CAGE); 59A: Drop anchor (MOOR); 60A: Counters with beads (ABACI); 61A: Train for a bout (SPAR); 63A: Water bottle capacity (LITER); 1D: Antiquated exclamation (EGAD); 2D: "Don't think so" (NOPE); 3D: Does better than (TOPS); 5D: Microbrewery offering (RYE BEER); 6D: More loyal (TRUER); 7D: Estate beneficiary (HEIR); 9D: Was linked with (TIED INTO); 12D: Bridal accessory (VEIL); 18D: "The Grapes of Wrath" family name (JOAD); 23D: "A spider!" ("EEK!"); 25D: Dieter's feelings of distress (PANGS); 26D: Marks for life (SCARS); 27D: Studio production (MOVIE); 28D: Gambler's words of lament (I LOST); 29D: Church belief (TENET); 32D: Golf or tennis (SPORT); 34D: RPM gauges (TACHS); 43D: Physics particle (ION); 44D: Old World Style pasta sauce brand (RAGU); 46D: Computer user's shortcut (MACRO); 47D: Elementary lessons (ABC'S); 48D: Applaud (CLAP); 49D: Old Roman wrap (TOGA); 50D: Seniors often take limos to it (PROM); 51D: Bench, for one (SEAT); 52D: It's often enough (ONCE); 53D: Instigate, with "up" (STIR); 56D: Debtor's letters (IOU); 57D: Hitter's stat (RBI).

04.17 Sun

S U N D A Y
April 17, 2011
Dan Naddor

[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: "Audiovisual Aids" — The letters "AV" are added to familiar phrases to make wacky entries
.

Theme Entries:

• 24A: Salon tool for recalcitrant customers? (STYLING GAVEL).
• 30A: Not the best purple flower? (SUB-PRIME LAVENDER).
• 45A: Where the experts hang out? (MAVENS' ROOM).
• 64A: Colorado brewer's rodent mascot? (COORS BEAVER).
• 77A: Culinary product of a French-Italian region? (SAVOY SAUCE).
• 97A: Group that ruins commercials? (AD HAVOC COMMITTEE).
• 104A: Bad news about a tooth? (TWIN CAVITIES).
• 15D: Prefer Hitchcock's Bodega Bay classic to his other films? (FAVOR THE BIRDS). 
• 52D: Cryptologist's rant? (DECODER RAVING).

Hey, puzzle fans. Doug here. Today's puzzle is by Dan Naddor, and it's a winner. Solid theme and lots of fun entries throughout the grid. I enjoyed solving it, but I found myself slowing down as I neared the end, savoring the last few answers. This is Dan's final puzzle for the L.A. Times. For those of you who don't know the story, Dan passed away in December 2009 from complications related to cancer. He was an amazingly prolific constructor, and it's wonderful that his puzzles continued to run, bringing humor and joy to his many fans. Rich Norris published over 150 of Dan's puzzles, and it seemed like they'd go on forever. He leaves behind a legacy of creativity and craftsmanship that few can match. Next time you're in a bookstore, pick up an L.A. Times Crossword collection. I can guarantee it'll be jam-packed with Dan's puzzles. They're worth solving again.

Bullets:

• 1A: "This ___ fine mess you've gotten us into, Ollie!" (IS A). ISA isn't a great entry, but the clue is genius. You read the clue, think of Laurel and Hardy, and forget all about the awkwardness of the entry.
• 18A: Three-time all-star closer Robb (NEN). One of those weird names that non-baseball people must hate.

• 22A: Hunter attachment? (GATHERER). Hunter-gatherer.
• 24A: Salon tool for recalcitrant customers? (STYLING GAVEL). So the hairdresser bonks someone on the head with a gavel, accompanied by a Three Stooges-style empty-coconut sound effect. I love it.
• 34A: Statistical hypothesis trial (T-TEST). I vaguely remember this from Statistics class. If I look it up and try to explain it, I'm going to give myself a headache.
• 61A: Boss's address? (E STREET). Bruce Springsteen ("The Boss") and his E Street Band. Awesome clue!
• 82A: Semicircular antenna housing (RADOME). I had to get this one from the crossing entries, and I wasn't sure whether it was a "radome" or an "R.A. dome." Turns out it's "radome," short for "radar dome." OK, I think we can all remember that the next time it shows up in a grid.
• 13D: USAF E-6 (TSGT). Short for Technical Sergeant. Do you have to pass a T-test to become a T-Sergeant?
• 41D: Wrestling holds (NELSONS). For this entry, I couldn't decide whether to use an Iowa Hawkeyes (real) wrestling video, or a "Rowdy" Roddy Piper (fake) wrestling video. So I found a pair of Nelsons that everyone will enjoy.

• 70A: Recently discontinued retro Chrysler (PT CRUISER). Very cool entry. For those of you who like mini-themes, today we have PT Cruiser, V-chip, A sharp, t-test, E Street, TSgt, MLife, and N-Go.
• 96A: Abba of Israel (EBAN). If you're not familiar with crossword mainstay Abba Eban, you might wonder how you're supposed to know the name of an Israeli Abba tribute band.

• 99A: MGM Resorts loyalty program (MLIFE). Tough answer, but easy to get from crossers. I always sign up for a players' club card when I'm in Vegas, but I never redeem the points. I also usually lose the card in about five minutes. 
• 105A: "Stop-___": UGK hit (N-GO). The song "Stop-N-Go" by the rap group Underground Kingz (UGK). Never heard of any of that. Maybe the Israeli Abba band will do a cover version. The album that features "Stop-N-Go" was produced by "AVEREXX, Below, DJ Paul & Juicy J, Jazze Pha, Joe Traxx, John Bido, Lil Jon, Marley Marl, MoMo, N.O. Joe, Pimp C, Swizz Beatz, DJ B-Do Scarface, and Yung Fyngas." That's a sweet list of rappy names.

I hope you all enjoyed the puzzle. Thanks, Dan!

04.16 Sat

S A T U R D A Y
April 16, 2011
Brad Wilber

Theme: None — It's Saturday!

This puzzle is pretty much exactly what I expected when I saw that it was constructed by Brad Wilber: Tough but fair. Okay, fair for the most part. OPPUGN? Who says that? I tried IMPUGN first. I don't really know what IMPUGN means, but (a) [2D: Call into question] seems like a reasonable guess and (b) it's a word I've actually heard of. I had all kindsa trouble in that northwest corner. At first I had WENT BAD for GONE BAD (1A: Turned to a life of crime) and DYE for DOT (7D: Bespeckle). My very first thought for [18A: Grant, for one] was LOU, but I was all "Nah. It couldn't be." But it was! It all came together eventually, but it was a struggle.

Before we get to the bullets, let me just mention that tomorrow's puzzle will be the final Dan Naddor puzzle. For those of you who don't know about Dan, he was a prolific constructor who I think just really had a gift for it. I don't know when he first started publishing puzzles in the L.A. Times, but the first of his puzzles that we blogged here at LACC was on the blog's second day of existence in March 2009. What a lot of people didn't know at that time was that Dan was constructing his puzzles at the same time he was going through a rough battle with cancer. Dan died in December 2009 leaving Rich Norris 37 (by my count) accepted/publishable puzzles. We have been treated to Dan's work a couple times per month since his death and tomorrow's puzzle will be his last. Doug will be here with the write-up and I hope you'll join us here.

As for today's puzzle:

As usual on a Saturday, there were some things I just flat-out didn't know:

• 26D: "A Tiger Walks" star (SABU). Pretty sure I've seen this name in a puzzle before, but it meant nothing to me then and means nothing to me today. Sorry, SABU, whoever you are.
• 50D: 2009 U.S. Open champ Glover (LUCAS). Not even sure which sport this is, though I suspect it's golf.
• 53D: Eva Marie's "On the Waterfront" role (EDIE). Notice how the actress's first name is used in the clue to hint that the answer will be the character's first name.

Highlights of the grid for me today include:

• 35A: Summertime response to a wave? (HOT ENOUGH FOR YOU?). Such a dorky thing to say.
• 61A: "Viaducts Break Ranks" painter (PAUL KLEE). I like it when both first and last names are used.
• 63A: 6-Down, nowadays (USED CAR).
• 5D: Puts up gates, say (BABYPROOFS).
• 30D: Menacingly complex, as a bureaucracy (KAFKAESQUE).

Bullets:

• 14A: Eugene O'Neill character? (CAPITAL O). We talked about these "literal letter" clues a while back in CW101.
• 17A: NFL coach with the most career postseason wins (LANDRY). PuzzleHusband is always eager to help me with puzzles although most of the time he's pretty useless (nothing personal, honey!). So when I see a clue that I think he might know, I'll shout it out. He didn't know this one for sure, but LANDRY was his first guess and when I checked the crosses, it looked like it would work. That should hold him for a while.

• 23A: Not flush (POOR). Did you want PALE here? I know I did.
• 40A: Searched, in a way (FRISKED). Sent the PuzzleKids off to visit their grandma yesterday and went through one of those newfangled airport scanners for the first time. I didn't see the actual scan. That's probably a good thing.
• 41A: Six-time Sugar Bowl victors, briefly (LSU). Louisiana State University Tigers.
• 49A: Guernsey, for one (ISLE). To me, Guernsey is an office supplies store, so I had to shift gears for this one.
• 54A: "Royal Pains" network (USA). I don't even know what "Royal Pains" is but it could probably be the title of a reality show right about … now.
• 60A: Cocktail flavored with orgeat syrup (MAI TAI). Mmm, orgeat syrup. (Just kidding. I have no idea what that is.)
• 12D: Harem (SERAGLIO). There's some high-end vocab in this puzzle, dontcha think? See also 33D: Murky (TURBID).

• 20D: Big name in candy corn (BRACH'S). I'm all, "There's a big name in candy corn?"
• 55D: Word heard after a countdown (AULD). After the countdown to midnight on New Year's Eve, there's usually a rousing rendition of "Auld Lang Syne." Or something.
• 57D: Nice address: Abbr. (MME.). We've talked about the tricky "Nice" clues before. In this clue, "Nice" refers to the french city.

Crosswordese 101 Round-up:

• 21A: Physics units (ERGS).
• 4D: Itinerary nos. (ETA'S).
• 6D: Olds introduced in '98 (ALERO).
• 8D: City with the newspaper Aftenposten (OSLO).
• 34D: Frequent producer for Eminem (DR. DRE).
• 58D: "The Simpsons" Squishee seller (APU).

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Everything Else — 8A: Become absorbed (OSMOSE); 15A: Scorched (SEARED); 16A: Order in a preschool classroom (ALPHABET); 19A: Half of the UAR (SYR.); 20A: Surname of 15th/16th-century Pope Alexander VI (BORGIA); 25A: Is wistful (for) (LONGS); 27A: 1959 winner of a record 11 Oscars (BEN HUR); 29A: Debauchee (RAKE); 31A: In imitation of (ALA); 32A: Kinsey Institute Library collection (EROTICA); 34A: Negligible amount (DRIB); 39A: Skeptic's retort (I BET); 42A: Literary ID (ISBN); 43A: Lineups (ARRAYS); 47A: Preeminent industrialist (TITAN); 51A: Citation space-saver (ET AL.); 52A: Sidestepped (DODGED); 56A: It had a hub at JFK (TWA); 57A: Took umbrage at (MINDED); 58A: Familiarize (ACQUAINT); 62A: Extra number (ENCORE); 1D: In abundance (GALORE); 3D: Biomedical research agcy. (NIH); 9D: Ambien maker (SEARLE); 10D: Chutney fruit (MANGO); 11D: Prosaic (ORDINARY); 13D: Joseph of ice cream fame (EDY); 14D: Canaan infiltrator (CALEB); 22D: Word with cake or metal (SHEET); 24D: Sources (ORIGINS); 28D: Catering dispenser (URN); 35D: Highest degree (HILT); 36D: Volcanic glass (OBSIDIAN); 37D: Frankfurter adjective (TEUTONIC); 38D: "Not stepping __ the bounds of modesty": Juliet (O'ER); 42D: Ready to roll (IN GEAR); 44D: Fifth-century invader of Gaul (ATTILA); 45D: Hardly a moving picture? (YAWNER); 46D: Group of candidates (SLATE); 48D: Augment (ADD TO); 59D: Pedigree-tracking org. (AKC).

04.15 Fri

F R I D A Y
April 15, 2011
Matt Matera

Theme: A Different Kind of Add-a-Letter Theme — Each theme answer is the name of a person who is commonly known by two initials and last name. A third letter is added to the first two initials to create a well-known initialism. And then the clue is, of course, wacky.

Theme answers:

• 1A: Fantasy author and forensic pathologist? (C.S.I. LEWIS).
• 22A: Behaviorist and teen confidant? (B.F.F. SKINNER).
• 33A: Huckster and school supporter? (P.T.A. BARNUM).
• 49A: British novelist and medic? (E.M.T. FORSTER).
• 63A: Children's author and roadside helper? (A.A.A. MILNE).

Again with the awesome theme! Really, really enjoyed this one. In fact, it was only after I had the whole puzzle solved and was going back through the entries in preparation for this write-up that I noticed all the little crappy fill. It honestly didn't bother me while I was solving because I was so intent on figuring out the theme answers, which I thought were really clever and amusing. The only answer that really made me scratch my head during the solve was PILAR, which apparently means [20A: Hairy]. Who knew? Well, I bet Gayle Dean knew. Dean used this clue/answer combo in a Sunday L.A. Times puzzle in August 2004. Since that time, according to the data base at cruciverb.com, it's been used three times in Sunday New York Times puzzles (2005, 2008, and 2010) and once in a Friday Wall Street Journal (2009). So. If the past is any predictor, chances are you won't see this word for another 6–7 years if you only solve the LAT. And I think that's a good thing. As for the rest of the three-letter fill in this grid, you'll be seeing all those entries a lot more often but, with any luck, not all in the same grid.

Did I mention how much I enjoyed this theme?

Highlights in the grid for me include:

• 57A: University of Cincinnati team (BEARCATS).
• 60A: Gangster's gun, in old-timey slang (ROSCOE).
• 42D: Hoops embarrassment (AIRBALL).

Bullets:

• 15A: Reason for a pass (LATENESS). I was thinking sports here, but this is about being late for school and needing a "late pass" from the office.
• 19A: It merged with Kmart in 2005 (SEARS). I had a thing at work yesterday that involved Kmart and SEARS and a lot of anxiety. Not Fun to see this in the grid today!
• 32A: Indeed (YEA). I think this clue needs a "slangily."
• 41A: Inspiration for the Frisbee (PIE PLATE). HAha! "Here's the last piece of pie, honey. Hmm… Look at this pie plate. Doesn't it look like it would be fun to fling it across the room? Let's see if Fido will catch it!"
• 62A: Most people (ASIANS). I've seen this clue before and I Love it.

• 12D: Maura of "ER" (TIERNEY). She also played Lisa on "Newsradio," which I was just talking about yesterday!
• 22D: Theda of silents (BARA). Theda BARA, Zasu Pitts … I think there's one more silent film star you need to know for puzzles. Anyone?
• 24D: Run-down theater (FLEA PIT). Is this, like, lingo in the biz?
• 40D: Fraternity founded at New York University in 1847 (ZETA PSI). Could have clued this as "Two random Greek letters" and I would have gotten it just as easily.

• 53D: Boater's edge (BRIM). The boater in this clue is a hat.
• 54D: When Tony sings "Maria" (ACT I). "West Side Story"? That's my guess.
• 55D: Time often named (ERA). As in: The Steroid Era, The Big Band Era, The Crossword Blog Era. (Hey, a girl can dream.)
• 58D: Spain's Queen Victoria Eugenia, familiarly (ENA). I was going to include this in the CW101 round-up, but it turns out when I originally talked about ENA, I only mentioned the "Bambi's aunt" clue, which is what you'll see 99% of the time. The other 1%, you'll see a Spanish queen clue like this one.

Crosswordese 101 Round-up:

• 5D: Tolkien's Skinbark and Leaflock, e.g. (ENTS).
• 14D: Paris possessive (SES).
• 25D: Before, in verse (ERE).
• 29D: Babbling Addams character (ITT).
• 48D: Brit. military award (DSO).

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Everything Else — 9A: Jah worshipers (RASTAS); 16A: Strike caller (UMPIRE); 17A: German shepherd (ALSATIAN); 18A: Some special forces headgear (BERETS); 21A: High sch. VIPs (SRS.); 27A: At first blush (INITIALLY); 30A: Teen follower? (-AGERS); 31A: Infer (CONSTRUE); 38A: Toon dynamo, familiarly (TAZ); 45A: Lieu (STEAD); 48A: Time, for one (DIMENSION); 51A: CD-__ (ROM); 52A: Droid in every "Star Wars" film (ARTOO); 53A: Sweet cake that's an Easter tradition in Eastern Europe (BABKA); 55A: Spots (ESPIES); 61A: Permits (ENTITLES); 1D: Thing that endures (CLASSIC); 2D: Port of SW Italy (SALERNO); 3D: "That's just wrong" ("IT'S A SIN"); 4D: "That way madness lies" speaker (LEAR); 6D: China's Northern __ Dynasty, 386-534 AD (WEI); 7D: First of the Maj. Prophets (ISA.); 8D: Three-part fig. (SSN); 9D: Creator of a popular six-color puzzle (RUBIK); 10D: First name in aviation (AMELIA); 11D: Paid (for) (SPRANG); 13D: Lost __ (ART); 14D: Paris possessive (SES); 20D: Adler's subj. (PSY.); 23D: Bungle (FLUB); 26D: Where Mandela was pres. (RSA); 28D: Dosage abbr. (TSP.); 34D: Coleridge work (RIME); 35D: __-do-well (NE'ER); 36D: Network that merged with The WB (UPN); 37D: David Beckham's org. (MLS); 38D: Half a fly (TSE); 39D: Withdrawal aid, briefly (ATM); 43D: Caught one's breath (TOOK TEN); 44D: As one (EN MASSE); 46D: Lesotho's home (AFRICA); 47D: Spoil rotten (DOTE ON); 50D: Lover's gift (ROSES); 56D: Under-the-sink brand (SOS); 57D: Arthur of "All in the Family" (BEA); 59D: __ snail's pace (AT A).

04.14 Thu

T H U R S D A Y
April 14, 2011
Daniel A. Finan

Theme: Embedded Answers — The clue to each theme answer is a word hidden within the first word of the answer itself. And the answer phrase can be said to describe the clue word. Capiche?

Theme answers:

• 20A: Pan? (COMPANION PIECE). The word PAN can be found hidden in the word COMPANION. Therefore, you might say PAN is a PIECE of COMPANION: a COMPANION PIECE.
• 33A/44A: Ten? (SENTENCE FRAGMENT). The word TEN is hidden in the word SENTENCE, so it's a FRAGMENT of the word SENTENCE: a SENTENCE FRAGMENT.
• 54A: Kin? (SMOKING SECTION). You're getting it now, right? The word KIN is hidden in the word SMOKING. It's a SECTION of the word SMOKING: a SMOKING SECTION.

Super cool theme today. Tricky to catch onto and topped off with a very nice aha moment. Nicely done!

My favorite entries:

• 4D: Emulate Cyrano (WAX POETIC). Because it looks cool in the grid.
• 5D: It may be reckless (ABANDON). Because that's an awesome clue.
• 11D: Afro-sporting "Mod Squad" character (LINC). Because I always loved LINC.

Bullets:

• 9A: Hyphenated dessert name (JELL-O). I probably wouldn't have remembered to put the hyphen in this answer if it had been clued differently.

• 15A: Liner danger (BERG). Ha! Again!
• 23A: Relative of -like (-OID). I remember reading an article about how people have begun using the suffix -OID to mean "little" instead of "like." Especially with the word FACTOID. So what FACTOID really means is something that's not a fact but is, instead, fact-like. But usually when people say the word FACTOID, they mean, like, a piece of trivia that's true. I can tell you're fascinated.
• 30A: Moo chew? (CUD). Ew.
• 48A: Birling roller (LOG). Pretty sure I learned what "birling" is when it appeared in a grid a couple years ago. Couldn't exactly pull it from the cobwebs though. Had to get this one through crosses.
• 63A: Veal piccata ingredient (LEMON). Me: "Um … veal?"

• 65A: N.L. East squad (NATS). I think I mentioned that my new boss is a huge Washington Nationals fan. I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to become something of a fan just so I can have intelligent conversations with him during baseball season. I'll let you know how that goes. And when the hell will Strassburg be back in the line-up?
• 66A: Country sound (TWANG).



• 1D: Very smart (CHIC). I love this definition of "smart." It's never the first one I think of. I tried WISE first.

• 12D: Vacation location (LAKE). Did I ever tell you about the time we took a PuzzleFamily vacation at Platte River State Park? PuzzleHusband thought we should "rent a cabin" or something so I got us all lined up at the Platte River State Park which is just outside of Omaha. Turns out he meant, like, a cabin on one of the Great Lakes or something. He has never let me live it down that I planned a family vacation in Omaha. We had a great time though. He doesn't like to admit that part.
• 30D: Actor's day job? (CAMEO). Okay, this one took me a minute. Does this mean that an actor with a CAMEO part probably only has to be on the set for one day? That's how I made sense of it. Let me know what you think.
• 31D: SEC school that retired Peyton Manning's number (U. TENN.). Any Tennesseans here? I'm gonna need a ruling on whether U. TENN. is an acceptable abbreviation for the University of Tennessee.

• 45D: Hall of fame (ARSENIO). Do the kids even remember ARSENIO Hall? His 15 minutes didn't seem to last very long.
• 56D: Did some selling out (SANG). Here's another one that I didn't understand right away. I think this refers to, like, an informant. Right?

Crosswordese 101 Round-up:

• 37A: Former lover of Riker on "Star Trek: T.N.G." (TROI).
• 38A: Pontiff's wear (ALB).
• 53A: Airline to Copenhagen (SAS).
• 60A: Centipede maker (ATARI).
• 61A: Spice (ELAN).
• 67A: Golden Fleece vessel (ARGO).
• 10D: Some native New Yorkers (ERIES).

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Everything Else — 1A: Flying group (CREW); 5A: Comic Johnson (ARTE); 14A: Half dodeca- (HEXA-); 16A: Hater of David, in Dickens (URIAH); 17A: Theater giant? (IMAX); 18A: In __: confused (A FOG); 19A: High humor? (JINKS); 24A: Wine bar offerings (PORTS); 25A: Moshe Dayan's "oxygen of the soul" (FREEDOM); 29A: Guff (GAS); 35A: Change genetically (MUTATE); 40A: Foreshadowing (OMEN); 41A: Service station vessel (OIL CAN); 47A: Org. whose members are concerned with lies (PGA); 50A: Radius, e.g. (ARM BONE); 51A: San __: San Francisco Bay city (MATEO); 61A: Spice (ELAN); 62A: Yes-__ question (OR-NO); 64A: Part of Caesar's boast (VENI); 68A: Sin in the film "Se7en" (ENVY); 2D: San __ (REMO); 3D: Student's stressor (EXAM); 6D: Update mtge. terms (REFI); 7D: Band (TROOP); 8D: Quaff garnished with nutmeg (EGG NOG); 9D: Technique of ancient samurai (JUJITSU); 13D: Cries of understanding (OHS); 21D: Hill worker (AIDE); 22D: Buggy relative (PRAM); 25D: Depth-of-field setting (F-STOP); 26D: Outfit again (RERIG); 27D: __ Gay (ENOLA); 28D: George Strait label (MCA); 32D: Pasta al __ (DENTE); 34D: Santa's 21-Down (ELF); 36D: O.K. Corral town (TOMBSTONE); 39D: It's usually uplifting (BRA); 42D: Diced and served in a mushroom cream sauce (ALA KING); 43D: "Don't look at me!" "NOT I!"); 46D: Ally Financial Inc., formerly (GMAC); 49D: City on the Rhone (GENEVA); 51D: Jerk (MORON); 52D: Stare master? (OGLER); 54D: Ratatouille, for one (STEW); 55D: Doll's word (MAMA); 57D: Mashhad is its second-largest city (IRAN); 58D: Airing (ON TV); 59D: Intrusive (NOSY); 60D: PC key (ALT).