01.17 Mon

M O N D A Y

January 17, 2011
Donna S. Levin

Hi, everybody, and welcome to the new L.A. Crossword Confidential. I felt like we needed a little remodeling around here, so I hope you like the new look! I can't help but notice that this blog is getting an awful lot of traffic these days and I assume that means many of you find it entertaining or enlightening or … something. I don't know. Maybe you just can't help from coming back to see what kind of stupid mistakes I make on a daily basis. But whatever your reason, I truly appreciate you all stopping by so often. I write this blog because I love solving puzzles and I love writing about puzzles — but mostly I love hearing from other Puzzle People. Putting this blog together every day obviously takes time and if it's something that has become important to you — for whatever reason and to whatever degree — I hope you'll consider donating a few dollars if you have it to spare. I know it's a bad economy and people are stretched thin these days, so if it's not something you can do, please know that I appreciate the fact that you're here whether or not you're able to contribute. I added the donation button (over there on the sidebar!) because I was asked more than once if I had one. I've never made a big deal out of it and I don't plan to mention it again for at least another year. But I didn't think you all would be too offended if I just pointed it out this week in case you're interested. And now let's get back to the PuzzleTalk!

Theme: Tennis Anyone? — Last words of the theme answers can be tennis-related.

Theme answers:

• 17A: Does some Web browsing (SURFS THE NET).
• 24A: Coming-out gala (DEBUTANTE BALL).
• 37A: Demand accompanied by a banging gavel (ORDER IN THE COURT).
• 47A: Illegal lottery (NUMBERS RACKET).
• 58A: Lateral epicondylitis (and a possible injury hinted at by the ends of 17-, 24-, 37- and 47-Across) (TENNIS ELBOW).

Another smooth solve from Donna today. Theme is cute, with theme answers a couple notches above what you might expect to see on a Monday. I don't really get the ELBOW part of the theme reveal. I mean, I get the TENNIS part, but I don't really get how thinking about TENNIS "hints at" TENNIS ELBOW. I think I would have preferred a clue like "Injury you might get if you play the sport hinted at by the ends of …." Except, ya know, phrased better than that. But it's fine. The only thing in the grid that I really didn't like was 6A: "Let IT RIP!" In my head, that phrase sounds more like "Let 'er rip" so it just seemed a little off to me. Other than that, I sort of scooted my way around the grid without too much trouble.

Bullets:

• If you squint, it kinda looks like we have a mini-Hawaiian theme going on with the second row of acrosses: ALOHA / HULA / LEI. (14A: Honolulu hello (ALOHA) / 15A: NFL's winningest coach Don (SHULA) / 16A: Below-the-belt (LOW)).
• 28A: Forever and ever (ALWAYS).



• 34A: NFL six-pointers (TD'S). I'm pretty sure even the sports-challenged among us was able to get this one, right?
• 42A: La Virginie et la Caroline du Sud (ÉTATS). That's a pretty long way to go for ÉTATS. The clue says "Virginia and South Carolina" only in French. You know who loved this clue? SethG.
• 65A: Family Stone frontman (SLY).
• 6D: Enjoys faddish popularity (IS HOT). When I was looking back through the grid, I parsed this as "I shot," which can only mean one thing.



• 34D: Phonograph component (TURNTABLE). All you whippersnappers out there probably don't even know what this means!

Crosswordese 101 Round-up:

• 1D: Submission encl. (SASE).
• 33D: Baseball great Mel (OTT).
• 40D: Big Apple theater award (OBIE).
• 45D: Some TVs (RCA'S).
• 47D: Cards and Phils (NL'ERS).

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Everything Else — 1A: Finalize, as a deal (SEW UP); 6A: "Let __!": "Start the ball rolling!" (IT RIP); 11A: Sleep attire, briefly (PJ'S); 19A: "The Kids __ All Right": 2010 film (ARE); 20A: Building wing (ELL); 21A: Photographed (SHOT); 22A: Brownish-green eye color (HAZEL); 30A: Rolled grain (OATS); 31A: Clark's love (LOIS); 32A: "Me, too!" ("SO AM I!"); 41A: Casual shirt (TEE); 43A: La __ Tar Pits (BREA); 44A: Karate blow (CHOP); 45A: Restrain (REIN IN); 52A: Tibetan capital (LHASA); 53A: Bedouin, ethnically (ARAB); 54A: Eyjafjallajökull residue (ASH); 57A: Get stuck for, as a cost (EAT); 62A: Regret (RUE); 63A: Furry "Star Wars" creatures (EWOKS); 64A: Track event (RELAY); 66A: Thick (DENSE); 67A: Nerdy types (GEEKS); 2D: 12th Hebrew month (ELUL); 3D: Global (WORLDWIDE); 4D: 300 to 3,000 MHz (UHF); 5D: Elapse (PASS BY); 7D: It precedes iota (THETA); 8D: Pantyhose woe (RUN); 9D: Sight in the Seine (ILE); 10D: Pitiful (PATHETIC); 11D: Eloise's hotel, with "the" (PLAZA); 12D: Superman's birth father (JOR-EL); 13D: Peachy (SWELL); 18D: Ergo (THUS); 23D: Crunch targets (ABS); 25D: Relax, as restrictions (EASE); 26D: __ Ark (NOAH'S); 27D: Like most pets (TAME); 28D: Scads (A LOT); 29D: Wisdom of the elders (LORE); 32D: Clothes fasteners (SNAPS); 35D: Eins und zwei (DREI); 36D: Ollie's partner (STAN); 38D: Readied the leftovers, say (REHEATED); 39D: "... believe __ not!" (IT OR); 44D: "Survivor" network (CBS); 46D: Anita of "La Dolce Vita" (EKBERG); 48D: Amateur mover's rental (U-HAUL); 49D: Sailor's sobriquet (MATEY); 50D: Military levels (RANKS); 51D: Get up (ARISE); 55D: Hose down for a while (SOAK); 56D: Major rtes. (HWYS.); 59D: Woolly farm female (EWE); 60D: Rouen refusal (NON); 61D: Important name in Virginia history (LEE).