06.03 Fri

F R I D A Y
June 3, 2011
Pancho Harrison

Theme: T sound changed to D sound — Yep, that's it.

Theme answers:

• 17A: Family member whose age is showing? (GRAYED UNCLE).
• 27A: Horse-cavalry soldier who's hardly capricious? (STAID TROOPER).
• 46A: Aggressive drug enforcement strategy? (RAID INCREASE).
• 61A: Bride's unraveling problem? (FRAYED TRAIN).

I don't have a lot of time this morning, so let's get right to it. What's with all the suffixes? ‑WURST, ‑ESE, ‑IAL, ‑ERY (2D: Knack attachment? / 5D: Ethnic ending / 9D: Editor's add-on? / 26D: Hatch back?). Honestly, that's the first thing that really jumped out at me about this grid, and that can't be good. The theme is fine. Nothing to write home about. The base phrases are GREAT UNCLE, STATE TROOPER, RATE INCREASE, and FREIGHT TRAIN. So, yeah, a little blah for a Friday.

As for the sparkle, that's provided by HEP CAT and DIRTY POOL (50A: One who digs your jive / 11D: Unsportsmanlike conduct), both of which are fantastic answers. But with the disaster that is the ESTE, STEROL, OTHO, DR. LAO area … I'm not sure it's a fair trade.

Bullets:

• 6A: Massenet opera (THAIS). Whatever you say.
• 11A: JFK, but not LGA (DEM). I understand this clue/answer to mean that John F. Kennedy was a DEMocrat, but Fiorello LaGuardia was not. Was LaGuardia actually known as LGA? If not, I'd say this clue is flawed, even though it's fabulous at first glance.
• 16A: Chill (ICE). Verbs, people.
• 45A: Golfer Westwood who replaced Tiger Woods as World #1 in October 2010 (LEE). Hey, I have an idea! Let's have a puzzle without Tiger Woods anywhere near it. kthxby
• 67A: Junio, por ejemplo (MES). Spanish! Junio = June; MES = "month."

• 43D: __ Park: Pirates' field (PNC). Have I mentioned how much I hate the trend of corporate names on baseball fields/sports arenas? About a hundred times? Okay, never mind.
• 47D: Skinny or small, probably (ILL-FED). Pretty sure that "probably" should be a "maybe." There are plenty of skinny and/or small things that aren't ILL-FED. PuzzleDaughter has a classmate who is way smaller than the rest of the 4th grade girls. Why? I don't really know. But I'm pretty sure she's fed appropriately. I'm thinking … I don't know, genetics?

Crosswordese 101 Round-up:

• 19A: Co. led by David Sarnoff until 1970 (RCA).
• 20A: Tivoli's Villa d'__ (ESTE).
• 64A: Homer's donut supplier (APU).
• 12D: Behold, to Livy (ECCE).
• 25D: First century Roman emperor (OTHO).
• 34D: "Lohengrin" soprano (ELSA).
• 41D: "As I Lay Dying" father (ANSE).

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Everything Else — 1A: Pilfer (SWIPE); 14A: Distinctive characters (AURAS); 15A: Wrap-up (RECAP); 21A: Staff entry? (REST); 22A: Worn down (EATEN); 24A: Solid alcohol (STEROL); 26A: Vortex (EDDY); 33A: Line of clothing? (HEM); 36A: Jubilant cry (HOORAY); 37A: Pool game, perhaps (POLO); 38A: "Unlimited free mileage" rental pioneer (ALAMO); 40A: Washington Sq. campus (NYU); 41A: Bikini, e.g. (ATOLL); 42A: Vacation site (ISLE); 43A: Baker's container (PIE PAN); 49A: H.S. math course (CALC.); 54A: Swindle decoy (SHILL); 56A: Feint on the ice (DEKE); 59A: 39-Down recipient (HERO); 60A: John of England (LOO); 65A: Dog-__ (EARED); 66A: Western party (POSSE); 68A: Titles (DEEDS); 69A: Unsettling expression (SNEER); 1D: Wise guys (SAGES); 3D: Hot (IRATE); 4D: Sugar daddies, e.g. (PAYERS); 6D: "__ Lies": Schwarzenegger film (TRUE); 7D: Brooding group (HENS); 8D: Invoice abbr. (ACCT.); 10D: Muscle beach brand (SPEEDO); 13D: Ornery (MEAN); 18D: Traveling circus organizer in a 1964 film (DR. LAO); 23D: Take in (ADOPT); 28D: Greek column style (IONIC); 29D: Where some pairs are separated (DRYER); 30D: Brownish gray (TAUPE); 31D: Glamour rival (ELLE); 32D: Part (ROLE); 33D: Narrow margin (HAIR); 35D: Motivated by spite (MALICIOUS); 39D: Award for a 59-Across (MEDAL); 44D: Sounded satisfied (AAHED); 48D: "You've Got Mail" writer/director (EPHRON); 51D: Belay (CEASE); 52D: Surface (ARISE); 53D: Office supply (TONER); 54D: Grand __ (SLAM); 55D: Optimism (HOPE); 56D: Show gumption (DARE); 57D: Got a load of (EYED); 58D: Converse competitor (KEDS); 62D: Actress __ Dawn Chong (RAE); 63D: Decorates in a prankish way (TP'S).