10.08 Sat

S A T U R D A Y
October 8, 2011
Brad Wilber

Theme: None

Sorry I'm late. Also sorry this will be short. I've got something weird going on with my eye and need to go to the doctor. I'm sure it's not life-threatening (otherwise I wouldn't be here), but it just looks like something I need to get checked out. And it's not really my eye so much as it's some swelling under my eye, which probably isn't related to my actual eyeball at all, so really, not a huge deal. But I'm gonna stop talking about it now so I can say a few things about this puzzle.

It's always a treat to see Brad's name in the byline and this puzzle turned out to be pretty much exactly what I expected. A tough workout with lots of sparkle. There were only a couple things I just flat-out didn't know:

• 17A: 1870s period costume named for a Dickens lass (DOLLY VARDEN). It's possible I'm the least-well-read English major you'll ever meet.
• 53A: Soprano Marton (EVA). Brad is a huge opera buff so in one of his late-week puzzles, you can pretty much count on a clue like this for a common crossword entry.
• 24D: "Everybody Loves __": Johnny Cash album (A NUT). I had only the U in place for quite a while and I can't be the only one who thought the answer was going to be A GUN.
• 37D: "The Horse Fair" artist Bonheur (ROSA).

Lots of sparkle in the triple stacks:

• 15A: Stage manager's exhortation (IT'S SHOWTIME).

• 59A: Life-support system? (CEREAL AISLE). The clue is a little cutesy for my taste, but the answer is awesome.
• 61A: Mona Lisa Vito in "My Cousin Vinny," for one (STAR WITNESS). Ha!
• 12D: Two-wheeled carriage with a folding hood (CABRIOLET).

• 31D: Duffer's dream (HOLE IN ONE). "Duffer" is a word used to describe someone who is not very good at golf.

Bullets:

• 26A: Ones waiting for bottle openers? (GENIES). I tried BABIES first.
• 1D: Improved, perhaps, as a road (WIDER). "Improved" in this clue is an adjective, not a verb. Tricky.
• 40D: Subterranean rodent (MOLE RAT). I only know what a MOLE RAT is from the kids' show "Kim Possible." Don't judge.

• 56D: __ Bund: Swiss newspaper (DER).

Everything — 1A: Esther Williams number (WATER BALLET); 12A: One who "must have THREE DIFFERENT NAMES": Eliot (CAT); 15A: Stage manager's exhortation (IT'S SHOWTIME); 16A: Opposite of hence (AGO); 17A: 1870s period costume named for a Dickens lass (DOLLY VARDEN); 18A: Grille cover (BRA); 19A: Composer of "The Lovely Bones" music (ENO); 20A: 1986-to-2001 orbiter (MIR); 21A: In sequence (ORDERED); 23A: Mason's fee (RETAINER); 26A: Ones waiting for bottle openers? (GENIES); 27A: Storm's dir. (NNE); 28A: Ulster, for one (OVERCOAT); 30A: Indicate indifference (SHRUG); 33A: Printers' primary colors (CYANS); 34A: Debt-laden fin. deal (LBO); 35A: Derisive call (HOOT); 36A: Pep rally climax, perhaps (CHANT); 37A: Transfer consequence, familiarly (RELO); 38A: Wood used in bows (ELM); 39A: Grinds (TOILS); 40A: Auto club recommendation (MOTEL); 41A: It's for the dogs (LEASH LAW); 43A: Trig. function (COS); 44A: Like some prescription lenses (TINTED); 45A: Took after (EMULATED); 50A: Establish firmly (ENGRAFT); 52A: __ Zion Church (A.M.E.); 53A: Soprano Marton (EVA); 54A: Milne tyke (ROO); 55A: Hippie era swinger? (BEAD CURTAIN); 58A: Heel in a bakery (END); 59A: Life-support system? (CEREAL AISLE); 60A: Paris's Pont __ Arts (DES); 61A: Mona Lisa Vito in "My Cousin Vinny," for one (STAR WITNESS); 1D: Improved, perhaps, as a road (WIDER); 2D: Mark Yom Kippur (ATONE); 3D: Letter-shaped workbench groove (T-SLOT); 4D: School subj. for an au pair (ESL); 5D: Seuss hallmark (RHYMING); 6D: Big ox, say (BOVINE); 7D: Au courant (AWARE); 8D: Copier tray size: Abbr. (LTR.); 9D: Adriatic vacation destination (LIDO); 10D: Coming into view (EMERGENT); 11D: Chicken option (TENDERS); 12D: Two-wheeled carriage with a folding hood (CABRIOLET); 13D: Easy (AGREEABLE); 14D: Forest dweller with a cap (TOADSTOOL); 22D: Ref. work (ENC.); 24D: "Everybody Loves __": Johnny Cash album (A NUT); 25D: Sovereign euphemism (ROYAL WE); 29D: 37-Across rentals (VANS); 30D: Like a prime candidate for disillusionment (SHELTERED); 31D: Duffer's dream (HOLE IN ONE); 32D: Mars and Mercury (ROMAN GODS); 33D: Mint family plant (CHIA); 36D: Eleventh-hour panic (COLD FEET); 37D: "The Horse Fair" artist Bonheur (ROSA); 39D: String in a preschool class? (THE ABC'S); 40D: Subterranean rodent (MOLE RAT); 42D: Narrow waterway: Abbr. (STR.); 43D: Fluffy clouds (CUMULI); 46D: Colorful talker (MACAW); 47D: Style, as hair into a bouffant (TEASE); 48D: Crusader's targets (EVILS); 49D: Kierkegaard et al. (DANES); 51D: Butler's estate, for a time (TARA); 56D: __ Bund: Swiss newspaper (DER); 57D: Pewter component (TIN).

09.10 Sat

S A T U R D A Y
September 10, 2011
Brad Wilber

Theme: None

Sorry I'm posting so late today, but [24D: "My alarm didn't go off," e.g.]. A lame EXCUSE, I know. The fact is, I didn't even set an alarm. And I would have woken up at my usual super early time except that PuzzleDaughter had a friend sleep over last night and let's just say there was some drama in the middle of the night. Ugh. In any case, there's always a lot to talk about on Saturdays, so let's get to it.

First of all, I just want to get this out of the way. Brad, you know I love you, but OVERWEENING? Really? I've Ne-Ever heard this word before and it caused me all kindsa trouble up in the northeast corner. That second E (well, technically the third E) was the last letter I filled in and I spent a good five minutes running the alphabet a couple times to make sure that was my best guess. Obviously didn't help that I've also never heard of WEIL (10D: "Gravity and Grace" writer Simone). At one point, I was sure the correct answer was OVERBEARING, but every other cross looked totally solid, so I eventually had to scrap that idea. I finally gave up — decided I either had it right or had it wrong and there wasn't anything else I could do about it. And I had it right. Yay.

Other entries I've never heard of? Why, yes, there are a few. Can't say that I've ever heard of SHELL STEAK, though it was relatively easy to figure out (64A: Cut with the tenderloin removed). That second L was a sticking point, though. As you may know, science isn't exactly my forte so HCL (59D: Strong acid, chemically) was a total guess and that last letter could have been anything. In the end, it seemed like L was the best guess. Again, I guessed right. Whew.

The other things I flat-out didn't know are all names:

• 26A: Dean's reality TV partner (TORI).
• 27A: Hall of Fame NFL owner Wellington __ (MARA).
• 46A: Cymbeline's daughter, in Shakespeare (IMOGEN).
• 57D: Two-time Tony-winning playwright Yasmina __ (REZA).

I felt like I should have known the Shakespeare reference, but … I didn't. I also thought the reality TV duo might ring a bell somewhere. I don't watch much reality TV, but it's hard to avoid some of the more popular names as you just go through life (I'm looking at you, Snookie). But Dean and TORI mean nothing to me.

Stand-out entries today include BARBED WIRE and MYSTIC PIZZA (4A: Range barrier / 62A: 1988 film set in a New England pie maker's shop). Didn't I just post a picture of Lili Taylor this week?!

Not too many write-overs today. The two that caused me the most trouble are both related to French (French!). I had NÉE where AKA was supposed to go (17A: Link between handles?), and MAI for MAY, thinking we needed the French spelling (45A: When the French Open starts). But I sure am chatty today. Let's get to the bullets so I can wrap this thing up.

Bullets:

• 31A: Divided country (USA). I don't understand this clue. Is it because it's divided into 50 states? Does it have something to do with use of the initials? My first thought put this clue in a political light, but we really don't see that in mainstream puzzles, so I'm sure it can't be that.
• 37A: Sch. whose students have won more than 200 Olympic medals (UCLA). Nice bit of trivia here.
• 41A: Steamy container (SOUP POT). Oh, another write-over. I tried STEW POT first.
• 53A: Mystery middle name (ALLAN). The middle name of Edgar ALLAN Poe.
• 61A: Yegg's haul (ICE). Yegg, which we've covered in CW101 before, is a slang word for safecracker, which I learned from crosswords. ICE is a slang word for diamonds. So there you go.

• 3D: Shipping inquiries (TRACERS). Hmmm. I would just call these TRACES. TRACERS have a more drug-related meaning to me. Did I say drugs? I meant fireworks. Yes, that's what I meant! Fireworks! (Hi, Mom!)
• 30D: Sci-fi character named for an Asian sea (SULU). Some more good trivia. My first though: "There's a sci-fi character named Aral?"

Crosswordese 101: The [43D: Baseball-like game with two bases] known as ONE O' CAT typically appears in puzzles as a partial — either ONEO or OCAT). The first time I saw it I thought it was the most ridiculous thing I'd ever heard. By which I mean, of course, that I had never heard of the stupid game and couldn't believe someone would put it in a puzzle grid. But there it was. And then there it was again. And again. And finally I got used to it. All you need to know about ONE O' CAT for crossword purposes is that it's a ball game, a kids' game, a baseball variant, and a sandlot game. What you need to know about it for other purposes in your life, I have no idea. Probably nothing.

Other crosswordese in the puzzle that we've already covered:

• 22A: Some Olympians' tools (ÉPÉES).
• 51A: Palindromic Altar (ARA).
• 33D: Mine, in Metz (À MOI).

Everything — 1A: Charade (ACT); 4A: Range barrier (BARBED WIRE); 14A: Roller coaster part (CAR); 15A: Pompous (OVER-WEENING); 17A: Link between handles? (AKA); 18A: Risky telecast (LIVE EPISODE); 19A: Reduced in status (DECLASSE); 21A: Gave away (LET ON); 22A: Some Olympians' tools (ÉPÉES); 23A: Movement traced to an ancient flower sermon (ZEN); 26A: Dean's reality TV partner (TORI); 27A: Hall of Fame NFL owner Wellington __ (MARA); 28A: Natural history museum attractions (T-REXES); 31A: Divided country (USA); 32A: Sucker (ENSNARE); 34A: Court address (COUNSEL); 36A: 1998 Apple rollout (IMAC); 37A: Sch. whose students have won more than 200 Olympic medals (UCLA); 38A: Reach equilibrium (EVEN OUT); 41A: Steamy container (SOUP POT); 45A: When the French Open starts (MAY); 46A: Cymbeline's daughter, in Shakespeare (IMOGEN); 48A: Japanese script (KANA); 49A: Botched (BLEW); 51A: Palindromic Altar (ARA); 52A: 2008 Palin counterpart (BIDEN); 53A: Mystery middle name (ALLAN); 55A: "Dead Man Walking" Oscar winner (SARANDON); 58A: Tenant, say (LEASEHOLDER); 61A: Yegg's haul (ICE); 62A: 1988 film set in a New England pie maker's shop (MYSTIC PIZZA); 63A: Hammer site (EAR); 64A: Cut with the tenderloin removed (SHELL STEAK); 65A: Oink spot (STY); 1D: Egghead's environs (ACADEME); 2D: Where the batter goes (CAKE PAN); 3D: Shipping inquiries (TRACERS); 4D: Corded weapons (BOLAS); 5D: Alamo rival (AVIS); 6D: Tach count (REVS); 7D: Succeed without difficulty, with "in" (BREEZE); 8D: Romano source, usually (EWE); 9D: ATM transaction (DEP.); 10D: "Gravity and Grace" writer Simone (WEIL); 11D: Cartographic closeup (INSET); 12D: Uninhibited (RIOTOUS); 13D: Stand behind (ENDORSE); 16D: Good-natured (GENIAL); 20D: Sit angularly, as a wall (LEAN IN); 24D: "My alarm didn't go off," e.g. (EXCUSE); 25D: One who's now right-brained? (NEO-CON); 28D: Therapist's concern (TRAUMA); 29D: Parish leader (RECTOR); 30D: Sci-fi character named for an Asian sea (SULU); 33D: Mine, in Metz (À MOI); 35D: You'll need more than one in a rib joint (NAPKIN); 38D: Insulate from change (EMBALM); 39D: Big dips (VALLEYS); 40D: Very slim margin (EYELASH); 42D: Rice fields (PADDIES); 43D: Baseball-like game with two bases (ONE O' CAT); 44D: Leather maker (TANNERY); 47D: Like many Sherlock Holmes settings (GASLIT); 50D: Profligacy (WASTE); 52D: 2000 Camp David summit attendee (BARAK); 54D: Diamond in music (NEIL); 56D: Bladed tool (ADZE); 57D: Two-time Tony-winning playwright Yasmina __ (REZA); 59D: Strong acid, chemically (HCL); 60D: Black __: spy doings (OPS).

08.06 Sat

S A T U R D A Y

August 6, 2011

Brad Wilber

Theme: None. It’s Saturday, it’s themeless day!

Hi guys! It's Gareth here. While Angela and Doug are jolling with the word nerd herd, I volunteered to babysit you guys. I hope I can keep you entertained! To get the elephant in the room out the way, thanks for the very sweet comments yesterday!. As usual, I find that all quite awkward, so moving on...

[Aside: I solved this puzzle after putting an Apple Spice Cake in the oven, baking for a friend's birthday tomorrow (today now). Solving crosswords with baking wafting into your nostrils is very soothing!]

Today's puzzle is by themeless veteran Brad Wilber. I associate his name more with tough NYT and Newsday Saturdays that strike fear into the heart of even the bravest solvers. Saturday LAT's are, usually, a little gentler. This one has 66 entries (on the low side) but 36 black squares (on the high side). On balance, this puzzle rates on the high side in terms of difficulty to fill... but what we're looking for is entertainment, right? We don't care about the technical stuff, get on with it Bain...

My first entry was ALEE, boy is that guy hard to disguise even on Saturday! I paired it with azTECS, but then couldn't find any more traction, and wandered to the top-right, which filled itself in quite easily, and from there spidered (is that a verb? It is now!) to the bottom-right, and in no time had the whole bottom, and was getting that smug solver feeling . You know the one where you're whipping a puzzle's butt? The one that, on Saturday means trouble is ahead. Well, it was ahead; boy was the top third hard. After 5+ minutes of stuckness, I figured out OCTAD, a deliciously dirty trick if ever there was one; after that, stuff started coming together. I still needed nearly every crossing for TOMATOPLANT, a sublime clue/answer pair if ever there was one: you can grow TOMATOPLANTs on cages or stakes, but the clue could mean about anything! VELCROCLOSURE, on the other hand, also needed nearly every crossing, but brought out Mr. Frowny. I KNOW what Velcro is, but VELCROCLOSURE??? I'm off to Google... about 16 million results. Um, OK. It's clearly just me then! I ended the puzzle by having to change VOLANTa to VOLANTE. This issue came up in another puzzle, I think it was by Joon Pahk, but I didn't learn my lesson. My Webster's New World Dictionary says FAY = "n. Fairy" and FEY = "adj. Elfin.” No idea about the musical term: classical music = big empty area in my knowledge. In the end I took a bit longer than usual for a Saturday, but not off the scale.

Bullets:

• 23A: Exile, perhaps (ENISLE). Crosswordese alert. Earlier in the week, there'd be a nudge in the right direction, like a reference to "marooning", but this is Saturday, so the puzzle plays dumb.

• 26A: First National Leaguer to hit 500 homers (OTT). Know nothing about baseball, but if its three letters, odds are it's OTT. I still took it out several times!

• 41A: Arlington, Va., post (FTMYER). These dang US forts are another knowledge lacuna. This one got filled in by perps pretty easily; the one in yesterday's NYT had me totally buffaloed though! Also, I think this is where PG lives? If so I'm sure she'll have something more to say about it!
  

• 44A: Screwdriver parts, for short (OJS). Screwdriver the cocktail. The other ingredient is vodka - Stoli, perhaps.

• 52A: 1984 Rob Reiner rock music satire (THISISSPINALTAP). I've never seen (queue gasps), still filled it in with only one or two letters.

• 55A: Federal Reserve goal (STABLEECONOMY). Timely. I'm not saying anymore, lest I betray my economic ignorance.

• 56A: Far from settled (UPFORDEBATE). Found that underneath ECONOMY. Odd.

• 2D: Pre-Columbian Mexicans (OLMECS). Like I said, I went azTECS first. I can’t be the only one! Olmecs are the people who did those goofy heads that some people say have West African facial features.

• 3D: Co. with a '90s "Friends & Family" program (MCI). No idea. These letters just appeared in my grid! Apparently a US telecom. Was probably a gimme for you guys, right?

• 20D: Game for young matchmakers (OLDMAID). Took a lot of cogitating, that one! Extremely dated, but still a colourful answer!

• 33D: 1984 #1 country hit by the Judds (WHYNOTME). Again I've never heard of it, but the words were easy to pick out.

• 38D: Passing news item? (OBIT). Always find it strange how much levity there is when writing clues for this answer. Is it just me?

• 44D: Calgary Olympics skating silver medalist (ORSER). Mystery uninferrable name of the day for me. Don't watch a lot of skating. Rock solid crossings.

Crosswordese 101 Round-up:

• 16A: Out of the teeth of the gale (ALEE).
• 26A: First National Leaguer to hit 500 homers (OTT).
• 15D: River of Flanders (YSER)
• 49D: Site of 1993 Arab-Israeli accords (OSLO).
• 54D: Ortiz of Ugly Betty (ANA).
• 1D: Lund of "Casablanca" and others (ILSAS).
• 31D: Medley (OLIO).

Everything — 14A: Learns cold (COMMITS TO MEMORY); 17A: Suffix with city (SCAPE); 18A: Supply next to the grill (BUNS); 19A: First name in travel (MARCO); 21A: Circular contents (ADS); 22A: Fix, as a bow (RETIE); 25A: Less inclined to ramble (TERSER); 27A: Pre-makeover condition (DRABNESS); 32A: Epoch in which grazing mammals became widespread (MIOCENE); 33A: Mg. and oz. (WTS.); 36A: Included as a postscript (TACKED ON); 37A: Humble abode (HUT); 38A: God often depicted with green skin (OSIRIS); 43A: Like many Edwardian era collars (BONED); 7A: Perceive (SENSE); 48A: __ dixit (IPSE); 49A: Exams given by committee (ORALS); 51A: Was a passenger (RODE); 1D: Boldness (TEMERITY); 3D: Co. with a '90s "Friends & Family" program (MCI); 4D: Conservatory pursuits (ARTS); 5D: "Vissi d'arte" singer (TOSCA); 6D: Square dance quorum (OCTAD); 7D: Falls heavily (PLOPS); 8D: Capital on the Gulf of Guinea (LOME); 9D: Polymer ending (-ASE); 10D: Book covering the Hebrews' 40-year wilderness exile (NUMBERS); 11D: Rainbow and Dolly Varden (TROUTS); 13D: Muppet wearing horizontal stripes (ERNIE); 14D: Resulted from (CAME OF); 15D: River of Flanders (YSER); 22D: Is put out by (RESENTS); 24D: Idle and more? (ERICS); 25D: :50, put another way (TEN OF); 28D: Peachy (AOK); 29D: Letters used in dating (BCE); 30D: Animated Flanders (NED); 34D: Common voting occasion (TUESDAY); 35D: "Out of Africa" star (STREEP); 36D: Food for leafhoppers (TREE SAP); 39D: Some campus returnees (SOPHS); 40D: Undisturbed (IN SITU); 42D: Red wine grape (MERLOT); 45D: Ribbed (JAPED); 46D: Links bugaboo (SLICE); 49D: Site of 1993 Arab-Israeli accords (OSLO); 50D: Kitsch deplorer (SNOB); 53D: Org. with a pair of gloves in its logo (IBF); 54D: Ortiz of "Ugly Betty" (ANA)

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).

[Follow PuzzleGirl on Twitter.]

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).

03.12 Sat

S A T U R D A Y
March 12, 2011
Brad Wilber

Theme: None, because it's Saturday.

Hey, everybody. Doug here, filling in for PuzzleGirl. She had to go to bed early last night because she's attending a big birthday bash today. I wonder whose birthday it is. Hmmm. David Letterman, Vince Gill, Claire Danes, and Brooklyn Decker all have birthdays on March 12th. She's probably at the Vince Gill party, though I'm sure she received invites to all four.

I was happy to see that today's puzzle is by Brad Wilber. His puzzles are always a treat to solve. Brad and I have collaborated on a few themeless puzzles, some of which you'll be solving in the weeks and months ahead. So it's hard for me to gauge the difficulty of today's puzzle. After having worked with Brad, I have a pretty good handle on his construction style. I didn't have much trouble with this one, but your results may vary. I know there are some solvers who consider Brad to be one of the toughest constructors around. Let's dive in.

Bullets:

• 1A: Closer's bane (BLOWN SAVE). Knockout entry at 1-Across. Loved it. And for me, this clue was a hanging curveball right over the plate.
• 17A: Spoiled brat, stereotypically (ONLY CHILD). Before you sibling-less folks jump all over Brad & Rich, note the "stereotypically" qualifier.
• 22A: ___ Lisa Vito: "My Cousin Vinny" role (MONA). This is a classic Wilberesque clue. A fresh, funny take on the old crossword standby MONA.
• 29A: Sleeper, for one (CAR). A sleeper is a railroad passenger car with beds. I like riding the train, and I've always wanted to sleep in one of those little compartments. I'm anti-claustrophobic. (Is there a word for that?). I like sleeping in small, enclosed spaces.
• 38A: Gluck opera based on a Euripides play (ALCESTE). I had no clue on this one, though I do enjoy a nice Fettucine Alceste.
• 39A: Like architecture involving cedar shakes (SHINGLE STYLE). Another "huh?" entry for me, but it was easy to piece together. Yes, Shingle Style is a real thing. Opera & architecture aren't among my areas of expertise. The nice thing about a Wilber puzzle is that he draws entries and clues from a myriad of subjects. If you don't like the baseball clue, keep reading, because you'll find at least one clue that hits your sweet spot.

• 43A: Pinned arrangement (UPDO). Lots of updo discussion on the blog earlier this week. I hope this was a gimme for most of you.
• 52A: Cattle drive gear (RIATAS). This is a term for "lassos" that you're not going to see much outside of crosswords. And to make it more confusing, it's often spelled REATAS. For more info, check out this helpful CW101 entry on RIATA
• 61A: "This doesn't look good, guys!" (WE'RE TOAST). Probably my favorite entry of the day.
• 1D: Curling tool (BROOM). Were you still thinking about updos? Nope, it's a reference to that bizarre Canadian "sport" of curling.
• 2D: The Khmer Rouge overthrew him (LON NOL). Cambodian leader with an awesome name.
• 14D: It requires a lot of simmering (CONSOMMÉ). OK, Brad found another of my weak spots, cooking. I'm fairly worthless in the kitchen, but I can whip up a mean Tomato Winning Salad.
• 32D: "He won't be missed" (NO LOSS). Ouch. That's a downer of a clue.
• 35D: Bistro appetizer (ESCARGOT). I like the fact that this entry is matched up symmetrically with CONSOMMÉ. They're both dishes that sound suspiciously French.
• 40D: Tried hard (STRIVEN). Every puzzle has at least one ugly entry, and this is it.
• 48D: "Honour is ___ scutcheon": Shak. (A MERE). Spoken by Falstaff in "Henry VI, Part 1." A scutcheon is a heraldic device used to decorate a coffin.

• 58D: Pronoun in a rebus (EWE). Remember those rebus puzzles on "Concentration"? A picture of a EWE often stood for YOU. I collected bottle caps when I was a kid, and I picked up most of them off the ground. (No, my mom was not a fan.) My favorites were the Lucky Lager caps because they had rebus puzzles on them. They must be tough to solve when you're half-drunk.
• 55D: Show with an "American Bandstand"-like spoof called "Mel's Rock Pile" (SCTV). Wow, did I love this clue! "SCTV" is one of my favorite shows, and "Rockin' Mel's Rock Pile" (featuring Eugene Levy as Rockin' Mel Slirrup) is a classic bit. The Rockin' Mel clips on YouTube are low-quality, so I'll leave you with a beauty video of Bob & Doug McKenzie

OK, I'll see you hosers tomorrow.

02.27 Sun

S U N D A Y
February 27, 2011
Jeremy Horwitz & Byron Walden

[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: "It's an Honor Just to Be Nominated" — The eight films for which Peter O'Toole received a Best Actor Oscar nomination...and lost.

Theme Entries:

• 1A: *1964 (BECKET).
• 7A: *2006 (VENUS).
• 28A: *1968 (THE LION IN WINTER).
• 43A: *1972, with "The" (RULING CLASS).
• 65A: *1982 (MY FAVORITE YEAR).
• 67A/71A: *1962 (LAWRENCE OF ARABIA).
• 72A: *1969 (GOODBYE MR. CHIPS).
• 96A: *1980 (THE STUNT MAN).
• 112A: See 127-Across (BEST ACTOR OSCARS).
• 127A/128A: Performer nominated for 112-A (he didn't win any) in all the answers to starred clues (PETER O'TOOLE).

Hi, everybody. Brad Wilber here, making my INAUGURAL (83D) foray into public puzzle commentary. Doug, I’m sure, surmised that asking me to guest-solve on Oscar Sunday would be the equivalent of a lazy pitch right over the plate to Ron CEY (54A) or Mel OTT (78A). I won’t claim to be top movie maven among cruciverbalists —- not with John Farmer and others out there –- but I am something of a student of Oscar and lack only 25-30 films in my long-running aim to see every Oscar-nominated performance in major categories (all four acting races, Picture, Director, writing, cinematography, etc.)

So did I have an overconfident start to the puzzle? Yes, I think that’s fair to say. Confronted with dates as my only clues to theme entries, I started penciling in Best Picture winners, and it was my bad luck to start with 1969 at 72A. MIDNIGHT COWBOY fit neatly. But oops – 1980’s ORDINARY PEOPLE did not find a home at 96A. So I shrugged philosophically and allowed my eyes to light on the last clue on the page. Great – TAO (120D). And, of course, the bottom line of the puzzle is where the key twist on the Oscar theme lurked. As soon as I knew Jeremy and Byron were giving us a splendid tribute to PETER O’TOOLE – well, at the risk of sounding obnoxious, I could lay in all the theme entries without waiting for crossings. MIDNIGHT COWBOY was gone in a cloud of eraser dust, replaced by GOODBYE MR. CHIPS (you know this version is a quasi-musical, right?). Then the rest, with a brief pause at 112A before I could pin down that BEST ACTOR OSCARS was going to be plural.

If you’re going to serve up a tribute puzzle, this is the way to do it and please the purists and the completists. All of the films for which O’Toole was nominated appear, and with gratifying symmetry, entries BECKET / VENUS mirror PETER / O’TOOLE. Having to snip the initial article from THE RULING CLASS to make it fit must have been a mildly galling moment for our constructing duo, but not a big deal. Compensation – having three of the films stacked in adjacent rows right at the heart of the grid (MY FAVORITE YEAR, CHIPS, and a split-up LAWRENCE OF ARABIA).

So theme-wise I had just one “light bulb” moment as opposed to seven or eight, but movie knowledge alone does not give you a finished puzzle. I still had plenty of work to, with lots of fun moments along the way.

Bullets:

• 1D: Like the most secure passports nowadays (BIOMETRIC). This is the kind of cluing that makes me pleasantly gooey inside – an elegant snippet of writing, specific but still a bit mysterious, and offering a break from strictly lexical match-ups. Ditto U.S. BORDER at 88A (It runs through four Great Lakes). 
• 7D: Facilities for many ex-GIs (VFW HALLS). With V__H__L_ in place from my movie titles, I was betting on VALHALLA before I saw the clue.

• 44D: Remedy for a pain in the neck (NERVE BLOCK). New crossword entry born out of the need to have the N, the E and the B in their appointed spots. But also eminently familiar.
• 65D: “Who wants candy?” response ("ME! ME!"). Much more verve in this cluing avenue, to my mind, than in asking for an Internet MEME. Excuse me while I go get a bag of Swedish Fish.
• 70D: "Ice Age" unit, e.g. (CEL). Going along quickly, I almost put CEN. as an abbreviation for “century,” since ice ages, you know, took a while. I have a feeling that’s just the kind of gentle trap the guys wanted to lay for us. But...maybe it wasn’t deliberate at all. Speaking of AGE, a few extra minutes of my life went by before that answer occurred to me for 111A (It always increases). Nice!

• 99A: Tennis shoe that debuted at Wimbledon in 1966 (K-SWISS). The first all- leather sneaker, with a striped shield logo. File it in that part of your brain where the other tennis apparel is, like ELLESSE (go, Chrissie!) and FILA.
• 81A: How nice that OSH by itself it a (Kyrgyzstan city) and we don’t have to have a rhyming fill-in-the-blank.
• 47A: (Item, such as interest, recorded only when earned) clues NON-ASSET, another entry new to me. Sometimes when I go through puzzles my lack of background in accounting and economics is a non-asset.

• 92D: Prince Andrew’s younger daughter (EUGENIE). Did you waver between EUGENIA and EUGENIE? Moseying right next door – come on! Given the timing can we not have LESBIAN referencing “The Kids Are All Right” (nominated for four big awards tonight)? Although that movie technically involves three parents, two of whom are lesbian, so the potential clue suddenly becomes more syntactically complicated than the one we got.
• 60A: It was pretty cool to get almost to the end of the puzzle and encounter a double-J with HAJJI (Muslim pilgrim). The crossing at 62D made me recall that I thought "Jai Ho" from "Slumdog Millionaire" was a little bit inert compared to the infectious giddiness of the VERY best Bollywood numbers. Anybody agree?

• 25A: A.O. SCOTT should send Byron a gift basket – this is at least the second occasion Byron has worked the New York Times film critic into a puzzle (2009-'10 "At the movies" cohost).

• The puzzle has a fair amount of cross-referencing even apart from the instances needed to execute the theme. The fellows turned such a nice trick with ONE-SEATER (22A and 39A) that I wished they could have shoehorned LAUDER into the grid and spared us a stand-alone ESTEE at 107D. Oh, well.

In case you do trivia at your Oscar party tonight, here are some other “bridesmaid” multiple nominees: Richard Burton (7), Deborah Kerr (6), Thelma Ritter (6), Glenn Close (5), Irene Dunne (5), Albert Finney (5), and Arthur Kennedy (5). Directors Clarence Brown, King Vidor, and Robert Altman also have 5 nominations each, without a win.

Back to O’Toole for a minute. Do I think he was ever “robbed”? Truthfully, no. In the abstract, yes, I think he deserves to have an Oscar on his mantel as much as anyone. But considering each of the years in which he competed, it’s hard to imagine changing the verdict in Peter’s favor. You wouldn’t want Gregory Peck to be without his award in 1962 for TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, and at that stage voters probably thought the upstart O’Toole had plenty of time for a future victory. In 1964, whatever you think about Rex Harrison in MY FAIR LADY, how could you give an Oscar to a guy in BECKET who didn’t play Becket? In 1968, voters were happy enough to let THE LION IN WINTER accolades go to Hepburn, and Cliff Robertson had the trump card of playing a sympathetic soul coping with disability instead of a braying king. 1969’s nomination for MR. CHIPS was more recognition for maintaining dignity in the face of bad material than a dog that would hunt. And all of O’Toole’s remaining nominations (1972, 1980, 1982, 2006) found him up against can’t-miss performances (Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone, Robert DeNiro as Jake LaMotta, Ben Kingsley as Gandhi, and Forest Whitaker as Idi Amin).

What Mr. O’Toole needed, in my opinion, was another movie like LAWRENCE OF ARABIA whose sheer scale could have better absorbed his big acting style. His LORD JIM (1965) is such a film – an underrated one – and I think if he’d been able to snag a nod that year he might have been in with a real shot. Or I do wonder what would have happened if he’d slipped in as a Supporting nominee in 1987 for his tutor in THE LAST EMPEROR – by then, doing some very subtle work.

Geez – I’ve overstayed my welcome and sort of strayed from the puzzle. Let’s go to the videotape!

Peter O’Toole was given an honorary Oscar in 2003. Initially he wrote to the Academy begging off, saying he wanted to win “the lovely bugger outright,” but he showed up to receive his honor and gave a speech that oozed class. If you're one who holds the view that plenty of Oscar winners have sentiment and politics to thank as much as merit, maybe you'll agree with one of the comments made during O'Toole's campaign for VENUS, to the effect that an O'Toole win at some point in history would have legitimized Oscar, not the other way around:

2003 – O’Toole recipient of Honorary Oscar

Some other Best Actor clips of Oscar ceremonies involving O’Toole (he’s only shown in two of them). Presenters Sally Field and John Travolta both have deer-in-the-headlights syndrome:

1969 – O’Toole in Goodbye Mr. Chips loses to John Wayne

1972 – O’Toole in The Ruling Class loses to Marlon Brando

1980 – O’Toole in The Stunt Man loses to Robert De Niro

1982 – O’Toole in My Favorite Year loses to Ben Kingsley

Others who received a competitive acting nomination or win AFTER being awarded an honorary Oscar are Henry Fonda, Paul Newman, and Alec Guinness.

2006 – Peter O’Toole in Venus loses to Forest Whitaker

Thanks for allowing me to visit...and ramble...everyone. If you'll be tuning in to the ceremony tonight, enjoy!

02.05 Sat

S A T U R D A Y February 5, 2011
Brad Wilber and Doug Peterson

Theme: None

Wow. Tough puzzle today. I'm not going to whine about it being too easy, that's for sure. I did end up finishing it on my own with no mistakes, but I sure did have a lot of missteps along the way. The hardest one to figure out was probably when I had JOINER where MOONIE was supposed to go (7D: Unificationist). For some reason my brain only saw "unify" and not "Unification." With that J in place, I figured 7-Across must be JURORS. They reflect … on the … evidence … right? what? No, it doesn't really make any sense, but it did at the time! MOONIE eventually came to me, except I misspelled it MOONEY at first so that also caused a few problems. I'm not going to beat myself up too much about that section though because … um, MUSERS? That's a pretty bad entry (7A: They reflect). I do love DON VITO CORLEONE and EDWARD G. ROBINSON stacked up like that though (13A: Role for which its actor refused an Oscar / 16A: Actor who said "Some people have youth, some have beautyóI have menace"). So maybe MUSERS was worth it? I don't know. What do you think?

The southeast was the last section to fall for me. I had THE GEICO in place and could only come up with the gecko -- I couldn't remember what that other ad campaign was all about. Oh yeah, the CAVEMEN (45A: Offended parties in a long-running series of [TV ADS]). I don't recall too much about those CAVEMEN (I mean, really! do people watch commercials any more??), but here's a caveman I kinda like:

HAVE AN AHA MOMENT (48A: Experience sudden inspiration) took a while to show itself too. I was pretty sure [33D: Seder bread] was MATZOH and I thought [31D: Mrs. Norris in the "Harry Potter" books, e.g.] might be a HOUSE-ELF instead of a HOUSE CAT, so I was looking at HAVEANAHL for quite a while. And even when the correct phrase finally became clear I have to say I don't really think of an AHA MOMENT as inspiration so much as clarification. But maybe that's just me.

Other missteps for included ERA for EON (19A: Proterozoic, for one), THX for PLS (36A: Brief memo nicety), LOBE for TIRE (4D: Spot for studs), ETA for ETD (5D: Terminal abbr.), and THO for E'EN (10D: Yet, to Yeats).

Other than the long acrosses, highlights of the grid for me included:

• 6D: Reward for rolling over (DOG TREAT). Although I kinda wanted it to be "doggie treat," right?
• 12D: Less likely to mix (SNOOTIER). This word always makes me think of the Sneetches.
• 15D: Near-decades (ENNEADS). ENNEA- is a prefix meaning nine.

Couple more things:

• 28A: Gardener's soil hauler (TIP CART). I don't believe I've ever heard of this.
• 32A: Albéniz piano work (IBERIA). Whatever you say!
• 35A: Court official's call (FAULT). Tennis court.
• 42A: Top 10 hit from U2's "Achtung Baby" album (ONE).


[Yes, I know this isn't the U2 song.]

• 21D: Messing with a script? (DEBRA). She played Grace on "Will & Grace." She was also in an early "Seinfeld" episode. I want to say she was "Mulva" but I think that was the actress on "Frasier." Messing was the one who … did something else. (It's getting late, folks.)
• 30D: Political blog feature, often (PET PEEVE). I don't understand this clue at all. Maybe it's because I like political blogs and think they're awesome. Do other (normal?) people think they're just a place for people to rant about their PET PEEVES?
• 35D: Donnybrook (FRACAS). I sometimes confuse "donnybrook" with "boondoggle." Both awesome words, by the way. As is FRACAS.

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Everything Else — 1A: Bumpy, in a way (RUTTED); 17A: General at Cold Harbor (MEADE); 18A: Latish alarm setting (TEN A.M.); 20A: Family title word (OURS); 21A: Pool feature (DRAIN); 22A: Have no use for, and then some (HATE); 23A: Use a tap, perhaps (SPY).

24A: "We need to talk" ("SEE ME"); 25A: Rage (MANIA); 26A: On the defensive (AT BAY); 27A: Put on guard (WARNED); 31A: Impedes (HAMPERS); 33A: Magazine with a "Best Places to Live" feature (MONEY); 34A: Gauge (METER); 39A: Gym set (REPS); 40A: Speciously highbrow (ARTSY); 41A: Send sprawling (TRIP); 43A: Equine facial marking (BLAZE); 44A: "Take __!" (A HIKE); 49A: Investigates, with "into" (DELVES); 50A: Airfield fixtures (TOWERS); 1D: Didn't stay where it should, as a skirt (RODE UP); 2D: Not on the ball (UNWARY); 3D: Show stoppers (TV ADS); 8D: __ sprawl (URBAN); 9D: Hardly odds-on (SLIM); 11D: Sitcom about the Conners (ROSEANNE); 13D: Out-of-the-box models (DEMOS); 14D: Like Twinkies filling (CREAMY); 22D: Hideous hybrid of myth (HARPY); 24D: It may be winding (STAIR); 25D: "American Buffalo" playwright (MAMET); 26D: Range units (ACRES); 27D: Without vigor (WANLY); 28D: "Lie to Me" star (TIM ROTH); 29D: Patsy's protest (I BEEN HAD); 36D: Novice's text (PRIMER); 37D: Compares (LIKENS); 38D: Wiped out (SPENT); 40D: 1955 Dior innovation (A-LINE); 41D: __ park (THEME); 43D: Theodore, to Wally (BEAV); 44D: Swear (AVOW); 46D: Coiffure holder (GEL); 47D: Te-__: Mexican cigar brand (AMO).