09.23 Fri

F R I D A Y
September 23, 2011
Daniel Finan

Theme: Numb3rs — For the theme answers, clue numbers are part of the clue.

Theme answers:

• 20: questions (FUN GUESSING GAME).
• 36: hours (ONE AND A HALF DAYS).
• 49: ers (FOOTBALL PLAYERS).

Super clever theme today. Really enjoyed it. If you're still confused by it, look at the way I posted the theme answers at the top of this write-up. (Usually I include an A (across) or a D (down) after the clue number, but I took the As out today so there would be a better visual presentation of the trick clues.) The answers themselves aren't really stand-alone phrases that are "in the language" (as they say). They are, instead, definitions, not unlike the type of theme we see from time to time where the theme answers all have the same one-word clue and each answer is a different definition of that word. Some people love those themes, some people get really bent out of shape that the theme answers aren't "really" theme answers. I like to see it every once in a while for a change of pace. And in this case, as I said, the theme is really clever so it's okay with me.

I definitely had several WTF moments throughout the solve, though.

• 18A: Blanche __, pseudonymous author of the 1983 best-seller "Truly Tasteless Jokes" (KNOTT). Wait, really?
• 22D: Swindler, in slang (GANEF). Ne-Ever heard this term. Oh, I see it's Yiddish slang. That pretty much explains it.
• 44D: Walk bouncily (LOLLOP). Again with the ????

Clues that were definitely amped up for Friday include:

• 14A: San __ (REMO). Geez Louise! Could be anything!
• 45A: Seat of Colorado's Pitkin County (ASPEN). Very familiar Colorado place name, but difficult to see with that clue.
• 7D: Where kip are spent (LAOS). Same here.
• 53D: Hunted (PREY). The clue here is not a verb. That's what makes it tricky.

My write-overs:

• 5D: Dug, so to speak (LIKED). Tried LOVED first.
• 9D: Party pooper (WET NOODLE). Totally wanted this to be WET BLANKET. I was actually writing it in, and then … ran out of boxes.
• 56D: Urban miasma (SMOG). Apparently, I don't know what "miasma" means because my first guess was SLUM.

Bullets:

• 5A: Dey job? (L.A. LAW). The clue refers to Susan Dey who starred on the TV show "L.A. LAW." I don't know about you, but I have a hard time thinking of Susan Dey as anybody other than Laurie Partridge. ("Hello world, there's a song that we're singin' ….")
• 24A: Annual sign of bad behavior? (COAL). It took me way too long to get that this clue refers to the "lump of coal" some people get in their stockings at Christmastime.

• 35A: High point of an Alaskan trip? (DENALI). I used to call DENALI its other name until I met my husband, who climbs mountains for fun. Now I can't even remember its other name. Is it Mt. McKinley? Wikipedia says … yes.
• 62A: Its state bird is the cardinal (OHIO). I had to think for a minute about Iowa's state bird here. I was pretty sure it wasn't the cardinal (it's the golfinch), but Iowa is always a possibility when you're looking for a four-letter state.
• 6D: Heart lead singer Wilson et al. (ANNS). The PuzzleKids were watching "X Factor" last night and it appears that several people who have no business whatsoever singing "Barracuda" were attempting to sing "Barracuda."

Crosswordese 101 Round-up:

• 16A: Adidas alternative (AVIA).
• 57A: Frankfurt's river (ODER).
• 58A: Phils, e.g. (NL'ERS).
• 60A: '70s pinup name (LONI).
• 11D: Where the iris is (UVEA).
• 51D: Sommelier's prefix (OENO-).
• 54D: Pre-coll. catchall (EL-HI).

Everything — 1A: Dollar bill weight, roughly (GRAM); 5A: Dey job? (L.A. LAW); 10A: __ Stream (GULF); 14A: San __ (REMO); 15A: Silly (INANE); 16A: Adidas alternative (AVIA); 17A: From the top (ANEW); 18A: Blanche __, pseudonymous author of the 1983 best-seller "Truly Tasteless Jokes" (KNOTT); 19A: "No ice, please" (NEAT); 20A: questions (FUN GUESSING GAME); 23A: Terhune collie (LAD); 24A: Annual sign of bad behavior? (COAL); 25A: "Alice" singer Lavigne (AVRIL); 28A: Orator's vocal quality (RESONANCE); 33A: Sacramento daily (BEE); 34A: Sched. B item on a 1040 (INT.); 35A: High point of an Alaskan trip? (DENALI); 36A: hours (ONE AND A HALF DAYS); 40A: Seven-time N.L. batting champ (MUSIAL); 41A: Storm dir. (ENE); 42A: They lead to an F (C-D-E); 43A: Six-pack abs? (BEER BELLY); 45A: Seat of Colorado's Pitkin County (ASPEN); 47A: TriBeCa neighbor (SOHO); 48A: Blueprint subject, perhaps (ELL); 49A: ers (FOOTBALL PLAYERS); 57A: Frankfurt's river (ODER); 58A: Phils, e.g. (NL'ERS); 59A: Deception (FLAM); 60A: '70s pinup name (LONI); 61A: Beneficiary (DONEE); 62A: Its state bird is the cardinal (OHIO); 63A: 2-Down unit (DROP); 64A: Fixes (SPAYS); 65A: Place to cross, on signs (X-ING); 1D: Seles rival (GRAF); 2D: Eye care brand (RENU); 3D: Flock response (AMEN); 4D: "The Jungle Book" boy (MOWGLI); 5D: Dug, so to speak (LIKED); 6D: Heart lead singer Wilson et al. (ANNS); 7D: Where kip are spent (LAOS); 8D: Silliness (ANTICS); 9D: Party pooper (WET NOODLE); 10D: Underworld (GANGLAND); 11D: Where the iris is (UVEA); 12D: Neeson who voiced Aslan in the "Narnia" movies (LIAM); 13D: You may have a brush with it (FATE); 21D: It merged with Continental in 2010: Abbr. (UAL); 22D: Swindler, in slang (GANEF); 25D: Trinity test subject (A-BOMB); 26D: Locale (VENUE); 27D: Maker of pieces? (REESE); 28D: Genetic letters (RNA); 29D: One of the convicted Rosenberg spies (ETHEL); 30D: Image Awards org. (NAACP); 31D: 1930s public enemy (CLYDE); 32D: NFL Network sportscaster Rich (EISEN); 34D: Devil's tools, metaphorically (IDLE HANDS); 37D: Touchdown site (AIRSTRIP); 38D: Big shot (NABOB); 39D: More than zero (ANY); 44D: Walk bouncily (LOLLOP); 45D: Modeled after (À LA); 46D: Sneaky devil (SLY FOX); 48D: "It's nobody __ business" (ELSE'S); 49D: Go out (FOLD); 50D: Nose wrinkler (ODOR); 51D: Sommelier's prefix (OENO-); 52D: Singer Horne (LENA); 53D: Hunted (PREY); 54D: Pre-coll. catchall (EL-HI); 55D: Shower in public? (RAIN); 56D: Urban miasma (SMOG).

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).

F R I D A Y November 19, 2010 Daniel A. Finan

Theme: Clueless — Five unclued answers refer to types of people who can be described as "clueless."

Theme answers:

• 17A: - (PEABRAIN).
• 28A: - (DINGBAT).
• 46A: - (AIRHEAD).
• 11D: - (NINCOMPOOP).
• 27D: - (SPACE CADET).
• 61A: Like five answers in this puzzle, literally and figuratively (CLUELESS).

What an awesome theme! So simple and elegant. This is one of those themes where other constructors are going, "Why didn't I think of that?" Five words for people who are clueless and then instead of cluing each one as "Clueless" … don't clue them at all! Brilliant! Of course it helps that calling people clueless results in really funny words.

There were only two things that I just flat-out didn't know:

• 37D: ___ Affair: 1798-1800 France/USA dispute (XYZ).
• 42D: Hindu meditation aid (MANDALA).

But that doesn't mean I didn't have a hard time with some other spots in the puzzle.

I was debating whether to admit this, but I've come this far without lying to you, so I guess I might as well. I couldn't finish this puzzle. Okay, that may not be entirely true. I probably could have finished the puzzle if I had shown a little more patience, but I didn't so I didn't. I haven't decided yet if the part that tripped me up is poorly constructed and/or clued or if my DNF was truly just a consequence of my giving up too soon. But I'm leaning toward the latter because I really like this puzzle and I'd hate for it to be ruined by an unforgivable area. Here's where the trouble started.

I'm not a hockey fan, so I don't know all the team names. I know some of them just from, ya know, being alive, but that's as far as it goes. AVS (5A: Colorado NHLers), therefore, was a mystery to me. Now I can see that the answer is a short form of Avalanche, which I'm sure I've heard of at some point. But while I was solving, I wasn't even sure about that V. The cross, 6D: Sundial number, only confused the matter because I thought the team might just has likely have been the AIM or the AXE. Yes, I'm aware that both of those are hideous names for a professional sports team but who am I to say really?? Seemed possible! But here's where the patience comes in. I should have been able to guess GIO from the clue 15A: Acqua Di __: Armani cologne. I gave up too early because I was all "Wait, you expect to know the name of a cologne? For realz?" But of course I know Armani's first name is Giorgio so if I had thought about it longer, it surely would have come to me.

With all that uncertainty in that area, what really killed me was 7D: One learning about the birds and the bees? What's up with that clue? That seems like a terrible clue to me. What's up with the question mark? Doesn't that mean "the birds and the bees" should be taken literally instead of as a euphemism? Maybe I'm discriminating against this clue/answer because I couldn't finish that section. On the other hand, maybe it's just bad. I'm eager to hear what you all think.

Bullets:

• 8A: They may be surrounded at parties (PIANOS). My first thought? Kegs.
• 24A: Retired New York senator Al D'__ (AMATO). Yesterday we saw Ed Koch and today Al D'AMATO. Both were in office when I lived in New York. Good times.
• 25A: Hi-__ (FIS). Tried "res" first and thought, "Well that's interesting that a 1980 DeLuise film has the same name as a 1969 Dustin Hoffman character."
• 49A: Place for flock members (PEW). I was way too focused on literal sheep here. Totally slipped my mind that a religious congregation can be referred to as a flock.
• 50A: "I __ your long lost pal": Paul Simon lyric (CAN BE). Oh sure, why not.
   
• 54A: Given, as custody (AWARDED). I tried "granted" first.
• 65A: Shell's shell, e.g. (LOGO). Cute clue. Shell Oil's logo is a … shell.
• 3D: Vintage R&B record label (STAX).
   
• 5D: Court star with the autobiography "Open" (AGASSI). Bought it for PuzzleDad sometime in the past year. Christmas? Father's Day? One of those two.

Crosswordese 101 Round-up:

• 22A: Pitts of early cinema (ZASU).
• 39A: "Entourage" agent Gold (ARI).
• 66A: Aquarium denizens (TETRAS).
• 54D: Word in a basic Latin conjugation (AMAT).

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Everything Else — 1A: "When I __ kid ..." (WAS A); 14A: Set up: Abbr. (ESTD.); 16A: Like a maelstrom (ASWIRL); 19A: Cash in Nashville (JOHNNY); 20A: Rolls to the gate (TAXIES); 21A: Colorful cats (CALICOS); 30A: Second degree? (MBA); 33A: In spades (AMPLY); 35A: It's usually four (PAR); 36A: Former 56-Across team (EXPOS); 38A: Cuisine that includes phanaeng (THAI); 40A: English walled city (YORK); 41A: Guard dog command (SIC 'EM); 43A: "__ be a pleasure!" (IT'D); 44A: O3 (OZONE); 45A: Unlock'd (OPE); 52A: Salon sound (SNIP); 56A: Baseball div. (N.L. EAST); 60A: Mel Gibson persona (MAD MAX); 63A: Ring of color (AREOLE); 64A: "Popeye" surname (OYL); 67A: "Bottle Rocket" director Anderson (WES); 68A: Colony workers (ANTS); 1D: Showed relief, in a way (WEPT); 2D: Deported? (ASEA); 4D: Madison Ave. symbolizes it (AD BIZ); 8D: Kind of party (PAJAMA); 9D: Get away from the others (ISOLATE); 10D: In the slightest (A WHIT); 12D: "Yes __?" (OR NO); 13D: Stallone and Stone (SLYS); 18D: Set (READY); 21D: Stand offerings (CAB RIDES); 23D: Odd, as a sock (UNPAIRED); 25D: 1980 DeLuise film (FATSO); 26D: "Can you dig it?" response (I'M HIP); 29D: "Wayne's World" co-host (GARTH); 31D: Shouldered (BORNE); 32D: Out of line (ASKEW); 34D: Golfer's concern (LIE); 44D: "Swan Lake" maiden (ODILE); 47D: Wild goats with recurved horns (IBEXES); 48D: Makes void (ANNULS); 51D: Gladiator's defense (ARMOR); 53D: Window-making giant (PELLA); 55D: Tupper ending (-WARE); 57D: Many millennia (AEON); 58D: Certain NCO (SSGT); 59D: General __ chicken (TSO'S); 61D: Tipping target, so it's said (COW); 62D: Drano component (LYE).

W E D N E S D A Y August 4, 2010 Daniel A. Finan

Theme: Wacky Anagrams — Wacky phrases that consist of "[word] IN [anagram of word]"


Theme answers:

• 20A: Male goose during hunting season? (GANDER IN DANGER).
• 25A: Sought-after former football announcer? (MADDEN IN DEMAND).
• 46A: Fencing implement at the shop? (RAPIER IN REPAIR).
• 51A: Biblical guy who refused to believe the writing on the wall? (DANIEL IN DENIAL)

Fun theme today! Please enjoy this musical interlude while you read about tennis scores.

• 6A: __ Mahal (TAJ).




• 9D: Singer with the Blackhearts (JOAN JETT).

Crosswordese 101: AD IN is shorthand for a particular tennis score. Tennis games are scored in this order: 15-30-40-game. BUT, if both players get to 40, that's called "deuce" and to win the game a player must win the next two points. So let's say I'm serving and the score is deuce. If I win the next point, the score would be (formally) "advantage server" or (informally) "AD IN." If I win the next point, I win the game. If my opponent wins the next point, the score goes back to deuce and we keep going like that until someone wins by two points. In the previous scenario, if my opponent had won the point after deuce, the score would then be "ad out," which also shows up in puzzles occasionally, but not often. AD IN is generally clued as "Server's edge," "Point before 'game,'" "Score just before winning," or 52D: Score after deuce, maybe.

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

• 30D: Video game trailblazer (ATARI).
• 42D: Shallowest Great Lake (ERIE).
• 57D: Gillette razor (ATRA).

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Everything Else — 1A: Outré (QUEER); 9A: Door parts (JAMBS); 14A: Dictionary note subject (USAGE); 15A: Brandy letters (VSO); 16A: Drools over, in a way (OGLES); 17A: "Call it __": "No winner" (A DRAW); 18A: S or SE (DIR.); 19A: Netizen who might hear "You've got mail!" (AOL'ER); 23A: Novelist Deighton (LEN); 24A: Small, medium, or large: Abbr. (ADJ.); 33A: Le Pew of skunkdom (PEPE); 34A: Like waitresses: Abbr. (FEM.); 35A: Shocking buildup? (STATIC); 36A: Shangri-las (EDENS); 38A: Purple minus blue (RED); 40A: Bingham of "Baywatch" (TRACI); 41A: Get molars, say (TEETHE); 43A: Shiatsu response (AAH); 45A: "Night at the Museum" creature, for short (T-REX); 49A: Free (of) (RID); 50A: __-El: Superman's birth name (KAL); 59A: Part of HDTV, briefly (HI-DEF); 60A: "South Park" brother (IKE); 61A: Main life line? (AORTA); 62A: "Good __!": Charlie Brownism (GRIEF); 63A: Super __: game console (NES); 64A: Cinemax rival (STARZ); 65A: Baby-sits, e.g. (TENDS); 66A: Jetta fuel (GAS); 67A: English class assignment (ESSAY); 1D: Marsh, for short (QUAG); 2D: Meat pkg. letters (USDA); 3D: Take home (EARN); 4D: "Yikes!" ("EGAD!"); 5D: Fix by fusing, as metal (REWELD); 6D: Swanson product (TV DINNER); 7D: B-boy connection (AS IN); 8D: Hoops legend (JORDAN); 10D: With eager anticipation (AGOG); 11D: Fr. miss (MLLE.); 12D: Cold one, so to speak (BEER); 13D: Ukr., once (SSR); 21D: Snorkeling site (REEF); 22D: Chimes in with (ADDS); 25D: Jason's wife (MEDEA); 26D: "Not __ out of you!" (A PEEP); 27D: Driller's prefix? (DENTI-); 28D: "That is ..." ("I MEAN …"); 29D: Rush Limbaugh ex __ Fitzgerald (MARTA); 31D: More agreeable (NICER); 32D: Early seventh-century year (DCIX); 33D: '80s-'90s tennis star Korda (PETR); 37D: Oater lawmen (SHERIFFS); 39D: What a full moon mitigates (DARKNESS); 44D: Cattle unit (HEAD); 47D: Waiting at a light, say (IDLING); 48D: "The magic word" (PLEASE); 51D: Desperate, as straits (DIRE); 53D: Must have (NEED); 54D: Swedish retail giant (IKEA); 55D: Have-__: the less fortunate (NOTS); 56D: S&L offerings (IRA'S); 57D: Gillette razor (ATRA); 58D: Like a shirker (LAZY); 59D: NBA bio stat (HGT.).