03.06 Sun

S U N D A Y
March 6, 2011
Merl Reagle

[Note: This is the puzzle that appears in the Sunday L.A. Times newspaper. If you don't get the paper, you can find the puzzle here. Scroll down to see today's syndicated puzzle.]

Theme: "Heads of State" — U.S. State postal codes are tacked onto the beginning of familiar phrases.

Theme answers:

• 23A: Origami? (PAPER FORMING).
• 33A: Like some political scandals? (MISTRESS RELATED).
• 53A: Advice to a cougher? (COVER MOUTH).
• 60A: Eatery at an oasis? (CAMEL'S DINER).
• 66A: Film about boastful jerks? (VAINGLOURIOUS BASTERDS).
• 79A: Antoinette after hearing her fate? (MOROSE MARIE).
• 89A: Answer to "What do you want on your BLT, Rocky?" (MAYO ADRIAN).
• 102A: How you can tell where the candle was? (WAX MARKS THE SPOT).
• 120A: "Jumble"-solvin' dude? (SCRAMBLIN' MAN).

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Everything Else — 1A: Centers for dissenters (GULAGS); 7A: Beethoven's "___ Solemnis" (MISSA); 12A: Quick tempo (FAST PACE); 20A: Slow tempo (ADAGIO); 21A: Like some buckets or barrels (OAKEN); 22A: Science museum exhibits (DIORAMAS); 25A: Craft fair folks (ARTISANS); 26A: Some Chicago trains (ELS); 27A: He played a cat with no backbone (LAHR); 28A: Snitched (TOLD); 30A: "Fancy ___" (THAT); 31A: Whacked, old-style (SLEW); 39A: "Good ___!" (ONE); 42A: Director Kazan (ELIA); 43A: Overcooks (CHARS); 44A: Tool in "The Shining" (AXE); 45A: British college entrance exams (or parking-garage ground floors) (A LEVELS); 49A: Harried bus. owner's need (ASST.); 51A: Many a state name in D.C. (AVE.); 52A: Oversupply (GLUT); 55A: Gutter site (EAVE); 57A: Siphon off, as support (ERODE); 58A: What a graph may illustrate (TREND); 59A: Number of players on "La Ruota Della Fortuna" (TRE); 62A: You stay here (INN); 63A: Iffy stat in a storm (ETD); 64A: Peeved (SORE); 65A: Steady the arrow (AIM); 75A: Rag goo (OIL); 76A: Doing mess prep (ON K.P.); 77A: Apply (USE); 78A: Pizarro's prize (ORO); 84A: Ended up with (GOT); 85A: Buddy on TV (EBSEN); 87A: Lots (of) (A HOST); 88A: Adams and Grant (AMYS); 91A: Nascar's Yarborough (CALE); 92A: Gen.-turned-pres. (DDE); 93A: And others, briefly (ET AL.); 95A: Rascality (ROGUERY); 96A: "Facts ___ facts" (ARE); 97A: Good, to Garcia (BUENO); 99A: Speed Wagons, e.g. (REO'S); 101A: Author Auletta (KEN); 106A: Face-care brand (OLAY); 110A: Escape-route city, in "Casablanca" (ORAN); 111A: Just right (TO A T); 112A: Missay, as lines (MUFF); 115A: Drink on draught (ALE); 116A: "Heaven forbid!" ("I HOPE NOT!"); 123A: Requires more than one, as to tango (TAKES TWO); 124A: Try a get-hitched-quick scheme (ELOPE); 125A: Stand up for (oneself) (ASSERT); 126A: Wises (up) (SMARTENS); 127A: Vacations (RESTS); 128A: Big ___ (the drug industry) (PHARMA); 1D: Looks awed (GAPES); 2D: Mo or Stew of Arizona (UDALL); 3D: Oversight (LAPSE); 4D: Census datum (AGE); 5D: "You go, ___!" (GIRL); 6D: Tough item to get upstairs, typically (SOFA); 7D: "Tuesdays with ___" (MORRIE); 8D: Last words of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" (I AM); 9D: Jumpy (SKITTISH); 10D: Ladies of Lima (SEÑORAS); 11D: Go fishing (ANGLE); 12D: ___ approved (FDA); 13D: Flying (AIR TRAVEL); 14D: "Hah!" ("SO THERE!"); 15D: Olympic hurdles? (TRIALS); 16D: Some bow ties (PASTA); 17D: Org. that does patient work (AMA); 18D: Pink-slip (CAN); 19D: Count addition (-ESS); 24D: Physicist Georg (OHM); 29D: Award for Sgt. York: abbr. (DSC); 32D: Interlaced (WOVEN); 34D: Candidate list (SLATE); 35D: Shower's partner (SHAVE); 36D: Limb gripper (TALON); 37D: Ooze out (EXUDE); 38D: Thwart (DETER); 40D: In-crowd outsider (NERD); 41D: Creepy cinema street (ELM); 45D: When Otello dies (ACT IV); 46D: Fictional Doone (LORNA); 47D: "___ can do it" (EVEN I); 48D: ___ voce (SOTTO); 50D: Rip to bits (TEAR UP); 52D: Pine-Sol target (GRIME); 54D: Language that gave us "thug" (URDU); 56D: Iowa college town (AMES); 57D: Clean up your language? (EDIT); 60D: Singer Sam (COOKE); 61D: RSVP enclosure (SASE); 63D: Palindromic magazine (ELLE); 64D: "CSI: NY" star (SINISE); 67D: Sue Grafton's "N" (NOOSE); 68D: Essence (GIST); 69D: "Motel Hell" star Calhoun (RORY); 70D: Floater for boaters (BUOY); 71D: Tycoon on the Titanic (ASTOR); 72D: Whoopi's predecessor on "The View" (ROSIE); 73D: Gloomy, to poets (DREAR); 74D: One of the Corleones (SONNY); 79D: Cockatoo's cousin (MACAW); 80D: Leigh's 1939 Oscar role (O'HARA); 81D: Cartier rival (ROLEX); 82D: Revealed (MADE KNOWN); 83D: Church chorus (AMENS); 84D: Dance related to a horse's gait (GALOP); 85D: Brink (EDGE); 86D: Magli of shoe fame (BRUNO); 89D: They know the score (MAESTROS); 90D: Fine and dandy (AOK); 92D: "Ha-cha-cha-cha-chaaaaaaa!" crier (DURANTE); 94D: Syrupy stuff (TREACLE); 97D: Absolutely minimal (BAREST); 98D: Giant who wore #4 (OTT); 100D: French verb with nous (SOMMES); 103D: Sulking sort (MOPER); 104D: Canadian chowderhead (HOSER); 105D: "Hot" place to chill (TUB); 107D: Debussy work (LAMER); 108D: Great perturbation (ALARM); 109D: Tale spreader (YENTA); 113D: Dust-up (FLAP); 114D: Creel contents (FISH); 116D: "___ official ..." (IT'S); 117D: Show-off (HAM); 118D: Volga tributary (OKA); 119D: Lean-___ (TO'S); 121D: Fitting (APT); 122D: Intel processor? (NSA).

03.06

S U N D A Y
March 6, 2011
John Lampkin

[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: "Adducational TV" — Extra letters are added to the titles of TV shows, yielding wacky results.

Theme Entries:

• 25A: Documentary about a Ravi Shankar concert? (SITAR TREK).
• 27A: Sitcom about an endearing dimwit? (LOVE THAT BOOB).
• 43A: Show about a nonsensical grain grinder? (BLARNEY MILLER).
• 70A: Drama about an opinionated military? (JUDGING ARMY).
• 100A: Talk show about words like "zeppelin" and "dirigible"? (THE FLYING NOUN).
• 119A: Sitcom about a team of aromatherapists? (THE MOOD SQUAD).
• 122A: Financial show about the fermented honey market? (MEAD MONEY).
• 39D: Drama about an Asian virus? (KUNG FLU).
• 63D: Drama about an obnoxious superhero? (BRATMAN).

Hey, everybody. Doug here, back in the Sunday saddle. I hope you enjoyed last week's fantastic Oscar-themed write-up by Brad Wilber. Thanks again, Brad! Today's constructor John Lampkin keeps the Hollywood vibe going with a nice television-based theme. Which of these shows would you be most likely to watch? I'd probably catch a few episodes of THE FLYING NOUN. And maybe BLARNEY MILLER. Who could resist the antics of a nonsensical grain grinder? Wasn't that an actual show? I think it was a "Perfect Strangers" spin-off starring Balki's zany uncle from the old country.

Bullets:

• 19A: Bellow's "The Adventures of ___ March" (AUGIE). I'm more familiar with Augie Doggie than Augie March. That might explain why I flamed out during February's "Literary Month" at Matt Gaffney's Weekly Crossword Contest.

• 27A: Sitcom about an endearing dimwit? (LOVE THAT BOOB). How many of you know or remember the show "Love That Bob"? Not me. Wikipedia tells me that "Love That Bob" was an alternate title for "The Bob Cummings Show," which ran from 1955 to 1959. Coulda fooled me. Bob Cummings later starred in a show called "My Living Doll" with Julie Newmar (best Catwoman ever!) who played a life-like android named Rhoda. Where do I get the DVDs?

• 64A: Symbol on the film poster for Eastwood's "Hang 'Em High" (NOOSE). I love this clue. Ordinarily NOOSE isn't the most pleasant word to see in the grid. Props to John & Rich for finding a way to make nooses interesting and non-gruesome.
• 92A: "Mayor" author (KOCH). If I remember correctly, PuzzleGirl used to live in the same apartment building as Ed Koch. And I know for sure that Jerry Orbach lived there too. So cool! I live in Southern California, but I don't run into too many celebrities. I once saw Lou Diamond Phillips at a Wienerschnitzel. Does that count?
• 111A: Attending USC, e.g. (IN L.A.) One of my least favorite recurring crossword entries. It used to be clued exclusively as part of the title of the 1985 movie "To Live and Die in L.A." Not a great entry, but acceptable. For some reason it's migrated away from the movie title to become a standalone entry. Wouldn't you wince at seeing INSF ("Riding the BART, say") or INNYC ("Watching a game at MSG, e.g.")? To me, those two are no worse than INLA.

• 1D: "Straight Up" singer Abdul (PAULA). Her career peaked when she did that fabulous duet with MC Skat Kat. It's been all downhill ever since.
• 16D: Inner tube shapes (TORI). Yeah, I suppose Tori Spelling looks a little bit like an inner tube.
• 53D: Old-timey words of emphasis (BY CRACKY). Awesome entry! And so much fun to say. "That was a dang fine puzzle in the paper today, by cracky."
• 74D: Last Olds made (ALERO). The last ALERO rolled off the assembly line in 2004, but it'll drive on in crossword grids forever.
• 91D: Gossip (SCHMOOZE). Another super entry. I wonder if anyone's ever used SCHMOOZE & BY CRACKY in the same sentence.
• 93D: Longtime New Yorker cartoonist Roz (CHAST). Ms. Chast will be appearing at the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament in Brooklyn in a couple of weeks. She's going to be handing out trophies at the awards banquet and doing a few impromptu sketches of Dan Feyer, Tyler Hinman, etc. (I made up that last part.) I'll be at the ACPT and so will PuzzleGirl. In fact, you can rub elbows with many of your favorite crossword luminaries there. And they're all super-nice. Seriously. So I'll see you there!

03.05 Sat

S A T U R D A Y
March 5, 2011
Barry C. Silk

Theme: None

I enjoyed this Scrabbly Saturday workout from Barry Silk QUITE A LOT (54A: Very much). Quite a few people in the grid, which is something I always like.

• 17A: Five-time All-Star second baseman (CHASE UTLEY). This was the only person in the grid that I flat-out didn't know. Knowing Barry Silk, though, I don't think I'm going out on a limb to guess that he plays for the Phillies.
• 39A: "Private Benjamin" Oscar nominee Eileen (BRENNAN).
• 41A: First African-American major-league coach Buck (O'NEIL). I had to wait and get that "I" from the cross, which is pretty much what I do every time Mr. O'NEIL is in the puzzle.
• 42A: Clinton Transportation secretary (PEÑA).
• 6D: John of England (ELTON). You thought this might be a bathroom trick clue, didn't you?
• 36D: Singer Williams (ANDY).

One-word clues are much more common late in the week because they really add difficulty to the puzzles.

• 5A: Cloud (BEFOG). My brain instantly thought it was a noun, but it turned out to be a verb.

• 20A: Salt (OLD SAILOR). I considered both noun and verb meanings, but had to stretch a little to remember this meaning of "salt."
• 38D: Rap (BLAME). Rap could mean so many different things! But here it's used as in the phrase, "take the rap."
• 46D: Ally (TEAM UP). Another noun/verb question. And again, "verb" is the correct answer.

Bullets:

• 14A: Geographical border (COUNTY LINE). Makes me think of country music, like maybe "Boot Scootin' Boogie."
• 37A: Classic diner feature (JUKEBOX). Who doesn't love a JUKEBOX? (Also, more country music.)
• 47A: Way to make it? (SNAPPY). It's like my boss says to me every morning "Get me a cup of coffee! And make it snappy!" HAha! My boss would never dare say that to me.

• 61A: Gibberish (MUMBO-JUMBO). Great word.
• 65A: Nice weapon (ARME). Did this clue trick you? Or have you been hanging out at LACC long enough to know that if the clue starts with the word "Nice," you might just need to pronounce it like "niece" and think French?
• 2D: Fish also called a blue jack (COHO). With the C in place I tried CARP first.
• 7D: Some bass pieces (FILLETS). More fish! I was thinking more along the lines of Geddy Lee at first.
• 8D: Linear, for short (ONE-D). As in ONE-Dimensional.
• 13D: Cold drafts (BEERS). I stupidly entered GUSTS here at first, even though my brain was going "Are GUSTS necessarily cold? No. No, they're not."
• 25D: Rabid dog of Castle Rock (CUJO). Stephen King? I had to look it up to confirm, but yes, Stephen King.
• 48D: Common video game fighter (NINJA). They're coming, you know. (Video courtesy of Mrs. Rex Parker's awesome students.)

Crosswordese 101 Round-up:

• 16A: Native Nebraskan (OTOE).
• 30A: Historical Russian region (URAL).
• 31A: 1987 Costner role (NESS).

[Follow PuzzleGirl on Twitter.]

Everything Else — 1A: Org. distributing a "Close Guantánamo" handbook (ACLU); 10A: Stupefied (NUMB); 18A: Item used in Wright Brothers experiments (KITE); 19A: Advertises (TOUTS); 22A: How writers often work (ALONE); 24A: Honeysuckle shrubs (ELDERS); 25A: Algerian quarter (CASBAH); 28A: Dragging (TIRED); 33A: Climber's observation (VISTA); 44A: Encircle (GIRD); 45A: Suppressed (SAT ON); 49A: In (AT HOME); 52A: Rhino relative (TAPIR); 56A: Land rover (NOMAD); 60A: Sphere lead-in (ATMO-); 63A: Toon modeled after Clara Bow (BOOP); 64A: One-sided (UNBALANCED); 66A: Edit menu command (PASTE); 67A: Prank (DIDO); 1D: Credit Union holding: Abbr. (ACCT.); 3D: Tiki torch setting (LUAU); 4D: It's radioactive (UNSTABLE ISOTOPE); 5D: Sch. associated with the LDS Business College (BYU); 9D: Jet creator (GEYSER); 10D: "Seriously" ("NO KIDDING AROUND"); 11D: Functional (UTILE); 12D: Drive (MOTOR); 15D: Magnetic induction unit (TESLA); 21D: Pain relief brand (ALEVE); 23D: "This can't be!" ("OH NO!"); 26D: Make __ for it (A RUN); 27D: Interest (SAKE); 29D: Amazon.com ID (ISBN); 32D: Fair (EXPO); 34D: Prune (SNIP); 35D: You might see one on a woodpile (TARP); 40D: Abrasive sound (RASP); 43D: Lays away (ENTOMBS); 49D: Jordan's only port (AQABA); 50D: Personally train (TUTOR); 51D: Bleachers sign (HI MOM); 53D: Up (AT BAT); 55D: Moon goddess (LUNA); 57D: XC years from now (MMCI); 58D: Not up (ABED); 59D: Extinct pigeon relative (DODO); 62D: "__ Buttermilk Sky": 1946 song (OLE).

03.04 Fri

F R I D A Y
March 4, 2011
Matt Matera

Theme: Breakfast Puns — That's right, breakfast puns.

Theme answers:

• 20A: Halloween breakfast pastry? (CREEPY CRULLER).
• 33A: Lone breakfast pastry? (CRUMPET SOLO).
• 42A: Cherished breakfast pastry? (THE BUN I LOVE).
• 56A: Ones hooked on breakfast pastry? (THE SCONEHEADS).

Now this puzzle right here? This is what I'm talking about. I enjoyed this puzzle from start to finish. Part of that felt very personal to me — several entries brought to mind private jokes and nice or humorous memories — so I'll be interested to hear what you all think.

The puns are … puns. Nothing really notable there. They're not horrible and they're not fantastic (although, now that I think about it, "fantastic pun" might be an oxymoron). But the cluing is really, really good and the grid is full of sparkly entries like:

• 8A: Like some Disneyland passes (TWO-DAY).
• 11D: Gallantry (DERRING-DO).
• 35D: In one piece (UNSCATHED).
• 44D: Endangered great apes (BONOBOS).

Derring-do! How awesome is that?!

Oh, I also wanted to mention that I met Matt Matera at last year's awesome Lollapuzzoola tournament. The only problem is that I also met Matt Besse and I'm not sure which of them is which. So I asked our good friend Doug P. about it and it turns out he has the same problem. Our conversation went kinda like this.

Doug: He's a Ryan and Brian guy. I might have met him last year.
Me: Yeah, me too. I think I follow him on Twitter.
Doug: Red Sox cap, right?
Me: Yeah.
Doug: Wait, I think that's Matt Besse. Matt Matera is joon's friend, I'm almost positive.
Me: So Red Sox cap guy isn't Matera?
Doug: Well, he might be.

The problem was only compounded when I did a Google image search for Matt Matera and one of the images that popped up was … Matt Gaffney, a puzzle constructor extraordinaire who also works with Matt Jones. At that same moment, a message arrived in my inbox from the Cruciverb.com mailing list from … Matt Ginsberg. All these Matts around, of course, can only mean one thing: Big Ten Wrestling Championships this weekend! (HAha. Like you care.)

In conclusion, DERRING-DO!

Bullets:

• 1A: The word? (MUM). My first thought? GREASE.
• 15A: __ bene (NOTA). I had a little trouble here. It's the same trouble I always have, confusing "NOTA bene" with "nolo contendre." Two entirely different things, by the way.

• 16A: It may involve an exaggerated age (FAKE I.D.). This one was really hard for me because I've never really heard of FAKE I.D.s. Oh my gosh, I see they're used by underage kids to gain access to bars. Why, that's illegal and those kids must be awful. Glad I never did that. (Hi, Mom.)
• 39A: Igloos and yurts (ABODES). "Yurts" is fun to say.
• 60A: Type of sauce served with falafel (TAHINI). As if "falafel."
• 63A: Homework amount? (TON). Love this clue. Who hasn't said, "Oh my God, I have a TON of homework tonight"?
• 64A: Puck's king (OBERON). From Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.
• 65A: "Dulce et Decorum est" poet Wilfred __ (OWEN). That O was the last letter I entered into the grid. The poem's title? The author's name? No brain cells firing at all on this one.

• 5D: Michael's nemesis on "The Office" (TOBY). Ha! I haven't watched "The Office" in a while due to DVR issues. I'm still mad that we got rid of TiVo and the new DVR makes me so irritated that I can't get it to work right. Anyway. I had to think through a few characters — JIM? ANDY? — before I got to TOBY.
• 9D: Half a city (WALLA). WALLA WALLA was a theme entry in the first puzzle I ever created and submitted to Will Shortz. With that rejection, as PuzzleMom reminded me, I joined a very big club.
• 26D: Prelate's title: Abbr. (RT. REV.). See, if you're gonna have an abbreviation in the grid, it should be an awesome abbreviation like this one.

• 30D: Actors Rogen and Green (SETHS). Hi, Seth!
• 34D: Clinton Treasury secretary (RUBIN). I confidently entered REICH here. Was he a Treasury secretary too? Nope, he was Clinton's Secretary of Labor. But he is an economist, so I think I'm forgiven for the mistsake.
• 47D: Baseball star who reportedly said, "I think there's a sexiness in infield hits" (ICHIRO). Personally, I think the 6-4-3 double play is the sexiest play in baseball.
• 55D: Rachel Maddow's station (MSNBC). Speaking of sexy. Love her! Here's a great clip from a recent show of hers. It's not political at all, so it shouldn't be offensive to anyone.

Crosswordese 101 Round-up:

• 12D: River island (AIT).
• 36D: Award with a Sustained Achievement category (OBIE).

[Follow PuzzleGirl on Twitter.]

Everything Else — 4A: You might need to watch yours (STEP); 14A: Downed (ATE); 17A: With 19-Across, serious warnings (RED); 18A: Not much (A BIT); 19A: See 17-Across (ALERTS); 23A: 1938 "The War of the Worlds" broadcast, for one (HOAX); 24A: Keystone enforcer (KOP); 25A: Blazing (AFIRE); 28A: Go-aheads (ASSENTS); 32A: __'acte (ENTR); 37A: Garden product word (GRO); 38A: Attacks (RUNS AT); 41A: Sch. attendance notation (ABS.); 46A: End of a boast (VICI); 48A: Got for nothing (SPONGED); 49A: Make official (ENACT); 51A: Newspaper supply (INK); 52A: Islamic leader (IMAM); 62A: Gaucho's weapon (BOLA); 66A: Flow out (EBB); 67A: Henry VIII et al. (TUDORS); 68A: Hitch (SNAG); 69A: Wall St. monitor (SEC); 1D: Orderly movement (MARCH); 2D: Nirvana #1 album "In __" (UTERO); 3D: Scorned lover of Jason (MEDEA); 4D: Lose it (SNAP); 6D: Boarding pass generator (E-TICKET); 7D: Sponsors (PATRONS); 8D: Brand of nonstick cookware (T-FAL); 10D: Michael of "Caddyshack" (O'KEEFE); 13D: NFL stat (YDS.); 21D: Show-what-you-know chances (EXAMS); 22D: Machinating (UP TO); 27D: Unevenly worn (EROSE); 29D: Cross words (SPAT); 31D: Big gun or big cheese (SLANG); 33D: Desire and then some (CRAVE); 40D: "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini," for one (OLDIE); 43D: Broad (EPIC); 45D: x, at times (UNKNOWN); 50D: Caruso, for one (TENOR); 53D: A couple (MATES); 54D: Acrobat developer (ADOBE); 57D: Serious lapses (SINS); 58D: Zeno's home (ELEA); 59D: Dangle (HANG); 60D: Tater __ (TOT); 61D: __ Simbel, site of Ramses II temples (ABU).

03.03 Thu

T H U R S D A Y
March 3, 2011
Don Gagliardo

Theme: Anagram Crossing — Six pairs of anagrams "cross" in the grid.

Theme answers:

• 1A: Orates (SPOUTS).
• 5D: Anybody's guess (TOSS-UP).


• 18A: Sea cows (MANATEES).
• 10D: Arises (EMANATES).


• 28A: Noodles, say (PASTA).
• 24D: Spanish appetizers (TAPAS).


• 48A: Pole symbol (TOTEM).
• 35D: Sacred choral piece (MOTET).


• 61A: Orchard grower (PEAR TREE).
• 37D: Comeback (REPARTEE).


• 68A: Word with health or illness (MENTAL).
• 49D: It's beneath the crust (MANTLE).


• 36A: One of six in this puzzle (ANAGRAM CROSSING).

Hey look! It's another awesome theme idea! I have to say that I didn't really notice the theme while I was solving. Once I got the reveal answer, I knew there was something going on with anagrams (obviously), but I couldn't really see them until I went hunting for them after the grid was completely filled. I almost wish there had been circles on the letters where the anagrams crossed each other — that might have been enough of a hint. As it turns out, the crossing anagram pairs are placed in the grid symmetrically, which is pretty impressive. Unfortunately, the price for that is paid by the fill. Don't get me wrong, there are some super sparkly entries in this grid. Like AZARIA, SNIPER, ON CAMERA. Even NEBRASKA looks good to me today. But the short fill? Let's just say that there's a rumor going around that I had a better time making that awesome colorful graphic up there than I did solving this puzzle. Not sure if it's true. Might just be a rumor.

There's a running joke over at Rex's blog that the God of Crosswordese is named OOXTEPLERNON. Those 12 letters were actually placed in a puzzle grid all in one row: OOX, TEP, LER, and NON. Now that's some ugly fill right there is what that is. I can't even remember how LER was clued. I mean, come on. LER? Seriously? Well, this puzzle's NAB ABU ETA ORT row comes very close to OOXTEPLERNON status. The only thing holding it back is that NAB is not completely terrible.

Bullets:

• 16A: Astronomy measurements (AZIMUTHS). I had a vague, vague recollection of this word way in the back of my brain somewhere.

• 17A: Engrave (INCISE). One the other hand, these two words mean nothing to me when they're paired like this. Not saying there's anything wrong with this clue/answer, just that all I could think of was teeth.
• 19A: Brief needlework? (TATS). Short for "tattoos," which are created with needles. If you ever meet me, ask me to tell you PuzzleHusband's tattoo story. It involves some body language that I can't really get across effectively in writing, but it's pretty funny. [Edited to add: No really. In this case TATS really is short for "tattoos" and there are three ways you can tell. One, for the "making lace" definition of TATS to work here the clue would need to indicate that the answer will be a third-person verb (i.e., "he tats," "she tats"), but it doesn't. Second, did you see the question mark? A question mark at the end of a clue means there's something fishy going on. Typically, it means that you need to put aside your first idea of what the words in the clue mean. What's the first thing you think when you see the word "needlework"? Sewing, knitting, stuff like that. But the question mark is telling you to think of the word in a different way. Like ... the needles used to create tattoos. The question mark might also have been trying to get you to look at the word "brief" in a different way (like if there was a specific word for sewing underwear?), which brings me to the third thing. The word "brief" in the clue is indicating that the answer will be a short form of a longer word. There's nothing "brief" about TATS when it refers to making lace. That's the whole word. On the other hand, TATS is a short form of the word TATTOO. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is your lesson for the day.]
  
• 21A: Label for some Glenn Frey hits (MCA). I tried POP first.

• 57A: Babe and Baby (RUTHS). All I could think of here was Babe the Pig and then I'm all "But what the heck can 'Baby' be referring to?" (Again, I'm not telling you this to criticize the clue. I'm just giving you a glimpse of how my mind words when it's in solving mode.)
• 66A: Mount McKinley's home (ALASKA). I can't remember the last time I thought of this mountain as "Mt. McKinley." Not that I spend a lot of time thinking about this mountain (or mountains in general), but when I do it's always "Denali" to me.
• 4D: Platoon, for one (UNIT). Just can't get away from Charlie Sheen these days, can we?
• 20D: Deejay Casey (KASEM). "American Top 40": a staple of my childhood.

• 40D: Big 12 school soon to be in the Big Ten (NEBRASKA). Which will bring the total number of schools in the Big Ten to … 12. The Powers That Be have also decided that there will now be two division in the Big Ten and they will be called "Legends" (Iowa, Michigan, Michigan Stat, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern) and "Leaders" (Illinois, Indiana, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Wisconsin). The thing that always amazes me when I see stupid stuff like this is that, okay, I get that someone came up with the idea and thought it was good. But then somewhere, at some point, other people agreed with that person. First guy: "My thought is that we'll name the divisions in such a way that nobody will be able to remember which team is in which division. And if we make the division names sound really snotty and condescending, that will be even better!" Everyone else in the room: "Great idea! Let's go with it!"

Crosswordese 101 Round-up:

• 23A: Acting teacher Hagen (UTA).
• 35A: Mal de __ (MER).
• 42A: Some tech sch. grads (EE'S).
• 54A: Frat letter (ETA).
• 55A: Food scrap (ORT).
• 56A: Geneva-based workers' gp. (ILO).
• 22D: Dept. of Labor agency (OSHA).
• 33D: One-time Time critic James (AGEE).

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Everything Else — 7A: Hourly wage, e.g. (BASE RATE); 15A: Refuses to (CANNOT); 20A: Megan's "Will & Grace" role (KAREN); 22A: Physicist with a law (OHM); 25A: "It __ far, far better thing ...": Dickens (IS A); 26A: Wages (PAY); 27A: Get (SEE); 30A: The Simpsons, e.g. (TOONS); 32A: Wedding dance (HORA); 34A: Fabled mattress lump (PEA); 43A: Top ten item (HIT); 44A: Sign (OMEN); 45A: Pricey (STEEP); 50A: Wall St. exec's degree (MBA); 51A: Collar (NAB); 52A: "Aladdin" monkey (ABU); 59A: Gijón goose egg (NADA); 63A: An iamb's second half gets it (STRESS); 65A: Noteworthy (ESTEEMED); 67A: Relax (REST EASY); 1D: __-fi (SCI); 2D: Temple of the gods (PANTHEON); 3D: Being filmed (ON CAMERA); 6D: Chateau __ Michelle winery (STE.); 7D: The Tide (BAMA); 8D: Hank who voices many 30-Across (AZARIA); 9D: Cosecant reciprocals (SINES); 11D: Groove (RUT); 12D: At the original speed, in music (A TEMPO); 13D: Jail, in slang (THE CAN); 14D: Tests that are hard to guess on (ESSAYS); 29D: Speed: Pref. (TACHO-); 31D: Meeting time qualifier (OR SO); 38D: Solemn acts (RITES); 39D: Bold (IMMODEST); 41D: No-see-um, say (GNAT); 45D: Hard-to-see shooter (SNIPER); 46D: "Thy Neighborís Wife" author (TALESE); 47D: WWII torpedo launchers (E-BOATS); 48D: Some learners (TUTEES); 53D: Siam neighbor (BURMA); 58D: Actress Lamarr (HEDY); 60D: Sweater style named for Irish islands (ARAN); 62D: Like some mil. officers (RET.); 63D: Yosemite __ (SAM); 64D: ESPN reporter Paolantonio (SAL).

03.02 Wed

W E D N E S D A Y
March 2, 2011
Dan Naddor

Theme: Nine-letter, one-syllable words

Theme answers:

• 23A: *Poker holdings (STRAIGHTS).
• 31A: *Subdued (SQUELCHED).
• 38A: *Prepared to jog (STRETCHED).
• 45A: *Stained (SPLOTCHED).
• 11D: *Pocketed the cue ball (SCRATCHED).
• 30D: *Fortes (STRENGTHS).
• 17A: Feature of the answers to starred clues (NINE LETTERS).
• 55A: Feature of the answers to starred clues (ONE SYLLABLE).

Whoa. That's a lotta theme in that there grid. I can't say I'm super excited about this puzzle. The theme idea is pretty cute, but I have a couple issues with it. First, STRAIGHTS and STRENGTHS are kind of the odd men out here. Because they're both different than the rest of the theme answers, I wish they had been placed symmetrically in the grid. Which brings me to my second point. There is so much theme in this puzzle, that the fill is definitely compromised. The biggest offenders are the abbreviations. Look at that center section! CCS, SCH, QUE and USD. As if it's not bad enough to have all those abbreviations right next to each other, they're all crossing the hideous ACCUSAL.

There are a few things I like about this grid. For example a couple of the long downs are pretty cool: like WHO'S THERE and EAST-SIDER. The grid is fairly Scrabbly, or maybe it just looks that way because of all the Qs. No, we've got a K, a W, and a V lurking down in the southern hemisphere, so that counts. NOTCH, SKEIN, and POSSE are all colorful entries. I'd probably add MALLRAT to that list as well. Overall, though, I've just gotta believe that Dan would have created a much smoother grid if he had cut back on the theme density.

Crosswordese 101 Round-up:

• 34A: First N.L. 500 home run club member (OTT).
• 37A: "__ pales in Heaven the morning star": Lowell (ERE).
• 51A: Ship of Greek myth (ARGO).
• 57A: Morse unit (DAH).
• 5D: Sushi fish (EEL).
• 10D: One-third of ninety? (ENS).
• 18D: ER tests (ECG'S).
• 55D: John Lennon Museum founder (ONO).

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Everything Else — 1A: Sierra Nevada resort (TAHOE); 6A: Like some checking accounts (NO-FEE); 11A: Scand. land (SWE.); 14A: Observe Yom Kippur (ATONE); 15A: Neptune's realm (OCEAN); 16A: When repeated, a Latin dance (CHA); 19A: Children's author/illustrator Asquith (ROS); 20A: Icky stuff (GLOP); 21A: Common flashlight power source (C CELL); 22A: Endure (LAST); 25A: Actor Dillon et al. (MATTS); 26A: Hwys. (RDS.); 27A: Chinese discipline (TAI CHI); 28A: Cut's partner (PASTE); 34A: First N.L. 500 home run club member (OTT); 35A: Indictment (ACCUSAL); 37A: "__ pales in Heaven the morning star": Lowell (ERE); 40A: Less refined (RUDER); 42A: Degree requirements, at times (THESES); 43A: Convert to leather, as a hide (TAN); 44A: Minor cost component (CENTS); 51A: Ship of Greek myth (ARGO); 52A: European toast (SKOAL); 53A: Fit (HALE); 54A: Living in Fla., maybe (RET.); 57A: Morse unit (DAH); 58A: Racket (NOISE); 59A: More repulsive (VILER); 60A: Many IRA payees (SRS.); 61A: Landlord (OWNER); 62A: Really dumb (INANE); 1D: Zesty flavors (TANGS); 2D: Leaning (ATILT); 3D: __ society (HONOR); 4D: Cocktail preparation phrase (ONE PART); 5D: Sushi fish (EEL); 6D: Tally symbol (NOTCH); 7D: Large wedding band (OCTET); 8D: Strikes one as (FEELS); 9D: Viscount's superior (EARL); 12D: Obligatory joke response (WHO'S THERE); 13D: Park Avenue resident, e.g. (EAST-SIDER); 18D: ER tests (ECG'S); 22D: Secular (LAIC); 24D: Imagines (IDEATES); 25D: Young food court loiterer (MALLRAT); 27D: Afternoon service (TEA); 28D: Gift shop items on a rotating stand (POSTCARDS); 29D: Where to see a caboose (AT THE REAR); 31D: USC or NYU (SCH.); 32D: Prov. on James Bay (QUE.); 33D: Amer. currency (USD); 36D: IV units (CC'S); 39D: __ perpetua: Idaho's motto (ESTO); 41D: "__ My Heart": 1962 #1 R&B hit for Ray Charles (UNCHAIN); 43D: Going rate? (TOLL); 45D: Coil of yarn (SKEIN); 46D: Western chasers (POSSE); 47D: Ply (LAYER); 48D: "&ques;__ usted español?" (HABLA); 49D: Paula's "American Idol" replacement (ELLEN); 50D: Steel plow developer (DEERE); 52D: Winter forecast (SNOW); 55D: John Lennon Museum founder (ONO); 56D: VII x VIII (LVI).

03.01 Tue

T U E S D A Y
March 1, 2011
Donna S. Levin

Theme: Incognito — The first word of each theme answer is a synonym for "unidentified."

Theme answers:

• 20A: Cop's often-unreliable lead (ANONYMOUS TIP).
• 28A: Retailer's private label (NO-NAME BRAND).
• 50A: Facetious name for a school cafeteria staple (MYSTERY MEAT).
• 56A: "The Gong Show" regular with a paper bag on his head, with "the" (UNKNOWN COMIC).

Happy March, everybody. Seems like there's been a streak of puzzles that — despite their good points — didn't really sit well with me for one reason or another. Thank goodness Donna's here! This was a very smooth puzzle to me. The theme answers are all (every single one of them!) lively and they hang together well as a theme. There's some crosswordese and some fill that's kinda blah, but that's okay on Tuesday, especially if they're offset by sparkly entries like:

• 52A: Checkers demand (KING ME).
• 5D: West Coast ocean concern (TSUNAMI).
• 6D: Mingle (with) (HOBNOB).

All that with the added bonus of a grammar/punctuation lesson — 23A: Apostropheless possessive (ITS) — and I can consider this a solid puzzle all the way around.

Bullets:

• 10A: The man's partner, in a Shaw title (ARMS). The play is called "Arms and the Man." Personally, I've never heard of it. All I could think of was THE SEA. Okay, I admit it. My first thought was actually CHICO.
• 16A: "Trés __!" (BIEN). French!
• 17A: Screw-up (SNAFU). Seems like every time this shows up, someone has never heard of it. It stands for Situation Normal All Fouled Up. There is at least one other F-word that can be used in place of "Fouled."

• 42A: Martial arts-influenced workout (TAE BO). Yep, I bought the videotapes. Pretty sure they're stuffed back in a corner in the basement right now.
• 60A: March Madness org. (NCAA). March Madness refers, of course, to the annual college basketball championship tournaments. As Joon mentioned in the comments yesterday, the phrase "Midnight Madness" also has a connection to college basketball.
• 67A: Row of waiters (LINE). Did you picture a row of aloof-looking, bow-tied men, each with a cloth napkin draped over one forearm? I know I did.
• 68A: Dweebish (NERDY). I resemble that remark!
• 4D: Davenport, e.g. (SOFA). Because TOWN IN IOWA didn't fit.
• 9D: Jane Eyre, e.g. (HEROINE). Struggled mightily to put my finger on the word GOVERNESS, only to find it didn't fit.
• 22D: Reverse (UNDO). Do any of you remember a TV ad from a while back (I think it was for IBM) where a bunch of co-workers are huddled around a computer laughing because they're composing some kind of smart-ass email to their boss (or maybe a client)? The email ends up getting sent, even though that wasn't the intention, and they're all "Unsend! Unsend!" That's the catchphrase we use in the PuzzleHouse whenever we need a do-over.

• 35D: Performed in an aquacade (SWAM). I do not believe I've ever come across the word "aquacade" before, but it was pretty easy to piece together what the answer might be.
• 44D: Cyclone's most dangerous part (EYEWALL). I also don't believe I've ever heard of EYEWALL before. Then again, I've always thought tornados and cyclones were the same thing. (They're not!)
59D: "Moonstruck" Oscar winner (CHER). Oh good. An opportunity to post one of my favorite video clips.

Crosswordese 101 Round-up:

• 36A: Clerical robes (ALBS).
• 47A: RR stop (STA.).
• 70A: WWII carriers (LST'S).

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Everything Else — 1A: Rollicking good time (BLAST); 6A: "Pipe down!" ("HUSH!"); 14A: Western neckwear (BOLOS); 15A: Leer at (OGLE); 18A: Fuzzy image (BLUR); 19A: Jedi guru (YODA); 26A: Start of a Latin I conjugation (AMO); 27A: Snack for a gecko (INSECT); 32A: Milne hopper (ROO); 33A: Caroline Kennedy, to Maria Shriver (COUSIN); 34A: Three-layer snacks (OREOS); 37A: "The Bachelor" network (ABC); 38A: Laundry (WASH); 45A: Chewed like a beaver (GNAWED); 47A: RR stop (STA.); 54A: Glutton (PIG); 55A: Lic.-issuing bureau (DMV); 61A: Passed with flying colors (ACED); 62A: Up front (AHEAD); 66A: Former U.N. leader Waldheim (KURT); 69A: Evian et al. (SPAS); 71A: Swap (TRADE); 1D: Air gun pellets (BB'S); 2D: Chaney of horror (LON); 3D: Chicken-king link (ALA); 7D: Like an extremely unpleasant situation (UGLY); 8D: Inner city blight (SLUM); 10D: Deep fissure (ABYSS); 11D: Tear gas target (RIOTER); 12D: Sawbones (MEDICO); 13D: Shape up (SNAP TO); 21D: Harbinger (OMEN); 23D: Machu Picchu architect (INCA); 24D: Home Depot buy (TOOL); 25D: Cold shoulder (SNUB); 29D: Right hand: Abbr. (ASST.); 30D: Mechanical worker (ROBOT); 31D: Circumference part (ARC); 37D: "Washboard" muscles (ABS); 39D: Astounded (AWED); 40D: Fabric joint (SEAM); 41D: Rec room centerpiece (HD TV); 43D: 1-Down, e.g. (AMMO); 44D: Cyclone's most dangerous part (EYEWALL); 45D: Harsh (GRIM); 46D: NFLer who used to play in Yankee Stadium (N.Y. GIANT); 47D: Striped stinkers (SKUNKS); 48D: Costner/Russo golf flick (TIN CUP); 49D: Anatolian Peninsula capital (ANKARA); 51D: Some Horace poems (EPODES); 53D: Pesky fliers (GNATS); 57D: "JAG" spin-off (NCIS); 58D: Penny (CENT); 63D: Memorable time (ERA); 64D: Total (ADD); 65D: Color, in a way (DYE).