06.30 Thu

T H U R S D A Y
June 30, 2011
Ed Sessa

Theme: Mickey Mouse Club — Theme answers are familiar phrases that begin with a letter. The letters spell out M-I-C-K-E-Y.

Theme answers:

• 20A: *13th in a literary series of 26 (M IS FOR MALICE).
• 29A: *Me.-to-Fla. route (I NINETY-FIVE).
• 35A: *Benjamin (C-NOTE).
• 39A: *Blue Light Specials store (KMART).
• 43A: *The Boss's backup (E STREET BAND).
• 53A: *All men have them (Y CHROMOSOMES).
• 52D: When spelled out, word that follows the beginnings of the starred answers in a memorable kids' show theme song (MOUSE).

Well a fine good morning to all of the 16 people who are likely reading this blog today. It was weird yesterday at my office — it was so eerily quiet I could have sworn the long weekend had already started. And if the traffic here at LACC is any indication, my office wasn't the only place. Y'all are in vacation mode! I can tell! Well here at LACC we never go on vacation! (Not exactly true, but it felt good to say.) So anyway let's talk about this puzzle.

Super ambitious theme today. Basically six theme answers across plus the reveal at 52D — that's quite a lot of theme. The fill suffers a little (I'm looking at you, southern Texas, with your RONEE / TOKED / SNOOTED collision), but overall this puzzle seemed to continue the trend of smooth grids we've seen this week.

Bullets:

• 10A: Net info sources (FAQS). Always a good place to look if you have a question. Like, for example, if you don't know why an entry is always highlighted in the grid at the top of my posts. It's right there in the FAQ!

• 25A: Diary of a sort (LOG). Can anyone think of the "diary"-type LOG without picturing Captain Kirk? I know I can't.
• 33A: Party invite inits. (BYO). Bring Your Own … chair. Or booze or whatever. Depends on what kind of party it is.
• 51A: Cooks quantity? (TOO MANY). Cute. As in the phrase "TOO MANY cooks spoil the lasagna." Or something.
• 61A: Blakley of "Nashville" (RONEE). No idea.
• 63A: "I Love Lucy" producer/writer Oppenheimer (JESS). Again with the absence of ideas.
• 64A: Tipped at the casino (TOKED). I'm not the inveterate gambler you might find in some people's families (*cough* mine *cough*), but I have spent a little time in the casino now and then and I have no idea what this means. Perhaps PuzzleMom will be by to enlighten us. Not that she's spent a lot of time in casinos or anything.
• 2D: Complain (REPINE). I don't believe I've ever heard this word in my life.

• 4D: Argonauts' island refuge (CORFU). This is another place I would point to as a victim of the ambitious theme, but I'm not sure that's fair. Is this legit and I'm just annoyed because I didn't know it? I hate when that happens.
• 5D: Kate's "Charlie's Angels" role (SABRINA). So I'm just scanning the down clues going, "'Potemkin mutiny city'? Not off the top of my head …. 'Argonauts' island refuge'? Nope …. 'Kate's "Charlie's Angels" role'? Easy! SABRINA!"
• 31D: Popularity (FAME).



• 38D: Decisive downfall (WATERLOO). John Wayne's hometown. (Yes, I know that's not true, so no need to write to me about it. It's a joke.)
• 41D: 1980s sitcom set in rural Vermont (NEWHART). The only thing I know about this show is "My brother Darryl and my other brother Darryl." And I'm not even sure I'm spelling Darryl right, not that it matters. Also, I believe as an inn proprietor, Bob NEWHART was able to use his famous "one-sided telephone conversation" schtick quite a bit.



• 42D: Acted snobbishly toward (SNOOTED). Ouch. Took me a while to get SNUBBED out of there.

Crosswordese 101 Round-up:

• 17A: Copycat (APER).
• 32A: Actress Gardner (AVA).
• 65A: Winged archer (EROS).
• 3D: Potemkin mutiny city (ODESSA).

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Everything Else — 1A: Nile reptile (CROC); 5A: Dance in Rio (SAMBA); 14A: Make over (REDO); 15A: Dwindling Alaskan tribe (ALEUT); 16A: It runs in Juárez (AGUA); 18A: Horn without keys (BUGLE); 19A: Place to brood (COOP); 23A: Glucose regulator (INSULIN); 24A: Winter phenomenon, commercially (SNO); 28A: Cultural org. since 1965 (NEA); 34A: "So be it!" ("AMEN!"); 38A: "__ to him who believes in nothing": Hugo (WOE); 40A: Bats (LOCO); 41A: "Platoon" setting, briefly (NAM); 42A: Author Grafton who wrote 20-Across (SUE); 46A: Basic resting spot (COT); 49A: "So that's it!" ("OHO!"); 50A: Where kronor are spent: Abbr. (SWE.); 55A: Bunker smoother (RAKE); 58A: Give __: inspire (A LIFT); 59A: Capable of (UP TO); 60A: Cell impulse transmitter (AXON); 62A: Put in stitches (SEWN); 1D: Fill snugly with (CRAM IN); 6D: Some booster club members (ALUMNI); 7D: Byte beginning (MEGA-); 8D: Dartboard area (BULLS-EYE); 9D: Diminished slowly (ATE INTO); 10D: Watch part (FACE); 11D: Back in time (AGO); 12D: Status __ (QUO); 13D: Deplete (SAP); 21D: Martini garnish (OLIVE); 22D: Demure (COY); 25D: Andean bean (LIMA); 26D: Done (OVER); 27D: Mannerly fellow (GENT); 30D: Nuclear radiation weapon, for short (N-BOMB); 32D: Comment end? (-ATOR); 35D: Mark's love (CLEO); 36D: Chips and dip, say (NOSH); 37D: Twice quadri- (OCTO-); 39D: Praise (KUDOS); 44D: PC key (ESC); 45D: Payment for cash? (ATM FEE); 46D: Boy scout, at times (CAMPER); 47D: Fight combo (ONE-TWO); 48D: Boxer Mike et al. (TYSONS); 53D: Desires (YENS); 54D: Pen call (OINK); 55D: British rule in India (RAJ); 56D: Bush whacker? (AXE); 57D: Haymaker consequences (KO'S).