Tue 08.01

T U E S D A Y
August 2, 2011
Patti Varol

Theme: Time After Time — Each half of each theme answer is also the first half of a word or phrase ending in "time."

Theme answers:

• 18A: *Delayed reaction (DOUBLE TAKE).
• 20A: *Radioactive decay measure (HALF LIFE).
• 44A: *Military hobbyist's pastime (WAR GAME).
• 58A: *Prom time, to prom-goers (BIG NIGHT).
• 60A: *Modern (PRESENT-DAY).
• 37A: Repeatedly ... and a hint to the answers to starred clues (TIME AFTER TIME).

I really enjoyed this theme. If you're gonna do a word-before or word-after theme, at least jazz it up a little and use both parts of the theme answers, right? All the resulting "time" phrases are solid. The weakest in the bunch is TAKE TIME, but it's not really bad, and DOUBLE TAKE is an awesome entry. Apart from the theme, the fill is very smooth. There aren't any particularly long entries, which is where I look when I'm trying to find some sparkle, but there are some fun shorter entries like BAD HOP, NO GOOD, and BJORK (1D: Tough play for Derek Jeter / 49D: Call after a missed field goal / 33A: Reykjavik-born one-named singer). I always like to say the word BJORK as if it's a cartoon sound effect, but maybe that's just me.

Bullets:

• 42A: Beret perch (TÊTE). French!
• 52A: "Little Women" sister (AMY); 39D: "Little Women" sister (MEG). Love this pair. The other two sisters are JO and BETH.
• 53A: Alimentary route (CANAL). M-W.com tell me the "alimentary canal" is "the tubular passage that extends from mouth to anus and functions in digestion and absorption of food and elimination of residual waste." Ew.
• 4D: Put the kibosh on (STIFLE). Is it possible to see this word without thinking of Archie Bunker?
• 5D: Salon foot treatment, briefly (PEDI). I'll be getting one of these after work today.
• 8D: Diamond org. (MLB); 37D: Nine of diamonds? (TEAM). Two "diamond" clues today, both referring to baseball. MLB = Major League Baseball, and a baseball TEAM consists of nine players. Well, nine positions, with more players in the dugout. But you get the idea.

• 9D: Stout maker (BREWER). This could have been clued in reference to baseball too.
• 10D: Bat mitzvah, e.g. (RITE). PuzzleDaughter asked me the other day when we were going to have her bat mitzvah. Liiitle problem ….
• 11D: "Come __ My House": Rosemary Clooney hit (ON-A). I've never heard this song, so I went to YouTube to find it. You all should definitely go listen to Rosemary Clooney sing it, but I think you'll all understand that when I found a version of the song sung by Eartha Kitt in Japanese — well, I had my video clip for the day.

Crosswordese 101 Round-up:

• 15A: Airline with blue-striped jets (EL AL).
• 30D: Double-platinum Steely Dan album (AJA).
• 40D: Mythical big bird (ROC).
• 57D: Grounded fleet: Abbr. (SST'S).
• 62D: Actor Wallach (ELI).

Everything — 1A: Programmer's banes (BUGS); 5A: Hollywood tree (PALM); 9A: Soup base (BROTH); 14A: Subj. to bone up on? (ANAT.); 15A: Airline with blue-striped jets (EL AL); 16A: Washer cycle (RINSE); 17A: Poor boy seller (DELI); 18A: *Delayed reaction (DOUBLE TAKE); 20A: *Radioactive decay measure (HALF LIFE); 22A: Baa nana? (EWE); 23A: "__ Mio": classic Italian song (O SOLE); 24A: Treasure-__ (TROVE); 26A: Question of identity (WHO); 29A: Pre-euro Spanish coin (PESETA); 31A: *Aviation display (AIR SHOW); 33A: Reykjavik-born one-named singer (BJORK); 36A: Iron-rich green veggie (KALE); 37A: Repeatedly ... and a hint to the answers to starred clues (TIME AFTER TIME); 42A: Beret perch (TÊTE); 43A: Choir part (TENOR); 44A: *Military hobbyist's pastime (WAR GAME); 47A: It makes Tom frisky (CATNIP); 52A: "Little Women" sister (AMY); 53A: Alimentary route (CANAL); 56A: "Seinfeld" specialty (IRONY); 57A: __-fi (SCI); 58A: *Prom time, to prom-goers (BIG NIGHT); 60A: *Modern (PRESENT-DAY); 64A: Fireworks reaction (OOOH); 65A: Knocks for a loop (JOLTS); 66A: 1804 duelist (BURR); 67A: "__ arigato": Japanese "thank you very much" (DOMO); 68A: Provolone alternative (SWISS); 69A: Part of a.k.a. (ALSO); 70A: Paradise (EDEN); 1D: Tough play for Derek Jeter (BAD HOP); 2D: The heebie-jeebies (UNEASE); 3D: Winemakers Ernest and Julio (GALLOS); 4D: Put the kibosh on (STIFLE); 5D: Salon foot treatment, briefly (PEDI); 6D: High, as a kite (ALOFT); 7D: "Today" co-host (LAUER); 8D: Diamond org. (MLB); 9D: Stout maker (BREWER); 10D: Bat mitzvah, e.g. (RITE); 11D: "Come __ My House": Rosemary Clooney hit (ON A); 12D: "Have you no shame?" (TSK); 13D: Laugh syllable (HEE); 19D: First name in jeans (LEVI); 21D: Leave alone (LET BE); 25D: Like bourbon barrels (OAKEN); 26D: "Kapow!" cousin (WHAM); 27D: Links target (HOLE); 28D: Run a tab, say (OWE); 30D: Double-platinum Steely Dan album (AJA); 32D: Deal with moguls? (SKI); 34D: Quite a lot (OFTEN); 35D: 66, notably: Abbr. (RTE.); 37D: Nine of diamonds? (TEAM); 38D: "Just doing my job" ("I TRY"); 39D: "Little Women" sister (MEG); 40D: Mythical big bird (ROC); 41D: Get fit (TRAIN); 42D: "Up, up and away" carrier (TWA); 45D: The "A" in RAM (ACCESS); 46D: Principal (MAIN); 48D: Vacuum tube type (TRIODE); 49D: Call after a missed field goal (NO GOOD); 50D: Like some health care (IN-HOME); 51D: Slithering squeezer (PYTHON); 54D: Kareem __-Jabbar (ABDUL); 55D: Perjurers (LIARS); 57D: Grounded fleet: Abbr. (SST'S); 59D: Pita sandwich (GYRO); 60D: Jammies (PJ'S); 61D: Obey the coxswain (ROW); 62D: Actor Wallach (ELI); 63D: Sched. question mark (TBA).