09.09 Fri

F R I D A Y
September 9, 2011
Bruce Sutphin

Theme: "Losers" — Familiar phrases have the letters RS removed (they "lose" RS, get it?) to create new wacky phrases.

Theme answers:

• 17A: Village with very little gardening equipment? (ONE-HOrsE TOWN).
• 27A: Entrance purchases for a conditioning program? (FIrsT-CLASS TICKETS).
• 44A: What Ruth forgot to bring to pool night? (CUrsE OF THE BAMBINO).
• 57A: Like calls between drudges? (PErsON-TO-PErsON).
• 66A: Failures (and in another way, a hint to 17-, 27-, 44- and 57-Across) (LOSERS).

Happy Friday, everyone! I sincerely hope it's not raining where you are. I feel like we haven't seen the sun in years and it's pretty depressing. Luckily, we have a little diversion today ….

I really enjoyed this theme. I like that it wasn't super simple to figure out each theme answer, but that it was possible with some brain work. If ONE-HOE TOWN wasn't the seed entry for this puzzle, I'll eat my hat. (Remember how we had BREAST and then BOOB in successive puzzles this week and I asked what was next? Well, this is what was next!)

I had two write-overs today. I tried ALUM where AUNT was supposed to go (11D: Reunion attendee) and SLS for SLA (25D: Radical '70s group). SLS is … something, right? Other than that, my problems were mostly brain lapses. For example, with the SQUA in place for [10D: Gripe], the only word I could think of was SQUALL and I knew that wasn't right. Couldn't get SQUAWK to appear for what seemed like forever. Also had trouble with MARCO (36A: Pool game call). That's an awesome clue. I didn't understand that we were talking about a swimming pool (and not billiards) until every single letter had been filled in through crosses. D'oh!

Sparkliest entry in today's puzzle? CUTIE PIE (39D: Honey). It's been used in the L.A. Times puzzle a few times, but the most recent appearance was more than three years ago, so I declare it fresh and sparkly.

Bullets:

• 24A: Jacket label letters (ISBN). Book jacket, that is.
• 42A: "__ it Art?": Kipling (BUT IS). Hey, even the ugly partial gets a fun clue today!
• 47A: Morgan Freeman won its 2011 Life Achievement Award: Abbr. (AFI). I'm gonna guess this stands for American Film Institute, but I don't feel like looking it up.

• 6D: Pistons' place (THE NBA). I used to pay a lot of attention to pro basketball back in the 80s, so the Pistons are definitely not on my list of favorite teams. Isiah Thomas, Bill Laimbeer, Coach Chuck Daly … ? Not much to like there.
• 31D: Nice compliment (TRES BIEN). Okay, I admit it. This clue tricked me. "Nice" in this case refers to the city of Nice. Which is in France. Where they speak French. (French!) Putting Nice at the beginning of the clue where it's automatically capitalized is a common trick and I was pretty sure I was at the point where I could spot it a mile away. But no.
• 33D: Happy Meals toy, e.g. (TIE-IN). Because CRAP wouldn't fit.

• 42D: Ones who've got your back, in Internet shorthand (BFF'S). Just yesterday, PuzzleDaughter said to me (try to imagine this in a 10-year-old girl bossy voice), "I don't get BFF's. I mean, BFF means Best Friends Forever. But BFF's? That's like saying Best Friends Forevers. That doesn't make sense." That's my girl.
• 50D: Food in a memorable "Seinfeld" episode (SOUP). The thing that cracks me up about the Soup Nazi is that the character was based on a real person and I had heard about the real guy before the character ever appeared on the show. PuzzleDad used to go to the soup place for lunch and he mentioned more than once how weird it was. He's like "Some days you get bread. Some days, you don't. Once in a while, I'll get back to my office and there's a banana in the bag. You just don't ever really know what you're going to get with this guy."
• 58D: Lascivious leader? (ELL). The word "lascivious" begins with the letter L, which would be spelled out as ELL (if anyone ever really spelled out letters).

Everything — 1A: Gung-ho response (I'M ON IT); 7A: Delay (LAG); 10A: Evans of country (SARA); 14A: Buff (POLISH); 15A: Farm female (EWE); 16A: Left (QUIT); 17A: Village with very little gardening equipment? (ONE-HOE TOWN); 19A: The NCAA's Runnin' Rebels (UNLV); 20A: Lab, for one (DOG); 21A: Reject (NIX); 22A: Sends (ELATES); 24A: Jacket label letters (ISBN); 26A: Get off the shoulder, say (TOW); 27A: Entrance purchases for a conditioning program? (FIT-CLASS TICKETS); 35A: Actor Milo (O'SHEA); 36A: Pool game call (MARCO); 37A: Tiny beef (NIT); 38A: Fly on a line (LURE); 39A: Gives credit where credit is due (CITES); 40A: On the safer side (ALEE); 41A: Rational ending? (-IZE); 42A: "__ it Art?": Kipling (BUT IS); 43A: 1955 UN joiner (SPAIN); 44A: What Ruth forgot to bring to pool night? (CUE OF THE BAMBINO); 47A: Morgan Freeman won its 2011 Life Achievement Award: Abbr. (AFI); 48A: Morning talker (IMUS); 49A: Fly over the equator? (TSE-TSE); 52A: Pleased cry (YES); 53A: Droid, e.g. (PDA); 56A: Slip through the cracks? (OOZE); 57A: Like calls between drudges? (PEON-TO-PEON); 61A: Run well (PURR); 62A: Unsound (ILL); 63A: Like Napoleon (EXILED); 64A: Relaxing locales (SPAS); 65A: The Hartford logo (ELK); 66A: Failures (and in another way, a hint to 17-, 27-, 44- and 57-Across) (LOSERS); 1D: Tune carrier (IPOD); 2D: One-track (MONO); 3D: Couturier Cassini (OLEG); 4D: Med. research agency (NIH); 5D: Bar opening? (ISO-); 6D: Pistons' place (THE NBA); 7D: Last non-priest to be named pope (LEO X); 8D: "Isn't that cute?" ("AWW"); 9D: It involves mapping (GENETICS); 10D: Gripe (SQUAWK); 11D: Reunion attendee (AUNT); 12D: Stir up (RILE); 13D: Off-rd. rides (ATV'S); 18D: Worker with light metal (TINSMITH); 23D: Bonkers (LOCO); 24D: Slush Puppie maker (ICEE); 25D: Radical '70s group (SLA); 27D: __ acid: vitamin B9 (FOLIC); 28D: Amigo on the road (ISUZU); 29D: Crowd starter? (THREE); 30D: "Socrate" composer (SATIE); 31D: Nice compliment (TRES BIEN); 32D: Zhou __ (EN-LAI); 33D: Happy Meals toy, e.g. (TIE-IN); 34D: Writer of short letters (STENO); 39D: Honey (CUTIE PIE); 40D: NYPD notices (APB'S); 42D: Ones who've got your back, in Internet shorthand (BFF'S); 43D: Future George W. Bush Presidential Library site (SMU); 45D: "Hondo" et al. (OATERS); 46D: Dutch brewery (AMSTEL); 49D: A-one (TOPS); 50D: Food in a memorable "Seinfeld" episode (SOUP); 51D: Pound of verse (EZRA); 52D: White partner (YOLK); 53D: "__ Eterno": 2004 sports documentary (PELE); 54D: Active sort (DOER); 55D: Addenda (ANDS); 58D: Lascivious leader? (ELL); 59D: Big name in kitchenware (OXO); 60D: Tecs (PIS).

07.15 Fri

F R I D A Y
July 15, 2011
Bruce Sutphin

Theme: Kilroy Was Here — Each theme answer is a familiar phrase with the letter string TAG inserted into it, creating a new wacky phrase, clued wackily.

Theme answers:

• 20A: Gnome held against his will? (GARDEN HOSTAGE).
• 27A: Meteorologist's view? (WEATHER VANTAGE).
• 43A: Team equipment manager's snafu? (JERSEY SHORTAGE).
• 51A: Stamps with nudes? (EROTIC POSTAGE).
• 66A: Some graffiti signatures (which were used to form this puzzle's four longest answers) (TAGS).

I believe this is Bruce's debut puzzle and I think he did a great job with it. I'm pretty sure I've met Bruce before and I have this vague idea that last year at ACPT I saw him a couple times and he was wearing a t-shirt that had something to do with coffee. Am I making that up? Anyway. The theme concept is simple and well-executed. I kinda wish the TAG hadn't been at the end of the word before an E on every single theme answer, but ya know what? It's hard for me to dwell too long on any nits I might have with this puzzle when I've got JERSEY SHORTAGE staring me in the face. That's pure gold there. Literally made me LOL. I also think GARDEN HOSTAGE is pretty good. The other two? Unfortunately, meh. But any boredom they cause is totally outweighed by JERSEY SHORTAGE which, I should note, also has an outstanding clue. That's just an all-around great entry is what I'm saying.

Par for the course on a Friday, there were several entries that I just flat-out didn't know:

• 15A: "Breaking Bad" actor __ Paul (AARON). Never heard of "Breaking Bad" or AARON Paul. I'm guessing this is something hip and current.
• 32A: Faris of "Scary Movie" films et al. (ANNAS). Oh look! Another beautiful actress I've never heard of. I think that's three this week.
• 3D: Arcturus, for one (RED GIANT). This was a complete mystery to me.
• 7D: Israeli ambassador to the U.S. Michael (OREN). Guess I'm not an expert on ambassadors. I don't think I'll lose any sleep over it.

Bullets:

• 14A: Head start? (IDEA). I'm not sure I fully understand this clue/answer pair.
• 35A: Pasty (WAXEN). I tried ASHEN first.

• 42A: Debonair neckwear (ASCOT). What's the guy's name on Scooby-Doo who wears the ascot? Freddy. I honestly can't even see the word ASCOT without immediately picturing Freddy. Wait, is that even an ASCOT he's wearing?
• 1D: Operation Neptune Spear org. (CIA). This is the name of the mission that concluded in May with Osama bin Laden's death. Like everyone else in the world, I was paying a lot of attention to the news that day, but for some reason this code name apparently got by me. I remember hearing some discussion about the code name "Geronimo" that was involved in the operation, but not the name of the operation itself. Maybe I don't pay quite as close attention as I think I do.
• 8D: First matchmaker? (NOAH). Cute clue!
• 10D: Part of e.g. (GRATIA). "E.g." stands for exempli GRATIA ("for example"). What's the most important thing to know about this particular abbreviation? That it's not interchangable with "i.e." They mean two totally different things. You heard it here first.

• 30D: Beauty antecedent? (AGE). As in the phrase "age before beauty." Another great clue.
• 37D: Eureka hrs. (PST). Eureka is a city in California that therefore observes Pacific Standard Time.
• 42D: Two-dimensional analogue of volume (AREA). Wow. I have no idea what the words in this clue mean.
• 53D: Whiten (PALE). Interesting. I was about to say that I didn't know PALE could be a verb, but somewhere waaay back in the cobwebs, it sounds familiar. What do you think?

Crosswordese 101 Round-up:

• 12D: Zenith (APOGEE).
• 22D: Grounded big birds? (SST'S).
• 41D: Piedmont wine region (ASTI).
• 54D: Comics dog (OTTO).

Everything Else — 1A: It's covered in silk (CORN); 5A: British bakery buy (SCONE); 10A: Mass measure (GRAM); 16A: Result of getting too far behind, briefly (REPO); 17A: Extends, with "to" (ADDS); 18A: Serious alarm (DREAD); 19A: Skip and jump lead-in (A HOP); 23A: Runner on snow (SKI); 25A: Drink in a yard (ALE); 26A: Math ratios (SINES); 33A: They may shrink if they aren't fed (EGOS); 34A: Visit (GO TO); 37A: Light touches (PATS); 41A: Unrivaled (A-ONE); 48A: "12 Angry Men" director (LUMET); 49A: "No thanks, I just __" (ATE); 50A: Stop up (DAM); 56A: Jackson 5 brother (TITO); 57A: Coffeehouse order (LATTE); 58A: Tony relative (EMMY); 61A: Doesn't waste (USES); 62A: Take in, maybe (ALTER); 63A: Short evening? (NITE); 64A: Benchmarks: Abbr. (STDS.); 65A: Lowly workers (PEONS); 2D: Curious (ODD); 4D: Galileo's patron (NASA); 5D: It might be Western or English (SADDLE); 6D: Professional pursuit (CAREER); 9D: Prefix with morph (ENDO-); 11D: Put back up (REHANG); 13D: Acts gloomily (MOPES); 21D: Sounds from stands (RAHS); 23D: Booty (SWAG); 24D: Game with 80 balls (KENO); 28D: "The __ of Steve": 2000 comedy (TAO); 29D: Bugs (VEXES); 31D: Reims rejection (NON); 35D: Tribulation (WOE); 36D: "__ takers?" (ANY); 38D: Dean's domain (ACADEMIA); 39D: Draped attire (TOGA); 40D: A snifter has a short one (STEM); 43D: Legal scholar (JURIST); 44D: Frustrated the director, perhaps (EMOTED); 45D: Second flip (RETOSS); 46D: Expedite (HASTEN); 47D: Furry frolickers (OTTERS); 48D: "__ go then, you and I": Eliot (LET US); 52D: Show support (CLAP); 55D: Mannerly man (GENT); 59D: Short session? (MTG.); 60D: Word said with a fist pump (YES).