10.06 Thu

T H U R S D A Y
October 6, 2011
Peter A. Collins

Theme: Surprise Elements — Elements hidden inside of theme answers.

Theme Entries:

• 18A: Health enhancer, so it's said (APPLE A DAY).
• 20A: It "is no problem. You just have to live long enough": Groucho Marx (GETTING OLDER).
• 51A: "A Moon for the Misbegotten" playwright (EUGENE O'NEILL).
• 56A: Longshoremen's aids (CARGO NETS).
• 37A: Unexpected twist (and a hint to what's hidden inside 18-, 20-, 51-, and 56-Across) (SURPRISE ELEMENT).

Hey, puzzle fans. Doug here, filling in on a Thursday. PuzzleGirl is taking a well-deserved day off. Well, a day off from the blog. She's still got to be at work for eight hours. And then she'll come home and handle a myriad of household and PuzzleKid-related chores. What a slacker.

Peter A. Collins brings us a scientific theme today. I hope you were able to uncover all the elements. Two metals (lead & gold) on top and two nobles gases (neon & argon) on the bottom. I don't think there's any significance to those pairings, but I could be missing something. Mr. Collins is fond of putting easter eggs into his puzzles. Maybe he's got the chemical formula for Clamato running diagonally through the grid.

I appreciate the fact that every word in each theme entry is part of a hidden element. Hiding TIN in SET IN STONE wouldn't be as cool, because STONE doesn't contribute to the hidden word.

Before we get to the bullets, I want to give a huge shout-out to fellow cruciverbalist Joon Pahk. Joon won his third Jeopardy! match on Wednesday, and it was a nail-biter. Be sure to tune in Thursday. Joon rocks!

Bullets:

• 6A: Slip a Mickey (DRUG). A Mickey Finn is an alcoholic drink laced with a drug that'll knock you unconscious. Wikipedia tells me that it's likely named for a notorious Chicago bartender, Michael "Mickey" Finn, who was accused of using knockout drops to incapacitate and rob some of his customers.
• 22A: Pickup facilitator (LINE). At a singles bar. For the record, "Wanna see this crossword I made?" has proven to be a horrible pickup line.
• 60A: Net reading (BLOG). I typed EMAG here first, and I was happy it was wrong, because BLOG is a much better answer. Mere seconds later...EMAG appeared at 1-Down. With the same clue! The life of a crossword blogger is never boring. 

• 2A: "Writing on the wall" word (MENE). The phrase "the writing on the wall" originates in the book of Daniel. A disembodied hand appeared and wrote on the palace wall: "Mene, Mene, Tekel u-Pharsin," foretelling the demise of the Babylonian Empire. Hmmm, I always thought it was ""Klaatu, barada, nikto."
• 3D: Michigan's Cereal City (BATTLE CREEK). Cool entry. That's where Kellogg's is headquartered. Do you think the whole city smells like Pop-Tarts?
• 44D: French onion soup topping (CHEESE). Remember when they changed the name to "Freedom onion soup"? And forced chefs to make it with All-American American cheese slices.
• 52D: Gov't. train wreck investigators (NTSB). National Transportation Safety Board. Yep, nothing funny to say about that.

• 56D: "CSI: NY" airer (CBS). You know, I've never seen a single episode of any of the various CSI incarnations. But I have seen a lot of episodes of "Bewitched." (I had to figure out some way to use this Elizabeth Montgomery picture again.)

I'm sure you'll all be happy to know that PuzzleGirl will be back tomorrow. Have a good one.

Crosswordese 101 Round-up:

• 34A: 1965 NCAA tennis champ (ASHE).
• 47A: Bit of code (DAH).
• 61A: "Tiger in your tank" company (ESSO).
• 10D: Pre-Communism leader (CZAR).
• 19D: Slippery swimmer (EEL).
• 39D: Dawn goddess (EOS).

Everything - 1A: Smoldering bit (EMBER); 6A: Slip a Mickey (DRUG); 10A: It may have all the answers (CRIB); 14A: Stiller's partner (MEARA); 15A: High rollers' destination (RENO); 16A: Half of 10? (ZERO); 17A: Speed skater Apolo __ Ohno (ANTON); 18A: Health enhancer, so it's said (APPLE A DAY); 20A: It "is no problem. You just have to live long enough": Groucho Marx (GETTING OLDER); 22A: Pickup facilitator (LINE); 23A: "Friendly skies" co. (UAL); 24A: __ center (REC); 27A: PC time meas. (MSEC); 29A: Performed, in a way (SANG); 32A: Band that performed "Whip It" (DEVO); 33A: Bars in stores (UPC); 34A: 1965 NCAA tennis champ (ASHE); 35A: Aaron's team for 21 seasons (BRAVES); 37A: Unexpected twist (and a hint to what's hidden inside 18-, 20-, 51- and 56-Across) (SURPRISE ELEMENT); 40A: Make (CREATE); 41A: Gloom mate (DOOM); 42A: Rural stretch (LEA); 43A: "... two fives for __?" (A TEN); 44A: Skin malady, perhaps (CYST); 45A: What crews use (OARS); 46A: Expression of disappointment (TSK); 47A: Bit of code (DAH); 49A: Hair care purchase (TINT); 51A: "A Moon for the Misbegotten" playwright (EUGENE O'NEILL); 56A: Longshoremen's aids (CARGO NETS); 59A: Baggy (LOOSE); 60A: Net reading (BLOG); 61A: "Tiger in your tank" company (ESSO); 62A: Ban's predecessor at the U.N. (ANNAN); 63A: Bastes, e.g. (SEWS); 64A: Attic constructions (WEBS); 65A: Bridge seats (WESTS); 1D: Net reading (E-MAG); 2D: "Writing on the wall" word (MENE); 3D: Michigan's Cereal City (BATTLE CREEK); 4D: Steamy (EROTIC); 5D: Arrested (RAN IN); 6D: Bore (DRAG); 7D: Bank takeback, briefly (REPO); 8D: Deprive of juice? (UNPLUG); 9D: Israel's Meir (GOLDA); 10D: Pre-Communism leader (CZAR); 11D: Thing to stop on (RED); 12D: Savings for later yrs. (IRA); 13D: When repeated with "oh" in between, "Wow!" (BOY); 19D: Slippery swimmer (EEL); 21D: Mythical beast, to locals (NESSIE); 24D: Epiphanies (REVELATIONS); 25D: Score-tying shot (EVENER); 26D: Olympics broadcaster Bob (COSTAS); 27D: Mideast capital (MUSCAT); 28D: Last lap efforts (SPURTS); 30D: Spa sounds (AHS); 31D: Indigent (NEEDY); 32D: Lake creator (DAM); 34D: Interior decorator's concern (ART); 35D: Juiced (BLOTTO); 36D: Sleep acronym (REM); 38D: Cooking utensil (PAN); 39D: Dawn goddess (EOS); 44D: French onion soup topping (CHEESE); 45D: Numbers after nine, often (ONE ONE); 47D: Sam & Dave, e.g. (DUO); 48D: Nixon's first veep (AGNEW); 50D: Union acquisition? (INLAW); 51D: Vandalizes, in a way (EGGS); 52D: Gov't. train wreck investigators (NTSB); 53D: Those, to Pedro (ESOS); 54D: Future atty.'s hurdle (LSAT); 55D: Eye part (LENS); 56D: "CSI: NY" airer (CBS); 57D: Microbrewery buy (ALE); 58D: Altercation (ROW).

07.04 Mon

M O N D A Y
July 4, 2011
Peter A. Collins

Theme: Independence Day — Theme answers are related to Independence Day.

Theme answers:

• 39A: Chief author (who died 7/4/1826) of 5- and 9-Down (THOMAS JEFFERSON).
• 5D/9D: Document signed 7/4/1776 (THE DECLARATION / OF INDEPENDENCE).
• 7D/51D: Chief congressional advocate (who died 7/4/1826) of 5- and 9-Down (JOHN / ADAMS).

Okay, this is funny. I first read the clues for THOMAS JEFFERSON and JOHN ADAMS as "The [blah blah blah] who died of 5- and 9-Down." Like THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE was some kind of disease or something. Took me a few minutes to figure that out. HAha! So this is a fine puzzle and obviously timely. But you know what I'm going to do today? I'm going to take the day off. I can do that, right? (The cool thing is that even though I just asked that question, I can't actually hear your answer!) I think it's okay for me to do that today so I'm going to. You all go ahead and chat it up in the comments and I'll see you back here tomorrow.

Crosswordese 101 Round-up:

• 20A: UFO pilots, in theory (ET'S).
• 34A: Bruin Bobby who wore #4 (ORR).
• 53A: Video game pioneer (ATARI).
• 66A: Moray fisherman (EELER).
• 32D: 1944 battle city (ST.-LÔ).

Everything Else — 1A: Racecourse setting for a "My Fair Lady" scene (ASCOT); 6A: IHOP beverages (OJ'S); 9A: Unseats (OUSTS); 14A: Coach Bill whose 49ers won three Super Bowls (WALSH); 15A: Highchair user (TOT); 16A: Camera setting (F STOP); 17A: Fill with joy (ELATE); 18A: "__ will be done ...": Lord's Prayer (THY); 19A: Prefix with -clast (ICONO); 20A: UFO pilots, in theory (ET'S); 21A: Speak dully and endlessly (DRONE ON); 24A: Actor Beatty (NED); 25A: Fate (KISMET); 27A: Stick (to) (ADHERE); 29A: Sprinted (RACED); 31A: Starting squad (A TEAM); 32A: Dote on (SPOIL); 34A: Bruin Bobby who wore #4 (ORR); 36A: Chopin's instrument (PIANO); 42A: NASA vehicle (LEM); 43A: Cheers for (ROOTS ON); 44A: Like Robitussin: Abbr. (OTC); 45A: GM navigation system (ONSTAR); 47A: Danish birthplace of Hans Christian Andersen (ODENSE); 49A: Drew, as a magnet (ATTRACTED); 53A: Video game pioneer (ATARI); 56A: Org. for drillers? (ADA); 57A: Innocent ones (NAIFS); 61A: "Bedtime for __": Reagan film (BONZO); 62A: Used a chair (SAT); 63A: Nav. officers (CMDRS.); 64A: Sir Arthur __ Doyle (CONAN); 65A: HBO alternative (TMC); 66A: Moray fisherman (EELER); 67A: Ollie's partner (STAN); 68A: Bat wood (ASH); 69A: Matches, as a bet (SEES); 1D: See 38-Down (A WEEK); 2D: 1972 U.S./Soviet missile agreement (SALT I); 3D: Pupils' places (CLASSROOMS); 4D: East, to Ernst (OST); 6D: Director Preminger (OTTO); 8D: Eye malady (STYE); 10D: Pac-10 sch. (USC); 11D: Worker with rocks (STONE MASON); 12D: Copier filler (TONER); 13D: Fine china brand (SPODE); 22D: GPS suggestion (RTE.); 23D: Feedbag grain (OAT); 26D: Injure badly (MAIM); 28D: What can't be parted after it's departed? (HAIR); 30D: School where belts are earned (DOJO); 31D: Sounds from pounds (ARFS); 32D: 1944 battle city (ST.-LÔ); 33D: Withdrawn diet-drug combo Fen-__ (PHEN); 35D: Like a gen. who no longer has men (RET.); 37D: Have-__: the needy (NOTS); 38D: With 1-Down, every seven days (ONCE); 40D: Put mail in boxes, say (SORT); 41D: Third of a yard (FOOT); 46D: "__ of the Apes" (TARZAN); 48D: Mingo portrayer on "Daniel Boone" (ED AMES); 50D: Certain Jamaican believer (RASTA); 52D: Hidden problem (CATCH); 53D: Preschool basics (ABC'S); 54D: Honk (TOOT); 55D: Kournikova of tennis (ANNA); 58D: Not doing anything (IDLE); 59D: Gratis (FREE); 60D: Lith. and Ukr., once (SSR'S).

06.18 Sat

S A T U R D A Y
June 18, 2011
Peter A. Collins

Theme: None

Another tough puzzle. I might just get used to this! This one actually felt like a real Saturday to me. I scanned through the across clues and it didn't look like I was going to get anything. But I entered a few short answers here and there — some more tentatively than others — and it all came together in the end.

This puzzle has some fantastic long entries. My favorites are NUMBERS GUY, CHEAP SEATS and, of course, BLACK MAGIC WOMAN (5A: Bean counter / 29A: They're not near the action / 17A: Top 10 single on the 1970 album "Abraxas").

NUMBERS GUY especially made me laugh because PuzzleSon was just explaining to me tonight that he's a "Donut Guy." Apparently, that means he's not interested in pie. Whatever.

Missteps for me today included:

• 20A: Tub contents (BATH). I tried OLEO.
• 21A: Depend (REST). RELY seems like a reasonable guess.

• 27A: Wane (SAG). Wanted EBB here.
• 12D: Letter on a dreidel (GIMEL). Tried the only Hebrew letter I know: ALEPH.
• 48D: John Denver album with an eagle's silhouette on the cover (AERIE). I included this entry in today's Crosswordese 101 list, but the clue on this one is pure evil. Even knowing AERIE as crosswordese didn't help me today. Please tell me I'm not the only one who tried ANNIE first.
• 50D: Cashier's counter bowlful (MINTS). My first thought was CENTS.

There wasn't really too much that I flat-out didn't know. The R at the cross of UMBRA (1D: Sunspot center) and RAREE (19A: Old-style street show) was my last entry. I'm pretty sure I've never seen UMBRA before. RAREE was somewhere in the cobwebs, but there's no way I could have defined it for you. Other than that, the only complete mystery was [18D: KEYE Luke of Charlie Chan films]. To me, then, this was a pretty accessible late-week puzzle.

Bullets:

• 28A: 1992 gold medal-winning Dream Team coach Chuck (DALY). This one was so frustrating for me. I could picture the guy. He's actually, like, my least favorite basketball coach of all time, so I knew immediately who he was, I just couldn't come up with his name. Oh, and I was guessing that SOLAR HALO (2D: Phenomenon caused by ice crystals between the Earth and sun) was [something]-HOLE, so that O wasn't helping me out at all.
• 36A: Six-pack alternative? (BEER GUT). That's pretty cute. The six-pack in this clue refers to six-pack abs.
• 44A: Takes it slow (LOLLS). Remember how I was looking for this word yesterday?
• 5D: Camus, for one (NOM). French!
• 7D: Kid-lit Judy Moody series author McDonald (MEGAN). Pretty sure there's a Judy Moody movie in my future.

Crosswordese 101 Round-up:

• 41A: Picker-upper's concern: Abbr. (ETA).
• 14D: "Fiddler on the Roof" matchmaker (YENTE).
• 45D: Hops driers (OASTS).
• 48D: John Denver album with an eagle's silhouette on the cover (AERIE).

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Everything Else — 1A: Old Eurasian letters (USSR); 15A: Home of H. Rousseau's "The Sleeping Gypsy" (MOMA); 16A: How travelers' bags are screened (ONE AT A TIME).

22A: Affected (ARTSY); 23A: A, B or C, perhaps: Abbr. (ANS.); 24A: Like an alias (FALSE); 25A: Writ word (HABEAS); 35A: Some six-pack contents (ALE); 37A: It's best if it's well-seasoned (WOK); 38A: Party stipulation (NO CHILDREN); 40A: Gentle way to go (EASY); 42A: Shuts out, in slang (SKUNKS); 47A: Eastern way (TAO); 49A: '70s toothpaste with "green sparkles" (GLEEM); 51A: Call, in a way (HAIL); 52A: Pot user (CHEF); 53A: Language that gives us "shampoo" (HINDI); 54A: Didn't just go (ASKED PERMISSION); 57A: Very loud (STENTORIAN); 58A: Wood fastener (T-NUT); 59A: Certain tax determinant (ASSESSMENT); 60A: They may be first class: Abbr. (SGTS.); 3D: One making cracks (SMART ALEC); 4D: Happens quickly (RACES BY); 6D: Brazen (UNABASHED); 8D: Entices (BAITS); 9D: Permanently mark (ETCH); 10D: Word with deal or nerves (RAW); 11D: Possible reason for folding (STORAGE); 13D: Sch. with a Lowell campus (U. MASS.); 24D: Ritual abstinence (FAST); 26D: Rapid Northeast train (ACELA); 27D: Moxie (SPUNK); 28D: Castellaneta who voices Homer Simpson (DAN); 30D: Transpose digits, say (ERR); 31D: Golden, Silver, Bronze and Iron, to Ovid (AGES OF MAN); 32D: One may be rude (AWAKENING); 33D: Ejected (TOSSED OUT); 34D: Diving milieu (SKY); 36D: Smithereens (BITS); 39D: Athens native (HELLENE); 40D: Volunteers (ENLISTS); 43D: Disgusted chorus (UGHS); 44D: High capital (LHASA); 46D: Fancies (LIKES); 47D: 100,000 BTU (THERM); 52D: Naval noncoms (CPO'S); 55D: AA issue (DT'S); 56D: QB's miscue (INT.).