TUESDAY, May 18, 2010 — Timothy L. Meaker

Theme: Hippie Slogan, er, I mean, Counterculture Phrase — Starts of the theme answers are a familiar phrase from the 1960s.


Theme answers:

• 20A: Provide some room illumination (TURN ON THE LIGHT).
• 37A: TV promo exhortation (TUNE IN TONIGHT).
• 53A: Disappear from the radar, so to speak (DROP OUT OF SIGHT).
• 66A: Timothy who preached the message found in this puzzle's theme (LEARY)

Wikipedia notes that in his autobiography, Leary explained the phrase:

"Turn on" meant go within to activate your neural and genetic equipment. Become sensitive to the many and various levels of consciousness and the specific triggers that engage them. Drugs were one way to accomplish this end. "Tune in" meant interact harmoniously with the world around you - externalize, materialize, express your new internal perspectives. "Drop out" suggested an elective, selective, graceful process of detachment from involuntary or unconscious commitments. "Drop Out"meant self-reliance, a discovery of one's singularity, a commitment to mobility, choice, and change. Unhappily my explanations of this sequence of personal development were often misinterpreted to mean "Get stoned and abandon all constructive activity."

When it comes to recognizing this phrase, I assume there will be two camps: those on the bus and those off the bus. Me, I'm on the bus. Recognized the phrase right away and actually kind of like the idea. Not so thrilled with the execution though. "TUNE IN TONIGHT"? I guess I've heard that, but "Tune in next week," sounds more familiar. There also seems to be an awful lot of crosswordese in the grid. Highlights of the puzzle for me were NOT SURE (33A: On the fence), which I like for some reason I can't really put my finger on, and SANTAS (1D: December temps). I couldn't stop thinking weather and when the answer finally fell it was a major head-slap moment.

Misc.:

• 6A: Unwanted e-mail (SPAM). What? People don't want email that offers "Today you get 85% Cash-Back visible was It ago Iron"?*
• 16A: Dom Perignon producer, familiarly (MOËT). I can't believe I'm going to admit this, but I always get MOËT confused with MOAB.

• 17A: Grammy winner Jones (NORAH). How many other Grammy winning Joneses are there? Extra points for any whose first name is five letters. I'll start things off with Quincy.
• 41A: Bright spot on a lunar halo (MOON DOG). I've never heard of this. I've never even heard of any of the bands of that name or the Jamie Kittle, "a local celebrity in Northern Kentucky, famous for the catch phrase 'everybody thinks I'm a darn freshman,'" whose stage name is Moondog. (Seriously? "A local celebrity in Northern Kentucky" gets a Wikipedia mention? I guess it's possible to slip anything in there.)
• 58A: Kennedy half, e.g. (COIN). Is it common for a Kennedy half dollar to be referred to as a "Kennedy half"? Is it common for a Kennedy half dollar to be referred to at all?
• 62A: Jeweler Lalique (RENÉ). Now we have to know jewelers? Yeesh!

• 63A: More under the weather (ILLER). The only acceptable context for this word is rap music. Even if you don't think rap is really music, you must agree with me on this one.
• 3D: More than just fear (TERROR). For some reason, PuzzleSon has it in his head that he wants to see "Nightmare on Elm Street." I believe he is familiar with the concept of fear but not TERROR.
• 5D: Manhattan area above Houston Street (NOHO). NOrth of HOuston.
• 10D: Chihuahua gal pal (AMIGA). Chihuahua in this case is the Mexican state, not the dog.
• 21D: Quiet period at day care (NAP TIME). Unfortunately, at the PuzzleHouse, NAP TIME is rarely quiet enough for my taste. ::sigh::

Crosswordese 101: Every once in a while ARGO is clued as a cornstarch brand, but the vast majority of the the times it appears, you're going to see a clue like today's [64A: Golden Fleece ship]. Words you should look out for in clues for ARGO are vessel, craft, ship, Jason, fleece, and Iolcus. Also know that ARGO is a constellation. Wait for it …. In the shape of a ship.

*Actual subject line of an email in my spam folder right now.

Everything Else — 1A: Resolute about (SET ON); 10A: Church recess (APSE); 14A: Wind: Prefix (ANEMO-); 15A: Doily material (LACE); 18A: Gillette razor (ATRA); 19A: College in New Rochelle, N.Y. (IONA); 23A: In the past (AGO); 24A: Monogram of a '50s White House aspirant (AES); 25A: Speedy (RAPID); 27A: "Popcorn" shellfish (SHRIMP); 30A: Conditions (IFS); 32A: Anthem contraction (O'ER); 36A: Really long time (EONS); 40A: Decorative vases (URNS); 42A: Brit's rainwear (MAC); 43A: Hymnals may be found in one (PEW); 44A: Marked down (ON SALE); 48A: Emergency tire (SPARE); 50A: Lab greeting (ARF); 52A: Teachers' org. (NEA); 59A: Resting on (ATOP); 60A: Dote on (ADORE); 61A: Thoreau's Walden __ (POND); 65A: Went lickety-split (SPED); 2D: "Stop!" ("ENOUGH!"); 4D: Arabian Sea nation (OMAN); 6D: Pool table layer (SLATE); 7D: They may be beaten (PATHS); 8D: Farm unit (ACRE); 9D: Cafeteria offering (MEAL); 11D: Express disdain for (POOH POOH); 12D: Conscious (SENTIENT); 13D: Greek vowel (ETA); 22D: 1040-issuing org. (IRS); 26D: AMA members (DRS.); 28D: Holiday buildings? (INNS); 29D: Bartender on "The Simpsons" (MOE); 30D: Red meat nutrient (IRON); 31D: Keep away (FEND OFF); 34D: Winter blanket (SNOW); 35D: __-Aztecan languages (UTO); 36D: Bacon go-with (EGGS); 37D: Hidden way out, maybe (TRAP DOOR); 38D: Hardly sympathetic (UNCARING); 39D: Electrical particle (ION); 40D: Speaker's hesitations (UMS); 43D: Get-up-and-go (PEP); 45D: Zambia neighbor (ANGOLA); 46D: "PBS NewsHour" anchor Jim (LEHRER); 47D: Hash house, e.g. (EATERY); 49D: Sonata movement (RONDO); 50D: Make things right (ATONE); 51D: Blocked (off), as a crime scene (ROPED); 54D: Dory propellers (OARS); 55D: Sun Bowl Stadium coll. team (UTEP); 56D: Go to sea (SAIL); 57D: Goofing off (IDLE); 58D: 22-Down employee (CPA).