TUESDAY, July 27, 2010Harvey Estes

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Theme: Cover up! — Each theme answer has an item of clothing hidden at its "outer" edge.


Theme answers:

• 17A: Emergency exit with a ladder (FIRE ESCAPE).
• 60A: Robotic solar system explorer (SPACE PROBE).
• 10D: Pioneer's wagon (CONESTOGA).
• 32D: Gibbon (LESSER APE).
• 38A / 24A: Category of garments fittingly found in the circled letters (OUTER / CLOTHES).

I've got a pretty big problem with this theme. Well, not the theme itself necessarily, but the reveal. OUTER CLOTHES? That's not a thing. It's just not. So I'm thinking it's just a terrible way of saying outerwear. But then why does ROBE fit in the category? A ROBE is sleepwear. So does OUTER CLOTHES just mean an article of clothing that's worn over other clothing? But then what about TOGA? It is not my impression that togas were worn as outerwear. So a big WTF on the theme reveal. I'm also not crazy about the inconsistency of the theme. In three of the theme answers, the article of clothing is four letters long and all four letters appear in one word. Then SERAPE comes along with its six letters breaking over two words. That SERAPE. Always showing off.

Favorite words in the grid today: LAGOON, IGUANAS, and NEPAL (32A: Atoll enclosure / 57A: Spiny lizards / 8D: Tibet neighbor). Oh, and CONESTOGA of course. HAha. The first time I Ever saw this word was in a puzzle at last year's Lollapuzzoola. The crosses were also difficult for me so I had no idea what I was doing. I nailed it today though. Yay me. (By the way, it's not too late to sign up for Lollapuzzoola 3. I guarantee it will be a blast. You should really come.)

Everything else seems pretty straightforward today. Only a couple things jumped out at me:

• 62A: Kid's summer haven (CAMP). Just sent the PuzzleKids off to an overnight camp-out. I think it's more a haven for me than it is for them!
• 11D: Challenging words (I DARE YOU). I do enjoy seeing these types of phrases in my grid.
• 46D: Spread publicly, with "about" (NOISED). I'm not sure I've ever heard this expression.
• 61D: Wall St. group (ASE). I assume this means American Stock Exchange. And I'm so confident of that assumption that I'm not even going to look it up.

Crosswordese 101: There is a jazz singer named Anita O'DAY. That's pretty much all you need to know about her for crossword purposes. That she exists. And that that's her name.

Other crosswordese in the puzzle that we've already covered:

• 1A: "A Death in the Family" author James (AGEE).
• 59A: Wrist-to-elbow bone (ULNA).
• 4D: Fencing blades (ÉPÉES).
• 5D: Recess at St. Peter's (APSE).
• 7D: Turkish title (AGA).

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Everything Else — 5A: Name on a fridge (AMANA); 10A: Quote as a reference (CITE); 14A: What flags do in the wind (FLAP); 15A: Beeper (PAGER); 16A: Jazzy Anita (O'DAY); 19A: Luggage tag datum (NAME); 20A: Building additions (ANNEXES); 21A: Steamed up (ANGERED); 23A: Caesar's "that is" (ID EST); 24A: Contract provision (CLAUSE); 25A: "Way cool!" ("RAD!"); 26A: Train track (RAIL); 29A: Woodland deities (SATYRS); 34A: Demi of "G.I. Jane" (MOORE); 35A: Frosty's smoke (PIPE); 40A: Wind blast (GUST); 41A: Up to one's ears (in) (AWASH); 43A: Aussie lassie (SHEILA); 45A: Take a bad turn (WORSEN); 47A: Razor's cutter (EDGE); 48A: Homer, to Bart (DAD); 51A: "Angels & __": Dan Brown best-seller (DEMONS); 53A: "Don't even go __!" (THERE); 55A: Arachnoid zodiac sign (SCORPIO); 63A: Chart holder (EASEL); 64A: Mix with a spoon (STIR); 65A: Many a proposal is made on one (KNEE); 66A: Put on fancy attire, with "up" (DRESS); 67A: Cops, slangily (HEAT); 1D: Festive gathering (AFFAIR); 2D: Witch who helped Dorothy get home (GLINDA); 3D: Merited (EARNED); 6D: PC alternatives (MACS); 9D: Sports venues (ARENAS); 12D: Not exactly exciting (TAME); 13D: Gawked at (EYED); 18D: Crowd scene actor (EXTRA); 22D: U.S. Pacific territory (GUAM); 27D: Back in time (AGO); 28D: Debtor's letters (IOU'S); 30D: B&O and Reading (RR'S); 31D: Filming site (SET); 33D: Financial aid criterion (NEED); 35D: Fido's foot (PAW); 36D: "Letters from __ Jima": 2006 film (IWO); 37D: "Sorry about that" ("PARDON ME"); 39D: Fix, as a fight (RIG); 42D: Rope fiber source (HEMP); 44D: Ease off (LET UP); 48D: Indicate (DENOTE); 49D: Oil-rich peninsula (ARABIA); 50D: Most of 49-Down (DESERT); 52D: Like stock without face value (NO PAR); 54D: Tough to take (HARSH); 55D: Use a straw (SUCK); 56D: Scot's family (CLAN); 57D: Tops, as a cupcake (ICES); 58D: Salon applications (GELS).