S A T U R D A Y September 11, 2010 Mike Nothnagel

Theme: None


Wow. Super tough puzzle today. I was so excited to see Mike Nothnagel's name and knew we were in for a doozy. Lots of colorful phrases, some interesting words, and a dash of diabolical cluing, just as we should expect from Mike.

My favorites:

• 14A: Stop browsing (LOG OFF). I was struck by this clue because no other kind of browsing even entered my mind. It just got me thinking about how different the world is with all the technology we have today. Ya know what I think is going to be fascinating to watch? Kids growing up without Ever losing contact with people because of Facebook. I just can't imagine what that would be like.
• 24A: Monopoly phrase (JUST VISITING). Awesome entry. I was thinking of phrases on the chance/community chest cards: "advance to the nearest railroad," "you've been elected chairman of the board" or "bank error in your favor!"
• 39A: Watches (KEEPS AN EYE ON).
• 2D: Flashy 1940s outfits (ZOOT SUITS). ZOOT SUITS? That can mean only one thing.



• 3D: Not easy on the eyes (UGLY AS SIN).
• 9D: On deck (NEXT IN LINE).

Also:

• 7A: Adequately suited to (FINE FOR). Sort of random. But I think I like it.
• 19A: Nikon F, e.g., briefly (SLR). Future Crosswordese 101 lesson, it stands for Single Lens Reflex.
• 23A: Woods set (IRONS). Ya know, I always thought Tiger was kind of a jerk. Now I can finally say so out loud.

• 27A: Clinker in a Glas (EIS). I'm not sure why "Glas" is capitalized. Is it a brand name? All I saw was that it wasn't English so I knew the answer would be a foreign word. EIS = ice.
• 28A: Richard of "A Summer Place" (EGAN). He was before my time and I don't really recognize the names of any movies he was in. Pretty sure I've seen him in puzzles before though.
• 29A: Winter vacation destination (SLOPES). Ha! Having grown up in North Dakota, all I could think about was escaping the winter to the beach!
• 38A: Nickname of 1950s Reds slugger Ted (KLU). Ted Kluszewski.
• 42A: Caucasus native (OSSET). No idea.
• 45A: Cruise itinerary listing (ISLE). Tried "port" first.
• 46A: Indoor rowing machine, briefly, in rowers' jargon (ERG). Whoa. No idea what this means. We've covered ERG in CW 101 before, but I've never seen a clue quite like this one.
• 48A: Boss's domain, perhaps (PIT). PIT boss is a casino term.
• 54A: Place to see a pilot light? (HELIPORT). Cute. "Light" is a verb here.

• 4D: Capybara or cavy (RODENT). Again with the crazy clues. Caybara? What the …? Oh man. Wikipedia sez it's the largest living rodent in the world. Ew.
• 7D: Fish malady (FIN ROT). Ew again.
• 30D: Feature of some bluffs (POKER FACE). I can tell you from experience that there's nothing quite so disturbing as listening to a bunch of nine-year-old girls singing along to Lady Gaga.

I wanted to say something about today, but I don't want to get all morbid/emotional/political on you. So I'll just end with this and suggest you go out of your way to thank a firefighter today.

26D: Day follower, in "Taps" (IS DONE).



Crosswordese 101 Round-up:

• 18A: Vision blurrers, at times (STYES).
• 5D: Some former tadpoles (EFTS).
• 49D: River past Logroño (EBRO).
• 50D: Notable Volstead Act enforcer (NESS).

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Everything Else — 1A: Clear skies (AZURES); 15A: Curling-up site (FIRESIDE); 16A: Shared with (TOLD TO); 17A: Too much (IN EXCESS); 20A: Death is part of it (TAROT); 21A: Common California map word (SAN); 22A: Item for the Windsor knot-challenged? (BOLO); 33A: Calmed (STILLED); 35A: Censor (EDIT OUT); 36A: Men-on-base gp.? (U.S. NAVY); 37A: Cell projection insulated by a myelin sheath (AXON); 47A: Take the cuffs off? (ALTER); 49A: Enchanting, but not in a big way? (ELFIN); 51A: Fragrant Cloud and Crimson Glory (TEA ROSES); 53A: Roaring (ABLAZE); 55A: Disarming events? (TRUCES); 56A: Blood reservoirs (SPLEENS); 57A: Island vacation rentals (MOPEDS); 1D: In-flight announcement nos. (ALTS.); 6D: UAL western hub (SFO); 8D: Cause of a duel, maybe (IRE); 10D: Food eaten with tongs and a fork (ESCARGOT); 11D: Sporty '80s Pontiac (FIERO); 12D: Can't stop eating (OD'S ON); 13D: Notes aren't written during them (RESTS); 15D: Temp (FILL IN); 19D: "I feel for you" ("SO SAD"); 22D: Nocturnal fish (BIG EYE); 24D: "Pie __": Mass motet (JESU); 25D: Line outside a nightclub (VELVET ROPE); 31D: Praised (EULOGIZED); 32D: Take by surprise (STUN); 34D: One end of Ontario's Welland Canal (LAKE ERIE); 35D: Praise (EXALT); 37D: Rink statistic (ASSIST); 40D: Military band members (PIPERS); 41D: Call to the attic (YELL UP); 42D: Swear words (OATHS); 43D: A buzzer may end it (SLEEP); 44D: Flea market booth (STALL); 52D: Will party (SON); 53D: Source of emergency funds (ATM).

SATURDAY, April 3, 2010 — Mike Nothnagel

Hi all. Today post is by committee. Two parts, joon, one part Crosscan. The world of crossword blogging is a little upside down right now, but we'll keep you guys covered. Crosscan uses capitals and joon doesn't, for those keeping score at home.


(joon) this is mike's LAT debut. mike's puzzles are so uniformly excellent. and today was no exception. the only thing i didn't like about it was that it didn't really put up a fight. mike is an excellent clue writer, but almost all of the clues today were entirely straightforward, enabling me to sprint through the puzzle in my fastest saturday time since that brief period last summer when they were all incredibly easy.

highlights from the fill:

• {Chat with someone on the way out?} is an EXIT INTERVIEW. one of the few clues with some trickery, both for the context of the clue and the fact "chat" wants to be a verb here.
• {Dreamer's activity} is WISHFUL THINKING. a really nice pair of answers crossing in the middle, but this clue (like so many others) was so straightforward that it wasn't hard to put in all fifteen letters here.
• {Part of a kid's lunch from home} is a JUICE BOX. nice scrabbly phrase here, part of the very scrabbly northwest. i bet this is the first entry mike put in the grid, but i wonder if he didn't clue it in reference to the astros' home park. (see also {Contests on the road}, AWAY GAMES.)
• {Cart's wheel attachment} is an AXLE TREE. AXLE came pretty easily here. TREE, not so much.
• {Home to FDR's presidential library} is HYDE PARK. cool answer, and i don't think it would have been a gimme, but for the fact that i had HYDEP___ in place by the time i saw it.
• {"Nope, the other thing"} is "WRONG ONE." love this one.
• {Pew extension} is a KNEELER, and a {Church rite site} is an ALTAR RAIL. neither one of these is tough, but spending a half-dozen hours in church this weekend probably made these even quicker to spring to mind.
• {Like many a residential system} is SEPTIC. now this one took some working of the crossings. i don't think you can hide the unpleasant subject matter of the answer just by making the clue incredibly vague. we're going to see it all in the end anyway, right?

(Crosscan) Right, joon. No real trouble spots for me, but I did put ALGOR first instead of ALGOL for {The "Demon Star"}. Thinking Al Gore, I guess.

Some Diane/Diana music:
51A: "Touch Me in the Morning" singer (ROSS);



61A: Jack's partner in a 1982 #1 John Cougar song (DIANE):


Everything Else 1A: Some pilgrims (HAJIS); 6A: Contests on the road (AWAY GAMES); 15A: Enjoy a victory, say (EXULT); 16A: Ignore, as an insult (RISE ABOVE); 17A: More or less uniform (ALIKE); 18A: Black Sea region (ASIA MINOR); 19A: Holiday pie ingredients (PECANS); 21A: Growth chart data: Abbr. (HTS.); 22A: __ torch (TIKI); 23A: Chateau __ Michelle: world's largest Riesling producer (STE.); 24A: Deem appropriate (SEE FIT); 26A: Indifferent grade (CEE); 27A: Space balls? (ORBS); 29A: 26-Across enhancement (PLUS); 30A: "Holy Toledo!" ("EGADS!"); 32A: Like a ward for some new hospital patients (NEONATAL); 34A: It fits in a lock (OAR); 35A: Chat with someone on the way out? (EXIT INTERVIEW); 39A: Pitcher Dwight Gooden's nickname (DOC); 40A: Home to FDR's presidential library (HYDE PARK); 42A: Showbiz figure (CELEB); 45A: Seattle Slew, vis-à-vis Swale (SIRE); 46A: "The nursery of England's gentlemen" (ETON); 47A: Park in NYC, e.g. (AVE.); 48A: "Oops" elicitors (BONERS); 50A: Like "Spring" from Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons" (IN E); 51A: "Touch Me in the Morning" singer (ROSS); 53A: "Oh no!" ("ACK!"); 54A: Parasite (SPONGE); 56A: Church rite site (ALTAR RAIL); 59A: The "Demon Star" (ALGOL); 60A: Passé reception aid (TV ANTENNA); 61A: Jack's partner in a 1982 #1 John Cougar song (DIANE); 62A: Tony award category (SET DESIGN); 63A: Join (ENTER); 1D: Adds in great quantities (HEAPS ON); 2D: Cart's wheel attachment (AXLE TREE); 3D: Part of a kid's lunch from home (JUICE BOX); 4D: Chase on stage (ILKA); 5D: WWII Mark II's (STENS); 6D: First name at Notre Dame (ARA); 7D: Dreamer's activity (WISHFUL THINKING); 8D: In reality (AS IT IS); 9D: Baker's supply (YEAST); 10D: Piece of cheesecake? (GAM); 11D: Somewhat (A BIT); 12D: 1992 Wimbledon runner-up to Steffi (MONICA); 13D: Called forth (EVOKED); 14D: Word on some Emmy awards (SERIES); 20D: Like many a residential system (SEPTIC); 25D: Spark (ELAN); 28D: Nasty (SNIDE); 30D: Wasp's nest site (EAVE); 31D: Complaint (GRIPE); 33D: Distance covered by a first step (A TO B); 34D: Sequences (ORDERS); 36D: Teacher of Adele Varens, in an 1847 novel (EYRE); 37D: Bothering a lot (EATING AT); 38D: "Nope, the other thing" (WRONG ONE); 41D: Pew extension (KNEELER); 42D: Stone figures (CARATS); 43D: Increase in complexity, perhaps (EVOLVE); 44D: Vampire played by Cruise (LESTAT); 45D: Assertion from one who won't be outdone (SO CAN I); 48D: Shows (BARES); 49D: Part of a deck (SPADE); 52D: Golf hazard, often (SAND); 55D: "Enemies, A Love Story" Oscar nominee (OLIN); 57D: 47-Across, e.g. (RTE.); 58D: PC-to-PC system (LAN).