SUNDAY, February 7, 2010 — Dan Naddor (syndicated)

Theme: "Heros Welcome" — Theme answers are familiar phrases with SUB added to them, creating new wacky phrases clued "?"-style. (Sub and hero are synonyms. Other names for this type of sandwich are grinder, po' boy, and I'm pretty sure there are one or two more.)

[Note: This is the syndicated L.A. Times puzzle. It does not appear in the actual newspaper, but is available for free at cruciverb.com.]

Theme answers:

• 23A: Confidential town green projects? (SUB ROSA PARKS).
• 28A: Inferior salad dressing ingredient? (SUBSTANDARD OIL).
• 33A: What a white flag indicates? (COMBAT SUBMISSION).
• 50A: Pine tar? (BATTING SUBSTANCE).
• 65A: Early 1600s threat to the English throne? (KING JAMES SUBVERSION).
• 82A: Government overseer of the mortgage crisis? (SUBPRIME MINISTER).
• 94A: Dannon disciples? (YOGURT SUBCULTURE).
• 101A: Bookkeeper's gift? (SUBTOTAL RECALL).
• 115A: Sensational sapphire, say? (SUBLIME STONE).

I don't know if you heard, but we have a little snow here in Washington, DC. I tell you what. This winter has been very disappointing for me. Not necessarily because of all the snow, but because the weather people have been Right Every Time. It's much more fun when I can mock the weather people and everybody's completely excessive response to their predictions. But not this year. No, this year I was in the line at the Safeway on Thursday with Every. Body. Else. Of course, by the time I finally decided to shop there were no eggs to be found in the entire metropolitan area. So much for baking cookies on a snowy day. It finally stopped snowing this evening and we're supposed to be clear now until Tuesday. They recorded 32.4 inches at Dulles. Wow! Will everybody please join me in saying a little prayer that Arlington County Schools are open Monday? So far I haven't made it an entire week at my new job without taking a day off. Very impressive, right? Ugh.

Okay, the puzzle. Cute theme. SUBTOTAL RECALL made me laugh. KING JAMES SUBVERSION is also pretty funny. I had trouble in the NE until I remembered 12D: Designer Versace's first name. (It's GIANNI.) But I did end up with a wrong letter that I couldn't find on my own. I had DRY humor instead of WRY humor at 26D. I thought ALEDIVES sounded pretty weird for 25A: Old English pub proprietors, but hey! It wouldn't be the weirdest word I've ever heard, so I thought it could be right.

I noticed several misdirection clues and I liked them all. Raise your hand if you entered menace for RASCAL (6A: Dennis in comics, e.g.). And how about 88A: Letters before F? Anyone besides me try CDE? I also thought 37D: Get in the pool was a great clue for BET.

More:

• 46A: Metallic money (SPECIE). Learned it from crosswords.

• 75A: Grave (ACUTE). I never noticed this before now, but in addition to being synonyms, grave and acute are two types of accent marks used in French.
• 99A: Welsh actress Tessie (O'SHEA). Apparently, Milo has the day off.
• 35D: It may be held at lunchtime (MAYO). Ha! Cute!
• 39D: "There's no __ team" (I IN). Of course I know this phrase, but here's how dumb I am. At first I had A IN — "There's no A IN team." Um ... actually there is.

• 42D: Something to save for a rainy day (PONCHO).
• 43D: Ragamuffin (URCHIN). Ragamuffin is an awesome word.
• 50D: Key with five sharps: Abbr. (B MAJ.). Started out with E MAJ, which (obviously) has only four sharps.
• 53D: Token concession (BONE). Ooh, I like this one. Had to think about it for a minute. It's referring to the idiom "throwing someone a bone."
• 55D: Navel buildup (LINT). Ew.

• 64D: Chamberlain of the NBA (WILT). The Stilt.
• 85D: Columnist Hentoff (NAT). This seems like an awfully tricky clue for NAT. Of the 210 times NAT appears in the cruciverb.com data base, it's only clued with reference to Hentoff 15 times. I only knew him because back when I lived in New York a hundred years ago, I used to read him in the Village Voice every week.
• 91D: Charges (FLIES AT).

• 95D: Mitchell family (O'HARAS). Gone With the Wind, right? Someday I should see that movie.
• 98D: River to the Ubangi (UELE). Wait, what? Never heard of it.
• 102D: Bruins' home (UCLA). My high school mascot was the Bruin, but Fargo South High didn't fit.

Crosswordese 101: Lots of CW in this puzzle, which is typical for a Sunday. If you had trouble with any of these, you might take a little time to review them:

• 15A: Prince William's alma mater (ETON).
• 30A: Gillette razor (ATRA).
• 73A: Reef dweller (EEL).
• 117A: Server of many kosher meals (EL AL).
• 122A: That, in Tijuana (ESO).
• 6D: "Red Seal" record co. (RCA).
• 7D: Some dadaist works (ARPS).
• 15D: Seat of Oklahoma's Garfield County (ENID).
• 29D: DDE opponent (AES).
• 56D: Tiny bit of work (ERG).
• 75D: Heavenly altar (ARA).
• 79D: Words following Casca's "Speak, hands, for me!" (ET TU).
• 80D: Food thickener (AGAR).

Everything Else — 1A: Zingers (BARBS); 12A: Phone button letters (GHI); 19A: Voodoo relative (OBEAH); 20A: Iron target (CREASE); 21A: It's not free of charge (ION); 22A: One of a 15th century trio (NINA); 27A: It might be a bust (STATUE); 32A: Access (ENTRY); 41A: Musical work (OPUS); 45A: Slightest (LEAST); 47A: Chaperon (ESCORT); 49A: Big name in ice cream (EDY); 54A: Song for which Pavarotti won a 1980 Grammy (O SOLE MIO); 57A: U.S. security (T-NOTE); 58A: "Evita" role (CHE); 59A: Author Levin (IRA); 60A: "Tahitian Women on the Beach" artist (GAUGUIN); 64A: Trounce (WHIP); 71A: Divide (PART); 72A: Wave through, as at a guard station (LET PASS); 74A: "Just as I thought!" ("OHO!"); 77A: Hostage negotiator's group (SWAT TEAM); 89A: Vehicle with caterpillar treads (SNO-CAT); 90A: Wicker material (RATTAN); 91A: Procyon or Canopus (F STAR); 93A: Vittles (EATS); 100A: Next in line (HEIR); 110A: Looked like a wolf (LEERED); 114A: '60s Defense secretary (MCNAMARA); 118A: Sylvester, to Tweety (TAT); 119A: Stereo knob (TREBLE); 120A: Malfunction (ACT UP); 121A: Sing the blues (WAIL); 123A: Becomes pervasive (SETS IN); 124A: Identity __ (THEFT); 1D: Head honcho (BOSS); 2D: Touch (ABUT); 3D: Country's McEntire (REBA); 4D: Drinkers may run them (BAR TABS); 5D: Berate loudly (SHOUT AT); 6D: "Red Seal" record co. (RCA); 8D: 12-time Pro Bowl NFLer Junior (SEAU); 9D: Low-__ diet (CARB); 10D: Solicits (ASKS); 11D: For fear that (LEST); 13D: Not abandon, as principles (HOLD TO); 14D: Sincerely (IN EARNEST); 16D: Modern recorder (TIVO); 17D: "Dedicated to the __ Love": 1960s hit (ONE I); 18D: Cosmos' org. (NASL); 24D: Spanish muralist (SERT); 26D: Like some humor (WRY); 31D: Very, in music (ASSAI); 33D: Jazzy Laine (CLEO); 34D: Refs. that take up lots of shelf space (OEDS); 36D: "What've you been __?" (UP TO); 38D: Old AT&T rival (MCI); 40D: Line part: Abbr. (SEG.); 41D: Andean stew veggie (OCA); 44D: Expensive (STEEP); 48D: Fr. holy woman (STE.); 51D: Concert souvenirs (STUBS); 52D: Place to get your B.S. (UNIV.); 60D: "__ while they're hot!" (GET 'EM); 61D: Nile biter (ASP); 62D: __ Today (USA); 63D: Gloomy guy (GUS); 65D: Hawaiian priest (KAHUNA); 66D: Collection in which Asimov's story "Robbie" appears (I ROBOT); 67D: Grad (ALUM); 68D: Hand (out) (METE); 69D: Keister (REAR); 70D: Jazz club unit (SET); 71D: Riders after robbers (POSSE); 76D: Carthage, for one (CITY-STATE); 77D: Attempt (STAB); 78D: Lusty lass (WENCH); 81D: Bog down (MIRE); 83D: Staples staples, briefly (PCS); 84D: Discount rack abbr. (IRR.); 86D: "__ show time!" (IT'S); 87D: Disco __ of "The Simpsons" (STU); 92D: Track straightaway (STRETCH); 96D: Trattoria dessert (GELATO); 97D: Former Mideast inits. (UAR); 99D: Tuba's first note? (OOM); 101D: Diving duck (SMEW); 103D: __ B'rith (BNAI); 104D: Towering (TALL); 105D: Round nos. (ESTS.); 106D: Restore to health (CURE); 107D: Aid's partner (ABET); 108D: Overseas bar degs. (LLBS); 109D: Taylor of "Six Feet Under" (LILI); 111D: Memorization (ROTE); 112D: Sufficient, in slang (ENUF); 113D: Interior, e.g.: Abbr. (DEPT.); 116D: Guys (MEN).