TUESDAY, May 25, 2010 — Jerome Gunderson

Theme: "Name Changes" — Theme answers are familiar phrases that end in words that can be men's names.


Theme answers:

• 20A: Robinson and Thomas? (BALLPARK FRANKS).
• 37A: Owens and Henry? (COUPLE OF BUCKS).
• 54A: Garfunkel and Tatum? (PERFORMING ARTS).

Like yesterday's puzzle, today's theme includes names. Also like yesterday's puzzle, today's grid only includes three theme answers. Unlike yesterday's puzzle, however, these theme answers rock. Turns out this theme has been done before (and with two of the same theme answers!), so points off for originality. But that didn't affect my solving experience because I don't remember doing that other puzzle. Quick story. About a hundred years ago, I worked at the B. Dalton on Fifth Avenue in New York. I worked at the service desk which, especially at this particular branch, was always a bustling place. There were usually three or four of us staffing the desk and there were always people waiting. Plus we answered the phone. It was nuts. So one day, I'm sitting at the desk answering the phone, looking up a title, and doing about six other things all at the same time and I hear this voice say "Could I get you to hold these books for me and I'll pick them up later?" So I hang up the phone, grab a piece of note paper, poise my pen, and respond, "Sure, what's your name?" as I look up at the customer. He gives me a funny smile and sort of whispers "Art Garfunkel." I say, "Of course it is." That's my favorite Brush With Greatness story. And, by the way, you know how sometimes you'll be hanging out with a group of friends and everybody starts telling their Brush With Greatness stories and when it's all said and done one person "wins"? Well, don't ever play that game with PuzzleSister unless you don't mind losing. Her story involves catching a ride with Paul Newman so, yeah, she pretty much wins every time.

Back to the puzzle!

• 5A: Half a '60s pop group (MAMAS). Seems like an awful lot of music in today's puzzle and it really covers the spectrum, from The Mamas and the Papas to Jay-Z (43A: Jay-Z's genre (RAP)), to …
• 15A: Dedicatee of Beethoven's "Bagatelle in A Minor" (ELISE). Of course you know this tune. You've heard it a million times. Every young person who has ever had a piano lesson knows this song. But have you ever heard it like this?



• 27A: "Impossible!" ("NO WAY!"). I'm a fan of the colloquial phrases. See also 8D: "Yeah, right!" ("AS IF!"). Both of which are connected to 46D: Like lies (UNTRUE)!

• 29A: Where the buffalo roam (LEA). I think LEA is more often clued in relation to sheep. I think of buffalos roaming the plain.
• 40A: PBS science series (NOVA). Is there a science show called "Omni"? 'Cuz I always think "Omni" before "Nova."
• 2D: Italian region known for its cheese (ASIAGO). Mmmmm, cheese.
• 7D: Weasel cousins (MINKS). I was also once with a group of friends trying to determine who had worked at the worst job. One of the girls had worked (for, like, a day) at a place where it was her job to cut off the little paws of minks. Eww.
• 13D: Wrestling surface (MAT). Mmmmm, wrestling.
• 37D: Bargain for reduced charges (COP A PLEA). This looked all kindsa wrong in the grid until every single letter was there.

Crosswordese 101: IPANA is a "classic toothpaste brand" that was once pitched by an animated beaver named Bucky, who sang a song that went "Brusha, brusha, brusha." You might remember it from the sleepover scene in "Grease." (Which, by the way … I saw that movie like 12 times in the theater when it first came out. Loved. It. I look back on it now and think "What a great message to send to teenage girls! If you can't keep your guy's attention because you're too much of a goody-goody, get yourself all slutted up at the carnival and — bam! — problem solved!") Anyway. IPANA, with its VCVCV pattern is definitely Crossword Gold (tm Rex Parker).

Everything Else — 1A: Indiana senator Evan (BAYH); 10A: News article (ITEM); 14A: Start of a crystal ball user's prediction (I SEE); 16A: Haydn sobriquet (PAPA); 17A: __ monster: lizard (GILA); 18A: Patty Hearst's SLA alias (TANIA); 19A: Landed (ALIT); 23A: Sense of self (EGO); 24A: Poor offering (ALMS); 25A: Skewered fare (KABOB); 31A: Fruity refreshment (ADE); 32A: Argue (QUARREL); 36A: Passed with flying colors (ACED); 41A: Most corpulent (FATTEST); 42A: Do an impression of (APE); 44A: Point of contention (ISSUE); 48A: City of Light, to Cole Porter (PAREE); 50A: Memphis middle name (ARON); 53A: Cease (END); 58A: Lively style (ELAN); 59A: Sylvan setting (WOODS); 60A: Muddy area (MIRE); 61A: Legendary Asian beast (YETI); 62A: Sweden neighbor, to a Swede (NORGE); 63A: Heavy hammer (MAUL); 64A: Let up (EASE); 65A: Marksman's game (SKEET); 66A: Corrida encouragements (OLÉS); 1D: Nickname of London's Great Bell (BIG BEN); 3D: Brick road color (YELLOW); 4D: Cure (HEAL); 5D: Heavy rock? (METAL); 6D: Frighten (ALARM); 9D: Char (SEAR); 10D: Bucky Beaver's toothpaste (IPANA); 11D: Sass, with "to" (TALK BACK); 12D: 45-Down parts (EPISODES); 21D: Settle a debt (PAY UP); 22D: Wanted poster letters (AKA); 26D: Garden plot (BED); 28D: Color similar to robin egg blue (AQUA); 29D: Baseball field? (LEFT); 30D: Hamburg's river (ELBE); 33D: A, in communications (ALFA); 34D: Gather (REAP); 35D: Balderdash (ROT); 36D: Play segments (ACTS); 38D: Pigs out (OVEREATS); 39D: Taking advantage of (USING); 40D: Doze (NAP); 43D: Court arbiter (REF); 45D: Story published in installments (SERIAL); 47D: Ford failures (EDSELS); 49D: Ford from Tennessee (ERNIE); 50D: Luigi's love (AMORE); 51D: Mountain feature (RIDGE); 52D: Start (ONSET); 55D: Holds the deed to (OWNS); 56D: Rank-and-file chess piece (ROOK); 57D: Firearm filler (AMMO); 58D: CBS symbol (EYE).