THURSDAY, June 3, 2010 — Mark Bickham

Theme: Know what I'm sayin'? — Familiar phrases clued as if they are a type of specialized lingo.


Theme answers:

• 18A: Musician's parlance? (KEY WORDS).
• 24A: Billiards player's parlance? (ENGLISH LANGUAGE).
• 38A: Mechanic's parlance? (IDLE CHATTER).
• 55A: Remodeler's parlance? (PANEL DISCUSSION).
• 61A: Chiropractor's parlance? (BACK TALK).

I have mixed feelings about this puzzle. I like the theme quite a bit. Again, we've got theme answers that are shorter than we're used to seeing, but I really don't mind the "rules" being broken once in a while. Especially if there's good reason, and the short answers fill out the theme nicely. The fill, on the other hand, seemed to be all over the place for me. I kept noticing similar words: AIR / E'ER / ERE; IDLE / IDOL / ICON / CON; AYE / EYE. And the abbreviations! EUR., SCI., ETH. — ETH.! Some of the longer fill, though, was really lovely. For example:

• 1A: Cook, as Swiss steak (BRAISE). BRAISE was my first thought, but I waited for a couple crosses because I wasn't entirely sure I actually knew what that word meant.
• 1D: Conflagrations (BLAZES). I'm sure I've seen the word conflagration before, but I had no idea what it meant.
• 5D: Orlando newspaper (SENTINEL). With the S, N, and T in place, I first tried Sun-Times. I know that's the Chicago paper, but I thought they might have one in Orlando too.
• 8D: Rosary recital (AVE MARIA). Warning: Blasphemy ahead!



• 39D: Detroit's founder (CADILLAC). Learn something new every day!
• 47D: Badger at the park (HECKLE). I think of heckling more in relation to stand-up comics, but I bet baseball players get their share.

I'm sorry to do this, but I'm going to point out a couple more clunkers. HOAXER (53D: One who pulls a scam) is just ugly. And I really, really don't want to think about "Fungus-alga unions" (26D: LICHENS). What do you guys think of it? Am I being too hard on this one? Well, just to prove that I'm not a mean old lady who doesn't do anything but complain, here's a lovely ornamental carp for you.



Crosswordese 101: I didn't see any crosswordese that we haven't already covered, so here's your round-up:

• 15A: Fertility clinic cells (OVA).
• 33A: For time eterne (E'ER).
• 45A: Bard's "before" (ERE).
• 27D: Onetime apple spray (ALAR).
• 41D: Congers, e.g. (EELS).
• 66D: Centimeter-gram-second unit (ERG).

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Everything Else — 7A: "There never was a good" one, according to Franklin (WAR); 10A: Like many a head-turner (SEXY); 14A: Imposed, as a tax (LEVIED); 15A: Fertility clinic cells (OVA); 16A: Colored (HUED); 17A: Getting on (AGEING); 20A: Buddhist discipline (ZEN); 21A: 1773 jetsam (TEA); 23A: Wall alternative, perhaps (MOAT); 30A: Draft holder (STEIN); 31A: Make known (AIR); 32A: Spread out (SPLAY); 33A: For time eterne (E'ER); 35A: Mole user: Abbr. (CIA); 37A: Sailor's "Agreed" (AYE); 42A: Fella (MAC); 44A: West of Hollywood (MAE); 45A: Bard's "before" (ERE); 46A: Hello or goodbye (ALOHA); 49A: Crime lab subject (DNA); 51A: Beginning (ALPHA); 58A: Heating device (COIL); 59A: Sudan neighbor: Abbr. (ETH.); 60A: Dust remover (RAG); 65A: Arctic exploration tool (ICE AXE); 67A: Long-running reality show, familiarly (IDOL); 68A: __-tzu (LAO); 69A: Syndicate (CARTEL); 70A: Court defense? (ZONE); 71A: Bot. or chem. (SCI.); 72A: Ticks off (ANGERS); 2D: Temporary ruler (REGENT); 3D: Right, in a way (AVENGE); 4D: Junior's junior (III); 6D: Barely beats (EDGES); 7D: Moo goo gai pan pan (WOK); 9D: Lustrous fabric (RAYON); 10D: Fired wildly into, as an oater town (SHOT UP); 11D: Where It.'s at (EUR.); 12D: Marked with two lines (X'ED); 13D: Fabric meas. (YDS.); 19D: Some friendly greetings (WAGS); 22D: "Bingo!" ("AHA!"); 25D: Covered for a crony, perhaps (LIED); 28D: In high spirits (GAY); 29D: Inspect (EYE); 34D: Dream state acronym (REM); 36D: Absorbed, as a cost (ATE); 38D: Desktop image (ICON); 40D: Garbage site (TRASHCAN); 42D: Google Earth image (MAP); 43D: According to (À LA); 48D: "Thanks __!" (A LOT); 50D: Adept type (ACE); 52D: Hook, for one (PIRATE); 54D: Pinhead dancers? (ANGELS); 56D: Antique phone features (DIALS); 57D: City near Syracuse (UTICA); 61D: Profession, casually (BIZ); 62D: Flap (ADO); 63D: Voting "nay" (CON); 64D: Ornamental carp (KOI); 66D: Centimeter-gram-second unit (ERG).