WEDNESDAY, June 23, 2010 — Dan Naddor

Theme: Snakes in a Puzzle — Each theme answer is a familiar phrase containing four Ss.


Theme answers:

• 20A: Confident (SELF-POSSESSED).
• 26A: Second-counter's opening (ONE MISSISSIPPI).
• 41A: Evaluation by co-workers (PEER ASSESSMENT).
• 47A: Professional hitter? (HIRED ASSASSIN).
• 61A: Each of the four longest puzzle answers has two pairs of them (ESSES).

Yep, all the theme answers have four Ss alright. Love love love ONE MISSISSIPPI. The others are just meh. Also, I was starting to get annoyed by all the plurals until I realized that all the Ss in the theme answers made that more or less inevitable.

Talking Points:

• 10A: Short pans? (UGHS). Pans as in "bad reviews."
• 14A: The Dixie Chicks, e.g. (TRIO).



• 17A: Bell sound (DONG). Alrighty then.
• 33A: Fontanne of Broadway (LYNN). Unfair! The name of the Broadway theater, which I learned from crosswords, is Lunt-Fontanne. With the L and the first N in place, I thought I was so smart!
• 40A: Cream dispensers (TUBES). Whatever you say. Oh, I was thinking cream as in food. But this is like medicinal cream. Okay then.
• 45A: Cut into slices (CARVE). Can't see the word CARVE without recalling the horrible RECARVE fiasco of 2008. (Sorry, Caleb.)

• 62A: Fargo's st. (N. DAK.). I read the abbreviation "st." to mean "street." I know Fargo's a small town but I swear there's more than one street!
• 4D: Under-the-bed hider (BOGEYMAN). PuzzleSon would like to remind you all that the bogeyman checks to make sure Chuck Norris isn't under his bed.
• 8D: QB's misthrows (INTS.). For the sports-challeneged: QB - quarterback, INT = interception.
• 24D: Without siblings (ONLY). I know someone is going to gripe about this. Yes, "only child" is a familiar phrase, but sometimes it's shortened to ONLY.
• 36D: Sting victim's wail (I BEEN HAD). Sting victim's woefully ungrammatical wail, that is.

Crosswordese 101: ELIAS Howe invented the sewing machine. ELIAS is also Walt Disney's middle name. Now you will recognize 98% of the clues for ELIAS.

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

• 54A: Perlman of "Cheers" (RHEA).
• 2D: What Pizarro sought (ORO).
• 21D: Luau souvenirs (LEIS).

[Follow PuzzleGirl on Twitter.]

Everything Else — 1A: "Stay" singer Lisa (LOEB); 5A: DeMille with an Oscar (CECIL); 15A: Wet, in a way (RAINY); 16A: Essence (SOUL); 18A: Make a delivery? (ORATE); 19A: Salinger title girl (ESME); 23A: "In a sec" ("NOT YET"); 25A: Sierra Club founder John et al. (MUIRS); 31A: Inventor Howe (ELIAS); 32A: Bonehead (IDIOT); 34A: Mix (BLEND); 35A: High-quality cotton (PIMA); 39A: Son of Sarah (ISAAC); 46A: Materialize (APPEAR); 52A: Ahmadinejad's land (IRAN); 53A: Nut-yielding tree (BEECH); 57A: Telescope part (LENS); 58A: Carpenter's machine (LATHE); 59A: Rows (OARS); 60A: "__ Anything": "Oliver!" song (I'D DO); 1D: Inc., in London (LTD.); 2D: What Pizarro sought (ORO); 3D: Brain (EINSTEIN); 5D: Partner of Seals (CROFTS); 6D: Tombstone lawman (EARP); 7D: "Later!" ("CIAO!"); 9D: Cleaning compounds (LYES); 10D: Exhausts (USES UP); 11D: Dirt (GOSSIP); 12D: Scapulae-to-ulnae bones (HUMERI); 13D: Mushers' vehicles (SLEDS); 22D: Discharge (EMIT); 23D: Christmas air (NOEL); 27D: Marner of fiction (SILAS); 28D: Think tank output (IDEAS); 29D: Subsequently (SINCE); 30D: Landscaper's supply (SOD); 34D: Jamboree gp. (BSA); 35D: Lift weights (PUMP IRON); 37D: Actress Suvari (MENA); 38D: Galileo's sci. (ASTR.); 39D: Burned up (IRED); 40D: Recipe amts. (TSPS.); 41D: Like socks, hopefully (PAIRED); 42D: Trip to the bank, say (ERRAND); 43D: Nonetheless (EVEN SO); 44D: Pane holders (SASHES); 45D: Common cook-off dish (CHILI); 48D: Skilled (ABLE); 49D: Neptune's realm (SEAS); 50D: Match makers? (SETS); 51D: Hurt (ACHE); 55D: Procter & Gamble detergent (ERA); 56D: "Shoot!" ("ASK!").