03.15 Tue

T U E S D A Y
March 15, 2011
Gary Steinmehl

Theme: Hitting the Gym — The last word of each theme answer is (arguably) something you would do REPS of while exercising.

Theme answers:

• 20A: Last leg of a race (HOME STRETCH).
• 27A: Chocolate bar with crisped rice (NESTLÉ CRUNCH).
• 49A: Overseas news-gatherers (FOREIGN PRESS).
• 59A: Very little, in slang (DIDDLY SQUAT).
• 57D: PR specialists, and a word associated with the ends of 20-, 27-, 49- and 59-Across (REPS).

I have mixed feelings about this theme. The theme answers themselves are all colorful and the theme hangs together very well until … you get to the reveal. REPS? Do you really do REPS of STRETCHes? Um, no. No, you don't. You just STRETCH. And then (if you're motivated and you're at, say, a gym) you do the rest of the things mentioned. So, to me, THE GYM would have been a much better reveal. If I had seen that, I would have been all "Oh, right! These are all things you do at a gym!" With STRETCH as the first entry, I might have even thought they were in some kind of logical order. It all would have been very pleasant and right now I would be talking some more about how sparkly the theme entries are. Instead, though, right now I'm going: REPS? Really?!

If you're not a fan of foreign words in your puzzle, you were probably troubled by all the French in this grid:

• 16A: Author Zola (ÉMILE). Which reminds me, if you haven't seen "Wordplay," you really should.
• 23A: Nice season? (ÉTÉ). We've covered this in Crosswordese 101 — both the answer and the way it's clued.
• 46A: Paris's __ la Paix (RUE DE). This one is not only French, it's also an ugly partial. Twofer!
• 10D: Porthos, to Athos (AMI). French for "friend" (and previously covered in CW101).
• 13D: Place for a beret (TÊTE). French for "head."
• 35D: D-Day target city (ST.-LÔ). Another CW 101 alum.

You also might be able to include BEAU (15A: Steady fellow) in this list without getting into too much trouble. Speaking of CW 101, here are the other grid entries that we've already covered. Each answer word below is a link to the post where you'll find more details.

• 18A: Elongated fish (EELS).
• 39A: Sheltered Greek walkway (STOA).
• 43A: IRS agent (T-MAN).
• 66A: Cleveland's lake (ERIE).

So, what else? Well there are some nice Scrabbly entries in ZAGAT, ZEPHYRS, and SEQUIN (9A: Big name in restaurant guides / 9D: Gentle winds / 51D: Fashion sparkler). SEQUIN was actually hard for me to come up with because I had RHINESTONE in my head and couldn't shake it.

Bullets:

• 19A: Turning point (PIVOT).



• 52A: Run or ruin (DASH). Great clue. Think "50-yard DASH" or having your hopes DASHed.
• 67A: DDE's alma mater (USMA). Dwight D. Eisenhower's alma mater is the U.S. Military Academy.

• 69A: Ole Miss rival (BAMA). When I was a kid, I thought Duke and Marquette were the coolest college names. I still think they're awesome, but I love BAMA too (even though it's obviously not the school's official name). I always hoped I'd graduate from a college with a cool name. But instead I ended up at … Maryland.
• 11D: Abraham, to Lincoln (GIVEN NAME). I tried FIRST NAME first.
• 26D: Bee or Em (AUNT). I think of Em as AUNTIE, but I see that's what she's called in the film but not in the books. AUNT Bee is from "The Andy Griffith Show" and, yes, that is how her name is spelled.
• 28D: Fa follower (SOL). Do re mi fa SOL la ti do.
• 34D: DoD fliers (USAF). The U.S. Air Force flies for the Department of Defense.
• 50D: Letters under a 4 (G-H-I). Today's random letter string is clued in relation to the telephone keypad.

• 55D: Cass and Michelle, famously (MAMAS). Cass Elliot and Michelle Phillips were the MAMAS of the 1960s group, "The MAMAS and the Papas."
• 62D: Bean town? (LIMA). Get it? 'Cuz the name of the town is also a type of bean. (Ugh.)

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Everything Else — 1A: Cote bleats (BAAS); 5A: Further (ALSO); 14A: Flattop opposite (AFRO); 17A: Plane or sander (TOOL); 24A: Snail mail need (STAMP); 25A: Color in the four-color process (CYAN); 34A: Plug-and-play PC port (USB); 37A: Borat creator Sacha Baron __ (COHEN); 38A: Trapper's gear (SNARE); 41A: Number-guessing fund-raiser (LOTTO); 44A: False __ (ALARM); 48A: Ambulance initials (EMS); 53A: Times spent in prison or in office (TERMS); 57A: Dusting aid (RAG); 64A: Remove from the videotape (ERASE); 68A: Argentine grassland (PAMPA); 70A: Modern Roman, e.g.: Abbr. (ITAL.); 71A: Take badly? (STEAL); 72A: Disappearing slope apparatus (T-BAR); 73A: Big Board letters (NYSE); 1D: They're drawn in tubs (BATHS); 2D: In progress (AFOOT); 3D: Bakery quality (AROMA); 4D: Serious (SOLEMN); 5D: Aid's partner (ABET); 6D: Look that may be accompanied by a smirk (LEER); 7D: Shopping news (SALE); 8D: Bounce, as from a bar (OUST); 12D: Oodles (A LOT); 21D: Risky business, briefly (SPEC); 22D: Brutus' 300 (CCC); 29D: Rose feature (THORN); 30D: Rain more gently (LET UP); 31D: Rectangular computer key (ENTER); 32D: Stuff (into) (CRAM); 33D: Lady birds (HENS); 36D: Monopoly, for one (BOARD GAME); 40D: House painter's calculation (AREA); 42D: Dedicated verse (ODE); 45D: Card player's goof (MISDEAL); 47D: Ballpark figs. (ESTS.); 54D: Out of practice (RUSTY); 56D: Old hat (STALE); 58D: "I smell __!" (A RAT); 60D: Unpaid loan, e.g. (DEBT); 61D: Not bright at all (DRAB); 63D: Wine taster's guesstimate (YEAR); 65D: Healthful resort (SPA).

01.07 Fri

F R I D A Y

January 7, 2011
Gary Steinmehl


Theme: And sometimes Y (but not this time) — Familiar phrases have a vowel tacked onto the front. The vowels progress from top to bottom — A, E, I, O, U.

Theme answers:

• 20A: Proof of quartz sales? (AGATE RECEIPTS).
• 30A: Brewery's best? (ELITE BEER).
• 38A: "Mad Max" and "Twelve Angry Men"? (IRATE MOVIES).
• 46A: One of many at a Syracuse University football game? (ORANGE TOP).
• 58A: Making a mess at the warehouse? (UPENDING CASES).

I'm not going to lie and tell you I understood the theme while I was solving. I definitely didn't. I tried. Lord knows, I tried! But it didn't make any sense to me until I saw it all laid out. I'm not exactly crazy about the "I" entry. I guess the base phrase is "rate movies," and that's weak. But the rest of them are pretty good. ORANGE TOP actually made me chuckle. I found the rest of the puzzle just crunchy enough to be interesting, but not really hard enough for a Friday. (I know, I know, it's like I'm beating that dead horse that was sliding into home plate in that Mr. Ed video the other day.)

I did have a couple trouble spots. The first was that whole 13D: Before and 22D: Before, before? thing. I popped ERE in where PRE- was supposed to go, but realized I had been tricked pretty quickly. Also SCENA was rough (5A: One usually includes an aria and a recitative). My first thought was "opera" but that seemed a little too simple so I waited for some crosses. Eventually, it looked like the answer was supposed to be "scene," so I threw that on in. But "Esti" really didn't look right to me and I know ASTI from past puzzles (see CW101 below), so it was an easy enough fix.

Bullets:

• 1A: Lip (BRIM). Oh, I really wanted this to be "sass."

• 10A: Rhode Island's motto (HOPE). Short and to the point. I like it.
• 16A: Clue in a hunt (ODOR). Okay, this is funny. When I entered this answer I thought, "Wouldn't 'scent' be more appropriate? I mean, ODOR has such a negative connotation …." Like, what do I think the smell actually is out there in the woods? Cinnamon and rose petals?
• 34A: Is after you? (ARE). Conjugation trickiness. (And isn't that the best kind of trickiness?)
• 36A: Oscar-winning role for Forest (IDI). If you're gonna have an evil oppressive leader in the puzzle, this is the way to clue him. (And not with a little joke like "Mean Amin?" Haha! Get it? He was a tyrant that had hundreds of thousands of people killed! So he was mean! And that rhymes with his name! Haha!)
• 45A: Sweet ending (-OSE). -OSE is a suffix used with different types of sugars (fructose, glucose, etc.).

• 65A: Law partner (ORDER). DUN dun! (Wasn't sure how to spell that, but you get my drift.)
• 8D: Roger Maris wore it (NINE). Home town boy does good.
• 11D: Adventures (ODYSSEYS).



• 29D: Stirrup site (EAR). Who decided to name all those parts of the EAR all wacky?

• 42D: Anteater's sound effect in the comic "B.C." (ZOT). This answer came to me immediately. I guess I used to pay attention to "B.C."
• 49D: Some judges sit on them (PANELS). Because "butts" wouldn't fit.

Crosswordese 101: It's hard to believe we haven't covered ASTI yet. ASTI is an "Italian wine province" — in fact, you're likely to see exactly that clue in early-week puzzles. Today's clue is similar — 9D: Wine town near Turin. Other words that will tip you off to ASTI are Piedmont, spumante, vineyard, and Martini & Rossi. Later in the week, the clue might not mention wine at all, so tuck it away in your head as simply an Italian province too, and that will come in handy.

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

• 13D: Before (ERE).
• 27D: Scrap (ORT).
• 41D: Head lines? (EEG).

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Everything Else — 14A: Jim-dandy (A-ONE); 15A: Kachina carvers (HOPIS); 17A: Amounting to nothing (NULL); 18A: "Give me __" (A HINT); 19A: Texters do it (TYPE); 23A: __ moon (NEW); 24A: Ballot marker (X'ER); 25A: "One Good Cop" actress (RUSSO); 28A: Money in the bank, e.g. (ASSET); 37A: However (YET); 42A: Self-realization sect (ZEN); 44A: Bill (TAB); 50A: Lit up (AGLOW); 54A: Resort area near Reno (TAHOE); 55A: Org. offering jumps (AAA); 57A: First mate? (EVE); 63A: Pure and simple (MERE); 66A: Some are noble (FIRS); 67A: Head line (PART); 68A: City where de Gaulle was born (LILLE); 69A: Cameo, maybe (ROLE); 70A: Fellows (GUYS); 71A: Like Falstaff (OBESE); 72A: Cameo material (ONYX); 1D: Yogurt flavor (BANANA); 2D: They make you red in the face (ROUGES); 3D: Wedding creations (INLAWS); 4D: Get all mushy (MELT); 5D: Slice (SHARE); 6D: Hold together (COHERE); 7D: Work with a wide scope (EPIC); 10D: Place to chill (HOT TUB); 12D: Top 40 genre (POP); 21D: Hollywood "spear carrier" (EXTRA); 26D: Take in (SEE); 31D: People bend over backwards for it (LIMBO); 32D: Promising words (I DO); 33D: Save for later viewing (TIVO); 35D: Feminizing ending (-ETTE); 38D: Rushed (IN A HURRY); 39D: Put away (EAT); 40D: Composer Albéniz (ISAAC); 43D: Chunk of time (ERA); 47D: Apartment caveat (NO PETS); 48D: "My stars!" ("GEE!"); 51D: Skin wound (LESION); 52D: Too (OVERLY); 53D: Setting for many Thomas Hardy novels (WESSEX); 56D: Go along (AGREE); 59D: __ contendere (NOLO); 60D: Small quantity (DRIB); 61D: Like doodling (IDLE); 62D: Full coif (AFRO); 63D: Automaker's concern, briefly (MPG); 64D: Water under le pont (EAU).

WEDNESDAY, April 14, 2010—Gary Steinmehl

THEME: "Wash Your Bits"—Four phrases and a word end with brands of soap

The first theme entries I ran into in this puzzle began with GOLD and EBONY, so I started out thinking the theme had something to do with, I dunno, expensive things. 68-Across straightened me out pretty quickly, though.

Theme entries:

• 16A: [Ingredient in some glazed chicken wings] ORANGE ZEST. Who doesn't like a reference to ORANGE?
  
• 30A: [Dashboard tuner] (RADIO DIAL). This one is pretty flat. Most dials are round, but the typical radio's doodad is linear. Also, not sure "radio dial" quite meets the standards for crossword-worthy phrases.
  
• 37A: [1982 McCartney/Wonder hit] (EBONY AND IVORY). Video time!
  
  
  
  
• 44A: [It became Ghana in 1957] (GOLD COAST). The country called Ivory Coast uses its French name, Cote d'Ivoire. Also, Chicago's got a Gold Coast. No gold mines, but plenty of wealth all the same.
  
• 62A: One of two in a Christmas song (TURTLEDOVE). Nice use of a humorous quote to enhance the theme-revealing answer.
  
• 68A.:This puzzle's theme (SOAP). Zest, Dial, Ivory, Coast, and Dove are all brands of soap or, if you believe marketers, moisturizing bars.
  

The theme is nothing new—I've seen at least two previous soap themes. There might've also been a laundry detergent theme. But these are readily accessible to most solvers thanks to the über-familiarity of such brand names, so editors don't mind when constructors draw from that well again.

Listen, people of the internet: I hate to do this to you, but I had a weird case of the itchies so I took a Benadryl—just one! not even a full dose of two tablets!—and it is making me so sleepy. As I write this, the sun hasn't even set yet, but I'm useless here. See you in the comments lounge.

Everything Else — 1A: Talk back to (SASS); 5A: Super Bowl XXXIV winners (RAMS); 9A: Dance move (STEP); 13A: Super stars? (NOVAE); 14A: Singer Brickell (EDIE); 15A: Land of the Incas (PERU); 16A: Ingredient in some glazed chicken wings (ORANGE ZEST); 18A: Bring in (REAP); 19A: Land a plane (SET DOWN); 20A: Charlie of "Two and a Half Men" (SHEEN); 22A: Morales of "Jericho" (ESAI); 23A: Classified letters (EOE); 25A: Ming things (VASES); 28A: Throat problem (STREP); 30A: Dashboard tuner (RADIO DIAL); 33A: Hood's "piece" (GAT); 35A: Drum effect (ROLL); 36A: That, in Toledo (ESO); 37A: 1982 McCartney/Wonder hit (EBONY AND IVORY); 41A: Carte lead-in (ALA); 42A: Sanctuary section (APSE); 43A: Elongated swimmer (EEL); 44A: It became Ghana in 1957 (GOLD COAST); 47A: American revolutionary who recruited Lafayette (DEANE); 51A: Conductor Previn (ANDRE); 52A: Rice or Curry (TIM); 54A: War deity (ARES); 55A: Chicago Eight defendant Bobby (SEALE); 58A: Gold diggers? (PANNERS); 60A: "NFL Live" airer (ESPN); 62A: One of two in a Christmas song (TURTLE DOVE); 64A: Political group (BLOC); 65A: Bond's first movie foe (DR. NO); 66A: Fax predecessor (TELEX); 67A: Bad thing to take in Vegas? (BATH); 68A: This puzzle's theme (SOAP); 69A: Ladies in Mex. (SRAS.); 1D: Hurting the most (SOREST); 2D: 2009 film set in 2154 (AVATAR); 3D: City known for its zoo (SAN DIEGO); 4D: Bell-shaped lily (SEGO); 5D: Nine Inch Nails founder Trent __ (REZNOR); 6D: Punch cousin (ADE); 7D: Overlook (MISS); 8D: Father of Enos (SETH); 9D: Large ranch, say (SPREAD); 10D: More minuscule (TEENSIER); 11D: Significant time (ERA); 12D: Litter yipper (PUP); 13D: They're rubbed in Eskimo kissing (NOSES); 17D: Lea lady (EWE); 21D: Slowly developed (EVOLVED); 24D: Heartfelt (EARNEST); 26D: "Piece of cake!" ("EASY!"); 27D: __-mo replay (SLO); 29D: It'll cure anything (PANACEA); 31D: Pentagon tenant, briefly (DOD); 32D: "Would __?" (I LIE); 34D: Secretary's slip (TYPO); 37D: Tar Heel State university (ELON); 38D: Comb-over target (BALD SPOT); 39D: Big-house link (AS A); 40D: Poisonous ornamental (OLEANDER); 41D: Ottoman VIP (AGA); 45D: Soak (DRENCH); 46D: Of the highest quality (TIPTOP); 48D: Ring of color (AREOLA); 49D: Reason for shaking hands? (NERVES); 50D: Devereux's earldom (ESSEX); 53D: Prefix with content (MAL-); 56D: 1960s-'80s Fords (LTDS); 57D: Continental money (EURO); 59D: Circus safety features (NETS); 60D: Go out (EBB); 61D: Gp. that kidnapped Patty Hearst (SLA); 63D: Genetic initials (RNA).

FRIDAY, Mar. 26, 2010 — Gary Steinmehl

THEME: THE POWER OF TEN (51A: Exponential measurement, and in way, what's demonstrated in how answers were formed in 20-, 34- and 41-Across?) — "IO" (which looks like Arabic number "10") is added to the ends of familiar phrases, creating wacky phrases, which are clued wackily



Really liked this. If you're going to add a letter (or letters) to create wackiness, at least give the addition (or subtraction, or whatever) a sense of purpose, a reason for being. Puzzle needs a hook. Raison d'être! THE POWER OF TEN is a great and unexpected exclamation point for a puzzle that seemed to be merely an ADDIO puzzle. As I was solving I was imagining a line of dolls or action figures featuring IO — priestess-turned-cow of classical mythology — in various unlikely scenarios, e.g. playing cards, running a lab maze, etc.

Theme answers:

20A: Barbecue area without chairs? (STANDING PATIO)
34A: Relative value used in a scientific workplace? (LABORATORY RATIO)
41A: Small apartment for a comical septet? (SEVEN CARD STUDIO)

Best parts of the grid for me were ROMANNOSE (4D: Prominent facial feature) — because I don't think I've seen that in a grid before and it looks funny — and FINIS (32D: "Done!") — because I hear people say it but have never thought how to spell it (wanted "FINIT!" at first). FINIS looks like you wanted to put in FINISH but didn't have enough room left to, you know, FINISH. I had to deal with a couple of names I didn't know, namely (!) MOIRA (29D: Kelly of "One Tree Hill") — that show is still on the air!? How is that possible? — and EDEN (54D: 1950s British prime minister. It's 1950s day in puzzleworld today (see esp. the NYT). I did not get the memo.

Crosswordese 101: MT. IDA (31D: Highest peak on Crete: Abbr.) — can't believe we haven't even done IDA yet, let alone MTIDA. IDA and OSSA (in their MT-ed and unMT-ed versions) are crossword staples, ancient peaks that get a lot of grid play. IDA can also be a state abbrev., a Lupino, or a Morgenstern. Both peaks were sacred to gods. IDA is on Crete, whereas OSSA is well up the Peloponnesian peninusla in Thessaly.

What else?

• 1A: Sugar substitute? (DEAR) — very nice. Knew exactly what the clue was going for, trick-wise, but uncovering the pet name was still a pleasure.

• 15A: Rival rival (ALPO) — knew this was ALPO before I ever saw the clue, which is good, because ... I do not recognize "Rival" as a dog food at all.
• 17A: Hobart resident (TASMANIAN) — Tasmania also has a MT. OSSA.
• 46A: "O, gie me the ___ that has acres o' charms": Burns (LASS) — that doesn't rhyme. Saw it was Burns and wrote in LASS (had a cross or two in place). Really expected that when I looked at the clue carefully, I'd see an "ASS" rhyme.
• 66A: Chuck ___, only coach to win four Super Bowls (NOLL) — coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, who used to play (under NOLL) in Three Rivers Stadium. One of the rivers that gave the stadium its name: the OHIO (63A: One of Pittsburgh's Three Rivers).

See you Monday,
~RP

Everything Else — 1A: Sugar substitute? (DEAR); 5A: Flirtation (PASS); 9A: Travel needs, perhaps (VISAS); 14A: End of an estimate (OR SO); 15A: Rival rival (ALPO); 16A: __ coffee (IRISH); 17A: Hobart resident (TASMANIAN); 19A: Lip-smacking (TASTY); 20A: Barbecue area without chairs? (STANDING PATIO); 22A: Certain mil. member (NCO); 23A: Gray head? (LEE); 24A: Cereal ingredient (BRAN); 27A: Stallone role (RAMBO); 31A: Plant activity: Abbr. (MFG.); 34A: Relative value used in a scientific workplace? (LABORATORY RATIO); 38A: Lost a lap? (AROSE); 39A: Padre's hermana (TIA); 40A: Snacking (on) to excess (OD'ING); 41A: Small apartment for a comical septet? (SEVEN-CARD STUDIO); 44A: Before, in verse (ERE); 45A: Backspace, often (ERASE); 46A: "O, gie me the __ that has acres o' charms": Burns (LASS); 47A: Word-word link (FOR); 49A: Pres. between JAG and GC (CAA); 51A: Exponential measurement, and in a way, what's demonstrated in how answers were formed in 20-, 34- and 41-Across? (THE POWER OF TEN); 58A: Bread (MOOLA); 59A: Like clones (IDENTICAL); 61A: What an X may indicate (ERROR); 62A: Supply, as paper to a copier (FEED); 63A: One of Pittsburgh's Three Rivers (OHIO); 64A: California baseballer (GIANT); 65A: Signs (INKS); 66A: Chuck __, only coach to win four Super Bowls (NOLL); 1D: Pointillism unit (DOT); 2D: Periods of interest (ERAS); 3D: __ mgr. (ASST.); 4D: Prominent facial feature (ROMAN NOSE); 5D: Ill-fated opener of myth (PANDORA); 6D: Et __: and others (ALII); 7D: Bridge (SPAN); 8D: Berlin number (SONG); 9D: Curriculum __ (VITAE); 10D: Fit to be tied (IRATE); 11D: Spanish ayes (SÍ SÍ); 12D: Reference words (AS TO); 13D: Unassuming (SHY); 18D: Mandela's gp. (ANC); 21D: Gamer's maneuver (PLOY); 24D: Apathetic (BLASE); 25D: Harder to dig up (RARER); 26D: Upstairs (ABOVE); 28D: Fragrant oil (ATTAR); 29D: Kelly of "One Tree Hill" (MOIRA); 30D: Wire fasteners (BRADS); 31D: Highest peak on Crete: Abbr. (MT. IDA); 32D: "Done!" ("FINIS!"); 33D: "We Got the Beat" singers (GO-GOS); 35D: TV Chihuahua (REN); 36D: Baloney (ROT); 37D: Excessive flattery (ADULATION); 42D: Uno minus uno (CERO); 43D: They can ruin diets (SECONDS); 47D: Pen resident (FELON); 48D: Illusionary genre (OP ART); 50D: Back on the water (AFT); 51D: Famous Amos (TORI); 52D: Joyful group dance (HORA); 53D: Coffeehouse connection (WIFI); 54D: 1950s British prime minister (EDEN); 55D: Offend the olfactories (REEK); 56D: Empty hall effect (ECHO); 57D: Pointed fastener (NAIL); 58D: Unit of RAM (MEG); 60D: Texter's tehee (LOL).

WEDNESDAY, March 10, 2010—Gary Steinmehl

THEME: "Tie Me Up, Ty Me Down"—There are five familiar ways to spell the "tie" sound (plus the less common tye, meaning a ship's rope but used only in desperation on crosswords). Five phrases beginning with these words/names appear at the start of the theme entries.

Theme entries:

• 17A: [National sport of South Korea] (TAE KWON DO). My husband's nephews and niece have all been into tae kwon do, which is perhaps the hardest-to-spell martial art. I'll bet jujitsu/jiujitsu would be more popular if it were easier to spell.
  
• 29A: [Longtime skating partner of Randy Gardner] (TAI BABILONIA). They were big in the late '70s.
  
• 38A: [Places to order tom yum goong] (THAI RESTAURANTS). The plural is undesirable but you can't center a 14-letter answer in a 15-square space.
  
• 47A: [Host of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition"] (TY PENNINGTON). If I'm ever in the mood to have a good cry on a Sunday evening, Ty is there to help. The show is emotionally manipulative to be sure...but sometimes you just want to see a heartbreaking true story with a happy ending.
  
• 65A: [Overtime causes] (TIE SCORES). I feel like tied score and tie game are slightly more "in the language," but don't look to me for expertise in sports lingo.
  

I like the theme, but oy! The rest of this puzzle...the fill was vexing me. Not because it was hard (it wasn't) but because it had lots of uninspired fill. Now, SKEPTICAL was great (3D: [Having one's doubts]) and I like the COMRADE/JUDAISM pair, but overall I was underwhelmed by the fill. Here's why:

• French! The first (1A: PAS [__ de deux]) and last (73A: [Rimsky-Korsakov's "Le Coq __"] D'OR) Across answers are 3-letter French fill-in-the-blanks. Then there's ST. LO, the 37D: [Normandy battle site] in France, which crosses another 3-letter French FITB, JUS (35A: [Au __: menu phrase]).
  
• Crosswordese musicians! Either ENO (5D: [Ambient music composer Brian]) or ELO (44A: ["Xanadu" band, for short]) is enough. We don't need two of 'em. On the bright side, Yoko ONO took the day off.
  
  
  
  
• Classic crosswordese! 68A: NACRE/[Mother-of-pearl] has been in puzzles more than in daily life for decades. The ULNA is bad enough in its basic form, and its two accepted plurals (ULNAS, ULNAE) can vex, but 53D: ULNAR/[Of an arm bone] is creaky. There's not really any interesting way to clue a word like ULNAR. No gathering of classic crosswordese is complete without a 4-letter European river, is it? Here's the YSER (62D: [River of Flanders]). You've gotta have some sort of Eastern potentate too, be it an EMIR/AMIR/EMEER or a RAJA/RAJAH or a RANI/RANEE. This time, it's RAJA (28D: [Big Indian]).
  
• Inexplicable abbreviation! 67D is CPS, an [Early computer printer speed]. Something per second, but what? Googling...characters per second, I think. Ah, yes, the shabby old dot matrix printer days, when printing wasn't measured by the page.
  

Favorite clues:

• 15A. [Where the ecstatic walk], metaphorically, is ON AIR. Good example of how a lively clue can rescue dull fill.
  
• 23A. [Jon Stewart's "moment of __"] ZEN appears at the end of each Daily Show episode.
  
• 55A. [Caesar's unlucky number?] is 13 in Roman numerals: XIII. See what I mean about lively clueing?
  
• 22D. [Bricks unit] clues a TON, as in the phrase "it hit me like a ton of bricks."
  
• 61D. Holy cow! AERO is clued as [Musical prefix with smith?], referencing Aerosmith. Love this clue!
  

This is the Right in Rex's Wheelhouse puzzle when it comes to pictures and video, I must say. There's also his beloved Teri GARR (25D: ["Mr. Mom" actress]).

Crosswordese 101:—See XW101 links above.

Everything Else — 4A: Therapy center, for short (REHAB); 9A: Parts of fast food orders (SODAS); 14A: Four-legged bugler (ELK); 16A: Salt's "Halt!" ("AVAST!"); 19A: Having a beanpole physique (LANKY); 20A: "Baseball Tonight" station (ESPN); 21A: Year-end mall temp (SANTA); 24A: Like drive-thru orders (TO-GO); 27A: Bosom buddy (COMRADE); 33A: The Trojans of the Pac-10 (USC); 34A: Go hither and yon (ROVE); 45A: __ time: pronto (IN NO); 46A: Like some grins (SLY); 52A: 12 Tribes religion (JUDAISM); 56A: Schooner filler (ALE); 57A: One of the Yokums (PAPPY); 60A: Pre-dye shade, perhaps (GRAY); 63A: Open, in a way (UNCAP); 69A: In first place (ON TOP); 70A: Prior to, in verse (ERE); 71A: Tiny amount (TRACE); 72A: Tack room gear (REINS); 1D: "Our Gang" dog (PETE); 2D: Word of pity (ALAS); 4D: Heed the coxswain (ROW); 6D: Brinker of kiddie lit (HANS); 7D: Operatic slave girl (AIDA); 8D: Old Ford SUV (BRONCO); 9D: Sub meat (SALAMI); 10D: In vitro cells (OVA); 11D: Tony of "Who's the Boss?" (DANZA); 12D: Part of FAQ (ASKED); 13D: "Gypsy" composer Jule (STYNE); 18D: Door feature (KNOB); 26D: Instrument to which an orchestra tunes (OBOE); 29D: Word of rebuke (TUT); 30D: Big Apple tennis stadium (ASHE); 31D: Drips in an ICU (IVS); 32D: Open the door to (LET IN); 36D: Like 007's martinis (UNSTIRRED); 39D: Wee bit (IOTA); 40D: Gothic novelist Radcliffe (ANN); 41D: Operating system developed at Bell Labs (UNIX); 42D: Rice-A-__ (RONI); 43D: Roget entry: Abbr. (SYN.); 48D: "Hooray!" ("YIPPEE!"); 49D: Non-commercial TV spot (PSA); 50D: Caveat __ (EMPTOR); 51D: Computer acronym about faulty data (GIGO); 52D: Quick trip (JAUNT); 54D: Bing Crosby's primary label (DECCA); 58D: Bench material (PINE); 59D: Hairy mountain sighting (YETI); 64D: Slo-pitch path (ARC); 66D: Zak, to Ringo (SON).

THURSDAY, February 25, 2010 — Gary Steinmehl

Theme: Head to Head (to Head) — Theme answers are three-word phrases where each of the three words can precede the word head in a familiar phrase.

Theme answers:

• 17A: Detectives assigned to unsolved mysteries? (COLD-CASE HUNTERS).
• 38A: Intermission queues? (RESTROOM LINES).
• 61A: Shower gifts for brie lovers? (CHEESEBOARD SETS).
• 65A: Word that can precede each word in 17-, 38- and 61-Across (HEAD).

Super-quick write-up today. Ever since I started working again, I've been totally behind on everything. Add in a four-day escape from all my responsibilities and, yeah, I may never catch up. Speaking of the ACPT, I got a note from Andrea yesterday suggesting that I not tell you the rest of the cell-phone story. She said it's perfect just the way it is. I will divulge that the story also involves Tyler Hinman and Tony Orbach's daughter, but I think that's all I'm going to say on that one.

Liked this puzzle very much. I'm pretty sure we just had a puzzle recently where the theme worked like this one except that the theme answers were two-word phrases. I remember it because I didn't get it that the theme involved both words. *head slap* So, yeah, good theme. Theme phrases aren't sparkly at all, but I still thought it was fun to try to put them together. And the rest of the fill was very good. One or two clunkers — "Just a coupla SECS"?!? — but overall, good stuff.

Bullets:

• 16A: Court cry (OYEZ). Love this word. It always makes me think of "Night Court," which I never watched regularly and I don't even know if the bailiff (what was his name again?) ever used this particular cry.
• 26A: Quarterback Roethlisberger (BEN). Crosswords really do help you know stuff without really knowing it, right? No idea what team this guy plays for or anything, but his name popped right into my head.

• 33A: Siesta shawl (SERAPE). Let's start a new fashion trend.
• 44A: Ring setting (CIRCUS). Was listening to the PuzzleFamiliy watching "Jeopardy!" in the other room last night and heard an answer that was about a Vegas casino that was "so nice they named it twice." I blurted out "Circus Circus!" Um, no.
• 2D: Kay Thompson's impish six-year-old (ELOISE). Again with the knowing and not knowing. PuzzleHusband asked me the other day if I knew anything about this series of books. I said she lives in the Plaza Hotel. He's all, "What do you mean, lives there? Do people live there?" I don't know! I just do crossword puzzles!

• 3D: Mobile maker (CALDER).
• 29D: House call? (YEA). As in "yeas and nays." This is the only possible interpretation for this particular spelling. Yea ≠ Yeah ≠ Ya. Seriously.
• 48D: Actress Dahl (ARLENE). I don't know who this is. I'm sure someone will enlighten me in the comments.

Everything Else — 1A: Quick kiss (PECK); 5A: Bond player, seven times (MOORE); 10A: Confiscated auto (REPO); 14A: End of a fronton game? (ALAI); 15A: Back list (INDEX); 20A: Buddy boy (KIDDO); 21A: Calls, in a way (RADIOS); 22A: Waste not (USE); 23A: Navig. guide (GPS); 27A: Stable diet? (HAY); 30A: Soak through (PERMEATE); 35A: Local groups (UNIONS); 37A: Start of a theory (IDEA); 42A: Hawaii's "Valley Isle" (MAUI); 43A: Midwestern landscape (PLAINS); 47A: Carrying capacities (ARMLOADS); 51A: Pavement warning (SLO); 52A: Word processor setting (TAB); 54A: Mad Hatter's drink (TEA); 55A: Fjord relative (RIA); 56A: Like some bio majors (PRE-MED); 59A: Daphne eloped with him on "Frasier" (NILES); 66A: Crucial artery (AORTA); 67A: Regarding, to counsel (IN RE); 68A: Fesses (up) (OWNS); 69A: Watch secretly (SPY ON); 70A: "Just a coupla __" (SECS); 1D: Get ready to go (PACK UP); 4D: William the pirate (KIDD); 5D: Hamm of soccer (MIA); 6D: Switch positions (ONS); 7D: River forming part of Germany's eastern border (ODER); 8D: Betty Ford Center program (REHAB); 9D: Oozes out (EXUDES); 10D: Prefix with tiller (ROTO-); 11D: Sleeping aid (EYESHADE); 12D: A pop (PER); 13D: Jigger's 1-1/2: Abbr. (OZS); 18D: Clear and convincing (COGENT); 19D: High Court count (NINE); 24D: Poker holding (PAIR); 25D: Condescend (STOOP); 28D: Big louts (APES); 31D: Partner of words (MUSIC); 32D: Gay leader? (ENOLA); 34D: Unilever laundry soap brand (RINSO); 36D: Like a whip? (SMART); 38D: Train guide (RAIL); 39D: Continental (EUROPEAN); 40D: Gin and tonic garnish (LIME); 41D: Away from the coast (INLAND); 42D: Roast hosts, for short (MCS); 45D: Sport __: family vehicles (UTES); 46D: Equal to, with "the" (SAME AS); 49D: No-calorie cola (DIET RC); 50D: Gets fresh with (SASSES); 53D: Dizzy's jazz (BEBOP); 57D: Wine list heading (REDS); 58D: Fishing craft (DORY); 60D: Cow-horned goddess (ISIS); 61D: Comic Margaret (CHO); 62D: Cut off (HEW); 63D: From __ B: basic step (A TO); 64D: Fled or bled (RAN).