03.30 Wed

W E D N E S D A Y
March 30, 2011
James Sajdak

Theme: L.A. Law — Theme answers are familiar two-word phrases where each word begins with the letters LA.

Theme answers:

• 17A: Whip-cracking cowboy of old films (LASH LARUE).
• 21A: Ethel, to Lucy (LAND LADY).
• 35A: Sky blue (LAPIS LAZULI).
• 51A: Wax-filled illumination (LAVA LAMP).
• 56A: Victor's chuckle (LAST LAUGH).
• 29D: '80s-'90s legal drama, and this puzzle's title (L.A. LAW).

Seems like we're off to a good start this week. Today we have another well-executed cute theme that's pretty much exactly the difficulty level it needs to be for the day. I noticed quite a bit of crosswordese in the grid, so let's get that out of the way first. If you click on a link in this list, you'll be transported back in time to the first time we covered that particular crosswordese word. You might find some good information there, so check it out if you're interested.

Crosswordese 101 Round-up:

• 20A: Venetian arch shape (OGEE).
• 64A: Prince Valiant's son (ARN).
• 13D: DDE predecessor (HST).
• 33D: To be, to Brutus (ESSE).
• 37D: Pitts of "The Gale Storm Show" (ZASU).
• 52D: Banned orchard spray (ALAR).

My sparkly answers of the day include:

• 23A: Canyon-crossing transport (TRAMWAY).
• 28A: Hong Kong harbor craft (SAMPAN).
• 11D: Persian Gulf emirate (ABU DHABI).

That last one is pretty fun to say. Just say it out loud a couple times. See?

I had one of those days yesterday where it just felt like I was treading water all day and today is looking like it might be a long one too, so let's jump straight to bullets.

Bullets:

• 14A: Vietnam Veterans Memorial architect (LIN). Can't say enough about this awesome memorial. If you're ever in the DC area, it's definitely worth a look. I actually went downtown yesterday to see the cherry blossoms. Here's a picture of the Jefferson Memorial.

• 16A: Local cinemas, colloquially (NABES). I remember this word creating quite a stir over at Rex's place quite a while back. I guess it's a common term for people whose jobs entail film distribution and it might have been more widely used back in the day. Me? I learned it from a crossword puzzle.
• 29A: Field for the fold (LEA). Where, as you know, the animals might say either BAA or MOO.

• 34A: Sign before Scorpio (LIBRA). I think one of my kids might be a LIBRA. No wait, that's October, isn't it? I used to know all that zodiac mumbo-jumbo, but I sure don't any more. Plus I heard they changed it all recently so, honestly, who can keep up? (Not really sure who "they" are, but that's what I heard.)
• 43A: Titan is its largest moon (SATURN). I actually remembered this from all the times TITAN has been in the grid clued as Saturn's largest moon.

• 55A: Artist's topper (BERET).
• 24D: Mud nest builders (WASPS). With the W in place, I first tried WRENS which is … pretty dumb.
• 27D: It surrounds Lesotho: Abbr. (RSA.). Ooh, ouch. We've found our clunker of the day.
• 55D: Setting for many a joke (BAR). Love this. I have a hard time remembering jokes well enough to actually tell them, but even the phrase "So a guy walks into a bar…" makes me giggle.

• 58D: Majors in acting (LEE). PuzzleSon was sitting here a minute ago and asked me what this clue/answer pair meant. I explained it to him and thought this might be my chance to get him hooked on crosswords, but when I offered to teach him more crossword solving tricks he just groaned. Sigh.

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Everything Else — 1A: Beginning for the birds? (AVI-); 4A: Shaq on the court (O'NEAL); 9A: Beat __ to one's door (A PATH); 15A: Ramadi resident (IRAQI); 19A: Weight room sound (GRUNT); 26A: Fridge raider (NOSHER); 31A: Remote power sources? (AAA'S); 32A: Thing to blow off (STEAM); 38A: Postgrad hurdle (ORALS); 40A: "Cosmos" host (SAGAN); 41A: Lotto relative (KENO); 42A: Assure, with "up" (SEW); 48A: Most foxy (SLYEST); 50A: Landmass encompassing the Urals (EURASIA); 54A: Bombast (RANT); 59A: Conductor Previn (ANDRE); 60A: Came up (AROSE); 61A: Sargasso or Coral (SEA); 62A: Parks and others (ROSAS); 63A: Zellweger of "Chicago" (RENEE); 1D: Doles out (ALLOTS); 2D: Cialis competitor (VIAGRA); 3D: Tailor's measure (INSEAM); 4D: Van Gogh work (OIL); 5D: Gun lobby org. (NRA); 6D: Ahead of time (EARLY); 7D: Shade in the Caribbean (AQUA); 8D: Bank holding (LIEN); 9D: Saxon start (ANGLO); 10D: Chute above the beach (PARASAIL); 12D: Like some mortgages (TEN-YEAR); 18D: Rope fiber (HEMP); 22D: Paternity proof, briefly (DNA); 25D: Naysayer (ANTI); 30D: The Daily Beast, e.g. (E-MAG); 34D: Like the Islamic calendar (LUNAR); 35D: Refs' whistle holders (LANYARDS); 36D: Natural burn balm (ALOE VERA); 38D: Signs off on (OK'S); 39D: Chile __: stuffed Mexican dish (RELLENO); 42D: N.L. team managed by Tony La Russa since 1996 (STL); 44D: Scarlett's home (TARA); 45D: World Cup chant (USA USA); 46D: Horseshoes feat (RINGER); 47D: Revolutionary Hale (NATHAN); 49D: Fully fills (SATES); 50D: Hewlett-Packard rival (EPSON); 53D: Full-grown filly (MARE); 57D: Taoist Lao-__ (TSE).

02.11 Fri

F R I D A Y February 11, 2011
James Sajdak

Theme: Hide the Report Card — Familiar phrases have the letter D added to the front of the first word. Wackiness ensues.

Theme answers:

• 17A: Soundly defeat by cheating? (DRUB THE WRONG WAY).
• 25A: Gloomy Cuban? (DOUR MAN IN HAVANA).
• 46A: Discerning pub competitor? (DART CONNOISSEUR).
• 59A: What loving couples exchange? (DEAR-TO-DEAR GRINS).
• 37A: Grade that describes this puzzle's theme (D PLUS).

[I have no idea what this photo means, but it came up in my image search for D+ and I just had to share it with you.]

I had a good overall solving experience with this one. [Cue broken record] I still wish we were offered more of a challenge on Fridays, and I wonder when I'll get used to Friday puzzles having themes.

All of the original phrases are well-known and the resulting phrases, together with their clues, are for the most part clever. For some reason I'm not feeling DEAR-TO-DEAR GRINS. Is it because it's the only one with two Ds added? Or maybe because the visual I got in my head was a couple just standing there smiling at each other (for some reason kinda creepily)? In any case, this one feels off but maybe that's just because the others are so good.

My favorite entries include:

• 15A: "Amazing!" ("OH WOW!").
• 55A: Notable early student of Bela (NADIA). I wouldn't have remembered that NADIA Comaneci's coach was named Bela, but once I had a few letters in place, it came to me. I remember watching NADIA get all those 10s like it was yesterday.

• 9D: Sports logo since 1972 (SWOOSH). When I was in 8th grade, everybody wore white Nike tennis shoes with a red swoosh. Everybody. Then all of a sudden one day Mary Fercho came prancing into class wearing white Nike tennis shoes with a blue swoosh. And the world was never the same.
• 49D: Canine mascot of the National Fire Protection Association (SPARKY). Looks great in the grid and I guess it was a piece of information hanging out in my brain way back there in the cobwebs, because once I got a few crosses in place it jumped out at me.

There's a little bit more French than SethG is comfortable with in today's puzzle. I think of myself as someone who's very comfortable with the French words we see a lot in puzzles. But I didn't know any of these. Had to have a few crosses before I could reason out the rest.

• 20A: Henri's health (SANTE).
• 52A: Martyred first bishop of Paris (ST. DENIS).
• 63A: __ à feu: French gun (ARME).

More stuff to talk about:

• 1A: Part of the deal (HAND). Even after I got this answer through crosses, I was still thinking it had something to do with shaking hands at the end of a business deal or other agreement. But no, it's about dealing cards.
• 24A: Maker of the LX 150 scooter (VESPA). I hope whoever came up with the name VESPA was extremely well-compensated. That's a great name.
• 33A: Birthplace of seven presidents (OHIO). Four letters and it's probably not Utah. (Not that there's anything wrong with Utah. It's just in the wrong part of the country to be considered.)
• 50A: Cheerios (TA-TAS). Were you looking for today's clunker? Here it is. "Cheerio" and "ta-ta" are both ways of saying "good-bye." In the singular, I would have no problem with this clue/answer pair. In the plural … ugh.
• 6D: Scoreboard initials (RHE). Runs Hits Errors.

• 24D: Talking Heads song "Sax and __" (VIOLINS). Does anyone else have trouble piecing together the down answers because it's hard to read them vertically? I swear, I had **OLINS in place and couldn't see the answer. On really hard puzzles, when I have a situation like that, I'll write the answer out horizontally so I can see it better. Today, I just let the crosses take care of it for me, but it was a big D'OH moment when the answer became clear (5D: Head-slapper's cry).
• 56D: Wine partner (DINE). Couldn't get "roses" out of my head, so this took a while.
• 62D: __ Tafari (RAS). Well I definitely learned something today. I knew that Rastafarians worship Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia. But I didn't know that Haile Selassie was once known as RAS Tafari. So there ya go.

Crosswordese 101 Round-up:

• 14A: Great Plains tribe (OTOE).
• 41A: Iroquois enemies (ERIES).
• 68A: Sherpa's sighting (YETI).
• 2D: Handle for a little shaver? (ATRA).
• 13D: Eyelid malady (STYE).
• 58D: Piedmont wine region (ASTI).

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Everything Else — 5A: Little pieces, idiomatically (DRABS); 10A: Benevolent group (ELKS); 16A: House leader during Bill's presidency (NEWT); 21A: Critical (DO-OR-DIE); 22A: Lummox (OAF); 32A: Photo finish? (OPS); 34A: Drive off (REPEL); 35A: Ardor (ZEAL); 40A: "James and the Giant Peach" writer (DAHL); 43A: Start of a Durante refrain (INKA); 45A: Olympics participant since 1992, to the IOC (CRO); 51A: Music store section (POP); 64A: Carnival dance (SAMBA); 65A: Unite after a break, in a way (KNIT); 66A: Caring (KIND); 67A: Magazine for horse owners (EQUUS); 1D: Mortar carriers (HODS); 3D: Animal, vegetable or mineral (NOUN); 4D: Unsettled one? (DEBTOR); (D'OH); 7D: "How adorable!" ("AWW!"); 8D: Big name in dairy (BORDEN); 10D: Like cameos (ENGRAVED); 11D: Lascivious (LEWD); 12D: Title river in a 1957 film that won seven Oscars (KWAI); 18D: Latin lover's declaration (TE AMO); 19D: Stock term (NO PAR); 23D: Saudi royal name (FAHD); 25D: Missed out, maybe (DOZED); 26D: Met tragedy, perhaps? (OPERA); 27D: It merged with Piedmont in 1989 (USAIR); 28D: Playful bite (NIP); 29D: Swiftly (APACE); 30D: Jacket style popular with '60s rockers (NEHRU); 31D: Words that lead to nothing? (ALL OR); 36D: Educated (LETTERED); 38D: Game based on crazy eights (UNO); 39D: Card in 38-Down (SKIP); 42D: Meager (SCANT); 44D: Words after play or for (A SONG); 47D: Idle (OTIOSE); 48D: Where GOOG is traded (NASDAQ); 52D: Badlands Natl. Park site (S. DAK.); 53D: Dustin's "Tootsie" costar (TERI); 54D: Denounce (DAMN); 57D: Down but not out (IN IT); 60D: Bird in the bush? (EMU); 61D: __ Dhabi (ABU).

S A T U R D A Y December 18, 2010 James Sajdak

Theme: None

Hey, puzzle fans. Doug here, pinch-hitting for PuzzleGirl. I didn't have much trouble with today's puzzle, even though there were some unfamiliar entries in the grid: YARE, COLEUS, CALX. It's late, so I'm jumping right into the bullets.

Bullets:

• 15A: Paris jilted her for Helen (OENONE). OK, you might not believe it, but this was the first thing I wrote into the grid. Mythology is my #1 favorite thing to see in crosswords, followed by baseball and comic book references. My Achilles' heel is musical theater.
• 20A: Quick to the helm (YARE). This word pops up in crosswords every now and then, and it baffles me every time. It means: "(of a ship) quick to the helm, easily handled or maneuvered." Next time I'm at the marina, I'm going to say, "Dude, that yacht is yare!" and see if anyone knows what I'm talking about.
• 42A: Channeling device? (STEREO). A stereo has left and right channels, but can you really call it a "channeling device"? You make the call.
• 49A: O'Neill title flora: (ELMS). Eugene O'Neill's Desire Under the Elms.
• 57A: Name for lime based on its chemical composition (CALX). That's a mouthful. I had a fruity lime in mind, but that didn't make any sense. It's the kind of lime you get from limestone. Anyway, "calx" is Latin for chalk or limestone.
• 63A: Zayre department stores creation (T.J. MAXX). That's a fun entry to see in the grid. The lower right section was my favorite part of the puzzle.
• 68A: Quakers with deep roots? (ASPENS). Quaking aspens. The ELMS & ASPENS make up a nice "trees" micro-theme.

• 8D: Plant with flamboyant foilage (COLEUS). Never heard of it, but maybe we can add this crazy plant to the "trees" theme. I suspect the YARE/COLEUS crossing stumped a few solvers.
• 10D: Carroll's "slithy" thing (TOVE). Sounds kind of gross. It's from Lewis Carroll's poem "Jabberwocky," which begins "'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves / Did gyre and gimble in the wabe." Carroll might have been on some COCA (1D: Chewable stimulant) when he came up with that line.
• 11D: London hauler? (SLED DOG). Tricky! Think Jack London and The Call of the Wild. I love that book and just about everything London wrote. Awesome clue.
• 24D: Surgeon for whom a mouthwash is named (LISTER). And I guess Scope is named after the guy from the "Monkey Trial."
• 64D: Relative of Chas.? (JOS.). Chas. is short for Charles and Jos. is short for Joseph. I'd go with plain old "Joe" myself.

Everything Else — 1A: Beliefs (CREDOS); 7A: Caber throwers (SCOTSMEN); 16A: Obama's birthplace (HONOLULU); 17A: Jaguar's coat? (CAR WAX); 18A: "Two thumbs way up!" ("I LOVED IT!"); 19A: Simile center (AS AN); 22A: Ancient "Prose" and "Poetic" works (EDDAS); 23A: Autobahn sight (OPEL); 25A: Wipe the floor with, so to speak (DRUB); 27A: "__-mite!": J.J.'s exclamation on "Good Times" (DYNO); 28A: Accused (ON TRIAL); 30A: Nothing to brag about (SO-SO); 32A: "The Social Contract" author (ROUSSEAU); 34A: Product with a secret sauce (BIG MAC); 38A: Rotter (CUR); 39A: Divide, in a way (TRISECT); 41A: Purchase from Sajak (AN I); 44A: Piecemeal? (ALA CARTE); 46A: Poetic peepers (ORBS); 48A: Just about knock down the door (STORM IN); 52A: First name in design (EERO); 54A: Substantial content (MEAT); 55A: Pouts (MOUES); 59A: Fleshy-leaved plant (ALOE); 61A: Nearly die laughing (BUST A GUT); 65A: Qualifying words (AS IT WERE); 66A: Band aide (ROADIE); 67A: Took back (RECANTED); 2D: Deduce (REASON OUT); 3D: Delight beyond measure (ENRAPTURE); 4D: Drags (DOWNERS); 5D: Words before budget or mission (ON A); 6D: Hot (SEXY); 7D: Bake, as eggs (SHIRR); 9D: Plastic __ Band (ONO); 12D: Not clear (MUDDY); 13D: Boy's name seen in 2000 papers (ELIAN); 14D: Wacky (NUTSO); 21D: Dwight's two-time adversary (ADLAI); 26D: Stubby-tailed feline (BOBCAT); 28D: Tolkien meanies (ORCS); 29D: Oxygen-consuming organism (AEROBE); 31D: "Being on a __ stops me from getting Alzheimer's": Jerry Stiller (SITCOM); 33D: Third most populous nation: Abbr. (USA); 35D: Tea tray spread (MARMALADE); 36D: Immunity offerer (ANTITOXIN); 37D: Javier's hundred (CIEN); 40D: East Los Angeles bus line with a sun in its logo (EL SOL); 43D: __ Stone (ROSETTA); 45D: Welcome center freebie (AREA MAP); 47D: Tied down (SECURE); 49D: Put away for a while (EMBAR); 50D: Rotter (LOUSE); 51D: Score sheets? (MUSIC); 53D: Like most movies (RATED); 56D: Cut (SAWN); 58D: More, in adspeak (XTRA); 60D: Zsa Zsa has eight (EXES); 62D: Pick up (GET).

S A T U R D A Y October 9, 2010 James Sajdak

Theme: None


Whoa! I had all kindsa trouble with this puzzle ... but that's a good thing! This one felt like a real workout to me. I had the most trouble up in the northwest corner, so let's talk about that first.

Thank God for ELLA and DR. J — they were the only two that came easily to me up there. Other than that, I was just chipping away letter by letter. SKYJACK was the most troublesome entry for me. Why is there a question mark on that clue? Usually, a question mark means that the clue is an idiom but needs to be taken literally. The way I think about it when I'm solving is: "Okay, what's my first impression of this phrase? Well, that's not what they're getting at today. Which word in the clue do I need to look at from a different angle to get where I need to go?" But my first impression of 17A: Take a plane? was, um ... commandeering an airplane. But that can't be right! The word "plane" must be referring to the tool called a planer, or to the geometric meaning of the word. But that J is just screaming out for the word to end in JACK! But HIJACK doesn't fit! As you can tell from my representation of my thought process at the time, I was a mess.

So I lightly penciled in JACK and with the lightly penciled in S at the end of 1A, plus the last three letters of the word, I was able to see ST. KITTS. Then RICE fell into place and IN ORBIT, and EBAN. I thought the answer for 3D: Pluralis majestatis would end in the letters AE becaue it sounded all Latiny to me and I know sometimes Latin words are pluralized with AE. If I had only heard of TOWN WITHOUT PITY (27A: It lost to "Moon River" for a Best Song Oscar) everything would have gone a lot smoother. Alas, no such luck. I had the WITHOUT PITY part, but couldn't figure out the first word. That W was the last letter I entered into the grid. I'm gonna say that W stands for WICKED. ROYAL WE? That's awesome. Wicked awesome.

Bullets:

• 1A: Avid ones keep Life Lists (BIRDERS). The PuzzleParents are now BIRDERS, since they started spending half the year in Costa Rica. I don't know if they keep Life Lists though.
• 19A: Mom and pop financing gp. (SBA). Small Business Administration.
• 20A: Roger who coached eight NHL teams (NEILSON). I had no chance on this one. Got it totally through crosses. Well, crosses and an educated guess. I had also never heard of 10D: 1984 Swedish speed skating medalist SVEN Gustafson, but SVEN sounded like the right name.

• 23A: Collaborator with a Count and a Duke (ELLA). Ella Fitzgerald has collaborated with Count Basie and Duke Ellington. Cute clue.
• 26A: Peak in Thessaly (OSSA). I don't know where Thessaly is, so I tried ALPE first. Late in the week, sometimes you just have to flat-out guess and hope it leads to something.
• 35A: Dr. Ray Langston's TV team (CSI). Another educated guess. I don't watch the show(s) but it came to mind anyway.
• 39A: Puget Sound port (TACOMA). I always have to consciously think about how to spell TACOMA, Washington, because there's a TAKOMA Park, Maryland nearby. (Hi, Vega!)

• 42A: 1964 Record of the Year Grammy winner, with "The" (GIRL FROM IPANEMA). This one brings back nice memories for me. When I lived in New York back in the mid-80s, I partnered up with a young woman who had (and still has) an unbelievable voice (I played piano). We'd do covers at open mic nights in dive bars around the city and this was one of our songs. Good times.
• 45A: Sub. for omitted names (ET AL.). I actually tried NMIS here first, which is something I learned from crosswords (it stands for No Middle Initial).
• 47A: Library Card Sign-up mo. (SEPT.). Guessed on this one too. I mean, it's when school starts so I think it makes sense!
• 49A: French lover? (AMATEUR). I don't know what this means.
• 59A: Not told (UNAWARE). This was another part-of-speech trip-up for me. No wait, not part of speech ... I'm not sure how to explain it grammatically, but I thought the answer would be a word describing the information that wasn't told, not the person who the information wasn't told ro. (Not a part-of-speech issue because both of those words would be adjectives. Yeah, I still got it.)
• 4D: Court physician? (DR. J). DR. J is the nickname of Julius Erving, former pro basketball player (who played on a basketball court — get it?).
• 12D: Golfer's 2-wood (BRASSIE). I'm sure all you golfers got this one right off. I don't recall hearing this term before.
• 24D: Colonial mound (ANTHILL). Because ants live in a colony.
• 28D: "A Room of One's Own" author (WOOLF). Gimme gimme gimme! Woo-hoo! (finally)

• 38D: Some Iberian inns (POSADAS).
• 40D: Mongoose family member (MEERKAT). Reference to MEERKATs always remind me of Life of Pi. It was MEERKATs on that island, wasn't it?
• 41D: Antique oil holder (AMPHORA). Whatever you say.
• 42D: Magazine whose debut issue featured a cover photo of Cindy Crawford dressed as Washington (GEORGE). I vaguely remember this magazine. I believe it came out in the mid-90s and was started up by ... JFK Jr.? Can that be right? Let me look it up. ... Yep, JFK Jr. and 1995.
• 43D: Comb breaker, perhaps (MAT). Does this mean MATted hair breaks a comb? That's the only way I can make sense of it. And why isn't this a wrestling clue??
• 57D: USN rank (CWO). CWO? WTF? Oh, Chief Warrant Officer. Learn something new Every. Damn. Day.

Crosswordese 101: Eric UTNE was co-founder, with Nina Rothschild, of the Utne Reader, a magazine that is, according to its website, a digest "of independent ideas and alternative culture. Not right, not left, but forward thinking." The word/name/title is typically clued just like today, 51D: Big name in alternative press.

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

• 53A: Frat letter (RHO).
• 9D: River through Aragon (EBRO).
• 11D: Hammett's Spade, e.g. (TEC).

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Everything Else — 8A: Weapons restriction of a sort (TEST BAN); 15A: Circling (IN ORBIT); 16A: Coin's "heads" (OBVERSE); 18A: Formed before delivery, as concrete (PRECAST); 22A: Taste (SIP); 25A: Dance genre (TAP); 32A: View from Jackson Hole (TETONS); 33A: Safe portfolio investments (T-NOTES); 34A: Ad-committee link (HOC); 36A: Come to a head (BOIL UP); 46A: Hammett's Spade (SAM); 48A: Like some painkillers, briefly (OTC); 53A: Frat letter (RHO); 54A: Told (RELATED); 56A: Easily attached (STICK-ON); 58A: Island north of Trinidad (GRENADA); 60A: Sect linked to the Dead Sea Scrolls (ESSENES); 61A: Jai alai balls (PELOTAS); 1D: "Bullitt" co-star (BISSET); 2D: Therapy aid (INK BLOT); 5D: "Personal Witness: Israel Through My Eyes" author (EBAN); 6D: Potatoes alternative (RICE); 7D: Nevis neighbor (ST. KITTS); 8D: Leadership position (TOP SPOT); 9D: River through Aragon (EBRO); 11D: Hammett's Spade, e.g. (TEC); 13D: Rink stats (ASSISTS); 14D: Working capital? (NET PAY); 21D: __-di-dah (LAH); 26D: Sunroof and CD changer, e.g. (OPTIONS); 29D: Arouse, as wrath (INCUR); 30D: Open without a corkscrew (UNCAP); 31D: 1900 Puccini premiere (TOSCA); 36D: Pink Gin ingredient (BITTERS); 37D: Sources of ambiguous answers (ORACLES); 39D: "Pencils down" (TIME'S UP); 44D: Makes up (for) (ATONES); 49D: __ end (AT AN); 50D: Early Iranian (MEDE); 51D: Big name in alternative press (UTNE); 52D: Shiraz spending money (RIAL); 55D: Suffix with oct- (ANE).

W E D N E S D A Y September 22, 2010 James Sajdak

Theme: Har-dee-har-har — Theme answers are props traditionally used in slapstick comedy routines.


Theme answers:

• 17A: *Coconut dessert (CUSTARD PIE).
• 23A: *Facetious name for a fund-raising circuit entrée (RUBBER CHICKEN).
• 46A: *Mixer holder (SELTZER BOTTLE).
• 57A: *Yellow slipper? (BANANA PEEL).
• 36A: Where it's laughable to see the answers to starred clues (SLAPSTICK COMEDY).

I have to admit, I was a little distracted while I was solving this puzzle. I found out that I made a stupid mistake in my job interview and even though I'm likely to get an offer, it probably won't be at the salary I was hoping for. Oh well. Live and learn. In any case, it will be more than I'm making now (which is zero) so if I want to look at the bright side, there definitely is one to look at.

Although there isn't anything super exciting about this theme, it did bring to mind funny scenes of physical comedy that made me chuckle. Whenever I think about this kind of comedy I remember seeing Marlo Thomas on the Letterman show many years ago demonstrating a spit-take (which, of course, her dad was famous for). I've never been able to find the clip though. It was hilarious. This is about the closest thing I could find:



I had a little trouble up in the northeast corner because I misspelled ORECK as "Orick" (11D: Vacuum shown lifting a bowling ball in TV ads). With that I and the two Ns in place, I decided the 19A: State bordering eight others: Abbr. must be MINNesota. Which is a terrible, terrible answer for many reasons including the fact that it's not true. (Of course, the correct answer is TENNessee.)

Bullets:

• 5A: Fall, as home prices (SLUMP). I usually think of SLUMP as a noun ("The housing market is in a slump") but I guess this works too.
• 40A: Old curse word (POX). Okay, I know I say this all the time but seriously: This is an awesome word and we should all use it as often as possible. "A POX on both your houses!"
• 53A: TV channels 2 to 13 (VHF). I can never remember the difference between UHF and VHF.
• 56A: Lisa's title (MONA). Wait, what? MONA is a title? Hold on …. Sure enough! "Mona" is a "polite form of address" that comes from "madonna" which comes from the Italian "ma donna" ("my lady"). The things you learn!

• 3D: "Don't worry about it!" ("JUST RELAX!").
• 8D: Printemps month (MAI). French!
• 10D: Like smart phones, e.g. (HI-TECH). PuzzleHusband recently purchased a Droid phone. It's a very very smart phone. As it happens, way too smart for PuzzleHusband.
• 24D: Sch. near the Rio Grande (UTEP). University of Texas El Paso. Do you think this should go in CW101 someday? I never think of it as crosswordese because I lived near El Paso for several years. But I would imagine for people in the rest of the country it's not a real big-name college.
• 26D: '50s Red Scare gp. (HUAC). House Un-American Activities Committee.
• 32D: Assure victory in, slangily (ICE). I'm pretty sure I've never heard this particular usage.
• 35D: Bridge assents (AYES). This clue refers to the bridge on a ship, not the card game or whatever other kind of bridge you might have been thinking about.
• 39D: Keyboardist Saunders who collaborated with Jerry Garcia (MERL). Wow. Never heard of this guy! Got him totally through crosses.

Crosswordese 101: An AIT is exactly what today's clue says it is — a 4D: River isle. Typical clues for AIT include "Small island," "River islet," "Spot in a river," and "Island in the Thames."

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

• 31A: Kuwaiti currency (DINAR).
• 42A: Canal that Sal worked on, in song (ERIE).
• 62A: Janis's comics mate (ARLO).
• 38D: Container allowance (TARE).
• 48D: Hawaii's Pineapple Island (LANAI).

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Everything Else — 1A: Cabo locale (BAJA); 10A: Havana howdy (HOLA); 14A: Distant start? (EQUI-); 15A: Insured patient's med cost (COPAY); 16A: Mideast nation (IRAN); 20A: Krazy of comics (KAT); 21A: Backsliding event? (LUGE); 22A: Tourist attraction (MECCA); 27A: Some campus sisters (THETAS); 29A: Big repair bill reaction (OUCH); 30A: "Hee Haw" prop (BALE); 33A: Fairy tale legume (PEA); 41A: Overhangs (EAVES); 43A: Stud farm stud (SIRE); 44A: Groundbreakers (FIRSTS); 51A: Mindful (AWARE); 52A: Rankles (IRKS); 60A: "Agreed!" ("OKAY!"); 61A: Put an __: stop (END TO); 63A: Sale caution (AS IS); 64A: County northeast of London (ESSEX); 65A: Oceanic flora (KELP); 1D: Eponymous German brewer Heinrich (BECK); 2D: Caribbean color (AQUA); 5D: Surgical coverage? (SCRUBS); 6D: Raccoon ___, "The Honeymooners" fraternal group (LODGE); 7D: Like some echelons (UPPER); 9D: Joe-__ weed: herbal remedy (PYE); 12D: Tilting pole (LANCE); 13D: 1997-2006 UN leader (ANNAN); 18D: Goya's "Duchess of __" (ALBA); 22D: Prefix with scope (MICRO-); 25D: Bops (CONKS); 27D: Kitchen meas. (TBSP.); 28D: Saintly circle (HALO); 31D: One going down (DIVER); 33D: Gut it out (PERSEVERE); 34D: Cut out, say (EDIT); 37D: Take by force (SEIZE); 43D: Range rovers? (STRAYS); 44D: Loc. with billions in bullion (FT. KNOX); 45D: "__ girl!" (IT'S A); 46D: Island where Robert Louis Stevenson died (SAMOA); 47D: Furry Endor inhabitants (EWOKS); 49D: Pickles (BINDS); 50D: Speak formally (ORATE); 54D: War, to Sherman (HELL); 55D: Hardly a big ticket-seller (FLOP); 57D: Sewing circle (BEE); 58D: T or F, on tests (ANS.); 59D: Karachi's country: Abbr. (PAK.).

M O N D A Y August 30, 2010 James Sajdak

Theme: The Kennedy Boys — Theme answers are familiar phrases that start with the names of the political Kennedy brothers.


Theme answers:

• 20A: Mister Fixit (JACK OF ALL TRADES).
• 30A: Footwear often turned down at the ankle (BOBBY SOCKS).
• 41A: Tots' furry sleeping companions (TEDDY BEARS).
• 54A: Hyannis Port site where the starts of 20-, 30- and 41-Across were often found (KENNEDY COMPOUND).

Simple theme that I haven't seen before, straightforward clues, no clunkers, and a couple of stumbling blocks that didn't take long to work themselves out. Yep, it's an enjoyable Monday puzzle alright.

Bullets:

• 1A: Stringed instrument that may be taller than its player (HARP). Started with BASS.
• 46A: Jazz combo rhythm providers (DRUMS). I don't know why, but that clue cracks me up. I think because it's so specific.
• 60A: Hippo ending (-DROME). Because -POTAMUS wouldn't fit.
• 63A: Loudness units (SONES). I can never remember this word. I always want it to be "decibels" and it never is.
• 1D: Pilgrim to Mecca (HADJI). We've covered HADJ in CW101, so maybe that helped you here.
• 4D: Gdansk dance (POLKA). When I was 15 I danced a rollicking polka with the governor of North Dakota, Art Link. I've never danced a polka since. And I don't need to because that one time was awesome.
• 18D: Hungarian dessert wines (TOKAYS). Never heard of this. Got it totally through crosses.

• 51D: David of the PGA (DUVAL). We haven't heard much from DUVAL in the last several years, but I'm still hoping he gets his mojo back sometime soon.

Crosswordese 101: Mt. ETNA is Europe's largest and highest active volcano. It's in Sicily, near both Taormina and Catania. "Volcano words" you can look for in clues for ETNA include erupter, spewer, smoker, and spouter. Or, the clue might just come right out and say it's a volcano, like today's 6D: Italian volcano.

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

• 15A: Native Nebraskan (OTOE).
• 37A: Qatari chieftains (EMIRS).
• 65A: Israeli airline (EL AL).
• 12D: Fencing sword (ÉPÉE).
• 27D: Bear, to Brutus (URSA).
• 31D: Sharif of "Doctor Zhivago" (OMAR).
• 55D: River through Spain (EBRO).

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Everything Else — 5A: Left the room (WENT); 9A: Defame in print (LIBEL); 14A: Chevy subcompact since 2004 (AVEO); 16A: Slip away to tie the knot (ELOPE); 17A: Phone sounds (DIAL TONES); 19A: "Manhattan" director Woody (ALLEN); 22A: What you eat, to a dietitian (INTAKE); 23A: Canonized person (SAINT); 24A: Gallery fare (ART); 26A: Prefix with intellectual (PSEUDO-); 36A: Vicinity (AREA); 38A: __ kwon do (TAE); 39A: Valued possession (ASSET); 40A: It means nothing to a Nicaraguan (NADA); 43A: Totally soak (DRENCH); 45A: Sun. church delivery (SER.); 49A: Ice cream treat (SUNDAE); 58A: Skyscraper girder (I-BEAM); 59A: Clan members (RELATIVES); 61A: Shave-haircut link (AND A); 62A: Like valuable stamps (RARE); 64A: Appear to be (SEEM); 2D: Birdlike (AVIAN); 3D: Jerk or frown, e.g. (REACT); 5D: Low-frequency speakers (WOOFERS); 7D: Carols (NOELS); 8D: Onetime Edison rival Nikola (TESLA); 9D: Absorbs the lesson (LEARNS); 10D: Anxious (ILL AT EASE); 11D: Like headline typefaces (BOLD); 13D: Camera's focusing device (LENS); 21D: Pointers (TIPS); 25D: Shopper's carryall (TOTE); 28D: Bambi and kin (DEER); 29D: Cheerios grain (OATS); 30D: Give a little (BEND); 32D: Wait (BIDE); 33D: Nongeneric, as a drug (BRAND NAME); 34D: Gentleman's opposite (CAD); 35D: Sneakers since 1916 (KEDS); 39D: Discourteously curt (ABRUPT); 41D: Dull impact sound (THUD); 42D: Polite response to Mother (YES MA'AM); 44D: Heavy liqueurs (CREMES); 47D: Breckinridge and Hess (MYRAS); 48D: Act division (SCENE); 50D: Bête __ (NOIRE); 52D: End of __ (AN ERA); 53D: Memorable '50s lemon (EDSEL); 54D: Jokes with (KIDS); 56D: Strip lighting (NEON); 57D: Quaint shoppe word (OLDE).

TUESDAY, June 1, 2010 — James Sajdak

Theme: The Four Seasons — Each theme answer is a person or a place that ends in a plural of one of the four seasons.


Theme answers:

• 17A: City near the base of Pikes Peak (COLORADO SPRINGS).
• 28A: National Economic Counsel [sic] director (LARRY SUMMERS).
• 47A: Where to board the Maid of the Mist tour boat (NIAGARA FALLS).
• 61A: 1999 recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor (JONATHAN WINTERS).

Happy June everyone. I hope you had a nice holiday weekend and are ready to get back in the swing of puzzling. As you may know, Rex and Amy have retired from this blog — what with their own blogs and everything, I can't say I blame them — and from now on it's just you and me. So. There are gonna be some changes around here! First of all ... oh never mind, I can't think of anything. I just hope you'll all stay.

I've been a little nervous about this day and was hoping I'd be able to start my solo career with an awesome puzzle. Unfortunately ….

Don't get me wrong, this is a perfectly serviceable Tuesday puzzle. I'm just a little disappointed with the theme because we've seen it so recently. Not even three months ago! And with two of the same theme answers! And even then it wasn't new. Back in 2007, we saw it with three of the same theme answers. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know that's the NYT and not the LAT, but I don't think that makes a difference. It's been done. Twice in the last three years. Now, if this iteration of the theme had done something special, I would be more forgiving. Or if it had been, say, ten years since it had been done. But three of the four theme answers are recycled? Within a three-year period?! Sorry. That just doesn't do it for me.

Did I like anything about the puzzle? Why, yes. Yes, I did.

Highlights:

• 15A: Brazilian-themed Vegas casino, with "The" (RIO). I can't say that I've heard of that particular casino, but it was easy to pick it up. I like how it's paired with 45A: Indian-themed Atlantic City casino, with "The" (TAJ).

• 39A: Rye bread seed (CARAWAY). It doesn't seem like this is something I should know, but I did. According to the cruciverb.com data base, it's only appeared once before in the LAT.
• 43A: Barber's blade (RAZOR). Nothing really sparkly about the clue, but I'm always happy to see some Scrabbliness. See also 41D: "Stronger than dirt!" cleanser (AJAX).
• 55A: NHL stat (PTS.). I've never paid any attention to hockey at all, so I thought I was a goner here. Little did I know, the answer would be something simple like "points," which could have been clued in relation to just about any sport.
• 67A: New Mexico ski resort (TAOS). Beautiful place. Beautiful word.

• 7D: It may be Olympic-size (POOL). We spent the whole day at the pool yesterday and it was a blast. Looking forward to more pool days this summer!
• 11D: Goes for the gold (MINES). I like how 7D gets my brain thinking about the Olympics and then 11D comes along and tricks me.

Crosswordese 101: "Ronny" Howard played OPIE (14A: Bee's grandnephew) in the 1960s television sitcom "The Andy Griffith Show." Andy Griffith played Sheriff Andy Taylor, Opie's father, and Aunt Bee, played by Frances Bavier, was Andy's aunt. (And yes, her name is spelled Bee, not Bea!) The program took place in the fictional Mayberry, North Carolina. If you can remember all that, and that OPIE has red hair, you should be able to decipher his clues with no problem. Whistling the theme song is not required.


I'll see you all back here tomorrow. In the meantime, have at it in the comments.

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Everything Else — 1A: Cry out loud (BAWL); 5A: Pain for a sitter (IMP); 8A: Presumed evolutionary link (APEMAN); 16A: Like the sea (SALINE); 20A: Increase by (ADD TO); 21A: Floral greeting (LEI); 22A: Trial (TEST); 23A: Letters that get things moving (ASAP); 26A: One with a brush (ARTIST); 32A: Saharan (ARID); 33A: Prefix with state or sect (TRI-); 34A: Make eyes pop and jaws drop (AMAZE); 38A: Producer's dream (HIT); 42A: Gentle bear (BEN); 46A: Star's part (LEAD); 51A: Horse house (STABLE); 53A: Final, e.g. (EXAM); 54A: Nailed, as a 53-Across (ACED); 57A: "Get a load of that!" ("WOWIE!"); 65A: Tenor Bocelli (ANDREA); 66A: NASA thumbs-up (AOK); 68A: Puts back to zero (RESETS); 69A: "Golly" ("GEE"); 70A: A.D. part (ANNO); 1D: Lauderdale neighbor (BOCA); 2D: Like two peas in __ (A POD); 3D: Untamed (WILD); 4D: Workout wear (LEOTARD); 5D: 401(k) alternative, briefly (IRA); 6D: Central (MID); 8D: Seek ambitiously (ASPIRE); 9D: Golf pros often break it (PAR); 10D: Upper-class rule (ELITISM); 12D: Common Woody Allen theme (ANGST); 13D: Home in a tree (NEST); 18D: Like a bright future (ROSY); 19D: Clothing line? (SEAM); 24D: Nick and Nora's clue sniffer (ASTA); 25D: Manx murmur (PURR); 27D: Busboy's aid (TRAY); 28D: Cowardly Lion player (LAHR); 29D: Evidence of Sills' skills (ARIA); 30D: Nabisco cracker (RITZ); 31D: Mazda two-seater (MIATA); 35D: Eve's second (ABEL); 36D: Fervor (ZEAL); 37D: Discontinues (ENDS); 39D: Nursery bed (CRIB); 40D: Soft or hard attachment (-WARE); 44D: How some hotdogging is done (ON A DARE); 46D: "Raging Bull" boxer Jake (LAMOTTA); 48D: Top dogs (ALPHAS); 49D: "__ move on!" (GET A); 50D: Young deer (FAWN); 51D: Tea cart treat (SCONE); 52D: Watches over (TENDS); 54D: Close to closed (AJAR); 56D: Stocking problem (SNAG); 58D: Teach not to rely on, with "from" (WEAN); 59D: Wrinkle remover (IRON); 62D: Hanoi holiday (TET); 63D: Job's lot? (WOE); 64D: '50s presidential moniker (IKE).

THURSDAY, April 29, 2010 — James Sajdak

Theme: "Hooooo" — Theme answers are two-word phrases with the letter string OWL hidding within them.


Theme answers:

• 20A: Indoor gardener's tool (GROW LIGHT).
• 28A: Big drinker's "secret" (HOLLOW LEG).
• 33A: Tutor's charge (SLOW LEARNER).
• 43A: Golden retriever? (YELLOW LAB).
• 54A: Hard-to-see critters lurking in 20-, 28-, 33- and 43-Across (NIGHT OWLS).

For some reason, I was just not feeling this puzzle. Seems like every section was a struggle. I even thought there might be a rebus for a while until I remembered that the L.A. Times doesn't do rebuses. Maybe it's because I started out sure that 1-Across would be DOVE and not DIAL (1A: Ivory alternative). When the downs in the NW corner aren't working, that kinda throws me off. With the -DI- in plase at 1-Down, I couldn't see DINGBAT (1D: Birdbrain) because I couldn't get DIMWIT out of my head even though it didn't fit. Also, BOO (23A: "Eek!" elicitor) was completely eluding me because, again, my first though — MOUSE — just wouldn't fit.

The theme is okay, although not terribly sparkly. GROW LIGHT is kinda of cool. Makes me think of illicit plants being grown in a locked room in a basement. Just me? Okay, whatever. I don't love seeing SLOW LEARNER in the grid. It's a legitimate phrase, but it seems kind of … crass. Cluing a dog with a "?"-clue of another type of dog? I can't decide if that's cute or not.

Eventually I worked everything out and did feel a sense of accomplishment but it just seemed hard for me and not necessarily fun.

I'm off to California for the Crosswords L.A. tournament tomorrow. Hope to see some of you there!

Crosswordese 101: 4D: Movie mogul Marcus LOEW is the founder of Loews Theatres and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). And that's pretty much all you need to know about him for crossword puzzle purposes.

Everything Else — 5A: Lumps of earth (CLODS); 10A: They're full of beans (PODS); 14A: In that event (IF SO); 15A: Center (HEART); 16A: Stat start (RHEO-); 17A: What the hyphen in an emoticon represents (NOSE); 18A: Like many microbrews (ON TAP); 19A: Actor McGregor (EWAN); 22A: Vigilant (ALERT); 24A: __ Vandelay, recurring fake "Seinfeld" character who turns out to be a real judge in the final episode (ART); 25A: Reagan court appointee (SCALIA); 26A: Wing, perhaps (ANNEX); 31A: Greenish blue (TEAL); 32A: Come down hard (POUR); 39A: Churlish sort (BOOR); 40A: Piano, to a pianist (SOFT); 48A: __ d'Alene (COEUR); 49A: Hardy and North (OLLIES); 50A: It brought Hope to the troops: Abbr. (USO); 52A: Sign of peace (VEE); 53A: Dr. J's alma mater (U. MASS.); 57A: Milquetoast (WIMP); 58A: String quartet part (VIOLA); 59A: Like Granny Smith apples (TART); 60A: Wrath, in a classic hymn (IRAE); 61A: Played a part (ACTED); 62A: Object of adoration (IDOL); 63A: Former OTC watchdog (NASD); 64A: Visibly moved (TEARY); 65A: Give up (CEDE); 2D: Start of an opinion (I FOR ONE); 3D: Right after (AS SOON AS); 5D: Gospel singers (CHOIR); 6D: Pool measure (LENGTH); 7D: Curse (OATH); 8D: "Curses!" ("DRAT!"); 9D: NASCAR sponsor (STP); 10D: Course for a budding DA (PRE-LAW); 11D: Words of resignation (OH WELL); 12D: Sweetheart (DEARIE); 13D: "In America" novelist Susan (SONTAG); 21D: Loose (LAX); 22D: Squash variety (ACORN); 25D: Talk like thish (SLUR); 27D: Pipe fitting (ELL); 29D: "William Tell," e.g. (OPERA); 30D: Mauna __ (LOA); 34D: Wind section (OBOES); 35D: Astounds (WOWS); 36D: Cybercackle (LOL); 37D: Pedro's "that" (ESO); 38D: 1973 landmark case (ROE V. WADE); 41D: Nuclear reactor component (FUEL ROD); 42D: Amtrak canyon crosser (TRESTLE); 43D: "I give up" ("YOU WIN"); 44D: New York city where Mark Twain is buried (ELMIRA); 45D: Pack animals (LLAMAS); 46D: Talked like thith (LISPED); 47D: Base player? (BUGLER); 48D: Base bunk (COT); 51D: Not on the up and up (SHADY); 54D: "Good one!" ("NICE!"); 55D: Scintilla (IOTA); 56D: Narc suffix (-OTIC); 58D: Vintner's container (VAT).

THURSDAY, February 4, 2010 — James Sajdak

Theme: Distraction — The theme is a witty quotation.

Theme answers:

• 17A: Start of a quote (DID YOU EVER).
• 23A: Quote, part 2 (STOP TO THINK).
• 51A: Quote, part 3 (AND FORGET TO).
• 60A: End of the quote (START AGAIN).
• 38A: Author of the quote (A. A. MILNE).

I know a lot of people hate quote puzzles. Other people love them. Okay, I've never actually heard anyone say they love them. But some people aren't bothered by them. I kinda like them once in a while. I think the quote puzzles I really like are the ones where I've never heard the quote before (so solving it is really satisfying) or when I know the quote really well (so I feel like I'm totally cool and in on the joke). The ones that aren't so great for me are they ones where I go, "Oh. Yeah. I've heard that before. But didn't really remember it. Because it wasn't all that funny." This is one of those quotes for me. But, ya know what? I liked the puzzle just fine anyway. I'm not really complaining — even though it might seem like I am — I'm just laying out my thought process for you. Probably in more detail than you really care about but, hey! It's my blog! I can do what I want!

Let's see what else I want to talk about:

• 5A: Grass surfaces (TURFS). Oh the turf wars my husband and his gang, Los Nortaños, are involved in. Things are rough here in the burbs.
• 16A: Like undecorated walls (BARE). Also like Old Mother Hubbard's cupboard. Not sure why I'm bringing that up except it's what popped into my mind.

• 30A: It's gnus to the lions (PREY). HAha! An animal pun!
• 44A: Curly poker? (MOE). I'm not much of a Stooge fan, but I understand they are very popular. See also 45D: Curly group? (STOOGES).
• 46A: Ragtime piece that became Vincent Lopez's theme (NOLA). Who the heck is Vincent Lopez? Hold on, I'll look it up. ... He was a big band leader in the 1920s.
• 59A: Cuernavaca crowd? (TRES). In Cuernavaca they speak Spanish. In Spanish, tres = three. And everyone knows that "three's a crowd."
• 67A: Doesn't put anything away for a while? (FASTS). It seems like I've been seeing this "put away" = "eat" riff a lot lately, so this one came to me no problem.

• 1D: Six-time Emmy winner Alan (ALDA). He also seems to be quite popular in puzzles these days.
• 10D: Good time for a beachcomber (EBB TIDE). Started out with low tide until the crosses fixed it.
• 11D: "Splish Splash" singer (DARIN). I honestly can't think of this song without picturing Potsy singing it. That's sad.
• 50D: "__ girl!" (ATTA). Yesterday was National Girls and Women in Sports Day. So "ATTA girl!" to all you female athletes out there!
• 53D: Up for __ (GRABS). I had "OH YAY!" for "OH BOY!" at [64A: "Whoopee!"], which gave me "Up for GRAYS" here. Took me a while to sort that out.

• 57D: Cautionary data entry acronym (GIGO). Garbage in, garbage out. Apparently GIGO is also the brand-name of a line of men's underwear. I found that out when I went looking for images to include. I'm not going to include any of those.
• 61D: Twaddle (ROT). The word twaddle sounds dirty to me.

Crosswordese 101: This is going to be a very short lesson. YEGG is another word for safecracker. I don't know where this word comes from or how it came to have the meaning it does. I just know that YEGG means safecracker. And that has been enough to help me out in a few puzzles!

Everything Else — 1A: Clip contents (AMMO); 10A: Whirlpool (EDDY); 14A: Wagered (LAID); 15A: Slanted (ATILT); 19A: Slammer at sea (BRIG); 20A: VIP roster (A-LIST); 21A: With no margin for error (EXACTING); 26A: Grifter's easy mark (LIVE ONE); 29A: Prohibition action (RAID); 31A: Prohibition __ (ERA); 33A: Pilgrim's destination (MECCA); 37A: Understood (GOT); 41A: Greet warmly (HUG); 42A: Photographer Adams (ANSEL); 45A: Geisha's cupful (SAKE); 49A: Hit, as flies (SWATTED); 54A: Quivering (AFLUTTER); 55A: Salad bar pair (TONGS); 63A: Raced (TORE); 65A: Logician's word (ERGO); 66A: Empire until 1991: Abbr. (USSR); 68A: Harbor hauler (SCOW); 2D: Send (MAIL); 3D: Skirt length (MIDI); 4D: Homeric inspiration for Joyce's "Ulysses" (ODYSSEY); 5D: Ancient cross shape (TAU); 6D: Beehive State native (UTE); 7D: Bit of bridge-building hardware (RIVET); 8D: Biceps, e.g. (FLEXOR); 9D: Sedimentary rock layers (STRATA); 12D: Manhattan, for one (DRINK); 13D: Safecracker (YEGG); 18D: Name of four Holy Roman emperors (OTTO); 22D: Doorbell sound (CHIME); 24D: Four-F's opposite, in the draft (ONE-A); 25D: Wave maker (PERM); 26D: Women's links gp. (LPGA); 27D: Pressing need? (IRON); 28D: Examiners of boxers (VETS); 32D: Objective (AIM); 34D: Make small talk (CHAT); 35D: Greek salad slice, briefly (CUKE); 36D: Like good bourbon (AGED); 38D: High, as a kite (ALOFT); 39D: Get rid of (LOSE); 40D: Ex-Speaker Gingrich (NEWT); 43D: Retail computer buyer, e.g. (END USER); 47D: Much (LOTS OF); 48D: First name in soul (ARETHA); 51D: Jackson 5 dos (AFROS); 52D: 'Stros, for example (NLERS); 54D: Alaskan island closer to Russia than to Alaska (ATTU); 56D: DEA raider (NARC); 58D: Winter blanket (SNOW); 62D: Baseball's Cobb and Cline (TYS).