04.03 Sun (calendar)

S U N D A Y
April 3, 2011 (calendar)
Merl Reagle

[Note: This is the puzzle that appears in the Sunday L.A. Times newspaper. If you don't get the paper, you can find the puzzle here. Scroll down to see today's syndicated puzzle.]

Theme: "Infomercially Yours" — Each theme answer is a portmanteau word — a word created from blending two other words.

Theme answers:

• 13A: War fare? * (SPAM).
• 29A: 2004 Tea Leoni film * (SPANGLISH).
• 31A: "Great!" * (FANTABULOUS).
• 37A: Its rules are "sketchy" * (PICTIONARY).
• 56A: Client-sponsored article * (ADVERTORIAL).
• 60A: A steady increase in prices and unemployment * (STAGFLATION).
• 70A: Radio-and-TV event * (SIMULCAST).
• 73A: Video buy * (CAMCORDER).
• 89A: Middle-of-the-road type? * (REPUBLICRAT).
• 92A: "Sesame Street," e.g. * (EDUTAINMENT).
• 102A: Lover of Godiva * (CHOCOHOLIC).
• 113A: Starbucks offering * (FRAPPUCCINO).
• 117A: Cajun dish involving three types of poultry (and pretty high on the list of "worst food names ever") * (TURDUCKEN).
• 127A: That letdown feeling after the hype * (ANTICIPOINTMENT).
• 135A: EPA concern * (SMOG).
• 22A: Term for each of the 15 asterisked theme answers in this puzzle (PORTMANTEAU WORD).

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Everything Else — 1A: Cine or cyclo ending (-RAMA); 5A: Final farewell of a sort (OBIT); 9A: Stage-door Johnny? (DEPP); 17A: "___ your side" (I'M ON); 18A: Patna princesses (RANIS); 20A: Venetian arch feature (OGEE); 21A: Famed Memphis street (BEALE); 25A: Butz and Scruggs (EARLS); 26A: Magnetite, e.g. (ORE); 27A: Deli fave (BLT); 28A: Auth. who died in Samoa (RLS); 34A: "Ask ___ ..." (NOT); 35A: Slice of ice (FLOE); 36A: August hrs., in Augusta (EDT); 44A: Premiere (DEBUT); 48A: Astrologer Sydney (OMARR); 50A: "Not guilty," e.g. (PLEA); 51A: Continuing story line (ARC); 54A: Foul-smelling (FETID); 63A: Drop like a roc? (SWOOP); 64A: A crowd, in Cremona? (TRE); 65A: Of punishment (PENAL); 66A: 1950s toothpaste brand (IPANA); 68A: Street activity: abbr. (TRAF.); 78A: High-quality salad topping, in Rachael Ray shorthand (E.V.O.O.); 79A: Silent movie star? (HARPO); 81A: Foursome for a Ford (TIRES); 83A: One of three zanies (MOE); 86A: Secret (INNER); 95A: Loses it (SNAPS); 96A: Bug someone, e.g. (SPY); 97A: ___ avis (RARA); 98A: Asleep, perhaps (IN BED); 100A: One of the senses (TASTE); 106A: Aussie avian (EMU); 108A: ___ carpet (SHAG); 112A: Cone-bearer (FIR); 123A: Lid for a lad (CAP); 124A: In the style of (ALA); 125A: Banned spray (DDT); 126A: "___ the loneliest ..." (ONE IS); 131A: Cocoon contents (PUPAE); 132A: "___ lay me down ..." (NOW I); 133A: Mrs. Helmsley (LEONA); 134A: Bird-filled comic strip created by Jeff MacNelly (SHOE); 136A: Bygone flyers (SST'S); 137A: They're often connected (DOTS); 138A: Opening outfit (GOWN); 1D: Way-overpriced item (RIP-OFF); 2D: Ethically neutral (AMORAL); 3D: Versatile Rita (MORENO); 4D: Lizard's snack (ANT); 5D: Toothbrush brand (ORAL-B); 6D: It includes Zulu (BANTU); 7D: QB's worry: abbr. (INT.); 8D: Steering-system part (TIE ROD); 9D: It precedes Jones (DOW); 10D: Some bruise easily (EGOS); 11D: Cop's collar (PERP); 12D: Dogmatic one (PEDANT); 13D: Close tightly (SEAL); 14D: ___-mutuel betting (PARI); 15D: "___ well that ..." (ALL'S); 16D: Fit together (MESH); 19D: Greeting, to Guido (anagram of L.A.'S OUT) (SALUTO); 21D: "I ___ differ" (BEG TO); 23D: Wharton prize (MBA); 24D: Liner letters (USS); 30D: "___ said!" (mom's warning) (NO I); 32D: Turner of TV channels (TED); 33D: Manners maven Baldrige (LETITIA); 37D: Launch site (PAD); 38D: The car repair shop in 134 Across (IRV'S); 39D: Craft staff (CREW); 40D: Clear Channel alternative (NPR); 41D: Landed (ALIT); 42D: Aft area (REAR); 43D: Clinton's alma mater (YALE); 45D: Noxious vapors (EFFLUVIA); 46D: ___ canto (BEL); 47D: Acting teacher Hagen (UTA); 49D: Herbie of jazz (MANN); 51D: Nile viper (ASP); 52D: Blvds., e.g. (RTES.); 53D: "How ___ help?" (CAN I); 55D: Party platter items (DIPS); 57D: Part of Colin Powell's coll. experience (ROTC); 58D: Riding-mower brand (TORO); 59D: Creator of eye-bending designs (OP ARTIST); 61D: Willing to try it (GAME); 62D: Sacred promise (OATH); 67D: Land unit (ACRE); 69D: Bank-window abbr. (FDIC); 71D: Actress Anderson (LONI); 72D: Loc. of 43 Down (CONN.); 74D: iPad software (APPS); 75D: Hop on a horse (MOUNT UP); 76D: Goes astray (ERRS); 77D: Cut the crop (REAP); 80D: Commedia dell'___ (ARTE); 82D: Hog heaven, perhaps (STY); 83D: Car make, for short (MERC); 84D: Harem room (ODAH); 85D: Peseta replacer (EURO); 87D: Pianist Gilels (EMIL); 88D: Actor Santoni (RENI); 90D: Ovine sound (BAA); 91D: CD preceders (LP'S); 93D: Middle of a game (TAC); 94D: Sarnoff's startup, 1926 (NBC); 99D: Knock off-track (DERAIL); 101D: Keypad key (ESC); 103D: Helpful (OF USE); 104D: Popular juice drink (HI-C); 105D: Beings from Mork's planet (ORKANS); 107D: Charted (MAPPED); 109D: Cab Calloway catchphrase (HI-DE-HO); 110D: Here ___ (AND NOW); 111D: Obtained (GOTTEN); 113D: Org. that once closely monitored Howard Stern (FCC); 114D: Coat material? (PAINT); 115D: Arm bones (ULNAS); 116D: Milk lover (CAT); 117D: Spinning toys (TOPS); 118D: Word on a coin (UNUM); 119D: Seized vehicle (REPO); 120D: How bishops move: abbr. (DIAG.); 121D: Grandson of Adam (ENOS); 122D: Abbr. on a cereal box (NT. WT.); 128D: Sue Grafton's "___ for Innocent" (I IS); 129D: Hugs, in letters (OOO); 130D: Flavor enhancer (MSG).

04.03 Sun

S U N D A Y
April 3, 2011 (syndicated)
Doug Peterson

[Note: This is the syndicated L.A. Times puzzle. It does not appear in the actual newspaper, but is available for free at cruciverb.com.]

Theme: "The Play's the Thing" - 8 familiar playthings immortalized together are brought together again in this puzzle.

Theme answers:

• 23A: *They're educational and stakable (ALPHABET BLOCKS).
• 38A: *Construction set invented by Frank Lloyd Wright's son (LINCOLN LOGS).
• 47A: *Street hockey gear (ROLLER SKATES).
• 91A: *Shipping container (CARDBOARD BOX).
• 98A: *Dual-knobbed drawing device (ETCH A SKETCH).
• 119A: *Kindergartner's boxful (CRAYOLA CRAYONS).
• 15D: *Board game with color-coded cards (CANDY LAND).
• 81D: *Cuddly bedmate (TEDDY BEAR).
• 68A: Rochester, N.Y., institution whose inductees include the eight answers to the starred clues (NATIONAL TOY HALL OF FAME).

Hi, everybody! Neville here, sitting in for Doug. Why? Because he wrote this puzzle - you read the byline, didn't you? You might remember me for a few puzzles that I've had in the LA Times. Or not - I'm certainly not as prolific as Doug, who's had nearly 30 puzzles in the LA Times since this blog started up! Wow! Doug is one of my favorite constructors, and I'm pleased to make my debut here as a guest blogger on a Peterson puzzle.

Do you ever get lucky when solving a puzzle? I got lucky this time - I remembered a Sporcle quiz I played a little while back also based on this subject. Go give it a shot (after you finish reading this post, of course!) - you'll have an eight-answer head start. Big ups to Doug for picking out 8 of the stars from that list and cramming them all into this grid.

Bullets:

• 77A: Picnic favorite (BEAN SALAD). I had LEAF SALAD. That didn't work! I find both pasta and potato salads to be better than both of those choices at picnics, but neither of them fit.
• 78A: Tiny bit (TITTLE). When I think tittle, I think the dot over the miniscule i. I wrote in LITTLE instead.
• 82A: Tool used in a bed (HOE). Take it away, Ken Jennings:
  
  
  
• 25D: Scott of "Happy Days" (BAIO). More recently, Scott had a minor role as a lawyer on "Arrested Development". Enjoy some wordplay:



• 52D: Period of sacrifice (LENT). For those keeping score at home, three weeks until Easter!
• 58D: 1988 A.L. MVP (CANSECO). Jose Canseco is now known for having reached that pinnacle of fame that is being a contestant on Celebrity Apprentice.
• 94D: Peninsula north of Martha's Vineyard (CAPE COD). Did you know that Martha's Vineyard is one of only five apostrophes in a US natural feature name. Crazy, huh? Learn more here!
• 83D: NBA's __ Man of the Year Award (SIXTH). Of course, all eyes are on the NCAA tournament at the moment, but I think this is a great clue - I was stumped for a good while. Who's going to take it all - Butler or UConn?
• 100D: Three Stooges family name (HOWARD). Nyuk nyuk nyuk! I don't remember the Stooges being this violent or poorly edited:



• 101D: First non-European literature Nobelist (1913) (TAGORE). Let's learn something together, shall we? Rabindranath Tagore (aka Gurudev) was a Bengali poet/playwright/musician/artist. His best known work was Gitanjali, a collection of English poems. I fell for the double that this person might be American and that I might have heard of them - but I learned something, and that's pretty cool, too.

Crosswordese 101 Round-up:

• 5A: Gate approx. (ETD). You've gotta get this D from the crossing - that's always a pain.
• 19A: Airline with a Ben Gurion hub (EL AL)
• 32A: Santa __ winds (ANA).
• 55A: Word between surnames (NÉE).
• 57A: City SSW of Moscow (OREL).
• 67A: Itty-bitty, in Inverness (SMA). I think this is a new one for the blog - maybe PG doesn't think this is Crosswordese, but I do. It's easy to remember this Scottish word for small - just take off the last two letters!
• 97A: '80s missile shield prog. (SDI).
• 4D: Pre-coll. catchall (EL-HI). Who says this? This is my pet peeve bit of crosswordese.
• 78D: Gumshoes (TECS). We've seen the singular here before for sure.
• 89D: Classified letters (EOE). Ah, the dreaded EOE/EEO dilemma. Did you guess correctly?

[I'm not on it yet, but if you are, you should totally follow PuzzleGirl on Twitter.]

Everything else - 1A: Cause for fishing hole excitement (BITE); 8A: Fleshy-snouted mammal (TAPIR); 13A: Fearless Fosdick's creator (AL CAPP); 20A: Book flap feature (BIO); 21A: Ridiculous (INANE); 22A: Comfortable shoe (LOAFER); 26A: Unlearned (INNATE); 27A: Long-tailed songbird (PIPIT); 28A: Shade of green (PEA); 29A: It's done in some circles (SEWING); 31A: Sturdy wagon (DRAY); 33A: Actor Estevez (EMILIO); 36A: "A Taste of Honey" dramatist (DELANEY); 41A: DMV document (LIC.); 42A: Vaquero's plain (LLANO); 46A: Arles affirmatives (OUIS); 50A: Port-du-__: French cheese (SALUT); 53A: Script section (SCENE); 56A: PBS series since 1974 (NOVA); 58A: Breezy good-byes (CIAOS); 60A: QB's try (ATT.); 62A: First name among disrespected comedians? (RODNEY); 64A: Pollution-free power sources (WIND FARMS); 66A: Links highlight (ACE); 75A: Jenny, e.g. (ASS); 76A: "Reliable Sources" airer (CNN); 83A: Swedish imports (SAABS); 84A: Winged goddess (NIKE); 85A: War of 1812 shipbuilding port (ERIE); 86A: Half a dance (CHA); 88A: "Gone With the Wind" Oscar winner (LEIGH); 90A: Dramatist Chekhov (ANTON); 94A: "How __ refuse?" (CAN I); 96A: Hardly posh (SEEDY); 104A: Home of Chichén Itzá (YUCATAN); 107A: Hullabaloo (HOOPLA); 108A: "Bingo!" ("AHA!"); 109A: Crime lab item (SWAB); 112A: Not spontaneous (STAGED); 114A: Come up short (OWE); 115A: "King Lear" daughter (REGAN); 117A: Ripped to pieces (TORE UP); 122A: Mystical secrets (ARCANA); 123A: "True Grit," for one (OATER); 124A: 20th-century composer Harris (ROY); 125A: Logical connector (ERGO); 126A: 1943 Allied conference site (TEHRAN); 127A: Campout treat (S'MORE); 128A: 34th pres. (DDE); 129A: Look to be (SEEM); 1D: "Little help here, bud?" ("BE A PAL"); 2D: "Fighting" team (ILLINI); 3D: __ Zee Bridge (TAPPAN); 5D: Flow's counterpart (EBB); 6D: Ascot fasteners (TIE PINS); 7D: "I'm listening!" ("DO TELL!"); 8D: Up to, in brief (TIL); 9D: "__ Amours": 1984 César Award-winning film (ANOS); 10D: Walked worriedly (PACED); 11D: Bygone writing aid (INKWELL); 12D: Able to overcome adversity (RESILIENT); 13D: Bring into harmony (ALIGN); 14D: Contemporary of Boris (LON); 16D: Where some worship from (AFAR); 17D: Anti-leather gp. (PETA); 18D: Zebras, to lions (PREY); 24D: Did lunch, say (ATE OUT); 30D: Iridescent jewelry material (NACRE); 34D: 1,051, to Hadrian (MLI); 35D: Fiends of fantasy (OGRES); 37D: Buckskin source (ELK); 39D: "What else __ do?" (COULD I); 40D: Elroy, to George Jetson (SON); 43D: Oodles (A TON); 44D: Snow in Milano (NEVE); 45D: Anthem beginning (O SAY); 48D: Percolate (LEACH); 49D: Sunday deliveries (SERMONS); 50D: Planted (SOWN); 51D: "Turandot" highlight (ARIA); 53D: O.T. prophet (SAML.); 54D: Bulk-purchase club (COSTCO); 58D: 1988 A.L. MVP (CANSECO); 59D: Funds for later yrs. (IRA'S); 61D: Leaves home? (TEABAG); 63D: Bozos (OAFS); 65D: Newborn Arabian (FOAL); 66D: Objectivism advocate Rand (AYN); 67D: Healthy portion (SLAB); 69D: Spaghetti pkg. unit (ONE LB.); 70D: Remini of "The King of Queens" (LEAH); 71D: Author Flagg (FANNIE); 72D: Hit the ground (ALIT); 73D: Speedy shark (MAKO); 74D: Idyllic setting (EDEN); 79D: "Dies __" (IRAE); 80D: Flag (TIRE); 82D: Crunchy Mexican munchies (HARD TACOS); 87D: Tackles (HAS AT); 90D: Capital south of the Black Sea (ANKARA); 92D: Mitt Romney's alma mater: Abbr. (BYU); 93D: Family tree, e.g. (DIAGRAM); 95D: Silent communication syst. (ASL); 99D: "Groovy!" ('COOL!"); 100D: Three Stooges family name (HOWARD); 101D: First non-European literature Nobelist (1913) (TAGORE); 102D: Meter feeder's need (CHANGE); 103D: Quaint carriage (HANSOM); 105D: It covers D.C. (C-SPAN); 106D: "Groovy!" ("NEATO!"); 109D: Fan's factoid (STAT); 110D: Modeled (WORE); 111D: Raise, as an eyebrow (ARCH); 113D: Tannery worker (DYER); 116D: Checks out (EYES); 118D: Uruguayan article (UNA); 120D: Stuff in a seam (ORE); 121D: Sourdough alternative (RYE)

03.27 Sun

S U N D A Y
March 27, 2011
Merl Reagle

[Note: This is the puzzle that appears in the Sunday L.A. Times newspaper. If you don't get the paper, you can find the puzzle here. Scroll down to see today's syndicated puzzle.]

Theme: "Seeing the Country" — Country names are hidden in the theme answers.

Theme answers:

• 23A: "This Old Man" lyric (GIVE A DOG A BONE).
• 28A: Compliment to the pilot (NICE LANDING).
• 36A: Long, careful study (THOROUGH ANALYSIS).
• 55A: Arsonist's cousin (PYROMANIAC).
• 59A: Amorous greeting (A HUG AND A KISS).
• 66A: Wellness herb (ECHINACEA).
• 74A: Chameleon's comment? (I CAN ADAPT).
• 86A: Unseen indicator (HIDDEN MARKER).
• 89A: Brezhnev, e.g. (SOVIET NAME).
• 101A: A trifecta of severe winter weather (SLEET HAIL AND RAIN).
• 111A: Primary illustration (MAIN DIAGRAM).
• 123A: Mumps symptoms (and technically, this should be "Great Britain," but how often does one get a chance to put this answer in a puzzle?) (SWOLLEN GLANDS).

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Everything Else — 1A: Dress part (HEMLINE); 8A: Introduction to structure (INFRA-); 13A: Beverage with burgers (POP); 16A: Worldwide phenomenon? (WEB); 19A: One who eschews (AVOIDER); 20A: Corrida critters (TOROS); 21A: Away, in a way (ON LEAVE); 25A: Hero worshipper? (LEANDER); 26A: Snow runner (SLED); 27A: Message in a bottle, maybe (SOS); 30A: High trains (ELS); 33A: Loch Ness local (SCOT); 35A: Nick of "Affliction" (NOLTE); 42A: GOP rivals (DEMS); 46A: Fabled flyer (ROC); 47A: Honey lover, in Honduras (OSO); 48A: Marlon's "On the Waterfront" director (ELIA); 49A: "Crime and Punishment" heroine (SONYA); 50A: Behold, to Brutus (ECCE); 52A: Roster of desirables (ALIST); 62A: Son of Rebekah (ESAU); 63A: A Cabinet Dept. (AGR.); 64A: Mournful melody (DIRGE); 65A: Chevalier tune (MIMI); 68A: Utah city (OREM); 71A: Of the kidneys (RENAL); 73A: Extra, for short (ADDL.); 78A: "... some kind of ___?" (A NUT); 80A: Gaucho's rope (REATA); 84A: Slinger's handful (MUD); 85A: Prong (TINE); 92A: Caruso was one (TENOR); 93A: Lose oomph (TIRE); 94A: Start of a college-fund slogan (A MIND); 95A: Other sock, say (MATE); 97A: Skater Babilonia (TAI); 99A: Cycle opening (TRI-); 100A: Blockhead (DOLT); 107A: Horse's tale (OATER); 109A: Ms. Bombeck (ERMA); 110A: Girl in the woods (DOE); 116A: Serengeti denizen (GNU); 118A: Farrow and Hamm (MIAS); 122A: Opens (UNSEALS); 127A: Cause to jump (STARTLE); 128A: Boatman's river (VOLGA); 129A: Sunken (DEEPSET); 130A: Important (KEY); 131A: Priest add-on (-ESS); 132A: "How do you ___?" (PLEAD); 133A: Prayers (ORISONS); 1D: Crones (HAGS); 2D: Not good (EVIL); 3D: Pick up and go or pack up and go (MOVE); 4D: Art songs (LIEDER); 5D: Ms. Lupino (IDA); 6D: Mick Jagger film, "___ Kelly" (NED); 7D: Love god (EROS); 8D: Minnesota lake (ITASCA); 9D: Head, slangily (NOB); 10D: Word with lobe or assault (FRONTAL); 11D: Noodle-___ (RONI); 12D: In ___ (shortly) (A SEC); 13D: Hoi follower (POLLOI); 14D: Shaq et al. (O'NEALS); 15D: Nursery buy (PLANT); 16D: African arroyo (WADI); 17D: Uniform (EVEN); 18D: Ice chunk (BERG); 22D: ___ a positive note (ENDED ON); 24D: Kid's cry (GOSH); 29D: USN rank (ENS.); 31D: UK WC (LOO); 32D: Ill-fated "Seinfeld" fiancee (SUSAN); 34D: Former (ONE-TIME); 36D: Step (TREAD); 37D: ___ Minh (HO CHI); 38D: Come to pass (OCCUR); 39D: Rush quest, often (GOLD); 40D: Gloss targets (LIPS); 41D: Palindromic cheer (YAY); 43D: Early computer (ENIAC); 44D: "At ___?" (senior's query) (MY AGE); 45D: Pelvic bones (SACRA); 49D: Actress Santiago of "Miami Vice" and "The Sopranos" (SAUNDRA); 51D: Encourage (EGG ON); 53D: "___ so sorry!" (I AM); 54D: Sidestep (SKIRT); 56D: Taping abbr. (REC.); 57D: Safety org. (OSHA); 58D: Hotel worker (MAID); 60D: Poked holes in, say (AERATED); 61D: Mideast peninsula (SINAI); 66D: Shake your tail? (ELUDE); 67D: On the qui vive (ALERT); 69D: Make changes in (EDIT); 70D: "Death in Venice" author (MANN); 72D: Wear ___ (AND TEAR); 74D: "When ___, you're a clown" (from "I Got You Babe") (I'M SAD); 75D: Ex-governor Mario (CUOMO); 76D: Ibuprofen brand (ADVIL); 77D: Shooter insert (PEA); 79D: Olympics ideal (TEN); 81D: Dog from Japan (AKITA); 82D: Country star Clark or Gibbs (TERRI); 83D: "The results ___" (ARE IN); 86D: Furnace output (HEAT); 87D: "___ problem" (NOT A); 88D: ___ Mrs. (MR. AND); 90D: Chanter (INTONER); 91D: French Mrs. (MME.); 96D: Reality game show once hosted by Anderson Cooper (THE MOLE); 98D: Promising words (I DO); 101D: Film photos (STILLS); 102D: Some car contracts (LEASES); 103D: Work unit (ERG); 104D: "That makes me happy!" ("I'M GLAD!"); 105D: Daily Planet reporter (LANE); 106D: Charts anew (REMAPS); 108D: On ___ (out with someone) (A DATE); 111D: Ox or rat preceder (MUSK); 112D: Game stake (ANTE); 113D: Brit's sentence starter (I SAY); 114D: Invitation notation (RSVP); 115D: Away sans OK (AWOL); 117D: Loosen, as laces (UNDO); 119D: ___ many words (IN SO); 120D: Mideast gulf (ADEN); 121D: Former flyers (SST'S); 124D: N.Y. airport, on tags (LGA); 125D: Lux. neighbor (GER.); 126D: Island souvenir (LEI).

03.27 Sun

S U N D A Y
March 27, 2011
Matt Skoczen & Victor Fleming

[Note: This is the syndicated L.A. Times puzzle. It does not appear in the actual newspaper, but is available for free at cruciverb.com.]

Theme: "Rowdy Bunch" — Theme entries in which the first word can follow the word "WILD" to make a familiar word or phrase: wild card, wild cherry, Wild Turkey, wildflower, etc.

Theme Entries:

• 22A: *Old library aid (CARD CATALOG).
  
• 32A: *Soda fountain choice (CHERRY COKE).
• 97A: *Ragtime dance (TURKEY TROT).
• 110A: *'60s Haight-Ashbury type (FLOWER CHILD).
• 3D: *Political mantra (PARTY LINE).
• 20D: *Drug problem (SIDE EFFECT). 
• 67D: *One side of a defunct wall (WEST BERLIN). 
• 76D: *A cappella leader's gadget (PITCH PIPE). 
• 64A: Maurice Sendak kids' book, and the starts of starred answers (WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE).

Hey, everybody. This is Doug, back from Brooklyn and the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament. I had a fantastic time! If you haven't read PuzzleGirl's ACPT recap yet, what are you waiting for?

OK, today's puzzle is by Matt Skoczen & Victor Fleming. Very impressive construction. Matt and Vic have taken the basic "word that can go before..." theme to another level. First of all, the 21-letter theme revealer, WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE, is excellent. Second, each theme entry crosses another theme entry, and some of them cross two theme entries! That's not easy to pull off. (I highlighted all the theme entries so you could see how they intersect.) Kudos to today's constructing duo.

Bullets:

• 19A: Aromatic resin (ELEMI). This is one of those crosswordy words that shows up every now and then, usually clued as "Fragrant resin" or "Varnish ingredient." I wish I had even one interesting thing to say about elemi, but I don't.

• 24A: Gadget, for one: Abbr. (INSP). "Inspector Gadget" was an cartoon in the mid-'80s. I watched it couple of times. It was pretty bad, but Don Adams did the voice of Inspector Gadget, so I'll give it bonus points for that.
• 48A: Cockney toast starter ('ERE'S). As in "'ere's to you, 'enry 'iggins!" I've also seen OME clued as "Cockney's abode." I'm not sure how far we can carry this Cockney cluing thing. How about "'uge 'erbivore" for IPPO?
• 50A: Souvenirs at the park, usually (FOULS). I've never caught a foul ball at the ballpark or been close to anyone who has. Very disappointing. I must be sitting in the wrong sections.

• 119A: Stieg Larsson was one (SWEDE). The late Stieg Larsson is the author who wrote "The Girl With the Yankees Sweatshirt Who's About to Blow Your Head Off" and other umlaut-laden novels.
• 9D: 1847 novel based on its author's time in the Society Islands (OMOO). Has anyone actually read this book? I would read it, but I've learned all I need to know about "Omoo" from crossword clues. I feel the same way about the opera/play "Aida."
• 13D: E-mail option (REPLY ALL). I know you all saw this ad during the Super Bowl, but it's worth another look.

• 40D: Abecedarian (NEOPHYTE). "Abecedarian" means "one who teaches or studies the alphabet; a beginner." And the word apparently came from the the letters A, B, C, and D. They just strung them together with a couple e's and added "-arian." How cool is that? For some reason, my made-up words never catch on.
• 101D: Kind of shoes or blues (DRESS). Great clue. At first glance, I thought the answer was SUEDE.

Short write-up today. I'm still tired from last weekend's crossword extravaganza. Have a great week.

03.20 Sun

S U N D A Y
March 20, 2011
Ed Sessa

[Note: This is the syndicated L.A. Times puzzle. It does not appear in the actual newspaper, but is available for free at cruciverb.com.]

Theme: "New B-ginnings" — The title says it all. Add a "B" sound to the beginnings of familiar phrases to get wacky theme entries.

Theme Entries:

• 24A: Result of the cock's crow? (BROOD AWAKENING). [rude awakening]
• 38A: "Bungling for Dummies," e.g.? (BONERS MANUAL). [owner's manual]
• 59A: Shindig for Swahili VIPs? (BWANA DANCE). [wanna dance?]
• 83A: Bedbugs on the Orient Express? (BERTH WORMS). [earthworms]
• 97A: Bird with a tan? (BROWNED ROBIN). [round robin]
• 119A: Hibernation luxuries? (BEAR MATTRESSES). [air mattresses]
• 3D: "$#%^*& geckos!"? (BLEEPING LIZARDS). [leaping lizards!]
• 47D: Prize for an inn's best guest? (BOARDER OF THE DAY). [order of the day]

Hey, everybody. This is Doug, reporting from the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament. Actually, I'm not reporting yet. I'm too busy solving puzzles and hanging with the puzzle people. I hate to be a name-dropper, but last night I had dinner with Garson Hampfield. Interesting guy.

OK, today's puzzle. I liked it. Nice grid with some fun theme answers. BLEEPING LIZARDS is awesome, and I like BROWNED ROBIN too. No comment on BONERS MANUAL.

Sorry, no bullets today, but I'll be back with a full Sunday write-up next weekend. Have fun in the comments & I'll see you later.

Crosswordese 101 Round-up:

• 33A: At one time, once (ERST).
• 46A: "Voice of Israel" author (EBAN).
• 62A: Sch. whose mascot is Rhody the Ram (U.R.I.).
• 78A: Child expert LeShan (EDA).
• 86A: Toon Chihuahua (REN).
• 8D: Avis adjective (RARA).
• 40D: Oklahoma's "Wheat Capital" (ENID).
• 43D: "Young Frankenstein" role (IGOR).
• 54D: "My Way" lyricist (ANKA).
• 69D: Gator follower? (ADE).
• 115D: Canadian gas (ESSO).
• 121D: Past fast flier (SST).

03.13 Sun

S U N D A Y
March 13, 2011
Merl Reagle

[Note: This is the puzzle that appears in the Sunday L.A. Times newspaper. If you don't get the paper, you can find the puzzle here. Scroll down to see today's syndicated puzzle.]

Theme: "The Fashion Police"

Theme answers:

• 22A: INSP: "HEY PULL OVER! We're the Fashion Police!"
• 28A: DESIGNER: "What'd I do, officers?" LIEUT: "You STOLE A PEEK at a competitor's designs."
• 36A: DESIGNER: "But I'm innocent!" LIEUT: "Maybe so, but we have A MATERIAL WITNESS."
• 48A: LIEUT: "He says you're PART OF A RING." DESIGNER: "That's not true!"
• 60A: INSP: "Don't worry. You'll look good in STRIPES."
• 66A: INSP: "Okay, lieutenant, SLAP THE BRACELETS ON HIM."
• 78A: (((One Week Later))) LIEUT: "What happened? I thought we had him!" INSP: "He gave us THE SLIP."
• 88A: INSP: "His attorney filed some LEGAL BRIEFS."
• 95A: INSP: "And then his SUIT WAS THROWN OUT."
• 108A: LIEUT: "GOOD COLLAR, though ..."
• 120A: INSP: "Yeah, even if he was just AN ACCESSORY."

[Follow PuzzleGirl on Twitter.]

Everything Else — 1A: Vacation isle (BALI); 5A: Debt-free, perhaps (PAID-UP); 11A: Styling stuff (GEL); 14A: Fret and fume (STEW); 18A: Actor Rickman (ALAN); 19A: Esoteric (ARCANE); 20A: ___ big hurry (IN A); 21A: Practice piece (ETUDE); 24A: Cook, in a way (FRY); 25A: Ohio city (XENIA); 26A: Regions (AREAS); 27A: Most eligible, to the SSS (ONE-A); 30A: Anne ___ Lindbergh (MORROW); 32A: Refreshing place (SPA); 34A: Take it easy (LOLL); 35A: Mgr.'s helper (ASST.); 45A: Gaucho's rope (RIATA); 46A: Badly or hardly (ILL); 47A: Watch brand (SEIKO); 53A: Like a shot (FAST); 57A: Desertlike (ARID); 58A: Bring to bear (EXERT); 59A: African nation (MALI); 62A: Wiki conclusion (-PEDIA); 63A: ___ shoestring (ON A); 65A: Utter (SHEER); 75A: Belgian bucks, now (EUROS); 76A: 1970s pop-rock grp. (ELO); 77A: Racket (NOISE); 81A: Helen of Troy's mom (LEDA); 84A: Olivia's leading man, often (ERROL); 85A: Caprice (WHIM); 86A: Minus (LESS); 90A: Sized ___ (customized) (TO FIT); 92A: Site of "Oz" reruns (HBO); 94A: Adored ones (IDOLS); 100A: Salad-bowl wood (TEAK); 104A: Arch type (OGEE); 105A: Scratch (out) (EKE); 106A: Set aside (SHELVE); 113A: Remarkable times (ERAS); 117A: Hercules types (HE-MEN); 118A: Heart chambers (ATRIA); 119A: Toy shop employee (ELF); 122A: Beef on the hoof (STEER); 123A: Cartoon collectible (CEL); 124A: Campus VIP? (BIG MAN); 125A: Sky bear (URSA); 126A: Sentry's place (POST); 127A: Taste (TRY); 128A: E-mail again (RESEND); 129A: Hammer part (PEEN); 1D: Grand ___ Island (BAHAMA); 2D: Old Olds models (ALEROS); 3D: Strata (LAYERS); 4D: To a certain extent (IN PART); 5D: Buddy (PAL); 6D: Woody's son (ARLO); 7D: Image (ICON); 8D: Nighttime host (DAVE); 9D: Discomfort (UNEASE); 10D: For each (PER); 11D: Birthday buy (GIFT); 12D: Sign up (ENROLL); 13D: Incapacitate (LAY LOW); 14D: Put your foot down (STEP); 15D: Catchy item, perhaps (TUNE); 16D: Actress Falco (EDIE); 17D: Lacking oomph (WEAK); 21D: Venerates (EXALTS); 23D: R&R provider (USO); 28D: Ply the waves (SAIL); 29D: He played Calvera in "The Magnificent Seven" (ELI); 31D: Homeless child (WAIF); 33D: Bluenose (PRIG); 37D: "Yes, ___" (MA'AM); 38D: Gillette razor (ATRA); 39D: Alteration makers (TAILORS); 40D: TV alien (ALF); 41D: A tide (NEAP); 42D: Yeats's home (EIRE); 43D: Stowe gear (SKIS); 44D: Ground cover (SOD); 45D: Turns on an axis (ROTATES); 48D: Livens (up) (PEPS); 49D: Lipinski's leap (AXEL); 50D: Prynne's symbol (RED A); 51D: Voyage (TRIP); 52D: Famed Spanish ship (NIÑA); 54D: Tennis great (ASHE); 55D: Editor's note (STET); 56D: Chic modifier (TRES); 61D: Laundry workers (IRONERS); 64D: Expert (ACE); 65D: Fizz ingredient (SLOE GIN); 67D: Ship's frame (HULL); 68D: Pennsylvania port (ERIE); 69D: Hits on the head (BOPS); 70D: French pronoun (ELLE); 71D: Cousin of "Me, neither!" ("NOR I!"); 72D: Take on (HIRE); 73D: "Time ___ the essence" (IS OF); 74D: TV diner (MEL'S); 78D: Commandment start (THOU); 79D: LP player (HI-FI); 80D: Send out (EMIT); 82D: Carpentry groove (DADO); 83D: Baseball's Matty (ALOU); 85D: Lbs., etc. (WTS.); 87D: "Quiet!" ("SHH!"); 88D: "Check it out!" (LOOK); 89D: Deli orders (BLT'S); 91D: ___ garage (TWO-CAR); 93D: Uncle Remus's ___ Fox (BR'ER); 96D: In the past (AGO); 97D: Pick (SELECT); 98D: Money handler (TELLER); 99D: Roast need (WEENIE); 100D: Prepares to drive (TEES UP); 101D: Author Leonard (ELMORE); 102D: Loath (AVERSE); 103D: Somali neighbor (KENYAN); 107D: A Cabinet Dept. (HHS); 108D: ("I'm shocked!") (GASP); 109D: Bart and Lisa's bus driver (OTTO); 110D: Magnetite et al. (ORES); 111D: Atkins, for one (DIET); 112D: Wouldn't hurt ___ (A FLY); 114D: Pauper's garb (RAGS); 115D: Pinnacle (ACME); 116D: Read a bar code (SCAN); 120D: Like some dicts. (ABR.); 121D: Be over with (END).

03.13 Sun

S U N D A Y
March 13, 2011
Jack McInturff

[Note: This is the syndicated L.A. Times puzzle. It does not appear in the actual newspaper, but is available for free at cruciverb.com.]

Theme: "I Before EE's" — The letter "I" is changed to "EE" in familiar phrases, yielding wacky, punny entries.

Theme Entries:

• 23A: Meek Jolly Roger crewmen? (PIRATE SHEEP).
• 42A: Polish protector? (SHEEN GUARD).
• 51A: Red-costumed actor in "Veggie Tales"? (BEET PLAYER).
• 59A: Take really short naps during a Henny Youngman routine? (SLEEP BETWEEN THE CRACKS).
• 76A: Tiny nestling's cry? (MICROCHEEP).
• 88A: Ownership dispute? (DEED BATTLE).
• 109A: Meryl as a coquette? (STREEP TEASE).
• 16D: Drug money? (EVIL GREEN).
• 74D: Fund for hammer parts? (PEEN MONEY).

Hey, everybody. This is Doug, your weekend host. I won't be here next Sunday, because I'll be in Brooklyn with 700 or so of my closest friends at the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament! The puzzle constructors for this year's ACPT have officially been announced. In past years, the slate of constructors was a closely guarded secret, so this preview is causing quite a buzz in the puzzle world. Will Shortz is undoubtedly following the lead of Crosswords LA, who released their line-up a couple of months ago. If you're a West Coaster and can't make it to the ACPT, you should definitely make plans to attend the Crosswords LA Tournament. It's on May 1st at beautiful Loyola Marymount University, so mark your calendars now. And Amy Reynaldo just posted an announcement for the 3rd annual Chicago Tournament happening on April 16th. I've also heard a rumor that someone may be starting up a tournament in Seattle. If you love crosswords, you'll love going to a tournament. And if you're worried about not being an above-average solver, don't give it second thought. Solving prowess is irrelevant. To quote PuzzleGirl: "...the part that’s most important is hanging out with My People."

OK, today's puzzle. I thought it was solid, and I liked seeing the 21-letter SLEEP BETWEEN THE CRACKS smack-dab in the middle of the grid. Time is short, so I'm jumping to bullets.

Bullets:

• 26A: Theater aisles, usually (RAMPS). Great clue.
• 42A: Polish protector? (SHEEN GUARD). Or the guy who protects Charlie's supply of tiger blood and jaguar tears.

• 45A: Spent the cold season (in) (WINTERED). I had a hard time parsing the clue, but it made sense eventually. I'm planning to winter in St. Jetersburg, Florida, next year.
• 48A: How some soccer games end (IN A TIE). Or...how most soccer games end? Are soccer fans really satisfied when the game ends in a tie? Maybe that's why they're always rioting and burning down their stadiums. #Tying!

• 51A: Red-costumed actor in "Veggie Tales"? (BEET PLAYER). There's a guy who writes "Veggie Tales" books named Doug Peterson (not me). Now when people Google for him, maybe they'll find this blog post.We're always looking for ways to increase traffic.
• 69A: Failed flier (EASTERN). My first thought was ICARUS. Eastern Air Lines ceased operations in 1991.
• 94A: Londonderry's river (FOYLE). This entry's "Y" was the last thing I put into the grid. It crossed DAYS (88D: Popular shift), and that was another tough clue for me. I need to work on my Irish geography.
• 100A: Mideastern pastry dough (FILO). I know this one from crosswords. I think it's the stuff they use to make baklava.
• 32D: NBC newsman Roger (O'NEIL). In crossworld, there are two O'NEILs you need to remember: newsman Roger O'Neil and Negro Leagues baseball player Buck O'Neil. Tatum, Ryan, and Shaq are all part of the O'NEAL clan. And then there's...
• 47D: Oscar winner Patricia (NEAL). Confusing, isn't it? I recently learned that she was married to crossword regular Roald Dahl for thirty years. A match made in cruciverbial heaven.

• 38D: Boston department store founder (FILENE). I went to Boston once, but I didn't stop at Filene's. Was it founded by Filo Foyle Filene? Seriously, did anyone outside of Boston know this one?
• 58D: Occuring before: Abbr. (PREC). Ouch. An abbreviation for "preceding," I presume. I can't be the only solver who tried PREV first.
• 61D: '60s Israeli prime minister (ESHKOL). Levi Eshkol. He served from 1963-1969. 
• 67D: You can get down on one (KNEE). This reminds me of a kids' joke that it took me years to understand. "How do you get down off an elephant? You don't. You get down off a duck." It baffled me when I first heard it, and no one ever took the time to explain it to me. I swear, I didn't get it until I was in my 20's. I hate that joke.
• 84D: Orchestra members (CELLISTS). It's the Final Countdown.

• 97D: Wikipedia policy (NO ADS). That's also the policy of this blog and the reason PuzzleGirl won't let me sell my "Twilight" fan fiction here.
• 108D: Northwestern sch. where Cougar Gold cheese is made (WSU). Washington State University. Never heard of the cheese, but I know the Washington State teams are called the Cougars.

PuzzleGirl will be back on Monday. See ya later.

03.06 Sun

S U N D A Y
March 6, 2011
Merl Reagle

[Note: This is the puzzle that appears in the Sunday L.A. Times newspaper. If you don't get the paper, you can find the puzzle here. Scroll down to see today's syndicated puzzle.]

Theme: "Heads of State" — U.S. State postal codes are tacked onto the beginning of familiar phrases.

Theme answers:

• 23A: Origami? (PAPER FORMING).
• 33A: Like some political scandals? (MISTRESS RELATED).
• 53A: Advice to a cougher? (COVER MOUTH).
• 60A: Eatery at an oasis? (CAMEL'S DINER).
• 66A: Film about boastful jerks? (VAINGLOURIOUS BASTERDS).
• 79A: Antoinette after hearing her fate? (MOROSE MARIE).
• 89A: Answer to "What do you want on your BLT, Rocky?" (MAYO ADRIAN).
• 102A: How you can tell where the candle was? (WAX MARKS THE SPOT).
• 120A: "Jumble"-solvin' dude? (SCRAMBLIN' MAN).

[Follow PuzzleGirl on Twitter.]

Everything Else — 1A: Centers for dissenters (GULAGS); 7A: Beethoven's "___ Solemnis" (MISSA); 12A: Quick tempo (FAST PACE); 20A: Slow tempo (ADAGIO); 21A: Like some buckets or barrels (OAKEN); 22A: Science museum exhibits (DIORAMAS); 25A: Craft fair folks (ARTISANS); 26A: Some Chicago trains (ELS); 27A: He played a cat with no backbone (LAHR); 28A: Snitched (TOLD); 30A: "Fancy ___" (THAT); 31A: Whacked, old-style (SLEW); 39A: "Good ___!" (ONE); 42A: Director Kazan (ELIA); 43A: Overcooks (CHARS); 44A: Tool in "The Shining" (AXE); 45A: British college entrance exams (or parking-garage ground floors) (A LEVELS); 49A: Harried bus. owner's need (ASST.); 51A: Many a state name in D.C. (AVE.); 52A: Oversupply (GLUT); 55A: Gutter site (EAVE); 57A: Siphon off, as support (ERODE); 58A: What a graph may illustrate (TREND); 59A: Number of players on "La Ruota Della Fortuna" (TRE); 62A: You stay here (INN); 63A: Iffy stat in a storm (ETD); 64A: Peeved (SORE); 65A: Steady the arrow (AIM); 75A: Rag goo (OIL); 76A: Doing mess prep (ON K.P.); 77A: Apply (USE); 78A: Pizarro's prize (ORO); 84A: Ended up with (GOT); 85A: Buddy on TV (EBSEN); 87A: Lots (of) (A HOST); 88A: Adams and Grant (AMYS); 91A: Nascar's Yarborough (CALE); 92A: Gen.-turned-pres. (DDE); 93A: And others, briefly (ET AL.); 95A: Rascality (ROGUERY); 96A: "Facts ___ facts" (ARE); 97A: Good, to Garcia (BUENO); 99A: Speed Wagons, e.g. (REO'S); 101A: Author Auletta (KEN); 106A: Face-care brand (OLAY); 110A: Escape-route city, in "Casablanca" (ORAN); 111A: Just right (TO A T); 112A: Missay, as lines (MUFF); 115A: Drink on draught (ALE); 116A: "Heaven forbid!" ("I HOPE NOT!"); 123A: Requires more than one, as to tango (TAKES TWO); 124A: Try a get-hitched-quick scheme (ELOPE); 125A: Stand up for (oneself) (ASSERT); 126A: Wises (up) (SMARTENS); 127A: Vacations (RESTS); 128A: Big ___ (the drug industry) (PHARMA); 1D: Looks awed (GAPES); 2D: Mo or Stew of Arizona (UDALL); 3D: Oversight (LAPSE); 4D: Census datum (AGE); 5D: "You go, ___!" (GIRL); 6D: Tough item to get upstairs, typically (SOFA); 7D: "Tuesdays with ___" (MORRIE); 8D: Last words of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" (I AM); 9D: Jumpy (SKITTISH); 10D: Ladies of Lima (SEÑORAS); 11D: Go fishing (ANGLE); 12D: ___ approved (FDA); 13D: Flying (AIR TRAVEL); 14D: "Hah!" ("SO THERE!"); 15D: Olympic hurdles? (TRIALS); 16D: Some bow ties (PASTA); 17D: Org. that does patient work (AMA); 18D: Pink-slip (CAN); 19D: Count addition (-ESS); 24D: Physicist Georg (OHM); 29D: Award for Sgt. York: abbr. (DSC); 32D: Interlaced (WOVEN); 34D: Candidate list (SLATE); 35D: Shower's partner (SHAVE); 36D: Limb gripper (TALON); 37D: Ooze out (EXUDE); 38D: Thwart (DETER); 40D: In-crowd outsider (NERD); 41D: Creepy cinema street (ELM); 45D: When Otello dies (ACT IV); 46D: Fictional Doone (LORNA); 47D: "___ can do it" (EVEN I); 48D: ___ voce (SOTTO); 50D: Rip to bits (TEAR UP); 52D: Pine-Sol target (GRIME); 54D: Language that gave us "thug" (URDU); 56D: Iowa college town (AMES); 57D: Clean up your language? (EDIT); 60D: Singer Sam (COOKE); 61D: RSVP enclosure (SASE); 63D: Palindromic magazine (ELLE); 64D: "CSI: NY" star (SINISE); 67D: Sue Grafton's "N" (NOOSE); 68D: Essence (GIST); 69D: "Motel Hell" star Calhoun (RORY); 70D: Floater for boaters (BUOY); 71D: Tycoon on the Titanic (ASTOR); 72D: Whoopi's predecessor on "The View" (ROSIE); 73D: Gloomy, to poets (DREAR); 74D: One of the Corleones (SONNY); 79D: Cockatoo's cousin (MACAW); 80D: Leigh's 1939 Oscar role (O'HARA); 81D: Cartier rival (ROLEX); 82D: Revealed (MADE KNOWN); 83D: Church chorus (AMENS); 84D: Dance related to a horse's gait (GALOP); 85D: Brink (EDGE); 86D: Magli of shoe fame (BRUNO); 89D: They know the score (MAESTROS); 90D: Fine and dandy (AOK); 92D: "Ha-cha-cha-cha-chaaaaaaa!" crier (DURANTE); 94D: Syrupy stuff (TREACLE); 97D: Absolutely minimal (BAREST); 98D: Giant who wore #4 (OTT); 100D: French verb with nous (SOMMES); 103D: Sulking sort (MOPER); 104D: Canadian chowderhead (HOSER); 105D: "Hot" place to chill (TUB); 107D: Debussy work (LAMER); 108D: Great perturbation (ALARM); 109D: Tale spreader (YENTA); 113D: Dust-up (FLAP); 114D: Creel contents (FISH); 116D: "___ official ..." (IT'S); 117D: Show-off (HAM); 118D: Volga tributary (OKA); 119D: Lean-___ (TO'S); 121D: Fitting (APT); 122D: Intel processor? (NSA).

03.06

S U N D A Y
March 6, 2011
John Lampkin

[Note: This is the syndicated L.A. Times puzzle. It does not appear in the actual newspaper, but is available for free at cruciverb.com.]

Theme: "Adducational TV" — Extra letters are added to the titles of TV shows, yielding wacky results.

Theme Entries:

• 25A: Documentary about a Ravi Shankar concert? (SITAR TREK).
• 27A: Sitcom about an endearing dimwit? (LOVE THAT BOOB).
• 43A: Show about a nonsensical grain grinder? (BLARNEY MILLER).
• 70A: Drama about an opinionated military? (JUDGING ARMY).
• 100A: Talk show about words like "zeppelin" and "dirigible"? (THE FLYING NOUN).
• 119A: Sitcom about a team of aromatherapists? (THE MOOD SQUAD).
• 122A: Financial show about the fermented honey market? (MEAD MONEY).
• 39D: Drama about an Asian virus? (KUNG FLU).
• 63D: Drama about an obnoxious superhero? (BRATMAN).

Hey, everybody. Doug here, back in the Sunday saddle. I hope you enjoyed last week's fantastic Oscar-themed write-up by Brad Wilber. Thanks again, Brad! Today's constructor John Lampkin keeps the Hollywood vibe going with a nice television-based theme. Which of these shows would you be most likely to watch? I'd probably catch a few episodes of THE FLYING NOUN. And maybe BLARNEY MILLER. Who could resist the antics of a nonsensical grain grinder? Wasn't that an actual show? I think it was a "Perfect Strangers" spin-off starring Balki's zany uncle from the old country.

Bullets:

• 19A: Bellow's "The Adventures of ___ March" (AUGIE). I'm more familiar with Augie Doggie than Augie March. That might explain why I flamed out during February's "Literary Month" at Matt Gaffney's Weekly Crossword Contest.

• 27A: Sitcom about an endearing dimwit? (LOVE THAT BOOB). How many of you know or remember the show "Love That Bob"? Not me. Wikipedia tells me that "Love That Bob" was an alternate title for "The Bob Cummings Show," which ran from 1955 to 1959. Coulda fooled me. Bob Cummings later starred in a show called "My Living Doll" with Julie Newmar (best Catwoman ever!) who played a life-like android named Rhoda. Where do I get the DVDs?

• 64A: Symbol on the film poster for Eastwood's "Hang 'Em High" (NOOSE). I love this clue. Ordinarily NOOSE isn't the most pleasant word to see in the grid. Props to John & Rich for finding a way to make nooses interesting and non-gruesome.
• 92A: "Mayor" author (KOCH). If I remember correctly, PuzzleGirl used to live in the same apartment building as Ed Koch. And I know for sure that Jerry Orbach lived there too. So cool! I live in Southern California, but I don't run into too many celebrities. I once saw Lou Diamond Phillips at a Wienerschnitzel. Does that count?
• 111A: Attending USC, e.g. (IN L.A.) One of my least favorite recurring crossword entries. It used to be clued exclusively as part of the title of the 1985 movie "To Live and Die in L.A." Not a great entry, but acceptable. For some reason it's migrated away from the movie title to become a standalone entry. Wouldn't you wince at seeing INSF ("Riding the BART, say") or INNYC ("Watching a game at MSG, e.g.")? To me, those two are no worse than INLA.

• 1D: "Straight Up" singer Abdul (PAULA). Her career peaked when she did that fabulous duet with MC Skat Kat. It's been all downhill ever since.
• 16D: Inner tube shapes (TORI). Yeah, I suppose Tori Spelling looks a little bit like an inner tube.
• 53D: Old-timey words of emphasis (BY CRACKY). Awesome entry! And so much fun to say. "That was a dang fine puzzle in the paper today, by cracky."
• 74D: Last Olds made (ALERO). The last ALERO rolled off the assembly line in 2004, but it'll drive on in crossword grids forever.
• 91D: Gossip (SCHMOOZE). Another super entry. I wonder if anyone's ever used SCHMOOZE & BY CRACKY in the same sentence.
• 93D: Longtime New Yorker cartoonist Roz (CHAST). Ms. Chast will be appearing at the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament in Brooklyn in a couple of weeks. She's going to be handing out trophies at the awards banquet and doing a few impromptu sketches of Dan Feyer, Tyler Hinman, etc. (I made up that last part.) I'll be at the ACPT and so will PuzzleGirl. In fact, you can rub elbows with many of your favorite crossword luminaries there. And they're all super-nice. Seriously. So I'll see you there!

02.27 Sun

S U N D A Y
February 27, 2011
Jeremy Horwitz & Byron Walden

[Note: This is the syndicated L.A. Times puzzle. It does not appear in the actual newspaper, but is available for free at cruciverb.com.]

Theme: "It's an Honor Just to Be Nominated" — The eight films for which Peter O'Toole received a Best Actor Oscar nomination...and lost.

Theme Entries:

• 1A: *1964 (BECKET).
• 7A: *2006 (VENUS).
• 28A: *1968 (THE LION IN WINTER).
• 43A: *1972, with "The" (RULING CLASS).
• 65A: *1982 (MY FAVORITE YEAR).
• 67A/71A: *1962 (LAWRENCE OF ARABIA).
• 72A: *1969 (GOODBYE MR. CHIPS).
• 96A: *1980 (THE STUNT MAN).
• 112A: See 127-Across (BEST ACTOR OSCARS).
• 127A/128A: Performer nominated for 112-A (he didn't win any) in all the answers to starred clues (PETER O'TOOLE).

Hi, everybody. Brad Wilber here, making my INAUGURAL (83D) foray into public puzzle commentary. Doug, I’m sure, surmised that asking me to guest-solve on Oscar Sunday would be the equivalent of a lazy pitch right over the plate to Ron CEY (54A) or Mel OTT (78A). I won’t claim to be top movie maven among cruciverbalists —- not with John Farmer and others out there –- but I am something of a student of Oscar and lack only 25-30 films in my long-running aim to see every Oscar-nominated performance in major categories (all four acting races, Picture, Director, writing, cinematography, etc.)

So did I have an overconfident start to the puzzle? Yes, I think that’s fair to say. Confronted with dates as my only clues to theme entries, I started penciling in Best Picture winners, and it was my bad luck to start with 1969 at 72A. MIDNIGHT COWBOY fit neatly. But oops – 1980’s ORDINARY PEOPLE did not find a home at 96A. So I shrugged philosophically and allowed my eyes to light on the last clue on the page. Great – TAO (120D). And, of course, the bottom line of the puzzle is where the key twist on the Oscar theme lurked. As soon as I knew Jeremy and Byron were giving us a splendid tribute to PETER O’TOOLE – well, at the risk of sounding obnoxious, I could lay in all the theme entries without waiting for crossings. MIDNIGHT COWBOY was gone in a cloud of eraser dust, replaced by GOODBYE MR. CHIPS (you know this version is a quasi-musical, right?). Then the rest, with a brief pause at 112A before I could pin down that BEST ACTOR OSCARS was going to be plural.

If you’re going to serve up a tribute puzzle, this is the way to do it and please the purists and the completists. All of the films for which O’Toole was nominated appear, and with gratifying symmetry, entries BECKET / VENUS mirror PETER / O’TOOLE. Having to snip the initial article from THE RULING CLASS to make it fit must have been a mildly galling moment for our constructing duo, but not a big deal. Compensation – having three of the films stacked in adjacent rows right at the heart of the grid (MY FAVORITE YEAR, CHIPS, and a split-up LAWRENCE OF ARABIA).

So theme-wise I had just one “light bulb” moment as opposed to seven or eight, but movie knowledge alone does not give you a finished puzzle. I still had plenty of work to, with lots of fun moments along the way.

Bullets:

• 1D: Like the most secure passports nowadays (BIOMETRIC). This is the kind of cluing that makes me pleasantly gooey inside – an elegant snippet of writing, specific but still a bit mysterious, and offering a break from strictly lexical match-ups. Ditto U.S. BORDER at 88A (It runs through four Great Lakes). 
• 7D: Facilities for many ex-GIs (VFW HALLS). With V__H__L_ in place from my movie titles, I was betting on VALHALLA before I saw the clue.

• 44D: Remedy for a pain in the neck (NERVE BLOCK). New crossword entry born out of the need to have the N, the E and the B in their appointed spots. But also eminently familiar.
• 65D: “Who wants candy?” response ("ME! ME!"). Much more verve in this cluing avenue, to my mind, than in asking for an Internet MEME. Excuse me while I go get a bag of Swedish Fish.
• 70D: "Ice Age" unit, e.g. (CEL). Going along quickly, I almost put CEN. as an abbreviation for “century,” since ice ages, you know, took a while. I have a feeling that’s just the kind of gentle trap the guys wanted to lay for us. But...maybe it wasn’t deliberate at all. Speaking of AGE, a few extra minutes of my life went by before that answer occurred to me for 111A (It always increases). Nice!

• 99A: Tennis shoe that debuted at Wimbledon in 1966 (K-SWISS). The first all- leather sneaker, with a striped shield logo. File it in that part of your brain where the other tennis apparel is, like ELLESSE (go, Chrissie!) and FILA.
• 81A: How nice that OSH by itself it a (Kyrgyzstan city) and we don’t have to have a rhyming fill-in-the-blank.
• 47A: (Item, such as interest, recorded only when earned) clues NON-ASSET, another entry new to me. Sometimes when I go through puzzles my lack of background in accounting and economics is a non-asset.

• 92D: Prince Andrew’s younger daughter (EUGENIE). Did you waver between EUGENIA and EUGENIE? Moseying right next door – come on! Given the timing can we not have LESBIAN referencing “The Kids Are All Right” (nominated for four big awards tonight)? Although that movie technically involves three parents, two of whom are lesbian, so the potential clue suddenly becomes more syntactically complicated than the one we got.
• 60A: It was pretty cool to get almost to the end of the puzzle and encounter a double-J with HAJJI (Muslim pilgrim). The crossing at 62D made me recall that I thought "Jai Ho" from "Slumdog Millionaire" was a little bit inert compared to the infectious giddiness of the VERY best Bollywood numbers. Anybody agree?

• 25A: A.O. SCOTT should send Byron a gift basket – this is at least the second occasion Byron has worked the New York Times film critic into a puzzle (2009-'10 "At the movies" cohost).

• The puzzle has a fair amount of cross-referencing even apart from the instances needed to execute the theme. The fellows turned such a nice trick with ONE-SEATER (22A and 39A) that I wished they could have shoehorned LAUDER into the grid and spared us a stand-alone ESTEE at 107D. Oh, well.

In case you do trivia at your Oscar party tonight, here are some other “bridesmaid” multiple nominees: Richard Burton (7), Deborah Kerr (6), Thelma Ritter (6), Glenn Close (5), Irene Dunne (5), Albert Finney (5), and Arthur Kennedy (5). Directors Clarence Brown, King Vidor, and Robert Altman also have 5 nominations each, without a win.

Back to O’Toole for a minute. Do I think he was ever “robbed”? Truthfully, no. In the abstract, yes, I think he deserves to have an Oscar on his mantel as much as anyone. But considering each of the years in which he competed, it’s hard to imagine changing the verdict in Peter’s favor. You wouldn’t want Gregory Peck to be without his award in 1962 for TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, and at that stage voters probably thought the upstart O’Toole had plenty of time for a future victory. In 1964, whatever you think about Rex Harrison in MY FAIR LADY, how could you give an Oscar to a guy in BECKET who didn’t play Becket? In 1968, voters were happy enough to let THE LION IN WINTER accolades go to Hepburn, and Cliff Robertson had the trump card of playing a sympathetic soul coping with disability instead of a braying king. 1969’s nomination for MR. CHIPS was more recognition for maintaining dignity in the face of bad material than a dog that would hunt. And all of O’Toole’s remaining nominations (1972, 1980, 1982, 2006) found him up against can’t-miss performances (Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone, Robert DeNiro as Jake LaMotta, Ben Kingsley as Gandhi, and Forest Whitaker as Idi Amin).

What Mr. O’Toole needed, in my opinion, was another movie like LAWRENCE OF ARABIA whose sheer scale could have better absorbed his big acting style. His LORD JIM (1965) is such a film – an underrated one – and I think if he’d been able to snag a nod that year he might have been in with a real shot. Or I do wonder what would have happened if he’d slipped in as a Supporting nominee in 1987 for his tutor in THE LAST EMPEROR – by then, doing some very subtle work.

Geez – I’ve overstayed my welcome and sort of strayed from the puzzle. Let’s go to the videotape!

Peter O’Toole was given an honorary Oscar in 2003. Initially he wrote to the Academy begging off, saying he wanted to win “the lovely bugger outright,” but he showed up to receive his honor and gave a speech that oozed class. If you're one who holds the view that plenty of Oscar winners have sentiment and politics to thank as much as merit, maybe you'll agree with one of the comments made during O'Toole's campaign for VENUS, to the effect that an O'Toole win at some point in history would have legitimized Oscar, not the other way around:

2003 – O’Toole recipient of Honorary Oscar

Some other Best Actor clips of Oscar ceremonies involving O’Toole (he’s only shown in two of them). Presenters Sally Field and John Travolta both have deer-in-the-headlights syndrome:

1969 – O’Toole in Goodbye Mr. Chips loses to John Wayne

1972 – O’Toole in The Ruling Class loses to Marlon Brando

1980 – O’Toole in The Stunt Man loses to Robert De Niro

1982 – O’Toole in My Favorite Year loses to Ben Kingsley

Others who received a competitive acting nomination or win AFTER being awarded an honorary Oscar are Henry Fonda, Paul Newman, and Alec Guinness.

2006 – Peter O’Toole in Venus loses to Forest Whitaker

Thanks for allowing me to visit...and ramble...everyone. If you'll be tuning in to the ceremony tonight, enjoy!

02.20 Sun

S U N D A Y February 20, 2011
Merl Reagle

[Note: This is the puzzle that appears in the Sunday L.A. Times newspaper. If you don't get the paper, you can find the puzzle here. Scroll down to see today's syndicated puzzle.]

Theme: "Punjabbing" — Indian puns.

Theme answers:

• 22A: Co-star of "Apu of Mayberry"? (RANI HOWARD).
• 24A: Publisher of Indian Gourmet magazine? (GANDHI NAST).
• 26A: Ravi Shankar's band? (THE RAGA FELLERS).
• 38A: Most popular word game in India? (SIKH AND FIND).
• 41A: "What will you be wearing in Poona, Oona?" (SARI CHARLIE).
• 57A: "Okay, you can visit that Indian city, but come right home!" (DON' T DELHI DALLY).
• 77A: What 1987's "The Untouchables" had? (AN ALL-STAR CASTE).
• 91A: Indian dancer of the 1930s? (RUPEE KEELER).
• 93A: Most popular race in India? (THE HINDI 5OO).
• 109A: Film about an Indian restaurant? (TANDOOR MERCIES).
• 113A: Actor in Indian spy films? (RAJAH MOORE).
• 117A: What you might feel while solving this puzzle? (AGRAVATION).

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Everything Else — 1A: Plants in a Fugard title (ALOES).; 6A: Somewhat (A BIT).; 10A: Downfall (RUIN).; 14A: A tug may tow it (SCOW).; 18A: Part of a cell, the ___ body (GOLGI).; 19A: Three-trio combo (NONET).; 21A: Reverse (UNDO).; 28A: "What have we here?!" ("OHO!").; 29A: Goose genus (ANSER).; 30A: Commandment verb (STEAL).; 31A: Conscripted one (DRAFTEE).; 35A: Toothpaste amount (DAB).; 48A: Unctuous (OILY).; 49A: Actress Susan (DEY).; 50A: Hard hike (TREK).; 51A: Phony handle (ALIAS).; 52A: Nuts (GAGA).; 53A: Pages and pages (REAMS).; 55A: Supreme Court duds (ROBES).; 60A: It'll never fly (EMU).; 61A: Minotaur's home (CRETE).; 63A: ___ budget (ON A).; 64A: Juan's conclusion? (-ITA).; 65A: Baby-sitters (WATCHERS).; 67A: Clubber, opposite Rocky (MR. T).; 68A: b, d, f, h, k, or l (ASCENDER).; 73A: Subtle tone (HUE).; 74A: James Clavell's "___-Pan" (TAI).; 75A: Jumped between electrodes (ARCED).; 76A: Outside prefix (EXO-).; 82A: Intensify (REV UP).; 84A: All-out attack (BLITZ).; 85A: Upside-down, e.g. (CAKE).; 86A: Francis, e.g. (SAINT).; 88A: Like some loads (WIDE).; 89A: Dune buggy: abbr. (ATV).; 90A: "No thanks, ___ already" (I ATE).; 97A: Red or White follower (SOX).; 98A: Piano pieces (SONATAS).; 99A: Selassie disciple (RASTA).; 103A: "Chestnuts roasting ..." melody writer (TORMÉ).; 108A: Old boob-tube adjunct (VCR).; 118A: Ready to serve (OPEN).; 119A: "Great!" ("SUPER!").; 120A: "The Family Circus" cartoonist Bil (KEANE).; 121A: "___ see it ..." (AS WE).; 122A: Greek letter (ZETA).; 123A: Brit's intro (I SAY).; 124A: Strikes speechless (STUNS).; 1D: All ___ (excited) (AGOG).; 2D: Baritone-sax note (LOW A).; 3D: Five Norwegian kings (OLAFS).; 4D: Florida flyer (EGRET).; 5D: Come (up to) slyly (SIDLE).; 6D: Actress Pier of "The Silver Chalice" (ANGELI).; 7D: Sty guy (BOAR).; 8D: Vacancy venues (INNS).; 9D: Lou's clueless anchor (TED).; 10D: Tiebreaker of a sort (RUN-OFF).; 11D: Spanish article (UNA).; 12D: Cards with photos (ID'S).; 13D: "___ a problem" (NOT).; 14D: Mex. miss (SRTA.).; 15D: "All the Way" lyricist Sammy (CAHN).; 16D: Items (ONES).; 17D: Unlike Joan's hangers (WIRE).; 20D: Tough to solve (THORNY).; 23D: Sound heard at the beginning of camp? (HARD C).; 25D: "___ no idea!" (I HAD).; 27D: Use a surgical beam (LASE).; 31D: Lama lead-in (DALAI).; 32D: Like some basins (TIDAL).; 33D: The Axis, to the Allies (ENEMY).; 34D: Ice cream brand (EDY'S).; 36D: "So that's it!" ("AHA!").; 37D: Not-so-hairy Norse god? (BALDER).; 39D: Sitter in a eucalyptus tree (KOALA).; 40D: Forecast extreme (HIGH).; 41D: Scatter (about) (STREW).; 42D: Bakery beckoner (AROMA).; 43D: Counter (an argument) (REBUT).; 44D: A Clanton at the OK Corral (IKE).; 45D: Runs amok (RIOTS).; 46D: Olympic swimmer's slot (LANE).; 47D: Final extension? (-IST).; 52D: Decent chap (GENT).; 53D: For mature viewers (RATED R).; 54D: Joie de vivre (ELAN).; 56D: Creator of "the little round-headed kid" (SCHULZ).; 58D: Column style (DORIC).; 59D: Fuzzy hangups (DICE).; 62D: Barn-dance dance (REEL).; 66D: Shoot the breeze (CHAT).; 67D: Farm female (MARE).; 68D: Bandleader Shaw (ARTIE).; 69D: Script sections (SCENES).; 70D: Dickens (DEVIL).; 71D: Ooze (EXUDE).; 72D: Cowboy, at times (ROPER).; 74D: Relax (TAKE 5).; 75D: Quickly, quickly (ASAP).; 77D: Clipped conjunction (ALTHO).; 78D: "Stairway to Heaven" star David (NIVEN).; 79D: Lots (SCADS).; 80D: Filmmaker Jacques (TATI).; 81D: Tempe sch. (ASU).; 83D: Farm female (EWE).; 84D: Is up (BATS).; 87D: Ring outcome, briefly (TKO).; 90D: Comrades ___ (IN ARMS).; 91D: Hog's milieu? (ROAD).; 92D: Additional (EXTRA).; 94D: Cigar city (HAVANA).; 95D: Hankering (ITCH).; 96D: Cantankerous (ORNERY).; 100D: Saturates (SOAKS).; 101D: Play hard ___ (TO GET).; 102D: Pianist Claudio (ARRAU).; 104D: Hedron intro (OCTA-).; 105D: Reformer Jacob (RIIS).; 106D: Persian comment (MEOW).; 107D: Ye olde Anglo-Saxon serf (ESNE).; 109D: Bikini parts (TOPS).; 110D: Purview (AREA).; 111D: Author of "The Magic Mountain" (MANN).; 112D: After 6 p.m., in ads (EVES).; 113D: Actress Russell, to pals (ROZ).; 114D: Jungle groomer (APE).; 115D: Namath was one (JET).; 116D: Paris accord? (OUI).