Friday, 7/2/10

NYT untimed
LAT 3:55
CS untimed
CHE tba
WSJ 8:27

Paula Gamache’s New York Times crossword

Region capture 14This grid looks like a bear to put together, with the four Across 15s run through by four vertical 15s. Once you lock in more than 100 squares, there’s not much leeway on the remaining fill, so there are some short answers in the “meh” category. They’re more than offset by the grandeur of the 15s, though:

  • 17a. The HAWAIIAN ISLANDS are Captain [Cook’s final setting]. The clue suggests chef business, but no.
  • 33a. I’ve never heard of MIGNONETTE SAUCE, which is an [Accompaniment for oysters]. I can’t say vinegar with ground pepper and shallots sounds appealing to me.
  • 40a. [One with a growing hobby] made me suspect there was a 15-letter term for someone growing hydroponic pot in a basement, but it’s GENTLEMAN FARMER. My favorite radical feminist blogger bills herself as a gentleman farmer and spinster aunt. Linda Murgap, are you reading this? She’s another Texan with horrific centipede and scorpion tales. I tell you, cold winters kill those things off.
  • 58a. SPUR OF THE MOMENT is clued as [Snap], as in a snap decision.
  • 3d. LOW-HANGING FRUIT is my favorite bit of corporate-speak. [It may be picked first] because it’s an easy problem to tackle.
  • 6d. [It helps show you when something is done] is a confusing and yet completely apt description of a MEAT THERMOMETER.
  • 8d. [Symbol of pork] isn’t about meat, it’s about federal dollars: It’s Alaska’s erstwhile planned BRIDGE TO NOWHERE that Sarah Palin was famously for before she was against it.
  • 11d. “MIND YOUR MANNERS” is a [Social admonition]. I hope you didn’t put MIND YOUR P’S AND Q’S there.

Ten to mention:

  • 21a. I love seeing DO OR DIE ([Desperate]) all smushed together in the grid. Doordie…go ahead, say that a few times. “Doordie, doordie, doordie, doordie.”
  • 36a, 27d. I wasn’t at all fond of the mystery [Actress Graynor] until I looked her up after finishing the puzzle. That 27d crossing, [Originated], was not so obviously SIRED, so I was hesitant about filling in the middle of ARI. Then I discovered that she played Caroline in Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, and she was the main comic relief. She had an overfond attachment to her chewing gum, and—spoiler alert!—when she threw up at the Port Authority bus station, she retrieved the wad of gum from the loo of barf…and popped it back into her mouth and blissed out again.
  • 46a. [St. Louis landmark designer] was where I started filling in this grid. I almost went with EERO Saarinen, who designed the Gateway Arch, but there was no reason for the answer to be a first name. It’s James EADS, designer of the 1874 Eads Bridge. This is one of those names I know only from crosswords.
  • 60a. ERIE is a fairly common repeater, but this clue is uncommon: [County west of Wyoming]. Apparently the state of New York has a Wyoming County beside Erie County. Pennsylvanians are welcome to kvetch about this, as their Erie and Wyoming counties are not adjacent.
  • 2d. Amo, amas, amat, the singular conjugation of “to love” in Latin, includes AMAT as [Part of a loving threesome?]. Did you think about ménages à trois? Didn’t we all?
  • 41d. TEA TREE is a [Source of an essential oil with medicinal properties]. Are you too old for benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid, but not yet too old for zits? Try Desert Essence Blemish Touch Stick, a little tea tree oil roll-on that helps zap zits with natural antiseptic and antiinflammatory properties. I have it on good authority that pimples can continue into one’s 60s.
  • 42d. [Phiz on a five] made no sense to me. The answer the crossings gave me is ABE Lincoln, who’s on a $5 bill. I just looked up phiz in the dictionary: British, informal, “a person’s face or expression,” derived from physiognomy in the 1600s.
  • 50d. Who? [Pianist Pogorelich] is named IVO. Hey! I know a child named Ivo. Wikipedia lists plenty of “famous people named Ivo,” but they don’t tend to be household names in the U.S.
  • 57d. [Women with auréoles: Abbr.] are French women with haloes, or STES. Not to be confused with women with areolas, though there is significant overlap. And speaking of which—hey! look at the pattern in the center of the grid.

Jack McInturff’s Los Angeles Times crossword

Region capture 15This add-some-letters theme adds KING to the ends of four familiar phrases/words as an homage to the game of checkers:

  • 71a. KING ME is a [Board game demand, and hint to this puzzle’s theme].
  • 18a. Subpar becomes SUB PARKING, or [Temporary teacher’s lot?].
  • 23a. ORIGINAL SINKING is clued with [What it would have been if 10-Down went down?].
  • 52a. Not crazy about ESPRESSO BARKING and [Brusque words about strong coffee?]. “Barking” isn’t all that commonly used in that sense. Dogs and coffee, anyone?
  • 61a. AMY TANKING builds beautifully on author Amy Tan. The clue is [Blogger Reynaldo losing on purpose?]. I kid. It’s actually [Actress Brenneman losing on purpose?].

Ten clues:

  • 1a. Right there at the beginning, we get whacked with [Rhine tributary]. Four-letter European river at 1-Across? Yeow. I was guessing AARE but it’s the RUHR.
  • 17a. [Hosp. workers] clues LPNS, short for licensed practical nurses. Another time LPN was in the NYT crossword, I was surprised to see that a lot of folks were unfamiliar with the term. Doesn’t everyone have three nurses in the family and an overriding familiarity with the profession? No? In any event, LPNs have less training and education than RNs.
  • 30a. [Nat or Red] may have you thinking of Nat King Cole and Red Skelton, but it’s the Washington Nationals and Cincinnati Reds: NLER. Nobody’s favorite crossword entry.
  • 46a. [Pond papa] clues a male duck, or DRAKE. Anyone else think of efts’ and tadpoles’ papas?
  • 48a. Whoa, I’ve never seen DES clued with [__ Arc, Arkansas].
  • 49a. KIROV is the [Former name of the Mariinsky Ballet]. It changed names?
  • 60a. [Where to get down] is not a DISCO, it’s the EIDER duck with its down feathers.
  • 19d. [Circle constants] clues PIS. Wait, is there more than one PI? I don’t think there is.
  • 42d. [Arctic predator] clues a seabird, the SKUA, which spells AUKS backwards.
  • 56d. IDAHO is the [Only state that borders six states and Canada]. Let me guess: Washington, Oregon, Montana, Wyoming, and…I’m short two states. Utah and Colorado? The Dakotas? Peeking at a map…it’s Nevada and Utah.


Updated Friday morning:

Doug Peterson’s Washington Post/CrosSynergy puzzle, “Inside Man”—Janie’s review

There is so much that is so good about this puzzle’s fill—themed and un-—that I want to get right to it. That “inside man”? That’s the pronoun “he” Doug has added into familiar phrases and which lead to results that made me sit up and take notice—in a good way! Here’s how he does it:

  • 17A. THEATER TOTS [Youngsters in a playhouse playpen?]. The success of this metamorphosis stems from its complete change in meaning from the base phrase. No real connection to the Ore-Ida product any more—and an easily-visualized new phrase. Engaging young ones in theater games is a great way to stimulate their creative juices and usually appeals to even the most WIGGLY among them.
  • 26A. CLASSIFIED HEAD [Leader whose identity is confidential?]. Like maybe someone who’s [Pentagon personnel] TOP BRASS? (And how do the top brass like their quarters kept? Why, they should be SPOTLESS [Immaculate], if you please!)
  • 41A. BATHE AN EYELASH [Shed one very tiny tear?]. Funny clue/fill concept. As for the base phrase, its most common form is “(not) bat an eye” (i.e., show surprise), but it also appears as “(not) bat an eyelash” or “(not) bat an eyelid.”
  • 54A. ALLEY CHEATS [Ones who pad their pin count?]. Again, because of the complete change of meaning to the base phrase as a whole, this one gets high marks. In case, like me, you were at first confused by this one, however, Doug’s referring to bowling pins…

The “he” factor can also be found in the non-theme fill. No added letters, but there’s a high testosterone count, thanks to fill like SPERM [whale], RATT [“Round and Round” rock band] and even MOB [“The Sopranos” group]. (That latter one aired on HBO, which is clued today as [“Def Comedy” network].) Members of the mob are often depicted as the ones assigned to WHACK [Belt] their enemies. They usually do this with their fists or the butt of their guns. In earlier days they might have resorted to SPEARS [Primitive weapons]. While we’re at it, take a look at whack‘s location in the grid. I love the way the rhymey TACKY sits above it and SMACKEROOS goes through the two of ’em. (And notice how sperm shares its initial “S” with the sound-alike SPUR [Cowboy boot attachment], giving us more “guy stuff” in the process.)

LEAD THE WAY [Be a trailblazer] is beautiful long fill, and so is CRAB LEGS [Dish served with melted butter]. Yum. Where’s a great place to enjoy ’em? Why, for the real thing, try Washington state or Maryland’s Eastern Shore—you know, places along the SEABOARD [Site of many resorts].

Not sure why HEMS = [Mini borders]? YES MA’AM, this one aims at the estrogen set. Those are the hems of mini-skirts…

Patrick Blindauer’s Wall Street Journal crossword, “Skipping the Country”

Region capture 16Jeffrey’s got a busy summer so I’m back on WSJ blogging duty for a while.

The theme works fine for what it is—reinterpreting “skipping the country” as “taking the letters USA and ‘skipping’ a letter by spacing them out within longer phrases”—but there’s nothing inherently entertaining in the theme entries and nothing else unifying them.

  • 23a. [*It contains 64 parishes] clues LOUISIANA, with the spaced-out USA hiding within.
  • 25a. [*Like some performances and debts] clues OUTSTANDING.
  • 38a. [*Balboa, e.g.] was a CONQUISTADOR. I weary of highlighting the letters in color.
  • 52a. [*Raider in the Pro Football Hall of Fame] is GENE UPSHAW. Never heard of him until he died and NFL players wore his initials on their uniforms.
  • 69a. CIRCUMSTANCES—[*They may be beyond one’s control].
  • 87a. [*Mardi Gras, literally] is FAT TUESDAY in English. I’ll bet a lot of solvers tried to get the circumstances of the outstanding conquistador Gene Upshaw to have something to do with LOUISIANA and FAT TUESDAY. I deduct five points for the 23a/87a combo’s risk of misleading solvers.
  • 100a. [*Like Indian summer weather] clues UNSEASONABLE. Would have been more timely to use [Like chilly weather in July].
  • 117a. [*Major] means SUBSTANTIAL.
  • 120a. [*Official who hears complaints] is an OMBUDSMAN. Is that just a newspaper position? Who else has ombudspeople?

Highlights:

  • 47d. [Fourth of July noisemaker] clues CHERRY BOMB. You know what? They don’t just make noise. They also make chemical burns, and I’ve got the scar to prove it. Is there a cocktail with this name? Because I bet that would be tasty.
  • 91d. “SHE’S GONE‘ is a [1976 Hall & Oates hit].
  • 101d. A SKI BUM is a [Slopes fanatic].
  • 59a. [Blessing preceder] is a SNEEZE. This morning, my son and I walked past an older man on his porch who let out a ferocious sneeze. I said “Gesundheit!” I hate it when strangers acknowledge my sneezes, yet find it hilarious to call attention to a stranger’s sneeze.

Mystery clue of the day:

  • 16d. [Bombazine, e.g.] is a kind of TWILL fabric. Etymologically unrelated to the CHERRY BOMB—bombux is Greek for silkworm, and this “twilled dress fabric” is made of worsted and silk or cotton.
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17 Responses to Friday, 7/2/10

  1. John Farmer says:

    40a. [One with a growing hobby] made me suspect there was a 15-letter term for someone growing hydroponic pot in a basement…

    I’m not sure how you got in my basement, but let’s keep this on the q.t., okay?

    –(Sometimes a) GENTLEMAN FARMER

  2. jimbob says:

    NYT puzz: Only 1 of the 15’s was any good (Bridge to Nowhere), and 99% of the short (<5 letters) fill sucked. Actually, now that I look back at the puzzle, up that number to 100%. 100% of the short fill sucked. Then you've got junk like "acned" and "athirst" and a sea of unremarkable crap. And even though I already covered the short stuff, I need to call out one clue by name because it was so damn ridiculous: "Phiz on a five"? WHO THE HELL SAYS PHIZ?! Overall this puzzle was a waste of time and space.

  3. sbmanion says:

    Wyoming County is home to Letchworth State Park, which is magnificent:

    http://nysparks.state.ny.us/parks/79/details.aspx

    I had trouble getting started. My first entry was MEAT THERMOMETER and the puzzle unraveled from the center outward.

    Steve

  4. Plot says:

    Damn it… I already looked at the solution grids and submitted my times, but after taking a second look, I noticed an error I made in the NYT. I was so sure that the Norah Jones song was “tell HER mama” that having OHL in the grid didn’t bother me. It’s never fun being 100% confident in an incorrect answer; sometimes it hurts worse than a kick to the LOW HANGING FRUIT.

  5. Gareth says:

    Paula Gamache has been one of my themeless nemeses, but this was an easy, breezy puzzle by Friday standards. The 8X15 grid arrangement looks amazing, and each one of those 8 is a good’un which almost makes me want to get this puzzle framed! – BRIDGETONOWHERE and MINDYOURMANNERS were both LOWHANGINGFRUIT for me, getting long 15s early for me goes a long way to solving these puzzles. If I don’t things often get ugly! 17a, 6d are fave FAVE clues! Never heard of MIGNONETTESAUCE either, but that isn’t surprising tell truth. “This is one of those names I know only from crosswords.” – never met up with Mr. Eads before, but I suspect we will be meeting again…

    For some reason I can remember where I learnt the word PHIZ from – Nathaniel Hawthorne, “The Great Stone Face” – so slightly perplexed that’s it’s “British Informal”. The story is available here: http://www.classicreader.com/book/726/1/.

    “Not to be confused with women with areolas, though there is significant overlap.”- made me SOL (snort out loud)

    LAT: How often do we see an add FOUR letter theme? Has anyone managed a 5? 6? Was I the only one who found the clue choices made for SHAKE and TEALS a little odd. TEALS especially – plural colours are awkward – but TEALS can also be ducks which even scores bonus points when it’s above DRAKE! Also an odd grid – black 7D/23A and 37D/53A and you have divided the puzzle into two halves!

  6. Amy Reynaldo says:

    Steve, what’s a letchworth?

  7. sbmanion says:

    Amy,

    Two to seven at Attica, the famous prison which is also in Wyoming County, depending on his target.

    Letchworth was an iron magnate from Buffalo:

    http://nyfalls.com/letchworth-main.html

    Steve

  8. Sparky says:

    Almost made it today but had APIa for APIS which threw me off ATHIRST. I am happy though to have done that well on a Friday. Thank you @sbmanion for the nyfalls pictures. N Y State is under appreciated for its beauty. Have a glorious Fourth of July.

  9. andrea carla michaels says:

    re: WSJ puzzle

    someone needs to mention the phenomenal Patrick Blindauer’s triple play…
    He constructed Thursday’s CrossSynergy puzzle, today’s Wall St Journal Puzzle AND this Sunday’s NYT puzzle (co-written with Tony Orbach)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    And if that grand slam isn’t enough, Sunday, the 4th of July, is also his birthday!

    Is there some sort of Puzzle Hall of fame? Can someone canonize him? Or at least give him an aureole?
    (St. Patrick…now that has a nice ring to it)

  10. Sam Donaldson says:

    “Not to be confused with women with areolas, though there is significant overlap. And speaking of which—hey! look at the pattern in the center of the grid.”

    My mouth was full of Diet Coke when I came across that line. I now have Diet Coke on my shirt. The laugh is worth the stain.

  11. joon says:

    this wasn’t my favorite friday, nor was i able to solve it with any kind of celerity, but jimbob’s comment is way out of line. we’re a more decorous bunch here at the fiend, even when we’re snorting diet coke and narcing out others’ secret stashes.

    and boy, the LAT gave me fits, too, especially in that NW where i had about five different wrong answers in there at various times: REBA for OPIE, AARE for RUHR, DOCS for LPNS, DEPOT for UPPER (and i still don’t get the clue), SAW IN for LED IN… ouch. but i loved the theme. as gareth says, it’s not often you get a four-letter add, although my only LAT puzzle (to date) had one.

    i wish the chronicle would get their act together. i think there’s an issue today but the puzzle isn’t on the website.

  12. John Haber says:

    I liked the grid, even if I needed to rely on SIRED to get ARI and didn’t recognize MIGNONETTE or TEA TREE at all. Same with HAI, which was essential to spelling PEARY correctly. My annoying square, though, definitely was O_L vs _ER. I guessed OWL, like an animal character in a children’s book and HER, but never did reconcile them and can’t say I blame myself. Never did understand “phiz” either and even wondered if it wasn’t a typo for “prez.”

  13. Howard B says:

    Wasn’t my favorite Times puzzle either, though I appreciate the construction of it and some of the long answers and clues were definitely worth the effort.

    However, if someone wants to criticize a puzzle, I’d say feel free, but do so with respect to the constructor, make valid points as to what words and clues hurt your head, or what was confusing and ambiguous. “Sucked” is in the eye of the solver. Also, if you also choose to critique what is and is not “crap”, so to speak, I would suggest to do some constructing to see what parts of the process make it challenging. Then, comment with respectful authority on what you thought might be improved :).

    That said, I have occasionally on paper puzzles written a marginal note to similar effect (i.e. “What the hell is 2D?”) when I thought a puzzle had particularly obscure fill or a very nasty, unfair clue. Usually occurs more of the airline magazine-type puzzles than the Times.
    Know the feeling, but I generally don’t post that first frustrated thought either :).

  14. Meem says:

    Agree that this blog works hard to remain decorous. And to understand constructors’ challenges. Let’s keep it that way. Joon, my Chronicle arrived in my mailbox on Wednesday, so that puzzle is long gone. Happy Fourth to all.

  15. janie says:

    loved [phiz on a five] and inpherred that it would stand for physiognomy. seems like the only other way we see that arrangement of letters is a the a/k/a for halbot knight browne — illustrator for boz a/k/a charles dickens…

    ;-)

  16. Nancy says:

    Tea tree oil is also purported to be a remedy for nail fungus, but I’m here to tell you that, at least for me, it doesn’t work. Don’t spend big bucks for those solutions that are available from many sources on the ‘net. The straight stuff from your local pharmacy is cheap.

  17. Zulema says:

    NY State is probably the most beautiful state in the continental US, and many people agree with me. I am definitely not a native, so no axe to grind. And I love all of the Northeast.

Comments are closed.