Thursday, November 19th 2015 Ed Sessa

Theme: Disturbed night - the theme entries share a jumbled word as explained in the reveal

20A. Kiss a frog, so it's said : BREAK THE SPELL. "Someday my prince will come", or, as the photographer said to her assistant waiting for a delivery from the lab "someday my prints will come".

27A. All out : AT  FULL SPEED. That's fast!

45A. Evasive language : DOUBLESPEAK. There's an annual Doublespeak Award for truly excellent new examples. One of my favorites is the "meaningful downturn in aggregate output" phrase coined by the then-Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan to avoid saying "recession".

56A. Snoring, e.g., and a literal hint to what's hidden in 20-, 27- and 45-Across : SLEEP DISORDER. Tends to cause a mood disorder in one's bed-mate.

Hola! Steve here with a very fresh and interesting offering from Ed Sessa. There's a whole slew of words or phrases that you don't see around crossword-land too often including all of the themers, plus LIMBO POLE, REPULSION and SPIDERY. Good stuff.

Elsewhere there's some neat cluing misdirection, some frankly baffling stuff and everything in between. Let's check it out.

Across:

1. __ Men, pop band whose name derives from its members' homeland : BAHA. Bahamian-origin band formed in London.

5. Bit of a speech : WORD

9. Prolonged look : STARE

14. Instruments for Israel Kamakawiwo'ole : UKES Here's the Wonderful World/Over The Rainbow mash-up from IZ.

15. Case for notions : ETUI. Yikes, this one's a doozie! Notions in the sense of small items like buttons, threads and ribbons. That's a pretty obscure definition.

16. Attach : AFFIX

17. Bar for some dancers : LIMBO POLE. The dance originated in Jamaica where it was popular at wakes.

19. "The Grand Budapest Hotel" actor : DAFOE. I loved the movie.

22. Org. that holds your interest? : S AND L. I was staring at this wondering what on earth a SANDL was when I realized that it needed spaces. Savings and Loan.

23. LBJ agency : OEO. Somewhere, a black and white snack is missing its "R". The Office of Economic Opportunity.

24. Reuters competitor : UPI. The wire service United Press International.

32. Complain : CARP

36. Attic forager : RAT

37. Family nickname : AUNTY

38. Went too far with : OVERDID

40. Street vendor's snack : PRETZEL

42. Cosmetic surgeon's procedures, briefly : LIPOS. The quite charming process by which you get fat vacuumed out of you.

43. Nursery supply : SOD. Nothing to do with babies. Grass.

44. Salts : TARS. Ahoy, Matey!

49. NBC sketch comedy : SNL

50. Portuguese king : REI

51. Not connected : APART

61. Case study? : TRIAL. A case comes in for some close scrutiny when it goes to trial.

63. Like one who really gets IT? : TECH SAVVY. When I meet someone socially for the first time I never tell them I work for a tech company, because then I generally get asked questions about what's wrong with their computer/printer/iPad.

64. Sea divers : LOONS

65. Switch ending : -EROO

66. Carpe __ : DIEM. Seize the day. Carpe Carp - Seize the fish. Carpe No Oil - Seize the engine.

67. Cuban music genre : CONGA

68. Daly of "Judging Amy" : TYNE. Thank you crosses. Never heard of him/her or the show/movie. I should go look it up.

69. Everyone, in Essen : ALLE. Curiously, ALLES is the singular form, familiar from the German National Anthem line: "Deutschland, Deutschland über alles". Funny old language, German.


Down:

1. Light sources : BULBS

2. "Ran" director Kurosawa : AKIRA

3. Ones with fab abs : HE-MEN

4. Similarly sinful : AS BAD

5. Broke down : WEPT

6. "Then again," in tweets : OTOH. On the other hand

7. Dismiss : RULE OUT

8. Fuel type : DIESEL. Last time I was in England I rented a stick-shift Audi with a diesel engine. I was really impressed by the performance - now we all know why.

9. "Soldier of Love" Grammy winner : SADE

10. Nonstick cookware brand : T-FAL. Don't buy a non-stick wok, you want to be able to push food up the side and have it stay there.

11. Anti-consumerist portmanteau popularized in a 2001 best-seller : AFFLUENZA. Great word. The book was "Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic".

12. 2011 animated film set in Brazil : RIO

13. PC file extension : EXE An executable file on a PC. Mac computers also have executable files, but they're named differently.

18. Stillwater's state: Abbr. : OKLA

21. Capitol insider : POL

25. Novelist De Vries : PETER. "Life is a zoo in a jungle".

26. Pastoral poems : IDYLS

28. Athlete lead-in : TRI-. I'm thinking about revisiting my triathlon days by competing again in 2016. I might have to go and lie down until the urge goes away. It's been 25 years since the last one.

29. It's not hot for long : FAD

30. Submission encl. : SAE. Stamped, Addressed Envelope in England. I didn't encounter the "SASE" version until I moved to the US.

31. Last stroke, usually : PUTT. It's a shame to be remembered for a missed putt, but this is one of those iconic moments. Bernhard Langer's miss in the 1991 Ryder Cup meant that the USA took the trophy from Europe after a decade of domination by the Europeans.

32. Common maladies : COLDS

33. French postcard word : AVION. Hmm. You used to stick "Par Avion" labels on mail that was going by air (par avion). Quite what this has to do specifically with a postcard I'm not sure. Do postcards always go by air? Peculiar clue.

34. Utter disgust : REPULSION

35. "No __!" : PROB.

39. ISP alternative : DSL. Now this one is flat-out weird. An ISP is an Internet Service Provider, such as AOL. DSL stands for Digital Subscriber Line, which is a physical means of connecting to your ISP. One is not an alternative to the other. What am I missing?

40. Author of macabre tales : POE. We had his monogram yesterday.

41. Old cereal box stat : RDA. Recommended Dietary Allowance. They're called RDI's now - Recommended Daily Intake - apparently.

43. Weblike : SPIDERY. I always associated SPIDERY with writing, not with webs, but I'll treat this as a learning moment.

46. Before, of yore : ERE

47. Largish jazz ensemble : SEPTET. Depends on your definition of an ensemble. To a full orchestra, a septet might be construed as "smallish".

48. Maxwell Smart's nemesis : KAOS. From the TV series "Get Smart".

52. "The Devil Wears __" : PRADA. Another cracking movie.

53. Motrin competitor : ADVIL

54. Party hearty : REVEL. Another odd one. I've heard of a "reveller" before, but never seen REVEL used in the sense of an individual.

55. "Go ahead, make my day!" : TRY ME

57. Lana of Superman lore : LANG. Compare and contrast with Lois Lane.

58. Film feline : ELSA. The lioness from the movie "Born Free".

59. Silhouette of a bird, for Twitter : ICON

60. You might pick up a pebble in one : SHOE

61. Attention from Dr. Mom : TLC

62. Milne marsupial : ROO. This original by Ernest Shepard, not the abominable Disney mockery of the character:

That should do it from me for today. I'm off for a trip back to the old country tomorrow for a few days, apparently just in time for some really atrocious weather. I'm staying in Bloomsbury over the weekend, home to yesterday's Virginia Woolf. I'll follow this advice:

Toodle-oo!

Steve

Wednesday, November 18, 2015 Gary J. Whitehead

Theme: A HISSY FIT BY ANY OTHER NAME.

Losing it

17. Lose it : HAVE A CONNIPTION.   Equivalent slang expression.

Onesie for un enfant terrible

24. Lose it : HIT THE CEILING.    Equivalent slang expression.

Watch your head

35. Lose it : GO APE.   Equivalent slang expression.

Gorilla my dreams

41. Lose it : THROW A TANTRUM.  Equivalent slang expression.

Not just for kids

55. Lose it : FLY OFF THE HANDLE.   Equivalent slang expression.

Alternate meaning

Hi gang, JazzBumpa here, having way too much fun with this one.  Lots of anger in this theme.  Let's see if we can stay on an even keel.

Across

1. Home of the Nobel Peace Center : OSLO.  Norway, of course.

5. Loafed : IDLED.

10. Wharf : QUAY.  A wharf may be built along the shore or projecting into the water.  A QUAY is a structure built along the shore parallel to the water's edge.

14. Scandinavian royal name : OLAV.  Back to Norway.

15. Black, in Bordeaux : NOIRE.  Simply the French word for black.  Let's put it in context.

A sideways glance

16. Johnson of "Laugh-In" : ARTE.

20. Takes advantage of a cloudless night : STAR GAZES.

21. Grating sounds : RASPS.

22. "Oui, oui," across the Pyrenees : SI SI.   From France to Spain - yes, yes?  And a homophonic call out to our fearless leader.

23. 1-Across locale: Abbr. : NORway, for the trifecta.

30. Kentucky college or its city : BEREA.   

31. Cod cousin : HAKE.   Something fishy here.

32. __ gratia artis: MGM motto : ARS.  Art for art's sake.  Latin, 'cuz who knows why?

34. Spot in the control tower : BLIP.   This is a spot on the radar screen in the control tower.  Not so much a misdirect as unanticipated specificity.

37. Twosomes : DUOS.  Some are dynamic.

Not a puzzle constructing team

38. Brillo competitor : SOS.  Scrubbing pads.

39. Alert : WARN.

40. Packers quarterback Rodgers : AARON.   Superstar QB who is having a sub-par year.  The woeful Lions managed to eke out a nail-biting, unimpressive victory in Green Bay on Sunday, the first such win since 1991.  

45. NASA affirmative : A-OK.   All systems are go.

46. Big name in speakers : BOSE.

47. Prophetess : SIBYL.  An oracle influenced by divine inspiration.

Cybill

50. Works like a demon : POSSESSES.  If you accept that demon POSSESSION is a thing.  But still, it's not a demon's work, it's what it does for fun.

57. Lowly worker : PEON.  The modern meaning.  Historically, PEONAGE was involuntary servitude imposed on native populations by Spanish conquistadors.   Nasty business.

58. True-crime author Dominick : DUNNE.   If I have this right, he is also the father of actress Dominque Dunne who was tragically murdered at age 22 by her ex-boyfriend.

59. Wine barrel sources : OAKS.   Strictly speaking, the source would be a COOPERAGE, OAKS provide the raw material.

60. Applies gently : DABS.  As with a cotton ball.

61. Hilarious types : RIOTS.  Funny people

62. Bout enders, briefly : TKOs.  In boxing, Technical Knock Outs occur when the officials determine that one contestant is physically unable to continue, or is in danger of serious injury if the match continues.

Down

1. Sounds of amazement : OOHS.  Often accompanied by aahs.  At any rate, there were many of these in Detroit on Sunday.

2. Blind part : SLAT.

3. Basalt source : LAVA.  Basalt is a form of igneous [derived from ignus, the Latin word for fire] rock, formed by the cooling of LAVA or magma.

4. Exceed, as one's authority : OVERSTEP.

5. One way to pay : IN CASH.  I'll give you credit for cashing in here.

6. Humdinger : DOOZIE.   Something special, unique or outstanding.  DOOZY is the preferred spelling.  I thought the referent was the Duesenberg automobile, but the usage antedates the car by at least a couple of decades.   

7. Poem piece : LINE.

five syllable line

comprising a poem piece

only in haiku

8. Coastal raptors : ERNS.   The venerable sea eagle of vintage crossword puzzles.

9. Opus __: "The Da Vinci Code" sect : DEI.   God's Work in Latin.   Also a real world institution in the Roman Catholic Church that teaches that all are called to holiness and that ordinary life is a path to sanctity.

Only for certain values of "Opus"

10. Persian Gulf native : QATARI.   Since the name of the county appears to be pronounced "Cutter," I'm not sure how to say this.

11. "Exodus" novelist : URIS.  Leon.

12. Resting upon : ATOP.  Literally on top of something, or figuratively on top of something like the standings in your fantasy football league.

Snoop Dog

13. Hankerings : YENS.   Urges.

18. Stomach discomfort : AGITA.   Indigestion.  Probably arising from Italian slang, possibly derived from the Latin agitare, to stir up [agitate] or acido, Italian for stomach acid.

19. Orwellian worker : PROLE.   In the novel 1984, by George Orwell [Eric Blair] the nation Oceania has three classes of citizens: Inner Party, Outer Party and the PROLES, constituting 85% of the population.  They are common working peons, living in poverty and deprived of education.

23. Footwear company named for a goddess : NIKE.   The Greek winged goddess of victory, whose Roman equivalent was Victoria.

24. Serf of ancient Sparta : HELOT.   One might think of them as being equivalent to PEONS or PROLES, and, according to Herodotus, they did comprise about 85% of the population of the Spartan controlled areas of Laconia and Messsenia.

25. __ whiskey : IRISH.   One of many kinds of whiskey.

26. Music from monks : CHANT.   A single line of melody [i.e. without harmony] in free rhythm and a restricted scale, developed during the 9th and 10th centuries.   The shortest clip I could find is 8 minutes.  There are some over 8 hours.  Do not feel obligated to listen.

27. "The Pit and the Pendulum" monogram : Edgar Allen Poe.

28. World's smallest island nation : NAURU.   This 8.1 square mile BLIP with fewer than 10,000 residents is northeast of the Solomon Islands, very near the equator.  The only smaller nations are Monaco and Vatican City.

29. Clean and brush, as a horse : GROOM.

30. Air gun pellets : BBs.  Metal spheres, 4.3 to 4.4 mm in diameter, typically made of steel, plated with zinc or copper to resist corrosion

33. Form 1040EZ info : SSN.   Social Security Number.

35. Rubberneck : GAWK.

36. 60 minuti : ORA.   Minutes in an Italian hour.

37. Lacks the courage to : DARES NOT.

39. Virginia of the Bloomsbury Group : WOOLF.   This was an influential group of writers, intellectuals, philosophers and artists associated with the Bloomsbury area of London's Borough of Camden. 

40. On the briny : AT SEA.

42. Synthetic fabrics : RAYONS.  Orlons, nylons - polyester and acrylic don't fit.

43. Not answering roll call : ABSENT.  With or without official leave?

44. Satisfies the munchies : NOSHES.   Snacks.  Is it kosher to use NOSH as a verb?

47. Calif. law force : SFPD.  San Francisco Police Department.

48. Lower intestinal parts : ILEA.   The ILEUM is the third portion of the small intestine, between the jejunum and the cecum, where the small intestine joins the large intestine.   I didn't have the guts to post a picture.  Still - there will be a quiz.

49. "We're not serving liquor," briefly : BYOB.  Bring Your Own Booze Bottle.

50. Spitting sound : PTUI.  Onomatopoeia.

51. "That isn't good!" : OH NO.  Common reaction in Green Bay on Sunday.

52. Minn. neighbor : S. DAKota.

53. Northern Nevada city : ELKO.   No idea.  Has anyone heard of it?

54. Meeting of Cong. : SESS.   Abbreviated SESSion of Congress.

56. New Deal pres. : FDR.  Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Fireside Chat

That's all folks.  Hope I didn't do anything to make you mad.  We had, among other things, some hard workers, indigestion, a bit of ancient music, an example of bad poetry, a sports upset and something to drink -- if you brought your own bottle.

Cool regards!
JzB

Tuesday, November 17, 2015 C.C. Burnikel

Theme: Float Trip - the four rivers defined by the circles do not indicate country's borders but they do indicate the border's of the entry that they are part of.

17. Badminton court boundary : SERVICE LINE. Seine (Map)

23. Trilogy with the heroine Katniss Everdeen : THE HUNGER GAMES. Thames (Map)

36. GameCube, for one : NINTENDO CONSOLE. Nile (Map)

49. Vehicles for James Cagney : GANGSTER MOVIES. Ganges (Map)

58. It may straddle neighboring countries ... and, in a different way, what each of four sets of puzzle circles graphically depicts : BORDER RIVER

Argyle here. C.C. there. Cool how the longest river is in the longest answer. Four strong column words.

Across:

1. Adjust for daylight saving time, e.g. : RESET

6. Veggies in a sack : SPUDS

11. Sphere in the night skies : ORB

14. The first Mrs. Trump : IVANA

15. Plains dwelling : TEPEE

16. "Watch it!" : "HEY!"

19. Minn. summer hours : CDT. (Central Daylight Time)

20. Bambi's aunt : ENA

21. Heart : CORE

22. __ one's nose into: meddle : POKE

28. Ballroom moves : DIPS

29. Bit of buckshot : PELLET

30. Captain Picard's counselor : TROI. Star Trek: The Next Generation

33. Eat : DINE

34. Imprecise ordinal : NTH

41. __ Friday's: restaurant chain : TGI

42. Fuel from a bog : PEAT

43. Pretty pitcher : EWER

44. Youngster : MOPPET. Not much in common use these days.

46. Mosque official : IMAM

53. __ Major: Big Dipper : URSA

54. Double-reed woodwind : OBOE

55. Here, in Juárez : ACÁ

57. Bloke's bathroom : LOO

62. Target of fall shots : FLU. Big push to get your shots already.

63. Snoring cause, often : APNEA

64. Disbursed : SPENT

65. Labor Day mo. : SEP. (September)

66. Foppish neckwear : ASCOT

67. Lightens up : EASES

Down:

1. Word from the bailiff : RISE. Preceded by ALL.

2. Happening : EVENT

3. Comedian Silverman : SARAH

4. Ltr. holder : ENV. (envelope)

5. Meditative Chinese discipline : TAI CHI

6. Outboard motor areas : STERNS. The back of the boat.

7. "Moby Dick" ship co-owner : PELEG. Captains Peleg and Bildad were retired Nantucket whaling captains who co-owned the Pequod.

8. Longtime newswire org. : UPI. (United Press International)

9. Bear's home : DEN

10. "Catch my drift?" : "SEE?"

11. "You've got to be kidding!" : "OH, COME NOW!"

12. Salvation Army symbol : RED KETTLE

13. Memory units : BYTEs

18. Clever move : COUP

22. Friend : PAL

24. Prepare for publishing : EDIT

25. Grand-scale tale : EPIC

26. Gambling town near Carson City : RENO

27. Small valley : GLEN

30. Explosive initials : TNT

31. Complicated procedure : RIGMAROLE

32. Course served in a small crock : ONION SOUP

33. URL part : DOT

35. The Beatles' "And I Love __" : HER

37. Omar of "House" : EPPS

38. Bygone depilatory : NEET

39. Set of numbers next to a contract signature : DATE

40. Round before the final : SEMI,. Play-offs.

45. FedExCup org. : PGA. (Professional Golfers' Association)

46. "That wore me out!" : "I'M BEAT!"

47. "Wuthering Heights" setting : MOOR

48. Not at all eager : AVERSE

49. Large bays : GULFS

50. Bull rider's venue : RODEO

51. Roof edges : EAVES

52. Public spectacle : SCENE

56. Partner of sciences : ARTS. Arts and Sciences is often said of colleges and universities.

58. Cry from a lamb : [BAA!]

59. Black __: spy doings : OPS. (operations)

60. GOP org. : RNC. (Republican National Committee)

61. Hoppy brew, for short : IPA. (India pale ale)

Argyle

Monday, November 16, 2015 Robert E. Lee Morris

Theme: More than a job - Four types of jobs.

61A. Employment opportunity, and a hint to the first word of the answers to starred clues : JOB OPENING

17A. *Malicious prank : DIRTY TRICK. Dirty Job...but somebody's got to do it.

37A. *Winter storm school closing : SNOW DAY. Snow Job. Deceptive flattery.

11D. *Humor among friends : INSIDE JOKE. Inside Job. Most big heists require someone on the inside.

27D. *Employee who does the firing : HATCHET MAN. Hatchet Job. A calculated attempt to ruin someone's reputation.

Argyle here. Good theme but the rest seemed inconsistent. No real stinkers but some clues and answers that weren't Monday friendly. YRMV.

Across:

1. Honolulu "howdy" : "ALOHA" to our friends on the islands.

6. Cozy eatery : CAFÉ

10. Exasperated sound : [SIGH!]

14. Access the Internet : LOG ON

15. Word-of-mouth : ORAL

16. Merely : ONLY

19. Memo writer's "Pronto!" : ASAP. (As Soon As Possible) and it better be PDQ.

20. White Monopoly bills : ONES

21. Church recess : APSE

22. Sarcastic in a mean way : SNIDE

23. Approximately 3.26 light-years : PARSEC

25. One doing simple math : ADDER. One who adds.

26. Written in few words : SHORT. ?

28. Has __ for news : A NOSE

30. Flood : SPATE

31. Trumpeter Alpert : HERB

33. Spanish eyes : OJOs

36. House cat, e.g. : PET

40. Cries of pain : OW!s

41. Part of IRA: Abbr. : ACCT.

43. Corrida cheers : ¡OLÉ!s

44. Like the old bucket of song : OAKEN

46. The __ Boys: fictional detectives : HARDY

48. Moorehead of "Bewitched" : AGNES. CSO to Irish Miss.

49. Last Greek letter : OMEGA

51. Speak sharply to : SNAP AT

54. Fall guy : PATSY

55. Japanese detective Mr. __ : MOTO. There were eight films in the Mr. Moto series.

56. Director Kazan : ELIA. Elia Kazan (1909 – 2003)

60. Bombeck of household humor : ERMA. Erma Bombeck (1927 – 1996)

63. Iranian currency : RIAL

64. Similar (to) : AKIN

65. Govt.-backed investment : T-NOTE. 'Treasury Note'

66. Ill-fated Boleyn : ANNE. (Second wife of King Henry VIII)

67. George Eliot's "Adam __" : BEDE. Published in 1859.

68. Boat with an outrigger : CANOE

Down:

1. Gucci of fashion : ALDO. I'm not on a first name basis with the man.

2. Pork cut : LOIN

3. Storybook meanie : OGRE

4. Trendy club : HOT SPOT

5. " ... have you __ wool?" : ANY. Three bags full.

6. The "C" in USMC : CORPS. Semper Fi!

7. Get up : ARISE

8. Kings, queens and jacks : FACE CARDS

9. Antlered grazer : ELK

10. Son-of-a-gun : SO AND SO

12. Forest clearing : GLADE

13. Really keyed up : HYPER. Hyper-agitated fits the bill.

18. Small fruit pie : TART

22. __ Paulo, Brazil : SÃO. According to Times magazine, São Paulo has the world’s worst daily traffic jams. Who knew?

24. Greek war god : ARES

26. Design detail, briefly : SPEC. Specification this time, not speculation.

29. L.A. Clippers' org. : NBA. (National Basketball Association)

30. Place for a mani-pedi : SPA

31. "Gee whiz!" : "HOLY SMOKE!"

32. Barnyard female : EWE

34. Has obligations : OWEs

35. Govt.-issued ID : SSN. (Social Security number)

38. Drop (off) : NOD. My specialty.

39. Discipline using mats : YOGA

42. Bric-a-brac disposal event : TAG SALE

45. Rabbit ears : ANTENNA

47. Unit of hope or light : RAY

48. Per person : A POP

49. "Aida," for one : OPERA

50. County on San Francisco Bay : MARIN

52. "I pass" : "NO BID". Probably no face cards.

53. Make amends : ATONE

57. Animal Crackers feline : LION

58. Really digging, as a hobby : INTO. Or like archaeology.

59. "A Death in the Family" author James : AGEE. James Agee (1909 – 1955)

61. Quick poke : JAB

62. List-ending abbr. : ETC. (et cetera) "and other things"

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to Ergo (Husker Chuck), who was quite active on our blog last year. How's the new job, Chuck?

Interview with Bruce Haight

Those who solve New York Times puzzles regularly and are familiar with Bruce Haight's byline won't be surprised with our bendy puzzle today. Bruce is fond of visual art and noted for his boundary-pushing style.

Bruce also makes super smooth Monday/Tuesday puzzles with heavy themage, as shown in this puzzle we just had earlier this month.

Today is our ninth LAT grid from Bruce. He has had 15 puzzles published by the New York Times since 2013.

I'm astonished that all the theme entries are placed in symmetrical spots. This does not happen often with turning gimmicks. Did you start out this way or did you decide to tighten up your approach in the grid-designing process? 

 

Hi CC !  Actually, I started right off setting up the grid with symmetrical theme entries, but then it was pretty difficult to find entries with the right lengths. I was able to play around with the blocks to make it work.  My initial submission had GOES ON A BENDER as a theme entry,  but Rich nixed that because it wasn't specific enough about what kind of turning was going on.  I thought I would never find an entry to replace that, but then COMING OUT AHEAD popped into my head- the entry turns out and ahead- perfect!

Which section gave you the most trouble in the filling process? Judging by the five Q's, I imagine you had fun in the middle.

Those Q's popped up mostly on their own, probably partly because of the position of that U in TURN A PHRASE- I do remember feeling like Quistmas came early when those appeared!  The area right next to THE FALLS was by far the toughest for me.  The puzzle that Rich accepted had TLINGIT at 49-Down, which Rich could not have been too happy about, but on my own I went back and moved blocks to get rid of that.  I noticed in one of your blogs recently you said something about being glad the LA Times allows 144 words in a Sunday puzzle- I never knew that, and I had a devil of a time getting down to 140 on this one. By the way, CC, do you think you could pull some strings and get them to show water coming out of the "S"  in FALLS for the online solution? And maybe a barrel going down OVER THE FALLS, over and over?  Thanks!   :)

Tell us a bit about yourself. What's your background? And how did you get into crossword construction?

I'm an ophthalmologist in the San Diego area, originally from Wisconsin, and never had much interest in crosswords till 2012 (age 58).  I got a crossword app for my iPad and got hooked. I sent my childhood friend Pete Collins (well-known in the crossword community) an idea for a crossword  theme and he offered to co-construct it with me.  It got rejected, like all of my first 50 puzzles, but eventually I improved.  My Mom loves crosswords, so I got some inspiration from her. I just had my first grandchild, so  I'm  trying to work KEIRA into a puzzle.....

What kind of theme & fill fascinate you and what kind do you try to avoid in your grids?

I love grid art, and I'm fascinated by what I call "constraint" construction - crosswords with low block counts, low number of letters used, one vowel only, 100+ theme letter count, quadruple pangram, etc.  I tend to shy away from intellectual themes - I'm not at all knowledgeable about art, history, geography, etc - that's one reason  I'm a lousy crossword solver.

Which part do you enjoy the most in the construction process: theme development, filling or cluing?

I consider myself mostly a technician, so I like the grid layout and the fill process. I'm always looking for new grid art ideas, but they are tough to come up with and difficult to construct.  I struggle with theme development.   

What kind of reference tools do you use for crossword construction & cluing?

I use xwordinfo, Crossword Tracker, One Look dictionary search, Cruciverb, and Google

Besides crosswords, what else do you do for fun?

In the past I've been big into golf, tennis, bridge,  and backgammon tournaments.  However, since I got into crosswords my other hobbies have suffered. I enjoy playing guitar and piano.  My wife and I love to travel to Europe, and we love movies.  We watch only two TV shows- Downton Abbey and The Voice. 

If you could give one piece of advice to fellow constructors what would it be?

I see constructors complain all the time that too many of their favorite clues were not used.  My suggestion for this problem is to submit two or three clue options for the entries you are really excited about. Rich Norris sent me an Email one time telling me he likes my strategy on that  - he said just put a slash/ mark between the clue options and try to pick options that vary in difficulty.  This improved my clue "success" rate from 50% to 75%, which adds a lot to my enjoyment of puzzle construction.

How have crosswords changed your life?

Well for one thing, they saved my life.  When I got obsessed with crosswords in 2012  I ate less and slept less and lost ten pounds.  My wife thought I had cancer so she made me get a CT scan.  Sure enough, I had an awful type of kidney cancer that is nearly 100% fatal once it gets big, and usually has no symptoms till it's too late.  However, mine was tiny and easily removed, with no sign of it three years later.   The doctors said it was way too small to cause weight loss, so I thank the crossword community (and my wife Liz) for saving my life!

Sunday, Nov 15, 2015 Bruce Haight

Theme:  "Going on a Bender" - Each of the eight theme entries takes a 90-degree turn.

1A & 6D: Gets hitched : TAKES THE PLUNGE. That's how our TTP got his avatar name.

 

7A & 12D:  Unpopular party gal : DEBBIE DOWNER. Not familiar with this phrase.

13A & 17D. Goes 0 for 20, say : HITS A SLUMP

43D & 65A. PRESS FORWARD. This is where I cottoned onto the gimmick.

48A & 51D: How some Niagara stunts are done : OVER THE FALLS

 

76D & 99A: Passenger's direction at the corner : HANG A RIGHT. Also an easy corner.

74D & 100A: Play a trick (on) : PUT ONE ACROSS

68D & 101A: More than breaking even : COMING OUT AHEAD. A few tricky clues in that corner.

Reveal entry:

58A. Wax eloquent ... and what to do to solve eight puzzle clues : TURN A PHRASE

Across Lite does not allow empty clues, so Rich normally uses a dash to indicate that there's no clue for that word. Dashes often hint at a turning gimmick.

None of the turning phrases is random. Every themer has a key word indicating a downward or forward turn. 

The total symmetry added an extra layer elegance to this grid. It also made filling challenging for the fun-loving Bruce.

Across:

18. Get some fresh air : BREATHE. I just turn to NPR for Terry Gross. 

20. Complained : RAILED

21. Drives unsteadily : WEAVES

22. Give an edge to : SHARPEN. And  81. Giving an edge to : HONING

 23. Maestro Toscanini : ARTURO. My very first entry.

24. Half of a storybook duo : HANSEL. Same letter as Gretel.

25. Knocks in the theater : PANS

26. Seafood entrée : PRAWNS. Isn't strange that PRAWN is plurable but not SHRIMP? Same food.

28. Put an edge on : WHET

30. Big Ten sch. : PSU. The Nittany Lions. All crosses for me.

31. "The Simpsons" disco guy : STU

32. Director's cry : PLACES. I wanted ACTION. When does a director shout "Places"?

33. Already : BY NOW

35. Growth period : BOOM

36. Former South African president for whom a gold coin is named : KRUGER. The coin is  Krugerrand. Named after this guy Paul Kruger. Both stranger to me.

37. Caine captain : QUEEG

38. Stopped lying? : SAT UP. I thought of AROSE first. At least I was in the right direction.

39. One may be personal : TRAINER. And 71. They may be seconded : MOTIONS. Quite a few clue echoes in this puzzle.

41. Harold's film partner : KUMAR

42. Leading : FIRST

43. Book intros : PROLOGS

44. Wisecracks : QUIPS

45. Pac-Man feature : MAZE

46. Call it a night : RETIRE

47. Salad veggies : CUKES. Trader Joe's has these wonderful Persian cucumbers. So crisp and tender.

 

52. Buttermilk rider : EVANS. And 78. Trigger rider : ROGERS

 

53. Bee output : QUILT. Sewing bee! I just can't keep my mind of beeswax.

54. Rains cats and dogs : POURS

56. Zebra on a court : REF

57. Link clicker's destination : SITE

 

60. "The Clan of the Cave Bear" heroine : AYLA. This has become a gimme for me.

61. __-Cat : SNO

62. Beauty's admirer : BEAST. Beauty and the Beast.

63. Hardly seaworthy : LEAKY

64. Divulge : SPILL

 

67. Violin-playing comedian : BENNY. Drew a blank. Sadly I don't know much about Jack Benny. I do know his age though.

68. Price-fixing bloc : CARTEL

69. Spots to crash on the road : INNS

70. Physics particle : QUARK

72. Hogties : BINDS

74. __ willow : PUSSY

75. "Now We Are Six" author : A. A. MILNE. Big fat gimme.

76. __ Sack : HACKY

77. Extremely : QUITE

78. Confrontations : RUN-INS

79. Vanquishers of kings : ACES. Oh, poker.

80. "Designing Women" actress Annie : POTTS.

82. Large vessel : VAT. First thought is URN.

85. Collar : NAB

86. Staff note : MEMO

87. Motley, as a crew : RAGTAG

88. Options list : MENU

89. Matured : GREW UP

91. Ewan's "Moulin Rouge!" co-star : NICOLE. Gimme.

94. Fill with crayons : COLOR IN

96. Commercial charge : AD RATE. And 15. Plugs for tubes? : TV SPOTS

97. Charm : ENAMOR

98. "I'm okay with that" : SUITS ME

Down:

1. Recipe amts. : TBSPs

2. Buddhist who has attained Nirvana : ARHAT. Wiki said it's Sanskrit for "one who is worthy". My landlord in Shanghai completely ruined Buddhism for me. He drank every night. He also burned incense and chanted every night.

3. Reeves of "The Lake House" : KEANU

4. Wave catchers? : EARS. Lovely clue.

5. Indy letters : STP

 

7. Bureau division : DRAWER

8. Merits : EARNS

9. Comic's routines : BITS

10. __-ray Disc : BLU

11. Comparative suffix : IER

13. Cops : HEAT

14. Creator of Q and M : IAN. James Bond.

16. Escorts to the door : SEES OUT

 

19. Infuriates : ENRAGES

21. "That was a close one!" : WHEW

27. Taiwan-based computer company : ACER. Our monitor. Great quality.

29. Monopolize : HOG

32. Group below abbots : PRIORS

33. Removes from the schedule : BUMPS

34. Affirmative votes : YEAs

35. Having less coverage : BARER

36. Tigers Hall of Fame outfielder Al : KALINE.  And 39. Two-time U.S. Open champ : TREVINO. I nailed both. Just saw Lee Trevino at the 3M this summer. He was surprisingly quiet that day. A bit name heavy in this area.

37. "Shh" : QUIET PLEASE. What a great entry.

38. Hat stats : SIZES

40. __ cuff: shoulder muscles : ROTATOR

41. One of Fran's puppets : KUKLA

42. Only NFL quarterback with more than 10,000 pass attempts : FAVRE. I'd not have played for the Vikings.

 44. "Jaws" shark hunter : QUINT. Unknown to me.

45. Timid : MOUSY

47. Junkyard dogs : CURS

49. Fitting comment? : TRY IT ON. Lovely clue/answer.

50. Greek : HELLENE

53. Campus areas : QUADS

54. Popular frat activity : PRANK

55. Like some chards : OAKY. Wine. I kept thinking of the veggie.

58. Shore fliers : TERNS

59. Name of eight English kings : HENRY

60. Typically wet times : APRILs

62. Toss about, as ideas : BANDY

64. Filling fully : SATING

66. Flirtatious signals : WINKS

67. Arrests : BUSTS

 

70. Pack it in : QUIT

71. Rock band 10,000 __ : MANIACS. No idea. Of course I thought of 10,000 lakes for MN.

72. Captain Morgan rival : BACARDI

73. Emotionally cold type : ICEBERG

 

75. Close relative : AUNT

77. Iranian holy city : QOM

80. Toon skunk Le Pew : PEPE

81. Anaheim team, in sportscasts : HALOS. Angels.

82. Frost lines? : VERSE. Robert Frost.

83. Jungian principle : ANIMA

84. Pitched well? : TUNED. This corner was hard for me.

86. Many a shelter resident : MUTT

87. Cowboys quarterback Tony : ROMO

88. Light-loving flier : MOTH

90. Nursery noise : WAH

92. Business magazine : INC

93. Monopoly token : CAR

95. __ Fáil: Irish coronation stone : LIA. This I learned from the Wayne R. Williams era. We had this all the time.

C.C.