Theme: BREAK THE ICE (65. Warm things up, and what 17-, 28- and 50-Across literally do) - The word ICE is broken and spans across each two-word common phrase.
17A. One that creates a current in the current: ELECTRIC EEL. It generates "electric current" in the "water current".
28A. DNA researcher: GENETIC ENGINEER. I forgot what's the difference between DNA and RNA again.
50A. Fitness staple: AEROBIC EXERCISE. Swimming, jogging, etc. Improve your body's use of oxygen.
This "split a word" theme idea itself is not novel. We've seen a few since the LAT switch. But Gareth Bain brought the whole concept to a new dimension by placing the unifying answer BREAK THE ICE in the grid. A bit similar in concept to his NIXON puzzle where ON is nixed in each theme entry and NIXON itself is gridded at the lower right corner.
Quite a few sparkling clues in the puzzle. I especially like the following "They":
73A. They must be met: NEEDS
12D. They may not be speaking: EXES
63D. They're barely passing: DEES. Grades.
Across:
1. Colorado resort town: ASPEN. The ski resort.
6. Roman commoner: PLEB
10. Who blows thar?: SHE. Thar she blows!
13. "April Love" singer: BOONE (Pat). Here is the clip.
14. Talks deliriously: RAVES
16. Witch's specialty: HEX. Thought it's BREW.
20. Floor model: DEMO
21. __ alcohol: fusel oil component: AMYL. No idea. From Greek ámylon (starch).
22. Shakespearean feet: IAMBS. Poetic feet.
26. Kissers: YAPS
35. Horror filmmaker Roth: ELI. Have never heard of this guy. Welcome to the crossword world, new ELI!
36. James Brown's genre: SOUL. James Brown is "The Godfather of Soul".
37. Allow: ENABLE
38. A flat one may evoke a wince: NOTE. Wrote down JOKE first.
42. Starting line advantage: POLE. Car racing starting line?
43. Puccini works: OPERAS
46. Wilson's predecessor: TAFT. The only president who also served as Chief Justice.
49. Actress Ullmann: LIV. Norweigian. Used to think she's from Sweden.
53. "The fool __ think he is wise ...": "As You Like It": DOTH
54. Silver encouragement?: HI-YO. "Hi-yo Silver, away!". The Lone Ranger's shout to his horse Silver.
55. Duke __: video game hero: NUKEM. I had NUKE? sitting there forever.
58. Ireland, poetically: ERIN. The answer seems to be ERIN instead of EIRE whenever there is "poetic" involved.
60. Ale feature: HEAD. Foam.
64. Ace's value, at times: ONE
68. Beverage suffix: ADE. Lemonade.
69. Barracks VIP: SARGE. Why is Barracks in plural form?
70. Rubber duck-loving Muppet: ERNIE. "Sesame Street".
71. Short flight: HOP
72. Tints: DYES. Plopped HUES.
Down:
1. Between the sheets: ABED. Bed sheets.
3. Housman work: POEM. A.E. Houseman the British poet. I misread the clue as Houseman.
4. "More!": ENCORE
6. Butcher's best: PRIME CUT
7. Like some negligees: LACY. Do you like the color?
8. "Brideshead Revisited" novelist Waugh: EVELYN. Not familiar with the book at all.
9. Buzzer: BEE
10. Ersatz: SHAM
11. Basil or chervil: HERB. Nice rhyme.
15. Add sneakily: SLIP IN
18. Sine or cosine: RATIO
23. See 25-Down: A SNAP. And IT'S A (25. With 23-Down, "Duck soup!"). "Duck soup" is a slang for "piece of cake".
27. Census datum: AGE
28. Italian port: GENOA. A bit south of Milan.
29. Sneak off to the altar: ELOPE
30. Compound in some explosives: NITER. In TNT.
31. Enrapture: ELATE
32. Where Christ stopped, in a Levi title: EBOLI. Levi's "Christ Stopped at Eboli".
33. Hudson River's __ Island: ELLIS
34. "Still Me" autobiographer: REEVE (Christopher). Katharine Hepburn's autobiography is simply titled "Me".
41. Unpopular legislative decisions: TAX HIKES
44. WWII enders: A-BOMBS
45. Take a load off: SIT. Good clue too.
47. Épéeist's ruse: FEINT
48. Shot: TRY. Give it a shot/TRY.
51. Heartening: CHEERY
52. Stick together: COHERE
55. Ararat lander: NOAH. Noah's Ark landed in Mount Ararat.
56. Edit menu command: UNDO
57. Don't let go: KEEP
59. Fashion: RAGE. In rage. Did not come to me readily.
61. Mozart's "__ kleine Nachtmusik": EINE. "A Little Night music".
66. "Far out!": RAD
67. Barnyard bird: HEN. Owl too.
For those who do not visit the Comments section, Rich Norris (LA Times Crossword editor) told Dennis yesterday that starting in February, we'll only see Dan Naddor's puzzles every other week. "At that rate, his puzzles will last for the entire year and perhaps flow over into 2011--a fitting tribute to one of the finest constructors I've ever had the pleasure of editing."
Also, from Don "Hard G" Gagliardo: "I just received my February issue of The Crosswords Club, and Dan has a puzzle in there! So you might want to pass that on to your readers in case they do not know this. There is also one by Rich, recent LA contributor John Lampkin has one, veterans Alan Olschwang and Fred Piscop are represented, and there is an intriguing-looking one by Mark Bickham. Contact number is 1-800-433-4386."
Answer grid.
C.C.
17A. One that creates a current in the current: ELECTRIC EEL. It generates "electric current" in the "water current".
28A. DNA researcher: GENETIC ENGINEER. I forgot what's the difference between DNA and RNA again.
50A. Fitness staple: AEROBIC EXERCISE. Swimming, jogging, etc. Improve your body's use of oxygen.
This "split a word" theme idea itself is not novel. We've seen a few since the LAT switch. But Gareth Bain brought the whole concept to a new dimension by placing the unifying answer BREAK THE ICE in the grid. A bit similar in concept to his NIXON puzzle where ON is nixed in each theme entry and NIXON itself is gridded at the lower right corner.
Quite a few sparkling clues in the puzzle. I especially like the following "They":
73A. They must be met: NEEDS
12D. They may not be speaking: EXES
63D. They're barely passing: DEES. Grades.
Across:
1. Colorado resort town: ASPEN. The ski resort.
6. Roman commoner: PLEB
10. Who blows thar?: SHE. Thar she blows!
13. "April Love" singer: BOONE (Pat). Here is the clip.
14. Talks deliriously: RAVES
16. Witch's specialty: HEX. Thought it's BREW.
20. Floor model: DEMO
21. __ alcohol: fusel oil component: AMYL. No idea. From Greek ámylon (starch).
22. Shakespearean feet: IAMBS. Poetic feet.
26. Kissers: YAPS
35. Horror filmmaker Roth: ELI. Have never heard of this guy. Welcome to the crossword world, new ELI!
36. James Brown's genre: SOUL. James Brown is "The Godfather of Soul".
37. Allow: ENABLE
38. A flat one may evoke a wince: NOTE. Wrote down JOKE first.
42. Starting line advantage: POLE. Car racing starting line?
43. Puccini works: OPERAS
46. Wilson's predecessor: TAFT. The only president who also served as Chief Justice.
49. Actress Ullmann: LIV. Norweigian. Used to think she's from Sweden.
53. "The fool __ think he is wise ...": "As You Like It": DOTH
54. Silver encouragement?: HI-YO. "Hi-yo Silver, away!". The Lone Ranger's shout to his horse Silver.
55. Duke __: video game hero: NUKEM. I had NUKE? sitting there forever.
58. Ireland, poetically: ERIN. The answer seems to be ERIN instead of EIRE whenever there is "poetic" involved.
60. Ale feature: HEAD. Foam.
64. Ace's value, at times: ONE
68. Beverage suffix: ADE. Lemonade.
69. Barracks VIP: SARGE. Why is Barracks in plural form?
70. Rubber duck-loving Muppet: ERNIE. "Sesame Street".
71. Short flight: HOP
72. Tints: DYES. Plopped HUES.
Down:
1. Between the sheets: ABED. Bed sheets.
3. Housman work: POEM. A.E. Houseman the British poet. I misread the clue as Houseman.
4. "More!": ENCORE
6. Butcher's best: PRIME CUT
7. Like some negligees: LACY. Do you like the color?
8. "Brideshead Revisited" novelist Waugh: EVELYN. Not familiar with the book at all.
9. Buzzer: BEE
10. Ersatz: SHAM
11. Basil or chervil: HERB. Nice rhyme.
15. Add sneakily: SLIP IN
18. Sine or cosine: RATIO
23. See 25-Down: A SNAP. And IT'S A (25. With 23-Down, "Duck soup!"). "Duck soup" is a slang for "piece of cake".
27. Census datum: AGE
28. Italian port: GENOA. A bit south of Milan.
29. Sneak off to the altar: ELOPE
30. Compound in some explosives: NITER. In TNT.
31. Enrapture: ELATE
32. Where Christ stopped, in a Levi title: EBOLI. Levi's "Christ Stopped at Eboli".
33. Hudson River's __ Island: ELLIS
34. "Still Me" autobiographer: REEVE (Christopher). Katharine Hepburn's autobiography is simply titled "Me".
41. Unpopular legislative decisions: TAX HIKES
44. WWII enders: A-BOMBS
45. Take a load off: SIT. Good clue too.
47. Épéeist's ruse: FEINT
48. Shot: TRY. Give it a shot/TRY.
51. Heartening: CHEERY
52. Stick together: COHERE
55. Ararat lander: NOAH. Noah's Ark landed in Mount Ararat.
56. Edit menu command: UNDO
57. Don't let go: KEEP
59. Fashion: RAGE. In rage. Did not come to me readily.
61. Mozart's "__ kleine Nachtmusik": EINE. "A Little Night music".
66. "Far out!": RAD
67. Barnyard bird: HEN. Owl too.
For those who do not visit the Comments section, Rich Norris (LA Times Crossword editor) told Dennis yesterday that starting in February, we'll only see Dan Naddor's puzzles every other week. "At that rate, his puzzles will last for the entire year and perhaps flow over into 2011--a fitting tribute to one of the finest constructors I've ever had the pleasure of editing."
Also, from Don "Hard G" Gagliardo: "I just received my February issue of The Crosswords Club, and Dan has a puzzle in there! So you might want to pass that on to your readers in case they do not know this. There is also one by Rich, recent LA contributor John Lampkin has one, veterans Alan Olschwang and Fred Piscop are represented, and there is an intriguing-looking one by Mark Bickham. Contact number is 1-800-433-4386."
Answer grid.
C.C.
