Sunday August 31, 2008 Willy A. Wiseman

Theme: FAMILY NAME: WILLIAMS (87D: Another last name for 23A, 39A, 56A, 77A, 94A, 111A, 8D and 69D)

23A: Cartoon character, not the playwright: TENNESSEE TUXEDO

39A: Former Brewers shortstop, not the comic: ROBIN YOUNT

56A: Media tycoon, not the Splendid Splinter: TED TURNER

77A: Legendary Brave, not the C & W singer: HANK AARON

94A: Pop artist, not the singer: ANDY WARHOL

111A: March composer, not the conductor: JOHN PHILIPS SOUSA

8D: Comic/writer, not Tiger's caddy: STEVE MARTIN

69D: Sculpture, not the tennis player: VENUS DE MILO

And don't forget Wayne R. WILLIAMS, our editor and the real author of this puzzle. In case you have not heard of it, today's constructor, Willy A. Wiseman is our editor's alias name. Willy A. Wiseman is an anagram of "i.e. Wayne Williams". I suspect that he created this puzzle to celebrate a family reunion.

Anyway, out of the above 8 theme answers, 23A was the only one I had never heard before. And I enjoyed this puzzle tremendously. The theme was right in my wheelhouse. I really liked the sports references (esp baseball). Antonio Banderas is hot to Clear Ayes & Lois, but STEVE WILLIAMS is a real HUNK (67D: Beefcake poser) to me, so it pleased me to see his name as an theme entry.

Several lively fills. And of course, there were a few very obscure words as well. But Google extended a helping hand immediately and I was able to finish the puzzle with a happy face. It's such a comforting feeling that he is there whenever I need him. Sometimes I can be very needy & clingy.

Oh, before I forgot, Barry Silk told me that in his original submission, he clued MIZE (58A) as "Slugger known as the Big Cat", PUZO (63A) as "Corleone's creator", and INTERMEZZO (29D) as "Between acts musical fare". Too bad our editor changed so much of his original lower left corner. I really would have liked those Z's. Johnny MIZE might be a bit obscure though, his nickname reminded me of the "Catfish" Jim Hunter.

I was not fond of seeing both WATERY (95D: Too diluted) and WATER-SKI (1D: Surfboard's little brother) in one puzzle. I was, however, very happy to see ACTA (47A: "__ Sanctorum"), STES (122A: Fr. holy women), and THERESE (43D: Saint __ of Lisieux) in one grid.

Across:

14A: Ski-slope rides: T- BARS. I don't think I've seen X-Files being clued in TMS puzzle. D-Day, X-Rays, T-Shirt, T-Men, T-Bone, yes. What other similar words can you think of?

20A: Artist Mondrian: PIET. Gimme for Gordon Brown I am sure. This is beautiful pair of Nike shoes inspired by Mondrian's 1921 masterpiece “Composition with Red, Yellow and Blue".

22A: God of the east wind: EURUS. God of west wind in Greek mythology is ZEPHYRUS.

26A: City on the Adige: TRENT. Unknown to me. Here is the map. See the green arrow?

28A: Loser to DDE: AES. It's just so unfair to see AES repeatedly being clued as DDE loser. He had a highly admirable political career. How about DDE opponent/challenger?

33D: End of a threat: OR ELSE. Groan Argyle?

44A: Welles character: KANE. "Citizen KANE".

45A: "A Lesson from Aloes" playwright: FUGARD (Athol). Wow, our editor sure loves this guy.

50A: Cubic decimeter: LITER. So abstract a clue. Why not simply "Soda bottle unit"?

53A: Paint solvent: ACETONE. It's the ingredient in nail polish remover.

63A: Grant's first name: HIRAM. I wonder why he disliked this name, esp since HIRAM means "noble" in Hebrew.

64A: Park in California: YOSEMITE. I'd love to be there.

66A: Pico de ___ (Pyrenees peak): ANETO. I simply forgot again. It's in northeast Spain near the French border. Ha, I remember these guys.

67A: Pueblo people: ZUNI. I want this pair of ZUNI earrings. I love the turquoise moon or star. Very pretty.

80A: Immemorial: AGELONG. I've never used AGELONG in writing.

88A: ___ cava: VENA. No idea. I obtained it from the down clues.

91A: Hebrew mystic: ESSENE. I can never remember this word. It refers to the ancient Jewish ascetic sect member during the time of Christ. They were "remarkable for their strictness and abstinence."

93A: "Lift Every Voice" author Guinier: LANI. Unknown to me. WP says she is "the first black woman tenured professor at Harvard Law School". This is the book cover.

120A: Chicago pros: BEARS. Have BEARS ever won a Super Bowl? The answer is NO for our Vikings.

121A: Seine tributary: OISE. And another French river ORNE (74D: Caen's river).

Down:

2D: Formal topper: OPERA HAT. New name to me. Nothing unusual about this silk hat. I wonder why it's called OPERA HAT.

6D: Morally corrupt: DISSOLUTE. Gimme. I am a morel moral expert.

9D: Structural support: TRUSS. Look at this TRUSS bridge in Denmark.

12D: EL __ Campeador: CID. Learned from doing Xword. What a great statue. His eyes are so deep and penetrating.

14D: Parathyroid malady: TETANY. New word to me. Dictionary defines TETANY as "a state marked by severe, intermittent tonic contractions and muscular pain, due to abnormal calcium metabolism." What's the difference between TETANY & Tetanus then?

15D: Overworked to exhaustion: BURNT OUT

16D: Bellicose deity: ARES. The Greek god of war (Mars for the Romans).

17D: Futhark letter: RUNE. I had to check the dictionary for the meaning of "Futhark".

24D: Bridge position: EAST. "But soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the EAST and Juliet is the sun! Arise fair sun and kill the envious moon...". I like the way Romeo romanticised Juliet. Sometimes love is very elusive, and so full of tears and fears.

25D: Masonic doorkeeper: TILER. No idea. Dictionary says it can also be spelled as TYLER, referring to the "doorkeeper of a Masonic lodge".

36D: Romani people in Spain: GITANOS. Spanish for GYPSY. New to me. It's "Bohémian" in French.

41D: Paradise resident?: UTOPIAN. Perfect clue.

42D: Actress Fabray: NANETTE. I've never heard of her name before. Have you seen this before?

46D: Avant-garde art movement: DADA. Ennui. I am so tired of DADA. When are you going to clue SURREALISM?

50D: Basutoland, today: LESOTHO. New to me also, both the clue and the answer. It's encircled by South Africa.

52D: Gulf off Brittany: ST. MALO. Another unknown. Alright, Map of Brittany, See ST. MALO?

54D: Religious recluse: EREMITE

55D: Czech physicist Beckmann: PETR. No, completely unknown. What a strange name! He wrote "A History of PI".

57D: Jong and others: ERICAS. OK, let's review once again ERICA's Spitzer Morel Moral Lessons.

58D: Swedish rugs: RYAS. I like the lovely sun pattern in this RYA rug.

60D: Tapioca source: CASSAVA. How long do you think this CASSAVA is?

61D: Injected toxin: ANTIGEN. "-GEN" is a suffix meaning producer, "hydrogen" is another example.

62D: Back part: REAR END

67D: Pointed barbs?: ZINGERS. I like this Dorothy Parker Blue. Which of her quotes do you like the most?

72D: Forum footwear: SANDAL. I don't understand the clue. Why "Forum"?

79D: Old-time flasks: WINESKINS. See this picture.

90D:Govt. agcy. (1934-65): FHA (Federal Housing Administration). I got it from the across fills.

92D: Psalm ending: SELAH. Again, learned it from doing Xword.

93D: Roman law: LEX

96D: "Brigadoon" lyricist: LERNER (Alan Jay). Also the lyricist for "Gigi" & "Camelot".

101D: Constellation near Eridanus: LEPUS. It's more close to Orion I think. LEPUS is also known as "The Hare" constellation. New to me. Now I understand why rabbits and hares are called leporid mammals.

105D: Anticrime acronym: RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act). Enacted in 1970.

114D: G. I. wear: ODS. "Olive Drabs" I suppose.

C.C.

Saturday August 30, 2008 Barry Silk

Theme: None

Total blocks: 29

Disaster, total disaster today.

Maybe Barry Silk should write a book on how to read his mind and how to conquer his puzzles. Stan Newman's "Saturday-savvy" tip (top row consonants-heavy, lower row high occurrence of the quartet letters REDS) did not help me at all.

I started recklessly with a LIFT for 1D: Plagiarize. CRIB is always baby's bed to me. Then I filled in HADJ for 2D: Pilgrimage to Mecca and I was 100% sure that I was right. Then I was so confused by my LHA* start for 1A.

Flitted away quickly to the upper right corner, and filled in IVE rather than IAL for 11D: Adjective-forming suffix. Had no idea that both Christmas and Easters were Islands. Wanted EVES and it did not fit. I was very annoyed and gave up the puzzle after 10 minutes.

I think I need more rest, having trouble staying asleep lately.

Across:

1A: Action flick staple: CHASE SCENE. Which movie do you think has the best car CHASE SCENE?

11A: Christmas, Easter, etc.: ISLS (Islands). Big stumper. Here are Christmas Island (Terriroty of Australia, Indian Ocean) and Easter ISLAND (Territory of Chili, South Pacific Ocean).

15A: Up the duties: RAISE TAXES. If only taxes are raised for the sole benefits of the taxed.

16A: Blood-related: AKIN

17A: Water-cooler rumors: IDLE GOSSIP. Is there any non-IDLE GOSSIP? So the plural form of GOSSIP is still GOSSIP?

18A: Prose finisher?: LYTE. Very unexpected clue, nice!

19A: Wholesale club: BJ'S. I've never heard of this warehouse chain. Only know Sam's Club & Costo.

20A: Bankrupt: RUINED

23A: Alpine tool: ICE AX. Here is one. Leon Trotsky was killed by an ICE AX. I think I am more used to the AXE spelling.

25A: Observation: REMARK

27A: Singer Lopez: TRINI. I always wanted JENNIFER for this "Singer Lopez clue".

30A: Misdirected: LED ASTRAY. Women are more easily to be LED ASTRAY (though sometimes willingly).

32A: Worth mentioning: OF NOTE

34A: Overtake on foot: RUN PAST. And 62D: Take off: RUN. I dislike having two RUN's in the grid.

35A: Shopping ctr.: MKT. I dislike this clue also. MKT brings to mind NYSE/NASDAQ. I am OK with the STORE (6D: Shopper's stop) though.

38A: VW model: GTI. What does GTI stand form?

39A: Dinger or drum starter: HUM

41A: Tranquilizes: SEDATES

44A: Peterson and Wilde: OSCARS. Don't know who OSCAR Peterson is.

46A: Part of SALT: STRATEGIC. SALT is the acronym of Strategic Arms Limitations Talks.

49A: Wheel-alignment measure: CAMBER. Was this a gimme to you?

50A: Ill-gotten profit: LUCRE. Filthy LUCRE.

53A: Goddess of the moon: SELENE. The Greek Goddess. Luna is the Roman equivalent. There seems to be another pair of moon Goddesses: Artemis (Greek) & Diana (Roman). I don't know what's the difference.

60A: "Wayne's World" co-star: DANA CARVEY. So silly.

64A: Plotters: INTRIGUERS. I was only familiar with the "capture" meaning of INTRIGUE. Interesting, dictionary explains that INTRIGUE can also refer to "a secret or illicit love affair" (noun) or "To carry on a secret or illicit love affair" (verb). Now I am really intrigued!

65A: City on the Irtysh River: OMSK. I had no idea where Irtysh River was. Here is a good map, so close to Borat's Kazakhstan.

66A: Type of pliers: NEEDLE-NOSE. I did not know that this kind of plier is called NEEDLE-NOSE.

Down:

2D: Pilgrim to Mecca: HADJ. Or HAJJ.

5D: Neurological test letters: EEG. I forgot. My brain is so selective that it only remembers what it wants to remember.

8D: Former Philly pro, so to speak: EX-SIXERS. Hard, hard for me. I don't follow NBA. HOFer Mike Schmidt, a real "Former Philly pro", popped into my mind immediately.

7D: Offhand: CASUAL

9D: Nuremberg negative: NEIN. "NEIN, danke"; "Ja, bitte!"

10D: Artificial international language: ESPERANTO. I forgot again. Saw this clue before. Does anyone actually speak this language?

11D: Adjective-forming suffix: IAL. As in presidential and differential.

12D: Airline-safety figure: SKY MARSHAL. I am more familiar with AIR MARSHAL.

13D: Art of words: LITERATURE. Somehow I wanted Rhetorics.

13D: Backdoor: SNEAKY. I was imagining a real backdoor.

21D: One in hate mode: DESPISER. Such a made-up word.

23D: Daughter of Cadmus: INO. Greek to me. Dictionary says INO is "sea goddess who rescued Odysseus from drowning by giving him a magic veil."

24D: Mild chelating agents: CITRATES. No guts to clue it as "Sildenafil ___ (Viagra)"? Of course I did not get it. I did not even understand the meaning of "chelating".

26D: Kingston Trio hit: MTA. Here is the clip. I've never heard of it before.

27D: Mix of oaters: TOM. Did not know him. TOM Cruise yes. I was really picturing a group of oaters chatting idly on a ranch.

28D: Former Redskins home: RFK STADIUM. I did not know that the Redskins played at RFK STADIUM before. Might have got the answer if the clue were "Washington Nationals home".

29D: Burials: INTERMENTS. New word to me also.

33D: Joined, redundantly: ENTERED IN. It's indeed reduandant.

37D: Pc.: SEG

40D: NetZero rival: MSN. I like their butterfly logo. I like this pair of butterfly earrings too.

43D: Quiet finish of fame or fortune: SILENT E. Good clue.

45D: French key: CLE. I am truly tired of this French related clue. Tell me why you don't like the Cleveland Indians.

46D: Singer Renata: SCOTTO. I don't understand a word she is singing. I like her earrings. I've never heard of her name before. No problem for Sallie I am sure.

47D: Steamship line founder: CUNARD (Samuel). Another unknown. According to Wikipedia, CUNARD Line is the operator of Queen Elizabeth 2, Queen Mary 2, & Queen Victoria.

51D: Beany's pal: CECIL. Nope. Complete stranger to me. Here is a clip.

54D: Travel channel?: LANE. Good clue.

55D: Chevy model: AVEO. Did this come easily to you?

56D: Generation after boomers: XERS

57D: Disappear, as symptoms: LYSE. I forgot. It's clued as "Subside, as disease" on August 10 Sunday. I disliked the clue then, I still don't like it now.

C.C.