Literary critic Broyard / SAT 8-6-11 / Patron saint of carvers / Biblical endings / Hymn words before beyond all praising

Constructor: Joe Krozel

Relative difficulty: Easy


THEME: none

Word of the Day: ANATOLE Broyard (16A: Literary critic Broyard) —

Anatole Paul Broyard (July 16, 1920 – October 11, 1990) was an American writer, literary critic and editor for The New York Times. In addition to his many reviews and columns, he published short stories, essays and two books during his lifetime. His autobiographical works, Intoxicated by My Illness (1992) and Kafka Was the Rage: A Greenwich Village Memoir (1993), were published after his death.

After his death, Broyard became the center of controversy and discussions related to how he had chosen to live as an adult in New York. He was criticized for failing to acknowledge his black ancestry. (wikipedia)

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Mini-write-ups continue today, as I am in NYC and too busy / having too much fun to go into detail. I enjoyed this puzzle, though I think I enjoyed it mainly because I tore through it so quickly; under 7 on a Saturday is lightning fast for me. Interlocking 15s are all pretty nice, though somehow "I CAN'T SAY AS I HAVE" (61A: "Not to my recollection") sounds more natural without the first "I." Same thing with "I GOTCHA," by the way. Don't much like the "THE" in THE SWINE FLU. Answer is SWINE FLU. Nothing in clue to indicate definite article. I don't know ... people do say "THE SWINE FLU," but people do say "THE lots of things" and yet "lots of things" appear in the grid all the time without the "THE." Yes, I think too much about these details. Some unfortunate plurals (esp. ETHS [Biblical endings] and ISTS, but also RELS and GUNNS [TV detective Peter and others], but the grid is predominantly vibrant and fairly smooth, and WHEN PIGS FLY (with PIGS running through SWINE!) makes any flaws easy to overlook (18D: Never).

Puzzle was easy to get into because of the raft of gimmes up top, including I'D BE, EEL, CATS, and TAE. After that, there wasn't much to stop my steady flow through the grid. Had minor issues getting the OVER part of EAT OVER and LARA (what is it with that comic and four-letter L-names for women?!). Also had issues when I assumed 65A: "The Morning Show Murders" novelist (AL ROKER) was an actual novelist.

Bullets:

• 63D: Grp. in 1974 news (SLA) — I often put PLO where I want SLA.
• 60D: Blue-roofed chain (IHOP) — another gimme. My favorite
• 26D: Patron saint of carvers (OLAF) — is there anything he *can't* do? (I treat all OLAFs as the same guy)
• 15A: 1977 Jacqueline Bisset movie ("THE DEEP") — now here, I *like* the definite article, mainly because it's part of the the title of the movie and without it the answer would just be "DEEP," which would, technically, be wrong. If you follow.
• 31A: It might go for big bucks (DOE) — I want a "?" here, just because of the anthropomorphization of the damn DOE. "Go for?" She's in the woods, not a singles bar.

I'll fill you in on all the weekend crossword tournament action later (probably Monday). I'll be uploading photos to the Rex Parker Facebook page periodically throughout the weekend. Quick shout-out to Reservoir (near NYU), Barracuda (in Chelsea), and Blossom restaurant (also Chelsea), where I had an amazing time with old and new friends alike. Talk to you later,

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld