Automaker Chevrolet / SUN 5-15-11 / Villainous group Get Smart / Train part where sorting was once done / Fleet Amtrak train / Damascene's homeland

Constructor: Cathy Allis

Relative difficulty: Easy

THEME: "Included Herewit" — "-TH" sounds are changed to "-T" sounds in familiar phrases, creating wacky phrases, clued "?"-style. This is apparently some kind of tribute to "My Cousin VINNY" (75D: Film cousin whose accent this puzzle spoofs), which I never saw and never had any desire to see. Weird how the puzzle doesn't even mention the Oscar TOMEI won for that movie ... anyway ...


Word of the Day: TABOR (34D: Small drum) —

n.
A small drum, often having a snare, played by a fifer to accompany the fife.

[Middle English tabur, from Old French, alteration of tambur. See tambour.]

• • •

Despite the fact that hardly any of the theme answers were instantly graspable, and much of the fill seemed pretty unusual (in a mostly good way), I think I set a new Sunday speed record. I don't know what my old record was, honestly, but I don't think it was much under 10, and I was well under 10 on this one. By far far far the biggest hold-up came in the NE—I have never heard the phrase "sweet bird of youth," so I had to fight for every last letter of that damned answer. Also didn't now that LOUIS (14D: Automaker Chevrolet) was Chevrolet's first name, so had a brief moment of panic that I'd get Naticked up there. But the clue on the theme answer finally made UTE clear, so I got out of there, and nothing in the rest of the puzzle gave me any kind of trouble. Was there really a BAT ROOM? The Bat Cave, I know. I mean, I didn't watch the '60s show, so anything's possible, I guess. Also, I don't understand the clue on TABLE OR BOOT (68D: Non-choice for restaurant seating?). "Non-choice?" What's a "non-choice?" Is the point that you literally can't sit at a boot? I really hope that is not the point, because that would be the weakest of weak sauce. Is it that you get a TABLE OR you get the BOOT, as in "booted from the restaurant." Also not great. Oh well. The rest was pleasant and reasonably entertaining.



Cathy Allis is the new puzzle-maker for New York Magazine, replacing the legendary Maura Jacobson.

Theme answers:

• 24A: Salt Lake City athlete's dear hawk mascot? (SWEET BIRD OF UTE) — That's a pretty forced / awkward clue.
  
• 27A: Possible result of a costly Italian vacation? (DEBT IN VENICE)
  
• 55A: Jokes in a campy 1960s TV locale? (BAT ROOM HUMOR)
  
• 64A: Akin to milking cows? (LIKE PULLING TEAT) — this one *should* be in the middle, because it is the clear winner of the day.
  
• 78A: Bless butter with a gesture? (CROSS ONE'S PAT)
  
• 108A: Vessel for just the two of us? (YOU AND ME BOAT) — ew, not good.
  
• 113A: Role of a boxer's physician? (WELT MANAGEMENT) — easy once I got over the idea that "boxer's physician" would be a veterinarian.
  
• 4D: What Ernie may wish he had vis-à-vis his roommate? (BERT CONTROL)
  
• 68D: Non-choice for restaurant seating (TABLE OR BOOT) — "Would you like a table, or would you like to sit in the trunk of a car in London?"
  

Mild confusion abounded today, though clearly not enough to hamper my forward progress much. I was sure that the puzzle would have Barney as some kind of SOT, but no, they went with his other defining characteristic—his SLOBbiness (13A: Barney Gumble of "The Simpsons," e.g.). Went through many possible types of CAR (including MAIN CAR) before I hit on MAIL CAR (52D: Train part where sorting was once done). Spelled EVONNE's name wrong at first, of course (115A: Tennis's Goolagong). Wavered between TABLA ("a small hand drum of Norther India"—answers.com) and TABOR at 34D: Small drum, but made the right choice. Nailed both NFL clues — L.A. RAMS (84A: Former SoCal N.F.L. team) and RAVEN (74A: Baseball : Oriole :: football : ___). Also nailed "GLEE" (42A: Hit show with New Directions singers) which I probably would have gotten instantly even if I hadn't watched an episode immediately before starting this puzzle.



Bullets:

• 54A: Shakespearean fairy king (OBERON) — this makes me think of prison, in that I once taught Shakespeare in prison, and I just got a message from the guy who runs the program, so ... I may be headed back. Too bad "Crosswords" isn't really a college-credit-worthy course. Unless...
  
• 88A: Damascene's homeland (SYRIA) — "Damascan" seems better, but nobody asked me.
  
• 65D: Villainous group in "Get Smart" (KAOS) — well, if you didn't know this one, then you clearly didn't listen to my extended radio interview, which aired last week. Interviewer asked me to comment on a Newsday puzzle as I was solving it, and KAOS was one of the first answers I ran into (first audio is the piece that actually aired—scroll down to the bottom for audio of me solving and commenting in real time). I'd like to thank the puzzle for allowing me to shamelessly replug myself ... as it were.
  
• 100D: Fleet Amtrak train (ACELA) — If I made a list of every recurring crossword answer that I learned only after starting this blog, I wonder how long that list would be. However long it was, this answer would probably be the first thing on it, alphabetically.
  

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Tumblr]