2007 Ellen Page title role / TUE 2-8-11 / First woman in Greek myth / Father of songs according to Pindar / Argentine strongman Peron

Constructor: Robert W. Harris

Relative difficulty: Medium

THEME: State abbrev. phrases — Two-word phrases that start with words that can double as state abbreviations — clued statily, for maximum wackiness


Word of the Day: LESLIE Howard (4D: Howard of "Gone With the Wind") —

Leslie Howard (3 April 1893 – 1 June 1943) was an English stage and film actor, director, and producer. Among his best-known roles was Ashley Wilkes in Gone with the Wind (1939) and roles in Berkeley Square (1933), Of Human Bondage (1934), The Scarlet Pimpernel (1934), The Petrified Forest (1936), Pygmalion (1938), Intermezzo (1939), Pimpernel Smith (1941) and The First of the Few (1942). [...] Howard died in 1943 when flying to Bristol, UK, from Lisbon, Portugal, on KLM Royal Dutch Airlines/BOAC Flight 777. The aircraft, "G-AGBB" a Douglas DC-3, was shot down by Luftwaffe Junkers Ju 88C6 maritime fighter aircraft over the Bay of Biscay. Howard was among the 17 fatalities, including four ex-KLM flight crew. (wikipedia)

• • •

Long day tomorrow, so this'll be short. Liked it. Weird cheater squares* up top and down below, but they probably helped make the fill smoother. This took me way way longer than most Tuesdays, but only because of a single, stupid mistake—wrote in STAGES instead of STAGED (20A: Put on, as plays), and then was baffled by TIESY-S (also couldn't figure out how HOS- could be 28A: Where runs may be made — had HOME). Checked every cross ... and then noticed that I'd read the wrong verb tense at 20A. So when I factor in my own stupidity, the puzzle isn't hard at all. It's kind of on the OLD-TIME side, fill-wise (40D: Kind of religion, in song) — what with this LESLIE guy and JUAN (5A: Argentine strongman Perón) and TRAPP and IRMA and DELANO and MAE and Paul Revere and the RAIDERS (2D: Paul Revere's bandmates in 1960s-70s music) and the non-internet-radio PANDORA (13D: First woman, in Greek myth) — but there is a spiffy contemporary clue for JUNO (5D: 2007 Ellen Page title role), at least. Fill is solid and bright throughout. I particularly liked the SNEAKY WEIRDO.


Theme answers:

• 16A: Proper way to behave in Biloxi? (MISS. MANNERS)
  
• 23A: Evaluation in Eugene? (ORE. ASSAY) — my least favorite of the bunch. Not at all snappy. Too bad CAL somebody wouldn't fit here...
  
• 32A: Syncopated piano piece for Seattle residents? (WASH. RAG)
  
• 45A: Chicago balloonists' needs? (ILL. WINDS)
  
• 52A: Commuter trains in Boston? (MASS. TRANSIT)
  

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter]

*black squares that don't affect the overall word count; here, the ones on either side of JUAN and YSER—making those squares black makes the grid easier to fill.

Where Skype was invented / WED 11-17-10 / Rhein tributary / Born from jets automaker / Holy man in Ogden Nash verse / Home slangily

Constructor: Robert W. Harris

Relative difficulty: Medium

THEME: Phrase / headless phrase — common two-word phrases have first letters of each word circled; removing circled letters creates different two-word phrase. Both phrases are clued, [clue for phrase w/ circles] --> [clue for circle-less phrase]


Word of the Day: RAREBIT (2D: Cheesy dish) —

Welsh rabbit, or infrequently rarebit, is a dish made with a savoury sauce of melted cheese and various other ingredients and served hot over toast. The names of the dish originate from 18th century Great Britain, after Wales. Welsh rarebit is typically made with Cheddar cheese, in contrast to the Continental European fondue which classically depends on Swiss cheeses. (wikipedia)

• • •

Theme was not immediately apparent to me. Had the SMILES part of 17A first, looked at clues, and decided that it would be one of those theme where phrases are just broken at different places, e.g. the answer could be understood as something SMILES or something'S MILES. But I'd never heard of BROAD'S MILES. Then I figured the circles must mean something... and they do. Leave 'em in, one answer (first clue), take 'em out, another (second clue). Specific letters in the circles are meaningless. That is, doesn't matter that it's a "B," or an "S," or whatever; they're circled only because they're the first letters of words in full phrase. So I guess that's a cute idea. Should've made the puzzle easier than normal, but somehow didn't. Very typical time for me. Nothing in the grid is particularly tough or out-of-the-ordinary, except maybe the clue on ESTONIA (45D: Where Skype was invented)—I had no idea.

Theme answers:

• 17A: Signs of elation --> marathon segments (BROAD SMILES)
  
• 25A: Sign of trouble --> commercial writers (BAD OMEN)
  
• 37A: Pigtail --> cause for a siren (HAIR BRAID)
  
• 52A: Toaster food --> dazzling designs (POP TART)
  
• 62A: Fireplace part --> fall color (HEARTH STONE)
  

Hardest part for me was the NW. At first pass, had no idea about 1A: Home, slangily (CRIB), and even at third and fourth pass had no idea what was going on with 4D: Worrier's handful (BEADS). Even after I got BEADS, I didn't understand and thought it had something to do with BEADS of sweat. But I guess people "worry" beads with their hands ... or something. By people I mean no one I've ever known ever. Maybe someone I read about. I had a couple of hiccups along the way—YSER for AARE (14A: Rhein tributary), SNEERED for SNORTED (40D: Showed contempt for something), STYLUS for STYLET (69A: Surgeon's probe)—but otherwise, sailing was pretty smooth.



Bullets:

• 34A: "Born from jets" automaker (SAAB) — a slogan that I learned from xwords, and one that (mercifully) has stuck.
  
• 49A: Furry sci-fi creature (EWOK) — Super-common, as furry sci-fi creatures go.
  
• 54A: Smoothly, on a score (LEGATO) — Needed crosses; words on musical scores are frequently road bumps for me.
  
• 60A: Rotund Wolfe (NERO) — I am fairly committed to (finally) reading one of his mysteries this winter. You'd think I'd take more of a shine to a writer named Rex. But no.
  
• 66A: Katharine Hepburn's foursome (OSCARS) — Could tell answer was OSCARS before I ever saw the clue; I'd forgotten she won that many.
  
• 6D: Holy man in an Ogden Nash verse (LAMA) — the one-L LAMA. The NYT crossword *loves* this poem, for some reason.
  

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter]