Looking for a better clue… (Thursday, June 26)
What with the co-blogging thing currently in beta-test mode, I have to open with who I am.
I’m Brian. I’m tall. And now, very very hot. The air conditioning in my office works, yes. But it doesn’t work at the same time as the air conditioning in the bedroom. Both rooms (and the bathroom and the kitchen) are all on one fuse. Hooray, old buildings. So if the wife has the air on in the bedroom (as she does now), I cannot have the air on in the office. Blecha.
And I’m looking for a better clue. I need to figure out multi-letter squares quicker. How do I do this? It doesn’t seem to matter that I come up with answers that don’t fit and simply discard the ideas, such as 4D. Knocks to the ground (LA[YS L]OW) or 21A. New York’s ___ Building, tallest in the world in 1930 (CHR[YSL]ER). I knew both of these answers, but abandoned them because I didn’t see the trick.
Oh, the trick. Yes. Well, it’s somewhat circular in the cluing, with 31A. See 7-down and then 7D. Legendary name in 31-across. The answers, respectively, are FASHION and YVES SAINT LAURENT. And then the trick, as indicated above, is that YSL gets a single square where used. The other theme answers were:
- 17A. Rube’s opposite : CIT[Y SL]ICKER
- 11D. Orchid variety : LAD[Y SL]IPPER
- 54A. Check attachments : PA[YSL]IPS
- 36D. “Ben-Hur” extra : GALLE[Y SL]AVE
- 60A. Extra shuteye : BEAUT[Y SL]EEP
- 53D. Lock opening : KE[YSL]OT
Another pair of self-referential clues simply confused me into thinking they were somehow part of the theme… and then even when I realized they weren’t, I couldn’t figure out what order they went in: 37D. With 8-down, one who grew up on MTV, maybe and 8D. See 37-down (GEN XER). Nothing thematic there, just roundabout cluing to make my head spin.
23A. Submarine base? is SALAMI, not SAFARI, in case you were wondering. I may try to eat some salami for a later photo op. This morning, I got a picture of me eating an omelet in honor of yesterday’s puzzle. I’ll post it as soon as I can figure out how the camera feature on my phone works.
Rather than clog up this post with links to random images, I’ll use this space to say thank you to everyone who passed on fond wishes to my wife for her surgery today. The operation was successful. She’s home now, and although struggling with some pain (when oh when does the Percoset kick in, she wonders?), she’s in good spirits.
Ryan…? (And with that introduction, I also encourage you to try a less squint-worthy color for your addendum.)
So Brian doesn’t like my choice of colors. Fine. I’m colorblind so I don’t know how best to do this. For now, the rest of my addendum will be in pirate.
It tookst me a long, long time t’ spot th’ rebus in this puzzle. Fer th’ Extra shuteye clue I put in BEAUTYNAP which fit an’ th’ P worked wi’ RASPED so I thought I be fine. I be nay sure what clued me into th’ rebus but e’en after I found ‘t this puzzle still tookst a long time fer me t’ complete.
I did make one major error:
32D. Some batteries (AAS). I put AAA which gave me ANAIA fer 38A. First name in erotic writin’ (ANAIS) which certainly looked wrong but I be sure AAA be starboard. I had th’ whole grid filled but jus’ couldna find me error. Nobody had yet posted an answer list so I wasn`t sure if I really had an error or if th’ applet be jus’ havin’ trouble acceptin’ th’ rebus. Plus, I couldna use google on accoun’ o’ I be at work an’ canna very well start searchin’ fer erotic writers on th’ internet. Finally, I emailed Brian fer some help an’ he clued me in. Oy. That almost drove me o’er th’ edge.
46A. “___ Mistress,” 1982 horror flick (SATANS). This seems like a great movie. From wikipedia: Satan`s Mistress be a horror movie from 1982 about a frustrated housewife, Lisa (played by actress Lana Wood), who begins havin’ nightly trysts wi’ a tall, dark stranger (played by Kabir Bedi o’ Octopussy) who turns ou’ t’ be a ghost from th’ other side.
63A. Ri’er t’ th’ English Channel (ORNE). Another river? Good god. How many rivers be thar? 20? 30?
29D. One o’ th’ Jacksons (TITO). One o’ me top 5 favorite Jacksons. Here he be wi’ his laddie. `Tis like they’s twins.
44D. Giant among Giants (OTT). Welcome aft, Mel. `Tis been almost a moon.
60D. Actress ___ Lin’ o’ “Sky Captain an’ th’ World o’ Next high tide’” (BAI). Did ere be seein’ this movie? ‘t looked kinda cool in th’ previews but I try t’ avoid anythin’ that has Gwyneth Paltrow in ‘t. I be lily livered I`ll get sucked into th’ gapin’ hole o’ th’ lass’ talentless soul.
This entry wouldna be complete without a picture o’ th’ man hisself.
Next avast, Fridee.
Shipmate translation courtesy o’:
