Ryan and Brian Do Crosswords

Oof, this one took me a while.  I had much trouble with the top right.  Lots of tricky stuff up there.

3D. Middle X, say (TAC).  I’ve never heard of naming your X’s after winning a game of Tic Tac Toe.  I usually just shove the paper in my opponent’s face while doing the Ickey Shuffle.  (Why are there no videos on the internet of Ickey doing the Ickey shuffle?  All I can find are a bunch of yahoos making a mockery of the dance.)

14A. Tony player on “NYPD Blue” (ESAI).  This is a tough way to clue Mr. Morales.  The only NYPD Blue actor’s name I could think of was Jimmy Smits.  When was Esai on the show?  I watched the first few seasons and I don’t remember seeing him.

The theme of this Victor Fleming puzzle was DRAWS.

17A. Draws (RECEIPTS)

26A. Draws (GETSCARDS)

49A. Draws (PULLSAGUN). They pull a knife, you pull a gun. He sends one of yours to the hospital, you send one of his to the morgue. That’s the Chicago way!

58A. Draws (SKETCHES).  Are you like me?  Did you go to elementary school with some girl who spent all her free time drawing Odie?  What’s the deal with that?  What’s with the compulsion to constantly draw Odie?

4D. Draws (TIEGAMES).  I had T__GAMES and struggled to come up with the answer.  I thought it might be TOP GAMES.  As in, TOP GAMES draw lots of fans to the ballpark.  Didn’t make a whole lot of sense though.

11D. Draws (INFERS)

37D. Draws (ATTRACTS)

46D. Draws (CLOSES)

Other highlights:

20A. 1972 musical with the song “Summer Nights” (GREASE).  The movie came out when I was 6 and I must have seen it at least ten times in the theater.  Watching it now, I am astounded by how raunchy the lyrics and dialogue are.  What did I think was going in that scene where Rizzo and Kenickie are talking about his rubber?

22A. Actress Graff (ILENE).  She was in the stage version of Grease.  She was also the mother in Mr. Belvedere.  I never really got into Belvey.  Wasn’t it kind of like Alf only instead of an alien there was a British guy?

62A. ___ Green, Scottish town famous for runaway weddings (GRETNA).  Never heard of this so I looked it up.  In 1753 Lord Hardwicke’s Marriage Act was passed making it illegal for parties under 21 to marry without parental consent.  Elopers fled to Scotland where the first village they encountered was Gretna Green.  And odd law since Lord Hardwicke seems like the type who really understands the giddiness of young love.  Oh, wait, he may just have gas.

64A. What may ensure the show goes on? (TIVO).  Not sure I understand this.  Does it mean a Tivo ensures a show goes on the hard drive of a Tivo?

23D. Sonora snack (TACO).  Time for another installment of “Which taco is more disturbing?”

A.

B.

or C.

My vote is for B. because of that unidentifiable white sauce dripping on its forehead and out its rear.  He doesn’t seem to be phased by it at all.  As a matter of fact, he appears quite happy about the whole thing.  Disturbing.

Next stop, Friday.