Kevin G. Three-Squares Der has designed a very Thursday-esque puzzle, but it contained one Trivia Box which I had to make a couple guesses before the applet said I was okay.

Off to a rough start, I entered NESS in for 1A. One of the Untouchables, and moved on to EMIL for 5A. Disney’s “___ and the Detectives,” a movie I have never seen, and only know because it came up in a previous crossword/blog post/podcast. Who would think that something I know (NESS — it was T-MAN) would prove to be wronger than something I don’t (EMIL)?

We used to shop at T.J. MAXX (1D. Marshalls competitor) when I was younger. Younger, feh. I think I bought a shirt there two years ago. And on the subject of “feh,” how about Penelope CRUZ (37D. “Volver” actress, 2006)? I don’t get it. I never saw “Volver,” (photo at right) and I hear it was good. But I was turned off to her in “Vanilla Sky,” (left) and I’ve never gone back.

I should really see some old Bond movies… DRAX (55A. Bond villain in “Moonraker”, at left) and DR. NO (right) show up in the puzzles a lot, and I couldn’t tell you a damn thing about either of them. I hear Penelope Cruz is playing both of them in a bizarre remake/combo of the two movies.

The trivia box that irked me so was at 47A. Letters on some churches and 47D. Tear off forcefully. These are two things I’ve never heard of (AME and AVULSE, respectively), and I got everything except the first letter. My initial guess was an E, but really, any vowel up there could have been it. Apparently, AME stands for African Methodist Episcopal. Seriously? We know that? I tried to look up AVULSE, but the first several Google options were dictionary entries. I want to find it in a proper sentence. I found a page that explains the difference between avulse and evulse, but that’s still sort of definitions. Still before any paragraphs was Jim Horne’s site, XWordInfo.com (showing the three times the word has appeared in the New York Times puzzle — today’s was the first in a decade). Also, a YouTube video that seemed like something terrible was happening to a donkey. That scrolled me through about 100 entries, and then I gave up. Does anyone want to use this word in a sentence?

Oh, the theme. Explained at 57A. Old street cry, or what’s in 18-, 23-, 34-, 42- and 51-Across? (EXTRA EXTRA), and each of the other five long entries tack the letters E-X-T-R-A onto the beginnings of phrases to change their meaning and make them cute:

• 18A. What might have the heading “Collectibles” or “Toys & Hobbies”? : EBAY WINDOW
• 23A. Optimistic scan at the dentist’s? : X-RAY OF HOPE
• 34A. Story of Ali Baba? : TURBAN LEGEND
• 42A. Transmits a message to Pancho and pals? : RADIOS AMIGOS
• 51A. Amazes a horror film director : AWES CRAVEN

Very smart, that Kevin G. Youkilis-Der. Very smart indeed. If Ryan and I were voting for the Fill Me In constructor of the year (ooh — maybe we will), I think I would definitely offer Mr. Der’s name up for nomination.

I’m going to claim this as a no-Google, even though I had to guess twice on AME/AVULSE. At the very least, it’s a no-Google with one wrong square. And that’s good enough for me. See you Friday!

Current no-Google streak: 5 (yes, I’m making it official).

A few months ago, I saw PRNDL in a puzzle (12/10/08 – link to XWordInfo’s solution page), and was mystified. What was this PRNDL? Was this another POSSLQ, coming to get me? No, it was just the series of gears in a car. I still don’t know what the L stands for, but the rest seemed clear enough — clear enough to merit a theme in today’s Susan Gelfand puzzle.

• 19A. Home of the Sundance Film Festival : PARK CITY, UTAH
• 28A. Corporate action that increases the par value of its stock : REVERSE SPLIT. Clumsy clue that makes about as much sense to me as the answer.
• 41A. Bone, for one : NEUTRAL SHADE. Ha, ha. Clever.
• 50A. 1999 Melissa Joan Hart movie : DRIVE ME CRAZY. Never saw it. Melissa Joan Hart, it seems to me, wandered onto a television soundstage and tricked everyone into thinking she belonged there. I wonder who was supposed to star in “Sabrina, the Teenage Witch”?

And the theme is complete with 8A. With 61-Across, a possible title for this puzzle (SHIFT GEARS). Cute and fun, good theme for a Wednesday, and no sign of L, whatever that was. Perhaps it was one of these:

• 35A. Fencing move : LUNGE
• 35D. Clark’s crush on “Smallville” : LANA
• 58A. Closet filler : LINEN

My favorite clue was 22A. Dipstick coating. I just like the word “dipstick.” I will likely use it in the next podcast. Beware.

There was a Trivia Box for me, at the crossing of 12D. Cigarettes have it (TAX) and 18A. English county on the North Sea (ESSEX). For all I know, ESSER could be a county. But 18A is another one of those clues where the answer is certainly something I don’t know (or, in some rare cases, might know), but the clue references something I definitely don’t know, in this case the North Sea. It’s like the clue is sticking it to me. “Ha ha,” the clue is saying, “I will make it seem like this is easy to know, but you’ll feel stupid because you don’t know about the North Sea. Ha ha ha.”

Along with the Melissa Joan Hart masterpiece, the lower right corner had a stack of answers I didn’t know with 57A. Have ___ to one’s head (A GUN — is this a common phrase?) and 60A. “Quo Vadis” role (NERO). Opera? Television? Did Melissa Joan Hart star in “Quo Vadis” back in the day? Was that her resume until “Sabrina” came along?

Finally, a question — when you use bug spray, do you “hit” the bugs with it? And if you do, does that constitute a “zap”? When “zap” and “bug” happen together, it’s those blue-light things on the back porch at night. Spray doesn’t zap OR hit, to me. It… sprays.

See you Thursday!

Current no-Google streak: 4.

Welcome to Episode 41 of the world-famous podcast devoted almost partially to crossword puzzles. In this week’s episode, we chat with Helene Hovanec, ACPT organizer extraordinaire. This might be our favorite episode so far, or at least since Episode 40.

Also included:

• viewer mail!
• promotions!
• anticipation!

We have a couple public service announcements here. You should explore any and all of these:

• Helene Hovanec’s website, Puzzles4kids.com
• Check out Matt Jones’s puzzle that he designed just for us! (Available in PDF format.)
• Order your very own Stamford-on-Brooklyn ACPT t-shirt, designed by Vic Fleming. It’s $30 (plus shipping). Call Bridgeway Press at 501-907-7377 or email Frank Ross at bridgepress@windstream.net.  Check out pictures of the shirt here and here.

One more episode left before the big ACPT. Tune in next week to hear the man who has the answers to life, the universe and everything in appropriately numbered Episode 42, Mr. Tyler Hinman.

 

 Fill Me In #041: The Cold Open [44:41m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Zambezi and oat.

I swear, it’s someone’s birthday today. And I don’t mean anyone — it’s someone I know, and I can’t remember. So if you’re reading this, and it’s your birthday, then tell me, and I’ll write it down.

And I’ll send you a card.

This is going to be a rather short post, as I’m tired and drank too much milk tonight. Today’s puzzle by Dr. Kristian House, M.D., features a very enjoyable theme, despite of a depressing nature. The theme entries:

• 20A. Umber of chocolate brown : RICH EARTH TONE
• 28A. Military treatise by Sun Tzu : THE ART OF WAR
• 46A. Captain’s “Listen up!” : NOW HEAR THIS

And it’s all explained at 53A. Sad, like 20-, 28- and 46-Across? (BROKEN HEARTED).

Is this theme a result of some post-Valentine’s Day blues? This year, I had pre-Valentine’s Day blues. My wife is out of town, and although I had a wonderful visit with her a week before Valentine’s Day, we were not together on the day itself. If you know my wife, you know how sweet and wonderful she is, and Valentine’s Day is a perfect holiday for her. We’ll be doing a late Valentine’s Day. That blissfully foolish romantic couple you see behaving strangely around New York on February 23? That’s us.

The rest of the grid didn’t have much to make me curious. Upon further review, I wonder if there could have been a different clue for 9-Down, perhaps “Pig’s pate protector,” resulting in SOW HAT (instead of “Who cares?” : SO WHAT?). The only spot that I wasn’t quite sure about was 32D. W.W. II-era G.I., e.g. (AMVET). I’m not sure what that is, or if there’s a potential crossword infringement by having too many abbreviations in one clue. Anyone of authority who is reading this, let us know.

For those clamoring, Fill Me In #41 will be out soon. It’s been a hectic couple of days, what with the raucous Presidents’ Day celebrations here at the RBX offices. But rest assured, the next installment is forthcoming. See you… Wednesday!

Current no-Google streak: 3.

I am so tempted to go to the 24-hour store and get the necessary supplies in order to truly satisfy my current craving as a result of this puzzle. That would mean: pants and shoes, coat and hat, money, and then at the store, milk and cereal. It’s not going to happen, not at 3:30 in the morning (which it is right now — don’t ask why).

This David Kwong puzzle is a perfect little Monday, and caters to one of my favorite things: breakfast food. Our theme entries:

• 20A. What a person in an emergency might have to make : SNAP DECISION
• 33A. Some glazed pottery : CRACKLEWARE
• 43A. Any of the Jonas Brothers, e.g. : POP MUSICIAN. I have never heard the Jonas Brothers. What do they sound like?
• 55A. Breakfast brand since 1928 that hints at the starts of 20-, 33- and 43-Across : RICE KRISPIES

When I was in high school, I wanted to play basketball. My uncle had played, and taught me a lot about it. Since no one else in my immediate family was much of an athlete, I tended to imitate my uncle’s ideas both on and off the court. One of his standards (when he was a kid in high school) was eating two big bowls of Rice Krispies as a late-night snack. Perhaps that is the beginning of how I gained a hundred pounds between the ages of 17 and 27.

Rice Krispies are well-known for their participation in the great Rice Krispie Treats of the world. My wife likes these quite a lot, and we make them with some frequency, now that we’ve learned how easy they are. But did you know that Rice Krispies are also part of other recipes? How about Rice Krispie Meatballs? How about a pineapple and sausage appetizer? How about a Giant Remote Control? Yes, you heard it here.

[At this point in the post-writing, I took a 10-minute break to search my kitchen for a snack. I failed to find anything satisfying.]

Fairly basic fill throughout the grid here, what with it being a Monday and all. A couple interesting pairs of entries:

29D. and 44D. Dog food brand : ALPO and IAMS, respectively. We feed IAMS food to our cats. Not the dog food, though.

7D. Ex-Spice Girl Halliwell and 43D. Gilpin of “Frasier” : GERI and PERI. Aren’t all the Spice Girls now ex-Spice Girls?

I did this puzzle in pen. I think this is a safer move than doing it in lower-case letters, but we’ll soon find out. I made one penmanship error, but corrected it over and over so as to make it perfectly clear to anyone reading it (i.e. me) that I meant and E and not an N in the lower right corner.

The ACPT is now 11 days away. Come and see me and Ryan on a panel talking about… well, we don’t know exactly. Come to it, and ask us a question. Ask anything — it doesn’t have to be about crossword puzzles. In fact, cater to our skills, and avoid crossword puzzles entirely. Ask us about ineptitude with microphones or why we couldn’t get our respective acts together before we were already in our mid-thirties where it has since become too late to do anything with our lives. Ask about our wives. They’ll be at this panel thing. So come and join us at the ACPT. We’ll see you there.

No-Google streak: 2.

Remember back in the day when Ryan shared this blog with another contributor? What was his name…

After being complete MIA for a week, I have told Ryan that I would make my best attempt to no-Google and all-blog this upcoming week, beginning with today’s Sunday offering from Jim Leeds. And so far, I’m one-for-one. The title of the puzzle, “Double-O Seven” leads one to think about James Bond, but in actuality, it’s merely that there are seven theme answers in which a single O has become a double O to make a newer, cuter phrase:

• 23A. Numbskull who likes Macintosh computers? : BOOB FOR APPLES
• 33A. Entrees for oilman Pickens : T. BOONE STEAKS
• 63A. Between a dozen and a score of Disney creations? : SIXTEEN TOONS
• 68A. Overexposure or redeye? : PHOTO OOPS. This one gets special acknowledgment for having three Os in it. Hoooray.
• 71A. South Carolina Gamecocks? : TEAM ROOSTERS. This one leaves me unclear. South Carolina = Team? Or is there some school in South Carolina in which the team mascot is the gamecock? Or am I totally missing the boat and the name of the school is “South Carolina,” and I’m just confusing school name for state name?
• 101A. Kids’ whistles and horns? : TOYS FOR TOOTS. This one also doesn’t quite do it for me. TOOTS FOR TOTS is what the clue calls for, but that’s not the answer. TOYS THAT TOOT, maybe. But it seems that a “toot” is the noise the toy makes, and noises can’t actually possess things (like toys). This one doesn’t land for me.
• 114A. Place to sit by the highway? : ROADSIDE STOOP

Although I was able to no-Google this puzzle, there was a ton in here that was not the first, second or even third thing that would come to mind with some clues. The entire top third was a vacant expanse of idiocy for me, with the lone exception of 9D. Pioneering Dadaist (ARP). I have no idea who Arp is, if it’s a first or last name, and I couldn’t tell you any single characteristic about Dadaism. But going through the first forty clues, that’s the one thing I knew. What is wrong with me?

Some of that mentally second- and third-tier fill included several things I truly didn’t know (I mean even less than I know ARP):

• 2D. Cultural instability : ANOMIE. Words that end with -IE and aren’t “cute” always look wrong to me. I mean long words, not things like PIE, which always looks quite right to me. It turns out ANOMIE is from the French, where it means anomie. Sigh.
• 11D. Arctic weather phenomenon : ICE FOG. Is this a new phenomenon, now that the Arctic is becoming more and more like Bermuda? Or is this an old-school phenomenon? I was going to post a picture, but all the ones I could find just look like normal fog or blurry or both.
• 14. Chess problem specifications : MOVES. I understand the answer, it’s the clue that I don’t get. Chess actions are moves. What’s a problem specification?
• 34D. ___ milk : EWE’S? I put my own question mark there because… this is a phrase? Whole milk, cup of milk, mother’s milk, sour milk… There are lot of things that come to mind, but EWE’S milk? Um, okay.
• 66A. Narrow groove : STRIA. I probably knew this once on a previous puzzle, but the input/output system for my brain is a little heavy on the output side, and there’s lots that goes in and immediately comes back out again.
• 65D. Those, to Teodoro : ESOS. Far more interesting than any of the Spanish words making their way into crossword puzzles are the varieties of names used in the clues to tell us that it’s Spanish. I haven’t seen “Teodoro” before. I like that one.
• 118A. One treating disorders of the ear : AURIST

And now if I may, a mild rant. What is with four-letter words? And I don’t mean real words, like NAPE (8D. Where a redneck gets red) or PIER (81D. Landing place) or even bizarre abbreviations like MDSE (78A. Warehouse contents: Abbr.). I mean so-called words (entries) like ATTO, TOPO, OTOS, ESOS, TATA, ASTO and ODER. Yeck. I’ve got four empty squares in my grid, let me just reach into my bag of Scrabble tiles and grab the first two consonants and the first two vowels. No doubt I can make either a pair of two-letter words, a Spanish word, a fake word, or an imaginary river. I have no doubt in my mind that, in my mind, there is a massive vat of combinations of four letters (you might call them “words”), but whoever was hired to manage said vat has gone on permanent vacation. As a result, the real words, the abbreviations, the rivers — they all are jumbled together in an endless pool of meaninglessness. I will now blame four-letter nonsense for why I don’t dethrone Tyler Hinman in two weeks.

So who’s coming to the ACPT? Ryan and I are on a panel, don’tcha know. We’re doing a podcast later tonight with Helene Hovanec, who is Will Shortz’s right-hand-woman for the tournament, so come check that out.

I think that’s about it for my post today. Ryan, enjoy your day off. And the rest of you, see you Monday!

Current no-Google streak: 1.

Stay tuned for a brilliant post later today.

- the management

Going to be kind of a short post today because a) I haven’t finished this Joe Krozel, Rhymes With Puzzle puzzle yet and b) it’s windy in New York and when it’s windy in New York the room that contains my computer drops about 20 degrees. I’m sitting here shivering and wondering why our lousy landlord won’t just send up some flipping heat. Good gravy!!

As for the puzzle, I have only 17 empty boxes but I’m pretty well stuck. As with all Krozel puzzles the construction is top notch. Three stacked 15 letter acrosses crossing three 15 letter downs. Very impressive. Actually, the leftmost down is one of the places in which I’m stuck.

5D. 1941 Disney film based on a Kenneth Grahame story, with “The” (_EL_C_ANT DRAGON). Clearly, I’m not sure if any of those letters are correct but DRAGON seems to work. Either I’ve never heard of the film or I’m just not thinking of it.

The other 15-letter answers:

32A. Aggressive guarding option (MAN TO MAN DEFENSE). This has to do with the basketball, right?

37A. Bad thing to drive into (ONCOMING TRAFFIC). Reminds me of Christopher Walken in Annie Hall.

38A. What some dogs and flaming daredevils do (ROLL ON THE GROUND). One of the goofier clues I’ve seen in a while.

6D. They’re sold in oversize rolls (FOOTLONG HOTDOG). My first thought on this was BUBBLE WRAP. I find FOOTLONGs to always be slightly disappointing but I will still buy them any chance I get.

7D. Bygone emporium (FIVE AND TEN STORE). Were these so named because everything would cost either a nickel or a dime? Are these the same as Five and Dime Stores?

I’m going to keep working on solving the puzzle. I have 14 no-googles in a row and I’d love to keep the streak going. I will be doing it in a different room though as I can’t concentrate with all the noise my chattering teeth are making.

Hey, only 2 more weeks until the ACPT. That’s pretty exciting. We have two more podcasts before the tourney and they will both feature ACPT-related guests. Subscribe at itunes so you don’t miss out.

Next stop, Sunday.

Well, I’m completely, unbelievably stuck.  I have everything except for the top left of this Doug Peterson, Crossword Gentleman and Man About Town puzzle.  I’ve been staring at and trying different letter combinations in this area for the past 2 hours and nothing is working.

1A. Activity involving a needle (_______AP).  I’ve tried to think of every type of needle I know.  Knitting needle, sewing needle, pine needle, cactus needle, Needles, CA, hypodermic needle, Space Needle, porcupine needle, needling (kidding) someone.  Nothing makes sense.  I’m 99% sure the AP is correct.  ANDROMEDA GALAXY seems right for the Krypton location and PSEUDO makes sense for Feigned.  I’m thinking 7D. 19th of 24 is VII.  The 19th hour is seven.  I don’t know what else comes in sets of 24.  So that would mean the needle thing is ______VAP which doesn’t trigger any kind of correct answer in my brain.

15A. Household help? (_______NS).  The question marks tells me this could be anything.  Is it what people in a household say when they need help?  Is it something that helps hold a house?

The clue that’s bothering me the most in this section is:

4D. “The Simpsons” bully (_____).  This is driving me up the wall.  I just can’t think of his name.  It’s making my head hurt.  I can picture him, I can hear his “Ha Ha”.  I remember when Lisa had a crush on him.  One of his sidekicks is Jimbo.  He beats up on Martin and Millhouse.  But I cannot think of any part of his name.  Gaaaaaahhhhhh!!!!!

17D. Wave measurement (_______DE).  This one, I don’t have any idea.  Is this trignometry or calculus or something not-math related?  I got 18A. Unusually high 17-Across (SPIKE) but that hasn’t helped.

BREAKTHROUGH!!!!

1-Across is SPINAL TAP.

So what the hell is 7D. 19th of 24 (T__)?  24 what?  Ok, I think 2D. Thick-skinned fruit is PAPAYA.  And 5D. Set down is ALIT.  Maybe.  I still can’t get the Simpsons bully.  His name starts with an N?  Really?

Ok, I’m stuck again.  I thought maybe Household help was BANK LOANS but the B and K don’t match up very well with the S and N in SPINAL TAP.  It is SPINAL TAP, right?  Wait, is it HOME LOANS?

NELSON!!!!!!!

SHALOM!  POMELO!  IMPAIR!  ALIT!  LOT!  TAU!  AMPLITUDE!  LEAST!  OLIO!  MORN!

No-google!!

Nice try, Doug.  You tried to break my brain and it almost worked.

Next stop, Saturday.

Quick entry today. I’m slammed at work.

Another tough puzzle. This one by Gary & Stephen Kennedy. It took me a while but I eventually solved it for my 13th no-google in a row. The theme involved two pretty famous guys who were born on the same day.

28A. Notable born 2/12/1809 (CHARLES R DARWIN). His influential work was On the ORIGIN OF SPECIES.

47A. Notable born 2/12/1809 (ABRAHAM LINCOLN). He led the REPUBLICAN PARTY.

Will you think less of me if I tell you I just realized this very moment that today is the 200th anniversary of their births? What a coincidence this puzzle would appear today. Do you think they ever exchanged beard stories?

In March, Kathryn and I are going to see the big bicentennial Lincoln exhibit at the Smithsonian. And in another interesting bit of news Kathryn’s Aunt Lilly turned 100 yesterday. So bizarre that I’ve shared Thanksgiving dinner with someone who’s just half as old as Abraham Lincoln would have been.

There’s no one I can find of note that shares my birthdate. But I do share a birthday with Tyra Banks and Marisa Tomei. I assume neither of them have big parties as I have never been invited by either one. Judging by the following pictures, I think I’d fit right in.

I enjoyed the rest of the puzzle except for the dreaded crossing of two bodies of water:

56A. Lake Thun’s river (AARE). C’mon people. If the answer is an unknown body of water you can’t put an unknown body of water in the clue also. That’s just ain’t right.

48D. Salty inland ___ Sea (ARAL). Is the ARAL sea salty? Or is Salty some country I don’t know about?

Ok, that’s it for today.

Next stop, Friday.