Ryan and Brian Do Crosswords

If you check out the comments on yesterday’s post you’ll get a very detailed explanation from Joe Krozel, Rhymes with Puzzle as to how he constructed that Saturday puzzle.  It’s pretty amazing and even though he’s explained it quite thoroughly it still seems like it might be some sort of magic.

Today’s puzzle is by Sunday favorite Elizabeth C. Gorski and features a MAN OF MANY WORDS theme.  Like most puzzles from Ms. Gorski it’s not too difficult, it’s full of fun and clever fill and is a joy to solve.

I have to admit though, I didn’t no-google this.  I was 2 empty boxes away.  I knew one of the boxes was a vowel so I could have cycled through the vowels in the one box while cycling through the whole alphabet in the other until I hit on the right combination but I just said the hell with it and looked them up.

98A. Faux gold (ORMOLU) and 94D. Tittle (JOT).  I had ORM_LU and J_T.  Obviously, this is the one I knew was a vowel.  I thought “tittle” meant to make someone laugh or to excite someone.  I guess that’s titillate.  Apparently, both JOT and TITTLE mean “a small quantity”.  So, next time you go to McDonalds make sure to order a Big Mac and a tittle of fries.  See what they say.

According to wikipedia ormolu is an 18th-century English term for applying finely ground, high-karat gold in a mercury amalgam to an object of bronze.   How that all means “faux gold” is a mystery to me.

103D. City rebuilt by Darius I (SUSA) and 103A. Beachgoer’s hair lightener (SUNIN).  I had _USA and _UNIN.  I guess since Sammy Sosa showed up a couple time already this week the appearance of a city I’ve never heard of that was rebuilt by a guy who’s never been in my kitchen only makes sense.  As for SUNIN, I’m at a loss.  Is this two words?  One word?  Three words?  I don’t get it.  Personally, my own hair is being lightened by the gradual emergence of my pale scalp.  Could that be what this means?

So, yeah, I could have cycled through all those letters and eventually hit on the right ones but there was no way I was actually going to figure these answers out.

As for the theme, it’s fun but I bet it’s more fun for people familiar with JOHNNY MERCER’s work.  Ten of the songs he wrote lyrics for show up in the grid along with the entry BROADWAY MUSICAL.  Plus, if you connect the circled letters in alphabetical order you get the shape of a clef.  Is it an F clef?  Who knows?  Brian?  Dan?  Jon?  Harry?  What kind of clef is this?

Other highlights:

35A. Thrice daily, on an Rx (TID).  TID?  I thought this was TER.  Has it always been TID?

40A. Bread box? (ATM).  I always struggle with the various ATM clues.  I knew bread was referring to money but I kept thinking about safes and wallets.  In any puzzle, whenever I eventually enter in ATM it always comes as a surprise to me.  I think even if the clue was “Electronic console in many delis and banks where one inserts their bank card, enters their PIN and extracts currency” I’d think, huh, a refrigerator, maybe?

41A. Last non-A.D. year (ONE BC).  I bet they had quite the party that year.

55A. 2001 World Series winner (ARIZONA).  We have a cat named Arizona.  Normally, we feed him wet food in the morning.  Lately, though, he’s been puking and wheezing a bit after eating it so we’re only feeding him dry food today.  He is most distressed.  He’s running around the apartment, caterwauling and banging on doors.  We’ve tried to explain that it’s for his own good but he’s not listening.

12D. “Garfield: ___ of Two Kitties” (2006 film) (A TAIL).  Good lord, there was a sequel?

76D. “The Wizard ___” (OF ID).  Nice little misdirection here.  I used to read a lot of Wizard of Id when I was growing up.  You know, I’m not even going to search for a strip to post here.  It’s probably going to be horrible which, in turn, will make question how I spent my time in my formative years.  Who needs that on a Sunday morning?

97D. 7-Up, with “the” (UNCOLA).  I feel like it’s been years since I’ve had a 7-Up.  Do they still call it the Uncola?  And what makes it an uncola?  Isn’t it still full of chemicals and high fructose corn syrup?  Here’s a 1971 slightly creepy commercial with longtime spokesman Geoffrey Holder.

Fun puzzle, today.  I’m off to have a tittle of breakfast.

Next stop, Monday.