Ryan solves the NYT, Wed 3-11-10

Yesterday's puzzle featured a reference to Flo Rida, a rapper named after a state.  One of the workbook questions asked what other U.S. states would make good rapper names and we got a bunch of great answers.

• Rho Deisland
• De La Ware (pronounced "Wah-ray")
• Ari Zona
• Cal I. Fornia
• Snoop Tex Ass
• O. Hio
• Missy Sippy
• Maffa Chuffetts

Good work, guys.  Made me laugh.

Today's puzzle is by Gary Steinmehl and features a theme that, I have to be honest, I totally don't understand.  WITHIN COST.  Is that a phrase?  I've never heard it.  The clue says that WITHIN COST is a hint to the theme entries.  Ok, well, the theme entries are certainly bookended by COST but they are not WITHIN COST.  COST is part of them.

17A. Key building support (CORNER POST).  RNER PO is within cost here.

19A. Across the entire United States (COAST TO COAST).  AST TO COA

26A. Unable to run (COLOR FAST).  LOR FA

34A. Boomerang, in a way (COME HOME TO ROOST). ME HOME TO ROO (Ok, that one sort of makes sense.)

42A. Publisher of The New Yorker (CONDE NAST).  NDE NA

51A. Be disadvantageous to (COUNT AGAINST).  UNT AGAIN

Is there something going on here that I just don't get?  Someone, please explain this to me.

Other highlights:

12A. Early Atari offering (PONG).  Here's a totally bizarre Pong commercial.  What's with the guy with the feather duster in the background?  That is a guy, right?

21A. Dispatch boat (AVISO).  AVISO has appeared 10 times in the WSE of the NYT.  Each time it has been clued as "Dispatch boat".  Dictionary.com defines aviso as "a boat used esp. for carrying dispatches; dispatch boat".  So, there you go.

62A. "Horrors!," online (OMG).  LOL.

1D. Drug for a poisoning victim (IPECAC).  I had the stomach flu a few weeks ago and it was horrible.  It completely destroyed my vomitless streak.  The last time I had ralphed was Thanksgiving of 2000.  Before that, it was sometime in 1993.  And, before that, it was in 1983.  The records get fuzzy in my earlier years as I vomited on a pretty regular basis.  (Yes, I was THAT kid.)

33D. Salsa brand (ORTEGA).  We are a Pace Picante Sauce household.  Pickles loves Pace Picante Sauce although I find most bottled salsas to be pretty mediocre.  I'm not sure why we buy it.  Salsa is one of the easier things in the universe to make.  Chop up veggies, add salt, lime, cilantro.  Eat.

37D. Malady treated with drops (EAR ACHE).  This is another thing I did a lot of as a kid.  I suffered from ear aches.  I must have been such a pleasure to be around.

43D. Simon and Diamond (NEILS).  I'm a big fan of both these guys.  Neil Simon is sort of dismissed now as a glorified sitcom writer.  I think that's nonsense.  Read his plays.  Listen to the rhythm of the dialogue.  If it was easy, everybody would be doing it.

I don't believe Gary Steinmehl was a Lollapuzzoola 2 competitor so there go my dreams of a week's worth of LP2 connections.

Workbook questions:

1. Imagine you are out buying mulch.  Use WITHIN COST in a sentence.  This sentence must also include the word AVISO.
   
2. What is your favorite brand of salsa?
3. "Simon and Diamond" sounds like a great 80s cop show.  What type of crime do they fight?

Next stop, Thursday.

Fill Me In #094: Season Three Premiere! (or, "What in the world is 'zambezi and oat'?")

Aaaand... we're back.

Following our one-week pre-spring hiatus, we have returned to the airwaves, and bring you the premiere episode of our third season of Fill Me In: A Someday-Award-Winning Podcast. In today's super-sized episode, please find yourself amused by:

• Viewer Mail
• references to Ryan's hands
• Dear Dr. Puzzle
• discussion of a new board game, Word Sweep
• our ever-popular Thunder Round
• and the usual stuff that almost won us a ton of awards in Season Two

As always, we can be reached by email at rbxblog at gmail dot com. Write to us! It makes us happy!

...Zambezi and oat.

Fill Me In #094: Season Three Premiere! (or, "What in the world is 'zambezi and oat'?")

Ryan solves the NYT, 3-9-10

If the comments from yesterday are to be believed, I am the only one on the planet who doesn’t care for the Buffy TV show.  Perhaps if I had watched more than one episode I’d be singing a different tune but nothing in that one episode was compelling enough to make me watch another one.  Still, if this many people like it I have to assume I’ve dismissed something brilliant.  Perhaps one day I’ll sit down with the complete series on DVD and see what I’ve been missing all these years.  To get some perspective on my TV tastes here’s what I’ve liked recently:

• The Sopranos (watched the whole series in about a month and a half)
• 24 (seen every episode, totally ridiculous but great fun)
• Lost (monumentally ridiculous and frustrating but, now, I’ve just gotta see how it ends)
• West Wing (Pickles and I are currently watching season 4, we think it’s brilliant)

Here’s what I haven’t liked:

• Mad Men (bleh, made it through 3 episodes)
• Dexter (good lord, this was bad, made it almost halfway through episode 1)

So, based on those likes and dislikes, if people think I will like Buffy then I will give it a shot.

Anyway, this is a crossword blog not a TV blog so on to today’s puzzle which was constructed by Lollapuzzoola 2 competitor, Jeffrey Wechsler.  The Monday and Tuesday puzzles have been constructed by Lollapuzzoola 2 competitors.  Maybe they’ll show up all week.

The theme is The DIVINE COMEDY by DANTE ALIGHIERI.  I have to be honest, I don’t know much about The Divine Comedy.  Apparently, it contains the quote ABANDON ALL HOPE YE WHO ENTER HERE which is inscribed on THE GATES OF HELL.  I think if I was more familiar with this work I would have enjoyed the theme more.  As it is, it’s a bunch of references to things I only vaguely know about.  I’ll put the blame for this one squarely on my shoulders.  I love Shakespeare and I’ve read just about everything he wrote but most other poetry simply mystifies me.

Other highlights:

19A. Rapper ___ Rida (FLO).  Just did a google search for Flo and it turns out he’s a guy.  I had no idea.  You may consider my grits to be kissed.

48A. Hall providing entertainment (ARSENIO).  Just watched the first few minutes of the return of Jay Leno to the Tonight Show.  Ugh.  That guy is a first class jackass.

1D. Tiny biological channel, as in the kidney (TUBULE).  Hello, Friday clue/answer.  What are you doing in my Tuesday puzzle?

22D. Amount of money that can be raised? (ANTE).  I don’t understand this at all.  I get that it’s about poker but I don’t get what the clue is driving at.

32D. Knucklehead ___, Paul Winchell dummy of old TV (SMIFF).  You know, when you name your kid Knucklehead Smiff you’re really not setting him up for success.

36D. Silver coin of ancient Greece (OBOL).  Okay, I’m checking the calendar.  Hmm, it is Tuesday.  Just making sure.

49D. Blue-skinned deity (RAMA).  Raise your hand if you put NA’VI here.

Workbook questions (bonus points if you can answer any of them in dactylic hexameter):

1. What other U.S. states would make good rapper names?
2. What message should be inscribed on the gates of the Tonight Show with Jay Leno?
3. I’m as curious as 24D.  What will you have?

Next stop, Wednesday.

Ryan solves the NYT, Mon 3-8-10

Just finished up watching the Oscars.  Not the most exciting telecast I’ve ever seen but it had its moments.  I’m surprised they cut out doing the honorary awards on the show (especially since one recipient was Hollywood legend Lauren Bacall) and flabbergasted they didn’t perform the original songs.  It’s always the most ridiculous, most uncomfortable part of the show and I look forward to it every year.  Ah, well.  My favorite movie of the year, Inglorious Basterds, was shut out except for Christoph Waltz (looks like Quentin is going to have to start becoming likable if he ever wants a chance at winning).  And I almost had my prediction come true.  Right before the show I predicted Will Ferrell would show up dressed as a Na’vi.  (Ben Stiller.  So close.)  My current prediction is my favorite movie of 2010 will be Hot Tub Time Machine.  We shall see.

Today’s puzzle is by Lollapuzzoola 2 competitor, Stanley Newman.  After making sure I wasn’t mistakenly on the Newsday site, I found the puzzle to be a nice Monday solve.  The theme was pluralized seasons.

16A. Home of the U.S. Air Force Academy (COLORADO SPRINGS).  I’ve never been to Colorado Springs but my friend Max and I did visit Lakewood, Colorado where we ate at Casa Bonita, the most exciting restaurant in the world.  Great place that features cliff diving, magicians and all you can eat enchiladas and sopapillas.  Highly recommended.

27A. Vampire slayer of film and TV (BUFFY SUMMERS).  I still say Kristy Swanson was a better Buffy than Sarah Michelle Gellar.

45A. City in 21-Across (WICHITA FALLS).  Why isn’t this in Kansas?

60A. Comedic inspiration for Robin Williams (JONATHAN WINTERS).  Gotta be honest.  I really only know Jonathan Winters from his work on Mork and Mindy.

 Other highlights:

68A. Bread bakers' buys (YEASTS).  Ok, yes, I know there are different kinds of yeast but does anybody say, “I’m going out to buy yeasts”?  I don’t think I’ve heard this word pluralized outside of puzzles.

3D. John Lennon's middle name (ONO).  Oh my god!  What a coincidence!

5D. Big slices of history (ERAS).  Slices of history baked up nice and big with yeasts.

11D. River of Florence (ARNO).  You know, I think I’ve just plum run out of pictures of Pickles and me in front of the Arno.  I think we’re going to have to go back to Italy.

42D. Musical group with its own 1977-81 TV show (SHA NA NA).  What can I say about Bowser that hasn’t already been said.  The man is a musical genius.

Workbook questions:

1. If Quentin Tarantino made a movie about crossword puzzles, what would it be called?  And what would be the body count of the film?
2. Possible crossword entry: YEATS YEASTS.  What is the clue?
3. What is Yoko Ono’s middle name?

Next stop, Tuesday.

Brian solves the NYT: Sun., 03-07-10

What do you think about making a pasta sauce with cream cheese as your primary ingredient? I did it today, and while it's rather heavy, it's quite delicious. Add some spinach and some sausage and it's really wonderful. I did it with shells, which gives the added bonus of holding some of the cream cheese within each shell of pasta. And now I'm huge. Oh well.

So what gives? On Friday, I had lunch with Patrick Blindauer and Tony Orbach -- and today, the puzzle is a collaborative effort by the two of them. Lesson to be learned: If you want your puzzle in the Sunday Times, have lunch with me two days before. So far, it has worked at least one time.

The theme at play here is one of spelling and punny clues. I don't always do so well at the punny clues, but today I seemed to come out okay. The title of the puzzle is "Come To Order" -- and I have to admit, I don't quite get the title. The theme entries take phrases, and resort the letters of one of the words into alphabetical order, making a new phrase. I guess that's what the title means. Anyway, to this addled brain, the puzzle is far more fun than the title.

• 26A. Slogan encouraging binge drinking? : HOPS TIL YOU DROP. See, it's normally SHOP til you drop, but they put the letters from SHOP in alphabetical order and made HOPS. Clever. Very very clever.
• 42A. What spectators high up in Ashe Stadium see? : TENNIS BELOW. I couldn't figure this out for way too long. I had TENNIS B----, but all I could think of was ways to respell "balls." TENNIS BALSA? Is there a thing called TENNIS BASAL? I was lost. And then, when I finally got BELOW, I wondered what TENNIS BOWEL was. Oh dear.
• 45A. Tutorial on becoming a resident manager? : SUPER DEMO. Is this based on super DOME or super MODE? I don't know what either of those things would be.
• 69A. Alex Trebek? : THE HINT MAN. Just seeing a clue like [Alex Trebek?] amused me. I don't know why. I like that his name can just be a question.
• 73A. Eco-friendly computers from Taiwan? : GREEN ACERS. Why Taiwan? Are Acers not computer enough to merit an origin-free clue? I own an Acer, and to tell you the truth, I have no idea where they're made.
• 98A. Nashville neurosis? : OPRY MANIA
• 101A. Teakettle's sound? : FLOW WHISTLE. This was the only theme entry that fell flat for me. The sound the teakettle makes has nothing to do with flow. It has to do with steam. I guess it has to do with the flow of the steam, but if you're going to use the word flow, the implication is that it's the hot water that's flowing out of the pot and into your cup -- and once it's doing that, it's no longer whistling anyway. It's not like the kettle provides you with a flow alert whistle (although that seems to be more accurate, if you're going to bother associating that sound with the readiness of the tea). You know, I have a teakettle that doesn't whistle a high-pitched noise. It has a different kind of spout, and whistles a very lovely major third, somewhere around D and F#, I think. Just above middle C. It serves as a very soothing reminder that the tea is ready. "Brian, if you get a chance -- and don't let me interrupt what you're doing -- come on into the kitchen. I have something for you. But if you're busy, feel free to just lounge there in the living room while I intone this beautiful major third."
• 117A. Clueless emcee? : A HOST IN THE DARK. Two words: Jay Leno. How unaware of his jackassyness is he? Maybe I'll save that for a workbook question.

I had one mistake in the grid, and it was the crossing of two completely imaginary things, as far as I'm concerned. 22A. Folded like a fan (PLICATE) and 14D. "The Good Earth" heroine (OLAN) cross at the L, and I don't have the first idea what either of these things is. I see that PLICATE is an adjective (not entirely sure until just now). Could I say that an accordion is plicate? Or only a fan? And as for "The Good Earth" -- is this a movie? I want it to be the same story as "The Constant Gardener," but I'm sure it's not.

At lunch on Friday, I saw Tony and Patrick discussing other puzzles they're constructing. And you know, that was really the first time I saw the construction process in action. It was pretty cool. I recognize that I am quite firmly entrenched far outside the outside circle of crosswordy people, and that my dreams of constructing a puzzle for anyone (let alone the New York Times) are really going to remain dreams -- these guys are clearly professionals at something that I might someday reach the rank of amateur. It was impressive hearing them talk about it, listening to them banter on ideas and what worked and what didn't work, and I only wish I had a recorder there so I could have turned that lunch into a podcast interview.

Workbook Questions:

1. How unaware of his jackassyness is Jay Leno?
2. If you were at lunch with Tony Orbach and Patrick Blindauer, and you were going to order exactly what one of them ordered -- which one of them would you copy?
3. We sometimes put pictures and videos into our blog posts. Just out of curiosity -- do those pictures and videos make your experience with this blog better or worse?
4. Regarding Question 1 -- if you like Jay Leno, please explain how this is possible.

Brian solves the NYT: Sat., 03-06-10

I had lunch today with Patrick "Le Blindeaux" Blindauer and Tony "Yesssss" Orbach, and I have to say, there may not be two finer individuals. Smart, friendly, funny -- indeed, I was the odd man out at this particular lunch, but Patrick and Tony are awesome. I got a sneak peek at some future puzzles they're each working on, and I just grow enviouser and enviouser at the creative minds behind some of these word games. I think I come up with one good idea every 18 months, and these two have pocket notebooks full of everything they've thought of since Tuesday. It's quite impressive.

Plus, Tony happened to have a picture of him with a man who I used to watch get spit on by Georgia Engel. (Somehow, that moment of coincidence was really interesting at lunch, and now that I try to write it in one sentence, I can't make it make sense.)

Today's puzzle is by our old pal Barry C. Silk, Friend and Confidante of Doug Peterson (Crossword Gentleman and Man About Town). I feel like we haven't heard from Barry in a while -- he wasn't at either Lollapuzzoola 2 or the 2010 ACPT -- but his last New York Times puzzle was only a few months ago. Once again, he provides us with a wealth of off-the-beaten-path knowledge for a relatively gettable (if obscurity-laden) themeless puzzle.

There was a ton I didn't know, but somehow it all no-Googled itself. I got off to a hot start with the top, locking in ENGAGEMENT RINGS (17A. Signs of unavailability) and just below it, GEHRIG (18A. The Iron Horse) was a real gimmie. BUFFALO BILL CODY (15A. Ned Buntline dime novel subject) somehow came together, although the clue was completely foreign to me. I'm glad the clue and entry weren't swapped. I never care for the crossing of two things that aren't words, but I still managed to come up with the C shared by SYSCO (14D. Food service Fortune 500 company) and EEC (20A. It. was part of it).

The topmost row troubled me only in that IDEA MEN (1A. They're highly reflective) never seem to me to be those who sit around pondering, but rather those who provide a spark of inspiration to a creative team of some sort. So "reflective" seems off, unless this means like bouncing ideas around. But I don't think so. And then 8A. Misses was simply LASSIES -- four of the seven letters are identical in this straight-up synonym. Maybe we were supposed to be misled by the vagueness of "misses," but it didn't trick me.

Oh -- and 9D. City near Horseshoe Curve is ALTOONA, which was in Barry's last puzzle (clued as Locale of a Penn State campus). Barry, why such love for Altoona? Do you have a dark secret?

I enjoyed how 28A. Ski resort forecast is NEW SNOW, but could be parsed as NEWS NOW with a different clue. I'm not entirely sure what is meant by CINEMA for 40A. Screen setting. Is this an option on televisions, perhaps?

I've never heard of a BELTWAY BANDIT (16D. Private consultant to the federal government, in slang), so the center of my grid took some time to come together. It crossed some odd stuff (TEXAS TEA, PYM, LANATE and LEOS), but eventually fell.

Someone will have to explain 59A. Costs of admissions? (INITIATION RITES). Admissions = confessions? Or ticket prices? I'm not sure how this one is supposed to work. Also, why was I sure that DENALI STATE PARK (62A. Alaska area almost half the size of Rhode Island) had a Z in the name somewhere? I kept waiting for that Z to show up, and it never did.

All in all, I suppose this was a fine puzzle. I solved it. I didn't cheat. But when I was done, I didn't have a feeling of "Yay me!" or anything. It was just... done. The fill was rather general for the most part, with a few fancy 15-letter entries. In a 70-word themeless, perhaps I've come to expect more pizzazz in the grid. And my concerns were confirmed at Jim Horne's xwordinfo.com site as I see that as Saturdays go, this one isn't terribly groundbreaking.

It was fine, doable, relatively easy (especially considering the obscure nature of a few clues). I learned a few new words (AGNATE, LANATE), Barry had a couple baseball entries (GEHRIG, LINERS), and I no-Googled a Saturday, which isn't automatic for me by any stretch.

In line with my surprising lack of satisfaction for finishing the puzzle, I offer you a rather lame ending to this blog post. Here are some Workbook Questions, but they are a bit bland:

1. How do you take your Texas Tea? I take mine with non-dairy creamer and a squirt of lemon.
2. When I was in my twenties, I spent way too much time hoping to meet cute single women who would somehow be drawn to dorky brainiacs like me. I developed a knack for scoping out their left hand before much else to see if they had an engagement ring (or a wedding band, I suppose). The rings were the collective bane of my youthful pursuits of love. What were the banes of yours?
3. Name another Ione. And don't use Wiklqpedia to look it up either.
4. Have you ever been spit on by Georgia Engel? Did I see it?

See you Sunday!

Ryan solves the NYT, Fri 3-5-10

Rough night at work tonight so this may be a short post.  We'll see how it goes.  On yesterday's comments Todd McCay posted some links to an episode of the British game show, Just Connect.  This is one of the smartest programmes (British spelling) I've ever seen on the telly.  I wish they would show it here in America.  Here's the link to part 1, part 2 and part 3.  Thanks, Todd.  Good stuff.

Today's puzzle was constructed by Louis Hildebrand and, while I can't say there's much wrong with it, I'm not sure how much I enjoyed it.  Usually Friday puzzles are peppered with fun and clever entries but this grid fell kind of flat for me.  Let's see…

13A. In the database, say (ENTERED).  Here's a good example of what I'm talking about.  A not very fun entry clued in a not very fun manner.  This just makes me think of excel and excel usually makes me want to rip my face off.

Ok, I'm in a grumpy mood and this griping isn't making me feel any better so here's what I liked about the puzzle.

24A. Goalkeeper's guarded area (SHIN).  This one had me thinking, "what's that rectangular area in front of a soccer goal called?"

34A. Like some cruises (TRANSATLANTIC).  I would love to go on a Transatlantic cruise.  I'd like to take the Grand Tour of Europe then catch a boat from London to New York.  I can't think of a better way to spend a weekend.

42A. Revolting bunch (REBS).

Count de Monet: It is said that the people are revolting.
King Louis XVI: You said it! They stink on ice!

47A. Worker in the medium of torn and pasted paper (HANS ARP).  This is not Jean Arp's brother.  This is Jean Arp.  That confuses me more than the Dadaist movement.

55A. Safari jacket feature (EPAULET).  Alright, I know I said I was done griping but, EPAULET?  Is that really what a safari jacket is known for?  This strikes me as unnecessarily confusing.

6D. Quaint photo (SEPIA).  I thought this was the color of quaint photos.  It's also a name for the photos?

14D. Early flag warning (DONT TREAD ON ME).  I was sure this was going to be about football.

34D. Cruise vehicle (THE FIRM).  Tom Cruise likes to run.

41D. Carol's first word (ADESTE).  I've seen this a bunch of times in puzzles and I still have no idea what carol it's from.

Workbook questions:

1. Tom Cruise vs. Usain Bolt in the 100 meter dash.  Who wins?
2. What is that rectangular area in front of a soccer goal called?
3. What is your favorite feature of safari jackets?

Next stop, Saturday.

Brian solves Fireball #9

Since I know I'm not getting any more smarter, I figure these Fireball themelesses are become slightly less impossible. Number nine here was a challenge, but solvable, even though I still don't know what many of the answers mean.

Peter includes an answer sheet when he emails out the puzzles, so after I finish, I look there -- but some of my mental voids aren't covered. I'll have to either turn to you to explain them, or (god forbid) look them up myself. Let's see what we have here...

PASCAL'S TRIANGLE crosses the top half of the puzzle. It's at 16A. It has ones on two sides. Perhaps Mike Nothnagel can tell us what the purpose of this is. For that matter, there are probably a lot of you out there who know what this is all about. I can see that certain numbers add up to certain other numbers, but I don't know that I understand why this is useful.

56A. Stendhal novel subtitled "Chronique du XIXe Siecle" is the original French title of The Red and the Black, LE ROUGE ET LE NOIR. I've never read this (in any language). My knowledge of literature is so pathetic, and these clues about subtitles to foreign books are just a bully-like kick in the ass. I couldn't even tell you the subtitles to English books I've read 20 times. When did books start getting subtitles?

A lot of my solving experience opened up quickly when I got TUNA TARTARE (18D. Popular seafood appetizer) on just one crossing. I love seafood. And I love tuna tartare. Delicious entry. However, it was never easy going for me in the southeast or the northeast because of too much I didn't know.

Southeast:

• 60A. Headed for a tiebreak, perhaps : ON SERVE. Is this tennis? I consider myself a sports fan, but I don't know anything about tennis. I tried playing a few times, but I could never get the hang of it. Now there's nets and lets and faults and double faults and double lets and triple word scores, and it's all just overwhelming.
• 62A. Forward, as a message with a hashtag : RETWEET. According to http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hashtag, "the word you've entered isn't in the dictionary." Wikipedia's entry on Twitter uses the word several times, but never really defines it. I'm guessing that it means the # and @ symbols. Even so, I suck at Twitter. If there was a score kept for Twittering, I would be losing.
• 55D. Neck line? : FRET. I kept trying to make this work with shirt necklines. I had CREW in there for too long.

Northeast (my big obstacle):

• 8D. Fictional character whose biography was titled "Lunacy and Sorrow" : GARP. I love this book, but I don't remember this fact. I considered Forrest GUMP and George GIPP for this spot as well.
• 9D. Forest part : IDI. Eventually, I saw the forest for the... [insert some kind of cutesy variation on the idiom.]
• 10D. 2003 TV movie starring James Brolin and Judy Davis, with "The" : REAGANS. I stared at R-A-A-S without an inkling. Didn't James Brolin also play George W. Bush in something? Or was that a different Brolin?
• 11D. Subject of "The September Issue" : ANNA WINTOUR. I have heard her name, but couldn't tell you one thing she has done in her life. Okay, now I can -- I just looked her up. British fashion expert, editor in chief at Vogue. So far out of my knowledge base, I couldn't be less informed.
• 13D. Bread-and-butter alternatives : DILLS. No, I got this one right away. Pickles (and food in general), much closer to my wheelhouse.
• 16A. Tissue that might prevent you from blowing your nose : ADENOID. Apparently, this is part of the inner workings of your head. So Peter, when you put that answer sheet together, was this one of the words you thought common enough to NOT include?
• 21A. Vandals' victims : GAULS. So this isn't about graffiti, then...
• 27A. Orecchiette accompanier, often : RAPINI. I take back what I said about food and my wheelhouse.

Delightful puzzle. My feelings of hostility toward the puzzle milieu and anger toward myself for thinking I could participate (after Fireballs 1 and 2) are fading. Commissioner Gordon, you are once again becoming human to me. (I fully expect Fireball 10 to eat me alive now.)

See you next week!

Ryan solves the NYT, Thu 3-4-10

I was perusing facebook earlier and saw that both Andrew Fiest…Fiest…Fiest…Fiest and Trip Payne were playing an online puzzle called Only Connect.  You can play too by following this link.  Personally, I found it to be all but impossible.  I came close to solving one of the walls but ultimately fell short.  Apparently, it's based on a British game show.  Unfortunately, the BBC online player doesn't work outside the UK so I wasn't able to watch it.  Anybody know where I can see an episode online?

Today's puzzle was constructed by David J. Kahn (making his NYT debut…no, wait, sorry, it's his 139th puzzle) and features a MIXED METAPHOR theme.  All the theme answers are anagrams of METAPHOR.

14A. *One who dislikes unruly hair? (MOP HATER).

21A. *Alternative way to get directions? (OTHER MAP).

34A. *Better, in hip-hop slang? (MORE PHAT).

38A. *Kitchen or living room? (HOME PART).

45A. *Via Veneto? (ROME PATH).

61A. *Be funnier than comedian Bill? (TOP MAHER).

Honestly, I thought this theme was a little disappointing.  I can't really put my finger on it but it all seems so awkward.  I understand that Mr. Kahn was limited in the types of answers he could use and it's impressive he came up with six usable anagrams of METAPHOR but I can't help feeling a little unsatisfied.  Maybe if the clues were more like riddles they would match up a little better with the awkward sounding clues.  Am I alone with this?

A few other METAPHOR anagrams I would like to see in a puzzle:

• HAREM TOP
• PROM HEAT
• AH, ME PORT (Arrr!)
• HARM POET
• THOR, ME PA

Other highlights:

26A. Heroic verse (EPOS).  So, is this different from an EDDA?

43A. "American Beauty" setting (SUBURBIA).  This is the third appearance of SUBURBIA in the WSE of the NYT and yet it's never been clued as the Eric Bogosian play.  I find that odd.

63A. 2003 hip-hop hit by Fabolous (INTO YOU).  This should come as a surprise to nobody but I'd never heard of Fabolous before.  Is that a person?  Or is it a duo like Gnarls Barkley?  This answer was very difficult to get as it crossed EXON (which I didn't know), TAY (which I also didn't know) and PRIE DIEU (which I kind of knew but still thought it ended in an X).  Through a little trial and error and piecing together words that made sense I was able to eventually get it but it wasn't easy.

4D. Retail giant founded by a 17-year-old (IKEA).  The 17-year-old in question is Ingvar Kamprad.  He's made $22 billion off of furniture that nobody really likes but everybody owns.

• I for Ingvar
• K for Kamprad
• E for Elmtaryd, the family farm
• A for Agunnaryd, a nearby village

5D. Swell (BALLOON).  Well, ain't that just balloon.  (Ok, I guess that works.)

6D. Song sung by an orphan (TOMORROW).  I put SOME MORE here first.  Is that the name of the song?

Workbook questions:

1. What's a metaphor?
2. I'm a furniture designer for Ikea.  I've designed a coffee table with a crossword grid pattern.  What am I calling it?
3. Considering the recent weather here in New York would you bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow there'll be sun?

Next stop, Friday.