Rapper/actor Woolard / FRI 6-18-10 / Tubism artist / Poland Spring rival / Baba Looey was his deputy / Bushrope / Cubs bears crias

Constructor: Karen M. Tracey

Relative difficulty: Challenging

THEME: none


Word of the Day: JAMAL Woolard (39A: Rapper/actor Woolard who starred in "Notorious," 2009) —

Jamal Woolard (born July 8, 1975) is an American rapper and actor who portrayed The Notorious B.I.G. in the biopic Notorious. // Woolard, like Christopher Wallace (The Notorious B.I.G.), is from Brooklyn, specifically L.G., Lafayette Gardens. In real life he raps under the name "Gravy". He is featured in the song "Untouchable" by Tupac Shakur on the Pac's Life album. (wikipedia)

• • •

This one destroyed me. Name after name after name I simply didn't know. It was just painful. I can look at the grid now and admire it — esp. the 15s that cross in the middle, QUICK DRAW MCGRAW (34A: Baba Looey was his deputy) and NAKED AS A JAYBIRD (8D: Like all new deliveries?), neither of which I got for a Long time — but I actually found the whole solving experience unpleasant, which I almost Never say about a Karen Tracey puzzle. In fact, I generally tend to be, happily, right on her wavelength. Today, I wasn't anywhere close. Difficulty was all in the barrage of names (and only somewhat in the cluing).

Beyond me:

• INNER EAR — no idea how that's a [Labyrinth]
• ZOT — rings a bell, kinda, but not really. And I live in Johnny Hart country (you frequently see Broome County stuff with "B.C." characters on it) (21D: Sound from the anteater in "B.C.")
• BAOBOB — never saw that movie, barely recognize the tree name (9A: Tree that's home to Rafiki in "The Lion King")
• HONORÉ — no way (33A: French caricaturist Daumier)
• JAMAL — no way
• CAL — if I knew it, I forgot it (41A: "East of Eden" twin)
• EDA — uh uh (32D: Soprano Christiane ___-Pierre)
• ROYKO — know him, of course, but couldn't see him at all from that clue (47A: Author of the best seller "Boss: Richard J. Daley of Chicago")
• HEX BOLT — "common?" Yikes. It may be. But that name isn't (to me) (51A: Common metal fastener)

• OLETA — never even heard of it (48D: River that drains the Everglades into Biscayne Bay)
• QUINELLA — never even heard of it (34D: Track betting option)
• LÉGER — know him well, but couldn't see him from that clue, or from -GER (42A: "Tubism" artist)
• IRENE — guessed it from -ENE, but no no no. (40A: Chemistry Nobelist Joliot-Curie)
• PAL — [Alter ego] metaphorically? Don't get it.
• BORER — just ... in general? Anything that "bores?" Is it a specific kind of pest? (9D: Uninvited cornfield guest)
• GEENA — know her, but, of course, BETTE fits. And OSSIE fits ... (27A: Davis in Hollywood)
• WALK OVER — probably seen it before, but not a phrase I use or hear a lot. You can win "in a walk." You "roll over" an opponent. I'm sure WALK OVER's legit, just outside my field of usage. (37D: Rout)

Some painful plurals in INTS and ONEAS.

ROSCOE was about the only specialty word that was right up my alley today (18A: Gangster's piece). Not sure what I would have done in NW if my crosswordesey guesses of EFTS (5D: Bog youngsters) and LIANA (6D: Bushrope) hadn't helped me get AQUAFINA (15A: Poland Spring rival). Kept wanting COX but wasn't able to get any confirmation (until the Very end) (41D: Stroking coordinator). After the first several minutes, all I had was the lower SW, with ICE SKATE just sticking up out of there all by itself (36D: Devil's wear?). After that, I honestly don't know what happened. Just lots of stumbling around, here and there. No order. No system. If I hadn't just blindly hit on RETICENT (59A: Opposite of garrulous) — with no crosses except maybe the "N" from the other blind guess of ERMINE (44D: Regal trim) — I might still be doing this puzzle. Besides RETICENT and ROSCOE, virtually nothing else rolled my way today. Oh, the humility!

Bullets:

• 1A: Early 20th-century mode of transportation (ZEPPELIN) — Insert Hindenburg analogy here. Or just repeat "Oh, the humility!"
  
• 38A: Longtime drink nickname, with "the" (UNCOLA) — brain wanted *only* a mixed drink. Didn't see this 7Up nickname forEver.

• 10D: Parts of décadas (AÑOS) — one of maybe 4-5 gimmes in the whole puzzle. And this one did Nothing for me.
  
• 16A: Less steep (ON SALE) — nope, doesn't end in "-ER"
• 45D: John of Broadway and his Grammy-winning daughter (RAITTS) — a simple "Bonnie" in this clue would've helped a lot ...
• 26D: Flapper feature (RINGLET) — could think only of BOB haircuts. BOBCUTS?

I'm off to pretend this never happened.

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

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