1975 #1 hit for LaBelle / MON 1-24-11 / Volcano viewable from Tokyo / Dish rated in alarms / Wisconsin city or its college / Pretty Boy of crime

Constructor: Fred Piscop

Relative difficulty: Easy

THEME: JAR (54D: Where you might find the thematic parts of 17-, 26-, 41- and 54-Across) — theme answers all contain spreads one might find in a JAR: JAM, MARMALADE, PRESERVES, and JELLY


Word of the Day: RIPON (61A: Wisconsin college or its city) —

Ripon is a city in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 6,828. The City of Ripon's official website claims the city's current population to be 7,701. The city is surrounded by the Town of Ripon. // Ripon, named for the English cathedral city of Ripon, North Yorkshire, was founded in 1849 by David P. Mapes, a former New York steamboat captain. Within two years the city had absorbed the nearby commune of Ceresco, established in 1844 by the Wisconsin Phalanx, a group of settlers inspired by the utopian socialist philosophy of Charles Fourier. Mapes also initiated the formation of Ripon College, originally incorporated as Brockway College in 1851. (wikipedia)

• • •

Not much to this one. Blew right through it in near-record time (held back by stupid mistake; see below), never even noticing the theme, which is about as basic as they come. Don't like the "thematic parts" part of the JAR clue at all. Awkward. That's what happens when your theme words are half at the front, half at the back, I guess. Too bad there's not a ___ JELLY phrase (a non-edible one, that is ... besides K-Y, which wouldn't fly for many reasons...), because then you could just change that first answer to TRAFFIC JAM and you'd be in business. Oh well. I don't have anything to say about this one, beyond the fact that I made a stupid, time-costing mistake and wrote in FIJI for FUJI (1D: Volcano viewable from Tokyo) (I make that mistake a lot, sadly), and that I knew RIPON without having any idea why. It must be in puzzles from time to time. I think I assumed it was Much bigger than it is.


Theme answers:

• 17A: Informal gathering of musicians (JAM SESSION)
  
• 26A: 1975 #1 hit for LaBelle ("LADY MARMALADE")
  
• 41A: Outdoor homes for endangered species, perhaps (GAME PRESERVES)
  
• 54A: Park that's home to Yogi Bear (JELLYSTONE)
  

Favorite part of the grid by far was LUXEMBOURG (26D: Country wedged between France, Belgium, and Germany), which is long and X-otic (especially next to the Frenchy ÉLYSÉE (42D: French president's palace)). I hesitated for a split second on the spelling of FLOYD, thinking perhaps it had two Ls (46A: "Pretty Boy" of crime). Turns out that's LLOYD. Brain isn't always sharpest at high speeds. Best / most interesting clue was 36A: Dish rated in alarms (CHILI). Makes perfect sense, but I still had to stare at it for a second or two, and get some crosses, before I understood what the hell it meant. Everyone knows OTIS of elevator fame, but perhaps slightly fewer know that his first name is Elisha (7D: Elevator pioneer Elisha). Consider yourself edified.


No need for Bullets today. See you tomorrow.

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter]

Man-shaped mug / TUE 10-19-10 / Pioneering DJ Freed / Westernmost Aleutian / Onetime colonial power in Philippines / Hunter's garb for short

Constructor: Fred Piscop

Relative difficulty: Medium

THEME: OR to -ER — common blank-OR-blank phrases are reimagined as "blankER blank" phrases, and clued "?"-style


Word of the Day: ALAN Freed (63A: Pioneering D.J. Freed) —

Albert James "Alan" Freed (December 15, 1921 – January 20, 1965), also known as Moondog, was an American disc-jockey. He became internationally known for promoting African-American rhythm and blues music on the radio in the United States and Europe under the name of rock and roll. His career was destroyed by the payola scandal that hit the broadcasting industry in the early 1960s. (wikipedia)

• • •

Felt easy, but stupid mistakes (several) kept me at or maybe even a little higher than my average Tuesday time. Somehow thought JAPAN was the 10D: Onetime colonial power in the Philippines (SPAIN). Later thought ALAN was STAN and GLUM (36D: Wearing a long face) was GRIM. The latter two errors were particularly costly, time-wise, because the crosses didn't help me correct them, so I just got stuck. I mean, Dover SOLE?? Not on my menu (53D). As for the puzzle a whole: the theme—not very interesting. The fill—fine, with ATTU (19A: Westernmost Aleutian) and DIRK (40A: Dagger) being the icky crosswordese outliers in an otherwise pretty solid, mostly unremarkable grid.

Theme answers:

• 17A: Seventh day, in the Bible? (MAKER BREAK)
  
• 11D: One-third of a strikeout? (HITTER MISS)
  
• 28D: Statue of a post-W.W. II baby? (BOOMER BUST)
  
• 60A: $10 bill enclosed in a Valentine card? (LOVER MONEY) — this one doesn't work so well; "Love or Money" is not really a self-standing phrase—kind of stupid-looking without the "For" in front of it, or some context to make it meaningful
  

Bullets:

• 45A: Hunter's garb, for short (CAMO) — Like it. Seems like a word that should appear in the grid much more often than it does.

• 64A: Home, sweet home (ABODE) — "sweet home" is gratuitous, even misleading. There is nothing "sweet" about ABODE (a clinical term that no one would use in an affectionate way)
• 55D: Man-shaped mug (TOBY) — also, the not-very-lovable loser HR guy on "The Office"
  
• 5D: Ricocheted, as a cue ball (CAROMED) — Love the word — feels almost onomatopoetic, while also sounding like "caramel." Silent 't' in "Ricocheted" looks nuts if you stare at it too long.
  

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter]

P.S. Pomona College Magazine's fall issue is out, with nice article on crossword puzzles featuring several students and alums who are constructors, including Xan Vongsathorn ('09), Joel Fagliano ('14!), and ... me ('91). Online edition is not up yet—I'll link to it when it is. I've done many interviews in the past few years, and this one came out better than any of the others.

Singer Flack or Peters / MON 6-21-10 / Kind of sleeve named after British baron / Whacked plant / Ad-libbing vocal style

Constructor: Fred Piscop

Relative difficulty: Easy

THEME: ["It ain't hard"] — the erectile dysfunction puzzle (same clue for all theme answers)


Word of the Day: RAGLAN (22A: Kind of sleeve named after a British baron) —

Baron Raglan, of Raglan in the County of Monmouth, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1852 for the military commander Lord FitzRoy Somerset, chiefly remembered as commander of the British troops during the Crimean War. Somerset was the youngest son of Henry Somerset, 5th Duke of Beaufort (see Duke of Beaufort for earlier history of the family). His second but eldest surviving son, the second Baron, served as a Lord-in-Waiting (government whip in the House of Lords) from 1866 to 1868 in the Conservative administrations of the Earl of Derby and Benjamin Disraeli. He was succeeded by his son, the third Baron. He held office as Under-Secretary of State for War between 1900 and 1902 in the Conservative government of Lord Salisbury. His eldest son, the fourth Baron, was a soldier and also served as Lord Lieutenant of Monmouthshire. The fifth Baron was active in the House of Lords but lost his seat in the upper chamber of parliament after the passing of the House of Lords Act 1999. As of 2010^[update] the title is held by the fourth Baron's third but second surviving son, the sixth Baron, who succeeded in 2010. As a descendant of the fifth Duke of Beaufort Lord Raglan is also in remainder to this peerage and its subsidiary titles.

• • •

Under 3 = Easy. Surprised I wasn't faster than I was, actually, as my fingers never stopped typing. I think I lost time when I balked at a few answers, most notably POLLUTE (5D: Foul the water, e.g.), which prevented me from shooting out of the NW, and DUCK / SOUP, which had the kind of cross-referenced cluing I *never* look at (if I can help it) on early-week puzzles (slows me down more to check the clue than it does to just blow by it and get answer from crosses ... usually). Other small hesitations that likely cost me seconds: EASY AS PIE instead of ABC; SCOTSMEN instead of SCOTTISH; REBEL for R.E. LEE; and, because of a misreading on my part, ESCAPES instead of ESCAPED. Also balked briefly at 51D: Whacked plant (WEED), when I had just -E--. Otherwise, NO PROBLEMO. Finished RAPIDLY.

Theme answers:

• 17A: "It ain't hard!" (SIMPLE AS ABC)
  
• 11D: "It ain't hard!" (CHILD'S PLAY)
  
• 28D: "It ain't hard!" (NO PROBLEMO)
  
• 53A: "It ain't hard!" (PIECE OF CAKE)
• 24A: With 46-Across, "It ain't hard!" (DUCK / SOUP)
  

It's a clean puzzle, nicely filled. Theme is a bit straightforward and dullish. Not much else to say.



Bullets:

• 44A: Singer Flack or Peters (ROBERTA) — Don't know the latter, but the former has (or had, at least) an exquisite voice. Loved her solo stuff, as well as duets with the late, great Donny Hathaway.

• 44D: Uses a Kindle, e.g. (READS) — aaargh. So simple. I hesitated here too. Figured there would be E-prefixing afoot.
  
• 48D: Ad-libbing vocal style (SCAT) — would've gone with "singing" style over "vocal" style; not that it made much difference.
  

See you tomorrow.

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter]