Fritz the Cat's creator / TUE 4-12-11 / 1956 Fats Domino hit / Highest peak Northwest Territories / Seamen slangily / 1956 Fats Domino hit

Constructor: Barry C. Silk

Relative difficulty: Easy-Medium

THEME: Idyllic places — theme answers end with words that describe a state of perfection


Word of the Day: MOUNT NIRVANA (42A: Highest peak in the Northwest Territories) —

Mount Nirvana, at 2,773 m (9,098 ft) is the unofficial name of the highest mountain in the Northwest Territories, Canada. [....] As of 2008, the Canadian Government continues to refer to the mountain as "unnamed peak", however, the name "Mount Nirvana" is commonly depicted in alpine literature. (wikipedia)

• • •

Seems like a theme that's been done before. And it has. Once very recently (Gail Grabowski, July of last year, LAT) — this puzzle was probably submitted before that puzzle ever saw print. But it was also done in '06 (Raymond Hamel, CrosSynergy). Always a good idea to check your theme answers against the cruciverb database—BARBARA EDEN comes up five times, always as a theme answer. Searching SAL PARADISE was what helped me find the Graboswki/LAT puzzle, which shares 3 of today's four theme answers. Like today's puzzle, that puzzle streeeeeeetched to get that fourth "sore thumb" answer. I mean, MOUNT NIRVANA? Really? What in the world. That thing doesn't even have an official name, and is Nowhere near as well known as the other three theme answers (early puzzle over-reached with a WWII aircraft carrier, the U.S.S. SHANGRI-LA). Best to do what the '06 CrosSynergy puzzle did: stick to three theme answers (in that case: BARBARA EDEN, FOOL'S PARADISE, SEVENTH HEAVEN).



Theme answers:

• 18A: Portagonist in Kerouac's "On the Road" (SAL PARADISE)
  
• 27A: 1956 Fats Domino hit ("MY BLUE HEAVEN")
  
• 42A: Highest peak in the Northwest Territories (MOUNT NIRVANA)
  
• 54A: "I Dream of Jeannie" star (BARBARA EDEN)
  

Zero problems with this one outside of the NIRVANA part of MOUNT NIRVANA. I started writing in CRUMB before realizing I needed the initial R (4A: Fritz the Cat's creator). Wrote in RNS instead of DRS at 41D: O.R. personnel. Otherwise, no speed bumps, no troubles, nothing terribly memorable. I watched "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" for the first time yesterday, and as far as I know it's the only time I've seen BURL IVES act (he was good as the larger-than-life and terminally ill "Big Daddy") (9D: "A Holly Jolly Christmas" singer). I knew PLUTARCH wrote "Lives"; I did not know those Lives were "Parallel." Weird (36D: "Parallel Lives" author). There sure is a lot of slang out there for seamen. GOBS was not on my radar (sonar?), though I've certainly seen it before (10A: Seamen, slangily). After being smacked with it several times over the years, I seem finally to have made "MTA" stick in my brain somehow. Today is the first day I got it without hesitation (8D: Kingston Trio hit of 1959). Picked up a couple of cool old Ian Fleming paperbacks at the local library sale over the weekend, so JAMES BOND was on my mind (3D: Aston Martin-driving agent). Let's see, is that it? ... yes. Good day.

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter]

1933 Physics Nobelist Paul / TUE 4-5-11 / Polo alternative / Biblical landfall / Item guitarist prospector / Spaghetti makers implements

Constructor: E. J. Masicampo

Relative difficulty: Easy-Medium

THEME: NIMBUS / CLOUDS (1A: With 7-Across, sources of the circled words) — RAIN comes down in four different circled areas from the NIMBUS CLOUDS at the top of the grid to the PITTER PATTER at the bottom (63A: With 64-Across, sound of the circled words)


Word of the Day: Paul DIRAC (11D: 1933 Physics Nobelist Paul) —

Paul Adrien Maurice Dirac, OM, FRS (8 August 1902 – 20 October 1984) was an English theoretical physicist who made fundamental contributions to the early development of both quantum mechanics and quantum electrodynamics. He held the Lucasian Chair of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge and spent the last fourteen years of his life at Florida State University. // Among other discoveries, he formulated the Dirac equation, which describes the behaviour of fermions, and predicted the existence of antimatter. // Dirac shared the Nobel Prize in physics for 1933 with Erwin Schrödinger, "for the discovery of new productive forms of atomic theory."

• • •

A lovely little puzzle that felt Monday-easy, though my time says it's pretty much in line with Tuesday. A bit put off at first by the circles (grrr...) and the impossible-to-get-without-crosses clue at 1-Across, but once I got going, and especially once I reached the PITTER PATTER, I had to admire the tight theme concept and elegant simplicity with which it was executed. An especially nice puzzle to solve on a rainy Tuesday morning. Solving at 5:15 a.m. has its drawbacks, namely a fine mental haze, so I was slow(ish) to pick up NIMBUS (""NIM..."?? What starts "NIM-!?" Something must be wrong"), but once I did, I went and immediately filled in RAIN in all the circled squares. This led me to believe I was going to have a record Tuesday time. I wasn't even close (see "fine mental haze," above), though the puzzle felt somewhat easier than average. My one hang-up came in the SW, where I wrote in TANS and TOKEN, which brought my quick forward progress to a crashing halt. Actual answers: SUNS (47A: Lies on the beach) and SCRIP (47D: Money substitute).



Obviously I do not care for the ADORNER (16A: Decorator) who RETABLEs (39A: Postpone again) the Z-BAR (34D: Letter-shaped beam, my most hated of clues!) , but that stuff seems fairly overlookable, given the final result.

Bullets:

• 24A: Item for a guitarist or a prospector (PICK) — cute clue
  
• 37A: Golden State athlete (WARRIOR) — yesterday, Chris Mullin was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. He was a Golden State WARRIOR as well as a 5-time NBA ALL-STAR (love that those answer are paired with one another)
  
• 51A: When Caesar is told to beware (ACT I) — I guess this was supposed to make me think IDES, but I had other problems down there (as I mentioned above).
  
• 6D: Spaghetti makers' implements (STRAINERS) — true enough.
  
• 23D: Neaten, as shirts at a men's store (REFOLD) — what you do before you RETABLE the shirt.
  
• 2D: Polo alternative (IZOD) — the shirt, not the sport.
  
• 45D: Biblical landfall (ARARAT) — Noah et al. "Landfall" is correct but sounds weird to my ears, conjuring up images of falling rocks ... while sounding like WINDFALL, which I guess ARARAT was, also, kind of.
  

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter]

Naturalist John / TUE 3-29-11 / Barrel supports / Early Indian invader / Feminizing suffix / Protagonists in Star Wars / PC screen type

Constructor: Peter A. Collins

Relative difficulty: Medium


THEME: ELIZABETH / TAYLOR (55A: With 17-Across, late Hollywood star)—several different roles and movie titles populate the grid

Word of the Day: METAZOAN (37D: Multicellular animal) —

(zoology) The multicellular animals that make up the major portion of the animal kingdom; cells are organized in layers or groups as specialized tissues or organ systems. (answers.com)

• • •

Not great as tribute puzzles go. This one feels hastily thrown together, with roles and partial titles and titles all cobbled together into a dense but arbitrary arrangement. "THE SANDPIPER?!" What the heck is that. It's certainly not a definitive Liz Taylor role, that's for sure. SUMMER feels like a pretty weak way to get a symmetrical answer for TAYLOR (it's also a bit weird to have her name divided up the way it is, with last name coming first ...). The best part about the grid was the numeral "8" in "BUTTERFIELD 8" / 8 TIMES. Otherwise, straightforward and kind of dull. Weak in theme answers as well as overall fill (though ACUTE PAIN next to WOMANIZE is nice, especially in a grid with this kind of theme density).

Theme answers:

• 4D: 1944 title role for 55-/17-Across (VELVET)
  
• 21A: 1963 title role for 55-/17-Across (CLEOPATRA)
  
• 27A: 1965 film starring 55-/17-Across (THE SANDPIPER)
  
• 45A: 1960 film for which 55-/17-Across won a Best Actress Oscar (BUTTERFIELD 8)
  
• 49D: How often 55-/17-Across was married (8 TIMES)
  
• 61A: "Suddenly, Last ___" (1959 film starring 55-/17-Across) ("SUMMER")

Bullets:

• 3D: Early Indian invader (ARYAN) — baffled by this one, which made the NW a bit harder than normal (esp. true give the intersecting theme answers—difficult to pick up if you don't know the theme yet).
  
• 29D: Feminizing suffix (-ENNE) — hate this clue, generally. First, I know it'll be a suffix (suboptimal fill). Second, it could be at least four different things. No way to know except from crosses.
  
• 47D: Protagonists in "Star Wars" (REBELS) — hmmm. I guess so, though "protagonists" doesn't sit quite right with me. HAN Solo is a protagonist. REBELS are a group he generally belongs to (by the end). Don't think of the collective as "protagonists."
  

That's all for today.

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter]

Jazz trombonist Kid / TUE 3-22-11 / English theologian Watts / Emu's extinct cousin / Greg's sitcom mate / Considered good by Moody's

Constructor: Albert R. Picallo

Relative difficulty: Easy-Medium

THEME: TWIST OF FATE (35A: Unexpected development ... or what the answer to each starred clue contains?) — eight different arrangements of the letters F, E, A, and T appear in symmetrical answers in the grid.


Word of the Day: Kid ORY (42A: Jazz trombonist Kid ___) —

Edward "Kid" Ory (December 25, 1886 – January 23, 1973) was a jazz trombonist and bandleader.[...] Ory was a banjo player during his youth and it is said that his ability to play the banjo helped him develop "tailgate," a particular style of playing the trombone. In "tailgate" style the trombone plays a rhythmic line underneath the trumpets and cornets. // He had one of the best-known bands in New Orleans in the 1910s, hiring many of the great jazz musicians of the city, including, cornetists Joe "King" Oliver, Mutt Carey, and Louis Armstrong; and clarinetists Johnny Dodds and Jimmie Noone. [...] The Ory band was an important force in reviving interest in New Orleans jazz, making popular radio broadcasts—among them a number of slots on the Orson Welles Almanac broadcast and a jazz history series sponsored by Standard Oil—as well as by making recordings. Ory retired from music in 1966 and spent his last years in Hawaii ... (wikipedia)

• • •

First reaction: FEAT? Just ... different letter arrangements? Why? Then I went to type in all the standard info (above), such as Constructor, Difficulty Level, and Theme. What should I call it? I know: TWIST OF FATE ... wait. That really, really should have been this puzzle's title. WAIT! It's the answer smack in the middle of the grid! Wow, way to not pay attention, Rex. Anyway, TWIST OF FATE makes all the damned circles and random letter arrangements somewhat more tolerable. Annoyed at the doubling up of theme clues about musicals, as it detracts / distracts from the actual theme (also, musicals schmusicals). Also annoyed at ORY, a terrible bit of crosswordese, as well as ITRY, which is somewhat less terrible, but somehow still irksome to me (32D: Modest response to praise). Rest of the grid seems pretty solid—impressive for a puzzle with such theme density. Hmmm, on second look, there is a little more not-so-nice stuff than I like to see in an easy puzzle: OST, OID, EXEL, MVI, ORY, EEC, EFOR = none of it great. Nice modern clue on SLIDER (47D: Small burger) (at least I assume it's modern, as I'd never heard of a SLIDER in my life until I started seeing them appear on menus about 3-5 years ago).


[One of the 80s-est videos / songs you'll ever see]
Theme answers:

• 4D: *Song from "No, No, Nanette" ("TEA FOR TWO")

• 18A: *Dining area (CAFETERIA)
  
• 21A: *Result of collapsed arches (FLAT FEET)
  
• 21D: *Daredevils' doings (FEATS)
  
• 36D: *Kind of position (FETAL)
  
• 34D: *"It Might as Well Be Spring" musical ("STATE FAIR")
  
• 53A: *Nevertheless (AFTER ALL)
  
• 56A: *Didn't disturb (LEFT ALONE)
  

NW and SE corners went down Very fast — except for the musicals clues, which required some crosses — and the rest felt like an ordinary Tuesday, with the ORY-ish middle being probably the most trying part of the grid.

Bullets:

• 27A: Greg's sitcom mate (DHARMA) — Mmm, bygone sitcom characters. I guess a literal (or Kerouac) clue for DHARMA wouldn't be as Tuesdayey.
  
• 31A: Period following homework completion, perhaps (TV TIME) — sounds original, though originality credit belongs to a 2003 Liz Gorski puzzle (the only other puzzle to use this answer)
  
• 40A: Considered good by Moody's (RATED A) — they rate bonds. Speaking of which, the trial of Barry Bonds began today. No idea what Moody's would rate him.
  
• 7D: English theologian Watts (ISAAC) — weird. Don't think I've even heard of this guy. Wikipedia say he was "recognized as the "Father of English Hymnody"" ... yep, sounds like something I wouldn't know.
  
• 51D: Bob Cratchit, for one (CLERK) — ugh, slowed way down here because I was thinking Scrooge, not Cratchit.
  
• 48A: Dee Dee, Tommy, Joey or Johnny of punk (RAMONE) — now there's an answer I can get behind.

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

P.S. here are a handful of photos from this past weekend's ACPT ...

[From right, commenters Bob Kerfuffle, Mac, and imsdave]

[Me, gazing intently at ... I have no idea]

[Me, Andrea Michaels, and Patrick Blindauer]

[Sandy—patiently explaining to me how a "camera" works]

[Constructors Caleb Madison, Tony Orbach, and Brendan Emmett Quigley, solving Tony's CrosSynergy "Sunday Challenge" puzzle—I think Brendan has just spotted ITUNE (singular) ...]

[Me, Caleb, and, a trophy that, as my sister put it, makes me look like I "took 5th at a regional speech & debate tournament."]

[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter]

Volleyball champion/model Gabrielle / TUE 3-15-11 / Small biter in Niger / Circus wedding staple / Fox hit since 2002 informally

Constructor: Jeremy Newton

Relative difficulty: Medium

THEME: "ODE TO JOY" (20A: Work by 16-Across (BEETHOVEN) — circles running across grid represent notes of the first part of "ODE TO JOY," both in terms of the letters the circles contain and the placement of the circles in the grid (according to their position on the staff). Additional theme answers include IN C MAJOR (57A: How the circled letters of 20-Across are played) and PIANO KEYS (62A: Items you might play 20-Across on)


Word of the Day: "Eazy-DUZ-It" (46D: "Eazy-___-It" (double-platinum album by Eazy-E)) —

Eazy-Duz-It is the debut album of rapper Eazy-E, released on September 16, 1988 through both Ruthless and Priority Records. The production by Dr. Dre and DJ Yella was deemed dense and funky by critic Jason Birchmeier.^[1] The pieces were written primarily by Eazy-E, MC Ren, Ice Cube, and The D.O.C.. The album's title track features Eazy rapping about himself and things that he does. "Boyz n the Hood" and "No More ?'s" are about life in Compton, California and the gangster lifestyle. (wikipedia)

• • •

This may be the best use to which circles have ever been put in a crossword puzzle. For the fifteen-note sequence alone, I think this puzzle is amazing. The fact that there are also four solid theme answers and a solidly filled grid only adds to the joy. Sadly, I'm trying to write about this joy with increasingly horrible news from Japan coming out of my TV. Also, sadly, I have no time to do a detailed write-up this evening.



Highlights of my solve:

• Trying to figure out what the hell those circles could possibly be spelling...
• Cocking my head upon realizing that DUZ was, in fact, correct.
• Waiting and waiting on the "C" part of IN C MAJOR (SCUZZ!? Ew...) (53D: Dirt, slangily)
• Realizing I have no idea what MASONITE is (9D: Composite board material)
• Being torn between wincing at and admiring IN PJS as an answer (10D: Dressed for bed, briefly)

Love the contrast between the high-culture theme and the more lowbrow, colloquial fill, which includes entries like DUZ, MY BAD, A GAME (70A: Best competitive effort, informally), D'OH!, SCUZZ (53D: Dirt, slangily), ITSY, OKD, TELLY, SAYS HI, SIC 'EM BOY! and LAV.

Bullets:

• 47A: Tendency for one's mind to wander, for short (A.D.D.) — interesting to go the disorder route on this one ...
  
• 51A: Midsize bra features (C CUPS) — Didn't C used to be on the large side?
  
• 66A: Rice-sized pastas (ORZOS) — a weak plural; one of the only weak spots in the grid, and one so minor that I almost feel bad even mentioning. There are a couple of others I'm not mentioning, just to make up for mentioning this one. I swear that last sentence makes sense.
  
• 25D: -trix alternative — always tricksy. ETTE? ETTA? ENNE? ENNA? OK, ETTA is unlikely, but the others are all viable.
  
• 56D: He said about an opponent "My main objective is to be professional but to kill him" (TYSON) — Couldn't read the whole quotation in my solving software, and so initially guessed that it was (President?) TYLER.
  
• 59D: Circus or wedding staple (RING) — totally different kinds of RINGs, so I'm not a huge fan of this clue.
  

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter]

Cube-hopping character in 1980s arcade game / TUE 3-8-11 / Soaks as flax / Our planet to Berliner / Old TWA hiree / Kid-lit elephant

Constructor: Paul Hunsberger

Relative difficulty: Easy-Medium

THEME: WEST (69A: The half of the keyboard on which all of this puzzle's answers can be typed)


Word of the Day: Q-BERT (8D: Cube-hopping character in a 1980s arcade game) —

Q*bert (pronounced /ˈkjuːbərt/) is an arcade video game developed and published by Gottlieb in 1982. It is a platform game that features two-dimensional (2D) graphics. The object is to change the color of every cube in a pyramid by making the on-screen character jump on top of the cube while avoiding obstacles and enemies. Players use a joystick to control the character. // The game was conceived by Warren Davis and Jeff Lee. Lee designed the titular character based on childhood influences and gave Q*bert a large nose that shoots projectiles. His original idea involved traversing a pyramid to shoot enemies, but Davis removed the shooting game mechanic to simplify gameplay. Q*bert was developed under the project name Cubes, but was briefly named Snots And Boogers and @!#?@!? during development. // Q*bert was well received in arcades and by critics, who praised the graphics, gameplay and main character. The success resulted in sequels and use of the character's likeness in merchandising, such as appearances on lunch boxes, toys, and an animated television show. The game has since been ported to numerous platforms. (wikipedia)

• • •

This was pretty dreadful. It's a stunt puzzle that offers no joy for the solver. None. What joy is there in this kind of fill? Am I supposed to clap at the end that you've restricted yourself to half the alphabet (when that half includes RSTEA)? The resulting fill is of limited interest, at best, and repulsive at worst. Junky abbrevs. like SERV and BRAZ and STRS, ugh. At least four "A"-containing partials ... or rather, two *crossing* pairs of such partials (ARAW w/ ARAT, SETSA w/ ATASTE), something called a TREATER, RETS (!) (64D: Soaks, as flax), the crosswordesey ERBE and ERDE (43A: Our planet, to a Berliner). To say I'm AVERSE to this kind of joyless concoction is an understatement. The long answers are decent enough (esp. STEWARDESS—10D: Old TWA hiree—and STARGAZERS—30D: Astronomers ... or daydreamers), but ... no. This fish should've been thrown back.

• Wife: "Is 69A WEST?"
• Me: "Yes."
• Wife: "But what if your keyboard's not oriented that way?"
• Me: "The direction is relative to you."
• Wife, indignantly: "Directions aren't related to you, they're related to the globe. LEFT or RIGHT I'd buy, but not WEST."
  
• Me (to myself): "Weird. That didn't bother me ..."

Theme answers:

• All of them
  

At least the puzzle made the effort to contain all available letters ... so I guess it's *kind* of a pangram? TADA?! (16A: "And ... there you have it!").

See you tomorrow,

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter]

P.S. my friend made this grid this morning in about an hour. I told him it didn't have the magic word, "WEST," so ... fail! Still...

Fred's dancing sister / TUE 3-1-11 / International writers org. appropriate initials / Old TV antenna / LEM maker

Constructor: C.W. Stewart

Relative difficulty: Easy-Medium (3:23)

THEME: SPOT OF TEA (35D: 4 p.m. British refreshment ... or what can be found in 18-, 25-, 47- and 58-Across and 3-Down) — two-word phrases in which "TEA" is embedded


Word of the Day: PEN (36D: International writers' org. with appropriate initials) —

International PEN, the worldwide association of writers, was founded in London in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere. // PEN originally stood for "Poets, Essayists and Novelists", but now includes writers of any form of literature, such as journalists and historians. // Other goals included: to emphasise the role of literature in the development of mutual understanding and world culture; to fight for freedom of expression; and to act as a powerful voice on behalf of writers harassed, imprisoned and sometimes killed for their views. // It is the world’s oldest human rights organization and the oldest international literary organization. (wikipedia)

• • •

If this had run yesterday and yesterday's had run today, I don't think anyone would have blinked. As it was, yesterday came in as one of the more challenging Mondays ever and this one ... well, we'll see, but it's certainly no tougher than average, and felt a bit easy. Now, for me, we really are talking about matters of seconds when it comes to making difficulty distinctions. Yesterday's high-3s was way outside my normal Monday solving range, whereas today's was well within my normal Tuesday range, though somewhat on the low side, and a good half minute faster than yesterday's. But none of this has anything to do with how good the puzzle was, and it was good. Very good. C.W. Stewart is quickly becoming my favorite early-week puzzle constructor. Her grids are smooth and her themes are simple, clever, and coherent. She probably had a *bunch* of "TEA"-containing phrases on the table, but the ones she chose were all solid phrases, all with "TEA" touching each word of the theme phrase, and all the right length to allow for 4 Acrosses *and* 2 Downs, including the (great) revealer. This is a model early-week puzzle. Study it, aspiring constructors. You've got a stray bit of crosswordese here (AMAH), a slightly unappealing word there (IDEATE), but otherwise everything just hums. A+.

Theme answers:

• 18A: It measures less than 90° (ACUTE ANGLE)
  
• 25A: Say "nay" to (VOTE AGAINST)
  
• 47A: One who was detained, maybe (LATE ARRIVAL)
  
• 58A: Old TV antenna (RABBIT EARS)
  
• 3D: Shrivel to nothing (WASTE AWAY)
  

I realized that I get held up most (in easy puzzles) by long answers that my clue window can't contain (one of the perils of solving online and forgetting to expand your clue window to max width before starting). This gave me trouble toward the end, when I hit the clue for SPOT OF TEA and especially the clue for PEN (36D: International writers' org. with appropriate initials), which is a Thursday-type clue for PEN, frankly). Only other answers that slowed me down at all were NET SALES (8D: Income statement figure)—just didn't leap out at me for a while—and the PTS / QTS center, mainly because I held off on writing it in, deciding to wait for crosses, not realizing that one of the crosses was the identical clue ... so, not tough, just confusing at high speeds.

Bullets:

• 17A: LEM maker (NASA) — Lunar Excursion Module. I always forget what the "E" is supposed to stand for ("...Escape?")
  
• 28A: Fred's dancing sister (ADELE) — I really want this clue to die since this woman is already way more famous than Fred's dancing sister ever was (to most of America, if not to the bulk of constant crossword solvers):

• 66A: Garbage hauler (SCOW) — still having the "C" / "K" problem
  
• 11D: Most common inert gas in the atmosphere (ARGON) — is XENON inert? It's what I wanted, stupidly.
  
• 56A: Keepers of jewels (SAFES) — watched "Wait Until Dark" (1967) yesterday. Preposterous in many ways, but gripping nonetheless. Anyway, there's a safe that plays a minor role in the movie, even though it ends up being a bit of a red herring.
  

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter]

Snowy region of Austria / TUE 2-22-11 / 1922 novel with Dublin backdrop / Neighbor of Irkutsk on Risk board / Perez with nasally voice

Constructor: Ian Livengood

Relative difficulty: Medium

THEME: MAGAZINES (61A: What the starts of the answers to the eight starred clues are) — theme answers are all two-word phrases where the first word is also the title of a familiar magazine...


Word of the Day: TYROL (25D: Snowy region of Austria) —

Tyrol (German: Tirol) is a state or Bundesland, located in the west of Austria. It comprises the Austrian part of the historical region of Tyrol. [...] The capital is Innsbruck. The city is known for its university, especially in medicine. Tyrol is popular for its famous ski resorts, which include Kitzbühel, Ischgl and St. Anton. Other larger towns are Kufstein, Schwaz, Reutte and Landeck. (wikipedia)

• • •

I am virtually certain that I have seen this theme before—probably not with this kind of theme density (impressive), but still: seen it. So themewise, it's a bit blah for me, but gridwise, on the whole, it's pretty smooth and definitely more interesting than your average Tuesday, so thumbs up on that account. I hit a few snags here and there—thinking KARO (32A: Syrup brand) was spelled CARO, thinking the cameos were OPAL instead of OVAL (67A: Like many lockets) ... actually, I think that's it. The rest of it went off without a hitch, pretty much. The answer it took me longest to come up with was, strangely, STIR (29D: Hubbub). Brain just wasn't making the connection. Otherwise, right over the plate. Tuesdays are often hit-or-miss, and this one mostly hit. So hurray. Actually, the more I look over the grid, the more I'm impressed that a puzzle with *this* level of theme density has fill *this* smooth. I love a grid that shows signs of the constructor's sincere and thoughtful effort to make every corner as full as possible of real, honest-to-god, in-the-language words and phrases. When the worst thing I can say about the fill is "I didn't care for the plural AGUAS" (19A: Spanish rains) and "Maybe EDO and maybe ETO but please not EDO *and* ETO" ... well, then, the grid is pretty sleek.

Theme answers:

• 17A: *Reese Witherspoon's role in "Legally Blonde" (ELLE WOODS)
  
• 21A: *Highest-grossing film of 1977 ("STAR WARS")
  
• 23A: *Lakeside vacation rental (JETSKI)
  
• 33A: *Purchase for a vacation, maybe (TIME SHARE)
  
• 40A: *Lose control of a car (SPIN OUT) – OUT is also a magazine...
  
• 43A: *Personal esteem (SELF WORTH)
  
• 56A: *Emmy-winning AMC series set in the 1960s ("MAD MEN")
  
• 57A: *House that drains finances, slangily (MONEY PIT) — coincidence: I just saw Shelley Long tonight in an episode of "Modern Family" that has been on my DVR for a few days ...

Tuesdays are time-crunches for me, so—straight to bullets.

Bullets:

• 14A: "___ et mon droit" (British monarch's motto) ("DIEU") — you'd think by now they'd have dropped the French stuff
  
• 26A: Browning who directed "Dracula," 1931 (TOD) — one of those weird three-letter names like DIK Browne and BIL Keane.

• 28A: 1922 novel with a Dublin backdrop ("ULYSSES") — Irish literature: Not my strong suit. Still, this one was easy to suss out.
  
• 47A: Neighbor of Irkutsk on a Risk board (SIBERIA) — weird how much puzzle action the game of "Risk" gets. I've never played the game.
  
• 50A: "Touching" Olympic event (EPEE) — two-man luge involves some "touching," it looks like ...
  
• 71A: Sign near a stairway (EXIT) — my mind does not associate these two things (EXIT sign and stairway). At all.
  
• 37A: Perez with a nasally voice (ROSIE) — as with HOODIE (5D: Top with a top), I had some hesitation about how to spell the last syllable (-EY, maybe?).
  

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter]

Winner of first Nobel Prize in Physics 1901 / TUE 2-15-11 / Sainted ninth-century pope / Sorority members Ann-Margaret Laura Bush

Constructor: Paula Gamache

Relative difficulty: Medium

THEME: Seen it... — Theme answers begin with words that are synonyms of "ordinary": COMMON, AVERAGE, USUAL, REGULAR


Word of the Day: Wilhelm ROENTGEN (10D: Winner of the first Nobel Prize in Physics, 1901) —

Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen (27 March 1845 – 10 February 1923) was a German physicist, who, on 8 November 1895, produced and detected electromagnetic radiation in a wavelength range today known as X-rays or Röntgen rays, an achievement that earned him the first Nobel Prize in Physics in 1901. (wikipedia)

• • •

Average. Yes, that about says it all. Clean and ordinary in most every way except for the surprising ROENTGEN, which is fantastic. AVERAGE HEIGHT is the weakest of the bunch (not nearly as coherent and snappy a phrase as the others), but it's not bad, just as LEO IV is as bad as it gets in the fill (19D: Sainted ninth-century pope), and it's not so bad either. Strangely, my biggest hang-ups (requiring all the crosses) were little words: DIET (36A: Plan the changes courses) and LOAD (56A: Mutual fund charge). Also, I have never heard of an EXOsphere (50A: Prefix with sphere), and so I wrote in ECO. Sadly, that was the very last letter I filled in, so my first thought was "crud, I've got a mistake somewhere." Thankfully, my mistake was right there, the first place I looked—the EXO cross, LEX (44D: Comics villain ___ Luthor).


Theme answers:

• 17A: Something everybody is aware of (COMMON KNOWLEDGE)
  
• 26A: It's not very short and not very tall (AVERAGE HEIGHT)
  
• 46A: They may be rounded up after a crime, with "the" (USUAL SUSPECTS)
  
• 60A: Cheapest choice at the pump (REGULAR GASOLINE)
  

It's an early morning for me, so I'm out of here. See you tomorrow.

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter]

2007 Ellen Page title role / TUE 2-8-11 / First woman in Greek myth / Father of songs according to Pindar / Argentine strongman Peron

Constructor: Robert W. Harris

Relative difficulty: Medium

THEME: State abbrev. phrases — Two-word phrases that start with words that can double as state abbreviations — clued statily, for maximum wackiness


Word of the Day: LESLIE Howard (4D: Howard of "Gone With the Wind") —

Leslie Howard (3 April 1893 – 1 June 1943) was an English stage and film actor, director, and producer. Among his best-known roles was Ashley Wilkes in Gone with the Wind (1939) and roles in Berkeley Square (1933), Of Human Bondage (1934), The Scarlet Pimpernel (1934), The Petrified Forest (1936), Pygmalion (1938), Intermezzo (1939), Pimpernel Smith (1941) and The First of the Few (1942). [...] Howard died in 1943 when flying to Bristol, UK, from Lisbon, Portugal, on KLM Royal Dutch Airlines/BOAC Flight 777. The aircraft, "G-AGBB" a Douglas DC-3, was shot down by Luftwaffe Junkers Ju 88C6 maritime fighter aircraft over the Bay of Biscay. Howard was among the 17 fatalities, including four ex-KLM flight crew. (wikipedia)

• • •

Long day tomorrow, so this'll be short. Liked it. Weird cheater squares* up top and down below, but they probably helped make the fill smoother. This took me way way longer than most Tuesdays, but only because of a single, stupid mistake—wrote in STAGES instead of STAGED (20A: Put on, as plays), and then was baffled by TIESY-S (also couldn't figure out how HOS- could be 28A: Where runs may be made — had HOME). Checked every cross ... and then noticed that I'd read the wrong verb tense at 20A. So when I factor in my own stupidity, the puzzle isn't hard at all. It's kind of on the OLD-TIME side, fill-wise (40D: Kind of religion, in song) — what with this LESLIE guy and JUAN (5A: Argentine strongman Perón) and TRAPP and IRMA and DELANO and MAE and Paul Revere and the RAIDERS (2D: Paul Revere's bandmates in 1960s-70s music) and the non-internet-radio PANDORA (13D: First woman, in Greek myth) — but there is a spiffy contemporary clue for JUNO (5D: 2007 Ellen Page title role), at least. Fill is solid and bright throughout. I particularly liked the SNEAKY WEIRDO.


Theme answers:

• 16A: Proper way to behave in Biloxi? (MISS. MANNERS)
  
• 23A: Evaluation in Eugene? (ORE. ASSAY) — my least favorite of the bunch. Not at all snappy. Too bad CAL somebody wouldn't fit here...
  
• 32A: Syncopated piano piece for Seattle residents? (WASH. RAG)
  
• 45A: Chicago balloonists' needs? (ILL. WINDS)
  
• 52A: Commuter trains in Boston? (MASS. TRANSIT)
  

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter]

*black squares that don't affect the overall word count; here, the ones on either side of JUAN and YSER—making those squares black makes the grid easier to fill.

Milne's absent-minded Mr / TUE 2-1-11 / Pre-Russia intl economic coalition / Bangladesh's capital old-style / Prison screw / Motherland affectionately

Constructor: Ron & Nancy Byron

Relative difficulty: Medium

THEME: MIXED MEDIA (61A: Artwork using both paint and collage, e.g. ... and a hint to this puzzle's circled letters) — circled consecutive letters inside theme answers are jumbles of the letters M, E, D, I, and A


Word of the Day: TOULON (11D: French port near Marseille) —

Toulon (Provençal Occitan: Tolon in classical norm or Touloun in Mistralian norm ) is a town in southern France and a large military harbour on the Mediterranean coast, with a major French naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur region, Toulon is the capital of the Var department in the former province of Provence. // Toulon is an important centre for naval construction, fishing, wine making, and the manufacture of aeronautical equipment, armaments, maps, paper, tobacco, printing, shoes, and electronic equipment. // The military port of Toulon is the major naval center on France's Mediterranean coast, home of the French Navy aircraft carrier Charles De Gaulle and her battle group. The French Mediterranean Fleet is based in Toulon. (wikipedia)

• • •

Writing this ahead of a massive blizzard that is expected to descend upon this area of the country aaaaaaany second now (actually, it will come on slowly tomorrow and then destroy us some time on Wednesday). Northern midwesterners and northeasterners will have some idea what I'm talking about, if not now, then soon. I like this "Winter Storm Meter," which I lifted from the alloveralbany.com website. "SnOMG!"


As for the puzzle, I don't have much to say. There was something kind of lackluster about the whole thing. Theme answers aren't that interesting, and that non-theme fill is boring at best, strange and dated-feeling at worst. The dull: ELEE over SSTS (!), then ILA, ELEC, AAR, IBE (?), ERMA, ABM, ETA, SRO, SRI, CMI, NOMSG, etc. The strange: GSEVEN (bygone) (43A: Pre-Russia intl economic coalition), TOULON (where?), Mr. PIM (so bygone I couldn't even find a halfway decent summary online) (1D: Milne's absent-minded Mr.), and DACCA (so bygone the puzzle knows it's bygone: "old-style!") (20A: Bangladesh's capital, old-style). Whole thing felt very not-of-this-century, from the opening gambit ("PSHAW!") to OLD SOD (32A: Motherland, affectionately) to the clue for JAILER (unless "screw" is still contemporary non-sexual slang, in which case, my apologies) (21A: Prison "screw"). Despite never having heard of several of these answers, I finished in an absolutely average Tuesday time. All in all, the puzzle is just fine—not at all incompetent or off-putting. Just blah.

["Pretty girls come A DIME A DOZEN..."]

Theme answers:

• 17A: Big name in orange juice (MINUTE MAID)
  
• 25A: Large gem in the Smithsonian (HOPE DIAMOND)
  
• 37A: Kindly doctor's asset (BEDSIDE MANNER)
  
• 52A: Common (A DIME A DOZEN)
  

Stay warm. I'm off to ... do something. See you tomorrow.

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter]