Monday, June 11 - Harriet Clifton

This is what I like to see...a fresh, fun Monday puzzle following a bugger of a Sunday. Harriet Clifton gives us five theme answers, all clued as Short on Dough. Your theme answers are:

17A: Flat broke
21A: Strapped
41A: Feeling the pinch
56A: In the red
66A: Tapped out

We've all been there, maybe as a college student, or a young newlywed, or not so young and maxed out the credit cards. So...none of the theme answers were too hard to draw from memory, but none of them were boring either.

Some snappy fill as well, including a couple of sports clues that were actually gimmes for me. That's saying something, as many of you know.

9D: Three-time P.G.A. champ (Snead). My dad was a huge golf fan, and Sam Snead was one of his favorites.

64D: Baseball's __ the Man (Stan). Okay, you don't have to know much about sports to know Stan Musial. According to Wikipedia, he's the only player to hit five home runs in one day - he did it in a doubleheader against the New York Giants in 1954. I remember it well (just kidding).

I absolutely loved the cross of 14A: Fairy tale meanie (ogre) with 2D: Wrinkly fruit (Ugli). According to their website, "When buying the UGLI® brand of tangelos do not be misled by their appearance, you will love their sweet and tangy flavour." If you haven't tried one, take the plunge.

V makes several appearances in the grid. Once at 32A: Over-the-top review (rave) and 34D: Church official (vicar), and again at 46A: Aquafina competitor (Evian) and 43D: "Enough already!" (I've had it). I seem to remember that one in the not-too-distant past.

Hmm, U and V, but no W, X or Y. We do have Z, shared by 53D: #1 to Avis's #2 (Hertz) and 71A: (the second part of 22D: "White Men Can't Jump" co-star) Rosie Perez. I saw the previews but not the movie. I loved (to hate) her as Nicolas Cage's wife in It Could Happen to You. I've already told you how I feel about him.

Interesting clues and/or answers:

20A: Kind of paper for gift-wrapping (tissue). Nicer reference than a nose-blowing clue.

40A: Tiny criticism to "pick" (nit). Again, it could have been an ugly clue.

61A: Bits of wisdom? (pearls).

42D: Polite refusal (no, sir). When our girls' elementary school was doing Annie, all of the kids who wanted one were given a part. During the audition, the principal asked one of our girls if she would like to sing something for them. She replied, "No, thank you, sir." He later said that he'd never been rejected so nicely.

29A: Finger food at a Spanish restaurant (tapas). A young couple recently moved here and opened a tapas bar. We haven't yet tried it but need to do that soon.

10D: Word repeated after someone starts to show anger (temper). I can guarantee that if I'm angry and someone says that to me, it is not going to calm me down.

One final comment about 8D: Jenny Craig regimen (diet). I just want to remind everyone what the first three letters of the word spell. Enough said.

I hope you all enjoyed the weekend. See you tomorrow night.

Linda G