Sunday, June 1 - Patrick Berry

Those of us who love Patrick Berry's puzzles are fortunate in that we don't have to wait very long in between them.

The title of Sunday's puzzle, "Extra Syll-uh-bles," gave us enough information to know that we were in for some puns...in this case, some really good ones.

The eight theme answers are all well-known phrases (or people)...with an extra "uh" added to them, creating new phrases which are then clued.

22A: Waistband sold in stores? (buyable belt)...the very last one to fall.

27A: Wiser from an ethical perspective? (morally safer).

32A: Fighting force trained by Pavlov? (the salivation army)...the funniest of the bunch.

56A: Freelance autopsist? (coroner on the market).

63A: Catchy song parts heard on "Name That Tune"? (hummable beginnings). I'd have to say that was my favorite.

81A: Stones and brickbats? (rioting implements).

92A: Store that peddles political influence? (rent a senator).

99A: Boiled lobster's feature? (red skeleton). I'm sure we weren't the only kids who thought that was his real name.

Lots of good trivia in this one...people, places and things to remember for future puzzles:

1A: Diane of "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore" (Ladd).

21A: World capital formerly a pirate stronghold (Rabat).

39A: Auto superseded by the Rambler (Nash)...we had one in the early sixties and loved the song about it. This clip of "Beep Beep" includes pictures of a 1959 Rambler...a classic.

40A: Actress Susan of "L.A. Law" (Dey). That was one of my all-time favorite television shows. Here's Grace with Michael, the love of her life. Susan was also Laurie Partridge and a Breck girl, among other things.

49A: City just west of Silver Springs (Ocala). Growing up in south Florida, we spent a lot of long weekends...so much to see.

59A: Renaissance painter Uccello (Paolo).

61A: Lady Bird Johnson's given birth name (Claudia). I knew that once but forgot it...needed crosses to remind me.

66A: Country with a camel on its coat of arms (Eritrea).

68A: Captain Hook's mate in "Peter Pan" (Smee)...appearing frequently in crossword grids.

90A: Attorney general during Reagan's second term (Meese)...and the only attorney general other than Janet Reno that I can always remember.

105A: Barrett of gossip (Rona).

108A: Only beardless one of the Seven Dwarfs (Dopey)...and the cutest, by far.

9D: "__ the Wanderer" (1820 gothic novel) (Melmoth). According to this article, it was "widely acknowledged by critics as the last great Gothic novel." I'm ashamed to admit that I'd never heard of it and only got it from crosses.

10D: Composer Pachelbel (Johann). Here's my favorite. If the music isn't enough to take you away, the pictures in this clip...from sunrise to sunset...are stunning.

19D: Premium vodka brand, for short (Stoli). It's my brand of choice...both times that I drink vodka in any year.

21D: N.F.L. star Grier (Rosey). I haven't yet committed his spelling to memory, and I always write Rosie first.

30D: Buchanan's secretary of state (Cass).

34D: Architect Jones (Inigo). I remember the name only because it's been in the puzzle at least once.

37D: Actress Witherspoon (Reese).

43D: "Tattered Tom" author (Alger).

48D: John of "The Addams Family" (Astin).

49D: Self-descriptive fruit (orange). I love the clue...but an orange isn't just a thing. It's also a person we all know and love...even if she did this puzzle in just over nine minutes.

58D: Founding member of the Dadaists (Hans Arp).

84D: Ohm of Ohm's law (Georg)...love the name.

85D: Queen of mystery (Ellery)...a brilliant clue.

86D: 2005 Best Picture winner (Crash). It was a good film...very intense...but it didn't get my vote. Not that the Academy cared.

87D: __ Sorrel (woman in a love triangle in "Adam Bede") (Hetty).

94D: __ Roberts, first inductee into the Romance Writers of America Hall of Fame (Nora).

My favorite clues...13A: They may be big fellers (saws), 30A: Two points? (colon) and 79D: Think that might is right? (misread)...the best one of all.

59D: Place to keep Mace (purse). I'll use this as an opportunity to show off my new purse from 1154 Lill Studio. Even if you don't buy a purse, it's fun to go to their site and design one...or two...or three. It takes about four weeks for them to make your custom-ordered purse...mine has already shipped and should arrive midweek. In addition to choosing the fabrics for the outside, I was able to choose fabric for the lining and the inside pocket. This is my second Lill purse, and it won't be my last. Orange also has a couple of them...one is seen in "Wordplay."

I've been at this far too long, and I have much to do today. Here's the grid...



...and I'll see you tomorrow.

Linda G

Saturday, May 3 - Patrick Berry

I don't recall many Saturday themes or gimmicks (admittedly, my memory for puzzles isn't the best)...but now I can say that they happen with certain-T! Patrick Berry's puzzle was clever...and a lot of fun to solve once you figured out what he was doing.

The theme answers:

16A: Nectar collectors (honey Bs).

17A: Soup vegetables (split Ps).

33A: Cunning in a practical way (streetYs)...my favorite theme answer.

38A: Recuperative drinks (herbal Ts). That one took me forever to see. I think of Pedialyte or Gatorade as recuperative. Herbal teas...relaxing...although I guess relaxing is recuperative.

58A: Two, in a way (snake Is). I love the clue.

60A: "Mutiny on the Bounty" locale (South Cs). This was the ahha moment...when I knew something was up.

After my initial run-through of clues, I had more than a few answers. Among them:

14A: Interestingly folded sheet (origami).

15A: Guru residences (ashrams). I'm currently reading "Eat Pray Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert...an enjoyable read about her year of travel to Italy, India and Indochina. The very first sentence of the introduction has the word ashram in it.

28A: Film with the Oscar-nominated song "Papa, Can You Hear Me?" (Yentl).

42A: Right-leaning, you might say (italic). That's been used several times recently.

63A: Painter tutored by Titian (El Greco)...although only because I had 44D: "Where Have All the Leaders Gone?" author (Iacocca).

29D: Half-human "Star Trek: T.N.G." character (Troi). She must have been in the puzzle a few times...otherwise I wouldn't have known her.

39D: Henry II's wife (Eleanor)...of Aquitaine. Played so beautifully by Katharine Hepburn in "The Lion in Winter."

40D: "Fa la la la la la la la la," e.g. (refrain).

...along with old crossword standbys 35A: Some Ivy Leaguers (Elis), 52A: American __ (Southwest plant) (aloe), 54A: Virtuoso (ace), 4D: Arch type (ogee), 11D: Gatling gun sound (rat-a-tat), 34D: Conseil d' __ (etat), 53D: __ Gay (Enola) and 57D: First razor with a pivoting head (Atra).

At this point, I still had no clue about the theme, and my next step was to Google a couple of names...8A: Painter __ del Sarto (Andrea) 50A: Morgan __ (King Arthur's half-sister) (leFay). That opened things up enough to finish the puzzle...almost.

Favorites include 62A: Heads (toilets)...who cares about the breakfast test when it was so unexpected, 64A: Ill-tempered (ornery), 1D: Fashion world exclamation (ooh-la-la), 24D: Tips (alerts), 26D: __ Classical Library, 500+ volume series begun in 1911 (Loeb), 27D: Amount expressed in K (salary), 36D: "Wine, Women and Song" composer (Strauss), 45D: Where William (the Refrigerator) Perry played college football (Clemson), 48D: Cat burglars' no-nos (noises) and 56D: "__ makes suffering contagious": Nietzsche (Pity).

I also liked the similar answers in the northeast...13D: Maintains (asserts) and 15D: Knuckles under (assents).

When all was said and done, I still no answer for 23A: Storm...just *A*E...and nothing would come to me. I was clueless about 6D: Hinder, and absolutely nothing punny would come to me with 20D: Passes the time?. It was getting late...so I gave up and check with Harris at Water and Waves...and could have slapped myself! Storm = rage, hinder = embar, and passes the time? = ages. Good Lord! In my defense, my allergies have been wicked (despite the Kenalog) and I coughed like a two-pack-a-day smoker all day...so I was exhausted.

Date night was postponed...again...and I need to get ready for our morning date, so time to wrap it up.

Here's the grid...



...and I'll see you tomorrow.

Linda G

Sunday, March 9 - Patrick Berry

I read in one of my New York Times crossword books that Patrick Berry makes his living constructing crossword puzzles. In fact, at the time he was the only constructor who did so...maybe he still is.

There are some out there who don't appreciate this kind of cleverness...who think it's more a gimmick than a theme. I just marvel at the level of intelligence it takes to construct a puzzle like this.

I didn't find the puzzle difficult to do, once I figured out how to do the SPLITS AND MERGERS. What may be difficult, though, is describing it. Maybe it will just flow once I start.

24A: "Over my dead body!" / Alert [split]. The answer appearing at 24A...not if I can help it...splits with 25D...the answer for the second part of the clue (notification).

26A: Exchange words? / New beginning [merger]. Translate merges with 5D for clean slate.

39A: Annoying obligations / "No need to check" [split]. Impositions splits at 41D...I'm positive.

42A: 1980s "NBC News Overnight" anchor / Feared insect [merger]. Ellerbee merges with killer bee at 31D.

59A: Black hole's boundary / Despite the fact that [split]. Event horizon splits at 61D with even though. I wasn't familiar with the first answer, but the second one was a gimme.

70A: Double sugar / Travel freely? [merger]. Disaccharide merges at 56D with hitch a ride. I had to make up the first answer...didn't know it, but it seemed to make sense.

86A: Commuter's source of entertainment / Actor John or David [split]. Car radio splits with 88D...Carradine.

90A: Martini ingredient / Delta site [merger]. Dry vermouth merges with 79D...river mouth.

103A: Franz Liszt, e.g. / Didn't go straight, maybe [split]. Hungarian splits at 104D...hung a right. I had the right idea here, but I was trying to make it go left.

106A: "Come back now, y'hear?" / Park employee [merger]. Don't be a stranger merges at 85D...forest ranger.

Well, I hope that flowed.

In many of the theme answers, one half was fairly obvious. If that hadn't been the case, this would have been a bear to solve. None of the fill was extremely difficult, though...most everything could be deciphered easily enough.

Favorites...whether for clues or answers...include:

1A: Upper end of a soprano's range (high C). Nice tie-in with 8D: Scale's range (octave).

19A: Basketballer nicknamed the Diesel (O'Neal).

23A: Concave button (innie). When I had my gall bladder removed, I pointed out to the surgeon that I had a perfect innie. I also mentioned that I had been a medical malpractice paralegal. I think I may have freaked him out, but my belly button was left intact. Not everyone is so lucky, I guess. A plastic surgeon's website has this to say. "Thrust into the spotlight by the popularity of low-rise jeans, belly rings and midriff-baring celebrities, the itty bitty belly button is getting a lot of attention from plastic surgeons, who are reporting an increase in the number of umbilicoplasties they're performing."

55A: Get down (boogie).

62A: Group migration (Diaspora). Originally, the dispersion of the Jews after the Babylonian exile...but it can be any scattering of people with a common origin, background, beliefs, etc.

65A: Author of the "Earth's Children" series (Auel). Her name has been in the puzzle before, and I always forget the order of the vowels. That also happened with 76D: __ bourguignon (boeuf). Here's Julia Child's version of it.

68A: A little cross? (plus sign).

97A: Fictional blue humanoid (Smurf).

98A: Aggressive patriot (jingo)...learned this from a previous puzzle.

110A: TV journalist Van Susteren (Greta).

1D: __ polloi (hoi).

3D: Patrician (genteel).

6D: Keen producers (banshees). Assuming that keen = cool, I couldn't figure that out for the longest time. Wrong...keen = wail.

12D: Gap filler? (denims). The ? told me it didn't have anything to do with caulk.

16D: #1 hit for Marty Robbins (El Paso).

27D: Modern political acronym (NIMBY)...Not In My Back Yard.

39D: Adult insect (imago). Why do I always forget this word? I think I've seen it several times, but I still drew a blank today. Speaking of things that I still fall for occasionally...44D: Complete (A to Z) eluded me again today.

49D: It's clipped at both ends (stogie).

53D: Earthly paradise of Celtic legend (Avalon).

54D: Caviar source (beluga).

81D: 1953 3-D film starring Fernando Lamas (Sangaree)...have heard of him, but haven't heard of the film.

90D: Himalayan cedar (deodar).

91D: __ Quimby, girl of children's lit (Ramona)...one of our favorites.

92D: Chinese province bordering Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar (Yunnan).

That's it for tonight. I'm off to bed to lose my hour of sleep. Don't forget to set your clocks ahead.

Here's the grid...



...and I'll see you tomorrow.

Linda G

Friday, February 29 - Patrick Berry

We celebrated a friend's 50th birthday tonight, so I'm getting to this later than I usually do. I'm also coming down with the cold that's plagued my co-workers and several volunteers for the past few weeks.

But given that the ACPT weekend officially begins on Friday, it's highly possible that there won't be many crossword blogs to read...so I'll force myself to get something done before I crawl into bed.

Patrick Berry is generally a tough constructor...no exception with this one. It was filled with some amazing stacks of long answers.

The more gettable ones for me:

2D: Like most 1950s recordings (monophonic). I remember stereophonic, but it wouldn't fit...so that was a good guess.

3D: Final Gene Wilder/Richard Pryor comedy (Another You).

27D: Continuously (at all times)...I got that with only the first letter in place.

28D: Stop working (take a break).

The southeast corner was the first one to fall for me. 42A: It protects car buyers (lemon law) and 46A: #1 Beatles hit with the only known vocal contribution by Linda McCartney (Let It Be), along with 27D and 28D, really opened things up. 33D: "Don't spread this around, but..." (between us) was easy enough with a few letters in place, and 36D: Home for the Ojibwa and Cree (Manitoba) was a good guess.

Next to fall was the northwest. Getting 2D and 3D made the crosses come together nicely, but I was totally flummoxed by 1D: Agitated (in a pother)...an expression I've never heard before. I wasn't even sure I was parsing it correctly, but my dictionary confirmed it. 4D: Neapolitan noblewoman (Contessa) was a good guess, as was 24A: Region bordering Mount Olympus (Thessaly).

In the southwest, I had to Google for 55A: Bernard Malamud's debut novel (The Natural). After guessing 41D: Wisconsin city that's home to S.C. Johnson & Son (Racine), I was able to get an answer here and there...pretty soon the whole corner was finished, including 52A: 1990 #1 rap hit that starts "Yo, V.I.P., let's kick it" (Ice Ice Baby). I wouldn't have guessed that rap had been around that long...it seems much more recent. Favorite clue/answer in that corner...38D: Split right before your eyes? (bifocal).

The northeast was the toughest area for me. Couldn't figure out where they were heading with 5A: Barely mention, as somethign one doesn't want to discuss (skate over) or 17A: In-house debugging (alpha tests). After much head scratching over 15A [One abandoned at the altar?], I finally figured it out...maiden name.

I didn't know 6D: Goes to bed, in Britspeak (kips)...but I'm going to do it now.

Here's the grid...



...and I'll see you tomorrow.

Linda G

Friday, February 15 - Patrick Berry

Patrick Berry's puzzles are always on the tough side for me, so a 15-letter gimme at 15A: He conducted the premiere performances of "Pagliacci" and "La bohème" (Arturo Toscanini) was a nice Valentine's Day gift. Thanks, Patrick.

Don sent a quartet (complete with red vests and red bow-ties) to the office today, carrying red roses for all of us. They sang four songs (I wish I could remember all four) in perfect harmony...it was a treat for everyone who was there. One of our coworkers made beautiful knitted scarves for all of us...red for me. It was just a nice day all around.

And then there was this puzzle...with more gimmes:

21A: Star of "Gigi" and "Lili" (Caron).

25A: Maker of Coolpix cameras (Nikon).

27A: __ Couple (yearbook voting category) (Cutest). Awwwww.

28A: "Field of Dreams" actress Amy (Madigan).

31A: 1979 #1 hit for Robert John (Sad Eyes). I still love that song...you can hear it here. [Update: That shouldn't be read to mean that I condone cheating on your significant other...I just like the song.]

2D: Photographer/children's author Alda (Arlene). Alan's wife, for those of you who don't know that.

13D: Awaiting burial (in repose).

25D: Some Degas paintings (nudes). This has always been one of my favorites.

41D: Rwandan people (Tutsi).

Alas, those didn't provide enough of a toe-hold, so I called upon my friend Dogpile to get a couple of answers, including:

7D: Stage actress who wrote "Respect for Acting" (Uta Hagen). I think I should have known that.

26D: 1939 film taglined "Garbo laughs" (Ninotchka).

That gave me enough that I was able to just work through the rest of the puzzle, including some great multiword answers:

1A: Didn't take advantage of (passed up).

17A: Bands of holy men (clerical collars).

24A: Strand at the airport, maybe (fog in).

45A: Sometime soon (in the near future).

47A: One with a guitar and shades, stereotypically (rock and roll star).

12D: One that gets depressed during recitals (piano key). That one took forever to see...couldn't figure out what would end with OKEY.

Favorite clues and/or answers:

9A: Muscleheaded (stupid). Boy, did I feel stupid when I had most of that and couldn't see the answer.

26A: Stray animals don't have them (names)...not homes.

32A: More of the same (clones).

1D: Game featuring Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde (PacMan).

3D: Jelly seen on buffet tables (Sterno)...never thought of it as a jelly.

8D: Pilot light? (Polaris).

16D: Boxy Toyota product (Scion).

27D: First African-born Literature Nobelist (Camus).

28D: "Is There Life Out There" singer (McEntire).

29D: Titular mouse in a classic Daniel Keyes novel (Algernon). I could cry thinking about it, so I won't.

33D: Number to the left of a decimal point, maybe (dollars). Took way too long to figure that one out.

Can someone explain why 30D: 1600 to 1800, on a boat is dogwatch? Never mind...I'll bet it has something to do with military time. Maybe someone can confirm that, though. [Update: Thanks, Wendy, for clarification of that. It should have been up there with the multiword answers.]

That's it for this one. Here's the grid...



...and I'll see you tomorrow.

Linda G

Friday, December 21 - Patrick Berry

Still not feeling up to par. I just downloaded today's puzzle and may try to do it later...but I'm still wiped out.

Don't know if I'll be up for a Saturday puzzle. If anyone wants to take a shot at it, let me know.

Hope to see you soon. And thanks for all the good wishes.


Linda G

Friday, December 7 - Patrick Berry

There weren't very many gimmes in this puzzle...for me, anyway...but one good guess after another and it all came together. All in all, I thought Patrick Berry had a winner with this one.

The few gimmes:

8A: Affecting the heart (cardiac).

18A: Matching accessory for a slicker (rain hat).

21A: "Oh! Susanna" closer (knee).

25A: Grand Lodge Convention attendees (Elks).

37A: Speaks with a pleasing rhythm (lilts).

1D: Radar's radio contact on "M*A*S*H" (Sparky). Good ole' Radar.

4D: First-year men (plebes).

11D: TV host who told views "Look that up in your Funk & Wagnalls!" (Dan Rowan)...on Laugh-In, for those of you who were clueless. Between this one and the M*A*S*H clue, I was happy to be as old as I am.

Speaking of clueless, that's what I was with the two long answers. When I read the clue aloud for 46A: He said "How can anyone govern a nation that has 246 kinds of cheese?" Don piped up with Charles DeGaulle...he was guessing, but he was right. That opened things up in the bottom half of the puzzle. And once I had worked a few downs in the top, I was able to get 19A: Traditional Monday meal in Creole cuisine (red beans and rice). That's one of my favorites...they served it at the Soup Kitchen yesterday, and it was absolutely delicious. That's one of the perks of working and/or volunteering there. The cooks (who are all volunteers) make enough to feed everyone, including seconds for guests who want them. It's kind of like the loaves-and-fishes story...there's always enough.

Then there were the other good guesses...mine, not Don's.

2D: Longtime "What's My Line?" name (Arlene).

9D: Playwright Ayckbourn (Alan). Had A*A*, so that seemed logical.

12D: Lying low (in hiding). Love it.

36D: Funny fellow (card).

38D: Dog breed whose name literally means "rather low" (basset). It just sounded right. Mike and Elaine have a basset named Abbott. I haven't met him yet, but we jokingly refer to him as my granddog...and their truck as my grandtruck. We are a sick family.

This is a facsimile...not my granddog.

I loved the seven-letter stacks top and bottom: 1A: Confectioner's offering (sampler), 15A: Item in a 1-Across (praline), 15A: Two-character Mamet play (Oleanna), 17A: Cause of overreactions? (allergy), 50A: Underground nesters (hornets), 51A: Required reading for 007 (dossier), 52A: Offering just the right amount of resistance (al dente), 53A: Wire, at times (antenna), 54A: Give a whirl (test out), and 55A: They hold at least two cups each (tea sets).

Other favorites include 6D: Practice (engage in), 13D: Montana county seat named for a nonnative creature (anaconda), 14D: Hosts' hirees (caterers), 29D: Cocktail party exchanges (idle chat), 30D: Board opening? (nail hole), 31D: Intellectuals' opposites (dullards), 32D: Site site (Internet).

Clever cluing at 23A: Podiatric problem, for some (odor), 26A: Big tier? (twine), 38A: Bundle up (bale) and 39A: Jimi Hendrix's style (Afro)...how many of you were thinking style of music?

A couple of things I absolutely didn't know but got from crosses...33A: 1992 New Hampshire primary winner (Tsongas), 36A: Frequent Styne collaborator (Cahn) and 7D: Noted English portraitist (Reynolds).

Blogger is still giving me fits...for the last two days, I haven't received emails from them when a new comment is posted. I don't know what's up with that. I can always check the current day's post, but if someone is posting at an older (other than the syndicated) puzzle, I wouldn't have a clue. Is that happening to anyone else?

That's it for tonight. Here's the grid...



...and I'll see you tomorrow.

Linda G

Sunday, November 18 - Patrick Berry

What a treat to get a night off. Thank you again, Rick (a/k/a Cornbread) for making it happen. Although I did solve the puzzle last night, I was able to do it at my leisure. By the way, I loved it...tough, but what incredible fill.

I've already added Patrick Berry to my list of favorite constructors, and now I can add this puzzle to my favorites. The title WORLD PAY made me think the theme answers would have to do with foreign currency, and I knew I'd be sunk. I should have known better. I mean, we're talking Patrick Berry.

What we have is a bit of WORD PLAY, where the L gets moved from one word of a common phrase to another. The theme answers...drum roll, please.

23A: Run away from chewing-tobacco users? (FLEE SPITTERS).

25A: Alexander the Great's ambition? (TO SLAY THE EAST). I had this but wasn't seeing the original phrase. It came to me in the hot tub earlier tonight. It was almost too obvious...to say the least.

37A: Problem for a sweaty-handed Tarzan? (VINY SLIDING).

56A: One who's crazy for a sharp-dressed man? (FOP LOVER).

66A: Shakespearean prince who's handsome and muscular? (STUDLY HAL).

78A: Fish-worshiping groups? (COD CULTS). This is where I finally cracked the theme...not that it made future theme answers any easier to get.

92A: What a magician might do with a big saw? (HALVE THE GAL). Probably the weakest entry...have the gall just doesn't seem like an in-the-language phrase...but I'm willing to let just about anything slide because of the overall quality.

107A: How to avoid getting tipsy on hard liquor? (PACE YOUR BELTS). If I had to choose, this would be my second favorite.

113A: Designed jeans? (PLOTTED PANTS).

15D: Oil spill? (SEEPING SLICKNESS). My absolute favorite...the way it rolls off your tongue, plus the visual...almost too much.

36D: Macho beer-drinker's outerwear? (COAT OF MANLY COORS). This one is pretty good, too.

Ava would be distraught if I didn't point out 100D: Bandleader Shaw (Artie), one of the lucky men who had the privilege of being married to her.

One of my favorite answers...and a gimme...is 82A: Novelist Jamaica __ (Kincaid). Here's a short bio that really doesn't say enough about her life or her writing. Her turbulent relationship with her mother is apparent in all of her stories. The best paper I wrote in college English was about mother-daughter relationships, tying in Jamaica Kincaid's own relationship with her mother as she revealed it in her short stories. I got an A+...from a professor who didn't give them out. I managed to get two more that semester...I think my writing style was enough like his that he had no choice.

22A: Nebraska town, named after an Indian tribe, featured in "Lonesome Dove" (Ogallala). I got this with only the final A in place...a very good guess, as opposed to a gimme.

42A: Much of Anaïs Nin's work (erotica). I don't have time to search out an excerpt...plus I'd get all kinds of hits on this site that I'd rather not have. Here's a very good non-erotic quote. "We don't see things as they are, we see things as we are."

58A: Moved two chessmen in one turn (castled). I'm not familiar with this term, but it was easy enough to get from crosses.

76A: At great length (on and on). Like that because of my affinity for multiword answers.

83A: You might hear it going up and down (Muzak). I immediately knew they were doing the elevator thing, although I had music at first.

105A: Mr. Bean (Orson). I wanted Rowan...the real Mr. Bean.

60D: Perceptive person's detection (nuance). Just a beautiful word.

67D: Little green man (Yoda). In case you didn't know...the U.S. Postal Service invited the public to vote online for its favorite of the 15 images on the Star Wars stamp sheet. More than half a million votes were cast, and Yoda was the winner. They were released last month, although I haven't yet seen them at the post office.

70D: Popular sleep aid (Unisom). Not something I've ever needed in my life, but I've seen enough magazine ads that it was easy enough.

74D: Words mouthed to a camera (hi mom). That's one you could have guessed without seeing how many letters it had.

Things I didn't know and had to get from crosses:

8A: "__ at Large," 2003 Fox sitcom (Wanda). Never heard of it.

13A: El __ (Peruvian volcano) (Misti). I know all the ones in Hawaii, but it's time to broaden my volcano knowledge base.

122A: Producer of the Keystone Cops films (Sennett).

24D: "Man is by nature a __ animal": Aristotle (political). I think I should have known that.

50D: Greek god of ridicule (Momus). Didn't know there was such a thing.

94D: With 52-Down, "Symphonie Fantastique" composer (Hector / Berlioz).

A few more multiword answers that I liked. 27A: Leading the field (on top), 89A: Beguiles (leads on), 119A: Flat remover (tire iron), 4D: Dresses down (yells at), 14D: Following behind (in tow), and 90D: Gets one's food on a tray, say (dines in).

118A: "Ready __" (or not). Instead of, "On your mark, get set, go" we simply said, "Ready, set, go." Which explains why I had set go as my answer.

I like to do things in threes, but I can't think of a third picture. We'll have to call the grid a picture tonight. Here it is...



...and I'll see you tomorrow.

Linda G

Saturday, October 20 - Patrick Berry

Patrick Berry kicked my butt today. It probably wasn't the first time, and I know it won't be the last. His puzzles are fairly difficult...but exquisite.

After my first run-through, I had five answers:

16A: Available if needed (on call).

20A: "Mr. __," 1983 comedy (Mom).

26A: Object of Oliver Twist's request for "more" (gruel). I remember this from an earlier puzzle.

43A: Economist who wrote "The Theory of the Leisure Class" (Veblen). I remember Thorstein Veblen from Sociological Theory.

52A: Book before Job (Esther). I don't remember too many of them in order, but for some reason I knew this.

With that for a start, I knew I was in for a long solve...and time with Dr. Google. I checked my grid on the NYT site a few minutes ago and was just amazed to see that some people (real solvers, with real times) finished this in under seven minutes. I probably spent a good 45 minutes, then had to take a nap because I was dozing off. When I came back to it, I tackled the last remaining area...the southwest...and finished it off.

Since it's after 11:00 now, I'll need to keep this short. I'll divide the grid into a couple of general areas, with brief comments.

Clues/answers I loved:

1A: Small suit (Speedo). Too small, if you're talking about a man's suit. I'll be kind and refrain from posting a picture.

32A: It's "heavier freight for the shipper than it is for the consignee": Augustus Thomas (hatred). I couldn't even find this answer with Google, but when I had the H, it seemed the likely candidate.

45A: Goshen raceway's length (half mile). This was the first answer that came to me after my nap. I had the L from 40D: Guys (fellas) and figured it had to end with MILE. Since there wasn't an S at the end, it had to be less than a mile.

47A: It's cleared for a debriefing (throat). Clever...and far too long coming to me.

51A: Details (minutiae). One of those words that looks wrong no matter how you spell it.

3D: Laudations (encomia). Like many of you, I put an S at the end of the word, which made it very difficult to get 27A: Semimonthly ocean occurrence (neap tide)...not that I would ever have known that one. According to this article, it's an especially small ocean tide on the Earth which occurs at first or third quarter when the moon is at a right angle to the Sun-Earth line. Good luck remembering that one, Linda.

6D: Eloise of Kay Thompson books, e.g. (only child). I don't remember the girls being into the Eloise books, but I remember one about her at The Plaza.

10D: Figure seen in a store window (sale price). I really wanted mannequin, but I knew that gruel was right. Okay, I did second-guess myself on it.

26D: Typically green tube (garden hose). I was trying to think of something in a science lab.

And some things (other than those mentioned above) that I've never heard of:

7A: Cheese with a greenish tint (sap sago). Well, I'll be. It's flavored with ingredients from clover. Homestead Market says this cheese is for the more adventuresome...if you are, you can order some at their site. Let me know how you like it.

14A: "The Outsiders" author (Hinton).

19A: "The Blessed Damozel" poet (Rossetti).

30A: "__ and Janis" (comic strip) (Arlo). Never heard of it, but I was surprised to get this much of a clue on a Saturday.

31A: Linguist Okrand who created the Klingon language (Marc).

35A: Poem whose first, third and seventh lines are identical (rondelet). I ended up with everything except the first letter...ran through the alphabet two or three times before I figured it out.

5D: National chain of everything-costs-the-same stores (Dollar Tree). We have The Dollar Store, as well as Dollaroos...but I couldn't make either of them fit.

28D: Gaffe at a social gathering, in modern lingo (party foul). Either I've never made one, or I'm not modern.

33D: Pan's realm (Arcadia). I'm sure I knew that at one time...but this was not the time.

36D: Country of two million surrounded by a single other country (Lesotho). I just admitted yesterday that I was geographically impaired. I had to Google this one...but I forgot to find out the name of the single other country.

The clue/answer that gave me the most trouble was 43D: See (visit). It just sounds so simple now, but I was going in a completely different direction. See = Pope = Vicar...and I had the VI so I was sure I was right. That one clue is responsible for the miserable time I had in the southwest.

Barnabas just came into my office to tell me it was time to curl up with him. He looks so cute that I can't resist.

Here's the grid...

...and I'll see you tomorrow.

Linda G

Sunday, September 9 - Patrick Berry

Without a doubt, this is one of the most brilliantly executed puzzles in the history of my NYT solving. In order for Patrick Berry to pull this off, the theme entries had to have the right mix of letters...and they had to be in a particular order. It's absolutely mindboggling! Seriously...where would you start with it?

The title, Process of Elimination, might lead solvers to think that the same sequence of letters would be eliminated from the theme entries. The theme, revealed at 127-Across, is actually much more clever than that. The Process of Elimination: In the answer to each italicized clue, cross out any letter that appears __; then read the letters that remain (TWICE).

After eliminating duplicated letters, what remains is L-E-F-T-O-V-E-R-S.

The theme answers are:

25A: One who gets beaten badly? (SORE LOSER).

27A: Sticks in the medicine cabinet? (ANTIPERSPIRANTS).

40A: Forbidding countenance (HATCHET FACE). That's an expression I've never heard. Not sure if it's one word or two.

49A: Lacking compassion (HARD HEARTED).

68A: "It's true, like it or not" (IF THE SHOE FITS). My favorite of all of the theme answers.

87A: British motorist's right? (DRIVER'S SIDE). This was the only gimme.

94A: 1999 romantic comedy based on "Pygmalion" (SHE'S ALL THAT).

108A: It's taken by doctors (HIPPOCRATIC OATH). Not a gimme, but very easy to guess with a couple of letters in place.

115A: Follow-up to a potential insult (NO OFFENSE). Another good one. I remember trying to explain to one of the girls that simply saying that didn't mean that no offense would be taken. She had said something like, "No offense, Mom, but you look kind of fat." I believe I was all of 110 pounds at the time...but weight is always a sensitive issue. I'd kill now to weigh 110 pounds...but I'm not sure who I'd have to kill.

Yep. It was brilliant.

There were plenty of things I didn't know but they were gettable from crosses:

81A: Belgian painter James, known for bizarre fantasies with masks (Ensor).

83A: Former N.F.L. QB Rodney (Peete). So much for my recent sports-related success.

92A: "The Princess Bride" character __ Montoya (Inigo).

123A: Near East hotel (Serai).

41D: Jazz singer Laine (Cleo).

69D: 1960s-'70s Saudi king (Faisal).

80D: Intl. commercial agreement first signed in 1947 (GATT). According to this article, it's the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade.

94D: "Sophie's Choice" narrator (Stingo). That's one of the most heartwrenching films of all time. As part of a student's project in English Lit, we had to watch the scene where Sophie has to choose which of her two children will live. I feel sick just thinking about it.

Then there were those I couldn't get with crosses...they're highlighted in yellow on the grid.

38A: Battle of Britain grp. (RAF). Didn't help that I didn't know the cross at 28D: Minority member in India (Parsee).

64A: "Sketches by __," 1836 (Boz). Oh, that Boz. Its cross at 51D: Expert, in England (dab hand) was completely unknown to me, but I believe I'll start using the term straightaway.

123A: Near East hotel (Serai), as well as its cross at 114D: Red Scare grp. (HUAC). I didn't realize they were talking Cold War...I was thinking something like Red Tide.

I liked the side-by-side answers at 34D: "Hurry up!" (shake a leg) and 36D: Fuzzy crawler (tarantula)...and their symmetrical opposites in the grid, 54D: Made of paste (imitation) and 55D: Studied on the side (minored in).

11D: Worst-case scenario (disaster). That reminds me of Kelly Clarkson's song, Beautiful Disaster. I especially like the live version.

39D: Jill's portrayer in "Charlie's Angels" (Farrah). For some reason, I thought Kate Jackson played Jill. I just Googled Kate Jackson and found that she played Jill Danko in "The Rookies," another show I watched in the old days...so I wasn't completely off.

1A: Talk follower (Q and A). That used to trip me up every time. The northwest corner was full of gimmes, along with 19A: Horse genus (equus) and 23A: "Marie Antoinette" star, 2006 (Dunst).

Really liked 65D: Position the cross hairs (on) (zero in), 71D: Vehement (fervid), 117A: Works magic on (hexes)...although its cross at 104D: Not as stringent (laxer) was a bit of a stretch.

Did not know 60A: Song that Elvis's "It's Now or Never" was based on (O Sole Mio), but the tunes are pretty similar.

Favorite clue was 74D: Disgraced one's name? (mud). Didn't even see it until I was finished...already had it from the acrosses.

I know what I like, but what about the rest of you? What were your favorites? Or your least favorites?

Here's the grid, showing my problem areas...all finally confirmed by my good friend, Mr. Google.



See you tomorrow.

Linda G

Friday, August 24 - Patrick Berry

All week long I looked forward to Patrick Blindauer's New York Sun puzzle for today. After spending more time than I had available, there are still an awful lot of blank squares in the grid.

I'd like to say that I did better with Patrick Berry's New York Times...but I'd be lying.

I had a couple of gimmes, but they weren't enough to break open any major areas in the grid.

19A: Maker of Kiwi Teawi (Snapple).

30A: Bad time for a tropical vacation (rainy season).

35A: Wine used to make zabaglione (Marsala).

50A: What stare decisis upholds the validity of (case law).

3D: "Paradise Lost" character (Satan).

Like I said, not much of a toe-hold. So I guessed some things, Googled some others, then I erased some things, Googled some more, erased, guessed...you get the picture.

The two long acrosses were good:

26A: They're staffed with doctors (universities). I was thinking along the academic line, but it took a couple of letters before I finally had it.

40A: Reluctantly accepting (reconciled to). That's an expression I've used far too often lately.

Really liked 11D: Is clueless (has no idea). Me...for much of this puzzle.

38A: Country that won the most medals at the 1980 Winter Olympics (East Germany). I thought it was (and entered) Soviet Union. It wasn't until I got 20D: Bridesmaid's accessory (corsage) that the G made it apparent...although a corsage is more appropriate for a prom than a wedding.

18A: Overprotect (cosset) always gets me. I had coddle.

22D: Very disagreeable (beastly). A good way to describe the last 24 hours of my life. Nothing that I won't survive, but it would have been easier to deal with some of it if Don had been here. He'll be back late Saturday afternoon.

46D: Stocking stuffer (Santa) made me laugh. I'll take all of the laughs I can get.

2D: Dog in Disney's "Cinderella" (Bruno). It's been forever since I've seen it, and I didn't even remember that she had a dog.

52A: Red line? (artery). One of the beastly events was the news that my cholesterol has gone up to a whopping 277. My HDL (the good stuff) is very good, but my LDL is way too high. The cardiologist did a Sestamibi stress test

two years ago and tested C-Reactive Protein, both with excellent results. We'll see what the next step is.

For me, the next step is bed. Here's the grid.

Tomorrow...same time, same place.

Linda G

Friday, August 10 - Patrick Berry

This was a tough one...after all, it's Friday. But when all was said and done, I'd have to say that it may be the most delicious themeless puzzle I've ever seen.

The long fill, both top and bottom, are the best.

1A: Oblong dessert (banana split). We had this earlier in the week, but it's not where I was going with the clue. I was thinking something baked...maybe something chocolate.

12A: Compositions (musical pieces). Again, I was off base, heading in the direction of the written word.

14A: Wizards and Magic, e.g. (basketball teams). I can't tell you how excited I was to figure that one out with only a few letters in place.

45A: Hiding one's true feelings (putting up a front).

47A: French-born architect who designed Washington, D.C. (Pierre L'Enfant). I think we've had him in a puzzle before.

48A: 1930 novel that takes its title from Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night". (Cakes and Ale). I didn't have a clue. Ah...Somerset Maugham.

A kind-of-Scrabbly vertical answer spans the grid at 6D: It separates the Bering Sea from the Pacific (Alaska Peninsula). I figured out pretty quickly that it was a peninsula, but it took a while to get the first word. It crosses at the E with 27A: Old masters reside in them (galleries)...one of only a few gimmes for me.

Other gimmes include:

23D: Wilbur Post's "pal" (Mr. Ed). That made its crossing at 23A: Drab and colorless (mousy) easy to get.

33A: Biblical figure who says to God "Make me understand how I have erred" (Job). That's one you could guess even if you didn't know he'd said that. I mean, no one else was tested the way Job was. That put me on the right path for its cross at 33D: Paleontologist's discovery, maybe (jawbone).

42A: Doesn't stay on topic (meanders). This was actually a good guess that panned out.

44A: Gelato sans milk (sorbet). Mmmmmmm. A nice treat for those of us who can't do dairy. And much more appetizing than 27D: Ice cream flavor (green tea). I like to drink green tea, but I can't imagine it's tasty as ice cream.

Some clever cluing to add to the interest:

21A: Skull Island denizen, for short (Kong).

41A: Long known for playing football (Howie). Took a good minute to realize they wanted a first name.

3D: Potential heiress (niece). When I had the final E in place, I wrote in niece, then erased it. Once I figured out attics (16A: "Heat traps" in houses), I went back to it. I thought they wanted some kind of royal heiress...although one of my nieces thinks she's a Princess. (If you're reading this, Maren...Auntie loves you!)

29D: Early "astronaut" (chimp). I think we've been asked for the name of the first one...that would be Enos.

38D: Stock holder (corral). Not the investment kind of stock.

40D: Romance or horror (genre).

Nice to see the talented Aretha at 26A: "__ Now" (1968 R & B album). Also liked 31D: Undependable (erratic) and 34D: Show the ropes to (orient).

Here's the grid...hopefully it's error free.

.

See ya! (15D: "G'bye!").

Linda G

Sunday, July 15 - Patrick Berry

Sunday's puzzle, In the Beginning, by Patrick Berry, features eight theme answers, each an ordinary phrase with IN inserted at the beginning, then cleverly clued.

23A: Dire proof-of-purchase slip (invoice of doom).

28A: What Dr. Frankenstein tried to do? (instill life).

36A: Bored kayaker's movements? (indifferent strokes). This was the first theme answer I got. After that, I put IN at the beginning of each theme answer...made it a teensy bit easier.

56A: Much-needed windfall? (income to the rescue).

74A: Like workers' salaries under a miserly boss? (increase resistant). This was the hardest one for me. More about that in a minute.

91A: Hogwarts? (invocational school).

102A: Sharply focused Warsaw residents? (intent Poles).

112A: Clairvoyants' charges? (intuition fees).

I found this to be an entertaining puzzle. Not overly challenging, but it had enough spicy fill to hold my interest.

Problem areas:

The Biggest One, referred to above, resulted from my refusal to let go of the walrus at 58D: "I am the __" (Beatles lyric). Having that carved in stone meant that 74A was increase resistunt. I wasn't sure if the NYT had misspelled resistunt or walras. The worst thing was that all this time I was singing the damn song in my head. "I am the eggman, they are the eggmen, I am the walrus." Duh! (12A: "Well, yeah!"). Once I put in eggman, that whole section began to make sense. Now 61A: Unable to relax could be on edge, which I so wanted it to be.

40D: Some government bonds (T-notes). I had T-bills at first, causing future problems for on edge. By way of clarification...T-notes a/k/a (96A: Nickname preceder) treasury notes.

25A: Annual celebration for a Catholic (name day). I was raised Roman Catholic, and I don't remember ever celebrating it. Maybe there wasn't a Saint Linda...so when would I have celebrated it? According to this, some people celebrate name days instead of birthdays. As if!

82A: Portion of a flight (stair) really threw me. Because I had the AIR in place, I was sure it had something to do with an airline flight. Just what they'd intended.

The ones I really liked...for whatever reason:

3D: Care (give a darn). Just because...and I like multiple word answers.

24D: Three-sided blade (epee). A never-seen-by-me clue for a word that we see all the time.

46D: One who's done stretches? (ex-con). I just love the cleverness of that one. I was thinking yoga, pilates, other fitness things. Sharings its X was 54A: Battle of Hastings participant (Saxon). Couldn't remember that but was able to guess based on the letters I had.

88A: Missouri city (Joplin). Only on a Sunday. Earlier in the week, Scott or Janis would be in the clue.

92D: Book printer's no-no (orphan). I'm sure we won't find any orphans (or widows, the other no-no) in Amy's book. If you haven't ordered your copy, get on the stick. It's chock-full of tips from a master solver.

111A: One who's expected to deliver? (Messiah). I know several women who have recently given (or who will soon give) birth. That's the kind of delivery I was thinking.

79D: Structure finished during Titus' reign (Colosseum). It's such a good-looking word, sitting there in the southeast corner, and it opened things up big time.

The award for the grossest clue of the puzzle goes to 104D: Lice-to-be (nits). How disgusting! It's a good thing I solve in the evening instead of morning. This definitely wouldn't pass the breakfast test, especially if I was eating...never mind.

And for the most progressive clue...66A: Water pipes (bongs). It's a good thing I read a lot in the 70s, or I wouldn't know what they were.

I'd be remiss if I failed to mention 68A: Less ripe (greener) because it reminds me of fellow blogger, Robert, known to most of you as Green Genius, loyal fan (and blogger) of the New York Sun. After a week spent lolling on the beach, he'll be back at his post on Monday.

And I'll be back at mine tomorrow night.

Saturday, June 23 - Patrick Berry

I'm trying to remember how I usually do with Patrick Berry's puzzles, but I'm drawing a blank. All I know is that I didn't find this one too difficult, considering it's Saturday.

I loved the two 10-letter entries. 29A: Talking during movies? (voice overs). An answer with two Vs -- how cool is that. 38A: Bad shoes to run in (spike heels). How about bad shoes to walk in? For the record, I think it should be spiked, rather than spike, but I'm okay with it.

And how about those 9-letter answers. Horizontal stacks of three north and south, and vertical stacks of two east and west.

First the north three, followed by the south:

1A: Replacement (spare part).

15A: It's pictured in Van Gogh's "Starry Night Over the Rhone" (Ursa Major). Best way ever to clue this.

17A: Vaudeville bigwig (Top Banana).

55A: Wood-and-chicken-wire enclosure (rabbit run). This makes me think of run, rabbit, run. Something out of a reading primer.

58A: First novel in Cather's "prairie trilogy" (O Pioneers). One of only a few gimmes.

60A: When "anything can happen" on "The Mickey Mouse Club" (Wednesday). I don't get why this is the answer. Don was a big fan and he doesn't get it, either. Maybe it's from a more recent version.

The Eastern stacks...

12D: "Try before you buy" products (shareware). I was so sure it was trial size.

13D: Acting job (portrayal). One of those that was hard to see, even with most of the letters in place.

And the Western...

30D: Flavorful hamburger bun (onion roll).

31D: Pinned on (imputed to).

Some of my favorite clues:

3D: Org. that funds shelters (ASPCA). Not tax shelters, as I originally thought.

9D: It doesn't give you the full picture (trailer).

23A: It's made to measure (ruler).

42A: Bud's bud in comedy (Lou). I think we had something about Abbott and/or Costello recently.

46A: Ready to be drawn (on tap). That took me entirely too long. I was thinking drawn in every other sense...a caricature, tired looking, drawn and quartered (ick).

57A: Railed area, often (altar). Definitely in a Catholic or Episcopal church. Don't know about any others.

Much more to say about this one. Be sure to check out the links in the sidebar for further commentary.

Today was Take Your Dog to Work Day. Sister Karen brought Calli, her 2-year-old Yorkie, and Annie, her 15-year-old Schnauzer. They were both so darn cute. Males (dogs, anyway) tend to mark their territory, so it seemed a good idea to leave Dooley and Barnabas home.

Enjoy the weekend. I plan to stay out of the 100+ degree heat and drink plenty of water...and do plenty of puzzles.

See you tomorrow.

Linda G

Sunday, May 27 - Patrick Berry

I don't know about the rest of you, but I think the hardest thing about a Sunday puzzle is that the letters and numbers are so much smaller. At least it only happens once a week.

Eight punny answers to the Dinner Theater theme:

23A: Play about tenderizing meat with one's toes? (Barefoot in the Pork)

31A: Musical drama about a butcher who sells deer meat? (The Merchant of Venison)

40A: Musical play set at McDonald's? (The Burger's Opera)

59A: Musical drama that tells the tale of a sausage casing? (Wurst Side Story)

64A: Musical drama about a man eating soup? (Porgy and Bisque)

85A: Play about a guy ordering beef from Dublin? (Abie's Irish Roast)

91A: Play about swine intestines that are semidivine? (Chitlins of a Lesser God)

106A: Play about meat that's good to eat anytime? (A Ham For All Seasons)

The first one to fall was also my favorite--Chitlins of a Lesser God. I had CHIT, plus a few letters here and there. Venison was easy enough to infer from the clue, as was Irish Roast.

66D: Compared with (relative to) fell into place immediately, which really opened things up in the southwest. 101A: Miner's major problem (cave in) was a first guess that worked, which quickly led to 65D: Dwarf (overshadow).

61A: Hat trick component (goal). I was thinking hare, or the ridiculous girl. When I finally got the answer in place, Don explained the hockey connection.

Some of my favorite clues and answers, or just words I like.

19A: Pfizer product used before brushing the teeth (Plax). Like that it had an X, which crossed with 4D: Common daisy (oxeye).

16A: Back on board (aft). Sometimes I reeeaaallly have to think about these clues. This was one of those times.

54A: In love (smitten). I love the sound of the word, and it brings back a fond memory.

114A: Character in many a joke (St. Peter). Blonde wouldn't fit. Neither would lawyer.

79A: What you may call it (noun). My first answer was a day, then good, both good wrong answers. Didn't get the right answer until I had NO-N.

52A: Actress Barbara Bel __ (Geddes). She didn't just play Miss Ellie on Dallas, she was Miss Ellie.

84A: Place in the pecking order (rank). If you do that with crossword bloggers, I think Orange is ranked first, followed by Rex -- or maybe it's the other way around. No matter...they're both heroes in the CrossWorld.

I would be remiss if I didn't point out the reference to my Sun puzzle friend and blogger. That is, a reference to the answer only, not to the clue...52D: Sickly-looking (greenish).

The old one-two is back, but in two separate answers. 62D: Missing broadcast channel (one), and 116A: Retired number of Dodger Tommy Lasorda (two).

98D: Get fuel (gas up) wasn't particularly funny today. I was just a few cents shy of $50 to fill up a Toyota, and that's the lowest grade fuel.

So many more good words in this one, but I'll wrap it up for now. Be sure to check the links in the side bar--they're sure to mention things I've forgotten.

Linda G

Friday, May 11 - Patrick Berry

Maybe I should take a night off every so often. I so nailed this puzzle...and it felt good! I wasn't fast by any stretch of the imagination--but I just kept going. Kind of like

So many excellent clues, so many excellent answers. I hardly know where to begin.

I'll start with the one I didn't like.

44A: Theoretical massless particle (Gluon). I had Quark first, then Prion. Before you go thinking I'm PDS (pretty damn smart), I'll confess that Don gave me all three. He wondered what I was doing during Physics. Never took it.

That's it. I pretty much loved them all.

15A: Formidable, as a task (Herculean). Got this with only the AN in place.

19A: Ladies in men's rooms? (pinups). We had this a few months ago. I remember Rex commenting about the ones in his bathroom. Or am I making that up?

33A: City where the Caesar salad was invented, 1924 (Tijuana). Who woulda thunk? I expected a nice Italian city when I had the NA in place. But I love the J there, especially since it starts off 34D: "Heart of the Tin Man" author (Jack Haley). Who didn't love the Tin Man?

35A: It may have two sides (entree). I had a story first. I love good wrong answers.

52A: U.S. chief justice, 1953-69 (Warren). John F. Kennedy's assassination was one of the defining moments of my life. If you're so inclined, here's where you can read about the Warren Commission Report.

53A: Skillfully switch topics (segue). One of my favorite words, so a definite gimme.

58A: Seafood restaurant annoyances (bones). Yeah, I hate having to see someone do the Heimlich maneuver when I'm eating.

21D: Field-specific vocabulary (lexicon). Another great word, and an X to boot! I guess 26A: Assessment on out-of-state purchases (use tax) will have to do.

30D: Heading for (en route to). It's just beautiful, and I like that it intersects segue.

52D: 1978-82 sitcom locale (WKRP). One of my all-time favorite shows. Johnny Fever reminded me of my brother-in-law, I thought Venus Flytrap was a riot, and I had an enormous crush on Sandy Travis. I also liked Bailey Quarters and thought I might name a daughter after her. Didn't...

How did it get to be 11:00! I'd better wrap this up. Don't forget to visit Orange's site (she's commenting from England), where the guest blogger du jour is John Farmer.

The weekend is almost here. Hang in there.

Linda G