First part psychosexual development / THU 3-17-11 / Hundred-eyed monster myth / Devout Lhasan / Politico memoir Courage Consequence

Constructor: Anna Shechtman

Relative difficulty: Medium-Challenging


THEME: IT'S ALL GREEK TO ME (41A: Totally confused response)— rebus puzzle with four Greek letters (ALPHA, BETA, PI, OMEGA) located in squares throughout the grid

Word of the Day: MALLOMAR (24D: Chocolate-coated treat) —

In the US, Mallomars are produced seasonally at Nabisco. A graham cracker circle is covered with a puff of extruded marshmallow, then enrobed in dark chocolate, which forms a hard shell. Mallomars were introduced to the public in 1913, the same year as the Moon Pie (a confection which has similar ingredients). The first box of Mallomars was sold in West Hoboken, NJ (now Union City, NJ). Nabisco discusses it with a short story printed on Mallomar boxes. // Because Mallomars melt easily in summer temperatures, they can become difficult to find during the summer: they are generally available from early October through April. Devoted eaters of the cookie have been known to stock up during winter months and keep them refrigerated over the summer; though paradoxically, Nabisco markets other fudge-coated cookie brands year-round. Seventy percent of all Mallomars are sold in metropolitan New York. The issue of Nabisco's choice to release Mallomars seasonally became a parodied topic on a sketch delivered by graphic artist Pierre Bernard on Late Night with Conan O'Brien. // According to the box, Mallomars are made in Canada by Kraft Foods. In Canada, these are known as "Dream Puffs." (wikipedia)

• • •

This didn't work for me, despite the fact that I think the rebus-square-containing answers are pretty genius in places. I'm almost certain I've seen a theme like this before, but that's not the real problem. I just don't get the letter selection. Random Greek letters??? Why these letters? Further, why lead with ALPHA BETA and then follow with ... PI OMEGA?? Boo to not being St. Patrick's Day-themed, first of all (not the constructor's fault, obviously), and then double-boo to PI and OMEGA. I went looking for St. Pat's theme, and then when I got the theme I went looking, naturally, for GAMMA DELTA. That's the progression. There is no "aha" to getting PI OMEGA. More of an "... oh. Huh. OK." Not a fan of arbitrariness. That said, very impressive the way OMEGA got worked in here as part of INCOMEGAP and HOMEGAME. ORALPHASE (1D: First part psychosexual development) and BETAWARD (19A: Annual prize won multiple times by Beyoncé and LeBron James), also nice. Fill on the puzzle was just fine. Theme just fell flat for me.

Theme answers:

• ALPHABETSONGS / ORALPHASE
• TIBETANMONK (9D: Devout Lhasan) / BETAWARD
  
• WHOOPI (63A: First name on "The View") / LIGHTPINK
  
• INCOMEGAP / HOMEGAME

Not buying LIGHTPINK (42D: Color of many nurseries). Buying PINK, but not buying LIGHTPINK. Not loving the NW corner at all, where NOBIS (Latin) (2D: "Dona ___ pacem" (Catholic Mass phrase)) and esp. SIEG (Ger.) (18D: German "victory") were completely avoidable (I can fix that corner sitting here, without any software aid at all, which means there must be many ways to make those weak foreignisms, as well as the horrid plural SETAE, disappear). Top of the puzzle much easier than the bottom, mostly because of the GAMMA DELTA goose chase. PI, not surprisingly, was the hardest of the four Greek letters to find—much easier to turn up a big sucker like OMEGA than a slip of thing like PI. Had to sing "Over the Rainbow" to myself, and still couldn't find the end because the song kept getting interfered with in my brain by Whitney Houston's "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" (an unexpected downside of watching "Idol" right before I solve)

Bullets:

• 5A: "Big Love" setting (UTAH) — never watched it, but I understand it's about polygamy.
  
• 15A: The "doll" in Ibsen's "A Doll's House" (NORA) — no idea. I'm more a NORA Dunn / NORA Charles kind of guy.
• 14A: Politico with the memoir "Courage and Consequence" (ROVE) — forgettable title = forgot this book ever existed. Now "Bush's Brain," I remember.
  
• 32A: Setting for Seurat's "Un dimanche après-mide à l'île de la Grand Jatte" (ÉTÉ) — the "setting" is summer? Boo.
  
• 48A: Big inits. in Detroit (GMC) — General Motors Co.
  
• 53A: Lion : pride :: ___ : husk (HARE) — no idea. Doubt it gets used much, since googling turned up primarily sites dedicated to animal collectives (murder of crows, etc.), i.e. curiosities, not common terms.
• 69A: 1998 Goo Goo Dolls hit ("IRIS") — relentless radio hit of the late '90s. I used to call it the "Sea Chantey." You'll see why. Or you won't. It made sense to me:
  

• 7D: Hundred-eyed monster of myth (ARGUS) — guardian of Io until he was slain by Hermes. His story is told in Ovid's "Metamorphoses," among other places.
  

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

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