1781 Mozart premiere / SAT 3-31-12 / Knighted diamond magnate Oppenheimer / Hugo-winning 1994 memoir / Cityhopper carrier / Demographic lauded in 1965 song / Beano alternative / Temple of Vesta locale

Constructor: Scott Atkinson

Relative difficulty: Easy-Medium

THEME: none 

Word of the Day: "IDOMENEO" (2D: 1781 Mozart premiere) —

Idomeneo, re di Creta ossia Ilia e Idamante (Italian for Idomeneo,^[1] King of Crete, or, Ilia and Idamante; usually referred to simply as Idomeneo, K. 366) is an Italian language opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The libretto was adapted by Giambattista Varesco from a French text by Antoine Danchet, which had been set to music by André Campra as Idoménée in 1712. Mozart and Varesco were commissioned in 1780 by Karl Theodor, Elector of Bavaria for a court carnival. He probably chose the subject, though it might have been Mozart. (wikipedia)

• • •

Best themeless I've done in a long time. Telling (I think) that it's a 72-worder (the maximum). Crisp and entertaining, with almost no pips or seeds or stones or anything to make you gag or crack a crown. Interlocking 15s are beautiful. Longer answers in the corners do their jobs, solidly, handsomely. Words are words, names are names. And all the mediocre fill is short and somewhat obscured among the array of black squares toward the center of the grid. My favorite part is probably the symmetrical musical face-off right in the middle of the grid: MONKEES vs. THE CARS! (Victory goes to THE CARS by TKO, in case you're wondering). My second favorite part of the grid was "I, ASIMOV," mainly because I guessed (and I mean Guessed) it off just the "I" in TIME (20A: It's often shown with hands). Woo hoo! Worst parts (for me, personally, as a solver) were "IDOMENEO" (not a title I know; really want it to be "I, DOMENEO") and ERNEST Oppenheimer (not up on my diamond magnates, I guess) (13D: Knighted diamond magnate Oppenheimer). But those are probably names I should know, esp. "IDOMENEO"; thus the problem is with my brain, not the puzzle. Best clue: 43A: It's often in the spotlight (XENON).


Bullets:

• 16A: Singer with a black V-shaped collar (MEADOWLARK) — First thought, for reasons I don't understand at all: BOBBY VALLI (who, it turns out, is the brother of Frankie)
• 17A: Food product for the eco-conscious (DOLPHIN-SAFE TUNA) — I want to call this clue "killer," but that seems inappropriate. Fantastic, contemporary, in-the-language phrase. THAT is what you should build themeless grids around.
• 19A: "That man" in "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair" (EMILE) — didn't know this, but still got it easily from crosses. My main question: a. is that really how you spell "OUTA"? and b. why have I not seen that in puzzles? (not that I want to)
• 33A: Seize, old-style (REAVE) — usually not that excited by "old-style" answers, but I like this one because it intersects another "old-style" answer, reminding us of that old adage: "Never let 'em REAVE your SNEE" (23D: Old dagger).
• 53A: Ray with lines (LIOTTA) — saw right through this, got it off the "L." This "...with lines"-type clue is almost always an actor. 
• 60A: Features of some Amerindian embroidery (PORCUPINE QUILLS) — got this off the "QUILLS," which, when I put it that way, is not that impressive-sounding an accomplishment. Beautiful answer.
• 66A: Brand name used by Jersey Standard (ESSO) — off the "E," confirmed only by the fact that the next two crosses were plurals. 
• 46A: Language that gave us "catamaran" (TAMIL) — first thought: FARSI.
• 3D: Demographic lauded in a 1965 song ("CALIFORNIA GIRLS") — another wonderful, genuinely funny clue. "Demographic" = aptly inapt. 

• 8D: Wheels from the Netherlands (EDAMS) — "What are some Dutch cars?" he wondered, stupidly.
• 29D: Beano alternative (GAS-X) — that's a nice little four-letter answer. Surprised I don't see it more often.
• 37D: Cityhopper carrier (KLM) — dang, the Dutch are all over this thing, what with their cheeses and their planes and their porcupines and ...  
• 46D: Temple of Vesta locale (TIVOLI) — another one I didn't know. Good thing about all the stuff I didn't know was that it was surrounded by stuff I did. Crosswords!    

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

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Panglossian person / FRI 3-2-12 / Beau geste headgear / Hmong homeland / Longtime Russian acronym / Exeter exclamation / Polynesian farewell song / Second-largest city in Finland / Sax All Night New Ager

Constructor: Scott Atkinson

Relative difficulty: Easy-Medium

THEME: NONCONTIGUOUS (63A: How this puzzle's black squares are arranged) 

Word of the Day: "KATIE BAR THE DOOR!" (1D: "Take cover!") —

The phrase Katy bar the door! (also as Katy bar the gate!; sometimes written as Katie) is a very American exclamation, more common in the South than elsewhere, meaning that disaster impends — “watch out”, “get ready for trouble” or “a desperate situation is at hand”. (worldwidewords.com—full explanation of the phrase's origins here).

• • •

Not really in my wheelhouse, but pretty easy nonetheless. NON-CONTIGUOUSLY isn't so much a "theme" as it is a fleeting "hey, look at that" moment, but it's still interesting. I thought that SPIRAL STAIRCASE clue was recycled (10D: Round-trip flight?), but now I think I'm simply thinking of the following factoid, which I just found on wikipedia: "[Will Shortz] has declared that his favorite crossword clue of all-time is "It might turn into a different story" (whose solution is SPIRAL STAIRCASE)" (wikipedia). The problem with the special black square arrangement is how much short stuff it gets you. I'll take a mess of 6- to 9-letter words over a group of interlocking 15s and a boatload of 3- to 4s any day of the week. And REAIM, ouch (47A: Adjust one's sights). Still, the puzzle was enjoyable enough.


Found the top much, much harder than the rest. Had no idea who was barring the door until I got it narrowed down to -ATIE. Good thing that makes only one real name, since KIM (1A: The miss in "Miss Saigon") was a total mystery to me, and MIRA (3D: Star in Cetus) wasn't much better (that's three interlocking proper nouns I was not-at-all sure of ... but educated guesses got me through, so I can't complain). Stuff like "Beau Geste" and "The Producers" isn't really in my ken, so I was thinking PITH (helmet) at first instead of KEPI (7D: "Beau Geste" headgear) and I had no idea about GHIA (Carmen GHIA's a kind of car, right?) (18A: Carmen ___ ("The Producers" role). SCI. is really strangely clued as a [Grade school subj.]. It's also a [Grad school subj.] and a [High school subj.] ... why "Grade school?" Unpleasant, unclever misdirection. I read "Candide" so I know who Pangloss is, but I still had trouble with ETERNAL OPTIMIST (esp. the ETERNAL part) (16A: Panglossian person). Confused lie and lay and so ended up with SITS ON instead of SETS ON at first (49A: Lays atop). But none of these snags were anything but minor. Of course I was lucky enough to remember ESPOO from prior crosswords (w/o said crosswords, I would never ever have heard of that place) (48D: Second-largest city in Finland).

Bullets:

• 4A: Burger go-withs (SHAKES) — I've ordered a shake with a burger maybe once or twice in my life. Even at my fast-food-eatingest, that would've been overkill for me.
• 13A: Dishes fit for astronomers? (RADIO TELESCOPES) — again, not up my alley. I've heard of these, but couldn't picture them. I assume they are dish-shaped.
• 36A: South Asian chant word (KRISHNA) — Currently (slowly) reading the Bhagavad Gita, in which KRISHNA figures prominently.
• 6D: Polynesian farewell song ("ALOHA OE") — I know this song only from cartoon caricatures of Hawaiian singing in '70s (or earlier) cartoons.
• 27D: "Sax All Night" New Ager (TESH) — The final piece in his Sax Trilogy (following hot on the heels of "Oral Sax" and "Sax Offender") 

• 62D: Apollo's chariot "passenger" (SUN) — wrote this in instantly, but then didn't like the looks of the "GUO" string it created ... until I got NON-CONTIGUOUSLY, and then all was good again.
• 42D: Pre-stunt provocation ("TOP THIS!") — clearly not understanding whose stunt the "pre-" was in relation to (the darer or the daree), I wrote in "TOP THAT!"

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

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1960 Jerry Lewis fairy tale spoof / TUE 11-8-11 / $5 bills slangily / Object of pity for Mr T / Great Chicago Fire scapegoat / First spacecraft to reach Uranus Neptune

Constructor: Scott Atkinson

Relative difficulty: Easy-Medium

THEME: Better Business Bureau —3-word phrases in which all words start w/ "B"

Word of the Day: FASCIA (5A: Sheath of connective tissue) —

n., pl., fas·ci·ae (făsh'ē-ē', fā'shē-ē).

1. Anatomy. A sheet or band of fibrous connective tissue enveloping, separating, or binding together muscles, organs, and other soft structures of the body.
2. A broad and distinct band of color.
3. (also fā'shē-ə) Architecture. A flat horizontal band or member between moldings, especially in a classical entablature.
4. (fā'shə) Chiefly British. The dashboard of a motor vehicle.

[Latin, band.]

Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/fascia#ixzz1d54wcFbq

• • •

Piece of cake, with the painful exception of BONNIE BLUE BUTLER, which can't possibly be the name of anything. Dear lord. That just hurt. Needed virtually every cross. Besides revulsion for the "Gone With the Wind" kid's name, I have no particularly strong opinions about this puzzle. I do like the longer non-theme Acrosses ("CINDERFELLA" and FLABBERGAST) (17A: 1960 Jerry Lewis fairy tale spoof + 57A: Bowl over), though I don't like that they look like theme answers (positionally) but aren't. I'm guessing the thing that got this puzzle accepted was the remarkable (and lucky) fact that the letters in these answers allow for the highly unusual theme answer interlock. OK, so the grid had to add an extra row to make it work (grid is 15x16), but it's still pretty cool




Theme answers:

• 23A: Reality show featuring Whitney Houston and her then-husband ("BEING BOBBY BROWN")
• 50A: Healthy delivery, perhaps (BOUNCING BABY BOY)
• 3D: Rhett and Scarlett's child (BONNIE BLUE BUTLER)
• 11D: Dish often served with franks (BOSTON BAKED BEANS)

I'd have changed ITSY to POSY, but that's just me. It's a lateral move at best, but suits my aesthetic sensibilities more. 

Bullets:

• 14A: Object of pity for Mr. T (FOOL) —I pity the fool who wears these pants on national television:

• 29A: $5 bills, slangily (ABES) — can we all stop pretending that anyone says this. If you try to use this expression, I guarantee you you will get a puzzled expression and a "What?" At best.
• 43A: Great Chicago Fire scapegoat Mrs. ___ (O'LEARY) — I thought her cow was the (scape)goat...
• 22D: Van Gogh's "Sunflowers" setting (ARLES) — among the more important French place names in crossworld. SEINE and ORLY, also important. CAEN and ORNE, less so, but still ... they can bite you. ST.-LO is probably King of French Fill.

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

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Champion cyclist Leipheimer / SAT 4-9-11 / Japanese folk music swing feel / Singer/songwriter Vienna / 1979 negotiation / Pied wader / TV angel Munroe

Constructor: Scott Atkinson

Relative difficulty: Medium

THEME: none


Word of the Day: ONDO (64A: Japanese folk music with a swing feel) —

is a type of Japanese folk music genre. (wikipedia—rest of the write-up is terribly written, with no cited sources, and I can't find anything useful elsewhere on the internet. Most ONDO defs. give it as a place name in Nigeria... there appear to be two main types of ONDO, Goshu and Kawachi; do (non-Japanese) people really know this???)

• • •

I've had better times solving puzzles. This one felt very uneven—super-easy everywhere but the SW, which felt normal, and NE, which was nearly impossible for me. So many strange names I'd just never heard of. EDNA BEST is the one that killed me (26A: "The Man Who Knew Too Much" co-star); I stupidly had ALDERS instead of ALDENS at 10D: "The Courtship of Miles Standish" couple, and so figured I was dealing with ED somebody (not knowing anyone in "The Man Who Knew Too Much" besides Jimmy Stewart ... turns out EDNA BEST was in the earlier, 1934 version, with Peter Lorre ... ??? ... not the '56 Jimmy Stewart remake). ED RABEST? Yeesh. Some cyclist named LEVI? (18A: Champion cyclist Leipheimer) Somebody else named TENG? (40A: Singer/songwriter Vienna ___) And what's up with the clue for WORK? (11A: A bummer for bums) I see now which meaning of "bum" they were going for, but the clue really reads as if I'm supposed to see tramps or vagrants as people who are poor simply because they don't like to WORK. Anyway, that corner was awful. Much of the rest of the puzzle was lovely, though loopy stuff like ONDO and STANE (53D: ___ Street (road from London Bridge to Chichester)) and BONITO (1D: Mackerel family member) I could really have done without. Really unfortunate to have pretty stuff like MRS. ROBINSON (23D: "Here's to you" recipient) and WOLF BLITZER and NO MAN'S LAND (17A: Unclaimed stretch) offset by junky little names and obscurities.



Went BROTHS to THUMP to PEU and was off to the races. Slowed down somewhat by Yet Another actor's name—though luckily this was the most common actor in all of crossworld, so once I picked up enough crosses, he went down. Didn't know that meaning of SCAR (35A: Protruding rock). ONDO schmondo. But I got out of there and over to the SE, which went down like a Wednesday (STANE notwithstaneding). Then there was just the NE, where I spent well over half my solving time. Tried something-PULITZER (?) before realizing "Emmy" meant TV, and finally mentally rolodexing my way to WOLF BLITZER. Had OATH for 16A: Shakespeare's "temple-haunting martlet" is a good one (OMEN). Had OOH for AAH (27D: "That's nice"). If I hadn't serendipitously come up with SALT II (30A: 1979 negotiation), with just the S and L in place, I don't now what I would have done. Wish I'd remembered Madame Defarge, but I just drew a huge blank (decades since I read "A Tale of Two Cities") (14D: Madame Defarge's sinister craft=>KNITTING).


[5D: When "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" aired: Abbr. => MON.]
Bullets:

• 1A: Network since 1998 (BBC AMERICA) — looks pretty good in the grid. Easy to get once the second B and C were in there.
  
• 28A: Seattle sea hawks (OSPREYS) — clever, but not at all tricky.
  
• 38A: "War With the Newts" novelist, 1936 (CAPEK) — he of "R.U.R." fame.
  
• 58A: "___ Boys" (1886 sequel) ("JO'S") — nice fat gimme. Strangely, I wanted JOS. PULITZER where WOLF BLITZER ended up going.
  
• 48D: Highball with white rum (MOJITO) — popular drink. Never heard the word "highball" anywhere around it, but since a "highball" is just a drink with alcohol and a larger portion of non-alcoholic mixer, the label fits.
  
• 57D: Supermodel Benitez (ELSA) — nooo idea.
  
• 49D: Pied wader (AVOCET) — an important crossword bird.
  
• 52D: Apache topper (ROTOR) — the helicopter, not the native American.
  

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter]

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Brand written about by Hawthorne / FRI 10-22-10 / Host of the 1974 Asian Games / “La Legende des Siecles” poet / “Avalon” band

Constructor: Scott Atkinson

Relative difficulty: Easy-Medium


THEME: none

• • •

Hi! Andrea Carla Michaels here, sitting in for Rex as part of my week-long birthday celebration (and yes, I’m still accepting well wishes!) So, you know what that means, NO pulp fiction references, nor baseball (nor even college wrestling) (till tomorrow!) Can’t live without that? There is a train leaving for Hofstra in about 20 minutes and I’m sure Rex would appreciate front-row attendance!

So today we have a lovely offering from constructor Scott Atkinson, all Scrabbly, just the way I like my Fridays…Not only a complete pangram with the requisite X, J and Q, but he gives us two Zs and three Ks! (Why do all the great double ZZ words start with P? PALAZZI, PIZZAZZ, PUZZLE, PIZZARELLI?)

Usually I like to start at 1A. “What a wink often means”. Hmmmm. I toyed with a sharp stick in your eye (I wear contacts and that’s what makes me wink), complicity…even lasciviousness (which I have no idea how to spell…and still don’t). So I looked to 1D: “ ___ Sharp, founder of Four Seasons Hotel”, zero help there…TO my shock, it turns out 1D is a shout out to our very own Rex Parker, aka Professor Michael Sharp, as ISADORE is his father! (IMKIDDING)

2D “Let go” (MANUMIT) was even harder, even tho it appeared recently by one of the young boy constructors, I think. But it means to “set free, as slaves” which sounds more serious to me, than a simple “let go”.

So the NW remained initially blank. Thank goodness for 10A “Words that prevent firing” (the peppy “IQUIT!”) and I was off and running. That Q led easily to QUIRKY, which helped me realize that MIKADO refers to a person
(25A “Old Asian title”) not a place, and the IV then gave me IVANHOE (26D “Literary classic featuring the jester Wamba”).

Actually, the puzzle took my usual time (less than half an episode of “The Office”) but I have to admit, I got all the literary references without having read or seen any of them, I’m semi-embarrassed to say. That includes the aforementioned MIKADO, ETHAN (31A “Brand written about by Hawthorne), IVANHOE, and any work by JKROWLING, or the novelist Dominick DUNNE. I should have my library card revoked…or, I guess, better yet, reissued.

Here’s what I do know about, however: Anything potentially involving a gratuitous mention of italiani ragazzi. Ecce, 39D “Grand Canal sights” (PALAZZI). I’m guessing some of you debated whether the plural of GONDOLA was GONDOLAS or GONDOLE or GONDOLI. My initial musings on “Grand Canal sights” included Arcangelo, Alessandro and Valerio!

Ah, Venice! This, of course, leads me to 41A “Hot partner?” I had the H from IVANHOE, so I tried HEAVY, but HEAVYSET was already in the grid (29A “Thick”), so in went HUNKY, which I will count as a mini-malapop for DORY (54D “Small fishing vessel”).

Monday gal that I am, I am always looking for a theme, and this one seemed political:

Begin and SADAT, LeninGRAD, Bella ABZUG, Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da SILVA, and GORE. Poor Al GORE… being ignominiously clued as 32D “Stick” (with an extra dig of WAXEN right below!) (I mean, how many masseuses does the man have to chase around Portland hotel rooms before he loses his image of being a WAXEN “stick”???!!!)

Even the musical references were a bit political; from “folkies” RICHIE HAVEN, and retro-hipsters’ ROXYMUSIC to John Lennon fans’ IMAGINE.

Even tho I consider myself a major Beatles’ fan, 43D “1970s peace anthem” was my biggest bugaboo. I went from the terribly wrong KUMBAYA to getting so far as to have IM- - INE, and then confidently writing in “I, ME, MINE”!

Perhaps it was because “__ Mine” had just been in an earlier week puzzle (by the way, those of you who skip early week puzzles and only do Thursday thru Sunday are missing some fabulous crosswords these past few weeks! Especially the Thursday puzzles that are being passed off as Wednesdays and the Friday ones that mysteriously appear on Tuesdays!).

Another of my more egregious first stabs involved 28D “Once-in-a-lifetime trip, for some” (HAJ). I dropped in LSD. (Then I turned on and tuned in…)

And finally, I had DEteCTS for 44D “Concentrates, in a way.” (DECOCTS). DECOCTS?! Seriously? That reminds me… I have a bris this Sunday.

Oh! Is it too late to mention the sort of cool SIN crossing SINKSIN? I mean look at it: SIN, SINkSIN! Triple SINS! That’s a lot of 24A“Letting one’s god down?” How many “Hail Marys” for that, my non-Jewish pals?

Drat, time to stop writing and I haven’t even gotten to my “I am the real ANASTASIA” stories!
Till next time! With love (and lots of technical assistance from SethG), -ACME

[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter]

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Store on TV that sells KrustyO's cereal / MON 2-1-10 / Sensational 1990s-2000s talk show host / It must be him singer 1967

Constructor: Scott Atkinson

Relative difficulty: Medium

THEME: ICKY (4D: Very unpleasant) — six theme answers are words or phrases the first part of which rhymes with ICKY

Word of the Day: ERA of Good Feelings, 1817-25 (61A) —

The Era of Good Feelings (1817–25)[1] describes a period in United States political history in which partisan bitterness abated. The phrase was coined by Benjamin Russell, in the Boston newspaper, Columbian Centinel, on July 12, 1817, following the good-will visit to Boston of President James Monroe. // The political bitterness declined because the Federalists had largely dissolved and were no longer attacking the president, then causing an era of good feeling because there was only one political party. [Nothing kills partisan bitterness like the lack of more than one party] (wikipedia)

• • •

Whimsical idea for a puzzle. Fine by me, especially since he's managed to cram in six theme answers — that's a lot of "ICKY." Puzzle was very easy for me, but I have it at "Medium" because it's got a handful of proper nouns in the theme answers, ignorance of any one of which might have held someone up for a bit. Lots of Scrabbly letters, lots to love. One weakness is the spate of abbrevs. and partial answers: GRO, HUR, SKEE, NCAR, MRE, SST, MSN, UCLA, INRE, IAMA, ENL, KAT (with the missed opportunity for a KIT KAT cross-reference at 63D). Also: REMET and ACRED — not great. But I'd say the strength of the theme answers mostly overpowers the ugly stuff.

Theme answers:

• 17A: They're choosy about what they chew (PICKY eaters)
• 37A: Sensational 1990s-2000s talk show host (RICKI Lake) — always want to spell her name "RIKKI," as in "RIKKI Don't Lose That Number" or "RIKKI Tikki Tavi"

• 42A: Popular online reference (WIKIpedia)
• 62A: Walt Disney creation (MICKEY Mouse)
• 11D: Store on TV that sells KrustyO's cereal (KWIK-E-Mart)
• 36D: "It Must Be Him" singer, 1967 (VIKKI Carr)

Bemused by SMOCKED (21A: Dressed in lab attire), helped considerably by the (now) gimme status of OMSK (31A: Siberian city), and impossibly baffled by KIT (63D: Collection of items for a modelist). Honestly, I had -IT and didn't know what to do with it. Considered MYNAH for MACAW (3D: Bird important in Mayan symbology). Needed most of the crosses for EARMARK (9D: Politician's add-on) — great answer. Misspelled LECTERN (with a "U") the first time through at 55A: Speaker's stand. And I was slow to pick up SALIENT (27D: Noteworthy).

The End.


Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter]

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Basilica feature — THURSDAY, Oct. 8 2009 — Caligula's predecessor as emperor / Russian playwright Andreyev / Dragon ruler of old Wallachia

Constructor: Scott Atkinson

Relative difficulty: Easy-Medium

THEME: TIME AFTER TIME (33A: Repeatedly ... and a hint to the answers to this puzzle's starred clues) — theme answers are two-word phrases where both words can precede "TIME" in a common phrase, e.g. DOUBLE PLAY (double TIME, half-TIME)

Word of the Day: THORIUM (26D: Metal that's an effective radiation shield) — A radioactive silvery-white metallic element that is recovered commercially from monazite. Its longest-lived isotope, the only one that occurs naturally, is Th 232 with a HALF-LIFE of 1.41 × 10¹⁰ years. It is used in magnesium alloys, and isotope 232 is a source of nuclear energy. Atomic number 90; atomic weight 232.038; approximate melting point 1,750°C; approximate boiling point 4,500°C; approximate specific gravity 11.7; valence 4.
-----



Today, a fancier, somewhat more difficult variation of the "word-that-can-follow" theme. Seen it many times, but this one has the nice theme-revealing phrase in the middle that gives the theme heft and life, so ... good. Had trouble getting started, but once I did, it all felt reasonably easy. Medium, trending easy. Definitely had some minor struggles, especially in and around SORBATE (37D: Potassium _____ (preservative)) and especially TUTU, which is brilliantly clued (56A: Something a person may take a spin in?). I had that final "U" and could Not figure out what it could be. I actually started second-guessing the "U." I had BANTER for NATTER (42D: Flap one's gums), which also caused a hiccup. Other missteps included TALMUD for TORAHS (1D: They're read at services ... I just ignored the plural, I guess), SUPER GS for SLALOMS (27A: Winter Olympics races ... talk about taking the Road Less Likely), and RANK for RIPE (17A: Like many old gym socks). You'll note those last three are all in the NW, hence the slow start I spoke of earlier.

Theme answers:

• 18A: *Baseball feat (double play)
• 24A: *Physics period (half-life)
• 48A: *Brave front (game face)
• 52A: *Asthmatic's concern (air quality)

When the theme started unfolding, I figured it would have something to do with quantity, e.g. DOUBLE play, HALF life ... but then I hit the Cyndi Lauper song, and all became clear. Given the neat two-word structure of the long Downs in this puzzle — OPEN FLAME (4D: Hazard around an aerosol can) and MINE FIELD (32D: Treacherous expanse) — I really wanted them to be part of the theme too. "FLAME TIME!" I can think of a few possible meanings for that.

Bullets:

• 14A: "Get _____," 1967 hit for the Esquires ("On Up") — started by wanting "A JOB," then considered "ON UP" but thought that was James Brown, which it is, in a way. "Get ON UP" is a refrain from JB's "Sex Machine." Thought I had never heard the Esquires song in question, then listened. Definitely familiar from my mid-80s "I only listen to Motown and Oldies and Classic Rock" phase.

• 39A: Golden Globe-winning English actor McShane (Ian) — Can't picture him. I guess he was in "Deadwood," a show I've never seen.
• 57A: Blinded painfully (maced) — it's kind of a brutal puzzle today, what with the nuclear material and the hazmat suit and the OPEN FLAME and MINE FIELD. Now I'm getting MACED? Dang.
• 3D: Basilica feature (cupola) – one of those architectural words I just know, without knowing why I know it. CUPOLA is a dome, right? Wikipedia says "small, most-often dome-like structure, on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome."
• 5D: Work started by London's Philological Soc. (OED) — a handy ref.
• 8D: Japanese port (Kobe) — not thrilled about this one intersecting OSAKA (5A: Where Panasonic is headquartered).
• 33D: Caligula's predecessor as emperor (Tiberius) — only problem here was figuring out how to spell the end of his name. I had it right the first time, but when I couldn't see TUTU to save my life, I started second-guessing the end of TIBERIUS.
• 43D: Vermin hunter (ratter) — like many terriers.
• 45D: Russian playwright Andreyev (Leonid) — no idea.
• 50D: _____ the Dragon, ruler of old Wallachia (Vlad) — aka "Vlad Dracul," father of "VLAD the Impaler"

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter]

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