Depression at mouth of volcano / SUN 5-2-10 / Malt liquor brand named after Irish nun / 19th-century Swedish writer Esaias / It's digestible sloganeer

Constructor: Kelsey Blakley

Relative difficulty: Medium-Challenging

THEME: "FIX-A-TION" — add "TION" to ends of familiar (mostly) phrases, get wacky phrases, clue wackily


Word of the Day: Esaias TEGNÉR (92d. 19th-century Swedish writer Esaias ___) —

Esaias Tegnér (Kyrkerud, Värmland 13 November 1782 (1782-11-13) – 2 November 1846 (1846-11-03)), was a Swedish writer, professor of Greek language, and bishop. He was during the 19th century regarded as the father of modern poetry in Sweden, mainly through the national romantique epos Frithjof's Saga. He has been called Sweden's first modern man. Much is known about him, and he also wrote openly about himself. (wikipedia)

[Gotta dispute the "much is known about him" claim; also, that's a ridiculous sentence for the first paragraph of anyone's bio. "He was a sentient, ambulatory being who survived by breathing in oxygen ..."]

• • •

Short write-up, both because it's late and because I'm on vacation in L.A. and really don't have the time, energy, or equipment to do a thorough job. I Hate writing up the puzzle without a printed-out copy that I can mark up and refer to. Do Not like toggling back and forth from browser to solving software. Also, honestly, I really disliked this puzzle on several levels, and rather than froth about it, I'd rather just make a few simple remarks and let it go. I'm just too tired. I spent all day at the "Crosswords L.A." charity tournament (a great success, about which more later, say Tuesday), where I was a judge/scorer. Enormous fun, but oddly exhausting.



Adding "TION" — unremarkable. Also, made tons of letters in puzzle easy (instant) to get (once you grasped the theme), and so cluing was (clearly) made tougher-than-normal, but not in a very enjoyable way. I liked some of the theme answers, but really disliked a couple as well. In particular, I disliked CONTRA VIOLATION, both because the clue is torturous (I barely get it), and because what the Hell is a Contra Viola. Had to look it up, and it didn't google well. Yuck. HOME DEMOTION did nothing for me either. Is a HOME DEMO a common theme? I mean, in a world largely free of door-to-door salesmen? Hmmm. And what are "King's men" / "Kingsmen"? Like ... All the King's Men? It's not a strong self-standing phrase. And the resulting answer is kind of moribund. Disappointment all around.



Then there was the fill. The following are answers that, especially taken in total, just killed the enjoyment level for me today:

• EROSE (17D: Having an irregularly gnawed edge)
• IDE'S (!?!?!?!) (35A: Malt liquor brand named after Irish nun)
• SPRS.
• CALDERA (77A: Depression at the mouth of a volcano)
• ATOAST (I want this to be one word, i.e. "Lo, behold, the bread is ATOAST!")
• ARTIS (OK, I like this, but it smacks of desperation, i.e. "I need common letters in a certain weird order!")
• TSGTS (I grudgingly accept SSGTS, and barely tolerate MSGTS — TSGTS is just beyond the pale for me)
• RESAT (ugh)
• TEGNÉR (come on ...)
• ENNEAD
• TATAS

Theme answers:

• 23A: Following the rules? (CONTRA VIOLATION)
  
• 36A: Variety of arbitrating techniques? (MIXED MEDIATION)
• 16D: Being forced into a smaller house, say? (HOME DEMOTION)
  
• 53A: Title under a photo of rain? (SHOWER CAPTION)
  
• 73a. Detergent factory, e.g.? (SOAP OPERATION)
  
• 90a. "$100 per dozen plus shipping," e.g.? (SALES QUOTATION)
  
• 106A: Enthronement of a metalworker? (SMITH CORONATION) — my favorite, by a mile
  
• 60d. Passing reference in the "I Have a Dream" speech? (KING'S MENTION)
  

Bullets:

• 26A: 2009 "Survivor" locale (SAMOA) — easy enough even if you don't watch the show. Island ... warm climate ... a cross or two and you can infer it.
  
• Ladle cradle (SPOON REST) — Took me a while to get the REST part. Had RACK at some point. I think we even *have* a SPOON REST on our stove top...
• 7D: Grp. with the old slogan "A deadline every minute" (UPI) — United Press International. News agency.
  
• 11D: "It's digestible" sloganeer, once (CRISCO) — OK, this made me laugh out loud. Bravo on the cluing. "No, seriously, it's edible!"
  
• 75D: "Grand" backdrop for "Shane" (TETON) — just one?
  
• 101D: Alternative to Chuck (CHAS) — Me: "Fringe?" (it's a "TV shows I have no business watching" thing)
  

Good day. Puzzle Girl tomorrow (I'll still be here in L.A.) — and then I'm back on Tuesday

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter]

[a peek at the glamorous world of crossword tournament judging]

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Picasso's private muse / SAT 5-1-10 / Populist power couple of 1940s-'50s / Ornamental pond fish / Wimbledon's borough / Adversary of Rocky

Constructor: Paula Gamache

Relative difficulty: Medium

THEME: none


Word of the Day: ORFE (24A: Ornamental pond fish) —

The ide (also id) or orfe, Leuciscus idus, is a freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae found across northern Europe and Asia. It occurs in larger rivers, ponds, and lakes, typically in schools. The name is from Swedish id, originally referring to its bright color (compare the German dialect word aitel 'a kind of bright fish' and Old High German eit 'funeral pyre, fire'). (wikipedia)

• • •

This puzzle seemed reasonably easy, except for the NE, which was a kind of nightmare. Not just tough for me, but annoying tough, in that it was overwhelming proper nouns. Just look at the Acrosses. Name over name over name over name over whatever ORFE is over really awkward airport name (Airport alternative to JFK or LGA => EWR) over name over name over name over RESOD (45A: Fix, as some bald spots). 3/5 of the Downs are names as well. I love names, but come on. Balance. Also, for reasons I'm having trouble articulating, MAN BREASTS really bothered me (12D: Unmacho features) — the cluing seemed kind of offensive. I'm just trying to think of a comparative clue for women and how that would go over. [Unfeminine features]=>SAGGING TITS. I don't think so. Cluing seems oddly mean. Also, "man boobs" outdraws "man breasts," Google-wise, by a Huge margin. I did not even know MAN BREASTS was a real phrase. Rest of the puzzle seemed fine. I had AMEN, SISTER for AMEN TO THAT (26D: Response of approval), but other than that, no serious hangups.

Started in the NW and got those little Downs easily enough, but didn't know what followed EMPTY in EMPTY SUIT (1A: Good-for-nothing), and couldn't see GUARANTEE at all with just GUA-A---- sitting there. GUACAMOLE? Still not sure I understand TARS (4D: Hold hands?). Is a hold a place on a ship, and TARS are hands, or sailors, as in "all hands on deck"? Definitely didn't know the 80-year-old Triple Crown winner Earl SANDE, but, besides ORFE, I think that's the only answer in the puzzle I flat out didn't know. I should say, however, that the *only* reason I know Pou STO (42A: Pou ___ (vantage point)) is crosswords. It's a godawful piece of crosswordese. But today, that sort of thing was a rarity, so no complaints.

Bullets:

• 15A: Light seeker's question ("GOT A MATCH?") — In what decade? "GOT A LIGHT?" seems the more common phrase, though I liked this answer fine.
  
• 16A: Eponym of an annual award for best left-handed pitcher (SPAHN) — I was lucky enough to get "P" and "H" as my crosses. Not sure I would have uncovered it easily otherwise.
  
• 32A: Code broken by Joe Valachi (OMERTA) — "Code" and "Valachi" told me OMERTA (code of silence among mafia, word I learned from crosswords)
  
• 34A: Picasso's "private muse" (DORA MAAR) — Again, learned from crosswords. Couldn't remember last name exactly, though (MAHR?), which added to my NE struggles.
  
• 38A: Adversary of Rocky (NATASHA)— the Squirrel, not the boxer.
  
• 41A: Wimbledon's borough (MERTON) — uh, ok, if you say so ...
  
• 43A: He said "Most editors are failed writers - but so are most writers" (ELIOT) — Wanted WILDE at first.
  
• 52A: Beggar in Sir Walter Scott's "The Antiquary" (EDIE) — uh, ok, if you say so. I don't even recognize that as a Scott title, so the character? No way.
  
• 2D: Sourpuss's look (MOUE) — word I never see outside of crosswords. 75% vowels = very useful.
  
• 9D: Its news network won a 2008 Peabody Award ("THE ONION") — they also have a great crossword puzzle, ed. Ben Tausig.
  
• 33d. Botanical casings (ARILS) — more mainstream crosswordese. I *still* get ARIL and ANIL confused (the latter being a blue dye)
  
• 47D: "South Park" parka wearer (KENNY) — "Oh my God, they killed KENNY!" "You bastards!" — he used to die in every episode.

• 55D: Ciliary body locale (UVEA) — for the last time today, I say ... uh, ok, if you say so. No idea.
  

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter]

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