07.29 Fri

F R I D A Y
July 29, 2011
Chris A. McGlothlin

Theme: Long Time No C — Each theme answer is a familiar phrase with the letter C removed from it, creating a new wacky phrase, clued wackily.

Theme answers:

• 10A/42A/66A: Words to an old friend, whose end is a hint this puzzle's grid and theme (LONG / TIME / NO SEE).
• 18A: Sailing attire for 1-Across? (ARGO PANTS).
• 23A: Dearth of frost? (LOW RIME RATE).
• 38A: Celebrated Talk Like a Pirate Day? (USED ARS).
• 40A: Regional poem? (AREA ODE).
• 50A: Do some tweezing? (PULL UP A HAIR).
• 61A: "I've completed the flag"? (ROSS WORDS).

Another good theme idea today. Not just randomly dropping a letter for no reason, but doing so on the basis of a well-known phrase (LONG TIME NO SEE). Too bad the resulting theme phrases are so boring. Obviously I was happy to see the reference to Talk Like a Pirate Day, which affirmed what I told you the other day, and ROSS WORDS is fabulous as clued, but the rest? Meh. I mean, they're okay, but nothing that really pops.

Bullets:

• 15A: Offenbach's okays (OUIS). French! Also, wow. Offenbach doesn't look like a French name to me. NYET (31D: Dmitri's denial) was much more obvious from the clue.
• 17A: The world according to Arp (MONDE). More French! Now this clue is definitely cute.

• 26A: Rowan Atkinson character (MR. BEAN). I didn't know his name was Rowan Atkinson, but I have heard of MR. BEAN so, with a couple crosses in place, he presented himself.
• 32A: Antenna shelter (RADOME). Pretty sure I've never seen this word in my life.
• 55A: Players try to hit triples with them (Q TILES). This clue gave me fits. If I had just filled in the crosses I would have been okay — they're all super solid — but I kept trying to piece it together without that help. (This is a Scrabble reference, for anyone still wondering.)
• 1D: Jazz pianist Ahmad __ (JAMAL).




• 4D: It's often traded in (OLDER MODEL). Sure, if you're Donald Trump. (Thank you very much. I'll be here all week.)
• 11D: "Think I'm kidding?" ("OH NO?"). Awesome colloquial phrase.

• 49D: Ballets __: early 20th-century dance company (RUSSES). Got this through crosses. Assume it means "Russian."
• 62D: Colorado sports nickname, with "the" (ROX). Any Colorado fans out there who can confirm this? It sounds perfectly reasonable, but I can't say that I've ever heard it.

Crosswordese 101 Round-up:

• 20A: Miracle Mets star (AGEE).
• 21A: "From __ Zinc": vitamin slogan (A TO).
• 35A: Hosp. test (EKG).
• 60A: First name in courtroom fiction (ERLE).
• 5D: Alumna identifier, perhaps (NÉE).
• 24D: "__ la Douce" (IRMA).
• 25D: "Diana" crooner (ANKA).
• 29D: The orchestra tunes to one (OBOE).
• 58D: WWII craft (LST'S).
• 63D: Singer DiFranco (ANI).

Everything — 1A: Golden Fleece seeker (JASON); 6A: Disputed strip (GAZA); 10A: With 42- and 66-Across, words to an old friend, whose end is a hint this puzzle's grid and theme (LONG); 14A: Nimble (AGILE); 15A: Offenbach's okays (OUIS); 16A: Kentucky border river (OHIO); 17A: The world according to Arp (MONDE); 18A: Sailing attire for 1-Across? (ARGO PANTS); 20A: Miracle Mets star (AGEE); 21A: "From __ Zinc": vitamin slogan (A TO); 22A: Gives a facelift (REDOES); 23A: Dearth of frost? (LOW RIME RATE); 26A: Rowan Atkinson character (MR. BEAN); 27A: Understood (KNOWN); 32A: Antenna shelter (RADOME); 35A: Hosp. test (EKG); 37A: PayPal owner (EBAY); 38A: Celebrated Talk Like a Pirate Day? (USED ARS); 40A: Regional poem? (AREA ODE); 42A: See 10-Across (TIME); 43A: Funnyman Kinison (SAM); 45A: Run in (ARREST); 46A: Comes down hard? (HAILS); 48A: Sole man (HERMIT); 50A: Do some tweezing? (PULL UP A HAIR); 55A: Players try to hit triples with them (Q TILES); 59A: Mama bear, in Madrid (OSA); 60A: First name in courtroom fiction (ERLE); 61A: "I've completed the flag"? (ROSS WORDS); 63A: Had a home-cooked meal (ATE IN); 64A: Smack (SWAT); 65A: Pâté base (FOIE); 66A: See 10-Across (NO SEE); 67A: Sounds of disapproval (TSKS); 68A: Cans (AXES); 69A: Touch and shuffle (IPODS); 1D: Jazz pianist Ahmad __ (JAMAL); 2D: Disco era suffix (A-GO-GO); 3D: Tough tissue (SINEW); 4D: It's often traded in (OLDER MODEL); 5D: Alumna identifier, perhaps (NÉE); 6D: Chin hider (GOATEE); 7D: Sky lights (AURORAE); 8D: Turn sharply (ZIG); 9D: "__ of Homecoming": U2 song (A SORT); 10D: Put in a clip (LOAD); 11D: "Think I'm kidding?" ("OH NO?"); 12D: Evening, in ads (NITE); 13D: Former CIA director Porter __ (GOSS); 19D: Glance (PEEK); 21D: Some ales (AMBERS); 24D: "__ la Douce" (IRMA); 25D: "Diana" crooner (ANKA); 28D: Second or third, for instance (NEAR THE TOP); 29D: The orchestra tunes to one (OBOE); 30D: Bankrolls (WADS); 31D: Dmitri's denial (NYET); 32D: "The Book of __": Jane Hamilton novel (RUTH); 33D: Aral Sea locale (ASIA); 34D: Starting half? (DEMI); 36D: The old man's old man (GRAMPA); 39D: "Is there any group I haven't offended?" satirist (SAHL); 41D: Ranch addition? (-ERIA); 44D: French art song (MELODIE); 47D: Erupt (SPEW); 49D: Ballets __: early 20th-century dance company (RUSSES); 51D: Yank's home, briefly (U. S. OF A.); 52D: Playground retort (ARE SO); 53D: "Well ... not exactly" ("I LIED"); 54D: Magritte and Descartes (RENES); 55D: Queue before U (Q-R-S-T); 56D: Pulls along (TOWS); 57D: Writer Dinesen (ISAK); 58D: WWII craft (LST'S); 62D: Colorado sports nickname, with "the" (ROX); 63D: Singer DiFranco (ANI).