08.24 Wed

W E D N E S D A Y

August 24, 2011

Michael Daems

Theme: FACE Bookends — Each theme answer begins with FA and ends with CE so, in each case, the word FACE is a "bookend."



Theme answers:

• 20A: *Miss (FAIL TO NOTICE).
• 28A: *Simulated living room feature (FAUX FIREPLACE).
• 45A: *Feature of many Bee Gees songs (FALSETTO VOICE).
• 51A: Headline that would shock the Internet community (or put another way, hint to the divided word in each of the answers to the divided word in each of the answers to starred clues) (FACEBOOK ENDS).

There's some good stuff in here but, overall, my experience of this puzzle is just "meh." The reveal answer for the theme is cute, but it's almost too cute for my taste. The theme phrases didn't strike me as particularly interesting. I imagine FAUX FIREPLACE is a term people use in, maybe, the real estate business, but I've never heard it. And FALSETTO VOICE is one of those entries from the Department of Redundancy Department. So, FAIL TO NOTICE is the stand-out theme entry. Not much more to say than that.



Okay, good stuff. I said there was some, right? The clue for TAYLOR is deliciously vague (6D: Five-time Grammy winner James). Is James a first name or last name? Is it our good friend Etta? My mind was flitting all over the place before finally landing on James.





The long downs mostly just sit there doing nothing (CITIZENSHIP, EVIDEZzzzzzz). GIRAFFE is pretty good (5D: Long-necked mammal) and then — bam! — we get FUDGE FACTOR (25D: Arbitrary allowance for error). Definitely the highlight of the puzzle for me.



Bullets:

• 10A: Shady plan (SCAM). Interesting how we were just talking about plan vs. plot the other day. Change plan to plot in this clue and it could mean something totally different!
• 39A: Dan Patrick's channel, formerly (ESPN). What is Dan Patrick up to these days?
• 50A: Some 12-yd. soccer shots (PKS). I have no idea what this means.
• 63A: More-than-disappointing crowd? (NO ONE). I don't understand the question mark in this clue. Is there another meaning of "disappointing crowd" that I'm not thinking of?

• 1D: The Tanners' adoptee, on TV (ALF). Okay, this is embarrassing. I was thinking of Danny Tanner from "Full House" and thought, "Michelle was adopted?"
• 35D: Logical character (SPOCK). He offered a lot of very logical advice about babies and childcare.
• 42D: Diffused through a membrane (OSMOSED). Ugh.
• 47D: Aftershock (TREMOR). Timely! Yep, we sure as heck did have an earthquake here yesterday. I was shopping at Target when it hit. If it had been any stronger or lasted any longer I'm pretty sure various heavy objects would have been coming down on my head so I'm glad it was a small one. (Although, out of the five earthquakes I've felt in my life, it was by far the biggest!)

• 53D: Curly cabbage (KALE).

Crosswordese 101 Round-up:

• 14A: Hilo veranda (LANAI).
• 38A: Ottoman officer (AGA).
• 1D: The Tanners' adoptee, on TV (ALF).
• 39D: Command for DDE (ETO).
• 46D: Carol opening (ADESTE).

Everything — 1A: Cellar process (AGING); 6A: Incline (TILT); 10A: Shady plan (SCAM); 14A: Hilo veranda (LANAI); 15A: Freshly (ANEW); 16A: Scrabble piece (TILE); 17A: Panache (FLAIR); 18A: He caught Don's 1956 World Series perfect game (YOGI); 19A: Bickering (AT IT); 20A: *Miss (FAIL TO NOTICE); 23A: Tolkien's Elrond, e.g. (ELF); 26A: One way to pace (FRO); 27A: Hold dear (PRIZE); 28A: *Simulated living room feature (FAUX FIREPLACE); 32A: Confounds (ADDLES); 33A: Poem of the countryside (IDYL); 34A: Fort Meade-based govt. org. (NSA); 37A: Standards, briefly (REGS); 38A: Ottoman officer (AGA); 39A: Dan Patrick's channel, formerly (ESPN); 40A: Portland-to-Boise dir. (ESE); 41A: Frosh, next year (SOPH); 43A: Scientific __ (METHOD); 45A: *Feature of many Bee Gees songs (FALSETTO VOICE); 48A: Respectful address (MADAM); 49A: Louis XIV, par exemple (ROI); 50A: Some 12-yd. soccer shots (PKS); 51A: Headline that would shock the Internet community (or put another way, hint to the divided word in each of the answers to starred clues) (FACEBOOK ENDS); 55A: Takes steps (ACTS); 56A: Land of Rama I (SIAM); 57A: Poke (ELBOW); 61A: Gait slower than a canter (TROT); 62A: 'Enry's greeting ('ELLO); 63A: More-than-disappointing crowd? (NO ONE); 64A: Miffed (SORE); 65A: Textile worker (DYER); 66A: Amarillo's home (TEXAS); 1D: The Tanners' adoptee, on TV (ALF); 2D: Lass (GAL); 3D: Garten of the Food Network (INA); 4D: Newbie (NAIF); 5D: Long-necked mammal (GIRAFFE); 6D: Five-time Grammy winner James (TAYLOR); 7D: Playing a fifth qtr., say (IN O.T.); 8D: Kid's building block (LEGO); 9D: Reinforced, as some dust bags (TWIN-PLY); 10D: Radio interference (STATIC); 11D: Immigrant test taker's goal (CITIZENSHIP); 12D: Rocker Cooper (ALICE); 13D: Dole (out) (METE); 21D: Pupil's place (IRIS); 22D: Uttered (ORAL); 23D: Online airline deal (E-FARE); 24D: Fills with cargo (LADES); 25D: Arbitrary allowance for error (FUDGE FACTOR); 29D: T-shirt sizes, for short (XL'S); 30D: Black ball (EIGHT); 31D: BlackBerry Bold, e.g. (PDA); 35D: Logical character (SPOCK); 36D: Aconcagua is its highest peak (ANDES); 38D: Mimic (APE); 39D: Command for DDE (ETO); 41D: Generous slice (SLAB); 42D: Diffused through a membrane (OSMOSED); 43D: Night light (MOON); 44D: Clear (EVIDENT); 46D: Carol opening (ADESTE); 47D: Aftershock (TREMOR); 48D: Computer shortcut (MACRO); 51D: Domino's nickname (FATS); 52D: Slick (OILY); 53D: Curly cabbage (KALE); 54D: Gin flavoring (SLOE); 58D: Spar in the ring (BOX); 59D: Stop __ dime (ON A); 60D: Filmmaker Craven (WES).