09.22 Thu

T H U R S D A Y
September 22, 2011
Betty Keller

Theme: For the Birds — Each theme answer consists of a familiar two-word phrase that starts with a type of duck, then the second word of that phrase is used as the first word of another familiar two-word phrase. Put them all together, clue wackily, and voilà!

Theme answers:

• 17A: Daffy trying to hit the piñata? (DUCK BLIND FOLDE).
• 25A: Survey response at the farm? (CHICKEN FEED BACK).
• 43A: Tom fooler? (TURKEY LEG PULLER).
• 57A: Loosey's cake-making aid? (GOOSE EGG BEATERS).

Fun solve today. The theme really helped me on this one (which doesn't always happen). The cluing was definitely amped up a little to make this a late-week puzzle. Let's get right to the details.

Bullets:

• 1A: Clips for trailers (SCENES). When I saw the word "trailers," the first thing I thought of was movies, but then I second-guessed myself and tried to think of the equipment people use to hitch trailers to their cars/trucks/RVs. Have y'all seen the trailer for "Moneyball"? I can't wait for that movie. Loved loved loved the book. Seriously, one of the most entertaining books I've ever read. And I'm not crazy into baseball. I mean, I like it, and I follow it a little, but I'm not sitting at home crunching numbers this time of year. Anyway, looks like it will be good.
  
  
  
• 11A: Triangular sail (JIB). This one was a gimme, and only from solving crossword puzzles regularly. In real life, I don't know my JIB from my SPAR.

• 15A: Dagwood's pesky kid neighbor (ELMO). See what I mean about the clues being toughened up? Today must be Tertiary Comic Strip Characters Day. See also IRMA (23A: "Garfield" waitress).
• 22A: Pops (DADDY). Sometimes the one-word clues are really frustrating. When the answer provokes a chuckle, though, then I think the frustration is worth it. That's what happend for me today on this one.
• 37A: Sends regrets, perhaps (RSVP'S). That's right, folks: RSVP'ing isn't just about saying "yes"! It's also about saying "no"! The point is to let the host know how many people to expect. If you don't respond with regrets then the host really doesn't know if you'll show up or not. Manners, people! Manners!
• 54A: Likely result of failing a Breathalyzer test, briefly (DUI). When I was growing up, it was always a DWI. Then somehow it became DUI. Then when I moved to Iowa they called it OWI, which sounds all kindsa wrong, but whatever.

• 62A: Blanche Dubois's sister (STELLA). [Insert obligatory yell here.]
• 6D: Strauss opera based on a Wilde play (SALOME). No idea. Totally crosses.
• 7D: Flat bread? (RENT). My first thought, of course, was NAAN, but if NAAN were the answer, the clue wouldn't need a question mark. "Bread" in this clue means "money" and "flat" means "apartment."
• 23D: Brain freeze cause (ICES). I entered ICEE without thinking about it too much. Had to go back and fix that S.
• 55D: Bing info (URL'S). Do people actually use Bing?
• 58D: Bulldog booster (ELI). An ELI is a student at Yale University, where the mascot is a bulldog.

Crosswordese 101: Apparently, William Shatner wrote some sci-fi novels. The series is called "TEK War," TEK being a drug of some sort. And that's all you need to know about TEK to recognize it in a crossword clue.

Other crosswordese in the puzzle that we've already covered:

• 52A: Mountaintop home (AERIE).
• 60A: Dedicatee of Lennon's "Woman" (ONO).
• 58D: Bulldog booster (ELI).

Everything — 1A: Clips for trailers (SCENES); 7A: Fridge incursion (RAID); 11A: Triangular sail (JIB); 14A: Kia model (OPTIMA); 15A: Dagwood's pesky kid neighbor (ELMO); 16A: Japanese salad ingredient (UDO); 17A: Daffy trying to hit the piñata? (DUCK BLIND FOLDED); 20A: Campfire remains (ASH); 21A: It originates from the left ventricle (AORTA); 22A: Pops (DADDY); 23A: "Garfield" waitress (IRMA); 24A: Detective Spade (SAM); 25A: Survey response at the farm? (CHICKEN FEED BACK); 33A: Stows in a hold (LADES); 34A: x, y or z (AXIS); 35A: Many a Louis (ROI); 36A: Supplies for Seurat (OILS); 37A: Sends regrets, perhaps (RSVP'S); 39A: Entry in a PDA (APPT.); 40A: Maui strings (UKE); 41A: Waterfall sound (ROAR); 42A: Not at all good at losing? (OBESE); 43A: Tom fooler? (TURKEY LEG PULLER); 47A: Only reason to watch the Super Bowl, some say (ADS); 48A: Like a pretentious museumgoer (ARTY); 49A: Plane parking place (APRON); 52A: Mountaintop home (AERIE); 54A: Likely result of failing a Breathalyzer test, briefly (DUI); 57A: Loosey's cake-making aid? (GOOSE EGG BEATERS); 60A: Dedicatee of Lennon's "Woman" (ONO); 61A: Jazz singer Laine (CLEO); 62A: Blanche Dubois's sister (STELLA); 63A: Place with presses (GYM); 64A: It may be a peck (KISS); 65A: "Mustn't do that!" ("TSK! TSK!"); 1D: Fizz in a gin fizz (SODA); 2D: PC "brains" (CPU'S); 3D: Make quite an impression (ETCH); 4D: Beat back? (-NIK); 5D: Boards at the dock (EMBARKS); 6D: Strauss opera based on a Wilde play (SALOME); 7D: Flat bread? (RENT); 8D: "M*A*S*H" actor (ALDA); 9D: Currency-stabilizing org. (IMF); 10D: Thingamabobs (DOODADS); 11D: Hirsch of "Numb3rs" (JUDD); 12D: Picked from a lineup (ID'ED); 13D: Shampoo ad buzzword (BODY); 18D: Shah's land, once (IRAN); 19D: New ewe (LAMB); 23D: Brain freeze cause (ICES); 24D: Juanita's half-dozen (SEIS); 25D: Leverage (CLOUT); 26D: 17-syllable verse (HAIKU); 27D: Slugabed (IDLER); 28D: Green Bay legend (FAVRE); 29D: Abbr. on food labels (EXP.); 30D: Adrien of cosmetics (ARPEL); 31D: Small woods (COPSE); 32D: Bad-check passer (KITER); 37D: Acuff and Clark (ROYS); 38D: Actor Mineo (SAL); 39D: With skill (ABLY); 41D: Scapegoat in some down-home humor (REDNECK); 42D: Downs more dogs than, in an annual contest (OUTEATS); 44D: "Get Smart" evil org. (KAOS); 45D: Shirts and skirts (GARB); 46D: Mass leader (PRIEST); 49D: Visibly wowed (AGOG); 50D: Chincoteague horse (PONY); 51D: Sufficient space (ROOM); 52D: Sits in a wine cellar (AGES); 53D: Inflatable items (EGOS); 54D: Shoulder muscle, for short (DELT); 55D: Bing info (URL'S); 56D: Writer Dinesen (ISAK); 58D: Bulldog booster (ELI); 59D: Shatner's "__War" (TEK).