09.23 Fri

F R I D A Y
September 23, 2011
Daniel Finan

Theme: Numb3rs — For the theme answers, clue numbers are part of the clue.

Theme answers:

• 20: questions (FUN GUESSING GAME).
• 36: hours (ONE AND A HALF DAYS).
• 49: ers (FOOTBALL PLAYERS).

Super clever theme today. Really enjoyed it. If you're still confused by it, look at the way I posted the theme answers at the top of this write-up. (Usually I include an A (across) or a D (down) after the clue number, but I took the As out today so there would be a better visual presentation of the trick clues.) The answers themselves aren't really stand-alone phrases that are "in the language" (as they say). They are, instead, definitions, not unlike the type of theme we see from time to time where the theme answers all have the same one-word clue and each answer is a different definition of that word. Some people love those themes, some people get really bent out of shape that the theme answers aren't "really" theme answers. I like to see it every once in a while for a change of pace. And in this case, as I said, the theme is really clever so it's okay with me.

I definitely had several WTF moments throughout the solve, though.

• 18A: Blanche __, pseudonymous author of the 1983 best-seller "Truly Tasteless Jokes" (KNOTT). Wait, really?
• 22D: Swindler, in slang (GANEF). Ne-Ever heard this term. Oh, I see it's Yiddish slang. That pretty much explains it.
• 44D: Walk bouncily (LOLLOP). Again with the ????

Clues that were definitely amped up for Friday include:

• 14A: San __ (REMO). Geez Louise! Could be anything!
• 45A: Seat of Colorado's Pitkin County (ASPEN). Very familiar Colorado place name, but difficult to see with that clue.
• 7D: Where kip are spent (LAOS). Same here.
• 53D: Hunted (PREY). The clue here is not a verb. That's what makes it tricky.

My write-overs:

• 5D: Dug, so to speak (LIKED). Tried LOVED first.
• 9D: Party pooper (WET NOODLE). Totally wanted this to be WET BLANKET. I was actually writing it in, and then … ran out of boxes.
• 56D: Urban miasma (SMOG). Apparently, I don't know what "miasma" means because my first guess was SLUM.

Bullets:

• 5A: Dey job? (L.A. LAW). The clue refers to Susan Dey who starred on the TV show "L.A. LAW." I don't know about you, but I have a hard time thinking of Susan Dey as anybody other than Laurie Partridge. ("Hello world, there's a song that we're singin' ….")
• 24A: Annual sign of bad behavior? (COAL). It took me way too long to get that this clue refers to the "lump of coal" some people get in their stockings at Christmastime.

• 35A: High point of an Alaskan trip? (DENALI). I used to call DENALI its other name until I met my husband, who climbs mountains for fun. Now I can't even remember its other name. Is it Mt. McKinley? Wikipedia says … yes.
• 62A: Its state bird is the cardinal (OHIO). I had to think for a minute about Iowa's state bird here. I was pretty sure it wasn't the cardinal (it's the golfinch), but Iowa is always a possibility when you're looking for a four-letter state.
• 6D: Heart lead singer Wilson et al. (ANNS). The PuzzleKids were watching "X Factor" last night and it appears that several people who have no business whatsoever singing "Barracuda" were attempting to sing "Barracuda."

Crosswordese 101 Round-up:

• 16A: Adidas alternative (AVIA).
• 57A: Frankfurt's river (ODER).
• 58A: Phils, e.g. (NL'ERS).
• 60A: '70s pinup name (LONI).
• 11D: Where the iris is (UVEA).
• 51D: Sommelier's prefix (OENO-).
• 54D: Pre-coll. catchall (EL-HI).

Everything — 1A: Dollar bill weight, roughly (GRAM); 5A: Dey job? (L.A. LAW); 10A: __ Stream (GULF); 14A: San __ (REMO); 15A: Silly (INANE); 16A: Adidas alternative (AVIA); 17A: From the top (ANEW); 18A: Blanche __, pseudonymous author of the 1983 best-seller "Truly Tasteless Jokes" (KNOTT); 19A: "No ice, please" (NEAT); 20A: questions (FUN GUESSING GAME); 23A: Terhune collie (LAD); 24A: Annual sign of bad behavior? (COAL); 25A: "Alice" singer Lavigne (AVRIL); 28A: Orator's vocal quality (RESONANCE); 33A: Sacramento daily (BEE); 34A: Sched. B item on a 1040 (INT.); 35A: High point of an Alaskan trip? (DENALI); 36A: hours (ONE AND A HALF DAYS); 40A: Seven-time N.L. batting champ (MUSIAL); 41A: Storm dir. (ENE); 42A: They lead to an F (C-D-E); 43A: Six-pack abs? (BEER BELLY); 45A: Seat of Colorado's Pitkin County (ASPEN); 47A: TriBeCa neighbor (SOHO); 48A: Blueprint subject, perhaps (ELL); 49A: ers (FOOTBALL PLAYERS); 57A: Frankfurt's river (ODER); 58A: Phils, e.g. (NL'ERS); 59A: Deception (FLAM); 60A: '70s pinup name (LONI); 61A: Beneficiary (DONEE); 62A: Its state bird is the cardinal (OHIO); 63A: 2-Down unit (DROP); 64A: Fixes (SPAYS); 65A: Place to cross, on signs (X-ING); 1D: Seles rival (GRAF); 2D: Eye care brand (RENU); 3D: Flock response (AMEN); 4D: "The Jungle Book" boy (MOWGLI); 5D: Dug, so to speak (LIKED); 6D: Heart lead singer Wilson et al. (ANNS); 7D: Where kip are spent (LAOS); 8D: Silliness (ANTICS); 9D: Party pooper (WET NOODLE); 10D: Underworld (GANGLAND); 11D: Where the iris is (UVEA); 12D: Neeson who voiced Aslan in the "Narnia" movies (LIAM); 13D: You may have a brush with it (FATE); 21D: It merged with Continental in 2010: Abbr. (UAL); 22D: Swindler, in slang (GANEF); 25D: Trinity test subject (A-BOMB); 26D: Locale (VENUE); 27D: Maker of pieces? (REESE); 28D: Genetic letters (RNA); 29D: One of the convicted Rosenberg spies (ETHEL); 30D: Image Awards org. (NAACP); 31D: 1930s public enemy (CLYDE); 32D: NFL Network sportscaster Rich (EISEN); 34D: Devil's tools, metaphorically (IDLE HANDS); 37D: Touchdown site (AIRSTRIP); 38D: Big shot (NABOB); 39D: More than zero (ANY); 44D: Walk bouncily (LOLLOP); 45D: Modeled after (À LA); 46D: Sneaky devil (SLY FOX); 48D: "It's nobody __ business" (ELSE'S); 49D: Go out (FOLD); 50D: Nose wrinkler (ODOR); 51D: Sommelier's prefix (OENO-); 52D: Singer Horne (LENA); 53D: Hunted (PREY); 54D: Pre-coll. catchall (EL-HI); 55D: Shower in public? (RAIN); 56D: Urban miasma (SMOG).