09.27 Tue

T U E S D A Y
September 27, 2011
Steven J. St. John

Theme: Flight From Hell — Each theme answer is a not-uncommon inconvenience related to air travel.

Theme answers:

• 17A: Invasive airline inconvenience (BODY SCANNER).
• 29A: Uncomfortable airline inconvenience (CRAMPED SEAT).
• 46A: Wearying airline inconvenience (LONG LAY-OVER).
• 64A: Excruciating airline inconvenience (the last straw!) (LOST LUGGAGE).

I have mixed feelings about this puzzle. The theme isn't very exciting, but it's cool how the theme answers are in order (from top to bottom) of how a person would experience these things on an actual trip. Also, the fill is quite good (and Scrabbly!). So overall, I found it an enjoyable puzzle with a "meh" theme.

Standout entries for me today include:

• 5A: Talisman (AMULET). Makes me feel all mystical just reading the word.
• 3D: Awe (BEDAZZLE).
• 6D: Spaghetti go-with (MEATBALL). Mmm … meatballs.
• 39D: Military day starter (REVEILLE). I tell you what. No one can be more surprised than me that I plopped this baby in with the correct spelling the very first time I tried.
• 40D: Shame (DISGRACE).

The most troublesome spot for me was in the northeast where KNAVISH (21A: Untrustworthy) crosses LINK-UP (8D: Connection). As I've mentioned before, sometimes I have a hard time "seeing" the vertical words in the grid. With LIN*UP in place, I just couldn't figure out what was going on. I could see that an E would make sense there, but I just couldn't get that to fit the clue or the cross. I finally wrote the vertical word out horizontally so I could actually "read" it, and, well, not exactly voilà. I still couldn't make sense out of the grammar. I was thinking of LINK UP as a verb, but I finally decided that, with a hyphen, LINK-UP can also be a noun. Mystery solved. Whew!

Bullets:

• 1A: Dinner wear for the highchair set (BIBS). The phrase "highchair set" tickled me.
• 39A: Flippable card file (ROLODEX). I think you can still buy ROLODEXes at the Flintstone Office Supply store. They're old-fashioned is what I'm saying.

• 67A: One way to share (EVENLY). Huh. Not feeling this one.
• 9D: Barbara who played a genie (EDEN). I don't have anything to say about this clue/answer, but I know Doug wouldn't forgive me if I didn't post a picture of Barbara EDEN with the opportunity just handed to me like this.
• 13D: Papa Smurf's headgear (RED HAT). I guess I've never really looked at Papa Smurf long enough to register that his HAT is RED. I see RED HAT listed nine times in the Cruciverb.com data base, and it's never been clued in relation to the RED HAT Society, which I guess might be a little obscure for a Tuesday, but I'm surprised it hasn't been used at all.
• 58D: Bright star (NOVA).

Crosswordese 101 Round-up:

• 36A: Island ring (LEI).
• 52A: Moonfish (OPAH).
• 66A: Due-in hr. (ETA).
• 57D: Baldwin of "30 Rock" (ALEC).

Everything — 1A: Dinner wear for the highchair set (BIBS); 5A: Talisman (AMULET); 11A: Spoil (MAR); 14A: Working without __ (A NET); 15A: Next to (BESIDE); 16A: Sam Adams product (ALE); 17A: Invasive airline inconvenience (BODY SCANNER); 19A: Groovy relative? (RAD); 20A: One with an office couch, maybe (ANALYST); 21A: Untrustworthy (KNAVISH); 23A: __ garden (ZEN); 24A: A/C measure (BTU); 26A: Durante's "__ Dinka Doo" (INKA); 27A: Wood-dressing tool (ADZ); 29A: Uncomfortable airline inconvenience (CRAMPED SEAT); 33A: President when Texas was annexed (POLK); 35A: With 1-Down, discoverer of cave treasure (ALI); 36A: Island ring (LEI); 37A: Salon polish target (TOE NAIL); 39A: Flippable card file (ROLODEX); 43A: Mag. edition (ISS.); 44A: Father's Day mo. in Australia (SEP.); 45A: Congenial (NICE); 46A: Wearying airline inconvenience (LONG LAY-OVER); 51A: Lawn strip (SOD); 52A: Moonfish (OPAH); 53A: Lumberjack's tool (AXE); 54A: Subj. with x's (ALG.); 56A: Faraway (DISTANT); 59A: Paid no attention to (IGNORED); 63A: Roam (about) (GAD); 64A: Excruciating airline inconvenience (the last straw!) (LOST LUGGAGE); 66A: Due-in hr. (ETA); 67A: One way to share (EVENLY); 68A: Clickable image (ICON); 69A: Not optional: Abbr. (REQ.); 70A: French film festival site (CANNES); 71A: "__ la vie" (C'EST); 1D: See 35-Across (BABA); 2D: Part of, as a plot (IN ON); 3D: Awe (BEDAZZLE); 4D: Panache (STYLE); 5D: Basics (ABC'S); 6D: Spaghetti go-with (MEATBALL); 7D: Mil. branch (USN); 8D: Connection (LINK UP); 9D: Barbara who played a genie (EDEN); 10D: Giga- x 1,000 (TERA-); 11D: Oceanic (MARINE); 12D: State with the Big Dipper on its flag (ALASKA); 13D: Papa Smurf's headgear (RED HAT); 18D: Pop music's 'N__ (SYNC); 22D: Sight (VISION); 25D: "More than I need to know!" ("TMI!"); 27D: Suited (APT); 28D: Scooby-__ (DOO); 30D: Mrs. Gorbachev (RAISA); 31D: Skip church, in a way? (ELOPE); 32D: Sci-fi's Lester __ Rey (DEL); 34D: Jumping chess piece (KNIGHT); 38D: Comm. for the hearing-impaired (ASL); 39D: Military day starter (REVEILLE); 40D: Shame (DISGRACE); 41D: Green prefix (ECO-); 42D: Struck (out) of the text (X'ED); 44D: Red or White team (SOX); 46D: Inn resident (LODGER); 47D: Morphine, e.g. (OPIATE); 48D: Where YHOO stock is traded (NASDAQ); 49D: China's Sun (YAT-SEN); 50D: Pealed (RANG); 55D: Spock's forte (LOGIC); 57D: Baldwin of "30 Rock" (ALEC); 58D: Bright star (NOVA); 60D: Dolls' dates (GUYS); 61D: They may not be quiet on the set (EGOS); 62D: Small body-shop job (DENT); 65D: Former Opry network (TNN).