October 5, 2011
Clive Probert
Theme: I'm tryin' to sleep here! — Theme answers are noises that might make it difficult to sleep.
Theme answers:
- 17A: Honk ... honk ... honk ... (AUTOMOBILE ALARM).
- 27A: Woof ... woof ... woof ... (BARKING DOGS).
- 42A: Drip ... drip ... drip ... (LEAKY FAUCET).
- 54A: What you'll get as a result of 17-, 27- or 42-Across? Not! (GOOD NIGHT'S SLEEP).
Cute theme idea. I have definitely been deprived of a GOOD NIGHT'S SLEEP by all of these things at one time or another. I'm not crazy about the execution for two main reasons. First, it's a CAR ALARM. Nobody calls it an AUTOMOBILE ALARM, so that seems like cheating. Also, why is BARKING DOGS plural when the other theme answers aren't? It really only takes one dog barking to keep a person awake. Again, sort of cheap using that S to make the phrase long enough to work with the theme. I would rather have seen this theme worked on a little longer to see if it could be accomplished with a better set of theme answers. And if, in the end, it was determined that these were the best options, well, I probably would have kept the idea in my notes and not acted on it unless a really good set of theme answers presented themselves. Also, what's with the reveal clue? Why get all cutesy all of a sudden? I'm sorry to be so negative today, but these are the kinds of things I notice and the whole premise of this blog is for me to write about my solving experience. So there you go.
Bullets:- 10A: 1996 title role for Gwyneth (EMMA). I didn't see this movie, but I'm guessing it's a modern take on Jane Austen's classic. For more Austen-y goodness, jump down to LYDIA (30A: Youngest "Pride and Prejudice" Bennet sister).
- 21A: Help in a bad way (ABET). I've seen this clue before, but it still managed to fool me today. Love it.
- 25A: Cheeky pet? (HAMSTER). I do not know what this means.
- 36A: Bonehead (DOLT). It seems like there are a lot of choices for clues like this: DODO, DOPE, BOZO … I'm sure there are others.
- 37A: Pong maker (ATARI). Thinking about Pong kind of freaks me out. I mean, look at today's video games and then remember how excited we were about Pong.
- 2D: Roy Orbison song that was a top ten hit for Linda Ronstadt (BLUE BAYOU). Sparkly entry of the day.
- 5D: "To Where You Are" singer Josh (GROBAN). I don't know this guy. If you had told me the name, I would have guessed he was an actor on a show like "How I Met Your Mother" or something.
- 50D: Red-bearded god (THOR). This little tidbit must have been in the back of my mind somewhere because I wrote it in without even thinking about it. But even while I was entering it, I was thinking "THOR has a red beard? Huh."
- 55D: Creator of Watson, a memorable 2011 "Jeopardy!" winner (IBM). Speaking of memorable "Jeopardy!" winners … Did you all see Joon last night? He is a freaking ROCK STAR. He made the decision to bet it all on that mental math Daily Double so quickly that I didn't even hear him say it because the audience was still applauding about the fact that he had found the Daily Double. BOLD is what I'm saying. So proud…. ::sniff::
- 1A: The duck in "Peter and the Wolf" (OBOE).
- 37A: Pong maker (ATARI).
- 48A: Fragrant compound (ESTER).
- 58A: Normandy river (ORNE).
- 4D: Expressive rock genre (EMO).
- 8D: Sargasso Sea denizen (EEL).
- 51D: __ Reader (UTNE).
Everything — 1A: The duck in "Peter and the Wolf" (OBOE); 5A: Hail (GREET); 10A: 1996 title role for Gwyneth (EMMA); 14A: "Project Runway" host Heidi (KLUM); 15A: Ardent lover (ROMEO); 16A: Business jet company founder (LEAR); 17A: Honk ... honk ... honk ... (AUTOMOBILE ALARM); 20A: Conifer with springy wood (YEW); 21A: Help in a bad way (ABET); 22A: Jargon (LINGO); 23A: City on the Shatt al-Arab waterway (BASRA); 25A: Cheeky pet? (HAMSTER); 27A: Woof ... woof ... woof ... (BARKING DOGS); 30A: Youngest "Pride and Prejudice" Bennet sister (LYDIA); 31A: Love, in Málaga (AMOR); 32A: In the center of (AMID); 36A: Bonehead (DOLT); 37A: Pong maker (ATARI); 38A: Brit's floor covering (LINO); 39A: Men (GUYS); 40A: "Will be," in a Day song (SERA); 41A: Prefix meaning "hundred" (CENTI-); 42A: Drip ... drip ... drip ... (LEAKY FAUCET); 44A: Mime who created Bip the Clown (MARCEAU); 48A: Fragrant compound (ESTER); 49A: Gesundheit evoker (ACHOO); 50A: Walrus's weapon (TUSK); 52A: Filmmaker's deg. (MFA); 54A: What you'll get as a result of 17-, 27- or 42-Across? Not! (GOOD NIGHT'S SLEEP); 58A: Normandy river (ORNE); 59A: Kentucky pioneer (BOONE); 60A: Like lawn spots in need of reseeding (BARE); 61A: Some wallet bills (ONES); 62A: Social customs (MORES); 63A: Jeanne and Geneviève: Abbr. (STES.); 1D: "Sure" (OKAY); 2D: Roy Orbison song that was a top ten hit for Linda Ronstadt (BLUE BAYOU); 3D: On the surface (OUTWARDLY); 4D: Expressive rock genre (EMO); 5D: "To Where You Are" singer Josh (GROBAN); 6D: Spa convenience (ROBE); 7D: Send out (EMIT); 8D: Sargasso Sea denizen (EEL); 9D: It may be tapped at a concert (TOE); 10D: Brat Pack novelist Bret Easton __ (ELLIS); 11D: Intended (MEANT); 12D: Bart's mom (MARGE); 13D: Mail at the castle (ARMOR); 18D: "Ave __" (MARIA); 19D: Poor request? (ALMS); 24D: "Saturday Night Live" fare (SKITS); 25D: "Yippee!" ("HOORAY!"); 26D: Business opening? (AGRI-); 27D: Skyscraper, e.g.: Abbr. (BLDG.); 28D: Cake, in Calais (GATEAU); 29D: Former Berlin currency, briefly (D-MARK); 32D: Kayak maker (ALEUT); 33D: Pie filling that may include beef (MINCE MEAT); 34D: Meddle (INTERFERE); 35D: "Just __!" (DO IT); 37D: Where landlubbers prefer not to be (ASEA); 41D: Winery containers (CASKS); 42D: Boxer Spinks (LEON); 43D: Admits, with "up" (FESSES); 44D: Cartoon Mr. (MAGOO); 45D: Squirrel's find (ACORN); 46D: Avignon's river (RHONE); 47D: Works on a program (CODES); 50D: Red-bearded god (THOR); 51D: __ Reader (UTNE); 53D: Rock of Gibraltar mammals (APES); 55D: Creator of Watson, a memorable 2011 "Jeopardy!" winner (IBM); 56D: Gunk (GOO); 57D: Ft-__: energy units (LBS.).