Midweek

Patrick Blindauer's NYT has a Thursdayish gimmick within: there are ten 3-letter body parts hidden diagonally in the grid. Let's see how many I can find...LIP, ARM, LEG, JAW (which explains the presence of UNWON), RIB, TOE and EAR (accounting for MINTER, which I just saw in another recent puzzle and didn't much care for), EYE, GUM, and...EGG? The long non-theme entries can be called to duty, too—DISCLAIMER: Do not attempt to reattach HIDDEN BODY PARTS with ELMER'S GLUE.

Randall Hartman's Sun puzzle, "Bean Town Banter," is reminiscent of Rich Norris's Sunday NYT last January 29, "Sounds of New England"—both play on the "pahked the cah in Hah-vahd Yahd" accent. Are there any Elvis fans who can tell me if his middle name is misspelled on his tombstone, or if the clue, "Name on a Graceland tombstone," refers to someone other than Elvis Aron Presley? [Yes, indeed: There's a misspelling cast in bronze (or whatever metal that is) on Elvis's tombstone.] "It takes an ID to get mail there" is a wonderful clue for IDAHO, and "They're horny" is a hoot for RHINOS.

Ben Tausig's Chicago Reader puzzle, "Society Functions," has (as expected) plenty of zing in the fill (HOTCAKES, DJ GIG, BACk/AT YA, BAR SCENE, CYBORG, CARRY ME) and clues (a DE SADE quote, "Sex, slangily" for ASS, "Body image?" for CAT SCAN). I don't think Ben has it in him to make a dull crossword, honestly.

Sun 4:30
Tausig 4:20
NYT 3:43
LAT 3:19
CS 2:58