Sun 3:39
LAT 3:18
NYT 2:44
The New York Times crossword for Tuesday is by Katie Yeager, a constructor whose name I don't recognize. (Debut?) The theme entries are tied together by "ISN'T IT IRONIC?"—a [Musical question posed by Alanis Morissette, as suggested by 20-, 33- and 40-Across].- The SILVER DOLLAR is a [Coin composed of copper, nickel, zinc and manganese], and not made of silver.
- A [Hair treatment that generally lasts three to six months] is called a PERMANENT WAVE.
- The [Pro football team based in New Jersey] is called the NEW YORK GIANTS.
My favorite answer in this crossword is AQUAVIT, a [Clear Scandinavian liquor] with a great name. The most unexpected clue is [Anagrammatic cousin of Alice or Lacie] for CELIA. Other names in the grid include Mrs. O'LEARY, the [Catherine whose cow is said to have started the Great Chicago Fire]; SELA, or [Actress Ward]; RYAN, or [TV host Seacrest]; EDIE, or [Singer Brickell], ENYA, or the one-named ["Orinoco Flow" singer]; REDD [Foxx of "Sanford and Son"]; and Aaron BURR, [Victor in a duel with Hamilton].
Updated:
Peter Gordon (writing as Ogden Porter) marks the 50th (!) anniversary of THE DAY THE / MUSIC DIED with his puzzle, "I Can't Remember If I Cried..." It was February 3, 1959 when a plane crash took BUDDY / HOLLY, THE BIG / BOPPER, and RITCHIE VALENS. Buddy Holly is the only musician I'm fond of who died before I was born—too bad he's not a 72-year-old man still putting on shows for his middle-aged-plus fan base. The Don McLean song "AMERICAN PIE" (9-minute video here) calls 2/3/59 "the day the music died. Peter's included 64 theme squares, which is a lot, in a 15x16 grid with left/right symmetry. I kinda see a fighter jet in the black squares, but I'm sure that's not intentional.
John Lampkin's LA Times crossword makes a logical progression from cause to effect:- [Soul mate] is a PERFECT MATCH. If you light a match, you get a...
- Flame. MY OLD FLAME is a [Nostalgic 1934 Mae West song]. If the flame spreads, you've got yourself a...
- Blaze. To [Forge a path] is to TRAIL-BLAZE. After the blaze burns out, you're left with...
- Ashes. ANGELA'S ASHES is a [Frank McCourt memoir].
Matt Jones's Jonesin' crossword, "Verse for Wear," fills the three theme entries with 5-, 7-, and 5-syllable lines, like a haiku:MY HAIKU WRITING'SIf you are the parent of a young child, you may appreciate the Momku Twitter feed. (Example: Son stuck paper clip / In outlet "just 'cause." And they / Wonder why I drink) Turning back to the puzzle, the answers I liked best include First Kid SASHA crossing OBAMA, across the puzzle from a CIVIC DUTY like voting; actress Susie ESSMAN of Curb Your Enthusiasm; GUAC, a [Nacho topper, slangily]; OK GO, the [Band that hit YouTube with the treadmill-choreographed video]; and THE EL, or [Chicago public transportation, familiarly].
OK BUT ALL I GOT WAS
THIS LOUSY T-SHIRT.