Daily Beast, 10/30/09

Time – 9:57
Happy Halloween, everybody.



Matt Gaffney is celebrating by hiding CLASSIC COSTUMES (66A) in six theme answers.
Let’s try and find them.
23A: [Tactic in a tank, e.g.]: COMBAT MANEUVER, hiding Comb.
36A: [It's required to enter some countries]: TRAVEL VISA, hiding Visa.
44A: [Why not to stare at an eclipse, they say]: YOU’LL GO BLIND, hiding Blind.
89A: [Sent up the river]: THROWN IN JAIL, hiding Jail.
94A: [Part of the subway system in Chicago, Boston, or D.C.]: ORANGE LINE, hiding Orange.
114A: [Preparing to make demands, say]: TAKING HOSTAGES, hiding King.
Disclaimer: Crossword Fiend Industries does not endorse the preceding (except for Orange), and considers the correct hidden costumes to be BATMAN, ELVIS, GOBLIN, NINJA, ANGEL and GHOST, respectively.
What's with all the says? Say, Say, Say.
I will be going to 61A: [Magic place?]: ORLANDO in December, where I will no doubt see 27A: [Jack Sparrow’s portrayer]: DEPP.
43A: [Irish chanteuse]: ENYA. Shall we sail away?
59A: [“Scott BAIO is 45...And Single” (VH1 show)]. Shall we remember Joanie Loves Chachi?
65A: [Win every game, as in the World Series]: SWEEP. Not this year.
73A: [Debbie Downer]: SAD SACK. Hint – don’t go to a party with these two and Mopey Marvin, Low Louie and Crying Carl.
86A: [Gateway rival]: DELL - choice of your finest Canadian crossword bloggers.
4D: [Diet soda]: TAB. What’s with TAB and Fresca? Are they still around or not? I’m never sure.
19D: [A face that could STOP A clock]. One of those expressions that makes no sense if you really think about it.
32D: [Obama “birther” lawyer ORLY Taitz]. Nothing about this clue or answer makes any sense to me. Please explain so I can say 70A: [Now I understand]: AH OK.
65D: [Clever piece of candy]: SMARTIE. It seems that Canadian smarties are nothing like American smarties.
75D: [The Golden State, for short]: CALI. California leads all states in number of abbreviations.
78D: [Sex, about half the time]: FEMALE. (Any comment I add here will result in another disclaimer, so let’s move on).
88D: [Use all of, as blankets]: HOG. Why do I always wake up at 2:00 am shivering with no blankets? I could seal those things with duct tape and my wife would find a way to take them.
100D: [novelist Mario Vargas LLOSA.] His most famous book is “Llamas on the Llano”.
122A: [Col. Klink portrayer Klemperer]: WERNER. My Dad was a WWII veteran and loved to watch Hogan's Heroes. He would go around saying "I Know Nothing!" ala Sgt. Schultz.

Canadian Content:
101A: [Mike’s “Shrek” co-star]: EDDIE. (Mike, not Eddie.)
111A: [Actress Cuthbert]: ELISHA
84D: [Ducks, Devils, Flames, et al.]: NHL. (the Flames)
103D: [“Me, Myself & IRENE”] starring Jim Carrey.

Enough 117D: [Bother]: ADO for this week.

(P.S. As I mentioned last week, the torch headed to the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver passed a block from my house on Friday. Here's a tip for taking good pictures: Make sure the batteries in your camera aren't dead. Here's a shot from 10 minutes past my place (near a planned stop, which is why the runner isn't running).