Since it’s Friday, it must be themeless and challenging…

Random hints:

Old car with ignition trouble:  Well, EDSELs couldn’t start much of a fire, but this Ford sure wasn’t a thoroughbred!

Like:  as in king?

Opinion add-on:  2 words, almost

Critter with humanlike fingerprints:  It’s unbearable, despite its common name

Really long:  Well, not so much far as not close enough

steps on a scale:  Are you kidding?  Who would dare step on a scale after the holiday and with New Years still to come!  You might think they mean a very specific scale, like do re mi, but they don’t

Pro beginner:  or –>  a truck   (given the size of these, what how big would a whole one be???)

dropped off: think tide

Most Atari-playing kids:  Most of them have moved on.  Now they just play with their smart phones all evening.  Oh, wait, that’s everyone.  Yeh, the clue’s pretty right about who we’re talking about.

Ancient meeting place:  It’s also an old xword favorite, but, if you don’t like open spaces, I hope you’re not -phobic about it.

Theme of the Tell-Tale Heart:  You mean her heart wasn’t really beating under the floorboards?

Like bars that are often near horses:  No, not in oaters.  There are other kinds of bars near other kinds of horses.

It can go from liquid to frozen:  But putting it doesn’t need to  be cold to be frozen.

Ok, so right away we see that there’s something going on with the clues with SON and TIN, for example in all caps.

Theme hint:  These letters are, literally, what the answer means, but you’d never get them until you have most of the letters.  Once you do get one, it’ll be a help with the others.

Individual hints:

That’s it for me:  …or, “Tada!”

____ Systems:  … or the _____ Kid.

Bit the bullet: 2 words

What’s in the stars:  You can’t avoid your own.

Designer of the Tulip chair:  His first name is a xword favorite.  Eerie, isn’t it?

Was paralyzed with fear, say:  Or just went outside in the northeast!

Ski shop supply:  you might expect a plural here, but this is a word that’s the same whether it’s plural or singular

Tony winner of 5-down:  Not most people’s idea of a good meal.

professional runner:  These runners might not know the agony of the feet, but they might know a related agony.

Say “hey,” say: …or say “how,” say…or even say “huh,” say

And, for next time, “Rapper behind the 2012…” — if you know nothing about rap, remember this for the future.  3-letter rappers are very popular in crosswords these days!

If you enjoy words, check out my latest essay: Twitterization.

A few hints to Brandon Emmett Quigley’s Monday (themeless) puzzle this week:

I don’t need much to drink:  3 words

Completely gaga over: 2 words

Secretively:  …or Answer to the question:  Have you downloaded the christmas photos yet?  No, there still __________.

Like an ass:  Think animal, not the guy who spilled egg nog all over you!

Dog breed popularized by Helen Keller:   Popularized by?  I don’t this Ms. Keller was primarily interested in promoting the dog breed.  Once you get it, remember how to spell this breed’s name.  Personally I always get confused about the last two letters.

Original channel for “Star Trek: Voyager”:  The channel is as extinct as the series.

Amphibious warfare craft:  Abbr. :  Think Normandy. And remember it for next time.  A very common xword answer.

Likewise:  Note that the clue is not in quotes.

2012 movie with the tagline…:    A film about a gypsy guitarist who has a Prometheus complex?

[Eye roll]:  2 words;  the second of these is often elongated, as in  Aaaaaaargh!

Plus: 3 words

You’re on your own for the down clues.

Well, usually Wed. themes don’t have rebuses.  (In case you don’t know, a “rebus” in crossword-ese means a space where more than one letter fits it a single square.   These letters are part of the theme.   In Across Lite, hitting the ESC will give you a box that let’s you put multiple letters in a single box.)   Thursdays often use rebuses.  What usually alerts you to the presence of a rebus is when seemingly obvious answers just don’t seem to fit.

Maybe, for example, you know who won the Best Director oscar in  1997.  It won 11 academy awards that year. Not bad for something that couldn’t keep afloat!  If you only know a couple directors names, you might know him.  (Frank CAPRA is a director, by the way, whom you’ll see most often in puzzles…not this time though.)

Or maybe you know that a Round-tripper’s a baseball term and what seems like the obvious answer doesn’t seem to fit.

The key is often clued very specifically in a single clue that says directly that it’s a hint to other answers.  In this case, it’s the position of the clue/answer that might get you to notice it.  It’s just crammed full of the rebus that’s at the heart of the puzzle, in more ways than one.

I enjoyed this puzzle, but maybe that’s just me.

Merry Xmas!  Well, if ever there’s gonna be a themed puzzle related to the specific date, this is surely the day!  And 48-across confirms it!

Once again, it’s the circles that matter in the long answers, not the long answers themselves.

Some hints:

Cookie baker:  it’s a what, not a who

____ Bator:  We got the other half of this yesterday.  If you don’t know this one, it might be worth checking out words every puzzle fan should know

Early gig for Chase and Belushi, for short:  Another one familiar to frequent solvers.  Think initials of a TV show, not abbreviation

One with lots of experience:  This one might make you think the whole long answer is the theme, especially the answer’s first word

El Prado works:  Not all plurals have “S” at the end!

“Me, too!”:  Only 5 letters, but 3, count ’em, 3 words.  btw:  DITTO is a common answer to this clue…but not here

Game with sets and runs: 2 words

Bryn Mawr grad, e.g. :  Ever met a guy from Bryn Mawr…I don’t think so!

Race in an H.G. Wells novel:  Another xword favorite.  A very nice race they were, especially when properly cooked, according to the Morlocks.   There’s a rumor that the Morlocks are demanding equal crossword puzzle time.  Don’t think I’ve ever seen them in a crossword.

Corps of Engineers project:  They build lots of stuff, but after Katrina, this is what they got a (bad) rep for.

Hints for NYT beginners:  Monday’s the place to start, that’s for sure, ’cause NYT puzzles get harder as the week goes on.  If you’re googling, I’m sure you see Rex Parker’s blog:  Definitely the place to go when you’re done with the puzzle, but not while you’re still working on it, ’cause he’ll give you the answers and may upset you with how easy he finds some things you find quite challenging.   (btw:  My wife tells me Michael Sharp is really Rex Parker himself!)  And be sure to learn the stuff on my Words every crossword puzzler should know blog.

Advanced solvers:  I met a man once who did the puzzles, starting on Monday and sometimes making it all the way through Thursday, just using the across clues!  It’s fun to see how far you can get.  (With Across Lite, of course you have to be careful not to accidentally give yourself a down clue.)

A few hints:

Theme (Monday thru Thurs. puzzles are “themed” — usually meaning that the long answers are related to in some way.  In this case, there’s something that are a couple things the first word of each two word long answer that’s the same.  Once you find a couple of them, it’ll help you with the other long clues.

Yacht, e.g.:  The “e.g.” (= “for example”) tells you that the clue is a specific example of a broader (often much broader) category.  You’ll sometime even seem things like “Dogs and cats, e.g.” with the answer being “NOUNS.”  Not quite that broad here.

Enthusiastic response to “Who wants cookies?”:  Only 3 letters, but nevertheless, 2 words

Not a dry eye in the ______:  Think theatre

Savana grazers:  a favorite animal for crossword writers;  I wonder if it really exists!  You’ll find OKAPIS and ORYXs a lot in puzzles, but this particular one could be the Spanish + the opposite of the ocean.

RRs stop:  Well, they don’t stop in the middle of nowhere (hopefully) and the RR is an abbreviation, so the answer’s an abbreviation too.

Theme:  BYWORDS  — Ok.  Obviously something with BY.  And we have circles.  Notice that the sets of circles are lined up next to each other.  Might these two things be related?  Solve one pair of down clues with circles and all will become clear!  (Side effect of the way this theme works:  It’s not about the long clues/answers as such, just the circled letters).

Theme (using 47- and 42- down).  Half of how Noah loaded the ark.   (And the things that may be written in it aren’t likely to be changed very easily!)

Paisley refusals:  Bet you thought of 60’s clothes, right?  Nah.  Paisley is also a place.  

F = ma formulator:  Amazing that this same man invented a fig-filled cookie!

Revolutionary 1960s Chinese youth:  2 words

Attach a handle to:  Not the kind of handle you can hold onto, at least not physically.

Quibblers split them:  This one could have a question mark (pun indicator) after it.

One running:  Think election

Derby features:  Don’t think races

Go out:  Think tide

What environmentalists want us to reduce:  Watch your step!

My mistake:  But don’t sit down!

According to old wisdom:  4 words.  Thing adage.

It’s first CEO was WWI hero Eddie Rickenbacker:  If you know what he was a hero for doing, you may guess why it’s appropriate he started this company.

Car ad figure:  4 letters.  Yeh, I know it’s 4 letters, but it is 4 letters.

surfer’s address:  No, not wind surfer or wave surfer

Comeback: think verbal

Info on a medical form:  It isn’t all about you!

One whose goal is change shape?:  Especially needed after the next few days!

Bears, e.g. :  These bears don’t hibernate

Well, this one stopped me in my tracks.  Certainly 17-across, Winner of nine 2011 Tonys, killed me dead.  First of all, I’m embarrassed that I have no idea whatsoever of who won Tony’s, well really, period, (maybe Tommy Tune, but zilch beyond that).  So I’m sitting here staring at the upper part of the puzzle in moderate horror, seeing many open spaces, many “penciled in” spaces, and many clues that mean absolutely nothing to me.

My first strategy in such a situation, and I think it’s a good one, is to be begin by admitting defeat, and going on from there.

Once I admit defeat to this extent, I allow myself to click “check” even just to prove myself wrong, because I really don’t trust my answer.  So I’m chancing being told I’m wrong.  Across Lite  leaves a little red triangle if you’re wrong, something that my prideful puzzling soul is ashamed of.  I know I shouldn’t be ashamed, I’ve been through psychotherapy.   I will be strong.  I will admit defeat, but I will not press Reveal.   I will not turn to Rex Parker, et al., for the answer.

Anyway, you don’t want my life story, you just want a hint:

Bars:  As in legal.  You may remember an old Law and Order where the villain used this term.

Secretary of War under Roosevelt: He was quite famous, though not quite as much as Roosevelt.

Frequenter of Web forums: abbr. :  Notice the abbr.  It doesn’t mean slang.

And finally Winner of nine 2011 Tonys!  :  (So it wasn’t so obscure after all.  Thank …) Don’t get locked into one category of winner, though, when you think about it, who or what could win nine awards?   So is it a two word answer?  Or not?

Not be underdressed?  :  Great answer.  Two words.  (It’s rare, btw, that NYT will go in this direction.   More Brandon Emmett Quigley,

Bit of filming:  Ok there are two closely related four letter words.  They mean close to the same thing.  If you know 4-across, then you’re fine.  Otherwise try to see if you can remember the other meaning and see if it fits better.

I object to 26-down 1998 hit that begins +___, I do believe I’ve failed you.”  crossing 35-down Thomas H. _____ of the silent era!   I dunno, I can make a guess.  Only hint I can say is that each name is unusual, but not particularly strange.

Now back to the bottom right.  Definitely serious trouble for me.  I don’t remember a word for “Legendary creature similar to the Sphinx” though I’m sure I’ll recognize when I get a few more litters….

But here are more unsolvable crosses if you don’t know directly, you can’t easily figure them out…

Soldiering on:

Go downhill fast?:   I think the question mark’s misleading.   Not really a play on words, except if you’re going downhill fast.

There’s a word of what happens here, it’s called a NATTCK.  Remember it.  It”s sure to show up in a future puzle.

Theme:  Extra Holiday Pay (see 57-across).  Ok, all puns this time (note the question marks).  Looks like they’re mostly across clues, so we’ll need to solve the down clues to get a handle on them.  I’d suggest starting the 57-across and 63-across area of the puzzle as it’s likely to help solve the rest.   But, to be honest, it’s only a little bit of help.

Specific Hints:

Starting O (this one killed me!): think game, but not sports

Hairy-raising: Not EERIE

Conservative skirt:  well it can’t be a mini, but…

Fishes or cuts bait:  remember what this expression means and it don’t mean nothin’ ’bout fishin’

Centipede creator:  think old arcade game

A few hints:

“The Matrix role”:  Well, there’s a new one

Like radon:  Can’t smell, can’t see it; there are too many ______ things that can do this much damage

hardly a win-win situation?:  not by half, as the Brits say

Some varsity players:  Think back on your school years, but don’t be too anxious to graduate

Scout pack leader:  Think dogs, but don’t get hung up on the leader part

Morales of “Caprica”:  One of the most popular names in crosswords.  If you get stuck, check out words every crossword puzzle fan should know (though it contains answers, not hints, it’s a good starting point for the most commonly re-used crossword answers).

Anonymous one in court:  One of the most famous anonymous people in history.  Remember the Supreme Court’s epic decision on a woman’s choice to have an abortion.

Conquistador’s booty:  also a very common answer found in the link above.

Judge in the Simpson case:  yet another to learn and remember

Brown ermine:  another, sometimes clued as “ermine in winter”

Warm, so to speak:  remember when you were just a kid

Calculus, familiarly:  Be sure to brush your teeth when you finish the puzzle!

Theme:  What can I say without giving it away?  Hmmm.  I’ll just say this, like many crossword quips this compares the way two words are used in different contexts.  Often it’s the same word used twice, in this case, it’s the difference between two near synonyms.  Once you get a few of the letters, try making some reasonable guesses.

Diamond Feat

Notice the “theme clue” at 68-across.  If you’re not a baseball-ite, there are only a few things in this category:  a couple are done by pitchers, where less is more and there is such a thing as perfection.  In fielding, remember how many outs can be made in an inning and a “feat” would have to be a special way of getting these outs.  In batting, a home run isn’t a “feat” unless the bases are loaded.  It’s gotta be one of these three that will tie together the long clues (specified in 58-across).  In fact, most fans wouldn’t consider the accomplishment in the answer wouldn’t consider the answer really a “feat” because it happens so frequently.

BTW:  While getting 58-across will help with some of the indicated clues, I’m personally a bit confounded about how it relates to 17-across and 47-across.

Memo starter:  One of the most common xword puzzle clues.  If you don’t know this one, you should check out my list of common crossword clues.  These come up over and over again in Mon, Tues, & Weds. Times crossword.  Think legal documents.

Curt summons:  Think Junior High School teacher

Curmudgeonly cries:  Thing Dickens

Bickering: Another popular early-week answer.  If you don’t know it, learn it now for re-use in future puzzles.

Wonderland Cake instruction:  another one to remember.  2 words.  How much we would have missed had Alice hesitated to follow these instructions!

1950’s initial:  Another frequently repeated answer.  He tried, but never one the big prize, unlike DDE and RMN

Clears: Think $, not blackboard

Wing it: 2 words

Cans:  Think “fires” not tins.

For those who find NYT’s Monday puzzle too tame, I highly recommend Emmett Quigley’s themeless Monday puzzles.   These are always are challenge, sometimes downright frightening.  I don’t do them every Monday, but do if I have time.    Quigley’s puzzles are particularly cruel if you (like me) aren’t exactly up-t0-date on your pop culture (rap groups, texting abbreviations, pop stars) so there’s often a long answer I have no idea of.

This Monday’s puzzle asks for the “highest grossing actress of the aughts”.   I can’t give much of hint without giving the answer, but I can at least tell you it’s first and last name, that it’s a woman, that the first name is often associated with Kenneth Branagh and the last name is associated with Sherlock Holmes.

“Hypothetically”:  (great clue/answer!) 3 words

Place to pick up a blonde:  the obvious answer is correct in this case

“Story ___”:  2 words, a really, a word and a letter

“Before I forget”: …or “Incidentally”

Beef and Broccoli request:  especially if it’s “in brown sauce”

La _____ (prison where Arsene Lupin was held):  Well I doubt if it was good for his health!

Depth Lines:  Think 3D graphs,a  letter +a  word

Perennial with a large mouth:  Better to eat you with, my dear (though it’s not a fly trap, just something very pretty)

Django unchained genre:  Don’t try fitting guitar in here, the connection to music is only peripheral