Faerie Queene woman whose name means peace / MON 10-19-15 / TV installation not requiring antenna / Electric Slide Cotton-Eyed Joe / Signature Muhammad Ali ploy / Smallish computer storage unit for short

Constructor: Bruce Venzke and Victor Fleming

Relative difficulty: Medium Monday


THEME:TIES (69A: Binds ... or a hint to the starts of the answers to the six starred clues) —

Theme answers:

• CABLE OUTLET (17A: *TV installation not requiring an antenna)
• WIRE FRAUD (24A: *Crime involving a Nigerian prince, maybe)
• LINE DANCE (50A: *Electric Slide or Cotton-Eyed Joe)
• STRING BEANS (62A: *Tall, skinny sorts)
• ROPE-A-DOPE (11D: *Signature Muhammad Ali ploy)
• CHAIN MAIL (31D: *Protective medieval gear)

Word of the Day: TAYE Diggs (43A: Diggs of "How Stella Got Her Groove Back") —

Scott Leo"Taye"Diggs (born January 2, 1971) is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his roles in the Broadway musicals Rent and Hedwig and the Angry Inch, the film How Stella Got Her Groove Back, the series Private Practice, and the film The Best Man and its sequel The Best Man Holiday. (wikipedia)

Old Ideas week continues. Today, a classic First Words-type theme with a massive Thud of a revealer. Usually, these days, old theme types are livened up by some revealer that at least gives some interesting, wordplay-type angle to the whole set-up. But this puzzle is livened up only by Density, and there just aren't enough strong longer answers to sustain interest. The two Down themers are probably my favorite, but they are it, as far as interesting fill goes today.  The fill is not great, but I've certainly seen worse. Can't believe you couldn't somehow eliminate the icky IRENA (51D: "The Faerie Queene" woman whose name means "peace"), and OLD BAG is gross and sexist (65A: Hag) (particularly in the hands of male constructors and male editors), but other stuff is solid enough. Just dull. Last week is really highlighting how dull Normal Ideas weeks have become.


I have no idea what a CABLE OUTLET is and do not understand what "Installation" means in the clue, despite having cable TV/Internet, and despite asking my wife if she understood (no, not really—she could guess, but she could not be certain). There is no "outlet" in my house. I mean, the cable comes "out" of a panel in the wall that vaguely resembles an electrical outlet, but I have never heard it called "CABLE OUTLET" and I've certainly never thought of it as an "Installation." That answer and WIRE FRAUD slowed me down a bit today (WIRE FRAUD's clue was just fine—maybe a little more T or W than M, but just fine).


SKYPE was in the Mini today, which was a weird experience. I solve the Mini as a kind of 20-second appetizer before heading into the real puzzle. Probably a good idea to coordinate those two puzzles, to avoid dupes. Also, probably, not that big a deal.

I got nothing else on this one. 

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

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