County in Colorado New Mexico / TUE 8-9-16 / Ottoman bigwigs / Casino game that looks like thou in reverse / What generals keep up their sleevies

Constructor:Andrea Carla Michaels

Relative difficulty: Easy


THEME:same answer twice (or, once, thrice)— answers are pairs of mutually cross-referential repeated-word phrases

Theme answers:

• ZOOM / ZOOM (5A: With 9-Across, an auto ad slogan) (9A: With 5-Across, quickly)
• AUTHOR / AUTHOR (24A: With 26-Across, 1982 Al Pacino film) (26A: With 24-Across, 1962, P.G. Wodehouse books)
• NEW YORK / NEW YORK (40A: With 42-Across, Frank Sinatra signature song) (42A: With 40-Across, where Broadway is)
• HEAR YE / HEAR YE (52A: With 55-Across, town crier's cry) (55A: With 52-Across, Aaron Copland ballet)
• SING / SING [ / SING] (71A: With 72-Across, noted maximum security prison) (72A: With 71- and 72-Across, classic Louis Prima tune)

NOTE:
Word of the Day:TEDY Bruschi(27D: Former New England Patriot Bruschi whose name is a bear to pronounce?) —

Tedy Lacap Bruschi (/ˈbruːski/; born June 9, 1973) is a former professional American football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for thirteen seasons. He played college football for the University of Arizona, and was a two-time consensus All-American. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 1996 NFL Draft, and played his entire professional career with the Patriots. Bruschi won three Super Bowls and was a two-time All-Pro selection. (wikipedia)

Finished this with absolutely no idea about the second clues. In every case. I honestly only ever saw the first one and then filled in the second part and so never saw clue 2. It's not the best-conceived theme, in that regard. Also, it's wicked easy and I can't say it's a great feeling to solve a puzzle in which so much of the fill is just repeat fill. I'm surprised this is the puzzle Lollapuzzoola wanted to feature. I associate the tournament with *much* more interesting / creative puzzles, but perhaps they wanted to give the (correct) impression that the tournament is designed for and welcoming to solvers of widely varying skill levels (If you can complete a Thursday puzzle, you'll do fine). It's always nice in a tournament setting when the first puzzle is an easy one like this. You're usually loaded with absurd levels of unwanted adrenaline, so it's nice to get an easy one under your belt early. Unless you tank it, which I have done at least once. Anyway, it's nice to see Lollapuzzoola getting press like this—if you are in the NYC area, you should check the tourney out this weekend, though word is that the venue is close to capacity, so if you're going to register, do it now. Yes, literally, like, right now. (Or just sign up to play at home)


Almost all of my struggles (such as they were) came from my poor reading skills. I know very well who TEDY Bruschi is, but somehow when I read the clue I both missed the football angle and registered that the answer would be a woman. I keep looking at the clue now, trying to imagine how that is possible. And I can't. I also botched (predictably) the crosswordese 6D: County in Colorado or New Mexico. I wanted OSAGE ... but then I thought no, it's the other one (?), by which I *meant* OTERO, but what came out was OTAGO, which makes a kind of sense, as that's the University my wife attended in New Zealand, but ... not the right answer here. I had "AUTEUR / AUTEUR" at first (not a joke). Really hate the corny clue on 34D: What generals keep up their sleevies? which I'm only just now realizing says "sleevies" instead of "sleeves," making me hate it even more. Ugh. Your wacky clues should at least make *some* literal sense. At least *wave* at the meaning of the words that are in your clue. Fill is bygone-NYT standard. Normal and dull ... though I do love "CHINATOWN" (the movie, anyway), and YOU BETCHA! is not a bad answer.

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

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