Former Cleveland Orchestra conductor George / THU 6-15-17 / European sister brand of buick / Old beer with ad line from land of sky blue waters / 2000s Japanese P.m. / Suisse sweetheart

Constructor: Richard F. Mausser

Relative difficulty: Easy

THEME:"THE DIRTY DOZEN" (53A: Hit movie released on June 15, 1967 ... with a hint to this puzzle's theme)— twelve different answers (w/ asterisked clues) must be preceded by "DIRTY" to make sense

Theme answers:

• JOKE 
• JOB
• MARTINI
• HARRY
• LAUNDRY
• LIAR
• RAT
• PICTURE
• WORK 
• LOOK
• TRICK 
• MONEY

Word of the Day: OJAI (61A: California tourist destination) —

Ojai (/ˈoʊhaɪ/OH-hy) is a city in Ventura County in the U.S. state of California. Located in the Ojai Valley, it is northwest of Los Angeles and east of Santa Barbara. The valley is about 10 miles (16 km) long by 3 miles (5 km) wide, surrounded by hills and mountains. The population was 7,461 at the 2010 census, down from 7,862 at the 2000 census. // Ojai is a tourism destination with boutique hotels and recreation opportunities including hiking, and spiritual retreats, as well as for a farmers' market on Sundays with local organic agriculture. It also has small businesses specializing in local and ecologically friendly art, design, and home improvement—such as galleries and a solar power company. Chain stores (other than a few gas stations) are prohibited by Ojai city law to encourage local small business development and keep the town unique. // The origin of the name Ojai has historically been known as derived from a Native American word meaning nest. The city's self-styled nickname is "Shangri-La" referencing the natural beauty of this health-and-spirituality-focused region. While there are no known references, it is commonly claimed that the mountains visible from the city were used, but then cut, from the 1937 movie as the mystical sanctuary of James Hilton's novel Lost Horizon. (wikipedia)

It's an anniversary puzzle that actually appears on the right day, so that's something. Also, the mirror symmetry grid looks kinda cool. Beyond that, I don't know. It's clean enough, and there are some OK answers here and there, but this gimmick was transparent, and it made the puzzle overall way too easy. The only interesting part was the revealer, which provided an answer to the annoyed question I was asking in my head from about 5 seconds in until I finished: "Why is this happening!?" I got the "dirty" angle before I ever even got out of the teeny NW corner. I thought there'd be other words involved somehow, but no: "dirty" just kept coming. Made all the asterisked clues a cinch to get. I finished in under 4 (!?), which is about where I was Tuesday, and a good half minute faster than yesterday. I like this better than I would a puzzle where LORETTA'S WIT is a theme answer, but honestly that's not saying much.


I would tell you where I struggled, but I didn't. I held back writing in a few things to make sure the crosses checked out, and I balked at least once at writing in IDEATE, despite the fact that it's the first thing I considered (37A: Brainstorm). I think of the clue as a noun, but of course it can also be a verb. Only place I can imagine someone's having trouble is maybe in the SZELL / LPNS section (i.e. the SE). Nope, wait—my wife just came in and told me her error. She'd never heard of HAMM'S (5A: Old beer with the ad line "From the land of sky blue waters"), so she guessed TAMM'S, thinking (re: 5D: Giggle), "Well, that's a really stupid way to spell TEEHEE, but OK ..." To be fair, the correct answer is also a really stupid way to spell HEE HEE.

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

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