Wasn't it a newt's eye from MacBeth? I liked the NYT puzzle's theme, but I wrote down newt immediately and only reluctantly let it go for a toad. cheers, j
flipperista | 02.26.08 - 9:05 am | #

Flipperista: I did the same thing. Shakespeare calls for eye of newt and toe of frog. Google provides some 90K hits for "eye of newt" versus 5800 for "eye of toad," for the very little that that's worth. There seems to be a poem by John Caddy called "Eye of Toad," but I'd never encountered it before. I also ran across an unattributed spell containing "eye of toad" on a british kids' website.

My big slowdown on the Times was putting UTERI where WOMBS was supposed to go.

Orange: I completely agree about WINOS. Or, rather, the clue for it -- WINO is a derogatory term by nature, but the clue seems to vastly expand the size of the group being derogated.

Russell
Russell G. Brown | Homepage | 02.26.08 - 9:29 am | #

Enjoyed the Times, but I wrote NEWT, too, and with great confidence. "Eye of toad"? I'd be interested to know if that comes from something literary.

Thanks, Orange, for explaining the Sun title, which was a complete mystery up to that point. I was thrown off to the extent of writing RUNNING MEAL in 55-A (that's a repast, right?), which makes just as much sense as the right answer (LADS seems right at 61D, too), except that there's no such thing as a RUNNING MALE, and I did notice all the other puns ended in T.

I don't understand how a FEAT is "part" of a deed. My dictionaries say they're synonymous. The hitman clue--why? The WINO clue--well, you've said it all. And ESSO is/was a gas brand name, not a "company." The company was Standard Oil of NJ. (end of gripe)

Otherwise, loved the puzzle!
Jim | 02.26.08 - 10:25 am | #

Jim, Sun editor Peter Gordon likes to eschew clues that have been used before. When Abe Lincoln, Vigoda, Burrows, and Saperstein have been used umpty-nine times apiece, an alternative ABE has a chance to appear. When very few of us have heard of him, though, it doesn't always play out well. Shinzo Abe looked promising, but then he turned into a massive-scale rape apologist/denier for the Japan/Korea "comfort women," and I'm glad I haven't seen his name in crosswords lately. (Ask barrywep to rail against "Gordonesque" clues, which is what he calls Sun clues made obscure for the sake of avoiding familiar clues.)

My early-week puzzle approach of checking 1-Across and then trying to fill that corner with the Downs worked out well with the non-newt TOAD. Before NEWT had a chance to show up in my grid, TALC ruled it out.
Orange | Homepage | 02.26.08 - 10:38 am | #

Enjoyed both the NYS and the NYS a lot. They both seemed too hard for a Tuesday since even though I got both themes early I exceeded ny recent Wednesday times on both.

I thought ABE Relis and Teneroon/OBOE were way way too hard for Tuesdays and clearly resulted only from Peter Gordon's obsession with only using fresh clues. Peter: restrain yourself.
barrywep | 02.26.08 - 10:50 am | #

I have a problem with Ben Tausig's "Borrowed Time" pzl, not involving the theme: I don't think REJIGS is a legitimate word without something in the clue that indicates "againness". Of course, it would be a gimme if one knew that Bob Marley was known as JAH. Also, this pzl contains a first for me: AKON. Ah, the perils of not knowing pop culture!!

As for Mr. Tausig's Onion pzl, I'm sure there are countless Marines who will bristle at their branch of the service being called USM rather than its true designator USMC.
Neat in this pzl: 28D PTAH and 59D PTAS.
LARRY | 02.26.08 - 2:03 pm | #

Orange, thanks, I did know about Mr. Gordon's penchant for avoiding used clues. It just strikes me as not the least bit helpful to solvers when he carries it to some of the lengths he does. It'd be one thing if the obscure clue taught us something about someone worth remembering. But a hitman? Sheesh.
Jim | 02.26.08 - 2:23 pm | #

I thought I'd completed the NY Sun puzzle, but the page still wasn't congratulating me.

After searching the grid I finally had to hit the "check" button and discovered that it was not RUNNING MEAL [Zebra, to a lion?] and LADS [Youngsters] but, rather, RUNNING MEAT and TADS.

How you completed that puzzle in under 4 minutes, Orange, I'll never know.
Tuning Spork | Homepage | 02.26.08 - 2:59 pm | #

Orange, that's why you're up there on the big board with headphones: NALC seems like a perfectly plausible bath powder ingredient to the rest of us.

On an unrelated note, TUNING SPORK makes me regret I'm not savvy enough to have a nom de web that's wildly clever...I have gone from Anthony to Tony in the course of my life, so I'm working on it, right?
Tony Orbach | 02.26.08 - 3:49 pm | #

How about an anagram, Rayon Botch? Both Crayon? Croony Bath? Hot N.Y. Carbo?
Orange | Homepage | 02.26.08 - 4:20 pm | #

The only other Abe I know is the great Abe Froman, Sausage King of Chicago. Too much of a Pop Culture reference? j
flipperista | 02.26.08 - 4:44 pm | #

I love the Sausage King of Chicago. Really looks good for his age.
Orange | Homepage | 02.26.08 - 4:56 pm | #

Shouldn't that be Tony's nom de Etail?
Cooty H. Barn
PhillySolver | 02.26.08 - 5:00 pm | #

I am jealous of Tony nee Anthony Orbach.
I wish I could make a decent anagram out of my name.
barrywep | 02.26.08 - 5:02 pm | #

Barry,

Barney R. Wrip?
Warren Priby?
Perry I. Brawn?
Wry brain rep?
Berry in wrap?
Wayne Birprr?

You're right. Your consonant density is restrictive.
Orange | Homepage | 02.26.08 - 6:12 pm | #

regarding the CrossSynergy puzzle - the last pun - humpback WHALE is the pun.
Gene | 02.26.08 - 7:37 pm | #

Gene (are you the Gene who called in on the radio show?), I did recognize the whale tie-in, but the pun result underwhelmed me.
Orange | Homepage | 02.26.08 - 7:50 pm | #

I checked my cookbook, frog and newt eyes are NOT interchangeable. Frog tends to cause somewhat of a "Viagra" effect. Of the 4-hour plus type.
Pat | 02.26.08 - 8:54 pm | #

Orange - no, I'm not that Gene! But I enjoyed listening to that. I'm glad you DID recognize the whale, but I LIKED the pun. See you at the tournament.
Gene | 02.26.08 - 9:12 pm | #

Wry Brain Rep and Berry In Wrap are better than anything I've ever come up with.
barrywep | 02.26.08 - 10:32 pm | #