Case Clothed

Did this puzzle leave me panting for more? Of corset did. Nothing I love more than a good clothes spin.

Actually this puzzle reminds me a little of the BAM! KAPOW! puzzle on Friday -- because that one was all about the sounds bad guys made when Batman socked them.

All right, all right, no more puns -- from me anyway. I'll do what I do best -- SPOILER WARNINGS: 1.) Don't read any further until you've done today's New York Sun Crossword Puzzle. New York Sun puzzles are every bit as fun and challenging as the more well-known New York Times and they're indisputably better in one way -- they're free. If you'd like to read about an unbiased head-to-head competition between the Sun and the Times check this out. Or if you'd rather decide for yourself you can download this puzzle and join in on the fun here.
2.) I've lifted my self-imposed moratorium on political commentary.

"Apparel of the Past" is by Mark Feldman, and it's not about spats and coonskin caps. "Past" refers here to tense, as in:

17A: Consumed quickly (SCARFED DOWN)

25A Finished with a flourish: (CAPPED OFF)

38A Avoided: (SKIRTED AROUND)

51A Sang with gusto (BELTED OUT)

61A: Departed quietly (SLIPPED AWAY)

Nothing particularly hilarious or baffling, but a good Monday puzzle. The only other entry I can see that could be twisted to mean something sartorial is 50D: Didn't leave (STAYED) because, time for a history lesson, kids -- the pieces of bone or other material in corsets that made them stiff were called "stays."

Although come to think of it, it might be a good idea if you IRONED (32A: Attended to pressing needs) the CREASE (44A: Clothes line) out of all these scarves and skirts.

Other entries of interest:

1A: "Misunderestimate" e.g. (BUSHISM) One ofW's least egregious phonetic flubs. I expect so little of our leaders today that I almost miss Ronald Reagan. He was a horrible president but at least he had a double digit IQ and could string three words together.

The Wicked Witch of the West gives Mrs. Dithers the day off at 59A: Maxwell House commercial played by Margaret Hamilton (CORA)

I don't think I've ever seen OLE clued as "Way to avoid those horns!" (24A) and I appreciate that.

63D: Thing inside a Pop-o-matic in the game Trouble (DIE) Trouble wasn't the only game with this innovation. There was one called Headache that had the same thing. The Pop-o-matic was a godsend if you were always losing your dice or if your brother had a way to throw the dice so that they didn't roll but skidded along with the number that he wanted on top.

26A: 14th US President (PIERCE) Probably the most historic thing that happened during Mr. Pierce's single term was the Kansas-Nebraska act of 1854, but evidently he could actually pronounce "Kansas-Nebraska act" so I kinda miss him too.



A little shorter than usual today. I'm still recovering from Heroes Con and from Father's Day, now I've got to start gearing up to host my oldest daughter's graduation party next Saturday. As soon as I get the time, I'll tell you about how I found 520 dollars last Friday.