байрон "i weel be back

tough stuff (luckily not including any dry wind of the australian outback):

{Birthstone for most Leos} is PER[IDO]T. should i admit that i only know the name of this gem from final fantasy IX? no? okay, i’ll keep it under my hat then.

{Accepted} is SA[ID O]K TO. man, that took a while to parse.

{Punctilious type, slangily} is an [I-DO]TTER. i don’t believe i’ve ever heard this particular word, spoken slangily or otherwise. is there such a thing as a t-crosser? anyway, i do love the word punctilious. (hey, stop snickering. i heard that. i’m right here, you know.)

{Some snowmobiles} are SK[IDO]OS. if you say so.

{George Sand title heroine} is IS[IDO]RA. yikes, i don’t think i could’ve told you anything she wrote. i don’t even remember her real name! sic transit quizbowl knowledge. ah, wikipedia to the rescue: it’s amantine aurore lucille dupin.

{Spanish man’s name that means “peaceful”} is PLAC[IDO]. this one’s real, real easy if you know the rebus already, as it’s a cognate of the english word “placid.” but when i first got here, i was mighty stumped.

the {Shower holder} is the MA[ID O]F HONOR who traditionally holds a bridal shower. aw, extra theme! this one’s all nuptial-like, see.

{Teen drivers?} are the LIB[IDO]S that drive adolescents to … uh, whatever it is kids do these days. another terrific clue.

{Good place for a smoke} is indeed a HUM[IDO]R. wonderful clue. yes, it’s a good place to store a cigar (i think?), just not a good place to smoke it (i think?). truth be told, the only thing i know about humidors is that they use one to store the baseballs used at coors field in denver.

{Ballpark fare} is a delicious CHIL[I DO]G. the word break even goes in the right place here. i’m amused that this answer sits atop ATE KOSHER.

{Davy Jones or any other Monkee} was a TV [IDO]L. as i said, this was the clue that “broke open” the rebus for me, not that the puzzle immediately fell apart or anything.

{Native Australian winds} are DIDGER[IDO]OS. this is an awesome answer, first of all. second of all, the clue did just enough to throw me offпІп‚БЂ«or maybe it was the clue and the byron byline. but i was definitely thinking, “oh god, he wants us to know the name of some dry wind that blows in from the snowy mountains after the monsoon season.” glad i was wrong.

so the theme, appropriately enough for a puzzle co-constructed by a newlywed couple, is an I DO rebus. there are nine rebus squares asymmetrically placed around the grid, but the highlight is the 15-letter, 10-word answer taking up only five squares at 34a, the {Abba hit of 1976}: [I DO] [I DO] [I DO] [I DO] [I DO]. that’s 150% more committal than the hit broadway show with carol burnett and rock hudson! other rebus answers:

surprise! you weren’t expecting a rebus on a friday, were you? i know i wasn’t. plus it’s byron (i don’t know robin, but sources tell me she’s byron’s blushing bride), it’s a weekend, it’s a 70-word grid. all of that seems to lull you into the notion that it’ll be a usual freestyle. and yet… i smoked out the rebus pretty quick in that NW corner when nothing else would make TV_L into a logical answer. but of course, when byron’s name is on the byline (even in a non-solo capacity), you know you’re in for a workout anyway. and so i was.

Robin Schulman and Byron Walden’s New York Times crosswordпІп‚БЂ«joon’s review

the scoobies are out in full force this week, so i decided to pitch in even though i’ve been on blogging paternity leave. puzzlegirl will be back later tonight/tomorrow morning with the WSJ and LAT.

6:09 (joonпІп‚БЂ«across lite)

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Friday, 6/25/10 | Diary of a Crossword Fiend