Violent sandstorm / SAT 5-25-13 / German granny / Cylindrical menu item / Epsom's setting / Dynasty founded by Yu Great / Jezebel's lack / Old TV show hosted by Ed McMahon / Product named for its round clock protection

Constructor: David Steinberg

Relative difficulty: Easy-Medium

THEME: none

Word of the Day: HABOOB (11D: Violent sandstorm) —

A haboob (Arabic: هَبوب‎ "blasting/drafting") is a type of intense dust storm carried on an atmospheric gravity current. Haboobs occur regularly in arid regions throughout the world.

They have been observed in the Sahara desert (typically Sudan, where they were named and described), as well as across the Arabian Peninsula, throughoutKuwait, and in the most arid regions of Iraq.^[1] African haboobs result from the northward summer shift of the inter-tropical front into North Africa, bringing moisture from the Gulf of Guinea. Haboob winds in the Arabian Peninsula, Iraq, Kuwait, and North America are frequently created by the collapse of athunderstorm, while haboobs in Australia may be frequently associated with cold fronts. The deserts of Central Australia, especially near Alice Springs, are particularly prone to haboobs, with sand and debris reaching several kilometers into the sky and leaving up to a foot of sand in the haboob's path. (wikipedia)

• • •

Yesterday we got THE SAHARA DESERT, and today, the inevitable HABOOB. Fitting that my one moment of real struggle in this puzzle happened in the middle (literally, in the middle) of a blinding HABOOB. HABOOB HABOOB HABOOB. OK, I think I got that out of my system. My issue with HABOOB was the first "B"—a letter that felt like a guess, since I couldn't (can't) see how [Blacks out] gets you BANS. They seem only vaguely metaphorically related. But aside from that moment of awkwardness, the rest of the puzzle seemed both solid and delightful. Thorny, but in a way that allowed for consistent progress. Got a little worried in that SE corner, since I was not able to drop *any* answers down into it at first. Guessed RBIS, which allowed me to finally see that the EGG was in ROLL form (42D: Cylindrical menu item). I was imagining cylindrical omelets. Also, EGG creams. Got back ends of all the long Acrosses down there, and then PATSY CLINE slid into place and I had a clear path home from there (63A: "So Wrong" singer, 1962).


I find the whole self-referential thing (which constructors pull from time to time) a bit off-putting, and today is no exception, though I have to say, putting your *entire* name in the grid, all fourteen letters of it, is admirably ballsy, in a way (26A: Stand-up comic known for irreverent sermonettes = DAVID STEINBERG). Is Jeter really called "Mr. November"? (8D: Longtime teammate of Mr. November = A-ROD) Ugh. Stupid name. There's one Mr. [Month], and that's Reggie Jackson. Why would you want to be some kind of ersatz Reggie? I saw Reggie Jackson at a restaurant in Monterey last year. I probably told you. That was thrilling. Seeing Jeter ... wouldn't be. But I'm middle-aged, so this makes sense.

Took me what felt like ForEver to see PHRASE at 44D: What outer space is that cyberspace isn't? It's a great clue, but my first answer was [drum roll] — THREE D! Best wrong answer I've had in a while.  Somehow the tune of "all in my brain" sprang up in my brain instantly, but it kept looping and not getting me to the words I needed (i.e. "PURPLE HAZE") (1A: What's "all in my brain," in a 1967 rock classic). What kept coming up instead? JUNGLE LOVE. Which is driving me mad, making me crazy, and fitting in the allotted space, but is not, sadly, all in my brain. Other screw-ups: SCAR for SLIT (40A: Operation creation). CRT for LCD (5D: Monitor option, briefly). OPA (?) for OMA (58D: German granny). I think that's it.


Bullets:

• 11A: Dynasty founded by Yu the Great (HSIA) — really glad I'd heard of this dynasty; otherwise, that HABOOB would've been way more destructive. 
• 21A: Preakness, e.g. (HORSE) — I knew it was a HORSE *race* ... but not a HORSE. Really, really didn't trust that answer, even when all the letters fell right into place. 
• 1D: Labor leader's cry? ("PUSH!") — nicely done. Probably my favorite clue of the day. 
• 12D: Old TV show hosted by Ed McMahon ("STAR SEARCH") — ouch. Do *not* like it when staples of my youth are called "old," but I supposed I'd better just get used to it.

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

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FRI 5-24-13 / Rex usually puts a bunch of clues here / Never understood why / Just read the write-up already

Constructor: Joe Krozel

Relative difficulty: Medium (I'm tired as hell, so this seems like a safe way to go with this)

THEME: THREEVE — Every answer has a length of 3, 5, or 3x5

SNL Celebrity Jeopardy 10-23-99 - watch more funny videos

Word of the Day: ANOLE (Tropical lizard) —

any of numerous chiefly insectivorous New World lizards of the genus Anolis,  related to the iguana, that have the ability to change the color of their skin among a wide range of green and brown shades.

Who's a cute little lizard that's in crosswords too much? You are! Yes you are!

Also, I had no idea until tonight that ANOLE has three syllables. I expect to use this new information precisely zero times.

• • •

Tyler Hinman here, stepping in for Rex for reasons that I don't think are clear to anyone. I woke up at 4:30 AM today and suffered through a two-hour flight delay that put me in NYC with no viable way to get to my destination in Connecticut until tomorrow. So I am tired and stabby and I really really want to hate this puzzle so the spleen a-bubblin' inside me can spew forth in a fashion that won't get me jail time.

Honestly, it's a mixed bag. The crosshatch of twelve 15s is pretty impressive, with the exception of HONKSONESHORNAT, which is the sort of Frankenphrase that always seems to crop up at least once in grids like these. That said, if it's the worst one of the long entries, overall the set has to get a thumbs-up. (And no, I don't mind HASANINTERESTIN as much, nor do I feel the need to explain this opinion.)

Said thumb takes a more downward angle when considering the short fill, though not as much as I expected. There's yucky stuff like ASBIG, ASHIP, OYS, and RETAP, and plenty of other shorter words that won't do much for anybody. However, RETAP is the only one I'd consider egregious; I refuse to believe anyone has ever earnestly used that word.

Bullets:

• ALEXI — Fortunately, I knew Alexi Lalas cold, which went a long way towards preventing the RETAP/ANOLE/ALEXI/PEREC cluster from being a clusterf... well, you know. I wonder how many solvers will get stuck here.
• PROCRASTINATING — Not the liveliest 15, but a nice clue earns a tip o' the cap from me.
• CARELESSABANDON — I just now noticed this one. Isn't it usually RECKLESS ABANDON? Has decent Google support; I'll give it a pass.

Overall, I think this is better than, say, an average quad-stack puzzle. An A grade feels generous for it, but a D is likely harsh. Whether it's a B or C depends largely on how you feel about the large number of three-letter entries. It's not something I usually notice, but if you're ever going to notice it, this is the puzzle. Given my aforementioned stressors, not to mention the fact that I just discovered my laptop screen hinge is completely broken and I can't close it anymore, I'm going to permit myself a certain degree of hand-waving and leave the final grade to the philosophers.

My apologies to those of you who were expecting a rage- and alcohol-fueled screed. I really hope I'm not getting more measured in my old age.

In conclusion, buy my book.

Signed, Tyler Hinman, Regent of CrossWorld

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