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Sun., 10/5 Jake Braun

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magus:
THEME:   Intrusive /ah/ in phrases create different meanings
   
GOOD ONES:    
TWO BAROQUE GIRLS ("Two Broke Girls"); BAHRAIN FREEZE (brain freeze); and WATER CARESS (water cress)    
Get real?   COME TRUE   
Big picture? Abbr.   ENL   
Head lock   TRESS   
Something you break when you leave it   CAMP   
Runner in the woods   BROOK   
Breakfast companion?   BED   
   
BTW:   
POLLY BARGAINING doesn't sound right to my ear:  removing the "ah" from POLLY leaves /pli/, not /ple/ needed for "plea bargaining."   
   
Same problem with "fly market" from FOLLY MARKET.   
   
PR specialist   SPIN DOC [nope, it's only "spin doctor"]   
   
Pacing, perhaps   EDGY [too much of a stretch]   
   
   
   
RATING:    ;D ;D
Three grins = Loved it; Two grins = Enjoyed it; One grin = A bit bland for my taste; One teardrop = Not much fun   

Thomps2525:
Merl Reagle makes all his crosswords without the help of grid-filling software. Today's puzzle in the Los Angeles Times is impressive. Reagle chose the self-deprecating title "Oh, It's You Again" because one of his puzzles will be part of the October 18 Crosswords L.A. championship which will be held at UCLA. Details are at http://www.cruciverb.com/index.php?topic=106032.0

The title also refers to the theme answers, each of which contains two or three U's. It would have been nice if Reagle could have included the Ames Brothers' 1953 hit You You You, but   what makes the puzzle impressive is that he stacked two phrases  in two different sections of the grid. How in the world did he figure out that he could put ENCOUNTERGROUP beneath SURROUNDSOUND and GOUNDERGROUND beneath ATHREEHOURTOUR (Yeah, a Gilligan reference) and be able to come up with 14 short words to cross each pair vertically? I can't recall very many puzzles where two theme answers appeared side by side or one under the other. Reagle also had two theme words in vertical positions: COUSCOUS and FROUFROU. And how can anyone not admire a puzzle that includes the names of Ed ASNER, Susan LUCCI and Wind In The Willows character MRTOAD? "You've got spunk, Mar'." "Oh thank you, Mr. Grant." "I hate spunk." :)

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