LAT Fri. 6/1 Joe DiPietro

[magus]

Possible Title: In Other Words

Good Ones:
Amount past due?   TRE [if you happen to know Italian]
Theme: Common phrases reinterpreted
Litter in an abandoned library?   LEAVESINTHEDUST
Bread seen while finding theater seats?   ROLLINTHEAISLE
Imaginary nuclear facility?   PLANTINONESMIND

By the Way:
I enjoyed the wide range of subject matter.  As an example, take the 5-Across area: AQUA {color}; SURF {sports idiom}; ASSISI {religious history}; QUID {foreign exchange}; URN {mundane appliance}; AFT {marine terminology}.  One has to know religious history as well as surfing jargon.

Some Nits to Pick:
Irreversibly committed   INDEEP [“In deep” does not suggest irreversibility.  The idiom suggests being involved, but not such that one is “in too deep.”]

It’s quarry   HIDERS [Quarry only sometimes hides.  Would tweeters, fliers, runners also define “quarry?”  Maybe I’m missing something --- like why the clue needs "It's."]

RATING:  Three grins = Loved it; Two grins = Enjoyed it; One grin = A bit bland for my taste; One teardrop = Not much fun