Sun., 4/5 Kurt Krauss

[magus]

THEME:   First word of phrase or portmanteau is a superlative
   
GOOD ONES:     
Five-star flugelhorns?   TOP BRASS   
Five-star headgear?   SUPERVISOR   
Remedy from a doctor?   SPIN [spin doctor]   
Whistler, for one   ARTIST [but only his Mother knew him]   
Five-O booking agent   DANO ["Book him, Dano"]   
Break for Mom   NAP TIME[theirs or hers]   
Remedy for a freeze   RESTART [computer freeze, that is]   
United divider   AISLE [the airline]   
   
BTW:   
Where___   ITS AT [substandard English, but even so it needs quotation marks]   
   
CORONET & ROBUSTO are cigar shapes   
   
This, in Toulouse   CET [but not in London or even on Toulouse St. in New Orleans]   
   
Deutschland donkey   ESEL [an asinine entry]   
   
Magi origin   EAST [yes --- in my case, the East Coast]   
   
RATING:    
Three grins = Loved it; Two grins = Enjoyed it; One grin = A bit bland for my taste; One teardrop = Not much fun   

[rbe]

Hebrew for "skyward" = ELAL (airline)

[magus]

Must've had my head in the clouds.  Told you I need an editor.  Anyway, it's fixed.  Thanks, rbe.

[Thomps2525]

Merl Reagle's crossword in today's Los Angeles Times is one that was used in last year's American Crossword Puzzle Tournament. It's 19x19, smaller than the typical Sunday puzzle. Shouldn't tournaments use 21x21 grids? Anyway, the theme is "Silence Of The Lampreys." It took me a while to figure it out. The theme answers are familiar phrases with the EEL-sounding  syllable, regardless of spelling, removed. Eel. Lamprey. Silence. Get it? Examples:

Way to avoid kittens? FIXTHECAT
Saw a rock star in concert? CAUGHTSTING
All 11 members of a football team? THECAPTAINANDTEN
Sister city of Thigh, New York? WINGWESTVIRGINIA

I have one quibble, though---whatever a "quibble" is. The  WINGWESTVIRGINIA answer dropped HEEL, not EEL.