Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I have objections to three of the answers in today's crossword and I'm hoping that after I present my arguments, you will find the puzzlemaker guilty.
One clue is "SpongeBob's underwear, vis-à-vis Mickey's"? The answer is BOXIERBRIEFS. In some of the first few Mickey Mouse cartoons, Minnie's bloomers and/or panties were shown, but Mickey himself has never been depicted wearing underwear, neither in cartoons nor in comic strips and comic books.
Another clue is "Jeep, vis-à-vis a Cadillac?" The answer is BUMPIERCAR. Unless there are actual bumps on the bodies of those vehicles, I maintain that the answer is inappropriate. A road can be bumpy and a ride can be bumpy, but the car itself can not be bumpy.
And CASH is clued with "Get money for." I don't consider that definition to be accurate. Perhaps in the phrase "Cash a check," the word "cash" could be interpreted as "get money for" but it's a very loose interpretation. A better clue would have been "J.C. Penney's middle name" or "Country music's 'Man in Black.'"
