Thu., 3/19 Ed Sessa

[magus]

THEME:   places for a massage   
      
GOOD ONES:       
Hamlet quote {& theme}   AY THERES THE RUB      
Hall of fame   ARSENIO      
Sub builder   DELI      
Star quality   EGO      
      
RATING:        
Three grins = Loved it; Two grins = Enjoyed it; One grin = A bit bland for my taste; One teardrop = Not much fun      

[Thomps2525]

DELI has appeared in a lot of crosswords recently while the names of Mel OTT, Yoko ONO and OPIE Taylor are appearing less frequently. Here is my theory: Crossword creators study each other's puzzles and when they notice certain words (such as LEI, SST, OGRE and ARENA) appearing in several puzzles each week, they will avoid using them for a month or two. Perhaps in May, we won't see DELI but we'll start seeing lil' ol' Opie Taylor more often.

[magus]

Constructors use "fill" words which fit between and around the theme phrases they first lay out in the grid.  You really must try to make a puzzle to understand the need for these words.  You will see that there are not an infinite number of three-letter words that can be used to match the vowel-consonant order of the larger words.