Sun., 5/31 Jason Mueller

[magus]

THEME:   Women with initials MS
   
GOOD ONES:    
Pin surface   MAT [in wrestling]   
Plan for losing   DIET [not half of the football strategies, for example]   
Bottled spirits   GENII   
Leaves in a bag   TEA [noun, not verb]   
Massachusetts quartet   ESSES [4 S's in the name; these "spelling" clues usually get question marks, but I don't think they are really needed]   
   
BTW:   
ETRE and ICI are French only.   
   
E-___   MAG [it's ZINE, so I'd clue it with Ms.]   
   
McGwire rival   SOSA [to see who could down more drugs]   
   
Fire sign   SMOKE ["Where there's smoke there's a smoke-making machine": JFK   
   
I enjoyed the multiple references to literature and appreciated only one obeisance to the revered "The Simpsons."   
   
   
RATING:   
Three grins = Loved it; Two grins = Enjoyed it; One grin = A bit bland for my taste; One teardrop = Not much fun   

[Thomps2525]

Merl Reagle's Sunday crossword is "Trinonyms 2." Nine years ago he created with a puzzle with words and phrases whose parts have the same meaning as the whole, such as TAXICAB, TAXI and CAB. He called such words "trinonyms." Today he revisited the theme. The equation for each theme answer is A = B = AB:

Performer: STANDUPCOMIC
Pursuing: CHASINGAFTER
Doubter's quert: LIKEWHATFORINSTANCE
Student's concern: FINALEXAM
Toy: CHOOCHOOTRAIN
Recent arrival: NEWBORNBABY
Anything at all: DIDDLYSQUAT
Government setting: WASHINGTONDC
Streaking, e.g.: BARENAKED

For "Slot's old nickname," Reagle had ONEARMBANDIT. Really? How about "One armed bandit"? He also used TLS for "Bonus spot, in Scrabble: abbr." That would mean "triple letter square" or "triple letter space" but I have never heard anyone use that abbreviation. This is a case of Reagle winding up with a set of three consonants and having to come up with something that the letters could stand for. And our old friend Mel OTT is one of the answers.....again. Mel OTT, Bobby ORR, AVA Gardner and ANI DiFranco will never be forgotten as long as crossword puzzles exist.