Juliana Tringali Golden author page

Jim here, sitting in for Jeff Chen, who, though somewhat hard-boiled, is an exemplar of stick-to-itiveness.

ELIA Kazan is not only crossword royalty, he was legit Hollywood royalty too. An advocate for "method acting," he directed Marlon Brando in A Streetcar Named Desire, and James Dean in East of Eden. And then his reputation nose-dived when he cooperated with the House Committee on Un-American Activities. Oh well, he still has 75% vowels in his first name.

ELIA has been in so many crosswords that it's increasingly difficult to invent new clues. You might never have heard of his granddaughter Zoe, but that famous last name makes the answer easy. If your grandfather is Elia or, say, John Barrymore, that comes with advantages but also expectations that must be tough for a young actress.

Themeless crosswords often include sketchy "words" like NOIRISH, but they live or die on their conversational phrases. HAS AN IDEA is pretty good, YOU NEVER KNOW and DRINK IT IN are better. EASY TIGER is outstanding. You don't expect crosswords to be that cool, and uncovering answers like that is a big part of what makes crosswords fun.