Three-letter words get their middle letter removed, giving kooky results. I got a smile out of WHAT'S UP DC? — anything Bugs ...
read moreThree-letter words get their middle letter removed, giving kooky results. I got a smile out of WHAT'S UP DC? — anything Bugs Bunny-related makes this kid happy — and I loved TYRANNOSAURUS RX. Something so amusing about those "sad T. Rex" cartoons.

The others didn't do much for me. HOPPING MD was neither good nor bad. ZIP YOUR LP didn't make much sense. CHEW THE CD … not only does chewing a CD feel too over-the-top kooky, but CHEW THE CUD doesn't feel like a phrase in use. CHEW THE FAT, sure. CHEW ONES CUD ... maybe?
Some nice extras in the fill. Much appreciated that Paula went the extra mile to include four long downs, a tough task especially since she had to weave them through her five themers. INDOOR CAT, SOAP OPERA and AS WE SPEAK are quite good. MILLIBARS … if this mechanical engineer (who has his MS in ME) needed most letters to piece it together, it's going to be rough for others, methinks. Still, I liked it pretty well.
With five themers and so many long downs, it'd be hard to avoid using some crossword glue to hold everything together. All in all, though, Paula does a pretty good job of it. There's a NSW (New South Wales), UKE (who calls a ukulele a UKE?), ARTY (artsy, yeah?), and the tough IN REM, but this OLD SOUL felt like these prices were acceptable given all the goodies they made possible.
Themewise, I so badly wanted the removed vowels to go in A E I O U order. That would have been an interesting take on the "vowel progression" theme type. I did like that Paula removed each vowel exactly once. But to get them in O A E I U order felt inelegant.
If it were me, I'd have to include the hilarious TYRANNOSAURUS RX. But if the A E I O U order were to be followed, that one would need to be the second themer, requiring a 15-letter fourth themer using the O. That might be tough.
Ah, how often doth the gods of crossword symmetry rain on a constructor's parade …