Feb 29, 2008

Tribune Media Puzzle Pattern Poll

I am convinced that the Tribune Media puzzle (Monday to Saturday) does not follow the tougher-as-the-week-goes pattern as the New York Time's puzzle does. But obviously some of you disagree.

I want to take a poll. Please vote. I will announce the result on March 3 Monday.

Also, the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament is holding their annual competition on Saturday and Sunday. Both Orange and Rex Parker will be there. I just want to wish them good luck.


C. C.

Friday, Feb 29, 2008 Randall J. Hartman

Theme: I did not spot any theme. Did you? They are just long lines in the puzzle. Some are movie names, some are not.

17A: Where to join a queue: The end of the line

25A: Brigand's command: Stand and Deliver

44A: One for all and all for one trio: Three Musketeers

60A: Praetor: Roman Magistrate

4D: Pogo's sticks? Okefenokee Swamp

10D: Mid-game recaps: Halftime Reports

For some reason, day after day, I just could not survive the upper left corner unscathed. Today was no exception. I simply never heard of OSCO (1A) Drugstore. Walgreens and CVS have all the skin lotions/eye cream/vitamins that I need. And 1A: Correction: pref (ORTH) was way too hard for me to even make a guess. Added to the pain is the OKEFENOKEE SWAMP (4D). A total stranger to me.

I did not know MARMOT (Western woodchuck), never heard of PIET Mondrian. Had to check the dictionary for the definition of 60A: Praetor. Then filled in ROMAN MAGISTRATE.

Here are the Across entries:

1A: Drugstore chain: OSCO. They only had one store in MN (Moorhead).

5A: Ford Clinic: REHAB. Amy Winehouse won several Grammys for her REHAB album.

10A: Ship's tiller: HELM

15A: Goddess of peace: IRENE

17A: Where to join a queue: The end of the line. Exactly. Nobody annoys me more than those rude line cutters.

20A: Teamster boss of the past: HOFFA (Jimmy). His son James P. Hoffa is the current president of Teamsters. They've endorsed Obama. Why Teamster instead of Teamsters in the clue?

21A: Solid as rock: STEADFAST

22A: Inarticulate sounds: ERS

24A: Doberman doc: VET. Could become aggressive if mistreated.

25A: Brigand's command: STAND AND DELIVER. Here is what Dennis said at the Comment section: "A brigand was a highwayman, or robber; "Stand and Deliver" meant to hand over your purse, wallet, etc. I think it originated with stagecoach robbers."

34A: Italian river: ARNO

35A "Unfaithful" star Richard: GERE. Hot & Steamy movie. It's the only Diane Lane movie that I like. Don't watch Under the Tuscan Sun. Just read the book. It's far superior.

36A: "Auntie __": MAME. 1958 film starring Rosalind Russell.

37A: Twilight: DUSK

38A: Talia of "Rocky": SHIRE. She is Connie Corleone in the Godfather series (my favorite movies), directed by Francis Ford Coppola. In real life, she is Coppola's sister.

40A: Isle of exile: ELBA

41A: What to be suited to: A TEE

42A: Marsh plant: REED

44A: One for all and all for one trio: THREE MUSKETEERS

48A: Grp. for mom & pop stores: SBA (Small Business Administration).

49A: __ and tuck: NIP. Nip/Tuck is also a TV drama.

50A: Hair spray-protection: SHOWER CAP. I misread it as hairspray protection.

56A: Forget about it: NO WAY

60A: Praetor: ROMAN MAGISTRATE

62A: Car of mine?: TRAM. Why the question mark here? Tram is a mine field car, no?

63A: S-shaped moldings: OGEES. It looks like this.

64A: Jog: TROT

65A: Modern Maturity org.: AARP (American Association of Retired Persons.). AARP stopped printing Modern Maturity Magazine in 2003.

66A:Quizzes: TESTS

67A: Formal introduction: SEMI

Down entries:

1D: Correction: pref: ORTH (Orthodox). Shouldn't it be ORTHO?

2D: London district: SOHO

3D: Math fig.: COEF (Coefficient)

4D: Pogo's sticks: OKEFENOKEE SWAMP. You can find alligator, black bear, and lots of wading birds here.

5D: Purged: RID.

6D: Son of Aphrodite: EROS (Cupid in Roman God)

7D: Determine weight by lifting: HEFT

8D: Pay to play: ANTE

9D: Act properly: BEHAVE

10D: Mid-game recaps: HALFTIME REPORT.

11D: Charles Lamb: ELIA

12D: Camera part: LENS

18D: Fragrant ointment: NARD. Spikenard. Unknown to me.

19D: Biographer of Henry James: EDEL (Leon).

23D: Becomes slack: SAGS

25D: Mubarak's predecessor: SADAT (Anwar). Gimme for me.

26D: Veracity: TRUTH. Either Roger Clemens is lying, or his trainer is lying, or both of them are lying. Andy Pettitte has no reason to lie though.

27D: Goose classification: ANSER. New word to me.

28D: Former Indian leader: NEHRU. Gimme for me.

29D: Helps with the dishes: DRIES.

30D: Shortstop Jeter: DEREK. Gimme. Yankees shortstop. We have his rookie cards.

31D: Appraise: VALUE

32D: Fireplace fragment: EMBER

39D: Adam's apple location?: EDEN

45D: Scrooge, to friends: EBEN I don't remember anyone call him Eben in the movie.

46D: Western woodchuck: MARMOT. Cute looking, what is he eating?

47 Dye: TINT

50D: Mlle. from Madrid: SRTA (Señorita) . You should get this one if you read sallyjane's comment yesterday.

51D: Romanian round dance: HORA

52D: Bradley or Sharif: OMAR. Also, actor Omar Epps (Fox drama HOUSE)

53D: Bird enclosure: CAGE

55D: Artist Mondrian: PIET. Dutch painter. Never heard of him.

57D: Hard of soft ending?: WARE

58D: Particle: ATOM

59D: Himalayan Bigfoot: YETI (Abominable Snowman)

C. C.

Feb 28, 2008

Thursday, Feb 28, 2008 Alan P. Olschwang

Theme: Quip

17A: Start of a quip: A Ring on the

33A: Part 2 of quip: Finger is

46A: Part 3 of quip: Worth two

66A: End of quip: On the phone

It's a popular song in the 1910s. Look at the sheet cover. So Daisy & Gatsby-ish.

OK, the productive Mr. Olschwang and his quip again. In my mind, I picture Mr. Olschwang to be an old, retired English professor, wearing a pair of thick glasses and carrying a well-worn dictionary of quotations whenever he goes. Seriously, all his puzzles seem to be quotes/quips.

I had problems right off the bat. I had no idea what is 4D: Line dance (CONGA). I forgot the word ERG for 5D: Unit of work. I did not know what is "fer", so I could not figure out what is Not "fer". I decided AGIR sounded as great as "fer", after filling in DARN (instead of DANG) for 20A: Mild expletive.

The rest was a smooth sailing though. I enjoyed the MISO soup and PITA bread. I liked how FINGERIS intersects with GEMSTONES.

Here are the across entries:

1A: Sugar-coated: GLACÉ

6A: Part of a traffic trio: STOP

10A: Algonquian language: CREE. Learned this from doing crossword.

14A: Severity: RIGOR

16A: Resistance units: OHMS. Named after the German physicist Georg Simon Ohm.

19A: Corn holders: COBS

20A: Exemplar: IDEAL

22A: Patella's place: KNEE

23A: City in GA: ATL (Atlanta)

25A: Lip curlers: SNEERERS. I am not fond of the clue or the answer.

27A: Doc's org.: AMA (American Medical Association)

30A: Cut with an ax: HEW

32A: Bond foe: DR. NO. Put Casino Royale on your Netflix queue if you have not seen it. You will love Daniel Craig.

36A: Clip alternative: STAPLE

40A: Grant of TV: ASNER (Ed). Lou Grant.

43A: More glacial: ICIER

44A: Nomad: ROAMER

48A: Andrews movie: STAR. Never seen this Julie Andrews movie.

50A: Snakelike fish: EEL. How many ways can you clue EEL?

51A: Commercial bits: ADS

52A: Finished putting on, as a blouse: BUTTONED

56A: NASA vehicle: LEM (Lunar Excursion Module)

58A: Miscellany: OLIO (Can also be clued as Stew)

59A: Shoot from hiding: SNIPE

61A: Becomes mellower: AGES

65A: Son of Judah: ONAN

69A: Deal (out): METE

70A: Libreville's country: GABON. Got from the down clues. Libreville's is the capital of GABON.

71A: Mmes. of Madrid: SRAS

72A: Load, as cargo: STOW

73A: Elite social category: A LIST. Add Diablo Cody (Juno) to this list. I like her.

Down entries:

1D: Alum: GRAD

2D: Former Italian bread: LIRA. Sometimes it's LIRE.

3D: Not "fer": AGIN. For and Against. Hillbilly slang. I never heard anyone speaks this way.

5D: Unit of work: ERG. From Greek Ergon (work). Here is the definition: "The centimeter-gram-second unit of energy or work equal to the work done by a force of one dyne acting over a distance of one centimeter.".

6D: Dune material: SAND. Oh, I love Dune perfume. Never tried Sand though.

7D: Lugs: TOTES

8D: Readily available: ON HAND

9D: Kitchen implements: PEELER

10D: Domestic pest: COCKROACH

11D: River to the Golf of Lion: RHONE

12D: Fire remnant: EMBER

13D: Back-and-forth curves: ESSES

18D: Edmonton hockey player: OILERS. Gimme. My husband used to own several Wayne Gretzky's rookie cards, but he traded them for some baseball cards long time ago. He is ruing every day now. (Update: My husband just corrected me. He said he sold, not traded, the Gretzky cards. He sold 10 of them to a guy for a total of $25. Now they are worth $400 each).

24D: To this, that or it: THERETO

26D: Give a right: ENTITLE

28D: Sushi bar soup: MISO. I like red miso.

29D: "The King and I" heroine: ANNA

34D: Ritzy rocks: GEMSTONES

35D: Stye dweller: SOW. My mind was fixed on Pig and Hog.

37D: Gyro bread: PITA

38D: Obscene: LEWD

39D: Love god: EROS. Greek God of love, the Roman love God is Cupid.

45D: Payments for release: RANSOMS

47D: CSA commander: R. E. LEE, General of the CSA (Confederate States of America).

49D: Milk curdler: RENNET. Did not know this word. Got it from across clue.

52D: Ill-mannered individuals: BOORS

53D: Of an arm bone: ULNAR

54D: Small crown: TIARA

55D: Same here: DITTO

57D: Taj ___: MAHAL. You've got to remember its locale AGRA.

60D: Comment after a close call: PHEW

62D: Mongolian desert: GOBI. Look at this map, Gobi Desert covers a very large region of North China. I really like it to be clued as Asian desert.

63D: Adam's grandson: ENOS. Also Slaughter of Cooperstown.

67D: Links org: PGA. I've never played in a real links golf course.

Oh, one more thing, on Tuesday Feb 26, mkatesq posted this comment regarding EWOK: "I was told just last week that they weren't even in the Star Wars books, but were created just for the movie (Return of the Jedi) to give the movie a hook. Does anyone know if there is truth to that?"

Can anyone answer this question please?

Thank you and have a great day.

C. C.

Feb 27, 2008

Wednesday, Feb 27, 2008 Philip J. Anderson

Theme: PAIRS

17A: Cell mates?: Partners in Crime

35A: Nest mates?: Birds of a Feather

53A: Bench mates?: Second Stringers

Do you guys ever read the Comments part of my blog? At the end of my daily blog entry, you will see the word Comments (see the signs of an envelop and a pen?). Just click on it and comment on. Let us share your miseries/glees!

You will also find the word Labels. Click on the name of the constructor, you will get all his works since I started blogging (Jan 21, 2008). Tribune Media seems to have a very small pool of constructors, don't you think so? Or you never pay attention to who the author is?

It's another bumpy ride for me today. I was jolted by quite a few unknown words/names. Sea cows (5D: MANATEES) was hard, making it difficult for me to to infer 23A: Mikita of Hockey (STAN), whom I never heard of. 37D: Amazon snake (ANACONDA) was also too formidable for me to give a whack. I did get its parallel clue 36D: Poisonous shrub (OLEANDER), though I never heard of the shrub.

Across clues:

1A: Ricochet: CAROM. Often clued as pool shot.

2A: Charity: ALMS

18A: Clothing lines: HEMS

14A: "Butterfield 8" author: O'HARA (John). He wrote honestly and well, indeed.

15A: Minute skin opening: PORE

16A:Latin Lesson word: AMAT (Latin: she/he/it loves). See yesterday's puzzle.

21A: Heaps: A LOT

22A: Petty dictator: SATRAP. I had difficulty understanding the clue. A dictator always has absolute power, petty ones never make it to the dictatorship, no?

According to my dictionary, SATRAP is originally "the governor of a province in ancient Persia". Now it mean a ruler of a dependency, esp a despotic, subordinate official, petty tyrant.

23A: Mikita of hockey: STAN. Maybe he is a gimme for hockey fans. I just found out that Mr. Anderson clued STAN as Comic Laurel in his Feb 13 puzzle.

24A: Adjutant: AIDE

25A: New York island: STATEN. Did not know this. Never been to NY. All my understanding of NY is from either Law and Order, or NYPD Blues.

28A: Flows back: EBBS

29A: Spigot: TAP

32A: Debate: ARGUE

33A: Shrinking Asian sea: ARAL. You want to cement this one in your brain? Then look at this map.

34A: Overfill: SATE

38A: Cockney abodes: 'OMES (Homes). Cockneys live in the East of London. In their accent, letter "h" is dropped.

39A: Tilt, at sea: LIST

40A: Hangman's knot: NOOSE.

41A: Half a fly?: TSE

42A: Richard of "Chicago": GERE

43A: Editorial symbols: CARETS

44A: Scottish hillside: BRAE

45A: Stunning stuff: MACE. I like this clue. I was thinking of those Shock & Awe feat.

46A: Lenin's successor: STALIN

49A: Han or Napoleon: SOLO. Han Solo is from Star War, Napoleon Solo is from The Man from U. N. C. L. E.

50A: Louvre Pyramid architect: PEI ( I. M. Pei). He also designed the JFK Library.

56A: Arduous journey: TREK

57A: Pointless Olympic event?: EPEE. I like the clue, a refreshing change.

58A: ___ macabre: DANSE. Dance of Death. I don't like to be reminded of how fragile life is.

59A: Debate faction: SIDE

60A: Ewes' mates: RAMS

61A: Lessen: ABATE

Down entries:

1D: Manilow's nightclub: COPA. Copa Cabana.

2D: Moby Dick's pursuer: AHAB

4D: Table scrap: ORT

5D: Sea cows: MANTATEES. Here is an image for you to remember. They are huge.

6D: Cook's coverage: APRON. Coverage, not cover? I was initially thinking of the explorer James Cook and his coastal coverage.

7D: Among the missing: LOST

8D: Med. scan: MRI

9D: Level-headed: SENSIBLE

10D: "The Lost Galleon" poet: HARTE (Bret). Got his name from across clues.

11D: Bahrain leader: EMIR. I had a friend (a Brit) who lived in Bahrain for a few years in the early 1990s, then he converted into a Muslim. Unbelievable.

12D: Doll's cry: MAMA

18D: Zeal: ELAN

19A: Scoundrels: CADS

24A: Sternward: ABAFT. I put Aback.

25D: Wooden shoe: SABOT. Wooden clog shoe, French call it SABOT.

26D: removes the excess: TRIMS

27D: Come to terms: AGREE

29D: Western resort lake: TAHOE

30D: Bikini event, in headlines: A TEST. Atomic Test, 1945, Bikini Atoll.

31D: Pops in Paris: PERES

36D: Poisonous shrubs: OLEANDER. It's so pretty.

42D: Wide smile: GRIN. I am going to give Bush a rest today.

43D: Colombian city: CALI. Looks like a good place to go if kidnapping is not a problem.

44D: Chap in Soho: BLOKE

45D: Social customs: MORES

47D: Actress Garr: TERI

50D: Catcher Tony: PENA. Gimme for me. He used to be Kansas Royal's coach.

51D: Once, once: ERST

55D: Chew the fat: GAB

Note to reader rosebud: Any subtle crossings today?

C. C.

Feb 26, 2008

Tuesday, Feb 26, 2008 Michael T. Williams

(Hey guys, this is C. C. Lots of you come to this blog entry today (May 31, 2008). What newspaper are you doing? Please leave a comment here or write me an email. I am curious to know. Thank you.)


Theme: Advice from BF

17A: With 63A, quotable U.S. money man: Benjamin

63A: See 17A: Franklin

23A: Start of advice from 17A: A Penny Saved

41A: More of advice: Is a

54A: End of advice: A Penny Earned

I like this puzzle. I admire the constructural balance of the themes entries. It looks simple and elegant to my untrained eyes.

I also enjoyed this author's "baseball movie" puzzle on Feb 4 and "snickers/candy bars" on Feb 8. His Chicago Bears HOF puzzle on Feb 17 was too tough for me.

But I still struggled mightily. It all started with 26D: Planet-finding grp (SETI). I filled in NASA. I did not know 5D: Siberian dog (SAMOYED), and I forgot the 36A: Sot's Shakes (DTS). So I was not able to get that very important letter "Y" for 23A, thus failed to catch the advice theme earlier.

I lingered too long over the left lower corner. Actually, all my effort was focused on 62A: Minimum attendance required (QUOTUM). Well, if you were Senator Dick Durbin the Whip, this was a gimme for you. It was _ _ orum for me for over 10 minutes. I felt stupid failing to get SQFT for 57D: Surface meas. Of course not knowing 58D: Vilolinist Leopold (AUER) certainly did not help.

I guess my brain was not thinking clearly this morning, I even tanked the 29A: Fashion magazine (GLAMOUR).

Here are the across entries:

1A: Sprinkle after a shower: TALC

5A: Wood cutter: SAW

8A: Lives: DWELLS

15A: Coach Parseghian: ARA. The Notre Dame football coach from 1964-1974.

16A: Antenna: AERIAL

20A: One in Central America: UNO

21A: Grew gloomier: DARKENED

27A: Fellows: MEN

29A: Fashion magazine: GLAMOUR. Conde Nast publication. They give out Glamour Women of the Year award annually. The lovely Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine) was on their 2007's list.

34A: Roses' places: BEDS

36A: Sot's shakes: D.T.S (Delirium Tremens)

38A: Essential amino acid: LYSINE. Unknown to me.

39A: Lucas folk: EWOKS. Star Wars (George Lucas) character. I got it this time.

43A: Dish stewed in wine: SALMI. Here is the definition: a ragout of partially cooked game, as pheasant or woodcock, stewed in wine and butter. You could put a bit pineapple in I suppose.

46A: Brace amount: TWO. Nailed it this time. Have to thank reader Dennis and Joey again for the explanation.

48A: Fed. agent: TMAN (Treasury-Man)

49A: Harbor town: SEAPORT

51A: Tentacle: ARM

57A: California winter wind: SANTA ANA

61A: Actress Scala: GIA. I got her name from down clue. Never heard of her before. She died in 1972 of drug overdose.

62A: Minimum attendance required: QUORUM. OK, the wikipedia says that "when quorum is not met, a legislative body cannot hold a vote, and can not change the status quo.... If a significant number of voters choose not to be present for the vote, the vote will fail due to lack of quorum, and the status quo will remain".

If you want in-depth understanding of this term, I suggest you call Senator Robert Byrd (WV). Ha ha.

71A: Nervous vibration: TREMOR

72A: Latin lesson word: AMO. Amo (I love), Amas ( you love), Amat (she/he/it loves).

73A: Part of DOS: SYST. Disk Operating System.

Down entries:

2D: 100 square meters: ARE. Got it from across clue. Vaguely remembered this definition of "are".

3D: Writer Deighton: LEN

4D: Bayou cuisine: CAJUN. Emeril Lagasse. BAM! Kick it up a notch!

5D: Siberian dog: SAMOYED. Interesting name, past tense. Look at this one, isn't it cute?

6D: "Exodus" role: ARI. Never read any of Leon Uris' work.

7D: Sykes of "Clerks II": WANDA. I find her to be very overwhelmingly noisy.

8D: Waltrip of auto racing: DARRELL. He was in yesterday's puzzle.

10D: "Das lied von der __": ERDE. The Song of the Earth.

11D: Pride member: LION

12D: Narrow street: LANE

13D: Snow coaster: SLED

18D: Landers and Jillian: ANNS

22D: Part of GPA: AVG

23D: Fossil resins: AMBERS

24D: Dodger Reese: PEE WEE. Gimme gimme.

25D: Tabitha's TV grandmother: ENDORA. Unknown to me.

26D: Planet-finding grp.: SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence.)

30D: Col.entrance exams: MSAT

31D: Wildcatter, e.g.: OILMAN. I did not know this before. So, Anna Nicole Smith's husband was a wildcatter.

32D: Destroyed: UNMADE

33D: Checked (horses): REINED

35D: Beehive: SKEP. I got this from the across clue. I did not know skep.

45D: Visionary: DREAMER

47D: Aromatic herb: OREGANO

50D: SPIKE formerly: TNN

52D: Primary: MAIN

55D: US-Mex.-Can. union: NAFTA. Poor Hillary. Look at what a mess Bill created for you!

56D: Does yard work: RAKES

57D: Surface meas.: SQFT (Square Foot). The wicked Q.

58D: Violinist Leopold: AUER. He died long long time ago.

59D: Iditarod goal: NOME. Iditarod is an annual dogsled race in Alaska (from Anchorage to Nome)

60D: Trolley car: TRAM

64D: "Monster" group: R.E.M. I lucked it out on this one. I got it from across clues. I did not know that Monster is a R. E. M.'s album. It can also be clued as "sleeping stage" (REM, Rapid Eye Movement).

65D: Set down: LAY

66D: NASA outpost: ISS (International Space Station)

67D: Trawling device: NET

A few more things:

1) Yesterday's Newspaper Count: We have 1 from Thailand, 1 from Canada, and 32 different newspapers within the US.

2) On Sunday Feb 24, the answer for 117D: Cold, in Chile is FRIA. One reader replied that it means "head cold."

3) On last Monday Feb 18 Stanley B Whitten puzzle, the clue for 55D is Hannibal's "Waterloo" (ZAMA). I questioned the quotation mark, and got a very interesting response from reader Hugh Brown. See here. I decided to contact with Stephen Wilbers, who writes a weekly business writing column on Star Tribune. Here is his reply: I agree -- no quotes are needed. The practice of placing clichés in quotation marks is sometimes called "winking," as we must "do our best."

Enjoy your Tuesday everyone.

C. C.

Feb 25, 2008

Monday, Feb 25, 2008 Josiah Breward

Theme: Common Phrases

17A: Repeatedly: Over and Over

28A: Alternative to cream: Half and Half

46A: Like a tight race: Neck and Neck

63A: Not specified: Such and Such

First of all, if you have not read this post, please have a quick look and let me know what newspaper puzzle you are doing.

Secondly, every comment here is forwarded into my email account, and I read every one of them. So if you are confused about certain clue or could not make any sense of the fill, please always feel free to ask me. If I am not able to answer you, I will post here on my blog.

I felt so happy last Friday when I got several replies regarding the "Span or Brace" clue that appeared on a puzzle 2 weeks ago. I got that question from Curt who was working on his Palm Beach Post crossword. I really like to build up a good community here where information is shared and question is answered.

Now back to puzzle. I struggled again, from the very start. I filled in ADOBE (1A: Homemade brick) and CONTRACTOR (Building Supervisor) easily, having just watched Sidney Poitier's "Lilies of the Field" certainly helped. But I could not get EPARCH for 5D: Eastern Orthodox bishop. Never heard of that word before.

I did not know 34A: Daytona 500 winner Waltrip (DARRELL), could not get ARETE for 31D: Mountain Ridge. Did not know who Lee of Rush (GEDDY) was. Had no idea who was Singer MacKenzie (GISELE). I would have nailed it if it's clued as Supermodel from Brazil, or Tom Brady's date.

My proudest moment today was filled in AZALEA (11D: Decorative bush) and ENGELS (47D: Marx colleague) with authority. I just read Anchee Min's Red Azalea several months ago, and gleaned some nuggets from her book.

I disagreed with the clue for 40D: Break fast? (EAT). Why the question mark? You eat when you break a fast. Unless you want to be cute and misleading, then you should just clue it as "breakfast?" with no space between "break" and "fast". What do you think?

Across entries:

1A: Homemade brick: ADOBE

6A: "___ of God": AGNES. Jane Fonda movie (1985). AGNES could also be clued as "Patron saint of young girls".

11A: Shortened bk.: ABR. Abridged.

14A: Enliven: PEP UP.

15A: Hoof beats on pavement: CLOPS

16A: 26th letter: ZEE

19A: 1/2 of a union merger: AFL (American Federation of Labor). Merged with CIO (Congress of Industry Organization) in 1955.

21A: Kirghiz mountains: ALAI. I filled in ALPS, which fit in perfectly at first, esp because it was a plural form mirroring the plural form of clue mountains nicely.

22A: Part of BS: SCI

23A: Singer MacKenzie: GISELE. Canadian singer. Wikipedia shows that she sang quite often on Jack Benny Program and Ed Sullivan show.

25A: Municipal grp.: DPW (Department of Public Works)

35A: Old Testament book: HOSEA

37A: Miss West: MAE. She is fame-hungry, coming up to crossword again and again.

38A: Conger catcher: EELER. I crave grilled unagi now.

42A: Customers: CLIENTS

45A: Solar period: YEAR

50A: Heaviness meas.: WTS (WEIGHTS)

51A: Harmonized: IN SYNC

55A: Digital data devices: LASERDISCS

62A: 5 scores: CEN (CENTURY).

64A: Wapiti: ELK

65A: Falco and Brickell: EDIES. Falco is in "The Sopranos". Brickell is Paul Simon's wife.

66A: Student at an ecole: ELEVE (French word for student).

67A: Retirement group: SSA (Social Security Agency)

68A: Lee of Rush: GEDDY. Rush is a Canadian rock band.

69A: Anatomical networks: RETIA (single form is Rete).

Down entries:

1D: End of time, brief: APOC (Apocalypse)

2D: "Whip it" group: DEVO. Never heard of this band. Read here for more information.

3D: Exposed: OPEN

4D: Bacharach and Lancaster: BURTS

5D: Eastern Orthodox bishop: EPARCH. Dictionary says it's "the prefect or governor of an eparchy.".

6D: Aussie rockers: AC/DC. A hard rock band from Australia.

7D: Language: suff: GLOT. According to the dictionary, glot is" a combining form with the meanings “having a tongue,” “speaking, writing, or written in a language” of the kind or number specified by the initial element: polyglot."

8D: Porto ___, Benin: NOVO. Here is the map for you. Very close to Gulf of Guinea.

9D: Big centerpiece: EPERGNE. Did not know. I always call a centerpiece a centerpiece.

11D: Decorative bush: AZALEA. Very pretty.

12D: Come to pass: BEFALL

13D: Government aid: RELIEF

18D: River nymph: NAIAD. Greek mythology. Wood nymph is Oread or Dryad.

21D: Welsh designer Laura: ASHLEY. Well, she died 23 years ago. Time for Ashley Judd & Ashley Olsen.

25D: Morse symbol: DAH. The spoken representation of a dash in radio and telegraph code.

26D: Niner or Buc: PRO. I put in NFL first. Niner refers to San Francisco 49ers, and Buc is the Tempa Bay Buccaneers.

29D: Hobbled: LAMED

30D: Mary of "Newhart": FRANN. Unknown to me.

31D: Mountain crest: ARETE. Paul of the Crosswordese will be very disappointed at me. ARETE was his Word of the Day a few weeks ago I think. And he attached a very nice picture of how arete looked like. I just forgot it completely. If you have not, please subscribe to his free daily word of day. He puts lots of effort and thoughts in his daily delivery.

33D: Sharp and Thatcher: BECKYS. Unknown to me. Becky Sharp is a "Vanity Fair" character, Becky Thatcher is from "Tom Sawyer".

36D: Alda or King: ALAN

39D: Hoad of tennis: LEW

40D: Break fast? EAT.

41D: B & O and others: RRS (Railroads). B & O refers to Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.

43D: Consist of: INCLUDE

44D: Disdain: SCORN

46D: Some kin: NIECES

47D: Marx colleague: ENGELS. Basically he financed most of Karl Marx's writing.

48D: Former Dolphin running-back: CSONKA (Larry). No memory of him.

49D: Actress Margot: KIDDER. She played Lois Lane in Superman movies in 1970s and 1980s.

53D: Strong thread: LISLE

56D: LSD, to users: ACID. Slang word for LSD.

57D: Molt: SHED

60D: Fifth of MXXX: CCVI (1/5 of 1030 is 206).

61D: New York stadium: SHEA

63D: Module: abbr. SEG (Segment).

Oh, one more thing, my predictions for Oscar at my yesterday's blog: I was right on Best movie and best director (Cohen brother's No Country for Old Men), Original Screen Play (Diablo Cody, Juno), and Ratatouille for animated feature. Wrong on all the others.

I could not believe they awarded best actress to the girl who played Edith Piaf on "La Vie en Rose". She lip-synced all the songs in the movie. Julie Christie was incredible in her role (Away from Her). I thought Cate Blanchett did a great job in "I am not there", much better than her portrayal of Katharine Hepburn in "the Aviator", which brought her an Oscar.

Have a good week everyone.

C. C.

Feb 24, 2008

Which Newspaper Crossword Are You Doing?

My newspaper is the Minneapolis (MN) Star Tribune. And we have the TMS (Tribune Media Service) puzzle from Monday to Sunday.

How about yours? I am curious to know. You do not need to tell me your name, just let me know your newspaper/city/state name.

Below is the list of papers readers have kindly sent to me. If yours is not here, please let me know. And if I made a mistake on the name of your papers, please also let me know. Thanks.

UPDATED LISTS (April 18, 2008, total 67)

International (6)

the Nation, Bangkok, Thailand.
Globe & Mail, Toronto (ON), Canada
Times Colonist, Victoria, BC, Cananda
The Province ,Vancouver, B.C. Canada
Taipei Times, Taiwan
Viet Nam News, Vietnam


US (61)

AL: Anniston Star (Anniston); The Birmingham News (Birmingham)

AK:

AR: Arkansas Democrat Gazette (Little Rock)

AZ:

CA: Orange County Register; San Jose Mercury News (Monday-Saturday); Bakersfield California

CO: Colorado Springs Gazette

CT: Waterbury Republican (Torrington, Sunday)

DE:

DC:

FL: Palm Beach Post; Naples Daily News; Sun-Sentinel; St. Petersburg Times.
Port Saint Lucie News(Port Saint Lucie); Tampa Tribune (Tampa); Florida Times Union- Jacksonville



GA: Savannah Morning News.

HI:

ID: Idaho Statesman (Boise)

IL: Chicago Tribune

IN: Herald-Bulletin (Anderson)

IA:

KS:

KY: Daily News (Bowling Green). Lexington Herald-Leader.

LA: Lake Charles American Press

ME: Bangor Daily News

MD: Baltimore Sun (only Sunday)

MA: The Boston Globe

MI: Detroit Free Press

MN: Minneapolis Star Tribune; the Minnesota Daily (U of M paper); St. Cloud Times

MO:

MS:

NE: The Omaha World Herald (Omaha)

NV: Review Journal (Sunday), Las Vegas

NH: Concord Monitor Concord

NJ: Philadelphia Inquirer (Medford Lakes)

NM:

NY: AM New York; New York Daily News; Post Stars (Glens Falls); Times-Union (Albany); Utica Observer Dispatch

NC:

ND: The Forum (Fargo)

OH: Dayton Daily News (Mon-Sat); Louisville Herald Leader, the News Herald (Willoughby, a suburb of Cleveland); Spring Field News-Sun (Monday-Sat).

OK:

OR: the Oregonian (Portland, Monday to Saturday)

PA: Reading Eagle (Reading); Philadelphia Inquirer. Beaver Valley Times (Monday-Saturday). Pittsburgh Post Gazette (Sunday).

RI: The Providence Journal(Providence)

SC: The Sun News (Myrtle Beach).

SD: Argus Leader (Sioux Falls)

TN:

TX: Abilene Reporter News (Abilene, Monday-Sunday); Amarillo Globe-News;
Osessa American
; San Angelo Standard-Times (Monday through Saturday)

UT:

VT:

VA: The Virginia Pilot; The Daily Press

WA: The Seattle Times

WV: Daily Athenaeum (Morgantown, campus paper)

WI: Wisconsin State Journal (Madison)

WY:

Sunday, Feb 24, 2008 Alan P. Olschwang

Theme: Actor's Ego (Will Rogers Quip)

27A: Start of Will Rogers quip: The movies enable an

54A: Part 2 of the quip: Actor not only

69A: Part 3 of the quip: To act but also to sit down

87A: Part 4 of the quip: In the theater

115A: End of quip: And clap for himself

Can anyone please tell me what's the difference between a "quote" and a "quip"? If a "quip" is supposed to be funny and witty, then this one is not, at least, not to me. It's just an ordinary "quote". Or am I the only one who does not get it?

I did not enjoy Mr. Olschwang's last puzzle either. "It's better to have loved and lost than never to have lost at all". It did not make sense to me.

So I started today's puzzle with a very bad attitude. Could not summon up enough enthusiasm for a quip puzzle. But I was able to fill in these foreign words quickly: PERE (father), ETE (summer), ILS (they), MERCI and GRACIAS (Thank you), Coup d'ETAT, AMAH (Indian housemaid), NATALE (Christmas in Roma), LESE-majesty, TSAR (Russian Ruler). FRIA (cold in Chile) was the only one that escaped me.

Although Mr. Olschwang did not bring out more 2-toed, or 3-toed sloths (AIS and UNAU) today, he still managed to frustrate me with a few legitimate fills. I never heard of the Sportscaster Rashad (AHMAD), never heard of Conductor Antal (DORATI), never heard of Greek island (CORFU). And the word TUAREG for (77A: Member of a Saharan nomadic tribe) just looked plain wrong to me. I really like the clue for 110D: Friendly or Savage (FRED). Very cleverly misleading.

Here are the across entries:

1A: Plantation machine: BALER

6A: Makes lace: TATS

10A: Creative Coward: NOEL. English actor. He is in the original The Italian Job. I like the 2003 version with Mark Wahlberg and Donald Sutherland. Charlize Theron is in it too.

14A: Puccini opera: TOSCA. Learned from doing crossword.

19A: Organic compound: AMINE

20A: Taj Mahal site: AGRA. I tend to confuse this one with the Turkish title AGA.

21A: Actor Gross: ARYE. I actually saw Gone in Sixty Second, but I did not remember him.

22A: Ferber and O'Brien: EDNAS

23A: Soho so longs: TATAS

26A: Closes in: NEARS

30A: "__ Gotta Be Me": I'VE. OK, I am not going to make another mistake today. It's Sammy Davis Jr. Song. Buddy Holly's song is "I've got to be me". ' N Sync song: "It's Gonna Be Me."

31A: Demonstrates connections: RELATES

32A: Et __ (and others): ALII. This is the masculine plural, the feminine plural is et aliae, the neuter plural is et alia.

33A: Gin cocktail: GIMLET

35A: Securely closed: SEALED

37A: Tightly packed: DENSE

39A: Hangman's knot: NOOSE. The Golfweek Noose Debacle!

41A: NL Braves: ATL (Atlanta Braves)

42A: Yule mo.: DEC

45A: Moon vehicle, briefly: LEM (Lunar Excursion Module).

46A: Verbalize an ache: MOAN

50A: Hand part: PALM

52A: Scot Roy: ROB. Scottish folk hero.

58A: Eyelid woes: STYES

60A: Mil. unit: REGT (Regiment)

62A: "Twelfth Night" duke: ORSINO. Unknown to me.

63A: Building wing: ELL

64A: Double-breasted jacket: REEFER. It looks like this.

66A: Hot time in Paris: ETE. French winter is d'hiver.

67A: Playground rejoinder to "am not": ARE TOO

75A: Stir to action: INCITE

76A: Upper limit: CAP

77A: Member of a Saharan nomadic tribe: TUAREG. Please google it yourself and see how you like their image.

78A: O. T. Book: MIC (Micah)

79A: Sensual: EROTIC

82A: One of the Simpsons: BART. Homer, Marge, Bart and Lisa.

83A: Religious denominations: SECTS

90A: Sleuth Spade: SAM

92A: Get to one's feet: RISE

93A: Lucy's love: DESI. I Love Lucy.

94A: They: Fr.: ILS

95A: Totality: SUM

97A: Long of "The Broken Hearts Club": NIA. Our editor loves Nia.

99A: Elongated fish: GAR. Another frequent offender.

100A: California/Nevada lake: TAHOE

103A: Group of eight: OCTAD

105A: "Broken Arrow" co-star: ANSARA (Michael). He is another stranger to me.

107A: Give one's consent: ACCEDE

110A: Casa component: SALA (large living room)

112A: Having richer soil: LOAMIER. I think we need loamy soil for our cucumber this year. Ours never tasted as good as the ones sold at the Farmer's Market.

114A: Maglie of baseball: SAL. Nicknamed "Sal the Barber." He is not in HOF, in case you wonder.

120A: Street talk: SLANG

122A: Netherlands city: ROTTERDAM, the second largest city in the Netherlands, after Amsterdam.

123A: Essential perfume: ATTAR

124A: I wasn't there at the time, e. g.: ALIBI

125A: Moonfish: OPAH. It looks pretty.

126A: Tiny amount: IOTA

127A: Volunteer's words: LET ME

128A: Explorer Polo: MARCO

129A: French father: PERE.

130A: Very dry: ARID

131A: Proud mount: STEED. I think this word has appeared at least 3 times since I started my blog.

Down entries:

1D: Fabric stuffing: BATT. Did not know this word.

2D: Indian housemaid: AMAH

3D: Strictly speaking: LITERALLY

4D: Tooth covering: ENAMEL

5D: Mended shoes: RESOLED

6D: Unspoken: TACIT

7D: Came to terms: AGREED

8D: Supporting pieces: TRUSSES. Did not know this constructional term.

9D: Notorious marquis: SADE. Marquis de Sade. He was sick. Why not clue Sade as Singer of "Smooth Operator"? I could not tell you how much I love Sade's " Somebody Already Broken My Heart".

10D: Christmas in Roma: NATALE. Buon Natale.

11D: Pygmy antelope: ORIBI. I did not know any kind of antelope, not to mention pygmy antelope.

12D: Some makeup products: EYE LINERS. Finally a gimme.

13D: __ - majesty: LESE. This is the highest crime you can commit against your country, isn't it?

14D: Ashe Stadium sport: TENNIS

16D: Exemplar of slowness: SNAIL

18D: Advantage: ASSET

19D: Momentarily: In A SEC. I like answer. Very colloquial.

34D: Interoffice communique: MEMO

35D: Digs a trench: SAPS. Did not know that sap can mean "dig trench in the ground."

36D: Coup d'__: ETAT

38D: Clean and tidy: NEAT

40D: Former Atlanta arena: OMNI. I am so proud that I got this one.

43D: Greek island: CORFU. I put Crete first.

45D: Young or Swit: LORETTA. Knew Loretta young, never heard of Loretta Swit. She was in M*A*S*H.

47D: A customer lead-in: ONE TO. I don't understand this one, what is "one to a customer?"

48D: Give permission: ALLOW

49D: Hose material: NYLON

51D: Thanks, Pierre: MERCI

53D: Sugar source: BEET

55D: Dog in Oz: TOTO

56D: Radio studio sign: ON AIR

57D: Rich desserts: TORTES. Speak of desserts, Krispy Kreme just closed their last store here in MN.

59D: Medium-sized sofa: SETTEE

61D: Thanks, Pedro: GRACIAS

65D: Chicago-based film critic: EBERT (Roger)

66D: 6th sense: ESP (Extrasensory Perception)

68D: Lawn tool: EDGER

69D: Shy: TIMID

70D: Cat - ___-tails: O' NINE. See here. It's a whipping device.

71D: Banking holdings: abbr: ACCTS (Accounts)

72D: Milk: pref: LACT

74D: Evil personified: SATAN

80D: Buckeye State: OHIO

81D: Astronomer's instrument: TELESCOPE

82D: Very dry, as champagne: BRUT

84D: Tobacco product: CIGARETTE

85D: Russian ruler: TSAR

86D: Medicinal fluids: SERA (Serum is the single form)

88D: "Women and Love" author: HITE. Her name was in Friday's puzzle, the clue is Sex researcher Hite (SHERE).

89D: Break free: ESCAPE

91D: Home of the Heat: MIAMI. Miami Heat, the NBA team.

96D: Stench: MALODOR

98D: Beasts: ANIMALS

101D: Slowly, in music: ADAGIO. What's the difference between "lento" and "adagio?"

103D: Kansas city: OLATHE. Did not know this city. It's ranked 13th in the CNN 2006 "100 best cities to live in the US."

104D: Conductor Antal: DORATI. I am very weak in conductor/composer names.

105D: Sonnet part: SESTET

107D: Isolated Indian State: ASSAM. Famous for its tea.

108D: Type of lilly: CALLA

109D: Verlaine poem: "__ de lune:": CLAIR. Knew it from doing crossword.

111D: Bridal path end: ALTAR

113D: Sportscaster Rashad: AHMAD. He actually played for the Vikings. Wikipedia did not tell me why he changed his original name Robert to Ah-Mad.

116D: Hit the dirt: DROP

117D: Cold, in Chile: FRIA. It it correct here? I could not find this word in any dictionary. Frio is a word meaning cold.

118D: Kind of duck: LAME

119D: Friendly or Savage: FRED. Never heard of them before. Fred Friendly was the former president of CBS News. He and Ed Murrow created the "See it Now." I like Fred Savage's brother Ben, who was playing Cory in "Boys Meets World."

121D: Peacock network: NBC

OK, here are something unrelated to crosswords: my prediction for Oscar tonight:

Best Actor: Viggo Mortensen (Eastern Promises)

Best Actress: Julie Christie (Away from Her)

Supporting Actor: Casey Affleck (The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford)

Supporting Actress: Cate Blanchett (I Am Not There)

Best director: the Cohen brothers (No Country for Old Men)

Best picture: No Country for Old Men

I will also pick up Sicko for best documentary, Juno for best original screenplay, and Ratatouille as the best animated film.


C. C.

Feb 23, 2008

Tribune Media Puzzle Pattern

These are what I've learned since I started this blog:

1) Our puzzle is edited by a guy named Wayne Robert Williams.

2) Our puzzle does not follow NY Times' tougher-as-the-week-go pattern. The difficulty level is consistent from Monday to Saturday (15 by 15). Sunday's puzzle (21 by 21) might be a bit harder due to its bigger size (21 by 21).

So, I am not going to feel stupid and inadequate if I have trouble with the Monday puzzle again. And you should not feel smug if you solve your Saturday puzzle under 20 minutes.

Please read Orange's post on this very issue. One reader, Rich, responded that the Williams told him that he did not use graduated difficulty pattern. If you have a different opinion, please ask your local editor.

3) Every puzzle have a theme from Monday to Friday. Saturday is themeless. Sunday's puzzle is also themed, and titled.


C. C.

Saturday, Feb 23, 2008 Josiah Breward

Theme: NO

I often find a themeless puzzle more intimidating. You can not take a wild guess at some quotation/quip, or spot a bogey-par-birdie or the broken-heart pattern and fill in lots of blanks. This themeless is a true test of your range of knowledge and solving ability. I am just not up for it.

But I am getting better, I used to really like lots of s, es, ed, er, est, ing in the clues, now I don't. I've learned that that was bad and lazy construction.

Today I spent about 35 minutes on the puzzle before I started googling. I did not know 27A: "Punking out" Group (RAMONES). I never heard of the Ramones. I kept thinking of Ashton Kutcher's Punk'd. I did not know the Artis of the NBA (GILMORE), and never heard of ALWORTH (39D: Lance of the NFL). That gave me lots of trouble in the lower middle part.

OK, here are the across entries

1A: Territory's future, perhaps: STATEHOOD

10A: Knight's mail: ARMOR. I got this from the down clues. I was baffled after I reviewed my finished puzzle and could not understand why armor was a mail. Then found out that mail has another meaning of "flexible armor of interlinked rings'.

15A: Long-time New Yorker cartoonist: PETER ARNO. Never heard of him. Got it from down clues. He had a great quote: "Tell me about yourself - your struggles, your dreams, your telephone number."

16A: Use a razor: SHAVE

17A: Peculiar deviations: ANOMALIES

20A: Lillian or Dorothy: GISH. They are pretty sisters. Wow, I found out that Lillian lived until 99 years old.

23A: Pique performance: SNIT

24A: Madame Curie: MARIE

25A:Gillette blade: ATRA

27A: "Punking Out" group: RAMONES. See here for more information. I don't think I want to listen to their music. I just don't like rock, punk, or rap. OK, one exception. I like Pink's Let's get the Party Started.

30A: Viewing twins?: SEEING DOUBLE

32A: Selling feature: ASSET

35A: Highland hillsides: BRAES. Anther repeat offender.

36A: Repeatedly: TIME AND AGAIN

43A: Staggering: REELING

44A: Commercial bits: ADS

47A: Canasta combination: MELD. Did not know this one, in fact, I did not know the meaning of Canasta. It's a card game.

49A: Singer Lou: RAWLS. Frank Sinatra said he had "the classiest singing and silkiest chops in the singing game." He was once called "The funkiest man alive". I figure Samuel Jackson must love his music.

50A: From _ to stern: STEM. From one end to another.

51A: Man or Capri: ISLE

53A: Earth model: GLOBE. I botched this one. I was trapped into thinking that earth model might refer to a Korean car model. Could not get any assistance from the down clues.

54A: Wading bird: STILT. Never heard of this bird. The only wading birds I know are Egret, heron and crane.

56A: Like wind and rain: EROSIONAL

58A: Saw's cutters: TEETH

59A: Most peculiar: STRANGEST

60A: Spindrift: SPRAY. I was imaging cotton being processed and lots of fiber drifting.

61A: Rabble: THE MASSES. I got _ _ _ masses, then I thought the constructor was looking for a Latin word which means lower class people. Did not even think of putting a "the" there. Besides, I did not know the NBA/NFL guys' name, so could not get any help from the down clues.

Down entries:

1D: Scanty: SPARSE

2D: Renter: TENANT

4D: Entice: TEMPT

6D: Kubrick's computer: HAL. Learned this from doing crossword.

7D: Artful paper-folding: ORIGAMI. My Grandma was very good at this.

8D: Long golf club: ONE IRON. When I started playing golf in 2001, the only clubs I used were 7-iron & my putter. I used it for drive, fairway/rough shot, bunker shot & chip.

9D: Flopping in London: DOSSING. Sleeping. Unknown to me. I did not even know "flop" can mean sleep, not to mention the British word for it.

10D: One Wednesday: ASH

11D: Valerie Harper sitcom: RHODA

12D: Most easterly Prairie Province: MANITOBA

13D: Use veto power: OVERRULE. Star Tribune cover page this morning: Pawlenty veto sets up fight over transportation bill. Lots of rumors are swirling around that our Governor Tim Pawlenty will be McCain's running mate.

14D: Says over: RESTATES

21D: Listen to: HEED. I put "hear" first, then corrected myself quickly.

24D: Astronaut Jemison: MAE. First black woman to travel in space.

27D: Make roof repairs: RETAR

28D: Edna Ferber novel: SO BIG. She won Pulitzer for this book.

30D: Bishopric: SEE

31D: Container with a tap: URN

32D: Followers on an ancient Greek theory: ATOMISTS. Unknown to me. I wanted it to be Sto__ists, you know, like stoic something. That's the only greek theory I knew.

33D: Evade: SIDESTEP

34D: More rank: SMELLIER. Like a rank cigar, having an offensive strong smell.

37D: Soft-toy stuff: NERF

38D: Mommie's last name?: DEAREST. I was thinking of the Scarlett's nanny in Gone with the Wind. I thought she called her Mommie. Did not know that Mommie Dearest was a book, written by Joan Crawford's daughter.

39D: Lance of the NFL: ALWORTH. Unknown to me. Even if he is in Hall-of-Fame.

40D: Artis of the NBA: GILMORE. Nicknamed "A-Train". I know the "Big Train" Walter Johnson. I ruined my Walter Johnson bobblehead by using Mr. Eraser to clean a small blemish on his lower left chin. My God, the blemish was gone, but his chin became horribly white. Just awful!

41D: Response to a ques.: ANS

44D: Expiates: ATONES

45D: Cheapen: DEBASE

46D: Refines ore: SMELTS. The word in my mind was "Assay". Did not know that besides fish, "smelt" can mean refine metal by fusing.

48D: Mississippi triangle: DELTA

50D: Works hard: SLOGS. That's how I do my puzzle every day.

53D: Actress Lollobrigida: GINA. Vaguely remembered her name.

55D: "Hallowed by _ name...": THY

57D: Nunn or Donaldson: SAM. Gimme for me. Thought you might like this tidbit that I lifted from Wikipedia:

"On August 2, 2006, during the last White House Press conference in the briefing room before undergoing major renovations, Donaldson shouted, "Mr. President, should Mel Gibson be forgiven?", referencing reports of the actor/producer's alleged anti-Semitic remarks.

Bush laughed and looked up to see who had asked the question. Bush joked, "Is that Sam Donaldson? Forget it ... you're a 'has-been'! We don't have to answer has-beens' questions." To which Donaldson retorted "It's better to be a has-been than a never-was!"

I don't think Bush came back with an equally sparkling repartee. I never saw the interview, but I could picture him grinning his way out, jaw agape. God, that smirk!

Enjoy your weekend everyone.

C. C.

Feb 22, 2008

Friday, Feb 22, 2008 Willy A. Wiseman

Theme: Familiar Phrases starting B_T, the vowels are in A-E-I-O-U order.

17A: Swimsuit models: BATHING BEAUTIES

23A: Intuitive Reading?: BETWEEN THE LINES

40A: Facing misfortune bravely: BITING THE BULLET

53A: Ace place?: BOTTOM OF THE DECK

61A: Shut up: BUTTONED ONE'S LIP

A few things to say before I start today's puzzle:

1) On Feb 3 Sunday Arlan and Linda Bushman puzzle, the answer for 86D: Brace or Span is TWO. Can anyone please explain to me why? (Update: Thanks to Joey and Dennis, now I know that brace/span means a pair, as in a span of horses, a brace of dogs. I hope Curt of Palm Beach Post is reading this).

2) On yesterday's puzzle, the answer for 44D: Upstate NY School is RPI. I thought you would be interested to know that that young guy Tyler Hinman, who won the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament the last three years, graduated from RPI. I have to thank Orange for providing me with this information.

By the way, tonight, both Orange and Tyler will be on the Nick Digilio Show (Chicago WGN 720AM). There is supposed to be "Listen Now!" button on their website. Go there if you have time, maybe you can glean a few wisdom from these 2 ace solvers.

3) If you have not watched the movie Wordplay, please put it on your Netflix queue. Can you believe that someone can finish one puzzle in a little over 2 minutes? That's insane.

OK, back to today's puzzle. I breezed through the upper left corner and the middle left section, and spotted the B_T pattern fairly quickly, which allowed me to sweep through the gut part and the lower left corner of the puzzle. Bubba Watson (23D: Watson of golf) might stump some of you, but it's a gimme for most of the golf fans (me included). This guy is crazy in his tee shots (longest drive: 398 yards).

But then I was bogged down on the upper right part of the puzzle. It's a nightmare for me. I did not know what to fill for 15A: Judith or Dana (IVEY), all that came to my mind was a picture of Dana Milbank of Washington Post appearing on MSNBC discussing Judith Miller's CIA leak case. I really had no idea who was Mohammed's favorite wife (AYESHA), I did not even know that he was married. This is a bit disturbing, I found out that he married this girl when she was only 6-year-old.

For your information, today's constructor Mr. Wiseman also gave us the golf themed Bogey-Par-Birdie-Eagle puzzle on Jan. 25 Friday and the broken heart puzzle on Sunday Feb 10.

Here are the across entries:

1A: Somewhat wet: DAMP

5A: Poet Teasdale: SARA. Have you read her poem "I shall not care"?

9A: Tibetan capital: LHASA. Also known as the real Forbidden City.

15A: Judith or Dana: IVEY. Both are actresses. Generally I suck at movie stars names, esp if they are old.

16A: 2nd-year coeds: SOPHS (Sophomores)

17A: Swimsuit models: BATHING BEAUTIES. For a moment, I thought all the theme entries will be alliterations.

20A: Math branch: ALG

29A: Ms. Thurman: UMA. Kill Bill.

30A: Take a load of: SIT

31A: Cuckoopint: ARUM. Learned this word a few weeks ago.

32A: Rope fiber: BAST

34A: Part of Can.: NWT (Northwest Territory)

44A: Coeur d'___, ID: ALENE

45A: River in Devon: EXE. Another river in England. I got it from the down clues.

47A: End of demo: CRAT (as in Democrat)

52A: Meas. across: DIA (Diameter)

60A: "__ Gotta Be Me": I'VE. Sammy Davis Jr. Song. Sorry about the mistake earlier. Buddy Holly song is "I've Got to be me". I put "It's" first, thinking of the "It's Gonna be me" by 'N Sync.

68A: Satellite of Jupiter: ELARA. Mr. Wiseman used the exact clue for his last puzzle.

69A: Squat down: DUCK

70A: Philosopher Immanuel: KANT. His idea is too abstract for me. I love the concept of "Dare to Know" though.

71A: Letter flourish: SERIF

72A: Makes up one's mind: OPTS

73A: Word before jerk or water: SODA

Down entries:

1D: Localize the soundtrack: DUB

2D: Candler or Gray: ASA. Candler is the Coca Cola guy (Candler's Park in Atlanta). ASA is often clued as the botanist Gray.

4D: Pish!: PSHAW!

5D: Scorching superficially: SINGEING

6D: Part of GPA: AVG (Average)

6D: Attempt to disprove: REBUT

8D: Mohammed's favorite wife: AYESHA. Wikipedia shows that it can also be spelled as A'isha. Does anyone know how many wives Mohammed had?

9D: Baton Rouge sch.: LSU (Louisiana State University, Shaq O'Neal's alma mater).

11D: Concerning bees: APIAN

12D: Sex researcher Hite: SHERE. Never heard of her. Kinsey is the only name that came to my mind.

13D: Nincompoops: ASSES

18D: French islands: ILES

19D: Computer brand: ACER. I put Dell first. Acer is a huge electronic manufacturer based in Taiwan. In fact, it's the third largest PC producer in the world, after HP and Dell.

23D: Watson of golf: BUBBA. He tied for 5th in last year's US Open I think. I love Tom Watson of the Sr. PGA Tour a lot.

25D: Discernment: TASTE

26D: Contents abbreviation: NT WT (Net Weight)

27D: Maui feast: LUAU

28D: Hint at: IMPLY

33D: Add color to: TINCT

37D: Slip away from: ELUDE

38D: Old treasure: RELIC

41D: Actor Franco: NERO. Italian actor. Never heard of him before. Heard of James Franco though.

43D: Remembers, once: BETHINKS

48D: God of Thebes: AMON. Also spelled as Amen, an Egytian God, represented as a man with a ram's head. Thebes is an ancient city in Egypt.

49D: Ohio city: TOLEDO

51D: Golfer Ballesteros: SEVE. This guy can chip! He is a golf genius.

53D: "___ in Toyland": BABES. A band formed here in Minnesota.

54D: Early-stage seed: OVULE

55D: Crimean man: TATAR

56D: Sick and tired: FED UP

62D: Dent or corn starter: TRI (Trident and Tricorn)

63D: Clumsy fellow: OAF

64D: 10 of calendars: OCT

65D: Thai ethnic group: LAO. I bet this is a gimme for my blog reader Alan in Thailand.

66D: Ky.neighbor: IND

67D: School org: PTA: This has to go to the Repeat Offender list.

C.C.

Feb 21, 2008

Thursday, Feb 21 2008 Alan P. Olschwang

Hey, this is C.C., I noticed that lots of you come to this puzzle today (May 14, 2008 Wednesday), which paper are you doing? Pls leave a comment here or send me a private email. I am curious know why there is such a long time lap between your paper and mine. Thanks.

(Updates: Sorry for my mistake earlier, this is a legitimate quip from Samuel Butler.)


Theme: Quip

17A: Start of quip: It's better to have

20A: Part 2 of quip: Loved

35A: Part 3 of quip: And lost than

53A: Part 4 of quip: Never

54A: End of quip: To have lost at all

Well, this is not how I remember, the original line is "It's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all". OK, here is the original from Alfred Lord Tennyson's poem In Memoriam:

I hold it true, whate'er befall;
I feel it, when I sorrow most;
'Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all.
When interviewed by E! or some other media on JFK Jr. and his wife's tragic death, Daryl Hannah, who dated JFK Jr. for a few years, quoted this exact line. And I remember I was very moved.

I do not like this puzzle at all. I hate it when the quote/quip does not make any sense. Stared at the lower middle corner forever, trying to force LOVE into the LOST spot - of course grammatically it's impossible, as "have" demands a past participle. Did not know who the hell was 51D: Actor Romero (CESAR). Did not know Latin Law is LEX.

Struggled mightily with the 51A: Gigantic statues (COLOSSI), wanted the last letter to be S or U to fit in the 44D: Upstate NY school (RPI, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute). Never heard of this RPI. And of course, some sloths (43D), AIS. This constructor love his sloths, On his Feb 7 Thursday's puzzle, he clued UNAU as 2-toed sloth.

Enough said, here are the across entries:

1A: Endangered Afri. mammal: RHINO (Rhinocero). Also British slang for money.

6A: Abraham's son: ISAAC

11A: AARP group: SRS. AARP stands for American Association with Retired Person.

14A: Noble title: BARON

15A: "Jurassic Park" star Sam: NEILL. He is currently starring in The Tutors.

16A: Tiger's peg: TEE. I like Tiger's caddy Steve Williams.

21A: Morse unit: DIT

22A: Weapons stockpile: ARSENAL

23A: Rainy day racetrack favorites: MUDDERS. Kentucky Derby 1920 winner Paul Jones was a mudder.

29A: Considered: DEEMED

30A: Anderson of "WKRP..": LONI. Burt Reynold's wife.

31A: Bodybuilder Ferrigno: LOU. The Incredible Hulk.

33A: Short skirts: MINIS

34A: Charged articles: IONS

45A: Zodia cat: LEO

47A: Grapevine transmission: GOSSIP

49A: Swaps: BARTERS

50A: Gigantic statues: COLOSSI, plural form of colossus, adj is colossal.

61A: Onassis, to pals: ARI

62A: Barcelata's "Maria __": ELENA. Never heard of this song.

63A: Lukewarm: TEPID

64A: Kind of rally or talk: PEP. Our Gophers' football coach Tim Brewster is very good at this. Many fans hated him (1-11 record last season). But I like him. I once wrote him a letter to show my support, he responded very quickly with a handwritten note. I was so smitten with his handwriting on the envelope.

65A: Philly pro: SIXER. NBA 76ers.

66A: Utopias: EDENS

Down entries:

1D: Slugger's stat: RBI. If you like my blog, please vote for Justin Morneau for All-Star this year.

2D: Occupation indicator: HAT. Does this refer to Chef's hat or what?

3D: April 15 addressee: IRS. $1200 is coming!

4D: Aristocrats: NOBLEMEN

5D: Certain tie score: ONE ONE

6D: Chip maker: INTEL. I feel sorry for you if you owe INTEL's stock in the past 4 years.

7D: Ranked player: SEED

8D: Expose to public scrutiny: AIR

9D: PC key: ALT

10D: Klutzy: CLODDISH. Lots of points for Klutzy in Scrabble.

11D: Grandeur: STATELINESS

12D: Gun it in neutral: REV

13D: Get it?: SEE?

18D: Boob tube spot: TV AD

19D: Covered up: HID

22D: Put two and two together: ADD

23D: Old Olds' auto: REO

24D: Office of a legislator: SENATORSHIP. I never heard of this usage. It's either the Office of Senator McCain or the Office of Congressman Ron Paul.

26D: One condo: UNIT

27D: Kanga's kid: ROO. Winnie-the Pooh character.

28D: Daystar: SUN. Watched part of the Lunar Eclipse last night. Too cold (-3F) for me to stand outside.

30D: Itemized accounts: LISTS

33D: Sahl and Drucker: MORTS

36D: Warrants: DESERVES

37D: Cougar's den: LAIR

38D: Miscellaneous: ASSORTED

39D: Clerical vestment: ALB

40D: Veggie sphere: PEA

43D: Some sloths: AIS. 3-toes sloth, OK, this one is not as ugly as the two toed UNAU. Show us more sloths Mr. Olschwang!

44D: Upsate NY school: RPI. I went to their alumni Hall-of-Fame website, and found nobody that I have heard of.

47D: Political syst.: GOVT (Government)

48D: Soap ingredient: OLEATE. I blogged about this word before.

49D: Barcelona aunt: TIA

51D: Actor Romero: CESAR. Never heard of him. Never watched Batman.

54D: Spigot: TAP

57D: Latin law: LEX. Attention: the plural form of lex is leges.

58D: Bonzo or Clyde: APE. Bonzo is the chimpanzee from Bedtime for Bonzo (Ronald Reagan 1951 film). Clyde is the chimpanzee from the Biniki Beach (1964) or Every Which Way But Loose (Clint Eastwood 1978 movie).

59D: "Little Red Book" compiler Biao: LIN. This is a gimme for me. He died in a plane crash in 1971, trying to escape to Mongolia. He was the second-command to Mao Ze-Dong during China's Cultural Revolution.

60D: Mormon letters: LDS (Latter Day Saints)

If you have time, please have a look at my yesterday's Tribune Media Repeat Offenders' post. I found SIR, PEA, LAIR, ION, TEE, RBI, IRS, AIR, REO, ORE, APT, LEO, and ELI to be guilty.

Thank you for stopping by this morning and have a good day.

C. C.

Feb 20, 2008

Tribune Media Crosswords Repeat Offenders

Currently Laying Fallow (Last updated on March 15, 2008)

*******************************************************************

Inspired by reader Crockett1947, I am going to count all those repeat offenders on Tribune's crossword puzzle, retroactive as of Monday Jan 21, 2008 when I created this blog.

My lists here are not complete, as I did not like dignifying those Anti, Err, Ante and all their cohorts by keying them every day as entries. I regarded them as harmless and gimmes for everyone. But from now on, everyone will be treated equally.

Please feel free to snitch. Let's line them up! I will put this post permanently on the side bar so you can always comment and add on more offenders. I will update them daily.


1 AARP: clued as Modern Maturity org on Feb 29.

1 ABATE: clued as Lessen on Feb 27.

1 ABC: clued as 2 on the phone on March 12.

1 ABE: clued as Lincoln, casually on Feb 27.

3 ABET: clued as Aids a criminal on Feb 20, clued as Aid in a felony on March 4, clued as Aid a criminal on March 6.

2 ABORT: clued as Terminate on Feb 11, clued as Cancel on March 8.

1 ACE: clued as past tense got a top grade on Feb 27.

3 ACID: clued as LSD, to users on Feb 25, clued as Etcher's fluid on March 12, clued as One litmus test conclusion on March 14.

2 ACNE: clued as Stridex target on Feb 14, and again on March 8.

3 ACRE: clued as Lot of land on March 5, clued as Land measures on March 7 (plural), clued as Farm measure on March 11.

1 ACT: clued as Play part on March 13.

1 ADD: clued as Contribute on March 10.

1 ADE: clued as Summertime refresher on March 13.

1 ADEN: clued as Port of Yemen on March 3.

2 ADHERE: clued as stick on Feb 10, then as sticks on Feb 17 (for the plural form), then again clued as stick on Feb 18.

2 ADIEU: clued as Nice goodbye on March 3, clued as Au revoir! on March 14.

1 AD LIB clued as Off-the-cuff remark on March 6.

2 ADS: clued as Commercial bits on Feb 23, again on Feb 28.

1 AERIE: clued as Eagle's nest on March 5.

1 AES (Adlai Ewing Stevenson): clued as DDE's rival on Feb 10.

1 AFAR: clued as a way away on Feb 28.

1 AFL: clued as 1/2 of a Union merger on Feb 25.

2 AGE: clued as Many years on Feb 29, clued as Grow old on March 7.

1 AGILE: clued as Spry on March 12.

3 AGO: clued as Before now on Feb 19, again on Feb 24, clued as In the past on March 5.

1 AGORA: Clued as Greek Marketplace on Feb 7.

1 AGRA: clued as Taj Mahal site on Feb 24.

1 AGREE: clued as Come to terms on Feb 27.

1 AHA: clued as Cry of discovery on March 13.

1 AHAB: clued as Moby Dick's pursuer on Feb 27.

1 AIDE: clued as Adjutant on Feb 27.

3 AIR: clued as exposed to public scrutiny on Feb 21, clued as Melodic tune on March 5, clued as Broadcast on March 15.

1 AJAX: clued as Trojan War hero on March 10.

1 A LA: clued as Pie _ mode.

1 ALAI: clued as Jai follower? on Feb 10.

1 ALAMO: clued as Crockett's last stand on March 14.

1 ALB: clued as Clerical vestment on Feb 21.

1 ALDA: clued as Robert and Alan on Feb 17.

1 ALDO: clued as Ray of "Battle Cry" on March 13.

1 ALEE: clued as On the quiet side on March 8.

1 ALENE: clued as Coeur d'_, ID on Feb 22.

1 ALI: clued as The Greatest on March 9.

2 ALIBI: clued as excuse on Feb 20, clued as "I wasn't there at the time, eg" on Feb 24.

2 ALIST: clued as Elite social category, clued as Preferred invitees on March 12.

1 ALLEN: clued as "Interiors" director on March 3.

1 ALMS: clued as charity on Feb 27.

1 ALLOW: clued as give permission on Feb 24.

3 ALOE: clued as __ vera on Feb 20, clued as Cosmetics ingredient on March 4, clued as Medicinal plant on March 10.

1 ALOHA: clued as Hilo greeting on March 13.

1 ALOU: clued as Moses or Felipe of baseball on March 9.

1 ALS: clued as Capp and Capone on March 5.

1 ALSO: clued as In addition on March 14.

1 ALTAR: clued as Bridal path end on Feb 24.

2 ALTO: clued as Choir voice on March 6, clued as Countertenor on March 15.

2 AMA: clued as Doc's org. on Feb 28, again on March 12.

1 AMAH: clued as Indian housemaid on Feb 24.

1 AMAT: clued as Latin lesson word on Feb 27.

2 AMO: clued as Latin lesson word on Feb 12, again on Feb 26.

1 AMOR: clued as God of love on March 9.

1 AMT: clued as check fig. on March 3.

1 ANAT: clued as Art sch. course on March 5.

1 ANI: clued as black cuckoo on March 7.

1 ANIMAL: clued as Beast on March 5.

1 ANITA: clued as Novelist Brookner on March 10.

2 ANN: clued as Landers and Jillian (plural) on Feb 26, and Jillian or Landers on March 3.

1 ANNA: clued as Actress Paquin on March 13.

1 ANON: clued as In due time on March 2.

3 ANS: clued as T. or F. eg on Feb 19, clued as Response to a ques on Feb 23, clued as T. or F. eg. on March 9.

2 ANSA: clued as Latin Handle on Feb 17, Feb 18 .

1 ANTE: clued as Poker state: ANTE

1 AONE: clued as First-rate on Feb 28.

2 APE: clued as Learn like a monkey on March 4, clued as Simian on March 12.

1 APER: Clued as mimicker on Feb 22.

1 APED: clued as Imitated on March 2.

2 ARA: clued as Coach Parseghian on Feb 26, again on March 12.

1 ARAB: clued as Yemen or Saudi on Feb 25.

2: ARAL: clued as Asian Sea on Feb 20, clued as Shrinking Asian sea on Feb 27.

1 ARE: clued as Exist on March 2.

1 AREA: clued as Neighborhood on March 9.

1 ARGO: clued as Jason's vessel on March 12.

2 ARGUE: clued as Debate on Feb 27, again on March 12.

2 ARID: clued as very dry on Feb 24, clued as Like the Kalahari on March 6.

2 ARIL: clued as Seed coat on March 9, again on March 12.

1 ARK: clued as Biblical boat on March 7.

2 ARLENES: clued as Dahl and Francis on March 1, clued as Francis and Dahl on March 10.

1 ARLES: clued as Van Gogh location on March 2.

3 ARM: clued as Tentacle on Feb 26, clued as Extension on March 2, clued as Limb on March 3.

1 ARNIE: clued as Palmer, casually.

2 AROMA: clued as Bakery byproduct on March 6, clued as Bakery come-on on March 14.

1 ARRAS: clued as Tapestry in "Hamlet' on March 12.

1 ARUM: clued as Jack-in-the-pulpit on March 6.

1 ASA: clued as Candler or Gray on Feb 22.

1 ASAP: clued as Quickly on Feb 17.

1 ASEA: clued as On the bounding main on March 8.

2 ASH: clued as One Wednesday Feb 23, clued as Last of a log on March 13.

1 ASIA: clued as China location on March 4.

2 ASIAN: clued as Kind of flu on March 11, clued as Far East man on March 12.

1 ASNER: clued as Grant of TV on Feb 28.

1 ASP: clued as Small snake on March 3.

2 ASPEN: clued as Quaking trees (plural) on Feb 1, then again (plural) on March 11.

1 ASS: clued as Beast of burden on March 9.

3 ASSET: Clued as Selling point on Feb 17, clued as Selling feature on Feb 23, clued as advantage on Feb 24.

2 ASTI: clued as Italian wine center on March 2, then clued as __ Spumante on March 10.

1 AS YET: clued as Thus far on March 8.

2 ATE: clued as Had a meal on March 5, clued as Dined on March 12.

1 A TEST: clued as Bikini event, in headlines on Feb 27.

2 ATL: clued as NL Braves on Feb 24, clued as City in GA on Feb 28.

3 ATOM: clued as Particle on Feb 29, clued as Tiny bit of physics on March 3, clued as Molecule maker on March 6.

1 AT SEA clued as Perplexed on March 7.

1 ATTAR: clued as essential perfume on Feb 24.

1 ATTEST: clued as Bear witness on March 14.

1 AURA: clued as Ambiance on March 14.

1 AVA: clued as Ms Gardner on Feb 22.

2 AVER: clued as states with conviction on Feb 10, clued as States forcefully on March 2.

1 AVOW: clued as Declare to be true on Jan 23.

1 AWAIT: clued as Stand by on March 11.

1 AWE: clued as Reverence on March 12.

1 BAA: clued as Sheep cry on March 11.

2 BAD: clued as Wicked on March 6, clued as Naughty on March 9.

1 BAIT: clued as Trap enticement on March 6.

2 BALI: clued as Indonesian Island on March 5, again on March 14.

1 BARD: clued as Exalted poet on March 9.

1 BASIS: clued as Foundation on March 13.

1 BAT: clued as Night flyer on March 7.

1 BED: clued as Plot for roses on March 5.

1 BEEF: clued as Gripes on March 6 (single form).

1 BESS: clued as Porgy's love on March 15.

1 BOOST: clued as Upward push on March 12.

1 BRA: clued as Bikini piece on March 7.

3 BRAE: clued as Highland hillside on Feb 16, and Highland hillsides (plural form) on Feb 23, clued as Scottish hillside on Feb 27.

1 BSO clued as Youth org on March 6.

2 CAD: clued as Scoundrel on Feb 19 (single form), again clued as Scoundrels on Feb 27 (plural form).

1 CAGE: clued as Bird enclosure on Feb 29.

1 CAR: clued as Vehicle on wheels on March 7.

1 CARE: clued as Give a hoot on March 10.

2 CARETS: clued as Editorial symbols on Feb 3 & 27.

1 CAT: clued as Meow Mix eater on March 11.

1 CCC: clued as New Deal grp on March 7.

1 CIA: clued as OSS successor.

1 COAL: clued as Fossil fuel on March 14.

1 CIO: clued as AFL-__ on March 6.

2 COEF: clued as Math fig. on Feb 29, then again on March 7.

1 COO: clued as Pigeon's sound on March 5.

1 COUP: clued as _ d'etat on March 12.

1 CRATE: clued as Packing case on March 12.

2 DAT: clued as CD's competition on Feb 8, and again on March 2.

1 DATE: clued as See socially on March 8.

1 DEAR: clued as Expensive on March 6.

1 DEB: clued as New entrant into society.

1 DEEP: clued as Profound on March 14.

1 DELI: clued as Pastrami purveyor on March 10.

1 DEN: clued as Lairs on March 6 (plural form)

1 DENSE: clued as Slow-witted on March 14.

1 DENT: clued as Pockmark on March 2.

1 DEVIL: clued as Demon on March 8.

2 DIA: clued as Meas. across on Feb 22, then again on March 12.

1 DIET: clued as Menu plan on March 10.

1 DIGIT: clued as Finger or Toe on March 10.

2 DIT: clued as Morse code on Feb 8, clued as Morse unit on Feb 21.

1 DIVA: clued as Top vocalist on March 11.

2 DOE: clued as Unknown John or Jane on March 8, clued as Anonymous John on March 13.

1 DOLE: clued as Meters out (plural) on March 12.

1 DOSE: clued as Apothecary measure on March 6.

1 DOWN: clued as Duck feathers on March 9.

1 DRAFT: clued as Working copy on March 15.

2 DTS: clued as Sot's Shakes on Feb 13, and Feb 26.

1 DYE: clued as Indigo or woad on March 5.

2 EAR: clued as Serving of corn on March 7, clued as Otologist's focus on March 14 (plural).

1 EARNS: clued as Merits on March 13.

1 EASEL: clued as Art supporter on March 14.

1 EASY: clued as a piece of cake on Feb 25.

2 EAT: clued as Chow down on March 3, clued as Down a hero on March 11.

1 EATEN: clued as Consumed on March 15.

2 EBBS: clued as Flows back on Feb 27, clued as Falls back on March 8.

1 EBONY: clued as Jet black on March 2.

1 ECRU: clued as Tan shade on March 12.

2 ED ASNER: clued as "Lou Grant" star on March 10.

1 EDDIES: clued as River swirls on March 14.

2 EDEL: clued as Biographer of Henry James on Feb 13, and again on Feb 29.

3 EDEN: clued as Utopias (plural) on Feb 21, clued as Adam's apple location on Feb 29, clued as Garden spot on March 15.

1 EDITOR: clued as Newspaper honcho on March 9.

1 EDNA: clued as Ferber and O'Brien on Feb 24 (plural form).

2 EDSEL: clued as Ford flop on Feb 19, clued as Ill-fated Ford on March 11.

1 EEE: clued as Wide shoe width on March 1.

4 EEl: clued as Lamprey on Feb 18, clued as Moray on Feb 19, clued as Snakelike fish on Feb 28, clued as Lamprey or Moray on March 5.

1 EERIE: clued as unearthly on March 15.

2 EGO: clued as Conceits (plural form) on Feb 25, clued as Freudian concept on March 11.

1 EIRE: clued as Dublin's land on Feb 15.

2 EKES: clued as Scrapes (by) on March 2, clued as _ out (barely manages) on March 14.

1 ELAINES: clued as Stritch and Boosler on March 9.

2 ELAN: clued as Flair on Feb 11, and Zeal on Feb 27,

2 ELBA: clued as Corsica' neighbor on Feb 5, clued as Isle of exile on Feb 29.

1 ELBOW: clued as Nudger's joint on March 7.

2 ELEVE: clued as Student at an Ecole on Feb 25, clued as Ecole attendee on March 13.

2 ELI: clued as Lilly or Wallah on Feb 17, clued as Actor Wallach on Feb 21.

2 ELIA: clued as Director Kazan on Feb 13, clued as Charlie Lamb on Feb 29.

1 ELIAS: clued as Walt Disney's middle name on March 6.

1 ELITE: clued as Cream of the crop on March 14.

1 ELLA: clued as Vocalist Fitzgerald on March 4.

1 ELM: clued as Shade Tree on Feb 10, Jan 20.

1 ELON: clued as Carolina school on March 2.

1 ELOPE: clued as Flee to wed on March 13.

1 ELS: clued as Golfer Ernie of the PGA on Feb 17.

1 ELSE: clued as If all __ fails on March 4.

1 ELSIE: clued as Borden bovine on March 6.

2 EMBER: clued as Fire remnant on Feb 28, clued as Fireplace fragment on Feb 29.

1 EMEND: clued as Correct on March 6.

1 EMI: clued as Radio static, in brief on March 11.

1 EMIL: clued as Runner Zatopek on March 11.

3 EMIR: clued as Bahrain leaders on Feb 27, clued as Abu Dhabi ruler on March 2, clued as Abu Dhabi ruler on March 3.

1 EMO: clued as Comic Philips on March 2.

1 ENA: clued as Alfonso's queen on March 7.

1 ENAMEL: clued as Glossy type of paint on March 10.

1 END: clued as Pull the plug on on March 11.

1 ENDOW: clued as Provide with property on March 9.

1 ENE: clued as Organic suffix on March 2.

1 ENERO: clued as January in Oaxaca on March 6.

3 ENID: clued as Oklahoma city on Feb 15, clued as Novelist Bagnold on Feb 18, clued as "National Velvet" author Bagnold on March 8.

1 ENISLE: clued as Isolate on March 11.

1 ENS: clued as Minnesota's twins? on March 3, clued as Skinny twins? on March 11.

1 ENOS: clued as Slaughter of Baseball on Feb 20, clued as Adam's grandson on Feb 28.

1 EON: clued as Huge time frame on March 11.

2 EPEE: clued as Fencer's stiletto on Feb 6, clued as Fencing sword on March 4.

2 ERA: clued as Period on March 3, clued as Gay Nineties and the like (plural) on March 14.

1 ERASE: clued as Obliterate on Feb 27.

2 ERG: clued as unit of work on Feb 28, clued as Work units on March 14 (plural).

1 ERIN: clued as Celtic land on March 14.

2 ERMA: clued as Columnist Bombeck on Feb 11, and again on March 3.

2 ERNE: clued as Osprey's cousin on March 2, clued as Sea eagle on March 12.

2 EROS: clued as Love god on Feb 28, clued as God of love on March 6.

1 ERR: clued as To Goof on Feb 17.

1 ERRED: clued as Goofed up on March 9.

1 ERROR: clued as Blunder on March 8.

2 ERS: clued as Hospital intake location on Jan 27, clued as Inarticulate sounds on Feb 29.

1 ERST: clued as Once, once on Feb 10, then Feb 27.

1 ESAI: clued as Morales of "Bad Boys" on March 6.

1 ESAU: clued as Biblical Twin on March 4.

1 ESCAPE: clued as Break free on March 12.

1 ESME: clued as Salinger girl on March 10.

1 ESNE: clued as Medieval serf on March 12.

5 ESP: clued as mind reading on Feb 20, clued as 6th sense on Feb 24, clued as mind reading on March 1, clued as Psychic's letter on March 3, clued as 6th sense on March 10.

1 ESPN: clued as "SportsCentre" stn. on March 6.

1 ESS: clued as Snaky letter on March 1.

1 ESSES: clued as Back-and-forth curves on Feb 28.

1 EST: clued as Approx. on March 3.

1 ETA: clued as Greek letter on March 8.

2 ET AL clued as list ender on Feb 15, clued as List end, sometimes on March 14.

2 ETE: clued as French Summer on Feb 19. Again on Feb 24.

1 ETHANE: clued as Constituent of natural gas on March 5.

1 ETHENE: clued as Another name for ethylene on March 12.

1 ETO: clued as Ike's command on March 1.

1 ETRE: clued as Raison d'__ on March 4.

1 ETS: clued as UFO pilot on March 1.

2 ETTA: clued as Kett of the comics on Feb 10, again on Feb 11.

1 ETUI: clued as Needle Box on Jan 19.

1 EVADES: clued as Ducks and Dodges on March 23.

1 EVEN: clued as Tied on March 13.

2 EWOK: clued as Cuddly George Lucas creature (single form) on Jan 21; clued as Lucas folk (plural form) on Feb 26.

1 EXAM: clued as Course culmination on March 14.

1 EXES: clued as Former mates on March 10.

1 EYE: clued as Scope out on March 9.

1 EZRA: clued as Book before Nehemiah on March 4.

1 FARE: clued as Cabby's customer on March 5.

1 FIAT: clued as Decree on March 6.

1 FLU: clued as Respiratory malady on March 14.

1 GAPE: clued as Stare open-mouthed on March 10.

2 GARS: clued as long thin fish on Feb 17, and clued as elongated fish on Feb 24.

1 GENRE: clued as Literary category on March 5.

2 GERE: clued as Richard of "Chicago" on Feb 27; "Unfaithful" star Richard on Feb 29.

1 GLAD: clued as Tickled pink on March 14.

1 GLOB: clued as Viscous clump on March 14.

2 GOBI: clued as Mongolian desert on Feb 16, again on Feb 28.

1 GOT: clued as 'You've __ Mail" on March 5.

2 GRAD: clued as Alum on Feb 28, again on March 4.

1 GRE: clued as Test for coll. seniors on March 9.

1 GRIT: clued as Pluck on March 8.

1 GUTS: clued as Innards on March 8.

1 HAG clued as Crone on March 2.

1 HAL: clued as Kubrick's computer on Feb 23.

1 HARM: clued as Damage on March 13.

1 HARTE: clued as "The Lost Galleon" poet on Feb 27.

2 HAUL: clued as Transport by Truck on Feb 11, clued as Drag forcibly on March 3.

1 HEED: clued as Listen to on Feb 23.

1 HEIST: clued as Bank robbery on March 8.

1 HEISTED: clued as Committed burglary on Feb 19.

1 HELM: clued as Ship's tiller on Feb 29.

1 HEN: clued as Coop denizen on Feb 24.

2 HEW: clued as cut with an ax on Feb 12, again on Feb 28.

1 HMO: clued as Med. group on March 5.

1 HOC: clued as Ad _ committee on March 12.

1 HOI: clued as _ polloi on March 12.

2 HOLST: clued as Composer of "The Planets" on March 7, and again on March 10.

1 HOPE: clued as Has aspirations on March 10.

1 ICER: clued as Champagne bucket on March 12.

1 ICON: clued as picture on a computer on March 6.

1 IDI: clued as Brutal Amin on Feb 28.

1 IDEA: clued as Brainchild on March 3.

3 IDEAL: clued as Paradigm on Feb 10, clued as Exemplar on Feb 28, clued as Standard of perfection on March 8.

1 IDEE: clued as _fixe (obsession) on March 10.

1 IDLE: clued as run in neutral on Feb 25.

1 IDOL: clued as False god on March 6.

1 III clued as Sundial three on March 7.

1 IKES: clued as Eisenhower and others on March 15.

3 ILE: clued as __ du Diable on Jan 31, on Feb 3, and again on March 1.

1 ILK: clued as Sort on March 11.

1 IMPS: clued as Little rascals on March 14.

1 I M PEI: clued as Mile High Center architect on March 10.

1 INDIA: clued as Pakistan's neighbor on March 12.

1 INHERE: clued as Exist as a characteristic on March 11.

1 INN: clued as Quaint quarters on March 9.

1 INRI: clued as Calvary inscription on Feb 17.

1 INST: clued as MIT part on March 9.

2 INTO: clued as Division word on March 6, clued as Enthralled by on March 14.

1 IOWA: clued as Hawkeye State on March 11.

2 IOTA: clued as Tiny amount on Feb 24, clued as Tiny amounts (plural) on March 5.

1 IRE: clued as Anger on March 5.

1 ISLE: clued as Man or Dogs on March 14.

1 ITEM: clued as Part of a list on March 10.

1 IVAN: clued as Reitman or Pavlov on March 10.

1 KEY: clued as E or G, eg on March 10.

2 KILO: clued as Metric weight, briefly on March 4, and clued as Metric weights (plural form), briefly on March 6.

1 LADES: clued as fills the hold on March 14.

1 LADY: clued as Noblewoman on March 5.

1 LAIR: Clued as Cougar's den on Feb 21.

1 LANA: clued as Actress Turner on March 11.

1 LANE: clued as Highway subdivision on March 6.

1 LARA: clued as Zhivago's love on March 13.

1 LARD: clued as Cooking fat on March 11.

1 LASSO: clued as Rodeo ropes (plural) on March 7.

1 LAST: clued as Goes on and on (single) on March 8.

1 LAT: clued as Long. counterpart on March 2.

1 LEASE: clued as Temporary contract on March 11.

1 LEAF: clued as Toronto team, tersely (plural form) on March 6.

1 LEER: clued as Sly look on Feb 19.

2 LEM: clued as Moon vehicle, briefly on Feb 24, clued as NASA vehicle on Feb 28.

2 LEMA: Clued as Champagne Tony of Golf on Feb 17. Feb 20 .

2 LEN: clued as Novelist Deighton on March 14, clued as "The Ipcress File" writer on March 15.

1 LENS: clued as Camera part on Feb 29.

1 LES: clued as Paul of guitars on March 1, clued as Brown with a band on March 2.

1 LESS: clued as Fewer on March 9.

1 LGE: clued as T-shirt size on March 9.

1 LIEN: clued as Property claim on March 10.

1 LI'L: clued as Abner's size? on March 2.

1 LILY: clued as Easter bloom on March 8.

1 LIST: clued as Tilt, at sea on Feb 27.

1 LIT: clued as Illuminated on March 15.

1 LOIS: clued as Clark's girl on March 14.

1 LONE: clued as Word with star or ranger on March 14.

2 LOOS: clued as Gentleman Prefer Blondes author on March 10, clued as "A Girl Like I" author on March 11.

2 LORNE: clued as Actor Greene on March 9, clued as Michaels of "SNL" on March 10.

1 LSD: clued as Leary's drug on March 13.

2 LST: clued as D-day Craft on Feb 17, March 3.

1 LTD: clued as Inc. in England.

1 LUAU: clued as Maui feast on Feb 22.

1 LURE: clued as Enticement on March 8.

1 MAE: clued as Miss West on Feb 25.

1 MANET: clued as "Olympia" painter on March 13.

1 MASH: clued as Korean War sitcom on March 8.

1 MATE: clued as Either one of a pair on March 14.

3 MATSU: clued as Taiwan Strait Island Feb 7., Feb 10. and Feb 17.

1 MAVIN: clued as Experts on March 9.

1 MECCA: clued as Attractive places (plural) on March 7.

2 MEET: clued as Come together on Feb 29, clued as Encounter on March 2.

1 MELT: clued as Run in the heat on March 11.

1 MENU: clued as List of options on March 13.

1 MESA: clued as Tablelands (plural) on March 3.

1 METE: clued as Deal (out) on Feb 28.

1 MILO: clued as Actor O'Shea on March 6.

1 MIRE: clued as Soggy ground on March 10.

1 MOO: clued as Bovine reply on March 6.

1 MOW: clued as Cut the greens on March 15.

1 MRI: clued as Med. scan on Feb 27.

2 MSG (Madison Square Garden): clued as NYC Arena on Feb 18. Feb 20 .

1 MGM: clued as Studio letters on March 13.

1 MOA: clued as Extinct bird of New Zealand on Feb 17.

1 MVP: clued as Al-NL honoree on March 7.

1 NAN: clued as Bert's twin on March 13.

1 NANA: clued as Wendy's dog on March 9.

1 NAP: clued as Short snooze on March 5.

2 NARD: clued as Fragrant ointment on Feb 29, then again on March 12.

1 NASA: clued as Cape Kennedy org. on March 15.

2 NCAA: clued as March madness org. on March 3, clued as Final Four org. on March 4.

1 NEARS: clued as Approaches on March 13.

2 NEAT: clued as clean and tidy on Feb 24, again on March 10.

1 NEE: clued as Born as on March 13.

1 NEHRU: clued as Former Indian leader on Feb 29.

3 NENE: clued as Oahu goose on Feb 6, and clued as Hawaii goose on Feb 11, clued as Oahu goose on March 12.

1 NEON: clued as Sign gas on March 10.

1 NERF: clued as soft-toy stuff on Feb 23.

1 NERVE: clued as Impudent boldness on March 9.

1 NEST: clued as Bird abode on March 4.

1 NET: clued as Court divider on March 12.

2 NHS clued as Brit. Med. Syst on Jan 25, then clued as British Medial syst. on March 6.

2 NIA: clued as Long of the "The Broken Hearts Club" on Feb 24, clued as Actress Long on March 7.

1 NICER: clued as More pleasant on March 7.

1 NOVA: clued as Classic Chevy model on March 14.

1 NUN: clued as Sister on March 6.

2 OAF: clued as clumsy fellow on Feb 22, clued as clodhopper on March 3.

2 OCHS: clued as Protest- singer Phil on March 9, clued as Phil of folks on March 12.

1 ODE: clued as Lyric poem Feb 23, clued as poem of praise on Feb 24.

1 ODOR: clued as Nose alert on March 9.

1 OHM: clued as Resistance units (plural) on Feb 28.

1 OFFER: clued as Proposal on March 3.

1 OIL: clued as Lubricate on Feb 25.

1 OLD: clued as Ancient on March 5.

1 OLIN: clued as Lena of "The Ninth Gate" on March 11.

1 OMAR: clued as Bradley or Sharif on Feb 29.

2 OMES: clued as Cockney abodes on Feb 13, and Feb 27.

1 ONCE: clued as In the past on March 10.

2 ONE: clued as Single unit on March 1, clued as Singletons on March 7 (plural).

1 ONE A clued as SSS classification on March 5.

1 ON AIR: clued as In seventh heaven on March 14.

1 ONION: clued as Leek cousin on March 6.

1 ONSET: clued as Start on March 13.

1 OPAH: clued as colorful marine fish on Feb 20, clued as moonfish on Feb 24.

1 OPERA: clued as Musical drama on March 7.

2 OPT: clued as makes up one's mind on Feb 22, clued as Make a choice on March 3.

1 ORAN: clued as Algerian city on March 9.

2 ORB: clued as Poetic eyeball on March 3, clued as Spheres on March 9 (plural).

1 ORE: clued as Product to Mine on Feb 10.

1 OREO: clued as Two-tone treat on March 6.

2 ORI: clued as Sailor's grp on Feb 10, again on March 9.

1 ORO: clued as Juarez gold on March 12.

1 ORONO: clued as Maine town on March 15.

1 ORR: clued as Hockey defensive great on March 5.

1 ORT: clued as Table scrap on Feb 27.

1 OSCAR: clued as Hollywood award on March 15.

1 OSE: clued as Full of: suff. on March 7.

2 OSSA: clued as Peak in Thessaly on Jan 31, clued as Mountain in Thessaly on March 6.

1 OSIER: clued as Basketry willow on March 10.

1 OTB: clued as NYC gambling center on March 9.

2 OTO: clued as Of the ear: pref. on March 7, again on March 11.

1 OVAL: clued as Track shape on March 4.

2 OVER: clued as Finished on March 2, clued as Beyond on March 15.

1 OWE: clued as Be light chips on March 11.

1 PALM: clued as Tropical tree on March 11.

1 PANE: clued as Sheet of glass on March 9.

1 PANT: clued as Breathe heavily on March 5.

1 PAS: clued as Faux __ on March 2.

1 PEI: clued as Louvre Pyramid architect on Feb 27.

1 PEN: clued as Sty on March 13.

1 PER: clued as According to on March 5.

1 PERE: clued as Dijon Dad on Feb 14, clued as French father on Feb 24, clued as Pops in Paris on Feb 27 (plural form).

1 PGA: clued as Links org on Feb 28.

1 PLO: clued as Middle East grp. on March 10.

1 POSSE: clued as Sheriff's band of the Old West on March 9.

2 PTA: clued as School org. on Feb 22, clued as School grp on March 12.

1 RAG: clued as Jazz piece on March 14.

1 RAGE: clued as Excessive temper tantrum on March 8.

1 RAID: clued as Foray on March 13.

1 RAIN: clued as April forecast on March 14.

1 RAM: clued as Battering equipment on March 9.

1 RAMP: clued as Freeway entrance on Feb 23.

1 RANSOM: clued as payments for release on Feb 28 (plural form).

1 RAP: clued as Utter sharply on March 15.

1 RAPT: clued as Spellbound on March 9.

2 RARE: clued as Seldom seen on Feb 27, clued as Few and far between on Feb 28.

1 RAT: clued as Stoolie on March 9.

1 RAYS: clued as Mantas on March 14.

1 RAZOR: clued as Stubble cutter on March 13.

1 RBI clued as Slugger's stat on Feb 21.

1 RDA: clued as Vitamin fig. on March 12.

2 READ: clued as Study on Feb 14, clued as Enjoys a novel on Feb 29.

2 REED: clued as March plant on Feb 29, clued as Marsh plants (plural) on March 12.

1 REEF: clued as Diver's mileu on March 2.

1 R. E. Lee: clued as CSA commander on Feb 28.

1 RENE: clued as Auberjonois of "Boston Legal" on March 12.

2 RENEE: clued as Taylor or Adoree on March 2, again on March 9.

1 RENEW: clued as Give a face-life to on March 11.

1 REO: clued as Old Olds' auto on Feb 21.

1 REPO: clued as Collection biz on March 9.

3 RESET: clued as Change a timer on March 7, clued as Bowler's button on March 9, again on March 12.

1 REST: clued as Take a break on March 5.

1 RETE: clued as Anatomical network on March 2.

1 RETRO: clued as Grade or active lead-in on March 8.

1 RHEA: clued as Satellite of Saturn on March 8.

1 Rhoda: clued as Valerie Harper sitcom Feb 23.

1 RICE: clued as Elmer or Jerry on March 11.

1 RID: clued as Purged on Feb 29.

2 RIEN: clued as Nice nothing on March 2, clued as Nice nothing? on March 9.

1 RIOT: clued as Unrestrained outbreaks (plural) of the Old West on March 9.

1 RITE: clued as Sacred ceremony on March 8.

1 ROAST: clued as Prepare peanuts on March 11.

1 ROI: clued as French kings on March 6 (plural form).

1 RODE: clued as Took a cab on March 14.

1 ROLE: clued as Actor's part on March 10.

1 ROOK: clued as Chess piece on March 12.

1 RTE: clued as Suggestion from AAA on March 6.

1 RUE: clued as Regretted on Feb 29 (past tense).

1 SAAB: clued as Swedish car on March 12.

1 SAG: clued as Becomes lack on Feb 29.

2 SAL: clued as Maglie of Baseball on Feb24, and clued as Bando of baseball on March 6.

1 SALA: clued as Casa component on Feb 24.

2 SAND: clued as Dune material on Feb 28, clued as Novelist George on March 4.

1 SATE: clued as Overfill on Feb 27.

1 SATIE: clued as "Gymnopedies" composer on March 12.

1 SCAD: clued as Great quality on March 11.

2 SCI: clued as part of B. S. on Feb 25, once again on March 5.

1 SCONE: clued as Doughy pasty on March 8.

1 SCRAM: clued as Get lost on March 10.

1 SEA: clued as Place for fish and ships on March 11, clued as Galilee or Marmara on March 15.

1 SEAN: clued as Penn or Young on March 13.

1 SEANCE: clued as Media meeting on March 15.

1 SEC: clued as Jiffy on March 14.

3 SEE: Clued as Bishopric on Feb 23. clued as Visualize on Feb 24, clued as Understand on March 15.

3 SELA: clued as Actress Ward on Feb 15, again on March 4, again on March 10.

3 SEN: clued as D. C. VIP on March 3, again on March 11, again on March 13.

1 SENT: clued as Transmitted on Feb 28.

3 SET: clued as Sun's fall on Feb 16, clued as At the ready on March 1, clued as Hardened on March 3.

1 SETH: clued as Eve's third on March 12.

2 SEW: clued as Stitch up on March 7, clued as Stitch on March 9.

1 SHEA: clued as New York stadium on Feb 25.

1 SINE: clued as Trig. function on March 12.

1 SING: clued as Tell on on March 14.

2 SILT: clued as Riverbed deposit on Feb 17, clued as Delta deposits (plural) on March 3.

2 SIR: clued as Knight's title on Feb 21, clued as British knights (plural) on March 8.

1 SLANG: clued as Street talk on March 3.

1 SLAW: clued as Take-out side order on March 14.

2 SLOE: clued as Blackhorn fruit on Feb 5, and clued as __ gin fizz on March 3.

1 SLOG: clued as work hard on Feb 22.

1 SLOP: clued as Swine's supper on March 14.

1 SLOT: clued as Coin channel on March 8.

1 SLR: clued as Camera letters on March 2.

1 SMELL: clued as Scent on March 12.

1 SNEE: clued as Dundee dagger on March 3.

1 SNIT: clued as pique performance on Feb 23.

1 SOLO: clued as Han or Napoleon on Feb 27.

1 SOUR: clued as fly high on March 5.

2 SPA: clued as Hot tub on Feb 27, again on March 4.

1 SPAR: clued as Box to train on March 8.

1 SPACE: clued as Room on March 7.

1 SRO: clued as Sell-out letters on March 7.

1 SSN: clued as ID infor. on Feb 14 (plural form)

4 SSS: clued as Sound of leak on Feb 29, clued as Draft letters on March 1, clued as sound of a leak on March 3, clued as Draft org. on March 6.

3 SST: clued as Fast Flier's letters on Feb 14 (single form), clued as Fast jets, briefly on Feb 27 (plural form), clued as Mach+plane on March 3.

2 STAN: clued as Comic Laurel on Feb 13, clued as Mikita of hockey on Feb 27.

1 STAR: clued as Paparazzi prey on March 14.

1 STARE: clued as Extended gaze on March 15.

1 STATE: clued as Kind of trooper or line on March 11.

1 STAY: clued as Remain on March 12.

1 STD: clued as Universal meas. on March 1.

1 STE: clued as Sault _ Marie on March 10.

2 STEED: clued as mighty mount on Feb 17, proud mount on Feb 24.

1 STILE: clued as Steps over a fence on March 6.

1 STORE: clued as Mall unit on Feb 27.

1 STYE: clued as eyelid woes (plural form) on Feb 24.

1 SUP: clued as Has dinner (single) on March 8.

1 SWEAR: clued as Promise solemnly on May 14.

1 TAB: clued as Spigot on Feb 27.

2 TAC: clued as Tic-toe connection on March 5, clued as Def. mil. grp on March 7.

1 TACIT: clued as Unspoken on March 10.

1 TACO: clued as Tex-Mex food Order on Feb 11.

1 TACT: clued as Diplomatic asset on March 11.

2 TAHOE: clued as California/Nevada lake on Feb 24, again as Western resort lake on Feb 27.

1 TAI: clued as Mai _ cocktail on March 12.

1 TAIL: clued as Follow secretly on March 15.

1 TAKE: clued as Make off with on March 10.

2 TALC: clued as Puff stuff on Feb 11, clued as Sprinkle after a shower on Feb 26.

2 TALE: clued as Yarn on March 8, clued as Fables on March 13 (plural).

1 TALL: clued as Lofty on March 11.

1 TAN: clued as Khaki shade on March 1.

2 TATA: clued as Soho so longs Feb 24 (plural form), clued as So long! on March 9.

1 TATS: clued as Makes lace on Feb 24.

1 T BAR: clued as Skier's ride on March 2.

1 TEL: clued as Part of A T& T on March 11.

1 TEMPT: clued as Entice on Feb 23.

1 TEN: clued as Gymnast's perfect score on March 12.

1 TENORS: clued as Choir section on March 13.

3 TERI: clued as Actress Carr on Feb 27 (plural form), clued as Copley and Garr on March 2, clued as Actress Garr on March 7.

1 TERRA: clued as _ incognita on March 12.

1 TESS: clued as "__ of the d'Urbervilles" on March 12.

1 TILE: clued as Mosaic pieces on March 12.

1 TITO: clued as Mambo king Puente on March 12.

1 TKO clued as Ring decision maker on March 3.

1 TOE: clued as Little Piggy on Feb 28.

2 TOTE: clued as Carryon on Feb 9, clued as lugs on Feb 28 (single form).

1 TOTEM: clued as Clan's emblem on March 1.

1 TOTO: clued as dog in Oz on Feb 24.

1 TOUR: clued as __ de force on March 8.

2 TRAM: clued as Trolley car on Feb 26, clued as Car of Mine? on Feb 29.

1 TREY: clued as Low card on March 14.

2 TRIO: clued as Small combo on March 4, again on March 12.

1 TRU: clued as Play about Capote on March 1.

1 TSAR: clued as Russian ruler on Feb 24.

3 TSE clued as Half an African fly on Feb 13, and clued as Half a fly on Feb 20, then again on Feb 27, clued as Mao _-Tung on March 11.

1 TSK clued as Admonishing sounds on Feb 19.

1 TSO: clued as General on Chinese menus on March 12.

1 TUX: clued as Dressy outfit, casually on March 15.

2 UAE: clued as Abu Dhabi, Dubai et al on Feb 1, clued as Abu Dhabi loc. on March 1.

1 UGLI: clued as Wrinkly fruit on March 11.

1 ULEE: clued as Peter Fonder film role on Feb 13.

2 UMA: clued as Ms. Thurman on Feb 12 & Feb 22.

1 UNA: clued as Actress Merkel on March 6.

1 UPPER: clued as higher one of two on March 4.

1 URE: clued as End of post on March 9.

1 URN: clued as Large vase on March 9.

2 USC (University of Southern California): clued as Trojans of sports on Feb 19, clued as UCLA rival on Feb 22.

1 USE: clued as Employs on Feb 22.

1 UTE: clued as Shoshone on March 6.

1 UTTER: clued as Pronounce on March 4.

1 VAN: clued as Mover's vehicle on March 2.

1 VERY: clued as Extremely on March 2.

1 VIEW: clued as Opinion on March 10.

1 WAS: clued as once existed on Feb 25.

1 WET: clued as Drench on March 2.

1 WILT: clued as Droops on March 7.

1 WOO: clued as Court on March 14.

1 YAM: clued as Tasty tuber on March 7.

1 YEAR: clued as Solar period on Feb 25.

1 YETI: clued as Himalayan Bigfoot on Feb 29.

1 YSER: clued as Belgian river on March 12.

C.C.

Wednesday, Feb 20, 2008 Philip J. Anderson

Theme: Chef's Creations (Play on Words)

20A: Chef's quick creations: HALF-BAKED IDEAS

40A: Chef's brunch dilemma: CHICKEN OR THE EGG

54A: Chef's secret ingredient: FORBIDDEN FRUIT

Well, the real dilemma is: Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Or is it acceptable to say "Chicken or the egg"?

I had big problems this morning with the lower right corner. Could not figure out what's for 53A: Cross or Blue (BEN). Somehow I read the clue to be Red or Blue, and I had _ E_, I wanted SEA there, I was so desperate that Blue Sea sounded like a real place to me. Had no idea who the Diplomat Elihu was. Hear Ehud Olmert's name too often. I did not know 60D: New Rochelle college (IONA).

As for 68A: Slaughter of baseball (ENOS), I filled in OTIS. Then I could not work out anything around that area. Had to ask my husband, who was up earlier this morning. He corrected me and told me a story of how Enos Slaughter attended Fred Souba's retirement party. Fred also belonged to Twins Cities Sports Collectors club in 1980s. Orange also listed this ENOS name on her Word Bank list, but I forgot.

Overall, I feel this puzzle is easier than Monday's Babe Zaharias and Janet Guthrie one, don't you think so?

Here are some across entries:

1A: Rooster's pride: COMB

10A: Don't move!: HALT!

14A: Capital of Samoa: APIA

17A: Redhead Lucille: BALL. I Love Lucy. The Chocolate Factory Episode is my favorite.

18A: Excuse: ALIBI

19A: Seward Peninsula: NOME

25A: Jamaican cultist: RASTA. Would you believed I nailed this one? It's all because of Bob Marley. I like "No woman No cry".

28A: NYC arena: MSG

31A: Immature insect: LARVA

35A: Mind reading: ESP

36A: Place of worship: CHAPEL

39A: College bigwig: DEAN

43A: Head of France: TETE (French word for head). I was kind of impressed by Nicolas Sarkozy's attitude toward Lesley Stahl during the 60 minutes interview. I predict his marriage to that singer, Carla somebody, will end within 5 years, before he leaves the office.

44A: Oddball: WEIRDO. I wonder if Michael Jackson ever watched Finding Neverland (starring Johnny Depp).

46A: Lulus: ONERS

48A: Slightly shifty: SLY. I always thoughts of sly as "very shifty".

49A: Tightwad: MISER

53A: Cross or Blue: BEN. Ben Cross is an English actor. Ben Blue is a Canadian-American actor and comedian. I never heard of their names before.

63A: Soviet collective: ARTEL. I got this from the down clues. Here is the defination from Dictonary.com: In Russia or the Soviet Union) a peasants' or workers' cooperative; an association of workers or peasants for collective effort.

64A: Diplomat Elihu: ROOT. He won Nobel Peace Prize in 1912. Teddy Roosevelt won it in 1906.

66A: ___ Hari: MATA: The spy. She looked so exotic.

67A: "West Side Story" hit: MARIA. Unknown to me.

68A: Slaughter of baseball: ENOS. He is in baseball Hall-of-Fame. St Louis Cardinal's #9.

69A: Asian sea: ARAL

70A: Silvery food fish: SMELT

71A: Laertes or Hamlet, e.g.: DANE

Down entries:

1D: Hack: CAB. Taxi.

2D: Colorful marine fish: OPAH

3D: Uris novel "___" 18: MILA. Never read any of Uris' works.

4D: "Swan Lake, " e.g.: BALLET

5D: Riyadh residents: ARABS. Riyadh is Saudi Arabia's capital.

6D: Actor Lugosi: BELA. Known for his role in Dracula.

7D: Composer Satie: ERIK

9D: Maliciously derogatory: SNIDE

10D: Not from a factory: HANDMADE

12D: "Champagne Tony" of golf: LEMA

21D: "Killing Me Softly..." singer": FLACK (Roberta). I like "The First Time I ever Saw Your Face."

22D: Off one's feed: ILL

25D: Right-hand page: RECTO. Left is Verso.

27D: Malicous ill-will: SPITE

28D: Flowing tresses: MANES

29D: Ruin: SPOIL

30D: Saxophonist Mulligan: GERRY. Unknown to me.

32D: Marsh grass: REEDS

38D: Inc. in the UK.: LTD

41D: Of the brain: CEREBRAL. This answer reminds me of Ken Jennings. Have a look at his blog.

42D: Ancient writer: HOMER

50D: Hardened (to): INURED

52D: Don or Samuel: ADAMS

53D: Musical note: B FLAT

54D: Disaster org: FEMA. Somehow I was not surprised by their fake press conference after the Brownie disaster.

56D: Poet Dove: RITA. She won Pulitzer in 1987.

57D: Whiskey shot: DRAM

58D: Tours to be: ETRE (Etre is French for be)

59D: Singer Young: NEIL

60D: New Rochelle college: IONA. Never heard of this college. Found out that Don McLean (American Pie) attended this college.

61D: Roger Rabbit feature: TOON

65D: Half a fly?: TSE I learned this tsetse fly only from doing crossword. I always thought it's a strange fly living somewhere in Africa. Imagine my surprise last night when I watched Finding Neverland and heard Barrie (Johnny Depp) telling Peter "Tsetse fly, quite horrible."

Alright, time for breakfast.

C. C.

Invasion of the Irate Puzzle People, Kristin Tillotson, Star Tribune

I laughed a lot while reading this article. Hope you will enjoy it too.

Kristin Tillotson is the Source Editor for Star Tribune. I edited her original article to fit in my blog format, but I am not good at this. Maybe someday the Star Tribune will archive it on line, you will then get a better version.
Paper: STAR TRIBUNE
Date: 02/04/01
Section: ENTERTAINMENT
Byline: Kristin Tillotson

Invasion of the irate Puzzle People
Crossword aficionados resent change to their daily
ritual - and affirmation



Like the alien pod creatures from "Invasion of the Body Snatchers,"
we recognize each other everywhere. On buses, airplanes, over
lattes at the coffee shop and under tables during marathon
meetings, we exchange defeated glances and sharp pencils. We
call each other, long distance and way too early in the morning,
to demand,"Gimme something that flows through the Lake of
Thun in four letters."

We are the Puzzle People. Those who are not of our kind deride or
pity us. They say we're obsessive-compulsives, idlers, avoiders of
more constructive pursuits. We forgive them. Knowing that they'll
never experience the self-actualizing thrill of completing the last
square on a New York Times acrostic is the best revenge.

Revenge? That's not a very high-minded desire. But then, when
riled, we Puzzle People can turn from sedentary scribbling to
hysteria in a hurry. And we're a powerful bloc - forcing, in the
Star Tribune's case, a split decision, and double the puzzles.

On Nov. 26, this newspaper dropped its longstanding crossword,
syndicated by the Los Angeles Times, and replaced it with the New
York Times puzzle. Reader protests were intense- from people who
thought the new puzzle was too difficult, and from two-paper
subscribers accustomed to solving the New York puzzle in the St.
Paul Pioneer Press and the Los Angeles puzzle in the Star Tribune.

On Dec. 8, the paper began running both puzzles during the week,
and on Dec. 17, both on Sunday.

According to industry estimates, one-quarter of all newspaper
readers consider the crossword a part of their routine.

Judging from the intensity and volume of reactions to changes or
errors in puzzles, I'm guessing they're the most vocal 25 percent.
Consider the following sample comments from Star Tribune
readers after the recent switch:

"You -$$#&¢¢%@@!!! I have been through four pots of coffee
and five crossword dictionaries, and I can't get more than three
clues.

. . . This puzzle makes me feel very, very stupid. I am not
stupid. I am a physician. . . . You have ruined my morning.
You have ruined my ritual."

- "I tried to do this crossword for a week, and I called my
doctor because I was sure I was getting Alzheimer's disease."

- "The Twin Cities is just not smart enough to do these puzzles.

. . . What's wrong with being a normal person? I am not that
smart. I am not that proud. Fix this!"

- "I do this puzzle on the can on my break. People are complaining
because I am in there too long . . . now it is impossible to do two
things at once."

The newspaper's reader representative, Lou Gelfand, said that
tallying the number of complaints would be "like counting the
leaves in a 30-pound bag. And we're still raking them."

And it's not just the retiree set vocalizing on this seemingly
benign subject: Fortyish real-estate broker John Livingston,
who regularly has coffee with a group of business-owning
friends, said that on the first day of the switch, the crossword
"was all they could talk about for two hours."

For a daily newspaper, trying to please all the readers all the time
is a daily struggle. When it comes to puzzles, trying to be one-size
-fits-all can go from daunting to quixotic: "Readers want a puzzle
that is a challenge but not demoralizing," said Tim McGuire,
executive editor of the Star Tribune. "The tough part is what's
challenging for some readers is impossible for others."

Gelfand offers three succinct reasons for why people pick up the
habit.

The first is medical: "They're supplements to anti-depressants."
The second is social: "People do them together over the phone,"
and the third is dietary: Puzzles "go with coffee and they're not
fattening."

But what is it about the puzzles that gets people so passionate,
cranky and opinionated?

Will Shortz, who edits the New York Times' puzzles, confirms
the reader complaints above: "Partly it's because few things
make people more angry than having their daily routine upset.
Also, working a daily puzzle is a daily confirmation that you still
have what it takes, mentally. If you're suddenly thrown a harder
puzzle, it makes you feel bad."

Not long after Shortz started the job, one reader wrote him that
getting used to a new crossword editor and his puzzle choices was
like adjusting to a new lover: "It's not necessarily unpleasant, you
just have to think through the relationship and get used to the
changes."

Shortz (see related story on page E1 of today's Variety section)
looks for puzzles with "consistent themes, fresh, colorful
vocabulary and a good sense of fun." He likes to see a balance of
old and new references, and especially "names that everyone
knows, but rarely appear in crosswords "like Fuzzy-Wuzzy."

As for that Lake of Thun clue from the New York Times puzzle
running in today's Variety, the answer is A-A-R-E. It's a river
in Switzerland. Now go solve already.

Feb 19, 2008

Crossword Difficulty Rating

Yesterday our local editor told me that our crossword might not be using a sequential difficulty pattern. She said they might be random. But she is waiting for TMS to get back to her. I will let you know once I hear more from her.

I also want to share with you this valuable information from Orange:

"LA Times follows the exact same increasing-difficulty pattern as the NYT, only a little bit easier each day (and Friday LATs have themes, whereas most Friday NYTs are themeless).
Newsday is super-easy Mon/Tues, and gets gradually tougher by Friday (but easier than the NYT). Saturday's Newsday is as hard as the Sat. NYT. The Sunday Newsday is easier than the other Sunday puzzles I do.

CrosSynergy/Houston Chronicle is roughly Mon-Wed NYT level six days a week, with a themeless puzzle on Sunday that's usually like an easier themeless Fri NYT.

The New York Sun follows the same pattern as the NYT but without weekend puzzles. The Mon-Wed puzzles feel like Tues-Thurs NYTs, and Thurs and Fri trade off between hard themes and themeless puzzles."

C. C.

Tuesday, Feb19, 2008 Michael T. Williams

Theme: Play on Words

20A: More than a nickel feature?: The Sixth Cents (Bruce Willis movie: The Sixth Sense)

37A: State of sugary film? California Sweet (Jane Fonda/Alan Alda movie: California Suit)

54A: Scratchy holiday picture? The Santa Claws (Tim Allan movie: The Santa Clause)

I tanked again, before I even started the puzzle. As soon as I saw the constructor's name, I sensed trouble. I still have not recovered from his Sunday Chicago Bears blow.

I could not get the ball rolling. I want something odd for 1A: Eccentric piece, I have _AM there, and I wrongly put GAD instead of CAD for 1A: Scoundrel. I could not figure out why the pinup leg GAM is eccentric.

I love Sleepless in Seattle, and read Nora Ephron's blog on Huffington's post from time to time, but when the time was up, I just could not perform. God, I Feel Bad About My Neck, and I feel bad about my memories.

The lower left corner was killing me. I was trapped by the 60-min. units. I pictured Scott Paley and Steve Kroft in my mind, and I wanted it to be SEG. Did not know the agile deer, I thought all deer were agile, No? The only ancient Egyptian City I knew is Alexandria, and I could not cram it in. I figured the puzzle author was looking for an Arabic name for Alexandria, and there was no way I knew it. So I waved the white flag.

Here are the across entry:

1A: Eccentric piece: CAM. Now I really feel stupid botching this fill.

14A: Increase, as volume: CRANK UP

17A: Quayle or Marino: DAN. Dan Quayle has been very quiet. I am so tired of Dan Marino's NutriSystem Diet plan. Eat less and exercise more, as simple as that.

18A: Travel allowance: MILEAGE

20A: More than a nickel feature: THE SIXTH CENTS. Never watched The Sixth Sense. Obviously Bruce Willis and I are not in the same boat in terms of politcal leaning.

25A: Hanoi holiday: TET

26A: Stout's wolfe: NERO

33A: Actor DiCaprio: LEONARDO. The Aviator is unbelievably good.

37A: State of sugary film?: CALIFORNIA SWEET. Has anyone watched California Suit?

42A: Floppy: DISKETTE. I suppose it's correct. But I was looking for saggy, droopy stuff.

43A: Abnormal: pref.: DYS

44A: Ancient city on the Nile: MEROE. This place was so close to Sudan. They traded with India and China before 350 AD. Impressive.

47A: "Robinson Crusoe" inspiration: SELKIRK (Alexander). I never knew this novel was based on a real life story.

49A: German automaker: OPEL

50A: Moray: EEL

54A: Scratchy holiday picture? THE SANTA CLAWS.

59A: 60-min. units: HRS. Trappy clue for me.

60A: Hit the books: STUDIED

61A: Assent, in AIX: OUI. French for yes.

64A: Agile deer: ROE. Never heard of Roe Deer.

65A: Committed burglary: HEISTED. In 2003, CNBC's David Faber did a piece on AOL-Time Warner merger: the Big Heist. I kind of feel sad for Gerald Levin. No sympathy for Dennis Kozlowski. Epitome of Heist.

66A: Trojans of sports: USC

67A: T or F, e.g.: ANS. True or False, Answer me, no flip-flop!

68A: Time meas: YRS

70A: Perth's river: TAY. Never heard of it. Always thought Perth is in Australia. Did not know Scotland had a Perth too.

Down Entry:

1D: Scoundrel: CAD. I don't know why I confuse "cad" with "gad". Cad likes gadding about.

2D: __ Khan IV.: AGA. I tend to confuse this Aga Khan with Ayub Khan, President of Pakistan during Jackie Kennedy's visit in 1960s. I suppose Khan is a popular surname in Pakistan, like our Smith? Correct me if I am wrong.

3D: City in Quebec: MONTREAL

4D: Pinnacle: ACME

5D: Garden dandy: IRIS

6D: Niger's neighbor: MALI. Love Ali Farka Toure's music, esp the theme song for The World's Geo Quiz.

7D: Flat fish: SKATE. Never heard of it. Why bother with skate when we have the best walleye here in MN?

8D: Anything whatever: AUGHT. Exactly. Anything whatever. Never heard of you.

9D: Intl. oil cartel: OPEC . Could not understand why Venezuela stretched its arm, across the ocean, just to join OPEC. Too much oil?

Did you read the news about that United Arab Emirate guy who shelled out $14 million to buy a license plate bearing single number "1". Here is what he said after he won the bid on Feb 16: ''It is not huge compared to my family's fortune. The price is fair. After all, who among us does not want to be number one."

10D: Made amends: ATONED

11D: Longfellow's forte: POETRY

12D: Bodies: TORSOS

15D: Following: NEXT

21D: Magic spell: HEX

22D: Provide with income: ENDOW

23D: Conic sect.: CIRC (Circle)

24D: Actress Paquin: ANNA

28D: Caine film: ALFIE. I've seen Jude Law's Alfie. Could not tell the spark between him and Sienna Miller.

30D: Peter of "The Monkees": TORK. He is a stranger to me.

31D: Ford Flop: EDSEL

35D: Small isles: AITS. If you say so.

36D: Charge per unit: RATE

38D: Gods' images: IDOLS.

39D: Deletes: EDITS OUT

40D: Fictional Jane: EYRE

44D: Movie monster: MOTHRA. Unknown to me. Next time I will remeber her: Moth-ra. She is a moth.

45D: Writer/director Nora: EPHRON. She loves Hardball with Chris Matthews. Me too.

46D: Pee Wee/Della: REESES

48D: London gardens: KEW. Blog this word before, then I forgot.

50D: Input, as data: ENTER

51D: Needle boxes: ETUIS. A pretty looking decorative case.

52D: Young fellas: LADS

55D: Drained of color: ASHY

56D: Refer to: CITE

57D: Sly look: LEER

63D: Frigid: ICY

Sorry about the choppy posting this morning. The mouse was on strike. The key board seems fine though.

Pls let me know if you spot any mistake.

C.C.

Feb 18, 2008

Monday, Feb 18, 2008 Stanley B. Whitten

Theme: Female Athletes

20A: First female Indy entrant: Janet Guthrie

38A: LPGA superstar: Annika Sorenstam

54A: Ms. Didrikson: Babe Zaharias

I don't see any consistency in the difficulty rating of the Star Tribune puzzle, do you? I mean, their Monday puzzles are always more difficult than Tuesdays' and Wednesdays'. The puzzle for Feb 12 Tuesday (Allan E. Parish, the mythical crier Niobe one) was obviously more difficult than Feb 15 Friday's (Randall J. Hartman).

I hope I am not the only one who feels this way. I would love to have your thoughts.

I tanked this one miserably, from the very beginning. I was so adamantly sure of my HAJJ for 1D: Pilgrimage to Mecca (HADJ) that I refused to consider DIRT for 17A: Gossip. I met Annika in person, and I am a huge fan of her, but I could never spell her name properly. I should have been patient and worked out the down clues first, then let her surname reveal itself. But NO, I wanted to key in her name first. Overly excited! I always knew Babe as Babe Zaharias, I would never associate her with Ms. Didrikson.

Here are some of the entries for Across:

1A: Noggin toppers: HATS

15A: Latin handle: ANSA. It was in yesterday's puzzle.

16A: Author Jong: ERICA. Fear of Flying author.

18A:Billy or nanny: GOAT

19A: Covered with hoarfrost: RIMED

20A: First female Indy entrant: JANET GUTHRIE. The only female racer I've heard is Danica Patrick.

23A: Small amount of residue: DREG

24A: Lamprey: EEL. Sniggler's catch. Japanese call it Unagi. The smell of grilled unagi (kabayaki) is heavenly.

25A: Drag behind: TOW. I put Lag first, it messed up the whole corner.

31A: Sticks: ADHERES. Every time I see "stick", I just fill in "adhere". It never fails.

34A: Purple shade: LILAC

36A: N. T. book: REV.

37A: Golda of Israel: MEIR. I was a bit disappointed by the portrayal of her in the movie Munich.

38A: LPGA superstar: ANNIKA SORENSTAM. She is back. She just won LPGA season opener in Hawaii 2 days ago. It's been a long winless streak for her. I have her autographed card, very cool.

42A: Installed at carpet: LAID

44A: Representative: AGENT

45A: Stock-market abbr. OTC (Over the Counter). I am not cut for any stock market trading. I cannot stomach the violent up-and-down swings.

46A: "Citizen Kane" sled: ROSEBUD. I watched 2 minutes of Citizen Kane, then I gave it up. I did not like it and could not understand what's the beauty in the movie.

50A: Chinese chairman: MAO. His famous quote: Studying hard, improving every day.

51A: Powerful ruler: EMP (EMPEROR)

52A: Novelist Bagnold: ENID

54A: Ms. Didrikson: BABE ZAHARIAS. An incredible all-around athlete. Voted Female Athlete of the Century by Sports Illustrated. She even sewed her own golfing outfits.

59A: Bit of info: DATUM

62A: Vena __ : CAVA: Latin: hollow vein. Look at the definition here.

68A: Deep-orange chalcedony: SARD.

Down entry:

1D: Pilgrimage to Mecca. HADJ. It's a variation on HAJ. HAJJ is a more popular spelling than HADJ. I wish the editor would put a Var mark besides the clue.

3D: Sea swallow: TERN

5D: Drooped: SAGGED

21D: Follow closely: TRACK.

22D: "Still me" writer: REEVE Never read it. I enjoyed very much Katharine Hepburn's autobiography Me. The letter she wrote to Spencer Tracy moved me to tears.

25D: Balance on the brink: TEETER.

26D: "The Egotists" author Fallaci: ORIANA. Did not know her. Here is an interesting tidbit for you from wikipedia: During her 1972 interview with Hentry Kissingerh, Kissinger agreed that the Vietnam War was a "useless war" and compared himself to "the cowboy who leads the wagon train by riding ahead alone on his horse". Kissinger later wrote that it was "the single most disastrous conversation I have ever had with any member of the press."

I guess Bush read this line, no, I take it back, he does not read, maybe Rove told him so, then he decided that he would refuse to admit making any mistake when confronted by the media. Wrong lesson, cowboy! But enjoy your own holiday in Tanzania!

27D: Friendliness: WARMTH

28D: Ski race: SLALOM

29D: Mexican party item: PINATA. I learned this word from a Torii Hunter TV commercial.

30D: Alloy for magnets: ALNICO. Unknown to me.

32D: Worn away unevenly: EROSE

37D: NYC arena: MSG (Madison Square Garden)

39D: Alamogordo headline word: A BOMB. The first atomic bomb test, 1945.

40D: Surmises to be true: SUSPECTS

41D: Gymnast Comaneci: NADIA. The first gymnast to be awarded a perfect 10 in Olympics.

46D: Enlarged (a hole): REAMED

47D: Cleaver of TV: BEAVER

48D: Let go of: UNHAND

53D: Muumuu or sack: DRESS

54D: Set on fire: BURN

55D: Hannibal's "Waterloo": ZAMA. Why the quotation mark in the clue?

57D: Soprano Gluck: ALMA

60D: Cobbler's tool: AWL

61D: Menlo Park initials: TAE (thomas Alva Edison)

Have a great week everyone.

C. C.

Feb 17, 2008

Sunday, Feb 17, 2008 Michael T. Williams

Theme: Chicago to Canton

(Chicago Bears Hall-of-Famer. NFL Hall of Fame is located in Canton, OH)


1A & 127A: Bear in Canton since 1993: Walter Payton

24A: Bear in Canton since 1963: Bronko Nagurski

70A: Bear in Canton since 1963: George Halas (Papa Bear)

115A: Bear in Canton since 1998: Mike Singletary

31D: Bear in Canton since 1977: Gale Sayers

41D: Bear in Canton since 1963: Red Grange

51D: Bear in Canton since 1988: Mike Ditka

55D: Bear in canton since 1979: Dick Butkus

No joy today in Mudville, mighty Casey has struck out! Brutal! I don't even know which Vikings are in the HOF. OK, Alan Page comes to my mind. He is our Supreme Court Justice now. Bud Grant? Yes.

By the way, I came across Chuck Foreman at flea market several times last year. He was selling his autographed photos/helmets/footballs, etc. This guy squandered all the money he made during his career I suppose. Twins Great Zoilo Versailles was the same. He had to wash airplanes for a living when he was old. That's just so sad.

Anyway, this puzzle was too much a workout for me. I was not in good shape football-wise, lots of panting, gasping for air, wild throw and cheating. But damned it, I finished it!

Across:

7A: Handle capably: WIELD

12A: Droop: WILT

16A: Ernie of the PGA: ELS. The Big Easy. I tried to copy his lazy swing, didn't work.

19A: Take for granted: ASSUME

20A: Nine: pref.: ENNEA

21A: Type of navigation system: INERTIAL

23A: Make additional cuts: RETRIM

26A: Host of a '70s variety series: FLIP WILSON. Sorry, I didn't know you.

28A: Brand name on cakes: SARA LEE

29A: Listening device: BUG. Have you ever seen an expert debug a phone, in person? Very fascinating.

32A: Inside:pref.: ENTO.

33A: Of bristles: SETAL

34A: Hermits: LONER

39A: Quickly: ASAP

38A: Long, thin fish: GARS. Often clued as long-snouted fish.

40A: Chicken caller: DARER. I like this clue.

42A: Vesicle: CYST

43A: Called (archaic): YCLEPT. Past participle of clepe. Ridiculous looking word!

45A: Extinct bird of New Zealand: MOA

47A: Any individual: SOMEONE

50A: __ Salt: EPSOM. Great for muscle pain relief. Trust me on this one.

52A: C & W fan's channel: CMT (Country Music TV). Country & Western (C & W)

54A: Soup scoop: LADLE

55A: When it's light out: DAY

58A: "The Thieving Magpie" composer: ROSSINI. Did not know him. The title looks interesting.

60A: Pink color: CORAL

62A: Wedge-shaped piece: GIB. I put Pie first.

63A: Non-network station: ITV (Independent TV network)

64A: Diarist Nin: ANAIS. I read 3 pages of her Delta of Venus. Wow, talk about graphic S scenes.

65A: Wailed: KEENED. I lifted this one out of dictionary.com. Keen, n/v, to wail in lamentation for the dead.

67A: End of a buck: AROO

68A: __ -Magnon: CRO. The Cave.

69A: Charles II's lover Nell: GWYN. Called "Pretty, witty Nell" by Samuel Pepys, another famous diarist.

73A: Go, in Glasgow: GAE. Scottish accent I suppose.

75A: Intervene: STEP IN

76A: Kind of cigar or sandwich: CUBAN

78A: Lilly or Wallah: ELI

79A: Main Street structure: STORE

80A: Small sphere: GLOBULE

82A: Deg. with teeth: DDS (Doctor of Dental Science)

83A: Taiwan Strait Islands: MATSU. I think our crossword editor is obsessed with this word, which has made at least 3 appearances since I started blogging.

86A: Israeli seaport: EILAT. Also spelled Elath. I only knew Haifa.

87A: Gambling: RISKING

89A: Grad. deg.: SCD (Scientiae Doctor, ie, Doctor of Science)

91A: Russian drinks: VODKA. Add Kahlua, you get your own Black Russian. Na zdorovje, Putin, for your power-grabbing prowess!

97A: Robert and Alan: ALDAS

99A: Yen: URGE

102A: Sports venues: ARENAS

105A: Flags: TIRES

107A: Jedi teacher: YODA

109A: Half of B.S.: SCI

110A: Mid-ocean: OPEN SEA

112A: Work by Horace: ARS POETICA (The Art of Poetry)

117A: Whole lot: TUBFUL

121A: Partly: IN A SENSE

122A: Roofing material: TERNE. I only knew "slate" for the roof.

123A: Cosmopolitan: URBANE

124A: Confirmed: SET

125A: Blue-green color: TEAL

126A: Mighty mount: STEED

Down:

1D: Simple card game: WAR

2D: Peer Gynt's mother: ASE. I forgot her name.

3D: D-Day craft: LST (Landing Ship Tank)

4D: Greensward: TURF (sorry about the mistake earlier)

5D: French writer Zola: EMILE

6D: "Bronco Buster" Sculptor: REMINGTON (Fredric). It looks majestic.

7D: Destructive caterpillar: WEB WORM

8D: Calvary inscription: INRI. I mixed it up with Cavalry. These two words are so close.

9D: Tautomeric compounds: ENOLS. Why in the world should I know this?

10D: Filmed, slangily: LENSED

11D: Badlands states: DAKOTAS

13D: Claire and Balins: INAS

14D: Authorized by law: LEGAL

15D: Cornwall town: TRURO. It's in the UK.

16D: Anthony of "Hawaiian Eye": EISLEY. Never heard of him.

17D: NBA team: LAKERS

18D: Crafty to the max: SLIEST

22D: Hypnotic state: TRANCE

25D: Streaking: ON A ROLL

29D: Hound sound: BAY

30D: Trojans of sports: USC

34D: "Champagne Tony" of golf: LEMA. 12 PGA wins. Pretty impressive. On the Eve of his first win, He joked to the press that would serve champagne if he won the next day. Hence the nickname. I want K. J. Choi to win Masters this year.

37D: Stomach enzyme: PEPSIN

39D: Mia Hamm's game: SOCCER

44D: Greek letters: PSIS

46D: In the company of: AMONGST

48D: Medleys: OLIOS

49D: Moses's mount: NEBO

53D: Christmas star's place: TREE TOP

56D: Of an entrance court: ATRIAL

57D: Actress de Carlo: YVONNE

58D: Tattered: RAGGED

59D: Ahead: ONWARD

61D: Sticks: ADHERES

66D: Dawn goddess: EOS. Just for your information: Io is a moon of Jupiter, also from Greek Mythology.

71D: Quick impression: APERCU. It also means short summary.

72D: Daybreak song: AUBADE. Pronounced as Oh Bad. Sung at dawn to compliment someone.

74D: Actress Moore: DEMI Surprised that her marriage with Ashton Kucher is still solid.

76D: Neighbor of N. Mex.: COLO.

79D: Daytime timepiece: SUNDIAL

81D: Was extravagant: LIVED IT UP

84D: Riverbed deposit: SILT

87D: French city in Bretagne: RENNES. Never been there. Did not know it.

88D: Attics: GARRETS

90D: Tearless: DRY-EYED

92D: Circle segment: ARC

93D: __ disant (so called): SOI

94D: Judd and Campbell: NAOMIS. Naomi Campbell knows how to throw a blackberry tantrum.

95D: Sempervivum: ORPINE. Unknown to me, both the clue and the answer.

96D: Sneak a look: PEEK AT

98D: Part of a sonnet: SESTET

103D: Selling point: ASSET

104D: Cast net: SEINE. Can you seine in Seine?

106D: Let live: SPARE

108D: Legend automaker: ACURA. I love the clue.

111D: Latin handle: ANSA. It's a looped handle. Ansa is the Latin word for handle (Thank you Hugh Brown). By the way, Asian apricot is ANSU, so similar to ANSA.

113D: Caen's river: ORNE

114D: "Dear" columnist: ABBY

116D: Solidify: GEL

118D: Love-handles content: FAT

119D: One in Toledo: UNO

120D: Sportscaster Berman: LEN. Did not know him. Probably will forget him again. Love Joe Buck though.

Alright, now I am going to devour my high-carb breakfast.

C.C.

(Added later: Please let me know if you see any mistake or have any question. You can either Comment or Send me an email. Thank you.)

Feb 16, 2008

Saturday, Feb 16, 2008 Tom Pruce

Theme: NONE ( It seems that all Saturday puzzles are themeless).

Ouch! Got stumped immediately. Sophism, Occlude. German sub (U-BOAT), old, ugly woman (BELDAME), Migrating herring (ALEWIFE). All too heavy for me to whack.

Knew all too well the mug of Shennen Doherty, who liked to fight with the likes of Tara Reid and Paris Hilton, over some scumbag/sex tape stuff. But I did not know how to spell her damned name. By the way, Doherty can also be clued as Babyshambles singer Pete, supermodel Kate Moss's boyfriend, or ex-boyfriend, if you care to know.

Anyway, I probably filled in 3/5 of the puzzles, then I started googling with a vengeance!

Across:

1A: Plausible but fallacious argument: SOPHISM. Fallacy!

8A: Cause to become closed: OCCLUDE. This word is a stranger to me.

15A: Corrode: EAT INTO

16A: Change tags: RELABEL. I put Reprice first.

17A: Vandalized: TRASHED

16A: Like reserved seats: PRESOLD

19A: PC command: SAVE. I was trapped by the abbreviation of PC. Figured it had to be DELE, or CTRL, or any shortened computer key.

20A: Bad actor: HAM

25A: Old, ugly woman: BELDAME. Brutal. Never heard of this word. Hag, yes!

27A: Cigarette negative: TAR. I put in ASH.

28A: Secreted: HID. I was thinking of the body fluid secretion. Never knew that you could use "secret" as a verb to mean conceal.

29A: Singing plain songs: INTONING

31A: Praises: EXALTS

33A: Acted like a bully: HECTORED. The utter hubris of Rumsfeld!

37A: Olin of "the Ninth Gate": LENA. She is in Chocolat with Juliette Binoche. Wonderful movie.

38A: Cincinnati player: RED

39A: Denuded: BARE

40A: Flapping more freely: FLOPPIER Don't like the cluing on this one, the "ing" is misguiding. Flappier would be fine, or Saggier, Droopier.

43A: Satellite of Neptune: TRITON. Or Sea God. Greek Mythology.

45A: Cone bearer: PINE TREE

47A: Begley and Begley: EDS. I like the Begley and Asner clue more.

53A: Silk trap: WEB

55A: Sale-tag disclaimer: AS IS

57A: Stretchable: ELASTIC

59A: Period from request to delivery: TIME LAG. I was thinking of Process. But it did not fit.

63A: Put up again: REBUILT

64A: Migrating herring: ALEWIFE. Or a woman who operates a alehouse.

65A: Model positions: STANCES

66A: Keystone Kops creator: SENNETT (Mack). Not my "King of Comedy."

Down Entry:

1D: Sun's fall: SET

2D: Thole insert: OAR Thole is "a pin, or either of two pins, inserted into a gunwale to provide a fulcrum for an oar."

3D: School grp.: PTA

4D: Snake speech: HISS

5D: Live in: INHABIT

6D: Cat or Ray: STEVENS. Knew neither of them. Cat is here, Ray is here.

7D: Early Ford: MODEL T

8D: Left parentless: ORPHANED

9D: Fired clay: CERAMIC

10D: Merciful: CLEMENT.

12D: German sub: U-BOAT

13D: Perry Mason's street: DELLA. Erle Stanley Gardner wrote many detective books under various pseudonyms.

14D: Church leader: ELDER

22D: Knickknack spot: SHELF.

23D: Video image unit: PIXEL

24D: Hersey's bell town: ADANO John Hersey book: A Bell for Adano.

26D: Actress Shannen: DOHERTY

27D: Mongolia desert: GOBI. Techniqually, Gobi desert covers northern part of China and southern part of Mongolia. Asian desert would be a perfect clue!

32D: Northern Scandinavian: LAPP. Never heard of it before. Here is the definition: "a member of a Finnic people of northern Norway, Sweden, Finland, and adjacent regions."

34D: Time charges: RATES

35D: Wear away: ERODE

36D: Compact: DENSE

38D: Returns the incumbent: REELECTS. Could not believe those crowds shouting "Four More Years" when Bush appeared on the Conservative PA Conference last week. Nuts!

41D: Like unlicensed TV Stations: PIRATIC.

42D: Banished: IN EXILE

43D: Pliable: TENSILE. New word to me.

44D: Course of physical training: REGIMEN

46D: Gaucho's lassos: RIATAS (sometimes it's REATAS)

48D: Water pitchers: EWERS

49D: Fill an empty flat: RELET

50D: Addis __, Eth.: ABABA

56D: Stitched: SEWN

58D: Start of a Day?: SUN (as in SUNDAY)

60D: Falsehood: LIE

61D: Astern: AFT

62D: Acquire: GET

Have a good weekend everyone.

C. C.

Feb 15, 2008

Friday, Feb 15, 2008 Randall J. Hartman

Theme: "Small" Names. I have trouble summarize the theme. Can anyone help?

17A: Bedtime figure of rhyme: Wee Willie Winkie
25A: Nicely-Nicely Johnson: Stubby Kaye
44A: One of Robin's Merry Men: Little John
57A: "A Christmas Carol" role: Tiny Tim Cratchit

Does anyone know how Tubby Smith get his nickname? This guy is just so cool. (Update: The Tubby in Tubby Smith does not mean small/short as I originally thought. He likes to stay in the washtub when his siblings were bathed. He is the sixth of 17 children.)

Had to google 41A: "Leaving Las Vegas" co-star: SHUE. I mixed it up with another Nicolas Cage movie Honeymoon in Vegas. Did not know Stubby Kaye (25A: Nicely-Nicely Johnson Portrayer). Did not know Norse Evil God (11D: LOKI). Getable from across clues though.

Overall, no choppy water for me today. Easier than Tuesday's mythical crier Niobe puzzle.

Across entry:

1A: "Common Sense" writer: PAINE (Thomas)

2A: Give up: CEDE

14A: Surpass: EXCEL

15A: Haley or Trebek: ALEX. Jeopardy!

16A: Implement: TOOL

17A: Bedtime figure of rhyme: Wee Willie Winkie. I got this from the down clues. Nobody read this to me when I was a kid.

21A: Black-tie affair: GALA

22A: Texas Hold 'em phrase: I RAISE

24A: "All about ___": EVE. Bette Davis film.

25A: Nicely-Nicely Johnson portrayer?: Stubby Kaye. Guys & Dolls fame. Did not know him.

30A: Zip: NADA

34A: Actor Flynn: ERROL. He was in the 1938 version of The Adventures of Robin Hood.

36A: Word of Woe: ALAS (sometimes it's Ah Me)

37A: Indistinct: VAGUE

38A: __ Aviv-Jaffa: TEL

39A: Plain to see: OVERT

41A: "Leaving Las Vegas" co-star: SHUE (Elisabeth). She is also in The Karate Kid.

42A: Start of a long story: PART I

43A: Comic Foxx: REDD

44A: One of Robin Merry Men: LITTLE JOHN (Robin Hood's second-in-command)

47A: El Dorado's treasure: ORO (Spanish for gold)

48A: Ranked at a tournament: SEEDED

52A: Actress Ward: SELA. She is in The Fugitive. I love her in Once and Again.

57A: "A Christmas Carol" role: Tiny Tim Cratchit.

60A: HOMES part: ERIE (Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior)

61A: Cool: NEAT

62A: Maureen of "The Quiet Man": O'HARA. I tend to confuse her with Mia Farrow's mother Maureen O'Sullivan.

64A: Box-office receipts: GATE

65A: Young Turk: REBEL. Would not have filled in if not for the down clues. See here for more information.

Down Entry:

3D: "Rhyme Pays" Rapper: ICE T. Law & Order SVU. Can't stand his music, or any Rap. Besides, I like my tea to be hot.

5D: Qualified to pay: ELIGIBLE

6D: Texas Hold 'em phrase: CALL

8D: Aberdeen's river: DEE (Scotland)

9D: Some alimony recipients: EX-WIVES. And K-Fed.

10D: Sicilian volcano: ETNA

11D: Evil Norse god: LOKI. Awful looking. Trolls are ugly too.

12D: Kent's Lane: LOIS

13D: To shelter: ALEE

18D: Knight's wife: LADY

23D: Teem: ABOUND

24D: Button slot: EYELET

25D: Break off: SEVER

26D: Inter-team action: TRADE. Look at what we have traded away: Randy Moss, David Ortiz, Kevin Garnett & Johan Santana. Incredible, that's all I can say.

27D: Egged on: URGED

28D: __ Lee Gifford: KATHIE. I don't watch the Insider.

29D: Native Alaskan: ALEUT

30D: Hogan dweller: NAVAJO. Hogan is "a Navajo Indian dwelling constructed of earth and branches and covered with mud or sod."

31D: Olds model: ALERO

32D: Mr. Vader: DARTH. Hillary's said it's Dick Cheney.

33D: Sean or father John: ASTIN

39D: Switchboard overseer: OPERATOR. Our local Rainbow Foods often plays Sade's Smooth Operator. I like it.

41D: On the skids: SLIDING

45D: "Damn Yankees" role: LOLA

48D: Meal dish: STEW

49D: Dublin's land: EIRE. Always hesitate between EIRE or ERIN.

50D: Oklahoma city: ENID

53D: Art Deco designer: ERTE. Well, his real name is Romain de Tirtoff, Erte is the French pronunciation of his initials R. T.

54D: Captain of the Peguod: AHAB

56D: List ender: ET AL

59D: Guerrilla Guevara: CHE. It was clued as Fidel's friend 10 days ago.

I think this constructor Hartman loves pop culture. Have another look at his Feb 5 puzzle, peppered with movies, TV series, singers, actresses, personalities/hosts. If you don't like this, you might be in trouble.

C. C.

Feb 14, 2008

Thursday, Feb 14, 2008 Alan P. Olschwang

Theme: Quip

23A:Start of a quip: If at first you
37A: Part 2 of quip: Do not recede, diet
48A: End of quip: And diet again

I don't quite get this quip. I guess I don't understand the meaning of "recede" here. Tide recedes, your heart-broken memories recede. What the heck does Mr. Olschwang try to say here? (Update: This is a Evan Esar quote, see here).

I see no hints of love in this Valentine's Day puzzle, do you? The crossword editor only wants us to diet, and diet again. And I will, from today. On our kitchen table, right now, besides a beautiful "Rose Are Red..." card, are ten apples styled in the shape of a heart and one sweet gold pineapple. My sweet husband!

My only hiccup today is the lower middle corner. I had no idea who Eric the magazine founder is (UTNE, 60A). I did not know who wrote "Jane Shore" (57D: ROWE). I put ATOM rather than IOTA for 49D: Tiny bits. And I was thinking of silver lining for 46D: Like some linings.

Across Entry:

1A: Vegas quote: ODDS

9A Prepared to take notice: SAT UP

14A: Tabby's comment: MEOW

15A:Sister/Wife of Zeus: HERA. Greek mythology. Daughter of Rhea.

16A: Try to get one's goat: TEASE. I nailed this one. This clue appeared on Jan 29's puzzle.

17A: Stridex target: ACNE

19A: Duck down: EIDER

20A: Zola novel: NANA (Huge failure for Anna Sten)

26A: Founded: abbr.: EST (Established)

27A: Jogged: RAN

28A: Above, to a poet: O'ER

31A: Theatrical comment: ASIDE

35A: Poetic contraction: 'EER

36A: Ray of "Battle Cry": ALDO

42A: Vichy water: EAU

43A: Rhone tributary: SAONE. Most of the river names bother me. Are river names acceptable in Scrabble?

44A: "__ Soffel": MRS. Never saw it. Mel Gibson and Diane Keaton starred in this movie.

45A: Shell propeller: OAR

46A: Fast flier's letters: SST (Supersonic Transport)

54A: Fen: MARSH

57A: "Jane Shore" dramatist: ROWE (Nicholas). The complete name is "The Tragedy of Jane Shore".

58A: Parasites on people: LICE

60A: Magazine founder Eric: UTNE. Never read Utne Reader. Never heard of this guy. Just found out that he actually lives here in MN.

61A: Garfield's pal: ODIE (the comic strip)

64A: Oregon city: BEND. Your primary is too late.

65A: Prevailing tide: TREND

66A: ID info: SSNS. Driver's License does not have SSN on it.

67A: Tense: EDGY

Down entry:

1D: Man from Muscat: OMANI

2D: Low-boost coffee?: DECAF. Why question mark on the clue?

3D: Prima __: DONNA

5D: Proposition maintained by argument: THESIS

8D: Date producer: PALM TREE. In Middle East, yes. In Far East, No. Dates are smaller and they grown in normal fruit trees.

9D: Trample: STEP ON

10D: Kindergarten quintet: AEIOU (A E I O U, all vowels)

13D: Dijon dad: PERE (French for Dad)

24D: Leg ends: FEET

28D: Highly spiced stew: OLIO. Sometimes it's OLLA.

30D: Memorizing process: ROTE

31D: First of billions: ADAM. I like this clue.

32D: Go off, as milk: SOUR

34D: E-mail address symbol: DOT

35D: Old French coin: ECU. Sometimes it's Sou.

36D: Oklahoma town: ADA

38D: Study: READ

39D: Sound sensors: EARDRUMS

40D: Como ___ Usted?: ESTA

45D: Postponed: ON HOLD

46D: Like some linings: SEWN IN

47D: Proud mounts: STEEDS

48D: Pale: ASHEN

49D: Tiny bits: IOTAS

50D: Spherical map: GLOBE

53D: Indigent: NEEDY

54D: Money maker?: MINT. Again, why question mark?

55D: Hebrew month: ADAR. This is the only Jewish month I know.

56D: Speak incoherently: RAVE

Have a wonderful Valentine's Day!

C. C.

Feb 13, 2008

Wednesday, Feb 13, 2008 Philip J. Anderson

Theme: Construction project in D. C. ?

20A: Assemble a panel
38A: Build a consensus
51A: Hammer out a deal

And engineer another "bridge to no where"?

Can not stand "The Hammer" DeLay. I change channel every time I see his mug. Glad he is out!

I love this puzzle, it makes me feel so smart this morning. If not for 60A: Long-distance swimmer Diana (NYAD) and the 56D: Heroine of "The Clan of the Cave Bear" (AYLA), I would have conquered the whole field sans googling.

Here are some highlights:

1A: Beatles film: HELP!

5A: Comic Laurel: STAN. Lurel & Hardy fame.

9A: Durkheim or Zola: EMILE

14A: Peter Fonda film role: ULEE. His recent role is in movie 3:10 to Yuma (also starring Russel Crowe.).

16A: Gruesome: LURID

17A: Fashionable Christian: DIOR

24A: Cockney abodes: 'Omes ("H" is dropped in Cockney dialect)

25A: Thorns: SPINES

34A: Old road to Fairbanks: ALCAN (Alaska-Canadian Highway)

35A: Mr. Doubleday: ABNER. I got the answer from the down clues. Never heard of his name before. Wow, he invented the game of baseball. I've never been to Cooperstown. Maybe my husband will take me there when Tony Oliva is voted in. By the way, the name of the Doubleday publisher is Frank Nelson Doubleday.

42A: Luges: SLEDS

43A: Composure: POISE

44A: Golfer Sabbatini: RORY. South African golfer. So close to win the Masters last year. He once said: "You lick the lollipop of mediocrity once and you’ll suck for ever.” Mr. Alan P. Olschang, if you are reading this blog, please quote this line in your puzzle.

46A: Half an African fly: TSE

47A: Easy gallop: CANTER

48A: Shrink's org: APA (American Psychiatric Association)

50A: Yalies: ELIS (Elihu Yale). Bush, John Kerry, Clintons, all yalies. Strange that Bill Clinton did not join the Skull and Bones, or is it a pure Republican secrecy?

58A: Swelling: EDEMA

59A: Bring up: REAR

60A: Long-distance swimmer Diana: NYAD. She has accomplished so much in her life.

62A: "Psycho" setting: MOTEL

63A: Novelist Wiesel: ELIE

64A: Feature of some skirts: SLIT

65A: Rhone tributary: ISERE

67A: Dumbo's wings: EARS

Down clues:

1D: Newman movie: HUD. Love the Sting, the Hustler, Cool Hand Luke.

2D: Director Kazan: ELIA

3D: Tolstoy & Durocher: LEO.

4D: Private: PERSONAL

7D: Blue dye: ANIL (indigo plant or the blue dye from the plant)

13D: Biographer of Henry James: EDEL (Leon). He won a Pulitzer for his Henry James work.

22D: Yellow Fever mosquito: AEDES. Got it from the across clues. Never heard of it. Both singular and plural are aedes.

25D: Cavalryman's weapon: SABER

26D: Mickey's pup: PLUTO

28D: Residence: ABODE

31D: Postulate: POSIT

32D: Maltreatment: ABUSE

33D: Stair part: RISER

40D: Absurdity: NONSENSE

45D: Complain peevishly: YAMMER

47D: Dry red wine: CLARET

49D: U.S. painter Rembrandt: PEALE

50D: Online trade: ETAIL

51D: Half: pref: HEMI

54D: Utah city near Provo: OREM

55D: Ubangi tributary: UELE. 3 vowels in this Congo river.

56D: Heroine of "the Clan of the Cave Bear": AYLA (played by Daryl Hannah). This movie is on our Netflix queue after one reader recommended it to me. The surname of its author Jean M Auel was clued on Jan 31 puzzle.

61D: Sot's shakes: DTS (Delirium tremens, alcohol withdrawal symptom).

Bring it on Thursday.

C. C.

Feb 12, 2008

Tuesday, Feb 12, 2008 Allan E. Parish

Theme: Rhyming "ole"

21A: Royalty of rhyme: Old King Cole
37A: "One Soldier's Story" author" Bob Dole
55A: Star part: Leading Role

This puzzle is impossible, simply impossible for me. I feel so bloodied and battered. Never heard of those drugs: DEMEROL (23A: Morphine-like narcotic), NO DOZ (11D: Vivarin rival). Our local TV Stations keep playing Ambien sleeping pill ads.

This constructor did Feb 1, Friday's Robin William movie role puzzle, with the tricky Politico Perot (HROSS) clue.

The right lower corner is brutal, I am just not a football fan, never heard of WEEB (67A: Hall of Fame coach Ewbank), never heard of ESPN football analyst Merril (HOGE). Have no idea what was the word for 52A: Fastened, nautically (BELAYED).

Mythical crier (16A) NIOBE? "The Wayward Wind" singer Grant (GOGI, 6D)? Way too much for me.

My hats off to you if you complete this puzzle without googling.

Across Clues:

1A: Letters before www: HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol)

5A: Computer image file format: JPEG (digital image in a disk, short for Joint Photographic Experts Group.)

9A: Old lab burners: ETNAS. It's a gas burner in a lab. I always thoughts ETNA is the volcano in Sicily.

14A: MP's target: AWOL (Absent Without Leave). MP here refers to the Military Police.

16A: Rice-like pasta: ORZO

16A: Mythical crier: NIOBE. Greek mythology character. Here is who she is: "The daughter of Tantalus and wife of Amphion of Thebes. She provoked Apollo and Artemis to vengeance by taunting their mother, Leto, with the number and beauty of her own children; Niobe's children were slain and Zeus turned her into stone, in which state she continued to weep over her loss."

17A: 2002 AL Cy Young winner: ZITO (Barry). Gimme for me. He is not that good any more. right now, Johan Santana is the best.

18A: Uncommon blood type: B NEG

19A: Directory: INDEX

21A: Royalty of rhyme: OLD KING COLE. Celtic nursery rhyme. I never heard of it.

23A: Morphine-like narcotic: DEMEROL. Anna Nicole Smith would have filled this one easily. Oh, I just found out that Robert Kennedy's 4th son David actually died of this Demerol overdose in 1984.

25A: Thunderstruck: AMAZED

26A: Surveyor's map: PLAT. I thought of "PLOT".

27A: Backless sofa: DIVAN

29A: Turn bad: SPOIL

31A: Flow oh-so-slowly: OOZE.

32A: Rip off: SCAM

36A: D. C. Figure: POL.

37A: "One Soldier's Story" author: BOB DOLE. Gimme for a political junkie.

40A: Ms. Thurman: UMA

41A: Chopped down: AXED

43A: Part of FDA: FOOD. China executed its FDA head for bribes last year. Our ex-head of FDA joined a big lobbying firm. Who knows if he was corrupted or not?

44A: Shady spot: ARBOR

46A: __ Park, CO: ESTES

48A: Tot holder: CRIB

46A: Abrasion: SCRAPE

52A: Fastened, nautically: BELAYED, unknown to me.

55A: Star Part: LEADING ROLE

58A: Turn left!: HAW

59A: Milk dispenser?: UDDER

60A: Sheep output: WOOL

61A: ESPN football analyst Merril: HOGE. Sorry, sir, I never heard of your name. The only ESPN guy, or rather ex-ESPN guy I know is Keith Olbermann, the host of MSNBC's Countdown.

62A: Pine Tree State: MAINE

63A: Writer Ferber: EDNA

64A: French pronoun: ELLE

65A: Goads: PRODS

66A __-do-well: NEER

67A: Hall of Fame coach Ewbank: WEEB. Forgive my ignorance. He had an incredible career.

Down clues:

1D: Initiated fraternity pledges: HAZED.

2D: Packing cord: TWINE

3D: Indian post: TOTEM POLE

4D: Middle East org.: PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization). Just think of Arafat & Abbas.

5D: Merchandise unit: JOB LOT

6D: Gearshift letters: PRNDL (Park, Reverse, Neutral, Drive, Low).

7D: O. T. bk: EZEK (EZEKIEL). Tricked into EZRA first.

8D: "The Wayward Wind" singer Grant: GOGI. She is still alive.

9D: Conumdrum: ENIGMA

10D: Destroyers, casually: TIN CANS. Navy slang term for destroyer.

11D: Vivarin rival: NO DOZ. I learned a few brands this morning: No Doz, Alert, Stay awake and Vivarin). Coffee is sufficient for me.

12D: White poplar: ABELE. I only knew Aspen.

13D: H. S. course: SEX ED

21D: Reach dental rival: ORAL B. Stared too long at this clue. I am using a Oral B toothbrush, yet I could not figure out what the heck is Reach competitor. My mind is fixed on Reach Floss.

22D: Type of Orange: NAVEL

27D: Bygone birds: DODOS

28D: Alligator shirt maker? IZOD. Izod Clothing.

30D: Chicken __: POX

31D: Hautboy: OBOE

33D: Storage spot: CUBBYHOLE

34D: Latin lesson word: AMO. To love. Amo, Amos.

39D: Singer Steve: EARLE. Here is more detailed information about him.

42D: Cul-de-sac: DEAD END

45D: Small inlet: RIA

47D: Steeple toppers: SPIRES

48D: Basement: CELLAR

49D: Losing streak: SLUMP. I can not wait for the baseball season to start. I truly enjoy seeing Torii Hunter in a slump.

50D: Fragrant wood: CEDAR

51D: Brit's wireless: RADIO. (Update: British call radio wireless, they call TV telly. )

52D" "Have Gun Will Travel" star": BOONE (Richard). Too old a TV star for me. If it's clued as baseball family name, I would have nailed it. Bret Boone was with the Twins for less than 3 weeks in 2005, and he was awful.

53D: Philly gridder: EAGLE

54D: Nerd: DWEEB

56D: Singer Stefani: GWEN. She has a style. No Doubt about it.

61D: Cut with an ax: HEW

OK, now I need my breakfast, and lick my wounds.

C. C.

Feb 11, 2008

Monday, Feb 11, 2008 Phillip J. Anderson

Theme: Film/TV Mr. & Mrs.

17A: Mr. & Mrs.: LUCKY AND MINIVER
41A: Mr. & Mrs.: MOM AND DOUBTFIRE
65A: Mr. & Mrs.: MOTO AND DALLOWAY

If you come to my blog today, then you probably have trouble finishing this Monday puzzle too. Ha ha, that's very comforting for me to know. Very comforting.

I worked my tail off, but I just did not know who is Lily's relative (CAMAS), I kept thinking "calla lily". Had no idea AVISO means dispatch boat. Did not know that EUROPA is another Jupiter satellite. Why did they name satellite names after Greek God & Goddess?

Across Clues:

1A: Kett of the comics: ETTA. He appeared in yesterday's crossword. Wherefore art thou, ETTA James?

2A: Go a round with: SPAR

9A: Book composition: PAGES

16A: Existing: ALIVE

17A: Mr. & Mrs.: LUCKY AND MINIVER: Never saw Mr. Lucky or Mrs. Miniver. Sound so old to me.

20A: Purloined: STOLEN

25A: Puff stuff: TALC

30A: Casa component: SALA.

32A: Temptresses: SIRENS

38A: Teases: RIBS

41A: Mr. & Mrs.: MOM AND DOUBTFIRE. "Mrs. Doubtfire" is goofy, I never watched Mr. Mom.

44A: Dispatch boat: AVISO. Unknown to me.

45A: Columnist Bombeck: ERMA. I tend to confuse her with "Joy of Cooking" author/chef IRMA Rombauer.

46A: Hefty volume: TOME

47A: Seed for a bun: SESAME. Eat more sesame seeds, your hair will be thicker and fuller.

49A: Dash gauge: TACH

52A: Farm tower: SILO

54A: Neighbor of Libya: CHAD. Anti-French riots in Chad, that's all I know about this country.

59A: Nothing in Nogales: NADA

61A: Satellite of Jupiter: EUROPA. On Sunday's crossword, the Jupiter satellite is ELARA. OK, I stole this definition for Europa: Classical Mythology. a sister of Cadmus who was abducted by Zeus in the form of a bull and taken to Crete, where she bore him Rhadamanthus, Minos, and Sarpedon.

65A: Mr. & Mrs.: MOTO AND DALLOWAY. Never watched Mr. MOTO. Love "The Hours" with Nicole Kidman as Virginia Woolf.

70A: Hawaiian goose: NENE. Another pretty thing, look at here. I still cannot believe Huckabee ate squirrels while in college (fried in a popcorn popper, Meet the Press yesterday).

71A: "Teachers" star Nick: NOLTE. Too much drug/alcohol problems. He should start doing crosswords. That will cure him. Seriously. Alice Cooper cured his alcohol problem by taking up golf.

72A: Bring up: REAR

73A: Tolkien's tree creatures: ENTS

Down Clues:

2D: Track tipster: TOUT

3D: Tex-Mex order: TACO

5D: Recognized authority: STANDARD

6D: Brooch: PIN

8D: Send payment to: REMIT

9D: Jury member: PANELIST

13D: Withered: SERE

24D: Lose traction: SLIDE

26D: Vessel: CRAFT

27D: Lily relative: CAMAS. Stared at the CA_AS for a long time. It's the prettiest thing I've seen this morning.

28D: Garlic section: CLOVE

29D: Penultimate round: SEMIS

31D: Terminate: ABORT

33D "Silas Marner" writer: ELIOT (George)

34D: Bellini opera: NORMA. I know nothing about opera.

35D: Look of a villain: SNEER

37D: Haciendas: CASAS. Look at 30A: Casa component. I don't like it when the clue word is also the answer in the same puzzle.

39D: Singer Yma: SUMAC. A fresh change. This editor loves to clue Singer Sumac a lot.

42D: Appoint: NOMINATE

48D: Flair: ELAN. Obama has plenty. Did you watch 60 minutes last night?

50D: Transport by truck: HAUL

53D: Stranger: ODDER

55D: Plane without a pilot: DRONE

58D: Lat. list-ender: ETAL (Single: et alibi, plural: et alii)

60D: For two, in music: A DUE. Never heard of it.

62D: Writer Wister: OWEN. Never read any of his books.

63D: Huff and puff: PANT

67D: Coach Parseghian: ARA. The "Era of Ara." Here in MN, we have our own Tubby Time. Go Gophers!

Please let me know if you spot any mistake. I am just terrible at spelling and very prone to typo. Thank you & have a wonderful week.

C. C.

Feb 10, 2008

Sunday, Feb 10, 2008 Willy A. Wiseman

Theme: Broken Hearts (with the word "heart" embedded in the phrases, but broken into pieces)

23A: "Arrangement in Black and Gray No 1:_": The Artist's Mother
44A: Some sculptures: Papier Mache Art
70A: Be induced: Hear the call
93A: Certain Native American item of value: Apache Artifact
120A: Antique Gallic hearing aid: French ear trumpet.
17D: Warm browns: Rich earthtones
52D: Succeed at eavesdropping: Overhear things

An early Valentine's gift for us, thank you editor, whoever you are. I decided not to whine today. Soldiers never complain.

Here are some keys:

Across:

1A: Candle wax: PARAFFIN. I am currently obsessed with bee wax product.

9A: Green clusters: LEAFAGE

16A: Scottish hillside: BRAE. Scottish word for "hill".

20A: Australian city: ADELAIDE. Capital of the State of South Australia.

21A: Formula math: ALGEBRA

22A: Enunciation problem: LISP

23A: "Arrangement in Black and Gray No 1:_": The Artist's Mother. Also known as Whistler's Mother.

29A: "Over there" composer: COHAN (George)

30A: Product to mine: ORE

31A: Prescribing medicine: DOSING

35A: Variety of corundum: EMERY

36A: Silk-fiber binder: SERICIN , "viscous gelatinous protein that forms on the surface of raw-silk fibers." Never heard of this word.

39A: Mil. address: APO (Army & Air Force Post Office)

44A: Some sculptures: Papier Mache Art. Lots of old dolls are made of Papier Mache.

49A: Doc in training: RES (Resident)

50A: German toast: PROSIT. Remember the "L'chaim and Prosit" clue for Toast on Friday?

54A: Russian chess champion: TAL (Mikhai).

55A: Once, once: ERST

57A: Stable staffers: LIVERY MEN.

59A: Indonesian island: JAVA

60A: For example: SUCH AS

64A: S. American tuber: OCA. It looks like this. Has anyone had it before? Is it good?

65A: Southwest desert: SONORA

67A: Taiwan Strait islands: MATSU

68A: Word after Scotland: YARD. British Police Force.

70A: Be induced: HEAR THE CALL.

74A: Deck off. BOSN (BOATSWAIN)

75A: For a specific purpose: AD HOC

77A: Backs of boats: STERNS

78A: Memory unit: BIT

80A: Beat follower: NIK

81A: See-through curtains: SHEERS

83A: Art colony in New Mexico: TAOS

84A: Sea-scented air: SEA BREEZE

87A: Beginning on: AS OF

88A: Yuck!: ICK

89A: Explode: POP

90A: China's Sun___: YAT-SEN

91A: 90 degrees from vert: HOR (Horizontal)

93A: Certain Native American item of value: APACHE ARTIFACT

99A: "__ Gracias": DEO. Thanks be to God.

100A: Star in Scorpio: ANTARES

104A: Iranian religion: BAHA'I. Never heard of it. Most of the Iranians are Shias I think. Read more if you are interested in it. I have no curiosity for this faith.

106A: Die dot: PIP

109A: Fragrances: SCENTS

110A: 1964 A. L. Rookie of the Year: OLIVA (Tony). He should be in Hall of Fame. Those baseball writers/voters are deaf and blind. OK, Maybe I am too harsh, but some of them indeed are oblivious to what Oliva has achieved.

116A: Actress Arden: EVE

117A: Glossed term: LEMMA

119A: Cows: KINE. Such a weird plural form.

120A: Antique Gallic hearing aid: FRENCH EAR TRUMPET

124A: M. I. T. grad: ENGR

125A: Responded to a stimulus: REACTED

126A: Reduce by ten percent: DECIMATE

127A: Scottish loch: NESS

128A: City on the Loire: ORLEANS

129A: Desalination byproduct: SEA SALTS.

Down Clues:

1D: Pitifulness: PATHOS

2D: Stick: ADHERE

3D: Jai follower: A LAI

5D: Gambler's card game: FARO

4D: Tailor's concern: FIT

7D: Brutal Amin: IDI

9D: Patronymic: LASTNAME (sorry for the mistake yesterday)

11D: Greek contest: AGON. Here is the definition from dictionary.com: (in ancient Greece) a contest in which prizes were awarded in any of a number of events, as athletics, drama, music, poetry, and painting.

12D: Gala celebrations: FETES

13D: Really hate: ABHOR

14D Caribbean island: GRENADA

15D: Jug handle: EAR

16D: Blossom: BLOOM

17D: Warm browns: RICH EARTHTONES

18D: Fertility goddess: ASTARTE. BAAL is God of Fertility.

19D: Names turned into words: EPONYMS

24D: Mai __ cocktail: TAI

29D: Vitamin brand: CENTRUM. I don't like it, the pills are too big.

31D: Painting in two panels: DIPTYCH. New word to me. Here is how it looks like.

32D: Sailor's grp: ONI (Office of Navy Intelligence)

33D: Coll. student's rating: GPA

37D: __ dixit: IPSE. Latin. He himself said it (an assertion without proof)

40D: Numbers at the pump: OCTANES

42D: Greek god of war: ARES. Mars is the Roman God of War.

46D: Take flight: RUN

47D: Widespread confusion: HAVOC

48D: Satellite of Jupiter: ELARA

50D: Spanish beaches: PLAYAS

51D: Capital of Saudi Arabia: RIYADH. Would you believe I nailed this one?

52D: Succeed at eavesdropping: OVERHEAR THINGS

56D: Wound cover: SCAB

61D: Court session: ASSIZE. Never heard of this word.

62D: Submerged: SUNKEN

63D: Set the rowing pace: STROKED

66D: Jessica of "Dark Angel": ALBA. She is very pretty.

69D: Bunny moms: DOES

71D: Top room: ATTIC

72D: Stretch: REACH

73D: Tripoli populace: LIBYANS. There is also a seaport in Lebanon called Tripoli.

76D: Land of Zagreb: CROATIA.

79D: Flier: TRACT

82D: Letters from Nob Hill cops: SFPD (San Francisco Police Dept)

84D: Bar fly: SOT

85D: Center starter: EPI

86D: Kett of the comics: ETTA

89D: Continues after a pause: PROCEEDS

91D: Sinatra's birthplace: HOBOKEN. I forgot. I actually read Kitty Kelley's His Way a few months ago. Too gossipy.

92D: Like a translucent gemstone: OPALINE

94D: Hopeful one: ASPIRER. Always thought it was Aspirant.

95D: DDE's rival: AES. Can never remember Stevenson's middle name Ewing.

101D: Flutist Jean Pierre: RAMPAL. He is unknown to me.

102D: Clown Kelly: EMMETT. Next time I will remember this tramp clown.

103D: Sudden flows: SPATES

105D: States with conviction: AVERS

107D: Paradigm: IDEAL

108D: Pieces of pounds?: PENCE (plural of penny, British way)

111D: Socially inept losers: NERDS. Bill Gates is a nerd, look at how successful he is. He is a also good bridge player. Oh, he also plays golf. I picture him slicing the ball. I bet he can't hook.

115D: Proceedings? ACTA. I don't understand the answer to the clue. Pls help me here.

117D: San __ Obispo: LUIS

118D: Jane Austen novel: EMMA. I should read this book. I wasted over one hour this morning reading Victoria Beckham's "That Extra Half Inch" while waiting for our newspaper (crossword) to arrive.

123D: Pioneering TV co. RCA

That's all. Pls let me know if you spot any mistake.

Oh, by the way, you can watch Orange (Amy Reynaldo) on Merv Griffin's Crossword show here and here. The quality of Part I is very good, but I had trouble viewing Part II. Read her Feb 7 blog recap should you have time. She is just incredibly talented & efficient.

C. C.

Feb 9, 2008

Saturday, Feb 9, 2008 Ed Voile

Theme: NONE

I got bogged down by 15A: Wild way to run? (AMUCK). I had no idea that AMOK can be as wild a variant as AMUCK. I just did not know 9D: Capital of Macedonia (SKOPJE).

I gave up the fight very earlier on, and started googling without shame. I am convinced that I am simply not capable of finishing a Saturday puzzle without cheating. Right now, my targets are Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Here are the recaps:

10A: Gun maker: COLT

14A: Gospel singer Winans: CeCe (BeBe & CeCe Winans)

15A: Wild way to run? AMUCK. Did you get this one easily?

18A: Calgary Stampede, e.g.: RODEO

19A: First name in denim? LEVI

20A: River of Venezuela: ORINOCO. Never heard of it. It flows into Atlantic Ocean.

22A: Formed into a ball: SPHERED

24A: Chita of "West Side Story": RIVERA. Remember the multi-talented Rivera clue on Feb 1?

25A: Shove aside: JOSTLE

25A: Clairvoyant: SEERESS. Female clairvoyant.

28A: Refer to incidentally: MENTION

29A: Greek letter: OMEGA

31A: Complete extent: GAMUT

32A: Hors d'oeuvres spread: PATE

36A: Military tactic: SIEGE

38A: Jazz sessions: SETS.

39A: In an upright position: ON END

41A: "The Prisoner of __": ZENDA. Come here for more information on this adventure novel.

43A: Sea lavender: STATICE. Unknown to me. They look so pretty.

45A: Superlatively ventilated: AIRIEST

50A: Actress Wright: TERESA. She is the wife of Lou Gehrig in "The Pride of the Yankees." Great movie. Watch 61 if you are a baseball fan, it's about Yankees' 1961 season when Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris try to break Babe Ruth's home run record.

51A: Plowed but left unseeded: FALLOW

52A: Pub patron: DRINKER

54A: Course outlines: SYLLABI (plural of syllabus)

55A: Questionable contraction? AIN'T

56A: Mount of Moses: SINAI

58A: Face features: EYES

59A: Carryall: TOTE

60A: Dress up: ADORN

61A: Annoying fit: SNIT

62A: Love god: EROS

63A: Mark sale items: RETAG

64A: Vietnamese holidays: TETS (Feb 7 this year, the same as Chinese Spring Festival).

Down Clues:

1D: Players: ACTORS

2D: Sweet-'ums: DEARIE

3D: Moving here and there: ACTIVE

5D: Cutting bits of wit: SARCASMS

6D: Melville's "Typee" sequel: OMOO

7D: Failure: DUD

9D: Capital of Macedonia: SKOPJE. How can I remember this word? Slavic words are strange.

10D: Keyboard percussion instrument: CELESTAS

11D:Worker's additional income: OVERTIME

12D: Flatten: LEVEL OUT

13D: Three-pronged weapons: TRIDENTS

23D: __ Kong: HONG. I put KING first.

27D: Confiscate: SEIZE

28D: __Carta: MAGNA

30D: Turn right!: GEE. Turn left is HAW.

32D: Follow in time: POSTDATE

33D: Located on the front: ANTERIOR.

34D: Rip open: TEAR INTO

35D: International understandings: ENTENTES. I tend to confuse Detente with Entente, a lot.

37D: Encouraging intellectual improvement: EDIFYING

40D: Data storage item: DISK

44D: Roman autocrat: CAESAR

47D: Comic Boosler: ELAYNE. I think I blogged her a few days ago.

48D: Amen!: SO BE IT!

49D: Plot surprises: TWISTS.

54D: Gilbert of Teasale: SARA. Sara Teasale is a poet. Sara Gilbert is Melissa Gilbert's sister.

Now I am famished. Need some power breakfast. Have a good weekend everyone.

C. C.

Feb 8, 2008

Friday, Feb 8, 2008 Michael T. Williams

Theme: Brand Names for Chocolate/Candy Bars

17A: Giggler's treat?: Snickers

42A: One for all and all for one treat: Three Musketeers

65A: Astronomer's treat?: Milky Way

Also, 12D: Generic Treats: Candy Bars.

37D: Generic treat: Chocolate

It's a sweet puzzle. But some of the clues were beyond my knowledge, ie, 35D: Prehistoric tomb (CIST), 28D: Cardinal flower (LOBELIA), 51D: Pagliacci role (TONIO), 63A: Bacchante (MAENAD).

I don't like the clue for 18D: Hot peppers: CHILIES. Hot pepper is either chili or chile or chilli. I am confident of my across fills, so I guess this fake chilie stays here today. (Update: The plural form of chili is either chilies or chilis. So, the crossword clue is right. I was wrong. My bad. I should have checked the dictionary before I commented).

Here are some of the highlights, please correct me if I am wrong.

1A: O. T. book: ISA (Isaiah)

8A: "Two Women" director: De Sica. Sophia Loren won Oscar for her role in this movie.

14A: Mil. installation: NAS (Navy Air Station)

15A: French religious figures: STES

19A: Actress Moreau: JEANNE. French actress.

24A: Write Dickens: MONICA. Great-granddaughter of Charles Dickens.

27A: Actor Mineo: SAL (sorry for the typo earlier).

29A: "Enola __": GAY

32A: Director Browning: TOD. Director of "Dracula".

36A: Set in motion: ACTIVATE

40A: Dwarfed tree: BONSAI. Knew this Japanese miniature tree, but forgot the spelling.

44A: L'chaim and prosit: TOASTS. (Jewish & German)

45A: Show on TV: TELECAST

46A: H. S. subj. SCI

49A: Droop: WILT

58A: Nancy of "Pollyanna": OLSON. Unknown to me.

60A: Gadgeteer Popeil: RON. But wait, there is more!

61A: Vocalized team spirit: RAHS. Feel a bit awkward to me.

63A: Bacchante: MAENAD. Never, never heard of this word. "A priestess or female votary of Bacchus". Too hard. Both the clue and the answer.

68A: New York prison: ATTICA

69A: Morse code: DIT

Down clues:

1D: Concisely, briefly: IN SUM

2D:__ Domingo: SANTO

5D: Goddess of folly: ATE. Here is the definition from dictionary.com: "an ancient Greek goddess personifying the fatal blindness or recklessness that produces crime and the divine punishment that follows it."

8D: Erving of hoops: Dr. J (Julius Erving)

11D: Corfu's location: IONIAN SEA.

18D: Hot peppers: CHILIES.

22D: CD's competition: DAT (Digital Audio Tape)

25D: Interviewer Dick: CAVETT.

26D: "Born Free" writer: ADAMSON (Joy)

28D: Cardinal flower: LOBELIA. New to me.

31D: R-V hookup: STU

33D: You don't say!: Do Tell!

35D: Prehistoric tomb: CIST. Note to you, this word can also be spelled as Kist, in case the crossword editor wants to trick us next time.

36D: Lawyers: abbr.: ATTS (Attorneys)

38D: Lionel products: TRAIN SETS

41D: Hummingbirds' eatery: NECTARY

43D: London garden: KEW. Royal Garden in Britain.

51D: Pagliacci role: TONIO. Here is more information.

53D: Mausoleums: TOMBS

55D: Like cut wood: SAWED

56D: Light olive brown: KHAKI

59D: Table salt: NACL

66D: Unit of illumination: LUX

67D: Vocal pitch: KEY

I am exhausted. Blog software acts weird this morning.

C. C.

Feb 7, 2008

Thursday, Feb 7, 2008 Alan P. Olschwang

Theme: William Hepworth Thompson Quote

20A: We're none of us
35A: Infallible
42A: Not even the
43A: Youngest of us

Never heard of this Thompson guy, but the quote is familiar to me. Bush could not think of ANY mistake he made when asked on a live press conference, then some pundit called upon this "none of us infallible" quote.

I was bogged down on the UNAU/ROUE part, and could not get myself out of the mess. I decided to try Mike's advice (Comments yesterday) and go to oneacross. I only cheated a little bit.

Here are some of the highlights:

Across Clues:

14A: Hoof beat: CLOP

15A: Dental exam: ORAL

17A: Charmer's instrument: OBOE

19A: River frolicker: OTTER

25A: Overthrows: USURPS.

29A: Chef Rombauer: IRMA. She wrote The Joy of Cooking.

39A: Two-toed sloth: UNAU. They look ugly.

46A: Pith: GIST

48A: Pioneering TV Co.: RCA (Radio Corporation of America)

49A: Spoils: LOOT

51A: Beaver hat: CASTOR. I put in CASPER.

61A: Abyss: CHASM

64A: Yankee Berra: YOGI. The Transcendental Meditation Yogi (guru to the Beatles) died on Tuesday.

65A: Flag fabricator: ROSS (Betty). I don't like the word "fabricator" in the clue.

69A: Man who played Chan: OLAND (Warner). I blogged about "Chan Portrayer" a few days ago, then I forgot it quickly. My brain simply refuses to absorb certain information.

71A: Charon's river: STYX. Basically I hate most of the crossword rivers.

Down Clues:

1D: Angry frown: SCOWL

2D:"A Delicate Balance" playwright: ALBEE

3D: Harmonizes an effort: COORDINATES

4D: "Pursuit of the Graf __": SPEE

5D: Hawaiian island: MOLOKA'I. Never been there.

7D: Chummy: MATEY. I heard of MATE/CHAP.

9D: Awakening: AROUSAL

10D: Taiwan Strait island: MATSU

22D: Roll up: FURL.

26D: Lucky charm: RABIT's FOOT. I never heard of this phrase. "A rabbit's foot is the foot of a carried as an amulet believed to bring good luck, American folklore". It has to be the left foot!

30D: Reprobate: ROUE. Could not get this one, and could not get that silly two-toed UNAU sloth from across.

31D: Wild party: BASH. I still could not believe those young kids would set fire on the antique furniture at Frost's home, why? Why did you pick up this road?

33D: Of an ancient alphabet: RUNIC (sorry for the mistake earlier).

37D: Airplane ride: FLT (Flight)

38D: "Othello" evildoer: IAGO. Maybe Orange can add this word on the "100 Must-Know Words" chapter on the next edition of her book.

43D: Sped like a toy truck: VROOMED

45D: Hard to catch: ELUSIVE

50D: Giant slugger?: OTT. Why question mark on the clue?

52D: Actress Cicely: TYSON. Unknown to me.

53D: Greek marketplace: AGORA

54D: Sired: BEGOT

56D: Sled dog: HUSKY

62D: Linden or Roach: HAL

63D: "Take on me" group: A HA. Norwegian band.

The Merv Griffin's Crossword is shown here at the Twin Cites at 3:00pm ONLY. I was misled by their website time (3:00pm & 5:00pm). Missed the opportunity to see how Orange looks like.

C. C.

Feb 6, 2008

Amy Reynaldo (Orange) on TV

Orange will be on Merv Griffin's Crosswords this afternoon (Feb 6 Wednesday) 5:00pm on KSTP Chanel 5.

C. C.

Wednesday, Feb 6, 2008 Philip J. Anderson

Theme: Retail come-on

17A: Retail come-on: One-Stop Shopping
37A: Retail come-on: Two-Year Warranty
57A: Retail come-on: Three-Month Trial

I felt the strong wind from the very beginning. A hard struggle today. Did not even know how to cheat on 25A: Type of penguin (ADELIE) and 33A: Crevasse pinnacle (SERAC). Seriously, I spent more than 10 minutes just to google these 2 words.

Here are the interesting fills:

1A: Conductor Seiji: OZAWA. He was actually born in China, during the Japanese occupancy of China in the 1930s.

6A: In ___ Veritas: Vino. Literally, Truth in Wine. When you get drunk, you tend to tell truth, don't you? I don't. I only want to sleep.

10A: Glazier's piece: PANE. I googled my own blog and got this one.

16A: Fencer's stiletto: EPEE

20A: Legal thing: RES

22A: Large groups: MASSES

23A: Letters for Nob Hill cops: SFPD. Got this one. My sisters-in-law live in SF.

25A:Type of penguin: ADELIE. Look at here. Cute. Happy Feet.

33A: Crevasse pinnacle: SERAC. Hard clue, hard answer. This is why.

34A: Military trainee: CADET

35A: Clerical vestment: ALB

40A: Ref. set: OED (Oxford English Dictionary)

41A: Barely sufficient: SCANT

50A: Diet drastically: STARVE

54A: Arab Robe: ABA.

62A: Non-major studio film: INDIE

65A: Hindu grouping: CASTE

Down clues:

1D: Redolence: ODOR. I confused the word with Insolence. I tried to jam Idle in the blanks.

2D: Designated area: ZONE

4D: Director Craven: WES. Nightmare on Elm Street director.

5D: Ruses: ARTIFICES

6D: Insipid: VAPID. I thought of Sapid.

7D: __ dixit: IPSE. Literally, he himself said it. An assertion without proof. Peggy Noonnan sometimes sprinkles Latin in her columns.

8D: bk after Ezra: NEH

10D: Stomach enzyme: PEPSIN. I just found out that the commercial Pepsin is obtained from the stomach of hogs. Horrible.

11D: Sacred bull: APIS. I stole this explanation from dictionary.com "A sacred bull of the ancient Egyptians, acting as an intermediary between Ptah and humans."

12D: Oahu goose: NENE

13D: Mind readings: EEGS (Electroencephalograms)

18D: Greek flask: OLPE. Here is the definition.

19D: Dawber or Tillis: PAM

23D: Bowl over: SLAY. I put Stun first.

24D: Mubark's predecessor: SADAT. Gimme for me.

25D: "The Maltese Falcon" co-star: ASTOR (Mary).

26D: __ Decimal System: DEWEY. Never heard of it.

30D: Poem division: CANTO

32D: Deep chasam: ABYSS

34D: Stick one's neck out: CRANE

35D: Extremely stressful: TRAUMATIC

38D: Of schooling: ACADEMIC

39D: Pismires: ANTS

46D: Balderdash!: TOSH

50D: Caen's neighbor: ST LO. Caen & St. Lo are two cities in France, heavy fightings took place there during Battle of Normandy.

51D: Whale's location: THAR. But why???

52D: "Rule Britannia" composer: ARNE

53D: Scottish dagger: SNEE

54D: Helpful hints: AIDS. I put Cues first.

That's all friends. Now I need to find out what the heck happened in New Jersey last night. Here in MN, Obama 67%, Clinton 32%.

C. C.

Feb 5, 2008

Tuesday, Feb 5, 2008 Randall J. Hartman

Theme: Sobbing phrases

20A: Riparian tree: Weeping Willow

41A: Yellowbelly: Sniveling Coward

57A: Stephen Rea film: The Crying Game

I scanned the whole crossword quickly while dabbing the Burt's Bee around my eyes.

Then I saw 57A, I grabbed my pen and filled in the film name, rather smugly. I blogged about this Stephen Rea a few days ago. Then I filled in PUDGE for I-Rod (7D: Rodrigues, to fans) and a few other gimmes. I fought my way through other areas with little resistance until I came to the left lower corner.

I could not figure out who was 63D: Fidel's amigo (CHE), all I can is Hugo Chavez. It did not fit, then I thought Chavez must have a 3-letter nickname. I did not know the model's name, and I could not get know HILT for 58D: Excalibur's handle. So I called Uncle.

Here are the highlights:

16A: Veil material: TULLE, named after the French City where it's made.

20A: Riparian tree: Weeping Willow. In Far East, willow symbolizes sadness, esp when a loved one is leaving and you have no idea when you will see them again, if ever.

24A: Ferrara family: ESTE

30A: Sharpens a razor: STROPS

40A: Actress Marisa: TOMEI. "My Cousin Vinny" girl.

41A: Yellowbelly: Sniveling Coward. Mealy mouthed, Lily livered.

47A: Lose one's cool: SEE RED. I put Seethe first.

64A: Blackhorn fruit: SLOE

67A: Mini mountains: HILLS. I put MESAS. Sometimes my mind does not think straight.

69A: Corsica's neighbor: ELBA (new to me)

72A: Prognosticator: SEER

Down Clues:

2D: Hill crest: BROW as in Eye Brow?

7D: Catcher Rodriguez, to fans: PUDGE. Our catcher Joe Mauer is pretty good too. He just needs to stay healthy.

9D: Short dagger: STILETTO.

11D: Remove flawed ones: CULL

21D: Singer Tillis: PAM. Here is more information about this country singer.

31D: Competes at Henley: ROWS. The annual Henley Royal Regatta.

32D: Half a tape: SIDE A. I don't fall this kind of trap any more.

39D: Worker's refrain: TGIF

42D: Work out: EXERCISE

43D: Tight grippers: CLINGERS

50D: Obvious toupee: RUG. I put Wig first.

53D: Bulletin board operator: SYSOP (System Operator). Good to know.

57D: "__ Is Spinal Tap": THIS. Never heard of this movie.

58D: Excalibur's handle: HILT

59D: Model Macpherson: ELLE. Is she still modeling? I adore Heidi Klum.

62D: Hamburg's river: ELBE. Never heard of it.

63D: Fidel's amigo: CHE (GUERRA). He died in 1967.

Finally Super Tuesday!

C. C.

Feb 4, 2008

Newsday Crossword Puzzle, Have a Look

Orange advised me to try Newsday crossword last week. You can see her reason here on my Jan 30 entry.

She is an expert solver, and respected by so many constructors and editors and other expert solvers. So when she says Jump, I just... jump, with some hesitation and resistance.

This morning I did their Monday puzzle by Gail Grabowski.

Do you want to know the result? I almost finished the puzzle. Only one blank left, but I also made one mistake. I put CRANK JOKE instead of CRACK JOKE for 11D Make someone laugh. So for 23A: Anklets and argyles, now I have _ONKS. I did not know the meaning of argyles, and I always thoughts anklets are those pretty ankle bracelets. Socks! I also had difficulty to think a word for 22D: Musical number. I was really thinking of number. The answer is SONG.

The whole solving process was very smooth. The clues felt very natural, and the answers were words I actually use in daily life. Nothing strained. It felt like making putts on a well-kept green with no breaks, just straight.

The Star Tribune green sometimes feels like a newly aerated one, you know, so grainy, and the ball runs amiss from time to time. But it's my home course. I guess I will stick with it for a while. In the meantime, I am starting my journey with Newsday.

C. C.

Monday, Feb 4, 2008 Michael T. Williams

Theme: Silver Screen Diamond Flicks (Baseball Films)

17A: The Natural
26A: Eight Men Out
40A: The Bad News Bears
53A: Major League
63A: Bull Durham

I've seen 4 of the above 5 films. I never heard of The Bad News Bears. I watch Major League every year when the season starts. I also love Field of Dreams. My husband can lip almost every line of Bull Durham. Silly.

You would think I would breeze through this puzzle given my love for baseball. But I failed miserably. The problem started with 7D: Wetlands. I put a MOORS rather than MARSH. Then I put ALTER rather than ADAPT for 8D: Changes to fit. I had ENSUED rather than TAILED for 18D: Followed. So I could not get the movie Eight Men Out.

Here are the recaps:

1A: Amo, ___, amat: AMAS. Oh Latin.

15A: __-masochism: SADO. I felt sick after learning the meaning of this word. Those people should watch Major League.

20A: Nabokov book: ADA. I only knew Lolita.

21A: Sample: SPECIMEN

23A: Clicking sound : TSK

29A: Color of the Italian sky: BLU. That's the color of my dream too.

50A: Elec. switch: IGN. I don't like this clue. I put OFF immediately.

59A: Vespers service: EVENSONG. New word to me.

Down Clues:

1D: Knack: ART

2D:__ - Jongg: MAH. Most of the Mah Jongg players are retired folks, right?

5D: 2nd Best: GRADE B. I could not get this one out.

9D: Sacred: SOLEMN

10D: Dead, as a dragon: SLAIN

11D: Cinematic Topper: COSMO. (Update: Please read the Comments part, one reader has explained very well why COSMO is the answer).

12D: Nice farewell?: ADIEU. No need for the question mark after the clue, Editor, we know Nice is a city.

13D: Intended: MEANT

18D: Followed: TAILED. I put ENSUED first.

22D: Show-biz notable: CELEB. Clooney & Pitt are real CELEBS, look at what they have done for Darfur & New Orleans. Randy Moss is a controversial CELEB.

23D: Willful injuries: TORTS.

24D: "Magnificent Obsession" director: STAHL (John). The 1935 film, not the 1954 film with Jane Wyman.

25D: Part of ROK: KOREA. South Korea (Republic of Korea). Kim Jong-il's North Korea is DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea).

27D: '50s TV series "Peter __": GUNN. Never heard of it.

32D: Naut. direction: EBN (East by North)

38D: Muse of poetry: ERATO. I got this one.

42D: Early American political party: WHIG

43D: Made a smooth transition: SEGUED. Got it.

49D: Faculty status: TENURE.

51D: Interstellar cloud: NEBULA

54D: Hail from a sailor: AVAST. I put AMAST first.

55D: Cafeteria dessert: JELLO

56D: In a dominant position: On TOP (I put AT TOP initially)

57D: Love-lit: AGLOW. I was thinking of some literature, like Chick Lit.

66D: Peer Gynt's mother: ASE. Only learned last week who Peer Gynt was, now his mother.

Have a good week everyone.

C. C.

Feb 3, 2008

Interview with Amy Reynaldo (Orange)

I got Amy Reynaldo's book How to Conquer the New York Times Crossword Puzzle: Tips, Tricks and Techniques to Master America's Favorite Puzzle as a Christmas gift.

The whole mystery of the crossword was unveiled to me when I read her explanation on understanding the themes. I loved the part on how those constructors try to trick us. And I got immense help from the chapters on "100 Must-Know Words" and "Word Bank".

I started my blog before I finished her book, that's how excited I was!

Amy Reynaldo (Orange) writes a daily blog Diary of a Crossword Fiend, where you can find tons of information on anything crossword related.

I am so happy that Orange agreed to answer a few questions for me. So, please get your cup of tea/coffee, sit back, and learn a few more things about this expert crossword solver.

Can you tell us a bit about your background?

I grew up in the Chicago area as a shy, quiet nerdy kid. I attended college in Minnesota (Carleton College), and I was probably solving the Strib puzzle when I had a copy of the paper, but I don't recall it specifically. I've lived in Chicago since graduation, and have a husband and a son in second grade.

Who got you started at crosswords and when did you realize that you were really good at solving them?

I started doing crosswords when I was a kid, following my grandparents' lead. They liked to work the New York Times puzzle syndicated in the Chicago Sun-Times. When I was about 12, my mom or grandma got me a gift subscription to Games magazine, which was where Will Shortz and the "New Wave" of crosswords kicked into high gear. So I've been doing crosswords for about three decades now.

Ten or 15 years ago, my assistant and I would race each other on the NYT crossword--and I always beat her even though she was an incredibly smart University of Chicago graduate. That was one inkling. Then in early 2004, I started subscribing to the NYT's online crossword service, which gives access to the puzzle the night before publication, and also lets you access a decade of archived puzzles. Solving the crossword online in the NYT's Java applet let me compare my solving time with others', and it gave a clear indication that I was a fast solver.

How would you describe a typical day for you in terms of crosswords solving and blogging? I noticed that you solve 4 or more crosswords a day.

I usually solve the NYT and NY Sun crosswords in the evening and then blog about them. The LA Times and CrosSynergy puzzles aren't released early, so I do those in the morning and update my blog post. Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays, there are several other crosswords I like, so I pack those ones in where I can. Now that the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament is just a few weeks off, I'm trying to do more crosswords in book collections, too--but I don't get to them every day.

How have blogging and writing the book (How to Conquer the NY Times Crosswords) affected your solving speed and accuracy?

Blogging helps me to remember the new things I learn. If I see an unfamiliar word in the crossword and just go on with my life, I might not remember it. But if I Google it and read a dictionary definition or a Wikipedia article about it, I'll learn a bit more. And writing it down helps cement it in my memory. It's like jotting down a list of things to get at the store. You might not even need to consult the list--you'll remember what you need because you wrote it down. But going to the store without making a list? I think it's harder to retrieve those items from your memory.

I don't think the process of writing the book improved my crossword skills much, but it was valuable to distill what I've absorbed over the years into concrete advice. If nothing else, it helps me to give better advice to other solvers.

How do you prepare the coming 2008 American Crosswords Puzzle Tournament?

Puzzle books! I try to focus on the sorts of crosswords that will be used at the ACPT. That means putting aside the tough Saturday themeless puzzles I love so much, and working on themed crosswords of various sizes. I also choose puzzle books with crosswords by the constructors who've been hired by Will Shortz to make tournament puzzles, since their style may pop up again at this year's tournament. These include Merl Reagle, Patrick Merrell, Maura Jacobson, and Cathy Millhauser.

What advice would you give to novice solvers like me to improve ourselves and keep motivated?

Try to focus on good-quality puzzles, which will be less likely to contain woefully obscure words. It's hard to stay motivated if the crosswords you're doing aren't fun, aren't clever, and aren't rewarding, or if they're boring because they're too easy.

Learn the basic crossword vocabulary--those words that contain common letters and show up again and again in crosswords. And pay attention to the sorts of clues that recur for these answers--answers like ERIE, ARIA, ERA, EON, ERN, and ESE. There's a reason there are two different sections in my book with word lists--because it really is key to absorb these words. Soon enough, those will be the gimmes that you can fill in right off the bat.

If you just can't finish a puzzle, check the answers the next day or Google some clues. Isn't it better to learn things than to give up and avoid learning them? Some people call Googling "cheating," but the goal is to look things up and remember them next time, gradually being able to finish without looking things up.

When you're stuck, don't give up too quickly. Put the puzzle aside and come back to it later in the day, or the next morning. Quite often, something that made no sense at first suddenly "clicks."

Thank you, Orange.

Sunday, Feb 3, 2008 Arlan and Linda Bushman

Theme: Product Placement

23A: Offer really big reward?: PLEDGE hefty BOUNTY

38A: Watch over fledgling avian?: Safeguard DOWNY DOVE

56A: Promote West African nation?: Boost IVORY Coast

76A: Wreak havoc on hidden forest clearing?: RAID secret GLADE

89A: Flatter muscular Trojan War Hero?: Soft soap BRAWNY AJAX

109A: Observe Kilauea's huge outpouring?: Behold lava CASCADE

Those are all the brands I have identified, did you find more?

Very tough to bite into this puzzle. I almost used up my bottle of Liquid Paper. I googled like crazy, and still could not fill in 1/3 of the blanks. Then my husband woke up, and helped me a lot, but we still could not finish the damned thing.

Across:

1A: Cartoon apparition: CASPER. Put CASPAR first.

7A: Overcharge: SOAK. Never know "soak" has such a meaning.

11A: Premiere notables: STARS

19A: Programs with pop-ups: AD WARE. My mind is fixed with Spyware.

20A: Glazier's Piece: PANE. I didn't know the meaning of Glazier.

27A: Stephen of "The Crying Game": REA (not RAE). I cannot say how much I am moved by this movie. I also enjoyed The Devil's Own, which is also IRA related.

28A: Sent to the canvas: KOD (knocked out). I was thinking of CANVASS, Get out and Vote.

29A: Editorial symbols: CARETS.

30A: Tibetan monk: LAMA. Love Dalai Lama as a spiritual person. But I can not support his cause.

31A: Display of oils: ART SHOW

34A: Rubberneck: STARE

36A: Equal-angled figure: ISOGON

42A: Slop contraptions: T BARS

46A: One of the "Pump you up!" duo: FRANZ. Hans & Franz. Never heard of their names before.

47A: Hockey defensive great: ORR. Gimme for me.

48A: Curly-tailed pooch: AKITA

51A: Vacation option: CRUISE

60A: Info-gathering mission: RECON

62A: Title city in a Russell Crowe flick: YUMA, "3:10 to Yuma". Never watched it.

64A: Livid: IRATE

65A: Crazy Horse tribe: OGLALA

66A: Bonnet holder: HAT PIN

68A: Scoffs: JEERS

69A: Printer fill-up: DRY INK? Not sure of this why. Pls help me with this one.

80A: Tanker mishaps: SPILLS

84A: Motor or mechanism starter: SERVO. Never heard of it.

87A: Bridge seats: EASTS

96A: Except that: UNLESS

97A: Fluctuates repeatedly: YOYOS

98A: Word for Word: LITERAL.

102A: Muffed: BLEW

103A: Gaucho domain: PAMPAS

106A: Gumshoe: TEC

107A: __ du Diable: ILE

108A: Sock end: TOE

114A: Resinous secretion: LAC

116A: Novelist Murdoch: IRIS

117A: Call together: MUSTER

119A: Cornered: AT BAY

120A: Beekeeper's milieu: APIARY. A beekeeper is called Apiarist.

Down Clues:

1D: "Meet John Doe" director: CAPRA. I should put this movie on our Netflix Q.

2D: Freud colleague: ADLER (Alfred Adler). I know Jung.

4D: Energy unit: ERG

6D: Assault with nostrils with: REEK OF

8D: Galoot: OAF. I was thinking of Ape.

11D: Made a basket, say: SCORED. I was picturing a real basket is being made.

14D: Greek wines: RETSINAS. No idea. I don't drink any wine.

17D:"Foundation" series author: ASIMOV. Our Newspaper carries Asimov Quiz every day.

18D: Fuel for a lighter: BUTANE. New to me.

24D: Inventor Elias: HOWE

25D: National poet: BARD

30D: Polish city: LODZ. Would you believe that I actually got this one?

32D: Old map abbr: SSR

33D: Does after: HAS AT. I was trapped again, put "s" in the end first.

34D: Molasses base: SUGAR

35D: Menlo Park initials: TAE (Thomas Alva Edison)

37D: Enhanced combined effect: SYNERGY? Not sure of this one.

39D: Gainesville athlete: GATOR My husband got this one quickly.

40D: Helpful: OF USE

41D: Court order: WRIT

42D: Drinking mug: TOBY Very silly looking mug.

43D: Commotion: BROUHAHA

44D: Fragrant: AROMATIC

49D: Fuzzy fruits: KIWIS. Full of Vitamin C.

50D: Lendl or Pavlov: IVAN

51D: Uncouth: COARSE.

52D: Piper following: RATS. Why?

53D: Tabloid fare: SCANDALS. I used to watch E! News for their endless scandals. Now my mind is set on Super Tuesday.

54D: Spot pattern: POLKA DOT

57D: Smooth fabric: SATIN

61D: Architect Sarrinen: ELIEL. I know his son's name EERO.

65D: Sound off: ORATE?

67D: Take over: POSSESS

68D: Monopoly corner: JAIL

70D: Networked units: PCS

71D: 19th-century round dance: GALOP. Brutal, never heard of this dance.

72D: Matter-of-fact: PROSY (Sorry for the mistake earlier).

76D: __ Ridge (Derby winner, 1972): RIVA. Unknown to us.

77D: Highland units: CLANS

81D: Potential customer: PROSPECT

84D: Brood: STEW

85D: Wage Receipt: PAYSLIP

86D: Brace or span: TWO? Why?

88D: Chopper: AXE

89D: Not obvious: SUBTLE

90D: Borrowed: ON LOAN ( I put loaned at first)

91D: Take to the cleaners: FLEECE. This reminds me of that greedy DC judge who sued his cleaner for $54 million over his stupid lost pants.

92D: Side action: BYPLAY

93D: Course: ROAD

94D: Writer Waugh: ALEC

95D: Turnip-shaped root vegetable: JICAMA Saw this tuber before. Never eat it.

99D: Rodeo-accessory: RIATA. I just hate this word.

100D: Pile wood: ALDER. Unknown to me.

101D: Suspicious and distrustful: LEERY

104D: Pequod skipper: AHAB. "Moby Dick" again. Never read this book.

105D: Colorful fabric panel: MOLA. It's a "colorfully appliquéd piece of fabric handcrafted by the Cuna Indian women of the islands in the Gulf of San Blas and used for clothing, decoration, etc." Dictionary.com says so.

Now I am done.

C. C.

Feb 2, 2008

Saturday Feb 2, 2008 Matthew Higgins

Theme: NONE

With the exception of REEVE for 44A: Superman in movies, this puzzle has no mention of any pop culture stuff. All those obscure authors/bands/singers/old actors/actresses are taking today off.

I stumbled on 1A: the Jewish sect immediately. I penned in a few with authority, inked a few with hesitation, and gratefully filled in a few "S", "ED", "ER" lots of "ING"s .

Have you noticed that there are 5 clues ending with ING:

27A: Lamenting loudly: ULULATING

30A: Supposing: REPUTING

52A: Directing: GUIDING

6D: Beginning: INCEPTION. I was wrong to put "ing" here.

8D: Donning official vestments: ROBING.

A nightmarish struggle. But I was smart enough to realize that this war was not worth fighting for. I shifted to cheat gear (Thank you Larry Page & Sergey Brin) quickly.

Here is a quick recap:

1A: Memebers of a Jewish sect: HASIDIM. Hasid is the single form. Strange plural form. This word "Hasid" looks very wrong.

8A: Even more isolated: REMOTER. Shouldn't it be More Remote?

15A: Surpassed: OUTDONE

16A: Chrysolite: OLIVINE. Too technical for me.

17A: Divide into three equal parts: TRISECT

18A: Emotional stability: BALANCE. That's what Britney Spears needs now. It's not fun to watch her stumble any more. It has become a tragedy.

19A: Dry, as wine: SEC

23A: Jab: POKE

25A: Dried Plum: PRUNE. I love dried dates. After they are dried, plums becomes prune, grapes become raisin, dates are still dates. That's consistency. No flip-flop.

26A: Right on maps: EAST

27A: Lamenting loudly: ULULATING. Unknown to me. This word looks very loud and noisy.

29A: Abalone eater: OTTER. So many ways to clue this creature.

30A: Supposing: REPUTING. I put POSITING first.

31A: Formal, informally: DRESSY

32A: Inventor of catchphrases: SLOGANEER. Mission Accomplished?

34A: Upolu resident: SAMOAN. Apia is the capital.

37A: Resound: RESONATE.

42A: City of the Temple Mount: JERUSALEM

45A: " Clair de __": LUNE. French for "Moonlight". I don't know whether refers to the poem or the Broadway play here.

47A: Short-legged, long-eared hounds: BASSETS

50A: Roughly vehement: VIOLENT

54A: Tract of farmland: ACREAGE

55A: Anticipatory payment: ADVANCE

56A Took up again: RESUMED

57A: Inland passages for oceangoing ships: SEAWAYS


Down Clues:

1D: Impetuous person: HOT SPUR. I never heard my husband used this word before.

2D: Halo: AUREOLE. I know Aura. Aureole can also be spelled as Aureola. Let's be prepared in case the crossword editor decides to trick us with a variation next time.

3D: Robbery at gunpoint: STICK UP

5D: Activist: DOER

6D: Beginning: INCEPTION. I was trapped to put an "ING" at the end.

7D: Stamping, in a way: METERING. Why? Can anyone explain this to me please?

9D: Fill with high spirits: ELATE

10D: Wire measures: MILS. Dictionary says it's "a unit of length equal to 0.001 of an inch (0.0254 mm), used in measuring the diameter of wires." I will forget it soon I think.

11D: Caesar's eggs: OVA. The singular form for Latin egg is ovum.

12D: Old-time soldiers' headgear: TIN HAT

13D: Contains in a box: ENCASES

14D: Opposite of launch: RE-ENTRY

21D: Denim overalls: DUNGAREES. The singular form "Dungaree" refers to the denim fabric. It's also a Hindu Goddess.

24D: Cleverly evasive: ELUSORY

26D: Perpetual: ETERNAL.

31D: State of inactivity: DESUETUDE. I put in INERTNESS initially. Here is the explanation of the word.

33D: Banned war weapon: NERVE GAS

34D: Urn with a tap: SAMOVAR. Saw this word before. Russian teapot. Here is the look.

35D: Cupidity: AVARICE. Greed.

36D: Trusted teacher: MENTORS

38D: Corundum: ALUMINA. Unknown to me.

39D: Period of occupancy: TENANCY. I was thinking of a different occupancy period, like "Occupied Japan", "Meiji Period", or something like that.

40D: Comes forth: EMERGES

42D: Made witty remarks: JESTED

44D: Scope: RANGE

47D: Smile broadly: BEAM. I put GRIN first.

48D: Hindu Deity: SIVA. Also, DEVA, KAMA, RAMA. At least, Hindu Gods have short names, those Greek Gods, or Roman Gods all have fancy long names.

51D: Romanian currency: LEU. Never heard of it. "The subdivision of leu is the ban, pl. bani, meaning both "money" and "coin".

53D: European crow: DAW. I don't like any kind of crow. Did not even bother to check how they look like.

Have a great weekend.

One more thing to blog: My husband bowled 747 last night, his 5th 700 series this year.

C. C.

Feb 1, 2008

Friday, Feb 1, 2008 Allan E. Parrish

Theme: Robin Williams Movie Roles

18A: Robin Williams in "Jumanji": Alan Parrish (look at the crossword constructor's name)

59A: Robin Williams in "Dead Posts Society": John Keating

3D: Robin Williams in "Good Will Hunting": Sean Maguire

27D: Robin Williams in "Insomnia": Walter Finch

I gave up very earlier on. Impossible for me. Too many unfamiliar band name, author name, actress name.

I was convinced at one point that Star Tribune made a mistake on the Perot clue. I only knew him as Ross Perot. I suspected that the first letter could be an abbreviation of his given name. But I dismissed the idea quickly because the clue for 53D: Indian Royalty is a singular form, thus the last letter cannot be S. I was so lost in that corner.

The movie characters got my goat too. I actually watched "Good Will Hunting" once, but I can not remember the professor's name. Never watched the other three movies. I do remember his character Mr. Dobbs in "Man of the Year".

There are also 3 Russia related clues.

50A: Putin turndown: NYET. This is the Russian for "NO". I bet Bush can fill in this one quickly. I wonder if Bush does crosswords.

64A.: Czar's decree: UKASE. What a weird looking word.

38D: Russian Villas: DACHAS. I acturally got this one. The interview of Putin by Time's reporter on its Person of the Year piece was conducted in Putin's Dacha I think.

Here is more:

4A: Multi-talented Rivera: CHITA. Never heard of her. She received 2 Tony Awards.

9A: Perpendicular: PLUMB. This is an interesting word, it can be noun, verb, adj or adv.

14A: Abu Dhabi, Dubai et al.: UAE (United Arab Emirates). UAR (United Arab Republic) is a union of Egypt and Syria from 1958 to 1961.

17A: One-time time connection: AT A (One at a time)

22A: Quite cold: GELID. New word to me. MN has been gelid in the past several days. I just can not SHRUG (47A: "I dunno" gesture) off the cold I caught from the Edwards rally.

24A: Smarted: STUNG

26A: Pirates' take: SWAG. Another word for booty.

30A: Escargot: SNAIL. I've never eaten snail before. Snake, yes, once, not bad, but I don't want to try it again.

35A: Martha of mysteries: GRIMES. Did I blog about her before? Her name sounds familar to me.

37A: Pandemonium: BEDLAM. I got this one.

39A: Day-night tie: EQUINOX. Very tough for me. The down clues did not help at all.

40A: Average score: PAR. I put CEE first.

52A: "Like a Rock" Sing: SEGER. Knew the song, did not know the singer.

68A: Politico Perot: H ROSS (Henry Ross). I found out that Ross is actually the middle name of his brother, who died at age of 3. Perot's original middle name is Ray. He changed it into Ross in honor of his brother.

Down clues:

1D: Liquid measures: QUARTS

2D: Luzon Island battle site: BATAAN. According to the dictionary, it's "a peninsula on W Luzon, in the Philippines: U.S. troops surrendered to Japanese April 9, 1942"

4D: Actress Rosalind: CHAO. Never heard of her. The only Rosalind I know is Russel.

8D: Quaking trees: ASPENS. I spent a long time analyzing the poem Scooter Libby sent to Judith Miller when she was in prison. He wrote "Out West, where you vacation, the aspens will already be turning. They turn in clusters, because their roots connect them". It's definitely coded.

9D: _mutuel: Pari. A form of betting. Never heard of it.

11D: Swiss Canton: URI.

25D: "Bang a Gong (Get It On)" band: T REX. Look at here if you want to delve more into this band.

28D: Winglike parts: ALAE. Winglike is ALAR.

33D: Fashion designer: MODISTE. I was misled. I kept thinking of a real fashion designer like Vera Wang or Marc Jacobs. I could not get any help from the across clues either. MODISTE is a French word for a designer or producer in women's fashions.

40D: wharf: QUAY. I put PIER first.

43D: Denier: NEGATOR.

46D: Six-winged angel: SERAPH

48D: Writer LeGuin: URSULA. Vaguely remembered her name.

49D: Wound up: TENSE. I put _ _ _ ED quickly, too quickly.

53D: Indian Royalty: RANIS. I put RAJAH initially and felt very proud of myself for a minute. But nothing made sense after that. Should it be clued as plural form (Royalties)?

56D: Classic Jags: XKES. By the way, in yesterday's crossword, 69A: British exports (MGS), one reader pointed out that MG is a British sport car.

59D: Water pitcher: JUG. I put jar first.

60D: Volga tributary: OKA.

61D: _mat (dangerous cargo). HAZ. Hazard Material

62D: Late starter: ISO. Isolate.

That's all.

By the way, if you have time, please go to the Cruciverbalist's website and vote for the clever clue of the month. The candidates for this month are:

Cheese that's made backward? EDAM (Made backward is EDAM)

Snow boarders? SEVENDWARFS (Snow White)

Christmas trees? PEARS (As in '...a partridge in a PEAR tree)

Half a huge cost? ARM (As in something costing an arm and a leg)

Ones taking a lot of interest in their work? USURER (Usurer: someone who lends money at excessive rates of interest)

Idle and then some? ERICS (As in Eric Idle, the English comedian/actor).

Have a wonderful February everyone.

C. C.