Monday Nov 21, 2011 Donna S Levin

Theme: Whatever Argyle would have title - Theme answers are 4-word noun phrases all in the pattern of "*ILL OF THE + noun".

17A. National consensus : WILL OF THE PEOPLE

38A. Deerstalker's excitement : THRILL OF THE HUNT. So literal. For me, it's "Flea market
lover's excitement".

62A. Dark, quiet period : STILL OF THE NIGHT

C.C. here. I hope I did not miss anything on the theme cohesion. No easy job to be Santa. I just could not think of a clever title.

A bit surprised to see ILL (25D. Unwell) due to the pattern of the first theme words. Changing 24A into SPARE would give us an ALL for 25D, which dupes ALL'S in 12D. So, all's good.

Across:

1. Soccer great Mia : HAMM. Bill G meets her at his biking path occasionally.

5. Spider's creations : WEBS

9. "Beat it!" : SCRAM

14. Steinbeck's Tom Joad, e.g. : OKIE

15. Afghanistan's western neighbor : IRAN

16. Fabric with a repeated scenic pattern : TOILE. See here, with a repeated pattern and often in one color.

20. Metal playing marble : STEELIE. Never played it.

21. Sincere : EARNEST

22. Propelled with sculls : OARED

23. Camembert cousin : BRIE. So what's your favorite cheese?

24. Malice : SPITE
27. Cooks on a spit : ROASTS

32. Biol. or chem. : SCI

35. Burn soothers : ALOES. JD grows them. I wonder if Creature does also.

37. Turn on a pivot : SLUE

42. Grows darker : DIMS

43. Clark Kent's birth name : KALEL. On Krypton.

44. Sound of fan support : RAH

45. Garlicky shrimp dish : SCAMPI. Chives on top, right?

48. Ran at an easy pace : LOPED

50. Not taken in by : ONTO

52. Hairdresser Sassoon : VIDAL

56. "The Four Seasons" composer : VIVALDI. Nicknamed "The Red Priest" due to his red hair, and he was a priest.

60. Rock fissure : CREVICE. Look! Nature is amazing.

64. Davis who was married to Ruby Dee : OSSIE

65. Word with pyramid or chain : FOOD. Yes!

66. Cut down on 65-Across : DIET. No. Maybe after Thanksgiving.

67. Hymn of praise : PAEAN

68. Females with pig tails : SOWS. What a funny clue.

69. Means' justifiers : ENDS Down:

1. "In what way?" : HOW SO

2. Japanese canine : AKITA. Dennis' last dog. Couldn't picture him in tears. Hard man.

3. Long-distance runner : MILER

4. Brawls : MELEES

5. Hi-tech airport connection : WI-FI

6. One-named Deco artist : ERTE. 4-letter word starting/ending in vowels, very grid-friendly, hence his frequent appearance.

7. Scroogean exclamation : BAH

8. Derisive look : SNEER

9. More than mono : STEREO

10. Masked critter : COON

11. Ready for picking : RIPE

12. "__ well that ends well" : ALL'S

13. Track competition : MEET

18. Longtime chum : OLD PAL

19. Part of a poker full house : PAIR

23. Bovine hybrid : BEEFALO. Never had it. But have you ever tried SweeTango apples? It's a hybrid between Honeycrisp & Zesta. Oh, man, it tastes so good.

26. Stole : TOOK

28. Volcanic output : ASH

29. Defamatory remark : SLUR

30. Yellowfin or albacore : TUNA

31. Fourth man : SETH. His mom would have loved SweeTango.

32. Norms: Abbr. : STDs

33. Fashionable : CHIC. Blake Lively always looks great, no matter what she wears.

34. Culinary author Rombauer : IRMA

36. WWII Normandy battle site : ST LO

39. Doctrinal suffix : ISM

40. Cool, like a cat : HEP. Our Jazzbumpa is super cool! Raw, natural talent in entertaining.

41. Craps natural : ELEVEN. Never played Craps.

46. Hay fever sufferer's nemesis : POLLEN

47. __-European languages : INDO

49. Split : DIVIDE

51. Petty quarrels : TIFFS

53. "Bon appétit," from mom : DIG IN

54. Was sore after a workout : ACHED

55. Riga natives : LETTS

56. Cognac bottle letters : VSOP. Very Superior Old Pale.

57. "__ Small World" : IT'S A

58. Carpenter's clamp : VISE. So no need to spruce up the room in the past months, Splynter? I don't buy it. The date part.

59. Et __: and others : ALIA

60. Vittles : CHOW

61. Cinncinati team : REDS. Hi there Seen, do you hate or love Marge Schott?

63. Also : TOO

Answer grid.

C.C.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011 Donna S. Levin

Theme: Auto Body Basics - Four minor imperfections to your car's finish that can finish your deductible.

17A. Cocktail party mouthful : CHIP AND DIP

25A. 1950s kiddie show hosted by "Miss Frances" : DING DONG SCHOOL

43A. They frequently shoot par or better : SCRATCH GOLFERS

58A. Very last moment : NICK OF TIME

Argyle here. A tight theme but the range of fill, oh my! From "Miss Frances" to an R&B artist. And out of the blue, a pun. All in all, a strange Tuesday but what is your take on it?

Across:

1. Argentine dance : TANGO

6. Move a little : STIR

10. Peak measurement: Abbr. : ELEV. Elevation

14. Abraham nearly sacrificed him : ISAAC

15. Right-hand person : AIDE

16. Curtain material : LACE

19. Unsullied : PURE

20. Woo with a tune : SERENADE

21. Fill, as a moving van : LOAD UP

23. Swallowed : ATE

24. New Mexico art community : TAOS

33. Dundee demurrals : NAEs. The fourth-largest city in Scotland is Dundee.

34. Horror film franchise : SAW. Started with "Saw" (short film)(2003) and now is in "Saw 3-D"(2010).

36. "So Sick" R&B artist : NE-YO. Clip.(3:29)

37. Collect compulsively : HOARD

39. It may begin with "Knock knock" : JOKE

40. Bird that can hold its coffee? : ERN. A homophone for URN. A pun of a sea eagle as a coffee pot leaves me 32A. Bewildered : AT SEA

41. Many Christmas trees : FIRS

42. Steakhouse order : FILET

47. Word often sighed : ALAS

48. Big Band __ : ERA

49. Whacks on the bottom : SPANKS. The Child Protective Services will investigate you nowadays.

52. On cloud nine : ECSTATIC

57. Yale Bowl rooters : ELIs. Students at Yale University.

60. List heading : TO DO

61. Buck suffix : AROO

62. Bunsen burner cousins : ETNAs

63. Did laps, perhaps : SWAM

64. Hair care products : GELS

65. Put into effect : ENACT

Down:

1. Eccentric mannerisms : TICS

2. 1968 U.S. Open champ Arthur : ASHE. Perennial tennis player on the crossword courts.

3. Solution for a hairy situation? : NAIR

4. Show astonishment : GAPE

5. National anthem in Nunavut : "O CANADA". Nunavut is the largest and newest federal territory of Canada; it was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999. Wikipedia link.

6. Depress : SADDEN

7. It waits for no man, purportedly : TIDE. I foolishly didn't wait for it and stuck in TIME first.

8. Dictator Amin : IDI

9. Stepped in for : REPLACED

10. Sun Bowl site : EL PASO. Texas.

11. Praise : LAUD

12. Beigelike shade : ECRU. Perennial crossword shade.

13. Prez's next-in-line : VEEP

18. Brussels-based defense gp. : NATO

22. Fireworks reactions : OOHS

24. Title of the first Fabergé egg owner : TSAR. The first Fabergé egg was crafted for Tsar Alexander III in 1885.

25. Copenhagen native : DANE

26. Anatomical canals : ITERS. A passageway that leads from one part of the body to another. Iter is Latin for "a way." As such, this is a later in the week clue and made a nasty "Natick Principal" crossing NE-YO. Oops: "Natick Principle"

27. "Bye Bye Bye" boy band : *NSYNC

28. Prefix with thermal : GEO

29. Grind together, as one's teeth : GNASH

30. "__ Mio" : O SOLE. I'm not familiar with these guys but it's one for the ladies. Clip.(3:37)

31. California hoopster : LAKER

35. Dampens : WETS

37. Run into trouble : HIT A SNAG

38. Warriors in Warcraft games : ORCS

39. The PB in a PB&J, maybe : JIF

41. Columbo portrayer : FALK. Peter.

42. Fixed price : FLAT FEE

44. Kidnapper's demand : RANSOM

45. Long-tailed tropical wall climbers : GECKOs

46. Approximately : OR SO

49. Tennis match parts : SETS

50. Oxen's burden : PLOW. Unless the beast is carrying it on its back, it's not really a burden.

51. Enslaved princess of opera : AIDA. Perennial slave girl.

52. Earth sci. : ECOL. Ecology.

53. Business envelope abbr. : ATTN. Attention.

54. Turner on stage : TINA. On stage with Mick. Live. Japan. Hot. Clip.(4:49)

55. Apple product : I-MAC

56. "__ Magnifique": Porter tune : C'EST. Jazzy clip.(1:23)

59. Anger : IRE

Answer grid.

Argyle

Friday, September 16, 2011, Donna S. Levin

Theme: The YES PUN! Each of the theme answers are common phrases where the last word is replaced with a sound-a-like word meaning yes in a foreign language. So we have both a pun and a consistent theme of non-English words meaning yes. A lively romp from dear Donna, anchored by two grid spanners.

20A. Approval from a Cádiz resident?: MEDITERRANEAN SI. Mediterranean SEA. We begin with our Spanish clue, which is tough if you do not know Cadiz.

29A. Approval from Louis XIV?:THE ROYAL OUI. Royal WE; the British Queens often expressed their dissatisfaction by saying, "we are displeased."

40A. Approval from a shocked Scot?:ELECTRIC AYE. Electric EYE. I go back to the new eye doctor today, where I can practice my Highlands accent from reading all the Hamish Macbeth books.

50A. Approval from a sushi chef at the lunch counter?: TWELVE O'CLOCK HAI. 12 O'Clock HIGH.

I learned the Japanese word from this CLASSIC. There was a wonderful TV series about fighter pilots...

Across:

1. Last of three Catherines: PARR. Henry the VIII had only one widow, and this was she. Quite the looker. See Image above.

5. Plot: CABAL This from the Hebrew root word, Qabbalah, referring to those who band together.

10. Pathfinder org.: NASA. Mars Pathfinder was designed to be a demonstration of the technology necessary to deliver a lander and a free-ranging robotic rover to the surface of Mars in a cost-effective and efficient manner.

14. Natural balm: ALOE. Living in the sunshine state, I love aloe, it is the bomb (silent L).

15. Last of the Oldsmobiles: ALERO.

16. Old Persian poet: OMAR. Do you like his POETRY?

17. Folio part: LEAF. Like a page, not the kind the senators fool around with.

18. Word of thanks: MERCI. French lesson, Jeannie; after you say, Oui, Oui monsieur, I say Merci.

19. Corn detritus: SILK. Detritus has become a popular word because of all the CSI books and shows which began with Patricia Cornwell and her Scarpetta character.We used to just say debris.

23. High-and-mighty: SNOOTY. Like Catherine Parr?

24. Cambridge business school: SLOAN. In Massachusetts, not London for this PLACE

25. Pair of barbershop groups: OCTET. 2x4 = 8.

27. Admission req. for 24-Across:GMAT. Graduate Management Admission Test. Ok, one is good.

33. Code on some NYC-bound luggagetags: LGA. La Guardia in NYC.

36. Cambridge Conservative: TORY. The party in Great Britain.

37. Jack's UN ambassador: ADLAI. Stevenson, was the first for Jack Kennedy.

38. Markers: IOUS. I love a puzzle with anagrams OUIS/IOUS.

39. They're sometimes special: OPS. Operations.

.42. "Fake is as old as the __tree": Welles: EDEN. Orson Welles. Eden Tree? No wonder Rosebud was a sled.

43. It has some smart Alecs: MENSA. For the newbies, the corner has its own group, DENSA.

44. "Full House" co-star: SAGET. Foul mouthed COMEDIAN masqueraded as a father figure.

47. Place to get bogged down: MORASS. I always thought this was every man's dream.

55. Rough talk: RASP. Hoarse of a different color?

56. Indira's son: RAJIV. His second appearance this week.

57. 50-and-up group: AARP.

58. Concerning: AS TO.

59. Encourage none too gently: SHOVE.

60. Nursery rhyme tub assembly, e.g.: TRIO. Rub a dub dub, three men in a tub.

61. Sharpen: WHET. Probably comes from the German wetzen.

62. Rutabaga, for one: TUBER. From the Latin meaning swollen. Not to be confused with someone who watches too much you tube. Did you see the old people filming themselves? CLIP. Viral.

63. Squeezed (out): EKED. real old fashioned crosswordese.

phew, halfway home

Down:

1. Chiromancer's reading material: PALM. This was Friday hard, unless you recalled your Latin that CHIR (or CHIRO) means hand. No wonder people did not trust chiropractors. Anybody who was a "mancer" was suspect.

2. Like the northern Lesser Antilles, vis-à-vis the Windward Islands : ALEE. My A word; I had leeward last Friday.

3. Sporty two-seaters: ROADSTERS.

4. Sugar plant: REFINERY. You see it is not all about beer. Nice trickery with plant not being botanical.

5. Carved sardonyx: CAMEO. Pretty

6. Bright-eyed: ALERT. Do not forget bushy-tailed.

7. Smoothie ingredient: BERRY. Rather nondescript.

8. Conquistador's chest: ARCA. Spanish for ARK, like the ark used to hold the covenant.

9. Tender cut: LOIN. Or what kids do in school in Brooklyn.

10. Margarita choice: NO SALT. So are we salt, or no salt?

11. __ acid: AMINO.

12. It might be caliente: SALSA. Caliente= hot.

13. "Catch-22" actor: ARKIN. He played YOSSARIAN, the naked one. A wonderful book and movie..

21. "Africa" band TOTO. Now for our musical INTERLUDE.

22. Morales in movies : ESAI.

25. Name of four Holy Roman emperors: OTTO. And Sgt. Snorkel's dog.

26. Rough waters: CHOP. Or maybe we could go back to the Hai Karate commercial

27. Source of milk for chèvre: GOAT. Goat cheese.

28. Sierra Club's first president: MUIR. Interesting man and legacy.

30. Third-oldest U.S. university: YALE. Without Google can you name the first two?

31. Yemen's chief port: ADEN

32. Corp.-partnership hybrid : LLC. Limited Liability Company.

33. One garnering lots of interest: LOAN SHARK. Nice misdirection.

34. Chaps: GUYS.

35. Cruising : ASEA. Okay my other A word.

38. Support for a Salchow : ICE SKATE. Like this CLIP, as always a tip of the ice to our own CA and our missing in action Red Shoe nurse, wherever she is. Be well fishy.

40. Ron Howard send-up of reality shows: ED TV. TRAILER.

41. Apple on a desk: iMAC.

42. Sniggling gear: EELPOT. A boxlike structure with funnel-shaped traps for catching eels. Which would make a good present for eel loving fearless leader.

44. Frozen margarita insert: STRAW. No umbrellas here, boys.

45. Teeming (with): AWASH. My final A word.

46. Chansons de __: medieval Frenchpoems: GESTE. The most famous one which was preserved by the jongleurs is the SONG of ROLAND which figures prominently in Ken Follett's epic The Pillars of the Earth. Wonderful read.

47. Dead end, workwise: MCJOB.

48. Drab color: OLIVE. Poor olive stuck with both drab and Oyl.

49. Rootless sort: ROVER. Not nomad?

51. Aforetime: ERST. Sounds better in erstwhile.

52. Mount Ka'ala is its highest peak: OAHU. Hey Hawaiian friends, IPO and the other lost ones.

53. R&B singer India.__: ARIE. Born India Arie Simpson; no relation to Homer. TUNE.

54. Touch or shuffle: iPOD.

Answer grid.

There may be no I in team, but we have both iMAC and iPOD, and now it is time I am out of here. Another one done. Have a wonderful weekend, and Marti, i love to see a blog inspiring more than 100 comments, well done.

Lemonade.

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to Moon! Hope all is well with you. Do drop us a note whenever you stop by.

Sunday August 7, 2011 Donna S Levin

Theme: Swordplay - Parse it as S-Wordplay. S is added to the start of each common phrase & spelling of the word is changed. Sound remains the same.

23A. Bathtub ring with no discernible cause? : SCUM FROM NOWHERE. Come from nowhere.

37A. Schusser's name traced in the snow? : SKI SIGNATURE. Key signature.

60A. "Alas" and "Ah, me"? : SIGH OPENERS. Eye opener.

70A. Surveillance satellite? : SPY IN THE SKY. Pie in the sky.

92A. Make Oreos? : STUFF COOKIES. Tough cookies.

110A. What grumpy old men might experience? : SURLY RETIREMENT. Early retirement.

17D. Geckos that don't set their alarm clocks? : SLEEPIN' LIZARDS. Leapin' lizards.

46D. Pilots' milieu : SPHERE OF FLYING. Fear of flying.

Very consistent theme entries. Excellent choices. Love this puzzle.

Donna is bold in her grid edge words today, lots of 7-letter entries. Not an easy task.

Across:

1. Pastry preserver of the past : PIE SAFE. Not a familiar item to me. I'd prefer not to see this entry due to 70A.

8. "Johnny __": 1948 film : BELINDA. What's it about?

15. Dreads sporter : RASTA. Bob Marley.

20. What 100 is to 2, in the base 10 : ANTILOG. Wow, I don't think I even know the Chinese word for this.

21. Rampaging : ON A TEAR

22. Dole out : ALLOT

25. Martial arts-based regimen : TAE BO

26. Hoo-ha : TO-DO

27. Balkan portico : STOA. To me, it's just old Greek portico.

28. Actor Dillon : MATT. He's so good at "Crash". Handsome dude.

29. Like a porterhouse : BONE-IN

30. Augur's concern : OMEN

31. He gave Jackie her O : ARI

32. Nuclear age govt. org. : AEC (Atomic Energy Commission)

33. Gangster film extras : G-MEN

35. EMILY's List, e.g. : PAC. They support Pro-Choice female Democrats.

36. Lawyer's thing : RES. Just Latin for "thing".

40. Escalate : RISE

41. Orb's partner, in British iconography : SCEPTRE. Scepter in our spelling.

42. "Friends" Emmy winner : ANISTON (Jennifer). Gorgeous photo. Not a Jolie fan.

44. Defames : BASHES

47. Brings up : REARS

50. Birth name of Smallville's most famous resident : KALEL, Superman.

53. Let loose, in a way : UNPEN

54. Garden party? : EVE. Adam and Eve. Garden of Eden.

56. Wacky : NUTS

58. Chevron feature : STRIPE. Not the Chevron I have in mind.

59. Giggle : TEHEE

63. Former Pakistani president : ZIA. You've got to commit this to your memory.

64. Prayer conclusion : AMEN

65. The __ Store : UPS. Just for our Saturday sherpa Splynter.

66. Suffix with Israel : ITE

67. Doce meses : ANO. 12 months.

68. Edinburgh girl : LASS

69. "Neither snow, __ rain ..." : NOR

73. Beginning : BIRTH

74. Truck capacity : ONE-TON

76. Many a saga : TOME

77. Word with garden or party : TEA

78. Soup scoop : LADLE

79. Arrowsmith's first wife : LEORA. No idea.

80. Pied-à-__: part-time residence : TERRE. This stumped some last time.

82. Blasphemes : CURSES

83. Lamborghini rival : FERRARI. Dennis is nuts about this stuff.

87. Dr. Scholl's products : INSOLES

90. It isn't right : LEFT

95. "Survivor" network : CBS

98. Home of the Braves: Abbr. : ATL

99. Rating for many "Simpsons" episodes : TV PG

100. Consume : EAT

101. Ltr. container : ENV

102. Astronomer Sagan : CARL

103. Satisfies a debt : PAYS UP

105. Vitamin also known as PABA : B-TEN. Ignorant of PABA. Need Al.

107. Deceptive hockey maneuver : DEKE. Hey eddy!

108. "Typee" sequel : OMOO

109. Senior Saarinen : ELIEL. Father of EERO.

113. Disneyland usually has long ones : LINES

114. You or me : PRONOUN. Nice clue too.

115. Failed school curriculum that was the subject of the 1973 book "Why Johnny Can't Add" : NEW MATH. Alien to me.

116. Tau preceder : SIGMA

117. "It's __ guess" : ANYONE'S

118. Lubricates : GREASES

Down:

1. Leader of the flock : PASTOR. Flock seldom refers to sheep in Xword.

2. It might be unearned : INCOME. Is Powerball win unearned income?

3. Musical technique builders : ETUDES

4. Simple guy : SIMON. Simple Simon.

5. Franklin's 1936 foe : ALF (Landon)

6. Deserts : FORSAKES

7. Bit of self-aggrandizement : EGO TRIP

8. __ fide : BONA

9. Ambient music pioneer : ENO (Brian)

10. Tin star wearers : LAWMEN

11. Home of Odysseus : ITHACA

12. Erstwhile depilatory : NEET

13. One may be used to bring down an elephant : DART GUN. To tranquilize the elephant.

14. Is for two? : ARE. Nice clue.

15. Expose : RAT ON

16. Astronaut Shepard : ALAN

18. "This Boy's Life" author Wolff : TOBIAS. Have heard of the book, not the author.

19. Medical stat? : AT ONCE. Neat to see STAT as a clue rather than an answer.

24. Damp : MOIST

29. Apiphobe's fear : BEES. Apiphobe is a new word to me. Apis is Latin for "honey bee". Apiphobia is also called "Melissaphobe", since Melissa is "honeybee" in Greek.

32. "A Death in the Family" author : AGEE

34. Diagnostic pic : MRI

37. Public spectacle : SCENE

38. Like some "as is" mdse. : IRREG

39. Sampling : TASTE

40. Certain king's proclamation? : ROAR. Lion, king of the jungle.

41. Luster : SHEEN

43. NYC Theater District discount booth : TKTS. Ticket booth is just called ticket there?

44. Experimental biofuel : BUTANOL. This word looks so wrong.

45. Windflower : ANEMONE

48. "__ Day in Paradise": Phil Collins #1 hit : ANOTHER. Very moving song.

49. Mumbai money : RUPEE

51. Formal letter : EPISTLE

52. Walking aids : LEASHES. Not in the dog walking direction.

54. Catch a glimpse of : ESPY

55. Drop in : VISIT

57. Part of a mongoose's diet : SNAKE. Snakes are regarded as good food for men, at least in south China and some Southeast Asian countries.

58. Happy letters for an angel : SRO (Standing Room Only). Financial backer for a movie or a Broadway show is called an "angel".

61. Blackjack demand : HIT ME

62. Singer born Eithne Patricia Ni Bhraonáin : ENYA

65. "Moesha" network : UPN

68. They're not true : LIARS. To me, lies are not true. Liars are not telling the truth.

70. Go through the roof, as prices : SOAR

71. "__ you were the last one on earth!" : NOT IF

72. Shorthand pro : STENO

73. Muddy Waters genre : BLUES

75. Deduction for waste : TRET

81. Real card : RIOT. Card is a person who's amusing. New definition to me.

82. More shrewd : CLEVERER

84. Invitation letters : RSVP

85. Netmen's gp. : ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals)

86. Rec room scrape : RUG BURN. New term to me. How do you get rug burn?

88. Summer Olympics sport : SKEET

89. Pen pals' exchange? : OINKING

90. Often-satin tuxedo features : LAPELS

91. And others, to Pliny : ET ALII. Masculine plural. ET ALIA = Mixture. ET ALIAE = Femine plural.

93. __ pain: be numb : FEEL NO

94. Gorge : CANYON

95. Was costumed to look like : CAME AS

96. Literary family name : BRONTE

97. Arboreal rainforest denizens : SLOTHS

99. Oklahoma city : TULSA

102. Signal to pause : COMMA. Sigh, I drew a blank. Dummy!

104. Look : SEEM

106. "Iliad" setting : TROY

107. Cozy rooms : DENS

110. Thalassotherapy site : SPA. Thalassotherapy is sea water therapy.

111. Regret : RUE

112. Woolly mama : EWE

Answer grid.

C.C.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011 Donna S. Levin

Theme: 1963 Pete Seeger hit - Clip(1:55)

17A. FedEx, for one : SHIPPING SERVICE. It's always fun opening a FedEx box, like a mini-Christmas.

33A. What many a game of Battleship is played on : GRAPH PAPER. What graph paper looks like, in case you are unfamiliar with it.

45A. Stamp seller : POST OFFICE. If it fits, it ships®

65A. Manhattan's Minskoff, e.g. : BROADWAY THEATER. Now Showing, "The Lion King". Ironically, I don't believe the Minskoff has box seats.

71A. Spars in the ring, and features of the four longest puzzle answers : BOXES. Sparring is shorter than a bout so I think that qualifies them as little boxes.

Argyle here. Today we have Donna's delight after Jeff's jewel yesterday. It would have been nice if 17- and 45-Across weren't the same type of boxes but that's a nit. Two grid spanners on a Tuesday makes up for one little nit.

Across:

1. Give in to gravity : SAG. No comment.

4. Louvre Pyramid architect : I. M. PEI. Has anyone been there, in person?

9. Descendant : SCION. Comes from twig, sort of like a chip off the old block.

14. "Born in the __" : USA. Springsteen song.

15. Cleaning crew : MAIDS

16. Fencer's deflection : PARRY

20. Skating great Sonja : HENIE. Olympic Champion from way back.

21. King Abdullah subject : SAUDI

22. Took a load off : SAT

23. Tailor's measurement : INSEAM

25. Pauses that refresh : RESTS

27. Simple bed : COT

29. 1983 Woody Allen title role : "ZELIG". It sounds like an interesting story but it is still Woody Allen, if you know what I mean. I would like to hear from actual viewers though.

40. Trevi Fountain city : ROME. Three Coins in the Fountain(3:09), Connie Francis version.

41. Chaplin's last wife : OONA

42. Planet after Saturno : URANO. Spanish/Italian, Portuguese, too? And 70D. River, to Ricardo : RIO

43. Caspian Sea country : IRAN

44. Proverbial sinking ship deserters : RATS

47. Rainbow maker : PRISM. Image.

49. Schuss, e.g. : SKI

50. "... your cake and __" : EAT IT

54. Fla. coastal city : ST. PETE. Map

59. Response to a doctor : "AAH" / 38D. Drs. eliciting 59-Acrosses : ENTs. (ear, nose, and throat)

62. Prohibited acts : NO-NO's

64. Resignee of 1974 : NIXON. The release of the Pentagon Papers will bring his name in the news again. Which brings up 4D. Accuse of misconduct : IMPEACH

68. Frighten : ALARM

69. Jazzy Armstrong : LOUIS

72. Quick garage jobs : LUBES and 57D. Front-end alignment : TOE IN.

73. Abby's twin : ANN. The Dears.

Down:

1. Fish in a roll, perhaps : SUSHI

2. Wan : ASHEN

3. "Capital" profits : GAINS

5. __ tai : MAI

6. Frat jewelry items : PINS

7. Mystery award : EDGAR. The Edgar Allan Poe Awards (popularly called the Edgars), named after Edgar Allan Poe, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America.

8. Contentious subject : ISSUE

9. Cologne squirt : SPRITZ. From Yiddish, not surprisingly.

10. Cleveland cager, briefly : CAV

11. Bearded flower : IRIS

12. Black-and-white sea giant : ORCA. Welcome back, old friend.

13. "My eye!" in Minsk : "NYET!"

18. Lemon meringue, e.g. : PIE

19. Both Begleys : EDs. Sr. died when Jr. was 20 but I couldn't find a picture of them together.

24. Attend to a spill : MOP UP

26. Calligrapher's flourish : SERIF

28. Tropical tuber : TARO. A lot of alliteration there.

30. Actress Petty : LORI. Don't tell me you missed Tank Girl?

31. Apple computer : i-MAC

32. Biological inheritance : GENE

33. Trail grub : GORP. From "good old raisins and peanuts".

34. Emulate MGM's lion : ROAR

35. Against : ANTI

36. Out of date : PASSÉ

37. __ de deux : PAS. French for "Step of Two" and is what partnering is called in ballet.

39. Pieces that castle : ROOKS. Chess move.

46. Exercise program goal : FITNESS

48. "Melts in your mouth" candy : M AND M's

51. Pull : TOW

52. Totally : IN ALL

53. "What's it __?" : TO YOU

55. Former NBC anchor Lindstrom : PIA Image. Deceptive clue, she was a news anchorwoman for WNBC-TV Channel 4 News, a local station in NYC.

56. Spare : EXTRA

58. 2000s symbol of corporate financial misconduct : ENRON

59. Simple rhyme scheme : A B A B

60. Woody's son : ARLO

61. Fraud : HOAX

63. Bang, as one's toe : STUB

66. Exist : ARE

67. Move it : HIE. Bye.

Answer grid.

Argyle

Wednesday June 1, 2011 Donna S. Levin

Theme: Center of Attention.  Four theme answers plus the unifier start with synonyms for the human midriff.

17A. Abdominoplasty, familiarly : TUMMY TUCK. Two terms for the surgical removal of unwanted fat and droopy skin from the center of the body.

23A. Pepto-Bismol target : STOMACH ACHE. Hospital-tested, pink Pepto-Bismol provides fast, temporary relief from various internal disorders of the central region. Temporary side effects may include turning your tongue black.  Lovely.

36A. Bourgeois : MIDDLE CLASS. Bourgeois is derived from the Middle French word for townsman, and is therefore similar in historical intent to the German BURGHER. Connotations of these words varied a bit across history. I'm guessing they originated during the late medieval period, as the merchant class developed in the towns of Europe, midway in social status between peasants of various sorts and the landed gentry.

49A. Lint receptacle? : BELLY BUTTON.   If you sussed the theme, this was an easy fill (so to speak.)  Proper lint removal technique is demonstrated here.

59A. Easy A (or where to learn about this puzzle's theme?) : GUT COURSE.   I've never seen this phrase outside of a crossword, and I never had the occasion to take one, either.  I guess that's why my average was only a B.  Of course, in a literal GUT COURSE the midriff would be the center of attention.

Hi gang, JazzBumpa here, with a cute and fun offering from Donna.  Nothing middling about it.  Let's get right into the center of things.

Across:

1. Turkish title : AGHA. This can be the title of either a civilian or military officer.

5. Dept. of Labor agency : OSHA.  The Occupational Safety and Health Administration.   Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, Employers are responsible for providing a safe and healthful workplace for their employees, including ordinary safety-toed footwear, ordinary prescription safety eyewear, logging boots, and ordinary clothing and weather-related gear.

9. Isn't serious : JESTS.  OSHA never JESTS.

14. Aloof : COOL.

15. Lovey-dovey exchange : COOS.  From the billing and cooing of love birds.

16. Ready for use : ON TAP.  I could use a beer.

19. Salad dressing restriction : NO OIL.  Fat free, lo-cal.

20. One at the top of the board : LEADER.  From golf, where tournament standings are listed on the leader board.

21. Evil intent : MALICE

22. Hearing aid? : EAR.  The outer ear funnels sound into the inner ear, which I guess is better than a simple hole in the head.

26. General __ Chicken : TSO'S.   I've seen this many times in crosswords, but never on a menu.  If I ever do, I will order it.

28. Poet who wrote of the wasp, "I distrust his waspitality" : NASH.  Ogden, who also wrote the famous couplet, re: billing and cooing:  Candy is dandy/But liquor is quicker.

29. Envy, e.g. : SIN.  Not just any old sin, but one of the deadly ones.  Can you name them all?  No peeking.  (But I'll help.  Lust is number 1!)

30. Self-help guru Deepak : CHOPRA.  Author of The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success.

33. Sandra's "Speed" co-star : KEANU.   Sandra Bullock and KEANU Reeves. 

39. Anklebone : TALUS.  Since we're boning up on anatomy, here is a view.

40. More than interest : ENGAGE.  I was interested before I got engaged, so I guess this makes sense.

43. Chef's phrase : A LA.  This means cooked or prepared in a specified style.  Jeannie?

46. Parts of the hip : ILIA.  You have a pair, hence the awkward Latin plural of ILIUM.  Here they are in context.

48. From square one : ANEW.  One more time, from the top.

54. Jeanne d'Arc, e.g.: Abbr. : STE.  The French abbr. for a female saint.  While in her teens, she led the French army to several important victories in the 100 Years War.  She was captured by the Burgundians, who sold her to the English.  Now, you might think the Burgundians were French, and you'd probably be right.  But allegiances were rather slippery in those days, and money talked.  The English tried her in an ecclesiastical court, and burned her at the stake at age 19 in 1431.  Twenty-five years later, pope Callixtus III reexamined the trial, found her innocent, and declared her a martyr.  Four hundred ninety-one years later she was cannonized.  She had the patience of a STE.

55. Nimbi : HALOES.  Not In My Back Ilium!  A nimbus is a cloudy radiance surrounding the moon, or the head of a STE.  I'm guessing Jeanne got hers right away.

56. Enjoys surreptitiously, as a smoke : SNEAKS.  Did you ever sneak a smoke?

58. La Scala production : OPERA. La Scala is the opera theater in Milan.

62. Loses one's temper : RAGES.  This is occasionally observed on the road.

63. Fifth color of el espectro : AZUL.  Blue, in Spanish, like el Cielo.

64. Stopped working : DIED.  When my hard drive died on my new lap top a couple of months ago, the Geek Squad guy called the appearance on the monitor display, "The Azul screen of death!" 

65. Surgical tube : STENT

66. Salad, at times : SIDE.  As in SIDE dish.  As an aside, I had a salad for dinner, not a side, at Panera.

67. __-bitty : ITTY.  This means teeny-tiny.

Down:

1. Tread the boards : ACT.  Slang term for being a thespian.

2. European stew : GOULASH.  From the Hungarian Gulyás, meaning herdsman, who would chow down on this thick, meaty stew. 

3. Where school attendance is usually taken : HOME ROOM

4. __ mater : ALMA.  That school you went to, way back when.

5. Hawaii's "main islands," e.g. : OCTET.   Evidently there are eight.  I did not know that.

6. Become disenchanted with : SOUR ON. 

7. Ad __ : HOC.  Meaning, "For this" in Latin, referring to something set up for a specific purpose, not general use.

8. Inquire : ASK

9. Syndicated columnist Goldberg : JONAH.  No comment.

10. First name on an historic WWII bomber : ENOLA.   Pilot Paul Tibbets named this B-29 bomber after his mother, ENOLA Gay Tibbets.  It dropped the bomb on Hiroshima.

11. Zeno's followers : STOICS.  This is derived from frequent crossword fill, STOA.  The  Stoics believed that destructive emotions resulted from errors in judgment.  I believe they had it exactly backwards.

12. Meditative martial art : TAI CHI.  You can get started here.

13. Bad temper : SPLEEN

18. NFL rushing units : YDS.  Yards.

21. 1960s Borgnine sitcom role : McHALE.  The show was McHale's Navy.  Here's a sample.

22. List-ending letters : ETC.  And so on, and so forth.

24. Succeeds : MAKES IT.

25. "Just __!": "Be right there!" : A SEC. 

27. Polish partner : SPIT.  SPIT and polish refers to appearance and good order.  The expression originated in the military, evidently from using a little saliva to put a shine on something.

31. Dietary guideline letters : RDA.  Recommended Daily Allowance

32. Talks off the cuff : AD LIBS.  A good way to get into trouble, these days.

34. Tandoori bread : NAN.  Tandoori is a spicy chicken dish from India.  NAN (or NAAN) is a flat bread to go with it.  I've had it.  Yum!

35. Org. that stages an annual June open : USGA.  U. S. Golf Association.

37. Doozy : LULU.  Something special, odd, or out of the ordinary, not always in a good way.  Here's an example.

38. Classical language of India : SANSKRIT.  It stands in the same relationship to modern Indian languages that classical Latin or Greek do for European languages.

41. Prepares : GETS SET

42. Maa, in "Babe" : EWE.  Babe is a pig who wants to be a sheep dog.  Maa is one of the sheep. 

43. Detests : ABHORS

44. Show enthusiasm for, as an opportunity : LEAP AT

45. Purport : ALLEGE

47. Available for siring : AT STUD.  Refers to a critter that could be gotten for some begettin'.

50. Actress Sophia : LOREN.  Famous actress, here illustrating the theme.

51. You often get a rise out of it : YEAST.   If you're a loafer, I suppose. 

52. Frère of a mère or père : ONCLE.  Bro of mom or pop.  All in the French family

53. Classical beginning : NEO.  NEOclassicism is a revival of classical norms, forms, and methods in art  or a intellectual discipline.

57. Autobahn auto : AUDI.  A German car on a German road.

59. 57-Down filler : GAS.  Fill for the fuel tank.  Should be petrol.

60. Israeli weapon : UZI.  A sub-machine gun brand since 1950.

61. Big name in ice cream : EDY.  This company goes back to 1928, when it was founded by William Dreyer and Joseph EDY.  Use in moderation.  Too much of this can lead to excess themage, a STOMACH ACHE or even a TUMMY TUCK.

Answer grid.

Cheers!

JzB

Tuesday, April 5, 2011 Donna S. Levin

Theme: Down by the Sea - The end word of the theme entries relates to water movement.

20A. Chocolate-ribboned ice cream flavor : FUDGE RIPPLE

27A. One setting a new high : RECORD BREAKER. Waves as they break (fall over themselves and crash onto the shore) are known as breakers.

49A. Salon treatment : PERMANENT WAVE

56A. "Nifty, huh?" : "ISN'T IT SWELL?". A wave, especially when long and unbroken; What causes boats to rise and fall out on the ocean.

Argyle here. Too bad Donna couldn't get the entries in order, from slight movement to tsunami.

Across:

1. Shoppers' aids : BAGS

5. Chantilly product : LACE. Let the Big Bopper get your blood going. Clip.(2:27)

9. Religious subgroups : SECTS

14. Kareem's alma mater, briefly : UCLA. Basketball Hall of Famer Abdul-Jabbar played three seasons for the UCLA Bruins from 1966–69. He was known as Lew Alcindor at the time.

15. Airline with famously tight security : EL AL

16. Hackneyed : TRITE

17. Custardy Spanish dessert : FLAN, Image.

18. O'Hara homestead : TARA. Theme from the original soundtrack Clip.(3:51)

19. Nattered away : RAN ON

23. Two-outs-in-a-single-AB stats : DPs. Baseball's double-play.

24. Mai __ : TAI. Cocktail.

25. Asian cat breed : SIAMESE

32. Windsor Castle initials : HRH. His Royal Highness or Her Royal Highness.

33. Fabled fiddler : NERO

34. "All By __": Celine Dion hit : MYSELF. Clip.(3:59)

37. Spread in a dairy case : OLEO

39. Spots on a screen? : ADS. TV screen.

41. Inter or et follower : ALIA

42. Setting where a medium isn't rare : SEANCE

45. Nepal's continent : ASIA

48. Pioneered : LED

52. Aptly named boss at the quarry where Fred Flintstone works : MR. SLATE

54. Livy's "I love" : AMO. Titus Livius (59 BC – AD 17), known as Livy in English, was a Roman historian.

55. Mouse spotter's shriek : "EEK!"

62. Stockpile : AMASS

64. __'acte : ENTR. French for "between the acts", intermission.

65. Thought : IDEA

66. Capone henchman : NITTI. Francesco Raffaele Nittoni, AKA Frank Nitto, AKA Frank 'The Enforcer' Nitti" (January 27, 1881 – March 19, 1943) was a Prohibition gangster in Al Capone's gang.

67. Vaulted cathedral part : APSE

68. Sask. neighbor : N. DAK.

69. Isaac with a bow : STERN. Ukrainian-born violin virtuoso.

70. Inner Hebrides isle : SKYE. Home to Talisker single malt Scotch.

71. "... the slithy toves / Did __ and gimble ...": "Jabberwocky" : GYRE

Down:

Friday, March 11, 2011, Donna S Levin

Theme: Pun for the Money, Too for the Show. The title of an early TV game show has one word changed to a sound-a-like, resulting in an evocative and witty new show. For those who are much younger than I am, this may be a difficult puzzle, but I have never blogged a puzzle more in my wheelhouse, as these are still somehow fresh in my mind from 50+ years ago. I do love me some puns.

17A. Game show about bribery at a checkpoint?: SALE OF THE SENTRY. Really funny clue. SENTRY sounds like CENTURY. SALE OF THE CENTURY was a late 60s early 70s general knowledge game show, which began with Jack Kelly, the actor who portrayed Bart Maverick, to James Garner’s Bret Maverick, as the host. He was replaced by Joe Garagiola, a second string catcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, who was a teammate of Enos Slaughter (see below).

27A. Game show about an Algerian governor's search for his spouse?: QUEEN FOR A DEY. DAY sounds like DEY. This was the most difficult because I was unfamiliar with the term Dey (Arabic: داي, from Turkish Dayı, to mean the ruling governor under the Ottoman Empire. However, because the game show was apparent and only the switching of the A for an E would sound the same, it was not too hard. QUEEN FOR A DAY was one of the earliest reality TV shows, which began on radio in the 40s, and went to TV, hosted by Jack Bailey in the 50s, a sob story with no quiz show question asked, but the audience selected the winner based on my old favorite, the applause-o-meter. This was a most distressing show, where the more horrible a woman’s life was, the greater her chance to win. Jack Bailey went on to host TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES where he stayed until he was replaced by a young BOB BARKER.

48A. Game show in which "Stuttering pig" might be a clue?: NAME THAT TOON. I wonder if Donna picked the reference to Porky Pig, when she saw the two Ts together in the answer? TUNE sounds like TOON. NAME THAT TUNE was another radio show which was brought to television in the 50s, featuring two contestants trying to name a song after the fewest notes. It was revived in 70s with a young singer then named KATHIE LEE JOHNSON, who later married football great FRANK GIFFORD, and co-hosted Live with Regis and Kathie Lee along with current media darling, Regis Philbin.

63A. Game show in which couples confess indiscretions?: TWO TELL THE TRUTH. A fun show and perhaps a new reality TV show starring our wild and crazy celebrity couples. TO sounds like TWO. This is the oddball one, as in each of the first three, it is the last word which morphs into a sound-a-like. TO TELL THE TRUTH has been a tremendously successful and resilient show airing in 6 consecutive decades beginning in the 50s, when it was hosted by the incomparable BUD COLLYER who had achieved fame both as the voice of Superman on the radio, and as the host of BEAT THE CLOCK . After hearing my mother sing, he offered her a job, but she was in nursing school, and my chance to grow up in show business was lost.

Hi, Lemonade here, with my first Donna Levin, an honor and a joy. Forgive me, but once again the puzzle has so many references to my life, I had so much fun. On to the rest of the story.

Across:

1. Equipped with 6-Across: ARMED. Okay, she started out with one of those now popular, unfair pairs, where you cannot begin to get answers until you solve the perps. The downs were okay though, so you also got 6A. See 1-Across: GATS, which is a colloquial name for guns.

10. May or Ann: CAPE. Tricky, Cape May is off New Jersey and Cape Ann is north of Boston, unlike its more famous Cape Cod, which is south.

14. Permission: LEAVE. By you leave, sire. An old fashioned word, 'Leave' has been used with the meaning of permission since at least the 9th century, and was very popular in my friend Will Shakespeare's work (more on him later).

15. Natural shade: ECRU. This common puzzle word comes from the French meaning raw, or unbleached.

16. Turow memoir: ONE L. This abbreviation for the first year of law school is a fairly new phrase which did not exist in my day.

20. Warning: OMEN.

21. Understanding words: I SEE. Mira, mira.

22. Elite octet: IVIES. We had reference to the eight IVY League schools just recently.

23. Paragon of redness: BEET. Beets are really not all that red, and in New England we said Red as a Lobster, which are not that red until you boil them.

25. Maneuver: FINESSE. Are you a direct, or finesse player?

31. Muse who inspires poets: ERATO. This is a crossword must know, as are all the muses.

32. 1,000-yr. realm: HRE. Ah, we already had an indirect reference to the Ottoman Empire, and now we have the Holy Roman Empire, which began after Charlemagne and lasted until the 1800s. The OTTOMAN ran from about 1300 to the 1920s.

33. One-time neighbor of French Indochina: SIAM. Now known as Vietnam and Thailand.

37. Arabic is one of its two official langs.: ISR. An abbreviation for Israel, whose population is 20% Arab.

38. Surfer's guide: SITE MAP. Internet surfers, fooled you?

42. "Exodus" hero: ARI. Another Israel reference, this to the engrossing historical novel by Leon Uris.

43. Suffix with grammar: IANS. Ah, we have some GRAMMARIANS among us.

45. Nonsense: ROT. That is a bunch of Rot!

46. Links coup: EAGLE. Two less than par in golf. A hole in one on a par three is also an eagle. I have never made one.

52. Biblical betrayer: DELILAH. The Torah temptress who sold out poor Sampson by cutting his hair, and the inspiration for this SONG .

55. __ dixit: IPSE. See, more for me; a law term meaning something said but unproven.

56. Up in the air: ALOFT.

57. They may be wild: OATS. Yes, and you must sow them while you are young, or so I have read.

59. Stage group: CREW. I tried to make this more complicated than it was, thinking about a team of horses.

66. Relax: EASE. A verb variant.

67. Slobbering canine: ODIE. Again, my first thought when I glanced through the clues was CUJO.

68. Mobile one of song: DONNA. A beautiful deception, as the Italian pronunciation is masked, and the constructor gets her name in the puzzle. This SONG is from Verdi's Opera Rigoletto and the lyrics are:"Woman is flighty Like a feather in the wind." I heard this music often as child.

69. Batik artist: DYER. All you wanted to know about this CLOTH.

70. Tech support caller: USER.

71. Worry about: SWEAT. Don't Sweat the Small Stuff, and its all Small Stuff. RELAX, we made it through to the Downs.

Down:

1. As well: ALSO.

2. Chew (out): REAM
 

3. Gander, e.g.: MALE. Not the verb; what's good for the goose? She needs a Gander.

4. It's as likely as not: EVEN BET. Nicely clued.

5. "In __ Speramus": Brown U. motto: DEO. Latin, meaning "In G-d We Hope." In English the word 'aspiration' and others come from this root.

6. Bothers: GETS TO. Those un-clued related clues like 1A and 6A are getting to me.

7. Dull discomfort: ACHE. They give me an ache behind my eyes.

8. Timber producer: TREE FARM. Hmm, too simple for me.

9. Pension start?: SUS. Suspension. A nice classic prefix clue; did you suss it out?

10. Transmits: CONVEYS. Carries etc.

11. They're not pros: ANTIS. Probably the first misdirection clue I remember from watching my parents do the Sunday Times; they are not Amateurs.

12. Famille members: PERES. Now for my French lesson, and a question. PERE means FATHER and FAMILLE is FAMILY; but is it fair because there is only UN PERE PAR FAMILLE, so how can it be plural?

13. "Family Ties" mom: ELYSE. Michael J. Fox's TV mom, a pretty California woman as seen in this LINK who was married for 15 years to David Birney, with whom she worked in Bridget Loves Bernie and now now Meredith has announced she is in a committed relationship with another woman.

18. Feudal holding: FIEF. Another essentially legal concept, describing land which was titled to an individual who could then pass ownership to his heirs in exchange for loyalty to the ruler of the land. The word has morphed into FOEFF and then FEE, which is why land transfers are now said to be in FEE SIMPLE.

19. Strauss's "__ Nacht in Venedig": EINE. A NIGHT IN VENICE, by JOHANN STRAUSS, Jr. While his father was famous for his waltzes, Junior gained favor for his light operettas.

24. Slaughter on a diamond: ENOS. The original hustling ball player, he and Garagiola were stars of the 1946 World Series where St. Louis beat the Red Sox.

26. Notion: IDEA. I have an Notion to give you a good spanking...

27. Former Cunard fleet member, for short: QEII. I love cruising, and once owned a travel agency so I could cruise inexpensively.

28. Starry-eyed bear?: URSA. Do you like Major or Minor better?

29. Make: EARN. What did you make last year?

30. Bonnie Blue's daddy: RHETT. Another GWTW memory.

34. "I hate the Moor" speaker: IAGO. More Shakespeare, from OTHELLO .

35. Woodstock singer before Joan: ARLO. I have previously ranted on ho disappointed we all were sitting in the mud in Bethel New York, when Arlo performed and refused to play even the short version of ALICE'S RESTAURANT which now that his star has dimmed, he is happy to play. I changed my avatar to my uncollected ticket to Woodstock.

36. Manner: MIEN. Another old fashioned word.

39. "__ la Douce": IRMA. A cute MOVIE starring Shirley McLaine and Jack Lemmon (coming to my aid?).

40. Points of initial progress: TOE HOLDS. Our favorite word, describing the pint we first began to solve a puzzle. You think Donna reads blogs?

41. Some motel guests: PETS. I wanted ROACH, but...

44. Napoleon vessel?: SNIFTER. NAPOLEON BRANDY is a designation of how long the liquor has aged. Oddly, I was at dinner with a nephew and his girl friend, explaining about how brandy was first distilled from wine (grapes) but is now made from fruits also, Schnapps, is a form of fruit brandy. COGNAC is a brandy from a specific region in France (just as Champagne, is a sparkling wine from a different region).

47. Recanted in embarrassment: ATE CROW. Meaning admitting you were wrong to the public, perhaps because cooked crow is very unpalatable.

49. Der __: Adenauer epithet: ALTE. Well, after this week you could not get this one wrong.

50. "That sly come __ stare": "Witchcraft" lyric: HITHER. This LOOK was featured in the song made famous by Frank Sinatra.

51. Church area: APSE. Crossword staple.

52. Out: DATED. PASSE and DATED both have 5 letters.

53. His Super Bowl MVP performance was his last NFL game: ELWAY. One of the few to retire on a high note, which I guess is what Bret wanted.

54. Out: LOOSE. This took a while, but I guess it is like let the dogs out.

58. Play to __: A TIE. Kiss you sister, mister?

60. Cryptic character: RUNE. These are the old alphabets which used in Europe until replaced by the Latin one we use today.

61. Italian volcano: ETNA. In Sicily.

62. Comedy routine infielder ...: WHAT. Classic comedy, which like a crossword is based on MISDIRECTION . 64D. ... and Bud's partner in the routine: LOU.

65. QB's scores: TDS. Cheerleaders, just would not fit.

Answer grid.

Well, there you have it, a very fun, and seemingly quick solve, filled with memories and humor. Donna at her best. Until next time, remember to eat your vegetables, and there is always room for J E L L O.

Lemonade