Friday, July 25, 2014, Jacob McDermott

Theme: AUTO-fill. ( I could not resist this after reading yesterday's interview with JW who refuses to use the auto-fill feature of the crossword computer programs, and of course today being all about cars).

Not sure why, and nothing to cry about, but I saw the theme immediately after filling in SAND CRAB. It still takes some solving to find the right car companies, but it was all good and the reveal, the tricky 'tear apart' meaning for rent masking the simple theme of taking an automaker name, split it, and use the front for the beginning of first word of a two word phrase and the rest for the end of the second word. The theme phrases went from  very good (BUILDING BLOCK and DOCKING BRIDGE) to FIRE HAT. The fill had some fun non-theme like AGATHA, BYE NOW, KING ME, LOFTED, ROCOCO, URBANE, RATLINE,  DON’T DELAY and SIDEKICKS. It looks like Mr. McDermott, (who has one prior LAT back in June 2012, but had two NYT publications in 2013, his NYT debut on my birthday) is still hedging on too much long fill, but he used minimal blocks to get this one done. Let us see where Jacob has driven us.


17A. *Beach scuttler : SAND CRAB (8). When I moved down here and visited a house near the ocean, I was shocked by the number of these guys in the yard. My favorite English Teacher in College drove an old SAAB which had no reverse. Made driving and parking a challenge.

24A. *Platform used when mooring ships : DOCKING BRIDGE (13). I will let the boaters explain this, as I DODGE my responsibility.

39A. *Headwear for a hose user : FIRE HAT (7). Not sure of this phrase (Fireman's Hat?). My girl friend weighs 100 pounds and wants this FIAT.

50A. *Lego unit : BUILDING BLOCK (13). I wonder  if this was the seed entry. My father used to always drive a BUICK.
And the reveal:
62A . Wheels on loan ... or, as the circles show, what four puzzle answers have done? : RENT A CAR. As I always say, the reveal is the key to the fun and the renting (tearing apart) of the car names is cool.


Across:


1. Went through with : DID. Good start for me.

4. Places to get stuck : RUTS.

8. Mr. Miyagi's art : KARATE.The movie was brought back to many by the constant references on How I Met Your Mother. Pat Morita of Happy Days fame was great.

14. Prefix with hazard : ECO.

15. Oft-fried vegetable : OKRA. There are only a million vegetables that people fry.

16. Army chopper : APACHE.

19. One concerned with show horses? : BETTOR. My degenerate gambler friends always bet Win/Place not Show. Very cute clue.

20. 101 course, briefly : INTROduction.

21. "Later" : CIAO. Italian, now, like AmEx, accepted world wide.

23. Filmmaker Riefenstahl : LENI. I have had this controversial filmmaker BEFORE.

27. "Later" : BYE NOW.

29. Phrase of clarification : AS IN.I had trouble sussing this one, though it looks easy.

30. Part : ROLE. Mine is to explain.

31. Selma, to Bart : AUNT. Not sure I can tell her from her sister Patty Bouvier.

34. Shindigs, ultimately? : FESTS. Wanted FETES for some reason; I blame Steve and NC.

38. Scandinavian rug : RYA. Another repeat Friday word, this one from JW in May.


41. Soc. Sec. supplement : IRA. This clue for Individual Retirement Account took me longer than it should have. It was a...

42. Kind of pain? : ROYAL.

44. Victim of Atalanta in the Calydonian Hunt : BOAR. I do not want to bore you with this MYTH, but if you want to get a glass of wine and sit and READ....

45. Sixth-day creation : ADAM. Man, this was tricky too.

46. Verdi motif : TEMA. More Italian, hmm, McDermott?

48. Places to see bowlers : ALLEYS. Not the cricket pitch this time, eh Boomer?

55. Tolstoy title name : ANNA. One way to look at this title for all you BOOK CLUB people.

56. Secure, in a way : SEAL. He should not have been as Heidi left him.

57. Impose fraudulently : FOIST. It makes me think of the three stooges  and what comes before second.

60. Disconcerting looks : STARES.

64. Demand upon reaching the other side : KING ME. Very difficult to parse, but good Friday clue/fill.

65. Fictional blue bovine : BABE. Paul Bunyan.

66. The Wildcats of the Big 12 Conf. : KSU. Never to be confused with the boys from Manhattan, the JayHawks.

67. Rains hard? : SLEETS. I wanted sheets, as in it is coming down in sheets.

68. Dutch town : STAD.

69. Ella, in the States : SHE. Some Spanish (Italian too?).

Down:

1. Fred : William :: Ricky : __ : DESI. Did you Love Lucy?

2. Positive words : I CAN. I think I can, I think I can....

3. Urgent ad words : DON'T DELAY. order now!!!!!

4. Florid 18th-century style : ROCOCO.

SOURCE

5. The Dnieper flows through it: Abbr. : UKRaine. An area in the news all too much lately.

6. Bingham of "Baywatch" : TRACI.  Lots of stuff on the internet.

7. '50s vaccine pioneer : SABIN. Polio oral vaccine.

8. Skewered fare : KABOBS. Kebab, tomato, tomahto.

9. Arboreal critter : APE. Anyone seen the Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, yet?

10. Rope ladder rung : RATLINE. Complete unknown term. More for the boaters to explain, Jeannie where are you?

11. Pretended to be : ACTED.

12. Adventurous beachwear : THONG. Look if you must.  LINK 1. LINK 2.

13. Creepy : EERIE.

18. Go on and on : DRONE. No longer what we think of with this word.

22. Mystery award : AGATHA. Dame Agatha Christie.

25. River in a 1957 Best Picture title : KWAI. Really fine MOVIE. (3:09)

26. One may lead to a feud : RIFT.

27. Cold response : BRRR. I was thinking figuratively at first.

28. Fluctuate wildly : YO-YO. Big dieting word these days.

32. Cosmopolitan : URBANE. David Niven for me....

33. "The Matrix" hero : NEO. Future urbane?

35. Robin and others : SIDEKICKS. I got this solely from the perps as there are entirely too many Robins.

36. Room service item : TRAY. "Yes, I would like to order a tray please."

37. BJ's competitor : SAM'S. These places are just too big, but great if you have a large family.

39. Bolted : FLED. Not Usain.

40. Sea once fed by the Amu Darya River : ARAL. No idea, but the letters are easy.

43. Out there : AT LARGE. I am not sure which one was meant.
Idiom: at large
1. Not in confinement or captivity; at liberty: a convict still at large.
2. As a whole; in general: the country at large.
3. Representing a nation, state, or district as a whole. Often used in combination: councilor-at-large.
4. Not assigned to a particular country. Often used in combination: ambassador-at-large.
5. At length; copiously.

45. Metal giant : ALCOA. ALuminum COmpany of America.

47. Air balls, e.g. : MISSES. Used often in basketball telecasts.

49. Hit in the air : LOFTED. A soft fly ball to left...

50. Luxuriates : BASKS. Here, it is in the sun.

51. Up to : UNTIL.

52. Silly : INANE. An apt word for much of my blogging style.

53. Clothes : GARBS.  It used to mean stylish ones; from the French garbe meaning graceful outline, which may explain why Greta Guftasson chose her stage name..


54. Pasture call : BLEAT. A word I have not heard in years. This SOUND.(0:18).

58. Ceremonial accessory : SASH. The sash is critical.

59. "Indeed" : TRUE.

61. ER staff member : EMT. Emergency Medical Technician. Nit, they work for the fire department or the ambulance services, IMO..

63. Spurs' org. : NBA. National Basketball Association.

Well another month flying by, another puzzle from a constructor named Jacob (thank you JMc);   I leave you with the image of the 2012 Miss Universe from Rhode Island, Olivia Cuplo, who reminds us even the smallest garden can grow roses. Lemonade out.

Friday July 18, 2014, Robin Stears

Theme: Does this puzzle go both ways?

In another variation of the letter substitution puzzle, Robin removes the letter "H" from some common phrases and inserts an "IT" in its place, and the resulting new phrases are skillfully clued. The clincher is the very witty reveal which reparses Switch Hit  to Switch H IT. As you all know by now, for me the reveal is critical to the enjoyment of this style of puzzle, and I love IT!  Robin has been with the LAT for many years going back to this PUZZLE She also is active on Twitter, and commenting on puzzles as well as having her own SITE promoting her puzzles and some books she has authored. This puzzle for me had the feel of a Friday with a low word count, no classic crosswordese and some fun 7 and 8 letter fill. ACETONE, ADOPTEE, ASUNDER, CELESTE, FERRARO, ROBERTS, CHATROOM, ETRUSCAN, LOIS LANE, SUGAR PEA.


17A. Imp who annoys the webmaster? : SITE DEVIL. (9) SHE DEVIL transformed. Odd to see this paired with its homonym as part of the theme.

24A. Security group at a protest? : SIT IN GUARDS. (11) SHIN GUARDS an appropriate fill for World Cup time, harkens back memories of college in the 60's.

34A. Quote from "Guerrilla Warfare"? : CITE GUEVARA. (11) CHE GUEVERA was another major player in the 60's media.

49A. Improved Gemini missile? : BETTER TITAN.(11)  BETTER THAN is a bit of a flat phrase but we are being consistent with a rocket from 60s. If you grew up when I did, or watched the movies you will remember the launches of the Gemini capsules. And the reveal,

57A. Swing both ways, and a literal hint to how four puzzle answers were created : SWITCH HIT.

Across:
        
1. 1980s Vicki Lawrence TV role : MAMA. The much younger Vicki played Carol Burnett's mother first on Carol's variety show and then on MAMA's FAMILY.(6:12).

5. Baylor University site : WACO. Where RG III and Brittney Greiner starred.

9. Cul-__ : DE SAC. We do not always want to use literal translations of French phrases incorporated into English. Not to be confused with 18D. Make potable, as seawater : DESALT.

14. Org. created in Baghdad in 1960 : OPEC. Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries.

15. Emperor after Galba : OTHO. He was one of the 4 in the year of 4 Emperors, which I learned about from my Classics studying son. No operation or salad named for this one.

16. Taken : IN USE. I doubt the movies would have done very well with this title.

19. Person of influence : MOGUL. If you ever wondered, the name comes from the Great Mogul, Mughal emperor of India after the conquest of 1520s,

20. Steel plow pioneer : DEERE. A company built on a very simple premise. HISTORY.


21. Amy Adams' "Man of Steel" role : LOIS LANE. Why do the movies and TV shows always get it wrong; Lois is a brunette and Lana Lang the red-head. Once again a ginger.

23. "Baudolino" author : ECO. Author Umberto is becoming a favorite of constructors.

27. Mondale's running mate : FERRARO. Geraldine, if you forgot.

29. Cheesecake ingredient? : GAM. Pulp fiction word for an attractive female leg, probably from the Italian Gamba. Splynter are you out there? A classic.

30. Fondle : PET. Sounds weird.

31. Tasteless : BLAND. Ah, tasteless, not tasteless.

33. "Where __ you?" : WERE. A bad question to ever here from your SO.

38. Cheers : RAHS.

40. "On the Record" host Van Susteren : GRETA. No way to link this Fox news star without it ending up in political discussion.

41. Mozart's "L'__ del Cairo" : OCA.

42. Humanities degs. : MAS. Master of Arts

45. Oliver Twist, e.g. : ADOPTEE. Not my first or second thought.

52. __ mission : ON A. A Gemini one?

53. Ancient Po Valley dweller : ETRUSCAN. With a son who majored in Roman Archaeology, the pre-Roman Italian people  is another gimme.

54. Classics, e.g. : I-PODS. I am too old to understand this. (From C.C.:  This refers to iPod Classic model.)

56. Underground network : ROOTS. This clue/fill will grow on you.

60. CD alternative : T-NOTE.

61. Fleming and McKellen : IANS. An Odd Couple? James Bond and Magneto? Or Gandalf?

62. Hawk's foe : DOVE. A very vocal comparison from the 60s when the Vietnam War raged.

63. Certain car carriers : SEMIS.

64. Span. miss : SRTA.

65. Hip follower? : STER. This is an accepted suffix (mob, trick etc.) even if you do not like this type of fill. My personal favorite is easy. LOB. Anyway, hipsters abounded in the 60s.

Down:

1. Rapper Yasiin Bey, formerly : MOS DEF. I know him only from his films, certainly not his most recent name. He was born Dante Terrell Smith. Not a 60s reference.

2. Pricing word : A PIECE.

3. Astronomer's sighting : METEOR.

4. Aspire maker : ACER. Computer.

5. Distress : WOE.

6. Beach transp. : ATV. All Terrain Vehicle.

7. It may be seen on a dog : CHILI. Funny.

8. Chinese tea : OOLONG. Did you know the HISTORY? It ties into the ...

9. Chinese dish served on small plates : DIM SUM. An odd sort of Clecho.

10. __ Gay : ENOLA. I think it is time this clue was dropped.

11. Edible pod : SUGAR PEA. These are a form of snow or snap pea, not a sweet pea.

12. In bits and pieces : ASUNDER. Divorced anyone?

13. Pizza-For-One maker : CELESTE. A CSO to my son's MIL.

22. Supermarket letters : IGA. Independent Grocers Alliance.

25. Requiem Mass hymn word : IRAE.

26. Half a patio pair : TONG.

28. MLB stats : RBIS. It should never be "RBI's" as the plural is Runs Batted In, still RBI, you can have 10 RBI.

32. Grooved on : DUG. here we go back to the 60s; I am home.

33. Trendy sandwich : WRAP. So last year.

34. Place to practice netiquette : CHAT ROOM.

35. Latin 101 word : ERAT.

36. Sacred Hindu text : VEDA.

37. Not accented, as syllables : ATONIC.

38. 1955 Fonda role : ROBERTS. Hey MISTER. (2:18) A wonderful romp with Hank Fonda, Jimmy Cagney, Bill Powell and a young Jack Lemmon (no relation).

39. Polish remover ingredient : ACETONE.It is where the smell comes from. If you smell that in someone's breath get them immediately to a hospital as it is likely caused by diabetic ketosis. Or too many orange certs.

42. Diddles (around) : MESSES. Not my first thought, nor likely Dennis'.

43. Hyperbola part : ARC. Not an exaggeration.

44. Equilibrium : STASIS.

46. One of Goldilocks' complaints : TOO HOT.

47. Vitamin K source : ENDIVE.This is the one vegetable I do not like.

48. __ egg : EASTER.

50. __-frutti : TUTTI. We have to go here: LINK. (2:05).

51. "__, truth is the first casualty": Aeschylus : IN WAR. Another topic I will avoid for non-political political reasons.

55. Third degrees? : PHDS. Philosophiae Doctor(s). Nice misdirection BA-1, MA-2, PhD-3.

58. Bank acct. entry : INTerest.

59. PC-checking org., at times : TSA. Transportation Safety Administration.

Another Friday in the record books, the  Open Tournament from Royal Liverpool is here to amuse us and of course in So.Fla. We have sun and have rain. Thanks Robin and thanks Corner.

Enjoy all. Lemonade out.

Friday, July 11, 2014, Jacob Stulberg

Theme: Welcome to Crossword CORNER! Leave your STAND over there.

A quick turnaround in Friday puzzles for Jacob, as we just had him on June 20, with his BETCHA CAN'T EAT JUST ONE puzzle..Today we have a visual where the reveal tells us to look at the corners and the circled spaces. Obviously, the theme is impossible without the circles. Each set makes a word when read around the corner; each describes a type of stand. (Stand in the corner...get it?). The visual of the puzzle almost shows the various stands in the corners, if you use your imagination. I confess the connection between the four circled answers eluded me. But with a little help from my friends... Ringo turned 74 on Monday! With so few words dedicated to the theme there was plenty of room for fun and Jacob gives us 30! seven (7) letter fill. Some of the best are ANODYNE,  A PRIORI, BROMINE,  DEDUCES,  DEMERIT, FLAT TAX,  FLICKER, GONE MAD,  GRENADE,  HIND END,  IMITATE,  INK PADS, RADIATE, ROGAINE, ROLODEX,  SEXLESS, SPLAYED, SUMATRA. Anyway, here we go...

21A. With 55-Across, be punished at school, old-style ... and a hint to this puzzle's circled letters : STAND IN.(7). 55A. See 21-Across : A CORNER.(7) This was a common punishment in grammar school when i was young. The revealed words in the circles are:

NW: MUSIC (5) Music stand.
NE: DISPLAY (7).Display stand.
SW: TAXI  (4).Taxi stand.
SE: WITNESS (7).Witness stand.

Across:

1. Often-bracketed word : SIC. Does (sic) you often get this wrong?

4. Lot's uncle : ABRAHAM. His wife got in a lot of trouble with too much sodium. Bible. 43D. Whence "salt of the earth" : MATTHEW. More bible, 5:13. Salt appears again (after Ms. Lot's transformation) as early as Leviticus 2:13.

11. Put down : DIS. The modern shortcut speak of DISRESPECT, not related to the negative prefix DYS. Surprised by the inclusion of 45D. Object : DISSENT, which does come from the same base.

14. Dotted line? : URL. Uniform Resource Locator, another modern clue/fill.

15. One of the halogens : BROMINE. Old knowledge here, (Br) along with fluorine (F), chlorine (Cl), iodine (I), and astatine (At) are elements.I did not recall At, meaning I guess I no longer know where it is At.

16. Diocletian, e.g.: Abbr. : EMPeror. Old, old KNOWLEDGE. Thanks to my Classics major son, I am aware this one was the last in the chain to severely persecute Christians.

17. 1972 host to Nixon : MAO. I remember it well.

18. Color in four-color printing : MAGENTA. One of the CYMK colors, Cyan, Yellow, Magenta and the Key color Black.. Maybe marti will be nice enough to explain color printing.

19. 1,000 thou : MIL.

20. T or F, maybe : ANSwer.

22. Itinerary abbr. : ETA. Estimated Time of Arrival.

23. Knotted : TIED. The score was....

25. Begets : SIRES. Now some biblical wording.

26. Tea holder : TRAY. Tea the service, not the bag or the drink.

27. Deserve : RATE.

28. Family nickname : NAN. I presume he is referring to the common nickname for grandmothers.

29. Bar mitzvah, for one : RITE. Ritual.

30. Pain reliever : ANODYNE.I am not sure where I learned the word, but Martha Grimes, Anodyne Necklace placed it firmly in my memory banks.

33. Charged, as an account : DEBITED.

36. OPEC member : UAE.United Arab Emirates.

37. Certain clip-on, briefly : MIC. This clue at least tells you it is an abbreviation.

38. Start to go out : FLICKER. Light bulbs and humans are good examples.

42. Lost it : GONE MAD. Sounds like a drama queen to me.

46. Unassisted : LONE.

47. Galley item : OAR. The ship not the kitchen on a ship.

49. Big __: Red Sox slugger's nickname : PAPI. Not much joy in Beantown this year for any of the defending World Series champs. Chemistry really seems to matter.

50. Aquatic birds : AUKS. WATCH. (2:18) Anyone been to Auckland? Not related.

51. Stephen King's "Doctor __" : SLEEP. His recent sequel to THE SHINING. LINK.

53. Orch. section : STRS. I guess this means strings, JzB, help me out?

54. Hot info? : TIP. From the track touts next to....

57. "___ not for you to hear what I can speak": "Macbeth" : TIS. The ironic greeting MacDuff gives Lady Macbeth as she comes upon Duncan's lifeless body.

58. Gatekeeping org.? : TSA. Transportation Security Administration.

59. Give off : RADIATE.Pregnant women are said to glow, what do you think? Talented?

60. Prepare for planting : HOE. No Don Imus jokes.

61. Lend a hand : AID.

62. Like new tires : TREADED. Really?

63. Directional suffix : ERN.

64. Frat letters : XIS.

65. Neuter : SEXLESS. Hey, let's not get personal.

66. One skilled in repartee : WIT. Well we are half way home, and perhaps the same can be said for the wit here.

Down:

1. Island on the Equator : SUMATRA. My favorite Starbuck's coffee. This is the largest purely Indonesian Island, and sixth largest island in the world. (per wiki).

2. Ahvaz native : IRANIAN. A city from ancient Persia with a new NAME.

3. Within reach of : CLOSE TO. All perps.

4. Subj. of a 1972 defense treaty : ABMS. Anti-Ballistic MissileS.

5. Regular sources of annoyance : BRATS. Well those Chicago Cub and Bear fans can get very rowdy.

6. Growth industry brand? : ROGAINE. Funny, hair growth industry.

7. Egyptian god : AMEN RA. Also spelled AMON and AMUN. More religion.

8. Rear : HIND END. What we often think of when dealing with...

9. Naysayers : ANTIS, who are often bad-spirited or down right...

10. Small-minded : MEAN. If we run things we can give them a ...

11. Black mark : DEMERIT.

12. Ape : IMITATE. I am excited about tonight's opening of this new franchise LINK.

13. Spread out : SPLAYED. Sounds cute but very serious for ANIMALS.

24. Concludes : DEDUCES. Interesting as this is part of understanding 44D. Like some knowledge : A PRIORI and deductive reasoning. Go Sherlock.

26. Arm straightener : TRICEPS. The muscle you use, and if exercised creates a nice horseshoe.

31. Long-haired grazer : YAK.

32. Formerly : NEE.

34. Genre of the band Jimmy Eat World : EMO. Do you want to LISTEN?

35. Storage container : BIN.

38. 1992 Jerry Brown campaign proposal : FLAT TAX. Many have proposed flat taxes, but to discuss would be politics.

39. French king known as "the Stammerer" : LOUIS II. Poor guy! I wonder if he saw this MOVIE.

40. Stamp suppliers : INK PADS. Nice misdirection.

41. Circular file? : ROLODEX. We think of the garbage can as the circular file, but the old Rolodex certainly were.

42. It has a safety pin : GRENADE. My favorite clue/fill, so far from my first thought of DIAPER.

48. Passé rooftop sight : AERIAL. Same thin as an ANTENNA.

51. Alarm : SCARE. I do not mean to alarm you, but we are almost done.

52. "For __ sake!" : PETE'S. According to the phrase finder, this was developed as a substitute oath much like JEEZ, FOR PETE'S SAKE - The phrase is simply a polite version of a common and profane expression involving the name of Christ. We'd surmise that the original 'Pete' was St. Peter."

55. Fine __ : ARTS. What is a coarse art? Exotic dancing? Finger painting?

Ah, the grand mysteries of life all explored here on the ultimate Las Vegas day (7-11 was famous before convenience stores). Well I hope you had the circles and had fun. Thanks Jacob and thank you all. lemonade out.

Friday July 4, 2014 Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: A Fourth of July tribute to America and to Ralph Ellison and the Invisible (American) Man

Oh, Jeffrey Wechsler, what did you do to me? When a puzzle begins with 1A as part of the theme you know you are going to have to work for your supper. Confidently putting in AMERICAN (the airline of the Admirals Club) and then ATL as 1D and MAD as 2D, I got slapped in the face with 3D which had to be RET(ired). Scuttling along like a beetle, I went to the next starred clue and knew Centurion was one of many AmEx cards, which gave me the theme; revived, I went back and fixed the beginning and had a mostly smooth solve. I loved the theme for this holiday with AMERICAN the unsaid beginning to each starred answer. The thought of the invisible American in each answer brought me to Mr. Ellison. Without any politics or religion subplot, there are so many reasons I am proud to be an American and proud to blog this fun work from JW.  A few unknowns and some  distant memories, but it all filled. Aside from the 9 short theme fill (if you see asterisks you know there are fill longer than the designated theme fill in the grid) there are some crunchy, yummy fill. INGENUE, PUMMELS, SNEERED,  TIEPOLO, UNTAMED, BIO-DOME, LET ME TRY, LUTENIST, TREE BARK all are great. Of course to get this many interesting things in the fill, you are going to need some short fill and JW goes the acronym route, I hope that does not make you acrimonious. So let's get to the fireworks.

1A. *Admirals Club carrier : AIRLINES. (8). American Airlines.

9A. *Rose variety : BEAUTY. (6). American Beauty.

29A. *Centurion card issuer : EXPRESS. (7). American Express. Worked for them for a while.

37A. *Entertainment phenomenon since 2002 : IDOL. (4). American Idol.

38A. *TV show that had a 50th anniversary celebration in 2002 : BANDSTAND. (9). American Bandstand.

41A. *Line of 18-inch dolls : GIRL. (4). American Girl.  This was 4 letters but the one I needed the most help on.

51A. *PBS cultural documentary series : MASTERS. (7). American Masters. I do appreciate PBS.

70A. *Armed forces support group : LEGION. (6). American Legion. Very important in New England where I grew up.

and the reveal

71A. Apt adjective for today that's needed to make sense of eight puzzle answers : AMERICAN. (8).

Across:

15. Cork, essentially : TREE BARK. I bet you did not know all of THIS.

16. "Right away, boss!" : I'M ON IT. An interesting vowel consonant progression, with its partner...

17. "I'd like a shot" : LET ME TRY.

18. Like some windshields : TINTED.

19. Condescends : STOOPS. These are not synonymous for me at all. How could you STOOP so low, does not equate to he CONDESCENDED to speak to the crowd. IMO.

21. __ tide : NEAP.

22. Toot : JAG. A bender.

25. River in Hades : LETHE. For Greek scholars, I guess I forgot about this ONE, not as famous as STYX. (4:28).

27. Stylish '60s Londoner : MOD. The mods and the rockers ruled my teen age years.

33. Beats badly : PUMMELS. Not to be confused with Pommel.

35. Know : BE SURE. My mind went here....

36. Kitchen spray : PAM. Did you this is  an acronym for Product of Arthur Meyerhoff?

44. Word with job or laborer : DAY.

45. Bahamian capital : NASSAU. A real gimme for us here in So.Fla.

49. Showed contempt : SNEERED.

52. Turkish honorific : AGA. Not a British cook stove.

53. Speak : ORATE. Not related to O Ration the favorite food for Orangutans.

55. Woven thing : WEB. Tangled usually...

56. Wax-wrapped import : EDAM. Cheesy. Sub theme? 50D. Parmesan alternative : ROMANO. I get them together.

58. Wiser partner? : SADDER. There are many things we all learn the hard way.

62. The NFL's "Golden Arm" : UNITAS. Loved those high tops.

64. Closed ecosystems : BIODOMES.

68. They're likely to be edited : RUN-ONS.

69. Renaissance musician : LUTENIST. New word for me. Just don't see that many Lutes outside of GOT.

Down:

1. N.L. East team : ATLanta Braves.  Are they and Cleveland next after the Washington Redskins?

2. Choler : IRE.

3. Like Gen. Powell : RETired.

4. NASA moon landers : LEMS. An unintentional SO to this blogger, and a reference to a junked name for the Lunar Excursion Module which is apparently now just LM.

5. "That's doubtful" : I BET. She asked you out?

6. Intl. alliance since 1949 : NATO. North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Acronym time. part II ( I do not count PAM as so few know this is an acronym).

7. Director Morris et al. : ERROLS. Flynn is too easy but is this one too HARD?

8. Video chat choice : SKYPE. Great tool for overseas business. Not an acronym, not a portmanteau, but close.

9. Small amount : BIT.

10. "8 Mile" star : EMINEM. Marshall Bruce Mathers, III is among the top ten in career album sales. He is an twisted acronym.

11. Top-notch : A-ONE. Do you like their steak sauce?

12. Wild : UNTAMED.

13. 18th-century Venetian painter : TIEPOLO. Just as Erroll Morris is arguably the greatest documentary director, this prolific PAINTER may be the best of his time, but is also not a household name.

14. Until now, to CPAs : YTD. Year To Date.

20. Mar. honoree : ST. PATrick.

22. Son and brother of George : JEB. Clearly Bush league cluing here. John Ellis Bush.

23. Tool for fellers? : AXE. More SSO here.

24. Tracking aid: Abbr. : GPS. Global Positioning System.

26. Wellpoint competitor : HUMANA. Health care giants.

28. Broadband letters : DSL. Digital Subscriber Line. Beginning to see red? 48D. PC port : USB. Universal Serial Bus. 62D. High-tech address : URL. Uniform Resource Locator.

30. Belarus currency : RUBLE. A lucky guess.

31. Historical period : ERA.

32. Shipping worker : SENDER.

34. Core : MIDST.

36. Korean musician with the hit "Gangnam Style" : PSY. 15 minutes over? Do you want a Link?

39. Certain parents, to their tots : DADAS.

40. __ in November : N AS.

41. Fed. procurement agency : GSA. General Services Administration.

42. Vamp opposite : INGENUE. Ah, all the poor ingenues who flocked to Hollywood.

43. Grade school focus : READING. 'Riting and 'Rithmatic.

46. Darn, say : SEW. Socks, not curses.

47. "There you __!" : ARE. Yes I am right here.

51. Pizza order : MEDIUM. Not in my house.

54. Drum with a sitar : TABLA. A total learning experience. Join and READ.

57. Yours, in Tours : A TOI.

59. Lavish attention : DOTE.

60. Linda of Broadway's "Jekyll & Hyde" : EDER.

61. Rice-A-__ : RONI. Still a San Francisco treat.

63. Federal ID : SSN. Social Security Number.

65. Karaoke need, briefly : MICrophone. Not always are you told it is an abbreviation.

66. That: Sp. : ESA.

67. Where many stand and wait: Abbr. : STN. Station. A little POETRY dear to me to end the day. MILTON.

A Happy Fourth of July to all of you, happy birthday America and many more; 238 candles! and thank you JW for another challenge which both suits the day but also shows the diversity of clues and life.  Lemonade out.

Friday, June 27, 2014, Marti Duguay-Carpenter

Theme: I am sorry, but it is necessary to perform an "N"ectomy on the patient.

Look what Blew in this week, marti blogging C.C., and then I get a Friday frolic with the mind of miss m with what was not a difficult extraction. Each of the four (4) theme answers has the letter "N" removed from a 4-letter word to create a new and side-splitting  phrase. For me, all add a letter, take away a letter puzzles depend on the humor of the new phrases and especially the wittiness of the reveal.  To transform BLOWN AWAY, a common phrase, into the evocative, BLOW 'N' AWAY, curls my puzzle solving toes. The 4 are all legitimate and fun (I like LOG DIVISION best). We have BREW for Tin and I,  some Shakespeare, OSLO for our Norwegian contingent, some pretty people and Dr. Seuss. I found it it a quick solve, with oodles of 3 and 4 letter fill to speed the process. Odd that BLOW would be central to two themes this week?

17A. Transport selling wieners? : HOT DOG BUNS, (9) The thought of a hot dog bus of course led to this image

24A. Woodsman's job? : LONG DIVISION.(11) Is there a short division? The LOG/LONG gave me the theme.

41A. Ma and pa's retirement dream? : LIVING OFF THE LAND.(15) makes me think of Todd Marinovich. I wonder if many parents have this thought? Do any of you watch America's Got Talent? Some of those young people are amazing.

51A. Tabloids? : LINE PRINTERS. (11) Are they lies? You mean Beyonce is not really having an alien's baby? and the reveal

66A. Totally amazed ... or, read another way, a hint to 17-, 24-, 41- and 51-Across : BLOW N AWAY.(9)

Across:

1. Bangers side : MASH. I made my non-British version of this favorite for my son and his wife when they came by to drop off their dog last week. With the hot dog clue reference we have a mini-theme of encased meat.

5. DOL division : OSHA. I might run out of red ink, Department of Labor begot Occupational Safety and Health Administration. I know OSHA is an acronym, but does anybody say DOL?

9. Concerns : FEARS.

14. Potpourri : OLIO. A SSO to C.C.

15. Stock answers? : MOOS. marti, so witty, that was a live one.

16. First : ON TOP. Of the standings, for example.

19. Willing : READY and able? Hmm, I am getting old.

20. Author among whose pen names was Theo LeSieg : SEUSS. Cute Friday clue, though marti nit number 1,  does anyone ever not say, "Dr. Seuss?

21. Not suitable : INAPT.

23. Stutz contemporary : REO. Early automobiles.

27. Church official : DEACON. A sub-priest I believe. I had so many links, Richard Deacon, Phil Silvers' brother, Queen bassist John Deacon, Deacon Jones, Wake Forest Demon Deacons.... so I left the linking to you.

31. Racer Fabi : TEO. Formula One and Indy driver. LINK.(1:10)

32. Countertenor's range : ALTO. Do not know music but this seemed easy. Do people say countertenor?

33. Sommer of "The Money Trap" : ELKE.

37. Outline : TRACE.

44. __ question : YES/NO. marti has used this before? yes? no?

45. Broadway opening : ACT I. Nice clue.

46. Buyer's boon : SALE.

47. Repeatedly, quaintly : OFT.

49. Eschews the café : EATS IN. Where you stay home and eschew your food.

57. Growing field?: Abbr. : AGRiculture.

58. "... bombs bursting __" : IN AIR. Name that tune!

59. Nahuatl speaker : AZTEC. Incan Aztec, eh.

64. Danger : PERIL.

68. Round perch : STOOL. Avoiding more breakfast test commentary.

69. 21,730-pg. references : OEDS. Oxford English Dictionaries.

70. Logan of CBS News : LARA. This is the South African newswoman attacked and raped on camera in Egypt. No links. Horrible reality.

71. Pulls in : EARNS.

72. Pub order : BREW. Not likely to get much use in a real pub, as pubs have choices.

73. Mike Tirico's network : ESPN. He is CONTROVERSIAL.

Down:

1. Scratch-resistance scale : MOHS. Mineral hardness scale. Named for a German mineralogist, not one of the Three Stooges.

2. Natural balm : ALOE. In Florida, after too much sun, it is the bomb.

3. In __: as originally placed : SITU. Made famous by TV and CSI type shows.

4. Coal scuttles : HODS. Not hard, except for Bostonians.

5. Texting gasp : OMG.

6. Ferber novel : SO BIG.

7. Harass : HOUND. Game of Thrones?. LINK.

8. Verdi adverb : ASSAI. This could be very hard if you do not know Italian or music.

9. Ruby anniversary : FORTIETH. My son just had his wooden anniversary.

10. Opposite of 67-Down : ENE. Cheesy cross-reference with 67D. Opposite of 10-Down : WSW.

11. Big arcade name : ATARI.

12. Sport based on vaquero skills : RODEO. Vaquero is I believe Spanish for Cowboy; I hear they are riding motorcycles instead of horses now.

13. Keep under surveillance : SPY ON. No politics.

18. Home of the Munch Museum : OSLO. Like his most famous work, the place is surreal.

22. Cpl.'s subordinate : PVT

25. Heist unit : ONE G, I guess you decide how many thousands you get.

26. Most likely to groan : SOREST. Most sore, not so rest.

27. Carson of "The Voice" : DALY.  A TV STAR.

28. Writer Wiesel : ELIE.

29. Rugged rides, for short : ATVS. All Terrain Vehicls.

30. Needing quarters, perhaps : COIN OP. Really?

34. Mauna __ : LOA. It is lower than KEA, which is higher than LOA..

35. Popeyes rival : KFC. Kentucky Fried Chicken.

36. Juvenile salamander : EFT.

38. "__, I am not coop'd here for defence!": "Henry VI, Part 3" : ALAS. Act V, SCENE I.

39. Colombian city : CALI.

40. Early cover-up site? : EDEN. Really cute fig leaf clue.

42. Basic : NO FRILLS. There is no truth to the rumor Spirit Airlines is selling toilet tissue by the square.

43. Bowl level : TIER.

48. London can : TIN. Another Shout out. Maybe Steve can bring us a tin of roe when he travels.

50. Slippery-eel link : AS AN. Is this a partial?

51. Backslide : LAPSE.

52. "__ Kick Out of You" : I GET A. How about some BLUE EYES (3:09)?

53. Flub : ERROR.

54. Big shot : NABOB. Are the nattering?

55. Floor worker : TILER. I wonder why there

56. Undermine : ERODE.

60. Jewelry entrepreneur Morris : ZALE. Did not know this MAN.The Z made it simple.

61. "__ the night ..." : TWAS. An Argyle SSO.

62. Tombstone lawman : EARP.

63. Primary printing color : CYAN.

65. It's always charged : ION.

No charging for me,  I am going to have to pay cash as I had my pocket picked at the gas station, and my wallet and credit cards gone. You think it can't happen but it did and I had no clue. I did however pull myself together to unravel these clues and hope you are all doing well. I blame Mercury.

Lemonade out.

Friday, June 20, 2014, Jacob Stulberg

Theme: One is the loneliest number. I am avoiding any politically incorrect reference to LAY'S, in deference to the breakfast rule.

The major challenge in this puzzle was sussing a theme, which appears to be four items found at the end of fill,  which do not appear by themselves when eaten (i.e, they're always in plural form). I may be all wrong as after some 200 puzzles write ups, I just am not sure. I blogged Jacob's first publication last year (a quote theme)  and see he has had a NYT as well as another here in March since then. The long fill was the theme and reveal, but there also were: AMENITY, ASIATIC, LABELED, ORATION, GO TO SEED, HABITATS which are nice. Remarkably few proper name references so this should be doable by most. Left handed reliever Jesse Orosco was probably the most obscure along with the YMCA reference to Geneva but I know baseball and the perps were easy because it had to be a place, so it was all good.  I also do not want to rock the boat, so let us head out into the sea of clues/fill.

24A Source of much government history : NATIONAL ARCHIVE. (15) It have been featured in many action movies, and you always get chives with your baked potato or cream cheese, not a chive.

32A Tax-exempt outlet : DUTY-FREE SHOP. (12) Having the Bahamas close by helps getting some great buys on imports without paying the excise tax. Well a beer related clue; I learned so much about hops in the past few years.

40A. Theme of many a ballad : ROMANTIC LOVE. (12) This is the odd one out as like the others it is the end of the fill, but it alone spans two words.

50A. Warning to a would-be rebel : DON'T ROCK THE BOAT.(15) One oat...nah. One girl....no clue.

18A. With 56-Across, memorable snack food slogan ... or a hint to what's hidden at the end of 24-, 32-, 40- and 50-Across : BETCHA CAN'T.(10) and 56A. See 18-Across : EAT JUST ONE.(10) I grew up eating Wise potato chips, so when this campaign started I gladly ate just one.

Across:

1. "Good one!" : HA HA.

5. See 55-Across : PAUL. More cross-referencing.55A. With 5-Across, musician for whom a classic Gibson guitar model is named : LES. The inventor of the electric guitar, and pioneer with his wife Mary Ford.

9. Lexicographer's concern : USAGE.They write dictionaries, not much plot but lots of big words.

14. Dutch export : EDAM. Cheesy answer.

15. Big Apple sch. : CCNY. The City College New York. Actually part of the CUNY system, so the full name is the The City College of the City University New York LINK.

16. Procreates : SIRES. The word  procreate sounds biblical to me.

17. Monk's wear : ROBE. More biblical stuff.

20. Company name tag? : INC. Cute , as most states require INC., Co.  etc at the end of the name.

22. Glass on a radio : IRA. From This American Life. We have had this a number of times, I had in in March in a John Guzzetta puzzle. I think Gershwin is being retired.

23. Symbol of industry : BEE. Busy as a...

30. Campaign staple : ORATION. Has anyone read much Cicero?

31. Surveillance device : SPYCAM. You are on camera half of your life now; get used to it.

35. Crash site initials : EMS.  Emergency Medical Service

36. Eggs that may be served with grits : ROE. This clue was fishy.

37. Roadside purchase : GAS. Which you get from the burrito you foolishly bought at the 7 11.

46. 1980s Mets relief star Jesse : OROSCO.  World Series HERO. Started I believe with the Twins.

49. Like some elephants : ASIATIC. They come in African and Asiatic? Why not ASIAN?

53. Souse's woe : DTS. Delerium Tremens. Not just a beer, but the shakes and eventually the pink elephants which are neither African or Asian.

54. A little light : RAY. A DO(E), a female deer?

61. Bound : LEAP. Tall buildings...

64. Desolate : STARK. Where they lived, Winterfell, was all of that. 19D. Desolate : HARSH. A mini-theme as well as clecho.

65. Series curtailer : ET AL.

66. They lack pelvic fins : EELS. Well, I have a pelvis but no pelvic fin

67. Short and sweet : TERSE. Sweet in a not very sweet way.

68. Deprives (of) : ROBS. Tempted to write ROBB just to be consistent.

69. June observance : D-DAY. We always should thank the soldiers and their families,


Down:

1. Start of some royal titles : HER. Does PIA count as the rest of the expression?

2. Flap : ADO. Is quiet 'adont'?

3. Rainforests, for many : HABITATS. Wonderful people building and helping others.

4. Hotel pool, say : AMENITY.

5. Banned chem. pollutant : PCB. All you wanted to know and more about these Polychlorinated Biphenyls

6. More than just pass : ACE.

7. No later than : UNTIL.

8. Wet suit material : LYCRA. Gratuitous

9. "Covert Affairs" airer : USA. The network not the country.

10. [Not my typo] : SIC. Latin for thus.

11. Like some numerals : ARABIC. Like 1, 2, 3 etc.

12. YMCA world headquarters city : GENEVA. Never knew this but it makes sense..

13. Value : ESTEEM. How do Italians remove wrinkles?

21. Do : COIF.

24. Bump on a branch : NODE. Much better than being a bump on a log.

25. Calla lily family : ARUM.

26. Logical connector : NOR.

27. End of __ : AN ERA.

28. Nav. noncom : CPO. Chief Petty Officer.

29. Right triangle part: Abbr. : HYPotenuse.

33. Quite a stretch : EON.

34. Ripped into : SET AT.

37. Deteriorate : GO TO SEED. Always wondered about this expression since seeds begin life, but then as vegetables go bad..

38. Adidas competitor : AVIA.

39. Religious faction : SECT.

40. Queue after Q : RST. A cute way for an alphabet string.

41. Text-scanning technology, briefly : OCR. Optical character recognition,

42. Secures, in a way : MOORS. How many own boats?

43. Native suffix : ISH. Moorish, Turkish, Spanish

44. Sky, to Sarkozy : CIEL.  Simple French.

45. Called : LABELED.

46. Most unusual : ODDEST.

47. Perform a pirouette, say : ROTATE.

48. GM navigation system : ONSTAR. They advertise often. LINK. (0:54) I guess we are to forget about the recalls and non-recalls.

51. Supply with a spread : CATER.

52. City near Lake Biwa : KYOTO. A new way to clue an old answer.

57. PSAT takers : JRS. In high school.

58. Luau entertainment feature : UKE. CSO to our lost battalion of Hawaii posters.

59. Pinch : NAB.

60. Some Bronx lines : ELS. We couldn't have Ernie again so soon.

62. Like : A LA. as Splynter would say, frawnch.

63. Would-be social worker's major: PSY. My undergraduate and graduate field.

Well, tomorrow starts summer and the days start getting shorter. We do get closer to the NFL season. Today is 5 year wedding anniversary for son one, so I get to babysit my grandpuppy. LPGA playing their open at Pinehurst number 2 this week, should be fun. Thanks for the puzzle Jacob and thanks for the rest Corner. L714 out.

Note from C.C.:

Happy 60th Anniversary to dear Chickie and her husband Bill! Chickie has a backyard full of fruit trees. I saw a bag of dried persimmon at Trader Joe's the other day and thought of you.