Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2014 Allen E. Parrish

Theme: RHYMES WITH BOOZE:  Four chosen theme entries in pinwheel array all rhyme with CHOOSE, and all are spelt differently.  Not much more to say about it.  Let's round them up.

20 A. Classic country song with the lyric "I've lived my life in vain" : BORN TO LOSE.  Here's a more urban version of the saddest song ever.

58 A. Writer/director known for his coming-of-age films : JOHN HUGHES.  The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink, etc.   I guess he liked Molly Ringwald.  Here he is [center] with Molly and Matthew Broderick.

Source

39A. Manners expressed in letters : P'S AND Q'S.  I don't think this is quite right, and it took me a long time and lots of perps to suss.  Per the Urban Dictionary, the expression comes from the days of printing presses, when type was set one letter at a time.  Since the the press letters were reverse images, it was easy to confuse the mirror image lower case letters p and q.  So, mind your p's and q's means pay attention to details. Also, this just sounds better than saying, "Mind your b's and d's.

11 D. Deduction on many paychecks : UNION DUES.   Contrast 1 D.

34 D. 24/7 information provider : CABLE NEWS.   Whether this is news or infotainment is open to interpretation.

Hi gang, JazzBumpa here, your tour guide for today.  Straightforward theme.  The cleverness is in finding alternative ways of representing the sound of OOZE.  And then fitting them into the grid, of course.  Rather an unusual grid, too, with two theme entries in the vertical.

Across

1. Part of 10/29/14 : SLASH.  The slanted line separating the numbers in the clue.  Starting with a self-referential clue.  How nice.

6. With the bow, to a violist : ARCO   As distinguished from pizzicato, or plucked.

10. "The Godfather" novelist : PUZO.  Mario. 

14. Its strings are tuned in perfect fifths : CELLO.  A perfect fifth is an interval such as A to E. Cello strings are tuned to C, G, D, and A.  The vibrational frequencies are in the ratio of 3:2.  Other perfect fifths: Pinch, Johnnie Walker, Talisker, Lagavulin.

15. Gulp (down) : WOLF.  Here, unlike in Winterfell, WOLF is a verb.

16. Alternative to Windows : UNIX.  Computer operating systems.

17. Geometric products : AREAS.  Regions enclosed by shapes.

18. Patron saint of Norway : OLAF.   Ólafr Haraldsson, (995 – 29 July 1030.)   Not the most saintly saint ever.

19. Evening, informally : NITE. 

22. Pass the welcome mat : GO IN.  Enter and sign in, please.

23. Gambler's method : SYSTEM.  An attempt to outsmart the random arrangement of the cards, and overcome the statistical advantage enjoyed by the house.  Good luck with that.

24. Image handlers, for short : PR MEN.  Public Relations, aka spin.

26. "Clueless" actress Donovan : ELISA.  Not as clueless as I am on this clue.  But I see she played Amber in both the movie and TV series.

 Source

29. Ice cream treat : SUNDAE.  A scoop or two, covered with flavored syrup and/other other optional toppings, limited only by your imagination.  Suitable for any day of the week.

 Yum

32. L x XLVIII : MMCD.  Roman Numeral math.  How nice.  50 x 48 = 2400. 

35. Support for a weak joint : TAPE.

 Source

37. Deforestation remnant : STUMP.  Bottom part of a tree trunk.

38. __-Locka, Florida : OPA.   Per Wikipedia, Opa-locka is a city located in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the population was 15,219. The city was developed by Glenn Curtiss and was based on a One Thousand and One Nights theme. Opa-locka has the largest collection of Moorish Revival architecture in the Western hemisphere. Its streets have names like Sabur Lane, Sultan Avenue, Ali Baba Avenue, Perviz Avenue and Sesame Street. Opa-locka has an area of 4.2 square miles (11 km2) and is located in the northwestern area of Miami-Dade County, Florida.

 City Hall

41. Queen Victoria's realm, e.g.: Abbr. : EMPire

42. Kibbutz teacher : RABBI. 

44. Steady fellow : BEAU.  As in courtship.

45. U.K. mil. awards : DSOs.  Distinguished Service Order, generally presented to officers ranking Major and above..

46. Buzzard's grippers : TALONS.  Bird claws

48. Big name in appliances : AMANA. 

50. Les __-Unis : ETATS.  United States in French.  How nice.

52. California wine region : SONOMA.

56. Newsletter choice : FONT.  A selected type face and size.

61. Genesis son : ABEL.  Brother and murder victim of Cain. 

62. Golden rule word : UNTO.  More Bible

63. Showy flowers, for short : GLADs.  Gladiolus.

 Source

64. "Deadliest Catch" narrator Mike : ROWE.   This is another TV show I've never seen, or even knew about.

65. Not quite dry : DAMP.  Not quite wet, either.

66. Eagle's hideaway : AERIE.  In Old Latin, a level piece of ground, but in English, probably via medieval French, an eagle's [or other raptor's] nest high in a tree or on a cliff.  Funny how that works.  Or for American Eagle, this.

67. Place for private dining? : MESS.  Military jargon, and a clever misdirection.  Privates are low ranking, and eat in the mess hall.  Is cleaning up the mess corporal punishment?

68. First name in mysteries : ERLE Stanley Gardner, American lawyer and author, of Perry Mason fame.

69. Political essay : TRACT, aka monograph, a short treatise on a single topic, often political, or religious. 

Down

1. Picket line crossers : SCABS.  Union busting.

2. "Bad, Bad" Brown of song : LEROY.

3. A's and Jays : ALERs.  American League baseball teams, the Oakland Athletics and Toronto Blue Jays.

4. Not on the level : SLANTED.   Literal.

5. Inexpensive lodging : HOSTEL. 

6. Missing reveille, perhaps : AWOL.  Absent Without Official Leave.

7. Chewy candy brand : ROLO.

Chewy caramel in milk chocolate

8. Purse fastener : CLASP.

9. Bids : OFFERS.

10. Strong-smelling : PUNGENT.  A fellow with stinky word plays is a PUN GENT.

12. Rigatoni alternative : ZITI.  Pasta by any other name.

13. Field team : OXEN.  Former bulls.

21. Drops : OMITS.  Leaves out.

25. Rumple, with "up" : MUSS.  The other kind of mess.

27. "Born From Jets" automaker : SAAB.  Per Wikipedia: "Svenska Aeroplan AB (aktiebolag)" (Swedish for "Swedish Aeroplane Company Limited") (SAAB) was founded in 1937 in Trollhättan, with the merger of Svenska Aero AB (SAAB) and Linköping based VASJA the headquarters moved to Linköping. The style "Saab" replaced "SAAB" around 1950.

Originally manufacturing aircraft, the company sought ways in which to diversify its business. In the late 1940s the company began manufacturing cars at its Saab Automobile division was based in Trollhättan. The first car was the Saab 92; full-scale production started December 12, 1949, based on the prototype Ursaab.

Probably more than you wanted to know.

28. Sleep __ : APNEA.  Suspension of breathing.

30. Arsenal supply : AMMO.  Bullets, frex.

31. "Love & Basketball" actor Omar : EPPS.

 Source

32. Media mogul Zuckerman : MORT.  U.S. News and World Report, among many other things.

33. Film-rating org. : MPAA.  Motion Picture Association of America.

36. Mild cheese : EDAM.   I keep waiting for Stilton or Jarlsberg.

39. Colada fruit : PINA.  Actually, Piña, Spanish for pineapple.    The piña colada, made with rum, pineapple juice and coconut cream is the national drink of Puerto Rico.

40. Suppress : QUASH.  Stifle.

43. Pop holders : BOTTLES.  Here in the Midwest, carbonated soft drinks, known as sodas in other places, are called pop.

45. Pendant earring, say : DANGLER.  It hangs and swings.

47. Children's hosp. co-founded by Danny Thomas : ST JUDE.  The patron saint of hopeless cases.

49. Chewy candy : NOUGAT.  A confection of honey or sugar with roasted nuts and whipped egg whites.

51. Sub tracker : SONAR.  SOund Navigation And Ranging, a system for detecting underwater objects by  emitting a sound and tracking the echo.

53. "BUtterfield 8" novelist : O'HARA.  John.  His 1934 novel was made into a movie in 1960.  Elizabeth Taylor won her first Academy Award for her leading role as Gloria Wandrous.

54. Physician at the front : MEDIC.  Military Dr.

55. It's a good thing : ASSET.

56. Growing concern? : FARM.  Clever clue.  Concern, as in business, growing as in vegetables.

57. Double-reed woodwind : OBOE.  Here they are, along with a couple of cor anglais, playing Swan Lake.  In less capable hands, the oboe sounds more like a duck.

59. Standard Web page code : HTML. Hyper Text Markup Language.

60. "You wish" : NOPE.  Slangy denials.

There you have it.  Rather a nice romp with a musical sub-theme and some tasty treats along the way.  Hope it was satisfying.

Cool regards!
JzB

Note from C.C.:

Happy 89th Birthday to dear Dodo, a very active member of our blog a few years ago. Our Californian Coven (Chickie, JD and Garlic Gal) visit Dodo every year when Lucina alights on CA. We miss you, Dodo!

Left to right: Chickie, Lucina, Garlic Gal, JD, and Dodo, June 4, 2014

Tuesday, January 31, 2012 Allan E. Parrish

Theme: Easy Anagram - So easy, it's a snap ... or an anagram of it.

17A. Bakery cookware : MUFFIN PANS

28A. Quiet times for baby ... and mom : AFTERNOON NAPS

44A. Ability to focus : ATTENTION SPAN

58A. Crisp cookie : GINGER SNAP

El Gray here. Allan has been MIA the past year but is back with a nice Tuesday offering. I did have some difficulty but I think that was just me. Discovering the last word in the themes is an anagram didn't happen until the whole thing was done. No problem.

Across:

1. Woo : COURT

6. Goldfish or koi : CARP

10. Peak : ACME. and 10D. Very top : APEX

14. Sleep malady : APNEA

15. 1847 Melville work : OMOO

16. Sound repeated before "fizz fizz," in ads : PLOP

19. Coin on the Continent : EURO

20. Non-revenue-generating TV ad : PSA. Public Service Announcement (PSA)

21. Quite befuddled : LOST

22. Southwestern cuisine : TEX MEX

24. Water pitcher part : SPOUT

26. Bro's sib : SIS

27. Work at : PLY. As in PLY one's trade.

32. Orchestra section : REEDS

33. Period of watchful attention : VIGIL

34. Mimic with wings : MYNA. "And I can dance, too!"

35. Steals the bank blueprints for, e.g. : ABETS

37. Haunted house outbursts : EEKS

41. Not even once : NEVER

43. Chair maker Charles : EAMES. Charles Eames was greatly influenced by the Finnish architect Eliel Saarinen (whose son Eero, also an architect, would become a partner and friend). Charles married "Ray" Kaiser and together they continued their work in architecture and modern furniture design.

47. Photo taker : CAMera

49. Gallery work : ART

50. Sacred song : MOTET. The name comes either from the Latin movere, ("to move") or a Latinized version of Old French mot, "word" or "verbal utterance." The Medieval Latin for "motet" is motectum, and the Italian mottetto was also used. If the word is from Latin, the name describes the movement of the different voices against one another. (Per Wikipedia)

Or

motet - "choral composition on a sacred text," late 14c., from O.Fr. motet (13c.), dim. of mot "word," from L. mutum "grunt, murmur." (per Online Etymology Dictionary)

51. Sister of Magda and Eva : ZSA ZSA. The Gabor sisters. Photo: Zsa Zsa Gabor, left, with her sisters Magda, center, and Eva, on Dec. 20, 1955.

53. Medium, e.g. : SIZE

54. Singer Sumac : YMA. We haven't "heard" from her lately.

57. Complexion concern : ACNE

61. Fishing gear : RODS

62. Cole Porter's "Well, Did You __?" : EVAH. Clip(3:33)

63. To-be, in politics : ELECT. Usually stuck on the end of the position, as in Senator-elect.

64. ER "Immediately!" : "STAT!"

65. USAF NCO : SSGT. Staff Sergeant E-5.

66. Lavishes affection (on) : DOTES

Down:

1. Temporary shelter : CAMP

2. Numbered musical piece : OPUS. Are his days numbered?

3. Remove, as a seatbelt : UNFASTEN

4. Gridiron official : REF

5. Some sewers : TAILORS. They may be alterers, too.

6. Admits guilt for, as a lesser charge : COPS TO

7. Latin I verb : AMAT. The big three: amo, amas, amat.

8. Jaworski of "Monday Night Football" : RON. "The Polish Rifle" was raised in the steel town of Lackawanna, New York.(near Buffalo) He quarterbacked for Los Angeles Rams, Philadelphia Eagles, Miami Dolphins, and Kansas City Chiefs.

9. Bulletin board items : POSTINGS

11. Small groups, as of bushes : CLUMPS

12. Edible mushroom : MOREL

13. Strong adhesive : EPOXY

18. Bill or gates, e.g. : NOUN

23. Morales of "La Bamba" : ESAI. We may be seeing more of him. According to IMDb, he has roles in production, one in pre-production, and one in post-production.

25. Nit-picking type : PEDANT. Hmmm? Who do we know ....

26. Irritated state : SNIT. Those hairsplitters are alright unless they get in a SNIT.

28. Kind of wrestling done while sitting : ARM

29. Seven-time Emmy winner Tina : FEY. She is great!

30. Not concealed : OVERT

31. Bring contentment to : PLEASE

35. Sports section decimals : AVERAGEs. Interesting clue.

36. Hunched (over) : BENT

38. Uncontested, as a late-game hockey goal : EMPTY NET. Perhaps Splynter can tell us when this tactic makes sense.

39. Mauna __ : KEA. is a volcano on the island of Hawaii and neighbor of Mauna Loa volcano.

40. Job application ID : SSN

42. JFK guesstimates : ETAs

43. Walked into : ENTERED

44. Actress Bearse or Plummer : AMANDA. Bearse was Marcy on "Married with Children". Plummer was "Honey Bunny" in  Pulp Fiction.

45. "Consider me a maybe" : "I MIGHT"

46. Flow slowly : OOZE

47. Industry leaders : CZARS

48. Dandy's neckwear : ASCOT

52. Pep : ZEST

53. Unexpected complication : SNAG

55. Mugging defense : MACE

56. Bldg. units : APTs

59. ER hookups : IVs

60. __-pitch softball : SLO

Answer grid.

Argyle

Notes from C.C.:

1) Happy Birthday to Bill G, who always brightens my day with his fun links and cheerful comments.

2) Happy Birthday also to Barry G's little boy Joshua, who turns 7 years old today. Hope you're getting better and enjoyed your Pizza Party last weekend.

Thursday November 4, 2010 Allan E. Parrish

Theme: "You have to find the key" to unlock this puzzle. The reveal entry was no help: 50D. Clue for 20-, 32-, 39- and 48-Across: LOCK.

20A. See 50-Down: CERTAIN WINNER. "It's a lock." A Dutch book is a set of odds and bets which guarantees a profit to the bookmaker no matter what happens in the contest.

32A. See 50-Down: HAIR CLUSTER. A tress, curl or ringlet. A common superstition is to keep a lock of hair from a baby's first haircut, for luck.

39A. See 50-Down: CANAL DEVICE. Lock, in the sense of a barrier or an enclosure on a waterway.

48A. See 50-Down: WRESTLING HOLD. Headlock, hammerlock, etc.

Al here.

This was tough, and a catch-22 at that. You needed the clue to get the theme, but you needed to solve the theme answers to figure out the clue. I think I spent close to 40 minutes on this one picking away a few letters at a time, some guesses, then looking away and seeing how to make words out of the few perps I could manage. The last letter to fall was the C at the cross of Cozened and Canal device. Imagine how that across word looked with the beginning letter missing... The three and four letter answers were outnumbered today: only 33, compared to 39 answers of five letters or longer.

ACROSS:

1. Home of Brigham Young University: PROVO. Utah.

6. __ Mahal: TAJ.

9. Fat substitute brand in some potato chips: OLEAN. A brand name for olestra, a fat substitute, infamous for its unpleasant side-effects, such as reduced digestive absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, and steatorrhea (I leave looking up this word to you). Although, to be fair, it can also bind with dioxins, the same as normal fat, and so might be useful someday to treat victims of dioxin poisoning.

14. Not loaded: SOBER. Misdirected to think of firearms and ammunition, so EMPTY came to mind.

15. Ambient music pioneer: ENO. Such works as "Music for Airports". It might make you sleepy and miss your flight...

16. Swindler with a scheme named for him: PONZI. A fraudulent scheme of paying investors a little from what is collected from continuous new investors. Bernie Madoff ran the largest one in history.

17. Hemlock, for one: EVERGREEN. A related species, even though they do belong to the family of evergreens, tamarack (larch) needles turn yellow and fall off just like deciduous trees, so they are not always green year-round.

19. Grain disease: ERGOT. Mainly affecting the rye family of grains, alkaloids are produced that if eaten can cause convulsions and even gangrene.

22. Covet: ENVY.

23. Battery, bond or baseball club designation: AAA. An AAA bond rating means the company issuing it is extremely credit-worthy, i.e. prime. BBB or lower are considered "junk" bonds. They go down to D or "in default". AAA minor league players can be invited up to play in the majors.

24. Belgrade's land: SERBIA. A portion of what was formerly Yugoslavia.

27. Libel and slander disputes are part of it: CIVIL LAW. A legal system inspired by Roman law, the primary feature of which is that laws are written into a collection, codified, and not (as in common law) determined by judges.

34. Brit. record co.: EMI. Electric & Music Industries, Ltd.

35. Spanish pronoun: ESTA.

36. Restful resort: SPA. Name taken from a mineral springs resort in Belgium. Waloon for spring, fountain.

37. Prayer opener: O GOD.

38. Old-fashioned get-together: BEE. As in the sense of social insects working busily together in a common cause.

43. "Beanz meanz Heinz," e.g.: AD SLOGAN. From Gaelic sluagh-ghairm, a battle cry used by Scottish Highland or Irish clans," from sluagh "army, host, slew" + gairm "a cry".

45. Truck capacity: ONE TON. Guessed at the TON ending, but had to wait for at least one perp for the rest.

46. AIDS-fighting drug: AZT. Azidothymidine.

47. __ dire: juror examination: VOIR. From O.Fr. voir “true” + dire “to say.”

54. Foreign: ALIEN. Xenophobia is the irrational fear of foreigners.

56. "The Dick Van Dyke Show" regular: ROSE MARIE. Her role was a comedy writer, Sally Rogers along with Buddy Sorrell, played by Morie Amsterdam.

57. __ Nast: CONDE. Worldwide publisher of such magazines as Vogue, Allure, Golf Digest, Wired, many others.

58. Winter hazard: ICE. Can't argue with that. Although, I wouldn't want to be out in this hailstorm in Georgia, and that's nothing to do with winter. If you click it, watch for at least 25 seconds.

59. Family nickname: AUNTY. Hubby? Wifey? Sissy?

60. Tolerated: STOOD. "That's all I can stands, I can't stands no more." ala Popeye the sailor.

61. Gives the go-ahead: OKS. A long explanation and debunking of other explanations: oll korrect, a deliberate misspelling.

62. Tart fruit: SLOES. They do look like little plums.

DOWN:

1. Minute segment of a min.: PSEC. Picosecond. That is one trillionth, or 0.000 000 000 001 seconds. A picosecond is to one second as one second is to 31,700 years.

2. Wander: ROVE.

3. Upper, in Ulm: OBER. German city, word for over, as in above.

4. Spinal column component: VERTEBRA.

5. Like some farming: ORGANIC.

6. Minute: TEENY.

7. Fresh way to start: ANEW.

8. "Help Me" vocalist Mitchell: JONI.

9. Alfresco: OPEN AIR. Confusingly, al fresco also means "painted on plaster that is still wet".

10. Maker of EverPure shampoo: LOREAL.

11. Former Caltech sr., perhaps: ENGR. Senior in college, Engineer abbrevs.

12. __ dye: chemical coloring: AZO. JZB just explained this the other day.

13. Little thing to pick: NIT. I always wonder why this has a bad connotation. Seems like a useful service. I wouldn't to leave them on me.

18. Competitor: RIVAL. Latin rivalis originally, "one who uses the same stream" (or "one on the opposite side of the stream"), from rivus "brook" The notion is of the competitiveness of neighbors.

21. Basilica section: NAVE. The main portion of a church, connected with naval from Latin navis "ship" based on some vague resemblance.

24. Ancient queendom: SHEBA.

25. Let up: EASED.

26. Customary ceremonies: RITES.

27. It covers the Hill: C-SPAN. Live TV coverage of the House of Representatives. C-Span2 covers the Senate. If Brian Eno's ambient music was being played on either station, you'd never wake up...

28. Da Vinci's lang.: ITAL.ian

29. On the up and up: LEGIT.

30. It started as Standard Oil of Indiana: AMOCO. American Oil Co, now merged with British Petroleum.

31. Expand: WIDEN.

33. John McCain's alma mater: Abbr.: USNA. United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD.

37. Revamp: OVERHAUL. Originally nautical, "pull rigging apart for examination," which was done by slackening the rope by pulling in the opposite direction to that in which it is pulled in hoisting.

39. Hoodwinked: COZENED. Uncertain origin, but perhaps from French cousiner "cheat on pretext of being a cousin;" or from Middle English cosyn "fraud, trickery"

40. "The X-Files" extras: Abbr.: AGTS. FBI agents and extra terrestrials. What's not to love? The truth is out there.

41. Ridd's love, in a Blackmore romance: DOONE. Lorna.

42. They're hard to figure out: ENIGMAS. Riddles. Same length, too.

44. Rio Grande city: LAREDO. Texas.

47. Workshop gadgets: VISES.

48. Skid row figure: WINO.

49. Charlie's Angels, e.g.: TRIO. Tricky, since there were six of them, just not all at the same time.

51. "Deal __ Deal": OR NO. Howie Mandel's game show. Wishful thinking. For the money, of course; what did you think I meant?

52. Lo-cal: LITE.

53. Bygone Tunisian rulers: DEYS. "Title of a military commander in Muslim north Africa," from Turk. dai "maternal uncle," a friendly title used of older men, especially by the Janissaries of Algiers of their commanding officers.

54. Summer coolers, briefly: ACS. Air conditioners.

55. Used car site: LOT.

Answer Grid.

Al

Monday August 2, 2010 Allan E. Parrish

Theme: OL' MAN RIVER (57. "Show Boat" classic, and where to find the ends of 17-, 26- and 44-Across) - The ends of first three theme entries are parts of a river.

17A. Soft mattress topper : FEATHER BED

26A. Edison's electrical preference : DIRECT CURRENT

44A. Government-owned financial institutions : NATIONAL BANKS

I am not familiar with the song. The Ol' Man River does refer to the mighty Mississippi, correct?

Actually, a 5-letter RIVER will work as a unifier too. But OL' MAN RIVER provides a more sparkling choice, in addition to its 10-letter symmetry to FEATHER BED.

Quite a scrabbly 74 worder. Only letter J is missing. Total 18 entries are of medium 6/7-letter length. A nice mix. Also a few clue echos.

C.C. here. Argyle's sister is visiting. He'll be back next Monday.

Across:

1. Money in Mumbai : RUPEE. Alliteration.

6. Lose effectiveness, as painkillers, with "off" : WEAR. And WEAKENS (10D. Loses strength).

10. Wild or Old region : WEST

14. Pole vault, e.g. : EVENT

15. Palindromic pop group : ABBA. And 'N SYNC (33. "No Strings Attached" pop group). Pop group echo.

16. Big fair : EXPO

19. Eagerly excited : AGOG

20. Monterey County seat that's the birthplace of John Steinbeck : SALINAS. I forgot. We had this clue before.

21. '50s-'60s USSR leader Khrushchev : NIKITA. Cold War is so far away.

23. Grafton's "__ for Corpse" : C IS

24. Set aside for later : STORE. TABLE also has 5 letters.

31. Bills with George on them : ONES. I'd prefer "Bills with Washington on them". Also ABE (8D. Prez on a penny).

32. Roman moon goddess : LUNA

36. NBA position : CTR (Center)

37. Grazing land : PASTURE. And LEA (58D. Grazing land).

39. Small taste : SIP

40. Composer of marches : SOUSA. He died in the month of March also.

42. Like most pets : TAME

43. Fashion's Chanel : COCO

47. Super Bowl XXI MVP Phil : SIMMS. Wikipedia says he's known for inaugurating the phrase "I'm going to Disney World!".

48. Big mouth, in slang : YAP

49. Diocese leader : BISHOP

52. Abandon : FORSAKE

56. Workplace protection org. : OSHA

60. Scold severely : FLAY

61. Croat's neighbor : SERB. I've never understood the Balkan War. Is it about religious conflict?

62. Online read : EZINE

63. Online help pages, briefly : FAQS. Frequently Asked Questions.

64. City transport : TAXI

65. Real bargains : DEALS

Down:

1. NFL arbiters : REFS

2. Eye layer containing the iris : UVEA. Latin for "grape".

3. Ring loudly : PEAL

4. Draws in : ENTICES

5. Cultural, as cuisine : ETHNIC. I miss authentic Thai food & my experiences.

6. Major conflicts : WARS

7. Flow away, as a tide : EBB

9. Philadelphia suburb : RADNOR. What is it famous for?

11. Former soldier : EX GI

12. Dick and Jane's dog : SPOT. Obtained the answer via crossers.

13. Forum garb : TOGA

18. "Born in __": Cheech Marin film : EAST LA

22. Good-night girl of song : IRENE. Have never heard of the song "Goodnight, Irene".

24. Beach bronzings : SUN TANS

25. Psychological shock : TRAUMA

26. Medicos : DOCS

27. Division word : INTO

28. Show over : RERUN

29. Standard practice : CUSTOM

30. Boxing's "Iron Mike" : TYSON. I remember the ear-biting incident.

34. Shaver's mishap : NICK

35. USN noncoms : CPOS (Chief Petty Officers)

37. Barbecue site : PATIO

38. Trust, as a friend : RELY ON

41. Walks with attitude : SASHAYS. Lucina likes to use this word.

43. Turn over at sea : CAPSIZE

45. Customs levy : IMPOST

46. Kept out : BARRED

49. Big Broadway hit, in slang : BOFF. So is BOFFO.

50. Land in el mar : ISLA

51. NBAer O'Neal : SHAQ

52. Formula One racer Teo __ : FABI. His name escaped me also.

53. Nike competitor : AVIA. Latin for "fly".

54. __ Ration: pet food : KEN- L. Third time in a month?

55. "__ Tu": 1974 hit : ERES. Eres Tu = "It is You".

59. Mysterious guy : MR. X. Nice edge word.

Answer grid.

Here is a recent photo of our Cool Hand Larry (Windhover). Looks more like a philosopher than a farmer, no? Still want to share his bike, Annette?

C.C.

Monday July 5, 2010 Allan E. Parrish

Theme: Dairy Aisle - The second half of the theme entries are items found at the back of the store.

17. Meat jelly with a dairy-sounding name : HEAD CHEESE.

29. Jelly companion : PEANUT BUTTER. (Sure hope it's not that meat jelly.)

47. It's usually not needed with an electric razor : SHAVING CREAM.

62. San Francisco gay rights martyr played by Sean Penn in a 2008 film : HARVEY MILK. Assassinated on November 27, 1978, along with Mayor George Moscone, by Dan White.

Argyle here. The cheese and butter are made from the milk and cream. What the head cheese is made from...you don't want to know.

A few bumps on the road to Monday but, if you stayed up for the fireworks, there may have been some flash-bangs.

Across:

1. Have a meeting of the minds : AGREE.

6. Broadway attraction : SHOW. "The Phantom of the Opera" is now the longest-running show in Broadway history.

10. Matrix : GRID.

14. Yankee Stadium's borough : BRONX. Hence, the Bronx Bombers.

15. Came to : WOKE.

16. Top-ranked : A-ONE.

19. Old-fashioned pleated neckwear : RUFF. Image.

20. NFL tiebreakers : OTs. Football. OverTime

21. 1963 Paul Newman title role : "HUD". For Lois, Image.

22. What pests do : ANNOY.

23. Charlie Brown cry : "RATS!". What a blockhead. "Rats!"

25. Read the riot act to : LECTURED.

33. Hospital supply : BLOOD.

36. "The Man Who Fell to Earth" director Nicolas : ROEG. Also directed, "Walkabout", a 1971 British film set in Australia.

37. Outback bounder, briefly : ROO. An intended echo?

38. Dizzy feeling : VERTIGO.

41. Sensible, à la George Bush Sr. : PRUDENT. Brings back memories of SNL skits.

43. Ex-veep Quayle : DAN. There's that echo again.

44. 1040 or 1040EZ : FORM.

46. Wind-carried soil : LOESS.

51. TV hero who was really good with a Swiss army knife : MACGYVER. If you've never watched the show, MacGyver could always come up with fantastic devices from common items he might find.

52. Hops-drying oven : OAST.

56. Public embarrassment : SCENE.

58. Partner of vigor : VIM.

60. Tic-tac-toe loser : XOO.

61. Short skirt : MINI.

66. Feedbag stuff : OATS. And in cereal boxes, too. Get the MILK.

67. Top : ACME.

68. Treasure cache : TROVE.

69. "Gee" : "GOSH".

70. Patch up : MEND.

71. Biceps-flexing guys : HE-MEN. Flexing their biceps because they are feeling their OATS.

Down:

1. Really hate : ABHOR.

2. Legendary Garbo : GRETA. A classic look of this Swedish actress who successfully made the transition from silent films to the "talkies".

3. Family dinner entrée : ROAST.

4. Wrap up : END.

5. Part of NYSE: Abbr. : EXCH. New York Stock Exchange

6. Nobel's birthplace : SWEDEN. Stockholm, same as Garbo.

7. Gardener's tool : HOE.

8. Acceptances : OKs.

9. Tiny : WEE.

10. January birthstone : GARNET.

11. "Shaft" star Richard : ROUNDTREE. "But I'm talkin' 'bout Shaft".

12. Facts, briefly : INFO.

13. Resist openly : DEFY.

18. Hawaiian dance : HULA.

22. Salad bar greens : ARUGULA. Mediterranean plant, of the mustard family, having pungent leaves.

24. Blemish to remove : SPOT.

26. Junkyard dog : CUR.

27. Sporty car roof : T-TOP.

28. "Deutschland __ Alles" : ÜBER. "Germany Over All" Classical German anthem.

30. Big building : EDIFICE.

31. Many millennia : EONS.

32. Decays : ROTS.

33. Some briefs : BVDs. BVD stands for Bradley, Voorhees & Day, a New York City firm that initially manufactured bustles for women but became famous for their men's union suits.

34. Sister of Rachel : LEAH. Yeah, from one the Bible soap operas.

35. Yule danglers : ORNAMENTS.

39. Loud bell : GONG.

40. Out-of-control indulgence : ORGY.

42. Major-__: steward : DOMO.

45. Roman 1,105 : MCV.

48. Disappear : VANISH.

49. Gunned, as an engine : REVVED.

50. Cleveland's lake : ERIE.

53. Geometry postulate : AXIOM.

54. Finish, as a crossword : SOLVE.

55. Arcade coin : TOKEN.

56. City skyline blurrer : SMOG.

57. Italian's "So long" : CIAO.

59. Greek god story, e.g. : MYTH.

62. Breakfast meat : HAM.

63. Golfer's dream : ACE. A hole-in-one.

64. Pres. who resigned in '74 : RMN. Richard Milhous Nixon.

65. G.I. field ration : MRE. Meal, Ready-to-Eat.

Answer grid.

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Congratulations to Argyle for his 100th write-up for our blog. Thank you for the time and dedication, Santa. No one compares to you!

Tuesday January 12, 2010 Allan E. Parrish

Theme: Quite the Ts - Theme answers all end with homophonic Ts.

17A: Burlesque act: STRIP TEASE.

35A: University governing body: BOARD OF TRUSTEES.

59A: Baseball's Big Papi: DAVID ORTIZ.

24D: Summer coolers: ICE TEAS. (crosses 35A in the center)

Argyle here again. While the theme is mundane, it is suited to a Tuesday, unlike the somewhat esoteric Monday theme. The fit is rather scrabbly, as typical of Parrish's puzzle, only one letter Q away from a pangram.

Today's has some undertones and twists that make it fun. Besides Big Papi, there is 6D: Top pitchers: ACES., 8D: Pitcher's pinpoint control, say: ASSET., 56D: Washington team, familiarly: NATS., and 60D: Sportscaster Scully: VIN., for a taste of baseball. Pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report in a month.

Low block count resulting in a very open grid today; ergo, long fills.

Across:

1A: Rating for many HBO shows: TV-MA. (MA: mature)

5A: Capital of Morocco: RABAT. Just up the coast from Casablanca.

10A: Vise parts: JAWS.

14A: Twice the radius: Abbr.: DIAM.. Diameter, a straight line passing through the center of a circle.

15A: Funds for online buys: E-CASH.

16A: Make spelling corrections to, e.g.: EDIT.

19A: Camper driver, for short: RVer. Ever hear the story about an RVer who set his motor home on cruise control then went in the back to get a cup of coffee?

20A: Baghdad's river: TIGRIS.

21A: "Tobacco Road" novelist __ Caldwell: ERSKINE. He looks like he should be a statesman.

23A: Pioneer in pistol-grip hair dryers: CONAIR.

24A: Lang. of Lombardy: ITAL.. One-sixth of Italy's population lives in Lombardy, at the top of the boot.

26A: "... boy __ girl?": OR A.

27A: Anti-discrimination agcy.: EEOC. (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission)

29A: Forensic evidence threads: FIBERS.

31A: Surrealist Joan: MIRO. No Comment.

33A: Allegiance: FEALTY. Akin to fidelity; Synonyms: loyalty, devotion.

41A: Tummy-tightening garment: CORSET.

42A: Sailor's patron saint: ELMO.

43A: Pour into a carafe: DECANT.

46A: __ prof.: ASST.. Don't call them TAs; they get very mad.

49A: Newbie reporter: CUB.

50A: Rose of Guns N' Roses: AXL.

51A: Resistance units: OHMS.

53A: Bathroom hangers: TOWELS. Cute clue.

55A: "You cannot be serious!" tennis great: McENROE. Clip

57A: Dolts: MORONS. And JERK (10D: Dolt).

58A: Pre-migraine headache phenomenon: AURA. Have any of us experienced this?

62A: Certain NCO: SSGT.

63A: Hoop-shaped gasket: O-RING.

64A: Picard's counselor: TROI. I saw this and said, "Oh, boy! I get to link a picture of my favorite Betazoid." Counselor Deanna Troi

65A: South Florida vacation destination: KEYS. I s'pose they didn't get that last blast of cold.

66A: Simultaneous equation variables: X AND Y.

67A: __ Kong: HONG.

Down:

1D: 100-plus-yd. kickoff returns, e.g.: TDs. (unless there is a flag on the play.)

2D: Director De Sica: VITTORIO. A leading figure in the neorealist movement.(means nothing to me) He won many awards.

3D: Tomato-based sauce: MARINARA.

4D: Pedro's girlfriend: AMIGA. Then he would be her AMIGO?

5D: Call it a night: RETIRE.

9D: Cold relief brand: THERAFLU.

11D: Recommend: ADVISE.

12D: Hot dog: WIENER.

13D: Spreads, as seed: STREWS.

18D: __-dieu: kneeler: PRIE. So you don't have to kneel on the floor to pray. A very plain one

22D: Narrow apertures: SLITS.

23D: Search high and low: COMB.

28D: Slays, mob-style: OFFS

30D: Computer memory unit: BYTE. Followed by 32D: Marine predator: ORCA., whose bite you wouldn't want.

34D: Martial __: ARTS.

36D: Blood drive participant: DONOR.

37D: Greek __ Church: ORTHODOX.

38D: City east of San Diego: EL CENTRO. Naval Air Facility El Centro historically kicks off the Blue Angels' season with their first air show, traditionally held in March. It is on the Mexican border.

39D: Liquid-in-liquid suspension: EMULSION.

43D: Table linen material: DAMASK. 'Damaske' "cloth from Damascus," the Syrian city, famous in medieval times for steel and silk.

44D: Forgive: EXCUSE. And 45D: Pastors and priests: CLERGY. (another neat pairing)

47D: Unduly formal: STODGY.

48D: Corrida competitor: TORO. Can't have a bull fight without a bull.

52D: Stiller's partner: MEARA. Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara's son is Ben Stiller.

57D: It can be changed or made up: MIND.

61D: Turn sharply: ZIG. Like a politician's mind, than zag again.

Answer grid.

A warm welcome to all newcomers!

Argyle

Wednesday November 11, 2009 Allan E. Parrish

Theme: Hit List - The first word of each # 1 hit song title is a synonym of "permanent".

20A. 2002 #1 hit for rapper Ja Rule: ALWAYS ON TIME. I've never heard of the the song or the rapper. Ja Rule's real name is Jeffrey Atkins.

36A. 1989 #1 hit for Paula Abdul: FOREVER YOUR GIRL. Know Paula Abdul from her previous gig with "American Idol". The song faintly rings a bell.

56A. 1989 #1 hit for the Bangles: ETERNAL FLAME. Someone just linked the Bangles on the blog the other day. The song is a total unknown to me.

Were all the above hits familiar to you?

This theme reminds me of David W. Cromer's "Always Faithful" puzzle, but with a tighter structure. Only three 12-letter theme answers, which allow for plenty of sparkling long entries (I counted 22 non-theme fill with 6 letters or more). And only 32 blocks. We often see 38 on weekdays.

Great to see Allan E. Parrish's byline again. Like Barry Silk, he likes to use scrabbly letters, though not much in this puzzle.

Across:

1. Taylor of "The Nanny": RENEE. She played Fran Fine's mother.

10. Patsies: SAPS

14. Are: EXIST. ARE is often clued as "Exist".

15. ''Star Wars'' royalty: LEIA. Princess Leia, played by Carrie Fisher. I am surprised that her mother, Debbie Reynolds, is still alive. Tough luck in men.

17. Senate minority leader McConnell: MITCH. From Kentucky. His wife is Bush 43's Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao. Contemporary political names are normally my gimmes.

18. Enchilada wraps: TORTILLAS. And REESE'S (51D. Popular candy pieces). Hmm, food is always welcome in our blog. By the way, care to share with Jeannie and all of us your thanksgiving stuffing recipe? A bit of Minnesota wild rice can flavor up the taste immensely.

22. Lake Wobegon creator: KEILLOR (Garrison). Ah, Minnesota reference. Welcome to Lake Wobegon, where all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average...

23. Without any help: UNAIDED

27. "¿Cómo ____ usted?": ESTA

28. "__Cop": 1987 film: ROBO. Always wanted "Mall Cop".

30. Sugar coating: GLAZE

31. Thrice, in Rx's: TER. Again, no TID (ter in die), Latin for "three times a day".

33. Bone: Pref.: OSTE. As in osteoarthritis.

35. Rural area: LEA

41. Milne marsupial: ROO. Kanga's kid in "Winnie-the-Pooh".

42. Airline to Ben-Gurion: EL AL. Ben Gurion International is EL AL's home base. Named after Israel's first Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion.

43. 1950s-'60s "Man on the Street" comic Louis: NYE. Learned his name from doing Xword.

44. Radio station alert sign: ON AIR

46. Academia VIP: DEAN. The clue seems to be asking for an abbreviated answer, doesn't it, Jerome?

48. Apt. balcony: TERR (Terrace). I am inured to the "territory" clue.

52. He shared a Nobel Peace Prize with de Klerk: MANDELA. In 1993. For their work in ending the apartheid in South Africa.

54. Will beneficiary: LEGATEE. With TEE in place, I mindlessly wrote down TRUSTEE.

58. Ploy: STRATAGEM. Awesome entry.

61. Country singer McCann and others: LILAS. No idea. Here is her "I Wanna Fall in Love". Do you like her bangs?

62. Mil. no-show: AWOL

63. Heavyweight bout?: SUMO. Heavyweight indeed.

64. Blazing: AFIRE

66. Grandson of Eve: ENOS. Son of Seth.

67. Hardwood trees: TEAKS. The wood is used in shipbuilding.

Down:

2. Forces out of the country: EXILES. Stupid Saddam should have accepted exile offer. War would have been avoided.

3. Jerk: NITWIT

4. Intensify: ESCALATE. Another great entry.

5. __ alcohol: ETHYL

6. Corrida charger: EL TORO. Spanish for "the bull".

7. Quite a long time: AEON

8. Master performer: VIRTUOSO. Italian for "skilled".

10. Cirque du __: SOLEIL. Literally "sun" in French. Has anyone seen a Cirque du Soleil show in person?

13. '60s activist gp.: SDS (Students for a Democratic Society)

19. Mental pictures: IMAGERY

21. Chestnut horse: SORREL. And ROAN (38D. Colorful horse).

24. Mustachioed Spanish surrealist: DALI. Most famous for his melting clock ("The Persistence of Memory")

25. Former Israeli president Weizman: EZER. Wanted EBAN. Confused him with Abba Eban.

29. Peter of "Everybody Loves Raymond": BOYLE

32. City NNE of Seattle: EVERETT. Obtained the answer from crosses. What's Everett famous for?

34. Prison escape route, perhaps: TUNNEL. Love "The Shawshank Redemption".

36. Gift tag word: FROM. Christmas is coming.

37. Chaplin's last wife: OONA. The "Alley Oop" character OOOLA.

39. Speed trap device: RADAR GUN

40. "Mind your own business!": GET A LIFE. Oh, I had the wrong understanding that "Get a life" means "Don't be so obsessed with something".

45. Role models, say: IDEALS

47. Los __: Manhattan Project site: ALAMOS. In New Mexico.

49. And others: Latin: ET ALIA. Neutral plural of et al; et alii is masculine plural, et aliae is feminine plural.

50. Comment: REMARK. Here is a detailed explanation on this "How to Post a Comment" on our blog. Come and join us for the daily crossword (or non-crossword topics as the day goes on) discussion.

53. Purchase alternative: LEASE

55. F-sharp equivalent: G-FLAT

57. Verne captain: NEMO. Literally "no one" in Latin. From Verne's "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea".

59. Pan Am rival: TWA. Once owned by Howard Hughes.

Answer grid.

Happy Veterans Day, Dennis, Argyle and all those who have served in the military.

C.C.