Sunday February 15, 2015 Amy Johnson

Theme:  "Hail to the Chief" - Each theme answer is clued as if it's related to a US president.

24A. Presidential thoroughfare? : MADISON AVENUE.  Wiki says that Madison Square is named after President Madison. I presume it's the same for the Avenue.

39A. Presidential records? : LINCOLN LOGS. Named after President Lincoln.

54A. Presidential teams? : BUSH LEAGUE. Unrelated to President Bush. So works perfectly as a theme answer.

71A. Presidential horse? : FORD BRONCO. Ditto this one.

83A. Presidential quintet? : JACKSON FIVE. Ditto this one.

102A. Presidential resistance? : GRANT IMMUNITY. This one is the best with the original "Grant" as a verb.

3D. Presidential tweet? : WASHINGTON POST

50D. Presidential stand-ups? : GARFIELD COMICS

This type of theme works the best when the key words in the original phrases have nothing to do with the presidents. But it's impossible to come up with a set for Sundays.

I like the clue angle, and the grid only has 140 words (same as Marti's last week). You can be assured that I'll rack it up to 144.

Across:

 

1. Chauffeur's ride : TOWN CAR. Lincoln!

8. Glass-tinting element : COBALT

14. Pin sites : ALLEYS. Bowling pins.

20. Otter's prey : ABALONE. I don't think I had abalones before. You?

21. Key of Beethoven's "Für Elise" : A MINOR. Had ?MINOR. Then waited.

22. Fly under the radar : LIE LOW

23. Splits evenly : BISECTS

26. __Kosh B'gosh : OSH

27. Bigger fish to fry? : KEEPERS. Nice clue.

29. Ask : POSE. As a question.

30. Chem class suffix : IDE

31. Mayberry kid : OPIE

33. Bard's "bleak" : DREAR

34. Dieting setback : GAIN

36. Surname preceder, perhaps: Abbr. : INIT. Oh, middle initial.

37. It may be a hit : SONG

38. Brewery container : VAT

42. Spurs to action : GOOSES

45. Rookie rockers' recordings : DEMOS

46. Major __: Sherwood Forest attraction : OAK. Hey, I know it.

47. Beach house features : STILTS. I did not know those supporting posts are called stilts also.

48. Subdued : MUTED

49. Dome of the Rock floor plan shape : OCTAGON. Wiki said Dome of the Rock is "Jerusalem's most recognizable landmark".  Hahtoola & Yellowrocks must have visited the place.

53. Horatian works : EPODES

56. Botanist Gray : ASA

57. "Writing on the wall" word : MENE. Full message here:

58. What some buds detect : TASTE. Taste buds.

59. Fed. collection agency : IRS. Boomer had to get D-Otto's advice for some deduction issue.

60. Hugging duo : ARMS

61. Sandra Denton, in a hip-hop trio : PEPA. I always thought Salt-N-Pepa is a duo. No idea about their real names. So which one is Pepa?

62. Hunting wear : VESTS

63. Irish nationalist Robert : EMMET. Unknown to me.

65. Usually fuzzy tabloid pics : UFOs

66. Seacrest's show, to fans : IDOL. Ryan Seacrest.

67. Bend's state: Abbr. : ORE. Hope the ousted governor is not from Bend.

68. Mild oaths : DRATS

69. 1492 Bahamas lander : NINA

70. Children's author Asquith : ROS

74. College address ending : DOT EDU

76. Poncherello portrayer on "CHiPs" : ESTRADA (Erik)

78. Itty-bitty : EENSY

79. Trail-making mollusks : SNAILS

80. "... further __ ..." : ADO

81. Word with free or secret : AGENT

82. Addressed the nation, say : ORATED

87. SADD concern : DWI

88. Like raw silk : ECRU. I haven't had mulberries for years.

91. 1997 film apiarist : ULEE. Ulee's Gold.

92. Camembert's department : ORNE. Got via crosses. I know it starts with O though.

93. Obsessed (on) : DWELT

95. Springfield's only tavern : MOE'S

96. H.S. equivalency test : GED

97. Poet Teasdale : SARA

99. "Cloud Shepherd" sculptor : JEAN ARP. Full name for a change.

101. Spartan Stadium sch. : MSU

106. Less likely to be named homecoming king : NERDIER

108. "Because you're worth it" company : L'OREAL. Do you have The Body Shop in your area? It's owned by L’Oréal. Wish we had one in MN.

109. Late news time : ELEVEN

110. A pad may protect it : KNEECAP

111. English assignments : ESSAYS

112. Like subarctic winters : SEVERE. I wonder how those pioneers survived the Minnesota winters.

113. Certifies : ATTESTS

Down:

1. They're off-limits : TABOOS. And 25. It's off-limits : NO NO

2. San Luis __, Calif. : OBISPO

4. Marlins' div. : NLE. National League East.

5. Prepare to fire : COCK

6. Got in the game : ANTED

7. Books : RESERVES

8. Charged : CAME AT

9. Horoscope columnist Sydney : OMARR. Learned from doing xwords.

10. eBay offers : BIDS

11. "Star Wars" saga nickname : ANI. Darth Vader's boyhood nickname.

12. Spanish article : LOS

13. Hot spot, with "the" : TROPICS

14. Troubled word : ALAS

15. Like much radio : LIVE

16. Boo Radley creator Harper : LEE. Now we have a better way to clue the dreaded partial SET A.

17. Current phenomenon : EL NINO

18. Cat's "Get it?" : YOU DIG?

19. Gummy bears and such : SWEETS

28. Snow __ : PEAS

32. Perfect self, in psychoanalysis : EGO IDEAL. Too sophisticated for me.

34. Dreidel letter : GIMEL. Another unknown. One of the four Hebrew letters.

35. Battery terminal : ANODE

36. "Past Imperfect" memoirist Chase : ILKA

39. Underworld river : LETHE

40. Exodus insect : LOCUST

41. Hoops Hall of Famer Thurmond : NATE

43. Fútbol cheer : OLE

44. OH and OK : STS (States)

45. Cleans with Old English : DUSTS. Holy smokes! Never heard of Old English.

47. Olympic pool sights : SPEEDOS

48. Requirement : MUST

49. Fiends of fantasy : OGRES

51. Notable Mormon family : OSMONDS. The Donny & Marie show in Flamingo costs $90.

52. Junkanoo parade city : NASSAU. OK, Wiki says Junkanoo is "a street parade with music, dance and costumes in many towns across The Bahamas every Boxing Day  & New Year's Day". Learning moment for me also.

53. Ottoman, e.g. : EMPIRE

54. Predicated : BASED

55. "We __ please" : AIM TO. A special "Thank you" to Gary for blogging last Sunday's puzzle and Argyle for snipping several Answer Grids and taking care of the blog while I was away.

58. __ cotta : TERRA. A must-see if you visit Xi'an.

60. Uncle Henry's wife : AUNTIE EM

62. Practice with dolls : VOODOO

63. Physicist Mach or artist Max : ERNST

64. Eponymous store founder : MACY. Macy's left our ghetto area a while ago.

68. "No man is an island" poet : DONNE

71. Rages : FADS

72. Word from a proctor : BEGIN

73. Kent portrayer on the big screen : REEVE

74. Modern evidence : DNA

75. Muffin grain : OAT

77. Toothed tool : RAKE

79. Major tea exporter : SRI LANKA. Look at this list. I'm surprised that Kenya is a major tea exporter as well.

81. Some chalets : A-FRAMES

82. John Irving's "A Prayer for __ Meany" : OWEN. Hi there Owen!

83. Manage, as multiple tasks : JUGGLE. I can only focus on one thing at a time.

84. Final Olds models : ALEROS

85. Sources of aromatic wood : CEDARS

86. "Cheers" shout : NORM

87. Wrestler Johnson, a.k.a. The Rock : DWAYNE. I often confuse him with Vin Diesel.

89. Move to a new table : RE-SEAT

90. Takes by force : USURPS

93. Hardly encourage : DETER

94. Nottingham's river : TRENT

97. Court postponement : STAY

98. Needs a doctor, maybe : AILS

99. Baloney : JIVE

100. __-à-porter: ready-to-wear : PRET. I also loved the movie. Our crossword buddy Stephen Rea is in it.

103. Teachers' org. : NEA

104. Suffix meaning "little" : ULE. As in globule.

105. Calif. neighbor : NEV

107. Fourth grade? : DEE. The fourth letter in grade. (Edited letter: ABCDF grading! Holy smokes!)

Happy Birthday to Hondo (Skip)! Are you still attending the card shows in winter time? Hope you can cruise away from the cold winter soon.

Left to Right: Marti, Dudley, Hondo & Montana

C.C.

Monday, September 1, 2014 Amy Johnson

Theme: Huff & Puff - Follow-up on three little sty upgrades.

18A. Unlucky thing to draw : SHORT STRAW

26A. Tabletop game requiring steady hands : PICK-UP STICKS

47A. Go on strike, in slang : HIT THE BRICKS

60A. Menace who destroyed houses made of the ends of 18-, 26- and 47-Across : BIG BAD WOLF

Argyle here with a rabbit, rabbit and three little pigs. A simple premise with some testing entries but not beyond doing. There are some cute plums in there too. I never heard the house made of bricks was destroyed.

Across:

1. Junk email : SPAM

5. "A Streetcar __ Desire" : NAMED

10. Talks and talks and talks : GABS. yadda, yadda, yadda.

14. Strauss of denim : LEVI

15. Double-reed instruments : OBOEs

16. Author __ Stanley Gardner : ERLE. Perry Mason creator.

17. Fateful date for Caesar : IDES of March.

20. Poverty-stricken : DIRT POOR

22. Share and share __ : ALIKE

23. Banned apple spray : ALAR

24. Solved, as a cryptogram : DECODED

30. Witch trials town : SALEM

31. Like a prof. emeritus : RET.

32. Narrate : TELL

36. Supermarket chain initials : IGA. (Independent Grocers Alliance)

37. McCain's title : SENATOR

41. Pizzeria order : PIE

42. Male offspring : SONS

44. Univ. proctors, often : TAs. (Teaching Assistant)

45. Seat of New York's Oneida County : UTICA. Hi, Spitzboov.

51. Vehement speeches : TIRADES

54. Have in mind : MEAN

55. "I'll do whatever you need" : "USE ME"

56. "Language" that gave us "amscray" : PIG LATIN. 10D. "Amscray!" : "GET LOST!"

63. Common quitting time : FIVE

64. List-shortening abbr. : ET AL.

65. "... had a farm, __" : EIEIO

66. Bullpen stats : ERAS. In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched

67. Really annoy : RILE

68. Rose essence : ATTAR

69. Hankerings : YENS

Down:

1. Got one's uniform dirty, as a base runner : SLID

2. Feet pampering, briefly : PEDIcure

3. State confidently : AVER

4. Error : MISTAKE

5. "Never gonna happen" : "NO SOAP". I haven't heard that phrase in quite a while.

6. Finds repugnant : ABHORS

7. Tie up in the harbor : MOOR

8. At any time, to Frost : E'ER

9. Summer hrs. : DST. (daylight saving time)

11. Extra Dry deodorant : ARRID

12. Eubie of jazz : BLAKE

13. Embroidered, e.g. : SEWED

19. Potato bag : SACK. A day at the races.

21. Future prunes, perhaps : PLUMS

24. Weight loss plan : DIET

25. Opposite of endo- : ECTO

26. Trident-shaped Greek letters : PSIs

27. "Othello" villain : IAGO. 49D. Wife of 27-Down : EMILIA. Common knowledge?

28. Scottish family : CLAN

29. Garbage : TRASH

33. Larger-than-life : EPIC

34. Kiss from a dog : LICK

35. Grazing grounds : LEAs

38. Suffix with major or Smurf : ETTE

39. D.C. baseball team : NATS. Short for the Washington Nationals.

40. Beyond the burbs : RURAL

43. Shuffling gait : SHAMBLE

46. "30 Rock" creator : TINA FEY

48. Brainstorm : IDEA

50. Request earnestly, as mercy : BEG FOR

51. Potato or yam : TUBER

52. "Lord, __?": Matthew : "IS IT I?"

53. Fit for a king : REGAL

56. Couplet creator : POET

57. Michelin product : TIRE

58. Tennis great Lendl : IVAN

59. Mythical monster's loch : NESS

61. Org. with narcs : DEA. (Drug Enforcement Administration)

62. Oscar Wilde's forte : WIT

I found this fitting ditty while looking for something by Eubie Blake and couldn't pass it up.

Argyle

Wednesday, August 20, 2014 Amy Johnson

Theme:  PUZZLING PROVERB PARTS.  Portions of proverbs are clued with slightly askew hints at their missing segments.  I went on a quest to determine what the differences are among the PROVERB, aphorism and adage, and found nothing definitive, or even worth a link.  They all are various pithy, often quip-like sentences that literally or figuratively capture some bit of truth, wisdom or belief.  

17. Proverbial flying companions? : BIRDS OF A FEATHER flock together.  You can judge them by the company they keep, on land or in the air.

24. Proverbial pavers? : GOOD INTENTIONS.  The road to hell is paved with them, it's said.  This can either suggest that “The best laid schemes o' Mice an' Men, Gang aft agley,” or be an admonition not to let your good intentions languish due to lack of action.   Which meaning do you take?

42. Proverbial loser? : HE WHO HESITATES is lost.  On the other hand, look before you leap.  So - who ya gonna believe?

56. Proverbial pyrite? : ALL THAT GLITTERS is not gold.  This could be interpreted as meaning that gold does not glitter.  As a child, I found that to be confusing.  In German, IIRC, it's Alles ist nicht Geld was glänzt, or all is not gold that glitters.  Not so easy to misinterpret.  Pyrite, iron sulfide, is a yellowish glittery mineral, called fool's gold.

Hi gang, JzB here.  Let's boldly plunge into this puzzle.  After all, nothing ventured, nothing gained., and fortune favors the bold.  So onward - there's no time like the present.  I've included some pictures and videos, thereby saving thousands of words.

Across

1. House of Dana fragrance : TABU.  Perfume.



5. Hiccups cure, so they say : SCARE.  BOO!

10. Wilson's predecessor : TAFT.  U. S. Presidents.  Is the plural of POTUS POTI?

14. Economist Greenspan : ALAN.  Famous quote from the emeritus Fed Chairman.  "Clearly, sustained low inflation implies less uncertainty about the future, and lower risk premiums imply higher prices of stocks and other earning assets. We can see that in the inverse relationship exhibited by price/earnings ratios and the rate of inflation in the past. But how do we know when irrational exuberance has unduly escalated asset values, which then become subject to unexpected and prolonged contractions as they have in Japan over the past decade?"
    — "The Challenge of Central Banking in a Democratic Society", 1996-12-05

15. Senate aides : PAGES.  To the best of my knowledge, they are not characterized as recto and verso.  They serve primarily as messengers, distribute copies of The Congressional Record and other relevant documents, and assist in other ways.

16. On a cruise : ASEA.  Literally, upon the sea.

20. Bare runners : STREAKERS.  Also literally.

21. Explosive trial : N-TEST.  Nuclear bomb testing.

22. GPS suggestion : RTE.  Route.  Note Abrvs.

23. __ Miguel, largest of the Azores : SAO.  This scenic archipelago is an autonomous region of Portugal, located in the north Atlantic, about 850 miles off the coast of continental Portugal.

Source

33. Fencing equipment : EPEES.  Dueling swords, not pickets.

34. Bow (out) : OPT.  To OPT is to make a choice among various possibilities.  This clue is far too specific.

36. Real bore : DRAG.  Time DRAGs when you're bored.

37. Station : DEPOT.  For trains or buses.

38. Sorority letters : PHIS.  Though  groups could OPT for other letters, such as alpha and gamma.  The letters are the initial letters of the organization's motto or slogan in the Greek language, which is often a secret.

39. Tended little ones : SAT.  Baby sitting.

40. President before and after Medvedev : PUTIN.  Hero or villain, depending on which position you OPT for

41. Move stealthily : SLINK.  Sneaky.

45. Sue Grafton's "__ for Outlaw" : O IS.   One  book of the Kinsey Millhone [English] alphabet mystery series.  I got bored with it somewhere around E.

46. Ocasek of the Cars : RIC.  You know what he wants.



47. Unskilled workers : PEONS.

50. Lose it : GO BANANAS.  Or berserk, have a fit, hit the ceiling.

58. Muse of history : CLIO.

59. Gauchos' gear : BOLAS.  South American cowboys alternative to the lariat.

 Source

60. Whistle-blowing Brockovich : ERIN.  She built a case against Pacific gas and Electric for contaminating drinking water with highly toxic hexavalent chromium.

61. Great Smokies st. : TENNessee.

62. "I'm at your disposal" : USE ME.  Could be a dangerous offer.

63. Lays down the lawn : SODS.  Green side up.  Nice word play.  A clue can be both straight-forward and clever.

Down

1. Keep __ on: observe : TABS.   To keep "tabs" (or "a tab") on someone, is short for "tablet" in the sense of "writing tablet," i.e., an account book or written record. Thus, when Santa Claus is described as "making a list and checking it twice," he is "keeping a tab" (or "tabs") on all those naughty and nice kiddies. This use of "tab" is relatively recent, first appearing in the late 19th century. The same sense of "tab" meaning "written account" is found in "tab" meaning "restaurant check."   [Edited quote from here.]

2. Came down to earth : ALIT.   Remember when returning astronauts ALIT ASEA?

Apollo 14 Splash down

3. "Last Comic Standing" judge Roseanne : BARR.  Occasionally funny.

4. Long shot : UNDERDOG. Proverbial loser.  Occasional winner.

5. Already claimed, with "for" : SPOKEN.  The meaning is clear enough, I guess, but I can't find any history on this usage.

6. Stylish eatery : CAFE.   This comes from the French word for coffee, and can indicate a small restaurant selling light meals and drinks, not necessarily upscale.

7. Biology lab gel : AGAR.  A gelatinous material obtained from red sea weed.

8. Officiates, briefly : REFS. At a sporting event.  Briefly indicates a shortened form of referee.

9. Jargony suffix : ESE.  I guess this means the suffix indicates jargon, as in legalese, rather than being jargony itself.

10. Parlor art : TATTOO.  Skin decoration.  Pick an image.

11. Stadium named for a tennis great : ASHE.  Arthur, 1943-1993, winner of three grand slam titles. 

12. Late charges, e.g. : FEES.  Also payments made for services rendered.

13. Lemony : TART.   Sour.

18. Nightie material : SATIN.  A smooth glossy fabric. Pick an image.

19. Diarist Nin : ANAIS.  She was free-spirited before it was cool, acted in movies, was a pioneer in female erotica, for which she was supremely qualified and had two simultaneous marriages in New York and California.  Must have been tiring.

23. Never mind, to an editor : STET.  Let it stand as written.

24. Meanders : GADS. To meander is to take a winding route to your destination.  To GAD about is to visit many pleasurable places, while avoiding other duties and responsibilities.  I don't see the equivalence.

25. Talk show for 25 seasons, familiarly : OPRAH.

 Source

26. Deliver an address : ORATE.

27. Spots for caps and crowns : TEETH. Not têtes.

28. "Silas Marner" foundling : EPPIE.  "The narrator describes her as 'a creature of endless claims and ever-growing desires, seeking and loving sunshine, and living sounds, and living movements'; she loves flowers and butterflies, and birds and animals. Basically, she's the exact opposite of Silas."

29. Glowing signs : NEONS.  Light bulbs in which ionized gases [not necessarily NEON] emit light via fluorescence.

30. Like four Sandy Koufax games : NO-HIT.  A baseball game in which one team finishes without reaching base via a hit.

31. Book back : SPINE.   Writing there usually identifies the title and author.  But don't judge a book by its SPINE.

 Here is an example

35. Chiding sounds : TSKS.  Disapproving tongue clicks.

37. Teams on police shows, often : DUOS.  They usually travel in pairs

38. Calms using concessions : PLACATES.  Only works for a little while.  Then they want more.

40. Scam using spam, perhaps : PHISH.  Internet slang for an attempt to fraudulently obtain confidential information or personal data.  The scammer wants to snag you like a fish.

41. Stretch in the service : STINT.  The length of time a member of the armed forces commits to serving.

43. Chinese dumpling : WONTON.  I think every nationality has their equivalent.

44. Hold 'em declaration : I RAISE.  Poker term for raising the stakes of a bet on a given hand.

47. Kyoto Protocol, e.g. : PACT.  A formal agreement among the involved parties.

48. Fashion monthly : ELLE.  Named for a French female pronoun.  Here is the French Canadian edition featuring Elle, an Australian model on the cover.

49. Lena of "Chocolat" : OLIN.   A movie she was in.

Source

50. Pontiac muscle cars : GTOS.

Classic car from 1964 to 1974

51. Eye lasciviously : OGLE.  Something a gentleman would never do.

52. "Kapow!" : BLAM.  Explosion noises.

53. Wolfe of fiction : NERO.  A armchair detective created in 1934 by American writer Rex Stout.

54. Like Arizona's climate, largely : ARID.  Hot and dry, difficult for vegetation to survive.

 From Natoinal Geographic

55. Some employee IDs : SSNS.  Social Security Numbers.

57. __ Dhabi : ABU.   The largest of the seven emerates in the United Arab Emirates, a country at the Southeast end of the Arabian peninsula, and also the name of the capital city. Plus it's almost as much fun to say as Kuala Lumpur.

OK.  That's it.  Hope you kept your nose to the grindstone.  If not, don't cry over spilt milk.  You'll live to  fight another day.

Cool regards!
JzB

Sunday August 3, 2014 Amy Johnson

Theme:  "Kiddie Lit" - A word is added to each famous novel & turns it into a kid book.

23A. Tolstoy tale of child's play? : THUMB WAR AND PEACE. Never read War and Peace. So heavy. How things have deteriorated in Iraq & the whole Middle East!

36A. Carson tale of well-behaved classroom clock watchers? : SILENT SPRING FEVER. Rachel Carson's Silent Spring. Spring fever.

54A. Dickens tale of math woes? : HARD TIMES TABLES. Dickens' Hard Times. Times tables was certainly math woe to me.

75A. Palahniuk tale of a rowdy slumber party society? : PILLOW FIGHT CLUB. I only saw the movie Fight Club. Did not know the author.

89A. Orwell tale of Beanie Baby breeding? : STUFFED ANIMAL FARM.  I learned not long ago that George Orwell coined the term "Cold War".

108A. Updike tale of an idle cereal mascot? : TRIX RABBIT AT REST. Wiki said "the novel won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1991, the second "Rabbit" novel to garner the award."  Never read it. Trix is made by General Mills here in MN.

This puzzle has only 6 theme entries, but they're all pretty long. Total 96 theme squares. Personally I feel very comfortable with 90. 

I don't think I've made a Sunday puzzle without cheater squares. This grid is cheater-free. Only 70 black squares.

 Across:

1. Beijing Zoo attraction : PANDA. Every major zoo in China has a panda or two.

6. It's often seen in sheets : GLASS. Not STAMP.

11. Spreadsheet figures : DATA. "Sheet" clue echo.

15. Foolhardy : RASH

19. TWA competitor : US AIR

20. Cowboy's rope : RIATA. Or REATA.

21. Baylor, for one: Abbr. : UNIV

22. Analogy words : IS TO

26. Robert De __ : NIRO. I once had to remove NIRO from my puzle. Rich said his name is De Niro.

27. Giga- x 1,000 : TERA

28. St. Laurent of fashion : YVES. He had a great lover in Pierre Berge.

29. Upper-bod muscle : DELT

30. Hit song of 1950 : RAG MOP. Ames Brothers

32. Get cozy : SNUGGLE

34. Like Death Valley : SERE. Haven't seen this word for a long time.

35. Stud site : EARLOBE. You've got to think of earrings when "stud" is in the clue. Not this one.

Splynter the Saturday Stud

40. Certain school team activity : DEBATE

44. Kick : BOOT

45. __ double take : DOES A

46. Botanical coating : ARIL. Wish it were clued as pomegranate seed.

47. "Fernando" band : ABBA

48. Matches at the poker table : CALLS

50. Hoover and Mossyrock : DAMS. Know former only.

58. Drink that lost the second part of its name in 1961 : PEPSI. Cola? I still call it Pepsi Cola though.

59. Mended, in a way : DARNED

60. Israel's Iron Lady : MEIR (Golda). She's in Munich.

61. War movie staples : HEROES

62. Diplomatic rep. : AMB

64. Nods, say : OKs

65. Evade : SKIRT

67. 1921 sci-fi play : R.U.R.

68. Biol. or chem. : SCI

69. Artichoke servings : HEARTS. I don't like artichoke. How about you, Marti?

71. Earth has one : MOON

72. Overdo the buffet, say : PIG OUT. Only if they have pickled herrings.

74. These, in Juarez : ESTAS

80. Half a fish : MAHI

81. Welles of "War of the Worlds" : ORSON

82. "Return of the Jedi" dancer : OOLA.  Alley Oop's girlfriend is OOOLA.

83. Apollo landers, briefly : LEMs

84. Grannies : NANAs

86. Samoan capital : APIA

87. Gets : GRASPS

95. Oregon coastal city : ASTORIA

96. Late notice? : OBIT

97. Berlin School psychological theory : GESTALT. Lovely entry. "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts".

102. Excitable cell : NEURON

103. Billionaire bank founder Andy : BEAL. Nope. No idea.

104. Latin trio member : AMAT

106. Wind in a pit : OBOE

107. Parisian's "to be" : ETRE

112. Employee IDs : SSNS

113. Actor Morales : ESAI. He was cool for a few episodes in NYPD Blue.

114. What a white flag may mean : TRUCE

115. Complete : UTTER

116. __ drive : TEST

117. "Father of the American Cartoon" : NAST. I guess he deserves the title.

118. "Symphony in Black" et al. : ERTES

119. "The Gondoliers" bride : TESSA. I can never remember this lady.

Down:

1. Forgoes the gimme : PUTTS. I'll take the gimme.

2. Like Dracula's visage : ASHEN

3. Tiny republic formerly called Pleasant Island : NAURU. Gimme.

4. Yankee legend, familiarly : DIMAG

5. Wall St. trader : ARB

6. Fish tank flooring : GRAVEL

7. Old Bologna bread : LIRE

8. Wiimote inserts : AAAs

9. Stop: Abbr. : STN

10. Most mournful : SADDEST

11. One with a second : DUELER. "Second" is the DUELER's assistant.

 12. Med sch. subject : ANAT
 

13. Poker game tell, maybe : TIC

14. Batting figures : AVERAGES 

15. Mastermind : RING LEADER. Great answer also.

16. "The Robots of Dawn" author : ASIMOV

17. Disco light : STROBE

18. "Sesame Street" store owner : HOOPER. Stumper for me.

24. Poet Elinor : WYLIE. Must be gimme for Yellowrocks and Owen.

25. Cop's quarry : PERP

31. Lab greetings : ARFs

33. Prime meridian std. : GST. Always want GMT.

34. Source of brown fur : STOAT

35. Carbon compounds : ENOLS. Every puzzle has a few undesirable entries.

37. Receded : EBBED

38. Noggins : NOBS

 39. Hardly a doer : IDLER

40. Code word : DAH. Morse Code.

41. Timeline chapter : ERA

42. Pool on a pedestal : BIRD BATH

43. "The Aviator" Oscar nominee : ALDA (Alan)

47. Skunk River city : AMES. Not a pleasant name: Skunk River.

 

48. Highway breaker? : CBER. Nice clue.

49. Came down : ALIT 

51. Last Supper attendees : APOSTLES. Last week at the flea market there was a woman who kept shouting "Jesus is $9. Jesus is $9". I discovered that she was selling Jesus figurines.

52. PC processing unit : MSEC

53. "Absolutely, amigo!" : SI SI

55. Races with sulkies : TROTS. Sulky is two-wheeled & one-horse carriage.

56. Tattoo parlor supplies : INKS. So do you have tattoos?

57. PABA part : AMINO

58. Texarkana-born '90s candidate : PEROT

61. Julia's "Notting Hill" co-star : HUGH (Grant). He had 2 kids with a Chinese girl.

62. "If I may butt in ..." : AHEM

63. Phoenix suburb : MESA

65. "Take it!" response, in a jazz club : SOLO. Easy for our Jazzbumpa.

66. City on the Rhein : KOLN

67. Latvia's most populous city : RIGA

70. Rapidly shrinking ecosystem : RAIN FOREST
 

71. Didn't __ beat : MISS A

72. Rice style : PILAF

73. Jim Morrison's alma mater : UCLA

75. The Devil's label? : PRADA. The Devil Wears Prada. The movie is better than the book.

76. Tom of "The Dukes of Hazzard" : WOPAT. Another stranger to me.

77. Straight man : FOIL. Wiki said "straight man is a stock character in a comedy performance, especially a double act, sketch comedy, or farce". Not a familiar concept to me.

78. Base decision maker : UMP

79. Undergrad degs. : BSS

81. Not a great chance : ONE IN TEN

85. Hendrix hairdo : AFRO
 

86. Comment from one rushing in : AM I LATE

87. Actress Scacchi : GRETA. Never heard of her either. Very pretty.

88. Condo divs. : RMs

89. Having the most marbles : SANEST. 94. Shooting marbles : AGATES. Marble clue echo.

90. Sub-Saharan menace : TSETSE

91. Reversals : U-TURNS 

92. "You can't get out this way" : NO EXIT

93. Building beam : I-BAR
 

98. Dessert cart goodie : TORTE

99. Drives the getaway car for : ABETS

100. Blows, perhaps : LOSES. Great clue also.
 

101. Aquarium swimmer : TETRA

103. Predisposition : BIAS

104. Be up against : ABUT

105. Mickey and Minnie : MICE

109. Pres. Mandela's land : RSA. Republic of South Africa.

110. Winter outburst? : BRR

111. "Shame on you!" : TUT

Happy Birthday to dear Melissa, who's been through some really tough time. She's always strong and never complains.

C.C.

Melissa Bee

Monday, June 23, 2014 Amy Johnson

Theme: Cocktail Drops Drinks often call for Angostura bitters; today's puzzle calls for entries that can follow BITTER.

17A. *Totally, as sober : STONE COLD. Bitter cold.

21A. *Interior decorator's asset : GOOD TASTE. Bitter taste.

38A. *Facetious treatment suggestion to a bundle of nerves : CHILL PILL. Bitter pill.

59A. *Somewhat deceptive statement : HALF TRUTH. Bitter truth.

65A. Finale to fight to, and what 17-, 21-, 38- and 59-Across each literally has : BITTER END

Argyle here. No fight to the bitter end here. It all went well. I can't say that about last week. I liked seeing the overlapping entries. All in all, a good mix that should be an easy solve. Several partial clechos.

Across:

1. Home of Iowa State : AMES

5. Glasgow native : SCOT

9. Back-to-school mo. : SEPT.

13. First name in denim : LEVI. (Strauss)

14. Part of a.k.a. : ALSO

15. Butterlike spreads : OLEOs

19. "Help" signal fired from a gun : FLARE

20. Vivacity : ELAN

23. Maury of tabloid talk : POVICH. "We will have the test results at the end of the show."

25. Gal sib : SIS

26. Sharing word : OUR

27. Mined find : ORE

28. "Damn Yankees" vamp : LOLA. What she wants, she gets.

31. Safe and sound : SECURE

33. Cato's "to be" : ESSE

35. The Big Easy acronym : NOLA. (New Orleans, Louisiana)

37. Ran easily : LOPED

41. Youngest Obama : SASHA

44. Glasgow gal : LASS

45. 1998 Sarah McLachlan song : ADIA. Peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, 1998.

49. Busy in a cubicle : AT WORK

51. Something to keep under your hat? : HEAD. [ha, ha]

53. Mischievous kid : IMP

54. '70s radical org. : SLA. (Symbionese Liberation Army)

55. SSE or NNW : DIR. (direction)

57. "Pucker up!" : "KISS ME!"

63. Florist's container : VASE

64. China's Zhou __ : ENLAI

68. Thunder-and-lightning event : STORM. Catastrophic events of late.

69. Gaga over : INTO

70. Part of NIH: Abbr. : INST. (National Institutes of Health)

71. __ bit: slightly : A WEE. Little more of Glasgow.

72. Scruff of the neck : NAPE

73. Canonized mlles. : STEs. French saints.

Down:

1. Capp and Gore : ALs. Capp penned Li'l Abner.

2. Shooting stars : METEORs

3. Develops over time : EVOLVEs

4. Egypt's __ Peninsula, which borders Israel : SINAI

5. Anatomical pouch : SAC

6. Bathtub trouble : CLOG

7. Capital NNW of Copenhagen : OSLO

8. Hubbubs : TO-DOs

9. Subtle marketing technique : SOFT SELL

10. "Enchanted" title girl in a 2004 film : ELLA. "Ella Enchanted"

11. Dense fog metaphor : PEA SOUP

12. Agony : TORTURE

16. Get hot under the collar : SEE RED

18. Something besides the letter: Abbr. : ENCL. (enclosure)

22. Bad-mouth : DIS

23. American master of the macabre : POE or EAP, to some people.

24. Hägar and Helga's daughter : HONI. (l. to r.): Snert, Hamlet, Helga, Hägar, Honi, Kvack (save for future reference.)

29. Kick back : LOLL

30. Islamic deity : ALLAH

32. Coca-__ : COLA

34. Cave feedback : ECHO

36. Vaulted church area : APSE

39. Period in the pen, to a con : HARD TIME

40. "Out of Africa" novelist Dinesen : ISAK

41. Girl Scout accessories : SASHes

42. Home of Georgia Tech : ATLANTA

43. One of the birds that "come back to Capistrano," in song : SWALLOW

46. Voice an objection : DISSENT

47. Bigger than big : IMMENSE. Don't forget you can click on the pictures to see bigger results.

48. Chest-beating beast : APE

50. White wine apéritif : KIR. Blackcurrant liqueur topped up with white wine.

52. Plunge : DIVE

56. Apply during a massage : RUB IN

58. Bollywood wraps : SARIs

60. Bus rider's payment : FARE

61. Fey of "30 Rock" : TINA

62. Internet address letters : HTTP

66. From head to __ : TOE

67. Rehab woe : DTs

Argyle

Notes from C.C.:

I'd like to share with you a few photos from the third Minnesota Crossword Tournament held at The Landmark Center in Saint Paul yesterday. Those who missed the tournament should be able to buy the puzzles online for $5.

It's fun catching up with Tom Pepper, George Barany, David Hanson, David Liben-Nowell, Dan Kantor, Jay Kaskel, Michael David and our hard-working editor Victor Barocas. I was also delighted to finally introduce myself to the talented Andrew Ries. Also lovely to meet with Peter Broder (author of THE CROSS NERD blog). He traveled from Canada for the event.

We missed you, Andrea Carla Michaels! Wish Don G and Andy Kravis were here too.

Left to Right: Jay Kaskel, Tom Pepper, David Liben-Nowell & David Hanson (David H used "Rosebud" avatar and posted on our blog long long time ago).

Left to Right: George Barany, Andrew Ries, David Liben-Nowell, C.C.,

Tom Pepper, Victor Barocas, David Hanson & Peter Broder 

Please click here for more constructor photos.

I watched Public Enemies long time ago. Don't remember the John Dillinger Minnesota tie at all. It turns out that his girlfriend Evelyn Frechette lived close by and was tried at The Landmark Center.