Thursday, June 28, 2012 Angela Olson Halsted and Doug Peterson

Theme: Classical Elements, mixed with people...

20A. Tree-hugging actress? : DORIS EARTH DAY. Doris Day is a real classic. So is Earth Day - save the world, plant a tree.

33A. Inner-tubing activist? : ROSA WATER PARKS. Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus, and became a legend for civil rights. Water parks are ...um, unrelated to civil rights?

40A. Poor-shooting comedy star? : LUCILLE AIR BALL. Lucille Ball was a real air-head, to be sure. An air ball misses the target completely, which is something our next entry would NEVER do!

57. Pontiac-driving basketball player? : LARRY FIRE BIRD. Larry Bird, the ex-Boston Celtics superstar, just announced his retirement as the President of the Pacers. Live long and prosper, my friend! The Fire Bird is a classic car (from the same era as Larry Bird and the Celtics).

Marti here, to take you through the other elements of this puzzle...

Across:

1. Melodramatic "Rats!" : ALAS

5. Rooms with microscopes : LABS

9. Descendant : SCION

14. "There Is Nothin' Like a ___" : DAME. From "South Pacific"

15. 1988 World Series MVP Hershiser : OREL

16. NJ-based supermarket chain : A AND P. "The Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company"

17. "Yeah, right" : I BET

18. Life in León : VIDA

19. Subordinate to : UNDER

23. "Entourage" agent Gold : ARI. Never heard of this. "Vapid" description must be why...

24. WWII journalist : PYLE. Gomer? No, ERNIE!

25. Yellow Brick Road accessory : OIL CAN. I'm a bit rusty, can you refresh my memory on this one?

28. Silver Bullet Band leader Bob : SEGER. These guys.

30. Old map inits. : SSR. Real old.. Soviet Socialist Republic

32. "___ we alone?" : ARE

38. Blows away : AWES

39. Ohio-based faucet maker : MOEN. I like their ad. (Ooops, that's Delta's ad that I like!) Moen? Booorring!

46. Campfire remnant : ASH

47. 1994 speed skating gold medalist Jansen : DAN. His sister died from leukemia.

48. Backup crew : B-TEAM

50. Uncommon : SCARCE

53. Nonstick kitchen brand : T-FAL

56. ___ gratias : DEO

60. Trooper on the road : ISUZU

62. Modest attire : MAXI

63. Show you're in : ANTE

64. Ruthless bosses : CAPOS

65. Mötley ___ : CRUE. Music (?) link. 4:42

66. Stalk in the garden : STEM

67. Target competitor : KMART. "Attention Kmart shoppers!"

68. Cranks (up) : AMPS. See 65A...

69. TV brother whose real name was Eric : HOSS. "Bonanza" role played by Dan Blocker.

Down:

1. Brand with a three-stripe logo : ADIDAS. Correctamundo!

2. Peon : LABORER

3. Mapmaker Vespucci : AMERIGO

4. UFO-tracking org. : SETI. Search for Extra Terrestrial Intellignce.

5. ___-dovey : LOVEY

6. Serif-free font : ARIAL. LIKE THIS

7. Physician's prescription : BED REST. (I think I need some right now!)

8. Crate piece : SLAT

9. King Abdullah, for one : SAUDI

10. Grand ___ : CANAL. In Venice. Anyone else been? You either love it or you hate it...

11. Race-sanctioning biggie : INDY CAR. They even have their own web site. Dang'd if I know what it's all about...

12. Homage in verse : ODE

13. "Science Friday" network : NPR. National Public Radio.

21. Urban planner's concern : SPRAWL

22. "Saw" genre : HORROR. I never saw it...

26. Torah container : ARK

27. Nintendos Super ___ : NES. (Nintendo Entertainment System)

29. Morales of "NYPD Blue" : ESAI. This guy.

31. Many-axled roller : SEMI. Why are they called "semis". Are they only half-finished?

34. Masked worker : WELDER. Vague clue. I was looking for a Zorro type...

35. On the Aegean : ASEA. Our obligatory "A" word

36. Zen garden bit : PEBBLE

37. Future RN's course : ANAT.omy

40. Refrain syllables : LAS. meh

41. Pac-12 member : USC. University of Southern California, or University of South Carolina? "Pac" leads me to believe it is the former.

42. Taco Bell menu item : CHALUPA. Looks like heart-attack material, to me.

43. Army base? : ANT FARM

44. Provided a segue for : LED INTO

45. Ophelia's avenger : LAERTES. From "Hamlet"

49. Dial-up hardware : MODEMS

51. Tonsorial tool : RAZOR. From the Latin tōnsōrius, relating to shaving.

52. Pie maker's pride : CRUST. Not mine...you wouldn't want to eat it, trust me!!

54. Bring together, dating-wise : FIX UP

55. Sign before Taurus : ARIES

58. Classic disco hit : YMCA. Oooh, I just couldn't resist...(Makes reading this whole write-up worth it, don't you think???) Our own Lemonade was the FL lawyer for The Village People...is that where you get all you dance moves, lemony??

59. Major party : BASH

60. "That's disgusting!" : ICK

61. Newsman Donaldson : SAM

Answer grid.

That's it for this week. Any questions? E-mail me!

Hugs,
Marti

Monday, February 21, 2011 Angela Olson Halsted and Doug Peterson

Theme: For Petes' Sake The first word of the three longest entries is the last name of three persons having the same first name which is revealed in the last Across word.

17A. Legendary spring that creates spring chickens?: FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH. Pete Fountain is a famous clarinetist. He was once fired by Lawrence Welk for "jazzing up" a Christmas number on the show.

38A. Grammy revoked from Milli Vanilli: BEST NEW ARTIST. Pete Best is best known as the original drummer in The Beatles.

60A. Portland Trail Blazers' home: ROSE GARDEN ARENA. Pete Rose, nicknamed "Charlie Hustle", is a former Major League Baseball player and manager.

71A. Name that can precede the first word of 17-, 38- or 60-Across: PETE

Argyle here, older but no wiser. And what's with hitting me with 1A. Grew older: AGED first thing? Seriously though, thank you for all the birthday greetings.

Across:

5. American __: Pacific territory : SAMOA

10. Employee protection org. : OSHA. Occupational Safety & Health Administration.

14. Chore list heading : TO DO

15. Old Geo model : PRIZM. The Geo/Chevrolet Prizm (Chevrolet Prizm starting 1998) was a US market entry-level compact car from 1989 through 2002. All were made at New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc. (NUMMI), an automobile manufacturing plant in Fremont, CA, a joint venture plant between Toyota and General Motors. The plant is now owned by Tesla Motors, the electric vehicle people.

16. Carrot or turnip : ROOT. Vegetable.

20. Garment border : HEM

21. "I'll treat!" : "ON ME!"

22. Three, in Turin : TRE. Italian(Remember, it could have been clued, in Torino, Italian for Turin.)

23. College concentration : MAJOR. Less concentration, 7D. 23-Across opposite : MINOR.

26. Pungent salad green : CRESS

27. Mighty long time : EON

28. Stat for Mariano Rivera : ERA. Yankee pitcher, career ERA 2.23(Earned Run Average).

29. CEO's degree : MBA

31. Ford classics : T-BIRDS. Thunderbirds are called T-birds so much, I guess indicating a shortened version of the name isn't necessary.

33. Carvey of "Wayne's World" : DANA. Originally a SNL sketch, it became a movie.

35. Karaoke singer, usually : AMATEUR

42. Polite "Ready to go?" : "SHALL WE?"

43. Linger in the tub : SOAK

45. Start to melt : SOFTEN. That is REALLY staying in the tub too long.

48. Bordeaux brush-off : NON. In France.

50. Paranormal showman Geller : URI

51. "Fresh Air" airer : NPR. National Public Radio.

52. Rear end : FANNY

55. Political aficionado's station : C-SPAN

57. Absorbed, as a cost : ATE

58. Circular cookie : OREO

59. Stable tidbit : OAT

66. Good fortune : LUCK

67. Cursor controller : MOUSE

68. Diabolical : EVIL

69. Fawn's father : STAG

70. Campfire remains : ASHES

Down:

1. DOJ division : ATF. Department of Justice / Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms (and Explosives).

2. Bit of baby babble : GOO

3. Academic URL ender : EDU

4. Hawaiian who sang "Pearly Shells" : DON HO. But more famous for "Tiny Bubbles".

5. Inbox junk : SPAM

6. Magnate Onassis : ARI

8. Atmospheric layer : OZONE

9. Car sound system : AM/FM STEREO

10. El Dorado gold : ORO. Now some Spanish.

11. Justice replaced by Sotomayor : SOUTER. David H. Souter, replaced by Sonia Sotomayor on the Supreme Court.

12. Souped-up ride : HOT ROD

13. Aegean capital : ATHENS. A capital city on the Aegean Sea.

18. Time in office : TERM

19. "I agree, however ..." : "YES, BUT..."

23. __ school : MED. Another case of accepted use of the shortened form(of medical) as a word on its own.

24. Part of U.A.E. : ARAB. United Arab Emirates, usually abbreviated just UAE.

25. Dick's storybook partner : JANE

26. Caravan creature : CAMEL

30. Girl group with the 1986 #1 hit "Venus" : BANANARAMA. Live(3:04) You are welcome to skip this but it is great kitsch.

32. Spring blossom : IRIS

34. Admin. aide : ASST.

36. Pointy tool : AWL

37. Like a lion's coat : TAWNY. Wait for it.

39. It "comes on little cat feet," in a Sandburg poem : THE FOG.

FOG

The fog comes
on little cat feet.

It sits looking
over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.

Carl Sandburg

I always wonder if this had been written by a first year English major, what grade would it have received?

40. Campbell's product : SOUP

41. Fictional plantation : TARA. From "Gone With the Wind".

44. Reunion group : KIN. Family, not class.

45. Entangles : SNARLS

46. Decline to participate : OPT OUT

47. Grapefruit-flavored diet drink : FRESCA

49. Academic sports org. : NCAA. National Collegiate Athletic Association.

53. Detective Wolfe and an emperor : NEROs

54. "Obviously!" : "NO DUH!"

56. Throat bacteria : STREP

59. Tip jar bills : ONES

61. Heart test letters : EKG. Electrocardiogram.

62. Suffix with Canton : ESE

63. Anticipatory time : EVE

64. Trivial point : NIT

65. Drink by a dartboard : ALE

Answer grid.

Argyle