Sunday November 3, 2013 Arthur S. Verdesca

Theme: "The Doctor Is In" - MD is embedded in the middle of each theme entry.

23A. Perry Mason story, e.g. : COURTROOM DRAMA. Which is your favorite? I never understood the fun in #23.  I like "A Few Good Men" the most.

45A. Symbol of a bettor's certainty : BOTTOM DOLLAR

54A. Post-hurricane assessment : STORM DAMAGE. Guangzhou is a subtropical city. I always dreaded when we had big typhoons. I lived in the very old part of the town. The water drainage was so bad that I couldn't go home without a raft.

73A. Like some locomotives : STEAM-DRIVEN

81A. Coen or Stone : FILM DIRECTOR. Here is my favorite director: Zhang Yi-Mou. He directed "Red Sorghum" (based on Nobel laureate Mo Yan's novel), "Hero" (Jet Li movie), the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Most importantly, he grew up in my hometown Xi'An.

103A. Made-to-order : CUSTOM-DESIGNED

32D. Winners can be determined by one : RANDOM DRAWING

36D. Coffee break treat : CREAM DOUGHNUT. I always spell it as "Donut".

104D. Puzzle title people hidden in eight long answers : MDS

Look what I found! Today's constructor Arthur S. Verdesca is a MD. One other website shows he's 83 years old, 16 years younger than our other LAT constructor Bernice Gordon.

Simple theme. I grokked the gimmick very early on.

Across:

  

1. Obama attorney general Holder : ERIC. Easy start.

5. Rattle : FAZE

9. Bros : BUDS

13. Online letters : EMAILS

19. Commandment opener : THOU. "Thou shalt not...".

20. One missing roll call, perhaps : AWOL

21. Per person : A POP

22. Deadhead's idol : GARCIA (Jerry)

26. Insatiable : GREEDY

27. Some deer : BUCK 

28. Shorten, as a skirt :RE-HEM. And 60D. Revealing garb : MINIs. Every girl seemed to wear this Zara skirt this past summer. Zara, Zara, please come to Minnesota!

29. Bad acting : SIN

30. Onetime Rus. state : SSR

33. Busy buzzer : BEE

34. Strains : TAXES

35. Restraint usually seen in pairs : MANACLE. Big D'oh!

39. Montana motto metal : PLATA. "Oro y Plata".

41. Yemen's capital : SANA'A

42. Do clerical work : FILE

43. Stimpy's pal : REN. Popular dog in xwords.

44. Zest source : RIND

48. SFO listing : ETD

49. Everyday connectors : ANDs

50. Jesus of baseball : ALOU. 3/4 are vowels, hence its frequent appearances our grids.

51. Durban dough : RAND. Here is what Wiki says: Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa and Africa. Shanghai is the busiest in the world.

52. Bloom holder : VASE

53. Fight stopper : TKO (Technical Knockout)

58. Disney king : SIMBA. "The Lion King"

59. "Fearful" feature of Blake's Tyger : SYMMETRY. Read here.

61. Tasman and a Genesis shepherd : ABELs

62. Sneeze cause : DANDER

63. Took the plunge : DIVED

64. Tapestry behind which Polonius hid : ARRAS

65. Abstain from : FORGO

66. "The Weaver of Raveloe" : MARNER (Silas)

68. Unit or sect suffix : ARIAN. Strange suffix.

69. Surgical tie : LIGATURE. New word to me.

72. Oil well firefighter Red : ADAIR

75. Catch : GET

76. Shooting marbles : TAWS. Has any of you played TAWS before?

77. Stub __ : A TOE

78. Voyaging, say : ASEA

79. Scorch : CHAR

80. Letters seen before Fridays : TGI

85. Where TV's "Charlie's Angels" was set : IN LA

86. A, for Mozart : EIN

87. Riles up : IRES

88. Gets ready to shoot : COCKS

89. Dick Tracy creator Chester : GOULD. Another learning moment for me.

90. Access, in a way : LOG ONTO

92. Cats in Cádiz : GATOS. Los Gatos!

93. Seek redress : SUE

95. Rope on the briny : TYE. For Spitzboov. I was stumped.

96. Classic auto : REO

97. Irish tenor Tynan : RONAN. Gimme for Irish Miss.

98. Brazilian range __ do Mar : SERRA. Never heard of it.

100. Minor league baseball level : CLASS A

108. House minority leader : PELOSI (Nancy)

109. '40s film critic James : AGEE

110. Nihilistic art movement : DADA

111. Follow : OBEY

112. Carl with Emmys : REINER. Bob Reiner's father. (Edited later: Rob Reiner! Thanks, TTP.)

113. Supply in a farm country store : FEED

114. Certain terrier's isle : SKYE

115. Big wind : GALE

Down:

1. And so on: Abbr. : ETC

2. Letter after pi : RHO

3. Signed promise : IOU

4. Restrain : CURB

5. Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest," e.g. : FARCE

6. Stirred : AWOKE

7. Madhouses : ZOOS

8. Disease-struck tree : ELM. Hard to find fresh way to clue ELM, or OREO.

9. Legal hurdle : BAR EXAM

10. Toward the front : UP AHEAD

11. Stadium protectors : DOMES

12. Cyberjunk : SPAM

13. Deli sandwich : EGG SALAD. Not for my taste. I do like Potato salad with eggs in it though.

14. Coleridge storyteller : MARINER

15. __ football : ARENA

16. Curling surface : ICE

17. Eye protector : LID

18. Utter : SAY

24. Big wind : TUBA

25. Pipe cleaner : DRANO

30. Jack and the missus of verse : SPRATS

31. Spring toy : SLINKY

34. "The Genius of Keyboard" jazzman : TATUM (Art). I was unaware he's called that.

35. "Toad of Toad Hall" playwright : MILNE

37. Doesn't disturb : LETS BE

38. Make cherished : ENDEAR

40. NFL six-pointers : TDs

41. It may be long : STORY

42. Loses strength : FLAGS

45. Baker's preparation : BATTER. I had never used an oven until I came to the states. We don't bake bread there. We steam.

46. Prayer opener : O LORD

47. Scary tests : ORALS

52. 20, in Toulouse : VINGT. French for Abejo!

54. Lop off : SEVER

55. "Beavis and Butt-head" spin-off : DARIA. Total stranger to me.

56. Milhous : Nixon :: __ : Garfield : ABRAM

57. Lennon's "Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except __ My Monkey" : ME AND

58. Kitchen wrap : SARAN

62. Mark for future reference : DOG-EAR. Please Don't! And please don't be so mean and hide behind your anonymous mask and attack regulars on our blog.

64. Thin as __ : A REED. I use A RAIL.

65. McGarrett's outfit, familiarly : FIVE-O. Hawaii Five-O.

66. Hot Wheels maker : MATTEL

67. Slow work : ADAGIO

68. Basic building material : ATOMs

69. Leans : LISTS

70. "No kidding" : REALLY

71. Online financial site : E-TRADE

73. Pope in Attila's time : ST LEO. They met each other, correct?

74. Book displays : RACKS

77. Like a dogfight missile : AIR-TO-AIR

79. AFL partner : CIO

81. Tactful handling : FINESSE

82. Song title words before "for Miles" : I CAN SEE.  No idea. The Who's  "I can see for Miles".

83. Took turns in succession : ROTATED

84. Budget, in brand names : ECONO

89. Spice Girl Halliwell : GERI

91. Small-screen Bean : ORSON

92. Overcharge : GOUGE

93. Run-down : SEEDY

94. Bears, to Ovid : URSAE

97. North Amer. WWII fliers : RCAF. OK, Royal Canadian Air Force.

98. The Missouri R. runs through it : S DAK

99. All excited : AGOG

100. ER procedure : CPR

101. Dixie general : LEE

102. Poetic fighter : ALI

105. Bird's org. : NBA. Larry Bird.

106. Slippery one : EEL

107. Salon stock : DYE

The fifth annual Crosswords LA tournament was held in Santa Monica on October 26. For those who weren't able to attend, the puzzles are now available for purchase. The cost is $10, with proceeds donated to support the charity Reading to Kids (http://readingtokids.org). You'll receive crosswords by Elizabeth Gorski, Jeffrey Harris, Aimee Lucido & Zoe Wheeler, Todd McClary, Andrea Carla Michaels, Pete Muller, Trip Payne, and David Steinberg. All expertly edited by Tyler Hinman. The Puzzle Pack also includes a fun Ferris wheel-themed puzzle suite by John Doppler Schiff.

Please head on over to http://crosswordnexus.com/store/ to download the Puzzle Pack!

C.C.

Sunday October 3, 2010 Arthur S. Verdesca

Theme: Argot - Ar got. Add R to a common English word and form a two-word new phrase where the same R-following letter string in the first word also starts the second word. Then contract the two.

23A. Width of a freeway exit? : RAMP 'AMPLITUDE. Did this tip you off the theme gimmick immediately?

25A. Collection of complaints? : RANT 'ANTHOLOGY

39A. Apartment party? : RENT 'ENTERTAINMENT

50A. "I slept about eight hours"? : REST 'ESTIMATE.

53A. Indifference to Dr. Dre? : RAP 'APATHY. I was wondering if Dr. Dre knows how famous he is in Xword world.

69A. Mai tai decoration? : RUM 'UMBRELLA

89A. Slam dunk component? : RIM 'IMPACT

92A. CBer's handle? : RIDE 'IDENTITY

99A. Like permissive dog owners? : ROVER 'OVERINDULGENT

121A. Lazy time for Huck Finn? : RAFT 'AFTERNOON

123A. Idiot driving a semi? : RIG 'IGNORAMUS

I don't quite get the title "Argot". Am I right in understanding the "ar got" gimmick? Argyle thinks so.

The title reminded me of Henry Hook's "Element 18" puzzle where letter Rs are deleted from all the answers. Element 18 is Argon ( R Gone) in periodic table.

I had a tough time getting into the constructor's mindset. The theme concept is quite unique. Also, no cheater square in the whole grid.

Not fond of the IN repeats in the grid, though I do understand the difficulty in avoiding the little duplications in a giant 21*21:

57A. Bamboozled : TAKEN IN

32D . __ town: recently arrived : NEW IN

74D. Entered : WENT IN

79D. Fill, as another's shoes : STEP INTO

101D. Up __: indignant : IN ARMS

Across:

1. Tot's call : MOMMY

6. LAX listings : ARRS

10. Cabbage with crinkly, curled leaves : SAVOY. It's Savoy Cabbage. Not savoy alone.

15. Knopf, e.g.: Abbr. : PUBL. Publication. Not a familiar abbr. to me.

19. Domingo solos : ARIAS

20. No, to Nureyev : NYET. Russian for "No". Alliteration.

21. Adler who outwitted Sherlock Holmes : IRENE. Drew a blank.

22. Capital on Upolu island : APIA. Samoan capital.

27. Ad writer's award : CLIO

28. Treacherous place : MINE FIELD. Treacherous indeed.

30. Flips : UPENDS

31. Potentially offensive, in a way : UN PC

33. TV chef Martin : YAN. Great personality.

34. Venerable one : ELDER

36. Movie buff's collectible : POSTER. See "Metropolis". Over half a million. Nuts.

45. Covert maritime org. : ONI (Office of Naval Intelligence)

46. Use a towel on : WIPE

48. Old pros : VETS

49. Bradley in uniform : OMAR

56. "O patria __": "Aida" aria : MIA. Literally "Oh, my dear country".

58. Deck out : DRESS

60. No more than : MERELY

62. Seine views : ILES

63. Navigable connection : STRAIT

65. In concert : AS ONE

67. Measure out : ALLOT

72. Scroogean look : SCOWL

76. Former jockey Smith who was married to Fred Astaire in the '80s : ROBYN. First encounter with this lady. She looks pretty.

78. Online exchange : EMAILS

80. Surveyor's measure : AREA

81. Writer Leonard : ELMORE. Have any of you read his "Get Shorty"?

84. Below, in verse : 'NEATH

86. Finished : AT AN END

88. Damone of song : VIC. What's his famous song?

94. Qatar bigwig : EMIR

96. Wine opener? : OENO. Prefix for "wine".

97. Listening to every word : RAPT

98. Completed : DID

105. Historic Honolulu palace : IOLANI. The palace where their last king lived. Had difficulty spelling the name. So many vowels.

107. Sri __ : LANKA

108. Latin word of affection : AMO. Te amo.

109. Author __ Morrow Lindbergh : ANNE

110. Andean beast : ALPACA

113. Removed with a chisel : GOUGED OUT

117. Generational disconnects : GAPS

125. Long sentence : LIFE. Prison sentence. Awesome clue.

126. Force : MIGHT

127. "Law & Order: SVU" actor : ICE-T

128. Oak-to-be : ACORN

129. Remnants : ORTS. Classic crosswordese.

130. Final word : SAY SO

131. Vat sediment : LEES

132. Kids : TYKES

Down:

1. French grape-skin brandy : MARC. No idea. Pomace brandy.

2. Hard exam : ORAL. Why is it hard?

3. "La Bohème" heroine : MIMI. Easy guess.

4. Plan : MAP OUT

5. Maker of the fragrance Opium : YSL. I am using Opium.

6. Silly bit : ANTIC

7. Record-setting miler Jim : RYUN. Nope. Another stranger.

8. Aptly named flight : RED-EYE

9. Edberg of tennis : STEFAN. Swedish.

10. Paddock parent : SIRE

11. Disappearing sea : ARAL. In Central Asia.

12. Family feud : VENDETTA. Great word.

13. N.Y. neighbor : ONT

14. Violinist Menuhin : YEHUDI. Well, one more foreign name to me.

15. Sicilian seaport : PALERMO. Capital of Sicily.

16. Soon after : UPON

17. Cowboys' city, familiarly : BIG D. Dallas.

18. Attacks, with "into" : LAYS

24. In the first place : IMPRIMIS. New word to me also.

26. In full bloom : OPEN

29. Mtge. payment part : INT

35. Make it : LAST

36. "The quality of mercy is not strained" speaker : PORTIA. The girl in "The Merchant of Venice".

37. Common soccer score : ONE ALL. Tied. One to One.

38. Ebert's longtime co-host : SISKEL (Gene)

39. On a pension: Abbr. : RET

40. Gabor and others : EVAS

41. Exercise units : REPS

42. Single-named supermodel : EMME. Always want EMMA.

43. Get the goods on : NAIL

44. Cafeteria staple : TRAY

47. Storage site : PANTRY

51. Pizarro's treasure : TESORO. No idea. It's Spanish for "treasure".

52. Party cheese : EDAM

53. Back off : RETREAT

54. Med. care provider : HMO

55. Hungers : YENS. I've got the yen for pickled herring.

59. Pick on : RIB

61. Eat one's words : RECANT

64. Clear out : RUN

65. Boxing biopic : ALI. Will Smith.

66. Lipton alternative : SALADA

68. Unit of pressure : TORR. Mystery answer. It's named after Italian physicist Torricelli, who invented barometer.

70. Hwy. mishap respondent : EMT

71. 1939 Garland co-star : LAHR (Bert). Cowardly Lion in "The Wizard of Oz".

73. Steam n' Mash maker : ORE-IDA

75. Bride of July '81 : LADY DI

77. "__ Mir Bist Du Schoen": 1937 hit : BEI. Can never remember the song. "To Me, You're Beautiful".

81. Sometime : EVER

82. Oscar night rental : LIMO

83. Twice DLII : MCIV. 1104.

84. TV alien's word : NANU. Nanu Nanu. From "Mork & Mindy'.

85. Green's sci. : ECOL

87. Composer Bruckner : ANTON. No idea. Sounds Russian.

90. Abbey resident : MONK

91. Teaching : PEDAGOGY. Perfect consonant & vowel arrangement.

93. First NYC subway : IRT

95. Tells : RELATES

100. Streak : RACE

102. Skit part : GAG

103. "Farm to Fork" author : EMERIL (Lagasse). "Bam!".

104. Curt refusal : NO DICE

106. What you will : LEGACY. Nice clue.

109. Pittypat and Polly : AUNTS. Who's Aunt Pittypat?

110. Alice's chronicler : ARLO. "Alice's Restaurant".

111. Cub's place : LAIR

112. Up-in-smoke sound : PFFT

114. Shows amazement : OOHS

115. "Do __ others ..." : UNTO

116. Architectural S-curve : OGEE

118. Crazily : AMOK

119. Unadulterated : PURE

120. Office IDs : SSNS

122. Long on screen : NIA. Nia Long. Gorgeous clue, with Long in the beginning.

124. Stinker : RAT

Answer grid.

C.C.