Saturday, Dec 27th, 2014, Barry C. Silk

Theme: Saturday Silkie~!

Words: 70 (missing J,K,Q,X,Z)

Blocks: 32

  I figured we would be finishing up a year of Saturdays with a Silkie, and I expected it to be difficult at that - well, I was spot-on.  There was little to be had in the first pass of across and downs, but I managed to get a foothold in the SE, then crept my way up and left from there.  However, the top right was just not going to budge, and I am kicking myself for missing 7a. - oh well.  Yes, Red-Letter help today, and some of my fool-proof solving methods proved me a fool.  One 13-letter climber is all we have in lengthy fill:

15d. Group label further popularized by a 1991 self-named documentary : MTV GENERATION - I'm of the MTV Generation, but I did not actually have MTV growing up - we did not have cable, so I used to soak it up when I was at my friends' houses; one of the first videos I ever saw;

Men At Work

O - N - 2 - W - 0 - A - 1 - R - 5 - D~!

ACROSS:

1. 2014 high-tech release using the slogan "Bigger than bigger" : iPHONE - I am not an Apple person, though I did hear they're coming out with a fan to compete with the Dyson bladeless - it's called the iBLOW

7. 1987 sci-fi film : ROBO-COP - Dah~! I am SO disappointed with myself for not nailing this one - and I have not seen the remake yet, to boot

14. Pointer, perhaps : BLAMER - I was in a 'dog' frame of mind

15. Soften : MODULATE

16. Feeding trough : MANGER - yeah, this time of year, you tend to forget what its original purpose was for

17. Opinion : TWO CENTS - ugh - took too long to dawn on me, but clever - and a**hole was not long enough - because everybody has one

18. Qantas' main hub, in itineraries : SYDney - I knew what we were looking for, but I was not 100% sure it was that straight-up; for example, the code for MacArthur airport around the corner from me is ISP - because it's located in the town of Islip

19. Winner of the 1997 and 1998 Super Bowls : DENVER - I like that there are a limited number of answers for this type of clue, but I was a bit irked because it was not the team, like RAIDER or NINERS, but the city/location

21. Little shaver : TOT - dah~!! - I went with TAD first

22. DJ Alan Freed's nickname : MOONDOG - perps and WAGs

24. Seething : ABOIL

26. 14-Across' concern : FAULT

27. 1959 Bobby Rydell hit : WE GOT LOVE

30. Luncheon follower? : ETTE - LuncheonETTE

31. Concede : OWN UP TO

32. Pickle : MESS - the dilemma, not the dill

33. Meeting focus : THEME - Agenda wouldn't fit

34. Big name in lingerie : OLGA - new to me, I gotta go check out the website

38. Knight wear : TABARDS - I knew this because I want to add another "B" to the spelling; here I am wearing mine for a wedding

40. Hunny lover : POOH - the spelling here was a give-away; Winnie the honey-eating bear

41. Body exhibiting sudden increases in brightness : FLARE STAR - dah!! - I tried SUPERNOVA, which is "technically" correct. I was left with the "key" clue ( see below ) and a WAG at Blare, Glare, and Flare; guess which one I did not pick first....

44. Monterrey jack? : PESOS - Mexican "money"

45. Navigation acronym : SONAR - Once the ---AR was there, I filled in the rest - and then my clever 'solving short-cut' betrayed me; see below

46. Rose in a big way : TOWERED

48. O, at times : HUG - X O X O in cards; one of these days....

49. 1944 Pacific island battle site : SAIPAN - dah~!!! Anyone else put in TAIPAN, or am I the only one who is confused = q.v.

51. __-eared : LOP - DAH~! Who else went with "DOG"~?

53. Against : AVERSE TO

56. Cuddles : SPOONS - one of these days....

58. Trusts : RELIES ON

59. Features of many impromptu speeches : PAUSES

60. "Something wrong?" : "PROBLEM~?"

61. Least honest : SLIEST

DOWN:

1. Some old notebooks : IBMs

2. Kid's bud : PLAYMATE - My buddy Adam, who owns the restaurant,  is a daddy again - Pearl Snow, 7lbs-7ozs, born Dec 7th, 2014 - and they had picked Pearl as a name before the anniversary

3. Fliers, maybe : HAND-OUTS

4. Shocked letters : OMG - Text-speak for "Oh My God"

5. "You __ bother" : NEEDN'T - I read this as bRother my first pass

6. Fumbled, say : ERRED

7. "Lady Jane Grey" dramatist : ROWE - I would have preferred "Mike from Dirty Jobs" for a clue

8. Sign of something gone bad : ODOR

9. Raymond James Stadium NFLer : BUC - Rrrr....I went with RAM, and should have paid attention to the abbr. in the clue

10. Encouraging word : OLÉ

11. Playground retort : CAN TOO - I tried YOU too & ARE too

12. Holy Roman emperor, 1209-'15 : OTTO IV

13. Grinder : PESTLE - argh~! I keep missing this one, as well

20. Exasperated words : "NOW WHAT~!?!?"

23. Fat substitute : OLESTRA - I remember seeing this on "healthy" potato chips

24. Brief creator: Abbr. : ATTorney - because Fruit of the Loom did not fit

25. Goof : BLOOPER

26. Like La Niña, e.g.: Abbr. : FEMinine

28. Gingerbread house adornment : GUM DROP - some day I hope to build a gingerbread house in the style of a castle with kids of my own

29. Reveals, poetically : OPES

31. Some parlors, briefly : OTBs - Off-Track Betting

35. Hopeless : LOSE - LOSE

36. Joker's array : GOOD ONES - got stuck thinking of the jokers found in a deck of cards

37. Relaxed responses : AHs

39. __ Lingus : AER

41. Key of Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 24 : F SHARP - OK, so I proudly filled in -M--OR, then waited....and got duped - not A MINOR, not D MAJOR, etc. - I think Mr. Silk checks in and tries to out-wit us

42. Vent part : LOUVER - ARGH~~!!  Took way too long to come to me

43. "Measure for Measure" deputy : ANGELO - Learning moment for me - did not know this was Shakespeare - the Wiki

44. Prison buddy? : PEN-PAL

47. Small flying predators : WASPS

49. Zaire's Mobutu __ Seko : SESE

50. Quark locale : ATOM

52. "Hey!" relative : psst~!

54. Needle : RIB

55. Pierre's pinch? : SEL - Frawnche "salt"

57. Pierre's permission : OUI - more Frawnche, this time "yes"

Splynter

Notes from C.C.:

1) To reader Bob Niles: You made a comment on Dec 24 saying your newspaper has no circles for the "Silent Night" puzzle. Can you let me know the name of your newspaper? You can email me crosswordc@gmail.com. Also, to our blog regulars, if anyone knows how to get in touch with Bob Niles via his Google Plus profile, please let me know. I can't find his email address.

2) Happy Birthday to Dudley our Handsome Pilot! Dudley has been with the blog for almost four years and is an avid fan of Downton Abbey & Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!  Dudley met the great Karl Kasell in a private meeting, if I remember correctly. Click here for more photos of him. They were taken during Montana's visit to Northeast in September, 2013.

Left to Right: Marti, Dudley, Hondo & Montana

Saturday, Dec 6th, 2014, Barry C. Silk

Theme: Saturday Silkie~!

Words: 72 (missing J,Q,V)

Blocks: 31

Starting off December's Saturdays with a Silkie, and a good one at that - and what I mean is, it was still difficult, but there was enough to work with that I did in fact finish, but with red-letter help and over my preferred time limit - but that was due to a ZEALOUS approach to the SW corner; I pretty much shot myself in the foot down there.  Oh well.  Two triple nine corners, and two long 14-letter fills;

28a. 2000s best-seller subtitled "The Dark Side of the All-American Meal" : "FAST FOOD NATION" - I pondered "SUPER-SIZE ME", but that was the movie about eating McDonald's everyday, every meal, for one month - more here

45a. It contains a due process clause : FIFTH AMENDMENT - DAH~!!  I was pretty confident that this was the SIXTH amendment - I watch a lot of "Law & Order" - because I know that the FIFTH amendment contains the right against self incrimination; found out that NY was the only state that requested 'due process', and that the 14th Amendment contains such language, too

42a. onward~!

 ACROSS:

1. Breakfast fare : SWEET ROLL - "----BAGEL" was working, so long as I had AGHA in place of RANI

10. Excuse : ALIBI

15. Disposable : THROW-AWAY - put it right in, decided to take it out; then the first "W" returned, and so it went back in

16. Mauritian coin : RUPEE

17. Chocolate-covered snack : RAISINETS - don't like 'em, but Goobers are good; referential clue - 47d. Maker of 17-Across : NESTLÉ

18. Tyrannical types : OGRES

19. Packed away : ATE - I can pack away a bag of Goobers no problem

20. Current : TIDE - Dah~! Not "LATE"

21. Revere : HONOR - not ADORE

22. Dry, in a way : WIPE - as, say, your windshield - see 35a.

24. Beethoven's "Archduke," for one : TRIO - did not quite understand this; here's the Wiki

26. Ones working at home, maybe : UMPS - baseball's 'home'

32. Besides : TOO

33. Alternative to shaving : NEET - NEET or NAIR? Had to wait

34. __-Cat : SNO - I'll bet Mr. Silk cringes when he has to use this in a grid

35. Cause of a wet blade : DEW DROP

39. Easter tradition : DYED EGG - I went with "EGG HUNT"

41. Prefix with lateral : UNI -unilateral

42. Working hard : AT IT - I was at it from 2am to 7am this morning at UPS, and from 12:15am to 9:30am every night this past week - only 13+ days to go~!

44. Hammer setting : EAR - ah, that hammer

50. "I'm just sayin'," in texts : FWIW - For What It's Worth

51. Reason for a warning : GALE

52. Persian Gulf capital : DOHA - shout-out to Doc~!  I had to wait on perps

54. Slate, for one : eZINE

56. Bk. before Job : ESTHer

59. Female lobster : HEN - I figured it was HEN or COW, had to wait again

60. Gem : STONE - worked for "Slate" at 54a, too, which messed me up

61. Zealot : EXTREMIST - also the title of a Joe Satriani album; here's a cut from "Surfing with the Alien"

63. Kingdom east of Australia : TONGA - Dah~! I put in SAMOA, and the "A" was good, but only 20% worth

64. Some priests : CELIBATES

65. Olympic event since 1968 : SKEET

66. There's one in the London Chancery Bldg. : U. S. EMBASSY

DOWN:

1. __ vote : STRAW

2. Experimenter's question : "WHAT IF...."

3. It may precede 16501 : ERIE, PA - very good - the zip code; I was pondering Roman numerals - but 10,000 =¯X; and that's not crossword acceptable

4. Daughter of Hyperion : EOS

5. Fool : TWIT - ah, the straight-up use of the word, IMHO

6. Eastern royal : RANI - AGHA was a possibility

7. Had because of : OWED TO

8. Eventually : LATER ON

9. Lille lily : LYS - Frawnche

10. Buck add-on : A-ROO - Buck-a-roo

11. Bit of wheel hardware : LUG NUT - important bits, I might add

12. "You can depend on me!" : "I PROMISE~!"

13. Pub game : BEER PONG

14. -osis : -oses :: -y : -__ : -IES - plural endings, as in neurosis, neuroses, pony, ponies

21. Flavored, as roasted chicken : HONEYED - I've heard of honey-glazed, so this was close enough

23. Cornerstone abbr. : EST'D - when the stone is too small to fit "established"

25. Named : IDed

27. Get lovey-dovey, in Leeds : SNOG - if you've seen Harry Potter....

29. Regular religious reading : TORAH

30. Movie scenes : FOOTAGE - ah, good clue

31. Select group : A-TEAM

35. Behind : DUFF - the noun, in this case; seasonal gratuitous image

36. 1944 battle site : ENIWETOK - wow, what a fill - new one for me; the WIki on this Pacific Atoll

37. Place to get connected : WiFi ZONE - Dah~! the "X" from my erroneous "SIXTH" stopped me from seeing this

38. Strong cotton : PIMA - a lesson in fiber-producing plants

40. __ Scott v. Sandford: 1857 Supreme Court case : DRED - learned from paying attention in high school, I think

43. Fax forerunners : TELEXES - more pluralizing

46. Minor pain : TWINGE

48. Pitches a gem against : NO HITS - more baseball for C.C.

49. Luther's 95 __ : THESES - and yet more pluralizing

53. Restless : ANTSY

55. Undiluted : NEAT - There you go, Tin~! No "three-letter words" today~!

57. In good shape : TRIM - Dah~!  Not "HALE"

58. "Sunny" singer Bobby : HEBB - that one "ugh" moment, where I could not tell which letter to start this clue with and end the "Biblical Book" abbr. clue with as well - WAG the "H"

60. D and C, in D.C. : STs - streets; clever - nothing to do with "District" and "Columbia"

61. Old French coin : ECU - been popular, lately

62. Kid's cry : "Maa~!"

Splynter

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to dear Lucina, the first blog regular I've met in person. Lucina is very close to her three sisters and they travel to different parts of the country/world together every year. They also have very similar personalities: all bubbly, cheerful and happy. You can see more pictures here.

C.C. & Lucina, Mall of America, Oct 1, 2012

Saturday, Nov 15th, 2014, Barry C. Silk

Theme: Saturday Silkie~!

Words: 70 (missing Q,W)

Blocks: 26

Well, I figured it was time for a beating from a Barry Silk puzzle, and he did not disappoint.  This one took me my full personal time, plus I needed red-letter help to see where I went horribly wrong.  Some very clever mis-direction, plus a solid set of shady Saturday clues that drained my brain - but I loved it~!  Triple 10-letter pinwheel, with two sets of 6/7/8-letter stacks and a low block count made this one enjoyable - but I will admit to a cringe moment.  Some of the longer answers;

11a. Key of Brahms' Symphony No. 4 : E min - so I threw in the "M" and waited; the second part is typically 'MAJ' or 'MIN', and the first part is A,B,C,D,E,F, or G - easy, right?

13d. At all : IN THE LEAST - oh, so vague

55a. Device used in WWII pilot training : TRAMPOLINE - I just learned that this man was the inventor

28. Psychic : MIND READER - I had the reader part, but wanted PALM, CARD, etc.

OR WA ND~!

ACROSS:

 1. Emergency beeper : SMOKE ALARM - Dah~!  I was stuck in volunteer fire-fighter mode - I have a buddy of mine who carries an emergency beeper with him at all times

15. Former Lagos-based carrier : AIR NIGERIA - I went with ---- AIR, and I was in the right frame of thinking, but bass-ackwards

16. "__ Girl": 2012 best-seller : GONE - took too long to remember this

17. Item on a therapist's office table, maybe : KLEENEX BOX - vague, but a good one

18. Airing : ON TV - I got it, but "phew"

19. Coin feature : EDGE - head, tail, face

20. Xi preceders : NUs

21. Cuthbert of "Happy Endings" : ELISHA

23. Florida pros : BUCs - ah, the football team; I should have known better with the abbr of pros; I was thinking RAYS

25. Like cockatoos : CRESTED - the original "mohawk"

26. Plain : HOMELY

29. Smoke shop choice : PANATELA - Cigars are measured by length and ring size;  I smoke these, which measure 4 x 30 (cigarillos)

30. Term coined by Dior : A-LINE - dress shape, and I did not know this

31. Capital of Belarus : MINSK - I had the M and K in place, and so I took an educated WAG

32. __ room : REC

33. Zest : RIND - ah, the part of the fruit, not the enthusiasm definition - I went with ELAN

34. Sole piece : FILET - ARGH~!  I was so stuck on shoes and sneakers, I never caught onto the 'fish' concept

35. Starbucks offering : CHAI - OK, their tea

36. Commonly rented item : DVD - ah, not "CAR" - seemed common enough

37. Nook reads : ZINES - Meh.  In fact, meh again.  I went with EBOOK, which did not jive with the plural of the clue, and then EMAGS, and that makes more sense than ZINES

38. Raise : HOIST

39. Nightingale and others : HEROINES - referring to Florence, not the bird

41. Full of grime : SMUTTY - I tried FILTHY, but we're looking for the grime more commonly found in, say, Hustler

42. Discharged : EGESTED

43. Ultra Set Trap maker : d-CON - 4 letters and a "trap"~? Try d-CON

44. Qatar locale : ARABIA

45. Word after Premier or Grand : CRU - Winery term; the Wiki

46. Like roulette wheels : SPUN - ah, very clever

50. Extinct dove relative : DODO

51. Food fit for a queen bee : ROYAL JELLY - learning moment for me; the Wiki

54. At any time : EVER

56. "Nebraska" Oscar nominee : DERN - Bruce, and he won "Best Actor" for his role at the Cannes Film festival

57. Hill prize : SENATE SEAT

DOWN:  

1. Benefit : SAKE - as in "for the --- of...."

2. Not so hot : MILD - not WARM, not COLD, more like the spice of your sauce

3. Wash. neighbor : OREGon - see Onward~!

4. Calisthenics exercise : KNEE BEND

5. Article for Nietzsche : EIN - not "DER"

6. Bureau : AGENCY - I started the Castle Home Inspection AGENCY, but it's not a bureau - the FBI is a better example

7. F Sport maker : LEXUS - I was stuck in "FORD" mode, since their trucks are F-series

8. Wall St. figures : ARBS - arbitrators

9. __ Negro: Amazon tributary : RIO - WAG

10. "Castor and Pollution" artist : MAX ERNST - nice play on the constellation Gemini and the twins, Castor & Pollux

11. Not exactly the modest type : EGOIST

12. Smash : MONSTER HIT

14. California Gold Rush town : NEVADA CITY - and a semi-clecho 31d. Worked in a rush? : MINED

22. Intelligence failure : LEAK

24. Diminutive suffix : ULE - um, like miniscule~?

25. Rabologist's collection : CANES - another vague reference; some Pinterest

26. Stubborn : HARD-HEADED

27. Oil producer : OLIVE GROVE

29. A lot : PILES - vague

34. Certain master's area : FINE ARTS

35. Advises : COUNSELS

37. Ristorante order : ZITI

38. Ins. plan : HMO

40. "South Pacific" screenwriter Paul : OSBORN

41. Carve : SCULPT

43. Play, maybe : DRAMA - vague; could have been the "fun" definition of play

45. Color in the four-color process : CYAN

47. Barre move : PLIE

48. It's out on a limb : ULNA - very clever; the bone in your arm (limb)

49. Duma vote : NYET - Россия

52. Source of iron : ORE

53. Louis in a ring : JOE

Splynter

Saturday, Oct 25th, 2014, Barry C. Silk

Theme: Saturday Silkie~!

Words: 70 (missing F,J,Q)

Blocks: 32

  Nothing like starting the weekend off with a Silkie~!  I did well in the four corners, but the central block was all proper names, and a DNF loomed.  But - much to my surprise, my WAG-fest actually got me the "Ta-DA~!!".  In fact, upon reviewing the answers for the blog, I noticed that there was a whole bunch of WAGs which got me through.  Triple 11's in the across corners, triple 7's in the downs, and a pair of tens towards the center.  A few of the "acrosses";

4. Bulls' arena? : STOCK MARKET - I was curious if this might be a reference to where the Chicago Bulls play - United Center - but it's too long

16. Fighter with a record 131 career knockouts : ARCHIE MOORE - the Wiki

58. Reef dwellers : SEA ANEMONES - I toyed with "ANEMONE", but the "SEA" part eluded me

60. Wheel of Fortune highlight : PRIZE PUZZLE - I have a "DF" T-shirt that I think is hysterical - you'll have to email me for the image

Own a Dr.~!

ACROSS:

1. Maker of Select writing products : BIC - sure, I'll start with a gimme

15. "Microsoft sound" composer : ENO (Brian) - WAG

17. Georgia, once: Abbr. : SSR - The Russian version, not the U.S.

18. Deli order : POTATO SALAD

19. Player : THESPIAN - ah, that kind of player

21. Experts : WONKS; clecho at 50a. Experts : GURUS

22. Washes : BATHES

23. Word heard before and after old : SAME - Same old, same old....

25. Elected : OPTED - ah, not VOTED

26. Onetime Klein assistant : KARAN - I'm going out on a limb here and saying this is Calvin Klein and Donna Karan, two fashion superstars; I like DKNY because of these (From C.C.: Anne Klein)

31. Maestro's wear : TUX

32. Academic __ : YEAR

33. Occurred : CAME TO PASS - it came to pass this week that the blue-eyed girl was not at my home group on Tuesday, plus I was unable to get to the meeting I believe she regularly attends - but I do know her sponsor - so something good may still 'come to pass'

35. "The Clapping Song" singer, 1983 : PIA ZADORA - WAG

37. Santa Ana Volcano locale : EL SALVADOR - WAG

40. "La __ Breve": de Falla opera : VIDA - perps, this time

44. Rustic setting : LEA

45. Tanglewood Music Festival town : LENOX - WAG

46. Made aware, with "in" : CLUED

47. Family nickname : MAMA - had to wait on "P", or "M"

49. Target of some reality show hunts : GHOSTS

53. Natural moisturizer : ALOE VERA

55. Cause a dramatic reversal : TURN THE TIDE

57. Buck: Abbr. : DOLLar

59. Deadlock : TIE and a referential at 61a. They may resolve 59-Acrosses, briefly : OTS

DOWN:       

1. Film crew assistant : BEST BOY - I loved working on the movie set; I was not the "Best Boy", but I did do set construction, special effects, stand-in, extra, editing, and I was the "star" of the Bloopers reel

2. Fit : IN SHAPE

3. First name in civil rights : CORETTA - widow of Martin Luther King, Jr.

4. Exhausted : SAPPED - I was sapped yesterday - from UPS at 4am to doing the blog, but in between I did my first independent Home Inspection - I felt like I caught the important things, but I need to get used to the software

5. Nice crowd? : TROIS - Menage?

6. Prefix with -gon : OCTA -  I threw in "POLY" - and that was ZERO % correct

7. "Keeper of the Keys" detective : CHAN

8. Handy set : KIT

9. Shelter cry : MEOW

10. Recess retort : AM SO

11. Colorful mounts : ROANS

12. Capital of the state of West Bengal : KOLKATA - Hey~! Two for the price of one (map); Nepal and Bengal

13. Dutch humanist : ERASMUS - WAG

14. Rock star Nugent : TED 

20. Nepali language : SHERPA - I thought this referred to a 'guide' from the area; live and learn

24. George Strait's "All My __ Live in Texas" : EX'S

26. "On the Waterfront" director : KAZAN - dah~! KAFKA, er, CAPRA, D'oh~! I did notice the crossing of kaRan and kaZan

27. "Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon" author : AMADO

28. Chemical reaction portmanteau : REDOX - reactions are typically one of two types; reduction, or oxidation - the Wiki

29. Decor attachment : ATOR - DecorATOR - meh, but you gotta "33d" sometimes

30. Logical connector : NOR - Neither...

33. Yield : CAVE

34. Pioneer in conditioning research : PAVLOV - HEY~! - guess who was hostess last night at the restaurant where I built the benches~!  I was there to make a space for a new printer and set it up, and the owner told me to "dress smart", because my favorite blonde was back~!  I was drooling, but it was the ribs I had for dinner, I swear.

36. Peaked : ILL

37. American __, North Dakota state tree : ELM

38. Big or Little follower : LEAGUER

39. Kabuto-wearing warrior : SAMURAI

41. "That was normal for me once" : "I USED TO"

42. Ford Field city : DETROIT - Ted is from Detroit ( 14d )

43. Magazine department : AD SALES

46. Swiss, e.g. : CHEESE

48. Lucie of "The Jazz Singer" (1980) : ARNAZ

49. Logician known for "incompleteness theorems" : GODEL

51. __ Reader: eclectic magazine : UTNE

52. Apt collie name : SHEP

53. Comprehensive : A TO Z

54. City on the Danube : LINZ

55. Sugar meas. : TSP

56. Shield supporter on Australia's coat of arms : EMU - WAG

Splynter

Saturday, Oct 4th, 2014, Barry C. Silk

Theme: Saturday Silkie~!

Words: 72 (missing H,K,Q,Z)

Blocks: 28

  Starting off the month with a Silkie was what I expected, and this one seemed a bit tougher than the last two we had from him - but some healthy WAGs got me just close enough to get a foothold, and with a few corrections, was able to finish in 2/3 my personal time.  Triple 9's and almost triple 10's in the corners, a pair of 11-letter climbers, and one grid spanner;

35a. "Define your world" online reference : URBAN DICTIONARY - Nailed it; some of the entries are funny, but much of it is vulgar, even for me - but I do like this one, only because I work at UPS

7d. Bit : BINARY DIGIT - Ah.  I was of the mindset that it was going to be "TOOK A STAB AT"

23. Male cartoon character voiced by Nancy Cartwright : BART SIMPSON - I think most people who know the Simpsons know that Bart is done by a woman

oooooooooo n nn ww wa aa arr d rrrdd~!

ACROSS:

1. 1961 Jerry Lewis film, with "The" : ERRAND BOY - never even heard of it; I had ERRA---, and from the little bit I know about what J.L. did in most of his movies, this was a sensible WAG

10. In its entirety : UNCUT - I liked the UNCUT versions of the "Alien" movies, and the director's cut of "The Butterfly Effect" - anyone here see that~?

15. Peach variety : NECTARINE - Learn something new every day; but then again, when I think about it....

16. Indiana state flower : PEONY - a WAG with -E-N-

17. Availability indicators : DIAL TONES - Ah, availability on the phone

18. Certain candle : TAPER - threw it in, and it stayed

19. Activist gp. with a clenched fist in its logo : SDS

20. Super Bowl highlight, for many : TV AD - I do actually like the football, too, and last year, we got off to an exciting start with the safety - threw the pool numbers off something fierce

21. Heavy-duty soap brand : BORAXO - I have heard of Borax, and the 20-mule team, but this one is new to me; I had the "X", too

22. Open court hearing, in law : OYER - I started with OYEZ, and that was good enough

23. Monk music : BOP - ummm...makes me think of the monks from Monty Python, and the "bop" on the forehead with the wooden boards

24. Certain NCO : CPL

25. Pacer and Medallion : AMCs - I had two AMCs myself; the Hornet Sportabout, which did have huge potential to be a cool ride - and the Concorde - which was not quite the SST mentioned in 4d.

AMC Hornet Sportabout

28. 1963 Top 10 hit for Paul Petersen : MY DAD - Link away~! Way before my time

30. Function opening? : MAL - You get it this time, HeartRx~? I went with "DYS" again

31. Speculator of a sort : DAY TRADER

33. Early business language : COBOL - Another "throw it in there, and it sticks" answer

37. '50s-'60s civil rights activist : EVERS

38. Saturn, for one : GAS PLANET - I had the PLANET part, but for some reason, was really trying to get "EXO" in there - and I knew that 23d was dead on, so the "S" had to stay - duh

39. Sched. maker : IRS - Dah~! I was just talking to my accountant friend today, and this did not occur to me - the Internal Revenue Service and their 1040 breakdowns

40. Eyelashes : CILIA - Ooops....put the ol' "S" in there at the end for the plural, neglecting the Latin - does anyone know some one who is "uno-supercilium"~?

41. ID'ed : MADE - Like undercovers in cop shows

42. Org. chaired by Reince Priebus : RNC - Republican National Convention; perps

43. Scribble : JOT

44. Year Columbus began his fourth voyage : MDII - Hey~!!  My Roman numeral WAG was right on~!  I knew that it would be post-MCDXCII....

46. Corresponds : AGREES

48. Bandy words : SPAR - bandy, the verb; having a verbal dispute

49. Mint : NEW

52. Tanks, so to speak : FAILS - again the verb, not the armored vehicle, nor the armless shirt

53. Distinct : DISPARATE

55. "So Much in Love" pop group, with "The" : TYMES - not familiar to me, perps and a WAG

56. Non-profit whose corporate sponsors include Purina : ADOPT-A-PET

57. Words often evoking 58-Across : SEE ME - Circumferential on a Saturday....Teacher needs to see me after school....my buddy from UPS let me borrow his bootleg VH DVD from 1982 - wow

58. Common reaction to 57-Across : TENSENESS

DOWN:

1. Boundaries : ENDS

2. Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy : REID - I knew I spelled his name wrong ( E, not I )

3. Colortrak TVs, e.g. : RCAs - an educated WAG

4. SSTs flew over it : ATLantic - Ocean; JFK NY to London or Paris - used to rocket over my first house here on L.I.

5. Smart : NATTY - ah, not WITTY, but 60% correct

6. Annoyed big time : DROVE MAD - DAH~!  I had put ---ERED in, thinking we might be looking for something like 'ANGERED', and that was no help at all....

8. Linear, briefly : ONE-D - this one keeps fooling me; One dimensional

9. "Roundabout" band : YES - I did not much care for anything but "Owner of a Lonely Heart" from them; too progressive, even for a 70's band

10. In the brain, to a Brit : UP TOP - Funny, but my parents are/were from England, and I have not heard this from them - ever.

11. In proximity : NEAR

12. Competitor of NYC's Latin Quarter : COPACABANA - Her name was Lola - oh, sorry, that's the Copa I know - and then I remembered this scene from Goodfellas

13. Like much of the Mariana Trench : UNEXPLORED - Bang~!  Got it

14. Innsbruck's state : TYROL - mostly perps, and a WAG - Austria

21. Hunk's asset : BOD(y) - I went with ABS - BSSZZZT~!!

22. Very hot celestial orbs : O STARS - our sun is a G-type, 'yellow dwarf'

25. Together, musically : ADUE

26. Posthumous 1987 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee : MARVIN GAYE

27. Phishing, e.g. : CYBERCRIME

29. Modeling accessory : DECAL - the kind of modeling I did as a child - the scale model cars and Star Wars vehicles

30. French address : MON AMI

32. Shot providers, briefly : RNs - because BARTENDERS did not fit

33. S.A. country : COLumbia - South America

34. Suffix with electro- : LYTE - ElectroLYTE, as in Gatorade

36. Tweetbot and GoodReader : iPAD APPS - I'll take Barry's word for it; I have a Samsung

40. Nasdaq listings : COs - COmpanies; seems silly I did not get this on the first pass

42. They may be rubber : RAFTS - oh, uh....not um, TREES

43. Aaron's "Breaking Bad" role : JESSE - have not seen the show (gasp~!) but I have heard enough to know something about it; I am done with my Buck Rogers box set - I think it's on to "Dexter" now

45. Steamed : IRATE

47. B or C, but not A or D : ELEMent - Dang~!  Took too long for me to recognize this old fooler - B = Boron, C = Carbon, but no elements for A or D

48. Faction : SIDE - Dah~! Not SECT

49. View from behind? : NAPE - my first thought with the "N" in place, but I waited

50. Nice summers : ETEs

51. Moistens : WETS

53. Brooklynese pronoun : DAT

54. Appeared in print : RAN

Splynter

Saturday, Sep 13th, 2014, Barry C. Silk

Theme: Saturday Silkie~!

Words: 70 (missing J,K)

Blocks: 30

   I felt pretty confident when I started this Silkie, and I am happy to say, I did not disappoint myself.  VALE at 18a. was my first fill, but I hit quite a few of the Downs with only a letter or two in place.  Just one complete write-over, and I got my "Ta-DA~!" on a total WAG.  Triple 10-letter corners, though the downs are set inside by one column today.  Two 8s and two 9s wrap up the long answers;

1. Auto discontinued in 1974 and relaunched in 2004 : PONTIAC GTO - I did not know this was coming back for 2014 - at least we get more than just "GTO" in the answer

37a. Range-finding apparatus : TELEMETER - I did not know this, either; in fact, never heard the word before

13. '80s West Coast stereotype : VALLEY GIRL - "ehmegawd, like, totally, I mean was this, um, puzzle like to the max, or did it barf you out~!?"

28. 1988 Radio Hall of Fame inductee, with "The" : LONE RANGER - I have started watching my "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century" box set; man is the acting hard on the eyes - and to think I ate this up as a teenager

onwaRd

ACROSS:

11. Short reply : RSVP

15. One pushing the limit : SPEED DEMON

16. Space-saving term : ET AL.

17. Words of resignation : "IT'S TOO LATE" - it's never too late....for ice cream~!

18. Low area : VALE

19. Bygone boomers : SSTs

20. __ curls : BICEP

21. Touring the Getty Center Museum, briefly : IN L.A. - I've since come to recognize this style of clue as meaning "in -- " some abbreviated city

22. Arthur with a Tony : BEA

23. Order with many options : OMELET - I like mine on a bacon burger

25. Stain causes : SPILLS

29. "Follow me" : "THIS WAY"

31. "... but perhaps I'm mistaken" : "...OR NOT"

32. Weather station instrument : RAIN GAUGE

34. Spotted : SEEN

35. Sign of availability : TO LET

36. Filling limit : BRIM

39. Warn : ALERT

40. Reproduces, in a way : XEROXES - nice fill; XEROX was in another Saturday puzzle not too long ago

41. Puffs up : SWELLS

42. Explorer who landed at Calicut in 1498 : Da GAMA

43. Old platters : LPs

44. Saudi Arabia neighbor : OMAN

45. Thai appetizer : SATAY - never heard of it; my 'other' buddy Mike suggested we go get Chinese last Friday; instead he took me to a Japanese restaurant - I tried Kani salad, and it was great ( WAGed the "T")

48. Style involving a pick : AFRO

52. Annex : WING - I can never remember this "other" word for "ELL"

53. Impasse : BLIND ALLEY

55. Suffix with exist : ENCE - existENCE

56. Decisive factor : BOTTOM LINE

57. Suggestive look : LEER

58. One asking a lot of questions : QUIZ MASTER

DOWN:
       
1. Frat letters : PSIs

2. Accepts, with "in" : OPTS

3. Spot for a snake : NEST - I once had a Ball Python; ate live mice - such a trip to watch the litte fellow as it scurried about in the snake's nest, and then - BAM~!

4. Eastern holidays : TETs

5. Binding agreement : I DO - I was told Thursday repeatedly by several older women that I was charming, vulnerable, and good-looking; one went so far as to say I'd be married in a year - we will see....there's not even a girlfriend right now

6. Some brick houses : ADOBEs - very big bricks, in some cases

7. "As You Like It" character : CELIA - A little Wiki for those interested

8. Ally Financial Inc., formerly : GMAC - From the financial bailout of 2008; more Wiki

9. Schlep : TOTE

10. Heart, in hearts : ONE POINT

11. Like some umps' calls : REVIEWABLE - I did not know they reviewed calls in baseball now; I know they review any questionable goal in hockey - in Toronto

12. 1961 recipient of an Honorary Award Oscar : STAN LAUREL

14. Fold : PLEAT - like this~? ( hey, I toned it down....)

22. Deli selection : BLT

24. No __: menu notice : MSG

25. __ ped.: piano music instruction : SOST - sostenuto, "sustained"; the middle pedal of a grand piano

26. Go over beforehand : PRE-EXAMINE

27. Lack of refinement : INELEGANCE

29. Lore : TALES

30. Yesterday, in Paris : HIER - meh, Frawnche

32. Mechanical method : ROTE

33. Init. response team : EMTs

35. Some slow-cooked cuisine, for short : TEXAS BBQ - more good fill

38. Hockey __ : MOM - because "TISSUE" did not fit; anyone care to guess at what a hockey tissue is?

39. Nursery reactions : AWs...

41. World of bugs and plants? : SPYDOM - nailed it with just the "Y" in place

42. Wooden peg : DOWEL -that it is

43. Woody Woodpecker's creator : LANTZ - Walter

46. Jesus of baseball : ALOU

47. Long-tailed monkey : TITI - "Awww...." - hey, this picture led me to some interesting reading on dating

48. "__ well ..." : ALL'S

49. Pass quickly : FLIT

50. Artist Magritte : RENÉ - I think this one's my favorite

51. Open hearing, in law : OYER

54. Chicago-based professional org. : AMA

Splynter

Saturday, Aug 23rd, 2014, Barry C. Silk

Theme: Saturday Silkie~!

Words: 72 (missing J,Q,V,W)

Blocks: 32

   Well, I have to say I just smoked through this Silkie~!  The cluing was relatively unobscure, and there weren't too many cryptic answers, either.  It could be argued that I was on Mr. Silk's wavelength today....Triple 10-letter corners, with two 12-letter climbers on the inside today;

10. Significant butter component : SATURATED FAT - fairly certain it was going to end with "FAT"

20. 2005 National Toy Hall of Fame inductee : CARDBOARD BOX - it's a prize for some kids, and cats....link away~!

on-(Back?)-ward ~

ACROSS:

1. Pitcher's goal : SALE - Good start for me; I did not go with the baseball version

5. Natural wisdom : HORSE SENSE - Too bad there's little COMMON sense around these days

15. Pearl Buck heroine : OLAN - Forced readng in Junior High, and a crossword staple

16. Agents : EMISSARIES

17. Key not used alone : CTRL - on your computer

18. Great Pyramid of Giza material : LIMESTONES - eh, I wanted LIMESTONE, and it was too short - and this is not LIME STONES - those would be called 'seeds'

19. Tapped item : KEG - ah, not ALE

20. Gary, e.g. : CITY - In Indiana, e.g.

21. "I'm here to help" : "USE ME"

22. Like gross wages, e.g. : PRE-TAX

24. Plot component : ACRE - Oh, very good - I was thinking story plot, and the "R" filled via perps

26. Racing family name : UNSER

27. Ottoman officer : PASHA

29. Tripe : ROT - my first thought, but I did not fill it in

32. Measured roughly : PACED - HA~!  I "PACED" off the area for the benches, and came up with 39 feet; fortunately, I have a survey tape ( bought at a garage sale for $1 ), and I used that to verify - only 36' 6" of space.  The finished unit comes in at 36' 5" - HA~!

33. Surprise of a sort : UPSET - in sporting events usually

34. First name in Notre Dame football history : ARA

35. Collaborative educ. group : PTA - Saturday cluing

36. Initiate by purifying : BAPTIZE - Nailed it

38. Ringo Starr's drummer son : ZAK - I have linked him before - plays for A.S.a.P. - the side project of Adrian Smith, the guitarist from Iron Maiden

39. Fish with no pelvic fin : EEL - I went with "GAR"

40. Final notices : OBITs - Obituaries; I guess this is so common now that 'abbr.' is not needed

41. Buzz : DRONE

43. "Four Quartets" poet's monogram : TSE - T.S. Eliot

44. Appropriate : ALLOT - the verb, not the adjective

45. Seat of Cass County, North Dakota : FARGO

46. Mil. field rations : MREs - Meals, Ready-to-Eat

47. Slight arch : CAMBER - the only CAMBER I know is the automotive tire alignment version

 48. Use as an excuse : PLEAD

51. Coll. senior's exam : GMAT

53. Old Ford : LTD

54. Wedding figure : RING BEARER - there was a bridal shower at the restaurant Thursday night - skirts, legs and heels overload for me - sweated more watching them parade in than I did building the benches

57. Diet : FARE

58. Reasonably soon : IN GOOD TIME - Great fill

59. River to the Baltic : ODER - perps and a crossword regular

60. Certain copier supply : XEROX TONER - the second "X" was there from "...BOX", and once I put "PRIX" in, this was a gimme

61. Queen's subjects : BEES - not the one in England - er, well, there could be a queen bee there, too....

DOWN:
       
1. Shari Lewis creation : SOCK PUPPET - the Wiki on "Lamb Chop"

2. Subs : ALTERNATES - Substitutes, that is

3. Epic : LARGE SCALE

4. Like mil. volunteers : ENListed

5. Spring, perhaps : HELIX

6. Skip : OMIT - WAG

7. Frosted : RIMY - Wow; an extreme WAG that stayed

8. Weather report spec. : SSE - nice "ALTERNATIVE" for 'wind direction'

9. Slalom path segment : ESS - Ah; went with "LEG"

11. Jagged : EROSE

12. The digits in all but one of its two-digit multiples add up to it : NINE - OK, I got this, but I am not sure of the "one"; 18 (1+8), 27(2+7), 36(3+6)....so are we talking about 90(9+0)? - or 09?  Even three-digits, 108 = 1+0+8 = 9, etc.

13. Appear : SEEM

14. __ quam videri: North Carolina motto : ESSE

23. Basic top : TEE

24. It's worth one point in hockey statistics : ASSIST - God, only 6 weeks to go....

25. Bistro awning word : CHEZ

27. Ones who have class? : PUPILS - Har-Har

28. Is __: likely will : APT TO

29. It may be disposable : RAZOR BLADE - Nailed it - OK, the "Z" was there already

30. Grove grower : ORANGE TREE - the thing, not the farmer

31. Wait at the diner, perhaps : TAKE ORDERS - the staff that waits, not the customer

37. Fit : ABLE

42. Butter on a farm? : RAM - Butt-er

46. 1997 Nielsen title role : MAGOO - IMDb

47. Sympathetic sort : CARER

48. Grand __ : PRIX

49. Short note : LINE

50. Software pro, in want ads : ENGR - eh, OK.  ENGineeR

51. Beam : GRIN

52. Hand raiser's cry : "ME~! ME~!"

55. Va. summer setting : EDT

56. From __ Z : A TO

57. Watch chain : FOB

Oh, and one more thing - I have to add this pic, as there was some controversy over the use of "this" word in crosswords; seeing it on the package made me smile~!

 Splynter

Notes from C.C.:

1) Happy Birthday to Tinbeni! Hope your gal pal makes it extra special for you today. Did you sneeze yesterday? Gary and I talked about you, of course! Thanks for the daily toast at sunset.

2) Boomer and I met with Husker Gary and his lovely wife Joann yesterday. Now I know why his students loved him. Just as he is on the blog, Gary is warm & witty. He also has a deep & resonant voice, very Joe Buck-y! Joann is a master gardener. They have an abundance of cucumbers and tomatoes this year. I've yet to see my first cucumber. Thanks for the great time, Gary, also for the red Go Big Red Huskers T-shirt. I felt your hug also, Marti!

 Left to Right: Boomer, Gary, C.C. & Joann

Gary & C.C.

Saturday, Aug 2nd, 2014, Barry C. Silk

Theme: Saturday Silkie~!

Words: 70 (missing F,Q,V,X)

Blocks: 26

  YES~!  This week's offering from Mr. Silk was probably one of the toughest puzzles he's given us in a long time - IMHO.  The low block count, triple 11- and 10-letter corners and  inner pinwheel stacks left little wiggle room.  Not to mention the utter vagueness of the clues and the clever misdirections - oh, wait, I just did.... There were two breakthrough answers (*) that got me to the finish - but with a mere 57 seconds left on the clock of my personal time limit.  Some of the longer fill:

15a. Riverbend Festival city : CHATTANOOGA - that's odd; Boston in Tennessee?

55a. Egyptian expanse : SINAI DESERT - SAHARA was a tad too long

25. African Union Commission headquarters : ADDIS ABABA - Africa is popular today

14. Part of Larry King's legacy : SUSPENDERS

 

On(e more week) ward~!!!

ACROSS:

1. Travelocity offering : PACKAGE DEAL* - 11-letter start, and I'm thinking HOTEL---, PLANE---, etc., and it wasn't until the third or fourth pass, with a smattering of letters in place that I finally realized this was a 'general' term

12. Bit of texting tact : PLS - ah, so the "new" language is making its way into crosswordese; PLeaSe

16. Note : I.O.U. - the vagueness; no 'debt' reference

17. Private collectibles? : TOY SOLDIERS - I had the second "O" in place, and PHOTO--- was looking promising, as in Private Detective....

18. Sporty cars : GTs - dah~! Not MGs

19. Mac OS part: Abbr. : SYStem - I'm PC.  'nuf  said.

20. Ghostly sound : MOAN

21. Relax : EASE UP

23. Tabloid fodder : DIRT - not ITEM

24. "__ Place" : MELROSE - ARCHIE'S, MILLER'S....strange - Miller Place is right next to Mount Sinai here on Long Island (55a.)

25. Torrid : ABLAZE - Dah~!  The "Z" was in place, so I considered SLEAZY - the "Y" led me to PLENTY at 6d., and that just messed up the NW

28. It may be fit for a king : BED LINEN - Har-har~! king-sized bed, that is

29. Mideast monotheistic sect : DRUZE - the Wiki

30. Ramble on : PRATE

31. Taken : HAD - "I've been ___~!"

32. Monopoly needs : DICE - Ugh, really, Mr. Silk~??? The plural vagueness got me

33. "Cool!" : "NEATO~!"

34. Thoughtless procedure? : ROTE - Clever

35. Gross remark? : ICK - not UGH, not ACK ( my last correction before time expired )

36. Difficult : MESSY - like, say, d-i-v-o-r-c-e

37. More sound : HALER - not sAnER - that's 60%, D-Otto~!

38. Vietnam War attack aircraft : SKYHAWKS

40. They're history : GONERS

41. Ed O'Neill sitcom role : AL BUNDY - "Married, with Children" - could only watch so much of it

42. Bottled (up) : PENT

43. Cultural icon making her debut in 1959 : BARBIE - I only saw this upon doing the review; she looks good for 55....

44. Prefix with nautical : AERO - aeronautical

45. Poke : JAB

48. Call for passage : AYE

49. Each of the two longest ones lasted 15 innings : ALL-STAR GAME - they take it way too seriously, then

52. Emmy winner Arthur : BEA

53. Split personality? : CHEERLEADER* - ah, that kind of split

54. Vessel measured in cubits : ARK - three-letter vessel? All I could think of was URN - DAH~!! THAT kind of vessel

DOWN:

1. Election figs. : PCTs - Percentages

2. Gob stopper? : AHOY - Gob being a term for a sailor in this instance

3. Small islands : CAYS - not KEYS, AITS....

4. Board jumpers: Abbr. : KTs - Knights, on Chess boards - the only piece that can 'jump'; makes this today's uber-vagueness winner~!

5. Reduce to mist : ATOMIZE - one of my very few first pass answers

6. In abundance : GALORE

7. Proceed until : END AT

8. "Whatcha __?" : "DOIN'?"

9. Job listing letters : EOE

10. Accepted : AGREED TO

11. The Explorers of the Atlantic 10 Conf. : LaSALLE

12. Catalog : PIGEONHOLE

13. Mythological daydreamer : LOTUS EATER - more here

22. Indian honorific : SRI

23. Floor : DAZE - the verb, not the noun

24. Substantive : MEATY

26. Construction worker : BRICKLAYER - got a new wood working project to do at a restaurant on the east end of L.I. called "A Lure", so this wash-out weekend will be spent doing CAD work; the Rook Table is on hold

27. Sore loser's comment : LUCKY BREAK

28. Source of many orders : BRASS - I threw in "SARGE" - that's 0%, D-Otto

30. Irksome : PESKY

33. One of the Nehru Planetarium cities : NEW DELHI

34. Carry on : RANT

36. More than just zealots : MANIACS - fanatics was one too many

37. Award winner : HONOREE

39. Where some routes meet : HUB - ALL of Suffolk County's Eastern UPS routes meet at our HUB, which is more of a TERMINAL, actually

40. Predecessor of Nelson : GERALD - Vice Presidents, Gerald Ford, Nelson Rockefeller

42. __ dish : PETRI - Hey~! I got one~!

44. Perplexed : ASEA

45. Alaska's state gem : JADE

46. From Hawaii, say: Abbr. : AMERican - argh~!!! Yes, anything from Hawaii is STILL American

47. Hall of Fame pitcher Blyleven : BERT - I'll have to dig out my old baseball sticker albums - I actually KNEW this one, C.C.~!

50. Novelist Deighton : LEN

51. Energy : GAS

Splynter