Monday, November 14, 2011 Betty Keller

Theme: I can't tell you. - But you'll guess soon enough.

17. Big corporations, lawsuit-wise : DEEP POCKETS

27. Godiva choice : DARK CHOCOLATE

48. Anonymous fan : SECRET ADMIRER

64. "For your ears only" ... and a hint to first words of 17-, 27- and 48-Across : "MUM'S THE WORD"

Argyle here. For those of you that like to solve in just one direction, this is your puzzle.

Across:

1. Out of the office : NOT IN. Post election, this phrase takes on added significance.

6. NRA part : RIFLE

11. La-la lead-in : TRA

14. Madison Square Garden, e.g. : ARENA

15. How some losses are shown : IN RED

16. French water : EAU

19. Sprint alternative : AT&T

20. Alan of "M*A*S*H" : ALDA

21. Retriever restraint : LEASH

22. Folk music's Kingston __ : TRIO. Their song about a deep, dark secret. Tom Dooley.(3:02)

23. Divining implement : ROD. Dowsing, from Wikipedia.

25. Native blanket makers : NAVAJOs

32. Sch. in the smallest state : URI. The University of Rhode Island.

33. Bull: Pref. : TAUR

34. Petite pastries : TARTS

37. Money maker : MINT

39. More factual : TRUER

42. Hop, __ and jump : SKIP. The triple jump is sometimes referred to as the hop, step and jump or the hop, skip and jump. This is one answer you need the perp to decide which is right.

43. Lox holder : BAGEL

45. Hollywood Walk of Fame feature : STAR

47. Campus URL ender : .EDU

52. Shapewear fabric : SPANDEX

54. Quaint stopover : INN

55. Sir __ Belch of "Twelfth Night" : TOBY. Sir Toby, Olivia's uncle, drinks a great deal, keeps late hours and is generally rowdy by nature.

56. Lavish celebrations : FETEs

59. Bangkok tongue : THAI

63. Play for a sap : USE

66. V.P. Biden's state : DEL. Ah, the state with an arc on its northern border.

67. March march VIP : ST. PAT

68. U or I, e.g. : VOWEL

69. Armani competitor, initially : YSL. Yves Saint Laurent was founded in 1961.

70. Flashy tank fish : TETRA

71. Part of a college application : ESSAY

Down

1. Nothin' : NADA

2. Baseball's Hershiser : OREL

3. Ready for kickoff : TEED. Usually with UP.

4. Out of gear, as a car : IN PARK because neutral doesn't fit.

5. Hammock snooze : NAP

6. Paddy product : RICE

7. Durante song title word : INKA. Rare record recording version.(3:05)

8. City ESE of San Francisco : FRESNO

9. Murderous : LETHAL

10. Newspaper VIPs : EDs. Editors.

11. Two-hanky film : TEARJERKER

12. Betting odds, e.g. : RATIO

13. Traffic jam components : AUTOS

18. Passé : OLD HAT

22. Breezy bye-byes : TATAs. Word Origin & History - "good-bye," 1823, a word first recorded as infant's speech. Abbreviation T.T.F.N., "ta-ta for now," popularized 1941 by BBC radio program "ITMA," where it was the characteristic parting of the cockney cleaning woman character Mrs. Mopp, voiced by Dorothy Summers. Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

24. Leaf-peeping mo. : OCT.

26. Winery container : VAT

27. Idiotic : DUMB

28. "La Traviata" number : ARIA

29. Sounds familiar : RINGS A BELL

30. Pronoun for you and me : OUR

31. Sicilian pizza has a thick one : CRUST

35. Ocean phenomenon : TIDE

36. Cowpoke's prod : SPUR. I was watching an early TV Lone Ranger(#2, I think) when he tamed Silver and proclaims he and Silver will be compatriots for life and his trusty steed will to his bidding out of friendship. So why is he wearing spurs?

38. Itsy-bitsy : TEENY

40. Expected coming-in hr. : ETA

41. Red root veggie : RADISH

44. HDTV feature, often : LCD

46. LBJ follower : RMN. Lyndon Baines Johnson & Richard Milhous Nixon.

49. Prove wrong : REFUTE

50. Not subject to taxes : EXEMPT

51. Paired up : IN TWOS

52. Hit the books : STUDY

53. Prepares to be photographed : POSES

57. Old Russian despot : TSAR

58. Bluesy James : ETTA

60. "__ it going?" : HOW'S. ¿Qué Pasa?

61. Word with dining or picnic : AREA

62. Lazy way to sit by : IDLY

64. Hrs. in Phoenix, Arizona : MST. Mountain Standard Time.

65. Eden's second resident : EVE

Answer grid.

Argyle

Thursday September 22, 2011 Betty Keller

Theme: Fowl Play -Another word is attached to the end of each fowl-starting two-word common expresson. The new phrase is then humorously clued.

17A. Daffy trying to hit the piñata? : DUCK BLINDFOLDED. Duck blind.

25A. Survey response at the farm? : CHICKEN FEEDBACK. Chicken feed.

43A. Tom fooler? : TURKEY LEGPULLER. Turkey leg.

57A. Loosey's cake-making aid? : GOOSE EGGBEATERS. Goose egg.

C.C. here, filling in another blogging gap.

Love this theme. Tight and fun. Four 15s are quite a lot to place in a grid. Luckily they don't have to be in a particular order. Otherwise, problem could arise, esp if rare letters (Z, Q, J & X) are involved.

Across:

1. Clips for trailers : SCENES. Movie trailers.

7. Fridge incursion : RAID

11. Triangular sail : JIB

14. Kia model : OPTIMA. The "a" in Kia means "Asia". Ki = Rise. So, "rise out of Asia".

15. Dagwood's pesky kid neighbor : ELMO. No idea.

16. Japanese salad ingredient : UDO. Like this. Kind of Sansai (mountain veggie). San = Mountain. Sai = Veggie.

20. Campfire remains : ASH

21. It originates from the left ventricle : AORTA

22. Pops : DADDY

23. "Garfield" waitress : IRMA. Another no idea. Would only nail it if it were clued as "____ la Douce" or "Joy of Cooking".

24. Detective Spade : SAM

33. Stows in a hold : LADES

34. x, y or z : AXIS

35. Many a Louis : ROI

36. Supplies for Seurat : OILS

37. Sends regrets, perhaps : RSVPs

39. Entry in a PDA : APPT

40. Maui strings : UKE. LEIs too. Hi there JD!

41. Waterfall sound : ROAR

42. Not at all good at losing? : OBESE. Losing weight.

47. Only reason to watch the Super Bowl, some say : ADs. True for me.

48. Like a pretentious museumgoer : ARTY

49. Plane parking place : APRON. Sweet fill for our pilot Dudley.

52. Mountaintop home : AERIE

54. Likely result of failing a Breathalyzer test, briefly : DUI

60. Dedicatee of Lennon's "Woman" : ONO

61. Jazz singer Laine : CLEO

62. Blanche Dubois's sister : STELLA. In "A Streetcar Named Desire" . "Hey Stella!".

63. Place with presses : GYM

64. It may be a peck : KISS

65. "Mustn't do that!" : TSK-TSK

Down:

1. Fizz in a gin fizz : SODA

2. PC "brains" : CPUs

3. Make quite an impression : ETCH

4. Beat back? : NIK. Beatnik.

5. Boards at the dock : EMBARKS

6. Strauss opera based on a Wilde play : SALOME. Just learned it's originally written in French.

7. Flat bread? : RENT. Great clue. Flat = Apartment.

8. "M*A*S*H" actor : ALDA

9. Currency-stabilizing org. : IMF. What a club!

10. Thingamabobs : DOODADs. Nice word.

11. Hirsch of "Numb3rs" : JUDD. Have never seen "Numb3rs".

12. Picked from a lineup : ID'ed

13. Shampoo ad buzzword : BODY. Give your hair more body. Get to know Miranda Kerr!

18. Shah's land, once : IRAN

19. New ewe : LAMB

23. Brain freeze cause : ICES

24. Juanita's half-dozen : SEIS. In Chinese, it's LIU, falling tone. The LIU in Lucy Liu is rising tone. 4 tones in Chinese.

25. Leverage : CLOUT

26. 17-syllable verse : HAIKU

27. Slugabed : IDLER

28. Green Bay legend : FAVRE (Brett). Which legend doesn't have a few foibles?

29. Abbr. on food labels : EXP

30. Adrien of cosmetics : ARPEL

31. Small woods : COPSE. Want to take a walk?

32. Bad-check passer : KITER

37. Acuff and Clark : ROYs

38. Actor Mineo : SAL

39. With skill : ABLY

41. Scapegoat in some down-home humor : REDNECK. Fun entry.

42. Downs more dogs than, in an annual contest : OUT-EATS. Those guys must have have a very elastic stomach.

44. "Get Smart" evil org. : KAOS

45. Shirts and skirts : GARB. Rhyming.

46. Mass leader : PRIEST

49. Visibly wowed : AGOG

50. Chincoteague horse : PONY. Chincoteague is new to me, Lois! Wikipedia said it's famous for its Chincoteague ponies.

51. Sufficient space : ROOM

52. Sits in a wine cellar : AGES

53. Inflatable items : EGOS

54. Shoulder muscle, for short : DELT

55. Bing info : URLs

56. Writer Dinesen : ISAK. Author of "Out of Africa".

58. Bulldog booster : ELI. Yale. Jayce's alma mater.

59. Shatner's "__War" : TEK

Answer grid.

Here is a lovely picture from our long absent Moon. She said: "... As before, reading the blog is a daily ritual (except Saturdays, when I don't do the crossword). ... I turned 33 this year and to commemorate the mile-stone, I'm running 3 half-marathons over the course of 6 weeks..." She just completed her second half-marathon last Sunday.

I think she doesn't like hockey, Splynter!

C.C.

Monday, September 27, 2010 Betty Keller

Theme: Three Diminutive Swine - First word of the first three long entries describe the protagonist of this classic children's tale. Also included are the integral structures associated with the story.

17A. High rollers: BIG SPENDERS

29A. "Do as I say, not as I do" speakers: BAD EXAMPLES

45A. Shrill "compliment" to a pretty woman: WOLF WHISTLE

61A. Catch your breath, or what the subject of this puzzle (found at the start of 17-, 29- and 45-Across) does: HUFF AND PUFF

Also:

39A. Like the house this puzzle's subject couldn't destroy: BRICK. Very center of the grid.

26D. Like a house destroyed by this puzzle's subject: STRAW

33D. See 26-Down clue: STICK. Both fragile houses are symmetrically placed along the edges of the grid. Very nice.

And a bonus entry: PENNED (6D. Confined, as pigs).

Argyle here.

Heavy themeage (57 theme squares) for a Monday with some questionable abbreviations but no real problems. It has been over a year since we have had a puzzle from Betty Keller and again, she isn't big on trickery or obscurity, as is right for a Monday. I think "cute" would be my description of this puzzle.

Across:

1. Sign up : ENROL

6. "My Cousin Vinny" star Joe : PESCI

11. Cooperstown shrine: Abbr. : HOF. The official site of the National Baseball Hall of Fame is in Cooperstown, NY.

14. First lady before Michelle : LAURA. Mrs. Bush.

15. Revolutionary Allen : ETHAN. Vermonter. His brother, Ira, did not get the press that Ethan did.

16. Tic-tac-toe loser : OXO

19. Pin for hanging : PEG

20. Election losers : ALSO-RANS

21. Observing : EYING

23. Musical scale unit : NOTE

24. Morales of "Jericho" : ESAI. We have seen this regular lately. His vowel-laden name use to show up on a seemingly weekly basis.

26. Duped person : SAP

34. Deal in stocks : TRADE

36. Stimpy's partner : REN. Ren is the scrawny "Asthma-Hound" Chihuahua

37. Actor Brad : PITT. Must post picture or else! Image.

38. Thinker Descartes : RENÉ. "Father of Modern Philosophy".

41. K-12 sch. years : ELHI

42. On a cruise : ASEA

43. "The View" network : ABC

44. Dig discovery : RELIC

49. "How revolting!" : ICK

50. One, to Beethoven : EINS. German.

51. Den or parlor : ROOM

53. One in a multiple birth : QUINT

56. Pet lizards' homes : TERRARIA

60. German conjunction : UND. More German.

64. Swearing-in words : I DO

65. Motionless : INERT

66. Nightmare loc. of film : ELM ST.

67. D.C. deal-maker : POL

68. Like a catching-up letter : NEWSY

69. Some towed vehicles, briefly : REPOS

Down:

1. Napoleon's exile isle : ELBA

2. File target : NAIL

3. Carpets : RUGS

4. Director Welles : ORSON

5. Carriage passenger's warmer : LAP ROBE

7. Approx. takeoff hrs. : ETDs. Estimated Time of Departure (ETD)

8. Boater's pronoun : SHE

9. Automobile : CAR

10. Crotch-to-ankle pants measure : INSEAM

11. Native Arizonans : HOPI

12. Plow pullers : OXEN

13. Verne's circumnavigator Phileas : FOGG. World traveller in Jules Verne's 1873 novel, "Around the World in Eighty Days". (Updated later: the original clue Phineas is a typo.)

18. "I could __ horse!" : EAT A

22. "Yahoo!" : YIPPEE

24. Biz VIP : EXEC. Very Important Person in business.

25. Went down like a stone : SANK

27. "Am not!" retort : ARE SO

28. Group of judges : PANEL

30. Idle and Clapton : ERICs. Eric Idle, English comedian, performed as a member of the British comedy group Monty Python. Eric Clapton, English guitarist, performed as a member of rock bands the Yardbirds and Cream.

31. Actress Palmer : LILLI. She was married to Rex Harrison. Image.

32. Code of conduct : ETHIC

35. Overwhelm with noise : DEAFEN

39. German road : BAHN. More German...again.

40. MLB scoring stats : RBIs

44. Stock up again : REORDER

46. Live __ one's means : WITHIN

47. The "T" in NATO : TREATY. North Atlantic Treaty Organization

48. Forsaken : LORN. Forlorn is the more common usage.

52. Source of Canada's symbolic leaf : MAPLE

53. Comical comment : QUIP

54. Cancel : UNDO

55. Fan club favorite : IDOL

56. Swaps between accts. : TFRS.. Is this a common abbreviation?

57. Type of roast : RUMP

58. In that event : IF SO

59. P.M. periods : AFTS. Now this abbreviation is a strain.

62. A, to Berlioz : UNE. Louis-Hector Berlioz was a French composer, regarded as a pioneer of modern orchestration.

63. Not many : FEW

Answer grid.

Argyle

Added 8:45am:

Congratulations to constructor Mangesh Ghogre and his wife Rupali. They just had a new baby boy today. Their first, I think.

Tuesday June 16, 2009 Betty Keller

Theme: LUNCH (67A: Meal that precede the start of 17-, 29-, 46- or 62-Across)

17A: Wasp-waisted shape: HOURGLASS FIGURE

29A: What a big spender has plenty of: MONEY TO BURN

46A: Boardinghouse sign: ROOM FOR RENT

62A: Godiva gift: BOX OF CHOCOLATES

I don't know how to have a HOURGLASS FIGURE. It's impossible to have boobs/hips that are at least 10 inches bigger than the waist. But Scarlett Johansson does have one.

Besides CHOCOLATES, there are a few other food/drink bonus references in today's grid:

51A: Thé, basically: EAU. Thé is French for "tea". "Lait, basically" works for EAU too.

53A: Snapple product: ICE TEA. Should be ICED TEA.

5D: Quiche base: EGG

9D: Self-serve meal: BUFFET

4D: Poor substitute for 62A: CAROB. I've never had CAROB power. Don't understand why it's a "poor" substitute.

18D: 53-Across flavor: LEMON

Lovely puzzle. I enjoyed it.

Across:

1A: Italian ball game: BOCCE. Somehow I wanted BOCCA. One of the variant spellings is actually BOCCIA.

10A: Sgt. Friday's force: LAPD. Of "Dragnet".

14A: "What __!": "B-o-o-o-ring!": A DRAG

15A: Forbidden perfume brand?: TABU. TABU perfume by Dana. Better clue than taboo variant.

16A: Arced molding: OGEE

20A: Palm phone: TREO. Unknown brand to me.

21A: Tokien's Treebeard, for one: ENT

22A: Accept reality: FACE IT

23A: Emeril catchword: BAM. Emeril Lagasse. "Kick up a notch!" is another of his catchwords. Maybe I should count this answer as a bonus fill as well.

26A: Cleaning item: RAG

35A: Ovid's "I love": AMO. AMO, amas, amat. Te AMO.

36A: How the euphoric walk?: ON AIR. Nice clue. Much better than "Studio sign".

37A: "Look here, old chap!": I SAY. Had trouble getting this answer. British exclamation? Another chap answer is BLOKE (70A: Chap).

38A: Raps with barbs: ZINGS

40A: EPA-banned pesticide: DDT. And DEET (13D: Insect repellent compound).

41A: Harry Potter's Potions teacher: SNAPE. No idea. This guy looks evil. Is he a bad guy?

42A: Dix plus un: ONZE. French for 11. Dix is 10. 10+1=11.

43A: Moray hunter: EELER

45A: "Vamoose!": GIT. We had extensive discussions about GITS last time when it's clued as "Lights out".

58A:"If I Only __Brain": HAD A. The Scarecrow song from "The Wizard of Oz".

65A: The Auld Sod: ERIN. Have never heard of "The Auld (Old) Sod" as a nickname for Ireland.

68A: Head of France?: TETE. French for "head". Not the insecure, arrogant, attention-seeking Nicolas Sarkozy.

Down:

1D: Bangkok currency: BAHT. Loved the street food in Bangkok. 1 Thai BAHT = 0.029 US dollars.

2D: Glade target: ODOR. Can you believe that the brand names were not allowed in Xword before? How boring!

3D: Rock's Mötley ___ : CRUE. The only member I know is Tommy Lee.

10D: Lincoln's birthplace: LOG CABIN. In Hardin Country, Kentucky. I used to think he was born in Illinois.

11D: Flulike symptom: AGUE. Learned from doing Xword.

12D: Gilpin of "Frasier": PERI. Also the Persian fairy.

19D: "Othello" conniver: IAGO. You've got to remember this villain.

24D: "Famous" cookie man: AMOS

25D: South Carolina's __ Beach: MYRTLE. Wonderful golf courses there.

26D: Stubble remover: RAZOR

28D: Bonkers: GONZO. New slang for me.

30D: __ Raiders: consumer advocates: NADER'S. Does this organization still exist?

31D: Down-yielding duck: EIDER

32D: Utilities bill datum: USAGE

34D: Dmitri's dissents: NYETS. Russian for "no". I just found out that Dmitri means "earth-lover" in Russian. The current Russian president's given name is Dimitry. I suppose it's the same as Dmitri?

39D: Emerald or ruby: GEM STONE

41D: Span. miss: SRTA. The French equivalent is MLLE.

44D: Año nuevo month: ENERO

47D: Lord's holding: FIEF. Often clued as "Feudal estate".

48D: Prophet at Delphi: ORACLE. Warren Buffet is often called "ORACLE of Omaha".

52D: Ryder rival: U-HAUL

53D: "Fat chance": I BET

55D: Sign over a door: EXIT

56D: Cartoon explorer: DORA. DORA the Explorer.

59D: 8, for oxygen: AT NO (Atomic Number)

64D: Barrister's deg.: LLB (Legum Baccalaureus, Latin for Bachelor of Laws). I got the answer from Across fills. Why "Barrister" instead of "Attorney"?

Answer grid.

C.C.