Tuesday, November 3, 2015 Bruce Haight

Theme: H-D - Heavy Duty Harley-Davidson Hot Dogger (Hipster Doofus)

17A. Just swell : HUNKY-DORY. (The Phrase Finder)

21A. Serious romantic outing : HEAVY DATE

28A. Pursue and catch : HUNT DOWN

37A. Stylist's appliance : HAIR DRYER

49A. Yosemite granite formation : HALF DOME. (Photo)

56A. Sitcom with Richie and the Fonz : HAPPY DAYS. (1974 to 1984)

62A. Lowe's rival : HOME DEPOT. (home improvement retailer)

71A. How many TV shows are shown, and a hint to the seven longest across answers' common feature : IN HD. (in High Definition)

Argyle here. What may be lacking in quality is more than made up in quantity. Seven theme entries; an interesting collection. Some fill that might trip up a tyro but veterans should suss easily.

Across:

1. Woman who turns up in Rick's gin joint : ILSA

5. 41st or 43rd president : BUSH

9. National park in the Canadian Rockies : BANFF

14. __-chef : SOUS

15. One of Pittsburgh's three rivers : OHIO. 2 into 1. The Ohio River is formed by the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers.

16. Like a loud crowd : AROAR

19. Itsy-__ : BITSY

20. Generous __ fault : TO A

23. Hot beverage server : TEA URN. A change-up from the coffee urn.

26. Personal ad abbr. : SWF. (Single White Female)

27. Sawmill input : LOG. Lumber output.

31. South Seas wrap : SARONG

33. Freshman and sr. : YRs. (years)

34. Aussie hoppers : ROOS

36. Affected coyness, with "the" : CUTES

40. Hot under the collar : HET UP

43. Button pressed for silence : MUTE

44. Pal of Huck : TOM. Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn

47. Cellphone reminders : ALERTS

52. Dues payer: Abbr. : MEM. (member)

53. Chocolate pooch : LAB

55. Like Huck and Yosemite, nounwise : PROPER names.

60. Hosp. trauma centers : ERs

61. Outwit : ONE-UP

66. Ionian Sea island : CORFU

67. Spellbound : AGOG

68. Mickey and Mighty : MICE

69. Cheez Whiz company : KRAFT

70. Shakespearean villain : IAGO. Iago is Othello's trusted advisor but is not to be trusted.

Down:

1. "More or less" suffix : ISH

2. Gehrig who usually batted after Ruth : LOU. Yankee's

3. Baskers' acquisitions : SUNTANS

4. Invite to the movies, say : ASK OUT

5. Gym specimen : BOD. Both words are shortened.

6. "Oops!" : "UH, OH!"

7. Father : SIRE

8. Georgetown team : HOYAS

9. Youthful countenance : BABYFACE

10. Saharan : ARID

11. Very few : NOT A LOT

12. Slick trick that's "pulled" : FAST ONE

13. Prepare a sunny-side-up breakfast : FRY EGGS

18. Three feet : YARD

22. Bugs and Rabbits, e.g. : VWs. (Volkswagen cars)

23. Your, of yore : THY

24. Where It.'s at : EUR. Italy/Europe

25. More formal "Me neither!" : "NOR I!"

29. Wriggly bait : WORM

30. "Ya think?" : "NO DUH!"

32. 1921 robot play : R.U.R. (Rossum´s Universal Robots)

35. Span. miss : SRTA. Señorita

37. "Ben-__" : HUR

38. "Well said" : "APTLY PUT"

39. Business review website : YELP

40. Pork knuckle : HAM HOCK

41. Rigby of Beatles fame : ELEANOR

42. Egg-based paint : TEMPERA. Don't try to fry it.

44. Some English, at Wimbledon : TOP SPIN

45. Cockney abode : 'OME

46. Body of eau : MER. French water/sea.

48. Unhappy : SAD

50. Mister Rogers : FRED

51. Scale starters : DO RE MI

54. Religion founded in Persia : BAHA'I

57. Drag on a cigar : PUFF ergo 59D. Urban haze : SMOG

58. Flexibility-improving discipline : YOGA

63. Swelled head : EGO

64. Scot's "Oh my!" : "OCH!"

65. Actor Knight : TED. from the Mary Tyler Moore Show.

Argyle

Friday, October 9, 2015, Bruce Haight

Theme: A few quick NOTES.

I knew it was Friday and we were in for some shenanigans when I saw the blank grid with the three interesting shapes from NW to SE.  I was not immediately sure what they were, but having done Bruce's E puzzle, I was ready. The asterisks and the reveal made this doable but it was a challenge. Bruce has decided to create a six themer,with a reveal, where each 7 letter word has only letters which can be notes (A B C D E F and G). This one is a visual treat, with the short theme answers leaving room for a boatload of sparkly fill.  AKIHITO,  A LACK OF,  APOLLO I,  BAGGAGE, BUSSING,  DO I DARE,  EROTICA, GONERIL, LATINOS, OLEANNA.  ON TOP OF, RELEARN, POP-UP ADS,  BICAMERAL,  NATURALIST, POLICEWOMAN. These are not all easy, but they were fun. He also uses the downs to create triple stacks of 7s in each corner with the theme on the outside, intersecting with two double stacks. Add two 10 letter climbers and there is your puzzle. Bruce, I like your style. let's walk.

32A. *Vandalized, in a way : DEFACED (7). Like your street artists?

39A. *Head of the produce section? : CABBAGE (7). Lettuce dispense with bad vegetable puns, please!

1D. *Yielded : ACCEDED (7).

12D. *Place for oats : FEEDBAG (7). No horsing around.

36D. *Emotional burden : BAGGAGE (7). Looks like CABBAGE's evil twin.

42D. *Wiped out : EFFACED (7). I realize with the limitation of using only 7 letters things will look similar, but this and 32A are really close.
and the reveal

52A. They're graphically represented three times in this grid ... and the answers to starred clues are the six longest common words than can be spelled using only them : NOTES (5).

Across:

1. Stirs : ADOS.

5. He wrote about "a midnight dreary" : POE. Now, 170 years since publication; a sample:
Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
`'Tis some visitor,' I muttered, `tapping at my chamber door -
Only this, and nothing more.'

8. Gobble (up) : SNARF.

13. Die, with "out" : CONK. Like a car engine.

14. Blog entry : POST. Weekly.

15. Capital of India : RUPEE. We get both kinds back to back in this clecho.

16. Capital __ : CITY.

17. Colorful fish : OPAH. Also known as moonfish.

18. Took the wrong way? : STOLE. Nice clue.

19. Old Tokyo : EDO.

20. Haul to the kitchen, as groceries : LUG IN. I like the word lug, but no this fill.

22. Word before or after dog : SLED.  I do like the challenge of before and after words. 4D. Word before or after blue : SKY.

23. High-five relative : DAP. We had this fist bump recently.

24. Poison remedy : IPECAC. Now controversial emetic. LINK. And more next door clecho.

26. Poison test site : LAB.

27. Steamy stuff : EROTICA.

30. Queen of the Goths in Shakespeare's "Titus Andronicus" : TAMORA. We get some Shakespeare almost every Friday.

33. Romantic activity : BUSSING. Great word; not affirmative action but "a kiss," 1560s; probably of imitative origin, as are Welsh and Gaelic bus "kiss, lip," French baiser "kiss" (12c., from Latin basiare), Spanish buz, German dialectal Buss. (Dictionary).

34. Words of wisdom : SAWS. Generally old ones.

35. Country on the Strait of Hormuz : IRAN.

36. Ravel classic : BOLERO. A brief X-rated scene

43. Old-style warning : ALARUM.

44. Rather little : A LACK OF.

45. Understand : GET. Ah, I get it.

46. Deli staple : SALAMI.

49. Like Beethoven's "Pastoral Symphony" : IN F.

50. Horse show concern : GAIT.

53. 2000 World Series venue : SHEA. The SUBWAY Series.

54. Yearbook, e.g. : ANNAL.

56. Bakery buy : TART.

57. Newspaper fig. : CIRCular.

58. Little garden party? : GNOME. Really cute clue for an ugly statue.

59. Mazatlán Mrs. : SRA. Senora.

60. End in __ : A TIE.

61. Facilitated : EASED.

62. Suffer : AIL.

63. Squealed : TOLD. My brothers and I learned early to never squeal on each other.

Down:

2. "Is it worth the risk?" : DO I DARE. Nice letter pattern and stack.

3. Knowledgeable about : ON TOP OF. Old Smokey?

5. Online annoyances : POP-UP ADS.

6. Oklahoma county in which a 2008 Pulitzer-winning drama is set : OSAGE. Anybody? LINK.

7. Work __ : ETHIC.

8. Many AARP mems. : SRS. Seniors,

9. "Darn it!" : NUTS.

10. Ill-fated 1967 mission : APOLLO I.  Sad HISTORY. HG?

11. Brush up on : RELEARN.

14. Member of the force : POLICEWOMAN. PEPPER was so spicy. 28D. 14-Down's need, at times : TASER.

21. Darwin, for one : NATURALIST. He ran around without clothes?

25. Fruit named for a Turkish town : CASABA. This MELON named for KASABA.

29. Legendary flier : ICARUS. Poor guy, it was his fall that made him famous.

31. "Morning Joe" airer : MSNBC. Do you watch?

33. Like Congress : BICAMERAL. Two bodies.

37. 1992 Mamet play : OLEANNA. And 1994 MOVIE.

38. Fast-growing U.S. ethnic group : LATINOS.

40. Reigning emperor of Japan : AKIHITO.


41. Regan's poisoner, in Shakespeare : GONERIL. An extra Will.

47. "__ luck!" : LOTSA.

48. Asteroids maker : ATARI.

51. Subdue : TAME.

53. "Buzz off!" : SCAT. I see scat for four legged animals, buzz off for two.

55. Went first : LED. In this case, out the door as another week has passed. Thanks Bruce for your semi-annual Friday LAT. Another week, on that note.... Lemonade out.

Friday, August 7, 2015, Bruce Haight

Theme: The Key is on the Board

Three theme answers are common phrases with the first word replaced with the abbreviation for a word whose abbreviation appears on a standard computer keyboard. Does Apple had the same keys? Nope Option key.... Apple in 3 days. If only Bruce had worked in CAPS LOCK he would have managed all the abbreviations on the standard keyboard (ignoring stuff like NUM LOCK, PG DN on the little part). I did Bruce's first LAT, which had no E's as well as a Latin Pun, so this one seemed easy in comparison. My only stumbling block was the mental meltdown that left me grasping for AFTA, which was my last fill, coming from 'FRAID SO. Speaking of which, it was the seven letter fill, much of which was fun, that opened up the grid for me. ALABAMA,  ESTRADA, LA LAKER,  OIL HEAT,  OTHELLO,  PIG IRON, PRY OPEN,  SLED DOG,  TEAPOTS,  WHAT THE,  WIN BACK gave me footholds in each region.

17A. DVD extras, perhaps : ALTernate ENDINGS (10). Don't you wonder about a movie that has different endings filmed; make up your mind!

29A. Ones getting away often : ESCape ARTISTS (10). Is there artistry in escaping?

45A. Hardly team players : ConTRoL FREAKS (10). A term that emerged in the 60's.

58A. Place to see part of 17-, 29- and 45-Across : Personal Computer KEYBOARD (10). So all you had do was look down and you had the theme at your fingertips- literally!


Across:

1. Lamentations : WOES. Sounds religious. 50D. Sound of lament : SOB.  Safer than using the initialism.

5. Handle indelicately : PAW AT. I am sure the cats and dogs of the world would disagree; CED link away (manac where are you?).

10. Mennen skin product : AFTA. I do not use shaving products anymore.

14. That ol' boy's : HIS'N. With my wife's family from Alabama, Kentucky and Tennessee, this was a gimme.

15. PABA part : AMINO. para-aminobenzoic acid, a natural ingredient in sunscreen no longer in favor.

16. Ready : PREP.

19. Allen contemporary : PAAR. Jack Paar replace Steve Allen on the Tonight Show when I was quite young and we had no television.

20. Court long shots : THREES. Three point shots in basketball; the most famous in Miami history...

21. Order : BOSS. I expect "around" to be around.

23. SEC concern : IPO. Initial Public Offering.

24. Wrenches : TEARS. I expect "from" to be around.

25. Wave catcher? : EAR. Sound waves; very tricky.

26. Aftermarket item : ADD ON.

28. "I've been __!" : HAD. A mini-theme? 33A. "Don't __" : ASK. And...48A. "What a kidder!" : OH YOU. 1D. "Huh?" : WHAT THE....or wtf in textspeak. 11D. "Hate to be the one to tell ya" : 'FRAID SO.

31. Letters from Greece : ETAS.

34. Jam ingredients? : AUTOS. Very tricky; traffic jam.

35. "Women and Love" author Shere : HITE.

37. Nurses at a bar : SIPS. Not your pick up target....

38. Hold forth : OPINE.

40. Shaver : LAD. Are you familiar with the 'little shaver?' 47A. Rap name adjective : LIL. Wayne?

41. Blathers : YAPS.

49. Some tees : XLS. Extra Large.

50. Old West transport : STAGE Coach. We took a ride in one at Old Sturbidge Village while up north in June? Any of our other New Englanders made that ride?

52. Modernist's prefix : NEO. Seems redundant.

53. Bracketology org. : NCAA. The process of rating the college basketball teams for March Madness.

55. More than gloomy : MORBID.

56. Yodeler's range? : ALPS. Not his/her vocal range but the mountain range. Do you yodel while skiing the Alps miss m.?

60. Parts of Polynésie française : ILES. The islands in Polynesia.

61. Alamogordo event : A-TEST. Not sure why I get so many references to bomb testing.

62. 19th-century novel with the chapter "How They Dress in Tahiti" : OMOO. Memo to self: Avoid Moby Dick comments!!

63. Novelist Jaffe : RONA. Many of her BOOKS became movies.

64. Fergie's given name : SARAH. This took a very long time because I thought of HER not HER.

65. Twinge : PANG. Jealousy?

Down:

2. Alternative to gas : OIL HEAT. We had an oil burning furnace in our home when I was growing up. We were shocked  to learn one winter in Fort Lauderdale that our office building had NO heating system at all.

3. "CHiPs" actor : ESTRADA. Poor Larry Wilcox gets no love.

4. Unpleasant look : SNEER. Nobody did that better than Snidely.

5. Inflates improperly : PADS. More deception; the expense account, not Tom Brady's footballs.

6. Cherbourg chum : AMI. Just French.

7. Recover : WIN BACK. Often the goal at a casino.

8. Wool variety : ANGORA. Do not get your rabbits and goats confused. READ.

9. Evict : TOSS.

10. Kindle download : APP. This was so easy I had trouble with it.

12. Brewing vessels : TEA POTS. Too much beer in my life, another easy one gone wrong.

13. They have strings attached : APRONS. Cute.

18. Super __: game console : NES. I loved playing Mario with my sons.

22. Suddenly became interested : SAT UP. And took notice.

25. Latin being : ESSE. From when we get essence.

27. Like a flibbertigibbet : DITSY. My favorite ONE. (4:00)

29. Peter, pumpkinwise : EATER. Talk about your weird poetry; luckily we have Owen and Moe.
Peter, Peter, pumpkin-eater
Had a wife, and couldn't keep her.
He put her in a pumpkin shell,
And there he kept her very well.

30. Invades : RAIDS.

32. Imaginary playmate in a Neil Diamond title : SHILO.

36. For kicks : IN FUN.

37. Upscale retail chain : SAKS. Fifth Avenue.

38. "Then must you speak / Of one that loved not wisely but too well" speaker : OTHELLO. Love Shakespeare, feel bad for foolish Othello.

39. Jimmy : PRY OPEN.

40. Shaq, for eight seasons : LA LAKER. Now he and George Foreman are competing for the most commercials.

42. First state, in a way : ALABAMA. Alphabetically.

43. Smelting intermediary : PIG IRON. Did you know this HISTORY?

44. Iditarod sight : SLED DOG.

45. 1997 Nicolas Cage thriller : CON AIR.

46. Handicapper's option : EXACTA. Along with the Trifecta and the Pick 6, favorites of the gamblers. You pick the horse that finish 1/2, in order.

51. Company : TROOP. Still my favorite.

54. Frequent e-Filers : CPAS. Court papers are no almost all e-filed.

55. Bit of lore : MYTH.

57. Org. issuing nine-digit numbers :  SSA. Social Security Administration.

59. That, in Spain : ESA. how perfect a place to finish. I enjoyed this immensely. Thanks Bruce and for the rest of you Lemonade out.

Tuesday, May 12, 2015 Bruce Haight

Theme: It's the berries

39A. Word that can follow the starts of 17-, 26-, 50- and 58-Across : BERRIES

17A. Scary R.L. Stine series for kids : GOOSEBUMPS. Gooseberry - Wiki.

26A. Panamas, e.g. : STRAW HATS. Strawberry.

50A. Witchcraft and such : BLACK ARTS. Blackberry.

58A. Symbols of Democratic victories : BLUE STATES. Blueberry.

Argyle here. All theme entries are in plural form. Very consistent.

The two longest entries are not theme related but are in the columns so not a problem. Three of the berries may be on your breakfast table but gooseberry, not so much.

Across:

1. Like a sluggard : LAZY

5. Bottomless pit : ABYSS

10. Diving duck : SMEW

14. Woodwind with nearly a three-octave range : OBOE

15. Popeye's nemesis : BLUTO

16. Water-draining aid : EAVE. Perhaps in the sense it spaces the rain out from the base of the wall.

19. Barely makes, with "out" : EKES

20. Construction beam : I-BAR

21. Invention protection : PATENT

23. __ the races : OFF TO. Preakness prediction?

29. Crossword constructor's chore : CLUING

31. "Fiddlesticks!" : "OH, DARN!"

32. Small boys : TADS

33. Scoundrel : ROUE

35. New York governor before Pataki : CUOMO. Tricky...Mario is the father of current governor Andrew.

38. Hosp. heart test : EKG. Here we go again.

41. Squishy lowland : FEN

42. R&B singer __ Marie : TEENA

44. Toon Snorkasaurus : DINO. The Flintstones' pet.

45. Way off in the distance : AFAR

46. Magazine with an annual list of the world's 2,000 biggest public companies : FORBES

48. In a wise way : SAGELY

53. Succinct : TERSE

54. Get a new actor for : RECAST

55. Fictional reporter Lane : LOIS

57. Memo abbr. : ATTN.

64. Like racehorses : SHOD

65. Grimm brutes : OGREs

66. Smitten to the max : GAGA

67. Parade honoree : HERO

68. Meddlesome sort : YENTA

69. Unrestrained indulgence : ORGY

Down:

1. Shipboard diary : LOG

2. Blood typing system : A-B-O

3. Field trip destination : ZOO

4. Adamant affirmation : "YES, IT IS!"

5. "Take a Chance on Me" group : ABBA

6. Makes fuzzy : BLURS

7. "Delicious!" : "YUM!"

8. "The Racer's Edge" : STP

9. Steel-wool scrubber : SOS PAD

10. Sheer, informally : SEE-THRU

11. Seller's suggestion : MAKE AN OFFER

12. Javelin throw, for one : EVENT

13. Adam and Mae : WESTs

18. "... the __ blackness of the floors": Poe : EBON

22. Gulf War defense acronym : AWACS. A(irborne) W(arning) A(nd) C(ontrol) S(ystem)

23. Nonet minus one : OCTET. 9-1=8

24. Speck of snow : FLAKE

25. Experimental margin of error : FUDGE FACTOR

27. Trap victim? : TOURIST

28. Germany's longest river, to Germans : RHEIN. (the Rhine)

30. Univ. senior's exam : GRE. (Graduate Record Examination)

34. Ham sandwich and a soda, e.g. : ORDER. "Would you like some fries or chips with that?"

36. Lunch and dinner : MEALS

37. How ham may be served : ON RYE

39. Sounds from pounds : BARKS

40. Daybreak goddess : EOS

43. "Sorry, that's impossible" : "NO CAN DO"

45. In the distant past : AGES AGO

47. Dugout assistant : BATBOY

49. Quarreling : AT IT

50. In-your-face : BRASH

51. River in Hades : LETHE. Its water caused forgetfulness of the past.

52. Wintry precipitation : SLEET

56. Peak of Greek myth : OSSA. In Greek mythology, the Aloadaes are said to have attempted to pile Mount Pelion on top of Mount Ossa in their attempt to scale Olympus.

59. Shirt size abbr. : LGE

60. Coffee dispenser : URN

61. Roofing sealer : TAR

62. __ on your face : EGG

63. Put into words : SAY

Argyle

Monday, March 30, 2015 Bruce Haight

 Theme: No Grey Area - Everything is black-and-white.

17. Black-and-white cruiser : PATROL CAR

25. Black-and-white puzzles : CROSSWORDS

30. Black-and-white music makers : PIANO KEYS

45. Black-and-white companion : DALMATIAN

50. Black-and-white flag : JOLLY ROGER

64. Black-and-white ocean predator : ORCA WHALE

Argyle here. Bruce seems to manage a different style of puzzle every time he visits us. Straightforward clues, six themed entries; easy Monday. A lot of 5-letter entries results in a lot of 3-letter entries but a fair trade-off.

          Something for Tinbeni.

Across:

1. Also : TOO

4. Hotelier Helmsley : LEONA. "Queen of Mean".

9. Make small adjustments to : TWEAK

14. Post-ER area : ICU. (intensive care unit)

15. First stage : ONSET

16. ABBA's "__ Mia" : MAMMA

19. High-tech prefix with space : CYBER

20. Memorial __ Kettering: NYC hospital : SLOAN * Cancer Center founded in 1884.

21. Teensy bit : A TAD

23. Word on a penny : CENT

24. Yin's partner : YANG

27. When doubled, a Pacific island : BORA

29. Actor DiCaprio, familiarly : LEO

35. "The Jetsons" boy : ELROY

39. Go over snow : SKI

40. Painkiller with a Meltaways children's brand : TYLENOL

42. "__ Maria" : AVE

43. 2014 film about civil rights marches : SELMA

47. Outfielder's asset : ARM

49. Brouhahas : ADOs

56. Take five : REST

59. October birthstone : OPAL

60. Curly-horned goat : IBEX

61. Happen : OCCUR

62. Really casual "No prob!" : "NATCH!". Tenuous connection.

66. Pal of Threepio : ARTOO. (R2-D2)(C-3PO)

67. Behave theatrically : EMOTE

68. Type : ILK

69. Way up or way down : STEPS

70. Meeting of church delegates : SYNOD

71. Albany is its cap. : NYS. (New York State) *Slight dupe with 20-Across clue.

Down:

1. Slightly sloshed : TIPSY

2. City in Florida's horse country : OCALA. We had this last Monday. Remember?

3. Released from jail until trial : OUT ON BAIL

4. Diving lake bird : LOON. Very apt for this puzzle.

5. Picture that shows more detail: Abbr. : ENL. (enlargement)

6. "Sesame Street" grouch : OSCAR

7. "Sweet!" : "NEATO!" 10D. "Totally awesome!" : "WAY COOL!"

8. Gillette razors : ATRAs

9. HBO rival : TMC. The Movie Channel (TMC) is a cable and satellite network that is owned by the Showtime Networks, a subsidiary of CBS Corporation

11. Campfire glower : EMBER

12. Modify, as a law : AMEND

13. Go-__: mini racers : KARTS

18. Tease relentlessly : RAG ON. "of unknown origin"

22. ISP option : DSL. (internet service provider/digital subscriber line) It's been hashed over before; just accept it and move on.

25. Like dense brownies : CAKY. or CAKEY. (Spell Check didn't like either.)

26. Little shaver, to Burns : WEE LAD

28. Dial type on old phones : ROTARY

30. Ltr. add-ons : PSs. (Postscripts)

31. Eisenhower nickname : IKE. Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th President.

32. Days of yore, quaintly : ELD

33. Supporting vote : YEA

34. NBC show that celebrated its 40th anniversary in Feb. : SNL. (Saturday Night Live)

36. Cause an uproar of Biblical proportions? : RAISE CAIN

37. Fertility clinic eggs : OVA

38. Itch : YEN

41. Actor Sharif : OMAR. (Omar Sharif)

44. Shoplifter catcher, often : MALL COP

46. Handheld burning light : TORCH

48. Med. scan : MRI. (magnetic resonance imaging)

50. __ Brothers: pop music trio : JONAS. Come and gone.

51. Dizzying painting genre : OP ART

52. Coffeehouse order : LATTE

53. Bassoon relatives : OBOEs

54. Potentially infectious : GERMY

55. Former jailbird : EX-CON

57. Tarnish : SULLY

58. Tough hikes : TREKs

61. Didn't pay yet : OWED

63. Laughs from Santa : HOs

65. From __ Z : A TO

Argyle

Friday, Ocotber 24, 2014, Bruce Haight

Theme: What is funnier than a Latin Pun? "ex nihilo nihil fit."

Those six years of Latin in school certainly paid off today, in this whimsical 'add a letter' theme to get a funny answer to a silly definition. I am not sure if the Latin phrases would be difficult for anyone as they seem fairly known, but I am sure you will let me know. I thought some theme answers were very funny, and other not so much. In each case, the meaning of one of the words in the Latin phrase is preserved with other getting the added letter. Another Friday where we have lots of short fill (sixty-seven 3,4 and 5 letter fill) and only two sparklies, I’M OUTA HERE, HOLY SMOKES, with COE and NAURU being fresh fill. The second LAT puzzle from Mr. Haight, who has 6 NYT publications. He is a mentee of Peter Collins, one of the many constructors I admire. Let's see where he takes us.


17A. Latin for "big idiot"? : MAGNUM DOPUS.(11). Original Latin, Magnum Opus, meaning greatest work. Greatest work ----Greatest idiot. (an echo of magnum opus in the same week, coincidence, no! Or at least Owen says no.)

23A. Latin for "holding a grudge for a long, long time"? : MAD INFINITUM.(12). Ad Infinitum, meaning: to infinity ----Angry forever.

38A. Latin for "fighting over parking spots is not allowed"? : NO LOT CONTENDERE.(15). Nolo Contendere, the guilty plea where one does not admit guilt, but does not 'contest' the charge. This grid spanner might be a seed entry but it confused the crap out of me, as I had an idea with the added D and M, there was going to be some kind of Roman Numeral reveal, appropriate to a Latin based theme, no go. No contest ----No parking lot contest.

47A. Latin for "cheating on one's timecard"? : TEMPUS FUDGIT. (12). Tempus Fugit. Time flies ----Time is fudged (faked).

59A. Latin for "fish trading"? : SQUID PRO QUO.(11). By far my favorite, where Quid Pro Quo gets all tentacles on us. This for that ----fish(sort of) ----for that.

Across:

1. Critters who worshiped C-3PO as a god : EWOKS.

6. Penicillin precursor : SULFA. Being allergic to Penicillin and growing up before the antibiotic explosion, I remember this.

11. Like Beethoven's Second Symphony : IN D. You like this better than the abbreviation?

14. Museum piece : RELIC.

15. Central Florida city : OCALA. Gainesville's bedroom community and great horse country.

16. Wild West : MAE. I got this immediately when I saw it was three letters but still love the clue/fill.

19. "Certainement!" : OUI. Vraiment! Aussi, 66A. Idée sources : TETES. French for heads, from whence we get our ideas.

20. Blotter letters : AKA. Also Known As. It has a cousin, FKA.

21. Good, in Genoa : BUONO. Just the Italian word.

22. Hides in the closet? : FURS. Another witty use of the confusion of the verb really being a noun here.

26. Classic pops : NEHIS. Pop=Soda; easy for those in the Midwest and a clue without Radar.

29. Charles of old mysteries : NORA. Married to Nick and played by Myrna Loy.

30. Bustles : ADOS. A new clue for a crossword staple.

31. Steam table fuel : STERNO. You get a nice ONE but it won't be cheap.

35. "Good" cholesterol initials : HDL. High-density lipoprotein.

41. Adams of "The Muppets" : AMY.

42. Owl, at times : HOOTER. Oh, so they named the restaurant chain after some owls?

43. Turkmenistan neighbor : IRAN.

44. Where change is welcome : SLOT. Though slot machines no longer have slots for change.

46. "Choose taste" sauce brand : PREGO.

53. Son of Aphrodite : EROS.

54. Cell terminal : ANODE. Battery positive, I am positive.

55. Cry made with a raised index finger : AHA!

58. Torah holder : ARK.

62. Journalist William Shirer's alma mater : COE. I remember the MAN well but had no idea where he went to college, nor any real memory of the existence of a Coe College. I read the Rise and Fall of the Third Reich when it came out, but not with....

63. Verve : GUSTO. As a ...

64. Hefty portion : CHUNK. of the book was very upsetting.

65. Shop door nos. : HRS. Hours.

67. Salon and others : E-MAGS. It sounds all POLITICAL so I have never read it.

Down:

1. First name in wit : ERMA. Ms. Bombeck I believe is more famous as fill than as anything else.

2. Watery, as a drink : WEAK. Am I the only one who thought of the talented Molly Sudgen as Mrs. Slocombe telling the men they were "weak as water?" LINK.(2:53).

3. One of Chekhov's "Three Sisters" : OLGA. Called Olya, Maria (Masha) and little Irina.

4. Blood : KIN. I ken kin.

5. Takes a dive? : SCUBAS. Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus.

6. Agreeable words : SO DO I.

7. Sch. originally endowed by the Storrs brothers : UCONN. An ultimate gimme, as it was the place of undergraduate and graduate study for me. Go Huskies!

8. __ luxury : LAP OF.

9. Viral ailment : FLU.

10. Remote power sources : AAS. We get a lot of battery clues to go with our wide feet clues.

11. "See ya!" : I'M OUTA HERE. Not yet,  still working away.

12. Pacific republic near the equator : NAURU. This was hard. LINK.

13. Voltaire's world-view : DEISM.

18. Joe with some oomph : MUD. For those who like Starbucks.

22. Holiday buy : FIR. FUR fits as well, and many a husband is up a tree if all he buys is the tree.

23. Sapporo soup : MISO. Healthy or not. You DECIDE.

24. __ circle : INNER. Fun Jamaican band. Listen.(3:42).

25. "High __" : NOON. Gary Cooper at his best.

26. Family nickname : NANA.

27. Biblical kingdom near the Dead Sea : EDOM.

28. "Yikes!" : HOLY SMOKES. I like this thought I struggled for a bit.

31. Glaswegians, e.g. : SCOTS. I also like this name for those from Glasgow.

32. Furthermore : TOO.

33. Tolkien creature : ENT.

34. Series of turns: Abbr. : RTE. I guess this is accurate, but again not my first thought.

36. Snoozefest : DRAG.

37. 2014 Television Academy Hall of Fame inductee : LENO.

39. Biblical pronoun : THOU.

40. Gossip : DIRT. It would not be worth repeating if it were not a bit 'dirty.'

45. Vinyl spinners : LPS. Long Plays.

46. Go through : PIERCE. Another perfectly correct fill that slowed me.

47. Emulate Anne Sullivan : TEACH. The famous guide to Helen Keller, herself a handicapped person who was taught at the Perkins School for the blind in Boston. In high school I wrestled against one of there students in a tournament.

48. Flub : ERROR.

49. Gounod opera : FAUST. Only 2 hours plus. LINK. (2:19:06).

50. Form an alliance : UNITE.

51. Extinct Mauritian birds : DODOS. A CSO to our dear friend.

52. Econ. stat : GDP. Gross Domestic Product.

55. Blue hue : AQUA.

56. Like curtains : HUNG. So many inappropriate comments come to mind.

57. NASA go-aheads : A-OKS.

59. Friday is one: Abbr. : SGT. Badge 714, hmmmm.

60. Prov. on the St. Lawrence : QUEbec. Is that used in Canada Eh?

61. Electrical unit : OHM. Umm, I guess I am out of power here and must leave for another week. Well as this month comes to an end I have tons of birthdays ahead, including Miss Charlotte. Thanks Bruce and thank you all for stopping by.

Lemonade out.

Thursday, September 4, 2014 Bruce Haight

Theme: HERE We Go!                             

17-Across. Keep one's landlord happy : PAY THE RENT. Even better, pay in cash!

23-Across. Box instruction : OPEN OTHER END. And the instruction there? "Open Other End..."

37-Across. Optional learning : HIGHER EDUCATION. For my sisters and me, it wasn't optional!

46-Across. Usually not a good way to get married : ON THE REBOUND. Uh, not even a good way to date.

57-Across. "You listen to me," and an instruction about what to look for in 17-, 23-, 37- and 46-Across : NOW SEE..."HERE."

HaHa!!  You got me, Bruce!  I had absolutely no clue what the unifier would be, and I chuckled when I finally "saw" it.  I believe this is Bruce's LAT debut, although he has several NYT puzzles under his belt. This was a very typical Thursday solve for me. Some gimmes, some question marks and a couple of "Huhs?"  Let's see how it goes.


Across

1. Gusto : ZEST. Elan? (Check perps: has to start with "Z.") Zing? (Nah, that doesn't work with EL AL...) Z-E-al?  (Nah, the 4-letter vodka has to be SKYY...) Z-E-S-... (Bit of ink? Hmmm...) AHA! TAT!!  Z-E-S-T.  And so it went...

5. Reynolds Wrap maker : ALCOA. Gimme.

10. Reptile house attractions : BOAS. Asps? (Check perps: Has to start with "B"...)

14. __-Seltzer : ALKA.

15. Luxury hotel with a YouFirst rewards program : LOEWS. Tough one. There are only 20 locations in the US and Canada, so it might not be the first hotel that solvers would think of.

16. Nothing but : ONLY.

19. Cross the threshold : GO IN.

20. Tricky : SLY.

21. Big name in dangerous stunts : EVEL. Knievel, the late motorcycle daredevil. You'd think he would have died in one of those crazy stunts. But no, he died of pulmonary fibrosis at the age of 69.

22. Sierra follower, in the NATO alphabet : TANGO.

26. Not familiar with : NEW AT.

29. Staff symbols : RESTS.

30. Part of Q.E.D. : ERAT. Quod Erat Demonstrandum.

31. __ Belt : ORION'S. Were the pyramids purposely situated to align with it?

Orion Correlation Theory

34. Jan. honoree : MLK. Martin Luther King.

40. Suffix with concert : INO. Hands up for filling "ina" at first?

41. "__ Fideles" : ADESTE.

42. Back in the day : ONCE. upon a time...

43. They may be counted : NOSES.

45. Golden number? : OLDIE. Great clue!

51. Exposed : BARED.

52. Film with talking bugs : ANTZ. It's the only movie with Woody Allen (the voice of "Z") that I ever enjoyed.

53. NFL's Jaguars, for short : JAX. Jacksonville, FL.

56. "The Year of Magical Thinking" author Didion : JOAN. It won the Pulitzer prize for autobiography. It chronicles her grief during the year following her husband's death in 2003.  It is a heart-wrenching account, and a must-read for anyone grieving the loss of a loved one. Her only daughter died in 2005, and led to a second book, "Blue Nights."

60. Qatari bigwig : EMIR.

61. Chicago's __ Planetarium : ADLER. America's first planetarium.

62. Roughage source : BRAN.

63. Facetious nickname for a big guy : TINY.

64. Gnocchi topping : PESTO.

Looks terrible - tastes great!

65. Kan. neighbor : OKLA.


Down

1. Prepares, as leftovers : ZAPS.

2. Mideast airline : EL AL. It means "To the Skies," which is a great lead-in for the the next answer:

3. Absolut rival : SKYY. Vodka. Cheers, Tin!

4. Bit of ink : TAT.

5. Naproxen brand : ALEVE.

6. "Two Women" Oscar winner : LOREN.

Sophia

7. "Fool for You" Grammy winner Green : CEE LO. No clue. 4:06

8. Have : OWN.

9. PEI hours : AST. Prince Edward Island. Atlantic Standard Time.

10. "The African Queen" co-star : BOGART. Husker Gary, I know you nailed this one!

11. Under consideration : ON ONE'S MIND.

12. Straighten : ALIGN.

13. Church council : SYNOD.

18. Oct- minus one : HEPT. Huh? Prefixes for eight and seven.

22. "The Gondoliers" girl : TESSA. Gilbert and Sullivan Opera. Nailed it!

23. Four-letter word : OATH. HaHa...not what I had in mind.

24. Rainbow __ : TROUT.

Hatchery Image

25. As a result : HENCE.

26. Fruity soda : NEHI.

27. Yeats' home : ERIN. Ireland, to natives.

28. Top-rated evening TV show of 1961-62 : WAGON TRAIN. My parents used to love this show. Me, not so much...

31. Turkey on rye, e.g. : ORDER.

32. Actress Witherspoon : REESE.  She's such a cutie.

33. Some badges : IDs.

35. Centers of activity : LOCI.

36. Seat for a dummy : KNEE. Dummy, as in Mortimer Snerd.

38. Relaxed : EASED.

39. Ratted (on) : TOLD.

44. Literary award named for a writer : O'HENRY.

45. Dix et un : ONZE. 10 + 1 = 11 in French.  (Funny...it adds up to the same thing in English!)

46. __ d'art : OBJET. More French.

47. Wynonna's mom : NAOMI. The Judds.

48. Cries : BAWLS.

49. Commencement : ONSET.

50. In __: unborn : UTERO.

53. Sudden movement : JERK.

54. __ Sea : ARAL.

55. Lawless character : XENA. Lucy Lawless, that is.

57. Go out in the afternoon? : NAP.

58. Keats poem : ODE.

59. "The Leftovers" airer : HBO. No clue.  Oh, I see that it just premiered on June 29th, and "The Leftovers" are those people left after the "rapture" took 2% of the world's population.

That's it for this week!

Marti

Friday, March 6, 2014, Bruce Haight

Theme: NO "E"s? EZ?

Like the recent Paul Hunsburger puzzle written up by marti, this puzzle is its own theme. In a wonderful blend of visual (the big "E" created by the black squares, and the really difficult task of cluing AND filling a puzzle without ever using the most COMMON letter in the alphabet, the e.  To do both is awesome. This is Bruce's first LAT publication, his NYT debut in January of 2013, was with 4 "1"s made of the blocks, then his second recently on Valentine's Day that created a little KERFUFFLE , and finally another grid theme Tuesday in the NYT as a collaboration with Peter Collins. The fill includes every other letter and some really sparkly fill including three grid spanners, PHOTOGRAPH ALBUM, PSYCHOANALYZING and TOTALITARIANISM. Also a slew of nice nine letter fill, ALAN ARKIN, CANADIANA,  COSTA RICA,  DRAMATICS, HAND HOLDS and PUSSYCATS, and really fun triple 7 stacks top and bottom. I am really curious as to what everyone thought of this and whether you will grade it an A or an F. Is there a theme, or is it a themeless without any E?

The reveal:

65A. What this grid's big symbol is, Across and Down : MISSING.

(Note from C.C.: The Saturday we had a while ago is a themeless puzzle without E in the clue or grid. Also, today's grid features a  Top to Bottom symmetry.)

Across:

1. Small amount : JOT. I get my J right away.

4. WWII MIA location : POW CAMP. Missing In Action (not Miami). Prisoner Of War. Stalag 13 (0:51)?

11. NFL captains : QBS. QuarterBacks. A very misleading and not necessarily true clue.

14. __ Jima : IWO. Back in "WWII, the big one". What 1950's TV show is that line from?

15. High-class tobacco products : HAVANAS.

16. Samovar : URN. not an expert, other than from my Russian grandmother

17. GPS finding : LATitude. A CSO to the Times?  Or maybe Jimmy B. (3:28)

18. Good chap : OKAY GUY. Not sure why, but I really liked this fill.

19. Nonpro sports org. : AAU. Amateur Athletic Union. Has a storied but controversial HISTORY in American amateur sports.

20. Plot : TRACT. Land not a story.

22. Providing with a transcript, possibly : CCING. Another CSO?

24. __-tzu : LAO. Father of TAO.

25. Climbing aids : HAND HOLDS. Nice  alliterative fill. Many resorts and cruise ships are offering climbing places.

29. Arm support : SLING.

31. Viral chorus? : ACHOOS. Really another very fun clue that is Friday fair; that talent is nothing to sneeze at.

32. Turkic Russian : TATAR.

33. Histrionic display : DRAMATICS. I think every family has at least one Drama Queen.

37. Roast, in a Baja dish : ASADA. Thank you Taco bell for teaching me this one.

38. Stuck : IN A RUT.

39. __ mining : STRIP.

40. "Argo" actor : ALAN ARKIN. Still have not seen that movie, though Arkin was great in Catch-22.

43. NBA coach Thomas : ISIAH. Sports trivia are tough on many solvers, especially when you are using a great player who had a very short coaching CAREER.

44. Historic town in Lazio : TIVOLI. Really obscure, even if the garden is famous. VIEW. (1:09)

45. Santa __ winds : ANA.

46. Innocuous sorts : PUSSYCATS. Not my first thought but in hindsight it works, usually with Big and baby talk.

50. Way to find out what you know : FINAL. Exam.

52. 3-D graph part : Z-AXIS. To join the x and y to get the third dimension.

53. "It's just __ thought ..." : AS I.

54. "South Pacific" song : BALI HAI. It has been linked many times, again?

60. Highway or city stat : MPG. Miles Per Gallon.

61. "Illmatic" rap star : NAS.

62. Mythical symbol of purity : UNICORN. Purity, really? I did not know this.

63. Fitting : APT.

64. Room with hoops : GYM. I guess a basketball court is a room, and I like the hoops misdirection.

66. Albany is its cap. : NYS. I understand this must stand for New York State but I find this a real stretch as NY is the state where Albany is the capital.

Down:

1. Dump : JILT. Originally a word for harlot, it became just a deceiver in love. Probably from a woman named Gillian or Jill. So maybe that is why they went up the hill.

2. Man __ : O'WAR. What a random and challenging fill in the blank. A great racehorse.

3. Autocratic approach : TOTALITARIANISM. This was a big word I heard often while I was growing during the Cold War.

4. Book with shots : PHOTOGRAPH ALBUM. Really nice clue/fill, especially bracketing a nine letter fill.

5. Poison __ : OAK. Ivy, Oak and Sumac, the poison sisters.

6. Morgantown's st. : WVA. West Virginia whose basketball team in 31-0 this season, only undefeated team.

7. Low island : CAY. We have lots of Cays and Keys in our area.

8. Afr. country : ANGola.

9. If said again, group in a 1950s African uprising : MAU. You can draw your own conclusions, but this was talked about when I was very little. HISTORY.

10. Studying on a couch? : PSYCHOANALYZING. My favorite Psyc professor was a Neo-Freudian.

11. Draw back with alarm : QUAIL.

12. Stock mark : BRAND. Nicely done, a mark on the livestock.

13. Curls up : SNUGS. verb (used without object), snugged, snug·ging. to lie closely or comfortably; nestle. Meh.

21. Books about Toronto and Ottawa, say : CANADIANA. Like Americana, *CSO to Eh!.

23. Country abutting Nicaragua : COSTA RICA, where everyone goes for inexpensive plastic surgery.

25. Put away : HAD. I had 3 pieces of Papa John's.

26. Not down: Abbr. : ACRoss. Context.

27. FDR loan org. : NHA. The National Housing Act was a landmark in the residential buying experience in the US. LINK. Much of what I do these days relates to closings, and foreclosures.

28. Papa John's rival : DOMINOS. All pizza no matter how you slice it.

29. GDR spy group : STASI. German Staatsicherheit meaning State Security. You can READ all about it.

30. Holds up : LASTS.

34. Annoy : IRK.  Is it coincidence this rhymes with jerk?

35. __ bono: "Who stands to gain?" in law : CUI.

36. B&O stop : STN. We know it is station, but is it STA or STN?

40. Org. for Nadal and Djokovic : ATP. Association of Tennis Professionals.

41. Lucy of "Kill Bill" : LIU. Elementary anyone?

42. Colorado NHL club, to fans : AVS. The rather depressing nickname, the Avalanche.

47. Band guitarist, in slang : AXMAN. The axman from AXE, BOBBY BARTH. (2:48)

48. Lacking stability : TIPPY. A stretch for me; that table was tippy? No Hedren or Walker?

49. Army squad NCOs : SSGTS. Staff sergeants?

50. Sharp tooth : FANG, So as a vampire, you name your bar Fangoria.

51. Words from Watson : I SAY. All I think of was Nigel Bruce, " I say, HOLMES".(1:09).

55. Buy from Sajak : AN I. Apparently Pat sold all the Es.

56. Paris lily : LIS. You all know 'Fleur de Lis.'

57. Suffix with tact : ICS. So this is ok fill because it is clues properly, but would tact ending be ok?

58. __ polloi : HOI. Literally "The people" in Greek, hoi means "the" so do not say 'the hoi polloi'. Has come to have derogatory connotations.

59. Valiant's son : ARN. The young prince.

I am neither young nor a prince,  but I had a royal good time with the grid and all the fresh fill. It seemed oddly easy after all, but I cannot imagine the work needed to avoid a single "e" in fill and clues.  Get ready for more daylight and less sleep. Turn the clocks ahead; reporting from Ocho Rios, Lemonade out.