Thursday, September 29th, 2016 Bruce Venzke and Gail Grabowski

Theme: Kitchen Crises - there are legumes cascading all over the grid.

Six types of spilling beans picked out by the circles - PINTO, BUTTER, GREEN, WHITE, SOYA and BLACK are all present and correct and hinted at by grid-spanning reveal across the center.

Tricky little puzzle, this one from Bruce and Gail. The four corners took some unpicking - the southwest caused me the most problems. I liked how the beans were all "spilling" down the puzzle. The fill was tight and clean, just a couple of entries made me wince a little, but that's probably reasonable for a 78 word puzzle. Let's see what jumps out:

Across:

1. "La Vie en Rose" singer : PIAF. Splendid excuse for some gravelly soundtrack from the chanteuse.

5. Ashtray array : BUTTS

10. Interest greatly : GRAB

14. "There __ joy in Mudville ... " : IS NO. From the splendid Casey at the Bat by Ernest Lawrence Thayer.

15. Livid : IRATE

16. Cambodian currency : RIEL. A couple of repeats from yesterday - this and ARIA at 64A

17. Lump : CLOT

18. Hasbro soldier : GI JOE

19. Raison d'__ : ÊTRE

20. Lake Michigan port : KENOSHA

22. Dietary need : PROTEIN

24. TriBeCa neighbor : SOHO. The "Triangle Below Canal Street" and "South of Houston" neighborhoods in Manhattan.

26. Backspaced over : ERASED

27. 1974 hit with a Spanish title meaning "You are" : ERES TU

31. Jedi Council VIP : YODA. For the Star Wars fans:

33. VCR successor : TIVO

34. Brief meeting? : SESS. Not my favorite fill today. It's legal, just not very elegant.

36. Army rank above maj. : LT.COL

41. Told ... and a hint to this puzzle's six sets of circles : SPILLED THE BEANS

44. Ivy League sch. : YALE U.

45. "Rebel Without a Cause" star James : DEAN

46. Where a retriever may be retrieved: Abbr. : SPCA. Adopting a mutt from the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

47. Blacken : CHAR

49. Prepare : GET SET

51. Kansas motto word : ASPERA. Ad Astra Per Aspera. "Though hardships to the stars". Kurt Vonnegut used it as the motto of the Martian Imperial Commandos in The Sirens of Titan.

55. Omit : SKIP

57. "Moby-Dick" crew : WHALERS. This got me started in this corner. I didn't see the blindingly-obvious ARIA for quite some time.

59. Made possible : ENABLED

64. Italian air : ARIA

65. Cumberland Gap explorer : BOONE

67. Hall of Fame linebacker Junior : SEAU

68. Copper that's mostly zinc : CENT

69. Corned beef __ : ON RYE. Food! I started another batch of corned beef yesterday. Only 17 more days to go!

70. Not fem. : MASC

71. __-Ball : SKEE. I didn't know this thing actually had a name, I just thought it was "that game at Chuck-E-Cheese".

72. Construction rod : REBAR

73. Long haul : TREK

Down:

1. Draft item often traded : PICK

2. Vacation destination : ISLE

3. Erelong : ANON

4. Snap, commercially : FOTO

5. Michigan Stadium nickname, with "The" : BIG HOUSE. The largest stadium in the country with a capacity of just under 110,000

6. Heep of trouble? : URIAH

7. __ Mahal : TAJ. Big marble mausoleum in Agra, India, but more importantly a pretty great Indian restaurant on Ventura Boulevard up the road from me in Encino. Here's their famous Chicken Tikka Masala:

8. Camaro roof option : T-TOP

9. What 15-Across people do : SEE RED

10. Former Fox News anchor Van Susteren : GRETA

11. Ceremonies : RITES

12. Where eagles hatch : AERIE

13. Some of this and some of that : BLEND

21. JFK-to-Heathrow flier, once : SST. Because "Concorde" doesn't fit. By far the noisiest plane that came over my house in London on the way to landing at Heathrow.

23. Dental care name : ORAL B

25. Seafood found in beds : OYSTERS

27. Website for handmade art : ETSY

28. Electrolux spokeswoman Kelly : RIPA

29. Pernicious : EVIL

30. Something underfoot : SOLE

32. DOL division : OSHA

35. Scandinavian literary work : EDDA. Here's the first verse of Sæmund's Edda. Seems to be sensible advice:

1. At every door-way,
ere one enters,
one should spy round,
one should pry round
for uncertain is the witting
that there be no foeman sitting,
within, before one on the floor.

37. Try out : TEST

38. Toy gun ammo : CAPS

39. Almost never : ONCE

40. Six-part undergrad exam : LSAT

42. Money : LUCRE. Is lucre always filthy? I've never seen a quanity of lucre described as "sparkling".

43. Tech graduate : ENGINEER

48. Abet, in a way : HARBOR

50. Grime-fighting org. : E.P.A. Nice clue - Environmental Protection Agency

51. Spy plane acronym : AWACS Airborne Warning And Control System. I'm not really sure this is a spy plane, just a method of extending your radar detection capability.

52. Toondom ogre : SHREK

53. "Common Sense" writer : PAINE. Crosses. Thomas Paine's 1775 pamphlet advocating independence from Great Britain. Smart cookie, that guy.

54. Give a big lift : ELATE

56. Uganda neighbor : KENYA

58. 40-decibel unit : SONE. Strictly speaking, it's equal to 40 phons, not decibels, but the distinction is minor so I won't stir up trouble.

60. Realty ad abbr. : BSMT. My "uggh" fill of the day. Personally, I'd have tried to fill this section differently to avoid it.

61. "I am a very foolish fond old man" speaker : LEAR. King Lear, Act 4 Sc vii. Crosses filled this in for me, then I was thinking it might refer to Edward, master of the nonsense verse.

They dined on mince, and slices of quince,

Which they ate with a runcible spoon;

And hand in hand on the edge of the sand,

They danced by the light of the moon. 

From The Owl and the Pussycat by Edward Lear

62. Comfort : EASE

63. "Fore!" : DUCK! One of my golfing buddies once hit a screamer of a drive that didn't get two inches off the ground - it hit one of the ladies' tee markers and came back at us so fast that no-one had a chance to do anything except dive for cover.

66. Sun or moon : ORB

That's about it from me. As Yoda would say: "A wrap, it is". Heeere's the grid.

Steve

Thursday, June 16th 2016 Bruce Venzke and Gail Grabowski

Theme: Eeew! Bug assault!

17A. Bug : LISTENING DEVICE. The glass-against-the-wall ploy doesn't work, despite what you see in the movies.

26A. Bug : PROGRAM FAULT. I've been responsible for a few of these. The very first program I ran at school went into an infinite loop. It was a portent of things to come. Apple have a sense of humor with their street address:

44A. Bug : VIRAL ILLNESS. Just a 24-hour flu, if you're lucky.

57A. Bug : VOLKSWAGEN MODEL. We had a clashing pink purse/yellow VW Bug last week.I'll spare you the repeat imagery.

What a great puzzle from Bruce and Gail. I really take my hat off to a weekday puzzle like this that is nothing but fun, and challenging to get through. I stared down the top-middle before the simplest fill (SOD) finally unlocked it for me. Bravo, guys. Thanks for the workout.

Across:

1. Alpine racing obstacle : GATE. Two poles on the course you have to ski between. Wouldn't it be fun if it was an actual gate that you had to stop and open, or leap over? (Be careful to close it behind you).

5. Whisks : BEATS

10. Thought-provoking : DEEP

14. Arkin of "Argo" : ALAN

15. Prenatal test, for short : AMNIO. -centesis. Tough choices when faced with this one.

16. Former "Fashion Emergency" host : EMME. Who? Crosses for me.

20. Industrial Revolution power source : STEAM

21. Kilt wearer's refusal : NAE. I was expecting "NO UNDERWEAR" and mercifully ran out of space.

22. Destructive insect : BORER

23. Bering Sea port : NOME. As the locals say "There's no place like Nome".

25. Invigorates : ROUSES

31. Cocoon and Posturepedic : SEALYS. Confident "aha!" and "SEELYS: went in. A later correction with a crossing tempered my hubris. Thank you, OARS.

32. Parks in American history : ROSA

33. Cuba libre ingredient : RUM. I loved the RUM, COKE and LIME clechos here. Great mini-theme.

36. Confident : SURE

37. Flags down : HAILS

39. Cuba libre ingredient : COKE. Lovely. See 33A

40. Decorates with Angel Soft, briefly : TPS. Charmin in my house. I don't know exactly how much a roll costs, but I'm not about to throw it around the neighborhood.

41. "Now that you mention it ... " : WELL .... Generally not a good start. Be diplomatic.

42. Places for French lessons : ÉCOLES

46. Backless furniture : STOOLS

49. Pallet piece : SLAT

50. Put up with : ABIDE. A word with two senses - literally "live (with)". In the pejorative sense in this case "I can't abide this person". But also in the hymn of hope sense "Abide with me". This is traditionally sung before the kick-off of the English soccer cup final in London each year. I'm not sure how the tradition started, but it's pretty cool to hear 80,000 people singing the last stanza of each verse.

Abide with me: fast falls the eventide;
the darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide.
When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, O abide with me

Hold now your Word before my closing eyes.
Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies.
Heaven's morning breaks and earth's vain shadows flee;
in life, in death, O Lord, abide with me. 

51. One to hang with : PAL

53. Pro shop set : IRONS. I have Taylor Made irons. I didn't buy them in the Pro shop though - cheaper online! The US Open starts today - I'm in a for-fun pool to pick a team of ten golfers to win the most prize money between them. My ten are: Day, McIlroy, Spieth, Garcia, Fowler, Matsuyama, Snedeker, Reed, Berger and Knox.

60. 4-F's opposite : ONE-A

61. Intense : ACUTE

62. Cuba libre ingredient : LIME. Lovely. See 33A.

63. Part of a wine list : REDS

64. Migratory birds : GEESE

65. It's measured in inches : SNOW. Stop sniggering at the back. Plenty of this in Nome.

Down:

1. Some square dancers : GALS. Guys the other 50%, or so.

2. Settled on a branch : ALIT

3. Zap : TASE

4. Involve in a complicated way : ENTANGLE. Nice!

5. Negative decree : BAN

6. "8 Mile" rapper : EMINEM. An amazing talent. Whether or not hip-hop is your thing, I love this track. Probably rated R for language.

7. "Breaking Bad" Emmy winner Gunn : ANNA. Who?

8. Buster Brown's dog : TIGE. No idea. Contributed to a blank section for quite some time.

9. Ground cover : SOD. This little three-letter "oh!" finally unlocked the whole top-middle section for me. What a great construction key.

10. Deeply religious : DEVOUT

11. Dubai dignitaries : EMIRS

12. Link between speakers : EMCEE. Was vaguely on the right track with SEGUE but vague doesn't cut it. Corrected.

13. Reviewers of academic essays : PEERS.

18. Atlanta university : EMORY

19. Scary name in 2014 news : EBOLA

24. Kitchen gadgets : MASHERS. I have forks. Over the years I've discarded gadgets in favor of simpler and more efficient tools. Herb mincers? Garlic presses? Mashers? Pah. They use up space and are usually troublesome to clean. Big-Assed cleaver! Fork! Now you're talking.

25. Five-time NBA MVP Bill : RUSSELL. Tried WALTON first and was left with an empty square.

26. Wordless summons : PSST!

27. Do another stint : RE-UP

28. Couple in a dinghy : OARS. Corrected my miss-spelt SEELY/SEALY from earlier.

29. Superfluity : FRILL. I flat-out LOVED this clue. How many times have we seen "superfluous" and never given the other forms of the word a passing thought? Fantastic. Made my day.

30. Moviefone parent co. : AOL. Amazing who ends up being owned by whom. No doubt it will be different next year.

(Below were added later: Original write-up from 30-D went missing)

33. Othello or Iago : ROLE. From the play.

34. Hula strings : UKEs

35. Difficult spot : MESS

38. __ carte : À LA

39. Instrument panel array : CONTROLS

41. Cunning : WILES

43. Adjuster's concern : CLAIM

44. Beverages sometimes made from potatoes : VODKAs

45. Archipelago parts : ISLETs

46. Relish : SAVOR

47. Chophouse choice : T-BONE. Nice pairing.

48. Quieted, in a way : OILED

51. Rate : PACE

52. Reason for cold compresses and extra blankets : AGUE

54. Chief god of Asgard : ODIN

55. Literary sea captain : NEMO

56. Large quantity : SLEW

58. Sign of a canine excitement : WAG

59. Bridal bio word : NÉE

I'm in Milwaukee for a couple of days, so just checked the wonderful state of Wisconsin off my bucket list. The weather here is better than back in LA - not often you can say that, I wager.

And .... here's the grid. No circles!

Steve

Wednesday Feb 10, 2016 Bruce Venzke and Gail Grabowski

Title: Up, Up and Away!

Hi, after only a two day respite - it's Husker Gary again! Bruce and Gail LIFT our winter spirits with a fun Wednesday puzzle featuring variations of the word LIFT as a single clue. The fill on this amusing theme resulted in top and bottom grid spanners and a thirteen-letter entry gracing the middle. WINGTIP INSERT, BARBELL ACTIVITY and CAFFEINE EFFECT didn't make the cut. 

First the theme answers:

17. Lift : SKIERS TRANSPORT - Or WEDDING PARTY TRANSPORT to this summer event on a mountain in Aspen

38. Lift : BRIT'S ELEVATOR - A Cheshire-based British company called LIFTstyle is marketing these for around  £13,000 

61. Lift : HITCHHIKERS RIDE - All right, would you or wouldn't you give this hitchhiker a LIFT

Across:
1. Roasting bird : CAPON

6. Kennel racket : ARFS

10. Doze, with "out" : ZONK

14. How writers often work : ALONE - I can't blog unless I am ALONE

15. NATO alphabet ender : ZULU - Her latest movie uses the NATO alphabet and stands for...

16. Ancient Andean : INCA

20. Bar sing-along : KARAOKE - Yeah, that's what I was just thinking about you

21. Quasi-convertible option : T-TOP

22. Rock gp. with winds and strings : ELO

23. Mil. training site : OCS - Zac Mayo getting harassed in Office Candidate School by Gunnery Sgt. Foley. BTW, do you remember the wonderful song from this movie with LIFTs in the title?

25. Pizzeria attractions : AROMAS

29. Nervous giggle : TITTER

32. "Cure Ignorance" online reader : UTNE - I have never UTNEd

34. Glamorous Gardner : AVA - Mrs. Frank Sinatra II, Mrs. Mickey Rooney I and Mrs. Artie Shaw V

35. Windy-day window noise : RATTLE

37. Strummed strings : UKES

42. Linen fiber source : FLAX

43. Newspaper space measurement : LINAGE - alt. Lineage. Is this replacing LINAGE?

44. So last week : OUT

45. Take in the wrong way? : OGLE - What's the time limit before a peek becomes an OGLE?

47. Split with the band : GO SOLO - How'd that Ross girl's career work out after she left The Supremes?

51. Pet shelter mission : RESCUE - Bless shelters for the work they do. Joann'd take all the kitties home.

53. Apt name for a cook? : STU 

55. Put the cuffs on : NAB

56. Does one's part? : ACTS

58. Elves, at times : HELPERS - Will Stockdale line: "It's just that the infantry is the real soldiers, and the Air Force ain't nothin' but HELPERS." And, for the game, the movie is...

65. Curved entrance adornment : ARCH

66. Drop : OMIT

67. Nautical table listing : TIDES - The Navy wanted low TIDES on D-Day to see the beach obstacles for its LST'S and other ships  and the Army wanted high TIDES to lessen the distance men had to run on the beach. They compromised on 1 - 3 hrs after low TIDE

68. "Okay, granted" : TRUE

69. "Bossypants" memoirist Fey : TINA- See her new movie at 15 Across

70. Mail-order-only company until 1925 : SEARS - Alvah Roebuck never said publicly he regretted the fortune he missed by leaving the business he helped found
 

Down:

1. Small jewelry box : CASKET - Bigger than a box, smaller than a chest

2. Acid neutralizer : ALKALI - Adding ALKALI to acidic soil to "sweeten" it

3. "Little grey cells" detective : POIROT - A Netflix BBC addiction of mine

4. Draft category : ONE-A - A dreaded 60's - 70's classification 

5. "Quo Vadis" emperor : NERO - "Where are you going?" A film showing NERO's Rome vs Christians

6. Tenochtitlán native : AZTEC 

7. Play about automatons : RUR

8. Like much desert : FLAT

9. Acquisition on a blanket, perhaps : SUNTAN

10. Brand with a flame over the "i" in its logo : ZIPPO - ZIPPO Ad

11. Artist Yoko : ONO 

12. Big name in bar code scanners : NCR

13. Dennings of "2 Broke Girls" : KAT - It took me 60 seconds to get a sense I didn't like this show where wit is replaced by crudity. Different strokes... 

18. Hybrid tennis attire : SKORTS - With an improvised storage area

19. Ticked off : SORE

24. Besmirches : SULLIES

26. Powerful shark : MAKO - MAKO is Maori for "shark" or "shark's tooth"

27. Say with certainty : AVER

28. Carrier to Oslo : SAS

30. Cereal "for kids" : TRIX

31. Work on a course : EAT 

33. Many a "Hunger Games" fan : TEEN 

36. Bluffer's giveaway : TELL - In M*A*S*H, Winchester whistles arias while playing poker and the louder he whistles, the more he is bluffing. He gets wiped out!

37. Colorado natives : UTES

38. Cobalt __ : BLUE

39. "Aw, shucks!" : RATS

40. Harder to see, as shapes : VAGUER

41. Have-at link : A GO - I had A GO at unicyling once. Yikes!

42. Voting yes on : FOR

45. "That stings!" : OUCH

46. Hit a winning streak : GET HOT - Some Super Bowl winners just GET HOT at the end of the season

48. New York lake near Utica : ONEIDA - After 9/11 ONEIDA Mfg. lost $25M after the airlines discontinued flatware on planes 

49. Pantry : LARDER

50. Dominate the thoughts of : OBSESS - Michael Douglas and OBSESSED Glen Close have a steamy LIFT scene in Fatal Attraction

52. Hidden stockpile : CACHE

54. Iota preceder : THETA - ...zeta, eta, THETA, iota...

57. California's __ Valley : SIMI - A beautiful place to visit at 40 Presidential Drive, SIMI Valley CA. 93065

59. D-Day transports : LSTS

60. __-dieu: kneeler : PRIE - Literally "Pray God". Here are two at JFK's casket in White House East Room

61. New Year's party handout : HAT

62. Clearance rack abbr. : IRR

63. Fort Worth sch. : TCU

64. Many holiday guests : KIN - After two days, guests and fish... 

 Let's hope all of you can raise the level of discourse here to a higher level than I just did - 

Thursday, June25, 2015 Bruce Venzke and Gail Grabowski

Theme: Anagrams!

21. Patient care group : MEDICAL TEAM.

32. Political convention announcement : RUNNING MATE.

42. Casing filler : SAUSAGE MEAT.

55. Like much rock ... and like the last words of 21-, 32- and 42-Across? : "META"-MORPHIC.
Cute theme from Bruce and Gail today.  We have the prefix "META," morphing into other words.

Here's my bonus theme entry: PUDDING TAME ("What's your name?" "Pudding Tame. Ask me again, and I'll tell you the same!")

Across

1. The Olympic Australis and others : OPALS. Gimme. I have used this clue in one of my own puzzles!

6. Sound detectors : EARS. Haha.

10. Move lightly : FLIT.

14. Full range : GAMUT.

15. Produce on a farm : GROW. Verb form. Anyone else toy with things like "corn" or "beet" or "bean"?

16. Biked it : RODE.

17. Video game brother : LUIGI. Fraternal twin of Mario.

18. Hold 'em fee : ANTE.

19. "That makes sense" : I SEE.

20. 2002 British Open champion : ELS. Ernie, aka "The Big Easy."

24. Pay : DISBURSE.

26. "Frasier" role : ROZ. Last week I had Niles Crane, this week it's Roz.

27. "Arabian Nights" name : ALI.

28. Duties : TARIFFS.

37. Novelist Tolstoy : LEO.

38. Rep on the street : CRED.

39. Place for a small pet : LAP.

40. Jag, e.g. : AUTO.

41. Had-at link : A GO.

46. Picking up, in a way : SENSING.

48. Quaint preposition : ERE. And a semi-clecho at 61-Across. Quaint "not" : NARY.

49. Dennings of "2 Broke Girls" : KAT. This lady.

50. The "it" in "I don't want to talk about it" : SORE SPOT.

59. Wild way to go : APE.

60. "Little Things Mean __": 1954 #1 hit : A LOT.

62. It's usually not more than a foot : TAP IN. I hope Gary is soon back at his favorite game.

64. Lead : CLUE. Did you have one?

65. Slush Puppie maker : ICEE.

66. Part of a meet : EVENT.

67. Enjoys a hero : EATS.

68. Agreeing words : AYES.

69. Takes chances : DARES.


Down

1. Looked like a wolf? : OGLED.

2. Eighth-century pope : PAUL I.  May 29, 757 to June 28, 767.

3. Not quite right : AMISS.

4. Haul : LUG.

5. Reaction causes : STIMULI.

6. "Holy moly!" : EGADS.

7. Golf nickname : ARNIE. Palmer.

8. Coll. drilling group : ROTC. Reserve Officers' Training Corps.

9. Curse : SWEAR AT.

10. Aunt in "Nancy" : FRITZI. Full name: FRITZI Ritz.

11. Come in too late? : LOSE.

12. Start of a solution : IDEA.

13. Abound (with) : TEEM.

22. "Happy Days" actress Moran : ERIN.

23. It's retold often : LORE.

25. Ratt or Poison : BAND. Total WAG.

28. Taberna snack : TAPA.

29. Drawing passage : FLUE. And 31-Down. 29-Down buildup : SOOT.

30. Crumbly salad topper : FETA.

32. Some HDTVs : RCAs.

33. Push for : URGE.

34. Reason for glowing letters : NEON.

35. Water cooler sound : GLUG.

36. Humanities degs. : MAs. Master of Arts.

40. City north of Des Moines : AMES.

42. Rama VII's kingdom : SIAM.

43. "Mary Queen of Scots" biographer Fraser : ANTONIA. I haven't read that one.

44. One of the Spice Girls : GERI.

45. Built : ERECTED.

47. Winter Olympics equipment : SKATES.

50. Self-gratifying outing : SPREE...because "ego trip" didn't fit.

51. "But of course!" : OH YES!

52. Supermarket option : PAPER.

53. Speak one's mind : OPINE.

54. Staked shelters : TENTS.

55. Nutmeg spice : MACE.

56. Scat legend, familiarly : ELLA.

57. Talk up : TOUT.

58. Suggestive : RACY.

63. Co-star of Richard in "The Night of the Iguana" : AVA. Richard Burton and AVA Gardner. I love Allan [sic] Sherman's song about it (to the tune of "Streets of Laredo"):
"They were down there to film The Night of the Iguana 
With a star-studded cast and a technical crew. 
They did things at night midst the flora and fauna
That no self-respecting iguana would do."

Iguana go now...

Marti

Wednesday, December 3rd 2014 Bruce Venzke and Gail Grabowski

Theme: "Alpen Mix" - The first word of the four theme answers is an anagram of these five letters.

17A. Geometry subject : PLANE FIGURE. I'm on one. An Airbus A320, according to "the safety card in the seatback pocket in front of me".

28A. Vertical window dressings : PANEL CURTAINS. I'm not an interior designer, so a new phrase for me. What other kinds of curtains are there?

47A. Carrier based in Kathmandu : NEPAL AIRLINES. Small letter-counting hesitation between LINES and WAYS and then no problem. I'd love to be on an NAL plane to Kathmandu right now, but UAL back to LAX for me.

61A. Place for some exiled prisoners : PENAL COLONY.

Hi all - Steve here, en route home from a visit to Mexico. I still don't understand why there isn't an internet cable trailing out of the back of the airplane and I can still do this! Thoroughly enjoyable puzzle from Gail and Bruce, and I was able to make a fifth anagram from the letters - "Alpen" is a muesli from the UK, so a perfect "mixture" theme title (for me, anyway!).

No "reveal" entry either leaving us to figure it out for ourselves - I didn't see the theme until I was finished, so it was a nice "aha" when I looked for it. Word of the day for me was QUIRKINESS - it was my final fill and all the nicer for trying to puzzle out an odd letter combination.

Across:

1. Quizmaster's request : ANSWER. Seems a little curt for a "request".

7. Enjoy the sun : BASK. I have to confess I've been doing a bit of this over the last few days.

11. Four times a day, in an Rx : QID. OK, if you say so. No clue.

14. Whodunit plot element : MOTIVE. Professor Plum in the library with the lead pipe. Is there a motive in "Clue"? It's so long since I've played the game. It's called "Cluedo" in England, by the way.

15. Aunt Bee's grandnephew : OPIE

16. Verse starter? : UNI. Universe.


19. Portfolio holding, briefly : IRA

20. Upset : SORE

21. Cards with pics : ID'S

22. Cuban bandleader __ Prado, "King of the Mambo" : PEREZ. Here's a quick taste of "Mambo No. 5" in "True Stereo". I think the vocal track needs a little work though.

24. Western tie : BOLO

26. Haughty look : SMIRK

32. LPGA garment : SKORT, Great clue for an odd wardrobe item

34. "Do it, __ will!" : OR I

35. Lose one's cool : SNAP

36. Bud : PAL

37. Where many pioneers headed : OUT WEST

41. U.K. record label : EMI. "Electric and Music Industries Ltd." founded in 1931. (Yes, I had to look that up).

42. More than enough : A LOT

44. Scoreboard letters : RHE. I'm slowly learning. Runs, Hits, Errors. Baseball! Here's the scoreboard from my hometown Dodger Stadium:

45. Initial stage : ONSET

51. Autumn stones : OPALS

52. "What __?" : OF IT

53. "Never needs sharpening" brand : GINSU

55. Certain Ivy Leaguer : ELI

56. Senator Cochran of Mississippi : THAD. Nice to meet you Mr. Thad Cochran.

60. Special forces weapon : UZI

65. Sneaker part : TOE

66. Work on film : EDIT

67. Carol opening : ADESTE. I read today that there's actually a statute dating from 1938 in New York (usually ignored) that you can't sell Christmas trees until December 1st. I'd like to see a statute that you can't play Christmas carols on any public PA until December 24th, and you must stop on December 26th. Bah humbug!

68. '60s antiwar org. : S.D.S.

69. Knocks : RAPS

70. Stacked like Tupperware : NESTED. Not mine, however hard I try. Jumbled in the cupboard with mismatched lids. How does that happen?

Down:

1. Music boosters : AMPS

2. Brief legal plea : NOLO. I think it's short for "Nolo Contendere" but I'm not going to commit to that until I consult with my attorney. I know my rights.

3. Rating symbol : STAR

4. Place offering two-ounce servings : WINE BAR. 2 ozs? That's not even a taste!

5. December 24, e.g. : EVE. Today you can play Adeste Fideles in public, according to Steve's Law.

6. Send an amended 1040, say : RE-FILE

7. Swampy spots : BOGS

8. Calcutta Tech grad on "The Simpsons" : APU

9. Respectful title : SIR

10. "That's yours now" : KEEP IT

11. Eccentricity : QUIRKINESS

12. Memo leadoff : INRE. I'd really like to use this intro, but somehow it doesn't seem appropriate in an email. If we ever went back to typewriters and inter-office memoranda I'd jump at the chance.

13. Cameron of "Bad Teacher" : DIAZ

18. Much-admired one : IDOL

23. Significant stretches : ERAS

25. Not fooled by : ON TO

26. "Fine by me" : SURE

27. Hosp. diagnostics : M.R.I.S

28. Rides during chukkers : POLO PONIES.

29. Cringe : COWER

30. Parents' selection : NAME

31. Polish partner : SPIT

32. Wing measurement : SPAN. They're measured by the bucket in Buffalo, I hear.

33. Farmers' market veggie : KALE

38. River to the Caspian : URAL

39. What we have here : THIS. Cue "Cool Hand Luke" clip.

40. Singer Braxton : TONI

43. Pub hardware : TAPS

46. Plants with stinging hairs : NETTLES. A summertime hazard all over England when I was growing up. You can make nettle soup, but it never tasted of much.

48. "Time After Time" singer : LAUPER. She has a great voice. I'd link the YouTube video but it comes up with a really annoying kids' video game ad first, so I'll spare you that.

49. Take it easy : LOLL

50. Promiser's caveat : IF I CAN. Seems a little squirrelly to add a caveat to a promise.

53. Inner workings : GUTS

54. Tommy Hilfiger rival : IZOD

55. Works on a sub : EATS

57. Quizmaster, e.g. : HOST. Two quizmasters today.

58. Get in on the deal : ANTE

59. Like purple hair : DYED

62. Child expert LeShan : EDA

63. Something in the air, perhaps : NIP

64. Laudatory work : ODE

That's it from me today. California's getting some welcome rain, let's see how many mudslides are triggered - hopefully nothing serious.

Steve

Tuesday, June 24, 2014 Bruce Venzke and Gail Grabowski

Theme: Three Runners - The unity is in the clues.

20A. Runner on a corridor floor : HALLWAY CARPET

40A. Runner in a long race : MARATHON ENTRANT

58A. Runner in a nursery : PLANT OFFSHOOT

Argyle here. I like the cop shows where they confront a suspect and he takes off, "We've got a RUNNER!" We caught three runners today. Some stumble spots but the perps get it in the end.

Across:

1. "Dracula" author Stoker : BRAM

5. + or - particles : IONs

9. Ocean movements : TIDEs

14. Wine city near Sacramento : LODI. So it's not so bad to be stuck in Lodi again.

15. "The Bridge on the River __": 1957 film : KWAI. Link to the story behind the score.

16. "Step __!": "Out of my way!" : ASIDE

17. Goes on to say : ADDS. "I'm important; let me through!"

18. Pizazz : ELAN

19. Trademarked copy : XEROX

23. Derisive expression : SNEER. This goes along with 16- and 17-Across.

24. Harbor structure : PIER

25. Public health agcy. : CDC. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

28. Brake part : DISC. I feel old; I put in drum first.

31. Actress Loren : SOPHIA. She began her career at age 14 and is 79 now.

33. Sunscreen letters : SPF. (sun protection factor)

36. Twenty-one-gun show of respect : SALUTE

39. Multi-vol. references : OEDs. (The Oxford English Dictionary)

43. Steam-emitting appliance : IRON

44. "__ Fideles": carol : ADESTE

45. Qt. halves : PTs. Gallons and quarts and pints, oh my!

46. Dry twigs for a fire : TINDER

48. Old Russian ruler : TSAR

50. DDE's predecessor : HST

51. Eye protector : LASH

54. Stiller's comedy partner : MEARA. (Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara) Parents of Amy Stiller and Ben Stiller.

62. Sheikdom of song : ARABY. For Bill G.

64. Sunburn soother : ALOE

65. Golden Fleece ship : ARGO

66. Access Facebook, say : LOG ON

67. Prefix with bucks : MEGA

68. Vitamin __: PABA : B-TEN

69. Noisy migratory birds : GEESE

70. Subtle call for attention : [PSST!]

71. Satisfy to the hilt : SATE

Down:

1. Slight depression, with "the" : BLAHS. Not as deep as the blues.

2. '50s sci-fi monster : RODAN

                           Specifications

3. Confuse : ADDLE

4. Gave false clues to, e.g. : MISLED

5. Swedish furniture chain : IKEA

6. Big-eyed : OWLY

7. Civil rights org. : NAACP. (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People)

8. Mount climbed by Moses : SINAI

9. Many an H&R Block employee : TAX PRO

10. "It's clear now" : "I SEE"

11. Very inexpensive : DIRT CHEAP

12. Old name for Tokyo : EDO

13. Male or female : SEX

21. What a cuff may cover : WRIST. Links.

22. Is indignant about : RESENTS

26. Failed to : DIDN'T

27. Lets the lure fly : CASTS. Cute one.

29. Desertlike : SAHARAN

30. Bumbling sort : CLOD

32. __ ejemplo: Juan's "for example" : POR

33. Patti of punk rock : SMITH

34. City on the Seine : PARIS

35. Where the major headlines are : FRONT PAGE

37. A, in Arles : UNE

38. Diagnostic aid : TEST

41. "What's more ..." : "...AND..."

42. Tigers and Cubs : TEAMs. Oh my!

47. Comical Boosler : ELAYNE. Why oh why did she use a Y?

49. Fixes up, as a fixer-upper : REHABS

52. Snail-mail attachment : STAMP

53. Putters' targets : HOLES

55. Primary artery : AORTA

56. Name synonymous with synonyms : ROGET. Roget's Thesaurus.

57. More than apologize : ATONE

59. Debt-laden corp. takeovers : LBOs. (leveraged buyouts)

60. Clouds (up) : FOGS

61. Accomplishment : FEAT

62. Calc. prerequisite : ALG. (calculus/algebra)

63. Fish delicacy : ROE. (shad roe on grits)

                     Source

Argyle

Notes from C.C.:

1) Happy 26th wedding anniversary to Dennis and his lovely wife Linda  (second from the right)! Dennis is ageless. He looks the same as he did when he joined our blog in Feb 2008.

2) Happy 25th anniversary to TTP and his wife as well! I recall you really annoyed your wife the first time you met, right?


3) Today also marks the 500th post Argyle blogged for us. Every time I hear "One Night in Bangkok", I think of the young Marine Argyle. He has lots of stories to tell, but he's not a talker.  Thank you for all you've done to help me, Santa!

15-year-old Argyle