Tuesday, November 24, 2015 Gail Grabowski and Bruce Venzke

Theme: Edit - ED is added to the first part of each plural compound noun and formed three synonyms for "tired". Each new entry is then clued humorously.

20. Tired bowling groups? : BUSHED LEAGUES. Bush Leagues

38. Tired janitors? : DRAINED CLEANERS. Drain Cleaners

56. Tired groupies? : EXHAUSTED FANS. Exhaust Fans

Argyle here. A few trouble spots but an amusing theme. Seven X's on the way to a pangram.

Across:

1. Alter, as a pet : SPAY

5. Coif adjusted with a pick : AFRO

9. Less uncertain : SURER. More certain.

14. Bring under control : TAME

15. Bar sign light : NEON

16. Goodnight girl of song : IRENE. Recorded under one of those bar lights.

17. Poolside hue : AQUA

18. Big reference vols. : OEDs

19. Utah city near the Golden Spike : OGDEN

23. Unconvincing excuse, probably : LIE

24. Ballot markings : Xes

25. Not strict at all : LAX

26. __ Mahal : TAJ

29. Go on until : END AT

31. Buzzers around blossoms : BEEs

33. Cornfield construction : MAZE. They are very creative.

34. Antianxiety drug : XANAX. First released by Upjohn and now a part of Pfizer.

36. Relationship __: Facebook feature : STATUS

42. Automatons : ROBOTS

43. Refuge in a desert : OASIS

44. Physics particle : ATOM

45. It's pitched at camp : TENT

47. Security concerns : LEAKS

51. Beer, to a Brit : BEV. Short for Beverage.

52. Driver's license datum : SEX

53. Cooler in a cooler : ICE

55. Lucy of "Elementary" : LIU. On CBS.

60. Plastic alternative : PAPER

62. Give kudos to : LAUD

63. Common conjunctions : ANDs

64. Construction site sight : CRANE

65. Shoreline-altering phenomenon : TIDE

66. Item on an actor's résumé : ROLE

67. Scarecrow stuffing : STRAW

68. Vehicle in many a Jack London story : SLED

69. Black gem : ONYX

Down:

1. Place for ponies : STABLE

2. Anna of "True Blood" : PAQUIN. Canadian-born New Zealand actress. "True Blood" is on HBO.

3. Brought a smile to : AMUSED

4. Slangy assent : "YEAH"

5. Battery pole : ANODE

6. Experiences regret : FEELS BAD

7. Biked : RODE

8. Marked down : ON SALE

9. Sitting Bull's tribe : SIOUX

10. Hard-to-resist impulse : URGE

11. Republican-voting area, on an election map : RED STATE

12. Peoria-to-Detroit dir. : ENE

13. Neurotic toon dog : REN and Stimpy.

21. Not destroyed or lost, as an old document : EXTANT

22. Fuels (up) : GASSES

27. France's Cote d'__ : AZUR

28. Zooey's "New Girl" role : JESS. Zooey Deschanel / Jessica Day

30. Geometric truth : AXIOM

32. Prior prisoner, for short : EX-CON. (convict)

33. Pastor's abode : MANSE. Echo of Sunday.

35. Lipton rival : NESTEA

37. Kept tabs on from behind : TAILED

38. Hardly eye-catching : DRAB

39. Repetitive learning technique : ROTE

40. Better than expected : ABOVE PAR

41. North-south coordinate : LATITUDE. Partnered with longitude.

46. Rejoices : EXULTS. Exalt is to hold in high esteem.

48. Post-rehab support group : AL-ANON

49. "Thank you __, ma'am" : KINDLY

50. English Channel county : SUSSEX

52. "The Taming of the __" : SHREW

54. Formally gave up : CEDED

57. Powerful TV princess : XENA

58. Breeze (along) : SAIL

59. Casino game : FARO. An old card game but casinos probably have figured a way to increase the house cut.

60. HP products : PCs

61. Word after clip or pop : ART

Argyle

Saturday, Nov 21st, 2015, Bruce Venzke

Theme: None

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

Blocks: 36

 Second time in 6 weeks for a Bruce Venzke puzzle - and another relatively quick solve for me - lots of "gimme" clues and answers for a Saturday.  Unlike that last puzzle, however, this one had several proper names, and those fills were the only ones that left me stumped; and since they crossed in two places, I had to cave in to red-letters for ONE lousy cell.  Oh well.  Two triple spanner stacks and a very cool looking grid;

1. Amuse to the hilt : LEAVE IN STITCHES

16. Goth is a subgenre of it : ALTERNATIVE ROCK - I prefer the "goth" at 8d.

17. Tax inequity : MARRIAGE PENALTY - seems like a redundant phrase - but I am biased from my short-lived 2yr marriage

58. Slide rules, for example : ANALOG COMPUTERS - the abacus is another

64. Borrower's protection : INTEREST RATE CAP

65. Some emcees : TOAST MISTRESSES - new to me, but it seemed logical

ONW

A   R
D ~ !

ACROSS:

18. Blotter name : ALIAS - oops, not aliBI - but I was 100% 60% correct

19. These, overseas : ESTOS - threw in estAs, and that was close enough; and on this I'm 100% 80% correct

20. Film lioness : NALA

23. Financial shellacking : BATH

25. T-__ : BIRD - not BONE, and not BILL; I had an '86 4spd 4cyl turbo coupe - nice

in this color, no less

28. Where surfers look for bargains : eMALL - internet surfing

30. With 34-Across, China's locale : EAST

34. See 30-Across : ASIA

35. Logician friend of Einstein : GÖDEL - did not know this one, but I was vaguely familiar with the crossing ADLER; more on Kurt here

36. Give (out) : DOLE

37. Chinese dish eponym : TSO - one of my favorite dishes, General Tso's Chicken

38. Swansea-born : WELSH - bottom left, not far from Cardiff

39. Got used up, with "out" : RAN

40. Scary St. Bernard of fiction : CUJO - one of the first books I ever read

42. Beyond chunky : OBESE

43. Dough dispensers : ATMs

44. Try : HEAR - as in court

45. Not seen as frequently : RARER

46. Amphora, e.g. : VASE - I like the sound of "amphora"

47. Requires : ASKS

49. Dino, __ & Billy: '60s band that included sons of two musical celebs : DESI - a healthy WAG after I had the D--I; more here

51. Sentry's stint : WATCH

54. Is charismatic : HAS IT - I am lacking in the "charisma" department, but I "has it" in other areas; I had to wire a series of cabinet lights at my friend's new house, but I cannot run extension cords in the wall - so I came up with this clever solution

DOWN:

1. Monastery figure : LAMA

2. It has blue-striped jets : EL AL

3. Abruzzi bell town : ATRI - poetic; more here

4. Tara feature : VERANDA - Gone With the Wind

5. 1974 pension plan legislation : ERISA - seen this B4 in crosswords, but it filled via perps today

6. Words with stew and pickle : IN A

7. Bug : NAG

8. __-Chapelle: historic Paris church : STE - spectacular; I love Gothic Cathedral architecture; if you have the time, here's a link to a great show about the building achievements of the time - I like the demonstration at 24:30

9. Track advantage : TIP

10. "__ Got a Secret" : I'VE

11. Belief : TENET

12. Surprised at the party : CRASHED

13. "Dateline NBC" anchor Lester : HOLT

14. Prefix with -plasm : ECTO

15. "The __ the limit!" : SKY'S

21. Investigator's data gathering : LEGWORK - this kind of investigator

22. Low life : AMOEBAS

23. Consecrated : BLESSED

24. Attendant to a man : ALL HERE

25. Baker's quantity : BATCH

26. Send forth : ISSUE

27. Spanish wine region : RIOJA - filled via perps

29. Freud contemporary : ADLER - as I have said here before, there's a book on personality types that I frequently use to understand why people behave as they do

31. Inner tube? : AORTA - har-har

32. Verbal attacks : SLAMS

33. It may be perfect : TENSE

41. Forecasters : ORACLES

43. Flies : AVIATES

48. Insufficient : SHORT

50. "On the Beach" novelist : SHUTE - the "S" was a WAG

51. What early arrivals often have to do : WAIT

52. Cornerstone word : ANNO

53. "So long!" : "TA-TA~!"

55. Moments : SECS

56. "Dies __" : IRAE

57. Recipe abbr. : TSPS

59. Special someone : GEM - here's my "gem" for the week

60. Show with many spin-offs : CSI

61. USAF commissioning prog. : OTS - Officer Training School

62. He played Clubber Lang in "Rocky III" : Mr. T - I pity the fool....

63. Links figure : PAR

Splynter

Monday, November 9, 2015 Gail Grabowski and Bruce Venzke

Theme: Emergency Belts - Four ways to hold your pants up.

21A. Close to defeat : ON THE ROPES

32A. "Cool duds!" : "NICE THREADS!"

41A. Use one's influence : PULL STRINGS

53A. Membranes that vibrate : VOCAL CORDS

Argyle here. I'll post today's song at the bottom; don't miss it. No unifier needed.

Across:

1. Not at all flexible : STIFF. RIGID fits the bill, too.

6. Long and lean : LANK

10. Declare openly : AVOW

14. Easily tipped boat : CANOE

15. "__ further reflection ..." : UPON

16. Building toy with theme parks : LEGO

17. Western crooner Gene : AUTRY

18. Sanctuary recess : APSE

19. Overly compliant : MEEK

20. Compressed video file format : MPEG. (Moving Picture Experts Group)

23. The brown one is Louisiana's state bird : PELICAN

25. Mae West's "I used to be Snow White, but I drifted" is one : PUN

26. Sonoma Valley vessel : VAT. Wine.

27. Start of an envelope address : MR. AND MRS.

36. Covert org. in "Argo" : CIA. (covert rescue operation)

37. Dashing style : ELAN

38. Granola grain : OAT

39. Citrus drink used by NASA : TANG. In powder form till you mix it.

40. Obstinate critter : ASS

45. Where soldiers go? : LATRINES. So true.

47. Swat : HIT. Don't swat the little things ... well, maybe in the latrine.

48. Manning of the Giants : ELI

49. "Storage Wars" sales event : AUCTION. on A&E.

58. Napoleon's exile isle : ELBA

59. Biz bigwig : EXEC

60. Mishmash : OLIO

61. French-__ potatoes : FRIED

62. No-frills shelter : TENT. unless you're a wizard.

63. Speak abrasively : RASP

64. Apartment rental agreement : LEASE

65. Former trans-Atl. fliers : SSTs. (trans-Atlantic)

66. Kremlin rejection : "NYET!"

67. Milk dispenser : UDDER. It doesn't get any fresher.

Down:

1. Mischief-maker : SCAMP

2. Brownish gray : TAUPE. Natural mole fur hue. Last month we decided they must be French moles.

3. Info from a spy drone : INTEL

4. Pardoned : FORGIVEN

5. "Saturday Night Live" alumna Tina : FEY

6. Blonde comic strip teenager : LUANN

7. Date bk. entry : APPT. (Appointment)

8. Quick bite : NOSH

9. Skateboarder's protective gear : KNEE PAD

10. Energy bar nut : ALMOND

11. Show for which Julia Louis-Dreyfus has won four consecutive acting Emmys : VEEP. I don't have HBO.

12. S-shaped molding : OGEE

13. Bowl-shaped pans : WOKS

21. Sworn statement : OATH

22. Makes tracks : RUNS

24. Jazz aficionado : CAT. Can you dig it?

27. Breakfast and dinner : MEALS

28. "Darn it!" : "RATS!"

29. Shoe brand Thom __ : McAN

30. Line around a tub : RING

31. Droops : SAGS

32. "Hud" Oscar winner Patricia : NEAL 33. "Casablanca" heroine : ILSA A couple of classy dames.

34. Play list : CAST

35. Play part : ROLE

39. Giggled nervously : TITTERED. 1610-20; perhaps Scandinavian; compare Old Norse tittra to quiver, Swedish (dial.) tittra to giggle (Huh, nothing to do about where milk comes from.)

41. Medicinal dose : PILL

42. Mythical horse with a horn : UNICORN

43. In the manner indicated : THUS

44. Rocker Ocasek : RIC. The lead singer of The Cars.

46. Punches back, say : REACTS

49. Bring home from the shelter : ADOPT

50. Homeric epic : ILIAD

51. Like Santa Claus : OBESE. Say WHAT?!

52. "Unsafe at Any Speed" author Ralph : NADER

53. November parade participants : VETS. Honor them on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.

54. Clumsy oafs : OXes

55. Lincoln's coin : CENT. I like his bill better.

56. Big name in skin care : OLAY

57. Get to one's feet : RISE

61. Winter illness : FLU

 

Argyle

Monday October 26, 2015 Gail Grabowski and Bruce Venzke

Theme: So Bright I have To Wear Shades

20A. Carbonated beverage : SPARKLING WATER

25A. Bright, photogenic grin : DAZZLING SMILE

41A. Excellent year-end review, say : GLOWING REPORT

47A. Epitome : SHINING EXAMPLE

Argyle here. A very pleasant start to the week.

Across:

1. Singapore's continent : ASIA

5. Arches National Park state : UTAH

9. Spread out, as one's fingers : SPLAY

14. Amorphous mass : BLOB

15. By way of, briefly : THRU

16. Leave no doubt about : PROVE

17. Name as a source : CITE

18. Club often used for chipping : IRON

19. Procedures to learn, informally, with "the" : ROPES

23. Track section : RAIL

24. Assent to a captain : AYE

31. Boat not to rock : CANOE

32. Miler Sebastian : COE. It's Lord Coe now, British politician.

33. Grazing area : LEA

34. Charged toward : RAN TO

35. Fairy tale home builder : PIG. One of three.

36. Note equivalent to E : F FLAT

38. Catering dispenser : URN

39. Galoot : APE

40. Online finance company : E-LOAN

45. Tiny farm denizen : ANT

46. Ripped up : TORE

54. Italian violin maker : AMATI. Not just violins.

55. Cross inscription : INRI. Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum (Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews)

56. Bar from a dairy case : OLEO

57. Slow-witted one : MORON

58. Walking stick : CANE

59. Actor Penn of "Mystic River" : SEAN. In 2015, Penn starred in The Gunman, a French-American action thriller.

60. Getting on in years : AGING

61. Fleecy farm females : EWEs Now that's some alliteration.

62. Repertoire requirement for a military bugler : TAPS

Down:

1. Preschool lessons : ABC's

2. Lose traction : SLIP

3. Greek "i" : IOTA

4. Deviating from the norm : ABERRANT. 50¢

5. Employ : UTILIZE

6. Roller coaster excitement : THRILL

7. Elvis __ Presley : ARON

8. Suspended on the wall : HUNG

9. Wets with a hose : SPRAYS

10. President __: Senate bigwig : PRO TEM

11. More than trot : LOPE

12. State firmly : AVER

13. "You bet!" : "YES!"

21. Hummed-into instrument : KAZOO

22. "Living" compensation : WAGE

25. "Hawaii Five-O" nickname : DANNO

26. More standoffish : ICIER

27. Spiked yuletide beverage : NOG

28. __ ease: anxious : ILL AT

29. Tilt to one side : LEAN

30. Have a bite : EAT

31. Astronomer Sagan : CARL

34. Persian on the living room floor : RUG

35. NBA scoring stat : PPG. (Points Per Game)

36. Horticulturist's study : FLORA

37. First and __: most important : FOREMOST

39. Objector : ANTI

40. Model kit glues : EPOXIES

42. Serve, as diner patrons : WAIT ON

43. Baseball game ninth : INNING. But it may only be half an inning.

44. Without end, in poetry : ETERNE

47. Skyline haze : SMOG

48. Big name in spydom : HARI. Mata Hari.

49. "__ going!": "Good job!" : NICE

50. Work on a bone : GNAW

51. Intense request : PLEA

52. Jump : LEAP

53. Very long time : EONS

54. Org. with many specialists : AMA. (American Medical Association)

Argyle

Saturday, Oct 10th, 2015, Bruce Venzke

Theme: None

Words: 68 (missing Q,V,X,Z)

Blocks: 30

 My experience with Mr. Venzke's puzzles has been tough, but do-able.  Today, however, I smoked through his construction in half my personal allotted time. Lots of "definitions" which helps avoid the names of people and places.  Triple 9-letter corners, two 10-letter climbers, and one spanner;

38a. House adjustment : REAPPORTIONMENT - The US House of Representatives; more here

16a. Calculated : TOTALED UP - straight up

36d. Pleasant : ENJOYABLE

55a. Nebraska tribe : WINNEBAGO

  

3d. Eroded : ATE AWAY AT

On(e)wa Rd ~!

ACROSS:

1. Ray in the water : SKATE - oops, not MANTA

6. Lasting consideration : SHELF LIFE - I find it peculiar that my bottled water has a shelf life....

15. Times in ads : NITES - this had to be right, so it made me take out MANTA

17. On one's toes : ALERT

18. Periodic synchronizations : LEAP YEARS

19. Key ingredient in a Bloody Caesar : CLAMATO - I vaguely remembered this, but where it comes from is new to me - the Wiki
 

21. High-fashion shoemaker Jimmy : CHOO - HeartRx is all too familiar with this brand

22. Royal Botanic Gardens locale : KEW

23. Chef's introduction? : SOUS - working in the restaurants, this was easy for me

25. Do a farm vet's job : DEHORN

27. Frank's cousin : BRAT - oh, that frank(furter)

29. Cried from a shelter : YIPPED

31. 1989 James Cameron film, with "The" : ABYSS - I did see it, but didn't recall it right off the bat

33. Discontinues : SURCEASES - my Latin helped me here

40. Initiates detailed plans : SETS A DATE - think wedding

41. 1932 Lake Placid gold medalist : SONJA - one of the few proper nouns in today's puzzle, this one was mostly perps

42. Least exciting : TAMEST - did not get my ta-DA~! because I had Lamest first

44. Rapper __ Moe Dee : KOOL - I went with Cool first, and knew it was wrong

45. Malting material : BARLEY - think beer

49. Itinerary elements: Abbr. : RTEs

51. Sometime substitute for 45-Across : RYE

52. Spread on the table : OLEO

53. Native whose land has an Atlantic and Caribbean coastline : HAITIAN

60. Don't disturb : LET BE

61. Sign, as an agreement : ENTER INTO

62. Challenge for a future doctor : ORALS - I threw in MSATS

63. Hit from behind : REAR-ENDED - happened to me in 1989; took 4 years to recover the money from the other insurance company

64. Items in a slush pile: Abbr. : SASEs - the envelopes included with the manuscripts

DOWN:

1. Bite sites : SNACK BARS

2. First recurring "SNL" character : KILLER BEE

4. Insurance policy datum : TERM

5. Spanish pronoun : ESTAS

6. Edward Jones Dome athlete : St. LOUIS RAM - mostly perps; glad to see we had a hockey-themed puzzle for the opening of the season this week.  Not so much the football season

7. Masonry tool : HOE

8. Seventh of 24 : ETA - Greek letters

9. Once around : LAP

10. 1986 Jeff Goldblum film, with "The" : FLY - the more graphic version - IMDb

11. It's hard to get rid of one : LEECH

12. Wyoming neighbor : IDAHO

13. Hubbub : FUROR

14. Big name in printers : EPSON - since I had the "O", XEROX seemed likely

20. Bichon Frise, e.g. : TOY - dogs, learned from doing crosswords

24. Sound flustered : SPUTTER - oooh, so close, I had sTutter

25. Chrysler Building style : DECO - Art Deco, and my favorite building of the NYC skyline - and here combined with one of my other favorites

26. Heavens : EDENS

28. Rx amts. : TSPS

30. Group of fathers : PRIESTHOOD

32. Sudden rush : SPATE - yeah, um spaLe was, uh, wrong....

34. Frenzily : AMOK

35. Misses at many bullfights : SENORITAS - the ladies, not the "close calls"; need to call in the Farm Vet from 25a.

37. Lack of originality : STALENESS

39. Jazz singer Anita : O'DAY - dredged from the nether regions of the mind

43. Word with caddy or ball : TEA - tea caddy I get, but a tea ball is new to me

45. Shaded recess : BOWER - reminds me of this Led Zeppelin song

Gallows Pole - lyric @ 2:18

46. Flared dress shape : A LINE

47. __-Wreck : RENT-A

48. Hardly an extrovert : LONER

50. Storage areas : SILOS - semi-clecho at 57d.

54. Prefix with hertz : TERA - went with MEGA - that's 50%, 100% correct

56. Poetic preposition : ERE

57. Storage place : BIN

58. Word between two ages : AND - ummm....

59. Onetime Bell Atlantic rival : GTE

Splynter

Monday, September 7, 2015 Bruce Venzke and Gail Grabowski

Theme: Connection - One word that works with four different words.

62A. Perform a cheerleader's feat, and a hint to what 17-, 23-, 40- and 50-Across' first words have in common : DO THE SPLITS...and the connection is SPLIT.

17A. Sensible : LEVEL HEADED. Split level, like a house.

23A. Actor's tryout : SCREEN TEST. Split screen, like this film, Woodstock(1:12).

40A. Romantic anniversary getaway : SECOND HONEYMOON. Split second.

50A. Concert memento : TICKET STUB. Split ticket, when a voter doesn't follow party lines and votes for candidates from more than one party.

Argyle here. Personally, after the last three puzzles, I was ready for a Monday.

Across:

1. __ fit: tantrum : HISSY

6. Alabama civil rights march city : SELMA

11. Muddy farm abode : STY

14. Send to seventh heaven : ELATE. Like a pig in a sty.

15. Earlier : PRIOR

16. Drain-clearing chemical : LYE

19. Alias, for short : AKA. (also known as)

20. Private school attendee : PREPPIE

21. Actor Rob of "90210" : ESTES. Rob Estes was born on July 22, 1963 in Norfolk, Virginia, USA. He appears as Harry Wilson on 90210, the fourth series of the Beverly Hills, 90210 continuity. Prior to this role, Estes starred in the franchise's second series as Kyle McBride, and appeared in the guest role of Sam Towler years earlier.

27. Padlocked fasteners : HASPS

32. Maintained, as beliefs : HELD TO. Colloquialism?

33. Extremely : EVER SO. Colloquialism?

35. Wheel tooth : COG

36. Judge's garb : ROBE

43. 1970s-'80s sketch show : SCTV. (Second City Television)

44. Letters of obligation : IOU. Sound it out.

45. Took by force : SEIZED

46. "Full House" acting twins : OLSENS. They both portrayed Michelle Tanner, the youngest daughter in the Tanner family.

49. January, to Juan : ENERO. The start of verano.

54. Irish actor Milo : O'SHEA

55. Hopi homes : PUEBLOs

61. Hard __ rock : AS A. Do not play if easily offended. Very suggestive.

66. Pester for payment : DUN

67. Bull on a glue container : ELMER

68. Assume as fact : POSIT

69. Up to now : YET

70. Curbs, with "in" : REINS

71. Sandwich cheese with ham : SWISS

Down:

1. "SOS!" : "HELP!"

2. Robert who played Anthony Soprano Jr. : ILER

3. Keep in reserve : SAVE

4. Ladder rung : STEP

5. Shrill bark : [YELP!]

6. Orator's delivery : SPEECH

7. Chapter in history : ERA

8. Jar cover : LID

9. Cohort of Curly and Larry : MOE. Not the bartender today.

10. Intensely devoted : ARDENT

11. List of candidates : SLATE. Straight ticket.

12. Tricycle riders : TYKES

13. Bread-baking need : YEAST

18. "__ Girl Friday": 1940 Cary Grant comedy : HIS

22. Enter angrily : STORM IN

24. Runner-up's demand : RECOUNT

25. North Carolina university : ELON

26. Outer margins : EDGES

27. Gas brand with collectible toy trucks : HESS. Hess has been sold to Speedway but does that make the Hess trucks even more collectible?

28. With, in France : AVEC

29. Breakaway religious group : SECT

30. Egg on : PROVOKE

31. ID on an IRS form : SSN

34. Creator of praiseful poems : ODIST

37. Move like slime : OOZE

38. Afrikaans speaker : BOER

39. Prefix with skeleton : ENDO

41. Sod-busting tools : HOEs

42. "__-haw!" : YEE. Almost done!

47. Orchestra conductor, e.g. : LEADER

48. Building custodians : SUPERs. Shortened superintendent.

50. Sycophant : TOADY

51. Magazine edition : ISSUE

52. Repeated unison rallying cry : CHANT

53. Urban transport : BUS

56. Omar of "House" : EPPS

57. Low __: cheap shot : BLOW

58. Italian actress Virna : LISI

59. Elevator pioneer : OTIS

60. Former Mach 2 fliers, briefly : SSTs

63. World Cup cry : ¡OLÉ!

64. Texter's "Keep the details to yourself" : TMI. (Too Much Information)

65. One in a coop group : HEN

Argyle

Monday, August 24, 2015 Gail Grabowski and Bruce Venzke

Theme: Ahoy! - Come aboard. First we'll show you the parts of the ship.

60A. In tidy condition, and a hint to the first words of the answers to starred clues : SHIPSHAPE

17A. *Historic Chicago landmark co-founded by Jane Addams : HULL HOUSE

24A. *Anxiety caused by confinement : CABIN FEVER

38A. *Dress fancily : DECK OUT

53A. *Old phone feature for multiple calls : HOLD BUTTON

Argyle here. The fill came from many ports of call but still smooth sailing. I failed to find a suitable diagram of a ship that showed all of today's listing so I defer any questions to Spitzboov. I don't know who to ask about link Hull House. New to me.

Across:

1. "Just as I suspected!" : "A-HA!"

4. Alabama protest city : SELMA

9. Crude dwelling : SHACK

14. Sun, in Mexico : SOL

15. Oak-to-be : ACORN

16. Company newbie : HIREE

19. With time to spare : EARLY

20. Angler's basket : CREEL

21. One thousandth: Pref. : MILLI

23. Fishtank organism : ALGA

29. Bill, Louis and Carrie : NYEs. The science guy, comedian who was on the Steve Allen show, and Carrie Nye, a stage, film and television actress and wife of Dick Cavett.

30. Porthole view : OCEAN. A-ha, another ship part.

31. Flight-related prefix : AERO

32. Either of the first two consonants in "coccyx," but not the third : HARD C

34. "We __ Overcome" : SHALL

35. Lavish affairs : DOs

41. Summer shirt : TEE. For wear at do's.

42. Curving : ARCED

44. Annual athletic awards : ESPYs. Awarded by ESPN.

46. Actor Connery : SEAN

47. "Midnight Cowboy" hustler Rizzo : RATSO. NOW we get Ratso.

49. Cantina snack : TAPA

55. Stein fillers : ALES

56. Coeur d'__, Idaho : ALENE

57. Braying beasts : ASSES

58. Drainage conduit : SEWER

64. Remove pencil marks : ERASE

65. Dutch bloom : TULIP

66. Scratching post user : CAT

67. Inner turmoil : ANGST

68. Oozes : SEEPS

69. Aliens, briefly : ETs

Down

1. Refuse receptacle : ASH CAN. Not these.

2. Like some regular news updates : HOURLY

3. Claim without proof : ALLEGE

4. Satirist Mort : SAHL

5. Novelist Umberto : ECO

6. Comical Costello : LOU. Bud Abbott's buddy

7. __ Butterworth : MRS. Syrup.

8. Iron-poor blood condition : ANEMIA

9. Place for books : SHELF

10. Racetrack near Miami : HIALEAH

11. Reach, as a destination : ARRIVE AT

12. Animation still : CEL

13. __ lime pie : KEY

18. Collar attachment : LEASH

22. Vacation stopover : INN

24. Apple discard : CORE

25. Adaptable, electrically : AC/DC

26. "Waiting for Godot" playwright Samuel : BECKETT

27. Writer __ Stanley Gardner : ERLE

28. Film cameo, e.g. : ROLE

33. Mix in : ADD

34. Hog's home : STY

35. Hyphen-like punctuation : DASH

36. Cookie with a Thins variety : OREO

37. Rascal : SCALAWAG

39. __ buco: veal dish : OSSO

40. "Once __ a time ..." : UPON

43. Nonstop : ENDLESS

45. Secret supply : STASH

47. Compete for a seat : RUN

48. '50s nuclear trials : A-TESTS

50. Strasbourg's region : ALSACE. without Lorraine today.

51. Spy on : PEEP AT

52. Balance sheet heading : ASSETS

54. Artist's flat hat : BERET. Mais oui!

57. Once-sacred snakes : ASPs

58. Baltic, for one : SEA

59. Directional suffix : ERN

61. Color chart listing : HUE

62. Land in la mer : ILE

63. Domino dot : PIP

Argyle

Monday, August 17, 2015 Bruce Venzke and Gail Grabowski

Theme: vowel progression - Monday starts with B-vowel progression-D.

17A. Shuttlecock swatter : BADMINTON RACKET

23A. Footwear with pajamas : BEDROOM SLIPPERS

40A. Competitive struggles at Sotheby's : BIDDING CONTESTS

50A. Collective expertise in a field : BODY OF KNOWLEDGE

62A. Spending plan approximations : BUDGET ESTIMATES

Argyle here. So...we have five grid spanners, a Q short of a pangram, and decent fill but it was still 22-Across for me.

Across:

1. "Hooked on Bach" record co. : KTEL

5. Cool cat's music : JAZZ

9. Sudden muscle contraction : SPASM

14. "Rule, Britannia" composer Thomas : ARNE. Clip(3:32)

15. Suffix with sock or smack : EROO. sockeroo - a notable success / smackeroo - 1. a hard slap or swat, 2. a dollar, 3. a noisy kiss.

16. Scrumptious : TASTY

20. Concert hall : ODEUM

21. Hat tipper's word : MA'AM

22. "I'm underwhelmed" : "MEH"

27. Org. for marksmen : NRA. (National Rifle Association)

28. Last word of "Gone With the Wind" : DAY

29. French lady friend : AMIE

33. Take __: doze : A NAP

36. Pie cover : CRUST

43. Online business : eTAIL

44. Capital of 42-Down : OSLO and 42D. Neighbor of Swed. : NORWay

45. TV warrior princess : XENA

 

46. Sunshine State rapper __ Rida : FLO

 

48. Tax-collecting agcy. : IRS. (Internal Revenue Service)

59. Bird: Pref. : AVI

60. Actress Sorvino : MIRA

 

61. Figure skating leaps : AXELS

66. Otherworldly : ALIEN

67. Face hider : MASK

68. "__ Lisa" : MONA

 

69. Rips to shreds : RENDS

70. Sommer of Hollywood : ELKE

 

71. PlayStation maker : SONY

Down:

1. Shish __ : KABOB

2. Baseball transaction : TRADE

3. Wrapped up : ENDED

4. Madagascar tree climber : LEMUR

 

5. Actress Garner, familiarly : JEN. CIA officer Sydney Bristow in the ABC series Alias, 2001 - 2006.

 

6. Museum display : ART

7. Goes like heck : ZOOMS

8. Broken into regions : ZONAL

9. 1765 statute imposing a tax on printed documents : STAMP ACT

10. Oregon's ocean: Abbr. : PACific

11. "I welcome your questions" : "ASK ME"

12. Range rover : STEER

13. Urban legends, e.g. : MYTHS

18. "That's my cue!" : "I'M ON!"

19. Fridge foray : RAID

24. Algerian seaport : ORAN

 

25. Tropical fruit : MANGO

26. Oven-safe glassware : PYREX

29. Civil War prez : ABE. (Abraham Lincoln [1809 - 1865] 16th President 1861 - 1865)

30. Cambridge sch. : MIT. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

31. State east of Wash. : IDAho

32. Spiritually enlighten : EDIFY

34. Apt. coolers : ACs. (air conditioners)

35. Salk vaccine target : POLIO

37. Draw upon : USE

38. Dot on an MTA map : STN. (station)

39. Bag-screening org. : TSA. (Transportation Security Administration)

41. Foreboding phenomena : ILL OMENS

47. "Think nothing __" : OF IT

49. Close with force : SLAM or 57D. "Fatal Attraction" actress Close : GLENN

50. Elephant in picture books : BABAR

 

51. Elementary seed : OVULE. Wiki.

52. Brought to ruin : DID IN

53. Doughnut brand word : KREME. (Krispy Kreme)

54. Twangy-voiced : NASAL

55. Academic hurdles : EXAMS

56. Artoo's "surname" : DETOO

58. Opinion piece : ESSAY

63. H.S. equivalency test : GED. (General Educational Development)

64. "That's a no-no" : "TSK!"

65. Cold War prez : IKE. (Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower [1890 – 1969] 34th President 1953 - 1961.)

 

Argyle