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

Sunday, July 12, 2015 Donna S. Levin & Bruce Venzke

Theme:  "Th-, Th-, That's All, Folks - TH sound is added to the end of each theme entry, adjusting spellings as needed.

23A. Unflattering nickname for a boastful corporate bigwig? : CHAIRMAN MOUTH. Chairman Mao.

46A. Belief at the heart of “Miracle on 34th Street”? : SANTA FAITH. Santa Fe.

68A. Actor Colin's body double? : FAUX FIRTH. Faux fur. Colin Firth (The King's Speech).

91A. Momentous event in baseball history, as it turned out? : AARON BIRTH. Base phrase Aaron Burr. The AARON in the clue refers to Hank Aaron.

112A. Hoping for a winning lottery ticket? : WISHING WEALTH. Wishing well.

15D. Old king's slow-moving pet? : COLE SLOTH. Coleslaw. Only one-word entry.

31D. Olbermann at a karaoke bar? : MUSICAL KEITH. Musical key. ESPN just let go of Keith Olbermann.

42D. AMA motto? : GIVE 'EM HEALTH. Give 'em hell. Reminds me of that heartless Michigan cancer doctor.

78D. Smokey's trouser material? : BEAR CLOTH. Bear claw.

After I did Tea Party with Don G, I fully appreciated the creativity & complexity behind this type of sound addition theme. It's so much harder than simply adding a T, or a TH.

I think this is the first collaboration of Donna S. Levin and Bruce Venzke, who often teams up with Gail Grabowski for LAT.  

Gail told me a while ago that they title their puzzle as GAB (Gail and Bruce) if Gail's byline comes up first, and BAG (Bruce and Gail) if Bruce's byline comes up first. So this puzzle might be titled DAB.

 

Across:

  

1. Cap treated by an orthopedist : PATELLA. Love when I can nail a 7-letter fill. Today's grid is very clean and smooth.

8. Hajji's destination : MECCA. Can non-Muslims visit the city?

13. Enthusiastic approval : ACCLAIM

20. Like amoeba reproduction : ASEXUAL
 

21. Show that had an annual "Favorite Things" segment : OPRAH. Got via crosses. Not a fan.

22. Part of a colloquial lament : SHOULDA

25. Counterattacks : SALLIES

26. Coquette : TEASE

27. Ruby in films : DEE

28. Mr. Mistoffelees' creator : T. S. ELIOT. Got via crosses also. And 63. 28-Across, e.g. : POET
 

29. Packing : ARMED. Packing heat, I suppose.

32. Clark Kent, on Krypton : KALEL

34. Relatives of medians : MODES

36. Garish : LOUD

37. Give a hoot : CARE

38. Two-mile-high city : LHASA. And 6D. Tibetan priest : LAMA

40. Sign on : LOG IN

45. Allied gp. since 1948 : OAS (Organization of American States)

48. Sheepish? : OVINE. Nailed it.

49. Tests : TRIALS

51. Unlock, to a bard : OPE

52. Little legume : PEA

53. Fended (off) : STAVED

54. G-rated : CLEAN

56. Benevolent order : ELKS. Headquartered in Chicago, as I learned last week.

58. "Symphony of a Thousand" composer : MAHLER (Gustav)

59. Grammarian's topic : USAGE

61. "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" setting : INDIA

65. LAX posting : ETD
 

67. Brilliance : ECLAT

70. Rigs on long hauls : SEMIs

72. Guffaw : YUK

73. Flight segment : STEP

74. California berry farm founder : KNOTT. Knott's Berry Farm.

75. Taj __ : MAHAL

76. Without vigor : FEEBLY

79. "Birdman" actor Galifianakis : ZACH. Hope we don't see his surname in a grid.  Known for his Between Two Ferns.

80. Licorice-flavored seed : ANISE

82. Big Pharma name : PFIZER

83. Faline in "Bambi," e.g. : DOE. Ha ha, I put in ENA. Never saw "Bambi".

85. Leg up : AID

87. Dan Aykroyd's birthplace : OTTAWA

90. Very very : ULTRA

94. Pot cover : LID

95. Former "The View" co-host : BEHAR (Joy)

96. Rock trio with long-bearded vocalists : ZZ TOP. The "Long-bearded" hint handed us a big fat gimme.  

97. "Got it" : I SEE

98. First razor with a pivoting head : ATRA

99. Sheds a tear : CRIES. "The Bridges of Madison County"!

101. Spanish "these" : ESTOS

103. Change from maxi to midi, say : RE-HEM

104. "Idylls of the King" setting : CAMELOT

108. Party org. : DNC. Crossing 108. Urgent : DIRE. Easy elimination of RNC.

109. More experienced : WISER
 

111. Quaint "Jeepers!" : OMIGOSH

117. Western neckwear : BOLO TIE. Boomer bought two at our State Fair long time ago. Never worn them again. 

118. Smooth one's feathers : PREEN
 

119. More icky : NASTIER

120. Less introverted : BRASHER

121. Fermented honey quaffs : MEADS

122. They usually inspire blessings : SNEEZES

Down:

1. Lobbying gp. : PAC

2. Cinders : ASH
 

3. Major Sri Lankan export : TEA
 

4. Left : EXITED

5. Enticed : LURED

7. __ king crab : ALASKAN

8. May honoree : MOM

9. Lyric poem : EPODE. Learned from doing crosswords.

10. First name in dognapping : CRUELLA

11. Actress Blanchett : CATE

12. "That's the spot!" : AHH

13. Courtroom fig. : ASST. D.A.. Or ADAs. Jack McCoy has quite a few.

14. Pursue : CHASE

16. Down time : LULL

17. Ovid's others : ALII

18. Thought: Pref. : IDEO

19. Spar : MAST

24. Not far from : NEAR TO. Boomer bowled 634 & 607 at the National Senior Games on Friday/Saturday. Not good enough. He still has a chance at the Doubles event today.

29. Scads : A LOT

30. Savanna warning : ROAR

33. Jumped out of one's seat : LEAPED UP. UP feels unnecessary.

34. Friend of Sydney : MATE. Sydney, Australia.

35. Worker welfare org. : OSHA

37. Acapulco abode : CASA

39. Rose __ : HIPS. My birthday gift. A bottle of Rose hip oil. Total luxury.

41. Like some mirrors : OVAL
 

43. Subject of Newton's first law : INERTIA

44. Author Buntline : NED

46. Winter woe : SLEET

47. Given name meaning "happy" : FELIX. King Felix.

50. Bit of pond scum : ALGA

53. Was in session : SAT

 55. "Swell!" : NIFTY!

57. "The Metamorphosis" writer : KAFKA

58. Maestro Zubin : MEHTA. Born in Bombay (Mumbai).

59. One-eighty : UEY

60. Scrap : SCUFFLE

62. Captain Kidd's refusal : NAE

63. Ban : PROHIBIT

64. Hubbell teammate : OTT. Carl Hubbell. Hall-of-Famer. Big Easy sent me this picture in March. He said "Next time OTT appears in a puzzle you can insert this. I was passing there today and stopped and took this picture. It is right down the street from ZYDECOs, which occasionally showed up."

66. High-speed letters : DSL

69. Like most Quechua speakers : INCAN

 

70. Partner of Wesson : SMITH. Easy crosses.

71. From Liverpool to Manchester : EAST
 

73. Camera letters : SLR

77. Biblical reformer : EZRA. Friendly crosses again.

79. Nothing at all : ZERO

81. Observe closely : NOTE

82. Black and tan seller : PUB

83. Stupefaction : DAZE. Thought the noun for Stupefy is just "Stupor".

84. Granola grain : OATS

86. Cut out of the will : DISOWN

88. Send electronically, as funds : WIRE

89. Sixth-day creation : ADAM

92. Bounding main : OPEN SEA

93. Gives up : RESIGNS
 

96. Instrument sometimes played in one's lap : ZITHER
 

98. Make fizzy : AERATE

100. Riveting icon : ROSIE. Rosie the Riveter.

102. RR station posting : SCHED (Schedule)

103. Actress Witherspoon : REESE
 

104. __ salad : COBB

105. Cupid : AMOR

106. Ashton's partner : MILA. Yay! They're a cute couple. Just married last weekend.

107. They may be bruised : EGOS

110. Long-necked trumpeter : SWAN

112. Typing stat. : WPM

113. Former green-card-issuing agcy. : INS (Immigration and Naturalization Service). They  issued me a green card with an extra U after Q. I guess Zhouqin looks incomplete.

114. Claiborne of fashion : LIZ

115. Casual wear : TEE

116. Retail posting: Abbr. : HRS

Happy 85th Birthday to Sallie! I bet both of her sons made special plans to be with her today. How are you doing lately, Sallie?

 

C.C.

Monday, June 1, 2015 Gail Grabowski and Bruce Venzke

Theme: The TRUTH... shall turn you LOOSE; set you FREE to be LIBERATED and UNBOUND.

20A. Coin-counting machine input : LOOSE CHANGE

33A. Capitalist principle : FREE ENTERPRISE

40A. Feminist : LIBERATED WOMAN

56A. Yet-to-be-covered volume : UNBOUND BOOK

RABBIT, RABBIT. Argyle here with the latest from Gail and Bruce. My alternate title was "Going Commando...".

Across:

1. Scrubbing Bubbles target : SCUM. Commercial.

5. Medical research goal : CURE

9. Faked on the ice : DEKED

14. Walking aid : CANE

15. "Up and __!" : AT 'EM

16. Somber verse : ELEGY. Not the eulogy but may be heard at the same service.

17. "What's going __ there?" : ON IN. Kids are too noisy or too quiet; same question.

18. Knock down, as an old house : RAZE

19. Russian river : VOLGA

23. Chaney of horror : LON

24. "Gracias" response : DE NADA. "It was nothing"

25. Dawdle : DALLY

27. Annoys : IRKS

30. Respond to with loud laughter : ROAR AT

37. Tesla Motors co-founder __ Musk : ELON. Occasional visitor to the Corner.

38. Former California fort : ORD, on Monterey Bay.

39. Sanctuary recess : APSE

45. Mall divisions : STORES

46. Say "Be careful" to : WARN

47. Chocolaty concoction : COCOA

49. Cupcake toppings : ICINGS

54. Spot for a seaweed wrap : SPA. Not a sushi bar?!

59. Stable youngsters : COLTS

61. Floating ice mass : BERG

62. Yours, in France : A TOI

63. Kate's sitcom friend : ALLIE. (1984–1989)

64. Jigsaw puzzler's starting place : EDGE

65. Upward slope : RISE

66. Southwestern plateaus : MESAs

67. Belgian river : YSER

68. Zipped : SPED

Down:

1. Admonish : SCOLD

2. Paddled boat : CANOE

3. Group for ones in labor? : UNION. Cute clue.

4. Brilliant bunch : MENSA

5. Vehicle maintenance : CAR CARE

6. Canyonlands National Park site : UTAH

7. Exiled Shah Mohammed __ Pahlavi : REZA. A rare trip to a Monday.

8. Edit, as text : EMEND

9. Come to light : DEVELOP

10. Jeff Lynne's symphonic rock gp. : ELO. (Electric Light Orchestra)

11. Morning TV host : KELLY RIPA. Looker 1

12. "Leggo my __!" : EGGO

13. Actress Cannon : DYAN. Looker 2

21. Singer Brickell married to Paul Simon : EDIE. Looker 3

22. Teri of "Mr. Mom" : GARR. Looker 4

26. Former California NFLer : LA RAM

28. Secure shoelace feature : KNOT

29. Scatter : STREW

31. Part of LPGA: Abbr. : ASSN. (association)

32. Collarless shirt : TEE

33. Move like a moth : FLIT

34. Autodialed campaign messages : ROBO-CALLS

35. Juan's January : ENERO

36. Old Norse poetic work : EDDA

37. Chicago transit trains : ELs

41. Disqualifies (oneself), judicially : RECUSES

42. "You have __": obstetrician's news : A SON

43. Old laundry-squeezing device : WRINGER

44. How some data is backed up : ON CD. (Compact Disc)

48. Cloister : ABBEY. I just borrowed the first five seasons of "Downton Abbey"; should keep me busy for awhile.

50. Letter-shaped girders : I-BARS. Commonly called an I-beam.

51. Upshot of poor service : NO TIP

52. "Duck, duck" follower : "GOOSE"

53. Maneuvered among moguls : SKIED

54. Bogus offer : SCAM

55. Flag holder : POLE

57. Ref. works that take up a lot of shelf space : OEDs. (Oxford English Dictionary)

58. Try to convince : URGE

60. Familia member : TIA. Your Spanish aunt or Tinbeni's Tia Maria.

Argyle

Notes from C.C.:

1) For those who were not able to make the Indie 500, you can now solve the puzzles at home. Please click here for details. The amazing constructors are: Erik Agard, Evan Birnholz, Peter Broda, Neville Fogarty, Andy Kravis and Finn Vigeland. All are NYT published constructors. Several are our LAT constructors also.

2) The fourth Minnesota Crossword Tournament will be held on June 14th, 2015 Saturday. Please click here for more details. Don G and I teamed up again this year. Hope to see some of you there.