Tuesday, July 17, 2018 Craig Stowe

"FLIP SIDES"

17. *Air Force topper: FLIGHT CAP.

24. *Subconscious revelation: FREUDIAN SLIP.
The police aren't here to create disorder, they're here to preserve disorder.  - Richard Daley

39. *Solution for an itchy Spot?: FLEA DIP.

52. *Escapes: FLIES THE COOP.

63. Opposites, and what the answers to starred clues literally contain: FLIP SIDES.

Across:

1. Excites, with "up": AMPs,   and clecho   33. Excite, with "up": REV.

5. Programs opened with a fingertip: APPs.

9. Furtive attention-getters: PSSTs.

14. When doubled, a fish: MAHI.

15. Computer folder item: FILE.

16. Musical eightsome: OCTET.

19. Go halfsies: SHARE.

20. Creator of the Hundred Acre Wood: MILNE.  Did you read that the original 1926 illustration of the Hundred Acre Wood sold last week for £430,000 ?  That's just short of $570,000.   

21. Onetime comm. giant: ITT. 

23. Concerning: INRE.

28. Unethical: IMMORAL.

31. __ brûlée: custard dessert: CREME.

Burnt Cream

32. Wild hog: BOAR.  Steer clear.  Unless you are packing heat and are disease-resistant.  They're often very big,  can be aggressive, and they are smart. Destructive too, as they attempt to sate their insatiable appetites.

A Message from the USDA

35. Up to now: AS YET.

38. Pipe shape: ELL.

42. __-Magnon: CRO.    Neanderthal fossils were discovered in the Neander Valley of Germany in 1829, and a few years later in 1868, the Cro-Magnon fossils were discovered near the village of Les Eyzies, France.  Nice summaries from the Smithsonian. 

43. Honking birds: GEESE,   and  57. Cacophony: NOISE.     "Watching huge flocks of Snow Geese swirl down from the sky, amid a cacophony of honking, is a little like standing inside a snow globe."


45. Cookie container: TIN.  Adult beverage container: TIN

46. Woman in a family tree: AUNT.  Tia in Spanish,  Tante in German. 

47. Armada: FLEET.  You can rent a Nissan Armada at Hertz.  They have a fleet of these large 8 passenger SUVs.  You might not want to drive one in England.  I've read that armadas are not very well-received there.

50. Eurasian grasslands: STEPPEs.

The Steppe

55. Beat really fast: RACE.

56. "Gimme a __": SEC.

61. Not up to the task: INEPT.

66. Ford replaced him as VP: AGNEW.  Getting a lot of air time lately in the LA Times puzzles.

67. Folded Tex-Mex treat: TACO.  The Tejanos first created the fusion of American and Mexican cuisines.  You can get Tex-Mex food pretty much anywhere in the United States.   Even when you go into authentic "Mexican" restaurants, you'll probably see Tex-Mex items on the menu. A Palate Pleasing Union.

68. Daily paper material: NEWS.

69. Back in style: RETRO.

70. Underworld river: STYX.  Or the progressive rock band that originated in Chicago and made it big in the '70s and '80's.   Disagreements among the members about the musical direction the band should take, along with creative and competitive tensions, led to their eventual breakup.   Still, they had 16 Top 40 singles, 8 of which were Top 10.  This was their only # 1.   It's more of a soft/pop rock sound.


71. Stun with a police gun: TASE.

Down:

1. Radio switch: AM FM.

2. Landlocked African country: MALI.

3. Three-time Masters champ Mickelson: PHIL.

Phil addresses the media at the Scottish Open

4. Formally accept, as a delivery: SIGN FOR.

5. Toward the stern: AFT.

6. Camera shot: PIC.

7. Kilt pattern: PLAID.

8. __ tank: SEPTIC.    It’s a cafeteria for bacteria

9. Neg. opposite: POS. 

10. Deep divides: SCHISMs.

11. Hockey trophy: STANLEY CUP.

 22 Things You Might Not Know About the Stanley Cup

Relinking in case you missed it on the March 27th, 2018 review.  The Washington Capitals got past the Penguins and won it this year.  First time to win it all.  13 playoff appearances.  

12. Purple-haired twin on "The Simpsons": TERRI.

via GIPHY

13. Brew: STEEP.  I enjoy a good brew, but the charge for some imported beers and ales can be comparatively steep.

18. German gent: HERR. German language honorific, equivalent to Mister in English.

22. Shingle sealant: TAR. The black strip covered by film on the bottom a composition shingle is asphalt. Rather than tar, asphalt roof cement should normally be used on composite shingle roofs around penetrations or other areas where a sealant is needed. 

25. Royal wedding guest, perhaps: EARL.

26. Peter Fonda's beekeeper: ULEE.   Roger Ebert gave the film 3.5 stars (out of 4). 

27. Tide type: NEAP.  4 letters for tide type ?  - EAP and check the crossing clue. 

28. "__ your pardon": I BEG.  "I never promised you a rose garden.  Along with the sunshine, there has to be a little rain sometimes."  The flip side of that single was "Nothing Between Us" according to Wikipedia.

29. Spy story staple: MOLE.

30. Like evildoers: MALEFICENT.  Pernicious behavior. 

34. Laundry tub: VAT.   Wash, wring and rinse, in one easy-to-use setup !

 Grandma's method

36. Shore bird: ERNE.

37. Youngsters: TOTs. 

39. Charges for members: FEEs.

40. Part of DJ: DISC.   I got to play DJ last Tuesday while reviewing Bruce Haight's "DJ SET" puzzle. 

41. Really enjoying, as a hobby: INTO.

44. Unexpected hit: SLEEPER.

46. Name officially, as to a position: APPOINT.

48. Sci-fi invaders: ETs.

49. Robberies: THEFTs.

51. Seemingly forever: EONs.

52. Monastery figure: FRIAR.

53. Jessica of "American Horror Story": LANGE.   Never saw the movie or program.  Knew who she is.

Jessica Lange on FANDOM

54. Panache: ECLAT.  Flamboyance,  ostentatiously showy,  like Liberace.

58. Thought: IDEA.

59. Hems, but doesn't haw: SEWS.    To hem and haw means to dither, to speak hesitantly, usually because one is unprepared to speak or is attempting to avoid saying something in particular. Hem and haw is also used to mean to be indecisive.  Hum and haw is the British equivalent.  Grammarist.com

60. To be, to Brutus: ESSE.

62. Word before time or piece: TWO.

64. Like an "if looks could kill" look: ICY.   Very unfriendly. Unwelcoming. 

65. Quaint curse: POX.   Elizabethan Oaths, Curses, and Insults    "Five hundred years ago, little in life moved more quickly than a trotting horse. With no media to fill the day, there was nothing but space for song and speech. Elizabethans took a delight with language, weaving together terms to form stinging phrases of wit."

That's enough for now.   Catch you on the flip side.  

Monday, March 12, 2018 ~ Craig Stowe

Theme: synonyms

20A. *Samsung Galaxy, e.g.: SMART PHONE

37A. *Trick that's "pulled": FAST ONE

51A. *Optimist's perspective: BRIGHT SIDE

11D. *Yeast-free bakery product: QUICK BREAD

28D. *Hairpin turn, e.g.: SHARP CURVE

65A. Group described by the starts of the answers to starred clues: MENSA

Argyle here. Definitely not Mensa material today. 

Across:

1. Medicare section for doctors' services: PART B

6. Number of sides on most game cubes: SIX

9. Fit of __: irritated state: PIQUE

14. Western neighbor of Wyoming: IDAHO

15. Omelet meat: HAM

16. Finnish hot spot: SAUNA

17. Deck: PATIO

18. Some Little League eligibility rules: AGE LIMITS

22. Aberdeen native: SCOT

23. Salty waters: SEAS

24. Eastern neighbor of Wyoming: Abbr.: S. DAK

26. Sewn loosely: BASTED

29. Put together, as IKEA furniture: ASSEMBLE

33. Pale: ASHY

34. Urge forward: IMPEL

35. Curtain holder: ROD

36. Reggae relative: SKA

39. Bit of energy: ERG

40. Capek sci-fi play: RUR

41. Jerk: IDIOT

42. Taxi meter amount: FARE

43. Tickle the fancy of: APPEAL TO

45. Puts up with: ABIDES

47. Big name in banking: CITI

48. "So that's it!" cries: O-HOs

49. Heavy hammer: MAUL

57. Barbra with Oscars: STREISAND

59. Ballet skirts: TUTUs

60. Donates: GIVES

61. NHL surface: ICE

62. Layered cookies: OREOs

63. With 21-Down, dictation taker's need: STENO

64. Bobbsey girl: NAN

Down:

1. Apple seeds: PIPS

2. "The Voice" judge Levine: ADAM

3. Pro __: in proportion: RATA

4. Needing a drink: THIRSTY

5. Crocheted baby shoe: BOOTEE

6. Persian monarchs: SHAHS

7. "Othello" villain: IAGO

8. Marvel Comics mutants: XMEN

9. Pitchfork-shaped Greek letter: PSI

10. Sean Penn film with a Seussian title: I AM SAM

12. "Do __ others ... ": UNTO

13. Dawn direction: EAST

19. Reduce: LESSEN

21. See 63-Across: PAD

25. What a stet cancels: DELE

26. Iraqi port: BASRA

27. Invite to one's penthouse: ASK UP

29. "Are not!" response: AM TOO

30. Dalmatian mark: SPOT

31. Sitcom producer Chuck: LORRE

32. Boundaries: EDGES

34. "__ just me ... ?": IS IT

37. Royal decree: FIAT

38. Goes off script: AD LIBs

42. Narrow crack: FISSURE

44. Astronaut Collins: EILEEN

45. "That feels good!": AHH!

46. Inning half: BOTTOM

48. Poet Nash: OGDEN

49. Inbox list: Abbr.: MSGs

50. Going __: fighting: AT IT

52. Reason to roll out the tarp: RAIN

53. Peruvian native: INCA

54. Cal.-to-Fla. highway: I TEN

55. Couples: DUOs

56. She, in Sicily: ESSA

58. Prefix with -bar or -tope: ISO

Argyle

Thursday, March 1 2018 Craig Stowe

Theme: Monty Python's Flying Circus - The Man Who Speaks in Anagrams.

OK, so strictly speaking these are not anagrams, they are scrambles, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to link a sketch from the classic comedy.

Back on topic, as the reveal explains:

62A. Whole new person who can literally be found in the answers to starred clues: CHANGED MAN. 

This picture is a shot of a competitor in annual TT motorcycle races on the Siel fo Amn. The road course can unscramble a rider as surely as you can unscramble the name of the island.

As we work our way down the theme entries, we find that each man has a MAN scramble in his name, and the first clue has "Man" to start, just for fun.

17A. *Man Booker Prize winner for "Life of Pi" : YANN MARTEL. Great book, on my all-time favorites list.

27A. *Star of '70s TV's "Good Times" : JOHN AMOS. Who? Thank you, crosses.

47A. *Actor in two "Jurassic Park" films : SAM NEILL. Vaguely remembered this chap. I needed plenty of crossing help though.

11D. *Gomer Pyle portrayer : JIM NABORS. Another who? for me, I'm sure all you US denizens didn't even stop to think, but again I needed all the help I could get.

34D. *"Atonement" novelist : IAN MCEWAN. There's no doubt he's a great writer, but I recall this novel as being awfully bleak.

Neat theme from Craig, I liked that all the theme entries were men, and there was a pretty solid letter count from the them all. I like seeing the theme entries in both the acrosses and downs, it changes things up a little. Usual Thursday-level cluing and misdirection. For the second week running the NE corner was my problem area, but eventually everything fell into place.

Clunker of the day: SRTAS. I know it's acceptable, but I never like it it when I see it.

Let's see what else jumps out:

Across:

1. Tell target : APPLE. The legend of William Tell. I can't remember why he had to shoot an apple from his son's head, but I do remember being told that the Swiss hero was Austrian by birth.

6. Look for : SEEK

10. Letting in some air : AJAR. Almost my last fill, took a while to see this, but it did unlock the unknown JIM NABORS for me.

14. Dakota natives : SIOUX

15. Lyft alternative : TAXI. First impulse here is UBER.

16. Record, in a way : TIVO. Darn, I had TAPE first which slowed down my progress in the NE.

19. Put out : EMIT. Another tricky one that required some teasing out.

20. When the fewest pieces are on the chess board : ENDGAME

21. Detoxification diet : CLEANSE. I've done what is called the Jedi Cleanse, it was the longest month of my life.

23. Lean-__: sheds : TO'S

24. [Boring!] : YAWN!

26. "Letters From Iwo __": Eastwood film : JIMA

29. "Thwack!" : BAM!

32. Less ingenuous : SLIER. I prefer the SLYER spelling, but this is accepted as an alternative. I read it as "SLEE-ER" though.

35. __ window : BAY

36. Through : DONE. I'm done. Actually, I'm not through yet, I've still got quite a lot of the write-up to go.

37. Scuttlebutt : HEARSAY

40. Souvenir shop display : T-SHIRTS

42. Farm sound : OINK

43. Farm animal : NAG. An old horse. I don't really associate a nag with a farm animal, but I guess it's fine. I recall that the carthorse Boxer from Orwell's "Animal Farm" became a broken down nag towards the end. It didn't finish well for the horse.

45. Watering hole : OASIS

46. Brimless hat : TAM

50. Steamboat fuel : COAL

52. Inflates, as expenses : PADS

53. Significant time : ERA

56. Eurasian plains : STEPPES

59. ADHD medication : RITALIN

61. Fuzzy fruit or fuzzy bird : KIWI. The fruit doesn't have a lot of flavor, but it makes a nice contrast in a fruit salad or garnish for a dessert.

64. OPEC member : IRAN

65. 2-point G, e.g. : TILE. Scrabble, of course. Wasn't my first thought when I was trying to figure out the clue.

66. Dreadlocks wearer : RASTA

67. Island goose : NENE

68. Zipped : SPED

69. Sp. titles : SRTAS. I just think this is clumsy. Spanish señoritas.

Down:

1. Up to now : AS YET

2. Composer John Cage's "Suite for Toy __" : PIANO. Schroeder from the "Peanuts" strip famously played the toy piano, but he preferred playing Beethoven.

3. Cold cream name : PONDS. This was lurking somewhere in the dim recesses of my mind, I'm not sure why I even knew it at all.

4. Organ with alveoli : LUNG

5. Richard M. Daley and Ed Koch : EX-MAYORS. I liked this one, fresh fill. Daley in Chicago, Koch in New York.

6. Scattered : STREWN

7. Put down a hero : EAT. This one was fun to figure out. A hero sandwich.

8. Corp. head : EXEC. Yeah, I suppose so. More usually the head of a corporation would be the president or CEO.

9. Party poopers : KILLJOYS

10. Elite squad : "A" TEAM

12. Driving company that sounds more like a flying company : AVIS. Now this one bothers me. Is Avis a "driving" company? No, it's a car rental company. If you took a poll on the street to describe Avis, Hertz or Enterprise, "driving company" would be about 1,000th on the list.

13. "Thy love did read by __, that could not spell": "Romeo and Juliet" : ROTE. Friar Lawrence telling Romeo that Rosalind knew very well that Romeo was not truly in love with her.

18. Eastern nurse : AMAH. Known to me only from crosswords.

22. Frozen Wasser : EIS. German lesson for the day.

25. Capture : NAB

27. __ chicken: Jamaican dish : JERK. Food! I love making jerk chicken, I get to chop a whole chicken into about 16 pieces with my bad-ass cleaver. My friend can't watch, she's convinced I'm going to chop my fingers off some day.

28. Floor covering : MAT

30. Start to trust? : ANTI- I liked this one.

31. Fool (with) : MESS

32. Worn out : SHOT

33. "The Last Jedi" general : LEIA. I keep forgetting Princess Leia was a general towards the end of the series of movies. Crosses usually reveal it pretty quickly

36. First antibacterial soap : DIAL. Didn't know this was the first, but it came pretty easily.

38. Confucian text, with "The" : ANALECTS. "Never give a sword to a man who can't dance." I like that one.

"Analects" in Chinese. Seal script at the top, traditional in the middle and simplifed at the bottom.

39. November tuber : YAM. What did the sweet potato say to the turkey at Thanksgiving? "I yam what I yam".

41. Oater belt attachments : HOLSTERS. You need to know that "oater" is an industry slang term for one of the many cowboy movies that flooded out of the Hollywood studios back in the day.

44. Economic fig. : G.N.P. Gross National Product. If recall correctly from my school economics, the total value of goods and services produced by a country.

47. Plant juice : SAP

48. Made : EARNED

49. "With ya so far" : "I DIG"

51. State one's views : OPINE

53. Slasher film setting: Abbr. : ELM ST.

54. Western prop : RIATA. Often clued as "oater prop" but we just had that above.

55. Actresses Gunn and Kendrick : ANNAS. Gunn best known for her role in "Breaking Bad", Kendrick won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for "Up in the the Air".

56. Hide : SKIN

57. Wear out : TIRE

58. Armada unit : SHIP. There must be a minimum number of ships before you can describe the force as an armada, right? 20, 30? There were 130 in the Spanish Armada of 1588. Didn't do them a lot of good, though.

60. Purim month : ADAR

63. Full Sail Amber __ : ALE. Took me a while to see this, and I've even drunk the beer, which is brewed in Oregon.

Well, that about wraps it up for me. Back in Manhattan this week, heading back to LA and hopefully some warm weather tomorrow in time for the weekend. Maybe I'll crack open a bottle of the Amber Ale. Cheers!

Oh, and here's the grid!

Steve

Saturday Dec 9, 2017 Craig Stowe

Theme: None - LAT Saturdays are always theme-less, though occasionally we have a mini-theme, two phrases are placed in symmetrical spots.

Words: 66 - Pretty low. 70-72 are our norm. Just FYI, the lowest ever themeless word count is 50  (NYT by Joe Krozel).

Blocks: 28 - Average. The lowest is 17 for a themeless (Again, NYT by Joe Krozel.) Neat right?

C.C. here. Yeah, I'm surprised to find myself here also.

Today is a typical themeless, total twelve 9's, with triple-stacks on top and bottom, and two double 9's on Down, crossing by another pair of 9's: 31A and 37A, both important connective tissues.

I myself have never made a 66-word. 68 is my lowest. Craig might have started with a 64. The black squares after MONTE (27A) and before MAINE (42A) might not have existed when he first designed the grid.

 

Across:

1. Arctic Winter Games gear : SNOWSHOES. Yes, PK, white stuff on our ground. 15F as I'm writing this post. We're having January-like weather.

10. Follows a cookbook direction : WHIPS

15. Apparent : EASY TO SEE. Also 31. Apparent : OSTENSIVE. I only know OSTENSIBLE.

16. Red River city : HANOI

17. Nomadic : ITINERANT

18. Pertaining to : AS FOR

19. Nucor and POSCO, industry-wise : STEELS. Wiki says Nucor is the largest steel producer in the US and POSCO is a steel company based in South Korea. Alas, I know neither.

20. Steak __ : TARTARE

22. Fragrant shrubs : MYRTLES. Must be how Myrtle Beach got its name.

24. Stretches out : EXTENDS

25. Try : TASTE

27. Con game : MONTE

28. Longtime foe of Rafael : ROGER (Federer)

34. Commotion : ADO

35. Rap sheet entry, perhaps : ARSON

36. Jar head? : LID. Nice clue.

37. Available employment : JOB MARKET. Senator vacancy here in MN.

40. Songwriter Green : CEELO

42. New Brunswick neighbor : MAINE

43. Propellant in ion thrusters : XENON

45. Patellar and Achilles : TENDONS

47. Hired help : SERVANT. In Hong Kong, many family have Amahs, who are mostly from the

Philippines.

51. Popular blend of seasoning : ITALIAN

52. Small 1-Down : TREMOR. OK. 1. Quake : SEISM. Jayce's expertise.

53. Ulyanov's alias : LENIN. Holy smokes! I always thought Lenin is his real name. This poster was everywhere when I grew up. 

54. Unyielding : OBSTINATE

57. Player selection process : DRAFT

58. Browbeats : BULLDOZES

59. Long-eared critters : ASSES

60. Party decorations : STREAMERS

Down:

2. Like some dressers : NATTY

3. Flexible wood : OSIER. Learned from doing crosswords.

4. 1998 Country Music Hall of Fame inductee : WYNETTE (Tammy). Only know her "Stand By
Your Man".

5. Finer than fine : STELLAR. Been enjoying Picard's pictures. These Amazon ones are lovely.

6. Fools (around) : HORSES

7. Baja bear : OSA

8. Poetic contraction : E'EN

9. Roman numeral : SETTE. Followed by D-less Otto.

10. Penn's business school : WHARTON

11. Moves quickly : HASTENS

12. Childish : INFANTILE

13. Unfortunate one : POOR DEVIL. New phrase to me.

14. Many retired Kentucky Derby winners : SIRES

21. Forestry workers : AX MEN

23. Flier that delivers? : STORK. Babies.

26. County in four Northeast states : ESSEX

28. Indian filmmaker Kapoor : RAJ. Another learning moment. Wiki says he's also known as "the
greatest showman of Indian cinema".

29. Devices used on trips : ODOMETERS

30. Freak out : GO BANANAS. Another sparkling fill.
 

32. Lugs : TOTES

33. Old Tokyo : EDO

 
35. Air Canada Centre, e.g. : ARENA

38. __ crisis : MIDLIFE. Ahh, both Splynter and I have entered that age range.

39. Consecrates, in a way : ANOINTS

40. Bullfight : CORRIDA

41. "Did Hamlet so __ with his envy ... ": Shakespeare : ENVENOM. Our Ol' Man Keith'e milieu.

44. Aggravate : NETTLE

45. Alternative nickname to Mattie, perhaps : TILDA. Stumped me. They sound so different.

46. Hardly humble sorts : SNOBS

48. Knock over : AMAZE

49. Observant one : NOTER. Gluey entry. Much needed in a low-count grid.

50. Barrette target : TRESS

55. "__ I digress" : BUT

56. Type of camera, briefly : SLR

I'm sad to tell you that Splynter (Richard Monsaythe) has decided to leave our blogging team. He's been guiding us since March 2011, missing only two Saturdays when he was sick. 

I was stunned by his decision. Then I read his his last write-up again and again. Sad that I did not catch his hints last Saturday.

Splynter has a wide-ranging interests, from film-making to game design to wood-working. He's very creative, resourceful and subtle. I'm glad we had the chance to get to know him and enjoy his work and creativity for six and a half years.

Thank you so much for your hard work, Splynter, please stay in touch and check in with us from time to time. We'd love to know more about your job, hobbies and life in general.

Splynter the Saturday Stud

At the same time, I'm also happy to inform you that the incomparable Husker Gary has agreed to take up the Saturday helm. He'll be our guide starting Dec 16th, 2017.

Gary and Joann

Happy Birthday to Hahtoolah (Susan), who's been with our blog since 2009. She never comes to our blog without an thought-provoking quote. And her quotes are never random. She's amazingly thoughtful and observant.

Thursday, November 23rd 2017 Craig Stowe

Theme: Be Quiet! - or Zip It!

58A. Compressed data ... and what the ends of the answers to starred clues form? : ZIP FILE

16A. *Passionate kiss : LIP LOCK. Ziplock. Becoming a generic term now, although a genuine Ziplock comes from SC Johnson.

22A. *Net profit or loss : BOTTOM LINE. Zip-line. I went zip-lining in the rain forest in Costa Rica a number of years ago. Lots of fun. The climb up to the first platform was a little daunting. Those trees are high!

34A. *Take for a spin : TEST DRIVE. Zip drive. You don't see these around much any more. Zip drives were external hard drives for backups and extra storage.

47A. *Password, essentially : SECRET CODE. Zip Code. Altogether now: "Zone Improvement Plan".

Happy Turkey Day from the other side of the Atlantic! Thankfully not a turkey of a puzzle today. It took me a little while to tumble to the theme even with a completed grid, but the clouds cleared after a while (unlike the clouds here in Cornwall, but that makes for great seascapes).

This was Land's End yesterday - next stop, America and turkey!

Let's see what else we've got:

Across:

1. They're often run on weekends : ERRANDS

8. Stump : BAFFLE. The theme stumped me for a while until I finally saw the add-a-word gimmick.

14. Keep in office : RE-ELECT

15. ADHD treatment : RITALIN

17. Ballpark : INEXACT. A ballpark estimate. On the British news today I heard that a nuclear power plant, originally budgeted to cost £6bn, will actually cost £34bn, That's off by five ballparks and a bit.

18. Actress Davis : GEENA
.
19. Long narrative : SAGA

20. Large body of eau : MER. Vive La France!

21. Put __ act : ON AN

25. Cardiff natives : WELSH.

27. "Luck __ Lady": "Guys and Dolls" song : BE A

28. "As I Lay Dying" father : ANSE. Bundren. I only know this name from crosswords.

29. Newsroom VIPs : EDS.  Editors. I always thought it apt that Lou Grant was played by "Ed" Asner.

30. Pelvic bones : ILIA

32. Marsh grasses : SEDGES. A school project taught be the difference between a grass, a sedge and a rush.

36. Relaxing : AT REST

39. Time long past : YORE

40. Flight connection word : VIA. We went LAX - LHR via SFO this trip. Direct on the way back though.

43. Actor LaBeouf : SHIA

44. Eye of el tigre : OJO

45. Many spam messages : SCAMS

51. Equipment not used in "Unplugged" albums : AMPS. My favorite "Unplugged" episodes on MTV were Eric Clapton and The 10,000 Maniacs. Here's the opening number from the latter. It's on my iTunes favorites list.

52. Metal precioso de El Dorado : ORO 

53. Uninspiring : DRAB

54. Key letter : KAPPA. The Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority membership badge is a golden key.

56. Result of a hung jury, often : RETRIAL

60. Oberon's queen : TITANIA. "A Midsummer Night's Dream". Bill the Bard.

61. Underwriter : INSURER. My first office job was working for a Lloyd's of London marine insurance underwriting syndicate. I wrote up premium payment information in a ledger the size of the Gutenberg Bible and weighing about 60 pounds. I volunteered for computer data operations as soon as I got the chance.

62. Be short with : SNAP AT

63. Untouched by time : AGELESS

Down:

1. Schubert's "The __ King" : ERL

2. Ruled : REIGNED

3. Strikes down : REPEALS

4. Gracie and Woody : ALLENS

5. Like Crayola's Laser Lemon or Shocking Pink : NEON

6. 1983 Mr. T comedy : DC CAB

7. Wall St. purchase : STK. Hmmm. Common Stock. I'm not a big fan of this abbreviation, but it's perfectly understood in the crossword world.

8. Game with cards : BINGO

9. Starting squad : A TEAM. I was quite surprised not to see this linked with 6D somehow.

10. Business card number : FAX. Becoming increasingly rare. I always wonder which "wonder salesman" sold the first fax machine. "It'll be really useful when someone else gets one. Who you know. And do business with. You know."

11. On fire : FLAMING

12. Driving need : LICENSE. Technically you don't need a license to drive. I'm currently driving a stick shift Nissan SUV with a name I can't pronounce (Quasqui, anyone?) sitting on the wrong side of the car on the wrong side of the road.

13. Menu heading : ENTREES

15. Ranchero's rope : RIATA

19. Reliable income source : STEADY JOB

21. Run a tab, say : OWE

23. End piece? : OBIT

24. Work on the docks : LADE

26. Scurries : HIES

31. D-Day transport : LST. Landing Ship, Tank.

32. Title of honor : SIR

33. December has two big ones : EVES. Christmas and New Year, of course.

34. Hint of remorse : TEAR

35. Cross : ROOD. Here's the Church of the Holy Rude in Stirling, Scotland. Different spelling, same eventual meaning, once you put the schoolboy snickering behind you.

36. Puts in order : ASSORTS

37. "__ our letters do not well agree": Brutus : THEREIN. More Bill the Bard today. From Julius Caesar:

BRUTUS:
Therein our letters do not well agree.
Mine speak of seventy senators that died

By their proscriptions, Cicero being one.

38. Stuffing in stuffed shells : RICOTTA

40. Anne Rice character : VAMPIRE

41. Destroys, as a 40-Down : IMPALES. After a lot of shenanigans with garlic and mirrors.

42. Aesop's "The __ in the Lion's Skin" : ASS

44. Florida horse-breeding city : OCALA. I confuse this with Acela, the DC - New York express. I'm easily confused.

46. Detergent measure : CAPFUL

48. Ritzy Twin Cities suburb : EDINA. Nailed it! C.C. knows this in her sleep.

49. Characteristic : TRAIT

50. Just making, with "out" : EKING

55. Stained glass setting : APSE

57. Knock : RAP

58. '70s-'80s Pakistani leader : ZIA. General Zia. Took power in a military coup. It didn't end well, let's just put it out there.

59. Critical care ctrs. : E.R.'S

And that's it from me, except for a "Happy Thanksgiving" to everyone, especially everyone who read this far!

Oh, and the grid, of course.

Steve

Thursday May 4th 2017 Craig Stowe

Theme: METEing out. Our four themers have a letter scramble as nicely explained by the reveal:

61A. Collectors' event, and a hint to what's hidden in the answers to starred clues : SWAP MEET

And here are the players:

18. *"Thinking ... " : LET ME SEE ... When I saw these together I thought there might be a theme here. Alas not. (Correction: 18A is a theme entry.)

20A. *Shakespeare play set on an enchanted island : THE TEMPEST. Source of much crossword angst trying to decide between "Arial" and "Ariel".

32A. *Busker's performance, perhaps : STREET MAGIC. David Blaine is the master of this genre. Quite amazing.

42A. *They may be crowned : WISDOM TEETH. Not mine. They were yanked at what I felt was a ridiculously early opportunity and left the rest of my teeth to spend the remainder of their lives rearranging themselves. Jokes about British dentistry are not misplaced. My first dentist (before numbing was invented) operated a drill with a treadle, much like a sewing machine. I was five. The trauma Dr. Cotton caused me still keeps me awake at night.

57A. *Proven longterm : TIME-TESTED. I have time-tested recipes. Feel free to inquire (enquire?) if you have a particular need.

OK, here we go! I liked the theme, I loved how the clue lengths allowed the blog entries to step down nicely - look upstairs and you'll see what I mean. Talking of upstairs, I was in an office building today which had its three-year fire drill. Walking down 21 flights seemed mean; but the posh folk upstairs had 35 to cope with.

Nice job from Craig. Let's see what else we've got!

Across:

1. Overlook : IGNORE

7. Monte Mario's city : ROMA Nice learning moment. I had **MA and guessed LIMA. Was wrong.

11. Gravy, on menus : JUS. OK, so, restaurant owners - when you say "Prime rib with au jus", you know you're saying "Prime rib with with juice"? You have been told.

14. At anchor : MOORED

15. Somber notice : OBIT

16. German direction : OST. Let's try this from memory - Nord, Sud, Ost, Oest, I think.

17. "Proceed as planned" : IT'S A GO



22. Period in ads : NITE

23. Lair : DEN

24. Bladed tool : AXE. Conveniently with or without the "E" for constructors.

25. Ancient Greek theater : ODEON

26. "Thought I should share," briefly : FYI. "For your information, Steve's blogs suck".

28. Pit gunk : TAR We have the La Brea (The Tar) Tar Pits here in LA. So let's go visit The Tar Tar Pits.

30. __-wolf : SHE

31. Candy heart word : LUV

38. Specialty : AREA.

40. Vital circulation component : AORTA. Fair enough, you're missing an aorta, your circulation is not working too well

41. Provocative : RACY

45. __ Alamos : LOS. "The Poplars". If you ever find yourselves in Los Alamitos (The Little Poplars) make a beeline for "The Fish Company" restaurant. Not many saplings to be seen, but the best Fish & Chips I've ever had.

46. "Forgot About __": Grammy-winning duet featuring Eminem : DRE

47. Actor Stephen : REA

48. Army crawler : ANT

49. Stale : PASSÉ

52. One in a cheering crowd : FAN

54. Moving wheels : VAN. Nice clue, U-Haul or equivalent.

56. Classic "You as well?" : ET TU, Brute?

63. Hot : ON FIRE

64. Wheels : CAR

65. First name at Woodstock : ARLO. Crossword enthusiasts know the lineup at Woodstock better than the musicians themselves.

66. Canadian coin : TOONIE. Two Canadian Dollars, eh Canadian Eh? It's aboot a buck fitty. (See what I did there? I'm tri-lingual)

67. Tick off : IRE. Pretty much hated this. "Let me ire you", "I'm sorry I ired you"? No. Flat-out no. Did you ire me with this clue? No, you irked me.

68. First queen of Carthage : DIDO

69. Performer with 20 Oscar nominations : STREEP Now there's some serious bragging rights.

Down:

1. Tag line? : I'M IT Usually not a good situation,

2. Many a black-clad teen : GOTH

3. Serious downturns : NOSE-DIVES. Not serious if you nose-dive into one of my dinners.

4. Talk with style : ORATE

5. University officials : REGENTS

6. Ancient Dead Sea kingdom : EDOM Thank you, crosses, Not really up on my Old Testament much.

7. Swiss luxury brand : ROLEX, Wimbledon sponsors since before sponsors were officially "allowed"

8. Quite heavy : OBESE. "Quite" heavy? Master of understatement there, I think.

9. Baker's protection : MITT

10. Bread machine? : ATM. "Machine" is in the name. So it's an ATM. Just as it's not a PIN number, it's a PIN. Rant over.

11. Leader of the animated Pussycats : JOSIE

12. Was of __: helped : USE TO

13. Dutch Golden Age artist : STEEN. Fond of a lot of people,brawling, dogs and wine.

19. Make lovable : ENDEAR

21. Echo : PARROT

25. Electrical unit : OHM.

Schrodinger, Heisenber and Ohm are in a car.

They get pulled over. Heisenberg is driving and the cop asks him "Do you know how fast you were going?"

"No, but I know exactly where I am" Heisenberg replies.

The cop says "You were doing 55 in a 35." Heisenberg throws up his hands and shouts "Great! Now I'm lost!"

The cop thinks this is suspicious and orders him to pop open the trunk. He checks it out and says "Do you know you have a dead cat back here?"

"We do now, you idiot!" shouts Schrodinger.

The cop moves to arrest them. Ohm resists.

26. Glitch : FLAW

27. Cosmonaut Gagarin : YURI. First man in space.

29. "... love hath made thee __ snake": "As You Like It" : A TAME

30. Put into words : STATE

33. Poetic adverb : ERE

34. Endless, poetically : ETERNE. A poetic double

35. Aspic-coated French chicken dish : GALANTINE. Food! Here's a classic (and, frankly, not very appetizing-looking) rendition:

36. Tappable image : ICON

37. Dermatologist's concern : CYST

39. Accumulates : ADDS UP

43. Mine output : ORE

44. One without : HAVE NOT

49. "Casino" co-star : PESCI. I missed the "I", I always want to call him Joe PESCE. Corrected finally, when ERE didn't make much sense. "My Cousin Vinnie" - a must-watch every time I'm channel-hopping

50. In conflict, seriously : AT WAR

51. Gawk : STARE

52. Specialty : FIELD. We had "AREA" earlier. Similar enough.

53. Defensive retort : AM TOO. More playground antics.

55. Concerning : AS FOR

57. Actress Hatcher : TERI

58. Wee ones : TOTS. Taters? Yum.

59. Lackawanna's lake : ERIE

60. Word with freeze or fry : DEEP

62. Ticked off : MAD. Not IRE. Now I'm happy.

I started a new consulting gig this week, and so far so good. Hope you all have a great Thursday!

Aaaaaannnnd *drum roll* ........ here's the grid.

Steve

Sunday April 23, 2017 Craig Stowe

Theme: "Labor Disputes" - Each theme entry is punnily re-imagined as what the union group did during contract talks.

23A. During contract talks, a marching band __ : STEPPED OUT OF LINE. Craig could put the 17-letter or 13-letter theme entry in this slot also, but we would have had more 3-letter entries to deal with.

33A. During contract talks, a cruise ship's crew __ : MISSED THE BOAT

47A. During contract talks, a postal union __ : PUSHED THE ENVELOPE. The actions are all related to the clue occupations of course.

64A. During contract talks, a veterinarians' association __ : FOUGHT LIKE CATS AND DOGS. Sparkly grid-spanner.

78A. During contract talks, a divers' group __ : WENT OFF THE DEEP END

94A. During contract talks, an opera company __ : FACED THE MUSIC

107A. During contract talks, a fighters' club __ : TOOK THE GLOVES OFF

I think this is Craig's first Sunday puzzle. Congratulations! Are you this Craig?

What a fun theme. Very John Lampkin-like. Heavy themage too. Total 113 theme squares and only 140 words.

Across:

1. "Yowza!" : JEEZ.  "Yowza!"= Lucina. "Woohoo!" = Misty.

5. Virtuous : CHASTE

11. Numéro avant six : CINQ. French for five. Also 103. Avril follower : MAI. April/May.

15. __ speak : SO TO

19. "Amarantine" Grammy winner : ENYA

20. Stopped : HALTED

21. Diamond family name : ALOU. Vowel-rich.

22. Nile menace : CROC. No ASP/ASPS today.

26. All ears : RAPT

27. __ story : SOB

28. One awarding stars, perhaps : RATER

29. Peter Fonda title role : ULEE. Ulee's Gold.  Quite a moving movie.

30. Nimble : LITHE. Not AGILE.

31. Thomas associate : ALITO. Clarence Thomas.

37. Woody and others : ALLENs

39. Caribou, e.g. : DEER. We also have 109. Disney doe : ENA

40. Ducks : AVERTS

41. Fragrant shrub : LILAC. Spring has finally arrived in MN. The two trails we explored this week are greening up.

42. Panache : STYLE

45. Shuts up, with "down" : PIPES

51. Beach letters : SPF

54. Bouncing babies? : JOEYS. Cute clue.

55. Plot twist : IRONY

56. Part of BC: Abbr. : COLL. Boston College. I thought BC was referring to British Columbia. 

57. Yogurt topping : GRANOLA

61. Dental problem : DECAY. My hygienist told me to use these proxy brushes from inside out, as she found pockets on the inner side of my teeth. I found it impossible to follow her instructions.

63. Unlucky gambler's wishful words : I'M DUE. Keep dreaming.

69. Get ready to surf : LOG ON

70. Not just happen once : RECUR

71. Crude : BOORISH

72. City north of Des Moines : AMES

73. Mythical hunter : DIANA. Thought of ORION first.

75. "Canst thou not minister to __ diseased": Macbeth : A MIND

77. One-handed Norse god : TYR. Tuesday god.

85. Paris divider : SEINE

86. Wash off : RINSE

87. Spelunkers' haunts : CAVES

88. Drops off : ABATES

91. Pierre's st. : S DAK.  The abbr. told you the answer won't be ETAT.

93. Most artful : SLIEST

98. Winner of the first two Super Bowl MVPs : STARR (Bart). Here he is with Brett Favre in 2015.

99. Runs through a sieve : RICES

100. Instrument with a flared bell : OBOE. New clue angle.

101. Part of a cast : ACTOR

106. On : ATOP

111. Jazzman Saunders : MERL. Unknown to me.

112. Clog or pump : SHOE

113. Common soccer score : ONE ONE. Or ONE NIL.

114. Memorable times : ERAS

115. Vortex : EDDY

116. Oenophile's adjective : OAKY

117. Fritters away : WASTES

118. Squat : ZERO. Also  68. Squat : NONE

Down:

1. Zooey's role in "New Girl" : JESS. Easy crosses.

2. Prefix with dermal : ENTO

3. Gives the once-over : EYEBALLS

4. Nuke : ZAP

5. Breaks the rules : CHEATS. You have to know the rules to break them.

6. Didn't get a say : HAD TO

7. Lotion additive : ALOE

8. __ und Drang : STURM

9. Annual Vietnamese celebration : TET. Same date as Chinese New Year.

10. Pre-1868 Tokyo : EDO. Lots of Japanese movies we watched in the late 1980's were set in the Edo Period.

11. Square dance figure : CALLER

12. Admission of deceit : I LIED

13. Large chamber group : NONET. We also have 18. Large chamber groups : OCTETS

14. N.Y. neighbor : QUE (Quebec)

15. Copyists of yore : SCRIBES

16. Webster, notably : ORATOR

17. One of the original Monopoly tokens still in use : TOP HAT. Got via crosses.

24. Robin Hood foe : PRINCE JOHN. Fresh fill!

25. __ box : FUSE. Fill-in-the-blank clue can be hard. Too many choices.

30. Bank insurance? : LEVEE. Great clue.

32. Jacob's first wife : LEAH. Our Chickie's real name.

34. Inactive : IDLE

35. Spotted : SEEN

36. __ hour : HAPPY

37. Peak seen from Grindelwald : ALP

38. Greater N.Y. school : LIU (Long Island University)

42. Lift : STEAL

43. Your of yore : THY

44. Last word of Joyce's "Ulysses" : YES. Below is the last line. Lots of YESes there, Misty!

"I was a Flower of the mountain yes when I put the rose in my hair like the Andalusian girls used or shall I wear a red yes and how he kissed me under the Moorish wall and I thought well as well him as another… then he asked me would I yes to say yes my mountain flower and first I put my arms around him yes and drew him down to me so he could feel my breasts all perfume yes and his heart was going like mad and yes I said yes I will Yes."

45. Ruses : PLOYS

46. Physics particle : ION

48. Numbskull : DOLT

49. Anglican priest : VICAR

50. Latin 101 word : ERAT. E in QED.

51. "Me too!" : SO DO I. Not SO AM I.

52. Power connections : PLUGS

53. Blood relative? : FLESH.  Oh, flesh and blood. 

56. Starfleet VIP : CMDR (Commander). Spitzboov's rank when he retired. Commander Al. Very cool.

57. Key above F : G FLAT

58. Spacious : ROOMY

59. Boring bit :AUGER

60. Private nonprofits: Abbr. : NGOS. NGO= Non-Governmental Organization. Common abbr. in news media.

61. After-dinner drink : DECAF

62. Old French coin : ECU

63. "Isn't that something!" : I DO DECLARE. Great fill.

65. Steamed : IRATE

66. Number-picker's game : KENO. Every casino has it.

67. Stomach : ABIDE

73. Jefferson, theologically : DEIST

74. B&B, e.g. : INN

75. Philip of "Kung Fu" : AHN.  I mentioned a while ago that AHN (Korean) = ANG (As in Ang Lee)

76. Enero, por ejemplo : MES. Month.

78. Lawn invaders : WEEDS

79. Monastic titles : FRAS

80. "Kon-__" : TIKI

81. Good "pocket" holding in Hold 'em : PAIR

82. Eternally : EVERMORE

83. Video game letters : NES

84. Summer hrs. : DST

85. In a precipitous fashion : STEEPLY. I finally received the 25% subsidy on my health insurance. It's retroactive of Jan 2017, so I did not need to pay anything this month. Yay! What a big relief.

88. Many a chalet : A-FRAME

89. Set, as a trap : BAITED

90. Pact : ACCORD

91. Bandit chaser of film : SMOKEY. Police.

92. 1983-'84 #1 hit "Say Say Say," say : DUET

93. Potbellies : STOVES

95. Ruckus : HOO-HA

96. Modern read : E-BOOK.  What are you reading now, D-Otto?

97. Zoo sights : CAGES

98. __ Age : STONE

102. Coagulate : CLOT

104. Miles away : AFAR

105. "That being the case ... " : IF SO

107. General of culinary fame : TSO

108. Reporter's query : HOW.  Watch this clip. NBC News did a short piece on Will Shortz two days ago. Wouldn't be refreshing to see a piece on Rich Norris?

110. "__ who?" : SEZ