Dan Naddor LAT Puzzle Summary

This is it. Audiovisual Aids is our final puzzle from Dan Naddor. 

Dan started constructing in the summer of 2006. He had total 158 puzzles published by the LA Times, 37 of which were given to us after he passed away in Dec 2009. Dan also had 4 puzzles published by the NY Times. He also contributed to The Crosswords Club.

Rich Norris, editor for the LA Times Daily Crossword & The Crosswords Club, has kindly provided us the below list of all puzzles Dan constructed, with dates, theme type & the theme.

Argyle broke down the total 158 puzzles to (Thanks for catching the missing one from Cruciverb, Al):

Monday 4

Tuesday 11

Wednesday 36

Thursday 37

Friday 49

Saturday 1 (It's a themed 4th of July puzzle)

Sunday  20

76 of the above puzzles were covered in this blog.

Dan was talented, hard-working & passionate about crossword construction. He knew what he wanted and he did it his way, always squishing in more theme entries. He's not afraid to defend himself when he's wronged, and he's not afraid to apologize when he's wrong, as we have witnessed a few times on the blog. In Dennis' word, a very stand-up guy.

I feel lucky to know him a bit via his puzzles.

C.C.

Stats from Rich:

Sunday puzzles:

2/18/2007 SUN wordplay Idiotic Idioms

7/1/2007 SUN anagrams Home Remodeling

12/2/2007 SUN wordplay An Ical for your thoughts

1/13/2008 SUN wordplay contrived phrases with four consecutive bigrams: did idi divide ugandans, etc.

3/2/2008 SUN trigram drop ITY

5/25/2008 SUN related names California Pros

7/13/2008 SUN sound change Chuck Schwa

10/12/2008 SUN sound change thr -> fr "On Finn Ice"

11/23/2008 SUN wordplay Not more of the same

1/4/2009 SUN sound change "-ed" to T

2/1/2009 SUN embedded words Buried Treasure

2/22/2009 SUN special Star search

4/19/2009 SUN trigram add TOP - Put a Lid on It

8/30/2009 SUN letter add Organ Transplants

10/11/2009 SUN sound change Why Yes -- added Y sound

12/6/2009 SUN embedded word Subliminal Messages

1/3/2010 SUN bigram add LI - "51 Pickup"

2/7/2010 SUN trigram add SUB - "Hero's Welcome"

4/4/2010 SUN bigram add DL - "Sidelined"

4/17/2011 SUN bigram add AV - Audiovisual Aids

Weekday puzzles:

10/11/2006 synonyms Baloney

10/26/2006 word after out of

1/3/2007 repeated clue MAJORS

1/25/2007 word before guard

2/28/2007 related expressions hot dog toppings

3/14/2007 repeated clue DRIVE

4/2/2007 special baseball

4/18/2007 rhyme escher

4/27/2007 puns state names

5/8/2007 word after shot(s)

5/23/2007 word before keepers

6/1/2007 wordplay reversals

6/7/2007 related expressions two-letter alpha lead-in

6/20/2007 ending initial

7/19/2007 word after pay

8/2/2007 same clue PRESS

8/17/2007 puns elmer fudd

8/30/2007 special cross country - geographical puzzle

9/13/2007 repeated clue hang tough

9/26/2007 word before weight

10/12/2007 wordplay literal placement of idiom

11/2/2007 bigram drop SC

11/14/2007 wordplay contiguous opposites

11/23/2007 same clue beats around the bush - graphically in puzzle (THE BUSH in center, answers to BEAT clues surrounding it)

12/11/2007 related expressions banking

12/21/2007 puns metal

1/2/2008 homonyms saks

1/18/2008 letter add SS -> SSS

1/30/2008 related expressions current events

2/8/2008 letter add O -> OO

2/20/2008 letter sequence II in phrases

3/7/2008 embedded words Wheres the beef

3/18/2008 sequence eighth, quarter, half, whole

3/27/2008 word before BOARD - both parts of answer

4/4/2008 letter sub IA for AI

4/17/2008 unique compass pt. puzzle

4/28/2008 initials J and B

5/8/2008 related names fictional bird names

5/21/2008 same clue euphoric

6/5/2008 synonyms leave

6/13/2008 wordplay name addition

6/19/2008 homonyms mayne

6/27/2008 puns monkey / ape

7/9/2008 homonyms thai, ty, tae, tai, tie

7/23/2008 related expressions animal coverings

8/1/2008 bigram add OB

8/8/2008 trigram drop ENT

8/22/2008 puns film mickelson

9/3/2008 word before service

9/11/2008 sequence aeiou in phrases

9/19/2008 against the grain

9/26/2008 puns clothes

10/8/2008 word before MAN - superheroes (Dan and Mike Naddor)

10/23/2008 synonyms

10/30/2008 related expressions RR crossings

11/7/2008 sound change p to b

11/13/2008 word before dollar - with $ sign in grid

11/20/2008 puns oo endings

12/3/2008 sequence w/ wordplay first second third last

12/11/2008 punchline entry what's the damage

12/19/2008 wordplay truncated it's

12/30/2008 sequence

1/9/2009 special Battleship puzzle

1/15/2009 related names cities ending in EE

1/23/2009 sound change the -> DE

2/13/2009 letter add R becomes RR

2/27/2009 bigram add AR

3/5/2009 hidden word insect

3/13/2009 bigram add UM

3/24/2009 wordplay reverse cities

4/2/2009 homonym in clues pauly, pauley, paulie, polly, poly

4/15/2009 same word ending ough - all different pronunciations

4/23/2009 hidden word bean salad

4/30/2009 wordplay word + ATE = homonym

5/8/2009 bigram drop EY from key words

5/18/2009 initials R and B (foods)

5/29/2009 letter sub I to U

6/4/2009 synonyms flops, duds, bombs, etc.

6/18/2009 related expressions two X's in each theme answer (Dos Equis)

6/26/2009 sound change ed -> eld

7/4/2009 special July 4th "themeless" style

7/9/2009 related expressions brokerese

7/17/2009 letter sub DD for TT

7/23/2009 repeated clue Take 6

7/31/2009 sound change SK to X

8/6/2009 synonyms palling around

8/14/2009 trigram drop no WAY

8/21/2009 letter add N + N

8/26/2009 related expressions court business

9/11/2009 word substitution two for one

9/17/2009 word after table

9/22/2009 rhyme / homonyms russell, mussel, muscle, rustle

9/29/2009 related expressions food combos

10/9/2009 bigram add GO

10/16/2009 letter sub V for W

10/22/2009 rhyme--different spelling

10/30/2009 letter drop Q (sound)

11/4/2009 anagrams inlets

11/13/2009 letter add R to make ER

11/18/2009 word before bar patrons

11/27/2009 puns medieval

12/10/2009 synonyms phenomenal

12/18/2009 bigram add RY

12/25/2009 trigram add ANCE

12/30/2009 bigram repeat PH - two in each answer

1/8/2010 letter sub MM to MP

1/13/2010 word before defense

1/19/2010 related names nicknames

1/26/2010 word before San (cities)

2/3/2010 hidden word jabber - synonyms start phrases

2/19/2010 trigram drop AGE - phonetically

3/4/2010 word chain

3/19/2010 puns German

4/16/2010 trigram drop TLE

4/28/2010 wordplay dishes

5/10/2010 related expressions names with J

5/26/2010 word after world - WORLD LEADER

6/10/2010 related words silent letters begin

6/23/2010 letter pattern esses

7/8/2010 word after shoot the

7/21/2010 synonyms fast

8/5/2010 synonyms arrest

8/18/2010 synonyms changers

9/2/2010 palindromes

9/14/2010 related expressions meds

9/29/2010 split word stock

10/13/2010 sequence wealth

10/27/2010 related things tools

11/12/2010 letter add U

11/23/2010 related words two word -ique -ique phrases

12/8/2010 synonyms midgets

12/22/2010 word before panel

1/14/2011 letter drop K from CK

1/27/2011 word before grudge (Dan Naddor & Doug Peterson)

2/18/2011 pun presidents

3/2/2011 unique one syllable words, nine letters

3/18/2011 trigram drop ing

4/1/2011 special backwards theme for April 1, 2011

Sunday April 17, 2011 Dan Naddor

Theme: Audiovisual Aids - Letters AV are inserted into common phrases.

24A. Salon tool for recalcitrant customers? : STYLING GAVEL. Styling gel.

30A. Not the best purple flower? : SUBPRIME LAVENDER. Subprime lender.

45A. Where the experts hang out? : MAVENS' ROOM. Men's room.

64A. Colorado brewer's rodent mascot? : COORS BEAVER. Coors beer.

77A. Culinary product of a French-Italian region? : SAVOY SAUCE. Soy sauce.

97A. Group that ruins commercials? : AD HAVOC COMMITTEE. Ad hoc committee.

104A. Bad news about a tooth? : TWIN CAVITIES. Twin cities.

15D. Prefer Hitchcock's Bodega Bay classic to his other films? : FAVOR THE BIRDS. For the birds.

52D. Cryptologist's rant? : DECODER RAVING. Decoder ring.

This is Dan's favorite theme type, adding/deleting/substituting letters. If you look at Rich's stats, lots of his Friday & Sunday puzzles have such gimmick.

The grid has 68 blocks (We had 84 last Sunday) and only 134 words. Comparatively low. Dan mentioned his target was shooting for low word count. Quite a few nice long entries, but also a number of abbreviations. V is a tough letter to maneuver. 

Across:

1. "This __ fine mess you've gotten us into, Ollie!" : IS A. Easy start.

4. Clean the deck : MOP

7. Military team : CORPS

12. Office teams : STAFFS. Staff can be pluralized, Dennis?

18. Three-time all-star closer Robb : NEN. Here he is. Not many famous people are named NEN, or ROBB.

19. Mandlikova of tennis : HANA. Stranger to me.

20. Blocker in a TV : V-CHIP

21. Note in a B major scale : A-SHARP

22. Hunter attachment? : GATHERER. Hunter-gatherer.

26. Tony winner for her Daisy Mae portrayal in "Li'l Abner" (1956) : EDIE ADAMS. Faintly recall her name.

28. Baroque dance : MINUET

29. Suffix with malt : OSE. Sugar suffix.

33. "Artaxerxes" composer : ARNE (Thomas). I only know his "Rule, Britannia".

34. Statistical hypothesis trial : T TEST. What does T stand for?

35. Word before old, and after it : SAME. Same old same old.

36. Web address letters : GOV

37. Illinois city, site of the last Lincoln-Douglas debate : ALTON. Outside my knowledge zone.

38. M.O. : SYS

39. Birch leaf eater : LUNA MOTH. John Lampkin style picture.

43. Algiers citadel : CASBAH

47. Corrida hero : TORERO

50. Like fifth and sixth : ORDINAL. I actually drew a blank. I can be incredibly dumb.

53. "Mad About You" co-star : REISER (Paul)

56. Golfer Crenshaw : BEN. Smooth putting stroke.

57. Answer skillfully : FIELD

58. Sault __ Marie : STE

61. Boss's address? : E STREET. The E Street Band. Bruce Springsteen The Boss.

62. Give-go link : IT A

63. Pawn : HOCK

66. Cheater's device : CRIB

67. Ike's arena: Abbr. : ETO (European Theater of Operation)

68. Was allowed to pay later : RAN A TAB

69. D-Day craft : LST (Landing Ship Tank)

70. Military chaplain : PADRE

71. Directed : LED

72. Brew made in Zoeterwoude : AMSTEL. Named after the Amstel River. I've never heard of the plant site Zoeterwoude.

73. Super Bowl party centerpiece, briefly : HD TV SET. Clusters of consonants.

75. Short fall? : PRECIP. "Short" indicates "shortened form". Good clue.

82. Semicircular antenna housing : RADOME (Radar Dome)

85. See 46-Down : DETECTOR. And 46D. With 85-Across, beachcomber's device : METAL.

86. "I'm impressed!" : WOW

89. Natasha's partner in crime : BORIS

91. "Rhoda" production co. : MTM. Stands for Mary Tyler Moore.

93. Highly caloric : RICH

94. Former "Today" medical expert Art __ : ULENE. No idea.

96. Abba of Israel : EBAN

101. Ohio, e.g.: Abbr. : RIV. OK, river.

102. Enjoys doing : IS INTO

103. Russian Orthodox ruling body : HOLY SYNOD. Nice to know.

108. Rhinestone piano player : LIBERACE

109. Sent to the gallows : HANGED

110. String quartet member : CELLO

111. Get an __ effort : E FOR

112. What's expected : PAR. But birdie is always better.

113. Wool variety : ANGORA

114. Dispatched, as a dragon : SLAIN. Dispatch = Kill.

115. "L.A. Law" actress : DEY (Susan).

116. The orig. 13, e.g. : STs (States)

Down:

1. Eats : INGESTS

2. Naval assignment : SEA DUTY. Any comment, Spitzboov?

3. Côte d'Azur resort : ANTIBES. No idea. A seaport south of Nice.

4. __ Gras : MARDI

5. Wee hr. : ONE AM

6. Pasta topper : PARMESAN

7. Walgreens rival : CVS. I like former.

8. Columbus Day mo. : OCT

9. Run, for one? : RHYME. Run and one rhyme. Good clue.

10. Pier support : PILING

11. PR specialist : SPIN DOC. I've never seen "Spin doctor" abbreviated this way.

12. More judicious : SAGER

13. USAF E-6 : TSGT. Military rank always gives me headache.

14. "Now I understand!" : AHA

16. City in California's Central Valley : FRESNO. And 19. California's Central Valley, e.g. : HEARTLAND.

17. Ill humor : SPLEEN

23. Marching words : HEPS. Marching cadence.

25. New, in Nicaragua : NUEVA

27. Poetry competitions : SLAMs. Stumped me last time.

31. Love, to Virgil : AMOR

32. Turn down : VETO

33. Old orchard spray : ALAR

37. Keep from ending normally : ABORT

40. Sch. founded by Jefferson : UVA (University of Virginia)

41. Wrestling holds : NELSONS

42. Trigger, for one : HORSE. Trigger was Roy Roger's horse.

44. Take the tiller : STEER

45. "Got __?" : MILK

48. Hang it up, so to speak : RETIRE

49. Even if challenged : ON A BET. Did you get it immediately?

50. Be __: assist : OF HELP

51. Mob member : RIOTER

54. Journalist Kupcinet and sportscaster Cross : IRVs

55. "I told you, didn't I?!" : SEE THAT? I like the clue.

59. Precisely : TO A T. Tricky to parse.

60. Some Deco collectibles : ERTEs

61. Fall back : EBB

64. __ santo: Spanish graveyard : CAMPO. Learning moment for me.

65. Light lunch : SALAD

66. Spelunker's spot : CAVE

68. Police operations : RAIDS

70. Recently discontinued retro Chrysler : PT CRUISER. Crazy 4-consonant start.

74. Pair : DUO

76. Number one son? : CAIN. We've seen similar "First lady' for EVE gimmick before.

78. __ Beach, Florida : VERO

79. Neur- ending : OTIC

80. "Ick factor 10!" : YECCH

81. Taught : SCHOOLED

83. MCCLII doubled : MMDIV. 1,250*2=2,504.

84. Ones with a common heritage : ETHNICS

86. Wings eaters' needs : WET NAPS

87. Sandlot game : ONE O' CAT. Kind of baseball game?

88. Garden tools : WEEDERS

89. Krupp with a howitzer named for her : BERTHA. Wow, I never know this origin.

90. Luke's mentor : OBIWAN. "Star Wars".

92. Magic 8 Ball maker : MATTEL

95. Interstellar dist. : LT-YR (Light-year)

97. Carne __: Mexican dish : ASADA

98. "Presto!" cousin : VOILA

99. MGM Resorts casino loyalty program : M LIFE. Nope. No idea. What does M stand for?

100. "Lad ..." : MY BOY. Cute clue.

102. "Congratulations" writer, maybe : ICER

105. "Stop-__": UGK hit : 'N-GO. First encounter with the hip hop duo UGK (Underground Kingz). Rappers drive me crazy with their free spelling.

106. Yalie : ELI

107. Michael, to Kirk : SON. Michael Douglas has been through a lot.

Answer grid.

Thanks for the entertainment, Dan. To quote your buddy Jerome, "Great puzzle, Duck!".

C.C.

Friday, April 1, 2011, Dan Naddor

THEME: Oh, those silly backwards Semites. Each of the three theme answers are written beginning on the right and working in the opposite direction. Talk about a puzzle being delivered in my wheel house, not only did I grow up learning Hebrew, but I am left-handed, so doing things backwards comes naturally. I wish I had a video of me trying to Iron. Anyway, welcome back, oops that is me.

17. Start of an aptly expressed linguistic observation: CIBARA DNA WERBEH. HEBREW AND ARABIC. If you read the Hardy Boy mysteries you know all about mirror writing.

31. Observation, part 2: DAER ERA. ARE READ.

45. End of the observation: TFEL OT THGIR MORF.FROM RIGHT TO LEFT.

Hello, it is I, Lemonade, back from a brief hiatus, only to appear where I left off with Dan Naddor, Alava Shalom, and a wonderful April Fool's Day deception. For all those who have complained about too much 3 and 4 letter fill, we have an average word length of almost 6 letters. As always, Dan includes many multi-part answers, with a 10,10, 15 top and bottom. leave it to Dan to do a pseudo quote puzzle in reverse.

All right, on with the show, which just for me features lots of law and Latin, and some really interesting Ukrainian humor.

Across:

1. Lexington and Concord fighters: MILITIAMEN. Oh Dan, how could you do this to a nice guy like me? Every New England child knows they were MINUTEMEN! But it did not fit. (no insensitive jokes about New England men, please Lois and Carol). Both started with MI but there was no way to get 10 letters...

11. XXXV years after the creation of the original Magna Carta: MCCL. Dan liked his Roman numerals to be math exercises, 1215 plus 35 = 1250.

15. Apple consumers?: ADAM AND EVE. A nice deceptive biblical reference, and perhaps a hint to our Hebrew theme.

16. River through Lake Brienz: AARE. How may rivers start with two As?We are back in BERN(E).

19. Duplicated: CLONED. Ah, the new world order.

20. Roma road: STRADA. The Italian version of the Latin word STRATA. My oldest is going back to Gabii for two months in June.

21. Word with sharp or trouble: SHOOTER. SHARP SHOOTER = accurate shot. TROUBLE SHOOTER, an outsider who comes in to fix things.

23. Hand: SAILOR. C'mon, you all know, "All hands on deck!"

24. Leagues: Abbr.: ASSNS, associations.

25. Like performances by the Wallendas: NETLESS, the famous circus FLYERS have lost many of their family because they performed without a net.

27. Place to build: SITE.

28. Flying need: PHOTO ID. This was the trickiest for me, because I got the "oid" part first. When I finally stepped back to realize how this parsed, I felt rather foolish.

30. Is down with: HAS.

32. Source of support: FAN.

35. It's about 325 miles east of Texas's H-Town, with "the": BIG EASY, and a quick hello to our Hebrew scholar, Hahtool (also Hebrew).

36. "Return of the Jedi" dancer: OOLA. You have to be a real Trekkie to know this unhappy DANCER by name.

37. Like Cologne and vicinity: RHENISH. This related to the Rhine valley and perhaps to the post World War I attempt to create an independent state.

39. Condescend: STOOP. I would never stoop to bad puns to entertain!

40. Fowl with a showy mate: PEAHEN. Mr. Peacock, no foul humor, now! Drat.

41. Herbal drink: MINT TEA. A wonderful Dan fill to tease you with the TT in the middle.

43. "Bewitched" witch: ENDORA. Brilliantly played by Agnes Moorehead.

44. Place with swinging doors: SALOON. Gunsmoke, anyone?

49. Abbr. on folk song sheet music: TRAD. Traditional.

50. Listed: ENUMERATED. A nice $5.00 word.

51. They have their pluses and minuses: IONS.

52. Fabled tortoise's trait: STEADINESS. Slow and steady wins the race!

Down:

1. Bud: MAC. So many meanings for bud.

2. First name in tyranny: IDI. An Amin after my own heart.

3. Checkup charges: LAB COSTS. Another multiple word answer causing a weird combination in the middle, ABC.

4. Inviting words before "Want to come over?": I'M ALONE. The wife has gone to shop?

5. Mystical decks: TAROTS.

6. Vacant: INANE. Vacuous, empty, senseless, blank, foolish, vacant, hollow, void, meaningless; enough?

7. Dangerous snake: ADDER. They are poisonous members of the viper family, and the only poisonous snake indigenous to Great Britain, I believe. NC?

8. Darn: MEND. Darn, these socks have another hole in them!

9. Mendes of "Hitch": EVA. Okay, one LINK for the boys. Followed by 11D. Hitched: MARRIED.

10. It may be a scoop: NEWS STORY. More multiples.

12. Plots: CABALS. This word is a form of the Hebrew Kabbalah, which is mysticism and secrets. The usage in English reportedly is associated with the CABAL Ministry under King Charles II, from the last names of the ministers. Sir Thomas Clifford, Lord Arlington, the Duke of Buckingham, Lord Ashley, and Lord Lauderdale.

13. Words to live by: CREDOS. Latin meaning to believe.

14. "The Merry Widow" operettist: LEHAR. We have had this COMPOSER before, in fact DAN, DON G. and BARRY SILK all have used this clue.

18. Latin term usually abbreviated: ET ALIA. More Latin for and others, ET AL, and our favorite Thursday blogger.

21. Window part: SASH.

22. Early Chinese dynasty: HSIA. No clue, so I read this LINK , C. C., your turn. (Note from C.C.: We can Hsia as Xia in China. Xia Dynstry is China's first prehistoric dynasty, followed by Shang & Zhou.)

25. Canadian young adult fiction author McClintock: NORAH. Nope, did not know this AUTHOR either.

26. Nice summers: ETES . By now a gimme for everybody, i am sure. Nice the French city.

28. Numbers in a corner, often: PAGINATES. Not a gimme, but I have edited a couple of books, and PAGINATION is a popular word in publishing.

29. Texters' amused syllables: HEES. TEE HEE, or HEE HEE?

31. Mexican bread: DINERO Spanish for money, that kind of bread.

32. What an asterisk may indicate: FOOTNOTE. In law books we also have Head Notes.

33. Lotion additive: ALOE. Phew, an easy one.

34. City WSW of Sacramento: NAPA, easy for you left coasters, but there are so many cities in Cali.

35. Lays eyes on: BEHOLDS.

36. Armchair partner: OTTOMAN, not be confused with the Empire which appeared in my last write up.

37. Hall of Fame defensive back Mel: RENFRO. Mel Renfro was number 20 for the Dallas Cowboys for many all-pro years; he played in 4 Super Bowls for the Cowboys, including number VI, where they beat the Dolphins.

38. Like hell: HADEAN. More Latin, ancient Roman HADES.

39. "Edda" author __ Sturluson: SNORRI. We have had reference to this ICELANDIC who influenced many of the early Scandinavian authors.

40. Coat opening?: PETTI. Petticoat Junction, the spin-off from Green Acres.

41. Volcanic fluid: MAGMA. I am not touching that.

42. Perjurer's admission: I LIED. Another law reference, because it is Friday and my day.

44. "Melrose Place" actor: SHUE. This is Andrew the BROTHER of Elizabeth, and for you ladies.

46. Explosive initials: TNT. For my personality?

47. __ judicata: decided case: RES. More law stuff, and Latin, it just means things,

48. Some alarm respondents: Abbr.: FDS, no not Feminine Deodorant Spray, Fire Departments.

Answer grid.

Wow, with so many long words there are only 66 clues, so I am through early; hope you enjoyed the Return of the Lemonade and see you on the next page. Oh, I lied about the Ukranian humor, but it is April 1.

Lemonade

Friday, March 18, 2011 Dan Naddor

Theme: Out, out damn ING. The “ING” ending to the last word of a familiar phrase are removed to reveal a new, and quite amusing phrase.

17A. Lodging surplus?: EXTRA INNS. EXTRA INN[ING]S, when a baseball game is tied after nine innings. The only plural answer.

20A. Versace creation?: ITALIAN DRESS. ITALIAN DRESS[ING], on your healthy salad, Gianni Versace was a famous designer killed by a random gay lover right here in beautiful Miami. His sister has carried on the company.

37A. Misplaced Yogi and Smokey?: LOST ONE'S BEARS. LOST ONE'S BEAR[INGS], losing your way, and my favorite because I can picture Yogi and Smokey doing some serious woodsy stuff.

58A. Plant at Sotheby's?: BRITISH SHILL. BRITISH SHILL[ING]. The now DEFUNCT British coin which was the equivalent of our nickel (20 to the pound); replaced by the five pence piece. Sotheby's is the famous British auction house, and a shill is put in the audience to bid up items to get the crowd to pay more.

62A. Investment in fine fabric?: SILK STOCK. SILK STOCK [ING], the wonderful casing that makes a gam shine like the stars. You do not see SILK used much anymore for leggings. Sad.

And the hint to the theme,

48D. Pleasure trip, and a hint to this puzzle's theme: OUTING. Not to be confused with any gender issues.

Wow, Lemonade here and I am amazed. I better understand the pressure on Argyle and C.C. doing back to back blogging. I feel like Curt Schill[ing] (BTW, shilling comes from schilling, an accounting term that dates back to Anglo-Saxon times when it was deemed to be the value of a cow in Kent or a sheep elsewhere) must have, as he was all battered, and prepared to take on the Yankees in the 2004 AL championship playoff. Having just blogged a John Lampkin, and now being handed the ball to take on a Dan Naddor, is a thrill, a challenge and a nice balm for other disappointments. In the world of blogg[ing] it does not get any better. The theme jumped out to me after the first fill, and they each were funny, set out in a 9,12,13,12,9 symmetry. Well lets look at what is likely one of the last of his efforts.

Across:

1. Hardly a walk in the park: TREK. STAR TREK?

5. "American __": IDOL. STAR maker? Do you watch the new incarnation?

9. Provoke: ROIL. I think of the sea roiling, but I guess bad habits can begin to roil me.

13. Russo of "Tin Cup": RENE. Best known for her work in the Lethal Weapon movies, she is Pretty.

14. Heavyweight fight?: SUMO.

15. Snoring cause, perhaps: APNEA. Sleep Apnea, where you actually pause in your breathing, has become a treatable condition.

19. Settles in: NESTS. Not my first thought.

22. Blotter letters: AKA. Also Known As; big in the police blotter world.

25. However, contracted: THO. Actually, Although.

26. Bygone Chrysler: LEBARON. The Lebaron, which in recent years was a mid-priced member of Chrysler’s fleet, began as the IMPERIAL LEBARON in the 30’s, their luxury car. It was designed by the Lebaron company, which was from Bridgeport, Connecticut, which was doing car bodies for many companies.

27. Target of a military press: DELT. The Deltoid Muscle is the round top part of your shoulder.

29. Animal rights org.: PETA. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is an American animal rights that uses some very odd images to promote their cause IMAGE .

31. Penn et al.: Abbr.: STNS. Stations, in this case railroad, a Manhattan reference.

32. Backed up, in a way: ON DISC.

35. Quad building: DORM.

42. Limo occasion: PROM. Yes, you must have a limo because they all drink.

43. Maker of pianos and bikes: YAMAHA. And much more; the company began when the eponymous founder began making organs.

45. Pacific salmon: COHO.

49. Scholarship drive donor: GRAD. You wonder how much all those schools spend on postage sending out their requests for money.

51. Carnival starting point?: PIER. The cruise line.

52. Blood specification: ONE UNIT.

54. "Gotcha!": AHA. See, I say I am not an O HO, and I get my A HA.

57. Hydroelectric structure: DAM. But we try not to swear, or make Coulee jokes.

61. Busted: RAN IN. Dan's multi word way to say arrested; and a mini-theme, along with 40D. Bust: RAID. Like Elliot Ness in the old days; not like Dolly Parton. And, 47D. Duff: HEINIE. Not old time actor Howard, but the one you sit on.

66. __ acid: AMINO. The body's building blocks.

67. "Night" author Wiesel: ELIE.

68. Way-back-when time: YORE. Days of yore, when men were men.

69. Coat rack items: PEGS.

70. Just slightly: A TAD. Probably a derivative of TADPOLE.

71. Classic theater name: ROXY. Old movie houses, and I will finish part one, with this SONG .

Down:

1. What's a little past due?: TRE. Oh, you multilingual devil Dan. Uno, Due, Tre; one two three in Eye-talian. What a tricky way to start us on our ride down.

2. Name fit for a king?: REX. Latin for King.

3. Tonsillitis M.D.: ENT. Ear, Nose and Throat.

4. "Felicity" star Russell: KERI. One of many from the Disney machine, she started out as a MOUSKETEER .

5. Thomas of the NBA: ISIAH. Detroit Piston star, terrible Knick coach, and now coaching Florida International right nearby me in Miami.

6. Maker of tires and tennis balls: DUNLOP. You ask what do those have in common, the answer RUBBER .

7. Present opening?: OMNI. Opening for the word omnipresent.

8. Silicon Valley city: LOS ALTOS. Puzzles are funny, there are many New York centric questions which are easy for we east coast residents, and I am sure this was a gimme for our left coaster, but for me it was a bit obscure. While the town is rich, it is small.

9. Grammy category: R AND B. Another of Dan's patented use of multiples to confuse, as RAND is a word.

10. Met expectations?: OPERAS. The Metropolitan Opera House in Manhattan, which we had recently.

11. Supplement: INSERT. The noun, like the newspaper inserts.

12. Reveals: LETS ON. Dan back to multi word answers.

16. Clubs: Abbr.: ASSNS. Associations, I am suing a number of Condominium Associations this month.

18. One of two authorized U.S. iPhone carriers: ATT.

21. Close at hand: NEARBY. Oops, I used that word in my write up.

22. Flap: ADO. My solitary chance to plug Shakespeare today.

23. __ Ration: KEN-L. I guess ALPO was too much like 24. Designer Gucci: ALDO.

28. "My country __ ...": TIS of thee. Sweet Land of Liberty.

30. Swelling: EDEMA. Not from Latin, but from the Greek οἴδημα,

33. Additive sold at Pep Boys: STP. Andy Granatelli's "Racer's Edge." Not this STP .

34. Pembroke or Cardigan dogs: CORGIS. My oldest brother has two; I also loved the cross of this clue, with BRITISH SHILL, as a tribute to the dog loving QUEEN ELIZABETH II . Can you believe there is a WIKI FIDO?

36. Start of an apology: MEA. CULPA, from Latin. The modern version which our group does not like, is "My bad."

38. View from Edinburgh: NORTH SEA.

39. Band aid?: AMP.

41. 2000 World Series stadium: SHEA. Another MET reference, and more New York.

44. Ready for battle: ARM.

45. Army attack helicopter: COBRA. For those who did not get enough violence yesterday ATTACK .

46. Cloverleaf component: ON RAMP.

50. Flowering plant used for food by the Aztecs: DAHLIA.

53. Yucatán youngsters: NINOS. Spanish.

55. Hoofed it: HIKED.

56. Roker and Rosen: ALs. What an odd couple he picked.

59. Bank deposit?: SILT. Finishing strong with a classic misdirection, the river bank.

60. About 10 trillion kil.: LTYR. Light Year.

63. Valentine symbols: OOO. XXX to you all.

64. '80s-'90s Honda model: CRX. These are very popular as race cars.

65. Critical: KEY. We have reached the critical point in the write up, where I must turn the key and shut off the motor and bid you all farewell, not to be back in the blogging seat for a while. Thank you Dan for another fun ride. Be careful, like Arnold, I will be back.

Answer grid.

Lemonade

Wednesday, March 2, 2011 Dan Naddor

Theme: Nine to One - Six theme-answer nine-letter words, each of which is only a single syllable. Not to mention a pair of eleven-letter unifiers. This brilliant puzzle isn't typical Dan Naddor. It's not typical of anyone or anything. It is special, unique, exquisite, and technically awesome.

23A. *Poker holdings : STRAIGHTS. This is a holding of five cards in sequence, such as 8, 9, 10, J, Q, irrespective of suite.

31A. *Subdued : SQUELCHED. To squeeze, squash and crush something, often before it gets a chance to start moving - nip in the bud.

38A. *Prepared to jog : STRETCHED. Gave the muscles a gentle warm up. Athletes should do this, and musicians, too.

45A. *Stained : SPLOTCHED. A splotch is an irregularly shaped spot, stain or discolored area. Rather an ugly word, I think.

11D. *Pocketed the cue ball : SCRATCHED. Actually, SCRATCH refers to a variety of fouls in cue-sports. This clue is just one case.

30D. *Fortes : STRENGTHS. The word forte, meaning strength, comes to us from Latin, via old French. This puzzle shows us Dan's fortes. All the theme answers start with "S." This & 23A are the only ones to not end in "ED."

And the unifiers:

17A. Feature of the answers to starred clues : NINE LETTERS

55A. Feature of the answers to starred clues : ONE SYLLABLE

Hi gang, It's JzB your humble trombonist, who was lucky enough to finish off a truly wonderful day with this great Dan Naddor offering. The grid looks like a Saturday themeless, but I don't recall ever seeing a weekday puzzle with so much thematic density. Also, four additional 9-letter words in the fill, along with five 7's. Yikes! Of course, this caused a large number of 3 and 4 letter answers. Still the average length is 5.22, which is between Thursday and Friday average.

Across:

1. Sierra Nevada resort : TAHOE. On Crystal bay, near the CA border.

6. Like some checking accounts : NO FEE. One more reason to love my Credit Union.

11. Scand. land : SWE Sweden. Abrv in cl & ans.

14. Observe Yom Kippur : ATONE. Yom Kippur is the Jewish day of ATONEMENT. I'll let one of our resident experts elaborate.

15. Neptune's realm : OCEAN. Neptune is the god of the sea.

16. When repeated, a Latin dance : CHA. Better than "half a dance" I suppose.

19. Children's author/illustrator Asquith : ROS. Unknown to me. You can read about her here.

20. Icky stuff : GLOP.

21. Common flashlight power source : C CELL. Batteries.

22. Endure : LAST Energizer bunnie batteries.

25. Actor Dillon et al. : MATTS. Let's see -- Damon, Smith, Bomer, plus the guys who play bass trombone and tuba in the symphony with me.

26. Hwys. : RDS. I'll take the highway, you take the road, and I'll get to the welcome mat afore ye!

27. Chinese discipline : TAI CHI. There's more to this than just hand-waving. Actually, a lot of body control - a bit like ballet in slow motion. And I love that pink outfit.

28. Cut's partner : PASTE. Word processing.

34. First N.L. 500 home run club member : OTT. Our most likely baseball player shows up with a new fact. I did not know that!

35. Indictment : ACCUSAL. A little legal help, please.

37. "__ pales in Heaven the morning star": Lowell : ERE. The opening line of PHOEBE by James Russell Lowell.

40. Less refined : RUDER.

42. Degree requirements, at times : THESES. The plural of THESIS, a requirement for an advanced degree. To be more refined, I will eschew repeating what said about this word the other day.

43. Convert to leather, as a hide : TAN. Did your parents ever threaten to TAN your hide?

44. Minor cost component : CENTS. Minor parts of U.S.D.

51. Ship of Greek myth : ARGO. I believe it had starched sails. Jason and the Argonauts went on a quest for gold and got fleeced.

52. European toast : SKOAL. Skandinavian - from the Old Norse word for a drinking bowl. Not to be confused with a French toast.

53. Fit : HALE. HALE and hearty. Not to be confused with Laurel and hearty.

54. Living in Fla., maybe : RET. I, OTOH, am RET in MI.

57. Morse unit : DAH. I thought Morse Code was dots and dashes, so this gave me a bit of a pause.

58. Racket : NOISE. The loud sound of a fuzzy ball hitting STRETCHED threads is the tennis racket.

59. More repulsive : VILER. Like some of my attempted humor

60. Many IRA payees : SRS. Only the ones who are RET.

61. Landlord : OWNER.

62. Really dumb : INANE. Like some of my attempted humor.

Down:

1. Zesty flavors : TANGS

2. Leaning : ATILT

3. __ society : HONOR. For the best students.

4. Cocktail preparation phrase : ONE PART. That's the Vermouth. Add to four parts London Dry Gin. Swirl with ice. Pour over skewered olives in a stemmed, slant-sided glass. I suppose other garnishes are optional.

5. Sushi fish : EEL. I'll pass, thank you.

6. Tally symbol : NOTCH. As on bedposts or belt buckles?

7. Large wedding band : OCTET. Here is an example.

9. Viscount's superior : EARL. This rank in the British peerage was first noted in 1440. It was intended to not be hereditary, but nepotism is an awesome force. A baron ranks lower.

10. One-third of ninety? : ENS. Two ENS in six letters.

12. Obligatory joke response : WHO'S THERE? Knock-knock. WHO'S THERE? Banana . . (Does anyone remember elephant jokes?)

13. Park Avenue resident, e.g. : EAST-SIDER. New York City, I guess. I'm from the East Side of Toledo, which has Zero cachet.

18. ER tests : ECGS. Electrocardiograms, aka EKGs.

22. Secular : LAIC. Of or relating to the laity, those not of the clergy.

24. Imagines : IDEATES. Think about it.

25. Young food court loiterer : MALL RAT. Here's the trailer.

27. Afternoon service : TEA. And the perfect way to celebrate your unbirthday - if you're not RUDER than an intruder.


28. Gift shop items on a rotating stand : POSTCARDS. Very true. Dan got me here.

29. Where to see a caboose : AT THE REAR. Of a train, sometimes. Here is Loose Caboose a CHA-CHA by Henry Mancini, from Breakfast at Tiffany's - still my all time favorite movie score album. Great trombone solo by Dick Nash. The movie itself was 11 kinds of horrible, the lovely Audrey Hepburn not withstanding.

31. USC or NYU : SCH. Of course, I entered Col. Four Yrs after I entered Col, I was a grad.

32. Prov. on James Bay : QUE. QUEBEC. This is the FR spkg pt of Can.

33. Amer. currency : USD. U.S. Dollars, for those who have the sense.

36. IV units : CCS. Cubic centimeters, a measurement of volume.

39. __ perpetua: Idaho's motto : ESTO. I believe this means "Potatoes forever!"

41. "__ My Heart": 1962 #1 R&B hit for Ray Charles : UNCHAIN. Baby, let me go!

43. Going rate? : TOLL. The fee to travel on a turnpike. This simple pun is an example of what makes Dan's puzzles so delightful. Cf 46 D.

45. Coil of yarn : SKEIN.

46. Western chasers : POSSE. Here they come. A group of insane clowns, perhaps? Cf 43D.

47. Ply : LAYER. I love those seven-ply cakes!

48. "¿__ usted español?" : HABLA. Do you speak Spanish?

49. Paula's "American Idol" replacement : ELLEN. I am proud to say I have NEVER wached it.

50. Steel plow developer : DEERE. Nothing plows like a DEERE!

52. Winter forecast : SNOW. Please, no more. I am SO tired of plowing.

55. John Lennon Museum founder : ONO. A different clue for Yoko. I didn't know there was a John Lennin Museum.

56. VII x VIII : LVI. Roman numeral math. I got it from the perps.

Great fun with this wonderful puzzle from Dan. Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. I even learned a few things, though I did not do the math.

Answer grid.

Cheers!

JzB

Friday, February 18, 2011, Dan Naddor

Theme: It is a Punderful Presidential Friday. Each of the theme answers is a sound alike pun, clued with the continuing clecho of “Presidential” replacing a word or two in a common phrase with the last name of a president, to make for a silly and humorous new phrase. Interestingly, all but Madison were Republican presidents. I guess in honor of the impending President's Day holiday, we have gone from Presidential Pets two days ago, to Presidential Puns; put on your seat belts because here we go.

18A. Presidential putdown? : GRANT SLAM. (Ulysses S. Grant, our 18th) from the baseball term GRAND SLAM, a bases loaded home run.

23A. Presidential advisers?: MADISON CABINET. (James Madison, number 4 and our shortest at 5'4") MEDICINE CABINET.

32A. Presidential ATM sign?: FORD DEPOSIT ONLY. (Gerald Ford, number 38) FOR DEPOSIT ONLY, which is what I put on my checks; I never sign them in case they are lost.

48A. Presidential university?: COOLIDGE CAMPUS. (Calvin Coolidge, number 30) COLLEGE CAMPUS.

53A. Presidential belt-tightening?: NIXON CUTS. (Richard Nixon, number 37) NICKS AND CUTS.

Happy Friday all, Lemonade here, and I WAS RIGHT, a NADDOR for me and a quintessential example of his wit and skill. We have his recognizable humor, heavy themeage, and fixation with deception both in cluing and using multi word fill; look for the number by each example.

Across:

1. Timeworn observation: ADAGE. Direct from the Latin adagium, meaning proverb.

6. "Pronto!": ASAP.

10. Party person: HOST. C.C, is our party person.

14. Paganini's birthplace: GENOA. I wonder if this reference was deliberate, as the pioneer of the modern style of playing the violin, had at one time as his patron, Mary Louise, Bonaparte's second wife. He was very conceited about his music and wrote his compositions to perform himself; I would say he was a ham, but Jerome would probably threaten me with a salami.

15. One of an historic seagoing trio: NINA. Along with the PINTA and the SANTA MARIA.

16. Not deceived by: ON TO. (1)

17. Los __: city near San Jose: ALTOS. Los Altos a city at the southern end of the San Francisco Peninsula, in the San Francisco Bay Area. The city is in Santa Clara County, California.

20. 1926 channel swimmer: EDERLE. GERTRUDE was the first woman to swim the English channel, after only five men had accomplished the feat, and she did it 2 hours faster than any man up to that time.

22. Bernardo's girl in "West Side Story": ANITA. Brilliantly played by RITA MORENO in the movie version.

26. Trademark cousins: PATENTS. Names rather than processes.

27. Trains on supports: ELS. ELevated trains, still popular in Chicago.

28. "Discreet Music" composer: ENO. Brian is my recurring theme this week, as he and his Airport Music were in my recent blog.

29. Movie beekeeper: ULEE. Peter Fonda's gold.

30. People person?: CELEB. Very fun, PEOPLE magazine.

39. "Contact" author: SAGAN. Carl was a very popular scientist who did all he could to bring science to the masses with his books and his Cosmos TV show. He also was involved in SETI. Seeking extra-terrestrial intelligence.

40. "Uh-uh": NOPE.

41. Ex-Saudi ruler __ Saud: IBN. Son of like, Ben.

44. Managed: RAN.

45. Onetime California gubernatorial candidate Huffington: ARIANNA. She is now selling out, by letting AOL purchase her HUFFINGTON POST .

51. Biblical words before and after "for": AN EYE. AN EYE FOR AN EYE, kind of eerie considering my current situation, and the ever present need to atone. (2)

52. Title subject of a G.B. Shaw play: ST JOAN. Jean D'Arc, our favorite military martyr. (3)

56. Blitz attachment: KRIEG. The massive German all out attacks of World War II. Literally lightening war.

59. Prefix with "Language" in a 1993 comedy best-seller: SEIN. Jerry Seinfeld at his best. For example, the number one fear people have is public speaking, with death the number two fear. That means if you are a funeral it is easier to be the corpse than to deliver a eulogy.

60. Gaston's god: DIEU. Oh goody, my French lesson, Mon Dieu, that was easy.

61. Perform penance: ATONE. Man, you think because I get this word every time, a higher power is telling me it is time to admit my sins, and change? Nah.

62. Scraps: ORTS.

63. U. of Maryland athlete: TERP. Short for Terrapin.

64. Streisand title role: YENTL. A rare public performance by Barbara at the Grammy.

Down: Down we go:

1. Turkish honorific: AGA. Not to be confused with the cooker so popular in Europe.

2. Wilmington's st.: DEL. Delaware, the type of Indians near Staten Island, as well.

3. Lover of armies?: ANTEATER. Really fun was to clue the army of ants.

4. Acts of kindness: GOOD DEEDS. (4)

5. Enter cautiously: EASE IN. (5)

6. Americans in Paris, e.g.: ANGLOS. I do not recall hearing this expression from any of my relatives, but hey, maybe because I spoke French with them they were nice.

7. Femme fatale: SIREN. We had SIREN as Vixen recently.

8. Book collector's suffix: ANA. This is used denote a collection of writing by a single author or a single topic, like AMERICANA, or DICKENSIANA. Not a collector like Dennis, but one who puts things together in a single volume.

9. Put down in writing?: PAN. The critics often Pan the blog for too many links.

10. Mubarak of Egypt: HOSNI. Isn’t amazing Dan used fill so current even though this puzzle was written more than one year ago; here is one perception of MUBARAK .

11. Surfing without a board, maybe: ON LINE. Web surfing. (6)

12. New York's __ Island: STATEN. The smallest population of the five boroughs of New York city, this was named Staaten Eylandt (literally "State Island") by Henry Hudson, sailing on behalf of the Dutch government.

13. T in a sandwich: TOMATO. The "T" in BLT.

19. Typewriter feature: TAB SET. (7)

21. Queue after Q: RST. An innovative play on words to spice up the letter string Q R S T.

23. Opposite of bueno: MALO. BUENO=Good, MALO=Bad in Spanish.

24. Psychic couple?: CEES. A new variation, as there are two "C"s in the word Psychic.

25. "That's __ ask": ALL I. Yeah right, beware when anyone ever says this to you. (8)

26. Sta-__: fabric softener: PUF. Have not heard of this brand in awhile. Maybe it will be the new Ipana.

30. Hoodwink: CON. From the CONFIDENCE MEN who gain that from people and then bilk them.

31. Ruling family name in 19th-century Europe: BONAPARTE. If you want more, I provide this LINK .

33. Connecticut coastal town near Stamford: DARIEN. One of the many small town near Manhattan which attracted the successful New Yorkers looking to escape from the city. The opposite end of the state in every sense from where I grew up.

34. "Yikes!": EGAD. Veddy British, in preparation for RAJ, I guess.

35. Qualm: PANG. Pangs of guilt.

36. Like some workers in an open shop: NON UNION. So Wisconsin people, what do you think of the teacher union stuff? (9)

37. HMO employees: LPNS. Licensed Practical Nurses; one level below Registered Nurses. Sort of like an AA degree compared to a BA.

38. Thumbs-up vote: YEA. Or nay.

41. Response to a doubting Thomas: I CAN SO. (10)

42. More scrawny: BONIER. How many of you thought of this SONG .

43. Prohibitive door sign: NO EXIT. (11)

45. Misbehaves: ACTS UP. (12)

46. British rule in India: RAJ. From this period of BRITISH RULE as we can see from the comments of our now anonymous friend Vidwan, there remain bad feelings among Indian and Pakistani citizens. On a happier note, I strongly recommend the book MAJOR PETTIGREW’S LAST STAND .

47. Post-fall reassurance: I'M OKAY. Not fall autumn, but faw down and go boom fall. (13)

49. Interpol headquarters: LYONS. I was getting psyched for my second French dispute with Dan of the puzzle, when I read the town of LYON (French name, pronounced lee ohn) was anglicized to Lyons. International Police, now with 188 countries signed on.

50. Glyceride, e.g.: ESTER. Organic chemistry was impossible for my limited vision; my professor wrote with one hand and erased with the other.

54. Setting on the Mississippi: Abbr.: CDT. Your clock setting, Central Daylight Time. A toughie in February.

55. A lost driver may hang one, briefly: UIE. We have debated the spelling of a U Turn before.

57. M.D.'s specialty: ENT. No, the Doctors do not work on animated trees from Tolkien, but Ear Nose and Throat.

58. Styling stuff: GEL. Hair styling; I am just too lazy.

Well, it has been an up and down week, but it was great to finish with me and Dan trying to entertain. Have a great weekend, especially those who get Presidents' day off.

Answer grid.

Lemonade