Sunday, August 2, 2020 Dan Schoenholz

Theme: "Double Features" - Movie hidden in another movie.

 

23A. Two that received Oscar nods in all four acting categories: A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE. Reds.

39A. Duo from the Deep South: STEEL MAGNOLIAS. Selma.

53A. Pair for the holidays: IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE. Elf.

74A. Couple in the 21st century with Best Director Oscar winners: BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN. Roma.

 91A. Two period pieces from across the pond: THE KING'S SPEECH. Tess.

107A. Pair of divergent tales of the paranormal: A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET. Tiny dupe with the street in 23A. Ghost.
 
 Movie within a movie. Such a super tight set.

Great to see Dan Schoenholz back. Seems like a long time since we saw his last byline.

  

Across:

1. Defeat big-time: STOMP.

6. Food chain with a smiley face in its logo: IHOP. Not fond of their P/B flip a while ago.

10. Oma's "Oh, my!": ACH.

13. Car company that owns SolarCity: TESLA. I'm pretty lousy with cars. I don't think I can recognize a Tesla car. Also 98. Bygone Swedish car company: SAAB.

18. __ eclipse: LUNAR.

19. Super stars?: NOVAE.

21. Wish to do over, perhaps: RUE.

22. Get on the wagon: HOP UP.

27. Vietnamese soup: PHO. The broth is flavored with star anise.

28. Chocolate choice: DARK.

29. Nile danger: ASP.

30. Meet activity: SWAP.

31. Homer's TV neighbor: NED.

32. Samoa's largest export before the blight: TARO. Wiki shows the Taro Leaf Blight epidemic of Samoa happened in 1993.

33. Lurid material: SMUT.

34. "Just to clarify ... ": I MEAN.

36. Fancy neckwear: ASCOTS.

44. Reinforce, with "up": SHORE.

45. "Come again?": WHAT.

46. Kisser: YAP.

47. One soaking things up: SPONGE.

48. Word with up, mid or down: TOWN.

49. Feudal lord: LIEGE.

50. Orca group: POD.

52. Olympic sledder: LUGER.

58. Versailles VIP: ROI.

59. Coolidge's VP: DAWES. No idea. Charles Dawes.

60. Iris ring: AREOLA. Vowel-rich. So grid-friendly.

61. Retina part: CONE.

62. Gathers in a condensed layer: ADSORBS.

65. Disrespects: SNUBS.

67. Big game centers: ARCADES.

69. Supply orders: Abbr.: REQS.

70. Big name in pain relief: ANACIN.  We have all kinds of pain pills/gels/creams at home.

72. Weasel relative: STOAT. Cute.

73. Sigma follower: TAU.

80. More than annoyed: IRATE.

82. Recycle container: BIN.

83. Band led by the Wilson sisters: HEART.

84. Mystical old letter: RUNE.

85. Soda shop freebies: STRAWS.

87. Game console letters: NES.

89. "Relax": EASY.

90. Category: GENRE.

94. Went sailing, say: BOATED.

95. Have confidence in: BET ON.

96. Go for the passer: RUSH.

97. Innate talent: GIFT.

98. Insignificant amount: SOU.  Not worth a SOU.

100. Bird one hates to eat?: CROW. Ha.

102. Before, to Byron: ERE.

103. Second: AIDE.

104. Bounty title: HMS.

112. Tree-lined walkway: ALLEE. Grande Allee, Quebec City.

113. Actress Longoria: EVA.

114. "Attack, Rover!": SIC 'EM.

115. Date component, often: COMMA.

116. Digital units: BYTES.

117. Work with thread: SEW.

118. Model: POSE.

119. Bouncing off the walls: HYPER.

Down:

1. Hockey's __ shot: SLAP.

2. Heinie: TUSH.

3. Not fooled by: ONTO.

4. Scrape, say: MAR.

5. Happen before: PREDATE.

6. "101" course title word: INTRO.

7. Pawn at a shop: HOCK.

8. In vitro supply: OVA.

9. Defining characteristic: PARAMETER.

10. Escort's offering: ARM.

11. Sticks maintained with chalk: CUES.

12. Harry Potter's owl: HEDWIG.

13. Whom prosecutors represent: THE PEOPLE.

14. Canon camera line: EOS.

15. Equipment shunned by fly fishers: SPINNING ROD. Because?

16. Entice: LURE.

17. Mimicked: APED.

20. Happen next: ENSUE.

24. Pair with drums: EARS.

25. In a relevant way: APTLY.

26. Puts a curse on: DAMNS. Amazed that Rich allowed it.

32. Fujita scale subjects: TORNADOS.

33. __ fright: STAGE. Finally went to my dentist's office on Friday. Felt like I had a fever on  Friday night. Thankfully I was fine yesterday. Mental thing.

35. Jesus of baseball: ALOU.

36. Italian bubbly: ASTI.

37. Tequila order: SHOT.

38. Jerseys, e.g.: COWS. Jersey cows.

39. Gets rid of: SHEDS.

40. Sources of fall colors: MAPLES.

41. Olympics speed skater Ohno: APOLO.

42. When many walk: AGE ONE.

43. Set of TV programs: SERIES.

45. One trashing a cab, maybe?: WINE SNOB. Cabernet.

49. Type of weightlifting squat: LOW BAR. Look similar to me.

51. Tending to procrastinate: DILATORY. Not related to "dilate".

54. High-card-wins game: WAR.

55. Zoologist's subject: FAUNA.

56. Metro area, informally: URB.

57. '60s "Sweet!": FAR OUT.

61. Snack for Tabby: CAT TREAT. And 90. Lab order?: GO FETCH.

62. Hopper or Whistler: ARTIST.

63. Serious shortage: DEARTH.

64. Broad and solidly constructed, in Sussex: SQUARE-BUILT.

65. Act parts: SCENES.

66. Writing tip: NIB.

68. Fire at work: CAN.

71. Pulitzer playwright Zoë: AKINS.

72. Big shot in tennis: SMASH.

74. Entrances: BEWITCHES.

75. Nabisco cracker made with cheddar: CHEESE NIP.

76. Stacy who played TV's Mike Hammer: KEACH.

77. Rosemary Clooney, to George: AUNT.

78. Subject opener: INRE.

79. "__ I say more?": NEED.

81. Grab: TAKE.

86. Stable sound: SNORT.

88. Buying time big-time?: SPREE.

92. Fabled underground treasure guardians: GNOMES.

93. Capital of France: EUROS. Not PARIS.

94. Auction actions: BIDS.

97. The Stones' "__ Shelter": GIMME.

99. No more than: ONLY.

101. Permanent __: WAVE.

103. Sierra Nevada products: ALES.

104. Rope source: HEMP. Any of you tried hemp seeds/hearts?

105. Internet __: viral item: MEME.

106. Headliner: STAR.

108. "No kidding": GEE.

109. Not even rare: RAW.

110. Green opening: ECO.

111. Pop artist Lichtenstein: ROY.

C.C.

 

Wednesday, June 26, 2019 Dan Schoenholtz

Theme BATTER UP! Not at the ball diamond this time.  Instead, we find ourselves at the kitchen counter with eggs, oil and today's theme.  Let's check it out

17 A. It may be hard to turn down: NICE OFFER.  Not to be confused with an OFFER that you can't refuse.  The circled letters, here shown in red, can be rearranged to spell COFFEE.  Decaf for me, please - no cream or sugar.

26 A. Stockpiled: LOADED UP ON.  Acquired, collected, and kept; amassed. The red letters can be used to spell POUND.  Is this puzzle going to the dogs?  Probably not.

41 A. Sitting in an assigned seat, e.g.: TAKING ONE'S PLACE.  "Everyone take your places," is an in the language phrase.  So, have a seat.  Perhaps your cushion is a cushy SPONGE rubber.

51 A. Corporate annual report focus: FISCAL YEAR.  A 12 month period used for accounting and tax purposes that might not line up with a calendar year.  The red letters can spell LAYER - a ply of something in a built-up construction.  So what are we to make of all this?  Let's consult the reveal.

64 A. Baking conveniences, and a hint to this puzzle's circles: CAKE MIXES.  Aha!  Each of the words is also a type of CAKE, MIXED into the clue fill.  And a CAKE MIX is a store-bought combination of ingredients you can use to make a tasty sweet treat. Are you hungry?  I think CAKE is OK, any time of day or night.  Though, to be honest, I prefer cookies.

Across:

1. They may be exchanged in anger: WORDS.  Description of an argument.

6. Jet stream locale?: SPA.  SPA in this case being a whirlpool bath, with jets that stream water onto your aching body.

9. Ziti, e.g.: PASTA.  Per wikipedia, Ziti is an extruded tubular pasta that is smaller than rigatoni, but larger than mezzani.  Pasta is pasta.  Why it comes in so many shapes and sizes is a mystery to me.

14. Scrub, as a launch: ABORT.  From the mission control vocabulary of NASA.  A decision to stop a planned launch after the pre-launch sequence of activities has begun.

15. Short film?: PIC.  An abrv. of [moving] PICTURE

16. Pronouncement platform: ALTAR.  "I now pronounce you man and wife," is one of the kinds of pronouncements that can be issued there.

19. Lumps: GLOBS.  Solid or semi-sold masses of no particular size and shape.

20. Small flightless bird: KIWI.

To be perfectly clear

21. "Oye Como Va" songwriter Puente: TITO.  Hey, how is it going?

23. Barnyard noise: MOO. Cow talk.

24. Low-risk investments: Abbr.: CDs.  Certificates of Deposit.

29. Stooped (over): HUNCHED.

32. Beer container: CAN.  E pluribus unum.

33. "It matters to me": I CARE.  Back in the 60's we said, "Give a damn!"

34. "The Green Hornet" co-writer/star Rogen: SETH. [b 1982] Canadian-American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and director.

37. Scorch: CHAR.  Burn the surface of something with heat or a direct flame.

44. Editor's retraction: STET.  "Let it stand."  (used as an instruction on a printed proof to indicate that a correction or alteration should be ignored).

45. Picnic pests: ANTS.  Six-legged invaders.

46. Blows off steam: VENTS.  Pssssst.

47. Feverish, say: ILL. Exhibiting symptoms of sickness.

49. Doesn't continue, as an argument: LET'S DIE.  It's hard to know when to let up.  Sometimes continuing is futile.  I was arguing about socialism with some guy on FaceBook.  He wouldn't accept the dictionary definition.  I finally gave up and told him to have a nice day.

56. "Irreverence is easy--what's hard is __": Tom Lehrer: WIT.  Keen mental sharpness and inventiveness.

57. Lime ending: -ADE.  The juice of the lime ends up in a fruity drink.  In my house, it's far more likely to end up in a spicy guacamole.

58. 12-1 MLB victory, e.g.: ROUT.  A lop-sided victory.  Or, from the Tigers' perspective, a lop-sided defeat.

59. Davenport setting: IOWA.  Or my late mom-s living room.  A city and an item of furniture [if you want to couch it in those terms], respectively.

62. Like spinach, say: LEAFY.  As rose bushes are thorny, and trees are barky.

68. Tanning site: SALON.

69. Spy org. called "The Company": CIA.  Central Intelligence Agency.  We learn this vocabulary from a 2003 semi-factual novel by Robert Littell.

70. Hapless: INEPT.  Everybody, get yourself some hap, so you can be EPT.

71. North Sea county: ESSEX.  Located North and East of London, England.

72. __-country music: ALT.  ALTernate.  A loosely defined sub-genre of county/rock music.  Styles can be significantly different in style from mainstream or pop country.

73. "Get it done!": TODAY.  Stat! [Not stet]

Down:

1. Lacking color: WAN. Pale and weak looking.

2. Tokyo sash: OBI.

This white one is an OBI WAN

3. Large python: ROCK SNAKE.  A large, non-venemous, but extraordinarily vicious and dangerous snake living in sub-saharan Africa.

4. German trio: DREI.  The number three.

5. Put away: STOW.

6. Sunscreen letters: SPF.  Sun Protection Factor.  Understand it here.

7. Michelangelo masterpiece: PIETA.

Things to know about it [please skip number 9]

8. Sharp: ACRID.  Having an irritatingly strong and unpleasant taste or smell.

9. Taoist temple: PAGODA.

All because of the Shunbashira

10. Every one of: ALL. Don't leave me out.

11. Defeat soundly: STOMP.  In other words, a ROUT.

12. Off-limits: TABOO.  Forbidden.

13. Fiery crime: ARSON.  The crime of deliberately setting fire to property.

18. Computer menu heading: FILE. You can save and print, among other options.

22. Computer fixers: TECHS.

24. Vouchers: CHITS.  IOUs

25. Old European coin: DUCAT. Any of various gold and silver coins.

27. Eats too much of, as junk food: ODs ON.  Over-Dose, trivializing the real meaning.

28. Family tree figures: UNCLES.  What I am to my niece and nephew.

30. Blogger, at times: CRITIC. Or, in my case, almost always.

31. Farm clucker: HEN.  And egg layer.

35. Sinusitis-treating doc: ENT.  Ear, Nose and Throat specialist.

36. Edison contemporary: TESLA.  Nikola Tesla [1956-1943] was a Serbian-American inventor, electrical engineer, mechanical engineer, and futurist who is best known for his contributions to the design of the modern alternating current electricity supply system. [Wikipedia]

38. Manually spiffed up at the carwash: HAND WAXED.  Manual labor.

39. When the duel occurs in "Hamilton": ACT II.

40. Start over: RESET.

42. Big name in California viticulture: GALLO.  Brothers Ernst and Julio.

43. Entry-level GI: PVT. Private.

48. Voice box: LARYNX.  the hollow muscular organ forming an air passage to the lungs and holding the vocal cords in humans and other mammals;

50. Scary-sounding lake: ERIE.  Toledo's lake.

51. Like many a rumor: FALSE.  Fake news?

52. Creative output: IDEAS.  Brain storms.

53. Makes airtight: SEALS.  Closes up.

54. Desert plant with sword-shaped leaves: YUCCA.

New Mexico State Flower

55. Source of net profits?: ETAIL.  Electronic - i.e. on-line - retail.

60. Exclude: OMIT. Leave out, elide.

61. Sot: WINO.  Alcoholic.

63. Enemy: FOE.  Not a friend

65. Dennings of "2 Broke Girls": KAT.

But those green eyes  .  .  .

66. AQI monitor: EPA.  The Air Quality index is monitored by the Environmental Protection Agency, established in 1970.

67. Muddy pen: STY. Home for swine.

One more in a long line of Wednesday puzzles, but this one takes the cake.   Hope you were able to slice through it without getting frosted.

Cool regards!
JzB

Monday, February 18, 2013 Dan Schoenholz

 Theme: Presidential Connection - Before and after variation in honor of President's Day. The last names of four American presidents are also the first names of four other famous people, one of whom was also a president (CSA)

20A. Jefferson : THOMAS OR DAVIS. Thomas Jefferson/Jefferson Davis (leader of the Confederacy)

27A. Washington : GEORGE OR IRVING. George Washington/Washington Irving (author of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow")

43A. Jackson : ANDREW OR BROWNE. Andrew Jackson/Jackson Browne (singer-songwriter, Running on Empty 4:58)

51A. Truman : HARRY OR CAPOTE. Harry Truman/Truman Capote (author of "In Cold Blood")

Argyle here on the day presidents sell stuff, or so it seems. Dan has come through with tight themed Monday with some late week crunchies thrown in.

Across:

1. Old flatboats : ARKS. A temporary boat, used to float goods down river then dismantled for the lumber. Wiki article.

5. Stag party attendees : MALES

10. Fixes with thread : SEWS

14. Skid row sort : WINO

15. River joining the Missouri near Jefferson City : OSAGE. Harry S. Truman reservoir.

16. "Is there __ against that?" : A LAW

17. Skating maneuver : LOOP

18. Gnatlike insect : MIDGE

19. Strauss of blue jeans : LEVI

23. Hibachi residue : ASH

25. 18-wheeler : RIG

26. Black cats, to some : OMENS

32. Baton-passing event : RELAY

33. Singer Brickell who's married to Paul Simon : EDIE

34. "You got that right, brother!" : "AMEN!"

35. In first place : ON TOP

37. Crab's grabber : CLAW

41. Impressionist : APER

42. Chicago airport : O'HARE. Orchard Field.

48. Coffee lightener : CREAM

49. Word with popper or dropper : EYE

50. Fishing stick : ROD. Some "sticks" cost over a $1,000.

56. Bump up against : ABUT

57. Jeweled headpiece : TIARA

58. Reverse, as a computer operation : UNDO

61. It ebbs and flows : TIDE

62. Kauai and Tahiti, for two : ISLES

63. Read bar codes on : SCAN

64. Large amount : SCAD

65. Gets things growing : SEEDS. Soon, soon.

66. Number picker's casino game : KENO

Down:

1. Leatherwork tool : AWL

2. Brazilian port, for short : RIO. (Rio de Janeiro)

3. Lumber blemish : KNOTHOLE

4. Frosh, next year : SOPH

5. Christina Crawford's "__ Dearest" : MOMMIE. Christina was one of four children adopted by Joan Crawford.

6. Italian cheese region : ASIAGO. Interesting; it can assume different textures, according to its aging, from smooth to a crumbly texture. Plus, 13D. Deli cheese : SWISS

7. Youngsters : LADS

8. "Simply delicious" waffle maker : EGGO. Lads and lassies protecting their Eggo's.

9. Tea leaves reader, e.g. : SEER

10. Deli meat in round slices : SALAMI

11. Dreaded business chapter? : ELEVEN. Dreaded by whom? A business may restructure and eliminate debts and continue in operation.

12. Greeting from a distance : WAVING

21. Wild revelry : ORGY

22. Went off the high board : DOVE

23. Taj Mahal city : AGRA

24. Come across as : SEEM

28. Competed in a 10K : RAN

29. Back in style : RETRO

30. Altar vow : "I DO"

31. Pants seam problem : RIP

35. Not shut, in verse : OPE. (open)

36. Just out of the box : NEW

37. Comedian Margaret : CHO. And more: American comedian, fashion designer, actress, author, and singer-songwriter.

38. "Sons and Lovers" novelist : LAWRENCE. (D. H. Lawrence (1885 – 1930))

39. Florence's river : ARNO. Italy, sometimes clued as Pisa flower.

40. Crab grass, e.g. : WEED. Soon, soon.

41. Military force : ARMY

42. Black-and-white cookie : OREO. but not 52D. Spunkmeyer of cookie fame : OTIS

43. Middle East language : ARABIC

44. 1971 Nobel Prize-winning poet Pablo : NERUDA. (Pablo Neruda (1904 – 1973))

45. Scooted : DARTED

46. Brought to maturity : REARED

47. Cardiac surgery technique : BYPASS

48. Chews the fat : CHATS

53. Get out of bed : RISE

54. Auto racer Yarborough : CALE. Back in the day.

55. Elephant's incisor : TUSK

59. "The Da Vinci Code" author Brown : DAN

60. John's Yoko : ONO

Argyle

Notes from C.C.:

1) Happy Birthday to dear Lois! Hope you're succeeding in fighting the Nazi regime.

2) Happy Birthday to Awol (A Woman Of Leisure) as well! Look at her cool hair.

Awol

Wednesday, Nov 14 2012, Dan Schoenholz

theme: football steam. get it? - the last word is anagrammed.

21A. Good name for a Gateway City gun dealer? : ST LOUIS ARMS

26A. Good name for a Windy City nudist festival? : CHICAGO BARES

43A. Good name for a Motor City butcher shop? : DETROIT LOINS

50A. Good name for an Empire City comedy club? : NEW YORK JEST

figuring out the clever theme helped a lot with this one.

melissa here.

across

1. Harebrained prank : CAPER. that's a great word.

6. Casino freebie : COMP. complimentary.

10. Slow-cooked entrée : STEW. it's that time of year again.

14. End of a series : OMEGA. last letter of the greek alphabet.

15. Away from the breeze : ALEE

16. The gallbladder is shaped like one : PEAR. did not know that.

17. Noted storyteller : AESOP. wikipedia: Although his existence remains uncertain and (if they ever existed) no writings by him survive, numerous tales credited to him were gathered across the centuries and in many languages in a storytelling tradition that continues to this day.

18. Circulate, as library books : LEND. i think it was crockett who first linked this:

19. Like some borrowed library books : LATE. another great library tune:

20. Blast cause : TNT

24. Slugging pct., e.g. : STAT. baseball.

25. Be ready (for) : GET SET

31. Air traffic control device : RADAR

32. Thing : ITEM

33. "Holy Toledo!" : WOW

36. The Bard's river : AVON

37. Dig (into) : DELVE

39. Andean capital : LIMA

40. Actress Harris of "thirtysomething" : MEL. fiftysomething now.

41. Stink : REEK

42. World Series game : POKER. tricky.

46. Certifiable : INSANE

49. Civil disturbance : RIOT

53. Geologic time frame : ERA

56. Colorless : DRAB

57. Fall from above : RAIN

58. Swinelike beast : TAPIR. strange looking creature, below is a brazilian tapir.

60. Just sitting around : IDLE

61. Hamburg's river : ELBE. see?

62. Are : EXIST

63. Didn't let out of one's sight : EYED

64. They're below average : DEES. grades, not cups.

65. Floors : DECKS

down

1. Winter wear : COAT

2. "You said it, sister!" : AMEN

3. Crop threat : PEST

4. It might need a boost : EGO

5. Andre 3000, for one : RAP STAR. no idea.

6. Beckon : CALL TO

7. Pats on pancakes, maybe : OLEO. yuck.

8. Array of choices : MENU

9. Dog's breeding history : PEDIGREE

10. Impact sounds : SPLATS

11. Result of a sad story? : TEARS

12. Invitation on a fictional cake : EAT ME. alice in wonderland.

13. Take forcibly : WREST

22. Place for a price : TAG

23. Appear to be : SEEM

24. Read quickly : SCAN

26. Pull an all-nighter, maybe : CRAM. doing that a lot lately.

27. Contain : HAVE

28. One put on a pedestal : IDOL

29. Sitcom noncom : BILKO. non-commissioned officer, in the sitcom sergeant bilko.

30. Off-rd. conveyance : ATV. all terrain vehicle.

33. User-edited site : WIKI

34. Broken mirror, say : OMEN

35. Serious hostilities : WARS

37. Dissuaded : DETERRED

38. Racket or rocket extension : EER. racketeer, rocketeer.

39. Booty : LOOT

41. Gambling town on I-80 : RENO

42. Schemed : PLOTTED

43. Convertible sofa : DAYBED

44. Castle and Cara : IRENES

45. "Whether __ nobler ...": Hamlet : 'TIS

46. Many a low-budget film : INDIE. independent.

47. Totally square : NERDY

48. Low, moist area : SWALE

51. Leafy veggie : KALE. in season, having this often lately.

52. Correspond : JIBE

53. Many a high-budget film : EPIC

54. Game of world domination : RISK

55. Skills : ARTS

59. Cut from the staff : AXE. 

Melissa

Monday, May 30, 2011 Dan Schoenholz

Theme: One and the Same - The start of the first three themes and the start and end of the fourth create an ascending order of prime numbers as the fifth theme suggests. A prime number can be divided, without a remainder, only by itself and by one.

17A. *Many a sports car, capacity-wise : TWO-SEATER

23A. *Genie's offering : THREE WISHES

39A. *Eisenhower became one in 1944 : FIVE STAR GENERAL

49A. *Slurpee seller : SEVEN-ELEVEN

61A. When most top-rated shows are on, and a hint to the kind of numbers in the starred answers : PRIME TIME

Argyle here with a nod to fermatprime. Dan threw me a little curve when FOUR didn't appear as the third entry and it was neat how 7-ELEVEN provided two theme entries. Perhaps it was the seed entry. This is the second puzzle from Dan this month.

Across:

1. Most-preferred invitees : A-LIST. The ones you roll out the red carpet for.

6. Courteney of "Friends" : COX. Here she is on the red carpet.

9. Backyard lounging locale : PATIO

14. Atra or Sensor : RAZOR

15. Civil War prez : ABE

16. Staples Center, e.g. : ARENA. A multi-purpose sports arena in downtown Los Angeles.

19. Tears apart : RENDS

20. The last word? : END

21. Gets on in years : AGES

22. Town square centerpiece : STATUE

25. Texas or Ukraine city : ODESSA

29. "__ Miz" : LES. The musical, Les Misérables.

30. Top-of-the-line : A-ONE

31. __ gin fizz : SLOE

34. Mistreat : ABUSE

42. "Funny Girl" composer Jule : STYNE. This man(in glasses) had a few successful musical himself. Bio site.

43. School restroom sign : BOYS

44. List in order of importance : RANK

45. Fury : IRE

47. Championships : TITLES

55. Dover's are white : CLIFFS. Image.

56. Require : NEED

57. Maple tree yield : SAP

60. Former "The View" co-host O'Donnell : ROSIE

63. "Some people swallow the universe like __": Stevenson : A PILL. Robert Louis Stevenson.

64. Isaac, to Abraham : SON

65. Diner : EATER

66. Doled (out) : METED

67. Helpful contacts : INS

68. Plastered : DRUNK. Refreshing to see just plain DRUNK instead of some euphemism.

Down:

1. Johnson of "Laugh-In" : ARTE.

2. Croquet venue : LAWN. Do they have Extreme Croquet, I wonder?

3. Phillips-Van Heusen brand : IZOD. IZOD is the series title sponsor for the the IndyCar Series. Unbelievable finishes to both the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 yesterday.

4. Distress call letters : SOS

5. Alternatives to tricks : TREATS

6. Provide food for : CATER

7. Extremely overweight : OBESE

8. Gen-__: boomer's kid, usually : Xer

9. Like much politics : PARTISAN

10. Geometry calculations : AREAS

11. Bowler's final frame : TENTH

12. All __ time: as a matter of course : IN DUE

13. Where to find dates? : OASES. Midnight At The Oasis(3:39)

18. Horrified : AGHAST

22. Nor. neighbor : SWE.. Norway/Sweden.

24. Mournful poem : ELEGY

25. Klutzes : OAFS

26. Attend to the job : DO IT

27. Jealousy without resentment : ENVY

28. Witnessed : SEEN

32. Designer's identification : LABEL

33. Gold, in Guanajuato : ORO. Where the heck is Guanajuato? Here and here.

35. Ernie's Muppet pal : BERT

36. River to the Caspian : URAL

37. In one's right mind : SANE

38. Fraternal order : ELKS. The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE).

40. Kramer's neighbor : SEINFELD. TV

41. Hold in high regard : ESTEEM

46. Legal thing : RES and 57D. In __: as originally placed : SITU

48. "Most assuredly!" : "INDEED!"

49. Vamoose : SCRAM

50. Say "I do" without a big do : ELOPE

51. Come calling : VISIT

52. Submit tax returns online : E-FILE

53. Bankrupt energy giant : ENRON. As you can see by their logo, they were never on the level.

54. Blood carriers : VEINS

58. "You can say that again!" : "AMEN!"

59. Exec's car, say : PERK

61. Tire gauge meas. : PSI. Pound per Square Inch. Unless it's metric. Then it could be kPa(kilopascal) or kgf/cm(kilogram-force per square centimeter).

62. Roofing material : TAR

Answer grid.

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to eddyB & Splynter's mom!

Tuesday, May 17, 2011 Dan Schoenholz

Theme: 4 kg, slangily - The theme entries have homophonic endings, phonetically KEY.

20A. Built like George on "Seinfeld" : SHORT AND STOCKY. George.

33A. Three-term New York governor : GEORGE PATAKI. He might be a Presidential candidate yet.

43A. Sport played on 58-Downs : ROLLER HOCKEY

59A. Coors Field player : COLORADO ROCKIE. Major League Baseball team based in Denver.

Argyle here. A notch harder than yesterday but rather bland, theme-wise. Not much else to say. Our constructor had a LAT Sunday puzzle aways back.

Across:

1. Half a '60s pop quartet : MAMAS

6. Trail mix : GORP. The name may have been derived from the basic mix of "Good Old Raisons and Peanuts.

10. Messes (with) : TOYS

14. Precise : EXACT

15. Roman love god : AMOR

16. "... pretty maids all in __" : A ROW. From the nursery rhyme: Mary, Mary, quite contrary,

How does your garden grow?

With silver bells and cockleshells,

And pretty maids all in a row.

17. Formal rulings : DICTA. Plural of DICTUM, in legal use, a judge's expression of opinion which is not the formal resolution of a case. This should have been in Lemonade's puzzle.

18. It's usually returned after ordering : MENU

19. Irene of "Fame" : CARA Here. Cara lives in Florida and works with her band Hot Caramel. Song clips.

23. Fed. disease research org. : NIH. National Institutes of Health.

24. Mediocre : SO-SO

25. Golfer's concern : LIE

26. Noun modifier: Abbr. : ADJ.. Adjective.

29. "The Matrix" hero : NEO. Keanu Reeves.

31. "Absolutely!" : "INDEED!"

37. One-named Irish singer : ENYA

38. Kwik-E-Mart guy on "The Simpsons" : APU

39. Beef-and-veggies concoction : STEW

48. Opt not to be a state of the Union : SECEDE

51. "Lil'" rapper : KIM

52. Corrida cry : ¡OLÉ!

53. Script or text ending : URE. Scripture and texture.

54. Comply : OBEY

57. One of a matching pair : HIS

64. Hurried : HIED

65. Adidas rival : NIKE

66. Country star Travis : RANDY. Diggin Up Bones(3:06)

68. 43,560 square feet : ACRE

69. Change for a five : ONES

70. Mink cousin : OTTER

71. "Survey __ ...": game show phrase : SAYS. From "The Family Feud".

72. Tammany Hall cartoonist Thomas : NAST

73. Bright signs : NEONS

Down:

1. T-shirt size: Abbr. : MED.

2. Allies' opposition : AXIS. WW II.

3. Speed ratio : MACH. Here, if you need to know more. The Mach number is named after Austrian physicist and philosopher Ernst Mach.

4. Heed, as advice : ACTON

5. Transfixed : STARING. This seems a little off.

6. Lisbon's Vasco da __ Bridge : GAMA. Rather impressive sight.

7. Portents : OMENS

8. Sonata's last movement, perhaps : RONDO

9. Frederick the Great's realm : PRUSSIA. Map.

10. Tijuana treat : TACO. Ok, I'll admit TACO was not my first thought.

11. Prophet at Delphi : ORACLE

12. Terrier type, familiarly : YORKIE. An extra KEY ending. Yorkshire Terrier, Aww!

13. Went back and forth : SWAYED

21. You, way back when : THEE

22. Honky-__ : TONK

26. Grow up : AGE

27. Home computer site : DEN

28. Elation : JOY

30. October birthstone : OPAL

32. Computer insert : DISC

34. Bloody at the steakhouse : RARE

35. Goon : APE

36. The NBA's Mehmet Okur, e.g. : TURK. This center-forward is 6' 11".

40. Decision when the ref stops the fight : TKO. Technical KnockOut.

41. Snaky fish : EEL

42. Ex follower : WYE. Just the letters, X and Y, spelled out.

44. Polecat's defense : ODOR

45. It borders Israel to the north : LEBANON

46. Sunshine cracker : HI HO. You can taste the difference!

47. Pi preceder : OMICRON. Greek. Small "O" but it has both upper and lower case. Large "O" is Omega. They represent different sounds.

48. For example : SUCH AS

49. Beethoven's Third : EROICA. Symphony; Italian for "heroic".

50. Bloody Mary stalk : CELERY

55. Twin Cities suburb : EDINA. Map. SW of Minneapolis and St. Paul.

56. Joins, as oxen : YOKEs. These guys don't look too thrilled about it.

58. Enjoy the ice : SKATE. No ice involved with ROLLER HOCKEY though.

60. Poems sometimes beginning with "To a" : ODEs

61. Take a break : REST

62. "He's Just Not That __ You": 2009 film : INTO. Ben Affleck. Jennifer Aniston.

63. Garden site : EDEN

67. 12-mo. periods : YRs

Answer grid.

Here is a lovely photo of JD's adorable grandsons. From left to right: Grady 1 1/2, Cameron 10 months, & Truman 3 1/2. Here is the one we showed last July. From left to right: Grady 11 months, Truman 3 & Cameron (2 weeks).

Argyle