Tuesday, July 16, 2013 David Poole

Theme: Vowel Progression, with a Twist. - The theme entries begin with an H, followed by a long vowel sound, progressing from A to U.

18A. Subjects for Monet : HAYSTACKS. And if he were still painting today, would it be these?

                                     Source

22A. Sounded like an donkey : HEE-HAWED. Another update.

38A. Like someone needing a lot of attention : HIGH MAINTENANCE. Like Lisa Douglas.

49A. Barn dances : HOEDOWNS

58A. "Love Actually" actor : HUGH GRANT

Argyle here.(no video) A few crunchy nuggets to break a tooth on but a grid spanner to make it better. Nearly a pangram, to boot.

Across:

1. Oxymoronic shrimp type : JUMBO

6. Sets, as a price : ASKS

10. Overcast : GRAY

14. Opera solos : ARIAs

15. Chop __ : SUEY

16. The stuff of legends : LORE

17. Fish organs : GILLS. The equivalent of our lungs.

20. Pocketed, as a pool ball : SANK. If you sank the 8-ball on the break, did you win or did you lose? The start of many a bar fight.

21. Broke the Tenth Commandment : COVETED

24. Wimp : SISSY

28. Tanzania's __ es Salaam : DAR. MAP.

29. Thomas More's perfect world : UTOPIA

30. With 41-Across, thing sometimes resisted : THE. 41A. See 30-Across : URGE

33. Words welcoming speakers : INTROS

37. Pre-Easter season : LENT

42. Gourmet's prefix : GASTRO

43. __ Moines : DES. Iowa.

44. Self-described "short, stocky, slow-witted bald man" of "Seinfeld" : GEORGE

46. Bankbook cred. : INT. (credit/interest)

48. Taste, e.g. : SENSE

54. Lame excuses : COP-OUTS

56. Absorbs, as a loss : EATS

61. State whose motto is "Friendship" : TEXAS

62. Kin of -trix : ENNE

63. Willy of "Free Willy," e.g. : ORCA. Hey, we haven't seen an ORCA in a while. Or OKRA, for that matter.

64. Embellish : ADORN

65. Umpire's call : FOUL

66. Turns green, say : DYES

67. Quintet of assassins? : ESSes

Down:

1. Sprees : JAGS

2. Awful Heep : URIAH

3. Hundred Acre Wood creator : MILNE

4. Refused to cooperate : BALKED

5. Covert WWII agcy. : OSS. (Office of Strategic Services)

6. Vote by __ of hands : A SHOW

7. Like Cary Grant characters : SUAVE

8. Excited, with "up" : KEYED

9. Part of TBS: Abbr. : SYST. (Turner Broadcasting System)

10. Flower with sword-shaped leaves : GLADIOLA. Today's flower.

11. Legendary bird : ROC

12. Noah's boat : ARK. No rocs in the boat.

13. "You betcha!" : "YES!"

19. Midterm, say : TEST

21. 2011 Polanski comedy with an ironically violent title : "CARNAGE". IMDb LINK.

23. "The Lost Boys" actor Corey : HAIM. A short life. Wikipedia LINK.

25. Go on a shopping spree : SPEND

26. Because : SINCE

27. David who directed four Harry Potter films : YATES. From Order of the Phoenix to the last Deathly Hallows.

29. Log-in needs : USER IDs

30. Hooligans : THUGS

31. Newly employed person : HIREE

32. Goad : EGG ON

34. Alejandro's aunt : TÍA

35. ER VIPs : RNs

36. Giant star Mel : OTT

39. Astronomer who discovered Uranus : HERSCHEL. Sir William Herschel, 1738 – 1822

40. "Mustn't do" thing : NO-NO

45. Trivial Pursuit category: Abbr. : GEOG. (Geography)

47. Stereotypical professorial attire : TWEEDS. With leather patches on the elbows.

49. White with age : HOARY

50. 1/16 of a pound : OUNCE

51. James and Jones of jazz : ETTAs. Both were American singers.

52. Greek vacation island : NAXOS. The largest island in the Cyclades island group in the Aegean. Travel guide LINK.

53. Fixed look : STARE

55. Poke : PROD

57. IRS identifiers : SSNs. (Social Security number)

58. Publisher wearing p.j.'s : "HEF". Hugh Hefner

59. 108-card game : UNO

60. Bearded beast : GNU

61. __ kwon do : TAE

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Here are a few pictures of Montana's beautiful grandkids: Diana Nicole, born on July 13, 2013 (last Saturday) &  Gabrielė.

 Diana Nicole

 Gabrielė, age 22 months

 Gabbie checking out her new sister, Diana.

Tuesday, Jun 4, 2013 David Poole

Theme: Do You Do Windows? - Go to the back of the theme entries with your Windex.

18A. Need after a bank job : GETAWAY CAR

23A. Business that cuts locks : BARBER SHOP

38A. "Know what I mean?" : "GET THE PICTURE?"

50A. Jamaican resort : MONTEGO BAY

57A. Classic Hitchcock film, and a hint to the end of 18-, 23-, 38- and 50-Across : REAR WINDOW. Here is a compilation of TV takes on the movie. LINK

Argyle here and I don't do windows. Did it seem like a lot of déjà vu today? If there is, it's Rich's doing; David would have no way of knowing. A nice solid Tuesday with some interesting side trips.

Across:

1. King or queen, but not a prince : CARD

5. Coffeehouse connection : WI-FI

9. Carnival features : RIDES

14. Once again : ANEW

15. Breezed through : ACED

16. "99 44/100 % pure" soap : IVORY. "It floats."

17. Staff symbol : NOTE

20. Partner of true : TRIED

22. Veg (out) : CHILL

26. Change People, say : EDIT. People, the magazine.

30. Just manage, with "out" : EKE

31. The Brewers, on scoreboards : MIL (Milwaukee) (From C.C.: Here is a fun picture of Kazie, her husband Barry and son David with Brewers' Racing Sausages at Miller Park in August 2010.)

32. Gal pal of Jerry and George : ELAINE

34. Church get-together : SOCIAL

37. Sikorsky and Stravinsky : IGORs. (helicopters and compositions)

41. Blender setting : PURÉE

42. Paste back together : REGLUE

43. 8-Down, to Mexicans : ESTADO. (state) 8D. Southern neighbor of British Columbia : IDAHO. Also, to Mexicans, 53D. Sunset dirección : OESTE. (west)

45. Ben-__ : HUR

46. Spot for a shot : ARM. Yeah, I had BAR and like other bars, it messed me up for a while.

49. Tabloid twosome : ITEM

54. Ancient Aegean region : IONIA

56. Kind of question with only two possible answers : YES/NO

62. "No __ luck!" : SUCH

63. Paddled boat : CANOE

64. Movie "Citizen" : KANE. (Orson Welles, 1941) and  67A.  64-Across's Rosebud : SLED

65. In good shape : TRIM

66. Put up with : STAND

68. Current event? : EDDY. Tricky but not, once you have it.

Down:

1. "That's impossible!" : "CAN'T BE!". Not for everybody, can't be. Janis Joplin - I Need A Man To Love. (4:57)

2. Arctic pullover : ANORAK

3. Call it a night : RETIRE

4. Nerdy type : DWEEB

5. Shake, as a tail : WAG. 7D. Command to Fido : FETCH

6. Mixologist's bucketful : ICE. At the place for a shot that I was thinking of.

9. Iranian currency : RIAL

10. Harvard and Yale are in it : IVY LEAGUE

11. Leader of the Dwarfs : DOC

12. Stat for Jered Weaver : ERA. Starting pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (earned run average)ERA

13. Country W of Iraq : SYR. (Syria)

19. Clean with a rag : WIPE

21. Knocked down a peg : DEMOTED

24. Rolling in dough : RICH

25. More shrewd : SLIER. More shrewd = more dough.

27. A-line designer : DIOR

28. Legal memo's "concerning" : IN RE

29. Parisian possessive : TES. (your)

33. Religious ritual : LITURGY. From Greek, for public service.

34. Household gadget used on a board : STEAM IRON

35. Big brute : APE

36. Traffic controller : LIGHT

38. Short burst of wind : GUST

39. Art Deco designer : ERTE. Good old "RT"

40. Game with suspicions and accusations : CLUE

41. Canada's smallest prov. : PEI. (Prince Edward Island)

44. Luxury hotel chain : OMNI

46. Preposterous : ABSURD

47. Causing serious nose-wrinkling : RANCID

48. "Good heavens!" : "MY, OH, MY!". What the cook said when she discovered the butter was rancid.

51. Cries in sties : OINKS. No, oinks aren't cries but for the sake of alliteration, let it stand.

52. Spanish tennis star Rafael : NADAL. Worth a watch.

55. Needed to pay : OWED

57. Pepsi alternatives : RC's. (Royal Crown)

58. Put away some dishes? : EAT

59. California's Santa __ : ANA

60. Small bill : ONE

61. United : WED

Argyle

Thursday, May 23, 2013 David Poole

Theme: "Call Me Madam." (Harking back to a common thread lately!)

Let's start with the reveal today:

60D. Title for the starts of 20-, 25-, 37-, 46- and 55-Across: MRS.

20A. Showy bit of plumage : PEACOCK FEATHER. Mrs. Peacock is one of the suspects in the game of Cluedo. (Called "Clue" in North America.)

25A. Mae West's request to Beulah in "I'm No Angel" : PEEL ME A GRAPE. Mrs Peel is every guy's heartthrob from the show "The Avengers."

37A. N, in Morse code : DASH-DOT. Mrs. Dash is the brand name for a line of seasonings. Developed by a real-life Mrs. named Carol Bernick. Before settling on the name "Mrs Dash," the company also considered the name "Mrs. Pinch."

46A. Quadrennial mathematics awards : FIELDS MEDALS. Another real-life lady who started a cookie company with her own secret recipe.

55A. His work was done by Friday : ROBINSON CRUSOE. One of my favorite movies is "The Graduate." I will never forget this famous film cougar!

Just missing a "J" for a pangram. Did this seem like a Monday puzzle to you? I have to admit, I wondered what the connection was for the themers, and had an "Aha!" moment when I read the reveal.  Trivia for today: "MRS" is the abbreviation for "mistress," which is the feminine form of "Master" or "mister."  It originally applied to both married and unmarried women. Around the 17th century, the word "mistress" was divided differently to designate a married (Mrs) or unmarried (Miss) woman.

Across:

1. Bigger than big : EPIC.

5. Spender of rials : OMANI. I always have to wait for perps before entering OMANI or Irani. Yemeni can be determined by the number of spaces. They all spend rials.

10. It makes cents : ZINC. This was my last fill, and a real "D'OH" when I finally figured it out. (It makes sense, now!)

14. Hawaiian girl who adopted Stitch : LILO. A 2002 Disney film that was made into  a TV show, airing for only two seasons that ended in 2006.

15. Assume : POSIT. I just love that word!

16. Fishing, maybe : ASEA. Obligatory "A" word.

17. Bulky bovids : OXEN. Nice alliterative clue.

18. Oscar-winning composer Korngold : ERICH. Won for his 1938 score of the love theme of Robin and Marian in "The Adventures of Robin Hood."

19. Family : CLAN.

23. First name in talk shows : ELLEN. DeGeneres. She also played Dory in "Finding Nemo." Fun clip. 4:58

24. Big Ten or Big East org. : NCAA. National Collegiate Athletic Association.

32. Place for stop-and-go traffic? : REST AREA. Funny clue!

35. Asian currency name meaning "round" : YUAN. Looks pretty rectangular to me... (From C.C.: The coins used before paper currency were all "round".)

36. Plains native : OTO.

41. Box set component : DVD.

42. Selene's Roman counterpart : LUNA. Moon goddesses.

44. Blue moons and hen's teeth : RARITIES.

50. Traveling : AWAY.

51. Splenda rival : EQUAL.

60. Home of H. Matisse's "The Dance" : MOMA. Museum of Modern Art.

61. Scarlet fever cause : STREP.

62. Ambiance : AURA.

63. Leeway : ROOM.

64. Refrain from singing about a farm? : E-I-E-I-O. (Mr. McDonald's farm, that is!)

65. "Phooey!" : RATS.

66. Plato's promenade : STOA.

67. iPad pictures : ICONS.

68. David and Goliath's battlefield : ELAH.

Down:

1. Surprise your friends, wedding-wise : ELOPE. Fresh clue.

2. Point of resolution : PIXEL. I wonder if that is where the film studio Pixar got its name?

3. Intestine-related : ILEAL.

4. Notion : CONCEPT.

5. Vienna-based commercial gp. : OPEC. Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries. Originally based in Geneva, Switzerland.

6. '70s-'80s TV attic-dweller : MORK. from Ork.

7. "Fat chance!" : AS IF.

8. ___ Creed : NICENE. A profession of faith in Christianity, it was adopted by the first Ecumenical Council in Nicaea.

9. Cornell's city : ITHACA. In the Finger Lakes of New York.

10. Millard was his vice president : ZACHARY. Millard Fillmore and Zachary Taylor. Millard went on to become POTUS when Zachary died of cholera. There were suspicions that he was assassinated with poison, but that was disproved. His doctors probably had more to do with his death by treating him with ipecac, calomel, opium and quinine, bleeding him, and blistering him. Nice.

11. Man, for one : ISLE. This one threw me for a bit.

12. Almost : NEAR.

13. Slammer : CAN. Hands up for "pen" at first? If I had figured out that tricky ZINC clue, I might not have gotten hung up in this corner.

21. Early Christian year : ONE A.D. Very early.

22. ___ sale : TAG.

26. Stat for Justin Verlander : ERA. Earned Run Average. I feel lost when trying to decide between RBI or ERA.

27. Bandleader Brown : LES...and his "Band of Renown." 2:43

28. 1984 Olympic slalom champion : MAHRE. Phil Mahre and Bode Miller were my heroes when I was growing up.

29. "Truth in Engineering" automaker : AUDI.

30. Smooth, in a way : PAVE.

31. They may be tight or right : ENDS.

32. Massage deeply : ROLF. Learned this from crosswords.

33. Sewer's case : ETUI.

34. Unit of loudness : SONE.

38. Martin Sheen, to Emilio Estevez : DAD.

39. ___ pro nobis : ORA. "Pray for us."

40. Bathroom renovator : TILER.

43. Country band named for their home : ALABAMA. "Tennessee River" was their first #1 hit. 2:55

45. Drafting implement : T-SQUARE.

47. SADD concern : D.W.I. Driving While Intoxicated, refers to being inebriated on alcohol. DUI is another common term meaning "Driving Under the Influence" (of either drugs or booze.)

48. Japanese immigrant's grandchild : SANSEI. Issei, Nisei and Sansei are names used in Australia and North America to refer to first generation immigrants from Japan, their children, and their grandchildren, respectively

49. Sufi, e.g. : MYSTIC.

52. Garden variety : USUAL.

53. Corpuscle's passageway : AORTA. Because "artery" was too long and "vein" was too short. AORTA was juuuuust right!

54. Boxer's restraint : LEASH. Anyone get pulled into the boxing ring misdirection?

55. Origin : ROOT.

56. "Typee" sequel : OMOO. I'm going to read that one some day...

57. Three-layer treat : OREO.

58. Dusseldorf denial : NEIN.

59. USN noncoms : CPOs. Chief Petty Officer. What do you get when you have three CPOs? ;-D

Signing off, until next week!

Hugs,

Marti

Note from C.C.:

Here is a sweet photo of Max, 8-year-old grandson of our dear Spitzboov (Al). Max lost his mother Gretchen in January. Al told me they just held a memorial service for Gretchen last weekend.

Friday, March 22, 2013, David Poole

Theme: Shake 'em up baby, twist and shout. MUSIC.(2:47).

The last word in each theme answer has a vowel switch to create a new and whimsical answer clued appropriately. This is another gem from the multi-talented Mr. POOLE. He and I have been together many times, and my first Friday puzzle BLOG was one of his back in 2010.  Some fun and some challenge, with long fill like RARA AVIS, MUENSTER and TATAMI.  And like Jerome, I do love me an anagram. We don't need no stinkin' reveal.

17A. Army mints? : MILITARY TICTACS.(15). TACTICS. Wow, turning war into candy!

29A. Temperamental Midler impersonators? : BETTE DIVAS. (10) DAVIS. We get the two most famous Bettes.

37A. Penalize a Russian leader? : FINE LENIN.(9). LINEN. I cotton to this image of the old despot.

49A. Poll on where to sink the eight ball? : POCKET VOTE. (10). VETO. I love how the non-anagram word changes meaning so much in this and the previous answer.

64A. Seasonal shade of pink? : A CHRISTMAS CORAL. (15). CAROL. Perfect for your nails, my dears.

Across:

1. Circa : AROUND. A Latin word which has come into the language.

7. Snack brand with a monocled mascot : PLANTERS.

15. Retire : TURN  IN. I am ready for bed.

16. One of a kind : RARA AVIS. We have this rare bird in pieces often. More Latin.

19. Bug : NETTLE.

20. Plural Spanish pronoun : ELLAS. Feminine. 60D. José's this : ESTO. Masculine.

21. Emu's extinct kin : MOA. Another extinct flightless bird; if you want information click and learn MOA.

22. Fleming and crime writer Rankin : IANS. I first learned of Scottish writer Rankin on this blog from Wolf Mom. A real anti-hero policeman, Inspector Rebus.

24. Smidgen : MITE.

27. Endow : FUND. Funny, when I think of a well endowed woman, I never think of money.

33. Estate item : ASSET. You need to prepare an inventory of assets in every estate.

35. "Got it!" : I SEE. Mira!

36. Student of Elves, in Tolkien : ENT. A tricky Hobbit reference.

41. Blast : GAS. I will pass on this one.

44. Shrimp : RUNT. I learned I really am shrinking.

45. ___ Galilee : SEA OF. Actually a lake in Israel.

53. Down : BLUE. I think this comes from the sailors flying a blue flag when a Captain died in days of yore.

54. Inner Hebrides isle : SKYE. Did anyone else think of this PERFORMER?

55. "Cheers" accountant : NORM. A favorite character. LINK.(3:47).

57. Texter's afterthought lead-in : BTW. By The Way.

58. Accounts : TALES. This one fooled me.

62. More than just calls : RAISES. Poker for example.

68. Semisoft cheese with an orange rind : MUENSTER.  Along with Havarti, my favorite soft cheese.

69. Titillating : EROTIC. Such an individual concept, but perhaps some HISTORY. (2:59)

70. Recordings are made in them : SESSIONS. Hence studio musicians are also known as session musicians. Also, see jam sessions.

71. Jimmy follower : RONALD. Carter: Reagan.

Down:

1. Provider of bucks : ATM. Yes, those bucks, Automated Teller Machine.

2. Catastrophic : RUINOUS.

3. City saved by Joan of Arc : ORLEANS. On the Loire.

4. Troop group : UNIT. Actual military terms.

5. 1930s-'40s Chicago Outfit "enforcer" : NITTI. Frank, and the 2nd in command to Al Capone, who took over. Some wonderful books written including the historical mysteries of MAX ALLAN COLLINS I have been reading lots of his books, including ones with Nitti, who is presented as a somewhat sympathetic bad guy. Of course I loved the character on the old Untouchables.

6. Crime-solving locale : DNA LAB. CSI here we come.

7. Pull with effort : PRY.

8. Behind : LATE. I never heard a woman say she was behind.

9. Seed cover : ARIL. This is classic crosswordese.

10. Chemist's salt : NACL. NA-Sodium, CL-Chloride. Table variety as well.

11. Teahouse floor covering : TATAMI. Traditional Japanese MATS.

12. Not forthcoming : EVASIVE. This answer was elusive while it was evasive.

13. Rocker Ocasek : RIC. The lead singer of the CARS (4:18) (not yummy) and he is married to Paulina (yummy).

14. Old draft org. : SSS. Selective Service System

18. Pierce's co-star in "The Thomas Crown Affair" : RENE. Russo.

21. Museum curator's deg. : MFA. Master of Fine Arts.

23. Cheese with which port is traditionally served : STILTON. I will let our Anglo readers comment on this fine cheese.

25. Salon offering : TAN.

26. Setting for Columbus: Abbr. : EST. Ohio or Georgia, oh it does not matter they are both in Eastern Standard Time. Clock setting, good clue.

28. OED entry : DEFinition.

30. Grizabella creator's monogram : TSE. T.S. Eliot.

31. Bard's adverb : E'EN.

32. Agnus ___: Mass prayers : DEIS. Another crossword staple.

34. Flag : TIRE. This would have been hard but for the perps already there.

38. Aficionado : NUT.

39. P.O. purchase : ENVelope

40. Neighbor of Colo. : NEB. Hey Husker G!

41. SUV option : GPS.

42. Hunky-dory : A-OK. Pioneered by NASA to mean all okay.

43. Bush hooks, e.g. : SCYTHES. Nice clue.

46. Banff National Park locale : ALBERTA. A pretty and cold part of Canada.

47. Defeat in the regatta : OUTSAIL. NIT alert, while regattas are always boats, the races can be rowing ones like Henley.

48. Hardly hordes : FEW. Alliteration always!

50. "Team of Rivals" author Doris ___ Goodwin : KEARNS. Never heard of the AUTHOR or the book. The only Goodwin I know is Archie.

51. One-third of a WWII film : TORA. I believe it was a Pearl Harbor movie, Tora (Tiger) being the Japanese code word for the secret attack.

52. Backspace key, at times : ERASER.

56. Miniscule : MICRO. Yay, we get our O!

59. Actress Virna : LISI. One of the many Italian beauties.

61. Acronymous submachine gun : STEN. Reginald V. Shepherd and Harold Turpin, and EN for Enfield.

63. Procrastinator's word : SOON.

64. Trans ___ : AMS. The cars.

65. Stick around a pool hall? : CUE. Tightly phrased, stick (space).

66. Union title, often : MRS. Nice misdirection, nothing to do with workers or Civil War.

67. Calculator display, for short : LCD. Liquid Crystal Display.

Well the end came soon enough, and another Friday frolic finished. Going to visit my son in Denver for the first seder, and my best to those who celebrate Passover. A blessed day to all and a healthy happy Palm Sunday.

Lemonade out.

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to dear PK, who thinks pizza is the perfect food but can't have it due to food allergy. Spoil yourself today, PK!

Friday, January 18, 2013 David Poole

Theme: "You dirty - !" (hmmmm...something seems to be missing here)

17. Bolshevik film festival fodder? : R-ratED MOVIES. Loved the alliteration in the clue. Too bad there isn't a well-known Russian city beginning with "F." Would "Dr. Zhivago" be considered a red movie?

21. With 51-Across, Puerto Rico pecan and Cuban coconut custard? : PIratES OF THE
51. See 21-Across : CARIBBEAN. Yummm...caribbean pies.  More alliteration. Coconut custard is one of my favorite pies - second only to pecan!

26. Auden's vineyard? : THE GRAPES OF WratH. A quick check tells me I have never read W.H. Auden's work.

46. Side dish made with russets and Tanqueray? : POTATOES AU GratIN. This one made me laugh out loud.  I'll have to try that recipe sometime!!

62. Legendary musician responsible for what's missing from 17-, 21-, 26- and 46-Across : PIED PIPER. Who, of course, led all the rats out of Hamelin and became a hero.

Marti here, on a Friday no less. And thank you Lemony for so eloquently pinch-hitting for me yesterday under cruel and unusual circumstances!

Across:

1. Socks for Clinton, e.g. : PET. Didn't fool me, but I couldn't remember if it was a cat or a dog. (Nope. Just a pet.)

4. Mums' relatives, in a way : GLADS. Ok this one got me.  I definitely was not thinking of chrysanthemums or gladiolas.

9. Weber State University city : OGDEN. Total unknown. Needed some perp help before I could make a WAG.

14. Trouble : ADO.

15. Petrol purchase : LITRE. British spelling hinted at by "petrol."

16. ___ Laredo, Mexico : NUEVO. It is across the river from Laredo, Texas. Map.

19. Key of the "Eroica" symphony : E FLAT. I always remember this because E is the first letter of "Eroica."

20. Grant : ENDOW. As in National Endowment for the Arts.

23. Ode preposition : O'ER.

25. Musician's deg. : MFA. Not to be confused with 45A. Doctor of music? : DRE. And also 24D. 45-Across genre : RAP.

33. Dawn deity : EOS. When I searched for images, I got more cameras and cars than dawn goddesses.

34. Last words : EPILOG.

35. "___ Peach": Allman Brothers album : EAT A. A musical Mountain Jam intermission. 13:38

38. Subdued : MUTED.

40. Montréal moniker : NOM. French for "name."

41. Jewel box item : CD ROM. Why is it called a jewel box? I just learned that it comes from the word for the two plastic bearings in the hinges on the CD case. Watchmakers call these types of bearings "jewels" because they were often made from gemstones, which had low friction properties. So there you have it.

42. Gym ball : PROM. Nice misdirection. Ball as in dance, not as in basket or volley...

43. Attic window : DORMER.

49. Sigma follower : TAU.

50. Hosp. readout : ECG. Electrocardiogram.

57. "The Kiss" painter : KLIMT. This was a gimme - I have a poster of it in my office.

61. Lot of baloney : CROCK. That's a crock, and you know it!

64. It's often stored upside-down : CANOE. I wanted kayak...but mine is stored right-side up suspended from chains in the garage.

65. City on the Penobscot : ORONO. Maine.  Where is Mainiac?

66. Have a life : ARE.

67. "Naturalis Historia" author : PLINY. Without looking it up: Elder or Younger?

68. Parlement français division : SENAT. More French.

69. "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" author Brown : DEE.

Down:

1. Cut down : PARE.

2. Adam's apple spot : EDEN. Cute clue.

3. Lincoln in-law : TODD.

4. Looked askance : GLOWERED. Not exactly synonymous, imho. Looking askance seems more sideways or dubious. Glower is the look I give DH when he forgets to take out the trash!

5. Actress Tyler : LIV. Daughter of Aerosmith's Steven Tyler.  I always remember her from her role as Arwin in "The Lord of the Rings." So hauntingly beautiful!

6. Left ___: rewarded : A TIP.

7. Cologne crowd? : DREI. German for "three."

8. Zaire's Mobutu ___ Seko : SESE. Pronounced seh'-say.

9. Unrepeated event, in Essex : ONE OFF. Everything you need to know about this saying here.

10. Roared : GUFFAWED. I do that a lot when reading some of your comments!

11. Upper-bod muscle : DELT.

12. Cole Porter's "Well, Did You ___?" : EVAH. Another musical interlude, from the movie "High Society."

13. A or E, but not I, O or U : NOTE. Musical notes.

18. Instrument heard on Simon & Garfunkel's "Bookends" : MOOG. And more music! Listen for the moog...

22. EPA concern : SMOG.

26. Sub : TEMP. Substitute / temporary worker.

27. Happy ___ : HOUR. It's five o'clock somewhere!

28. Legally prohibit : ESTOP.

29. Côte-d'Or crop : PINOT. Côte-d'Or is a town in the burgundy region of France, famous for both PINOT noir and Chardonnay wines.

30. Ecuadoran province named for its gold production : EL ORO. "Gold" in Spanish.

31. Its capital is Amiens : SOMME. Back to northern France. The cathedral there is breathtaking.

32. Gauge opening? : HARD G. Hey Don!

36. Bagels, shapewise : TORI. We have had this before. Plural of "torus." Some people might recognize it as the shape of a hemorrhoid pillow:

37. Closing word : AMEN.

39. Cyberface : EMOTICON. (^0^)

41. Nutty : CRACKPOT. It can be a noun or an adjective, like a "crackpot idea."

43. Smear : DAUB.

44. Denver-to-Wichita dir. : ESE. I guess.

47. Q neighbor : TAB KEY. On the keyboard, not in a James Bond movie.

48. Citrus hybrid : UGLI.

51. Soviet letters : CCCP. Союз советских социалистических республик, where they show RED MOVIES?

52. Kazakhstan border sea : ARAL.

53. Pasta ___: food brand : RONI. From the makers of Rice a Roni, the Golden Grain Company.

54. Long poem : EPOS.

55. Yorkshire river : AIRE.

56. Gas on Broadway : NEON. There are a lot of NEON signs there.

58. Tech debut of 2010 : IPAD. That recently? It's already time for me to upgrade!

59. Just : MERE. Simple clue/answer that had me going for a while.

60. Genealogy chart : TREE.

63. Trial evidence, at times : DNA. I have done additional reading about the "co-discoverers" of DNA since they last came up in December. Very controversial, but fascinating when you understand some of the back-stabbing that goes on in scientific research.

That's it for now.  I'll be back in my regularly scheduled spot next week!
Marti

Notes from C.C.:

1) Happy Birthday to dear Blue Irish (Susan)! She told me "My Birthday falls on January 18th.  Usually everyone is tired from the holidays and bad weather and cold has set in. Not my favorite time of the year." In Chinese, 18 is very lucky number, The office floors in 18th floor tend to be more expensive than other floors. 

2) I was very pleased that our blog was restored yesterday afternoon. I want to thank Lemonade for alerting me as soon as he discovered the problem. And Husker Gary for his invaluable mailing list and hard work to inform everyone about our glitch & the Ginger Roots change. I also want to thank those who reported to Blogger forum about the removal of our blog. It's incredibly comforting for me to see familiar names there and "Where's our blog" reports (I read all your posts). I'm so grateful that you cared & took actions. Thank you also to those who wrote to me privately & regulars who stoically stuck with us at Ginger Roots!

3) After much discussion with Dennis and Argyle, I've decided to use Captcha between midnight & 5:30 am (Central Time) in the Blog Comments section to prevent spam. You'll need to type in those hard-to-recognize letters when you want to comment in those early  hours. I've long resisted Captcha because I want a friendly & easy-to-interact Corner, but we've been hit hard by spam lately. Thanks for your understanding.

Thursday, November 1, 2012 David Poole

Theme: Couch Potato. The circles within the theme entries spell out various cable TV options. So get your bowls of popcorn ready, but don't fight over the remote!

17A. "All Summer Long" singers : BEACH BOYS. I was a real fan in my early teens. Here is their version. 2:07 In the circles, we find HBO, or Home Box Office, which is owned by Time-Warner.

22A. Ibsen classic : A DOLL'S HOUSE. I just recently re-read this play.  SHOwtime is owned by CBS. My favorite SHO would be "Weeds."

38A. Early Shakespearean tragedy : TITUS ANDRONICUS. For some reason, I always want to spell this one as "Titus Andromeda." USA is owned by NBC.  Favorites here inclue "Monk."

48A. New England order : CLAM CHOWDER. Something you can never get in Manhattan is a good chowdah! AMC Networks was formerly known as "American Movie Classics," but they are moving away from that image, and are introducing new programming.

And the unifier:

61A. Wire fasteners, and a hint to this puzzle's circled letters : CABLE TIES. Also known as "zip ties", they are handy when you need to tie a bunch of electronic cords and cables together under your home entertainment system!

Marti here, for your Thursday entertainment. I can't compete with HBO, SHO, USA or AMC, but I'll give it my best shot!

Across:

1. That-funny link : WASN'T. I'm a glass half full kind of person, so I initially wanted "WAS SO."

6. Assistance : AID.

9. Tread heavily : TROMP. "Tramp" would work, too, no?

14. Name in cosmetics : ESTEE. Lauder. Nailed it!

15. Droid, e.g. : PDA. Personal Digital Assistant. We just got our new iPhone 5s today, and they come with "Siri."  She brings PDA to a whole new level, but she kind of creeps me out...

16. Sine or secant : RATIO. David Poole is a mathematician, so this was a no-brainer for him. Me? Not so much...

19. Name of two presidents : ADAMS. John Adams was the second president, and his son John Quincy Adams was the sixth president.

20. Foot the bill for : BANKROLL.

21. Egyptian underworld boss? : OSIRIS. "Lord of the Dead"

24. Steep-sided valley : RAVINE.

28. Available without an Rx : OTC. Over The Counter. Or, "Heart"? (Sorry...insider joke)

29. Electron home : ATOM. A Neutron walks into a bar...

30. Paraphernalia : GEAR.

33. Tough watchdog : AKITA. Yeah, right...my cats would have him for lunch!

41. Process start : STEP A.

42. Not e'en once : NE'ER. Poetic "even" and "never"

43. "Sure!" : LET'S. Have you ever regretted saying that?  I'd like to hear the story...

44. Wire service abbr. : UPI. United Press International. Once a giant in the newswires, photo and film industry. Now, not so much.

46. Fairlady automaker : DATSUN. I never knew about this brand.

54. Imposed : LEVIED.

55. Bothersome type : HEADACHE.

60. Visibly stunned : AGASP. (David used an "A" word, David used an "A" word...)

62. Indian yogurt dip : RAITA. David is a gourmet cook, so I bet he has made this condiment.  I love the cucumber-mint variety.

63. Rhyming boxer : ALI. "It will be a killer, and a chiller, and a thriller, when I get the gorilla in Manila..." 

64. Tag line? : NOTIT. Hand-in-hand with 25-Down. Working away : ATIT. Fire away, all ye DF bloggers!

65. ___ & Bacon: textbook publisher : ALLYN. I wonder if they were the company that published David's math text?

66. Favorite : PET.

67. "Fun, Fun, Fun" ride for the 17-Across : T-BIRD. Another blast from the past with my fav teenage group.

Down:

1. Friday on the air : WEBB. Sergeant Joe, that is, from the old "Dragnet" TV show.

2. On a steamer, say : ASEA.  (David used an "A" word, David used an "A" word...)

3. Getz of jazz : STAN. With John Coltrane: priceless! 9:00 (And worth every second!)

4. Get romantic, in a way : NECK.

5. Imam Khomeini International Airport locale : TEHRAN.

6. Speed skater ___ Anton Ohno : APOLO. I keep wanting to spell his name "Apollo"

7. Pastoral poem : IDYLL.

8. Marx's "___ Kapital" : DAS.

9. Oscar's place : TRASH CAN. I wanted something to do with "The Academy," but it wouldn't fit. D'oh~! Oscar the Grouch on Sesame Street!

10. Fireside chat medium : RADIO. FDR's radio broadcasts to the US from 1933-1944, leading up to and then in the midst of the troubles in Europe.

11. Hokkaido seaport : OTARU. Map. On Japan's second-largest island.

12. Actress Rogers et al. : MIMIS. I did not recognize her. Anyone know who she played in film that I might know?

13. Western party : POSSE. Cute clue!

18. Barrio food store : BODEGA. Could also be a wine store...but, come to think of it, that would be one of the major FOOD groups, right?

21. München-to-Wien heading : OST. Munich - to - Vienna direction is OST in German, or "east" in English. Travelled that road many times!

23. "The Maltese Falcon" actor : LORRE. Peter, with Humphrey Bogart in one of my favorite roles!

24. Stinkers : RATS.

26. Swing ___ : VOTE. Yours might just be the one, coming up on Tuesday. So get out and vote!

27. "Hand me a bat!" : I'M UP.

31. Film composer Morricone : ENNIO. You might recognize this one...2:59

32. Country Time suffix : ADE. Make summer last all year with Country Time LemonADE ! (And one of our favorite bloggers on Friday...)

34. Tartan wraparound : KILT. What do they wear underneath those?

35. Works on a cake : ICES. Is the "writer of creamy messages," in other words.

36. "Fantasia" hippo's wear : TUTU. Adorable.

37. Professional org. : ASSN. Association.

39. Kitchen utensil : SAUCE PAN. Hands up for "sauce pot"? I put saucep--,  and then skidded to a halt while I waited for perps.

40. Tough row to hoe : ORDEAL.

45. High deg. : PHD. Abbreviation of the Latin "Philosophiæ Doctor" or, "Doctor of Philosophy"

47. Hot-blooded : ARDENT.

48. One of California's Santas : CLARA. Not Claus or Argyle...

49. Sanctioned : LEGAL. I tried "legit" at first.

50. Prove useful : AVAIL. "When a scholar meets a soldier, he may have reason on his side, but to no avail." (Unknown author)

51. Teary-eyed : MISTY.

52. Pequod sinker : WHALE. Yes, indeed, the great white whale did "do in" the Pequod. 2:45

53. Payment option : DEBIT...or credit? And 57-Down. Credit card name with a red arc over it : CITI.

56. Short range : ATOB. What's a tob, you ask?  Point A - to - B.

58. One who gets what's coming : HEIR. A clue that made me laugh out loud when I finally "got" it.

59. Business sign abbr. : ESTD. "Established."

61. Uniform item, perhaps : CAP. Wanted "hat", but had to wait for perps.

That's it for this week. See you same time, same place, next Thursday!

Hugs,

Marti

Notes from C.C.:

1) Part VII of JD's Italy trip: Rome

Ruins of the ancient city of Ostia, which was the gateway and port city to Rome. Yes, those were toilets.

Click here for more pictures. I intended to put picture #2 here, but had trouble getting it here.

2) Happy Birthday to Carol! I like this picture a lot.

JD, Dick & Carol
Seated in front of lily pond at Sunset Botanical Gardens