Tuesday, November 3, 2009 David W. Cromer

Theme: THE OUTER LIMITS (54A: Eerie sci-fi series, and this puzzle's title) - The first word of each two-word phrases indicate "edge".

20A:. Herding dogs: BORDER TERRIERS

25A: Brokerage services for buying stocks on credit: MARGIN ACCOUNTS

48A: Perks on the job: FRINGE BENEFITS

All of the theme answers are in plural form, very consistent.

Argyle, again.

Major malfunction: BORDER TERRIERS are not herding dogs; they are hunting dogs. BORDER COLLIES are herding dogs.

I won't even try to explain MARGIN ACCOUNTS.

A FRINGE BENEFIT of doing this blog, C.C. lets me comment all I want to on the ones I do.

Note the crosses in three of the corners: NW, TITO & TIVO; NE, OPER & OPIE; SW, TOTO & OTTO. Although, the SE has IRMA & TART. ;-)

Across:

1A: RBI or ERA, e.g.: STAT. Go Phillies!

5A: Use up, as money: SPEND.

10A: Shock: JOLT. JOLT Cola

14A: TV show recorder: TIVO. In case you were wondering what TIVO stood for: TV + io (television input/output). Not fond of this clue due to TV repetition.

15A: Pal of Kukla and Fran: OLLIE. A kid's program from long before TiVo.

17A: School near the Mex. border: UTEP. The University of Texas at El Paso. Got gobs of worms for those still missing this. And over at San Antonio, 43A: Memorable mission: ALAMO.

34A: Take it easy: LOLL.

35A: Coastal cities: PORTS.

37A: Day spa garb: ROBE. Remember the deep massage ROLF?

39A: Emulated Bond: SPIED. And EYING (69A: Observing).

42A: Bank takeback, for short: REPO.

45A: Vegan no-no: MEAT. Any vegan in our blog?

52A: Choral syllable: TRA. Part of the chorus: TRA, la, la

53A: Univ. sr.'s exam: GRE. The GRE (Graduate Record Examination) measures verbal reasoning, quantitative and analytical writing skills required for graduate. GMAT is exam for MBA.

62A: Sign up for: JOIN.

64A: French cheese: BRIE. Alas, WM is still waiting for her cheese puzzle. Brie is named after the region Brie in Northern France.

65A: "Beetle Bailey" dog: OTTO. OTTO belongs to Sgt. Snorkel and dresses in uniform.

66A: Area below the abdomen: GROIN.

67A: Eclipse, in olden days: OMEN. Not that the words mean the same, but an eclipse was seen as an OMEN.

68A: Head honcho: BOSS. And 4D: Head honcho: TOP DOG. Nice pair.

70A: Small fruit pie: TART. Can you use frozen blueberries for blueberry tart?

Down:

1D: Theater souvenir: STUB. Ticket STUB.

2D: Jackson 5 brother: TITO.

8D: __ acid: explosive compound: NITRIC.

9D: Cherished by: DEAR TO.

10D: Comedian's bit: JOKE. One J in NE, one J in SW.

11D: Abbr. on a phone's "0" button: OPER.

13D: X, numerically: TEN.

22D: "The jig __!": IS UP.

25D: Former New Orleans Saints coach Jim: MORA. 1986-1996 won 93, lost 74 in regular season; 0-4 in the play-offs. Son is also a coach.

26D: War criminal Eichmann: ADOLF.

27D: Rod used to strengthen concrete: REBAR. Re(inforcing) Bar. "Waiting for the cement truck."

28D: Swiss peak: ALP.

29D: Scale, as a 28-Down: CLIMB. Scale here is a verb, meaning CLIMB, not your map feature.

30D: Snow-rain-heat-gloom connector: NOR. Post office motto.

31D: Roman fountain: TREVI. Literally "three roads" in Italian.

32D: Mar. 17th honoree: ST PAT. Erin Go Bragh. Great to see you back, Irish Jim.

38D: U.K. record label: EMI. Electric & Musical Industries.

41D: Kind of participle found in the sentence "While working on my computer, the dog pestered me for dinner": DANGLING. I bet Dennis/Melissa Be/Lois/Carol all have vivid memories of dangling participle discussions.

46D: Actress Hatcher: TERI. Push-up bra?

49D: Resentment over a prior wrong: GRUDGE.

50D: Diner, for one: EATERY.

51D: Sexy automaton in "Austin Powers": FEMBOT. FEM(ale) (ro)BOT. Designed to seduce and kill Austin Powers.

56D: Slaughter of baseball: ENOS.

57D: Weena's people, in "The Time Machine": ELOI. Weena was portrayed by Yvette Mimieux.

58D: Major German river, to a Frenchman: RHIN. Also, RHIEN. The Rhine (German: Rhein; Dutch: Rijn; French: Rhin; Romansh: Rain; Italian: Reno; Latin: Rhenus)

59D: "__ la Douce": IRMA. Billy Wilder's movie.

62D: Employment agency listing: JOB.

Answer grid.

Here is a great interview of our fellow LA Times solver Deepak Gopinath and his blog "The Hindu Crossword Corner". Thanks for the mentioning of our blog, Col G.

Now go vote!

Argyle

Monday, October 12, 2009 David W. Cromer

Theme: "With "in", where our summer weather is!" - theme answers all end with synonyms of exiting.

20A: Corporate-sponsored vacation: COMPANY RETREAT.

40A: Retirement account transaction that may incur a penalty: EARLY WITHDRAWAL.

59A: Local airline trip: COMMUTER FLIGHT.

Argyle blogging.

Shivering Santa here. We get our first freeze this morning. That should stop any zucchini that maybe left.

Straightforward puzzle today. Only wish TORO (39A: Matador's foe) were clued as a "Big name in lawn mowers" to pair up with DEERE (45A: Big name in tractors). TORO is based in Minnesota.

Across:

1A: A little batty: DAFT.

10A: Skips, as ads on a taped show: ZAPS. I'm not good with this clue.

14A: "Garfield" dog: ODIE.

15A: What an ump's protector protects: CHEST. To protect them from the jabbing fingers of managers.

16A: Approximately: OR SO.

23A: Ruhr valley city: ESSEN. 28A: Mediterranean island republic: CYPRUS. 31D: River through southern Russia: URAL. 53D: "Boot" country prefix: ITALO. All part of our European vacation.

33A: Place to retire to?: BED. Yes, it is (as soon as I get this blog done.)

36A: Tournament matches before finals, briefly: SEMIS.

44A: "Iliad" setting: TROY.

47A: Challenge a verdict in a higher court: APPEAL.

50A: Money you owe: DEBT.

55A: Love poetry Muse: ERATO.

64A: "A guy walks into a bar ..." may start one: JOKE.

65A: Christener: NAMER.

66A: Go-__: small racer: KART.

70A: Herbal brews: TEAS. What's your favorite herbal tea?

Down"

1D: "La __ Vita": DOLCE. Italian for "sweet".

2D: "Later, amigo": ADIOS.

3D: Law corporations, e.g.: FIRMS

4D: Conical abode: TEEPEE.

5D: CAT procedure: SCAN.

6D: Greeting at sea: AHOY.

7D: __ cotta: TERRA. Ah, Xi'An.

8D: Colorado's __ Park: ESTES.

9D: Unwanted radio noise: STATIC.

10D: No-fly __: ZONE.

13D: Brillo rival: SOS.

21D: Unable to sit still: ANTSY.

22D: Jamie Foxx biopic about singer Charles: RAY. Great movie. Foxx got a Oscar for his performance.

35D: Bit of medicine for the eye or ear: DROP.

37D: Suffix with meteor: ITE. Meteorite.

42D: Dr. of rap: DRE.

43D: Insurrectionist: REBEL.

51D: Tots' rides: TRIKES.

56D: Wide open: AGAPE.

57D: Crowd quota?: THREE. As in "Three's a crowd".

59D: Planetary center: CORE.

60D: Cajun vegetable: OKRA. Have you tried cooking with fresh OKRA? Quite tasty.

61D: Army meal: MESS.

62D: Actress Russo: RENE. She is in "Tin Cup", one of the best golf movies.

63D: Barney's Bedrock pal: FRED. Flintstone.

64D: "Jumbo" flier: JET.

Answer grid.

Argyle

Monday August 3, 2009 David W. Cromer

Theme: E Pluribus Unum

17A: Data set available to many: SHARED FILE

57A: Professionally managed investment type: MUTUAL FUND

9D: Property co-owner: JOINT TENANT

25D: Unifying objective: COMMON CAUSE

Argyle here.

Wish OUR (44D: Wilder's __ Town) were clued as "Sharing word". Would be a good tie-in answer.

Very little today that should cause trouble but then CRS (Can't Remember SH?T) can strike at any time. Our constructor today has puzzles for every day of the week. Very good.

Across:

1A: Pear variety: BOSC. From Wikipedia: The Beurré Bosc or Bosc is a cultivar of the European Pear (Pyrus communis) grown in California, Washington, and Oregon, Australia as well as in British Columbia and Europe, where it is sometimes called Kaiser.

Characteristic features are a long tapering neck and russeted skin. Its flesh is denser, crisper and smoother than that of the Williams or D'Anjou pear. It is called the "aristocrat of pears".

5A: Philbin's co-host: RIPA. Kelly RIPA. Regis Philbin is of Albanian root too, so is Alan Shepard, in addition Mother Teresa & John Belushi, whom PBJ-Chicago pointed out yesterday.

9A: Sharp punches: JABS.

13A: Rights org.: ACLU. American Civil Liberties Union.

14A: Broadcast booth sign: ON AIR.

16A: ESPN sportscaster Hershiser: OREL. At his peak in the 1980s, Orel Hershiser was at the top of the National League, the ace of a stacked Los Angeles Dodger rotation.

19A: Division word: INTO. And 42A: Math comparison: RATIO.

22A: Obama was in it until November 2008: SENATE.

24A: __set: construction toy: ERECTOR. from an earlier age.

26A: Dances in 3/4 time: WALTZES.

27A: Surgery ctrs.: ORS. Surgery centers-operating rooms. And 32A: Barn bundle: BALE. And 45A: Barnyard brooder: HEN. And 63A: Part to play: ROLE And 4D: Mangy mutt: CUR And 5A: Cowpokes' competitions: RODEOS. (Do you notice a sub-theme here? All alliterative clues!)

28A: Lindbergh, notably: PILOT. Also, from an earlier age.

29A: Mel, "The Velvet Fog": TORME. Vintage Torme.

33A: Vigorous spirit: ELAN.

37A: Japanese cartoon art genre: ANIME. "A Japanese style of motion-picture animation, characterized by highly stylized, colorful art, futuristic settings, violence, and sexuality." Based on the Random House Dictionary.

39A: Pointy-hatted garden statue: GNOME. Gotta have a picture!

40A: Taken-back auto: REPO. Origin: by shortening of repossess. Is forming a word by shortening the same as abbreviation? I think not.

41A: Thumbs-down reviews: PANS.

43A: Like the Vikings: NORSE. The ugly "troll" is of NORSE origin. And don't forget LEIF ("Sage of the Greenlanders" hero), son of Eric the Red.

46A: Treat for Fido: BISCUIT.

49A: Wetlands growth: CATTAIL. cattails

53A: Many vows are taken at them: ALTARS.

60A: Gets grayer, usually: AGES.

61A: Periods, in telegrams: STOPS.

62A: Big Apple theater award: OBIE. One of a group of awards given annually, by New York City's The Village Voice newspaper for achievement in the off-Broadway theater. Based on the Random House Dictionary

65A: D.C. lobbying orgs.: PACS. Political Action Committee.

Down:

2D: Autumn leaf color: OCHER. Not heard very often: "My, what lovely ocher leaves." Also spelled as OCHRE.

6D: Reason out: INFER.

10D: Desi who married Lucille Ball: ARNAZ.

11D: Midler of 'The Rose": BETTE. The Rose - Bette Midler & Wynonna Judd.

18D: Serving after the salad: ENTREE.

23D: "Don't Bring Me Down" rock gp.: ELO. Electric Light Orchestra

26D: Loses crispness, as celery: WILTS.

28D: "The Age of Reason" author Thomas: PAINE. Quotation by Thomas Paine: "A thing moderately good is not so good as it ought to be."

29D: Sea dog: TAR. Old sailor.

30D: White Monopoly bill: ONE. Before you ask what the other colors are...Monopoly money.

31D: __ cord: parachute activator: RIP.

35D: "__ seeing things?": AM I.

39D: Sister of Hansel: GRETEL. Hansel and GRETEL. Grimm tale.

41D: Light-refracting devices: PRISM. Probably the most famous prism

44D: Wilder's "__ Town": OUR. The play with the stage manager out front.

45D: Bother continually: HARASS.

46D: Kid-lit elephant: BABAR. Intro, extracted from the episode "The City Of Elephants".

47D: Volunteer's offer: I'LL GO.

48D: Pittsburgh product, historically: STEEL. East Coast gimme?

49D: Two-door car: COUPE.

50D: Caribbean island resort: ARUBA. Map Somebody said it wasn't that nice, but I'd like to find out for myself.

51D: Greek column style: IONIC. Hmm, the classic DIC (INOIC, Doric & Corinthian, thanks again, Kazie).

52D: Mine bonanzas: LODES.

58D: Beehive State native: UTE. Not capitalized, a utility vehicle; with a capital, a member of the American Indian people of Utah.

59D: Fancy dresser: FOP. Synonyms: dandy, coxcomb, swell, dude, Beau Brummel, beau, clotheshorse, fashion plate, macaroni, peacock, popinjay. Oscar Wilde was one vain FOP, wasn't he? He once said: "One should either be a work of Art, or wear a work of Art."

Answer grid.

Argyle

Friday July 24, 2009 David W. Cromer

Theme: ICed - IC is inserted into familiar phrases.

18A: Break from soldiers' training?: BASIC RELIEF

24A: Clown settlement?: ANTIC COLONY

38A: International affair?: TOPIC OF THE WORLD

49A: O. Henry stories?: IRONIC WORKS

60A: Copperfield's limo?: MAGIC WHEELS

Hmmm, IC, maybe I SEE (12D: Now that makes sense) is a better theme title.

I did not know there is a special term for those chrome wheels. Mag wheels are so named because "the aluminum is mixed up with a bit of magnesium to form a stronger alloy", according to one article.

Another hard puzzle for me. Lots of misdirections. I just don't think I am capable of solving late week puzzles. My "Yes, I can" hope has faded into "Probably not", just like some of Obama's ambitious plans.

O'NEAL (64A: Center of Cleveland?) clue is tricky. I actually knew Shaq was traded to Cleveland Cavaliers last month. I remember his "Win for Ring for the King" (LeBron James) quote in the newspaper. But I did not make the connection. Thought it's just another wordplay on the very center of word Cleveland.

Across:

1A: Devious, in a way: COY. Plunked in SLY immediately.

4A: Bad states: SNITS. My husband is easily peeved.

9A: You often see a lap in one: CHAIR. Ha ha, I was picturing someone's lap, but I could not see a CHAIR.

14A: Bullet in a deck: ACE

15A: Strange: OUTRE. Tried EERIE first.

16A: Kind of trader: HORSE. Could only think of FUR.

17A: Royal sleep disturbance, in a tale: PEA. Hans Christian Andersen's "The Princess and the PEA".

20A: Ill-advised: RASH. Is "Ill-advised" the same as "Ill-considered"?

22A: Flames' org.: NHL. Our NHL team is Minnesota Wild.

23A: Gives the slip: EVADES. "Give the slip" is a new phrase to me.

27A: Old waste allowance: TRET. After the deduction for TARE (the weight of a vehicle).

28A: Resemble strongly: PASS FOR

33A: ID necessity, often: PHOTO. The clue is asking for an abbreviated answer, isn't it?

36A: Plow into: RAM. Dictionary explains "Plow into" as "to strike with force". New to me.

37A: Like Chinese dishes, frequently: TO GO. My instinctive reaction is FATTY.

42A: It may be gross in med. sch.: ANAT

43A: OPEC member: UAE. The world's tallest building (Dubai Tower,2,684 feet) is in UAE.

44A: Development units: HOMES. And ACRES (65A: Some plots). I thought of the fictional plots.

45A: Picks: SELECTS

47A: Monopoly cards: DEED

54A: Pizza chain: SBARRO. No idea. Not a fan of pizza or Italian food. The logo looks like SHARRO.

58A: Like Bizet's only symphony: IN C. I had IN? sitting there forever.

59A: Night light: NEON. Nice rhyme. I was in the moonlight direction.

63A: Short sentence about a long term: I DO. Tricky clue. I thought of prison term/sentence.

66A: "I reckon not": NAW. Hillbilly slang I suppose.

67A: Noodleheads: GEESE

68A: "Siddhartha" author: HESSE. Has anyone read this book? Hermann HESSE also wrote "Steppenwolf". He won Nobel Literature in 1946.

69A: It's up to you: SKY. Of course! But I was too stupid to know.

Down:

1D: "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" director: CAPRA. I watched "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" simply because of Chris Matthews. It's one of his favorite movies.

2D: Shore thing: OCEAN. Sure.

4D: __ story: SOB

5D: Fine point: NUANCE

6D: August comment: IT'S HOT. And WHEW (41D: See 6-D). I don't understand the rationale for the WHEW clue.

7D: Warbling sound: TRILL

8D: IPO overseer: SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission)

9D: Malibu and Tahoe: CHEVYS. Oh, cars.

10D: Guadalajara greeting: HOLA. What do you normally say when you pick up the phone? Chinese say "Wei", same pronunciation as Michelle Wei's surname.

11D: Ideal for Joshua trees: ARID. Joshua trees grow in desert.

13D: Trio in an NBA game: REFS. Wow, I did not know this. Not interested in basketball.

19D: Entitle, as an altered file: RENAME

21D: Ancient Indo-European: HITTITE. No idea. It's "a member of an ancient people who established a powerful empire in Asia Minor and Syria, dominant from about 1900 to 1200 BC".

25D: Swift reptile: CROC. Did not know CROC is a reptile member.

26D: Vividly colored fish: OPAH. Or TETRA, another colorful fish.

29D: Used as an elevator: STOOD ON

30D: Blob's lack: FORM

31D: Rubberneck: OGLE. The answer is always GAWK.

32D: Eye cells: RODS. I forgot this "Eye cell" meaning of ROD.

33D: NEA supporters: PTAS

34D: Fine-tune: HONE

35D: Fall birthstone: OPAL. Birthstone for October.

36D: Itinerary abbr.: RTE

39D: Have a better crew than: OUTROW. Wrote down OUTMAN.

40D: Burkina __: FASO. I've never heard of this landlocked nation. It's in West Africa.

46D: Group with common interest: CIRCLE. "Charmed CIRCLE, Gertrude Stein and Company" is a very interesting read.

47D: Some booth occupants: DINERS

48D: Proverbs follower: Abbr.: ECCLES. Bible book. Stumped again.

50D: Heiress, perhaps: NIECE

51D: Equestrian tools: REINS

52D: Maker of Advantix cameras: KODAK. Not familiar with Advantix. AIG replaced KODAK as a DOW component several years ago. Now Kraft Foods has replaced AIG.

53D: Blizzardlike: SNOWY

54D: Urban hazard: SMOG

55D: Proverbial thorn: BANE

56D: "A Death in the Family" novelist: AGEE. James AGEE also co-wrote the script for "The African Queen".

57D: England's Portsmouth Harbour and and others: RIAS. I don't know Portsmouth Harbour is a RIA, which is often just clued as "Narrow inlet".

61D: "As if!": HAH

62D: Mariner's hdg.: SSE. Oh well, it can be any direction.

Answer grid.

C.C.

Monday July 6, 2009 David W. Cromer

Theme: How Long?

20A: Wrinkle-resistant after washing: PERMANENT PRESS

34A: Fabled fountain's word: ETERNAL YOUTH

41A: You can still use it when postage rates increase: FOREVER STAMP

55A: "Semper fidelis, " in English: ALWAYS FAITHFUL

And PERPETUAL, INCESSANT, INFINITE, what else?

Argyle here.

Boy, would I have to eat worms if I missed the Marine Corps motto. FOREVER STAMP is a very refreshing entry. Probably a debut in any major newspaper puzzle.

My dial-up is messed up to day, so I'm running late. I had to go out and "borrow" a paper to get the puzzle. I better go put it back.

Across:

1A: Maple syrup fluids: SAPS.

5A: Musher's vehicle: SLED.

9A: Did some chinwagging: JAWED.

14A: Elm or oak: TREE. On another day they might be streets.

15A: Breaker on the shore: WAVE.

16A: Central Florida city: OCALA.

17A: Israeli carrier: ELAL. Literally "skyward".

18D: Light bulb, in a comic strip: IDEA. IDEE in French.

23A: Having disembarked: ON LAND

24A: Sweetie: HON. Favorite names used waitresses everywhere.

29A: Reversed: UNDID.

25A: Super __: Sega Genesis competitor: NES. Nintendo Entertainment System. And 52D: CNN competitor: MS NBC.

26A: "Dark Angel" star Jessica: ALBA. One for the boys.

39A: German article: EIN. A or one.

46A: Rare blood classification: TYPE AB

51A: "Overhead" engine part: CAM.

53A: Ghost-eating video icon: PAC-MAN

61A: Depilatory brand: NAIR. Another answer is NEET. Depilatory is so close to lapidary.

66A: Not quite foggy: MISTY. For you West coast morning people.

68A: Cong. meeting: SESS. I thought of Vietcong, at first.

Down:

1D: Squash: STEP ON

2D: "What's my line?" panelist Francis: ARLENE. She is on the left.

4D: Alabama civil rights city: SELMA.

5D: Con job: SWINDLE. Bunko. Joe Friday would occasionally work Bunko on Dragnet.

7D: Like 2, 4 6, etc.: EVEN. Not an odd clue.

8D: "Murder by __": Neil Simon comedy: DEATH.

9D: Long trip: JOURNEY.

11D: Bankrolls: WADS.

12D: New Haven collegians: ELIS. Yale gets so much play in crossword.

27D: Uncle Remus's __ Rabbit: BR'ER

28D: Liqueur flavoring: ANISE. Licorice-flavored.

33D: Sports org. with six Canadian teams: NHL. National Hockey League. Only 1 Canadian team in MLB - the Toronto Blue Jays.

36D: Back, on a ship: AFT.

38D: Dada artist Jean: ARP.

42D: Motel sign: VACANCY.

44D: Yearned: ASPIRED.

48D: Positive "How are you?" response: I'M FINE. One for the girls.

49D: Makes watertight: CAULK.

55D: Play opener: ACT I.

57D: Habeas corpus, eg.g.: WRIT. Habeas corpus is probably the most important WRITS of all kinds. It's a WRIT " through which a person can seek relief from the unlawful detention of him or herself, or of another person."

59D: Verdi classic: AIDA. It has become a gimme for me; how 'bout you?

60D: Tycoon Walton with a club: SAM. SAM's Club,

Answer grid.

Argyle

Sunday June 28, 2009 David W. Cromer

Theme: End of the Road

23A: Device using pulleys: BLOCK AND TACKLE (Roadblock)

39A: 1957 novel with the working title "The Strike": ATLAS SHRUGGED (Road Atlas)

47A: Plan likely to fail: HOUSE OF CARDS (Roadhouse)

64A: Dance, facetiously: TRIP THE LIGHT FANTASTIC (Road Trip)

83A: Break in: SHOW THE ROPE (Roadshow)

90A: Though not yet in force, one was adopted by the UN in 1996: TEST BAN TREATY (Road-test)

112A: One who's halfway home?: RUNNER ON SECOND (Roadrunner)

Nice theme title. I thought of roadkill, road rage & roadwork. What else can you think of?

The name BLOCK AND TACKLE is new to me, though I did know the device itself. Have never heard of TRIP THE LIGHT FANTASTIC. Wikipedia says the phrase means "to dance nimbly or lightly, or to move in a pattern to musical accompaniment."

Harder than last Sunday's puzzle, but very enjoyable. Some of the clues are so refreshing. Some are tricky. Plenty of V-8 moments for me.

Across:

1A: Window treatment: DRAPE

6A: Beat walkers: COPS. And ARRESTS (51A: Takes in) & TASE (69D: Stun, as a perp). I like multiple references in a puzzle.

10A: Pen pal?: PIG. "Pen" here refers to pigpen, the sty.

19A: Causing goose bumps: EERIE

20A: Came down: ALIT

21A: Tide alternative: ALL. Not familiar with ALL detergent. We use Tide.

22A: 1959 Steiger title role: CAPONE. The answer revealed itself.

26A: Self-conscious question: IS IT ME

27A: Carrere of "Wayne's World": TIA. New name to me. Wikipedia says she was born in Hawaii. Of Filipino descent.

28A: Cuarenta winks: SIESTA. "Guarenta" means "forty" in Spanish. I did not know that.

31A: Tale spinner: LIAR. Nice clue.

32A: Like most light bulbs: SCREW-IN

35A: Peruvian pack animal: LLAMA

37A: Publisher __ Nast: CONDE. I like Vogue the most.

38A: Ming 2-Down: VASE. And RELIC (2D: Artifact).

42A: Arid Israeli area: NEGEV. Wikipedia says NEGEV is from the Hebrew root denoting "dry". In the Bible the word NEGEV is also used for the direction "south".

45A: Windblown soil: LOESS. Loamy deposit.

46A: Crew tool: OAR. Crew on a ship/boat.

55A: Net grazer: LET. Tennis term. Also ILIE (66D: First name among '70s netmen) Nastase & TENNIS (95D: Court sport).

57A: Like some boots: STEEL TOED

59A: Film involving stage scenes: OATER. Struggled with this answer.

71A: Log variety: YULE. And DEC (59D: 71-Across mo.)

72A: Preminger et al: OTTOS

73A: Averse: LOATH. The verb is LOATHE.

74A: Puts dividends to work: REINVESTS. Good strategy. I prefer to have a higher stock price than a higher dividend.

79A: Previously: AGO

82A: Takes umbrage at: RESENTS

88A: Actress Davis: GEENA. She is a Mensa member.

89A: Lies next to: ABUTS. I was thinking of cuddling & spooning.

97A: They're not behind you: ANTIS. My favorite clue.

98A: Pie __: CHART. Wrote down CRUST.

99A: Pushes back, as a deadline: EXTENDS

103A: Hair line: PART

104A: Like a good loser? THIN. Lose weight. Excellent clue.

105A: Fuel rating: OCTANE

108A: Yves' yes: OUI. OUI, mon chéri, je t'aime.

110A: Actor Estevez: EMILIO. Son of Martin Sheen.

116A: Evangelist's admonition: REPENT

118A: '70s pinup name: LONI. LONI Anderson? She does not look that pretty.

119A: Jousting pole: LANCE. And STEED (123A: Jouster's ride).

120A: Two-handed hammer: SLEDGE

121A: Driver's gadget: TEE. Golf.

Down:

1D: Possible result of big losses: DEBTS. Financial loss. I thought of UPSET in sports.

3D: Like heavy surf: AROAR

4D: Photo: PIC

5D: "A mouse!": EEK

6D: Mutt, e.g.: CANINE

7D: __ English Bulldogge: OLDE. Not familiar with this breed of dog at all.

8D: Refueling places: PITS

9D: ASAP relative: STAT. Doctor's ASAP.

10D: Ind. neighbor: PAK. India. I was thinking of Indiana.

11D: "No thanks": I'LL PASS

12D: Ocular signs of planning?: GLEAMS. Why?

15D: Final words: EPILOG. Final word in a book.

16D: Overly attentive: DOTING

25D: Sent (for): CALLED

30D: City SSE of Islamabad: LAHORE. The second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi.

34D: Signaled from across the room, say: WAVED AT

36D: Colleen: LASS. Colleen is from an Irish word meaning "girl".

37D: Big name in skin care products: CUREL. I use Olay.

40D: Rocky peak: TOR. Pure crossword word.

41D: Hardly well done: RARE

42D: Red Wings' org.: NHL. Hmm, no tribute to the Penguins?

43D: Want ad letters: EOE (Equal-Opportunity Employer). Never know when to put EOE and when to put EEO (Equal Employment Opportunity)

44D: Kind of feeling: GUT

48D: Inaugural event: OATH. Ha ha, I wrote down GALA.

49D: Head for the hills: FLEE. Not familiar with the phrase "Head for the hills". Thought of WHIP, kind of head for the Capitol Hill.

50D: Tire-kicking areas: CAR LOTS

51D: Took advantage of the buffet: ATE A LOT. Mine was OVERATE.

53D: Suit basis: TORT. Law suit.

54D: Org. probing for outer-space life: SETI (Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence)

57D: Copperstone abbr.: SPF

59D: Starts the bidding: OPENS

60A: U.S. Army E-5: SGT. And STRIPE (92D: Indication of rank).

61D: Funny Margaret: CHO

64D: Norse god of war: TYR. Tuesday is named after him. Thursday is named after Thor, god of thunder.

68D: Role in the musical "Two by Two": NOAH. Well, who else could it be?

70D: Draw: ATTRACT

75D: Words of action: VERBS. So simple. I was stymied.

76D: Grammy-winning New Ager: ENYA. Have not seen ENYA for a long time.

77D: Big stink: STENCH

78D: Musical place, briefly: B'WAY. The OBIE (OB) Award is for Off-Broadway shows.

79D: "The Simpsons" Kwik-E-Mart operator: APU. Learned from doing Xword.

81D: CIA forerunner: OSS (Office of Strategic Services). 1942-1945.

83D: Ball user, maybe: SEER. D'oh, crystal ball.

84D: Patricia of "Everybody Loves Raymond": HEATON. She looks amazing. It's exciting to go bra-less once in a while.

85D: Hudson Bay prov.: ONT

86D: An orchestra tunes to one: OBOE. Oh, I thought orchestra tunes to piano.

88D: Fine particle: GRANULE

90D: Gets to the point: TAPERS. Great clue.

91D: Painter's choice: ENAMEL

93D: Having status, in a way: TITLED. Like the British Sir I suppose.

94D: Desire: THIRST

96D: Lets go: AXES

100D: Dismal turnout?: NO ONE. Dismal indeed.

101D: Blockhead: DUNCE

102D: Threw in (with): SIDED. They are not synonymous to me.

104D: Shopper's convenience: TOTE

106D: Texting device: CELL. We call cell phone "mobile phone" in China.

107D: Where Helen was taken: TROY. Helen of TROY.

108D: Top-shelf: A ONE. I still can't believe the word tops is an adjective.

111D: __ Direct: online bank: ING. I like this new clue. Tired of "Gerund's end".

113D: Science guy Bill: NYE. "Bill NYE, the Science Guy".

114D: High trains: ELS. In Chicago. Poor Ernie ELS. Missed the Masters & US Open cut, and now is deserted by David W. Cromer.

115D: Jazz fan: CAT. I miss Ed Bradley. He was a real cool CAT.

Answer grid.

C.C.

Monday June 15, 2009 David W. Cromer

Theme: Two-way Talk

18A: "Framed" toon in a 1988 film: ROGER RABBIT

27A: Xerox product: COPY MACHINE

47A: In an awkward position: OVER A BARREL

61A: Like oysters in summer months: OUT OF SEASON

Argyle blogging.

These words are used when talking to someone using a two-way radio, like CBers and fire and police personnel or on walkie-talkies.

ROGER indicates that a message had been received and understood.

COPY refers to hearing a signal clearly enough to be understood.

OVER means "I have finished speaking for the moment, but am expecting your reply - go ahead".

OUT means "I have finished speaking, and the conversation is finished; don't reply."

#1 "Did you Get a COPY on that?"

#2 "ROGER that."

#2 "Anything else, OVER?"

#1 "That is all. OUT."

Across:

1A: Candy in a collectible dispenser: PEZ. Often with a theme.

4A: Great time: BLAST.

9A: Get to one's feet: STAND.

17A: Pi-sigma link: RHO. Greek Alphabet.

20A: Splendid display: POMP. A little Pomp and Circumstance.

22A: Keystone lawman: KOP.

23A: Houston team that became the Tennessee Titans: OILERS.

24A: Provide weapons for: ARM.

26A: Barn topper: VANE. As in a weather vane.

32A: Seaman's pronoun: SHE. All ships are SHE.

37A: Go through rehab, in a way: DETOX.

40A: Funny Philips: EMO. I never thought he was funny.

41A: Pusher chaser: NARC.

45A: "Goosebumps" author R.L.: STINE.

50A: Popular jeans: LEES. WHAT? Not Levis!

52A: More than dislike: DETEST.

57A: Gyro bread: PITA. But what is NAN? nan or naan?

65A: College town near Bangor: ORONO. And 66A: Mission to remember: ALAMO. Crosswordese places.

70A: TV-watching room: DEN. Who has a TV den anymore.

Down:

1D: Criminal, to a cop: PERP. That isn't what it means to us.

4D: Tap room: BAR.

5D: Kid's cry before "No hands!": LOOK MA. And 9D: Discolored with a spill: STAIN. How's it going, Tarrajo?

7D: Resign, with "down": STEP.

8D: It paves the way: TAR.

10D: Restaurant booth alternative: TABLE.

11D: Parisian cleric: ABBE. And 12D: Blanc's opposite: NOIR. French.

13D: Kids' book connectibles: DOTS. Connect a Dot is a precursor to crosswords, right?

21D: Bribe to a DJ: PAYOLA. Payola is a portmanteau of the two words "pay" and "Victrola" meaning to bribe to play on the radio. It came to light in the Sixties that some disk jockeys were taking money to play certain songs, which the record companies hoped would boost sales.

25D: House divisions: Abbr.: RMS. Some of those RMS are BRS.

26D: Abe of "Barney Miller": VIGODA. Abe VIGODA played the old detective on the show, Phil Fish. He had a short-lived spin-off show called Fish. He and his wife, Bernice, ran a group home. He's in the front; she is in the back.

29D: Land maps: PLATS.

30D: Blintz relatives: CREPES. Do you want some now?

31D: Funny business: HUMOR.

34D: Do very well: EXCEL.

38D: Lure via a sting: ENTRAP. One of the sneakiest I ever heard of, was a man and a woman want to purchase alcohol but the man says he left his wallet in the car and she pays it. She is not of age.

43D: Really likes: GOES FOR.

48D: November honorees: VETS. Veterans Day in 2009 is on Wednesday, the 11th of November.

49D: Turn into: BECOME.

50D: Sierra __: African republic: LEONE. Southwest of MALI. And 55D: Niger neighbor: MALI. Northwest Africa Niger is to its east.

53D: Peseta replacer: EURO. Former Spanish currency.

54D: Sporty auto roof: T-TOP. Removable panels over the driver and the passenger but leaving a center section, in theory, for greater strength in case of a rollover.

56D: Quickly, in memos: ASAP. As Soon As Possible.

63D: Sine qua __: NON. This phrase is Latin for "without which not", meaning, if an essential element is missing, it's not gonna happen.

Answer grid.

Argyle

Tuesday May 19, 2009 David W. Cromer

Theme: SHOW ME THE MONEY (55A: "Jerry Maguire" catchphrase, and this puzzle's title)

20A: NBA team that drafted Lew Alcindor (Kareem) in 1969: MILWAUKEE BUCKS

33A: Joaquin Phoenix's "Walk the Line" role: JOHNNY CASH

43A: Dine: BREAK BREAD

"Jerry Maguire" is a very noisy film, lots of yelling, esp the "SHOW ME THE MONEY" part. I don't understand why Joaquin Phoenix wants to be a rapper. He was so good in "Walk the Line". The bracketed Kareen is sure a help for those who are not aware of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's original name Lew Alcindor. He changed it in 1971.

Very nice puzzle. Only five 3-letter words. Besides basketball, we also have other sports fills:

47A: 1977 Cy Young Award winner Sparky: LYLE. Dennis mentioned his "The Bronx Zoo" a few times on the blog. But I forgot all about this pitcher. He won Cy Young when he was with the Yankees.

48A: Hockey great Bobby: ORR

66A: Slamin' Sammy of golf: SNEAD

Quite a few letter C's & K's. My favorite entry is KLEENEX (44D: Sniffler's need). Always neat to see scrabbly letter like X at the bottom/right edge.

"I dreamed a dream" where every theme entry was a gimme to me. And the dream came true this morning. I really felt like Susan Boyle.

Across:

1A: Work detail, briefly: SPEC. Top row entries tend to have more consonants. So are those in the first column, like STAMP (1D: Snail-mail need), as most words start with consonants.

5A: Italian-American singer Jerry: VALE. Why specify "Italian-American"? You don't clue SINATRA as "Italian-American singer Frank", do you?

9A: Man with many fables: AESOP. Wish HARE (56D: Long-eared leaper) were cross-referenced here.

15A: Basic Latin word: AMAT

16A: Whale feature: SPOUT. Have no idea why whale spouts.

17A: Golden Fleece ship: ARGO. Jason and the Argonauts.

18A: Subculturist in black clothes and makeup: GOTH. Funny how word evolves. The original Goths people probably did wear lots of black clothes. Definitely no dark makeups. I kind of like Gwyneth Paltrow's Gothic look.

23A: Classroom recitation: PLEDGE

24A: Oft-smelled rodent?: RAT. Smell a RAT.

38A: Leprechaun's land: EIRE

39A: WWII threat: U-BOAT. Last time E-BOAT was clued as "WWII torpedo vessel". E stood for "Enemy".

40A: Nile reptile: ASP. Rhyming clue.

41A: Safe place: HAVEN

42A: Boodles and Beefeater: GINS. The answer revealed itself. I've never heard of Boodles GIN or Beefeater GIN.

50A: Patronizes, as a restaurant: EATS AT

61A: Crazy bird?: LOON. Crazy as a LOON. I wonder how the phrase got started. Poor LOON. It's our state bird.

62A: Rain delay covering: TARP. Poor Twins. They just could not escape the Yankee ghosts, new stadium or not.

67A: Cajole: COAX

Down:

3D: Great Seal bird: EAGLE. And AERIE (53D: 3-Down abode)

4D: Three, so they say: CROWD. Two's Company, three's CROWD.

5D: In an unspecific way: VAGUELY

6D: Wild way to run: AMOK. Run AMOK.

9D: Quick on the uptake: ASTUTE

10D: DeMille movie, e.g.: EPIC. Nice clue. I liked "The Ten Commandments".

11D: Loll in a tub: SOAK. I "loll in tub" every night.

22D: "The Art of Fugue": BACH. "I believe in BACH, the Father, Beethoven, the Son, and Brahms, the Holy Ghost of music." Interesting line on the origins of the Three B's.

33D: Moonshine vessels: JUGS

34D: Cousin of a Tony Award: OBIE

36D: Condé _ Publications: NAST. They own Vogue, Glamour, GQ, Vanity Fair, New Yorker, The Golf Digest, Gourmet, etc. Do you read any of those?

37D: Fix, vet-style: SPAY

41D: Construction support piece: H-BEAM. New to me. How are they different from I-BEAM?

43D: Earthen wall adjacent to a ditch: BERM. No idea. Like this? Shouldn't they be called banks?

46D: "That's a shame": HOW SAD. Indeed. HOW SAD! A brilliant career was cut short.

52D: Watchdog's warning: SNARL. Alliteration again.

54D: Used the Selectric: TYPED. Easy guess. I've never heard of IBM Selectric typewriter.

59D: Guatemala greeting: HOLA. "Ni Hao" in Chinese. Or "Wei" when you greet people on the phone. Different intonation from the dynasty Wei though. The former is rising, the latter is falling.

Grid answer.

C.C.

Tuesday May 5, 2009 David W. Cromer

Theme: Of Course!

17A: Golfer's java-dispensing target?: CUP OF COFFEE

62A: Drawing of the area next to the fairway?: ROUGH SKETCH

11D: Mound near a sand trap?: BUNKER HILL

29D: Really large putting surface? GREEN ACRE

Ha ha, no water hazard! Wish there were a TEE though. From TEE to GREEN, "Golf is a good walk spoiled", as scoffed by Mark Twain.

I am more used to aiming at the "hole" rather than at the "CUP". Cute clue for 17A though. I like the consistency of all the theme entries, all placed at the very beginning.

More bonus golf fills:

46A: Golfer's position: LIE. Tough to hit a good shot when the ball lies below your feet.

28D: Golfer's choice: IRON. I started golfing with my 7-IRON.

53D: Golf legend Walter: HAGEN. Gimme. I read some tidbits about him, Bobby Jones and Gene Sarazen in various Jack Nicklaus' books. He was the first American to win British Open. And he had 11 major wins, just behind Jack (14) and Tiger (18). He was also very flamboyant, so unlike Ben Hogan, who was such a mysterious & secretive loner.

I did mis-hit a few shots though. The worst club in my bag definitely is my brain.

Across:

1A: Cab fare calculator: METER. Nailed it immediately. Spectacular start at the upper left corner for me this morning.

6A: Old saw: ADAGE. "Saw" means maxim/ADAGE.

3A: Jazz style: BOP. Learned from doing Xword. I don't really know what BOP/bebop is.

15A: ___ dance: BELLY. Look at Shakira's abs. Her father is of Lebanese descent. Guess that's how she loves BELLY dancing.

16A: Game with Skip and Reverse cards: UNO. Obtained the answer from down fills. Is it really the world's #1 family card game? Or just a wordplay on numbero UNO?

19A: "If I ruled the World" rapper: NAS. Learned his name from doing Xword. Can't stand rap.

20A: Woman with a habit?: SISTER. Good clue.

25A: Distance runners: MILERS. COE is often clued as "Miler Sebastian".

27A: "Who cares?": BIG DEAL

30A: Sesame Street grouch: OSCAR. The trash can muppet. Schindler of "Schindler's List" is OSKAR.

31A: Discount rack abbr.: IRR

34A: Dispenser of theater programs: USHER. Wonder why USHER's parents named him USHER.

39A: Curved sword: SABER. OK, it's curved, too-edged too.

41A: What to do just before the surprise party starts: HIDE. Not if the party is for me.

42A: Calendario page: ENERO. January. Caldendario is Spanish for calendar. I did not get the answer immediately.

44A: Stunning weapon: TASER. Love the clue.

47A: Guitar parts: NECKS. See this picture. Strange defintion of heel.

49A: Detected, as a rat?: SMELLED. Nailed it immediately.

51A: Cascades peak: SHASTA. Is it a Native Indian word? What's the meaning of SHASTA then?

53A: Port-au-Prince's country: HAITI. Just learned that French is HAITI's official language. I thought they speak Spanish.

54A: Bodybuilder's pride, briefly: PECS. Has anyone seen Gerard Butler's "300"? Incredible body, all those Sparta soldiers.

57A: Command used when creating a new file name: SAVE AS

64A: "__ Got a Secret": I'VE. Easy guess. Have never heard of this TV game show.

65A: Nurse, vis--à-vis medication: DOSER. Is DOSER a common word?

67A: Avignon article: LES. Like "LES Misérables", Dennis' favorite musical. I think he only likes Susan Bolye's voice though.

Down:

1D: Apples with screens: MACS. I am a PC person. This kind of apple clue can't fool anybody now.

2D: Needle case: ETUI. Will Nediger clued ETUI as "Notions holder" last time. I like that clue better.

6D: Blood classification letters: ABO. Has anyone tried Blood Type Diet? Scroll down and see which food you should allow/avoid in your daily diet. I am a type O, and I can't give up cauliflower.

7D: Skim, as soup: DEFAT. Oh, it's a real word.

8D: __ Romeo: sports car: ALFA. Learned this name when Kazie suggested ALFA Romeo for a possible ROMEO clue in late March. They belong to Fiat now, according to Wikipedia.

12D: Studio sign: ON AIR

13D: Internet forum messages: POSTS. "Blog messages" too. By the way, what are your favorite movies? Come to the Comments section and share with us. I like "The Godfather" (I & III), "Major League" & "Cold Mountain".

22D: Symbol after "Http:": SLASH

24D: Soccer player's shoes: CLEATS

26D: Post-op section: ICU. Reminds me of my SKIS ("Street supplies?") confusion last time. I was not familiar with the Olympic skier Picabo Street. Buckeye later joked that she made a large contribution to a Denver hospital, and they named a wing after her. And the wing is called "Picabo, ICU".

27D: Light meal: BITE

30D: Ukrainian port: ODESSA. Interesting. I did not know all city names in Greek/Latin are feminine.

33D: Org. for Bucks and Bulls: NBA. Alliteration again.

35D: Pop singer Brickell: EDIE. Paul Simon's wife. What song is she famous for?

36D: Sax or oboe: REED. Only learned this morning that saxophone is named after its Beligum inventor Adophe Sax.

38D: Bride's purchase: DRESS. Katherine Heigl's "27 Dresses" is pretty silly. This is her famous thong bikini shot (0:18).

40D: Careless: REMISS

45D: Hollywood do-overs: RETAKES

48D: Explosion sound: KABOOM. I like this fill.

50D: Horse stable: LIVERY. Got the answer from across fills. I've never heard of "livery stable" before. Dictionary defines it as "a stable that boards horses and keeps horses and carriages for hire."

51D: Go bad: SPOIL

52D: Throw with strain: HEAVE

58D: Harrow rival: ETON. Both Churchill and Nehru are Harrow graduates.

59D: Elec. designation: AC/DC. Or the rock band name.

60D: "__ Gotta Have It": Spike Lee film: SHE'S. Another easy guess. Have never heard of this film. What a strange blurb: A Seriously Sexy Comedy.

63D: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., e.g.: HRS. Just saw Dolly Parton's "9 to 5" the other day. Very silly too.

Answer grid.

C.C.

Monday April 20, 2009 David W. Cromer

Theme: Again and Again

18A: Start of many a corny joke: KNOCK, KNOCK

27A: Start of a trucker's communication: BREAKER, BREAKER

49A: Start of a sound man's mike check: TESTING, TESTING

65A: Start of a newsboy's cry: EXTRA, EXTRA

Easy guess on BREAKER BREAKER. I did not know how a trucker started his communication.

Is there a special term for this kind of doubled-up phrases?

Smooth sailing today. I had only one error. I penned in THE SHARK rather than THE SHACK for 42D: 2007 William P. Young Christian-themed best-seller. Wikipedia say the book title is a metaphor for "the house you build out of your own pain".

I like how RAP (30D: Music genre in the 'hood) and BLING (31D: Jewelry in the 'hood) parallel each other in the grid.

Another 40 black square grid. It seems to be the most common in LAT. We used to get lots of 38.

Across:

5A: Play-of-color gem: OPAL. Because it changes color when tilted?

9A: To the left, at sea: APORT. What is "To the right, at sea"? A-starboard? Another nautical term I am not clear about is abeam. Dictionary says it's "the right ankle to the keel". Is it like those masts? They seem to be perpendicular to the keel.

16A: Medium for FDR's fireside chats: RADIO. For Obama, it's YouTube. Ashton Kutcher just beat CNN the other day and became the first Twitter to have 1 million followers.

20A: O'Hara's estate: TARA. "I'll always have TARA" & "Tomorrow is another day".

38A: "Metamorphoses" poet: OVID (43BC-AD 17 or 18). A contemporary of Virgil (Aeneid). Learned from doing Xword. "Metamorphoses" is a "narrative poem (often called mock epic) in 15 books that describes the creation and history of the world", according to Wikipedia. And the recurring theme is about love. Amor vincit omnia!

40A: Like milk on the floor: SPILT

53A: Cancún cash: PESO. Another alliteration.

55A: Manuscript encl.: SASE (Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope)

58A: Remove by percolation: LEACH

67A: City near Sacramento: LODI. This city keeps popping up in LAT puzzle. Wikipedia says it's the birthplace of A&W Root Beer and A&W Restaurants.

69A: High-performance Camaro: IROC. I forgot all about this car. IROC is named after the popular competition International Race of Champions. IROC, IROC, I rock. Maybe I will remember it next time.

Down:

6D: __ colada: PINA. Interesting, Wikipedia says it's the official beverage of Puerto Rico. Where is pineapple originally from? I know China is the leading producer of pineapple in the world now.

8D: Hannibal the Cannibal: LECTER. Rhyming clue. He eats liver and fava beans. Maybe something else. I can't remember. Scary movie, "The Silence of the Lambs".

13D: Casino gratuity: TOKE. New slang to me. It's not related to token, is it?

19D: NASCAR's Petty or Busch: KYLE. Easy guess. I know nothing about NASCAR.

28D: Fastener for Rosie: RIVET. Rosie the RIVETER.

33D: King's tenure: REIGN. Ah, just a normal king. I thought of Larry King first.

39D: Scatter: DISPERSE

51D: "You can't get out of this way" sign: NO EXIT

52D: One whose job is fitting?: TAILOR. Why question mark here? Part of TAILOR's job is fitting.

57D: Ollie's sidekick: STAN. Laurel and Hardy. Learned from doing Xword also. I bet we will see another STAN this week.

59D: Gillette razor: ATRA. Introduced in 1977. P&G acquired Gillette in 2005.

62D: Sheltered inlet: COVE. Like this.

Answer grid.

C.C.