Monday, November 30, 2015 Don Rosenthal

Theme:      FREEZE!

17A. Started to sneeze and cough, say : CAUGHT A COLD

28A. Really worked hard : BUSTED ONE'S CHOPS

44A. Paid for everyone's dinner : PICKED UP THE BILL

58A. Taken away in handcuffs ... and a hint to the starts of 17-, 28- and 44-Across : UNDER ARREST

Argyle here. Don's previous puzzle here. Two grid spanning entries crossed by two long non-themed columns; a page from a C.C. puzzle book. Nicely done.

Across:

1. Beatle Paul's first wife : LINDA. Linda, née Eastman, died from breast cancer in 1998.

6. Second-string squad : B-TEAM

11. Tummy muscles : ABs

14. Lunchbox cookies : OREOs. Too many Oreos can hide those abs.

15. Hardship : RIGOR

16. "Nope" : "NAH"

19. Org. promoting hunter safety : NRA. (National Rifle Association of America)

20. Basil or rosemary : HERB

21. IV monitors : RNs. (registered nurse)

22. Honor __ thieves : AMONG. First of some clues that seem to be truncated. "No honor among thieves" is the phrase I'm familiar with.

24. Musical Apple : iPOD

26. Exposed : BARED

34. Critter that sleeps floating on its back : OTTER. Sea otters do.

35. National Anthem starter : "O, SAY ... "

36. Kitten cry : [MEW!]

37. Gen-__: post-baby boomers : XERs

38. Camera setting : F-STOP. Haven't seen this old crossword favorite in a while.

40. Wait : BIDE. Bide your time and all the old crossword favorites will show up eventually.

41. Small S.A. country : URU. Uruguay is in South America.

                            Vacation Guide

42. Red Sox star Big __ : PAPI. David Ortiz.

43. Panama divider : CANAL. What would it cost to swim it now?

48. Exhausted : TIRED

49. Fit for sainthood : HOLY

50. Catcher's position : SQUAT

52. Holiday tree : FIR. Got fir?

53. Rock's Mötley __ : CRÜE

57. Continent north of Afr. : EUR.

62. Aragon aunt : TIA. Aragon is in northeastern Spain.

63. Argue the opposing viewpoint : REBUT

64. Hit half of a record : SIDE A. Usually.

65. Home of the Cardinals: Abbr. : STL. St. Louis.

66. Small and glittering, like eyes : BEADY

67. Terminate the mission : ABORT

Down:

1. Scot's swimming spot : LOCH. Don't harass the monsters. They are national treasures.

2. "Dies __": hymn : IRAE

3. Nerve: Pref. : NEUR

4. Wounds from an aggressive pooch : DOG BITES

5. Silvery gray : ASH

6. Godfather portrayer : BRANDO. Marlon Brando, Jr.

7. Muscle twitches : TICs

8. Self-image : EGO

9. "You've got mail" company : AOL

10. Elizabeth Bennet's suitor in "Pride and Prejudice" : MR. DARCY

11. In the year of the Lord, in dates : ANNO DOMINI

12. Farm building : BARN or shed or silo or ....

13. Layered haircut : SHAG

18. Walked : TROD

23. "Not so great" : "MEH"

25. According to : PER

26. Kiss from Carlos : BESO

27. "Do it yesterday!" on memos : ASAP. (As Soon As Possible)

28. Pack in cartons : BOX UP

29. Wombs : UTERI

30. Like earthquake damage : STRUCTURAL

31. Inept waiter's comeuppance : NO TIP

32. Foot-operated lever : PEDAL

33. "Peachy!" : "SWELL!"

38. Gradually vanish : FADE

39. Tater : SPUD

40. Nursery furniture with bars : BABY CRIB. Behind bars at such a young age!

42. Bother : PERTURB

43. Animation frame : CEL

45. Seoul-based Soul maker : KIA. Cars.

46. Minimum age for a U.S. senator : THIRTY

47. Jewish wedding dance : HORA

50. Tennis divisions : SETS. game, set, match.

51. Give notice : QUIT

52. Animosity spanning decades : FEUD

54. Change the decor of : REDO

55. __-friendly : USER

56. State, in France : ÉTAT

59. Wedding page word : NÉE

60. Corp. alias letters : DBA. "doing business as"

61. Pretoria's land: Abbr. : RSA. Pretoria is one of Republic of South Africa's three capitals.

Argyle

Monday, September 15, 2014 Don Rosenthal

Theme: Cheers! - A take on how you take your brewski.

17A. Window material : PANE GLASS

28A. "The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas" author : GERTRUDE STEIN

47A. One coming in from the bullpen : RELIEF PITCHER

64A. Explosive situation : POWDER KEG

71A. Brew found in increasing quantities in the ends of 17-, 28-, 47- and 64-Across : BEER

Argyle here...under the table. I don't know this constructor but I like him already. Great debut but forgot the ultimate beer container. "NORM!!"

Across:

1. Story : TALE

5. Gauge on a dash : TACH. Shortened tachometer.

9. Lowest opera voice : BASSO. With just *S*SO in place, I briefly thought FATSO.

14. Landed on the runway : ALIT

15. Sunburn soother : ALOE

16. Starting squad : A TEAM

19. Beauty at the ball : BELLE

20. French friend : AMI

21. Rapture : ECSTASY

23. Marshland : FEN

24. Legendary skater Henie : SONJA. Three-time Ladies' Singles Olympic Champion and ten-time World Champion.

26. "If it only could be" : "I WISH..."

34. Indian or Chinese, e.g. : ASIAN

35. Nametag greeting : HELLO

36. Harbinger : SIGN

39. Hindu guru : SWAMI

42. Imitated : APED

43. Images on a desktop : ICONS

45. Bride's beloved : GROOM

51. Thigh bone : FEMUR

52. Feel around in the dark : GROPE

55. N.C. State's conference : ACC. (Atlantic Coast Conference)

57. Early metalworking period : IRON AGE

61. Hush-hush fed. org. : CIA. Shh, that's all I can tell you.

62. Centrally managed store group : CHAIN. That's why the IGA is an alliance; no central management.

66. Metamorphosis stage : LARVA. Metamorphosis - a profound change in form from one stage to the next.

67. Scat legend Fitzgerald : ELLA

68. "__ upon a time ..." : ONCE

69. Speak : UTTER

70. Optimistic : ROSY

Down:

1. Spanish appetizers : TAPAS

2. Texas mission : ALAMO

3. Every cloud's silver feature? : LINING

4. Somme summer : ÉTÉ. French summer.

5. Soft mineral : TALC

6. "Ah, me!" : "ALAS!"

7. What you pay : COST

8. Half a guy-gal argument : HE SAID. Other half, SHE SAID.

9. Infantile : BABYISH. The above argument, often.

10. Had dinner : ATE

11. "For Dummies" bookstore section : SELF-HELP

12. Reduced-price event : SALE

13. Harbinger : OMEN

18. Drive and reverse : GEARS

22. Stockholm's land: Abbr. : SWE. (Sweden)

25. Lady in the 1965 sitcom pilot episode "The Lady in the Bottle" : JEANNIE

27. Pot for clams : STEAMER

29. "__ better to have loved ...": Tennyson : 'TIS

30. How half-shell clams are eaten : RAW

31. Eel, at sushi bars : UNAGI

32. Land in la mer : ÎLE

33. Silent agreement : NOD

36. Knight's title : SIR

37. Cubes in a bucket : ICE

38. Wheels on the links : GOLF CART

40. Mohawk-sporting actor : MR. T

41. Biennial games gp. : IOC. (International Olympic Committee)

44. Advanced college course : SEMINAR

46. "Golly" : "OH GEE"

48. Cat's coat : FUR and on your coat, too.

49. Like capitalized nouns : PROPER

50. Legendary football coach Knute : ROCKNE. Knute Rockne (1888 – 1931) was a football player and coach, both at the University of Notre Dame.

53. Cake serving : PIECE

54. Like the idiomatic beaver : EAGER

55. Civil rights org. : ACLU. (American Civil Liberties Union)

56. Online dialogue : CHAT

58. __ contendere: court plea : NOLO. Doesn't admit guilt but doesn't fight it either.

59. Leatherworking tools : AWLS

60. Down Under greeting : G'DAY

63. "__ got it!" : I'VE

65. Director Reiner : ROB

Argyle