Tuesday November 10, 2009 Donna S. Levin

Theme: DRIVE (68A: Hit from a tee, and word that can follow the first words of 20-, 28-, 49- and 59-Across)

20A. One-hit wonder: FLASH IN THE PAN

28A. Controversial school subject: SEX EDUCATION.

49A. President's selective rejection: LINE ITEM VETO.

59A. Pact addressing nuclear proliferation: TEST BAN TREATY.

FLASH DRIVE: A small electronic device used to store digital data, more portable and robust than a hard drive, ranging in capacities from 64MB to 256GB. I'm not savvy enough to need one.

LINE DRIVE: Baseball term for a batted ball that travels low, fast, and straight. The bane of pitchers.

TEST DRIVE: Taking a car out for a ride prior to purchase.

I left out SEX DRIVE because who here doesn't know about that!

Argyle again. This puzzle is not as scrabbly as Barry's yesterday, but smooth as well. Several nice Bob Klahn style clue echos (either sequential or crossing).

Some might have some trouble but the perps will probably rescue them.

Across:

1. Labor union foe: SCAB. SCABS was just clued as "Picket line crossers" yesterday.

5. 1999 Ron Howard film: ED TV. Starring Matthew McConaughey.

9. Clunker of a car: LEMON.

14. Building passage: HALL. Crossing SHAFT (1D. Mine passage). Nice "passage" echo.

15. Retired Cunard flagship, for short: QE II. Trouble for anyone?

16. Atlanta campus: EMORY. The university is recognized internationally for its outstanding liberal arts college, superb professional schools and one of the Southeast's leading health care systems. Emory's main campus is located in the suburban Atlanta neighborhood of Druid Hills.

17. Diva's number: ARIA.

18. Samovars: URNS. Samovar is a Russian term for a metal urn with a spigot, used to boil water for tea and traditionally having a chimney and heated by coals. Picture

19. Love, to Luigi: AMORE. Italian. OK, here is Dean Martin's "That's AMORE".

23. Stylistic judgment: TASTE.

24. Fishing aid: NET.

25. Hitter's stat: RBI.

36. It may be copped in court: PLEA. Cop a plea.

37. VCR successors: TIVOS. C.C. won't like 13D: TV's "Science Guy": NYE. because of TV in the clue.

38. Oodles: A LOT.

40. Mlles., in Spain: SRTAS. Mademoiselle is French for Miss, señorita in Spanish.

43. Soccer immortal: PELE.

44. Like thick carpets: PLUSH.

46. Beehive State college team: UTES.

48. No-goodnik: RAT.

54. European toy dog, briefly: POM. Pomeranian.

55. Enter, as data: INPUT. Data is the plural of DATUM (31D. Bit of information)

64. Gemologist's weight: CARAT. What's the difference between CARAT and KARAT again? (From Crockett: CARAT a unit of weight and KARAT a unit of pureness.)

66. Perjurer: LIAR.

67. "__ and Away": 1960s hit: UP, UP

71. Hood's scheme: CAPER.

72. Halloween cover-up: MASK.

73. IRS IDs: SSNS. Typical bottom edge word.

Down:

2. "Cheers" waitress: CARLA. Rhea Perlman (CARLA) is married to Danny DeVito. And 6. Actor Bruce: DERN. Bruce is the father of actress Laura Dern, whom he had with his ex-wife, actress Diane Ladd.

3. Fictitious name: ALIAS. Oh, C.C. gets quite a few annoying porn comments from this Nora Pearlstone (Rich Norris alias name) blog entry. Can someone have a look and see which link might cause such problem? Be careful with what you link at the Comments section too.

4. Explosions: BLASTS.

5. Prefix with lateral: EQUI. Meaning "same".

7. Windshield option: TINT.

8. Four-armed Hindu deity: VISHNU (VISH-noo). “The Preserver". Brahma is the Creator and Shiva is the Destroyer.

9. Eagerly took advantage of, as an opportunity: LEAPT AT.

10. Jane Austen novel: EMMA.

11. Song with the lyric "I'm crossing you in style": MOON RIVER. "Moon River", was composed by Johnny Mercer (lyrics) and Henry Mancini (music) in 1961, for the movie, Breakfast at Tiffany's.

12. NHL legend Bobby: ORR.

21. Dickens schemer Uriah: HEEP. From "David Copperfield".

22. Common Mkt.: EEC. European Economic Community.

26. When repeated, Yalie's cheer: BOOLA. "Boola Boola" is Yale's fight song.

27. Map in a map: INSET.

29. T-shirt sizes: XLS.

30. Eternally, in poems: E'ER. V is normally omitted (as in ne'er too).

31. Bit of informatition: DATUM

32. Bit of advice: TIP. Sequential "Bit of..." echo.

33. Canada's national tree: MAPLE. Hi, Geri!

34. Do-or-die poker bet: ALL-IN.

35. There and back: ROUND TRIP.

39. Mao __-tung: TSE. Wayne R Williams is probably still using his "Half a fly?" every day now. Tung simply means "east" in Chinese.

41. Off-road ride, briefly: ATV. Repeated offender.

45. Cool cat: HIPSTER.

47. Mix: STIR.

51. The Democrats' donkey, for one: EMBLEM.

52. Outdoes: ONE-UPS.

56. Half of the "California Dreamin'" singers: PAPAS.

57. One-eighty: U-TURN. 180 degrees is half-way round a circle (360 degrees)

58. Works on a keyboard: TYPES.

60. Icicle site: EAVE.

61. Verdi's slave girl: AIDA. The princess from Nubia (thanks, JD, and welcome back).

63. Difficult journey: TREK.

64. Swine flu watchdog agcy.: CDC. Center for Disease Control. Quite a topical fill.

65. Coach Parseghian: ARA. Of Notre Dame. Literally "Altar" in Latin.

Answer grid.

Argyle

Wednesday October 21, 2009 Donna S. Levin

Theme: Hockey Penalties - the starting word of each theme answer is a type of hockey penalty.

17A. Electrical worker's action: TRIPPING A SWITCH. A tripping penalty is called when a player trips an opposing player with his stick/his body.

24A. Discount retailer's action: SLASHING A PRICE. A slashing penalty occurs when a player slashes/swings at his opponent with his stick.

41A. Feuder's action: HOLDING A GRUDGE. A holding penalty is caused when a player grabs/holds his opponent from moving with his body/stick.

54A. Accused speeder's action: FIGHTING A TICKET. A fighting penalty happens when a player engages in a physical fight with his opponent.

47D. Place where the starts of this puzzle's four longest answers result in a penalty: RINK

Without RINK the unifying answer, I'd never had figured out the theme. Not a hockey fan, not wild about our Minnesota Wild at all.

Hope my understanding of above terms is correct. Those penalties all result in a 2-minute stay in the penalty box, correct, Dennis?

Definitely a tougher puzzle than last Wednesday's. I was stalled several times.

Across:

5. Benchwarmer: SCRUB. Second-stringer.

14. Spiritual guide: GURU. Sanskrit for "teacher".

15. Pageant trophy: TIARA. Always associate trophy with cup.

20. Stuff to capacity: SATIATE. Surfeit is 7-letter too.

21. Like the healthiest corned beef: LEANEST. Oh, speaking of food, I did not have a cold or flu. Just ate something I should not have touched.

22. White House advisory gp.: NSC (National Security Council)

23. "Don't tase me, __!": BRO. Uttered by a University of Florida student during a John Kerry appearance.

35. Exaggerated publicity: HYPE. And RAN IN (39A. Arrested). Man, the balloon boy hoax. The family sure got the fame they craved.

40. Parson's home: MANSE

46. Traffic jam causes: CRASHES

50. Toronto skyline landmark: CN TOWER. Now Dubai Tower is the tallest, with 160 floors.

57. Two-time U.S. Open winner Fraser: NEALE. I drew a blank. An Aussi. I thought Slazenger is only a golf ball brand.

58. Opposite of aweather: ALEE. Aweather is in the direction of the wind.

60. Freezing cold: GELID. Was stumped last time when Allan E. Parrish clued it as "Quite cold".

Down:

1. Bilko and York: Abbr.: SGTS. Anent abbr, wish we had NHL today.

2. Subtle emanation: AURA. Funny how I've never got tired of AURA as a crosswordese.

3. "True __": John Wayne film: GRIT. What's your favorite John Wayne movie?

4. Rotate face-up, as one's palm: SUPINATE (SOO-puh-neyt). New verb to me. I only know the adjective supine (lying on the back). Prone is lying on your face.

5. Pain in the side: STITCH. Oh, I've never heard of the term side stitch, though I've experienced such pain after reading the explanation. I was picturing pain au chocolat. Pain is French for bread.

6. Movie: CINE. I fell into the FILM trap.

7. Tabloid: RAG

8. Russia's __ Mountains: URAL. The Europe/Asia border mountain.

9. America's pastime: BASEBALL. Cole Hamels is going to pitch for the Phillies tonight. Hope he won't disappoint Barry Silk and all your Phillies fans.

10. Key of Beethoven's Ninth: D MINOR. The answer emerged itself.

12. Gremlin and Pacer: AMCS

13. Capital of Thailand?: BAHT (baht). Capital here refers to currency. See these images. Bangkok is so far away now.

18. Out of fashion: PASSE

19. Time irregularities, in sci-fi: WARPS

24. Prefix with foam: STYRO. Styrofoam.

25. Boutonniere site: LAPEL. Just learned that Boutonniere old French for "buttonhole".

27. Spanish sweetheart: NOVIA. Or fiancée/bride. Feminine. Novio is masculine sweetheart or fiancé/groom. Both new to me.

29. "Of Thee __": I SING

30. Thicket: COPSE. Same pronunciation with cops. I used to confuse it with corpse.

31. Olympics sword: EPEE

32. Peacock Throne occupant: SHAH. The name comes from the shape of a throne, having the figures of two peacocks standing behind it.

36. Challenging the rapids, maybe: CANOEING. Several non-theme ING-ending words in this puzzle.

37. Police cruiser: RADIO CAR

40. Poly- equivalent: MULTI. Both mean "many".

42. Sprints: DASHES

46. Corp. money bigwigs: CFOS. Andrew Fastow (ex-Enron CFO) will be out in 2 years.

49. Dagger of yore: SNEE. Scottish dagger. Learned from doing Xword.

50. Colombian cartel city: CALI. Gimme, right? I've mentioned the drug connection a few times. Loved the C C C alliteration.

51. How many employees are pd.: WKLY

55. Word before Friday or pal: GAL. Thought it's Girl Friday.

Answer grid.

C.C.

Thursday October 8, 2009 Donna S. Levin

Theme: COVERT OPS (59A. Hush-hush activities, briefly, and a hint to the hidden theme in 18-, 23-, 38- and 49-Across) - OPS are embedded in all the theme answers.

18A. Jam on the brakes: STOP SHORT. Remember this Seinfeld episode? "You stop short with me? We don't do that in Korea".

23A. Soft court stroke: DROP SHOT. Who has the best drop shot in tennis?

38A. Small family businesses: MOM AND POP STORES. Hard for them to survive in this Wal-Mart world.

49A. Stir-fried dish: CHOP SUEY. Suey is literally "small pieces". American Chinese food: meat & bean sprout & mushroom & onion or other veggies, served over rice or chow mein.

Very clever tie-in answer, COVERT OPS. Did you also consider COVERT/SECRET AGENT, Donna?

All of the hidden OPS span two words, very consistent. Silly, but I interpreted COVERTOPS as COVER TOPS initially.

Covert Ops is short for Covert Operations. According to Wikipedia, they maybe include sabotage, assassination, support for coups d’état & subversion, all those clandestine stuff. Any of them is better than war, isn't it? Had we allowed CIA to assassinate Saddam, so much lives would have been saved.

Very smooth puzzle. All of the multiple words are common phrases and easily obtainable.

Across:

1. Athenian with harsh laws: DRACO (DREY-koh). That's how we get draconian (drey-KOH-nee-uhn), meaning "very severe/harsh". Draconian measure, Draconian budget cut, etc.

6. "Star Wars" princess: LEIA. Played by Carrie Fisher. And UHURA (51D. "Star Trek" communications officer). Played by Nichelle Nichols. The latter always give me trouble. All I know about "Star Trek" is Spock and Sulu.

10. Hip-hop mogul who married Beyoncé: JAY-Z. Powerful couple. Jay-Z is unbelievably astute in his investment. Part owner of New Jersey Nets.

14. Grapevine traveler: RUMOR

16. "Dies __": hymn: IRAE. Literally "wrath".

17. Get hitched quick: ELOPE

20. Stick-on design: DECAL. Tough to find a 1950's/60's bobblehead with the original decal on.

21. Go astray: SIN

22. Press conf. format: Q AND A. Man, I never learn. Had trouble parsing the answer again.

25. Wallowing place: MUD. Was picturing a sty.

26. Pasture: LEA

27. Colorfully patterned fabric: PAISLEY. Name after the Scottish city famous for such fabric.

31. Songstress Adams: EDIE. What's her most famous song?

34. RCA Victor pooch: NIPPER. The dog in "His Master's Voice".

41. Driver's lic. et al.: IDS

42. Lend a hand: ASSIST

43. Fast time: LENT. For Christians. Muslims have their Ramadan.

44. Gander: LOOK-SEE

46. Embarrassed: RED

48. World Series mo.: OCT. Topical clue/fill. Damned Yankees. Nothing went right for the Twins yesterday.

54. Legend automaker: ACURA. Honda luxury brand.

57. Cross shape: TAU. The Greek T. Cross-shaped.

58. Yellowish earth tone: OCHRE. Or ocher.

61. Magician Henning et al.: DOUGS. Easy guess. Not familiar with Doug Henning.

63. Shoshoneans: UTES

64. __ the side of caution: ERR ON

66. Like slasher movies: GORY. A slasher is a horror film featuring gory special effects.

67. 1954-1977 defense gp.: SEATO (Southeast Asia Treaty Organization). Formed in Manila.

Down:

1. "Judge __": Stallone film: DREDD. Obtained the film title from crossings.

2. School tool: RULER

3. Big name in gas: AMOCO. Merged with BP in 1998.

4. Admit one's guilt to serve less time: COP A PLEA

5. Threat-ending words: OR ELSE

6. Rodeo rope: LASSO

7. Weird Al Yankovic parody of a Michael Jackson hit: EAT IT. Here is the clip. Unknown to me.

8. It's pumped in gyms: IRON. Jazzbumpa's "I, RON".

9. PC program: APP (Application). Applet is a small application. App(lication) + let.

10. Holy wars: JIHADS. The Koran says those who die in Jihad will go to heaven immediately.

13. Epsilon follower: ZETA. This is Dennis's favorite "Epsilon follower".

19. Water gun stream: SQUIRT

24. Desk phone unit: HANDSET. Wrote down HEADSET first.

25. Orchestra leader: MAESTRO. Italian for "master".

27. Third afterthought, in a ltr.: PPPS. The most I've used is PPS.

28. Old Italian money: LIRE. Plural of Lira.

30. Eddie of the '40s-'50s Senators: YOST. Washington Senators (now Twins). I drew a blank. Only knew the former Brewers' manager Ned YOST. Might have this card in my collection though. Wikipedia says he's nicknamed the "Walking Man" and he's still alive.

31. German artist Nolde: EMIL. I guessed. EMIL sounds German.

32. Dimwit: DODO. The extinct bird too.

33. "__ Excited": Pointer Sisters hit: I'M SO. Here is the clip.

35. __ dixit: assertion without proof: IPSE. Literally "he himself". IPSO is "itself", as in "ipso facto" (by the fact itself). Don't confuse it with Lhasa Apso the dog.

36. Luau fare: POI

39. Sprint Cup org.: NASCAR

40. It may take years to settle one: OLD SCORE. I like this fill a lot.

45. Seoul man: KOREAN. Seoul food is very hot. Koreans use lots of hot red pepper.

47. Lyric poems: EPODES. New word to me. Dictionary defines it as "a kind of lyric poem, invented by Archilochus, in which a long verse is followed by a short one".

49. Playful prank: CAPER

50. Brazen minx: HUSSY. Just learned this word a few months ago. Bad form of "housewife".

52. Grain disease: ERGOT. Wait for our in-house farmer/philosopher Windhover for expert explanation.

53. Like some simple questions: YES-NO

54. West Point, e.g.: Abbr.: ACAD (Academy)

56. Eye part containing the iris: UVEA. Latin for "grape".

57. He bit Miss Gulch in a 1939 film: TOTO. From "The Wizard of Oz". I bet this is Donna's original clue, given her fondness for the movie.

60. Pull hard: TUG. Tried LUG first.

Answer grid.

Picture of the Day: Here is a beautiful photo of our fellow solver Carol2 (in black) and her daughter-in-law, who is from Romania. They were in a local restaurant celebrating the 90th birthday of Carol's mother.

C.C.

Tuesday September 15, 2009 Donna S. Levin

Theme: LOST IN SPACE (57A: TV sci-fi series, first aired 9/15/1965, on which a robot spoke the catchphrase formed by the first words of 17-, 26-, and 42-Across).

I think that is the longest clue I have ever seen in a puzzle.

17A: Toon rodent who's a British secret agent: DANGER MOUSE.

26A: Suitor's proposal: WILL YOU MARRY ME?

42A: Shipwrecked literary hero: ROBINSON CRUSOE.

Melissa Bee blogging.

DANGER, WILL ROBINSON! Even though I never watched LOST IN SPACE, I got the answer immediately. Wikipedia says the phrase was only used once on the show.

Fairly straightforward puzzle, with a few unknowns to make it interesting. Three letters short of a pangram (J, Q and X).

Donna S. Levin has a knack for tribute puzzles. We just had her "The Wizard of Oz" (70-year anniversary) last month.

Across:

1A: Actress Messing of "Will & Grace": DEBRA.

6A: Nothing, in Latin: NIHIL. “Nihil aude, nihil obtine." Risk nothing, gain nothing.

11A: 6-Across suffix: ISM. Who said, "ism's, in my opinion, are not good."?

14A: Typical: USUAL. I'll have the usual.

15A: Endangered layer: OZONE.

20A: Scenic routes, often: SIDEROADS. Like this.

21A: "Look Homeward, Angel" author Thomas: WOLFE. His autobiographical first novel. One of my unknowns. Easy to confuse him with "The Bonfire of Vanities" author Tom WOLFE.

32A: Baseball's "Big Unit" _____ Johnson: RANDY. 6' 10" Pitcher for SF Giants. "Big Unit" indeed. Left-handed. Second All-time in strikeouts (4,867), after Nolan Ryan. Don't confuse him with Baseball's "The Big Train" Johnson, Hall-of-Famer Walter Johnson (right-handed).

33A: Cattle drive buddy: PARD. If you insist. And 62A: Buddy: PAL.

36A: Bouquet: SCENT. I tried to 'smell' it first.

38A: Litter weakling: RUNT.

40A: German name for Cologne: KOLN. I must have been absent the day we learned that.

41A: Cup for cafe: TASSE. French for cup. Like this. Or this.

46A: "_____ directed": medication warning: USE AS.

47A: Ship, to a sailor: HER.

50A: Mike Nichols's comedy partner: ELAINE MAY. Improvisational comedy duo from the 1960's. No idea.

59A: Nipper's co.: RCA. The famous dog listening for his master's voice.

64A: Two foursomes: OCTET. Sometimes it's OCTAD.

Down:

1D: Bombs that don't go off: DUDS.

2D: Actor Morales: ESAI. Crossword staple.

3D: 1930s-'40s German-American political group: BUND (boond). Wikipedia says 'Its main goal was to promote a favorable view of Nazi Germany.'

5D: In a wary way: ALERTLY. Watchful.

6D: "Hold the Hellmann's": NO MAYO. I've never uttered those words in my life.

7D: Shirt that once had a reptilian logo: IZOD.

8D: Male Servant: HOUSEMAN. You're hired.

9D: Aetna's business: Abbr: INS. Aetna is named after Mt Etna, the Sicilian volcano.

10D: Moving toward the calmer side, at sea: LEEWARD. Opposite of windward. See?

11D: "Shoulda listened to me!": I TOLD YOU SO. Or, as my aunt used to say, 'I mentioned that.'

18D: Actor Calhoun: RORY.

22D: Hockey legend Bobby: ORR. Bruins #4. RANDY Johnson always wears #51, except when he was with the Yankees.

25D: Golfer's wheels: CART.

26D: Loony one: WACKO. Irritating word.

27D: How a debater's response is made: IN REBUTTAL. There you go again.

28D: Mormon's gp.: LDS. Latter-Day Saints.

29D: Philly Ivy League sch.: U PENN.

30D: Minister's home: MANSE.

31D: Art Deco designer: ERTE. A gimme, thanks to C.C.

32D: Trailer park resident, for short: RV'ER. Recreational Vehicle. Not so much. I don't normally think of a trailer park and an RV park as the same thing.

36D: Slugger Sammy: SOSA. Sometimes it's "Slamming Sammy", which could also refer to the legendary golfer Sam SNEAD.

37D: Forms an increasingly smaller circle around, with "on": CLOSES IN. Another long clue.

38D: Coll. dorm VIPs: RA'S. Resident Assistants.

40D: Prepared to say 26-Across: Kneeled. Aw. Two cross-references in today's grid.

41D: Seeks help from: TURNS TO.

43D: Cuba or Aruba: Abbr: ISL. Island. Nice rhyme.

44D: Common poolside chair: CHAISE.

45D: Bridle part: REIN. Argyle has educated us about this before.

48D: Ball field protector: TARP.

49D: Peruvian of old: INCA.

51D: Former Ford cars: LTDS.

53D: Enhanced milkshake: MALT

54D: Entr' ____: intermission: ACTE. French for 'between the acts.'

55D: Mon., on Tues.: YEST (Yesterday). Today is Tuesday. Rich is quite attentive to this detail.

58D: Four quarters: ONE. Four quarters make one whole. "12D starter?" would be a great cross-reference clue too.

Answer grid.

Melissa Bee

Interview with Donna S. Levin

Today is our 6th Donna S. Levin puzzle since the TMS switch. But it's Donna's 69th LAT starting August 2005.

Donna (She is very beautiful) specializes in early-to-midweek puzzles. She has created several excellent tribute puzzles this year: "The Wizard of Oz" & Wimbledon for LA Times; 40th Anniversary Moon Landing & Bastille Day for NT Times.

Her puzzles also appeared in NY Sun. She contributes regularly to Stan Newman's Newsday & CroSynergy/Washington Post. Enjoy the interview.

What inspired this puzzle? What are the other theme entries you considered but failed to make the cut?

The answer to your first question is pretty darned embarrassing, I confess. I’ve been pining for a dog ever since my husband and I moved to Florida in 2000, but alas, we live in a building that doesn’t allow pets. Since I’ve been suffering from dog-lust for the past nine years, there’s been a long-running inside joke between the two of us: when he does something nice for me (which is often, I’m glad to say), I pat him on the head and say “Good boy!” From that evolved this puzzle.

Once I realized that there were enough doggy-commands to form the basis of a puzzle, I just started playing with the possibilities. The potential entries that didn’t make the cut were:

SIT THIS ONE OUT 13
BEG THE QUESTION 14
BEG FOR MERCY 11
STAY THE COURSE 13
COME FLY WITH ME 13
COME AND GET IT 12
COME AS YOU ARE 12
COME WHAT MAY 11
COME CLEAN 9
HEEL SPURS 9
SHAKE N BAKE 10

Those entries wound up in the shredder because either the length was wrong, the cluing would have been contrived, the gridding would have been difficult, or (as in the case of BEG) I just didn’t think it was nice to ask the dog to be so undignified!

Which fills do you think will get "huh?" from the solvers and which ones do you expect to elicit a "wow" reaction?

I’m a little concerned about CAPE ANN. As an East Coast gal who lived in New England for seven years, I know it -- but I’m not so sure it’s familiar to folks on the other side of the country. I’m mindful of the foofaraw caused by a constructor’s use of NATICK in a New York Times puzzle not too long ago, and I don’t want to be the cause of so many solvers’ getting in a pet. (I’ve always wanted to use the phrase “in a pet” in a sentence, having learned it from crosswords. Finally, I’ve managed to do it. Hooray!)

I don’t believe there’s anything that will elicit a “Wow!” in this one. I’m satisfied if I can prompt a simple smile and a feeling of satisfaction upon completion.

How would you describe your style? You seem to be fond of the tribute puzzles.

My puzzles are generally pretty straightforward, as I aim for the early-to-midweek audience. I am in awe of the constructors who can do snazzy rebuses or themelesses with stacks of 15’s; that’s not me, I’m afraid. Maybe someday, but not yet.

My fondness for tribute puzzles stems from a lack of imagination. When I first started constructing, the themes flowed easily … but after 4-1/2 years, the well is beginning to run dry. If there’s an anniversary of a significant event -- Martin Luther King Day, the finale of TV’s M*A*S*H, the premiere of “The Wizard of Oz,” the conquering of Mount Everest, the storming of the Bastille -- it provides a good starting point for brainstorming potential puzzles.

What is a perfect puzzle to you? Who are your favorite constructors?

For me, a perfect puzzle is one that, after I’ve finished it, I’m proud of myself for having done so. It’s one that makes me think hard, but that doesn’t send me to Google searching for some silly piece of trivia that no normal person could possibly know. I want a fair test of my cultural literacy.

I’m impressed by the work of so many constructors, far too numerous to name. If I had to single out just a few, I’d cite Manny Nosowsky, for his elegant, seemingly effortless themeless puzzles; Patrick Blindauer, for his oh-so-clever themes; and Bob Klahn, for his fresh, witty clues.

What is your background and what prompted you to make your first crossword?

I’m a happily retired attorney -- emphasis on the “happily.” Way back in the day, when I was going to law school, I could often be found in the law library … but never with a law book. Instead, I’d have Xeroxed the crossword page from the library’s newspaper (on a student’s budget, it was too expensive actually to buy a copy of a New York or Los Angeles paper in Massachusetts), and I’d be concentrating on doing the puzzle rather than my coursework.

I’d enjoyed solving puzzles over the years, but never gave any thought to how they were constructed until December 2004, when my husband and I gave my parents a gift in honor of their 50th wedding anniversary: passage for two on Stan Newman’s “Crossword Cruise,” since my dad had been a crossword aficionado his whole life. My folks inveigled us to join them on the cruise. Although competitive (timed) solving of crosswords left me cold (it felt too much like taking the SAT’s), Stan’s seminar on how to construct a puzzle fascinated me, and the rest is history. Luckily, I had wonderful mentors from the beginning: Myles Callum answered my cyberpost seeking an experienced eye to look over my first puzzle, and then Nancy Salomon took me under her wing, as she has so many aspiring constructors. Rich Norris was an absolute gem, too, giving me encouraging words and the hope that I just might be able to make a go of it if I stuck with it. I’m eternally grateful to all three of them.

Wednesday September 9, 2009 Donna S. Levin

Theme: Commands to FIDO (61D: Pet targeted by the first words of this puzzle's four longest answers) - Common phrases that start with a doggy order.

17A: Make an appearance: COME DOWN THE PIKE. New idiom to me. PIKE is short for turnpike.

26A: Do nothing: SIT ON ONE'S HANDS. Don't you think Philip Garrido's wife deserves more severe publishment?

48A: Dancing instruction from KC and the Sunshine Band: SHAKE YOUR BOOTY. Here is the clip. My first theme fill. Beyonce sure knows how to shake her booty. So does Shakira.

63A: Death row reprieve: STAY OF EXECUTION. I was surprised to find that the word "execution" does not always mean "death penalty" in this legal phrase. Wikipedia says it "refers to the imposition of whatever judgment is being stayed".

I wonder when FIDO became a common dog name. It's Latin for "I trust"/"faithful". Same root as Fidel, as in Fidel Castro.

Had some trouble with lower left corner. Felt silly stumped by ASIA (54D: Where billions live), after living there for almost 30 years. I suppose you can clue CHINA & INDIA as "Where billions live" too.

Do read Donna's interview. She talked about the other theme candidates that failed to make the cut.

Across:

1A: Big bird's grabber: TALON. What is "Small bird's grabber" then? CLAW?

6A: Croquet venue: LAWN. I always associate Croquet/Polo with the British aristocracy.

10A: Winery container: CASK. VAT is often clued this way.

14A: Essential acid, familiarly: AMINO. AMINO Acid.

16A: Galway Bay's __ Islands: ARAN. No idea. See this map. It's on the west coast of Ireland. How to pronounce ARAN? AIR-ran?

20A: Bolsheviks' bane: TSAR. Had a very romantic view of Bolsheviks & Che Guevara growing up.

21A: Ins. plans: HMOS. Was puzzled by Ins. (Insurance). "Med. plans" would be easier for me.

22A: Auto dealer's agreement, at times: LEASE

23A: Andy Taylor's boy: OPIE. "The Andy Griffith Show". Played by Ron Howard. I liked him in "American Graffiti".

25A: Cloak-and-dagger org.: CIA. Naomi Watts will play Valerie Plame in the movie "Fair Game".

33A: Movie trailer, e.g.: PROMO

34A: Bartender's rocks: ICE. NEAT is "sans ice".

38A: Fortified Portuguese wine: MADEIRA (muh-DEER-uh). Made in the MADEIRA Islands. Off the NW coast of West Africa.

42A: Draw: TIE. Noun. It's a draw/TIE.

43A: Throw in a chip: ANTE

45A: Nintendo game console: WII. Sounds like "we". The spelling of Wii with two lower-case "i" characters is meant to resemble two people standing side by side.

46A: Yankee's home: BRONX. The new Yankee Stadium is just across the street from the old one.

52A: "Groovy": RAD

53A: Seaside city: PORT. Bob Klahn would probably clue PORT as wine-related to echo MADEIRA.

54A: More than sufficiently: AMPLY. Alas, I did not read the clue properly. Had AMPLE.

57A: Greeley's direction for young men: WEST. "Go WEST, young men". Horace Greeley used this expression in an editorial in his "New York Tribune".

59A: Linc's "Mod Squad" do: AFRO. Easy guess. I don't know who Linc is. I remember this picture though. Peggy Lipton is very pretty.

66A: Enjoying a lot: INTO. I've got to learn to put a preposition for this kind of grammar-confusing clue.

68A: Doomed Genesis city: SODOM. SODOM and Gomorrah. The Biblical homosexual sin cities. Sodomy is rooted in SODOM.

69A: YMCA part: Abbr.: ASSN. Did not like the clue due to ABBR (41D: E.g.. e.g.).

70A: Lessons learned early: ABCS

71A: Eat away at: ERODE

Down:

2D: "Famous" cookie: AMOS. I used to really like Nabisco's chocolate chip cookies.

3D: South American capital: LIMA. LIMA bean is named after the city, though with a different pronunciation.

4D: Like a studio apartment: ONE-ROOM

6D: Marshals, unusually: LAWMEN

7D: 12 for Mg or 20 for Ca, e.g.: AT NO (Atomic Number). Easy guess. Mg=Magnesium. Ca=Calcium.

8D: Mental faculties: WITS

9D: Extreme degree: NTH

10D: Peninsula bordering Massachusetts Bay: CAPE ANN. See this map. Remember this Mike Peluso puzzle? CAPE ANN, Cape Fear, Cape Horn and Cape Cod.

11D: Diva's piece: ARIA

12D: Bloomingdale's rival: SAKS. SAKS Fifth Avenue.

13D: Genuflection joint: KNEE

18D: West Virginia border river: OHIO. Again, WEST is an answer.

19D: Lamb's pen name: ELIA. Here is an updated alias names of our editor Rich Norris.

24D: __ Penh, Cambodia: PNOM. Phnom Penh is more common.

25D: "If I Could Turn Back Time" singer: CHER. Loved the song.

26D: Pet welfare org.: SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals). Ah, bonus fill. Sometimes the answer is ASPCA (American SPCA). PETA is People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

28D: Place for a crown or cap: TOOTH. What were you thinking? Head?

30D: Biol. or geol.: SCI

31D: Artoo's "surname": DETOO. R2-D2, The "Star Wars" robot. Phonetically spelled Artoo-DETOO.

32D: Be frugal: STINT

40D: Like some home improvement projects, briefly: DIY (Do-It-Yourself)

44D: Near the outset: EARLY ON

47D: __ cuff: pitching injury site: ROTATOR. Shoulder injury. Elbow, wrist & shoulder, common pitching injury sites.

49D: Fight stopper: KAYO. More used to KO (knockout).

50D: Underdog victories: UPSETS

51D: Campus mil. group: ROTC. Quite a few ABBRs in today's puzzle.

55D: "White" peaks in N.H.: MTNS. Have never heard of this mountain range.

57D: Jack of "Dragnet": WEBB. He played Sergeant Friday in "Dragnet". I obtained the answer from Across fills.

58D: Corporate VIP: EXEC

61D: Large cross: ROOD. I forgot. Saw this word somewhere before. Large crucifix.

62D: "Dinner is __": ON ME. Thanks for being so generous.

64D: Flight oversight org.: FAA (Federal Aviation Administration). What a nightmare for FAA in those dark days! Where were you on Sept 11? My husband called from work and asked me to turn on the TV. I was stunned.

Answer grid.

Picture of the Day: Here is a sweet photo of our fellow LAT solver Mainiac and his gorgeous wife Jill. They've been married for 13 years, but he still introduces her as his girlfriend. This picture is simply adorable. On the left is their 13-year-old son Sam, who is holding 5-month-old Zivah. Their younger son Gus is 10 years old. He is holding the 5-month-old Hank.

C.C.

Tuesday August 25, 2009 Donna S. Levin

Theme: "The Wizard of Oz" (Blogged by Dr. Dad)

21A: Helpless: OVER A BARREL

26A: Something wonderful, in old slang: THE BEES KNEES. Never heard of this. Here is the definition. It is also a restaurant.

43A: '80's animated character assisted by the seven Color Kids: RAINBOW BRITE

50A: Character who, in a movie released nationally 70 years ago today, sang the ballad formed by the first words of 21-, 26-, and 43-Across: DOROTHY GALE. Auntie Em! Auntie Em!

C.C. asked me to guest blog the Tuesday Crossword. I hope I do it justice. But before I get started, congrats to T Frank and Jean. I saw where you were in Rhode Island which is where I currently reside.

I don't think we're in Kansas anymore Toto. All we're missing is the "Somewhere." Maybe a clue that involves the movie Somewhere in Time. Only because I like stories/films about time travel. In case anybody is curious, the title of the song has been both - "Over the Rainbow" and "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." Depends on where you look.

I remember that stupid character in 43A. My daughter needed everything that went with her 20 years ago. Cost big bucks.

Across:

1A: Punch line's lead-in: SETUP

6A: Where many a T-shirt is tie-dyed: CAMP. I bet there were a lot of tie-dyed shirts here 40 years ago.

10A: Mil. truant: AWOL

14A: Bernardo's girl, in "West Side Story": ANITA. Never read the book or saw the movie. Rita Morena played her in the movie.

15A: “Rubáiyát” poet Khayyám: OMAR. Could also have been clued Epps or Sharif.

16A: Type of lily: SEGO

17A: Generous sort: GIVER

18A: Put the kibosh on: VETO

19A: Like most hoopsters: TALL. Now this is a tall hoopster - for C.C.

20A: Fuss: ADO

24A: Landed: ALIT

25A: London insurance market: LLOYDS

31A: "How much wood ___ a woodchuck chuck ...": WOULD

32A: Weapons: ARMS

33A: Curly and Larry's cohort: MOE. I never liked them. There is supposed to be a movie in 2010.

36A: Concerning, in memos: IN RE. (in regard)

37A: Rum-soaked cakes: BABAS. They look good.

39A: Cass or Michele, in the '60's: MAMA. Sigh!!! The Mamas and The Papas.

40A: Prefix with thermal: GEO

41A: First Bond movie: DR. NO. I still think Sean Connery was the best Bond.

42A: Protection: AEGIS. In the Iliad, it was the shield or buckler of Athena or Zeus and was fashioned by Hephaestus.

46A: Bring in from abroad: IMPORT

49A: Overconfident morality tale critter: HARE

53A: Past: AGO

56A: Take a gander: LOOK

57A: Exploitative type: USER

58A: Felt the effects of overexertion: ACHED

60A: Morlocks' "The Time Machine Prey": ELOI. I love time travel. Did I already say that? I think the Back to the Future films handled it the best.

61A: Physical lead-in: META

62A: Not save: SPEND. The government is sure doing a lot of that lately.

63A: Hotel repository: SAFE. Interesting how it comes on the heels of "Spend."

64A: Important times: ERAS

65A: Domesticates: TAMES

Down:

1D: Drawn-out story: SAGA

2D: Oklahoma city on the Chisholm Trail: ENID. This is usually a crossword staple.

3D: VCR successor: TIVO

4D: Sporty truck, briefly: UTE. For sports "ute" ility vehicle.

5D: Released with conditions: PAROLED

6D: Violates the Tenth Commandment: COVETS. Another great movie starring Charlton Heston, president of the NRA (see 30D).

7D: OAS part: AMER. OAS = Organization of American States.

8D: Espionage name: MATA. Goes hand in hand with James Bond and Dr. No ( 41A).

9D: Predicaments: PROBLEMS

10D: Houston team: ASTROS. Speaking of another Texas team - what's up with that jumbo tron in the new Cowboy's stadium?

11D: Exhausted: WEARY

12D: Leered at: OGLED

13D: Reclines lazily: LOLLS

22D: Compete: VIE

23D: Brewpub brews: ALES. Might need one after getting through with this guest blog. I don't care how early in the morning it is.

24D: Competent: ABLE. I hope everyone thinks I was able to do this okay.

26D: Piece of kindling: TWIG

27D: Sharpen: HONE

28D: Mark's successor: EURO. Wasn't thinking Deutschmark here at first.

29D: "Shish" dish: KABOB. Sheesh!!! Still, there is nothing like them for a cookout on the barbie.

30D: Second amendment advocacy gp.: NRA

33D: Biblical gift bearers: MAGI

34D: Leave out: OMIT

35D: Alleviate: EASE

37D: "Fox News Sunday" panelist: BRIT HUME

38D: Michigan's ___ Arbor: ANN

39D: No more than: MERE

41D: Dressmaker's seam: DART. For some reason, I wanted darn and finally remembered dart.

42D: Side by side: ABREAST. This one probably got Dennis and the DF's (as we used to call them) going for a bit.

43D: First-year player: ROOKIE. Not that I keep up on it, but I wonder who's rookie card is worth the most these days.

44D: Tara family: O'HARAS. Tara is the fictional plantation in this movie.

45D: ___-Mart: WAL

46D: Doesn't do a thing: IDLES

47D: Gelt: MOOLA. With the government "spending" instead of "saving", how can we have any of this?

48D: Smoking gun, e.g.: PROOF

51D: River through France and Belgium: YSER. Another staple for crosswords. During the Battle of the Yser in the First World War the river was deliberately flooded from Nieuwpoort up to Diksmuide in order to provide an obstacle to the advancing German Army.

52D: "I ___ Kick Out of You": GET A

53D: Polite interruption: AHEM

54D: Trait source: GENE

55D: Bookie's concern: ODDS

59D: Numbers pro, briefly: CPA

Well, that's it for today's puzzle. I hope everyone appreciates my comments. Thank you, C.C. for letting me do this. I haven't been to the site in a long, long time because of the "work police" but was on vacation this week. Starting next week, it will probably go back to infrequent visits. It was nice to know (from yesterday's comments) that I was missed.

Answer grid.

Picture of the Day: Here is another great photo of our fellow solver Jeanne and her husband at her son's wedding. She said: "The saying around here for the mother of the groom is to “sit down, shut up, and wear beige.” I was good on 2 out of 3!!!".

Take care.

Dr. Dad

Monday June 22, 2009 Donna S. Levin

Theme: WIMBLEDON (55A: Annual English sports event that begins today, and a hint to this puzzle's theme)

18A: Grand Theft Auto, e.g.: VIDEO GAME

27A: Sterling afternoon serving pieces: SILVER TEA SET

44A: Ideal mate: PERFECT MATCH

I don't know why Grand Theft Auto is so popular. Orgy of violence. I've never had tea in a silver cup. I like my Twins' mug. Many beautiful things are often imperfect, including your mate.

Nice timely theme. I hope Roger Federer gets his 15th Grand Slam title. Must be painful for LENDL (41D: Tennis great Ivan) to see his name crosses WIMBLEDON. He never won there.

I am not fond of the clue for OBAMA (14A: McCain beater). It brought to mind an unpleasant image of Senator McCain being beaten and tortured in Vietnam.

Smooth sailing today. Rich Norris said this eased-up phase will last at least a few months.

Across:

1A: Humped beast: CAMEL. Some has two humps. The Arabian CAMEL has only one.

21A: General __ chicken: Chinese dish: TSO'S. I think I mentioned this before, TSO or its Mandarin spelling Cao is also the Chinese F word. Intonation can totally change the word meaning.

23A: Stateroom: CABIN. On Cruise ship.

25A: Nine-to-five grind: RAT RACE. The movie "Nine to Five" is very silly.

31A: Tense: ON EDGE

33A: A/C capacity meas.: BTU

36A: Best poker pair: ACES. Too bad it's not clued as tennis related.

37A: Dew's chilly cousin: FROST

39A: Rachel's sister: LEAH. Two other Biblical figures: ABEL (60A: 52D-Down son) & ADAM (52D: Sixth-day creation).

40A: Golfing standard: PAR. Ricky Barnes is going to win the US Open today!

42A: Actor Danny: AIELLO. I liked him in "Léon: The Professional". Can never remember his surname.

52A: Highest-ranking USN officer: ADM (Admiral)

62A: Bucky Beaver's toothpaste: IPANA. Wiki says IPANA is a leading toothpaste in Turkey. I learned this brand from doing Xword.

64A: Toy dog, briefly: PEKE

Down:

1D: Chilly: COOL. Wanted COLD.

5D: Final race segment: LAST LEG

6D: Frolic: CAVORT. FROLIC will be a great fill, with C at the end.

7D: Hertz competitor: AVIS. Named after its founder Warren AVIS.

10D: "The African Queen" costar: BOGART. He drank/smoked too much.

13D: New Hampshire city: KEENE. Got the answer from Across fills. What is KEENE famous for?

22D: Foolproof: SURE-FIRE

24D: Some men's underwear: BVDS. Just learned that it stands for Bradley, Voorhees & Day, the original three founders.

25D: Actress Charlotte and explorer John: RAES. The other RAE is Actress RAE Dawn Chong. "The Crying Game" actor is Stephen REA.

26D: Per what was previously mentioned: AS STATED

27D: Suds source: SOAP. S, s & S.

33D: Suspenders alternative: BELT. Do you like the decorative BELTS on her skirt?

38D: Gridiron zebras: REFS

43D: Put in danger: IMPERIL

44D: Zuni or Hopi home: PUEBLO. Spanish for "people", or "town"/"village", according to dictionary.

47D: "Survivor" unit: TRIBE. "Zuni or Hopi" would be a great clue too, right?

45D: Recoil in fear: CRINGE

53D: "Flintstone" pet: DINO

54D: Ghostly sound: MOAN. "Ecstatic sound" too.

Answer grid.

I'm going to change my blog title into "LA Times Crossword Corner" soon. To those who find me every day by googling "Star Tribune Crossword Corner", please simply bookmark the blog site (www.crosswordcorner.blogspot.com) and put it into your Favorites list.

C.C.

Wednesday June 10, 2009 Donna S. Levin

Theme: KNIT ONE, PURL ONE (57A: Directions appropriate for the activity suggested by the last words of 20-, 33- and 42-Across)

20A: Tingly feeling: PINS AND NEEDLES

33A: Through and through: DYED-IN-THE-WOOL

42A: Control tower concern: FLIGHT PATTERN

NEEDLES, WOOL & PATTERN simple suggests knitting, right? I am not a knitter. I don't know what kind of directions KNIT ONE, PURL ONE really are.

I am, however, a DYED-IN-THE-WOOL paper puzzle solver. I like having all the clues in front of me, writing, erasing, re-writing, sipping tea, snacking on nuts, etc. Working the on-line puzzle is just not relaxing. How about you?

Also, are you left-handed or right-handed? Kazie mentioned yesterday that "Lefties always look for connections and the "big picture", whereas righties seem to think more lineally, step by step". I am right-handed, but I think randomly, not "lineally".

Anyway, come to the Comments section and let me know which your dominant hand is. I am curious to know if we actually have more left-handed solvers than right-handed ones. Lefties are supposed to be good at solving problems.

My solving path today is rather jagged. But I got the job done. Favorite clues are TEAL and GYMNAST.

Across:

1A: SFPD alerts: APBS (All Points Bulletins)

10A: Term referring to a prev. citation: IBID. Short for Ibidem, meaning "in the aforementioned place". I forgot how it differs from OP. CIT. (in the work cited).

14A: Crux: MEAT. Wrote down GIST first.

15A: Greek market: AGORA

16A: Two-fifths of one quarter: DIME. I calculated 2/5 of 1/4 and got 1/10, so I wrote down DECI. Was not thinking of coin.

18A: Pricey mushroom: MOREL. Made me think of Dennis and his incredible moral sinew. I imagine he has a gruff voice.

19A: Educ. catchall: ELHI. EL(mentary) + HI(high school). I wrote down ET AL. I fall victim to this answer all the time.

23A: H.S. equivalency test: GED

25A: Monitor, briefly: CRT. For old computers.

29A: W.C.'s "My Little Chickadee" costar: MAE. Easy guess. Have never seen "My Little Chickadee". Was MAE West considered a sex symbol? She does not look hot to me.

37A: Proofing mark: DELE. And UNDO (59D: Backwards-arrow command)

38A: "Stroke" shouter, for short: COX (Coxswain). Stymied. "Stroke" is not a familiar command to me.

47A: Strange thing: ODDITY

51A: __Lingus: AER. Headquartered in Dublin. I like their three-leafed shamrock logo, green & leafy, very Irish.

52A: Canyon and Sierra: GMCS. Got the answer from Down fills.

62A: Surface magma: LAVA. Holy hot wick flow-er! Magma is beneath the earth's crust.

63A: Flared dress: A-LINE

64A: Tree of Knowledge site: EDEN. I am glad Adam & Eve ate the forbidden fruit.

67A: They may be pulled by teams: SLEDS. I thought team refers to horses & oxen only. I wrote down YOKES first.

69A: Masculine principle: YANG. Yin and YANG.

70A: Fusses: TO-DOS

71A: Big top: TENT. I like this clue.

Down:

1D: Rock booster: AMP. Kept thinking of "Rocket booster".

2D: Tiny sound: PEEP. More familiar with the "Look curiously" meaning of PEEP.

3D: Adriatic port: BARI. Unknown to me. See this map. It's a seaport in southeast of Italy.

4D: Smarted: STUNG

5D: Fast time in Fallujah: RAMADAN. The ninth month in Muslim calendar. I don't think I have the will to fast. Nice alliteration in the clue.

6D: Ray and Peter's co-Ghostbuster: EGON. No idea. Obtained the answer from Across fills.

7D: Parliament members: LORDS. House of Lords. And House of Commons. And houses of troubles for Gordon Brown. Man, he is toast, done!

9D: Alito and Thomas are graduates of it: YALE LAW. Gimme. So is the future Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

10D: Fingered, as a perp: IDED

11D: Original host of "The Price is Right": BILL CULLEN. Had trouble getting his given name as I screwed up the upper right corner.

12D: Words upon arriving: I'M HERE

13D: Many Founding Fathers, philosophically: DEISTS. Oh, I just learned that there is a difference between deism and theism. I wonder if ever America will elect an atheist as president.

21D: Big rig: SEMI

28D: Like many high achievers: SELF-DRIVEN

30D: Cut with acid: ETCH

32D: Mohair source: GOAT. Angora GOAT, to be exact.

35D: Fenced, perhaps: HOT. I did not know HOT is a slang for stolen goods.

36D: __ 67: Montreal fair: EXPO

40D: "Dude": BRO. Is BRO an African American saying?

43D: Let __: stop obsessing: IT GO

44D: One dismounting from a horse, maybe: GYMNAST. Pommel horse. Excellent clue.

45D: URL, e.g.: ADDRESS. Nice clue too.

46D: Ducky color?: TEAL. Another great clue. Interesting name, cinnamon TEAL duck.

47D: Subject of "Annie Get Your Gun": OAKLEY

48D: Reply to "Gracias": DE NADA

53D: Rostropovich's instrument: CELLO. Thought of PIANO first. His name Rostropovich sounds like a pianist.

58D: Spacecraft beverage: TANG. The first time I had TANG is around 1987, some 30 years after its invention.

61D: Hibernia: ERIN. You should eat worm if you failed to get this one. I've mentioned on the blog several times that Hibernia is Latin for Ireland. And those who love everything Irish are called hibernophiles.

Answer grid.

C.C.