Tuesday, January 27, 2015 Ed Sessa

Theme: Tuesday Toadies - All are dupes that get used.

57A. Classic comedy team, with "The" ... and what the last words of 20-, 38- and 44-Across comprise : THREE STOOGES

20A. Rock used for hammering, e.g. : STONE AGE TOOL

38A. Shari Lewis' Lamb Chop, memorably : SOCK PUPPET

44A. First piece moved in chess, often : QUEEN'S PAWN

Argyle here. Eighty words but it although it didn't feel like that many. All the letters except J Z.

Across:

1. Many an Amman man : ARAB

5. Grab, as ice cubes : TONG

9. Seuss character who "speaks for the trees" : LORAX

14. Ship bottom : HULL. Perhaps Spitzboov can elaborate.

15. Auth. unknown : ANON. But we know anons; they're not all bad.

16. Fit to be tied : IRATE

17. Opposed to : ANTI

18. Flat-topped elevation : MESA

19. Consumerist Ralph : NADER

23. Mousse kin : GEL

24. NBC skit show : SNL. (Saturday Night Live)

25. Neighbor of Can. : USA

28. Seasoned veteran : PRO

31. Sneaker brand : KEDS

34. Sharper, as vision : KEENER

36. One that falls in the fall : LEAF

40. Media workers' org. : AFTRA. (American Federation of Television and Radio Artists)

42. Mentalist Geller : URI

43. Home of baseball's Marlins : MIAMI

47. Takes a load off : SITS

48. "Incredible!" : "UNREAL!"

49. __ Piper : PIED. Def. having two or more different colors.

51. Half a colon : DOT

52. Blog VIPs : EDs. (editor)

53. Bubble bath spot : TUB

55. Arctic sea bird : AUK

63. Mexican mom : MADRE. (madre política : mother-in-law) Plus 63D. Mother's Day month : MAY. (el día de la madre, diez de mayo)

66. Wrap for a sprain : TAPE

67. Agatha Christie's title : DAME. She was made a Dame by Queen Elizabeth in 1971.

68. Universal principle : AXIOM

69. Letter-named thoroughfares in Bklyn. : AVEs. Full of snow, I suppose.

70. Soprano Gluck : ALMA

71. Gossipmonger : YENTA

72. Religious offshoot : SECT

73. Ringful on a belt : KEYS

Down:

1. Triumphant cries : A-HAs. When I 'got' 73-Across.

2. Littlest of a litter : RUNT

3. Voice below soprano : ALTO

4. Showy jewelry : BLING

5. Fare steamed in corn husks : TAMALEs

6. Ten C-notes : ONE G. 10 x $100 = $1,000

7. Wine quality : NOSE

8. Annoying swarm : GNATS

9. Kitchen flooring : LINOLEUM and 41D. Detested thing : ANATHEMA. I had trouble spelling these two climbers.

10. Like much early history : ORAL

11. "Cool!" : "RAD!" (radical)

12. Had a bite : ATE

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

21. Surprised scream : [EEK!]

22. Cleaning up after the mess? : ON KP. in the service.

25. Still owed : UNPAID

26. Appear that way : SEEM TO

27. Palette user : ARTIST

28. Inscribed award : PLAQUE

29. Check from the IRS : REFUND. They may be late this year.

30. Films featuring chaps in chaps : OATERS. (Westerns)

32. Fasten, as buttons : DO UP

33. Junkyard metal : SCRAP

35. Protestant denom. : EPIS. (Episcopal)

37. Let loose : FREE

39. Fuzzy fruit : KIWI

45. Insult : SLUR

46. Most shipshape : NEATEST

50. Lovebirds, e.g. : DUO

54. Software test versions : BETAs

56. George Eastman's camera : KODAK

57. Easy race pace : TROT

58. Whence icicles hang : EAVE

59. Building detail, briefly : SPEC. Specification, different from on spec: Speculation.

60. Big windstorm : GALE

61. Award for a sitcom : EMMY

62. Red and Coral : SEAs. The Coral Sea.

64. Bough breaker : AXE. Axe must have been too dull to chop it.

65. Racket : DIN

Argyle

Thursday, December 18, 2014 Ed Sessa

Theme: "That's an Order!"

3D. Diner's breakfast request : EGGS SUNNY SIDE UP. The order you give to Flo, in Mel's diner.

5D. Baseball manager's decision : STARTING LINEUP. The list of players who will be in the game.

9D. Cop's command : PUT YOUR HANDS UP. An order that caused a lot of unrest in Ferguson.

And the reveal:
11D. What sports stats are usually shown in ... or what 3-, 5- and 9-Down each represents? : DESCENDING ORDER. Each of the three theme entries is a type of "order" descending in the grid. I am not sure if "up" at the end of each one has something to do with the theme, or if they are just coincidental. Let's see if Mr. Sessa can enlighten us.

(From C.C.: I thought they're coincidental. Lemonade said Rule 39 is "there are no coincidences". So we consulted the constructor Mr. Ed. Here is what he told us:

I figured it added a little twist to the puzzle, up being "down", along with having three different "takes" on the meaning of the word "order")


Unusual grid, with left to right symmetry, but not top to bottom. It also seemed very easy to me for a Thursday, but your experience may vary.

Across

1. Many Pindar poems : ODES.

5. Philatelist's find : STAMP.

10. Mt. Rushmore locale : S. DAK.

14. "Rich & Meaty" brand : RAGU

15. "I should have made my way straight __ long ago": Whitman : TO YOU.

16. "Try this" : HERE.

17. Joule fractions : ERGS.

18. Explosive trial : A-TEST.

19. "Makes sense to me" : I SEE.

20. Old Buick : LESABRE.

22. Not surprising : TYPICAL.

24. Schoolyard comeback : IS NOT.

25. Chaps can be seen in one : OATER. This one got a smile from me.

26. Like boxed matches : UNLIT.

28. Jackson successor Van __ : BUREN.

29. Predatory seabird : ERN.

31. "Hit me" : ONE MORE. You might hear those words at a bar or at a Blackjack table.

33. Speckle : DOT.

36. Broadway's __-Fontanne Theatre : LUNT. No clue. All perps. It was originally called The Globe Theater, but renamed after renovation in 1957, in honor of Alfred Lunt and Lynne Fontaine.

38. Grind, as teeth : GNASH.

39. Young hombre : NINO.

40. Shout before Silver : HI YO. Silver, Awaaaaaaaaaaay!

41. Patterson who played the singing flight attendant in "Airplane!" : LORNA. Loved that movie.

42. Handling the situation : ON IT.

43. Pancreatic hormone : INSULIN.

45. Blue hues : INDIGOS.

47. Chase scene sounds : SIRENS.

48. Annexes : ADDS ON.

49. One of a fiver's fifty : DIME.

50. Recipe word : STIR.

51. Flock females : EWES.

53. Freedom, in Swahili : UHURU. Total WAG, with only 5 perps needed. ;-)

57. "The Country Girls" novelist O'Brien : EDNA. the novel was banned in Ireland, and her parish priest publicly burned copies, because it dealt with sexuality in the '60s.

60. Big oaf : LOUT.

61. Surgical holding area : PRE-OP.

62. Go slowly (through) : SEEP.

63. Hard-to-do dos : MOPS.

64. Part of REM : EYE.

Down

1. City about 225 miles from Moscow : OREL. I always get this city confused with Orem, which is near Provo, Utah.

2. "__ say it?" : DARE I.

4. "Valley of the Dolls" author Jacqueline : SUSANN. Gimme.  That book was also considered "racy" when it came out in the '60s.

6. Carry : TOTE.

7. Word to a captain : AYE.

8. Greatest amount : MOST.

10. Many an Iraqi Muslim : SHIITE.

12. Toward the stern : AREAR.

13. Boat base : KEEL.

21. Barn dance neckwear : BOLO.

23. Remove the skin from : PARE.

27. Mortise inserts : TENONS.

28. Sarajevo's region : BOSNIA.

29. K-12 : ELHI.

30. Roman holiday attractions : RUINS. It's an incredible feeling to walk where Caesar once stood.

32. Dent or scratch : MAR.

34. Pizza topping : ONION. I just made Hawaiian pizza last night, with ham and pineapple. Yum!

35. Wee ones : TOTS.

37. Busload at a resort, probably : TOURISTS.

39. Loud to the max : NOISIEST.

44. Moon lander, briefly : LEM.

46. Prohibited insecticide : DDT.

51. With 65-Across, source of shade : ELM. And 65-Across: See 51-Down : TREE.

52. Act the suitor : WOO.

54. Charlemagne's realm: Abbr. : HRE. Holy Roman Empire.

55. Turn that's hung : UEY. I think we should take a vote for our favorite spelling of this, and then banish all other spellings forever from crossword puzzles!

56. Canapé topping : ROE.

58. Wedding page word : NEE.

59. Oaf : APE.

That's all from me. Let's hear from you!

Marti

Sunday, November 2, 2014 Ed Sessa

 Theme:  "Follow the Money" - Cash can precede the last word in each theme entry.

23A. *Unpredictable influence : WILD CARD. Cash card.

97A. *Abundant yield : BUMPER CROP. Cash crop.

32A. *"No idea" : DOESN'T REGISTER. Cash register.

41A. *Where words may be mangled : KARAOKE BAR. Cash bar.

73A. *Home Depot competitor : TRUE VALUE. Cash value.

109A. *Novel about a world traveler? : THE TIME MACHINE. Cash machine.

16D. *Hold answerable : CALL TO ACCOUNT. Cash account.

57D. *Bend under pressure : GO WITH THE FLOW. Cash flow.

Reveal entry:

 123. Rebate, and, literally, what the end of each answer to a starred clue can be : CASHBACK

I like that the CARD in the theme entries has different meaning than the CARD in the resulting "Cash *" phrase.

Great grid design also. Noticed how 2 pairs of long theme entries intersect each other? This often eases up the filling, but it takes skill and luck to make intersection happen.

Across:     

1. Young boy : LAD

4. Dallas quarterback Tony : ROMO

8. Binding piece : STRAP. I was thinking of contract.

13. Olympics spinner : DISCUS

19. __ pro nobis : ORA

20. Nastase of tennis : ILIE

21. It may be put on a dog : CHILI. I tried ONION first. At least, I was in the right direction.

22. Sci-fi psychic : EMPATH

25. Go around : ORBIT

26. Baseball Hall of Famer Fingers : ROLLIE. Known for  his handlebar mustache.

27. Take over for : RELIEVE. Rollie Fingers was a reliever.

28. Luxury hotel facility : SPA

29. Velvety sweater fabric : CHENILLE. No idea. Googled and found lots of caterpillar images. Turns out it's French for "caterpillar".

31. Turner autobiography : I, TINA

35. Fr. holy woman : STE

36. Regal regalia : ROBES

39. Trail user : HIKER

40. "As __ to breathe were life!": Tennyson : THO'

 

44. Intimidated : COWED

46. Pub quaff : ALE

49. Tranfusion quantity : UNIT

50. Eat in style : DINE. Marti just asked me about Dim sum. Guangzhou is truly a food heaven. Everything is so fresh and cheap. That's why retired folks can afford the afternoon tea every day. Click on the picture, PK, do you see the green pieces on the shrimp rice? Those are scallions (green onions), ubiquitous in Chinese cooking.

52. Comforted : SOLACED

55. __ bag : DOGGIE. I have a question: "Goodie bag" or "Goody bag", which spelling do you prefer?

58. Sources of energy : CARBS

61. YouTube video source : WEBCAM

62. Eclectic musician Brian : ENO

63. Greeted, with "to" : SAID HI

67. Clodhopper : OAF

69. Pilotless plane : DRONE

70. Mimicked a mouser, maybe : MEWED

75. Pan-fry : SAUTE. I "stir-fry" all the time and I don't use a wok.

76. Crème de la crème : ELITE

77. Cap seen on a brae : TAM

78. Venues for French courses : ECOLES

80. SSA IDs : NOs

81. Percussion instrument : RATTLE

83. Nastiness : SPITE

85. Fly over Africa? : TSETSE. Noun Fly.

88. Without much forethought : IN HASTE

90. Muppet with a unibrow : BERT

92. Lego buys : KITS

93. New Year in Hanoi : TET. Same day as Chinese Spring Festival. Feb 19, 2015.

94. Pertinent, in legalese : AD REM

 

102. Really selling : HOT

105. Shows astonishment : GASPS

107. Martini's partner : ROSSI

108. Antipollution gp. : EPA. I don't remember a clear morning day in Beijing. Always foggy.

113. Verbal attention-grabbers : PSSTs

115. Work on, in a way, as furniture : RE-FINISH

116. TV spots : ADS

117. Reaffirming response : YES IT IS

119. Doles out : ALLOTS

120. Present one's view : OPINE

124. It may be lined with cedar : CLOSET. Not STREET.

125. Cowl wearers : MONKS

126. Plus : ALSO

127. Menlo Park monogram : TAE. Thomas Alva Edison.

128. Spire sites : TOWERS

129. Dadaist Max : ERNST

130. "That smarts!" : YEOW

131. Jack __, lead singer for the Kingsmen in "Louie Louie" : ELY. I only know Ron.

Down:

1. With little at stake : LOW RISK

2. Diva's encore : ARIETTA. Diminutive of Aria.

3. Slowpoke : DALLIER

4. Brand made with vermicelli : RICE-A-RONI. So many flavors. By the way, has any of you tried boiled green peanuts?  So tasty.

5. Norwegian saint : OLAV

6. Slimy soil : MIRE

7. Wordsmith's ref. : OED

8. Accessory for a marksman : SCOPE

9. Defeat badly : THRASH

10. Eve's genesis : RIB. Easy in retrospect.

11. Baba or a boxer : ALI

12. Re-tiring workforce? : PIT CREW. Great clue/fill.

13. Removal of restrictions, informally : DE-REG

14. "Let me take care of this!" : I'M ON IT

15. "__ Splash": Bobby Darin hit : SPLISH

 

17. Serving a purpose : UTILE

18. See-through : SHEER

24. Unpleasant noise : DIN. This sounds extreme, but can you imagine being disturbed 5 times a day?

28. "What a shame" : SO SAD

30. Start of an Ed McMahon intro : HERE'S (Johnny)

32. Belle of the ball : DEB

33. More kindly : NICER

34. Ring result, briefly : TKO. Boxing.

37. Steinbeck migrants : OKIES

38. Parlay, e.g. : BET

42. Summer mo. : AUG

43. Nouveau __ : RICHE

45. Wall St. Journal concern, with "the" : DOW. You can find the Wall Street Journal in almost all hotels in Hong Kong. Not always the case with the NY Times. Hong Kong is very business-oriented.

47. Basic shelters : LEAN-TOS

48. '80s attorney general : ED MEESE

51. Ingénue quality : NAIVETE

53. Watch displays, for short : LEDs

54. Incantation start : ABRA

55. Misconduct mark : DEMERIT

56. Like some country bridges : ONE LANE

 

59. Scout's neckwear : BOLO

60. Author Bellow : SAUL

64. One pressing a suit: Abbr. : ATT

65. Nest eggs for srs. : IRAS

66. Run-down joint : DUMP

68. Charge : FEE

71. Kett of old funnies : ETTA

72. Convention goers: Abbr. : DELS (Delegates)

74. Acid-tongued : ACERB. Same root as "Acid". Should have used another clue.

 

79. Pigpens : STIES

82. Two after epsilon : ETA

84. Longtime high-tech compatibility standard : IBM PC. So good to have you back, TTP.

86. Burlesque feature : STRIP SHOW

87. Corner key : ESC

89. Jigsaw puzzle starters : EDGES

91. Goes bad : TURNS

92. Some mil. mess duties : KPS

95. Make in a big way, as a point : RAM HOME

96. That: Sp. : ESA

98. One of a pie-throwing trio : MOE. I'd better pay attention to what Chairman Moe says when Masters approaches next year.

99. Say again : RE-STATE

100. Kind of illusion : OPTICAL

101. Hotel housekeeping need : PASS KEY

103. Idle : OTIOSE. Not a word I use, Yellowrocks.

104. Salon specialist : TINTER. Never been a TINTEE. Never heard of this specialist.

106. Ossobuco cuts : SHANKS

109. Stretch of land : TRACT

110. Greeting word : HELLO

111. Seaside phenomena : MISTS

112. Latin clarification : ID EST

114. One of a quint's four : SIB. Oh, quintuples. The little girl on the left has 4 siblings.

117. Harvard rival : YALE

118. Red-letters-in-a-blue-oval gas logo : ESSO

121. Spanish preposition : POR

122. Comfort __ : INN

123. Little island : CAY

Here are these pictures of JD's adorable grandsons and their mom in Halloween costumes.

 Cameron

 Dylan

Dylan and Mom Shelby

C.C.

Sunday July 27, 2014 Ed Sessa,

Theme: "Double Talk"- Clues, all in quotation marks (hence "talk"), serve dual purpose (hence "double talk"), explaining both words in theme answers which are all in the pattern of *ING *

23A. "Uh-oh, there's a ball and glass shards under the window"? : BREAKING NEWS

45A "Give 20% for great service"? : TIPPING POINT. Tipping was new to me when I first arrived in the US.

61A. "You shoulda seen the one that got away"? : FISHING LINE. The Annandale flea market we go on Saturdays are surrounded by many many lakes.

70A. "The children were angels and in bed by eight"? : SITTING BULL

86A. "Hooray, you're up!"? : ROUSING CHEER

112A. "Here's a good way to use your comb"? : PARTING WORDS

17D. "Who's ahead?"? : LEADING QUESTION

43D. "A daily jog is good for you"? : RUNNING ARGUMENT

So, all the theme entries are completely re-interpreted with amusing effect. It takes imagination & humor to execute this type of gimmick. Ed is a pro.

Also I love the fill today. So clean for a 140-worder.

Across:

1. Be a slacker : DOG IT

6. Soft-bodied swimmers : OCTOPI. The meat is chewy.

12. Kin of raspberries : CATCALLS. Not other fruit.

20. One may be seen with glasses : OPERA. Opera glasses.

21. Forgoes : WAIVES

22. Like sloths : ARBOREAL

25. "No sweat" : REAL EASY!

26. Prohibited : BANNED

27. Organ with a drum : EAR

28. Small strings on the Big Island : UKES

30. Presages : BODES

31. Destroys, as illusions : SHATTERS. That's why I disliked Juiced.

33. Forced with a crowbar : PRIED

35. 68-Down maker : DELI. 68. 35-Across order : BLT. I already harvested two tomatoes from our garden.

36. __Kosh B'Gosh : OSH

37. Rhone feeder : SAONE

38. "The Great Schnozzola" : DURANTE

41. Taj Mahal setting : AGRA

48. St. leader : GOV. "St" can stand for quite a few things.

49. Dull-edged : BLUNT

51. Trekkie, to some : NERD

52. Get into : DON. Oh, clothes.

53. "__ se habla español" : AQUI. Here. Spanish is spoken here.

54. Wrigley's Big Red flavoring : CINNAMON

56. Silver lining : UPSIDE

59. Pitch : HURL

60. RR stop : STN

64. Composer Camille Saint-__ : SAENS

65. Link up with : TIE TO

67. "The Dark Knight" director Christopher : NOLAN. I confused him with the creepy X-Men director Bryan Singer.

68. Brazilian dance opener : BOSSA (Nova)

69. Jamboree quarters : TENTS

74. "Enough already!" : TMI

76. Therefore : ERGO

77. Like this answer : ACROSS. So meta.

78. Things : ENTITIES

80. Indian flatbread : NAAN

81. Mauna __ : LOA. "Long" in Hawaiian.

82. Part of a family business name : SONS

84. Unmanned flier : DRONE

85. Copier size: Abbr. : LTR

91. Hold 'em opener : ANTE

92. Most monumental : BIGGEST

94. Aloe targets : SORES

95. Batt. terminal : NEG

97. Sources in a modern bibliog. : URLS

98. Playwright Chekhov : ANTON. Masha, one of  "Three Sisters",  was modeled on his future wife, a stage actress.

99. Mason : STONEMAN

104. '50s first lady : MAMIE

106. Cocktail hour spread : PATE

107. Hieroglyphic serpent : ASP

109. Wisconsin city on Lake Michigan : RACINE. Not familiar with this city. Siren, Wisconsin has a Burnikel Road.

110. Mass approval : AMEN AMEN

115. Beltway : RING ROAD

116. Each : A PIECE

117. Like a good watchdog : ALERT

118. Chant : INTONATE. Only know the noun "Intonation".

119. Headed for the Styx : DOOMED

120. Helps through difficulty, with "over" : TIDES

Down:

1. Lou of Fox Business Network : DOBBS. I used to watch him faithfully in his CNN days.

2. TV book club creator : OPRAH

3. Actress Davis : GEENA

4. "__, Therefore I Am": Dennis Miller book : I RANT

5. Become fond of : TAKE TO

6. Possess : OWN

7. Cockatoo quarters : CAGES

8. '90s "New Yorker" editor Brown : TINA. Sharp wit. She bought this famous cartoon & published it immediately. Like LA Times crosswords, "New Yorker" has a long queue of cartoons.

"No, Thursday's out. How about never - is never good for you?"

9. Didn't shop around, maybe : OVER-PAID

10. Benchlike seat : PEW

11. Distributing : ISSUING

12. Liked, with "for" : CARED

13. Greek war god : ARES

14. Not decided, in skeds : TBA

15. Comic with a satiric news show : COLBERT. I prefer Jon Stewart. Who's your favorite comic, Jayce?

16. Colorful ring : AREOLA

18. Zap : LASE

19. Stone and others : SLYS

24. Caesar's "that is" : ID EST

29. Maintain : KEEP

32. Endangered Sumatrans : RHINOS

34. Kim Possible's sidekick __ Stoppable : RON. No idea. Never watched Kim Possible.

35. "An Inconvenient Woman" novelist : DUNNE

37. Three-mo. period : SPR

38. LED component : DIODE

39. Open, for one : TOURNAMENT

40. Bad things : EVILS

41. Kindergarten basics : ABCS

42. People people : GLITTERATI. People magazine.

44. Gothic novelist Radcliffe : ANN

46. Phnom __ : PENH

47. God in both Eddas : ODIN

50. Political family spanning three centuries : TAFTS.  I even remember Bob Taft. Must be some scandals.

53. Cries of discovery : AHAs

55. Mine in Milan : MIO

56. Citrus hybrids : UGLIS. Very juicy.

57. It may contain steps : PLAN

58. Perform, in a way : SING

62. Digging : INTO

63. Have-__: disadvantaged ones : NOTS

64. Reliable, as a citizen : SOLID

66. Prince William's alma mater : ETON

69. Workout wt. : TEN LB

70. Jamboree attendee : SCOUT. Have any of you read "The Mockingbird Next Door"? Harpee Lee called Truman Capote a "psychopath".

71. Some savings accts. : IRAS

72. Prefix with diction : BENE

73. Not posted yet : UNSENT

75. "Understood" : I SEE

77. Puzzled, after "at" : A LOSS

79. La-la lead-in : TRA

82. Script outline : SCENARIO

83. Aptly named Quaker cereal : OHS. I've been enjoying the Test Kitchen steel cut oatmeal D-Otto mentioned on the blog a few months ago. Too bad he does not like it himself.

86. Master again : RE-LEARN

87. Ain't good? : ISN'T. Grammatically.

88. Place for a to-do list : NOTE PAD

89. Garden product word : GRO. Miracle-Gro.

90. Bankruptcy result, briefly : REORG

93. "__ Viejo": Carlos Fuentes novel : GRINGO. Carlos Fuentes said Spanish was the only language he could make love with. That's why he only married Mexican women.

96. Plague : GNAW AT

98. "Duck Dynasty" airer : A AND E

99. Rub ingredient : SPICE

100. Bacteria found in the GI tract : ECOLI

101. Stuck in muck : MIRED

102. Wrestler known as "the Giant" : ANDRE. He was in The Princess Bride.

103. Tweeting locales : NESTS. Not Twitter tweet.

104. Spouse on the Seine : MARI. Husband.

105. Ugandan despot : AMIN

106. Organic fuel : PEAT

108. Poppy prop : STEM

111. Minn. shopping mecca : MOA. Mall of America, where Gary & his wife will visit next month.

113. GI's address : APO

114. Beatty of "Deliverance" : NED. Wish I did not see the movie. 

C.C.

Monday, March 31, 2014 Ed Sessa

Theme: Smudge - What you may have had if you solved these rhymes using paper and pen.

17A. Tennis court official : LINE JUDGE

24A. Harbor long-term resentment : NURSE A GRUDGE

51A. Creamy confection : VANILLA FUDGE

64A. "Stay put!" : "DON'T BUDGE!"

11D. Political commentator with an Internet "Report" : MATT DRUDGE

29D. Push gently : GIVE A NUDGE

Argyle here. I can hardly wait to see what Owen does with this one. At first I thought, "Is that all there is, entries that end in a rhyme" but really, six entries with two crossings on a Monday! What more can I want?

Across:

1. Insect stage : LARVA

6. Sink down in the middle : SAG

9. Heavy haulers : SEMIs

14. Not quite spherical : OVOID

15. Single : ONE

16. Mild-mannered reporter Kent : CLARK

19. Overzealous type : ULTRA

20. Point after deuce : AD IN. Tennis.

21. More narcissistic : VAINER

23. Asian New Year : TET

27. Portuguese explorer Vasco : da GAMA. More.

30. Open court hearing, in law : OYER. (oyer and terminer)

31. News org. : UPI. (United Press International)

32. Construction zone cones : PYLONS

36. Earth-orbiting Gagarin : YURI. First human to make an orbital space flight (1961).

39. Birds that symbolize peace : DOVES

41. Right, vis-à-vis left: Abbr. : OPP.osite

42. Early PC interface : MS DOS

43. Glasses, in ads : SPEX. Adspeak.

44. More than mono : STEREO

46. Workout facility : GYM

47. Water, in Juárez : AGUA

49. Amazingly enough : NO LESS

56. End of a prof's URL : .EDU

57. Type of vegetable oil : CANOLA

58. Yucky muck : GOOP

62. Soup scoop : LADLE. Cute clue.

66. Partner of vim : VIGOR

67. Seventh Greek letter : ETA. (zeta, eta, theta)

68. Love, to Luciano : AMORE. Italian

69. Length-times-width calculations : AREAs

70. Opposite of NNW : SSE

71. Yankee shortstop Jeter who announced he will retire at the end of 2014 : DEREK

Down:

1. Whatever she wants, she gets : LOLA. "Whatever Lola Wants, Lola Gets". From the 1955 musical, "Damn Yankees".

2. Zealous : AVID

3. Rice-A-__ : RONI

4. Capital of Austria : VIENNA

5. Wd. modifying a noun : ADJ.

6. Dr Pepper and Dr. Brown's : SODAs

7. 1973 Rolling Stones ballad : "ANGIE"

8. Davis of "A League of Their Own" : GEENA. Story of a female professional baseball league. (1992) Geena played the part of Dottie Hinson, their catcher.

9. Move like a squirrel : SCURRY

10. Right-angle bend : ELL

12. Discount rack abbr. : IRREG.

13. Glide on ice : SKATE

18. Sunlamp danger, briefly : UV RAY

22. Narcissists have big ones : EGOs

25. Men pocketing baseballs : UMPs

26. Sometimes-illegal turns, for short : UEYs. Aussie slang version.

27. Fizzling firecrackers : DUDs

28. Each : A POP

33. Valet's purview : LOT. The parking valet, not the gentleman's personal valet.

34. Not shut, poetically : OPE

35. "All Things Considered" airer : NPR. Formerly National Public Radio, changed to just NPR, 2010.

37. Rogers and Clark : ROYs. Both in the Country genre.

38. Beliefs : ISMs

40. WWII vet, say : EX GI

42. Synthesizer pioneer : MOOG

44. Room in una casa : SALA. Spanish

45. Conclude by : END AT

48. Stomach ailments : ULCERS

50. Lentil or pea : LEGUME

51. Aqua __: aftershave brand : VELVA

52. Firefighter Red : ADAIR. Famous for snuffing out oil rig fires. The John Wayne movie, "Hellfighters"(1968), was based loosely on the life of Red Adair.

53. South American range : ANDES

54. Pays, as the bill : FOOTS

55. Radii-paralleling bones : ULNAE. (elbow to the wrist)

59. Skunk's defense : ODOR

60. Fairy tale fiend : OGRE

61. Eye on the sly : PEEK. The last of today's alliterations.

63. Hawaii's Mauna __ : LOA

65. Terrible : BAD

If you've got the time, hang on.

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

I'd like to share with you a few moving pictures from the Air Force retirement ceremony of Tom, Jazzbumpa's stepson. Jazzbumpa and his wife Gloria drove to Florida and attended the ceremony on March 21, 2014. Please click here for a couple more. Tom was deployed to Afghanistan a few times.

 Entrance of the Color Guard

 Flag presentation

Tom and Beth with Lauren, Josh and Abby

Now on to the next chapter of life

Saturday, Mar 22nd, 2014, Ed Sessa

Theme: None

Words: 72 (missing J,Q, 2wks in a row)

Blocks: 34

Mr. Sessa is another dreaded Saturday constructor for me, and today was just what I expected from him.  To be fair, this one had an even distribution of "dig down deep", vagueness, proper names, and letter-count entries - two near-spanners of 14, two 11- letters, four 9's, two 8's, and six 7's.  Some of the longer answers;

20a. Whistle-accompanying words : GET A LOAD OF THAT - the wolf whistle comes to mind

30a. Create norms for : STANDARDIZE

39a. They're undeveloped : BLANK SLATES

52a. 1998 Coen brothers comedy : THE BIG LEBOWSKI - IMDb - gotta admit, I have not seen it, and I have heard it's great - didn't know it was the Coen Bros.

Ow, da R.N.~?

ACROSS:

1. 1953 comeback hero? : SHANE - before my time; "Come back" refers to the closing scene

6. Blood __ : CLOT - ah, not "TYPE"

10. Stare : GAWP - my only WTF moment today; I have heard of gawK, not this -  but KAR (13d.) made no sense to me

14. China from America : LENOX - an "educated WAG"

15. Mishmash : HASH - rhyme time

16. Historic act signed by Pres. Nixon : OSHA - the Occupational Safety and HEALTH Administration (D'oh~!)

17. Gut feeling : AGITA - I considered "HUNCH", but I sensed it wasn't playing nice with my other answers

18. Gardner with plots : ERLE - learned from doing crosswords

19. Peterhof Palace resident : TSAR - my first inkling, but CZar, or TSar?

23. Marble counter feature : SLAB TOP - meh, a marble counter IS a slab top, no?  maybe it's my construction background....

24. Bearish? : URSINE

26. Yet, poetically : E'EN - 'PC' for "even" - that is, Poetically Correct

27. Woodworking tool : ADZE - nailed it; but it was a bit of a WAG

29. "Solaris" author Stanislaw __ : LEM - His 1961 book became a 1972 movie, and then it was remade in 2002 with George Clooney

34. Strengthen, in a way : ARM

35. Window component : PANE - we've been "vagued" by this before; HEAD, RAIL, JAMB, SASH, SILL, an STOP would all work

36. It's at eye level : EAR - drawing instruction lesson #1 - I like when the proportions are distorted in caricatures

37. A deadly sin : ENVY - ah, not LUST

38. Tedious : OLD

43. "King Kong" studio : RKO

44. "Symphonie espagnole" composer : LALO

45. Experiences : HAS

46. Chocolate-covered candy : KIT-KAT - I can't stand their TV commercials at all

48. Assigned work : SET TASK - ROUTINE fit, too

55. __ Southwest Grill: restaurant chain : MOE'S

56. "Movies You Grew Up With" channel : FLIX

57. Get behind, as a desk : SIT AT

58. Fix : CURE - not MEND, DARN, HEAL

59. Topnotch : A-ONE

60. Where to find Independence Hall? : C NOTE - very good - the image on the back of a $100 bill

61. Wee : ITSY - not TINY or IOTA

62. Medicare Advantage gps. : HMOs

63. Keats' "The Eve of St. __" : AGNES

DOWN:


1. Converts into metallic waste : SLAGs - doesn't sound right, but it's the back-formed verb from the word for the by-product of ore smelting

2. German idealism pioneer : HEGEL - I tried HESSE first

3. Baker with Grammys : ANITA

4. "Pay attention," in legal papers : NOTA BENE - Latin for "note well"

5. Lofty : EXALTED

6. For peanuts : CHEAP

7. Pastry maker's ingredient : LARD

8. Munch Museum city : OSLO

9. Gangsters' foes, in old films : "THE FUZZ", the heat, Five-O

10. Fourth-century Germanic invaders : GOTHS

11. Cop's quarry : ASSAILANT

12. "Of all the gall!" : "WHAT NERVE~!"

13. Course number : PAR - Golf Course

21. O'Neill's daughter : OONA - another crossword learned name

22. One leaving in spring? : TREE - LEAF-ing, that is

25. Woman-holding-an-atom statuettes : EMMYs - some history

27. Hersey bell town : ADANO

28. Clive Cussler hero Pitt : DIRK - anyone recall who DIRK DIGGLER was?

30. Foon's cousin : SPORK - oh, duh - my first thought was that a "Foon" was a type of bird, and STORK was looking pretty good....

31. Chat to settle a spat : TALK IT OUT

32. Inclusive phrase : AND OTHERS - nice to see "et alia" spelled out

33. Utter : REAL

37. White House theater location : EAST WING

39. Yak : BLAB

40. Queen born Dana Owens : LATIFAH - Rapper/songwriter turned movie and TV star

41. Cowboy singer Wooley : SHEB - Learning moment - I have heard of THIS song, but not its performer

42. Play that inspired Puccini : La TOSCA

47. Nurse Ratched creator : KESEY - "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", Ken Kesey's 1962 novel, and the great 1975 film - one of three to take all 5 major awards

48. Classifies, as kittens : SEXES

49. __ Martin : ASTON - James Bond's DB-5 was in "Goldfinger", which reappeared in "Skyfall"; the latest model was the DBS in Quantum of Solace - more here

50. Blade holder, maybe : SKATE

51. Wingless fliers : KITES - Great, more kites

53. Latch (onto) : GLOM

54. Start to type? : LINO - a LINOtype machine was used in printing

55. 2006 Verizon acquisition : MCI

Splynter

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to dear PK, the real one. PK used to be a newspaper reporter and must have exposed plenty of dirty tricks in those days. I hope it's a lovely day & you can work on your garden, PK.