google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Ed Voile

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Showing posts with label Ed Voile. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ed Voile. Show all posts

May 4, 2008

Sunday, May 4, 2008 Ed Voile

Theme: NOT ... (Word/Phrases with NOT missing)

23A: "Not" resisting successfully: WITHSTANDING

25A: "Not" fully present: ALL THERE

38A: "Not" like someone unknown: AS A STRANGER

50A: "Not" partially spoiled: HALF BAD

68A: "Not" to make money: FOR PROFIT

89A: "Not" reaching standard: UP TO PAR

97A: "Not" bother to help: LIFT A FINGER

116A: "Not" wink: BAT AN EYE

118A: "Not" a strong suit: ONE'S CUP OF TEA

37D: "Not" one's biography: ON YOUR LIFE

46D: "Not" overlook: MISS A TRICK

Yes, you need "NOT" to make sense of those above word/phrases!

What a Sisyphean challenge! I came, I saw, and I tanked! My gosh, what a staggering amount of unfamiliar words and names! Overwhelming! It's just as formidable as yesterday's AZAN puzzle, if not more. I toiled so hard, with every breath I took, and still could not complete 2/3 of the grid.

SCLEROMA (12A) was impossible for me, esp since I had no idea who Moshe ARENS (19D) was. Fritz LEIBER was just as hard to crack as a coconut shell. EDUCARDO da Silva was another unyielding name, since I did not know what 61D: At the age of, Lat. (AET) was.

And author ORIANA Fallaci, poet HOUSMAN, S. E. Hinton's middle name (ELOISE), actress Louise LASSER were all strangers to me. I've never heard of ARIOSE (for 102D: Melodic), CONTUSES, or WEIR before.

I have to say I am very traumatized by my solving experience today. An overpowering sense of inadequacy creeps back again. Just feel so helpless and powerless facing such a mind-blowing name-filled Sunday puzzles. Definitely no joy at my Mudville!

ACROSS:

6A: Milk-producing organs: MAMMAE. Singular form is MAMMA. Wow, I have no idea, honestly. MAMMA mia!

12A: Tumorlike hardening of tissue: SCLEROMA. No idea. "Sclero" has a German origin, meaning hard, like SCLEROMETER (instrument for determining with precision the degree of hardness of a substance, esp. a mineral, as by measuring the pressure necessary to pierce or scratch it). And "oma" is a "noun suffix used to form names of tumors, of the kind specified by the base: FIBROMA, MELANOMA. Now it makes sense, doesn't it?

20A: Lead-in alloy: TERNE. Another stranger to me. Dictionary says it's either "TERNE Plate" or "TERNE metal".

21A: Writer Fallaci: ORIANA. Ouch, another hard one. I googled her, then realized that I had searched for her before (for a Feb 18 TMS puzzle). She is the lady who did that infamous Kissinger Vietnam "useless war" interview. Kissinger later regretted tremendously and commented that it was "the single most disastrous conversation I have ever had with any member of the press."

22A: Rhinitis: HAY FEVER. I did not know the meaning of Rhinitis. It's a new word to me. The prefix is "rhino" meaning nose, like RHINOLOGY (science dealing with the nose and its diseases).

26A: Forest edges: TREE LINES

27A: Fine thread: LISLE. Named after LISLE (now named Lille), the city in France.

30A: Collides intentionally: RAMS

31A: Like best friends: TRUEST

34A: Nutritional deprivations: FASTS. Did not like 2 FAST's in one puzzle. See 52D: BELFAST.

35A: S. E. Hinton's middle name: ELOISE. Unknown to me. S stands for Susan. Is she very famous?

43A: Fontanne's partner: LUNT. Another stranger. I've never heard of LUNT, or Fontanne, or the Lund-Fontainne Theatre.

44A: French possessive noun: SES. Goes with singular pronoun Il or elle.

45A: "A Shropshire Lad" poet: HOUSMAN (A. E). Alfred Edward Housman, not familiar with him or his poem.

49A: Back of station?: ARY. Good one. Stationary.

54A: "_ kleine Nachtmusik": EINE. Mozart's piece, literally " a little night music". EINE is an in German (feminine). German is another gender-matter language, tough!

56A: Jagged, as a leaf's edge: EROSE. Saw this clue before.

57A: Micromanager's concern: DETAIL. What is a Macromanager's concern then?

60A: Da Silva of soccer: EDUARDO. Another estranho to me. His name is inferable if you know that damned AET (61D)

62A: Send an overdue notice: REBILL

65A: Kidded around: TEASED

71A: Muckraker Tarbell: IDA. No, nope. No idea. Her life looks very interesting.

72A: Ran off: BOLTED

75A: "The Treasure of the __ Madre": SIERRA. Faintly remember seeing it before. But I could not retrieve it from my dense brain this morning.

76A: "Inventing the __": ABBOTTS. Totally frustrated at this point of my solving. NO! I've never heard of the film.

83A: Bender: SPREE. I should be familiar with this slang, but I am NOT.

85A: Bilgewater: ROT. Did not know that bilgewater is "pretentious or silly talk or writing", but ROT is gettable.

86A: Wilson's predecessor: TAFT. 2 presidents in today's puzzle, see 42A: Pres. Coolidge (CAL). Did not know that Coolidge's nickname is "Silent CAL".

88A: Middling marks: CEES

92A: Anti-war activist Cindy: SHEEHAN. Gimme for me. Too bad, she does not stand a chance to take on Pelosi.

96A: Al Capone feature: SCAR. Unknown to me.

101A: Comic laugh: CACKLE

103A: Stormed: RAGED

106A: Actress Louise: LASSER. She was married to Woody Allen before. I did not know that. I've never heard of LASSER until this morning. Will probably forget her name again soon.

107A: Virginia rail: SORA. Nope, another unknown. I love this SORA portrait.

108A: AC/DC power: ELEC

109A: Psalms word: SELAH. Is this a gimme for you?

111A: Those who obtain: ACQUIRERS. What a strained clue/answer!

121A: Go-between: EMISSARY

122A: Pinup Anderson: PAMELA. Love her funny cameo in "Borat".

123A: Become fixed: SET IN

124A: Bruises without laceration: CONTUSES. Painful! How can I remember this word?

125A: Ghost: SPIRIT

DOWN:

1D: Chem. chart figure: AT. WT. I put AT. NO. first.

2D: Low dam: WEIR. Did not know this before. The only WEIR I know is him, the man on the left who won Masters in 2003.

3D: Comic Johnson: ARTE

4D: "___ the Wind": INHERIT. Sigh... No!

5D: Magnetic induction units: TESLAS. Nailed this one.

6D: Sounds of pains: MOANS. Yes, aching! This whole puzzle is a insufferable!

7D: British composer Thomas: ARNE. He is definitely a TMS stalwart.

8D: Central parts: MIDSTS

11D: Aerie occupants: EAGLETS

12D: Cascades peak: SHASTA. Simply forgot this one, again.

14D: Lovett or Talbot: LYLE. Know Lovett, not Talbot.

16D: Practice: REHEARSE

17D: Cricket segments: OVERS. Anther sigh... I know nothing about cricket. Wikipedia says an OVER is "a set of six consecutive balls bowled in succession".

19D: Moshe of Israel: ARENS. My goodness, what's bothering you today? Why so many obscure names?

24D: Work-shift record: TIME CARD

32D: Tabula ___: RASA. Literally "Blank slate", Latin.

34D: Pot - au - __: FEU

36D: Sensational: LURID

38D: Landon and others: ALFS. Highly inferable, even if you don't know much about American presidential election in 1936.

39D: Auto-racing org.: NHRA (National Hot Rod Association)

40D: A-ha!: GOT IT. See 105D: Arrive: GET IN. 123A: Become fixed: SET IN. A preposition or a definite article can sure add some zest to an otherwise boring clue.

43D: Cool: ALOOF

48D: Exigency: NEED

50D: Greek Mercury: HERMES. Hmm, Luxury goods brand again. See 57D: Designer Christian: DIOR.

51D: Some fruits: BERRIES

52D: City on the Lagan River: BELFAST. I made a guess. Have never heard of Lagan River before.

53D: Legendary Hun King: ATLI. Not ATTILA?

58D: Fritz of Sci-Fi: LEIBER. Have never, never heard of him before. Hard to string his name together if you do not get ABBOTTS for 76A.

61D: At the age of : Lat.: AET. No, nope.

70D: Infield protectors: TARPS

73D: Moonfish: OPAH

77D: Very much in Vicky: BEAUCOUP. I like the alliteration of the clue. Merci BEAUCOUP, without you, I would've lost the whole battle at the lower right corner.

78D: Of sound quality: TONAL

79D: Gawk: STARE

87D: Airing on TV: TELECAST

90D: Congressional aide: PAGE

93D: Stashed away: HID

94D: Chess piece: BISHOPS

96D: Wrapped with a decorative cloth: SCARFED. Here is a picture of Madeleine Albright, with her HERMES scarf.

98D: Bowling lanes: ALLEYS

99D: CAB successor: FAA (Federal Aviation Administration). CAB stands for "Civil Aeronautics Board".

100D: Sketcher's need: ERASER

102D: Melodic: ARIOSE. New word for me.

103D: Renaissance fiddle: REBEC. As I could not get CONTUSES for 134A, so I was staring at REBE_ forever. I did toy with the idea of filling in REBEL. It's "a Renaissance fiddle with a pear-shaped body tapering into a neck that ends in a sickle-shaped or scroll-shaped pegbox." Here is a picture.

107D: Crouch: SQUAT

113D: Back end of a kitchen?: ETTE. Good clue.

114DL Bridle strap: REIN. What a tragic finish for Eight Belles yesterday! This is just so sad. But "Denis of Cork" was awesome. They do not Calvin Borel "Bo Rail" for nothing!

115D: Without: Fr.: SANS. I like how this puzzle ends with SANS, kind of NOT eching.

117D: Tahlequah, OK school: NSU (Northeastern State University)

120D: Radio static letters: EMI (ElectroMagnetic Interference)

C. C.

Apr 28, 2008

Monday, April 28, 2008 Ed Voile

Theme: COLORFUL ANIMALS

17A: Colorful marine mammal: BLUE WHALE

37A: Colorful ruminant: RED DEER

58A: Colorful kodiak: BROWN BEAR

11D: Colorful reptile: GREEN SNAKE

29D: Colorful farm animal: BLACK SHEEP

Here are more subdued colors:

6D: Horse shade: ROAN

25D: Harbor hazard: SAND BAR

20D: Made of mud: EARTHEN

62A: Natural tone: ECRU

Let's see how many animals we've got here: WHALE, DEER, BEAR, SHEEP, SNAKE, BURRO, ROAN (Horse), BABE (the Ox, or the Pig), ALBEE, LEERAT, ABATTOIR, BOARDED. Total 12, plus yesterday's 8. I think I've had enough. No more animal tomorrow please!

I love the structure of this animal puzzle, and I really admire Ed Voile's ingenuity in building a DEN at the very center of the puzzle as an anchor. Superb!

CHOPPY is how I describe my solving experience this morning. The weather was very calm when I started the sail, but it got stormy when I met ANGER. BURRO (letter B) would not yield, and ABATTOIR simply refused to give me a hint of his name. So I had A_ATTOIR staring at me for eons. I decided to turn around clockwise and found the SKIN corner to be very thin and easy to crumble. The lower right DRUG corner was very weak too. I think I conquered it in less than 1 minute.

Then the weather turned tempestuous again. I had no idea what was KILOBAR, did not know BERBER, forgot URIAH, have never met PADDY. I did not get panicky though. I stayed cool and collected, and I made several educated guesses. In the end, they turned out to be correct. I think this is probably how experienced solvers tackle their puzzles. They may not know every entry of the crossword, but they have no problem ferreting out every fill. I definitely need to train myself to be more disciplined and refrain from checking on dictionary or flirting with google too impulsively.

Oh, a quick question for those who solve the TMS crossword from Chicago Tribune newspaper: Who is the author for last Saturday's themeless puzzle (April 26)? Is it Josiah Breward or Ed Voile? Or is the author name not printed in your paper?

ACROSS:

1A: Second to none: BEST. Great crossing of BABE & BEST. The Bambino is indeed the best of all time, isn't he? See also 59D: Slugger's stat: RBI. Good touch. The Ortiz jersey hex would probably send Babe spinning in his grave. Doe any one know what is Babe's career RBI number?

5A: Caspian feeder: URAL. The URAL River. Or the URAL Mountains. Again, I love how ALL & SOLE intersects in this corner.

9A: Madden: ANGER

16A: Pack animal: BURRO. A small donkey.

19A: Best players: A TEAM

25A: Crisp crackers: SALTINES

27A: "Seascape" playwright: ALBEE (Edward). He is still alive!

30A: Tom and Dennis of golf: WATSONS. Both of them are Senior PGA tour pros. The golf world now belongs to our bad boy Bubba WATSON!

31A: Tuesday in movie: WELD. Unknown to me. Pure guess. Another actress. Why did she change her name into Tuesday?

32A: Cozy room: DEN. Terrific fill! I do hate the crossing of DEN and DENOTE though.

33A: In a can in England: TINNED

36A: Actress Gabor: EVA. Or this beautiful "Desperate Housewife" actress (EVA Longoria).

42A: Tavern: BAR. Good to see ALE in the same grid with BAR, though I think PUB would probably be a more accurate companion.

44A: Pressure unit: KILOBAR. It's "a unit of pressure, equal to 1000 bars (14,500 pounds per square inch; equivalent to 100 megapascals). Abbreviation: kb". I am not fond of the intersection of BAR, KILOBAR, SANDBAR.

46A: White-sale buy: SHEET

47A: Certain New Yorker: UP STATER

49A: Aberdeen's river: DEE. Saw this clue before. The river is in Scotland.

52A: Got on: BOARDED. I don't get this one. Why? Can you give me an example?

56A: Fruit of the mind: IDEAS. Good one, though I prefer the clue to be "Fruit of the brain".

63A: Promoted to excess: HYPED. Oh the Hanna Montana fever. Incredible!

65A: Chinese secret society: TONG. Please! It's "Chinese American secret society"!

DOWN:

2D: Cinder ending?: ELLA. Cinderella.

4D: Grew molars: TEETHED

5D: Lead to seats: USHER. Hmm, I like this USHER and his Confessions. "YEAH!"

9D: Slaughterhouse: ABATTOIR. It's originated from French word ABATTRE (cut down). "Oir" is a noun-forming suffix I gather.

18D: Shout of joy: WHEE. I don't know. I've never shouted "WHEE". I might have cried "Oui, Oui" when I was expecting certain joy on certain occasions.

22D: Irish frieze overcoat: ULSTER. OK, it's " A loose, long overcoat made of heavy, rugged fabric and often belted". I suppose it's named after ULSTER the Irish province. Here is gentleman in his Ulster overcoat. What's he holding in his hands?

28D: Dolly of "Hello, Dolly": LEVI

37D: Backslid: RELAPSED

41D: Caboodle's partner?: KIT. The whole kit and caboodle. See here for its origin.

43D: Icy dessert: SHERBET. Isn't called SORBET in America? Want some Strawberry SHERBET?

45D: North African nomad: BERBER. Totally unknown to me. Hmm, interesting root. BERBER comes from Greek "Barbaros" meaning "barbarians" . It's "a member of a North African, primarily Muslim people living in settled or nomadic tribes from Morocco to Egypt." BERBERS settled in the region called Barbary, which was later conquered by the Arab.

47D: Heep of Dickens: URIAH. Have to commit this name to my memory, somehow!

48D: "Marty" writer Chayesfsky: PADDY. Complete stranger to me. Here is some information about him.

49D: Use a divining rod: DOWSE

52D: Moves up and down: BOBS. Have a look at this Holy Grail of Bobbing Head. Mickey Mantle, early 1960s, made in Japan, with the original box. Be a NODDER and bring this baby home.

53D: Art__: DECO. And the artist is ERTE.

C.C.

Apr 26, 2008

April 26, 2008 Saturday Ed Voile

Theme: NONE

Wow, this is the worst Ed Voile puzzle I've ever solved. What a monstrous NESS grid! Grotesque!

Look:

52D: Lock for monsters: NESS

13D: Shiny quality: GLOSSINESS

14D: Tranquility: SERENENESS

35D: Slice-and-dice quality: GORINESS

58A: Hefty state: STOUTNESS

Wait, there are more SS.

24A: Part of USTA: ASSN

40A: First of September?: ESS

43A: Leaky balloon sound: SSS

And more lazy S cluing in HEDGEHOGS, PAVANES, PIS, SAGOS, RAMS, SATIRES, ETUIS, ENTHRONES.

What's the obsession with S today? What's on your mind exactly? If you can not build a good themeless Saturday grid without abusing prefixes and suffixes, just stick to your themed puzzle then!

Ugly. I hate it. I was actually very intrigued by the unusual grid structure when I had my first glance at the puzzle. And I expected some sparkling fills for 12D, 13D and 14D. However, after I filled in SSS and ESS for 40A and 43A, I realized that 13D and 15D would both end in NESS. Then I was very annoyed. I could not believe my eyes when I came to 52D: NESS, and got completely irked when GORINESS and STOUTNESS emerged.

All in all, a bad construction work from the author and a bad editing work from Mr. Williams.

ACROSS:

1A: Sean of "The Lord of Rings": ASTIN. Have never watched the "The Lord of Rings" series. But what a stellar cast! I adore Viggo Mortensen.

5A: Porcupines' kin: HEDGEHOGS. OK, so a group of porcupines is called a "Prickle". Interesting, isn't it? The name "porcupine" comes from French "porc d'épine" which means thorny, prickled or quilled pig/pork, hence the nickname "quill pig".

15A: Sufficient room: SPACE

16A: Fair: EQUITABLE. Good one.

17A: "The Alienist" author Carr: CALEB. Unknown to me. Here is more information about him. Now, how can I remember his name CALEB? OK, CALEB is a Hebrew word meaning "Dog". His initials is C. C. too.

18A: Supported, in a way: PULLED FOR

19A: Bring upon oneself: INCUR

22A: 16th-century dances: PAVANES. I faintly remember seeing this clue before. It's a "slow, stately court dance of the 16th and 17th centuries, usually in duple meter."

24A: Part of USTA: ASSN (Association). USTA is United States Tennis Association.

25A: Greek letters: PIS

28A: Palm starches: SAGOS. Kind of like tapioca. Very popular starch thickener in Southeast Asia.

29A: Daughter of Desi Arnaz: LUCIE

30A: Genetic carrier: RNA. Never know when to put DNA, when to put RNA.

31A: Kentucky fort: KNOX. Why not try "Gelatin brand" for a change?

32A: "Valley of the Dolls" writer: SUSANN (Jacqueline). Not familiar with either the book or the author.

33A: Pharmacy abbr.: OTC (Over-the-Counter)

34A: Actress Jillian: ANN. Saw this clue before. Not familiar with her works.

35A: Plant secretion: GUM

36A: Little links item: TEE. Links Golf Course. Tough to play. You'd better be good with your iron shots.

37A: Sister of Venus: SERENA. The Williams sisters.

39A: Memento __: MORI. "A reminder of life's mortality" (Latin). Remember you are mortal, so carpe diem!

40A: First of September?: ESS (First letter of September is ESS)

41A: Across: pref.: TRANS. Transaction. Transfer, etc.

42A: Theologian Kierkegarrd: SOREN. Father of Existentialism. He wrote "Fear and Trembling". His philosophy (or later Jean-Paul Sartre) is too complicated for me. I have a simple brain. I do love his quote "Most men pursue pleasure with such breathless haste that they hurry past it." So true.

44A: Butts: RAMS

45A: Swiftian works: SATIRES. Jonathan Swift.

48A: Michael of Monty Python: PALIN. Saw his name before. Then I promptly forgot.

49A: Femme fatale: SIREN. Or one of the part-woman, part-bird sea nymphs who lured seamen with their enchanting music (Greek Mythology). I love this picture The Siren. So suggestive yet sensual. She is holding a harp, isn't she?

53A: Not fully worked out: TENTATIVE. Please explain this to me. I don't get it.

55A: Glasgow's river: CLYDE. Vaguely remember "Firth of Clyde". I suppose "Bonnie & ___" would be too easy for a Saturday puzzle. Learned this morning that "CLYDE" can also mean "a stupid, inept, or boorish person".

56A: Makes a king: ENTHRONES

57A: Needle cases: ETUIS. Look, she is back! Oh my goodness, this word can also be spelled as ETWEE. Just for your information, ETUI came from old French ESTUIER meaning "to keep".

59A: Force units: DYNES. DYNE came from Greek word "dýnamis "(force, power).

DOWN:

1D: Spore sacs: ASCI. Like the alliteration of the clue. Singular is "ASCUS". It's "the sac in ascomycetes in which the sexual spores are formed."

2D: Reach across: SPAN. Need to reword the clue, "across" has already appeared in 41A.

3D: Soft mineral: TALC

4D: Freeze: ICE UP

5D: Omaha populace: NEBRASKANS. I like how it's structured against SACRAMENTO.

6D: Figure with seven sides: HEPTAGON

7D: 3/20 and 9/23 approx.: EQUINOX. My favorite clue today, though I am not fond of NOX & NOX intersection at 7D & 31A. NOX is Roman goddess of night. Its Greek counterpart is NYX. Add one letter O, you've got ONYX which has nothing to do with night.

8D: D. C. airport: DULLES

9D: Rupert of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer": GILES. Thought it was a actor name. Wrong. It's the character's name in the TV series. Complete stranger to me.

12D: Makes confusing intentionally: OBFUSCATES. Again, I like the structural balance of this word with LUMINESCED.

23D: Letter-turner White: VANNA. I forgot. "Wheel of Fortune" co-host.

24D: Eur. nation: AUS (Austria)

25D: Shows subservience: PROSTRATES

26D: Go-between: INTERAGENT

27D: California capital: SACRAMENTO

29D: Shone, as from a chemical reaction: LUMINESCED. I am not familiar with this word, but it's inferable.

32D: More reliable: SURER

38D: Letters in tennis?: ENS. TENNIS. Very nice clue.

39D: Causes: MOTIVES

42D: Sterile solution: SALINE

45D: Squelched: SAT ON

46D: Like choked deltas: SILTY. This whole puzzle feels choked to me.

48D: Piece of the whole: PART

50D: Distance runner Jim: RYUN. No idea. RYUN, interesting name, no wonder he ran. He served in the Congress from 1996-2007. Looks like he was very conservative.

51D: Falco or McClurg: EDIE. How rare! I know them both. Everything I learn, I learned from doing crossword.

54D: Wk. part: THU

C.C.

Mar 17, 2008

Monday, March 17, 2008 Ed Voile

Theme: All about "O" (Happy St. Patrick's Day!)

17A: Willa Cather classic: O Pioneers!

26A: 19th Century Italian song: O Sole Mio

37A: Trial-of-the Century name: O. J. Simpson

54A: Gunfight site: O. K. Corral

64A: 1973 Malcolm McDowell film: O Lucky Man!

A few questions for you before I start today's recap.

1) Have any of you constructed a crossword before? I am a bit baffled by the surfeit of "e", "o", "s" carpeting Tribune's Saturday puzzles. Does the lack of theme entail the excessive use of vowels & affixes?

2) To readers in Chicago: What puzzle do you have on your Sunday Tribune? Is it the same as mine? Or are you offered a different plate of puzzle (NY Times/LA Times syndication)?

OK, now back to our O Fest. I had a very sluggish start. Once again, the upper left corner stumped me. The theme was actually crystallized very early on, but I just could not muddle through my way out of SNAFU & the faraway African animals. I spent over 1 hour on this puzzle.

Across entries:

1A: Reach for a pianist: SPAN

9A: "Sweet" river of Robert Burns: AFTON. No idea.

14A: River into the Wash: OUSE. It's in England. Unknown to me.

19A: Mil. mess: SNAFU. "Situation Normal: All Fouled Up"

21A: Hollow part of a bird: AIR SAC

23A: Greek letters: NUS. I waffled between NUS and MUS.

24A: T. S. and George: ELIOTS. Please give Eliot Spitzer a chance!

29A: Riviera resort: SAN REMO. Or Nice.

31A: Noisy insect: CICADA. Indeed, ear-splitting blast.

33A: Broom made of twigs: BESOM. Is that the kind the wicked witch of the west used?

41A: Dutch commune: EDE. My mind somehow jumped to URI (the Swiss canton).

45A: Leaning precariously: ATIP. I salute your ingenuity Mr. Ed Voile. Very creative way to make up a word. See if others care!

49A: Tongue: LINGUA

51A: On the line: At STAKE

57A: Came to a stop: HALTED

58A: E O'Brien film: D.O.A. Well, the movie was titled D. O. A, no need to abbreviate Edmond O'Brien's name on the clue, don't you think so?

61A: Arab cloak: ABA. I am not fond of the image this cloak summons up. Let's try American Banker's Association (ABA). Can not understand how these highly educated guys get us into this subprime loan mess. But what a bargain for JPMorgan! $2 a share. Where else can you find a 93% discount?

66A: V-formation flock: SKEIN. I put GEESE first.

68A: Money factory: MINT. Not surprised that the Zimbabwean Mint is now mothballed, talk about inflation/hyperinflation.

70A: Popeye's charge: _ Pea: SWEE. Boy, those Linemar Popeye wind-up toys can fetch over $1,500 on ebay, esp with the original box.

Down entries:

1D: With the least delay: SOONEST

2D: Of an eye part: PUPILAR

3D: Utterly stupid: ASININE. So many asinine mistakes are made by so many intelligent guys, every day.

4D: Modern prefix: NEO. William Kristol is probably the only Neocon guy I read/listen to.

5D: Generation-based bias: AGEISM

6D: _do-well: NE'ER. That's James Cayne (the ex-CEO of Bear Stearns). This guy played rounds after rounds of golf while his company stock sunk. He actually put his scores on line. Dick, his scores are 96, 97, 98.

8D: Maxwell and Schiaparelli: ELSAS

10D: African fox: FENNEC. Utterly unknown to me. He looks so cute!

11D: Emotional wounds: TRAUMAS

12D: Ahead of the puck: OFF SIDE. Hockey lingo.

13D: Tahlequah, OK school: NSU (Northeastern State University)

14D: Archibald of the NBA: NATE

22D: Chanel and others: COCOS. Or Red Sox center fielder Crisp.

28D: Feed-bag bite: OAT. You've got to try Bear Baked Granola, so delicious!

35D: Pet protection grp.: SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals). Sometimes it's ASPCA (American SPCA). IGGY, Ellen DeGeneres' dog, knows both them better than I do.

40D: Part of NLCS: NATL. NLCS is National League Championship Series. Rockies is the 2007 NLCS champion.

41D: "Xanadu" grp.: ELO. Learned it from doing crossword.

42D: Small African antelopes: DIK-DIKS. They are herbivores.

43D: Uses a cipher: ENCODES

46D: Japanese mats: TATAMIS. I tried once, did not like it.

47D: Flower arrangement: IKEBANA. It's definitely a high art. I really like the paralleled structure of these 2 Japanese words.

48D: Nit-pickers: PEDANTS

52D: "Growing Pains" star: THICKE (Alan). He is a stranger to me.

53D: Can. province: SASK.

56D: S. Dey series: LA LAW. Why does the editor keep abbreviating actor/actress names this morning? Too tired to write Susan? Or watched too much Bay Hill Invitational yesterday?

63D: Way in: abbr.: ENT. Entry.

65D: Singer Sumac: YMA. She is still alive!

C. C.

Mar 7, 2008

Friday, March 7, 2008 Ed Voile

Theme: Rock, Paper, Scissors

20A: Standard Oil family: Rockefellers

37A: Beatles hit of 1966: Paperback Writer

54A: Swimmer's propulsion: Scissors Kick

Tough slog today. Only a few known knowns, and several known unknowns, and scads of unknown unknowns. Oh, the poetry of Rumsfeld!

But the thing that bothers me the most is the lack of theme. (Update: I was wrong. Thank you a lot, Superfrey and Drdad)

I will spare you with my travails today. Here are across entries:

1A: Monastery head: ABBOT

6A: Def. mil. grp.: TAC (Tactical Air Command). There is also a SAC (Strategic Air Command)

9A: Unsuitable: INAPT. I put in UNAPT first. I always associated "inapt" with "incompetent."

19A: 14A: Quantitative diagram: GRAPH

15A: Of the ear: OTO

18A: Full of. suff. OSE. Or sugar suffix, as in "fructose". The only other _ose word that jumps to my mind right now is "verbose".

19A: Composer Grofe: FERDE. Never heard of him.

20A: Standard oil family: ROCKEFELLERS

23A: Japanese Nobelist in literature: KAWABATA (Yasunari). He won Nobel in 1968. He wrote lots of short stories, and he committed suicide in 1972, like Sylvia Plath. The only Japanese novel I really like is Norwegian Wood, a story about love, loss & sexuality.

26A: Rodeo ropes: LASSOS

29A: U.S. dance grp.: A. B. T. (American Ballet Theatre)

30A: Singletons: ONES. Not a fan of any card game.

32A: Making a bend in: CROOKING

37A: Beatles hit of 1966: PAPERBACK WRITER. Not familiar with this song.

41A: Clockwork element: FLYWHEEL. Unknown to me.

47A: AL-NL honoree: MVP (Most Valuable Player)

48A: In a faint: ASWOON. Never saw this word being used.

52A: Redgrave and Williams: VANESSAS. Did not know Redgrave, but I knew Vanessa Williams, who was just interviewed by Barbara Walters on her pre-Oscar show.

54A: Swimmer's propulsion: SCISSORS KICK. It's a "swimming kick, used esp. in the sidestroke, in which the motion of the legs is similar to the opening and closing of scissor blades."

56A: Composer of "The Planets": HOLST (Gustav). British composer. Here is more information about him.

58A: No-brainer: CINCH

62A: Medical condition: suff.: ENTIA. I was thinking of _itis. OK, Dementia is a word (Update: I was wrong, please read Comments Section for Orange's explanation), what other _entia can you think of?

63A: Studio letters: MGM (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)

64A: Liturgical vestment: AMICE.

65A: Change a timer: RESET

66A: Alfonso's queen: ENA. Queen Victoria Eugenia or, less formally, "Queen Ena". I was confused earlier, I thought "ena" means Queen in Spanish. The correct word is "reina".

67A: Room: SPACE

Down clues:

3D: Night flyer: BAT. I put OWL first.

4D: Musical drama: OPERA

5D: Pulsates: THROBS

6D: Liked from the start: TOOK TO

7D: Perplexed: AT SEA

8D: Math fig.: COEF (Coefficient)

9D: Tire pump, for example: INFLATOR

10D: Aage __ Bohr: NIELS. I only knew his surname Bohr, the famous father-son duo, who both won Nobel Prize in Physics (1922 & 1975). Look at his given name, 3 vowels.

12D: Ballplayer Guerrero: PEDRO. The only Guerrero I knew is Angels's Vladimir. But Pedro is easily gettable. So many Pedros in the MLB.

22D: Nudger's joint: ELBOW

23D: Big name in publishing: KNOPF. No scandal from them so far.

24D: Yearly record: ANNAL

25D: Tearful: WEEPY

32D: Quarter M: CCL. I would have gotten it immediately if it's clued as 1/4 of a M.

33D: Baby fox: KIT

34D: Agenda entries: ITEMS

35D: Emperor before Trajan: NERVA. No idea.

38D: Current controller: RHEOSTAT. Rheo comes from Greek, meaning flow, current.

39D: Form of bingo: BEANO. Never played Bingo before.

40D: Gas: pref.: AER. As in Aerosol. Aeo/Aero is of Greek/Latin origin, meaning "air".

44D: City in the Cascades: YAKIMA (WA). Never heard of this city. What kind of apple does it produce? Minnesota is the Honeycrisp State of course. To me, the best breakfast in the world is a freshly picked honeycrisp, still with dews on the skin.

45D: Black cuckoo: ANI. It looks like this.

46D: Attractive places?: MECCAS. Accidents happen in almost every Hajj. Very strange.

48D: "My name is ___ Lev": ASHER. Never heard of this novel.

49D: Doughy pastry: SCONE. Isn't all pastry doughy?

50D: Droops: WILTS

51D: Ruby Dee's husband: OSSIE. Did not know him. Watched Ruby Dee's A Raisin in the Sun the other day and responded with a 1-star to Netflix.

52D: Churchill's gesture: V SIGN

53D: Cut corners: SKIMP

55D: "The __ of the Ancient Mariner": RIME. Not familiar with this poem.

59D: Actress Long: NIA.

60D: New Deal grp.: CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps). Way too many agencies from that era. Lately, I am very into (ex) Senator Tom Daschle's idea of creating a Federal Health Board, you know, kind of like the Federal Reserve Board, independently operated and insulated from the politics. Nothing outrages me more than the spiraling health care cost.

61D: " ___ Haw": HEE. Vaguely heard of this TV show.

I forgot to tell you earlier, Orange gave me a very interesting list of those crossword constructors who took part in this year's ACPT. I put it in yesterday's comment. Have a look if you are interested.

C.C.

Mar 2, 2008

Sunday, March 2, 2008 Ed Voile

Theme: Non-Dairy

26A: Ashen-hued: WHEY FACED

28A: Snow ride: SKIMOBILE

68A: Fall into disgrace: INCUR DISHONOR

105A: Those who refute: REBUTTERS

108A: Munch masterpiece: THE SCREAM

37D: Pix of minimally attired women: CHEESECAKE

45D: Assassinated S. F. city supervisor: HARVEY MILK

Just when I think I could not sink any lower.. My God, this puzzle takes all the little optimism I have slowly built up in the past several weeks and shreds it into pieces. I am so overtaken by my inadequacy and ignorance.

I am not blaming the constructor, as I am not good enough to judge whether certain clues/answers are structurally fair or not. But when I spent over one hour on googling just to get TRICUSPID, IFNI, APPALOOSA, KURIL, YTTRIA and a few other unknown words, I was not having any fun. I hated it.

Across entries:

1A: Soviet newspaper: PRAVDA. Soviet Newspaper (1912-1991). I only knew Soviet/Russian TASS News Agency.

7A: Goes over like a lead balloon: FALLS FLATS

20A: Enticers: LURERS. I always thought "lure"itself is an enticer.

21A: Spotted, saddle horse: APPALOOSA. Completely unknown to me. It looks like this.

22A: Arizona city: YUMA

23A: Husband/brother of Isis: OSIRIS. I can get Isis when it's clued as Osiris's wife/sister. Not the other way around.

24A: Limits: RESTRICTS

25A: French composer Satie: ERIK. Saw his name before, then forgot.

28A: Snow ride: SKI MOBILE. I only knew Snowmobile.

30A: Sounds of mild reproof: TUTS. Not tut -tut?

31A: Playing Marble: AGATE

34A: Van Gogh location: ARLES. Is it because he spent a long time there painting? Or is it because you can find a Van Gogh museum there?

35A: Roberts and Griffiths: RACHELS. Never heard of them.

39A: Russian rulers: CZARS. I guess I am used to TSAR.

40A: Snake, pref.: OPHI. It's Greek for snake/serpent.

44A: Ideas: THOUGHTS. It did not come to my mind immediately.

48A: Diver's milieu: REEF

49A: Worsted cloth: SERGE. Had no idea. But I will remember this because I am going to associate it with Serge Gainsbourg, the French singer, Jane Birkin's ex. Je t'aime... moi non plus!

51A: Unenthusiastic: COOL

52A: Instrument with seven pedals: HARP

53A: Studio apt: EFF (Efficiency Apartment)

55A: Stain: DISCOLOR

58A: White powder used in incandescent gas: YTTRIA. It's not made up. It's in the dictionary.
It's a "white, water-insoluble powder, Y2O3, used chiefly in incandescent gas and acetylene mantles."

60A: Nautical dir.: EBS (East by South)

62A: Weakly colored: LEUC, variant of leuko, meaning white, as in leukotomy.

64A: Trace: VESTIGE. This is not an easy word to jump into my little brain.

66A: Mover's vehicle: VAN

67A: Highland negative: NAE. Scottish are tough to understand.

71A: Freudian concept: EGO

72A: GOP Group: RNC (Republican National Committee). I can not believe I botched this one. By the way, DNC is for Democratic National Committee, whose current Chairman is Howard Dean.

73A: Annual, like Mediterranean summer winds: ETESIAN. Completely unknown to me.

74A: Former Spanish toehold in Africa: IFNI. It's in west coast of Morocco, if you care to know.

76A: Andre of tennis: AGASSI

78A: Baseball's Charlie Hustle: PETE ROSE. We have a whole box of Pete Rose's baseball cards in our basement. I just never knew that he was nicknamed Charlie Hustle. Well, he retired before I came to the US.

81A: Coll. period: SEM (Semester)

83A: Abrupt blow: POKE

84A: Duplicate: TWIN

86A: States forcefully: AVERS. What's the difference between AVER and AVOW? I always confuse these two words.

87A: Run of the ___: MILL

91A: Used a foot pedal: TREADLED

93A: Blanches: PALES

95A: Estevez of "St. Elmo's Fire": EMILIO. I will never remember your name if you don't change it into Sheen. By the way, I love Charlie Sheen's "Wild Thing" in Major League.

96A: Encounter: MEET

98A: Less decorated: BARER

99A: In a blunt manner: STARKLY

100A: Antigone's uncle: CREON. Greek mythology. My Achilles' heel.

103A: First, second and third: BASES

104A: Org.: ASSN.

105A: Those who refute: REBUTTERS. Do you use actually use this word? I mean, I rebut your rebuttal, does it make me a rebutter?

108A: Munch masterpiece: THE SCREAM. It's a very disturbing picture to me.

113A: In due time: ANON

114A: Car stopper element: BRAKE SHOE

118A: Danny of "Do the right thing": AIELLO. I don't remember seeing him in Godfather II, too many bad guys in that movie. He also plays the mafioso Tony in Léon (The Professional). Watch it if you love Natalie Portman.

120A: "Archie Bunker's Place" co-star: ANNE MEARA. Good to see her full name clued.

121A: All things considered: IN TOTO. All Things Considered is also a great NPR program. Robert Siegal is great.

122A: Marathon and Longboat: KEYS. I did not know. When I googled, the first hit was "Tom Longboat wins the Marathon in 1907."

123A: Blitzed: RED DOGGED. Never heard of this phrase. Not a football fan.

124A: One holding security: LIENOR

Down entries:

1D: Snow mover: PLOW

2D: Quicken the pace: RUSH

3D: 1997 Indy winner Luyendyk: ARIE. Learned his name from doing crossword.

5D: Job-hopper: DRIFTER

6D: Onslaughts: ASSAULTS

7D: Paying passengers: FARES

9D: Hi-fi discs: LPS

10D: Long. counterpart: LAT (Latitude).

11D: Camera letters: SLR (Single Lens Reflex)

12D: Inserts fraudulently: FOISTS. Did not come to my mind quickly.

13D: Empirical philosopher: LOCKE (John). According to him, we were born without any innate idea, ie, Tabula Rasa (blank slate), which pops up in crosswords occasionally.

14D: Italian wine center: ASTI. Here is the map.

15D: Australian isl.: TASM (Tasmania). No idea.

16D: Popular purple flowered plant: EYE BRIGHT. I wonder if it will grow in Minnesota. Looks pretty.

17D: Russian islands: KURIL. Here is the map. So close to Japan.

18D: Durkheim or Zola: EMILE

19D: ___ alive!: SAKES. Land Sakes! Holy Cow! I did not know this expression. My husband had to explain it to me.

27D: $ percentage: CTS (CENTS)

29D: Hawaiian island: OAHU. It's either Oahu or Maui.

31D: Mexican empire: AZTEC

32D: Go, in Glasgow: GAE. Whatever you say.

33D: Extension: ARM

35D: Capek's sci-fi play: R. U. R. (Rossum's Universal Robots). The word "Robot" first appeared in this fiction.

36D: Organic suffix: ANE

37D: Pix of minimally attired women: CHEESECAKE. This is a killer cheesecake.

38D: Snit: HUFF

39D: Teeth on a wheel: COGS

40D: Ah, I see!: OHO!

41D: Multi-sided plane figure: POLYGON

43D: Like some molars: TRICUSPID. Took me ages to get this one. I like the explanation "having three cusps or points, as a tooth". You've got to remember Bicuspid (2 cusps) too.

44D: Slowpokes: TORTOISES. I was just dense this morning, could not even get this one.

45D: Assassinated. S. F. city supervisor: HARVEY MILK. Never heard of him. According to Wikipedia, he was the first openly gay man elected to any substantial political office in the history of the planet." Don't know anyone with a surname of Milk.

46D: Process for sorting the injured: TRIAGE

47D: Joe and Vincent: SPANOS. Total strangers to me.

50D: Elicit: EDUCE

51D: Hit on the head: COSH. I put conk first.

54D: Goes by air: FLIES

56D: Sheep-ish?: OVINE

57D: Brown with a band: LES. I remember I blogged about him before.

59D: Copley and Garr: TERIS

60D: Captivated: ENRAPT

61D: City on the Penobscot: BANGOR. Seaport in Main. Did not know this.

63D: Give a right: ENTITLE

65D: Surmise: INFER

69D: Nice nothing: RIEN (nothing in French)

70D: CD's competitor: DAT (Digital Audiotape)

77D: Mid-ocean peaks: SEAMOUNTS. Unknown. Here is more information for you.

79D: Death rattles: RALES. Nope. Did not ring a bell.

80D: Finished: OVER

82D: Abu Dhabi ruler: EMIR. What's the obsession with Abu Dhabi? Don't they have EMIR in Oman also? Or you just want us to remember the UAE Port debacle? I hate keying in Abu Dhabi into my blog every day. I am very bad at spelling, period!

85D: Drench: WET

87D: Goes to sea: SETS SAIL

89D: Abner's size? LI'L. The comic strip character. Have to thank razzberry for the "not fer not agin" comment on Thursday.

90D: Actress Myrna: LOY. Vaguely remember her name. She was Nora in The Thin Man.

92D: Pockmark: DENT

93D: Faux __: PAS

96D: "Moon River" composer: MANCINI (Henry). Knew the song (Breakfast at Tiffany's).

98D: Soaked up rays: BASKED

100D: Fracture: CRACK

101D: Taylor or Adoree: RENEE. Taylor is Fran's mother in the Nanny. Did not known Adoree.

102D: Jet black: EBONY

103D: Product name: BRAND

104D: Leading: AHEAD

106D: Skier's ride: T BAR

107D: Osprey's cousin: ERNE. Look at this Osprey's claws.

108D: made great haste: TORE. Why?

109D: Anatomical network: RETE Learned from doing crossword. Remember the plural form is RETIA.

110D: Carolina school: ELON. Nope, never heard of it.

112D: Heath: MOOR

111D: Chorus voice: ALTO

115D: Comic Philips: EMO. See here for more information on him.

116D: Pc.: SEG (Segment). Pc is piece.

117D: Crone: HAG

Done!

C. C.

Feb 9, 2008

Saturday, Feb 9, 2008 Ed Voile

Theme: NONE

I got bogged down by 15A: Wild way to run? (AMUCK). I had no idea that AMOK can be as wild a variant as AMUCK. I just did not know 9D: Capital of Macedonia (SKOPJE).

I gave up the fight very earlier on, and started googling without shame. I am convinced that I am simply not capable of finishing a Saturday puzzle without cheating. Right now, my targets are Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Here are the recaps:

10A: Gun maker: COLT

14A: Gospel singer Winans: CeCe (BeBe & CeCe Winans)

15A: Wild way to run? AMUCK. Did you get this one easily?

18A: Calgary Stampede, e.g.: RODEO

19A: First name in denim? LEVI

20A: River of Venezuela: ORINOCO. Never heard of it. It flows into Atlantic Ocean.

22A: Formed into a ball: SPHERED

24A: Chita of "West Side Story": RIVERA. Remember the multi-talented Rivera clue on Feb 1?

25A: Shove aside: JOSTLE

25A: Clairvoyant: SEERESS. Female clairvoyant.

28A: Refer to incidentally: MENTION

29A: Greek letter: OMEGA

31A: Complete extent: GAMUT

32A: Hors d'oeuvres spread: PATE

36A: Military tactic: SIEGE

38A: Jazz sessions: SETS.

39A: In an upright position: ON END

41A: "The Prisoner of __": ZENDA. Come here for more information on this adventure novel.

43A: Sea lavender: STATICE. Unknown to me. They look so pretty.

45A: Superlatively ventilated: AIRIEST

50A: Actress Wright: TERESA. She is the wife of Lou Gehrig in "The Pride of the Yankees." Great movie. Watch 61 if you are a baseball fan, it's about Yankees' 1961 season when Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris try to break Babe Ruth's home run record.

51A: Plowed but left unseeded: FALLOW

52A: Pub patron: DRINKER

54A: Course outlines: SYLLABI (plural of syllabus)

55A: Questionable contraction? AIN'T

56A: Mount of Moses: SINAI

58A: Face features: EYES

59A: Carryall: TOTE

60A: Dress up: ADORN

61A: Annoying fit: SNIT

62A: Love god: EROS

63A: Mark sale items: RETAG

64A: Vietnamese holidays: TETS (Feb 7 this year, the same as Chinese Spring Festival).

Down Clues:

1D: Players: ACTORS

2D: Sweet-'ums: DEARIE

3D: Moving here and there: ACTIVE

5D: Cutting bits of wit: SARCASMS

6D: Melville's "Typee" sequel: OMOO

7D: Failure: DUD

9D: Capital of Macedonia: SKOPJE. How can I remember this word? Slavic words are strange.

10D: Keyboard percussion instrument: CELESTAS

11D:Worker's additional income: OVERTIME

12D: Flatten: LEVEL OUT

13D: Three-pronged weapons: TRIDENTS

23D: __ Kong: HONG. I put KING first.

27D: Confiscate: SEIZE

28D: __Carta: MAGNA

30D: Turn right!: GEE. Turn left is HAW.

32D: Follow in time: POSTDATE

33D: Located on the front: ANTERIOR.

34D: Rip open: TEAR INTO

35D: International understandings: ENTENTES. I tend to confuse Detente with Entente, a lot.

37D: Encouraging intellectual improvement: EDIFYING

40D: Data storage item: DISK

44D: Roman autocrat: CAESAR

47D: Comic Boosler: ELAYNE. I think I blogged her a few days ago.

48D: Amen!: SO BE IT!

49D: Plot surprises: TWISTS.

54D: Gilbert of Teasale: SARA. Sara Teasale is a poet. Sara Gilbert is Melissa Gilbert's sister.

Now I am famished. Need some power breakfast. Have a good weekend everyone.

C. C.

Jan 22, 2008

Tuesday, Jan 22, 2008 Ed Voile

Theme: Dollar and Cent

17A: Buck: DOLLAR BILL
61A: $ relative: CENT SYMBOL
11D: Highest price: TOP DOLLAR
35D: Guileless ones: INNOCENTS

I still have not finished the puzzle. Googling does not help.

Can not figure out what is 1A: Episodic TV show. Now I have ser_es. The clue of 4D does not help. Off one's feet:_ll. I initially put cola instead of soda, but corrected myself quickly after the doll bill clue. (Update: Thanks to a reader, now I got the 1A to be SERIES and 4D to be ILL. The clue for 4D is off one's feed, not feet).

I also have problem with 49A: Foolish old fogies. Now I have co_ts. The blue of 43D: Bossy's bellow: si_. I thought of Elsie the Cow, and his bellow is moo. (Update:The answer for 49A should be COOTS. And I was wrong earlier on 43D, it should be MOO.)

This puzzle has a sub theme of space agencies. We have 41A NASA & 5D ESA (European Space Agency clued as NASA's International Space Agency partner). We also have 41D European defense assn (NATO). I thought NATO also protects the interests of the US, though it's based in Brussels. David Petraeus will be a good commander for NATO. He has proved himself to be a very competent professional.

Congratulations to my husband, who bowled another 700 series last night. This is his 4th in 2008.

C. C.