Friday, June 6, 2014, Frank Virzi

Theme: Beware of rip currents!

Well after you zipped through yesterday's puzzle and marti's fun write up, we have a more normal Friday with smaller word count, but with a visual theme. The reveal is in the middle of the grid, across, and the three theme answers in the Down clues, This requires the solver to read the hidden word from bottom to top, as TIDE is hidden in each of the three theme answers, and the letters are 'rising.'  We have had bottom to top theme answers before, so I do not expect this to be as polarizing a puzzle as last week, especially as the puzzle has so many 7,8 and 9 letter fill. ANILINE, ARIANNA, ARMADAS, DIETARY, VIRGINS, YES MA'AM, AVOIDING, INNATELY, PILSNERS, REMNANTS, ANNAPOLIS and DANDELION, three of which are new to the LA Times. Comparatively light on proper names, you all should have some fun here. This is Maryland's Frank VIRZI's third LAT, I blogged his first back in 2010, but he is obviously very prolific.

35A. Boat lifters found in this puzzle's three longest answers : RISING TIDES.(11).I like the definition of 'boat lifter' to be the rising tide; Alabama under Nick Satan was a rising tide, now we will see if they will ebb.

4D. Bank offerings : CREDIT LINES.(11). Many years ago these loans were unsecured, not any more. Picture reading from right to left and the TIDE emerges.

7D. Journalism bigwigs : MANAGING EDITORS. (15). I know our learned audience will help me understand the dynamic of the Managing Editor and the Publisher in a working newspaper.

26D. Journeys of discovery : EXPEDITIONS. (11). Another nice definition which required perp help, but as it was down, it was there.

Across:

1. Gush forth, as chimney smoke : BELCH. Really, how PC. As a child we had 24 hour smoke billowing  from the textile mill furnaces, I have read about smoke being belched out, but never seen it.  We lost our factories, the air was better but there were no jobs.

6. Coldplay gear : AMPS. bye bye, Gwyneth.  LISTEN.

10. Fix, in a way : SPAY. Never understood this euphemism; I certainly would not feel fixed, and would...

14. Foil : AVERT. any such plan, as it would ruin my...

15. Pace : GAIT. No desire to be an Unsullied, no thank you.

16. Old Milano moola : LIRE. Personally, being paid in Milano cookies sounds appealing.

17. Shakes, as a tail : LOSES. These days, with drones and tracking devices and gps in your phone, a detective's life sounds easier. It reminds me how with the advent of caller ID, television mysteries had to resort to the 'burner' phones to explain why they did not catch the bad guy when he called.

18. Capital on Chesapeake Bay : ANNAPOLIS, One of the new fill, and odd that no mention of the capital of Maryland, or the home of the Naval Academy ever appeared in a LA Times puzzle. How many love  the Maryland crabs from the bay?

20. Lost traction : SLID.

21. Drug initially studied for use in treating angina : VIAGRA. After hanging their clip boards of data gingerly for a while, it occurred to the Pharma that the other use might be profitable. Is it me, or was pairing with 21D. Vestal __: Roman flame tenders : VIRGINS a Freudian gesture from Mr. Virzi? More virgins? 33A. Carmelite, e.g. : NUN. The mountain from which they were founded. LINK.

22. To whom Ilsa said "I'll hum it for you" : SAM. She was so beautiful. (4:05).

23. Shying away from : AVOIDING.

25. Natural dye : HENNA. I was thinking about getting a Henna tattoo to freak my kids out, what with father's day coming up and all.

27. Advise : MENTOR. A favorite word and a lost art.

28. Nest egg item, for short : IRA. Individual Retirement Account.

31. Spinoff of TV's "Hercules" : XENA. Lucy Lawless, what a great name!

32. Place for a cast : LEG. Not at the end of the movie.

34. Buckingham buggy : PRAM. The benefit of all the British mystery fiction is knowing what Steve grew up learning in person. A new Martha Grimes hit the stands yesterday. Welcome back Richard Jury.

38. Port near the Red Sea : ADEN.

40. Alumni directory word : NEE. Is this fair, or should it have said ALUMNAE directory word?

41. Chap : LAD.

42. Winter coat : RIME. Not related to:

43. Nursery supply : SOD. Not Desitin, or talcum powder.

44. Reply to "No, you couldn't have!" : I DID SO.

48. It was founded in Oxford in 1946 : MENSA. I did not know this, do I have to give up my membership?

50. From the start : INNATELY.

52. One-time connection : AT A. Not a connection that has been lost, but one that connects one and time.

53. White terrier, for short : WESTIE. They look odd. LINK.(2:48).

56. California's Mission Santa __ : INES. Not up on my California Missions but have been to many really old ones in Florida.

57. Aster relative : DANDELION. I did not know this. Wild Flower or WEED?

59. Schubert's "Eine kleine Trauermusik," e.g. : NONET. From the Latin meaning 9, as they require 9 instruments. Otherwise, JzB, please HELP!

60. Martial __ : ARTS.

61. French 101 infinitive : ETRE. être ou ne pas être.

62. Make nasty comments : SNIPE. The kind that hurt people. Clecho: 64A. Make nasty comments : CUSS. The kind where the words are unacceptable, but not necessarily mean.

63. GPS part: Abbr. : SYSTem. Global Positioning System.

65. From Nineveh: Abbr. : ASSYR. Eeeeek. Is this an abbreviation of Assyrian? Am I an Americ?  Assyria is now known as Iraq.

Down:

1. Fragrant fir : BALSAM. A common choice for Christmas TREE.

2. Develop gradually : EVOLVE.Like the various Corner blogging styles.

3. Sore spot : LESION. I like this clue/fill a lot and I am not sure why

5. Abbr. after Cleveland or Brooklyn : HTS. In my schools they came from Shaker Heights.

6. "Come __?" : AGAIN? I did not hear you.

8. Sign of engine trouble, perhaps : PING.

9. One billed higher than the rest : STAR. In my world they are called senior partners.

10. Traffic warning : SLO. Is it really worth removing the 'W?" Two days in  a roW?

11. Pale lagers : PILSNERS. My beer brewing sons would be very unhappy with this clue/fill. All Beer is either Lager (cold bottom fermentation) or Ale (warm top fermentation). Pilsners (named after the city in Czechoslovakia  where the style was created) are a form of lager, though most are golden in color. They are pale compared to the more robust lagers. Your basic Beck's, Heineken and the like are pilsners.

12. Author Huffington : ARIANNA. Her Huffington Post was bought by AOL for $315 Million; if interested you go to this LINK.

13. Polite assent : YES MA'AM. Many women under 35 find this greeting very offensive.

19. Tuba note : PAH. And its friend OOM.

24. Executes : DOES.

29. Track : RUT.

30. Dye-making compound : ANILINE.

35. Leftovers : REMNANTS. Hi honey, let's have some remnants for supper.

36D. Natal opening : NEOnatal.

37. Word from a crib : DADA. Or the now familiar TV staple, "get off my turf, mofo."

38. Seagoing forces : ARMADAS. The tale of the defeat of the SPANISH ARMADA in 1588 was a riveting one when I was in grammar school.

39. Like many supplements : DIETARY.

45. Hall of Fame pitcher Eckersley : DENNIS. Eck who went from being a successful starter to being a great reliever when he was traded to Oakland and manager Tony LaRussa and pitching coach Dave Duncan. STATS. He started with Cleveland but was traded when his wife had an affair with another Cleveland player. He also was traded from the RedSox to the Cubs in the deal that brought Bill Buckner to Boston.

46. Nodding : SLEEPY. Which makes me want to go to bed, but then...

47. Bed denizen : OYSTER. if ever I wake up and find an oyster in my bed I am going to be livid.

49. Leave dumbstruck : AWE.

51. Dressing extreme? : NINES. Origin per askville: "Dressed to the nines, or dressed up to the nines are merely a version of the phrase that is applied to clothing. That is first cited in John C. Hotten's A Dictionary of Modern Slang, Cant, and Vulgar Words, 1859 as: 'DRESSED UP TO THE NINES', in a showy 'recherché' manner."

54. Monthly pmt. : ELECtricity. This is an extruded clue/fill as you do not pay your Elec, you pay the bill.

55. As found, with "in" : SITU. Latin, and familiar to all from the TV CSI type shows.

58. Source of addl. evening light : DST. Daylight Savings Time.

59. Surveillance org. : NSA. National Security Agency  A timely fill that keeps coming up in the puzzles and the news.

June is here, soon it will be summer and the days will start getting shorter again; in the meantime I hope you enjoyed this puzzle and have a pleasant week end. Father's Day is coming

Lemonade out.
  

Notes from C.C.:

1) The third Minnesota Crossword Tournament will be held on June 22, 2014  at The Landmark Center in Saint Paul. Please click here for more information. Now they have a short bio of each constructor.

 

2) JD emailed me these two wonderful pictures. She said:

"Yesterday (June 4 Wednesday) the coven had our yearly trek over to Dodo's, and had a lovely time. Dodo was in good spirits and seeing Lucina makes this trip extra special. We could have spent the whole afternoon, after a delicious lunch, chatting, but unfortunately the drive takes us 2 1/2 hours if we get on the road before the commuters.

BTW, Garlic Gal did a spectacular job of weaving thru the truck traffic and the back seat in her car was most comfortable. Couldn't even tell it was 92 outside with the AC."

L to R: Chickie, Lucina, Garlic Gal, JD, and Dodo.

 Dodo, who will be 89 years old this coming Oct

Friday, March 2, 2012, Frank Virzi

Theme: HAM ON RYE, this puzzle cuts the mustard. Click here to see the gimmick. For all of you who do not like cross referential cluing, this puzzle was not kosher, as the letters HAM are hidden in each of three theme answers, and RYE are hidden in three answers physically directly below. The reveal hint coming so early made all the difference for me, as I had no clue until I saw the first two long answers and went back and forth looking for a common element and the HAM popped pot. Then I realized looking for the Catcher in the RYE. Like last week, our theme answers come in pairs. This was my third straight puzzle from a constructor we have not seen for a year, and coincidentally the one who create the previous TV show TITLE PUZZLE; let us begin. Another combination of words and pictures

17A. Source of mints, at times: CHAMBER MAID. This is really cute and I had to wait until the down were down.
20A. 7-Across destination, eventually: DRYER. What if you like to hang the laundry outside in the fresh air?

They line up, so the HAM is on the RYE.

39A. It prohibits illegal search and seizure: FOURTH AMENDMENT. This was a gimme for me, and gave me the theme, as the run on word is a staple in crostic such as those featured in the Sunday London Times, and some Sunday NY Times Magazines.
41A. The recent past: YESTERYEAR. Am I the only one who thinks of the Lone Ranger?

60A. Subject of a 1922 archaeological discovery: TUTANKHAMUN.
64A. Some chickens: FRYERS. I wonder if they know when they are growing up what they are?

19A. With "on" and 59-Across, a hint to the theme hidden in three places in this puzzle: HAM. 59A. See 19-Across: RYE.

Notice HAM and RYE are symmetrically placed?

On to the show:

ACROSS:

1. Stands: ABIDES. Many of you do not abide by these type of puzzles.

7. Load in a basket: WASH. Some of you may be more familiar with the term laundry.

11. Label: TAG.

14. Busts: BOSOMS. Well okay, let us get right to the heart of the matter. Dennis, for your examination...NIPPLEGATE (1:05)

15. Potent introduction?: OMNIpotent. A powerful clue.

16. Nabokov novel : ADA. An interesting but shocking BOOK, from the author of dear LO-li-ta
(hello) Jeannie, written when he was almost 70.

21. New York City's __ River: EAST. The rivers are why Manhattan is an island; can you name them all?

22. Chowderhead: DOPE. I think Mr. V. is from Massachusetts, so we get some chow-dah.

23. They often accompany stretches: YAWNS. I was looking for something tricky to do with jail time.

25. "I Loves You, Porgy" and others: DUETS. There are so many versions, but none netter than BILLIE (2:46). You like the cross with 25D. Pair: DUAD. Okay a Friday word, never heard of it. Also from Greek, meaning two, just like DUET.

26. House on TV, e.g.: DOCTOR. One of last weeks TV shows.

30. Poker star Hansen: GUS. Scandinavian star of the World Poker Tour.

31. River from the Cantabrian Mountains: EBRO. Didn't we just see this Spanish FLOWER?

32. Invasion leaders of the '60s: THE BEATLES. What is your favorite song? I think of them as...

42. Huit + trois: ONZE. 8 + 3 in French, our lesson of the day.

43. __-Aztecan languages: UTO. We studied the HOPI in sociology when I was in college.

44. Buyer, in legal usage: EMPTOR. CAVEAT EMPTOR, buyer beware. Literal translation from Latin. Unlike SEMPER UBI, SUB UBI.

46. Love: ADORE. Je t'aime, je t'adore.

49. Roundup need: LASSO. Lariat is longer.

52. Zoom: RACE. The verb.

53. Sub: HERO. The grinder, the elongated sandwich (or should I say shrewsbury?)

54. Once and again: TWICE. Again a cute clue.

62. Santa __ winds: ANA. Saint Anne.

63. One who often doesn't pick up?: SLOB. Oscar Madison.

65. Craving: YEN. I want lots of Japanese currency.

66. Show closers, perhaps: PANS. Bad reviews often spell the demise of shows.

67. Balmoral attraction: CASTLE. One of the Queen's places in Scotland.

DOWN:

1. Start of a tots' song: ABCD. A less offensive letter string clue?

2. 1922 physics Nobelist: BOHR. Proving knowledge is where you find it, I learned about this man from reading Martha Grimes' mysteries and watching The Big Bang Theory.

3. "__, old chap!": I SAY. A nice shout out to Nice Cuppa and our newbie Steve.

4. Taj Mahal topper: DOME. Which erection do you like better, Balmoral or:

5. Developmental stage : EMBRYO. An anagram of MY EBRO.

6. Prescott-to-Tempe dir.: SSE. Arizona cities.

7. Smith attendee: WOMAN. One of only seven remaining all women COLLEGES. Another hint Mr. V. is from Massachusetts.

8. Round up: AMASS. See, what did I tell you! Don't have a ...

9. Hissy fit: SNIT. Just because I am silly. It is a trait I never...

10. Went underground: HID.

11. Attraction near U.S. 395: TAHOE. The city, the lake? One of my favorite places in the US.

12. Go with the flow: ADAPT.

13. Jenga and jacks: GAMES. I have never played either.

18. Remote letters: REWind. Letters on your remote control.

22. Broom alternative: DUST MOP. Not to be confused with RAGG MOPP (2:31) from a few weeks ago.

24. Prefix with -pod: ARTHRO. From the Greek meaning joint, the pods are the insects, arachnids etc of the universe. We all know the prefix from Arthritis, which means inflamed joint.

26. Challenge: DEFY.

27. Clarinet cousin: OBOE. Gee, and I saw them kissing.

28. French vineyards: CRUS. Oops, more French, from the word croître; also can be used to show a good vintage, e.g. premier cru.

29. Agony: TORTURE. Are we having fun, or are we in agony?

30. Blues and others: GENRES. Maybe some JAZZ? (1:48).

33. It's cut and dried: HAY. Hey, Windhover.

34. Morph ending: EME. I wants me my shot of MORPHEME? No, THIS. All of our English teachers happy?

35. Emmy-winning Arthur: BEA. A Golden Girl Maude.

36. Provided temporarily: LENT. What did our Catholic friends give up this year?

37. Auto designer Ferrari: ENZO. Should be a gimme by now.

38. Prank ending: STER. Oh Frank you prankster.

40. Head of Québec: TETE. More French, he must be from near Worcester or Southbridge where so many Canadians live.

45. Lepidopterous opponent of Godzilla: MOTHRA. When I was 10 I used to go to my Uncle's house to watch these movies while he slept.

46. Orderly grouping: ARRAY. Man, I thought it said orderly groping, and I was figuring it must be how the Amish make out, or what Nurses do in the hallway. Hearti?

47. "Tell It to My Heart" singer Taylor: DAYNE. A LINK for everyone. (3:44).

48. Expanse with crests: OCEAN. My bathroom did not fit.

49. Reveal: LET ON.

50. Most Syrians: ARABS.

51. Cain was the first: SON. Murderer also did not fit.

53. Dance with flowing gestures: HULA. Two weeks in a row, you coming back to visit K-man?

55. Distance: WAYS. Well we have have come quite a ways, until...

56. "__ a man with seven wives": I MET. An old nursery rhyme riddle. I miss CA.

As I was going to St Ives

I met a man with seven wives

Every wife had seven sacks

Every sack had seven cats

Every cat had seven kits

Kits, cats, sacks, wives

How many were going to St Ives.

57. Forearm exercise: CURL. Eh, more for the biceps.

58. Start of Massachusetts's motto: ENSE. My final piece of evidence your honor for my case that Mr. Virzi if from the Commonwealth. We had the clue recently: "Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem." (Latin) By the sword we seek peace, but peace only under liberty.

60. Medicine amt.: TSP. of sugar makes the medicine go down.

61. "Original, crispy or grilled?" co.: KFC. Kentucky Fried Chicken. My only one of the day; not Kentucky's Fat Colonel. I love their coleslaw, and delivered for them many moons ago.

Answer grid.

Wowee kazowie: Another Friday puzzle in the record books; mostly pretty easy, but then when I blog I do not time myself as I stop and get links as I solve, so who really knows. Enjoy the week end all, and I hope Hank is okay Mainiac, and you as well Creature and all the rest of the wounded warriors in our troop. Lemonade, over and out see you all laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaatttttter.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011, Frank Virzi

Theme: Don't Touch That Dial! Each theme answer is a made-up two word phrase using the names of two television shows.

17A. Family line of bar makers? : SOAP DYNASTY

24A. Windfall of chicken pieces? : WINGS BONANZA

37A. Glasgow girl under a spell? : BEWITCHED LASSIE

47A. Frat guy with a spatula? : HOUSE FLIPPER

58A. Unwanted grass at the Cotton Bowl? : DALLAS WEEDS

These kinds of themes take some extra creativity, and must be pretty challenging to clue. I don't watch much tv, but knew of all these shows. Except for House and Weeds, all are older shows. Appears to be Frank Virzi's debut LA Times puzzle.

Melissa here, late work night, rushing this out with no links.

Across

1. Note for a soprano : HIGH C. The C two octaves above Middle C.

6. Puts away : JAILS

11. Jet or time follower : LAG

14. Heart chambers : ATRIA

15. __ vincit amor : OMNIA. Latin for "love conquers all."

16. Dander : IRE

19. "Wheel of Fortune" request : AN E. I'd like to buy a vowel.

20. Huge amount : TON

21. Malamute and mastiff : DOGS. So simple.

22. "The Road to Wealth" author : ORMAN. Suze.

27. Four-time Masters winner, familiarly : ARNIE. Arnold Palmer. Wikipedia says he was the first star of golf's television age, which began in the 1950s. He is part of "The Big Three" in golf along with Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player who are widely credited with popularizing and commercializing the sport around the world.

30. Cockamamie : INANE. I want to see cockamamie in a puzzle sometime.

31. Vichyssoise veggie : LEEK. Soup made with potatoes, leeks, cream and stock.

32. Lloyd or Paul of Cooperstown : WANER. Brothers who both played baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

34. Teachers College advanced deg. : Ed.D. Doctor of Education degree. Bill Cosby earned his from the University of Massachusetts. For his doctoral research, he wrote a dissertation entitled, "An Integration of the Visual Media Via 'Fat Albert And The Cosby Kids' Into the Elementary School Curriculum as a Teaching Aid and Vehicle to Achieve Increased Learning".

41. Pitches between innings? : ADS. Great clue.

42. Clod choppers : HOERS. Cute. You chop dirt clods with a hoe.

43. Source of Davy Crockett's cap : COON

44. City on the Aar : BERNE

46. Slugger Ramirez : MANNY

52. Angiogram image : AORTA

53. Like San Francisco's Coit Tower : DECO. Déjà vu.

54. Google Earth image : MAP

57. Popular ending? : IZE. Popularize. Alright then.

62. Celestial Seasonings product : TEA. I like Bengal Spice.

63. Hot coal : EMBER

64. Bunsen burner cousins : ETNAS

65. Terre Haute sch. : ISU

66. They may be French : DOORS. Kisses wouldn't fit.

67. Reservations : DOUBT. Nice misdirection.

Down

1. "... why __ thou forsaken me?": Matthew : HAST. Words uttered by Jesus Christ from the cross in the book of Matthew. Prophesied in Psalm 22.

2. "Am __ strict?" : I TOO. This seems odd, is it a phrase you hear often?

3. Nana : GRAN. Wanted Gram.

4. With it : HIP

5. Links assistant : CADDIE. Lots of them running around where i work.

6. Mah-__ : JONGG

7. Build up : AMASS

8. __ and outs: peculiarities : INS

9. Blotto : LIT. Slang for drunk. Slammed, smashed, plastered, hammered, sloshed. Just a little toasty is enough for me.

10. Michener novel set in Japan : SAYONARA. My favorite Michener is Centennial. How  about you?

11. "Michael Collins" star : LIAM NEESON. Never saw it.

12. Desilu co-founder : ARNAZ. Desi.

13. Davis of "A League of Their Own" : GEENA

18. "Who touches a hair of __ gray head ...": Whittier : YON. Seems a bit obscure to me, this is a line from the poem Barbara Frietchie, by John Greenleaf Whittier (1807-1892). About Frietchie, a Unionist during the Civil War.

23. Campaigned : RAN

24. Collaborative Web site : WIKI. A Hawaiian word for "fast."

25. Tight spots : BINDS

26. Turow work set at Harvard : ONE-L

27. Goya's "Duchess of __" : ALBA. A departure from the usual Jessica clue.

28. Pond plant : REED

29. Reuters, e.g. : NEWS BUREAU

32. Big shot : WHEEL

33. Cousin of atmo- : AER

35. "Runaround Sue" singer : DION

36. Say no to : DENY

38. Like some machinery nuts : THREADED

39. Part of NFC: Abbr. : CONF. National Football Conference.

40. Fight memento : SCAR

45. Me. hours : EST. Maine - Eastern Standard Time.

46. Sounded like a Siamese : MEOWED.

47. Greater Antilles nation : HAITI

48. Percolates : OOZES. Percolate - Filter gradually through a porous surface or substance.

49. Lazybones : IDLER

50. Orchard fruit : PEARS

51. IBM products : PC'S

54. Maître d's offering : MENU

55. Not much at all : A DAB. A dab'll do ya.

56. Soft "Hey!" : PSST. I'd recognize my mom's pssst from across the room.

59. Latin 101 verb : AMO

60. Wall St. action : LBO. Leveraged Buyout. The acquisition of another company using a significant amount of borrowed money (bonds or loans) to meet the cost of acquisition.

61. 1940s mil. venue : ETO

Answer grid.

Melissa