Wednesday, September 17, 2014 Gareth Bain

Theme: COCONUT - what else?  The first word of each two-word theme answer relates to something derived from the fruit - which botanically is a drupe, not a nut - of the COCONUT tree, cocos nucifera.

Source

 16. *Butcher's appliance : MEAT GRINDER.   A device used make big chunks into small chunks for burgers and sausages.  COCONUT MEAT  is the rich white lining that is contained within the shell of a coconut.

 24. *Prankster's balloon : WATER BOMB.  You can get your friends as mad as wet hens.  Here are instruction for making one out of paper.  COCONUT WATER is the clear liquid inside young, green coconuts.  It has been marketed as a natural energy drink.

50. *Allowance for the cafeteria : MILK MONEY.  Literally, money to be spent on MILK, or figuratively for the entire lunch.  COCONUT MILK is a rich, high fat liquid extracted from grated COCONUT MEAT.

 57. *Monet work : OIL PAINTING.  Made with oil based rather than water based paints.

Twilight Venice

COCONUT OIL, derived from dried COCONUT MEAT is used as a cooking oil and flavoring in South-east Asian cooking, and in beauty products. 

And the unifier -- 36. Fruit that can be the source of the starts of the answers to starred clues : COCONUT.  So many uses for this versatile, healthful and nutritious tropical fruit.

Source

Hi gang, JzB here, once again united with Gareth on a Wednesday.  Seems like old times. Let's see what he has in store for us.

Across

1. Expensive : HIGH.  Priced

5. GUM rival : ORAL-B.  Oral care products.   News to me. 

10. Conference with UVA and UNC : ACC.  The Universities of Virginia and North Carolina are in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

13. Guthrie at Woodstock : ARLO.  Woody's Boy

14. "__ Unchained": 2012 Tarantino film : DJANGO.  From IMDB:  "With the help of a German bounty hunter, a freed slave sets out to rescue his wife from a brutal Mississippi plantation owner." 

15. Arctic explorer John : RAE.  He roamed all over the far northern reaches of Canada.  Interesting fellow.

18. Not just some : ALL.  Every one, without exception.

19. Square peg, socially speaking : DWEEB.  Misfit. Sheldon Cooper is the prototype.

20. Sharp-eyed hunter : EAGLE.  Raptor

22. Time for fools? : APRIL.  Only for a day

28. Ride the wind : SOAR.  Like an EAGLE.

29. Lip applications : BALMS.  To protect and to sooth.

30. Persons : ONES.  Are you one of the ones who got this right away?

31. Ready to be driven : IN GEAR.  Cars and trucks.

33. "Cagney and __": '80s cop show : LACEY.  This show, starring Sharon Gless as Christine Cagney and Tyne Daly as Mary Beth LACEY, ran from 1982-1988.

35. Newspaper filler : ADS.  Revenue sources, too.

38. "No more details, please!" : TMI. Too Much Information.

41. "Right?!" : I KNOW.  Yeah, right.

42. Ruined, as hopes : DASHED.

44. Picture on a screen : ICON.  On your computer, phone or tablet.

47. Fast food package deal : COMBO.  Have it their way, for a special price.

49. Sock part : HEEL.  The part of the sock that covers the same part of the foot.

52. "A Change Is Gonna Come" singer/songwriter Sam : COOKE.  I remember Sam, but not this song.  What a voice.

53. Catch on the range : LASSO.  Capture with a looped rope.

54. Time to attack : H-HOUR.  I've heard of D-Day, but not H-HOUR.  What about M-Minute? 

56. Bass brew : ALE.  Nothing fishy about it.

Source

 63. Pewter component : TIN.  An alloy of 85-99% TIN with copper, antimony, bismuth or lead.  But maybe the previous entry is for our TIN man.

Down

1. Amateur radio operator : HAM.  Per Wikipedia:  "The term 'ham radio' was first a pejorative that mocked amateur radio operators with a 19th-century term for being bad at something, like 'ham-fisted' or 'ham actor'. It had already been used for bad wired telegraph operators.  Subsequently, the community adopted it as a welcome moniker"

2. Fury : IRE. 

3. Nice duds : GLAD RAGS.  One's best dress-up clothing.  I can't find anything on the origin of this phrase.

4. Start the wrong way? : HOT WIRE.  "The wrong way" meaning illegally, since hot wiring is a way to start up and steal a parked car.

5. "The Song of Hiawatha" tribe : OJIBWA.  Also know as the Chippewa, they were living in the Lake Superior region when Europeans arrived.

6. Operated : RAN.  As a vacuum cleaner.

7. "Your point is ...?" : AND.   Explain yourself.

8. T size : LGE.  Large shirt.  Cf. 12 D.

9. Tree-damaging insect : BORER.  Elm bane

10. Catherine's home : ARAGON.   Catherine, the daughter of Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon, was betrothed to Prince Arthur, heir to the English throne, at the age of 3.  They were married when she was 16, but Arthur died 5 months later.  She then went on to marry his younger brother, Henry VIII.  Eventually, he grew tired of her inability to bear him a son, and set her aside in favor of his mistress Anne Boleyn.  None of this ended well. 

11. "I hope to hear from you" : CALL ME.  Or text.  Maybe we'll face time.

12. People people : CELEBS.  People in People magazine.

Source

14. Dr. with Grammys : DRE. 

17. Salon supply : GEL.  Hair goo

21. "About __": Hugh Grant film : A BOY.   From IMDB: "Based on Nick Hornby's best-selling novel, About A Boy is the story of a cynical, immature young man* who is taught how to act like a grown-up by a little boy."  *Portrayed by the insufferable Hugh Grant.

22. Oman locale : ASIA.  At the South-east extremity of the Arabian peninsula.

23. Fishing spot : POND.  Small body of water.

25. "It'd be my pleasure" : ALLOW ME.   Let me help you.

26. Eliot Ness, e.g. : T-MAN.   A special agent of the U.S. Treasury Department.

27. Pre-euro Iberian coin : ESCUDO.  Spanish and Portuguese for shield.  At different times in history Spain had gold and then silver Escudos.  It was the currency of Portugal until the introduction of the Euro.

29. Rodeo horse : BRONCO.  A feral or untrained horse prone to unpredictable behavior, used in rough riding events.

32. Comic strip cry : ACK.

Source

34. Greek vowel : ETA.  Seventh letter of the Greek alphabet, uppercase Η, lowercase η. 

37. Ring-tailed scavenger, to Crockett : COON.  Aka RACOON, a medium sized North American mammal noted for its dexterous front paws, facial mask, ringed tail, and appearing in Crockett's hat.

38. Formulate a possible explanation : THEORIZE.  Let me see  .  .  .

39. Overly compliant : MEEK. 

40. Doing nothing : IDLE.

41. Cartoonist's supply : INKS.

43. Called out : SHOUTED. 

44. Behind-schedule comment : I'M LATE.   Or something a zombie should say.

45. Viagra alternative : CIALIS. Bathtubs are optional, I think.

46. "Full House" twins : OLSENS.   They were born in 1986 and shared the role of Michelle Tanner in 191 episodes from 1987 (!) to 1995.  They went on to appear in various other roles, then reappear as fashionistas.

48. Manually : BY HAND.  As opposed to by machine

51. Freeloader : MOOCH.  Or this.

52. Put one over on : CON.

55. "__ Master's Voice" : HIS.  Nipper the dog in an iconic conic ad for RCA Victor, representing their record label and the Victor Talking Machine.

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

59. Auction unit : LOT.  By way of illustration, one last video.

Pretty smooth Wednesday ride I thought.  Hope you got through without straining your coconut.

 Source

Cool regards!

 JzB 

Wednesday, August 27, 2014 Gareth Bain

Theme: Fits to a "T". Put a "T-" in front of the first word of each of the theme answers and you have a new noun. Theme answers are placed in Down for visual effects.

3D. *Hearty repast : SQUARE MEAL. T-Square. My woodshop teacher walloped me with one of these when I was about 13, so I remember this carpentry tool well. I deserved it too, so no complaints.

9D. *"Politically Incorrect" host : BILL MAHER. T-Bill. Well-known to solvers, but I realized I'd never actually seen one, so here we are. In the words of Dr. Evil - One MILLION Dollars!

31D. *Sensitivity to cashews, say : NUT ALLERGY. T-Nut. I've never used one. I wonder if there are T-nuts in a T-top?

35D. *Fine porcelain : BONE CHINA. T-Bone. Food! Unlike the T-Nuts, I've cuddled up to one or two T-Bone steaks in my time. You get a twofer - tenderloin and strip, so you get the best of both worlds

The reveal:

29D. Sporty car roofs, and, literally, what the first words of the answers to starred clues can have : T-TOPS. Largely defunct now that engineering advances mean that you don't need the structural roof elements to keep the car from flexing like a Muscle Beach exhibitionist.

Salut, amigos and amigas. Steve here with a fun Gareth Bain offering which shows a 90-degree shift in the usual theme entry orientation. I enjoy the times I have to figuratively turn my head sideways to see what's going on. I loved that the theme required not just the "T", but also the "-" to make sense of the new nouns.

Let's see what else we've got:

Across:

1. Bygone U.S. station name : ESSO. Standard Oil (of Texas). What's the word for the verbalizing of an acronym and the resultant spelling of that to make a word? If there isn't one, we should come up with it.

5. Subsides : EBBS. Moons wax and wane, tides flood and ebb.

9. Parade group : BAND

13. Chef's hat : TOQUE. A great word. No French chef worth his sel would be caught without one. It all got a little silly when the height of your toque was meant to represent your superior standing in the culinary world

15. Rich topsoil : LOAM

16. Java Freeze brand : ICEE

17. Lies next to : ABUTS

18. In __: actually : ESSE

19. Cry out for : LACK

20. Plays first, in some card games : LEADS

21. Innocent : CHILD-LIKE

23. Comedy Central send-up : ROAST

25. Chowder morsel : CLAM

26. Pre-A.D. : BCE. Hmmm .. why the "E"?

28. Portable Asian dwellings : YURTS

30. Horses' tresses : MANES

34. Gyro meat : LAMB. Food! I love lamb, and gyros. If you are ever on the I-15 driving though Baker, CA (usually on your way to or from Las Vegas) then stop at "The Mad Greek" for the best gyro you'll ever.

36. Portable bed : COT

37. Without even a scratch : UNHURT

38. McFlurry option : OREO

39. Rounded hill : KNOLL

41. Italian hot spot : ETNA. The most famous volcano in the world of cruciverbalists.

42. Sounds echoing through the castle : CLANGS. Usually accompanied by the cries of those unfortunates consigned to the dungeons with all kinds of unpleasantness to follow.

44. Quill, perhaps : PEN

45. Commuter's option : RAIL

46. Clark Kent, at birth : KALEL. Crosses all the way. Must ... remember ... this ... for ... future ... crosswords .... Nope, it's already forgotten.

47. Son of Sarah : ISAAC

49. Gettysburg Campaign VIP : LEE. Why am I thinking "desserts" here? Oh wait, it's "Sarah" in 47A, not "Sara".

50. Use profanity : CUSS

52. East Asian capital : SEOUL

54. Where it'll all come out? : IN THE WASH. Not always, I've got some white shorts that never recovered from the person next to me on a flight dumping a cup of coffee in my lap and then my own self-abasement when I dropped my in-flight pasta on top of the original sin. My bad. We both blamed the excellent wine selection in the United lounge pre-flight.

58. Oldest of the Stooges : SHEMP. Completely, never, ever heard of him (?). Is this the "Iggy" Stooges or the "triple" incarnation? I await your wisdom.

61. Amos at the piano : TORI

62. Early Genesis brother : ABEL

63. Stooges count : THREE. Ah, apropos of 58A above, I believe that Iggy Pop had more than three sidemen, so I'm guessing this is the "Curly" cohort count.

64. All tied up : EVEN

65. Anti-leather gp. : PETA

66. Sweetie : SUGAR

67. Chichén Itzá builder : MAYA. Great clue for an old staple. I learned something today - that's why I love the crosswords!

68. KFC side : SLAW

69. London's __ Park : HYDE. I saw Queen play a free concert in Hyde Park in 1976 - the first free gig since the Rolling Stones in the 60's.

Down:

1. And others, in citations: Abbr. : ET AL.

2. Maker of Lifewater beverages : SOBE

4. Surpass : OUT-DO. I'm not sure if the hyphen is required, but it looks better to me.

5. It can't help being negative : ELECTRON. Favorite clue/answer combo of the day.

6. "Poppycock!" : BOSH

7. ABCs : BASICS

8. Detect, in a way : SMELL. Usually "in a bad way"! Smells seem to be bad, aromas are good. English is a tremendously confusing language. I've no idea how C.C. et al manage.

10. Berry sold in health food shops : ACAI. Messed up with "GOJI" first,

11. Giraffe's trademark : NECK. Does it come with a ™ symbol?

12. Fake in the rink : DEKE

14. Test type you can't really guess on : ESSAY

22. Rhett's last word : DAMN

24. Lures (in) : SUCKS. Nice, polite clue

26. Inhibit : BLOCK.

27. "Cheers" waitress Tortelli : CARLA

32. Bert's roommate : ERNIE

33. Old : STALE

37. Radii neighbors : ULNAE. Latin "ii" in the clue suggests Latin "ae" in the answer.

40. Legislation pertaining to dogs : LEASH LAW

43. Stuff to stick with? : GLUE

47. "Eva Luna" author Allende : ISABEL. It seems all proper names are "Help! Crosses!" for me, particularly today.

48. Goes for : COSTS

51. Scoreless Words With Friends turns : SWAPS. I know the app, but I don't have it and have never played it. Good to know that you can swap. Is it like Scrabble when you've got a rack of Q's, W's and K's and you burn a turn dumping all seven tiles and drawing a new set but miss a turn? Always sounded like a bad idea to me.

53. "That's correct" : UH HUH

54. Couple in the news : ITEM

55. Old Chevy : NOVA. Plenty to choose from, but the "V" was there so it was a fill-in.

56. "South Park" co-creator Parker : TREY. Middle name "Genius" IMHO.

57. __ good example : SET A

59. Ancient drink making a comeback : MEAD. Comeback? Really? Tinbeni - have you tried this stuff? I'm sure it can't be pleasant - the whole reason wine was sweetened with honey was because the wine was too nasty to drink.

60. Paris pop : PÉRE.  Because "Orangina" doesn't fit. Neither does "Le Coke".

That's about it! Enjoy your Wednesday!

Steve

P.S. I just want to take two seconds to give an enormous shout-out to C.C. for her amazing generosity with her time, encouragement, help and advice to an originally clueless constructor!

Oh wait - I need to upload the grid - I always forget about that!

Notes from C.C.:

 

1) Working with Steve is unique & inspiring! He grew up in the UK, reads extensively and is very knowledgeable about lots of subjects. He was never discouraged by the "No" answers I sent to him regarding certain themes or fill. He's always eager to learn & is super efficient. Just what you expected from a triathlete.

2) Happy Birthday to Charlotte's grandpa Lemonade, who has been our Friday Sherpa since March 2010. Lemonade sees beauty in every crossword and is attentive to both newbies and regulars. I'm so pleased with his two LAT puzzles and looking forward to his solo. Please click here for more pictures. Love his purple shirt here.

 

 Charity Award Time

 At Work with Aaron

  Charlotte, happiest baby, bar none

Thursday, August 14, 2014 Gareth Bain

Theme: Back in Kansas

18-Across. "Good lad!" : THERE'S MY BOY. The phrase sounds strange to my ear. I would more likely say "That's my boy!" And only in reference to a dog.

23-Across. "I'm positive" : NO MISTAKE.

30-Across. Atlas index listing : PLACE NAME.

47-Across. "Whatever floats your boat" : LIKE I CARE. I had "As if I CARE" at first. (As if you care, right?)

54-Across. Base among boxes : HOME PLATE.

61-Across. Character who, in an 8/15/1939 Hollywood premiere, speaks the first words of this puzzle's five other longest answers : DOROTHY GALE. "The Wizard of Oz" gal.

58 theme letters is pretty dense, and you might expect some compromise in the fill. But this seemed pretty straight-forward, almost Monday-like.

Across

1. Clothing line : HEM. I have seen the same clue for "seam."

4. "Egad!" : YIPE. or YIPEs. Both are correct.

8. Sprint Cup org. : NASCAR.  The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing. The title seems a bit redundant, with both Car and Auto. But it would be too difficult to pronounce NASCR, I guess. And 46-Down. Earnhardt of 8-Across : DALE.

14. Toothpaste letters : ADA. American Dental Association.

15. Arabian ruler : EMIR.

16. Pump figure : OCTANE. It's about $3.49 / gallon around here.

17. Netflix rental, for short : VID. In 1956, a video recorder was about $50,000, and a single 1 hour videotape cost $300. I don't think Netflix would get much business at those prices!

20. Latin catchall : ET ALII. And others.

22. Looks like a wolf : LEERS.

26. LAX postings : ETAS. I took a chance and entered the A before checking perps.

29. One "who intimately lives with rain," in a poem : TREE. And then we have 41-Down. Slam offering : POEM. The first poetry slam was held in Chicago in 1984. It is a competition where poets read their compositions and are judged by selected audience members. Do you think Kilmer would have won with this?

I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the sweet earth's flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day,	5
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.	10
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.                                         Joyce Kilmer

33. Muscular problem : SPASM. "Cramp" would also fit...just sayin'.

36. Start of a series : OPENER.

37. Salon item : GEL. It was a toss-up between GEL and "dye."

40. Ab __: from the beginning : OVO.

41. Historic beginning? : PRE. Prehistoric.

42. Strands in a cell? : DNA.

43. Good to grow : ARABLE.

45. Like cutlets : BONED. I had B*kED at first because of a goof at 31-Down. Huh? Baked cutlets? (I always sauté them.) (And PaEM made absolutely no sense for 41-Down.)

49. Memo demand : ASAP.

53. More than passed : ACED.

57. Sonneteer's Muse : ERATO.

60. Nativity tableau : CRÈCHE.

65. Gun in the driveway, maybe : REV. Haha. Were you picturing a chalk outline and key evidence?

66. Keys with Grammys : ALICIA.

67. First word of "Greensleeves" : ALAS. Here's a lovely version by Celtic Women. 3:19

68. Billings-to-Bismarck dir. : ENE.

69. Less bold : MEEKER.

70. Risks : BETS.

71. Pop : DAD.


Down

1. "__ the foggiest!" : HAVEN'T. I started filling in "I haven"...and ran out of room.

2. Text __ : EDITOR.

3. European title : MADAME. I was looking for something more noble.

4. Hard-to-photograph Himalayans? : YETIS.

5. Paintball cry : I'M HIT.

6. Trivial Pursuit symbol : PIE.

7. Make a left instead of a right, say : ERR.

8. It smells : NOSE. Haha.

9. It can't be topped : ACME.

10. Compound used in plastic manufacturing : STYRENE.

11. Where business is picking up? : CAB STAND.

12. Enero to enero : ANO.

13. "Summertime Sadness" singer Lana Del __ : REY. All perps.

19. Zeno's home : ELEA.

21. Is situated : LIES.

24. Lhasa __ : APSO.

25. Air France-__: European flier : KLM. The two airlines merged in 2004.

27. Revival cry : AMEN.

28. They're measured in shots : SERA. Because "booze" wouldn't fit!

31. It may be popped : CORN. Naturally, I had "cork" at first...which led to no end of problems with the perps.

32. Foil kin : EPEE.

34. __ sci : POLI.

35. Preposition for Poirot : AVEC. French "with."

37. Blowout, so to speak : GALA.

38. "South Park" boy Cartman : ERIC.

39. Site of a critical 1813 battle : LAKE ERIE. The Battle of Put-in-Bay. I bet Abejo knows all about it.

44. Firm foundation : BEDROCK. It's where the Slate Rock & Gravel Company was founded...

;-)

45. Guy friend : BRO.

48. Hailing cry : AHOY.

50. Like some cows : SACRED.

51. Greek goddess of wisdom : ATHENA.

52. In a snit : PEEVED.

55. Showy display : ÉCLAT.

56. Button word : PRESS. So simple.

58. End in __ : A TIE.

59. Yonder, on the Pequod : THAR.

61. Block up : DAM.

62. Bit of World Cup encouragement : OLÉ.

63. Go on and on : GAB.

64. Draft order : ALE. I'll leave this for others to toast at sunset.

Cheers!

Marti

Note from C.C.:

The beautiful Andrea Carla Michaels (who co-authored our Monday LAT puzzle) visited Minnesota again this week. Below is a picture of the local constructor gathering last night. I did not feel well enough to make the trip. I snacked the whole jar of homemade pickles on Tuesday and my lower right abdominal pain just won't go away.

Also missed the PBA50 finals yesterday. Boomer went alone and watched Walter Ray Williams won the tournament. I did chat with Walter Ray again last Sunday, TTP. Also met Norm Duke for the first time.

L to R: Victor Barocas, George Barany,
Andrea Carla Michaels, David Hanson & Tom Pepper

Wednesday, July 30, 2014 Gareth Bain

Theme: I GIVE UP.  The last words of the theme entries are indications of surrendering, so as to avoid suffering further damage.  Your opponent wins, and - if he is honorable - you get to go somewhere safe and lick your wounds. 

17 A. Stereotypical benefactor : RICH UNCLE.  Literal or figurative designation for financial backer.  I only had poor UNCLES, alas.  To cry "UNCLE" indicating submission, may or may not go back to ancient Rome.

36 A. Of age : OLD ENOUGH.  Having been alive for a sufficient period to drink, drive, vote, know better, etc.  "ENOUGH" indicates you don't want any more of whatever your abuser is dishing out.

42 A. "Understood" : SAY NO MORE.  OK - I got it.  "NO MORE" is another way of saying "ENOUGH"

And the unifier -- 62 A. Waved banner hinted at by the ends of 17-, 36- and 42-Across : WHITE FLAG.  This usage does go back to ancient Rome, and also the Han dynasty of China.  In modern times, the use of a white flag to indicate surrender is included in the Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907. 

Hi gang, it's JzB, after a long hiatus, reunited with Gareth on a Wednesday.  We never can get ENOUGH of his puzzles, so I am not going to give up.  Let's SAY NO MORE on that topic, and dive into the solve.

Across

1. Prepare, in a way, as sweet potatoes : MASH.  We add a bit of butter and sour cream.  Makes a nice companion dish for Gloria's orange and maple glazed salmon.

5. Says further : ADDS.  The opposite of SAY NO MORE.

9. Run away, say : REACT.  I suppose one could REACT to an unpleasantness by running away, but, unless I'm missing something, this is a far from obvious connection.

14. Entrepreneur's start : IDEA. Around which a business plan can be built.

15. Come together : MEET.

16. Come to pass : OCCUR.   Near clechoes.

19. Spherical dessert : BOMBE.  An Ice cream dessert molded in a half-spherical shape to resemble a cannon ball.  The only thing that explodes is your weight.

Recipe

20. Airport city east of Los Angeles : ONTARIO.   I flew in there about 30 years ago.  IIRC, there are distant mountains in every direction.

Source

21. One brewing in a cup : TEA LEAF.  Not a tempest. Mayhaps Nice Cuppa can provide details.

23. Many a Prado painting : GOYA.   Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (1746–1828).  Here is the Prado on-line gallery of his work.

25. Baseball card stat : RBI. Runs Batted In.  BASEBALL!!!

26. Oranges opposite? : APPLES.  Different, for sure - but opposite?  Doubtful, but I won't let one bad APPLE spoil the whole puzzle.

30. "I'd just as soon kiss a Wookiee" speaker : LEIA.  Do I need to tell you this is from Star Wars?  Prob'ly not.

 Not under-rated nor overdressed

32. "__ Boys": "Little Men" sequel : JO'S.  Story of the boys' troubles as adults, and the only Louisa May Alcott novel that has not had a movie adaption.

35. Cowboy's neckwear : BOLO. By now everyone should recognize this as a string necktie.  So here is Bolo Yeung, who might be marginally more interesting.

He's older than that now

38. Standoffish : ALOOF.  Remote.

40. Pull : TUG. Yank, jerk.

41. Friendly address : KIDDO.  Seems a bit condescending.

44. Opposite of alway : NE'ER.  Alway is an archaic form of always.  NE'ER is a contraction of never, seldom or NE'ER encountered nowadays.   So I guess it's OK.

45. Appt. book divisions : HRS. Hours. N.B. abrvs.

46. Went up : ROSE.  Up toward the sky.

47. Saturated hydrocarbon : ALKANE.  Chemistry.  Saturated means all the available bonding locations on the carbon atoms are filled.  Thus, there are no C=C double bonds in the chain, which would contribute to instability.  The compounds are quite flammable, though.  Propane and butane [ 3 and 4 carbon ALKANES] are examples.  Gasoline is a complex mixture of hydrocarbons and additives, containing lots of pentane and hexane [5 ansd 6 carbon ALKANES.]

49. Had-at link : A GO.  Tried something.  I always think of Mitchell Anderson putting his move on Marian Wyman in Raymond Carver's poignant short story Will You Please Be Quiet, Please.  I do not recommend this dry analysis.

50. Trilogy, often : SAGA.  Originally an Old Norse prose narrative of heroic achievement, now any long and involved story.

52. Emcees' responsibilities : LEAD-INS.  Introductions to the main-line performers.

56. Gum with a longtime eyepatch-wearing mascot : BAZOOKA.  But BAZOOKA Joe did not fare well in the rebranding.

61. Calculus pioneer : EULER.  [Pronounced OILER] Leonhard, (1707 - 1783) a highly accomplished Swiss mathematician. I've often wondered why no technical school has a sports team nick-named the EULERS?

64. Ruffle : FRILL.  A a strip of fabric or lace gathered or pleated on one edge, and attached to a garment or other item as decoration.

Not all ruffles have ridges

65. Right hand : AIDE.  Figurative designation for an assistant

66. Ax : FIRE.  Job elimination.

67. Pledge drive bags : TOTES.  Carry-alls.  Also, in contemporary slang, short for Totally.  Habitual users can save as much as 26.6 seconds per day.

68. Apiary dwellers : BEES.  Not apes.

69. Convinced : SOLD.   Are you SOLD on Gareth's puzzle yet?  If not, let's move on.

Down

1. Picasso contemporary : MIRO.   Joan Miró i Ferrà was a Catalan artist who wanted to upset the visual elements of established painting.

 Not all of his work is so Picassoesque

2. Score after deuce : AD IN.  In tennis, deuce indicates a tie score after both players have reached 40.  AD, short for advantage, indicates the next point has been scored.  If the server has the advantage it is AD IN, otherwise, AD out.

3. Shakers, but not movers : SECT.  This religious community splintered off from the Quakers in Northwest England in the mid-18th century.  They are known for gender equality and a celibate life style.  Second generation Shakers are thus somewhat rare.  They did give us this nice hymn, here put to good use by Aaron Copeland..

4. "The joke's on you" : HA HA.  Hope you thought it was funny.

5. Prenatal procedures : AMNIOS.  Short for amniocentesis, a rather risky procedure.

6. Deceptive military tactic : DECOY.  A diversionary PLOY.  You can read about it here.

7. "Runaway" singer Shannon : DEL.  Another clecho, and a classic song from my 'ute.

8. "Don't change that" : STET. Editor's mark.

9. Emulate Dillinger : ROB A BANK. I do not recommend this risky activity.  When Dillinger emulator Willie Sutton was asked why he robbed banks, he reportedly answered, "Because that's where the money is."

10. Gastroenteritis cause, perhaps : E-COLI.  Bacterium naturally occurring in the lower digestive tract that causes all sorts of problems when it gets into the wrong territory.

11. Pinnacle : ACME.  Apex.  Always need perps.

12. World Baseball Classic team : CUBA.

13. Nonkosher : TREF.  I can never remember this word.  It comes from a Hebrew root meaning something torn.

18. Strong desire : URGE. 

22. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's lake : ERIE.  In Cleveland.

24. Tempts : ALLURES.  Inspires URGES.

26. Make red-faced : ABASH.  To shame or embarrass.

27. Opposite : POLAR.  Extremely opposite.

28. Artful stratagems : PLOYS.  In A Game of Thrones, Petyr Baelish is the master of these cunning plans.

29. Fish-eating bird : LOON.  It is about the size of a large duck, but they are unrelated species.

Minnesota State Bird

31. What a slight favorite has : EDGE.

32. Where Herod ruled : JUDEA.  More old Roman, when JUDEA was a province in the empire.

33. City near the Great Salt Lake : OGDEN.

34. Vacation location : SHORE.  The fringe of land at the edge of a large body of water.  We just spent a week on the SHORE of Black Lake.

36. Plains people : OTOS.  Native American tribe.

37. Farm grunt : OINK.  From the sty.

39. Like pink toys, stereotypically : FOR GIRLS.  Indeed, there are few pink toys for boys.  Trust me, I looked.

43. Word after new or full : MOON.  The orbiting orb, going through phases.

47. Collectible marbles : AGATES.  I remember this term from my 'ute.

48. Kick back : LAZE. You can do this at the SHORE

49. "Chasing Pavements" singer : ADELE. I've heard worse pop songs.

51. "__ With Me": hymn : ABIDE.  I've heard worse hymns.

52. Took off : LEFT.  Departed [but not OFFED.] Split.  Exeunt stage left?

53. Capital of Belgium : EURO.  Money.

54. Landed : ALIT.  Atop something, I suppose.

55. DNA lab item : SWAB.  For collecting bio-samples.

57. Rubs out : OFFS.  Murders.

58. Little of this, little of that : OLIO.  Hodge podge.

59. Auto pioneer Benz : KARL.

60. Like fine port : AGED.  When do we know our port is OLD ENOUGH?  Hmmm.

63. Go in haste : HIE. Quickly, now.

Well, that wraps it up for another Wednesday.  Hope you made it through without having to surrender.
Cool regards!
JzB

Note from C.C.:

As Jazzbumpa mentioned in 34D, he and his family spent their summer vacation at Black Lake last week. Here are 3 sweet pictures:

From the left:

My daughter Karen, Samantha, Amanda, Me, Rebekka, Emily, daughter-in-law Lisa

 Me and my honey, swinging by the lake side.

The Flotilla
Rebekka, Nate, Samantha, Emily

Tuesday, July 1, 2014 Gareth Bain

Theme: Brought to you by the letters O and G - Two across, two down and one in the center.

17A. *"We're All Family Here!" Italian restaurant : OLIVE GARDEN

56A. *Goal for many an elite athlete : OLYMPIC GOLD

38A. "Gosh" ... and a hint to the answers to starred clues : "OH GEE"

3D. *Barbecuing option : OPEN GRILL

34D. *Kitchen safety item : OVEN GLOVE

Rabbit, rabbit! Argyle here. A straight two letter theme seems a bit retro but it may have been in the system for sometime. All the G's are hard G's.

Across:

1. Guy sib : BRO

4. "__ Smile": Hall & Oates hit : SARA

8. Dancer de Mille : AGNES. She had an interesting life. Bio (Also, a CSO to Irish Miss)

13. Mender's target : RIP

14. Hale-Bopp, e.g. : COMET. The Great Comet of 1997. Next return? Around the year 4385.

15. Go : LEAVE

16. Grow old : AGE

19. Hairbrush target : TANGLE

21. Submission encl. : SAE. (self-addressed envelope)

22. After-dinner candy : MINT

23. Grabs, in slang : GLOMS

25. "The Magic Flute" composer : MOZART

27. Yearly : PER ANNUM

30. Actor Silver : RON. (1946-2009) Number of Roles: 84. Best Known for Playing: Sleazy politicians and doctors.

31. Speakeasy owners' concerns : RAIDS

32. NCO nickname : SARGE

34. Have debts : OWE

37. Capri, e.g. : ISLE

39. Physiologist Pavlov : IVAN

40. Gibson of "Lethal Weapon" : MEL

41. Museum employee : GUIDE

42. Graph revelation : TREND

43. __ tai: cocktail : MAI

44. Insults : AFFRONTS

46. Individual : PERSON

49. Acting litigiously toward : SUING

50. Old horses : NAGS

51. Federation in OPEC : UAE. (United Arab Emirates)

53. Hid from the police : LAY LOW

59. Eggs, to a biologist : OVA

60. Home on the range : TEPEE

61. Jockey rival : HANES

62. Kilmer of "Willow" : VAL

63. Lauder of cosmetics : ESTÉE

64. Sign of stagnation : ODOR

65. Caribou kin : ELK

Down:

1. Naughty kid : BRAT

2. Capital of Latvia : RIGA

4. Like a moment of silence : SOLEMN

5. "__ imagining things?" : AM I

6. Guns, as a motor : REVS

7. Mr. T's group : A TEAM

8. Styled after : À LA

9. Austria's official language : GERMAN

10. Bottommost point : NADIR

11. Milestone, e.g. : EVENT

12. Text message status : SENT

14. Eyes, in many emoticons : COLONS

18. First name of three presidents : GEORGE

20. Clearing in the woods : GLADE

24. Bite-sized Japanese fare : SUSHI

26. "Avatar" actress Saldana : ZOE

27. Strait-laced : PRIM

28. Relaxation : EASE

29. Sister of Eva and Zsa Zsa : MAGDA

                  Zsa Zsa, Magda & Eva

33. Coral phenomena : REEFS

35. Have a yen for : WANT

36. Wraps up : ENDS

38. "Certainly, monsieur!" : "OUI, OUI!"

39. Literary technique involving incongruity : IRONY

41. Freeway sign word : GAS

42. Three-toned chords : TRIADS

43. Capt. Hook's henchman : MR. SMEE

45. __ Brush Company : FULLER

46. Looks inferior, comparatively : PALES

47. Luxor's country : EGYPT. The ruins of ancient Thebes.

48. Salsa holder : NACHO

50. Musical symbol : NOTE

52. "My goodness!" : "EGAD!"

54. Basic track shape : OVAL

55. Base on balls : WALK

57. Capital of Portugal? : PEE. The letter P.

58. Musician Yoko : ONO. Hello, old friend.

Argyle