Wednesday, February 4, 2015 Gareth Bain

Theme: Pounding Heads. Four hardware fasteners and one booze-fest contribute to today's theme.

I say this to myself most days

18A. "Being John Malkovich" director : SPIKE JONZE. Why did I think he was spelt "JONES" at first?

22A. "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" co-star : BRAD PITT. One of my favorite actors. His performance in Guy Ritchie's "Snatch" is one of the all-time great ones, in my humble opinion.

49A. Saddle storage area : TACK ROOM. Redolent with the smells of old leather, horses and hay. I'd use it as my car air freshener if someone could bottle it.

54A. Nervous habit : NAIL BITING. I used to bite my nails - my mom painted them with a foul-flavored concoction called "Stop 'N Gro" and guess what? I liked the taste. She was not pleased, to say the least.

35A. Slangily, overimbibe; literally, what the starts of 18-, 22-, 49- and 54-Across can do : GET HAMMERED. It's only really "over-imbibing" if you didn't mean to get schnockered. If you did mean it, then you end up with precisely the right quantity of bibe. Right?

Woo Hoo!

Hi all. Welcome to the first Wednesday of February (what happened to January?) and Gareth's latest. I thought this one had a bit of a disjointed feel about it - the fill seemed a little 'bitty' and has the occasional "yeah, I get it, but no-one really uses it" (I'm looking at you, DEFAT). Some good stuff like AKIMBO and ARMADA though.

Across:

1. Beginning on : AS OF

5. No ordinary party : BASH

9. Keister : PRAT. A fool in British slang.

13. Big Island coffee region : KONA. Meaning "the lee side" of an island in the Hawaiian language. Quick - how many letters are there in the Hawaiian alphabet?

14. Sap-sucking insect : APHID

16. Put on board : LADE. I first came across this word when I worked for a marine insurance underwriter - the Bill of Lading was required to as proof of what cargo the ship was carrying when filing a claim for loss or damage.

17. Learning ctr. : INST. Some pretty wild architecture can be found at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

20. Bit of dust : MOTE

21. Readies for another voyage : REFITS

26. Portions out : ALLOTS

29. One making waves : OAR. I just finished reading 'The Boys in the Boat" by Daniel James Brown, a wonderful book telling the story of the 1936 US rowing eight who went to the Berlin Olympics. I think the coaches would be alarmed if those oars were making waves, the ideal technique leaves nary a ripple.

30. Sean Lennon's mom : ONO. A quibble here would be that Sean Lennon's mom is "Yoko Ono".

31. Occasionally : AT TIMES

32. Three-time Hopkins role : LECTER. Hannibal from "The Silence of the Lambs" and sequels.

34. At hand : NEAR

38. Fictional archaeologist Croft : LARA. The Tomb Raider.

40. Bakery array : LOAVES. There are 13 in a baker's dozen for absolutely no good reason I can find.

41. Promises : PLEDGES

44. "Hawaii Five-0" actor Daniel __ Kim : DAE. Thank you, crosses.

45. Cellular messenger : RNA. Dashed clever stuff, that ribonucleic acid. It contains four-stranded guanine tetraplexes amongst other doodads for those of you keeping track of your tetraplexes at home.

48. Ambien maker : SEARLE. I wasn't familiar with this company - I discover it's part of Pfizer.

51. Longhorn rival : SOONER. Texas and Oklahoma college sports rivalry. Oklahoma's "Boomer Sooner" fight song is notable in that the melody was "borrowed" from Yale and the last verse "borrowed" from UNC.

53. Mandlikova of tennis : HANA. She retired 25 years ago; she won four Grand Slam titles so we'll cut her some slack on the crossword longevity stakes.

58. Prophet's concern : OMEN

59. Promgoer's concern : ACNE

60. Really enjoy : EAT UP

61. One of 28 Monopoly cards : DEED. For all its ubiquity, Monopoly is consistently rated as one of the worst board games of all times. Hasbro announced yesterday that they're releasing a special edition of the game in France, some of which contain real Euro notes.

62. Places for hats : PEGS

63. Jazz singer Horne : LENA

64. Icelandic literary work : EDDA

Down:

1. With hands on hips : AKIMBO. Great word. Here's Rembrandt's  "Portrait of a man half-length with his arms akimbo". Quite an unwieldy title, if he'd have added "wearing clothes and a hat and staring at the artist" we needn't have bothered looking at the painting at all.

2. Northern Mexican state : SONORA. Neighbor of Arizona and New Mexico.

3. GM navigation system : ONSTAR. It can also connect you to roadside assistance in case of emergency. I heard an audio clip of a race-tuned Camaro automatically calling for assistance when it blew a head gasket at the racetrack and the driver telling the operator he didn't need anyone to come and help.

4. Meant to be : FATED

5. __-relief : BAS

6. iPhone purchase : APP

7. See 12-Down : SHIRT. Hey Barry - here's your awkwardly cross-referenced clue of the day!

8. Enjoy the Pacific Crest Trail : HIKE

9. Literary arcs : PLOT LINES. Why arcs? Because a plot line is "an over-arching story", or arc for short.

10. Redeemed from captivity : RANSOMED

11. Carpenter's tool : ADZ. Someone chopped off the "E" with an axe?

12. With 7-Down, punny message site : TEE

15. Make leaner : DEFAT. I know it's in the dictionary, but I've been around food and cooking for donkey's years and I've never seen this term used. I trim meat and skim stock.

19. Leave at the altar : JILT

23. Expert on feet? : POET. Best clue of the day for me.

24. Foot part : INCH

25. Wrecks completely : TOTALS

27. Tetley offering : TEA

28. Estonia, until 1991: Abbr. : SSR. One of those pesky Soviet Socialist Republics.

31. Doomed 1588 fighting force : ARMADA. The Spanish fleet sent to invade England. A combination of bad planning, indecisiveness, English fire ships and storms conspired to give "armada" a bad name ever since.

32. Gigs for 22-Across, often : LEAD ROLES.

33. Expressive rock genre : EMO

35. Bribing : GREASING

36. Rescue op : EVAC

37. Smell bad : REEK

38. Old DJ's platters : LPS. Long-Playing records. Seems so quaint nowadays - you were lucky to get 30 minutes out of one side - I've got 11.5 days' worth on my phone.

39. India Pale __ : ALE. Brewed with extra hops to help preserve the beer on the journey from England to troops stationed in India, hence the name.

42. Shapeless mass : GLOB

43. Start of a selection process : EENIE. Meenie, Miny, Moe. Many alternate spellings too - great for crossword constructors.

45. Didn't stay put : ROAMED

46. "Thanks, but I'm set!" : NO NEED

47. Actress Plummer : AMANDA. Christopher Plummer's daughter.

49. Hackneyed : TRITE

50. __ Island : RHODE. The state motto is "Ictu Carebitis Eam" ("Blink, you will miss it"). OK, it's not, I made that up.

52. Bibliog. catchall : ET AL Et Alia - "and others"

54. Brief refresher : NAP

55. Solitaire foundation card : ACE

56. Wimple wearer : NUN

57. Credit-weighted no. : GPA. Grade Point Average. Credit hours weigh into the calculation.

finally the grid (you can see I disliked DEFAT so much I had to leave it until last to fill it in!):

Toodle-Pip!

Steve

Monday, January 19, 2015 Gareth Bain

Theme: Top Brass - A bringing together of diverse Generals.

17A. Military bed-making features : HOSPITAL CORNERS. General Hospital, long time running TV soap opera.

28A. Classic jazz vocal group originally composed of four siblings, with "The" : MILLS BROTHERS. General Mills, founded in 1866! (Wiki)
 

 

46A. "Special" lobbying faction : INTEREST GROUP. General Interest, like CBS Sunday Morning.

61A. UN organ ... or what the first words of 17-, 28- and 46-Across comprise? : GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Argyle here. Marvelous Monday...and we need it. I worried needlessly when I saw Gareth's name. Two grid spanners, strong corners, good fill with a little crunch to keep it interesting. And I liked the wide range of entries.

Across:

1. Pod used to thicken gumbo : OKRA

5. Moonshine containers : JUGS. I stuck in JARS first.

9. "24" superagent Jack : BAUER

14. __-chef : SOUS. Second-in-command in the kitchen. Not a general yet.

15. Jacob's twin : ESAU

16. Happen next : ENSUE

20. Rose pest : APHID

21. Pimply breakout : ACNE

22. On the __: precisely : DOT

23. Civil rights activist Parks : ROSA. Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

26. Chancellor von Bismarck : OTTO

33. Financial claim : LIEN

35. Sport __: versatile wheels : UTE. (utility)

36. OB/GYN test : AMNIO. Shortening of amniocentesis.

37. Goof : ERR

38. Comic strip with Snoopy : PEANUTS

41. Md. neighbor : DEL. Maryland/Delaware

42. Pierre's "There it is!" : "VOILA!"

44. Bigheadedness : EGO

45. "Should __ acquaintance ..." : AULD

50. Mideast strip : GAZA

51. In the mail : SENT

52. Magazine fillers : ADS

55. Intravenous process : DRIP

57. Ride without pedaling : COAST

65. San Antonio battle site : ALAMO

66. Cookie added to a McFlurry : OREO

67. Banned fruit spray : ALAR

68. Make into confetti : RIP UP

69. Enjoy a Kindle, e.g. : READ

70. Printed goof : TYPO

Down:

1. Fed. workplace monitor : OSHA. (Occupational Safety and Health Administration)

2. Surgeon general under Reagan : KOOP. Another General.

3. Make haste : RUSH

4. Pain-relieving pill : ASPIRIN

5. Jumbo __ : JET

6. Stars and Stripes land: Abbr. : USA

7. Black-tie party : GALA

8. Relief : SUCCOR

9. Italian pistols : BERETTAS

10. Cape NNW of Cod : ANN. Boston is in between them.

11. Second-hand : USED

12. Franc replacement : EURO

13. What's leftover, with "the" : REST

18. Revered star : IDOL

19. Not hoodwinked by : ON TO

24. Revolve on an axis : SLUE

25. Nick and Nora's dog : ASTA

27. Electrical unit : OHM

28. Be worthy of : MERIT

29. Poet Stephen Vincent __ : BENÉT

30. Turn out to be : END UP

31. Cambodian currency : RIEL

32. Happy sign for a Realtor : [SOLD]

33. Jeans maker Strauss : LEVI

34. Crease remover : IRON

38. Send down using chutes, as supplies : PARADROP. Or some really big stuff.

39. Fleecy footwear brand : UGGS

40. Injured, as a ligament : TORE

43. Table support : LEG

45. Quaint coin-op eatery : AUTOMAT

47. Poet Pound : EZRA

48. Crew member : SAILOR

49. A single time : ONCE

52. Lab gel : AGAR

53. Pastrami purveyor : DELI. Cute alliteration.

54. Lose it : SNAP

56. Remove, as a peel : PARE

58. With skill : ABLY

59. High-five, e.g. : SLAP

60. Rookie : TYRO

62. Outback bird : EMU

63. Mediterranean __ : SEA

64. Clump of turf : SOD

Argyle

Wednesday, January 7th 2015 Gareth Bain

Theme:  Papal Staples – each of the theme answers ends with a name adopted by multiple pontiffs.

18A. Black-eyed peas dish : HOPPIN’ JOHN. Food! A traditional good-luck New Year’s Day dish from the southern states. Any left-overs served the next day are called “Skippin’ Jenny”. How much of this did I know before I looked it up? None of it.

27A. Pretend nothing's going on : LOOK INNOCENT. Usually accompanied by whistling with your hands behind your back and drawing circles in the dirt with your toe.What? Me?

47A. Brunch fare : EGGS BENEDICT. More Food! Allegedly, one hungover New Yorker,  Lemuel Benedict, ordered the first incarnation of this dish at the Waldorf Hotel in 1894.

The bacon on the side is probably a tad unnecessary

 59A. Country star with an un-countrylike name : KEITH URBAN. He’s a real mixture – an Australian, born in New Zealand, who sings country. He’s also married to Nicole Kidman.

... tucked away at the bottom is the reveal:

56D. Religious leader associated with the ends of the four longest puzzle answers : POPE

Wow, Wednesday’s upon us already! Steve here with Gareth’s first LAT of 2015 (that didn’t take long, did it?) He slips in a couple of references to his native continent with RAND and MOGAMBO. I liked the theme and the tucked-away reveal. I did think the KEITH URBAN entry was just a little too close to POPE URBAN, whereas the other three were not people, but it didn’t bother me unduly.

Let's see what else we've got.

Across:

1. Neutral hue : ECRU. Seen in two places - the crossword and the hosiery department.

5. Book of legends? : ATLAS

10. Irreverent radio host : IMUS. I've never listened to him. From what I read, I've not missed much.

14. Become painfully dry : CHAP

15. Airboat area : SWAMP

16. Narrow margin : NOSE. How long is a nose in horse-racing parlance? At some point you stop winning by a head and start winning by a nose. I'm not sure where a horse's nose begins.

17. Hardly noticeable amount : HINT

20. Like some Netflix movies : ON DISC. A ever-dwindling proportion of their distribution.

22. Wore a belittling look : SNEERED

23. Notable gap : CHASM

26. More pleasant : NICER

31. Empty the recycle bin, e.g. : ERASE

32. Petri dish gel : AGAR

33. Cast off : SHED

37. Informal pass : NAH. I'd have gotten a clip around the ear from my Mom if she ever heard me say "nah" rather than "no thank you".

38. "Also sprach Zarathustra" composer : STRAUSS. Richard, in this case. Famously the overture music to "2001 A Space Odyssey".

41. Miner issue : ORE

42. Reunion attendee : ALUM

44. Third Pillar of Islam subject : ALMS. Sounds a little more pleasant than "compulsory charity" which is how I've seen it written before.

45. Short stroke : TAP-IN

50. Bygone Detroit brewery : STROH. I just finished reading a fascinating book about the USA's great brewing families, mostly of German origin. Stroh were one of the biggest brewers; eventually they sold out to Pabst and Miller.

52. Gas leak warnings : ODORS

53. Starts a revolution : UPRISES. I don't buy this one. I just can't hear a revolutionary leader saying "I think I'll uprise tomorrow and see who else wants to uprise with me". Nope.

55. Comparable to, with "with" : ON A PAR

62. What "will keep us together," in a 1975 hit : LOVE

63. Hamburg's river : ELBE. The town of Plzen is part of the Elbe watershed, and gives its name to Pilsner beer, which was the style of beer brewed by Bernhard Stroh when he opened his Detroit operation in 1850. I claim the prize for linking two totally unrelated clues.

64. "Transcendental" Liszt piece : ETUDE

65. Blunted blade : EPEE.

66. Downhill coaster : SLED

67. Pitching scout's device : RADAR. Official opinion varies, but the fastest pitches in Major League Baseball have been delivered at around 106 mph. That's some heat!

68. Lowly worker : SERF

Down:

1. Bounce back : ECHO. And how a RADAR gun works.

2. Uppercut target : CHIN

3. It's tender in Johannesburg : RAND

4. Market advances : UPTICKS. Are there downticks? I've only heard "downturns" - hmmm.

5. Picnic area barrel : ASHCAN

6. __-Face: duplicitous Batman foe : TWO. Harvey Dent, as portrayed by Aaron Eckhart in "The Dark Knight Rises"

 

"You really should get that looked at"

7. __ cat : LAP

8. Rock concert gear : AMPS

9. Dreidels and pinwheels : SPINNERS

10. Adds to a conversation, as a remark : INJECTS. I would use "interject" in this context, but probably that's just me.

11. "A Visit From St. Nicholas" poet Clement Clarke __ : MOORE. Also known as, and perhaps better known as, "'Twas the Night before Christmas". I had no idea of the poet's name. Thank you, crosses.

12. Seat finder : USHER

13. Delight : SEND

19. Frau's refusal : NEIN

21. Draws back in fear : SHIES

24. Hairbrush targets : SNARLS

25. Gable/Gardner classic set in Africa : MOGAMBO. More a Gardner/Kelly classic to be honest - Ava and Grace both received Oscar nominations for Best Supporting Actress.

27. Actress Olin : LENA. Who? I left her until the end.

28. __ hygiene : ORAL

29. Pearl Harbor locale : OAHU

30. Led to : CAUSED

34. Native Arizonans : HOPI

35. Obama attorney general Holder : ERIC

36. Bit of hail damage : DENT. DING went in, then came out.

39. Swiss luxury watchmaker : TAG HEUER. I thought they were German, but now I know better.

Yours for a mere $14,000, give or take a couple of hundred

40. Strict : STERN. IMUS and STERN in the same puzzle? Don't let them get too close to each other, they're not the best of friends.

43. Deserved : MERITED

46. Source of TV revenue : AD SALES

48. "Crikey!" : GOSH!

49. Midday tryst : NOONER

50. Compete in a bee : SPELL

51. 34-Down, e.g. : TRIBE

53. Luau strings : UKES

54. Arg. miss : SRTA. This abbr. falls into my "that's a bit 'orrible" category, but it's common enough in crosswords. A young woman in Argentina is a senorita, hence a yng. wm. in Arg. is a Srta.

57. State as fact : AVER

58. Great Barrier __ : REEF

60. Future bloom : BUD. BUD and STROH in the same puzzle? Cheers! *clink*

61. Oral health org. : A.D.A.

That's it from me. I'm off to Google "SRTA" and see what comes up first, apparently that's the way to explain crossword clues.

Steve 

Note from C.C.:

Here are two pictures from Bill G, who's been with our blog since 2009. His dog Sammy is no longer with them. Bill's wife Barbara is a retired teacher also, and an avid quilter.

Bill & Sammy

Bill & Barbara

Wednesday, December 10th 2014 Gareth Bain

Theme: Bring Your Own ... anagrams. Each of the five theme entries contain an anagram of "BYO" as the reveal entry succinctly indicates.

15A. Eight-time Norris Trophy winner : BOBBY ORR. "Mr Crossword" gets a full-name entry today, and a theme one to boot!

19A. Practical joke during a greeting : JOY BUZZER. Comic-strip staple (usually exaggerating the effect!) I didn't know the official name for this device.

31A. Postwar population phenomenon : BABY BOOM. Apparently, Boomers in the US control over 80% of personal financial assets, account for 80% of leisure travel and buy 77% of all prescription drugs. Obviously all that travel and wealth is not good for you.

38A. Yokohama is on it : TOKYO BAY. Trying to fit "WHEEL RIM" in here didn't get me very far.

50A. Board buyer's request : TWO-BY-FOUR. I have a minor quibble here - if you walk into a lumber yard and ask for a two-by-four, you're going to get a post, not a board.

58A. Like many teen girls, and a literal hint to this puzzle's circled squares : BOY CRAZY

Cue screams for One Direction from our youthful readership. I went to YouTube to link some audio of the boys, but you'll be happy to hear that I got distracted watching Kevin Spacey do celebrity impersonations.

Steve here with another product of Mr. Bain's fertile mind. I don't think circle-less solvers were put at too much of a disadvantage. I thought a pangram might be afoot when I saw all the Y's, Z's and the trickier J's, K's and W's making an appearance, but no room for a Q or an X. Given the six Y's and 3 Z's, that doesn't leave a lot of wiggle room.

Across:

1. Go wrong : ERR

4. Party garb for Hef : PJ'S

7. Some grenades, briefly : FRAGS. The fragmentation grenade, a thoroughly unpleasant piece of ordnance.

12. Response to a home team bobble : BOO. Tough crowd if you're going to boo your own team for a mere bobble. A complete season-long meltdown and it might just about be acceptable.

13. Tough kid to handle : BRAT

14. Amazon crocodilian : CAIMAN. Spell-check doesn't like "crocodilian". Another reason why you should never trust it.

17. A to A, e.g. : OCTAVE. Favorite clue of the day for me.

18. Mascara mishap : SMEAR

21. Vena __: heart vessel : CAVA

23. Cobbler's tool : AWL

24. Times gone by, in times gone by : ELD. It's in the Mirriam-Webster dictionary, but certainly not in mine. I tried to find an example of usage, but drew a blank.

25. Less solid : SHAKIER

28. Anti-bullfighting org. : PETA

30. Steamed cantina food : TAMALE. My local Farmer's Market has a stand selling beef, pork and chicken varieties which is a regular stop for me. I've made my own, but you have to make about 200 at a time to justify the effort.

35. Heaps : A LOT. Or the number of tamales you have to make in a session.

36. Boring routine : RUT

37. In need of a massage : SORE

41. Gravel components : STONES. Here's a very talented collection of gravel:

43. Work without __ : A NET

44. Pens in : CORRALS

45. Scammer's target : SAP

48. "The Book of __": 2010 film : ELI. Denzel Washington drama. Rotten Tomatoes gives it a 48% rating, si I don't think I missed anything by not seeing it.

49. Very little : A DAB

53. Less experienced : NEWER

57. Less taxing : EASIER

60. Lose : MISLAY. My Dad always claimed he'd not lost something, he'd merely "temporarily" mislaid it. I think "temporary" had a different meaning for him.

61. Nobelist Wiesel : ELIE

62. Tax shelter letters : IRA

63. Take the reins : STEER

64. Single chin-up, say : REP. If I was a pedant, I'd say you can't have one repetition of something, you have to have at least two. Actually, I am a pedant, so I call a very mild foul here.

65. Season ticket holder : FAN.

Down:

1. Fades away : EBBS

2. Dorm unit : ROOM

3. Post-shower wear : ROBE. Does Hef wear one over his PJ's?

4. One paid to play : PRO.

5. "Star Wars" character __ Binks : JAR JAR. Possibly the most annoying character ever introduced into a sci-fi franchise, IMHO.

6. Houston MLB'er : 'STRO

7. School group : FACULTY. I wanted GARAGE BAND, but ran out of blank squares.

8. __ Bits: cracker sandwiches : RITZ

9. Leave wide-eyed : AMAZE

10. "Order! Order!" mallet : GAVEL

11. Dummy Mortimer : SNERD. Brief SNERD/SNERT uncertainty compounded by the unknown ELD. I pondered awhile and I chose wisely (or guessed wild-assly, your call).

13. How much cargo is transported : BY RAIL

14. All-natural flytrap : COBWEB. Amazing feat of engineering.

16. Slangy "Ditto!" : "BACK AT YA!"

20. Pester, puppy-style : YAP AT

22. Crew neck alternative : VEE

25. Medical "Now!" : STAT! From the Latin "Statim", meaning "Urgent". Something I don't want to hear when I'm in the Doctor's office.

26. Saintly radiance : HALO

27. Hog-wild : AMOK

29. Shock __ : ABSORBER

31. Believe : BUY

32. Chaplin of "Game of Thrones" : OONA. I keep meaning to catch up on Game of Thrones - I watched the first two episodes; I think I've got about 90 to bring me up-to-date.

33. Pitcher Hershiser : OREL

34. Predicament : MESS

36. Numerical relationship : RATIO

39. Like many gift subscriptions : ONE YEAR

40. Quasimodo's workplace : BELFRY. Trying to cram "Notre Dame" in here doesn't really work.

41. Putting green patch : SOD

42. Mesmerized state : TRANCE

44. King of pop : CAROLE. I trod the misdirection path of ELVIS/MICHAEL/(insert your favorite here) for a little while.

45. Parts of peonies : STEMS. Misreading this as "ponies" slowed me up somewhat.

46. Look forward to : AWAIT

47. Ad hoc law group : POSSE

51. Gallbladder fluid : BILE

52. Slangy prefix meaning "ultra" : UBER

54. Street urchin : WAIF

55. University founder Cornell : EZRA.

56. "Sleepless in Seattle" co-star : RYAN

59. "Take me! Take me!" at the shelter : YIP. More puppy-pestering.

Fun stuff, and if you didn't get the circles in your publication here they are:

Steve

Wednesday, November 5th 2014 Gareth Bain

Theme: Nova OVAs - Latin egg-mixes in the middle of the three theme entries.

20A. *"The Sound of Music" heroine : MARIA VON TRAPP. Let's get the day's earworm out of the way courtesy of a pretty cool flashmob in Antwerp's Central Station.

33A. *Common Italian restaurant fixture : PIZZA OVEN. For all the home-cook pizza fans out there, you can get your own from Williams-Sonoma for a mere $5,995,99. The ocean view costs extra.

44A. *Completely in vain : TO NO AVAIL. Just like my hints to Santa Claus for a pizza oven, complete with Malibu-overlook property.

Leading to:

54A. Breakfast serving, and a hint to this puzzle's circled letters : SCRAMBLED EGGS. Also the working title of the Beatles' "Yesterday" before Sir Paul wrote the lyrics.


Hi everyone - Steve checking in with Gareth's fun puzzle. I grinned when I realized what Gareth was up to - I tried some months ago to make the theme work myself, however I was stuck on "Level 1" of looking for anagrams of EGGS, of which there are few. Gareth was a lot smarter than me and added the extra twist of using OVA instead. Bravo!

Let's see what else we've got today:

Across:

1. Desert partly in northern China : GOBI

5. Allergic reaction : RASH

9. Make overly dry : PARCH. As eastern Asia does to 1A.

14. Air or Mini : IPAD

15. Capital on a fjord : OSLO.

16. Union Pacific Railroad headquarters : OMAHA. It seems pretty logical when you see it's pretty much slap-dab in the middle of the country. Learning moment.

17. Acidic : TART

18. Laser __ : BEAM

19. Up to this point : SO FAR

23. Ho Chi Minh City, once : SAIGON. On my bucket list for the French and Asian influences in the food.

25. Tribute in verse : ODE

26. Part of ETA: Abbr. : EST

27. Fresno-to-L.A. direction : SSE. Hey, I got this one without waiting for crosses!

29. Altar oath : I DO.

30. Conk on the head : BOP. Enjoyed this one.

36. Construction site sight : CRANE

38. "__ Nagila" : HAVA. Musical staple of 3D, among other occasions.

39. '50s vice president : NIXON

41. Snow Queen in "Frozen" : ELSA

42. Unsuitable : INAPT. A member of the crosswords-only lexicon, no?

46. Remains in a tray : ASH

47. Row-making tool : HOE

49. Photo lab blowup: Abbr. : ENL. Enlargement.

50. Had a meal : ATE

51. According to : PER

52. Appeared : SEEMED

60. Soap vamp __ Kane : ERICA. Thank you, crosses. If I had a wheelhouse, this wouldn't be in it, nor anywhere close.

61. Novelist Turgenev : IVAN

62. Laryngitis sound : RASP

65. Handled bags : TOTES. Nouns, not the past verb tense which had me barking up the wrong tree for a moment.

66. Insect eggs : NITS

67. Hockey great Phil, familiarly : ESPO. He played for the Blackhawks, the Bruins and the Rangers, thereby alternately delighting and alienating the good residents of Chicago, Boston and New York.

68. Stimulate : SPARK

69. Swiss abstractionist : KLEE. "Tunisian Gardens" painted in 1919 is a great example of his work.

70. Former Russian autocrat : TSAR. Czar or Tsar? Wait for the crosses.

Down:

1. "Amscray!" : GIT

2. __-Locka, Florida : OPA. Recently popular in these parts?

3. Coming-of-age event : BAR MITZVAH

4. Luggage tie-on : ID TAG

5. "Miniver Cheevy" poet Edwin Arlington __ : ROBINSON. Thank you crosses!

6. Sailing, say : ASEA

7. Moravian or Czech : SLAV

8. __ sapiens : HOMO

9. Like some specialized research, for short : POST-DOC. Post-doctoral. I don't think I've seen the shortened form before, but it slotted right in.

10. Luigi's love : AMORE

11. Nadal of tennis, familiarly : RAFA

12. Become overly dry : CHAP. Lips seem to chap more than anything else.

13. Angelic strings : HARP

21. Activist Parks : ROSA. I took a time-out from business last week and visited the Ford Museum in Dearborn - I stepped aboard the actual bus that she was riding in Montgomery when she refused to give up her seat. Stirring stuff.

22. Show assent : NOD

23. Old Kia model : SEPHIA. I tried SENORA at first for no good reason other than it seemed familiar.

24. Koreans, e.g. : ASIANS

28. Party-planning site : EVITE

29. All-__ printer : IN ONE

30. One of two talking animals in the Old Testament : BALAAMS ASS. That's one heck of a lot of S's and A's in 10 letters!

31. Like some training : ONSITE

32. Rang out : PEALED

34. Ray gun sound : ZAP

35. Outer: Pref. : EXO. Exoskeletons are moving from the realms of sci-fi to sci-fact.

37. Get ready to drag : REV. Gentlemen, start your engines! Drag racing.

40. Drivel : NONSENSE

43. 1994 Jim Carrey movie : THE MASK

45. "Break __!" : A LEG. The acting community deem it ill-fated to wish a fellow thespian "good luck". Instead they exhort them to fall 16 feet from the apron of the stage into the orchestra pit and enjoy a spot of fibula-fracturing. I broke mine when I was a kid, not an experience I'd wish on anyone.

48. Planet, poetically : ORB

51. Hoosier hoopster : PACER. Indiana cager. A youthful Reggie Miller some years before his Hall of Fame induction.

53. Blue heron kin : EGRET

54. Tennis divisions : SETS

55. Field goal? : CROP. Harvesting a crop would be a farmer's goal after the field was planted.

56. Grammy winner Coolidge : RITA

57. Sausage serving : LINK. Food! Let's hear it for the great British Banger.

58. Like some movie twins : EVIL

59. Historian's tidbit : DATE

63. Fancy tub : SPA

64. ESP neighbor, to the IOC : POR. Spain's cross-border chum Portugal, in the eyes of the International Olympic Committee.

That's about all from me. Tonight is Guy Fawkes' Night in the UK - fireworks, festivities and cooking bangers in the bonfire all to commemorate a chap who tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament back in the 1600's. Let's say it didn't end well for Mr. Fawkes.

Steve

Thursday, October 23, 2014 Gareth Bain

Theme: MOBILE HOTSPOT


19-Across. Poet friend of Jonathan Swift : ALEXANDER POPE. Together, the friends formed the Scriblerus Club.

The current Pope Francis scoots around town in a Ford Focus, instead of this POPEMOBILE.

33-Across. Kipling story collection, with "The" : JUNGLE BOOK. The original edition is worth a couple of bucks, I bet.

The BOOKMOBILE is becoming another victim of the computer age.

38-Across. "Poetry Man" singer : PHOEBE SNOW. I had the pleasure of seeing her in person twice - such a talent. She died in 2011.

SNOWMOBILEs are not just for recreation!

48-Across. Title phrase that rhymes with "he lightly doffed his hat" : CASEY AT THE BAT. Is there any joy in Mudville?

The original BATMOBILE is a far cry from its modern counterpart.


And the reveal is found at 44-Down. Vehicular attachment for the ends of 19-, 33-, 38- and 48-Across : MOBILE.

Just missing a V for a pangram.



Across

1. Bodybuilder's pride : ABs. And a clecho at 20-Down. Bodybuilder's pride : LATs.

4. "Wizards of Waverly Place" actress Gomez : SELENA.

10. Like crudités : RAW.

13. Helpful URL link : FAQ. Frequently Asked Questions. They never seem to have the answer I am looking for.

14. Literary postscript : EPILOG.

15. Townshend of 22-Down : PETE. And 22-Down. "Pinball Wizard" band : THE WHO.

16. Cross-shaped letter : TAU. It's also an empire in this video game.

17. Forecast words golfers like to hear : NO RAIN. Husker, do you golf in the rain?

18. Glade target : ODOR.

22. Frequent Hepburn co-star : TRACY.

23. Take a load off : SIT.

24. __ rhythm: brain waves pattern : THETA.

25. Old-style "For shame!" : FIE.

28. Soothing sprinklings : TALCS. I was thinking along the lines of Jimmies on ice-cream.

32. Rink VIPs : REFs. Ice hockey rink, REFerees.

35. Iconic WWII setting, familiarly : IWO. Jima.

36. Missouri tributary : OSAGE.

37. Garden product word : GRO.

41. Water-to-wine site : CANA. As shown in this painting of "The Wedding at Cana" by Veronese.

42. __ voce: softly : SOTTO.

43. Longing : YEN.

44. Gourmet mushroom : MOREL. Do these look "gourmet"?

45. Storage media : CDs.

47. Theorize : POSIT.

54. Leave off : OMIT.

55. Hummus ingredient : TAHINI.

56. "Run to __": Bobby Vee hit : HIM. Blast from the past. 2:05

59. Galvanizing metal : ZINC.

60. Like many Schoenberg compositions : ATONAL. Here's a small sample from his "Pierrot Lunaire." 1:15

61. Possible reply to "Got milk?"? : MOO. And 2-Down. Ewe cry : BAA.

62. Shout of success : YES! (With or without fist pump.)

63. Seuss reptile : YERTLE. the Turtle.

64. Classroom fill-in : SUB. Another CSO to HG!


Down

1. Not fore : AFT.

3. Storage unit? : SQUARE FOOT.

4. Iroquois Confederacy tribe : SENECA.

5. Powerful adhesive : EPOXY.

6. Turkish bread? : LIRA. Anyone else think about filling in "na'an"?

7. Gusto : ELAN.

8. Reason to be turned away by a bouncer : NO ID.

9. Patron saint of girls : AGNES. CSO to Irish Miss!

10. Edit menu choice : REDO.

11. Straddling : ATOP.

12. "While __ Young": USGA anti-slow play campaign : WE'RE.

15. Can convenience : POP TAB. Anybody else fill in POP Top?

21. Religious ceremony : RITE.

24. Vacation plans : TRIPS. We're still trying to decide where and when to travel in Europe next year.

25. Persnickety : FUSSY.

26. Lacking sense : INANE.

27. Encourage : EGG ON.

29. Shortcuts for complex multiplication : LOGARITHMS.

30. Trumpet cousin : CORNET. In what song were there 110 CORNETs "close at hand"?

31. Toaster's word : SKOAL.

33. Beanery cuppa : JOE.

34. "Ben-Hur" author Wallace : LEW.

39. "... and all that jazz," for short : ETC. ETC. Yadda, yadda...

40. Fullness of flavor : BODY.

41. __ Nostra : COSA.

46. Skewered Thai dish : SATAY. With peanut sauce - yummm!

47. Serving to punish : PENAL.

48. Like a warm nest : COZY.

49. Nice lady friend : AMIE. "Nice" misdirection.

50. Confession details : SINS. On this site, you can apply for a SIN, obtain a confirmation of your SIN or amend your SIN record! (Might be a useful link for CanadianEh?)

51. London gallery : TATE.

52. Superhero with a hammer : THOR.

53. Help for a solver : HINT.

57. Letters of credit? : IOU.

58. Group gone wild : MOB. Like the one at Keene, N.H.'s pumpkin festival last week. Link credit: HG!

Marti, over and out.