Thursday, May 26th, 2016 Gareth Bain

Theme: Old McDonald. The theme entries have a farm animal "split" out at the start and finish of the phrase.

18A. *Steinbeck novel set in Monterey : CANNERY ROW. Cow. Beautiful part of the state, although it wouldn't have looked quite so charming in Steinbeck's time. The locals seemed friendly though.

23A. *Starter : HORS D'OEUVRE. Horse. Pedantically speaking (who, me?) one of a number of appetizers before the meal, not a starter.

35A. *China server : GRAVY BOAT. Goat. Many gravy boats are quite startling examples of kitsch. This, one, for example. Do a Google search and see what you think of the man-eating tiger variations.

52A. *Refinery job : PIPE FITTING. Pig. "Red sky at night, the refinery's alight". Refineries have lots of pipes which require fitting, I guess.

58A. Wall Street announcement ... or a hint to the circled letters : STOCK SPLIT.

G'day! Neat enough theme from Gareth. He likes to toss a couple of African references into his puzzles - we've got CAIRO and AFRICA (and African in the CAIRO clue) so check that box.

MEGS/SHO/RDS/SEPT/SAE/CRT/SSN/SGT/SLC/PMS/GPO felt like a lot of abbreviations - probably no more than the norm, it just felt like a couple too many.

Let's see what else we've got.

Across:

1. Teeth setting : GUMS

5. Parts of gigs : MEGS. Lots of bytes. When I started out in the computer industry, an IBM mainframe disk drive had a capacity of around 320Mb and cost somewhere north of $100,000. The solid-state disk that I put in my laptop has a capacity of two terabytes (almost 7,000 times as much) and cost less than $900.

9. Golf club part : SHAFT. I'd like to see a tournament where the pros use old-style clubs with hickory shafts, and persimmon heads on the woods.

14. Parrier's tool : EPÉE

15. Rent-a-car choice : AVIS

16. African city that hosts an annual international film festival : CAIRO

17. Lacks being : ISN'T

20. "Homeland" airer, briefly : SHO. Showtime on pay TV.

21. GPS options : RDS.

22. Stick homes : NESTS

27. "__ the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" : IT'S

29. Stumped : AT A LOSS

30. Viennese "a" : EIN

31. Ale serving : MUG

32. "Git!" : SHOO

33. Story __ : ARC

34. Michaelmas mo. : SEPT. September 29th is the feast day of St. Michael and all Angels in the Christian calendar. Michael is top banana in the angel organization.

39. Guy friends : BROS

42. Like a few hours after midnight : WEE

43. Wait patiently : BIDE

46. Dark side : YIN. Best clue/answer of the day, in my ever-so-humble opinion.

47. Bill encl. : S.A.E. Your paper bills usually come with a self-addressed envelope for your payment.

48. Texas home of Hardin-Simmons University : ABILENE. Ah yes, that famous educational heavyweight institution. Home of the fearsome sporting Cowboys (and Cowgirls).

51. All Hallows' __ : EVE

54. "Four Quartets" poet : ELIOT. I find TSE's poetry to be a bit of a slog, to be honest.

56. Obsolescent PC component : CRT. The now-defunct cathode ray tube in the display.

57. With respect to : FOR. Really? I can't think of a sentence where I could interchange "with respect to" and "for" and have it sound correct. Anyone else?

60. Poke fun at : GIBE

61. New Orleans feature : LEVÉE. That e-acute is getting a workout today. You drive Chevys to levées, per Don Mclean

62. Self-defense spray : MACE. I carry a little can with me when I go hiking very early in the morning on a couple of my routes - there are two mountain lions who've staked a claim to the territory. They lie low during the day and hunt at night. I'm not sure how much use it would be, but it makes me feel better. This is the one who hunts near the Hollywood sign.

63. Skin : PELT

64. Salad green : CRESS

65. Rigel or Arcturus : STAR

66. Some lyric works : ODES

Down:

1. Tea ceremony participant : GEISHA

2. Results : UPSHOTS

3. Hanukkah symbol : MENORAH

4. Solidified, as plans : SET

5. Modern shortcuts : MACROS. Computer lingo.

6. Gets around : EVADES

7. "Never needs sharpening" brand : GINSU. I can never remember this, it's always crosses for me.

8. Tax form no. : S.S.N.

9. Project at the theater : SCREEN. The verb, not the noun form of "project".

10. "Airplane!" actor Robert : HAYS

11. Advertiser's purchase : AIRTIME

12. Become covered with rime : FROST UP. In Tennyson's Rime of the Ancient Mariner, did you know he tried out for a goalkeeper job but wasn't very good?

"IT is the ancient Mariner

and he stoppeth one of three"

13. Drag behind : TOW

19. Physicist Fermi : ENRICO. He created the world's first nuclear reactor, poetically named "Chicago Pile 1".

24. Arduous jobs : SLOGS

25. Way out : DOOR

26. Action word : VERB

28. Cpl.'s superior : SGT.

33. Word to a captain : AYE

34. Support for the circus? : STILT

36. Is in store : AWAITS

37. Ford, but not Lincoln : VEEP. No "familiarly"?

38. Slightly : A BIT

39. Sports schedule advantage : BYE

40. Rosie, notably : RIVETER. If it's not going to be SPOKESCOW, it's going to be this.

41. Bob Marley song with the lyric "Let's get together and feel all right" : ONE LOVE

44. Put on a pedestal : DEIFIED

45. Raise up : ENNOBLE

47. Bike wheel parts : SPOKES. Not on this bike:

48. Where the Zambezi flows : AFRICA

49. Caustic : BITTER

50. "Snowy" birds : EGRETS

53. Showiness : ÉCLAT

55. Gets done in a bakery : ICES

58. Utah metropolis, initially : S.L.C.

59. The U.K.'s Pitt the Elder and Pitt the Younger : P.M.'S. Prime Ministers in the 1700's.

60. Mail hub: Abbr. : G.P.O. General Post Office. This is my local post office. I'm not sure what the turrets are for!

And ... here's the grid.

Steve

Notes from C.C.:

 1) The fifth Minnesota Crossword Tournament will be held at the Landmark Center in St. Paul on June 12th, 2016 Sunday. Please click here for more details. Here is the direct registration link. Entry fee is only $20 per person.  

Don G and I teamed up again this year. Other contributors (all LAT/NYT constructors) include George Barany, Victor Barocas (also our editor), Tom Pepper, Andrea Carla Michaels, David Liben-Lowell, Michael David, Johanna Fenimore, Andrew J Ries and our own Jeffrey Wechsler, who is flying from New Jersey to volunteer for the event.

2) Peg Slay (C6D6 Peg on our blog) and I made today's WSJ "Play Ball" puzzle. You can click here to print out the PDF file.

Congratulations to Peg on her WSJ debut! She's so talented & fast-thinking. I'm  inspired by her attention to details & intuition as well. Thank you for a wonderful collaborative experience, Peg!

Peg & her husband Steve

Wednesday, April 6 2016, Gareth Bain

 Theme: Put a RING on it - The first letter of the four letter combo is orderly moved to the back until we reach RING. 

18. Burn unit procedure : SKIN GRAFT

26. "Rogue Lawyer" novelist : JOHN GRISHAM

44. Rockefeller Center centerpiece : SKATING RINK

56. Quartet of Wagnerian operas, and a hint to the progression in this puzzle's circled letters : RING CYCLE 

Solving without circles makes this trickier. Did you get it?

Across

1. Fabric mimicked by jeggings : DENIM. I tried JEANS first.

6. Dallas NBA team : MAVS. Mavericks.

10. Indian mausoleum city : AGRA. Had a little brain blip when I first filled in AGHA.

14. In the company of : AMONG 

15. __ bargain : PLEA.  

16. Fountain contribution : COIN 

17. Midler's "Divine" nickname : MISS M

20. Allow to enter : LET IN

22. Big name in auto racing : ANDRETTI

23. Kerfuffles : ADO'S

25. Advanced degs. : MA'S. Master of Arts.

31. Whiskas eater : CAT

34. Pulitzer winner Walker : ALICE. Writer and activist who won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for her novel, The Color Purple.

35. Actor McGregor : EWAN 

36. Dance in a pit : MOSH 

37. Hull fastener : RIVET. Hull of a boat.

38. Group : SET

39. Mazda MX-5, familiarly : MIATA

40. Big nights : EVES

41. How-to component : STEP

42. Follow, as a hunch : ACT ON

43. __ Plaines : DES

46. Farm enclosure : STY. Tried PEN first.

47. Bit of naughtiness : NO-NO

48. Doze : TAKE A NAP

53. Disney character with a white tail : BAMBI

58. Regal headpiece : TIARA

60. Bordeaux brainstorm : IDEE. French for idea.

61. Down-to-earth : REAL

62. 2001 scandal subject : ENRON

63. Boilermaker component : BEER. A boilermaker is a glass of beer with a shot of whiskey.

 

64. Prohibitionists : DRYS. Have never heard that used as a noun.

65. City near Florence : SIENA

 Down

1. Reservoir creator : DAM

2. German actor Jannings : EMIL. No idea. Popular in the 1920's.

3. Sommelier's asset : NOSE. Cute.

 

4. Examples : INSTANCES

5. Classic British two-seater : MG MIDGET

6. Base cops, briefly : MP'S. Military Police.

7. __-Seltzer : ALKA

8. Corpuscle conduit : VEIN

9. Dreamy guy? : SANDMAN

10. Lots of plots : ACRES. Nice clue.

11. Butter in a farmyard? : GOAT

12. Africa's Great __ Valley : RIFT

Impressive.

13. Naysayer : ANTI

19. Light weight : GRAM

21. Hide-hair link : NOR

24. Afternoon break : SIESTA

26. Actor/singer Leto : JARED

27. Green hue : OLIVE

28. Homes with buzzers : HIVES

29. "Ni-i-ice!" : SWEET

30. Quaint headpiece accessory : HATPIN

31. Raccoon kin : COATI

32. __ Martin: 007's car : ASTON

33. Acknowledge in an Oscar speech, say : THANK

36. Barely-there dress : MICROMINI

39. Powerful people : MAGNATES

41. Rock band Lynyrd __ : SKYNYRD

44. Legato's opp., in music : STAC. Short for staccato.

45. San Francisco's __ Hill : NOB

46. "Like a Rock" rocker : SEGER

48. Chicago paper, for short : TRIB

49. __-de-camp : AIDE. New to me. Definition: A military officer acting as a confidential assistant to a senior officer.

50. Bermuda shorts endpoint : KNEE. As opposed to the micromini.

51. One with an untouchable service : ACER

52. Word with fair or foul : PLAY

54. Unadorned : BARE

55. Fairway choice : IRON

57. PGA star from South Africa : ELS. Ernie.

59. Santa __ Mountains : ANA

Melissa

Note from C.C.:

Husker Gary has updated our Crossword Corner map. Please click here to see his latest work. Big and clear. I've archived the map under Olio on the blog front page. Please feel free to email Gary if you want your name added or deleted. Thanks for enormous time and effort you put on this map, Gary! 

 

Tuesday, October 20, 2015 Gareth Bain

Theme: Rock On!

17A. *Cardiologically healthy, as a diet : HEART SMART

25A. *Affectionate apron inscription : KISS THE COOK

40A. *Commuter's headache : RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC

50A. *Title for Aretha Franklin : QUEEN OF SOUL

63A. Musical conductor ... and, literally, what the start of each answer to a starred clue is : BANDLEADER

Argyle here. Rock bands with one word names lead off two or three word in language phrases. A grid spanner anchors the middle with solid little blocks all around. A couple of descending strings help tie it all together. Should prove entertaining. I'm not comfortable with the reveal; it seams to be asking for a Shaw or Goodman. The answers lead off with a band, not a bandleader. HEADBAND. My nit.

Feel free to link your favorite song by these groups.

Across:

1. "Goodbye, Columbus" author Philip : ROTH

5. High anxiety : ANGST

10. Me-time resorts : SPAs

14. Fencing choice : EPEE

15. Trip the light fantastic : DANCE

16. Quarterback-turned-congressman Jack : KEMP. NY congressman after QBing for Buffalo Bills. VP candidate with Bob Dole.

19. River of Pisa : ARNO

20. Wide variety : ARRAY

21. Gauge showing rpm : TACH. (tachometer)

23. How Marcie addresses Peppermint Patty : SIR. from Peanuts.

24. Howl at the moon : BAY. Been there, done that.

29. On its way : SENT

30. Handmade scarf stuff : YARN

31. Radar dot : BLIP

34. Chic modifier : TRÈS

37. Pay hike : RAISE

43. See eye to eye : AGREE

44. __ fide: in bad faith : MALA

45. "Teh" for "The," say : TYPO

46. Dry as the Atacama : ARID. Some like it Chile.

48. Omelet necessities : EGGS

54. Fabric flaw : RIP

57. Address bar address : URL

58. Pilot's alphabet ender : ZULU. An alternate ending is Zebra.

59. Wear away gradually : ERODE

61. Long-billed wader : IBIS

66. Charge : RATE

67. "Lucky" aviator, familiarly : LINDY. Charles Lindbergh

68. Stew veggies : PEAS

69. Was sure about : KNEW

70. Crème de la crème : ELITE

71. Footprint part : SOLE

Down:

1. Detox program : REHAB

2. Word before house or after horse : OPERA

3. In need of tissues : TEARY

4. Wife of Zeus : HERA

5. Promos : ADs

6. "China Beach" war zone, for short : NAM

7. Swarming pests : GNATS

8. "Ice Age" saber-toothed squirrel : SCRAT. He managed to get some product endorsements.

9. Easily annoyed : TETCHY. Same as touchy?

10. Caribbean music : SKA

11. Be the epitome of : PERSONIFY

12. Prenatal test, for short : AMNIO. (Amniocentesis)

13. Hybrid utensil : SPORK

18. Kid : TYKE

22. "Do I __ Waltz?": Rodgers/Sondheim musical : HEAR A. 1965 Broadway

26. A big fan of : INTO

27. Doodle on the guitar : STRUM

28. Summer camp activities : CRAFTS

29. Globe : SPHERE

31. Lingerie item : BRA

32. Carry with effort : LUG

33. Descendant of Jacob : ISRAELITE

35. Obama __ : ERA

36. Fifth cen. pope called "The Great" : ST. LEO

38. Small taste : SIP

39. Environmental prefix : ECO

41. "57 Varieties" brand : HEINZ

42. Classico rival : RAGU

47. Look-alike : DOUBLE

49. High spirits : GLEE

50. Peculiarity : QUIRK

51. Living in the city : URBAN

52. Swing wildly : FLAIL

53. Branch of Islam : SUNNI

54. Event with lots of horsing around? : RODEO

55. Flawless : IDEAL

56. Intrinsically : PER SE

60. Emulates Eminem : RAPS

62. Darn things : SEW

64. Prohibited pesticide : DDT. (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane)

65. Chemical in Drano crystals : LYE

Argyle

Tuesday, August 11, 2015 Gareth Bain

Theme: WoW - Three-word phrases with W-O-W starting letters.

17A. Argument : WAR OF WORDS

24A. 1960 hit for Dion and the Belmonts : WHERE OR WHEN. Clip with a detailed write-up.(2:39)

35A. Extremely impressive quality, informally ... or, when read differently, what the four longest puzzle answers all have : WOW FACTOR

49A. Do the seemingly impossible, à la Jesus : WALK ON WATER

59A. 1937 Laurel and Hardy film involving a prospector's daughter and a gold mine : WAY OUT WEST. Clip, the dance scene.(2:50)

Argyle here. This being a Gareth puzzle, I guess I was expecting something harder. The NW filled in so easily I kept waiting for the second shoe to drop. I then realized the complexity wasn't in the solve but in the construction. Like yesterday, we see the strong columns in the corners with two less cheater squares. The reveal is still in the middle but did you note all the 'O' words are different. A nice touch.

Across:

1. Lute-like Indian instrument : SITAR

6. Genesis brother : ABEL and 30A. Genesis mother : EVE

10. Golfers' goals : PARS

14. Technique-sharpening Chopin piece : ÉTUDE

15. __ fide : BONA. (genuine)

16. From scratch : ANEW

19. Response to "Marco!" in a pool game : "POLO!"

20. Spreading tree : ELM

21. Chicago's Michigan, e.g.: Abbr. : AVE.

 

22. Hibachi spot : PATIO

23. __ de Janeiro : RIO

27. H.G. Wells genre : SCI-FI

29. Have regrets about : RUE

31. Bias : SLANT. Cute connection with 2D. Slanted letters : ITALICS

33. Skin blemish : ZIT

34. Raised, as horses : BRED

38. Cooking oil source : CORN

41. Many a mountain whose name ends in "horn" : ALP. Is this true, Marti?

42. Tickle : AMUSE

45. Bauxite, e.g. : ORE

46. Michelle of the LPGA : WIE

47. Scarfed down : ATE UP

54. Uni- + bi- : TRI-. Adding up prefixes.

55. Smelled a lot : STANK. Grammarist.

56. Bikini top : BRA

57. Skin art, for short : TAT

58. Pueblo-dwelling people : HOPI

63. Old-style "once" : ERST

64. Sunup direction : EAST

65. Eagle's home : AERIE

66. Tinting agents : DYES

67. Jazz group instrument : BASS

68. Actor Romero : CESAR

Down:

1. Underground waste conduits : SEWERS

3. Confused state : TURMOIL

4. "Much __ About Nothing" : ADO

5. NFL official : REF. (referee)

6. Higher in rank than : ABOVE

7. Destructive beetle : BORER

8. Conclude : END

9. __ Vegas : LAS

10. Large edible fruit : PAPAW. Pictured first is papaya or papaw or pawpaw. Slightly bigger than our Southern fruit, variously spelled pawpaw, paw paw, paw-paw, and papaw and pictured second.

 

 

11. One more : ANOTHER

12. Ease, as pain : RELIEVE

13. Fainted : SWOONED

18. Stroller cry : [WAH!]

22. Lead-in for heat or cook : PRE-

24. Derelict overdoing the grape : WINO

25. Idle of Monty Python : ERIC

26. "I'm __ here!": "Bye!" : OUTTA

28. Baby deer : FAWN

32. Creator of Finn and Sawyer : TWAIN

33. Microwave : ZAP

34. Very dry, as Champagne : BRUT

36. Aviated : FLEW

37. Poet Khayyám : OMAR

38. Bovine shelter : COW SHED

39. Cicero's skill : ORATORY

40. Health setback : RELAPSE

43. Hunting dogs : SETTERS

44. Landmass divided by the Urals : EURASIA

46. Stir-fry pan : WOK

48. Half of a rain rhythm : PITTER followed by patter...and it's headed this way.

50. Gentle washer setting : KNITS

51. Vast chasm : ABYSS

52. Runs easily : TROTS

53. __ de Cologne : EAU

59. Spider's creation : WEB

60. Little battery size : AAA

61. Tic-toe filler : TAC

62. Very little, to a Scot : WEE

 

Argyle

Thursday, July 23, 2015 Gareth Bain

Theme: "AYYYYY!" A two-fer-one. (See 20-A)

17. Cats' request on seeing birds through the window? : LET US PREY. This one made me smile. Now I know why they put their little paws together whenever they see a bird outside.

25. Attention-getting craze? : HEY FEVER. Like Willie Mays, the Say HEY kid?

41. Ottoman ruler's pier? : THE DOCK OF THE BEY. I guess Mos Def's real name of Yasiin BEY would have been too obscure to use for this entry, huh?

52. "L.A. Law" actress' work period? : DEY SHIFT. This one doesn't really work for me - it should be "DEY's Shift."

66. Optimistic Spanish ruler? : REY OF HOPE. If you don't know your Spanish, this could have been a toughie.

I caught onto the theme right away, so the puzzle was pretty much solved left-to-right, top-to-bottom.

Across

1. Pros handling returns : CPAs.

5. Nos. that affect connecting flights : ETAs. I wonder if a CPA's GPA would affect the ETA of your IRA?

9. Like dry mud on cleats : CAKED.

14. 1979 DownBeat Hall of Fame inductee, familiarly : ELLA. The great Fitzgerald.

15. Beer ingredient : MALT.

16. "Spider-Man" director : RAIMI.

19. Brother of Miriam : AARON. Could also have been Moses.

20. Obeyed the doctor : SAID "AH".

21. Romp : PLAY.

23. Suffix with Capri : OTE. A Capriote is an inhabitant of Capri.

24. Actress Kunis : MILA.

27. "Bravo, señor!" : OLE.

29. "Blah blah blah": Abbr. : ETC.

31. Bavarian article : EIN.

32. Kid-lit detective __ the Great : NATE.

34. Speck : IOTA.

37. Dangerous bacterium : STAPH.

44. Senate Finance Committee chair Hatch : ORRIN.

45. Sundance's gal : ETTA. Place.

46. Like Gen. Powell : RET'D.

47. Storm, on the Beaufort scale : TEN. An empirical scale that relates observed conditions to wind speed.

49. iTunes purchase : APP.

51. Sign of success : VEE. Victory. Or two. Or peace.

57. California's __ Valley: Reagan Library site : SIMI.

59. Porter, e.g. : ALE.

60. Wind with a wide range : OBOE.

61. __-Dazs : HÄAGEN. Real ice cream, but totally bogus name.

64. Choir platform : RISER.

68. Taboos : NO-NOs.

69. Banjo spot : KNEE.

70. Tennis edge : AD IN. After deuce (a tie score of 3 each), a player must be up by two points to win the game. So if the server is up by one point, (s)he has the "AD" vantage "IN" his/her court, since if they win the next point, they would win the game.

71. Ring setting : STONE.

72. Proverbs : SAWS.

73. Trim on a curtain : LACE.


Down

1. Animation units : CELS.

2. Court entry : PLEA.

3. Skydiving device : ALTIMETER.

4. Riyadh native : SAUDI.

5. No-nonsense : EMPHATIC.

6. Stuff on the street : TAR.

7. Hebrew alphabet opener : ALEPH.

8. Topic for Strunk and White : STYLE. Pay $9.99 for the paperback, or read "Elements of Style" online for free.

9. Ingredient in the stew étouffée : CRAYFISH. I wonder what CREY FISH would be? "Crey" is slang for crazy, I think.

10. Financial rating : AAA.

11. Russian ballet name : KIROV.

12. Act badly? : EMOTE.

13. Eatery with its own lingo : DINER.

18. Fire __ : SALE.

22. "'Tis true!" : AYE.

26. Put in a log : ENTER.

27. Savvy about : ON TO.

28. Portrayer of a big scaredy-cat : LAHR. The cowardly lion in "The Wizard of Oz."

30. Soft drink choice : COKE.

33. Works on books : EDITS.

35. Elmo fan : TOT.

36. Old Spice rival : AFTA.

38. Sal Tessio portrayer in "The Godfather" : ABE VIGODA.

39. Folk icon Seeger : PETE.

40. Stevenson villain : HYDE.

42. Podunk-like : ONE HORSE.

43. Footwear for the Step Brothers : TAP SHOES. I never heard of these guys, but the answer could be intuited.

48. Penpoint : NIB.

50. "La Vie en Rose" chanteuse : PIAF. It was the signature song for Édith.

52. Fixes, as a heel, perhaps : DARNS. I know women who have married a heel, thinking they could fix him. Never works.

53. "Middlemarch" novelist : ELIOT.

54. Easy kind of question : YES/NO.

55. Where roads divide : FORKS.

56. Singer __ Marie : TEENA. Lots of singers today, it seems.

58. Taj __ : MAHAL.

62. Bigger than big : EPIC.

63. Hawaiian goose : NENE. We now know what they look like, right?

65. It's quite a stretch : EON. I know, I know - but I am almost done.

67. Source of pliable wood : YEW. See? I told YEW it would soon end.

That's it from me for now!
Marti

Monday, July 6, 2015 Gareth Bain

Theme: Too Big To Fail - Initials T B.

60A. Diagnostic skin injection, and, based on the initials of their answers, what the starred clues represent : TB TEST

18A. *Military bigwigs : TOP BRASS

58A. *Home mortgage payer's benefit : TAX BREAK

6D. *Off-road two-wheeler : TRAIL BIKE

10D. *Fairy tale porridge eaters : THREE BEARS

27D. *Salon device for one who wants color but not sun : TANNING BED

35D. *"Beetlejuice" director : TIM BURTON

Argyle here. Not much for a theme but Gareth gave us a lot of it.

Across:

1. Hockey stat : ASSIST

7. Hill-building insect : ANT

10. Decorate, as a Christmas tree : TRIM

14. Post office patron : MAILER

15. Podded plant : PEA

16. Sharpen : HONE

17. Ancient region ruled by Athens : ATTICA

20. Section of town, for short : NABE. (neighborhood)

21. Not well : ILL

23. Notifies : ALERTS

24. Indefinite number : ANY

25. Be overly sweet : CLOY

26. "Glee" cheerleading coach : SUE

actress Jane Lynch

27. Marching band member : TUBA

28. Black, in poesy : EBON

31. Triteness : BANALITY

35. Earthquake aftershock : TREMOR

37. Chief Norse god : ODIN

38. Dull uniform color : KHAKI

40. Top-shelf : A-ONE

41. __ the Pooh : WINNIE

43. Roll call setting, for most teens : HOMEROOM

45. Frau's refusal : NEIN

46. Basic lessons : ABC'S

47. Slap the cuffs on : NAB

49. Electrical outlet insert : PLUG

50. UV-blocker rating syst. : SPF. (sun protection factor)

53. Cheap cigar : STOGIE. "I smoke old stogies I have found short, but not too big around"

56. Blade that makes a wake : OAR

57. Slip-on, e.g. : SHOE

62. Olympian's blade : EPEE

63. Revolutionary Guevara : CHE

64. Threat-ending words : OR ELSE

65. __ one's way: proceed : WEND

66. Squirreled away : HID

67. Port in southwestern Italy : NAPLES

Down:

1. GE competitor : AMANA

2. The devil : SATAN

3. Show indifference : SIT BY

4. "Would __ to you?" : I LIE

5. Part of a min. : SEC.

7. In a fitting way : APTLY

8. Prefix with natal : NEO

9. Spanish bar snacks : TAPAS

11. Sound of the surf : ROAR

12. The "I" in VMI: Abbr. : INST. (Virginia Military Institute)

13. Sloppy situation : MESS

19. More deeply colored, as a clear sky : BLUER

22. Reluctant : LOATH

25. __-de-sac : CUL

29. 1847 Melville novel : "OMOO"

30. Taboo : NO-NO

31. Gift decoration : BOW

32. Game point, in tennis : AD IN. Last month.

33. Yellow-striped pool ball : NINE

34. Slangy agreement : "YAH"

36. Sleep stage letters : REM. (Rapid Eye Movement)

39. Cuddly-looking Australian marsupial : KOALA

42. " ... bombs bursting __" : IN AIR. Lot of that Saturday night.

44. Heart exam: Abbr. : ECG. (go argue among yourselves)

48. Tree that sounds like a sandy shore : BEECH

49. Elbowed : POKED

50. Snail's protection : SHELL

51. Old West search party : POSSE

52. Big celebrations : FETEs

53. Hearty meal : STEW

54. Scotch __ : TAPE

55. Plow-pulling team : OXEN

57. Staircase part : STEP

59. Yellowfin tuna : AHI

61. Maidenform garment : BRA

Argyle

Wednesday, June 24, 2015 Gareth Bain

Theme: Celebrations

17A. *Lightweight kitchen appliance : HAND MIXER. This is my hand mixer. It's called a whisk. Sometimes we like to over-complicate things.

 24A. *"Let me help" : WHAT CAN I DO? You can whisk the egg whites, thanks!

37A. *Not doing one's job : DROPPING THE BALL. What if you're a soccer referee? That's part of your job! 

50A. *Romance : LOVE AFFAIR. A tennis match before anyone scores a point?

61A. Wayne's World catchphrase, and a hint to the end of the answers to starred clues : PARTY TIME!

I think Gareth forgot the "Excellent"

Morning all - Steve here pinch-hitting for JzB, who unfortunately can't join us today. I'll do my best on his behalf.

Four types of mostly formal gatherings in the thematics today (and the first time I've been able to link a song from my theme title!) I think of "do" as a "British" thing; however it was first used in the US in this sense in a magazine article in 1952, so it's been in the vocabulary for over 60 years so let's call it "assimilated".

Wayne's World is almost as old, most skits airing on "Saturday Night Live" between 1989 and 1992.When I saw the reveal, I wanted "Party On" rather than "Party Time" - our reveal is missing the "Excellent", so I'm underwhelmed by that. Minor nit, but it was a little awkward for me.

I don't often look too closely at grid designs, but the "extra" nine-letter entries at 13A and 67A made me wonder what caused that to happen. This is a 78-word puzzle (the maximum for an LAT 15x15) and there are already 42 black squares, so shortening the two 9's to two 8's would break Rich's 43-maximum count  rule - you'd have 44. There are already six cheater squares in the grid, so there's not much wriggle room left.

OK, enough of that - let's trot down the rest of today's challenge:

Across:

1. "__ to Be Square": Huey Lewis & the News hit : HIP. I think we might have a retro theme working here - a 1986 Billboard #3 leads us off.

4. Pair on a rowing club wall : OARS

8. Press __ : CORPS. As we're on a history trip, I encourage you to read "Once Upon a Distant War" by William Prochnau - the story of the journalists Halberstam, Sheehan, Arnett and others trying to make sense of the early years of the Vietnam war.

13. "David Copperfield" blackmailer : URIAH HEEP. One of the odd 9-letter outliers.

16. Humble : ABASE

18. Himalayan region : TIBET

19. Thing on a ring : KEY

20. Story : YARN

22. Nevertheless : BUT

23. Energy : PEP

27. "To be continued" installment : PART TWO

29. "The Simpsons" shop owner : APU. Copyright rules forbid me to link the wonderful "Who loves the Kwik-e-Mart? I doooooo" clip. You may like to search for yourselves.

30. Works in a museum : ART

31. Father : SIRE

33. Brits' raincoats : MACS. The Mackintosh (note the "k") is a rubberized overcoat to keep out the rain. They also, being rubberized, keep in the sweat, so you're as wet with perspiration on the inside as you keep the precipitation out on the outside. Hopefully not made nowadays!

42. Since, in a seasonal song : SYNE

43. Nerd : GEEK

44. When repeated, a Kenyan rebel : MAU. "Rebel" might be a kindly word, but we tend to forgive.

45. Play about Capote : TRU

48. De __: strictly proper : RIGUEUR. Word of the day. I had "RIG" and I knew - KNEW! it had to be EUR but. Gosh darn it, I will remember that extra "U" for ever.

55. Game console letters : NES. Nintentdo Entertainment System. More time-warp. 1983? Later? Earlier? Who knows.

56. Saloon order : ALE

57. Says lovingly : COOS

58. Flop opposite : HIT

59. Capital of Belarus : MINSK

66. Bring to mind : EVOKE

67. Made a point of? : SHARPENED.

68. Mail in, as payment : REMIT

69. Bordeaux belief :  IDÉE. Idea. French.

70. African antelope : GNU

Down:

1. "Say what?" : HUH?

2. Portfolio element, for short : I.R.A. I'm waiting for the "Irish Republican Army" to make a debut

3. Eponymous detective agency founder : PINKERTON

4. "Yowza!" : OH MY!

5. Sashimi tuna : AHI

6. T. __ : REX

7. "Ciao!" : SEE YA!

8. Forty winks : CATNAP

9. Geisha circler : OBI

10. Torah teacher : RABBI

11. False: Pref. : PSEUD. Not really, unless slang is inferred. PSEUDO might be accurate.

12. Little fight : SET-TO

14. Masterful : ADEPT

15. Backside, slangily : PRAT. Only in the "prat-fall" context. I'm not sure anyone fell on their "prat", or had a kick up the "prat". I'm sure Dictionary.com will have a different opinion, but I'm just working on common usage here.

21. "In the Year 2525" record label : RCA.

23. Fencing deflection : PARRY

24. Battle of the Bulge conflict, briefly : WWII

25. French __ : HORN. What a wonderful-looking instrument. Ron - can you play one of these?

26. Feeling nothing : NUMB

27. Paw parts : PADS

28. Chef's meas. : TSP.

32. Bird-to-be : EGG

34. First-name-only gathering : A.A. MEETING

35. Santa __ : CLAUS

36. Put-down : SLUR

38. Tennis great Sampras : PETE. I see that the Wimbledon Championships are being trailed on TV right now. Who are your favorites? Please "boo" any sports announcer who pronounces it "Wimble-Ton", It's a "D" and has been for *cough* couplehunderdyears *cough*. I used to live a couple of miles away from the venue - I have to confess I never saw a match at the All-England Club,but I did have a few beers at the Rose and Crown on Wimbledon Common.

I never went here

I went here a lot

39. Actress Hatcher : TERI

40. Will beneficiary : HEIR

41. Pre-op test : E.K.G.

46. Clamor : RACKET. Or racquet, at Wimbledon. "Quiet Please!"

47. What a weather balloon may be mistaken for, briefly : U.F.O.

49. Make one : UNITE

50. Less credible, excuse-wise : LAMER

51. Greenish color : OLIVE

52. Stingray secretion : VENOM

53. Fancy dressers : FOPS

54. Beer brand from Tokyo : ASAHI. Not Kirin? Damn. Do-Over.

58. Promote aggressively : HYPE.

60. Deal with moguls : SKI. Or pratfall, mostly, in my case

62. "Far out!" : RAD!

63. Afternoon ora : TRE. Ouch!

64. Patriarchy rulers : MEN

65. Kin of gov : EDU. There's COM, ORG, NET and all sorts to keep you company on your journey around the World Wide Web!

Apologies for the brevity - busy week this week! If you're confused about anything here, you've got my email address.

Look forward to seeing you all soon! Here's the grid:

Steve

Note from C.C.:

Just got this cheerful update from Joann:

"Good news!  For now no surgery.  Dr wants to wait and see if the small intestine will open up more. Walking will help so we walk a lot at the hospital. No food or drink yet for now; IV's give him nutrients and meds.  Dr told Gary that if he were in Gary's shoes he would wait and see if this works.  If not then last resort he will do surgery.  

This will mean remaining in the hospital for a while longer but we both agreed we can live with that. We got a kitty last September so she has been a god send to both of us. Gary does miss seeing here but I send him lots of videos on his phone.  

Thanks so much for all your thoughts and prayers. Keep them coming okay?"

 

Monday, June 8, 2015 Gareth Bain

Theme: Peanut Butter - but no jelly. Two word entries that start with a P & B.

60D. "America's largest classroom" network ... or, read as a plural, a hint to 20-, 28-, 46- and 53-Across : PBS. (Public Broadcasting Service)

20A. Ursine kiddie-lit character with a battered suitcase : PADDINGTON BEAR

28A. "Love Is a Battlefield" rocker : PAT BENATAR

46A. Superman's "dressing room" : PHONE BOOTH

53A. Venerated dancer : PRIMA BALLERINA

Argyle here. Feel free to come up with your own "PB's".

Across:

1. Sourpuss' expression : SCOWL. The look anon gets when he sees PLED.

6. Greek god of love : EROS

10. Shakespeare's nickname, with "the" : BARD

14. Finnish telecommunications giant : NOKIA. Wiki Site

15. Egg holder : NEST

16. Three-part cookie : OREO

17. Chorus in church : AMENS

18. Cuba, to Cubans : ISLA. (Island)

19. Campus head : DEAN

23. Low-fat, as milk : SKIM. Bzzzt! Skim is no-fat.

24. Fall behind : LAG

25. Missile storage facility : SILO

34. Tracks down, as a UPS package : TRACES

36. Bakery fixture : OVEN

37. LPGA golfer Michelle : WIE

38. Puts on the line : RISKS

39. Termination : END

40. Skip over in pronunciation : ELIDE

42. Biblical beast : ASS

43. Ambassador's skill : TACT

45. Valued (at) : PRICED

49. Truman's first lady : BESS. (Elizabeth Virginia "Bess" Truman (née Wallace)) First Lady should be capitalized, IMHO, as a title preceding a name.

50. Higher than, in poetry : O'ER

51. Parisian lover's word : AIME

60. Answered a charge : PLED

61. __ horse: long shot : DARK. No dark horse this year to derail American Pharoah.

62. Prom gown material : SATIN

63. Fillet's lack : BONE

64. New York canal : ERIE

65. Court reporter : STENO

66. Sheltered Greek promenade : STOA. More of a mid-week word but we've had it on Monday before.

67. Like a battery needing a charge : DEAD

68. Saudi Arabia neighbor : YEMEN

Down:

1. Simple fastener : SNAP

2. Unconscious state : COMA

3. Approved : OK'ED

4. Airport breeze indicator : WINDSOCK

5. High-tech eye surgery : LASIK

6. Hard puzzle : ENIGMA. Not today.

7. Get some shuteye : REST

8. Norwegian capital : OSLO

9. The Hulk's co-creator : STAN LEE

10. Hispanic grocery : BODEGA

11. Region : AREA

12. Backside : REAR

13. Dodgers manager Mattingly : DON

21. Puppy bites : NIPS

22. Large cloth sign : BANNER

25. Camera attachment : STRAP

26. "When __ Eyes Are Smiling" : IRISH

27. Wrangler's rope : LASSO

29. Kemo Sabe sidekick : TONTO

30. Skivvies brand : BVD

31. A couple of times : TWICE

32. Senate staffers : AIDES

33. Marsh grasses : REEDS

35. Think highly of : ESTEEM

39. Author Umberto : ECO. See 66-Across.

41. Set free : LIBERATE

44. Rubbed roughly : ABRADED

45. Golfer Mickelson : PHIL

47. "Search me" : "NO IDEA"

48. Had a heart-to-heart : TALKED

52. Like Buffalo wings, eating-wise : MESSY

53. Scheme : PLOT

54. Nevada gambling mecca : RENO

55. Devoid of artwork, as walls : BARE

56. Opera solo : ARIA

57. List entry : ITEM

58. Common opening time : NINE

59. In a short time, poetically : ANON

Argyle