Thursday September 13, 2012 Gary Lowe

Theme: POP STARS! (OK, I just made that up...you can write whatever theme you want!)

17A. *"Karma Chameleon" band : CULTURE CLUB. Ooooh, we start of right away with a music link!

25A. *Space traveler : STAR SHIP. Are we talkin', like Jefferson Starship???

52A. *It's not good to meet with it : FOUL PLAY. Open your mind?

64A. *Used car selling point : SINGLE OWNER. Sorry, no "Single Owner" link, but how about "Single Ladies"???

And the unifier:
39. With 40-Across, kid's toy...and a word that can precede the first word of the starred answers : POP. = Pop Culture, Pop Star, Pop Foul, Pop Single (OK, a "Pop single" hit has echoes of Pop culture and pop stars, but it is an "in the lingo" phrase, right???) Great entries!!

40. See 39-Across...and a word that can precede the last word of the starred answers : GUN. = Gun club, Gun ship, Gun play (would that be like, Russian roulette?), and Gun owner (or, NRA member, for short?)

Marti here, with a fun and excellently executed theme, with both unifiers as lead ins to each word in the theme entries. I like before-after puzzles, and this one delivered in spades.

Did anyone here have a POP GUN as a kid?

I had a BB Gun, until my mother took it away when I started shooting at my sisters...
OK, moving on....

Across:

1. 14-Time All-Star catcher Rodriguez, familiarly : PUDGE. HAH! I have an in-house expert visiting this week, and when I asked him about Rodriguez, and wanted a five-letter fill, he immediately said "PUDGE"!! Not Alex ("A-Rod" Rodriguez), but Iván Rodriguez!! Who knew??

6. Smarten (up) : SPIFF. I had to really spiff up the guest room for him...

11. Data proc. equipment : PCS. And he forgot his PC charger. So, tomorrow our first trip is to Best Buy to get him one (the 58 adapters I had in my desk drawer didn't fit...) And 59-Down. Programs for 11-Across, briefly : APPS

14. Amer. economic assistance : US AID.

15. Dermatologist's concern : TINEA. You don't even want me to link an image of this!!

16. Skill : ART

19. Boot part : TOE. Where you might get tinea?

20. ___ Sutra : KAMA. I looked up images, but wondered, "Can people really do that???"

21. Dipped in a well, maybe : INKED

22. Behold, to Livy : ECCE

23. Tilts : SLANTS

27. Corrida celebrity : TORERO. Ole!

29. Global positioning fig. : LAT.itude. (Or, Los Angeles Times!)

30. ___ alai : JAI

32. Turner memoir : I TINA

34. State with a 45-mile Canadian border : IDAHO. Yep, according to the scale, it is exactly 45 miles (see for yourself!!)

38. Notable time : ERA

42. White ___ : SOX. Bah!! The clue should have read "Red ___"!!

43. Ministers to : TENDS

45. Lengthwise : ALONG

47. "Deadwood" channel : HBO . Did anyone watch this series?

48. Tampa NFLer : BUC.caneer.

50. Learn well : ABSORB

56. 18-and-overs : ADULTS

60. ___ Reason : AGE OF

62. Trendy NYC section : NOHO . No how, not to be confused with SOHO (which is what I first entered here...). Of course, "North of Houston" is a trendy neighborhood in NYC. Is that where Carrie Bradshaw lives?

63. Hwy. : RTE

66. D. Petraeus's title : GEN. Current director of the CIA.

67. Shorthand system : GREGG. It's all Greek to me! ένα είδος στενογραφίας

68. Seen enough : HAD IT

69. Not quite right : ODD

70. "The Gondoliers" bride : TESSA. Also known as "The King of Barataria", by Gilbert and Sullivan. Typical G&S offering. 1:00

71. Actor Mike : MYERS. Ok, who else had a problem with "Actor Mike"??? Douglas...Minor....Evans..Connor...Farrell...Henry

Down:

1. Kings shoot them : PUCKS. HaHa, funny clue for the Los Angeles Kings Hockey team!

2. Unremarkable : USUAL

3. Firehouse mascot : DALMATIAN. Why are they a firehouse mascot? Ask Yahoo!

4. Jeans brand : GITANO. Not very sexy, IMHO...

5. URL ender : EDU

6. WWII weapon : STEN

7. Singles out : PICKS ON

8. Shoreline recess : INLET

9. Middle Aged? : FEUDAL. Loved this clue! I wish I were more "feudal" than I am...

10. "Swell!" : FAB

11. Sewing kit item : PATCH

12. Spring bloomers : CROCI (diles?)

13. Awfully expensive : STEEP

18. Not back down from, as a challenge : RISE TO

22. Founded: Abbr. : EST'D. Established.

24. Outwits on the stand : TRIPS UP

26. One invoked during a drought : RAIN GOD. ("Please let it be rain, and not snow!")

28. "Live! With Kelly" host : RIPA. This cutie.

30. Shark attack victim? : JET. From "West Side Story". Not this guy on Cape Cod!

31. "___ you for real?" : ARE

33. Lots : A GOB

35. Fair-haired : ASH BLONDE

36. Fireplace food-warming shelf : HOB. I first wanted "Hod", but that is for bricklayers, I guess...

37. Tic-tac-toe loser : OXO. Or, OOX, XOO, or XXO or XOX

41. Dicey : UNSAFE

44. Two-Baggers: Abbr. : DBLS. (Doubles)...I am actually starting to learn baseball!!

46. Birds do it : LAY EGGS. Ummm, I had another image in mind!

49. Eau ___ : CLAIRE. Wisconsin.

51. "Project ___": fashion design show : RUNWAY. You mean, you have never seen this show?!?!? Such DRAAAMA! 2:49

52. Red River city : FARGO

53. Made a choice : OPTED

54. Topple : UPEND

55. Actress Moorehead : AGNES

57. The enemy's : THEIR

58. Separates by type : SORTS

61. "Three Sisters" sister : OLGA. Chekhov play.

64. Pvt.'s boss : SGT

65. Electrical measure : OHM. Or, an alternative Buddhist chant?

Answer grid.

I had fun with this one -- did you?

Hugs,
Marti

Friday May 13, 2011 Gary Lowe

Theme: Quasi-Spoonerisms. This puzzle was a blushing crow for me (Marti), as my burst flog on The Corner. Top that off with a major glog blitch, and I am a wervous neck. Sorry, but there are no links today because of the blog problems…just insert your own, where desired.

In this puzzle, common phrases are sort of “Spoonerized” ( swapping of consonant sounds. Wanted a link here…) with nackey whew meanings.

20A. Red-hot entrée? : HELLS CHICKEN. Hell’s Kitchen. The location of “West Side Story”. Once a depressed area, it is now the home of many actors because of its proximity to the Broadway theaters and the Actor’s Studio school.

33A. Bather using magnesium sulfate? : SALTED TUBBER. Salted Butter. Many recipes call for “Unsalted Butter”. Why, when the recipe then calls for the addition of salt? Maybe Jeannie Knows…

42A. Avoidance of chewy candy? :NON-TAFFY DIET. Non-fatty diet. Like Jack Sprat’s fare…

58A. Best man's moment of uncertainty? :TOAST STAMMER. Toast Master. Is this the guy who can cook the breakfast bread perfectly?

Across:

1. Newspaper section :DESK. Hands up for those who penned in “Op-Ed”?

5. Deafening : AROAR. Aaah..the “A” list.

10. Drop hints, say :: FISH. As in, fish for compliments.

14. Required payment : ANTE. “Ya gotta pay to play.”

15. Regional woodland : SILVA. I know the term “sylvan”, but this one totally escaped me. Anyone?

16. Strength : AREA. Forte.

17. Shipmate of Starkey : SMEE. From “Peter Pan”, Starkey was the first mate on the Jolly Roger.

18. Donny and Marie's hometown : OGDEN. Utah. Donny and Marie Osmond. Who didn’t know?

19. "In my opinion ..." : I SAY…a little prayer for youuuuu! (Insert link here.)

23. Night class subj. : ESL. English as a Second Language.

24. Observance : RITE

25. Book before Job : ESTHER

29. Siskiyou County peak : SHASTA. Fifth-highest peak in California. (Insert google map link here).

31. "Life __ a Highway": 1992 Tom Cochrane hit: IS A. I thought it was a bowl of cherries?

32. Charlottesville sch. :UVA. University of Virginia, home of the Cavaliers. Their cornerback, Ras-I Dowling was just taken in the second round draft by the N.E. Patriots. Welcome to Massachusetts!

37. It's heard around the water cooler: GLUG. Or at the bar…

40. Schiller's "An die Freude," e.g. : ODE. An die Freude means "to joy", in German (Kazie, confirm?). “Ode to Joy” is best known for its musical setting in Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. Sorry, no link…(it was a really good one!!) (You would have been happy all day...)

41. Roman existence : ESSE. Sum, es, est, sumus, estis, sunt…Latin 101.

47. "Aladdin" monkey : ABU. Voiced by Frank Welker, who has appeared in 93 films, with a combined gross income of $5.7 billion!

48. Actor Gulager: CLU. Kind of obscure actor…his most notable role was as “Billy the Kid” in a 1960-62 series called “The Tall man”. Never heard of it....or him.

49. Nats division: NL EAST. National League East. Baseball division, and the Washington Nationals. C.C. could write an essay, I’m sure…

53. Beefsteak, for one: TOMATO. Yummm…I can’t wait for my recently planted beefsteaks to produce fruit!

55. Sign of disrespect: SASS.

57. Sweater letter: RHO. Rho, rho, rho your boat…

61. Altar neighbor: APSE. This one really got me for a while. Different clue from the usual “church recess”.

64. Associate with: TIE TO. Hmmmm…I don’t usually tie to questionable characters…

65. Phone button letters: OPER. PQRS? WXYZ? Nope!

66. Bantu language: ZULU.

67. Matrimony, for one: UNION. “All marriages are happy. It’s the living together afterwards that causes all the problems…”

68. Tannin source: WINE.. Also the source of resveratrol. In some experiments, resveratrol has been shown to be a source of anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, blood-sugar-lowering, and other beneficial cardiovascular effects. So, “Cheers!” at sunset, Tinbeni (with a glass of wine).

69. "Smokey and the Bandit" vehicle feature: T-TOP. Sorry, I was going to link Sally Field in sexy jeans and a t-top.

70. Rigatoni alternative: PENNE.

71. Hang: STAY. Stay in there!

And now for the “physically lower” ones:

Down:

1. Bolts: DASHES. Or dits…

2. Get tangled: ENMESH, Oh, what an enmeshed web we weave…

3. Designer McCartney: STELLA. “STELLL-AAH!!!” (insert link to “A Streetcar Named Desire”).

4. Nautical beam: KEEL. Not “lighthouse”?

5. Not prone to making small talk: ASOCIAL. Laconic, like my dad. But when he did speak, we listened!

6. Entitlement: RIGHT

7. Classic number: OLDIE. But “goodie”. (Insert link to your favorite oldie but goodie here...)

8. "Voulez-vous coucher __ moi?": "Lady Marmalade" lyric: AVEC. Believe it or not, this song was considered “risqué” in its day! The phrase also appeared in the play “Streetcar Named Desire”. (“STELLL-AAH!!! – voulez vous coucher avec moi, ce soi?”)

9. Most objectionable: RANKEST.

10. Timid: FAINT. I almost timid-ed when I heard that I had finally had a crossword published!

11. Sched. producer: IRS. Sched. 1040.

12. Vast quantity: SEA.

13. Horse power?: HAY. Loved this clue!

21. Sp. title: SRTA.

22. Biblical pottage recipient: ESAU. OK, I had to look this one up. Pottage is a stew: “Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left. So Esau despised his birthright.” Huh? All over a bowl of stew???

26. Nerve centers: HUBS. . Or, airline centers.

27. New Years' highlights: EVES. Yes, the eves are much better than the next day’s hangovers…

28. Like white rhinos and black swans: RARE. I saw a white rhino and her new-born baby at the zoo in Basel, Switzerland. A rare sight, indeed!

30. Certain NCO: SSGT. . Whew! No debate about army vs. marines today.

31. Challenged, in a way: ID'ED. . Hmmm…not sure about “challenged”. Fingered, nailed, labeled…maybe.

34. Meatless protein source: TOFU.

35. Eponymous ice cream maker: EDY.

36. Nice beast: BETE. Literally, “beast”, in French (Nice, France). As in “bête noir” (black beast), or “bugaboo". My “bête noir” is names in x-word puzzles. What’s yours?

37. Punkie, e.g.: GNAT. Punkie, gnat, no-see-ums. Regional nicknames for flying pests.

38. Timber wolf: LOBO. Spanish for “wolf”.

39. Word in a coined phrase?: UNUM. “E Pluribus Unum” on U.S. coins. This was probably my favorite clue in this puzzle!

43. X-__: tool brand: ACTO.

44. Rise, as a balloon: FLOAT UP. Like Ed Asner in the Pixar movie.

45. Not debatable: IN STONE.

46. "The Sound of Music" baroness: ELSA. Elsa Schräder, Maria’s rival for Captain Von Trapp’s affection.

50. Secret spot?: ARMPIT. HaHa. Loved this one too! Secret deoderant, used in the pits.

51. Jungle queen: SHEENA. Queen of the Jungle and comic book heroine. Wanted another link here…

52. Early 20th-century presidential portraitist: TORREY. George Burroughs Torrey, portraitist of Teddy Roosevelt, William Taft, Herbert Hoover, et al.

54. Absorbed eagerly: ATE UP.

55. Hofbrau vessel; STEIN. . When I was in Germany two weeks ago, we went to a hofbrau and lifted a few steins…

56. __ Martin: ASTON. British luxury sports car. I really wanted to link here, as I used to own a Morgan, which looks suspiciously like the 1939 Aston-Martin...

59. Math ratio: SINE.

60. Cuts: MOWS. Reminds me, I have to mow the lawn this weekend…

61. HIV-treating drug: AZT. (Azidothymidine)

62. Bear's option, on Wall Street: PUT.. Put and call options have long been among the most baffling to investors. And crossword solvers...

63. __-pitch: SLO. Slo Long, for now!

Answer grid.

Marti

Notes from C.C.:

1) I'm pleased to announce that HeartRx (Marti) has agreed to blog 1-2 times a month for us from now on.

2) Blogger has been down due to its maintenance glitch. Or maybe it's overwhelmed by Marti's power.

3) Lemonade will back next Friday.

4) Blogger is working hard restoring Thursday post/comments. They're not permanently gone.

5) Happy Birthday, Jeannie!