Thursday, May 19th, 2016 Greg Johnson

Theme: Growing Pains - the circles reveal a squad of squabblers.

17A. Overindulged oneself : WENT TO TOWN. Tot. Going to town on tots can result in a Captain Morgan-sized hangover.

22A. Communications feature since the 1870s : QWERTY KEYBOARD. Tyke. Deliberately designed to slow people down to reduce typewriter lever jams. The French have AZERTY, for reasons known only to themselves. Odd folks, that Gallic lot. You know what the French can't do? Type "TYPEWRITER" using only the top row of letter keys. Mwaaahaaahahhaaa. They're SO missing out.

34. "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" duettist : KIKI DEE. Kid. I saw her at a free concert in London's Hyde Park in the 70's along with Steve Hillage, supporting Queen. I don't recall a lot about her set though. Here's the production-values-challenged video of the hit with Elton John. Catchy tune,admittedly. Here I am - twenty-thousandth dot from the right middle tree. And it didn't rain! Yay!

44. "Looks pretty good, huh?" : WHAT DO YOU THINK? Youth. Or "yute" per Joe Pesci in "My Cousin Vinnie". The scene where Marisa Tomei is called as an expert witness is one of my all-time movie favorites.

and the reveal:

52. Psychology subject ... and what's contained in this puzzle's circles : INNER CHILD. Something to channel.

Morning! Tongue-in-cheek with my theme name today, I'm sure all the lovable little darlings in this puzzle are quite angelic.

Mostly smooth sailing for me today, a couple of rip currents in the Pacific North West caused me some momentary unease, but the ship came through without undue distress. I thought a pangram was on the cards when QWERTYK showed up, but it wasn't to be - we're missing an F and a Z. Let's see what else we do have:

Across:

1. Toddler coddlers : MAMAS

6. Office stock : PENS

10. Port container : CASK. Originally old brandy barrels to help preserve Portuguese wine on the voyage to England.

14. What's made "just in case" : EXTRA. I wanted "PLAN B" here, but as much as I wanted it, I didn't get it.

15. Follow : OBEY, Aye, aye, Captain!

16. Eclipse, to some : OMEN

19. It may sweep you off your feet : WAVE

20. "Me too" : DITTO

21. Sleeper's malady : APNEA. A couple of months ago in San Diego I had a meeting with the company who invented the sleep apnea breathing devices. In their lobby they have an array of disembodied mannequin heads wearing examples of the technology through the years. It looks a little weird.

26. Breakfast choices : JUICES

27. Spot for breakfast : NOOK

28. El __ : PASO

29. They're usually covered by grilles : AIR VENTS

33. __ out a living : EKE

37. WWII battle site, for short : IWO. Iwo To, or Iwo Jima in English. Sulfur Island.

38. Just beginning to develop : GERMINAL

40. Emailed a dupe to : CC'ED. We cc C.C. on blog-related emails.

41. Research ctr. : INST.

42. White of the eye : SCLERA. Not CORNEA then, as I confidently filled in first, in spite of being totally wrong.

49. 1945 meeting site : YALTA. Churchill, Stalin and FDR met to carve up post-WWII Europe. See how well that turned out for everyone.

50. Stern with a bow : ISAAC

51. __ marker : MILE. When you reach the first one in a marathon, you gleefully think "Great! Only 25 more of these, tack on 365 yards at the end and we're done!".

57. Rapper with the debut album "Trouble" : AKON. Who? I'm sure I should know Aliaume Damala Badara Akon Thiam, but I don't.

58. Porch torch type : TIKI

59. Sun: Pref. : HELIO-. Greek root. Helio Castroneves isn't Greek, he's a Brazilian race car driver in the IndyCar series. He looks like he gets a lot of sun though.

60. Common allergen : NUTS

61. Right on an atlas : EAST. Unless you hold it upside down, or get the Australian edition.

62. A bit off : ASKEW

Down:

1. Litter attention-getter : MEW

2. Hefted tool : AXE

3. Hood, for one: Abbr. : MTN. Mount Hood in Oregon. I've flown over it a few times on the way to Seattle, it looks like a perfect snow-capped cone.

4. Like Radio City Music Hall : ART DECO

5. "The Daily Show" device : SATIRE

6. Where wee ones go : POTTY

7. Waiting room read : E-BOOK

8. Just out : NEW

9. Case, for instance: Abbr. : SYN. Nice clue! Parse it as "Case" for "Instance", and you'll see one is a synonym of the other.

10. Ranch hand : COWPOKE

11. Its website has a range finder : AMANA. Oh! Cooktops and kitchen equipment. Got it. Clever.

12. Divide into parts : SEVER. I got a new cleaver recently. Two pounds of severe severing steel sharpness. I'd better be careful with this bad boy. Finger (currently still attached) shown for scale.

13. Prep, at a pizza parlor : KNEAD

18. Mel and Ed with World Series rings : OTTS

21. Not subject to, as suspicion : ABOVE

22. Fault product : QUAKE. Plenty of these in my neck of the woods.

23. More learned : WISER

24. Plains "Queen Wheat City" : ENID

25. Days long gone : YORE

26. Photo file format : JPEG. "Joint Photographic Experts Group". It's a "lossy" compression algorithm - "lossy" because when the image is re-opened it has lost some definition. If you keep re-saving a JPEG you'll notice the quality degrading.

29. Feel poorly : AIL

30. Tidy (up), facetiously : NICEN. Not sure I've used this term. Facetiously though?

31. Dance provocatively : TWERK. No, I'm not going to link Miley Cyrus.

32. Pop : SODA

34. Cousin of "-ish" : KINDA

35. __ many words : IN SO

36. Pop's Perry : KATY

39. Things on strings : MITTENS. Hand up for my mother sewing my gloves onto a ribbon and threading them through the sleeves of my coat. Lost glove drama instantly averted. Playground lost cred instantly achieved.

40. Played-out sayings : CLICHES

42. Ratings unit : STAR

43. Ballroom dance : CHA CHA

44. Longtime Rolling Stones bassist Bill : WYMAN. Keith Richards claimed that Bill was only allowed to join the band because he owned an amplifier. Reading Keith's autobiography it's pretty apparent that he didn't think too much of the "walking bass".

45. 17-syllable work : HAIKU

Help me. I am trapped

in a Haiku factory.

Save me, before they 

46. Divvy up : ALLOT

47. Down and dirty noises : OINKS

48. "Can you __ in a sentence?" : USE IT. Not only a spelling bee clarification question, but the litmus test of crossword construction.

52. Relative of "-ian" : -ITE

53. Actress Peeples : NIA. Useful crossword name. I'm not really familiar with the her work.

54. Kind : ILK

55. One of a rat's pack? : LIE

56. Financial measure, with "the" : DOW

And .. here's the grid, circles 'n all.


Steve

Saturday, Nov 28th, 2015, Greg Johnson

Theme: None

Words: 70 (missing Q,X,Z)

Blocks: 32

Upon review of the years gone by, I see that Mr. Johnson has been a consistent Tuesday contributor to the LA Times crosswords - but today he's given us a great challenge for a Saturday.  Non-standard grid, nicely symmetrical, with triple 7-letter corners.  I picked my way through this one clue by clue, and I eventually got a foothold in some places, and that allowed me to WAG a few.  Alas, I ran into one cell that just wouldn't fill in, and that was because of "spelling" mistakes on my part - so I went red-letter to see where I went astray.  Anyway, we had two spanners, and one 11-letter climber;

17a. Remote setting : MIDDLE OF NOWHERE

58a. Spanish-style home decor : TERRACOTTA TILES

18d. 1995 film in which Sean Connery played King Arthur : FIRST KNIGHT - good movie - and Julia Ormond is beautiful

'Tis the seas-on-ward~!

ACROSS:

1. Furniture support : SOFA LEG - he means this kind of leg....

8. Hard-to-find hardware? : SPY-CAMS

15. Learned : ERUDITE - the adjective, not the verb

16. Side trip guide : AREA MAP

19. __-Pak subcontinent: Asian region : INDO

20. Homework initials? : DIY - Do It Yourself; Home Depot has Do-It-HERself classes; we are about one day away from finishing up the house project - did the siding today

21. Like some backup files : ON CD

22. Top dog : NUMERO UNO

27. Cutesy plea for affection : KISS, KISS

30. Eye site : POTATO

34. Bird that will swim but not fly : EMU

35. Pound, e.g. : UNIT - dah~!  Not POET - 25% correct

36. Upset state : DISMAY

37. Letters associated with z's? : REM - Rapid Eye Movement sleep; I had a full-on sensory dream of a cat pawing me and then lying down on my back one afternoon while I napped; I asked my room-mate, and he said there was never a cat in the house - I looked it up on the dream interpretations site, and it's associated with feminine sexuality - damn, I hope so~!

38. Tetanus symptom : LOCKJAW

40. Former "NFL Today" sportscaster Cross : IRV

41. Train for firefighting : RAPPEL

43. 2014 Wales summit host : NATO

44. Iowa campus : COE

45. Refusal of hospitality, often : INSULT

46. Thief's target : IDENTITY

48. Literary legionnaire : BEAU GESTE - frequently in crosswords, but I did not know much more about the story until today - more here

50. Salinger heroine : ESME - Nailed it - but again, seen in a lot of crosswords

53. Golden ratio symbol : PHI - ah, like "Pi" for, well, 3.14159....in this case, it's 1.61803 - more here

54. It may be crunched : DATA - my one corner that messed me up

63. Treaty topic : TEST BAN

64. Dress uniform adornment : EPAULET

65. Reuse productively, as trash : UPCYCLE - new word for me - and my spell-check; the word "repurposed" has gained some traction around here

66. Dish from the Italian for "foam" : SPUMONI - Dah~!!  I put in spumATi, so I was all screwed up down here

DOWN:   

1. Trailer leader : SEMI - the tractor part

2. "Out __?" : OR IN

3. Hunter with a distinctive laugh : FUDD - Elmer, that is

4. Supplements : ADD-ONS

5. Small in a small way : L'IL 

6. Juillet's time : ÉTÉ - Frawnche

7. Like the Spaceship Earth sphere : GEODESIC

8. Panasonic subsidiary : SANYO

9. Supporting : PRO

10. "Dismal" tree in Shakespeare's "Titus Andronicus" : YEW

11. Partnership : CAHOOTS

12. "You said it!" : "AMEN~!"

13. Standup comic Maron : MARC

14. Earned a citation? : SPED - har-har

23. Lute family member : UKULELE

24. Company that merged with Konica : MINOLTA

25. Screen alert subjects : UPDATES - always seems to be Adobe Flash Player

26. Firm denial : NO, I WON'T

27. Gymnast Strug : KERRI

28. "Let me explain ..." : "I MEAN..."

29. Collection areas : SUMPS - oops, not Dumps - but that was 80% correct

31. Firenze friends : AMICI

32. Typically 78-card deck : TAROT - I have a deck, but have not looked at it in years

33. Exasperated cry : "OY VEY~!"

39. Burmese gems : JADEITES

42. Time for significant changes : PUBERTY

47. Yawn inducer : TEDIUM

49. Barely ahead : UP ONE - oops, not ONE UP

50. Incredulous accusation : ET TU - Brute~?

51. Flow slowly : SEEP

52. Richie's mom, to Fonzie : Mrs. C

55. Téléphone greeting : 'ALLO

56. Mock election voter : TEEN

57. Product of white Muscat grapes : ASTI

59. Easy as __ : ABC - oops, not PIE

60. "East of Eden" son : CAL

61. Galaxy download : APP - Galaxy, the Samsung Smart Phone (or tablet; I have one)

62. Two before 53-Across : TAU

Thanks to all who comment, especially for those who comment on my Saturday postings.  Thank you, too, to C.C. for the opportunity to be able to blog here in the first place~!!!

Splynter

Tuesday, December 30, 2014 Greg Johnson

Theme: Pack it in - Four containers that can be packed.

17A. Stunt pilot stunt : BARREL ROLL

24A. Quaint dating-and-dining event : BOX SOCIAL. Was there one in "Music Man"?

49A. Man cave celebration : CHEST BUMP

59A. Social agency employee : CASE WORKER

Reveal entry:

38A. Moving company service, and what the starts of 17-, 24-, 49- and 59-Across may be used for : STORAGE

Argyle here. Time to pack up another year. Solid Tuesday.

Across:

1. Heavy book : TOME

5. High-end Honda : ACURA

10. Roof edge : EAVE

14. Shepard who hit golf balls on the moon : ALAN

15. In a huff : UPSET

16. Headed for overtime : TIED

19. __ d'oeuvre : HORS

20. Still in the store : UNSOLD

21. Kanga's creator : A.A. MILNE

23. Cuba libre liquor : RUM with coke and some lime.

26. Quite a few : A LOT

28. Buddhist sect : ZEN

29. Singing syllable : TRA La La

30. Like a stage performance : LIVE

31. Eye-roller's reply : "I BET"

33. Mess makers : SLOBS

37. Microbrewery brew : ALE

40. Japanese carp : KOI

41. Remove insulation from : STRIP. From wires.

43. __ stick : POGO

44. You can see Lincoln on one : CENT

45. Aunt, en español : TIA

47. No longer burning : OUT

48. Bailiff's cry : "OYEZ"

53. Cease : END

54. Hold : POSSESS

55. Obtain via threats : EXTORT

58. Actress Kudrow : LISA

62. "Fly-Fight-Win" org. : USAF

63. Tequila plant : AGAVE

64. Winery prefix : OENO

65. Eyelid problem : STYE

66. Videos that go viral, e.g. : MEMEs

67. Rhône-Alpes city : LYON

Down:

1. "Forbidden" perfume : "TABU"

2. "The Good Earth" mother : OLAN

3. NASA's Curiosity, e.g. : MARS ROVER

4. Along the way : ENROUTE

5. "__ Lang Syne" : AULD

6. EMT procedure : CPR

7. Troupe for the troops: Abbr. : USO

8. Enjoy some downtime : RELAX

9. "Finally!" : "AT LAST!"

10. Guided by good : ETHICAL

11. Garlicky mayo : AIOLI. Mayo with attitude.

12. Actress Bloom of "High Plains Drifter" : VERNA. And of "Animal House".

13. Eponymous Ford : EDSEL. Eponymous is something or someone that gives its name to something else.

18. Shade source : ELM

22. Code creator : MORSE

24. Charlie Parker jazz genre : BEBOP

25. Like old-time schoolhouses : ONE-ROOM

26. Cry of dismay : "ALAS!"

27. Happy tune : LILT

28. Skin blemish : ZIT

32. Prepare to advance after a fly ball : TAG UP

34. "Roger that!" : "OKEY-DOKEY!"

35. Femur, e.g. : BONE

36. __ bath: therapeutic soak : SITZ

38. Rancor : SPITE

39. Picked up : GOT

42. "You can come out now" : "IT'S SAFE"

44. Word before group or freak : CONTROL

46. '70s-'80s scandal that inspired "American Hustle" : ABSCAM

49. Academically above average : C-PLUS

50. Raise, as a flag : HOIST

51. College application part : ESSAY

52. Meter reading : USAGE

53. Prefix with skeleton : EXO

55. Meadow females : EWEs

56. Gambling town near Tahoe : RENO

57. 1982 Disney sci-fi flick : "TRON"

60. "Casablanca" piano man : SAM

61. Night before : EVE. Hoist the party flag. We have a barrel of rum and case of ale. Also, some Tia Maria, tequila and find some wine for the oenophiles. Don't forget the hors d'oeuvres. Do the Hustle. Maybe strip later(nothing tabu) and sing some lilts. Tra La La. Play it, Sam. Play "Auld Lang Syne".

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Here is a picture of Dudley and his wife from their Nantucket voyage last Saturday. He said "It was taken for us by a passing airport employee, a kind hearted fellow, at sunset when we were preparing to leave. Marti helped me edit the frame a bit (she’s clever like that)."

Thursday, July 3, 2014 Greg Johnson

Theme: Going Postal

Let's begin with the reveal:

36-A. What the answers to starred clues are comprised of : US POSTAL CODES.

The 2-letter postal codes of states are formed into common words and phrases. There are duplicates, but without looking at a map, do you know which ones are missing? (I immediately saw one glaring omission…)

14-A. *Approach : CO/ME NE/AR.  Colorado, Maine, Nebraska, Arkansas

16-A. *Overly ornate : FL/OR/ID. Florida, Oregon, Idaho

24-A. *Messing with one's head : MI/ND GA/ME. Michigan, North Dakota, Georgia, Maine

49-A. *Tom Wolfe coinage for the 1970s : ME DE/CA/DE. Maine, Delaware, California, Delaware

62-A. *Drink of the gods : NE/CT/AR. Nebraska, Connecticut, Arkansas

63-A. *Simple forecasting aid : WI/ND VA/NE. Wisconsin, North Dakota, Virginia, Nebraska

5-D. *Sell weaponry : DE/AL AR/MS. Delaware, Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi

39-D. *Appalachian resource : CO/AL MI/NE. Colorado, Alabama, Michigan, Nebraska.

I don't think I would have guessed this theme in a million years without the reveal!  But at least I was able to fill the entire thing in without any lookups. From a constructor's viewpoint, this was an especially difficult type of theme to create. Competing 6- and 8-letter entries necessitated asterisks to differentiate the theme entries.

I can understand why TX was omitted...but here's a challenge: Find your state that was omitted, and come up with a valid word or phrase that includes it, along with at least two other postal codes. (***See spoiler at bottom of this post)

Across:

1. Just the right amount of tight : SNUG. (See 61-down)

5. Hip-hop's Run-__ : DMC. From the 80's. Never heard of them, but evidently they were very influential to the genre.

8. Significant : OF NOTE.

17. Beef at the dinner table : RIB ROAST. and 34-Across. Butcher's offering : T-BONE. Are you getting hungry yet?

18. Provoke : FOMENT.

19. Sports drink suffix : ADE.

20. Healing aid, briefly : TLC. Tender loving care.

21. Some August babies : LEOs.

22. Cyrus the Great's domain : PERSIA. Here is an interesting timeline map that goes from 8000 B.C. to modern Iran. 1:10

28. Right in an atlas : EAST.

29. Author Dahl : ROALD. We have had him many times before.

31. Cease, with "off" : LAY.

32. High-tech debut of 1981 : IBM PC.

40. Dressing vessel : CRUET.

41. "Oh, yeah!" : BOO-YA.

42. Minor concern, maybe : AGE. HaHa, "minor" in this case being one who is under-aged.

43. In a way, informally : SORTA.

45. Cries of pain : YOWS.

52. "60 Minutes" first name : LESLEY. Stahl. I like her style.

Lesley Stahl

54. Choice usually made secretly : VOTE.

55. Minute measures: Abbr. : CMs. Centimeters.

56. Rehab concern, familiarly : DTs.

57. Like old videos : GRAINY.

60. Zealous to the extreme : WHITE HOT.

64. Eucharist plates : PATENS.

65. Suffix for Brooklyn or Manhattan : -ITE.

66. "Lemme __!" : AT 'EM.


Down

1. Tough spot : SCRAPE.

2. "I'm stumped" : NO IDEA.

3. Earthy colors : UMBERS. Had to look at perps to decide between ochres and UMBERS.

4. Angela Merkel's country: Abbr. : GER.many. This was a gimme.

6. Like the days of the week, in Span. : MASC.uline. WAG. I know very little Spanish, but with four letters, I guessed it would not be "fem." But now that I think of it, I could have gone with "neut."

7. Old PC component : CRT. Cathode Ray Tube.

8. Transgress : OFFEND.

9. __ insurance : FLOOD.

10. Asian menu assurance : NO MSG.

11. Gold or silver source : ORE.

12. Pie holder : TIN. My pies are baked in a pie plate. I associate a pie TIN with frozen ones.

13. D.C. summer setting : EDT.

15. "The Little Red Hen" denial : NOT I.

21. Short, for short : LI'L.

23. Michael of R.E.M. : STIPE. Should I link? Not a fan, so I'll let someone else who likes them pick their own.

24. Gruesome : MACABRE.

25. Hand lotion ingredient : ALOE.

26. __ best friend : MAN'S.

27. Major TV logo : EYE.

Eye logo

30. Go (for) : OPT.

33. AI game competitor : BOT. Artificial Intelligence. BOTs are considered NPCs (non-player characters.)

34. Play (with) : TOY.

35. Annual celebrations, casually : B-DAYS. Does C.C. know yours? Send her a note - she remembers everything!

36. Impulse : URGE.

37. Took to court : SUED.

38. Housing plan unit : LOT.

40. Rotating piece : CAM.

43. Half-goat creatures of myth : SATYRS.

44. Lines of praise : ODE.

I would write a nice ODE to our Owen,

Perhaps pen a Pindaric type poem.

But alas I cannot.

A limerick’s all I got.

And, besides, I have to get goin’!

46. Dated : OLD HAT.

47. Sloppy kiss : WET ONE. Garfield just really doesn't appreciate them.

48. Nervous __ : SYSTEM.

50. Cybernotice for a party : E-VITE.

51. Late-night host O'Brien : CONAN.

53. Business sign abbr. : EST'D. Established.

55. IOU : CHIT.

57. Econ. yardstick : GNP.

58. "In Dreams" actor Stephen : REA. Did not remember this guy.

59. Fake being : ACT.

60. Doughboy's conflict, briefly : WWI.

61. Actress Mendes : EVA.

I laughed when I read this quote from her:
"I wanted to be a nun when I was very little. Well, that was until my sister told me that they don't get paid. Then I went off that idea quickly."
(Aren't you fellows glad that nuns don't get paid?)

***My missing state was MA.  So, my word was DE/MA/ND.

That about wraps it up for me this week!
Marti

Tuesday, June 3, 2014 Greg Johnson

 Theme: Quiet Time - Keep it down low.

17A. "Please let me get my beauty rest" : "I'M TRYING TO SLEEP"

30A. "Too much noise" : "KEEP IT DOWN"

49A. "No one can know" : "IT'S A SECRET"

65A. "Junior needs his nap time" : "DON'T WAKE THE BABY"

41A. Warning that often precedes 17-, 30-, 49- and 65-Across : "SHH!"

Argyle here with our constructor from Zelienople, Pa.(8-13-2013) A fun and unique puzzle today. Eighty words but not that noticeable and two very noticeable grid spanners. The unifier smack in the middle.

Across:

1. A Swiss Army knife has many of them : USEs

5. Halley's __ : COMET. Its next appearance should be in 2061.

10. Crow calls : CAWS

14. Peel in a cocktail : ZEST

15. Stylish : SWANK

16. Nueve preceder : OCHO. Spanish 8, 9

20. Half of a 45 : SIDE A

21. Title for a superior : SIR

22. Loosens, as restrictions : EASES

23. Place for a massage : SPA

25. Hymn finale : AMEN. Sometimes said when the sermon finally ends.

27. Kitchen amts. : TSPs

36. Need to remit : OWE

37. Shopping aid : CART

38. "My __ Amour": Stevie Wonder hit : CHERIE

39. __ toast : MELBA

43. Remove from the board : ERASE

44. Bistro, e.g. : EATERY

46. Ages and ages : EONS

48. Joe and Rose Kennedy's youngest : TED

51. Exceedingly : VERY

52. Burn a lot ... or slightly : CHAR

53. Pink or purple : HUE

55. Wyoming neighbor : IDAHO

58. Altar agreement : "I DO"

61. Make a case : ARGUE

68. Fashion designer Marc : ECKO. Not familiar with him.

69. "Super!" : "NEATO!"

70. U.S. native : AMER. This should generate some comments.

71. Like the ground after a campfire : ASHY

72. Climbing rope material : NYLON

73. Bard's instrument : LYRE

Down:

1. Israeli guns : UZIs

2. Truck stop rig : SEMI

3. Storefront sign abbr. : ESTD. (established)

4. Emotional strain : STRESS

5. Long-running TV crime drama : CSI

6. Possesses : OWNS

7. O. Henry's "The Gift of the __" : MAGI

8. Lure into a crime : ENTRAP. Lure into a corner : rope-a-dope.

9. Ref's decision : TKO. (technical knockout)

10. Lettuce-washing aid : COLANDER

11. Poker "bullets" : ACES

12. Sledding shout : "WHEE!"

13. Soaks (up) : SOPS

18. Run off at the mouth : YAP

19. Does a slow burn : SEETHES

24. Wanted poster initials : AKA. (also known as)

26. Audio jack label : MIC. (microphone)

27. Marisa of "The Wrestler" : TOMEI. She'll always be Mona Lisa Vito to us.

28. Workout output : SWEAT

29. Trapper's goods : PELTS

31. "This can't wait" hosp. areas : ERs

32. Bygone anesthetic : ETHER

33. Speak with pomp : ORATE

34. More sage : WISER

35. Down-and-out : NEEDY

37. Where models stand by models : CAR SHOW

40. Plastic shovel, for one : BEACH TOY

42. Soil chopper : HOE. Is it safe to transplant the tomatoes yet? Maybe.

45. Supporting vote : YEA

47. Ultimate degree : NTH

50. "Holy moly!" : "CRIKEY!". Australian.

51. Spoken : VERBAL

54. Seven-member Mideast fed. : UAE. (United Arab Emirates)

55. Overhead exclamation point, in comics : IDEA

56. HMO staffers : DOCs

57. Egyptian royal cross : ANKH

59. Business agreement : DEAL

60. "Beetle Bailey" bulldog : OTTO

62. Like wild boar meat : GAMY. Who here has had wild boar meat?

63. Over, in Germany : ÜBER

64. Brontë's Jane : EYRE

66. Cape NNW of Cod : ANN

67. Dearie : HON. (presumptuous terms of endearment)

Argyle
 

Notes from C.C.:

1) Here is a pretty picture of Chickie's great-granddaughter Cecelia Rose (nicknamed Cece), who was born on Wednesday May 28, 2014. Cece lives in Tacoma, WA and she's the first great-grandchild for Chickie.

36- hour old Cece

2) Happy birthday to dear Owen! When I talked with him last November, he mentioned he preferred to forget his birthday (not surprising after his poem on Sunday). He also said "... knowing how I tend to lose interests in things, I'll be mildly surprised if I'm still around then. But I get so much positive feedback from our supportive group that this might be an exception."

He's still here, entertaining us every morning with his wits, humor & hard work. Thank you, Owen! Now I don't feel a LAT crossword is complete until it's been Owenized.

Owen & Brenda (Feb 28, 2009)

Tuesday, August 13, 2013 Greg Johnson

Theme: What Uncle Sam said - Uncle Sam wanted you and got 'em threefold today.

57A. *Whom "I'm in love with" in an Ames Brothers song, and a hint to what the answers to starred clues contain : YOU, YOU, YOU. CLIP(2:51)

16A. *Montevideo native : URUGUAYAN. MAP

22A. *Form a line : QUEUE UP

48A. *Far from common : UNUSUAL

11D. *Component in early TV sets : VACUUM TUBE

26D. *Guided by strict principles : SCRUPULOUS

Argyle here. Prescient comments on Sunday? Harder to construct than Monday's (Letter U's are very tricky to place and this grid has 21.) but not much harder to solve. I'm not sure but this could be Greg's debut puzzle in a major paper. If it is, I bet he would like to fit his home town in a puzzle, Zelienople, PA.

Across:

1. Charge to a sponsor : AD FEE

6. Hospital unit : BED

9. High-profile autos : SUVs...because they sit higher off the ground than a sedan.

13. Bundled, as hay : BALED. Good year for hay around here.

14. Enjoyed goulash, say : ATE

15. Gondolier's milieu : CANAL

18. '70s music genre : DISCO

19. U.S. state with its own elec. power grid : TEX.. Why? An article in Slate magazine answers that very question. LINK

20. Gear tooth : COG

21. Parodied : SENT UP. Past tense of send up, which is more often as a noun.

25. Factual : TRUE

26. Kiddie lit Dr. : SEUSS

28. Genetic messenger : RNA. That makes DNA the message.

29. Sch. period : SEM. (semester)

30. Christine of Fleetwood Mac : McVIE

31. Show to a table : SEAT

32. Barnyard enclosure : STY

34. Like arrangements before a vacation : PRE-TRIP

36. Publish again, as a novel : RE-ISSUE

39. California's Big __ : SUR

40. Teacherly suffix with school : MARM. (schoolmarm)

42. Workout regimen : TAE BO. TAE BO® FITNESS is a total body fitness system that incorporates Martial Arts techniques such as kicks and punches, which became quite popular in the 1990s.

43. Org. with a Champions Tour : PGA. Professional Golfers' Association of America (PGA of America)

45. Noche's opposite : DIA. As different as night and day in 31D. Portugal neighbor : SPAIN

46. Back of a hit record : B SIDE. The most straightforward clue for it in a while.

47. Slow time : LULL

50. Pass, as time : ELAPSE

52. Dove's cry : COO

53. Big rig fixtures, for short : CBs. Citizens' Band radio (also known as CB radio)

56. "It's __ for!": "So-o-o good!" : TO DIE

60. Good, in Guadalajara : BUENA. "She said oh no, Guadalajara won't do" Steely Dan lyric.

61. Lux. locale : EUR. (Luxembourg / Europe)

62. Latest thing : CRAZE

63. Latin being : ESSE

64. Burden-bearing beast : ASS

65. Rub the wrong way : ANNOY

Down:

1. Lie next to : ABUT

2. Truth alternative : DARE. Truth or Dare?

3. Continuous change : FLUX

4. Sleep analysis test, briefly : EEG. (electroencephalogram)

5. School URL ending : .EDU

6. Crocodile habitat : BAYOU

7. Curio display case : ÉTAGÈRE

 8. Hibernation site : DEN

9. NFL Superdome team : SAINTS

10. Not emphasized, as a syllable : UNSTRESSED

12. Slanted land : SLOPE

15. B followers : C D E

17. Court winners : ACES

21. Sudden rush : SPATE

22. Preempt a firing? : QUIT

23. Computer operator : USER

24. Take the gun from : UNARM

27. Florida's largest national park : EVERGLADES

30. AWOL enforcers : MPs. Now they don't force you to go AWOL, do they?

33. USN clerk : YEO

35. "My luck is bound to change!" : "I'M DUE!". Why people come back broke from the casinos.

37. "__ miracle!" : IT'S A

38. Navigate a windjammer : SAIL

41. Loud and wild, like a party : RAUCOUS. Honest, not me! Never gone to one of those.

44. Skiing category : ALPINE

46. Channel tinkler : BUOY

47. Decide not to interfere with : LET BE

49. Turns in a bad way : SOURS

51. Red or Yellow : SEA

53. Greenish-blue : CYAN. because teal and aqua didn't work.

54. Rude, annoying one, in slang : BOZO

55. Chop __ : SUEY

57. Vote of approval : YEA

58. South American tuber : OCA

59. Hot coffee server : URN

Argyle

Note from C.C.: Happy Birthday to dear Chickie! I still want to see your backyard with all the wonderful fruit trees.

L to R: JD, Garlic Gal, Chickie & Jill