Friday, December 21, 2012, Jack McInturff

Theme: Get the "H" out of here!

Each of the 5 theme answers has the last word which is a CH word, recast with NO  H, (as in the hint) to create a new and visually entertaining new phrase. Jack is an old pro whose work I have had the pleasure of blogging before, though this had more than its share of little known proper names. I can hear Kazie groaning out there. There also are so many great clues/fill like SBARRO, BOBSLEDS, EAR TO EAR, BELTS IT OUT, I really enjoyed cracking this code. How many other CH words would work?  Well with no further ado....

18A. Jazz-loving surfer? : ONLINE CHAT.(9).  A 50's reference to when all who loved Jazz were hep cats, taken by removing the H from our modern online dialogue.

20A. Fort Knox transport? : BAR CHART.(7) A simple from of graphing becomes a nice picture of a cart loaded with gold bullion, like in this SCENE. (4:31).

39A. Farm job for Perry Mason? : WILD GOOSE CHASE (13) A book about a man who is arrested for running around and goosing all the women on a farm in Kentucky? Erle Stanley Gardner, who was a real judge and defender of the innocent named each of his Perry Mason books : The Case of..." For our crowd, maybe this case.

58A. USDA inspector, at times? : PORK CHOP.(7) My favorite for all the layers, police as pigs, as well picture of the meat inspectors.

60A. Insignificant woodpile? : MINOR CHORD.(9) A cord being a small amount of wood (relatively speaking, and JzB will explain the major vs. minor chords.

And a last minute hint,

62D. Kabuki native, and a hint to five puns in this puzzle : NOH, parsed NO H, but none of you needed the hint, right?


Across:

1. Ease up : ABATE. A nice A word to start.

6. Culture sites : LABS. Oh, that kind of culture.

10. Method for deciding : FLIP. An accepted brief form of flipping a coin, though you will see the sight gag of someone doing a somersault when challenged to "flip for it."

14. Recognition of achievement : MEDAL. Olympics anyone?

15. "The doctor will be ___ ten" : IN AT.

16. Red inside : RARE. What a nice simple visual clue.

17. Most of its strains are harmless : E. COLI. Interesting FACTS.

22. "Dies ___" : IRAE.

23. Zion Church letters : AME. AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL church. LINK.

24. Alien-seeking gp. : SETI. Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, phone home anyone?

26. Stromboli seller : SBARRO. What a great letter progression; who does not think they screwed up seeing SB start a word.

30. Novi Sad citizen : SERB. Immediately followed by SerB. A pretty obscure clue, though the 2nd largest city there. We have a new attorney in the office who is Serbian. Havla Bogu!

32. "Out Her on My Own" musical : FAME. Classic IRENE CARA.(3:28).

34. "Was ___ I saw yesterday...?" : IT YOU. No, I was not there. I was in Paris getting a drink. Or was it in...

35. Nice quencher : EAU. Do you still forget your French water?

37. Racers on a run : BOBSLEDS. Fine clue, as the place where bobsleds race is called a run.

42. Grin scope : EAR TO EAR.Not to be corny, but I think this is a wonderful clue.

43. Negatives : NOS. Yes, again simple.

44. Like clear winter air : CRISP.

45. Old railway operator's hat : KEPI. Also the French foreign legion, Charles DeGaulle..Not,  59D. "All day soft. All day smooth" lotion : KERI.

47. Labels : TAGS.

51. Like many audits : ON SITE. Generally done by your external auditors, but in truth it is hard to audit other than on site.

53. Lavish affection (on) : DOTE. Okay, I am ready.

55. French vineyard : CRU. The TEST is in the morning. Lots of French today.

56. Limited worker : TEMP.

64. Supervisory serf, in Chaucer : REEVE. A nice oldtimey word for the guy who enforces order among the Anglo-Saxons.

65. Last name of three related All-Stars : ALOU. Felipe, Matty and Jesus.

66. Words spoken before the Senate : ET TU. A brutal way to clue this old saw.

67. Burger and fries, say : ORDER. Often said in line, not on line.

68. 100 satang : BAHT. Wow, we get our Southeast Asian money, as this is from Thailand and next door we have 70A. Cambodian cabbage? : RIELS. Takes about 130 to get a Baht.

69. One-time Sinclair rival : ESSO. The old company with the Dinosaur and Exxon before it grew up.

Down:

1. Simple life forms : AMEBAS. Not only are we missing an H or five, but the O is gone!

2. Morphed into : BECAME. Again. good simple clue.

3. Worshiper : ADORER. A good word for this time of year.

4. Soft rock : TALC. Softest on the MOHS.

5. Walt Disney's father : ELIAS. Obscure dear old DAD.

6. "The River Murders" co-star : LIOTTA. Do not know this movie but love this SCENE. (0:17) Warning do not watch if you are squeamish.

7. Gloucester's cape : ANN.

8. Hope-Crosby road movie : BALI.

9. Affects emotionally : STIRS.

10. Noted dream-ending words : FREE AT LAST.  This DREAM.(2:51).

11. Varnish ingredient : LAC. For REAL.

12. It may be rolled over, briefly : IRA. and its counterpart in the acronym world, 61. Pier gp. : ILA. We get these longshoremen often.

13. Fondle : PET. Be careful, girls do NOT like being fondled like you do your puppy.

19. Snack company with a triangular logo : NABISCO. This clue was as sweet as an Oreo.

21. Wildlife protection area : REFUGE.

25. [Yawn] : I'M BORED. Damn, well better get yourselves up because we have more work to do.

27. Deli supply : RYES. breads, and the home of LSD.

28. Pestered without letup : RODE. The teacher rode Johnny all class.

29. Danger conclusion? : OUS. Dangerous.

31. Sings with gusto : BELTS IT OUT. Who better

33. Aurora's Greek counterpart : EOS. It took a while for this answer to dawn on me.

36. Many a parent : ADOPTER. All perps.

38. Legendary bridge expert Garozzo : BENITO. I remembered the great Italian Blue team, but not one of its MEMBERS.

39. Give notice : WARN.

40. Pupil's place : IRIS. Eye love this clue.

41. Tree with yellow ribbons, in song : OAK.

42. "Foucault's Pendulum" author : ECO. Did not know the book, apparently it is for a different audience than I. LINK.

46. Simon and Garfunkel, e.g. : POP DUO. Duo was easy but the POP was slow; is that good?

48. Submit : ACCEDE.

49. Submit shamelessly : GROVEL.

50. Building managers : SUPERS. They used to be superintendents, but they became just plain super.

52. Host : EMCEE. A variation of MC, Master of Ceremonies.

54. Overthrow, often : ERROR. A baseball clue, not a government coup.

57. Plant holders : POTS.

60. Folklore fairy queen : MAB. I love me a Shakespeare reference, thanks Mercutio.

63. Some are inalienable: Abbr. : RTS. OO, they tell you it is an abbr.  Our constitutional rights. 

Okay class, that is it from Professor Jack and I, have a wonderful holiday and do not get stuck in any chimneys, eat too many cookies or drive after drinking. I want you all back here for next week's final 2012 Friday, if the Mayan calendar is wrong.

Lemonade

Wednesday August 29, 2012 Jack McInturff

Theme: Witty Words from Jack, who is 82 years old.

20A. Quip, part 1 : ONCE WRITING ON A

37A. Quip, part 2 : WALL WAS GRAFFITI

51A. End of the quip : NOW IT'S FACEBOOK

Hello Everyone,

Boomer here with another edition from puzzle land. Before we start though, a couple of riddling questions: First - How many months in the calendar have 30 days? Too easy, okay then - How many jelly beans can you fit in an empty one quart Ziploc bag?

On to the puzzle - fairly challenging due to a few questionable clues.

Across:

1. Folder projections : TABS - I took a STAB at this one

5. Come-on comeuppance : SLAP - If you didn't get it, you must do LAPS.

9. Enterprise doctor : MCCOY - He's the Law & Order DA. I thought the Enterprise doctor was Spock.

14. First name at Woodstock : ARLO - You can get anything you want, at Alice's Restaurant. Preserve your 8 X 10 color glossy photographs. Sadly, now, all photos seem to be on a cell phone or a Facebook Wall.

15. Freezer cooler : CUBE - The cube doesn't cool the freezer, the freezer cools the cube.

16. Popped up : AROSE - by any other name still smells the same

17. Market pessimist : BEAR - I wonder if they sold Facebook short.

18. Like Death Valley : ARID - Yup, and the rest of the US this year.

19. All-night bar? : ROOST - We don't have all night bars where I live. "Parrot's perch" would be an easier clue. But we don't have parrots where I live either. We have crackers though if your name is Polly and you want one.

23. Bourbon barrel wood : OAK - This clue is A-OK!

24. Zamboni milieu : ICE - We're familiar with this monster in Minnesota. Last year we had a guy get a DUI on a Zamboni at a high school game between the second and third period. Go figure.

25. Thumbs-up : A-OK - How about that! An anagram of 23A. Now where is that Campground?

26. 2010 Olympic skiing gold medalist Miller : BODE - Interesting name. I have also heard about a young man named Bode from Seattle. He is less than one year old and his father took him to exactly two Major League baseball games this year. The first was Phil Humber's perfect game against the Mariners. Then he was at King Felix's perfecto just a few weeks ago. What are the odds?


28. Highly skilled : DEFT - I seem to remember a laundry detergent named Dreft. Where do they come up with these names?

30. Coppertone letters : SPF - I got this. Didn't like it. They call them CrossWORD puzzles.

33. Dictation whiz : STENO - short for stenographer. With all the word processing equipment available now, I think maybe all stenos are now in all night bars or driving Zambonis.

35. With precision : TO A T - Add an "S" and you have Toast, which is what you should do with this clue and so called word.

36. Missing in the mil. : AWOL - Absent without leave, as most of you know. What you don't know is that I was a company clerk and I really hated the paperwork involved when a soldier went AWOL.

40. Aesthetic to a fault : ARTY - "Way up at a Broadway party, I met a lady who was very ARTY, she took me home to see her studio. She held me close and whispered to me, she said that she wanted to do me, some of that paint will never come off I know." (Chad Mitchell Trio).

41. Milking container : PAIL - Not many are used anymore. They just hook up a tube and the milk never sees the light of day, but it stays Grade A.

42. Dadaism pioneer Max : ERNST

43. Cooking choice : GAS - Okay, but Broil, Boil, Bake, Grill, Saute, Fry, all came to my mind first.

44. Wonderland tea party attendee : HARE - Lewis Carroll's legend lives on!

45. Environmental concern : SMOG

46. Crew member : OAR - Wait a minute. I just watched rowing in the Olympics. The OAR was not a crew member. This clue is up a creek without a paddle.

47. See 45-Down : MOM - I guess we have Soccer Moms in Minnesota, but for about 11 months out of the year they are also Hockey Moms. The difference is that Hockey Moms need an SUV to carry all the skates, sticks, pads, helmets, gloves, and then they have to watch out for drunk Zamboni drivers.

48. VCR format : VHS - Movies that used to rent for five bucks a night are now available at garage sales for 50 cents or less. Sigh.

56. Yard neatener : MOWER - Austin, Minnesota, home of Spam (the canned spiced ham, not the email) is in Mower County.

57. Stoltz of "Pulp Fiction" : ERIC

58. French 101 verb : ETRE - The first letter of "French" is the grade I received in my French class.

59. Flip over : UPEND

60. Longing look : GAZE - pretty easy. Getting to the bottom of the puzzle.

61. See after : TEND - At least this clue wasn't "What comes after NINE D?"

62. Plaster painting surface : GESSO - Sorry, my painting experience only includes my garage door, deck, and "Circle me Bert" sign.

63. Violin virtuoso Leopold : AUER - Never heard of this guy. I have heard of MAUER.

64. Belligerent god : ARES

Down:

1. Major no-no : TABOO

2. Field of play : ARENA - Most Fields are outdoors, arenas are usually indoors now. But I think the Christians used to fight the Lions in an arena field. The lions usually won.

3. Aikido masters : BLACK BELTS - Even spell check has never heard of Aikido. Why not just say Judo or Karate and take it easy on us poor sap green belt puzzle solvers.

4. Mad : SORE - yeah, I'm SORE at the Aikido clue

5. Like hen's teeth : SCARCE- Who needs teeth when your lips are as hard as clam shells.

6. "Foreign Affairs" Pulitzer author Alison : LURIE

7. Slightly : A BIT - Fisherman try to get A BIT of a bite using BAIT.

8. Mani-__: spa service : PEDI- Never heard of this, but it must have something to do with feet.

9. She played Lois in "Superman" films : MARGOT (Kidder)

10. Curved piece : CROOK - Nixon was not one.

11. Masked scavenger : COON


12. Greek peak : OSSA- Never heard of the mountain.

13. Still : YET

21. Golfer's nonplaying wife, facetiously : WIDOW - I have all heard the term. I play a little golf, but I think C.C. falls into the Bowling Widow class.

22. Three-nation '90s treaty : NAFTA - North American Free Trade Agreement. Everything is a clever acronym these days.

27. "I'm __ human" : ONLY

28. Motherless calf : DOGIE - Get along little dogie.

29. __ of Gloucester: "King Lear" character : EARL

30. Fiscally conservative Democrat, say : SWING VOTER - Conservative Democrat ???? You made that up.

31. "Iron Chef" supplies : POTS - If you watch the food network, you have more time on your hands than I.

32. Pass (by) quickly, as time : FLIT - Hmmm - more like flies, mosquitoes, or Usain Bolt.

33. Booty : SWAG - Once a jolly Swagman, sat beside a billabong.....

34. Ancient home of Irish kings : TARA - I never knew Ireland had Kings. LA and Sacramento have them.

35. Unseen "Fiddler on the Roof" tyrant : TSAR - If I were a rich man ..........

36. Picked locks? : AFRO - I think Oscar Gamble had the most notable one. Then along came Michael Jordan and changed the world. Hats fit again.

38. Separated : APART

39. Lyons lady : FEMME

44. Bob or beehive : HAIRDO - I think from the 60s. Now rest in lore with 8 track tapes, hula hoops. and 8 X 10 color glossy photographs.

45. With 47-Across, modern-day chauffeur : SOCCER

46. "Catch This!" autobiographer Terrell : OWENS - A wide receiver. Didn't know he wrote a book.

47. Early American crop : MAIZE - What an unbelievable crop - but in trouble this year due to desert-like temps as far north as Iowa, Nebraska, and Frostbite Falls! This vegetable may be eaten right from the cob, canned or frozen, dried for corn meal, feed for livestock, alcohol added to E85 gasoline, and coating for pronto pups at the Minnesota State Fair - through Labor Day.

49. "Stormy Weather" singer : HORNE - that would be Lena, but I don't think she was the only one.

50. RR postings : SKEDS - Another slang word. Sounds like a brand of running shoes to me.

51. "Dream on!" : NOPE

52. Carries a mortgage, say : OWES

53. Video game giant : SEGA

54. Herr's better half : FRAU - We are almost done.

55. Old 48-Across rival : BETA - Not as old as 8 tracks. Store them in your garage with those cassette tapes by Nat King Cole.

56. Coffee holder : MUG

So if you stayed with me this far - the answers to the riddles: Eleven months have 30 days. (Some even have 31). And you can fit one jelly bean in the empty Ziplok bag, because once it goes in, the bag is no longer empty. But if you are smart enough to solve crossword puzzles, I am sure you figured this out. Have a great holiday weekend!!

Answer Grid.

Boomer

Thursday, August 2, 2012 Jack McInturff

Theme: Material Girl 4:43

17A. Easter song title critter : PETER COTTONTAIL

28A. Rich chocolate dessert with a crust : FRENCH SILK PIE

33A. Under-the-sink cleaners : STEEL WOOL PADS

41A. Dessert sometimes colored with beet juice : RED VELVET CAKE

And the unifier:

54. Important trial figure, or what you'll be when you read this puzzle's other longest answers :

MATERIAL WITNESS.

Marti here to walk you through the fabric of this puzzle.

Across :

1. Shake in reproach, as a finger : WAG. Or in our corner terms, "Wild A--ed Guess" (Sometimes Scientific WAG...)

4. E-junk : SPAM

8. Beats handily : WHOMPS

14. Raymond Burr's TV sleuth : IRONSIDE

16. Speed up : HASTEN

19. Plenty of poetry? : ENOW. "Enough". Who was the poet who wrote the following?
"A book of verses, underneath the bough,
A jug of wine, a loaf of bread - and thou
Beside me singing in the wilderness -
Ah, wilderness were paradise enow!"

20. Facility : EASE

21. Seattle's ___ Field : SAFECO. Home of the Mariners.

24. Not likely to bite : TAME

25. Mischievous moppet : IMP

31. Expensive : DEAR

32. City east of Wichita : IOLA. Map, for those not from the Wichita area. Zoom out 6x to see Wichita in the far left edge.

39. Nasty : MEAN

40. Bit of carpenter's gun ammo : NAIL

47. Massage facility : SPA. Our favorite crossword sound: "Aaaaaaahhhhh"

48. Some necklines : VEES. Like this.

49. It's often closed for the night : EYELID. Fun clue!

52. Safecracker : YEGG. Learned from x-words.

53. Vocal range : ALTO

61. 1887 La Scala debut : OTELLO. I love opera, and Placido Domingo did Otello so well! 1:10

62. Feminist poet Rich : ADRIENNE. I remember her for declining the National Medal of Arts award in protest of Newt Gingrich's proposal to end funding for the National Endowment of the Arts (more so than for her poetry!)

63. Novelist Waugh : EVELYN. Seems like a lot of names in this puzz, no? Either you know them...or you don't!

64. "Check this out!" : PSST

65. 33-Across brand : SOS. Do you mind when an non-theme answer refers to a theme answer?

Down:

1. Diaper bag supply : WIPES

2. Bowl game venue : ARENA

3. Escaped punishment : GOT OFF

4. Old geopolitical abbr. : SSR. Soviet Socialist Republic.

5. JPEG file, usually : PIC

6. Hue and cry : ADO

7. Confronted : MET

8. Guessing game question : WHO AM I ? Or, a song from Les Mis...2:52

9. Grimm brother : HANSEL. Wilhelm wouldn't fit, and Jacob didn't work with the perps. So it had to be Hansel, brother of Gretel.

10. Prefix meaning "bone" : OSTE

11. L.A. bus-and-rail org. : MTA. Metropolitan Tranist Authority. Also a famous subway in Boston.

12. Canada's smallest prov. : PEI. Prince Edward Island. Map. Between the Gaspé peninsula and Nova Scotia.

13. NBC weekend revue : SNL. Saturday Night Live.

15. Later : NEWER. As in, a "later" model car.

18. They may be black or green : TEAS

22. Give up : CEDE

23. Answer to "How do you Yanks spell 'travelling'?" : ONE "L" (Vs. the British "travelling"??)

24. Seats of power : THRONES

25. Device with earbuds : iPOD

26. Wire measures : MILS

27. Princess provoker : PEA. Not Grimm, but a Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale!

29. Cry from a crow's nest : CAW. Loved this clue/answer - great misdirection!

30. Sportage supplier : KIA. Automaker.

33. Leak slowly : SEEP

34. "Look what I did!" : TA-DA!

35. It needs to be addressed: Abbr. : ENV.elope

36. Heart-healthy grain : OAT. Eat your Cheerios!

37. Layers of nits : LICE. HaHa, lice lay eggs which are called "nits" (...and they should be picked!!)

38. Quarterback's call : PLAY

39. Old Miss : MRS. LOL!! DH went to Ole Miss, so this was a real misdirection for me.

42. Either "Bye Bye Love" singer : EVERLY (Brothers). Song. 1:51

43. Troop group : LEGION

44. 1970s Chevy subcompact : VEGA

45. "The Family Circus" cartoonist : KEANE.

46. Actress Barkin et al. : ELLENS

50. "___ use!" : IT'S NO

51. Teaspoons, perhaps : DOSES

52. Make oneself heard : YELL

54. Curly tormenter : MOE. Curly, Moe and Larry - The Three Stooges.

55. Suzuki offering, briefly : ATV. All Terrain Vehicle.

56. Kickoff helper : TEE. Football tee. When Lucy is not available...

57. Runner's circuit : LAP

58. Sentence fragments?: Abbr. : WDS. Words.

59. Form letters? : IRS. Internal Revenue Service. Form 1040.

60. Bearded ___: small bird : TIT. Awwww, what a DF way to end this post!
Take your pick of the following two links. But you are ONLY allowed to click on ONE link. (No cheating!!): #1 or # 2

Answer grid.

See you next week!

Hugs,
Marti

Thursday, June 21, 2012 Jack McInturff

Theme: "The play's the thing". Not to catch the conscience of the king this time, but to have fun with words that can follow "play". As in:

17A. *Personal history : BACKGROUND. Playback and playground.

24A. *Russia's is the largest in the world : LAND AREA. Playland and play area. Two similar meanings there. I'm not sure if "play land" is referring to a specific theme park (Like Rye Playland in NY), or just a generic "play land", like at McDonald's or something...

37A. *Only women understand one : GIRL THING. Play girl and play thing. Also two similar meanings??

53A. *Many a dorm resident : ROOMMATE. Play room and play mate.

61A. Exciting inning ender, and an apt description of the answers to the starred clues: DOUBLE PLAY. Each word, or in the case of 17- and 53-Across, each part of the word, can follow the word "play". Whew! I was really worried that this was taking me into the alien world of baseball for a minute!

Marti here, to play around with the other entries.

Across:

1. Statistician's fodder : DATA

5. Broke out of a slump? : SAT UP. Fun clue.

10. Soft drink seed : KOLA

14. Verve : ELAN

15. "___ porridge hot..." : PEASE. Recipe, if anyone has a mind to...

16. Asian sashes : OBIS

19. "Raiders of the Lost Ark" threats : ASPS. "I hate snakes!" 0:15

20. Queen in Showtime's "The Tudors" : BOLEYN. I just finished reading "The Other Boleyn Girl", so this was a gimme.

21. Many a surfer : AOLER.

23. Talk show complement : PANEL

27. Québec sidekick : AMI. French for "friend". "Amie" would be "girlfriend".

28. Team-building sessions : TRYOUTS. Another fun and misleading clue.

31. Mover, but hopefully not a shaker : VAN. Especially if you are moving your crystal and china!

32. South American rodent : PACA. Remember him?

34. Small salamander : NEWT. And him?

35. They have their own page : OP-EDS. "Opposite the editorial (page)(s)"

40. Out in the open : OVERT. Not to be confused with covert ops (eds?)

43. Serengeti predator : LION. I ain't lion - it's true!

44. Takes in slowly : SIPS. As a fine cognac. Tinbeni, do you sip at sunset?

48. ___-les-Bains: French commune : AIX. Geography lesson of the day. Between Geneva, Switzerland and Grenoble.

49. Caviar variety : SHAD ROE. Not as fine as sturgeon caviar.

52. Came upon : MET. Phew, dodged another baseball answer!

55. Nasal walls : SEPTA. Not to deviate from my task, but one would be a septum...

57. Water buy : LITER

58. First known European to reach New Zealand : TASMAN. I did not know this bit of trivia! I guess he was quite a devil.

60. Jacket-and-tie affair : GALA. Like a 1-down?

65. Bit of progress : STEP

66. "Aunt ___ Cope Book" : ERMA'S. Erma Bombeck, the perennial crossword comic.

67. Domesticate : TAME

68. Sol lead-in : AERO. Can you say "aerosol"?

69. Printer's proof : REPRO. duction.

70. River of Flanders : YSER. Ok, geography lesson # 2.

Down:

1. A ball may be thrown for one : DEB. (And a baseball clue averted!)

2. Tuskegee's locale : ALABAMA. Geography # 3.

3. Mount Greylock's range : TACONIC. Geography # 4. I always think of it as being in the Berkshires. Beautiful hiking trails. We used to ski out there sometimes - natural terrain, great for cross-country.

4. Low joint : ANKLE. In the neighborhood of low digits...

5. Agile : SPRY

6. Many millennia : AEON

7. Ancient cross shape : TAU. Here is a window from the convent at San Anton, Spain with Tau crosses.

8. Where many subs are served?: Abbr. : USN. United States Navy. Well, I guess they might have a lot of submarine sandwiches for lunch in the mess, but I don't think the sailors would find the nuclear kind very appetizing.

9. Intellectual showoff : PEDANT. Please don't think I am being a pedant, when I go off on a tangent explaining an answer!

10. Leaf-eating critter : KOALA. Awwwww...

11. Watch : OBSERVE

12. Compensate for a hearing loss, in a way : LIP-READ

13. Biblical mammal : ASS

18. Dinero : GELT. Yesterday we had "jack" as a synonym for money. Is "gelt" more familiar?

22. Has way too much, for short : ODS ON

23. Drivel : PAP. From German "pappe", meaning "cardboard". A nursery word that was used for bread soaked in water, having little nourishing value.

24. Good time for clamming : LOW TIDE

25. Name on the cover : AUTHOR

26. Solution: Abbr. : ANS. Like this one!

29. Furlough, to a GI : R 'N' R. "Rest and Recreation". I know some marines who called it "I & I" (Intoxication and intercourse).

30. Scold : YELL AT. Don't yell at me! I was only joking!

33. Growing field: Abbr. : AGR.iculture.

36. Some film ratings : PGS. "Parental Guidance"(s)

38. "I'm home!" relative : IT'S ME.

39. Goddess who rescued Odysseus : INO. I know! She gave Odysseus a veil and told him how to return to Ithaca.

40. Backwash creator : OAR. Our simple sculler's need is getting trickier as the week progresses...

41. Break, as laws : VIOLATE. Who, me??

42. Wayne Gretzky, notably : EX-OILER. Ex-Met, Ex-Pat, Ex-Cub, Ex-Lax...

45. Graceful antelopes : IMPALAS

46. Honey or sugar : PET NAME. Aw, shucks, sweetie!

47. MTA stop : STA.tion on the Metropolitan Transit Authority. Might as well link it! 2:25

50. More demanding : HARDER. This is getting harder and harder...

51. Being, to Cato : ESSE. Latin "to be" (or not to be?)

54. Highest pt. in the Philippines : MT APO. Geography lesson # (what, are we up to five already??)

56. Like some promises : EMPTY

58. Slope conveyance : T-BAR. Finally! One that I could fill in without hesitation!

59. In addition : ALSO

60. Fed. purchasing group : GSA. General Services Administration.

62. Refinery input : ORE

63. One who wears a mask every fourth game : UMP. Uh-oh, a baseball clue and answer that I couldn't dodge! So a quick search tells me that there are usually four umpires in baseball: One at home plate, and one at first, second and third bases. They switch positions at each game. Only the umpire at home plate requires a mask, because he is directly in the path of the pitcher. Hence, the reason one wears a mask every fourth game. TA-DA!!

64. "___ out!": 63-Down cry : YER. Yes indeed, I am outta here!

Answer grid.

Hugs,
Marti

Wednesday, May 23, 2012 Jack McInturff

Theme: "Where pride goeth." The first word of each theme answer can precede the word "FALL" to yield a good, in-the-language phrase.

17A. *It's lower during dry seasons : WATER TABLE. This is the level below which the ground is completely saturated. Of course, in dry weather it will be lower, and you'll have to dig a deeper well. WATER FALL: the world's highest is Venezuela's Angel Falls, AKA "Kerepakupai Vená."

23A. *Index that measures skin sensation : WIND CHILL FACTOR. Not sure what I was expecting, but it sure wasn't this. Very apt description, though. It's a measure of how cold windy air feels on the skin, as compared to a colder temperature in still air. WINDFALL: an unexpected, unearned, or surprising gain or advantage. This expression dates back to the bad old days when all land was owned by the nobility (a title category granted with no sense of irony) and the picking of fruit or felling of trees was forbidden. But anything blown down by the wind was fair game.

36A. *Road trip respite : PIT STOP. From the world of racing, where pit stops are for refueling and tire changes done in less than a minute, to the vernacular. When traveling the LW and I strategize according to the distance between highway plazas: 36 miles - I think we're OK; 62 miles - nope, we're stopping here. PIT FALL: a trap placed or dug into the ground that captures whatever wanders into it. In the vernacular, any hidden hazard.

38A. *Winter storm respite for some : SNOW DAY. School is closed on account of snowy weather. When a SNOW DAY is expected, some of the grandchildren have a ritual of placing white crayons on the window sills and wearing their pajamas backwards. It doesn't always work. SNOW FALL: just exactly what you think it is.

47A. *Knocked loopy : DOWN FOR THE COUNT. Not like this. Totally without hope, like a boxer knocked down for the referee's count of 10. DOWNFALL: A sudden loss of wealth, status, or reputation from a previously exalted position.

And the unifier; 58. Lag, and a hint to what the starts of the answers to starred clues have in common : FALL BEHIND. The expression should be self explanatory. And, literally, the word FALL can go behind the first word each of five(!) theme answers - two of them grid spanning. Good, solid tight theme. Pretty impressive - no?

Hi gang, JazzBumpa here. Let's see if we can get through this thematically rich puzzle without FALLING BEHIND.

Across:

1. First country you'd come to if you sail west from Mumbai : OMAN. Oh, man, I did not know that.

5. Soft wood : BALSA. Remember model airplanes?

10. Out of sight, perhaps : AFAR. Especially for the nearsighted.

14. Sex researcher Shere : HITE. She wrote many books, including The Hite Reports on male and female sexuality, and books of advice for women about good and bad guys.

15. Online commerce : E-TAIL. Everything on line is E-whatever. Word play on retail.

16. CBer's handle : NAME. 10-4 good buddy.

19. Minor quarrel : TIFF. I had SPAT at first.

20. Cockney abode : 'OME. An 'ouse isn't necessarily one.

21. Part of many a plot : ACRE. My plot is smaller than that.

22. Fallen orbiter : MIR. This low orbit space station was assembled in orbit by the Soviet union starting in 1986. It was used for experiments in biology, physics, astronomy and meteorology until its DOWNFALL on March 21, 2001.

29. Pseudonym preceder : AKA. Also Known As.

30. Lewd look : LEER. This is a sidelong glance with lewd, sly, and/or malicious intent. OGLE is more of an open stare.

31. Old MGM rival : RKO. Radio-Keith-Orpheum (not Olberman) Pictures, one of the big five from Hollywood's golden age. Performers in their films included Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, and Katherine Hepburn. RKO produced Citizen Kane and the original King Kong. "It was beauty killed the beast."

32. Support staff? : CANE. Clever clue. My M-i-L is a citizen who needs a CANE.

34. Burn slightly : SEAR.

35. A boater may rest on them : OARS. At the end of the race, a hearty boater may rest on his laurels.

40. Barbados, e.g. : ISLE. A sovereign island country in the Lesser Antilles, of about 166 square miles. Traditionally, the local economy was based on the citizen's cultivation of sugar CANE. In the last few decades it has diversified into manufacturing and tourism.

41. Carry : TOTE. Here, a verb. Can also mean a bag in which to TOTE things. But, see 53A.

43. Roger of "Cheers" : REES. This Welsh actor. Can't say I remember him.

44. Earth-friendly prefix : ECO. What would an earth-hostile prefix be?

45. Yours, to Yves : A TOI. Bah - French!

46. Collected dust : SAT. Idle. Nice visual. Well, maybe not nice, but apt.

53. Add (up) : TOT. I was ready to call foul here, since this word really should be spelt the same as 41A. But, the online dictionary recognizes this spelling, so I'll have to (grudgingly) let it go.

54. Greenish blue : TEAL. I assume this is the eponym.

55. What a winner may have to break : TIE. The only possibility of bringing baseball into this puzzle. C.C. mentioned former Tiger Brandon Inge yesterday. Here is a TIE breaking grand slam home run with his new team. Brandon had 16 RBI's in a week, and is now sidelined with a groin injury.

56. Get hot : BOIL. Literally or figuratively.

61. BMW rival : AUDI. A couple of German cars getting hot in competition.

62. Feudal lord, or his subject : LIEGE. Strangely, the word is derived, via Old French, from the Middle High German ledic, meaning free, empty, or vacant. Go figure.

63. Treated, as a sprain : ICED. To keep the swelling down.

64. Bark site : TREE. On the outside.

65. Latin bears : URSAE. Some are big and some are little.

66. Like child's play : EASY. Do you think this puzzle is child's play?

Down:

1. "Yikes!" : OH WOW! Gee whillikers! Expressions of surprise, amazement or dismay.

2. "__ Vice" : MIAMI. Another TV show I never watched.

3. When many start fifth grade : AT TEN. Sure enough, Nate will be TEN in August, and starts the 5th grade in September.

4. Society page word : NEE. From the French, I believe. It refers to a married woman's maiden name, frex: Catelyn Stark, NEE Tully.

5. "You __!": "Yep!" : BETCHA! Yer durn tootin' I won't get political.

6. Pong producer : ATARI. The height of video gaming technology, back in the day.

7. Two-time Grammy winner Patti : LABELLE. One of Patricia Louise Holte-Edwards' Grammys was for Burnin', these twenty years gone. Great pipes.

8. RSVP part : S'IL. This is where French children place their crayons blanc, in hope for a jour de neige. No, wait, RSVP is short for répond s'il vous plaît, i.e. "respond, if you please." S'IL means "if." It does not please me.

9. Draft pick : ALE. Now this is more like it. Misdirection, playing on NFL draft day, but an experienced pub crawler will not be fooled.

10. Prank : ANTIC. Obsolete pranks from days of yore are antique ANTICS.

11. Movement to promote equitable commerce : FAIR TRADE. Good luck with that.

12. Bowling equipment mfr. : AMF American Machine and Foundary, founded in 1900. Does anyone have more 300 games than Boomer?

13. Court arbiter : REF. Basketball or tennis.

18. Dishonest scheme : RACKET. Not a loud noise, nor a tennis implement.

22. Mess up : MAR. Josh Hamilton's Harrison's bloop single with one out in the ninth messed up Justin Verlander's bid for a third no-hitter on Friday. I don't think he was very happy.

24. Saint-Saëns' "__ Macabre" : DANSE. Based on a poem by Henri Cazalis about an old - yep, you guessed it - French superstition that the Grim Reaper calls the dead forth from their graves at midnight on Halloween, and they must dance for his diabolical violin playing until dawn.

25. Car dealer's offer : LEASE. Mine is up in nine months. Maybe next time I'll buy.

26. Plant with fronds : FERN.

27. Gumbo pods : OKRAS.

28. Optimistic : ROSY. My ROSY outlook for the Tiger's prospects this year is slowly turning into ashes.

32. Kid in Westerns : CISCO. A TV show that I did watch.

33. When many dig clams : AT LOW TIDE. It's certainly more convenient then.

34. Animal trail : SPOOR. Any sign or trace that can be followed: prints, odor, droppings, bread crumbs, etc.

35. Be a debtor of : OWE TO. Straightforward.

36. Mottled : PIED. Like a piper or windhover, maybe.

37. "Beetle Bailey" dog : OTTO. Arf!

39. Ancient consultant : ORACLE. One who was divinely inspired to give good advice or predictions.

42. Dots : TITTLES. The dots over lower case letter i and j, and used as diacritical marks in other languages (frex: Hägar) are tittles. The things you learn . . . (<=== these are not TITTLES.)

45. Back, at sea : AFT. Go to the back of the boat, s'il vous plaît,.

46. Naval builder : SEABEE. No mere acronym, this is the proper name for a member of the Navy Construction Battalion, derived from the initials.

48. "Honestly" : NO LIE. Words that often precede or follow a LIE.

49. Hägar's comics wife : HELGA. Lovely lady.

50. Erie Canal city : UTICA. In New York.

51. Dressed to the __ : NINES. Being rather informal, I generally only dress to the sevens.

52. Brother of Jack and Bobby : TEDDY. Kennedys

56. Night flier : BAT. Or a member of the Louisville AAA baseball team. I've seen them play the Mud Hens.

57. Sharer's word : OUR. Yours and mine.

58. Winter woe : FLU. Influenza, AKA the miseries.

59. Get out in the open : AIR. A nudist camp is a place where men and women go to AIR their differences.

60. Make haste : HIE. In order to not FALL BEHIND. A crossword stalwart.

Answer grid.

Well, despite my grousing, I liked this puzzle a lot, had fun blogging it, and got to work in more baseball that I first thought, and even a little music. (BTW, Nate's team won 8-6 last night.) Hope you like it, too.

Cheers!
JzB

Wednesday, April 11 2012, Jack McInturff

theme: death and TAXES - TAXES is spelled out by the starting letters of all the theme answers.

benjamin franklin: "in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes." very timely. hopefully most of us are done with this annual nightma-- ... er, chore, for another year.

18A. Porterhouse relatives : T-BONE STEAKS. ribeye for me, please.

24A. Hannibal Smith underling : A-TEAM MEMBER. george peppard portrayed this character in the tv series.

36A. Any of five Wolverine films : X-MEN MOVIE. based on marvel comic's fictional character. had to look it up, i've never seen any of them.

54A. Some online shoppers : E-BAY BIDDERS. anyone here not an e-bayer?

59A. Pot holder, perhaps : S-SHAPED HOOK. like this.

32A. Org. concerned with the word spelled by the starts of 18-, 24-, 36-, 54- and 59-Across : IRS. internal revenue service.

melissa here. since april 15th falls on a sunday this year, we have some extra time to file. if you haven't filed yet, you really shouldn't be here. go do your taxes. we'll wait.

Across:

1. Great, in slang : BAD. she's built, she's stacked.

4. Take as one's own : ADOPT

9. Scenic view : VISTA

14. Fifth in NYC, e.g. : AVE. major thoroughfare in midtown manhattan, "most expensive street in the world."

15. Indian prince : RAJAH

16. Indian, e.g. : OCEAN. world's third largest ocean.

17. [Quoted verbatim] : SIC. notation that indicates words are transcribed exactly as spelled from the original source, complete with any mistakes.

20. Trading center : MART

22. Without __: pro bono : A FEE. "professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment or at a reduced fee as a public service." then there's these pro bonos.

23. Chop : HEW. to cut, as with an axe.

28. Dined : ATE. a belated easter funny ...

29. Polish place : TOENAIL

30. MetLife, for one : INSURER

33. Muslim leader : IMAM

35. Popular dolls : KENS. how you doin'?

40. Jeer : GIBE

43. Geraint's lady : ENID. here is the wikipedia page.

44. Cookbook abbr. : TSP. teaspoon.

47. Elite athlete : ALL-STAR

51. Urban skyline standout : EDIFICE. a building of imposing appearance or size.

53. Actress Peeples : NIA

56. Receive : GET

57. Talker on a perch : MYNA. talking myna bird.

58. Aid companion : ABET

64. Reason for gaping : AWE

65. Immunity agent : T-CELL. lymphocytes.

66. Porter's "__ the Top" : YOU'RE. cole porter tune from the 1934 musical 'anything goes.'

67. Dastard : CUR. new to me, but both are synonyms for coward.

68. Halos : AURAE

69. Board game with an exclamation point in its name : SORRY! and 55d. Internet giant with an exclamation point in its name : YAHOO!

70. Mil. spud duties : KP'S. kitchen patrols.

down:

1. Long-grained Asian rice : BASMATI

2. One skilled in plane talk : AVIATOR

3. Fiats : DECREES

4. Legal hangings? : ART. haha.

6. Pancho's peeper : OJO. spanish for eye.

7. Jet age 2011-'12 TV drama : PAN AM. abc series.

8. Hoover led it for 37 yrs. : THE FBI

9. Political pollsters' targets : VOTERS

10. Winter glaze : ICE

11. Mollusk named for its pair of long earlike appendages : SEA HARE. pretty.

12. Rest : TAKE TEN. also, paul desmond's sequel to his monster hit 'take five,' that he wrote for the dave brubeck quartet.

13. Responds : ANSWERS

19. Espied : SEEN

21. Catch some rays : TAN. soon!

25. Injure severely : MAIM. ow.

26. Marceau, notably : MIME. marcel marceau.

27. Verve : ELAN

31. Don Ho's instrument : UKE. ukulele.

34. Sra.'s French counterpart : MME. madam.

36. Crosses (out) : X'ES

37. A student's GPA blemish : ONE B. alright.

38. Caesar's "I saw" : VIDI. latin.

39. "__ it my way" : I DID. frank sinatra's signature song.

40. Kind of rap : GANGSTA. from wikipedia: "a subgenre of hip hop music that evolved from hardcore hip hop and purports to reflect urban crime and the violent lifestyles of inner-city youths."

41. Former Romanian president : ILIESCU. President of Romania from 1990 until 1996, and from 2000 until 2004. a bit obscure.

42. Utter nonsense : BLATHER

44. Secure behind one's head, as long hair : TIE BACK

45. Make a mess of : SCREW UP

46. Really bugs : PESTERS

48. Synagogue : TEMPLE

49. "Rock-__ Baby" : A-BYE

50. Actor Quaid and pitcher Johnson : RANDYS

52. Pharm. watchdog : FDA. food and drug administration. also known as the f-duh.

60. According to : A LA. or, 'in the manner of.'

61. "__ Song": #1 country hit for Taylor Swift : OUR

62. Hockey great : ORR. bobby.

63. Opener on a ring : KEY

Answer grid.

melissa

Friday, April 6, 2012, Jack McInturff

THEME: LET us give thanks. Each of the theme answers is a two word, in the language phrase with LET appended to the second word, and clued in a wonderful wacky way. This is our 4th puzzle this year from Jack. When I last blogged his work in January, I reminded you all that he started constructing when he was 73. A very compact, concise puzzle, with humor and misdirection. Let us see the latest from our octogenarian.

17A. PricewaterhouseCoopers, e.g.? : BUSINESS TRIPLET. I wonder if these three companies which are now one ever ride the ACELA when the go out to visit their clients?

25A. Original Roanoke settlement? : VIRGINIA HAMLET. This one was hard and without the theme I would never have tried this answer, I was trying to fit in BIG LICK VIRGINIA and it would not. Do you all prepare a Ham for Easter; I will be making brisket and potato pancakes along with other goodies for tonight's first SEDER.

41A. Actress failing to live up to expectations? : FALLING STARLET. Do you recall this SONG? (2:30). A Mel Torme contemporary, Perry ended up living in Jupiter, Florida where he and Burt Reynolds became good friends.

54A. Bit of style in one's blood? : FASHION PLATELET. My favorite one, as I love good serologic humor, especially knowing platelets do not carry DNA and probably don't even match their socks.

Across:

1. TWA rival : PAN AM. I have had this fill twice in the last month, link your own Christina Ricci pic.

6. Med. care providers : HMOS. Health Maintenance Organization here we go again...

10. Frequent ESPN subject : NCAA. National Collegiate Athletic Association.

14. Amtrak express : ACELA. A high speed train in the Northeast; how many of our group have ridden this rail?

15. Four-star : A-ONE. More than just a steak sauce.

16. Bee, for one : AUNT. This LADY from the Andy Griffith Show.Bet you thought it was BEA.

20. Fitting : APT. How apt the next clue is a shout out to my beer making boys.

21. Hops heater : OAST. I think this is where Horace Greeley told Adolph Coors to go.

22. Tweaks, say : ADAPTS. When did tweaking become a good thing?

23. Aqua Velva alternative : AFTA. Or you could have gotten a SLAP in the face.

24. German GM subsidiary : OPEL.

31. Football Hall of Fame locale : CANTON. Canton, Ohio was selected as the location for the Hall of Fame for 3 reasons: First, the NFL was founded in Canton in 1920 (at that time it was known as the American Professional Football Association); second, the now-defunct Canton Bulldogs were a successful NFL team based in Canton during the first few years of the league; and finally, the community of Canton successfully lobbied the NFL to have the Hall built in their city. Per wiki.

32. Title acquired at church, perhaps : MRS. Not Rev. or Fra.

33. Losing line : OXO. In Tic Tac Toe ano win situation; in a letter, not so bad.

34. Reacted to a dealer's request : ANTED. Ante with the "E" pronounced sure looks like it would bug some.

35. Used to be : WAS. Or What Annette Said.

36. "It Wasn't All Velvet" autobiographer : TORME. I do get Mel pretty often, enjoyed him on NIGHT COURT, (2:55) fog and all. I promise I did not...

38. Caustic stuff : LYE.

39. Goal : AIM. I aim to please, but we have slowed. Please relax.

40. Blew up : SAW RED. In French it is VOIR ROUGE.

45. Gives support to : AIDS.

46. Toon wisecracker : BUGS. What is up, Doc?



47. __ center : CRISIS. It is also C.C. like the Corner, hmmm.

50. Get useful material from : MINE. No, you can't have it is mine!

51. Lyric poem : ODE. A true crossword staple. and the beginning of an "O" fest; 57a. Venetian arch shape : OGEE. The design was taken from the Arab world; and 58A. City SSW of Moscow : OREL. Never heard of this city, but it was a pleasant change from the baseball clue: Hershiser.

59. Toss out : EVICT. One of the hard parts about doing foreclosures.

60. Goes after : SUES. Damn lawyers!

61. Unlikely track winners : NAGS. This term for a old beat up horse goes back to the 1500's, but no one knows why.

62. Hamburger helper's reward? : DANKE. Wonderful clue with alliteration, misdirection and humor.

Now time for.

Down:

1. Out-of-favor sunscreen ingredient : PABA. PARA-AMINOBENZOIC ACID is also taken internally as a cure for many ailments though its safety and efficacy is questioned inside or out.

2. Lingerie size : A-CUP. Well it is a common size, how about KEIRA.

3. Robin's digs : NEST. Not Hood, red breast. Or maybe Colorado for or flying nurse. Hey fishy.

4. Ring icon : ALI. Did I tell the story of where he almost killed me with his Rolls at LAX?

5. Graham, for one : MAN OF G-D. BILLY Not to be confused with BILLY.

6. __ II: 1961-'99 Moroccan king : HASSAN. Affectionately know as a "RUTHLESS DESPOT."

7. Almost all : MOST. Wow, almost in the clue?

8. Mich. neighbor : ONTario.

9. Celestial creatures : SERAPHS. The real plural is seraphim. Tradition places seraphs in the fifth rank of ten in the Jewish angelic hierarchy and the highest rank in the Christian angelic hierarchy, though these winged creatures look more like demons to me.

10. Incendiary gel : NAPALM. A bad memory along with agent orange.

11. "I Spy" co-star : CULP. Starred with Bill Cosby which he talks about in this INTERVIEW.

12. "Joy is __ of love by which you can catch souls": Mother Teresa : A NET. A semi shout out to my fellow south Floridian from the saint with whom I share a birthday.

13. Many "Suits" characters: Abbr. : ATTS. I have never ever seen this abbreviation for attorney anywhere but in CW.

18. Avoid restaurant crowds, perhaps : EAT IN. I like how this leads into and thereby adds to the misdirection of

19. It may be half-baked : IDEA.

23. Prado pictures : ARTE. Spanish museum, Spanish word for art.

24. Lock inserts : OARS. No not keys! This was the part of the puzzle I found tricky.

25. Sonya's uncle, in an 1899 Moscow premiere : VANYA. One of Anton Chekhov's plays.

26. Maker of some drivers : INTEL. The KING of the processing world.

27. Muslim leaders : IMAMS. Most similar to the role of the Rabbi.

28. "Casablanca" actor : LORRE. A wonderful STORY.

29. Strawberry, e.g. : EX-MET. But for drug woes, Darryl Strawberry might have been one of the all time greats in the game of baseball.

30. Pigeon tail? : TOED. Pigeontoed. Cute add on.

31. Range rover : CALF. Another misdirection with alliteration.

35. English court attire : WIGS. Still? Nice Cuppa? Steve?

36. Singled out : TARGETED.

37. Big-eyed birds : OWLS. Like Peter Lorre.

39. Words that replace details : AND SO ON. Had a hard time getting "soon" out of my head.

40. Place to relax : SAUNA. Well a hot time for all.

42. Coquette's asset : LASHES. Eyelashes for batting, not a whip for a dominatrix.

43. Rare clock number : IIII. Amazingly, I blogged the last PUZZLE which had this timeless concept, and Mel Torme was there too.

44. Govt. notes : T-BILLS. Notes and Bonds all have the same number of letters, be patient.

47. Fiscal execs : CFOS. They sometimes deal in 44D.

48. Milan meat sauce : RAGU. Back for another taste.

49. "So that's how it is" : I SEE. Well a little visual for me, as I usually do not..

50. Video CD file format : MPEG. Like JPEG for pictures.

51. Big name in chemicals : OLIN. They were Olin Mathieson Chemical Corporation when I was growing up.

52. House addition : DECK. great misdirection clecho with 53D. Room addition : ETTE. Roomette.

55. Gp. with many arms : NRA. Arms, as weapons, get it, get it?

56. "On the Waterfront" Oscar winner __ Marie Saint : EVA. This ACTRESS has been around for 8 decades, which is how old I feel after this work out.

Answer grid.

Enjoy any holiday you may have and hope to see you all next time.

Okay have a fun Friday it is Lemonade signing out.

Thursday, March 1, 2012 Jack McInturff

Theme: Ole !!  Five phrases beginning with words that could follow the word "bull":

17A. *Competitive business concern: MARKET SHARE. I would love to see a bull market once more...

22A. *Done with one's stint, maybe: HEADED FOR HOME. I am not bull-headed.  I'm just sure that I'm always right...

35A. *Arctic racer: DOG SLED. I think a bull dog makes an adorable pet!

38A. *Lewis Carrol, for one: PEN NAME. Uh-oh...I'm treading on unfamiliar territory when I talk about the baseball bull pen!

47A. *Make fit: WHIP INTO SHAPE. Modern "sport" bull-whip crackers claim that the original bull whips never touched the livestock.

And the unifier:

53A. Informal chat, and based on the starts of the starred answers, this puzzle's title: BULL SESSION

MartRx here, just shooting the bull on another Thursday puzzle. By the time you read this it will be the first of the month, so "rabbit, rabbit!!"

Across:

1. Huge: JUMBO. Gi-normous wouldn't fit.

6. Capital of India: RUPEE. New Dehli wouldn't fit...

11. Source of some Genesis attire?: FIG. "I don't give a fig, Adam!"

14. ___ flu: ASIAN. "Swine" fit, but it was wrong...(Are you starting to get the picture, of how this one started out for me???)

15. Aromatic compound: ESTER. Was Ester Williams aromatic? (Just kidding - I know it's "Esther". But, it's tough to make a joke about aromatic compounds...)

16. Wash. neighbor: ORE. Ore, a type of mineral.

19. Farm butter?: RAM. HaHa. Funny punny clue. A ram often is a "butt-er".

20. Big wheel's wheels: LIMO. Can you picture a CEO on one of these?

21. Crunchy candy components: NUTS. Sometimes you feel like a ...

(...sometimes you don't!)

28. Woody: SYLVAN

29. Fancy cases: ETUIS. Fancy crosswordese. In the plural, yet.

30. Circumnavigating, perhaps: ASEA

31. Deep chasm: ABYSS

32. Bit of horseplay: GAG

40. Whatever: ANY

41. Isolated: ALONE

43. Ken of "thirty something": OLIN. Third from the right.

44. Leonardo's love: AMORE. Da Vinci left his serving woman "a black cloak of good stuff, with a fur edge"... I don't think he loved her very much.

45. Notable 2007 communications release: iPHONE

50. Raised: BRED

51. Sigh of relief: ALAS

52. Striking scarf: BOA

60. Part of a yr.: QTR

61. Licorice-flavored seed: ANISE. You either love licorice, or you hate it. DH gags every time he smells it...

62. Horror film locale: ELM ST. Does anyone in this corner live on Elm St.?

63. Part of a match: SET. Not "tip"...tennis match.

64. Storage areas: HOLDS. On boats.

65. Emotional substance: DEPTH

Down:

1. Pickle: JAM

2. "Psych" airer: USA

3. Fallen orbiter: MIR. Russian space station which was de-orbited on March 23, 2001.

4. Layered Turkish pastries: BAKLAVAS. Nut and honey-soaked phyllo. Yumm!

5. Five Nations tribe: ONEIDA

6. Patch, as a lawn: RE-SOD

7. Show to a seat, slangily: USH. Ugh.

8. Class-conscious org.?: PTA. Parent Teacher Association.

9. Musket end: EER. "Musket-eer"

10. Poetic preposition: ERE. "I was young ere I became a musketeer..."

11. Discussion venue: FORUM.  They had lots of discussions at the Roman one.

12. Really mad: IRATE

13. Masterpieces: GEMS

18. "Untouchable" feds: T-MEN. I'm pretty sure this means "Treasury Men", but feel free to correct me!

21. Signs of resistance: NOs. Also, signs of the "Terrible Twos". Why is "no" the first word they always learn?

22. Chinese green tea: HYSON. Also known as "Lucky Dragon" tea.  It is made of tightly rolled young leaves that unfurl when brewed.

23. Ode's counterpart: ELEGY. Odes are written with enthusiasm and praise, while an elegy is written in a sad tone, mourning for the deceased.

24. Only mo. that can begin and end on the same day: FEB. Interesting clue. This year, February ended (yesterday) on a Wednesday, and began on a Wednesday - and it's possible only in a leap year!

25. Like universal blood donors: O TYPE.  I wanted "O Negs", as they are the only truly "universal" blood donors.

26. Bait-and-switch, e.g.: RUSE. I chuckled at this clue, as it brought back memories of my first puzzle, with the theme answer BAIT SWITCH ("Worm change?")

27. Word on a boondocks towel?: HIS'N.

28. Tony winner Thompson: SADA. She won it for her role in "Twigs", a play in four vignettes.

31. Decorate: ADORN

32. Double-time dance: GALOP. A forerunner of the polka.

33. Nitrogen compound: AMINE

34. Heredity unit: GENE

36. Dorm room accessory: LAMP. Bunk, desk, cell, 'frig, iPod...

37. Morlock prey: ELOI

39. "Piece of cake": NO HASSLE. I'm not sure why the clue is in quotes here. "No hassle" sounds like an adjective to me, not a declarative sentence...

42. Green table divider: NET. Ping pong table.

44. First or financial follower: AID

45. Barbados, e.g.: ISLE

46. Stopped gradually, with "out": PHASED. I wasn't stopped gradually by this answer (out).

47. Kept in touch: WROTE. ...or, texted.

48. Core: HEART.

49. Havens: OASES

50: Patio parties, briefly: BBQs. I thought we were approaching BBQ season, but today's snowstorm has put that idea on hold for a while...

53. Word of annoyance: BAH. Humbug!

54. Game with Reverse cards: UNO.

55. "Her name was Magill, and she called herself___": Beatles lyric: LIL...But everyone knew her as Nancy...

56. It's illegal to drop it: LSD

57. Sitter's handful: IMP

58. Dusseldorf direction: OST. "East", in English. But in Dusseldorf, they speak German.

59. High degree: NTH. Did you think "PhD"? It's always a toss-up, but the perps had already given me this one.

Answer grid.

Thanks for stopping by this bull moose party today!

Hugs,

Marti

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