Sunday December 15, 2013 Jeff Chen

Theme:  "And 100 More!" - C is added to each familiar phase. Love the title.

22A. Big tips on cruises? : LINER C-NOTES. Liner notes.

32A. Beginning piano student's first scale? : C MAJOR DISASTER. Major disaster.

49A. Shockproof battery? : PADDED C CELL. Padded cell.

63A. Channel for channel surfers? : SHORT ATTENTION C-SPAN. Short attention span.

79A. Food problem at the front? : C RATIONS OUT. Rations out.

93A. Tech news site's nefarious plan? : NOTHING BUT CNET. Nothing but net.

107A. Painfully out-of-tune note? : RAZOR C SHARP. Razor-sharp.

 

This would be very cool if there were no other C's other than those in the theme entries. But then the fill would not be sparkling.

Typical Jeff Chen grid. Fun theme/fill and super smooth. Spoiler alert: Jeff also has today's NY Times. A rare Sunday doubleheader.

I've been enjoying Jeff's notes on those NYT puzzles. He points out the strength and weakness in each grid and his comments are always observant & informative. Sometimes he's goofy.

Across:

       

1. Brief regrets, maybe : RSVPs

6. Agitated state : STEW

10. Order from on high : FIAT

14. DJIA stock : IBM. Their ThinkPad is owned by Lenovo, a Chinese company.

17. Nobelist Root : ELIHU

18. Source of heat : STOVE

19. It's for the dogs : ALPO. Indeed.

20. Campus center : QUAD

24. Chicken __ : KIEV. Boomer made more General Tso's Chicken last night. But he added in some cashew nuts, which are mostly used in Kung Pao Chicken.

25. Many a jazz combo : TRIO

26. Willing to listen : OPEN

27. Peace Nobelist Wiesel : ELIE

28. One good at stretching? : LIAR. Stretching the truth. Of course I was thinking of Ichiro.

29. Tubular carb source : PENNE

30. Green sage of films : YODA. Why is he green?

36. Stars and Stripes squad : TEAM USA

39. They're noted for their neutrality : SWISS

40. Civil offenses : TORTS

41. LAX listing : ARR (Arrival)

42. Sassy : PERT

44. Fútbol cheer : OLE

45. Panther's color? : PINK. Pink Panther.

46. Nigerian people : IBO. Learned from doing xwords.

52. Stumblebums : OAFS

53. Multiple millennia : AEON

54. Latin 101 verb : ESSE. In esse.

55. Code breakers' cries : AHAS

56. Sugar bowl fans : ANTS. Ha ha.

57. Capital of Belarus : MINSK

58. __ Aires : BUENOS

61. Twosome in the news, or the news itself : ITEM. Nice clue as well.

62. Appear eventually : TURN UP

67. Sitcom lover of Chachi : JOANIE. Was unaware of "Joanie Loves Chachi", a spinoff of "Happy Days".

68. Give up : CEDE

69. Start of a balcony delivery : O ROMEO

70. Queen __ lace : ANNE'S

71. Via, informally : THRU

72. Locking horns : AT IT

73. City on the Arno : PISA

77. Manufactured locks : WIGS. Another great clue. "Locks" always refer to "hair" in xwords.

78. Startled cries : EEKS

82. One of several H.S. subjects : SCI

83. Black Friday event : SALE

84. Owing : SHY

85. Rough patch? : ACNE. Oh I have a question: can you pluralize ACNE?

86. Slick, perhaps : WET

87. Hugo title word : NOTRE. "The Hunchback of Notre Dame".

89. Deliveries at Lincoln Center : ARIAS

91. "CHiPs" co-star : ESTRADA (Erik)

97. Sorority letters : PHIS

98. Nonspecific checkbox : OTHER

99. "Born Free" lioness : ELSA

100. Skye of film : IONE.  "Say Anything..." is pretty good.

102. Classic muscle cars : GTOS

105. URI's hoops conference : A TEN. Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10). I drew a blank.

106. "Sometimes you feel like __ …" : A NUT. Hence the 105A clue. Jeff does not want two consecutive "a..." style partial clues.

110. Hamburger man : HERR.  So people from Hamburg are called "Hamburger"?

111. Miller __ : LITE

112. John Paul's Supreme Court successor : ELENA

113. Out-and-out : UTTER

114. Playa del __: L.A. coastal region : REY

115. Pic to click : ICON

116. Binds : WEDS

117. Arnold's art : POESY. Which "Arnold" are we talking here?

 

Down:

1. HR dept. concern : RELO

2. Err : SLIP

3. Oenophile's vacation destinations : VINEYARDS

4. Promising whiz : PHENOM

5. California's Big __ : SUR

6. Vulcan in demeanor : STOIC. Spock.

7. Tribal emblems : TOTEMS

8. Holiday preceder : EVE

9. Director Craven : WES

10. Muslim ascetics : FAKIRS. Forgot. We had this before. 

11. Homer classic : ILIAD

12. Appetite stimulants : APERITIFS

13. "Mazel __!" : TOV

14. Measure of brightness : IQ TEST

15. Color in the original "Crayola 48" : BURNT SIENNA. And 64. Motto on an inspirational cat poster : HANG IN THERE. Jeff made great use of the long slots.

16. It was admitted as a free state as part of the Missouri Compromise : MAINE. Also a learning moment. I know nothing about Missouri Compromise.

18. NBC staple : SNL

21. Shaker, so to speak : DOER. Not your salt/pepper shaker. Tricky clue.

23. Quit : CEASED

28. Get shellacked, say : LOSE

29. Part of PRNDL : PARK

31. Pigeon : DUPE

33. Delinquents of a sort, briefly : AWOLS

34. Memorable climber : JILL. Jack and Jill.

35. George Foreman's five Georges : SONS. This would be very confusing to me.

36. Record, in a way : TAPE

37. Historical periods : ERAS

38. Things known to a select few : ARCANA

43. Knickknack : TCHOTCHKE. Yiddish, isn't it?

45. He played Arnold on "Happy Days" : PAT MORITA. More familiar with his role in "The Karate Kid".

47. Short deck hand? : BOSUN (Boatswain)

48. Doing mil. drudge work : ON KP

50. Fillets : DEBONES

51. Hunters' holidays : EASTERS. Egg hunters.

52. A smidgen : ONE IOTA

53. Preps for a snack, as corn : AIR-POPS

56. Long-distance letters : AT&T

57. Ponder : MUSE. Hi there Gary!

59. "Exodus" novelist : URIS

60. Hot time in Quebec : ETE

61. Like Beethoven's Sonata Op. 109 : IN E

62. Airer of vintage films : TCM

63. NBAer until 2008 : SONIC. Now the Thunder.

65. URL tag : EDU

66. Observe : NOTICE

67. Steel-toothed Bond villain : JAWS. In "The Spy Who Loved Me".

71. Like some anchors : TELEGENIC. Who's your favorite TV anchor?

72. Early Indo-European : ARYAN

74. Big 12 wrestling powerhouse : IOWA STATE

75. Went after : SUED

76. "__ boy!" : ATTA

78. Make : EARN

79. In : CHIC

80. Without a buyer lined up : ON SPEC

81. Belg. neighbor : NETH

83. The cooler : STIR

84. Span. miss : SRTA

88. Writer with an award named for him : O HENRY

89. "Pride and Prejudice" novelist : AUSTEN

90. Grabbed : SEIZED

92. "You betcha!" : RIGHTO

93. Father of Shem, Ham and Japheth : NOAH

94. Aquatic frolicker : OTTER

95. Belushi's "Animal House" role : BLUTO. Needed crossings.

96. Cel mates? : TOONS. Cute clue.

101. Org. that sticks to its guns : NRA

103. Metal refinery input : ORES

104. Nimble : SPRY

106. Frazier's Fight of the Century foe : ALI. Have you seen this clip from the Jack Parr show? Ali is a good rapper.

107. Clicker button : REW

108. Microbrew selection : ALE

109. Slangy "How's things?" : SUP

1) Our local Star Tribune has a nice article on Twin Cities crossword community. Click here. George Barany & Victor Barocas are featured. Nodding my head at George's comment: "It’s probably one of the lowest-paying jobs you could find on a hourly basis. It’s strictly a labor of love." Victor's puzzle is not for the LA Times, by the way, it's for the Chronicle of Higher Education.

2) For those Gmail users, if you don't want Google to group all your emails with the same subjection into one line in the inbox, please click on Settings, then under "Conversation View", click  "Conversation view off". I really dislike the one lump. So messy and hard to file.

C.C.

Wednesday, October 30th 2013 Jeff Chen

Theme: Unmasking an Icon! The theme entries gradually "unmask" the character named in the reveal.

16A. Home sound system : HI-FI STEREO. Increasingly being outmoded by Dolby 7.1 8-speaker surround sound. Two speakers? So last century!

23A. Memorable "Rocky" line : YO, ADRIAN! Not-quite believable punch-bag face and instant tear-jerking can be enjoyed here.

33A. Eloquent : SILVER-TONGUED. "Yo, Adrian!" to your dear spouse probably qualifies for silver-tongue status in some circles.

47A. Reason to pile onto the team bus : AWAY GAME. Another reason would be winning the away game by a street and having the home team fans chasing you.

and

55A. Hero whose catchphrase begins 16-, 23-, 33- and 47-Across : LONE RANGER. Has anyone seen the Disney flick?

"Somebody just told me what 'Kemosabe' really means - I suppose you think that's funny"

Bom Dia from Rio de Janeiro! Steve here sitting by Copacabana beach sipping on a Café-carioca. I was a little peeved that a last-minute work trip caused me to withdraw from the Crossword Tourney held in Santa Monica last Sunday, but there are worse places to be. I had a fit when I brought up the blog editor to start this write-up - it was in Portuguese. Google is watching me ...

I enjoyed Jeff's puzzle - I got a little stuck in the middle and worked my way down the right and along the bottom and ran into the reveal when I had "RANGER" complete. Hoo Ya! Back up to the theme clues and everything fell into place.

Let's see what else we can find to talk about:

Across:

1. Big name in big trucks : MACK

5. Gunk : GOOP.

9. TV's Dick Van __ : DYKE. Something of a gimme!

13. When doubled, a Northwest city : WALLA. Walla Walla, Washington, home of the Walla Walla Wolves. There, I think I -ore out my - key.

14. Give a makeover : REDO

15. Line holder : REEL

18. Texts: Abbr. : MSGS. Could this have been clued as "Txts" and avoided the "Abbr."?

19. Decline from disuse : ATROPHY. My United Airlines frequent flyer card does not suffer from this fate.

20. Some Beethoven works : TRIOS. I never thought of a trio being a work, rather that a work would be written for a trio. A symphony isn't called an orchestra! What say ye, JzB?

22. "Veni, vidi, vici" man : CAESAR. Then he went off to chop a lettuce, crush an anchovy, grate some Parmesan, crack an egg and fry some bread. Talented chap, old Julius. Food!

26. Little Leaguer, say : KID

27. Automated intro? : ROBO. This was great - I thought "what on earth is a Robo-Automated?" then the penny dropped that Jeff was looking for a generic intro for automated stuff.

29. __ del Fuego : TIERRA. I recently met someone from this remote spot. When she was growing up, her Mom used to tell her that the closest place to where they lived was the Moon. Cute!

30. Stay a step ahead of : ONE-UP

32. Many millennia : AEON

38. "__ baby!" : ATTA. Boy, Girl are alternatives.

39. Zapped : NUKED

40. Rapper who played Left Ear in "The Italian Job" : MOS DEF. Thank you crosses! Even if I hadn't left my wheelhouse at home (I travel light) it wouldn't have found this in it.

43. Software test version : BETA. To remove every single bug before it's released for real. Yah, right.

44. Agnus __ : DEI

49. Promoting : HYPING

51. Botanist's study : FLORA

52. Nostalgic souvenir : MEMENTO

53. River in a 1957 Best Picture title : KWAI. Cue the plucky devil-may-care whistling!

57. Work on, as a popsicle : LICK

58. Q.E.D. part : ERAT. Quod erat demonstrandum - that which we have shown. Nil illegitimi carborundum - don't let the ba**ards grind you down.

59. Levels : TIERS

60. Tiny arachnid : MITE. I think we've linked magnified pictures of these little darlings before. I will refrain, I don't want to spoil my breakfast.

61. "Gadzooks!" : YIPE! Someone said this to me in earnest last week and I almost lost it.

62. Puts the kibosh on : ENDS. Verb.

Down:       

1. Fruity cocktail : MAI TAI. Is it too early? I am almost on the beach. Tinbeni?

2. Butler in the Batcave : ALFRED. I had ALBERT first which slowed things up somewhat. Reason eventually prevailed.

3. Awards for ads : CLIOS

4. "How Life Imitates Chess" author Garry : KASPAROV. That's right, we see horses jumping over bishops and Queens moving rapidly in any direction every day.

5. Earl with a tea : GREY. Thank you for the recent "E for English A for American" advice from our erudite community.

6. Above, to Keats : O'ER and then

7. Start of some Keats titles : ODE TO. Take that, clue pairing!

8. Having little talent for : POOR AT

9. H.G. Wells' island physiologist : DR. MOREAU. The spelling took me a while. D-R-  umm

10. "Darn tootin'!" : YES SIREE! I want someone to say this to me too.

11. Small cask : KEG

12. Golf star Ernie : ELS. Ernie should be sent a lifetime achievement award by the crossword constructor community.

13. Off, in mobspeak : WHACK. Note the slang clue, slang answer.

17. Royal seat : THRONE

21. Exiled Amin : IDI

23. Google-owned video site : YOUTUBE. This blog would be a poorer place without it.

24. Yank since 2004 : A-ROD. How much longer will he be invited for preseason pinstripe fitting, C.C? Here, showing his sartorial elegance, is New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez. (thank you, spellcheck!) (From C.C.: A-Roid is still entitled to the Spring Training, no matter what the appeal result is, right, Husker Gary?)

"It's A-ROD, not A-ROID, capiche?"

25. Bert Bobbsey's sis : NAN. (Who she? Ed.) No idea.

28. Hot-sounding European capital : BERN. Capital of one of the 26 Swiss cantons.

31. Elbow : POKE. Verb.

33. Tuck away : STOW.

34. "I've got proof!" : IT'S A FACT! Can often be debunked with a quick Google search.

35. Elegantly feminine : LADY-LIKE

36. Infernal : NETHER. Completely new to me, and why I love doing crosswords. I thought it meant "behind" as in "nether regions". I will have a new respect for my infernal regions now.

37. Greeting from Down Under : G'DAY, MATE

38. Physicians' org. : AMA, that old stalwart, the American Medical Association.

41. Id controller : EGO. Sigmund Freud making simple things confusing.

42. Chris of "Tommy Boy" : FARLEY. I had FALLON first, never having seen this movie, but having FA---- to work with.

44. Dented : DINGED

45. Keys in : ENTERS. You leave your car in the parking lot and you come back to put your keys in a dented door. Shopping carts should be made of rubber.

46. Stravinsky and Sikorsky : IGORS. Here they are at the first public performance of "The Firebird Helicopter Suite" which they co-composed.

"Strav"

"Sik"

48. Native New Zealander : MAORI. And extremely frightening All-Black rugby player.

50. Enclose, as pigs : PEN IN. *Snort* when I was one letter short.

52. Parcel (out) : METE

53. Airline to Amsterdam : KLM. KLM is apparently short for "Royal Dutch Airlines" in some top-secret code.

54. Xbox 360 competitor : WII.

56. Quick snooze : NAP. I could use one of these myself - I'm timezone-challenged at the moment!

That's enough from me. Now it surely must be time for a caipirinha! Tenho que ir agora!

Steve

Tuesday, June 18, 2013 Jeff Chen

Theme: A Tribute Puzzle - A puzzle dedicated to Roger Ebert on his birthday.

17A. Longtime employer of 44-/49-Down : CHICAGO SUN-TIMES

29A. Award won by 44-/49-Down : PULITZER PRIZE

41A. Signature 44-/49-Down gesture represented by the clusters of black squares bordering this answer : TWO THUMBS UP

44-/49-Down. Late film critic born 6/18/42 : ROGER : EBERT

Argyle here. I missed the portrait until I started my write-up. Then it dawned on me; all those black squares, the unusual left-right mirror image. I didn't include 41-/45-Down as part of the theme, in part, because they didn't conform to normal crossword symmetry. I hope Jeff stops by with some insight into the construction of today's puzzle.

Across:

1. First network to show "The Wizard of Oz" : CBS-TV. (November 3, 1956)

6. Wee, like Abner : LI'L

9. Jeweler's fitting tool : SIZER. A fitting name.

14. "Easy __!": "Piece of cake!" : AS PIE. That's it! Pie with my coffee this morning.

15. Altar consent : "I DO"

16. Ridiculous : INANE

20. Sci-fi pilot Solo : HAN. (Star Wars)

21. Novelist Deighton : LEN. (crossword staple)

22. Geese formation : VEE

23. ASCAP rival : BMI. American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers and Broadcast Music, Inc., if your interested.

24. Ending for smack : EROO

26. Big name in skin care : NIVEA

28. Chow __: noodle dish : MEIN. Mmm, more food.

32. MPAA criteria, e.g. : STDs. Standards used by Motion Picture Association of America.

33. George Strait's "All My __ Live in Texas" : EX'S

34. Both Bushes, college-wise : ELIs. (Yale)

35. Sound of lament : [SOB]

37. __ alai : JAI

38. Like perennial rivals, constantly : AT IT

40. Hypotenuse, e.g. : SIDE. The square of the hypotenuse equals the sum of the squares of the other two sides - Pythagoras' theorem.

44. Cox's command : ROW. Short for coxswain, and, according to this LINK, they don't yell "Stroke" all the time.

46. Continue despite adversity : PERSIST

47. Lament : RUE

50. More than portly : OBESE

52. Hoosier St. : IND. (Indiana). Perhaps Gary can elaborate on why it's called the Hoosier state.

53. Dental care brand : ORAL B

55. Mother of the Titans : GAEA. Whoa, that's quite the story about her.

56. Half-mast fliers, at times : FLAGs. At sad times, in remembrance.

58. Berlin article : EINE

59. Ambulance team, briefly : EMTs. (Emergency Medical Technician)

60. Santa's helpers : ELVES

61. Ivan the Terrible, e.g. : TSAR

62. Hasty : RASH

63. Bruce better known as Batman : WAYNE. Shh! That's secret.

64. Bug-bugging compound : DEET

Down:

1. Treasure trove : CACHE

2. Equivalents of C's : B SHARPs

3. Daytona 500 mishap : SPINOUT

4. Muscle spasm : TIC

5. Wiener schnitzel meat : VEAL. Enough with the food.

6. Treat like a king : LIONIZE

7. They may be checked for R-rated movies : IDs

8. Blinds with angled slats : LOUVERS

9. imdb.com, e.g. : SITE. Places to be linked.

10. Pasta suffix : INI. (linguini, i.e.)

11. River along the Zambia-Zimbabwe border : ZAMBEZI. Victoria Falls.

12. Foes : ENEMIES

13. Piny ooze : RESIN

18. Mannerly fellow : GENT

19. Tide type : NEAP. Yeah, not the soap.

25. "A picture is worth ...," e.g. : OLD SAW. Origin: before 950(really old); Middle English; Old English sagu; cognate with German Sage, Old Norse saga saga; akin to say. So just an old saying, I guess.

27. Really irritate : VEX

28. Social sphere : MILIEU

30. Elemental variant : ISOTOPE

31. Entertains, as a tot at bedtime : READS TO

36. Mark from Dracula : BITE

37. Triangular sails : JIBS

39. Manila fight nickname : THRILLA. The Thrilla in Manila was the third and final boxing match between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier.

40. Tiny bit : SMIDGEN

41. "The movies won't be the same without 44-Down" and others : TWEETS and 45D. President who wrote the 41-Down quote : OBAMA

42. SEALs' gp. : U.S. NAVY

43. Eulogize : PRAISE

48. Radii-paralleling bones : ULNAE. Oh, didn't I mention yesterday there would be a quiz.

51. Beauty contest accessory : SASH

54. Collecting a pension: Abbr. : RET'D.

56. Handful : FEW

57. Opposite of NNW : SSE

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Here are a few more pictures from JD's trip. She also told me "I did learn that only the Highlanders wore kilts, like our tour guide - who was both Irish and Scottish- and the Lowlanders wear tartans, just the slacks made up of their family's plaid."

Those yellow fields are growing rapeseed which makes canola oil.

We took a ride in a jaunting car through a beautiful park after a boat ride in one of
the 3 lakes in Killarney.

View from the Edinburgh Castle.

One more picture of the handsome Truman who sometimes plays Scrabble on grandma's iPad. Click here, you'll see all how much Truman has grown.

Monday, May 6, 2013 Jeff Chen

Theme: Dress Right - The unifier emphatically explains that when preceding the end of the theme entries, why you'll be asked to leave a business.

20A. Blew a fortune : LOST ONE'S SHIRT

35A. Prim and proper sort : GOODY TWO-SHOES. Link to the origin of the expression.

52A. Protector of the president : SECRET SERVICE

65A. Emphatic refusal, and words that precede the ends of 20-, 35- and 52-Across in a restaurant warning : "NO! NO! NO!"

Argyle here. "No shirt, no shoes, no service" doesn't apply if you are doing the puzzle at home, so relax. A similar theme as Ice, Ice but the unifier is just one entry. It is part of the stacks of six-letter words in the corners. I wonder who is responsible for all the clechos. A nit-free Monday, I say. I hope you all had a safe Cinco de Mayo.

A note to all you bridge players at the bottom.

Across:

1. Soak up like a sponge : ABSORB

7. Iranian leader toppled in 1979 : SHAH

11. Chicago transit trains : ELs

14. "Hear hear!" : "SO TRUE!"

15. Roll down the runway : TAXI

16. Accessory with a muumuu : LEI

17. Kind of deli roll : KAISER. Kind of clecho. Thought to have been named to honor Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria.

18. Squadron, e.g. : UNIT

19. Bedevil : VEX

23. Twittering bird : WREN

25. Affectionate squeezes : HUGS

26. Bat mitzvah scroll : TORAH

27. Comedian's asset : WIT

28. Comedian's bit : GAG

29. "Consarn it!" : "OH, RATS!"

30. Emcee's opening : INTRO

32. User trying to get through a firewall : HACKER. Yesterday's theme.

39. Stretch (out), like a dog in the heat : SPRAWL. (glad that 'the' was there)

40. Burning crime : ARSON

42. Major blood lines : AORTAs

45. Letters on a tinkerer's kit : DIY. Do It Yourself.

47. Email attachment format : PDF. (Portable Document Format)

48. See-through : SHEER

49. Utopia : EDEN

51. Face-to-face exam : ORAL

55. Bi- minus one : UNI. (prefix)

56. Close margin at the track : NOSE

57. "__ Fideles": carol : ADESTE

60. Mohawk-sporting muscleman : MR. T

61. "The Wind in the Willows" hero : TOAD

62. "Hold your horses, will ya?" : "IN A SEC!"

63. Watch closely : EYE

64. "The __ the limit!" : SKY'S

Down:

1. Pose, as a question : ASK

2. Poser's neckwear : BOA

3. Heel type named for a dagger : STILETTO

4. Welles of "Citizen Kane" : ORSON

5. Is sorry about : RUES

6. "Big" 23-Down cannon : BERTHA. Now it's merely a golf club. 23D. Conflict that ended Nov. 11, 1918 : WW I

 

 

7. Hurt, like a barb : STUNG

8. Underwear brand : HANES

9. Revolving point : AXIS

10. Calls it a night : HITS THE HAY. If you're going to sleep in the hay, try to find some that has been put up loose. Much better than the baled stuff.

11. "Mistress of the Dark" film hostess : ELVIRA

12. Ogle : LEER AT. Great pairing.

13. Trivial Pursuit wedges, vis-à-vis the whole pie : SIXTHS. Game trivia.

21. Should, informally : OUGHTA

22. Lugosi's genre : HORROR. (Bela Lugosi)

24. Phone sound : RING

28. Christening VIPs : GODPARENTS

29. Gives a thumbs-up : OKS

31. Roll call listing : ROSTER

33. "How adorable!" : "AWW!"

34. More chilly : COLDER

36. Age abbr. : YR's

37. Barista's concoction : ESPRESSO

38. Jerk's concoction : SODA. I've heard the soda fountain is making a comeback.

41. Niners' org. : NFL

42. Presuppose : ASSUME

43. Storywriter known for irony : O'HENRY

44. Quote by rote : RECITE

46. To no avail : IN VAIN

49. Test answer in a blue book : ESSAY

50. Scouts do good ones : DEEDS

51. Watery expanse : OCEAN

53. Stole : TOOK

54. SSN, for example : ID NO. (identification number)

58. X on a sundial : TEN

59. "The Name of the Rose" author Umberto : ECO. Give me his last name and I can remember the first.

Argyle

Note from Jeff:

CROSSWORDS WITH A BRIDGE FLAVOR

Now bridge players who enjoy crosswords can combine their favorite pastimes! For this book, New York Times and Los Angeles Times crossword constructor Jeff Chen has designed 52 brand-new crosswords with bridge-themed clues and solutions, providing hours of challenge and fun. The puzzles in this book range from Easy (N.Y. Times Monday level) to Challenging (N.Y. Times Thursday level).

Amazon link

Thursday, April 4, 2013 Jeff Chen

Theme: "PLAY BALL!"

7 Down. Diamond deception found in this grid nine times: eight in square four-letter clusters, the ninth formed by the clusters' outline : HIDDEN BALL TRICK. A picture is worth a thousand words, so here's a couple examples of the play...done to the same player!

BA sits atop

LL  in each cluster, and I have highlighted them in fuchsia below. My grid did not have circles, did yours?  If you connect all of the clusters, they resemble a ball sitting in the grid. I'm not sure if it was intentional or not, but the diagonal blocks sort of resemble the stitching on the baseball, don't they?

Other gratuitous baseball references at 37-Down. Two-bagger: Abbr. : DBL. Double. and 40-Down. Giant slugger : OTT. Mel Ott, who played his entire career for the NY Giants, and now is retired to his home in crosswords.

Marti here, getting more baseball savvy with each puzzle I blog.

Across

1. Vicious with a bass : SID. Sid Vicious of the Sex Pistols.

4. "That's gotta hurt" : OUCH. (...said the bass.)

8. It's close to 90 : B PLUS. Fun clue!

13. XL piece: Abbr. : LGE. Xtra Large.

14. Visitor-friendly Indonesian island : BALI. Travel + Leisure voted it "Best Island" in 2010.

15. ___ Mama: rum drink : BAHAMA. An adult Icee!

16. Voided : ANNULLED.

18. Woolly beasts : LLAMAS.

19. Kelly who voiced Nala in "The Lion King" : MOIRA. And 35 Down. Prideful place? : LIONS DEN.

20. "Ooky" family name : ADDAMS. They're creepy and they're kooky, mysterious and spooky, they're all together ooky...

22. Financial degs. : MBAs. Master of Business Administration (s)

23. Prayer supports? : KNEES.

24. Its four-color logo no longer has overlapping letters : EBAY.

Before:                                                                        

                  After:

28. First name in jazz : ELLA.

29. Spotty coverage? : ACNE.

30. Canvasses : POLLS.

31. In medias ___ : RES. "In the middle of things." A device found in movies and literature where the story starts in the middle or even end of the action, and then goes back to fill in from the beginning using flashbacks.

32. Re-entry request : STUB.

33. Spot for many a curio : MANTEL.

34. Solo : GO IT ALONE.

36. Hold fast : ADHERE.

39. Twist in a gimlet : LIME.

43. Ebb : ABATE.

44. Latch (onto) : GLOM. Love that word!

45. Letter-shaped brace : L-BAR.

46. "___ vostra salute!": Italian toast : ALLA. "To your health!"

47. Cigna rival : AETNA. Insurance rivals.

48. Fashion monthly : ELLE.

49. Takes the spread, e.g. : WAGERS.

51. Ethiopia's Selassie : HAILE. His family traditionally traces its origins back to King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. Today, he is revered as the messiah by Rastafarians.

52. Winter melon : CASABA.

55. Items that can open doors : ID BADGES. Cute clue!

57. "___ never know what hit 'em!" : THEY'LL.

58. 1-Down unit : CELL. And 1-Down. Clink : SLAMMER.

59. That, in Tijuana : ESA.

60. Fresh : SASSY.

61. Boy Scout's handiwork : KNOT.

62. Additive sold at Autozone : STP. "Scientifically Treated Petroleum." The racer's edge.™

Down:

2. Not virtuous : IGNOBLE.

Far from the madding crowd's ignoble strife,

Their sober wishes never learned to stray;

Along the cool sequestered vale of life

They kept the noiseless tenor of their way.

Thomas Gray

"Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard."

3. Some kneejerk responses : DENIALS.

4. Beatles song syllables : OB-LA.-Di, Ob-La-Da.

5. Delta rival: Abbr. : UAL. United Airlines. and 12-Across. Stockholm flier : SAS. Now Scandinavian Airlines, it was previously Scandinavian Airlines System.

6. Freshly groomed : CLEAN-CUT. I think of "clean-cut" as someone who is neat in appearance all the time, not just fresh from the barber's.

8. Burt's Bees product : BALM.

9. Startup segment : PHASE ONE.

10. Skedaddle : LAM.

11. Actress Thurman : UMA. "Kill Bill:Volume 2" is a good example of In Medias Res.

15. Hugo's "Ruy ___" : BLAS. The title character is an indentured commoner who is in love with the queen, and becomes the pawn in a cruel hoax by a suitor she had scorned.

17. Nocturnal bear : URSA. One of the dippers in the sky at night. Major or Minor.

21. Wallace of "E.T." : DEE. She played the mother. Did not remember her.

23. In an arranged swap, she guest-hosted "The Tonight Show" in 2003 on the same day Jay guest hosted "The Today Show" : KATIE. Couric and Leno. This clue was so long that when I first glanced at it, I thought it was the reveal for the theme!

25. Tripart sandwich : BLT. I stared at the clue and wondered what kind of drugs would be in a TRIP ART sandwich?

26. Newcastle specialty : ALE.

27. French designer's inits. : YSL. Yves St. Laurent.

30. French door part : PANE. I was looking for a french word, like "jambage" ou "seuil." But nope, just the pane of glass in a French door.  I'm sitting here looking at two of them. Duh!

32. Nursing a grudge : SORE.

33. Family nickname : MOMMA. I remember...

34. Vacation spots : GETAWAYS.

36. Org. with towers : AAA. Tow-trucks, that is. American Automobile Association.

38. Laurel & Hardy producer Roach : HAL. He also produced "Of Mice and Men."

40. Accommodates : OBLIGES.

41. Guinness superlative : TALLEST. Book of records, not the tallest beer!

42. Syrup source : TREE SAP. We just had this entry in Patti Varol's Monday April Fool puzzle, Strange to see it again so soon!

44. "Golly!" : GEE.

45. Pb is its symbol : LEAD.

47. "(I've Got ___ in) Kalamazoo" : A GAL. The inimitable Glen Miller. 3:20

50. With proficiency : ABLY.

51. "Red light!" : HALT.

52. Nos. not on some restaurant menus : CTS. Cents. Some restaurants don't even put the dollars on their menus.

53. "Got it!" : AHA.

54. His, in Honfleur : SES. "Son" also fits. Just sayin'...

56. Rain-___: bubble gum brand : BLO. And so we come full circle, ending with a bunch of balls.

Hugs,

Marti

Monday March 11, 2013 Jeff Chen

 Theme: IOU's - The first word in each theme entry spells out I, O, U's phonetically.

17A. Cyclone center : EYE (I) OF A HURRICANE.

26A. Roy Orbison hit featured in a Gere/Roberts film : OH (O) PRETTY WOMAN. I used to think the song title was just "Pretty Woman".

43A. Exerciser's motto : USE (U's) IT OR LOSE IT

56A. Debtors' documents suggested by the sequence of the first words of 17-, 26- and 43-Across : PROMISSORY NOTES. Plural form as a 15-letter spanner eases up the gridding considerably.

C.C. here, giving Argyle another break. No new puzzle at Cruciverb. Their monthly glitch. I cried wolf last Monday. 

Excellent puzzle from Jeff Chen, who's a master at coming up with smooth Monday grids with eye-popping fill.

Across:

1. Money under a mattress, e.g. : STASH. And 39. Reliable moneymakers : CASH COWS. "Money" clecho (clue echo).

6. Poses a question : ASKS. To answer your question Bill G, it doesn't happen often with LA Times, but there are certainly times when I can't figure out a theme. As for when, no rules.

10. Hired rides : CABS

14. Singer Lena : HORNE

15. Apt name for a windstorm? : GAIL. Very strong wind here last night.

16. Hollywood celeb : IDOL. I really like Bradley Cooper now, esp since Daniel Craig & D-Otto never called me. Bradley, this is crazy, but here's my number, so call me maybe?

20. Spotted : SAW

21. Pitcher's mistake : BALK

22. Feral no more : TAMED

23. Adds highlights at the salon : DYES. I've been thinking of having the hairstyle Marti and Garlic Gal sport. But it's hard to pull it off. Looks like high maintenance.

25. Sources of storage chest wood : CEDARS.  So Blue Iris has some Peter Rabbit melmac dishes in her cedar chest. What's in yours? We don't have a chest.

31. By surface area, second-largest Great Lake : HURON

32. Rent-a-car choice : AVIS

33. Apply daintily : DAB

36. Ladder rung : STEP

37. Taj __ : MAHAL

39. Gospel singer Winans : CECE

40. Needing no Rx : OTC

41. Late-night Jay : LENO. Not my cup of Java.

42. Coffees, in slang : JAVAS

47. Shipping container : CARTON

49. Inaugural pledge : OATH

50. Sarandon of "Thelma & Louise" : SUSAN. She's in "Bull Durham".

51. Channel for business types : CNBC

53. Magna __ laude : CUM

60. 50-and-over org. : AARP

61. 1,000 meters, briefly : KILO

62. Hindu guru : SWAMI

63. Loch of legend : NESS

64. "By Jove!" : I SAY

65. Extremely pale : ASHEN

Down:

1. Her, subjectively : SHE

2. Hot Wheels and hula hoops : TOYS

3. Region : AREA

 4. Flower that usually blooms in winter : SNOWDROP

5. Playboy founder, for short : HEF. Newly wed.

6. Thunderstruck : AGHAST

7. Bellow in a library? : SAUL. Saul Bellow.

8. Spock's captain : KIRK

9. Photog's camera choice : SLR

10. Large, noisy insect : CICADA. I used to pick up cicada skins in the summer time, then sold them to the Chinese herb shops. I can't remember what they are good for.

11. Starters of the first race? : ADAM AND EVE. Great answer/clue.

12. Silly mistake : BONER. Rich won't allow HOOTERS in a grid.

13. Winter coasters : SLEDS

18. Help illegally : ABET

19. List components : ITEMS

24. Japanese money : YEN. It has the same character as Chinese currency Yuan.

25. Spiral shape : COIL

26. Too-too : OH SO

27. Sci-fi's Jabba the __ : HUTT

28. Forerunners : PRECURSORS

29. Search engine name : YAHOO

30. Appalachian state: Abbr. : WVA. WV is more common.

34. Berry in modern diet supplements : ACAI

35. Oscar category word : BEST

37. Chow __ : MEIN. Chow= Stir-fried. Mein= Noodles. Cantonese.

38. Picnic pest : ANT

41. Téa of "Tower Heist" : LEONI

42. Scribble (down) : JOT

44. Postal purchases : STAMPS

45. Drink named for a Scottish hero : ROB ROY. Scotch.

46. Like some nighties : LACY

47. Channel for political types : C-SPAN

48. Psychic glows : AURAE. Never know if it's going to end in S or E.

51. Forensics team members: Abbr. : CSIs

52. The Big Easy acronym : NOLA. Hi there Hahtoola.

54. The Beehive State : UTAH

55. Kid's enthusiastic "I do!" : ME, ME

57. Compete in a slalom : SKI

58. Clandestine govt. org. : NSA

59. Admission in a confessional : SIN

1) Congratulations to Marti on her first ACPT! We're so proud of what you achieved! Marti only had one week to prepare for the tournament. With more practice, she's going to jump way ahead next year. Congratulates to Dan Feyer as well. You're just amazing, Dan.

 

2) Happy Birthday to our beautiful Mari!  She said this photo "shows two of my favorite things: cats and needlepoint. It leaves out my two other loves: Crosswords and books! I also included recently discovered photos of my great grandparents and my grand parents."