Thursday February 6, 2014 Jill Denny and Jeff Chen

Theme:  TOP DOG - Different dog starts each theme entry.

2D. Fruit of ancient Persia :POMEGRANATE. Foodies call those pomegranate seeds arils.

8D. Numbskull : CHOWDERHEAD

11D. Daedalus' creation : LABYRINTH

12D. Combativeness : PUGNACITY

Reveal entry:

60A. With 62-Across, a hint to the starts of this puzzle's four longest Down answers : TOP 62A. See 60-Across : DOG.

And FUR (4A. 62-Across coat) & PETS (38A. Strokes a 62-Across). Also TREAT (37A. Biscuit, maybe). For dogs too.

We also have a grid-spanning  LEADER OF THE PACK (50. Big enchilada). Top dog!!

C.C. here, pinch-hitting for Marti, who needs to fix the house next door as the tenants will move in on March 1.

Jill Danny is Jeff Chen's wife, and we all know Jeff, the genius behind so many creative puzzles.

Today's theme approach is a bit different:

1) Theme entries are arranged vertically for visual effect;

2) Left to right symmetry;

3) Only 72 word (themeless word count) &  50 black squares. 

 

Do you see anything out of those black squares arrangement? Argyle told me "Squint at it or like most of us, remove your glasses. If you can only see it as black and white, it looks like a puppy face."

Across:

1. Easter season: Abbr. : SPR

7. Interest fig. : PCT

10. Long, on Molokai : LOA. As in Mauna Loa ("Long Mountain").

11. Experience with enthusiasm : LAP UP

13. Pi follower : RHO

14. "Out" crier : UMP

15. Chic "Bye" : ADIEU. Chic?

16. Charged particle : ION

17. Detox place : REHAB

19. Bridal emanations : GLOWS. Sweet clue.

21. Reminiscent of venison : GAMY. Never had venison. You?

22. Dweeb : NERD

23. Red state? : ARREARS. Oh, now I see why it's red. Debts.

26. Easy gaits : CANTERS

29. Given a hand : DEALT IN

30. Annabella of "The Sopranos" : SCIORRA. Drew a blank. Anon-T might know her. So how do you pronounce her name?

31. Chased (after) : RAN

32. Whirling : IN A SPIN

34. Farm feed : HAY. Hi there Spitzboov!

35. Computer that once came in "flavors" : iMAC. Other than my iPod, I own iNothing.

39. Greek cheese : FETA

40. First name in one-liners : HENNY (Youngman). "Take my wife, please!".

41. Actress Charlotte et al. : RAES

42. Fountain near the Spanish Steps : TREVI

44. Buddy : KIDDO

45. __'acte : ENTR

48. Flute part : STEM

57. Babysitter's handful : IMP

58. New evidence may lead to one : RE-TRIAL

59. Fawn spawner : DOE

61. Slogan sites : T-SHIRTS

Down:

1. Bit of mudslinging : SLUR

3. Vatican Palace painter : RAPHAEL

4. Pet rocks, e.g. :  FAD 

5. News agcy. since 1958 : UPI

6. Regret bitterly : RUE

7. Preceding : PRIOR TO

9. Bunches : TONS

18. Cremona artisan : AMATI. I'm so glad they caught the Strad suspects  yesterday. Art thieves!

20. Red Square honoree : LENIN. My childhood hero.

23. Lacking purpose : ADRIFT

24. Juice extractor : REAMER. I just call mine Juicer.

25. Grab, as a line drive : SNARE

26. D.C. network : C-SPAN. And 33. Fig. on 26-Down : SEN

27. Like most bawdy films : R-RATED. Or RATED R.

28. Lays down the law : SAYS SO

36. Gave in : CAVED

38. Groom with care : PRIMP

43. Unmoving : INERT

44. Hull stabilizers : KEELS

46. "__ bien!" : TRES

47. Big name in IRAs : ROTH

48. Rustle : STIR

49. "Take __!" : THAT

50. Aflame : LIT

51. Angst-filled genre : EMO

52. Killer Birds, e.g. : APP. Is it related to Angry Birds?

53. Calendar abbr. : FRI

54. Recipe instruction : ADD

55. Soft murmur : COO

56. Barrel at a bash : KEG

I have a question for all of you: Which is your go-to site for news? NBCNews went live on Tuesday night (Feb 4, 2014) and I really dislike the new format, which is more suited for mobile devices. I tried CNN and Google News yesterday but liked either.

C.C.

Thursday, December 19, 2013 Mary Lou Guizzo and Jeff Chen

Theme: "You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear…"

(...But Mary and Jeff sure make a smooth as silk puzzle out of one!)

17. Some broadcasting equipment : HAM RADIOS.

30. Political patronage : PORK BARREL.

36. Degrees of separation from actor Kevin, in a parlor game : BACON NUMBER.

41. Dachshunds, familiarly : WIENER DOGS.

And the unifier:

58. Obstinate, and what the other four longest puzzle answers are? : PIGHEADED. The beginnings of the theme answers all are varieties of PIG dishes.  (DH would be in hog heaven with this one!!)

I forgot to check my time when I finished, but I know it was way under 10 minutes. Did you find it easy for a Thursday, or did some of the tricky clues trip you up?  Let's check out where those were.

Across:

1. Lines at the checkout? : UPCs. OK, right off the bat we have a misdirection.

5. Powdery mineral : TALC. Pretty straightforward.

9. Org. for a 4-Down : ASPCA. And 4-Down. Rescued one, hopefully : STRAY. The clue for 9-Across actually let me fill both entries without further ado.

14. It may thicken : PLOT. My mother always used to say, "The thought plickens…"

15. Baseball's Jesus or Moises : ALOU. Ha!  Finally remembered the family name after four perps...

16. "She loves you" followers, in song : YEAHS. "…yeah, yeah, yeah."

19. "Cut the chatter!" : CAN IT!

20. Hoopster Shaquille : O'NEAL.

21. Woman in two Goya works : MAJA. Desnuda and vestida. Her real identity is uncertain.

23. Women's org. based at Constitution Hall : DAR. Daughters of the American Revolution.

24. Brightly colored beetle : LADYBUG.

Brightly colored beetles

27. Lincoln or Ford : CAR.

28. MPG watchdog : EPA.

29. Opposite of sweet : DRY. When referring to wine, that is.

33. Proportion : RATIO.

35. Swim competition : MEET.

39. Common Oscar gown feature : SLIT. Now, this is a slit!

40. Anxious anticipation : DREAD.

44. One involved in a pickup : CAB. Another tricky clue. Did it fool you?

47. __ carte : A LA. Followed by another straightforward clue.

48. Fourth grade? : DEE. Teacher's grading papers: A, B, C, D, F. Did any of you make it past first grade? (I didn't think so!!)

49. iPod accessories : EARBUDS.

52. Sam Spade type : TEC.

53. Eye layer : UVEA.

55. Roman fountain : TREVI.

56. Not cool : UNHIP.

61. Court figure : STENO.

62. Singer Adams : EDIE. I really couldn't find one of her songs. I remember her from the Muriel cigar commercials: (In a Mae West accent) "Why not pick one up and smoke it sometime?"  Maybe CED can help me find a clip.

63. Creepy thing : VINE.

64. "The Master Builder" playwright : IBSEN.

65. Go on and on : RANT.

66. Busy crawlers : ANTS.

Down:

1. Support : UPHOLD.

2. Two-dimensional : PLANAR. Of a plane, as opposed to "cubic" or "spheroid" which would be three-dimensional.

3. Funny business? : COMEDY.

5. Minute amount : TAD.

6. Baba of folklore : ALI.

7. Device with shuttles : LOOM.

8. John who played Nixon in "The Butler" : CUSACK.

9. Bart Simpson catchphrase : AY CARAMBA. Did not know that was his catch phrase, but filled it in with just the "AY…"

10. Salty expanse : SEA.

11. Person who caters to base interests : PANDERER. One who pleases others for their own interests...

12. Watch-Me-Grow fad : CHIA PET. Now they have "Duck Dynasty" chia pets?

13. Celestial : ASTRAL.

18. Priestly garb : ALB.

22. Poke : JAB.

25. Until : UP TO. Short phrases are sometimes tough...

26. Cross the threshold : GO IN. As I said, short phrases are sometimes tough...

31. Sonata movement : RONDO.

32. Swamp thing : REED.

33. Showers, say : RAIN.

34. Followed, as a hunch : ACTED UPON.

36. Laundry room supplies : BLEACHES.

37. Push : URGE.

38. Southwestern formation : MESA.

39. Dumb ending? : SILENT B.

41. '60s dance : WATUSI. Remember The Orlons?? They're still goin' after all these years...

42. Prepare to drag : REV.

43. More profound : DEEPER.

44. Informed : CUED IN.

45. Pre-Christmas period : ADVENT.

46. Backs of singles : B-SIDES. This is kind of an outdated clue/answer, isn't it?  Do mp3 files have b-sides?

50. GPS recommendation : RTE. Route.

51. Cry to a diva : BRAVA. and a slight clecho with 54-D:

54. Classic role for a diva : AIDA.

57. Like the finale of Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto : IN E.

59. Bathtub booze : GIN.

60. __ up: angry : HET. Don't get all het up with me…I just report 'em as I see 'em!

That's all for this week, folks!

Marti

Notes from C.C.:

1) George Barany co-constructed today's NY Times. Click here. A special on-line version is provided. Don't forget to click on the Solution and read their notes. Congratulations, George!

2) JD just came back from her trip to Kauai. She and Bob even took a helicopter ride over the Waimea Canyon. Here are a few pictures.

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