Friday, July 1, 2016, Jeff Chen

Title: Put one over on you.

Rabbit, Rabbit:  happy July all. It has been almost 4 years  LINK since I last blogged a puzzle by Jeff Chen one of the many very helpful and thoughtful constructors with whom I have corresponded. Like our own C.C., J.C. has mentored countless people.  I love the visual aspect of today's puzzle, but quite honestly the theme clues made the solving too easy. S placed on top of EIGN STATE would I hope have lead me to the fill (SOVEREIGN STATE) with the OVER implied by the placement. If I were a betting man, I would think Rich toned the gimmick down. In any event, a lovely challenge to locate 4 different fill which would result from a letter+ OVER+ part of a phrase. The resulting phrases are clued in a straight forward manner. With only 40 theme spaces, there is room for tons of sparkly fill like GATEWAY, AD SALES,  CHENIER, NOMINEE,  MIRAGES, CORRIDOR,  TELEPATH, EMOTIONS, AEROSTAR, INSIDE INFO, GRECO-ROMAN,  EYE OPENERS,  LEOPARDESS. Off to the solving races:

16A. With the circled letter over, self-ruled entity : [SOVER]EIGN STATE (9).

32A. With the circled letter over, humanitarian goal : [POVER]TY REDUCTION (11).

39A. With the circled letter over, undercover missions : [COVER]T OPERATIONS(11).

59A. With the circled letter over, concern of the Fed : [GOVER]NMENT DEBT(9)

Across:

1. Mimic : APE. Is this becoming an un-pc term, offending our simian cousins?

4. Dreidel stakes : GELT. Dreidel- Hanukah; Gelt- Yiddish for money. Not to be confused with 54D. Fix : GELD.

8. "The Avengers" co-star : RIGG. Now starring as a Dowager of the Tyrells. She was so enticing.

12. Droops : SAGS. No comment.

14. Two-dimensional figure : AREA. Nicely clued, length times width.

15. 2013 Literature Nobelist :

MUNRO. A nice tribute to our Canadian contingent ALICE.

18. "Breakfast at Tiffany's" co-star : EBSEN. Jed Clampett was a singer, dancer and actor. He grew up in Orlando and like Fred Astaire danced with his sister.

19. Website revenue source : AD SALES.

20. "Now wait just a sec ... " : BUT.

22. Some bling : ICE. Diamonds; okay Tin?

23. Where many kids squirm : PEW. Church can drag on for a youngster.

24. Passage : CORRIDOR. Not a part of a book,  This meaning comes the 16th century military concept of a passage by a trench.

26. One who really gets in your head? : TELEPATH. Wonderful clue/fill. TRUE?

30. Where a "cluck and grunt" might be ordered : DINER. Waitress speak for ham and eggs.

31. Response to an order : AYE. Maybe for a Cyclops?

35. Corp. bigwigs : CEOS. Chief Executive Officers.

37. "Double Fantasy" artist : ONO. Released three weeks before his murder.

38. "I got it" : ON ME. This round is on me.

44. Favorable, as a contract : FAT.

45. Some aides : PAGES. Congress and the knights of yore.

46. Actors change them often : EMOTIONS. Partners?

48. Old Ford minivan : AEROSTAR. Had not thought of this vehicle in a while. Out of production since 1997.

50. Product of Ptolemy : MAP.

51. Stop : END. Stop the madness.

52. Dude (up) : TOG. Not my favorite even if true. TOG: to dress especially in fine clothing —usually used with up or out

53. Illusions : MIRAGES. All mirages are illusions, but not all illusions are mirages.

57. Take care of : SEE TO. I like make it so better.

61. "Citizen Kane" poster name : ORSON. Welles.

62. Mercyhurst University city : ERIE. No idea, but a gimme for some. Mercyhurst University, formerly Mercyhurst College, is a Catholic liberal arts college in Erie, Pennsylvania in the United States. Wikipedia.

63. Draw guffaws from : SLAY. Hey Peg.

64. "Hey, you!" : PSST.

65. Nik Wallenda need : WIRE. His family was always getting high. Iget dizzy just watching.

66. Color : DYE.

Down:

1. On the briny : ASEA. Oceans are quite briny.

2. Took care of : PAID. Friday vague.

3. Silly Putty holders : EGGS. Invented during WWII as a possible rubber substitute.

4. 2007 Acer acquisition : GATEWAY. Computers.

5. Often-named stretches : ERAS. Stretches of time.

6. Service to be redone :  LET. Tennis anyone?

7. Workout portmanteau : TAEBO. Tae Bo is a portmanteau of tae kwon do and boxing.

8. Sticking point : RUB. "To sleep — perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub! For in that sleep of death what dreams may come. When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, Must give us pause. "

9. Skinny : INSIDE INFO. So many ways; book, 411, lowdown, poop, scoop, dope, tip.

10. Wrestling style : GRECO-ROMAN. Nothing below the waist...Greco-Roman (US) or Graeco-Roman (UK) wrestling is a style of wrestling that is practiced worldwide. It was contested at the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 and has been included in every edition of the summer Olympics held since 1908. Wiki.

11. Dead man walking : GONER.

13. Rowling teacher : SNAPE. The recently departed....both real and fantasy.

15. Like steres : METRIC. One cubic meter.

17. Drifted off : SLEPT.

21. Indic language : URDU.

24. French poet executed by Robespierre : CHENIER. Chénier might have been overlooked but for the well-meant, indignant officiousness of his father. Marie-Joseph did his best to prevent his brother's execution, but he could do nothing more. Maximilien Robespierre, who was himself in dangerous straits, remembered Chénier as the author of the venomous verses in the Journal de Paris and sentenced him to death. Chénier was one of the last people executed by Robespierre. Wiki. If you liked the French Revolution... LINK. (You might notice this name begins CHEN....).

25. Digging : INTO. In the Maynard G. Krebs sense.

26. Delicacy : TACT. Not a food but an action.

27. Revelations : EYE OPENERS. A nice infrequently used fill.

28. Female in the wild : LEOPARDESS. All perps but in retrospect what other animal could it be?

29. Home run __ : TROT. Baseball corner with 60D. Test for one on the DL, perhaps : MRI.

33. Bad end : DOOM.

34. Barclays Center hoopsters : NETS.  In Brooklyn

36. Lily variety : SEGO.

40. Lie atop : REST ON.

41. About : AS TO.

42. Runner in a race : NOMINEE. Political not physical.

43. Pencil maze instruction : START.

47. Pro and Mini : I-PADS.

48. "Sour grapes" coiner : AESOP. Interesting juxtaposition with the speaker of nattering nabobs.

49. 1973 resignee : AGNEW. Spiro beat Dick out the door.

53. Israel's Iron Lady : MEIR.  Golda. A true LEADER  and a key to the existence of the Israeli state.

55. Owner of StubHub : E-BAY. Bought in 2007.

56. Ophthalmologist's concern : STYE. Not really a cause for a specialist, just use the WARM TEABAG.

58. One of the small fry : TOT. Does this refer to a Tater Tot or just a young child? What a wonderful clue for a three letter word.

What a great way to start the month. Welcome back Jeff, I am not sure where you find time to construct, advise, do XWORDINFO, write and work. Awesome. Thanks to you and to all here as we enter the second half of 2016, Lemonade out.

Saturday, Jan 9th, 2016, Mary Lou Guizzo & Jeff Chen

Theme: None

Word: 70 (missing Q,X,Z)

Blocks: 34

Wow, this one was a brain-drain, and just about the longest WAG-fest I have ever had the pleasure (or pain~?) of solving.  My first time with a Mary Lou construction, though I see she was prolific last year with her LATimes puzzles.  Jeff, on the other hand, has beaten me up on several occasions, so I have a feeling this was "all his fault"....had a vaguely Dan Naddor feel to it, IMHO, consisting of several two-word answers.  Pretty atypical Saturday grid, no chunky corners, but three spanners and a 13-letter climber;

16. Strength in numbers? : PREDICTIVE POWER - I thought we might be looking at a "numb-ers" kind of misdirection, then a numerology kind of thing, but it has a scientific application - the best example was the prediction that the planet Neptune (which threw me at 62a.) existed by scientists observing its gravitational effects of the other planets before its discovery

34. Beats the rap : GETS OFF SCOT-FREE - I have English parents, so this phrase was heard around my house a lot; here's the etymology

58. Best Actress the year before Kate Winslet : MARION COTILLARD - I thought this was a 1997/98 reference to Kate's Titanic role, but no; she won for the The Reader in 2008; Marion won for La môme - never heard of it, but I do recall her as "Mal" from Inception, which was a great movie

15. Really enlightened : WISE AS SOLOMON - at one point, I had "WISE-ASS-----"

 

ACROSS:

1. Directive to a dealer : HIT ME - I am reading Slash's biography, and so the 'dealer' I had in mind was like the one he scored heroin from

6. Adds liberally : HEAPS ON

13. Sustain : UPHOLD

15. Apple bug? : WORMHOLE - no "i-Computer" misdirection here.   I am attempting to write a book of my own, and part of the plot involves the other, 'travel-through-space-and-time' kind of wormhole

18. Blubber : SOB - dah~! Not FAT

19. What "this love is," in a Taylor Swift title : OURS

20. Shades go-with : SUN HAT - not sure if this was sunglasses or curtains shades

21. Shepherd's dishes? : MEAT PIES - of the first 10 answers, 6 have two-word elements

24. Fruit trees : PEARS

25. __ cut: fabric design technique : BIAS

26. Birch of Indiana : BAYH - one of many proper noun clues that I just had no clue on, and it's Birch Bayh, Senator from '63-'81

28. Unkempt abode : STY

29. Umbrian tourist town : ASSISI - mostly perps

32. Salisbury smooch : SNOG - British kiss; think Harry Potter

40. __ Accords: Israel/PLO agreements : OSLO

41. Acorn bearer : PIN OAK - OK, I cheated on the "N", since RED was not working, and I forgot about this kind of oak tree

42. Ad follower : HOC - ad hoc, Latin "for this"

45. Some 55-Across works : OILS - dah~! since I did not know who "Joan" was, I tried ODES; a 100% 50% correct WAG

47. Smidge : MITE - not IOTA

48. Mocks : JAPES

50. Blockers' targets : POP-UP ADS - now we are talking about computers, and I was thinking football

53. Dodges : AVERTS - AVOIDS, EVADES - tried 'em both

55. Joan of art : MIRÓ - oh, it's a dude

56. __ Dome: Lucas Oil Stadium predecessor : RCA

61. Dizzy with delight : IN A SWOON

62. Neptune, e.g. : SEA GOD - DAH~! not PLANET

63. Gently passes : EASES BY

64. Simmers : STEWS

DOWN:

1. Drill cadence syllables : HUPS

2. Swear words : I PROMISE

3. "If I Can't Love Her" singer, in a 1994 musical : THE BEAST - I was trying to think of a band called "The -----S", and then I realized it was a singular character from "Beauty and..."

4. Hip : MOD

5. Literature Nobelist who won two posthumous Tony Awards : ELIOT - perps and WAG

6. __ lane : HOV - I complain about this every time it's in a crossword; we have one here, part of the Long Island Expressway, and I think it's a colossal waste of black top

7. Spanish 101 word : ERES

8. Vitalize : AMP UP

9. Calls or cells : PHONES - got it, but thought "that can't be right"

10. "Like I care" : "SO WHAT~?"

11. Kevin of "Shark Tank" : O'LEARY - I had him confused with Mark Cuban in my mind; my buddy Mike, with the backyard games company, met Mark, I think

12. "Drat!" : NERTS

14. Support spec of a sort : D-CUP - ah, Dennis could appreciate this one

17. Salt Lake daily : TRIB - does leaving out "City" make for an abbr.~?

22. Sale warning : AS IS

23. Harmonize : SYNC - oops, not SING; that's another 50% correct in all places

25. Snare : BAG - not NAB

27. Shooter's target : HOOP - basketball~? I wasn't going to get it

30. Jack of "Barney Miller" : SOO

31. Logician's words : IF SO

33. Sporty VW : GTI

35. Cheeky : FLIP

36. From 2009 through Sep. 2015, it paid $143 billion in dividends to the U.S. Treasury : FNMA - stumped.  Federal National Mortgage Association, or Fannie Mae - the Wiki

37. Concern for some bodybuilders : 'ROID RAGE - my first thought, but I did not factor in an abbreviation

38. Issues a mea culpa : EATS CROW

39. Squeak (out) : EKE

42. Museo de la Revolución city : HAVANA

43. "Ring Cycle" quartet : OPERAS

44. Color similar to crimson : CERISE - sounds blue, but that's cerulean; the word comes from "cherry", and I was going to link a pie pic, but I found this much more fascinating

46. Narrow shore point : SPIT

48. Portrayer of Django and Ray : JAMIE - took me forever to remember Mr. Foxx's name

49. Throws below : STOWS - oops, not SINKS

51. "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral" screenwriter : URIS

52. Spherical extremities : POLES

54. Snoot : SNOB

57. Tosses in : ADDS - just wanted to ADD that yesterday marked 11yrs for me

59. Playing hard to get : COY

60. Pull-up beneficiary, briefly : LAT - the muscle of the back; I have been over at my friend Adam's house, where his 2yr old has moved on to "pull-ups", so I was in that frame of mind....who benefits from those~?

Splynter

Saturday, Sep 5th, 2015, Alex Vratsanos and Jeff Chen

Theme: None

Words: 70 (missing F,W)

Blocks: 32

  We have had both constructors on Saturdays in the past, but I do believe this is their first duo, at least for the LA Times.  Mr. Vratsanos started our summer off with a Memorial Day weekend puzzle, and so it seems fitting that he close out the season on Labor Day weekend (as far as I am concerned; the Hamptons will be clearing out as of Tuesday, and UPS will be cooling off as well).  Alas, this puzzle was almost as brutal as that one in May; I did get three corners and the center solved, but the SW was never going to budge - so I Googled one answer, and the rest fell into place.  Oh well.  Triple 10-letter corners in a neat pinwheel grid.  Some of the longer answers;

17a. Elementary sextet : NOBLE GASES - Nailed it. 

14d. Its capital was Xianyang : QIN DYNASTY - hmmm, I know someone who knows a little history about Zhou, and Qin

65. High wind : SOPRANO SAX
 

- an a semi-clecho with;

28. Baroque wind : OBOE D'AMORE - according to Wiki, it's a third lower than a standard oboe

nadowr~?

ACROSS:

1. Eggy dessert : ZABAGLIONE - never heard of this, but working in an Italian-style restaurant, I ran with the perps and filled in what sounded good

11. La Salle of "ER" : ERIQ

15. Occurring at a constant temperature : ISOTHERMAL

16. Computer start-up? : MINI - early meh.  Mini-computer.  I get it, but....

18. Browning product : OVEN - I did not know the gun manufacturer made ovens as well

19. Older Pevensie sister in "The Chronicles of Narnia" series : SUSAN - again, perps

20. Turned brown, maybe : SAUTÉED - could you use a "browning" oven for this~?

22. Curling piece : STONE - I can actually watch this Olympic event; I like it - but I'm a big fan of shuffleboard like the one you'd find in bars

26. Square : NERDY

27. "Do wrong to __": Shak. : NONE - nixed my NONE at 57a.

30. Attended to bald spots on : SODDED - because ROGAINED didn't fit

33. Stop : BAN - not END

34. University of Miami mascot Sebastian the __ : IBIS - half perps/half wag

35. Climate Reality Project founder : AL GORE

36. __ moment : A-HA

37. Flimflam : CON

38. Slap target, informally : SKEETER - that is, mosquito, and it's better to flick than to slap, especially if it's a little more dangerous, like a stinging insect

39. Airline with the EuroBonus frequent flier program : SAS

40. Alpine parrot : KEA - oh, alpine meaning mountains - I was thinking "Alps", and didn't think you'd find any parrots there

41. Misses : LASSES - oops, not LADIES

42. Salon service : TINT

43. Names : IDs

44. Slap cause, maybe : INSULT - hysterics are about the only time I'd slap anyone

45. Dr. Jones, to Dr. Marcus Brody : INDY - characters from Raiders of the Lost Ark ( and the Last Crusade )

"an army that carries the Ark before it is invincible"

46. Mesoamerican crop : MAIZE

48. Column that won't support anything : PLUME - a column from a newspaper would have been a good answer, too

50. Involve deeply : IMMERSE

53. DeMille specialties : EPICS

57. It precedes one : NOON - ah, the clock.  ZERO was not working

58. Dept. of State employee : US DIPLOMAT

62. Secretary of Education Duncan : ARNE - ALAN~? nope. ANNE~? nope.

63. Like pen pals' relationships : EPISTOLARY

64. Hoot : JEER

DOWN:

1. Some reds, for short : ZINfandelS

2. Not worth __ : A SOU

3. Roaring Twenties hairdos : BOBS

4. Ones for the road? : ATLASES

5. 1814 treaty site : GHENT

6. It may be shaken or pulled : LEG - or admired

7. He outlived George by 46 years : IRA - the Gershwins

8. Sacred syllables : OMs - meditations, too

9. Dumbarton denials : NAES

10. Snow Queen in "Frozen" : ELSA - did not see it; I do long to have kids some day

11. Wax theatrical : EMOTE

12. Drainage area : RIVER BASIN

13. "Help" : "I NEED A HAND"

21. Bad way to go : UNDER

23. Certain Honshu native : OSAKAN - from the Japanese city of Osaka

24. Words of emphasis : NO LESS

25. Moves stealthily : EDGES UP

27. "Pink Friday" rapper : NICKI MINAJ - I have heard OF her, but nothing from her; my Googled answer

29. Singer who had a 1959 hit with "I Loves You, Porgy" : NINA SIMONE - the double 10-letter proper names sandwiching a vague musical instrument in this corner killed me; I'm sure there are plenty of people at the corner who are familiar with Nina's work

31. "Dish it up!" : "DO TELL~!"

32. 1974 hit sung entirely in Spanish : ERES TU - popular enough in crosswords that I threw this in having just the first "E" and last "U"

38. Foxier : SLIER

42. "The Banquet of Cleopatra" painter : TIEPOLO

the artist

47. __ cards, used in ESP experiments : ZENER - I did not know these had a name; derived from the psychologist's name - anyone else think of the opening of Ghostbusters~?

49. Dieter's breakfast : MELON - ah, not TOAST

51. Petitions : SUES

52. Beantown NHL nickname : ESPO - Phil Esposito - now here's a proper name I am familiar with

54. "Look at me, __ helpless ...": "Misty" lyric : I'M AS

55. Word spoken con affetto : CARA - not AMOR

56. Final crossing? : STYX - Two weeks in a row~?  I'm getting nervous

59. Party bowlful : DIP

60. Nation since 1948: Abbr. : ISRael

61. Ed. group : PTA

Splynter

Saturday, Jun 13th, 2015, Kevin Christian and Jeff Chen

Theme: None

Words: 70 (missing Q,X,Z,)

Blocks: 32

  Well, I am surprised at how easily this one filled in - and there were plenty of proper names and vague clues to make think otherwise at the start.  I have worked Saturday puzzles from both constructors, but not as a duo; strangely, I used the phrase "Plan B" (see 16a.) in the write-up of Mr. Christian's 7/26/14 offering.  A rare grid with three separate climbers and one spanner, and no-so-intimidating corners; 

36. Does some political maneuvering : JOCKEYS FOR POWER

3. Reaction to excessive attention to detail : BUT WHO'S COUNTING~?

7. Unplugs in a big way : LIVES OFF THE GRID

11. Post-washing warning : CAUTION WET FLOOR

underwa[te]rd~!

ACROSS:

1. Card __ : TABLE - ah.  This did not occur to me until I had --BLE

6. "The Hobbit" being : ELF - not ENT - pondered ORC, too

9. Tied accessory : ASCOT - threw it in, and it stayed

14. Cameron Indoor Stadium college hoopster : BLUE DEVIL - an educated WAG from ----EVIL

16. It has a backup : PLAN A

17. Feigns innocence : ACTS NAÏVE

18. Like Zitronen : SAUER - German for lemons, and sour; I gathered it meant "citrus"

19. Inexperienced : RAW

20. Tons : A SLEW

21. First : ON TOP

22. Acidity nos. : pHs

24. Virtue of the 2010 Olympic champion ice dancing team Virtue and Moir : TESSA - I had TE--A, and went with "RR" - Bzzzt~! ( I knew a girl in Florida named Terra )

26. Gershon of "Killer Joe" : GINA - could not think of her name

27. It involves pockets : POOL - Had it, took it out, put it back in.  I like shooting pool, but have not done so in about 6 years - even have my own cues

29. Some crosses : ROODS - went with ANHKS first

31. Alley ending? : OOP - Alley-oop

32. Freelancers' encls. : SAEs - Self-Addressed Envelopes

34. Ross Sea sight : FLOE

35. Captain's dir. : NNE

40. Tokyo-born artist : ONO

41. Lit __ : CRIT - perps - Literary Criticism; the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature.  I am presently reading Nelson DeMille's "The Gate House".  I like his stuff

42. Kennel pickup area : NAPE - ah - where you literally pick up an animal, from the back of the neck

43. Coin first minted in 13th-century France : ECU - Learned doing crosswords; we almost got away with a Frawnche-free puzzle this week

44. Challenging pitch : HIGH C - I had the "C" first, so I was not feeling it

46. Baryshnikov, at birth : LETT

48. What "c" may mean in South Africa : CENT - their "dollar" is the rand, and therefore....

50. "One can say everything best over __": George Eliot : A MEAL

52. Corp. treasurer, perhaps : CFO

53. Playground comeback : AM TOO - are so, is not....couldn't decide at the beginning

55. __ Dei : AGNUS - OK, I was in a "Da Vinci Code" frame of mind, couldn't get past "OPUS"

57. Bodybuilder Ferrigno : LOU - best known for the greener side of the TV series "The Incredible Hulk"

campy

59. Ballerina Shearer : MOIRA - a WAG from M--RA

60. Eccentrics : CRACKPOTS - nailed it

62. Big name in auditing : ERNST - I had a room-mate in college who was destined for the "Ernst & Young" accounting firm

63. Police-search discovery : HIDEY-HOLE

64. Colorful Danish export : LEGOs - not LILIES (didn't fit), and not DELFT, the dishware - because they're Dutch

65. B.C. neighbor : IDA - ah.  IDAHO - I was stuck up in 45d., thinking it was either ALBerta, or SASkatchewan

66. 10th-century English king : EDRED - never heard of this guy

DOWN:       

1. It takes you to the top : T-BAR - skiing

2. Sadie Hawkins creator : AL CAPP

4. "__ Troyens": Berlioz opera : LES - like I said, almost

5. Krabappel of "The Simpsons" : EDNA

Edna Krabappel - The Simpsons Wiki

6. More wicked : EVILER - my one "meh" clue for the day

8. Traveled alone, perhaps : FLEW SOLO - I'm still flying solo  :7(

9. Lhasa __ : APSO

10. Urban Dictionary content : SLANG - there's a lot of funny stuff on the site, but a little on the vulgar side; I found this one to be amusing

12. Game for two : ONE-ON-ONE

13. Roofing material : TAR PAPER - it's but one layer of a roof

15. Bridge column word : EAST - figured it was 50/50 - this or "WEST"

23. Gouge : SOAK

25. Festoon : ADORN

28. Clinging type : LEECH

30. Calyx part : SEPAL

33. Aleppo's land : SYRIA

36. Marlboro Man contemporary : JOE CAMEL - I remember the controversy, and the suble sexual innuendo of the image

37. Again : ONCE MORE

38. Frat founded in 1855 at Ohio's Miami University : SIGMA CHI

39. Gp. that includes Nigeria : OPEC

45. Country with the largest surface area of water : CANADA - I knew this, for some odd reason; probably came up in a crossword clue from the past

47. Amble (along) : TOOTLE - I had -OOT--; didn't think "FOOTED" was right

49. Statue subject : TORSO

51. "__ and His Empire": 1972 Pulitzer-winning biography : LUCE

54. Mare's mouthful : OATS

56. Terrier type : SKYE

58. Like many eBay items : USED

61. One hanging out in a coll. office? : PhD

Splynter

Notes from C.C.:

I was saddened to learn from Patti Varol yesterday that Leslie Billig, editor of Crosswords Club, passed away Wednesday morning. Patti said "Her creativity and wit, as well as her sharp eye for detail, shaped not only Crosswords Club and Uptown, but many publications at Dell Magazines. Leslie's passion for puzzles and her infectious giggle will be sorely missed by everyone who knew and worked with her. I already miss her more than I know how to express."

I never met Leslie in person. Only a few email exchanges regarding a distracting RAMBO in a AM/PM two-way rebus. As Patti said, she had a keen eye for detail. She was very warm & encouraging. She quietly edited my puzzles, corrected my mistakes and spiced up my clues with her wits. She made me look good. Thank you, Leslie!

You can click here for a great interview Leslie did with Puzzle Nation.

Leslie Billig, ACPT, 2004

Sunday March 15, 2015 Debbie Ellerin and Jeff Chen

Theme:  "For the Fun o' It" - The OF in each theme entry is humorously re-interpreted as O' F*, where F is merged with the next word.

24A. Irritating swarm? : PACK O' FLIES. Pack of lies.

26A. Halloween party invoice? : BILL O' FRIGHTS. Bill of Rights.

50A. Complex airline route map display? : THOUSAND POINTS O' FLIGHT.  I had to google "Thousand points of light" afterward. I missed the whole Bush Sr. presidency. It's likely coined by Peggy Noonan, who also wrote Bush's "Read my lips: no new taxes" speech.

62A. Guy who rakes leaves, cleans gutters, etc.? : JACK O' FALL TRADES. Jack of all trades. This is the only theme answer where the word following F does not start with L or R.

83A. What measures one's ability to endure traveling inconvenience? : DEGREE O' FRISK TOLERANCE. Degree of risk tolerance. Boomer did not go through TSA Precheck when we traveled last month, yet his boarding pass had special mark, which allowed him to go through the quick TSA line. Mine did not. Weird.

108A. Blundering physician? : DOCTOR O' FLAWS. Doctor of laws.

112A. Campus phobia? : FEAR O' FRATS. Fear of rats.

We have another new constructor, this is Debbie Ellerin's LAT debut. Congratulations!

I mentioned before, 15-letter entries often make the weekday puzzle easier to grid, but grid-spanning 21's are always challenging (19's and 20's are no better). Suddenly you have lots of letters in place (42 letters for Debbie and Jeff). And you have lots of entries that intersect two theme answers. Hard to make them clean. Today's grid is incredibly clean and smooth.

Across:

1. "The King and I" heroine : ANNA. And 5. "The King and I" (1956) co-star : KERR. We also have YALIE (88. Jodie Foster, e.g.). Jodie Foster also played Anna.

 

5. Lakers' all-time leading scorer, familiarly : KOBE. Why the additional "familiarly"?

9. Predator of ungulates : PUMA

13. Say yes : OPT IN

18. Horse coloring : ROAN

19. Spirits that come in bottles : GENII. Mine was GENIE, of course.

20. Pioneer in car safety : OTIS. Is this the elevator guy?

21. Puget Sound traveler : FERRY. Not person "traveler". Jeff lives in Seattle.

22. Cantata component : ARIA

23. Sumatran swinger : ORANG

29. Get off the leash : RUN LOOSE

30. ... and then __ : SOME

31. Sell : RETAIL

33. iPhones, e.g. : PDAS

34. They have heads : LAGERS

36. Square __ : KNOT. Could be MEAL/MILE. Also  72A. Cake __ : MIX. Could be PAN. Also 68D. Space __ : CADET. Could be OPERA. This type of fill-in-blanks clue is not easy.

38. DHs, as a rule : RBI MEN. We also have 82. Two masked men may be behind it : HOME. Home plate. Umpire and the catcher.

42. Wise guy : SOLON. Not MAGI, for a change.

 43. Razz : TEASE

47. Gecko's grippers : SETAE. New to me.

49. Nagano Olympic flame lighter : ITO (Midori)

54. Johns of Scotland : IANs

55. Missays "say," say : LISPS

56. Weird Al Yankovic song parody : EAT IT. Parody of Michael Jackson's "Beat It".

57. Opponents : THEM. Not FOES.

58. ICU staffers : RNS

59. Torso muscle : PEC

60. Grub : FARE

61. Winner's prize : TITLE. Jeff Chen became a father last October. Here is his beautiful daughter Tess.

68. Watched over, with "for" : CARED. I miss my grandma so much, esp when I'm sick.

71. Upper limb bone : ULNA

73. Belle of the ball : DEB

76. Mariner's heading : ALEE

77. Occupied, in a way : SAT AT

79. Provoke : INCUR

87. Swing __ : ERA

 

89. Titter : TEHEE

90. French bean products? : IDEES. Can't fool veteran solvers.

91. Pre-Aztec native : TOLTEC. Hard to come up with fresh clue for this entry.

93. Poster mailer : TUBE

95. Thus far : TO DATE

97. Tarbell and Lupino : IDAs

99. Beaten on the mat : PINNED

103. Mr. Burns' teddy bear on "The Simpsons" : BOBO. Heard of the bear. But did not know he's in "The Simpsons".

104. Handlebar spot : UPPER LIP. Mustache!

114. Saintly glows : AURAE

115. Scads : A TON

116. Leading : ON TOP

117. Giggly redhead : ELMO. Fun clue.

118. Creator of Dogbert, Catbert and Ratbert : ADAMS (Scott). Googled afterward.  Those are Dilbert's pets.

119. Emergency room supplies : SERA. Tricky non- S answer.

120. Sloughs off : SHEDS

121. Kurt refusal : NEIN. Very curt.

122. Sonic Dash publisher : SEGA

123. Sub : TEMP

Down:

1. __ League : ARAB

2. Sushi wrapper : NORI. The dark toasted seaweed. I also like them in Ramen noodles.

3. Polish sites : NAIL SALONS. Great clue/answer.

4. Akin : ANALOGOUS

 

6. Sign at a studio : ON AIR

7. Spree : BINGE

8. Skating figure : EIGHT. I like this clue also.

9. Stops by : POPS IN

10. Three-time Boston Marathon winner Pippig : UTA. Don't recall this name.

11. Very small: Pref. : MICR

12. Invite from the balcony : ASK UP

13. Not FDA-approved, as a drug treatment : OFF-LABEL

14. First female Speaker of the House : PELOSI

15. Salt-N-Pepa, e.g. : TRIO. I mentioned last time I thought they were a duo.

16. Ticks off : IRES. Wish it were IRKS.

17. Home to MMM and JNJ : NYSE. 3M is based here in MN.

19. Errand runner : GOFER

25. Tapped out? : ON DRAFT. I was thinking of "exhausted".

27. Signs : OMENS

28. "Star Trek" actor with a popular Facebook page : TAKEI. Funny guy. Fun cologne name also.

32. Letter writing, for example : LOST ART

34. "Mean Girls" star : LOHAN (Lindsay). Watched the movie ages ago. Quite a few ex-SNL members.

35. Xmas visitor : ST. NICK

37. Professor, at times : TESTER

39. Strength : MIGHT

40. Fictional landlady : ETHEL. "I Love Lucy".

41. "I'm innocent" : NOT ME

42. __-crazy : STIR

 

44. Mag wheels? : EDS. Magazine big wheels.

45. Smartphone download : APP

46. Nine-tap signal : SOS. Not familiar with "Nine-tap".

48. Parisian pronoun : TOI

51. Frequent "SNL" host Baldwin : ALEC

52. Cassady of the Beat Generation : NEAL.Interesting read.

53. "Honest!" : IT IS!

59. __ Thai : PAD

60. Keys home: Abbr. : FLA. Florida Keys.

61. Everycowboy : TEX

62. Heckle : JEER

63. Something worn : OUTFIT

64. Sudden outburst : FLARE UP

65. Naysayer : ANTI

66. Charm : AMULET. My friend Roberto wears an evil eye.

67. Critical : DIRE

69. Olds model : ALERO. And 70. Buick model : REGAL

73. Executed perfectly : DONE TO A TEE. Nice.

74. Role shared by Fey and Poehler at the last three Golden Globe Awards : EMCEE. They're a great pair.

75. Certain contests : BEES

77. Harbor seal : SEA CALF

78. Letters in many email addresses : AOL

79. Prez after Harry : IKE

80. Highest degree : NTH

81. Amateur golfer Charlie with three top-ten finishes at the Masters : COE. Had no memory of him. I just found out that he died the day I arrived in the US (May 16, 2001).

82. Really enjoyed oneself : HAD A BLAST. Love this fill.

84. They can make your pupils greater : EYE DROPS

85. Dictator's assistant : STENO. Gimme for veteran solvers.

86. No longer burdened by : RID OF

92. Steering system part : TIE ROD

94. Goes for on eBay : BIDS ON. Topps Heritage is just out. It'll take us lots of bidding to complete the Chrome set.

96. Double-reed winds : OBOES

98. Temptation on the rocks : SIREN. Not drinks.

100. Annual coll. tourneys : NCAAs

101. Practice piece : ETUDE

102. Snug headgear : DO-RAG

104. Alleged visitors : UFOs

105. Phnom __ : PENH

106. Hors d'oeuvre spread : PATE. Want some? I just got a big cup of home-made cornichons from Nelson's Meat yesterday.

107. Lacking color : PALE

109. Avatar of Vishnu : RAMA

110. Virus kin : WORM

111. "Darn it!" sound : SNAP

113. Response to an oversharer : TMI (Too Much Information)

C.C.

Monday, December 22, 2014 Roger Wienberg and Jeff Chen

Theme: A Royal Monday - I'll forgo the pictures because some don't like that first one.

17A. Vietnam War chopper : COBRA HELICOPTER. King Cobra

24A. Supernova named for its apparent resemblance to a crustacean : CRAB NEBULA. King Crab

40A. Publisher with an Antarctic bird logo : PENGUIN CLASSICS. King Penguin

50A. Shade similar to coral : SALMON PINK. King Salmon

60A. Lion, and a hint to critters that begin 17-, 24-, 40- and 50-Across : KING OF THE BEASTS

Argyle here. A lot of themeage for a Monday; three grid spanners, wow! Plus, it appears to be a debut for Roger Wienberg.

Across:

1. Address for a Southern belle : MA'AM

5. California wine county : NAPA

9. Chip-in at a doc's office : CO-PAY

14. __ mater : ALMA

15. Preschool basics : ABCs

16. Where to hear high C's : OPERA

20. Measuring stick : RULER

21. Sigh of delight : "AAH!"

22. Atlanta-based news channel : CNN

23. Reverent poem : ODE

29. Caesar's "vidi" : "I SAW". (veni, vidi, vici/I came, I saw, I conquered)

30. Pierre's "Done!" : "FINI!"

31. "Scram, cat!" : "SCAT!". I said, "It can't be SCAT" and yet....

34. Bounty alternative : VIVA. Paper towels.

37. Knife hyped on infomercials : GINSU. No Z.

43. Arrive by corporate jet : FLY IN

44. Sandstorm residue : GRIT

45. Eight, en español : OCHO

46. Pharmaceutical product : DRUG

48. Blessing : BOON

53. "Then what happened?" : "AND?

56. Cunning : SLY

57. Fleur-de-__ : LIS

58. Magazine copy : ISSUE

65. "Too rich for my blood" : "I'M OUT!". Poker, when the bet is too high.

66. Ecstatic review : RAVE

67. Dispense, with "out" : METE

68. Pond critters : NEWTs. The juvenile is called an eft. Both are crossword staples.

69. Was in debt : OWED

70. River of Hades : STYX

Down:

1. Close-up lens : MACRO

2. Not whispered : ALOUD

3. Walk leisurely : AMBLE

4. Mature filly : MARE

5. "Not for me" : "NAH"

6. President in a stovepipe hat, familiarly : ABE

7. Techie training site : PC LAB

8. Himalayan, e.g. : ASIAN

9. Murmur lovingly : COO

10. Like across and down: Abbr. : OPP. (opposite)

11. Place for animal vaccinations : PET CLINIC

12. Competition setting : ARENA

13. Entertaining story : YARN

18. Parts of circles : ARCs

19. "Hell's Kitchen" contestant : CHEF

25. Sitarist Shankar : RAVI

26. Bowling over : AWING

27. Major leagues, in baseball slang : BIGS

28. What singers sing in when they don't harmonize : UNISON

29. Trendsetting socialite : IT GIRL

31. Sunblock letters : SPF. (sun protection factor)

32. Cartoon frame : CEL

33. Words said with impatience : ANY DAY NOW

35. DVD predecessor : VCR

36. Suspect's need : ALIBI

38. Org. with .edu addresses : SCH. (school)

39. Support gp. for troops : USO. (United Service Organizations)

41. E pluribus __ : UNUM

42. Like __ of bricks : ATON

47. Game often involving a cart : GOLF

49. Dust Bowl refugee : OKIE

50. "Ghostbusters" goo : SLIME

51. The "N" in TNT : NITRO

52. "Fiddle-faddle!" : "PSHAW!"

53. Balance sheet item : ASSET

54. Off-the-wall : NUTTY

55. Spay or neuter : DESEX

56. Tattooist's surface : SKIN

59. Wal-Mart warehouse club : SAM'S

61. Belly : GUT

62. Extra-play qtrs. : OTs. (overtime)

63. Time for last-minute Christmas wrapping : EVE. Almost!

64. Stream bottom : BED

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Today we celebrate the 70th birthday of our sweet Misty! On and off the blog, she's gentle and caring. "Gimme a break" for some unfair clues is the harshest thing she's ever said on this blog.

Misty and her husband Rowland

Saturday, Nov 29th, 2014, Jeff Chen

Theme: None

Words: 64 (missing F,K,Q,Z)

Blocks: 33

I saw Jeff's name, and cringed - I usually suffer an epic fail when he's the constructor, but I am pleased to announce that I was, in fact, able to beat this one, with a mere 3 seconds to spare on my personal time clock.  Yay~!!  I can feel my brain cells tingling.  I loved the look of this puzzle, a true pinwheel of backwards "block C's", connected via four 10-letter fills, though it does make for a low word/high block count.  The longer fill:

24. Superstitious admonition : DON'T JINX IT - Great fill

9. Court groups : LEGAL TEAMS - Because TENNIS teams was too long

39. Undeveloped areas : OPEN SPACES

26. Ones who are retiring : INTROVERTS - I consider myself an introvert, but I am about 20yrs from retiring - har-har~!

OOO  N     N  W             W     A          RRR    DDD      ~!

O   O  NN  N    W   W   W   A  A        R    R  D    D   ~!
O   O  N  NN      W W W   A  A  A     R R     D D     ~!
OOO  N     N       W  W    A             A   R  R   D        ~!

ACROSS:

1. It's a bluff : SCARP - geological jargon

6. Let it all out, perhaps : BAWL

10. "Yeah, what-evs" : "I BET"

14. Kit and kaboodle : TOTAL

15. She plays Jackie on "Nurse Jackie" : EDIE

16. "99 Luftballons" band : NENA

17. Taqueria adjective : ASADA

18. Tongue specialists? : LINGUISTS - I knew where this was going, but "OLE" at 19d was messing me up; the "O" was making me try to get LEXICOLOGIST to fit

20. Six-Day War setting : SINAI - I knew it involved Israel, but it took a moment for this broader geographical area to occur to me

21. Target, say : MEGA-STORE - does anyone else pronounce it "tar - ZHAY" to make it sound more upscale~?

22. Prince Valiant's heir apparent : ARN - knew from doing crosswords

23. Beat on "Survivor" : OUTLASTED - outwit, outplay - outwitted worked, too

27. Laborer on the move : MIGRANT

28. Crushed, as a spice : PESTLED

34. Obliquely : ASLANT and a straight up clecho; 3d. Obliquely : AT AN ANGLE

35. Without serious consideration : AIRILY

36. "Yikes!" : "JEEPERS~!"

38. Considerable : IMMENSE

41. Title bout, say : MAIN EVENT - nailed it, which gave me the first letters of the corresponding DOWNS, and that always helps

46. Reminder of an old flame? : ASH

47. Purity : INNOCENCE

48. First name in rap : TUPAC - Shakur, gunned down in Las Vegas, Nevada

51. "Sleepy Hollow" director : TIM BURTON - nailed it.  Does anyone watch the TV series~?  I am enjoying the new "Constantine" on NBC

52. One of Chekhov's "Three Sisters" : IRINA - I toyed with ELENA, IRENE, and was not too far off

53. Abbr. for the nameless? : et al. - Latin for "and others"

54. Rocky heights : TORS - more geological jargon

55. Small change : CENTS - I tried DIMES first

56. Judicious : SANE

57. Weapon of yore : SNEE

58. "Grumpy Old Men" actor Davis : OSSIE

DOWN: 

1. King's Cross and others: Abbr. : STAs - London train stop

2. Mozart title starter : COSI - fan tutti, an opera by Wolfgang

4. Gun site : RADAR TRAP - Clever; it took a long time for me to tie "gun" to "trap", which I had via perps;  I was trying so hard to get BATTLESHIP to fit, or maybe "---DECK"; what's the name for the ship's armament level, Spitz?

5. Easy-to-miss miss : PLAIN JANE - sometimes, it's the plain Janes that are the most attractive when they dress up, IMHO

6. Last of an annual trio : BELMONT - Dah~!! Took way too long for me to get this; the Triple Crown of horse racing - The Kentucky Derby and The Preakness Stakes are the other two - in the U.S.

7. Ciao relatives : ADIEUX - I was so pleased to put in ADIEUS, but I needed the Frawnche version to be right

8. Certain brogue : WINGTIP - ah, the shoe, not the accent

11. Inebriate : BESOT - the verb, not the noun

12. Between, to Berlioz : ENTRE

13. Extremely shocked? : TASED - yep, that's getting extremely shocked

19. World Cup chant : "USA~!" - and a referential clue at 10d. 19-Down, e.g.: Abbr. : INITs

24. Key of Pachelbel's Canon: Abbr. : D maj - Ah~!  The "A" was there, so I had 75% of this one taken care of

25. River through northern France : OISE

29. Like-minded : SIMPATICO - SYMPATHETIC did not fit; nor did COMPASSIONATE

30. Cherishes : TREASURES

31. Vital components : LINCH PINS - Don't know why I spelled Linch with a "Y", maybe this connection

32. Conditional word : ELSE

33. Turns red, perhaps : DYES

37. Used to buy : SPENT ON - I get it, but the tense/usage doesn't quite jibe with me

38. Pungent, for example : INTENSE

40. Request for more : ENCORE

41. Pittances : MITES - meh.  I think mOtes is a better fit

42. Jazz singer O'Day : ANITA

43. "Cold Mountain" hero : INMAN

44. Lofty : NOBLE

45. Coin first minted under Louis IX : ECU - learned by doing crosswords

49. Against : ANTI

50. Court event : CASE

Splynter

Tuesday, May 20, 2014 Jeff Chen

Theme: Name That Tune - Probably the first song we ever learned.

20A. "Twinkle, twinkle, little star" : ABCDEFG

28A. "How I wonder what you are" : HIJKLMNOP

36A. "Up above the ..." : QRS

41A. "... world so high" : TUV

44. "Like a diamond in the sky" : WXY AND Z

58A. Ditty sharing a melody with "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" : THE ALPHABET SONG

Argyle here. The puzzle has mirror (left to right) symmetry and is a pangram. Plus: the reveal spans the grid.

Across:

1. Gallery exhibitors : ARTISTS

8. NFL great "Boomer" : ESIASON

15. Dada pioneer : JEAN ARP

16. Heavenly : SUBLIME

17. "Hamlet" woman at whose grave Gertrude says "Sweets to the sweet" : OPHELIA

18. Flowing locks : TRESSES

19. Rain-__ Pops: gum-filled candy : BLO

22. LAPD rank : SGT.

23. Polite country assent : YES'M

25. Language suffix : ESE

26. "Divine Secrets of the __ Sisterhood" : YA-YA

31. First of 12 popes : PIUS I

33. Mark or markka replacements : EUROs

37. Rock bottom : NADIR

43. Carrier with a hub at DEN : UAL. Denver is the fourth-largest hub for United Airlines.

46. Brewed drink : TEA

47. Very little, in recipes : A DASH

49. Put the kibosh on : END

50. Agenda listings : ITEMS

52. "Divine Comedy" poet : DANTE

53. Cagey : SLY

54. "Gay" capital of song : PAREE

55. Forest foragers : DEER

57. Finger of smoke : WISP

65. New Year's Eve popper : CORK

66. Gumption : MOXIE

67. Fencing sword : EPEE

68. Untidy situation : MESS

69. Throw money around : SPEND

70. Atty.-to-be's exam : LSAT. (Law School Admission Test)

Down:

1. "This looks like __ for Superman!" : A JOB

2. Email option : REPLY

3. California/Nevada resort lake : TAHOE

4. Suffix with elephant or serpent : INE

5. Deli display : SALAMIs

6. Chicago paper, familiarly : TRIB. Chicago Tribune

7. See 12-Down : SPACEK 12D. With 7-Down, "Coal Miner's Daughter" star : SISSY

8. Hold in high regard : ESTEEM

9. Poke around the Web : SURF

10. Pleading remark : "I BEG YOU"

11. Racing Unsers : ALs

13. Horseshoe-shaped letter : OMEGA

14. Place for a jay : NEST

21. ISP option : DSL. (digital subscriber line)

24. Moo __ pork : SHU

27. Busy mo. for a CPA : APR.

29. Hex : JINX

30. Many a Pi Day celebrant : NERD. Pi Day is March 14 (or 3/14) celebrating the mathematical constant π since 3, 1, and 4 are the first three significant digits of π.

31. Big name in high fashion : PRADA

32. 1980s four-peat Stanley Cup champs : ISLANDERS

34. Frozen fruit-juice treats : OTTER POPS

35. "I was wrong. So what" : "SUE ME!"

36. Campus hangout : QUAD

38. Yeses at sea : AYEs

39. Pioneer Boone, folksily : DAN'L

40. 200-lap race, briefly : INDY. Indianapolis 500.

42. Place for posies : VASE

44. Ferris __ : WHEEL

45. "Shh!" : "ZIP IT!"

48. Chophouse fare : STEAKS

51. Loafer adornment : TASSEL

56. Tach measures: Abbr. : RPMs

57. Invasive plant : WEED 59D. 57-Down killer : HOE

58. Channel for old films : TCM. (Turner Classic Movies)

60. Short flight : HOP

61. Lumberjack's tool : AXE

62. Composting receptacle : BIN

63. PBS supporter : NEA. (National Endowment for the Arts)

64. Understand : GET

Argyle