Friday, January 12, 2018, Priscilla Clark & Jeff Chen

Title: Welcome to Punnsylvania

Priscilla makes her LAT debut with one of the master mentors- Jeff Chen. He previously helped her to publication in the NYT in 2016. Jeff is a prolific constructor, writer, editor and very nice man. He writes daily about the NYT puzzles, where he has 46 collaborative publications. Each theme fill takes a phrase with the "ens" sound word converted to the "ins" sound.

Finding two grid-spanning fill was nice and the grid was very open.  Jeff and his partners always include a great deal of sparkly fill and here we have ROTUNDA,  VINTNER, ALLOPATH,  CURTAINS,  REAR EXIT,  REGICIDE and TIDEPOOLS. My only unknown was TILSIT a cheese I guess I should remember. As with all sound puzzles YMMV.


17A. Instruction for dolphin riders? : STRADDLE THE FINS (14). Straddle the FENCE. Does the sound of dolphins and fins grate?

22A. Flashy genetic enhancements? : DNA SEQUINS (10). DNA SEQUENCE. They started rerunning the original CSI on ION TV.

34A. Groaners in a routine? : SINS OF HUMOR (11). SENSE of humor. The central themer has the change in the first word, the rest the last word.

50A. Time capsules? : FUTURE TINS (10). Future TENSE. Capsule = tin? Maybe.

57A. Use second fiddles in a pinch? : RESORT TO VIOLINS (14). Resort to VIOLENCE. I am not sure why they needed to be second fiddles, but this is my favorite.

Across:

1. Compass output: ARCS. Last week it was EAST. The other compass.  LINK.

5. Gershwin title color: BLUE. This is a wonderful piece of music. RHAPSODY IN BLUE.
He also wrote BLUE LULLABY.

9. Presidential daughter Reagan: PATTI. Ms. Davis changed her last name to her mother's maiden name in an effort to have an independent career.

14. Bird's-nest, e.g. : SOUP. I put this in and took it out and then put it back.  INFO.

15. Ounce: IOTA. If you had one iota of gumption...

16. Zac of "Baywatch": EFRON. He was in the movie version with the Rock.

20. Reader with reprints: UTNE. A popular crossword fill, the Utne Reader is a quarterly American magazine that collects and reprints articles on politics, culture, and the environment, generally from alternative media sources including journals, newsletters, weeklies, zines, music, and DVDs. Wiki.

21. Flight attendant's indication: REAR EXIT. Too many politically incorrect thoughts to comment.

25. Ticket: CITE. That is why it is called a citation.

26. Oscar role for Forest: IDI. Forest Whitaker as Idi Amin.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iV_QgKJFZP0

27. Piña colada liquor: RUM. Mixed with pineapple juice and coconut cream.

28. Like "black diamond" slopes: STEEP.

29. Hot-dog it? : PANT. A warm canine pants, the tongue is their sweat gland..

31. New England cape: ANN.

33. __ generis: SUI. This TERM has importance in the Law, likely misunderstood by me and others.

38. "I'm such a moron!" : D'OH. Not just Homer Simpson uses this phrase.

39. Car nut: LUG. Not someone who loves cars, but the lug nut which holds your tire in place on the wheel.

40. Campbell of "House of Cards": NEVE. The puzzle was likely written before the Kevin Spacey scandal, but apparently, Neve was an interesting character. I had stopped watching before the kerfuffle.

43. Filled entirely: SATED.

46. What bills may become: LAW.

48. "Amscray!" : GIT. Our first pig latin in a very long time.

49. Pace often rapid: CLIP.

54. Alternative medicine practitioner's term for a mainstream doctor: ALLOPATH. The expression was coined in 1810 by the creator of homeopathy, Samuel Hahnemann (1755–1843).In such circles, the expression "allopathic medicine" is still used to refer to "the broad category of medical practice that is sometimes called Western medicine, biomedicine, evidence-based medicine, or modern medicine." Wiki. I learned this while auditing a course in alternative medicine that my massage therapist was taking.

56. One might have tears in it: DUCT. Not if it is the TAPE. Lots of fun stuff.

61. Quick: AGILE.

62. Name of kings in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden: ERIC. This was an easy guess, but there is much more to learn about these Constitutional MONARCHIES.

63. Light bulb, metaphorically: IDEA.

64. Pioneer of song who "crossed the wide mountains with her lover Ike": BETSY. This was hard. I did not remember much of this SONG. The lyrics are not the same as the Johnny Cash version.

65. Risqué: RACY. Two old fashioned words.

66. APB quarry: PERP. Two weeks in a row for this fill.

Down:

1. Jenny's offspring : ASS. Not poor Jennny McCarthy, but the female Donkey. All you need to know about ASSES.

2. Capitol sight : ROTUNDA. Just think round, usually with a dome.

3. Disastrous end : CURTAINS. My mental image:

4. Extends over : SPANS. Like the bridges we discused recently.

5. Compete for the job : BID.

6. Online chuckle : LOL.

7. Female marsupials have two : UTERI. The poor male marsupial. Kangaroos have three vaginas. ... Koalas, wombats and Tasmanian devils all share the three-vagina structure. The side ones carry sperm to the two uteruses (and males marsupials often have two-pronged penises), while the middle vagina sends the joey down to the outside world. I can't make this stuff up.

8. Taken back, as words : EATEN.

9. Equal : PEER.

10. Love : AFFECTION.

11. Ed's wife on "The Honeymooners" : TRIXIE. She was played by five different actresses during the life of the SHOWS from 1951 to 1970.

12. Ad time : TONITE.

13. Shoe part : INSTEP.

18. Lots of bucks : DEER.

19. Is afflicted with : HAS.

22. Depression : DIP.

23. Put down : QUASH. A rebellion?

24. "Did you really think I'd go for that?" : UM NO.

28. Largest number in many a column : SUM. This added up for me.

30. Homes for creatures of the not-so-deep : TIDE POOLS. Tide pools provide a home for hardy organisms such as starfish, mussels and clams. Inhabitants must be able to deal with a frequently changing environment — fluctuations in water temperature, salinity, and oxygen content. Wiki.

32. Org. in a 1966 merger agreement : NFL.

33. Raw, brown or white stuff : SUGAR.

35. Third of a kid's poem trio : NOD. I was winken and blinken through this one.

36. TV streaming option : HULU. I have not tried them, using only Netflix and Amazon. Anyone have a review?

37. "Game of Thrones" evilness : REGICIDE. Killing the King- we have both Cersei and her brother, the Kingslayer. Add that to doing away with Joffrey....well it is not a nice place to visit.

41. Wine label info : VINTNER. A CSO to Chairman Moe.

42. "Hitchhiker's Guide" beings, for short : ETS.

43. Many a hieroglyphic insect : SCARAB. Odd to see this again- two weeks in a row.

44. Claim : ALLEGE. A very popular legal word.

45. Semihard Swiss cheese : TILSIT.

47. Declaration at a group wedding : WE DO. I think they each say, "I DO" but I do not know. Oo said I could have only one wife.

50. Target of budget trimming : FAT.

51. Complete : UTTER.

52. Birch of "American Beauty" : THORA. I have had her in a few friday write-ups.

53. Showy bulb : TULIP.

55. Hunted one : PREY.

58. Ford's Crown __ : VIC.

59. Like comets : ICY.

60. Easy mark : SAP. Beacuse they get sucked dry?

Well there was a lot there and much to discuss. Hope you had fun and look forward to all the comments. Lemonade out.

Saturday, May 27th, 2017, Jeff Chen

Theme: None

Words: 68 (missing F,J,Q,X)

Blocks: 34

We have not seen a solo Jeff Chen on a Saturday in quite some time.  This one was looking pretty grim for a while, and then one or two words broke it open for me.  Triple spanner stack today, with two 9- and 10-letter climbers crossing - not the usual short 3- and 4-letter words to help out - and thus convenient tie-ins, corner to corner.  Last to fill was the NE, and I was able to finish well within my personal allotted time - but I will own up to turning on red-letters for just one cel, a crossing of a personal name and a clue that I just did not get.  Figures.  The spanners;

35. Make trouble : CREATE A NUISANCE - not exactly in the 'vernacular' I would say, so a bit of a stretch for me

38. 1997 Emmy winner for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series : GILLIAN ANDERSON - for her role as Agent Dana Scully from the X-files, one of my favorite shows of all time

39. It might cause quite a shock : ELECTRIC CURRENT -  I threw in the first word , and waited to see what the second half of the answer would be

¡~pɹɐʍuo (15a.)

ACROSS:

1. Crisis advice : DON'T PANIC - ah, Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide advice

10. Military clipping? : BUZZ

14. "Fish" star : ABE VIGODA - got it, but then again, I know no one else from that show

15. It's often transported upside-down : CANOE - got it from the "C", and the clue had me intrigued - I was thinking larger, like something on a flat-bed

They caught the Loch Ness monster~!

16. Parts of many place settings : TEASPOONS - SALAD FORK~?  SOUP SPOON~? Had to wait, missed the plural

17. "Loot" playwright : ORTON - the "T" was a Natick - I tried "S" and "D"

18. Fictional 1847 autobiographer : EYRE - I tried "FINN" first

19. Physics model using an analogy to the solar system : BOHR ATOM

21. Adulterer follower, in slang : TEC - deTECtive, tho I did not get the clue at first because I was thinking "adulterer" was some sort of X-rated reference; I suppose it is, in a way

24. They're framed : CELS

25. British racing cars : MGs

28. Trees whose bark contains the anti-inflammatory salicin : ALDERS - Pondered POPLAR and WALNUT before I saw the plural "S" in treeS

31. Real piece of work : TASK

40. Coder's conditional : ELSE - why 'coder's'~?

41. Bible-toting aunt on "Sanford and Son" : ESTHER - had the "E", seemed Biblically appropriate; semi-clecho with 54d. "Sanford and Son" first name : REDD - the actor, FOXX, whose real name was Sanford

42. The French? : LES - Frawnche for "The"

43. Bite : NOSH

45. Muppets chimp __ Minella : SAL - har-har
                                                                                           ..
47. Made bank : HIT IT BIG - like the second verse from this Spinal Tap song

"Hell Hole" @ 1:20

51. Thickening agent : AGAR

55. Nugget of wisdom : PEARL

56. "Pick it up!" : "LOOK ALIVE~!"

59. The "Iliad" and the "Odyssey" : SAGAS - I had EPICS; this one could not be clued as "palidromic", since that appears at 27d.

60. Like bears and koala bears : UNRELATED - clever

61. False __ : IDOL - I thought of so many other "falses"

62. Best Upset, e.g. : ESPY AWARD

DOWN:

1. Tinder meeting : DATE

2. Follow : OBEY

3. Around : NEAR

4. Boob tube : TV SET - I mentioned this last week

5. Dimple on a die : PIP - I just discovered there is such a thing as "back dimples"

some have gone so far as to get them pierced....

6. Earlier : AGO

7. Neophyte, briefly : NOOB

8. SSN, e.g. : ID No.

9. Problem caused by fallen dough? : CASH CRUNCH

10. MVP of Super Bowls I and II : BART STARR

11. Word that sometimes precedes itself : UNTO - unto unto~? As in do unto....~?

12. Shooter's piece : ZOOM - photo shooter, that is; I was in gangster "gat" mode

13. Peaceful : ZEN - first thought, but hesitated to fill it in

15. Shade of black : COAL - dah~!  Not EBON

20. Distillery leftovers : RESIDUES

22. Wipe out, in snowboarding slang : EAT IT

23. Least obfuscatory : CLEAREST - good $2 word in there; and when you use it, most people are obfuscated

25. Bobby in a '70s chart-topper : McGEE

26. Give the third degree : GRILL

27. Palindromic court star : SELES

29. Cheese with PGI status (protected geographical indication) : DANISH BLUE - uh, sounds like cheese....

30. Pass : ENACT

32. First name in landscape photography : ANSEL - Adams

33. Clotted cream may be put on one : SCONE - ugh - just the name makes me cringe - and my parents are English

34. Superman's kin : KENTS - here on Earth

36. Indians' habitat?: Abbr. : AL CENTRAL - I figured it was Cleveland, but did not know their specific baseball division

37. Brazilian mountain chain : SERRA

44. Essential __ : OILS

46. Bochco drama : L.A. LAW

47. Big enchilada : HEAD

48. Manipulator of the Moor : IAGO

49. They carry charges : IONS

50. It's also called scroggin or schmogle : GORP - learned here at the blog that it stands for "Good Old Raisins and Peanuts"

52. Sanskrit scripture, with "the" : GITA - Got it, since I like the TV show "Ancient Aliens"; it refers to this writing in several episodes

53. Swear to be true : AVER - or AVOW~?  Had to wait.  It's been a while since I've seen this answer.

55. Chi follower : PSI - made me change my EPICS to SAGAS

57. Instrumental : KEY

58. Styled after : Á LA

Splynter

Friday May 5, 2017 Jeff Chen and Seth Geltman

(Note from C.C.: Lemonade still feels quite weak from his surgeries. D-Otto blogged today's puzzle.)

Theme: FUZZY MATH - Each math term is re-phrased as non-math.

“Fuzzy math” has a couple of very different meanings. In one sense, it can describe the way a politician defends his pie-in-the-sky spending plan. It’s also a valid field of math related to fuzzy logic and fuzzy set theory. I’m not sure this puzzle fits either of those meanings. To me, it just seems to be a smattering of unrelated, but weirdly-clued, two-word math expressions:

17A. Bizarre entr'acte? : ODD NUMBER

25A. Cue from the wings? : LINE SEGMENT

37A. L.A. or N.Y. publishing equipment? : TIMES TABLES (Equipment?)

49A. Upbringing involving unhip oldies? : SQUARE ROOTS

And the reveal…

61A. It doesn't add up ... except as a hint to 17-, 25-, 37- and 49-Across : FUZZY MATH

This is another of the frequent collaborations from Jeff and Seth. We’ve seen Jeff here many times. Seth teaches computer science to grade school kids in California. He writes about his joint efforts with Jeff: “In the Pro-Am circuit of puzzles, he (Jeff) is definitely the Pro, and I'm the Am.” (Sorta like the cornerites’ collaborations with C.C.)

Let’s see what Jeff’s and Seth’s integration has wrought...

Across:

1. Ike, in the '50s : PREZ

5. Suffix for "leader" : ARCH. As in monARCH, oligARCH, etc. Had to think about it before the light went on.

9. Stopped to think : MUSED. My first guess.

14. First female attorney general : RENO. Janet was in charge during the Branch Davidian debacle in Waco. She passed away last November. There’s probably more than you ever wanted to know about her here.

15. Animal in una arena : TORO.  “Una arena” tells us the answer will be Spanish.

16. Fester, e.g. : UNCLE. Morticia’s Uncle Fester on the Addams Family.

19. Historic name in India : MAHAL.  As in the Taj. Tried NEHRU first.

20. "Millennium" trilogy author Larsson : STIEG/ The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played With Fire, The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest. Have you read them? I thought they were pretty good.

21. "It's go time" : I’M UP (Meh!)

23. It's little when it's white : LIE. Probably my favorite clue in this puzzle.

29. Enter furtively : EDGE IN. Sneak and Steal in were too long.

31. Locks removed at night? : TOUPEE. Voted second favorite clue.

32. Curb : REIN Another first guess.

33. Reserved box, maybe : VIP SEAT (Meh #2)

40. Apt : GERMANE. No relation to Jermaine Jackson.

41. Sleazy gaze : LEER Not OGLE this time.

44. Sanction : PERMIT

47. "Open wide!" : SAY AAH

53. It's quite a mess : STY

54. Land of Freud: Abbr. : AUS tria

55. Flush, in Tijuana : RICO. Rich, no relation to Rich Norris.

56. Try to strike : HIT AT

58. Beamed : LIT UP

63. Muse of memory : MNEME. Looked really weird, until I remembered “mnemonic.” She was one of the original three muses. Later there were nine.

64. Hightail it : FLEE

65. Limo destination : PROM. Commonplace today. LIMOs were unheard of at the proms of my ute.

66. Accord, for one : SEDAN. Honda.

67. A or B, for the record : SIDE Those good ole 45’s with the big whole in the middle.

68. Figs. that are never intentionally reused : SSNs The first three digits once signified the area where the card was issued. No more. Soon Medicare will begin issuing cards with non-SSN numbers. I carry my Medicare card, but I’ve blacked out all but the last 4 digits.

Down:

1. Do quite well : PROSPER

2. Destructive algal bloom : RED TIDE

3. Writing a "Dear John" letter, say : ENDING IT

4. Lose focus, with "out" : ZONE

5. It requires a 24-Across : ATM (24A: See 5-Down. PIN)

6. Hood of folklore : ROBIN

7. Eclair filling : CREME Tried CREAM first.

8. Egyptian sky god : HORUS No relation to Horace Greeley.

9. Quiet : MUM

10. Feminine article in Italy : UNA Second appearance today – see 15a.

11. Haul : SCHLEP Dutch-German origin. I’ll bet Spitz knew that.

12. Sitcom character who dated baseball's Keith Hernandez : ELAINE Thank you, perps.

13. Insert neighbor, on PCs : DELETE Did you cheat? On my keyboard it’s directly below Insert.

18. Wrinkly hybrid : UGLI

22. Beatle for two years : PETE BEST

26. DC-to-AC electronic device : INVERTER If you’ve got solar photo-voltaic panels on your roof, you need an INVERTER to make the power usable.

27. "Scoooooooooore!" : GOAL Soccer (or futbol).

28. Without a sound : MUTELY Without a spoken word, perhaps, not necessarily soundless.

30. Baffler : ENIGMA The machine.

34. Ending for many schools : ISM Capitalism, socialism, communism, ad nauseum...

35. Fundraising sch. group : PTA

36. Franciscan leader? : SAN San Francisco

38. Milwaukee schoolteacher who went on to lead Israel : MEIR Golda, who became Prime Minister.

39. Typically five-armed marine invertebrates : SEA STARS

42. Go whole hog on Thanksgiving : EAT A TON

43. Beats : RHYTHMS (Weird letter combinations)

44. Biblical collection : PSALMS (Weird letter combinations part 2)

45. Track runner : EQUINE i.e. a horse.

46. Suffered from neglect, in a way : RUSTED

48. Hardly hale : ASHY (I guess they mean “pale” or “wan.”)

50. Jazz improvisations : RIFFS

51. Eyelike openings : OCULI

52. Slowly exuded : OOZED

57. Cheeky tykes : IMPS

59. She played Mia in "Pulp Fiction" : UMA Thurman

60. __ name : PEN The male swan has a cob name.

62. Part of a dazzling duo? : ZEE daZZling.

It wasn’t a slog, but this one just didn’t do it for me. Your mileage may differentiate. Thanks for the effort, Jeff and Seth.

As you read this, I’ll be at the Medical Center having a routine EGD – not to be confused with a GED. Desper-otto out (literally).

Saturday, Sep 3rd, 2016, Mary Lou Guizzo & Jeff Chen

Theme: None

Words: 70 (missing J,V,X,Z)

Blocks: 26

 Second time this duo has connected on a Saturday (1/9/16), and reviewing the last puzzle, I had my doubts on today's success.  Yet once again there were just enough "I got it" answers to allow me to finish, in good time, and a "ta-DA~!" that came without searching for any bad cells.  Triple 11's in the Across and triple 10's in the Down and a classic pinwheel design with some other chunky fill;

15. "Tristes apprets" from "Castor et Pollux," e.g. : SOPRANO ARIA - I sensed it was going to be "OPERA---" or "---VOCAL" but let it "go to the Downs" before trying something; see the crossing 6d.

13. It has its kinks : GARDEN HOSE - Oh, I so wanted PANTYHOSE to make the puzzle; Lemonade has been spot-on two weeks running now

55. Al Jazeera and Yomiuri Shimbun : NEWS OUTLETS - I know the name Al Jazeera, so I threw in "NEWS---" and waited

25. Betty Crocker brand of instant mashed : POTATO BUDS

HAWKWARD~?

ACROSS:

1. Subject of the 1998 Supreme Court case New Jersey v. New York : ELLIS ISLAND

12. Information __ : AGE

16. Billy's reply? : MAA - dah~!  Sheep go BAA, goats go "MAA"~? - tho we could be talking about a human kid named Billy

17. Group sharing a name with a cranberry cocktail : PINK MARTINI - never heard of the group or the drink

18. Docs' work areas : ERS - "to "E" or not to "E"; that is the question; I went with "O"RS

19. Slip or clip follower : ONS - nice misdirection; needing the plural for a singular clue - slip-ons, clip-ons

20. Rich rocks : ORES - Diamond didn't fit

21. Hot : TRENDY - unsure if this was the "IRATE" or "HIP" definition

23. Satyr's kin : FAUN - one of those "I got it" clues

24. Rear : KEISTER - spelled it wrong; I before E, right~?  wEird....

25. Obvious : PATENT

28. Holiday decor item : PINE CONE - check this out

About $1mil - the site

29. Final announcements : OBITS - eh, could have used an abbr here

30. Comes across : FINDS - dah~! Not MEETS

31. "__ Crossroads": Bone Thugs-n-Harmony song : THA - shoulda known it was not "AT A"

32. Hue : TONE

33. Game with a varying number of cards : BINGO - ah, those cards

34. Like many horses : SHOD

35. __ Nova : ARS - the Wiki

36. Turkestan tents : YURTS - another "I got it"

37. Full moon, e.g. : PHASE - there was a solar eclipse on Thursday, but couldn't see it from my house; the lunar semi-eclipse in two weeks can't be seen from here, either

38. Sports nail-biters : TIE GAMES - OVERTIMES didn't fit

40. Felix __, CIA friend of Bond : LEITER - "I got it" clue - if you get the chance, try this book, a history of the making of the Bond films - great read

41. Siouan tribe : OGLALAS - mostly perps

42. Portrayer of Buddy's father in "Elf" : CAAN - I just can't sit through this seasonal movie; I'm more of "A Christmas Story" buff

43. Acrimonious : BITTER - My high school Latin teacher had this T-shirt;

MELIOR

NON

ACRIOR

44. Prince in "Frozen" : HANS - just saw it on TV; I find most of the CGI animation movies do an excellent job of re-telling classic stories; I'm tired of the endless "superhero" films that have been popular over the last decade

45. Wise chip flavor : BBQ

48. Low número : UNO

49. Actress in "Spy" (2015) : MIRANDA HART - perps and a WAG

52. Wet blanket : DEW - ah.  Not the metaphoric "DUD"

53. "Grown Ups" star : ADAM SANDLER

54. Loan application fig. : SSN

DOWN:

1. 1960s-'70s Orr teammate, to fans : ESPO - Phil Esposito; hockey players on the Boston Bruins - we are almost to the new season~!

2. Prime cut : LOIN

3. OR teammates : LPNs

4. Needle : IRK - Dah~!  Not RIB

5. Apia natives : SAMOANS

6. Suffering from ennui : IN A RUT - reminds me of this song - talk about soprano

Stuck In A Rut

7. "Either/Or" author Kierkegaard : SØREN - another "I know it" clue, as I like to 'dabble' in personality types

8. Muscles strengthened by muscle-ups : LATS - better fit than PECS, which was my other WAG for this clue

9. Shipping nickname : ARI

10. Longtime Seattle Mariners' majority owner : NINTENDO - I did not know this

11. Jersey homes : DAIRIES - clever; cows - not dose guys across the bridge (see 1a.)

Local (NY) humor

12. "Couldn't agree with you more!" : "AMEN TO THAT~!"

14. Basic kids' book : EASY READER

22. Key to backing up? : ESCape - that kind of 'key'

23. Regale : FÊTE

24. Some royals : KINGS

26. Indigenous Tasmanians : ABORIGINES

27. Show biz nickname : TINSELTOWN - ah.  A general name; thought it was going to be a proper name

28. Gelato units : PINTS

30. Kindles : FIRES - TABLETS didn't fit

33. Hitchhike : BUM A RIDE - I know two guys who bummed a ride from the Vogons

 Arthur and Ford from HHGG

34. __ splints : SHIN

36. Every Skull and Bones member, until 1991 : YALE MAN

37. Serf : PEASANT

39. Hood's weapon : GAT - I had the "T", so I knew it was that hood, not Robin Hood, and "BOW"

40. Convertible carriage : LANDAU

42. "I'll show you!" : "CAN SO~!"

44. Acting coach's banes : HAMS

45. Bundle in a field : BALE

46. Maverick on TV : BRET - another "I knew it"

47. Game divs. : QTRs

50. Unembellished : RAW

51. Med. number that's better when it's higher : HDL

Splynter

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