google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Jeff Stillman

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Showing posts with label Jeff Stillman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jeff Stillman. Show all posts

Dec 28, 2017

Thursday December 28th 2017 Jeff Stillman

Theme: Top 'O The Morning - Homophones. Vaguely. With an Irish twist?

17A. Author Gertrude's Irish friend? : PAL O' STEIN. Palestine. My dad was stationed in Palestine in the 1930's. He had nothing but good things to say about the county and the people.

59A. Irish physician? : MAN O' CURES. Manicures. Guinness and Jameson's whisky. Those are the Irish cures. My mom was given Guinness in hospital after I was born; she was anemic. You've got to love those kinds of diagnoses.

11D. Irish hotel that offers perfumed pillows? : INN O' SCENTS. Innocents. Here's Dublin's finest - The Clarence:



31D. Change tossed into an Irish busker's hat? : PAIR O' DIMES. Paradigms.

I'm not totally enthused by this theme. Homophones depend on how you speak, and some work for me, and some don't. Your mileage may vary. Let's leave it at that.

The North-west was a challenge, the rest was a regular Thursday experience. Let's see what jumps out:

Across:

1. Sugar amt. : TBSP. Tablespoon. Three of them in my sushi vinegar. 4-3-1 is the magic combination - 4 tbsps rice wine vinegar, 3 tbsp of sugar and the one is a teaspoon of salt.

5. Swimmer's regimen : LAPS. I once swam 334 laps of an Olympic pool for a charity event. It was a 10-mile marathon swim. I was dizzy when I got out of the pool.

9. Margaret Atwood's "__ Grace" : ALIAS. Thank you, crosses.

14. Cosmetic additive : ALOE

15. Alternatively : ELSE

16. Small drum or large antelope : BONGO. I knew the drum, not the antelope. Now I do. They're stripey:

r


19. Prepared to tackle : RAN AT

20. Foul odor : STENCH

21. Liquid-Plumr rival : DRANO. Probably to fix the above from a blocked drain.

23. Brewer's kiln : OAST

26. Black Sea port : ODESSA

29. Like some time-release pills : CAPSULAR. New word for me.I got there eventually, but it took some time.

33. Old Toyota subcompact : TERCEL

34. "Don't interrupt!" studio sign : ON AIR

35. Inflexibility : RIGOR

37. Head lines, for short? : E.E.G. Electroencephalography, but we all knew that.

38. Fail to attend : SKIP

39. Checkout choice : PAPER. Or Plastic. The latter is not available in LA anymore, the former you pay for. BYOB - bring your own bag. I like it.

40. Latin word on a cornerstone : ANNO. Domini. There's a new PC term for it now, but it's hard to replace all those foundation stones.


41. Road goo : TAR. Macadam. I love the smell of freshly-laid tar.

42. Church law : CANON

43. Buzzing : ASTIR

44. Pleasant emanations : AROMAS. See TAR above.

46. Antipathy : DISTASTE

48. Air traffic control devices : RADARS

49. Assist, as a theater patron : SEAT

50. Puts a dent in one's gas mileage : IDLES

52. Herbal cough drop brand : RICOLA. The commercials are annoying.

57. Carved piece of jewelry : CAMEO

62. Alaskan native : ALEUT

63. Straddling : UPON

64. "Let me know if you're coming" letters : RSVP. "Répondez s'il vous plaît". It annoys me when I see "Please RSVP". But I get annoyed with "ATM machine" and "PIN number". I guess I'm easily annoyed.

65. Mud nest builders : WASPS

66. Dinner summons at the manor house : GONG. I tried "RING" first. Was wrong.

67. Young fellows : BOYS

Down:

1. Melody from a bugler : TAPS

2. Sour note from a bugler : BLAT. Completely unknown, thank you, crosses. Any musicians amongst us care to explain?

3. Dover flatfish : SOLE

4. Menial employee : PEON

5. Quite destructive : LETHAL. Quite? Something of an understatement.

6. Bass, e.g. : ALE. Loved this clue/answer. The world's first trademark was the red triangle on the label.



7. Pressure meas. : PSI. Pounds per Square Inch. I rate cheesecake on how many pounds I gain per square inch of cheesecake eaten.

8. Dispatch : SEND

9. Carpenter's rasp, for one : ABRADER. More thank you, crosses. I'm sure an abrader is a thing, but I'm sure I'd never walk into a hardware store and ask for one.

10. Dealership vehicle : LOANER

12. Turkish title : AGA

13. Tosspot : SOT. Yet another learning moment. A tosspot in England is a loser.

18. Search far and wide : SCOUR. Great word.

22. Common pump part : ROTOR

24. Wrap for leftovers : SARAN. Plenty of these after Christmas.

25. Photography gear : TRIPODS.

27. "Already caught that movie" : SEEN IT!

28. 1990s veep : AL GORE I'm drinking some Tom Gore wine right now. Any relation?

29. Share the marquee : CO-STAR

30. Capital ESE of Istanbul : ANKARA

32. Sample some soup : SIP

36. "Arabian Nights" spirit : GENIE

39. Behind the times : PASSÉ

40. Actor Butterfield of "Ender's Game" : ASA. Hello crosses! Thank you!

42. Where lemons may be sold : CAR LOTS

43. Cobwebby place : ATTIC

45. Fictionalized : MADE UP

47. Polynesian garment : SARONG. I looked for a link, this was the first one that came up. I thought I'd keep it.



51. Self-righteous : SMUG

53. HBO's "__ Your Enthusiasm" : CURB

54. Guesstimate phrase : OR SO.

55. Tax : LEVY

56. Nile serpents : ASPS

57. Cornfield sound : CAW. Why do crows like corn so much?

58. Menu phrase : A LA. Carte. Mode. King. What was the last one?

60. Mil. mail drop : A.P.O.

61. Haitian negative : NON. You need to know French is spoken in Haiti.Crosswords teach you a lot of things.

With that, I'm done. Merry Thursday, falling between Christmas and New Year! I couldn't find any music links - have at it!

Steve



Dec 4, 2017

Monday, December 4, 2017 ~ Jeff Stillman

Theme: Seeing Double - Heteronyms, the last word and the last syllable of the preceding word are spelled the same but sound different.

17A. Devotee of singer Gloria: ESTEFAN FAN

24A. Precise price: ACCURATE RATE

39A. Mata Hari story, e.g.: FEMME FATALE TALE

51A. Garden purchase from a Lowe's rival: HOME DEPOT POT

63A. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, it's 63 for retirement: AVERAGE AGE

Argyle here. No reveal and five entries yet still an easy Monday.

Across:

1. Knight's "shining" protection: ARMOR

6. Elegant: POSH

10. WWII servicewomen: WACs. (Women's Army Corps)

14. Car body style: COUPE. 45D. Family car: SEDAN

15. Mennen shaving lotion: AFTA

16. Get one's ducks in __: A ROW

19. Heavy book: TOME

20. Buck or doe: DEER

21. Beluga yield: ROE. The Beluga sturgeon, not Beluga whale.

22. Viewed to be: DEEMED

27. Mineral springs: SPA

30. Believer's suffix: IST

31. Five-time Wimbledon champ Bjorn: BORG. "Resistance is futile."


32. Portion out: ALLOT

34. "Westworld" network: HBO. (Home Box Office)

35. Bon Ami alternative: AJAX

43. Simplicity: EASE

44. The "I" in TGIF: IT'S

46. Disney's "__ & Stitch": LILO. (2002)

48. Above-the-street trains: ELs

50. Chapter in history: ERA

56. Truck capacity: ONE TON

57. Coffee order: Abbr.: REG. (regular) Does that mean with cream and sugar to you?

58. Image to click on: ICON

62. Gadget's rank: Abbr.: INSP. (Inspector) Animated TV series.


66. Slugger Sammy: SOSA. Baseball.

67. Earth orbiter: MOON

68. Wafer brand: NILLA by Nabisco.

69. Jacob or Esau: TWIN

70. Choice word: ELSE

71. Not reached, as a goal: UNMET. Like most fund drives, right down to the wire.

Down:

1. Scored 100 on: ACED

2. Went up: ROSE

3. Sound-off button: MUTE

4. Wagner work: OPERA

5. Striped-shirt wearer: REF

6. Happen as expected: PAN OUT

7. Buyer's proposal: OFFER

8. BART stop: STA. (Bay Area Rapid Transit)

9. Hammer or screwdriver: HAND TOOL

10. Nixon Era scandal: WATERGATE

11. Pleasing smell: AROMA

12. Tailed celestial body: COMET

13. 31-Across, by birth: SWEDE. "Resistance is futile."

18. Rainbow shapes: ARCs

23. Poetic "always": E'ER

25. Credit in a footnote: CITE

26. "Dancing Queen" group: ABBA



27. Place for valuables: SAFE

28. Not guilty, for one: PLEA

29. Gift for the poor: ALMS

33. Skillet for folded egg dishes: OMELET PAN

34. Growth chart nos.: HTs. (height)

36. Green stone: JADE

37. Banned apple spray: ALAR

38. TV warrior princess: XENA

40. It's often followed by .pdf: FILE NAME

41. On the summit of: ATOP

42. Old U.S. gas brand: ESSO

47. Swearing-in words: I DO

48. Timeless, in verse: ETERNE

49. Women's links gp.: LPGA.(Ladies Professional Golf Association)

51. Lift up: HOIST

52. Televised as we speak: ON NOW

53. Soccer great Lionel: MESSI. I still haven't learned his name.

54. Black-and-white cookies: OREOs

55. Marketing gimmick: TIE-IN

59. Period "before the storm": CALM

60. Look at lasciviously: OGLE

61. Without ice, at the bar: NEAT

64. TV loud-soft control: Abbr.: VOL. (volume)

65. Bearded antelope: GNU. Available in the gift shop.



Argyle

Oct 23, 2017

Monday, October 23, 2017 ~ Jeff Stillman

Theme: Reveal Monday - B-B-B, three word and only three word phrases with all words starting with 'B'.

20. *A little bit at a time, to a mason: BRICK BY BRICKVideo(2:51)

32. *Next step up after a crib, for some toddlers: BIG BOY BED. A tad forced? Clip(0:52)

40. *Hit by *NSYNC about the end of a relationship: "BYE, BYE, BYE"Video(6:42)

50. *Iconic refrain from the Trammps' 1976 hit "Disco Inferno": BURN BABY BURN! Video(3:43)

59. Consumer protection org., and a hint to the answers to starred clues: BBB. (Better Business Bureau)

Argyle here. So no Bed, Bath, and Beyond; no Best Buy bargain. Mostly solid entries but still some fill that might raise questions. We'll see.

Across:

1. Eydie who sang with Steve Lawrence: GORMÉ 4-Down. Did a Cuban dance: MAMBOED



6. Began a typical triathlon: SWAM, then bike and finally, run.

10. Went lickety-split: SPED

14. Construction girder: I-BEAM

15. Prefix with legal: PARA

16. Epitaph starter: HERE

Here lies
Johnny Yeast.
Pardon me
For not rising.

17. Six-inch putt, say, in golf lingo: GIMME

18. Distinctive flair: ELAN

19. Eye part: IRIS

23. Heavy favorites: SHOO-INS

26. Those women, in Spain: ELLAs

27. Shabby homes: HOVELS

28. Huge: LARGE

31. Surprise police action: RAID. "Cheese it! The cops."

36. Grecian vessel of verse: URN

37. What "is yet to come," in a Sinatra classic: THE BEST



39. Shogun stronghold: EDO. The former name of Tokyo.

42. When repeated, a Samoan city: PAGO


43. Sleep clinic study: APNEA

44. Got via hard work: EARNED

46. Chicago airport: O'HARE

49. Diplomatic office: EMBASSY

54. Playground retort: "AM SO"

55. Shapeless mass: BLOB

56. Biting: ACERB

60. Space Race destination: MOON

61. Theater level: LOGE. Best seats.

62. Cygnus' brightest star: DENEB. Deneb lies at one vertex of a widely spaced asterism called the Summer Triangle. Wiki

63. "Rule, Britannia" composer: ARNE. Thomas Arne (1710 – 1778)

64. "Goodness gracious!": "EGAD!"

65. Founded: Abbr.: ESTAB. (established)

Down:

1. Jazzman's job: GIG

2. Japanese sash: OBI

3. Sleep stage: REM. (rapid eye movement)

5. TV chef Lagasse: EMERIL

6. Contractor's details: SPECS. specifications.

7. Base on balls: WALK

8. Spirited horse: ARAB

9. Scads of: MANY

10. Child star Temple: SHIRLEY. Heidi.



11. Danger: PERIL

12. "All My Children" vixen: ERICA. The anti-Heidi.



13. Newsroom fixtures: DESKS

21. Helpful connections: INs

22. Fathered, biblically: BEGOT

23. Landscaper's planting: SHRUB

24. White with age: HOARY

25. Sheeplike: OVINE

28. Tripoli's country: LIBYA Update: This Tripoli is the second largest city in Lebanon.


Here is the Libyan Tripoli.


29. 1958 Pulitzer-winning author James: AGEE. "A Death in the Family"

30. Football carriers: Abbr.: RBs. (running back)

32. "Cheers" actress Neuwirth: BEBE. She portrayed Lilith Frasier.

33. Spilled the __: told all: BEANS

34. Barely beats: EDGES

35. Puppet Howdy __: DOODY. If you were around when this was new ....


37. Easygoing sort: TYPE B

38. Egg layer: HEN

41. Without exception: BAR NONE

42. Struts like a horse: PRANCES

44. Australian runner: EMU

45. Use sandpaper on: ABRADE

46. Trump predecessor: OBAMA

47. Funny stuff: HUMOR

48. Felonious flames: ARSON. Alliteration.

49. Subsided: EBBED

51. Ready, willing and __: ABLE

52. Modern diary: BLOG. I read, "Modern dairy". Oops.

53. Discipline with mats: YOGA

57. Tolkien tree creature: ENT

58. Stephen of "The Crying Game": REA


Argyle

Mar 29, 2017

Wednesday, March 29, 2017, Jeff Stillman

TITLE - BROADWAY

Husker Gary here, taking you on a tour of Jeff's pleasant Humpday offering. He takes the word WIDE and spreads it out in two different arrangements (2/2 and 1/3) and then provides fill in the divide to literally cause WIDE to be SPREAD out as you can see in the grid below:




The clincher is his reveal


64. Far-reaching ... and a literal feature of the answers to starred clues : WIDESPREAD - The insatiable Emerald Ash Borer that arrived here in crates on the coast from Asia is WIDESPREAD and still expanding




THEME FILLS:


17. *Rain-X auto product : WIPER BLADE - This is not a Rain-X product but ya gotta love it!


21. *Manhattan theater district locale : WESTSIDE - So, you want to see Hamilton at The Richard Rogers Theater on Manhattan's WESTSIDE tonight? No problem, StubHub can get you in the very back starting at $965 per seat




40. *Electrician's basic knowledge : WIRING COLOR CODE - The only one I know is black to black, white to white and ground to ground. BTW, I always turn off the breaker!



54. *Many a military spouse : WAR BRIDE - Although told not to, Japanese women did fraternize with "the enemy" and tens of thousands of them became WAR BRIDES




Now let's see how Jeff filled in those WIDESPREAD spaces in the rest of the puzzles


Across


1. Anemic : WEAK


5. Dukes not among royalty : FISTS - Our cwd friend Burt Lahr dared anyone to put up their Dukes! I resisted putting in DAISY Dukes.

10. Huge production : EPIC - Ben Hur always leaps to my mind

14. Rod in a hot rod : AXLE

15. Kate's sitcom pal : ALLIE

16. Pilaf base : RICE

19. Like port, usually : AGED - If you can spring for those Hamilton tix, maybe this 70-year-old Port in a handblown bottle for $965 would also interest you



20. Lacking a key : ATONAL

23. Proofer's mark : STET

25. Feathery layer : HEN

26. Oomph : PEP

29. Set apart from the group : ISOLATE - The Amish practice of shunning even your own children seems particularly cruel to me

33. Org. with the staff of Aesculapius in its logo : AMA - This doctor's group might also call this the staff of Caduseus 

36. Big name in gas : AMOCO


38. Slam-dance : MOSH - Ya gotta know going in what could happen!

43. See 22-Down : ELKS and 22. With 43-Across, fraternal order : THE


44. Mane area : NAPE

45. Like some buckets : OAKEN

46. Cotillion girl : DEB - An anachronism? 

47. Move more product than : OUTSELL - Here's the rankings


49. Absorb, as a cost : EAT



50. Nonpro sports gp. : AAU - Kobe Bryant hates the Amateur Athletic Union BB program because it makes kids play all year long

52. Trapper's trophy : PELT - Something I could never do


59. Subtle difference : NUANCE - The NUANCED looks of Meryl

63. Continental coin : EURO

66. Brought up : BRED

67. Like nocturnally counted critters : OVINE - One sheep, two sheep...

68. Unrestrained party : ORGY

69. Cotton bundle : BALE - Tote that barge and lift this


70. Archibald and Thurmond of the NBA : NATES - "Tiny" NATE Archibald played here  before they moved to Sacramento

71. Water testers : TOES - I have put my "TOES in many waters" with varying results.


Down

1. Bedtime drink, in totspeak : WAWA - Don't we all remember Gildna Radner when we hear this?

2. Freeway sign : EXIT

3. Chop House dog food brand : ALPO

4. Laments loudly : KEENS - An old Irish or Scottish term for screams of women heralding a death OR a card in a Duel Decks Game

5. Sources of morals : FABLES

6. Not in the pink : ILL

7. Cabbage dish : SLAW - KFC has some great SLAW

8. Laundry room brand : TIDE

9. Views : SEES

10. Dry-__ board : ERASE

11. Risky purchase, metaphorically : PIG IN A POKE - Have you ever used Craig's List?

12. Tea preference : ICED


13. Relinquish : CEDE - Land CEDED in my state

18. Be frugal with : RATION

24. Alley scavenger : TOMCAT 

26. Handled clumsily : PAWED - "Honest, I was just reaching for the popcorn!"

27. Writer Zola : EMILE




28. Special-interest government spending : PORK BARREL - Some say he got as much as anybody

30. Aerial maneuvers : LOOPS


31. Not paying attention : 
ASLEEP

32. Howe'er : THO


34. Greek sorceress : MEDEA - The tale of her and Jason would make for a great soaper - Ημέρες των ζωών μας (Days Of Our Lives)


35. Cut taker : AGENT

37. Sue Grafton's "__ for Corpse" : C IS - In my last writeup, I posited Sue could have used C AS IN Corpse

39. 1988 Motown acquirer : MCA - ...and then there was a suit and then...


41. Safari grazer : GNU - There's a bottomless pit of these 

42. Arrive by auto : ROLL UP

47. Sharer's word : OUR

48. You can see right through them : LENSES



51. Dwelling : ABODE

53. Deck that's worth a fortune? : TAROT

54. "Dragnet" star Jack : WEBB

55. Subtle glow : AURA

56. Triumphant shout : I WON - Said by 1 of every 76,000,000 lottery players

57. One who insists on the spotlight : DIVA


58. Ready for print : EDIT - Even Tom had to EDIT

60. Fictional sleuth Wolfe : NERO - Not the piano player or the Roman emperor 

61. "La __ aux Folles" : CAGE

62. "Grand" ice cream brand : EDY'S

65. Denver-to-Des Moines dir. : ENE


Now, how 'bout some WIDESPREAD and far ranging comments:


A few pix from our trip last week to D.C.


This is Joann and I at the WWII monument with the Lincoln Memorial in the background. If you go to D.C. take the night tour as it is an entirely different world.




This is Joann and I with U.S. Senator Ben Sasse at the Nebraska Congressional Breakfast. We have known Ben since he was nine and I started calling him Senator Sasse when he was in grade school!




Here we are with our Congressman Jeff Fortenberry. Our daughter has had three of Jeff’s girls in fourth grade at St. Joe’s in Lincoln. 








Jan 16, 2017

Monday, January 16, 2017 Jeff Stillman

Theme: No Reveal Monday - Last names that start with various body parts.

20A. Record-setting aviator of the 1930s : AMELIA EARHART. Ear



29A. 2007-'14 E! comedy talk show host : CHELSEA HANDLER. Hand



46A. Looney Tunes rooster with a Southern accent : FOGHORN LEGHORN. Leg



56A. First to walk on the moon : NEIL ARMSTRONG. Arm



Argyle here. A simple theme that is somewhat hidden due lack of connectedness. The fact they are external parts that usual comes in pairs doesn't really do it. OTH, on the whole the puzzle seemed a bit crunchy to me.

Across:

1. Car roof accessory : RACK

5. __ Romeo: sports car : ALFA

9. Go Fish request : TWOs

13. Cybermessage : E-NOTE

15. Agreement to shake hands on : DEAL

16. Shabbat service site : SHUL. The Yiddish word for synagogue.

17. Hercules types : HEMEN

18. Jazz trumpeter Al : HIRT

19. Opposite of stuffy, roomwise : AIRY

23. Started to eat, with "into" : BIT

24. Apr. is in it : SPR. Is it to early to think spring?

25. Old nuclear agcy. : AEC. (Atomic Energy Commission)

26. Sixth sense, for short : ESP. (ExtraSensory Perception)

33. Hammerhead parts : PEENS. If it's a hammer and not a shark.

34. "All My Children" vixen : ERICA. All My Children (1970–2011); Erica Kane played by Susan Lucci. A crossword regular in the day.

35. Letterhead design : LOGO

38. RBI and ERA : STATS. Baseball

41. Sunset direction : WEST ergo 57D. Sunrise direction : EAST

42. King's decree : EDICT

44. Separate by percolation : LEACH. Home owners know all about perc tests and leach fields. Learn more HERE.  Update: Homeowners with city plumbing, not so much. D-O

51. Singer's syllable : TRA

52. Word before a birth name : NÉE

53. Modern: Ger. : NEU. Are they looking for NEUARTIG? Update: Yes they were. Not just NEW because the German in the clue was abbreviated, hence the answer must be an abbreviation . What I have found is NEUARTIG can mean novel or never seen before. It appears in several spots that German for Modern is ... modern or moderne.

54. Move it, old-style : HIE

60. Letter after epsilon : ZETA

62. Et __: and others : ALIA

63. Down-yielding duck : EIDER

64. Showy perennial : IRIS


65. Half a picking-up tool : TONG

66. Cubic meter : STERE

67. Treaty : PACT

68. Concludes : ENDS

69. Mgr.'s underling : ASST.

Down:

1. Detox program : REHAB

2. Feeble : ANEMIC

3. O'Neill's "The Iceman __" : COMETH

4. "As seen on TV" record co. : K-TEL. CSO to Canada-eh. K-TEL is Canadian. Wiki.

5. Supporter : ADHERENT

6. Sci-fi princess : LEIA. RIP

7. Fawcett who played one of Charlie's Angels : FARRAH

8. Tennis Hall of Famer Gibson : ALTHEA

9. Russian ruler until 1917 : TSAR

10. "Little" deception : WHITE LIE

11. Couple's word : OUR

12. Guileful : SLY

14. Maroon, as after a shipwreck : ENISLE. Long "I"

21. Vaulted church areas : APSES

22. Stridex target : ACNE

27. "Gimme a few __": "Be right there" : SECS

28. Rear end in a fall? : PRAT

30. Pleistocene period : EPOCH

31. __ get-out: to the utmost degree : AS ALL

32. BBC time traveling hero : DR. WHO

35. Hit the road : LEFT

36. You may get a whiff of one : ODOR

37. Humongous : GIGANTIC

39. "Popstar!" and "Tiger Beat," casually : TEEN MAGs

40. Wise guys? : SAGEs

43. Novelist Morrison : TONI. POLITICAL Interview with Charlie Rose, CLIP(3:00) POLITICAL

45. Ladders partner in a kids' board game : CHUTES


47. Empathize : RELATE

48. "SNL" alum Kevin : NEALON. Matt LeBlanc and Kevin Nealon’s have a new CBS comedy, “Man with a Plan”.

49. Colossus island : RHODES. The Colossus of Rhodes was a statue. Then Hollywood got a hold of it.


50. Bay Area NFLers : NINERS. 49

55. Marsh denizen : EGRET

58. Watermelon cover : RIND

59. "Lovely" Beatles ticket writer : RITA

60. Nil : ZIP

61. Victorian __ : ERA


Argyle

Jun 27, 2016

Monday, June 27, 2016 Jeff Stillman

Theme: 8 Days Late - patriarch party

16. Madonna hit with the lyrics "I'm keeping my baby" : "PAPA DON'T PREACH"(4:31)



26. Like some family-owned businesses : FATHER AND SON(3:06)



41. 2003 Eddie Murphy movie about an entrepreneurial stay-at-home parent : DADDY DAY CARE(2:12)



52. Propose marriage : POP THE QUESTION(3:14)



Argyle here. It feels like Jeff phoned this one in and so I'm phoning my review in, too. Neat look to the grid. Bonus song.(3:04)



Across:

1. Little fight : SPAT

5. Scurries, old-style : HIEs

9. Prefix with chute : PARA. My MOS in the service was 0451 PARACHUTE RIGGER.

13. Other than that : ELSE

14. __ buco: veal dish : OSSO

15. Hieroglyphics bird : IBIS. 3D. Hieroglyphics snakes : ASPS

19. Lacking : SANS. Sans Souci, "without concerns".

20. Choose (to) : OPT

21. Roast host : EMCEE

22. Add up to, in arithmetic : ARE. I tried to make it harder than it is.

23. Skinny swimmer : EEL

24. Live-in nannies : AU PAIRs

29. Kindle buy : e-BOOK

30. Hops-drying oven : OAST

31. Woolf's "__ Dalloway" : MRS. Mrs Dalloway is a novel by Virginia Woolf that details a day in the life of Clarissa Dalloway, a fictional high-society woman in post–First World War England. It is one of Woolf's best-known novels. Wikipedia

34. Narrow cut : SLIT

35. Bake, as eggs : SHIRR

37. Veggie that can be pickled : BEET

38. Title time traveler with Bill : TED. "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure"

39. Fellas : GUYS. Like the two totally excellent dudes above.

40. Hardship : RIGOR

44. Cast maligning remarks at : ASPERSE. verb

47. Watch closely : EYE

48. Sleuths, for short : PIs. (Private Investigator)

49. Meager : SCANT

50. Tavern brew : ALE

51. Ladies : SHEs

56. Olympian's blade : ÉPÉE

57. Baseball tactic to advance a runner : BUNT

58. Desire : WANT

59. Stereotypical techie : NERD

60. Make less intense, as one's breath : BATE. Look it up.

61. Iowa State city : AMES

Down:

1. Unlike bosom buddies : SEPARABLE. Bill and Ted are inseparable.

2. Smallish celestial body : PLANETOID. Another term for asteroids.

4. Beverage leaves : TEA

5. Showy publicity : HOOPLA

6. "This __ working" : ISN'T

7. D.C. winter clock setting : EST

8. Soak (up), as sauce : SOP

9. Merchant whom Simple Simon met : PIEMAN

Simple Simon met a pieman,
Going to the fair;
Said Simple Simon to the pieman,
"Let me taste your ware."

Said the pieman unto Simon,
"Show me first your penny."
Said Simple Simon to the pieman,
"Indeed (Sir), I have not any."

10. Beaded calculators : ABACI

11. Potato cutter : RICER

12. Lenten symbol : ASHES

17. Couch potato's opposite : DOER

18. Move to a new container, as a houseplant : REPOT

19. Least dangerous : SAFEST

23. Startled cry : EEK

24. Hebrew winter month : ADAR

25. Cold War country: Abbr. : USSR

27. Selling really well : HOT

28. Clangorous : NOISY

31. Cheerleader's sound booster : MEGAPHONE

32. Adjusts the position of : REORIENTS

33. Emphasize : STRESS

35. Soap bubbles : SUDS. Did you see the bubbles in the "Daddy Day Care" clip?

36. Jekyll's murderous other self : HYDE

37. Ballpoint brand : BIC

39. Brooks of country music : GARTH



40. Pastrami sandwich bread : RYE

41. A little banged up, fenderwise : DENTED

42. Backspace over : DELETE

43. Yes votes : AYEs

44. Colorado ski resort : ASPEN

45. Range : SCOPE. Tried STOVE first.

46. Origami medium : PAPER

50. Em, to Dorothy : AUNT. (Wizard of Oz)

51. Former name of Thailand : SIAM

53. Flow back : EBB

54. Sine __ non: essential : QUA

55. Pan Am rival : TWA

Argyle