Tuesday, September 3, 2013 Jerome Gunderson

Theme: Circle the wagons!

17A. 1976 debut single for Heart : "CRAZY ON YOU"

27A. Stable warmer : HORSE BLANKET

37A. Nationality of the two leaders suggested by the starts of 17-, 27-, 43- and 57-Across : SIOUX

43A. Biding one's time : SITTING TIGHT

57A. Informal name for the double bass : BULL FIDDLE

Argyle here. Jerome has provided a nice companion piece to C.C.'s Monday puzzle. Center unifier and a couple of climbers to tie it together (but no grid spanners). It lends itself to a bunch of musical links which I am more than happy to provide.

CRAZY(5:13) HORSE(2:27) and SITTING(2:42) BULL(2:18)

Across:

1. Take off politely, as one's hat : DOFF

5. Small silvery fish : SMELT

10. Ogden's state : UTAH

14. "The African Queen" co-screenwriter : AGEE. James Agee shared the credit with none other than John Huston.

15. Apple drink : CIDER

16. Golfer Ballesteros : SEVE. Sadly, he died at the age of 54 in the same town he was born in, Pedreña, Cantabria, Spain.

19. Yoked bovines : OXEN

20. The Beatles' "And I Love __" : HER

21. Metal-yielding rocks : OREs. and 6D. Ones who dig 21-Across : MINERS

22. Practices in a ring : SPARS

23. 21-Across tester : ASSAYER

25. Chasing : AFTER

31. Hiding places in walls : SAFES

34. Wild pig : BOAR

35. "We __ the Champions" : ARE

36. Jack of old Westerns : ELAM. He had several "looks" so I'll link Google here.

39. Not left out of : IN ON

40. Pallid : WAN

41. Latvian capital : RIGA

42. Move with ease : COAST

48. Crime against one's country : TREASON

52. Follow : ENSUE

54. Carson's predecessor : PAAR

55. Mary's little lamb, perhaps : EWE

56. Cabernet containers : VATS

60. Correct copy : EDIT

61. Native Alaskan : INUIT

62. Got long in the tooth : AGED

63. A bit blue : RACY

64. Garb at the Forum : TOGAs

65. Raises, say : BETS

Down:

1. Russian cottage : DACHA. Tuesday and later in the week word.

2. Hideous giants : OGRES

3. Shaking causes : FEARS. First thought was for quakes.

4. Brimless cap : FEZ

5. Cricket official : SCORER. Does he do more than keep score?

7. Outshine fruit bars brand : EDY'S

8. Regulus's constellation : LEO. Sort of makes 22D. Regulus, for one : STAR a gimme.

9. __TV: "Not reality. Actuality." : TRU. If you care, the Wikipedia LINK.

10. Golf tournament first played in 1895 : U.S. OPEN. Odd there was no abbreviation indicator.

11. Portmanteau region between Dallas and Little Rock : TEXARKANA

12. Solemnly swear : AVER

13. Ones in a pecking order : HENS

18. They have strings attached : YOYOs

24. "Beg pardon ..." : "AHEM ..."

25. Leigh Hunt's "__ Ben Adhem" : ABOU. (may his tribe increase!) Poem LINK

26. Linen fiber source : FLAX

28. WWII torpedo craft : E BOAT. The German version of the PT boats.

29. Cupid's Greek counterpart : EROS

30. Portable shelter : TENT

31. Hems but doesn't haw? : SEWS. Cute.

32. Jai __ : ALAI

33. Hard to believe : FANTASTIC

37. Moral lapses : SINS

38. Punk star __ Pop : IGGY

39. Mite : IOTA

41. Marriage or baptism : RITE

42. Dearie, in Dijon : CHÉRI

44. Reliable : TRUSTY

45. Milano's land : ITALIA. Or Milan in Italy.

46. Botanists' scions : GRAFTS

49. Swamp grass : SEDGE

50. Young bird of prey : OWLET

51. Non-negotiable things : NEEDS

52. On any occasion : EVER

53. Zippo : NADA

54. Socket insert : PLUG. I jumped right on BALL. Wrong! So was bulb.

57. Bridle piece : BIT. Horse harness.

58. Half dos : UNO. Uno, Dos, Tres: One, Two, Three.

59. Gentle application : DAB

Argyle

Wednesday, May 29, 2013 Jerome Gunderson and Marti DuGuay-Carpenter

Theme: Abbott and Costello, or "confusion at first" - the first words of each of the theme answers are anagrams of each other.

[Late breaking - check out the constructor's notes at the the foot that I received after I wrote up the puzzle - you're perfectly entitled to skip my stuff and cut to the chase!]

17A Hit a ball caught by Ted Williams, say : FLIED TO LEFT. Right off the bat a baseball reference - "The Kid" played all 22 years of his professional career as left fielder for the Boston Red Sox. On second thoughts maybe I should say "Left off the bat ..."

29A Outdoor sport with sticks : FIELD HOCKEY. I played this at school in the UK. It's tough on the shins, let me tell you. It's technically a foul to wallop your opponent's tibia, but schoolboys aren't big on technicalities.

45A Tried to collect unemployment benefits, say: FILED A CLAIM. I have a friend who works in the unemployment office who tells me her job is to make it as difficult as possible to do this.

60A Longtime Cuban leader : FIDEL CASTRO. Possibly as famous for loving baseball and cigars as being "El Jef Maximo".

Happy Wednesday everyone - Steve here with a collaboration between Jerome Gunderson and our own dear Marti. I've not "met" Jerome before, and as there seems no possibility of making "Rich Norris" out of any part of his name, I'd say congratulations are in order on his debut! (Notes from C.C.: Jerome was absent from the blog when Steve arrived. Read my interview with Jerome here. Like Marti, he's very witty and has a big heart. He supported me and this blog from the very beginning when we shifted to LA Times Crossword.)

The theme was a big help to me today - I'm an anagram fan and when I'd got "FIELD" and FIDEL" I saw what was going on and filled in a lot of the blank left-hand-side of the grid which was giving me trouble. The 3-2-3-2 theme word count was pretty neat too.

Lots more to discuss, so let's get started:

Across:

1 President of Syria : ASSAD. Two world leaders in one day.

6 Foreigner, to a Polynesian : HAOLE. I've finally stopped trying to spell this "howly". It took me a while.

11 Many SSI recipients: SRS. It took me some time to understand this, but now I see that many seniors receive Social Security Income .

14 Rich kid in “Nancy” comics : ROLLO. I remembered this from a C.C. puzzle in January and Argyle's helpful cast of Nancy characters

15 K.T. of country : OSLIN. Crosses for me. No idea.

16 Bounce : HOP

19 Future flounders : ROE

20 Motorola smartphone : DROID. The "Droid" name is used under license from "Star Wars" creator George Lucas because of these two chaps:

21 On the line: AT STAKE.

23 Bar order in a very small glass : SHOT. The shot glasses in my bar are on the large side (I'm not complaining, Tinbeni wouldn't either!).

25 Potter’s oven : KILN

27 Seat of Garfield County, Oklahoma : ENID.

28 “Mazel __!” : TOV

32 Rock or horse follower: OPERA. The Who's "Tommy" was the original rock opera with Pinball Wizard the iconic song. There are no standout horse versions almost by definition - if you have a formulaic western series - a "horse opera" - the very fact it has that label attached means it's not standing out from all the others. Fun phrase!

34 Firewood wood : BEECH

35 Bug on the phone : WIRETAP

38 Solo performance : RECITAL

42 Reference ending : -PEDIA Wikipedia being the friend of bloggers everywhere.

44 Grammar school sequence: AEIOU

50 UPS delivery : PKG

51 Polluted Asian sea : ARAL

52 “The Galloping Gourmet” : KERR. My mother was in love with Graham Kerr - the problem was she didn't pay any attention to his recipes or instruction. God rest her soul, but my siblings agree that her cooking constituted cruel and unusual  punishment. We all learned to cook in self-defense - perhaps that was her cunning plan to get out of kitchen duty.

53 “... baked in __” : A PIE. Food! Four and Twenty blackbirds this gourmet filling. I know of an Australian company, "Four 'N Twenty,  which produces meat pies, and a two-restaurant chain here in LA called "FourN20", originally selling dessert pies.

54 Garage event : TAG SALE

57 Bank holding : MONEY.

59 Short life story? : BIO.

64 Barcelona bear : OSO. Need to be on your Spanish toes (dedos de los pies Espanõl) today with three answers in Spanish. This is numero uno.

65 Get a chuckle out of : AMUSE. I get many chuckles out of these blogs. Cheers!

66 Showed dissatisfaction, fan-style : BOOED

67 Itch : YEN

68 Move to new soil : RE-POT

69 Run through 57-Across : SPEND. That's me.

Down:

1 Weimaraner warning : ARF. Any dog noise is a warning as far as I'm concerned. Grrs, Barks, Arfs and I'm wary.

2 San Juan sun : SOL. Numero dos.

3 Made room on a crowded bench : SLID OVER

4 Heads-up : ALERT

5 Ignoramus : DODO. I feel sorry that the poor dodo is now synonymous with a dolt - they weren't ignorant in the unintelligent sense of the word, they were trusting and friendly - and ignorant of the fact that the humans they were cozying up to had nefarious intentions.

6 Sweatshirt with a head cover : HOODIE

7 Syst. with hand signals : ASL. American Sign Language was developed by Thomas Hopkins Galluadet in 1817 and was taken directly from French Sign Language. The British, as they are prone to do, refused to work with Gallaudet when he traveled to the UK to learn the English method, whereas the French were delighted to share (also the Brits refused to have anything to do with the French as per normal). Ergo, the two English-speaking powers developed completely different systems. SNAFU.

8 Poisonous flowering shrub : OLEANDER. Pretty, though. I'm not sure if it's native to Southern California but there's certainly a lot of it about.

9 Hitchhiker’s hope : LIFT

10 Tolkien’s Treebeard et al. : ENTS

11 Got smaller : SHRANK

12 Dugout newcomer : ROOKIE. Jerome Gunderson today?

13 Quick : SPEEDY

18 Polynesian carving : TIKI. To sell to the HAOLES.

22 Computer wonk : TECHIE. Guilty as charged.

23 Stash : STOW

24 Kachina doll maker : HOPI. These are awesome! The Hopi spirit-creatures from Arizona.

26 Me. retailer, initially : LLB. I missed the period in the clue and was stumped as to who would be selling "me". Then oh! Then oh! L.L.Bean!

29 Destined : FATED

30 Bray beginning : HEE. Needs HAW to finish.

31 Philosopher William of __, known for his “razor” : OCCAM. Was he a "one hit wonder" in philosophy circles? I don't recall hearing about his toothbrush or his comb.

33 Drives away : REPELS

36 Cavity filler’s org. : ADA. That reminds me, I need to make an appointment with my dentist.

37 Paid for everyone, as the tab : PICKED UP. A very popular person, the check picker-upper.

39 Step stealthily, informally: TIPPYTOE. More nursery than informally, I'd say.

40 World Golf Hall of Famer Isao: AOKI. A hugely entertaining Japanese golfer now playing the PGA Senior Tour.

On a side note, after 30 years of playing golf badly I've now hired professional help and I'm taking lessons. When my teacher saw my swing for the first time she said "Ohhh - that's funny". It's a good job I've got a sense of humor.

41 Swift sled : LUGE. Swift indeed. This is what 80MPH flat on your back on what amounts to a tray looks like.

43 Bar pint : ALE. You need one after the luge run.

45 Oxymoronically named British DJ __ Slim : FATBOY. I knew the name, I didn't know that he was a British DJ. Now I do, and I won't confuse him with the restaurant in Pulp Fiction, Jack Rabbit Slim's. Which I did.

46 Poker declaration : I RAISE. I'm a coward. I FOLD.

47 Coral reef enclosure : LAGOON

48 Sleeve band : ARMLET. You don't see these much any more - springy things to go around your arms to make your sleeves the correct length. You get the "just so" amount of cuff protruding from your jacket. Nowadays we buy shirts the right size, it seems the better approach somehow.

49 Camaro __-Z : IROC

53 Greek fable writer : AESOP. He of the convenient vowel-count.

55 Miles away : AFAR

56 Garnish for a Moscow Mule : LIME. Vodka, ginger beer (not ginger ale) and lime. A friend insists it doesn't taste the same unless it is served in the copper mug.

58 Arrests : NABS

61 That, in Spanish : ESO. Numero tres.

62 Bug-eyed TV dog : REN

63 Peculiar : ODD

I think that about wraps it up. Lots of food and drink references so I'm off to figure out what to cook for dinner tonight. Bon appetit!

Steve

P.S. Constructor's insight -thanks to Jerome for sharing these notes!

"I thought it intriguing, rare, and somewhat odd that you could have a five letter word that begins with a scrabbly F and no matter how you anagram it, it will still begin with an F. 

Thus, FIELD, FILED, FLIED, and FIDEL. 

And there’s a fifth one, FELID, which means cat-like. However, that one’s on the cutting room floor with other obscurities. I knew this type of theme wasn’t going to knock anyone’s socks off… especially the crossword hip Corner crowd, but I hoped some might see it as interesting as I do.

For some reason I had a tough time creating a grid that allowed for some juicy and fun fill. I think those damn F’s kept getting in the way. Out of the blue I asked Marti for some help, and like the puzzle pro she is, she designed today’s grid with those lovely NE and SW corners, and found a way to work in a whopping eighteen entries that are six letters or longer. 

After tweaking the grid a little and writing the clues, it was off to fame and great fortune with a puzzle you could say was all about the F-word. Or for the critics in the peanut gallery, the F-bomb."

Monday, May 13, 2013 Jerome Gunderson

 

Theme: The First Family - Their names can be found at the end of the theme entries.

21A. *1950 Irving Berlin musical : "CALL ME MADAM". It starred Ethel Merman so that should give you an idea about what type of musical it was. Here is the Wikipedia LINK and it is worth a read if you have the time.

48A. *Pretend : MAKE BELIEVE

3D. *Barack Obama's 2008 opponent : JOHN McCAIN

31D. *Tag promoting organized labor : UNION LABEL

42D. Bible book where you can find the ends of the answers to starred clues : GENESIS

Argyle here. No pun intended. A solid Monday puzzle from Jerome but I still wonder if there isn't more to it that I might have missed, like anagrams or puns; some sort of word play I've come to expect from Mr. Gunderson. The names are all part of a larger word that makes them just a little bit harder to suss. Kudos.

Across:

1. Collegian's focus subject : MAJOR

6. Quite a way off : AFAR. Perfunctory 'A' word.

10. "... __ you any wool?" : HAVE. Baa!

14. With no shoulder to cry on : ALONE

 

15. Dust speck : MOTE

16. "Metamorphoses" poet : OVID. Have they made a movie of it?

17. Pacific salmon : COHOs

18. "Kablooie!" : [BOOM!]

19. TV lover's recording device : TIVO. It is already becoming passé.

20. Hankering : YEN

24. Bea Arthur role : MAUDE

26. Month between avril and juin : MAI. In France.

27. Swayed to and fro, as a cradle : ROCKED

29. Chewy Nestlé candy bar : BABY RUTH

 

34. Spanish folk hero : EL CID

35. The "thou" in "Wherefore art thou ...?" : ROMEO

36. Modern: Pref. : NEO

37. Custardy dessert : FLAN

38. More despicable : VILER. Is there a reason this follows FLAN?

39. Fraidy-cat : WIMP

40. Square root of IX : III. √9 = 3

41. Anti-wrinkle treatment : BOTOX

42. Feel one's way : GROPE

43. Cheap cigar cost, once : TEN CENTS. Inflation. "What this country really needs is a good five-cent cigar"

45. Tilted : LEANED

46. Stimpy's pal : REN

47. The V in PVC : VINYL. Polyvinyl chloride, what those white plumbing pipes are made of.

53. Nile slitherer : ASP

56. Teenager's bumps along the road of life? : ACNE

57. Taunting remark : GIBE. Is there a reason this follows ACNE?

58. Pricey fur : SABLE. (of the weasel family)

60. Farmer's yield : CROP

61. Icon clicker : USER

62. Perfect in every way : IDEAL

63. Alluring : SEXY

64. Skin ink, for short : TATS

65. Work a crossword puzzle : SOLVE. How have you done so far?

Down:

1. Department store founder R.H. __ : MACY. Love his parade.

2. The Body Shop balm : ALOE. NOT an automotive body shop. Wikipedia LINK

4. Middle name adopted by John Lennon : ONO

5. Saved from harm : RESCUED

6. Stroll along : AMBLE

7. April 1st dupe : FOOL

8. Basic unit of matter : ATOM

9. Keep in mind : REMEMBER

10. A lot of hooey : HOT AIR

11. Raring to go : AVID

12. Brawny rival : VIVA. I'm a Scott paper towel fan, myself.

13. Biblical kingdom near the Dead Sea : EDOM. The Edomites are described as descendants of Esau. The name Edom means "red" in Hebrew, and was given to Esau because he was born, "red all over".

22. Recipe verb : ADD

23. Club sandwich condiment : MAYO. What do you use if you don't like mayo?

25. Related (to) : AKIN One 'A' word fro the Across and one for the Down.

27. Update, as factory equipment : REFIT

28. Stan's slapstick sidekick : OLLIE. And Ethel.

29. Square dancers' neckties : BOLOs. If not a shout out to Yellowrocks, it's at least a nod.

30. Early premium credit card, familiarly : AMEX. (American Express)

32. Arizona city : TEMPE. Also known as Hayden's Ferry during the territorial times. per Wiki.

33. Kept the faith : HOPED

35. "Hud" director Martin : RITT. Starred Paul Newman. IMDb LINK

38. Novelist Kurt : VONNEGUT

39. Fay of "King Kong" : WRAY

41. U.K. network, with "the" : BEEB. (British Broadcasting Corporation)

44. Willies-inducing : CREEPY

45. Actress Ullmann : LIV

47. Changes course : VEERS

48. Apple computers : MACS

49. Back forty unit : ACRE. on the farm.

50. Fort with bullion : KNOX

51. "Mona __" : LISA

52. "As if!" : "I BET!"

54. Czech, e.g. : SLAV

55. Soccer legend : PELÉ

59. Hullabaloo : ADO

 

Argyle

Thursday, September 6, 2012 Jerome Gunderson

Theme: Lost in translation....

20 Across. Prickly undergrowth : THORN BUSH

24 Across. Prop for a safety briefing : SEAT BELT

52 Across. It's often a tough cut : STEW MEAT

60 Across. Verbally overwhelm : SHOUT DOWN

And the unifier:

40 Across. They lead you astray...and what the starts of 20-, 24-, 52- and 60-Across are? : WRONG DIRECTIONS. Aaah, our master of mis-direction and anagrams has done it again! Each of the first words of the theme entries is an anagram of the cardinal compass points: NORTH (thorn), EAST (seat), WEST (stew) and SOUTH (shout). Brilliant theme, and well-executed. Jerome had me guessing all through this one!! (I hope you will summon the strength to join us today, Jerome!)

Marti here, so it must be getting close to the weekend again? I am already in party mode, so let's get cracking on this beaut...

Across:

1. Cask stopper : BUNG. My favorite cask stopper, but better when removed from the keg! and 26A. Brewer's vessel : VAT...I am beginning to sense a mini-theme here?!

5. Conquest for Caesar : GAUL. Who wanted "vici"?

9. Serbs, e.g. : SLAVS

14. School that expelled James Bond : ETON. For making martinis shaken, not stirred?

15. Gustav Mahler's wife : ALMA. Not his mater?

16. Hilarious person : PANIC. A real knee-slapper! Unusual clue for a typically frightened reaction, but decidedly more fun!

17. Grandmotherly nickname : NANA. I called my grandmother "Mémé".

18. Protective trench : MOAT

19. Miguel's gal : AMIGA. Spanish for "girlfriend".

22. Pine secretion : RESIN

23. More than te-hee, online : LOL. Laugh Out Loud!

29. Implore : BEG. I beg you to stay with me on this...

31. Wheels : CAR

32. Mideast language : FARSI

34. Finish a gymnastics routine, perhaps : LAND. My flying instructor threw cold water on my elation at taking off in a Cessna for the first time...he said, "Yes, taking off is easy. It's the landing that's hard!"

37. Toward the stern : AFT

44. Brian of Roxy Music : ENO. Musical interlude. 4:07 (If you can stand it...)

45. "Yeah, sure" : I BET

46. Surpass : ONE UP

47. Washed-out : WAN

49. Bob Marley genre : SKA. OK, this is more my style! 2:45 (Caution: ear worm!!)

51. Place in considerable disarray : STY. Funny cartoon.

57. Fighting Tigers' sch. : LSU. Louisiana State University. I hope hurricane Isaac was kind to them.

59. Ness and others : LOCHS. Is there a monster lurking in there?

65. Dim : UNLIT

66. Small pie : TART

67. Time for action : D-DAY

69. Mother of Don Juan : INEZ

70. Kerry's home : EIRE. I thought he had a home on Beacon Hill??

71. Much of the RMS Queen Mary, now : HOTEL. Interesting You-Tube video and musical accompaniment of the conversion. 5:34. The composition accompanying the video is by Henry Purcell (1695), and is a march from the "Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary".

72. Bank (on) : RELY

73. "Seasons of Love" musical : RENT. Great song! 2:58

Down:

1. Not in good shape? : BENT. Great clue!

2. Natural Bridges locale : UTAH and 68-Across: 2-Down, for one : STATE

3. Second helping, to a dieter : NO-NO. Anyone else think of "Nanette"?

4. Twist : GNARL

5. Long shot, say : GAMBLE. Hey, if I lost my shirt at Saratoga, it wasn't on a long shot!!

6. Baseball's Moises : ALOU. Can I tell you, that this name has finally sunk in, and I actually remembered it?

7. It has a campus near the JFK Library : U-MASS. Gimme!!

8. Turning tool : LATHE

9. Ancient Athens rival : SPARTA. Filled it in, without a second thought.

10. Nitwit : LAME BRAIN. Fun fill, Jerome!

11. Ouzo flavoring : ANISE. Oh my - I just used this same clue in a puzzle I was constructing today. (Note to self: "Find different clue for 'anise'...")

12. Watch : VIGIL

13. Barely sufficient : SCANT. Like this?

21. Slangy "Don't worry about it" : NO BIG (deal)

25. "High Voltage" rockers : AC-DC. Another fav musical interlude! 4:15 (What can I say? I have eclectic tastes in music...) Speaking of music, which Verdi opera did you watch last night, Misty? Aida? La Traviata? Rigoletto?...

26. Ex-GIs' org. : VFW. Veterans of Foreign Wars

27. Bern's river : AARE

28. 1982 sci-fi film : TRON

30. Superficially fluent : GLIB

33. Grumpy friend? : SNOW WHITE. Also, Doc, Happy, Sleepy, Sneezy, Bashful or Dopey.

35. Exist : ARE

36. Mosquito protection : NETS. Nah, I still say my handy-dandy fly swatter does the trick better!

38. Unfriendly types : FOES

39. Fastener named for its shape : T-NUT

41. Have supper : DINE

42. Wedding reception highlight : TOAST

43. Catch sight of : SPY

48. Heineken brand : AMSTEL

50. All thumbs : KLUTZY. Great fill!

52. Winter puddle cause : SLUSH. All too soon, here in the Northeast...

53. Scout master? : TONTO. Old-timey clue. Remember Tonto's horse, "Scout"?

54. Elaborate display : ÉCLAT. Direct from the French "éclat", meaning "radiance" or "brilliance".

55. Up and at 'em : ASTIR

56. Scottish feudal lord : THANE. "The thane of fife had a wife..." (Name that play!)

58. Milker's handful : UDDER. Oh, I could go "udder-ly" DF here...but, it is all done by machines now.

61. Hurler Hershiser : OREL. More baseball. He was a 1988 Dodger's pitcher who went 59 consecutive innings without giving up a single run. Impressive!

62. Large-tongued comics dog : ODIE

63. Wave a red flag at : WARN

64. Nikita's no : NYET. Am I done nyet?

Answer grid.

Hugs,
Marti

Tuesday, May 15, 2012 Jerome Gunderson

Theme: Are your legs tired? - After Monday's workout, catch a ride on the first syllable of these four phrases. It's the way to go.

17A. Attire with deep pockets : CARGO PANTS

27A. Place offering good looks? : VANTAGE POINT

36A. "Good job!" (and a hint to the beginning of 17-, 27-, 43- or 57-Across) : "WAY TO GO!"

43A. Lake Tahoe's sole outlet : TRUCKEE RIVER

57A. Penniless, as in the opening of "Me and Bobby McGee" : BUSTED FLAT

Argyle here. I'm saying that BUS is the first syllable of BUSTED. Call it crossword license, like poetic license.(Janis4:50) I found it strange I didn't find any puns. What's up with that, Jerome? No matter if your driving style is 3-Down or 32-Down, this should be an enjoyable puzzle.

Across:

1. Phone-to-computer link : MODEM

6. Picture of health? : X-RAY

10. Doubtful : IFFY

14. Mimic's skill : APERY

15. Box office sight, often : LINE

16. The Big Easy acronym : NOLA. New Orleans, LouisianA

19. Sketch : DRAW

20. Nikon D3S, e.g., briefly : SLR. (single-lens reflex camera)

21. Chops meat : PORK

22. Peaceful protest : SIT-IN

23. Cake layer : ICING

25. Bullets with luminous trails : TRACERS

30. Frittata needs : EGGS

31. Frenzied indulgence : ORGY

32. Martini request : DRY

35. Ra or Odin : GOD

39. "The Color Purple" actress __ Dawn Chong : RAE. Google images.

40. Past : AGO

41. Creme-filled cookie : OREO

42. Pyramid plateau : GIZA. Fascinating view.

47. Renaissance : REBIRTH

50. Stand up : ARISE

51. What the fashionably late never are : EARLY

52. Saharan : ARID

53. Many AARP mems. : SR's

56. Having a tiff : AT IT

60. Mystical character : RUNE

61. Egyptian symbol of life : ANKH

62. Helmsley dubbed "Queen of Mean" : LEONA. At one time, there were twenty-three hotels directly controlled by Leona Helmsley.

63. Went lickety-split : SPED

64. Snoopy : NOSY

65. Longtime NBC newsman Newman : EDWIN. I don't believe he was the nosy type.

Down:

1. Apples on many desks : MACs

2. Play-of-color gem : OPAL

3. Bold bravery : DERRING-DO

4. Work measure : ERG

5. Mr. Magoo's malady : MYOPIA

6. Bigger than average, commercially : XLARGE

7. Hockey venue : RINK

8. Colony crawler : ANT

9. "Uh-huh" : "YES"

10. Charge with a crime : INDICT

11. Area of expertise : FORTE. Pronunciation note: Link.

12. Pizazz : FLAIR

13. Shows boredom : YAWNS

18. Early Atari video game : PONG

22. Company that made Japan's first plastic radio : SANYO. (1952)

24. Pennies: Abbr. : CT's

25. Spanish bull : TORO

26. Diana who played Mrs. Peel : RIGG

27. Old Chevy : VEGA.

28. Wide-eyed : AGOG

29. "The Chosen" author Chaim __ : POTOK. A Jewish author and rabbi, Potok is most famous for his first book The Chosen, a 1967 novel which was listed on The New York Times’ best seller list for 39 weeks and sold more than 3,400,000 copies. (Wikipedia)

32. Best way to cross a speed bump : DRIVE SLOW

33. Bring down, as a house : RAZE

34. Wine datum : YEAR

36. Fret : WORRY

37. Stuck in __ : A RUT

38. "Ugh!" : "YECH!"

42. Enlistees, for short : GI's

43. Leaning : TILTED

44. Like the smell of soil : EARTHY

45. Pennsylvania port : ERIE. You should be able to find some Pennsylvania port in this list of 141 Pennsylvania wineries.

46. Conundrum : RIDDLE

47. Backsides : REARS. Link.

48. Enjoy to the max : EAT UP

49. Salty solution : BRINE

52. Questions : ASKS

54. Hindu princess : RANI

55. Zany Laurel : STAN

57. Outlaw : BAN. The verb form.

58. One, to Juan : UNO. (Spanish)

59. Gave a lot of bologna, say : FED. Seems like a odd clue but it's OK; I like bologna.

Answer grid.

Argyle

Tuesday, April 12, 2011 Jerome Gunderson

Theme: No Middle Ground - The unifier (37Across) says ON and OFF can be placed in front of each of the other two-word entries. This will take some explaining.

17A. Where sea meets sand : SHORELINE. Not necessarily sand, NH has only 14 miles. Onshore: either a wind blowing towards the shore or something already on the shore. Offshore: the opposite except things offshore be much farther away. On-line and off-line are usually thought of these days as Internet connections.

25A. Behind-the-scenes worker : STAGEHAND. Workers associated with a stage, roadies are also behind the stage workers but not in one spot. Onstage and offstage are just that. On hand and offhand are not just opposites. Onhand means in one's possession, while offhand means in an informal or casual manner.

37A. Light controller—either of its first two words can precede either part of 17-, 25-, 51- and 61-Across : ON/OFF SWITCH

51A. Distract : SIDETRACK. Originally referred to trains. For the most part, onside and offside are sports-related terms. On track is keeping to a schedule and off track is more like something that isn't directly associated with the matter at hand.

61A. Sentry's job : GUARD DUTY. To many these days, Guard duty involves being shipped overseas. Being on guard will prevent you from being caught off guard. On duty and off duty are just that.

Argyle here. It seems funny to have a Jerome puzzle without puns. Well, I may have wasted too much time on the theme; I better get busy on the rest of it.

Across:

1. Poker Flat chronicler Harte : BRET, His short story, "The Outcasts of Poker Flat" was first published in January 1869 in the magazine Overland Monthly

5. Syrup brand : KARO. Light corn syrup.

9. Scatter : STREW

14. Plane opening? : AERO. Aeroplane.

15. Farsi-speaking republic : IRAN. Farsi 1878, modern Persian language, the usual Iranian word for it, from Fars, Arabic name for region of Pars (no "p" in Arabic) in Iran.

16. Sports venue : ARENA

19. Like most attics : DUSTY

20. Mob enforcer : HITMAN

21. Gp. concerned with fluoride safety : ADA. American Dental Association.

23. Links elevator? : TEE. Golf.

24. Old Great Lakes natives : ERIEs

28. Christmas mo. : DEC.

29. Water temperature gauge? : TOE

31. Pro vote : YEA

32. USPS carrier's assignment : RTE.

33. Words of sympathy : "I CARE"

35. Potato cutter : RICER. Has anyone bought one since the last time we had this item.

40. Flora eaters, perhaps : FAUNA. Occasionally, it works the other way. Venus Flytrap.

42. Brief and forceful : PITHY

43. Pilot's no. : ALT. Altitude.

44. Toothed tool : SAW

47. Unused : NEW

48. Rock guitarist's aid : AMP

54. Spring time : APRIL

56. Place for a pint : BAR

57. Place for a cup : BRA. (hee, hee, hee)

58. Anatomical ring : AREOLA. (hee, hee, hee)

59. Steppes native : TATAR. Good map of the steppes

63. Carrying a lot of weight : OBESE. One of the nicer ways to say 'fat'.

64. Cold capital? : OSLO. Norway.

65. Largest continent : ASIA

66. Used hip boots : WADED

67. Feat : DEED

68. Winemaking waste : LEES. The dregs.

Down:

1. Lambasted : BASHED

2. Put to work again : REHIRE

3. Titillating : EROTIC

4. Singer with the Mel-Tones : TORMÉ. Some good info with this mellow number. Willow Road(3:01) from 1946.

5. Brick baker : KILN

6. George W.'s first press secretary : ARI. Ari Fleischer.

7. Attacked with clubs and such : RAN AT

8. In the future : ONE DAY

9. Glum : SAD

10. Liar's undoing : TRUTH

11. Fact-finding process : RESEARCH

12. Understanding between nations : ENTENTE. From French, as you might expect.

13. Method : WAY

18. It stretches from Maine to Florida : EAST COAST

22. Make better, as cheddar : AGE

25. Lord's laborer : SERF. Lord of the manor, that is.

26. Falling object's direction : EARTHWARD

27. __ Spiegel: German magazine : DER. Europe's leading news magazine.

30. Stumblebum : OAF

33. Roadside rest stop : INN

34. Clairvoyance, briefly : ESP

36. Like many a slick road : ICY

37. Passé : OUTDATED

38. Lash flash? : WINK. Good one.

39. Suffix with cord : ITE. A smokeless explosive powder consisting of nitrocellulose, nitroglycerin, and petrolatum that has been dissolved in acetone, dried, and extruded in cords.

40. Scale fourths : FAs. JzB?

41. Fictional Arabic woodcutter : ALI BABA

45. Wall St. hedger : ARB.. Arbitrageur.

46. Ares or Mars : WAR GOD. Greek or Roman.

48. Stimulate : AROUSE

49. Uncle __: Berle nickname : MILTIE

50. Western dry lakes : PLAYAs. Pictures.

52. How to turn something into nothing? : ERASE

53. Effect's partner : CAUSE

55. Go by bike : PEDAL

58. Youngest to reach 500 HRs : A-ROD. Third baseman for the New York Yankees.

59. Auto club offering : TOW

60. What mad people see? : RED

62. Pint contents : ALE

Answer grid.

Argyle

Wednesday February 23, 2011 Jerome Gunderson

Theme: DUPES (38A. 1- and 64-Across, and the first words of the four longest puzzle answers) - The green-highlighted words are all synonyms for "sucker".

1A. Court jester : FOOL. & 64A. Hammer or sickle : TOOL. Bookended the grid. It's important that both are clued in non-dupe sense.

17A. Country singer with the 1961 hit "Crazy" : PATSY CLINE. Please read Jerome's note at the end of my write-up for his theme inspiration.

56A. Shameful emblem in Genesis : MARK OF CAIN. And another Biblical reference PRODIGAL (30A. Like the son in a parable of Jesus). The Prodigal Son.

10D. Hockshop receipt : PAWN TICKET. Sad.

29D. Remora : SUCKER FISH. Attached to sharks/whales, etc.

C.C. here, filling in for a blogging schedule gap and feeling very happy to blog a Jerome puzzle. I learned the "sucker" meaning of TOOL last time it appeared in our puzzle. TOOL is certainly a dynamic word, isn't it?

Sometimes we see the first & last Across entries together serving as one theme entry, for example, TOOL in 1A and SHED in 64D, TOOL SHED as one unit, with TOOL the only "Sucker" element. So, my questions for Jerome:

1) Did you already have in mind where you wanted  FOOL & TOOL to be before you started the gridding? Or did the placement of the rhyming pair occur to you during the gridding?

2) Was your original unifier DUPES?

Across:

5. Zoo barriers : MOATS. Those who have been to Xi'An will remember the city wall and the deep moats.

10. Sourdough's ground breaker : PICK. I don't get this clue. (Added late: The question has been addressed in the Comments section. Thanks, everyone.)

14. Quint's boat in "Jaws" : ORCA. Have never seen "Jaws".

15. Polite : CIVIL

16. Yemen seaport : ADEN. Hot spot right now.

19. Trickery : WILE

20. __-mo replay : SLO

21. Vicinity : AREA

22. Submerge while sitting poolside, as one's feet : DANGLE. Vivid imagery.

24. Australian folk hero Kelly : NED. Just for Kazie.

25. Mine entrance : ADIT. Learned from doing Xword.

26. 49th state : ALASKA. So, what does Alaska mean?

34. Bills of fare : MENUS

35. Sudden ache : PANG

36. Heal : CURE. I like this consecutive ache & CURE.

37. Old Norse mariner : ERIC. Eric the Red. Jerome's grandpa is named Olaf.

39. Retain : KEEP

40. Cranny relative : NOOK

41. Russia's __ Mountains : URAL

42. "Beau __ " : GESTE

43. Kitchen areas, perhaps : DINETTES

45. Fastening pin : COTTER. Cotter pin.

46. Cereal grain : RICE. Gluten free, thank God!

47. Also : TOO

48. Sponge for grunge : LOOFAH. Oh no, I use loofah just to exfoliate.

51. Play a round : GOLF. Better to start with 9 holes when spring comes.

52. Timing lead-in : TWO. Two-timing.

55. "The Time Machine" race : ELOI

59. Puppy bites : NIPS

60. Mindy, to Mork? : ALIEN. Mork lives in Ork.

61. Teen bane : ACNE

62. Reggae musician Peter : TOSH. Of The Wailers.

63. Doofus : NINNY. Fun fill for today's theme.

Down:

1. Dandies : FOPS

2. Shouted, say : ORAL

3. Septi- plus one : OCTO. Prefix for "eight", as in Octomom.

4. Vegas opener : LAS

5. Joel who was the first actor to portray Dr. Kildare : McCREA. Unknown trivia to me.

6. No longer squeaky : OILED

7. Adidas rival : AVIA. Latin for "fly" (Bob is not here)!

8. Badge material : TIN

9. Snow pack? : SLED DOGS. Great clue/answer.

11. Beatnik's "Got it" : I DIG

12. Calaboose compartment : CELL. Jail cell.

13. Pants part : KNEE

18. 2009 Series winners : YANKS. Boo! Money gets them everything!

23. Lend a hand : AID

25. Synthetic fiber : ARNEL. Trademark.

26. Congressionally change : AMEND. Hence amendment then.

27. The king of France? : LE ROI. Literally. "Vive le Roi!"

28. Atom with a negative charge : ANION

30. Mamas' mates : PAPAs

31. Hotel client : GUEST

32. Sharp ridge : ARETE. Clear Ayes should nail this one.

33. With 45-Down, Middle Ages quarantine area : LEPER. And COLONY (45. See 33-Down). Nice cross-reference.

35. Put through a sieve : PUREE

38. "The Flying __": Wagner opera : DUTCHMAN. To us baseball fans, the name is only for the great Honus Wagner. That card (T206, near mint) was sold over $2 million a few years ago.

42. Explode : GO OFF

44. Padre's hermana : TIA. Father's sister.

47. Memento : TOKEN

48. Pre-Easter period : LENT

49. Hodgepodge : OLIO

50. "Uh-oh, I dropped it!" : OOPS

51. Big smile : GRIN

52. Crisp, filled tortilla : TACO

53. Sot : WINO

54. First-year law student : ONE-L. Scott Turow's book is a good read.

57. Ring icon : ALI. Boxing ring.

58. Sylvester, e.g. : CAT. Sylvester the Cat.

Answer grid.

C.C.:

Notes from Jerome:

My mother, Amber, was a Gospel singer and an accomplished pianist. She never made it big-time, but she was often a featured soloist in Baptist churches and on local radio in Oakland, California where I grew up. However, she enjoyed singing all kinds of music, and beyond Gospel, her favorite was Country. Especially Patsy Cline. So, much of the music of my youth came from Mahalia Jackson, Ethel Waters, The Blackwood Brothers and a lot of Patsy Cline. Though I'm pretty much a Rock and Roller I still enjoy the music Amber loved so much.

A few months back I was listening to a Patsy Cline album, having a beer, relaxing, just simply enjoying a little music... and... well, there you go, the theme for today's puzzle. Simple idea, but it was fifty plus years in the making.

Not being a shy guy, I'll gladly take a pat on the back from anyone who likes this puzzle. I must request, however, a smile for Amber too. :)