Monday, July 7, 2014 Jerry Edelstein

Theme: Songs in the key of ME

1A. With 66-Across, 1967 Petula Clark hit, and a hint to the three longest puzzle answers : "THIS IS...

23A. 1927 soft-shoe classic : "ME AND MY SHADOW"

35A. 1971 Janis Joplin chart-topper : "ME AND BOBBY MCGEE"

47A. 1972 Billy Paul #1 hit : "ME AND MRS. JONES"

66A. See 1-Across : ...MY SONG"

Argyle here. Well, it was tough listening to all these songs but I did it for our blog's sake. ;~)

Across:

7. Address book no. : TEL.

10. Bal. sheet expert : CPA

13. Lure : SEDUCE

14. Gas station machine : PUMP

15. Amtrak and B&O, e.g. : RRs

16. Readied for new paint : PRIMED

17. Thing left out : OMISSION

19. __ Paulo, Brazil : SAO

 

20. Web surfing devices : MODEMS

22. Baseball's Rose : PETE

26. Body sci. : ANAT. (anatomy)

27. Charlotte and Norma : RAEs. A character actress and a character.

28. Swear to be true : AVER

31. Singer Ives : BURL. Almost made the cut. For Me And My Gal(2:26)

32. Suitable : APT

40. __ diem : PER. (for each day)

41. Morning brew : JAVA

42. Excellent : A ONE

43. "Pretty Woman" co-star Richard : GERE

44. Med. plan options : PPOs. (preferred provider organization)

52. "The Thin Man" dog : ASTA

53. Andre of tennis : AGASSI

54. Fall back, as a tide : EBB

57. On the floor above : UPSTAIRS

59. Johannesburg section : SOWETO. A bit easier cluing, especially if you remembered it from Saturday.

61. Coloring agent : DYE

62. Pledges exchanged at the altar : "I DO"s

63. "I'm a __, not a divider": Bush : UNITER. Dubya, based on a Texas pronunciation of "W".

64. Spanish "that" : ESA. (feminine)

65. Guidance counselor's deg. : MSW. (Master of Social Work)

Down:

1. Recipe amts. : TSPs

2. Wife of Zeus : HERA

3. "Pound the pavement" or "break the ice" : IDIOM

4. Addition result : SUM

5. O'Neill's "The __ Cometh" : ICEMAN

6. "Red Rocks" resort near Flagstaff : SEDONA. A little confusion here; mixed up with Red Rocks Amphitheater, Colorado. Probably should have been just "Red Rock resort area".

7. Upside-down puppy's massage : TUMMY RUB. OK, let's see your favorite tummy rub video.

8. Diplomatic representative : EMISSARY

9. Hi-fi spinners : LPs. (Long Play) and 36D. Spun 9-Down at a party, say : DJed

10. Sobbed : CRIED

11. Prefix with plasm : PROTO. Famous scene in "Ghost Busters".

12. Good __: fixed : AS NEW

14. Ode, for one : POEM

18. Health resorts : SPAs

21. Banned bug killer : DDT. (dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane)(Don't ask again)

24. Make, as money : EARN

25. Ship's wheel : HELM

28. Current unit : AMP

29. Gesture from a winner : VEE

30. Corn serving : EAR

31. Finance major's deg. : BBA. (Bachelor of Business Administration)(If you remembered it from Wednesday, June 25.)

32. In times past : AGO

33. Calligraphy tool : PEN

34. Golf ball raiser : TEE

37. Some tavern workers : BARMAIDS

38. Crowd with foliage : OVERGROW

39. 24 cans of beer, e.g. : CASE

43. Annoying bug : GNAT

44. Nightwear, briefly : PJs

45. Death-feigning critter : POSSUM

46. Like some dips : ONIONY

47. Bea Arthur title role : "MAUDE". "...and then there's Maude."

48. Cable sports awards : ESPYs. (short for Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly Award)(if you remember it from Monday, June 9.)

49. On a freighter : AT SEA

50. Smart-alecky talk : SASS

51. Deal with : SEE TO

55. Bingo call : B TEN

56. Bjorn with five Wimbledon wins : BORG

58. Goal : AIM

60. Green Bay's st. : WIS. (Wisconsin) One for the road. Everybody sing!

Argyle

Thursday, June 19, 2014 Jerry Edelstein

Theme:  Michael Jackson

17. Harebrained schemes : CRAZY IDEAS. They are often off the wall.

22. Noted sitter : HUMPTY DUMPTY. He fell off the wall and cracked himself up.

36. With 37- and 38-Across, big hit : LONG.
37. See 36-Across : FLY.
38. See 36-Across : BALL. If it's not a home run, it probably bounced off the wall.

47. Cause of bad luck, so they say : BROKEN MIRROR. All I have to do is look in one to break it - it doesn't have to fall off the wall.

56. Bizarre, and what 17-, 22-, 36/37/38- and 47-Across can be, in one way or another : OFF THE WALL.

There are lots of ways to be off the wall. Here we have one figurative off the wall reference, one fictional, and two that could literally either bounce or drop off the wall.  Marti here, to pick up the pieces.

Across:

1. Licensed med. personnel : RNS. Checking the perps didn't help much - between RALPH, NAURU and SALEM, all I got was the "S"!!! Cross referenced at 64-Across. Workplaces for 1-Across : ERS.

4. Heavens : EDENS. Edens to Betsy!

9. Relations : KIN.

12. Wireless mouse batteries : AAAs.

14. Fuzzy __ : NAVEL. Peach schnapps and OJ. Great for brunch.

15. How-to presentation : DEMO.

16. One of a kind : LULU.

19. Lay the groundwork : PREPARE.

21. Live-in help, perhaps : NANNY.

26. Squirt : IMP.

27. Hardly a deadeye : POOR SHOT. Any takers?

Deadeye Cupid

31. "We __ amused" : ARE NOT. (Oh yes, we are!)

34. Role for Liz : CLEO.patra. Elizabeth Taylor.

35. Personality part : EGO.

39. Catchall abbr. : ETC.

40. Miscellany : OLIO.

42. Pushed : GOADED.

44. Makes tawdry : CHEAPENS.

46. Acct. datum : AMT. I wish the amount in my account were a little higher...

52. __ New Guinea : PAPUA.

55. Gets : OBTAINS.

60. Half DX : CCLV. I prefer this type of clue much more than "Year in so and so's reign…"

61. Campaign funders, briefly : PACS. Political Action Committees.

62. Guts : MOXIE.

63. 1980s surgeon general : KOOP. The only surgeon-general to become a household name. Do you remember why?

65. Jacket material : TWEED.

66. Elevs. : HTS.


Down:

1. "Invisible Man" writer Ellison : RALPH. Full name RALPH Waldo Ellison, named for - (guess who?)

2. World's smallest island nation : NAURU. Map.

3. Capital south of Olympia : SALEM.

4. Protect, in a way : ENCRYPT. I am fascinated by the Navajo Code Talkers of WWII.

5. Challenged : DARED.

6. Perón of Argentina : EVA.

7. Pince-__ : NEZ.

8. Like some dogs and devils : SLY.

9. Sharp : KEEN.

10. One-named supermodel : IMAN. I can never remember if it IMAm, InAm or IMAN.

11. Prone to prying : NOSY.

13. Dining : SUPPING.

15. Decisive times : D-DAYS. Do you know what the "D" stands for? Spoiler here.

18. Short beginning : INTRO.

20. Sphere lead-in : ATMO. Meh. And another: 33-Down. Confer ending : ENCE.

23. Able to give a firsthand account : UP CLOSE…and personal.

24. "Holy __!" : MOLY!

25. "The Pit and the Pendulum" author : POE. Would you believe, I filled it in as "EAP" at first? D'uh!!

28. Proceed : HEAD.

29. Stare rudely at : OGLE.

30. Related : TOLD.

31. Baldwin of "The Cooler" : ALEC. In gambling parlance, a "cooler" is a player who seems to cause other players to get unlucky, thus "cooling" down their hot streaks.

32. "Portnoy's Complaint" novelist : ROTH. It came out in 1969 - and immediately created a public outrage.

37. Informer : FINK.

38. Dugout convenience : BAT RACK. It's where they hang their keys.

Bat Rack

40. Talk show tycoon : OPRAH.

41. Durocher of baseball : LEO. "The Lip."

42. Bet : GAMBLED.

43. Skip past : OMIT.

45. Is up against : ABUTS.

48. "Cross my heart!" : NO LIE!

49. Maker of Caplio cameras : RICOH. Never heard of this camera:

50. Like septic tanks : ON LOT. Anyone else scratch their heads over this one? Septic tanks are always located ON the LOT of land that they serve.  Town sewer systems draw sewage through sewer lines to a central processing system at another central location. All you want to know, here. (Really, you actually clicked that link???)

51. SASE inserts, often : RSVPS. I used to get invited to a lot of weddings. Now I look through the obituaries to plan my social calendar.

52. Leader who wears the Ring of the Fisherman : POPE. Also called the "Piscatory Ring."

53. Quite a way off : AFAR.

54. Low-ranking GIs : PFCs.

57. CPR pro : EMT.

58. "Man!" : WOW.

59. Tool often swung : AXE. "Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend the first four sharpening the AXE.": Abraham Lincoln.

That's all I have for now!

Marti

Tuesday, June 10, 2014 Jerry Edelstein

Theme: Send in the Cons - Take a word starting with C O N and parse it as two words with 'con' meaning to scam.

18A. Fool check writers? : CON SIGNERS. Consigners - Those that hand over, such as goods, to another's care as in a consignment shop.

23A. Hoodwink companies? : CON FIRMS. Confirms - Verifies.

36A. Swindle court appointees? : CON JURORS. Conjurors - Ones who practice magic.

52A. Mislead groups of vacationers? : CON TOURS. Contours - The outlines of an object.

57A. Pull a fast one on proctors? : CON TESTERS. Contesters - Ones who dispute an issue.

Argyle here, no lie. I like the five synonyms Jerry came up with for "con". Very similar to last fall's puzzle gimmick except for that. (Sept.)

Across:

1. Corp.-partnership hybrids : LLCs. (Limited Liability Company )

5. Turkish title : AGA

8. Prepare for a trip : PACK

12. Icy-road application : SALT. related; 68A. Word before fall or ball : SNOW

13. Intravenous substance : FLUID

16. Final or midterm : EXAM

17. Reader of product instructions : USER

20. Verbalized : SAID

22. "Do unto __ ..." : OTHERS

25. High spirits : GAIETY

29. Take out, as text : DELETE

30. Award recipient : HONOREE

31. "Give it a shot" : "TRY"

32. Papal crown : TIARA

35. Bank teller's call : "NEXT!"

39. Pail-of-water fetcher of rhyme : JILL

42. Japanese cartoon art : ANIME

43. Kenny G's horn : SAX

46. Como or Crosby, notably : CROONER. Perry or Bing.

49. Infuriate : ENRAGE

51. Prom attendee : SENIOR

54. Visit briefly : STOP IN

56. Certain : SURE

61. Evens up : TIES

63. Away from the wind : ALEE

64. Dog-__: folded at the corner : EARED

65. Grabs a bite : EATS

66. Change direction : VEER

67. Classified messages : ADS

Down:

1. Pelican State sch. : LSU. (Louisiana State University)

2. Cowboy using a rope : LASSOER

3. In a tidy way : CLEANLY

4. Bitter discord : STRIFE

5. Org. with Titans and Chiefs : AFC. (American Football Conference)

6. Doom partner : GLOOM

7. Em and Bee : AUNTS

8. Income sources for retirees : PENSIONS

9. Cut with a pink slip : AXE. Whoa! Don't like seeing cuts and pensions so close together.

10. 52-Down, for one : CAR. 52D. 1980s-'90s Olds : CIERA

11. Metric measures: Abbr. : KMs

14. "Kinda" suffix : ISH

15. California's San __ Padres : DIEGO. Baseball team in the National League Western Division. (fourth place)

19. Nana : GRAN

21. "Me, too" : "DITTO"

23. Ill. summer hrs. : CDT. (Central Daylight Time)

24. Jockey's strap : REIN

26. Before, to Byron : ERE

27. Nickname on the range : TEX

28. Nevertheless : YET

30. Big name in spydom : HARI

33. Partly open : AJAR

34. Hosiery mishap : RUN

36. Religious place of seclusion : CLOISTER

37. Black cat crossing one's path, to some : OMEN

38. Rates on Monopoly deeds : RENTS

39. Store founder Penney and golfer Snead : JCs. Snead is the nephew of the legendary Sam Snead.

40. Wrath : IRE

41. Actor Chaney : LON

43. Lizardlike : SAURIAN. from Greek (and still Greek to me.)

44. Go along with : AGREE TO

45. Ballot box fillers? : Xes

47. Quick message : NOTE

48. Unevenly notched, as leaves : EROSE

50. Paths to take : ROUTES

53. When right turns may be allowed : ON RED

55. Educ. fundraiser : PTA

57. Ohio NBAer : CAV. (Cleveland Cavaliers)

58. Cheer for a matador : ¡OLÉ!

59. Born, in wedding announcements : NÉE

60. '60s activist gp. : SDS. (Students for a Democratic Society)

62. U-turn from NNE : SSW

Argyle

Friday, November 15, 2013, Jerry Edelstein

Theme: I'LL be back.

The sound of "I'LL" is attached to the end of in the language phrases to create a new and entertaining phrase. The second effort in the LAT by JE, who was introduced to us by Argyle back on D-O's birthday. All the words that are added on to are three letters, with only one part of a three word phrase. This type of consistency is part of creating a sound grid, I am told. Structurally, this does not seem like a Friday puzzle, as many of the words are 3 or 4 letters long, but the cluing of many of those requires some patience to find the fill. let's see where he takes us this time.

16A. Porky's jacket and tie? : PIG STYLE. (Pig Sty) (8). Another cartoon reference; I like cartoons.

27A. Prohibition at the Ivory soap factory? : NEVER SAY DIAL. (Never Say Die) (12). My favorite, mental picture, with lots of bars of soap floating in the factory.

44A. Pre-law classroom exercise? : COLLEGE TRIAL. (College Try) (12). Along with Beer a common Friday topic.

60A. Bad place to be shipwrecked? : EVIL ISLE. (Evil Eye) (8). My favorite SCENE. (2:58).

Across:

1. "__ goes!" : HERE. I needed to wait on this simple phrase.

5. Runway model? : JET. Really cute misdirection, and a way to make a three letter answer Friday word.

8. Brewery shipments : CASES. The Friday Beer reference out of the way early.

13. U.S. citizen : AMER. Ooo, a tortured abbreviation.

14. "Come __ the sea, / Maiden with me": Thomas Moore : O'ER. How appropriate here at poetry central that we have this POEM.

15. Area : LOCALE. The what becomes of hicale?

18. Hunter's trophy : ANTLER. Normally we nit about an unnecessary plural, here I wonder how a hunter would get just one.

19. Source of many dialogues : PLATO.

20. Big name in game shows : MERV. Griffin, who brought back Jeopardy and created Wheel of Fortune as well as having his own talk show, years as a band singer and hung out in Manhattan with Eva Gabor.

22. FDR power program : TVA. Tennessee Valley Authority. one of the earliest and most comprehensive of programs in response to the Great Depression.

23. Longing : YEN. Do Japanese people long for money when they are short?

24. Circle : REVOLVE. Revolve the wagons just does not have the same zip.

32. __ ghanouj: eggplant dish : BABA. The dip, quite yummy. Learn HOW.

35. Theoretical foreigners, briefly : ETS. Aliens, Extra Terrestrials

36. Declaim : ORATE.

37. Twist et al. : OLIVERS. I like it better when a second one is added, like Twist and Hardy, but that may be too easy for Friday.

39. Compact containers? : GARAGES. Another simple but effective misdirection.

41. It rarely happens at home : STEAL. A baseball clue, hidden here.

42. Equinox mo. : SEP. Along with MAR.

43. "__ you be my neighbor?": Mister Rogers : WON'T.

48. 1993 Disney acquisition : MIRAMAX. Nobody really knows this, but after a while it emerged.

49. More, in Morelia : MAS. Roberto Duran now denies saying "No mas" in the Leonard fight.

52. Spice : ZIP.

55. Daredevil Knievel : EVEL. More "evil' in our puzzle; where is Mike Myers?

56. "Awake in the Dark" author : EBERT. Movie critic intensive lately. BUY?

58. Waiting to buy tickets, say : IN LINE.

63. Allows : GRANTS.

64. Sermon topic : SIN. Do they sin in Cincinnati?

65. Making waves, perhaps : ASEA. An A word that is very common in puzzles.

66. Excites : SENDS. YOU SEND ME. (4:19).

67. Geometry shortening : TANgent. One way to get a gent in this room.

68. Go down : SINK. Well, I guess it is time to go to the down clues.

Down:

1. __ hour : HAPPY. Are we really limited to 60 minutes of joy per day?

2. Rousseau's "__, or On Education" : EMILE. No clue as to this BOOK.

3. Duke of Cornwall's wife, in Shakespeare : REGAN. In King Lear, who also has been popular lately. Love me the Shakespeare.

4. Back then, back when : ERSTwhile. A real but probably archaic word.

5. Delight : JOY. More than hour.

6. Fish with no pelvic fin : EEL. So that's the difference.

7. Seismograph readings : TREMORS.

8. __ belt : CONVEYOR. This is nice long, original fill, which I had from the perps.

9. Legislative decision : ACT.

10. Season, in a way : SALT.

11. Height meas. : ELEV. Denver really is 5280 feet.

12. Day song word : SERA. We had this song as the basis of a punny theme answer last week.

15. Baby bug : LARVA. Hi John Lampkin.

17. Rent : TORE. Really very difficult clue/fill, as the mind wants to think of a lease payment, not a garment ripped apart. As I said, while the puzzle has lots of short fill, like earlier in the week puzzles, much of the cluing is challenging.

21. Little League starters? : ELS. A nice change from the Golfer Ernie, clue.

25. "Oh, when will they __ learn?": Seeger lyric : EVER. The only song for which I know all the words.  Where have all the flowers, gone. Especially if you live up north.

26. November honorees : VETS. A few days late, but we all should honor our vets every day of the week.

27. Maritime : NAVAL.

28. "Gone With the Wind" feature : DRAWL. The Southern accent affected by the cast.

29. "Aladdin" parrot : IAGO.

30. "... with __-foot pole!" : A TEN. I would not touch that with a ten foot pole...

31. For fear that : LEST. I end up with all those cooties.

32. Bartlett cousin : BOSC. The most famous pear pair.

33. Musical range : ALTO. Another theme word returns.

34. Jessica of "Total Recall" (2012) : BIEL.  The remake of the Arnold movie. Two minutes for the boys. LINK. (2:03).

38. Halogens, e.g. : ELEMENTS. Our periodic LESSON of the day.

39. Lysol target : GERM.

40. Samoan port : APIA. The capital and largest city. I love the Mai Kai restaurant here in Fort Lauderdale and their Polynesian show.

42. Most hackneyed : STALEST. hey I know some of the jokes are old, but...

45. Hosts : GIVES.

46. Poetic preposition : ERE.

47. Dorothy Hamill maneuver : AXEL. Always a shout out to our dear departed Clear Ayes.

49. Soccer star Lionel who won the Ballon d'Or each of the last four years : MESSI. For those who like to shout GOAL. (2:06).

50. "Stormy Weather" composer : ARLEN.  Great song by HAROLD.

51. Salisbury __ : STEAK.

52. Sharp turns : ZIGS. Do not zag.

53. Memo start : IN RE. Latin. 59D. Great Lakes st. : INDiana. 62D. Place to retire : INN. A final misdirection, not where you go when you are through working.

54. Blueprint : PLAN.

57. Decision clouder : BIAS. Oddly phrased clue.

61. Through : VIA. Latin.

I did not struggle too much with this one but it did take work, and I hope you all did not either. Thank you Jerry and see you next time. We begin with Porky and end, that way. BYE. (0:09). Lemonade.

Monday, September 16, 2013 Jerry Edelstein

Theme: You may not like "dis" - Words that start with DIS are clued as if they were two words, starting with the slang for criticizing something.

17A. Criticize gas and electric companies? : DIS SERVICES. (disservices)

27A. Criticize a modeling shoot array? : DIS POSES. (disposes)

46A. Criticize stage shows? : DIS PLAYS. (displays)

60A. Criticize awards? : DIS TRIBUTES. (distributes)

11D. Criticize college subjects? : DIS COURSES. (discourses)

27D. Criticize farmers? : DIS TILLERS. (distillers)

Argyle here. No disrespect intended. This appears to be an ambitious debut by our constructor so a few hard nuggets can be accepted and the high number of "esses".

Across:

1. Manages (for oneself) : FENDS

6. Snuck : CREPT. Sneaked or snuck, ok? See the usage note here.

11. __ Moines, Iowa : DES

14. Native Alaskan : ALEUT

15. Cowboy singer Gene : AUTRY. No discouraging word here(2:43).

16. "That's nasty!" : "ICK!"

19. The Beatles' "__ Loves You" : SHE. Yeah, Yeah.

20. Sunrise direction : EAST

21. One of a D.C. 100 : SEN. (senators)

22. Russian capital : MOSCOW

24. Roy G __: rainbow mnemonic : BIV

26. Piebald horse : PINTO. Like what Little Joe rode on the Ponderosa.

30. It replaced the French franc : EURO

33. Pass out : FAINT

35. Mudville number : NINE. The poem on YouTube LINK

36. Complete, as a scene : WRAP

37. Tropicana and Minute Maid, briefly : OJs

38. Cheesy sandwiches : MELTS

39. Grounded jet : SST

40. Sworn statement : OATH

42. Isaac's eldest : ESAU

43. Wranglers with wheels : JEEPS

45. Folk music's Kingston __ : TRIO

48. Former Bears head coach Smith : LOVIE. Chicago Bears Head coach, 2004–2012

50. Be in debt : OWE

51. Sea near Stockholm : BALTIC

53. Prefix with pass : SUR. (surpass)

55. Become enraged : FUME

59. World Cup cheer : "¡OLÉ!"

63. Gen-__: boomer's kid, probably : Xer

64. Invalidate : ANNUL

65. On one's toes : ALERT

66. Fist pumper's word : "YES!"

67. Trotsky and Uris : LEONs

68. Pack animals : ASSes

Down:

1. Lose color in the wash : FADE

2. "On the Waterfront" director Kazan : ELIA

3. Loch with a monster : NESS

4. Brit's trash can : DUSTBIN

5. Sault __ Marie : STE.

6. Batman's hideout : CAVE. "Quick, to the Batmobile!" 12D. Bounce in a 6-Down : ECHO. "Quick, to the Batmobile!"

7. Wreck completely : RUIN

8. And so on: Abbr. : ETC.

9. Vacate the __: eviction notice phrase : PREMISES

10. Big name in chicken : TYSON. Perdue's competition.

13. Depict unfairly : SKEW

18. Invitation letters : RSVP

23. Bouillabaisse, e.g. : STEW. Traditional fish stew.

25. Practitioner: Suff. : IST

26. Kept in, as hostility : PENT-UP

28. Bodysuit for a tiny tot : ONESIE

29. "__ Marner": Eliot work : SILAS

31. Speak with a grating voice : RASP

32. Chooses : OPTs

33. 12 inches : FOOT

34. Open a bit : AJAR

38. Doctor's profession : MEDICINE

41. Owl's cry : [HOOT!][

43. A boxer may have a glass one : JAW

44. They're attractive to look at : EYEFULs

47. "Footloose" co-star Singer : LORI. Did you catch that Singer was capitalized?

49. "Myra Breckinridge" author Gore : VIDAL

51. Like the Honda Element : BOXY. Probably want to keep it like the following...

52. Away from the wind : ALEE

53. Really surprise : STUN

54. Web addresses, briefly : URLs

56. Beehive State natives : UTEs. Not Utahn today.

57. Little more than : MERE

58. Repair co. proposals : ESTs. (estimates)

61. __-cone : SNO

62. Sheep's call : [BAA]

Argyle