Sunday November 9, 2014 Joel D. Lafargue

 Theme: "Make It Count" - IT is added to each theme answer.

23A. Diminutive flower? : PETITE ROSE. Pete Rose, who still thinks he'll make the Hall someday.

25A. Cultural pursuits with limits? : FINITE ARTS. Fine arts.

47A. Musician to feel sorry for? : PITIED PIPER. Pied Piper.

70A. Novel set in a church? : PULPIT FICTION. Do you like "Pulp Fiction"? Too much for my taste.

92A. Indispensable poet? : VITAL KILMER. Val Kilmer, who was in "Top Gun". The clue has to shift away from base phrase and here it refers to Joyce Kilmer.

115A. Departure from the bookstore? : EXIT LIBRIS. Ex Libris.

117A. Giant gods waiting for tickets? : TITAN LINES. Tan lines.

33D. Acerbic fruit? : BITING CHERRY. Bing cherry. Sweet! Tart cherries bite.

43D. Serious transport? : GRAVITY TRAIN. Gravy train.

A rare 146-worder. This does not happen often, as Rich wants constructors to cap the word count at 144 and black squares at 78. 

Nine theme entries with total 99 squares are not easy to deal with, and you'll see a few strained fill here and there. Gridding is so much easier when theme answers occupy about 90 theme squares.

 

Across:

1. Tatters : RAGS

5. Cousin of a Tony : OBIE. The clue works without "a" also.

9. Staples Center player : LAKER

14. Certain candidate's goal : SEAT. And 21. Romney foe : OBAMA. 2012. I crossed the party line and voted Erik Paulsen (from the ritzy EDINA) last Tuesday. He has a super smart aide who helped me deal with the VA bureaucracy last time.

18. On : ATOP

19. Legally binding, as a contract : VALID

22. See 98-Down : TALE. And 98. With 22-Across, extravagant account : TALL

27. Ladder parts : RUNGS

28. Datebook notation : ENTRY

30. Kindle Fire, for one : TABLET. The only iStuff I have is my aging iPod Classic.

31. Overzealous : RABID

34. Scriabin piece : ETUDE. Not familiar with Scriabin, Russian pianist.

36. They may be cut by perps : DEALS

38. Choice group : ELITE

39. Mexican bread : DINERO

41. '50s/'60s character actor Lyle : BETTGER. Totally unknown to me.

46. After all adjustments : NET

50. "Rule, Britannia" composer : ARNE

51. Discoverer of Vinland : ERICSON (Leif). I never heard of Vinland. I thought it's Norse for Finland.

54. French governing body : SENAT

55. Sewer cover : GRATE

56. Prevailed : WON OUT. So, any news on that blue-eyed girl, Splynter? Or the nice AA lady?

57. Brylcreem amount : DAB

60. 401, to Marcus : CDI

61. Randy of country : TRAVIS

62. Czech. neighbor : GER

63. Near East inn : SERAI. Alien to me as well.

65. Shocked : IN AWE

67. Hot condition : IRE

68. "Just a __" : SEC

73. QB's targets : TES (Tight Ends)

74. Sneaky chuckle : HEH

75. Granada grain : ARROZ. Spanish for Rice. Lemonade, has your  girlfriend treated you with sticky rice & mango?

76. One needing a lift : SKIER

77. Beatles' "A __ in the Life" : DAY

79. Ominous words : OR ELSE

81. __ milk : SOY. I drink it every day, yet I tried RAW first.

83. Audio receiver? : EAR. Nice clue.

84. Middle of England? : CENTRE. D'Oh! All I could think of was the middle ELL in England.

87. Michelin products : TIRES

88. Pea pokers : TINES

90. "__ Pierce": Kate Winslet miniseries : MILDRED

91. Prefix with space : AERO

96. Brief reply? : ANS (Answer)

97. Met on the sly : TRYSTED. This "Derailed" is terrifying. Tryst is not fun.

99. Party rides : PONIES

100. Ralph of "The Waltons" : WAITE. I can never remember this guy.

102. TD Garden, e.g. : ARENA

105. Everything, in Essen : ALLES.  Also 16D. Old, in Oberhausen : ALTE. Alliterative clues.

 

106. Historical record : ANNAL

107. Miami daily : HERALD

111. Vatican vestment : ORALE. Haven't seen this word in a grid for a long time.

113. Commandment word : SHALT

122. Lhasa __ : APSO

123. Awakens, with "to" : COMES

124. Small silvery fish : SMELT

125. Coastal irregularity : COVE

126. Browning work : POEM

127. Diner "raft" : TOAST. I got sick eating toast at the highly touted Peppermill (Las Vegas). It's buttered without my knowledge. Their fruit plate is huge, enough for four Da Fan Tong, Jayce!

128. Shield border, in heraldry : ORLE

129. Belt : SWAT

Down:

1. Eminem genre : RAP

2. Put away the groceries? : ATE

3. Understood : GOT

4. Enthusiasm : SPIRIT

5. Hot spot : OVEN. Nice clue as well.

6. Entered rudely : BARGED IN

7. Lame answer to "Where's your homework?" : I LOST IT. Too lame.

8. Grafton's "__ for Evidence" : E IS

9. Artist's digs : LOFT

10. Free as __ : A BIRD

11. West of Georgia : KANYE. Got via crosses. I did not know he was born in Atlanta.

12. Former "big four" record company : EMI

13. Coiled menace : RATTLER

14. Attempt : STAB

15. Peerage member : EARL

17. Screen __ : TEST

20. Political pundit Myers : DEE DEE. She was the spokesperson for Paula Broadwell. Remember Broadwell & General Petraeus? Ari Fleischer worked for Tiger Woods for a short period as well. Told you tryst is not fun.

24. Insolence, in modern slang : TUDE

26. Bridge position : EAST

29. Uncool types : NERDS

31. Agree to more issues : RENEW

32. Olds compact : ALERO

35. Flinders in Adelaide, e.g., briefly : UNI. Aussie for "university". I never heard of Flinders though.

37. Help in a burglary : ABET

40. Cartel acronym : OPEC

42. Twelve Oaks neighbor : TARA

44. Having all the pieces : ENTIRE. And45. Pieces of peanut butter? : REESE'S

47. Kitty with no fur : POT. Ha ha.

48. Messages on packages : INDICIA. Learning moment for me. Dictionary says it's "postal markings often imprinted on mail or on labels to be affixed to mail".

49. Atelier figure : PAINTER

52. Iowa campus : COE

53. Do better than : SURPASS

55. Beowulf's foe : GRENDEL. Got via crosses.

57. Passbook entry : DEPOSIT

58. Home of the Pac-12's Wildcats : ARIZONA

59. Hitter's "lumber" : BAT

61. Seesaw complement : TWO. Did you nail the answer immediately or get via crosses? I was confused by "Complement".

63. 35mm camera option : SLR

64. Uncertainties : IFs

66. Studio sign word : AIR

68. Fired on : SHOT AT

69. More spooky : EERIER

71. Press closing : URE.  Pressure. I wish it has a ? to indicate wordplay.

72. Clanton gang leader : IKE

78. "Not to mention ..." : AND

80. Some summer births : LEOS. And 104. Spring births, perhaps : ARIES

82. Dog's "Ouch!" : YELP

84. Round fig. : CIR (Circle). I thought of EST first.

85. __-Wreck : RENT-A

86. Ford fiasco : EDSEL

88. Destroyer of some castles : TIDE

89. Scandinavian toast : SKOAL

90. Part of the "M*A*S*H" set : MESS HALL

92. It may be reached : VERDICT. Great clue/answer.

93. Coastal irregularities : INLETS

94. Short, shortened : LIL. Got me again. Saw similar clue before.

95. Leighton of "Gossip Girl" : MEESTER. She had an usual childhood. Read here.

100. Outlet site : WALL

101. Escapades : ANTICS

103. Bellini opera : NORMA

107. Bucket of bolts : HEAP

108. Athlete who's now a National : EXPO. Hey, I got this one!

109. Provoked reaction : RISE. Kind of like "Handled bags" for TOTES clue.

110. Basic building block : ATOM. Not LEGO.

112. Little helper? : ASST."Little" indicates an abbr. answer.

114. Pay for a hand : ANTE

116. Word Casper seldom uses : BOO. The Friendly Ghost.

118. "That's what I think," in chatspeak : IMO

119. This minute : NOW

120. Model/actress Mendes : EVA

121. Collector's goal : SET

C.C.

Sunday January 5, 2014 Joel D. Lafargue

Theme:  "Name Game" - Name can follow the first word in each theme entry.

24A. 1983 novel partly set in a graveyard : PET SEMATARY. Pet name. The novel is by Stephen King. Cemetery is purposely misspelled. Read here (the fourth one).

45A. Classic detective played by William Powell : NICK CHARLES. Nickname. Asta!

54A. Bibliophile's prize : FIRST EDITION. First name. I had the first edition of "The Godfather" once. Alas, it's not worth much.

75A. Simple to operate : USER- FRIENDLY. Username.

86A. Office staple :  FILE CABINET. File name.

107A. Any top-25 NFL career scoring leader : PLACE KICKER. Place name.

38D. Cheating deterrent : CODE OF HONOR. Code name. 

41D. A 36-Across may be one : TRADE SECRET. Trade name.  And 36A. Proprietary formula, perhaps : RECIPE

This is a classic 8-themer design: 6 Across, 2 Down. Though often the first theme entry starts or ends at the grid edge rather than in the middle.

I think crossword answers often reflect the interests & background of the constructor. How old do you think Joel D. Lafargue is? 

Simple theme, a few tricky spots for me.

Across:

1. Pacific island nation : FIJI. Vijay Singh is the Big Fijian.

5. Eastern teachers : LAMAS

10. __ bar : SNACK

15. Frequent autograph signer : IDOL

19. Quaint plaint : EGAD

20. Man with memorable thumbs : EBERT (Roger)

21. Really cold : POLAR. I don't remembering a colder winter. The highs today is 8 below. Tomorrow is worse.

22. Extra : MORE

23. Singular : LONE

26. Bakery buys : BUNS

27. Arboreal rodents : TREE RATS

29. From square one : ANEW

30. Tap : SPIGOT

32. Steams (up) : FOGS

33. Cannes conclusion : FINIS

35. Baffled "Jeopardy!" contestant's effort : STAB. Take a stab.

39. Salon treatments : MANIS. And 112. Salon treatment : PEDI. Hi there Lucina and Dudley? :-)

40. Frankie Valli singing style : FALSETTO

44. Bonding agent : EPOXY

47. Needing training : RAW

48. Sourdough's strike : LODE. I suppose those sourdough guys invented the sourdough bread.

49. Item sold in a kit : MODEL

50. Ohio pro : CAV (Cavaliers)

51. Letter successor, to a large degree : EMAIL

53. Non-metallic rocks : ICE. Fun clue.

58. "Spamalot" co-creator : IDLE (Eric)

59. 2000 film set in a confectionery : CHOCOLAT. With Juliette Binoche. Love her. "Damage" is one of my favorites. "Damaged people are dangerous..."

61. __ exam : ORAL

62. Fitting to the max : APTEST

64. Cold, in Calais : FROID. We all know sang-froid (cold blood). Cool!

65. Stupefies : DAZES

67. DeMille specialties : EPICS

68. Taken as __: in its entirety : A WHOLE. A rare 6-letter partial.

70. Secret rival? : SURE. Deodorants. Not familiar with SURE.

71. Greatly disliked thing : ANATHEMA

74. Engage in braggadocio : CROW

79. Rip off : COP

80. Salon dye : HENNA

82. Back in time : AGO

83. Least quantity : MINIM. I always use "Minimum".

84. Actor's accessory : PROP

85. That, in Toledo : ESO

90. French peninsular city : BREST. We've seen LAIT clued as "Brest milk?" before.

91. It won't hold water : STRAINER. Another great clue.

93. Horse features : MANES. Have any of you used Mane 'n Tail shampoo? They were originally for horses. My hair grows like weeds. I hope to gallop someday.

94. Marks common in stories : QUOTES

95. Landings: Abbr. : ARRS

96. Muffet fare : CURDS

97. Bedroom community, briefly : BURB

98. Joe or java : COFFEE

101. Major affair : GALA

102. He played Arnold Vinick on "The West Wing" : ALAN ALDA. Full name.

106. Diva's moment : ARIA

111. Transmission speed unit : BAUD. Wiki said "the baud unit is named after Émile Baudot, the inventor of the Baudot code for telegraphy". Learning moment for me also.

113. One often turned on : LIGHT. Great clue.

114. Top-tier invitees : A-LIST

115. Gospel writer : LUKE

116. What one star may mean : POOR

117. Nods, often : YESES

118. Freebies on pillows : MINTS

119. Fall locale : EDEN. Biblical fall.

Down:

1. Pool surface : FELT

2. "M*A*S*H" mess server : IGOR. Is this a gimme to you? Totally stranger to me.

3. Boy's mother : JANE. Boy is Tarzan's son? Wiki said the boy is called Jack (ape name Korak).

4. Parisian obsession : IDEE FIXE

5. Classic French firearms company : LEPAGE. Also a learning moment to me.

6. Does lookout duty for, say : ABETS

7. Subway Series team : METS. And Yankees of course.

8. MGM motto word : ARS.  "Ars gratia artis" (art for art's sake)

9. Multi-office rental: Abbr. : STE. Never saw "Suite" abbreviated this way.

10. __ rice : SPANISH

11. Staff figures : NOTES

12. What there oughta be : A LAW

13. Jam ingredient? : CAR. Nailed it.

14. Mrs. Blake Carrington on "Dynasty" : KRYSTLE. Another stranger to me. Played by Linda Evans.

15. Drink : IMBIBE

16. Henning of magic : DOUG

17. "Deal __ Deal" : OR NO

18. For fear that : LEST

25. More than excited : MANIC

28. Like challah dough : ROPY.  I had some nova lox yesterday. It's smoked. Lox itself is not smoked, isn't it, Lemonade/Hahtoola?

31. No longer in : PASSE

33. Diamond side : FACET

34. Trimming tape : INKLE. I forgot. We had this before.

35. Cannon barrage : SALVO

36. Thing of the past : RELIC

37. Significant period : EPOCH

39. Center : MIDST

40. Weak : FRAIL

42. Call before the game? : TAILS. Oh, heads or tails.

43. Immature hooter : OWLET. It still amuses me that Rich won't allow HOOTERS in a grid.

45. Org. headquartered near Colorado's Cheyenne Mountain : NORAD. Needed crossing help.

46. Assume the role of : ACT AS

49. Surroundings : MILIEU

52. Author Albom : MITCH. He wrote "Tuesdays with Morrie".

54. Blockhead : FOOL

55. Leveling machine : DOZER

56. High dudgeon : IRE

57. Flamethrower compound : NAPALM. "I love the smell of napalm in the morning".

60. Broken nursery rhyme item : CROWN. Jack and Jill.

63. "Bummer" : PITY

65. Red pig : DUROC. Alien to me as well. I wonder if Windhover raises these pigs. This one has an incredibly long body.

66. Bit of setter speech : ARF

67. Say "Enough!" : END IT

68. Liniment targets : ACHES

69. Grab forcefully : WREST

70. "Like a Rock" singer : SEGER (Bob). So, what's your favorite song of 2013? I really loved Lana Del Rey's "Young & Beautiful".  Give Lorde's  "Royals" a try. Like it?

71. Frank and Rice : ANNES

72. Seuss' Thidwick, e.g. : MOOSE

73. Date bk. listings : APPTS

76. Quarterly report line : SALES

77. "Yes, it does bother me!" : I MIND. Not an objection I use.

78. Some, in Stuttgart : EINES

81. In flames : AFIRE

84. Likely : PROBABLE

87. As an answer : IN REPLY

88. Charms : AMULETS

89. Israeli prime minister before Sharon : BARAK (Ehud)

90. Expend, as fuel : BURN

92. Cool and Lam detective series pen name : A A FAIR. Erle Stanley Gardner's pseudonym. Read more  here.

94. Milk buys : QUARTS

96. Buried treasure : CACHE

97. Consecrated : BLEST

98. Smythe's comics barfly : CAPP (Andy). Reg Smythe is the cartoonist. Another unknown figure to me.

99. Oft-twisted treat : OREO

100. Generic pet name : FIDO

101. Jokes : GAGS

102. Related : AKIN

103. Praise highly : LAUD

104. Blue Devils' home : DUKE. Coach K.

105. Arabian Peninsula port : ADEN

108. Invention: LIE

109. Seuss' Sam-__ : I AM

110. MDX ÷ X : CLI. 151.

Husker Gary's Crossword Corner map is now linked under Olio in our blog front page. If you want to be on the map, please contact Gary (gschlapfer@gmail.com).

C.C.

Monday, December 30, 2013 Joel D. Lafargue

Theme: Little Boy Blue's Lament - The first word is descriptive of Little Boy Blue's stock.

17A. 1965 Righteous Brothers hit repopularized by its use in the 1990 film "Ghost" : UNCHAINED MELODY

33A. Scarily unpredictable type : LOOSE CANNON

41A. Monopoly board corner : FREE PARKING

59A. Pep that won't quit : BOUNDLESS ENERGY

"Little boy blue, Come blow your horn,

The sheep's in the meadow, The cow's in the corn.

But where is the boy Who looks after the sheep?

He's under a haystack, Fast asleep."

Argyle here. I found this a challenge for a Monday. Joel has shown he is good for any day of the week. Two grid spans. Some tricky clues and some so straightforward you might overthink them. A good mix.

"Will you wake him? No, not I - for if I do,

he's sure to cry."

Across:

1. Key with no flats or sharps: Abbr. : C MAJ. A gimme for some but not for me.

5. Terra __: pottery clay : COTTA

10. Dog's greeting : [BARK!]

14. Big deli sandwich : HERO. Sub, hoagie, hero, grinder; one study found 13 different names for the sandwich in the United States. 29A. Mini-burgers : SLIDERS

15. Extreme fear : DREAD

16. Away from the wind : ALEE

20. "__ sera": Italian "Good evening" : BUONA

21. Clip-__: earrings for non-pierced ears : ONs

22. Choir section : ALTOs

23. Letter-shaped hardware items : T-NUTs

25. Pilot's approx. : ETA. He should know. (Estimated Time of Arrival)

26. Fixes firmly (in) : EMBEDs

36. However, briefly : THO

37. 1/12 of a foot : INCH

38. See 67-Across : PEA 67A. With 38-Across, Popeye's kid : SWEE'

39. Leg bone : SHIN

40. Sleuth, slangily : TEC

45. Lash holders : EYELIDS

47. Tenor and bass : VOICES

48. Where cows graze : LEA. Or in the corn if they get free.

49. Coffee maker brand : BRAUN. They've stopped selling coffee makers in the US market. Can anyone confirm?

51. TV financial adviser Suze : ORMAN

54. Sturgeon delicacy : ROE

55. Macaroni shape : ELBOW

62. "That __ say ..." : IS TO if you're Hamlet 6D. "To be, __ to be ..." : OR NOT

63. Indy 500 family name : UNSER. Sort of like Alou in baseball, eh?

64. Wall Street order : SELL

65. Skin pics : TATS

66. Bearded farm critters : GOATS

Down:

1. Common freshwater bait fish : CHUB

2. List of dishes : MENU

3. With the bow, in music : ARCO. Not just for violins either; only here on the corner!

                             LINK

4. '80s-'90s "Entertainment Tonight" co-host : JOHN TESH. A crossword regular, he finally gets his full name in. Way to go, John!

5. 401, in old Rome : CDI

7. Adolescents : TEENS

8. Little boys : TADS

9. Naval bigwig: Abbr. : ADM.iral

10. Song from a troubadour : BALLAD

11. Very much : A LOT

12. Decorate again : REDO

13. Lock inserts : KEYS

18. "Duck Dynasty" network : A AND E. (Arts & Entertainment)

19. Part of EIK : EAT-IN. Eat-in kitchen, a term used in apartment listings. Could you parse it?

24. Trojans' sch. : USC. Near LAX. Right, Bill?

25. "Xanadu" rock gp. : ELO. (Electric Light Orchestra)

26. Privileged few : ELITE

27. Cold hard cash : MONEY

28. Lawn bowling game : BOCCE. It seems it is a bit of a misnomer. Bocce and lawn bowl are two different games. I didn't know that. Boche and Lawn Bowl

29. Ginger cookie : SNAP. Reminds me of Lois, yum.

30. Code of conduct : ETHIC

31. River valley known for Riesling wine : RHINE. Riesling is from white wine grape.

32. Karaoke selections : SONGS

34. Tarzan's foster family : APES

35. Once known as, in society pages : NÉE

39. Like less-caloric chicken pieces : SKINLESS

41. Devilish one : FIEND

42. Nutritional stat. : RDA. (Recommended Dietary Allowance)

43. Gardner of the silver screen : AVA

44. Cathedral city on the Seine : ROUEN. One more European river and we've got a mini-theme.

46. Gauchos' plains : LLANOs

49. __ nova: Brazilian dance : BOSSA. One more South Amer... oh, never mind.

50. Stopwatch button : RESET

51. "In memoriam" column, briefly : OBIT

52. Civil rights activist Parks : ROSA

53. Mixed-breed pooch : MUTT

54. Nevada casino city : RENO

56. Make, as coffee : BREW

57. Look at lecherously : OGLE

58. Noah of "Falling Skies" : WYLE. He got his share of ogles on ER. (Am I right, girls?)

60. Carry with effort : LUG

61. Triage ctrs. : ERs. Learned of triage from TV series, M*A*S*H and Emergency! long before ER.

Argyle

Wednesday, July 10, 2013 Joel D. Lafargue

Theme: CUES AND CUDGELS.  Each theme entry ends in a synonym for a round stave or pole.

20A. Member of a "joint" military group : CHIEF OF STAFF. A decision maker with a walking stick.  Two disparate meanings of the word STAFF.

28A. Franklin invention : LIGHTNING ROD. A conductive metal pole fixed to the top of a building and grounded to deflect the energy of a lightning strike.  In slang, a person or thing that draws a lot of criticism.

Photo source and more info

46A. Make a relay race connection : PASS THE BATON.  A relay is a race run in segments by a team of runners.  Passing the BATON, which is just French for stick, from runner to runner is the connection between the race segments. 

Source

 55A. Cocktail accessory : SWIZZLE STICK.  A small skewer used to hold garnishes and stir a drink, so named for the Rum Swizzle, the national drink of Bermuda. Bottoms up!

Hi gang, JazzBumpa here. I didn't recognize Joel's byline, but a quick Google search indicates he's been at it since at least 1988.  It looks like this is his 5th LA Times entry since this blog started.  Let's see if he passes the baton smoothly, or uses it to beat us up.

Across:

1. Urban rails : ELS.   Elevated trains.

4. "__ life!" : THAT'S.  Sinatra.

9. Self-satisfied : PROUD.

14. 2002 NBA Rookie of the Year __ Gasol : PAU.  He played with Memphis until 2008, and since then with the Lakers.

15. Put back to zero : RESET.  Back to square 1.

16. Total : RUN TO.  Kind of an odd phrase, but legit.

17. " ... book by __ cover" : ITS.   It's what's inside that makes the difference.

18. Author Jong : ERICA.  Is she still afraid of flying?

19. Many times : OFTEN. 

23. "__ evil ..." : SEE NO.  At least when I cover my eyes.

24. Time of one's life : ERA.  Nice word play.  An ERA is a notable time span. The time of one's life is a notable event.

25. Pub. of an oft-quoted journal : AMA.  American Medical Association.

33. Full of mischief : DEVILISH.  But not usually in a malicious way.

36. Like much of King's work : EERIE.  I wonder if Stephen King ever wrote a weird story about an eagle's nest near the shore of a Great Lake?

37. Verbalized sigh : ALAS.  Woe is me.

38. Buddhist shrine : STUPA.  Here is where Joel got out the cudgel and gave me a sharp rap between the eyes.  The word comes from Sanskrit and literally means "a heap."  The shrine is a mound-like structure containing Buddhist relics and used as a place of meditation.

41. Injured, in a way : TORE.  A muscle or ligament.  Sounds awful.

42. Jazzman Jackson and cartoonist Gross : MILTS.  MILT Gross was a popular American cartoonist from the 20's through the 40's.  MILT Jackson was a vibes player discovered by Dizzy Gillespie in 1946 who was an original member of the modern jazz quartet in 1952, and went on to record well into the 80's. Milt.

44. More easygoing : MELLOWER.

49. Kalamazoo-to-Cincinnati dir. : SSE. South by South East. Wouldn't be a very good movie title.

50. Billion-year span : EON.  A bit more than the time of your life

51. Waits : BIDES.  I can't BIDE my time that long.

59. Traditional Islamic garment : BURQA. It's like wearing tent.  The "Q" threw me.

62. Dough raiser : YEAST. Not a fund raiser, though both involve bread.

63. One of the Khans : ALY.  Not AGA.  Needed perp help.

64. Words before "Gave proof through the night" : IN AIR.  I hope we all know what song this is.

65. Clerical residence : MANSE.

66. Short snooze : NAP.  I haven't had one in a while.

67. Incessantly : NO END.  Sometimes ON END, and that never seems right.

68. Like one's big brother : ELDER.  I wonder if this is how my little sister thinks of me.  I don't think I'll ask.

69. Chowed down : ATE.  Or, perhaps, devoured.

Down:

 1. "Lawrence of Arabia" and others : EPICS.  The story, not the man.

2. Bat maker's tool : LATHE.  A small theme echo, perhaps.
 

3. "Wake Up, Little __" : SUSIE.  The Everly Brothers, from back when I was a pre-teen
 

4. Girl Scouts emblem : TREFOIL.  French for three leaves, it's a stylized clover image with three profiles superimposed.  Also a cookie.

 

Image Source

5. Protagonist : HERO.  Is a protagonist sandwich made with provolone?
 

6. "Yeah, like that'll happen!" : AS IF. Sarcasm.
 

7. Sleuths, briefly : TECS. 
 

8. New York's __ Island : STATEN. 
 

9. Hardly G-rated : PROFANE.
 

10. Win by trumping, in bridge : RUFF.  That is the correct word.  If you say, "I trumped it," some stuffy bridge player will look at you funny.
 

11. Que. neighbor : ONT.  Quebec and Ontario, Canadian provinces.
 

12. Beehive State native language : UTE.  And eponym for the state.  Nice cluster of Native American words.
 

13. Put on : DON.  As in, gay apparel.
 

21. Doesn't need to be drafted : ENLISTS.  Two ways to get into the armed forces.
 

22. Bush spokesman Fleischer : ARI.
 

25. One-way sign shape : ARROW.
 

26. Wavy pattern : MOIRE.  Looks MOIRE less like this.

Source

 

27. "Doe, ___ ..." : A DEER.  I still hate that awful song.
 

29. APO mail recipients : GI'S.  American military service personnel.
 

30. FDR's successor : HST. Harry S. Truman was president after Franklin Delano Roosevelt.  The S didn't stand for anything.  It's true, man.
 

31. Opposable digit : THUMB.  But I've never been opposed to THUMBS.
 

32. Start the assignment : GET ON IT.  I associate these words with "right away."
 

33. Moistens : DAMPS. Dampens - sure; DAMPS - I dunno.  Looks like gratuitous verberization.
 

34. Inventor Howe : ELIAS. He invented the sewing machine.  HOWE 'bout dat!
 

35. Ballroom dance, in Burgundy : VALSE.  Waltz, in Brooklyn.  Ravel.
 

39. Green veggie : PEA. Comes in a pod.
 

40. Flight stat. : ALT.  Altitude.  Not the usual 3 letter flight abbrv.
 

43. Wine list presenter : STEWARD.   Why did I want sommelier?
 

45. Maine dish : LOBSTER.  Another nice word play. I've never been to Maine, but I did have LOBSTER in Rhode Island.
 

47. __ polloi : HOI.  Greek to me, meaning "the many," and used in English to insultingly denote the unwashed masses comprising about 47% of the population.
 

48. Digestive protein : ENZYME. A protein molecule that acts as a catalyst in digestive processes.
 

52. Rigg who played Mrs. Peel : DIANA.  Of course. Now Lady Olenna Tyrell, as you can see at the photo source link.

 

 Source

53. Brilliance : ECLAT. A learning moment.  It comes into English via Old French.
 

54. Internet calling service : SKYPE.  The next best thing to being there.
 

55. One of 16 in a 4x4 tile: Abbr. : SQ. IN.  Square Inch - simple - no?  But here is where Joel beat me severely about the head and shoulders with a sheleighly.  Having missing the "Q" in BURQA there was no way I could make sense of SKIN for this fill, no matter how hard I SQINted.
 

56. Enthusiasm : ZEAL. But my ZEAL did not wane.
 

57. Catch, as a fish : LAND.  Can you LAND a fish if you're in a boat?
 

58. Being, to Brutus : ESSE.  Latin.
 

59. Storage receptacle : BIN.  As, the dust bin of history.
 

60. Colorful card game : UNO.  Good game to play with the grand kiddies.
 

61. Actress Charlotte : RAE.  Edna Garrett, from  the TV sitcoms "Diff'rent Strokes" and "The Facts of Life", which I never watched.

Well, I'm a bit bruised, but survived.  Time to take some acetaminophen and head for bed. How did you do?

Cool Regards!

JzB 

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to Don "Hard G", my very gifted, patient and generous mentor & friend!

Don & his lovely wife Barbie

Sunday June 24, 2012 Joel D. Lafargue

Theme: "Novelties" - TT is inserted into common phrase.

23A. Not a waste of time carving? : WORTH THE WHITTLE. Worth the while.

36A. Tinker Bell's blabbing? : FAIRY TATTLES. Fairy tales.

60A. Municipal mascot? : TOWN CRITTER. Town crier.

87A. Pane in an infested attic? : BATTY WINDOW. Bay window.

108A. Lollipop for a dog? : SETTER SUCKER. Seer sucker.

127A. Butterfly? : FREQUENT FLITTER. Frequent flier.

15D. Duke's Droid? : PATTY PHONE. Pay phone.

78D. Where smoking remnants are stored? : BUTTS DEPOT. Bus depot.

This is our first encounter with Joel D. Lafargue. Google shows has quite a few puzzles in the Simon & Schuster series, apart from his NY Times in 1997.

This puzzle is a pangram, e.g., every letter is used at least once in the grid. It has a total 96 theme squares. Rich's minimum is 84. Gridding gets more challenging if you have over 100 theme squares. Very often you end up with way too many 3-letter words, hence more abbrs & undesirble fill. This grid has 24 3-letter words. Sometimes we get this many in a 15*15 grid.

Across:

1. Pay to see cards : CALL

5. He played Senator Vinick on "The West Wing" : ALDA (Alan)

9. "Ma! (He's Making Eyes __)": 1921 song : AT ME. Easy to get. Don't know the song.

13. Urge forward : IMPEL

18. B&O part : OHIO

19. Mistake : FAULT

21. Marina feature : PIER

22. Mazda two-seater : MIATA

26. Anti-apartheid author Alan : PATON. No idea. He wrote this book: "Cry, the Beloved Country".

27. Art in a park : STATUE

28. Noticed : SEEN

29. Union chapter : LOCAL

31. "Star Trek" spinoff, briefly : TNG (The Next Generation)

32. Alway : E'ER

33. Jupiter, to Saturn : SON. Not the planets I was picturing.

34. Tendency toward disorder : ENTROPY. We used to have a poster using this as his avatar name.

42. Screenplays : SCRIPTS

45. "Not __ eye in ... " : A DRY. 2D. "There'll be __ time ..." : A HOT. 37D. Like __ in the headlights : A DEER. 39. In __: miffed : A PET. 59D. __ the finish : IN AT. 5 partials. 1 more than Rich's Sunday limit.

46. Busy IRS mo. : APR

47. __ Team : DREAM

50. Frome of fiction : ETHAN. Edith Wharton's "Ethan Frome".

51. Farm spread : LEA

52. Type of daisy : OXEYE

54. Be of use : AVAIL

57. Name whose Japanese symbols mean "ocean child" : YOKO. I mentioned this on the blog before.

58. Foul-smelling : FETID

64. Revival prefix : NEO

65. Political theorist Hannah : ARENDT. Well, she does have the political look. Stranger to me.

67. First skipper? : NOAH. Clever clue.

68. Run-down urban dwelling : TENEMENT

70. Not quite closed : AJAR

72. Blade : KNIFE

75. Sushi bar soup : MISO. A little Tofu, a few sprinkles of green onion. Simple & perfect.

76. Amount so far : SUBTOTAL

80. Whom Cordelia called "As mad as the vex'd sea" : LEAR. Cordelia is King Lear's youngest.

82. "Maybe later" : NOT NOW

86. It has a Bklyn. campus : LIU (Long Island University). Splynter knows. He attended RPI though. Same as Spitzboov.

91. 27-day pope of 1605 : LEO XI. Such a short reign.

92. __'acte : ENTR

94. Range rover : STRAY. Nice clue.

95. Blue shoe material of song : SUEDE

97. Limo passenger, often : VIP. We saw a beat-up limo in flea market last week.

98. Place and Kett : ETTAs

100. Flight units : STEPS

103. Moo goo __ pan : GAI. Literally "Chicken" in Cantonese. Mandarin is "Ji". Quite different. "Ye Ji" means "wild chicken", slang for "hooker".

104. "Smooth Operator" singer : SADE. So, Grumpy, what kind of music do you like?

105. Eponymous microbiologist Louis : PASTEUR

111. Most cherished : DEAREST

114. "Norma __" : RAE

115. Previously : AGO

116. "Color me surprised" : GEE

118. Airbus A380, vis-à-vis most other planes : WIDER

119. Bond foe : DR NO

121. Clumsy mistakes : BLOOPS

125. Breakfast cereal prefix : ALPHA. Alpha-Bits.

130. Franny's title brother, in a Salinger novella : ZOOEY."Franny and Zooey". Learning moment for me. I think it's time to put Zooey Deschanel on the clue map. She's everywhere now.


131. Support girder : I-BAR

132. Yes-Bob link : SIREE

133. Italian peak : ETNA. In Sicily.

134. Pre-deal round : ANTES

135. Silent yeses : NODS

136. Comes out with : SAYS

137. Retinal cells : RODS

Down:

1. Intimidates : COWS

3. Old Sicilian coin : LIRA

4. Hard-to-win game : LOTTERY. Our neighbor Dwayne won $100K some time ago. Now he lost his house.

5. Like net income : AFTER TAX

6. __-di-dah : LAH

7. Club charges : DUES

8. Angels' div. : AL WEST. Pujols is heating up.

9. On-target : APT

10. Best-seller list datum : TITLE

11. Juicy gourd : MELON. I love seedless mini watermelons. You? I wish I could grow them in MN.

12. Raises : ERECTS

13. Plead with : IMPLORE

14. "O patria __": "Aida" aria : MIA

16. Thames school : ETON

17. Kent's Smallville sweetie : LANG (Lana)

20. It's periodically rung out : THE OLD. [Deskpalm!]

24. "The Kingfish" Long of early 20th-century politics : HUEY (Long). For Haltool. I thought his nickname is "The King" due to "All the King's Men".

25. __ tube : INNER

30. Circle piece : ARC

35. Sympathetic sorrow : PITY

36. Farmer Al __: Paul Terry toon : FALFA. Did you nail this, eddyB? I drew a blank.

38. Boiling : IRATE

40. Check for fit : TRY ON

41. Burn the surface of : SEAR

43. Hoodwinked : TAKEN

44. Schnozzola : SNOOT

48. Prefix with fauna : AVI

49. Quarterback Hasselbeck : MATT. For the Titans.


52. Pin money source : ODD JOB

53. Furry sci-fi creature : EWOK. "Star Wars".

55. Gossip page pair : ITEM

56. Colleague of Trotsky : LENIN. "Colleague" struck me as funny. I guess I'm used to the "Comrade" address.

61. Turkic flatbread : NAN

62. Hot dog topping : CHILI. Recipe for disaster.

63. Do some cobbling on : RESOLE

66. Cheerios : TA TAS

69. Dust speck : MOTE

71. Band with the 2010 album "Infestation" : RATT. Very helpful clue.

73. Wetland : FEN

74. St. Louis's __ Bridge : EADS. Named after its designer Eads.

76. Catch some z's : SLEEP

77. Utah's __ Mountains : UINTA. I can never remember this name.

79. P.O. deliveries : LTRS

81. Coloring cosmetic : ROUGE

83. Evans's news partner : NOVAK (Bob). Heavily involved in the Valerie Plame leak scandal.

84. Nitrous __ : OXIDE

85. Drop remover : WIPER

88. China's Sun __-sen : YAT. Chiang Kai-shek succeeded him. They were brothers-in-laws.

89. Forks in the road : WYES

90. Have on : WEAR

93. Assess : RATE

96. Neutralizes, as a bomb : DISABLES

99. Shipping routes : SEAWAYS

101. Hidden : PERDU. I thought it's "Lost" due to English translation of Proust's "A la Recherche du temps perdu".

102. Rude looks : STARES

104. Moped's cousin : SCOOTER

106. Rhody the Ram's sch. : URI (University of Rhode Island)

107. Brightly colored perch : REDFIN. OK, makes sense.

109. Court activity : TENNIS. Not judge's court.

110. Fruit with a wrinkly rind : UGLI. Quite juicy and sweet.

112. __-Croatian : SERBO

113. Traction aid : TREAD

116. Mideast strip : GAZA

117. Tar Heel State university : ELON. I bet Jayce has a better & topical clue for ELON.

120. Another, in Ávila : OTRA

122. Bart and Lisa's bus driver : OTTO. "The Simpsons".

123. Await judgment : PEND

124. Ladies in Mex. : SRAS

126. Half a bray : HEE. Hee-haw.

128. PT separators : QRS. Man, alphabet. P Q R S T.

129. Enchanted : FEY. JFK once described Jackie's style as "fey". That's how I learned this meaning.

Answer grid.

C.C.