Tuesday, December 18, 2012 Ki Lee

 Theme: Today - This day of the week is the theme and four words that can precede it.

17A. "Syndrome" that causes smartphone typos : FAT FINGER. "Mardi Gras"

24A. Dorothy clicked their heels to return to Kansas : RUBY SLIPPERS. "Ruby Tuesday"(3:18)

39A. Word that can follow the first words of 17-, 24-, 50- and 62-Across : TUESDAY

50A. Biker jacket material : BLACK LEATHER. "Black Tuesday"

62A. Evil genius's foe : SUPER HERO. "Super Tuesday"

Argyle Tuesday here. What other day of the week could get this treatment, I wonder. We have three actual days and one song as themes but with two great descending fill I can't quibble(especially with my shout out in the corner). In fact, all the fill seems sparkly to me. Ki Lee's two previous puzzles were well received.

Across:

1. Butts (into) : RAMS

5. Zodiac transition point : CUSP. related 60A. First of 12 : ARIES

9. Ambition : DRIVE

14. "On the Waterfront" director Kazan : ELIA

15. "A Death in the Family" author James : AGEE

16. Big name in real estate : RE/MAX. They seem to be nationwide.

19. Dangerous bacteria : E COLI

20. Unbroken : INTACT

21. "What's the __?": "Same thing" : DIF. Shortened form of DIFference.

23. Trying to break an NFL tie : IN OT. (OverTime)

27. "Understood!" : "YES, I SEE!"

30. "Milk's favorite cookie" : OREO

31. Vittles : EATS

32. Setting for many King novels : MAINE. His house in Bangor.

35. Big Pharma regulator : FDA. Pharma is an abbreviation for the pharmaceutical industry/ Food and Drug Administration.

38. Big gun lobby: Abbr. : NRA. (National Rifle Association)

41. Casual greetings : YOs

42. Devious : SLY

43. "Tomorrow" musical : "ANNIE". Broadway biggie opened in 1977 and ran for nearly six years.

44. Tries to win : WOOs

45. Math subj. : CALC. (calculus)

47. Temporary visit : SOJOURN. Nice word.

54. Campus military prog. : ROTC

55. PC key : ESC

56. Tyrant : DESPOT

64. Range : SCOPE

65. Boy or girl lead-in : ATTA

66. Agenda unit : ITEM

67. He's coming to town soon : SANTA. Or going to town, depending on your perspective.

68. Four quarters : YEAR

69. Overtake : PASS

Down:

1. Loan adjustment, for short : REFI

2. Arkin of "Argo" : ALAN. Good film?

3. Baseball glove : MITT

4. Jungle adventures : SAFARIs

5. "Impossible!" : "CAN'T BE!"

6. Sheepskin boots trademark : UGG. Still trendy?

7. Garden plantings : SEEDS

8. Danger : PERIL

9. Dr. of rap : DRE. The doctor is back in the house. Haven't seen him in a while.

10. Cooking instructions : RECIPE

11. Politician's "We have the same goals" : "I'M ONE OF YOU". Yeah, no matter who you are.

12. Bravery : VALOR

13. Departures : EXITS

18. Critical hosp. areas : ICU's. (Intensive Care Unit)

22. Apple on iTunes? : FIONA. (singer-songwriter and pianist)

25. Oman neighbor : YEMEN

26. Game to go after : PREY

27. Hankerings : YENS

28. British peer : EARL

29. Time off spent at home : STAYCATION. Great word.

33. "Just __ figured!" : AS I

34. Latin clarifier : ID EST

36. Departure point : DOOR

37. Homeowners' gp., e.g. : ASSN.

39. Discuss it : TALK

40. Mom's brother : UNCLE. or Dad's.

44. Church activity : WORSHIP

46. Receive willingly : ACCEPT

48. "Mercy me!" : "OH DEAR!"

49. Heckle : JEER

50. Military bigwigs : BRASS

51. "Bodas de Sangre" playwright García __ : LORCA. Help!

52. College application part : ESSAY

53. Like some angles : ACUTE

57. Anti-fur org. : PETA. (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals)

58. Loads from lodes : OREs

59. Alley prowlers : TOMs Cats.

61. The Red or the Black : SEA

63. Mom-and-pop gp. : PTA

Argyle

Notes from C.C.:



Here is a beautiful picture of Kazie and her husband Barry at their wedding 40 years ago. She made her own dress! Love her hair.

Monday, March 26, 2012 Ki Lee

Theme: Executive Privilege, By The Numbers - Four long entries that inelegant I will never encounter.

17A. Elegant business garb : THREE-PIECE SUITS

27A. Elegant business dinner : FOUR-COURSE MEAL

46A. Elegant business accommodations : FIVE-STAR HOTELS. Two plural. Two singulars in the theme set.

61A. Elegant business reward : SIX-FIGURE INCOME

Bonus: 44D. Wealthy group : THE RICH 53D. One in business who is no stranger to the elegant things in this puzzle : EXEC

Argyle here. Neat point is that the numbers are all hyphenated. Our constructor graced us with a Friday puzzle in January. Maybe we will get one for each day of the week. That would be nice(not french).

Across:

1. Filled tortilla : TACO

5. "__ to the Chief" : HAIL

9. Lincoln's legendary log home : CABIN

14. "Pronto!" initials : "ASAP!". (as soon as possible)

15. Killer whale : ORCA

16. Barely ahead in the game : UP ONE

20. Spirited meeting? : SEANCE. I'm not sure whom to thank but there are several mildly tricky clues today.

21. Cell phone message : TEXT

22. Building site : LOT

23. Seemingly forever : EONs

25. Office seeker, briefly : POL

34. Tolkien tree creature : ENT

35. Concerning a heart chamber : ATRIAL. Bad if they fibrillate.

36. New York NFL team, familiarly : G-MEN. (Giants)

38. "__ is human ..." : TO ERR

40. Down with the mouth : EAT. Cute.

41. "__, girl!": words of encouragement : YOU GO

42. __-American : AFRO

43. Quick on the uptake : ASTUTE

45. Down in the mouth : SAD

49. Diplomat's HQ : EMB. (embassy)

50. Captain of the Nautilus : NEMO. The Nautilus(Greek for sailor) is the fictional submarine featured in Jules Verne's novels "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" (1870)

51. Imitate : APE

54. Pub order : PINT

57. Increase, as production : RAMP UP

64. Smudge : SMEAR

65. Catchall abbr. : MISC.

66. Heidi's mountains : ALPS

67. Mother-of-pearl : NACRE. and who is the father -of-pearl?

68. Not just one : BOTH

69. Quiz, e.g. : TEST

Down:

1. Body art, for short : TATS. (tattoo's) Remember when TATS meant to make 8-Down : LACE. (Tie, as shoes)

2. Tennis great Arthur : ASHE

3. Dear, in Bologna : CARA. Cara Mia(1:47) A Cappella and definitely not by Jay and the Americans.

4. Warm-up act : OPENER

5. "Heaven forbid" : "HOPE NOT"

6. Magnate Onassis : ARI. Jackie Kennedy's husband.

7. Rapper whose name sounds like a refreshing beverage : ICE T. He has been on the long-running(2000 to present) TV series, "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit", as Detective Odafin "Fin" Tutuola.

9. Usual procedure : CUSTOM

10. "The Simpsons" storekeeper : APU

11. Heat, as water : BOIL

12. Captivated by : INTO

13. Egg holder : NEST. 'Tis the season for nesting.

18. Chevy Volt or Nissan Leaf : ECOCAR

19. Kick out : EXPEL

24. Most certain : SUREST

26. Danish toy block maker : LEGO

27. Greek cheese : FETA. 'Tis the season for fresh FETA. It is made with goat's and/or sheep's milk.

28. Wall switch words : ON/OFF

29. Wombs : UTERI. (plural of uterus)

30. Cowboy's rope : RIATA

31. Galileo was the first to observe its rings : SATURN



32. Cause to chuckle : AMUSE

33. Okay, in law : LEGAL

37. Okays with a head bob : NODS

39. Wander : ROVE

41. Naval petty officer : YEOMAN

43. Comparable in size : AS BIG

47. __ State Building : EMPIRE. (in NYC)

48. Alley prowler : TOM CAT

51. Part of NBA: Abbr. : ASSN. (basketball)

52. Soft cotton : PIMA. Did you get it this time?

55. Feeling no pain : NUMB

56. The Musketeers, e.g. : TRIO

58. Global extremity : POLE

59. Strike callers : UMPs

60. Annoying one : PEST

62. At a distance : FAR

63. Superlative suffix : EST. This is the farthEST I go.

Argyle

Friday, January 6, 2012, Ki Lee

Theme: Wrap it around your mind. Each of the 4 theme answers have the same first and last letter, but the end one is removed, and you have to "borrow" the first letter to finish the word or phrase. The answers are just that, no puns or wordplay. Something new from another new contributor; I think I have seen his name on some online puzzles, but I did not find a previous newspaper publication. Let's look over the theme and the reveal which include two across grid spanners  and one up and down.

17A. *Major financial concern: ECONOMIC COLLAPSE

22A. *Numbers field?: ANESTHESIA.  Expliquez, s'il vous plait. (From C.C.: Numb-ers = Things that numb.)

50A. *Fantasized : DAYDREAMED.

59A. *Misrepresent, in a way: TAKE OUT OF CONTEXT. 

And the reveal, 7D. Hint for understanding this puzzle's starred answers: BACK TO SQUARE ONE.

The rest of the puzzle is very much a Friday with fewer words and many new clues, some have me baffled and some were fun, Let's welcome the creator after we review each clue.

ACROSS:

1. You might do it after making a wish: BLOW. Man, how difficult to not start out my analysis with painting a nice obscene mental picture. It was a job.

5. Equally undesirable: AS BAD.. Ah, like Dan Naddor, this constructor likes two word answers, see how many you find.

10. Sitting around: IDLE. Not Eric.

14. Stopped sitting around  ROSE. A shout out to our own, ARABON. Kewl.

15. "10 Things __ About You": 1999 comedy: I HATE. A 'modernization' of Taming of the Shrew. TRAILER. (1:28)

16. Symbol of courage: LION.

20. Already old, with "so": LAST WEEK. Do you like the phone commercial?

21. Words before "Do I have to?": AW GEE. See how he gets odd letters together like Dan did.

25. Quits: STOPS. No, not yet, come on....

28. Caring but strict approach: TOUGH LOVE. See another one.

32. Get ready for a concert: TUNE UP. Gee in my day it was , "light up." 4 already!

34. Orch. section : STR. I get strings all the time.

35. Noted 16-Across portrayer: LAHR. The incomparable BERT. (1:19)

36. Put away: ATE. Did you see her put away that chocolate cake?

37. Some awards: PLAQUES. Not on your teeth, but your mantelpiece.

40. "Dracula" director Browning: TOD. He. loved the monsters. LINK.

41. Kid's reward, maybe: STAR. I bet CA got all gold stars in her reading classes.

43. __ Dhabi: ABU. Another place in the desert.

44. Electronic music genre: TECHNO. You like? LINK.(2:37).

46. Certain settler's tract: HOMESTEAD. How the west was settled.

49. "It's nobody __ business": ELSE'S. Mind your own beeswax.

52. Dispossess: EVICT. Not easy for landlords in Florida.

55. Japan and China are in it: EAST ASIA. Geography even I know.

62. "You said it!": AMEN.

63. "Exodus" actor: MINEO. Was killed.

64. "The __ Affair": Jasper Fforde novel: EYRE. Weird alternate universe detective Thursday Next investigates Jane. LINK.

65. Squabble: SPAT. Never happened to Jack Sprat.

66. Fired, as a cartridge: SPENT. Used up.

67. Epitome of thinness: REED.

DOWN:

1. Songwriter Jacques: BREL. Like Hercule Poirot, most think he was French, but this Belgian entertainer influenced popular music around the world. LINK.

2. Crazy, in a Ricky Martin song: LOCA. La Vida Loca, you can pick your own version.

3. Baja bears: OSOS. Spanish.

4. Lost it: WENT APE. Not tape.

5. Name meaning "beloved": AIMEE. I have a niece, Amy.

6. Slowest to mix, perhaps: SHIEST. Mix socially, not in a glass.

8. Flight coordinators: Abbr.: ATC. Air Traffic Control

9. "Gloria in Excelsis __": DEO. Hmmm, a hymn.

10. Hostility: ILL WILL. Or a sick Shakespeare.

11. Rect. bisector: DIAG. onal.

12. Run easily: LOPE. Don't sprint, just lope you dope.

13. Massachusetts motto opener: ENSE. For all of my my neighbors, "Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem." (Latin)  By the sword we seek peace, but peace only under liberty.

18. Confesses: OWNS UP. I admit this was easy.

19. Whip part: LASH. Whiplash, the insurance companies enemy.

23. Native Rwandan: HUTU. Learning moment, though reminds me of who do the voo doo like you do from earlier. LINK. All perps.

24. Everglades wader: EGRET. No regrets if you do not kn.ow egrets.

25. Put away: STASH. Where do you keep your stash?

26. All, in Asti: TUTTO. Italian.

27. Graveyard shift hr : ONE AM.

29. Promising words: OATHS. Pledges, not curses.

30. "Pop Up Video" airer: VH ONE. MTV's little sister.

31. Subject of the biography "The Man Who Loved Only Numbers": ERDOS. Mathematician, think older version of SHELDON COOPER, equally eccentric. LINK.

33. Prefix with -pus: PLATY. Really, we all love the odd duck billed Platypus, but that is not a prefix.

38. Retired: ABED. Where do you stand on the "A" word controversy?

39. Apparently do: SEEM TO.

42. Insignificant amount: RED CENT. With the reddish color of a true copper penny, this was the smallest amount of money.

45. Grime fighter: CLEANER. A little pun with crime fighter, unless it is Harvey Keitel in Pulp Fiction, where it is both.

47. '60s-'70s Japanese leader: SATO. With NIXON (2:17).

48. Make really uncomfortable, in a way: DEAFEN. I guess from a deafening racket, but...

51. Fancy neckwear: ASCOT. Not the racetrack.

52. LAX postings: ETAS. Estimated Time of Arrival S.

53. Siren: VAMP. One of my favorites. LINK (2:45).

54. Big name in furniture: IKEA. Who recalls my unraveling of this Swedish acronym?

56. Lid trouble: STYE. Eyelids, not as bad as chalazia, but irritating.

57. "Able was __ ...": I ERE. I SAW ELBA. Palindrome anyone?

58. Fired: AXED. Be the first in your neighborhood to get AXEOLOGY, the two disc set of the best of the band AXE from 1979-2001.

60. Thinking-on-one's-feet indicators: UMS. Err, ahhm you know...

61. It may be left on a table: TIP. No longer thought to be from To Insure Promptness. My tip of the hat to Ki Lee for an interesting ride, and to all of you for your comments, both old times and newbies. You keep the corner young. Well another year has started, thanks for inviting me into your homes, see you next time.

Answer grid.

Lemonade