Thursday, January 19th 2017 Kurt Krauss

Theme: Camera Obscura - the three theme entries have a common scrambled word concealed within, as explained by the reveal:

54A. Device found in this puzzle's three other longest answers : HIDDEN CAMERA. You can find these things for next to nothing on eBay and Amazon. Creepy.

20A. Protective charm often adorned with feathers : DREAM CATCHER. Great, fresh entry. They can be elaborate, and quite beautiful:

33A. Stamina-testing ballroom event : DANCE MARATHON. Subject matter for the widely-acclaimed 1969 movie "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?"

40A. Forensic analyst's discovery : TRACE MATERIAL. A potpourri of things that might link a person to the scene of a crime.

Thursday rolls around again, and here's a nice scramble-theme from Kurt. The three theme entries are fresh and interesting, and the CAMERA is consistently found scrambled across the two words. There's a couple of nice long downs tying things together. I could have done without either one of  the pairs AAR/SAAR or ERR/ERN but that's probably just me being picky. Let's see what else we've got to talk about:

Across:

1. Naproxen brand : ALEVE. A non-steroidal anti-inflamatory drug of the proprionic acid class. Now we know.

6. Yap : TRAP.

10. Documentary divisions : ERAS. Not my first thought as far as a clue is concerned, but I think I see what Kurt or Rich are getting at - for example, documentary maker Ken Burns has produced programs covering the Vietnam War and the Civil War, as well as the jazz era.

14. Ricoh competitor : XEROX

15. Green-skinned "Return of the Jedi" girl : OOLA. Thank you, crosses.

16. Approaching : NIGH. The End, commonly. Let's hear it from Grumpy Cat:

17. Not shady : LEGIT

18. Action figure? : DOER

19. Site of Shah Jahan's tomb : AGRA. The Taj Mahal. The Shah had it built to house the tomb of his wife, Mumtaj. As an aside, there are approximately two million Indian restaurants in the world called either The Mumtaj Mahal or The Taj Mahal. The other four are called The Red Fort, The New Bengal, The Taste of India and The Lahore Kebab House.

23. Decorative globe : ORB

26. Ice cream maker Joseph : EDY

27. Holed a five-footer, say : PUTTED. Or, in my case, three-putted, commonly.

28. Start of a hands-off declaration? : LOOK, MA! Followed by a trip to the ER or the dentist.

30. Fivers : ABES. We call 'em "Lady Godivas" in England, in the rhyming vernacular. A "tenner" is an Ayrton (Senna). The day one of my co-workers in London told me that he couldn't make it to lunch because "I got to go down the J. Arthur to sausage a Gregory" and I understood him made me feel like I was a  native of the City.

32. Pigs out (on), briefly : O.D.'S

36. Longtime Labor Day telethon org. : M.D.A. Jerry Lewis-hosted event in aid of the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

37. Wild bunch : MOB

38. Gold units: Abbr. : KTS. Karats.

46. Swiss river : AAR. Here it is, with the old city of Bern sitting handily in the meander.

48. "Peter Pan" pooch : NANA. In the book, she was described as a Newfoundland, but for some reason Disney in their infinite wisdom turned her into a St. Bernard in their movie adaptation.

49. Travel org. freebie : AAA MAP. I still enjoy printed maps for browsing, but Google Maps for navigation is pretty awesome, especially the real-time rerouting to avoid traffic.

50. Lamentation : PLAINT. Complaint, in old-speak.

52. Miss an easy grounder, say : ERR

53. It can follow directions : -ERN. Northern, Southern, Eastern, Western. Question - why do we say "suh-thern" and not "sow-thern"?

58. Cold drink brand : ICEE

59. Come & Get It! pet food maker : ALPO

60. Annoyed : IRKED.

64. Like some warnings : DIRE

65. Jetty : PIER. The longest pleasure pier in the world is at Southend on the east coast of England. It's almost a mile and a half long and has a railway running from the shore to the pier head. There used to be a pub at the end, but it caught fire in 2007 and took the pier head down with it.

66. "Keen!" : NEATO!

67. Fresh answers : SASS

68. Quick on one's feet : SPRY

69. "Business @ the Speed of Thought" co-author : GATES. Collins Hemingway gets the co-writing credit, but Bill's is the only name on the cover.

Down:

1. Guns N' Roses' Rose : AXL. He of the X-rated anagrammatic name.

2. Sheltered side : LEE

3. Bit of work : ERG

4. Cancel : VOID

5. More than just edgy : EXTREME

6. Morning fare since 1952 : TODAY. The Today Show on NBC.

7. Study, e.g. : ROOM

8. Actor Baldwin : ALEC

9. Rampart topper : PARAPET. Merriam-Webster has rampart and parapet as synonyms, but they're two separate things. Here's a diagram of Hadrian's Wall, built by the eponymous roman Emperor to keep the marauding Scots out of northern England (some people still say that it should never have been abandoned).

Now, all this begs the question as to whether Francis Scott Key knew the difference. Either "From the ramparts we watched" or "O'er the parapet we watched" would make more sense. Probably too late to change it now.

10. Legislate : ENACT

11. Punctual : RIGHT ON TIME. Swiss Railways, famously. Amtrak, less so.

12. Concurred : AGREED

13. Result of a messy breakup? : SHARDS. Glass, usually.

21. Wax-coated cheese : EDAM

22. Rear : TUSH

23. Ancient : OLD

24. Gad about : ROAM

25. Wall Street figures : BOND TRADERS. 007 memorabilia collectors?

29. 1980 Chrysler debut : K-CAR

30. Something in the air : AROMA. There's my coffee brewing, in a K-CUP.

31. Cake with a kick : BABA. Rum-soaked confection.

34. "Too true!" : AMEN

35. Creole vegetable : OKRA. Popular in Indian food too.

39. German industrial region : SAAR. Don't confuse your Ruhr and your Saar.

41. Youngest Brontë : ANNE. Cheerful-looking bunch, and this was painted by their brother, Branwell. He painted himself out of the portrait, evidently quite poorly.

42. Short rests : CATNAPS

43. Weight allowance : TARE

44. Stud, e.g. : EARRING. Now, wait a minute. A stud is a stud, an earring is an earring, and ne'er the twain shall be confused. Docking a point for this one.

45. ICU worker : LPN. The "N" was my final fill. I wasn't sold on that whole "North-ern" thing at 53A, and I didn't know Licensed Practical Nurse.

46. Rose garden pests : APHIDS

47. "The Good Wife" wife : ALICIA. Thank you, crosses. Never saw the show.

51. Nice thoughts? : IDÉES. Nice, in the south-ern part of France, located in a south-erly direction from Lyon. OK, I'll stop now.

52. Bishop John for whom a Georgia university was named : EMORY. Knew the school, learned today he was a bishop.

55. Movie trailer unit : CLIP

56. Imitator : APER. I've been peeved about this word before, I'll just let it go.

57. One-half base times height, for a triangle : AREA. For a right-angled triangle only, if I recall correctly.

61. Dennings of "2 Broke Girls" : KAT. Crosses to the rescue again.

62. Juillet's season : ÉTÉ. Summer in Nice is nice.

63. Big affairs : DOS

And .... here's the grid.

Steve

Wednesday, March 16 2016, Kurt Krauss

Theme:  

 16. Venue that keeps you up-to-date : NEWS CHANNEL. Channel Islands. Chain of eight islands off the coast of Southern California.

27. Tropical cocktail whose color comes from curaçao liqueur : BLUE HAWAIIAN. Hawaiian Islands.

47. Chaste priestess of ancient Rome : VESTAL VIRGIN. Virgin Islands. Wikipedia: The Virgin Islands are the western island group of the Leeward Islands, which are the northern part of the Lesser Antilles, and form the border between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.

61. Biblical wise man : KING SOLOMON. Solomon Islands. Interesting.

37. This puzzle's theme, as suggested by the ends of 16-, 27-, 47- and 61-Across : ISLANDS

Melissa here. Very do-able but messed myself up a bit in the west with a few too-eager guesses. Didn't catch the theme until I had all but one theme answer filled in. Nicely done 37a ISLANDS right in the center.

Across         
 
1. Latte option : MOCHA. If you add chocolate syrup to a latte, you get a mocha.

6. Difficult position : SPOT

10. It's cut and dried : HAY. Love this clue.

13. Loud, as a crowd : AROAR
 
14. African city where pounds are spent : CAIRO. Capital of Egypt.

15. Tree feller : AXE
 
18. __ Tin Tin : RIN
 
19. Hunk : SLAB
 
20. Really bother : IRK
 
21. Bus terminal : DEPOT
 
23. "Beaches" actress Midler : BETTE
 
25. Canadian stadium renamed Rogers Centre in 2005 : SKY DOME
 
30. First name in game shows : VANNA. Fooled me, was reaching for a male's name, like Monte.
 
31. Work-wk. start : MON
 
32. Basic Latin conjugation word : AMAT
 
36. "Got it, man?" : DIG
 
41. Big heart? : ACE. Nice clue.
 
42. Ladies of Sp. : SRA'S. Senoritas.
 
44. Chicago's __ Center : AON. I had no idea about this building.
 
45. Elena of the Supreme Court : KAGAN
 
51. Record covers : SLEEVES
 
54. "__ a stinker?": Bugs Bunny : AINT I
 
55. Upright, e.g. : PIANO. Fooled me. Tried ERECT first.
 
56. Bow (out) : OPT
 
57. Disaster relief org. : FEMA
 
60. Longtime football commentator Cross : IRV
 
65. Actress Charlotte : RAE
 
66. Where to learn une leçon : ECOLE. French. Une leçon = a lesson; ecole = school.

67. Practical joke : PRANK
 
68. CIA forerunner : OSS
 
69. "Man, you are not serious!" : DUDE
 
70. Rocker Patty married to John McEnroe : SMYTH
 
Down
 
1. 24 Hours of Le __: auto race : MANS. Oldest active sports car endurance race, held annually since 1923 near the town of Le Mans, France.
 
2. Hurler Hershiser : OREL
 
3. Ninja Turtle's "Awesome!" : COWABUNGA
 
4. Faded star : HAS BEEN
 
5. Curved part : ARC
 
6. Went under : SANK
 
7. Alley target : PIN
 
8. Load from a lode : ORE
 
9. "Shoulda listened to me!" : TOLD 'YA
 
10. Silent Marx : HARPO
 
11. Assumed truth : AXIOM
 
12. "Fiddler on the Roof" matchmaker : YENTE. Always try to put an A or L at the end.

14. Hall of Fame infielder Rod : CAREW
 
17. Words before homer or brick wall : HIT A
 
22. Novelist Ferber : EDNA
 
24. Takeout option : THAI. Tried To Go, which makes no sense, then Taco ...
 
25. "The Da Vinci Code" priory : SION. I'm probably the only person who never read any of Dan Brown's books. Wikipedia.

26. Warm-hearted : KIND
 
27. Some undies : BVD'S
 
28. Lion's den : LAIR
 
29. Range maker : AMANA
 
33. Rod Stewart classic with the line "You stole my heart but I love you anyway" : MAGGIE MAY
 
34. Trendy berry : ACAI
 
35. Ky. neighbor : TENN
 
38. Postage-paid enc. : SASE. Self-addressed stamped envelope.
 
39. Gobs : LOTS
 
40. Banana peel : SKIN
 
43. Kristoff's reindeer in "Frozen" : SVEN
 
46. Sculpture or ballet : ART FORM
 
48. Brought forth : EVOKED
 
49. Run out : LAPSE
 
50. Corleone patriarch : VITO
 
51. Veep between Hubert and Gerald : SPIRO
 
52. Turkish coins : LIRAS
 
53. Some nest sites : EAVES. Barn swallows like to nest in eaves.

 56. Give the eye : OGLE
 
58. __ Blanc: tallest Alp : MONT
 
59. Egyptian cross : ANKH
 
62. Post-ER area : ICU. Intensive Care Unit.

63. Sign of approval : NOD
 
64. Old DJ's records : LP'S

Note from C.C.:

Please click here to see a few pretty azalea pictures D-Otto took yesterday. What did you see in the first two pictures? D-Otto said "The one with the cat under it isn't an azalea, but it is spectacular looking."

Tuesday, February 9, 2016 Kurt Krauss

Theme: NaCl - Four types of salt.

17. *Oft-minced bulb : GARLIC CLOVE. Garlic salt

24. *Laura Hillenbrand best-seller about a racehorse : SEABISCUIT. Sea salt

38. Recipe direction ... and a literal hint to what you can do to the starts of the answers to starred clues : ADD SALT

50. *Dry-climate landscape option : ROCK GARDEN. Rock salt.

62. *Olympic sport with a hollow ball : TABLE TENNIS. Table salt

Argyle here and I just want to be your salty dog.(2:08) A couple of learning moments plus four long climbers makes this Tuesday fairly easy yet entertaining. Well done.

Across:

1. Campaign display : POSTER

7. Tuber made into poi : TARO

11. Actor Beatty : NED

14. Give in : ACCEDE

15. Out for the night : ABED

16. Australian bird : EMU

19. Came in first : WON

20. Woman in a Beethoven piano title : ELISE

21. Oscar night rides : LIMOs

22. Classic sports cars : GTs

23. Absorbed : RAPT

26. Honest prez : ABE

28. Math comparison : RATIO

29. Sally Ride, e.g. : ASTRONAUT

35. Diarist Frank : ANNE

37. Island wreath : LEI

41. "Dig in!" : "EAT!". "Mangia!"

42. Celebrity : FAME

44. Statues, often : MEMORIALS

46. "Now you __ ... " : SEE IT

49. Fist-up call : OUT

54. Palms-down call : SAFE

58. Photo lab abbr. : ENL. (enlargement)

59. Dubai bigwig : EMEER. Alternate spelling.

60. "MASH" setting : KOREA

61. __ juice: milk : MOO

64. Company abbr. : INC. (incorporated)

65. Sheep's cry : BLAT. I'm more familiar with 'bleat' with sheep and "BLAT" from a horn.

66. Candy heart message : [BE MINE]. How long before this?

67. Shatner's "__War" : TEK

68. Backwoods possessive : YERS. Sorta goes with Salty Dog, don't it?

69. Rains ice pellets : SLEETS

Down:

1. Cell alternative : PAGER

2. Florida horse-breeding city : OCALA

3. Doc's order to a pharmacist : SCRIP

4. Early communications satellite : TELSTAR

5. Falco of "The Sopranos" : EDIE

6. TiVo button : REC

7. Actress Shire : TALIA

8. Manhattan Project creation : A-BOMB

9. "Au __": "Bye, Pierre" : REVOIR

10. Texas or Ukraine city : ODESSA

11. World's second largest island : NEW GUINEA

12. Showing strong feelings : EMOTIONAL

13. Kirsten of "Spider-Man" : DUNST

18. The Browns, on sports tickers : CLE. (Cleveland Browns football team)

24. Pop in the mail : SEND

25. Windy City commuter org. : CTA. Chicago Transit Authority. Chicago could have fit in yesterday.

27. __ constrictor : BOA

29. Landon who ran against FDR : ALF and was defeated soundly. Kansapedia article.

30. Opening set of TV series episodes : SEASON ONE

31. Hourly worker's device : TIME CLOCK

32. Fleet VIP : ADM. (Admiral)

33. Put into operation : USE

34. Scottish cap : TAM

36. Sci-fi staples : ETs. (Extra-Terrestrials)

39. Diving lake bird : LOON. Our crossword bird.

40. Capote nickname : TRU. Author Truman Capote.

43. It's a scream : [EEK!]

45. Picking-up-the-tab words : "IT'S ON ME"

47. Song words before "with a little help from my friends" : I GET BY

48. Husk-wrapped Mexican food : TAMALE

50. Pay : REMIT

51. Concrete-reinforcing rod : REBAR

52. Shoulder muscles, briefly : DELTs

53. Before, before : ERE

55. Golfer with an "army" : ARNIE Palmer.

56. Deceptive move : FEINT

57. Makes more bearable : EASES

60. Capsize, with "over" : KEEL. Since the keel is on the bottom of the boat, to keel over is not good.

63. Superstation initials : TBS. (Turner Broadcasting System)

Argyle

Notes from C.C.:

1) Belated Happy Birthday to dear Bill G! I'm terribly sorry that I missed your milestone on Jan 31 due to travel, Bill. How did you and Barbara celebrate? Cuban food again or what? Tell us about the menu.

Bill G & his grandson Jordan

2) Happy Birthday to our Saturday Stud Splynter, who turns 45 today. Splynter has been blogging for us since March, 2011. He only missed one or two Saturdays when he was sick. His dedication and commitment to the blog speak volumes of his character. Alas, I don't think that Blue Eyed Girl solves crosswords or reads our blog.