Tuesday Nov 22, 2011 Kurt Mengel and Jan-Michele Gianette

Theme: PUTTING ON THE DOG (54A. Assuming an attitude of importance, and a hint to what ends 17-, 26- and 41-Across ) - The last words of all three phrase are hot dog toppings.

17A. Is well-versed in a subject : KNOWS ONE'S ONIONS. Don't know much about onions. I do know a lot about apples.

26A. Achieves required standards : CUTS THE MUSTARD.

41A. Obviously enjoys a meal : EATS WITH RELISH. "Ah, food!", said Steve.

Notice all the theme answers are in third person singular form. Very consistent.

C.C. again. Delighted with the theme. I bet Seen likes it too. Brings him right back to Marge Schott's $1 hotdogs. She made lots of bad decisions, uttered lots of thoughtless and offensive remarks, but she truly loved the Reds and baseball. And her dogs of course.

Across:

1. Filled with wonder : AWED

5. Trade punches : SPAR

9. Shire of "Rocky" : TALIA. Also Connie in "Godfather" series. Drove me crazy.

14. Hurry : RACE

15. Opportunity to play : TURN

16. Shi'ite leaders : IMAMS. So Sunni's leaders are not IMAMS?

20. Salon service : SET

21. Samoa's capital : APIA

22. Makes an offer for at auction : BIDS ON. I like E-Bay's Buy It Now.

23. Fertile desert spot : OASIS

25. Parisian summers : ETES. Wow, real summers.

31. Quick raid : FORAY

32. Hung. neighbor : AUST (Austria). Been there, Jayce?

33. "Who, me?" : MOI

34. __ rain : ACID

35. More than bad : WORSE

37. Skier's transport : T-BAR. Marti has probably been to every famous skill resort in the US.

38. Uno follower : DOS

39. One of those things : THAT

40. Prepare (oneself), as for a jolt : BRACE

45. Essence : PITH

46. Out of order : AMISS

47. Early birthday milestone : AGE ONE

50. Work subtitled "A Life": Abbr. : BIOG. Oh, biography.

51. Pale or brown brew : ALE

57. Pop singer John : ELTON

58. Herbal balm : ALOE. So, Lucia, can I grow aloes in Minnesota?

59. Roman robe : TOGA

60. Like hash in diners : SLUNG. I drew a blank.

61. Atlantic, to Brits : POND. I enjoy very much Steve & Nice Cuppa's British wits.

62. Acceptability on the street, in slang : CRED (Credential)

Down:

1. Torah holders : ARKS

2. Dwindle : WANE

3. Traveler to an environmentally protected area : ECO-TOURIST. I bet Melissa likes this answer. Great one.

4. Morning glistener : DEW

5. "No more!" : STOP IT

6. Discipline : PUNISH. Spanking was very very common in the neighborhood where I grew up.

7. Vicinity : AREA

8. MDs' co-workers : RNs

9. Most minuscule : TINIEST

10. Surrounded by : AMIDST

11. Vientiane's land : LAOS. They keep Kip there.

12. "__ expert, but ..." : I'M NO

13. The "A" in many org. names : ASSN

18. Cheeky : SASSY

19. Dense : OBTUSE. Tinbeni used this word a few times in the past, I always thought he meant "obscure", not "dense".

24. Ever so slightly : A TAD

25. Avian Aussies : EMUS. Funny clue, Kazie. Jimbo is doing well, by the way. Still bowls. 150 average. Not bad for a 87-year-old. His team leads in the league again this year.

26. Hershey's drink : COCOA

27. Worm's milieu : EARTH

28. Diplomatic official : AMBASSADOR. Here is our ambassador (Gary Locke) to China. Lovely family. He does not speak Chinese.

29. Motel victim? : ROACH. I don't understand this clue. All I can think of is "Psycho".

30. Desperate : DIRE

31. Lose brightness : FADE

35. Bleach : WHITEN

36. Promise : OATH

37. Baseball Hall of Famer Speaker : TRIS. Enshrined in the hall in 1937. Same year as Cy Young. Tony Oliva 2012!

39. Interweaving : TWINING

40. Bounty captain : BLIGH. From "Mutiny on the Bounty".

42. Exactly right : SPOT ON

43. Spoil, as a parade : RAIN ON. Three "On" dupes in this grid.

44. Hammed it up : EMOTED

47. Kong's kin : APES

48. Shore squawker : GULL

49. Caesar's disbelieving words : ET TU. "Et tu, Brute?"

50. Western tie : BOLO

52. Theater box : LOGE

53. "Yipes" : EGAD

55. Trendy clothing giant : GAP. Love Gap Jeans.

56. And more: Abbr. : ETC

Answer grid.

C.C.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011 Kurt Mengel and Jan-Michele Gianette

Theme: Before and After - Just like on Wheel of Fortune or Jeopardy!, with the extra wrinkle that the first phrase leads into a state. If you haven't seen either of these TV game shows, the end of the first word or phrase becomes the start of the second word or phrase. The two words or phrases are unrelated otherwise.

17A. Having a sense of the Prairie State? : FEELING ILLINOIS (feeling ill)

27A. Webster's impression of the Natural State? : NOAH'S ARKANSAS (Noah's ark)

44A. Watch the Evergreen State? : EYE WASHINGTON (eye wash)

59A. Close to the Magnolia State? : NEAR MISSISSIPPI (near miss)

Argyle here. Now this is more like it. Two grid spanners and two near grid spanners. Cute theme. Two long perps crossing three of the themes each.

Across:

1. Crick in the neck, e.g. : SPASM

6. Exec's "I want it now!" : ASAP

10. Sci. class : BIOL. Biology.

14. Foil maker : ALCOA. Did they ever make an épée, I wonder?

15. The Big Easy, briefly : NOLA. New Orleans, Louisiana. Also, one of Chef Emeril Lagasse’s New Orleans restaurants. Associated with 47D. Mardi __ : GRAS

16. Golden rule word : UNTO

20. Retreats : EBBS. If you thought, 'noun', you might have put down 'spas'.

21. Pub quaffs : ALES

22. Between then and now : SINCE

23. "V for Vendetta" actor Stephen : REA. He portrayed Fergus in The Crying Game.

24. Mil. morale booster : USO. United Service Organization.

25. Scandinavian capital : OSLO. The capital and largest city in Norway.

33. '50s song, e.g. : OLDIE

35. Fr. holy women : STEs.

36. Not con : PRO

37. Soccer score : GOAL

38. En __: all together : MASSE

40. Like the Reaper : GRIM. Reaper is capitalized to indicate it is the black-cloaked, scythe-wielding personification of death and not one of these reapers.

41. Breakfast food : EGG

42. __ rug: dance : CUT A

43. Skip over : ELIDE

48. One-named Deco designer : ERTE

49. Mine output : ORE

50. Verizon forerunner : GTE

53. Test during pregnancy, briefly : AMNIO. Amniocentesis can give doctors essential information about the health of the fetus.

56. Start of a birth announcement : IT'S A. Hopefully, it's a healthy....

58. Potting soil : LOAM

62. Have to have : NEED

63. Sooner State tribe : OTOE

64. Staggering : AREEL

65. Estimate words : OR SO

66. Political org. until 1991 : USSR

67. Things to solve for, in some equations : X AND Y

Down:

1. Not so dangerous : SAFER

2. West Point rookie : PLEBE. Short for plebeian; I never realized that.

3. Injury treatment brand : ACE BANDAGE

4. Beethoven's fifths? : SOLs. The syllable used for the fifth tone of a diatonic scale.

5. Spring month in Paris : MAI. Our May, when I hope our snow is gone!

6. Latino's white American buddies : ANGLOs

7. Sorbonne silk : SOIE. The French word for silk.

8. What it takes, in an inclusive idiom : ALL SORTS. I tried to fit in "ALL'S FAIR".

9. Buddy : PAL

10. Toe inflammation : BUNION

11. Aware of : IN ON. ON TO is the more common answer for this clue.

12. Suffix with narc : OTIC. Narcotic.

13. Misplace : LOSE

18. Poet Ogden : NASH

19. __ Canarias : ISLAS. Canary Islands.

24. Its cap. is Abu Dhabi : UAE

26. __-Ball: arcade game : SKEE. Image.

28. Olive or peanut product : OIL

29. Very, in music : ASSAI. Italian.

30. Emulate a jack-in-the-box : SPRING OPEN

31. Saharan : ARID

32. Vague number : SOME

33. Architect's S-curve : OGEE

34. Feeling sluggish : LOGY

38. Has to : MUST

39. Nonbelievers : ATHEISTS

40. Mop & __: floor cleaner : GLO

42. Pool shot : CAROM

43. Lyon summer : ETE

45. Nut : WEIRDO

46. More snoopy : NOSIER

51. Recorded, in a way : TAPED

52. Most popular baby girl's name, 1996-2007 : EMILY

53. A.D. part : ANNO

54. The Mediterranean, to Hans : MEER. German for "sea". Here we start a little run of foreign words.

55. Scot's turndowns : NAEs

57. General __ chicken : TSOs

58. Old Italian dough : LIRA. Currency.

60. Debt acknowledgment : IOU

61. Clinton played one : SAX. Please hold any political comments.

Answer grid.

Argyle

Friday February 12, 2010 Kurt Mengel and Jan-Michele Gianette

Theme: Alter E (go) - Letters EE in the second word of a familiar phrase is changed to EA. Long E sound remains.

20A. Theft with a clean getaway?: STAINLESS STEAL. Play on Stainless Steel. "Clean" = STAINLESS.

25. Filling the shelves with no leftover merchandise or space?: STOCKING FEAT. Stocking Feet. Not a familiar expression to me.

47A. Loud signal when the fries are done?: POTATO PEALER. Potato Peeler. Groan on pealer.

55A. Yoko?: JAPANESE BEATLE. Japanese Beetle. Has Yoko Ono ever been referred to as a Beatle?

English is complicated. EE, EA, EI (Conceit), IE (Chief), EY (Key) all have the long E sound. So can letters E (Me) and I (Unique).

An easier than normal Friday for me. Maybe I mind-melded with the two constructors from the very start. Thoroughly enjoyed this puzzle.

Tricky & entertaining clues like AESOP (14A. Fabulous storyteller) aplenty. "Fabulous" here doubles as the adjective of fable and "incredible". Superb clue. AE here has a long E sound as well.

Across:

1. Big theme park star: SHAMU. SeaWorld star.

6. Fancy dance: BALL

10. Cookie fruit: FIGS. Fig Newton.

15. Reed instrument: OBOE

16. Katz of "Hocus Pocus": OMRI. "Sheaf of grain" in Hebrew. I can never remember his name. He's in "Dallas" also.

17. Mill input: GRIST. Gristmill.

18. Two-time 1980s skating gold medalist: WITT (Katarina). Got her name from crossings. German figure skater.

19. German wheels: OPEL

23. Bruise treatment: ICE

24. Corpulence: OBESITY

30. Manx, for one: CAT. The tail-less cat.

31. Insult: SLUR

32. Attractive locale: MECCA. Struggled with the answer. Tricky crossing clues.

36. Short range: A TO B

38. Play for time: STALL. Like filibuster.

41. [It's gone!]: POOF. Put in PFFT first.

42. No-frills: BASIC

44. Word repeated in a famous FDR quote: FEAR. "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."

46. St. whose northernmost division is Boundary County: IDA (Idaho). Drew a blank.

51. Without means of support?: BRALESS. Nailed it.

54. Mil. rank: SGT

60. Take too much of, briefly: OD ON. OD = Overdose.

61. Fictional plantation: TARA. In "Gone With the Wind".

62. They have their pride: LIONS. Pride = a group of lion.

65. __ Valley: Reagan Library site: SIMI. I mentioned this trivia in my writeup before.

66. 1940s-'50s NFLer __ "Crazylegs" Hirsch: ELROY. Nicknamed for his unusual running style. Total stranger to me.

67. Turndowns: NOES. Always thought the plural for NO is just NOS.

68. Carrier since 1948: EL AL. Israel achieved its independence in 1948 too. I liked trivia clues.

69. Heads to sea: SAILS

Down:

2. Bierce defines it "His": HERS. In his "The Devil's Dictionary", Ambrose Bierce defines "Hers" as "His". What does it mean? I don't get it.

3. "__ stands now ...": AS IT

4. Inlaid work: MOSAIC

5. Market advances: UPTICKS. Stock market, right?

6. Get a spare, perhaps: BOWL. My husband just bowled a 793 series.

7. Irish Rose's guy: ABIE

8. Plenty: LOTS OF

9. Doesn't bother with: LETS BE

10. Suspense movie sound: FOOTSTEP. Vivid clue. I can almost hear the sound.

11. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame architect: I. M. PEI. I was unaware that PEI designed the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He was born in Guangzhou, where I lived before moving to the US.

12. Epithet for many leaders, with "the": GREAT. Like Alexander/Catherine the Great.

13. Frivolous: SILLY

21. Diamond et al.: NEILS. Neil Diamond. I was thinking of the gemstone diamond of course.

22. Mine stratum: SEAM. New definition of seam to me.

25. Line crosser of a sort: SCAB

27. Plains natives: OTOS

28. Enthusiast: NUT

29. Plant connection: GRAFT. Didn't come to me readily.

33. Prepare to strike, snake-style: COIL. Very descriptive clue. Nice S alliteration.

34. It can't be understood until it's broken: CODE. Got me again.

35. Whence the wise men?: AFAR. This refers to the three wise men traveled afar to see infant Jesus, correct?

37. Some crop dusters: BIPLANES

40. End: LAPSE. End here is a verb (expire), isn't it?

43. Either of two filmmaking brothers: COEN. They grew up here in Minnesota.

45. Grandly entertains: REGALES

48. Fly over Africa?: TSETSE. Great clue. I am glad the old TMS "Half a fly?" days are over.

49. Go after with vigor: ASSAIL

50. Hun king: ATTILA. Attila the Hun.

51. He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame the same year as Billie Jean: BJORN (Borg). In 1987. Easy guess.

52. Music player: RADIO

53. Strike __: model: A POSE. Nice pose.

57. Leave in a hurry, slangily: BAIL

58. Actress Petty: LORI. No idea. Looks like Buddy Holly's glasses.

59. Hydroxyl compound: ENOL. Four-letter compound is always ENOL.

63. Method: Abbr.: SYS (System)

Answer grid.

C.C.