Friday, March 21, 2014, John Guzzetta

Theme: Scrambles are not anagrams, or are they? If you listen to MONTY PYTHON, the new words do not have to be words.

This is an anagram, oops, a scrambled letter puzzle in which the letters in the word FEAST are shuffled inside other theme answers. This is a very common theme, but with a lovely unifier. This is John's second LAT, both this month. The puzzle does not really feel like a Friday with too many 3 and 4 letter words, but there is much originality and challenge such as EFFLUENT, POTATO GUN,  STUNT KITE, EMULATION and in the theme TASTEFUL JOKE, GWEN STEFANI, MOVEABLE FEAST, and  OFFICE STAFF.

We begin with the reveal:

35A. Pentecost, e.g., and what can literally be found in this puzzle's four other longest answers : MOVEABLE FEAST (13). This clue was very difficult for me. while I have studied Christianity, the existence of these 25+ feast days was beyond my ken, and Barbie was no help either. My thought was of the memoirs of HEMINGWAY. Once filled, I loved this new way to tell us the puzzle has anagrams scrambled letters.

17A. Annual Christmas party group : OFFICE STAFF. (11) When I worked with big companies, the competition to look great among the staff was entertaining, and troublesome, and often not tasteful.

29A. Humor that won't offend : TASTEFUL JOKE. (12) "There is this guy driving down the road. He’s got 17 penguins in his car. This cop sees him, stops him, and says, “I don’t know what’s going on here. But you’ve got to take these penguins to the zoo.” The guy’s like, “OK.” The next day the guy is driving and he has the same 17 penguins in the car. The same cop pulls him over and says, “Look, man, I stopped you yesterday and I told you to take these penguins to the zoo.” The guy says, “I took them to the zoo. Today we’re going to the beach.”

43A. Exercised caution : PLAYED IT SAFE. (12)

57A. Singer with the debut solo album "Love. Angel. Music. Baby." : GWEN STEFANI. (11). LISTEN. (3:30).

On to the rest...

Across:

1. Chess ploy : GAMBIT. This term is used by most mystery writers to explain a plot twist, I will defer to the chess players out there, but I note chess has been central in the plot of two TV mystery/detective shows recently. Thoughts?

7. Antique cane topper : KNOB. I was looking for something more esoteric like WOLF.

11. Home of the N.Y. Rangers : MSG. Madison Square Garden.

14. Fund-raising targets : ALUMNI. The requests never stop.

15. Wrath, in a hymn : IRAE. Not to confuse, 41A. "This American Life" host Glass : IRA.

16. Scarfed down : ATE

19. Small group : DUO. Three's a crowd, two is a duo? More numbers,  24A. Thrice due : SEI. Italian for 6. (3x2).

20. Brightened, with "up" : LIT. Her eyes lit up whenever George Clooney came into the room.

21. Bible book : RUTH.  The story of Ruth and Boaz is important in understanding kindness and conversion. To which we all say....

22. "Let it be so!" : AMEN.

25. Wetlands protection org. : EPA. Environmental Protection Agency. ???????????

26. "Driving Miss Daisy" setting : ATLANTA. The other Georgia.

31. Long poem : EPOS.

33. One of two Pauline epistles: Abbr. : CORinthians.

34. "__ for Innocent": Grafton novel : I IS. I recently was rereading some of her early work to see where she went wrong, and was reminded that her next door neighbor, Henry Pitts, the retired baker also constructed crossword puzzles. Her 'clues' were not great.

40. Same old thing : RUT. I assume for the wagon wheels. To get out, sometimes you must....

42. Run : FLEE.

48. Theatergoer's option : MATINEE.

49. Fla. NBA team : ORLando Magic, having lost Shaq years ago and Dwight Howard more recently, this is a tough place to coach.

50. Maker of "3 Series" cars : BMW. Bayerische Motoren Werke AG.  4D. ASCAP rival : BMI. Broadcast Music, Inc. Aren't you glad we already discussed this company?

53. "Beloved" author Morrison : TONI.

54. Fromage hue : BLEU. Fromage = Cheese,  in French; Bleu = Blue an anagram?

55. Yay relative : RAH. I believe they are cousins.

56. Part of a disguise : WIG.

61. Loan letters : IOU. Cute.

62. Lisa's title : MONA. Do you think of Mona as Lisa's title? Really means like Madam Lisa.

63. Passes : ENACTS.

64. Relaxing retreat : INN. Or better yet, this LINK.

65. Against : ANTI.

66. Winning run, perhaps : STREAK.

Down:

1. Pens for Dickens? : GAOLS. Nice two level trickery, as we first must see the 'pen' to mean penitentiary, not what CD wrote with. Then recalling the British term GAOL is needed to solve.

2. Caine title role : ALFIE. What's it all about?

3. Civilian garb : MUFTI. Since it is casual FRIDAY.

5. Grow : INCREASE.

6. Jams : TIE UPS. Traffic.

7. Social group : KITH. KIN you believe it, it is back so soon!

8. Org. co-founded by Gen. George Wingate : NRA. National Rifle Association. HISTORY. Did not know this fact. I wonder if this covers 32D. Relative of a T-shirt launcher : POTATO GUN. See it Believe IT.

9. Knucklehead : OAF.

10. Happen to : BEFALL. Not what it is when Summer ends....

11. Got some attention : MADE NOISE. Used by TV commenters ad nauseam.

12. Flier that may have four lines : STUNT KITE. So much I do not know about KITES. I did read The Kite Runner.

13. Prefix with thermal : GEO.

18. "Right away!" : STAT.

23. Key abbr. : MAJ. And a related (?) 46D. Fifths on a staff : SOLS. Music people can explain why this means G Major, but with STAFF in a theme fill, I am surprised to see staff in a clue.

26. "He makes no friends who never made __": Tennyson : A FOE. Not to be confused with the author of Robinson Crusoe.

27. Grass-and-roots layer : TURF. Unlike a BG mistake here.

28. '50s Dem. presidential hopeful : AES. Adlai Ewing Stevenson, II, son of the vice-president under Grover Cleveland.

29. Good, in Hebrew : TOV. Mazel Tov all.

30. Brilliance : ECLAT.

31. Effort to equal others : EMULATION.

36. Hill worker : AIDE. Capitol Hill.

37. Creamy spread : BRIE. More soft cheese.

38. Flowing out : EFFLUENT. The Latin stem "E" from, "AD" to.

39. Tankard contents : ALE. yeah Beer.

40. Tach no. : RPM. Revolutions Per Minute.

44. Dark side : YIN. More from Lao Tse. LINK.

45. It's hard to untangle : ENIGMA. Wrapped in a mastery, hidden in a puzzle.

47. Knifelike ridges : ARETES. A word I know solely from solving puzzles.

50. Support : BRACE.

51. __ ray : MANTA.

52. Chef's tool : WHISK. Not my first thought.

54. __ B'rith : BNAI. Children of the Covenant. The first covenant, circumcision on the 8th day.

56. Nintendo's __ mini : WII. Not to be confused with WWI.

58. Finished on top : WON.

59. Dr.'s specialty : ENT. Ear, Nose, Throat.

60. Distant : FAR.

On a personal note, as we approach the 5th Anniversary of the switch to the LA Times puzzle (March 23, 2009) I want to extend a special thanks to Rich Norris and his staff, not only for providing us with so many fun challenges, but also for encouraging our own C.C and marti who have become such accomplished constructors in their own right.

Happy Spring all and I hope we entertained and informed, Lemonade signing off with a poem I happened across. (Not to usurp Owen, but it was so coincidental). See you next time.

Do you know a teacher you think may be a cheater

If you shop at ‘Harrods’ are you considered posh

If your car breaks down, do you call the RAC.

When you  play pool or polo do you go round in a loop

If you prick your hand on a rose thorn is it rather sore.

Is life all doom and gloom and you get in a mood.

Do you live in a world you think is vile or evil

Does your alarm emit a bleep at a set time

Do you dare to pick up a dear book to read

Do you head for the toilets when you want to read T S Eliot

Jan Allison

28th Feb 2014

Friday, March 14, 2014, Marti Duguay-Carpenter

Theme: Shhh, The change in sound when marti has too much Cabernet.

Our divine miss m is back on a Friday, and I really appreciated having this puzzle awaiting me as I return from Jamaica. This is a straightforward 5 theme puzzle with the CH in each 'in the language' phrase changed to SH and clued with her normal wit and charm. I found it easier than most of her Fridays but maybe the rest and rum gave me clarity. I enjoyed the six letter stacks at the top and bottom juxtaposed to the theme and the balance of PRIME TIME and CERTIFIED.  So come along for a walk through the fertile Friday mind of marti.

17A. Liner with Intel inside? : SILICON SHIP. (11)(CHIP). Ocean liners are ships and Intel is the largest maker of Silicon chips. 'Intel inside' is their advertising mantra.

22A. Nylon notable? : SHEER LEADER.(11)(CHEER). Cheerleaders seldom wear hose until they get to the Cowboys. My favorite one.

37A. Get one's kicks in a painful way? : TAKE IT ON THE SHIN.(15)(CHIN). Shins are so sensitive and then again a chin can be too.

47A. Principal plant? : THE BIG SHILL. (11)(CHILL).We just had SHILL and the MOVIE  was a big success.

60A. Surprise the neighborhood? : SHOCK A BLOCK.(11)(CHOCK).CHOCKABLOCK is a wonderful word meaning filled up with, really creative.

Across:

1. Set count : REPS. Repetitions, another of those pesky mini-words, an abbreviation that has become a word. This is from working out at the gym, which I did everyday I was in Jamaica.

5. Ally of Sun : CHIANG. The post Imperialistic China was ruled initially by SUN YAT-SEN  and later his ally CHIANG KAI-CHECK.  They were both frequent topics for the grown ups I observed as a small child.

11. Relocation aid : VAN. Really?

14. Unrestrainedly : AMOK. Do you need to be running?

15. Divulges : LETS ON. Whatever you do, do not let on that you know she is pregnant.

16. As per : A LA. French.

19. One may be flipped : LID.This expression comes from a time when everyone wore hats?

20. When many night visions occur? : PRIME TIME. Nice clue.

21. Revealing garb : MINI. The short skirt returned the same year I started college, oh my the distractions.

25. Bag : VALISE. A nice old fashioned word.

29. High mountain : ALP. Now you know this is a marti creation.

30. "Yikes!" : EGAD. Another of her favorites, she based an entire puzzle on the word.

31. Lock : TRESS.

34. "Gerontion" poet's monogram : TSE. Don't know the work (I am terrible at titles) but it is always Eliot.

41. Rush participant's prize : ORE. Rush like a gold rush, nice deception even if 'prize' is a bit misleading.

42. Fields : AREAS.

43. Give for a while : LEND. Interesting definition.

44. Music-licensing org. : BMI. ASCAP and BMI are the two biggest.HOW IT WORKS.

45. Meshes : AGREES.

53. Playground bouncer : BALL.

54. Like some important letters : CERTIFIED.

59. Pay stub? : OLA. Payola.

62. Take home : NET.

63. University of Minnesota mascot Goldy __ : GOPHER. My first post here was discussing college team names, like golden gophers; and, 56D. New York college with a mascot named Killian : IONA. Now this is obscure.

64. Unsigned, briefly : ANON. The ultimate SO to our biggest fans.

65. Private __ : EYE.

66. Professorial duds : TWEEDS. Don't forget the patches on the elbows.

67. Numerous : MANY.

Down:

1. Scrape : RASP.

2. Mideast VIP : EMIR.

3. __ sci : POLI. This used to be a popular major for pre-law, but no longer in favor.

4. Take from the top : SKIM. Skimming profits is still a problem.

5. Dress : CLOTHE.

6. '20s-'30s skating gold medalist : HENIE. For you CA (3:30)

7. Personal answer : IT'S ME. I hope our English teachers do not cringe too badly. 9D. "__ can't" : NO I. yes you can! 38D. "__ Said": Neil Diamond hit : I AM I. Not familiar with this song. (mini-theme?)

8. "My Name Is __ Lev": Chaim Potok novel : ASHER. One of Hahtoolah's favorite books.

10. 57-Down measure : GNP. Gross National Product. Isn't it interesting that GROSS has three such disparate meanings.

11. Bona fide : VALID. From the Latin.

12. Dress style : A-LINE. Your new star? At least Miley has some clothes on.

13. Floor : NADIR. Oh come on marti (Rich) I know it is the opposite of Zenith (highest point) but I would not call a ceiling a zenith. Frankly it makes me want to Ralph.

18. Pool lead-in : CESS. Drat, I do not want any cess in my pool!

21. Tourist's guide : MAP.

23. Secure at the dock : LASH. Such a fun word. Reminds me of LaRue.

24. Otherwise : ELSE.

25. Highest power? : VETO. veto power being the ultimate control.

26. Petri dish filler : AGAR.

27. Vacation destination : LAKE. miss m lives not far from Webster Lake, which is also known as Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg. LINK.

28. Chemical suffix : IDE.

31. Digital temperature gauge? : TOE. A great visual of people approaching the Ocean.

32. Genetic messenger : RNA. RIBONUCLEIC ACID.

33. Unexpected fictional visitors : ETS. Extra Terrestrials, I am not sure how unexpected they are anymore.

34. You, to a Friend : THEE. Friends are how Quakers address each other.

35. Function in 39-Down : SINE. 39D. It involves angles, for short : TRIGonometry.

36. Scraps : ENDS. As in, scrapping a project.

40. 35mm camera option : SLR. Single Lens Reflex.

44. Marathon unit: Abbr. : BBL. 42 gallons of oil make one Barrel.

45. Trains may stop at them : ALTARS. Another typical fun visual, the train on the wedding dress. The wedding in Jamaica was informal for all but the bride, who wore the formal white dress with train.

46. Smooth-talking : GLIB. MW says it comes from Low German glibberig slippery.

47. Chophouse choice : T-BONE. What are the steaks of choice here, or are we all vegans?

48. Tin Man actor Jack : HALEY. A wonderful SO for our own.

49. Make merry : ELATE.

50. Breadth : SCOPE. Is that why they named the product which makes your BREATH smell good.

51. "Wag the Dog" actress : HECHE. Anne, ex-companion of Ellen. The TRAILER. (2:28) Good cast.

52. Ticked : IRKED.

55. Hoax : FLAM. Flim? I have never seen or heard this word without FLIM attached.

57. Coll. major : ECONomics.

58. Fashion letters : DKNY. Donna Karan New York.

60. York, for one: Abbr. : SGT. WWI hero.

61. Do-it-yourselfer's concern : HOW.  Yes the books are often HOW TO....... I wonder if I can get C.C. to write a how to do a crossword blog. There are books on solving and on constructing, but...

Well I guess this is the end of another edition of the Idiot's Guide to a Friday LAT. Great to be back! (Nah, Jamaica and all-inclusive was awesome, I even was putting Rum in my coffee.) Lemonade (spiked of course) out.

Notes from C.C.:

1) Here is a wonderful photo of JD & her husband Bob, all bundled up in layers. Click here for more pictures from JD's Yellowstone trip. She's now frolicking in Costa Rica.

2) Click here for a few Before & After pictures of Marti's renovation project for her next door house. The tenants move in tomorrow.

 Top Floor Stairs, Before

  Top Floor Stairs, After

3) Here is a great picture from Lemonade's Jamaica trip. Click here for more. I'm intrigued by the words on Charlott's T-shirt. Looks like "I am..."?

4) I made a mistake yesterday. Today we celebrate Pi Day & JJM's 56th birthday. He sent me these two cool pictures yesterday.

Friday, March 6, 2014, Bruce Haight

Theme: NO "E"s? EZ?

Like the recent Paul Hunsburger puzzle written up by marti, this puzzle is its own theme. In a wonderful blend of visual (the big "E" created by the black squares, and the really difficult task of cluing AND filling a puzzle without ever using the most COMMON letter in the alphabet, the e.  To do both is awesome. This is Bruce's first LAT publication, his NYT debut in January of 2013, was with 4 "1"s made of the blocks, then his second recently on Valentine's Day that created a little KERFUFFLE , and finally another grid theme Tuesday in the NYT as a collaboration with Peter Collins. The fill includes every other letter and some really sparkly fill including three grid spanners, PHOTOGRAPH ALBUM, PSYCHOANALYZING and TOTALITARIANISM. Also a slew of nice nine letter fill, ALAN ARKIN, CANADIANA,  COSTA RICA,  DRAMATICS, HAND HOLDS and PUSSYCATS, and really fun triple 7 stacks top and bottom. I am really curious as to what everyone thought of this and whether you will grade it an A or an F. Is there a theme, or is it a themeless without any E?

The reveal:

65A. What this grid's big symbol is, Across and Down : MISSING.

(Note from C.C.: The Saturday we had a while ago is a themeless puzzle without E in the clue or grid. Also, today's grid features a  Top to Bottom symmetry.)

Across:

1. Small amount : JOT. I get my J right away.

4. WWII MIA location : POW CAMP. Missing In Action (not Miami). Prisoner Of War. Stalag 13 (0:51)?

11. NFL captains : QBS. QuarterBacks. A very misleading and not necessarily true clue.

14. __ Jima : IWO. Back in "WWII, the big one". What 1950's TV show is that line from?

15. High-class tobacco products : HAVANAS.

16. Samovar : URN. not an expert, other than from my Russian grandmother

17. GPS finding : LATitude. A CSO to the Times?  Or maybe Jimmy B. (3:28)

18. Good chap : OKAY GUY. Not sure why, but I really liked this fill.

19. Nonpro sports org. : AAU. Amateur Athletic Union. Has a storied but controversial HISTORY in American amateur sports.

20. Plot : TRACT. Land not a story.

22. Providing with a transcript, possibly : CCING. Another CSO?

24. __-tzu : LAO. Father of TAO.

25. Climbing aids : HAND HOLDS. Nice  alliterative fill. Many resorts and cruise ships are offering climbing places.

29. Arm support : SLING.

31. Viral chorus? : ACHOOS. Really another very fun clue that is Friday fair; that talent is nothing to sneeze at.

32. Turkic Russian : TATAR.

33. Histrionic display : DRAMATICS. I think every family has at least one Drama Queen.

37. Roast, in a Baja dish : ASADA. Thank you Taco bell for teaching me this one.

38. Stuck : IN A RUT.

39. __ mining : STRIP.

40. "Argo" actor : ALAN ARKIN. Still have not seen that movie, though Arkin was great in Catch-22.

43. NBA coach Thomas : ISIAH. Sports trivia are tough on many solvers, especially when you are using a great player who had a very short coaching CAREER.

44. Historic town in Lazio : TIVOLI. Really obscure, even if the garden is famous. VIEW. (1:09)

45. Santa __ winds : ANA.

46. Innocuous sorts : PUSSYCATS. Not my first thought but in hindsight it works, usually with Big and baby talk.

50. Way to find out what you know : FINAL. Exam.

52. 3-D graph part : Z-AXIS. To join the x and y to get the third dimension.

53. "It's just __ thought ..." : AS I.

54. "South Pacific" song : BALI HAI. It has been linked many times, again?

60. Highway or city stat : MPG. Miles Per Gallon.

61. "Illmatic" rap star : NAS.

62. Mythical symbol of purity : UNICORN. Purity, really? I did not know this.

63. Fitting : APT.

64. Room with hoops : GYM. I guess a basketball court is a room, and I like the hoops misdirection.

66. Albany is its cap. : NYS. I understand this must stand for New York State but I find this a real stretch as NY is the state where Albany is the capital.

Down:

1. Dump : JILT. Originally a word for harlot, it became just a deceiver in love. Probably from a woman named Gillian or Jill. So maybe that is why they went up the hill.

2. Man __ : O'WAR. What a random and challenging fill in the blank. A great racehorse.

3. Autocratic approach : TOTALITARIANISM. This was a big word I heard often while I was growing during the Cold War.

4. Book with shots : PHOTOGRAPH ALBUM. Really nice clue/fill, especially bracketing a nine letter fill.

5. Poison __ : OAK. Ivy, Oak and Sumac, the poison sisters.

6. Morgantown's st. : WVA. West Virginia whose basketball team in 31-0 this season, only undefeated team.

7. Low island : CAY. We have lots of Cays and Keys in our area.

8. Afr. country : ANGola.

9. If said again, group in a 1950s African uprising : MAU. You can draw your own conclusions, but this was talked about when I was very little. HISTORY.

10. Studying on a couch? : PSYCHOANALYZING. My favorite Psyc professor was a Neo-Freudian.

11. Draw back with alarm : QUAIL.

12. Stock mark : BRAND. Nicely done, a mark on the livestock.

13. Curls up : SNUGS. verb (used without object), snugged, snug·ging. to lie closely or comfortably; nestle. Meh.

21. Books about Toronto and Ottawa, say : CANADIANA. Like Americana, *CSO to Eh!.

23. Country abutting Nicaragua : COSTA RICA, where everyone goes for inexpensive plastic surgery.

25. Put away : HAD. I had 3 pieces of Papa John's.

26. Not down: Abbr. : ACRoss. Context.

27. FDR loan org. : NHA. The National Housing Act was a landmark in the residential buying experience in the US. LINK. Much of what I do these days relates to closings, and foreclosures.

28. Papa John's rival : DOMINOS. All pizza no matter how you slice it.

29. GDR spy group : STASI. German Staatsicherheit meaning State Security. You can READ all about it.

30. Holds up : LASTS.

34. Annoy : IRK.  Is it coincidence this rhymes with jerk?

35. __ bono: "Who stands to gain?" in law : CUI.

36. B&O stop : STN. We know it is station, but is it STA or STN?

40. Org. for Nadal and Djokovic : ATP. Association of Tennis Professionals.

41. Lucy of "Kill Bill" : LIU. Elementary anyone?

42. Colorado NHL club, to fans : AVS. The rather depressing nickname, the Avalanche.

47. Band guitarist, in slang : AXMAN. The axman from AXE, BOBBY BARTH. (2:48)

48. Lacking stability : TIPPY. A stretch for me; that table was tippy? No Hedren or Walker?

49. Army squad NCOs : SSGTS. Staff sergeants?

50. Sharp tooth : FANG, So as a vampire, you name your bar Fangoria.

51. Words from Watson : I SAY. All I think of was Nigel Bruce, " I say, HOLMES".(1:09).

55. Buy from Sajak : AN I. Apparently Pat sold all the Es.

56. Paris lily : LIS. You all know 'Fleur de Lis.'

57. Suffix with tact : ICS. So this is ok fill because it is clues properly, but would tact ending be ok?

58. __ polloi : HOI. Literally "The people" in Greek, hoi means "the" so do not say 'the hoi polloi'. Has come to have derogatory connotations.

59. Valiant's son : ARN. The young prince.

I am neither young nor a prince,  but I had a royal good time with the grid and all the fresh fill. It seemed oddly easy after all, but I cannot imagine the work needed to avoid a single "e" in fill and clues.  Get ready for more daylight and less sleep. Turn the clocks ahead; reporting from Ocho Rios, Lemonade out.

Friday, February 28, 2014, Daniel Landman

Theme: Pat, give me a G, no better make that a double! (an homage to our own Garlic Gal).

The letters "GG" are inserted into descriptions or expressions to create a new phrase clued wackily. My second offering from this rabbinical student living in Jerusalem, the first being a January Friday with PE removed from phrases. So we take away, we add, I wonder what is next. I like most of the theme, but not crazy about the middle grid-spanner for reasons listed below. The rest did not seem like a Friday at all with the plethora of 3,4 and 5 letter fill. with the longest non-theme fill 6 letters. Well into the fray, let's see where we come out.

18A. Non-magical "Harry Potter" animal? : MUGGLE DEER. (11). If you somehow missed the entire Harry Potter craze, Muggles are what the magical ones call humans. Mule Deer have big ears and live out west in the US.

23A. Camembert left out in the sun too long? : SAGGY CHEESE. (11). Supposedly the baring of the teeth which comes from enunciating 'Cheese' is where the expression started. Camembert like brie, often sags.

37A. Woman's enticing movements? : FEMININE WIGGLES.(15) A grid spanner, and the odd man out in two ways, as it is the only one with GG added to the second word, and the meaning of the phrase does not change much as wiggling is certainly one of the womanly ways of the world.

52A. Miracle in the mire? : BOGGY WONDER.(11). Boy wonder is used to describe any prodigy, from Mozart to David Steinberg; growing up in New England we all know BOGGS. I like the alliterative clue.

58A. Periodical dedicated to stylish boots? : UGGS WEEKLY. Are UGGS considered stylish, I always thought they were so named because they were ugly but comfortable? They advertise in US Weekly? Weakly?

and a bonus hint...

63A. Best Picture of 1958, and a hint to this puzzle's theme : GIGI. Love Maurice Chevalier, and I have always taken this advice to heart. LISTEN.(1:04).

Across:

1. "Poetic" or "Prose" mythological work : EDDA. No Icelandic hint on Friday.

5. Movie-rating org. : MPAA. Motion Picture Association of America

9. R&B singer known for popularizing Auto-Tune : T PAIN. Not only had I not heard of this artist, I had no clue there was such a device infecting modern music. I certainly was interested by the effects on Cher's Believe but I had no clue, even though I have heard the sound again. Jzb, your thought?  I really enjoy when a constructor teaches me something I never knew, and I feel rather foolish for missing the whole controversy. LINK.

14. Device for Marner : LOOM. Well George Eliot's Silas Marner will always stick in my mind if only because as a youngster  I was fascinated by George being a woman. The literary device of the LOOM can be discussed, but her contribution to Victorian literature in this and others like Middlemarch is only a question only of degree.

15. Orderer's reference : MENU. Orderer, what an awkward sounding word.

16. "In what way?" : HOW SO.

17. Not to mention : ALSO.

20. Shill : PLANT. The audience member placed there to fool the others into thinking they are having a good time, or need to spend money.

22. Serengeti predators : LIONS. Semi clecho, 25D. Serengeti scavenger : HYENA. Finally, 60D. Serengeti prey : GNU. Sums up the region and life.

26. Whammy : HEX. marks the spot? In Liverpool?

29. Cockney location word : ERE. We are not there, we are 'ere.

30. Bean opening? : SOY.

31. Constant flow : STREAM. Are we too early for prostate humor?

33. Annoy : MOLEST. I had a very hard time sussing this, as lots of people have annoyed me....

36. Inventing middle name : ALVA. Mr. Edison to you.

42. Gulf of __ : ADEN.

43. Stands : ARISES.

44. The Aztecs' Tonatiuh, for one : SUN GOD. Not up on my Aztec deities, but this filled easily.

47. Bert Bobbsey's twin : NAN.

48. Old sports org. with a red, white and blue ball : ABA. American Basketball Association. Home of the incomparable Dr. J., Julius Erving who played at UMass when I was in undergrad and graduate school in UConn. What a player, and the NBA owes the three point shot, slam dunk contest and other changes to the ABA. WATCH. (5:07).

 51. Germaphobia may be a symptom of it, for short : OCD. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

56. British bishop's headdress : MITRE. A word every crossword solver should know.

57. Target : AIM AT.

64. Japanese comics : MANGA. My kids were very into MANGA and ANIME, I will ask YR to explain more about how they fit in Japanese culture.

65. Kitchenware brand : EKCO. I heard that before.

66. First name in case fiction : ERLE. Stanley Gardner, creator of Perry Mason.

67. Rebuff : SPURN.

68. Lunkhead : DODO. A shout-out to our own who derives her nickname from her name not a reminder of the extinct bird which was believed to be not very intelligent.

69. One may make you uncomfortable : LEER. Or it might make you pretty excited...

Down:

1. Go by : ELAPSE. Where does the time go, we are on the downs already.

2. Almighty __ : DOLLAR. Ah yes, the American Dream.

3. How much to take : DOSAGE. Well after last Sunday, it is nice to see AGE make a comeback.

4. First __ equals : AMONG. An odd sounding phrase from the LATIN to describe the senior member of a group of peers.

5. "Dee-lish!" : MMM. Good.

6. Little, in Lille : PEU. Straight French, an accessible one for those who parle un peu.

7. Position, as a pool cue : ANGLE.

8. Bellow title hero March : AUGIE. This was the first of his three National Book Awards; I have read his work and enjoyed them, not equally, but certainly Herzog and Mr. Sammler's Planet have stuck with me. He also won a Pulitzer Prize and a Nobel Prize. However my favorite AUGIE (0:20) who would fit because of the 2 G's.

9. Place to browse : THE NET.

10. Sci-fi vehicles : PODS. The ships or the home of the body snatchers?

11. Reverence : AWE.

12. Expert finish? : ISE. If we complain about ADE as a puzzle answer, how Expertise?

13. Here-there link : NOR.

19. Fan's disappointment : LOSS.

21. 1980s-'90s heavyweight champ : TYSON. Now a media star. UNDISPUTED TRUTH. (3:26).

 24. E. follower : COLI.

26. Word after raise or catch : HELL.

27. Place for a nest, perhaps : EAVE.

28. Short holiday? : XMAS. I thinks this is cute; certainly once I saw the answer I thought it was cute.

32. Joplin works : RAGS. I know Scott Joplin wrote Ragtime music, but I was ready to nitpick, but... Merriam Webster says it is a composition in ragtime, short for ragtime. First Known Use: 1897

33. Artistic dynasty : MING. C.C. any thoughts? (C.C.: My first reaction is Tang, as it's the  peak of various arts, esp poetry and painting. I only associate MING with vases.)

34. Sun. message : SERmon. Sunday.

35. Strong like string : TWINY. String is not strong, twine is strong string which is doubled up.

37. Burkina __ : FASO. I have never heard of this COUNTRY, let alone know where it is located. Damn you American geography.

38. Cabinet dept. : EDUCation.

39. Heal : MEND.  A HEART? (3:00).

40. Part of Caesar's boast : I SAW. VIDI.

41. Italy's largest port : GENOA. No, I did nota noa that.

45. Sci-fi character nicknamed Ben : OBIWAN. Kenobi. Ken, ben?

46. Heap affection (on) : DOTE. Followed by....

48. Regard highly : ADMIRE. Which leads to....

49. Hunting dog : BEAGLE. Snoopy?

50. More pretentious : ARTIER.

53. "__ is good" : GREED. Saw the promo a million times.

54. "Wall Street" antagonist who said 53-Down : GEKKO.. Michael Douglas.

55. Spinal Tap guitarist Tufnel : NIGEL. One of many CREATIONS (0:50) of Christopher Guest.

56. Roman Cath. title : MSGR. Monseigneur.

58. Verbal stumbles : UMS. Er, I hope you all got this one.

59. Disparity : GAP. Like this?

 61. PC screen type : LCD. Liquid Crystal Display.

62. "__-hoo!" : YOO.  Boo-hoo, we are done for another week.

Before we go, I wanted to express my condolences to the family and friends of Harold Ramis, who died this week. He brought us ANIMAL HOUSE, GHOSTBUTERS, CADDYSHACK, and GROUNDHOG DAY among many others. Don't cross the streams!

Can you believe we are two months into the year already, the Olympics are over, and spring is on the way for all you who choose to live in the frozen north. I am off to my day job, so I will see you all at the beach next time. Lemonade out.

Friday, February 21, 2014, Peg Slay

Theme: I need to break you the LLs up!

Great symmetry in this letter replacement puzzle,  with the first "L" of double Ls in four letter words ending 'ALL', are replaced with an I (the first word in theme 1,3 and 5; the last word in theme 2,4) to give a new phrase clued with humor. This is our second offering from Ms. Slay, with marti expostulating on a letter add on in May of 2013. I found this on the easy side for a Friday, but since it is gimmick free that may be all I needed to make me happy. The pallbearers morphing into milkmaids seemed a bit macabre, but the rest were amusing. Let's look over the puzzle.

17A. Device that tracks certain weather? : HAIL MONITOR. (11). (HALL monitors prowl dormitories) This would be a very limited use device, but we do get a few hailstorms every year, once in a while enough to dent cars.

23A. Make a mournful cry louder? : DRIVE UP THE WAIL. (somebody wailing, like at the dentist, would drive me up the WALL).

39A. Follow, oater-style? : TAIL IN THE SADDLE. (TALL in the saddle will always conjure this IMAGE) (1:05).

48A. Run-of-the-mill letters? : PEDESTRIAN MAIL. ( I visited the 16th Street MALL when last in Denver)

61A. Eight maids a-milking? : PAIL BEARERS. (This combination cast a slight PALL on my solving experience, because images of funerals bring back memories). I think their are usually 6 pallbearers. Are Jack and Jill the most famous pail bearers?

Across:

1. "Sesame Street" lessons : ABCS.

5. Logo, e.g. : EMBLEM.

11. NASA vehicle : LEM. An actual acronym Lunar Excursion Module.

14. Word spoken con affetto : CARA. Some Italian, with affection dear.  22A. Together, in music : A DUE. Italian again, due is two.

15. Lead ore : GALENA. This is something I know only from doing puzzles; do we have geologists in our midst? I have a nephew who works in that field.

16. "Should I take that as __?" : A NO. Yes.

19. Ken. neighbor : INDiana.

20. Handle : SEE TO.

21. Karaoke need : MIC. I guess the world has decided this is an independent word.

27. Bulldog, perhaps : ELI. Yale has more than one nickname. This sort of ties to 37D. Annex, maybe : ELL, which I thought would not be in the puzzle because of the LL.

28. German article : DAS. The neutral (non-masculine or feminine) LINK. 1D. Rhine whines : ACHS. Little pun on wine/whine. Maybe you need a dictionary? LINK. Our multilingual crowd (Kazie, marti, etc., will tell you more).

29. Lollapalooza gear : AMPS. Another abbreviation (amplifiers) that appears to now be a word.

33. They may be in columns : ANTS. Army ones anyway.

36. More ironic : DRIER. senses of humor I guess, I thought this was very hard to suss.

42. Short exile? : EX-PAT. He is only  5'8" For all my New England Patriot cornerites.

43. Tops : A-ONE.

44. __-portrait : SELF. Selfies from the phone are taking over.

45. Watch : EYE.

46. 64-Across opposite : NAY. 64A. 46-Across opposite : YEA.

56. Pie crust ingredient : LARD. Not many big companies use pig fat anymore.

57. Tidy sum : WAD. He had quite a wad of cash.

58. Warmer for a snowy day : COCOA. Maybe this would WORK; I will mail you the A.

60. Tree ring revelation : AGE. Yes when the sequoias get together for a reunion, it is always a circus.

65. Jeans measure : INSEAM. Just be careful who is doing the measurements for you.

66. Auditor's mark : TICK. The check mark.

67. Humerus locale : ARM. Near the funny bone.

68. Expels : EGESTS. IN = into: E = from, immigrate, emigrate. Just simple Latin.

69. Santa __: dry winds : ANAS. A day late for our own Santa baby.

Down:

2. Sounded like a flock : BAAED. The were baaed to the bone.

3. Old-time newsman : CRIER. Really going back when you got your news from the town crier, who did not whine.

4. 1972 missile pact : SALT I. Strategic Arms Limitation Talks ; I was ratified, II was abandoned when the Soviets invaded Afghanistan.

5. Id checker? : EGO. Nice Freud lesson, our ID (as in libido) is kept in check by our EGO.

6. "Holy cow!" : MAN.

7. Skycam carrier : BLIMP. Goodyear I lives nearby me. Come for the TOUR, then stop by for a snack.

8. The Beatles' "__ Be" : LET IT.  You want to be in this STUDIO. (3:09)

9. Cain's oldest son : ENOCH. Exile or not.

10. Deface : MAR.

11. Saved for the future : LAID ASIDE. In this context I always say PUT aside, but this WORKS.

12. Blasé state : ENNUI.

13. Hobby shop purchase : MODEL.A shout out to Dennis who is tolerating the Florida winter rather well. Speaking of models, Kate Upton.

18. Stir : MOVE.

22. Accolades : AWARDS. Comes from a Latin word for neck (collum) because recipients got stuff to wear around their neck. We still give out medals (see Olympics) that way.

24. Panache : ELAN.

25. Utah's __ Mountains : UINTA. We have had these a couple of times before, but they have not stuck in my mind.

26. Norse mythology source : EDDA. Classic crossword answer.

29. Put away : ATE.

30. "Where the Wild Things Are" boy : MAX. My youngest loved the story and we went to the movie when it came out many years later; he loved it. I did  not.

31. Winning the lottery, usually : PIPE DREAM. From the dreams of OPIUM DENS?

32. Left rolling in the aisles : SLAYED. Comedians, kill, slay,

 crush...

34. E'en if : THO'.

35. Medicinal shrub : SENNA. A multi-talented PLANT.

38. Instant replay watcher : REF. The third abbreviation which is in this puzzle which has apparently become a stand alone word.

40. Jersey add-on : ITES.

41. Hannity of "Hannity" : SEAN. hard not link something political HERE.(2:37).

47. Gesture-driven hit : YMCA. The boys from the Village.

48. __ del Carmen, Mexico : PLAYA. mean beach in Spanish. Lucina?

49. Bright-eyed : EAGER.

50. Country sound : TWANG. All you ever wanted to know and MORE.

51. Put up : RAISE. Or shut up?

52. Isn't busy : IDLES.

53. It originates from the left ventricle : AORTA.

54. Trap at a chalet : ICE IN.

55. Spanish poet Federico García __ : LORCA. I wish Clear Ayes was here to speak of this POET, a very influential Spanish writer killed by Franco's men during the civil war.

59. Queries : ASKS.

61. __ chart : PIE.

62. Cricket club : BAT. Cute misdirection.

63. 911 response letters : EMS.

Well I am not in Kansas any more, only passing through to Colorado, but I hope this Friday frolic left you smiling and confident in your skills. Lemonade out.

Friday, February 14, 2014, Xan Vongsathorn

Theme: U anagram U! Ryder truck rental competition.

The first & second letter of a familiar phrase is reversed to form a new word beginning with the letter "U" and clued whimsically. I guess since Valentine's Day is all about 'you', this all fits. Our second anagram based theme in a row.  So we have another variation of an anagram theme to add to the Friday fun, with a little teeny reveal. The constructor has been absent from the LAT for quite a while having had only one previous puzzle published back in 2009, though he does have 7 NYTs under his belt. Like Michael Sharp (a/k/a Rex Parker) he is from Pomona College. XAN. With two grid spanning answers we have 60 letters in the theme. This leads to a really high 3 and 4 letter word count for a Friday. There were a few fun longer fill, ADAM'S RIB, ASTEROID, I-POD NANO , SCREWED UP,  UP FOR SALE, but I leave the verdict up to you the jury, I am merely the court reporter.

17A. Vessel storing a cash stash? : URN FOR ONE'S MONEY (15). (RUN for one's money). I thought maybe we were also going to get some homonym action (EARN:URN).

25A. Layered computer connections? : USB SANDWICH (11). (SUB sandwich).

44A. Pet named for writer Sinclair? : UPTON THE DOG.(11). (PUT on the dog).  I think of it as Putting on the RITZ, (2:03) not the Dog.

58A. Tantrum that devolves into hysterical gibberish? : UNCLEAR MELTDOWN (15) NUCLEAR meltdown).

and the hint...

62A. "Lead the way!", and a phonetic hint to this puzzle's theme : YOU FIRST (8) (U first).

Across:

1. Hedge row : SHRUBS. I admit shrubbery always make me think of this LINK. (2:06)

7. Fox's "X-Files" partner : DANA. Fox Mulder and Dana Scully?

11. Rite Aid rival : CVS. A New England success story, a small local retail store Consumer Value Store started in the 60s in Woonsocket, RI, where my uncle Richard lived, eventually got in the pharmacy business and now has more stores than anyone.

14. Cozy spot? : TEAPOT. Really cute, as you put the cozy over the teapot to keep the tea warm.

15. Tiny tunes player : I-POD NANO. Another cute clue/fill.

19. Earlier : AGO.

20. Strong adhesive : EPOXY. Back when I played lacrosse we used epoxy and fiberglass tape to strengthen our wooden sticks. Now they are all some compound. "Today’s players use sticks with heads made of plastic; shafts made of aluminum, graphite, titanium, Kevlar®, or alloys of aluminum, magnesium, scandium, and zinc; pockets made of nylon mesh..." The Encyclopedia of Earth.

21. Some poker tells : TICS.

22. "Lady Jane Grey" playwright : ROWE. This play apparently was not a success, but we have seen the writer before. He put out some editions of Shakespeare's works. For fun you can read a 2008 C.C. blog.

24. Farm cry : OINK.

31. Bundle : SHEAF. A biblical word? Next to a pseudo-biblical clue?

32. Tracy/Hepburn battle-of-the-sexes film : ADAM' S RIB.

37. "You're on!" : DEAL.

38. Impact sound : SPLAT. Good comic book word.

40. Stoic philosopher : CATO.  He was of course the YOUNGER.

41. Telescope sighting : ASTEROID. Do you have a telescope Tin? This could be a reason for a quick belt. Speaking of belts...

43. Hunter of myth : ORION. Another star-crossed lover who ended in the sky.

47. Sudden blow : GUST.

50. Lined up, with "in" : A ROW.

51. Part of one's inheritance : GENE. Yes, my luck, I ended up with Rayburn.

52. Tend : SEE TO.

55. Oft-bruised item : EGO.

63. Actor Hugh : LAURIE. A really fine comedian, he was always very popular in my brother the medical researcher's house.

64. Gathered dust : SAT. For three letters, this took a while.

65. 2012 N.L. East champs : NATS. Nationals, success did not seem to suit them.

66. Had dinner : SUPPED. Wouldn't it be DINED and the other supper?

Down:

1. Handle for a chef? : STU. I fought against this what I guess is just a pun, but once the USB revealed the U, and I already had the S and T...

2. Juno, to Homer : HERA. Roman is to Greek as...

3. Chimed : RANG.

4. On the market : UP FOR SALE. Another U turn for me.

5. Discontented cry : BOO. Hoo thought of this first? I did not? Bah!

6. Scattered : STREWN.

7. T. Rex, e.g. : DINO. Flintstones?

8. Summit : APEX. The old Acme Apex challenge.

9. Getting into the wrong business? : NOSY. Stick your nose where it does not belong...

10. Nav. bigwig : ADMiral.

11. "Emperor of the Air" novelist : CANIN. I thought this was particularly obscure, and I would never have gotten this answer but for it being filled before I saw the clue. I have seen the movie Emperor's Club, and being a prep school product I knew a little about his work, but not his name. ETHAN. The film was also filmed at Emma Willard (from yesterday's comment by IM about Scent of a Woman).

12. Certain tee : V-NECK.

13. Sauces for sushi : SOYS. Are there more than one soy sauce for sushi? Did you remember sushi means rice?

16. Denier's words : NOT I.

18. Column with a slant : OP ED. I will not OP EN that argument door.

23. Big galoot : OAF.

24. Electrician's unit : OHM. Yes, my nephew is a master electrician, who wires lots of kitchens; their anthem is Ohm Ohm on the Range.

25. Rib-eye rating gp. : USDA. United States Department of Agriculture.

26. Witches, but not warlocks : SHES. Simple, but tricky.

27. Knocked out : BEAT. Nope, do not see these as synonymous unless you know you are fighting.

28. Character found in kids' books : WALDO. I would have loved the clue to be 'sometimes found'  but I applaud the concept.

29. Peak of Crete : IDA. Interesting HISTORY in mythology, but I think of CHARLEY WEAVER. And the odd coincidence that Emma Willard School is on Mount Ida overlooking Troy, NY.

30. Victim of curiosity : CAT. Killed no less!

33. Made a mess of : SCREWED UP.

34. Surprise strike : RAID.

35. "__, Sing America": Hughes : I TOO. The poem by Langston Hughes, the ORIGINAL. (1:09).

36. Low bell sound : BONG. I wonder if this was the author's clue...

38. Dip, as in gravy : SOP.

39. Nectarine core : PIT.

42. Symbol of boredom : RUT. Are we in an anagram rut?

43. "Well, looky here!" : OHO. Meh.

45. "Six Feet Under" son : NATE. Never watched this SHOW.(4:28).

46. High-tech troublemakers : TROLLS. How funny, a shout out to my Friday fans.

47. Italian port on its own gulf : GENOA.

48. In its original form : UNCUT. Are they talking circumcision here?

49. Help beneficiary, at times : SELF. Libraries and book stores are overflowing with self help books, but if you buy them is it really self help?

51. Blokes : GUYS. It was nice to NICE CUPPA.

52. First name in the freezer section : SARA. Nobody does not like Sara Lee.

53. Once, in days past : ERST. Did it take you a while to get this one?

54. CPR specialists : EMTS. Emergency Medical Ttechnicians.

56. Hiker's supply : GORP.

57. Boo-boo : OWIE.

59. A, in Stuttgart : EIN.

60. St. Anthony's Cross shape : TAU. Greek to me.

61. Nancy Drew's guy : NED.

Well I want to wish our dear friend, constructor, blogger, poster, ski bum, wine connoisseur and house renovator the happiest of birthdays and perhaps an early spring. Thank you marti for all you have done for me and the Corner. For the rest of you I hope you enjoyed our visit and the puzzle, until next time Lemonade out.

Note from C.C.:

Lemonade said it all. Thank you, dear Marti, for being there for me and the Corner. Happy Birthday!

Marti & her husband Allen