Thursday, May 22, 2014, Marti Duguay-Carpenter

Theme: Put an end to the fight.

Well I (Lemonade) am back, not on Friday, but pinch hitting for the ubiquitous Marti Duguay-Carpenter, who has asked me to explain her latest publication. The theme was readily apparent and seemed appropriate for me who used to be a trial lawyer and presented many closing arguments. The end of the three theme answers describe a minor dispute. I found this fun, though it seemed like a Wednesday with just a few clues toughened up. Or perhaps I just understand the divine miss m's mind...The difficulty for me was in some of the proper names, not all of whom came immediately to mind, but without any long deceptive fill, the puzzle was done in normal time. It features a great triple clecho in the middle, a mental tour of the Italian Alps and marti's wit. Let's see if the glove fits and how I acquit myself.

17A. "The Goodbye Girl" Oscar winner : RICHARD DREYFUSS.(15). You want to WATCH? (1:24) You cannot forget the second S.

29A. Short-muzzled dog breed : BULL MASTIFF (11). They are massive, over 50 kg.

46A. Futuristic car unveiled at the 1933 New York Auto Show : SILVER ARROW (11).

62A. Court wrap-up ... and what's hidden in 17-, 29- and 46-Across? : CLOSING ARGUMENT. I love when a unifier works this well.

ACROSS:

1. Kazantzakis title hero : ZORBA. The author of the Zorba the Greek and the Last Temptation of Christ. I did not recall the name, but what else starts ZORB_?

6. Singer James : ETTA. Supply your own favorite link.

10. Apple variety : iMAC.

14. "Water is life" brand : EVIAN. Interesting STUFF.

15. Bishop's rte. : DIAGonal. The chess piece not Tutu. 

16. Jet Propulsion Lab org. : NASA, National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

20. Classical theaters : ODEA. The plural of Odeum, from the Latin, which comes from Italy.

21. Private __ : EYE.

22. Has no obligation to : NEEDN'T.

23. Org. with an interlocking rings logo : IOC. International Olympic Committee.

25. Journalist Tarbell et al. : IDAS. The WOMAN was a very admirable journalist even if a bit of a muckraker.

26. CD precursors : LPS. Long Plays. 

35. Shoe box letters : EEE. When in doubt, trot it out.

36. Devoured : ATE UP. This one was a piece of cake.

37. French 101 word : ETRE. To be.

38. West Coast natl. monument since 2012 : FT. ORD. Monument? FT to start a word? This took a while.

40. Disney doe : ENA.

41. Times for action : D-DAYS. They are not just for war. Cute how this follows disney doe

42. Honorable : TRUE.

43. Rear : RAISE. Not where your minds were going?

45. Disappoint, with "down" : LET.

49. "... good witch, __ bad witch?" : OR A. Do you recall this scene (0:30) from Wizard of Oz

50. Part of Q.E.F. : ERAT. By now this should be in everyone's memory banks. More Latin.

51. Tourney pass : BYE. The French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros is coming close with the best getting 1st round byes.

53. Hallowed : SACRED. Just don't have a cow about this clue/fill.

56. __ alai : JAI. J also clued with a game down.

58. City on the Rhône : LYON.  In the Rhone-Alpes region, Very important ever since the Romans conquered Gaul. 

65. Puma rival : AVIA. Latin for a way.

66. Pull down : EARN.

67. Two-masted craft : KETCH.  My oldest brother is the sailor in my family, my only experience with a ketch was ketchup.

68. Stores in a large building? : MALL. Gee, I never thought about it being a single building.

69. Till opener : ROTO. Windhover, do you use one on your farm?

70. Iroquois foes : ERIES. Best know your native tribes.

Down:

1. Shutout score feature : ZERO.

2. "Ars amatoria" poet : OVID.  The Roman take on the Art of Love.  LINK.

3. It might be sticky or dirty : RICE. Interestingly the center of Asian and Mexican cuisine.

4. Religion founded in Persia : Bahá'í. One of the newest Judeo-Christian Muslim fusion religions. I think this is the religion of Vic Damone.

5. Actress Gasteyer : ANA. If you are a die hard SNL fan you will know this performer, or maybe you watch the odd show Suburgatory  which follows Modern Family.

6. Current event : EDDY. Tricky beginning to the triclecho, as eddys appear in water.  7. Current influence : TIDE. Still in the water. and, 8. Current observer : TAR. Our old sailor reappears.

9. Things to do : AGENDA.

10. Pest-ridden : INFESTED.

11. Irish revolutionary __ Gonne MacBride : MAUD. She was not in my memory banks; beyond Michael Collins, I know not much about Irish revolutionaries, especially since Branson wimped out.  READ.

12. NCAA member?: Abbr. : ASSN.

13. Play group : CAST.

18. Saw again : RECUT. That saw!

19. Words said in passing? : YEAS. Legislation for example.

24. O.T. book after Amos : OBADiah is not one of the famous PROPHETS. The history is interesting.
                    
25. Damage : IMPAIR. A  tricky definition.

26. Some jabs : LEFTS.

27. Lab dish inventor : PETRI. Named for the German bacteriologist who invented it.

28. Capital city on the Han River : SEOUL. You know your Korean Geography? 

1. The Han River is a major river in South Korea and the fourth longest river on the Korean peninsula after the Amrok, Tuman, and Nakdong rivers. Wikipedia

30. Ogle : LEER AT. Looking at the Moon?  For SPLYNTER

31. Like some eclipses : LUNAR.

32. Author Calvino : ITALO. I am unfamiliar with this Italian author who was born outside of Havana, Cuba. READ.

33. Fritter maker : FRYER. I wonder if the food is related to the wasting of time.

34. Pisa party : FESTA. More Italian, I guess marti is back in Europe, in her mind.

39. About-face : REVERSAL.

41. Like early morning links : DEWY. HG, I bet you like the dewy morning fairways.

44. Pulitzer-winning Ferber novel : SO BIG. This Novel won the Pulitzer Prize in 1925, and was made into a MOVIE 1:03 in 1932.

47. "... harken __ die": Tennyson : ERE I. From the poem "Œnone" by a poet whose work I have never appreciated. Perhaps our resident rhymer has better things to say.

48. Portrayer of Wawa and Litella : RADNER. Gilda, who died so young. Post your favorite from her SNL days.

52. Film composer Bernstein : ELMER. Not to be confused with Leonard, no relation, Berstein. Elmer did so many wonderful movie scores like  The Magnificent Seven, The Ten Commandments, The Great Escape, To Kill a Mockingbird, Ghostbusters, The Black Cauldron, and The Rookies. He finally won an Oscar for Thoroughly Modern Millie.

53. Phishing lure : SCAM. Internet scamming.

54. Menlo Park middle name : ALVA. Mr. Edison.

55. Slinky, e.g. : COIL. I was unpacking some stuff my boys left behind and was quite distressed to see theirs had rusted.

56. Lawn game projectile : JART. Thanks for the J, miss m, you seem to like the pointedly dangerous game.

57. River under the Ponte Vecchio : ARNO. More Italian, literally the 'Old Bridge' crosses the Arno at its narrowest point and goes back many centuries.

59. Mountain legend : YETI. 

60. Grimm start : ONCE upon a time. Anyone watch that show?

61. Unspecified degrees : NTHS.

63. Agcy. concerned with the federal fiscal outlook : GAO. Government Accountability Office

64. Island strings : UKE.  Not strings of islands, hey to our old Hawaiians. 

Well Maud and Italo and some others slowed me down, but hopefully you did not stumble. the good news is that you have marti's puzzle today and her write up tomorrow.  All that and amazing it is already time for Memorial Day; be safe and do not speed. L714, out. 

Friday May 9, 2014 Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: Run on thoughts.


JW makes the move from Thursday to Friday this week with a complicated and ingenious (not igneous, see below) group of phrases clued with Canadian cities (EH!) mashed together with a word or phrase to create a new phrase that almost makes sense. Doing this all from Canadian cities is great, and gives you some idea how puzzles are born. I would guess at some point the sound of  HALI FAX MACHINE popped in his head and he was off to the creative races. The rest of the puzzle has some difficult clues, but with the longest non-theme answers 7 letters (many of which were fun- DIORITE, ECHELON, FANTAIL, IN LIMBO, ROAD TAX, TELECOM,  WEIRDOS and  WIMPISH) I found this to be a very doable puzzle. I would think Mr. Wechsler, who I have blogged before,  must have strong ties to Canada as I do not know many USA citizens who can name the Canadian provinces and major cities; I just learned he published his first NY Times in 1969, his second in 2009 - 40 years later. I would love to hear the story of the delay. So here we go...thanks for lending me JW, marti.

17A. TV fare in Quebec? : MONTREALITY SHOW. (15). Reality TV has taken over the world because they can pay so much less, even in Canada. I enjoy Montreal both from my family history and the people. They do however drive even worse than Floridians. This is the odd one as the REAL changes sound.

31A. Communication device in Nova Scotia? : HALIFAX MACHINE. (14).  My favorite and what I guess is the seed answer. Are fax machines going the way of beepers?

39A. Tool storage convenience in Manitoba? : WINNIPEG BOARDS..(14). All I really know is that the Blue Bombers play there in the CFL and the Jets in the NHL. Who doesn't hang tools on a pegboard in the garage?

60A. Throat ailment in Alberta? : EDMONTONSILITIS.(15). The most impressive run on. Wayne Gretzky taught me all I know about Edmonton.

Across:

1. Kate, to Petruchio : WIFE. The Taming of the Shrew. Loves me some Shakespeare.

5. Works on walls : ART. Cute, hard to be too tricky with a three letter fill. CLECHO! 50D. Works on walls : OILS. Hanging on them, in museums etc. Tricky 2.

8. Apportioned, with "out" : METED. A favorite of judges meting out justice.

13. Prayer leader : IMAM.

14. Sandwich staple : RYE. I thought of ham first, go figure. And, 6D. Thick-pile rug : RYA. This traditional Scandinavian rug was an unknown.

15. Bring forth : ELICIT.

20. Contributes : PUTS IN. His two-cents worth.

21. Spacewalk initials : EVA. Extra-vehicular activity.

22. See 2-Down : HERE. A backwards cross-reference. 2D. With 22-Across, "See ya!" : I'M OUTTA.

23. Marseilles : -euse :: Madrid : __ : ITA. Feminine endings in French and Spanish.

24. "Pensées" author : PASCAL.  This is a really interesting LINK.

26. "... if I tell thee __, spit in my face": Falstaff : A LIE. More Will.
FALSTAFF

Nay, that’s past praying for. I have peppered two of them. Two I am sure I have paid, 

two rogues in buckram suits. I tell thee what, Hal, if I tell thee a lie, spit in my face, 

call me horse. Thou knowest my old ward. Here I lay, and thus I bore my point. 

Four rogues in buckram let drive at me.

27. Move a bit : STIR.

29. Very long time : EON.

30. Teammate of Hubbell : OTT. A new clue for Hall of Famer Mel.

37. Friend of Huck : JIM. Not Tom....

38. One working at home : UMP. A baseball reference for C.C. Tricky 1.

47. Psychotic Chihuahua : REN. A mini-theme? 52A. Reprimand often given while pointing down : BAD DOG.

48. Theban queen of myth : INO. Goody, some MYTHOLOGY. Really, all perps.

49. Boss's command : DO IT.

55. Thin-rail bridge : AS A.

56. "Get a __!" : GRIP.

57. Sea urchin roe, in sushi bars : UNI.  Time to learn. LINK.

58. Without restraint : WILDLY.

63. Additionally : TO BOOT. Weird sounding phrase. Per wiktionary:

Etymology

From Middle English to bote (“something added to, addition”), from Old English tō bōte (“to boot, besides, moreover”). More at boot.

(idiomatic) moreover, on top of that, besides, also.

My boyfriend is funny, and a pretty good cook, to boot.

64. DDE, e.g. : GENeral. Eisenhower.

65. Speedy shark : MAKO. Want to know WHY?

66. Get to the bottom of : SOLVE.

67. Weaken : SAG.

68. Powerful team : OXEN.

Down:

 1. Like some chickens : WIMPISH. People not farm animals. Tricky 3.

3. Split and flattened, as shrimp : FANTAIL. Want to know HOW?

4. Personnel providing CPR : EMTS. Emergency medical technicians

5. Olympic venue : ARENA.

7. Vonage, for one : TELECOM. Better answer than Phone Co.

8. Osmium or rhodium : METAL.

9. English cathedral city : ELY. I am sure Steve can tell you all about this PLACE.

10. Actress Campbell of TV's "Martin" : TISHA. Need a pic?

11. Rank : ECHELON. Really fun word, but not my first or second thought.

12. Igneous rock on which the Code of Hammurabi is inscribed : DIORITE. Like Sheldon, I know no GEOLOGY.

16. Brief statement, by necessity : TWEET. I do not tweet and based on their stock performance I am not alone.

18. Grave statement, briefly? : RIP. Funny? Rest In Peace. Tricky 4.

19. The Donald's first ex : IVANA. How cool she is next to...need a pic?

25. Questionnaire datum : SEX. In taking the PSAT a classmate answered, "I wish!"

28. Rembrandt van __ : RIJN. Need a pic?

32. Fiver : FIN. Old timey slang like sawbuck.

33. "Who, me?" : AM I? Not sure I understand completely...

34. Furry youngster : CUB. Maybe.

35. Gp. for GPs : HMO. Health Maintenance Organization.

36. Apple product : iPAD.

39. Eccentric types : WEIRDOS. Who does not love a puzzle with wimps and weirdos.

40. Undetermined : IN LIMBO.

41. Liszt's instrument : PIANO. Want to LISZTEN? (9:46).

42. Some games have multiple ones : ENDINGS. Are we talking  marriage here?

43. Neptune, e.g. : GOD. Semi-clecho 62D. Neptune's realm : SEA.

44. Toll, basically : ROAD TAX. They put tolls on the Florida Turnpike to pay for the construction, now 50 years later they are just taxing drivers, especially all you lovely tourists.

45. Take a dim view of : DISLIKE.

46. Doesn't quit : STAYS ON. After the merger....

47. Synonym eponym : ROGET. Really cute clue.

51. Wire holder : SPOOL.

52. Monument Valley sight : BUTTE. Not a shout out to dear Montana, but to the formation on the Utah-Arizona border. LINK.

53. Short : OWING. I was short on my rent, not just vertically challenged.

54. Original boss of Sara and Nick on "CSI" : GIL Grissom. need a pic?

59. Long ride? : LIMO. Tricky 5.

61. Four-day weekend time, for many: Abbr. : NOV. Thanksgiving.

As with all of Mr. Wechsler's puzzles there were lots of fun clue/fill combinations and just enough spice to name it a Friday. I want to wish all a very Happy Mother's Day and off to golf in a charity tournament. Lemonade out.

Friday, May 2, 2014, Gareth Bain

Theme: C'mon boys, saddle up and let's go get 'em.

The letters EM are added to 4 in the language phrases with an extremely clever reveal. We are back basking in the complicated mind of our favorite South African veterinarian, GARETH Bain, who as you can see from the Interview linked has been with us almost from the beginning of the switch to the LA Times, which coincided with his getting published in the US. The reveal HOLD 'EM, is reminiscent of his first puzzle where the letters ON were removed, with the reveal NIXON. I really enjoy how he locks onto these words and phrases and builds a puzzle. He also obviously works very hard to use a varied fill drawing from many parts of pop and historic culture. He also manages to make the puzzles very accessible to Americans despite his own background. We also get some interesting animal information. Finally, there is some really fun long down fill (to keep from being confused with the across where the theme is) like DAIRY FARMER, KODAK MOMENT. It is so obvious how much effort he puts in to his grid, still finding time for his work and blogging at Crossword Fiend.

19A. Organized group of female monarchs? : EMPRESS CORPS (12). A nice visual of Queen Elizabeth hosting a bunch of female world leaders; more interesting than a bunch of news people.

30A. Ingredient in a concrete American flag? : RED CEMENT (9). A simple penny becomes another visual.

40A. Plastic leg bone? : FAKE FEMUR.(9).Fake fur no more.

53A. Line of hunky monarchs? : HEMAN DYNASTY.(12). I am not an expert on the Han Dynasty, but we have C.C. and others to fill in the blanks. (Note from C.C.: My hometown Xi'An (called Chang'An then) was the capital city of Han Dynasty. Xi'An was the capital city to four Chinese dynasties: Zhou, Qin, Han, Tang. Hence my given name Zhouqin. Chinese written characters are called "Han characters", and over 90% of Chinese are ethically Han people). (Correction: ethnically. Thanks, Big Easy!)

and the reveal

57A. Poker variety ... and what the four longest across answers do? : HOLD 'EM.

Across:

1. It comes from goats : MOHAIR. We begin in the animal kingdom, but my mind goes to this LINK.

7. Old hand : PRO. Gareth was 22 and just beginning in 2009, now he is an old pro.

10. Margery of nursery rhyme : DAW. An old time British (Steve?) nursery rhyme that I heard in my early days. WATCH. (0:53).

13. Reason to be at sea? : ENIGMA. This is the idiom, being at sea, as lost confused.

14. Leak slowly : SEEP.

15. Pub choice : ALE. For Tin and my children.

16. Colorful freshwater fish : TETRAS.

17. 1994 Schwarzenegger film : TRUE LIES. Some very funny parts with Jamie Lee Curtis.

21. Waterskiing challenges : WAKES. from the boat pulling you.

24. Role for Ronny : OPIE. The old Andy Griffith Show gets lots of puzzle exposure.

25. Blood __ : TYPE. Clecho alert!

26. Blood system letters : A B O.

27. Pelion neighbor : MT. OSSA. There is also one in Tasmania, but we climb here in GREECE.

29. Vulpine critter : FOX. More animal info, one of the many groups ending in INE, reminiscent of a recent puzzle.

33. Overwhelming amount : SEA.

35. Feel a strong desire (for) : STARVE. Affection anyone?

36. Former German chancellor Adenauer : KONRAD. I do remember DER ALTE.

39. Fancy carp : KOI. The goldfish of the rich.

43. Mooch : BUM When I smoked it was often OP cigarettes.

45. "Cows of Our Planet" cartoonist : LARSON. The far Side guy.

47. Mesozoic, e.g. : ERA.

48. Old folk song composer, often: Abbr. : ANON. A shout out to our trolls.

50. Bread often served with ghee : NAAN.

51. Hat material : STRAW.

56. Catholic recitation phrase : AVE MARIA. Latin.

61. Chess components : MEN. Even the Queen; very un-pc.

62. Parker array : PENS. Old time company.  LINK.

63. Restless feeling : UNEASE.

64. Hill occupant : ANT. If it is three letters, it is ant.

65. Anti-aging treatment target : SAG. I will not link any pictures out of respect.

66. Named : TERMED. This was tricky, even thought it makes sense.

Down:

1. Ran into : MET.

2. 1992 U2 song : ONE. Do you really remember songs by the year? LISTEN.(4:36).

3. Popular song : HIT. Perfect follow up to the song. Do you...

4. Correspond : AGREE.

5. Mosque VIPs : IMAMS.

6. Gravelly sound : RASP. Janis Joplin?

7. Don't give up : PERSIST.

8. Practices one of the environmental three R's : RE-USES. I was not familiar with this CONCEPT.

9. Barrel-conscious gp. : OPEC. Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries

10. Jersey owner, maybe : DAIRY FARMER. Jersey Cows, unrelated to Gary Larson, but nicer clue/fill.

11. Syria's most populous city : ALEPPO. Not Damascus. LEARN.

12. Thomas Hardy setting : WESSEX. All you need to know and MORE.

14. Squish : STEP ON.

18. Nephew of Abraham : LOT. I wonder if he learned to hate salt? Anyway, did anyone see NOAH?

20. Dull repetition : ROTE. Not Kyle or Tobin....

21. Cola __ : WARS.

22. Help in a heist : ABET.

23. Ideal time to snap? : KODAK MOMENT. Really great fill.

27. Bovary title: Abbr. : MME. Abbreviation of the French Madame.

28. Starting from : AS OF.

31. HUN neighbor, to the IOC : CROatia. The International Olympic Committee like three letter Country names.

32. Baleful : EVIL.

34. Capt.'s course : ENE.

36. Knowledge : KEN. From the Scottish I believe and unrelated to Barbie.

37. Mystique : AURA.

38. Billiards backspin : DRAW. Another example of the wonderfully diverse knowledge in a GB puzzle.

40. Wearing a lot : FRAYING. A fun reverse clue, where the wear is on a tear.

41. Yoga class regimen : ASANAS. A new yoga STUDIO opened 100 feet from my apartment.

42. Hawaiian coffee-growing region : KONA. I wonder where all of our Hawaii readers are hiding.

43. Grand __ : BAHAMA. Freeport, very close to Fort Lauderdale.

44. Spotty : UNEVEN.

46. Lead singer of the Irish rock group The Corrs : ANDREA. Hmm, U2, the Corrs...

49. Where many vets served : NAM. Too many died.

51. Peach pit : STONE.

52. "House of Payne" creator __ Perry : TYLER. TV show from the very successful producer/actor. LINK.(2:37)

54. Snoozes : NAPS.

55. Turned (off) : SHUT.

58. Sire's mate : DAM. Our final animal clue of the day.

59. Legal closing? : ESE. Legalese.

60. Club __ : MED. Short for Mediterranean and the first of the all-inclusive vacation sites.

I had such a good time I may have gotten carried away; thanks Gareth and I hope you all enjoy the tour.  Lemonade out.

Note from C.C.:

The third Minnesota Crossword Tournament will be held on June 22 at The Landmark Center in Saint Paul. Please click here for more information. The puzzles are all made by our local constructors or constructors with MN ties (Andrea Carla Michaels, e.g.).  The local constructors include Tom Pepper, George Barany, David Hanson, David Liben-Nowell, Dan Kantor, Jay Kaskel & Victor Barocas (also our editor). Don G and Andy Kravis also took part in the effort. A few are our LA Times constructors. All have been published by the NY Times.

I look forward to seeing some of you there. You'll love this year's puzzles!

Left to right: Tom Pepper; Marcia J. Brott; George Barany; David Hanson; DK, C.C.; Andrea; Boomer & Victor Barocas

June 2013 

Friday, April 25, 2014, Samuel A. Donaldson

Theme: This is no PG-13 puzzle.

We have a letter replacement puzzle with the change from the highly controversial X-rating to the family friendly G-rating. We have asterisks and a reveal which made this seem as awfully easy theme for a Friday. There are many proper names, some difficult, but what makes it special is the phrases chosen to have the final letter of the second (all 3-letters long) of a two word phrase replaced, all begin as somewhat salacious in nature and emerge as completely harmless with the G ending. The rest of the puzzle has much in the way of fun fill, especially longer ones like BEAN BAGS, IN UNISON, ESPECIALLY, PIZZA SLICE, SEMI-ANNUAL ZERO MOSTEL, CHEAP THRILL, MIRACLE MILE.  Mr. Donaldson has been published often in the NYT as well as being a regular  contributor at Crossword Fiend though he has published no puzzles in the LAT since 2011. Here is the interview C.C. did back when. LINK.

8. *Scarlet letter? : SIN TAG (6). Most people are lucky they do not really collect a SIN TAX, and as I said I reread Scarlett Letter recently...meh.

20A. *Rio jokester? : BRAZILIAN WAG. (12). If you are familiar with BRAZILIAN WAX you can understand why it is x-rated. I chose not to link the VIDEO and was fascinated to learn the practice goes back 6 or 7 thousand years.

33A. *Law against certain intra-family marriages? : OEDIPUS REG. (10). I am sure you all know the STORY of Oedipus REX. Likely not related to REX PARKER, NY Times puzzle blogger.

38A. *Game disc on the farm? : CHICKEN POG. Chicken is one of many POX diseases, and it was thought at one time they all had sexual transmission links. POGS were popular when my kids were little.

48A. *Fighter running on tequila? : MARGARITA MIG.  The Russian fighter jet. I hope the pilots are not fueled by alcohol. Margaritas often lead to partying and who wants a drunken bomb dropped...

And the reveal,  59A.  Like the answers to the starred clues before they were edited : X-RATED.

Across:

1. Sputnik letters : CCCP. The Cyrillic letters for SSSR look like our Latin letters CCCP.

5. Insert : ADD.

14. "Hello, I didn't see you there" : OH HI. My first misstep, as I wanted "Oops." made me question CCCP for a second.

15. Tax-advantaged vehicle : IRA. Individual Retirement Account.

16. Like unmiked orators, maybe : HOARSE. Mr. Ed being often a hoarse horse, of course.

17. Collins contemporary : BAEZ. Judy and Joan, my first thought was Joan Collins. One of my favorite concerts was watch Joan Baez perform at Tanglewood. I could not find that performance, so... LINK. (4:45).

18. Like some sales : SEMI-ANNUAL. Like Macy's white sale.

22. Part of a black suit : SPADE. Sometimes I enjoy feeling stupid, as all I thought of were suits of clothing and Sam Spade before the playing card misdirection caught me.

23. It may be packed : GUN. Cute, and fits well with Sam Spade. How many of our readers pack heat?

24. Grand squared : MIL. 1000 x 1000 = 1,000,000. Mil not an abbreviation but a colloquialism.

27. General of Chinese cuisine : TSO.

28. "Bueller? Bueller?" actor Stein : BEN. Jimmy Kimmel's uncle.

29. "Die Lorelei" poet : HEINE. Lorelei was pictured as the temptress on the rock.

31. Shaver brand : WAHL.

35. First-century Judean monarch Herod __ : AGRIPPA.  Grandson of Herod the Great, and friendly with Caligula.

37. Portion portion : SUB-PART. Lawyers love sub-folders, sub-parts, sub-sections.

40. Prefix with morph : ECTO. And its brother ENDO.

41. Healthy greens : KALES. The KALE SMOOTHIE is the most popular drink at Whole Foods market here.

42. Storage unit : BIN.

43. Muscle prone to tears, briefly : ACL. Anterior Cruciate Ligament. One of the 4 major knee ligaments.

44. Fashion monogram : YSL. Yves St. Laurent.

45. A long way : FAR.

46. Waffle __ : FRIES. I really wanted IRONS, this was obscure, but it could have been Curly___ and I would have been no better off.

52. Tevye-playing Tony winner : ZERO MOSTEL. As old timers may remember I did get to see Topol in his farewell tour as Teyve. Zero's son Josh was/is also a comedian.

55. Prom rental : LIMO.

56. Inverse trig function : ARCSIN. Interesting to see SIN twice in the grid even if the words and sound are so different.

57. Spreading tree : ELM. Most New England elms were devastated by Dutch Elm Disease when I was growing up, thought the one is this painting will last forever.

58. Foreign attorneys' degs. : LLBS. In the US the degree is a Juris Doctor, a doctorate degree requiring a completed undergraduate degree. My father went into a program where he never received a college degree only his LLB in the 30's. The "LL." of the abbreviation for the degree is from the genitive plural legum (of lex, law). Creating an abbreviation for a plural, especially from Latin, is often done by doubling the first letter (e.g. "pp" for "pages"), thus "LL.B." stands for Legum Baccalaureus in Latin. It is sometimes erroneously called "Bachelor of Legal Letters" to account for the double "L".

60. Call for help : SOS. I just love the term"backronym." LINK.

61. "Uh-huh" : YEAH.

Down:

1. Georgia county planned to be the 2017 home of the Braves : COBB. This is where Marietta is located, and is named after an old Senator, not Ty.

2. Blackens : CHARS.

3. It doesn't provide lasting enjoyment : CHEAP THRILL. Dennis, they are playing our song. Immediately followed by a quickie...hmmm.

4. Quick lunch, perhaps : PIZZA SLICE. Cute clue.

5. Window alternative : AISLE. Airplane seats, not house related.

6. German crowd? : DREI. Three is a crowd even in German.

7. Broken : DAMAGED.

8. Gymnast Johnson who was a "Dancing With the Stars" winner : SHAWN. I wonder if this show is popular enough to consider this a fair clue.   WATCH. (4:37) BTW his name is Hough.

9. Inner Hebrides isle : IONA. Off the coast of Scotland, it is also the name of a College in NY. In Hebrew the name means dove.

10. Da __, Vietnam : NANG. A name I only know from the War.

11. Play about Capote : TRU.

12. Hard-rock link : AS A.

13. Crystallize : GEL. As an idea it is a common expression, but logically are gels crystalline? J E L L OH NO!

19. How a chorus may sing : IN UNISON. Hopefully.

21. Vow on a stand : I DO. "do you solemnly swear...?"

24. Site of Los Angeles' Museum Row : MIRACLE MILE. I do not know that are, only the one in Coral Gables.

25. Like krypton : INERT. Without the capital K, Superman is not involved.

26. Not a __ stand on : LEG TO.

28. Contoured chairs : BEAN BAGS. What a classy description for a very cheap item.

29. Connecting flight site : HUB.

30. In particular : ESPECIALLY.

31. Nonsensical : WACKY. Are cluing favorite.

32. Ottoman nobility : AGHAS.

33. Ajar, poetically : OPE. There is no 'ope for this clue.

34. Curly-tailed canine : PUG. Funny looking guys.

36. Soccer stat : PKS. Penalty kicks. And an appropriate shout out for our regular and her many imitators.

39. 1979 World Series champs : PIRATES. Random even for a baseball fan such as myself; though I recall the Mazeroski home run in 1960, nothing about 1979 stands out in my mind unless it was the Sister Sledge , "We are family." (3:34) team..

43. What life imitates, so it's said : ART.

45. Fern leaf : FROND. Also from Palm trees.

46. Festival features : FILMS.

47. 1994 film king : SIMBA. Lion King anyone.

48. Very : MOST.

49. Grenoble gal pal : AMIE.

50. Move shortly? : RELO. Perfectly regular clue, but I for one do not like the fill.

51. "My stars!" : GOSH.

52. Either of two stubborn Seuss characters : ZAX. Not in my wheelhouse.

53. Go off : ERR. I think of this meaning more yelling at someone., "I went off on my secretary when she brought me a plain latte."

54. Early 'N Sync label : RCA. Radio Corporation of America. I went to grammar school with one of the Sarnoff children. he did not light up the screen.

Well chugging along through early spring, which has hung on giving us some spectacular weather, we will be back in May.  Some obscure proper names, but it is Friday; enjoy the week end all

Lemonade 714 out.

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to dear Kazie, who has been faithfully contributing to our blog since the summer of 2008. Over the years, she has shared with us many photos from her overseas trips. Kay speaks fluent French and German.

Kay and her husband Barry on Tamborine Mountain, overlooking Brisbane

Friday, April 18, 2014, Peter Koetters

Theme: How would you like your puzzle? Over-easy? No I will have it scrambled.

Another Friday where we mix up some letters and get new fill. Peter has done a few puzzles here, I blogged his first LAT back about three years ago, and this is his first for 2014. Really a mostly straightforward Friday with a classic mix up letters theme. There are some difficult proper names; you need to know some mythology, some old-time baseball, some Gilbert & Sullivan, some rock  roll, some history and some literature. A nice bundle, as a Friday should be. So let us see how the letters arrange themselves.


17A. Fish-derived supplement : COD LIVER OIL  This is one of those oddities where a scrambled version of a word can be built from either direction. Having to down a tablespoon of this supplement was one of the fears of childhood in my youth.

24A. Prince Charles' closetful : SAVILE ROW SUITS. The London street where the Tailors toil. Steve any comments?

 

37A. Leaving the jurisdiction, perhaps : PAROLE VIOLATION. The legal system has gone away from Parole to a new type of supervised release.

48A. 1982 Joan Jett & the Blackhearts hit : I LOVE ROCK'N ROLL.

59A. Literary orphan ... and what 17-, 24-, 37- and 48-Across each contains? : OLIVER TWIST,

  

The rest.

Across:

1. Famiglia nickname : MAMMA. Italian for family.

6. Celtic language : WELSH. One of 4 which remain spoken. I wonder why the basketball team was never pronounced the "keltics.'

11. Base enforcers, briefly : MPS. Military Police. Interesting because it is a plural but no place to put the S.

14. Menu listings : ITEMS.

15. Muse with a lyre : ERATO. She appears so often I am no longer amused.

16. Bugler in a forest : ELK.

19. Behold : SEE.

20. Diners Club competitor : AMEX. I think American Express would debate this clue.

21. Binding promise : I DO. And you will.

22. Tool that's not for crosscuts : RIP SAW.  I hope you have SEEN all the types of saws. Maybe Splynter will come by and give more personal information on sawing.

27. Title stuffed bear in a 2012 film : TED.  More from the mind of Seth MacFarlane. TRAILER. (2:07)

28. Valley where Hercules slew a lion : NEMEA. The first of his labors. LINK. More myth, 3D. Vengeful sorceress of myth : MEDEA. A little shout out to me, as she was married to Jason.

29. Site of the Alaska Purchase transfer ceremony : SITKA. Back in 1867 we bought Alaska from the Russians, and the ceremony took place in this southeastern city. With a population of 8,881 in 2010, Sitka is the fourth-largest city by population in Alaska. By land, it is the largest in the United States. (per wiki and others).

33. Blues home: Abbr. : STL. The hockey franchise.

34. Cellular messengers : RNAS.

41. Brest pals : AMIS. I think it works better with milk.

42. Most soldiers : MEN.

43. Hall of Fame umpire Conlan : JOCKO. Those of us who love baseball and study the game know this MAN, but I cannot imagine many here know the name.

44. App writer : CODER. My meh of the day.

46. "... against a __ of troubles": Hamlet : SEA. Take arms...

54. Luxury watch : BULOVA. Luxury?

55. Bailed-out insurance co. : AIG. American International Group, Inc. The STORY.

56. Mislead : FOOL. Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.

58. "The Prague Cemetery" novelist : ECO. I think we recently had this PHILOSOPHER , for a different book (Foucault's Pendulum) back in January.

62. It may be fresh or stale : AIR.

63. Milk source : UDDER. Would you drink human milk as an adult?

64. Sculled : OARED. A word I also do not like, also 50D. Underground worker : CAVER.

65. House and Howser : MDS. Medical Doctors.

66. Bygone monarchs : TSARS.

67. Winemaking tool : PRESS.

Down:

1. Mineral found in sheets : MICA.

2. Basic matter : ATOMS.

4. Appomattox bicentennial year : MMLXV. 2065.

5. Faulkner's "__ Lay Dying" : AS I. A novel often regarded as one of the best by an American author. Link.

6. Did lawn work : WEEDED.

7. Proofer's find : ERROR.

8. Thai native : LAO. I find the history of the countries and the designation confusing, so maybe you can READ and explain it to me.

9. Last words in a drink recipe, perhaps : STIR WELL.

10. "Total patient" treatment : HOLISM. Holistic medicine does not mean natural medicine, but the two are intertwined.

11. Like one expected to deliver? : MESSIANIC. I really do not get this fill at all, as my knowledge of the word relates to a Messiah.

12. Fabric fold : PLEAT.

13. Slants : SKEWS.

18. Revolting : VILE.

23. __ Rico : PUERTO.

25. Angled ltrs. : ITALics.

26. Not misled by : ON TO.

29. Where to get wraps and scrubs : SPA.

30. "Are you going?" response : I AM. Insane?

31. French and Italian flags : TRICOLORS. Many nations have three colors on the flag including the US; do you all watch the show on flags?

32. Disputed Balkan republic : KOSOVO.  As with many an interesting story of CONLICT.

33. Vice principle : SIN.

35. Hunky-dory : A-OK. A word coined by our astronauts.

36. __-cone : SNO.

38. Taurus birthstones, perhaps : EMERALDS. Since many born under the sign of the Bull are born in May, they get the gleaming green gem.

39. Florida's __ Beach : VERO. One of the many small beach town along the Atlantic coast.

40. Out of a jamb? : AJAR. har de har har, har.

45. Pious : DEVOUT.

46. They're often on a slippery slope : SKIERS. Hopefully...

47. MIT grad, often : ENGR. Engineer.

48. Construction girder : I-BEAM. The I from the song made this easy.

49. Understandable : LUCID.

51. Sun Tzu's "The Art __" : OF WAR.

52. Longest river in France : LOIRE. A common clue/fill.

53. Gets knocked off : LOSES.

57. Old Fords : LTDS. Limiteds.

60. Gilbert and Sullivan princess : IDA. I know some G & S but not this one.

61. Part of an inning : TOP. When the visitors bat.

Another Friday done, and for those of you observing best wishes for today and Easter. I am off to rest up from the cold weather. Lemonade out.

Note from C.C.:

Here are  a few lovely pictures from the Australia trip Kazie  her husband Barry took a couple of weeks ago. Click here for more. Kay was born and grew up in Australia.

 

  Barry and Kay on Tamborine Mountain, overlooking Brisbane

 

  Another friend laying down the law to some pet llamas

 

Rainbow lorikeets feeding 

Friday, April 11, 2014, David Poole

Theme: Initial here please! Y-not?

By adding a vowel to the beginning of a word or phrase, also in progression like Bernice Gordon's wonderful Wednesday, we have five very different phrases, clued appropriately. I am not sure if they all create hyphenated words, but it looks cleaner to me that way. David has been on our radar many times and my last time blogging his work being a rather controversial effort, VIEW. This is a much tamer theme with two old favorites, the 'add a letter' and the 'vowel progression' in play. This is like a casserole of Bernice's vowels and marti's letter words. The fill had some fun like BARRELS, CURACAO, LEONIDS, MINARET, BETHESDA, PRORATED and TAXI DRIVERS. There seemed to be quite a few initialisms, but maybe that was deliberate in light of adding the letter. Okay, let's do it.

 17A. Cost to join the elite? : A-LIST PRICE. (10) Does the concept of an "A" list bother anyone?

25A. Kindle download that's too good to delete? : E-BOOK KEEPER. (11). I think this is cute and it is consistent with 58A by breaking the word in two when the letter is added.

35A. Origami tablet? : I-PAD OF PAPER. (11). Cute but confusing clue. We used to call our composition books tablets.

49A. Expert on circular gaskets? : O-RING MASTER. (11). The circus meets mechanics, as the torus shaped ring appears.

58A. List of reversals? : U-TURN TABLE. (10). A table is like a list, but that only confuses me.

Across:

1. Hitching aid : THUMB. This answer stuck right out for me.

6. Journalist Paula : ZAHN. One time rising news star at most network news shows, she now hosts a show on Investigative Discovery channel. She left CNN after major scandal about her affair and marriage breaking up. In looking for her link, I ran across a site called wikifeet; most disturbing.

10. Silo occupant, briefly : ICBM. InterContinental Ballistic Missile. To qualify, the missile must have a minimum range of 3,400 miles.

14. Place to practice pliés : BARRE. Is a practice bar a place?

15. Arab League member : OMAN. Oh man, I learned CHAD is not a member, nor is IRAN (Persian, not Arabic); the choices were Oman or Iraq and that Q is pesky.

16. __ Tea Latte: Starbucks offering : CHAI. I like a Chai tea now and then, but no lattes for me.

19. "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" composer : KERN. Jerome. Time for a musical interlude.

20. Pay for, in a way : CHARGE. no extra credit for getting this one correct.

21. Wonder Woman accessory : TIARA.

22. Stroke gently : PET. Most women resent being petted.

27. Like some felonies : CLASS A.

29. Seuss pond-ruling reptile : YERTLE. Interestingly, this turtle is now available in an E-Book. (7:49). Yertle does appear to be unrelated to 63A. Feigned : MOCK, and the  Mock Turtle.

30. Ready for FedEx, perhaps : BOXED.

31. Yahoo : BOOR. Calling someone a Yahoo seems outdated but I guess Boor is also.

34. Only 20th-century president whose three distinct initials are in alphabetical order : HST. This is interesting because Truman's  middle name was "S."

39. Common HDTV feature : LCD. Liquid Crystal Display.

41. Basic water transport : RAFT. Ask Tom Sawyer or yesterday's Huck Finn..

42. French royal : REINE. Queen, en Française.

45. California city on Humboldt Bay : EUREKA. from Archimedes, right Bill G. and Fermatprime?

48. Certain allergy sufferer's bane : POLLEN. That is why there are seasonal allergies.

53. Induced : LED. At least it is not another initialism.

54. Places for pews : NAVES.

55. Places for sweaters? : SAUNAS. Read "sweaters" as sweat-ers, those who sweat.

57. Makes certain of : ICES. And there was the cold place.

62. Jeanne __ : D'ARC. French for Joan of Arc.

64. Inventor Howe : ELIAS. The sad story of the man and the Sewing Machine.

65. Fair : SO SO.

66. Bellicose god : ARES. Bellicose is such a nice word.

67. They may be hammered out : DENTS. So can plans.

Down:

1. TV Guide abbr. : TBA. To Be Announced.

2. McRae of the '70s-'80s Royals : HAL. He became a manager and his son, Brian,  played in the majors as well. LINK.

3. Ocean State sch. : URI. University of Rhode Island.   Not far from where I grew up; main campus is in Kingston, I believe.

4. Richie's mom, to Fonzie : MRS. C. Cunningham.

5. National Institutes of Health home : BETHESDA. Maryland.

6. Don Diego de la Vega's alter ego : ZORRO. I liked this ONE (1:47) better than the movies.

7. Pal of 6-Down : AMIGO.

8. Czech diacritical : HACEK. No clue, the perps filled the spaces, but I looked it up. Way more than you wanted to KNOW.

9. Terre Haute-to-South Bend dir. : NNE.

10. More repulsive : ICKIER.

11. Event offering superficial pleasure : CHEAP THRILL. Awful, who would want a superficial pleasure? Dennis, Lois where are you when I need you.

12. Crude containers : BARRELS. Not badly made, but crude oil.

13. Muezzin's tower : MINARET. I am unfamiliar with the clue, but I know the tower, so...

18. Early sunscreen ingredient : PABA. Para-AminoBenzoic Acid.

21. Tapered support item : TEE. Not my first mental image.

22. Chem. pollutant : PCB. PolyChlorinated Biphenyl. This Bad Boy.

23. "Evil Woman" rock gp. : ELO. Electric Light Orchestra.

24. Hacks : TAXI DRIVERS. Hack probably comes from the British Hackneys.

26. "The Closer" star Sedgwick : KYRA. Who is she married to? WATCH and brush up on your Italian.

28. Libra's mo., perhaps : SEPtember. My youngest is one.

31. Glitzy wrap : BOA. The feathery kind, not the crush and eat you kind.

32. On vacation : OFF. Cute how on leads to off.

33. Stop wavering : OPT.

36. Wee bit o' Glenlivet, say : DRAM.

37. Apportioned : PRORATED. What needs to be done with real estate taxes at closing.

38. Unagi, at a sushi bar : EEL. A C.C. favorite.

39. November meteor shower, with "the" : LEONIDS. 2013. I just watched a PBS show, I think.

40. Liqueur named for an island : CURACAO. One of the ABC islands in the Netherland's Antilles.

The blue one.

43. Once known as : NEE. Referencing the female birth name, before marriage. From the French.

44. "The World's __": 2013 sci-fi comedy : END. No idea.

46. "Romanian Rhapsodies" composer : ENESCO. A very accomplished violinist as well. The name probably was Enescu, but I will let our musical people address his work.He was an answer on Jeopardy Thursday.

47. Metric wts. : KGS. Kilo grams, 1000 grams, or 2.2 pounds.

48. One of the Ivies : PENNsylvania.

50. Fur tycoon : ASTOR. John Jacob

51. Ristorante potful : SAUCE. Well, it depends because many Italians call it 'gravy' even if it is red sauce.

52. Iraqis' neighbors : TURKS.

56. Word with white or fire : SALE.

58. Thurman of film : UMA.

59. Recycling vessel : BIN.

60. Delt neighbor : LAT. Muscles, deltoid (shoulder)and latissimus  dorsi (back).

61. Superhero symbol : ESS. The big S for Superman.

I guess it is time for me to head off into a phone booth and fly out of here for another week. Hope you had a good time.  Lemonade out.