Friday, October 28, 2016, Darin McDaniel

Title: How do I parse ? Warlock actor's conjunctions?: JULIAN'S ANDS.

There are 612 people in the US named Darin McDaniel: our Darin McDaniel  had One (1) NYT published puzzle in 2010, a Sunday no less! That PUZZLE (spoiler alert- this has the answers) was a delight. He then had One (1) LAT five years ago that was also a DELIGHT. Today, Darin who went to the same high school as the late great Merl Reagle, found six known entertainers who had last names that both began and ended with the letter "S." He then removed the first S to reveal a new word and paired that with a word that used the removed "S" as a possessive. He then clued the new phrase with wit. I love word play and deception and this was fun, simple once you got the gimmick, and it is a smooth pangram! With 70 spaces used up in the 6 themers, there was not room for much else but we did get ASPIRED, BAPTIZE, ALL WISE, BLUEBIRD and OLD SALTS. If you hate proper names go home now, otherwise hop on for the ride.

17A. "What's My Line?" comedian's craft brewery? : SOUPY'S ALES (10). This old COMIC.

23A. Pop diva's fruit stand? : BRITNEY'S PEARS (13). This DIVA.

30A. American Idol winner's amusement chain? : JORDIN'S PARKS (12). This WOMAN.

39A. Rapper's shopping center properties? : BIGGIE'S MALLS (12). This MAN.

49A. Guitarist's cash register company? : STEPHEN'S TILLS (13). This ROCKER.

59A. "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" comedian's flooring store? : RYAN'S TILES (10). This not old COMIC.

Across:

1. Arafat's successor : ABBAS. lat name clue, last name answer. LINK. More...45D. Syrian ruling family : ASSADS. Some HISTORY.

6. City near Yorba Linda : BREA.

10. Brief responses to common concerns : FAQS. Frequently Asked Questions.

14. Composer of a seven-movement work that excludes Earth : HOLST.  I could recall the PLANETS but not his name.

15. Tach count : REVS. Revolutions measured on your tachometer.

16. "... even now / __ myself to thy direction": "Macbeth" : I PUT.
From overcredulous haste. But G-d above
Deal between thee and me, for even now
I put myself to thy direction and
Unspeak mine own detraction, here abjure
The taints and blames I laid upon myself...

19. Sail support : SPAR.

20. R.E.M.'s "The __ Love" : ONE I. A love song?

21. Heifetz's teacher : AUER.

22. Present : HERE.

27. City of northern Spain : OVIEDO. Northern Spain

29. David and Bird : LARRYS. Seinfeld and the Celtics, quite a pair,

34. In a blue state : SAD.

35. Nile reptile : ASP.

36. Corvallis sch. : OSU. In this case, Oregon State University. The Beavers.

45. Equally speedy : AS FAST.

48. Forest bovine : WILD OX. Very popular in the Torah. More Bible, 61A. Número de Mandamientos : DIEZ. The ten Commandments.

53. Collate : SORT. Having copiers that collate was great.

54. Film on water : SCUM. Pond scum anyone?

55. Toddler's drink : WAWA. Bobwa? Not last week's musical clue.

58. Farm opening? : AGRIculture.

62. Frank of 1950s Broadway : ANNE. The PLAY starred Lee Strasberg's daughter Susan.

63. Basketwork fiber : ISTLE. We have had this little used word a few times but not since 2013; it was very popular in the NYT for years. I wonder if AGAVE is used to make a 66A. Jai alai basket : CESTA.

64. Bone-dry : SERE.

65. Hwy. crossings : JCTS. Junctions.


Down:

1. "Understood" : AH SO. For me this is almost a pejorative.

2. Windfall : BOON.

3. Symbol of happiness : BLUEBIRD. My go to...

4. Had ambitions : ASPIRED.

5. Mess : STY.

6. Big name in coffee makers : BRAUN. More famous for their RAZORS, I think.

7. Civil War signature : R. E. LEE.

8. __ other: alternating : EVERY. Maybe we could blog that way.

9. Sancho's "steed" : ASS. Sancho Panza faithful squire to Don Quixote...

10. Pole users : FISHERS. I guess the name comes from people who fish, but don't we really say fishermen (fisherwomen, fisherperson)?

11. Materialize : APPEAR.

12. Slate source : QUARRY. noun: a place, typically a large, deep pit, from which stone or other materials are or have been extracted.

13. Burnout cause : STRESS.

18. Squelched : SAT ON. Ideas or rumors, not people, hopefully

24. Forest's 2006 Oscar-winning role : IDI. He came a long way from A Crying Game and Species

25. 35mm camera option : SLR. Single Lens Reflex.

26. Where the Indus flows: Abbr. : PAKistan.

27. IHOP orders : OJS. Orange Juices.

28. U.S. news source since 1942 : VOA. Voice of America.

31. Slump : SAG.

32. Tire pressure meas. : PSI. Pounds per Square Inch.

33. Parody : APE.

36. Veterans of the briny : OLD SALTS. With 57D. Where to find 36-Down : ASEA.

37. __-pitch : SLO. I think they only use this term in CANADA, so hey EH.

38. Steel giant, as it was known from 1986-2001 : USX. Before that they were known as X.

39. Cleanse spiritually : BAPTIZE. No religion but an ancient rite.

40. Book ending : ISH.

41. Co. merged into Verizon : GTE.

42. Moves in a school : SWIMS. I love this clue, nice and tricky.

43. .001 of an inch : MIL.

44. Omniscient : ALL WISE

46. Cheap smoke : STOGIE.

47. "Cyrano de Bergerac" Best Actor (1950) : FERRER.

50. "Bye Bye Bye" band : NSYNC. They were Justin Timberlake, JC Chasez, Chris Kirkpatrick, Joey Fatone, and Lance Bass.

51. Meager : SCANT.

52. iPod contents : TUNES.

56. Shoemaker's strip : WELT. Shoes 101.

59. British rule in India : RAJ.

60. Hold 'em tell, maybe : TIC. We are talking Poker. The WSOP final table starts on this Sunday, 8 Million to the winner.

Well that was over quickly with lots of music; welcome to Fridays Darin. Thank you all for coming to my party. Lemonade out.

Friday, October 21, 2016, Chuck Deodene

Title: Chuck you are driving me crazy!

After more than four years, Chuck D. is back. LINK.  I recalled the name, but had to go to the archives to look over the puzzle I had blogged of his. I hope he stops by - he had 38 NYT puzzles published by 2012 and 3 LAT but nothing in either place since until today. This effort is a variation of the 'one word' as the clue for all theme answers, but here the word not only is used if 4 different meanings, but modified. I had a hard time getting the rhythm of this puzzle, though the fill was overall not too challenging, with no non-theme fill longer than 6 letters. With Cattle Drive and Blood Drive showing one view and the other three places where there are drives it seemed choppy. I saw a mini-theme of drinking, but that was just me. There was some nice wit in the cluing, so I look forward to hearing from you all also today.

17A. Place to take a 36-Down : EXPRESSWAY (10). Here we have the place where we drive vehicles.

25A. Place to run a 36-Down : CATTLE RANCH (11). You gather up the cows and head to Kansas City on your cattle drive.

37A. Place to install a 36-Down : DESKTOP COMPUTER (15). The office server has about 10 drives, we use mostly g and h.

47A. Place to hold a 36-Down : BLOOD MOBILE (11). They park outside the movie theater here for their blood drive.

57A. Place to hit a 36-Down : GOLF COURSE (10). With HG, Big Easy, Moe and other of our golfing group, hitting one long straight drive per round keeps them going back.

And the reveal:

36D. Theme of this puzzle : DRIVE (5). How direct is that for a reveal, but  is it?

Across:

1. Deceptive operation : STING. Immediate clecho 10A. Deceptive distortion : SPIN.

6. Work with a number : OPUS. I always have like this piece by Chopin. My THOUGHT.

14. Indulge : HUMOR. Nice Friday clue, as we all have humored our spouses or children or even parents at one time in our lives.

15. Probe-launching org. : NASA. CSO to HG.

16. Words often after a number : OR SO. This took me 10 minutes or so to complete.

19. Attire : WEAR.

20. Euripides drama : MEDEA. CSO to me as Jason played a large part in this Tragedy - just not a nice part.

21. Cook books, say : CHEAT. Many businesses do keep different sets of books, cash accounting, GAAP accounting and regulatory accounting, Way beyond me.

22. Venomous reptile : ASP. Cleopatra another tragic figure.

28. Horror film reaction : SHRIEK.

30. Way out : EXIT. Literal.

31. __ Throne: "Game of Thrones" monarchy : IRON. Wonderful fun. LINK.

32. They may span decades : SAGAS. The first one I heard of was THIS.

34. Tack on : ADD.

41. Pasture parent : EWE. I like the alliteration. Ma maa.

42. Members of an exclusive league : IVIES. Hmm- 53A. One percent, so to speak : ELITE.

43. Pasta choice : ZITI. Probably time for a refresher on the many shapes of PASTA.

44. Lack of focus : BLUR. My eye doctor says I am blessed with blurred vision recognition.

45. See 12-Down : ASIMOV. 12D. With 45-Across, "The Bicentennial Man" author : ISAAC. While an interesting book (which is only slightly related to the Robin Williams movie version) this was one in his robot series. He is the most impressive AUTHOR I have read because of hs facility in so many fields.

52. PC file extension : EXE.  An executable file for DOS

54. Lead-in to a drink? : I NEED.

56. Fund-raiser, perhaps : GALA. Lots of drinking there usually.

62. "Totally!" : AMEN. From Moses to Mos Def.

63. Brink : EDGE.

64. Mill output : FLOUR. Steel anyone?

65. Not : NARY.

66. Wolfish look : LEER. Splynter?

67. Neighborhood posting : FLYER.

Down:

1. "__ Hate Me": Spike Lee film : SHE. Worth watching.

2. Prom duds : TUX.

3. Devil : IMP.

4. Social convention : NORM. I knew he was social but an entire convention?

5. Country bordering three seas : GREECE. Extra credit if you can name all three.

6. Kickoff : ONSET. 46D. Wave to from the dock : SEE OFF.

7. Grab for clumsily : PAW AT.

8. "Royal Pains" network : USA.

9. Declare : SAY.

10. "Well, whoop-de-do" : SO WHAT.

11. Get duded up : PREEN.

13. Up __ : NORTH. So random, but "YOURS" seemed impolite.

18. Deadwood's state: Abbr. : SDAK.

21. Like new bills : CRISP.

22. Out of the way : ASIDE.

23. Nag : SHREW.

24. Essay makeup : PROSE.

26. Locking blocks : LEGOS. Anyone been?

27. End-of-term ordeal : EXAM.

29. Letterpress need : INK.

32. VP after Hubert : SPIRO. He resigned just over 43 years ago. In cas you forgot....

33. Expert : ACE.

34. Fairy-tale intro words : A TIME. The dreaded partial?

35. Do a juice cleanse, say : DETOX.

38. El Niño feature : TILDE. Nicely disguised.

39. Female gamete : OVUM.

40. Action film weapon : UZI.

44. Mendel's science : BOTANY.

An analysis of genetic crosses depends upon an understanding of Mendel's two laws: The principle of segregation (First Law): The two members of a gene pair (alleles) segregate (separate) from each other in the formation of gametes. Half the gametes carry one allele, and the other half carry the other allele. His seeds were seeds.

45. Novelist Waugh : ALEC. Most famous as Evelyn's brother. Tin, he also said, "I am prepared to believe that a dry martini slightly impairs the palate, but think what it does for the soul."

47. Initiated : BEGAN.

48. Andean transport : LLAMA.

49. Edmonton NHL player : OILER. Splynter?

50. Hull region : BILGE. This TERM has been around 500 years.

51. Deduce : INFER. Nero Wolfe used to get apoplectic about those who misused this WORD.

55. Sigh-inducing : DULL.

57. Holder of locks : GEL. hair, silly.

58. Shelley work : ODE. For the season - the first stanza of Ode To The West Wind

O wild West Wind, thou breath of Autumn's being,

Thou, from whose unseen presence the leaves dead

Are driven, like ghosts from an enchanter fleeing,

59. Scheider of "Jaws" : ROY. He had a long and successful CAREER.

60. Seek payback, maybe : SUE. The law is the only field where one professional creates business for another.

61. Fumble, e.g. : ERR. is human, to forgive divine. Not in Cleveland.

Well hopefully I did not fumble the ball in discussing this Friday frolic. Welcome back Chuck. Lemonade out.

Friday, October 14, 2016, Jeffrey Wechsler

Title: BY THE OUNCE (as proclaimed by the clue for 57A).



This week, JW is the Wizard of OZ, giving us four phrases which add the abbreviation for Ounce (OZ), creating new and humorously clued expressions. I find it interesting he chose the ounce abbreviation which I think is a more revealing hint, as the wizard might have led people to look for the AAHS sound when the letters are added. Like last week where JACK was added, coming up with 4 phrases which have room for OZ is a challenge, and having two added to the first word and two to the second adds a level of consistency. There also is left room for many fresh fill like TRIODES, OTTOMAN, RICE BAR, ONE MAN ON, FEMININE, TOPOLOGY, AMAZONIA. Also a real undercurrent of the 50's.






Okay, time is a wastin'



17A. Doughnut order from a king? : LION'S DOZEN (10). The king part was tricky, though we all know the Lion is King of the Jungle whether or not in its den.



25A. Musicians given to tippling? : BOOZY BAND (9). Many boy bands do face problems with alcohol and drugs. LINK.



34A. Set of data within an atmospheric analysis? : TABLE FOR OZONE (13). A nice layered clue with a really fun base phrase, that is often a bit sad.



48A. Occupants of a well-insulated nest? : COZY YOUNG (9). CY YOUNG was statistically the greatest pitcher of all time and the man for whom the pitching award is named.



57A. How perfume is sold ... and this puzzle's title : BY THE OUNCE (10)


Across:


1. Talked into, with "on" : SOLD.


5. Calyx part : SEPAL. So a calyx is the sepals of a flower, typically forming a whorl that encloses the petals and forms a protective layer around a flower in bud.




10. Typical artist's apartment : LOFT.


14. Samoan capital : APIA. Apia is the capital and the largest city of Samoa.




15. Amtrak option : ACELA. *


16. Cabinet dept. formed under Carter : ENER.


19. Fifty percent up front? : DEMI. Brilliant, the prefix (up front) like demitasse. *


20. Recorded : ON TAPE. Reel to reel?


21. GPS info : RTE.


23. Pisa possessive : MIO. Italian for my.


24. Recording device : METER. Okay, like your electric meter?


28. Writer LeShan : EDA. A CW regular.




29. Is next to : ABUTS.


31. Sergeant Bilko, to friends : ERNIE. Very popular when we first got a tv.




32. Tapestry thread : WEFT. My first thought was WTF!?! I am not much of a weaver and missed the APRIL 12, 2015 puzzle where it last surfaced. I note that both ACELA and DEMI are in that one. I thought it a bit cruel to have Demi Moore and Mila Kunis in the same grid. *


33. Saturn models : IONS. I owned a black one, with the odd doors.


40. Quarterback Tony : ROMO. Has his career been Dakked? LINK. Drew Bledsoe who lost his job first to Tom Brady and then to Tony Romo knows all about it.


41. Swamplike : MIRY.


42. Protection against Mr. Decay Germ, in old ads : IPANA. More from the 50's.




44. Continued violently : RAGED.


45. MDX ÷ X : CLI. Roman math not myth.


50. One of the Coen brothers : ETHAN. Movie making brothers.


52. "10538 Overture" gp. : ELO.




53. Ocean bird : ERN.


54. Gets rid of : SCRAPS. Plans, ideas etc.


55. M's favorite agent : BOND. Is Daniel Craig out C.C. ? NEW?


60. Commercial exchange fee : AGIO. Way beyond me. LEARN.


61. Ames native : IOWAN.


62. Future ENT's exam : MCAT. Medical College Admission Test.


63. "You've Got Mail" co-star : RYAN. Meg.


64. Grabs : SNAGS. I snagged the last piece of pizza.


65. Turtles, sometimes : PETS. We had one stay with us recently. He was quiet.


Down:


1. Biblical seductress : SALOME. OLD FASHIONED.


2. Offered a view : OPINED.


3. Shoeless Joe Jackson portrayer in "Field of Dreams" : LIOTTA.







4. Mother of Perseus : DANAE. The sad story of a slipped DISCUS.


5. Marquis de __ : SADE. Breakfast anyone?


6. Prefix with friendly : ECO.


7. Product with a Simpsons set : PEZ.




8. Last Olds models : ALEROS.


9. Andy Panda creator : LANTZ. After Woody Woodpecker yesterday you should know Walter Lantz who became well known to me narrating the TV version of his Woody Woodpecker cartoons. They took over the first half hour time slot of the Mickey Mouse Club in 1957. ANDY was one of the cartoons that ran on the show. I learned today that Lantz' first hit cartoon character was Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, a creation stolen from Walt Disney.


10. Took charge : LED.


11. Two-run homer situation : ONE MAN ON. Simple phrase, but maybe not for non-baseball fans.


12. Like "executrix," e.g. : FEMININE. Testatrix...there are many.


13. Old TV parts : TRIODES. The old three pronged vacuum tubes. Triodes were widely used in consumer electronics devices such as radios and televisions until the 1970s, when transistors replaced them.


18. Urban __ : SPRAWL.


22. "Beauty is bought by judgement of the __": Shakespeare : EYE. Love's Labour's Lost | Act 2, Scene 1

PRINCESS

"Good Lord Boyet, my beauty, though but mean,

Needs not the painted flourish of your praise:

Beauty is bought by judgement of the eye,

Not utter'd by base sale of chapmen's tongues:"


25. Fit and muscular : BUFF. I should let someone else pick




26. Certain footrest : OTTOMAN. They must be good. They named an empire after them.


27. Verve : BRIO. Maybe for Steve. LINK.


30. Quilting party : BEE.


34. Math branch concerned with surfaces : TOPOLOGY. It is the study of geometric properties and spatial relations unaffected by the continuous change of shape or size of figures. Please explain math people.


35. Rain forest region : AMAZONIA. Not a documentary?...LINK.




36. Beyond slender : BONY.Maronie?




37. Former PBS "Mystery!" host : RIGG. The woman I have linked the most often.


38. Extractable natural resource : ORE.


39. Louisiana genre featuring the accordion : ZYDECO. We have enough cornerites to do this justice without me.


40. Grain-based treat : RICE BAR.




43. "Understood, Cap'n" : AYE.


44. His stories inspired "Guys and Dolls" : RUNYON. I have always had an appreciation for this transplanted Kansas REPORTER.


45. Luck : CHANCE. The French word.


46. Pet that needs a sitter? : LAP CAT. A CSO to all of our cat lovers (CED!) and a well crafted Friday clue. Apparently this can be TAUGHT.


47. Many Alaska maps : INSETS.


49. "__ non sufficit": the world is not enough : ORBIS. LINK.


51. Outdo : TRUMP. No doubt a tongue-in-cheek non-political choice by our New Jersey constructor.


54. Beltway VIPs : SENS.


56. Put on : DON. Our gay apparel....


58. BOAC competitor : TWA. Now both gone.


59. Storied cauldron stirrer : HAG. Despite the contribution of Elizabeth Montgomery, witches are still generally depicted as old crones. This seems silly since they can (in that magical world) make themselves look like whatever they want. So why Aunt Clara?


Well JW does it again, providing a simple tight theme and a whole bunch of interesting things to challenge and amuse. What a week of holidays, hurricanes and holy days but we are done again. Thanks all. Lemonade out.








Note from C.C.:


Big Easy asked me to include this comic strip (Drabble, October 7, 2016) in today's writeup.

Friday, October 7, 2016, Jeffrey Wechsler

Title: Jack's are wild!

Once again a big thanks to Tom for taking you through Joseph Groat last week.  I am back and our Friday phenom JW is back as well. We have an add-a-letter theme BUT it is not 1 letter; no, not 2 letters; not even 3; BUT a four letter word -JACK- is added to a two-word phrase. Two are tacked on the first word, two added to the second. I love some of the new phrases with Seventh Jackson and Jackal Fresco my favorites. As always with JW we have some fun fill like MIDLAND,  ONE ACRE, ANTOINE,  YEARNED, LINGER AT,  EDGINESS,  CAROUSES and OCCIDENT. Not easy, lots of fresh fill, but a fun ride. Let's go!

16A. Item on a certain thief's rap sheet? : PAST CARJACKING (14). Past caring.

32A. Dinner for a lottery winner? : JACKPOT ROAST (12). Pot roast. This gave it away to me.

39A. Mural of a wild canine? : JACKAL FRESCO (12). Al fresco. Jackal was hard to parse but the most creative fill.

56A. Last of a $140 stack? : SEVENTH JACKSON (14). Seventh son. If you can divide 140 by 7...


Across:

1. City NE of Odessa : MIDLAND. Texas. When you work your way west from Dallas through Abilene on you way to El Paso.  They are only about 20 miles apart.

8. American Pharoah accoutrement : BRIDLE. Some of you may bridle at the use of the French based accoutrement, or the need to know the HORSE that won the Triple Crown in 2015, but it is a very apt clue/fill.

14. Like many lots : ONE ACRE. Not down here.

15. Like bad butter : RANCID. From Latin meaning smelling bad.

18. Party planner's compilation : E-LIST. We must learn to accept these made up words for our electronic world.

19. Big Island entertainment : UKES.

20. Tour stop : GIG.

22. Put down : DIS. I see it more spelled DISS, but since the word comes from DISrespect, this makes sense.

23. Sequential exercise : SCALES. While I have never played, I have worked with many guitarists and they explained to  me this CONCEPT.

26. Name on the 1983 album "More Music for Films" : ENO.

27. Long-distance calling org.? : SETI. Complain, complain.

29. Linguistic ending : ESE. This is so easy after Splynter's comment about languages last Saturday.

30. Graceful wader : EGRET. Here  is a snowy one.

36. "C U When U Get There" rapper : COOLIO. I do not care much for rap, but this interesting.

38. Cans on a Lowe's shelf : PAINTS.

41. Flew like a birdie : ARCED.

42. Minn. neighbor : ONTario, Canada.

43. Zachary Taylor, e.g. : WHIG.
The Whig Party was a political party active in the middle of the 19th century in the United States. Four Presidents belonged to the Party while in office. Along with the rival Democratic Party, it was central to the Second Party System from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s.

47. Affected denial : MOI.

48. Held up : PAUSED.

51. With 48-Down, judging with others : ON A. 48D. See 51-Across : PANEL. This seems like much work for two simple fill. E.g. _____wing and a prayer, but I guess that might be the dreaded partial. I do get confused about CW constructing rules.

52. Sign of spring : BUD. In the south people drink Bud year round.

53. Prominent feature of "Twilight" films? : FANG. Funny, I wonder if any would have answered this to "Phyllis Diller's husband."

54. Query in Matthew : IS IT I? Matthew 26:22...
King James Bible
And they were exceeding sorrowful, 
and began every one of them to say unto him, 
Lord, is it I?

60. Follows : ENSUES.

61. "The Little Prince" author Saint-Exupéry : ANTOINE. I will always have a soft spot for this MAN as it was his Vol de Nuit that I read with my father (who did not speak great French). My father would quote random and incomprehensible lines from the book. It was fun.

62. Like hunks : STUDLY. gratuitous pic. Loved him in True Blood.

63. Ached (for) : YEARNED. Any yearning PK, Yellowrocks?

Down:

1. Economical bikes : MOPEDS. This should have been easy, I forgot about them..

2. Not a good way to be caught : IN A LIE. A fun multi-word fill.

3. Call it off : DESIST.

4. Pullover beneficiaries : LATS. Latissimi dorsi.

5. Bookkeeper's concerns: Abbr. : ACCTS.

6. Gp. with many arms : NRA.

7. Strauss' "__ Rosenkavalier" : DER. The rose knight (or something like that in German, whence our word cavalier)

8. Slow down : BRAKE. We all like cute. HELP!

9. Hurries : RACES.

10. Tattoo parlor supplies : INKS.

11. Roman 601 : DCI.

12. Not hurry home from : LINGER AT. JW like his multi-word fill.

13. Avant-garde quality : EDGINESS. Nice fill.

17. Aromatic cocktail : JULEP. From the Mint. RECIPE.

21. Düsseldorf deity : GOTT. More German.

24. Director DeMille : CECIL. B.

25. "I'll kneel down / And ___ thee forgiveness": King Lear : ASK OF. Our drop of Will words from JW. Speaking to Cordelia Act V, Scene III
LEAR
No, no, no, no! Come, let’s away to prison.
We two alone will sing like birds i' th' cage.
When thou dost ask me blessing, I’ll kneel down
And ask of thee forgiveness. So we’ll live,
And pray, and sing, and tell old tales, and laugh
At gilded butterflies, and hear poor rogues...

28. "Kidding" : I JOKE.

30. Former attorney general Holder : ERIC.

31. Moody Blues hit with an exclamation point in its title : GO NOW!

33. "When I was __ ... ": "H.M.S. Pinafore" lyric : A LAD.

34. Starts the day : OPENS. really vague...one's eyes? the mail? the bathroom door?

35. Sample : TASTE.

36. Whoops it up : CAROUSES.

37. West : OCCIDENT. Orient.

39. Hinge holder : JAMB.

40. Like stormy seas : ROUGH. Damn you Matthew!!

44. Sauce served with mu shu pork : HOISIN. Popular all over Asia. The Thai add crushed peanuts.
4 tablespoons soy sauce.
2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter.
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar.
2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar.
1 garlic clove, finely minced.
2 teaspoons sesame seed oil.
1 teaspoon hot sauce (more or less to taste)
1/8 teaspoon black pepper.

45. Chant : INTONE.Good Friday fill.

46. Profited : GAINED.

49. Not at all calm : ANTSY. Ants in your pants.

50. Judge's decrees : DICTA. Hmm, what do you mean by decree? Dicta are the opinion(s) of a judge that do not embody the resolution or determination of the specific case before the court.

53. It might be resolved through mediation : FEUD. Not likely, many lawyers including the one I work with are licensed and skilled mediators. Much faster and cheaper than litigation.

55. Candy bar with a Nordic name : SKOR.

57. Sch. near the Appomattox River : VSU. Virginia State, home of much joy and tragedy.

58. Noisy bird : JAY.

59. Chemical suffix : ANE.

With our hurricane howling I may not be able to read your comments for a while.  Be safe all in the path and see you next time. Lemonade out.

Friday, September 23, 2016, Jeffrey Wechsler

Title M M M M M good.

JW is back and it seems almost as if he and Mark McClain collaborated on the last two offerings. Instead of removing a "T" like we did last week, we add an "M" to each phrase to create a new and entertaining entry. 1/3/5 have the M added at the end, with a complete change in spelling. 2/4 add the M before a final E. The Ms also change all five vowels, E, O, U, I(Y) and A. Using each and every vowel is a cool addition.  The rest is vintage JW with ARCADIA,  DAEMONS,  SPACIER, SINATRA, YOU HEAR ME, WORK FORCE, TOM SWIFTY,  I THINK NOT, FOREIGN MAIL, SCIENCE SHOW all fun longish fill. With so many spaces filled by the theme and the long fill, there are some 3/4 letter fillers but all in all a fun Friday.

20A. Seminal discovery by sports historians? : THE FIRST TEAM (12). The first tee.  This is an organization that uses golf to inspire the young. LINK.

27A. Comprehensive text on mints? : TIC TAC TOME (10). Tic tac toe. The Xs and Os GAME.
LINK before they found Kelly Harmon.

37A. Reaction to Bugs' continued evasiveness? : ELMER'S GLOOM (11). Elmer's Glue. Poor Elmer Fudd, poor COW. Which leads perfectly to...

48A. How a snail moves? : ON THE SLIME (10). On the sly. LINK.

56A. "I plotted against Caesar completely on my own!"? : CASSIUS' CLAIM (12). Cassius Clay. JW slips a little hint of Shakespeare within a Muhammad Ali reference

Across:

1. Out of practice : RUSTY. I like this clue/fill  but it actually took me a moment, which suggests that maybe I am....

6. Blue stone : LAPIS. I always think of Lapis Lazuli.

11. It doesn't last long : FAD.

14. Casual opening : INTRO. I was looking for a prefix for casual all too long.

15. Saudi neighbor : OMANI.

16. Part of un giorno : ORA. Italian for a day and an hour.

17. Crayfish habitat : BAYOU. A CSO to all of our Louisiana contingent.

18. Employees : WORK FORCE.

22. Newspaper supporters : ADS. A tricky way to clue a simple one- ads do pay for the newspaper to exist, but...

25. LAX stat : ETA.

26. "You got me there" : SO I DO. This is a bit of confusion for me, though it turns out ok.
So do I is simply "I agree", or "I feel exactly the same" (me too).

"So I do" can mean several similar things. It is a way of agreeing about something you did not realize, as in "well, how about that, what you say is true." (meaning "I do in fact do that, what you say). For example- "Joe Isuzu, you raise your eyebrow when you are lying." Joe responds, "So I do; I never realized that before."
.
It also is a way of agreeing with something fairly obvious, that you have known for some time. "Joe, you raise your eyebrow when you are lying." "So I do (yes, and you are just noticing that?)"

32. Card game : GIN. I have played many hours, including knock gin and all the rummy cousins.

33. Certain cross-country traveler : SKIER. Hey marti.

34. Crane's construction : NEST. Tricky, the bird not the heavy equipment.

36. "One Mic" rapper : NAS. I will NOT link this song.

41. Common ID : SSN.

43. Soaps actress Rylan : EMME. This diminutive actress appears on soaps mostly and changed her name legally from Marcy.

44. Some kissing sounds : MWAHS. Back at you. I am sure this was the work of the cell phone generation.

47. Snap : PIC.

51. Lend __ : AN EAR. Friends, Romans....

54. "That's so cute!" : AWW. Two weeks in a row. Did not help the Dolphins.

55. Brine-cured delicacy : LOX. When I was a kid, there was LOX (salty) and Nova, not salty.Now I know Why.                                                                                                                                                

61. "Doubtful" : I THINK NOT. A classic JW multi-word fill.

62. Be enamored of : FANCY. I can almost hear this in a British accent.

66. Relative of -ista : ERO. Spanish that has invaded US speak. LINK.

67. View from the Eiffel Tower : SEINE.

68. Traction aid : TREAD.

69. Cold and wet : RAW. The night was...

70. Fragrant compound : ESTER. Not Esther Lessner...oh the other ONE.

71. Quite a while : YEARS.

Down:

1. Kid : RIB. I was slow getting this and 1-across, sad; especially for a kidder like me.

2. A, in Acapulco : UNA.

3. Mess metaphor : STY. Rhymes with Sly.

4. Canter cousin : TROT. Many kinds of GAITS for horses. 49D. Bit of equestrian gear : HALTER.

5. "Am I clear?" : YOU HEAR ME? Another classic JW multi-word fill; words a child does not want to hear from a parent.

6. Dieter's choice : LOW FAT. There are high fat diets as well.

7. Milwaukee : mine :: Marseilles : __ : A MOI. Just French.

8. Last of three Catherines : PARR. 37.5% of Henry VIII wives.

9. Calligrapher's array : INKS.

10. Searches (through) : SIFTS. Even works for emails.

11. Philatelist's source : FOREIGN MAIL. It was always so exciting to get a letter from a foreign country, and look at the stamp.

12. Peloponnesian region : ARCADIA.  A reference to both old and new GREECE. Next to....

13. Nature spirits of Greek myth : DAEMONS. BZZZT! That is the Latin term for the GREEK. This  is like cluing JUPITER as a Greek god.

19. Plains tribe : OTO.

21. List substitute: Abbr. : ETC.

22. Cadillac model : ATS. A car- whoopee!

23. Hägar creator Browne : DIK. Gone 27 years, his son Chris now produces the strip.

24. TV's "Through the Wormhole," e.g. : SCIENCE SHOW. Available on Netflix. EXAMPLE.

28. Invoice heading no. : TEL.

29. Initiation : ONSET.

30. Ryan of "Sleepless in Seattle" : MEG. Another victim of plastic surgery.

31. Night sch. staple : ESL. It  helped Oo and I become a couple.

35. Bit of adverbial wordplay : TOM SWIFTY. "I need a pencil sharpener," said Tom bluntly.

38. Confessional music genre : EMO.

39. LBJ's successor : RMN. Tricky Dicky.

40. Real head-turner in the animal kingdom : OWL.

41. Deeper into la-la land : SPACIER.

42. "From Here to Eternity" Oscar winner : SINATRA.

45. Coverage-providing org. : HMO.

46. __ symbol : SEX. Brigitte Bardot, Marilyn Monroe, Clark Gable, Paul Newman...who are they now: Brangelina? Mr. and Mrs. Clooney? Link your favorites.

50. __ Beach, Hawaii, home of the 2005 Little League World Series champs : EWA. I can sense some serious grumbling about this fill unless you all know Hawaii much better than I do. It was filled before I got here, but this is obscure. How about, Adam and Ewa?

52. "__ suspected!" : AS I.

53. Salon procedure : RINSE. As a child when my grandmother would go to the beauty parlor for a rinse and set, I though 'how stupid' it was, since we had a perfectly serviceable sink and shower. I did not know about THIS.

57. Hawaiian strings : UKES. More Hawaii.

58. Agitated state : SNIT. I hope no reader got in a snit over any of the fill.

59. Pothole warning : CONE. Or barrels? ORANGE.

60. Farm female : MARE.

63. Org. assisting museums : NEA. I always get this wrong.

64. Amtrak unit : CAR. How simple.

65. QB's stat : YDS.

Well, fall has fallen, I get home after dark and another Jeffrey Wechsler is in the record books. It fit together nicely and  I had a good time unraveling the mysteries and picking the links.. You all have a great weekend. Lemonade out.

Friday, September 16, 2016, Mark McClain

Title: Has anybody seen my T?

Mark is back for his eighth LAT of the year and second this month. I have not had him on a Friday since August 2015. This time we have four starter words in phrases all containing the sound o͞ot derived from the letters "UTE" and Mark then removes the "T" and uses the resulting o͞o sound to select words which will combine with the rest of the phrase to make a new phrase clued wackily. Easier to see than explain. Two are the first word, two are the last word, the only outlier is MAGIC LUTE which maintains the spelling "ute"unlike the other three. We also have no hint or reveal, so you have to 'hear' the gimmick to find the theme. We do have some fresh fill like BLOW BY,  SAY BOO (BUTE?),  RED CAP,  DEUCES, DAYTONA, WHITNEY,  ORCHARD and TIDIEST. On with the show...

20A. Number on some beer bottles? : BREW STRENGTH (12). Brute strength. Craft beer tends to be very strong.

35A. Washateria wear? : LAUNDRY SHOE (11). Laundry chute. We have garbage chutes here.

42A. Musical work played where Brits go? : LOO CONCERTO (11). Lute concerto.

59A. Smokeless chimney duct? : THE MAGIC FLUE (12). The magic flute.

Across:

1. Shot in the dark : STAB. My favorite Shot In The Dark

5. Mild expletive : DANG.

9. Contraction used with "up" : WHAT'S. Doc.

14. Confining room : CELL.

15. River originating in Manchuria : AMUR. I wonder how many remember this river from the Wednesday the 7th puzzle.

16. Assails : HAS AT.

17. Woodstock performer before Joan : ARLO. I will not repeat my comments about this performance. Joan Baez was awesome.

18. Sci-fi guru : YODA. And  47A. Sci-fi craft : POD.

19. Rodeo maker : ISUZU. I still miss Joe.

23. Make even the slightest comment : SAY BOO. I do not want to hear a word, not even Boo!

24. Hall of Famer Musial : STAN. Stan the man; I was lucky enough to have watched him and Ted Williams, Mickey Mantle and so many more.

25. Some suits, briefly : VPS.

28. Egg foo __ : YUNG. Some HISTORY.

30. Depot worker : REDCAP. Train depot; bus depot?

32. Flight regulatory org. : FAA.

38. "__ turca: allegretto": Mozart rondo : ALLA. A second helping of Mozart.

40. "Is that __?" : A NO. Yes.

41. Floor option : TILE.

48. Exotic journey : SAFARI. Zambia.

49. Kennel calls : YIPS.

51. Terrestrial wiggler : EFT. The clue is open, but it is the juvenile stage of a newt.

52. Storm sound : CLAP. Of thunder.

55. Jefferson bills, slangily : DEUCES. LINK.

61. Courts in some hotels : ATRIA.

64. Bend for a swan, maybe : PLIE.

65. Woodworking tool : FILE. Last week I had rasp.

66. Contemporary of Beethoven : WEBER. This MAN.

67. Trouser parts : LEGS.

68. Chatted with online : IM-ED.

69. Quirky : WEIRD.

70. 2015 World Series-winning manager Ned : YOST. No relation to 1960's Tiger third baseman Eddie Yost.

71. Much of the MTV generation : XERS.

Down:

1. Natural skin protection : SCABS. Protection?

2. __ firma : TERRA.  The dry land on Earth. Latin.

3. Way in the back, often : ALLEY.

4. Pass easily : BLOW BY. Appropriate next to...

5. Prestigious NASCAR venue : DAYTONA.

6. Lima love : AMOR.

7. Many Renoirs : NUDES.

8. Foster __: sunglasses brand : GRANT.

9. Self-titled 1987 pop album : WHITNEY.

10. Diner concoction : HASH.

11. Phil Mickelson's alma mater: Abbr. : ASU. Arizona State University. Phil won a PGA tournament while still a student. The STORY. 25 years ago.

12. Toon devil : TAZ.

13. "The Simpsons" disco guy : STU.

21. Subject of an evil negotiation : SOUL.

22. "Dumb and Dumber" actress : GARR. No recollection of her in that movie.

25. Parental control device : V-CHIP.

26. Italian soccer great Rossi : PAOLO. This football STAR.

27. Dash datum : SPEED.

29. Tortilla chip topper, informally : GUACamole.

31. It's not observed in P.R. : DST. Daylight Savings Time.

32. Pseudo : FALSE.

33. "Half __ is ... " : A LOAF. Is better than a single croissant. Not to be confused with....

34. On high : ALOFT.

36. San Antonio-to-Dallas dir. : NNE.

37. Small craft : DORY. All you need to KNOW.

39. Picasso's here : ACA.

43. Picking site : ORCHARD.Not your nose.

44. Giza's river : NILE.

45. Like the maximum sum : TIDIEST. Odd clue/fill but we all have heard of having a tidy sum.

46. Multinational energy gp. : OPEC. Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries

50. Less, when added? : SUFFIX. My favorite clue.

53. To an adequate degree : AMPLY.

54. __ diet : PALEO. A diet based on the types of foods presumed to have been eaten by early humans, consisting chiefly of meat, fish, vegetables, and fruit, and excluding dairy or grain products and processed food. wiki.

56. Versifier's weather : CLIME. This is used to rhyme with time and sublime in the psalms.

57. Calculus pioneer : EULER. Do you math wizzes find Euler fun? Here is a LINK that I found amusing.

58. Origins : SEEDS. Nice clue/fill.

59. Echelon : TIER.

60. Touring jobs : GIGS.

61. "What a darling baby!" : AWW. My girls, Harper will be one year old in 12 days...amazing.

62. Golfer's support : TEE.

63. Cred for bringing someone home : RBI. Cred tells you this is going to be an abbreviation.

Mark is one of the constructors who does stop by so let him know what you think. He made my mind jump all over the place and slid in a few really hard combinations, but  in the end it felt smooth, now if I could only think of a phrase that works with CUTE/COO. Loved the Mozart. Thanks all, Lemonade out.

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to our witty D-Otto (Tom)! Like Argyle, Tom never failed to give me quick and reliable feedback on an iffy crossword entry or clear up a confusing Podcast reference. I can't imagine where this blog would be without his and TTP's guidance a few years ago. Thanks for always being here, Tom!

 

Friday, September 9, 2016, Patti Varol

Title: Beer today, song tomorrow.

Almost exactly one year ago, I blogged a Friday effort from Patti, who as all the regulars know is Rich Norris' assistant. I did have the thrill again of getting an email from her when the puzzle that JW and I did together was accepted. Anyway, we have something different, a sound-alike where phrases are re-imagined as being related to beer. Since both of my sons and my nephew have all worked in the beer business this was right up my alley. We have some nice fill like SCHOLAR,  MONIKER, RESENTS,  H. G. WELLS, AL PACINO, and  EGG SALAD. Let's see where she leads us.

20A. Beer made in Johannesburg? : STOUT OF AFRICA (13). OUT OF AFRICA is a well received book and movie and used as a clue for Isak Dinesen (Karen Blixen).

33A. One who aspires to be the king of beers? : PORTER PRINCE (12). Port-au-Prince is the capital of Haiti.

41A. Sounds from a brewery? : LAGER RHYTHMS (12). Logarithms brings back memories of college and slide rules.

57A. Toast said while hoisting presidential beer? : ALE TO THE CHIEF (13). HAIL TO THE CHIEF  is the official anthem of POTUS.

Across:

1. Crudités enhancers : DIPS. A vegetable tray for you French haters.

5. __ puppet : SOCK. Hand fits as well. Make your OWN.

9. Hot dogs and hams : MEATS. Tried to fool you with the other meaning.

14. With, on la carte : AVEC. Straight French.

15. Tartan wearers : CLAN. How better than with a single malt.

16. Lowest deck on a ship : ORLOP. I hit a rough patch here. This is just a word you need to remember.

17. Gadget that exercises the wrist : YOYO. I also never thought of a yoyo as a gadget.

18. Spydom name : HARI. Hello Mata, Hello Fata.

19. Crisp : NIPPY. New England evenings this time of year.

23. Lorry supply : PETROL. British trucks also run on gasoline.

24. Deck wood : TEAK. But not the orlop.

25. Chi. setting : CDT. Central Daylight Time.

28. Citrus suffix : ADE. Nothing like a shout out to get my attention. Thanks PV.

29. Letter before upsilon : TAU. Tau was derived from the Phoenician letter taw Phoenician taw.svg (𐤕). Letters that arose from tau include Roman T and Cyrillic Te (Т, т).

31. Ranking : SENIOR. Who is the senior office on duty?

36. Run out : FLEE. I was thinking using up something and having no more.

39. Larter of TV's "Heroes" : ALI. My thanks and apologies to Splynter and HG.

40. Tip for a dealer : TOKE.You ask WHY?

46. "Life of Pi" Oscar winner : ANG LEE.

47. Justice dept. heads : AGS. Attorney Generals.

48. Form 1040 fig. : AGI. Ajdjusted Gross Income.

51. Welker of the NFL : WES. The Dolphins had him, traded him and he became Tom Brady's favorite target. CAREER.

52. Highbrow : SNOB.

55. Oil once touted by Florence Henderson : WESSON.

60. Gourd fruit : MELON.

62. Happy __ : MEAL. Mickey D's.

63. Fluency : EASE.

64. Mesmerizing designs : OP ART.

65. Dark cloud : PALL.

66. They may not be quiet on the set : EGOS.

67. Fords a stream : WADES.

68. Gps. with copays : HMOS. Health Maintenance Organizations.

69. Paris' __ Neuf : PONT. The Pont Neuf (French pronunciation: ​[pɔ̃ nœf], "New Bridge") is the oldest standing bridge across the river Seine in Paris, France. Remind you of  Ponte Vecchio?


Down:

1. Place for pampering : DAY SPA.

2. Polling place sticker words : I VOTED.

3. Desert hallucinogen : PEYOTE. You can make a mess of MESCALINE.

4. Use a Brillo pad : SCOUR. Next to...

5. Learned one : SCHOLAR.

6. Evil count of "A Series of Unfortunate Events" : OLAF. Did you watch the Movie?

7. Stone measure : CARAT.

8. Word with bread and butter : KNIFE. My bread and butter response.

9. Sobriquet : MONIKER. So many names for names.

10. Los Angeles mayor Garcetti : ERIC. An impressive sounding MAN.

11. Actor with eight Oscar nominations (and one win) : AL PACINO.
Academy Awards
Year         Film            Category                 Result
1973 The Godfather   Best Supporting Actor Nominated
1974 Serpico           Best Leading Actor Nominated
1975 The Godfather Part II                         Nominated
1976 Dog Day Afternoon                                 Nominated
1980 ...And Justice for All                         Nominated
1991 Dick Tracy Best Supporting Actor Nominated
1993 Glengarry Glen Ross                         Nominated
                Scent of a Woman Best Leading Actor Won

12. Cover : TOP.

13. Many a character in "The Americans" : SPY. The story a a soviet couple in the US as spies for Russia. It  was created by Joe Weisberg, a former CIA officer.

21. Wizard revealer : TOTO. Cannot fool a dog.

22. Coarse file : RASP.

26. Put in : DOCK. Put in port.

27. One on a cartoon desert island : TREE. For those special emails so many get...

30. State with five national parks : UTAH. extra credit id you can name them.

32. Trifles : NITS. The lifeblood of many blogs.

33. Marmalade ingredient : PEEL. Emma, we miss you.

34. Nevada copper town : ELY.  Ely was founded as a stagecoach station along the Pony Express and Central Overland Route. Ely's mining boom came later than the other towns along US 50, with the discovery of copper in 1906. Wiki

35. Beatles girl with a "little white book" : RITA.

36. Weak spot : FLAW.

37. Hatcher's "Lois & Clark" role : LANE.

38. Sandwich spread : EGG SALAD. Spread?

42. Feels sore about : RESENTS.

43. Monopoly deed word : RENT.

44. Sinclair Lewis nominated him for the 1932 Nobel Prize in Literature : H. G. WELLS.

45. Tiny time meas. : M-SEC. Millisecond, 1/1000.

48. Italian cheese : ASIAGO. I like an asiago bagel now and then.

49. Takes the stage : GOES ON. Literally.

50. Overrun : INFEST.

53. Energy : OOMPH. Pah pah?

54. Players riding the pine : B-TEAM. A-team's spin off?

56. Docile sorts : SHEEP.

58. Mythology : LORE.

59. Circle overhead? : HALO. Love the simpleness of this clue.

60. Do the lawn : MOW.

61. AQI monitor : EPA. Air Quality Index : Environmental Protection Agency.

Well, we have done it again and I am mostly recovered from my bronchitis. I hope you all have been safe from the weather and are ready for fall (we have to wait another 2-3 months). Thanks Patti, Lemonade out. NFL is back!