Friday, January 19, 2018, Debbie Ellerin

Title: The vote is in and the eyes have it.

We have another around the perimeter puzzle. Here the words which are theme fill precede "eye." Rather magically Debbie appears after her early week mention to present her third LA times puzzle. Like last week's constructor, she has collaborated with Jeff Chen. You can see the influence on her style in the cluing. This is again a variation on a rebus where the eye part of the fill is left out. We have had a couple of these designs before, but I cannot remember what the reaction was from the Corner. For me, this was a very easy Friday, as the theme jumped out. The placement of KATY PERRY in the fourth row and CHEESE DIP in the symmetrical place seems designed to deceive.

With all the 4 and 5 letter theme fill, we do get some sparklies like AREA MAP, DREYFUS,  NO TURNS, RENEGES, SPHERES, CHEESE DIP and KATY PERRY. So how many of these to spy with your eye?

1A. Type of coordination: HAND (4).  Hand/eye coordination is critical in many sports such as hitting a baseball.

5A. Wolverine rival: BUCK (4).  Buckeye. The Ohio State University nickname and an early member of the Corner.

9A. Hidden 3-D image: MAGIC (5). Magic Eye. Not everyone can see these IMAGES.

71A. Intuition: THIRD (5). Third eye. Mystical. LINK.

72A. Batter's command of the strike zone, in baseball lingo: GOOD (4). Good eye. The best was supposed to be Ted Williams and his extraordinary vision, but does it matter? LINK.

73A. Pacific salmon: SOCK (4). Sockeye. This FISH.

1D. Iowa athlete: HAWK (4). Hawkeye Pierce is also pretty well known.  LINK.

13D. Reflective semiprecious stone: CAT'S (4). Cat's eye is produced by a polishing TECHNIQUE.

26D. Unassisted peeper: NAKED (5). Naked eye.

33D. Physical feature of Peter Falk and Sammy Davis Jr.: GLASS (5). Glass eye. There are many more, Sandy Duncan, Rex Harrison, Dick Vitale etc.

56D. Z's: SHUT (4). Shuteye. Sleep.

64D. Conjunctivitis: PINK (4). Pinkeye.

The reveal:

40A. Scornful glance ... and a hint to completing 12 aptly placed answers: SIDE EYE (7). A sidelong glance expressing disapproval or contempt.

Across:

14. State as fact: AVER. Another popular law-word.

15. "A Hard Road to Glory" author: ASHE. Tennis great and another victim of bad blood transfusion.         LINK.

16. Coffeehouse draw: AROMA. I still love the smell of the coffee brewing when I awaken.

17. Sagacious: WISE.

18. Lacking in some way: LEAN.

19. Checkout choice: DEBIT. Payment choice.

20. "Roar" singer : KATY PERRY.

22. Large pipes: MAINS. Seems random, but the main pipe is important in plumbing.

23. Malfoy, to Potter: FOE.

24. Attention getter: AHEM. I like this simple fill.

26. Sign on a highway: NO TURNS.

30. Binging: ON A JAG. Dictionary: a bout of unrestrained activity or emotion, especially drinking, crying, or laughing. "an incredible crying jag;" synonyms: binge, spree, bout, indulgence,

34. Order to a sea dog: AVAST.

35. Genesis victim: ABEL.

38. Quinnipiac University product: POLL. This western Connecticut school was a gimme for this native, but did you know HOW they became a prominent pollster?

39. "Kid-Tested, Mother-Approved" brand: KIX.

43. Soul seller: KIA. With its Japanese competition. 65A. Pilot that can't fly: HONDA.

44. Sooner State city: ENID. Oklahoma if you do not already know.

46. Jodie Foster title role: NELL. Co-starring a young Liam Neeson; a moving film.

47. Slogs: TREKS. Star Slog just did not capture the imagination.

49. Antarctica, for example : DESERT. Deceptive.

51. Domains: SPHERES.

53. Coop cries: COOS. COO_ leading to COO_?

55. Really big stretch: EON.

56. E alternative? : SNAIL. mail.

59. Chip topper: CHEESE DIP. I see this mostly with crackers.

66. Favorable thing to be on: ROLL. Especially a nice bit of pastrami.

67. Halliwell once known as Ginger Spice: GERI. No longer a girl. R-RATED.

68. Rte. that crosses Lake Michigan by ferry: US-TEN. A semi-cheat, as it is always 10.

69. Sighed line: AH ME.

70. Course that may cover a crash: Abbr. : ECONomy.


Down:

2. New Balance competitor: AVIA.

3. Incubator site: NEST. Cute. anyone try for NNCU?

4. Subject of Zola's "J'Accuse...!": DREYFUS. The Dreyfus AFFAIR 120 years ago last Saturday.

5. Whalebone: BALEEN. This is a WORD you needed to know to do late week puzzles in the 70s.

6. Certain surfer: USER. Internet.

7. Arctic trout: CHAR. So many other ways to clue this, but I suspect Rich put this in to toughen the solve. We last had in November clued as blacken or sear.

8. "Out of Africa"setting: KENYA. Redford/Streep MOVIE.

9. Drama set at an advertising agency: MADMEN. A very successful tv series about days most of us remember.

10. Hotel handout: AREA MAP. In those brochures by the front desk/concierge.

11. Silk Road desert: GOBI. Why you ask? Because China silk comprised a large proportion of the trade along this ancient road, in 1877, it was named the 'Silk Road' by Ferdinand von Richthofen, an eminent German geographer.

12. "Let's do it!" : I'M IN.

21. USB and others: PORTS.

25. Toledo opening? : HOLY.

27. Like Lamb Chop: OVINE. Shari Lewis lives on.

28. Prepares to take off: TAXIS. Dudley?

29. One-named Nigerian singer: SADE.  Want to know more? LINK.

31. Batman nemesis, with "the": JOKER. So soon after Cesar Romero.

32. Similar: ALIKE.

36. "The Fresh Prince of __-Air": BEL. Will Smith's breakout show.

37. Charged fish? : EELS. Electric ones.

41. Van Morrison's "__ the Mystic": INTO.

42. Set of values: ETHOS.

45. Bush 43, so he said, with "the": DECIDER.  Do not click the link as it may be political. LINK.

48. Goes back (on): RENEGES.

50. French epic hero: ROLAND. We read the SONG OF ROLAND when I was studying French.

52. Prepared to eat, as a banana: PEELED.

54. Skin-and-bones sort: SCRAG.

57. Nibble: NOSH.

58. Fighting: ANTI.

60. Relative of a Yodel: HOHO. Take your pick

61. Big Bird buddy: ELMO.

62. Chrysler Building style: DECO,

63. __-Z: classic Camaro: IROC.

Well, I am worn out with all the links, hope you choose and enjoy some. Thank you, Debbie and all of you out there. Lemonade out.

Friday, January 12, 2018, Priscilla Clark & Jeff Chen

Title: Welcome to Punnsylvania

Priscilla makes her LAT debut with one of the master mentors- Jeff Chen. He previously helped her to publication in the NYT in 2016. Jeff is a prolific constructor, writer, editor and very nice man. He writes daily about the NYT puzzles, where he has 46 collaborative publications. Each theme fill takes a phrase with the "ens" sound word converted to the "ins" sound.

Finding two grid-spanning fill was nice and the grid was very open.  Jeff and his partners always include a great deal of sparkly fill and here we have ROTUNDA,  VINTNER, ALLOPATH,  CURTAINS,  REAR EXIT,  REGICIDE and TIDEPOOLS. My only unknown was TILSIT a cheese I guess I should remember. As with all sound puzzles YMMV.


17A. Instruction for dolphin riders? : STRADDLE THE FINS (14). Straddle the FENCE. Does the sound of dolphins and fins grate?

22A. Flashy genetic enhancements? : DNA SEQUINS (10). DNA SEQUENCE. They started rerunning the original CSI on ION TV.

34A. Groaners in a routine? : SINS OF HUMOR (11). SENSE of humor. The central themer has the change in the first word, the rest the last word.

50A. Time capsules? : FUTURE TINS (10). Future TENSE. Capsule = tin? Maybe.

57A. Use second fiddles in a pinch? : RESORT TO VIOLINS (14). Resort to VIOLENCE. I am not sure why they needed to be second fiddles, but this is my favorite.

Across:

1. Compass output: ARCS. Last week it was EAST. The other compass.  LINK.

5. Gershwin title color: BLUE. This is a wonderful piece of music. RHAPSODY IN BLUE.
He also wrote BLUE LULLABY.

9. Presidential daughter Reagan: PATTI. Ms. Davis changed her last name to her mother's maiden name in an effort to have an independent career.

14. Bird's-nest, e.g. : SOUP. I put this in and took it out and then put it back.  INFO.

15. Ounce: IOTA. If you had one iota of gumption...

16. Zac of "Baywatch": EFRON. He was in the movie version with the Rock.

20. Reader with reprints: UTNE. A popular crossword fill, the Utne Reader is a quarterly American magazine that collects and reprints articles on politics, culture, and the environment, generally from alternative media sources including journals, newsletters, weeklies, zines, music, and DVDs. Wiki.

21. Flight attendant's indication: REAR EXIT. Too many politically incorrect thoughts to comment.

25. Ticket: CITE. That is why it is called a citation.

26. Oscar role for Forest: IDI. Forest Whitaker as Idi Amin.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iV_QgKJFZP0

27. Piña colada liquor: RUM. Mixed with pineapple juice and coconut cream.

28. Like "black diamond" slopes: STEEP.

29. Hot-dog it? : PANT. A warm canine pants, the tongue is their sweat gland..

31. New England cape: ANN.

33. __ generis: SUI. This TERM has importance in the Law, likely misunderstood by me and others.

38. "I'm such a moron!" : D'OH. Not just Homer Simpson uses this phrase.

39. Car nut: LUG. Not someone who loves cars, but the lug nut which holds your tire in place on the wheel.

40. Campbell of "House of Cards": NEVE. The puzzle was likely written before the Kevin Spacey scandal, but apparently, Neve was an interesting character. I had stopped watching before the kerfuffle.

43. Filled entirely: SATED.

46. What bills may become: LAW.

48. "Amscray!" : GIT. Our first pig latin in a very long time.

49. Pace often rapid: CLIP.

54. Alternative medicine practitioner's term for a mainstream doctor: ALLOPATH. The expression was coined in 1810 by the creator of homeopathy, Samuel Hahnemann (1755–1843).In such circles, the expression "allopathic medicine" is still used to refer to "the broad category of medical practice that is sometimes called Western medicine, biomedicine, evidence-based medicine, or modern medicine." Wiki. I learned this while auditing a course in alternative medicine that my massage therapist was taking.

56. One might have tears in it: DUCT. Not if it is the TAPE. Lots of fun stuff.

61. Quick: AGILE.

62. Name of kings in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden: ERIC. This was an easy guess, but there is much more to learn about these Constitutional MONARCHIES.

63. Light bulb, metaphorically: IDEA.

64. Pioneer of song who "crossed the wide mountains with her lover Ike": BETSY. This was hard. I did not remember much of this SONG. The lyrics are not the same as the Johnny Cash version.

65. Risqué: RACY. Two old fashioned words.

66. APB quarry: PERP. Two weeks in a row for this fill.

Down:

1. Jenny's offspring : ASS. Not poor Jennny McCarthy, but the female Donkey. All you need to know about ASSES.

2. Capitol sight : ROTUNDA. Just think round, usually with a dome.

3. Disastrous end : CURTAINS. My mental image:

4. Extends over : SPANS. Like the bridges we discused recently.

5. Compete for the job : BID.

6. Online chuckle : LOL.

7. Female marsupials have two : UTERI. The poor male marsupial. Kangaroos have three vaginas. ... Koalas, wombats and Tasmanian devils all share the three-vagina structure. The side ones carry sperm to the two uteruses (and males marsupials often have two-pronged penises), while the middle vagina sends the joey down to the outside world. I can't make this stuff up.

8. Taken back, as words : EATEN.

9. Equal : PEER.

10. Love : AFFECTION.

11. Ed's wife on "The Honeymooners" : TRIXIE. She was played by five different actresses during the life of the SHOWS from 1951 to 1970.

12. Ad time : TONITE.

13. Shoe part : INSTEP.

18. Lots of bucks : DEER.

19. Is afflicted with : HAS.

22. Depression : DIP.

23. Put down : QUASH. A rebellion?

24. "Did you really think I'd go for that?" : UM NO.

28. Largest number in many a column : SUM. This added up for me.

30. Homes for creatures of the not-so-deep : TIDE POOLS. Tide pools provide a home for hardy organisms such as starfish, mussels and clams. Inhabitants must be able to deal with a frequently changing environment — fluctuations in water temperature, salinity, and oxygen content. Wiki.

32. Org. in a 1966 merger agreement : NFL.

33. Raw, brown or white stuff : SUGAR.

35. Third of a kid's poem trio : NOD. I was winken and blinken through this one.

36. TV streaming option : HULU. I have not tried them, using only Netflix and Amazon. Anyone have a review?

37. "Game of Thrones" evilness : REGICIDE. Killing the King- we have both Cersei and her brother, the Kingslayer. Add that to doing away with Joffrey....well it is not a nice place to visit.

41. Wine label info : VINTNER. A CSO to Chairman Moe.

42. "Hitchhiker's Guide" beings, for short : ETS.

43. Many a hieroglyphic insect : SCARAB. Odd to see this again- two weeks in a row.

44. Claim : ALLEGE. A very popular legal word.

45. Semihard Swiss cheese : TILSIT.

47. Declaration at a group wedding : WE DO. I think they each say, "I DO" but I do not know. Oo said I could have only one wife.

50. Target of budget trimming : FAT.

51. Complete : UTTER.

52. Birch of "American Beauty" : THORA. I have had her in a few friday write-ups.

53. Showy bulb : TULIP.

55. Hunted one : PREY.

58. Ford's Crown __ : VIC.

59. Like comets : ICY.

60. Easy mark : SAP. Beacuse they get sucked dry?

Well there was a lot there and much to discuss. Hope you had fun and look forward to all the comments. Lemonade out.

Friday, January 5, 2018, C.C. Burnikel

Title: Letters rip.

My 2018 begins with a C.C. special in which initial-isms are unwound to create whimsical new clues and fill. I think this is my 4th or 5th Friday from C.C. solo, though she has done some Friday collaborations. It is interesting to watch her growth as a constructor, and the layers of subtlety she now includes in every effort. She makes clues difficult without making them either unfair or the fill obscure. I also think her exposure to other editors and styles of puzzles has helped that growth. Let me know what you think.

ALFREDO, ATE DIRT, KARAOKE, PANACEA, RADIATE, SEDATED and NICE GOING are all fun fill, but TEARSTAIN is wonderful.

The themers:

17A. Attire with a spreadsheet design? : EXCEL SHIRT (10). XL SHIRT gets repurposed.

24A. Disreputable court proceeding? : SEEDY CASE (9) C.D. CASE gets repurposed.

50A. Extracts from Wrigley Field's walls? : IVY FLUIDS (9). I.V. FLUIDS gets repurposed.

61A. Transports for fertilizer? : PEATY BOATS (10). P.T. BOATS gets repurposed.

Across:

1. Fey of "Whiskey Tango Foxtrot": TINA. A spectacularly hidden hint to the type of puzzle.

5. Ready to rock: EAGER. The "E" was my last fill. Sometimes we make the easy hard.

10. Mug shot subject: PERP. C.C. slipped in a Corner word.

14. "I got this!" : ON IT.

15. Wheels since 1986: ACURA. This car was in Monday's first puzzle of the year.

16. Adidas rival: AVIA. I think Nike is a bigger rival.

19. Minor points: NITS. The lifeblood of much puzzle discussion and another C.C.inside joke.

20. Under: SEDATED. Good Friday deception; I can hear the doctor asking, "Is he under yet?"

21. More than tickles: ELATES. I think this is one of C.C.'s favorite words.

23. Liquor in a Singapore sling: GIN. I have had this before - I will always remember Albany.

26. Unskilled in: POOR AT.

29. Hebrides tongue: ERSE. Scottish Gaelic spoken HERE.

30. Arrived, in a way: ALIT.

31. Hardly an original: APER.

34. Office administrations: OATHS. I love this clue/fill; perfect deception. At every level government officials are sworn in; after a while, many are sworn at.

38. Superstation that broadcasts some Cubs games: WGN. TV independent owned by the people who syndicate the LAT.

39. Old Testament prophet: EZEKIEL. I spent way too much time trying to squeeze this into being a theme fill, but "KIEL" just did not fit the pattern of the others.

41. Creature for whose shape Anguilla was named: EEL. Named by COLUMBUS?

42. "Broca's Brain" author: SAGAN.  The entire BOOK.  Or WIKI.

44. Speed away, with "out": PEEL.

45. Syrup brand since 1902: KARO.

46. Cuts (off): LOPS.

48. Sacred crawler: SCARAB. Do you remember this SCENE?

55. Monopoly quartet: Abbr. : RRS.

56. __ network: NEURAL. Good solid Friday clue/fill and a mini-theme with 42A.

57. Emit: RADIATE.

60. Greased auto part: AXLE. I am so not an auto mechanic type.

64. Scholarship consideration: NEED. Sounds counter-intuitive doesn't it?

65. Umbilical variety: INNIE. I was an innie, but now I have an umbilical hernia.

66. Lover's greeting: KISS.

67. Old U.S. pump sign: ESSO.

68. Bluto and Pluto: TOONS. I like the rhyme but it took me a while to see what a sailor from Popeye and a Disney dog had in common.

69. "Echoes in Rain" singer : ENYA.

Down:

1. Ring site: TOE.

2. Sydney band originally called The Farriss Brothers: INXS. If you want to listen- do so HERE.

3. "Good work!" : NICE GOING.

4. Swallowed one's pride: ATE DIRT. Hmm.

5. Needle point? : EAST. Simple, but this took so long as I to get away from sewing.

6. Soreness: ACHES.

7. Museum offering: GUIDE. Another good example of Friday deception in clue/fill.

8. Miss on "Jeopardy!," e.g.: ERR. Pretty much amiss anywhere.

9. Involving nudity, maybe: RATED-R. The rating can be earned by hard language, or tough violence, or nudity within sensual scenes, or drug abuse or other elements, or a combination of some of the above. MPAA.

10. Cure-all: PANACEA. I have always loved this word. Panacea comes from a Greek word meaning "all-healing", and Panacea was the goddess of healing.

11. 1980 Tony winner for Best Musical: EVITA.

12. Bat mitzvahs, e.g.: RITES.

13. So yesterday: PASSE.

18. Superboy's girlfriend: LANA.          Pretty girl. LINK.

22. Disinfectant brand: LYSOL.

25. Like many "Buffy" settings: EERIE.

26. Kittens play with them: PAWS. Again, a small head fake- not toys.

27. Lingerie brand: OLGA.  HISTORY.

28. Whirling toon: TAZ.

32. Drink with a Zero Sugar variety: PEPSI.

33. __ out a meager existence: EKE.

35. Mark on a Dear John letter, perhaps: TEAR STAIN. Fabulous clue/fill.

36. Zeus' jealous wife: HERA. She is back.

37. One who doesn't pick up much: SLOB. Not a dolt, but a messy one.

39. __ Gay: ENOLA. I am tired of this reminder.

40. "The Complete Short Game" author: ELS. How many three-letter named golfers are there?

43. Fettuccine sauce: ALFREDO. I add tuna and peas for a complete meal.

45. Bar attraction: KARAOKE. Kara 空 "empty" and ōkesutora オーケストラ "orchestra"); the same kara as in karate (empty hands).

47. Ministry: PULPIT. Is this a stretch?

49. Bed with enclosed sides: CRIB. I hope no other answer came to mind. They are getting fancy.

50. Absurd: INANE.

51. Annoys: VEXES.

52. Celebrated seasons: YULES.

53. Pipe cleaner: DRANO. Not the one you fill with tobacco.

54. Chemise fabric: SATIN.

58. Salon assortment: DYES. Beauty salon, not parlor.

59. Site for handicrafts: ETSY. Another HISTORY.

62. "Reflection" musician: ENO. Last week it was emo.

63. Issuer of five million-plus IDs annually: SSA. Social Security Administration.

This puzzle was so clean, I really do not have much to say, or maybe I am just tired. Thank you C.C. and my official Happy New Year to you all.

Friday, December 22, 2017, Paul Cuerdon

Title: Coming and Going

We have a palindrome puzzle presented by a constructor who had his debut puzzle here on a Friday in 2010 and was one of my first Friday blogs. LINK.  In researching past puzzles, I see 4 or 5 earlier such puzzles, including the use of two of the palindromes, but they are all clued very differently. Also. EGAD NO BONDAGE is all Paul and my favorite. For CED and others, WAS IT A CAT I SAW? is also new. I really enjoyed the cluing of the theme answers, as Paul showed wit and timeliness. We also have the fresh IN A BOX, DEVIANT and IT'S LATE. I await the verdict from the Corner jury.

17A. "The terrible tsar has arrived," either way? : TIS IVAN ON A VISIT (15). Ivan the terrible stops by.

27A. Disappointed reaction to the censored version of "Fifty Shades of Grey," either way? : EGAD NO BONDAGE (13). Very whimsical and a still modern phrase.

48A. Query about the Cheshire's grin, either way? : WAS IT A CAT I SAW? (14). Seeing only the teeth could inspire that question.

63. Mrs. Claus' remark about what she did to keep Santa home, either way? : TOO BAD I HID A BOOT.Would he ride without his signature black boots?

On to the rest...

Across:

1. Plodded (through) : WADED. I am never happy when 1 across does not fill immediately. I am not thrilled with definition, but what do I know.

6. Dies down: EBBS. More trickery but this did not fool me.

10. Not quite shut: AJAR. Of course, it is not a door.

14. Where something can be set for later: ASIDE. I like this one.

15. Protected at sea: ALEE.

16. Queen of Heaven: HERA. Hera is married to her brother Zeus and is titled as the Queen of Heaven. One of her characteristics is her jealous and vengeful nature against Zeus's other lovers and offspring and against the mortals who cross her. For more WIKI click.

20. Gambit: TACTIC. A gimme for any chess players in our readership.

21. __ Field: NYC stadium: CITI.  Where the Mets play in QUEENS. 

22. QB Peyton Manning has an NFL passing record 539 of them: TDS. Touchdowns.

23. "I could __ horse!" : EAT A. But why?

25. "Sommersby" actor: GERE. Richard. A very odd MOVIE. (2:00)

32. Amused initialism: LOL. Laugh Out Loud.

33. Clumsy boats: TUBS. Number 6 on the dictionary.com definition list. 6. Nautical. an old, slow, or clumsy vessel.

34. Sweethearts: LOVES.

37. Eponymous virologist: SALK.  Love the word EPONYMOUS; anyway- polio and the vaccine were important in my childhood, First my grandfather had contracted polio as a child, and as a cure they dug a hole and buried his affected leg to keep it from twisting, Second, my uncle was the county health officer and my brothers and I were used as test subjects.

39. Part of NAFTA: TRADE. North American Free Trade Agreement

42. 39-Across, perhaps: SELL.

43. Hawaiian greeting: ALOHA.

45. "The Americans" actress Russell: KERI.      LINK.

 
47. Magic org.? : NBA. Correct twice, Orlando and Johnson.

52. Chipmaker's prefix: NANO. Personally, I like YOCTO better.

53. A, in many orgs. : ASSN.

54. "__ who?!" : SEZ?

57. DEA agent: NARC.

59. Slip away: ELAPSE.

66. __ Domini: ANNO. A bit unnerving to see these two words both meaning YEAR next to each other in the grid. Latin/Italian

67. Calendario units: ANOS. Spanish/Portuguese.

68. Springsteen's "Born __": TO RUN.

69. Tuts: TSKS. Tut, tut- tsk, tsk

70. Wail: YOWL. We had an owl fall down our chimney one winter. Luckily the grate was up. Our long-haired dachshund was convinced it was meant to be her friend. The both yowled alot.

71. __ innings: EXTRA.

Down:

1. Measure of power: WATT. This too did not jump to mind, so it was a slow start.

2. Tibet's place: ASIA. A gimme.

3. __ jockey: DISC. Many predicted this profession would be gone by now.

4. Polished words: EDITED. He was looking for the verb, not the adjective.

5. Nowhere near the norm: DEVIANT. Harsh.

6. Ending with Tyrol: EAN. Very straightforward clue/fill for a Friday.

7. Common-interest group: BLOC.

8. Harmless: BENIGN. Bingo is back and one of our favorite calls- B9.

9. Ready for the curtain to open: SEATED.

10. Sushi tuna: AHI.

11. Kid: JEST.

12. Moistureless: ARID. Despite its frequent appearance as fill, ARID has never been clued this way in the LAT.

13. Traitors: RATS. Not really that simple.

18. Rebel, in a way: ACT OUT. Right next to traitors.

19. Like some memes: VIRAL.Does everyone know what a meme is?

24. ERA or RBI: ABBR. Tricky, as it seemed like a baseball clue.

26. Coaches' headaches: EGOS.

27. Big cat of film: ELSA. She is back and Frozen takes a back seat. I finally watched the entire movie (a favorite of my granddaughters) and I enjoyed it.

28. Certain score: GOAL.

29. Give the okay: ALLOW.

30. City near Kobe: OSAKA. Okay, we leave Europe for Japan.

31. Roulette bets: EVENS.

35. Actor Idris _ _: ELBA. Interesting choice to avoid ABLE WAS I. Perhaps an intentional extra hint?

36. Sandwich side: SLAW. I make a mean cole slaw.

38. Medieval Tatar chief: KHAN. Was this where the Han came to Geroge? LINK.

40. Ten up front? : DECA. A prefix meaning ten from Latin.

41. Undid: ERASED.

44. Pose in yoga: ASANA. Not one, but all of them.

46. Words just before leaving: IT'S LATE. Get me out of here!!!!

49. How Rome wasn't built? : IN A DAY. Cute. Nor was...

50. Piemonte city: TORINO. The first car I drove regularly was my Uncle's Torino station wagon. It had the fake wood panels.

51. Ready to be shipped: IN A BOX. Rather timely considering the holiday.

54. ERA or RBI: STAT. A baseball clue fake out.

55. An eternity: EONS.

56. Pass (out): ZONK.

58. Food on the trail: CHOW.

60. Wine named for an Iberian city: PORT. Where hopefully the wine is not made from...

61. __ grapes: SOUR.

62. Sicilian mountain: ETNA. So much Europe in this puzzle.

64. Derek and Peep: BOS.  Bo Derek and Little Bo Peep, interesting couple.

65. U.K. component: ISLand.  I think this is a great explanation, but I defer to Steve (Nice Cuppa if he stops by) and others. LINK.

Is that some Jingle Bells I hear in the distance? Good luck finishing your Xmas shopping if you haven't. I celebrated 3 years married to Oo yesterday and the beginning of winter. Hope you enjoyed the puzzle Thanks and welcome back Paul C. 2. Lemonade out.

Friday, December 15, 2017, John Lampkin

Title: Music...Opera? Sorry I did not have time to finish....

Where do I begin in discussing this most perfect example of the constructor and his humor? JL begins with a shout out to himself, as his name Lampkin is a pet form of Lambkin. Kin was added in the 12th century when taxes began being collected from individuals rather than property and they needed surnames to keep track of who paid and who did not. (Opinion, not fact, as who really know?)
He created a 15x16 puzzle to fit in all of his whimsical reboots of famous pieces of music. John is an accomplished professional musician and piano teacher who I am sure is very familiar with each of these actually finished pieces. In contrast to the adding KIN to his name, John removes the end of each of the titles of the work and clues the result for maximum humor. The themers are presented in pinwheel with a center fill. He also adds NO CLUE, CAROMED, DESPOTS, FLEABAG, GYRATOR, the mini-theme added musical fill LULLABY and SAD SONG along with SLAMMER, UP A TREE, RECRUITS and TOOK CARE. So, here we go.

18A. Unfinished Puccini work a.k.a. "Homage to a Dairy"? : MADAMA BUTTER(FLY) (12). Before anyone calls "foul" the play was Madame Butterfly. The opera Madama. LINK.

42A. Unfinished Beethoven work a.k.a. "Salute to Manning"? : FÜR ELI(SE) (6). How up to date to use Eli Manning, and our common clue/fill LINK.

66A. Unfinished Beethoven work a.k.a. "Dracula's Boy"? : MOONLIGHT SON(ATA)(12). No sun for Drac's son; the musical piece was finished before he completely lost his hearing. LINK.

12D. Unfinished Mozart work a.k.a. "A Sorcerer's Bug"? : THE MAGIC FLU(TE) (11). This opera LINK was his last. Flu season is back, be careful.

26D. Unfinished Vivaldi work a.k.a. "Water Music for the Mathematically Challenged"? : THE FOUR SEAS(ONS) (11). He wrote these four violin concertos LINK and a poem for each. Forgetting that there are seven seas would be difficult.

Across:

1. Meat of which Australia is among the largest producers: LAMB. Shamelessly crossing 1D. Hasty flight: LAM. The self-referential beginning to this over-sized effort is wonderful.

5. Down-and-out inn: FLEABAG.  Such a fun ORIGIN.

12. Apt brew for a golfer? : TEA. A tee for two pun.

15. Healing Salve: ALOE.

16. Oral soporific? : LULLABY. More music, but not so fancy.

17. Solo with memorable lines: HAN. Very popular this week.The new Star Wars movie, without Han, opens today. It also is the 49th anniversary of my first corneal transplant and 44 years since I graduated law school.

20. Fertilization target : EGG. Ova last week. As most of you know, John Lampkin is also a world class photographer with insects his specialty. So, look at these insect eggs. The world is a fun place.

21. Cashed, as a forged check: KITED.  It actually is THIS which has nothing to do with forgery. Juxtaposed with...

22. Hoosegow: SLAMMER. Where people can end up for kiting checks.

24. Completely filled: SATED.

27. Singers do it: SEW. A fake out addition to the mini-theme. My grandfather used a Singer like this

29. Moist-eyed: TEARY.

30. "Argo" setting: TEHRAN. The Movie.

32. It may make you 29-Across: SAD SONG.
Hey Jude, don't make it bad
Take a sad song and make it better
Remember to let her into your heart
Then you can start to make it better

35. "All bets __ off": ARE.

36. Soak (up), as gravy: SOP.

38. They may be raw: RECRUITS. A new, inexperienced, or fresh recruit, such as someone just entering the army, navy, police, etc. Also, college athletes.

41. Whistle-blower: REF. Fun.

44. Cabin bed: COT.

45. Proceeded cautiously: TOOK CARE.

48. Arcing shot: LOB. Tennis.

50. Side dish piece: FRY. The "French" is being fazed out. Freedom never caught on.

51. Stuck: UP A TREE. Cats 1?

53. What the puzzled have: NO CLUE. And of course, we have lots of clues here.

55. Baseball commission? : ERROR. Tricky baseball clue/fill; not an investigative body.

57. Mex. distances: KMS. Kilometers also in Thailand.

59. Tie for cooking: TRUSS. Did you?

60. Dictators: DESPOTS. Unless they are benevolent.

63. Track bet: PLACE. Win, place, and show = 1, 2 and 3.

65. View: SEE.

71. Actress Gabor: EVA. Merv Griffin's beard and the Green Acres' wife.

72. "M*A*S*H" unit? : EPISODE. JL was an early creator of clechos.

73. "M*A*S*H" actor: ALDA.

74. Guitarist Paul: LES.

75. Held up: DELAYED.

76. Putin's refusal: NYET.

Down:

2. In the style of: À LA.

3. Stylish, '60s-style : MOD. The mods and the rockers.  FLASHBACK.

4. Lab container: BEAKER.

5. Like day-old seltzer: FLAT. The bubbles burst.

6. Garage services: LUBES.

7. Dodges: ELUDES.

8. Key usually pressed and held: ALT. CTRL/ALT/DEL.

9. Takes cuts in a box: BATS. Another of the tricky baseball clues.

10. Slain brother: ABEL.

11. Belly dancer, e.g.: GYRATOR. You want to watch? LINK.

13. Gung-ho: EAGER.

14. Steamed: ANGRY. Coming out of your ears?

19. Gilt-ridden king? : MIDAS. There have been so many clues to this storied king, but this is perfect.

23. List of options: MENU. Not just food any longer.

24. Square one: START. GO?

25. Word on Spanish mail: AEREO.

28. Soft finish? : WARE.

31. Dietary watchwords: NO-FAT.

33. Farmer's habitat? : DELL. More baby stuff.

34. Boxy Toyota: SCION. They aren't anymore, but were in 2004.

37. Persian murmur: PURR. Another kitty cat for CED and the other feline fanatics.

39. Bagel shape: TORUS.

40. Eye sores: STYES.

43. Smell to high heaven: REEK.

46. "Gangnam Style" genre, for short: K-POP. LINK.

47. Ricocheted: CAROMED. A gimme to any billiard/pool player.

49. Make a mess of: BOTCH.

52. Use: EMPLOY.

54. Ancient Knossos denizen: CRETAN. Knossos is the largest Bronze Age archaeological site on Crete and has been called Europe's oldest city.  The citizens of Crete are Cretans, literally.

55. Collectible lemon: EDSEL. A fabulous CSO to yours truly!

56. "Still Me" memoirist: REEVE.                  LINK.

58. One way to come home: SLIDE. A cool baseball misdirection.

61. Hit the sauce: TOPE. Archaic, literary. Drink alcohol to excess, especially on a regular basis.
‘he was toping the while from a flagon of sack.’ Or perhaps, port.

62. Get dirty: SOIL. This has so many negative implications.

64. Like port, usually: AGED. It is one of this wine's ADVANTAGES. Something else our Renaissance Man knows about.

67. DOD division: NSA. Department of Defense oversees the National Security Agency.

68. Underhanded: SLY.

69. Keats forte: ODE.

70. 2017 NLDS player: NATional. One final baseball reference for C.C.

I have such fun doing these write-ups especially when the puzzles are as whimsical as this one was.  Happy Chanukah to those who light the candles and get ready for Christmas- 10 more shopping days. Thanks, John Lampkin, nice baseball stuff:  and all of you who come to the corner. Lemonade out.

Friday, December 1, 2017, Jeffrey Wechsler

Title: THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME .

JW is here for another Friday (thank you again HG for the blogs while I was gone) and with what I believe is his first punny quip puzzle. " If I tolled them once, I tolled them a hundred times."

The tolled-told homonym is the key to the humor. We also have some related fill with QUASIMODO and BELL TOWER. This is a rather upbeat puzzle for a very dark story. VICTOR HUGO was quite political in his writings. I was surprised by the theme but appreciated the humor.  There are 59 spaces attached to the theme, with the grid spanner in the middle. The theme did not require a reveal unless you were unfamiliar with this classic movie.

                                                                     SANCTUARY

 We also have fun fill like, CHIPS AWAY, EVIL DEEDS, LIVIDNESS and MIAMI VICE but it is the "quote" which is the puzzle.

17A. Hugo character memorably portrayed by Charles Laughton: QUASIMODO (9).

23A. With 36- and 44-Across, what 17-Across might have said when his job became too repetitious? : IF I TOLLED THEM (13).

36A. See 23-Across: ONCE, I TOLLED THEM (15).

44. See 23-Across: A HUNDRED TIMES (13).

57A. 17-Across' workplace: BELL TOWER (9).


Across:

1. Qualifier for a hall entry? : FAME. I wanted hall pass.

5. Excuse descriptor: LAME. So we start with a nice rhyme.

9. Med. recordings: EKGS. There should not be an "S."

13. Over, in much Twain dialogue: AGIN. As opposed to agin/fer.

14. "__ my way": I'M ON.

15. Relatives of windsocks: VANES. I guess.

19. Fuming: IRATE.

20. Uncle__: SAM.

21. Risk pieces: DICE. The die - a piece of the game or a tool used in the game?

22. Type of large TV: PLASMA.

26. Sitarist Shankar: RAVI. Norah Jones' father.

28. Metal sources: ORES.

29. Important part of a whale's diet: KRILL. They look like small SHRIMP.

31. Feigned: FALSE.

33. Many an IRS employee: CPA. Certified Public Accountant.

39. "Got it now?" : SEE?

40. Parts of Walmart work uniforms: VESTS.

41. Frodo's home, with "the": SHIRE.

42. Gentlemen: SIRS.

43. Actor Omar: EPPS. Once again this week; who is his publicist?

51. Lengthy account: LITANY. Usually of bad things.

52. Participate in a race, maybe: RIDE.

53. Fluoride-touting org.: ADA. American Dental Association.

56. Blazing: AFIRE. Ooh, an a-word.

59. Problems electric razors should prevent: NICKS.

60. Avoid getting into deep water? : WADE.

61. "Lobster Telephone" artist: DALI.

Lobster Telephone is a surrealist object, created by Salvador Dalí in 1936 for the English poet Edward James, a leading collector of surrealist art. Wiki.

62. "__ who?" : SAYS.

63. Monthly Roman calendar occurrences: IDES.  Twice this week. With the fate of Julius Caesar in mind,  this is an interesting juxtaposition with....

64. Turned yellow, perhaps: DYED.

Down:

1. Customer info sources: FAQS.

2. Lago contents: AGUA. Lake: Water. Spanish.

3. '80s cop show featuring Ferraris: MIAMI VICE. An interesting story. LINK. Ferraris twice this week.

4. USN rank: ENSign.

5. Keep in check: LIMIT.

6. Merged gas company: AMOCO. Gobbled up by BP, this brand may be BACK.

7. Auto datum: MODEL.

8. Brian of music: ENO.

9. What superheroes seek to thwart: EVIL DEEDS. This needed many perps.

10. Gold fineness units: KARATS. From a JEWELER.

11. Grind: GNASH.

12. "They __ up!": scapegoat's cry: SET ME.

16. Alteration target: SEAM. My mother was a wonderful nurse and mother, but she could not sew. My brothers and I had to stand with one leg up on the bottom stair after she shortened the pants to make the legs look even.

18. Infamous Amin: IDI.

22. Intrinsically: PER SE. This is not a legal term, per se.

24. Rank partner: FILE. READ and discuss.

25. Doesn't do much: LOLLS.

26. Classic movie theaters: RKOS.

27. "Alfred" composer: ARNE. Not his most famous work. LINK.

30. Red state? : LIVIDNESS. This was very difficult, but when you are livid you turn red.

31. Broadway choreographer for "Chicago": FOSSE.

32. PC key: ALT.

33. Cuts into, with "at": CHIPS AWAY.

34. Cop's collar: PERP. Not her.

35. Iowa college town: AMES. Not Ed this time.

37. Jones or Gilliam of Monty Python: TERRY. The only AMERICAN  in Monty Python is Terry Gilliam.

38. Passé pronoun: THEE.

42. Impertinent in tone: SNARKY.

44. PBS "Mystery!" host Cumming: ALAN.

45. LP players: HI FIS.

46. Erie Canal city: UTICA.

47. More than fear: DREAD.

48. Circumflex cousin: TILDE. Diacritic marks. COMPLICATED.

49. Doesn't do much: IDLES.

50. Satisfied: MET.

54. Editor's mark: DELE.

55. Like much of New Mexico: ARID.

57. Md. airport serving D.C.: BWI. Baltimore Washington International.

58. Not quite right: ODD. We have one living at our condo complex...not easy.

Back when this blog was young and the puzzles discussed were edited by Wayne Williams, we had many similar puzzles. They are usually called "quip" puzzles. Most were silly, so this is not a unique approach. But from Jeffrey? In the LAT?  I liked it, hope you did. Lemonade out.

Friday, November 24, 2017, Leonard Williams

Title: Bottom's up!

I am back for this post-thanksgiving puzzle. My trip to Thailand to meet my wife's family, renew our vows and get her to doctors who speak Thai was a wonderful experience. Now on to the puzzle.

We have our second puzzle from LEONARD WILLIAMS who has 8 NYT publications, and a 2016 WSJ.  His LAT was a SUNDAY in 2012. This was strange creation, easy in places, but no reveal for the theme. I have blogged enough puzzles where themers all go from bottom to top, but I don't recall one without a reveal.  This will likely upset those who do not like themes but it was all well put together. The five all have second word (read from the bottom to the top) synonymous with "rising."
Two relate to climb/ascent and two relate to hike/increase. I had fun.

3D. Government revenue generator, aptly : ESAERCNI XAT (11). Tax increase.

13D. Hillary's feat, aptly : TNECSA TSEREVE (13). Everest ascent.

15D. Retailer's increase, aptly : EKIH ECIRP (9). Price hike.

23D. What Red Bull provides, aptly : TSOOB YGRENE (11). Energy boost.

27D. Scale a cliff, aptly : BMILC KCOR (9). Rock climb.


Across:

1. Old AT and T rival : GTE. General Telephone and Electric.

4. __ Na Na : SHA. More from Woodstock.

7. Pigsty : DUMP. These are not synonymous for me. A palace can be a pigsty if not cleaned etc.

11. Least used : RUSTIEST. A Friday stretch.

14. Nightmare reaction : TERROR. This was obscure to me.

16. "Collages" author : ANAIS NIN.  Angela Anaïs Juana Antolina Rosa Edelmira Nin y Culmell, known professionally as Anaïs Nin, was an American diarist, essayist, novelist, and writer of short stories and erotica. wiki.

17. Grammy winner for "I Believe I Can Fly" : R KELLY.

18. Part of a Requiem Mass : DIES IRAE. Dies irae is a Latin hymn attributed to either Thomas of Celano of the Franciscans (1200 – c. 1265) or to Latino Malabranca Orsini. The hymn is best known from its use as a sequence in the Requiem (Mass for the Dead or Funeral Mass). wiki.

19. Name suffix : III. On any application they ask for suffixes like jr. etc.

20. Ukr. and Georgia, once : SSRS.

21. With legal tender : IN CASH. meh.

23. Even prime : TWO. The only even number that cannot be divided by any other.

26. 2016 World Series Champions : CUBS.

28. Locale : SITE.

29. Con target : SAP.

30. "The Hunger Games" nation : PANEM. Bread. LINK.

32. Pianist Templeton : ALEC. I did not know this COMPOSER.

33. Estadio shout : OLE.

34. Formal reply to "Who's there?" : IT IS I.

35. Foul line shots: Abbr. : FTS. Free Throws.

36. "Too rich for my blood" : I FOLD.

38. Loose : LAX.

39. "__ and the Real Girl": 2007 film : LARS. I ended up enjoying this very odd movie.

41. Judicial attire : ROBES.

42. Altar constellation : ARA. The name means ALTAR.

43. Hudson Bay native : CREE.

44. Like kittens : SPRY.

45. Honda subcompact : FIT.

46. Actor Culkin : KIERAN. Macaulay's brother. he continues to act, 2015 in tv series Fargo.

48. Some NCOs : SGTS.

51. Nipper's brand : RCA. Nipper was a mongrel -part fox terrier part jack Russell - from Bristol, England, who served as the model for a painting by Francis Barraud titled "His Master's Voice which was used by RCA

52. Saint of "On the Waterfront" : EVA MARIE.

54. Something to exercise: OPTION. This right so many ways.


57. Particularly noxious: VIRULENT.

58. Cialis competitor: VIAGRA.

59. Periodic table listing: ELEMENTS.

60. Numbered piece: OPUS.

61. Obstinate critter: ASS.

62. That, in Tijuana: ESA.

Down:

1. Alumni: GRADS. I know, no mention of abbreviation.

2. North African capital: TUNIS. Tunisia.

4. Emphatic Acapulco assent: SI SI.

5. Rousseau et al.: HENRIS.

6. Like many elephants: ASIAN. Here is Oo after she just fed a lime to an Asian Elephant.

7. Eins und zwei: DREI. Adding in German.

8. Google find: URL.

9. Basic chem. unit: MOLecule.

10. Ask too many questions: PRY.

12. Cold sufferer's boxful: TISSUES.In Thailand they use tissues in place of napkins and paper towels.


14. Sad, to Sartre: TRISTE. French.

22. Is out sick, say: AILS.

24. Pixar title robot: WALL-E.

25. Slanted pieces: OP-EDS.

30. Rice dish : PILAF.

31. Longtime video game name : ATARI.

35. For the taking : FREE.

37. On the market : FOR SALE.

40. Singer Grande : ARIANA. Seems like a very real person, but what do I know.

44. Certain drums : SNARES.

47. Walled Spanish city : AVILA. Not sure, but I immediately thought of out dear Lucina. LINK.

49. Colors : TINTS.

50. __ precedent : SETS A. A little law reference...

51. Fixes, in a way : RIGS.

53. Fall bloomers : MUMS. Mums the flower as well as the WORD.

54. Lacto-__ vegetarian : OVO. They eat milk products and eggs.

55. Domino depression : PIP.

56. Sigma follower : TAU.

I imagine most of us are somnabulant, but I learned today that chicken has more tryptophan than turkey. I renew my thanks to C.C. and all of you for 9 fun years.

Notes from C.C.:

1) As Lemonade mentioned earlier, he and his lovely wife Oo renewed their vows in Thailand. Here are a few pictures.

 

2) Here is a sweet picture of JD's grandson Truman and Grady. Truman is 10. Grady is 8. JD joined our blog shortly after Truman was born. Almost 10 years. Who else have been with our blog for that long?