Monday, November 13, 2017 ~ Mark McClain

Theme: Triple A - They will give you a TOW.

17A. Saber-rattling: THREAT OF WAR

27A. Shed a few pounds: TAKE OFF WEIGHT

45A. Romantic triangle figure: THE OTHER WOMAN

60A. End up just fine: TURN OUT WELL

69A. Highway breakdown need ... or, initially, feature of 17-, 27-, 45- and 60-Across: TOW

Argyle here with what may be one of Mark's easiest puzzles. It's cool none of the 'O' words are repeated.

Across:

1. Position at work: JOB

4. Busy as __: A BEE

8. India neighbor: NEPAL

13. "You __ here": mall map words: ARE

14. Banquet, e.g.: MEAL

15. Top-quality: SELECT

16. With 36-Across, Polo Grounds great: MEL. 36-Across. See 16-Across: OTT. Back when the Giants played in Manhattan.

19. Ravel classic: BOLERO

21. Car dealer's no.: MSRP. (manufacturer's suggested retail price)

22. Bro's sib: SIS

23. Carry on wildly: RANT

25. Regatta propellers: OARS

32. California's San __ Obispo: LUIS

                                       The Nine Sisters

34. Disco __: "The Simpsons" character: STU

35. More up-to-date: NEWER

37. Shed purpose: STORAGE

40. Dismantled Brit. music conglomerate: EMI. An initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, it broke-up in 2012.

41. Truckee River's lake: TAHOE. The Truckee is the outlet of Lake Tahoe and empties into Pyramid Lake. Pyramid Lake has no outlet.

43. Crude __: OIL

44. Small cut: SNIP

49. Continuous change: FLUX

50. "__ le roi!": French Revolution cry: À BAS. "Down with the king!"

51. Relaxing retreat: SPA. Retreat - A place providing peace and quiet.

54. Drop from a list: OMIT

56. Rose garden pests: APHIDS

63. After-tax: NET

64. What a password provides: ACCESS

65. Not working: IDLE

66. Rocks in a bar: ICE

67. Giggly sound: TE-HEE. I prefer tee-hee.

68. Little dog breeds: TOYS

Down:

1. Vertical door part: JAMB

2. Two-toned cookie: OREO

3. Inventor associated with telephones: BELL

4. California Zephyr operator: AMTRAK

5. "Tell it like it is": "BE HONEST"

6. Sensory organ: EAR

7. Sch. before junior high: ELEM. (elementary)

8. Wetsuit material: NEOPRENE

9. North Pole assistant: ELF

10. Seats for the flock: PEWS

11. Palm tree berry: ACAI

12. Acronym parts: Abbr.: LTRs. (letters)

15. McDonald's freebie: STRAW

18. Starting on: AS OF

20. Important periods: ERAs

24. Dorothy's dog: TOTO

26. "Sprechen __ Deutsch?": SIE

27. Ten percent donation: TITHE

28. Public commotion: FUROR

29. Edmund who played Kris Kringle: GWENN. Miracle on 34th Street

30. Prefix with sphere: HEMI

31. __ odometer: TRIP

32. Ronnie in the Pro Football Hall of Fame: LOTT. Number 42 with the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs. Defense.

33. Beehive State: UTAH

37. Let free: SET LOOSE

38. Old Sony brand: AIWA

39. "Think __, act locally": GLOBALLY

42. Cartoon fight sound: [OOF!]

44. Merit badge holder: SASH

46. Garden fertilizer: HUMUS. Don't mix your HUMUS with your hummus.

47. Red sign over a door: EXIT

48. Syrup trees: MAPLEs

51. ASAP, to an MD: STAT

52. Brownish purple: PUCE

53. Foot part: ARCH

55. Silly goose: TWIT

57. Not yet eliminated: IN IT

58. Art __: DECO

59. Hearty bowlful: STEW

61. Word seen between married and maiden names: NÉE

62. Old name for Tokyo: EDO

 Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to the real Big Easy (George Simpson), who volunteers at the annual Zurich Classic where he has met the other Big Easy a few times. Off the blog, George is a very caring friend to me. I enjoyed working with him on our puzzles.

Big Easy and his wife Diane

Thursday, October 26 2017 Mark McClain

Theme: FAN-tastic. Four FAN definitions, four different results. Three nouns-based, one verb-based.

17A. FAN : RANGE HOOD DEVICE. Really? OK. My range hood doubles as a microwave, so I've got two devices in one, I guess. I treated myself to a new range last week, the old one went kaput in the oven-ignition department. I'm not fond of the smell of gas in my kitchen.

26A. FAN : GEISHA ACCESSORY. Can be very ornate.

43A. FAN : GO DOWN ON STRIKES. It took me forever to parse this. Baseball - you fan the batter when you have him swinging and missing at for strike three. World Series time is on us! I won't claim to being an ardent supporter of my LA Dodgers. I am a fan, though.

56A. FAN : ARDENT SUPPORTER. Now, that's me! Chelsea F.C. When I'm back in London next month I'll be at the ground being ardent. I still renew my annual club membership each year even though I get to one game every goodness knows when.

Four grid-spanners is always a nice construction job - things can get tricky making this kind of pattern work. I thought we were onto a pangram when X, Z, J, K and the other usual suspects started showing up, but no Q, so close, but no cigar.

Lots of nice fill to go with the solid 60 (count 'em!) theme letters. Let's see:

Across:

1. "The Hobbit" figure : DWARF. Makes a nice change from ents, orcs and what-not. There were 13 of the vertically-challenged, pugnaciously-bearded bunch in The Hobbit

6. Moneyless deal : SWAP

10. It may involve an exchange of letters : CODE. Also known as a substitution cipher - you change one letter for another.

14. Like a raucous crowd : AROAR. Your honor, I refer to my previous blog entries on this particular word.

15. Grassy "pet" : CHIA

16. Binged (on) : OD'ED

20. Donkey Kong, e.g. : APE. I'm old enough to remember the first Donkey Kong machine in my local pub in London. I'm also old enough to remember the first Pong machine, and the first Space Invaders machine. I retired after Missile Command and saved my money.

21. Tiny bit : IOTA

22. Gas in an arc lamp : XENON

23. Cultural opening? : AGRI-

24. Working away : AT IT

33. Dark : UNLIT

34. Holy Week season : LENT.

35. Menagerie : ZOO

36. Organa family royal : LEIA. I don't know why I have a problem with this "Organa" family clue. I know I know it's Star Wars, but why was I playing around with LENA and LEDA as possibilities?

37. Outback youngsters : JOEYS. Sing after me the Australian kids' show theme tune: "Skippy, Skippy, Skippy the bush kangaroo". The show came on right after "The Magic Boomerang" on the BBC. I'm guessing cheaply-acquired programming.

39. Cover up : MASK. Verb and noun. Nice.

40. Is for many : ARE. Singular/Plural hint.

41. Trombone's symphonic neighbor : TUBA. Twinned with the 38D clue/answer. Nice.

42. First two-time Nobelist : CURIE

47. False move : FAKE. Sporting term - faking someone out.

48. Try in court : HEAR

49. "Star Wars" genre : SCI-FI

52. Contrary girl of rhyme : MARY. How did her garden grow?

53. Relaxation spot : SPA

60. Oblique look : LEER

61. Lowland : VALE. I wait - DALE or VALE?

62. Din : NOISE

63. Bigelow products : TEAS

64. Cut without mercy, as a budget : AXED

65. Maker of iComfort mattresses : SERTA. I'm surprised lawsuit-happy Apple haven't sued over the name.

Down:

1. Swimmer Torres with 12 Olympic medals : DARA. She's a motiviational speaker now and lives up the street (actually, up quite a few streets) in Beverly Hills.

2. Sub alternative : WRAP

3. As good as it gets : A-ONE

4. Joplin work : RAG

5. Train load : FREIGHT

6. Nova __ : SCOTIA

7. "Just a doggone minute!" : WHOA

8. Legal __ : AID

9. Legal __ : PAD

10. Longs for enviously : COVETS

11. Mr. Wednesday's real identity in "American Gods" : ODIN

12. Artistic style of L.A.'s Eastern Columbia Building : DECO.  A beautiful loft building downtown. Here's the entryway:

13. Churchill's 1955 successor : EDEN

18. Hand-holding celebratory dance : HORA

19. Be real : EXIST

23. Where Vladivostok is : ASIA

24. __-deucey : ACEY

25. Arithmetic column : TENS. Please complete the following as your homework. It's due back to me tomorrow.

26. Solzhenitsyn subject : GULAG. I read "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich" when I was a teen. Quite the eye-opener.

27. Día de Reyes month : ENERO. Nailed it! January, the twelfth day of Christmas in Spanish-speaking countries.

28. "That wasn't quite true ... " : I LIED

29. Do housework : CLEAN

30. Netflix drama set in a Missouri mountain resort : OZARK. Never seen the drama, but easy to guess.

31. WWII riveter : ROSIE

32. Devices used with oxcarts : YOKES. As one ox said to the other: "This plow is heavy. No yoke".

37. Rubbish : JUNK

38. Flute's symphonic neighbor : OBOE. I like the pair of orchestral maneuvers today. Let's use that as an excuse for some 80's pop. And some hilarity with the video production standards of the day.

39. Sierra Club founder : MUIR

41. With "the," East and West, in a Kipling ballad : TWAIN

OH, East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet,
Till Earth and Sky stand presently at God’s great Judgment Seat;
But there is neither East nor West, Border, nor Breed, nor Birth,

When two strong men stand face to face, tho’ they come from the ends of the earth!

From "The Ballad of East and West" by Rudyard Kipling

I've got a beaten-up old copy of Kipling's "Barrack Room Ballads" that belonged to my Dad and which followed him around his pre-war British Army postings to Hong Kong and Palestine and his WWII assignments in North Africa and Burma. No wonder it's a little rough around the edges.

42. Colorful set : CRAYONS

44. They're music to job-seekers' ears : OFFERS

45. Molded : SHAPED

46. Maryland athlete, familiarly : TERP

49. Cellar contents : SALT. Wanted WINE. A recent addition to my pantry is a Himalaya black salt that smells sulfurous. It's used to finish a couple of Indian curries that I'm fond of. Not to everyone's taste.

50. First Nations tribe : CREE

51. Thought : IDEA

52. Backless shoe : MULE. I tried MOCC first, a bad decision on more than one front.

53. Start to wake up : STIR

54. Sitter's challenge : PEST

55. Geometry figure : AREA

57. Power agcy. since 1933 : T.V.A.

58. Jazz band staple : SAX

59. Landmark '70s case anonym : ROE vs. Wade.

That's about it from me.

Steve

Friday, September 15, 2017, Mark McClain

Title: Am I coming or going?

After more than 7 years of blogging puzzles, I do not often need the reveal to understand the theme. Mark got me, even though I knew the likely theme fill made no sense, I did not get what they had in common until the reveal. Telling us to break 58A into three words gave me DRAW TO WARD, and after a slow brain moment the light bulb went on - DRAW backwards is WARD. GAB becomes BAG and the rest fell into place. To maintain consistency, Mark has the second word reverse in the first two themers and and the first word reverses in the next two. The grid with many three and four letter fill makes this a fair test for Friday even before you deduce the reversal. Also it features many witty clue/fill combinations. Ringing organ? : EAR; Taking something badly? : THEFT - come to mind. That did not leave much room for other sparkle, but Mark did include SAPPORO, SATISFY, DYSTOPIAN and RAISE CAIN.

18A. Chat at the supermarket checkout? : GROCERY GAB (10). Grocery Bag jumped out at me as soon as I had the reveal.
-
24A. Marsh bird with uncontrollable urges? : COMPULSIVE RAIL (14). Compulsive is a word most often seen with Liar and Gambler.

38A. Way into Wayne Manor? : BAT KEYS (7). Tab Keys are very important when typing. The shortest fill, BAT to TAB.

51A. Work of a major opera house villain? : EVIL FROM THE MET (14). I watched this SHOW when it aired Live starting in 1977 trying to appreciate opera.

58A. Attract ... or, as three words, sequence change with a hint about 18-, 24-, 38- and 51-Across : DRAW TOWARD (10). If you suss this as DRAW to WARD, you see that this is a word reversal puzzle.

The rest...

Across:

1. Alan of "Tower Heist" : ALDA. It is amazing how well he has played smarmy bad people in this and other projects. A Stiller connection.

5. Partridge family tree? : PEAR. Not sure which family this refers to, the TV series or the Christmas chant.

9. Eliot's Bede : ADAM. This was the first novel published by George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans). Silas Marner and Middlemarch were her best.

13. He shared the AP Driver of the Century award with Andretti : FOYT. A. J. was a major STAR. when I was growing up.

14. Consumed : EATEN.

16. Con __: tempo marking : MOTO. The word has the same stem as motion but what does it mean in MUSIC?

17. Museum figure : BUST. Tempting...

20. Bigelow offering : TEA.

22. "Utopia" author : MORE. Is this the first fantasy novel? Was his Utopia appealing?  What about 3 Down?

23. Request on "ER" : MRI.

28. Oldest Japanese beer brand : SAPPORO.

29. Discounted by : LESS.

30. Cut out : OMIT.

31. Trivial amount : SOU. Although the French sou as a coin disappeared more than two centuries ago, it is still used to mean of little value. (various).

33. __ science : EARTH. Needed perps.

37. Paella veggie : PEA. Not a dish I cook, but here is a RECIPE.

41. "Eureka!" : AHA. Another made up word, but I guess they all are.

42. Legendary first name in skating : SONJA.  The second name was HENIE. A reminder to some of us of Clear Ayes. 48D. 42-Across' homeland : NORWAY.

44. Northwest Passage explorer : RAE. A true PIONEER.

45. Cinco times dos : DIEZ. Purists would prefer "cinco veces dos."

46. Noodle bar order : UDON.

49. Fulfill : SATISFY.

55. Animal house : DEN.

56. Pertaining to : IN RE.

57. SHO-owned cinematic channel : TMC. The Movie Channel, not TCM or AMC.

62. Not at all tough : EASY.

65. Skye, for one : ISLE.

66. Card worth a fortune? : TAROT.

67. Stir up : RILE.

68. Slender swimmers : EELS.

69. Sweet tubers : YAMS.  Can you pass the QUIZ?

70. Winter coat : SNOW. Another nice one.

Down:

1. Laughlin in Tex., e.g. : AFB. Air Force Base.

2. He often batted after Babe : LOU. Gehrig.

3. Like "The Hunger Games" society : DYSTOPIAN. Should this be included when you have 22A?

4. Tackle : ATTEMPT.

5. Wood fastener : PEG.

6. Ringing organ? : EAR. I like this clue, not the phenomenon.

7. Physics class topic : ATOMS.

8. Cringe : RECOIL.

9. Youngest of the "Little Women" : AMY. Meg. Margaret is the oldest of the March sisters, Jo. Josephine is the second oldest March sister, Beth. Elizabeth is the third eldest sister, Amy. The youngest, Amy is the pet of the family.

10. Article of faith : DOGMA. I liked the movie.

11. Arcade giant : ATARI.

12. Exxon follower? : MOBIL.

15. Guts : NERVE.

19. Giant in little candy : REESES.  Pieces. Phone home.

21. GI's address : APO.

24. Typical Hitchcock role : CAMEO. Stan Lee has taken over as king of the Cameos.

25. Celestial bear : URSA.

26. Take from a job : LOOT. Oh, that kind of job.

27. Johannesburg's land: Abbr. : RSA. Republic of South Africa, home to constructor and blogger Gareth Bain.

28. Finishes (up) the gravy : SOPS.

32. Former SSR : UKRaine.

34. Go ballistic : RAISE CAIN. A THEORY.

35. Taking something badly? : THEFT. Not new but still witty.

36. Unclear : HAZY.

38. Mismatch : BAD FIT.

39. __ Coast : EAST. WEST?

40. Repeated word in the Beatles' "She Loves You" : YEAH. yeah, yeah.

43. National Ice Cream mo. : JULy. Y abbreviate?

45. Aids for romantic evenings : DIMMERS.

47. Hedger's last words : OR NOT. This fill is absolutely correct, or not.

50. Vietnamese holiday : TET.

51. __ Bauer : EDDIE. The STORY.

52. Part of a song : VERSE.

53. Collectively : IN ALL.

54. Anne of comedy : MEARA. Wife of Jerry, mother of Ben; sadly she died in 2015.

59. Director Craven : WES. Unlike  Hitchcock and Stan Lee, Craven (who also died in 2015) often played himself in movies.

60. Danube Delta country: Abbr. : ROMania.

61. Drying-out hurdle : DTS. Delirium Tremens. I had a math teacher, first period, my junior year in high school who brought his coffee to class in a cup and saucer and the sound of his shaking was unnerving before 8 AM.

63. __-mo replay : SLO.

64. Taxus shrub : YEW. They look like junipers but the yew berry has a poisonous seed instead of the base for gin.

I am always curious when we have a theme like this one, as some of our crowd wants only clues and fill and no theme, while others love creativity. Thank you Mark; hope all are well. Lemonade out.

 Note from C.C.: 

Lemonade is safe and sound. His power was finally back last night. He also has a new grandson, who was born on Wednesday Sept 13, 2017. So sweet! You can click here to see more pictures of his beautiful grandkids.

Thursday, August 17th 2017 Mark McClain

Theme: Insert Coin - the coin-shaped letter "O" is inserted into a phrase, changing the meaning in a thigh-slapping manner.

20. Computer accessory honored in verse? : MOUSE OF POETRY. Muse of Poetry. There are three poetry muses - one for epic poetry, one for lyric poetry and one for love poetry.

28. Olympic dominance by Team USA? : AMERICA'S COUP. America's Cup. Team NZ won this year in Bermuda by a runaway score of 7-1

45. How some medieval knights described their relationships? : JOUST FRIENDS. Just friends.

55. Grammarian's treatise? : THE NOUN'S STORY. The Nun's Story. 1959 movie starring the lovely Audrey Hepburn.

Morning! Apparently I came across as not quite as chipper as usual last week, so I'll try to keep things bright today. This was a real toughie for me, I was staring down a huge quantity of white space after my first pass across and down. I'm not sure the last time I spent 30 minutes on a Thursday-level crossword, but I did on this one.

The theme was nicely done; I'm not generally a fan of pun-type puzzles because of the groan-factor, but these were fun. It took me ages to figure out the theme but once AMERICA'S COUP fell into place that helped with the others. Some obtuse cluing and misdirection added up to a good challenge.

Let's see what else we've got:

Across:

1. Bowl over : STUN

5. Hardly prudent : RASH

9. Chophouse order : FILET. Food! If I went to a chophouse, I'd order the chops. This is Simpson's in London, it's been around since 1757. I'd lunch there occasionally when I worked in the City. Back in those days you'd have a bottle or two of a nice red wine and finish up with a glass of port. Then go back to work.

14. Young Clark's love : LANA. I was way off base with this one; at first I thought it was referring to Clark Gable's affair with Lana Turner, but not a bit of it - Clark Kent's high school sweetheart Lana Lang.

15. 90 degrees from norte : ESTE

16. Century plant, e.g. : AGAVE. Agave Americana, more properly. There are several types of agave plants.

17. Hindustani tongue : URDU

18. Boardwalk extension : PIER. These had a habit of "mysteriously" catching fire in the UK, usually when they were falling into a state of disrepair due to the expense of upkeep.

19. Trick : COZEN. A new word for me. "To deceive, win over, or induce to do something by artful coaxing and wheedling or shrewd trickery." I discovered that there is a law firm here in LA called Cozen O'Conner which I find thoroughly amusing.

23. Construction alloy : STEEL. You can add a whole slew of stuff to steel depending on the characteristics you're looking for.

24. RSVP part : S'IL "répondez s'il vous plaît". Don't say "please RSVP", it's annoying as heck.

25. Bud : BRO

33. Virgin __ Records: British label : EMI. A lot of people don't realize that Richard Branson sold Virgin Records to EMI way back in the 90's to keep the airline afloat (or aloft, more correctly).

36. Male delivery : SON

37. Canadian coin since 1996 : TOONIE. Tried LOONIE against all logic as I knew it had been around for longer than that.

38. Landslide victory claim : MANDATE. "Now I have a mandate to do what the heck I like". Usually ends badly.

41. Stretch out : DISTEND

42. Recorded : ON TAPE

43. Mine in Milan : MIO. Tried MIA. Was wrong.

44. Conscription agcy. : SSS. Crosses filled this in for me, I just noticed it now. Selective Service System.

49. "__ Fell": Beatles : IF I. I didn't actually know this was the title of the song. John sounds every bit of his Liverpool background on the track.

50. Chicago's __ Center : AON

51. Post-lecture activity, briefly : Q AND A

60. Strange : ALIEN

62. Watch part : STEM. You can guarantee this one ain't going to be cheap:

63. Potpourri quality : ODOR. I tend to associate odors with bad smells.

64. Did a gainer, say : DIVED

65. Yokohama product : TIRE. They are the shirt sponsor of my soccer team, Chelsea, they're paying $300M for the privilege over five years. I think it's a curse: of the four players from left to right below - the first is no longer a starter, the second is no longer with the club, the third broke his ankle and hasn't yet returned to the team and the fourth did not return for preseason training and is suing the club for illegal restraint of trade.

66. Eric who founded an eclectic reader : UTNE

67. Autobahn autos : OPELS. The other four-letter German car brand.

68. Strongbox alternative : SAFE

69. The ten in "hang ten" : TOES. You hang'em over the edge of your surfboard.

Down:

1. Frequents dive bars, say : SLUMS. As in "he's slumming it".

2. Deck with a Hanged Man : TAROT. There's a bunch of weird-looking cards in a Tarot deck.

3. Inordinate : UNDUE

4. Queasiness : NAUSEA. Not a good feeling.

5. Certain auction offering : REPO

6. "Fat chance!" :  AS IF!

7. Intervenes : STEPS IN

8. Stout-hearted : HEROIC

9. It's not debatable : FACT

10. "Young Frankenstein" helper : IGOR. "Eye-gor." I've posted the link to the scene before. Here it is again if you missed it.

11. Slugabed : LAZYBONES. Nice clue/answer.

12. Christmas lead-in : EVE

13. Coffee break time : TEN

21. "Slippery" tree : ELM. First I've heard of it. Learning moment. Apparently you can make tea from the leaves.

22. Joy : ELATION

26. Place for digs : RUINS

27. Essays appearing daily : OP.ED'S

29. "Get on Your Feet" singer : ESTEFAN. Gloria. Thank you crosses, I didn't know the song.

30. Anonymous '70s litigant : ROE vs Wade.

31. Song on the album "ABBA" : SOS. Why I didn't fill this in right away is beyond me. How many Abba songs are there with three letters? I needed the S to get me going with this one.

32. Bed at a base : COT

33. The Oxford Dictionaries 2015 "Word" of the Year is one : EMOJI. A stab in the dark and nailed it! Note the quotes around "Word". This is the emoji which was used:

The 2012 Word of the Year was "omnishambles" which I love.

34. "__ Constant Sorrow": folk classic : MAN OF. Thank you crosses, never heard of it.

35. Easy to figure out : INTUITIVE. Unlike this crossword, for me anyway.

39. Wagner's "__ Rheingold" : DAS

40. Fitting : APT

41. Gambling cube : DIE

43. Trivial matter : MINUTIA

46. Perches : ROOSTS

47. Kicks off the field, briefly : DQ'S. Disqualifies.

48. Skipped : SAT OUT

52. Greet quietly : NOD TO

53. Airborne intruder : DRONE. Annoying as heck, these things. Can ruin a perfectly peaceful hike. The creepy dude who lives on my street likes to fly his over other people's back yards.

54. Lew in old movies : AYRES. Best known for "All Quiet on the Western Front".

56. Dog trainer's word : HEEL. Could be STAY, so wait for a cross.

57. Good things to make meet : ENDS

58. Soft ball : NERF

59. "Hook" pirate : SMEE

60. Commotion : ADO

61. Impertinence : LIP. Great little word.

Stick a fork in me, I'm done!

Steve

Sunday July 23, 2017 Mark McClain

Theme: "It's Just Not the Same" - The first words are all synonyms of "Different".

23A. Phrase of individuality : DIFFERENT STROKES.  Many people, including our own Jayce, can't stand Stinky Tofu. I love it.

38A. American flag component, e.g. : CONTRASTING COLORS

58A. Plot device in TV's "Fringe" : ALTERNATE UNIVERSE. Any "Fringe" fans on our blog?

  

87A. Brainstorming process : DIVERGENT THINKING. So all our constructors are divergent thinkers.

103A. Fallback plans : OTHER ARRANGEMENTS

123A. They often follow "also" in dictionaries : VARIANT SPELLINGS. Var. as a hint in crossword clues.

Sunday puzzles often have at least seven theme entries. This one has six. But all of them are long, three 16's and three 17's, totally 99 theme squares. Rich's minimum is 84.

Mark also chose a conservative grid design. I noticed that he seldom goes after low-word/black square count. Clean fill is always his top priority.

Across:

     

1. Fern seed : SPORE

6. Posh hotel amenity : ROBE.  We also have 115. Upscale : DELUXE

10. Cook, in a way : STEAM. Also 37. Cooks in a pan : SAUTES. Also 112. Cooks with fat : LARDS. Wonder what Steve cooks this weekend. His Facebook sushi pictures are always mouth-watering.

15. Sneaky stratagem : TRAP. Clue echo: 22. Sneaky stratagem : RUSE

19. Secret rival : ARRID. This "Secret" can't fool veteran solvers.

20. "Bingo!" : I WIN

21. Tom Sawyer's aunt : POLLY

 

26. "__ the Woods" : INTO

27. Skill : DEFTNESS

28. Hawaii County seat : HILO. Did not know Hawaii has a Hawaii County.

29. Holes a very short putt : TAPS IN

31. Math function : SINE

32. Sizable piece : CHUNK

34. Adored object : IDOL

35. Blog feed format letters : RSS. RSS feed.

44. Sorority letters : ETAs

46. 65-Across, in Japanese : HAI. Cantonese "Yes" also.  65. 46-Across in English : YES

47. Suffix meaning "country" : STAN

48. Notes from a loser, maybe : IOUs

49. Brownish grays : TAUPES. Did not know it's plurable.

52. "My Way" lyricist : ANKA

54. GPS displays : MAPS. Thought of RTES first.

57. Captain Hansen of "Deadliest Catch" : SIG. Unknown to me.

62. Tolkien tree creature : ENT

63. Promised : PLEDGED

64. Pound sound : YOWL

 

67. "Mi casa __ casa" : ES SU. My house is your house.

68. Creating compelling characters, for a writer : ASSET. Got via crosses.

72. Timberlake's old group : NSYNC

74. Small amt. of time : MSEC. Millisecond

78. Dental brand suffix : PIK

80. Title character inspired by Hearst : KANE. A few other names in the following few rows: Across: 92. "Respect for Acting" author Hagen : UTA.  94. Pasternak heroine : LARA. "Doctor Zhivago", 98. Gateway Arch designer Saarinen : EERO. 101. Kipling title orphan : KIM 102. Artist Magritte : RENE

82. "Heavens to Betsy!" : OH GOLLY

84. __-12 Conference : PAC

 

93. One way to start : ANEW

 

95. Brought up to speed : CUED IN

96. Comic strip about a high schooler : ZITS

110. Nonsense : ROT

111. Lyrical works : ODES

 

113. Is obligated to : OWES

 

117. Father or son actor : ALDA

118. "The Chronicles of Barsetshire" author : TROLLOPE (Anthony). Stranger to me.

122. Clapton on guitar : ERIC

127. Courteous : NICE. Dear Agnes lost her nephew to heart attack earlier this week. She's devastated. Agnes did not have kids and she was very close this nephew. Please keep her and her family in your thoughts.

128. Strongly longing : EAGER

129. Beech family trees : OAKS

130. Looks after : TENDS

131. Durbeyfield daughter : TESS. How I wish the story ended differently.

132. __ Island Red: chicken : RHODE

133. Duma denial : NYET

134. University town near Bangor : ORONO

  

Down:

  

1. Anti-DWI org. : SADD

2. __-dieu : PRIE

3. German composer Carl : ORFF. Also 6. German candy brand : RIESEN

 

4. Starts of feuds : RIFTS

5. Pristine : EDENIC

7. Possesses : OWNS

8. Drill insert : BIT

9. Funny couple? : ENS

10. Some Olympic trials : SPRINTS

11. Set for repairs : TOOL KIT. Boomer lost his neat set of tools to the TSA in March. He did not want to go back to put it in the checked luggage.

12. Northeast Nevada city : ELKO. Also 24. Western Nevada city : RENO

13. Red or brown brew : ALE

14. Connecticut coastal tourist town : MYSTIC. Also 55. Know-it-all? : PSYCHIC. Consonants-rich.

 

15. "Marines' Hymn" city : TRIPOLI

16. Has no restraints : RUNS LOOSE. Great fill. The only 9-letter fill is 86. Mass group : CATHOLICS

17. Piedmont wine area : ASTI

18. Lowly laborer : PEON

 

25. In said fashion : THUS

30. Flap : ADO

32. Long-necked bird : CRANE

33. Specifically designed poem : HAIKU. So in awe of Owen's talents. Genius!

35. Seal after peeking, say : RE-TAPE

36. Barn units : STALLS

39. "__ won't work" : THAT

40. To wit : NAMELY

41. Growl : GNAR. Strange word.

42. Render useless : RUIN

43. U.S. Army E-6 : SSGT. I read somewhere that all vets can shop tax-free at the Army Exchange later this year.  

45. Floored it, say : SPED UP

50. Fraction of a joule : ERG

51. Enter stealthily : SNEAK IN

53. Word often used before "old" : ANY. Not DAY.

56. Observe : SEE

59. Sunday paper pile : ADs

60. Former Saturn model : ION

61. Bugs that roll : VWS. Got me.

66. Backyard chef's equipment : SMOKER.  Followed by 69. Backyard chef's stick : SKEWER. You can find these lamb skewers in the night markets in my hometown. Lots of cumin and hot red pepper. 

70. Sensory organ : EAR

71. Series with Capt. Picard, to fans : TNG. The Next Generation.

73. Kabuki kin : NOH. Literally "ability". Rooted in Chinese "Neng". 

75. Curveball relative : SLIDER

76. Climate-disrupting current : EL NINO

77. Baby swan : CYGNET

79. Director Lupino : IDA

 

81. Slender swimmer : EEL. Man, I could eat this every day.

83. African bovine : GNU

84. "The Godfather" novelist : PUZO. My favorite movie. I also read "The Sicilian".

85. Working on the task : AT IT

 

88. Change course suddenly : VEER

89. Like a jaybird? : NAKED Also 97. Leads astray : SEDUCES

90. Cuts a little : TRIMS

91. Get under control : TAME

  

99. Assembled for a cause : RALLIED

100. How some stunts are done : ON A DARE

104. Wonder Dog of comics : REX

105. Letter closing : AS EVER

106. Gramps' mate : GRAN

107. Gripe from the weary : NO REST

108. "The __ llama, / He's a beast": Nash : TWO- L

109. Have as a client : SELL TO

114. Less trustworthy : SLIER

115. Small body-shop job : DENT. Our Melissa just had a car accident in California last week. She's safe thankfully. She'll be blogging next Tuesday.

116. __ Lackawanna Railway : ERIE

117. 2012 Best Picture : ARGO. Wow, been 5 years.

118. Rd. often named for a state : TPKE

119. __ account: never : ON NO

120. PC scrolling key : PGDN

121. Petrol station sign : ESSO

124. Hot tub reaction : AAH

125. 20 hundredweight : TON

126. Articulate : SAY

C.C.

Tuesday, June 6 2017, Mark McClain

Theme: AT-titude. Two-word phrases beginning with A and T.

18. *Lighthouse landmark in Honolulu : ALOHA TOWER. In Downtown Honolulu, the landmark lighthouse first opened in 1926. From Wikipedia: As of 2013 the shopping center and Aloha Tower itself have fallen into a state of disrepair, most of the store fronts are now gone and the entire mall and tower is showing damage. Many of the ships that were once tourist attractions have ceased operating, the Falls of Clyde has been stripped of her masts and is now a derelict sitting in the harbor. Today, Hawaii Pacific University has purchased and is continuing to redevelop the space. The second floor is now used as student housing with 268 beds. The ground floor features the HPU Welcome Center as well as other student facilities, and there are also some restaurants.

23. *Club batting first, in baseball : AWAY TEAM

36. *Capital that's home to Lady Bird Lake : AUSTIN TEXAS

50. *Treaded combat vehicle : ARMY TANK

56. Best place to be, slangily ... and, when divided in four parts, what the answers to starred clues are? : WHERE IT'S AT

Melissa here. Clever reveal answer, and a perfect Tuesday-level solve. Only had trouble with one answer, SALVO - all perps.

Across   
 

1. Part of AAA: Abbr. : ASSN
 

5. Utopian sites : EDENS

10. Abrasive sand bits : GRIT

14. Round caramel candy : ROLO

15. Get Mad again? : RENEW. Re-subscribe. Favorite clue.

16. Like some Chardonnay : OAKY

17. Kingdom given to Esau : EDOM. Now southern Jordan.

20. "E," on dashboards : NO GAS.

22. Photographer's stand : TRIPOD

25. Chain of hills : RIDGE

29. Madame, in Tijuana : SEÑORA

30. Starts of typical workweeks : MONDAYS

32. Confer holy orders upon : ORDAIN

35. One-named body-image advocate : EMME
 

39. Stumble : TRIP

41. Pic next to a screen name : AVATAR

42. Bombardment : BARRAGE

44. Breeds, as cattle : RAISES

49. What Bo Peep lost : SHEEP

52. St. Francis' birthplace : ASSISI

55. Burst of gunshots : SALVO. New to me.

60. Bear's home : LAIR

61. Made on a loom : WOVE

62. Choppers : TEETH. Not motorcycles.

63. "How __ Your Mother" : I MET.

64. Chilled with cubes : ICED

65. Position paper : ESSAY

66. Helps out : AIDS

Down

1. Sports venues : ARENAS

2. "Us, too!" : SO DO WE

3. "I'm Lovin' It" or "Just Do It," e.g. : SLOGAN. I carelessly started entering MOTTO, without counting the spaces. Nope.

4. Dieter's sandwich spec : NO MAYO

5. Historic period : ERA

6. Triangular river formation : DELTA

7. Huge, to a poet : ENORM

8. Grape soda brand : NEHI. Radar O'Reilly's drink of choice. (M*A*S*H)

9. Even trade : SWAP

10. "That's using your head!" : GOOD IDEA

11. How oysters are often served : RAW. Yeah, Baby ...

  
12. Eisenhower's nickname : IKE

13. Norse god of war : TYR

19. Ripped : TORN

21. Houston baseballers, briefly : 'STROS

24. Livestock identifier : EAR TAG

26. Beaver creations : DAMS

27. Workout spot : GYM

28. Linguistic suffix : ESE

30. Catcher's glove : MITT

31. Feature of Vegas "bandits" : ONE ARM

33. Go off the high board : DIVE

34. Santa __, California : ANA

36. Suffix with billion : AIRE

37. Lifted : UPREARED. I know it's legit, because I looked it up ... but what?

38. Dental exam pictures : X-RAYS

39. Atlanta-based cable channel : TBS

40. Crowd cheer : RAH

43. Cathedral recess : APSE

 

45. Roma is its capital : ITALIA

46. Hanging deli meat : SALAMI

47. Was jealous of : ENVIED

48. Hybrid garments : SKORTS. Hybrid made me think unisex, and I first tried SKIRT. Nope.

50. Burden-bearing beasts : ASSES

51. Gaucho's rope : RIATA

53. Internet location : SITE

54. Suffix for natives : ITES

56. 1914-'18 conflict, briefly : WWI

57. Ad __ committee : HOC. For a particular purpose.

58. Mother of Cain and Abel : EVE

59. Commandments pronoun : THY

Monday, May 15, 2017 Mark McClain

Theme: A Twofer - Two answers for one reveal.

17A. *Handyman's forte: REPAIR WORK. Home repair, homework.

22A. *Sports industry mogul: TEAM OWNER. Home team, home owner.

37A. *Frolic unrestrained: RUN FREE. Home run, home free.

50A. *Where the biggest headlines are: FRONT PAGE. Home front, home page.

60A. Game one for season ticket holders ... or, literally, what each word in the answers to starred clues can have: HOME OPENER

Argyle here. Simple yet elegant Monday. A simple solve with no need for the reveal but so much more with the reveal.

Across:

1. Beach sidler: CRAB. I started out slow because I couldn't picture a sidler.

5. Heroic exploit: GEST

9. Donald Duck, to his nephews: "UNCA"

13. Prefix for an intoxicating weed: LOCO

14. "Republic" philosopher: PLATO. Start with the Classic and follow-up with ....

15. Modernists, informally: NEOs

16. Part of NYSE: Abbr.: EXCH. (New York Stock Exchange)

19. Rich person's suffix: AIRE. Millionaire, for starters.

20. __ about: circa: ON OR

21. Sty calls: OINKS. Helps to be a farm boy today.

24. Kitchen invader: ANT

25. Youthful bar patrons are usually asked for them: IDs "Let's see some identification"

26. Cows' milk glands: UDDERS. It is what IDs them as cows.

29. Whence chocolate: CACAO. Not brown cows?!

32. Has lunch, say: EATS

35. Organ knob: STOP. No snickering, please.

36. Gray hue: ASH

40. Mandela's land: Abbr.: RSA. (Republic of South Africa)

41. Old Italian coin: LIRA

43. Jazz singer James: ETTA

44. Arthritis detectors: X-RAYS

46. For the most part: MAINLY

48. Soul automaker: KIA. Straight forward clue today.

49. Phys. or entom.: SCI. Physics or Entomology, Sciences.

56. "__ we meet again": UNTIL

58. Gambling city near Tahoe: RENO

59. Trampled (on): TROD

62. Responsibility: ONUS

63. Algerian seaport: ORAN. Lots of info here.

64. Bleak, in verse: DREAR

65. Take the bus: RIDE

66. "... why __ thou forsaken me?": Matthew: HAST

67. Experience, as emotions: FEEL

68. Ball-balancing circus animal: SEAL

Down:

1. Soccer shoe's turf grabber: CLEAT

2. 51-Down's "Chicago" role: ROXIE. 51-Down. "Chicago" co-star Zellweger: RENEE

3. Capital of Ghana: ACCRA

4. Czech Republic region: BOHEMIA. Regions of the Czech Republic

5. Mercury Seven astronaut John: GLENN

6. How "The Raven" poet signed some of his letters: EAPOE. Edgar Allan Poe knew DREAR.

7. Drummer Ringo: STARR

8. You, in French: TOI

9. Kicks back: UNWINDS

10. Colorful aquarium fish: NEON TETRA

11. Wine stopper: CORK

12. Questions: ASKS

14. Ship fronts: PROWS but 33-Down. Back at sea?: AFT

18. "__ trip!": "Let's travel!": ROAD

23. Smell: ODOR

26. Take advantage of: USE

27. Optimistic: ROSY

28. Restful resorts: SPAs

29. Not windy: CALM

30. Tibet's continent: ASIA

31. "Holiday Inn" holiday: CHRISTMAS. White Christmas (1954) was an extremely loose remake of Holiday Inn (1942).

32. Tolkien tree creature: ENT

34. __-la-la: TRA

38. Driver's one-eighty: U-EY

39. Leave the stage: EXIT. "Stage left even."

42. Really old: ANCIENT

45. Hawks and eagles: RAPTORS

47. Stitch's movie pal: LILO

48. Big name in packaged soup: KNORR

50. French brother: FRÈRE

52. Shaq of the NBA: O'NEAL

53. Golf great with an "army": ARNIE. Palmer.

54. Mild Dutch cheese: GOUDA

55. Ford flop: EDSEL

56. "Here comes trouble!": "UH-OH!"

57. Romance novelist Roberts: NORA

61. Adobe file format: PDF. (Portable Document Format)

Argyle