Friday, March 14, 2014, Marti Duguay-Carpenter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Across:

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

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

11. Relocation aid : VAN. Really?

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

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

16. As per : A LA. French.

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

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

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

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

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

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

31. Lock : TRESS.

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

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

42. Fields : AREAS.

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

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

45. Meshes : AGREES.

53. Playground bouncer : BALL.

54. Like some important letters : CERTIFIED.

59. Pay stub? : OLA. Payola.

62. Take home : NET.

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

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

65. Private __ : EYE.

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

67. Numerous : MANY.

Down:

1. Scrape : RASP.

2. Mideast VIP : EMIR.

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

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

5. Dress : CLOTHE.

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

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

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

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

11. Bona fide : VALID. From the Latin.

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

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

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

21. Tourist's guide : MAP.

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

24. Otherwise : ELSE.

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

26. Petri dish filler : AGAR.

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

28. Chemical suffix : IDE.

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

32. Genetic messenger : RNA. RIBONUCLEIC ACID.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

49. Make merry : ELATE.

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

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

52. Ticked : IRKED.

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

57. Coll. major : ECONomics.

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

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

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

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

Notes from C.C.:

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

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

 Top Floor Stairs, Before

  Top Floor Stairs, After

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

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

Saturday December 21, 2013 Marti DuGuay-Carpenter

Mini-theme: Crossword turns 100-year-old today, hence our 3rd crossword tribute puzzle.

39A. The first one appeared on this date in 1913 : CROSSWORD PUZZLE

7D. Finish a 39-Across without a single mistake, e.g. : BE LETTER PERFECT

   

C.C. here. Poor Splynter is sick. I'm so used to getting a write-up in the Draft folder every Saturday when I wake up. This is the first time the Stud missed a blog since May 21, 2011. He's that dedicated and disciplined.

Mini-theme often consists of 2 entries, they're either intersected in the very middle like Marti's today or placed in the first Across & last Across or any opposite symmetrical spots.

  

Across:

1. Raises one's spirits? : TOASTS. Great clue.

7. Reasons for seeing double? : BIFOCALS. By the way, Jayce, you're confusing Katharina Böhm with Katharina Boehm, who's an accomplished golfer.

15. Rapt : INTO IT. Totally.

16. Easter activities : EGG ROLLS. Oh, non-food reference, Steve!

17. Whistler, at times : KETTLE

18. Paintball kin : LASER TAG

19. __ du Diable : ILE. Devil's Island.

20. Loser's word : LITE. Weight loser.

22. Surgical tube : STENT

23. Point of Grant Wood's "American Gothic"? : TINE

25. Hulu offering : NET TV. Do you call yours NET TV, Bill G?

28. Mythical archer : EROS

29. Ahead : ON TOP

31. Headache cause : STRESS

33. Marie Antoinette and Louise de Lorraine : REINES. Queens in French.

35. "It is the __, and Juliet is the sun" : EAST

36. Org. that employed Julia Child during WWII : OSS (Office of Strategic Services)

42. QVC rival : HSN (Home Shopping Network)

43. Nitpick : CARP

44. Deprive fraudulently, in slang : ACE OUT

45. Figure-hugging : FITTED. For River Doc. Loved your post last night.

47. Milne mom : KANGA

48. "Just the __, ..." : SAME

51. Host : HORDE

53. Sailor's port : LEFT

54. West Indian sorcery : OBEAH. Similar to Voodoo?

56. Didn't recover from a trip? : FELL. I was thinking of traveling of course.

58. Bit of a chuckle : HEE

59. Bunk : NONSENSE

62. Buck's Fizz cousin : MIMOSA. Never had Buck's Fizz: two parts orange juice to one part champagne. Maybe Misty serves it in her annual Christmas party.

64. "Hold your horses!" : JUST A SEC. You started with "Wait a sec" as well?

65. Silvery food fish : SMELTS. So why is this fish plurable? English irregularities regarding plurals drive me crazy.

66. Pitched : AT A SLANT

67. "A Writer's Life" author : TALESE (Gay). Also wrote "Honor Thy Father".

Down:

1. Backyard party decoration : TIKI TORCH

2. Routine fare? : ONE LINERS. Love this clue also.

3. Care : ATTENTION.  D-Otto always welcomes newbies to our blog. Thanks for the care, Tom!

4. Tosspot : SOT

5. Cultivate : TILL. So sweet of your farmer to send you roses, PK.

6. "A rose is a rose is a rose is a rose" author : STEIN (Gertrude). Loved "Charmed Circle".

8. Market chain based in Chicago : IGA (Independent Grocers Alliance)

9. OT enders, often : FGS (Field Goals)

10. Crops of the pick? : ORES. I don't get this clue. Why "pick"?

11. 1519 Yucatán arrival : CORTES (Hernán). Learning moment to me. He overthrew the Aztec Empire. I see lip liner.

12. Doctor : ALTER. Verb "Doctor".

13. The plain in Spain : LLANO. Rhyming clue.

14. Certain NCOs : SSGTs (Staff sergeant)

21. French possessive : TES. Your. So are MES & SES.

24. Ages : EONS

26. Like much folk mus. : TRAD (Traditional)

27. "Roman Holiday" vehicle : VESPA

30. "Home Alone" actor : PESCI (Joe)

32. Unable to go further : STUCK

34. What a scythe may cut : SWATH

36. Montreal Protocol concern : OZONE HOLE. Not familiar with Montreal Protocol, signed in Sept 1987, the exact month I had my first kiss. Where were you in 1987?

37. Games with many runs : SLUGFESTS

38. Calm : SET AT EASE

40. "For here __ go?" : OR TO

41. Fervor : ZEAL

45. Big spreads : FEASTS

46. 34th POTUS : DDE. Easy. As I remember JFK is the 35th.

48. First name in skating : SONJA (Henie). Clear Ayes' favorite.

49. In the neighborhood of : ABOUT

50. Epitome of brightness : MENSA

52. Title loc. in five '80s films : ELM ST

55. Cure : HEAL

57. Bean named for a capital : LIMA. I grew a few rows of lima bean a couple of years ago.

60. DOD arm : NSA

61. Tester or Boxer: Abbr. : SEN. Jon Tester (Montana). Barbara Boxer.

63. Tillis of country : MEL

Marti also has a puzzle at George Barany's site. Click here to solve.

I don't know the exact date, but somewhere this year Rich Norris edited his 5000th puzzle  for the LA Times. Congratulations, Rich!

 
C.C.

Monday, December 9, 2013 Marti DuGuay-Carpenter

Theme: Y - Four theme entries that ask 'Why' but not a 'Y' to be found in the answers.

17A. "Why bother?" : "IT'S HOPELESS!"

27A. "Why me?" : "WHAT HAVE I DONE?"

43A. "Why worry?" : "FORGET ABOUT IT!"

57A. "Why not?" : "GIVE IT A SHOT"

Argle here. Warti is back upright for today's puzzle. Now can OwenKL give us some haiku.

Across:

1. Gem weight unit : CARAT

6. Three-line Japanese poem : HAIKU

11. Container for Peter Pan : JAR

14. "You __ busted!" : ARE SO

15. Past prisoner, for short : EXCON

16. Prefix for a lifesaving "Pen" : EPI

19. Bit of Morse code : DIT

20. Trivial gripe : NIT

21. Stow cargo : LADE

22. "57 Varieties" brand : HEINZ. Started with prepared horseradish.

24. Purr former : CAT. Cat update, Marti?

25. Plane for a small airstrip, briefly : STOL. Short TakeOff and Landing

33. Entire : WHOLE

34. Neeson of "Schindler's List" : LIAM

35. Carps at : NAGS

37. Blubber : BAWL

38. 90-degree pipe piece : ELL

39. Clinton's vice president : GORE. Al

40. Johnson of "Laugh-In" : ARTE

41. Island dance : HULA

42. Beast with one hump or two : CAMEL

46. Pet food brand with a ProActive Health variety : IAMS

47. Chimpanzee, e.g. : APE

48. Equally strange : AS ODD

51. Northwestern pear : BOSC

53. Revolutionary Guevara : CHE

56. Logician's proof ending : QED

61. Spoon-bending Geller : URI

62. Musical Merman : ETHEL

63. Eucalyptus-eating marsupial : KOALA

64. Civil War prez : ABE

65. Students' hurdles : TESTS

66. Kick out : EXPEL

Down:

1. Abel's older brother : CAIN

2. Class for potential painters : ART I

3. Remainder : REST

4. Residue in a smoker's tray : ASH

5. "You missed the deadline" : "TOO LATE"

6. Pay attention to : HEED

7. Wheel-supporting shaft : AXLE

8. Cold bagful for a party : ICE. or for your head after the party.

9. Bout enders, briefly : KOs. Knock Outs.

10. Without footwear : UNSHOD

11. "Star Wars" warrior : JEDI

12. Neat as __ : A PIN

13. Big name in hotels and crackers : RITZ

18. Hiker's route : PATH

23. Stretch out : ELONGATE

24. Phone screening service : CALLER ID

25. Underwater experiment site : SEALAB

26. Tiny Dickens boy : TIM

27. Pier : WHARF

28. Do-it-yourselfer's book genre : HOW TO

29. Indigenous Alaskans : ALEUTs

30. Grand Roman home : VILLA

31. Judd of country music : NAOMI

32. "Snowy" heron : EGRET

33. Fighter's org. : WBA. (World Boxing Association)

36. Salt, on the Seine : SEL. in France.

41. Partner of haw : HEM

42. Baked treat often wrapped in fluted paper : CUPCAKE. CED?

44. Gizmo : GADGET

45. Brewer's kiln : OAST

48. Greenish-blue : AQUA

49. Balkan native : SERB

50. Drooling toon dog : ODIE

51. Red root vegetable : BEET

52. Lubricates : OILS

53. Bloke : CHAP

54. Ice fishing access : HOLE

55. List-shortening abbr. : ET AL.

58. Suffix with Wyoming : ITE. Really

59. Old videotape type : VHS

60. Fenway team, for short : SOX. No wine reference today.

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to dear Hahtoolah, who never appears on the blog without an inspiring and thoughtful "Quote of the Day".  If you pay attention to the bracketed dates in Hahtoolah's quote source, you'll know that her quotes are never random. And she's been carefully selecting her quotes for us for a few years, talk about consistency! Her posts are also consistently caring & informative. (Dave, think cat!!)

Friday, December 6, 2013, Marti DuGuay-Carpenter

Theme: Turn the puzzle upside down, by Warti.

As I heard the story, this was inspired by the divine one's childhood, when she was little she was called Warti, which made her embarrassed, so she changed her name to Marti, and this puzzle ensued. (I hope she does not sue me for libel!). Or maybe Ian Fleming changed his mind about the name of James Bond's boss? Fun, simple theme presented in a pinwheel (2 across, 2 down) with a very cute but too late to be helpful reveal. The 'in the language' phrases are tweaked with the simple W to M change to create new and amusing phrases. So much fun in marti's puzzles, I am going to shut up and let her entertain you.

20A. Odd way to check for ore? : M(W)INE TASTING. (11). We know our resident oenophile may have started with this seed entry. Licking rocks does not sound appealing.

57A. What you need when your car is stuck in the mud? : M(W)IRE SERVICE. (11). Nice convoluted clue, which I hope did not bog you down.

11D. Summons from the cosmetician? : M(W)AKEUP CALL. (10). Really great visual of the beautician calling and saying, "Quick get in here now, your mascara ran!"

29D. Fix potatoes the hard way? : M(W)ASH BY HAND. (10). Another great transition to a visual.

and the reveal, in the center of the grid...

37D. Audi rival, and, when spoken as a command, a hint to this puzzle's theme : BMW. "Be M, W." Maybe this was the seed....Gather up all of the Ws and make them M, that will turn the Morld on its ear.

Across:

1. Some arm bands : TATS. Fun clue and the perfect counterpart for the last Across clue. 71A. "Toodles!" : TATA. A repeat from yesterday.

5. Work on the web : SPIN. I am sure marti planned this is a misdirection involving spiders and not the internet, but with the spin doctors out there, it works both ways.

9. Grant access : ADMIT.

14. Earthy hue : ECRU.

15. "That can't be!" : OH NO.

16. Heat energy source? : MIAMI. Cute since So'Fla. is often the only place in the US where the sun is warm this time of year. The the team seems bored, waiting to see of Greg Oden is healthy.

17. On the roof of : ATOP.

18. __ accompli : FAIT. A French expression clearly in the language in the US meaning already done. You can see where our word accomplished comes from.

19. Seeing red : IRKED.

23. Dreyer's partner in ice cream : EDY.

24. Blooms with hips : ROSES. Did you know roses bore FRUIT ? Many health benefits.

25. Waimea Bay locale : OAHU. Supposed great surfing, too bad all of our Hawaii posters are not active.

27. Uncomfortable place to be in : LIMBO. Initially a religious concept.

30. Friendly response to a knock : IT'S OPEN.

33. Atty.'s group : ABA. American Bar Association.

34. Letter before mu : LAMBDA. Do you know your Greek ALPHABET? (2:19) Sing it!

38. It may be a lot : ACRE. Wonderful play on words.

39. '50s sitcom name : DESI. Mr. Arnaz, or Mr. Lucille Ball?

41. Pyle of Mayberry : GOMER. More tv, Jim Nabors, the loveable marine from Mayberry, who Rock Hudson found so fetching; maybe it was the music.

42. Mumbai music : RAGA. My learning moment. Obviously you need to know Bombay is now Mumbai, and then know about Indian music. LEARN. Think of it as the beginning of Reggae.

43. 1939 Garland co-star : LAHR. Bert, and I am not Lion.

44. Without exception : ALWAYS.

46. Remove : LOP. We will lop off a few inches.

47. Attaché's place : EMBASSY. Not the case, the diplomat.

49. Is inclined : TILTS. Another clever use of words, taking the literal meaning of an incline.

51. Shows of support : YEAS. Raise your hands if you like this clue?

52. Bit of a scrap : RUN IN. Not iron, confrontation.

55. Dash no. : MPH. My "eh" of the puzzle. Dash = dashboard?  Sure, but only in context, or maybe this is just too clever for me. 100 yards was my first thought.

62. Muse for Millay : ERATO. What kind of middle name is VINCENT for a woman?

64. Culture medium : AGAR.

65. Scraped together, with "out" : EKED. I think this may be the most used fill of all.

66. Maker of the Mighty Dump : TONKA. Oh, the toy....my first thought did not pass the breakfast test.

67. Pace : GAIT.

68. Texter's button : SEND.

69. Optional component : ADD ON.

70. Some shooters, briefly : SLRS. A single-lens reflex (SLR) camera is a camera that typically uses a mirror and prism system (hence "reflex", from the mirror's reflection) that permits the photographer to view through the lens and see exactly what will be captured, contrary to viewfinder cameras where the image could be significantly different from what will be captured. (Wikipedia).

Down:

1. One in the standings : TEAM.

2. Opening on Broadway : ACT I. They all have to start somewhere.

3. "__: Uprising": Disney sci-fi series : TRON.

4. A-one : SUPERB. The exact reverse from yesterday.

5. Remote hiding places? : SOFAS. More cute misdirection, marti is really in control today.

6. Introduce gradually, with "in" : PHASE.

7. DDE and JFK, e.g. : INITS. My initial nit of the day.

8. Words of denial : NOT I?  At least by an English teacher.

9. Pamplona pals : AMIGAS. The female friends from Spain.

10. E, but not A, I, O or U : DIRection. Actually more misDIRection.

12. Contacted, in a way, briefly : IM-ED.

13. Neat : TIDY.

21. Trade item? : TOOL. Not trade like an exchange, but a career.

22. Official with a seal : NOTARY. Every office needs a few.

26. Winter coat : HOAR. The sliver of silver coating the ground.

27. Serve from a pot : LADLE.

28. Steel girder : I-BEAM. You knew she would get one of these in the puzzle.

30. Bean sprout? : IDEA. Oh such wit! Hers is obviously in full bloom.

31. Rye fungus : ERGOT. Home for LSD.

32. Some tides : NEAPS.

35. "Open" autobiographer : AGASSI. I am so bad with with book titles, I read it and did not know it was his until I had the AG. Did you know you cannot copyright a Title? Want to do your own Gone with the Wind?

36. Herb that protected Odysseus from Circe's magic : MOLY. All perps, never knew of this HERB, which once again is Greek in origin.

40. "Dies __" : IRAE.

45. Move a little : STIR.

48. South Pacific islander : SAMOAN.

50. Use money to make money : INVEST.

52. Majestic : REGAL.

53. Allegheny, as of 1979 : USAIR. From a regional to a huge international, to swallowed up by American....

54. "Darn!" : NERTS. An old variation of NUTS, probably from the regional dialect of the northeast.

55. Self-referential prefix, in modern lingo : META. Metadata, data about data is the only example I can think of, but it is more of our recent clue fascination with all that is Greek.

56. Impel : PROD.

58. Tabloids, to some : RAGS. Riches to others.

59. Flat pack furniture seller : IKEA.

60. One seen in a store dish : CENT. Take a penny, leave a penny.

61. Icelandic literary work : EDDA. A word I know only from crosswords, but I have seen it for so many years.

63. Ref's ruling : TKO. Technical Knock Out.

Speaking of Out, I am out of material, so it is time to hit the road. Thanks marti, I got dizzy doing this while standing on my head. I hope you all have the blood rushing to all the right places. Have a great week end. Lemonade out.

Notes from C.C.:

1) Here is a picture JD took on her first trip to South Africa. She said "The children created this likeness of their hero on a wall in Cape Town, Nelson Mandela, using hand prints."

2) Happy Birthday to dear Lucina, the only regular I've met in person. She's just as cheerful and fun as she is on the blog.

(L-R back row: Chickie, Clear Ayes, Garlic Gal; Front: JD, Lucina, Dodo. 

Picture taken on June 23, 2011

Wednesday, November 27, 2013 Marti DuGuay-Carpenter

Theme:  Mr. Mostel, or Dash it all, or Nothing, really.

So many pictures, so hard to chose

17A. Line on an envelope : CITY STATE AND ZIP.  Part of an address, but not Mr. Lincoln's at Gettysburg.

 23A. Pago Pago's land : AMERICAN SAMOA.  City on an island; also the Capital.

 40A. Paul Hogan role : CROCODILE DUNDEE.  Australian adventure movie.

 52A. Classic cartoon shout : YABBA-DABBA-DOO.  Fred Flintstone.

And the unifier --  62A. Zero in Morse code, any part of which will finish the title of the Oscar-winning song found at the ends of 17-, 23-, 40- and 52-Across : DAH DAH DAH DAH DAH.  If you think of Morse Code in terms of dots and dashes, DAH is the dash.

Hi gang, JzB here, totally in awe of this seemingly nothing theme, and its execution; from our own dear Heart, Marti.  Until the unifier, I was clueless.

Here is today's theme song, Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah, from the 1946 Disney movie, Song of the South.

Across:

1. One-on-one contest : DUEL.  It's a dual confrontation.

5. Pub orders : ALES. 

9. Creator : MAKER.  Often met by the loser of 1A.

14. Sicilian smoker : ETNA.  The most popular X-word volcano.

15. Shout to a storeful of customers : NEXT.  Many stores are refusing to open tomorrow.  I'm NEXT to applaud them.

16. Elegant headgear : TIARA.  Hat for a princess

20. Noel beginning : O COME.  Christmas is less than a month away, now.

21. Current to avoid : RIP.  Ocean current, lest you earn an R.I.P. and meet A9.

22. Gives the nod : OK'S.  I give the nod to Marti's fine puzzle.

28. Dudley Do-Right's gal : NELL. 

29. Green prefix : ECO-.  Environmentalism.

30. Golfer Woosnam : IAN.  Don't know him

33. Down __: Maine region : EAST.  Regional slang.  In the Detroit area, it's down river.

36. "Gotta run!" : LATER.  Later, later; must push on for now.

44. Side of the 1860s : UNION.  Civil War, of course.

45. __ Lisa Vito: "My Cousin Vinny" role : MONA.  Played brilliantly by Marisa Tomai. Excellent movie.

46. Cold-sounding commercial prefix : SNO-.  SNO-cone, SNO-Caps, SNO-cat.  Sno-others?

47. "I'm not impressed" : MEH.  Homer.

49. '60s White House daughter : LUCI Baines Johnson.  Everyone in the family was LBJ.

58. NYSE overseer : SEC.  Securities Exchange Commision

59. Green roll : SOD.  Lawn order.

60. Tropical trees : PALMS.  Will you be my frond?

67. Stopped lying? : AROSE.  Woke up, got up, and that's the truth!

68. MBA seeker's first hurdle : GMAT.  Graduate Management Admission Test.

69. Napa prefix : OENO.  Wine related.

70. Array for a Boy Scout : KNOTS.  Do you know the difference between a square knot and a granny?

71. Comes to a stop : ENDS.  Some of them are loose.

72. Quick cut : SNIP.

Down:

1. Rectilinear art form : DECO.  There are plenty of curves in art deco, but I won't quibble.

2. City east of Syracuse : UTICA.  Also a city north-east of Detroit.

3. Sci. of insects : ENTOMology

4. Nonprofessionals : LAY MEN.

5. Pantry pest : ANT.  What about a formica counter top?

6. Green expanse : LEA.

7. Cast-of-thousands member : EXTRA.  I read all about it.

8. Pub order : STEIN.  Clecho!

9. High-elev. spot : MTN.  One place to get high, briefly.

10. A leg up : AID.

11. Sung-into instrument : KAZOO,

12. Slezak of "One Life to Live" : ERIKA.  Never watched it.

13. Shoots the breeze : RAPS.  Retro definition.  In the 60's we had RAP sessions.

18. Plagued by drought : SERE.

19. Church recess : APSE.

24. "Where Is the Life That Late __?": Cole Porter song : I LED.

25. Forty-niner's stake : CLAIM.  Last night they CLAIMED a big win over the Washington team.

26. Rights gp. : ACLU.  American Civil Liberties Union.

27. Ghostly sound : MOAN.   Ghost walks into a bar.  Bartender gives him a quizzical look.  "What," the ghost says, "You don't serve spirits here?"

30. Post-ER area : I.C.U.  Intensive Care Unit.  Bet Marti knows all about it.

31. Son of Prince Valiant : ARN.

32. "There's __ in 'team'" : NO I.  George Carlin's response: "Maybe not. But there is an "I" in independence, individuality and integrity.'"

34. __-mo : SLO.  Slow motion camera trick.  Rhymes with SNO-.

35. Potato sack wt., perhaps : TEN LB.  Mash 'em up.

37. B. Favre's career 508 : TDS.  Touch Downs.  American football.

38. Velvet finish? : EEN.  Velveteen. Silly Wabbit.

39. Collectible car : R. E. O.  Speedwagon, by Ransom Eli Olds.

41. Search everywhere in : COMB.

42. Front row seat : ONE B.  First class?

43. Apply amateurishly : DAUB.

48. It may be slung at a diner : HASH.

50. Matador's cloak : CAPA.  Spanish for cape.

51. Oft-baked veggies : IDAHOS.  P'daydahs.  Yes, a tuber is a vegetable.

52. Long (for) : YEARN.  Always reminds me of this, from the Maxims section of the 9th Century Exeter Book; doubly appropriate during Thanksgiving week.

Longað þonne þy læs þe him con leoþa worn,

oþþe mid hondum con hearpan gretan;

hafaþ him his gliwes giefe, þe him god sealde.

He longs less who knows many songs

Or can touch the harp with his hands

He has his gleeful gift that God gave him.

Be thankful for what you have. [sermon]

53. Blessed outburst? : ACHOO.  Gesundheit.

54. Evade : DODGE, as a bullet.

55. Butler's last words : A DAMN.  From a man who wouldn't give. Rhett Butler.

56. Of yore : OLDEN.  Back in the day.

57. Muscat native : OMANI.

58. Where to find Pierre: Abbr. : South DAKota. Unlike Waldo, it's on the map.

61. Class with tools : SHOP. Machine or wood.

63. Mar.-Nov. hours : D.S.T.  Daylight Saving Time. I save time in a bottle.

64. Two-time loser to DDE : AES  Dwight David Eisenhower and Adlai Ewing Stevenson

65. Owned : HAD.  Possession having been 9 points of the law.

66. Boozer's syndrome : DT'S.  Delerium Tremens.  I had this last month in C.C.'s puzzle; Latin for shaking frenzy, a symptom of withdrawal from alcohol or other sedative hypnotics.  Can be fatal if not treated.

But there's nothing fatal about Marti's terrific puzzle.  A few abbrvs, but no zeros.  Hope you enjoyed it all as much as I did.

Cool [but not wintery] regards,

JzB 

Monday, November 4, 2013 Marti DuGuay-Carpenter

Theme: Don't Lose It - People giving work-related advice to stressed-out individuals.

17A. Mathematician's "Stay cool!"? : "COUNT TO TEN!"

29A. Golfer's "Stay cool!"? : "GET A GRIP!"

36A. Diver's "Stay cool!"? : "TAKE A DEEP BREATH!"

43A. Refrigeration mechanic's "Stay cool!"? : "CHILL OUT!"

58A. Realtor's "Stay cool!"? : "SETTLE DOWN!"

Argyle here. I've had my chill pill and things are firing on all cylinders. Marti has given us a sweet start to the week.

Across:

1. Credit card choice : VISA

5. Woman's address : MADAM

10. Nosegay : POSY. A small bunch of flowers.

14. Blogger's "That's what I think" : IMHO. (in my humble opinion)

15. Like beer in a cooler : ON ICE. A suitable use for ice.

16. Vogue rival : ELLE. Wikipedia has a long list of fashion magazines.

19. Radiant look : GLOW

20. Signed up for, as a contest : ENTERED

21. Bacon hunks : SLABS

22. Corrida cry : ¡OLE!

23. Hors d'oeuvres liver spread : PÂTÉ

25. Waist-tied kitchen protectors : APRONS

33. Pinot __: red wine : NOIR. No surprise to see this here.

34. Remove wool from : SHEAR

35. Half of the word "inning" : ENs. The letter N.

40. "Ewww!" : "ICK!"

41. Whistlestop places : TOWNS. Best I can find is that if you wanted to get off the train at a small town without scheduled stop, the conductor would signal the engineer who would proceed to blow the whistle twice as acknowledgement and to alert the station. It became political. LINK

42. Former Sony brand : AIWA. Aiwa began in the 50's as its own company. It was a Sony company only from 2002 to 2006 then kaput.

45. Take out a loan : BORROW

47. Senior advocacy gp. : AARP

48. Help out : AID

49. Roller coaster segments : LOOPS. Learn more HERE if you've the stomach for it.

52. Bedroom shoe : SLIPPER

57. "If __ a Hammer" : I HAD. The song was written by Pete Seeger and Lee Hays in 1949 and first recorded by The Weavers and then by Peter, Paul and Mary.

                                LINK

61. Arty NYC section : SOHO

62. Last new Olds : ALERO

63. Vicinity : AREA

64. Ruffian : THUG

65. Black __ spider : WIDOW

66. Legis. meeting : SESSion

Down:

1. '80s TV's "Miami __" : VICE

2. "That's my cue!" : "I'M ON!"

3. Closed : SHUT

4. Top-shelf : A-ONE

5. Refuges for overnighters : MOTELS

6. Battery terminal : ANODE

7. Morse code character : [DIT]

8. Stretchy bandage brand : ACE

9. "All the President's __" : MEN

10. Limb for Ahab : PEGLEG. Arrgh, the white whale got the real one.

11. Spanish stewpot : OLLA

12. Dinner's often on him : SLOB

13. Conifers with pliable wood : YEWS. Hence, their use for bows.

18. 1982 Disney sci-fi flick : TRON

21. Drummer Ringo : STARR

23. Chirps from chicks : PEEPS

24. Run __: get credit at the pub : A TAB

25. Bit of foolishness : ANTIC

26. Cook by simmering : POACH

27. Kipling's "__-Tikki-Tavi" : RIKKI. A short story in The Jungle Book about the adventures of a valiant young mongoose.

28. Mined find : ORE

29. Treaty of __: War of 1812 ender : GHENT. A Flemish city now part of Belgium.

30. Show again : RE-AIR

31. Halved : IN TWO

32. "Horsefeathers!" : "PSHAW!"

34. Clinch, as a deal : SEW UP

37. Sky holder of myth : ATLAS

38. "Let's Make a Deal" choice : DOOR. one, two, or three?
 

39. Listening organ : EAR
 

44. What 46-Down totally isn't : LAP DOG. 46D. "Garfield" pooch : ODIE

45. Puff up in the wind, as a sail : BILLOW

48. Houston baseballer : ASTRO

49. Shopper's aid : LIST

50. "This can't be good" : "OH-OH!"

51. Waikiki's island : OAHU

53. High-tech hand-held gadgets, briefly : PDAs. (personal digital assistant)

54. Go (over) in detail : PORE

55. Baaing mas : EWEs

56. Genetic messengers : RNAs

58. Espied : SAW

59. Yalie : ELI

60. Turner of broadcasting : TED

Argyle

Thursday, October 24, 2013, Marti DuGuay-Carpenter & Jerome Gunderson

Theme: Twist and Shout,  it is anagram time!

Well this Thursday offering from our new Titanic Twosome, had me twisting in the wind in places until I finally shouted Eureka! I used up my anagram last time I blogged this pairing, so you all are on your own. Anagram puzzles are different because either you see it or you do not, which would make it very hard even with the reveal, but remember words like, Change, Shake Up, or in this case SWITCH etc. tell you it is an anagram. Lemonade here pinch writing for our shy Thursday thumper, unraveling the product of two beautiful minds. I am still not used to the day, but this had some very nice intermediate fill, such as NUDISTS, PARASOL, PATROLS, PLOPPED, CATWOMAN and SEAFARER and a couple of real challenges. Let's take a walk on the wild side and see.

20A. *Garden display : FLOWER PETALS. (12).

34A. *Paper fastener : METAL STAPLE. (11).

41A. *Feature of some kilts : KNIFE PLEATS. (11). As the grandson of a Tailor, I am embarrassed to say I did not know this TERM.

51A. Electrician's covers, and a hint to the ends of the answers to starred clues : SWITCH PLATES. (12).

Time to flick to ON and get to work.

Across:

1. Like much Oscar-night attire : CHIC. Not an easy one for me to see and I was struggling with 1 down too; This is one of those puzzles where I could provide a link for almost every answer, but I will restrain myself so you can focus on their words.

5. Under-the-sink installation : P TRAP. Is there a hyphen? For all you DIY people.

10. Take a shine to? : BUFF. Okay, maybe a few.

14. Jazz singer Horne : LENA. 70 years ago. LISTEN. (5:05). A real treat.

15. Island near Curaçao : ARUBA. Two of the three Dutch ABC islands off of the Coast of Venezuela.

16. 1930s migrant to California : OKIE. A no no? 23A. Oklahoma tribe : OTOE.

17. Far __ : EAST.

18. River where Romulus and Remus were abandoned : TIBER. My son the archaeology major named his dog REMUS, but after the Harry Potter character!

19. Hot : SEXY. Equal time.

24. Sends regrets : SAYS NO.

28. Crazed Muppet drummer : ANIMAL. A man, a woman and now for you furries, HIT IT. (0:43).

31. Bright light : NEON.

33. Bamboozled : HAD. Tricky clue for a little answer.

36. Where Andy Capp 'angs 'is 'at : 'OME.

37. Noggin : BEAN. Mr. Bean would be at 'ome with Andy.

38. Go in haste : HIE. A Shakespeare word, how cool.

39. Stretch : SPAN.

40. Med. lab letters : LDL. Low-density lipoprotein The bad cholesterol. Lipo proteins often lead to liposuction.

45. Actor Wallach : ELI. He played the UGLY. (5:04).

46. Creatures of habit? : NUNS. Really fun example of the minds of our constructors.

47. Unfancy to the max? : LOATHE. Fancy meaning to like, not the adjective. Did it fool you?

48. Ready to be served : SEATED.

50. Three French horns, in a Prokofiev classic : WOLF. A true CLASSIC. (4:11).

57. Take a verbal shot at : ZING. Not to be confused with Bazzinga.

60. Small porch : STOOP. To me, it just means the steps in front of the porch.

61. Sitarist Shankar : RAVI. His famous daughter is Norah Jones, this is ANOUSHKA. (6:23).

62. Busy : AT IT.

63. Mel-Tones frontman : TORME. The velvet fog and muse for Night Court.

64. Place for the first 42-Down? : EDEN. Really cute cross-referential with 42D. Colony residents : NUDISTS. No ant colony for these two, and of course I have to add

65. Opens, as a car trunk : POPS. So many choices.

66. Sprinter's asset : SPEED.

67. Stinky : RANK. May be from our word RANCID?

Down:

1. Pitch indicator : CLEF. Man I need to go back to music class, when I was in school I was not only tone deaf, but pitch black.

2. Get back on one's feet : HEAL.

3. "You are __ much trouble!" : IN SO. a common sibling comment.

4. Supervillain with a whip : CATWOMAN, There have been so many beautiful women in that costume, who is your FAVORITE?

5. Pounds a beat : PATROLS.

6. Sheer nonsense : TRIPE. We know of the food made from entrails, so I guess it makes sense for the Slang definition: something, especially speech or writing, that is false or worthless; rubbish.

7. Hick : RUBE.  I guess there were a lot of Reubens in the country.

8. Disable the security system for, say : ABET. Complicated clue for a simple answer.

9. Lightweight umbrella : PARASOL. This is actually from the French to protect from the SOLEIL.

10. Domineering : BOSSY.

11. Maui strings : UKE. Where are all the the Hawaiians?

12. Tough spot : FIX.

13. Tina of "Date Night" : FEY. She is out of work and not happy, I hear.

21. Abbr. for the nameless? : ET AL.

22. Shipping route : LANE.

25. Patronize : SHOP AT.

26. Jet legend : NAMATH. Joe Willie, will the Jets ever have another hero?

27. Danish seaport : ODENSE. I am not really familiar with this city, though I can see the name coming from the Norse god, Odin and therefore a Jerome clue/fill. It looks like Aruba with the orange roofs.

28. Moseys : AMBLES.

29. Compass point? : NEEDLE. Another one, where you say, damn north, east, south, west are all too short.

30. Venezia's land : ITALIA. For marti our travelling saleswoman.

31. Innocents : NAIFS. The same stem as naive; there is a similar Yiddish word.

32. Foil kin : EPEE. Not tin or aluminum.

35. Deli slicing request : THIN. So why do we get it sliced thin and then out 6 pieces on the sammich?

39. Old salt : SEAFARER. Swabbie, sea dog, tar...or our missing marine?

41. More than suspected : KNEW.

43. Sat (down) ungracefully : PLOPPED. But did not fizz.

44. Hang out in the hammock : LOLL.

49. USAF E-6's : T-SGTS. "Technical Sergeant is the sixth enlisted rank (pay grade E-6) in the U.S. Air Force, just above staff sergeant and below master sergeant. " No longer a rank in the Army and not to be confused with 52D. 'Vette roof option : T-TOP. marti loves those 'letter-word' words.

50. Question before "Yeah, you!" : WHO ME?

53. Pear remnant : CORE. How cute, let's trick them and not use apple.

54. "Yay, me!" : TADA. Almost time.

55. Neck and neck : EVEN. I hope you are keeping up with me.

56. Hole on the green : SINK. Hole the verb, not the noun/ "Man, he holed a 50 footer!"

57. Static jolt : ZAP. Don't drag your feet on the carpet.

58. Skater Midori : ITO. I always link her for dear Clear Ayes, but this time I will pour a Midori sour.

so we can finish up with a

59. Swig : NIP.

What fun it is to toast these two, even with green liqueur on the rocks (sorry Tinbeni). A bit confusing for my Friday brain, but much fun. I leave you with some words from the divine one.

This is another puzzle that Jerome and I co-constructed. I love it that Rich published both in the same month! I was working on a theme idea with the unifier "SWITCH PLATE" that had anagrams of "plate" in it. When I got stuck trying to find good entries, I turned to the master of anagrams and asked for help. He suggested making PLATE plural, and came up with the theme entries.

Having only four entries, I told him I thought I could design a respectable grid, and he said: "I DON'T WANT TO BE PART OF ANYTHING RESPECTABLE!!" So that's how 42-Down got into the grid...

Note from C.C.:

Please click here to solve Marti's "Top Bananas" puzzle published at George Barany's website. Love that banana picture! Click here to see a cool picture of Marti and a funny bio. Who else on our blog can brag that he/she had a hole-in-one? Husker Gary's was a great mulligan.