Sunday Oct 23, 2011 MaryEllen Uthlaut

Theme: "Gee Whiz" - G is added to the start of each common phrase.

22A. Potentially comforted by a bottle of Beefeater? : GIN CONSOLABLE. Inconsolable. The only entry where the base phrase is one word.

34A. Place for a complainer? : GRUMBLE SEAT. Rumble seat.

57A. Forty-niner after a lucky strike? : GOLD YELLER. "Old Yeller". And 109D. 49ers' org. : NFL. I'm guessing the constructor is a 49ers' fan. Constructors like to put their local teams in the clues/answers.

68A. Christian path to salvation? : GRACE TRACK. Race track.

89A. Stagehand splitting his sides? : GRIP ROARING. Rip-roaring.

107A. Like a baseball player who couldn't find his way to the field? : GLOVED AND LOST. Loved and lost. "Better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all."

16D. Ineptly prepared mess hall offering? : GRUB THE WRONG WAY. Rub the wrong way. Change the verb "rub" into a noun "grub".

42D. Man at the altar yet again? : GROOM FOR ONE MORE. Room for one more. The answer feels a bit awkward for the clue.

The theme makes me smile. Don and I have been working on a similar project.

It would very very cool not to any other G-word in fill. But it's quite challenging if not impossible in a 21*21 grid. Lots of Down 7's.

The puzzle was tough for me at a few spots. I had a much easy time with Gareth Bain's "Gas" last Sunday.

Across:

1. Marshy ground : MORASS. One more blank for my SWAMP.

7. Parties for royalty, say : FETES

12. Finger lever : TRIGGER. Did not come to me readily.

19. Too : OVERLY

20. Lively Baroque dances : GIGUES. Stumper. I think we've seen the singular GIGUE before.

21. Bench warmer : RESERVE

24. Cruel partner : UNUSUAL. Cruel and unusual.

25. Loosen, in a way : UNTIE

26. Rescued orphan in Byron's "Don Juan" : LEILA. No idea. Haltool might know.

27. Cutlass maker : OLDS

28. Eagle's org. : BSA. First thought was PGA.

29. Be inclined : LEAN. And 51. Is inclined : TENDS.

30. 1994 World Cup host : USA. Any important event in your life in 1994? I graduated from the college and broke up with my first boyfriend of 7 years.

31. Carts without fixed sides : DRAYS

33. "Take __ from me ..." : A TIP

39. Community character : ETHOS. This word always gives me trouble.

40. Boxer's greeting : WAG. Dog.

43. Catch sight of : ESPY

44. Blue gem, briefly : LAPIS

45. Worry-free : SERENE. JD always has a serene look.

46. Scrape : ABRADE

48. Kept talking, and talking ... : RAN ON. Any man who's been in Bangkok for even one night can talk hours and hours about his story. Sin city, Santa!

49. Spread here and there : STREW

50. Some electron tubes : DIODES

52. Mailing ctr. : GPO

53. Johnson of "Laugh-In" : ARTE

56. Run to Reno, maybe : ELOPE. Or get divorced.

59. Double-minded : TORN. Roberto hates when I hesitate. He's the most efficient person I know.

60. Rep.'s opponent : DEM

61. Dolphin's home : MIAMI. Don't follow football. Are Miami Dolphins historically good? Vikings suck.

63. Is in need of : LACKS

65. Critic's pick : NIT. Ha ha!

66. Data : INFO

72. Celtic, for one : CAGER

74. Inert gas : NEON

75. Show stoppers : ADs

76. Hag : CRONE

77. Be half-asleep : DROWSE

78. Chaucerian estate manager : REEVE. I bet it's a gimme for Nice Cuppa. I'm lost if the clue has no "Christopher" in it.

80. San Antonio landmark : ALAMO

81. Treat with carbon dioxide : AERATE. I have no idea what they put in.

82. Quality : CHOICE

84. Word with land or sea : SCAPE

85. Seem less important : PALE

87. "You betcha!" : YES. Very Minnesotan.

88. Many an Indian : HINDU. Hi there Vidwan! Don't be a mouse.

92. Surface statistic : AREA

93. Aromatic compound : ESTER

95. Three abroad : TRE

96. Spell opening : ABRA

100. Sleep lab letters : REM

101. Vintage autos : REOS

102. Hyperion, for one : TITAN

104. Challenging winds : OBOES. Why is it challenging?

105. Riot figures : LOOTERS

110. The Urals divide it : EURASIA

111. Like a jack-o'-lantern's eyes : AGLARE

112. Time of merriment : FIESTA. I like the sound of this word.

113. Completely absorbed (in) : STEEPED. This is a fascinating video. Can you guess what the song is about? It's in Cantonese.

114. Striking hammer parts : PEENS

115. "Help!" film director Richard : LESTER

Down:

1. Mound on the slopes : MOGUL. For Marti.

2. Woolly, in a way : OVINE. In a way, yes.

3. Oscar de la __ : RENTA. Laura Bush's favorite designer.

4. Like an arrow in the air : ARCING

5. Blackthorn fruit : SLOE

6. Genuine, for real: Abbr. : SYN. Genuine is a synonym of "real".

7. Befitting offspring : FILIAL. This kid is already pondering on his filial duty.

8. Alike, to Alain : EGAL. The only Alain I can think of is Alain Delon.

9. Big brass : TUBA

10. Snaky fish : EEL. Yum! Snake meat is quite tasty too.

11. Boston-to-Nantucket dir. : SSE

12. Indeed : TRULY

13. Tears apart : RENDS

14. "We have met the enemy and he __": Pogo : IS US

15. Some microwaves : GEs

17. Taxpayer's crime : EVASION

18. Take a turn for the worse : RELAPSE

20. Is called : GOES BY

23. Stretch with no hits : SLUMP. Boomer loves Pujols. So, go Cardinals!

27. Porridge, essentially : OATS

31. State under oath : DEPOSE

32. "Still Falls the __": Edith Sitwell poem : RAIN

33. "You're in for __!" : A TREAT

35. Cash in : REDEEM

36. Exploits : USES

37. Twisty-horned antelope : ELAND. Horny!

38. Like many beaches : SANDY

39. Always, in verse : EER

40. Began energetically : WADED IN. This phrase always has a "careful and tentative" connotation to me.

41. Texas city near Dyess Air Force Base : ABILENE

45. Baby carrier? : STORK. Fun clue.

47. Payroll service giant, initially : ADP. Automated Data Processing.

48. Civil War cannon, e.g. : RELIC

49. Paint droplet : SPECK

51. Inquisitor __ de Torquemada : TOMAS. Spanish for Thomas, right?

52. Iced, as cake : GLACE

54. Italian seaport : TRIESTE. So similar to TRISTE.

55. Main courses : ENTREES

57. Avant-__ : GARDE

58. South American plain : LLANO. Still remember LLANERO?

62. "__ my love a cherry ..." : I GAVE

64. Filter out : SCREEN

67. Iroquois tribe : ONEIDA

69. Food that's French for "flash of lightning" : ECLAIR. Did not know the entomology.

70. "The Sound of Music" family name : TRAPP

71. Former Colorado governor : ROMER (Roy). Complete stranger to me. Looks like he's late for a date.

73. "__ b?" : A OR

77. Spanish surrealist : DALI

79. Coin first minted under Louis IX : ECU. Two choice: ECU or SOU.

80. It might be a whole lot : ACRE

82. Dickens's Darnay : CHARLES. from "A Tale of Two Cities".

83. Offer one's services for a fee : HIRE OUT

84. Certain NCOs : SGTs

85. Mardi Gras event : PARADE

86. Boston's TD Garden, e.g. : ARENA

90. Web-footed mammals : OTTERS

91. Triangular house sections : GABLES. Melissa linked a good one last time.

93. Spine-tingling : EERIE

94. "Alas!" : SO SAD

97. Upward thrust : BOOST

98. Rouen remainder : RESTE. French for "rest" I suppose.

99. Sirius, for one : A-STAR

101. Breathing: Abbr. : RESP. Respiring?

102. Gilded metalware : TOLE. Like this.

103. One of the Karamazovs : IVAN

104. Comic strip drooler : ODIE

106. __ kwon do : TAE

107. Mountain pass : GAP

108. T-shirt size : LGE

Answer grid.

C.C.

Sunday February 13, 2011 MaryEllen Uthlaut

Theme: English Lessons We Never Learned - English grammatical terms are reinterpreted literally and humorously clued with question marks.

23A. Legal dispute over personal property? : POSSESSIVE CASE. The 's ending, as in Dennis' new car.

39A. Oratorical elements? : PARTS OF SPEECH. Verb, noun, pronoun, etc.

52A. Santa's minor children? : DEPENDENT CLAUSES. Sweet clue. Also known as subordinate clause. Incomplete when standing alone. We also have ELF (30D. Yule aide).

69A. Settlement negotiated by one's ancestors? : ANTECEDENT AGREEMENT. Pronoun must agree with its antecedent.

88A. Part of a broken-up prison term? : SENTENCE FRAGMENT. Again, incomplete when standing alone. Subject or verb is missing, or prepositional phrases beginning with although, because, etc.

98A. Rosy answer in a seer's crystal ball? : FUTURE PERFECT. For example: By next May, I will have been living in the US for 10 years.

120A Philatelist or numismatist? : COLLECTIVE NOUN. Words like cast, team, crowd etc. Can be either singular or plural, depending on context.

Hope my understanding of the above grammatical terms is correct. As I mentioned before, I've never received formal education here and my grasp of grammar & common idioms is pretty shaky.

Favorite today is DEPENDENT CLAUSES (52A), thinking of our Dear Santa Argyle, who should be very happy to see how MAGIC (67D. What Muggles can't do, in Harry Potter books) is clued. He's really into those Harry Potter stuff.

Fun theme & smooth solving for me. I grokked the gimmick immediately after I got my first theme answer.

Across:

1. Bojangles specialty : TAP. Bill (Bojangles) Robinson.

4. Gets into : DONS

8. Plains tribe : OMAHA. Hi there, Husker Gary!

13. If all goes well : AT BEST

19. __ mode : A LA

20. CINN-A-STACK seller : IHOP. Hmm, pancakes. What's your regular order there?

21. Unskilled work : McJOB. Added a bit of scrabbly action here.

22. Combat mission : SORTIE

26. Crew and golf : SPORTS. Crew refers to rowing I presume.

27. Map of Hawaii, often : INSET. We also have OAHU (81D. Interstate H-1 locale) & LEI (122D. Wreath of welcome).

28. Film feline : ELSA. "Born Free".

29. Sports car quality : SLEEKNESS

31. Rod's associate : REEL

32. Liquid-Plumr maker : CLOROX. Isn't it too lazy to have the "be" dropped?

35. Aspiring atty.'s challenge : LSAT. And LLB (121. Legal deg.)

36. Generic pooch : FIDO

45. Wyo. neighbor : IDA

48. What the fourth little piggy had : NONE. Does this refer to the "This Little Piggy" nursery rhyme?

50. Some avant-garde art : ARPS. Jean Arp.

51. Playground response to 111-Down : IS TOO. And 111D. Playground response to 51-Across: IS NOT.

58. Cause trouble to : AIL

59. Skipped over : ELIDED

60. U.S. currency : DOL. Chinese currency is called Ren Min Bi, the primary unit is Yuan.

61. As one might expect : NATURALLY

64. Flight segment : STAIR

65. Equip with weapons, old-style : ENARM. OK, old-style.

68. "Hamlet," e.g.: Abbr. : TRAG. Have never seen "Tragedy" abbreviated this way before.

76. Lugs : OAFS. Noun lugs.

77. Smooth move : SEGUE

78. God-fearing : PIOUS

80. Bourbon with a floral logo : FOUR ROSES. First encounter with this brand.

85. Follower of Samson? : ITE. Samsonite.

86. He overthrew Batista in 1959 : CASTRO

87. James's creator : IAN (Fleming). James Bond.

92. Online recruiting site : eHIRE. Was ignorant of this website.

95. Stand up to : DEFY

96. Bold Ruler, to Secretariat : SIRE. Should be an intuitive guess.

97. Reptilian warning : SSS

103. Beer holder : CASK

105. Detective Wolfe : NERO

106. "Tristram Shandy" author : STERNE (Laurence). Stumped me last time. See here.

108. "__ Not Seen the Sun": Dickinson poem : HAD I

112. Committed : DEDICATED

117. Hurt badly : MAIM

118. Peacock and rooster : MALES

119. Real estate hires : AGENTS

124. Walk softly : TIPTOE

125. Euripides play in which the title heroine never goes to Troy : HELEN. Really? Helen never made it to Troy?

126. Lamb alias : ELIA. Charles Lamb.

127. Sgt., for one : NCO

128. Fur fortune family : ASTORS

129. Heavenly path : ORBIT. Heavenly clue.

130. Prog. listing : SKED. Schedule.

131. "__ a life!" : GET

Down:

1. Piglike forest dweller : TAPIR. Hi, there.

2. How the cheese stands? : ALONE. Got me. "The Farmer in the Dell": ... The cheese stands alone.

3. So last week : PASSE

4. Japanese lawmaking body : DIET. Nailed it. Often constructors use "Diet" in clues to trick solvers.

5. Sounds of surprise : OHs.

6. Rocket section with a heat shield : NOSECONE

7. Tell, slangily : SPILL

8. 1998 Masters champion : O'MEARA (Mark). Tiger's best friend. Nice person.

9. Turn-of-the-century year : MCC. 1200.

10. 1977 Steely Dan album : AJA

11. Cartwright son : HOSS. "Bonanza".

12. Genesis shepherd : ABEL

13. Evaluate : ASSESS

14. Palace of the Ottoman sultans : TOPKAPI. Well, maybe Hahtool & Lucina know. Both have been to Istanbul. I've got no idea.

15. 19th-century literary sisters : BRONTES

16. Raison d'__ : ETRE. Also 71. Latin being : ESSE. Two "Be".

17. Is sidelined : SITS

18. Hardy heroine : TESS. "Tess of the D'Urbervilles".

24. Righteous beginning? : SELF. Self-righteous.

25. Cognac initialism : VSOP (Very Superior Old Pale)

33. Like some surgery : ORAL

34. More, in adspeak : XTRA

37. Bony labyrinth : INNER EAR. Tricky clue.

38. Longtime publisher __, Mead and Company : DODD. Stranger to me.

40. Twisted into thread : SPUN

41. Mount south of Olympus : OSSA

42. Series ender : ET AL

43. Curl up : COIL

44. Word with cats or cow : HOLY. Have never heard of "Holy cats".

45. Bad day for Caesar : IDES. Ides of March.

46. Mouth formation : DELTA. River mouth.

47. Beelike : APIAN

49. Put a stop to : ENDED

53. Time management figure : EDITOR. Time magazine.

54. Ring __ : TONE

55. Highland families : CLANS

56. Major addition? : ETTE. Majorette.

57. Unfailing : SURE

62. Mob activities : RAMPAGES

63. Senioritis? : AGEISM. Fun clue: -itis.

66. GPS suggestion : RTE

70. Money-managing execs : CFOs. Real money, not Money magazine.

72. "__ Nacht" : GUTE. Good night.

73. Perils at sea : REEFS

74. Staff additions? : NOTES. Musical staff.

75. They might be left on the road : TURNS. Great clue.

79. Ones sitting tight? : SOTS. Why?

80. Feudal estate : FIEF

82. Army detachment : UNIT. New definition of "detachment" to me.

83. "Momo" author Michael : ENDE. No idea. Was this guy very famous?

84. Joke ending? : STER. Jokester.

86. Siena sweetie : CARA. Cara Mia.

89. Pair of officers? : EFFS. Two letter F in officers.

90. Medvedev's denial : NYET. Just Russian for "No". Medvedev is Putin's shadow.

91. Vegan beverage : RICE MILK. Have never tried it. Soy milk, yes!

93. Meet by chance : RUN INTO

94. Builder : ERECTOR. And 101. Builder's material : CEMENT.

99. Undoes : ERASES

100. Proverbial kettle critic : POT. The pot calling the kettle black.

102. Ford Explorer Sport __ : TRAC. No Gillette razor today.

104. Top Tatar : KHAN. As in Genghis Khan or Kublai Khan.

107. Dark times, informally : NITES

109. How a noted spider came? : ALONG. "Along Came a Spider".

110. Tennis tie : DEUCE

112. Bank deposits? : DATA. Don't get this one either.

113. Sponsorship: Var. : EGIS. Variation of Aegis.

114. Part of LAPD: Abbr. : DEPT

115. Return from the canyon? : ECHO

116. One who walks the walk : DOER

118. Subject of an annual Colorado brewing festival : MEAD. Not familiar with this Mead Festival. A quick Google search shows it's held in Denver.

123. "No mortal could __ with Zeus": Homer : VIE. Easy guess.

Answer grid.

C.C.