Saturday, Aug26th, 2017, Mike Buckley

Theme: "Crossword and see me sometime"

Words: 72 (missing J,Q,X,Z)

Blocks: 30

Mike Buckley's last Saturday puzzle was back in April, with his clever spiral galaxy theme and grid design.  Today it's a quotation/speaker theme, and I blew right through this one, in record time.  Did not look promising with a lot of blanks on the first pass, and when I saw the circumreferential clues, thought we were in for a long one.  But then the Down clues were practically gimmes, and that gave me so many perpendiculars that I had no trouble on the second Across pass.  Just to be clear, I know the 'theme' title is a play on a famous quote, which is famously misquoted; see here.  The irony of a sex symbol crossword this week, following some of the comments last week is not lost on me, either. The theme fills;

19. See 38-Across : LOOKED OVER

38. She said, "It's better to be 19-Across than 55-Across" : MAE WEST

I like this one, as well

55. See 38-Across : OVERLOOKED

12.9 billion miles ONWARD~!

(see 22a.)

ACROSS:

1. One who's often over a barrel? : COOPER - the technical term for one who makes barrels

7. Band member with a vihuela : MARIACHI - I have never heard of a vihuela, so I went to Wiki for more.  Mariachi can be found on the golden record of Voyager - see below

15. Use a combine : THRESH

16. Tiny orbiter : ELECTRON

17. Not shrink from : RISE TO

18. Maintain control : RIDE HERD - since we had this in a Saturday puzzle this year, it has become crosswordese for me

21. "The Owl and the Pussycat" poet : LEAR

22. Watched : SEEN  - I watched a show on the Voyager spacecraft Thursday night - fascinating stuff.  Some facts: both missions were launched 40yrs ago; as of Aug 2012, the Voyager I officially left our solar system and became the first man-made object to reach interstellar space; it is traveling at 38,000mph; more here

23. Chocolate-flavored spread : NUTELLA - hey, I knew this one~!

25. Gets misty : STEAMS UP - ah, reminds me of a line from a Tom Jones remake;

@ 0:48

29. Welcome item? : MAT

30. Online shopping offer : CHAT - yeah it pops up, I knock it down, but the little button lingers there on the side....annoying

31. Testimony opener : I SAW

33. Glitterati member : CELEB

37. IV sites : ORs

40. Bedazzlement : AWE

41. Rwandan ethnic group : TUTSI - had to 'guess' just the "S"

43. One of Pop's partners : SNAP - Snap, Crackle & Pop, Rice Krispies

44. "Roast beast"-eating people : WHOS - of Whoville

45. Adobe file format : PDF

47. Shelley dedicated an ode to one of them : SKYLARKS - what, to a Buick~?

49. Musical star who received a 1949 Honorary Award Oscar : ASTAIRE

53. Big heads? : EGOS

54. Split hairs? : PART - I used to part my hair; now I go for the Giorgio Tsoukalos look

60. Blathered : PRATTLED

62. Current quantity : AMPERE

63. Antlion relative : LACEWING - didn't know what an antlion was, but once the answer filled, I sensed it was some sort of dragonfly-type insect; the antlion larva is vicious - a video here

64. Squanders, perhaps : SPENDS

65. Dramatic break : ENT'R ACTE

66. American of Japanese descent : SANSEI - I had NISsei, which is 100% 50% correct

DOWN:

1. PC key : CTRL

2. Its state quarter displays the Wright Flyer : OHIO

3. "... __ it seems" : OR SO

4. Gives a sidelong glance : PEEKS AT - OGLES did not work, but the ----S AT part I left

5. Respect : ESTEEM

6. Onetime Botswana neighbor : RHODESIA - now Zimbabwe

7. "Jeopardy!" first name : MERV - dah~! NOT Alex, not Jack; Merv Griffin, the creator.  I'd like to see a real version of the original concept - that is, one word answers in a category, and you have to come up with the question.  e.g.; Category US state capitals: answer; $200 Oklahoma City - - - - $1000 Albany

8. Sci-fi staple : ALIEN

9. Shining example of mirror-writing? : REDRUM - ah, the Shining - Stephen King's novel, Jack Nicholson's "Here's Johnny", and the word 'murder' written on a door

10. Curling surface : ICE - curling has been popular on Saturday lately

11. Shoe endorser : ATHLETE

12. Angler's wicker basket : CREEL

13. Every 60 minutes : HORAL

14. Hindu weather deity : INDRA

20. Responsibilities : ONUSES

24. Diplomatic asset : TACT

25. Kilt wearer : SCOT - it was brought to my attention that I have neglected my women commenters, so I will post a picture of a man in a skirt this week

26. No __ traffic : THRU

27. Right in the atlas? : EAST - we had "point in the right direction?" two weeks ago

28. Potential queens : PAWNS - ah.  I forgot about this chess rule, known as promotion - a pawn that reaches the eighth rank ( the far end of the board ) can be 'promoted' to one of the more powerful pieces.  I do not have an equivalent rule in my game, and thus I will have to consider adding it in.  I am on vacation this week, and it is one of my goals to have the board game completely ready for play by four people by Labor Day weekend

32. Not so potent : WEAKER

34. Memorable big cat portrayer : LAHR - the cowardly (ant)lion~?!?

35. Furry Endor native : EWOK - such a gimme for a Star Wars nerd like me

36. Catfish Row heroine of opera : BESS - only had to guess the last "S"

38. Modest skirt : MIDI - and now for the woman in skirt

39. Pirate's viewing aid : SPYGLASS - such a cool word, and the name of a street in my old neighborhood - Spyglass Lane

42. "CSI" evidence : SPATTER - well, not so much evidence as a place to collect it, so to speak

44. Showed willingness to listen (to) : WAS OPEN

46. Cavort : FROLIC

48. Oompa-__: Wonka worker : LOOMPA - not much leeway in cluing for a word like this

49. Big __ : APPLE - I left it blank - and yet probably should have been my first answer, being that I live in New York

50. Leftovers cover : SARAN

51. Political essay : TRACT

52. Ceremony, e.g. : EVENT

56. Border : EDGE

57. Guy dolls : KENS - been keeping in shape~!

and TWO hunks this week~!

58. Mahler's earth : ERDE - I had no idea, so I went and looked it up after it filled via perps - the Wiki

59. '50s sitcom name : DESI

61. Longtime Howard Hughes asset : TWA - I didn't know; so again, the Wiki

Splynter

Notes from C.C.

1) Happy Birthday to dear Montana, an extraordinary courageous mom and grandma. Hope your eyes are getting better. We think of you often.

 Montana and her 5 children celebrated her birthday in 2014, Vail, CO2)

2) Anon T (Tony) sent me this "Huge" image.  He said below. He lives in Houston. Stay safe and update us when you can, Tony, Peg, TX Ms & D-Otto!


"I've never seen a storm like this outside of Jupiter's "spot." (I'm exaggerating; a bit)

What's somewhat disconcerting is the projection (zoom in and look for the 'line') that this goes back to sea and strengthen before making a bee-line to HOU."

Friday, July 28, 2017, Mike Buckley

Title: V is for Victory

Mr. Buckley gives us a themeless puzzle with a theme that exists visually with a one clue reveal. This is Mike's first Friday puzzle this year and a great departure from the July 2016 puzzle which had 12 short theme fill. V is also for variety. The placement of the Vs, and the avoiding any other Vs in the grid was masterful. With an open grid there are oodles of long fill. Pick your favorite. SERAPHS,  SIGNAGE,  YES DEAR, AS I SEE IT, DR. MOREAU,  GIUSEPPE, KNEE DEEP, OUTLIVED,  SAUTERNE,  SNOBBERY,  TRIP OVER, ETHIOPIAN, PENTAGRAM, LOVE POTION and TERMINATOR. Let me know what you think;  I love visuals.


7D. What can be drawn using the only V's, representing vertices, in this puzzle's grid : FIVE POINTED STAR (15).

Bonus theme related fill:

19D. See 7-Down : PENTAGRAM. Often thought of in connection with the occult.

25D. Like a flag featuring a 19-Down : ETHIOPIAN.  I wish I had learned all this on Fun with Flags. LINK.

We have music and Latin and some wit, so....

Across:

1. Render inconceivable? : SPAY. Great clue/fill.

5. Carl who composed "Carmina Burana" : ORFF.  A repeat fill made easy.

9. Itching for action : ANTSY.

14. Hamlet's first choice : TO BE. Better than or not to be.

15. Sound from a fan : WHIR. Onomatopoeia.

16. River of Champagne : MARNE. Cute.

17. U.N. reps : AMBS. Ambassador.

18. Purported passion promoter : LOVE POTION.  Number 9? Made more famous by the Searchers.

20. One-named singer with the #1 hit "Royals" : LORDE. I know the SONG but did not know the singer.

22. Prevent : DETER.

23. "Frontline" airer : PBS.

24. Seriously mired : KNEE DEEP. Often in BS.

26. Big wheel : NABOB. Often nattering.

28. Scholar : SAVANT. From the Latin.

29. Lasted longer than : OUTLIVED. Usefulness?

32. Sound from a fan : RAH. One little rah?

33. Draft letters : IPA. Beer is back.

34. Despot who raced in the 67 Olympics : NERO.  HISTORY. Sadly all footage of the 67 Olympics was destroyed when Rome burned.

35. __ station : GAS.

38. Highway reading : SIGNAGE.

41. Bread or liquor : RYE.

42. PDQ : ASAP.

44. Word with cake or flake : OAT.

45. Prescribed meds : RXS.

47. "Rigoletto" composer Verdi : GIUSEPPE. More MUSIC. Everyone knows this tune, right?

49. 86 and 99 : AGENTS. Maxwell Smart and the future Mrs. Max.

53. Turntable needles : STYLI. Latin plural of -us.

54. Wells islander played by Brando : DR. MOREAU. H.G. and Marlon.

56. Creator of Finch and Radley : LEE. Atticus  and Boo, created by Harper.

57. France dance : VALSE. Sounds like waltz.

59. Medal-worthy quality : VALOR.

60. Boundary between the illuminated and darkened part of the moon, in astronomy : TERMINATOR. There is so much I do not know. So I read this LINK.

63. Ballet move : PLIE.

64. T. rex et al. : DINOS. My oldest loved reading about dinosaurs and then came Jurassic Park; saw it 14 times - in the movie theater.

65. Wrapped garment : SARI.

66. Villain's welcome : HISS.

67. __ Curry, first unanimous NBA MVP : STEPH.

68. "By that reasoning ... " : ERGO. Therefore in Latin.

69. Rectangular paving stone : SETT. learned from puzzles.

Down:

1. Cornfield array : STALKS.

2. Cal Poly city : POMONA.

3. Shortened, shortened : ABBREViation. Silly.

4. Affectionate assent : YES DEAR. Affectionate? Not always...

5. Hogwarts mail carrier : OWL.

6. __ Island : RHODE. because Long was too Short.

8. Worry : FRET.

9. Not bothered by conscience : A-MORAL. More Latin e.g. asexual, amoral, anarchy, anhydrous, Anabaptist, anachronism; also uses a and an.

10. "Unforgettable" Cole : NAT.

11. Stumble on : TRIP OVER.

12. Condescension : SNOBBERY. I loved watching HYACINTH BUCKET (pronounced Boo-kay).

13. Pines : YENS.
.
21. Ferber and a Dame : EDNAS. I let you look up the great Ms. Ferber, but here is a touch of the DAME.

27. Arabic "son of" : BIN. Hebrew Ben.

30. Kick __ fuss : UP A.

31. Unknown John : DOE.

35. Order of silence : GAG.

36. "In my view ... " : AS I SEE IT.

37. Semisweet American white wine : SAUTERNE. Ah, where is Chairman Mao when we need him.

39. Alibi problem : GAP.

40. Sarah Palin, e.g., briefly : EX-GOV.

43. Humanities subj. : PSYchology.

46. Six-winged angels, in Isaiah : SERAPHS. Yes, and so much MORE.

48. Tolkien language : ELVISH.

50. Nervous one? : NELLIE.

51. I Ching adherent, perhaps : TAOIST. Perhaps. This LINK discusses the connection. My eldest brother also studied Book of Changes.

52. Least tentative : SUREST.

55. Corp. shuffle : REORGanization. Well how many are too many?

56. Classic Fords : LTDS.

58. Emit coherent light : LASE.  "In lasers, waves are identical and in phase, which produces a beam of coherent light." msnucleus.org. There are incoherent lights, as well as incoherent bloggers.

61. Messy locks : MOP. Very popular when Beatles came to the US, e.g. mop tops.

62. Carnival site : RIO.

We already have seen the grid and I will await your comments on this creative effort from Mr. Buckley. It would be nice to hear from him on the genesis of this puzzle. Meanwhile, see you in August. Lemonade out.

Saturday, Apr 8th, 2017, Mike Buckley

Theme: Spiral Galaxies

Words 66 (missing F,J,Q,X,Z)

Blocks: 36

I did not recognize the name of the constructor, but I did see the unique grid, and my first thought was that it was one of those layouts that make it impossible to move from one corner to another because a lack of word connections - but then I got to 4a, 34a, etc, and realized we had ourselves a "theme". One I picked up on right away, because I am a nerd, and I love watching shows on astronomy, so I knew the "local group", and the reveal at 56a.  A nifty spiral shaped pattern to go along with the theme, with triple 9-letter corners and 8-letter tie-ins between them.

4a. Largest galaxy in the Local Group : ANDROMEDA

34a. With 35- and 36-Across, second-largest galaxy in the Local Group : THE

35a. See 34-Across : MILKY

36a. See 34-Across : WAY

56. By some calculations, projected fate of 4-Across and 34-/35-/36-Across in three to four billion years : COLLISION

 More Here

 O                       ~!

      N               D

          W  a   R

            w A r

         W   a    R

     N                D

O                         ~! 

ACROSS:

 1. Mirthful sounds : HAs

13. Stop : AVERT - I tried CEASE

16. Strains at the balcony : SERENADES

17. "Birth of the Cool" trumpeter : DAVIS - a WAG, but today's difficulty level seemed lower, probably due to the cool theme

18. Protesters, in '60s slang : PEACENIKS

19. Talmud letters : ALEPHs

21. Cheerleaders may raise it : MORALE - and a few other things, too

22. Crashing and burning : TANKING

24. Urban legends website : SNOPES

25. Lobby, often : ANTEROOM

27. Saturn SUV : VUE

28. Trail for a hound : SCENT

29. Zaps : TASES - I had LASES first

31. Ne'ertheless : THO

37. Poetic twilight : E'EN

38. Japanese box lunch : BENTO - filled via perps; did not know this 

39. Elemental makeup : ATOMS

41. With 14-Down, "Iron Man" of sports : CAL - with 14. See 41-Across : RIPKEN - Junior, who played 2,632 consecutive MLB games for the Baltimore Orioles - the Wiki

42. Is demanding : ASKS A LOT

44. Friday revelation? : I'M A COP - "Just the facts, ma'am" - but never spoken in the show

47. Had some impact : HIT HOME

48. Treat with scorn : DERIDE

49. Something hit on a range : DRIVER - oops, not TARGET

50. News dispatch lead-ins : DATELINES

53. Deli qty. : ONE lb

54. Test : CHALLENGE

55. Intensifying exclamation ending : SIREE - yes----

57. SOP part: Abbr. : STD - Standard Operating Procedure

DOWN:

1. Sampled some : HAD A TASTE

2. Serious downfall : AVALANCHE

3. Whitney Houston appeared on its cover in 1981 : SEVENTEEN

4. Critter in Egyptian art : ASP

5. Born identity intro : NÉE

6. Wee nips : DRAMS

7. Carry on? : RECONVEY

8. Weighty : ONEROUS - oops, not OMINOUS

9. Marvel Comics hybrid supervillain : MAN-APE - never heard of  'him'

10. Roman magistrate : EDILE

11. Fakes on the ice : DEKES - oh we are there~!  The Stanley Cup playoffs begin~!

 Top Ten Shootout Dekes

#3 is unbelievable

12. Pack animal : ASS

15. Brando wore one in "Streetcar" : T-SHIRT

20. __-cone : SNO

23. Finally became a member : GOT IN

26. Valletta is its capital : MALTA

30. Trifling amount : SKOSH

31. 2008 Phoenix/Paltrow romantic drama : TWO LOVERS

32. Brunch order : HAM OMELET

33. Precious gem source : OYSTER BED - and featured in the lyrics of a Blue Oyster Cult song, aptly titled "Blue Oyster Cult" on their 1988 concept album Imaginos

@0:55

35. Earworms, say : MELODIES - I read this as EARTHworms, even after I solved it and thought, is that a typo~?

38. Rod-shaped bacteria : BACILLI

39. Minute Maid Park team : ASTROs

40. Sesame seed paste : TAHINI - I was stuck on HUMMUS, which is chick peas

41. "The Office" star : CARELL - spelled it wrong; CARREL

43. Rib : KID

44. State with a 45-mile Canadian border : IDAHO - I took a train ride from Ronkonkoma LI through Chicago all the way to Seattle back in 2003, and sadly I fell asleep for that 45 mile part of the journey, so I "missed" Idaho; I did pass through Minnesota, C.C.

45. Calcium, e.g. : METAL

46. Former Finnish coin : PENNI

50. XX x XXXV : DCC - Roman math, 20 x 35 = 700

51. Id controller : EGO

52. Sanders or Cruz: Abbr. : SENator

Splynter 

Friday, June 10, 2016, Mike Buckley

Title: Where are the Property Brothers when you need them? At my HOUSE.

Our first Mike Buckley of the year, the last being a wonderful sound alike PUN puzzle which I blogged last July. Today the reveal tells us that we have to add the word "HOUSE" to the end of the theme fill. But this must be in our heads as there are no spaces. The clue makes no sense  without the added HOUSE. In the CW world of rebus and meta puzzles, this is a simple version. Long before the reveal, starting with 1A, you know something is up when you cannot make sense of the clues. I got the idea with GLASS, from the old story about people who live in glass houses should not throw stones. That made Bird and Club fit. I had a hell of a time finding twelve after reading the reveal: 41A. See 30-Down : BOUND. 30D. With 41-Across, quarantined, and a hint to completing 12 puzzle answers : HOUSE. My hang up was 1D, which is symmetrical with 54D and must be the 12th, but I was unfamiliar with barrelhouse jazz...anyway there some interesting long fill such as GROANER,  CAGIEST,  ALL AT SEA,  SEPARATE,  RINGLING, FELL INTO, RED PLANET and a personal favorite  AD HOMINEM. Sometimes the added house stands alone sometimes it just makes a single word. Okay, the realtor is here to take us on a tour.

1A. Frequent flier's respite : BIRD (HOUSE). Birdies fly too you know.

5A. Dressing room of a sort : CLUB(HOUSE). Where HG goes to put on his spikes.

9A. Proverbially exposed place : GLASS (HOUSE). The pun version is about the tribal king who lived in a lavish two story grass hut in the jungle. He got in a competition with another tribal leader and they started having fancy thrones made to out do the other. Sadly the first chief had his thrones in the second floor and they crashed down killing him. Moral: People who live in grass houses should not store thrones.

71A. Coastal attraction : LIGHT (HOUSE). We have a little one we go to at the Hillsboro inlet.

72A. Kids' hideout : TREE (HOUSE). Another giveaway to the theme.

73A. Where an inch may represent a foot : DOLL (HOUSE). Really cute clue.

1D. Uninhibited jazz style : BARREL(HOUSE).  I just did not know THIS.

13D. Place of refuge : SAFE (HOUSE).  Will we watch NCIS with DiNozzo gone?

33D. The Twinings shop at 216 Strand in London, e.g. : TEA  (HOUSE). CSO to Nice Cuppa and Steve. This SHOP is over 300 years in business.

38D. Zoo : MAD(HOUSE). Where human are treated like lower ANIMALS.

54D. 1978 comedy classic : ANIMAL (HOUSE). 

60D. Theater with no seats? : FULL (HOUSE).

And the already revealed reveal
41A. See 30-Down : BOUND. 30D. With 41-Across, quarantined, and a hint to completing 12 puzzle answers : HOUSE.

Across:

14. Trendy berry : ACAI. You know it as LINK.

15. Bausch + Lomb brand : RENU. Clean your contacts.

16. Missouri campus town : ROLLA. Talk about stuff I do not know,you can start HERE.

17. 38-Across nickname : RED PLANET. 38A. Fourth of eight : MARS. Did you watch Matt Damon in the MARTIAN? Thoughts?

19. __ Olay : OIL OF.

20. Bread flavoring : RAISIN. Flavoring?

21. Stand between : SEPARATE.  Always dangerous.

23. Strait's "All My __ Live in Texas" : EXS.  LINK.

24. Kindle downloads: Abbr. : BKS. Books.

26. Multipart opus : NONET. Nine.

27. "The Merry Widow" composer : LEHAR.  Hungarian Composer FRANZ.

29. Leitmotif : THEME. Fancy.

31. Park it : SIT.

34. Author of epistolas : PAOLO. Epistles: Paul.

36. Girlfriend of Garfield : ARLENE.

43. End for Louis : IANA. I hope Hahtoolah is doing well, along with our other Lousiana peeps, Boo abd BE.

44. Singly : APIECE. Did you KNOW?

46. Percolates : SEEPS.

48. Home in the woods : DEN. Or the jungle.

49. First of 12 : ARIES. Houses of the Zodiac. And, 18. First sign of fall : LIBRA. Hmm, fall starts September 21 which is in Virgo....

51. "__ español?" : HABLA. No intiendo.

55. Be unable to swallow : GAG ON.

57. Summer shade : TAN.

59. Hermione's love : RON. When you saw the first movie, or read the first book, weren't you sure she would end up with Harry?

60. Chanced on : FELL INTO.

63. Michener's "The Bridges at __" : TOKO-RI. His books were always so detailed.

65. Worth keeping : UTILE. Not a useful word for me.

66. Appealing to prejudice rather than intellect, as an argument : AD HOMINEM.
"Ad hominem, which stands for the Latin term argumentum ad hominem, is a response to a person's argument by attacking the person's character rather than the logic or content of the argument. Ad hominem remarks are often an example of fallacy, because they are irrelevant to the overall argument. " Also known as politics.

68. Large green moths : LUNAS.  I always think of John Lampkin.

69. Masked critter : COON.

70. March Madness initials : NCAA.

Down:

2. Climber's tool : ICE AXE.

3. Salad slice : RADISH.

4. Tango moves : DIPS.

5. Original Model T need : CRANK.

6. Writer Deighton : LEN.

7. Arles articles : UNES. French.

8. Hydrocarbon obtained from crude oil : BUTENE.

9. "Does the name Pavlov ring a bell?," e.g. : GROANER. It describes my earlier story.

10. French wine valley : LOIRE.

11. Totally confused : ALL AT SEA.

12. ATM feature : SLOT. There are lots of them.

22. Hair-styling stuff : POMADE. I will always remember Dapper Dan.

25. 1944 French battle site : STLO.

28. Choir recess : APSE.

32. B&B, maybe : INN.

35. Titania's husband : OBERON. Our Friday Shakespeare; A Midsummer Night's Dream.

37. Sax-playing Simpson : LISA.

39. Tailless simian : APE.

40. Big name in traveling shows : RINGLING.

42. Branch structure : NEST. This took awhile; a nest built on a branch?

45. Most foxy : CAGIEST.

47. __ Penh : PHNOM. Cambodia.

50. Undamaged : INTACT.

52. Super Bowl 50 champ : BRONCO. Good luck Peyton.

53. "Because you're worth it" brand : L'OREAL. This may be the first ad.

56. Islamic deity : ALLAH.

58. Make amends : ATONE.

61. Case for notions : ETUI.

62. Follower of Pepé Le Pew? : ODOR.

64. Big-hearted : KIND.

67. Weed tackler : HOE.

Well I hope you did not find too many weeds in this Friday frolic. Thank you Mr. Buckley and all of you who read.  Lemonade out.

Note from C.C.:

The fifth Minnesota Crossword Tournament will be held at the Landmark Center in St. Paul on June 12th, 2016 Sunday. Please click here for more details. Here is the direct registration link.

Jeffrey Wechsler will arrive here today. Welcome to Minnesota, Jeffrey!

Friday, July 24, 2015 Mike Buckley

Theme: BOGO, get one pun and then a second one for free.

We get our third Mike Buckley effort of 2015 with this one a sound-alike pun effort. Puns are based on humor which is such a subjective area I would guess some of you will really enjoy the theme while other will be meh. I enjoyed the theme and appreciate the extra challenge of having both parts of the theme changed to sound alike. The rest of the puzzle has some real sparkle like ASSISI, DEANNA, I RAISE,  MAZDAS,  PINDAR,  PRAWNS,  SINKER,  TICTAC,  YTTRIA, DEPECHE, MIAMIAN,  SURGEON, AS EASY AS,  NEPOTIST, PECOS BILL, SAWHORSES and some very difficult places. The three across two down pattern also was fun.

18A. Composer Dvorák in hiding? : CACHED CZECH (11). This cashed check transforms into a musical clue. LINK.

38A. Demands for quiet from the downstairs tenant? : CEILING WHACKS (13). Sealing wax is not commonly used anymore, but the clue does bring back this SONG (3:00).

58A. Wildebeests slowing down? : BRAKING GNUS (11). My favorite mental picture comes from this breaking news.

3D. Walked by a campsite? : PASSED TENTS (11). Walked is whimsically past tense.

26D. Poor jousters? : WEAK KNIGHTS (11). Can you watch them on week nights on ESPN?

Let's see what we have.

Across:

1. Spot : PIP. Like on a die.

4. "My Name Is Asher Lev" author : POTOK. Chaim Potok has written many wonderful books and appeared in puzzles often.

9. Normandy beachhead : OMAHA. No Nebraska clue on a Friday; will the next generation remember?

14. Rollover __ : IRA. This has become on of the most common of fills.

15. Send packing : EVICT.

16. Jazz section : SAXES.  Your choice, this, or the music below?

17. "Hip Hop Is Dead" artist : NAS.

20. Misrepresent : DISTORT.

22. Main part : LEAD. In a play, or movie.

23. No harder than : AS EASY AS. An odd looking stretch of letters, which is good but it is a partial which I was told was bad, so ?!?

25. Edible decapods : PRAWNS. Meaning having 10 legs: Steve and Nice Cuppa can explain this more but DIFFERENCE.

29. Provide new audio for : REDUB. My son tried to get me to appreciate dubstep music.

30. More than square : CUBE. Cute.

32. Council position : SEAT.

33. Adjust, as sails : TRIM. I watched a You tube on how to sail  by yourself.

35. Mythical elephant carriers : ROCS. You want to read about it?  HERE.

37. "Aladdin" monkey : ABU.

41. Your Moment of __: Jon Stewart's show ender : ZEN. Obama ordered him to stay.

42. Spike : LACE. As in "lace the punch"; this was very tricky 4 letter fill.

43. Fuzzy Endor native : EWOK. Star Wars VII is coming!

44. They're often smashed : SOTS. No Tinbeni comments here, please.

46. Ellington's "__ Indigo" : MOOD. The Duke.

48. Nearby : HANDY.

51. Umbria tourist town : ASSISI. This is the landlocked part of Italy, unlike 66A. Resort off the Sorrentine Peninsula : CAPRI. This is an island.

53. One who keeps it in the family : NEPOTIST. WE all have heard of nepotism, so I guess this word exists.

55. Sports gp. with three divisions : NCAA.

57. "The Kids Are __": 1979 The Who documentary : ALRIGHT.

62. One of Kramden's hardy followers? : HAR.

63. Staff symbol : C CLEF. Music notation. 8D. "Hooked on Classics" co. : K TEL. 49D. Note in the key of B major : D SHARP. A mini-theme ?

64. Singer's asset : RANGE.

65. Ode opener? : TRI. Triode.

67. Gather together : AMASS.

68. Post-workout destination : SPA.

Down:

1. "The test of any man lies in action" odist : PINDAR. From Thebes in Ancient Greece.

2. Game challenge : I RAISE. Betting games.

4. Lover of Slue-Foot Sue : PECOS BILL. This romantic STORY.

5. Subject for Italian anatomist Fallopius : OVARY. He also invented the English subway, hence its name- the Fallopian Tube.

6. Certs alternative : TICTAC. Paddy whack...

7. "Alas!" from a lass : OCH. How is your Gaelic?

9. Grouch in a can : OSCAR. Sesame Street lives on.

10. Protegés, e.g. : MAZDAS. This took a long time to remember with the last one in the model year 2003.

11. Fire : AXE.

12. Crime-solver Ramsey of 1970s TV : HEC. The second incarnation of Richard Boone, more famous as Paladin.

13. Krakatoa output : ASH.

19. "Exciter" band __ Mode : DEPECHE. Lots of MUSIC if you are bored.

21. Alpha __, star in the Bull constellation : TAURI. This huge ORANGE star, known as Alderbarran is not related to the more familiar Alpha Centauri.

24. Cutting-edge professional? : SURGEON. Really sharp humor.

27. Snares : NABS.

28. Former Beatle Sutcliffe : STU. He left the band to pursue his work as a painter, but died at 22.

31. Defer : BOW.

34. Dolphin, e.g. : MIAMIAN. A bit tricky but not down here in SoFla.

36. Cutting supports : SAWHORSES.

38. Co. VIPs : CEOS. Chief Executive Officers. Next to...

39. Sgt. maj., e.g. : NCO. Non-Commissioned Officer.

40. Tropical raccoon kin : COATI. You want to know more? READ.

41. Half a Gabor? : ZSA. Better than half a fly.

45. Angling aid : SINKER.

47. Counselor in Jean-Luc's command : DEANNA. Ms. Troi gets more ink than Jean-Luc.

50. Oxide in incandescent gas mantles : YTTRIA. I do not even know what a gas mantle is, but this was interesting to READ.

52. Space opera genre : SCI-FI.

54. Promotions : PLUGS. Once you see it this is easy, but it took a while.

56. Uttar Pradesh tourist city : AGRA.

58. Discreet email letters : BCC. The B is for blind, meaning you are not telling them to whom you are sending it to.

59. Nipper's label : RCA. Radio Corporation of America.

60. High peak : ALP. Another marti CSO.

61. Moll's leg : GAM. A great word from all the pulp  and detective fiction I have read. Do you recognizes these gams from this old TV show where the actresses face never appeared?

Next week will close out July, so go somewhere fun, but take the puzzle with you. Thanks Mike, and all of you.

Lemonade out.

Tuesday, March 3, 2015 Mike Buckley

Theme: The game is afoot! - "The Transient Associate Adventure" The various Dr. Watson portrayers.

Let's start with the author.

15D. With 48-Down, 1-/69-Across creator Arthur : CONAN.

48D. See 15-Down : DOYLE. And then:

1A. With 69-Across, subject of this puzzle : DOCTOR

69A. See 1-Across : WATSON ...and our cast.

7A. Portrayer of 1-/69-Across in "Sherlock Holmes" (2009) : JUDE LAW

38A. Portrayer of 1-/69-Across in the BBC's "Sherlock" : MARTIN FREEMAN



Freeman



68A. Portrayer of 1-/69-Across in CBS' "Elementary" : LUCY LIU



Liu



Argyle here. Mike's puzzle two years ago was a pip. Link Scroll down to the grid to see the genius of that puzzle. Some fill and theme entries are the same length while four verticals are only bested by the central theme for length. It isn't a detriment to the solve. It has a fresh feel to it and I liked it.

Across:

14. Not straying from the subject : ON TOPIC

16. Satan : EVIL ONE

17. "The Diary of Anne Frank" police : GESTAPO

18. Muscle-to-bone connectors : TENDONS

19. Audio jack label : MIC

20. Took charge of : RAN

21. Wise folk : SAGES

22. Rewrite for the screen : ADAPT

24. Set a price of : ASK

26. Northern California town that once had a palindromic bakery : YREKA. Yreka Bakery is no longer in business.

29. Mentally sound : SANE

30. Live, in the studio : ON AIR

32. Kool-Aid instruction : STIR

33. Ostrich kin : EMU

35. "I __ Fine": Beatles hit : FEEL

37. Antlered beast : ELK

42. World games org. : IOC

43. A bit open : AJAR

44. "C'est la __" : VIE

45. Cry for seconds : MORE

47. Battery end : ANODE

49. Rise dramatically : SOAR

53. Sticking point : PRONG

55. Game won by discarding all your cards : UNO

56. Iditarod jacket : PARKA

57. Wood finish : STAIN

59. DKNY rival : YSL

61. Press __ : KIT

62. Dannon yogurt brand : ACTIVIA

64. Natives of Tibet's capital : LHASANS

66. Unlisted candidate : WRITE-IN

67. Erode, as savings : EAT INTO

Down:

1. Rigid beliefs : DOGMAs

2. Tableware company named for a New York town : ONEIDA. NNE of Elmira.

3. ER diagnostic tool : CT SCAN

4. Day care attendee : TOT

5. Eyeball-bending gallery display : OP ART

6. TV host Kelly : RIPA

7. Watercraft rider : JET SKIER

8. Eye layer containing the iris : UVEA

9. Dull-colored : DINGY

10. Senior officials : ELDERS

11. It's brewed in infusers : LOOSE TEA

12. Political writer Coulter : ANN

13. Director Anderson : WES. Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for The Royal Tenenbaums, Moonrise Kingdom and The Grand Budapest Hotel, as well as for Best Animated Feature for Fantastic Mr. Fox.

23. Jury member : PEER

25. Paella spice : SAFFRON

27. Ceramics oven : KILN

28. Noah's flood insurance : ARK

30. Message-spelling board : OUIJA

31. Superman player Christopher : REEVE

34. Former Boston commuter org. : MTA. (Metropolitan Transit Authority)

36. "Welcome to Hawaii" gift : LEI

38. Secure in a harbor : MOOR

39. Quotation puzzle : ACROSTIC

40. Mork's sign-off : NANU NANU. 50D. Mork's people : ORKANS

41. Southwestern tableland : MESA

42. Tough kid to handle : IMP

46. Thing : ENTITY

51. Quite like : AKIN TO

52. Gives away to the cops : RATS ON

54. "Sold!" punctuator : GAVEL

56. Spanish silver : PLATA. Remember the state motto, "Oro y plata"?

58. Four, on some sundials : IIII

60. "Major Barbara" playwright : SHAW. (George Bernard Shaw)

62. Hole-making tool : AWL

63. French wine word : CRU. It means vineyard; we had it last month.

65. "Grab a chair" : "SIT"

Mike Buckley, Tuesday 3/3/2015

Argyle

Thursday, February 26, 2015 Mike Buckley

Theme: "The Great Imposter" *

17. It's fraudulent : FORGED CHECK.

27. It's fabricated : TRUMPED UP CHARGE.

46. It's fake : COUNTERFEIT NOTE.

56. Race errors, and what 17-, 27- and 46-Across have : FALSE STARTS.

*Remember the 1961 movie starring Tony Curtis? I thought of it immediately when I saw the theme.

Only 72 words and 29 blocks, with a whopping sixteen 7-letter words. Woo-hoo, Saturday level stuff!  And lots of challenging fill, too. Let's see what I mean...


Across

1. Wrap giant : ALCOA. Ummm..."Saran" also fits.

6. Reliever Orosco with the MLB record for career pitching appearances : JESSE. I nailed it! (...after getting J-E-S-S-* from the perps.)

11. Center of excellence? : ELS. The two "Ls" in the word, not a think tank.

14. Quaking causes : FEARS.

15. Plant pest : APHID. I long for the days of pinching APHIDs off my roses!

16. Rest one's dogs, so to speak : SIT. "Dogs" is a slang word for feet.

19. "Double Fantasy" artist : ONO. How do I clue thee? Let me count the ways...

20. Extras in an env. : ENCS. Enclosures.

21. Squeezed (out) : EKED.

22. Web-footed critter : OTTER. I was looking for some kind of duck.

24. Mustard, for one: Abbr. : COL.onel.

25. Encouraging shouts : OLEs.

26. Shout : SCREAM. Ole!

30. ''Saint Joan'' star Jean : SEBERG. A tragic figure in filmdom.

31. __ Locks: St. Marys River rapids bypass : SOO.

32. Hid the gray in : DYED.

33. Brewers' outfielder Braun : RYAN. Nailed it! (...after getting the R-Y-A-N from perps.)

35. Creator of Della : ERLE. Stanley Gardner - "Perry Mason."

37. Morales of film : ESAI.

40. Part of a foot : TOE.

42. Pompous authority : POOBAH. Great word!

49. Beer with "Since 1775" on its label : STROHS.

50. Big dos :'FROS. Afros.

51. Grazing area : LEA.

52. More of that : THOSE. I think this was my favorite clue.

53. Detective Peter of old TV : GUNN. Played by?

54. Estate attorney's concern : HEIR.

55. __ Lingus : AER.

59. Mrs., in much of the Americas : SRA. Señora.

60. Classic six-couplet poem : TREES. Joyce Kilmer.

61. Has __: can save face : AN OUT.

62. Triumphant cry : YES. [insert fist pump]

63. Dost espy : SEEST.

64. Has a sudden inspiration? : GASPS. My second favorite clue.


Down

1. Gets to : AFFECTS. I don't let most things get to me. Life's too short.

2. Heroine of Beethoven's "Fidelio" : LEONORE. Beethoven's only opera!

3. AAA, for one : CAR CLUB.
and semi-clecho:
4. AAA et al. : ORGS.

5. Enzyme suffix : ASE.

6. Hiked, with "up" : JACKED.

7. "The Comedy of Errors" setting : EPHESUS.

8. Word with wood or water : SHED.

9. Quote qualifier : SIC.

10. Ex-mayor with a cameo in "The Muppets Take Manhattan" : ED KOCH.

11. Abstruse stuff : ESOTERY. OK, but I usually use the word "esoterica." You?

12. Pedigree : LINEAGE.

13. Came (in) dramatically : STORMED.

18. Convention attendees : DELEGATES.

23. Exploit : TRADE ON. "He traded on his good looks to..."

25. "Live at the __": Patsy Cline album : OPRY. Can you tell which line she flubbed on this early recording?

26. Venomous arachnids : SCORPIONS.

28. Sources of fine wool : MERINOS.

29. "... rapping at my chamber door" poet : POE. From "The Raven."

34. Fish-fowl link : NOR. What is neither fish NOR flesh, feathers nor bone, but still has fingers and thumbs of its own? (Answer, below.)

36. Filming sites : LOTS.

37. Heaven on earth : ECSTASY.

38. "Told ya!" : SO THERE.

39. Natural light shows : AURORAS.

41. Pours out : EFFUSES.

43. Short, tailored jackets : BOLEROS. Like this.

44. Really dug something : ATE IT UP.

45. San Simeon family : HEARSTS.

47. Guards may prevent them : THEFTS.

48. Antarctic explorer Shackleton : ERNEST. I have read every book I could find about his ill-fated trip. My favorite was "The Endurance: Shackleton's legendary Antarctic expedition," by Caroline Alexander. This picture almost looks like Boston harbor this week.

53. Pure delight : GLEE.

54. 1985 U.S. Open champ Mandlikova : HANA.

57. Modern art? : ARE. Cute misdirection.

58. Recess game : TAG. Or phone game.

"Your're IT !!"
Marti

Answer to 34-Down: A glove.

Note from C.C.:

Please send positive thoughts (or say a prayer) to Husker Gary, who's having an important operation tomorrow. Please also keep Yellowrocks in your thoughts. She fell on ice last week and broke some of the stitches from her knee surgery. She needs repair surgery soon.

Joann, Granddaughter Elise & Gary
 

Yellowrocks (Kathy)

Thursday, February 7, 2013 Mike Buckley

Theme: Pyramid Power

18A. Instruction for this puzzle : JOIN THE VEES. It will help tremendously if you know what a 60-Across looks like.

39A. Small, numbered 60-Acrosses : FOUR SIDED DICE. Duh, I was trying to draw a cube by connecting the VEES. It did not end well...

60A. What you'll draw in this grid if you 18-Across with six straight lines : TETRAHEDRON. Like this:

I believe this is Mike Buckley's LAT debut, although he had had several puzzles published elsewhere. This one is just missing a "Q" for a pangram.  Marti here, to explore the rest:

Across:

1. Former "Idol" judge, to fans : J-LO. Jennifer Lopez.

4. Head of Slytherin House, in Potter books : SNAPE. Nailed it. Loved the books!

9. "The Hobbit" dragon : SMAUG. Oh dear, what does it say about me when I nailed this one, too? He was slain, and never made it to the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy.

14. Rower's tool : OAR.

15. Fax ancestor : TELEX. Ancestor? Ancestor???  I used to telex to European customers all the time when I first started in biotech.  Gawd...I am ancient!!

16. Gdansk dance : POLKA. Nice alliteration in the clue.

17. A, in Acapulco : UNA.

20. Food fish : SALMON.

22. Iris family flowers : CROCI. Only a few more weeks before they start poking their heads out of the ground up here in New England!

23. Leg bone : TIBIA.

24. Inamorato : BEAU.

25. Goes out to sea : EBBS.

29. Bygone dagger : SNEE.

31. Coke competitor : RC COLA.

33. "Really?" responses : OHS.

35. Spanish custard : FLAN. Goya has a package mix that keeps me coming back for more.

38. Curved : ARCED.

42. Five-0 detective, familiarly : DANNO. "Book 'em, Danno!" And 41-Down. Daniel ___ Kim: "Hawaii Five-0" actor : DAE. The original 68-80 TV show had an "O" instead of the "0" in the re-make series.

43. Poet Pound : EZRA.

44. Bill's adventurous partner : TED. "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure." Metalheads slackers. 1:54

45. Swellhead : EGOIST.

47. Caesar's "I came" : VENI. vidi, vici.

49. "Jeopardy!" creator Griffin : MERV.

50. See from afar : ESPY.

53. Set of eight : OCTAD. I waited for the perps before deciding between OCTAD or OCTet.

57. ___ Sketch: toy : ETCH A. The French-born inventor, Andre Cassagnes, died on January 16 at the age of 86. Did you ever do this with your Etch A Sketch?

59. Pretender : POSEUR. Love that word!

64. ___ Lanka : SRI.

65. Reprimander's slapping spot? : WRIST.

66. Guitarist Eddy : DUANE. I always remember this one. 4:20

67. Actress Ullmann : LIV.

68. Caravan stopovers : OASES. How about a little "Midnight at the Oasis"? 4:00

69. Lustful deity : SATYR.

70. High card : ACE.

Down:

1. Knight game : JOUST. How many of you put "chess" first? (Hand up here.)

2. Hawaii's Pineapple Island : LANAI.

3. Dental brand : ORAL-B. Did you know that the "B" stands for "brush?"

4. Title of a G.B. Shaw play : ST. JOAN.

5. Broadway light : NEON.

6. Baba who outwitted thieves : ALI.

7. Shilling's five : PENCE.

8. Soldier in a war film, e.g. : EXTRA.

9. What freelancers may work on? : SPEC.ification

10. Star givers, often : MOVIE CRITICS.

11. Stout relative : ALE.

12. "My dog has fleas" instrument : UKE. Marilyn played it so well...

13. ___ guzzler : GAS.

19. Appointment time : HOUR.

21. International contest with a cosmic name : MISS UNIVERSE. Last year's winner was from Rhode Island, Miss Olivia Culpo. Beautiful!

24. Prove otherwise : BELIE.

26. Italian bowling game : BOCCE.

27. Run, as colors : BLEED.

28. Like Eeyore : SAD.

30. Pair in Banff? : EFS. Did the clue fool you?

32. Bounder : CAD.

33. Old enough : OF AGE.

34. ___ among thieves : HONOR.

36. Wood carver : ADZ. (Because "Geppetto" wouldn't fit...)

37. Brazen : NERVY.

40. Children's author Asquith : ROS. I only know her from x-words.

42. BHO, but not GWB : DEM. Barack Hussein Obama, but not George Walker Bush.

46. MIT's newspaper, with "The" : TECH.

48. Tryst at twelve : NOONER. Maybe they are married?

51. Gets rid of : SHEDS.

52. St. Anthony's home : PADUA.

54. Magnetic induction unit : TESLA.

55. Apt first name of Fleming's Goldfinger : AURIC. Au is the chemical symbol of gold.

56. Automatic transmission gear : DRIVE.

58. Skin pictures, briefly : TATS (Tattoos)

59. Doodle's ride : PONY. Yankee Doodle, that is.

60. Not quite a crowd, so they say : TWO. "Two's company, three's a crowd."

61. Swing or jazz follower : ERA. I tried to fit "bumpa," but no (six-sided) dice.

62. "Tain't" rebuttal : TIS. Also, a great memoir by Frank McCourt. Anyone read it?

63. Squealer : RAT.

That's all for now.  I have been visiting my BFF of almost 50 years in Florida, and will be back in cold, icy New England this afternoon, where a big Nor'easter is predicted for Friday. Brrrr!

Hugs,

Marti

Notes from C.C.:

Here is a lovely picture of dear Marti with a manatee two days ago. Don't you just love her hair?

Love the hair here too.

Marti & Husband (Crimson Tide)