Tuesday, December 13, 2011 Mike Nothnagel

(Please click here to solve the LA Times Daily Crossword in old format.)

Theme: "Break a Leg" - The traditional wish that means "good luck", said to actors before they go on stage to perform seems like an appropriate title for these backstage terms from the Great White Way.

18A. *Strikers' formation : PICKET LINE. I did think of the queue in front of the theater but the 48-Down bonus puts it in the back; dialogue.

35A. *Severe reprimand, in metaphor : RIOT ACT

3D. *Where evidence is gathered : CRIME SCENE

28D. *Extremely easy task : CHILD'S PLAY. "The play's the thing ..."

55A. 1963 hit for the Drifters ... or where you can see the ends of the starred answers : "ON BROADWAY". Clip.(3:01)

Bonus: 48D. Setting for this puzzle's theme : STAGE

Argyle here. The theme seems tight but the fill is eclectic and there is nothing wrong with that. Even JACOBI(49A) filled in nicely. The four 8's and five 7's are all pretty solid.

Across:

1. Baroque composer of the "Goldberg Variations" : BACH. The Goldberg Variations is a work for harpsichord, consisting of an aria and a set of 30 variations. Aria.(2:12)

5. Civil rights activist Parks : ROSA

9. Online money : ECASH

14. Hairdo that's picked : AFRO

15. Barely manages, with "out" : EKEs

16. "I'm not kidding!" : "NO LIE!"

17. Corner Monopoly space : JAIL

20. Soldiers' shelter : ARMY TENT

22. Most restricted, filmwise : X-RATED

23. TV oil family name : EWING. 1978–1991 CBS

24. Thoroughfare : ROAD

25. Volcanic rock : BASALT

27. Futuristic personal transport devices : JET PACKS

31. "Filthy" money : LUCRE

32. Pastrami seller : DELI

33. Former Mideast leader : SHAH

34. Were in the present? : ARE

38. Simpson judge : ITO

39. Indian breads : NANS. "Authentic (i.e., delicious) naan must be cooked by slapping it against the side of a TANDOOR - a very hot oven originally dug into the ground. One of those things you cannot replicate at home." - Nice Cuppa

41. Prehistoric threat, for short : T-REX

42. Kate's TV roommate : ALLIE. 1984-1989 CBS

44. Pollution legislation goal : CLEAN AIR

46. 13-piece suit? : SPADES

47. Tenn. athletes : VOLS. The Volunteer State is the State of Tennessee nickname.

48. Train schedule listings : STOPS

49. "I, Claudius" star Derek : JACOBI. Image.

52. Not draw any cards : STAND PAT. Poker.

57. Mixed bag : OLIO

58. Demander's words : "I NEED ..."

59. "Othello" conspirator : IAGO

60. Fund-raising dinner, often : GALA

61. Like pocket protector wearers : NERDY

62. Cyclops and Wolverine, e.g. : X-MEN. Comics and movies.

63. Part of CBS: Abbr. : SYST. Columbia Broadcasting System.

Down:

1. Tijuana's region : BAJA. Déjà vu. Almost the same position as yesterday's.

2. Requiring binoculars to see : AFAR

4. Faith-based battle : HOLY WAR

5. Show contrition : REPENT

6. Giving the go-ahead : OKing

7. Splinter group : SECT

8. Pose, as a question : ASK

9. Trick into wrongdoing : ENTRAP

10. Piña __: rum drinks : COLADAs

11. Got down : ALIT

12. Trig class ratio : SINE

13. Be mindful of : HEED

19. Mysteriously unusual : EXOTIC

21. Flooring craftsman : TILER

24. "Chill out!" : "RELAX!"

25. Mel who voiced Bugs : BLANC. The Voices of Mel Blanc (2:53)

26. Like an otological test : AURAL

27. Teammate of Rivera and Posada : JETER. New York Yankees.

29. Actress Holmes : KATIE. Appeared in a episode of How I Met Your Mother, CBS TV show.

30. Pumps and clogs : SHOES

32. Day at the movies : DORIS

36. Milano's land : ITALIA

37. Strike lightly : TAP ON

40. Enjoyed every bite of : SAVORED

43. Teacup poodles, e.g. : LAP DOGS

45. Unimportant person : NOBODY

46. Remain a little longer : STAY ON

49. Become a member : JOIN

50. Author Tyler : ANNE. List of her novels.

51. "Good buddy" : CBer

52. Emulated Michael Phelps : SWAM. Fermatprime? He has, overall, won 16 Olympic medals—six gold and two bronze at Athens in 2004, and eight gold at Beijing in 2008.

53. Is out sick : AILs

54. With perfection : TO A 'T'

56. New Jersey fort : DIX

Answer grid.

Argyle

Saturday September 11, 2010 Mike Nothnagel

Theme: None

Total words: 68

Total blocks: 29

Average Word Length: 5.76

Amazing 20 multi-word entries in the grid, all solid. Several made their first time appearance in major newspaper puzzle. Gorgeous! I just mentioned to our blogging team a few days ago about how constructors pride themselves in debuting a new word/phrase.

I like the two Across 12s a lot. I suspect one of them is Nothnagal's seed entry. The two Down 10s and four 9s are all quite sparkling.

Scrabbly puzzle too. Two X, Y, Z, V each.

Across:

1. Clear skies : AZURES. I normally struggle with the first entry. Not today.

7. Adequately suited to : FINE FOR

14. Stop browsing : LOG OFF

15. Curling-up site : FIRESIDE. Cozy.

16. Shared with : TOLD TO. Sure was not thinking of a story.

17. Too much : IN EXCESS

18. Vision blurrers, at times : STYES

19. Nikon F, e.g., briefly : SLR

20. Death is part of it : TAROT. The fortunetelling deck. Got me.

21. Common California map word : SAN. Fresh clue.

22. Item for the Windsor knot-challenged? : BOLO. Maybe they simply love bolo ties.

23. Woods set : IRONS. Tiger Woods. Nailed it.

24. Monopoly phrase : JUST VISITING. Did you get this immediately?

27. Clinker in a Glas : EIS. German for "ice", which clinks in Glas (glass). Not sure even our German speaking Spitzboov and Kazie penned in the right answer on their first try. Way too tricky a clue.

28. Richard of "A Summer Place" : EGAN. Just watched "A Summer Place" this summer. Sweet movie. But I sure can't remember Egan's name. Handsome guy.

29. Winter vacation destination : SLOPES

33. Calmed : STILLED

35. Censor : EDIT OUT

36. Men-on-base gp.? : US NAVY. I don't get this clue. Why Navy? Shouldn't it apply to Army/Air force also? MLB too.

37. Cell projection insulated by a myelin sheath : AXON. The impulse carrier. The clue means nothing to me.

38. Nickname of 1950s Reds slugger Ted : KLU. Gimme for our Seen. He can tell you all about the Big Klu.

39. Watches : KEEPS AN EYE ON. Awsome!

42. Caucasus native : OSSET. New word to me.

45. Cruise itinerary listing : ISLE

46. Indoor rowing machine, briefly, in rowers' jargon : ERG. No idea. Short for ergometer. I was so amused yesterday when Jazzbumpa said an ERG is "roughly equivalent to one fly doing one push-up."

47. Take the cuffs off? : ALTER. Nice clue as well.

48. Boss's domain, perhaps : PIT. What boss? Gambling?

49. Enchanting, but not in a big way? : ELFIN. Because elves are small I suppose.

51. Fragrant Cloud and Crimson Glory : TEA ROSES. Tough clue.

53. Roaring : ABLAZE. How can fire roar?

54. Place to see a pilot light? : HELIPORT. Well, I have no doubt our pilot Dudley saw it. I saw kitchen.

55. Disarming events? : TRUCES. Don't feel the question mark is needed.

56. Blood reservoirs : SPLEENS. Man, I didn't know this trivia.

57. Island vacation rentals : MOPEDS

Down:

1. In-flight announcement nos. : ALTS (Altitudes).

2. Flashy 1940s outfits : ZOOT SUITS. Got it rather quickly.

3. Not easy on the eyes : UGLY AS SIN. Eye duplication with 39A. Not good.

4. Capybara or cavy : RODENT. Unfamiliar with either of the two referenced in the clue.

5. Some former tadpoles : EFTS. Young newts.

6. UAL western hub : SFO

7. Fish malady : FIN ROT. Mystery to me. The malady rot the fish's fin? We also have BIG EYE (22. Nocturnal fish). Nice clecho (clue echo) of fish.

8. Cause of a duel, maybe : IRE

9. On deck : NEXT IN LINE. Another great fill.

10. Food eaten with tongs and a fork : ESCARGOT. Have any of you eaten escargot?

11. Sporty '80s Pontiac : FIERO. Literally "proud" in Italian.

12. Can't stop eating : OD'S ON

13. Notes aren't written during them : RESTS. Musical notes I suppose.

15. Temp : FILL-IN. Timely fill for our Husker Gary.

19. "I feel for you" : SO SAD

24. "Pie __": Mass motet : JESU. No idea. Literally "Jesus".

25. Line outside a nightclub : VELVET ROPE. Such a refreshing answer. Repeat of line with the answer in 9D though.

26. Day follower, in "Taps" : IS DONE. I peeked at the answer sheet.

30. Feature of some bluffs : POKER FACE. Nice one also.

31. Praised : EULOGIZED

32. Take by surprise : STUN

34. One end of Ontario's Welland Canal : LAKE ERIE. Much better than ERIE alone.

35. Praise : EXALT

37. Rink statistic : ASSIST. Hockey.

40. Military band members : PIPERS

41. Call to the attic : YELL UP. Alas, no old baseball cards in our attic.

42. Swear words : OATHS

43. A buzzer may end it : SLEEP

44. Flea market booth : STALL. Not much luck in flea market this year. No good finds.

49. River past Logroño : EBRO. Was ignorant of the Spanish city Logroño. Obviously it's on the Ebro River.

50. Notable Volstead Act enforcer : NESS (Eliot). I forgot what Volstead Act is about.

52. Will party : SON. Party to a person's last will.

53. Source of emergency funds : ATM. It has become a common word that no "briefly" or "for short" is needed in the clue.

Answer grid.

Please visit Urban Dictionary and vote for clecho (clue echo). Thanks.

C.C.

Saturday April 3, 2010 Mike Nothnagel

Theme: None

Total words: 70

Total blocks: 30

Multiple word entries abound in this grid. Total 16. And 14 of them are two-word, including all of those stacks of triple 9s in the upper right and lower left corners.

I liked how WISHFUL THINKING (7D. Dreamer's activity) is centered and symmetrically flanked by AS IT IS (8D. In reality) and SO CAN I (45D. Assertion from one who won't be outdone), the only 3-word answers we have today.

How did you fare today? Were you able to mind meld with the constructor in terms of cultural references? I struggled. Mike Nothnagel (in the middle, Doug Peterson on the left & Brendan Emmett Quigley on the right) is a math teacher. He's made lots of late week puzzles for the NY Times. I think this is his LA Times debut.

Across:

1. Some pilgrims: HAJIS. Pilgrims to Mecca. I can only remember the pilgrimage hadj/hajj.

6. Contests on the road: AWAY GAMES. Road games.

15. Enjoy a victory, say: EXULT

16. Ignore, as an insult: RISE ABOVE. Nice clue/answer.

17. More or less uniform: ALIKE

18. Black Sea region: ASIAN MINOR. Turkey region.

19. Holiday pie ingredients: PECANS. I've never had pecan pie.

21. Growth chart data: Abbr.: HTS (Heights)

22. __ torch: TIKI

23. Chateau __ Michelle: world's largest Riesling producer: STE. A winery in Washington. The largest single producer of Riesling wine in the US, a la Wiki. New to me.

24. Deem appropriate: SEE FIT

26. Indifferent grade: CEE. And PLUS (29. 26-Across enhancement). Enhancement made me think of Marisa Miller's boobs, which are actually real.

27. Space balls?: ORBS. Poetically. Poets calls Sun/Moon orb.

30. "Holy Toledo!": EGADS

32. Like a ward for some new hospital patients: NEONATAL. Did not come to me readily.

34. It fits in a lock: OAR. The U-shaped oarlock. I inserted KEY immediately.

35. Chat with someone on the way out?: EXIT INTERVIEW. More familiar with the term EXIT POLL.

39. Pitcher Dwight Gooden's nickname: DOC. Gimme. He's been afflicted with drug problem.

40. Home to FDR's presidential library: HYDE PARK. FDR was born there.

42. Showbiz figure: CELEB

45. Seattle Slew, vis-à-vis Swale: SIRE. Ha ha, I actually know this trivia.

46. "The nursery of England's gentlemen": ETON. Unaware of this Eton moniker.

47. Park in NYC, e.g.: AVE. Park Avenue. Good clue, though clue/answer duplication with HYDE PARK. We also have a cross-referenced RTE (57D. 47-Across, e.g.).

48. "Oops" elicitors: BONERS. Tee-hee!

50. Like "Spring" from Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons": IN E. No idea.

51. "Touch Me in the Morning" singer: ROSS (Diana). Not familiar with the song. Doesn't sound romantic as I expected.

53. "Oh no!": ACK

54. Parasite: SPONGE

56. Church rite site: ALTAR RAIL. And KNEELER (41D. Pew extension).

59. The "Demon Star": ALGOL. Arabic root. Al = The (Al Qaeda = The Base). Gol is rooted in Ghoul, the evil demon.

60. Passé reception aid: TV ANTENNA

61. Jack's partner in a 1982 #1 John Cougar song": DIANE. Here is the clip. Blank spot for me.

62. Tony award category: SET DESIGN. And SERIES (14D. Word on some Emmy awards). I liked the "award" weaving.

63. Join: ENTER. Can you give me an example of how they are interchangeable?

Down:

1. Adds in great quantities: HEAPS ON. Praise/scorn, etc.

2. Cart's wheel attachment: AXLETREE. New word to me.

3. Part of a kid's lunch from home: JUICE BOX. Scrabbly!

4. Chase on stage: ILKA. Nope. Total stranger. I was picturing a chase scene on stage.

5. WWII Mark II's: STENS. The British submachine guns used in World War II. I was ignorant of the Mark II model, or any model. Gimme, Argyle?

6. First name at Notre Dame: ARA (Parseghian). The famous football coach.

9. Baker's supply: YEAST

10. Piece of cheesecake?: GAM. Slang for leg.

11. Somewhat: A BIT

12. 1992 Wimbledon runner-up to Steffi: MONICA (Seles)

13. Called forth: EVOKED. What's the exact difference between evoke and invoke?

20. Like many a residential system: SEPTIC

25. Spark: ELAN

28. Nasty: SNIDE

30. Wasp's nest site: EAVE. I've yet to find a nest in ours.

31. Complaint: GRIPE

33. Distance covered by a first step: A TO B. No problem with parsing this time.

34. Sequences: ORDERS

36. Teacher of Adele Varens, in an 1847 novel: EYRE. Jane Eyre. I sure don't remember the little girl's name.

37. Bothering a lot: EATING AT

38. "Nope, the other thing": WRONG ONE. Another awesome clue/answer pair.

42. Stone figures: CARATS. Gem stone. Carat indicates weight, karat purity.

43. Increase in complexity, perhaps: EVOLVE

44. Vampire played by Cruise: LESTAT. Beat me. I've never seen "Interview With the Vampire".

48. Shows: BARES. Just enough. Gong Li my favorite Chinese actress.

49. Part of a deck: SPADE. Deck of card.

52. Golf hazard, often: SAND. TRAP & LAKE also have 4-letter. Ernie Els is a great bunker player. A green jacket this year definitely is not a WISHFUL THINKING to him.

55. "Enemies, A Love Story" Oscar nominee: OLIN (Lena). I peeked at the answer sheet.

58. PC-to-PC system: LAN (Local Area Network)

Answer grid.

C.C.