Monday April 19, 2010 Mike Peluso

Theme: Fantasy Baseball Players - Common phrases are humorously interpreted and clued as if they were baseball players.

20A. San Francisco players not paying attention?: SLEEPING GIANTS. San Francisco Giants. NL West.

25A. Minnesota players from old Bangkok?: SIAMESE TWINS. Minnesota Twins. AL Central.

49A. Anaheim players tripping over their own feet?: FALLEN ANGELS. Anaheim Angels, or rather Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. So awkward. AL West.

57A. Pittsburgh players from old Algiers?: BARBARY PIRATES. Pittsburgh Pirates. NL Central.

Ha ha, no AL/NL East is represented. Loved the theme. Very creative.

Two more baseball references:

35A. DH's stats: RBIS.

12D. Throws wide of the base, say: ERRS.

Besides my beloved Minnesota Twins, Mike also gave us my hometown XI'AN (18A. Central Chinese tourist city) and ANG (40D. Director Lee). Ang Lee is from Taiwan. Ang is simply spelled as An (meaning "peace") in Mandarin Chinese, just like the An in Xi'An.

Also, An/Ang is spelled as Ahn in Korean, like Philip Ahn, the "Kung Fu" actor, who stumps many solvers every time he appears in our puzzle.

Across:

1A. Anti-fur org.: PETA. They sure hate Anna Wintour.

5A. Ambassador's forte: TACT.

9A. Eggs on: URGES.

14A. Oft-palmed cards: ACES. Ah, this could be clued as baseball related too.

15A. Prefix with cultural: AGRI.

16A. H.H. __: author known as Saki: MUNRO. I only know his alias name Saki, which appears in our puzzle often.

17A. Conks: BOPS.

19A. Tall tale tellers: LIARS. Triple alliteration.

23A. Haberdashery accessory: TIE TAC.

24A. URL ending for 52-Across: EDU. And 52A. Longhorn State sch.: TCU.

32A. Hot time in Alsace: ÉTÉ. Summer in French. We also have IDÉE (22D. __ fixe: obsession).

36A. Artist M.C. known for illusionary work: ESCHER. Here is his "Drawing Hands" again.

37A. Snacks at the bar: NUTS.

39A. Robert E. Lee's org.: CSA.

41A. Classify: SORT.

42A. African with pierced lips: UBANGI. New word to me. Man, Painful to look.

45A. Terminates: ENDS.

48A. iPhone, e.g.: PDA.

53A. Word in an oxymoronic Michael J. Fox movie title: FUTURE. From his film "Back to the Future".

62A. Omega's opposite: ALPHA. Greek alphabet.

63A. Eye, on the Eiffel Tower: OEIL. As in the illusional Trompe L'oeil. French for "trick the eye".

64A. Anchovy containers: TINS. Salty, salty!

65A. Trig function: COSEC.

66A. Double Dutch need: ROPE.

67A. Slurpee alternative: ICEE.

68A. Adjust a little: TWEAK.

69A. Overwhelms: AWES.

70A. Crows' cries: CAWS. CC alliteration.

Down:

1D. Blue Ribbon brewer: PABST.

2D. Bacteria in rare meat: ECOLI. In veggies too. Like the spinach scare a couple of years ago. Terrifying!

3D. Plains dwelling: TEPEE.

4D. Balance sheet heading: ASSETS.

5D. Hack with a meter: TAXI CAB.

6D. Backwoods "anti": AGIN. Opposite "Fer".

7D. Jagged rock: CRAG.

8D. Faint hues: TINGES.

9D. Mötley Crüe duo?: UMLAUTS. The two diacritical dots above Mötley Crüe.

10D. Destroy: RUIN.

11D. Pesky biter: GNAT.

13D. Sailor's "Mayday!": S-O-S.

21D. Duo: PAIR.

26D. Voice amplifier, briefly: MIC.

27D. German steelworks town: ESSEN.

28D. English johns, briefly: WC'S.

29D. Chain restaurant with a blue roof: I-HOP.

30D. Dweeb: NERD.

31D. Mlle., in Barcelona: SRTA.

32D. A sufficient amount, in slang: ENUF. Quite a few abbreviations in this grid.

33D. Oompah brass: TUBA.

34D. List shortener. Abbr.: ET AL..

38D. NBC show where Chase, Belushi, Radner at al, got their big breaks: SNL.

43D. Recoup: GET BACK.

44D. Machu Picchu builder: INCA. Both Sallie & Clear Ayes have been there.

46D. Makes dirty: DEFILES.

47D. Derogatory remark: SLUR.

50D. __ borealis: AURORA.

51D. Radio interference: STATIC.

54D. City on the Erie Canal: UTICA.

55D. Take again, as vows: RENEW.

56D. Mountain curves: ESSES.

57D. Huff and puff: BLOW. Rhyme.

58D. Church section: APSE.

59D. Emu cousin of South America: RHEA. Both flightless.

60D. Cry of pain: "YEOW!".

61D. Sherlock Holmes's smoke: PIPE.

62D. Perform: ACT.

Answer grid.

Argyle & C.C.

Wednesday March 17, 2010 Mike Peluso

Theme: FORE (71. Links warning, and a prefix with the second word of the answers to starred clues). - Golfers would yell "Fore!" if they fear that their shots might endanger the spectators/players ahead. When I play golf, and there are too many very slow players in front, I might just take a shot at one, but I always yell the warning.

17A. *"Unbelievable!": OUTTA SIGHT. Hmm, okay out of sight, meaning amazing. A good Maynard G. Krebs word; he introduced the transistor radio to the world. Good thing this is a CROSS WORD puzzle. FORESIGHT. Which if I had any, would have told me there would be no St. Patrick here today.

25A. *Knitting aid, in a way: PLASTER CAST. Now this clue I love, as who would think about bones knitting together. Great misdirection. FORECAST, what the weathermen do daily.

37A. *Office component: MICROSOFT WORD. Another nice curve, as this is but one part of the MICROSOFT OFFICE SUITE. Most old lawyers still use Word Perfect, but we are in the minority. FOREWORD, the writing before a book, not to be confused with FOREWARD, like our own dear Lois.

52A. *Legendary archer: WILLIAM TELL. Always was the apple of my eye, and I really like his intro music by Rossini. FORETELL, another look into the future.

61A. *Cartoon beeper: ROAD RUNNER and of course my favorite, Wile E. Coyote, his nemesis, and another hero of mine. He never gives up. FORERUNNER, not to be confused with 4Runner.

And our bonus word, for ones who look into the future, 70. Oracles: SEERS. Mr. Peluso did, perhaps wisely, leave out FORESKIN.

Good morning, boys and girls and trolls; how many were expecting a green puzzle today? Heaven FOREFEND such a concept. We do however, get the clever mind of Mike Peluso who gave us the wonderful President’s puzzle last month.

Welcome to wacky Wednesday with your guest blogger Lemonade 714. I really enjoyed doing this puzzle, and now know how hard C.C., Argyle and all of the others who have sat in this place, work to entertain.

Across:

1. Repairs with thread: SEWS. Okay, nice simple beginning to get the juices flowing.

5. Burning: AFIRE , 43. Like angry bees: ASWARM , 57. Each: APIECE . Well we all have our favorites and not so….

10. Part of C.W. Post: Abbr.: INIT. This refers to the initials, C. W.

14. BCS org.: NCAA. March Madness started tonight, good job Arkansas Pine Bluff, another example of not quitting, as the Golden Lions lost their first 11 games this year.

15. Tot watchers' nicknames: NANAS . I called one of mine Mimi, and the other- her.

16. Muscle quality: Tone. Well, do you like them Big or Small ?

19. Radio toggle switch: AM FM. What about satellite?

20. What you can't have success without?: ESSESS. Three letter S in the word "success". You could not spell it any other way.

21. Abate: EASE UP

23. La Mediterranean e.g. : MER , our first French lesson of the day, meaning SEA, which led me to: 56. Evian for one: and of course I wanted EAU, which means water, but the perps told me it was: SPA .

28. "Born Free" lioness: ELSA , and I always get this PICTURE in my mind.

30. Record book: LOG, Captain’s LOG Stardate 124.8; yes I am a trekkie.

31. Evaluates: RATES

32. Adopt, as a stray: TAKES IN . Is that how most of you got your kitties?

35. Cosmetic surgery, for short: LIPO . Maybe if I move my tummy, to my ass….

42. R.E.M.'s "The __ Love": ONE I. The band is originally from Georgia .

45. Highway with a terminus at Dawson Creek, British Columbia: ALCAN (Alaska-Canada)

49. Night sch. course: ESL . We see that a lot in Florida.

51. Give off: EMIT .

58. Japanese-American: NISEI .

60. Almond __: crunchy candy: ROCA . Yummy.

66. Reactions to no-brainers: DUHS .

67. "Coffee __?": OR TEA . Or me?.

68. Nevada neighbor: : UTAH. We have seen this state often, recently.

69. Renege on a dele?: STET. Editing. What a great new clue, for some crosswordese, with a pun on DEAL to boot! Love it.

Down:

1. __-Cat: SNO. Isn’t THIS what you wanted this winter Dennis?

2. Old French coin: ECU. Back to our French lesson, but instead of old standby SOU, we have ECU.

3. Wakeboard relative: WATER SKI

4. Exams for srs. SATS

5. Yosemite photographer Adams : ANSEL a great EYE .

6. '60s-'70s Saudi king: FAISAL. Our government loved him because he hated communists.

7. Having one sharp, musically: IN G. I defer to one sharp himself, BUMPA.

8. Cry of support: RAH

9. Competitor of Helena and Coco: ESTEE. Okay, we may be sick of the woman, but this is wonderful new way to get all those lovely EEs in the puzzle.

10. Mississippi River source: ITASCA a real gimme for our Minnie friends, C.C. and Lo-li-ta and others.

11. Vegan's credo: NO MEAT. I promised Dennis, I would not go there.

12. Add, as if by pouring : INFUSE.

13. Plays the siren : TEMPTS. Did you all see the movie SIRENS with ELLE that is temptation with a capital T.

18. Cleopatra's undoing: she made an ASP of herself.

22. Equipment for 52-Across: ARROWS or for GREEN ARROW.

23. Came across: MET, like ran into

24. Jack of Westerns: ELAM proving you have to be pretty to be in movies.

26. Recital performer: SOLOIST

27. Pre-weekend "Phew!" : TGIF

29. Cold War agcy. : AEC our friends at the Atomic Energy Commission

33. Like some unexpected endings: IRONIC

34. Lille denial: NON. Back to French class, Lille is a city in Northern France.

36. Home-school link: Abbr. : PTA tricked you, nothing to do with home schooling.

38. Appear to be: SEEM

39. Have debts: OWE .

40. Collides with: RAMS INTO THIS .

41. Leak: DRIP .

44. Beantown transit syst. : MTA made famous by the Kingston Trio.

45. Oscars and such: AWARDS

46. Curl around the edge of the hole without going in, in golf: LIP OUT which reminds me, Tiger will play the Masters.

47. Stale expression: CLICHÉ .

48. Blue Jays' div. : AL EAST spelled out for once.

50. Bank, often: LENDER As Polonious said, never a borrower nor a lender be.

53. Houston hockey team: AEROS why do they have hockey there?

54. Turkish money: LIRAS.

55. Sch. with a Shreveport campus: LSU part of the spawning of NICK SATAN.

59. Ample, slangily: ENUF It is real .

62. Pay dirt: ORE love this simple clue.

63. Had: ATE Did Mr. Peluso's Wednesday eat you alive?

64. Auditory organ: EAR . Well, I am ‘ear today, gone tomorrow, thanks for having me.

65. Scoreboard letters: RHE Runs, did I score? Hits, any you liked? Errors, I know I am not perfect, so it is all good. My best to each and everyone of you. Even, well I am outta here. Happy St Patrick's Day!

Answer grid.

Lemonade 714

Sunday February 21, 2010 Mike Peluso

Theme: White House Insiders - The initials of eight presidents, their number of the presidency indicated in the brackets, are embedded inside each familiar phrase.

23A. *Obligation payable within a year (37): SHORT-TERM NOTE. Richard Milhous Nixon.

38A. *Ceremonial, as Anglican ritual (31): HIGH CHURCH. Herbert Clark Hoover.

54A. *Line dancer? (18): CHORUS GIRL. Ulysses S. Grant. His real first name is Hiram, which appears in crossword occasionally.

75A. *Double martini, e.g. (32): STIFF DRINK. Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

92A. *AOL service (44): WEB HOSTING. Barack Hussein Obama.

110A. *Arizona attraction (34): PAINTED DESERT. Dwight David Eisenhower. Ike.

16D. *Hurting for money (33): CASH STRAPPED. Harry S. Truman.

60D. *Aviation pioneer (40): WILBUR WRIGHT. Ronald Wilson Reagan.

84D. Clothing embroidery, maybe, and a hint to finding the "insiders" in the answers to starred clues: MONOGRAM

All of the initials span two words. I don't think it's possible to find phrases containing JFK & LBJ due to their consonant combination.

After seeing the puzzle title and the bracketed numbers in the starred theme clues, I grokked the theme immediately. Unfortunately it did not help my solve much, as I only know the presidency numbers of Obama and Reagan. And I only know the middle initials of FDR, DDE & HST.

A few thorny spots here and there. Overall a very pleasant solve. Great to see Mike Peluso's byline. It's been a long time. The Valentine's Day last Sunday might have bumped Mike's President's Day puzzle to today.

Across:

1. Chatterbox: MAGPIE. Noisy.

7. Seven Sisters school: VASSAR. Jackie Kennedy attended Vassar.

13. PSAT takers: JRS

19. Some L-shaped wrenches: ALLENS. The hexagonal wrenches.

20. Substandard: CRUMMY

21. Moray, say: EEL

22. Palindromic Altar: ARA. Latin for "altar".

25. Visits: STOPS BY

27. PC key: TAB. Would prefer just "Computer key". PC suggests abbreviation. TAB is not.

28. Dutchman who painted "Gypsy Girl": HALS (Frans). Here is the "Gypsy Girl".

29. Blonde bombshell Diana: DORS. Very Marilyn-like.

30. Beauty, to Keats: TRUTH. "Beauty is truth, truth beauty".

31. Illness: MALADY

33. "__ match?": GOT A

34. Two-time U.S. Open champ: AGASSI (Andre). He has such a soft voice.

37. Can, after "is": ABLE TO

42. Turkey, maybe: TOM. Mr. Turkey.

43. Web addresses, briefly: URLS

44. In a few minutes: SOON. So is ANON.

46. Californie, e.g.: ETAT. State. Californie is French for California. We also have Spanish for states ESTADOS (6D. Tejas y Nuevo México, por ejemplo).

47. Span. title: SRTA (Señorita). And MADAME (120A. Frau, in France). Frau is German for Madam.

48. Authority to decide: SAY-SO

50. Kiss, to Luis: BESO. As in Paul Anka's song "Eso Beso" (That Kiss).

53. Tic or twinge: SPASM

57. Use FedEx: SHIP. Thought of MAIL first.

58. Audi rival: BMW

63. Filled French fare: CREPES. Nice alliteration.

66. Eave droppers: ICICLES. Great clue.

68. Mountain man, maybe: LONER. "Deliverance" is a scary movie.

69. Santiago native: CHILEAN. Santiago is the capital of Chile.

70. Synagogue text: TALMUD (TAHL-mood). Literally "instruction" in Hebrew.

71. Leisurely stroll: PASEO. New word to me.

72. Mob enforcer: GOON

74. Auction activities: BIDS

77. When repeated, 1963 hit with alleged obscene lyrics determined by the FBI to be "unintelligible at any speed": LOUIE. Faintly remember someone mentioned "Louie Louie" on the blog before. Sex & drug lyrics, I presume.

80. Come up short: FAIL

81. Self-reproach: SHAME

86. He orbited Earth 314 days before John: YURI (Gagarin)

87. Agreement: PACT

88. Polite rural reply: YES'M

90. Hymn starter: O GOD

91. State so. of Queensland: NSW (New South Wales)

96. Nearby: AROUND

98. Ancient invader of Greece: XERXES. The Persian king. Quite creepy in the movie "300".

100. Remedy: CURE

101. Punic Wars general: SCIPIO (SIP-ee-oh). The Roman general who defeated Hannibal. Stymied me.

102. "Able was __ ...": I ERE I. The famous palindrome "Able was I ere I saw Elba".

104. Woody's son: ARLO (Guthrie)

105. Theodore, to Wally: BEAV. "Leave it to Beaver".

106. L on a tag: Abbr.: LGE (Large). Not fond the clue. Letter repetition.

108. RSVP option: REGRETS

113. Ultimate degree: NTH

114. Old "King" Cole: NAT. Why "Old"?

115. Way of the Romans?: APPIAN. The Appian Way. Ancient Roman road.

116. Genesis peak: ARARAT. Where Noah's Ark landed.

117. Relaxed, in a way: SAT

118. Chicken general?: TSO. General Tso's Chicken.

119. Save: RESCUE

Down:

1. Caravel feature: MAST

2. Granada palace: ALHAMBRA (al-HAM-bruh). Literally "the red one" in Arabic. Dictionary says The Alhambra is the finest example of Moorish architecture in Spain. Unknown to me.

3. How multi-nationals trade: GLOBALLY

5. Because: IN THAT

7. TV add-ons: VCRS

8. A slot machine has one: ARM

9. Partial rainbow: SUNDOG. Also new to me. Why "dog"?

10. Glib: SMOOTH

11. Amphibious vehicle: AMTRAC. No idea. It stands for Am(phibious) + Trac(tor), carrying troops from sea to shore.

12. Bar array: RYES. Was picturing drinks.

13. Fun: JEST

14. Take back: RETRACT

15. Shed, with "off": SLOUGH. Clear Ayes/Kazie/Lemonade just mentioned the different pronunciations of this word when it denotes different meaning.

17. Wall St. hedger: ARB (Arbitrager)

18. St. Pete athlete: RAY. Tampa Bay Rays.

24. Nevada Northern Railway Museum city: ELY. I glanced at the cheat sheet.

26. School gp.: PTA

32. Not as much: LESS

33. Knife hyped on TV: GINSU. But "WAIT, there's more (52A).

35. DTs sufferers: SOTS. DT = Delirium Tremens.

36. Islamic leader: IMAM

37. Country N. of Slovenia: AUS (Austria)

38. Makers of beds?: HOERS. Flower beds. Tricky clue.

39. Judge, e.g.: HEARER. Oh well, you can just about ER-ize any verb.

40. Water and elec.: UTILS

41. Snitch: RAT

45. Sarrusophone cousins: OBOES

47. Pitch: SPIEL. Sales pitch.

49. Form a certain front, in meteorology: OCCLUDE (uh-KLOOD). First encounter with this word.

51. Bone formation: OSTOSIS

52. Remove, as a silly grin: WIPE OFF

53. Reduces: SHRINKS

55. Listens to: HEEDS

56. Thief, in slang: GANEF. Hebrew for "thief". Stumper for me.

57. "Danke __": SCHON. "Thank you very much" in German.

58. Drill insert: BIT

59. 1988 Motown acquirer: MCA

64. __-de-vie: brandy: EAU

67. Early 10th century year: CMIII. 903.

68. Not prompt for: LATE TO

69. Stored ropes, e.g.: COILS

71. Intimidate mentally, with "out": PSYCH

72. "Peer Gynt Suite" composer: GRIEG (Edvard). Nope. Don't know this Norwegian composer.

76. Pop singer Taylor __: DAYNE. I wanted SWIFT.

77. Wildcat with tufted ears: LYNX. Also the name of our Minnesota WNBA team.

78. River of Yorkshire: OUSE (ooz).

82. Lobe dangler: HOOP. Earrings.

83. 2000 Best New Artist Grammy winner: AGUILERA (Christina). Beautiful voice.

87. Euro preceders: PESETAS (puh-SEY-tuh). The Spanish money.

89. Paving material: MACADAM. Named after the Scottish engineer who invented this material.

92. Failed to be: WEREN'T

93. Abrasion: SCRAPE

94. Blooms from bulbs: TULIPS

95. Having a twist: IRONIC. Had to bend my brain into a pretzel to think of the answer.

97. Yankee who is the A.L. career leader in saves: RIVERA (Mariano). From Panama. I like players who spend their entire career with one team.

99. Signer, at times: XER

101. But, to Cassius: SED. Like in "Non vi sed virtue" (not by force but by virtue). Yet one more new word to me.

103. What a colon means, in analogies: IS TO

104. On __ with: A PAR

105. Nota __: BENE. Literally "note well" in Latin.

107. Kitchen trailer?: ETTE. Kitchenette.

108. Some OR personnel: RNS

109. SFO info: ETA. ETA seems to appear more than ETD.

111. Cross shape: TAU

112. Down: SAD. "Where do you go when you're blue?...". Beautiful song. I love The Corrs.

Answer grid.

C.C.

Tuesday October 6, 2009 Mike Peluso

Theme: LATIN Trio (31A: Classic language, and with 61-Across, hint to the puzzle theme found at the starts of 20-, 37- and 57-Across) - theme answers start with the first conjugation of Latin verb LOVE (61A: Cherish), in orderly fashion.

20A. 2005 Margaret Peterson Haddix children's thriller: AMONG THE ENEMY. Amo, I love. The book is about a time in which drastic measures have been taken to quell overpopulation.

37A. Accumulate wealth: AMASS A FORTUNE. Amas, You love.

57A. Non-remunerative athletics: AMATEUR SPORTS. Amat, He loves.

Plus,

Amamus: We love.

Amatis: You (plural) love.

Amant: They love.

This is Al, guest-blogging today.

For a TUE (64D: Election Day: Abbr.), this was a pretty good puzzle. It didn't give me a lot of GRIEF (9D: Reaction to personal loss).

I think I may have overdone it with the links.

Across:

1. Washing machine sequence: CYCLE. Here is a laundry CYCLE.

6. Pirate's booty: SWAG. Slang for loot. A treasure chest.

10. Twilight time: DUSK

14. Start of an old Army slogan: BE ALL. Be All You Can Be.

15. Rock group's trip: TOUR. Here is a magical tour.

16. In the past: ONCE. Anyone put ERST here first?

17. Jack of rhyme: SPRAT. He could eat no fat. Lolcat.

19. Persia, now: IRAN. We just had FARSI yesterday.

23. 1958 #1 hit sung in Italian: VOLARE. Italian for "to fly". Also called "Nel blu dipinto di blu" ("In the Blue Painted Blue"). This is the song I remember.

25. In error: OFF. The clue was kind of close to the answer ERRATA (50D: List of mistakes).

27A: Lyricist Gershwin: IRA. Also a Roth account.

33. Property measure: ACRE. One furlong (660 feet) by one chain (66 feet), 43,560 square feet, possibly the approximate amount of land one ox could plow in one day.

35. Moray, e.g.: EEL. To fit in with today's theme, that's amore.

44: Schoolbook: TEXT. Another theme video.

46. "Beak" for "nose," e.g.: SLANG

49. 100 bucks: C-NOTE. C for century. If I had 50 female pigs and 50 male deer, would I have a hundred sows and bucks?

51. "__ the ramparts"...": O'ER. The melody of our National Anthem was "borrowed from an old English drink song..."

52: Trip segment: LEG. I would definitely be tripped by these. Actually that photo is of a group called Bond, a quartet of classically trained musicians. Nice "trip" clue echo with TOUR earlier.

53. Thurman of "Kill Bill": UMA. Played Beatrix opposite David Carradine.

62. Aussie greeting: G'DAY. G'Day mate.

66. Till bills: ONES. A "Michigan bankroll".

67. Fish organ: GILL. Singer Vince too. Baseball great Hodges is GIL.

68. Prepare to advance after a fly ball: TAG UP.

69. Computer adventure game: MYST. Released in 1993.

Down:

2. Slangy assent: YEP. Yup, too.

3. Parking lot siren: CAR ALARM. Quite annoying...

4: Andean beast: LLAMA. The one-l lama, He's a priest. /The two-l llama, He's a beast. /And I will bet A silk pajama /There isn't any Three-l lllama.- Ogden Nash.

5. Matador's foe: EL TORO. "The bull" in Spanish.

6. Men-only party: STAG

7. Refuses to: WON'T

8: Write: AUTHOR. LEMONY (47D: Tart, as a citrus drink) Snicket, author of "A Series of Unfortunate Events".

10. "__ What Comes Natur'lly": DOIN'. Can they actually print this clue in a family publication?

11. Pre-riot state: UNREST. It's people like you what cause unrest.

12. Garlicky shrimp dish: SCAMPI

13. Nairobi native: KENYAN. So many marathon winners.

22. Key above D: E-FLAT. D-Sharp as well, but that won't fit.

24. SeaWorld attraction: ORCA. The sign said Free Willy, but it still cost $7 to get in...

29. Teachers' org.: NEA. National Education Association.

30. Fairylike: ELFIN. ELFIN.

32. Lie alongside: ABUT

36. Capri's Blue __: GROTTO. Rooted in Italian word grotta. Too many to pick from.

38. Transition to the next subject: SEGUE

39. Ear: Prefix: OTO. Could have been worse, they might have wanted us to spell otolaryngology. AURI is "Ear: Prefix" too.

40. Las Vegas Strip feature: NEON SIGN

41. Marked, as a ballot: EXED. Or XED.

46. Sinuous ski race: SLALOM. Rooted in Norwegian slalåm. slad, sloping + låm, path.

48. Mescal sources: AGAVES

49. Aerobic exercise, in gym-speak: CARDIO. Cardiovascular.

54. Seriously humid: MUGGY

56. Old lab burners: ETNAS. Named for the volcano ETNA, Greek for "I burn".

58. Final grade factor: TEST

59. Polio vaccine developer: SALK. Also Sabin, who developed the oral vaccine. People vaccinated with injected Salk vaccine could still pass on the disease.

60. War journalist Ernie: PYLE. Pulitzer winner (1944). Killed in the war in 1945. He was awarded a Purple Heart. Very few civilians got Purple Heart.

65. Mo for fools: APR. Also National Humor Month.

Answer grid.

Al

Sunday August 16, 2009 Mike Pelusa

Theme: INJURED. Or rather ON THE DL (85D: Temporarily not playing, in a baseball lingo (and a hint to this puzzle's theme) - D & L starting two-word phrases.

23A: Vietnam War program: DRAFT LOTTERY

29A: Driver's warning, perhaps: DASH LIGHT

54A: What spies often lead: DOUBLE LIFE

70A: Desert phenomenon: DRY LAKE

89A: Place to sign: DOTTED LINE

110A: Leer or sneer: DIRTY LOOK

121A: It's no longer spoken anywhere: DEAD LANGUAGE

38D: Be slain by a stand-up comic? DIE LAUGHING

43D: Murray offering: DANCE LESSON

DL stands for Disabled List. David Ortiz was always on the DL when he was with the Twins. Hated when he flourished with the Red Sox.

The clue for DIE LAUGHING is the only one with ? mark. I wish it were consistent with the other straight clues.

I penned in MIRAGE for 70A first. Did not know Arthur Murray the dancer, thought it refers to Bill Murray.

Nice, real baseball sub-theme in this puzzle:

22A: Baseball family name: ALOU

57A: Hall of Famer Slaughter: ENOS

95A: Third-winningest active baseball manager: TORRE (Joe). After Cardinals' Tony La Russa & Braves' Bobby Cox.

4D: Mariners' park, familiarly: SAFECO. SAFECO Field. My first baseball card is a Ichiro rookie.

41D: One of Willie Mays' 20 in 1957: TRIPLE. I wonder why the constructor picked Willie Mays' 1957 season as a clue for TRIPLE? What's so special about it?

83D: Winning of losing run: STREAK

115D: National League division: EAST

Fun puzzle. I've been waiting for Mike Peluso's byline. We used to get his puzzles on Wednesdays. So, when I saw his name, I was very happy and dived into the puzzle very impatiently. Flitting from place to place and penning in all those fill-in-the blanks & other easy answers. I won't repeat this strategy again. It feels better to start with upper left and systematically move to lower right.

The clue for ACRO (2D: Bat opening) needs a ? mark to indicate wordplay. Acrobat.

Across:

1A: "In My Own Fashion" autobiographer: CASSINI (Oleg). Jackie Kennedy's designer.

8A: Mil. decorations: DSCS. DSC = Distinguished Service Cross.

12A: Handicapper's hangout, briefly: OTB (Offtrack Betting)

15A: Ukr. et. al. once: SSRS

19A: Like an albatross: OCEANIC. Because albatross lives in the ocean? I wanted something related to burden or the golf term "double eagle" albatross.

20A: Conference USA's Miners: UTEP (University of Texas, El Paso). Largest university in US with a majority Mexican-American students, according to Wikipedia. I did not know their sports team name.

25A: Show uncertainty: HESITATE

27A: Olden days: YORE

28A: Guitar inlay material: NACRE. Mother-of-pearl. Some drums have such inlay too.

30A: Piston pusher: CAM

33A: Words after pass and raise: THE BAR

35A: Toulouse evening: SOIR. Or NUIT, as in "Bonne NUIT!" (good night!).

36A: Daily agenda: TO DO LIST

42A: Given as compensation: PAID TO

47A: Some pop groups: TRIOS. Like Destiny's Child.

49A: Public place, in a phobia: AGORA. More used to the "Greek marketplace" clue. Not familiar with agoraphobia.

51A: Romanov leaders: CZARS. Fell to the trap of TSARS.

52A: Toots: BEEPS

58A: "Le Roi d'Ys" composer: LALO (Édouard). I just forgot. French composer. LALO is of Latin origin, meaning "to sing a lullaby".

59A: Italian scooter: VESPA. The one used in "Roman Holiday".

62A: Second century date: CII. Roman 102.

63A: Upper East Side NYT eatery: ELAINE'S. No idea. ELAINE'S counts Woody Allen, Norman Mailer, Andy Warhol,, Frank Sinatra, Jack Nicholson and many other celerities as its frequent customers.

67A: Contract terms, at times: LEGALESE.

69A: __ Bator: ULAN. Mongolia capital. Literally "red".

73A: Henry James biographer Leon: EDEL. Learned his name from doing Xword. He wrote a five-volume biography of Henry James and won Pulitzer for his work.

74A: Narrow loaf: BAGUETTE. Hmm, jambon, gruyere & crudité on a BAGUETTE. Want some?

77A: Old United rival: TWA. Howard Hughes's airline.

78A: Rebuke silently: GLARE AT. Tiger Woods's glare is quit cold and intimidating. However, Padraig Harrington is not to be intimidated today. Curl your top lip and go!

81A: __Kosh B'Gosh: OSH

84A: Onetime members of the Winnebago Nation: OTOES. I guessed.

86A: SAS destination: OSLO. The "KLM destination" would be Amsterdam.

87A: Digestion aid: ACID

92A: Online bulletin board runner: SYSOP (System Operator). Not a familiar abbreviation to me.

93A: Hole in the head: SINUS. No idea. The clue conjures up a bloody image to me.

96A: Old burners in a lab: ETNAS. The Sicilian volcano ETNA is Greek for "I burn".

98A: Three Dog Night hit written by Nilsson: ONE. Here is the clip. Unknown to me. Sounds nice.

99A: Mesopotamia border river: TIGRIS. And Euphrates. The two rivers.

101A: So out it's in: RETRO

103A: 1066 battle site: HASTINGS. Norman Conquest fame.

105A: Take __: A BOW. Mine was THAT.

107A: Oxygen-consuming bacterium: AEROBE. Aer(o)=air. Be is from Greek bios (life). New word to me.

109A: Adm.'s milieu: USN (United States Navy). Adm. here is admiral.

114A: __-France: ILE DE. We often see ILE clued as __ de-France.

116A: Make pictures: DRAW

120A: Web sellers: E-TAILERS

124A: Danish shoe brand: ECCO. I wonder how ECCO obtained its name. ECCO is Italian for ECCE, "behold".

125A: Some operators: Abbr. MDS. MD here stands for Doctor of Medicine (Latin: Medicīnae Doctor) I presume?

126A: Woody's son: ARLO. Lemonade witnessed his drugged state in Woodstock.

127A: The ghost of Mrs. Muir?: SPECTRE. Mrs. Muir from "The Ghost of Mrs. Muir" is a British, hence the British spelling SPECTRE. I've never heard of the movie, so the cleverness of the clue is lost on me.

128A: Fen- __: banned diet aid: PHEN

129A: DOD division: NSA (National Security Agency).

130A: Like many signers: DEAF. Did not know a signer is a person who uses sign language.

131A: Syrup, essentially: TREE SAP. Maple syrup.

Down:

1D: Wyoming city: CODY. Can never remember this city. It's named after Buffalo Bill CODY.

3D: Precook, in a way: SEAR. Wrote down SOAK.

5D: QB's overthrow: INT. Interception I suppose.

6D: Zip: NIL

7D: Desktop figure: ICON

8D: Like "aardvark", e.g.: DUTCH. Oh, I did not know aardvark is of Dutch origin.

9D: Entertainment system: STEREO

10D: Brainy: CEREBRAL

11D: Thriller hero, often: SPY

12D: Workplace protection org.: OSHA

14D: Queen's neighbor?: BISHOP. Chess. I obtained the answer from Across fills.

15D: Make fun of: SATIRIZE. Satirical tone can be hard to detect for a non-native English speaker.

16D: Refinery residue: SLAG

18DL Haggis ingredient: SUET. Ewww.

24D: Skin coloring?: TATTOOS. Clever clue.

26D: Connected to the hipbone: ILIAC

29D: Anticipates in a big way: DROOLS. The clue brought to mind Stanley Tucci's "Big Night".

31D: Hgts.: ALTS (Altitudes)

32D: Russian for "peace": MIR. That's how the Russian space station got its name.

34D: Spirit in le ciel: ANGE. French for "angel". "Ciel" is "The sky"/"heaven".

36D: It may be periodic: TABLE. Another great clue.

37D: Ryan of TV's "Peyton Place": O'NEAL. Farrah Fawcett's love.

39D: Opposing team: SIDES

44D: Marseilles crowd?: TROIS. French for "three". Three is a crowd.

48D: More than great: SUPER

50D: "I'll do it for __": A FEE. Funny. Mine was FREE.

53D: WWI French solider: POILU. Literally "hairy one". I can never remember this word.

56D: Marx collaborator: ENGELS. They co-wrote "Communist Manifesto". This poster (Marx, ENGLES, Lenin, Stalin & Chairman Mao) was an important part of my childhood memory.

59D: Let off steam: VENTED

64D: Dundee denials: NAES. Scottish for "no".

68D: Brown of song: LEROY. "Bad, bad LEROY Brown". I was stumped, thinking of R & B singer Bobby Brown (Whitney Houston's husband).

70D: Visa user: DEBTOR. Well, I am a DEBTOR then.

71D: Getting unauthorized R & R?: AWOL. Nailed it.

74D: "Veni, vidi, vici, ", e.g.: BOAST. Nailed it also. Loved the clue.

75D: computer acronym: ASCII

78D: She played Thelma: GEENA."Thelma & Louise".

80D: Has a few too many: TOPES

88D: Length of time: DURATION

90D: Romani de Tirtoff, famously: ERTE. The French pronunciation of his initials R. T.

91D: Behind: DERRIERE

92D: Grounded fliers: SST

94D: Soothsayer: SIBYL

97D: Tempe sch.: ASU (Arizona State University). The Sun Devils'.

100D: Like most church service: SOLEMN

102D: "C'est magnifique!": OO LA LA. Always thought it's OOH LA LA. "C'est magnifique!"="This is magnificent".

104D: Bring about: INDUCE

106D: "Eating __ has never given me indigestion": Churchill: WORDS. Not a familiar Churchill quote to me. Does not sound like him.

108D: __ roses: BED OF. Had trouble stringing the answer together.

111D: Restless desire: ITCH

112D: Dash, for one: RACE. I was thinking the Morse code dash.

113D: Mount of Greek myth: OSSA

117D: "Darn it": RATS

118D: Indian tourist city: AGRA. Taj Mahal city.

121D: Family nickname: DAD. It's ba ba in Chinese. Ma ma is Mom.

122D: "All Things Considered" airer: NPR

Answer grid.

C.C.

Wednesday June 17, 2009 Mike Peluso

Theme: They Are Angels

20A: Angel: HEAVENLY SPIRIT

36A: Angel: AMERICAN LEAGUER

53A: Angel: BROADWAY BACKER

Angel is rooted in Greek angelos, meaning "messenger". Demon is from Greek daimon, "divine power". Strange. Nothing diabolical. You would think it shares the same root as devil.

Anaheim Angels (I am used to their old name) won the World Series in 2002 when I was back in Xi'An. Fun to watch the playoffs in Chinese.

Dictionary also says angel can be a verb -"to provide financial backing for".

"Charlie's Angels" are missing. Who is your favorite? Lucy Liu is kind of mean in the film. Have never seen the old Farrah Fawcett/ Jaclyn Smith "Charlie's Angels". Oh, by the way, look at this terrific HOURGLASS FIGURE link J.D brought to the Comment section yesterday. Scarlett Johansson's measurements are shown to be 36-23-34. Incredible.

I had a bit trouble with lower left corner, otherwise, smooth solving. Favorite clue today is ABACI and 38D: Government finger-pointer?: UNCLE SAM. Can't believe the term was used in 1812 already.

Across:

1A: Rock concert equipment: AMPS

14A: Sonny and Cher, e.g.: DUET. "I Got You Babe". Their only daughter Chastity Bono has just decided to become a man.

15A: "The Many Loves of __ Gillis": old sitcom: DOBIE. Got the answer from Down fills.

17A: This, in Seville: ESTO. Or ESTA, the feminine "this".

19A: Swan lover of myth: LEDA. Mother of Helen of Troy.

23A: SFO datum: ARR (Arrival). SFO is San Francisco International Airport.

25A: Asian counters: ABACI. Plural of abacus. Count-er. Just like the wordplay on flow-er for river. Nice clue.

28A: Lady of Bavaria: FRAU. "Mrs." in German. Wife of HERR.

33A: Disney villainess __ de Vil: CRUELLA. From the "101 Dalmatians". I only saw the Chinese version of the movie. Could not remember her name.

41A: Portuguese capital: ESCUDOS. Monetary unit. I was thinking of LISBON. Wiki says ESCUDO is Portuguese for "shield". Shouldn't "Portuguese capital" be EURO now?

43A: Math subj.: ALG

46A: Supporter: ALLY

48A: Lundi follower: MARDI. Tuesday. As in MARDI Gras. Lundi is our Monday.

50A: Diamonds, to a fence: ICE. Fence is a person who deals with stolen goods.

58A: Assess: LEVY. Wrote down RATE first.

59A: Honor with barbs: ROAST. Like what those journalists do at the annual Gridiron Club dinner.

60A: Egyptian fertility goddess: ISIS. Wife/sister of Osiris.

62A: First place: EDEN. And ABEL (7D: Genesis victim). The real first families.

64A: Ideal for tubing, as a river: LAZY. I am stumped. Why?

65A: Senator from Kansas or North Carolina: DOLE. Bob DOLE (Kansas) or wife Elizabeth DOLE (North Carolina).

67A: Dark clouds, often: OMEN. Or "the writing on the wall".

Down:

2D: Grow exponentially: MUSHROOM

3D: Baseball's all-time leader with 4,256 hits: PETE ROSE. He should be in Hall-of-Fame. PETE ROSE played with a real passion.

4D: Colonnade of ancient Greeces: STOA. Colonnade is rooted in column.

5D: Bye that's bid: ADIEU. Bid ADIEU to.

6D: "Death, be not proud" poet: DONNE (John). He wrote lots of elegies.

8D: Boglike: MIRY

9D: Complete collections: SETS. Anyone owns 1955 Topps doubleheaders? Those cards look very neat.

10D: Ignore the script: AD-LIB

12D: Florentine ruling family: MEDICI. The Renaissance art patron family. I also learned this morning that the MEDICI family produced 3 popes (Leo X, Clement VII and Leo XI) .

21D: Beta alternative: VHS. History now.

22D: Zahn of TV news: PAULA. I watched her/CNN a lot immediately after 9/11. PAULA Zahn is a great cellist.

23D: He played Pierce on *M*A*S*H: ALDA (Alan).

27D: Parisian pop: PERE. Mon PERE, ma MERE, mes FRERES (brothers) et mes SOEURS (sisters).

28D: New Brunswick's Bay of __: FUNDY. No idea. See this map. Wiki says the name "Fundy" is thought to be a corruption of the French word "Fendu", meaning "split".

30D: Bass and others: ALES. Not familiar with Bass Ale brand. I don't drink beer.

33D: XXXV x X: CCCL. 35x10=350

34D: Fidel's successor: RAUL. Gimme, gimme. They are brothers.

35D: Lago contents: AGUA

37D: "I am ... __": Neil Diamond hit: I SAID. Here is the clip. Unknown to me.

39D: Put under: ETHERIZE. New verb to me. Same as anesthetize?

43D: Strolled lazily: AMBLED

44D: Texas border city: LAREDO. EL PASO came to me first.

45D: Humble oneself shamelessly: GROVEL. Both PANDER and KOWTOW have 6-letters too.

47D: Japanese computer giant: NEC

49D: "I'll Be Your Shelter" singer Tayler: DAYNE. Not familiar with the song.

50D: "A Doll's House" playwright: IBSEN (Henrik). The only Norwegian playwright I know.

51D: Spiteful: CATTY

54D: Court order: WRIT

56D: New Haven Ivy: YALE. The Bulldogs.

57D: Unit of mass, briefly: KILO. Kilogram. Equals to 2.2 pounds.

Answer grid.

C.C.

Sunday June 7, 2009 Mike Peluso

Theme: Taking The Bite Out of the Dog

23A: About to land in northern Ohio?: (GR)OVER CLEVELAND

31A: Incredible hole-in-one?: AMAZING (GR)ACE

53A: Debts?: (GR)OWING CONCERN

76A: Traditional ghost stories?: (GR)EEK MYTHOLOGY

93A: Aristocratic Machu Picchu women: (GR)ANDES DAMES

106A: WWII intelligence oversights?: (GR)OSS NEGLIGENCE

37D: Angry gorillas?: (GR)APES OF WRATH

40D: Little queen in the library?: RESEARCH (GR)ANT

I glommed onto the theme immediately after I obtained AMAZING ACE. My favorite theme entry is APES OF WRATH, very evocative. I like how it crosses ORANG (80A: Malaysian ape). I am also fond of OSS NEGLIGENCE too. OSS is often clued as "CIA forerunner".

Very clever theme. Also neat to have three "Pay" in the following clues:

29A: Pay: SALARY. Wrote down AWARD first. Two letters fit.

38A: Not pay, as taxes: EVADE.

8D: Pay dirt: ORE

Several tricky clues today. I dodged a few. But struggled mightily with OPIATE (60A: Dentist's number?). Only realized a few minutes ago that I have to parse number as numb-er, stuff that numb me.

I still don't understand the cluing for NAS (105D: __ in November). Why? Is it related to the rapper NAS somehow?

Across:

1A: Photographer's buy: TRIPOD. And RIMS (82A: Lens holders)

7A: Maker of Infiniti hairstyling irons: CONAIR. Also the name of a Nicolas Cage movie.

13A: It precedes Blue Jays' home games: O CANADA. I got it immediately.

20A: Actress Swank: HILARY. Loved her "Million Dollar Baby".

21A: Defoe title surname: CRUSOE

22D: Rhine siren: LORELEI. This has become a gimme. Sirens are sea nymphs.

25A: Starry-eyed type: DREAMER. Life is too realistic to be a DREAMER now.

26D: 1931 Garbo role: MATA HARI. Unknown to me. I don't think I've watched any Garbo movie. MATA HARI was executed in 1917.

27A: Binding words: I DO. Sweet clue.

39A: Word in proof: ERGO

40A: Some NFL linemen: RGS (Right Guards). Not a football fan. Wanted RTS. Are right tackles linemen also?

43A: They're found under long hair: NAPES. D'oh. Of course.

44A: Douglas Aircraft jets used in Nam: F- TENS. No idea. I also did not know GIRO (75A: Old rotorcraft, for short). It's short for autogiro.

47A: Iowa college town: AMES

48A: Rice-: A-RONI. My husband loves their Spanish Rice.

51A: Follow: ENSUE

52A: Matter of law: RES. Latin thing.

56A: Spacemate of Michael and Buzz: NEIL (Armstrong). Aboard Apollo 11. The Moon Walk.

57A: "Strange Magic" gp.: ELO. Easy guess.

58A: Thing to go through: PHASE. Great clue. I kept thinking of LISTS.

59A: Twist, as floorboards: WARP

62A: Smooth style: FLAIR. Got the answer with Down help.

64A: PB &J cousin: BLT. I like peanut butter and honey combination.

65A: Kitchen gadget: CORER. Thought of PEELER immediately. I peel everything.

66A: In addition: AS WELL

68A: "Leaving Las Vegas" costar: SHUE (Elizabeth). Nice picture. I wrote down the other costar CAGE first.

70A: Time between mediodía y seis: TARDE. Spanish for afternoon. Between noon (mediodía) and six (seis). Stumper for me.

72A: USN rank: CPO (Chief Petty Officer). Another stumper.

79A: Throne letters: HRH. His/Her Royal Highness.

83A: Materialized: AROSE

84A: Reagan secretary of state: HAIG (Alexander). I remember his "I'm in control here".

85A: Facetious suggestion to public kissers: GET A ROOM. Funny.

87A: Layers: PLIES

88A: Mozart's "__ Alla Turca": RONDO. Here is a clip. I was stymied.

89A: __Kosh B'Gosh: OSH. New brand to me. What a strange name!

90A: "Same Time, Next Year" actor: ALDA. Not familiar with the movie.

91A: Badgers, in "Jabberwocky": TOVES. Anything "Jabberwocky' is beyond me.

92A: Softened by love: MELTED. Sweet clue too.

95A: Eternities: EONS. Wrote down EVER first.

99A: Ring floorings: KOS (Knockouts). Needs "briefly" for hint, doesn't it?

100A: Church challengers: HERETICS

104A: Qom inhabitant: IRANIAN. Wikipedia says Qom is the largest center for Shi'a scholarship in the world. Very close to Tehran.

110A: South African liberator: MANDELA

111A: Show contrition: REPENT

112A: More to the point: TERSER

114A: Lists of candidates: SLATES. Our governor Tim Pawlenty just announced that he wouldn't seek for a third term. I am certain that he is aiming at the GOP presidential nominee.

115A: Prosecutorial staff member: Abbr.: ASST DA. Have watched so many "Law & Order" reruns, yet I still had trouble obtaining this answer.

Down:

1D: Shoe retailer McAn: THOM

2D: 1972 Derby winner __ Ridge: RIVA. No idea. Wikipedia says he won 1972 Belmont Stakes as well. Very exciting race yesterday. Calvin Borel almost pulled it off.

4D: "The Prodigal Son" and others: PARABLES. I did not know what "The Prodigal Son" is about. Thought it might be a novel.

5D: 14-Down flowers: ORCHIDS. And CORSAGE (14D: Gift for a big date). DIAMOND came to my mind when I read "Gift for a big date".

6D: Songwriters Bob and Jakob: DYLANS. Only know the father Bob DYLAN.

7D: MXXX ÷ V: CCVI. 1030/5=206.

9D: Match __: tie game, in Bordeaux: NUL. New term to me. NUL is French for "void".

11D: Give a charge to: IONIZE

12D: __wip: REDDI. I forgot this brand again. Only use Cool Whip.

15D: Seattle's 206, e.g.: AREA CODE. Stumped. I only know Seattle's #51. My first ever baseball card is a Topps' Ichiro.

16D: 1960 Wimbledon champ Fraser: NEALE. No idea. He is an Aussie. Hope Roger Federer realizes his Grand Slam dream this time.

18D: Forest bounders: DEER. Nice clue.

24D: Fraction of a joule: ERG

28D: Like the simplest process: ONE STEP

32D: Out of control: MANIC. AMOK is one letter short.

33D: Spots: ADS

34D: Garson of "Mrs. Miniver": GREER

38D: Detachable collars: ETONS

41D: Astronaut's garb: G-SUIT. Oh, I did not know they are called G-SUITS.

42D: "O Rare Ben Johnson" is engraved (in error) on one: STELE. My answer was STONE. The correct name should be Ben Jonson, a contemporary of Shakespeare.

44D: Brother in a hood?: FRIAR. Superb clue. I was thinking of those street gangs.

46D: Navel phenomenon: INNIE

49D: Camping pest: GNAT. And NOODGE (55D: Pest), a word I quickly forgot after it appeared in our puzzle last time.

50D: Unlike this ans.: ACR (Across). This answer (50D) is Down, not Across. I got it right away.

63D: Hotelier Helmsley: LEONA. The Queen of Mean.

64D: Believes: BUYS. Did not come to me readily.

65D: Angry: CROSS. IRKED popped into my mind.

66D: Disco era phrase: A GO GO. No idea.

68D: Protection for a bank job: SKI MASK. The robbery. I was imagining those surveillance cameras in the bank.

69D: "Let me think about that": HMM

70D: Whig opponents: TORIES. The parties in the UK?

73D: Fall preceder: PRIDE. I wanted Summer.

74D: "Lordy": OH GOD

77D: Weaken, as confidence: ERODE. Calvin Borel probably jinxed himself by talking too confidently.

78D: Cut a sandwich, say: HALVE

84D: Piece keepers?: HOLSTERS. I did not know a pistol is also called a piece Nice play on peace keepers then.

86D: Savvy sailor: OLD SALT

87D: Lap dog, for short: POM. The real dog. I was in the figurative direction.

88D: Commits an act of betrayal, maybe: RENEGES. Don't promise what you can't deliver.

91D: Mortarboard hanger: TASSEL

92D: Pat of "The Karate Kid": MORITA

93D: "Intervention" airer: A AND E. The answer emerged itself. I've never heard of "Intervention".

94D: Concerns of the god Janus: DOORS. January is named after him.

96D: Tucson is its county seats: PIMA. got the answer from Across fills.

98D: Tilted position: CANT. New definition to me.

100d: Alts.: HGTS. Altitudes & Heights.

101D: Technical sch.: INST

103D: Antitoxins: SERA

107D: Luxurious getaway: SPA

108D: Nothing but __: perfect hoops shot: NET. Ha ha, I thought it's Nothing but DUNK. I don't follow NBA.

109D: Charlotte-to-Raleigh dir.: ENE.

Answer grid.

C.C.

PS: For those who are not familiar with today's constructor Mike Peluso, here is his interview again.

Interview with Mike Peluso

According to Cruciverb's information, Mike Peluso burst into the crossword construction scene in Jan 2008. Since then, he has had 17 puzzles published by LAT alone. Today is our third Peluso puzzle since the switch. (Note: Mike also had 2 puzzles published by USA Today and has about 8 puzzles "in the queue" from various sources.)

I loved the PEANUT GALLERY theme entry in Mike's last puzzle. So clever. And I decided to ask Mike a few questions. Hope you enjoy his answers as much as I do.

What inspired today's puzzle? How is the final grid different from your original submission?

I had never had a Friday puzzle published since my first publication in January, 2008. I was trying to "move up" to Friday and this theme came to me like most of my puzzles - in my sleep! I don't mean lying awake all night - I just wake up like it was a dream and the theme is in my head. This particular puzzle was one of the very few that Rich accepted lock, stock and barrel right from the first submission. I was excited about it and so was he. In fact, this puzzle had one of the shortest "turn around times" of all of my puzzles - about 6 weeks from original acceptance to publication. I changed one word in the grid.

Two of your LAT puzzles we've solved are words that precede/follow certain Across theme entries. Is that your preferred puzzle theme? If not, how would you describe your style?

Of the 27 puzzles that I've had either published or accepted in the past 16 months, 6 of them have been the precede/follow-type themes. At this point, I would call my style "fairly straightforward". I like anagrams, synonyms and a few same-clue themes. The reason for this is that I still think of myself as a "semi-newbie", and I want to be sure that my constructing skills are firmly entrenched before venturing out into anything really tricky. But Rich Norris has accepted a few puzzles that reflect more of a journeyman-level of skill that will appear in the next few months.

What is your background? Who introduced you to crossword solving and later on construction?

My background is in languages. I taught French, German, Spanish and Latin at the high school level, and then spent my last 10 years as a vice-principal in a high school in Kent, Washington, retiring in 2000. My parents were avid solvers and I caught the bug when I was about 18. I set a few goals for myself when I retired, and one of them was to become a crossword constructor. After meeting a few other goals, mostly golf-related, I finally got serious about it in mid-2007, and, like so many other constructors, was mentored by Nancy Salomon. She is still my go-to person when I'm in a pinch.

What is the best puzzle you've ever constructed and what is dream puzzle you wish one day you will get published?

My best (don't confuse "best" with "difficult" ) and favorite puzzle so far was the Monday, October 13, 2008 LAT which I called "Mixed-Up Pairs". The theme entries were DIET AND EDIT [Two ways to cut out excess], SHOE AND HOSE [Two kinds of footwear], CUBS AND BUCS [Two professional sports teams], and SHEA AND ASHE [Two Queens stadiums]. I had thousands of four-letter words going through my head for about two weeks trying to get four "pairs". That puzzle was really fun! My dream puzzle would be a puzzle where the best constructors in the field finished it and said "Wow!"

Who are your favorite constructors and why?

I am so envious of the great constructors of our day because of their wit, talent and creativity. A favorite is really hard to pick, but, with due respect to all the great ones out there, there's nothing quite as satisfying as completing an Elizabeth Gorski Sunday NYT. That woman has creativity that I can only dream of.

Friday May 22, 2009 Mike Peluso

Theme: Miss Mid-ler's Favorite Things

20A: Social butterfly's flower pot?: MINGLER'S VASE (Ming Vase)

36A: Breakfast for a cuddly person?: NESTLER'S EGG (Nest Egg)

43A: Adam's tavern?: SANDLER'S BAR (Sandbar)

57A: Old West outlaw's accessory?: RUSTLER'S BELT (Rust Belt)

If you have a better theme title, please come to the Comments section.

I've never understood the western fascination with certain Ming vases. Some can fetch tens of thousands of dollars at auctions. NESTLER'S EGG is my favorite theme entry. I just learned the other day that water is also called "Adam's Ale", so I was thinking of the Biblical Adam. Adam SANDLER did not even come across my mind. RUSTLER as "cattle thief" is new to me.

Since I've been in a tie-in/pair-up/cross-referenced clues mood lately, the following clues caught my eyes immediately:

14A: End of a dash: TAPE. And KNEE (42A: End of a lap).

61A: Practice for the main event: SPAR. And ARENA (64A: Main event venue). Nice sequential order.

11D: Parisian Mrs.: MME (Madame). And SRA (61D: Arg. title).

37D: Some attys.' degrees: LLBS (Latin Legum Baccalaureus, Bachelor of Laws). And LSATS ( 51D: Hurdles for seekers of 37-Down). Both in plural form.

To me, the above clues are exhibitive of the constructor's complete awareness of all the answers he puts into his grid. And they show his effort in bringing a cohesiveness to several sets of his clues. I really like that.

I had better luck with Mike Peluso's "Galary" puzzle last time. Struggled today. Fell victim to his tricky clues.

Across:

1A: Jack-in-the-pulpit family: ARUM. Look at the little guy under the leaf-hood. Can you believe he turns into a she after 2 years?

5A: __ nova: BOSSA. The dance in the 1960s.

10A: Like most radios: AM/FM

15A: Adidas founder Dassler: ADOLF. No idea. Wikipedia says both he and his brother Rudolf joined Nazi Party in the 1930s.

16A: Barrie pirate: SMEE. Of "Peter Pan". Often clued as "Captain Hook's cohort". Johnny Depp's "Finding Neverland" is about Barrie.

17A: Took too much: ODED

18A: Damage badly: TOTAL

19A: Gadgets used in drivers' education?: TEES. Golf. You can't fool me.

23A: Exodus landmark: SINAI

24A: Sacred Egyptian symbols: SCARABS. The sacred beetle, symbol of soul. I could only think of ASPS. They were sacred to the Egyptians also, right?

28A: Puzzle page feature: REBUS

32A: "A Man and a Woman" actress: AIMEE (Anouk). Have heard of the movie. Did not know who were the stars though.

33A: Accent in the pantry?: MSG. I don't understand the clue. Why "Accent"? Chinese dumplings are tastier with a tiny bit of MSG.

39A: Slurpee alternative: ICEE. Have never had either of them. Water & tea, that's all I drink.

41A: What matters: BE ALL. Can you give me an example? I've never heard of BE ALL.

46A: Bering, e.g.: Abbr.: STR (Strait). I wrote down SEA immediately. Totally oblivious of the Abbr. hint.

47A: Nobelist Root: ELIHU. He won 1912 Nobel Peace in 1912. Another ELIHU is the founder of Yale, ELIHU Yale.

48A: Keys: ISLES. Are they really the same?

50A: Manufacturers' headaches: RECALLS. Way overboard with those toy RECALLS.

53A: Copies, briefly: DUPES

65A: Aged wheel?: BRIE. The cheese is shaped like a wheel. Wicked clue.

66A: Mortgage holder's offer, for short: REFI (Refinance). Not a familiar abbreviation to me.

67A: Pick-me-up: TONIC

68A: Artist's pseudonym formed from the French pronunciation of his initials: ERTE. His original name is Romain de Rirtoff. ERTE is the French pronunciation of his initials R.T.

69A: It follows the last Gospel: ACTS

70A: One in black suit: SPADE. The card. I was picturing a secret agent.

71A: Not natural: DYED. Oh, hair. Are these natural? I mean, her boobs.

Down:

1A: Energy sources: ATOMS

2D: Spokes, say: RADII

3D: Southernmost Ivy League sch.: UPENN. OK, of all the IVY Leagues schools, it's indeed the southernmost.

4D: Civil rights activist Evers: MEDGAR. No idea. Have never heard of this guy.

5D: Decrease: BATE. What's the difference between BATE and abate?

6D: It might be a clue: ODOR. I would have got the answer immediately if I were a dog.

7D: Frequent reelers: SOTS. They TOPE.

8D: Serbs and Croats: SLAVS

9D: Company with fowl-mouthed ads?: AFLAC

10D: Little star: ASTERISK. Want a nice little star in front of your record, Roger Clemens?

13D: Julio, por ejemplo: MES. Spanish for months. Julio is July, not Julio the singer or any guy's name.

21D: Bank holding: LIEN

22D: German coal region: SAAR. Lower left. I forgot. Could only think of RUHR.

25D: Answers from a flock: AMENS. Nice play on "flock".

26D: Sire: BEGET

27D: Rock Bob with the Silver Bullet band: SEGER. Oh, I did not know his band name. Somehow I thought he is the singer for the double entendres-filled "Sledgehammer".

31D: East German secret police: STASI. I just can't remember this secret STASI. Maybe I need to see "The Lives of Others", which is about the STASI (short for Staatssicherheit, German for "State Security").

33D: Philanthropist's antithesis: MISER. Really? Not recession?

34D: Do to do: SCALE. I like this clue.

35D: Photo finish?: GENIC. Photogenic. I want MATTE.

38D: Matmid Frequent Flyer Club airline: EL AL. Easy guess. Four letter airline, what else could it be? Matmid is "is a shortcut of the old name - "Hanose'aa Hamatmid- which means - the constant (or persistent) traveller. Matmid itself is a verb for persistent behaviour", according to this source.

40D: "Apollo 13" costar: ED HARRIS. Could only think of Tom Hanks and Kevin Bacon. I did like ED HARRIS in "Stepmom".

44D: Corker: LULU. Did not know slangy meaning of "corker".

45D: Sommelier's array: REDS. Sommelier is new to me.

49D: Filled in: SUBBED

52D: Sharpen: STROP. I really liked the STROP clue ("Work on the cutting edge?) last time.

54D: Designer Ellis: PERRY

56D: Mount: STEED. By the way, can you call a woman a stud? Lance Armstrong described ex-wife as a stud in his biography.

58D: Yakutsk's river: LENA. No idea. It's in Siberia. See Yakutsk? It's to the right of SAKHA, along the LENA River.

59D: City west of Tulsa: ENID. What is ENID famous for?

60D: Beat fast: RACE. Hmm, I think red hot chili peppers can make some guy's heart "Beat fast". No? In case you wonder, the girl is Maggie Q (Quigley), a huge star in Asia.

62D: Chest muscle: PEC. I don't want chest muscle. Just want a smaller waist.

63D: Near the tail: AFT. Boat?

Answer grid.

C.C.