Thursday, July 25, 2013 Matt Skoczen and Patty Varol

Theme: "Counterfeit Crossword."

The last shall be first:

59A. Swimming infractions, and what the first words of the answers to starred clues can all have :

FALSE STARTS. All the theme entries start with words that can make a common expression by adding "false" before them.

18A. *Union VIP : LABOR LEADER. False labor. Also known as "Braxton Hicks" contractions.

24A. *You might sleep through it : ALARM CLOCK. False alarm. Like false labor?

39A. *Self-esteem essential : POSITIVE IMAGE. False positive. As in, an incorrect laboratory result. (Whew, you mean I wasn't really pregnant??)

49A. *1998 Sandra Bullock film : HOPE FLOATS. False hope. Oh well, we can always adopt a puppy.

Marti here with this week's Thursday contribution. And there were plenty of tricky spots that could have been my undoing, but I finished in almost my typical Monday time.

Across:

1. "The Walking Dead" network : AMC. I always skip these type of "network" clues until I have some perps in place. AMC used to be known as "American Movie Classics," but now they have de-emphasized the abbreviation because of a shift in focus. So no need for Abbr. in the clue.

4. Home of William, known for his logical "razor" : OCCAM. We are not talking Gillette here.  A philosophical "razor" is a premise that lets you eliminate the unlikely explanations for something.

9. Dubuque native : IOWAN. Because "Siouan" didn't fit.

14. John of England : LOO. Was anyone fooled by this toilet humor?

15. "Guess again!" : WRONG.

16. Aria response, perhaps : BRAVO. Because "encore" didn't fit.  See how easy this was?

17. Poet's eye : ORB.

20. Image on Irish euro coins : HARP.

22. Weigh station unit : TON.

23. Kitchen extension? : ETTE. Kitchenette.

27. Abates : EBBS.

30. Feedback for a masseuse : AAH.

31. Tip for smokers : ASH. Because "quit" didn't fit.

33. José's hooray : OLE.

34. It may contain a $10 bottle of water : MINI BAR. Funny clue, but alas - so true! And 54-Down. High-end : STEEP. "That water sure is steep!"

37. Bicker : ARGUE.

41. Super 8, e.g. : MOTEL. You won't find $10 bottles of water in their mini-bars.

42. The Big Easy, to locals : N'AWLINS. Hahtoolah, is that really how you say it?

43. "Yuck!" : UGH.

44. S.A. country : ARG.entina. For some reason, I thought they were talking about "South Africa." Duh!

46. Inc. cousin : LLC. Limited Liability Corporation. [Update: It stands for Limited Liability Company. Thanks Vidwan827!]

47. Silk road desert : GOBI. Map.

55. Peas, at times : AMMO. I can just picture DH and I flinging peas at each other across the table.

57. "Deathtrap" playwright Levin : IRA.

58. Horseradish, e.g. : ROOT. I love fresh horseradish.

63. An invitation might include one: Abbr. : RTE. Route.  Is that still true? I used to include a map when I sent invitations to our house, but now I just give them the GPS coordinates!

64. Small landmass : ISLET.

65. Prepare to be dubbed : KNEEL.

66. Casual top : TEE. and 67. Sculpted works : BUSTS. [snicker]...how about sculpted BUSTS with wet TEEs?

68. Après-ski drink : TODDY. Brandy, honey, lemon, hot water and tea.  I usually ask for mine without the tea, hot water, lemon and honey.

69. Intensify, with "up" : AMP.

Down:

1. Sign of tropical hospitality : ALOHA. Because "lei" was too short...

2. Parable message : MORAL.

3. Hooded slitherer : COBRA.

4. Hooter : OWL.

5. Tiny Tim's surname : CRATCHIT. Do you remember this Tiny Tim's surname?

6. Early computer language : COBOL. COmmon Business-Oriented Language.

7. "That's ___!" : A NO-NO.

8. Ball club VIP : MGR. Manager. And now we move into the baseball portion of the puzzle...

9. Skeptic's reply : I BET.

10. Speak with style : ORATE.

11. Besides Derek Jeter, only Major Leaguer whose 3,000th hit was a homer : WADE BOGGS. Did not know that. Did know Wade Boggs from x-words. More baseball.

12. City map abbr. : AVE.nue.

13. Here-there link : NOR. "That's neither here nor there!"

19. Change in Albania? : LEKS. Not sure this one really needed the "?"

21. Laud : PRAISE.

25. Tropical capital : MANILA.

26. Seven-time A.L. batting champ : CAREW. Of course C.C. knows him - he played for the Minnesota Twins at one time. Baseball, again.

28. Really bummed : BLUE.

29. Observe : SEE.

32. Skater known as "America's sweetheart" : HAMILL. Dorothy. She developed the "Hamill Camel" skating move. (at 0:22-0:28 on the clip.)

34. Puts in storage : MOTHBALLS. Interesting article about "mothballed" ships.

35. Word shouted at church : BINGO. Because "amen" was too short...

36. Actress Gardner : AVA.

38. Bitterness : RANCOR.

39. Kelly's possum : POGO.

40. Like star-crossed lovers : ILL-FATED.

41. Ham it up for a shooter : MUG. I was always the one who ruined the family photos by crossing my eyes just as the flash went off.

45. P-like letters : RHOS.

48. "You ready?" answer : I'M SET. (Then GO!!)

50. Grand ___ : PIANO.

51. Had to say "Oops," say : ERRED.

52. Vital conduit : AORTA.

53. Clan symbol : TOTEM. Thinking of Scottish clans here, I wanted "plaid."  But the Scots call the pattern "tartan." To them, "plaid" means a tartan cloth slung over the shoulders, or even a simple bed blanket. Who knew?

56. Ball club whose colors are blue and orange : METS. Enough with the baseball!

59. Little white lie : FIB.

60. Sch. with a Mesa campus : ASU. Arizona State University.

61. Box office buy: Abbr. : TKT. Ticket.

62. Slick : SLY. Since MS-PV did not allow me any other opportunity, I will close with this particularly appropriate link!

See you next week!

Marti

Monday, June 17, 2013 Patti Varol

Theme: Pail Face - The last word of the theme entries can precede the unifier.

18A. Longtime UCLA coach known as the "Wizard of Westwood" : JOHN WOODEN. Wooden bucket.

23A. Cracks a little joke to ease tension, say : BREAKS THE ICE. Ice bucket.

38A. One no longer in his comfort zone : A FISH OUT OF WATER. Water bucket.

48A. Command sequence before shooting : READY, AIM, FIRE. Fire bucket. (These may be full of sand.)

57A. Once-in-a-lifetime agenda, or an apt description of the ends of 18-, 23-, 38- and 48-Across : BUCKET LIST

Argyle here. Today's constructor is Patti Varol so I should choose my words carefully. What a wonderful Monday puzzle. Nice long entries, including a grid spanner. The coach gave me pause (because I had a variant spelling on a perp) and some others but your results may vary. Very acceptable.

Across:

1. Phi __ Kappa : BETA. An academic honor society.

5. Legislative addendum : RIDER. Where a lot of pork slides through.

10. Future atty.'s exam : LSAT. (Law School Admission Test)

14. Security problem : LEAK

15. Greek marketplace : AGORA

16. Opposite of dry, as skin : OILY. You can find infomercials to 'cure' either condition.

17. Radius neighbor : ULNA. For you pre-meds out there.

20. Caught __-handed : RED

21. Used a stool : SAT

22. Family reunion attendee : NIECE. I attended my fiftieth class reunion this weekend; disappointing turnout.

28. 6, on a cellphone button : MNO

29. Theater walkway : AISLE

30. Blot gently : DAB

33. Picasso's movement : CUBISM. They support the Chicago Cubs?

36. Chicago-to-Atlanta dir. : SSE. I did like one of these that didn't have obscure cities.

37. Volcanic overflow : LAVA

41. Pig in a __ : POKE. A poke: 1250–1300; Middle English & Middle Dutch, whence also Old North French poque, French poche bag, pocket. In a nut shell, don't buy a bag that purports to have a pig in it without looking in the bag first.

42. Baja bear : OSO. Don't buy one in a bolsa.

43. Hitting sound : [THWACK!]

44. Mao __-tung : TSE

45. Attorney general's intern : CLERK. ?

47. __ Kippur : YOM. This year, Day of Atonement begins in the evening of Friday, September 13 and ends in the evening of Saturday, September 14.

52. Bald tire's lack : TREAD

55. Suffix with salt : INE. (saltine cracker)

56. Henpeck : NAG

61. Half of table tennis? : PING. and pong.

62. Burn balm : ALOE

63. "Yes __!" : SIREE

64. Avid about : INTO

65. Tear to shreds : REND

66. Oyster bead : PEARL

67. Self-perceptions : EGOS

Down:

1. DVD case promo : BLURB. "Miss Belinda Blurb in the act of blurbing." LINK

2. Fisherman who supplies a sushi bar : EELER

3. Two-wheeler for two : TANDEM BIKE. I'm still LOL.

4. Wanted-poster abbr. : AKA

5. Indian princes : RAJAs

6. "__ run!": "Time for me to leave!" : I GOTTA. "Not yet"

7. Play-__: kids' clay : DOH

8. Marine eagle : ERN

9. Not cooked : RAW. How the erne likes his fish.

10. Sarge's superior : LOOIE. (louie is a variant)

11. Pro or con, in a debate : SIDE

12. Guinness of "Star Wars" : ALEC

13. Actress Daly : TYNE

19. "__ upon a midnight dreary ..." : ONCE. Name that poem.

21. Wee bit : SKOSH. This was well discussed on this day. LINK

24. Ouzo flavoring : ANISE. An anise-flavored aperitif that is widely consumed in Greece and Cyprus (and it sneaks up on you, so I've heard).

25. American or World follower, in school : HISTORY

26. Bygone gas station : ESSO. Or gone bye-bye to other countries.

27. "__ my heart in ..." : I LEFT. Cue Tony! LINK

30. Pattern-seeking information analysis : DATA MINING

31. With, to François : AVEC

32. "Speak" response : [BARK!]

33. Ahab or America: Abbr. : CAPT. (Captain)

34. Space saucers, briefly : UFOs

35. Money, in slang : MOOLA

37. __ diminishing returns : LAW OF. For one law, it sure has complex definitions(that's like a true law).

39. Not new : USED

40. "Pick someone else, pleeease?" : "WHY ME?"

45. Hand over : CEDE

46. Old German leader : KAISER

48. Collected, as downed leaves : RAKED

49. Chip-making giant : INTEL

50. Greeted with enthusiasm : RAN TO

51. Toaster waffles : EGGOs

52. Skier's transport : T-BAR

53. Guideline : RULE

54. Business maj.'s focus : ECON. (economics)

58. Sugar meas. : TSP. It helps the medicine go down.

59. Fib : LIE

60. Keogh plan relative: Abbr. : IRA

61. Apple dessert : PIE

Argyle

Notes from C.C.:

Here are 2 pictures from JD's recent Ireland & Scotland trip. JD said "I must have taken 100 pictures of sheep on the hillsides. Hard to get them clear when we were driving along. We loved the quaint little college town of St. Andrews of the famous golf course." Argyle is dreaming of St. Andrews!

Hillside, Ireland

Loch Ness

Truman, JD's oldest grandson, just graduated from Kindergarten. Look at how proud the grandma is!

Monday, April 29, 2013 Patti Varol

Theme: Breakfast treat - A puzzle that passes the breakfast test with flying colors. The theme entries end in varying shades of the unifier.

17A. Lacking a strong foundation, metaphorically : BUILT ON SAND

24A. Snoopy's WWI plane : SOPWITH CAMEL

38A. Shutterbug : PHOTOGRAPHY BUFF

48A. Farina-based hot cereal : CREAM OF WHEAT

60A. Ideal toast color, and a hint to the ends of 17-, 24-, 38- and 48-Across : GOLDEN BROWN

Argyle here. It would be only fitting that I should have some toast as I type this up but, alas, I am at the tail end of my loaf of bread. Oh well. It was a fun solve with a grid spanner in the middle.

Across:

1. Under-the-table money : BRIBE. Not the same as in-the-seat-cushion money.

6. Teamster's rig : SEMI. (truck)

10. Tight-lipped : MUM. Yes, mum's the word.

13. Dubuque natives : IOWANS. Native American Siouan people.

15. "Once __ a time ..." : UPON

16. Chowed down : ATE

19. Corp. board member : DIR. (director)

20. __ over backward : BEND

21. "That feels good!" : "AAH!"

22. Florence's country : ITALY. (Firenze, Italia)

Click to enlarge.

28. Prize on the mantel : TROPHY

31. Hors d'oeuvre cracker : RITZ. Golden brown cracker.

32. Northwestern Canadian territory : YUKON. (Yukon gold)

33. Naval hoosegow : BRIG

35. Brew in a bag : TEA

42. Mork's planet : ORK. (TV show)

43. Senate staffer : AIDE

44. Lusterless finish : MATTE. As opposed to gloss.

45. Windy day toy : KITE. We've had a few good kite flying days.

47. Put the blame on : ACCUSE

53. Egypt neighbor : LIBYA

54. Subway whose first line had a terminus at NYC's City Hall : IRT. (Interborough Rapid Transit)

55. Suffix with wagon : ETTE. A light four-wheeled horse-drawn vehicle with two lengthwise seats facing each other behind a crosswise driver's seat.

59. Before today : AGO

64. Hamlet, to Gertrude : SON

65. Change a manuscript : EDIT

66. "I, Robot" author : ASIMOV. (Isaac Asimov)

67. Butt in : PRY

68. 2013 Oscars host MacFarlane : SETH

69. Pert : SASSY

Down: (as in down to the heel of my loaf of bread)

1. Light-green lettuce : BIBB

2. Disreputable fellow : ROUE

3. "Heads __, tails you lose" : I WIN

4. Rogaine target : BALD SPOT

5. Dr. who treats snorers : E.N.T. (ear, nose, throat)

6. Bite-size raw Asian dish : SUSHI

7. Water quality org. : EPA. (Environmental Protection Agency)

8. Start of a wk., workwise : MON. Today

9. Formally charge, in court : INDICT

10. Sir's counterpart : MADAM

11. More than decorative : UTILE

12. Streep of "The Iron Lady" : MERYL

14. All lathered up : SOAPY

18. Folksy negative : "NAW"

23. Whirling toon devil, for short : TAZ

25. "How awful!" : "OH, NO!"

26. Hogwash : TRIPE

27. "__ Noon": Gary Cooper Western : HIGH

28. Printing error, perhaps : TYPO

29. German mining region : RUHR

30. "Quit nagging! I'll do it!" : "OK! OK!"

33. To the point : BRIEF

34. "Way cool!" : "RAD!"

35. "Black Swan" skirt : TUTU

36. Immature newts : EFTs

37. Set __: name the price : A FEE

39. Ratón chaser : GATO. Spanish mouse and cat.

40. Org. that usually has a community pool : YMCA

41. Neosporin target : BACTERIA

45. Mary __ cosmetics : KAY

46. Publicists' concerns : IMAGES

47. Blue Cross rival : AETNA

48. Anklet fastener : CLASP

49. Strictness : RIGOR

50. Dense black wood : EBONY. Ebony is dense enough to sink in water. (I didn't know that)

51. Boot spec : WIDTH

52. Otto I's realm: Abbr. : HRE. (Holy Roman Empire)

56. Male turkeys : TOMS

57. What Noah counted by : TWOS. "...and two by two my human zoo

They'll be running for to come

Running for to come out of the rain" - Queen

58. Covet : ENVY

61. "__ to Joy" : ODE. Don't be afraid to join in.

 

 

62. Set ablaze : LIT

63. Undergrad tech degs. : BSs. Plural of BS.

Toast is gone. Now for some golden griddle cakes.

Argyle

Notes from C.C.:

Here is a picture of Husker Gary and his lovely wife at their granddaughter Elise's 8th birthday last Friday. 

Monday, April 15, 2013 Patti Varol

Theme: No Kidding - Four leaders you should follow or else.

16A. *Comforter-and-sheets set for a large mattress, say : KING-SIZE BEDDING

22A. *Gaga way to be in love : HEAD OVER HEELS

36A. *Big tourist draw : MAJOR ATTRACTION

50A. *Industry-spanning work stoppage : GENERAL STRIKE

59A. Simon Says relative, and a hint to what happens after the starts of 16-, 22-, 36- and 50-Across : FOLLOW THE LEADER. "Mother, May I?" is in the same family.

Argyle here. While the theme doesn't do much for me, the three grid spanners on a Monday is impressive. The fill is consistent, user-friendly. All and all, a pleasant start to, for some, an unpleasant day.

Across:

1. Wynonna or Naomi of country music : JUDD. Country music's mother and daughter duo. Mama He's Crazy(3:08)

5. "Doctor Zhivago" heroine : LARA. Many versions! This is an instrumental. Lara's Theme(3:32)

9. Files opened with Adobe, for short : PDFS. (Portable Document Format)

13. Licked cookie : OREO. Ho! Ho! Ho!

14. Underage person : MINOR

15. La Scala showstopper : ARIA

19. Enter gingerly : EASE IN

20. Bigfoot cousin : YETI

21. "__ Misérables" : LES

25. Follow one's new job, in Realtorese : RELO. Realtorese? Really?

26. "Cheerio!" : "TA TA!"

27. Sci-fi vehicle: Abbr. : UFO

30. Attention from Dr. Mom : TLC

32. Answers an invite, for short : RSVP's. You notice; three ways to clue an abbreviation.

41. Movie trailer, e.g. : PROMO. Not an abbr. so much as a shortened word.

42. Sun, in Spain : SOL

43. Sea shocker : EEL

44. Hieroglyphic snakes : ASPS

47. Lovers' spat, say : TIFF

55. Right-angle piece : ELL

56. Pamplona runner : TORO. Have you seen the ad where the hook is "Now the bulls run from US!"

57. Professor's security : TENURE

62. Shade provider : TREE. In another month, maybe.

63. In __: mad : A RAGE

64. Not right in the head : LOCO

65. "Auld Lang __" : SYNE

66. Nevada gambling city : RENO

67. Auto repair figs. : ESTS. (estimates)

Down:

1. Comic's delivery : JOKE

2. Dickens villain Heep : URIAH

3. Like a thicket : DENSE

4. Folded corner : DOG-EAR. A way to mark your page and a bane to librarians everywhere.

5. Tina's "30 Rock" role : LIZ

6. "... for __, a tooth ..." : AN EYE. Old school, Old Testament.

7. Poet Frost : ROBERT. My kind of poet.

8. Franklin of soul : ARETHA. My kind of soul singer.

9. Hippie's digs : PAD. My kind of living quarters.

10. Dentist's tool : DRILL. Not kind.

11. Traffic violation consequences : FINES. Not kind, either.

12. Slumps : SAGS. See 5_Down.

14. Camera maker that merged with Konica : MINOLTA

17. Fries, for one : SIDE

18. Coke Zero competitor : DIET RC

23. Battery unit : VOLT. Standard automotive battery is 12 volts.

24. Sunup point : EAST

27. Baseball official : UMP

28. Gary Larson's "The __ Side" : FAR. Oh, how I miss it.

29. Pedro's peeper : OJO. I knew better but stuck in ORB anyway. D'oh!

31. Dol. parts : CT's. $ and ¢

33. Compete : VIE

34. "The Raven" poet : POE

35. NBC sketch show : SNL

37. Yemen neighbor : OMAN

38. Met, as a difficult challenge : ROSE TO

39. Decays : ROTS

40. Somewhat : A LITTLE

45. Like political hawks : PRO-WAR

46. "Hell is other people" French dramatist : SARTRE. (two R's, two R's)

48. At no charge : FREE

49. Big operatic ending : FINALE

50. Morning __: flower : GLORY

51. DeGeneres's sitcom : ELLEN. Only her talk show now, right?

52. Actress Lindsay : LOHAN

53. Praise : KUDOS

54. Straight up : ERECT

55. Young newts : EFTS

58. Greek Cupid : EROS

60. Golfer Trevino : LEE. I get a kick out of this ad.

61. Self-importance : EGO

Argyle

Monday, April 1, 2013 Patti Varol

Theme: Themeless - April Fool! Four synonyms for fool.

16A. *Evangelist honored with a basilica in Venice : SAINT MARK

10D. *Trapshooter's target : CLAY PIGEON

24D. *Tapped maple fluid : TREE SAP

29D. *Lightweight, crinkled material used for suits : SEERSUCKER

60A. Cry heard today, and a hint to the ends of the answers to the starred clues : APRIL FOOL

Argyle here. No kidding. The large white area in the middle is a bit unusual. Nice eclectic fill but already an 'a'-word. It is in common use though.

Rabbit, rabbit.

Across:

1. Bouncing toy : BALL. Rubber Ball(2:19)

5. What waiters wait for : TIPS

9. Finishes making, as a black-and-white cookie : ICES. Black-and-white cookie : OREO. wait, not so fast.

13. ___ vera lotion : ALOE

14. Length times width : AREA

15. Arm of a sea : INLET

18. Resell at a big profit : SCALP. Thin line between legal and illegal.

19. Flatter the boss for personal gain : KISS UP

20. English class assignment : ESSAY

22. Huck Finn's ride : RAFT

25. Astrological edges : CUSPS

27. Pyromaniac's crime : ARSON

31. Lock horns (with) : ARGUE. The Lockhorns.

33. Figs. well above 100 in Mensa : IQ's

35. Marsh grasses : REEDS

36. BBC nickname, with "the" : BEEB. (British Broadcasting Corporation)

37. Juan's water : AGUA

38. Spawned : BRED

39. Ice show site : ARENA

40. "Hud" Best Actress Patricia : NEAL. "Hud" was a 1963 film starring Paul Newman.

41. Yours and mine : OURS

42. Dean's ___ : LIST

43. Inelegant laugh : SNORT

44. ICU personnel : RN's

45. Campaign sticker, e.g. : DECAL. Not very collectible once they're on the bumper.

46. Cold hard cash : MONEY

47. Cubes in a bowl : SUGAR

49. Folk icon Seeger : PETE

51. Spiteful, as gossip : CATTY

53. Antitheft noisemakers : ALARMS

58. Bracelet site : ANKLE. It use to be a fashion statement but now....

63. Deep trepidation : DREAD

64. Not hypothetical : REAL

65. "Not only that..." : "ALSO..."

66. Mayo holders : JARS

67. Beaver-built barriers : DAMS. Excellent alliteration.

68. Conserve energy : REST. Ok, a little nap before I continue.

Down:

1. Soak up the sun : BASK. But don't forget the SPF.

2. Jai ___ : ALAI

3. Superman's Lane : LOIS. Santa has his own Lois.

4. Binoculars part : LENS

5. ___ Bay Rays : TAMPA

6. Composer Gershwin : IRA. His younger brother is George.

7. Pay-___-view : PER

8. Sushi bar cupful : SAKE

9. Machu Picchu builders : INCAs

11. Snakelike swimmer : EEL

12. Longtime auto racing sponsor : STP. Often with an Unser driving.

15. Newsletter edition : ISSUE

17. Spins in board games, say : TURNS

21. Reef explorer's gear : SCUBA

23. Seamstress's purchase : FABRIC

26. Unhip type : SQUARE. Huey Lewis disagrees.

27. Ann ___, Michigan : ARBOR

28. "Seinfeld" episodes, now : RERUNS. And YouTube clips.

30. Betting info : ODDS. How are your brackets doing?

32. Soft-hearted : GENTLE

34. Thirst-inducing, like potato chips : SALTY

37. Year, on monuments : ANNO

39. Vigilant : ALERT

43. Aroma : SMELL

45. Passé : DATED

48. Grand parties : GALAs

50. Coin toss choice : TAILS

52. Scotland ___ : YARD

54. Quite a distance : AFAR. Legitimate 'a' word?

55. Actor's cameo, e.g. : ROLE

56. Forest-floor plant : MOSS

57. One-armed bandit : SLOT

58. Descriptive wd. : ADJ. (adjective)

59. Org. that created American Hunter magazine : NRA. (National Rifle Association)

61. Potpie veggie : PEA

62. Chrysler truck that sounds hard-hitting : RAM. The real deal.

Argyle

Wednesday, February 13 2013, Janice Luttrell and Patti Varol

theme: two of a kind  - "Double" can precede both words in each theme entry, which also contains repeated & consecutive letters.

17. Titanic compartment on the lowest level : BOILER ROOM. there are several definitions, but the first one best fits our theme (from thefreedictionary.com): An area, as in a building or on a ship, that houses one or more steam boilers or hot-water tanks. double boiler. double room.

26. Setup of a sort : BLIND DATE. two strangers on a date arranged by a mutual friend. what could go wrong? double-blind. double-date.

50. Country kitchen design option : DUTCH DOOR. a door that is split horizontally into two parts, so that the top and bottom can open/close separately. double dutch. double door.

60. Verify : CROSS CHECK. two meanings here. 1: in hockey, checking is a technique to separate the player from the puck, by pushing or hitting against either the player's body or the puck.  most forms of checking are legal, but cross checking, in which the shaft of the stick is held with both hands, is illegal and results in a penalty. 2: cross checking also means to check (data) against two sources. double cross. double check.

37. Drive-in offering, and what 17-, 26-, 50- or 60-Across has, in more ways than one : DOUBLE FEATURE. two feature movies shown one after another, with an intermission in between. there are only two drive-in theaters left in the bay area, one in san jose and one in santa cruz. i think you have to be under 40 to be able to stay awake for two movies in a row.

melissa here. 

this puzzle obviously took a lot of thought to put together (by two women)

across:

1. Medical amts. : CC'S. cc!

4. Be accountable (for) : ANSWER

10. Remove, as coupons : CLIP. or hangnails.

14. Ernst collaborator : ARP. Max Ernst (1891 – 1976) and Jean Arp (1886 – 1966)  were “lifelong friends, these two avant-garde artists were among the founders of the DADA movement… They questioned traditional society and used art to explore new moralities, politics and social structures.

15. Electronic music genre : TECHNO

16. Spherical opening? : HEMIsphere.

19. "All __": 1931 tune : OF ME. frank's cover (2:43).

20. Height: Pref. : ACRO. as in acrophobia.

21. Lord's Prayer opener : OUR father who art in heaven ...

22. Arterial trunk : AORTA

24. __ León: Monterrey's state : NUEVO. one of the 31 states within mexico.

29. Okay : ASSENT

31. Okay : NOD. clecho.

32. Project, with "out" : JUT

33. Mediterranean capital : BEIRUT. capital of lebanon.

36. Farm female : MARE. equine. and 62d. Udder woman? : COW. for some reason i don't love this clue.

41. 1% of a cool mil : TENG. absolutely no idea. google says teng is a rare chinese surname, and a flying snake in chinese mythology - but neither seems to fit here. who can clear this up? (From C.C.: Parse it as TEN G. Also, Teng is not obscure. Teresa Teng was very very famous. "Wherever there are Chinese people, the songs of Teresa Teng can be heard." No exaggeration. Teng is the same as Deng in Mandarin, as in Deng Xiaoping.)

42. Lethargic : TORPID

43. Stein filler : ALE

44. Poet's contraction : O'ER (over); and 58. Poet's preposition : THRO

46. Discography entries : ALBUMS

54. Wash softly against : LAP AT

55. Words after "What a coincidence!" : SO AM I

56. Muppet friend of Elmo : ZOE

59. Italian carmaker : FIAT

63. "Poppycock!" : BOSH. we've probably seen this before but i didn't remember it.

64. Find, as a frequency : TUNE TO

65. Whopper, e.g. : LIE

66. Very dark : INKY

67. It has its ups and downs : SEE-SAW

68. Family guy : DAD

down

1. Poolside structure : CABANA. at the copa.

2. Springtime bloomer : CROCUS

3. Tapering tops : SPIRES. breathtaking spire on the chrysler building.

4. Wore (away) : ATE

5. Fiery emperor? : NERO. if you're interested

6. Clean with effort : SCRUB

7. Fingerprint ridge : WHORL

8. Ambient music pioneer Brian : ENO

9. Parmesan alternative : ROMANO. yum.

10. A minor, for one : CHORD

11. Didn't quite close : LEFT AJAR

12. Childish : IMMATURE

13. Slapstick prop : PIE

18. Film Volkswagen with "53" painted on it : LOVEBUG. 1969 disney film.

23. Singular : ODD

25. Mark on an otherwise perfect record? : ONE B. as opposed to straight a's.

27. Place in the earth : INTER. underground, i suppose.

28. Hot time in France : ETE. french summer.

30. Dawn-dusk link : TIL

34. Like the '80s look, now : RETRO. 

i wear your granddad's clothes

i look incredible

i'm in this big-a@@ coat

from the thrift shop down the road

35. Tabloid subj. : UFO

36. Spa treatment : MUD BATH. popular in calistoga, ca.

37. Aspect of paranoia : DELUSION

38. Person in the know : ONE TO ASK. aka, mom.

39. Therapists' org. : APA. american psychological association.

40. Cultivate : TILL

41. Smidge : TAD

44. Unit of resistance : OHM

45. Official orders : EDICTS

47. Defended, as family honor : UPHELD

48. Brady Bunch girl : MARCIA

49. Fed the fire : STOKED

51. Cartoonist Guisewite or her title character : CATHY

52. Depleted layer : OZONE

53. Blooms for lovers : ROSES

57. "¿Cómo __?" : ESTA

59. Justice Dept. division : FBI

61. Wish one hadn't : RUE

melissa