Thursday November 2nd 2017 Peg Slay

Theme: Level-Set - as hinted at by the central entry:

37A. Road trip troubles ... and what can be found in 17-, 24-, 43- and 57-Across : FLATS

17A. Where to find 37-Across : APARTMENT HOUSES. "Flat" is a common term in the UK for an apartment.

24A. Where to find 37-Across : GARDENING CENTER. Also known as Daisy trays, they commonly hold 18 plants

43A. Where to find 37-Across : WOMEN'S SHOE STORE. Not heels.

57A. Where to find 37-Across : SYMPHONIC SCORES.  Here's a whole bunch of 'em:

37A. Road trip troubles ... and what can be found in 17-, 24-, 43- and 57-Across : FLATS

A nice puzzle from Corner regular Peg Slay. Just like last Thursday, there's four grid-spanners as the themers, and with the hint in the center that makes a solid 65 letters of theme entries. Some nice trickery to deal with - AURAE rather than AURAS, GNASH rather than GRIND and some clever longer fill.

Let's see what else catches the eye:

Across:

1. Ford crossover SUV : EDGE

5. Fawning flattery : SMARM. Great word.

10. Void partner : NULL. Null and void.

14. Melt fish : TUNA. Food! Tuna and cheese in a sandwich. I've had one, I believe.

15. Surrounding glows : AURAE

16. Pennsylvania city subject to lake-effect snow : ERIE. Nailed it! Brrr - this is not good:

20. Go hog-wild : LET LOOSE

21. Gardener's transplant : GRAFT

22. Penn of "Harold & Kumar" films : KAL. Crosses all the way for me here.

23. U.N. workers' gp. : I.L.O. The International Labour Organization. Note the spelling!

33. Table spreads : OLEOS. Margarines.

34. Ostrich kin : EMUS. "Kin" in the plural here.

35. "__ rule ... " : AS A

36. Clutter-free : NEAT

39. Piedmont bubbly : ASTI. Do they make anything else bubbly in Piedmont? I need to take a trip out there and find out.

40. Nine-time NHL All-Star : ORR. Hockey's Bobby.

41. Walk or run : GAIT

42. Cathedral areas : APSES. One is usually found at the Eastern, or altar end of the cathedral.

47. Map line: Abbr. : LAT. Not Long.

48. Kendrick Lamar's genre : RAP. Not my first choice musical genre, but the name is familiar enough.

49. Greek vowels : IOTAS

52. Send up : SATIRIZE. I spelled it the English way with an "S" first but ZEST fixed that for me.

60. Popular jeans : LEES

61. "Once Upon a Time in China" star : JET LI. More crosses. I wasn't familiar with most of the proper names today.

62. Attitude : SASS

63. White-tailed seabird : ERNE

64. Dutch painter of "The Drawing Lesson" : STEEN. Another unknown, or at least one I was unsure of.

65. Poker buy-in : ANTE

Down:

1. Abbr. in an abbreviated list : ET AL. "Et Alii", "Et Aliae" or "Et Alia" depending on the gender of the noun being described. No wonder we abbreviate it to lose all the gender-noun uncertainty. See how great English can be?

2. Con : DUPE

3. Pest you might slap : GNAT

4. British peer : EARL

5. South Pacific islander : SAMOAN

6. Oaty breakfast mix : MUESLI

7. Obama Education secretary Duncan : ARNE. Any relation to Thomas Arne, the composer of the perennial British favorite "Rule Britannia"? I think I've linked this before. It bears a repeat.

8. Traitor : RAT

9. [Yawn] : MEH! Relatively new addition to the dictionary. It came from "The Simpsons" TV show.

10. Cell using a synapse : NEURON

11. Bear in the sky : URSA

12. Willingly : LIEF. A learning moment for me. When it appeared I looked very critically at the across entries to see which one I'd got wrong.

13. For fear that : LEST

18. Tips for dealers : TOKES. I'd never heard this term before today. A toke to me is a puff of a certain kind of "herbal" cigarette, the type that Bill Clinton famously did not inhale from.

19. Checks figures intently? : OGLES

23. Post-op sites : I.C.U.S

24. Dismissive words : GO NOW

25. Last Olds off the line : ALERO

26. Furnish with more weapons : RE-ARM

27. One of four in Mississippi : DOT. Tried ESS first, of course. More than a couple of do-overs today.

28. Under, poetically : 'NEATH

29. Clock-setting std. : GMT
.
30. Italian Renaissance poet : TASSO. Another unknown/uncertain proper name.Solid crosses to the rescue yet again. First name "Torquato" which is also a new one on me. Here's a sample:

ONCE a mosquito came a-buzzing round 

The happy place 

Where in his mother’s lap Love lay sleep-bound 

With pretty grace; 

Said Love, aroused from slumber by the hum: 

“How from so small 

A body can so great a clamour come, 

Awaking all?” 

   Beguiling him with song, Venus replied: 

“Thou too art small, 

Yet mortals wake who on the earth abide 

And the Gods all 

Up in the sky, 

Hearing thee cry.”

Interesting! I think there's some symbolism there I should think about.

31. Aromatic compound : ESTER

32. Jack up : RAISE

37. Ramadan ritual : FAST

38. Fleur-de-__ : LIS. I know it as a Fleur-de-lys, this spelling always confuses me.

39. Germane : APT

41. Grate together, as teeth : GNASH

42. Mold that's cold : ASPIC. Food!

44. Slide by : ELAPSE

45. Big name in databases : ORACLE. I know all about these folks, I worked there for seven years.

46. Has leftovers, say : EATS IN. Indian curry leftovers are the best of all. The flavors develop overnight.

49. Daysail destination : ISLE

50. Terminer's partner, in law : OYER. "To hear and determine".

51. Feds under Ness : T-MEN

52. Place to build : SITE

53. Parks whose famous bus is in the Henry Ford Museum : ROSA. The museum in Dearborn is great. There's some fascinating stuff in there, not all motor-transportation-related.

54. Shah's former land : IRAN

55. Fragrant peel : ZEST

56. Cato's "to be" : ESSE. Latin. Thank you, Latin lessons at school, and "Ma Batt" as my teacher was affectionately nicknamed. Her son wrote the theme music to "The Wombles" which will mean as much to you as the phrase "It's as good as a homer in the bottom of the ninth with the bases loaded" meant to me when I read a Colt 45 promotional beer coaster in the first "American bar" to be opened in our little parochial home town. We literally no idea what it meant. The Dodgers could have done with one of those last night. The beer was awful, by the way. Upon research, it had some pretty terrible advertising. This one is the best I could find, and it's just a picture of the label.

58. a.m. beverages : O.J.S

59. Fishing aid : NET. Not ROD then.

That wraps it up for me. I'm heading to New York for a couple of days for some budget planning meetings for 2018. It's as exciting as it sounds! United don't fly LAX to JFK direct anymore, so it's Newark for me, and the NJ Transit rail link into Penn Station.

Here's the grid!

Steve

Notes from C.C.:

Here are two cute pictures of Melissa's granddaughter from Halloween. 

Thursday, August 24 2017 Peg Slay

Theme: The Doors - all the words on the edges of the grid are types of doors as the hint has it:

38A. Not alfresco, and what this puzzle is vis-à-vis its border answers : INDOORS

The Corner's own C6D6 Peg is the constructor-in-residence today. Great word-play with the theme - all the non-theme answers are "Indoors" Artfully done and some nice fill - EXCELLED AT, COOK STRAIT, KEYNOTE and my favorite MALINGER. Good job.

We were having a discussion last week about people's different solving methods - I tend to go once across and once down, then fill in what's left, so I thought you might like to see my first pass across. I used to be a lot more careful about checking crosses when I solved on pen and paper, but now there's no inkblots I just have at it. You can see the central east was going to cause some rework, but nothing slowed me down too badly.

Let''s see what else Peg cooked up for us, or rang the bells:

Across:

1. Support financially : BACK

5. Hurricane, e.g. : STORM. Here's Rory Storm and the Hurricanes playing at the Jive Hive in 1960. That's Ringo Starr on the drums.

10. Drainpipe section : TRAP. P-Trap, not for what you might think. It's shaped like a "P"

14. Face cream additive : ALOE

15. Medicare component : PART A. Fill in PART and go back for A/B

16. Leaping critter : HARE

17. Depend (on) : RELY

18. Had superior skills in : EXCELLED AT

20. Word on really bright Crayolas : NEON. Brightens up your day:

21. Jazz great Montgomery : WES

22. Helen Reddy's "__ Woman" : I AM

23. Commentary page : OP-ED Someone asked last week what OP-EDS meant, I didn't really explain. Opinion pieces opposite the editorial page of a newspaper.

25. Turned out to be : ENDED UP

29. Blew hard : GUSTED

32. Way back when : AGES AGO. I progressed from LONG thru EONS to AGES. Got there in the end. The long way around.

33. Helped start the pot : ANTE'D

34. Comic Johnson : ARTE. See "almost Natick'ed" at 25D

36. Big __ : MAC. Oh, not SUR then. Darn. I confess that I recently ordered a Big Mac and Fries via Uber Eats when I'd spent the evening out with some friends and was home and had the munchies. It was either get back in an Uber and go get it myself, or save myself the Uber ride back and forth. Sometimes, junk food is just what you need. Delivered to your door.

37. Regret : RUE. I didn't rue the Big Mac.

41. Craft built in the 2014 film "Noah" : ARK. I tried "Bagel Delivery Van" but it didn't fit.

42. Nile snake : ASP

43. Yemeni seaport : ADEN

44. Speed : HASTE

46. Become resentful : GET SORE

49. Vampire's bed? : CASKET. Corrected my COFFIN misstep.

50. Painter Manet : EDOUARD Started to fill this in and then hesitated about the spelling; I think my first thought was right. This is "A bar at the Folies-Bergère" in London's National Gallery. Back when I was impoverished and making a pittance at my first real job, I was amazed to find that London's public galleries and museums were free. I spent quite some time looking at this painting trying to figure out if the off-kilter reflection of the server was the result of a warped mirror or just playful imagery by Manet.

51. Sketch material : GAGS

52. Commuter org. in the Loop : C.T.A. Chicago Transit Authority.

53. __ Butterworth : MRS

54. "Wild Blue Yonder" mil. group : USAF

58. Waterway between the major islands of New Zealand : COOK STRAIT. I couldn't pull this out of my brain bank on my first pass across the puzzle. I've sailed in the Cook Strait - on an America's Cup yacht. The decks were teflon-coated, not easy to stay in one place!

62. Leg-covering skirt : MAXI

63. Green Gables heroine : ANNE

64. Boardroom prop : EASEL

65. Part of FEMA: Abbr. : EMER. Federal Emergency Management Agency. Came in for a lot of criticism in the afterrmath of Hurricane Katrina

66. Caboose place : REAR. Back of the train. We call them guard's vans back in the old country. Because they were vans. And they had a guard in them.

67. Broadway platform : STAGE. All the world is one.

68. Fries, for instance : SIDE. Big Mac. Fries. Uber Eats. Yay!

Down:

1. Silo neighbor : BARN

2. Toward protection, at sea : ALEE. Also the side of the boat to be if you feel a touch of the mal de mer.

3. Great Sand Dunes National Park st. : COLO. rado. Can't you ski down them? Yes, apparently you can:

4. Pinnacle of a lecture series : KEYNOTE

5. Erupted : SPEWED. I'd make a connection to 2D but it's breakfast time for many.

6. Strained : TAXED

7. Tolkien henchmen : ORCS. Not exactly men. Hench-things.

8. GPS suggestion : RTE

9. Feign illness to avoid work : MALINGER. Great word. My mom used to accuse us of malingering when we tried to skip a day of school. She was right most of the time, until the time I came down with measles and she wouldn't hear a word of it.

10. Motifs : THEMES

11. "Far out, dude!" : RAD!

12. Notre Dame's Parseghian : ARA

13. Kennel guest : PET

19. Put on board : LADE. I think it's a 17th-century typo that no-one bothered to fix.

24. Spa treatment : PEDI

25. Big name in stationery : EATON. I was almost Natick'ed with T here. I did a full alphabet run until on the second pass EATON almost sounded familiar. It was my best guess so in it went.

26. Ornamental fabric : DAMASK

27. Lorre's "Casablanca" character : UGARTE. Thank you crosses, I always forget this.

28. Pita feature : POCKET Food! The gyro is one of my favorite sandwiches.

29. Tech company's origin, perhaps : GARAGE. Apple, HP and Microsoft all started off in garages. Dell started off in Michael Dell's dorm room at the University of Texas

30. On the shelf : UNUSED

31. Move in the direction of : STEP TO

34. Threw in : ADDED

35. Sushi roll topping : ROE. Food! I like to top my sushi rolls with Sujiko roe, from the salmon, and the tiny Tobiko roe from flying fish.

39. Tells a story : NARRATES

40. Layered do : SHAG

45. Takes for granted : ASSUMES

47. Lollipop : SUCKER

48. Feed bag feed : OATS

49. Once-per-player chess move : CASTLE. King side or Queen side if I recall from my youth. I haven't played chess for years.

51. "Norwegian Dances" composer : GRIEG

53. Tamale dough : MASA. I buy mine from the local Vallarta market, it's much lighter than when I tried to make my own.

55. Scandinavian language : SAMI. Nailed it! Remembered this from a little while ago. The road signs need a lot of lettering:

56. Used a hatchet on : AXED

57. Cause for alarm : FIRE

58. Honda or Hyundai : CAR. My current car is a Hyundai. It's the Genesis brand, so it doesn't actually have a Hyundai badge on it.

59. Pepsi product that's also its calorie count : ONE

60. Springsteen's "Working __ Dream" : ON A. Not sure I know this one from The Boss.

61. Scoundrel : RAT

That was fun, thanks Peg! Here's the grid and I'm done!

Steve

Wednesday, February 8, 2017 Peg Slay

Theme: Commercial Opportunity.  The two-word theme entries have no surface connection, being mere vehicles to hold the letters of the concept theme entries.  These letters are circled, and if you didn't get the circles, the theme might be tough to suss.  There is a unifier though, so let's start with that.

33. Program interruptions literally demonstrated by this puzzle's four sets of circles : STATION BREAKS.  This is a pause between broadcast programs, when a transmitting station can identify itself and slip in a few commercials.   As we will see, each theme entry holds a type of station, spelt with its first and last few letters.  Thus the STATION is BROKEN within the entry.

17 A. World-class : FIRST RATE.  Something world class or FIRST RATE is as good as it gets. And our first break gives us a FIRE station - a place where the FIRE fighters reside between calls, and keep their vehicles and equipment.

In Dallas

23 A. Mantilla material : SPANISH LACE.   A Mantilla is a lace or silk lady's scarf worn over the head and shoulders.

The Mantilla Company

A SPACE STATION is an artificial satellite used as a base for off-planet activities.

49 A. It may be shaped on a wheel : POTTER'S CLAY.  An iron-free earthy material, consisting mainly of hydrated aluminum silicates that is plastic when wet, but hard when fired, used to make pottery and decorate ceramics.

The PLAY STATION is a video game console developed by Sony.

55 A. Sacred lily of ancient Egypt : BLUE LOTUS.   This is a water lily containing the psychoactive alkaloid apomorphine.   It was important in ancient Egyptian religion and mythology.

Wikipedia

A BUS STATION is a terminal building where long-distance buses arrive and depart.

Hi Gang - Jazzbumpa STATIONED here to guide you through today's puzzlement.  We have four quite different types of STATION, split out for our edification and enjoyment.  Let's see what else there is.

Across

1. Blowout victory : ROMP.  A game where one team scores a lot, and the other not so much.  I was hoping for one the other day; but, alas, 'twas not to be.

5. Airline mentioned in the first line of the Beatles' "Back in the U.S.S.R." : British Overseas Airways Corporation.  Here's Paul.



9. Taj Mahal city : AGRA.

13. Old Renault : LE CAR.   The U. S. marketed version of the Renault 5, sold here from 1976-83.

14. Cold, in Cádiz : FRIO.  Spanish.

15. Mark as important : FLAG.  Not the first definition you'd think of, but valid.

16. Like most triangle angles : ACUTE.  An angle of less than 90 degrees.  An angle of exactly 90 degrees is a right angle.  At greater than 90 degrees,  it is obtuse, rather like Mr. Armstrong, below.

Cute!

19. Glass manufacturing dioxide : SILICA.   This is what is commonly known as sand.  Common window glass also contains oxides of sodium and Calcium, together comprising about 25% of the batch.  Though both are ceramics, this material is quite different from POTTER'S CLAY.  It is also different from Mrs. TESH. [Vide infra.]

Sellecca

21. Bk. read at Purim : ESTHer.   A festival held to commemorate the defeat of Haman's plot to massacre the Jews.

22. Sports doc's scan : Magnetic Resonance Image.

25. Univ. dorm overseers : RAs.  Resident Advisors.

26. "__ the fields we go ... " : O'ER.  To Grandmother's house.

27. Codebreaking org. : National Security Agency.

28. Dream up : CONCOCT.  Create, devise, fabricate.

30. One inch = one foot, e.g. : SCALE.  As in maps or modeling.

32. Seals, as a deal : ICES.  To secure the deal.  I guess because ice was fluid, but is now solidified.

38. Not quite place : SHOW.  In horse racing - win, place, and SHOW are betting protocols.  the terms refer to the first, second, and third place finishers, respectively. 

39. California's San __ Zoo : DIEGO.

40. Rubs elbows (with) : HOB-NOBS.

44. Kids' recess game : TAG.

45. Time of yr. for new growth : SPRing.

48. She raised Cain : EVE.   Not very well, though, in the original dysfunctional family, since he grew up to be a fratricide.

52. Legal thing : RES.   From Latin.

53. Thickening agent : AGAR.  A gelatinous polysaccharide substance obtained from red algae.

54. African desert : SAHARA.  Lots of SILICA there.

58. Allow to pass : LET IN.

59. Architect Saarinen : EERO.  From Finland, known for his neofuturistic designs.

60. Composer who was a CBS reporter : TESH.  John [b 1952] Former sportscaster, now a composer, performer, and radio and TV personality.

61. Bay and gray followers : AREAS.  Referring first to the region around San Fransisco Bay, and then to something less certain.

62. Uno y dos : TRES.  1 + 2 = 3, En Español.

63. Concerning : AS TO.  Regarding.

64. Spoon's escape partner : DISH.  From the same nursery rhyme as the musical feline, the out-of-this-world acrobatic bovine and the cackling canine.

Down

1. Means to an end : RECIPE.  Odd way to think of it, but a recipe is something designed to achieve a certain outcome, so OK.

2. Pertaining to the eye : OCULAR.  From Latin.

3. Marseille morning : MATIN.  Hence, a morning prayer service is called Matins, though not likely to be offered to EOS, these days. [Vide infra.]

4. Police unit : PRECINCT.  A section of the city, as defined for police purposes.

5. Fave texting bud : BFF.  Best Friend Forever.

6. Projecting window : ORIEL.  Bay and bow windows are common types.  Perhaps useful for viewing orioles.

7. Respiratory cavity : AIRSAC.  Per this definition, an alveolus.  Birds have several other AIR SACS in their bodies.

8. Bulk-purchase club : COSTCO.  If you see something you like there, buy it now.  Next week, it may be gone forever.  BTW, their pumpkin pies are awesome.

9. Kilimanjaro's cont. : AFRica.

10. Genre that influenced Prince : GLAM ROCK.  Pop music style from the U.K. in the 70's featuring outrageous costumes, make up,  hair styles and glitter.

11. Hectic lifestyles : RAT RACES.

12. Biased targets of the Gray Panthers : AGEISTS.  Age discriminators.

13. Rodeo need : LASSO.  Loop on a rope.

18. In that case : THEN.  Indicates what follows.

20. Extremely, musically : ASSAI.  Accompanies and intensifies a tempo marking.

24. Angelic ring : HALO.  It's like a sunburst behind the head.

29. "Later!" : CIAO.  Informal exclamation at meeting or departure, coming via Italian schiavo [I am your slave] and relating back to the Latin word for slave, sclavus.

30. Like logs : SAWN.  Having been cut with a saw.

31. Bitter __ : END.  A nautical term, referring to the end of a rope to which an anchor is attached.  If that is reached, then the water is too deep for anchorage.

33. Snow remover : SHOVELER.  The person, not the tool.

34. Without a doubt : TO BE SURE.  Of a certainty.

35. Tasting menu portion : BITE.  A nibble.

36. Brings up : REARS.  Refers to nurturing a child until full grown.  Other senses of the word indicate cultivating plants, raising animals, rising to great heights, or - of a quadruped - raising up on its hind legs.

37. Sandwich filling for a lacto-ovo vegetarian : EGG SALAD.  Unlike vegans, they will consume eggs and dairy.

38. Frozen dessert : SHERBET.  A fruity frozen confection, and a sure bet to please.

41. Play-of-color gem : OPAL.

42. South American capital : BOGOTA.

43. Australian sextet : STATES.  I was thinking of kangaroos, opals, Vegemite, platypuses, The Great Barrier Reef and Crocodile Dundee, but could not find a way to express all that in 6 letters. So, instead, we have Western Australia, Northern Australia, South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria.

Wikipedia

45. Lists of nominees : SLATES.

46. Persona non grata : PARIAH. Any social outcast, originally, the lowest caste in southern India.

47. "__ Hope": '70s-'80s soap : RYAN'S.  The Irish immigrant Ryan family owned a bar in New York city, and had several upwardly-mobile adult children.  This is already more than I knew about it. 

50. Have faith : TRUST.

51. French darling : CHERI.   No matter how you spell it.

56. Dawn goddess : EOS.  Perhaps one of the most ancient deities in human history.

Rise and shine

57. HBO competitor : SHO.  Showtime - premium cable channels.

Well, that's the end of this show.  Hope it didn't BREAK you.

Cool regards!
JzB

Thursday, June 2nd, 2016 Peg Slay

Theme: Peg Opts In - Four STOP anagrams coming together at the crossroads.

A three-part reveal across the bottom of the grid, then two horizontal themers and two vertical ones meeting in the middle.

62A. With 63- and 64-Across, meeting place suggested both literally and graphically by this puzzle's circled letters : FOUR and

63A. See 62-Across : WAY and

64A. See 62-Across : STOP. These don't exist in England. Here in Los Angeles we call 'em "All Way Stops", so that slowed me up a little. Here's one on my street:

36A. Vessels on carts : TEAPOTS. CSO to Nice Cuppa!

37A. Tennis lob strategy : TOPSPIN. Both Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf had fearsome topspin lobs. I wonder if they have "best lob" competitions at home - loser does the chores for a day.

5D. Popular reading in New York and Washington : THE POST. I think it's fair to say that one of these publications is not remotely like the other.

41D. Pandora alternative : SPOTIFY. I use the free version of Pandora - the ads aren't intrusive enough to make me want to pay for a subscription. I've just started using the YT Music app from YouTube - I like it so far.

Lawks-a-mercy, this one took me way longer than usual for a Thursday. I was staring down a whole lot of white space wondering where my next fill was coming from. Stubborn chipping away got me there in the end, but phew! Very nice concept from Peg with both wordplay and a visual element. Some really nice long non-theme fill, especially INCOGNITA.


Peg is a frequent contributor to the daily discussion here at the Corner under the moniker C6D6 Peg - C.C. posted an interview with her last year over on the sidebar.

Across:

1. Word with time or money : PLAY

5. Greek cross : TAU

8. Cameo shape : OVAL. Cameo brooch.

12. It may be straight : RAZOR. One of these. I've been tempted in the past to get one just for the retro feel of it, but considering I regularly stab myself with my kitchen knives it's definitely for the best that I've resisted.

14. Ostracize : SHUN

15. Spy follower? : WARE. Computer nastiness.

16. Expenditure : OUTGO. Hmmm. Outgoings, sure. Outgo? Not sure.

17. Home to Mykonos and Milos : AEGEAN SEA. We used to charter a sailboat and sail the Aegean on summer vacations. Beautiful islands, especially the smaller ones with little tourism.

19. Concocts : DREAMS UP

21. Broad panoramas : VISTAS

22. Anatomical pouch : SAC

23. Sanctioned : ALLOWED

25. __ lab : DNA

26. Condensed, for short: Abbr. : SYN. I'm starting to be able to spot the "synonym" cluing, finally! Condensed : Short.

27. Schooner part : MAST. Schooners have at least two masts, that's a lot of sail and rope-work, especially for a gaff-rigged example like this one. I certainly didn't sail one of these in the Aegean. I stuck to single mast, one mainsail and one jib/genny, Bermuda-rigged.

31. Woman undercover : INCOGNITA. Fun, I'd not come across this before in the "undercover" sense; I have seen it on old maps - "Terra Incognita"

35. __ String : SILLY

39. Made a bad call, say : ERRED

40. Park that opened in April 1965 : ASTRODOME. Houston. Nicknamed "The 8th Wonder of the World" when it opened. Disused at the current time.

42. Unkempt dos : MOPS

43. Christian denom. : BAP. tist.

44. Guatemala gold : ORO

45. Election check : RECOUNT

47. Simile center : AS A

50. Improvises : AD LIBS

54. Like the water in a Simon & Garfunkel song : TROUBLED. Simon and Garfunkel's "signature" song. Written by Paul Simon, sung solo by Art Garfunkel.Never gets old.

56. Laundry challenge : SOIL STAIN. This stuff gets great reviews.

58. New home subcontractor : TILER

59. De Tocqueville thought : IDÉE. He wrote a lot about American democracy in the 1800's.

"The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public's money."

60. Lummoxes : OAFS

61. Online jotting : E-NOTE

Down:

1. Nudges : PRODS

2. Actress Dern : LAURA. Who? I didn't recognize the name, but looking her up I find she's been in a bunch of movies that I've seen.

3. Ancient Texcoco native : AZTEC

4. __ mat : YOGA

6. National Mustard Day mo. : AUG. Apparently the Soilove above is no good at getting mustard stains out, but then again I don't think anything can do that particular job.

7. Like some parallel bars : UNEVEN. I always thought they were called "asymmetrical bars" but I guess gymnastics coaches and commentators got lazy at some point. Here's the amazing Olga Korbut in the 1972 Olympic finals. The "Korbut Flip" (at 0:08 in the video) was viewed as one of the most dangerous moves in gymnastics. It probably still is - you miss the catch and it's 10 feet straight down to the mat.

8. Has : OWNS

9. Immense : VAST

10. Rest __ : AREA

11. Grazing sites : LEAS

13. Neptune or Mars : ROMAN GOD

14. "Better Call __" : SAUL. Crosses for me. An AMC TV series which is a spin-off from "Breaking Bad".

18. Pitch in : AID

20. Approach to a subject : SLANT

24. "Father Knows Best" actress Jane : WYATT. Thank you, crosses. I felt like I needed one of these today with all the crossing help I required:

25. Figures (out) : DOPES

27. Perform improperly : MISDO. Probably my least favorite entry today. Merriam-Webster has it as "obsolete". I have it as "crosswordese".

28. Iams competitor : ALPO

29. Svelte : SLIM

30. River to the North Sea : TYNE. Newcastle's river in the North-East of England. I was born on Tyneside in South Shields. The region's Geordie accent is renowned for being very difficult for non-Geordie folk to understand.

31. Agenda bullet : ITEM

32. 300-pound Wolfe : NERO. Crosses for me. I think I've seen the name before but definitely is not one at the forefront of my mind.

33. Trivial objection : CARP. We never do that here, of course.

34. Half-brother of Ishmael : ISAAC

35. GMC Terrain, for one : SPORT UTE. Short for "Sports Utility Vehicle", which is long for "SUV".

38. Maine college town : ORONO. Thank you, crosswords past.

43. Impart : BESTOW

45. NFL ball carriers : RB'S. Running Backs.

46. Footed vases : URNS

47. Deal out : ALLOT

48. Handle : SEE TO

49. Seller of TV time : AD REP. Tried AD MAN first. Was wrong.

50. "Yeah, right!" : AS IF!

51. Extinct bird : DODO

52. Stead : LIEU

53. Actor Robert of "The Sopranos" : ILER. Finally remembered this gentleman. Nailed it!

55. Recycling containers : BINS

57. TourBook-issuing org. : AAA. They also come in mobile and online versions now.

and .... I think that does it for me. Here's the grid.

Steve

Friday, April 10, 2015 Peg Slay

Theme: "Name Droppers"

The reveal is hidden at 39-Down. Medicine dispenser, and, in another way, a hint to the answers to starred clues : DROPPER. (DROP "PER")

17-Across. *Bargain dairy product? : ONE CENT MILK. One percent milk.  Anyone who was alive during the Great Depression will remember milk selling for a penny a quart.

32-Across. *Nickname for a roller coaster highlight? : THE BIG DIP. The Big Dipper. Much better than "The Big Loo"...

37-Across. *Security workers asleep on the job? : BUM GUARDS. Bumper guards.

52-Across. *Really hot cold drink? : JALAPENO POP. Jalapeno popper. This was my favorite entry.

Just missing the Q for a pangram. Nicely done C6D6 Peg! Let's look at the nuts and bolts in the rest.


Across

1. Roam : GAD. Usually with "about."

4. Got ready for company, perhaps : SWEPT.

9. Norse shape-shifter : LOKI. Also, the evil villain in the 2012 movie "The Avengers."

13. Word often following "further" : ADO.

14. One adopting a puppy, say : NAMER. I might have considered putting NAMEs crossing TsE in this spot.

15. The Tempter : SATAN.

16. Trivial amount : SOU.

19. Go out : EBB. I toyed with "die" (like a fire).

20. Dedicated lines : ODES.

21. Eliminates completely : ERASES.

22. Bar supply : SELTZER.

24. Farm cries : BAAS. In Boston, BAAs are where we mix drinks with seltzer.

25. Vessel with a spout : EWER.

26. Database command : SORT.

27. Spots : ADS. I was on the "vision" line of thinking, so it took way too long to come up with this short name for advertisements.

30. __ of roses : ATTAR. Immediately started filling in "a bed," but ran out of letters before squares.

34. Reclined : LAIN.

35. Easily provoked : FIERY.

36. Soap containing ground pumice : LAVA.

39. Only Dwarf without a beard : DOPEY.

40. Had : ATE.

41. Goes after : SUES.

42. Oath for toondom's Dick Dastardly : DRAT.

43. Provide money for : FUND.

44. It's named for a trapeze artist : LEOTARD. When Leo Tard's accountant asked him what was his net worth, he answered "Every penny!"

47. Turkish tabby : ANGORA.

50. Deaden, as a piano string : DAMP.

51. Reason for an extra period : TIE.

54. Violin ending : IST.

55. Cuckoopints, e.g. : ARUMS. We used to call these flowers "Jack in the Pulpit."

56. Merge : UNITE.

57. "Well now!" : OHO.

58. Bar offerings : RYES.

59. It's a stunner : TASER.

60. Reject : NIX.


Down

1. They may be noble : GASES.

2. __ Reader : ADOBE.

3. Holiday rate, perhaps : DOUBLE TIME.

4. Loser-to-be? : SNOOZER. "You snooze, you lose!"

5. Stray : WANDER. I was on the "Tom cat" track.

6. Arab potentate : EMEER. Var. of "emir."

7. Muscle mag display : PECS.

8. Green Day drummer __ Cool : TRE. This was probably one of his best performances. 0:21

9. Lorenzo of "Renegade" : LAMAS. I remember him from "Falcon Crest."

10. Man with rising aspirations? : OTIS. Haha. The elevator guy.

11. Iron-rich cabbage : KALE. I love sautéed KALE.

12. Signs : INKS.

15. Layered clouds : STRATI.

18. Neighboring : NEARBY.

23. Bluegrass characteristic : TWANG.

24. Transvaal settlers : BOERS.

26. Shakes off : SHEDS. My cats are getting rid of their winter coats. I could make another cat from what they have SHED.

27. 2002 Cage/Streep film : ADAPTATION. I missed that one, but I did see "Being John Malkovich," which is part of the plot.

28. Honky-tonk : DIVE.

29. Fix, in a way : SPAY.

30. Goya's "The Duchess of __" : ALBA. He was supposedly romantically involved with her.

31. Stretched : TAUT.

32. Overused : TIRED.

33. Unsportsmanlike look : GLOAT.

35. Regional animal life : FAUNAE. I don't think I have ever seen this plural outside of scientific journals.

38. Seizes unlawfully : USURPS.

42. Bump at the office, maybe : DEMOTE.

43. Bar heads : FOAMS.

44. Blue gem, briefly : LAPIS.

45. Hindu sage : RISHI.

46. Withdrawal process : DETOX.

47. Open a touch : AJAR.

48. Not : NARY...a clue.

49. Kindergarten staple : GLUE.

50. Spanish lady : DONA.

53. Hardware item : NUT.  Sometimes you feel like a hardware item...sometimes you don't.

T.G.I.F. !

Marti

Friday, February 21, 2014, Peg Slay

Theme: I need to break you the LLs up!

Great symmetry in this letter replacement puzzle,  with the first "L" of double Ls in four letter words ending 'ALL', are replaced with an I (the first word in theme 1,3 and 5; the last word in theme 2,4) to give a new phrase clued with humor. This is our second offering from Ms. Slay, with marti expostulating on a letter add on in May of 2013. I found this on the easy side for a Friday, but since it is gimmick free that may be all I needed to make me happy. The pallbearers morphing into milkmaids seemed a bit macabre, but the rest were amusing. Let's look over the puzzle.

17A. Device that tracks certain weather? : HAIL MONITOR. (11). (HALL monitors prowl dormitories) This would be a very limited use device, but we do get a few hailstorms every year, once in a while enough to dent cars.

23A. Make a mournful cry louder? : DRIVE UP THE WAIL. (somebody wailing, like at the dentist, would drive me up the WALL).

39A. Follow, oater-style? : TAIL IN THE SADDLE. (TALL in the saddle will always conjure this IMAGE) (1:05).

48A. Run-of-the-mill letters? : PEDESTRIAN MAIL. ( I visited the 16th Street MALL when last in Denver)

61A. Eight maids a-milking? : PAIL BEARERS. (This combination cast a slight PALL on my solving experience, because images of funerals bring back memories). I think their are usually 6 pallbearers. Are Jack and Jill the most famous pail bearers?

Across:

1. "Sesame Street" lessons : ABCS.

5. Logo, e.g. : EMBLEM.

11. NASA vehicle : LEM. An actual acronym Lunar Excursion Module.

14. Word spoken con affetto : CARA. Some Italian, with affection dear.  22A. Together, in music : A DUE. Italian again, due is two.

15. Lead ore : GALENA. This is something I know only from doing puzzles; do we have geologists in our midst? I have a nephew who works in that field.

16. "Should I take that as __?" : A NO. Yes.

19. Ken. neighbor : INDiana.

20. Handle : SEE TO.

21. Karaoke need : MIC. I guess the world has decided this is an independent word.

27. Bulldog, perhaps : ELI. Yale has more than one nickname. This sort of ties to 37D. Annex, maybe : ELL, which I thought would not be in the puzzle because of the LL.

28. German article : DAS. The neutral (non-masculine or feminine) LINK. 1D. Rhine whines : ACHS. Little pun on wine/whine. Maybe you need a dictionary? LINK. Our multilingual crowd (Kazie, marti, etc., will tell you more).

29. Lollapalooza gear : AMPS. Another abbreviation (amplifiers) that appears to now be a word.

33. They may be in columns : ANTS. Army ones anyway.

36. More ironic : DRIER. senses of humor I guess, I thought this was very hard to suss.

42. Short exile? : EX-PAT. He is only  5'8" For all my New England Patriot cornerites.

43. Tops : A-ONE.

44. __-portrait : SELF. Selfies from the phone are taking over.

45. Watch : EYE.

46. 64-Across opposite : NAY. 64A. 46-Across opposite : YEA.

56. Pie crust ingredient : LARD. Not many big companies use pig fat anymore.

57. Tidy sum : WAD. He had quite a wad of cash.

58. Warmer for a snowy day : COCOA. Maybe this would WORK; I will mail you the A.

60. Tree ring revelation : AGE. Yes when the sequoias get together for a reunion, it is always a circus.

65. Jeans measure : INSEAM. Just be careful who is doing the measurements for you.

66. Auditor's mark : TICK. The check mark.

67. Humerus locale : ARM. Near the funny bone.

68. Expels : EGESTS. IN = into: E = from, immigrate, emigrate. Just simple Latin.

69. Santa __: dry winds : ANAS. A day late for our own Santa baby.

Down:

2. Sounded like a flock : BAAED. The were baaed to the bone.

3. Old-time newsman : CRIER. Really going back when you got your news from the town crier, who did not whine.

4. 1972 missile pact : SALT I. Strategic Arms Limitation Talks ; I was ratified, II was abandoned when the Soviets invaded Afghanistan.

5. Id checker? : EGO. Nice Freud lesson, our ID (as in libido) is kept in check by our EGO.

6. "Holy cow!" : MAN.

7. Skycam carrier : BLIMP. Goodyear I lives nearby me. Come for the TOUR, then stop by for a snack.

8. The Beatles' "__ Be" : LET IT.  You want to be in this STUDIO. (3:09)

9. Cain's oldest son : ENOCH. Exile or not.

10. Deface : MAR.

11. Saved for the future : LAID ASIDE. In this context I always say PUT aside, but this WORKS.

12. Blasé state : ENNUI.

13. Hobby shop purchase : MODEL.A shout out to Dennis who is tolerating the Florida winter rather well. Speaking of models, Kate Upton.

18. Stir : MOVE.

22. Accolades : AWARDS. Comes from a Latin word for neck (collum) because recipients got stuff to wear around their neck. We still give out medals (see Olympics) that way.

24. Panache : ELAN.

25. Utah's __ Mountains : UINTA. We have had these a couple of times before, but they have not stuck in my mind.

26. Norse mythology source : EDDA. Classic crossword answer.

29. Put away : ATE.

30. "Where the Wild Things Are" boy : MAX. My youngest loved the story and we went to the movie when it came out many years later; he loved it. I did  not.

31. Winning the lottery, usually : PIPE DREAM. From the dreams of OPIUM DENS?

32. Left rolling in the aisles : SLAYED. Comedians, kill, slay,

 crush...

34. E'en if : THO'.

35. Medicinal shrub : SENNA. A multi-talented PLANT.

38. Instant replay watcher : REF. The third abbreviation which is in this puzzle which has apparently become a stand alone word.

40. Jersey add-on : ITES.

41. Hannity of "Hannity" : SEAN. hard not link something political HERE.(2:37).

47. Gesture-driven hit : YMCA. The boys from the Village.

48. __ del Carmen, Mexico : PLAYA. mean beach in Spanish. Lucina?

49. Bright-eyed : EAGER.

50. Country sound : TWANG. All you ever wanted to know and MORE.

51. Put up : RAISE. Or shut up?

52. Isn't busy : IDLES.

53. It originates from the left ventricle : AORTA.

54. Trap at a chalet : ICE IN.

55. Spanish poet Federico García __ : LORCA. I wish Clear Ayes was here to speak of this POET, a very influential Spanish writer killed by Franco's men during the civil war.

59. Queries : ASKS.

61. __ chart : PIE.

62. Cricket club : BAT. Cute misdirection.

63. 911 response letters : EMS.

Well I am not in Kansas any more, only passing through to Colorado, but I hope this Friday frolic left you smiling and confident in your skills. Lemonade out.

Thursday, May 30, 2013 Peg Slay

Theme: "Al Fresco"

Four common phrases get a fresh new meaning with the addition of "al" to the entries.

20A. Wriggler's waterway : CANAL OF WORMS. I don't want to open a can of worms, here!

33A. Mail carrier's romantic activities? : POSTAL DATING. I wonder if they will be post dating their check for the meal?

42A. Fortress for summer shoes? : SANDAL CASTLE. A sand castle on the beach wouldn't be a very good fortress, especially if you have a lot of Jimmy Choo shoes!

58A. Collage of potpourri bits? : PETAL PROJECT. One of my pet projects would be to do something with all the petals falling from my dogwood right now.

This is Peg Slay's debut puzzle, and it is an honor to welcome another constructor to our little corner! If it weren't for the pun-ny theme, this puzzle would do very nicely in a Monday slot. The clues were ratcheted up a notch to make it Thursday-worthy, so let's see the handiwork.

Across:

1. It's a lock : YALE. So it is. I wondered "hair?"..."bolt?"..."hasp?"

5. Jostle : ELBOW. Like kids trying to be first in line at the ice-cream truck.

10. Niña or Pinta : SHIP.

14. Pressed into service : USED. I can't help but think someone will use this clue for "ironed" some day.

15. Fox's "War Stories With Oliver ____" : NORTH. Never heard of it, but easy enough to suss.

16. Mystique : AURA. This guy seems to have a certain mystique...

17. Sporting, with "in" : CLAD.

18. Raccoon relative : COATI.  Awww.

19. Suggestive look : LEER.

23. Flik in "A Bug's Life," e.g. : ANT. Fun movie with Dave Foley playing the role of Flik.

24. Like some narratives : ORAL.

25. Connect (with) : LIAISE. Literally, to communicate and maintain contact (with).

29. Patsy : STOOGE. And a clecho at 68-Across. Patsy : DUPE. So many possibilities: boob, mark, fool, goat, gull, butt, chump, doormat, sucker...

31. Poetic preposition : O'ER...(the ramparts.)

32. Source of tricks? : BAG.

37. On the calmer side : ALEE.

40. Also : AND.

41. Bad day for Caesar : IDES.

47. "Verses" poet DiFranco : ANI. Heck of a singer, too. 4:16

48. Objecting word : BUT.

49. You can get down from them : EIDERS. Fun clue!

53. Concert harp parts : PEDALS.

55. Artistic structure : FORM. So many possibilities for the clue.

57. "Take Good Care of My Baby" singer Bobby : VEE. Oldie from 1961. 2:44

61. Emporium : MART.

64. Poetry muse : ERATO.

65. Component : UNIT.

66. "King of New York" director Ferrara : ABEL. Never saw the movie.  Strong violence is not my cup of tea.

67. Gardener, at times : RAKER. Ohhh, my back!  I finally got my flowers planted this week.

69. Oldest British service branch : NAVY.

70. Vehicles on runners : SLEDS.

71. Pentathlon weapon : EPEE. Shooting, swimming, equestrian and cross-country running round out the other four events in the modern pentathlon.

Down:

1. Desert plants with sword-shaped leaves : YUCCAS. I have three of these in my garden. So what did I put for an answer? "Agaves." D'uh!

2. Italicized : ASLANT. "A" word!

3. Rough house? : LEAN-TO.  Anyone else want "tussle?" Nice misdirection.

4. 13th-century Scandinavian epic : EDDA.

5. Numbers that aren't programmed : ENCORES. Here's where Thursday clueing shines.  Totally flummoxed me until I got some perps in place.

6. Fibrous sponge : LOOFA. I put this in, then took it out because I thought it was spelled "loofah." But I see that LOOFA is an alternate sp.

7. Melee : BRAWL. Ah, here's where the roughhousing comes in!

8. Sgt. Snorkel's bulldog : OTTO. Desper- shout out?

9. Spun : WHIRLED...or twirled. Just sayin'...

10. Spicy condiment : SALSA.

11. Color wheel unit : HUE.

12. Argumentative state : IRE.

13. What amateurs rarely shoot : PAR. Husker G., how'd you do today?

21. Eye on CBS, e.g. : LOGO. For more than 60 years now.
 

22. Actress Sorvino : MIRA. Oscar for her role in "Mighty Aphrodite."

26. Footnote abbr. : IBID. Short for "ibidem," meaning "in the same place."

27. Level-headed : SANE.

28. Quiche essentials : EGGS.

30. Page with some right angles? : OP-ED. Another nice misdirection.

31. Auto pioneer : OLDS.

34. Delicacy : TACT.

35. Literary olio : ANA.

36. Going into overtime : TIED. I would love to see a clue about this...4:58 (But the first 30 seconds make my point.)

37. "I need it yesterday!" : ASAP.

38. Country road : LANE.

39. "National Velvet" writer Bagnold : ENID.

43. Fit : ABLE.

44. Polishing outcomes : LUSTERS.

45. Babysitting nightmares : TERRORS. They're often holy.

46. Stylish ride : LIMO.

50. Make equal : EVEN UP.

51. Cook's Illustrated offering : RECIPE. Here's a great one for Beef Satay that I plan to try this weekend.

52. Lounge sofa : SETTEE.

54. In a germane manner : APTLY. Not to be confused with a German manor...

55. Bit of dandruff : FLAKE.

56. Stopped waffling : OPTED. "Are you in, or out?"

59. Kazakhstan border sea : ARAL.

60. Hardy's "___ the Obscure" : JUDE. It has also been called "Jude the Obscene," and was publicly burned by the Bishop of Wakefield because of it's scandalous themes of adultery, unmarried sex, murder and suicide. After receiving scathing reviews from his critics, Hardy never wrote another novel. (I'll have to read that one!!!)

61. Sixth-day creation : MAN.

62. Law school accrediting org. : ABA. American Bar Association.

63. Race in the driveway : REV. I'll leave you with this. Till next week!

Hugs,

Marti

Notes from C.C.:

1) Below is constructor's note from Peg Slay. She also said "I love your blog, and review it daily after completing the crossword, or in some cases, to get the correct answers. The bloggers are great and do a fantastic job."

  

I really like play-on-word themes, so the first theme entry of my puzzle came pretty easy – Canal of Worms.  The others were more work.  I really thank both Rich and Patti for their support and patience through all the revisions sent through.  I truly appreciate the input they gave to me, a rookie, in getting this puzzle to print.   

 

2) Happy Birthday to Splynter's mom! Hope he & his brothers make it extra special for you this year.