Friday, December 2, 2016, Peter Koetters

Title: Over and Over Again

The odd clue ( - ) gave me a hint where I needed to look for the theme, but this was a challenge. It was great to have our LA pediatrician Peter back after a long absence. I blogged his debut puddle- I mean puzzle LINK and he has stopped by to talk with us some after his publications. With no fill longer than 9 letters, nothing jumped out. It was only by focusing on filling the downs that the light bulb came on and I 'saw' his theme in the sea of white. Very few short fill and so many interesting others like UP DRAFT,  NAVARRE,  SPLOTCH,  DEAD SEA,  SLEPT IN,  APHASIA, WHEEDLED,  UNWEANED, STEADIEST,  SLY AS A FOX. Lots of French, many witty clues and much to chew on. Welcome back Peter; we hope you stop by and give us some thoughts.

14A. Art critic's phrase, literally : STYLE (5). OVER
17A. - : SUBSTANCE (9). This CONCEPT  is called form over substance in the writing of legal briefs etc.

30A. Theme park near Dallas, literally : SIX FLAGS (8). OVER
36A. - : TEXAS (5). This THEME PARK was the response to Disneyland; it opened in 1961.

42A. Changes one's ways, literally : TURNS (5). OVER
47A. - : A NEW LEAF (8). This IDIOM appears to date back to the 1600s.

62A. Tumbles out of control, literally : FALLS HEAD (9). OVER
66A. - : HEELS (5). This PHRASE has its origin 700 years ago.

Across:

1. Test : ASSAY. I learned this word watching old westerns on TV when they brought their gold to the assay office.

6. Law degs. : JDS. Juris Doctor.

9. While-__: repair shop sign words : U-WAIT. These days they work on COMPUTERS.

15. Calendar pg. : OCTober. Random.

16. NBA's Jackson et al. : PHILS. Phil Jackson having a hard time succeeding in NY; week fill, Phil.

19. "10" co-star : DEREK. She is now with John Corbett from Cecily, Alaska






20. Send out : EMIT.

21. Pamplona's municipality : NAVARRE. I am confused, not only because I do not know geography but because I thought PAMPLONA is the city for this FESTIVAL..

23. Big stain : SPLOTCH.

25. Israeli border lake : DEAD SEA.

29. "Doubt it" : NAH.

31. "Conan" channel : TBS. Any of you watch him?

34. Dayan of Israel : MOSHE. He was a storybook hero for Israel.

LINK

37. Giants manager before Bochy : ALOU. Felipe, the oldest brother.

39. Like non-oyster months, traditionally : R-LESS. Try explaining this concept to a Thai woman where the letter that looks like "R" sounds like "L."

41. Ration (out) : DOLE.

44. "The Deep" director Peter : YATES. He directed BULLITT as well. The movie was based on a book by Peter Benchley, who also wrote JAWS. Jacqueline Bisset set the gold standard for a wet t-shirt SCENE.

46. Bottom line : NET.

49. Closing sequence : XYZ.

51. They're often numbered : STREETS. Random.

52. Bench warmers? : JURISTS. More legal misdirection.

56. Loss of speech : APHASIA. Aphasia is a communication disorder that results from damage to the parts of the brain that contain language (typically in the left half of the brain).  Growing up around a doctor and a nurse I heard this term when I was very young.

58. Drive-__ : THRU.

59. Before, in Brest : AVANT. Literal French. No Brest milk.

64. "In the Bedroom" Oscar nominee : TOMEI. I never saw this movie, but Marisa is always a pleasure.

                                                                         LINK

65. Passé : OUT.

67. "Surprise Symphony" composer : HAYDN. Wiki says it better.

68. Big tees : XLS. Not in a world of XXXL.

69. Matrix, e.g. : ARRAY.

Down:

1. Some jennies : ASSES. A male donkey or ass is called a jack, a female a jenny or jennet; a young donkey is a foal. Jack donkeys are often used to mate with female horses to produce mules; the biological "reciprocal" of a mule, from a stallion and jenny as its parents instead, is called a hinny. Or...

2. Baffle : STUMP.

3. Prophetess : SYBIL. This is not a name but a description. There is much to learn if you like HISTORY and MYTH.

4. Longtime Dodger manager : ALSTON. Along with Tommy Lasorda, this MANAGER led the Dodgers through 4 world championships and the only one won in Brooklyn. If you love baseball you know this man.

5. Still : YET.

6. Whale of a guy? : JONAH. More of the wit in the cluing.

7. Half of MCDX : DCCV. Peter has used Roman Numerals as glue before.

8. Most constant : STEADIEST.

9. Kite aid : UPDRAFT. Soaring!

10. Cajoled : WHEEDLED.

11. Whistle blower? : AIR. Literal but deceptive!!!

12. Key for Fauré? : ILE. French for Island. hmm lots of French.

13. "For shame!" : TSK.

18. Run at the end : ANCHOR. The relay team in the race.

22. "Toy Story" dinosaur : REX.

24. Highland lid : TAM.

26. Ancient Germanic invader : SAXON.

27. Even, in Évian : EGALE. French mostly associated with equal. Liberté, égalité, fraternité (French pronunciation: [libɛʁte eɡalite fʁatɛʁnite]), French for "liberty, equality, fraternity", is the national motto of France and the Republic of Haiti, and is an example of a tripartite motto.W.

28. Valuable team member : ASSET.

30. Field unit : SHEAF.

31. Byes : TATAS. See below.

32. Not sharp : BLUNT.

33. More ticked : SORER.

35. Cunning : SLY AS A FOX. This is new stuff, only one other LAT appearance back in 2006.

38. Still breast-feeding : UNWEANED. Boobies next to...

40. __ orientation : SEXUAL.

43. Ignored the alarm : SLEPT IN. Good idea after sex.

45. Civil war site since 2011: Abbr. : SYRia.

48. E. African land : ETHiopia.

50. Dulcimer kin : ZITHER.

52. Crushes an altar ego? : JILTS. Very witty clue. You never know, but this sounds like some of Peter's earlier cluing.

53. Utter : SHEER.

54. Part of a skipping refrain : TRALA. LALA. I hope Linda is well.

55. Like some heads : SUDSY. Beer, both kinds.

57. King anointed by Samuel : SAUL.

59. Sports fig. : ATHlete. There is only one A in athlete.

60. U.S. govt. broadcaster : VOA. The fifth appearance this year in the LAT and the third on a Friday.

61. Acker of "Person of Interest" : AMY. She reappears soon enough that I recalled her.

63. Doo-wop syllable : SHA. Na Na after last weeks No no? No!

What a work out with some of the most fun cluing of the year. If you do not see the visual you lose the joy. I hope you all are having a wonderful December. Lemonade out.

Friday, April 18, 2014, Peter Koetters

Theme: How would you like your puzzle? Over-easy? No I will have it scrambled.

Another Friday where we mix up some letters and get new fill. Peter has done a few puzzles here, I blogged his first LAT back about three years ago, and this is his first for 2014. Really a mostly straightforward Friday with a classic mix up letters theme. There are some difficult proper names; you need to know some mythology, some old-time baseball, some Gilbert & Sullivan, some rock  roll, some history and some literature. A nice bundle, as a Friday should be. So let us see how the letters arrange themselves.


17A. Fish-derived supplement : COD LIVER OIL  This is one of those oddities where a scrambled version of a word can be built from either direction. Having to down a tablespoon of this supplement was one of the fears of childhood in my youth.

24A. Prince Charles' closetful : SAVILE ROW SUITS. The London street where the Tailors toil. Steve any comments?

 

37A. Leaving the jurisdiction, perhaps : PAROLE VIOLATION. The legal system has gone away from Parole to a new type of supervised release.

48A. 1982 Joan Jett & the Blackhearts hit : I LOVE ROCK'N ROLL.

59A. Literary orphan ... and what 17-, 24-, 37- and 48-Across each contains? : OLIVER TWIST,

  

The rest.

Across:

1. Famiglia nickname : MAMMA. Italian for family.

6. Celtic language : WELSH. One of 4 which remain spoken. I wonder why the basketball team was never pronounced the "keltics.'

11. Base enforcers, briefly : MPS. Military Police. Interesting because it is a plural but no place to put the S.

14. Menu listings : ITEMS.

15. Muse with a lyre : ERATO. She appears so often I am no longer amused.

16. Bugler in a forest : ELK.

19. Behold : SEE.

20. Diners Club competitor : AMEX. I think American Express would debate this clue.

21. Binding promise : I DO. And you will.

22. Tool that's not for crosscuts : RIP SAW.  I hope you have SEEN all the types of saws. Maybe Splynter will come by and give more personal information on sawing.

27. Title stuffed bear in a 2012 film : TED.  More from the mind of Seth MacFarlane. TRAILER. (2:07)

28. Valley where Hercules slew a lion : NEMEA. The first of his labors. LINK. More myth, 3D. Vengeful sorceress of myth : MEDEA. A little shout out to me, as she was married to Jason.

29. Site of the Alaska Purchase transfer ceremony : SITKA. Back in 1867 we bought Alaska from the Russians, and the ceremony took place in this southeastern city. With a population of 8,881 in 2010, Sitka is the fourth-largest city by population in Alaska. By land, it is the largest in the United States. (per wiki and others).

33. Blues home: Abbr. : STL. The hockey franchise.

34. Cellular messengers : RNAS.

41. Brest pals : AMIS. I think it works better with milk.

42. Most soldiers : MEN.

43. Hall of Fame umpire Conlan : JOCKO. Those of us who love baseball and study the game know this MAN, but I cannot imagine many here know the name.

44. App writer : CODER. My meh of the day.

46. "... against a __ of troubles": Hamlet : SEA. Take arms...

54. Luxury watch : BULOVA. Luxury?

55. Bailed-out insurance co. : AIG. American International Group, Inc. The STORY.

56. Mislead : FOOL. Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.

58. "The Prague Cemetery" novelist : ECO. I think we recently had this PHILOSOPHER , for a different book (Foucault's Pendulum) back in January.

62. It may be fresh or stale : AIR.

63. Milk source : UDDER. Would you drink human milk as an adult?

64. Sculled : OARED. A word I also do not like, also 50D. Underground worker : CAVER.

65. House and Howser : MDS. Medical Doctors.

66. Bygone monarchs : TSARS.

67. Winemaking tool : PRESS.

Down:

1. Mineral found in sheets : MICA.

2. Basic matter : ATOMS.

4. Appomattox bicentennial year : MMLXV. 2065.

5. Faulkner's "__ Lay Dying" : AS I. A novel often regarded as one of the best by an American author. Link.

6. Did lawn work : WEEDED.

7. Proofer's find : ERROR.

8. Thai native : LAO. I find the history of the countries and the designation confusing, so maybe you can READ and explain it to me.

9. Last words in a drink recipe, perhaps : STIR WELL.

10. "Total patient" treatment : HOLISM. Holistic medicine does not mean natural medicine, but the two are intertwined.

11. Like one expected to deliver? : MESSIANIC. I really do not get this fill at all, as my knowledge of the word relates to a Messiah.

12. Fabric fold : PLEAT.

13. Slants : SKEWS.

18. Revolting : VILE.

23. __ Rico : PUERTO.

25. Angled ltrs. : ITALics.

26. Not misled by : ON TO.

29. Where to get wraps and scrubs : SPA.

30. "Are you going?" response : I AM. Insane?

31. French and Italian flags : TRICOLORS. Many nations have three colors on the flag including the US; do you all watch the show on flags?

32. Disputed Balkan republic : KOSOVO.  As with many an interesting story of CONLICT.

33. Vice principle : SIN.

35. Hunky-dory : A-OK. A word coined by our astronauts.

36. __-cone : SNO.

38. Taurus birthstones, perhaps : EMERALDS. Since many born under the sign of the Bull are born in May, they get the gleaming green gem.

39. Florida's __ Beach : VERO. One of the many small beach town along the Atlantic coast.

40. Out of a jamb? : AJAR. har de har har, har.

45. Pious : DEVOUT.

46. They're often on a slippery slope : SKIERS. Hopefully...

47. MIT grad, often : ENGR. Engineer.

48. Construction girder : I-BEAM. The I from the song made this easy.

49. Understandable : LUCID.

51. Sun Tzu's "The Art __" : OF WAR.

52. Longest river in France : LOIRE. A common clue/fill.

53. Gets knocked off : LOSES.

57. Old Fords : LTDS. Limiteds.

60. Gilbert and Sullivan princess : IDA. I know some G & S but not this one.

61. Part of an inning : TOP. When the visitors bat.

Another Friday done, and for those of you observing best wishes for today and Easter. I am off to rest up from the cold weather. Lemonade out.

Note from C.C.:

Here are  a few lovely pictures from the Australia trip Kazie  her husband Barry took a couple of weeks ago. Click here for more. Kay was born and grew up in Australia.

 

  Barry and Kay on Tamborine Mountain, overlooking Brisbane

 

  Another friend laying down the law to some pet llamas

 

Rainbow lorikeets feeding 

Monday March 4, 2013 Peter Koetters

Theme: WANTED: Nursery Rhyme Characters (All Males)

 17A. WANTED: Dimwitted loiterer, for pie-tasting without intent to buy : SIMPLE SIMON

 23A. WANTED: Boy on the run, for unwanted kissing : GEORGIE PORGIE

 35A. WANTED: Delinquent minor, for breaking curfew and inappropriate dress : WEE WILLIE WINKIE

 49A. WANTED: Musical shepherd, for sleeping on the job : LITTLE BOY BLUE

 58A. WANTED: Merry monarch, for smoke pollution with his pipe : OLD KING COLE

C.C. here, giving Argyle a break. I had thought Cruciverb might experience their monthly no-new puzzle glitch again.

Five theme entries (63 squares) is a lot for a Monday, or any day of the week. But as I mentioned before, filling is trickier for Monday/Tuesday puzzles as constructors can't have difficult words in the grid.

This grid is just perfect.

 

Across:

1. Rebounding sound : ECHO. Easy start.

5. Early newspaper magnate : HEARST. "Citizen Kane"!

11. "So-o-o cute!" sounds : AWS

14. Vietnam neighbor : LAOS

15. List of printing mistakes : ERRATA

16. Game, __, match : SET

19. __ urchin : SEA

20. Año Nuevo month : ENERO

21. Popular exercise choice : JOGGING

27. Fun and games : PLAY. So I was reading Whitey Bulger's bio earlier. Was surprised that he talked, in the end.

29. Uncle's mate : AUNT

30. Singles : ONES

31. Dart thrower's asset : AIM

32. Turn off, as the lights : KILL. Never used this expression before. Kill time, yes.

33. Crime lab evidence, briefly : DNA

41. Isn't missing : HAS

42. Bump into : MEET. Who's the famous person you've ever met?

43. __ sequitur: illogical conclusion : NON

44. Church recess : APSE

47. Up to the task : ABLE

48. Do bar work : TEND

53. Harrison Ford's "Star Wars" role : HAN SOLO. And 44. "Java" trumpeter : AL HIRT. All full names. They appear often due to their friendly letter combo. Ed Asner is another one. (Thanks for the correction, Misty!)

54. Dispenser of theater programs : USHER

57. Pasta suffix : INI. Like Rotini. Speaking of food, I've never baked those pre-made steamed buns, Pas de Chat. I suppose you could give it a try. As for Jayce's Fish ball yesterday, Irish Miss, I think the key ingredient is Kao Fu (wheat gluten), then they add fish flavor. Mock meat is normally made of either wheat gluten or Tofu.

62. Mythical giant bird : ROC

63. Takes care of : SEES TO

64. Charity donations : ALMS

65. "For shame!" : TSK

66. Came next : ENSUED

67. Digs made of twigs : NEST

Down:

1. Otherwise : ELSE

2. Brother of Abel : CAIN

3. Dodger Stadium contest, to the Dodgers : HOME GAME. Peter must be a Dodgers' fan, like Bill. 

4. Fish hawk : OSPREY

5. Half a giggle : HEE

6. "Thinking, thinking ..." sounds : ERs

7. Onassis nickname : ARI. I think Maria Callas really loved him.

8. Type of missile engine : RAMJET

9. Small, raised porch in front of a door : STOOP

10. Dramatic ballroom dance : TANGO

11. Designate, as a seat : ASSIGN

12. Hot dog : WEENIE. I never acquired the taste for hot dogs or sausages.

13. Oater transports : STAGES

18. Lav in Leeds : LOO

22. "Ouch!" relative, in response to a pun : GROAN

24. Train tracks : RAILS

25. Noisy shorebird : GULL

26. Left hanging : IN LIMBO

27. Tiger's foot : PAW

28. Untruth : LIE

32. Sorento automaker : KIA

33. Nerd : DWEEB

34. Picayune point to pick : NIT. Triple alliteration.

36. Sharpens, as a knife : WHETS

37. Wriggly : EELY

38. Space under a desk : KNEEHOLE

39. Electrified particle : ION

40. Finish : END

45. Baby grands, e.g. : PIANOS

46. Jolly old Xmas visitor : ST NICK

47. Homes : ABODES

48. Florence native, for one : TUSCAN. Qli liked "Under the Tuscan Sun".

50. Free from restraint : LOOSE

51. Funny DeGeneres : ELLEN. Love her. So authentic.

52. Haul : LUG

55. Big shade trees : ELMS

56. Break at the office : REST

59. Sunflower St. school : KSU (Kansas State University). The Wildcats. Kent State is also known as KSU, right?

60. Suffix with Israel : ITE

61. Silently assent : NOD

C.C.

Friday, June 8, 2012, Peter Koetters

Theme: AX me no questions and I will tell you no lies. Each of the three theme answers is a familiar phrase with one of the words chopped open and AX is inserted creating an entirely new phrase and visual image. No J's but a very fun Friday and our first 2012 puzzle from a constructor whose May 2011 debut, I had the pleasure of writing up where he replaced DDs with ZZs. He is the LA based pediatrician who stopped by to visit with us. The unifier here is also a visual clue, so lets see what we have today.

19A. What the Easter Bunny has to report to the IRS? : TAXABLE HOPPING. Table hopping morphs into a confrontation between two powerful institutions.

29A. Sitcom about a family of Dresden residents raised by a single parent? : MY THREE SAXONS. An easy one if you recall this STATE in Germany and the old Fred MacMurray TV series.

38A. Bison spa service during bikini season : BUFFALO WAXING. What a visual! Miss Bison laying back to smooth those lines. Peter, all that from a little chicken wing dipped in hot sauce. What an imagination! And the unifier:

51A. Make peace, and a hint to how 19-, 29- and 38-Across were formed : BURY THE HATCHET. Again, you see the hatchet (AX) being buried in each answer. A tight theme, not as extensive as some but I found them all well done. On with the rest....

Across:

1. Ignition charge? : ARSON. Not car starting, but illegal fires, very tricky way to begin the day.

6. Yahoo : BOOR. Okay, we are doing a Friday and nothing is easy. Not the company, but the company you do not want to keep.

10. Set-designing initials? : RCA. Okay Peter, now we have a hidden reference to TV sets; we may be here a while.

13. Sierra ___ : LEONE. Our GEOGRAPHY lesson. It had to be this or Madre.

14. Bouncer in an empty bar? : ECHO. Another great clue and we just started, not some big out of luck football player, but sound.

15. Canvas : POLL. Our political question for this election year.

16. "Eight Elvises" artist : ANDY WARHOL. Where did he get his titles?

18. Wind among the reeds : OBOE.

21. Attendee : GOER.

22. Maid's aid : DUSTER. Feather?

23. Entertained : HOSTED.

27. Loaded candy : PEZ. We can dispense with any comments to this clue.

28. Run through : USE. Do not worry, I will never run through all the bad puns in my head.

33. Bit of a loaded conversation? : SLUR. Oh my, the man is on fire; you see the speaker is loaded, and is therefore slurring. More visuals.

34. Purse : BAG. He slipped in an actual easy one.

35. Those, in Badajoz : ESOS. Spanish, from a province in Spain. Colorful.

43. Dribbler's protection : BIB. Also good for our friend from 33A.

45. Of the people : LAY. Not of the clergy. Nothing DF here.

46. Shakespearean playground retort? : ART NOT. Amst too! Wonderful twist on an old clue.

47. Infielder's claim : I GOT IT. My father taught us to say that so we would not run into each other, but one day when I was about 7 and the ball was very high and I yelled "I got it, I think I got it." he and my Uncle rolled on the ground.

49. Gumbo ingredient : OKRA.

56. Track assignment : LANE.

57. "Lawrence of Arabia" Oscar nominee : OMAR SHARIF. Wonderful MOVIE. (4:42)

59. Blowups: Abbr. : ENLS. Enlargements.

60. "Check it out, José" : MIRA. More Spanish, I think it means "see."

61. "The Beauty Myth" author Wolf : NAOMI. No comment as she is quite RADICAL.

62. Utter : SAY.

63. H, R or E, e.g. : STAT. istic. Hits Runs Errors, some baseball for our leader.

64. Newark's county : ESSEX. The New jersey version, home to the Devils who staved off elimination in the Stanley Cup finals.

Down:

1. Cookbook words : A LA. Mode or carte?

2. Lease stipulation : RENT. Tricky, but one must pay rent.

3. Fountain order : SODA. So simple it was hard.

4. Stone seen in Mammoth Cave National Park : ONYX. The world's largest cave system in Kentucky. Hey Windhover, how are the babies? Ewe okay?

5. Deepak Chopra follower, perhaps : NEW AGER. WE have recently discussed this speaker, but do you like this answer next to the next clue?

6. Golden Age TV star : BERLE. Uncle MILTIE. (3:58 ) The old comedian who loved to wear dresses but was famous for his morel.

7. Pigment used in cave paintings : OCHER. An old pigment still popular in painting, I think.

8. We're in for it now!" : OH OH. My LINK.

9. Place to find contacts : ROLODEX. Are they still in use?

10. Pfizer cough medicine : ROBITUSSIN. My cough medicine.

11. Imitations : CLONES. But I buy the CVS knock off.

12. Cheerful, in Chihuahua : ALEGRE. More Spanish but do not say she is a "una mujer de vida alegre."

15. Boston ___ : POPS. How many of you recall the conductor from a few months ago?

17. Digs, so to speak : ABODE.

20. "The Sicilian" author : PUZO. Mario of Godfather fame.

23. Lord Nelson's ___ Victory : HMS. His SHIP.

24. Olive with hardly any fat : OYL. Popeye's eye candy.

25. With unbending will : STUBBORNLY.

26. Road sign shortening : THRU. Not the road, the word.

27. When doubled, a Polynesian capital : PAGO. Capital of American Samoa, pronounced Pongo Pongo.

30. Bidding site : EBAY.

31. Bando of the '60s-'70s Athletics : SAL. Third baseman.

32. Proximate : NEXT.

36. Beatle lover : ONO. Notice it is not plural; she did not love the band.

37. U.S. Army E-5 : SGT. This SGT? (0:52) How fitting.

39. Move like a dragonfly : FLIT. used to be a pejorative term.

40. Grasps : FATHOMS. Good word for doing puzzles, for all the deep thinkers.

41. Unattractive aspects : WARTS. We all have them.

42. Weaver of myth : ARACHNE. She messed with Athena and ended up as the MOTHER of all arachnids.

43. Swearer's stack : BIBLES.

44. Dewlapped lizard : IGUANA. We had one on the tree by my office this afternoon. The 86 year old neighbor of mine hates them, and wants me to "kill them summanbishes."

48. Nautical ropes : TYES. I never saw this one, and I am glad because I do not know it.

49. "Sir, you are no gentleman" speaker : O'HARA. SCARLETT

50. What "k" may stand for : KARAT. 24k gold.

52. Give out : EMIT.

53. Golfer Jay : HAAS. He won last week end's Champion's tour event. His son Bill won the FedEx Cup.

54. Winged god : EROS. More mythology.

55. Stretch : TIME. Well my time this week is almost done.

58. Attach : FIX. A less common definition of attached, unless you get fixated on it.

Answer grid.

Well, I am fixin' to leave for another week. have a great day and week end. I did go back and read the May, 2011 blog and it is amazing how people come and go. As I said then, a word once in a while to let us know you are still out there would be nice. I was pleased to see some quiet corners appear for C.C.s solo debut. Hope you all are well, and maybe we will see you soon.

Lemonade

Notes from C.C.:

1) Here is Part III of Kazie's trip to Spain. I wonder why they thought of building mushrooms above an underground museum.

2) Mystery revealed! Here is the 11 rings dear Irish Miss wears on her 8 fingers. Click on the picture, you'll see a clearer view. The one on her left middle finger fascinates me a lot.

3) Inspired by Irish Miss, Boomer wanted to show his ring collection. See here. The first four are all 300 rings from different years. The fifth one (blue color) is a 299 ring. The next one is another 300 ring. Next to it is an 800 Series ring. The last one is 1987 Twins World Series replica ring. He never wears any ring in daily life, by the way.

Sunday Nov 6, 2011 Peter Koetters

Theme: "Do or Dye Situation" (Nice title.) - The first word in each theme entry can follow "Hair".

23A. *Dangerously close call : BRUSH WITH DEATH. Hair brush.

33A. *Attachment for a paint gun : SPRAY NOZZLE. Hair spray.

51A. *Interrogator's approach : LINE OF INQUIRY. Hairline.

67A. *"Nothing to it!" : PIECE OF CAKE. Hairpiece.

81A. *Be up to snuff : CUT THE MUSTARD. Haircut.

96A. *Running back, often : BALL CARRIER. Hairball.

17D. *Greenskeeper's concern : PIN PLACEMENT. Hairpin.

61D. *Where a star prepares to shine : DRESSING ROOM. Hair dressing.

110A. Weaves, or what the starts of the starred answers are, in a way : HAIR EXTENSIONS

Had no idea where I was going until I reached 101A and was pleasantly surprised. Great unifier. It hurts to have extensions braided & glued to your own hair. But it sure looks pretty.

I just adored this theme. I bet Melissa too. Secret to thick and shiny hair often lies in your genetic make-up. But good nutrition is certainly important. Sesame seeds help. And the right brand of shampoos & conditioners.

This puzzle is a pangram. As usual, names gave me pauses.

Across:

1. Makes a short putt : TAPS IN. I'd be happy with a bogey.

7. Dabs with a towel : PATS DRY

14. Macedonian birthplace of Mother Teresa : SKOPJE. No idea. Here. Scrabbly name.

20. Fired up : AFLAME

21. Collectibles from faraway lands : EXOTICA. Some could be erotica.

22. Covets : ENVIES

25. 2010 World Series champs : GIANTS. Boomer loved the Pujols' Jack-in-the-Box I got for him.

26. Bar lineup : SHOTS

27. Derby title? : EARL. Oh, title in Derby, England.

28. Like a drumhead : TAUT

30. Fund-raising gp. : PTA

31. Autobahn distances: Abbr. : KMs

36. Do in, as the Jabberwock : SLAY

37. Glosses over : OMITS

40. Recognizes, briefly : IDs

41. DDE's challenger : AES (Adlai E Stevenson)

42. Tax pro : CPA

43. The eleventh hour : HIGH TIME. Oh? I thought it refers to the time when you're feeling high.

46. Jutland resident : DANE

48. Loses one's poker face, say : REACTS

54. Like a rational number's denominator : NON ZERO. And 64. Type of geometry : EUCLIDEAN. I sucked at math.

55. "Rocky __ to Dublin": Irish jig : ROAD

56. Major or Minor constellation : URSA

57. Leave at the altar : JILT

58. Italian possessive pronoun : MIO. "Mine" as in "O Sole Mio".

59. Wrapped up : ENDED

62. United Nations Plaza array : FLAGS

66. Onetime Italian leader Aldo : MORO. Stumper. The Italian prime minister in '60s-'70s. Was kidnapped and then murdered by a terrorist organization. Brutal.

69. "Splendor in the Grass" writer : INGE (William). Quite a heavy topic.

70. Meaty tomato : BEEFSTEAK

72. Singer Rimes : LEANN

73. Add to a database : ENTER

74. George Strait's "All My __ Live in Texas" : EX'S. I wonder why.

75. Beatles album with "Act Naturally" : HELP

76. Wishes otherwise : RUES

77. Fit for duty : ABLE

79. Rummy action : DISCARD

86. Feeling no pain : STINKO. "Feeling no pain" = "Drunk".

87. Blue-ribbon : A-ONE. Jayce's Mandarin is really good.

88. Foggy state : SEDATION

89. Wedding page word : NEE

90. An NFL Manning : ELI

91. Oral health org. : ADA

93. Sealy competitor : SERTA

94. Certain NCO : SSGT

101. Double curve : ESS

102. Cousteau's sea : MER. Still have not grasped the French"R" sound.

103. Scuttlebutt : DIRT

104. Jekyll's alter ego : HYDE

105. "__ I ever!" : WOULD

108. Arctic garment : ANORAK. This one is stylish.

115. Clock radio button : SNOOZE

116. Actress Francis and others : ARLENES. The other I know is "Dahl".

117. Overwhelming amount : DELUGE

118. It hits the nail on the head : HAMMER. I'm picturing Splynter in action.

119. Bridge support : TRESTLE

120. Pericles, famously : ORATOR. So ancient.

Down:

1. Key beside Q : TAB. Computer keyboard.

2. Egypt's cont. : AFR

3. Grade school operator : PLUS SIGN. I like both the clue & answer.

4. Over-the-shoulder accessory : SASH

5. Texter's "Seems to me ..." : IMHO

6. Mudpuppies' kin : NEWTS. Did not know they're related.

7. Snoopy, to Charlie : PET

8. Neolithic dig find : AX HEAD

9. __ special: menu board heading : TODAY'S

10. Uncompromising : STERN

11. Old way to place a collect call : DIAL "O"

12. Sales slip: Abbr. : RCT (Receipt)

13. Jubilant game-player's cry : YAHTZEE. Never played Yahtzee.

14. Slick transition : SEGUE. More "smooth" than "slick". No?

15. Make a string of purls? : KNIT. Great clue.

16. Fertility clinic cells : OVA

18. Popular Volkswagen : JETTA

19. Swift's "A Modest Proposal," e.g. : ESSAY

24. AOL, e.g. : ISP

29. Roker and Gore : ALs

31. German statesman Helmut : KOHL

32. XIX Olympic Winter Games year : MMII. 2002.

34. It means nothing to Sarkozy : RIEN. Same to me.

35. Off-the-wall : ZANY

36. Jack Blum's "Meatballs" character : SPAZ. Another unknown to me.

38. Legal contract adverb : THEREOF

39. Prepared to sing the national anthem : STOOD. Here is China's national anthem.

42. Prefix with grade : CENTI

44. "__ body meet ..." : IF A

45. Area between goals : MIDFIELD

46. Immoral : DISSOLUTE. Crossing 3 theme answers.

47. Notre Dame's Parseghian : ARA

48. Esther of "Good Times" : ROLLE

49. Post-disaster sorting process : TRIAGE

50. Cornhusker rival : SOONER. Hi there Husker Gary & Avg Joe!

52. Snake oil salesman : QUACK

53. Strongly suggest : URGE

54. Beantown, e.g. : NICKNAME

57. Valdez with a burro : JUAN. Here he is.

59. Sticks in the mud : EMBEDS

60. Sartre play with the line "Hell is other people" : NO EXIT. Good to learn the source.

63. Spring : LEAP

64. PayPal funds, e.g. : E-CASH. For Marti.

65. Family meal setting : DINETTE

67. Wing: Prefix : PTERO

68. Podiatry matters : FEET

71. Tremble in fear : SHAKE

73. "__ Dream": Wagner aria : ELSA'S

76. Go on the lam : RUN

78. Future flower : BUD

80. Online tech news site : CNET

81. Electromagnet feature : COIL

82. Actor Morales : ESAI

83. Ventilated : AIRED OUT

84. Turns bad : ROTS

85. Strands of double helices : DNAS

87. Something with a bag of chips? : ALL THAT. Cool! All that and a bag of chips.

90. Tuner's talent : EAR

91. Full of gusto : ARDENT

92. Philadelphia university : DREXEL

94. Really pound : SMASH

95. Yellow-flowered plant often used medicinally : SENNA

96. Hog owner : BIKER. Harley-Davidson.

97. Pablo Neruda's homeland : CHILE

98. Lew of "All Quiet on the Western Front" : AYRES. Difficult name to remember.

99. Farmyard female : EWE

100. Repetitive musical piece : RONDO

103. Foggy state : DAZE

106. Cybercafé patron : USER

107. Oscar winner Kedrova : LILA. For "Zorba the Greek".

109. Data storage acronym : ROM

111. Flight board abbr. : ARR

112. "The Waste Land" monogram : TSE

113. Vietnam's __ Dinh Diem : NGO. OK, you all know Sandra Oh from "Grey's Anatomy", right? Ngo (Vietnamese)= Oh (Korean) = "Wu" (Chinese). Same surname.

114. Sun. delivery : SER

Answer grid.

C.C.

Tuesday, September 6, 2011 Peter Koetters

Theme: Swine Fever - The first word of the starred clue answers can follow(tail) the word PIG to form a common phrase.

18A. *Typical Valentino roles : LATIN LOVERS. An actor in silent films in the '20s, Rudolph Valentino (Image) became a sex symbol known as the "Latin Lover". His sudden death at age 31 caused mass hysteria among his female fans, propelling him into icon status. PIG LATIN - ig-pay atin-lay.

59A. *Cold War symbol : IRON CURTAIN. As a it related to the Cold War, the term became famous from Winston Churchill's speech in Fulton, Missouri, March 5, 1946. The concept of the phrase goes back much further. "Even an iron barrier cannot separate [the people of] Israel from their heavenly father".- Babylonian Talmud. PIG IRON - The intermediate product of smelting iron ore and shipped in this form for remelting and refining later. Wiki article.

3D. *Quaint means of communication? : PEN AND PAPER. PIGPEN.

5D. *Was in charge of : HEADED UP. PIG HEADED - Stupidly stubborn. (From the notion that pigs are immovable and seemingly stubborn.)

26D. *To whom "Howdy, stranger" is often said : OUT OF TOWNER. PIG OUT - To overeat; to overindulge in food or drink.

40D. Girlish hairstyle (and what the starts of the answers to starred clues are?) : PIGTAILS. "Who you calling 'girlish'?", Willie.

Argyle here. I have trouble with the unifier because it usually is all one word and to work here, it should be two words, IMO. Some clunky clues but enough cute ones to make up for it. A strong lay-out, a decent Tuesday.

Across:

1. Tuck's partner : NIP. From cosmetic surgery.

4. Carpet type : SHAG

8. Summer brew : ICE TEA

14. Stuff to be smelted : ORE

15. Grape grower's prefix : OENO

16. "It's unnecessary" : "NO NEED"

17. Word with marked or masked : MAN

20. Declared : STATED

22. Itch scratchers : NAILS

23. Full sets of chromosomes : GENOMEs. A genome is the entirety of an organism's hereditary information.

25. Potpie piece from a pod : PEA

26. Western treaty gp. : OAS. The Organization of American States is the world’s oldest regional organization, dating back to the First International Conference of American States, held in Washington, D.C., from October 1889 to April 1890. Their site.

29. It's up when you're angry : DANDER. It has little to do with dandruff but probably from Spanish, redundar "to overflow". American English,(1831) "temper," originally (W.Indies) "fermentation of sugar."

31. Safe and sound : UNHURT

33. Race circuits : LAPS

35. __ Mountains: Eurasian border range : URAL

37. Mozart's "Cosi fan __" : TUTTE. Clip.(3:04)

38. Med school subj. : ANAT.

39. Cheesecake on a wall : PIN-UP

41. Crane component : BOOM

42. Conveyed, as water through a main : PIPED

44. Centers of attention : FOCI

45. Corp. money VIPs : CFOs. Chief Financial Officer.

46. Audiophile's setup : STEREO

48. Bothers persistently : NAGS AT

50. Musical ability : EAR

51. English channel, briefly : BBC. The Beeb or Auntie Beeb.

53. Swing by for a visit : STOP OFF

56. Former CBS News anchor Couric : KATIE

58. Response : ANSWER

63. Org. for piece lovers? : NRA. National Rifle Association, 'piece' is a fire arm.

64. Poses (for) : MODELS

65. Wheel attachment : AXLE. Or, more commonly, an AXLE attachment is a wheel. In any case, they're attached.

66. Aussie runner : EMU

67. Pint-size : PEE-WEE

68. For fear that : LEST

69. Free (of) : RID

Down:

1. Chinese menu assurance : NO MSG

2. Hopping mad : IRATE

4. Like vows : SOLEMN

6. Picnic crasher : ANT

7. Enter : GO IN

8. Taking the place (of) : IN LIEU

9. Car radiator need : COOLANT

10. They may be self-sealing: Abbr. : ENVs. Envelope.

11. Kickoff aid : TEE

12. Suffix with musket : EER

13. Spots on TV : ADS

19. Cat's pause? : NAP

21. Place for Pop-Tarts : TOASTER

24. Letter flourish : SERIF

27. Threepio's buddy : AR-TOO

28. What keeps bloomers up? : STEMS

30. Talked a blue streak : RAN ON

32. Wheel covers : HUBCAPS. How to spot a police car; they have hubcaps in lieu of wheel covers. The spot light is a give-away, too. Image

33. Run out, as a subscription : LAPSE

34. Santa __ racetrack : ANITA. Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif.

36. "Star Wars" mastermind : LUCAS. George Lucas.

43. Fiasco : DEBACLE

47. More than right, in triangles : OBTUSE. Less than a right angle, acute.

49. Shakespearean verse : SONNET

52. Columbus in N.Y.C. or DuPont in D.C. : CIRcle. The DuPont. The Columbus.

54. Nuclear pioneer Enrico : FERMI

55. Hoax : FRAUD

56. Was aware : KNEW

57. List-ending abbr. : ET AL.

59. Little devil : IMP

60. Microsturgeons? : ROE. Gets my vote for the cutest of the cute clues.

61. Poem of praise : ODE

62. Logger's tool : AXE

Answer grid.

Argyle

Friday, May 6, 2011, Peter Koetters

Theme: Double ZZs top double DDs - DD in the first part of well-known phrases are changed into ZZs. A somewhat new fun way to do a "replace the letter" puddle, I mean puzzle. We do not need any pics of double ZZs, do we?

More specifically:

17A. Moving like a dog in a narrow tube?: MUZZLING THROUGH. MUDDLING THROUGH, is where you plod along.

27A. Dud sparklers?: FIZZLE STICKS. FIDDLE STICKS probably originated from the violin playing in the street, which did not include high class music. It is why we have fiddling around.

41A. One solving several crosswords simultaneously?: PUZZLE JUMPER. PUDDLE JUMPER is an expression for a plane which goes on a short flight.

50A. Brilliant bees?: BUZZING GENIUSES. BUDDING GENIUSES, is used to describe young people who show extreme potential early in life.

Hi everyone, lemonade back with another new constructor, who has given us a puzzle with a little bit of everything, puns, tricks, obscurities, music and more.

So let's see what Peter picked....

ACROSS:

1. Make sound: HEAL. Boom we start with trickery, sound not being related to noise, but to hale and hearty. Nice.

5. Fictional elephant: BABAR. Aww, and I get my favorite elephant again this week; read the books to your grandkids.

10. Pine: ACHE. Deception number two, not a tree, but pining away, extra nice.

14. Capital at the foot of Mount Entoto: ADDIS ABABA. We have often discussed this Ethiopian CAPITAL at the base of Mount Entoto, which is not to be confused with the dog, or the BAND which did have a song about Africa.

16. Gambler's marker: CHIT. The sophisticated IOU.

19. Spots on cartes: ILES. Okay Jeannie, we get our French lesson today- cartes= maps and iles=islands.

20. Straight opening?: ORTHO. My favorite clue, because it is a double cross, unlike all of our other opening clue, which means you are to create a word beginning with the clue, this is the literal definition of Ortho, which is a prefix meaning STRAIGHT, like ORTHODONIST, tooth straightener.

21. Kennel worker: GROOMER. Well, you hope they keep the big sweeties groomed.

25. Greek sphinx, from the neck down: LIONESS. This is as opposed to the Egyptian Spinx, which is masculine and nice, the Greek being feminine and nasty. If you want more information you can read this LINK.

29. Good for growing, as soil: LOAMY. Nice black dirt, unlike the sand we have in Florida.

30. Traps: WEBS. Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.

31. Pick up: GET. When you are the store, I need some milk.

34. Razor brand: ATRA. There you go, last week's AFTA has morphed into the razor, everyone happy?

35. Contempt: ODIUM. A simple Latin word meaning hate.

37. Stadium level: LOGE. We have had this recently; just think sky boxes at the ball park.

38. Sigh relative: TSK. Oh goody, our word of the week, with yet a different slant.

39. Othello, for one: MOOR. Speaking of deceit, poor moor.

40. Wonder Woman weapon: TIARA. She had her lasso, her wrist bands and her invisible plane.

44. Anniversary gala: JUBILEE.

47. Häagen-Dazs array: SORBETS. Of course this is accurate, but not my first thought; by now I assume everyone knows this company was from Brooklyn and used the fancy foreign name to justify their higher prices.

48. Words after take or save: A SEAT. back to the ball park, go marlins.

49. Z-zebra link: AS IN. Z as in Zebra.

57. Performer of many Dylan songs: BAEZ. I have seen her perform at Woodstock, in Lennox Mass., many times, and always loved her VOICE

58. San Diego Zoo attraction: GIANT PANDA.

59. __ breve: ALLA, means all brief or quick in Italian (like our word brevity), and in musical notation I believe means a faster tempo, but I will defer to JzB to give you the full scoop on this one.

60. Folklore threats: OGRES. They get such a bad rep, but Shrek is a pussycat, sort of.

61. Not at all bleak: ROSY. Just like this puzzle, not at all bleak, but rather fun so far, no big holes.

Okay on to part two!

DOWN:

1. It may be glazed: HAM. Or my eyes after doing the blog.

2. URL ending: EDU.

3. Woodworking tool: ADZ. This is the second puzzle which I blogged with lots of ZZZZZs.

4. Songwriter Phair: LIZ. One of many female singers who started about the same time, but I do not think she ever sang at the Lilith FAIR

5. One holding property in trust: BAILEE. Out token legal term, used for the hat check girl, the parking attendant and the pawn shop

6. Li'l __: old-themed restaurant: ABNERS. Never heard of this chain.

7. Traveling companions?: BAGS. Nice misdirection here as well, and those of you with mothers in law, be nice it is Mother's Day Sunday.

8. NYC dance co.: ABT. AMERICAN BALLET THEATER . Where they teach dancers to 28D. Pirouette: TWIRL.

9. Word of support: RAH. Rah rah sis boom bah. Rah Rah ree, kick em in the knee, Rah Rah rass, kick em in the other knee.

10. Cache crop?: ACORNS. Nice cash/cache sound alike.

11. Laundry conveyor: CHUTE. I have never had a laundry chute, only garbage ones.

12. Good times: HIGHS. Well, what a controversial clue, I mean admittedly lots of people smoke pot, but...oh he just means emotional highs. Never mind.

13. Group values: ETHOS. A bit more Greek today.

15. By a narrow margin: SLIMLY. A bit of a stretch as a word, but I guess better than nonely.

18. Rank and file movers: ROOKS. A nice chess clue, describing the movement of the piece.

21. Key of Schubert's Impromptu Op. 90, No. 3: G FLAT. If it has five letters it will be something flat, then wait and see the perp.

22. Popular party people: RIOTS. Oh man get a couple of drinks in him, and he is a riot!

23. Arkansas's ___ National Forest: OZARK.

24. Baum princess: OZMA. Many of you may not know how many books Mr. Baum wrote about OZ, and all of the characters not in the movie, but they even have their own wiki sight where you can learn. PS welcome back KAZIE.

25. Stead: LIEU. These days in my world, this attached DEED IN....

26. Warhead vehicle, briefly: ICBM. InterContinentalBallisticMissile.

31. Blow one's top: GO APE. I seldom see this without a third word modifier.

32. Coastal wader: EGRET. They love Florida.

33. They may signify joy: TEARS. But not when you have to sign the DEED IN LIEU.

35. Exude: OOZE. Seems like it fits with this puzzle, which is oozing zzzz.

36. Nap: DOZE. Hopefully no one is sleeping through my efforts.

37. Branch: LIMB.

39. Media lead-in: MULTI. See, there is the standard cluing for an opening or lead-in.

40. Source of some greens: TURNIP. For Thelma and the other Southern Belles who cook with Turnip Greens.

41. Italian square: PIAZZA. Not to be confused with the ex-Met Mike, who was Italian, but fairly hip, though the bleach blond look was not a good move.

42. Ascetic of yore: ESSENE. A biblical reference, appropriate for this season.

43. Articulations: JOINTS. More confusion, and the less common use of articulation, not words, but separations.

44. Sluglike alien strangled by Leia: JABBA. Yes, she was ANGRY

45. Standard: USUAL.

46. Chisel's edge: BEZEL. Sounds so much like Bevel and they are related.

49. Bacteriologist's supply: AGAR. For their Petri dishes.

51. IHOP '__: takeout food program: N'GO. Well I already told my IHOP wrestling story, so it is up to you to comment, though if only this had been worked into the ROO puzzle....

52. Short job: GIG. Devin's band played a GIG at Uncle Lou's; he did not want me to go, because the place was a little sketchy, Great to be a dad.

53. Syr. seceded from it in 1961: UAR. United Arab Republic; not much on being united.

54. __-cone: SNO. Don't eat the yellow ones.

55. Money VIPs: EDS. Cannot fool me twice, the magazines editors! Ha!

56. Mention: SAY. Say good night Gracie. Good night Gracie.

Answer grid.

Lemonade