Friday, Feb 29, 2008 Randall J. Hartman

Theme: I did not spot any theme. Did you? They are just long lines in the puzzle. Some are movie names, some are not.

17A: Where to join a queue: The end of the line

25A: Brigand's command: Stand and Deliver

44A: One for all and all for one trio: Three Musketeers

60A: Praetor: Roman Magistrate

4D: Pogo's sticks? Okefenokee Swamp

10D: Mid-game recaps: Halftime Reports

For some reason, day after day, I just could not survive the upper left corner unscathed. Today was no exception. I simply never heard of OSCO (1A) Drugstore. Walgreens and CVS have all the skin lotions/eye cream/vitamins that I need. And 1A: Correction: pref (ORTH) was way too hard for me to even make a guess. Added to the pain is the OKEFENOKEE SWAMP (4D). A total stranger to me.

I did not know MARMOT (Western woodchuck), never heard of PIET Mondrian. Had to check the dictionary for the definition of 60A: Praetor. Then filled in ROMAN MAGISTRATE.

Here are the Across entries:

1A: Drugstore chain: OSCO. They only had one store in MN (Moorhead).

5A: Ford Clinic: REHAB. Amy Winehouse won several Grammys for her REHAB album.

10A: Ship's tiller: HELM

15A: Goddess of peace: IRENE

17A: Where to join a queue: The end of the line. Exactly. Nobody annoys me more than those rude line cutters.

20A: Teamster boss of the past: HOFFA (Jimmy). His son James P. Hoffa is the current president of Teamsters. They've endorsed Obama. Why Teamster instead of Teamsters in the clue?

21A: Solid as rock: STEADFAST

22A: Inarticulate sounds: ERS

24A: Doberman doc: VET. Could become aggressive if mistreated.

25A: Brigand's command: STAND AND DELIVER. Here is what Dennis said at the Comment section: "A brigand was a highwayman, or robber; "Stand and Deliver" meant to hand over your purse, wallet, etc. I think it originated with stagecoach robbers."

34A: Italian river: ARNO

35A "Unfaithful" star Richard: GERE. Hot & Steamy movie. It's the only Diane Lane movie that I like. Don't watch Under the Tuscan Sun. Just read the book. It's far superior.

36A: "Auntie __": MAME. 1958 film starring Rosalind Russell.

37A: Twilight: DUSK

38A: Talia of "Rocky": SHIRE. She is Connie Corleone in the Godfather series (my favorite movies), directed by Francis Ford Coppola. In real life, she is Coppola's sister.

40A: Isle of exile: ELBA

41A: What to be suited to: A TEE

42A: Marsh plant: REED

44A: One for all and all for one trio: THREE MUSKETEERS

48A: Grp. for mom & pop stores: SBA (Small Business Administration).

49A: __ and tuck: NIP. Nip/Tuck is also a TV drama.

50A: Hair spray-protection: SHOWER CAP. I misread it as hairspray protection.

56A: Forget about it: NO WAY

60A: Praetor: ROMAN MAGISTRATE

62A: Car of mine?: TRAM. Why the question mark here? Tram is a mine field car, no?

63A: S-shaped moldings: OGEES. It looks like this.

64A: Jog: TROT

65A: Modern Maturity org.: AARP (American Association of Retired Persons.). AARP stopped printing Modern Maturity Magazine in 2003.

66A:Quizzes: TESTS

67A: Formal introduction: SEMI

Down entries:

1D: Correction: pref: ORTH (Orthodox). Shouldn't it be ORTHO?

2D: London district: SOHO

3D: Math fig.: COEF (Coefficient)

4D: Pogo's sticks: OKEFENOKEE SWAMP. You can find alligator, black bear, and lots of wading birds here.

5D: Purged: RID.

6D: Son of Aphrodite: EROS (Cupid in Roman God)

7D: Determine weight by lifting: HEFT

8D: Pay to play: ANTE

9D: Act properly: BEHAVE

10D: Mid-game recaps: HALFTIME REPORT.

11D: Charles Lamb: ELIA

12D: Camera part: LENS

18D: Fragrant ointment: NARD. Spikenard. Unknown to me.

19D: Biographer of Henry James: EDEL (Leon).

23D: Becomes slack: SAGS

25D: Mubarak's predecessor: SADAT (Anwar). Gimme for me.

26D: Veracity: TRUTH. Either Roger Clemens is lying, or his trainer is lying, or both of them are lying. Andy Pettitte has no reason to lie though.

27D: Goose classification: ANSER. New word to me.

28D: Former Indian leader: NEHRU. Gimme for me.

29D: Helps with the dishes: DRIES.

30D: Shortstop Jeter: DEREK. Gimme. Yankees shortstop. We have his rookie cards.

31D: Appraise: VALUE

32D: Fireplace fragment: EMBER

39D: Adam's apple location?: EDEN

45D: Scrooge, to friends: EBEN I don't remember anyone call him Eben in the movie.

46D: Western woodchuck: MARMOT. Cute looking, what is he eating?

47 Dye: TINT

50D: Mlle. from Madrid: SRTA (Señorita) . You should get this one if you read sallyjane's comment yesterday.

51D: Romanian round dance: HORA

52D: Bradley or Sharif: OMAR. Also, actor Omar Epps (Fox drama HOUSE)

53D: Bird enclosure: CAGE

55D: Artist Mondrian: PIET. Dutch painter. Never heard of him.

57D: Hard of soft ending?: WARE

58D: Particle: ATOM

59D: Himalayan Bigfoot: YETI (Abominable Snowman)

C. C.

Friday, Feb 15, 2008 Randall J. Hartman

Theme: "Small" Names. I have trouble summarize the theme. Can anyone help?

17A: Bedtime figure of rhyme: Wee Willie Winkie
25A: Nicely-Nicely Johnson: Stubby Kaye
44A: One of Robin's Merry Men: Little John
57A: "A Christmas Carol" role: Tiny Tim Cratchit

Does anyone know how Tubby Smith get his nickname? This guy is just so cool. (Update: The Tubby in Tubby Smith does not mean small/short as I originally thought. He likes to stay in the washtub when his siblings were bathed. He is the sixth of 17 children.)

Had to google 41A: "Leaving Las Vegas" co-star: SHUE. I mixed it up with another Nicolas Cage movie Honeymoon in Vegas. Did not know Stubby Kaye (25A: Nicely-Nicely Johnson Portrayer). Did not know Norse Evil God (11D: LOKI). Getable from across clues though.

Overall, no choppy water for me today. Easier than Tuesday's mythical crier Niobe puzzle.

Across entry:

1A: "Common Sense" writer: PAINE (Thomas)

2A: Give up: CEDE

14A: Surpass: EXCEL

15A: Haley or Trebek: ALEX. Jeopardy!

16A: Implement: TOOL

17A: Bedtime figure of rhyme: Wee Willie Winkie. I got this from the down clues. Nobody read this to me when I was a kid.

21A: Black-tie affair: GALA

22A: Texas Hold 'em phrase: I RAISE

24A: "All about ___": EVE. Bette Davis film.

25A: Nicely-Nicely Johnson portrayer?: Stubby Kaye. Guys & Dolls fame. Did not know him.

30A: Zip: NADA

34A: Actor Flynn: ERROL. He was in the 1938 version of The Adventures of Robin Hood.

36A: Word of Woe: ALAS (sometimes it's Ah Me)

37A: Indistinct: VAGUE

38A: __ Aviv-Jaffa: TEL

39A: Plain to see: OVERT

41A: "Leaving Las Vegas" co-star: SHUE (Elisabeth). She is also in The Karate Kid.

42A: Start of a long story: PART I

43A: Comic Foxx: REDD

44A: One of Robin Merry Men: LITTLE JOHN (Robin Hood's second-in-command)

47A: El Dorado's treasure: ORO (Spanish for gold)

48A: Ranked at a tournament: SEEDED

52A: Actress Ward: SELA. She is in The Fugitive. I love her in Once and Again.

57A: "A Christmas Carol" role: Tiny Tim Cratchit.

60A: HOMES part: ERIE (Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior)

61A: Cool: NEAT

62A: Maureen of "The Quiet Man": O'HARA. I tend to confuse her with Mia Farrow's mother Maureen O'Sullivan.

64A: Box-office receipts: GATE

65A: Young Turk: REBEL. Would not have filled in if not for the down clues. See here for more information.

Down Entry:

3D: "Rhyme Pays" Rapper: ICE T. Law & Order SVU. Can't stand his music, or any Rap. Besides, I like my tea to be hot.

5D: Qualified to pay: ELIGIBLE

6D: Texas Hold 'em phrase: CALL

8D: Aberdeen's river: DEE (Scotland)

9D: Some alimony recipients: EX-WIVES. And K-Fed.

10D: Sicilian volcano: ETNA

11D: Evil Norse god: LOKI. Awful looking. Trolls are ugly too.

12D: Kent's Lane: LOIS

13D: To shelter: ALEE

18D: Knight's wife: LADY

23D: Teem: ABOUND

24D: Button slot: EYELET

25D: Break off: SEVER

26D: Inter-team action: TRADE. Look at what we have traded away: Randy Moss, David Ortiz, Kevin Garnett & Johan Santana. Incredible, that's all I can say.

27D: Egged on: URGED

28D: __ Lee Gifford: KATHIE. I don't watch the Insider.

29D: Native Alaskan: ALEUT

30D: Hogan dweller: NAVAJO. Hogan is "a Navajo Indian dwelling constructed of earth and branches and covered with mud or sod."

31D: Olds model: ALERO

32D: Mr. Vader: DARTH. Hillary's said it's Dick Cheney.

33D: Sean or father John: ASTIN

39D: Switchboard overseer: OPERATOR. Our local Rainbow Foods often plays Sade's Smooth Operator. I like it.

41D: On the skids: SLIDING

45D: "Damn Yankees" role: LOLA

48D: Meal dish: STEW

49D: Dublin's land: EIRE. Always hesitate between EIRE or ERIN.

50D: Oklahoma city: ENID

53D: Art Deco designer: ERTE. Well, his real name is Romain de Tirtoff, Erte is the French pronunciation of his initials R. T.

54D: Captain of the Peguod: AHAB

56D: List ender: ET AL

59D: Guerrilla Guevara: CHE. It was clued as Fidel's friend 10 days ago.

I think this constructor Hartman loves pop culture. Have another look at his Feb 5 puzzle, peppered with movies, TV series, singers, actresses, personalities/hosts. If you don't like this, you might be in trouble.

C. C.

Tuesday, Feb 5, 2008 Randall J. Hartman

Theme: Sobbing phrases

20A: Riparian tree: Weeping Willow

41A: Yellowbelly: Sniveling Coward

57A: Stephen Rea film: The Crying Game

I scanned the whole crossword quickly while dabbing the Burt's Bee around my eyes.

Then I saw 57A, I grabbed my pen and filled in the film name, rather smugly. I blogged about this Stephen Rea a few days ago. Then I filled in PUDGE for I-Rod (7D: Rodrigues, to fans) and a few other gimmes. I fought my way through other areas with little resistance until I came to the left lower corner.

I could not figure out who was 63D: Fidel's amigo (CHE), all I can is Hugo Chavez. It did not fit, then I thought Chavez must have a 3-letter nickname. I did not know the model's name, and I could not get know HILT for 58D: Excalibur's handle. So I called Uncle.

Here are the highlights:

16A: Veil material: TULLE, named after the French City where it's made.

20A: Riparian tree: Weeping Willow. In Far East, willow symbolizes sadness, esp when a loved one is leaving and you have no idea when you will see them again, if ever.

24A: Ferrara family: ESTE

30A: Sharpens a razor: STROPS

40A: Actress Marisa: TOMEI. "My Cousin Vinny" girl.

41A: Yellowbelly: Sniveling Coward. Mealy mouthed, Lily livered.

47A: Lose one's cool: SEE RED. I put Seethe first.

64A: Blackhorn fruit: SLOE

67A: Mini mountains: HILLS. I put MESAS. Sometimes my mind does not think straight.

69A: Corsica's neighbor: ELBA (new to me)

72A: Prognosticator: SEER

Down Clues:

2D: Hill crest: BROW as in Eye Brow?

7D: Catcher Rodriguez, to fans: PUDGE. Our catcher Joe Mauer is pretty good too. He just needs to stay healthy.

9D: Short dagger: STILETTO.

11D: Remove flawed ones: CULL

21D: Singer Tillis: PAM. Here is more information about this country singer.

31D: Competes at Henley: ROWS. The annual Henley Royal Regatta.

32D: Half a tape: SIDE A. I don't fall this kind of trap any more.

39D: Worker's refrain: TGIF

42D: Work out: EXERCISE

43D: Tight grippers: CLINGERS

50D: Obvious toupee: RUG. I put Wig first.

53D: Bulletin board operator: SYSOP (System Operator). Good to know.

57D: "__ Is Spinal Tap": THIS. Never heard of this movie.

58D: Excalibur's handle: HILT

59D: Model Macpherson: ELLE. Is she still modeling? I adore Heidi Klum.

62D: Hamburg's river: ELBE. Never heard of it.

63D: Fidel's amigo: CHE (GUERRA). He died in 1967.

Finally Super Tuesday!

C. C.