Monday, October 12, 2015 Ron Toth & C.C. Burnikel

Theme: Synonyms - Did you grasp the idea?

17A. *Strapless handbag : CLUTCH PURSE

38A. *Party favors holder : GRAB BAG

10D. *Runner-on-third play : SQUEEZE BUNT

25D. *Carpe diem : SEIZE THE DAY

63A. Warning in a roller coaster, and a hint to the first words of the answers to starred clues : HANG ON TIGHT

Argyle here. JzB and C.C. third time here. Pin wheel grid today with Monday level theme and fill. Eleven letter vanes with a seven letter hub. Very nice.

Across:

1. Frozen treat shown on its package with syrup : EGGO

5. Computer storage media : DISCS

10. Sunscreen letters : SPF. (Sun Protection Factor)

13. Maxwell House decaf brand : SANKA

15. From Taiwan, say : ASIAN

16. On the __ vive: alert : QUI. "on the qui vive", on the alert; attentive; from French, literally: long live who?, sentry's challenge. "Vive-le-roi!"

19. www address : URL

20. "Whoops!" : "OH, OH!"

21. "Get this away from me" : "I HATE IT!". Interesting pairing.

23. Former great : HAS BEEN. Still better than, "Never was".

26. Carolyn who created Nancy Drew : KEENE. The original Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series, begun in 1930, was ended in 2004 and a new series, Girl Detective, was launched, in which the title character drives a hybrid electric vehicle and uses a cell phone.

27. "Aha!" : "I SEE!"

28. Home __: Lowe's rival : DEPOT

32. Old Russian autocrat : CZAR

33. Neglect, as duty : SHIRK

35. "Ten-hut!" reversal : "AT EASE". "I'll be in the area all day."

37. "Oh yeah? __ who?" : SEZ. Another interesting pairing.

41. Physique, briefly : BOD

44. __ Field: Brooklyn Dodgers' home : EBBETS. Ebbets Field, built by club owner Charlie Ebbets, was partially built on a garbage dump called Pigtown, because of the pigs that roamed there.

46. Piano practice piece : ÉTUDE

48. Sagan's sci. : ASTR. (astronomy)

50. Wined and dined : FETED

53. Frosty flakes : SNOW. Cute.

54. Physical therapy, briefly : REHAB. (Rehabilitation)

56. "Better luck next time!" : "NICE TRY"

58. Pizza seasoning : OREGANO

61. Like much fall weather : COOL

62. Very angry : MAD

68. Org. for shrinks : APA. (American Psychological Association) or (American Psychiatric Association)

69. Fur fortune-maker : ASTOR. John Jacob Astor (1763 – 1848)

70. "Everything all right?" : "YOU OK?"

71. Introverted : SHY

72. Start of a wish : I HOPE ...

73. Texter's goof : TYPO

Down:

1. PC undo key : ESC

2. 65-Down's lass : GAL; 65D. 2-Down's fellow : GUY

3. Bearded antelope : GNU

4. Bavarian "fest" month : OKTOBER

5. Novelist du Maurier : DAPHNE. Lady Browning DBE. Interesting LINK.

6. Ames sch. : ISU. (Iowa State University of Science and Technology)

7. "What can I help you with?" iPhone app : SIRI

8. __ cow: big income producer : CASH. Origins.

9. Go furtively : SNEAK

11. Dog Chow maker : PURINA

12. Coffeemaker insert : FILTER

14. Workout woe : ACHE

18. Cleared weeds, say : HOED

22. Nero Wolfe and Sam Spade, briefly : TECs. (de-tec-tives)

23. Snake's sound : HISS

24. "Off the Court" author Arthur : ASHE

29. Blue Ribbon brewer : PABST

30. Horseplayer's letters : OTB. (off-track betting)

31. Herbal brew : TEA

34. CIA Cold War foe : KGB. The Ruskies.

36. Mellow, as wine : AGE

39. NFL official : REF

40. Consumed : ATE

42. Smell : ODOR. Pigtown, so they said.

43. Damp at dawn : DEWY

45. Blow one's own horn : BRAG

47. "The Waste Land" poet : T.S. ELIOT

48. Kitchen allures : AROMAS

49. High-ranking angel : SERAPH

51. "Play another song!" : "ENCORE!"

52. Singer Celine : DION. "Pour que tu m'aimes encore"

55. Persian faith that promotes spiritual unity : BAHÁ'I

57. Perfume giant : COTY

59. Poet Ogden : NASH

60. Not fooled by : ON TO

64. George Bush's org. : GOP. (Grand Old Party)

66. Dance for teens in socks : HOP

67. Fight ender, briefly : TKO. (Technical Knock Out)

 Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Jazzbumpa (Ron) came up with this puzzle idea and the neat reveal entry. I went for a super smooth ride.

Tuesday, October 7, 2014 Ron Toth & C.C. Burnikel

Theme: And here's the pitch - Musically, that is. I think.

26D. Sheet music quintet, and with 31-Down, what the first letters of 16-, 22-, 36-, 45- and 56-Across represent : STAFF. 31D. See 26-Down : LINES

16A. Symbol of a good try : E FOR EFFORT

22A. Movie for all : G-RATED FILM

36A. Straight-A student's bane : B-PLUS

45A. "Lady Chatterley's Lover" author : D. H. LAWRENCE

56A. Noted O.J. Simpson attorney : F. LEE BAILEY

Argyle here. A lot of entries for a Tuesday but not a problem for our constructors a due. If you don't recognize Ron, it's our own JzB. The two climbers are as long as the theme entries but not much chance of mistaking them for theme. Good job on the fill. The quintet is in order but I still don't understand musical notation, though. Your results may vary.

Across:

1. 18th Greek letter : SIGMA. Carries the 's' sound.

6. Instagram account creator : USER. I know as little about Instagram as I do music.

10. Gunpowder container : KEG. The number of kegs we've had lately, Zed may have it wrong.

13. Contest submission : ENTRY

14. Campus sports gp. : NCAA. (National Collegiate Athletic Association)

15. Call, retro-style : DIAL

18. To be, to Cato : ESSE. Some Latin.

19. Just okay : SO-SO

20. Place to apply gloss : LIP

21. Use unwisely, as time : WASTE

26. Organ near the stomach : SPLEEN

29. Playground threat : "I'LL TELL!"

32. Rips : TEARS

33. Clash of clans : FEUD

34. Ornamental pond fish : KOI

35. JFK postings : ARRs. (arrivals)

38. Show sleepiness : YAWN

39. Christmas tree : FIR

40. Follow one's new job, in Realtor-speak : RELO

41. Private student : TUTEE

42. Go up alone : FLY SOLO

44. Persian Gulf ships : OILERS

48. Gaze intently : STARE

50. Before, to Frost : ERE

51. Like skyscrapers : TALL

55. Bee flat? : HIVE. Cute.

59. Bone-dry : ARID

60. Bartlett cousin : BOSC Pears.

61. Like the man of one's dreams : IDEAL

62. Marry : WED

63. ''Yeah, sure!'' : "I BET!"

64. Tractor maker : DEERE

Down:

1. Goes out with : SEES

2. Data : INFO

3. Classic Pontiacs : GTOs

4. "Won't you be my neighbor?" TV host : MR. ROGERS

5. Nautical consent : AYE

6. Not up to the job : UNFIT

7. Check (out) : SCOPE

8. Musical skill : EAR. Another theme reference.

9. Singer in an interrogation room? : RAT. Ok, this "singer" isn't musically related.

10. Musical inspired by "The Taming of the Shrew" : "KISS ME KATE". Originally produced in 1948 on Broadway. It garnered five Tony Awards in 1949.

11. Fort Worth-to-Dallas direction : EAST

12. Merriment : GLEE

15. Passed out cards : DEALT

17. Caramel-topped custard dessert : FLAN

21. Like some very bad pitches : WILD. And here we combine music and baseball.

23. Legal matter : RES

24. God, in Grenoble : DIEU

25. Reasons for school absences : FLUs. Shortened form of influenzas.

27. Danger : PERIL

28. "Seinfeld" co-creator : LARRY DAVID

30. Farther down : LOWER

33. Progressive Insurance spokeswoman : FLO. If you haven't seen Flo, I won't be the one to break your bliss.

36. "Dracula" star Lugosi : BELA

37. Furrow the fields : PLOW

38. Christmas season : YULETIDE

40. Part on stage : ROLE

41. Muscle spasm : TIC

43. Destroy, as files : SHRED

44. Premium plane seat, usually : ONE B

46. Pee Wee in Brooklyn : REESE. Great shortstop.

47. Upright : ERECT

48. "Pygmalion" playwright : SHAW. George Bernard Shaw.

49. Radial __ : TIRE

52. Out of the wind : ALEE

53. Goneril's father : LEAR

54. Country singer Lovett : LYLE. He's more than just country.

56. Source of DVD warnings : FBI

57. Easy throw : LOB

58. Help out : AID

Argyle


Notes from C.C.:

As Argyle mentioned earlier, Ron Toth is our own Jazzbumpa. We made two puzzles earlier this year, and were lucky to get both accepted. This is actually our first puzzle. The second one was published in August.

We initially had NOTES  as a reveal entry. Rich, who is a pianist, pointed out (via Patti) that "EGBDF are more than just NOTES... they represent the LINES on the treble clef STAFF. Happily, those two words are 5 letters; hopefully you can find symmetric places for them in the grid."


As his blog write-ups show, Ron is very creative, witty and hardworking. I had fun working with him.

Tuesday, August 5, 2014 Ron Toth and C.C. Burnikel

Theme: Trombone Component - What makes a trombone special, the slide. All four theme entries use a slide to great effect.

18A. It's in front of a catcher : HOME PLATE. The site of some famous slides.

26A. "CSI" workplace : FORENSIC LAB. Their slides are small pieces of glass.

44A. Instrument used in Hawaiian music : STEEL GUITAR. The slide creates the unique sound of these guitars.

57A. Place to make a splash : WATER PARK. A slide that can break a little boy's heart if he isn't tall enough to go on it.

65A. Wall Street decline, or something that might be associated with 18-, 26-, 44- or 57-Across : SLIDE

Argyle here. A trombonist constructing a puzzle about slides. Well done Sir, and C.C. of course.

Across:

1. Passport endorsement : STAMP

6. Field protector : TARP

10. From __: slight progress : A TO B

14. Dramatic solos : ARIAs

15. Jai __ : ALAI

16. Head, to Henri : TÊTE

17. Job for a CPA : AUDIT

20. Oft-pickled veggie : BEET

21. Excavation hole : PIT

22. Noisy ruckus : CLAMOR

23. Captivated : RAPT

25. Game with checks : CHESS. We need an update on the rook table, Splynter.

30. Clic Stic or InkJoy : PEN

33. Pieces by pundits : OP EDs

34. Old Roman coins : LIRE

35. Worldwide workers' gp. : ILO. (International Labour Organization)

36. Clears (of) : RIDS

37. Nincompoop : IDIOT

39. Unrefined deposits : OREs

40. __-de-sac : CUL

41. Soon, to Pope : ANON

42. Pancakes sometimes served with caviar : BLINI

43. Expressive rock genre : EMO

47. "Psycho" motel : BATES

49. Being aired : ON TV

50. Venus, to Serena : SISTER

52. Duke Univ. conference : ACC. (Atlantic Coast Conference)

53. High-ranking Muslim : EMIR

59. Freak out : GO APE

60. Historical periods : AGES

61. Gawk at : OGLE

62. Traffic cone : PYLON

63. Fortified red wine : PORT

64. Ill-gotten gains : LOOT

Down:

1. Swedish automaker : SAAB. Former maker.

2. "Good point" : "TRUE"

3. Assistant : AIDE

4. Restaurant VIPs : MAÎTRE D's. (maître d'hôtel)

5. L.A. winter hours : PST

6. Island retreat for Gauguin : TAHITI

7. Loads : A LOT

8. Aries symbol : RAM

9. Annual report graphic : PIE CHART

10. Sky-supporting brother of Prometheus : ATLAS

11. Rah-rah feeling : TEAM SPIRIT

12. Preminger of film : OTTO

13. Brewpub order : BEER

19. New cadet : PLEBE

21. Second afterthought, in a ltr. : PPS

24. Q&A part: Abbr. : ANS.

25. Ad award : CLIO

26. Strong-arm : FORCE

27. Poppy extract : OPIUM

28. "Sea Food Differently" chain : RED LOBSTER

29. "Crazy" singer Patsy : CLINE

31. Justice Kagan : ELENA

32. Military denial : "NO SIR!"

37. Worldwide anticrime organization : INTERPOL

38. Deer daughters : DOEs

39. For whom Popeye's eyes popped : OLIVE OYL

41. Fall bloomer : ASTER

42. "On the other hand ..." : "BUT..."

45. Pendant with a picture : LOCKET

46. Health supplements co. : GNC. (General Nutrition Corporation)

48. '50s nuclear experiment : A-TEST

50. Give and take? : SWAP

51. "Othello" antagonist : IAGO

52. Musical Guthrie : ARLO

54. Landlocked African country : MALI

55. Apple player : iPOD

56. Thinker Descartes : RENÉ

58. Before today : AGO

59. Some family docs : GPs. (General Practitioner)

Argyle

Note from C.C:

As Argyle mentioned earlier. Ron Toth is Jazzbumpa, our trombonist. This is his debut puzzle. Congratulations, Ron!