Thursday, December 5, 2013 Steve Blais

Theme: Clueless

20-Across. " " : I'M DRAWING A BLANK.

36-Across. " " : HOW WOULD I KNOW?

53-Across. " " : I HAVEN'T GOT A CLUE.

I don't know if your paper had a blank for the clue, a dash, or just empty quote marks (as my Across Lite version did.) I remember seeing a similar theme from Daniel Finan, where "CLUELESS" was the revealing entry, and each theme entry described some sort of airhead.  It was a few years ago, so many solvers likely would not remember it. But when I saw it I was blown away by the cleverness, so it stuck in my mind.

In this one, I thought 20 and 53-Across were spot on, since they refer to a blank or not having a clue. But 36-Across didn't quite hit the same note.  Maybe I'm picking a nit here? Or maybe I'm just crabby and frazzled from dealing with contractors who never show up when they are supposed to.

Let's move on...

Across:

1. Rewards for waiting : TIPS. Simple words today, but some devilish clueing had me scratching my head.

5. Sauce finisher, often : CREAM.

10. Bit of Halloween makeup : SCAR.

14. Gray subj. : ANAT. "Gray's Anatomy" was my bible in pre-med. The TV popular show was spelled "Grey's Anatomy."

15. Expansive : LARGE.

16. Parting words : TA-TA.

17. Family nickname : NANA. Funny to see nana after tata...

18. Parting word : ADIOS. Clecho of 16-Across.

19. Erelong : ANON.

23. Presidential nickname : ABE.

24. Inflationary fig.? : PSI. Pounds / Square Inch. It's the number on your driver's door telling you how much to inflate the tires.

25. Drive off : REPEL.

26. Language of Pakistan : URDU.

28. Peak on the 1,000-yen note : FUJI. Yen = Japanese. What other mountain would it be?

31. Language suffix : ESE. JapanESE, ChinESE, JavanESE, etc.

32. __-Julie, Quebec : STE.

33. Nail-biting way to win : BY A NOSE.

40. Jerks : YANKS ON.

41. Morse code letter after dit-dit-dit : DAH. (Or, last syllable after ZIP-A-DEE-DOO...)

42. Outlaw Clanton : IKE.

45. Get rid of : LOSE.

46. Gorilla trained to use sign language : KOKO. "Supposedly" trained...

47. Holiday air : CAROL.

49. Mao __-tung : TSE.

51. Ten-cent pres. : FDR.

58. Designer Schiaparelli : ELSA.

59. The Joe in Detroit, for one : ARENA. Joe Louis Arena.

60. Superb : A-ONE.

61. Tallow source : SUET.

62. Huge : GIANT.

63. Earthworm habitat : SOIL.

64. Stun, in a way : TASE.

65. Bout of retail "therapy" : SPREE.

66. Fine subject? : ARTS. Kind of a mini-clecho with 14-Across.

Down:

1. "Lost" actress Raymonde : TANIA. No clue.

2. How soldiers may lie : IN AMBUSH.

3. Gratify the baser side of : PANDER TO.

4. Have the lead : STAR.

5. Shellfish morsels : CLAWS. Mmmm, we just had crab that our buddy in New Orleans shipped to us the other night.

6. Lines from the center : RADII.

7. 33-Down's homeland : ERIN.

8. Open-mouthed : AGOG.

9. Western landform : MESA.

10. Clichéd : STALE.

11. Happy hour morsel : CANAPE.

12. Makes amends : ATONES.

13. Rub the wrong way : RANKLE.

21. Manjula's husband on "The Simpsons" : APU.

22. Like autumn mornings : BRISK.

27. Like morning grass : DEWY.

28. Made-up : FALSE.

29. Loosen, as laces : UNDO.

30. Enroll : JOIN.

33. U2 frontman : BONO.

34. Belly laughs : YUKS.

35. Prefix with morph : ENDO.

37. Pixar title robot : WALL-E.

38. Hardwood option : OAK FLOOR. I'm leaning toward an engineered oak floor for the living room next door. Any thoughts on durability, Splynter?

39. Mystery : WHODUNIT.

42. Most distant : ICIEST.

43. Black Russian component : KAHLUA. I had the "K" so it was a gimme.

44. Fulfills a takeout order? : ERASES.

46. Alpine parrot : KEA.

48. Roundish : OVATE.

49. 1,000 kilograms : TONNE. Metric ton. Not to be confused with the short ton or long ton.

50. Kerry's department : STATE. John Kerry, current Secretary of State.

52. Projection room stack : REELS.

54. Badgers : NAGS.

55. It may be round : TRIP.

56. Stuff in a backpack : GEAR. GORP was my first thought...

57. José's home : CASA. His casa is su casa.

That's it for me. Gotta run!

Marti

Friday, November 22, 2013, Steve Blais

Theme: Where did I hide my computer?

Each of the four sets of words has the names of a computer manufacturing companies overlapping the adjacent fill, with a reveal.  The first row and the last row each result in two companies, the middle two rows use all three clues to create a single company.. You have to see a puzzle as row 1 through 15 to understand the reveal. This was one of the hardest themes in a long time for me to suss out even though I said earlier I love run-ons, as well as puns and anagrams. To use up 5 complete rows (1/3 of the grid) for a theme is awesome. I am always surprised when a theme starts with 1A, but Steve has made us work even on his Monday and Tuesday efforts. This is his 11th LAT published in less than 2 years, along with a NYT in April. I missed blogging his only other Friday when our Steve took over while I was out for the New Year holiday a couple of months ago. Lots of nice fill like EL PASO,  EVEN SO, LETHAL,  MINGUS, SESAME, SPOT ON, DAMAGES,  SEE TO IT, HIGHNESS, LEMONADE, DATE STAMP and GENE AUTRY.

1A. Brother of Raúl and Juanita : FIDEL along with 6A. Purple candle scent : LILAC. This gives us DELL computers. Living in So.Fla, Fidel was a gimme. 11A. Poetic time reference : ERE. ACER.

20A. Calendar entry : EVENT and 21A. Kyrgyzstan city : OSH and 22A. Construction beams : I-BARS. TOSHIBA. If you want to know more about OSH, this is a LINK.

58A. Source of much Indian tea : ASSAM. A very productive REGION. 60A. Sky light? : SUN. How cute is this for a three letter fill. 61A. Pumpkin, e.g. : GOURD. SAMSUNG.

69. Diddy ditty : RAP. Another cute three letter one. Has Sean Combs changed his name again, or only P. Diddy? 70A. Arraignment answers : PLEAS. APPLE. Arraignment is the first step of any criminal case where you say guilty or not guilty. 71A. "That's all __, dude": "Not my fault" : ON YOU. SONY.

and the unifier,  which shows you the name of the computer companies are chopped in pieces (hacked)

40A. Web concerns ... and based on six familiar names hidden in rows 1, 4, 12 and 15 of this puzzle grid, what the black squares in those rows symbolize : COMPUTER HACKERS. Interesting theme which certainly did not help solve any of the puzzle.

Across:

14. Tequila source : AGAVE.

15. Month in Madrid : ENERO. Spanish January.

16. Sprinkling on French fries? : SEL. French salt.

17. Uses as a reference : CITES.

18. Many pets : MUTTS. Mongrels, apparently shortened from muttonheads.

19. For example : SAY.

24. Julia's "Ocean's Twelve" role : TESS. 

25. Legend of the links : SNEAD. Slammin' Sammy, still three victories ahead of Tiger.

27. Old __, Connecticut : LYME. Near where I grew up.

28. "They went __ in a Sieve, they did": Lear : TO SEA. A shout out for our own OwenKL, as Mr. Lear was a renowned limercist and poet. UPDATE: It appears Mr. Lear may have started all this Limerick stuff. LINK.

30. Logan of "60 Minutes" : LARA. A South African raised journalist involved in controversy.

32. Words in a dish : À LA. Mode anyone?

34. Relinquish : CEDE.

36. Jazz double bassist Charlie : MINGUS. Fun fill.  I defer to JzB to discuss this ARTIST. (5:03)

43. West Texas city : EL PASO.

44. Approaching : NIGH. Basically near. Did you all watch the Professor Proton, Bill Nye the science guy episode of TBBT?

45. Tiny complaint : NIT. marti?

46. Uno y dos y tres : SEIS. One plus two plus three equals 6, but more Spanish.

48. Migratory birds : GEESE.

50. Oaf : LOUT.

53. Some Staples employees : TECHS.

55. Bear whose bed was too hard :  PAPA. Goldilocks, where are you?

62. Moo __ pork : SHU.

63. Graduated series : SCALE. On a scale of 1 to 10 what did you think?

65. 10th-century Holy Roman emperor : OTTO I. Constructors like his vowels.

66. Mountain end : EER. Mountaineer.

67. Increases, with "up" : RAMPS.

68. "It Wasn't All Velvet" memoirist : TORME. The Velvet Fog. JAZZ.

Down:

1. Aspect : FACET.

2. "Just tell me" : I GIVE. Guess who gave me all the answers to the test? I do not know, just tell me. I give.

3. Librarian's device : DATE STAMP. Nice long fresh fill. Not to be confused with the mark you get put on your hand when you are out at the club getting hammered.

4. Nevertheless : EVEN SO.

5. Out of concern that : LEST.

6. Summer quaff : LEMONADE. Thanks Steve for the major shout out on a Friday. Steve B. comments at puzzle blogs often.

7. Taken : IN USE.

8. More than harmful : LETHAL.

9. Works on walls : ART. Not re-wallpapering.

10. Mozart's "__ fan tutte" : COSI. A tribute (?) to Women? LINK.

11. David Sedaris work : ESSAY.  This GUY.

12. Lack faith in a truce, maybe : RE-ARM.

13. "Family Ties" mother : ELYSE. The lovely Meredith BAXTER.

23. Space on a form : BLANK.

25. "I want results!" : SEE TO IT. My mental PICTURE. (0:15).

26. Lawsuit goal : DAMAGES.

29. "__ Me While I Kiss This Guy": book of misheard lyrics : SCUSE. My unknown of the day; the lyric is from Jimi Hendrix; he was kissing the sky.

31. Loaded, in Limoges : RICHE. French, like our friend the Nouveau riche.

32. Big club : ACE. Or big spade, or big heart or big diamond. I guess this does not conflict with the hidden ACER above.

33. Cyberchuckle : LOL. So many old people thought this meant 'lots of love'.

35. Predatory bird : ERN.

37. Singer and longtime owner of baseball's Angels : GENE AUTRY. My favorite singing COWBOY.

38. Sch. 30 miles south of Providence : URI. University of Rhode Island.

39. Bygone boomer : SST. The Concorde.

41. Elbows to nibble : PASTA.

42. Royal title : HIGHNESS. You think because they sat on thrones?

47. Bagel choice : SESAME. Sez who?

49. Perfect : SPOT ON.

50. __ tag : LASER.  The reigning CHAMPS? (0:35).

51. "Ulysses" actor Milo : O'SHEA. He died this year. LINK.

52. Take by force : USURP.

54. Apology ending : CULPA. Latin: Mea Culpa.

56. Teaser : PROMO.

57. Parting mot : ADIEU. More French.

59. Dealership amt. : MSRP. Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price.

61. Attend : GO TO. Where did you go to college? Was it in....

64. Western st. : CALifornia?

Nope I am a UConn Husky. And a tired one at that, having conducted 8 real estate closings yesterday. Well we are sneaking up on Thanksgiving and my time to thank C.C., each and everyone of you, and each person who has contributed over the years. It is great fun to do this for those who read and discuss the puzzles and the perspectives. I also want to thank Argyle who is amazing, melissa, Ron and Steve, who are fun and funny,  marti who is divine and Splynter who is incomparable. Also Mr. Blais, thank you also for the puzzle. Finally, 50 years ago, I was coming back to my dorm room after an intramural football game, when I saw the events in Dallas. I remember it like yesterday.

Lemonade

Monday, October 28, 2013 Steve Blais

Theme: Trick or Treat - Or give us something crunchy to eat. We find we've gotten four entries with a decidedly crunchy finish.

17. Computer storage medium : MEMORY CHIP

24. Quick-on-the-uptake type, in slang : SMART COOKIE

37. Carton-cushioning unit : STYROFOAM PEANUT

46. Showy authority figure : WHIP-CRACKER

58. Tense pre-deadline period ... or when to eat the ends of 17-, 24-, 37- and 46-Across? : CRUNCH TIME

BOO! Argyle here. What was (or is) your favorite Halloween treat? This grid has rectangles in two corners and a triangular shape in the other two. A gridspanner in the middle. It reminds me of a candy bar. I'll share it with you. (BTW, there are some more crunches in the puzzle.)

Across:

1. Forget where one put, as keys : MISLAY

7. Pedro's eye : OJO. Spanish.

10. Golf great Ballesteros : SEVE. Also Spanish.

14. Crumbly Italian cheese : ASIAGO. Aged Asiago cheese resembles Parmesan cheese in flavor.

15. Lao Tzu's "path" : TAO

16. Slangy prefix meaning "ultra" : ÜBER

19. When repeated, island near Tahiti : BORA. Northeast of New Zealand.

20. Male sibs : BROs

21. Kadett automaker : OPEL. Produced between 1937 and 1940, and 1962 until 1991.

22. Apple music players : iPODs

23. Vintner's prefix : OEN. Oenophile - a connoisseur of wines. 58D. French vineyard : CRU

26. Athenian walkway : STOA

28. Otherwise : ELSE

29. Persian rulers : SHAHs

31. Irene of "Fame" : CARA

33. Used-up pencils : NUBS

40. Latin being : ESSE

41. Latin love word : AMAS. Amo, Amas, Amat.

42. Muslim pilgrim's destination : MECCA

43. Tombstone lawman Wyatt : EARP

45. Mischievous trick : DIDO. More often clued as the Queen of Carthage. There is a singer so named, also.

51. Facebook notes, briefly : IMs. Chat with Instant Messaging.

54. Put back to zero : RESET

55. Orator's place : DAIS

56. Vivacity : ELAN

57. Fitzgerald of jazz : ELLA

60. Bedframe part : SLAT

61. Notes after dos : REs. On a different note from 51-Across.

62. Pop singer Spector who fronted a '60s girl group named for her : RONNIE

                                       LINK

63. Alley prowlers : TOMs Cats

64. Function : USE

65. Chuck who broke the sound barrier : YEAGER. Some tidbits I didn't know. WIKI

Down:

1. Up-tempo Caribbean dance : MAMBO

2. River of Grenoble : ISÈRE. France.

3. Kids' imitation game : SIMON SAYS

4. Vietnam neighbor : LAOS

5. Part of USDA: Abbr. : AGRiculture

6. Multiple Grammy-winning cellist : YOYO MA

7. Catchall option in a survey question : OTHER

8. They're related to the severity of the crimes : JAIL TERMS

9. Caveman Alley : OOP. Administered justice with a club.

10. Summoned as a witness : SUBPOENAED

11. Novel on a small screen, perhaps : E-BOOK

12. "Falstaff" was his last opera : VERDI

13. Wipe clean : ERASE

18. Tax pro: Abbr. : CPA. Have you noticed sometimes CPA isn't indicated as an abbr.?

22. Cyclades island : IOS

24. Nothing to write home about : SO SO

25. Applaud : CLAP

27. Feats like the Yankees' 1998, '99 and 2000 World Series wins : THREE-PEATs

29. Opposite of NNW : SSE

30. 6'3", 5'4", etc.: Abbr. : HTs. (height)

31. Close associates : COMPADRES. From Spanish.

32. Roadside assistance org. : AAA

34. Preparing to use, as a hose : UNCOILING

35. Tampa Bay NFLer : BUC

36. RR stop : STAtion.

38. Jamie of "M*A*S*H" : FARR. Cpl. Klinger.

39. Arabian leader : EMIR

44. Play a part : ACT

45. Discern : DESCRY

46. Take by force : WREST

47. "Is anybody here?" : "HELLO?"

48. Quran religion : ISLAM

49. Underlying reason : CAUSE

50. Relatives : KIN

52. Mrs. Eisenhower : MAMIE. The First Lady, 1953 to 1961.

53. Snide smile : SNEER

56. Sicilian volcano : ETNA

59. Earth chopper : HOE

Argyle

Tuesday, September 17, 2013 Steve Blais

Theme: Hometown, USA - The last word of the unifier (VILLAGE) can precede the first word of the theme entries.

37A. 1996 Hillary Clinton best-seller, and what might be said about the start of 17-, 24-, 48- or 59-Across : "IT TAKES A VILLAGE"

17A. "American Idiot" punk band : GREEN DAY. Video(4:48) - (village green, the open square in many NE towns.)

24A. Performer who is heard but not seen : VOICE ACTOR. They give voice to cartoon characters, i.e. - (Village Voice, an alternative weekly paper in NYC)

48A. Table scraps, to the dog : PEOPLE FOOD. (Village People gave us YMCA)

59A. Boob tube : IDIOT BOX. TV - (village idiot, some get elected)

Argyle here. The strong theme must be why IDIOT was allowed in a clue and an answer. Other than that, nothing jumps out at me. A nit nibbles at me on 67-Across.

Across:

1. Terrible grade : EFF

4. Don of radio : IMUS. He has generated many controversies.

8. Got smart with : SASSED

14. Not feel well : AIL

15. "Brave New World" drug : SOMA. Brave New World is a novel written in 1931 by Aldous Huxley and published in 1932. Still relevant?

16. Developed a liking for : TOOK TO

19. James of "Gunsmoke" : ARNESS. There is lots of trivia about him.

20. Most insignificant : LEAST

21. Hopefully helpful track info : HOT TIP

23. Once, formerly : ERST

28. Thames school : ETON

30. QB's successes : TDs

31. "__ were you ..." : IF I

32. Meat-and-potatoes bowlful : BEEF STEW. If it is really good, I would 65A. Patronize, as a restaurant : DINE AT

36. Mil. school : ACAD. (academy)

41. "High Hopes" lyricist Sammy : CAHN

42. One printing defamatory text, in England : LIBELLER. Two "L's"

43. Prefix with gram : EPI. A smart remark.

44. Bars to scan, briefly : UPC. (Universal Product Code)

47. Boy of la casa : NINO. 49D. Father of la casa : PADRE Spanish

51. Zero-calorie protest : FAST

55. War hero played by George C. Scott : PATTON

56. Sitcom sergeant : BILKO

57. Like citrus juices : ACIDIC

62. TV's "__ & Greg" : DHARMA

63. Remove from power : OUST

64. Sch. in the smallest state : URI. (University of Rhode Island)

66. Source of some psychiatry grants: Abbr. : NIMH. (National Institute of Mental Health)

67. Whitney or Washington: Abbr. : MTN. My nit is these are both called Mount and that is abbreviated MT. Geographically they are mountains, I suppose.

Down:

1. Apollo 11 moon lander : EAGLE

2. Pink-slip issuer : FIRER

3. Bugs with bounce : FLEAS

4. Fails to be : ISN'T. Devilishly simple.

5. Stylish, '60s-style : MOD

6. Hollywood's Thurman : UMA

7. Greet someone casually : SAY HI

8. Uttered : STATED

9. Major heart vessels : AORTAs

10. Former Seattle NBAer : SONIC

11. Doubtful : SKEPTICAL

12. UFO pilots, in theory : ETs

13. Hair styles : DOs

18. Grammy winner Gloria : ESTEFAN

22. Halloween mo. : OCT.

24. Cast a ballot : VOTE

25. Dollar bills : ONES

26. Old enough : OF AGE

27. Bill attachment : RIDER

29. Sound of disdain : [TSK!]

32. __ tendonitis: arm muscle ailment : BICEP

33. Daylong military march : ÉTAPE. from French.

34. Addis Ababa native : ETHIOPIAN

35. Mart opening : WAL

36. The whole thing : ALL OF IT

38. Ristorante carafe contents : VINO. "A bottle of white, a bottle of red / Perhaps a bottle of rose instead" - Billy Joel

39. Footnoter's "ditto," briefly : IBID. (Latin, short for ibidem, meaning "the same place")

40. Deighton of spy-fi : LEN

44. Final syllable : ULTIMA

45. Scratcher on a post : PET CAT. If only it was just the post!

46. Corp. money manager : CFO. (Chief Financial Officer)

50. Hamburger topper : ONION

52. Wedding memento : ALBUM

53. Hybrid tennis garment : SKORT

54. Wasp venom, for one : TOXIN

56. "The other one, too" : "BOTH"

57. Throw in : ADD

58. Cubs' home: Abbr. : CHI. (Chicago)

60. MADD concern : DUI. (driving under the influence)

61. Doctrinal word ending : ISM

Argyle

Notes from C.C.:

1) Below are two beautiful photos from our Corner Northeast Contingent & Montana (Darlene) gathering yesterday. Please click here for more. So nice to finally "see" Hondo, who met with Irish Miss at a card show before. Irish Miss met with Santa Argyle a couple times.

This one has the clearest image when enlarged.

Left to Right: Marti, Dudley, Hondo & Montana

 Everyone smiles in this one, lovely!

Left to Right: Marti, Dudley, Hondo & Montana

2) For those who had trouble getting D-Otto's birthday puzzle yesterday, please click here for direct download of the PDF file; (Thanks, Erik Agard, for teaching me how).

Friday, September 6, 2013 Steve Blais

Theme: Science Ed Adding "-ed" to a scientific item (all eponymous names) creates a new fun phrase!

18A Physicist got all wound up?: TESLA COILED. Tesla used his coils in a number of different experiments including the attempt to transmit electricity without wires.

29A Mathematician got ready for a shower?: MOEBIUS STRIPPED. If you cut a Moebius strip in half along its length, you get two loops interlinked, one of which is another Moebius strip. Awesomely weird!

36A Seismologist rose to new heights?: RICHTER SCALED: I'm very familiar with Mr. Richter's scale, living as I do in shaky Southern California.

44A Physicist made an opposing move?: GEIGER COUNTERED. The official name is a Gieger-Müller counter; Herr Müller must have been sore at being frequently forgotten.

61A Microbiologist spread some gossip?: PETRI DISHED. Funny, we had Petri the Pianist on Wednesday. Growing bacterial colonies in one of these was a highlight of high school biology.

Happy Friday everyone. Steve here subbing for Lemonade who is off celebrating Rosh Hashanah. Shanah Tova!

What a nice puzzle from Steve Blais today. I loved the theme - extremely clever to find five scientifically-related objects and add the common suffix. Two 15's, two 11's and a 13 (Thanks, Abejo). Really slick stuff!

Let's check out what else we've got:

Across:

1 Sign of trouble: SOS. Sometimes thought to stand for "Save Our Souls" it doesn't actually stand for anything - the Morse coding 'dit dit dit dah dah dah dit dit dit" was chosen because it is very recognizable.

4 Sword holder: SHEATH

10 San Joaquin Valley concern: SMOG. A concern shared by all of Southern California's valleys.

14 PC core: CPU. Not designated as an abbreviation any longer, originally the computer's Central Processing Unit.

15 Yes or no follower: SIRREE

16 Dance that tells a story: HULA

17 Farm girl: HEN. Third time this week for the egg-layer(s).

20 Prefix with European: INDO-

22 “Enough!”: STOP THAT

23 Race line: START.

25 Fireworks reaction: OOH.

26 “The Stepford Wives” author Levin: IRA.

34 Swing around on an axis: SLUE. Nice word.

35 Sigh of sorrow: ALAS!

42 California’s __ Valley: SIMI. No smog in Simi today - I was there for lunch.

43 Unrefined type: BOOR

52 Explosive letters: TNT. Trinitrotoluene.

53 “I’ll meet thee on the __-rig”: Burns: LEA.  To a Scot, a ridge of land yet unplowed (or unploughed, if you're a Scot).

54 Fur piece: STOLE

55 Socrates, for one: ATHENIAN

60 Selma or Patty, to Bart Simpson: AUNT. Two great characters from the show.

[Homer enters the room]

Selma: Am I wrong, or did it just get fatter in here?

64 Even up: TIE. In the score-tying context.

65 On the lower side, in a heeling vessel: ALEE. We had this on Wednesday with a different meaning.

66 Twitterpated: IN LOVE. A new fun word for me. I was thinking along social media lines until the crosses helped me out.

67 Half of nine?: ENS. Two of them in the word, so 50% of the letters.

68 Insurance deals with it: RISK

69 Conical shelter: TEEPEE

70 Web address component: DOT. The O resolved my El Niño/Niña uncertainty.

Down:

1 Religious split: SCHISM

2 Not against entertaining: OPEN TO. I thought at first this was entertaining in the "having a party" sense, but actually it's the "considering" sense.

3 Cherry-topped treat: SUNDAE

4 Former flier: SST

5 Makes haste: HIES

6 In the past, in the past: ERST. I think the preceding "hies" has a touch of the erst about it.

7 He sang between Melanie and Joan at Woodstock: ARLO. Guthrie's set came between Melanie of no-last-name fame and Joan Baez of useful-last-name-for-crosswords fame.

8 Where to get a brew: TEAPOT. I'd never thought of keeping beer in a teapot before.

9 Victim of Achilles: HECTOR. Before dying, Hector pleaded that Achilles treat his lifeless body with respect. Achilles didn't exactly comply with that request - he decided to drag it back to Troy behind his chariot instead. 

10 LaBeouf of “Transformers” films: SHIA

11 Six, nine or twelve, for three: MULTIPLE

12 Cry for a matador: OLE. "O heck" if he drops his cape.

13 Wander: GAD

19 Greeting to an unexpected visitor: OH HI. Or the Matador to the Bull, having dropped his cape.

21 Saturn, for one: ORB

24 Mrs. Addams, to Gomez: 'TISH. An affectionate contraction of Morticia.

27 Interpret, as X-rays: READ

28 They may be classified: ADS

30 Final: Abbr.: ULT.

31 Mystery writer Grafton: SUE

32 __-Croatian: SERBO

33 Amigo: PAL

36 Nothing, in Nice: RIEN

37 Knocks off: IMITATES:

38 One might be bummed, briefly: CIG. Can you bum anything else other than a cigarette?

39 Almost worthless amount: SOU. A French term originally, now widespread. French slang "sans le sou" means "broke" - without even a sou.

40 Put one over on: CON

41 Fine things: ARTS

42 Pepper or Snorkel: Abbr.: SGT. Not familiar with Snorkel, but very familiar with this

45 K thru 12: EL-HI. Elementary + High (school)

46 Make more changes to: RE-EDIT

47 Fang: INCISOR (Correction: It's CANINE).

48 Greek vowel: ETA

49 Much more than edged: ROUTED

50 Periodic weather disruption: EL NIÑO. I had to wait for 70A to choose between Niño and Niña

51 Not fancy at all: DETEST. Last of the misdirection clues today - I was thinking "plain" for a long time. The SE corner was tough for me.

56 Long migration, say: TREK

57 “Lost” setting: ISLE. Never saw an episode. Apparently it was pretty good.

58 One bounce, on the diamond: A HOP

59 Campbell of “Scream”: NEVE.

61 Birdie plus one: PAR. I'm playing golf tomorrow - hopefully plenty of both. A chap in my foursome had a hole-in-one last time out. My turn!

62 “Hostel” director Roth: ELI

63 Low grade: DEE

That's all from me - have a great weekend!

Steve

Note from C.C.:

"An Evening with the Puzzle Master" - Will Shortz, editor of the NY Times crossword, is visiting Minnesota next Thursday Sept 12, 2013. He'll answer all questions about puzzles. Please click here for details. I think all of Twin Cities crossword constructors will be there.

Tuesday, August 20, 2013 Steve Blais

Theme: A One and a Two... - Music related terms.

38A. Best Picture of 1965, and a hint to the ends of 18-, 23-, 50- and 59-Across : "THE SOUND OF MUSIC"

18A. Thing to make when a Post-it isn't handy : MENTAL NOTE

23A. Fan magazine for teens : TIGER BEAT. Vintage cover.

50A. Warm, muted color : EARTH TONE

59A. Frenzied state : FEVER PITCH

Maestro Argyle here. OK, I'm not really. If you have questions, save them for Jazzbumpa. I hope he shows up today. I'm glad there wasn't anything about female deer or jam and bread beverage. Nice straightforward Tuesday puzzle, anchored by a grid spanner.

Across:

1. Red planet : MARS

5. Put down stakes, maybe : CAMPED. A cute misdirection.

11. Jack Sprat's no-no : FAT.

"Jack Sprat could eat no fat.

His wife could eat no lean.

And so between them both, you see,

They licked the platter clean."

14. "Yeah, whatever!" : "I BET!"

15. It traditionally translates to "O come" : "ADESTE...". Fideles

16. Elem. school basics : RRR. The three R's: reading, writing, and arithmetic.

17. Facts and figures : DATA

20. Surgeons' tools : SCALPELS

22. Call it a night : TURN IN

25. Exclusive, as communities : GATED

26. Veto vote : NAY

27. "Blessed __ the peacemakers": Matthew : ARE

29. Carrying a weapon : ARMED

32. Clearance event : SALE

34. Enveloping glow : AURA

41. Geologic periods : EONS

42. Any time now : SOON

43. Not up to the task : INEPT

44. Distant : FAR

45. Supermarket chain with a red-and-white logo : IGA. (Independent Grocers Alliance) Not a chain, in the common sense. IGA operates as a franchise through stores that are owned separately from the brand. A lot of small town, Mom and Pop stores.

46. Take off : LEAVE

56. Former Indian prime minister Gandhi : INDIRA

58. College class staples : LECTURES

61. Shabby wear : RAGS. Not newspapers this time.

62. Prefix with cycle : TRI

63. Sprawling property : ESTATE

64. To be, to Berlioz : ÊTRE

65. Scale fifth : SOL

66. Game with falling blocks : TETRIS. (electronic game)

67. Revolutionary Trotsky : LEON

Down:

1. Central position : MIDST

2. Beaded calculators : ABACI

3. Change the price of : RETAG

4. Blah quality : STALENESS

5. Paid a visit : CAME BY

6. Fred's dancing sister : ADELE

7. High-IQ group : MENSA

8. Pasadena winter hrs. : PST. (Pacific Standard Time)

9. Floride, par exemple : ÉTAT. French for Florida indicates French for state.

10. Downpour : DELUGE

11. Forward-facing side : FRONT

12. Clarinetist Shaw : ARTIE

13. The way things are going : TREND

19. Gun lobby org. : NRA. (National Rifle Association of America)

21. Site of much Spanish art : PRADO. The Museo del Prado is the main Spanish national art museum, located in central Madrid.

24. Eagle's picker-upper : TALON. There are some super videos out there of eagles using their talons.

28. Gridiron enforcer : REF

29. Had a bite : ATE

30. Pi follower : RHO. More common Greek letters today.

31. Dudes : MEN

32. Sleep-disturbing sound : SNORE. Hah, not to the snorer.

33. Excitement : ADO

34. In the altogether : AU NATUREL. Or how to use make-up so it looks like you aren't using make-up.

35. Take advantage of : USE

36. Shred : RIP

37. Not just sit by : ACT

39. Springsteen's "Born in the __" : USA

40. Physical strength : MIGHT

44. Polecat relative commonly kept as a pet : FERRET

45. Needs scratching : ITCHES

46. London elevators : LIFTS

47. Month after diciembre : ENERO. Notice the lack of capitals.

48. Aleve competitor : ADVIL

49. Be in the game : VIE

51. Raised church area : ALTAR

52. Prefix with linear : RECTI. Rectilinear - characterized by straight lines.

53. Give a speech : ORATE

54. Part of UNCF : NEGRO. (United Negro College Fund)

55. German steel city : ESSEN

57. Church recess : APSE

60. Former comm. giant : ITT. The company was founded in 1920 as International Telephone and Telegraph.

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Isn't this picture sweet? Lemonade's granddaughter Charlotte at a Lemonade Stand!

Tuesday, July 30, 2013 Steve Blais

Theme: I resemble this theme - Three terms for a, shall we say, abundant stomach.

17A. What baguettes may be served in : BREAD BASKET

29A. Fifth wheel : SPARE TIRE

45A. Cozy place to read a book : BAY WINDOW

60A. Emotional response (which might be induced by 17-, 29- and 45-Across?) : GUT REACTION

Argyle here. I like that the three terms are not necessarily a bad thing; who doesn't like a bay window or a basket of bread? Yum! I understand some cars do not carry a spare tire any more. Not a good idea, here in the hinterlands. Oh, and I liked the puzzle, too.

Across:

1. Understand : GET

4. In a chair : SEATED

10. It may be crushed at a bar : ICE. Not to be found in any form at Villa Incognito.

13. Dinghy gear : OARS. A dinghy (or dingey) is a type of small boat.

15. Water-carved gulch : ARROYO. Most of the time dry except after heavy rains.

16. Traitor : RAT

19. Toronto's prov. : ONT. (Ontario)

20. Cover, in a way, as a car : INSURE

21. Baltic Sea republic : ESTONIA

23. "Hannah Montana" star Miley : CYRUS. Not what she looks like now. PIC.

26. Minor argument : TIFF

27. Mimic : APER

33. Bird: Prefix : AVI

34. Mobster's code of honor : OMERTÀ. Haven't seen this entry in a while.

36. Dashing style : ELAN

37. Old sheriff's badge : TIN STAR

39. Self-respect : DIGNITY

41. __-Seltzer : ALKA. Good entry for today's theme.

42. Jeans giant of the '80s : GITANO

44. Grant-giving gp. : NEA. (National Endowment for the Arts)

47. Identifies in a Facebook photo : TAGS

49. Penultimate-round game : SEMI. Before the final.

50. Egyptian life symbols : ANKHs

52. Numbers to crunch : RAW DATA

55. Title Gilbert and Sullivan emperor : MIKADO

59. Pub offering : ALE

63. Mud bath site : SPA

64. Manuscript fixer : EDITOR

65. Just : ONLY

66. __ ejemplo: Spaniard's "for example" : POR

67. Hate : DETEST

68. Cowboy singer Ritter : TEX

Down:

1. Mongolian desert : GOBI

2. Be worthy of : EARN

3. Very, in Vichy : TRÈS

4. Pirate's weapon : SABER

5. Time to remember : ERA

6. Latin art : ARS. The Latin word for art.

7. Casino gratuity : TOKE

8. Cause of blurry vision, perhaps : EYE STRAIN

9. Nashville's West : DOTTIE

10. Speck in a magnetic field experiment : IRON FILING

11. Kid's plea : "CAN I?"

12. Jazzy James : ETTA

14. Alfredo, for one : SAUCE

18. Timber trouble : DRY ROT

22. Frequently : OFTEN

24. Logon requirement : USER ID

25. Mar.-to-Jun. season : SPR. (spring)

27. Walled city of Spain : ÁVILA

28. Kids' digital deal-sealer : PINKY SWEAR. Shaking hands - except with only pinkie fingers.

30. When the cock crows : AT DAWN

31. Rent-a-car charges, e.g. : RATES

32. One-named Irish singer : ENYA. 'Fraid she doesn't fit with my singers today.

33. Run __: drink on credit : A TAB

35. Star brightness measure : MAGNITUDE

38. Cut, as logs : SAWED

40. "Wuthering Heights" genre : GOTHIC

43. One __ customer : TO A

46. Painted a picture of, say : IMAGED

48. Invite as one's date for : ASK TO

51. Target competitor : KMART

52. Coarse talk : RASP. Bit tricky.

53. Brand for a pooch : ALPO

54. Toiling away : AT IT

56. "__ She Sweet" : AIN'T

57. Mete (out) : DOLE

58. Jet-black gem : ONYX

61. GPS suggestion : RTE.

62. Camera named for a goddess : EOS

Argyle