Sunday September 16, 2012 Pam Klawitter

Theme: Prix Fixe Menu - Common prefixes are added to the start of the first word of each common phrase.

23A. Where there's no rest for the weary? : DISCOMFORT STATION. Comfort station.

38A. Precinct high jinks? : MISCHIEF OF POLICE. Chief of police.

47A. Adman's demo reel? : PRODUCT TAPE. Duck tape.

63A. Engross the financial district? : PREOCCUPY WALL STREET. Occupy Wall Street.

82A. Court defense team? : ADVICE SQUAD. Vice Squad.

88A. Where meteorologists relax and talk shop? : FORECASTING COUCH. Casting couch.

109A. Overpromotion of a Stephenie Meyers fantasy novel series? : TWILIGHT POLLUTION. Light pollution.

All the seemingly prefixes are parts of the words rather than real prefixes. So quite consistent.

When I downloaded the puzzle and saw the title, I thought "Boy, food! CrossEyedDave will have trouble concentrating again".

Across:

1. Venomous African snake : MAMBA

6. Slants : SKEWS

11. Actor Keach : STACY. He played Mike Hammer. Stacy is also the first name of Fergie (The Black Eyed Peas).


16. Martes, por ejemplo : DIA. Martes = Tuesday, in Spanish.

19. Pan Am rival : US AIR

20. "Delta of Venus" author Nin : ANAIS. Gimme for our Passionate Kisser PK.

21. Actor/public speaker who often began "Unaccustomed as I am to speaking ..." : HARPO. News to me.

22. Before, in ballads : ERE

26. And not : NOR

27. Exhibit presenters, briefly : DAs. Oh, evidence exhibit in court.

28. Swedish imports : SAABs

29. Some Deco collectibles : ERTEs

30. Agent Scully on "The X-Files" : DANA. She's quite cool.

31. Consider judicially : HEAR

32. Old Cleveland-based gas company : SOHIO. Merged with BP in 1987.

34. Got burning again : RE-LIT

35. Word from a crib : MAMA. This seems to be universal. Same in Chinese. Our father is Ba Ba though.

43. Multiple choice options : A B OR C

45. Rural "What if ...?" : S'POSE.

46. "Damn Yankees" role : LOLA

50. Mason's jobs : STONEWORK

55. Fruity wine concoctions : SANGRIAs. Stay cool, Bill!


56. Rifleman's aid : SCOPE

57. "Permit Me Voyage" poet James : AGEE

58. NBC sketch series : SNL. Lots of parodies of "Call me, Maybe?" on YouTube. The original is so good. Surprised by the ending? "... Hey, I just met you, And this is crazy, But here's my number, So call me, maybe?..." . Has to be the most catchy lines in the whole summer.

59. Staircase shape : SPIRAL

62. Sports venue : ARENA

69. __ d'Alene : COEUR. "Heart" in French. Lemonade would comment on CoeurRx here.

70. Can't-miss : NO LOSE

71. Links target : PAR

72. Yank or Jay : AL'er (American Leaguer). I know we don't say this in real life, but...

73. Whomp, biblically : SMITE

75. Learning period : SEMESTER

80. Cadenzas in concertos, say : SOLO PARTS

85. Soccer great who wore #10 : PELE. Never paid attention to his jersey number.

86. Court conclusion starter : I REST. " I REST my case".

87. Home of Oral Roberts University : TULSA

95. Draft picks : ALES. Can't fool me any more.

96. Birds named for a Greek titan : RHEAS

97. Big name in wrap : ALCOA

98. Turkic tent : YURT. See here. Lots of yurts in Mongolia.

100. Utopia : EDEN

101. __ Cup: classic candy : MALLO. Dennis probably carried this in his old store.

103. Extremely tiny : MICRO. So Romney is a fan of the tiny Snookie?

105. Actress Farrow : MIA

108. Large expanse : SEA

113. Elevator compartment : CAR

114. German wine region : BADEN. Marti & Kazie probably know. I've got no idea.

115. Glacial ridge : ARETE

116. Port-du-__: French cheese : SALUT

117. Prince Valiant's boy : ARN

118. Puppeteer Lewis : SHARI

119. Epic accounts : SAGAS

120. Bobby pin target : TRESS. How can we live without bobby pins?

Down:

1. California college Harvey __ : MUDD. What's it famous for?

2. China setting : ASIA

3. __ media : MASS

4. Flickable lighter : BIC

5. Materialized : AROSE

6. Jaunt through the jungle : SAFARI. Hi there, JD!

7. Turning point? : KNOB. Great clue.

8. Aardvarks have long ones : EARS

9. Quipster : WIT

10. Sound of a leak : SSS

11. Zhivago portrayer : SHARIF (Omar). "Doctor Zhivago" is so moving.

12. Skin tones? : TATTOO. I like this clue.

13. Singer India.__ : ARIE

14. Navy NCOs : CPOs. I have a "Citizen's Guide to the US Navy", thanks to Spitzboov.

15. Hither's partner : YON

16. Highest North American peak, to natives : DENALI

17. Like "Big deal!" : IRONIC

18. Do a worm's job : AERATE. Worms take their job seriously.

24. Hat-tipper's word : MA'AM

25. Giggle : TE-HEE

30. New Jersey/Pennsylvania border river : DELAWARE

31. What a gal has that a gent doesn't? : HARD G. That's Don. Nice fill & nice clue.

32. Visit Amazon.com, say : SHOP

33. Seine tributary : OISE

34. Part : ROLE

35. Meteorology tools : MAPS

36. Hocus-pocus opening : ABRA

37. Full __ : MOON. Always a full moon on Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival, a national holiday. I love moon cakes.


39. Retired jets : SSTs

40. Tax prep pro : CPA

41. Hardly a jolly good show : FLOP

42. Bread in a skillet : PONE

44. Screen blinker : CURSOR

48. POTUS's alternate title : CINC (Commander-in-Chief). "Hey... And this is crazy, But here's my number, So call me, maybe?..." The guy in black T-shirt & black eyeglasses in the very start is Michael Phelps, right?

49. Soft mineral : TALC

50. Fish feature : SCALE

51. Usage fee of a kind : TOLL

52. Molding style : OGEE

53. Monthly expense : RENT

54. New Zealand parrot : KEA. Wow, look at her wings.

56. Ladies of Sp. : SRAs

59. Windex targets : SPOTS

60. Pulitzer journalist killed in combat in 1945 : PYLE (Ernie)

61. 1945 battle setting, familiarly : IWO

62. Collar : ARREST

63. Links shirt : POLO

64. Angler's favorite dance? : REEL. Another nice clue.

65. From the Continent : EUROPEAN. Are British Europeans? If so, my favorite European. "Hey... And this is crazy, But here's my number, So call me, maybe?..."

66. Part of BTU : UNIT

67. An article may be written on it : SPEC

68. Get under control : TAME

69. __ in Charlie : C AS

73. Pamplona parlor : SALA

74. C-ration successors : MREs

75. In __: as found : SITU

76. Crouch down : SQUAT

77. "Aqualung" band Jethro __ : TULL

78. Fluency : EASE

79. Dietary amts. : RDAs. Now RDIs.

81. Muscle mag display : PECS

82. Cornstarch brand : ARGO. Also the title of the new Ben Affleck movie.

83. Ten up front? : DECA. Prefix for "ten". Hard clue.

84. Brandy label letters : VSO

86. Undercover, for short : INCOG (Incognito)

88. Diet Squirt alternative : FRESCA

89. Worrywart's words : OH DEAR

90. Gain again, as trust : RE-EARN. Tough to gain back. So honor your promises at the first place.

91. Mutt, vis-à-vis Jeff : TALLER. "Mutt and Jeff".

92. "Fighting" college team : ILLINI

93. Pedals : CYCLES

94. Fling : HURL

99. Rudely awaken : ROUST

101. [Air kiss] : MWAH. The kiss sound. "Mwah, Mwah", from Minnesota!

102. Elton John/Tim Rice musical : AIDA

103. Video file format : MPEG

104. Little bit of Greek? : IOTA

105. Wide margin : MILE

106. Debtors' letters : IOUs

107. Hill workers : ANTS. Not Capitol Hill.

109. Conan's network : TBS. CrossEyedDave is more entertaining.

110. Isn't without : HAS

111. Vocal syllable : TRA

112. Road crew's supply : TAR

Answer grid.

Happy Birthday to dear D-Otto! Any luck in the casino yesterday? Here is a young D-Otto in his Navy days. He said it's "A 1970 snapshot at the control console of the shipboard radio station during the final cruise of the carrier Bon Homme Richard. I stumbled across that one in an online copy of the ship's cruise book."

C.C.

Sunday Sept 9, 2012 Marti DuGuay-Carpenter

Theme: "Going Daffy" - S sound (in various spellings) is changed to "TH".

23A. Quite somber Independence Day? : FOURTH OF GRAVITY. Force of gravity.

32A. Expandable waistline, say? : GROWTH MARGIN. Gross margin. Boomer likes pants with expandable waist.

55A. Ghost from outer space? : ALIEN WRAITH. Alien race.

75A. Big bag of wind? : MIGHTY MOUTH. Mighty mouse.

91A. Jet bridge? : BOARDING PATH. Boarding pass.

108A. The truth about Zeus, Apollo, etc.? : MYTH INFORMATION. Misinformation. Funny clue, "The truth".

37D. Texas Hold'em player's confidence? : POKER FAITH. Poker face.

47D. Parisian pals? : FRENCH KITH. French kiss.

A nice mixture of CE, SS, SE, S to TH conversion. Some first word, some last word. There is no TH sound in Chinese, so "These" and "Those" are quite tricky for me in the beginning, esp "Those". My "The" sounded like "de". A recent NYT puzzle used this exact gimmick.

Marti likes sound change themes, which reflect her innate humor and talent. As a non-native speaker, I often find them hard to grasp and always depend on Lemonade's write-up to guide me on Fridays.

Congratulations to Marti on her first Sunday! You made it. Simple & Elegant grid design & super smooth fill.

Across:

1. Bon mot : JEST

5. Supplies with gear : EQUIPS. With a rare letter Q.

11. Spa sounds : AHs

14. Class without struggle : EASY A. I don't remember any Easy A's in my classes, politics being the most difficult subject, esp after the Tiananmen Square incident.

19. Ticklish Muppet : ELMO

20. Gopher's route : TUNNEL

21. Fire : VIM

22. The sun, for one : G-STAR. I think I asked Spitzboov & Bill G about this or some other * STAR before.

26. Garden hose gasket : O-RING

27. Was perfectly tailored : FIT TO A TEE. TO A TEE or TO A T is not easy to parse.

28. Senators' holdings : SEATS

30. Cornerstone word : ANNO

31. Held title to : OWNED

35. Golf gimme : TAP IN. Yips are not easy to overcome.

38. Corner : TRAP

39. Bart Simpson's grampa : ABE

40. Common blood type, briefly : A POS. Oh, A Positive.

41. Set up for a fall : FRAMED

44. Cape Cod feature : GABLE. Marti was just vacationing there.

47. Dietary supp. watchdog : FDA

50. Car registration datum : MAKE

51. "Return of the Jedi" dancer : OOLA. Learned from doing Xword.

52. Like always : UNALTERED

54. Sooner than, to a bard : ERE

59. Lean : TEND. Make sense when "to" is added.

60. Fence-sit : STRADDLE

62. Conserve, in a way : RE-USE

63. Short hops : JAUNTS

65. They're often full of hot air : FLUES. Lovely. Santa Argyle will like it.

66. Stick (on) : PASTE

67. Bubbly mixer : TONIC

68. Diminished : ABATED

70. Soda bottle size : LITER

71. Chat with colleagues : TALK SHOP. Great entry.

74. Award coveted on "Mad Men" : CLIO

77. Penn of "Harold & Kumar" films : KAL. Very active in politics, one of those Obama re-election co-chairs.

78. Yellowstone feature : HOT SPRING. Nice.

81. Deal : COPE

82. Polynesian pendant : TIKI

83. Country W. of Somalia : ETH (Ethiopia). Do they also have Couscous?

84. Posh : RITZY

85. Rubbernecked : CRANED

87. Break __: take the lead : A TIE

88. RNC's group : GOP

89. Navy mascot : GOAT. Bill the Goat. A live mascot.

90. Else : OTHER

97. Part of an act : SCENE

100. "Say it isn't so!" : OH NO

101. They may be tall : TALES. "May be" in the clue is often challenging but entertaining.

102. Tick off : ENUMERATE

106. Light bulb units : WATTS

111. "Un Ballo in Maschera" aria : ERI TU. Very grid-friendly letter combo, hence its frequent appearances.

112. Capable, facetiously : EPT

113. Incapably : POORLY

114. Had too much : OD'ED

115. Scout's mission : RECON

116. Uneffusive : SHY. Not Marti. She's a passionate person.

117. Blood pressure elevator : STRESS

118. Cold War news service : TASS

Down:

1. Comedian Foxworthy : JEFF

2. Cliff-dwelling race in a 2002 film : ELOI. I definitely needed a "The Time Machine" reference in the clue.

3. Blue stuff : SMUT

4. Storied surprise winner : TORTOISE. Love this answer.

5. Patriot Allen : ETHAN

6. Bartlett specialty : QUOTE. Anyone though of Jason Bartlett first?

7. In need of nourishment, most likely : UNFED

8. "Picnic" playwright : INGE

9. A pop : PER

10. '70s radical gp. with a seven-headed cobra symbol : SLA. Was unaware of their symbol. Quite a disturbing image.

11. "__ From the Bridge": Miller : A VIEW

12. Try to whack : HIT AT. And 80. Hit the ball hard : RIP IT. Force!

13. Rocker Patty married to John McEnroe : SMYTH

14. It may be inflated : EGO

15. Equally unlikely : AS RARE

16. Undercover op : STING

17. "Live at the Acropolis" musician : YANNI

18. Incandescent bulb gas : ARGON. I just learned that Argyle has Scottish blood. I always thought he's of Polish root.

24. Word with mining or steel : TOWN

25. Cognac bottle letters : VSOP

29. Inconsequential : SMALL. You can see what a caring person Irish Miss is by the way she treats her ice-maker. I was also moved by the trouble D-Otto and his wife went through to save the squirrel.

32. Test for M.A. hopefuls : GRE. Aren't you amazed by the high GRE/GMAT scores of those foreign students?

33. "Totally awesome!" : RAD

34. Help with a heist : ABET

35. Brings to heel : TAMES

36. Needing assembly : APART

38. Counterfeiter-catching agt. : T-MAN. Seen asked YKK the other day. Did you know some of them are fake?

41. Like most mailed letters : FOLDED

42. Agitates : ROILS

43. On the calmer side : ALEE

44. Pretense : GUISE

45. Pay to play : ANTE

46. Ebenezer's epithet : BAH

48. Parking lot misfortune : DENT

49. Does sum work : ADDS

53. Tweezers holders : ETUIS

55. Together, to Toscanini : A DUE

56. Rage : WRATH

57. Trip odometer button : RE-SET

58. Rogers rival : AUTRY (Gene)

61. Some singers : ALTOS

63. Shocked : JOLTED

64. Egyptian royal cross : ANKH

66. One of five in a kids' rhyme : PIGGY

67. Tannish gray : TAUPE.

68. Snow shoveling aftermath, maybe : ACHE. Not a happy thought.

69. Bad thing on a record : BLOT

70. Austrian city with a torte named after it : LINZ. Linzer Torte. Not familiar to me. Have some!

71. This puzzle's honoree, for one : TOON

72. Jack of "The Great Dictator" : OAKIE

73. Hard worker : PLIER. Not a PLIER here, just a "Hard worker", with curious eyes. Looks like the Saturday Stud is left-handed.

75. Cambridge sch. : M.I.T.

76. Exam for future docs : MCAT

79. Poke : PROD

82. Ore-Ida item : TATER TOT. So many ways to cook potatoes. I liked fried, you?

85. Army sack? : COT

86. Bowl cheer : RAH

88. Capri attraction : GROTTO

89. Deep cut : GASH

90. Most fit to serve : ONE A

91. Leafy alcove : BOWER

92. ORD, on an airline ticket : O'HARE

93. Bit of high jinks : ANTIC. Funny link from CrossEyedDave yesterday. I never knew cleavage is a term in mineralogy.

94. Handles : NAMES

95. Mayan calendar symbol, e.g. : GLYPH. Let's see what happens on Dec 21, 2012.

96. Trivial : PETTY

97. Vibrating night sound : SNORE. Alright, "Vibrating"!

98. Biceps exercises : CURLS

99. Ed Asner septet : EMMYS. His is a record by a male actor.

102. Get an __ effort : E FOR

103. 1871 Cairo premiere : AIDA

104. Sandal revelations : TOES

105. Cuts off : ENDS

107. Icarus's undoing : SUN

109. Tape player spec. : IPS. Inches per second. I googled this before.

110. "Just kidding!" : NOT

Answer grid.

C.C.

Notes from Marti (HeartRx on the blog):

This puzzle started out as a simple Monday-level theme with "s" sound switched for "th". My title was "Going Daffy". Rich really liked the idea, but was concerned that some might think we were making fun of a lisp. So he suggested that I make it into a Sunday puzzle, in order to use the whacky title. I was lucky to fit eight theme entries into the grid, spaced both across and down. I also had to be careful not to use any phrases that contained a word with any extra "s" in it. I hope you enjoy it.

Sunday September 2, 2012 MaryEllen Uthlaut

Theme: "Caution: People Overworking" - Each angry phrase is reinterpreted literally and humorously considering the profession of the people in the corresponding clue.

23A. The border guard __ : WENT OVER THE EDGE. This reminds me of Laura Ling's travails. Lots of North Koreans cross border into North China.

27A. The actor __ : MADE A SCENE

49A. The mechanic __ : BLEW A GASKET

64A. The tailor __ : CAME APART AT THE SEAMS

82A. The chef __ : CAUSED A STIR. My name is Gordon Ramsay, don't you know how to stir?


100A. The elevator operator __ : HIT THE ROOF

108A. The baggage handler __ : COULDN'T GET A GRIP

The answers are all past tense. Very consistent.

When I downloaded the puzzle and spotted the constructor's name, I murmured: "The grammar lady", maybe because I once blogged a grammar-themed puzzle Ms. Uthlaut made.

Across:

1. Gyro bread : PITA

5. Not just nerves : FEAR. I'm often nervous about "Not" in the clue as I always have trouble figuring out the part of the speech.

9. Pullers of plows : TEAMS

14. Summer staffing solutions : TEMPS

19. Net trading : E-COMMERCE. Solid e-word.

21. __ ease: uncomfortable : ILL AT

22. Glorify : EXALT

25. Pass on : RELAY

26. Move away : RECEDE. Like tide.

29. Sweet serving, often : DESSERT. I miss fried persimmon cake in Xi'An.

33. Stage of existence : AGE. Wow, am I dumb!

35. Avant's opposite : APRES. "After", as in ___-ski for our adventurous Marti.

36. They're often marked in red letters : EXITS

37. Consonant such as "f" or "v" : SPIRANT. I only know "aspirant".

41. Votes against : NOs & 56. "By all means!" : YES.

42. Hardwood tree : ASH

45. Keep on teasing : RIDE

46. Like major appliance repairs : ON-SITE

47. Neighbor of Russia : ESTONIA

53. "A great __ indicates a great man": Cyrano de Bergerac : NOSE. He meant "A big nose...".

55. Back muscles, briefly : LATs

57. Shabby : RATTY

58. They're heard in a herd : BAAs. Lovely.

59. Bring to the mix : ADD IN

60. Thus : ERGO

61. Very tired : SPENT

63. Capital of Belgium's East Flanders province : GHENT. Gimme, Spitzboov?

70. Spelunkers' haunts : CAVES. We used to have a "Spelunker" poster (Richshiff) on the blog.

71. Bargain and steal : DEALS

72. 40-day period : LENT

73. Dizzying genre : OP ART


74. Like many doilies : LACY

75. Melted together : FUSED

77. Cutter : SAW

80. Sacha Baron Cohen persona : ALI-G. I like Sacha Baron Cohen a lot. But his characters are all ridiculous.

81. "Brave New World" feel-good drug : SOMA

85. Keyboard instrument with bell-like tones : CELESTA

87. Earthshaking events : SEISMS. It'll be an earthshaking event when Windhover goes to a nail salon. I'm thinking CrossEyedDave might go there simply because of his curiosity.

89. Orpheus' strings : LYRE

90. Abbr. after Brooklyn : HTS

91. Many, many years : EON

92. Ragged clothes : TATTERS

94. Lounging footwear : MULES

95. "The Crucible" setting : SALEM

97. Cereal grain : RYE

98. Autocratic, Russian-style : CZARIST

104. Raised : REARED

107. "Farewell, mon ami" : ADIEU

114. Arabian Peninsula country : YEMEN

115. Where many knots are tied : ALTAR

116. Vanilla-flavored drink : CREAM SODA

117. Silver fish : SMELT

118. Like Rod Stewart's voice : RASPY. This song is quite good.

119. Author __ Christian Andersen : HANS

120. Shortly : ANON

Down:

1. Bench in the nave : PEW

2. Cover at the bakery : ICE

3. Great deal : TON

4. Tsp. or tbsp. : AMT

5. Unhealthy temperature : FEVER

6. Sets upright : ERECTS

7. Property unit : ACRE

8. Like Gen. Powell : RET'D. His wife loves crosswords.

9. Link : TIE

10. Natural environment : ELEMENT

11. "The Aviator" (2004) actor : ALDA. I watched the movie, don't remember whom he played.

12. Oldest Gabor sister : MAGDA

13. Precipice quality : STEEPNESS

14. Most succinct : TERSEST. My emails are often short, unless I'm tired or sad, then I ramble a bit.

15. Board chairs, e.g. : EXECS

16. Gobbler, for one : MALE

17. Certain drawing : PLAN. For Splynter & Jerome. I wonder if Jerome loves hockey also.

18. Lid irritation : STYE

20. Customs : MORES

24. Processional leader : HEARSE

28. Lost one's lap : AROSE. Ah, that "lap", OK!

29. Louisville race : DERBY. 58. Action at a 29-Down : BETS.

30. Banish : EXILE

31. Aligns oneself (with) : SIDES

32. Dish with many recipes : STEW. I'll let my abundant Thai peppers dry like this.


34. Way to go : GAIT

38. Put up : POST

39. Black as night : INKY

40. Renter : TENANT

42. Ancient garland for the head : ANADEM. No idea. But this is lovely


43. Peaceful occupations : SIT-INS

44. Lacks : HASN'T

48. No longer in style : OLD HAT

50. A cop might put someone under it : ARREST. Nice clue.

51. Nuts (over) : GAGA

52. Perched on : ATOP

54. Promise : OATH. 112. Brief 54-Down : I DO.

59. Things to address : AGENDA

60. Come out : EMERGE

61. Time at a hotel : STAY. Dennis' new house has avocado & lemon trees. I don't think he likes avocados.

62. Bud : PAL

64. It's not so hard to swallow : CAPLET

65. Is of use : AVAILS

66. Genesis father of three : ADAM

67. Gave to another actor : RE-CAST

68. In addition : ELSE

69. Descendants : SEED

70. Mentor : COACH

74. Body shop convenience : LOANER CAR. Made me think of D-Otto's headache.

75. Get really upset : FUME. Another angry word.

76. Red power, initially : USSR. "Initially" always suggests "initials" in Xwords.

77. Phonograph needles : STYLI

78. Buenos __ : AIRES

79. Get by force : WREST

81. Priest's vestment : STOLE

82. Mayor's responsibility : CITY

83. Back at sea : ASTERN

84. Hardly a compliment : SLUR

86. Old TV series with underwater scenes : SEA HUNT. Never heard of it.

88. Cap attachment : EAR FLAP

93. Show at a theater : SCREEN

94. Address from Jeeves : MADAM. Stumper. Never watched "Jeeves and Wooster".

95. Iron alloy : STEEL

96. Cash, in slang : MOOLA

99. Letters from Greece : ZETAS

100. "Airplane!" actor Robert : HAYS

101. The same as before, in footnotes : IDEM

102. "The devourer of all things": Ovid : TIME. I like this kind of quote clue for common words.

103. Often unproductive at bats : OUTS. All too familiar.

105. Engrave : ETCH

106. Taj Mahal home : AGRA

109. Like toast without butter : DRY. You can put fig jam on.

110. Federal agency support org. : GSA (General Services Administration)

111. Director Howard : RON

113. Go for the gold? : PAN. Great clue too.

Answer grid.

C.C.

Sunday August 26, 2012 James Sajdak

Theme: "I'm Going First" - IM is inserted into common phrases.

23A. #1 on a motivational speaker's reminder list? : IMPRESS CONFERENCE. Press conference.

40A. Device for the Six Million Dollar Man? : POWER IMPLANT. Power plant.

47A. Early problem for the Wright brothers? : UPWARD IMMOBILITY. Upward mobility. Simply a IM prefix in this one. Mild change compared to the other 6 entries

65A. Casper in the courtroom? : IMMATERIAL WITNESS. Material witness.

84A. Hinted about a player swap? : IMPLIED ONE'S TRADE. Plied one's trade.

90A. European capital influence? : WARSAW IMPACT. Warsaw Pact.

113A. Say "Smile!" to Hugh Jackman during dinner? : IMPOSE FOR A PICTURE. Pose for a picture. Is there a reason why Hugh Jackman was in the clue?

Wonderful to see James Sajdak back. If you're new to the blog, do read my interview with him. Very inspiring.

This theme reminded me of a "I'm outta here" gimmick I proposed to Don a while ago: removing IM from common phrases. Unfortunately Rich found our new phrases lacking in surface meaning or entertainment value.

Across:

1. Swiss capital : FRANC. "Currency" capital.

6. Brand on shells : RAGU. I just couldn't see "pasta" when I saw "shells".

10. Fictional writer of "The World According to Bensenhaver" : T S GARP. Same as "The World According to Garp", right?

16. Union contract stat : CPI (Consumer Price Index). 15D. Union contracts? : PRE-NUPS. Excellent clue.

19. Outcast : LEPER

20. Love god : EROS

21. Fruit finder of rhyme : HORNER. Little Jack Horner. Plum.

22. Leia's love : HAN

26. Kawasaki Brute Force, e.g., briefly : ATV

27. Place to recover, for short : POST-OP

28. Many look forward to them regularly : FRIDAYS. Esp when there's a Lemonade & Marti combo.

29. Pearly coating : NACRE

31. Disreputable : SLEAZY. Like U.S. Anti-Doping Agency!

34. Ancient knowledge : LORE

35. Creator : AUTHOR

36. Scrooge portrayer Alastair : SIM. "A Christmas Carol" (1951).

39. Fair : EXPO

42. Start of a pregame ritual : O SAY

44. Architect Mies van der __ : ROHE

46. Former Wrigley Field star : SOSA (Sammy). No Hall calling for him next year.

54. Half of Mork's sign-off : NANU

58. Costly, as a victory : PYRRHIC. As for the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.

59. "Almost done" : ONE TO GO

60. "Let __!": "Get going!" : IT RIP

61. "Son of Frankenstein" blacksmith : YGOR. He's a blacksmith? No idea.

63. Battle of Normandy city : CAEN. And 64. French cathedral city : AMIENS.

70. Largish jazz ensemble : SEPTET. Click here. I'm often amazed by Jazzbumpa's knowledge.

72. List : MENU

73. Genesis creator : SEGA

74. Makeup item : GLOSS. I like Alba pineapple gloss.

75. Rough up? : COARSEN. Like what?

78. Feelings : HUNCHES

83. Addams family spouse, affectionately : TISH

86. Paris possessive : A TOI

88. Disney president during the Pixar acquisition : IGER (Bob). Looks like Ken & Barbie.


89. Vaccine type : ORAL

97. Ewes' guys : RAMS

100. Global financial org. : IMF (International Monetary Fund)

101. Rush violently : HURTLE

102. Former Israeli prime minister Olmert : EHUD

103. Brahms work : SONATA

105. "Wicked Game" singer Chris : ISAAK

106. Dreamt things : IMAGERY

108. Throat : GULLET

112. WWII Sherman carrier : LST. Sherman tank. I bet Spitzboov/D-Otto/eddy-B nailed this one.

117. Prussian pronoun : SIE. You.

118. Less complex : EASIER

119. Half a menu combo : SURF. Surf & Turf.

120. Tropical plant with large foliage : CANNA.


121. Media mogul Turner : TED

122. They may be crossed : SWORDS. Tricky clue.

123. Homeric creation : EPIC

124. Chaos antithesis : ORDER

Down:

1. Resell in a week, say : FLIP

2. San __: jet set resort : REMO

3. They're on the phone : APPS

4. "Darn!" : NERTS

5. Emeril specialty : CREOLE. I have two Thai pepper plants producing like crazy. They look pretty, but way too hot for me.

6. Hi-__ monitor : RES

7. Trajectory : ARC

8. Inane : GOOFY

9. Natl. Guard counterpart : USNR (United States Navy Reserve).

10. Investor's index : THE DOW. 65. They cause stirs on 10-Down: Abbr. : IPOs. I feel sorry for those who bought Facebook stock on the hype.

11. Like a June day, to Lowell : SO RARE. "And what is so rare as a day in June?..."

12. Aging, in Ontario : GREYER

13. Lee and Landers : ANNS

14. __ center : REC

16. Ballroom dance : CHA CHA

17. Artist's support : PATRON

18. Turn upside down : INVERT

24. Eyewear, in ads : SPEX

25. Dough for spanakopita, perhaps : FILO. Never heard of Spanakopita before. It means "Spinach pie".


30. Sunken naval power, per Plato : ATLANTIS.

32. Jam fruit : APRICOT

33. Get close, in a way : ZOOM

35. Taiwan Strait port : AMOY. Called Xiamen now. They speak very hard-to-understand dialect.

36. Bisque or broth : SOUP

37. Car trip alternative to Geography : I SPY. Got via crossings.

38. Bryn __ College : MAWR

40. One doing hard labor : PEON

41. Analogy words : IS TO

43. "Babi __": Yevtushenko poem : YAR

45. Aetna offering, briefly : HMO

48. Sounds mostly the same : RHYMES

49. Try to unearth : DIG AT

50. Snarky reply to "Why?" : BECAUSE

51. Bold relative: Abbr. : ITAL. In font.

52. Eponymous theater mogul : LOEW

53. Fire, to 85-Down : IGNIS. No idea. 85. First-century emperor : NERO

55. Warrior god : ARES

56. "Little Birds" writer : NIN (Anaïs). Where did she get those wild fantasies?

57. "We ♥ Logistics" co.: UPS. . Do you, Splynter?

60. "Let me rephrase that ..." : I MEANT

62. Swab over : RE-MOP

64. Beef cattle : ANGUS

66. Northern Calif. landmark : MT SHASTA. Melissa's Shangri-la.

67. Factual : REAL

68. Calvary letters : INRI. Iesus Nazarenus, Rex Iudaeorum ("Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews"). Latin has no J, right?

69. 1943 Allied conference site : TEHERAN. I'm used to the Tehran spelling.

70. NCO with three chevrons : SGT

71. Actor Wallach : ELI

75. CDLI doubled : CMII. 902.

76. Polish writing : EDIT

77. Winter quaff : NOG

79. Zagreb's land, to the IOC : CRO (Croatia).

80. Dancer-turned-spy : HARI (Mata)

81. Deli wheel : EDAM

82. Note recipient? : SELF. Self-note.

84. "__ you big-time" : I OWE

87. 1920s Hollywood breakthrough : TALKIES

90. "__ I alone did call upon thy aid": Sonnet 79 : WHILST

91. Tasmanian, e.g. : AUSSIE. Hi there, Kazie.

92. Not for kids : R-RATED

93. "Out of Africa," for one : MEMOIR

94. Gradually eased (in) : PHASED

95. Boring tools : AUGERS

96. Half of a major scale : CDEF. Music scale. Always my blind spot.

98. Star seekers : MAGI

99. Plaster finish : STUCCO

103. Maple product : SYRUP. I have been searching for mulberry jam. But no luck in our local stores.

104. Rite place : ALTAR

106. __ facto : IPSO

107. Stood : ROSE

109. Swedish university city : LUND. Not familiar with Lund Univeristy. Wiki said it's "Scandinavia's largest institutions for education and research."

110. Bird that fishes : ERNE. That's an odd use of "fishes". To me, you use rods to fish.

111. Eye dropper? : TEAR

114. Gaping hole : MAW

115. Jackie's second : ARI

116. Rank below cpl. : PFC

Answer grid.

C.C.

Sunday August 19, 2012 Pancho Harrison

Theme: "Invitation to the Dance" - A Gene Kelly tribute puzzle. Seven of his most well-known movies are featured in the grid.

22A. 117-Across film which he also co-directed : ON THE TOWN. Never heard of the film. Also starring Frank Sinatra.

27A. Film that earned 117-Across a Best Actor nomination : ANCHORS AWEIGH. Also starring Frank Sinatra.

43A. Film pairing 117-Across with Fred Astaire : ZIEGFELD FOLLIES

60A. With 75-Across, Scopes Trial film featuring 117-Across : INHERIT. And 75A. See 60-Across : THE WIND. The only split-up film.

66A. 117-Across Oscar-winning film : AN AMERICAN IN PARIS. Lovely movie. Leslie Caron went back to him in the end.

91A. 117-Across film with a classic umbrella scene : SINGIN' IN THE RAIN

106A. 117-Across's film debut : FOR ME AND MY GAL. Judy Garland was in the movie too.

117A. Song-and-dance man born 8/23/1912 : GENE KELLY

Today we have 105 theme squares. I mentioned before that gridding gets trickier when the number goes over 100.

Additionally, Pancho has 9 theme entries to deal with. 7 entries with the same 105 theme squares are easier to tackle. Hence the 82 black squares in this grid. Most of the time the count is capped at 78.

Across:

1. Frivolous : FLIP

5. Household moniker : PAPA. For Husker Gary.

9. Farm houses : COOPS

14. Medieval Italian chest : ARCA. Learned from doing Xword.

18. Western casino city : RENO

19. Portent : OMEN

20. Longtime talk show : OPRAH. She said she coined "Aha moment".

21. Sewing case item : SPOOL

24. She won the All-Around gymnastics gold eight years before Mary Lou : NADIA (Comaneci). In 1976. Mary Lou 1984. I drew a blank.


25. Male prefix : ANDRO. "Female prefix" is GYNOUS. Androgynous.

26. Simoleons : MOOLAH

30. Prize hopeful : NOMINEE

33. Shakespeare's fairy queen : TITANIA. "A Midsummer Night's Dream".

34. Instead : ELSE

38. Chaney of chillers : LON

39. Garment district biz : RAG TRADE

46. Former Toyota models : ECHOS

51. Kingly : REGAL

52. Mauna __ : LOA

53. Brouhaha : ADO. The brouhaha over Gabby Douglas' hair confused me.

54. Rest : OTHERS. Was thinking of verb.

55. Like reel-to-reel recordings : ANALOG

57. Prepare : READY

61. Newer, in a way : REVISED

64. Leb. neighbor : ISR

65. Handbook list, briefly : REGS (Regulations)

71. Moment to shine : SOLO. For Hope.

73. Publicity : INK

74. "Good heavens!" : MERCY ME. I thought eating walnuts make you smarter, as they resemble human brain.

77. "Wonder Woman" star Carter : LYNDA

79. It's measured in litres : PETROL

84. Corkscrew pasta : ROTINI

85. Uruguayan uncle : TIO. Alliteration.

86. PBS funder : NEA

89. Hindemith's instrument : VIOLA. Gimme, Jayce? I'm not familiar with Paul Hindemith.

90. Journalist Alexander : SHANA

95. Uses a cell : DOES TIME. Prison cell.

97. Lateral opening? : TRI. Trilateral.

98. Marine flier : ERNE. Always picture Dennis rather than ocean when I see "Marine".

99. Calgary's province : ALBERTA

103. So-so : AVERAGE

110. Daring : HEROIC

115. Caribbean honeymoon destination : ARUBA. Where did you go on your honeymoon?

116. Discontinue : CEASE

120. Cave __: beware of the dog : CANEM

121. "Oklahoma!" aunt : ELLER

122. Airport sign in red letters : AVIS. Tricky clue.

123. Fateful day : IDES

124. Bk. after Genesis : EXOD (Exodus)

125. Floor : STORY

126. Not at all wandering : RAPT. I feel CrossEyedDave is easily distracted.

127. Arboreal abode : NEST

Down:

1. Package label word : FROM. Argyle finally has a Trader Joe's in his neck of the woods. I told him about the must-try fig butter. He thought it's buttered fig.

2. "Leading With My Chin" author : LENO

3. Absorbed by : INTO

4. Sci-fi writer whose career spans more than 70 years : POHL (Frederik)

5. Place for a patch : POTHOLE

6. Latin trio word : AMO. "I love".

7. Chapel bench : PEW

8. 1997-2006 U.N. chief : ANNAN (Kofi)

9. Bury, say : CONCEAL

10. Colorful fish : OPAH

11. Novus __ seclorum: dollar bill phrase : ORDO

12. Dancers, often : PAIR

13. Alternatives to Nehis : SHASTAS. I wonder what Melissa's favorite drink is. Maybe tea. She's spiritual.

14. Nighttime problem : APNEA

15. "The Kiss" sculptor : RODIN

16. Herder from Wales : CORGI

17. Lei giver's greeting : ALOHA

21. Tool serrations : SAW TEETH. And 54. Sloped connection : ON RAMP. What Husker Gary said yesterday: "I can hear the HUM of Splynter’s circular saw!"

23. Caesar's end? : EAN. Caesarean.

28. "I, Claudius" role : NERO

29. Crisis offering : AID

31. Gal in a gang : MOLL

32. __-European : INDO

34. Literary Pound : EZRA. Ezra Pound the poet.

35. Financial claim : LIEN

36. Saturn maker : SEGA. Sega Saturn video game. Unknown to me.

37. The same to vous? : EGAL. And 47. Sorbonne sweetie : CHERI. Mon chéri. Ma chérie.

40. Pleased : GLAD

41. Like some sums : TIDY

42. Antique auto : REO

44. Regional plant life : FLORA

45. Language for a 69-Down : FARSI. 69. 45-Down speaker : IRANI.

48. Word spoken with one hand up : HERE'S. Toast.

49. Copier insert: Abbr. : ORIG

50. Grounded fleet: Abbr. : SSTS

56. Sign of spring : GEMINI

58. Common Mkt. : EEC

59. What Butler didn't give : A DAMN. "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn".

60. 1960s Cosby/Culp show : I SPY

62. Sell : VEND

63. Miff : IRK

64. Business abbr. : INC

66. Prince Valiant's wife : ALETA

67. Like a hopeless situation : NO WIN

68. Composer Rorem : NED

70. "Still Me" memoirist : REEVE

71. Narrow waterways: Abbr. : STRS (Straits)

72. "I know! I know!" : OH OH

76. Where Alice's adventures really took place : IN A DREAM

77. Household screen target : LINT

78. "You can observe a lot by watching" speaker : YOGI (Berra)

80. Improvised swing : TIRE.

81. Banzai Pipeline sound : ROAR. Never heard of this Pipeline, JD.

82. Ken of "Brothers & Sisters" : OLIN

83. Country way : LANE

85. "__ better to have loved ...": Tennyson : 'TIS. "... 'Tis better to have loved and lost /Than never to have loved at all...".

87. __'acte : ENTR

88. Big name in shaving : ATRA

91. Where to find happy mediums? : SEANCES. Nice clue.

92. Poetic technique : IMAGERY

93. St. Petersburg's river : NEVA

94. Most costly : HIGHEST

96. Taxonomic suffix : OTA. What?

99. "I've Just Seen __": Beatles : A FACE

100. His story is told by the Once-ler : LORAX. I don't know who Once-ler is.

101. Kirby of "City Slickers" : BRUNO. He's in "Good Morning, Vietnam".

102. Surround tightly : EMBED

104. "Enigma Variations" composer : ELGAR

105. Cry of fear : EEK

107. Shoulder muscle, for short : DELT

108. Bueno's opposite : MALO. French is "Mal".

109. Nieuwpoort's river : YSER

111. Check : REIN

112. Retro sign word : OLDE

113. Spots in la mer : ILES

114. Dermatologist's concern : CYST

118. "Little" '60s singer : EVA

119. Swig : NIP

Answer grid.

C.C.

Sunday August 11, 2012 John Lampkin

Theme: "Beg Your Pardon?" - Each apology is ironic & funny considering the profession of the person who apologizes.

23A. Slapstick comic's apology ... or is it? : I FELL DOWN ON THE JOB. Falling down is a slapstick routine.

39A. New Year's Eve techie's apology ... or is it? : I DROPPED THE BALL. He should have dropped the ball.

59A. Proud liberal's apology ... or is it? : I DID NOTHING RIGHT. Liberals lean left of course.

84A. Army cook's apology ... or is it? : WHAT A MESS I'VE MADE. Army mess.

100A. Zen Buddhist's apology ... or is it? : I WAS THOUGHTLESS. Zen Buddhists tend to keep their mind simple and uncluttered.

122A. Nostalgic seismologist's apology ... or is it? : THIS WAS ALL MY FAULT. Perfect apology for Jayce.

Only 6 theme entries, but they're all long, taking a total 96 squares, which is a Sunday norm (84-100).

Total 63 black squares, we normally get 70-78 on Sundays. Excellent gridding skill and amazing restriction in using cheater squares. (Correction: I meant "restraint from using cheater squares"). John likes to make every black square count.

Across:

1. Greengrocer's stock : PRODUCE

8. "Piano Man" singer : JOEL (Billy)

12. Head honcho : PREZ

16. Down-in-the-mouth org.? : ADA. Fun clue.

19. Classic mouthwash : LAVORIS. I can only think of Listerine. All clue echos are highlighted in green.

20. Sell short : UNDERRATE

22. L.A. Times section? : LOS. Great clue. Los & Angeles are two sections of L.A., visually.

25. DJIA stock : AT &T. Or IBM.

26. British peer : EARL

27. Actor Morales : ESAI

28. Smashing target : ATOM. Was picturing a door.

29. Suckling babe : NURSER

31. Western evergreen : RED FIR

33. CD-__ : ROM

35. __ Plaines, Illinois : DES

37. Muskogee's st. : OKLA

38. N.Y.C. medical facility grantor : SLOAN. Spitzboov mentioned this before.

44. "Mad Money" network : CNBC. Jim Cramer. He's always so excited.

46. Certain : SURE

47. Gave the nod : SAID OK

48. Tempo : PACE

51. Conducted : LED

53. Fruit zest : RIND

55. Sneaky : SLY

56. Kind : ILK

63. Soccer ball juggler : KNEE. And 73. Ball girls : DEBS. Different balls.

64. Dragonfly snare : NET

65. Albatross's milieu : OCEAN. Golf course too.

66. Prefix with gram : SONO

67. Composer Rachmaninoff : SERGEI

69. First name in Prohibition history : ELIOT. Eliot Ness.

71. Sciences' partner : ARTS

75. Agreements : PACTS

76. Bubbly drinks : FIZZES

78. Tavern in the same city as Krusty Burger : MOE'S. "The Simpsons".

80. Capital of India : RUPEE. Money again.

82. Slowing, in scores : RIT

83. 111 digits : ONES. Three one's.

88. Cartoon canine : REN. Ren & Stimpy.

89. Half a cocktail : MAI. Or TAI. I want a Bloody Mary now. Weird.

90. City near Provo : OREM

91. Ditty syllable : TRA

92. "Remote Control" host Ken : OBER. Not familiar with this guy. Died in 2009. Only 52 years old.

93. Muscular jerks : SPASMS

96. Shorten, as nails : CLIP

98. Auto designer Ferrari : ENZO. Learned from doing Xword.

104. Newton with laws : ISAAC

108. Writer Ephron : NORA. Really like her "Sleepless in Seattle".

109. Orbiter until 2001 : MIR

110. 67.5 deg. : ENE

111. Inedible buffet jelly : STERNO. Another fun clue.

112. Shell shooter : MORTAR

115. Frat frock : TOGA

118. Set down : ALIT

120. Gear components : COGS

121. Lyric poem : ODE

126. Boom lead-in : SIS. Sis boom bah!

127. Saying "You can say that again!" again, say : REDUNDANT. Another clue gem.

128. Victim of river diversion in Asia : ARAL SEA. This and Ross Sea both have friendly letters, hence their frequent appearance in puzzles.

129. Lunar New Year : TET

130. Mounted on : ATOP

131. Prevent littering? : SPAY. Ouch.

132. Tailgaters' carriers : COOLERS

Down:

1. Nut grippers : PLIERS

2. San __, city near San Francisco : RAFAEL

3. Go too far : OVERDO

4. Like young Shirley Temple : DOLL-FACED


5. Surfer's destination : URL. Internet surfer. And 101. Stereotypical surfer's wagon : WOODIE

6. Apple product : CIDER. And 119. Apple on a desk : iMAC

7. Those, to Juan : ESOS

8. Subordinates : JUNIORS

9. Lennon's lady : ONO

10. Poet __ St. Vincent Millay : EDNA

11. Riga native : LETT

12. Doc wannabes : PRE-MEDS

13. British rule in India : RAJ. And 14. British prep school : ETON

15. Indian cattle : ZEBU. New word to me. What's under her belly?

16. Aleutian Islands crustacean : ALASKA KING CRAB. Huge.


17. "Go on" : DO TELL

18. Star-shaped : ASTRAL

21. __ Island : RHODE

24. Annie, vis-à-vis Daddy Warbucks : WARD

30. "__Cop" : ROBO

32. Country retreat : INN

34. Cry over : MOURN

36. Hidden supply : STASH

39. Summer cooler : ICE TEA. Ate lots of water melon this summer.

40. Overly fussy types : PRIGS

41. Booth Tarkington kid : PENROD. No idea.

42. Sword handles : HILTS

43. Dreyer's partner in ice cream : EDY

45. Faction : BLOC

48. Desire intensely : PINE FOR. Don't. Giving up is a wise choice.

49. Barbershop quartet sweetie : ADELINE. "Sweet Adeline".

50. Vigilante's collar : CITIZEN'S ARREST. Excellent long entry. Same as 16D.

52. Greg's sitcom wife : DHARMA."Dharma & Greg". Unknown to me.

54. Bistro patrons : DINERS

57. Current with the wind : LEE TIDE

58. Tush : KEISTER

60. Something to take or play : NOTE. Not an easy clue.

61. From A to Z : IN TOTO

62. Lose it all : GO BUST

63. Malay Peninsula's Isthmus of __ : KRA. See here. Yet another unknown.

68. Fencing weapon : EPEE

70. U.S. pint's 16 : OZs

72. Go through : SEARCH

74. Church points : SPIRES

77. Sound of breakers : SWASH

79. Refine, as ore : SMELT

81. "Thirteen" star __ Rachel Wood : EVAN

85. Stereotypical sidelines greeting : HI MOM

86. Author Zola : EMILE

87. Hunter's bull attractor : MOOSE CALL

89. Yoga class need : MAT

94. Coll. prep exam : PSAT

95. Gets dressed for the launch : SUITS UP. Oh, for the astronauts.

97. Fine, for instance : PENALTY. I was thinking of card grading.

99. Complexion spoiler : ZIT

100. Like the hub, relatively : INMOST

102. Mature : GROWN

103. Hawk : SELL

105. Excite : AROUSE

106. One playing the bass? : ANGLER. Lovely clue.

107. Sportscaster Bob : COSTAS

111. Start to foam? : STYRO. Styrofoam.

113. Gillette Mach3 forerunner : ATRA

114. Art of publ. speaking : RHET. Rich probably only allows this entry on Saturday/Sunday.

116. Gallivants : GADS

117. "Hurry!" : ASAP

123. Agreement to enter an institution? : I DO

124. Literary collection : ANA

125. Schwarz of toys : FAO

Answer grid.

C.C.

Sunday August 5, 2012 Elizabeth C. Gorski

Theme:"Double Overtime"- Each theme entry contains two OTs.

23. *Like Disneyland, vis-à-vis theme parks : PROTOTYPICAL. This is the only entry where two OTs are together.

25. *Perform efficiently : GO TO TOWN (Edited later: The two OTs here are together also.)

48. *Tryst venue : NO-TELL MOTEL. And 57. Bit of 48-Across talk : COO

67A. *Bit of campaign nastiness : POTSHOT

90A. *Get-rich-quick buy : LOTTO TICKET. We met a guy who pulled a Mickey Mantle 1/1 special insert from a $2.99 pack he bought at Walmart. He sold on eBay for $15K.

113. *Writer's bottom line? : FOOTNOTE

116. *1978 Commodores hit : TOO HOT TA TROT. Not familiar with the song. You, Argyle?

13D. *Absolutely perfect : HOTSY-TOTSY

73D. *"Zilch" : NOT ONE IOTA

117D. There are two of them in each starred ans. : OTs

The reason all the theme entries are starred is because some of the non-theme fill are longer or of same length as the theme answers. The constructor & editor did not want any potential confusion.

Look at these great entries:

22A. "I like your invention!" : "GOOD IDEA!"

93A. Oscar winner's words : "I'M HONORED"

16D. "Remind me" : "I DON'T RECALL"

66D. "Honestly ..." : "TRUTH BE TOLD"

90D. Lesser-of-evils situation : LOSE LOSE

Simply amazing. But it's nothing out of ordinary for Liz Gorski, whose originality and creativity are awe-inspiring. She does what others can't. She's always the first. The only.

Across:

1. Madison Ave. figure : AD REP. Or AD MAN.

6. DEA employees : NARCS

11. Convert into an anesthetic : ETHERIFY. New word to me. Makes sense.

19. Much of Egypt : SAHARA

21. Hawaiian welcome : ALOHA. "Ni Hao" in Chinese. Ni = You. Hao = Good.

26. Rd. atlas listings : STs

27. Dessert cart array : PIES

28. Friars Club main courses? : ROASTS. Ha ha, "main courses!"

30. Tokyo-based electronics giant : NEC (Nippon Electric Company)

31. Dancer Falana : LOLA.

32. Crochet loop : PICOT. I forgot. I googled this word a while ago.

34. "Take a shot at it" : YOU TRY

37. Meal : REPAST

40. Amy Winehouse's reaction to rehab, in the song : NO, NO, NO. "...They tried to make me go to rehab, I said, no, no, no...". From her famous "Rehab" song.

41. British Invasion drummer : STARR (Ringo)

42. Baker with the breakout album "Rapture" : ANITA

43. Oft-quoted Yogi : BERRA

44. Unwanted tabloid fame : NOTORIETY. Poor Kristen Stewart.

50. Mad as __ hen : A WET

51. Berry touted as a superfood : ACAI

52. Old Russian ruler : TSAR

53. "WKRP" costar with Gary, Gordon, Howard et al. : LONI (Anderson). Marti likes her.

54. __ Island: NY/NJ landmark : ELLIS

55. Hearty partner : HALE

56. Current designation : AC/DC

58. DNA shape : COIL

61. "May It Be" singer : ENYA. So beautiful.

63. __ Wolf: Disney comics kid : LI'L. No idea. I googled, Li'l Bad Wolf showed up. Same kid?

64. "They'll Do It Every Time" cartoonist Jimmy : HATLO. Stranger to me also.

69. Green course : SALAD

71. Drop the ball : ERR

72. First-year law student : ONE-L

75. Wreck : RUIN

76. Job particular : SPEC

78. Letters to creditors? : IOUs

80. Central Florida city : OCALA

82. They may stay till closing time : SOTS. So many wonderful bars in Guangzhou.

84. Four-ring-logo company : AUDI. I wonder what kind of ring said "Buy me" to Irish Miss during her visit to Maine.

88. "The lady __ protest ...": "Hamlet" : DOTH

89. Lake __, Blue Nile source : TANA

95. Nebraska's largest city : OMAHA

96. Physicist Bohr : NIELS

97. Twix or Trix, e.g. : BRAND

98. "Permission granted" : IT'S A GO

100. "Juno and the Paycock" playwright : O'CASEY (Sean)

101. Boil : SEETHE . I don't know how I reacted if I were Husker Gary's niece.

103. Caterpillar rival : DEERE

104. Some faux outerwear : FURS

105. Routine : ACT

106. Ahab's kingdom : ISRAEL. All friendly letters, hence its frequent appearance in crossword.

109. Confirmation, e.g. : RITE

110. __TV: Court TV, since 2008 : TRU

120. Joined the Navy : ENLISTED. Ah, for Spitzboov/D-Otto/eddyB.

121. Rob of "90210" : ESTES

122. St. Francis's birthplace : ASSISI

123. Six-pack units : SODA CANS.


124. Score notations : RESTS

125. Prop for Monet : EASEL

Down:

1. Deadly snakes : ASPS

2. Blowgun missile : DART

3. P-like letters : RHOs

4. Enjoy, with "up" : EAT. My cherry tomatoes are especially good this year.

5. Offer : PROPOSAL

6. Afternoon breaks : NAPs

7. "American Gladiators" co-host Laila : ALI. The only Laila I know.

8. Mythical bird : ROC

9. Patio bagful : CHARCOAL

10. Tavern : SALOON

11. Nog basics : EGGS

12. Traffic sound : TOOT

14. Shogun stronghold : EDO. Modern sushi started in Edo Era.

15. Score slow-up: Abbr. : RIT

17. Not as many : FEWER

18. '50s TV adventurer __ Derringer : YANCY. Sigh. No idea. The only thing I want from '50s is the baseball cards. I like '60s though. The fashion, the cat eyes, Jane Birkin.

20. Leaning : ATILT

24. Vote for : YEA

29. Like some 20th-century music : ATONAL

31. Indirect and creative, as thinking : LATERAL

32. White House entrance : PORTICO

33. Memo starter : IN RE

35. Stick in a scull : OAR

36. Dickens baddie Heep : URIAH

37. Lose control : RANT

38. Baseball's Slaughter : ENOS. And 110. Speaker of Cooperstown : TRIS

39. Pocket bread : PITA

40. Light on Broadway : NEON

41. Oktoberfest purchase : STEIN

43. College QB, often : BMOC (Big Man on Campus)

45. Barn baby : OWLET. Thought of PK for no reason.

46. Sylvester's "Rocky" co-star : TALIA

47. Triangular sign : YIELD

49. Honorary legal deg. : LLD

54. K-12 : EL-HI

59. Other, in Oaxaca : OTRA

60. The Bengals of the Big Sky Conf. : ISU (Idaho State University). Don't know anything about this conference.

62. Widow in "Peer Gynt" : ASE. Peer Gynt's mother.

64. Alpine heroine : HEIDI

65. Forster's "__ With a View" : A ROOM

67. Flier : PLANE

68. In "Wicked," say : ON STAGE. Hahtool liked "Wicked".

70. Trees favored by giraffes : ACACIAS. Kazie mentioned they were called wattles in Oz.

74. Online greeting : E-CARD

76. Ancient public walkway : STOA

77. SFO setting : PST

79. Brief : SHORT

81. Fancy-schmancy : LA-DI-DA

83. Emperor after Galba : OTHO. He reigned for only 3 months. This appeared a few times in in the old Wayne R. Williams puzzles.

85. Luau instruments : UKES

86. Take-out order? : DELE. Great clue.

87. Wee : ITSY

91. "A Book of Verses underneath the Bough" poet : OMAR

92. Bump up : INCREASE

94. Slangy turndown : NAH

99. Seesaw : TEETER

100. "I'm __ here!" : OUTTA

101. They may be blown or cracked : SAFES. What were you thinking?

102. Low-budget lead-in : ECONO

104. In good shape : FIT

107. British submachine gun : STEN

108. Wine list heading : REDS

109. Supreme leader? : ROSS (Diana). "The Supremes". Nothing Iran related.

111. It's romantic to give one : ROSE. I want these.


112. Condo expense: Abbr. : UTIL

114. __ Maria: liqueur : TIA

115. Presidential policy support gp. : NSC (National Security Council)

118. Worked (up) : HET

119. Flight safety org. : TSA

Answer grid.
C.C.

Sunday July 29, 2012 Gail Grabowski and Bruce Venzke,

Theme: "Dog Days of Summer" - The first word in each theme entry is just "hot".

23A. Cozy sensations : WARM FUZZIES. Every time bad girl Lois stops in.

33A. Turkey site : ROASTING PAN. Marti used this clue for ASIA once, I think.

49A. One may be set in a race : BLISTERING PACE. Alas, no medal for Phelps (yet).

91A. Stock held by a fence : HOT MERCHANDISE

105A. Place for future cookies : BAKING SHEET. I've been craving date cookies.

121A. Mae West attribute : SULTRY VOICE. Well, subjective.

3D. Crucial topic : BURNING ISSUE

66D. Critical threshold : BOILING POINT

Amazing grid. Look at the theme intersections here. Very impressive.

Here is my guess at how the puzzle was created:

1) Gail came up with the theme idea (Her name came up first in the byline);

2) Bruce liked it, then they brainstormed for the full set of the theme answers;

3) Bruce did the grid design;

4) They each filled in half the grid;

5) Gail clued the whole grid, since Bruce is not fond of cluing.

Across:

1. Sussex sword : SABRE. Saber here.

6. Full : SATED

11. On its way : SENT

15. Make comparisons at the mall, say : SHOP. I fell in love with Bruno Mars' "Just the Way You Are" while shopping in a mall last year. This kid is amazing.

19. Challenge to __ : A DUEL

20. Amazed : IN AWE

21. Reebok rival : AVIA

22. Manage : COPE

25. Cat named for its island origin : MANX. CrossEyedDave is a cat expert. Ask him if you have any cat problem.

26. Part of AMA: Abbr. : AMER

27. Feminine suffix : ENNE. So is ETTE.

28. "Brighton Beach Memoirs" playwright : NEIL SIMON. Nice to see his full name.

30. Deal sealer : AGENT

31. Source of athletic rage, briefly : ROID. Roid rage. Too much steroids.

32. Union agreements : I DOs

36. Peeples and Vardalos : NIAs

38. Look closely : PEER

40. "Most likely ..." : ODDS ARE

41. Darling : ANGEL. So lately I've been listening to Neil Young's rock version of "Oh Susanna" (that kid smokes later on), though I don't understand why Susanna will cry. I'll be crying if my love leaves me, not when he's visiting me.

43. Fussy sort : PRIG

45. Letter-shaped track : T-SLOT

48. MLB execs : GMs

52. What a password provides : ACCESS

55. '50s political monogram : AES

56. Make changes to : EDIT

57. Field standouts : SILOs. Not the "field" I had in mind.

58. Chicken, in a Chinese dish : GAI. I mentioned last time that hookers are called "wild chicken" in Chinese.

59. Play mates? : CAST. Stage play.

61. Miss roll call, say : GO AWOL

63. Available without a scrip : OTC

65. Top banana : MR BIG

69. Throne grabber : USURPER

71. Cabin fever, e.g. : ANGST

73. Daily sorting criterion : ZIP CODE. For the mailmen.

75. Take the wrong way? : STEAL. Great clue.

76. Arabic "son of" : IBN

78. List : ROSTER

80. Isn't up to snuff : AILS

81. Blue : SAD

83. When cocktails may be served : AT SIX

85. Tiptop : ACME

87. Net grazer, at times : LET

88. Nymph pursued by Apollo : DAPHNE. Literally "Laurel". She turned into a laurel.

94. Land in la mer : ILE. Both Lemonade and Marti have a French mother.

95. Safari boss : BWANA. Haven't heard from JD for a whole.

97. Classic wheels : REOs

98. Colors lightly : TINTS

99. Prevails against, in slang : ACES OUT

102. Waterfall feature : MIST. Hi there Misty!

104. "Walkabout" director Nicolas : ROEG

108. Prime Cuts in Gravy maker : ALPO. No idea. We don't own dogs.

111. Flow with force : SPEW

114. Victor Vasarely's "Zebras," e.g. : OP-ART. See here. Never heard of that guy.

115. Stubborn : TENACIOUS

117. Capitol cap : DOME

118. It might be pierced : LOBE

119. State firmly : AVER

123. A party to : IN ON

124. Actress Virna : LISI. Total stranger to me. Great eyelashes.

125. Mediterranean tourist attraction : CRETE

126. Possessed : OWNED

127. Bus. bigwigs : CEOS

128. French spread : PATE

129. Catkin bearer : ALDER

130. Enters into a deal? : ANTES

Down:

1. Carpenter, at times : SAWER. Want a beautiful deck, call Splynter!

2. Hersey's bell town : ADANO. "A Bell for Adano".

4. Puts right : REMEDIES

5. Seasonal sprite : ELF

6. Judged, with "up" : SIZED. Are you a good watermelon picker?

7. 1944 Italian beachhead : ANZIO

8. Dramatic decline : TAILSPIN

9. Fleecy meadow grazers : EWES

10. Long for : DESIRE

11. Island group near Fiji : SAMOA

12. '70s-'80s Red Sox star Dwight : EVANS. I'll leave him to Husker Gary/LaLaLinda to comment. I might have his baseball cards.

13. "Collages" novelist : NIN (Anaïs). I read the first few stories of her "Delta of Venus". Similar experience as PK. Couldn't finish the book.

14. Invoice add-on : TAX

15. "Lido Shuffle" singer Boz : SCAGGS

16. Website entry point : HOME PAGE

17. Welcoming sight? : OPEN ARMS. Quite a few nice long entries in this puzzle.

18. Saucy behavior : PERTNESS

24. Canberra colleges : UNIs

29. Human being : MORTAL. Yellowrocks, nope, I'm not aware of the code word "Little Secretary", though sleeping with the boss doesn't seem to be too uncommon for secretaries, even in western countries,

30. Also : AND

34. Also : TOO

35. One might dangle from your neck : ID TAG. Mine is a silver cross. It's magical!

37. Adjective for Adenauer : ALTE

39. Encourages : EGGS ON

41. Ancient adder : ABACUS. The clue always makes me feel old.

42. Baseball div. : NL EAST

43. A __: logician's term : PRIORI

44. Pinup Hayworth : RITA

46. Skedaddles : SCOOTS

47. "__ we forget" : LEST

50. Advantage : EDGE

51. Plymouth Colony settler : PILGRIM

53. Roughing-it spot : CAMP

54. About : CIRCA

60. Destroy : TRASH

62. Uncalled-for : WANTON

64. Composer Dvorák et al. : CZECHS. Boomer has Polish blood. We had Polka dance at the family gathering a few weeks ago.

67. Least busy : IDLEST

68. Beaux __: noble deeds : GESTES

70. Opposite of improvise : PLAN

72. Bobby __ : SOXERS

74. Early Shirley role : IRMA. "Iram la Douce".

77. Island band The __ Men : BAHA. The annoying "Who Let the Dogs Out".

79. Folded food : TACO

82. Fix, as software : DEBUG

84. Where to find the anther : STAMEN. So, where is anther?

86. Inner: Pref. : ENTO

88. Outrageously wicked : DIABOLIC

89. Symbol of Prohibition era lawlessness : AL CAPONE. I remember watching "The Untouchables" in Chinese, with Roberto. I did not really understand the plot. Now I do.

90. Face-covering game : PEEK-A-BOO

92. Sold : RETAILED

93. Loses steam : DIES DOWN

96. Mg. and kg. : WTS

100. Chase scene sounds : SIRENS

101. Niagara Falls prov. : ONT

103. Source of the Mississippi : ITASCA. Here in MN.

104. Looking up : ROSY

106. '50s blast, briefly : H-TEST

107. Uncanny : EERIE

109. Austrian singer Lenya : LOTTE

110. More virtuous : PURER

112. Dais VIP : EMCEE

113. Bed intruders : WEEDS. Garden bed. I'm disturbed by the clue.

116. Weightlifter's rep : CURL

119. Mont Blanc, e.g. : ALP. The pen name is Montblanc, one word.

120. Itinerary word : VIA

122. Intl. broadcasting initials : VOA

Answer grid.

C.C.

Sunday July 22, 2012 Peter A. Collins

Theme: "Anemic Vérité" - Anemic is anagram of "Cinema", so "Cinéma Vérité". The first word of a well-known movie title is anagrammed. The title in LA Times' website is "Anemic Veriteacute". I suspect the software can't handle acute accent marks, hence "acute" at the end of the title.

23A. Film about the appliance supervisor at Sears? : RANGE MANAGEMENT. "Anger Management".

31A. Film about a small chicken that won't stay away? : BANTAM RETURNS. "Batman Returns".

48A. Film about a sculpture that defies description? : THING AT THE MUSEUM. "Night at the Museum".

63A. Film about a smooth-legged fellow? : NAIR MAN. "Rain Man". "K-mark sucks".

65A. Film about a deli specializing in heros? : SUB STOP. "Bus Stop". So we have two 7's as theme entries. I had thought the minimum letter count for Sunday theme is 8.

82A. Film about following a pack up a mountain? : ASCEND WITH WOLVES. "Dances with Wolves".

97A. Film about fans of confessional rock music who enjoy spicy food? : EMOS LIKE IT HOT. "Some Like It Hot".

110A. Film about a prince's affair with actress Fletcher? : HAMLET AND LOUISE. "Thelma & Louise".

Very tight theme. All popular movies. Not easy to come up with a set of theme entries that make perfect surface sense and entertain.

Love these two long Downs:

5D. Potential powerhouse not to be "awakened" : SLEEPING GIANT. Napoleon called China a "Sleeping giant". It's so true during the Opium Wars. Lots of people just smoked opium & slept and slept.

56D. It may decide an election : CROSSOVER VOTE. Only primary election, right?

Also love these theme "pitch" clechos (clue echos) from Peter/Rich:

29A. Inability to make good pitches? : TIN EAR. Question mark hints that it's not about baseball pitches.

62. Pitcher Jesse with a record 1,252 regular-season appearances : OROSCO. His last MLB appearance was with the Twins in 2003. He was actually drafted by the Twins.

69D. Pitcher's goal : SALES ORDER. I feel a question mark is needed in the clue.

112D. Pitcher's asset : ARM

Across:

1. Abbey denizens : MONKS. I always associate monks with Buddhism.

6. Bar lineup : BREWS

11. Black __: covert missions : OPS

14. Take for a spin? : TWIRL. Nice clue.

19. "The Tempest" spirit : ARIEL

20. Weird Al Yankovic spoof of a Michael Jackson hit : EAT IT. Not a Weird Al fan.

21. With 43-Across, cocktail made with Curaçao : MAI. And 43. See 21-Across : TAI.

22. Asian princess : RANEE. Dennis just mentioned the overwhelming poverty his wife Linda encountered during a private bus ride to Agra. She saw lots of tents, mud huts, etc.

26. Woodard of "Cross Creek" : ALFRE

27. Shelf-clearing sale : CLOSEOUT

28. Baltic capital : RIGA

30. Rover's reward : PAT

34. Milk: Pref. : LACTI

38. Volleys : SALVOES. Thought the plural is just SALVOS.

40. Make __ of: jot down : A NOTE

41. In need of liniment : ACHING

44. Lab medium : AGAR

45. Feature of a two-ltr. monogram : NMI (No Middle Initial). Hence the two word 84D. Still competing : IN IT. Instead of "Monogram ltr." INIT to avoid dupe.

53. Sent the same 97-Down to : CC'ed. And 97. Modern letter : EMAIL

54. Tributes : HOMAGES

55. More learned : WISER

56. "SNL" alum Oteri : CHERI

57. Gravy absorber : SOP

58. "Since __ Eyes on You": Faith Hill song : I LAID. Guessed.

61. It means nothing : ZERO

67. Well-harmonized : IN SYNC

70. La __ Tar Pits : BREA

72. Deli offerings : MEATS

73. Fed. property manager : GSA (General Services Administration). I thought it stands for Girl Scouts of America.

76. Prepare chestnuts : ROAST. I missed the freshly roasted chestnuts in Xi'An.

77. Inclined : ATILT

79. Less respectful : SASSIER

81. Not working : IDLE

86. Salem-to-Reno dir. : SSE

87. Educ. for tots : PRE-K.

88. Lennon collaborator : ONO

89. Olay competitor : AVEENO. Lots of natural oat extract in their products.

90. Prepare in a pan : SAUTE. I stir-fry. In hot oil.

92. Placing in direct competition : PITTING

96. Richard who played the garage attendant in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" : EDSON. A bit obscure for my taste.

100. Over simplified? : O'ER. Love the clue.

102. Christie's Miss : MARPLE

103. Prompter lead-in : TELE

104. Improved, as one's skill level : ELEVATED

109. Bill's "Groundhog Day" co-star : ANDIE (MacDowell)

113. Not moving : INERT

114. AQI monitor : EPA. AQI = Air Quality Index. Thought of Barry G, who no doubt thought of Barry Silk with this clue.

115. Up from Méjico : NORTE (North)

116. Vagabond : TRAMP

117. Early strings : LYRES

118. Urge : YEN

119. Evil spirit : DEMON

120. Assuages : EASES

Down:

1. Cleo's lover : MARC. It's Mark Anthony, no? Marc Anthony is J-Lo's ex.

2. Like some surgery : ORAL

3. Kid in Cádiz : NINO

4. Brewpub supplies : KEGS

6. Humdingers : BEAUTS

7. Lewis Black delivery : RANT

8. Cockpit approx. : ETA

9. Old powdered apparel : WIG

10. Caterer's can : STERNO

11. Pair of horseshoes? : OMEGAS. Because the horseshoes are omega-shaped?

12. Carrier founded in 1927 : PAN AM

13. Watch kids : SIT

14. Arnold, notably : TRAITOR. Benedict Arnold. CHEATER fits too. For California's Arnold.

15. Squirrel's treat : WALNUT

16. Subtle case crackers : INFERENCES

17. Aired again : RE-RAN

18. Looks like a rake : LEERS. Don't leer. Just look!

24. Extinct kiwi cousin : MOA

25. Tiny pest : MITE

29. Hr. some stores open : TEN AM

31. Humdrum : BLAH

32. Miller's "__ From the Bridge" : A VIEW

33. Brand on vermicelli : RAGU

34. Wooden slats : LATHS

35. Sound in an allergist's office : ACHOO

36. Congo River area denizen : CHIMP

37. Brown of publishing : TINA. Editor-in-Chief of Newsweek. She founded "The Daily Beast". She came to the US the same time as Anna Wintour, Editor-in-Chief for Vogue.

39. ABA member : ATT

42. Language that gave us "slogan" : GAELIC. New trivia to me.

44. Oxygen-dependent bacterium : AEROBE. New word for me.

46. Former Ford div. : MERC

47. Peculiar: Pref. : IDIO. Idiosyncrasy.

49. Romanov title : TSAR

50. "Les __" : MIZ

51. Consumes : USES

52. Blood bank supply : SERUM

53. Word with house or shop : CHOP

59. Return remark : I'M BACK

60. Puccini's "Vissi __" : D'ARTE. From the opera "Tosca". New to me also.

62. Ontario's second most populous city : OTTAWA

63. Where "F" means "Ford" : NYSE. I like this clue too.

64. Reprimand to a dachshund? : NEIN

66. Miss America accessory : SASH

67. Bearded flower : IRIS. Hi there, Blue Irish!

68. Some okays : NODS

71. Municipal rep. : ALD

73. Yields : GIVES

74. "I __ reason ..." : SEE NO

75. Bad lighting? : ARSON. Lots of fun clues for ARSON.

78. "... __ tango" : TWO TO

80. Holiday card drawing : SLED

82. Bandleader Shaw : ARTIE

83. Strive for : SEEK

85. Cargo unit : TON

87. Young hens : PULLETS. I used to speak some basic French. Now J'ai tout oublié.

91. Aim (to) : ASPIRE

92. Nursery rhyme merchant : PIEMAN. "Simple Simon met a pieman..."

93. "__ have to do" : IT'LL

94. Words after "ever after" : THE END

95. Parachute color? : GOLDEN. Golden parachute.

98. 12-time All-Star Ramirez : MANNY. Dreaded hair.

99. L'__ du Tour: French cycling event : ETAPE. I prefer this clue to the "Military camp".

101. Slippery swimmer : EEL

104. Opposite of ecto- : ENTO

105. Claimed psychic detection : AURA

106. Reunión attendees : TIAS. Argyle is having a family reunion this weekend.

107. Edward's adoptive mother in the "Twilight" series : ESME

108. Bank acct. additions : DEPS

110. "You, there!" : HEY

111. Water tester : TOE

Answer grid.

C.C.