Sunday August 24, 2014 Gail Grabowski

Theme: "At Present" - AT is added to each theme answer.

23A. Extra vacation clothes? : SPARE ATTIRE. Spare tire.

29A. Big party for jalopy owners? : BEATER BASH . Beer bash.

46A. Clergyman who works wonders? : MIRACLE CURATE. Miracle cure.

93A. Biker's trail? : RIDING HABITAT. Riding habit.

110A. Volga Region daily? : TATAR PAPER. Tar paper.

118A. Bees battling over nectar? : HONEY COMBAT. Honeycomb. The only one-word base phrase.

33D. Swindler at a New York zoo? : BRONX CHEATER. Bronx cheer.

42D. Gave stars to kippers? : RATED HERRING. Red herring.

Easy puzzle, yes? Gail always makes the smoothest Sunday grids. She's not going to shock and awe young solvers with edgy & trendy phrases. Her focus is always her overall solvers.

Were you bothered by the HAS OPEN (105A. Didn't fill yet, as calendar slots) clue? I had ?AS OPEN and wanted WAS OPEN due to the tense.

Across:
    
1. China problem : CHIP. And 14. China setting : FAR EAST. China clue echo. I nailed CHIP immediately.

5. Brought to Broadway : STAGED. Also 115. Fakes being : ACTS

11. Clothing fold : CUFF

15. TV talk pioneer : PAAR (Jack)

19. Like some bears' market predictions : DIRE. Not DOWN. Also  22. Bear overhead : URSA

20. Happened next : ENSUED

21. New Balance competitor : AVIA. Got easily with the crossing 12. Iris locale : UVEA. Quite a few 4-letter sneaker brands.

25. Barely burn : SEAR

26. Reactions to mice, maybe : EEKS

27. Acct. earnings : INT

28. 2010 title role for Denzel : ELI. The Book of Eli.

31. Simply not done : TABOO

34. Trying experiences : ORDEALS

36. Catamaran mover : SAIL

37. Emergency supplies delivery method : AIR DROP. Wish we could eradicate those ISIS thugs. Bloody Jihadists.

39. Coll. drilling group : ROTC

41. Ball game delayers : STORMS

45. "As I see it," in texts : IMO. Also 57A. Intimate modern message : SEXT. Slight clue/answer dupe. I thought of our passionate PK when I read these steamy letters.

51. "How relaxing!" : AAH

52. Periscope part : LENS

54. Wood shop tools : LATHES. Hi there, Splynter/Jerome!

55. Mid-Atlantic st. : DEL

56. Sight from the Sicilian village of Taormina : ETNA. Gimme for long crossword solvers.

58. Clipped, in a way : SHORN

59. Shrill cry : YELP

61. Race : TEAR. Not an easy clue.

62. Corn or cotton : CROP

64. Bores for ore : MINES

67. Fairy tale food : PORRIDGE. I call my morning oatmeal "porridge" too.

69. Rival of Brom in an 1820 novel : ICHABOD.  Ichabod Crane/Brom Bones. "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow". I drew a blank.

72. Pops in the fridge : SODAS

74. Hoisting devices : WINCHES. New word to me, Santa!  Met with Spitzboo yesterday?

75. Wildly excited : FRENETIC

77. Classic pops : NEHIs

79. Solidify : CAKE. I don't think I've used CAKE as a verb before.

80. Frog's kiddie-lit friend : TOAD

81. Condescending sort : SNOB

83. Photoshop developer : ADOBE

85. Mother of the Valkyries : ERDA. I had E?DA, then I waited.

88. Makeshift shelters : HUTS

89. "Mr. Blue Sky" band, briefly : ELO

90. Future litigator's study : PRE-LAW

91. Airport transport : TRAM

92. Virtuoso : ACE

97. Ristorante suffix : INI

98. Upheaval : THROES

100. Call for : NEED. Joann told me she enriches their garden with Miracle-Gro every two weeks. Maybe I should try that also.

101. Puts on the right track : ORIENTS

103. Evil sitcom organization : KAOS. Get Smart.

109. They may be rough : EDGES

114. Sharp turn : ZAG

115. __ premium : AT A

116. Traveling : AWAY

117. Cantina cooker : OLLA. It's similar to the traditional Cantonese soup pot.

123. "In your dreams" : NOPE

124. Wiped out : DEAD

125. Friendly court contest : ONE SET. Tennis.

126. Toledo's lake : ERIE

127. Delighted : GLAD

128. Three-part figs. : SSNs

129. Mouth formations : DELTAS

130. Identical : SAME

Down:

1. They may be writable : CDs

2. Fanny pack spot : HIP. Here is our Yellowrocks. Thanks for the book recommendations yesterday.

3. Portfolio element, for short : IRA. And 44. Portfolio units : SHARES

4. Game division : PERIOD

5. Reserved __ : SEAT

6. Demolition aid : TNT

7. Sunflower relative : ASTER. My daises bloomed for a very short period this spring.

8. Artisan group : GUILD

9. Like many King novels : EERIE

10. RMN was his VP : DDE. Nixon.

11. Analytical write-up : CASE STUDY

13. Punto and Bravo : FIATS. All crosses.

15. Colorado county or its seat : PUEBLO

16. Geometry figure : AREA

17. Sets a price of : ASKS

18. Reckless : RASH

24. Vast, in verse : ENORM

29. Voting coalition : BLOC. They did not ask for my ID  when I voted in the primary two weeks ago. I did see the $10,000 fine warning for vote fraud.

30. Baptism, e.g. : RITE

31. Formal affair wear : TAILS

32. Singer Mann : AIMEE

34. Media mogul with a Presidential Medal of Freedom : OPRAH. I just cannot warm up to her.

35. Mars, to the Greeks : ARES

38. Drips on the driveway : OIL SPOTS

40. Move like ivy : CREEP

43. Run : MANAGE

47. Elementary bit : ATOM

48. Matthews of "Hardball" : CHRIS. Very aggressive.

49. Fab Four name : LENNON

50. Sanction : ALLOW

53. Leaves high and dry : STRANDS

56. Flier's printout : E-TICKET

60. Competition with slashing : PRICE WAR. Oh, price slashing.

63. 2001 honor for J.K. Rowling : OBE. Order of the British Empire.

65. Suffix with stamp : EDE

66. Much of Libya : SAHARA

68. Genetic messenger : RNA

69. "Maybe even less" : IF THAT. Can you give me an example of how the clue & answer match?

70. Catching position : CROUCH

71. Enjoyed some courses : DINED

73. It's usually not a hit : SIDE B

76. 2014 U.S. Senior Open winner Montgomerie : COLIN. Surly & annoying at times.

78. Diva highlights : SOLI

82. Jerks : BONEHEADS. Lovely entry.

84. Relay stick : BATON

86. Poet who feuded with Pope Boniface VIII : DANTE. Easy guess.

87. Off the mark : AMISS

90. Advanced degs. : PhDs

93. Bring up : REAR

94. 14-legged crustaceans : ISOPODS. I didn't know they have 14 legs.

95. Equipment : GEAR

96. Connect with : TIE TO

99. Signed off on : OKAYED

102. One of four singing brothers : ED AMES. All crosses.

104. Corporate division : SALES

106. Form of oxygen : OZONE

107. Comic strip frame : PANEL

108. Spew out : EGEST

110. Strong flavor : TANG

111. Mil. no-show : AWOL

112. Appetizer in una taberna : TAPA

113. Not leave things to chance : PLAN

118. Mortar trough : HOD. This little word used to stump me.

119. Word of support : YEA

120. One may be padded : BRA. Have you been in a relationship where the guy loves shopping bras with you?

121. Intention : AIM

122. Driving need? : TEE

C.C.

Sunday August 17th, 2014, C.C. Burnikel

Theme:  "Treasure Hunt"

Hi Yo Silver Away! C.C.'s puzzle takes the chemical symbol for Silver, Ag (argentum in Latin) and uses the A as a caboose for one word and the G as the engine on the next in this Silver Streak exercise. Every fill has a silver lining!

22. *Source of mohair : ANGORA GOAT - Angora wool was the preferred material for this in my high school

28. *Runner-up to Einstein as Time's Person of the Century in 1999 : MAHATMA GANDHI- His peaceful, civil disobedience inspired Martin Luther King

47. *Super Nintendo rival : SEGA GENESIS

44. *__ Tibbets, eponymous mother of a WWII pilot : ENOLA GAY- This Omaha-built airplane changed the world

67. *1965 Beach Boys hit : CALIFORNIA GIRLS - Now for a musical interlude

91. *Black-necked honker : CANADA GOOSE- these birds and, uh, their refuse populate our golf course

94. *Hue akin to avocado : PEA GREEN

110. *Gainesville team : FLORIDA GATORS - Many memorable games against the Huskers


Reveal entry:

118. Where to find the metal whose symbol spans the words in the answers to starred clues : SILVER MINE - An episode of Bonanza had the boys figuring out how to make the SILVER MINES in Virginia City safer. Also a fun theme!!

The theme was fun to discover although not helpful to this solver out here on the prairie, so let's see what nuggets our mistress of the blog has left for us.

Across:

1. Nannies' handfuls : IMPS - I've heard 'em called worse

5. "Now hear __!" : THIS 

9. Leak indicator : HISS - Another forbidding hiss

13. Those, in Toledo : ESOS

17. First king of Israel : SAUL

18. Court statements : OATHS -Somebody's lying Judge Judy!

20. Capone associate : NITTI  - I first NITTI and NESS on this 60's TV show

21. Running __ : MATE - "You like going to funerals? Have I got a job for you!"

24. Hard-nosed : STERN

25. Land south of Moab : EDOM

26. Three, for Kentucky Derby horses : AGE - No one seems to pay any attention to horse racing except on the first Saturday in May

27. Mule parent : ASS

31. Watch a pet for a friend : CAT SIT

33. Silent movie femme fatale Theda : BARA - A little heavy on the L'Oréal eye makeup?

34. V-J Day pres. : HST - Harry wasn't told about the atom bomb until 3 1/2 mos. before he had to decide whether to drop it

35. L x XXXI : MDL -The year chocolate was introduced into Europe

36. Loaded one : SOT

37. Highest U.S. capital : SANTA FE - Santa Fe - 7,000', Cheyenne 6,400', then the mile high city

39. Pinkerton logo : EYE

41. School address ending : EDU

50. Ostentatious, in a way : LOUD - Didn't Herb Tarlek of WKRP write the book on that?

51. Key above G : A FLAT

54. Proof goofs : TYPOS - Typos were a bigger pain when we had to use typewriters

55. Tragic fate : DOOM

56. Yahoo! rival : MSN

57. Manxmen, e.g. : GAELS - Occupants of the Isle of Mann (also called Manx) where a branch of the Gaelic language is spoken

58. Fire dept. volunteer, perhaps : EMT - On July 3rd, EMTs had to save my doctor's life at his lake house when he had a heart attack

59. High chain : SIERRA

61. Car buyer's choice : SEDAN - Joann's now an SUV gal and ain't goin' back to a sedan

64. Knock on : RAP AT - Knock, knock, knock Penny. Knock, knock, knock Penny. Knock, knock, knock Penny.

66. They may be planted : KISSES

72. "Full House" actor : STAMOS - A 90's heartthrob

74. Stifled laugh : SNORT - milk out your nose?

75. Produces interest, say : EARNS - Banks here are paying a whopping 0.95% on savings

79. Cup holder : SAUCER - Does anyone really put one under your coffee cup at home?

80. Sphere : ORB

83. Fish similar to the stingray : SKATE - Forms of rays and skates predate trees

85. One-third of an inning, to a pitcher : OUT - Great line by Robin Williams in Good Morning Vietnam - Sgt. Major Dickerson: [Pointing to his rank insignia] What does three up and three down mean to you, airman? Adrian Cronauer: End of an inning?

86. Longfellow's "The Bell of __" : ATRI  

87. Spine-chilling : EERIE

89. Easy basket : TIP IN 

90. Words before dash or pinch, in recipes : ADD A

96. iOS part: Abbr. : SYS - My iOS doesn't necessarily like OSX let alone Windows 8

97. "Hold On Tight" rock gp. : ELO

98. Biblical quartet : GOSPELS - the four that made the cut

101. Pooh pal : ROO

102. Old jazz standard "__ Liza Jane" : LIL

104. Chip, say : MAR

106. Windex target : PANE - Nia Vardolas explains the use of Windex in My Big Fat Greek Wedding

107. Do a pitcher's job : PEDDLE

114. Stooge with bangs : MOE - Brothers Moe and Shemp Howard were two of the original Four (yes, four) Stooges

115. Clear (of) : RID

116. "Here's the thing ..." : LOOK

117. Continuously : ON END


121. Church recess : APSE

122. Ugli coats : RINDS

123. Where el-Sisi is president : EGYPT

124. Uniform : EVEN - Some our greens are still not uniform due to winter kill

125. Bane in a bed : WEED - Maybe Denver can be higher than Santa Fe...

126. "Transcendence" actress Mara : KATE

127. Capone nemesis : NESS - Nitti's too

128. Telescopic __ : LENS


Down

1. First name in sci-fi : ISAAC

2. Japanese comics : MANGA - Okay.

3. Washington State Ferries setting : PUGET SOUND - Here's Joann at the top of the Space Needle  two weeks ago with the Puget Sound as a lovely background

4. __-mo replay : SLO - Umpires and referees get it right now

5. It usually pops up : TOAST - Great for holding up PB&J

6. Fairy tale staples : HAGS

7. Midori on the ice : ITO

8. Tribal healer : SHAMAN - White Bull was a Cheyenne SHAMAN who foresaw a great victory coming over Custer. Some say he may have killed Custer.


9. Work out : HIT THE GYM

10. Newsy tidbits : ITEMS - We don't need no stinkin' three sources. Print/tweet it!

11. Flag-capturing board game : STRATEGO

12. Join the chorus : SING

13. Polish, as text : EMEND -I did my best...

14. Achy from riding : SADDLE SORE - Bike and horse saddles

15. Texter's "Then again ..." : OTOH - On other hand, I have a wart ;-)

16. Truck stop sight : SEMI - Steeds for Interstate cowboys

19. Kick off : START - The Huskers kick off the season August 30th

20. "Defending Our Nation. Securing the Future" org. : NSA - Okay

23. Indian yogurt dip : RAITA - A dip, condiment or salad made with yogurt

29. Two-time Senior PGA Championship winner Jay : HAAS

30. "Right on!" : AMEN

32. Closing word : SOLD - Remember the old TV cigarette ad that ended "SOLD American"

33. Pungent spice : BAY LEAF - I wish I could link to a scent


37. Wild adventures : SAFARIS - I'd do a photo SAFARI

38. Honor in style : FETE

40. Private reply? : YES SIR - SIR! YES SIR!

42. Gowns for the rich and famous : DIORS - I don't "wear" DIOR, It's usually Haggar

43. West Point inits. : USMA - Honor Code -  "A cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do."

44. O'Neill's "Desire Under the __" : ELMS - or the oaks or maples or ash or...

45. Sniffer dog's asset : NOSE - They'll stick those NOSES in embarrassing places

46. Laugh line : GAG

48. Well-put : APT

49. Historic Mesopotamian city : EDESSA - Due north of EDOM

52. Chow chow : ALPO

53. "God Save the __!": Russian Empire anthem : TSAR - Uh, he didn't

60. Resort spot : ISLE - Our favorite ISLE - Capri

62. Golden wattle, for one : ACACIA - Lovely National Floral Emblem of Australia

63. Dub : NAME

65. Heavy wts. : TNS

66. Pots on a table : KITTIES - Kitties who have anted into the, uh, kitty

68. Lancôme parent company : L'OREAL

69. RPI or MIT : INST

70. Benihana founder Rocky __ : AOKI - Nori AOKI plays right field for the KC Royals

71. Wrestle (with) : GRAPPLE

72. Skewered Thai dish : SATAY - SATAY/ATRI was a struggle por moi

73. Sets free : TURNS LOOSE

76. California street with a Walk of Style : RODEO DRIVE - I wonder how much C.C. would spend for a pair of shoes on RODEO DRIVE

77. Studio subject : NUDE - Google away

78. Musial in Cooperstown : STAN - One of the finest gentlemen to ever play the game

79. Pollen production pouches : SACS

80. Montana motto word : ORO - Oro y Plata (gold and silver)

81. River to the Gulf of Mexico : RIO GRANDE - A very busy place these days

82. Kiss, in Cádiz : BESO - Paul Anka singing Eso BESO (That Kiss)

84. Doe in "Bambi" : ENA - Bambi's mother-in-law

88. Dorian Gray's flaw : EGOMANIA - See below

90. Single-season record holder for most HRs by a shortstop : AROD - The opposite of 78 Down

92. Where to pick lox : DELI

93. Hockey's Phil, to fans : ESPO

95. Garson of "Mrs. Miniver" : GREER

99. Dissect, in a way : PARSE - It's all part of the fun here

100. Navy flag : ENSIGN - Is Frank Pulver the most famous movie one?

103. Bugged : IRKED

105. Bond, for one : AGENT - Mine'll always be Sean Connery

107. Poe and Pope : POETS - Dead POETS Society was a great Robin Williams film

108. White sale item : LINEN - How did a white sale get tied to President's Day?


109. Pristine places : EDENS

110. Chip, perhaps : FLAW - One undetected FLAW in the number 2 oxygen tank fill line DOOMed Apollo 13

111. Move with long strides : LOPE

112. Nerd : DORK - 30 years later he's a zillionaire


113. Reasons for end zone dances: Abbr. : TDS

114. LeBron James has won four of them: Abbr. : MVPS - Many people loved seeing him move back to play in Cleveland

119. Drano ingredient : LYE

120. "The Producers" (1968) director Brooks : MEL - Yup, MEL was a Jewish man who wrote and directed a play containing the song Springtime For Hitler

NOW HEAR THIS! NOW HEAR THIS! The bloggers are about to speak!



Husker Gary

Sunday August 10, 2014 Melanie Miller

Theme: "Catchy Phrases" -Y is added to the end of the first word or first part of the first word. Catch-Y phrases indeed.

25A. What determines when the bash ends? : PARTY TIMER. Part-timer.

27A. Awkward work period? : STICKY SHIFT. Stick shift.

46A. Chess great keeping warm? : TOASTY MASTER. Toastmaster. Four one-word base phrases in the set.

71A. Containers for some pork cuts? : BELLY JARS. Bell jars. The only one in plural form.

94A. Hoedown official having a bad day? : CRANKY CALLER. Crank caller.

113A. Demand for fabric softener? : DOWNY MARKET. Downmarket.

118A. Yellowstone roughneck? : BULLY MOOSE. Bull Moose, the party.

35D. Chauffeur who's off his rocker? : SCREWY DRIVER. Screwdriver.

40D. Agent in need of Weight Watchers? : STOCKY BROKER. Stockbroker.

Classical 9-themer grid design. 7 Across & 2 Down.

I had an easy time, probably because the grid is very solver-friendly (lots of 4 & 5 letter words) and super clean. No obscure words or strange abbreviations. In fact, there are a limited few abbreviations in this puzzle, that's hard to achieve with a 21 & 21 grid.

Across:

1. Place with canoes : CAMP

5. Tableland : MESA

9. Groups of foxhounds : PACKS. Oh, I only know wolves/lies.

14. Little one on a board : PAWN. Chessboard.

18. Sashes with bows : OBIS

19. Skating maneuvers : AXELS

21. Interwoven hair : PLAIT. Pretty braid.

22. "Wonderfilled" cookie : OREO.  3D. 22-Across variety : MINI

23. Unimposing : PUNY

24. Wrangler's rope : RIATA. Just fill in R?ATA, then you wait.

30. Walks leisurely : MOSEYS

31. Must : HAS TO

32. "The Thin Blue Line" director Morris : ERROL. Forgot. I googled him before.

34. Outlaw tracker : POSSE

38. Vision-correcting aid : LASER

41. Student-teacher calculation, say : RATIO

43. Savanna newborn : LION CUB

45. Acct. posting : INT. 23-Across, if any.

51. "For that reason ..." : ERGO

52. Uncultured sort : BOOR

54. Chevy subcompact : AVEO. Hi there Gary!

55. Soap staple : DRAMA

56. Superman portrayer Cain : DEAN. With Terri Hatcher.

57. Italian cheesecake cheese : RICOTTA

59. Crisp quality : NIP

62. Sudden burst : SPATE

64. Like Thurber's humor : WRY.  James Thurber.

65. Tattoo sites, perhaps : ANKLES

66. Course often taken first : SALAD. Lovely clue.

68. Thermal __ : ENERGY

70. Modus operandi : STYLE

73. '50s sci-fi flier : RODAN

76. Unlikely to be talked out of : BENT ON

78. Looks : SEEMS

79. Reporter's need : SOURCE. I miss Anthony Shadid.

80. Disfigure : MAR

82. Planter : SOWER

84. R.I. summer hours : EDT

85. Bullet propellant : CORDITE. New word to me.

86. Macbeth, for one : SCOT

88. Prompt, as a forgetful actor : RE-CUE

90. Give a tongue-lashing, with "out" : REAM

92. Passionate : AVID

93. Reheat, in a way : NUKE

98. Pre-event period : EVE

99. Like Marilyn Monroe's voice : BREATHY. Jackie Kennedy's voice too.

101. Stoppers of spirits : CORKS. I need to stop thinking of ghosts when I see "spirits".

102. Paddled : OARED

104. __ Rossi: wine brand : CARLO. Gimme for Marti.

105. Was brilliant : SHONE

107. Pastry bag filler : ICING. I know the tool, D-Otto, not the term pastry bag.

110. Mile High player : BRONCO. Mile High Stadium.

122. Diving birds : LOONS

123. Take the edge off : EASE

124. Biblical barterer : ESAU

125. Actor with seven Emmys : ASNER. It's a record for a male actor.

126. Causing shudders, maybe : EERIE

127. "Slippery" trees : ELMS

128. Stare : GAPE

129. Swamp growths : REEDS

130. Ones breaking away : SECT. Stupidly put S in the last square.

131. Bug repellent ingredient : DEET

Down:

1. Cruiser drivers : COPS

2. Bump up against : ABUT

4. Freudian concern : PSYCHE

5. "The Bells of St. __" : MARY'S. Did any of you see this movie?

6. Be real : EXIST

7. Fish that swims upright : SEAHORSE

8. Voices in il coro : ALTI. Used Google Translate: il coro = the choir.

9. Very quietly, in music : PPP

10. 1836 battle site : ALAMO

11. December number : CAROL

12. Hobbyists' purchases : KITS

13. Eyelid irritation : STYE

14. Like a certain fairy tale apple : POISONED. Putin only eats food prepared by his Russian chefs, even if he's traveling abroad.

15. Give pieces to : ARM

16. Very early: WEE

17. Scand. land : NOR

20. Rare football result : SAFETY.  I don't follow football. How rare?

26. Dash for cash, e.g. : TYPO. So easy in retrospect.

28. Go-__ : KART

29. Remove fat from : TRIM

33. Teams are often on it, with "the" : ROAD

36. Baking staple : SUGAR

37. Key wood : EBONY. Did you read it as "Key word"?

38. Ones who are astrologically balanced? : LIBRAS. Scales.

39. Honor with oil : ANOINT

42. Unkeyed : ATONAL

43. Racing's 24 Hours of __ : LE MANS. Held in the French city Le Mans.

44. On the warpath : IRATE

47. Feed bag feed : OATS

48. Clark's "Mogambo" co-star : AVA

49. Most retirees: Abbr. : SRS

50. Winds down, with "off" : TAPERS

53. "Good Times" star : ROLLE (Esther)

58. Romeo and Juliet, e.g. : TEENS.  Also a great clue for  ROLES.

60. Afflictions : ILLS

61. Word on a check : PAYEE

63. Eraser target : ERROR

66. Adviser to Nero : SENECA

67. Worked a dance, for short : DJ'ED

69. Cheese from the Netherlands : GOUDA

71. Manhattan area, with "the" : BOWERY

72. Sunset Limited operator : AMTRAK. Did you nail this, Anon T?  I'm not familiar with Sunset Limited.

74. Busy : ACTIVE

75. More than wanted : NEEDED

77. Liberty Island symbol : TORCH

79. Not all : SOME

80. Cable news station : MSNBC

81. Legend creator : ACURA. Can't fool me.

83. Preside over : RUN

85. 20th-century White House nickname : CAL

87. Crayola color retired in 2003 : TEAL BLUE

89. Kitchen gadget brand : EKCO

91. Kronborg Castle, in Shakespeare : ELSINORE. "Hamlet".

95. Over there, to Shakespeare : YOND

96. Big Easy cuisine : CREOLE. Hi there, Big Easy on our blog.

97. Author Jaffe : RONA

100. British Conservative : TORY

103. Was like-minded : AGREED

105. Quick bread choice : SCONE. I made sweet potato scones last year. Not as good as they look here.

106. Took for a ride : HOSED

108. Pessimist : CYNIC

109. "Nothing more required here" : I'M SET

111. Epps of "The Mod Squad" : OMAR

112. Wine taster's concern : NOSE

114. Hardships : WOES

115. Leafy vegetable : KALE

116. Salinger's "With Love and Squalor" girl : ESME

117. __ pilot : TEST

118. Mooch : BEG

119. "White Collar" network : USA. Irish Miss & JD might be following this show.

120. Full circuit : LAP

121. Waffling sounds : ERs

C.C.

Sunday August 3, 2014 Amy Johnson

Theme:  "Kiddie Lit" - A word is added to each famous novel & turns it into a kid book.

23A. Tolstoy tale of child's play? : THUMB WAR AND PEACE. Never read War and Peace. So heavy. How things have deteriorated in Iraq & the whole Middle East!

36A. Carson tale of well-behaved classroom clock watchers? : SILENT SPRING FEVER. Rachel Carson's Silent Spring. Spring fever.

54A. Dickens tale of math woes? : HARD TIMES TABLES. Dickens' Hard Times. Times tables was certainly math woe to me.

75A. Palahniuk tale of a rowdy slumber party society? : PILLOW FIGHT CLUB. I only saw the movie Fight Club. Did not know the author.

89A. Orwell tale of Beanie Baby breeding? : STUFFED ANIMAL FARM.  I learned not long ago that George Orwell coined the term "Cold War".

108A. Updike tale of an idle cereal mascot? : TRIX RABBIT AT REST. Wiki said "the novel won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1991, the second "Rabbit" novel to garner the award."  Never read it. Trix is made by General Mills here in MN.

This puzzle has only 6 theme entries, but they're all pretty long. Total 96 theme squares. Personally I feel very comfortable with 90. 

I don't think I've made a Sunday puzzle without cheater squares. This grid is cheater-free. Only 70 black squares.

 Across:

1. Beijing Zoo attraction : PANDA. Every major zoo in China has a panda or two.

6. It's often seen in sheets : GLASS. Not STAMP.

11. Spreadsheet figures : DATA. "Sheet" clue echo.

15. Foolhardy : RASH

19. TWA competitor : US AIR

20. Cowboy's rope : RIATA. Or REATA.

21. Baylor, for one: Abbr. : UNIV

22. Analogy words : IS TO

26. Robert De __ : NIRO. I once had to remove NIRO from my puzle. Rich said his name is De Niro.

27. Giga- x 1,000 : TERA

28. St. Laurent of fashion : YVES. He had a great lover in Pierre Berge.

29. Upper-bod muscle : DELT

30. Hit song of 1950 : RAG MOP. Ames Brothers

32. Get cozy : SNUGGLE

34. Like Death Valley : SERE. Haven't seen this word for a long time.

35. Stud site : EARLOBE. You've got to think of earrings when "stud" is in the clue. Not this one.

Splynter the Saturday Stud

40. Certain school team activity : DEBATE

44. Kick : BOOT

45. __ double take : DOES A

46. Botanical coating : ARIL. Wish it were clued as pomegranate seed.

47. "Fernando" band : ABBA

48. Matches at the poker table : CALLS

50. Hoover and Mossyrock : DAMS. Know former only.

58. Drink that lost the second part of its name in 1961 : PEPSI. Cola? I still call it Pepsi Cola though.

59. Mended, in a way : DARNED

60. Israel's Iron Lady : MEIR (Golda). She's in Munich.

61. War movie staples : HEROES

62. Diplomatic rep. : AMB

64. Nods, say : OKs

65. Evade : SKIRT

67. 1921 sci-fi play : R.U.R.

68. Biol. or chem. : SCI

69. Artichoke servings : HEARTS. I don't like artichoke. How about you, Marti?

71. Earth has one : MOON

72. Overdo the buffet, say : PIG OUT. Only if they have pickled herrings.

74. These, in Juarez : ESTAS

80. Half a fish : MAHI

81. Welles of "War of the Worlds" : ORSON

82. "Return of the Jedi" dancer : OOLA.  Alley Oop's girlfriend is OOOLA.

83. Apollo landers, briefly : LEMs

84. Grannies : NANAs

86. Samoan capital : APIA

87. Gets : GRASPS

95. Oregon coastal city : ASTORIA

96. Late notice? : OBIT

97. Berlin School psychological theory : GESTALT. Lovely entry. "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts".

102. Excitable cell : NEURON

103. Billionaire bank founder Andy : BEAL. Nope. No idea.

104. Latin trio member : AMAT

106. Wind in a pit : OBOE

107. Parisian's "to be" : ETRE

112. Employee IDs : SSNS

113. Actor Morales : ESAI. He was cool for a few episodes in NYPD Blue.

114. What a white flag may mean : TRUCE

115. Complete : UTTER

116. __ drive : TEST

117. "Father of the American Cartoon" : NAST. I guess he deserves the title.

118. "Symphony in Black" et al. : ERTES

119. "The Gondoliers" bride : TESSA. I can never remember this lady.

Down:

1. Forgoes the gimme : PUTTS. I'll take the gimme.

2. Like Dracula's visage : ASHEN

3. Tiny republic formerly called Pleasant Island : NAURU. Gimme.

4. Yankee legend, familiarly : DIMAG

5. Wall St. trader : ARB

6. Fish tank flooring : GRAVEL

7. Old Bologna bread : LIRE

8. Wiimote inserts : AAAs

9. Stop: Abbr. : STN

10. Most mournful : SADDEST

11. One with a second : DUELER. "Second" is the DUELER's assistant.

 12. Med sch. subject : ANAT
 

13. Poker game tell, maybe : TIC

14. Batting figures : AVERAGES 

15. Mastermind : RING LEADER. Great answer also.

16. "The Robots of Dawn" author : ASIMOV

17. Disco light : STROBE

18. "Sesame Street" store owner : HOOPER. Stumper for me.

24. Poet Elinor : WYLIE. Must be gimme for Yellowrocks and Owen.

25. Cop's quarry : PERP

31. Lab greetings : ARFs

33. Prime meridian std. : GST. Always want GMT.

34. Source of brown fur : STOAT

35. Carbon compounds : ENOLS. Every puzzle has a few undesirable entries.

37. Receded : EBBED

38. Noggins : NOBS

 39. Hardly a doer : IDLER

40. Code word : DAH. Morse Code.

41. Timeline chapter : ERA

42. Pool on a pedestal : BIRD BATH

43. "The Aviator" Oscar nominee : ALDA (Alan)

47. Skunk River city : AMES. Not a pleasant name: Skunk River.

 

48. Highway breaker? : CBER. Nice clue.

49. Came down : ALIT 

51. Last Supper attendees : APOSTLES. Last week at the flea market there was a woman who kept shouting "Jesus is $9. Jesus is $9". I discovered that she was selling Jesus figurines.

52. PC processing unit : MSEC

53. "Absolutely, amigo!" : SI SI

55. Races with sulkies : TROTS. Sulky is two-wheeled & one-horse carriage.

56. Tattoo parlor supplies : INKS. So do you have tattoos?

57. PABA part : AMINO

58. Texarkana-born '90s candidate : PEROT

61. Julia's "Notting Hill" co-star : HUGH (Grant). He had 2 kids with a Chinese girl.

62. "If I may butt in ..." : AHEM

63. Phoenix suburb : MESA

65. "Take it!" response, in a jazz club : SOLO. Easy for our Jazzbumpa.

66. City on the Rhein : KOLN

67. Latvia's most populous city : RIGA

70. Rapidly shrinking ecosystem : RAIN FOREST
 

71. Didn't __ beat : MISS A

72. Rice style : PILAF

73. Jim Morrison's alma mater : UCLA

75. The Devil's label? : PRADA. The Devil Wears Prada. The movie is better than the book.

76. Tom of "The Dukes of Hazzard" : WOPAT. Another stranger to me.

77. Straight man : FOIL. Wiki said "straight man is a stock character in a comedy performance, especially a double act, sketch comedy, or farce". Not a familiar concept to me.

78. Base decision maker : UMP

79. Undergrad degs. : BSS

81. Not a great chance : ONE IN TEN

85. Hendrix hairdo : AFRO
 

86. Comment from one rushing in : AM I LATE

87. Actress Scacchi : GRETA. Never heard of her either. Very pretty.

88. Condo divs. : RMs

89. Having the most marbles : SANEST. 94. Shooting marbles : AGATES. Marble clue echo.

90. Sub-Saharan menace : TSETSE

91. Reversals : U-TURNS 

92. "You can't get out this way" : NO EXIT

93. Building beam : I-BAR
 

98. Dessert cart goodie : TORTE

99. Drives the getaway car for : ABETS

100. Blows, perhaps : LOSES. Great clue also.
 

101. Aquarium swimmer : TETRA

103. Predisposition : BIAS

104. Be up against : ABUT

105. Mickey and Minnie : MICE

109. Pres. Mandela's land : RSA. Republic of South Africa.

110. Winter outburst? : BRR

111. "Shame on you!" : TUT

Happy Birthday to dear Melissa, who's been through some really tough time. She's always strong and never complains.

C.C.

Melissa Bee

Sunday July 27, 2014 Ed Sessa,

Theme: "Double Talk"- Clues, all in quotation marks (hence "talk"), serve dual purpose (hence "double talk"), explaining both words in theme answers which are all in the pattern of *ING *

23A. "Uh-oh, there's a ball and glass shards under the window"? : BREAKING NEWS

45A "Give 20% for great service"? : TIPPING POINT. Tipping was new to me when I first arrived in the US.

61A. "You shoulda seen the one that got away"? : FISHING LINE. The Annandale flea market we go on Saturdays are surrounded by many many lakes.

70A. "The children were angels and in bed by eight"? : SITTING BULL

86A. "Hooray, you're up!"? : ROUSING CHEER

112A. "Here's a good way to use your comb"? : PARTING WORDS

17D. "Who's ahead?"? : LEADING QUESTION

43D. "A daily jog is good for you"? : RUNNING ARGUMENT

So, all the theme entries are completely re-interpreted with amusing effect. It takes imagination & humor to execute this type of gimmick. Ed is a pro.

Also I love the fill today. So clean for a 140-worder.

Across:

1. Be a slacker : DOG IT

6. Soft-bodied swimmers : OCTOPI. The meat is chewy.

12. Kin of raspberries : CATCALLS. Not other fruit.

20. One may be seen with glasses : OPERA. Opera glasses.

21. Forgoes : WAIVES

22. Like sloths : ARBOREAL

25. "No sweat" : REAL EASY!

26. Prohibited : BANNED

27. Organ with a drum : EAR

28. Small strings on the Big Island : UKES

30. Presages : BODES

31. Destroys, as illusions : SHATTERS. That's why I disliked Juiced.

33. Forced with a crowbar : PRIED

35. 68-Down maker : DELI. 68. 35-Across order : BLT. I already harvested two tomatoes from our garden.

36. __Kosh B'Gosh : OSH

37. Rhone feeder : SAONE

38. "The Great Schnozzola" : DURANTE

41. Taj Mahal setting : AGRA

48. St. leader : GOV. "St" can stand for quite a few things.

49. Dull-edged : BLUNT

51. Trekkie, to some : NERD

52. Get into : DON. Oh, clothes.

53. "__ se habla español" : AQUI. Here. Spanish is spoken here.

54. Wrigley's Big Red flavoring : CINNAMON

56. Silver lining : UPSIDE

59. Pitch : HURL

60. RR stop : STN

64. Composer Camille Saint-__ : SAENS

65. Link up with : TIE TO

67. "The Dark Knight" director Christopher : NOLAN. I confused him with the creepy X-Men director Bryan Singer.

68. Brazilian dance opener : BOSSA (Nova)

69. Jamboree quarters : TENTS

74. "Enough already!" : TMI

76. Therefore : ERGO

77. Like this answer : ACROSS. So meta.

78. Things : ENTITIES

80. Indian flatbread : NAAN

81. Mauna __ : LOA. "Long" in Hawaiian.

82. Part of a family business name : SONS

84. Unmanned flier : DRONE

85. Copier size: Abbr. : LTR

91. Hold 'em opener : ANTE

92. Most monumental : BIGGEST

94. Aloe targets : SORES

95. Batt. terminal : NEG

97. Sources in a modern bibliog. : URLS

98. Playwright Chekhov : ANTON. Masha, one of  "Three Sisters",  was modeled on his future wife, a stage actress.

99. Mason : STONEMAN

104. '50s first lady : MAMIE

106. Cocktail hour spread : PATE

107. Hieroglyphic serpent : ASP

109. Wisconsin city on Lake Michigan : RACINE. Not familiar with this city. Siren, Wisconsin has a Burnikel Road.

110. Mass approval : AMEN AMEN

115. Beltway : RING ROAD

116. Each : A PIECE

117. Like a good watchdog : ALERT

118. Chant : INTONATE. Only know the noun "Intonation".

119. Headed for the Styx : DOOMED

120. Helps through difficulty, with "over" : TIDES

Down:

1. Lou of Fox Business Network : DOBBS. I used to watch him faithfully in his CNN days.

2. TV book club creator : OPRAH

3. Actress Davis : GEENA

4. "__, Therefore I Am": Dennis Miller book : I RANT

5. Become fond of : TAKE TO

6. Possess : OWN

7. Cockatoo quarters : CAGES

8. '90s "New Yorker" editor Brown : TINA. Sharp wit. She bought this famous cartoon & published it immediately. Like LA Times crosswords, "New Yorker" has a long queue of cartoons.

"No, Thursday's out. How about never - is never good for you?"

9. Didn't shop around, maybe : OVER-PAID

10. Benchlike seat : PEW

11. Distributing : ISSUING

12. Liked, with "for" : CARED

13. Greek war god : ARES

14. Not decided, in skeds : TBA

15. Comic with a satiric news show : COLBERT. I prefer Jon Stewart. Who's your favorite comic, Jayce?

16. Colorful ring : AREOLA

18. Zap : LASE

19. Stone and others : SLYS

24. Caesar's "that is" : ID EST

29. Maintain : KEEP

32. Endangered Sumatrans : RHINOS

34. Kim Possible's sidekick __ Stoppable : RON. No idea. Never watched Kim Possible.

35. "An Inconvenient Woman" novelist : DUNNE

37. Three-mo. period : SPR

38. LED component : DIODE

39. Open, for one : TOURNAMENT

40. Bad things : EVILS

41. Kindergarten basics : ABCS

42. People people : GLITTERATI. People magazine.

44. Gothic novelist Radcliffe : ANN

46. Phnom __ : PENH

47. God in both Eddas : ODIN

50. Political family spanning three centuries : TAFTS.  I even remember Bob Taft. Must be some scandals.

53. Cries of discovery : AHAs

55. Mine in Milan : MIO

56. Citrus hybrids : UGLIS. Very juicy.

57. It may contain steps : PLAN

58. Perform, in a way : SING

62. Digging : INTO

63. Have-__: disadvantaged ones : NOTS

64. Reliable, as a citizen : SOLID

66. Prince William's alma mater : ETON

69. Workout wt. : TEN LB

70. Jamboree attendee : SCOUT. Have any of you read "The Mockingbird Next Door"? Harpee Lee called Truman Capote a "psychopath".

71. Some savings accts. : IRAS

72. Prefix with diction : BENE

73. Not posted yet : UNSENT

75. "Understood" : I SEE

77. Puzzled, after "at" : A LOSS

79. La-la lead-in : TRA

82. Script outline : SCENARIO

83. Aptly named Quaker cereal : OHS. I've been enjoying the Test Kitchen steel cut oatmeal D-Otto mentioned on the blog a few months ago. Too bad he does not like it himself.

86. Master again : RE-LEARN

87. Ain't good? : ISN'T. Grammatically.

88. Place for a to-do list : NOTE PAD

89. Garden product word : GRO. Miracle-Gro.

90. Bankruptcy result, briefly : REORG

93. "__ Viejo": Carlos Fuentes novel : GRINGO. Carlos Fuentes said Spanish was the only language he could make love with. That's why he only married Mexican women.

96. Plague : GNAW AT

98. "Duck Dynasty" airer : A AND E

99. Rub ingredient : SPICE

100. Bacteria found in the GI tract : ECOLI

101. Stuck in muck : MIRED

102. Wrestler known as "the Giant" : ANDRE. He was in The Princess Bride.

103. Tweeting locales : NESTS. Not Twitter tweet.

104. Spouse on the Seine : MARI. Husband.

105. Ugandan despot : AMIN

106. Organic fuel : PEAT

108. Poppy prop : STEM

111. Minn. shopping mecca : MOA. Mall of America, where Gary & his wife will visit next month.

113. GI's address : APO

114. Beatty of "Deliverance" : NED. Wish I did not see the movie. 

C.C.