Thursday, December 13, 2012 Pawel Fludzinski

Theme: QOD ("Quote of the Day.")

Our regular blogger Hahtoolah always supplies us with a thought-provoking QOD, but today she has been upstaged with this theme quote, attributed to Victor Hugo.

19. Start of quote attributed to Victor Hugo : FORTY IS THE OLD

33. Quote, part 2 : AGE OF YOUTH.

39. Quote, part 3 : FIFTY IS THE

56. End of the quote : YOUTH OF OLD AGE.

Any questions?  I chuckled when I finished the quote, because I thought it would be quite appropriate for our little band. So what is Sixty? Seventy? Eighty?  I'll let you all fill in the blanks!

Marti here, to check out the rest of the fill.

Across:

1. Song title spelled out in a 1967 hit : R-E-S-P-E-C-T. We start out with one of my favorite tunes. 4:27

8. Wicket defender : BATSMAN. Opposite the bowler, in cricket.

15. Composer Vivaldi : ANTONIO. Perhaps best known for his "Four Seasons." 41:59 I opened it in a separate window, and listened while doing this write-up.  You may not have the time to listen to it all, but the first few bars should jog your memory.

16. People people? : EDITORS. "People" magazine, that is. And 52-Down. 16-Across reversals : STETS. "Let it stand," which is a notation over an originally edited word.

17. Crick who co-discovered DNA structure : FRANCIS. His co-discoverer was James Watson.

18. It went down in history : TITANIC. At this time of year, I am inclined to think of Rudolf, instead. 3:12

21. Troubadours' instruments : LUTES. Anyone else fill in "lyres?"  My first ink blot of the day...

22. Follower of Stalin? : IST. Stalinist. I might ask, "Why 'Stalin', in particular?"

23. Tale spinner : LIAR.

26. Bastille Day season : ETE. Bastille Day is a French holiday celebrated on July 14th.  So we are looking for the French word for "summer" here.

27. Coal carrier : TRAM.

30. Statue at St. Peter's : PIETA. I think the PIETA by Michelangelo is the one that struck me most when I visited St. Peter's.

31. Pachy- add-on : DERM. In Massachusetts, we call liquor stores "packies."

36. Novelist Ferber : EDNA. I always think of "Giant" when she is mentioned. Fantastic classic film made from the novel, starring Elizabeth Taylor, James Dean and Rock Hudson.

38. Met, as a bet : SEEN. "I'll see your dime, and raise you a nickel..."

43. Crash site? : SOFA. Fun clue, but didn't fool me.

47. Elegant tapestry : ARRAS. Named for the French town known for its fine wall hangings which were sold all over Europe to decorate castle walls.

48. Saintly ring : HALO. "Aura" would fit. (Sigggghhhhh....second ink blot!)

50. Rock's ___ Lobos : LOS. "The Wolves" in Spanish.  You may recognize this song. 2:52

51. Volvo competitor : SAAB. Last week it was "Sundsvall roller."

52. ___-Julie, Quebec : STE. Map. No hint of Abbr. in the clue?

54. Round at the saloon : BEERS. Cheers! ("It's five o'clock somewhere!")

60. Barbecue cook : GRILLER. DH is the resident griller in this house.

62. Head-in-the-clouds sort? : AVIATOR. "Dreamer" also fit...(Drats! Third ink blot!!)

63. Meet unexpectedly : RUN INTO.

64. Fraction, e.g. : SEGMENT.

65. Protective sac for some embryos : EGG CASE. And a clecho with 5-Down. Form into a sac : ENCYST. Ewwww...

66. Locks overhead : TRESSES.

Down:

1. Offered as a door prize, say : RAFFLED. The only door prize I have ever won was a bunch of scratch tickets that turned out to be duds!

2. Going somewhere : EN ROUTE. This one fixed my "lyres" ink blot.

3. First-pitch thrower : STARTER.

4. Florence's ___ Vecchio : PONTE. All along both sides of the bridge are small shops selling (mostly) gold and silver jewelry.

6. MXXX ÷ X : CIII. This one was slightly easier for me than one of Bill G.'s math puzzles!

7. Deep-six : TOSS. The expression "deep-six" comes from the practice of burying the dead at at the depth of a fathom (approx. 6 feet). At sea, the water must be a minimum of 6 fathoms before the weighted body can be interred.

8. Second Hebrew letters : BETHS. These (UPDATED 8:15 - THANKS MIDDLETOWN BOMBER!): בּבּבּבּ

9. Trying to lose, with "on" : A DIET.

10. Bandleader Puente : TITO. What a great personality he had. 4:21

11. Stud farm studs : STALLIONS.

12. Kin of "Sacre bleu!" : MON DIEU.

13. D-backs, on scoreboards : ARI.zona.

14. Defense advisory gp. : NSC. National Security Council.

20. It marches and flies : TIME. Are we having fun yet?

24. Verizon rival, initially : ATT. American Telephone & Telegraph

25. Stadium sound : RAH.

28. Royal sari wearer : RANI.

29. Turkish titles : AGAS.

30. English poet laureate, 1790-1813 : PYE. One of his prose works is "Summary of the Duties of a Justice of the Peace Out of Sessions: With Some Observations." Sounds absolutely fascinating, doesn't it? You can read the book online here.  Go ahead, I'll wait for you to finish it...

32. Like diets based on body type : METABOLIC. ...Back already?

34. Workplace protection org. : OSHA. Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

35. Have a hunch : FEEL. Like most of my WAGs, I usually have a hunch they will turn out to be wrong.

37. Functional opening : DYS. DYSfunctional, like some people here on the corner. (Yes, you know I mean you!)

39. Scale notes : FAS.

40. Author Levin : IRA. "Rosemary's Baby" was my first introduction to him.

41. Coming apart at the seams? : FRAYING. Loved the clue!

42. Kojak, to friends : THEO. This one fixed my "aura" inkblot.

44. Fatty-acid ointments : OLEATES.  I could explain how this clue relates to the answer, but I'm afraid eyes would glaze over. Instead, here's a fascinating story about what happens when an ant dies. I first heard it on NPR's "All Things Considered." (Funny you should use that phrase in your 4:09 post yesterday, Creature!)

45. Like some conclusions : FORGONE. In this sense, shouldn't it be "foregone"?

46. States categorically : ASSERTS.

49. Bind legally : OBLIGE. I am OBLIGEd to tell you that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect those of the management...

53. Spasm : THROE.

55. Red-wrapped cheeses : EDAMS.

57. Radius neighbor : ULNA.

58. Ramadan practice : FAST. This one fixed my "dreamer" inkblot! The entire month of Ramadan is observed by Muslims as a month of fasting.

59. At an end : OVER. Almost there!

60. Univ. sr.'s exam : GRE. Graduate Record Exam.

61. Persian, e.g. : RUG. "If an Iranian wears a toupee, does that make it a Persian rug?"

Hugs,

Marti

Thursday, December 6, 2012 C.C. Burnikel

Theme: "Love knows no season" 3:31

17A. Typically pink-flowered bloomer : CABBAGE ROSE.

23A. Gateway Arch architect : EERO SAARINEN.

37A. Key Egyptian artifact unearthed in 1799 : THE ROSETTA STONE.

49A. Postwar reception : HERO'S WELCOME.

And the unifier:

60. Tools of the mischievous god hidden in 17-, 23-, 37- and 49-Across : BOW AND ARROW. I highlighted him in red for all the world to see.

Mischievous, indeed.  Had it not been for EROS, I would still be part of the 11-D. Single and looking group: DATING POOL.

This is a very open grid, with only 34 blocks. Nice long down fills, too. In addition to 11-D, which I mentioned above, we have 28-D. Defroster alternative: ICE SCRAPER. A not so nice reminder about what's in store for us Northerners over the next few months, but lovely fill for a puzzle!  Let's see what other mischief C.C. will get us into.

Across:

1. Sundsvall rollers : SAABS.  Ahhh, same as last Thursday when we had "Maine-et-Loire" hinting at the French for ami.  This time, the car has been clued with more late-week difficulty by using "Sundsvall" to hint at the Swedish imports.  But unless you knew that Sundsvall is a city some 250 miles north of Stockholm, you didn't have much of a chance.

6. Trickeries : SHAMS.

11. Pops : DAD. Pa, papa, daddy, daddio...

14. Portion out : ALLOT.

15. Knighted conductor : SOLTI. Sir Georg, that is.  Here he is conducting the London Symphony in a beautiful version of Elgar: Enigma Variations. 3:45

16. Took in : ATE. Did you get taken in by this clue?

19. Paris pronoun : TOI. French for "you," with the easy hint using "Paris" as the adjective. My other guess would be "moi." (It's all about me...)

20. Title words preceding "beneath the milky twilight," in a 1999 hit : KISS ME. By the group Sixpence. 3:11.  It was a 29A: Hit, maybe: SONG.

21. "So relaxing!" : AHH.  We had our book club meeting at a day spa last week. I heard lots of "ahhs."

22. Worrisome engine sound : PING. My most worrisome sound is when I hear the mechanic say "Uh-oh" from under the hood.

26. Set straight : ALIGNED.

30. Breeders' Cup event : RACE.

31. Loses on purpose : DIETS.  Love this clue! I was thinking about someone who "throws" a game or a fight.

34. Light touch : PAT. And the nickname of my BFF.

41. Coll. applicants : SRS. Seniors applying to college.

42. Big name in beer : STROH. The company broke up in 2000, and STROH's is now brewed by Pabst.  Or so I'm told...I don't drink beer.

43. Mindless process : ROTE.

44. Manitoba tribe : CREE.

46. Blood sugar regulator : INSULIN.

53. Neutrogena rival : OLAY.

54. Like "ifs" and "buts": Abbr. : PLU.ral.

55. Throw a feast for : REGALE. I always thought this meant to make someone laugh, but it also has a broader sense of entertaining (as with a feast.)

59. Back talk : LIP.

62. Cezanne's summer : ETE. Paul Cezanne was a French post-impressionist artist. So you know you are looking for the French word for "summer."

63. Pad user : STENO.grapher.  I doubt that there is a big future for STENOs nowadays.

64. Light wash : RINSE. Very light.

65. Le counterpart, in Leipzig : DER.  Leipzig is, a German town, SW of Berlin. Map. C.C. is sending us all over Europe on this puzzle! "Le" and "DER" are the French and German words for "the."

66. Like-minded gps. : ASSNS. Associations.

67. Guide : STEER.

Down:

1. Grain holder : SACK.

2. Jai ___ : ALAI.

3. Mass robes : ALBS. Plain white robes that are worn by priests.

4. Raspy-voiced "Like a Rock" singer : BOB SEGER. Great song. 5:55

5. Where the anther is : STAMEN. I thought it wath going to be "under your nothe."

6. Dallas-to-Houston dir. : SSE.

7. Wedding dances : HORAS.

8. HI hi : ALOHA. Cute clue! HI is the abbr. for Hawaii.

9. Highest peak in the Calif. Cascades : MT. SHASTA. Calif. is abbr. because of "MT." in the ans.

10. "Sprechen ___ Deutsch?" : SIE. (Back to Leipzig!) "Do you speak German?"

12. Do a makeup job? : ATONE. Another great clue.

13. Stoop : DEIGN.

18. "Unfaithful" co-star : GERE. Richard Gere and Diane Lane co-starred.  I have not seen it, but I understand it received mixed reviews.

22. One that stands to prevent a strike : PIN. HaHa - great shout-out from C.C. to her DH "Boomer." Of course we are talking about bowling pins here. (From C.C.: This is Rich's clue. He always makes me look smarter.)

24. More strange : ODDER.

25. Soft-spoken painter Bob : ROSS. Remember "The Joy of Painting" on TV?  He was soft-spoken because he hated his previous career in the military, where he had to yell constantly.

26. Liberal subject? : ARTS.

27. 1939 Garland co-star : LAHR. Bert Lahr and Judy Garland in "The Wizard of Oz."

32. "Who am ___ say?" : I TO.

33. Moral principle : ETHIC.

35. Con : ANTI.

36. Summer intern, often : TEEN.

38. Plural medical suffix : OSES. Dermatoses, neuroses, psychoses, thromboses...

39. Stock holders? : STEW POTS.  Another fun clue!

40. John Wayne classic : TRUE GRIT. The remake in 2010 starring Jeff Bridges as Rooster Cogburn was surprisingly well-done.

45. Campanella of Cooperstown : ROY. No clue, but I know C.C. will help me out here! (From C.C.: Roy Campanella was one of the first Black players in Major League. First Black catcher. He joined the Brooklyn Dodgers a year after Jackie Robinson did.)

Jackie Robinson, Don Newcombe, Roy Campanella

47. North of Paris : NORD. Back to Paris for more French.

48. Mascara mishaps : SMEARS.

49. Sank, in a way : HOLED. HG, have you HOLED any putts lately?

50. High class : ELITE.

51. Cary of "The Princess Bride" : ELWES. Still haven't seen this one - it's on my Netflix list, though!

52. Blond comic strip teenager : LUANN. This comic strip.

56. Secretary of Education Duncan : ARNE. Arne Duncan took over from Margaret Spellings in 2009.

57. Get whipped : LOSE.

58. Fancy pitcher : EWER.

60. Org. with Eagles : BSA. Boy Scouts of America.  Eagle scouts, that is.

61. Hardly shows of support : NOS. Like this? 0:17.

That's all I have to say, so I'll sit back now and let everyone else have the floor!

Hugs,
Marti

Notes from C.C.:

1) MT SHASTA is for Melissa, who longs to move in there eventually. I plunked it down early on (as it's an answer that crosses three theme entries) and was so pleased it worked.

2) Happy Birthday to the always cheerful and happy Lucina! Hope you're feeling better.

L-R back row: Chickie, Clear Ayes, Garlic Gal
   Front: JD, Lucina, Dodo
June 23, 2011

Thursday, November 29, 2012 James Sajdak

Theme: "Deafening Silence"

Four adjectives ending in "ing" are combined with nouns to provide an auditory sense of camping in the wilderness. I'm not sure if it was intentional, but all the adjectives are formed from verbs that end in "L-E," adding another layer of tightness to the theme entries:

16-A. Campground sound #1 : SIZZLING STEAKS.

23-A. Campground sound #2 : BABBLING BROOK.

51-A. Campground sound #3 : CRACKLING FIRE.

60-A. Campground sound #4 : RUSTLING LEAVES.

I had the first two, and thought we were looking for alliterative phrases. So, CRACKLING FIRE took a while. Two 14s and two 13s are a difficult letter count to grid, but Mr. Sajdak does a fine job on this one.

Marti here, occasional constructor, regular poster, and today in my role as chief cook and blogger.

Across:

1. Early sunscreen ingredient : PABA. I don't think he means "Pan-Asian Boxing Association," so my guess is he's talking about the ingredient Para-Aminobenzoic acid.

5. "Let's get goin'!" : C'MON. The shortened "goin'" in the clue hints at a slangy answer.

9. Put ___ act : ON AN.

13. Tater : SPUD.

14. Hard to believe : LAME. "That's a lame excuse for a puzzle!"

15. Wine quality : NOSE. The aroma you get just as you bring the glass to your lips.

19. Devisish toon : TAZ.manian Devil.

20. Maine-et-Loire mate : AMI. French for "friend" (male) and a clecho with 29-Across. Hot time in Maine-et-Loire : AOUT. (French for "August".) Maine-et-Loire must be the Thursday substitute for Paris, when you are sent searching for a French word.

21. In-crowds : A-LISTS.

27. Curt refusal : I WON'T. (How rude!)

30. Renaissance painter ___ Angelico : FRA. In Florence, he came under the patronage of the Medici family.

31. Like a spot in "Macbeth" : DAMNED. "Out, DAMNED spot! out, I say!" (Often misquoted as "Out, out damned spot...")

33. Pac-12 team : UTES. Utah, in the NCAA football Division 1.

35. "Pretty Woman" co-songwriter : ORBISON. Anyone try Bill Dees, the other co-songwriter? Did anyone even know there was a co-songwriter? Here's the song. 3:00

37. Some comedy sketches : SATIRES. I had "stand-up," but realized it wasn't plural as indicated in the clue. (Drat, first ink-blot.)

42. Nov. voting time : TUES.day.  This year it was Nov. 6, and marked C.C.'s first time voting as a citizen in a U.S. Presidential election.

44. Streaker in a shower : METEOR. HaHa, loved this clue!

45. Remote power sources : AAs. Small batteries in a remote control.

48. City near Yorba Linda : BREA. Spanish for "tar." So why are they called "La Brea Tar Pits?" ("The tar-tar pits?")  (Wouldn't that be like certain Russian underarms?) (Moving on...)

50. Track contests : RACES. Not "meets." Drat! another ink blot. ("Out, DAMNED spot!")

55. "Honor Thy Father" author : TALESE. Non-fiction work about the Bonnano mafia family in New York.

56. Sargasso Sea spawner : EEL.

57. Forest's 2006 Oscar-winning role : IDI. Forest Whitaker in "The Last King of Scotland."

64. "___ baby!" : ATTA.

65. Swimmer with pups : SEAL. So, you tell me: "Which one is the pup?"

66. POTUS backup : VEEP. President of the United States' #2 guy is the "V-P," or VEEP.

67. Hightail it : TEAR. I went TEARing through the mall this weekend, because I hate crowds.

68. Pays (for) : POPS. "I'll POP for this one..."

69. West Point team : ARMY.

Down:

1. Subtle "Over here..." : PSST.

2. Polynesian capital : APIA. Here is the astronaut's view.

3. WWII German missile nickname : BUZZ BOMB. The V-1 Flying Bomb inspired terror in the British people when the sound stopped, because the explosion followed shortly afterwards.

4. Log shaper : ADZ. A favorite word for Scrabble players.

5. Mount Everest? : CLIMB. Loved this clue!  "Mount" is a synonym for "climb."

6. Capital on the island of Luzon : MANILA. And site of the famous Ali-Frazier fight called "The Thrilla in Manila."

7. Texter's "Holy cow!" : OMG. Oh...my...god... (Great safety poster here.)

8. Mario Brothers console : NES. Knew only from crossword puzzles.

9. 16 oz. : ONE LB. Anyone else put "pound"? I totally ignored the "oz." abbr. in the clue. (Another ink blot...)

10. Jordin Sparks/Chris Brown song covered on "Glee" : NO AIR. Finn and Rachel sing it here. 4:23.

11. Desires from : ASKS OF. Has everyone told Santa what they desire from him this year?

12. "Iliad" wise man : NESTOR.

17. Blood typing, e.g. : LAB TEST.

18. Wrestling pair : TAG TEAM.

22. Calypso offshoot : SKA. Calypso originated in Trinidad, and was picked up by Jamaican youths who blended it with the rhythm & blues sounds they heard out of New Orleans, as well as steel-pan music and their own unique beat to form SKA in the mid-50's.

24. Years in old Rome : ANNI. Nominative plural form of "annus" in Latin.

25. Chit : IOU.

26. Crunch source : NUTS.

27. Promise before a parson : I DO.

28. Hawk's cause : WAR. We're talking political "hawks," but we don't talk politics here on the blog!

32. British travel feature, in the past? : DOUBLE L. The British double the "l" in travel, when speaking in the past tense: "We travelled to Europe last year to visit our favourite friends."

34. Clean and then some : STERILE.

36. Philip ___: 16th century Italian saint : NERI. Needed perps...not up on my 16th century Italian saints.

38. ___-Tass : ITAR. Informatsionnye Telegrafnoye Agentstvto Rossii–Telegrafnoe Agentstvo Sovetskovo Soyuza  (Russian for: “Information Telegraph Agency of Russia–Telegraph Agency of the Soviet Union”)

39. Pass target : RECEIVER. Wes Welker is off the injured list and caught 7 passes for 71 yds. and a TD against the Jets on Thanksgiving.  Go Pats!

40. Fair-hiring abbr. : EOE. Equal Opportunity Employer - to describe the company itself.  Sometimes seen as EEO ("Equal Employment Opportunity") in want ads, to describe a job opening.

41. Many AARP mems. : SRS. Seniors.

43. Rep. counterpart : SEN. Anyone else think of "dem" for Democrat? We're talking about Representatives and Senators here.

45. Play a part, or play part : ACT.

46. Genesis mountain : ARARAT.

47. Heel-click follower : SALUTE. "Yes, sir!"

49. Dating stumbling block, perhaps : AGE GAP. Not for cougars, it isn't...

52. Jai alai basket : CESTA. Know it from crosswords.

53. Pollux or Arcturus, to an astronomer : K STAR.

54. Brings down : FELLS. As in "felling" a tree.

58. Judge : DEEM.

59. Cosby/Culp TV series : I SPY. Short-lived show, from '65-'68.

61. www access : ISP. Internet Service Provider.

62. Revivalist's prefix : NEO. As in NEOclassical. The recently completed Schermerhorn Symphony in Nashville TN is a good example of the "revival" of the classical style in architecture.

63. Actress Gardner : AVA. 

Ta-ta 'til next week!

Marti

Thursday, November 22, 2012 Don Gagliardo and C.C. Burnikel

Theme:

Walking around the perimeter of the grid are various types of cats. Let's go clock-wise:

1-Across. Float on a wave : BOB. Bobcats are native to North America.

4-Across. Provide with shelter : HOUSE. House cats allow people to live in their house.

9-Across. Child seat? : LAP. Lap cats lap up a lot of milk.

11-Down. Valuable carpet : PERSIAN. My first cat was a white Persian cat.

51-Down. Passageway : ALLEY. Alley cat - subject of my July 10th puzzle  (^0^)

65-Across. Wander off course : STRAY. Anony-Mouse has adopted a DFAC (Darn Feral Attack Cat.) And now another one has joined in on the fun, named "Clooney." I wonder if they will be feasting on turkey today?

64-Across. Pitcher Seaver : TOM. I bet this was C.C.'s clue! (From C.C.: This is Rich's clue.)

63-Across. Pool : KITTY. I named one of my cats KC for "Kitty Cat."

48-Down. Coffee preference : BLACK. Why yes, I do drink my coffee black. How did you know?

1-Down. Language spoken in Yangon : BURMESE. Not to be confused with the "Sacred Cat of Burma."

And the unifier:

38. Fashion runway, or, in a way, what this puzzle's 10 perimeter answers comprise : CATWALK.

Typical of Don G.-C.C. offerings, this one is packed with theme entries. A total of fifty-five theme letters, which must have made this one a real bear to construct. Each one is a literal type of cat, with no figurative entries like "hep cat," "cool cat" or "fat cat." In addition to that, the grid itself is unique.  It has left-to-right symmetry, but not top-to-bottom.  If you squint, can you see the cat in the grid, with his arms outstretched?

Marti here, blogging before I start cooking my favorite meal of the year. But let's dig in to this feast first.

Across:

12. Colorful card game : UNO.

13. Sales tools : SAMPLES.

15. Ginger ___ : ALE.

16. Early initials in American cars : REO. REO Speedwagon band took their name from the automobile designed by Ransom Eli Olds.

17. Longtime pop group with mostly self-named albums : CHICAGO. 19 of their 22 studio albums have "Chicago" in the title. I always associate them with this song. 3:50

18. La Méditerranée, e.g. : MER. French clue "The Mediterranean" for "sea" in French.

19. El cheapo : MISER.

21. Med. amount : TSP. Just a teaspoon of sugar helps the medicine go down.

22. NV might be one : REBUS. I stared at this answer for the longest time, before I realized that it was not talking about the abbreviation for Nevada, but the word "envy." I love rebus license plates like "AU H20" for Goldwater.  Anyone else have some good ones?

24. Lure into lawbreaking : ENTRAP.

26. Rich ice creams : GELATI. Italian word for "ice creams." Update: The singular would be GELATO.

27. Make foggy : STEAM UP.

29. North African country : TUNISIA. Map.

30. Plural suffix with slogan : EERS. Sloganeers. They are the ones who bring us phrases like "Finger lickin' good," "Think outside the bun" and "Melts in your mouth, not in your hands."

31. Classification between family and species : GENUS.

33. "South Park" kid : STAN. This weird looking kid.

34. Tiny amt. of time : NSEC. Nano-second. A billionth of a second.

36. Heir, often : SON.

37. In the public eye : SEEN. And a shout-out to one of our regulars.

41. "Holberg Suite" composer : GRIEG. Nailed it. Here is the prelude (2:57), in keeping with 62-Across. Prelude or étude : PIECE.

44. Deep bell tones : BONGS. HaHa, I bet some of our regulars weren't thinking of bells when this answer appeared...

48. Like some whiskey : BLENDED. and crossing it at 39-Down. Like some whiskey : AGED. Tinbeni can fill us all in.

50. Sun porches : SOLARIA. Husker Gary, did you nail it?

52. Blockheads : LUGS. That's the way I felt yesterday when I had a DNF.  Fermatprime, this one was right up my alley, so it was a speed run for a Thursday. I feel vindicated!

53. Some garage-made CDs : DEMOS.

55. Hood's honey : MOLL.

56. Brought something home, perhaps : ATE IN. I was off on the "income" tangent.

58. eBay action : BID.

59. Someone not to deal with : DEVIL.

60. Perfume with myrrh, say : CENSE.

61. Canteen gp. : USO. United Service Organizations. CBS launched a weekly radio show called "Stage Door Canteen" shortly after the beginning of WWII.  The following year, a film by the same name was released, and was a "reality" type movie about the USO.

Down:

2. Not much of a chance : ONE IN TEN.

3. Second shots : BOOSTERS. Like tetanus shots, not Jello shots!

4. "Told ya!" : HAH.

5. Forget to say : OMIT.

6. Bars on many bottles : UPCS. Universal Product Codes.

7. High-five, e.g. : SLAP.

8. Neurologist's printout, briefly : EEG. Electroencephalogram.

9. Excoriate : LAMBASTE.

10. Like Attu or Unalaska : ALEUTIAN. Both part of the Aleutian Island chain. Map.

13. "Buzz off!" : SCRAM. What you might say to a 28-Down. Nuisance : PEST.

14. Deep thinker Kierkegaard : SOREN. "People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use."

20. Remove evidence : ERASE. Like certain presidential tapes?

23. Dedicatee of Beethoven's "Bagatelle in A Minor" : ELISE. Nailed it! 3:35.

25. Wrinkly faced canine : PUG.

26. Gloomy fellow : GUS.

29. Fish in a can : TUNA. A mouth-watering entry for all our feline friends in this puzzle!

32. Demanding word : NOW. "Do it, NOW!"

35. Used an email option : CC'ED. Carbon Copied.  When I copy C.C. on an email, I C.C. C.C!

37. Vodka brand : SKOL. Hands up for all those who tried SKyy vodka first?

40. Wall St. deals : LBOS. Leveraged buyouts. "Leveraged" because they are debt-heavy acquisitions.

41. Seat cushions? : GLUTEI. Plural of gluteus. Check out these glutei...

42. University officer : REGENT.

43. Demand : INSIST.

45. "Whatever you want" : NAME IT.

46. President between Chester and Benjamin : GROVER. I did not know that fact.  He was a president?

47. Glassmaker's material : SILICA.

49. Coming-out : DEBUT.

50. City destroyed by fire and brimstone : SODOM. Forever linked to Gomorrah as a symbol of impenitent sin.

54. Soybean soup : MISO. I just had MISO last week. (In the puzzle, not for lunch.)

57. Napoleonic Wars marshal : NEY. His troops called him "Le Rougeaud" (Ruddy-faced one), and Napoleon called him "le Brave des Braves" (the Bravest of the Brave.)

59. Unassisted MLB coups : DPS. Double Plays. Needed every perp for this one, but at least I knew what it meant when it appeared, for once!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I do hope all our regulars and Anons who follow this blog will drop by today to thank C.C. for creating this wonderful community for cruciverbalists!

Marti

Notes from C.C.:

1) When I first proposed "Catwalk" to Don, the word CAT simply moves from left to right. Don elevated into an art. If you black out square 13 & 14, you'll see the original grid design Don had in mind. Thank you, Don, for teaching me by example on how to make a good crossword.

Don & his wife Barbara, Summer 2009

 

2) I also want to thank LA Times editor Rich Norris, his assistant Patti Varol, his test solvers and all LA Times constructors for giving us the top-notch puzzle every day.

Rich Norris & his wife Kim, ACPT, 2008

 3) And special thanks to my dedicated blogging team. The workhorse Argyle, always the first person I turn to whenever I experience a blog glitch.

Baby Argyle  (Scott) & His Four Sisters

The beautiful Melissa, who never fails to bring us the delightful wrap-up despite busy school life & unstable internet connection.

The avid Fighting Irish fan Steve, who knows everything about food, the really good food.

The super intelligent and cool guy Jazzbumpa (Ron), whose knowledge range & interests often astonish me.

The always cheerful and witty Marti, who brightens my every Thursday morning.

Marti & Pickles, Austria, 2011

The passionate & humorous Lemonade, who brings so much warmth and spot-on puzzle analysis to us every Friday.

Proud Grandpa Lemonade & Granddaughter Charlotte, Nov 21, 2012

The cool & hard-working Splynter, who has never missed a Saturday write-up since May 21, 2011.

Baby Splynter, So Curious

And the irreplaceable Dennis, who has been bombarded by me in the past few years with daily questions like "Does this theme work for you?" "Can I put this word on a Monday grid?" He's always been patient and always gives me the brutally honest answers.

Dennis the Altar Boy

4) I also want to thank those who donated, commented and wrote us emails. I really appreciate your kindness and generosity.

Thursday, November 15, 2012 Julian Lim

Theme: "One potato, two potato, three potato, four..."  Each of the theme entries ends with a word that could follow "potato."

17. Negotiator's assets : BARGAINING CHIPS. I love Lay's Salt & Vinegar potato chips!

25. Utterly squashed : FLAT AS A PANCAKE. Anyone for a potato pancake?

45. Easily identifiable teams, in casual games : SHIRTS AND SKINS.  I had "SHIRTS AND tails" at first. D'oh, what was I thinking? How about some nice baked potato skins?

Is anyone hungry yet?  I think the people in the unifier might be! And the unifier is:

58. 1885 Van Gogh painting (whose subjects may have appreciated the ends of 17-, 25- and 45-Across): THE POTATO EATERS.

Marti here for your Thursday amusement. The puzzle is just missing a Q for a pangram. Lots of sparkly fill, starting with the first one...

Across:

1. Elegant trinket : BIJOU. I meant literally - sparkly!

6. Yam or taro : TUBER. Our theme is also a tuber.

11. "Talk of the Nation" airer : NPR. National Public Radio.

14. Not proximate : APART

15. "The Princess Bride" kidnapper ___ Montoya : INIGO. No clue - needed every single perp. The role was played by Mandy Patinkin in the 1987 movie.

16. Rivière contents : EAU. French for "river" in the clue, and eau = "water."

20. Textbook updates, e.g.: Abbr. : EDS. Editions.

21. Pricey screens : HD TVS.  DH saw a 152 inch Panasonic HD TV, and is making plans to put an addition on the house...

22. Nuts for soft drinks : KOLAS

23. Stage signal : CUE

24. Synthesizer pioneer : MOOG. Robert Moog. I got turned on to classical music when I bought "Switched on Bach" in the 60s. 2:07

32. Come undone : GO APE

33. Be just too sweet : CLOY

34. Inkling : HINT

35. ___ Lopez: chess opening : RUY.  I have seen this one before, but I misspelled it as ReY at first.

36. Mickey D's breakfast item : SMALL OJ. Why Mickey D?  I was trying to think of a Mc-something!

39. In : MOD. Short for "modern."  I hesitated to fill it in, because I thought "mod" was a bit of old-fashioned lingo from the 60s!

40. Before, to the Bard : ERST

42. "Actually, that's not true" : I LIE

43. Reasons for returns : FLAWS

48. Shared currency : EURO. Currently shared by 23 countries, and used by over 320 million people.

49. Really quiet, in music : PPP. Pianississimo. I vow to get that word into a puzzle some day. Just look at all those S's!!

50. USS Missouri nickname : BIG MO. Total WAG.

52. Digital image unit : PIXEL

55. Through : VIA

61. Angkor ___: Cambodian temple : WAT. Beautiful!

62. Die (out) : PETER

63. Trio with notable beards : ZZ TOP. Ironically, the guy without a beard is named Frank Beard!

64. "Star Trek: DSN" role : ODO. A "Changeling" on the Deep Space Nine series.

65. Below-average Joe : SCHMO. I was off in the "coffee" direction for Joe at first...

66. Eternities : AEONS


Down:

1. Big screen pig : BABE. From the 1995 film.

2. Third-generation release of 2012 : IPAD. I have an iPad, iPod, iPhone, iMac and Macbook. But this still didn't appear without a few perps!

3. 24-Down containers : JARS. And 24-Down. Subway addition? : MAYO. From the sandwich chain, not the commuter rails.

4. Part of ILO: Abbr. : ORG. International Labour Organization, a UN agency.

5. Pacific-12 member, e.g. : UTAH UTES. And 7-Across. Pac-12 member, e.g. : UNIV.ersity.

6. Windshield application : TINT.

8. Some troughs : BINS. Again, a simple one that I just did not want to fill in at first.

9. It's usually broken before use : EGG

10. "You da man!" : ROCK ON

11. Author of "The Sandman" graphic novels : NEIL GAIMAN. Needed every single perp to get this guy's name.

12. Respected Smurf : PAPA

13. Muscovite, e.g.: Abbr. : RUSS.ian from Moscow.

18. Think tank product : IDEA

19. Cheap sauce : HOOCH. "Sauce" being the euphemism for "booze."

23. Keep from going higher : CAP. Like, "Put a cap on..."

25. Club with the motto "To Make the Best Better" : FOUR-H

26. Beset : LAY SIEGE TO

27. Milan's La ___ : SCALA. Actually, it is "Teatro alla Scala" in Italian.

28. Fully committed : ALL IN. Am I the only one who loves to watch the World Series of Poker? Check out this "all in" call that lost to a royal flush! 1:40

29. Traveled down the Grand Canal, say : POLED. Meh...

30. Has met before : KNOWS

31. JFK Listings : ETDS. Estimated Time of Departure(s). And then we have 38-Down. Named for a prez, Philly public square also known as Love Park : JFK PLAZA.

32. College srs.' tests : GRES. Graduate Record Exam(s)

37. Soup with a bento : MISO. A "Bento Box" is the epitome of Japanese take-out, usually delivered by Bento Drivers on bicycles.  I don't know if MISO soup is typical in a bento box, since it might be a little sloppy by the time it arrived at its destination?

41. Master card? : TRUMP. Of course, I was thinking in terms of the credit cards in my wallet.

44. Golf hole's edge : LIP. Husker G., how many times have you claimed "Paint!!" when your putt lipped out?

46. Uniformed forces : TROOPS. Celebrated on Monday this week!

47. WWI German vice admiral : SPEE. Total WAG. I had the "S*EE," and somehow I dredged it up from the dim recesses...

50. USAF stealth plane : B-TWO. I originally had B-Ten, but Angkor Eat and Ndo didn't make sense at 61 and 64-Across

51. "___ to do it!" : I HAD. ("Oh no, you di-ent!!")

52. Trail : PATH. Nailed it! I immediately thought of some hiking trails in the Alps.

53. Brangelina, e.g. : ITEM. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are a real "item" in the gossip columns.  Why did he ever leave sweet Jennifer?

54. Tic-tac-toe option : X OR O

55. Quash : VETO

56. Element in hemoglobin : IRON

57. Egyptian dangers : ASPS

59. Dick : TEC. "Detectives" are known as "Dicks"

60. Philosopher Mo-___ : TZE. 墨子  C.C. has explained to me that Cantonese has no "Z" word.  So I suppose this would become Mo-Tse in Cantonese. He studied Confucianism, but came to the conclusion that their philosophy was fundamentally flawed.  He developed his own philosophy of "Universal Love," so was probably the first Flower Child, right?

And that's it for this week!

Hugs,

Marti

Thursday, November 8, 2012 Robert Fisher

Theme: "Fly by night..."

This is a "definition" type puzzle, where the same clue typically has totally different meanings in each answer.  In this case, they are all the same meaning.  But each one gets the point across in a different way.

17S. Fly : OBSERVER ON A WALL. "I'd love to be a fly on the wall when he gets the axe..." Origin.

25A. Fly : SWATTER'S TARGET. Here's how President Obama did it during a BBC interview. 0:36

42A. Fly : SPIDER'S INVITEE. "Will you walk into my parlor?" from the poem by Mary Howett.

56A. Fly : OINTMENT SPOILER. "There's a fly in the ointment..."  Just a slight drawback.

Nice theme, and I smiled at each "definition" of this annoying pest. So let's see what else Mr. Fisher has for us this week.

Across:

1. Act the troubadour : STRUM. Not my first guess.  Left it blank and came back to it.

6. Gp. that includes Venezuela : OPEC. Not my first guess. Left it blank and came back to it.

10. Show disapproval : JEER. Not my first... (Are you sensing a pattern here?)

14. Despicable character : LOUSE. ...came back to it.

15. ___ stick : POGO. Chop? Drum? Glue? Yard? Slap? Sigh....

16. Drive train component : AXLE. Yay! I finally filled in an answer.

20. End of eternity? : WYE. The letter "y" at the end of the word "eternity." Clever clue.

21. Script snippet : LINE.

22. Like some excuses : FLIMSY.

23. Seafood order : SOLE. Like this.

24. Rural valley : GLEN.

31. Lo-cal : LITE. The commercial-ese clue suggests the commercial-ese spelling for the answer.

32. Longtime Mississippi senator : LOTT. Chester Trent Lott, who served from 1989 to 2007.

33. Two-minute warning giver : REF.eree

35. From scratch : ANEW.

36. Opted for : CHOSE.

38. Twofold : DUAL.

39. Uncle Sam poster word : YOU.

40. Give it up, so to speak : CLAP. Did you ever wonder where that phrase came from? Let's give it up for The Grammarphobia Blog!

41. Church alcove : APSE.

47. Stuff : CRAM.

48. Barrel-bottom stuff : LEES. Dregs are never singular, are they?

49. Go up against : TAKE ON.

52. Smelting waste : SLAG.

53. Sailor's assent : AYE.

59. Show whose cast holds the record for the most charted songs on the Billboard Hot 100 : GLEE. It's on my Netflix list...

60. Protein-rich bean : SOYA.

61. Soft palate projection : UVULA. Ewwww...word of advice: Do NOT search for "uvula images" on google!!!

62. Between ports : ASEA.

63. It usually loses in war : TREY. The card game "War" uses a standard French deck. The "trey" is the card with a value of 3.  The only card it would beat is the 2. Hence, unlikely. (Bill G., what are the exact odds of a trey beating a deuce?)

64. Holiday hires : TEMPS.

Down:

1. Brake : SLOW. My first entry in the NW.

2. Country singer Keith : TOBY. You remember him, don't you? 4:05

3. Bit of subterfuge : RUSE.

4. Manipulate : USE.

5. Red wine choice : MERLOT. Mine would be Carménère. And not in a red solo cup, either!

6. Warmup act : OPENER.

7. Epidermal opening : PORE. Does that make it a warmup act?

8. It can be bruised : EGO.

9. Fuse into a single entity : CONFLATE. Interesting that this word comes from the Latin root word "flatus," meaning "blasts." Gives a whole new erudite meaning to flatulence, don't you think?

10. Gabfest activity : JAWING.

11. Entrance requirement, often : EXAM.

12. Plumbing bends : ELLS. Not to be confused with the 2012 Open winner Ernie.

13. Bank (on) : RELY.

18. Beastly : VILE.

19. On the qui vive : ALERT. Another interesting clue. "Qui vive" is French for "Live [short 'i'] who?"  A sentry would shout this out to an approaching person, as a short form of the question "Long live...who?"  By answering, the approaching person would reveal their loyalties.  I guess a good answer would be "The king"?

23. Jambalaya, e.g. : STEW.

24. Mustang contemporaries : GTOS.

25. More than amuse : SLAY. "You just slay me!"

26. Skid row types : WINOS. How about us carménère types?

27. Really enjoyed : ATE UP.

28. Pours messily : SLOPS.

29. Blow : ERUPT. In Latin, "erumpant" (...is that why it is called a rump?)

30. Offer with no intention of giving, say : TEASE. Oooohh...so many photos I can't link here.

34. Beat a hasty retreat : FLEE.

36. Detergent ad superlative : CLEANEST.

37. Hippocratic oath no-no : HARM. "Primum non nocere" (or, "Primum nil nocere"). "First: do no harm." Is there a doctor in the house?

38. Spot for a lectern : DAIS.

40. Data storage medium : CD ROM.

43. Summer beverage : ICE TEA.

44. "No argument from me!' : I'LL SAY.

45. Spring-___ cycle: tidal phenomenon : NEAP.

46. Watch the boob tube, say : VEG OUT.

49. Frat party wear : TOGA.

50. Has a bug, or bugs : AILS.

51. Joint sometimes replaced : KNEE. "Hip" was too short.

52. Eyelid affliction : STYE.

53. Grad : ALUM.

54. Sharp cry : YELP.

55. Distinctive periods : ERAS.

57. Hide-hair connection : NOR. We saw neither hide nor hair of CrossEyedDave for a week!

58. "To All the Girls ___ Loved Before": 1984 #1 country hit : I'VE. Albert Hammond's original version was overshadowed by Julio Iglesias and Willie Nelson. 3:06

It's been real.  See you next week!

Hugs,

Marti

Note from C.C.:

Here is an adorable Halloween picture Irish Miss sent to me.

She said:

"Dahlia, dressed as Eliza Doolittle after her transformation, is my 10 year-old great, great niece and Amelia, dressed as Cat-woman, is my 5 year-old great-niece."