Thursday, November 27, 2014 C.C. Burnikel

Theme: "It's GivingThanks Day!"

Well, that's not really the theme, but how appropriate to have our dear leader as today's constructor, so we can give her double thanks. First, for creating this fun corner. And second, for entertaining us with her creative puzzles. Thank you, C.C.!

17-Across. *Four Corners locale : COLORADO PLATEAU.

23-Across. *Arctic wolf prey : CARIBOU.

32-Across. *Car named for a California city : CHEVY MALIBU.

52-Across. *1965 Jane Fonda title role : CAT BALLOU.

67-Across. With 68-Across, "Later," or, phonetically, what the answers to starred clues have : SEE YOU. 68-Across. See 67-Across : AROUND. Each entry has a "C" and a "U" around the edges.

You may have noticed the unusual grid. It is symmetrical right to left, but not top to bottom.  That was necessary to accommodate the 15-7-11-9-12 theme entries. The long down entries were nice: TALK IS CHEAP and RHETT BUTLER's full name. Let's see what else she has dished up for us.

Across

1. Beijing trio? : DOTS. Cute misdirection. The dots over the i's and the j. And an appropriate start, with a nod to her native land.

5. Bridges of Hollywood : LLOYD. Of all his movies, I remember him best from this one.

10. First name at Woodstock : ARLO. Our old friend Guthrie is back.

14. Four Corners state : UTAH. A clecho with 17-Across, but it is not part of the theme.

15. Seeker's quarry : HIDER. C.C. doesn't usually like fabricated words, but in the game you are either a hider or a seeker.

16. Send : SHIP.

20. They may be required for rides : TOKENS. Do you call it the subway or the metro?

21. "The way things are ..." : AS IT IS.

22. Yale Bowl yeller : ELI.

27. "Four Quartets" monogram : TSE. Thomas Stearns Eliot.  I never read those.

28. Offspring: abbr. : DESC.endant.

30. Trendy cuff site : EAR.

31. Awards for J.K. Rowling and Hugh Laurie : OBEs. Order of the British Empire.

37. Hawaiian Airlines destination : TAHITI.

39. Election Day sticker : I VOTED.

42. Nebula in Taurus, familiarly : THE CRAB. Amazing photo from the Hubble telescope.

44. Prepared for a proposal : KNEELED.

45. Spanish she-bear : OSA.

46. Former upscale Manhattan eatery : ELAINE'S. It closed after she died in 2010, and is now The Writing Room.

48. Memorable period : ERA.

49. Burst open : POP. It's the season for POPping a bottle of bubbly!

50. Kerfuffle : ADO.

51. Halladay who won both the A.L. and N.L. Cy Young awards : ROY. I knew we would have a baseball reference!

58. Boris' sidekick : NATASHA. Of "The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show" fame.

61. "Raging Bull" boxer : LAMOTTA.

65. Marvel Comics assassin : ELEKTRA. With only E-L-E-K-*-R-A in place, I WAG'd ELEKTRA. (Pretty clever, huh?)

66. Hits hard, as the brakes : SLAMS ON.


Down

1. Like many ventilation systems : DUCTED.

2. "Becket" star : O'TOOLE. Peter holds the record for the number of Academy Award nominations without a win.

3. "Actions speak louder than words" : TALK IS CHEAP. Nice fill.

4. Flat or pump : SHOE.

5. High capital : LHASA. C.C. just linked the Potala Palace in LHASA the other day.

6. Jar topper : LID.

7. Prefix with meter : ODO. Odo-meter.

8. "You betcha!" : YEP. I had YEs for a while, and it messed me up from immediately seeing PLATEAU in the first theme answer.

9. 1964 Tony Randall role : DR LAO. He was more than two-faced.

10. Piedmont wine area : ASTI. Spumanti also makes a nice POP when you open it.

11. Bonnie Blue's dad : RHETT BUTLER. "Gone With the Wind."  Nailed it!

12. Make contact (with) : LIAISE.

13. Musical works : OPUSES. I put it in, changed it to OPERAS, then took it back out when AS IT IS showed up.

18. GOP org. : RNC. Republican National Committee.

19. Sun Devils' sch. : ASU. Arizona State University.

24. Juan Carlos, por ejemplo : REY. Spanish "king."

25. "__ the Walrus" : I AM....goo goo goo joob.

26. It may be backless : BRA. To go with dresses like these.

They are...

29. In vogue : CHIC. Tres chic!

31. Wind with keys : OBOE.

33. To be, to Napoleon : ETRE.

34. Lab container : VIAL. Because Erlenmeyer flask wouldn't fit.

35. Check-in delayer : LINE. I bet there were plenty of check-in delays at airports in the Northeast this week.

36. "Concord Sonata" composer : IVES. It's Thursday, so we get a clue for Charles instead of Burl.

37. 'Vette roof option : T-TOP.

38. "Now I get it" : AH SO.

40. Finnish architect Saarinen : EERO.

41. Do-or-die time : D-DAY.

43. Words to a black sheep : BAA BAA.

44. Small hills : KNOLLS. Probably the world's most infamous grassy KNOLL.

47. The Snake R. runs through it : IDA.ho

52. Like unnaturally thick makeup : CAKY.

53. Apropos of : AS TO.

54. Drive-__ window : THRU.

55. Refrain syllables : LA LA.

56. Bridge master Sharif : OMAR. A man of many talents, he also starred in "Lawrence of Arabia" and "Dr. Zhivago."

57. Man, to Dante : UOMO. He was a couple hundred years too early to be an Italian renaissance man.

58. Zombie Nation console : NES. Nintendo Entertainment System. You can play it online here.

59. Microbrew choice : ALE.

60. Ball holder : TEE.

62. Sch. in Nashville : TSU. Tennessee State University.

63. Slew : TON.

64. "What else?" : AND...?

Nope, nothing else. I'm done! Time to go make the turkey...

Marti

Note from C.C.:

Happy Thanksgiving to our blog readers, esp our faithful regulars. Thanks for your daily solving reports, constructive nitpicking, links, recipes, computer advice, health tips (now, how can I stop this nagging cough?), poems, robocall rants, bike ride accounts & other random thoughts. Thanks for sharing. You enriched my very sheltered life.

I'm also grateful to LA Times Daily Crossword editor Rich Norris, his assistant Patti Varol, his three test solvers, his fact checker and all the LAT constructors for the quality puzzles they provide to us day after day. As I mentioned in this puzzle, Rich makes me look smarter than I am. That's not the only puzzle he helped me, and I'm not the only constructor he helped. He just does everything in a very quiet & consistent manner. Rich even replies every reader mail, despite his heavy workload and limited resources. We're lucky to have such a knowledgeable, generous, patient and humble editor whose top priority is always his solvers.

I'm also incredibly grateful for my hard-working blogging team: always there for me Santa Argyle, witty Jazzbumpa, super-efficient foodie Steve, bubbly Marti, cheerful Lemonade, talented Splynter & eager to learn Husker Gary. As I said before, it's fun to blog once or twice, spending 3 + hours on each post every week is serious job. Thank you so much for the dedication and time, friends, you made this blog what it is today. Thank you also for trusting me and letting me guiding you (mostly misguiding) on puzzle-making. I know I'm not easy to work with, thanks for toughing it out!

Thursday, November 20, 2014 Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: "Little Rascals"

17. Office evaluations : JOB RATINGS.

23. Posh Riviera residence : SEASIDE VILLA.

46. "That's my general impression" : I'M PRETTY SURE.

58. Summer venue where kids can clown around? : CIRCUS CAMP.

And the reveal, sitting smack in the middle of the grid:
37. Mischievous ones hiding in plain sight in 17-, 23-, 46- and 58-Across : TROUBLEMAKERS.
BRAT, DEVIL, IMP and SCAMP all span more than one word.

My Thursday friend JW is back. 78 words and 42 blocks is a lot for an end-of-week puzzle, but theme entries of 10, 12, 13, 12, 10 make it tough to create a simple grid design. This one includes long 9- and 10-letter down entries to add to the mix. None of those down entries came immediately to mind, so this seemed tougher than a typical Thursday for me.

Across

1. 122-square-mile republic : MALTA. Oh good grief, who has memorized the acreage of every republic?  Tough start.

6. Three or four, say : A FEW.

10. Incise with acid : ETCH.

14. Voiced : ALOUD. Not "spoke."

15. Racing sled : LUGE.

16. Mozart's "__ fan tutte" : COSI. Gimme. "Thus do all (women)."

19. Industrialist who's had his ups and downs? : OTIS. HaHa - the elevator inventor.

20. Plenty : A TON.

21. Syncopated work : RAG.

22. Fla. neighbor : ALA.bama

29. Peaceful harmony : AMITY.

31. "Bravo!" relative : OLE.

32. Tied (to) : WED.

33. Riga native : LETT. If they are from Latvia, why aren't they called "Lats"?

34. Bamboozle : FOOL.

36. Damage, so to speak : COST. When you ask your mechanic, "What are the damages?" be prepared for even more - to your wallet.

40. Acute : KEEN.

41. Troubadour's offerings : AIRS.

42. Sinus docs : ENTs. Not to be confused with Tolkien tree folk.

43. Western treaty gp. : OAS. Organization of American States. Originally just the US and South American states, it later included Canada and the nations of the Caribbean.

44. One in a sports page column : WIN. I don't get it. "One" as in the #1 team? Or just a win that gets written up? [Update: The "columns" would be WINs-Losses-Ties.  Thanks for enlightening me, TTP!]

45. Art print, briefly : LITHO. I toyed with "repro" at first, but that wasn't going to work very well.

50. Wear (through) : EAT. Such a small word, but it gave me lots of trouble.

51. Huffington Post parent co. : AOL.

52. Whiskey choices : RYES.

56. "Sea Change" musician : BECK. "Lost Cause" is one of the best songs on the album, IMO.

61. Seize : TAKE.

62. Pen sound : OINK.

63. Part of a TV signal : AUDIO.

64. Milquetoast : WUSS.

65. Pine for : MISS.

66. False __ : START.


Down

1. Subject of clothed and nude Goya portraits : MAJA. We have had her...

2. Frequently : ALOT.

3. Gray wolf : LOBO.

4. Becomes even more charming, say : TURNS IT ON. This is one of the long down answers that wasn't at the tip of my tongue.

5. Org. promoting water fluoridization : ADA. American Dental Association.

6. Police profile datum : ALIAS.

7. Spore producers : FUNGI.

8. Custard component : EGG.

9. Broncos wide receiver Welker : WES. Formerly of the New England Patriots...who are doing just fine without him, thank you very much!

10. USDA inspector's concern : E COLI.

11. Gross figure : TOTAL WORTH. TOTAL (sales?), (costs?), (value?)...

12. CBS series set in a lab : CSI. Crime Scene Investigation.

13. Presley's "(Marie's the Name) __ Latest Flame" : HIS.

18. Serving aid : TRAY.

22. Street sign abbr. : AVE.

24. Words to a traitor : ET TU. Another one of those little entries that gave me fits.

25. Seals the fate of : DOOMS.

26. First name in jazz : ELLA.

27. On a smaller scale : LESS SO.

28. Home security letters : ADT. American District Telegraph.  I have Discount Alarm, and pay half the price of ADT.

29. Orioles, e.g., briefly : AL TEAM.

30. Buildings from a plane, metaphorically : MERE SPECKS. Another long down answer that wasn't on the tip of my tongue.

34. City northwest of Detroit : FLINT.

35. "A hot temper leaps __ a cold decree": Shakespeare : O'ER.

36. Butcher's offering : CENTER CUT. Not my first thought.

38. Worms, perhaps : BAIT.

39. Actor Dullea : KEIR. You may remember him as Dr. David Bowman in "2001: A Space Odyssey." Or not...

40. Showy carp : KOI.

44. Moisten : WET.

45. Ripsnorter : LULU.

47. Does some gardening : RAKES. Been doing plenty of that the last couple weeks. We finally hired a crew to come in and help, and they ended up taking out seven pickup trucks full of leaves!!

48. Incredible stories : YARNS.

49. '90s White House cat : SOCKS. The "First Cat" of the Clinton era.

53. When tripled, a story shortener : YADA...yada...yada.

54. Muslim dignitary : EMIR.

55. Pal of Rover : SPOT.

56. Incidentally, in textspeak : BTW. "By the way..."

57. __ de parfum : EAU.

58. Kin of org : COM. Both url endings.

59. Trio on Big Ben : III. Nit: "Big Ben" is the name of the bell in the clock of Elizabeth Tower, not the clock itself.

60. Sweden-based carrier : SAS. Scandinavian Airlines System.


I'm off to see what kind of trouble I can stir up now...

Marti

Thursday, November 13, 2014 Jerome Gunderson

Theme: "G-Rated"

Jerome treats us to a GR-r-reat puzzle today.

20-Across. Place for a nagging passenger? : GRUMBLE SEAT. Did you ever ride in a rumble seat? If you did, you would not wonder why they call it that!

38-Across. Prohibition against Confederate soldiers? : GRAY BAN. Ray Ban, the "cool" sunglasses of the '60s.

54-Across. Soup with a prayer? : GRACE COURSE. We have an annual book club meeting at the Saratoga race course.

11-Down. Tribute to a sourpuss? : GRUMP ROAST. Rump roast is a tough cut of meat, but works well for beef stew.

28-Down. Farmer's harvest tradition? : GRAIN DANCE. He also might need to do a rain dance to insure that his crops ripen.


Across

1. Radical diet : FAST.

5. Balkan native : SERB.

9. Old West trail sight : WAGON.

14. Arabian prince : EMIR.

15. Court material, perhaps : CLAY. Hmmm...not "suit."

16. Country-rock artist Steve : EARLE. I don't know his music at all. Any good?

17. You may get one from a doctor : NOTE.
And we have a mini theme going here:
23-Across. Small dose? : MED. "Small" meaning the shortened version of the word medicine.
and
24-Across. Doctor's order : BEDREST. Plus some MEDs.
and
41-Across. Aleve and Advil : PAIN PILLS. Those MEDs will probably help with what ails you, and you don't even need a Rx.

18. Exclude : OMIT.

19. Goody-goody : PRUDE.

25. Peppy : SPRY.

26. Secret motives : ANGLES.

29. Rouse : STIR.

31. Trim (down) : PARE.

32. Its maker traditionally buys the drinks : HOLE IN ONE. Yep, been there.  It was witnessed on the 8th green by one of the members of the Senior league who were playing that day.  A round for 30+ guys? Priceless!

37. Pay back? : OLA. Payola.

40. Bailed-out insurance co. : AIG. American International Group.

43. Movie role played by Skippy : ASTA.

44. Tide table term : NEAP.

45. Played on a green : PUTTED. But not if you get a 32-Across!

47. Weary from overuse : JADE. Your viewpoint can become jaded, if something jades you.

49. Apparent : EVIDENT.

53. In the style of : A LA.

58. Sal of "Rebel Without a Cause" : MINEO. Actor Sal.

60. South American rodent : PACA.

61. Scruff : NAPE.

62. Word from the Latin for "little grandfather" : UNCLE. Nice bit of trivia. Grandfather is "avus" in Latin. The diminutive is "avunculus."

63. Algerian port : ORAN.

64. Bad to the bone : EVIL.  Like George Thorogood?

65. Sneaks a look : PEEKS.

66. Zebras that don't fear Lions? : REFS. REFerees as called "zebras" because of their striped uniforms.

67. Shoot down : DENY.


Down

1. __ shui : FENG.

2. Eros counterpart : AMOR. Greek & Latin lovers?

3. In __: as found : SITU.

4. Shake : TREMBLE.

5. Rebukes : SCOLDS.

6. Funny Fudd : ELMER. Wascally wabbit hunter.

7. Worker's reward : RAISE. Usually, just more work.

8. Units of memory : BYTES.

9. Let it all out, in a way : WEPT.

10. Rhine tributary : AAR.

12. More familiar, joke-wise : OLDER.

13. Poor : NEEDY.

21. Dragonfly prey : BEE. Cool insects, dragonflies. They can change direction in mid-air, hover for up to a minute and even fly backwards!

22. On the briny : AT SEA.

25. Moral lapse : SIN.

26. Per person : A POP.

27. Simba's mate : NALA. From "The Lion King." Nala is on the right.

30. English can : TIN. Not "loo."

32. Kubrick's computer : HAL. "2001: A Space Odyssey."

33. Olive often rescued : OYL. Funny cartoon.

34. Dumbbell abbr. : LBS.

35. Nick at __ : NITE.

36. Quaint expression of surprise : EGAD!

38. Student's fig. : GPA. Grade Point Average.

39. More apt to be picked : RIPER.

42. Word between some last names : NEE. Hilary Clinton née Rodham.

43. Brought into harmony with, with "to" : ATTUNED.

45. Praline nuts : PECANS. Aunt Sally's in New Orleans are the best!

46. Low número : UNO. I thought it was the top number?

47. Traffic congestion : JAM UP. Remember this one?

48. Dress with a flare : A-LINE. Well, I guess supermodel Aline does "dress with a flair."

50. Mist : VAPOR.

51. Comforting words : "I CARE."

52. Joltless joe? : DECAF. HaHa. Cute pun on "Jolting Joe Dimaggio."

54. Takes off : GOES.

55. Talk excitedly : RAVE.

56. __ doctor : SPIN.

57. Hard to hang on to : EELY.

59. Bugling beast : ELK. Wow, ear-splitting!

That's it for this week!
Marti

Thursday, November 6, 2014 Gail Grabowski

Theme: "SUR-render!!"

The theme entries are common phrases, rendered pun-ny by the addition of SUR to the beginnings:

17. Scoop a major news magazine? : SURPASS TIME.

27. Sheriff of Nottingham's plan? : SURROUND ROBIN. My favorite entry.

48. Hearst Castle? : SURREAL ESTATE. Situated in the hills above San Simeon.

64. Banner advertising overstocked shelves? : SURPLUS SIGN.

Even though it's a Thursday type of theme with an "add letters" gimmick, the fill seemed incredibly easy, and I finished in nearly typical Monday time. Your experience may vary.


Across

1. Actor who spoke the line, "I'd show him who was king of the forest!" : LAHR. Our cowardly lion from Wizard of Oz.

5. Sharing word : APIECE. DH and I shared a pizza last night, and had three slices APIECE.

11. Newborn nurturer : MOM.

14. Northern terminus of I-79 : ERIE.

15. Frank quality : CANDOR.

16. Andean tuber : OCA.

19. Install, as tiles : LAY. Been there, done that this past year.

20. It often gets blown off : STEAM.

21. Subscriber's gift : TOTE. Handled bag?

22. WWII battleground : ST LÔ. What little was left of the town was bulldozed so troops could advance to the front.

23. Cyberchats, briefly : IMs. Instant Messages.

25. Running wild : ON A TEAR.

32. Bag-screening org. : TSA. Transportation Security Administration.

33. Dent, say : MAR.

34. "The Magnificent Ambersons" director : WELLES. I just watched it last weekend!

37. Pioneering computer : ENIAC.

40. Pony up : PAY.

42. Wool source : LLAMA.

43. Purse counterpart : MAN BAG. Ryan Reynolds sports one well.

45. __ bath : MUD.

47. Gusto : VIM.

52. Anxious place to be : HOT SEAT.

54. Watering hole : BAR. and 36-Down. 54-Across reorder, with "the" : SAME. But not 18-Down. A few rounds, e.g. : AMMO. Another great misdirection.

55. Wind quintet member : OBOE.

56. Ignoring, with "to" : DEAF.

59. Greek restaurant offerings : GYROS.

63. Title for Sean Connery : SIR.

66. President pro __ : TEM. Latin abbr. of "pro TEMpore," for the time being.

67. Release payment : RANSOM.

68. Corrida critter : TORO.

69. Intractable beast : ASS.

70. Sacks out : SLEEPS.

71. Fume : STEW.


Down

1. Not as expensive : LESS.

2. In __: stuck : A RUT.

3. Bring in : HIRE.

4. Get to work again : REPAIR. Great misdirection in the clue!

5. Window units, briefly : ACs.

6. Over : PAST.

7. Fascinated by : IN TO.

8. Text __ : EDITOR.

9. "You can't be serious" : COME NOW.

10. Lyrical "before" : ERE.

11. Eruption output : MOLTEN LAVA. Also MOLTEN LAVA cake.

12. City west of Daytona Beach : OCALA.

13. City boss : MAYOR. RIP, Mayor Menino.

22. Moonshine source : STILL.

24. Dim __ : SUM. C.C. explained to me that Dim SUM and Cha ("tea") are daily fare for retired folks in Hong Kong. The daily social is called Yum Cha ("drink tea.")  YUM!

26. Son of Adam : ABEL.

27. Mushroom part : STEM.

28. Annapolis inst. : USNA.

29. Reasons to pull out the tarp : RAINSTORMS. I wanted RAIN "delays" at first. Slowed me down for about 15 seconds.

30. Rest of the afternoon? : NAP.

31. Emmy category : DRAMA. The 2014 winner was "Breaking Bad."

35. Give off : EMIT.

38. Take unfair advantage of, as a privilege : ABUSE.

39. Attention to detail : CARE.

41. Actor Brynner : YUL.

44. Slow and steady : GRADUAL.

46. Cotillion honoree : DEB.

49. Everlasting, to the bard : ETERNE.

50. Yields to gravity : SAGS. I've been yielding for several years now...

51. Hush-hush hookups : TRYSTS.

52. Shade-loving plant : HOSTA. I have about 6 different varieties in my yard. So easy to take care of!

53. Village Voice awards : OBIES. From "Off Broadway."

57. Sanctuary section : APSE.

58. Probably not a really good show : FLOP.

60. Laugh-a-minute type : RIOT.

61. Big brute : OGRE. Poor Shrek. He seems like such a nice guy to me.

62. Put one over on : SNOW.

64. Many AARP members: Abbr. : SRs. Seniors.

65. Hesitant sounds : UMS.

Um...I think that's all I got!

Marti

Thursday, October 30, 2014 Jerry Edelstein

Theme: Capital Anagrams

Today I'll start with the reveal. 35-Across. With 37-Across, sentence openings, and what the ends of 16-, 23-, 47-, and 57-Across can be when rearranged : CAPITAL 37-Across. See 35-Across : LETTERS. I had to stare at my grid for a few seconds before the theme hit me.

16-Across. Postal service : EXPRESS MAIL. LIMA, Peru.

23-Across. Brigades, e.g. : ARMY UNITS. TUNIS, Tunisia.


47-Across. "You made your point" : SAY NO MORE. ROME, Italy.


57-Across. Form small teams at school : WORK IN PAIRS. PARIS, France.

Do you know why London was not included in the theme entries?

Across

1. Crawled, perhaps : SWAM.

5. Broadway show whose title woman can "coax the blues right out of the horn" : MAME. I had to hum a few bars before I remembered her name. And I never knew about 26-Down. Arthur who won a Tony for 5-Across : BEA. I have only seen the film version starring Rosalind Russell.

9. Renege, with "out" : COP.  I had "opt" and then "bow" before the perps finally led me in the right direction.

12. Andalusian appetizer : TAPA.

13. Accord competitor : ALTIMA. Honda Accord and Nissan ALTIMA.

15. Hole starter : AWL.

18. __-pitch : SLO.

19. Kanakaredes of "CSI: NY" : MELINA. This lady. I recognize her face, but had no clue about her name. All perps.

20. Plastered : SLOSHED.

22. Curled-lip look : SNEER.

25. The tar, in Spanish : LA BREA. Yes, we knew that, didn't we?

27. Anonymous John : DOE.

28. "The Black Cat" author : POE. Three letters? No hint of Abbr? Go with the flow and enter POE.

31. __ moss : PEAT.

32. Mountains dividing Europe and Asia : URAL.

40. Hop follower : SKIP. and a jump.

41. Modest dress : MIDI.

42. NASCAR __ : DAD. A rather derogatory term for middle class men, synonymous with "redneck." The term was used during the 2004 election, referring to the democrats' attempts to regain the southern male vote.

43. Lion or tiger : CAT.

45. Exercises begun in a supine position : SIT UPS.

50. "... if you want to __ man's character, give him power": Lincoln : TEST A. The partial could have been avoided by clueing it as "Head of Italy?"

54. Part of 56-Across : LOCATOR. 56-Across. Google hit : URL. Uniform Resource Locator.

55. Eats pretzels, say : NOSHES.

60. What "I" may indicate : RTE. Interstate. I-90, I-91, I-93 and I-95 all run through Massachusetts. Did you know that even numbered interstates run east-west, and odd-numbered ones run north-south?

61. Common soccer score : ONE ONE.

62. Only : MERE.

63. June honorees : PAs.

64. Blind component : SLAT.

65. Breyers competitor : EDYS.


Down

1. Restrains : STEMS. I'll try to stem my nit-picking.

2. Like Madame Tussauds figures : WAXEN.

3. Traditional temptation : APPLE.

4. "Manhattan" Oscar nominee Hemingway : MARIEL. 1979 Woody Allen film. Her career has spanned nearly 40 years, and she still looks great.

5. Galaxy gp. : MLS. I was clueless.  The Los Angeles Galaxy are a team in Major League Soccer.

6. Source of 20s, briefly : ATM.

7. Harmful gas : MIASMA. Great word.

8. One of the Brontës : EMILY.

9. Dishonorably dismissed : CASHIERED.

10. Bird that's probably not wise and certainly not old : OWLET. Cute.

11. Trudges : PLODS.

13. Fit __ fiddle : AS A.

14. One way to think : ALOUD.

17. Mesmerized : ENRAPT.

21. Porcine sniffer : SNOUT.

23. Kazakhstan border sea : ARAL.

24. Collecting Soc. Sec. : RET.

28. IBM 5150s, e.g. : PCs.

29. Furniture wood : OAK.

30. Inner circles, in astronomy models : EPICYCLES. The Ptolemaic universe used EPICYCLES to explain the movement of the planets.

33. Coach Parseghian : ARA.

34. '60s hallucinogen : LSD.

36. Old Bristol-Myers toothpaste : IPANA.

37. Beer choice : LITE.

38. College email ending : EDU.

39. Extreme summit : TIPTOP.

41. Former space station : MIR.

44. "Solve __ decimal places" : TO TWO. I was much more ambitious, and wanted to solve "to ten" decimal places.

45. Reddish-brown horse : SORREL.

46. Bagel choice : SESAME.

47. Eat loudly : SLURP. Like cowboys eating beans...

48. Main artery : AORTA.

49. Mars pair : MOONS. Phobos and Deimos.

51. Drew back : SHIED.

52. NFL analyst Bradshaw : TERRY. Former Pittsburgh Steeler. How about those crazy uniforms last Sunday? They looked like jailbird bumblebees!

53. Beasts of burden : ASSES.

55. St. Louis-to-Chicago dir. : NNE.

58. Place to see RVs : KOA.

59. NFL mistake : INT.erception. None for Brady last Sunday.

That's it from me - your turn!
Marti

Thursday, October 23, 2014 Gareth Bain

Theme: MOBILE HOTSPOT


19-Across. Poet friend of Jonathan Swift : ALEXANDER POPE. Together, the friends formed the Scriblerus Club.

The current Pope Francis scoots around town in a Ford Focus, instead of this POPEMOBILE.

33-Across. Kipling story collection, with "The" : JUNGLE BOOK. The original edition is worth a couple of bucks, I bet.

The BOOKMOBILE is becoming another victim of the computer age.

38-Across. "Poetry Man" singer : PHOEBE SNOW. I had the pleasure of seeing her in person twice - such a talent. She died in 2011.

SNOWMOBILEs are not just for recreation!

48-Across. Title phrase that rhymes with "he lightly doffed his hat" : CASEY AT THE BAT. Is there any joy in Mudville?

The original BATMOBILE is a far cry from its modern counterpart.


And the reveal is found at 44-Down. Vehicular attachment for the ends of 19-, 33-, 38- and 48-Across : MOBILE.

Just missing a V for a pangram.



Across

1. Bodybuilder's pride : ABs. And a clecho at 20-Down. Bodybuilder's pride : LATs.

4. "Wizards of Waverly Place" actress Gomez : SELENA.

10. Like crudités : RAW.

13. Helpful URL link : FAQ. Frequently Asked Questions. They never seem to have the answer I am looking for.

14. Literary postscript : EPILOG.

15. Townshend of 22-Down : PETE. And 22-Down. "Pinball Wizard" band : THE WHO.

16. Cross-shaped letter : TAU. It's also an empire in this video game.

17. Forecast words golfers like to hear : NO RAIN. Husker, do you golf in the rain?

18. Glade target : ODOR.

22. Frequent Hepburn co-star : TRACY.

23. Take a load off : SIT.

24. __ rhythm: brain waves pattern : THETA.

25. Old-style "For shame!" : FIE.

28. Soothing sprinklings : TALCS. I was thinking along the lines of Jimmies on ice-cream.

32. Rink VIPs : REFs. Ice hockey rink, REFerees.

35. Iconic WWII setting, familiarly : IWO. Jima.

36. Missouri tributary : OSAGE.

37. Garden product word : GRO.

41. Water-to-wine site : CANA. As shown in this painting of "The Wedding at Cana" by Veronese.

42. __ voce: softly : SOTTO.

43. Longing : YEN.

44. Gourmet mushroom : MOREL. Do these look "gourmet"?

45. Storage media : CDs.

47. Theorize : POSIT.

54. Leave off : OMIT.

55. Hummus ingredient : TAHINI.

56. "Run to __": Bobby Vee hit : HIM. Blast from the past. 2:05

59. Galvanizing metal : ZINC.

60. Like many Schoenberg compositions : ATONAL. Here's a small sample from his "Pierrot Lunaire." 1:15

61. Possible reply to "Got milk?"? : MOO. And 2-Down. Ewe cry : BAA.

62. Shout of success : YES! (With or without fist pump.)

63. Seuss reptile : YERTLE. the Turtle.

64. Classroom fill-in : SUB. Another CSO to HG!


Down

1. Not fore : AFT.

3. Storage unit? : SQUARE FOOT.

4. Iroquois Confederacy tribe : SENECA.

5. Powerful adhesive : EPOXY.

6. Turkish bread? : LIRA. Anyone else think about filling in "na'an"?

7. Gusto : ELAN.

8. Reason to be turned away by a bouncer : NO ID.

9. Patron saint of girls : AGNES. CSO to Irish Miss!

10. Edit menu choice : REDO.

11. Straddling : ATOP.

12. "While __ Young": USGA anti-slow play campaign : WE'RE.

15. Can convenience : POP TAB. Anybody else fill in POP Top?

21. Religious ceremony : RITE.

24. Vacation plans : TRIPS. We're still trying to decide where and when to travel in Europe next year.

25. Persnickety : FUSSY.

26. Lacking sense : INANE.

27. Encourage : EGG ON.

29. Shortcuts for complex multiplication : LOGARITHMS.

30. Trumpet cousin : CORNET. In what song were there 110 CORNETs "close at hand"?

31. Toaster's word : SKOAL.

33. Beanery cuppa : JOE.

34. "Ben-Hur" author Wallace : LEW.

39. "... and all that jazz," for short : ETC. ETC. Yadda, yadda...

40. Fullness of flavor : BODY.

41. __ Nostra : COSA.

46. Skewered Thai dish : SATAY. With peanut sauce - yummm!

47. Serving to punish : PENAL.

48. Like a warm nest : COZY.

49. Nice lady friend : AMIE. "Nice" misdirection.

50. Confession details : SINS. On this site, you can apply for a SIN, obtain a confirmation of your SIN or amend your SIN record! (Might be a useful link for CanadianEh?)

51. London gallery : TATE.

52. Superhero with a hammer : THOR.

53. Help for a solver : HINT.

57. Letters of credit? : IOU.

58. Group gone wild : MOB. Like the one at Keene, N.H.'s pumpkin festival last week. Link credit: HG!

Marti, over and out.

Thursday, October 16, 2014 Gail Grabowski and Bruce Venzke

Theme: "Naked Gun"

17. *Programs that generate hardware sales : KILLER APPS.

26. *Certain repair site : BODY SHOP.

40. *Brings up to speed : CLUES IN.

52. *Bargain for less jail time : COP A PLEA.

At first, I thought that the first words formed a headline in the morning paper:
"KILLER BODY CLUES [IN] COP." Hence, my idea of the theme.

But it is just things that one might find on any NCIS episode, and they always figure it out, as in the reveal here:
62. Climactic announcement suggested by the starts of the answers to starred clues : CASE SOLVED.


Across

1. Dangler on a dog : ID TAG. Hmmm, I just submitted a puzzle to Rich with this same entry, and the same clue. So needless to say, it was a gimme.

6. D-Day city : ST. LÔ. It was 95% destroyed during the Battle of Normandy in WWII.

10. "A likely story!" : AS IF.

14. 19th-century English novelist Charles : READE. Appropriate name for an author!

15. Greenish-blue : CYAN. And 33-Across. Greenish-blue : AQUA. Another name for CYAN. Both are RGB: 0, 255, 255

16. Gear teeth : COGS.

19. Religious offshoot : CULT. I wanted "sect" at first.

20. Paperless publication : EZINE.

21. "Ditto!" : I DO TOO.

23. Having "but one life to give for my country," to Hale : REGRET. Nathan Hale, American patriot during the Revolutionary War. He was captured and convicted of spying on the British, and was hanged. His last words were "I only regret that I have but one life to give to this country."

28. "__ you finished?" : ARE.

29. Feel sorry about : RUE.

31. Gael or Druid : CELT.

32. Retin-A target : ZIT.

35. __ Martin: flashy car : ASTON. You can have one that skids for a mere $300,000.

39. LAX listing : ETA.

42. "Surfin' __" : USA. The Beach Boys.

43. Like painter Jan Steen : DUTCH.

45. Assents at sea : AYES.

46. Capture : NAB. And when they do, CASE SOLVED!

47. Extremely attentive : RAPT.

49. Big laugh : YUK.

51. It may need boosting : EGO.

56. Capital on the Sava River : ZAGREB.

58. José's "Moulin Rouge" co-star : ZSA ZSA. Ferrer and Gabor starred in the 1952 movie, directed by John Huston. Nicole Kidman revised the role of Satine in 2001.

59. Salvage crew acronym : SCUBA.

61. Literary bell town : ATRI. Do not confuse Longfellow's bell with Hersey's bell, which we just had yesterday!

67. Shed tool : RAKE. Ugh. Time to get them out of the shed.

68. Quaint oath : EGAD.

69. Antipasto ingredient : OLIVE. I like mine surrounded by vodka.

70. Span. ladies : SRAs. Señoras.

71. Feature of some stadiums : DOME.

72. Green : MONEY. Moola, cabbage, dough, smackers....


Down

1. Aggravate : IRK.

2. Agnus __ : DEI. Latin for "Lamb of God."

3. Latvian chess champ of 1960-'61 : TAL. Mikhail, often called "The Magician From Riga."

4. Only woman to outwit Holmes : ADLER. Irene Adler, the opera singer in "Scandal in Bohemia."  I just watched this the other night, for about the fifth time!

5. Eccentric sort : GEEZER. Usually with "old."

6. Reading at the checkout counter : SCAN.

7. Laid-back sort : TYPE B. What's your type?

8. Indy circuit : LAP.

9. Kind of surprise kick : ONSIDE. Fantastic example in the Colts-Texans game last week.

10. Confronts rudely : ACCOSTS.

11. Word in two state names : SOUTH. Dakota and Carolina.

12. White house? : IGLOO. Cute clue!

13. Lens setting : F-STOP.

18. Ceremony : RITUAL.

22. "Lay Lady Lay" singer : DYLAN.

23. Knocked down : RAZED.

24. "Un Ballo in Maschera" aria : ERI TU. Verdi's "A Masked Ball" is one of my favorite operas, and has a fascinating history.

25. Imply : GET AT.

27. Dublin-born playwright : O'CASEY. Sean O'CASEY wrote plays that were often about the Dublin slums.  I don't think I have ever read any of them.

30. Consider identical : EQUATE.

34. Chase scene maneuver, slangily : UEY.

36. One working on pitches : TUNER. Oh no! Baseball!! Oh, how will I ever...oh, never mind. It's a piano tuner. (Whew!)

37. Missouri river or county : OSAGE.

38. Mover and shaker : NABOB. Are they usually nattering?

40. Blokes : CHAPS.

41. Troopers, e.g. : ISUZUS. Great misdirection.

44. Extreme jitters, with "the" : CRAZIES. "The Crazies" was also a 1973 horror movie, remade in 2010.

48. Put : PLACED.

50. Explosive sound : KA-BOOM.

52. Business magnates : CZARS.

53. Very hot celestial orb : O STAR.

54. Arctic garb : PARKA.

55. Tea-producing Indian state : ASSAM. Abejo, did you ever try ASSAM tea?

57. Big name in wine : GALLO. Ernest

60. Give up : CEDE.

63. Earlier : AGO.

64. Rouge or blanc : VIN. French wine, anyone?

65. Eden dweller : EVE.

66. "L.A. Law" actress : DEY. Susan.

That's all for now!

Marti

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to CrossEyedDave, who has brought so much joy to the blog. It's easy to link a fun picture/clip once in a while, but to do it day after day and tying all the pictures to theme entries is hard work! Thanks for the time and effort, Dave! Click here for a few more pictures of young Dave and his beloved cat PK. Are you getting a new cat?

Thursday, October 9, 2014 Robert E. Lee Morris

Theme: "No rubbernecking!"


17-Across. *Tricky puzzle : BRAIN TEASER.

37-Across. *"Let me give it a shot?" : CAN I TRY.

59-Across. *Historic route west : OREGON TRAIL.

11-Down. *Unvarnished facts : PLAIN TRUTH.

And the reveal:

29-Down. Calamity, and what's literally hidden in the answers to starred clues : TRAIN WRECK.

Each starred entry has the letters in T-R-A-I-N all jumbled up.  Fun reveal, but I didn't need it to get the theme entries. When I came across the clue, I just glanced at what was already filled in: Check! Anagram puzzle!


Across

1. Kid-lit classic "__, Plain and Tall" : SARAH. A story of grief, loneliness and abandonment. Kid-lit? Really?

6. Dust Bowl refugees : OKIES. Think of the Joad family here.

11. Part of many a texting request : PLS. Short for "please."

14. Unborn, after "in" : UTERO.

15. "It's a Wonderful Life" director : CAPRA. Ah, my favorite movie, and personal mantra.

16. Pitcher rim : LIP. I am getting gun-shy, and was actually thinking of a baseball pitcher!

19. Tenn. neighbor : ALA.bama.

20. Commuter's woe : JAM.

21. Astronomy : Urania :: poetry : __ : ERATO. Respective muses.

22. Basic chord : TRIAD.

24. City between Paris and Marseille : LYON. Map.

25. "Just this time ..." : FOR ONCE.

27. Mensa membership consideration, perhaps : IQ TEST. There are many different tests that would qualify you for membership, so "perhaps" is appropriate in this clue.

30. Most plucky : GAMEST. Not to be confused with "gamiest."

31. Myanmar, formerly : BURMA.

32. SeaWorld attraction : ORCA.

33. Stonestreet of "Modern Family" : ERIC. Never saw the show, so was not familiar with this actor, who plays Cameron Tucker.

36. Actress Wasikowska : MIA. Never knew the name of this actress, who played Alice in Tim Burton's movie version of "Alice in Wonderland." Needless to say, this section relied heavily on perps!

40. __ Today : USA.

41. Essentially fat-free : SKIM.

43. Credit report blot : REPO.ssession.

44. Film with dusty streets, typically : OATER.

46. Seconds flat : NO TIME. I really wanted "in" at the beginning.

48. Eight dry gallons : BUSHEL.

49. "Hiya!" : HOWDY DO. Let's sing to the tune of "Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay":

It’s Howdy Doody time

It’s Howdy Doody time

Bob Smith and Howdy too

Say “HOWDY DO” to you

Let’s give a rousing cheer

’Cause Howdy Doody’s here

It’s time to start the show

So kids, let’s go!

51. Genesis creator : SEGA. Arcade game, not the bible book...

52. Pasture measures : ACRES.

53. User's shortcut : MACRO.

55. Meditation beginning? : PRE. Premeditation.

58. Marine pronoun : SHE. I'm sure that Spitzboov has linked the explanation of "SHE" referring to ships before, but I couldn't find it.

62. Noir hero : TEC. The '40s-'50s era of crime drama films often involved a detective ("TEC") or undercover cop .

63. Large jazz combo : NONET.

64. Tourist __ : MECCA.

65. Origin of an egg-shaped spaceship : ORK. "Mork and Mindy" ran from 1978-82. RIP Robin Williams.

66. Locations : SITES.

67. Praise : EXTOL.


Down

1. Alg. or geog. : SUBJ.ect.

2. Razor brand : ATRA.

3. 20 quires : REAM. Factoid: The quire got its name from Old English "quare," meaning "by fours." Four sheets of vellum or parchment would be folded in half -giving a total of 8 sheets, or 16 sides. When pulp paper made it easier to stitch pages together, this meaning was quickly lost, and a quire usually contained 24 or 25 sheets. The modern ream is made up of 500 sheets, or 20 quires.

4. First name in shipping : ARI. Onassis was a Greek shipping magnate.

5. Bee's nectar reservoir : HONEY SAC. I never heard this term.  It is also called a "honey stomach."

6. Vast expanse : OCEAN.

7. Longtime pitcher Jim with the nickname "Kitty" : KAAT. I defer to people who know more about baseball than the fact that it does, indeed, require a baseball for the game. Here's the wiki.

8. By its very nature, in law : IPSO FACTO. The embedding of a wiki link does not, IPSO FACTO, turn me into a baseball expert!

9. Afore : ERE.

10. "Being and Nothingness" philosopher : SARTRE. Jean Paul.

12. Fragrant bloom : LILAC. I have both white and purple ones on my property.

13. Fictional falcon seeker : SPADE. Sam Spade, "The Maltese Falcon."

18. Relaxed pace : TROT. Unless you are trying to find the W.C.

23. Left the runway : ROSE.

24. Apollo lander, briefly : LEM. Lunar Excursion Module.

26. General Bradley : OMAR. One of the very few five star generals in U.S. history.

27. AT and PS/2 computers : IBMS.

28. Nestlé __ : QUIK.

30. Complain : GRIPE.

32. "Be right with you" : ONE MOMENT. I had to check perps before deciding between "minute" or MOMENT.

34. "Ah! Say no more" : I SEE.

35. Poet Sandburg : CARL. One of my favorites is this poem:

Fog

The fog comes

on little cat feet.

It sits looking

over harbor and city

on silent haunches

and then moves on.

38. Like New Mexico's climate, largely : ARID.

39. "Darned if I know!" : YOU GOT ME.

42. Style : MODE.

45. Cool-cucumber link : AS A.

47. Poultry magnate John et al. : TYSONS.

48. Alpine capital : BERN. Béarnaise sauce is also sometimes spelled "Bernaise," leading people to believe that it originated in Bern, Switzerland. But there is no truth to that. Béarnaise is strictly of French origin.

49. Must : HAS TO.

50. Yellowish pigment : OCHER. RGB 204.119.34

51. Highland Games participants : SCOTS.

54. "A Death in the Family" author : AGEE. Such a vowel-friendly name.

55. Agreement : PACT.

56. Wealthy, in Juárez : RICO.

57. Ben Gurion airline : EL AL.

I totally missed these last two clechos, because I had filled them in with the across answers:
60. King at Versailles : ROI.
and
61. King in old Rome : REX.

Tag, you're it!

Marti