google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Thursday

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Showing posts with label Thursday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Thursday. Show all posts

Feb 26, 2015

Thursday, February 26, 2015 Mike Buckley

Theme: "The Great Imposter" *

17. It's fraudulent : FORGED CHECK.

27. It's fabricated : TRUMPED UP CHARGE.

46. It's fake : COUNTERFEIT NOTE.

56. Race errors, and what 17-, 27- and 46-Across have : FALSE STARTS.

*Remember the 1961 movie starring Tony Curtis? I thought of it immediately when I saw the theme.

Only 72 words and 29 blocks, with a whopping sixteen 7-letter words. Woo-hoo, Saturday level stuff!  And lots of challenging fill, too. Let's see what I mean...


Across

1. Wrap giant : ALCOA. Ummm..."Saran" also fits.

6. Reliever Orosco with the MLB record for career pitching appearances : JESSE. I nailed it! (...after getting J-E-S-S-* from the perps.)

11. Center of excellence? : ELS. The two "Ls" in the word, not a think tank.

14. Quaking causes : FEARS.

15. Plant pest : APHID. I long for the days of pinching APHIDs off my roses!

16. Rest one's dogs, so to speak : SIT. "Dogs" is a slang word for feet.

19. "Double Fantasy" artist : ONO. How do I clue thee? Let me count the ways...

20. Extras in an env. : ENCS. Enclosures.

21. Squeezed (out) : EKED.

22. Web-footed critter : OTTER. I was looking for some kind of duck.

24. Mustard, for one: Abbr. : COL.onel.

25. Encouraging shouts : OLEs.

26. Shout : SCREAM. Ole!

30. ''Saint Joan'' star Jean : SEBERG. A tragic figure in filmdom.

31. __ Locks: St. Marys River rapids bypass : SOO.

32. Hid the gray in : DYED.

33. Brewers' outfielder Braun : RYAN. Nailed it! (...after getting the R-Y-A-N from perps.)

35. Creator of Della : ERLE. Stanley Gardner - "Perry Mason."

37. Morales of film : ESAI.

40. Part of a foot : TOE.

42. Pompous authority : POOBAH. Great word!

49. Beer with "Since 1775" on its label : STROHS.

50. Big dos :'FROS. Afros.

51. Grazing area : LEA.

52. More of that : THOSE. I think this was my favorite clue.

53. Detective Peter of old TV : GUNN. Played by?

54. Estate attorney's concern : HEIR.

55. __ Lingus : AER.

59. Mrs., in much of the Americas : SRA. Señora.

60. Classic six-couplet poem : TREES. Joyce Kilmer.

61. Has __: can save face : AN OUT.

62. Triumphant cry : YES. [insert fist pump]

63. Dost espy : SEEST.

64. Has a sudden inspiration? : GASPS. My second favorite clue.


Down

1. Gets to : AFFECTS. I don't let most things get to me. Life's too short.

2. Heroine of Beethoven's "Fidelio" : LEONORE. Beethoven's only opera!

3. AAA, for one : CAR CLUB.
and semi-clecho:
4. AAA et al. : ORGS.

5. Enzyme suffix : ASE.

6. Hiked, with "up" : JACKED.

7. "The Comedy of Errors" setting : EPHESUS.

8. Word with wood or water : SHED.

9. Quote qualifier : SIC.

10. Ex-mayor with a cameo in "The Muppets Take Manhattan" : ED KOCH.

11. Abstruse stuff : ESOTERY. OK, but I usually use the word "esoterica." You?

12. Pedigree : LINEAGE.

13. Came (in) dramatically : STORMED.

18. Convention attendees : DELEGATES.

23. Exploit : TRADE ON. "He traded on his good looks to..."

25. "Live at the __": Patsy Cline album : OPRY. Can you tell which line she flubbed on this early recording?

26. Venomous arachnids : SCORPIONS.

28. Sources of fine wool : MERINOS.

29. "... rapping at my chamber door" poet : POE. From "The Raven."

34. Fish-fowl link : NOR. What is neither fish NOR flesh, feathers nor bone, but still has fingers and thumbs of its own? (Answer, below.)

36. Filming sites : LOTS.

37. Heaven on earth : ECSTASY.

38. "Told ya!" : SO THERE.

39. Natural light shows : AURORAS.

41. Pours out : EFFUSES.

43. Short, tailored jackets : BOLEROS. Like this.

44. Really dug something : ATE IT UP.

45. San Simeon family : HEARSTS.

47. Guards may prevent them : THEFTS.

48. Antarctic explorer Shackleton : ERNEST. I have read every book I could find about his ill-fated trip. My favorite was "The Endurance: Shackleton's legendary Antarctic expedition," by Caroline Alexander. This picture almost looks like Boston harbor this week.

53. Pure delight : GLEE.

54. 1985 U.S. Open champ Mandlikova : HANA.

57. Modern art? : ARE. Cute misdirection.

58. Recess game : TAG. Or phone game.

"Your're IT !!"
Marti

Answer to 34-Down: A glove.
Note from C.C.:

Please send positive thoughts (or say a prayer) to Husker Gary, who's having an important operation tomorrow. Please also keep Yellowrocks in your thoughts. She fell on ice last week and broke some of the stitches from her knee surgery. She needs repair surgery soon.

Joann, Granddaughter Elise & Gary
 
Yellowrocks (Kathy)

Feb 19, 2015

Thursday, February 19, 2015 Robert Fisher

Theme: "Error Messages"

Four annoying computer pop-ups you might come across:

17-Across. "You're living in the past," nowadays : UPGRADE REQUIRED.

26-Across. "You can't go there," nowadays : ACCESS DENIED.

45-Across. "Nobody can go there," nowadays : PAGE NOT FOUND.

59-Across. "Never heard of you," nowadays : INVALID USERNAME.

I'm not sure how this ended up on a Thursday, since it seemed very Monday-friendly. Simple, straight-forward theme, without much dreck in the fill.  Maybe some of the names could trip up a Monday level solver, but the perps all quickly came to the rescue for me.

Across

1. Explosive sound : BLAM. Boom?! (The perps said "no.")

5. Outer __ : SPACE. And a cross-referential clue at 7-Down. Prefix with 5-Across : AERO.

10. Not even ajar : SHUT.

14. "Born to Die" singer/songwriter Del Rey : LANA. See? All perps!

15. Stadium divisions : TIERS.

16. Son of Leah : LEVI. No perps needed.

20. Flower celebrated in an annual Ottawa festival : TULIP. It all started with a gift of TULIPs by the Dutch Royal Family to the people of Canada after the liberation of Europe in WWII.

21. Move the boat, in a way : ROW. I suppose you could also pedal it?

22. Painting option : SPRAY. Brush? Color? Latex?

23. Like a typical farmer's market : OPEN AIR.

25. "Gotcha!" : OHO.

32. Peace Nobelist Sakharov : ANDREI. Ironically, he was key in the development of the hydrogen bomb, and later played a role in the Partial Test Ban Treaty.

35. Elijah Blue's mom : CHER. With her second husband Greg Allman.

36. __ de coeur: impassioned plea : CRI. Literally, "Cry from the heart" in French.

37. "Gone With the Wind" setting : TARA.

38. "Whew!" : BOY!

39. Sit a spell : REST.

40. The Pac-12's Beavers : OSUOregon State University.

41. Ego : SELF.

43. Citrine or amethyst : QUARTZ. Amethyst is the February birthstone. Citrine is November.

48. A Bobbsey twin : NAN. Bert's twin. I wonder if she likes Indian flatbread?

49. Stops : DESISTS.

53. Early New Zealand settler : MAORI.

56. "Something __, something ..." : OLD. "Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue, and a lucky sixpence in your shoe." I wonder if brides still follow this old advice for a happy marriage on their wedding days.

58. Bug : EAT AT.

62. Cinch : SNAP.

63. Sci-fi staple : ROBOT.

64. Golf shot : CHIP.

65. Breton, e.g. : CELT.

66. Band tour stop, perhaps : ARENA.

67. Building additions : ELLS.


Down

1. Olive Oyl pursuer : BLUTO. D'ah! I tried to cram "Brutus" in there.

2. Eagerly consume : LAP UP.

3. One with degrees? : ANGLE. This was acute clue.

4. Sauce of southern Italy : MARINARA. Mmmm...

5. Norm: Abbr. : STDStandard.

6. Capital ENE of Custer : PIERRE. WAG.

7. Prefix with 5-Across : AERO.

8. Intercollegiate sport : CREW. They row, row, row their boats.

9. Lawyer's letters : ESQ.

10. Moccasin, for one : SLIP-ON.

11. Man around the Haus : HERR. German.

12. Layer in the eye : UVEA.

13. Considerable : TIDY. As in "A TIDY sum."

18. Posthaste : APACE.

19. Escort : USHER.

24. "Here," on Metro maps : ICI. Nit: the Paris subway is called the Métro, with an acute accent.

25. "__ to Billie Joe" : ODE.

27. Act the cynic : SCOFF. "Scorn" fits, too. Just sayin'...

28. Coming up short : SHY.

29. Bakery specialist : ICER.

30. Before, to a bard : ERST.

31. Scatterbrain : DITZ. I use that word all the time, usually describing myself.

32. On the highest point of : ATOP.

33. Apollo's creator : NASA. No hint of abbr. because it is Thursday?

34. Pharmacopeia listing : DRUG.

38. Abbreviation on a lunch menu : BLT. Oh, so now we get the abbreviation hint!

39. Splendor : RADIANCE. Somehow "Radiance in the Grass" just doesn't have the same ring to it.

41. Gastropod for a gourmet : SNAIL.

42. Geochronological span : EON.

43. "¿__ pasa?" : QUE. "'s up?"

44. Three-time Indy winner Bobby : UNSER.

46. Transported : ENRAPT.

47. Favored to win : ODDS ON. E.g., a bet of "2 to 1 on" means that the team is twice as likely to win as not.

50. "60 Minutes" regular : STAHLLeslie.  I really admire her.

51. Sri Lankan language : TAMIL.

52. What a pedometer counts : STEPS. I bought DH a FitBit for Christmas, thinking it would encourage him to exercise more.  The first day he wore it, he announced that he had done almost two miles by just doing his usual stuff around the house.  (I was humbled...)

53. Catchall file abbr. : MISC.

54. Archer of "Fatal Attraction" : ANNE.  I had forgotten about her role as Michael Douglas's wife.

55. Common face shape : OVAL. ANNE's is a beautiful OVAL, don't you think?

56. Redolence : ODOR.

57. Jiffy __ : LUBE.

60. "Science Friday" radio host Flatow : IRA. He used to be on NPR, but moved to PRI (Public Radio International), which now airs the show.

61. Greek "H" : ETA. Or, Greek "n"?

It's omega for me!
Marti


Feb 12, 2015

Thursday, February 12, 2015 Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: "Fair and Square"

55. Urban centers, and what this puzzle's circles represent : TOWN SQUARES.

7 randomly selected towns are formed into squares in the grid, as shown by the circled letters. God bless, if you didn't have the circles:
LIMA
OSLO
FLORENCE
PISA
RENO
BRASILIA
BUDAPEST

I am not sure if they qualify as towns - most of them are pretty big cities, IMO.

The grid shows right to left symmetry, but not top to bottom. Not much else stood out for me, which can be a good thing. Let' see where else Jeffrey takes us on his world tour.

Across

1. Popular : LIKED.

6. Scale syllables : LAs.

9. Drives away : SHOOS.

14. Simple-living sect : AMISH. It all began with a schism of Swiss and Alsatian Anabaptists let by Jakob Ammann. Which explains why they speak a form of German called Pennsylvania Dutch.

15. Guitar attachment? : IST. Guitarist.

16. Pope John Paul II's given name : KAROL. Karol Józef Wojtyła.

17. Warm-water ray : MANTA.

18. Ziegfeld with follies : FLO.

19. Donald Jr.'s mom : IVANA.

20. One of the deadly sins : ANGER. Along with pride, covetousness, lust, gluttony, envy, and sloth.

21. What a flap may cover : EAR.

22. Four-time Emmy winner for Outstanding Drama Series : LA LAW.

23. Longtime Lehrer partner : MACNEIL. They first teamed up to cover the Watergate hearings for PBS in 1973.

26. __ spoon : GREASY. Ah, so here's the GREASY fare I was looking for last week!

29. Coniferous secretions : RESINS.

33. "The imperious __ breed monsters": Shakespeare : SEAS. From "Cymbeline."

34. New England food fish : SCROD. In New England, the term is usually taken to mean "fresh catch of the day," and could be haddock, cod or other whitefish.

36. Goes bad : ROTS.

38. Edible pockets : PITAS.

40. Sign before Virgo : LEO.

41. Canadian bottle size : LITRE. Canadians spell it the same as the British do.

42. Computer text code : ASCII.

43. Sturdy tree : ELM.

44. Bond's car starter? : ASTON.-Martin.

45. Pi-sigma link : RHO.

46. "Life Is Good" rapper : NAS.

48. Pig's digs : STY.

50. Lacking a mate : ODD.

51. Broadway songwriting team __ and Ebb : KANDER. No clue. I should know them, though, because "Cabaret" and "Chicago" are two of my favorite musicals.

53. Starts from scratch : REDOES.

59. Start of a spell : ABRA.cadabra...

61. Dome openings : OCULI. Like this one in the Pantheon in Rome.


62. Melville's Billy : BUDD.

65. China neighbor : LAOS.

66. Fabric information spot : LABEL.

67. Ruse : TRAP.

68. 1953 Caron film : LILI.

69. Helps with the dishes : DRIES. I just throw them in the dishwasher.

70. Michaelmas mo. : SEPT. A celebration of the Archangel Michael, it occurs on September 29th.


Down

1. Priest from the East : LAMA.

2. Mogadishu-born model : IMAN. Thank you, Lucina. I now remember her name without hesitating!

3. Wenceslaus, e.g. : KING. Wenceslaus I was a duke, assassinated in a plot by his brother. He was elevated to sainthood and given the title of KING posthumously.

4. Acapulco-to-Oaxaca dirección : ESTE. OK, I totally blew my Spanish quiz last week, so here I'm given another chance.  I'll guess: EAST? (I have a 1 in 4 chance of getting it right!)

5. Greg's sitcom wife : DHARMA. The sitcom ran from 1997-2002. Jenna Elfman is still acting, but not with her previous success on this show. Thomas Gibson has had a bit more success, and can be seen on "Criminal Minds."


6. Series of biological stages : LIFE CYCLES.

7. C.S. Lewis lion : ASLAN. In "The Chronicles of Narnia," Aslan is the only character to appear in all seven books.

8. Shelf-restocking sources : STOREROOMS.

9. Résumé essentials : SKILLS.

10. "__ Nagila" : HAVA.

11. Unwritten : ORAL.

12. Chaplin granddaughter : OONA.

13. Diner side : SLAW.

24. Animal in some of Aesop's fables : ASS.

25. Mil. roadside hazard : IEDImprovised Explosive Device.

26. Teahouse hostess : GEISHA.

27. Certain exterminator's concern : RAT CONTROL.

28. Morales of "La Bamba" : ESAI.

30. Pupil controller : IRIS.

31. Having second thoughts : NOT TOO SURE.

32. Took steps : STRODE.

33. Bit of inspiration : SPARK.

35. Baha'i, e.g.: Abbr. : REL.igion.

37. Ships : SENDS.

39. Strength : SINEW.

41. Cake section : LAYER.

47. Composer Schoenberg : ARNOLD. Here is a very good version of the orchestral prelude to his "Gurre-Lieder" by the Berlin Philharmonic orchestra.

49. Gets behind : TRAILS. And a semi-clecho at 54-Down. Results of getting behind : DEBTS.

52. "__ say!": parental warning : DO AS I. (..."not as I do!")

56. Dueling memento : SCAR.

57. Android media console brand : QUBI. I can honestly say that I have never...ever...seen this word before. It was a crowdfunded startup and was supposed to come out in 2013. But I don't see any current news for it. Does it actually exist?

58. 1997 Fonda role : ULEE.

59. The whole lot : ALL.

60. Chinese-born actress __ Ling : BAI. Her Chinese citizenship was revoked because of her role in "The Red Corner," since the film was critical of Human Rights abuses in China.

63. Fist bump : DAP.

64. Combo vaccine, for short : DPTDiptheria, pertussis (whooping cough) and tetanus. The MMR (Measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine is making headlines lately.


That's it for this week!
Marti

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to dear LaLaLinda, who has not been active on the blog lately due to a health setback. Last month Linda also lost her beloved cat, who was a close companion to her for the past 16 years. (Edited later: the past 17 years) Let's send Linda our positive thoughts and make today extra special for her.


Feb 5, 2015

Thursday, February 5, 2015 Victor Barocas

Theme: "Elementary, Watson!"

Let's start with the unifier. 59-Across. Device for exposing the end of 17-, 24-, 35- or 47-Across : DETECTOR. And there are four zippy phrases in today's grid to go with it:

17-Across. "You don't look a day over 29," probably : WHITE LIE. The US Federal government calls a LIE DETECTOR test a "psychophysiological detection of deception" test, or PDD.

24-Across. Didn't come to pass : WENT UP IN SMOKE. Everyone should have functioning SMOKE DETECTORs in their home.

35-Across. Flooring phrase : PEDAL TO THE METAL. Splynter, a stud finder could be a type of METAL DETECTOR, right?

47-Across. So as not to be noticed : UNDER THE RADAR. RADAR DETECTORs are illegal in D.C. and Virginia, but all other states allow them in passenger cars.

A few missteps, but fairly easy for a Thursday.  Let me show you what I mean.

Across

1. Parlor action : BETS. Nailed it!

5. Dorm peer leaders: Abbr. : RAsResident Assistants / Advisors.

8. Lidless container : CARAFEWine!


14. Palm that produces purple berries : ACAI. This is becoming a crossword staple.

15. CPR giver : EMT. Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation / Emergency Medical Technician.

16. Missouri River city : PIERRE. And a clecho at 38-Down. Missouri River city : OMAHAMap.

19. One may use a teleprompter : ORATOR.

20. IM guffaw : LOL. Instant Message: Laugh Out Loud.

21. Hustled : RACED.

23. Points in math class : LOCI.

28. Chorus for the villain : HISSES.

29. "Dang!" : NUTS.

30. Fellow : GENT.

31. Drink with sushi : SAKE. Pronounced sah'-kee, for heaven's sake!

32. Cow or sow : SHE.

40. Promos : ADs.

41. General organization? : ARMY. Cute misdirection.

42. Tetra holder : TANK. We just had a discussion about tetras and bettas a couple of weeks ago.

43. Reining word : WHOA.

44. "Given the circumstances ..." : AS IT IS...

51. Stories of the ages : LORE.

52. Invalidate : ANNUL.

53. Vacation destination : SPA. Aah..

56. Wanted badly : CRAVED.

61. __ Pie : ESKIMO. Are they un-PC? We no longer see Inuits referred to by that name.

62. Great Basin native : UTE. "What's a UTE?"

63. Orkin victim : PEST. Duh, I was thinking of the Orek brand vacuum cleaner, and filled in "dust."

64. Pull out of the water : REEL IN.

65. TD's half-dozen : PTs. Touch Downs are worth six Points.

66. Gorillas, e.g. : APES.


Down

1. Go through a lot of tissues : BAWL. Because "have an allergy attack" didn't fit.

2. Tunnel effect : ECHO.

3. Help from behind : TAIL WINDS.

4. Gather dust : SIT.

5. "I can __" : RELATE.

6. __ curiae: friend of the court : AMICUS. I did not know the term, but it was easy enough to infer with "friend" in the clue.

7. Tough to climb : STEEP.

8. Nav. noncom : CPOChief Petty Officer.  Do they have a lot of nits to pick?

9. Word before base or ball : AIR. Neither of them have anything to do with baseball. AIR base is a USAF facility, and an AIR ball is a basketball term for a shot that completely misses the rim, the net and the backboard.

10. Kingdoms : REALMS.

11. Skywalker associate, familiarly : ARTOO.

12. Monastic garment : FROCK. The word "cappuccino" is derived from the color of the Capuchin monks' FROCKs.

13. Inducing the willies : EERIE.

18. Sea eagles : ERNS.

22. Kitchen dweller of song : DINAH. "I've Been Working on the Railroad." Meanwhile, DINAH is getting all friendly with some banjo player in the kitchen.

25. Spanish 101 verb : ESTA. I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that it means "this" or "that"?

26. Cook quickly, in a way : NUKE.

27. Half-note feature : STEM.
28. Obey : HEED.

30. Campus no. : GPAGrade Point Average.

31. Farm home : STY.

32. Unit between levels : STAIR STEP. Hand up for wanting "case" before STEP?

33. Prince in "Frozen" : HANS. WAG, with the H-A-N-* in place.

34. Large grazer : ELK.

36. Cowardly Lion player : LAHR.

37. Bouncy pace : TROT.

39. Sundance Kid's girlfriend : ETTA. I think the "Place that Sundance loved" clue has seen better days.

43. Boll eater : WEEVIL.

44. Actor Will of "The Lego Movie" : ARNETT. All perps.

45. Many diner dishes : SAUTÉS. "Greasy" just wasn't working with the perps.

46. Not working : IDLE.

47. Stress-related ailment, possibly : ULCER.

48. Language on a longship : NORSE. Longships were the epitome of Viking naval power.

49. 16th-century circumnavigator : DRAKE. His Golden Hind was not a long boat, but it did make a long trip.

50. Turn out : END UP.

54. Prepare for a shot : POSE.

55. Song and dance : ARTS.

57. Former Abbey Road Studios owner : EMIElectric and Musical Industries, Ltd. I always mix this up with BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc.)

58. "GoodFellas" boss : DON.

60. IRA suggester : CPA. Individual Retirement Accounts are often suggested by Certified Public Accountants.

That's it from me!
Marti


Jan 29, 2015

Thursday, January 29, 2015, Marti Duguay-Carpenter

Theme: Can you saw a sawbuck for me?

For the younger generation, a sawbuck is a ten dollar bill. This derived from the Roman Numeral X meaning ten, which looks like one end of a sawhorse. C-note meaning a hundred is also from the Latin. Anyway, marti has taken the word TEN and broken between two adjacent fill which are all clued by the first clue, cross-referentially- a variation on the break a word theme like we saw yesterday from Jeffrey Wechsler. Yesterday was an outie, and today is an innie. There is a double symmetry of the break 1/3 having t/en and 2/4 te/n. with 1/4 10 letters and 2/3 9 letters. The reveal is a central gridspanning 15. The fill is heavy on 5 letter words, some of which are tough like ERISA, ICAHN and TABOR and there are some nice 7-8 letter fill such as AMNESIA, CD RATES, EERIEST, HASTIER, NICE DOG, ROB ROYS, BREAD BIN, STAY HERE, many of which required work. Pinch hitting for marti, so let's get to work.

14A. With 15-Across, accounting unit : DEBIT. 15A. See 14-Across : ENTRY. Our system of mathematics, and accounting are based on the base 10. (10 in the theme).

29A. With 31-Across, anathema : BETE. 31A. See 29-Across : NOIRE. We have had bete noire before clued before as bete___?(8/12/14) and _____noire?(9/30/14). (9 in the theme). Aren't you all glad we had this word Tuesday?

44A. With 47-Across, some receivers : TIGHT. 47A. See 44-Across : ENDS. Rob Gronkowski is the New England Patriots star receiver. LINK. (0:29)(9 in the theme).

65A. With 66-Across, National Book Award-winning novel by Don DeLillo : WHITE. 66A. See 65-Across : NOISE. I did not know the book, but I knew the theme. (10 in the theme).
and the reveal
37A. Question about change, which hints at the hidden feature of four two-part puzzle answers : CAN YOU BREAK A TEN? (15).

Across:

1. Some portrait frames : OVALS. I had some trouble with this beginning even though I have a big oval frame in my living room holding a picture of my mother with her brothers when she was little.

6. Noble __ : GASES. Back on track.

11. Singsong syllable : TRA. Well, Lah di dah!

16. Like some aces : RED. So many different kinds of aces- cards, tennis, air warfare, tests....

17. Manage : SEE TO. I always think of,,,


18. Walking __ : ON AIR. What TV show theme music?

19. Sound after a satisfying swig : AAH. How cool that this is next to...

20. Scotch cocktails : ROB ROYS. The Scotch version of a Manhattan, it was named by a bartender at the Waldorf after a Broadway play about the Scottish hero, RECIPE.

22. Zenith : ACME.

23. "I won't hurt you" : NICE DOG. This was all perps,

26. Not as deliberate : HASTIER. This was hard, though once filled makes sense.

28. Toothbrush-endorsing org. : ADA. American Dental Association.

32. Worlds : REALMS. A word I got used to from watching my sons playing video games.

35. __ legend : URBAN. We have urban legends, dictionaries, even cowboys; where is the love for suburbia?

42. Blue Grotto locale : CAPRI.

43. "Ramona and Beezus" co-star Gomez : SELENA. Another STAR (1:41) created by Disney?

49. Set-__ : TOS.

50. Malady in the 2000 film "Memento" : AMNESIA. I could not remember what this movie was about.

52. Like the best occult films : EERIEST.

55. It's about a foot : SHOE. Sock fits this misdirection as well.

56. Yield figures : CD RATES.

58. Figure under a line : SUM.  Simple visual.

59. Fife-and-drum drum : TABOR. From the same Latin root where we get Tambourine.


60. Two cents : INPUT. Cute clue/fill.

64. Bardic before : ERE. The Bard?

67. "M*A*S*H" titles : LTS. Lieutenants. Actually they had lots of majors and captains there.

68. Private : INNER.

69. Mount : STEED. A horse is a horse, of course...

Down:

1. Pigs out (on) : OD'S.

2. Center of gravity? : VEE.  Tricky.

3. Presidential nickname : ABE.

4. Petrol unit : LITRE. You see, they do not say gasoline, so...

5. Gave up a seat : STOOD. So simple, but the political aspect slowed me. In the UK, they stand for Parliament, I think, even more confusing.

6. One of six British kings : GEORGE. I am still waiting for King Ringo.

7. Year in Tuscany : ANNO. Year in Italian, the same word as Latin.

8. "Wait for me" : STAY HERE.

9. Pension law signed by Ford, briefly : ERISA. Employee Retirement Income Security Act

10. Jordan neighbor: Abbr. : SYRia.

11. Gillette razor : TRAC II. Along with ATRA, regular crossword stuff.

12. Hole enlarger : REAMER. hard to remain pc with this clue/fill.

13. Cleave : ADHERE.

21. Comes to the surface : BOBS UP.

22. Harsh-sounding, to some : ATONAL. And MUSIC (2:16)  to others.

23. Traffic stopper? : NARC. Drug traffic. A classic miss m deception.

24. Notion : IDEA.

25. "Elf" actor : CAAN. ACTOR James, not to be confused with 51D. Corporate raider Carl : ICAHN. This was easy for me, but this MAN may not be as well known unless you have worked in the investment world. Both names are variations of the Hebrew family name Cohen.

27. Shoshone Falls river : SNAKE.

30. Shroud city : TURIN.

33. Chinese evergreen : LYCHEE. Nuts to these obscure clues.

34. Zoo security features : MOATS.

36. Droopy-eared hound : BASSET. Do you all remember this early TV star? LINK. (1:18)

38. Wonderful container? : BREAD BIN. Sounds British; the clue should be Wonder-ful (Wonder bread)?

39. Bordeaux bean? : TETE. A French reminder, but still no answer as to why the head /brain is called 'bean.'

40. "The Dukes of Hazzard" officer : ENOS. A break from the biblical reference, played by Sonny Shroyer, a former FSU football player like Burt Reynolds. His character became so popular they had a spin-off called Enos.

41. Tammany Hall caricaturist : NAST. Perhaps the most famous political cartoonist in America.

44. Mortarboard frill : TASSEL.

45. "That upset me!" : I'M HURT.

46. Speakers of Tolkien's Noldorin language : GNOMES. I very much enjoyed both the Hobbit and the The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, but was completely unaware that the Noldorin Elves were originally called Gnomes, but what eles starts GN? READ?

48. Costing more : DEARER. "Oh, dear, that's too dear, dear."

53. Jockey's handful : REINS. Cute, evocative clue.

54. "This __ a drill!" : IS NOT. A scary set of words.

57. Mechanical repetition : ROTE.

59. Prefix with light or night : TWI. Rhymes with...

61. "Easy as __!" : PIE. No, but a doable Thursday, don't you think?

62. Wear and tear : USE.

63. Former Ohio governor Strickland : TED. I am not sure what is special about this one term GOVERNOR, but it is time to go anyway.

Here is some insight into the puzzling mind of our own marti:

We were at a local restaurant when DH asked the waitress, “Can you break a ten?” I seem to count words like some people count sheep, and immediately realized that could be a 15-letter unifier. So I toyed with the idea, and had the devilish idea to break the word “ten” across two entries.  But that meant the paired entries would have to be cross-referenced. (Sorry BarryG, but it wouldn’t work any other way!!)

As always it is great to blog a marti puzzle,  she includes so many whimsical bits, and once I remembered to not write Friday in the title, it all went well. Thanks for  reading and enjoying a marti jeudi (play day) and now you can look forward to her Friday write up. Lemonade out.

Jan 22, 2015

Thursday, January 22, 2015 Don Gagliardo

Theme: Letter play

19-Across. *Beginning : GETTING GOING. Okey-dokey, so let's get going, then!

26-Across. *They carry remainders : SURPLUS STORES.

44-Across. *Bike safety device : REAR REFLECTOR.

51-Across. *The rest : EVERYONE ELSE.
And the reveal:
65-Across. Both words in each answer to a starred clue begin and end with the same one : LETTER.

I noticed the duplicate letters at the end of the first word and beginning of the second as I was solving, but it required the reveal to get my V-8 moment.

Other possibilities might include:
DROPPED DEAD
KNICK KNACK
SALES SLIPS
Since the rules of construction dictate symmetrical theme entries, it is really tough to get 4 entries with the right letter count.


Across

1. Modern "Keep in touch!" : TEXT ME. I kept thinking "Call me"...maybe.

7. Ann's sister : ABBY. The advice columnists.

11. Extras may comprise one : MOB. As in "a cast of thousands."

14. Tennis star Gibson : ALTHEA. One of the biggest success stories of the '50s.

15. The real thing, so to speak : TRUE LOVE.

17. Riddles : POSERS.

18. Regretting a wild night, maybe : HUNGOVER. Who, moi?

21. Field of study : AREA.

24. "We __ Family": 1979 hit : ARE. Remember Sister Sledge from the 70's?

25. Tamper : MESS. (with)

31. Org. where weight matters : WBA. World Boxing Association. Can you name all the weights? I'll start: heavy...

32. Without __: riskily : A NET.

33. On a streak : RED HOT.

36. Capp and Capone : ALs. Cartoonists and crooks can always get together in crosswords.

37. Syr. neighbor : ISR. Syria and Israel.

38. Jueves, por ejemplo : DIA. Spanish "Thursday, for example" clues the Spanish for "day."

39. Natural resource : ORE. I had the O** and almost wrote in Oil. But I am learning my lesson, and decided to check the perps first.

40. Tease : NEEDLE.

42. Vibrater in a wind : REED. The thing that vibrates in a wind instrument. The spelling just "looks" wrong, but is technically correct.

43. Like Gen. Powell : RET.ired.

47. __ Men: "Who Let the Dogs Out" band : BAHA. Oops - used up my you tube limit.  Feel free to link away!

49. Edible Asian shoot : UDO. Everything you wanted to know here.

50. Greek mount : OSSA.

56. Burns poem that starts, "Wee, sleekit, cow'rin, tim'rous beastie" : TO A MOUSE.

57. Time of your life : OLD AGE.

61. Marching band instrument : SIDE DRUM.

62. Mill around : LOITER.

63. Passing stat. : YDS. Yards, in football.

64. Egyptian symbols of royalty : ASPS.


Down:

1. Keep time, in a way : TAP.

2. Symphonic rock gp. : ELO. Electric Light Orchestra.

3. Cadillac sedan : XTS.

4. Store to "fall into," in old ads : THE GAP. From the 70's.

5. Scant : MERE.

6. First word of the chorus of "The Sidewalks of New York" : EAST. side, west side, all around the town...Come on - hum along with me!

7. Parched : ATHIRST.

8. Dark-haired guy : BRUNET. "Dark-haired girl" is brunette.

9. Cask stopper : BUNG.

10. Safecracker : YEGG.

11. Some Cannes films : MOVIE SHORTS.

12. They have hoods and racks : OVENS. Because "redneck pickup trucks" didn't fit.

13. Cold-water hazards : BERGS. Hands up for "floes"?

16. Was impending : LOOMED.

20. Perp subduer : TASER.

21. Egyptian dam : ASWAN.

22. 100 kopecks : RUBLE.

23. Parts opposite points : ERASER HEADS. I have never heard them called anything but "erasers." But I wonder if Don G. intended the clue for the Filipino rock band, who took their name from the surrealistic David Lynch film, "Eraserhead."

27. First name in women's boxing : LAILA. Ali.

28. Racing family name : UNSER. Al, Bobby et al.

29. Bay window : ORIEL.

30. Aptly named novelist : READE.

34. Easily crumbled cookies : OREOS.

35. Betta tankmate : TETRA.

38. "Colonel Jack" novelist : DEFOE.

41. "Oh, my!" : DEAR ME!

42. Uses, as credit card rewards : REDEEMS. But only if one
45. Amasses : RUNS UP. a whole bunch of charges first!

46. Work on together, in a way : COEDIT. This filled with perps, so when I saw it I was trying to figure out how CO-ED IT might be clued.

47. LPGA great Rawls : BETSY. You have to go back to the '50s to remember her, too.

48. Stay clear of : AVOID.

52. "The boy you trained, gone he is" speaker : YODA.

53. Sharing word : OURS.

54. Relax : LOLL.

55. Blackthorn fruit : SLOE.

58. QB's stat : ATT.empts.

59. Turn right : GEE. On the farm, that is.

60. Go wrong : ERR. I hope I did not ERR with any of my comments!

I'm out.
Marti



Note from C.C.:

1) Happy 69th Birthday to our LAT constructor John Lampkin! As I mentioned before, John helped me greatly in my earlier days of blogging and constructing. He patiently answered every little question I had about crosswords. He's just incredibly kind and generous to every new constructor.
Lemonade & John Lampkin, March 21, 2012

2) Happy 83rd Birthday to Marge! She had a bad fall in 2013 and has not appeared much on the blog after that. I hope you're still reading our blog Marge. Kazie is now our only representative from Wisconsin, I think.

Jan 15, 2015

Thursday, January 15, 2015 David Steinberg

Theme: "Crop of the Cream"?

20. About whom Alice said, "... perhaps as this is May it won't be raving mad" :
THE MARCH HARE.

29. Dirty politics : SMEAR CAMPAIGN.

44. "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" event : DANCE MARATHON.

53. Dessert topper ... or a literal hint to what's hidden in 20-, 29- and 44-Across :
WHIPPED CREAM

Hmmm, I seem to have hit a pattern of hidden jumbled word themes lately. I guess WHIPPED is the hint that it is CREAM that gets all mixed up today.  Last week we had circles to help us out.  This week, we were on our own. I think I like it better this way, for a late-week puzzle. Your experience may vary.   


Across

1. Impresses big-time : WOWS. The Trans Siberian Orchestra WOWS audiences all over the world with their over-the-top laser light / pyrotechnics displays.

5. Aquarium growth : SCUM. Anyone else fill in "alga" without checking perps? ("Guilty.")

9. Development site : TRACT.

14. Desktop since 1998 : iMAC. Yep, that's what I'm typing on right now.

15. Cream-filled cake : HO HO. Nit: The brand name is Ho Hos. So one cake is a Ho Ho?
16. Try to pick up : HIT ON.  "I seem to have lost my phone number. Can I have yours?"

17. __ mining : DATA. Read here why some supermarket chains put the beer next to the baby diapers.

18. Slaughter in baseball : ENOS. I knew the clue was referring to the guy named Slaughter, but do you think I could remember his first name?

19. Facebook posting : EVENT. Since when is a picture of your lunch an "event"?

23. Guffaw syllable : HAR.

24. PC heart : CPUCentral Processing Unit.

25. Doodlebugs and polliwogs : LARVAE.

33. Enjoyed a trail : HIKED.

35. Skin care brand : OLAY crossing 22-Down. Skin care brand : ALMAY.

36. Like many a joke : OLD. Did you hear the one about...? [Insert 23-Across here.]

37. "Gotcha, man" : I DIG.

38. Count : TALLY.

40. Baffin Bay sight : FLOE. They can be beautiful, but...


41. Molokai memento : LEI. My book club read MOLOKA'I by Alan [sic] Brennert.  Great book, but I wish he'd learn how to spell ALLEN.  ;-)

42. Game divided into chukkers : POLO.

43. Bleachers filler : CROWD.

48. Only vice president born in D.C. : AL GORE.

49. Word of feigned innocence : MOI? I associate the term with Miss Piggy.

50. Shares an email with : CCs. Shout out!

57. Bossa nova ancestor : SAMBA.

60. Agent's favorite sign : SOLD.

61. Ticklish Tyco toy for tots : ELMO. Nice alliterative clue.

62. Posture problem : STOOP. I wish I had a nickel for every time my mother told me to "Sit up straight!"

63. Bed covering : SOIL. Garden bed. Although on second thought, it could apply to my cat's beds. And, why is it that they love to jump up on the white coverlet when they come back inside with muddy paws??

64. Knighted Guinness : ALEC.

65. Ed Asner septet : EMMYS.

66. Trap, in a way : TREE.

67. Knight's neighbor : ROOK. Chess.


Down

1. Side to side? : WIDTH.

2. Beach near Utah? : OMAHA. Crucial targets during the allied invasion on the Normandy coast. Map.

3. Sport invented using boards and a clothesline : WATER SKIING. In 1922, Ralph Samuelson had a brilliant idea.

4. It may involve wiring : SCAM. and 12-Down, 4-Down : CON. I associate a police "wire" (microphone) with a "sting" operation, not so much a SCAM. [Update: Many scams include wiring money to the scammer, on the promise of receiving the millions of dollars that are waiting for you. ]

5. Mountain guide : SHERPA.

6. See eye to eye : CONCUR.

7. "This spells trouble!" : UH-OH.

8. __ pit : MOSH. Do they still do MOSH pits? "That was so '80s!"

9. Curative treatment : THERAPY.

10. Baseball's career save leader : RIVERA. (Siggghhh...more baseball.)

11. Had : ATE.

13. Big bang producer : TNT. Oh, not Chuck Lorre or Bill Prady?

21. Served to perfection? : ACED. Tennis serve.

26. Solo instrument for which six Bach suites were written : VIOLONCELLO. It was the precursor to the modern day cello.

27. Radiant : AGLOW.

28. Put the kibosh on : ENDED.

30. Eldest March sister : MEG. Gaaaah!  I filled in "Amy" at first.

31. Lemon or tangerine : COLOR.

32. The whole schmear : ALL.

33. Broom-__: comics witch : HILDA.

34. Perfectionist's goal : IDEAL.

38. Marisa of "The Wrestler" : TOMEI.

39. Mode lead-in : À LA.

40. Pendulum direction? : FRO. It only goes in two directions: to and fro.

42. "Could happen" : PERHAPS.

43. Smart : CHIC.

45. Drive rider : COWBOY. Cattle drive.

46. 2001 Audrey Tautou title role : AMELIE. It seems to have received high ratings on IMDb.

47. Take baby steps : TODDLE. I wanted "totter," but at least I checked the perps first.

51. Stan Lee had one in "The Avengers" (2012) : CAMEO. "Super heroes? In New York? Give me a break!" Watch here - he shows up at 5:12.

52. Clothes protector : SMOCK. Hands up for "apron" first?

54. Sibilant summons : PSST.

55. __ Tax: $15 Monopoly fee : POOR.

56. Derriere : REAR. A friend of mine sold pharmaceuticals in N.H., and spent the first month telling all the physicians that she was their new rep for the Derry area...

57. Coeur d'Alene-to-Sun Valley dir. : SSE.

58. Cabbage source? : ATM. Cabbage, dough, lettuce, moola, etc. etc. etc.

59. Palindromic tat : MOM. Surprisingly, very few guys get tats that say "Able was I ere I saw Elba."

That's all I got!
Marti


Note from C.C.:

I mentioned JD's New Zealand/Australia adventure yesterday, the Big Easy (George) sent me these two pictures. Which year did you visit the Down Under, George? 

Regarding the second picture, he said

"The 'Bride' and the 'Bride' that I captured a photo of in Wellington Botanical Gardens. I don't know if it was before or after the ceremony but neither of them were women."

Big Easy and his wife Diane




Jan 8, 2015

Thursday, January 8, 2015 Steve Blais

Theme: "Put 'er There!"

17-Across. Film with the song "Maniac" : FLASH DANCE. Memorable song and video. 4:00

24-Across. Film in which Garbo said, "I want to be alone" : GRAND HOTEL. Classic line. 0:10

54-Across. "Unsafe at Any Speed" author : RALPH NADER. Not just about the Corvair. But Holy Cow!  The paperback sells on Amazon for $150?

63-Across. "That's news to me!" : HAD NO IDEA. Really? $150?!?!

The reveal is situated smack dab in the middle of the grid:
38-Across. Private club ritual, and a hint to this puzzle's circles : SECRET HANDSHAKE. The SHAKE indicates that HAND will be mixed up in the other theme entries. Very clever! There was lots to like in this puzzle, so let's get started.

Across

1. Plenty : LOADS. I almost wanted "a ton," but it was too short.

6. Cologne scent : MUSK. I don't really like musky colognes. Or colognes, period.

10. "Now it makes sense!" : I SEE.

14. 2011 Cricket World Cup winner : INDIA. They beat out Sri Lanka by 6 wickets. (Sure, I knew that...)

15. Actress Gray of "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century" : ERIN. TV series 1979 - 81. Never saw it. And 37-Across. Buck Rogers portrayer __ Gerard : GIL.

16. Stores in rows : MALL. I was thinking of the racks of storage bins in our garage.

19. Formally proper : PRIM.

20. Philippine tongue : TAGALOG. Never trust Google translator. Especially with languages like TAGALOG!

21. Gillette Mach3 predecessor : ATRA.

23. Uintah and Ouray Reservation residents : UTES.

29. Annoyances : PESTS.

31. Spanish demonstrative : ESO.

32. __ Coast : IVORY.

33. Golfer nicknamed "The Big Easy" : ELS. Gimme.

35. Winter coat : HOAR.

43. Lines of praise : ODE.

44. One on a penny : UNUM. "E Pluribus UNUM." Weird: when I type E Pluribus Unum into Google translate, it gives me the English translation: "Grape." Huh?? More reliable sources assure me that it means "Out of many, one."

45. Scarfed down : ATE.

46. Like a new candle : UNLIT.

48. Showed the way : LED.

50. Treats, as an icy road : SALTS.

57. Real card : RIOT.

58. Desert formation : MESA.

59. Like monastic life : AUSTERE.

61. Non-PC purchase : iMAC.

66. Actress Tushingham : RITA. Should I know her?

67. Slimming option, for short : LIPO.suction.

68. __ position : FETAL.

69. Biz bigwig : EXEC.

70. Twirled : SPUN.

71. Easy paces : TROTS.


Down

1. Elate : LIFT UP.

2. Airing in the wee hours : ON LATE.

3. Words of wisdom : ADAGES.

4. Earthquake, perhaps : DISASTER.

5. Satirist Mort : SAHL.

6. Thin, on the Thames : MEAGRE. My least fav entry.

7. Coffee holder : URN.

8. [that's what it said] : SIC.

9. Massage : KNEAD.

10. "Whose Line Is It Anyway" technique : IMPROV. Drew Carey was the original host in the US. Now it's Aisha Tyler. The cast is more or less the same. Very funny!

11. 1777 battle site : SARATOGA. Gimme.  I bet Argyle, Irish Miss and Spitzboov got this one right away.

12. Yalie : ELI.

13. Street of nightmares : ELM.

18. Husky, for one : DOG. Because "size" didn't fit.

22. Yearns : THIRSTS.

25. Embarrassed : ASHAMED.

26. It may follow eleven : NOON. Doesn't it always follow eleven?

27. Actor Estrada : ERIK.

28. Lovett of country : LYLE.

30. Spade and Hammer : SLEUTHS.

34. Subway map dot: Abbr. : STN.

36. Cavity filler's org. : ADAAmerican Dental Association.

38. Fermented, as milk : SOUR. So, how can you tell when sour cream has gone bad?

39. Novelist Ferber : EDNA.

40. Pen pal? : CELL MATE. Cute clue.

41. Island dance : HULA.

42. More nourishing : HEARTIER. CSO to me?

47. Medicinal syrup : IPECAC.

49. Precise : DEAD ON.

51. Didn't come clean with : LIED TO.

52. Clawed : TORE AT.

53. Advances a base, in a way : STEALS. Rickey Henderson was labeled "The Man of the Steal." (Sure, I knew that...)

55. Gets precisely : NAILS. Did you NAIL this one?

56. Appear in print : RUN.

60. Piano on a piano? : SOFT. My favorite clue.

61. Sore feeling : IRE.

62. Socialize : MIX.

64. With it : HIP.

65. "The Simpsons" shopkeeper : APU. Did everyone memorize my link to the Simpson's characters last week? I told you there would be a quiz!

I'm off to learn a cool SECRET HANDSHAKE. 0:46

Marti


Note from C.C.:

I mentioned yesterday that Bill's wife Barbara is an avid quilter. Bills sent me a few pictures. You can see more here. Love this bag. Very Vera Bradley.



 



Jan 1, 2015

Thursday, January 1, 2015 Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: "The Joke's On Me"

Ooof!! When I saw all the cross-references leading me to a Bible verse, I really thought my goose was cooked. But slowly, they started filling in and I had to smile:

1-Across. See 58-Across : GIGGLE.

7-Across. See 58-Across : GUFFAW.

15-Across. See 58-Across : BURST OUT LAUGHING.

34-Across. See 58-Across : CHORTLE.

38-Across. See 58-Across : CRACK UP.

49-Across. See 58-Across : TITTER.

58-Across. Psalm 100 excerpt suggested by six puzzle answers and graphically represented by certain black squares in this puzzle : MAKE A JOYFUL NOISE.

Unusual grid, with left-to-right but not top-to-bottom symmetry. Jeffrey also used a 16*15 grid, both the reveal entry and 15-A have 16-letters. Can you see the "smiling face" in the middle of the grid?

62 blocks of theme is a lot for a weekday puzzle, and necessarily led to a bit of dreck in the fill. But overall, an enjoyable solve.

Across

13. How many golf clubs are sold : AS A SET.

14. Member of Buck Showalter's MLB team : ORIOLE. Can you guess that I struggled with this one?

19. Put __ on: restrict : A CAP.

21. __ profit: make money : NET A. Two awkward partials in a row.

22. With 20-Across, "American Beauty" rockers, familiarly : THE. And 20-Across. See 22-Across : DEAD. The Grateful Dead. Did I really need to come across an extra cross-referential clue in the grid?

23. Gets harder to climb : STEEPENS.

27. Pester : NAG.

28. Valleys : HOLLOWS.

30. Can't stand : DETESTS.

32. Prefix with -pod : TRI. Tripod.

33. Oils and such : ART.

42. Baseball's Piniella : LOU. Nailed it, once I had the L, O and U from perps in place...

43. Measure typically given in knots : AIR SPEED. Dudley, what AIR SPEED do you usually fly at?

46. "Discreet Music" composer : ENO.

47. They can be lifesavers: Abbr. : EMTsEmergency Medical Technicians.

50. Focus, with "in" : ZERO.

51. Greek cheeses : FETAS.

53. Swear : CUSS. Not aver or avow this time.

54. Withstand : REPEL.

55. Nick working at night? : SANTA. We all know that his real name is Argyle...

57. Crush competitor : FANTA. Does Santa drink Fanta?

64. Pub order : ALE.

65. Like "Gilligan's Island" characters : MAROONED.

66. Do yard work : MOW.

67. "Success!" : YES! [With or without a fist pump.]

68. Bicuspid : PREMOLAR.

69. Yakima-to-Spokane dir. : ENE.


Down

1. Pampas cowboy : GAUCHO.

2. Beersheba's land : ISRAEL.

3. [I don't believe it!] : GASP.

4. Prime meridian std. : GST. Greenwich Sidereal Time. A variant of Greenwich Mean Time used in astronomy for locating specific stars.

5. Regulus is in it : LEO.

6. Technique-building pieces : ÉTUDES. From the French word for "study."

7. Incited : GOADED.

8. Second-smallest S.A. country : URU.guay.

9. Pear-shaped fruit : FIG. Do you give one?

10. Warm alpine wind, in Austria : FÖHN. Without the umlaut, it would be spelled "foehn" in English. A gimme...

11. Klingons, e.g. : ALIENS.

12. Attacked : WENT AT.

15. Spa area : BATH. Hmmm, this could have two meanings.  In many spas, a bath is sometimes filled with mineral water or mud, and it could be offered as a special service.  -OR- We could be talking about Bath, England. The spas there date back to Roman times.

16. Support on the links? : TEE. hee?

17. Running measure : LAP.

18. Suppresses : GAGS.

23. Not entirely, informally : SORTA.

24. Like an early evening sky : TWILIT.

25. Comparatively warm? : NEARER. In the children's treasure hunt game, you say "Warmer" when they are getting near the hidden object, or "colder" when they are moving farther away from it. Didn't we just have a reference to this game?

26. Valuable cello : STRAD.ivarius.  The Italian family was renowned for their violins, violas, cellos and other stringed instruments.

29. USPS item : LTR. United States Postal Service, letter.

31. List-limiting letters : ETC.etera, etcetera, etcetera...

34. Score symbol : CLEF. Thanks for the pic yesterday, Steve!

35. Realty transaction : HOME SALE.

36. Amusing DVD feature : OUTTAKES. Sometimes they are even funnier than the movie. 8:33

37. "The Grouchy Ladybug" writer Carle : ERIC. Lucina, did you read this to your students?

38. Accent pair? : CEES.

39. Tap your foot, say : KEEP TIME. I can assure you, that when my husband is tapping his foot before we got out for the evening, he is not keeping time...

40. Folly : UNREASON. Ugh. Valid, but not your everyday word.

41. Dirty __ : POOL. Because "Harry" wouldn't fit!

44. Disco __ of "The Simpsons" : STU. Have you memorized all the Simpsons characters yet? (He's in the third row, fourth from the right, next to Maggie Simpson.) If you go to this web site and mouse over the faces, it identifies each one. Quiz, to follow.

45. Gal.'s eight : PTS. Pints.

48. Levelheaded : SANE.

50. Philosopher known for a paradox : ZENO. of Elea.  Think of "Achilles and the Tortoise."

52. Prepare for mailing : STAMP. I simply hit "send."

54. Getaway goal, for short : R AND R.

56. Somewhat open : AJAR.

57. Boxer's woe : FLEA.

58. Might : MAY. "It ___ rain this afternoon." Either works.

59. Rock worth mining : ORE.

60. __ Kippur : YOM. Day of atonement for those of the Jewish faith.

61. Rock's __ Fighters : FOO. They just released Sonic Highways in November last year. (Yes, check your calendar - it was last year!) Link away.

62. Not in the bk. : UNL.isted. Telephone book.

63. Field grazer : EWE.

Marti, out.

Note from C.C.:
 
Happy 6th year wedding anniversary to Marti and her husband Allan! Marti said "... we were married on New Year’s Day of 2009.  So every year we get to celebrate our anniversary with a hangover." (Added Note: Gosh, sorry Allen, I'm hopeless!)

Marti  & Allen

Dec 25, 2014

Thursday, December 25, 2014 John Lieb

Theme: "Santa's Helpers"

Merry Christmas, everyone! This was a very fun puzzle, hiding Santa's little helpers in the grid.

18. Eponymous Detroit exec : EDSEL FORD.

19. Speaks for __ : ITSELF.

31. Keebler cookie brand : E.L. FUDGE.

32. "Go right ahead" : FEEL FREE. Help yourself to another E.L. FUDGE cookie, Santa!

54. Actress Jenna et al. : ELFMANS. I remember her from "Dharma & Greg."

55. Third quarters? : TWELFTHS. 1 quarter is a quarter, 2 quarters are eighths, and 3 quarters are twelfths?

36. Seasonal children's book about a watchful worker, who is graphically represented eight times in this puzzle : THE ELF ON THE SHELF. The book comes with a posable elf.
Unusual grid, with 16 columns instead of the typical 15.  And unusual theme, but really cute with all those ELFs posing on their 3-black-square-shelves! (See diagram at the bottom.) I found this one to be Friday-tough in certain sections. I'm curious to see if you had the same problems I did, so let's go over them one by one: 

Across

1. Resting places : CAMP SITES. Not sure how the two are necessarily related, but perps forced me.

10. Port south of Hamilton, Ont. : ERIE, PA. Shout out to Abejo!

16. Approximately : ON OR ABOUT.

17. One in a shower : METEOR. Great clue. I was picturing something like this.

20. "Gnarly!" : RAD.

21. Lean-__ : TOs. In your resting place?

22. Bit of baby talk : GOO.

23. Vine genus : CLEMATIS. A couple perps gave me this one - I grow them every summer on a trellis in my garden.

27. Gains : PROFITS.

33. Star Wars letters : SDI. Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative.

34. Author Fleming : IAN.

35. Swiss river : AAR.

43. Feminine principle : YIN. Male is Yang.

44. Guitar, slangily : AXE. This took three perps. But the ELF nailed it, I bet.

45. __ green : PEA.

46. Dives : PLUMMETS.

50. Gives a hand : DEALS TO.

56. '80s Peppard co-star : MR. T. On "The A-Team."

57. Pres. after JAG : CAA. James A. Garfield and Chester A. Arthur.

58. Canada's smallest prov. : P.E.IPrince Edward Island.

59. 1962 Best Picture title locale : ARABIA. Lawrence of.

62. Refuel, as red blood cells : OXYGENATE. I filled it in immediately.

66. House speaker before Boehner : PELOSI. She, on the other hand, took a couple perps.

67. House flipper, e.g. : RENOVATOR. The ELF did a Mickey Mouse job on his kitchen reno.

68. 2002 eBay acquisition : PAYPAL.

69. False claims : PRETENSES.


Down

1. Pressure : COERCE.

2. Still __: nonetheless : AND ALL.

3. Rapper who played Chuck Berry in "Cadillac Records" : MOS DEF.

4. Calculus lead-in : PRE.

5. Pitcher Maglie : SAL.

6. Pugilists' org. : IBFInternational Boxing Federation. Of course, the ELF nailed it.

7. Schoolmate of Blair, Jo and Natalie on "The Facts of Life" : TOOTIE. The brace-wearing, roller-skating girl who always said "We're in trouuuu-ble!"

8. Barcelona bread : EUROS. So much easier to remember the currency of all the European countries now, isn't it?

9. Criteria: Abbr. : STDS. Standards.

10. Ellis Island arrival : ÉMIGRÉ.

11. Update the workshop : RETOOL. Santa promised that next year, the ELF would actually get some power tools.

12. Cancellation notice : ITS OFF.

13. Big shoes to fill? : EEE.

14. Beltway insider, for short : POL. The Capital Beltway in Washington, D.C., that is.

15. Sound from the pound : ARF.

24. Deliberate : MUSE. The verb, not the adjective.

25. Extra: Abbr. : ADD'L.

26. "I've waited all week for this!" : TGIF. My regular comment every Friday.

27. Phnom __ : PENH.

28. Requiem title word : IRAE. "Dies Irae," or "Day of Wrath."

29. Blue-green shade : TEAL.

30. Medieval peon : SERF. I kept reading this as "Medieval POEM."

32. The way it goes : FATE.

34. "New Sensation" band : INXS. I always used to pronounce this as "inks," until I found out it should be "In ex-ESS."

36. Kind : TYPE.

37. Incline : HILL.

38. Ample, informally : ENUF. Have you had ENUF with the ELF, already?

39. Feed in a stable : OATS.

40. Sport with blades : EPEE.

41. Elite commando : SEAL. Acronym for SEa, Air and Land.

42. Word with mile or marathon : HALF.

47. 1997 Hanson #1 hit : MMMBOP. Never heard this one. It reached #1 in 27 countries, including the US.

48. Tomei of "My Cousin Vinny" : MARISA. Ah, MARISA, good to see you back!

49. Require : ENTAIL.

50. Wrestler Johnson known as "The Rock" : DWAYNE.

51. March observance, for short : ST. PATS.

52. Hall of Fame placekicker Lou Groza's apt nickname : THE TOE. I totally forgot this one.

53. Basketry twigs : OSIERS.

55. One imposing levies : TAXER.

57. Inc. cousin : CORP.

59. Online store offering : APP.

60. Stephen of "In Dreams" : REA.

61. Prince __ Khan : ALY.

63. Grasped : GOT.

64. Christmas __ : EVE. Bad ELF!  You get coal in your stocking this year.

65. Indian flatbread : NAN.

Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good...morning?

Marti Elf


Notes from C.C.:

1) Please click here for a special "Gift Exchange" puzzle from Erik Agard, who made two of my favorite LA Times Monday puzzles last year. Quite a few bloggers, crossword constructors, top solvers contributed to the clues. 

2) Happy Birthday to our always positive and caring Yellowrocks (Kathy). Hope you have a fantastic visit with your son, grandson and daughter-in-law today. We also say Happy Birthday to our math professor Fermatprime, who's been with the blog since 2009. Happy Birthday also to car expert Zcarguy, who pops in to the blog from time to time. I faintly recall Zcarguy grew up in Lebanon. 
 

Kathy & Buddha, Japan, 2008. Kathy speaks Japanese.
 
Fermatprime (Lorraine)

Zcarguy & his wife