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

Apr 23, 2015

Thursday, April 23, 2015 Julian Lim

Theme: "Puff"


17-Across. *Skedaddling : TURNING TAIL. Colorful phrase to start us off!

27-Across. *Food often served with ranch dip : BUFFALO WINGS. Yum! ( I looked back at the first theme entry and noticed the avian parts.)

45-Across. *Weigh, with "at" : TIP THE SCALES. (Uh-oh, so much for my bird theory...)

59-Across. *Real ordeal : TRIAL BY FIRE. (Aha! By jove, I've got it. DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS, right?)

(Almost:)
35. With 38-Across, band with the hit "Radioactive," and a hint to the ends of the answers to starred clues : IMAGINE 38-Across. See 35-Across : DRAGONS. Yes, I can just imagine. Oh, you mean the band? 4:03ì

Fun theme, and a fresh reveal. The fill also made the solve very enjoyable for me. You?

Across

1. "Carrie" Oscar nominee : SPACEK. Ah yes, I had nightmares for weeks after seeing that one.

7. Letters about time : AM-PM.

11. __ Fit: video exercise game : WII. Gimme - I use mine every day!

14. Acid neutralizer : ALKALI.

15. Restaurant chain named for a Mozart opera : COSÌ...fan tutte.

16. It's often cured : HAM.

19. Physician's org. : AMAAcademy of Model Aeronautics.  Doctors do like their toy planes! ;-)

20. Snack brand creator Wally : AMOS. He's famous, ya know.

21. Karaoke option : DUET.

22. Take one's sweet time : DALLY. Are you eating sweet pickles slowly if you DILLY DALLY?

24. Half a score : TEN. "Four score and seven years ago..." A score is 20 years.

25. Auction cry : SOLD.

26. Lamp emission, if you're lucky : GENIE. Fun entry and clue!

30. __ Navidad : FELIZ.

33. First-line national anthem word : SEE.  Tricky clue. "Say", "can" or "you" also fit... And then we have 41-Across. First-line national anthem word : SAY. Well, at least I eliminated one choice at 33-Across!

34. Prefix with caching : GEO. How's your knee doing, CrossEyedDave? Is it still keeping you from geocaching?

42. Pigs out (on) : ODs.

44. __ attitude : CAN DO.

50. Sensible : LEVEL.

51. Stats for Mike Trout : RBIs. Total WAG. Born in 1991, he's just a baby, for gosh sake!


52. Meditator's intonations : OMs.

55. Sand bar : SHOAL.

56. Appear : SEEM.

57. Purveyor of many flat packs : IKEA. I just put together 8 new base cabinets for my kitchen remodel. Not from IKEA.

58. Burst : POP. Did you wonder if it was present or past tense, too?

62. Part of UCSD: Abbr. : CAL. Univ. Cal. San Diego.

63. Cheese that's sometimes stuffed : EDAM. Keshi Yena is a traditional stuffed Edam cheese dish that is common on the Dutch Caribbean island of Curaçao.



64. Begin gently : EASE IN.

65. Cut : AXE.

66. Smashes : RAMS.

67. They're often ruled : ROOSTS. Who rules yours? (Here, it's our cats.)


Down

1. Occupied, as a table : SAT AT.

2. Nice pen : PLUME. The French city Nice. Were you fooled? My mistake was thinking "stylo," which is more like a ballpoint or fountain pen. A PLUME would be an old-fashioned quill pen, I think. Kazie?

3. Firestone Country Club city : AKRON. The home of the WGC's Bridgestone Invitational golf tournament every August.

4. Spam holders : CANS. Were you thinking email junk folders? Nope, that was reserved for 31-Down. Phishing scam, e.g. : EMAIL HOAX. Nice fill.

5. Lilly of pharmaceuticals : ELI. Gimme.

6. In a way : KIND OF.

7. Played the part of : ACTED AS.

8. Asset in a castle siege : MOAT.

9. Chi follower : PSI. Χ and Ψ. Penultimate Greek letter before Ω.

10. Shower problem : MILDEW.

11. Beating heavily, as with a sledgehammer : WHALING ON. Yikes! What a visual.

12. Post-apocalyptic Will Smith film : I AM LEGEND. Will Shakespeare? IAMB LEGEND.

13. "Perhaps" : I MAY.

18. __ of Mexico : GULF.

23. Young Darth's nickname : ANI.

25. Singer Quatro : SUZI. Over 50 years on the rock scene!

26. Church attachment? : GOER. and 32-Down. Church attendees : LAY PEOPLE.

27. Popular : BIG.

28. Took charge of : LED.

29. Just fair : SO-SO.

30. __ bump : FIST.

36. "O Holy Night," for one : NOEL.

37. Journalism VIPs : EDs.

39. Far from fails : ACES.

40. It's often bought at an island : GAS.

43. Horror movie sounds : SCREAMS. Like me, when watching "Carrie" for the first time.

46. Dam-building org. : TVA. Tennessee Valley Authority.

47. __-skelter : HELTER. brrrrrr...shades of Charles Manson.

48. First fratricide victim : ABEL.

49. Loosen (up) : LIMBER. A must, when using your WII Fit.

52. 1930s migrants : OKIES.

53. Worthiness : MERIT.

54. Composer Saint-__ : SAËNS. Jayce likes his "Danse Macabre." 7:09

55. Org. for strays : SPCASociety for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

56. Place that gave its name to a cat breed : SIAM.ese.

57. "Say that's true ... " : IF SO.

60. No. for the health-conscious : RDARecommended Daily Allowance. I must confess, I don't always get mine.

61. Retired NBAer Ming : YAO. The 7' 6" Houston Rocket. Off the court, he is a white rhino and elephant conservationist!

That's all I got.
Marti



Apr 16, 2015

Thursday, April 16, 2015 Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: "What the L?"

36. Furniture designed for portability ... or, what are found in this puzzle's circles : FOLDING CHAIRS.

We have a LAWN, SEDAN, DECK, BARBER, WINDSOR and ROCKING chair in the grid. All of them appear in an "L" shape, simulating a folded chair. Although LAWN, DECK and BARBER chairs can literally "fold,"  the reveal is only a figurative description of the folded chairs in our grid.

Jeff Wechsler's grids always seem to grab my eye, so it seems he has accomplished his goal with at least one solver.  Here is what he said when I asked him about the inspiration for this one:
"As happens with many puzzle themes, I don't really know where that "creative spark" comes from.  Often, the concept is simply derived from a word or phrase that suddenly strikes me as potential theme material. I have recently been interested in themes with a visual element (such as the smiling face in my January 1 puzzle).  When the term "folding chairs" appeared, the thematic light bulb went off, and I started to compile types of chairs.  I then determined which were generally amenable to a puzzle grid, where it would be most practical to "fold" them, and where to position them in the grid. " 

Way to go, Jeff!

Across

1. Determination : WILL. I WILL finish Jeff's puzzle, I WILL finish Jeff's puzzle, I WILL finish...

5. One often schmeared : BAGEL.

10. Get entangled (with) : MESS.

14. "It depends" : I MAY...hate myself in the morning.

15. Have __ for news : A NOSE.

16. Ended a flight : ALIT. I read this as "Ended a fight" at first.  (Note to self: Make appt w. eye doctor...)

17. Blue : DOWN.

18. Suppress : SIT ON.

19. George Lucas group : JEDI.

20. Semiprecious stone : ONYX.

21. Sends out : EMITS.

22. Roast's roost : OVEN.

23. 2014 U.S. Women's Open champ : WIE. Michelle. Not only can she play golf, she's gorgeous.

...(I hate her.)

24. Hamlet, for one : DANE.

25. Succumb to pressure : CRACK.

26. Choose not to pick? : STRUM. Guitar.  Fun clue.

29. Bit of cheering : RAH.

31. __ kwon do : TAE.

32. Tiff : ROW.

34. Computer outlet supply : MICE. And a clecho at 28-Down. Computer outlet supplies : MODEMS. I wonder why MICE wasn't clued in the plural as well?

35. Bruin legend : ORR.

40. Swung thing : BAT.

41. Winged god : EROS.

42. Alf and Mork, briefly : ETs.

43. Aegean Airlines hub, on itineraries : ATH.ens.

44. Dauphins' play area : MER. The answer is the French word for "sea." I was thinking of the French "heir-apparent" when I saw "dauphin."   But the clue actually refers to the French word for "dolphin," and, as it turns out, showed that I was on the right track.

45. Really beat : STOMP. Hands up for "tromp" at first?

49. Relatives of emus : RHEAS. Emus are native to Australia, while RHEAS are from South America.

51. Exchange : SWAP.

55. Frito go-with? : LAY. My first thought. But..nah, that can't be right? But, yeah - it was!

56. Muppet with a unibrow : BERT.

57. Hosiery shade : BEIGE. [sigh] For Splynter.

58. Unusual : RARE.

59. "__ la Douce" : IRMA.

60. Playground denial : AM NOT! ("You are too a booger-face!!")

61. "Metamorphoses" poet : OVID.

62. Operation Solomon carrier : EL AL. It was a covert Israeli military operation to airlift Ethiopian Jews to Israel during the destabilizing issues surrounding Ethiopia in 1991.

63. Symbol of authority : BADGE.

64. "See you around!" : CIAO.

65. Word sung on New Year's Day : SYNE.

66. Belgian expressionist James : ENSOR. I needed the ENS** to remember this one.

67. 46-Down, for one : KING. And 46-Down. Eleventh-century Scandinavian leader : OLAV II.


Down

1. Isolated lines, in typesetting : WIDOWS. And orphans. Paragraph-ending or -beginning lines that appear at the top or bottom of a page.


2. Go-getter's phrase : I'M ON IT.

3. Many a character on "The Good Wife" : LAWYER.

4. Web browser since 1992 : LYNX. Developed at the University of Kansas, and still in use.

5. Derived from, with "on" : BASED.

6. Jungian concept : ANIMA. The personification of feminine psychological tendencies within a man. (The animus is the personification of masculine psychological tendencies within a woman.)

7. Was accepted as a member : GOT IN.

8. Abstruse : ESOTERIC.

9. Eye part : LENS.

10. Significant : MAJOR.

11. Vertical shuttle : ELEVATOR. Not invented by Otis - he simply invented the braking system that made them safe. They have been used for thousands of years.

12. Auxiliary seating units : SIDE CARS.  SIDE CARS are also drinks made with Cognac, Cointreau and lemon juice.

13. Really tough puzzle, say : STINKER. Surely not this one!

25. Has an ace up one's sleeve : CHEATS. I think of it as simply having an advantage!

27. Healthcare.gov, for one : URL.

30. Workout woe : ACHE. Yep, been there, done that!

33. Telegram : WIRE.

34. British sports cars : MGs.

36. Like some advice : FATHERLY.

37. 2008 love triangle film, with "The" : OTHER MAN.

38. Viking : NORSEMAN.

39. Follower's suffix : IST.

40. The first ones were introduced in blonde and brunette in 1959 : BARBIES. Mine was blonde. Yours?

47. Contralto Anderson : MARIAN. She was the Rosa Parks of the concert world.

48. Half-wild Asian canine : PYE-DOG. I dredged this answer up from who knows where!


50. "And thereby hangs __": Shak. : A TALE. Fool's words in "As You Like It."

52. They may be measured in knots : WINDS. I thought it was very interesting that WINDS formed the vertical back of the WINDSOR chair, which can also be a knot!

53. Disco era term : A-GO-GO.

54. Pan on Broadway : PETER. Nice misdirection! Were you thinking of a bad review?

57. Immortal Yankee, with "The" : BABE. Ruth.

58. Sway : ROCK. on!!

Marti, out.


Apr 2, 2015

Thursday, April 2, 2015 Gareth Bain

Theme:"Here Comes Peter Cottontail"

17-Across. Holy woman sculpted by Bernini : SAINT TERESA. (of Avila)

25-Across. It may call for lateral thinking : BRAIN TEASER . Here's an apt one for this puzzle:
" There are six eggs in the basket. Six people each take one of the eggs. How can it be that one egg is left in the basket?" (*Answer at the end)

35-Across. Van Gogh painting depicting peasants : THE POTATO EATERS. He considered it one of his best works.

48-Across. Many a sofa : THREE SEATER.


And the reveal:
57-Across. Words spoken often this time of year, one of which is anagrammed four times in this puzzle : HAPPY EASTER. Very tight theme, with the last word of each entry an anagram of EASTER.


Across

1. Sweet Spanish wine : MALAGA. From Andalusia. Gimme.

7. Work unit: Abbr. : FT LBFoot Pound (libra).

11. Mendel's sci. : BOT. I wanted "Genetics" at first, but that science came about as a result of Mendel's work with pea plants in the field of BOTany.

14. Place to surf : THE NET. Gimme.

15. Washbowl partner : EWER.

16. Protein-building molecule : RNA.

19. Battleship letters : USS. Spitzboov!

20. Self-conscious question : IS IT ME?

21. Preceder of old age? : RIPE. "He lived to the RIPE old age of 95."

22. Peoria-to-Decatur dir. : SSE.

28. Iconic figure with an anchor tattoo : POPEYE.

30. Tenochtitlán natives : AZTECS. It was their capital city, complete with floating islands.



31. Zenith : APEX.

32. Chanted phrase : MANTRA.

41. Hostile advance : INROAD. I don't always associate them with being "hostile." You?

42. Toe loop kin : AXEL.

43. Not around much : SCARCE.

46. Campaign ad urging : VOTE NO. "...on Question 2."

52. Common animal in "The Far Side" comics : COW. Gary Larson has pleaded with people not to infringe on the copyrights of his cartoons by copying them and displaying them on websites. I bow to his request.

53. Participated in a poetry slam : READ.

54. Holey reef dweller : SPONGE.

56. Give __: pay attention : EAR.

62. Whirlpool site : SPA.

63. __ nitrate : AMYL. I have to confess, this was my first thought. But I wondered how well known the compound is to the average puzzle solver?

64. Allow : ENABLE.

65. Lush : SOT.

66. In the wrong business? : NOSY. Ha ha!!

67. Scone fruit : RAISIN.


Down

1. High pts. : MTS. Mountains.

2. "So that's the answer!" : AHA.

3. Island souvenir : LEI.

4. Years in the Roman legion : ANNI. Latin years, that is.

5. Manages : GETS BY.

6. It's worn : ATTIRE.

7. Physics Nobelist of 1938 : FERMI.

8. Typical "Divergent" reader : TWEEN. I take offense - we did the book for our book club last year!

9. Guitar man Paul : LES.

10. Beach top : BRA.

11. Banana blemish : BRUISE.

12. How many artists work : ON SPEC.

13. Police weapons : TASERS.

18. Greek vowel : ETA.

21. Gangster film sound effect : RAT-A-TAT.

22. Cross words : SPAT.

23. Junior-to-be : SOPH.omore.

24. Sport with double touches : ÉPÉE. They must occur within 40 milliseconds of each other, in order to count as a "double touche."

26. Museum that awards the Turner Prize : TATE. Awarded to an artist under the age of 50.

27. Biblical scribe : EZRA.

29. No longer valid : EXPIRED.

32. "Nixon in China" tenor role : MAO. Which reminds me of this incredible video I found this week. 3:59

33. __ moment's notice : AT A.

34. Auction bid, often : NOD.

36. Formerly : ONCE.

37. Half of seis : TRES.

38. Board member, usually : EXEC.

39. Slots spot : RENO.

40. Impede : SLOW.

43. Overachiever's concern : STRESS.

44. Chintzy : CHEAPO.

45. Turkish peak : ARARAT.

46. Thin layer : VENEER.

47. "Star Wars" surname : ORGANA.

49. Best Angler and Best Jockey, e.g. : ESPYsExcellence in Sports Performance Yearly.

50. Ask (for), as a job : APPLY.

51. First car, for many : TOY.

55. Actor Morales : ESAI.

57. Harrison role : HAN.

58. Ovid's "I love" : AMO.

59. CNN launcher : TBS.

60. Wearer of a "Y" sweatshirt : ELI. Y for Yale, not "the" Y.

61. Stimpy's chum : REN. Ren is the psychotic chihuahua, and Stimpy is the dimwitted cat.

*Answer: The sixth person took the basket, with his egg in it.

That's all for now!
Marti


Mar 26, 2015

Thursday, March 26, 2015 Frank Virzi

Theme: "Home on the Range"


20-Across. *Last president who was a Founding Father : JAMES MONROE.

36-Across. *Limp cause : GAME LEG.

3-Down. *In the low 70s, usually : ROOM TEMPERATURE. This winter, ours has been in the low 60s, usually.

7-Down. *Feature of most cars nowadays : FRONT WHEEL DRIVE. True, but I will stick with my AWD Subaru on these icy New England roads.

11-Down. *On one's own : ALONE IN THE WORLD.

And the reveal:
55-Across. Fixer-upper, perhaps, and a hint to the answers to starred clues : STARTER HOME. Put "home" at the start of the theme entires and you get quite a 12-Down:
"Home, James!" / Home game / Home room / Home front / and "Home Alone," the 1990 Macaulay  Culkin movie.

From a construction standpoint, this was quite an impressive feat: Two grid spanners that each cross one other theme entry, and one grid spanner that crosses three! The two 11-letter entries each cross two other themers. Let's see what else Frank has to offer us.

Across

1. Big name in ATMs : NCR. Formerly National Cash Register.

4. Ten to twenty? : HALF. Nailed it on my first guess! [insert fist pump here]

8. On fire : AFLAME.

14. Worldwide workers' agcy. : ILOInternational Labour Organization.

15. On __ with : A PAR.

16. Brooklyn Bridge features : CABLES. Yes, indeed.

17. "The Matrix" hero : NEO. All perps.

18. Utah lily : SEGO.

19. Delivers an old standard, perhaps : CROONS.

23. Not from a Scot : NAE.

24. Fifth-century leader succeeded by his son Ellac : ATTILA. I nailed it on the first WAG.

25. __ Aviv : TEL.

26. Tent holder : PEG.

27. Sportscaster Andrews : ERIN.

28. New Deal org. : WPAWorks Progress Administration.

29. Hustles : HIES.

31. Smith students : WOMEN.

33. "If only __ listened!" : HE'D.

34. Memo words : IN RE.

35. Smartphone buy : APP.

40. Hold 'em tell, maybe : TIC. Keep your poker face on, and keep the other players guessing.

41. Ingredient in Off! : DEET. Common name: diethyltoluamide.

43. Top-row poet on the "Sgt. Pepper" album cover : POE. In the middle, above Marilyn.

44. Remains at the campsite : ASHES.

46. Misses the mark : ERRS.

47. Party person : POL. Political party, that is.

48. Spillane's "__ Jury" : I THE. His 1947 debut novel.

49. Org. that produces the magazines Highroads and Journey : AAA. Intuitive guess.

50. The past, in the past : ELD.

51. Risk being caught off base : GO AWOL.

54. Grisham hero, often: Abbr. : ATT.orney.

57. Only reigning pope to write an autobiography : PIUS II.

59. Tiny bit : IOTA.

60. Gun, as an engine : REV.

61. Most irritated : SOREST.

62. Emptiness : VOID.

63. T size : LGE.

64. Baby's outfit : ONESIE. They are usually sml.

65. Luncheon ender : ETTE.

66. Patriotic gp. since 1890 : DARDaughters of the American Revolution.


Down

1. Turtle in a 2014 film : NINJA.

2. Soccer shoe feature : CLEAT. Spike also fits.

4. Bit of sibling rivalry : HASSLING. As the youngest of five, I got a lot of that.

5. Hypothetical primate : APE MAN. No such thing, really.

6. Titicaca, por ejemplo : LAGO. [updated] In South America, Titicaca is a lake (for example.)

8. Honor : ACCOLADE.

9. Charge for a ride : FARE.

10. Wall St. news : LBOLeveraged Buy Out.

12. Varied mixture : MENAGERIE.

13. To be, to Ovid : ESSE.

21. Cork's location : EIRE.

22. Opposite of attract : REPEL.

26. Chi follows it : PHI.

30. "Just a few __" : SECS.

31. Dwyane of the Miami Heat : WADE. Absolutely no clue. All perps.

32. Mathematical process : OPERATION.

37. Good thing to have before a meal : APPETITE.

38. Dinero : MOOLA.

39. Winning football coach's surprise : GATORADE.

42. Airport screening org. : TSATransportation Security Administration.

45. Persian for "king" : SHAH.

48. ''Of course!'' : I GET IT.

52. Greek finale : OMEGA.

53. Piano keyboard component : LEVER.

54. Lhasa __ : APSO.

55. Spanish ayes : SI SI. Cute.

56. Warning sound : TOOT.

58. His, to Henri : SES. Possessive adjectives change, according to the gender of the noun: son, sa or SES are three of the possibilities here.

Marti, out!

Mar 19, 2015

Thursday, March 19, 2015 Ed Sessa

Theme: "Day at the Spa"

20. Area : NECK OF THE WOODS.

32. SONIC's Quarter Pound Coneys, e.g. : FOOT LONG HOT DOGS.

39. 1985 sci-fi classic : BACK TO THE FUTURE.

And the reveal:
56. Hamlet's satisfied comment about the starts of 20-, 32- and 39-Across? : AY, THERES THE RUB. I stumbled with this entry by putting "Ah" at first, instead of AY. The first editions of the play actually say "I, there's the rub."

So we have three types of massage on the table:
NECK RUB, FOOT RUB or BACK RUB.  I'll take one of each, than you!

Across

1. Dancing shoe item : TAP.

4. Initially : AT FIRST.

11. Doo-wop syllable : SHA...na na.

14. Modern address : URL.

15. Seedless raisin : SULTANA.

16. Oakley forte : AIM.  Annie, get your gun!

17. Cape Town's nation: Abbr. : RSARepublic of South Africa.

18. Farm hauler : TRACTOR.

19. Jurist in 1995 news : ITO. "People of the State of California vs. Orenthal James Simpson."

23. "Come __!" : ON IN.

24. Govt. stipend provider : SSISupplemental Security Income.

25. __ Addict: fragrance brand : DIOR.

27. Spot relative : FIDO. Immediately followed by:
28. Hound : NAG. Naturally, I was on the "cur" wavelength.

31. Fictional Melbourne Dame : EDNA. Such a character!

37. "Sweet as apple cider" girl of song : IDA. Eddie Cantor made it a standard.

38. Extinct emu relative : MOA.

48. "Argo" setting : IRAN.

49. Flying Cloud, for one : REO. They are also known for their "Speed Wagon."

50. "... __ is given": Isaiah : A SON.

51. Sub builder : DELI.

52. It may be pitched : WOO. Hmm, the AV crossword yesterday had a theme entry of "Pitch WOO." I had never head the phrase before, and now it's hit me two days in a row.

55. High-level predator : PUMA. They are also known as "Mountain Lions."

61. Dadaism founder : ARP. Jean or Hans.

62. Virgin America's frequent-flyer program : ELEVATE. Easily inferable.

63. Pipe turn : ELL.

64. Commuter's choice : BUS.

65. Backs out : RENEGES.

66. "The Murders in the __ Morgue" : RUE. Gimme.

67. Star quality : EGO.

68. Ballpark officials : SCORERS.

69. Old atlas abbr. : SSRSoviet Socialist Republic.


Down

1. Alienate : TURN OFF.

2. Hall of fame : ARSENIO. Nice misdirection!

3. Tenor Domingo : PLACIDO. Drat - I already used my music link!

4. Concerning : AS TO.

5. Gang lands : TURFS.

6. Reasons for breakdowns : FLATS.

7. Result of many a bite : ITCHING.

8. Deserve : RATE.

9. Storm output : SNOWEnough already!!

10. Hawaiian root : TARO.

11. Took marriage vows : SAID I DO.

12. Top-ten tune : HIT SONG.

13. Latin trio word : AMO. amas, amat.

21. Unit of speed : KNOT.

22. Had too much : ODedOver Dosed.

26. Dorm figs. : RAsResident Assistants (or Advisors.)

29. Words of woe : AH ME.

30. Idle, with "off" : GOOF.

33. Fired : LIT.  I just fired my fireplace?

34. Potpourri quality : ODOR.

35. "The Great" boy detective : NATE. WAG.

36. Greek consonant : TAU.

39. Bridge column datum : BID.

40. Decorator's recommendation : AREA RUG.

41. Nymph in Homer's "Odyssey" : CALYPSO. Ack - I filled in CAListO without thinking. But that nymph is spelled with two L's.

42. Baby bootee, often : KNIT.

43. "Wait, there's more" : HOWEVER.

44. Ticker __ : TAPE.

45. Loan sharks : USURERS.

46. Eponymous city founder : ROMULUS. Founder of Rome.

47. Co-dependency figure : ENABLER.

53. Oklahoma tribe : OSAGE.

54. Playful fish-eater : OTTER.

57. "His," per Ambrose Bierce : HERS. From The Devil's Dictionary.

58. Juice you can't drink: Abbr. : ELEC.tricity.  Cute.

59. Attorney general after Barr : RENO.

60. Gas company with a green-bordered logo : HESS.

61. Profiled penny prez : ABE. Not sure it needed the word "profiled," but it makes for some nice alliteration.

That's it for me - your turn!
Marti

Mar 12, 2015

Thursday, March 12, 2015 Alex Miller

Theme: "Mad As A March Hare"

Here we have a scrambled word at the beginning of each theme entry:

20-Across. Russian composer and piano virtuoso : RACHMANINOFF.  His "Piano Concerto No. 2" is one of my favorites. 31:16 - just listen to the first 40 seconds and you might recognize it.

29-Across. Café breakfast order : HAM CREPE. Never had one.  This is the one outlier, because it is the only entry with the hidden theme spread across two words.

37-Across. TV fantasy about three magical sisters : CHARMED. I think I watched it. Once.

45-Across. Den piece : ARMCHAIR.

54-Across. Annual sports event that begins with Selection Sunday on 3/15 ... or, cryptically, a hint to the scrambled word found at the starts of 20-, 29-, 37- and 45-Across : MARCH MADNESS.

This one seemed a bit tough for a Thursday - it took me close to my Saturday time to finish. Words like FANFIC and STRADE might have tripped up more than one unwary solver.  Throw in some myrmecological cluing, and I went down many a garden path before finding my way home!

Across

1. Atkins no-no : CARB. I entered "fats"...

5. "__ bad idea" : NOT A. (Yes it was - I had "It's a" for a while.)

9. Brothers Grimm creature : FAIRY. Oh dear, why doesn't "ogre" fit???

14. Old apple spray : ALAR. Whew! Old crosswordese to the rescue.

15. Pinnacle : APEX.

16. Painful turning point? : ANKLE. Indeed, if you turn your ANKLE, it can be very painful!

17. Elizabeth of "Lone Star" : PENA. Oh, my, I am going to crash and burn for not knowing an actress from a nearly two-decades-old movie?

18. Nothing : ZERO. So far, it seems like that's what I have.

19. Experimental blast : N TEST. OK - I admit, I filled in *TEST and waited for perps to tell me whether it would be N- H- or A. But with the crossing of FAN FIC, I needed a total WAG at the N.

23. Related compounds : ISOMERS. Ah, now that's more in my comfort zone!

24. Gap : HIATUS. Take a deep breath before plowing on...

28. Italian roads : STRADE. Even though I lived in Italy for a while, I was thinking of ITERs, but still too short. I guess I needed to remember my many trips on the "A1 autoSTRADa" to finally get the correct answer.

By this time, I was really feeling like a
31. Birdbrain : NITWIT.

33. Arrived just in time for : MADE. "Phew! I made the bell!"

34. Reservoir creator : DAM.

40. Delivery person? : MOM. Well, yes.

41. Some Persians : RUGS. Hands up for "cats"?

43. Absolute ruler : DESPOT.

48. Arrival announcement : I'M HERE. Hands up for "I'M Home"?

52. Deduce : GATHER.

53. Manned the helm : STEERED.

57. Provide a spread for : CATER.

60. Script "Q" feature : LOOP. I hear they are doing away with teaching script in schools. Good idea? Bad idea?

61. In the past : ONCE.

62. Scenic route, perhaps : BYWAY.

63. Curvature : ARCH.

64. Stax Records genre : SOUL.

65. Sleep soundly? : SNORE. Ha-ha, I loved the double entendre of "sound-ly"!!

66. Milk sources for some Tibetan cheese : YAKS.
and a partial clecho:
67. Milk sources for some Greek cheese : EWES.


Down

1. Crop pants : CAPRIS.

2. Orioles' div. : A. L. EAST. Oh good grief, I may as well just throw in the towel.

3. Venom : RANCOR.

4. Hindu priest : BRAHMAN.

5. Childhood home of Jesus : NAZARETH. Well, I'm starting to get some words filled by this time.

6. Makes the first move : OPENS.

7. Actress Hatcher : TERI. (Thank you "Desperate Housewives"!!)

8. Nerve cell transmitter : AXON.

9. Story you might find on MuggleNet.com, briefly : FAN FIC. MuggleNet.com is a web site dedicated to all things Harry Potter.  "Fan Fiction" is stories written by fans (not the original author) that expand on characters or events in the original book.

10. Myrmecologist's subject : ANT FARM. Definitely a Saturday clue! From the Greek word mýrmēx (ant).

11. '50s political nickname : IKE.

12. Jekyll creator's monogram : RLSRobert Louis Stevenson.

13. However : YET.

21. Doc : MEDIC.

22. Resistance unit : OHM.

25. Lions, Tigers or Bears : TEAM.

26. Fancy coif : UPDO.

27. Come off as : SEEM.

29. Personnel employee : HIRER. In my experience, the Personnel department simply screened the resumes, and I was the one who was the HIRER.

30. Dough dispensers, for short : ATMs.

32. Dry riverbed : WADI. I had to dig to come up with this one.
But somehow I was able to...
34. Pull with effort : DRAG. it out of the recesses.

35. Special something : AURA.

36. Co. runners : MGMT.anagement. The guys who hire.

38. Dorothy Parker's "Excuse my dust" and others : EPITAPHS. If that is really her epitaph, it's a great one!

39. Like the Taj Mahal : DOMED.

42. Bagel topping : SCHMEAR. Another one that stayed blank for a while.

44. Precisely, after "on" : THE NOSE.

46. Town crier's cry : HEAR YE.

47. JFK info : ARR.ivals

49. Prior to today, poetically : ERE NOW.

50. Save : RESCUE.

51. Fords that never got going : EDSELS.

53. Usually stained work garb : SMOCK.

55. French Open surface : CLAY.

56. Bat mitzvah dance : HORA.

57. "The Big Bang Theory" network : CBS. Gimme.

58. Author Rand : AYN.

59. Seesaw need : TWO. I seesawed back and forth between loving the devious cluing and tearing my hair out.  But by the time I got it all done, I really appreciated the challenge!
Marti


Mar 5, 2015

Thursday, March 5, 2015 C.C. Burnikel

Theme: "Unchained Melody?"

If you only look at the surface of the answers, the puzzle may have seemed rather run-of-the-mill:

1-Across. *Onetime owner of Waldenbooks : KMART.

5-Down. *Bullseye logo company : TARGET.                  

29-Across. *Seller of Geoffrey Bandages : TOYS"R"US. Geoffrey is their giraffe mascot.

30-Down. *Bergdorf competitor : SAKS.

43-Across. *Craftsman company : SEARS.

46-Down. *Costco rival : SAMS CLUB.

But if you can visualize what C.C. has done with their placements (see the grid diagram at the bottom of the page), she elevates the whole thing with the coolest reveal(s) I have ever seen:
9-Across. With 74-Across, what each of the answers to starred clues is : CHAIN. Each of the theme entries is a CHAIN STORE.
74-Across. With 9-Across, what the answers to starred clues form : STORE. And when linked end to end, they form a STORE CHAIN. Brilliant!

And there was plenty else to like in the grid, with several AHA moments and smiles when I "got" the clues.

Across

6. TiVo predecessor : VCR. Obsolescent now?

14. Ancient Asia Minor region : IONIA. I never knew Asia Minor stretched as far as Michigan! ;-)

15. Mobile setting: Abbr. : ALA.bama.  I was all over the place on this one. Mobile phone? Mobile home? Aha! The city!!

16. __ trot : HOT TO.

17. Ocean tracker : SONAR.

18. Listen : LEND AN EAR. Nice fill.

20. __ Balls: snacks : SNO.

21. Hoedown honey : GAL.

23. 1841 French ballet heroine : GISELLE. The ballet premiered in Paris in 1841, to huge critical and commercial success. It is still performed to this day.

24. Minn. winter hrs. : CST. Central Standard Time, for C.C.!

25. Gets into a seat : ELECTS. You "get" your favorite pol into a seat, but only if you vote!

27. Compete for the America's Cup : SAIL. I think the last winner in 2013 was the USA team "Oracle." 

28. "Gotcha" : AHA.

31. Tic __ mints : TAC.

32. Speck : MOTE.

34. Ryder Cup chant : USA USA.  Do you think Davis Love can bring the USA to victory in 2016?

35. "Lux" composer : ENO. Stunning images, capturing light at different times of day. 4:45

36. Austere : STERN.

38. Halloween reactions : EEKS.

40. Spare pieces? : RIBS. Fun misdirection. DH makes the best spare ribs.

47. First name in shipping : ARI. Onassis.

50. Chalk holder : CUE TIP. Because "blackboard tray" wouldn't fit, and besides that, I really wondered if schools even use chalk any more?

54. Price number : ARIA. Nice misdirection - Leontyne Price is an amazing American soprano. I used to have the album of her and Placido Domingo from "Tosca."

55. "Well, lah-di-__!" : DAH.

56. ESPN Deportes language : ESPAÑOL.

58. Many a Persian : TOM. About half of them, I'd say?

59. Stringed instrument : VIOL.

61. Big headache : HASSLE.

62. "Who Gets the Last Laugh?" network : TBS.

63. Running things : IN POWER.

65. Excessively : TOO.

66. Common flight path : ARC.

67. Tom Jones' last Top 10 hit : SHE'S A LADY.

69. Birth-related : NATAL.

71. Let up : EASED.

72. Up to, in store signs : TIL.

73. Romantic text : I LUV U.

75. It may have a patch : EYE.  Arrrgh.  This year, Talk Like A Pirate Day is September 19, mateys!

76. Discharge, as from the RAF : DEMOB. DEMOBilization.


Down

1. They catch busses at stadiums : KISS CAMS.  Loved this clue / entry!! The word "buss" means "kiss."

2. NASA launch : MOON SHOT. Another great entry.  Did you know, that mooning someone is not illegal in Maryland?

3. Provide critical comments on : ANNOTATE.

4. Fjord relative : RIA.

6. Depressed areas : VALLEYS. Oh, I was thinking of economic depression.

7. Progressive Field team, on scoreboards : CLE.veland.  If nothing else, know your teams, fields, and baseball stars if you want to nail a C.C. puzzle! 

8. Sounded right : RANG TRUE.

9. Cartoonist Addams : CHAS. You may remember him best as the brains behind "The Addams Family"? I used to love his morbid cartoons in "The New Yorker."

10. Fine-tunes : HONES.

11. Took courses at midnight? : ATE LATE.

12. Salad bar option : ITALIAN. My favorite is Makoto ginger dressing.

13. SensoTouch 3D shaver, e.g. : NORELCO.

19. Neglect : DISUSE. Not to be confused with "misuse."

22. Baseball's Moises : ALOU. See? What'd I tell ya at 7d?

26. Rebel org. : CSA. Confederate States of America.

33. Slip : ERR.

37. "Way to go!" : NICE.

39. "Captain Phillips" setting : SEA. So simple, but would you believe, I had to wait for perps to be sure?

41. Orchard unit : BUSHEL.

42. Take apart : SEPARATE.

44. Fats Waller contemporary : ART TATUM. Here's the two of them together. 5:23

45. Border river, to Mexicans : RIO BRAVO. Gringos call it the "Rio Grande."

47. Counsels : ADVISES.

48. Shower covering : RAIN HAT. I was wondering why anyone would wear anything while they were taking a shower?

49. "Fingers crossed" : I HOPE SO. Nice.

51. Campus aides, for short : TAs. Teaching Assistants.

52. Trendy : IN STYLE.

53. Golf Galaxy buy : POLO.

57. Ex-Soviet leader Brezhnev : LEONID.

60. Sore sort, maybe : LOSER.  How about someone who has snow-blowed and shoveled more than 100" of snow this winter, huh??!?!?!

64. Get one's feet wet : WADE. Which is what we'll be doing when it all starts to melt!

68. Tinkering letters : DIY. Do It Yourself.

70. Pub pint : ALE.

That's it for now - I have to go check out all the sales!!
Marti
Notes from C.C.: 

1) Rich makes the reveal entry cool, Marti, My CHAIN clue is simply: "With 74-Across, what the answers to the starred clues form. Then "See 9-Across" for STORE.  I also clued GISELLE as "Bündchen who's Forbes' highest-paid model for 7 consecutive years". Gosh!
  
2) The Indie 500 tournament is now open for registration. Click on Register for detailed information. The constructors are Erik Agard, Evan Birnholz, Peter Broder, Neville Fogarty, Andy Kravis and Finn Vigeland. 

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