Thursday, October 13, 2011 Tom Heilman

Theme: Would you like paper or plastic? It's a:

63A. Variety, and what's literally hidden within 17-, 23-, 32-, 42- and 50-Across : MIXED BAG. Anagrams of “BAG” are found in the middle of the theme entries. Nicely done, with each “mixed” bag in a different combination: GBA, ABG, AGB, BGA and GAB. This theme could be dedicated to our own Jerome, who is a master of anagrams!

17A. Cher title words before "my baby shot me down": BANG BANG Do you remember Nancy Sinatra’s version, the same year?

23A. Lawn invader: CRABGRASS. DH fights this invader all the time.

32A. Olympics opening ceremony VIP: FLAG BEARER. Clara Hughes was the flag bearer for Canada at the 2010 Olympics.

42A. Place to keep thyme: HERB GARDEN. I have been harvesting the last of my thyme, rosemary, oregano, chives, mint and tarragon this week. The kitchen smells wonderful, with all the herb bunches tied and hanging from the windows!

50A. Evoke something from the past: RING A BELL. Does this?

Marti here, so it must be Thursday! This is my favorite day of the week for puzzles. They are just difficult enough to be a challenge, but not as hard as Friday (bless you , Lemonade!) or Saturday (you too, Splynter!).

Across:

1. Punch with a point : AWL

4. Handle trouble : COPE

8. Shake : JOGGLE. Did Santa “joggle” like a bowl full of jelly?

14. Article sometimes dropped : THE. Can you think of phrases where “the” is left out?

15. Cracked just a bit : AJAR

16. Pallor cause : ANEMIA

19. A cupcake's may be creamy : CENTER

20. "The Bourne Identity" malady : AMNESIA

21. Bar closing? : CODE. "closing" is a hint that this refers to a word that can follow "bar". In this case, the UPC bar CODE on all grocery items. You can generate your own at this site. And a clecho (clue echo) with 68A. Bar measure: SHOT. (Bang bang!)

22. Wrist exercise provider : YOYO

28. Revolt : RISE UP

31. We're on it : EARTH

36. Future school? : ROE. Fun clue, for a “school” of fish.

37. Fresh : RECENT

38. Have ambitions : ASPIRE

41. "__-hoo!" : YOO

46. Become a member : ENROL. I always have a problem between “enroll” and “enrol” . BTW, spell-checker doesn’t like “enrol”, either!

49. Rubeola spot : MEASLE. Some people complain about too many “plurals” in puzzles. But for the life of me, I have never heard of a single MEASLE.

52. Low-growing greenery : MOSS

56. Yarn source? : LIAR. Great clue!

57. Respectfully give the final word : DEFER TO

60. Ripping results : SHREDS

64. Spring sign : TAURUS. Taurus in the astrological sign for anyone born between April 21 and May 20. So definitely "spring" sign.

65. Ancient Egyptian agents of capital punishment : ASPS. Used for "elite" criminals.

66. Word with white or shell : EGG

67. Former CIA agent counterpart : KGB SPY

69. "L.A. Law" actress : DEY. This actress, also known for her role on “The Partridge Family”

And now, Let Me Take You Down...

1. Held in check : AT BAY

2. Frisbee maker : WHAMO

3. Bruce in a 1974 film : LENNY. This movie.

4. Semi sections : CABS. Tractor trailers.

5. Ventura County resort city : OJAI. Oh, hi!

6. Quack's wonder drug : PANACEA

7. Physics class unit : ERG

8. Biblical twin : JACOB. You all know Esau, his brother?

9. Strung out : ON EDGE

10. Biological family subdivisions : GENERA

11. Clock std. : GMT. Greenwich Mean Time, the “0” hour that the rest of the world relates to.

12. Links concern : LIE. Every golfer tries not to LIE about their score…Oh wait, this clue refers to the situation of the golf ball as it sits on the fairway (or, in a divot).

13. Stirrup site : EAR. It is in the middle ear, here.

18. Dennis the Menace's neighbor Wilson : GEORGE. Dennis's cranky, cantankerous middle aged next-door neighbor; a retired postal carrier and (at least as far as Dennis is concerned) his best human friend.

21. Flowing garment : CAPE

24. Robot play : R.U.R. In the Czech language, by Karel Čapek.

25. Toiletry product whose slogan once began "Don't be half-safe" : ARRID. Deodorant brand.

26. Put away : STORE

27. Radiance : SHEEN

29. Arabic "son of" : IBN. Arabs often use bin, which is a form of ibn, in their full names.

30. Green who played a werewolf in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" : SETH. I like his hair!

32. Young chicken : FRYER. Sounds like these young chickens are doomed...

33. "The Family Man" co-star Téa : LEONI. This lady.

34. Squash variety named for its shape : ACORN

35. Syncopated pieces : RAGS

39. Erie Canal mule : SAL. Made famous by this song.

40. Specialized undergrad track : PRE-MED. I took pre-med as an undergrad.

43. Part of FEMA: Abbr. : EMER...gency.

44. Fam. tree entry : REL...ative

45. Somewhat spotty on top? : BALDISH. (frown)

47. Lascivious lookers : OGLERS

48. Sidelined : LAID UP

51. Very low : BASSY. (frown)

53. Globular : ORBED

54. Developmental period : STAGE

55. Soaked : SOGGY

58. National, before moving : EXPO. No idea. Must be baseball related! (Or, maybe soccer??) Any help here would be appreciated... (From C.C.: Montreal Expos became Washington Nationals in 2004.)

59. Gab attachment : FEST. My gal pals and I always have a gab fest whenever we get together for book club.

60. Trader's buy: Abbr. : STK. "Stock" (frown)

61. Cauldron tender : HAG. (smile) “Double, double toil and trouble: Fire burn and cauldren bubble…”, from Macbeth. And another Shakespearean tribute at:

62. Obstacle, to Hamlet : RUB. “To sleep, perchance to dream: ah, there’s the rub…” 63. Some parents : MAs. OK, some parents might have a “Master of Arts” degree, but is that a prerequisite? (...Postscript: I guess the last clue refers to "MAs", as partners of PAs)

Answer grid.

Hugs to everyone on this fine Thursday!

Marti

Note from C.C.:

Sorry for the font mix-up earlier. Blogger did some maintenance last night and we had trouble fixing a few glitches.

Saturday, Sep 17th, Tom Heilman

Theme: None

Words: 72

Blocks: 30

Good day to you all~! Our last from Mr. Heilman included the word "pasquinade", and our latest offering is a tough one that I could not finish in my personally allotted time frame - and I needed some red-letter help in the SE. Four triple-stacks of sevens in each corner, and a grid-spanner that took a long time to parse:

36A. Beyond unethical : MORALLY BANKRUPT

- but enough entries for WAG-ing, so as to "bend" the brain without breaking it...

Onward~!

ACROSS:

1. Make even, in a way : JUSTIFY

8. Key rings? : JANGLES - Once the "J" from Jibes came up, I found this to be cute - rings as in the sound

15. More than concerned : ALARMED - makes me think of this movie scene quote

16. When forging started : IRON AGE - pretty obvious, no?

17. Juntas, e.g. : REGIMES - a WAG, but it was lurking there in the grey matter

18. Discarded storage technology : BETA-MAX - Sony's alternative to VHS, and "the" format in the studio when I worked on the TV movie back in the late '90's

19. Consider necessary : SEE FIT - I had DEEM AS to start

20. Round seed : PEA - tried NUT first

21. Blew, so to speak : WENT - oh, uh, as in "blew out of here", right

22. Moving experience? : EXODUS - needed the "X" to get it

24. Fine-grained soil : LOESS - more from Wiki; can you have Feet of Loess? (6D.)

25. Othello game piece : DISC - Yeah, I guess; I was trying too hard, and thought "OREO" would work - see here (OK, half an Oreo....)

28. Corpulent : FAT - such a polite way to say someone is obese

29. Unfavorably influence : JINX - I got JINXED last night on a carpentry job

30. PIN holder's record : ACCT - well, PIN is abbr. for "Personal Identification Number", so ACCT is OK, but see 35D.

31. Make fit : CRAM IN

33. Suffix with nanny : CAM - nanny-cam, for spying on your kid's babysitter

39. "Bambi" character : ENA - Bambi's aunt, and I gotta say, never saw the whole movie, still

40. Wire function : BALING - I used this when I worked in the supermarket, in the back room at the cardboard compactor - I actually enjoyed the task

41. Man cave channel of choice : ESPN - Entertainment and Sports Programming Network - the E part allows them to show poker, billiards, etc.

42. Wile : PLOY

44. __ vindice: Confederacy motto : DEO

45. Parker who played Daniel Boone : FESS - too '50's for me; this guy

46. Underlying values : ETHOS - WAGed it

48. Like protozoa : MOTILE - Def: biol. - 'capable of moving spontaneously'

50. Has a turn : GOES

51. Improved one's record : WON

52. Akkadian king who conquered Mesopotamia : SARGON - does anyone watch "Ancient Aliens" ? - This guy sounds like he could be in the next episode....

56. Kitchen tools : GRATERS - had to wait for a few crossers first

58. "Olly olly oxen free!" : IT'S SAFE - well, I knew it was a kid's game; this I found interesting

59. Dominions : EMPIRES

60. Mess up, as a punch line : MISTIME - have you ever tried to "pass on" a joke, then heard that same person garble it completely ???

61. Lot : DESTINY - C-3PO quote in Star Wars, ep. IV (0:15)

62. Slid (over) : SCOOTED

DOWN:

1. Makes shake : JARS - A tough puzzle JARS my brain

2. Fonda role : ULEE - This movie

3. Ranch brush : SAGE

4. Long-odds bet : TRIFECTA

5. Amalgamate : IMMIX - seen it before, this time, I put it right in (after having the MM)

6. Character flaw : FEET OF CLAY - A reference here; also a book by Terry Pratchett; funny, but the TV movie I worked on was about a Golem, a man made of clay....

7. Meas. of some field losses or gains : YDs - yards in football

8. Sailing maneuvers : JIBES - sudden shift from one side (of your course) to the other

9. Code word? : AREA - Area Code, a bit meh

10. "Psych!" : NOT~!!!

11. Eat at, as one's conscience : GNAW ON

12. Classroom response, at times : LAME EXCUSE - not really a 'response', but I get it

13. Pulitzer-winning writers Timothy and Jennifer : EGANS

14. Times of prayer in the Divine Office : SEXTS - I did not know this - but I am not Catholic

20. Tried to buy at auction : PUT A BID ON

23. She played Elle in "Kill Bill" : DARYL - the one-eyed nemesis of Uma's character Beatrix; typical Tarrantino, but I liked it

24. Online convenience : LINK

25. Pulp figure : DAME

26. Tiny paper clip, e.g. : ICON

27. Settings for "Junkyard Wars" : SCRAP HEAPS - fun show, where two teams would go into a junk yard to find bits for making odd vehicles and such, including boats, racing cars, garbage collectors, and my favorite episode, the "dragon" wrecker.

29. Loyal to a fault : JINGOISTIC - from the noun "Jingo", a person who announces loudly his or her patriotism

32. Zola portraitist : MANET - Image

34. Droid downloads : APPS

35. Chain letters? : MTNs - I'll let it slide, but there's no hint at an abbreviation; mountain chain

37. NYSE deals : LBOs - Leveraged Buy Outs - unpleasant, I believe

38. Cites : REFERS TO

43. Flipped : LOST IT

46. Vandalized, in a way : EGGED - Halloween prank

47. "Chestnuts roasting ..." co-writer : TORME - Mel, the "Velvet Fog"

48. Like some forest ground : MOSSY

49. Neck line? : LASSO - if you're a steer

51. Cactus __: state bird of Arizona : WREN

53. Canter, for one : GAIT

54. "Memories __": Billy Crystal film : OF ME - This movie; didn't know it or see it

55. Requisite : NEED

57. "__ tu che macchiavi quell'anima": Verdi lyric : ERI

58. Uses Trillian, briefly : IMs - I knew of the character from Hitchhiker's Guide, but not this software

Answer grid.

I'm on vacaTION (tiss) ~!

I'm on vacaTION (boom)~!

I'm on vacation~!.....

Splynter

Saturday, July 16, 2011 Tom Heilman

UGH ~!

Sorry, but this offering today had some real cringers in it. First time I have blogged Tom Heilman; the last Saturday from Tom was May 2010, and the results seemed to be on par with this puzzle....

Splynter here, on a DNF Saturday -

Words: 66

Blocks: 27

ACROSS :

1. Public mockery : PASQUINADE - tough start; had I not had the "U" in both the A. and D. clues, the Q would not have been a choice

11. Opening movement of Holst's "The Planets" : MARS - a WAG, but it IS "The Planets"

15. Cleans up : EXPURGATES - Sounds more like making the mess....

16. First Dominican-born Major League Baseball manager : ALOU - a classic CW WAG here

17. Everglades denizens : ALLIGATORS - got it

18. Hoot? : DAMN - I don't give a "hoot" about....

19. Occupation : TRADE

20. "Lady, shall __ in your lap?": Hamlet : I LIE

21. They may be geological : ERAS

22. Direct : BOSS - the verbs, here

23. A plan may be put on it : HOLD

24. Artist son of Andrew Wyeth : JAMIE - Nope, don't know these people; here's some of the art

25. Kyrgyzstan city : OSH

26. Pregnant pause, perhaps : TENSE MOMENT - good clue/answer

28. Surface phenomena affected by magma : GEYSERS - got it - more here

30. Judges : DECIDES

31. Complex design : WEB

32. Fatal opening? : NON - Like in NON-fatal injury...?

33. Statement of equality : ITS A TIE - yeah, but meh

37. Coastal freeze : FAST ICE - I knew it was some sort of __ ice

41. Established favorable conditions (for) : SET THE STAGE - good one I did NOT get

43. Pita look-alike : NAN - nailed it, but a three-letter answer on Sat. doesn't help much....

44. Narrow ridge : ARETE - here

45. Faithful : TRUE

46. Crack agent? : NARC - Crack, the rock cocaine, and the DEA man who busts you for it

47. "Okay then" : I SEE

48. Scented souvenirs : LEIS

49. Chemical prefix? : PETRO - I REFUSED to put this in, even though I had it, since there was NO WAY it could cross with PETR-....and it did....

50. Poet Walter __ Mare : DE LA - Nope, don't know this guy

51. Independent way to live : OFF THE GRID - I guess, but I wouldn't necessarily describe it as independent; more like low key, or on the "lam"

53. Barely better than none? : SLIM when your choices are "slim and none"

54. Railing with molded supports : BALUSTRADE - you know I HAD to get this one; I might have a huge balustrade to build next month

55. Court cry: Var. : OYEs - a variation on OLEs ????

56. Private : ONE-STRIPER - ARGH~! Got me, never thought of the military

DOWN:

1. Moor feature : PEAT BOG - wasn't he the lead singer of some rock group?

2. Frontman on the 1987 debut album "Appetite for Destruction" : AXL ROSE - Guns N Roses; got him, knew him, thought I might have a chance; he's the one in the middle - the guy with the cigarette is my second favorite guitarist, Slash.

3. Flamboyant : SPLASHY - Axl was splashy, not Slash-y

4. Plugs of tobacco : QUIDS - my parents are both British; to me a "quid" is slang for a buck, a pound, a dollar, and not used in the plural

5. Seriously suggest : URGE

6. Supermarket chain with Chicago H.Q. : IGA - quick, name a three-letter food store....there's one WAY out east here on Lon Guyland

7. United __ : NATIONS - see the last clue/answer, 52D.

8. Components of the Maldives : ATOLLS - had islets to start

9. Scoffed at : DERIDED

10. __ est percipi: to be is to be perceived : ESSE - Four years of Latin told me "to be" is ESSE

11. Raked it in : MADE A MINT - had MADE MONEY to start; not a bad WAG

12. Protected, in a way : ALARMED - as in your home, with the "Slomin's shield" or ADT

13. Arugula alternative : ROMAINE

14. Down times? : SUNSETS - good clue/ans. and visual

23. Beetle of note : HERBIE - OH ~! The Volkswagen ~! VERY good ~!

24. Playful : JOCOSE - Bzzz - Denied; didn't get it

26. Use a ring, maybe : TEETHE - had TIE OFF (like drapes) at first; the T_E helped

27. Household : MENAGE - Let's get DF here, and lighten this one up ~!

29. Elite tactical units : SWAT TEAMS - nailed it; today it was YES or NO - I either got it, or I didn't, and had no hope, to boot

33. Discussion-ending words : I SAID SO - I had "THAT'S IT" and couldn't shake it

34. In a word : TERSELY - got it, but spelled it TERSLEY

35. Pinball ball, perhaps : STEELIE - I love pinball, like the "Black Knight" and the Addam's Family", but did not know this term until I started writing today

36. Grammy winner for the 1993 album "Mi Tierra" : ESTEFAN - I thought PUENTE (Tito), but spelled it wrong anyway

37. Thomas Mann's "Doktor __" : FAUSTUS - Um, nope

38. Caught : IN A TRAP - yeah, I guess

39. Four-wheel drive? : CAR RIDE - Really~?!?!?

40. Spy, at times : ENCODER

42. Gimcrack : TRIFLE

46. Pola of the silents : NEGRI - image

48. Western howler : LOBO

49. Stone: Pref. : PETR - not gonna say it again....

52. President when the U.N. was created : HST - I wanted Woodrow Wilson, but he was denied his "League of Nations".

Answer grid.

Oh well, at least I move into my new apartment this weekend - I am off to lick my NON FATAL mental wounds....thanks for listening to me gripe

Splynter

Note from C.C.:

Here are a few wonderful pictures from another blog regular (and his brothers). Easy to tell who he is, yes? I love the first one.

Saturday May 8, 2010 Tom Heilman

Theme: None

Total words: 70

Total blocks: 26

Quite low block count. 7-letter entries aplenty. Six in each quadrant. Clear Aye's "Pack and Stack".

But what a total disaster for me. Hindenburg crashing into the Titanic! The lower right corner was simply impossible.

So many unknown answers. Lots of unfamiliar references in the clues too. IAGO (26A. "So will I ... make the net / That shall enmesh them all" speaker) typifies the trickiness today. I know he is the "Othello" villain, but I am not acquainted with the quote at all.

Across:

1. Reacted with embarrassment, maybe: GIGGLED. Three Gs in this entry alone. I am embarrassed to say it did not come to me readily.

8. Moderate pace: JOG TROT. Unaware the existence of this term.

15. Legally gone: ON LEAVE. My first reaction is something death related.

16. Ignorant: UNAWARE

17. Spenserian beings: FAERIES. No idea. Edmund Spenser is an English poet known chiefly for his allegorical epic romance "The Faerie Queene", according to Dictionary.com. Faery is a variant of fairy.

18. Sparks resident: NEVADAN. Sparks is a city in W Nevada, E of Reno. I've never heard of it.

19. __ pro nobis: ORA. Pray for us.

20. Fry corrugation: CRINKLE. I know corrugation crinkle connection. But why fry? What fry?

22. Company abbr.: INC

23. Undersized one: RUNT

25. Nearly a billion people live in them: SLUMS. Wow, that's way more than I thought. The plural "them" and "Nearly a billion" in the clue did not prevent me from thinking of China (1.3 billion people). Felt stupid!

27. Rhone tributary: ISERE. Flowing from the Alps to the Rhone River. I drew a blank.

29. Janeane's co-star in "The Truth About Cats and Dogs": UMA (Thurman). Fun movie.

30. Asked for a hand?: ANTED. Oh, poker hand.

31. Excite: THRILL

33. Seen from above, as a view: BIRD'S EYE

35. In person: BIG AS LIFE. I've only heard of the idiom "bigger than life".

37. Deceptive lingo: JIVE TALK. Didn't know the "deceptive" connotation.

40. Carbohydrate used in jellies: PECTIN. It's stuff that makes jelly jell. Who knows they are carb? Well, maybe Al & Jazzbumpa do.

44. Chilled: ON ICE

45. Abner's radio partner: LUM. "Lum and Abner". Not in my radar.

47. Prefix with graphic: ETHNO. Ethnographic. New word to me.

48. Court org.: USTA (United States Tennis Association). Tennis court.

49. Techies' campus hangout: PC LAB

51. They can get high: SEAS. Stumped me. High seas are the open seas of the world outside the territorial waters of any nation. I was thinking of alcohol or drugs.

52. FDR home loan gp.: NHA (National Housing Agency). Outside my ken also.

53. Become payable: FALL DUE. Is this a real phrase?

55. Austin-to-Del Rio dir.: WSW. Got me also.

56. Make notes?: COMPOSE. Musical note.

58. Scholarly: ERUDITE

60. Italian colony from 1890 to 1941: ERITREA. Oh, I thought it's a French colony, like so many countries in Africa.

61. Frenzied fits: DELIRIA. Again, only knew the singular delirium.

62. Chamber group member?: SENATOR. Man, I was definitely not in the legislative chamber direction.

63. Watching carefully: ON ALERT

Down:

1. "Don't miss this chance": GO FOR IT. Just had this fill yesterday. Clued as "Words of encouragement".

2. Hurrying along: IN A RUSH. I instinctively knew the answer would not end in ING.

3. Information gatherer: GLEANER

4. Where BMW was born: GER (Germany)

5. Worldly: LAIC. I associate LAIC with nonclerical, not worldly.

6. Activist who said "You can kill a man but you can't kill an idea": EVERS (Medgar). Neither the quote nor the guy is known to me.

7. First "Mission: Impossible" TV production company: DESILU. The Arnaz-Ball studio.

8. Many ad circulars: JUNK MAIL

9. Law school newcomers: ONE Ls. One L = First Year Law Student.

10. Yielded: GAVE

11. Old carrier: TWA. Howard Hughes's airline.

12. Project, as cheer: RADIATE

13. Aptly named red tabby who played Cat in "Breakfast at Tiffany's": ORANGEY. Here is a picture. I only knew Audrey Hepburn calls the cat Cat.

14. Police radio lingo: TEN CODE. Forgot. Here is Argyle's link again.

21. Knucklehead: NUMBSKULL. I am definitely feeling like one.

24. Manhattan district: TRIBECA. Portmanteau composed of the words "Triangle Below Canal Street" .

26. Spray targets: INSECTS

28. Cream of the crop: ELITE

30. Magazine revenue item: AD FEE

32. Airport on Flushing Bay, briefly: LGA. LaGuardia Airport. Was ignorant of the Flushing Bay.

34. Sewer's target: RIP. Sewer = One who sews.

36. Safe call: ALL CLEAR. Did you think of baseball also?

37. Bumps along: JOUNCES. Yet another new word. Sigh! Did you want BOUNCES also?

38. Close to the coast: IN SHORE. OK!

39. A, B or C, e.g.: VITAMIN. Another sly clue.

41. Deadline, metaphorically: THE WIRE. Again, I only know the phrase "Down to the wire".

42. Upset: IN A STIR. Is this a common phrase?

43. "A cinch": NO SWEAT. I liked the clue and the answer.

46. Managed: MADE DO

49. Public promenade: PASEO. Stumped many last time.

50. Raeburn van __, cartoonist who drew "Abbie an' Slats": BUREN. I peeked at the answer sheet. Have never heard of this guy.

53. Defense structure: FORT

54. "The Long, Hot Summer" vixen __ Varner: EULA. Another total stranger. This poster looks hot. What's the title of that song with lyric "... making love on a long, hot summer's night"?

57. Class action gp.?: PTA. Saw this clue somewhere before.

59. "Rugrats" infant: DIL. Absolutely clueless.

Answer grid.

C.C.

Sunday April 11, 2010 Tom Heilman

Theme: The Last Shall Be First - Common words/phrases with the component word order reversed.

23A. Hayride musical group?: WAGON BAND. Bandwagon.

25A. Results of a burglar's bumps and bruises?: TAKING PAINS. Painstaking. Someone please explains the clue/answer rationale to me. Why "burglar"?

38A. Bleating art?: GOATSCAPE. Scapegoat. Goatscape is like landscape I suppose, at least, in the Windhover Farm.

42A. Brief film on kneading and baking?: BREAD SHORT. Shortbread.

61A. Contest related to the knife toss?: FORK PITCH. Pitchfork. Hello, Iowa!

78A. Violinist who loves the spotlight?: STRING HAM. Hamstring. My favorite theme entry.

96A. Handy lint-removing tool?: POCKET PICK. Pickpocket.

98A. Primitive projectile that's like new?: MINT SPEAR. Spearmint.

118A. Disaster at a Ritz factory?: CRACKER FIRE. Firecracker. Very evocative.

120A. Astronaut's alien squeeze?: MOON HONEY. Honeymoon. But there's no life on the Moon, where does the astronaut get the squeeze?

All the base phrases are simple and solid. I intuited the gimmick immediately with the rather self-revealing puzzle title. Then the second theme entry quickly confirmed my instinct. I picture today's constructor Tom Heilman is fun to be around, from the way he clued his theme answers alone.

Also loved his clue for FRI (119D. Time assoc. with a common superstition). Friday the 13th. Disliked the clue for YOS (77D. Informal his). The "his" in the clue is a plural of hi, isn't it?

Across:

1. Prayer start: LORD. Crossing DOOMSDAY (4D. End of the world).

5. Assertive comeback: AM SO

9. Sir Toby of "Twelfth Night": BELCH. Shakespeare's stuff often stumps me.

14. Done with: RID OF

19. 1970 Neil Young protest song: OHIO

20. Spa option: PEEL. Honey & sea salt exfoliates rather well.

21. Donovan who played Amber in "Clueless": ELISA. Total stranger to me.

22. January, in Juárez: ENERO

27. Choice: PRIMO. I was thinking of noun "choice".

28. "The Thieving Magpie" composer: ROSSINI

30. Jumpers, e.g.: DRESSES

31. "Thou shouldst not have been old till thou __ been wise": "King Lear": HADST

32. Like a hoops shot: ARCED

33. Sexually attractive: NUBILE. One of Buckeye's favorite words.

35. Justice Dept. org.: DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration)

37. Valuable deposit: ORE

47. "Full Metal Jacket" gp.: USMC (United States Marine Corps). Gimme for Dennis/Argyle. I've never seen "Full Metal Jacket".

48. __ populi: VOX. The popular opinion. Vox = Voice.

49. Not easy to hang onto: EELY

50. Some have prizes inside: CEREALS. I'll go nuts for those small bobblehead promotions.

52. "Alrighty then": OKEY DOKE

56. Rock genre: EMO

57. Director Vittorio De __: SICA. I've yet to see his "The Bicycle Thief".

58. Matched, as a bet: SEEN. Keep forgetting the card bet meaning of "see".

60. Parroted a Persian: MEOWED. Cat.

64. Afternoon celeb: SOAP STAR

67. Ruin: SPOIL

68. Hipbone prefix: ILIO. The hip bone is ILIA.

70. Trim: NEAT

71. Carpentry files: RASPS

75. Early development: NASCENCY

80. Phrase on a mailing label: SEND TO

83. Semi-convertible auto roof: T-TOP

85. Vermilion and cardinal: REDS

87. Fund source: TREASURY

90. Unlike the life of the party: ASOCIAL

92. __ Blair: George Orwell's birth name: ERIC. Unknown to me.

93. Classified ad letters: EEO. And TYPE (129. Classification).

94. Boss: HEAD

102. Covert __: spy missions: OPS

103. Soft & __: DRI

104. Beat: RHYTHM. Nice strings of consonants.

105. Prepare, as merchandise for a sale: RETAG

108. Cruise, for one: ACTOR. Tom Cruise.

112. Tenor Pavarotti: LUCIANO. Italians are so expressive.

115. Impose: OBTRUDE. With "upon".

117. Joe of "Hill Street Blues": SPANO. He's in "NYPD Blue" also.

122. German thanks: DANKE. And ERDE (124. German earth). For Kazie.

123. Like the verbs "cast" and "cost": Abbr.: IRREG. Chinese verbs have no past tense.

125. Part of NEA: Abbr.: EDUC

126. Dispatches, as a dragon: SLAYS. Dispatch = Kill.

127. 1980s-'90s Olds: CIERA. Cutlass Ciera. Stumped me.

128. Certain title: DEED

Down:

1. Like acidic detergents: LOW PH. Got me.

2. "BUtterfield 8" novelist: O'HARA (John). I've never heard of the book (film). Why is U capitalized?

3. Stiff: RIGID

5. LAPD broadcast: APB

6. Anne of "Awakenings": MEARA. Rich picked "Awakening" for alliteration purpose.

7. Hombre's address: SENOR

8. It's often hard to settle: OLD SCORE. Great clue.

9. Happen: BETIDE

10. Vigor: ELAN

11. Preferences: LIKINGS

12. Drama set in Vegas: CSI

13. Return, as graded papers: HAND BACK. Can't wait for Lois to return.

14. Staves off: REPELS

15. "Hang on!": IN A SEC

16. Agnus __: Mass prayers: DEIS. Agnus Dei = Lamb of God. Uncommon to see its plural form.

17. D-day invasion river: ORNE. The Normandy river.

18. Composer Lukas: FOSS. First encounter with this guy.

24. Wrote down: NOTED

26. Mettle: GRIT

29. Perfect Sleepers, e.g.: SERTAS

34. Man of Messina: UOMO. Italian for "man". I was at sea. Messina is a seaport in NE Sicily. Alliteration again.

36. Computer data acronym: ASCII

39. State purposefully: AVOW

40. Nudge: POKE

41. Left one's mark on: EX'ED. My grandma did not read.

44. Ecuadoran province named for its gold production: EL ORO. Literally "the gold". I've never heard of it before. Makes perfect sense.

45. Feverish: HECTIC

46. Divine counselor: ORACLE

47. Apply to: USE ON

51. Bandleader Brown: LES

53. 911 respondent: EMT

54. Has strong desires: YEARNS

55. Biker's headgear, perhaps: DORAG

57. Water balloon impact sounds: SPLATS

59. Rob Roy refusals: NAES. Scotish for "no".

62. In a manner of speaking, slangily: KINDA. Sorta.

63. Suggestion: HINT

65. "The Alamo" co-star Jason __: PATRIC. Another foreign name to me. The name is crying for K.

66. Unbroken sequence: STREAK

69. Oars in a quad scull, e.g.: OCTAD. Two oars for each of the four rowers then.

72. Lewis with Lamb Chop: SHARI

73. Go to pieces: PANIC. "Go to pieces" is a new idiom to me also.

74. Slap: SMACK

76. Insignificant amount: SOU. Not worth a sou.

79. Whittled on the porch, say: IDLED

80. Restrain: STEM

81. "Oh the joys that came ... __ was old!": Coleridge: ERE I. Got it from crosses.

82. Night light: NEON. Rhyme.

84. Corny gadget?: POPPER. Oh, popcorn.

88. Bombast: RHETORIC

89. "Righto": YEAH

91. Like some ball attendees: COSTUMED

92. Milton or Virgil: EPIC POET

95. Large wardrobe: ARMOIRE

97. Criticize severely: TRASH

99. Devious: TRICKY

100. Jiggles: SHAKES

101. Joe __, confrontational '50s-'60s talk show host: PYNE. No idea. Hosts are not supposed to be confrontational.

102. Former Sandinista leader: ORTEGA (Daniel). President of Nicaragua. I was ignorant of the Sandinista Party.

106. Dig deeply?: ADORE. I dig this clue.

107. Glittery rock: GEODE

109. Frequent Cronyn co-star: TANDY(Jessica). Hume Cronyn was her husband.

110. Outdo: ONE-UP

111. Automaker Henry: ROYCE. Founder of Rolls-Royce.

112. Some time displays, briefly: LCDS

113. River through Magnitogorsk: URAL. The Europe/Asia boundary river.

114. Site of Jesus' first miracle: CANA. Where Jesus turned water to wine.

116. Fox's title: BR'ER. Uncle Remus tales.

121. Novelist Buntline: NED

Answer grid.

C.C.

Saturday October 24, 2009 Thomas Heilman

Theme: None

Total words: 70

Total blocks: 30

Today's grid reminds me of a Saturday themeless by Bruce Venzke and Stella Daily, with grid-spanning triple stacks at the top and bottom. Noticed it has CAUTIONARY TALES also?

Here are six 15-letter fill:

1A. Obsolete item: A THING OF THE PAST. Antiquity is too short. Multi-words continue to pose problems for me.

16A. "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" and others: CAUTIONARY TALES. Not familiar with Goethe's poem "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" at all.

17A. Pet that's larger than a toy: MINIATURE POODLE

60A. Tax service, familiarly: INTERNAL REVENUE

65A. It may be awakened after a period of inattention: RENEWED INTEREST. Very nice clue/fill.

66A. Retail security staff: STORE DETECTIVES. Another name for security guards?

Definitely a challenging puzzle for me. I think our eased-up phase is officially over.

Across:

18. Group originally named the Jolly Corks: ELKS. Unknown trivia to me. The name derived from a bar trick introduced by the group's organizer.

19. Zaire's Mobutu Sese __: SEKO. In office 1965-1997. I can never remember this guy's name.

20. No longer serving: Abbr.: RET (Retired)

21. Bk. before Job: ESTH (Esther). After Nehemiah. I peeked at my Bible book list.

24. Themes: TOPICS

27. Try to bean, in baseball: THROW AT. Another baseball reference is RBIS (37A. Diamond stats). Throwing at a player's head is really dangerous.

30. Easing of tension: DETENTE. I used to confuse it with international agreement ENTENTE.

31. Roadside grazer: DOE

32. False show: PRETENSE

36. Verdi aria that translates to "It was you": ERI TU. Nailed it. Eri = Were. Tu = You.

41. Hearty entrée: RIB ROAST. And ROE (44A. Caviar, say). And PAO (12D. Kung __ chicken). Hungry?

45. Quantities possessing only magnitude: SCALARS. Escaped me again. Vectors possess magnitude and direction.

50. Seat of Washington's Pierce County: TACOMA. Not familiar with the county name at all. Bing Crosby was born in Tacoma (grew up in Spokane).

51. 1956 Mideast crisis site: SUEZ. The crisis was resulted from Egypt's nationalization of the Suez Canal.

52. Part of a loop: ARC

57. McAn of shoes: THOM. The brand was named after a Scottish golfer Thomas McCann.

Down:

1. Tiptop: ACME

2. Shadow: TAIL. Verb.

3. Hid out, with "down": HUNKERED

4. "Yea, verily": IT IS SO

5. Actress Vardalos: NIA. She wrote and starred in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding".

6. Contracted, as an illness: GOT

7. Burden: ONUS

8. Cab hailer: FARE. Oh, I did not know FARE can refer to a person.

9. Serious trip: TREK

10. Some triangle sides: HYPOTENUSES. Stumped. The side of a right triangle opposite the right angle.

11. WWII zone: ETO (European Theater of Operations)

13. Second man on the moon: ALDRIN (Buzz)

14. Choose: SELECT. Penned in OPT FOR.

15. Safari menace: TSETSE. Waiting for JD to tell us whether she saw TSETSE during her safari exploration.

22. Local govt. unit: TWP (Township). I failed again.

23. Half-baked: HAREBRAINED. Is this rooted in "The Tortoise and The Hare" fable?

25. They may end with 27-Down: OTS. And TDS (27D. Passes may result in them: Abbr.)

26. Equal: PEER. Noun.

29. Alaska and La., once: TERRS

30. Remove pitch stains from: DETAR. Always want UNTAR.

33. Spanish uncle: TIO. Oncle in French.

35. Alice's chronicler: ARLO. D'oh, "Alice's Restaurant". I was thinking of Lewis Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland".

38. Soviet leader who signed SALT I and II: BREZHNEV (Leonid). In office 1964 to 1982. I only know the Chinese translation of his name.

39. Biennial games org.: IOC (International Olympic Committee). Winter and Summer Olympics are two years apart from each other.

40. Tennis unit: SET

42. Descartes's conclusion: I AM. "I think, therefore I am" (Cogito, ergo sum).

43. Nashville sch.: TSU (Tennessee State University). No idea. Their nickname is the Tigers.

45. Connecting flights: STAIRS. Of course, my mind flew to the airport. Very clever clue.

46. Customs exemption for an auto: CARNET (kahr-NEY). It's a "customs document a customs document allowing an automobile to be driven at no cost across international borders". New word to me.

47. Customer ID: ACCT NO (Account Number)

49. Czar known as "the Great": PETER I. He reigned from 1682 to1725.

55. Narrow opening: SLIT. Too large (and high) a slit?

56. Normandy river: ORNE (awrn). The D-Day river. And OUSE (58D. York's river). Prounouced like "ooze", meaning "water". Learned both from doing Xword.

59. "Miracle" 1969 World Series winners: METS. The "Miracle Mets", managed by Gil Hodges.

61. Chariot ending?: EER. Charioteer.

62. "Self-Reliance" essayist's monogram: RWE (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

64. Lab caretaker? VET (Veterinarian). Lab here is short for labrador. The question mark did not prevent me from going in the laboratory direction.

Answer grid.

C.C.

Thursday May 28, 2009 Tom Heilman

Theme: HYPOCRITE (62A: Insincere type suggested by the starts of the answers to starred clues)

17A: *Hack's output: POTBOILER

21A: *Canceling: CALLING OFF

26A: *Idealized family: THE JONESES

48A: *Pitched percussion instrument: KETTLE DRUM

56A: *Sorcery: BLACK MAGIC

In Chinese, we have an idiom similar to POT CALLING THE KETTLE BLACK: Crow laughing at the pig for being black.

I always thought THE JONESES simply means your neighbor, not necessarily an "idealized family". I got the defining entry HYPOCRITE first, then worked my way up, thinking the starts of the starred theme clues might synonyms to HYPOCRITE. Quite an inventive theme approach.

Besides KETTLE DRUM, there are several other music/musician/musical instrument related fills:

1A: Item of concern in a sound check: AMP

1D: "Spanish Flea" trumpeter: ALPERT (Herb). The guy in the middle?

15D: Schubert's "The __ King": ERL. Completely unknown to me. Here is a short plot summary.

18D: Instruments for Earl Scruggs: BANJOS

I don't think question mark is needed for NITRO (19A: TNT component?). The ? made me think of DRAMA, you know, TNT's "We know drama".

Across:

4A: Height: Pref.: ACRO. As in acrophobia. It appeared in our puzzle before, but I forgot. Wanted ALTI or ELEV, which are actually "Height: Abbr.".

8A: Part of a diploma accolade: MAGNA. MAGNA cum laude.

13A: John, to Ringo: LOO. John is slang for bathroom. Can't fool me.

20A: Film feline: ELSA. From "Born Free".

23A: Umbrella alternative: RAIN HAT

25A: Summer blowers: FANS

29A: Baseball feature: SEAMS. See this official Major League Rawlings baseball, with the commissioner's signature. That's Bud Selig.

33A: Hammer, for one: TOOL. Thought of Tom DeLay, "The Hammer".

36A: Analyze in English class: PARSE

39A: Groan inducer: PUN

40A: Where alpaca roam: ANDES. Which one is alpaca? I don't know how it looks differently from a llama.

42A: Org. concerned with climate change: EPA

43A: "Dang": DARN. Don't like the clue.

45A: U.S. document issuer: GPO (Government Printing Office). I was stumped.

53A: Enthusiastic okay, in Seville: SI SI. Shi Shi in Chinese.

55A: The first requirement: RULE ONE. Not RULE NUMBER ONE?

60A: Arguing: AT IT. Stop Arguing/Bickering! Clue me.

61A: "An Essay Concerning Human Understanding" author: LOCKE (John). Easy guess. Have never heard of this essay.

64A: Sprain site: ANKLE. Ouch!

66A: Fascist leader?: NEO. Neo-fascist. Nice clue.

Down:

2D: Dough: MOOLAH. I used to confuse this word with mullah.

3D: "Happy Days" friend of Richie and Ralph: POTSIE. No idea. Thought of Fonzie, the guy who jumped the shark. Which one is POTSIE?

4D: __ Z: A TO

5D: Mexican-American: CHICANO. This is a new word to me.

6D: Empathize: RELATE

7D: Sports commentator Hershiser: OREL. Often clued as "Pitcher Hershiser".

8D: Heavenly fare: MANNA

9D: Associates (with): ALIGNS

10D: Deteriorate: GO TO SEED. New phrase to me.

11D: Ball used for dorm hoops: NERF

12D: Beginning: AS OF. I nailed almost all the multiple word answers today.

22D: "Granting that ...": IF SO. Can you give me an example on how these two are interchangeable?

27D: Slow the growth of: STUNT

28D: Very long interval: EON

30D: Live and breathe: ARE. Need your help again. I don't understand this cluing. The grammar is confusing.

31D: Woolf's "__ Dalloway": MRS. I learned this book from "The Hours".

34D: Collar extension: LAPEL

38D: Searches thoroughly: RANSACKS

39D: Season opener?: PRE. Preseason. A home-run clue. Nice!

41D: Loving refusal: NO DEAR. I like YES DEAR.

44D: Actor Tamiroff: AKIM. Hebrew for "God will establish". I can never remember his name.

45D: Important energy source for the brain: GLUCOSE. Thought of Fructose first. I figured my brain loves quick sugar from fruits.

47D: Amuse: TICKLE

49D: Shooter's aid: TRIPOD. And SKEET (54D: Shooter's sport). Nice pair.

51D: Merges: UNITES

52D: Earth threat in some sci-fi films: METEOR

56D: Tell: BLAB

59D: Pita sandwich: GYRO. Here is a GYRO sandwich with some ROTINI (50D: Spiral pasta) salad. What's your favorite pasta?

63D: These, in Troyes: CES. French for "these". I don't know where exactly Troyes is. It's picked just for alliteration purpose I suppose.

Answer grid.

C.C.