Sunday May 22, 2011 Verge

Theme: And/or - OR is added to common phrases.

23A. Important meeting for Domingo and colleagues? : THE BIG TENOR CONFERENCE. The Big Ten Conference.

33A. Pulpit tirade? : BLAST FROM THE PASTOR. Blast from the past.

50A. Sale of swampland? : MORASS MARKETING. Mass marketing.

63A. Disloyal union member? : LABOR RAT. Lab rat.

69A. "Babe," e.g.? : PIG STORY. Pig sty.

83A. Really conservative Conservatives? : OLD SCHOOL TORIES. Old school tie.

92A. Comment about a recently razed vacation complex? : THE RESORT IS HISTORY. The rest is history.

114A. Maine travel agency's come-on? : MORE BANGOR FOR YOUR BUCK. More bang for your buck.

Some ORs are inserted to the end of the word, some in the middle. Can you think of one with OR attached to the beginning?

Did the theme clues make you laugh? One of the challenges in letter addition/deletion/substitution theme is to come up with entertaining clues.

I still don't know who Verge is. Alias name, perhaps. I feel it's a he.

Across:

1. Missouri range : OZARKS. Scrabbly start.

7. Very friendly with : CLOSE TO

14. Legitimate : LAWFUL

20. Incisor neighbor : CANINE. Tooth.

21. Lost it : HAD A COW. "Don't have a cow, man!"

22. His team has an orange-and-black logo : ORIOLE. Baltimore Orioles.

26. Cabin fever, e.g. : ANGST

27. Salon supply : HAIR GEL

28. "Hmm ..." : I WONDER. And 115D. "Hmm ..." : GEE

29. Glom : COP. Did not know "glom" can mean "steal".

30. Hesitant sounds : UMs

32. A long time : YEARS

43. Like a hawk's perspective : AERIAL

44. __ agreement : ORAL

45. Recipe amount : CUP

46. Carides of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" : GIA. No idea. The movie is good. I like her hair.

49. Scottish psychiatrist R.D. __ : LAING. Another no idea. I bet Lois knows him.

55. Windows predecessor : MS-DOS

56. Sharp sensation : PANG

57. Transfix : AWE

58. "... __ mention ..." : NOT TO

59. Ornamented, as curtains : TASSELED

62. Sharpness : ACUMEN

68. Half of vingt : DIX. Dix = Ten. Vingt = Twenty. You won't see Splynter clue his DIX this way.

71. "Anchorman" producer Judd : APATOW

72. Place for a large E : EYE CHART

74. Wine grape : PINOT

75. Tournament break : BYE

77. Part of a roof : EAVE

78. Boundary : AMBIT

87. Welsh breed : CORGI

88. 2010 Mark Twain Prize winner : FEY (Tina). So talented.

89. Diving seabird : AUK. What is he doing?

90. Didn't spoil : KEPT

91. Meaningful interval : PERIOD

97. Region on the South China Sea : MACAO. Gambling mecca in Asia. They speak Cantonese there also.

100. Lunch letters : BLT

101. Looney Tunes animator Avery : TEX. Got via crosses.

102. Might well : IS APT TO

104. Plymouth passenger carrier : RAILCAR.

109. Self-congratulatory cries : TA-DAs

117. Online memos : E-NOTEs. Dennis likes to title his email subject line as "Note".

118. Microsoft reference : ENCARTA. No new updates.

119. Italian desserts : GELATI

120. Out of fashion : DEMODE

121. Tough teammate to handle : EGOTIST. Randy Moss, e.g.

122. Obeyed a canine command : HEELED

Down:

1. Prefix with -hedron : OCTA. Prefix for "eight".

2. Journalist Paula : ZAHN

3. Rare blood type: Abbr. : A NEG

4. Cage components : RIBS

5. Work with needles : KNIT

6. Circ. part : SEG

7. Hardly top-of-the-line : CHEAPO

8. Legal scholar Guinier : LANI. I can never remember her name.

9. Stimulus used in aversion therapy : ODOR. 

10. Puppeteer Tony : SARG. Know this guy only from doing Xword.

11. Behold, to Brutus : ECCE

12. Prepare the factory : TOOL UP

13. Hold one's __ : OWN

14. Early movie mogul : LOEW (Marus). Founder of MGM.

15. Gully : ARROYO

16. Cybernetics pioneer Norbert : WIENER. Maybe Bill G knows him. I've got no idea.

17. 1981 Hepburn co-star : FONDA. "On Golden Pond". Henry Fonda. Also Jane Fonda.

18. Gastric woe : ULCER

19. Rude looks : LEERS

24. God in a chariot : THOR. Thunder god.

25. Rift : FISSURE

29. Grey Cup sports org. : CFL (Canadian Football League)

31. Large-beaked talker : MACAW. Melissa style picture. Lovely.

33. Soothing application : BALM

34. Green spans : LEAs. Nice clue. Would be even better if the answer is singular. It's hard to be Greenspan.

35. Requiring irrigation : ARID

36. Chinese: Pref. : SINO. Sino-US relationship.

37. They may put players out : TAGs

38. Poetic times : MORNs

39. Play genre : TRAGEDY

40. Suffers from : HAS

41. Some city lines : ELs

42. Toll rd. : TPK

46. Cuban base, familiarly : GITMO. "You can't handle the truth!".

47. Bury : INTER

48. Torment : AGONY

50. Movie-rating org. : MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America)

51. Beer-making aid : OAST

52. Magazine that began as a comic book : MAD

53. Some refs. : ENCs

54. Build up : TOUT

59. Experian, formerly : TRW. Forgot also.

60. It's made up : LIE. Quite true.

61. Passage : EXCERPT

62. Player rep. : AGT

63. __ luxury : LAP OF

64. Make __ of money : A PILE

65. Exchange, as words : BANDY

66. Onetime Siouan natives : OTOs

67. Campus military prog. : ROTC

69. Smooth, in a way : PAVE

70. Ticks off : IRES

72. Sniggler's target : EEL

73. 2010 earthquake site : HAITI

75. Historic Kentucky county : BOURBON. Whiskey.

76. Simple country type : YOKEL

78. Scores 90+ on : ACEs

79. Satirist Sahl : MORT

80. Liveliness : BRIO

81. Borodin prince : IGOR

82. Uncluttered : TIDY

84. Possess, to a Scot : HAE

85. Ring ruling : TKO (Techinical knockout)

86. Poetic contraction : O'ER

91. Photos : PIX

92. __-CD conversion: music collection updating system : TAPE TO

93. Breeding ground : HOT BED

94. Bad way to come on : STRONG

95. Visit overnight : STAY AT

96. Legend subject : HERO. Made me think of Killebrew. Nicest player I've ever met. TwinsFest wouldn't be the same without him.

97. Acted quietly? : MIMED

98. "... world will live __": "Imagine" : AS ONE

99. Bank : CAROM. Pool.

103. Facilitate an arrest, in a way : TASE

105. Oil acronym : ARCO (Atlantic Richfield Company). I just thought it's a name, Argyle!

106. "__ first ..." : IF AT

107. Actress Singer : LORI. She's famous for?

108. LCD flat panel displays have replaced many of them : CRTs

109. Bush overshadower : TREE. Oh, not President Bush.

110. Up to it : ABLE

111. Like a Jekyll and Hyde personality : DUAL

112. Comédie part : ACTE

113. Slide wildly : SKID

116. Word of disgust : UGH

Answer grid.

Hope Barry G comes back to us. All too sudden yesterday.

C.C.

Sunday November 7, 2010 Verge

Theme: Placing Changes -Changing Places. Familiar two-word phrases with A-ing B structure are changed into B-ing A.

23A. Discussion about which way to go? : HEADING TALK. The base phrase is Talking Head.

33A. Sunbeam, e.g.? : IRONING BRAND. Branding Iron.

39A. Defensive karate move? : BLOCKING CHOP. Chopping Block.

56A. Identical gift container? : MATCHING BOX. Boxing Match.

64A. Bird dog's rest? : POINTING BREAK. Breaking Point.

78A. Cause of a power tool failure? : BUSHING BURN. Burning Bush. The stuff in his hand is BUSHING?

90A. Ornithologists' bird-tagging outing? : BANDING MARCH. Marching Band.

97A. Stage players taking a nap? : COUCHING CAST. Casting Couch.

114A. Music to pitch hay by? : FORKING TUNE. Tuning Fork.

Who is Verge?

Funny, I actually read the puzzle title as "Changing Places". Grokked the theme after MATCHING BOX emerged.

Quite a struggle for me. The overall cluing is a bit challenging for a Sunday. Did nail all the lovely "It" clues though:

22A. It's a sign : OMEN

109A. It's out on a limb : HAND

4D. It may be muted : AUDIO

Also great to see the full name KIM JONG-IL ( 82D. Asian leader with a degree from a university named for his father") in the grid. The "Dear Leader". Kim = "Gold" in Korean. Same character as Chinese "Gold'.

Across:

1. Mercedes line : E-CLASS. Crossing CIERA (2D. Cutlass model). Tough start for me. We also have FURY (108A. Old Plymouth). Stumper.

7. Go 12-Down : SNAP. And 12D. Wild : BALLISTIC.

11. Turns seaward : EBBS

15. Traffic : CARS. The clue does not feel complete to me. Did like the consecutive clue for TIEUPS ( 19. Jams).

20. Wooden team, once : UCLA. Not familiar with John Wooden Center.

21. Skin : PARE. Tricky verb clue.

25. Part of a shutter : SLAT

26. Galway Bay site : EIRE. Galway Bay is on the west coast of Ireland.

27. Senator Hatch : ORRIN

28. City accessible by ferry from Marseilles : ORAN. Algerian port. Not an easy clue.

29. Many virtuoso performances : SOLI. Plural of solo.

30. Prophet : AUGUR

31. Asian parting : SAYONARA. Japanese. We also have 89D. Carp from Kyoto : KOI.

36. Microbrew, maybe : ALE

37. Turkish leader : AGHA

38. __' Pea : SWEE

44. Actress Bankhead : TALLULAH. Nope. Total stranger.

49. Movement in some Bach suites : GIGUE. New word to me. Dictionary says it derives from "jig".

50. Pickled : LIT. Drunk.

51. Family nickname : SIS

52. Supporting __ : ROLE

53. Judge's decision : OVERRULED. Or "Sustained".

60. Hair removal product : NEET. NAIR too.

61. "The World Factbook" publisher : CIA

62. Spewed magma : LAVA. Hot flow-er.

63. Afternoon rest : SIESTA

68. Pre-tied tie : CLIP-ON

72. Some Spanish medals : OROS. Gold medals.

73. Gardner on screen : AVA. And ERLE (83. Gardner of fiction). Nice Gardner clecho.

74. Japanese noodle : SOBA. Often eaten cold in summer time. Delicious!

81. Had between meals : SNACKED ON

84. Pulldown beneficiary, for short : LAT. Muscles.

85. Pull someone's leg : KID

86. "Victory was not mine" : I LOST

87. Rouse again : REAWAKEN. DF clue.

94. Hit on the head : CONK

95. Ebro and Guadalquivir, por ejemplo : RIOS

96. More or less, e.g.: Abbr. : ADJ (Adjective). Nailed it.

102. Most racers, after the race : ALSO-RANS

107. Bug : ANNOY

111. Bug : NAG AT

112. Installed, as brick : LAID

113. "Dies __" : IRAE

116. Dieter's catchword : LITE

117. Authenticated: Abbr. : CERT (Certified)

118. Skyward, in Hebrew : EL AL

119. Split equally : BISECT

120. Mars, to the Greeks : ARES

121. Stevenson villain : HYDE. Jekyll's alter ego.

122. Tony winner Neuwirth : BEBE

123. Flips the "Open" sign : CLOSES

Down:

1. Group cultural values : ETHOS. Always want ETHIC.

3. "Rescue Me" star Denis : LEARY. This guy looks familiar. Don't recall his name though.

5. Sail for a downwind course : SPINNAKER. Can never remember this name.

6. IRS ID : SSN

7. Hindu spiritual manual : SUTRA. Only know "Kama Sutra". Where are you, Vidwan?

8. Frozen Four org. : NCAA. And UCONN (54. The Huskies of the 8-Down's Big East). College sports never interest me.

9. Like most cramming : ALL NIGHT

10. Bangladesh was once part of it: Abbr. : PAK (Pakistan)

11. Printer maker : EPSON

13. Indoctrinate : BRAINWASH

14. Place : SET. Can you give me a sentence where the two are interchangeable?

15. Affaire de __ : COEUR. Literally "heart" in French. Affaire de coeur = Love affair. So common in France.

16. Pablo's gal pal : AMIGA

17. Syndication staple : RERUN

18. Bergen dummy : SNERD

24. "Contract Bridge Complete" author : GOREN (Charles)

29. Afternoon "opera" : SOAP

30. Cain's victim : ABEL. And 58. Son of Sarah : ISAAC. Two Biblical references.

32. "The Louisville Lip" : ALI

34. Pi-sigma link : RHO

35. Toothpaste option : GEL

37. What lawn liming reduces : ACID. And B GON (39. Weed __: lawn-care product). Lawn clecho.

40. Unexploded : LIVE. I don't get this clue.

41. Graceful molding : OGEE

42. Short : CURT

43. Gather little by little : GLEAN

45. Hankering : URGE. Want some pickled herring.

46. High court returns : LOBS. Tennis court.

47. Very much : A LOT

48. Quadri- plus bi- : HEXA. 4 + 2 = 6.

51. Desperation guess : STAB

55. XIII x IV : LII. 13 x 4 = 52.

56. Massenet opera : MANON. Peeked at the answer sheet.

57. Hits-per-AB stats : AVGs

59. Neat ending? : NIK. Neatnik.

62. Commuter line with a Montauk Branch: Abbr. : LIRR (Long Island Rail Road). Montauk Branch means nothing to me.

64. Taro dish : POI

65. Promote in a big way : TOUT

66. "Amazing" magician : RANDI (James)

67. Actress __ Longoria Parker : EVA. Very pretty.

68. Handle holder : CBER

69. Imitation fish food : LURE. Oh, for fish. I was in the line of limitation crab/fish for people.

70. Land surrounded by agua : ISLA

71. "That was close!" : PHEW

74. Ward of "CSI: NY" : SELA

75. Sensible emanation : ODOR

76. Type of pear : BOSC

77. "Oxford Book of Eng. Verse," e.g. : ANTH (Anthology). Not a familiar reference to me.

79. Co-writer of many Eagles hits : GLENN FREY. Nope. This dude looks cool.

80. Financial security of a kind : BANK GUARD. Security guard.

81. Caesar and others : SIDS

85. Board vacancy? : KNOTHOLE. Was thinking of board of directors. Not lumber.

88. Sore : ACHY

90. Act like an ass : BRAY. Funny clue.

91. "__ for Alibi": Grafton novel : A IS

92. Nita of silents : NALDI. Classic crossword name.

93. Mdse. : GDS. Goods.

97. Lily variety : CALLA

98. Broadcasting : ON AIR

99. Confederate : UNITE

100. Programmers' output : CODES

101. Island WSW of Rhodes : CRETE. In the Aegean Sea.

102. Leg-foot link : ANKLE

103. Dustin's '69 Oscar-nominated role : RATSO. Finally saw the movie. Disturbing.
104. Flu-like symptoms : AGUES

105. 1980s-'90s NBA forward Larry : NANCE. Have never heard of this Larry. Maybe Windhover knows.

106. "The dele is off" notations : STETS

110. Many a Saudi : ARAB

113. German "I" : ICH

114. Time period that isn't always the same: Abbr. : FEB. Different days in Feb.

115. Peacock network : NBC

Answer grid.

C.C.