Sunday, January 25, 2015 C.C. Burnikel

Theme: 4-G Network. Every theme answer contains 4 G's sprinkled throughout the fill. 

Our lovely hostess is working weekends again and has acquired the services of GreGarious Guy Gary to blog for her very nice Sunday puzzle. Having  six theme answers across and two down supplied a nice element too. She produced some real learning for me with some of the theme fill and as usual provided entertainment with her always sparkling cluing.

I'm sure it was just serendipity that Don G had GettinG GoinG in his great Thursday puzzle! 

23A. What winners earn : BRAGGING RIGHTS - Texas and Oklahoma fight for these each October in Dallas  (1/2 orange, 1/2 red in Cotton Bowl)

41A. Search feature that tries to finish your thought : GOOGLE SUGGEST - New to this digital cowboy

60A. Grounded V-formation fliers : GAGGLE OF GEESE - Hey, once they take off they're a flock 

83A. Completely : BAG AND BAGGAGE - "I threw him out, BAG AND BAGGAGE"

96A. Way to generate fresh website content : GUEST BLOGGING - I think that's what all of us do

120A. Flamboyant '40s-'50s wrestler : GORGEOUS GEORGE - George Wagner from Butte Nebraska cut quite a figure in the 50's rasslin' game

40D. Kellogg's product slogan : LEGGO MY EGGO 

44D. Revelation nations : GOG AND MAGOG - Not a clue

Across     
    
1. Give up : CEDE - The land Mexico CEDED to the U.S.A. after the Mexican-American War

5. 27 for Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata," e.g. : OPUS 

9. Body sci. : ANAT 

13. Fingers-in-one's-ears syllables : LA LA LA - If I can't hear you, it doesn't count... 

19. Subtle vibe : AURA

20. "Hogwash!" : BOSH - Would Rich have allowed "Chris of the Miami Heat"?

21. Rao's competitor : RAGU

22. Polling place sticker : I VOTED 

26. Pan creator : BARRIE - Mary Martin as Pan on NBC in 1955  is a fond memory for me

27. Like a designated driver : SOBER - I don't think driving drunk is taken lightly any more

28. Coptic Museum city : CAIRO - tradition has it that the Holy Family visited this part of Cairo while fleeing from Herod

29. Toffee bar with a crown in its logo : SKOR - one of my favorite candy bars as long as my teeth are good!

31. Bread sometimes prepared with chutney : NAAN - I've yet to sample either

32. Bowler Mark who was four-time PBA Player of the Year : ROTH - along with Boomer, a man who has had a lot 127A. Alley pickups : SPARES

34. Trellis piece : LATH

36. Wipe clean : ERASE 

38. The NFL's Falcons : ATL - They got an NFL expansion franchise in 1965 so they wouldn't go to the pre-merger AFL

44. Coll. transcript stat : GPA 

47. Rake's look : LEER 

49. Big diamond-mining country: Abbr. : RSA - a 507.55 carat white diamond taken from the Cullinan Diamond Mine in South Africa in 2009

50. Tells a tall tale : LIES - George Costanza, "Jerry, it's not a LIE, if you don't think it's a LIE"

51. Melodious winds : OBOES - As mentioned on Monday, also the voice of the duck in Peter And The Wolf 

53. Ready to drive : IN GEAR

55. "Fear not!" : BE BRAVE - It's probably not as bad as you think it will be

59. Aptly named baby carrier brand : SNUGLI 

62. Usher in : HERALD - Hark!

63. Drudgery : MOIL - I will learn this word. I will learn this word. I will... 

64. Ninth-century pope : LEO IV  - Served from DCCCXLVII - DCCCLV

65. Ousted Iranian ruler : SHAH - he was a despot but, by God, he was our despot

67. Dundee denial : NAE - "Nae, I did na think she was bonny"

68. ''Chances Are'' crooner : MATHIS - You can't be my age and not have, uh, "pitched woo" to this record

70. Japanese IT services giant : NEC 

72. Map feature : LEGEND - This map and its LEGEND tell you where most people live in my, Joe's and Ergo's state.

74. Stable diet? : HAY - cute

76. Trace : HINT 

77. 2008 Jordin Sparks/Chris Brown duet : NO AIR

79. Letters on the back of a jersey : NAME - Coachspeak: 

81. Certain daisies : OXEYES

87. Trials and tribulations : RIGORS

88. Rhine temptress : LORELEI - I listened for her while floating down the Rhine, but all I heard were people at the ship's bar

89. "Under Siege" star : SEAGAL

90. Church doctrine : DOGMA - The Golden Rule is all I need

91. Kiara's mother in "The Lion King" : NALA 

92. Org. promoting hunter safety : NRA 

94. Fuss : TO-DO - Miss Bunting seems intent on creating a TO-DO whenever she is at Downton Abbey

95. Comic Philips : EMO - I always thought he was an odd little man

102. Airer of "Family Feud" reruns, briefly : GSN - How much Family Feud can you really watch? 

103. Hulu service : NET TV - Now that we have a "smart TV"...

104. Palm starch : SAGO - Harvesting the pith from the Sago Palm to make starch

105. Besties : PALS - BFF's (which last about a week in middle school)

107. It can precede Bravo : ALFA - Take it from Golf Alfa Romeo Yankee

110. "If that's true ..." : THEN - Simple If/Then flow chart

112. Dupe : REPRO - If a brother can be "bro",  a reproduction can be a REPRO

114. Online savings accounts offerer : E-LOAN - I've seen 391% APR on those babies

118. Text file with instructions : READ ME 

123. Blini topper : CAVIAR - EGADS! You eat caviar with a metal spoon! How gauche! 

124. Sweetie, in Tahiti : AMIE - Parlez vous Français in Tahiti? Mais oui!

125. In the know about : ONTO - Yeah, no one was ONTO Tony and Jack

126. Glimpses : SEES

128. Scorch : SEAR

129. Reflexology targets : FEET

130. Throw, as a party : HOST

Down:

1. Train station waiters : CABS - Our resident oenophile Marti might have clued this differently!

2. Vatican City coin : EURO - The cheapest tour of the Vatican will set you back €32,00

3. Lackluster : DRAB 

4. Champing at the bit : EAGER

5. Kimono closer : OBI

6. Wet weather wear : PONCHOS - The Pope wore the same cheap rain PONCHO when visiting the faithful in the Philippines. A true man of the people.

7. Org. that tests balls and clubs : USGA

8. Piercing : SHRILL

9. Specialized idioms : ARGOTS - We have 'em here! 

10. "Pass" : NAH - Coupled with NAE today

11. NSA figures : AGTS 

12. Rosa Parks' birth city : TUSKEGEE - She'd had enough, decided to BE BRAVE and showed true courage 

13. Some fall babies : LIBRAS 

14. Clark's "Mogambo" co-star : AVA - She was forced on director John Ford who wanted Maureen O'Hara

15. "SNL" creator Michaels : LORNE

16. Hair removal brand : ATRA - I guess shaving is hair removal

17. "Well, I guess you don't know everything about women yet" speaker : LEIA

18. Yemeni port : ADEN

24. Pirate's brew : GROG - A staple for Captain Hook in Pan?

25. Wrath, in a hymn : IRAE

30. Tram loads : ORES - Gold ORE in a slightly bigger mode of transportation

33. Manager with four World Series wins : TORRE - Four Yankee titles

35. Expressive dances : HULAS

37. Salisbury Plain monument : STONEHENGE - YouTube has many great theories about how STONEHENGE was built

38. Irreverent Sacha Baron Cohen alter ego : ALI G - Not my (Nice) Cuppa tea!

39. Break hr. : TEN AM 

42. Talky get-together : GABFEST

43. Hand over : GIVE

45. Big name in windows and doors : PELLA - In Iowa, it's a town with a fabulous Tulip Festival

46. Private remark : ASIDE - Bob Hope was a master at this in the "Road Films"

48. Aqua __: gold dissolver : REGIA - Literally Royal Water. Nitro-hydrochloric acid

52. Rough case : BUR

54. Extremely hot : ALL THE RAGE 

56. Locker room problem : EGO - A crossword stalwart with a huge EGO

57. '60s counterculture event : BE IN

58. Common crime drama theme : REVENGE

59. Plush carpet : SHAG

61. Ken of "thirtysomething" : OLIN - Another stalwart here

65. On the skids : SLIDING

66. Sage, say : HERB

69. Bad reception? : HISS - My MIL's radio HISSES constantly but it was a gift from her late son

71. Shade of black : COAL 

73. Pester : NAG AT - LA LA LA... 

74. Large crowd : HORDE

75. Geometry basic : AXIOM

78. Hydrocarbon suffix : ANE - It's been very warm this week and so I refilled my proPANE tank earlier than usual to BBQ

80. "Oh my goodness!" : EGADS

82. __ Kippur : YOM - Will 9/23 - 9/24, 2015 be long enough for me to atone for all my sins?

83. Hightail it : BOLT - Col. Pickering, "Where's Eliza?" Professor Higgins, "She's BOLTED!"

84. Spirited horses : ARABS 

85. Yoga posture : ASANA - I can do some of these 

86. Tesla Motors CEO Musk : ELON - He's building space vehicles too

88. City on I-15 : LAS VEGAS - 5 hr and 49 min north and you'd be in Salt Lake City. Hmmm...

91. Rembrandt's home: Abbr. : NETH

93. Comeback : RIPOSTE - here's one with our crossword weapon of choice

97. States : UTTERS

98. Minnesota, vis-à-vis Nebraska : LARGER - C.C. said she originally had Missouri but Rich put in Nebraska. Yeah right! ;-)

99. Arch in some Gothic architecture : OGEE

100. Vanish : GO POOF

101. __ club : GLEE

103. It's the pits : NADIR 

106. Play in the tub : SLOSH

107. Lob paths : ARCS - The result of many a Lob pass

108. Bound : LEAP  - See above

109. Bean variety : FAVA

111. Alaskan gold rush town : NOME - What great 1960 song has the lyric, "Below that old white mountain, Just a little southeast of NOME"?

113. Mysterious letter : RUNE - Early Germanic writing system

115. Snack sometimes fried : OREO 

116. Long stretches : AGES 

117. Place to find eggs : NEST

119. West in pictures : MAE - She really knew her, uh, assets

121. Coastal inlet : RIA

122. Figured out : GOT - I was so happy I GOT to blog this fine puzzle for my friend C.C.!

Thanks for this great puzzle C.C.! This site is now charging into its 8th year with you firmly ensconced in the position of leadership. How fortunate we are!

Husker Gary

Note from C.C.:

Ralph Bunker, the co-constructor of George Barany's "Enigma Variations" meta puzzle, visited MN yesterday, so our local constructors had another gathering at the University of Minnesota. The conference room we were at is named after George's parents, both Holocaust survivors. George also gave us a tour of their chemistry department and showed us this huge periodic table where you can touch some of the elements.

Marcia Brott, C.C., Tom Pepper, David Hanson & Nancy Herther

  Tariq Samad, George Barany, Ralph Bunker, Tom Pepper, C.C., David Hanson, Marcia Brott & Nancy Herther

George Barany, Nancy Herther, Tom Pepper, Marcia Brott, David Hanson, C.C.m, Victor Barocas,  Tariq Samad & Ralph Bunker

Click here for a few more pictures.

Also, the Fourth Minnesota Crossword Tournament will be held on Sunday, June 14, 2015. Please click here for more info. 

Saturday, Jan 24th, 2015, Julian Lim

Theme: None

Words: 64 (missing J,Q,Z)

Blocks: 37

  I would have to say I did a 43a. on this puzzle - but I did actually finish, with just one cheat, and one bad cell.  I consider it a victory.  A rare grid structure, with a high block count and a pair of central staircases of 4,5,6,7,7,8-letter words, but the ambiguous and nebulous cluing made this one a real grind.  Always the case with Mr. Lim on Saturday.  Two climbers of 12 letters and two spanners of 13;

6d. One of an elite eatery trio : MICHELIN STAR - I did not get this until I read that there's only "three" stars given out; technically, you can actually get zero, but that's not very elite....

18d. Subject of a 1996 holiday craze : TICKLE ME ELMO - DAH~!!! the --MEEL--- in the middle just messed me up; I went to Google and typed in "1996 holiday craze" and he came up; I was taking shots at him upstate

22a. Run using water, as a plant : HYDRO-ELECTRIC - ah, that kind of plant; at first I was thinking of the "roots and leaves" kind, and yes, those do run, using water, but....

35a. Greeting words : NICE TO MEET YOU

ONWrrrrrD~!

ACROSS:

1. Meg, to Jo : SIB - no clue to start, but I surmised it would be "SIS" or something - a Little Women reference

4. Lighter : LAMP - ummm, meh

8. Fashion first name : COCO - Chanel; I was born one month after her death

12. Cathedral feature : CRUCIFIX - ummm, yeah, but I can find that in a local church, too - I was thinking more like PIPE ORGAN, which didn't fit

14. "Frère Jacques," e.g. : CANON - a musical canon, referring to the "in a round" style of singing;   hey - two birds with one stone~!

Frère Jaques on Pipe Organ

15. Heartfelt class? : AEROBICS

16. Dismiss, in a way : WAVE AT - meh.  I would wave OFF to dismiss

17. Adopted : RAN WITH

18. Daughter of Oceanus : TELESTO - there's more about the Saturnian moon on the internet than the mythology

19. Monopoly acquisition : DEED

20. Installments : EPISODES

24. Unsettled items : I.O.U.s

25. Gets absorbed : SINKS IN

26. Lightweight boxer? : PUP - Har-har~! Boxer, the dog breed

27. Redcap's workplace: Abbr. : STN

28. "__ Down In Darkness": Styron novel : LIE - Perps, all perps

29. Little projectiles : BBs - we shot Elmo with a .22

32. Hardly keeps cool : SEES RED - I was seeing the red of his fur....or is that Stoat?

34. Rock __ : SALT

37. Like some pasta : HOME-MADE

38. Full of vitality : GO GO

39. Filing aid : DIVIDER

40. Call before a head-to-head contest : EN GARDE

43. Reacted to a sock : REELED - yep, this puzzle punched me in the gut

44. Fruit sometimes fried : PLANTAIN - I had the "P", but still struggled to think of a fruit - then the V-8 can flew

45. City on the Rhone : ARLES - I threw in ESSEN, which was only 20% correct

46. Like some fancy stationery : EMBOSSED

47. Forest coat : MOSS

48. "Walkabout" director Nicolas : ROEG - just an 'ugly' clue/fill; more here

49. Many boomers: Abbr. : SRs - Baby-boomers, who are well on into Senior Citizen status now

DOWN:

1. Plastic surgeon's concern : SCAR - scaB?  The crossing didn't help

2. "Roger that" : "I READ YOU" - always reminds me of this scene - "Do you like movies with gladiators?"

3. Reduced to ashes : BURNED UP

4. Drive in the bedroom? : LIBIDO - cute

5. Words with throw or have : A FIT - ugh; throw yes, have, meh. Just MHO

7. Spots for private shoppers?: Abbr. : PXs - Private, Army style

8. Gave : CAVED IN

9. "Almost ready!" : "ONE SEC~!"

10. Covers : COATS - like paint

11. More than not sure about : ONTO - implying some sort of shadiness

13. Quails : COWERS - ah, the verb, not the bird

14. Nutritionist's unit : CALORIE

16. Lincoln Center locale : WEST SIDE - I had ----S-D-, and it kinda came to me; had to guess EAST or WEST

21. Sword's superior? : PEN - "The PEN is mightier than the SWORD~!"

22. Not square : HIP - your social quality

23. Venerable : ESTEEMED

27. Forms a new state : SECEDES - had it, spelled it with two "C"s, took it out, put it back in

29. Aquatic plant that reduces erosion : BAY GRASS - Total WAG from "B------SS"; in fact, it was not until the write-up that I actually noticed it did not change

30. More rare, in a way : BLOODIER - ah, like your steak

31. __ Redman, Gary Sinise's role in Stephen King's "The Stand" : STU - I thought it was SYD, but then "nice to meet you" had to be correct

32. Like expressions? : SIMILES - an expression using the word "like"; 'her eyes are like pools of water'

33. Fuel __: reactor component : ROD - nuclear reactors

34. Rabbit predators : STOATS - new clue for the old "ermine/mink kin" answer.  I found this video of a stoat hypnotizing a rabbit

35. They have plots : NOVELS - yes, they do

36. Traditional beverage : EGG NOG

37. Prefix meaning "sacred" : HIERO - so, Hieroglyphs are sacred carvings, eh?

39. Scotch serving : DRAM - thank God it was not three letters~!

41. Local theater, informally : NABE - short for "neighborhood" (ney-bər-hoo d)

42. Purposes : ENDS

44. __ se : PER - Latin, "in itself"

Splynter

Friday, January 23, 2015, Sam Buchbinder

Theme: Sure Auric, we will be happy to make some gold paint for you; we will just add gold to the base.

The periodic table symbol for Gold (AU) is inserted in existing phrases to create new and entertaining fill. Two phrases have the AU added to the final word, at the end thereof; one added to the end of the fist word; and the final before a one letter phrase. Mr. Buchbinder, who is 28 and a teacher had his debut in the NYT August 19, 2014. There are two gridspanning theme answers. As marti pointed out yesterday, the big challenge for a theme is establishing symmetrical theme fill. 15, 10, 10, 15 is a common format; here we have the central reveal also at 9 letters, giving 59 in the theme. As a result we have many 3 and 4 letter words, but there are also some nice 7 letter fill to make this a Friday, such as BIG DATA,  CURTAIN, DRIVE-IN, FEATURE, HAN SOLO,  IT’S TRUE, NEUTRAL, OBJECTS, ONE EACH, SYNERGY, TRAPEZE, TRUCKER . Welcome to our world Sam.

16A. Striking painting of paddles, net and ball? : PING PONG TABLEAU (15). Ping pong table and crowd the plate are both sports references. I like the visual of the painting, but this fill does not really change the meaning of the phrase in the same way the two of the other themers change their phrases.

23A. Extraordinary northern bird? : SPECIAL AUK (10). We go from a cereal to one of our favorite crossword birds.

46A. Alaskan insects? : JUNEAU BUGS (10). June bugs might emigrate to Alaska and be Juneau bugs, I guess.

55A. Overdevelop a high plain? : CROWD THE PLATEAU (15). A baseball reference really transformed.

34A. Mythological figure who touched 16-, 23-, 46- and 55-Across? : KING MIDAS (9). The poor man could not eat or fool around.

Across:

1. "Mad Men" productions : ADS. Madison Avenue Admen.

4. Bark elicitor : SPEAK. I love the simplicity of this clue.

9. Lax : SOFT. The modern parent?

13. Force (open) : PRY.

14. Close-fitting dress : SHEATH.

15. Powerful dept.? : ENERgy. Pun one.

19. Uber : VERY. German. Our first clecho 48D. Uber : ULTRA.

20. Facebook button : LIKE. How many of the Corner use FB? A show of hands?

21. Truncation abbr. : ETCetera.

22. Austin of "Knot's Landing" : TERI. She had lots of HAIR.

26. Statistician's challenge : BIG DATA. Computers have created an exponential increase in data.

28. Plot component : ACRE. Misdirection two. Land, not a novel.

29. "__ thoughts?" : ANY.

30. Reasonable : SANE.

32. Purim heroine : ESTHER. A wonderful story. LINK.

36. Available : ON HAND.

39. Anthony Hopkins' "Thor" role : ODIN.

40. Channel for old films : TCM. Turner Classic Movies.

43. Noodle : BEAN. Interestingly I can find no references to why bean means brain or head. I just know in baseball throwing at the head is a "bean ball" and people are rewarded for "using the old bean."

44. "I'm not kidding!" : IT'S TRUE.

51. Chief Justice Warren : EARL. Appointed by Dwight Eisenhower, he led a court which drastically reformed the interpretation of individual rights.

52. Subjects of some conspiracy theories : ETS. Extra Terrestrials.

53. Specks on cartes : ILES. Carte is French for "MAP."  Along with 9D. Sprinkling on French fries? : SEL, (which means salt) and all the EAU words, I might guess Sam likes French.

54. Enthralled : RAPT. Do I have your attention yet? I want to warn you, I have a...

60. It may be cautionary : TALE.

61. "I shall be late!" speaker of fiction : RABBIT. WATCH? (2:00). Oh how punny?

62. Letter director : ZIP. Code.

63. Narrow opening : SLOT. Started with SLIT, picturing some of Splynter's favorite dresses.

64. Indo-__ languages : ARYAN.

65. Nixon has two : ENS. Not ears, or eyes, but the letters. Misdirection three.

Down:

1. Angry Birds, e.g. : APP. I know this but have never actually seen it.

2. "Happy Days" setting : DRIVE IN.

3. Cooperative action : SYNERGY.

4. "Dexter" airer, for short : SHOwtime. Anyone watch the entire series?

5. Write : PEN.

6. Scout rank : EAGLE.

7. Top story : ATTIC. At 11? Nope of my house, misdirection 4. So we get the clecho two 11D. Top story : FEATURE.

8. Uniform material : KHAKI. Urdu?

10. Free sample limitation : ONE EACH. Do you think you can pay for your Sam's Club, COSTCO etc membership just from eating the free samples?

12. Cab driver? : TRUCKER. At least the answer was not TAXIER.

14. One of a pair of Mad adversaries : SPY.

17. Off the __ : GRID.

18. Arthur of "The Golden Girls" : BEA.

22. Sched. uncertainty : TBA. To Be Announced.

23. Witness __ : STAND. In the US we sit so it all sounds silly.

24. Sharp feeling : PANG.

25. Rowing beneficiaries, for short : LATS. Latissimi dorsi. Side back.

27. Z-zebra link : AS IN. I doubt that will be Sue Grafton's choice.

31. Dashboard Confessional's genre : EMO. No idea. Still rock and roll.

32. Changes, in a way : EDITS.

33. Without : SANS. A French word now accepted in English.

34. Rosebud's owner : KANE. Orson Welles' sled.

35. "Cool, man!" : I DIG. Maynard G. Krebs.

36. Things : OBJECTS.

37. __ color : NEUTRAL.

38. Fictional pilot with the iconic line, "Laugh it up, fuzzball" : HAN SOLO. I told you last week Star Wars references were coming.

40. Circus staple : TRAPEZE. With the greatest of ease....

41. Sun block : CURTAIN. Meh.

42. "The Producers" screenwriter Brooks : MEL. Too many wonderful scenes and movies to link.

45. Milk dispenser : TEAT. We had the the bird TIT, the idiot BOOB and now we actually have a milk dispenser. Udderly amazing.

47. Help : AID.

49. "The View" alum Joy : BEHAR. The word BEHAR is Hebrew for on the mount.

50. Milk carton words : USE BY.

54. Snitch : RAT.

56. 18th Amendment opposer : WET. This was the Prohibition Amendment. Our HISTORY.

57. Cops' org. : PBA. Patrolmen's or Police Benevolent Association. Unions for the police.

58. Harvard grad Jeremy who's now a Laker : LIN. Made a brief splash with the Knicks, signed to big money by the Rockets, and now exiled to the Lakers.

59. Rises : UPS . Man, ending on a downer.

Well another Friday in the record books, I had fun. I hope you all did and for those who do not wake up to 70 degrees and sunny, stay warm. Lemonade out.

Thursday, January 22, 2015 Don Gagliardo

Theme: Letter play

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

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

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

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

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

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


Across

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

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

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

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

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

17. Riddles : POSERS.

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

21. Field of study : AREA.

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

25. Tamper : MESS. (with)

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

32. Without __: riskily : A NET.

33. On a streak : RED HOT.

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

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

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

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

40. Tease : NEEDLE.

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

43. Like Gen. Powell : RET.ired.

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

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

50. Greek mount : OSSA.

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

57. Time of your life : OLD AGE.

61. Marching band instrument : SIDE DRUM.

62. Mill around : LOITER.

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

64. Egyptian symbols of royalty : ASPS.


Down:

1. Keep time, in a way : TAP.

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

3. Cadillac sedan : XTS.

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

5. Scant : MERE.

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

7. Parched : ATHIRST.

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

9. Cask stopper : BUNG.

10. Safecracker : YEGG.

11. Some Cannes films : MOVIE SHORTS.

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

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

16. Was impending : LOOMED.

20. Perp subduer : TASER.

21. Egyptian dam : ASWAN.

22. 100 kopecks : RUBLE.

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

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

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

29. Bay window : ORIEL.

30. Aptly named novelist : READE.

34. Easily crumbled cookies : OREOS.

35. Betta tankmate : TETRA.

38. "Colonel Jack" novelist : DEFOE.

41. "Oh, my!" : DEAR ME!

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

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

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

48. Stay clear of : AVOID.

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

53. Sharing word : OURS.

54. Relax : LOLL.

55. Blackthorn fruit : SLOE.

58. QB's stat : ATT.empts.

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

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

I'm out.
Marti

Note from C.C.:

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

Lemonade & John Lampkin, March 21, 2012

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

Wednesday, January 21, 2015 C.C. Burnikel

Theme: Man Up! The start of each theme entry is a slangy synonym for a male.

17A. Well-worn, as comfy shoes : BROKEN IN. These are pretty broken in - I'm not sure how comfortable they are though:

25A. University of North Carolina city : CHAPEL HILL. UNC was the first college in the US to open to the public.

39A. Firehouse crews : LADDER COMPANIES. I want to have a crack at the rear-steering job.

51A. Relaxing soak : BUBBLE BATH. Ahhh!

64A. Lead singer, and a hint to the beginning of 17-, 25-, 39- and 51-Across : FRONT-MAN. Choose your own favorite front-man link. Here's one of mine - the talented and very confused Noel Gallagher from Oasis.

Well, it's Wednesday! Steve here with C.C.'s second solo outing of the year. She has quite a prodigious output! I had to hunt and peck a little in the top half - the ELSA/LIN cross was something of a WAG, but there wasn't much else that was going to make sense there, so not too much of a problem in the end.

I didn't get the theme until the reveal and thought it was pretty neat when I saw it. The two long downs were both great - I don't recall seeing either of them in a puzzle before.

Let's check out the rest.

Across:

1. Band aid : AMP. Nigel Tufnell's volume controls famously go up to 11.

4. "Lohengrin" soprano : ELSA. The role "Elsa of Brabant" is voiced by a soprano.

8. High-priced : STEEP

13. Saint-Tropez sea : MER. On the French riviera between Marseille and Cannes.

14. Chicken (out) : WIMP

15. Wildly impulsive : MADCAP

19. "Finito!" : I'M DONE

20. Stretches on the road : LIMOS

21. Inventor Nikola : TESLA

23. Director who sued Spike TV for using his name : LEE. The case was settled out of court for an undisclosed sum. I've got my attorney handy for when Viacom decides to launch "Steve TV".

24. British prep school : ETON. Oh dear - I'm calling this a rare cluing misstep from Rich. Eton isn't a prep school. You attend a prep school before you go on to a school such as Eton.

27. Fives and tens : CASH

29. Clueless : ASEA. If would be fun, if not strictly fair, to clue this without a clue at all!

30. Lennon's love : ONO

32. Door fasteners : HASPS

35. TV radio station : WKRP. I never saw the show, but the call letters are easy enough to remember.

43. Rural road sign silhouette : DEER. I'm never quite sure how to react to these warning signs - the "Falling Rocks" one is another. There's not a lot you can actually do about the potential hazard.

44. Shellac ingredient : RESIN. I discover that it's a bug secretion and is also used as a food glaze! Fun clue pairing with 40D too.

45. Insect egg : NIT

46. Not a pretty fruit : UGLI. Food! It's actually not that bad-looking:

49. Surprise for the taste buds : TANG

56. Almost closed : AJAR

59. Pee Wee Reese's number : ONE. Baseball! C.C. at work here.

60. "Chasing Pavements" singer : ADELE. She won a "Best Vocal Performance" Grammy for the song.

61. English class lesson : USAGE

62. Like a plum tomato : OBLONG. Food! I'm going to go make a sandwich, this puzzle is making me hungry.

66. Royal residence : PALACE. This is the entrance to Hampton Court Palace in London, one of Henry VIII's homes. I used to live close by, needless to say my entryway didn't look much like this.

67. Apple product : IPOD. Fill in the "I" and then wait for crosses.

68. Gift-wrapping time, often : EVE

69. Hinged entrances : GATES. Some gates slide open, are they technically not gates?

70. Beantown hockey great : ESPO. Inspiration for the "JESUS SAVES! But Esposito scores on the rebound!" bumper sticker.

71. Do needlework : SEW

Down:

1. Carefree pace : AMBLE

2. Reason for a raise : MERIT

3. Virtual coupon, briefly : PROMO CODE. The ones I get never seem to have much effect.

4. Farm ladies : EWES

5. Civil Rights Memorial architect : LIN. Maya Lin. The inscription comes from Martin Luther King Jr's "I have a dream" speech.

6. Will of "I Am Legend" : SMITH

7. Sleep lab study : APNEA

8. Looks pleased : SMILES

9. Wrapped cantina food : TAMALE. Food! My local Farmer's Market has a stall selling the best tamales I've ever tasted. There's something magical about the masa.

10. Baseball Hall of Famer Roush : EDD. Aha! I was waiting for C.C.'s second baseball reference. I had to wait longer to fill it in though - all crosses. Reds center fielder elected to the Hall in 1962.

11. Bad bacteria : E.COLI

12. Science fair judges, e.g. : PANEL

16. Orange coat : PEEL.

18. Hawaii's __ Coast : KONA

22. Some jerks : SPASMS

25. Burn a bit : CHAR

26. Gibson's "Bird on a Wire" co-star : HAWN.

28. "__ Will Be Loved": Maroon 5 hit : SHE. This is one of those songs that I've heard a hundred times and didn't know what it was called, or who recorded it.

30. Word with country or world : OLD

31. "You wish, laddie!" : NAE

33. Writer on scrolls : SCRIBE

34. Usher's creator : POE. "The Fall of the House of Usher" published in 1839.

36. Nickname for LeBron : KING JAMES. Now back with the Cleveland Cavaliers after his sojourn in Miami. For a guy who is listed at 6'8" and 250lbs, that's one heck of a "Small Forward".

37. Outdoor gear brand : REI. Recreational Equipment Inc, apparently. Crosses for me.

38. L.A. clock setting : PST

40. Shellac : DRUB. I can't find the origin of this usage - anyone?

41. Nitty-gritty : PITH

42. "Wheel of Fortune" purchase : AN "A"

47. Carom : GLANCE

48. Ibex resting places : LEDGES. Here's an Alpine ibex in Italy. I used to see these frequently when I was skiing in the Alps.

50. Political cartoonist Thomas : NAST. The "Father of the American Cartoon". No relation to the publisher Condé Nast, which surprised me.

51. Cartoon flapper : BOOP. Betty Boop cartoons were shown on children's television in the UK when I was a kid. In hindsight, they weren't exactly suitable!

52. Put away, as groceries : UNBAG. It sometimes seems harder work than shopping for them in the first place.

53. "Twilight" heroine : BELLA. Thank you, crosses. I didn't even notice this fill until I was writing up the blog. Bella Swan, as portrayed by Kristen Stewart. Now I know, although in about two minutes time I'll forget all about her.

54. Michael Caine role : ALFIE

55. U. of Maryland team : TERPS. Formally the "Terrapins". How many other team nicknames have a nickname? I can't think of any offhand.

57. Tequila source : AGAVE. The finest blue agave plants are carefully guarded - crop thefts are not unknown during periods of shortage.

58. Make one's Fortune last longer? : RENEW. Not renewing a magazine subscription is a fun way to see how many offers you receive to try to get you back. Sports Illustrated pretty much offer you the editorship if you'll re-sign.

61. Counterclockwise arrow function : UNDO. It's funny how toolbar icons become embedded in our understanding.

63. Cereal grass : OAT

65. "Alley __" : OOP.  A fun basketball play to see.

And with that, mes amis, this is Steve signing off.

Note from C.C.: 

Happy 7th Anniversary to our blog! A big "Thank you" to our sweet LaLaLinda for remembering it. I completely forgot it. I need to be punished!

Dear friends, I became a constructor because of your active participation and constant encouragement. Thank you for being here.

Tuesday, January 20, 2015 Michael Dewey

Theme: Jump Back Jack - "Are you ready for some football?"

33. Returning to action, and, on a gridiron, what each first word of 17-, 24-, 47- and 55-Across is : BACK IN THE GAME

17. Soccer scoring opportunity : CORNER KICK. Cornerback, defensive position.

24. Vice presidential hopeful : RUNNING MATE. Running back, ball carrier and blocker.

47. Musical symbol : QUARTER NOTE. Quarterback, the field general.

55. Hold that's illegal in amateur wrestling : FULL NELSON. Fullback, blocking and taking the ball straight ahead,.

Argyle here. Are we ramping up for the Superbowl or what? I wouldn't be surprised to find this theme has been done before but it wouldn't detract any of my enjoyment of solving this one. Some other football references included.

Across:

1. PBS science series since 1974 : "NOVA"

5. Barton of the Red Cross : CLARA

10. Secret language : CODE. That seems a little off.

14. Fictional rabbit's title : BR'ER

15. Persian Gulf tanker : OILER

16. __ about: roughly : ON OR

19. Lang of Smallville : LANA. Superman's boyhood friend.

20. Hairpiece : TOUPÉE

21. How French dip sandwiches are served : AU JUS

22. Neruda's "__ to Wine" : ODE

27. Cultural no-nos : TABOOs

29. Goings-on : DOINGS

30. Hamilton opponent : BURR. Backstory

31. NFL Hall of Famer Lynn : SWANN. Wide receiver.

39. "Am not!" reply : "ARE SO!". Age old argument over who's a booger.

40. Whacked arcade critter : MOLE. Whac-A-Mole

42. Greek markets : AGORAE

45. Between-meals meals : SNACKS

50. Disney frame : CEL

51. Vaulted church areas : APSEs

52. Singer Newton-John : OLIVIA

54. Table salt, to a chemist : NaCl

59. "Buenos __" : DIAS. "Good Morning"

60. Characteristic : TRAIT

61. Frustrating toy for Charlie Brown : KITE

62. "Rule, Britannia" composer Thomas : ARNE

63. Breaks bread : DINES

64. Shoveled precipitation : SNOW

Down:

1. "Football Night in America" network : NBC

2. Guatemala gold : ORO

3. Spinal bone : VERTEBRA

4. River of Pisa : ARNO. Haven't seen this flower in awhile.

5. Habeas __ : CORPUS. "you [shall] have the body"

6. Compare : LIKEN

7. From another planet : ALIEN

8. Camcorder button : REC

9. "Raiders of the Lost __" : ARK

10. Op-Ed piece : COLUMN

11. Deep into the pub crawl, say : ON A JAG

12. Dunkin' __ : DONUTS

13. Take off the board : ERASE

18. Currency since 1999 : EURO

21. Winery process that can take years : AGING

22. Wagering letters : OTB

23. Apply haphazardly : DAUB

25. Potato state : IDAHO

26. __ of the above : NONE

28. Tolkien monster : ORC

31. Look of disdain : SNEER

32. Scale amts. : WTs. (weights)

34. Wii game rides for Mario and Luigi : KARTS

35. "Dies __": hymn : IRAE. (Day of Wrath)

36. Physicians' org. : AMA. (American Medical Association)

37. Soft shoe : MOCCASIN

38. Sommer of films : ELKE

 

41. Immigrant's class: Abbr. : ESL. (English as a Second Language)

42. Live-in nanny : AU PAIR

43. Stranded motorist's aid : GAS CAN

44. Threat-ending words : OR ELSE

45. Tours of duty : STINTS

46. Campbell of "Scream" : NEVE

47. Info-gathering exchange : Q AND A

48. Ryan with a record seven no-hitters : NOLAN. Some baseball slipped in.

49. Hardy of Laurel & Hardy : OLLIE

53. Classes : ILKs. That seems a little off also.

55. Teleflora rival : FTD. (Florists' Transworld Delivery)

56. Sch. in the smallest state : URI. (University of Rhode Island)

57. Oklahoma tribe : OTO

58. Cutting-edge : NEW

Argyle