Saturday June 7, 2008 Barry Silk

Themeless

Tough journey this morning. This is unquestionably the most complex puzzle I've ever solved. The grid has a very quizzical look, do those black squares contribute to some kind of commercial sign/logo?

Here are the queasy Q's:

8A: Sought after: QUESTED

35A: Saddam Hussein associate: TARIQ AZIZ. I wanted Ba'athists. This AZIZ (Deputy Prime Minister) was # 43rd, later #25 in the Playing Card Deck (Most Wanted List). Saw his mug often on TV before the invasion. But I could never remember his name. Always confused him with the Bagdad Bob (the Information Minister).

52A: Ask: QUERY

21D: For the asking: ON REQUEST

7D: Question off location: WHERE AM I

8D: Nunavut's neighbor: QUEBEC. I had no idea where Nunavut is. O CANADA (1D: Neighbor's anthem), I hardly know ya! Interesting to learn that the song was originally commissioned by the then Lieutenant Governor of QUEBEC in French language. I dislike the clue for 1D, too narrowly defined.

37D: Poorly matched: UNEQUAL

And the zany Z's:

33A: ___ Zee, former Netherlands inlet: ZUIDER. Big stumper. ZUIDER Zee means "southern sea" in Dutch. See here for more information. Boy, I sure don't want to see that new name IJsselmeer appear in our puzzle ever. This J can drive you nuts, JIJ, who are you?

35A: Saddam Hussein associate: TARIQ AZIZ

25D: Low-maintenance hairstyle: BUZZ CUT. Another Army reference is 51A: Most G.I.s: PVTS.

34D: Moral-ending?: IZE. Hmm, moral-ending, let's start the tribute to morel then!

28A: Den denizen: BEAR CUB. I like the clue.

And the excellent X'es:

47A: Sturdy feller?: AXE. Good clue.

58A: Certain movie house: TRIPLEX

42D: Utmost: EXTREME

43D: Neuters: DESEXES

And the jazzy J's:

40A: Clampett patriarch, to Jethro: UNCLE JED. Hard for me. I know nothing about "The Beverly Hillbillies".

41D: Olympian's spear: JAVELIN. I look forward to seeing JAVIER Bardem and his current flame Penélope Cruz clued in one puzzle someday. With letter J & Z, that will be SAHARA hot.

To further scrabblize the grid, I suggest the following changes to the clues:

19A: Geeks: NERDS. Change to "school clique"

44A: Penguins' org.: NHL. Change to "Gretzky's org."

23A: Exclamation of grief: ALAS. Change to "Dejection exclamation"

Also noticiable are the three "Former":

61A: Former: ONE TIME

31A: Former New Yorker City mayor: ABE BEAME. NY's first Jewish mayor (1974-1977).

33A: ___ Zee, former Netherlands inlet: ZUIIDER.

Overall, this puzzle is too much of a Herculean task to me. I quit after 20 minutes of floundering and completely exhausted Mr. Google later on.

ACROSS:

1A: Current rule? OHM'S LAW. Very clever "Current" mislead.

15A: Somewhat aloof: COOLISH. I've never used this word before.

16A: Farther along the ascent: UPSLOPE

17A: One-celled organisms: AMOEBAE. The plural form could also be AMOEBAS.

18A: Abnormal site of an organ: ECTOPIC. Unknown to me, had never heard of Ecotopia either. Dictionary says it's from the Greek éktóp(os) (out of place). OK, so "ec" is a prefix for outside, tópos is place, and "ia" is a suffix for disease. "Ic", of course, is an adjective forming suffix.

20A: Nasal membranes: SEPTA. Singular is Septum. Here is the definition and examples from the dictionary: "A thin partition or membrane that divides two cavities or soft masses of tissue in an organism: the nasal septum; the atrial septum of the heart."

24A: Star in Cygnus: DENEB. It simply escaped my mind.

27A: Hammarskjold of the U. N.: DAG. He was awarded Noble Peace Prize in 1961 (the only person to have been awarded posthumously). JFK delivered a great speech one week after Hammarskjold was killed in a plane crash in Congo. He said "A noble servant is gone. But the QUEST for peace lies before us."

37A: Moving vehicles: U-HAULS

45A: Letterpress printing plate: LINE CUT. Also called "Line graving". I am not familiar with this term.

56A: Anonymous: UNNAMED. I put UNKNOWN first.

60A: Gallery event: ART SALES

62A: Mope, perhaps: LOOK SAD

DOWN:

2D: Amateur developer's setup: HOME LAB

3D: Marina charge: MOORAGE

4D: Tundra transports: SLEDS

5D: Left-wingers: LIBS (Liberals). Who do you think is the most influential liberal columnist in the US right now?

6D: Sly-fox link: AS A

9D: Mdse. identifier: UPC (Universal Product Code)

10D: Ballpark figs.: ESTS

11D: Blackthorn berries: SLOES

12D: Knocked over: TOPPLED. Does this answer & 35A clue bring you the picture of Saddam's statue being TOPPLED?

13D: Quintessence: EPITOME

14D: Illinois city: DECATUR. "The Soybean Capital of the World". Did not know this before.

24D: Formal introduction?: DEAR SIR

28D: Important thing: BE ALL. I don't get this one. Why? Can you give me an example?

29D: Well-muscled: BUILT. Of course, I fell into the "ed" trap and wrote down TONED first.

36D: Forebear: ANCESTOR

38D: Saki's real name: H. H. MUNRO. Another toughie. Not familiar with him at all.

39D: Not recognizable by: ALIEN TO

46D: Essential: NEEDED

49D: "East of Eden"family name: TRASK. Completely unknown to me. I've never read any Steinbeck novel.

51D: ___ Bismol: PEPTO

53D: Singer Sumac and others: YMAS. Others? Who? I challenge you to provide me with another YMA of some fame.

57D: Old-time high note: ELA. Saw this clue before. But I forgot the meaning.

Finally, 55D: Carpe ___! (Seize the day): DIEM. And don't forget to Carpe Noctem (seize the night) as well. Here is Sade's Cherish the Day. Please don't go astray. And surprise me, Denis of Cork, show me you are really really for real this time!

C.C.

Monday, November 30, 2009 Pancho Harrison

Theme: "Going Down the Road" - Just three of the Fifty Ways to Leave you Lover.

20A: Shed some pounds: TAKE OFF WEIGHT.

38A: Divide earnings equally: SPLIT THE PROFITS.

57A: Talk to the answering machine: LEAVE A MESSAGE.

Argyle said: Nice little Monday starter. I have no problem with the first answer being two words and the others just one, but then, I'm not a purist other than wanting the words to show up in a dictionary somewhere.

Across:

1A: Vikings quarterback Brett: FAVRE. He had a great game this weekend but some credit must go to the 25A: Some NFL blockers: RTS. and the rest of the line. Can't call him a 55D: Golden __: senior citizens: AGER. quite yet

6A: Recipe amt.: TBSP.

10A: 1960s-'70s NBA center Thurmond: NATE. One of the greatest rebounders and shot blockers in basketball history, Nate owns a well-known restaurant, Big Nate's Barbeque in San Francisco.

14A: Former Apple laptop: I-BOOK.

15A: Eurasian boundary river: URAL. Or mountain range, as we just had.

16A: Expel: OUST.

17A: Marsh grass: SEDGE. Remember SEDGY?

18A: Italia's capital: ROMA. In the Italian language.

19A: "I'll be there in __": A SEC.

23A: City square memorial: STATUE.

28A: Begins: STARTS. and 22D: Beginning, informally: GET-GO.

31A: Woodsy route: TRAIL. where you don't want to meet 33A: Bear: Sp.: OSO.

36A: Logger's tool: SAW. Like my Stihl MS 361

37A: Either of two Modesto-based vintner brothers: GALLO. Ernest & Julio Gallo, here in their younger days.

43A: Fella: KIDDO.

44A: Charlotte of "The Facts of Life": RAE. She is still working! The 82-year-old recently played one of the big screen's most, ahem, mature "cougars" when she had a romp with Adam Sandler's titular hairdresser in 'You Don't Mess With the Zohan.'

46A: Ancient Indo-European: ARYAN.

47A: "Blue" evergreen: SPRUCE.

51A: Topeka is its cap.: KAN.

53A: Mariner: SEAMAN.

63A: Move, to a Realtor: RELO.

64A: Scatter, as seed: STREW.

66A: Former Lacoste partner: IZOD. Former partners, huh. Who gets custody of the croc?

68A: Ashram advisor: GURU.

69A: Caustic fluids: LYES.

70A: __-craftsy: ARTSY.

Down:

1D: Dukes in boxing gloves: FISTS. "Com'on, put up your dukes"

2D: Pound __: cover one's route, cop-style: A BEAT.

3D: Screwdriver liquor: VODKA. Which can lead to 26D: Leans to one side: TILTS. and 27D: Wade through the shallows: SLOSH. Not the wading part, the slosh part.

4D: Classic thesaurus: ROGET'S.

5D: Barely make, as a living: EKE OUT.

6D: Gang land: TURF.

9D: Checkered pattern: PLAID.

10D: Biblical helmsman: NOAH.

11D: Koala's home: AUSTRALIA. The koala was featured in "I hate Qantas!" commercials

12D: Prufrock creator's monogram: TSE. T.S. Eliot, wrote the poem, "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock".

21D: Famine's opposite: FEAST.

30D: Insignificant one: TWERP.

33D: Schindler of "Schindler's List": OSKAR.

34D: Former veep Agnew: SPIRO.

35D: Classic boy-and-dog Disney film: OLD YELLER. I won't say much about it, in case C.C. hasn't seen it.

39D: Actress Lupino: IDA.

47D: Dwarf who needs tissues: SNEEZY.

48D: Big name in small planes: CESSNA.

49D: Day to put all your eggs in one basket: EASTER.

52D: Pop singer Lavigne: AVRIL.

54D: French Revolution journalist: MARAT. Jean-Paul Marat (1743 – 1793) was a Swiss-born physician, political theorist and scientist better known as a radical journalist and politician from the French Revolution. He was murdered in his bathtub.

56D: Full of the latest happenings: NEWSY.

60D: Stylish '60s Brits: MODS. The Mods were in conflict with the Rockers. In a nut shell, the Mods(modernists) wore chic clothes and rode motor scooters, while the Rockers were in denim and leather and rode motorcycles.

62D: "The Simpsons" Squishee seller: APU.

Answer grid.

Argyle

Wednesday, March 19, 2008 Philip A. Anderson

Theme: Pulp Fiction

20A: Publishing pulp fiction?: PAGE TURNERS

59A: Real estate pulp fiction?: SPACE OPERAS

11D: Romance pulp fiction?: SOB STORIES

29D: Culinary pulp fiction?: POTBOILERS

I did not know that the plural form of "pulp fiction" is still "pulp fiction", so I was quite bothered in the beginning by the seemingly inconsistent noun forms between the clues and the answers.

I kind of like the topical reference (albeit vaguely) of the theme, given the recent scandal over Penguin's recall of Love & Consequence. There are also 3 Irish related sub-theme in this puzzle, ABIE, LIA Fail (36D: Irish crowning stone) & Stephen REA (an Irish actor). I bemoan the fact that they did not appear on Monday's O themed St. Patrick's Day puzzle. I am happy to find SENATE (24A: Upper house) and CONG (D. C. group) in the same puzzle.

I spent roughly 30 minutes on this puzzle. I was only retarded at the intersection of 34D and 53A (Letter E). I had no knowledge of URIEL, and I simply had no idea who was the former Swedish premier (PALME). I doubt if Annika Sörenstam knows. I would've never put an "E" or any vowel there, as both up & down words seem to be crying for a consonant.

My other SNAFU is the upper right corner. I had no idea who was Irish Rose, I decided that AXIE sounded good for her love. So my 11D became SEX STORIES. Well, romance stories do have lots of sex scenes, don't they? Then I looked at 33A (ATOP). I blushed: what's going on here? But I corrected myself before I became completely flustered.

I am so proud that I filled in OSIER authoritatively. Someone mentioned this word in the Comment section a few weeks ago. I read it and then I absorbed it. Thank you, Oregon!

Across entries:

10A: _ Spumante: ASTI. The sparking wine. Martini & Rossi Asti Spumante. I have no idea why I always associate this wine with Kama Sutra. My mind sometimes works very weirdly.

19A: Irish Rose's love: ABIE. I was actually thinking of Senator Kennedy's mother Rose. She was Irish. Here is more information for Abie's Irish Rose.

20A: Publishing pulp fiction?: PAGE TURNERS. Don't understand the hype and huge followings of Eat, Pray & Love.

35A: Disney frame: CEL

37A: Code of silence: OMERTA. Mafia practice. Don't snitch. I also read Mario Puzo's novel Omerta. It's as bad as The Sicilian. I think I only like the Godfather I.

40A: Roster with assignments: ROTA. No idea. I guessed. Here is the definition: "A round or rotation of duties; a period of work or duty taken in rotation with others". British word.

47A: Beret filler: TETE. French for head. I enjoy watching every mishap made by the current French tete Nicolas Sarkozy.

53A: An archangel: URIEL. It's "one of the archangels named in the Apocrypha and in Hebrew tradition."

58A: "My gal __": SAL. Have never seen it. I don't think I've seen any Rita Hayworth movie.

59A: Real estate pulp fiction: SPACE OPERAS. A subgenre of Science fiction. Not my cup of tea.

66A: Workplace safety grp.: OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration)

71A: Designer Schiaparelli: ELSA. She obviously craves fame, this is her 2rd appearance in the puzzle in a week. And she has been dead for 35 years.

Down entries:

1D: Model's walkway: RAMP. Catwork Ramp.

2D: Zeno's home: ELEA. Learned from crossword. Zeno is the "Greek philosopher who formulated numerous paradoxes that challenged the ideas of pluralism and the existence of motion and change."

6D: Pantomime game: CHARADES. Ben Bradley is good at this game.

7D: Favorite hangout: HAUNT. Mayflower Hotel for Client #9.

11D: Romance pulp fiction?: SOB STORIES. I think the first romance story I've read in English is probably The Bridges of Madison County, and I sobbed a lot. Did not enjoy Clint Eastwood's portrayal of Robert Kincaid though.

12D: Tough fabric: TWILL

13D: Rhone tributary: ISERE. Got it this time.

21D: Mythical beast: UNICORN. Franklin Mint has the best unicorn sculptures.

27D: Zhivago's love: LARA. Let's try Lara Logan of CBS next time. Love her and Nick Robinson. Logan was awarded Glamour Magazine's Women of the Year in 2007.

29D: Culinary pulp fiction?: POTBOILER. "a usually inferior work (as of art or literature) produced chiefly for profit". I would put Denzel Washington's "Déjà Vu" as a potboiler movie. Horrible. What a waste of his talent!

32D: Cyclonic wind: TORNADO

34D: Former Swedish premier: PALME. Olof Palme. Interesting given name. Have to remember it lest the diabolic constructor come up with a Former Swedish Premier Palme ___ clue next time. Strange to see politicians assassinated in Sweden. Their former Foreign Minister Anna Lindh was also stabbed to death in 2003.

36D: __ Fail (Irish crowning stone): LIA. Here is the photo. It's also called Stone of Destiny. It's located in Tara Hill, Ireland.

42D: Plea: ENTREATY. I think I am getting smarter. I filled in this word like it's OREO.

49D: Mount in the Cascades: SHASTA. Unknown to me until today. I get it from down clues. Shasta is an Indian word, meaning what???

53D: Customary practice: USAGE

54D: "Bolero" composer: RAVEL. Nailed it today.

57D: Chutzpah: NERVE. The Audacity. Of hope. "But it is where we start. It is where our union grows stronger. And as so many generations have come to realize over the course of the two-hundred and twenty one years since a band of patriots signed that document in Philadelphia, that is where the perfection begins." Brilliant speech yesterday, Senator Obama!

60D: False front: POSE. What's wrong with NY? The new governor also had an affair? You guys are really good at cultivating a pose as an ordinary family-loving man.

65D: Stephen of "Michael Collins": REA. Have never seen this movie before. Generally I love all IRA related movie. Of course, Stephen REA's The Crying Game is the best.

For keys to today's puzzle, please go to Chicago Tribune's Crossword website.

C. C.

Wednesday April 22, 2009 Mike Peluso

Theme: CAPE (66A: Action hero's garb, and what each first word in this puzzle's four longest answers is.)

20A: Cornucopia: HORN OF PLENTY

34A: Supplement that some claim eases arthritis: COD LIVER OIL

43A: Texas governor before George W. Bush: ANN RICHARDS

56A: 1973 Erica Jong novel: FEAR OF FLYING

I used to confuse CAPE HORN with CAPE of Good Hope, which is in the southern tip of Africa. Learned CAPE COD from reading various JFK biographies. Saw CAPE ANN in a puzzle before. CAPE Fear (bottom) is new to me. It's on the coast of North Carolina, jutting into the Atlantic Ocean. Why Fear? Prone to shipwrecks?

Easy solving this morning. This puzzle makes me feel smart. All of the theme entries were gimmes to me. COD LIVER OIL has concentrated amount of Omega-3 fatty acids. Good for arthris, good for heart too. ANN RICHARDS once described President Bush as "born with a silver foot in his mouth".

Here is a list of Clever Clues of the Month from Crosswordese.com. You can also click here for the complete list of Word of Day. They are in alphabetical order. Every one of them has a great picture and lots of other interesting information. Send Paul an email if you want his free word-of-the day delivery. Today his word is ORT (70A: Morsel).

Across:

1A: Aquanaut's workplace: SEALAB. First time I met aquanaut. Whom does he work for? US Navy?

7A: Arabic for "son of": IBN. Like the former Saudi king IBN Saud. Same as the Scottish Mac. BIN is also "son of", right? Like Osama BIN Laden.

10A: Software prototype: BETA. Alpha is for the internal software testers.

14A: "1984" author: ORWELL. Just realized this morning that George ORWELL is his penname. His real name is Eric Arther Blair. Do you know what Cary Grant's real surname is? Leach! Archibald Alec Leach.

16A: Campground arrival, briefly: RVER. Many PGA golfers travel in RV. I've never seen them called as RVer though.

17A: Pleasure dome site of verse: XANADU. From Coleridge's poem "Kublai Khan". Xanadu is a very exotic way to spell Shangdu, the summer palace of Kublain Khan. It's located in current Inner Mongolia in north China. China has the shape of a rooster. Our administrative division is called PROV (47A: Ont. or Que.) too.

18A: Most energetic: PEPPIEST. And LOOSER (23D: Not as tight). I bet we won't see more than two Er, est suffixes in a Rich Norris puzzle.

25A: Via: BY WAY OF

29A: Poivre partner: SEL. French for salt. Poivre is French for pepper.

38A: "Bali __": HAI. Here is the clip. Bloody Mary sang it to Lieutenant Cable to lure him to into Bali HAI to become her son-in-law. Her daughter Liat is very pretty.

39A: Italian cheese: ASIAGO. Named after the Italian region where the cheese originated.

40A: Tender poultry: CAPONS. I don't think I've had CAPON before. Sounds cruel to castrate chickens just for their meat.

42A: Stereotypical pirate leg: PEG. I suppose this refers to Long John Silver of "Treasure Island".

50A: Former big name on "The View": ROSIE (O'Donnell). She is too much for me. I only like her in "Sleepless in Seattle".

55A: Mag. employees: EDS. I think Anna Wintour is the coolest editor of any magazine.

61A: Crooner Julio: IGLESIAS. Father of Enrique IGLESIAS, who is married to Anna Kournikova.

62A: What pupils do in the dark: DILATE

67A: Lunes, por ejemplo: DIA. Lunes is Spanish for Monday. French Monday is lundi.

69A: Prolific autho.?: ANON. Yes, indeed. I like this clue.

71A: Grand Prix site: LE MANS. Learned where LE MANS is last time when MLLES was clued as "Le Mans lasses". Quite close to Paris.

Down:

1D: White __: SOX. And ERA (2D: Pitching stat). I like how they parallel.

3D: Barley bristle: AWN

4D: Sister of Rachel: LEAH. Both are Jacob's wives. LABAN was often clued as "Father of Leah and Rachel" in our old puzzle.

6D: Book jacket promo: BLURB. Crossword sub-title is also called a BLURB. Right, Fred?

7D: Running the country: IN POWER

8D: Hybrid meat: BEEFALO. Beef & buffalo. Also called cattalo (cattle & buffalo). Completely new to me.

9D: Dover diaper: NAPPY. The answer reviewed itself. I don't know British call diaper as NAPPY. The constructor picked up the seaport Dover for alliteration purpose.

10D: Boxer's alternatives: BRIEFS

21D: Org. at 11 Wall St.: NYSE. Oh well, what else could it be?

22D: Daisy Mae's creator: AL CAPP

24D: Spectrum color: INDIGO. Reminds me of the INDIGO Girls. They love crossword also. You should see "Wordplay" if you have not.

27D: She, in Lisbon: ELA. Ha ha, no more "Guido's high note" any more.

28D: Latvian capital: RIGA. The Latvian chess master Mikhail TAL is called "The Magician from RIGA".

31D: First words of the "Mr. Ed" theme: A HORSE. Anther easy guess. I've never seen "Mr. Ed".

32D: "___ Camera": CANDID

35D: From, in German names: VON. Same as French de and Italian da. How about Greta VAN Susteren? Hers is VAN.

36D: Former transp. regulator: ICC (Interstate Commerce Commission). 1887-1996. Learned from doing Xword.

37D: Cowardly lion portrayer: LAHR. Just found out this morning that Bert LAHR's original name is Irving Lahrheim.

45D: Lays into: RAILS AT. "Lay into" is a new phrase to me.

48D: "Pippin" Tony winner Ben: VEREEN. He looks awfully familiar. I must have googled him before.

53D: "Don't mind __": IF I DO. I got the answer. Have no idea what it means. Sounds self-conflictory.

56D: Pay stub abbr.: FICA

57: Alaska's first governor: EGAN. Gimme. Learned this fact long time ago. William Allen Egan was the first (1959 to 1966) and 4th governor (1970-1974) of Alaska.

58D: Brand for Fido: ALPO

60D: Get hold of, with "onto": GLOM. The past tense is GLOMMED. A new word I learned from T. Frank.

63D: Altar in the sky: ARA. See this diagram. ARA is Latin for Altar.

64D: Former Opry network: TNN. Another easy guess. Wikipedia says TNN changed into Spike in 2003. Owned by Viacom.

65D: Alpine curve: ESS. Not much wordplay today.

Answer grid.

C.C.

Wednesday, August 16, 2023 MaryEllen Luthlaut

Theme: Right on time.  In-the-language phrases are repurposed to describe arrivals in a way that relates to the thing that is arriving.   Let's have a look.

20 A. The ice cream truck arrived __: LICKETY SPLIT.  This phrase is of uncertain origin, but its meaning is clear - to achieve something very rapidly.  I'm guessing the relevant ice cream treat is a banana SPLIT. I would more likely LICK a cone, but OK.

33 A. The food truck arrived __: IN SHORT ORDER.  Another phrase that means to do something quickly. In a culinary sense, a SHORT ORDER is a dish which can be prepared and served quickly. So it fits.

42 A. The newspaper delivery van arrived __: WITH DISPATCH.  This phrase means quickly and efficiently.  A DISPATCH is a news report sent by a correspondent, often from a foreign land.  So the connection is perfect.

58 A. The race car arrived __: STRAIGHT AWAY.  This phrase means immediately.  A STRAIGHTAWAY is a straight section of a road or race track.  Another solid connection.

Hi, Gang, JazzBumpa here to register all these timely arrivals.  The levels of meaning here are impressive. Let's see what it takes to arrive at the end of this puzzle.

Across:

1. Pub hardware: TAPS.  A device to control the flow of liquid from a container.

5. Rotisserie rods: SPITS.  Thin pointed rods for holding meat over a fire. 

10. Peace and quiet: CALM.  A placid state, not showing anxiety or strong emotion.

14. Gaelic tongue: ERSE.  The Scottish or Irish Gaelic language.

15. Forearm bones: ULNAE.   The thinner and longer of the two bones in the human forearm, on the side opposite to the thumb.

16. Little of this, little of that: OLIO.   A miscellaneous collection of things.

17. Eyelid affliction: STYE.   An inflamed swelling on the edge of an eyelid, caused by bacterial infection of the gland at the base of an eyelash.

18. Former first lady Bush: LAURA.  Laura Lane Bush [b. 1946] is the wife of former President George W. Bush and was the first lady of the United States from 2001 to 2009. Bush previously served as the first lady of Texas from 1995 to 2000. She is also the daughter-in-law of former president George H. W. Bush.

19. Voice above tenor: ALTO.  In typical 4 voice harmony, the alto is the voice pitched below soprano, and above tenor and bass

23. Firepit residue: ASH. The solid residue left when combustible material is thoroughly burned 

24. Stop on the way home?: BASE.  In the game of baseball, a run is scored by progression from home plate, though 1st, 2nd, and 3rd base, and back to home late again.  I love this clever clue.

25. State strongly: ASSERT. State a fact or belief confidently and forcefully.  See my previous sentence.

29. Squish: STEP ON.  Specifically on something soft and -- well - squishy, so as to make a soft, squelching sound.

31. Echidna snack: ANT.   Echidnas, sometimes known as spiny anteaters, are quill-covered monotremes (egg-laying mammals) belonging to the family Tachyglossidae. The four extant species of echidnas and the platypus are the only living mammals that lay eggs and the only surviving members of the order Monotremata. The diet of some species consists of ants and termites, but they are not closely related to the true anteaters of the Americas, which (along with sloths and armadillos) are xenarthrans. Echidnas live in Australia and New Guinea.

32. Cultural org. with annual Jazz Master Fellowships: NEA.  The National Education Association is the largest labor union in the United States. It represents public school teachers and other support personnel, faculty and staffers at colleges and universities, retired educators, and college students preparing to become teachers.

37. Not ajar: SHUT.   Closed tight, as a door.

40. Chest-beating beast: APE.  Old World simians native to sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia.  Unlike. monkeys, Apes do not have tails due to a mutation of the TBXT gene. 

41. Meat inspector's org.: USDA.   The United States Department of Agriculture is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food

47. Part of IPA: ALE.   Ale is a type of beer brewed using a warm fermentation method, resulting in a sweet, full-bodied and fruity taste. Historically, the term referred to a drink brewed without hops. As with most beers, ale typically has a bittering agent to balance the malt and act as a preservative.

48. Baseball official: UMP.  Short for umpire.

49. Listening aid: EAR BUD.   A very small headphone, worn inside the ear.

53. Girl with a missing flock: BO PEEP.   The original story is about a little shepherdess who loses her sheep. Her name may have come from a 16th-century children's peek-a-boo game in England known as “Bo-Peep.” 

55. Alternative to fries: TOTS.  Potato products. 

57. Make a mistake: ERR.  Be mistaken or incorrect; make a mistake.  Hey - it's only human.

61. Seats for the congregation: PEWS.   A long bench with a back, placed in rows in the main part of some churches to seat the congregation.

64. Get around: EVADE.  Escape or avoid, especially by cleverness or trickery.

65. Round of applause: HAND.  Informal usage of the word.

66. Diva's solo: ARIA.   A self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompaniment, normally part of a larger work. 

67. More resentful: SORER.  Angrier.  A clumsy word that you're unlikely to encounter in conversation.

68. Lakefront city between Cleveland and Buffalo: ERIE.  Erie [population ca. 94000] is a city in Pennsylvania, on Lake Erie. Presque Isle State Park, a peninsula with beaches and trails, curves around Presque Isle Bay. Nearby, Waldameer Park & Water World has roller coasters and waterslides. The Erie Maritime Museum traces the history of Lake Erie and is the home port of the US Brig Niagara, an updated 19th-century ship. 

69. Oodles: MANY.  A whole big bunch.

70. Slim-necked swimmers: SWANS.   Swans are birds of the family Anatidae within the genus Cygnus. The swans' closest relatives include the geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe Cygnini. 

Wikipedia

71. Cruel: MEAN.  Unkind, spiteful or aggressive in behavior.

Down:

1. Some electric cars: TESLAS.   Tesla, Inc. is an American multinational automotive and clean energy company headquartered in Austin, Texas. Tesla designs and manufactures electric vehicles, stationary battery energy storage devices from home to grid-scale, solar panels and solar roof tiles, and related products and services.

2. Skillful one: ARTIST.   A person skilled at a particular task or occupation.

3. Maiden loved by Cupid: PSYCHE.   the Greek goddess of the soul and often represented as a beautiful woman with butterfly wings. The name Psyche means "soul" in Greek.   She was born a mortal woman eventually granted immortality, with beauty that rivaled even Aphrodite, goddess of love.

4. Aim (to): SEEK.   Attempt or desire to obtain or achieve something.

5. Ottoman rulers: SULTANS.   A position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun sulṭah, meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who claimed almost full sovereignty (i.e., not having dependence on any higher ruler) without claiming the overall caliphate, or to refer to a powerful governor of a province within the caliphate.

6. Stage performances: PLAYS.   Examples of a type of literary work that is designed for performance in a theater in front of an audience. A play is composed of dialogue between various characters and divided into acts and scenes to increase the dramatic effect. 

7. Not vacant: IN USE.  As, for example, a public rest room.

8. Weatherproof canvas: TARP.    A large sheet of strong, flexible, water-resistant or waterproof material, often cloth such as canvas or polyester coated with polyurethane, or made of plastics such as polyethylene.

9. Weatherproofing application: SEALANT.  Sealant is a substance used to block the passage of fluids through openings in materials, a type of mechanical seal. In building construction sealant is sometimes synonymous with caulk and also serve the purposes of blocking dust, sound and heat transmission. 

10. Layers: COATS.  Plies or applications of material to cover an object.

11. 100%: ALL.  Completely.

12. On: LIT.   Powered, as a light bulb.

13. Cow sound: MOO.  The deep vocal utterance of a bovine.

21. Jet, in poems: EBON.  Deep black.

22. Analogy phrase: IS TO.  A way of indicating a relational comparison.   A is to B as X is to Y 

26. Halts: ENDS.  Comes to a conclusion.

27. Marsh plant: REED.  Any of the tall, grass-like plants of wet places. They occur in reed beds. Reeds are many polyphyletic species, which have all adapted to this wet habitat by convergent evolution. It is a "form" name, not a technical botanical term.

28. Voice actress Strong: TARA.  Tara Lyn Strong [b. 1973] is a Canadian-American actress. She is known for her voice work in animation, websites, and video games.

30. __ helmet: safari accessory: PITH.  A lightweight cloth-covered helmet made of sholapith. The pith helmet originates from the Spanish military adaptation of the native salakot headgear of the Philippines.  Sholapith is dried milky-white spongey plant matter from Aeschynomene species.

31. Sphere: AREA.  An area of activity, interest, or expertise; a section of society or an aspect of life distinguished and unified by a particular characteristic.

34. Trunk hardware: HASP.  A slotted hinged metal plate that forms part of a fastening for a door or lid and is fitted over a metal loop and secured by a pin or padlock.

35. Like up and down: Abbr.: OPP.  Opposites.  

36. German mining region: RUHR.   A polycentric urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population density of 2,800/km² and a population of over 5 million, it is the largest urban area in Germany.

37. Forensic evidence collector: SWAB.   An absorbent pad or piece of material, often on a stick or rod, used in surgery and medicine for cleaning wounds and skin, applying medication, or taking specimens.

38. Largest city on Hawaii's largest island: HILO.  Hilo is on the Island of Hawaii.  The devastating wild fires on on the Island of Maui, to the north-west.   [Map]

39. Sch. near the Rio Grande: UTEP.   University of Texas at El Paso.

43. Composition for two: DUET.  A piece of music performed by two singers or instrumentalists.

44. Dazzle: IMPRESS.  Baffle them with your awesomeness.  

45. Ties in place: TETHERS.  Physically connects something to something. 

46. Slight coloring: CAST.   Tint, hue.

50. Ides of March word: BEWARE.   A cautionary admonition.  From an old PLAY.
  
51. Muse of astronomy: URANIA.   Meaning "heavenly" or "of heaven," she was, in Greek mythology, the muse of astronomy and astrology. Urania is the goddess of astronomy and stars, her attributes being the globe and compass.

52. England's first poet laureate: DRYDEN.  John Dryden [1631 - 1700] was an English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who in 1668 was appointed England's first Poet Laureate. He is seen as dominating the literary life of Restoration England to such a point that the period came to be known in literary circles as the Age of Dryden.

54. Composition: ESSAY.   An essay is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a letter, a paper, an article, a pamphlet, and a short story. 

55. Headpiece worn by kid-lit's Fancy Nancy: TIARA.  Fancy Nancy is a 2005 children's picture book series written by Jane O'Connor and illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser. Its first book entry spent nearly 100 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller list, resulting in the launch of a series that now spawns over 100 titles, with sales of more than 50 million volumes.   A tiara (from Latin: tiara, from Ancient Greek: τιάρα) is a jeweled head ornament. Its origins date back to ancient Greece and Rome. In the late 18th century, the tiara came into fashion in Europe as a prestigious piece of jewelry to be worn by women at formal occasions. 

Wikipedia

56. City near the Great Salt Lake: OGDEN.   Ogden [population 87000] is a city north of Salt Lake City, in Utah. It’s a gateway to ski resorts like Snowbasin, Powder Mountain and Nordic Valley. George S. Eccles Dinosaur Park features life-size models and a paleontology lab. Historic 25th Street, once home to Prohibition-era speakeasies, is now a shopping and dining hub. 

59. Admit frankly: AVOW.   Assert, declare, affirm, protest, avow mean to state positively usually in anticipation of denial or objection

60. "Can I get a word in?": AHEM.  Used to represent the noise made when clearing the throat, typically to attract attention or express disapproval or embarrassment.  "Ahem, excuse me . . ."

61. "The Office" role for Jenna: PAM.   Regina Marie "Jenna" Fischer [b. 1974] is an American actress best known for her portrayal of Pam Beesly on the NBC sitcom The Office, for which she was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2007. She was also a producer for the show's final season.

62. Notable period: ERA.  A long and distinct period of history with a particular feature or characteristic.

63. Finish first: WIN.   Be victorious at the end of a contest or campaign.

OK, Gang.  We made to the end.  Hope you all got a win.  Happy Wednesday.

Cool regards!

JzB

Notes from C.C.:

Happy 73rd birthday to Joseph (MM), our witty and fun Friday Sherpa. He and his girlfriend Valerie met with Picard (Robert) and his wife Merlie on Sept 14, 202 in Santa Barbara. Here's the amazing picture.

Left to Right: Valerie, MM, Merlie & Picard 9/14/2021

 

Tuesday, February 13, 2018 ~ Brian Gubin

Theme: Weather Report - no precipitation coming down as sleet at least.

4. Baseball overtime: EXTRA INNINGS. Rain.

8. Bellyache: STOMACH AILMENT. Hail.

14. "We're trapped in here!": "THERE'S NO WAY OUT!". Snow.

22. Frank Lloyd Wright house built around multiple cascades, and what's literally found in this puzzle's circles: FALLING WATER

Argyle here. Brian gave us downward dog in December and now rain is coming down. Can cats be next? A plethora of people today. 

Across:

1. Suffix with silver or glass: WARE

5. 1980 Dom DeLuise film: "FATSO"

10. Cry noisily: SOB

13. Acme: APEX

14. This evening, on marquees: TONITE

15. Actress Longoria: EVA

16. Fiction's opposite: FACT

17. Drag race racer: HOT ROD

18. Women's __: LIB

19. Trick-taking game: ÉCARTÉ. The rules seem worthy of Calvin and Hobbes.

21. "Stay With Me" singer Smith: SAM

22. A-OK: FINE

23. Fixes: REPAIRS

25. Does harm to: DAMAGES

27. Prefix with gram or graph: IDEO-

28. Earth sci.: ECOL. (ecology)

29. World's largest cognac producer: HENNESSY

33. Cry of distress: "HELP ME!"

37. Economist Greenspan: ALAN. Former Chairman of the Fed.

38. Marilyn Monroe's first name at birth: NORMA

40. Pakistan neighbor: IRAN

41. Game piece with pips: DOMINO

43. Refused: SAID NO TO

45. Former House leader Gingrich: NEWT

47. Gurgling sound: [GLUG]

48. BBC TV series about cars: "TOP GEAR"

51. "You don't have to tell me": "I'M AWARE"

55. Kia subcompacts: RIOs

56. '60s-'80s Red Sox nickname: YAZ. Carl Yastrzemski.

58. Makes happy: ELATEs

59. Raised railroads: ELs

60. Really tired: DONE IN

62. President before Wilson: TAFT. William Howard Taft.

63. Nintendo's Super __: NES. (Nintendo Entertainment System)

64. Steam shovel scoop: BUCKET

65. The "E" in the HOMES mnemonic: ERIE. (Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior)

66. Dr. with Grammys: DRE

67. Jouster's horse: STEED

68. Ceremony: RITE

Down:

1. Kit Kat layer: WAFER

2. Quickly: APACE

3. Brief summary: RECAP

5. Egg __ yung: FOO

6. Carpenter insects: ANTS

7. Rant: TIRADE

9. Multivolume ref. work: OED. (Oxford English Dictionary)

10. Former baseball commissioner Bud: SELIG

11. Sheeplike: OVINE

12. Innocents "in the woods": BABES

20. It ebbs and flows: TIDE

24. "Meh": "SO-SO"

26. "The Simpsons" beer server: MOE. Moe Szyslak.

29. Fooled: HAD

30. "Xanadu" gp.: ELO. (Electric Light Orchestra) Here is Rush doing their version of Xanadu.(11:09) (It would have been linked later anyway.)

31. '60s war zone: NAM

32. Coll. periods: YRs

34. For: PRO

35. Gym cushion: MAT

36. Musical Brian: ENO

39. Nativity trio: MAGI

42. Formerly, in bridal announcements: NÉE

44. Two-part: DUAL

46. Hypnotic state: TRANCE

48. General tendency: TREND

49. Refueling ship: OILER

50. Old West outlaw chasers: POSSE

52. Video game pioneer: ATARI

53. Equip anew: REFIT

54. Cosmetician Lauder: ESTÉE

57. "The Wizard of Oz" farmhand: ZEKE. Portrayed by Bert Lahr.

Dorothy wakes up with Professor Marvel, 

Hickory, Hunk and Zeke watching over her.

60. Sound units, briefly: dBs. (Decibel)

61. Mil. roadside hazard: IED. (improvised explosive device)

Argyle

Wednesday June 3, 2009 Peter A. Collins

Theme: BROKEN CODES (60A: Crytographers' successes (and what can be found in the circles in this puzzle's long answers)

17A: Colonial fair artisan: GLASSBLOWER (Law)

24A: Reasons for an R rating: SEX AND VIOLENCE (Silence)

38A: Keep an eye on things: HOLD DOWN THE FORT (Honor)

49A: Lickety-split: LIKE THE DICKENS (Ethics)

Are there circles in your paper? There is none in LAT's website.

All the above theme code entries are broken, spanning across several words. Additionally, break the law and break the silence are both common phrases. I liked the layered nuances.

LIKE THE DICKENS is a new phrase to me. Interesting to see SEX AND VIOLENCE after our gratuitous sax and violins discussion a few weeks ago.

What other codes can you think of? Bar code, zip/area code came to my mind. I enjoyed today's puzzle. The theme held my interest.

Across:

1A: Makeshift bookmark: DOG-EAR. Nice crossing with REBIND (6D: Put a new book cover on).

7A: Relax: LAZE. Thought of EASE & REST.

11A: Sta. that might show a Bogie flick: TCM (Turner Classic Movies)

15A: Wash basin partner: EWER

19A: Baja bear: OSO. Alliteration again. Spanish for bear.

22A: Stage awards: OBIES. Or TONYS.

29A: It may be roja or verde: SALSA. Red sauce (SALSA roja) or green sauce (SALSA verde). I wrote down SALAD.

30A: "The Zoo Story" playwright: ALBEE (Edward). He also wrote "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"

34A: QB's goof: INT. Ah, I got it this time.

43A: Place to crash: PAD. And DIGS (1D: Home, informally). Nice pair.

44A: Took another plunge? REWED. Great clue.

45A: Seder month: NISAN. I used to remember this month. All I could think this morning is ADAR, the Purim month, which is imediately before NISAN.

47A: Tire gauge meas.: PSI

57A: Look down: MOPE. They are not synonymous to me. The former indicates scoreful disdain.

64A: "The Loco-Motion" singer Little __: EVA. Named after the character from "Uncle Tom's Cabin". I got her name from down fills. Here is the clip.

65A: Mother of Helen of Troy: LEDA. She was seduced by Zeus in the form of a swan.

66A: Tennessee team: TITANS. Is their team named after the Greek gods TITANS?

67A: Trim: SVELTE. Adjective. I was thinking of a verb.

Down:

2D: Clay pots: OLLAS. This one is so pretty.

3D: Maker of PlugIns: GLADE. Do you use air freshener at home?

4D: County north of Ken: ESSEX

5D: Two-time loser to DDE: AES. Ah, loser. I prefer opponent.

7D: Pope during the Battle of Ostia: LEO IV. Easy guess.

9D: 25% of zero?: ZEE. Letter Z is 25% of the word zero. I thought of NIL first.

10D: "Misty" composer Garner?: ERROLL. Have never heard of this composer. His name is so close to Errol Flynn.

11D: Streak beginning?: TWO IN A ROW. Oh, I was picturing someone streaking in public.

12D: Trig ratio: COSEC. This stuff confused me a lot when I was in school.

13D: Long-headed mammal: MOOSE. How long?

18D: Former Fords: LTDS. The cars. I thought of former President Ford.

23D: "Don't take silly chances": BE SAFE

25D: Served past: ACED. Is past an adverb here? I like "Served perfectly".

31D: It stops at each sta.: LOC. No idea. What is LOC?

32D: Reacted to, as sudden bright light: BLINKED AT

34D: Evansville's st.: IND (Indiana). Not familiar with Evansville. For a minute, I thought their Senator Evan Bayh might be from Evansville. Wrong. He was born in Shirkieville, part of Terre Haute, which appears in crossword occasionally.

36D: Dander: IRE

37D: LAX posting: ETD. Or ETA sometimes. Just learned from the Air France crash that the black box emits signals for only 30 days.

39D: Moonfish: OPAH. Still can't believe OPAH is used for sashimi.

41D: The Phantom of the Opera: ERIK. The deformed ghost. I forgot his name.

46D: Quarter horse quarters: STABLE. Nice clue. Reminds me of the Kentucky Derby/Preakness horse General Quarters. I liked his trainer/owner. So fiercely independent and quiet. Do you think he looks cool?

47D: Plumber's piece: PIPE. Neat p, p and P.

48D: Sachet emanations: SCENTS

49D: Three-star mil. officer: LT GEN (Lieutenant General). General would would be four-star I presume?

50D: "Monday __ Friday on my mind": 1967 song lyric: I HAVE. Easy guess. I don't know who sang the song.

51D: Senegal's capital: DAKAR. I checked my map. It's the the westernmost African capital. I wonder what DAKAR means in local language. Beijing means "northern capital" in Chinese. My hometown Xi'An means "western peace".

53D: Situated at a junction: NODAL. Like her knees? I had huge trouble with this answer.

54D: Ran through: SPENT. New meaning of "run through" to me.

63D: Kind of engr.: CIV. Civil engineer.

Answer grid.

C.C.

Tuesday, January 30, 2018 ~ David Liben-Nowell

Theme: Basketball Stat - Three phrases that graphically represent this desirable B-ball statistic.

54A. Ten or more points, rebounds and assists in one game, in hoops lingo ... and a literal feature of 20-, 33- and 43-Across: TRIPLE DOUBLE

20A. Played the Samaritan: DID A GOOD DEED

33A. Ones who once shared quarters: FORMER ROOMMATES

43A. Love sugary snacks, say: HAVE A SWEET TOOTH

Argyle here. Rows: 16, Columns: 15. David's second puzzle for us. The gimmick was obvious but needed the reveal to make sense of it.

Across:

1. Vulgar: LEWD

5. Cancel, as a mission: ABORT

10. Leave in a hurry: BAIL

14. Gobi Desert continent: ASIA

15. Calf-roping event: RODEO

16. "The __ Duckling": UGLY

17. Writer Ayn: RAND

18. Harmless garden slitherer: GREEN SNAKE

22. Italian automaker: FIAT

23. "The Big Bang Theory," for one: SITCOM

27. Big bang: BLAST

29. Rock band staple: AMP

32. Gush: SPURT

36. Juicy Fruit, e.g.: GUM

37. Cause of shrinking beaches: EROSION

38. Delivers the news: REPORTS

40. Cup o' mud: JOE

48. Up in the air: ALOFT

49. Ukr., until 1991: SSR. Ukraine, a former Soviet Socialist Republic.

50. Many Middle Easterners: ARABs

51. More alluring: SEXIER

53. App symbol: ICON

60. Minor infraction: PETTY CRIME

63. Special forces mission: RAID

64. Ointment additive: ALOE

65. Fertile desert spot: OASIS

66. Thomas __, 9/11 Commission chairman: KEAN. Former Governor of New Jersey.

67. Snowy day toy: SLED

68. Hilton rival: HYATT. Hotels.

69. Poet Pound: EZRA. List of his works.

Down:

1. Cooking fat: LARD

2. Morales of "NYPD Blue": ESAI

3. Collection of energy-producing turbines: WIND FARM

4. Avant-garde art movement: DADAISM

5. Specialized jargon: ARGOT

6. NYC division: BORO. (borough)

7. Took too much, briefly: ODed

8. Clarinet insert: REED

9. Shades of color: TONES

10. Baker's ring-shaped mold: BUNDT PAN

11. Turkish honorific: AGA

12. Type: ILK

13. Caustic chemical: LYE

19. Earthquake prefix: SEISMO

21. Garden entrance: GATE

24. Piece of the action, or a shout that stops the action: CUT. Best entry, IMHO.

25. Valuable underground find: ORE

26. Peaks: Abbr.: MTs

27. 2016 film based on a Roald Dahl novel, with "The": BFG. "Big Friendly Giant"

28. Baseball's Gehrig: LOU

29. Archery ammo: ARROWS

30. Poet Marianne and actress Julianne: MOOREs. Unlikely pairing.

31. Dorm decoration: POSTER

34. Workout count: REPS. Short for repetitions.

35. Waterfall spray: MIST. CSO Niagara Falls.

38. Updated, as factory equipment: REFITTED

39. Diner, drive-in or dive: EATERY

40. 1969 Woodstock folk singer: JOAN BAEZ. I can't say as if I ever heard this one before.

41. Gambling venue letters: OTB. (Off Track Betting)

42. "I didn't hear you" sounds: EHs?

43. Gives birth to: HAS

44. Pub brew: ALE

45. __ populi: popular opinion: VOX

46. Food truck fare: TACO

47. Political satirist P.J.: O'ROURKE

52. Copier maker: RICOH. Japanese multinational imaging and electronics company.

53. That is, in Latin: ID EST

55. Ask for divine guidance: PRAY

56. Pop singer Loeb: LISA. I prefer the Cass Elliot version. The first recording was done by Ozzie Nelson! Give a listen.

57. Discharge: EMIT

58. Perjurer: LIAR

59. Writer Ferber: EDNA

60. __ de deux: PAS. (in ballet) a dance for two people.

61. Pipe bend: ELL

62. Digit on a foot: TOE

Argyle