Saturday, Nov 26th, 2011 Barry C. Silk

Theme: Saturday Silkie

Words: 70

Blocks: 27

Lots of proper names made this particular Silkie tough to get started, but a few WAGs and I was able to get a foothold in some places, and go from there. (BTW, foothold was what I wanted for 14D). Four sets of triple-sevens, and two sets of triple 10's, with what almost looks like an "S" (for Silk) in the central blocks....

Onward ~!

ACROSS:

1. It eases tension : ICE-BREAKER - "so, how 'bout those Rangers???"

11. Not kosher : TREF - I can hardly remember this word

15. Online identification : SCREEN NAME

16. Meteorological effect caused by refraction : HALO - here's one of the moon

17. Blue blood : ARISTOCRAT - Mud-bloods are from Harry Potter

18. Kennedy Space Center attraction : IMAX - I had ICBM to start, thought one might be on display there - hey, it is a rocket....

19. Orders : DICTA

20. Certain pilgrim : HAJI - Arabic, one who has completed the HAJJ (a crossword staple), the pilgrimage to Mecca

21. "Our House" songwriter : NASH - I had the wrong "Our House" in mind - generational thing, I must say - this is the Madness song of the 80's that I grew up with

22. Some ER admissions : ODs - I went to the hospital to detox, but not from an Over Dose

23. Campus letters : RHOs - the "P" in the Greek Alphabet, but the "R" sound

25. Must : NEED TO

27. Autos featured in the John Wayne film "Big Jake" : REOs - as seen at :29 of this trailer clip

29. Mine sight : ORE CAR

31. Hurt : AIL - had it, took it out, put it back in

32. Chubby Checker's real first name : ERNEST - one of those "you know it, or you don't" clues, but once I had _ _ ST, it was worth a WAG

34. Bond : ALLIANCE - last to fall; I had "RACE DAY" for 12D - 'fast time' - hey, sounded good, but the last "Y" messed me up

36. Yielding : MEEK

38. Its motto is Latin for "Always prepared": Abbr. : USCG - I had USMC at first; their Latin is Semper Fidelis, which I wrongfully thought meant Always Prepared; the proper translation in Always Faithful; Semper Paratus is "Always Prepared" more here

39. Measure of interpersonal skills : SOCIAL IQ - yeah, my IQ is high, but my SOCIAL IQ is lame....I found this link, but I did not take the test yet [ post update - took the test, scored 20 on the "summary", but the whole report costs $6 ]

43. Like the conjunction "since" : CAUSAL

47. "Bed-in for Peace" figure : ONO

48. Shock : TRAUMA

50. Cap-__: from head to toe : APIE -cap-a-pie, the definition

51. Subsidized grad student : FELLOW - new to me

53. Charge carriers : IONs

55. Subway under B'way : IRT - The NYC subway system, more here - over 100yrs old

56. Hill worker : AIDE - POL, DEM, REP, SEN are all too short

57. Zipped through : ACED

59. Bristles : TEEMS

61. Five-time 1970s Phillies All-Star shortstop : BOWA (Larry) - yeah, baseball, I defer to C.C. (From C.C.: Here is his Fleer 1980 card. Also Phillies' manager 2001-2004. Met him before, Dennis?)

62. Cooking aid : NATURAL GAS - well, any fuel is really a "cooking aid"....

64. JFK postings : ETAs - Standard crossword fill; JFK was Idlewild in Queens prior to what happened Forty-Eight years ago

65. Singer/actress discovered by Mahalia Jackson : DELLA REESE - if one says so

66. Old Dodge : DART - tried OMNI to start, and I had a COLT, too



67. "Next?" : ANYONE ELSE~??

DOWN:

1. Joe Lieberman's middle name : ISADORE - again, you know it, or...and I do know Joe; he is sometimes a guest on WPLR's funny morning show from CT, which we get here on LI

2. 1957 Chuck Willis hit : C.C. RIDER - I'm, uh, just gonna link the song, here

3. 11th-century explorer : ERICSON

4. Letter sign-off : BEST - "All my Best", "Best Wishes", "Give my Best to..."

5. Do a road crew's job : RE-TAR

6. Roxy Music alum : ENO - another crossword staple

7. Linchpin : ANCHOR

8. Waters off Siberia : KARA SEA

9. Key with four sharps: Abbr. : E MAJor - JazzB knows this circle better than I do, I am sure

10. Biometric identification technique : RETINAL SCAN - funny, but this one came quickly - guess it's in my wheelhouse

11. Biblical possessive : THINE - Shakespeare (and AA) - "To Thine Own Self Be True"

12. Fast time for many : RAMADAN - ah, the holiday - see my opening quote

13. Flexible : ELASTIC

14. Front creation : FOXHOLE - military front, not to be confused with the weather front of 45D. It may follow a front : AIR MASS

24. 2004 historical film set in Africa : HOTEL RWANDA - this movie

26. Heath family shrub : ERICA - pretty images

28. Automatic opening? : SEMI - handguns, I believe

30. Actor Gulager : CLU - This guy

33. Defunct defense gp. : SEATO - South-East Asia Treaty Organization - more here

35. Eau across the Pyrenees : AGUA - yeah, I knew it was aGua, but my "C" from USMC was not letting it happen

37. Soul maker : KIA - the car, here

39. Convertible of a sort : SOFA BED - I had _ _ BE _, and WAGed BED from that

40. The least bit : ONE IOTA - Do I care? "NOT ONE IOTA ~!!"

41. Bygone CIA concern : COLD WAR

42. Without a fuss : QUIETLY - easy, once the Q from IQ showed up

44. Eponymous mail-order magnate : SPIEGEL - oh yes, but I was caught thinking about this catalog, since this actor hosted the Dog Show this Thanksgiving

46. "I'm thinking ..." : "LET'S SEE"

49. ___ operation: division calculation in computing : MODULO

52. Numerical extreme : LEAST

54. Gawk : STARE

58. Battle of Normandy city : CAEN - map

60. Part of a CSA signature : - Robert E. LEE

63. Bled : RAN - like clothes in the wash

Answer grid.

Splynter

Friday Nov 25, 2011 Stephen Edward Anderson

Theme: PI Day - PI is inserted in each common phrase.

17A. Field operation run by idiots? : STUPID FARM. Stud farm. Funny clue.

23A. Track meet category for joggers? : LOPING DIVISION Long division.

36A. Views from Hamilton? : BERMUDA OPINIONS. Bermuda onions.

49A. Hook on a raft? : FLOATING PIRATE. Floating rate. The interest rate that changes periodically.

59A. Obsessive cleaners? : WIPING NUTS. Wing nuts.

Three in singular form, two in plural. Nice set. You don't want 4 in singular form, and 1 in plural. No odd man out!

Heavy themage (63 squares). The fill is rather clean. Only wish there's a PIS somewhere to unify the theme, to give a rationale/climax for the letter addition gimmick. March 14 will be a perfect day to run this puzzle also.

C.C. again, giving Lemonade a much-needed break for the holiday. I think this is Stephen Edward Anderson's LA Times debut. Congrats!

Across:

1. Sonar pulses : PINGS. Any Ping in your bag, Husker Gary?

6. Subj. for Aristotle : RHET. OK, rhetoric.

10. Staff note : MEMO

14. Gridiron strategy : SNEAK. Football just does not appeal to me.

15. First name in design : EERO (Saarinen)

16. Like much lore : ORAL

19. Diamond homecomings? : RUNS. Diamond = Baseball in late week puzzles.

20. Thrice, in Rx's : TER. Marti is the authority on this clue.

21. Do the honors : POUR. Boomer poured himself some Scotch yesterday, then he said "I'm grateful I can pig out today".

22. Hallmark : BADGE

27. To __ : A TEE

28. Thick : MIDST

29. Stone measuring 5.5 to 6.5 on the Mohs scale : OPAL. Please give stone measuring 10 to your girlfriend/wife.

32. Dojo discipline : JUDO. Ju = Soft/Gentle. Do = Chinese "Dao" = Way

33. Gaelic John : IAN. Ian = John.

41. __ alai : JAI

42. Appoint : NAME

43. Be intimate with : KNOW

44. Scrabble 10-pointer : Z-TILE. I bet Jerome beats everyone in Scrabble.

46. Liqueur flavoring : SLOE

54. Reunion attendees : AUNTS

55. Face-saver of a kind : ALOE. Nice clue.

56. Italian counterpart of the BBC : RAI. No idea. This is the most beautiful RAI (Aishwarya) in the world.

58. Sitter's concern : BRAT

62. Jay with jokes : LENO

63. Ecua. rejoined it in 2007 : OPEC. Hey, they just had a meeting on Wednesday.

64. Alternate version, in scores : OSSIA. Got me, Jazzbumpa. Rooted in "O sia" (let it be), says Dictionary.com

65. Petrol pick : ESSO

66. Slog (through), as tedious text : WADE. "Slog" again. I need to take WADE seriously.

67. Sharp : NATTY

Down:

1. Soft "Yoo-hoo!" : PSST

2. Chip maker : INTEL. Crunchy and fat-free.

3. Surgery opening? : NEURO. Neurosurgery.

4. Disparity : GAP

5. "Never mind" : SKIP IT

6. Place of cover : REFUGE. Can you believe people lie when applying Refugee Visa to the US?

7. Learned : HEARD

8. Bark up the wrong tree : ERR

9. Cartoon cat : TOM

10. Quagmire : MORASS

11. Learning : ERUDITION

12. Juicy fruit : MANGO. Try Whole Foods for SweeTango, Jayce. Or next year. These apples are available for a very short period of time each season. For a limited quantity only. Very precious.

13. '80s-'90s NFL commentator Merlin : OLSEN. His name escaped me again.

18. Cooked : DONE

22. Try to buy : BID ON

24. Date source : PALM. Have you had Medjool dates? So sweet.

25. Groggy words, perhaps : I'M UP. Oh, in bed.

26. Part of an old boast : VIDI (I saw). "Veni, vidi, vici".

29. Vb. target : OBJ. Verb/object.

30. Princess's nighttime problem : PEA

31. Casa Grande residents : ARIZONANS. We have quite a few Arizonans on our blog.

32. Sixpack with no special qualities? : JOE. Joe Sixpack. Disparaging term, no?

34. Yucatán year : ANO

35. Sydney is its cap. : NSW. New South Wales, where Kazie is from.

37. Pecks and feet, e.g. : UNITS

38. Flamboyant surrealist : DALI

39. "Yes!" : AMEN

40. Its headquarters are in Delft : IKEA. Did not know this trivia.

45. Body work? : TATTOO. Any body work, Tinbeni/Ant? You both sound pretty bad.

46. Do some film editing : SPLICE

47. Griffin's rear : LION. Looks majestic!

48. Old trail terminus : OREGON

49. Jean de La Fontaine story : FABLE. French fabulist. "A hungry stomach can not hear". He said.

50. Attracts : LURES. Ah, the macaroni, Dennis!

51. Rubbernecked : GAPED

52. Word on a coin : TRUST. In God we Trust.

53. Weird Al Yankovic song parody : EAT IT. I'm not linking. He's too weird for me.

57. "Indeed!" : I SAY

59. Flabbergast : WOW

60. Type of beer orig. brewed in England : IPA. India Pale Ale.

61. Ultra-secretive gp. : NSA (National Security Agency)

Answer grid.

If you're not happy with the new format of LA Times on-line crossword, please click the Feedback button under the puzzle and voice your opinion. You can also click here or here (Chicago Tribute) to solve the puzzle in old format.

C.C.

Headlines that Shocked the World about Santa

#10 of our Kurious Konundrums series.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! To show our appreciation for your continuous support for our work and this blog, Don G and I constructed this puzzle.

Here is PDF (click on File, then Download).

Here is puz file (click on File, then Download).

Spoiler: Here is the answer grid.

Thanks for solving. And a special Thank You to my blogging crew: Santa Argyle, Melissa, Ron, Al, Marti, Lemonade & Splynter. Thank you for your commitment and hard work. You too, Dennis, thanks for always being there for me.

C.C.

Thursday November 24, 2011 Ruth Ann Dailey

Theme: DIG IN !!

This is what is called a "Definition" type theme, where the same clue is used for different meanings in the answers, like so:

17A. Digs : HIPPIES LODGINGS. "Cool digs, man!"

28A. Digs : TAUNTING REMARKS. Now known as "Diss's"?

45A. Digs : VOLLEYBALL MOVES. Saving a spiked or served ball from hitting your side of the court. (Who knew?)

58A. Digs : ARCHAEOLOGY JOBS. Indiana Jones would have answered this one in a heartbeat!

I believe this is the first puzzle in the LA Times for Ruth Ann Dailey, although she is no stranger to crossword constructing. She writes columns for the Pittsburgh Gazette, and constructs Sunday puzzles there as "The Pittsburgh Puzzler".

Marti here. I hope you will all soon be digging into your Thanksgiving meals!

Across:

1. Photo finish : MATTE. Not glossy or semi-gloss. Matte is a dull finish, suitable for formal portraits.

6. Turned right : GEE'D. "Gee" and "haw" are words used to direct farm animals. I always have trouble remembering my "gee" from my "haw".

10. Caen cleric : ABBÉ. Nothing special about "Caen", other than the fact that it is a French city. And ABBÉ is used as the title of a superior of a monastery in France.

14. Meet the need : AVAIL. Funny word, that. "Do the trick", "Be of use". As in, "To no avail..."

15. Chorus girl : ALTO. Or guy.

16. Catch with the goods, maybe : RAID

20. Amateur ending : ISH

21. Sgt. maj., e.g. : NCO . Non-Commissioned Officer.

22. Uncle Sam feature : GOATEE. Top hat would also fit...

23. "A Dog of Flanders" author : OUIDA. Ouida was her pseudonym. Her real name was Marie Louise del la Ramée. The story is about a boy named Nello and his dog Patrasche. Sad story, ending in the tragic death of the boy and the dog when they freeze to death on Christmas Eve in the Cathedral in Antwerp. You can catch it on TCM late night.

26. Trading place : PIT. The trading "pit" of the NY Stock exchange.

27. Angled joint : ELL

32. Textbook unit : LESSON

33. "Air Music" composer : ROREM. Piano Concerto in Six Parts for which he won the Pulitzer Prize in Music. Parts 1 & 2, here.

34. Alberta native : CREE

35. Limited number, with "the" : FEW ...the proud, the Marines.

36. Mosul's land : IRAQ. Map.

40. Not hide : ADMIT

43. Country with six time zones : CANADA . Map.

49. Syst. of sound syllables : IPA. International Phonetic Alphabet.

50. Mil. ranks : LTS . Lieutenants.

51. Very peculiar : OUTRÉ . French for "excessive". Way out there...

52. 1997 Nicolas Cage hair-raiser : CONAIR. Cons in the air...that about sums it up.

54. First name in objectivism : AYN. Ayn Rand. Read here about objectivism, if you are curious.

55. Overseas denial : NAE . No, nae, never...

62. Bus sched. data : RTES . Routes. Abbr. in clue hints at abbr. in ans.

63. Leap for Scott Hamilton : AXEL. I'm sure there's an axel in here somewhere...but I linked this because Scott Hamilton is just such a joy to watch! (And what a finish!!)

64. Reunion group : ALUMS

65. ___ speak : SO TO.

66. Banks on the tube : TYRA. Model, actress, media personality, author and business mogul as well!

67. Rapper's crew : POSSE. A hip-hop retinue.

Down

1. When repeated, a fish : MAHI - mahi.

2. Name on an airport shuttle : AVIS

3. British tavern : TAP HOUSE

4. Service reward : TIP. If someone does not provide good service, do you still tip?

5. Priest in I Samuel : ELI

6. Garage container : GAS CAN

7. Cockney greeting : 'ELLO.

8. WWII command : ETO

9. More evasive : DODGIER. Interesting word. And from Dickens we get "The Artful Dodger". Evasive character, that one!

10. Spotlit solo : ARIA

11. Teasing : BANTER . Lots of banter on this blog.

12. Omaha chief who was an ally of the U.S. in the War of 1812 : BIG ELK

13. 1950s bombs : EDSELS. The Ford Motor Company failures.

18. Conclude with : END IN

19. "I haven't the foggiest!" : GOT ME!

24. Open, in a way : UNSEAL

25. Simpson judge : ITO. Why did I immediately think of the cartoon Simpsons? (Abu? Stu?...) But then again, who am I TO judge?

26. Bow : PROW.

28. Mom's skill, briefly : TLC. Tender Loving Care, of course!

29. Flying prefix : AER. Shouldn't that have an "o" on the end?

30. "On the Record" host Van Susteren : GRETA

31. Key with no sharps or flats : A MINOR

35. Whopper juniors? : FIBS. Fun clue!

37. Famished : RAVENOUS. Are you all getting ravenous for turkey?

38. Ending for lime : ADE

39. ___ in Quebec : Q, AS

41. Screenwrite Ephron : DELIA

42. Big spender's offer : MY TREAT

43. Held on : CLUNG

44. Qty. : AMT. Quantity / Amount

45. Anglican priests : VICARS

46. Wine city north of Lisbon : OPORTO. The second largest city in Portugal. Their flag is quite pretty.

47. Surgeon's tool : LANCET . Also a doctor's magazine. You can read all about Ocrelizumab and relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis in the current issue.

48. Common Jesuit school : LOYOLA

53. Semi-serious "I see" : AH SO

54. One of the Sox, e.g. : AL-ER. American League-er

56. Silo contents: Abbr. : ABMs. Anti Ballistic Missles. Not the farm type of silo.

57. Latin 101 verb : ESSE. To be, or not to be...

59. Acne Treatment brand : OXY. Skin car brand. Real People. Real Results. Real Fast.

60. You may be told to shut yours : YAP. Oh, sorry! Have I been yakking too much?

61. "Out of Sight" co-star, familiarly : J-LO. Jennifer Lopez, in case you have been living under a rock for the last few years...

Answer grid.

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody, and a very special THANK YOU to C.C. for making this wonderful, fun corner possible!

Hugs,

Marti

Note from C.C.:

If you're not happy with the new format of LA Times on-line crossword, please click the Feedback button under the puzzle and voice your opinion. You can also click here or here (Chicago Tribute) to solve the puzzle in old format.

Wednesday Nov 23, 2011 Jack McInturff

Theme: OPEC MEETINGS (57A. Major oil conferences (they're found, in a way, in 20-, 34- and 42-Across) - OPEC (in different combos) spans each two-word theme answer.

20A. Best Supporting Actress winner for "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" : PENELOPE CRUZ

34A. General's level : TOP ECHELON

42A. Quaint storage pieces : HOPE CHESTS

"A young man rode with his head held high, under the Texas sun
And no one guessed that a man so blessed, would perish by the gun.
A shot rang out like a sudden shout, and heaven held its breath
And the dreams of a multitude of men, went with him to his death.
The heart of the world lays heavy, in a helplessness of tears
For a man shot down, in the Texas sun, in the summer of his years."

from "That Was the Week that Was" - November 1963

Boomer here. I had just turned 16 - if you lived that week with me, you understand.

On to today's puzzle. The clues made it tougher than normal. The references to OPEC, made me think of gasoline here in Minnesota - I saw a sign today at 3.04 for a gallon of regular unleaded. In November of 1963, I think gas was about 25 cents and it still had the lead in it. Times change. By comparison, the Thanksgiving turkey in 1963 was around 29 cents per pound. Monday we paid 58 cents. Too bad GM and Ford can't make a car that runs on turkey.

Best wishes to all Crossword Corner readers for a Happy Thanksgiving tomorrow.

Across:

1. Co. that makes Motrin and Tylenol : J AND J - Not fond of abbreviations in puzzles. I checked my bottle of Motrin to get this answer.

6. In __ land : LA LA - Matt Kemp will be there for at least 8 more years. 2nd in the MVP voting, I liked Ryan Braun. I think the writers got it right.

10. Flew the coop : LEFT

14. Happen next : ENSUE

15. "Doctor Zhivago," e.g. : EPIC - "Although the snow covers the hope of Spring".

16. __ Lackawanna Railway : ERIE - I've seen ERIE in puzzles twice a week, but this clue is unusual to say the least.

17. Home of the City of 1,000 Minarets : EGYPT - The city would be Cairo, but I wonder who counted all those mosque domes?

18. Ben Stiller's mom : ANNE MEARA - Now in her eighties, I remember her most as an airline hostess in "Rhoda".

22. Beehive St. capital : SLC - Another Acronym, - sigh.

23. Aqua Velva alternative : AFTA - Neither are very good. Get out the old bottle of Avon Windjammer.

24. Military division : BRANCH - I always considered a military division to be within a branch of service, like a battalion, regiment, or the like. A branch of service is like the Army or Marines. I think I might have clued as Thompson's role in "Law and Order."

28. Classic sports cars : MGS - another no vowel abbreviation. When I was young, the TR-6 was in vogue.

29. Casino area : PIT - The gaming area with 21, craps, and roulette. And the stuffy looking guy in the suit that stands and watches everything.

30. The Columbia R. forms much of its northern border : ORE - The post office changed states abbreviations to two letters around 1963, but puzzle constructors never got the message.

31. Edit menu command : UNDO

38. Night sounds : HOOTS- Well, these sounds are day or night time at Yankee Stadium and Fenway Park.

40. Kilmer of "The Saint" : VAL

41. __ flu : ASIAN- Everyone wants to blame Asia for the flu. I bet they have flu in Iceland and Nova Scotia also, but you never hear about those.

45. Animal rights org. : PETA

46. Arles "A" : UNE

47. "__ Day Will Come": 1963 #1 hit : OUR - I think Ruby and the Romantics recorded it first in 1962. They never reached the popularity of the Beatles or Stones. I do remember the Carpenters version some years later.

48. Set down : LAY

50. Household attention getter : HEY MOM - What really gets the attention is when you turn 16 and start saying "Hey Ma".

52. Ancient Dead Sea land : EDOM

54. Org. offering motel discounts : AAA - My first thought was AARP. With the internet, I don't think any of these organizations offer true discounts. Just more of the same as "get a discount at a hotel dot com".

60. Where many tests are given : CLASSROOM - This puzzle was a test at my kitchen table.

63. Indian princesses : RANIS

64. Lie low : HIDE - See 29 Down

65. Price-limiting words : UP TO - Absolutely!! One of my major pet peeves. Take your AAA membership card to a hotel and get UP TO 40% discount. What does that mean? They can give you a nickel off the price and fall within the "UP TO" range.

66. Playing marble : AGATE - Agates, Peeries, Cats eyes, Steelies, Shooters, but agates and Steelies are the ones that show up in puzzles.

67. Countercurrent : EDDY

68. Noticed : SEEN

69. Nuts for sodas : KOLAS - I think they also use them for chocolate. Now I'm thirsty for an old fashioned chocolate soda.

Down:

1. Wranglers and Patriots : JEEPS - Patriots made me think. I wanted to put TEAMS, Wranglers made me want to try JEANS, (Brett Favre was here). Wish they would have clued Cherokees instead.

2. Theater supporter : ANGEL - I was not aware of this term for a theater supporter.

3. Backstreet Boys contemporary : 'N SYNC - I've heard of them but my musical interest remains in the 60's. Bob Zimmerman was from Hibbing, Minnesota.

4. Con : DUPE

5. Long-distance flier's complaint : JET LAG

6. Jumped : LEAPT - Spell check questions this, but it is a word. I like leaped better, but you know how puzzles are.

7. Sleep disorder : APNEA - sleeping without breathing can be a problem.

8. Omar's "Mod Squad" role : LINC - This threw me a bit. As an old guy, I remember Clarence Williams III playing Lincoln Hayes on TV in the 60s. Omar Epps had the role in the 1999 movie.

9. Harsh, as criticism : ACERBIC - Even the word itself sounds harsh.

10. 2007 "Dancing With the Stars" contestant Gibbons : LEEZA - Sorry, I never watch this show and never will.

11. Horse and buggy __ : ERA

12. Christmas buy : FIR - Or it could be a FUR to please the wife. But then there are those PETA animal rights activists. We used to buy a spruce for Christmas decorating, and a goose for the table. I guess you could call it a Howard Hughes Christmas.

13. Afternoon cup : TEA - The most consumed beverage in Asia and Europe. My afternoon cup is usually a hole on the green of the local course.

19. Longtime Pennsylvania congressman John : MURTHA - One of my favorites. He had very strong opinions about the Middle East wars when appearing on talk shows.

21. Spirit __ Louis : OF ST. - Used to be a plane that Charles Lindbergh flew. Now I think it is Albert Pujols.

25. "Honest!" : NO LIE

26. Zagreb native : CROAT

27. Natural dye : HENNA

28. Bit of dust : MOTE

29. Skin : PELT - Although you skin an animal to get a pelt, I never considered a pelt as skin. Most are used to make a fur you buy for your wife at Christmas. I guess you might call a pelt a hide, but HIDE is laying low up north in this puzzle. But if you do get your wife a FUR made of PELTS for Christmas, you better HIDE it for a while before putting it under the fir, ... or spruce.

31. "Sure" : UH HUH

32. Nary a soul : NO ONE

33. Beardless Dwarf : DOPEY - Hi Ho, Hi Ho, sorry if I seemed a bit Grumpy about this puzzle.

35. Partner of out : OVER - Okay, I get it, but I would prefer Peter Graves role in "Airplane". I still chuckle when I think of Captain Over saying "Over" over the radio.

36. Ballerina's step : PAS

37. Glimpse : ESPY - We now have awards on ESPN called ESPYS, so we could use that as a clue now and then.

39. News exclusives : SCOOPS

43. Funny-sounding bone : HUMERUS - Makes you wonder just how much whiskey was consumed at the table when the Gray's Anatomy writers sat down and started naming bones. I think they picked a bone, like the arm bone; then selected Scrabble tiles until they had enough to make what looked like a word. Tibia, Fibula, Ulna, Scapula, - or maybe they just used words that were left over after they finished naming the Greek mythology gods and goddesses.

44. Plumlike fruit : SLOE - I never knew this was like a plum. All I remember is that it was the Gin choice of many before we turned 21 and discovered Scotch.

49. Pacific Surfliner operator : AMTRAK - I kind of miss the days when more people traveled by train than airline. And you could board the train without being X-rayed, patted down, or told to remove your shoes. "Northern Pacific, really terrific, that's what everyone who rides it says."

51. Walk casually : MOSEY

52. Overact : EMOTE

53. Mischievous kid : DEMON - I don't like this clue. We were all pranksters at times as kids. No reason to call us demons. That term is reserved for Beelzebub, and CC Sabathia.

54. Year's record : ANNAL - I call these Annuals, but once again the puzzle constructors have to make words fit because of construction need. I get it.

55. Tums target : AGITA. Hmmmm, Tums target is a stomach ache. Are you going to step away from Thursday's feast and say "Oh, I have a bit of AGITA."??

56. Beasts of burden : ASSES - Also people who call stomach aches "agita".

58. Make do : COPE

59. Rival of Cassio : IAGO - Not a Shakespeare lover here. This guy was in Othello. I only read "The Merchant of Venice" and learned about Shylock. You know, the guy the Wall Street protesters are DEMONstrating against these days.

60. Ally of Fidel : CHE - Or could it have been Clay Shaw??

61. It may be flipped : LID

62. Insert : ADD

Answer grid.

Boomer