Wednesday, February 12, 2014 Jim Horne and Jeff Chen

Theme: What - the H?  or The H you say!   When you see a strikingly unusual grid, that's a strong hint that something out of the ordinary is up, and we got it today in spades. I guess the big block H in the center of the grid, surrounded by horizontal and vertical brackets, serves as a unifier, of a sort.  Instead of a conceptual theme, today every horizontal and vertical entry contains the letter H, which occurs 43 times.  I can't even imagine what was involved in putting this together.  For most of the fill, it's exactly one H each, but there are a few two H words. 

Hi Gang, JazzBumpa at the helm.  No Hemming and Hawing, let's have at it.

Across:

1. Scale on which diamond is assigned a "10" : MOHS.  Hardness of minerals.  Talc is softest. 

5. Owl's question? : WHO.  How should I know?

8. "Music __ charms ..." : HATH. To soothe a savage breast.  The actual quote has the word "HAS" not "HATH."  This is the first line of the play The Mourning Bride by William Congreve, spoken by Almeria in Act I, Scene 1.

12. The sego lily is its state flower : UTAH.  Hibiscus is Hawaii's.

13. Map out : CHART.  Here are some of my charts [graphs, actually], if you're interested. Six Decades of U. S. Population Growth.

15. Nymph rejected by Narcissus : ECHO. He loved his image. She loved her voice. Unhappy ending

16. Actress Elisabeth : SHUE.  Heroine?

17. Deck opening : HATCH. For loading cargo.

18. Work on jerky : CHEW.  Holy mouthful, Batman.

19. WWII aircraft carrier plane : HELLCAT.  High performing flyer.

21. Iowa native : HAWKEYE.

23. Tax-sheltered nest egg : ROTH IRA.

25. Hippy dance : HULA.  Hips in motion, not from the Haight-Ashbury hangout

28. 1963 Newman film : HUD.  Anti-hero.

29. Ousted Iranian : SHAH.  Horrible despot.

33. Arctic "snowshoe" critters : HARES.

34. Quizzical sounds : EHS.

35. Bears owner/coach who won eight NFL titles in four different decades : HALAS.  Highly successful.

37. Singer Piaf : EDITH.  Huge in France.

38. Soup base : BROTH.

39. Luxury craft : YACHT.

40. Quiet "Quiet!" : SHH.  Hush.

43. "Ulysses" actor Milo : O'SHEA.

44. Quaint pronoun : THEE.

45. "Isn't __ bit like you and me?": Beatles lyric : HE A.  Where is he?

46. Solvers' cries : AHAS.  Having that AHA moment.

47. Tremulous glow : SHIMMER.

50. Except : SHORT OF.

54. Beeline : MAD DASH.  Hurrying.

59. "Hava Nagila" dance : HORA.  Hold hands; dance in a circle.

60. Different : OTHER. Who are you?

62. Worker welfare org. : OSHA. Occupational Safety and Health Adminitration.

63. Progress slowly : INCH. 

64. Organ with chambers : HEART.  Has auricles and ventricles.

65. Son of Odin : THOR. Hammer guy.

66. Sinister chuckles : HEHS.

67. "Revenge is __ best served cold" : A DISH.  Has uncertain origin.

68. Seven: Pref. : HEPT-.  Is a member of a cool HEPTet a HEPT cat?

Down:

1. Soft stuff : MUSH.

2. Will-wisp link : O' THE.  Hinkypunk - per Wikipedia, atmospheric ghost light seen by travelers at night, especially over bogs, swamps or marshes. It resembles a flickering lamp and is said to recede if approached, drawing travelers from the safe paths.

3. Truck : HAUL.

4. Poet Silverstein : SHEL.  He wrote Where the Sidewalk Ends.

5. Words said with a double take : WHAT THE.  Often followed by H  .  .  .

6. Fez, e.g. : HAT. Head cover.

7. Corsage flowers : ORCHIDS.

8. "Consarn it!" : HECK.  Not the H  .  .  . word I had in mind.

9. Motrin target : ACHE.  Hurts!

10. Those folks : THEY. 

11. Suffragette Julia Ward __ : HOWE. (1819-1910) Also abolitionist and poet, she wrote The Battle Hymn of the Republic.

13. Former Labor secretary Elaine : CHAO. Only cabinet member to serve under President George W. Bush for his entire administration; Wife of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

14. Where she blows : THAR.  Whale.

20. Vehicle safety measure : CRASH TEST.

22. Jug band percussion instrument : WASHBOARD.  Here's how it's done.

24. "Say what?" : HUH.

25. Tackled : HAD AT.  Attempted

26. "Vega$" actor : URICH.  Robert.

27. Mythical river of forgetfulness : LETHE.  Hades river, flowing around the cave of Hypnos and through the underworld.

30. Grating : HARSH.

31. "Hello, wahine!" : ALOHA. Hi.  Howaya?

32. Can't stand : HATES.

33. "You, there!" : HEY.

36. Doo-wop syllable : SHA.

40. Went from first to second, say : SHIFTED.  Ha - gears.  I wanted a stolen base.

41. Jeans bottom : HEM.  Stitchery.

42. Pounds : HAMMERS.  Like THOR.

48. Ado : HOOHA.  Or Brouhaha.

49. Mars neighbor : EARTH.  Heavenly orbs.

50. __ Tzu : SHIH.  Hairy hound

51. Fine-tune : HONE.

52. B'way seating area : ORCHestra.

53. Sounds from the stands : RAHS.  Hooray!

55. Shakespearean verb : DOTH.  How DOTH the little crocodile?

56. 1975 Wimbledon winner : ASHE. Tennis star Arthur.

57. Hit the mall : SHOP.

58. Antlered deer : HART.

61. Ginza agreement : HAI.  はい "Yes" in Japanese.

How did you like this puzzle by Messrs. Horne and Chen?  Jeff, of course is a veteran constructor.  Looks like this is Jim's first time in the L.A.T. They had previously collaborated on a themeless puzzle for the NYT in 2012. Has a couple of force-fit entries, but over-all pretty smooth construction, and quite an original concept.  Did anybody else think of Hard and soft G's? 

Cool Regards!

JzB

Note from C.C.: 

Happy Birthday to dear LaLaLinda, who's been through a lot the past year. Despite the physical pain and severe diet restrictions, Linda never complained. She's always attentive and supportive of our regulars who's in need of advice & comfort. (Dave: Think of cats, Red Sox & sweetness.)

Tuesday, February 11, 2014 Ed Sessa

Theme: B A D - Normally there is only two ways to break a three-letter word but Ed found another.

57. Vince Gilligan TV drama, and a hint to something happening in 20-Across and 11- and 29-Down : BREAKING BAD. The series premiered in 2008 on the cable channel AMC, and closed 2013.

20. They swim with the fishes : SCUBA DIVERS

11. Bookmarked link, say : WEB ADDRESS

29. Start of a rhyme featuring a butcher and baker : RUB-A-DUB-DUB. This rhyme exists in many variations.

Argyle here(and in the puzzle). The most notable thing is the pinwheel layout of the answers. Bit odd to have a roach in the middle though.

Across:

1. Financial "soaking" : BATH

5. Open wound : GASH

9. Dots on maps : TOWNS

14. Queens stadium named for a tennis legend : ASHE

15. Eastern honorific : AGHA. Turkish, literally: lord.

16. Outmaneuver : ONE-UP

17. Munich mister : HERR

18. Track section : RAIL

19. In a gallant manner : NOBLY

23. Gore and Smith : ALs

24. Wrestling venue : ARENA

25. Scottish pirate : KIDD. The long version here. Wiki Or the short video. LINK

27. Checkpoint Charlie city : BERLIN

30. O'Brien of CNN : SOLEDAD

33. __ Dhabi : ABU

34. Chain store selling gates and crates : PETCO. Headquartered in San Diego.

37. Twilled suit fabric : SERGE

38. Gently tosses : LOBs

40. Nocturnal scurrier : ROACH. The Orkin Man isn't here yet.

42. Big intro? : MEGA

43. African antelope : ELAND

45. Company targeting 40-Acrosses : ORKIN

47. Transgression : SIN

48. Man Ray or Arp : DADAIST. Artwork from Man Ray.

50. Some 36-Down deals : LEASES

52. Fruit that's not cute : UGLI. Orange and tangerine hybrid.

53. With regard to : AS FOR

55. Priest's garment : ALB

62. Freeload : CADGE

64. Billy goat's bluff : CRAG. Bluff is a headland with a broad, steep face. You might find goats on the steep rugged rock.

65. Meditative practice : YOGA

66. Less likely to betray : TRUER

67. Where sheep sleep : COTE

68. Creditor's claim : LIEN

69. Wooden shoe : SABOT

70. Power dept. : ENERgy

71. Movie lioness : ELSA

Down:

1. Grumpy cries : BAHS

2. "Got __?": "Can we talk?" : A SEC

3. Informal street sign word : THRU

4. Like some folk remedies : HERBAL

5. One with growing concerns? : GARDENER. Gearing up; sharpening the tools.

6. "Here we go __!" : AGAIN

7. Hindu deity : SHIVA. “The Destroyer,” the third member of the Trimurti, along with Brahma the Creator and Vishnu the Preserver.

8. Of sound body : HALE

9. Oft-removed throat tissues : TONSILS

10. Artist Yoko : ONO

12. __ and void : NULL

13. 1974 CIA spoof : "SPYS"

21. "What __!": "I've been had!" : A RIP

22. MGM rival : RKO. The original RKO Pictures ceased production in 1957. MGM went through bankruptcy in 2010 but is still at it.

26. Judge : DEEM

27. Bundled, as cotton : BALED

28. African virus : EBOLA

30. Foot warmer : SOCK

31. Texas A&M athlete : AGGIE

32. Campus heads : DEANS

35. Tugboat blast : TOOT

36. Hybrid, perhaps : CAR

39. Setback : SNAG

41. Designer Tommy : HILFIGER

44. Toon with an upturned tie : DILBERT

46. Gas in glass tubing : NEON

49. "To __, With Love" : SIR 1967 Song(2:48)

51. 30-Down pattern : ARGYLE

53. Slugger known as Hammerin' Hank : AARON

54. Use a rink : SKATE

55. "Hamlet" fivesome : ACTS

56. Doctor Zhivago's love : LARA. Her theme. Video(5:47) Warning: Lots of snow.

58. Caesar's "Behold!" : "ECCE!"

59. Recipe instruction : BOIL

60. Years and years : AGES

61. Funny Carvey : DANA

63. Former automaker with a globe in its logo : GEO

Argyle

Monday, February 10, 2014 Bruce R. Sutphin

 

Theme: Make Them Laugh - Three funny characters.

                                    LINK

17A. Bil Keane comic strip : THE FAMILY CIRCUS. Circus Clown. Family Circus web site.

28A. Bygone Honda CR-V rival : ISUZU RODEO. The very important Rodeo Clown.

44A. Flier's upgrade : FIRST CLASS. Class Clown

60A. Sondheim song, and a hint to the ends of 17-, 28- and 44-Across : "SEND IN THE CLOWNS". Clip(4:11) by Judy Collins with lyrics and an extensive write-up.

Argyle here and one time 44-Across. Two spanners today and some sneaky fill. Some nits that if you're doing LAT puzzles, you should know and get over it. I think Bruce(interview) had fun constructing this one.

Across:

1. Class with numbers : MATH

5. One making a coffee run, say : GOFER. (from 'go for')

10. Spot to shop : MALL

14. Lot measurement : ACRE

15. Skip over, in speech : ELIDE

16. Reed to which an orchestra tunes : OBOE

20. Briny : SEA

21. Buzzing homes : HIVES

22. Tree houses? : NESTS

23. Journalist Sawyer : DIANE

25. Chess pieces : MEN

26. Chess piece : PAWN. If a pawn makes it all the way across the board, it may become any man it wants, excepting the King.

34. Teacher's Apple : iMAC

35. Expansive : VAST

36. Gardner of Hollywood : AVA

37. Strip of latticework : LATH. Makein' lath the old way.

 

38. Low card : DEUCE

40. "It's Your Space" rental company : AVIS

41. Gobbled up : ATE

42. "The Clan of the Cave Bear" author Jean : AUEL. I almost remember her now.

43. Diet label word : LITE

48. Fruity quenchers : ADEs

49. It may be doffed : HAT

50. Backup strategy : PLAN B

52. Like an enthusiastic crowd : AROAR. …asmell of the greasepaint, aroar of the crowd…(sic)

55. Guiding principle : ETHIC

57. Sub sandwich dressing item : OIL

63. Wear a hole in the carpet : PACE

64. Dance studio rail : BARRE

65. Actress Fey : TINA

66. Winter transport : SLED

67. Prints and threads, to detectives : CLUES

68. __ in Show: dog prize : BEST

Down:

1. Wrestling surfaces : MATS

2. Workout woe : ACHE

3. Stay afloat in place : TREAD WATER. Do you remember Bill Cosby's, "Noah, how long can you tread water?"

4. Pajamaed mogul, familiarly : HEF. (Hugh Hefner)

5. Zodiac's Twins : GEMINI

6. Martini garnishes : OLIVEs

7. Store in a folder : FILE

8. Ice cream brand : EDY'S

9. TiVo button : REC

10. Multitalented Rita : MORENO

11. Basic lessons : ABCs

12. Big oaf : LOUT

13. Not as much : LESS

18. "Figured it out!" : "A-HA!"

19. Unmoving : INERT

24. Creep (along) : INCH

25. Source of inspiration : MUSE

26. Rice dish : PILAF

27. Vintage violin : AMATI

29. Throat dangler : UVULA

30. Tween heartthrob Efron : ZAC

31. "Life on Mars?" singer : DAVID BOWIE. Video(3:57)

32. Online party notice : EVITE

33. Desert retreats : OASES

38. Conduit for tears : DUCT

39. Slippery swimmer : EEL

40. Oscar winner Arkin : ALAN. Best Supporting Actor for "Little Miss Sunshine"(2006)

42. Arcade pioneer : ATARI

45. Out of the sun : SHADED

46. Region of influence : SPHERE

47. Cuts for a sandwich : SLICES

51. Commonly injured knee ligament, for short : ACL. (anterior cruciate ligament)

52. Deadly snakes : ASPs

53. Genuine : REAL

54. A single time : ONCE

55. List finisher: Abbr. : ET AL.

56. No __ traffic : THRU

58. Travelers' stops : INNs

59. Future D.A.'s hurdle : LSAT. (Law School Admission Test)

61. "The Voice" network : NBC

62. Gambling letters : OTB. (off-track betting)

 

Argyle

Sunday February 9, 2014 Pawel Fludzinski

 Theme:  "Universal Truth" -  Theme answers are all related to 42. See here for rationale.

 

23A. His number 95-Across is now permanently retired : JACKIE ROBINSON. Mariano Rivera is the last one to wear #42. 

36A. It's roughly 95-Across kilometers : MARATHON

55A. President number 95-Across : BILL CLINTON

80A. It contains 95-Across crude gallons : BARREL OF OIL

112A. Its first printing had 95-Across lines on most pages : GUTENBERG BIBLE. Unknown trivia to me.

9D. It has 95-Across spots : PAIR OF DICE

16D. King who died at 95-Across : ELVIS PRESLEY

59D. 95-Across appears on street signs near this Big Apple landmark : GRAND CENTRAL

 

74D. Its atomic number is 95-Across : MOLYBDENUM. New word to me. I had a terrifying chemistry teacher in high school.

Reveal entry:

95A. Douglas Adams' facetious answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything : FORTY- TWO. 

  

This puzzle is for Barry G, who has mentioned Douglas Adams & "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" several times on the blog.

Only 138 words in this grid (our norm is 144). Dr. Fludzinski's grids always have low-word count. But quite a few partials (7). Rich normally allows for 4 on Sundays.

Pawel Fludzinski

 Across:

1. Gene splicer's field : BIOTECH. Nice start.

8. They have strings attached : APRONS

14. In __: sort of : A SENSE. A rare 6-letter partial.

20. Astronaut Fisher, the first mother in space : ANNA LEE. Unfamiliar figure to me. Was her name mentioned in Chris Hadfield's book, CanadianEh?

21. He played House : LAURIE (Hugh)

22. Spreads out : SPLAYS

25. Scholar : SAVANT

26. Fit to __ : A TEE

27. Habituate : ENURE. Or INURE.

28. Move up and down : BOB. Hi there Buckeye "Move up and down"!

30. Piece of cake : CINCH

31. Peruvian coin : CÉNTIMO. I thought it's unit of Peseta, Wrong. 

34. Makes bubbly : AERATES

39. Busy co. on Valentine's Day : FTD. A few days away.

41. Short-lived 1765 statute : STAMP ACT

45. Hardly virtuous : AMORAL. And 92A. Vulgar : INDECENT

46. Classical theater : ODEON

48. Effervesce : SPARKLE

49. Avoids detection : HIDES

50. Pacific archipelago : MARIANAS

53. In __ and out ... : ONE EAR. And 90A. Biblical words before and after "for" : AN EYE

54. Singer DiFranco : ANI

57. Gracile : SLIM. Gracile is a new word to me.

58. Dog's age : LONGTIME

61. Op-ed pieces : ESSAYS.  I tried every news source you all mentioned last Thursday and liked Washington Post the most. Loved Sally Jenkins' article last week.

62. Bridge coups : SLAMS

63. Tiller opening? : ROTO. Just roto-tiller.

64. "Understood" : I SEE

66. Bochco series : L.A. LAW. Steven Bochco created NYPD Blue as well.

69. Gambler's strategy : SYSTEM

75. Pedicab, e.g. : TRICYCLE

79. Persian Gulf land : IRAN

82. Wine: Pref. : OEN. Or OENO. As in Oenophile, wine lover.

83. Sean Combs stage name : P. DIDDY

85. Like some wine glasses : STEMLESS

86. Hosiery hue : TAUPE

88. Degree of interest? : PERCENT. Nice clue.

91. Bearing : MANNER

94. Tarzan creator's monogram : ERB. Here he is again. Edgar Rice Burroughs.

97. Arctic blast : NORTHER. Never used this word before.

99. Phil Collins gear : DRUM SET

101. Like some landings: Abbr. : INSTR. Instrument landing. Dudley knows. Not me.

104. But, to Brutus : SED. Learned from doing Xwords.

105. Verdun's river : MEUSE. I don't even know where Verdun is.

106. Den __, Nederland : HAAG. In Dutch.

110. Aquarium favorites : TETRAS

116. Hatch, as a plot : CREATE

117. Increase gradually : ACCRUE

118. Kind of watch or warning : TORNADO

119. Funny blunder : HOWLER

120. Quakes : SEISMS

121. Cheaters, to teachers : ANAGRAM. Nailed it.

Down:

1. Tijuana locale : BAJA

2. Take __ the waist: alter : IN AT

3. Back in the day : ONCE

4. Parting wish : TAKE CARE. EddyB always closed his comment with "Take care".

5. Yale student : ELI

6. Checkered start? : CEE. The first letter.

7. Legalese adverb : HERETO

8. Philatelist's item : ALBUM

10. Mysterious character : RUNE

11. Hosp. areas : ORs

12. Mournful mother of myth : NIOBE. She appeared often in the old Tribute Daily puzzle. So glad we shifted to LA Times.

13. Spanish titles : SENORS

14. Stubborn one : ASS

15. Distant traveler : SPACEMAN

17. Bread brushed with ghee : NAAN

18. Harmonize : SYNC

19. O.T. book : ESTH. Needed crossing help.

24. Getting __ years : ON IN

29. Night fliers : BATS

32. LAX postings : ETAs

33. Columbus Blue Jackets' org. : NHL

34. Aphrodite's love : ADONIS

35. Hit lightly : TAP ON

36. Taj __ : MAHAL

37. Protein-building acid : AMINO

38. "The Gates of Hell" sculptor : RODIN

40. Pond ducks : TEALS

42. "The Jungle Book" pack leader : AKELA

43. Lien, say : CLAIM

44. Contract stipulations : TERMS

46. Magic, on scoreboards : ORL (Orlando)

47. Grandma : NANA

50. Brunch cocktail : MIMOSA

51. Draft choice : ALE

52. Farm abode : STY

55. Bridle part : BIT

56. Egyptian god of the dead : OSIRIS. Brother & Husband of Isis.

60. Pull : TOW

62. NYSE overseer : SEC. Guess who was SEC's first chairman?

65. Part of RSVP : SIL

66. Painter Fra Filippo __ : LIPPI

67. Makeup mogul Elizabeth : ARDEN

68. Scottish landowner : LAIRD

70. Revolutions, perhaps: Abbr. : YRS. I liked this clue also.

71. Arg. miss : SRTA

72. High schooler : TEENER. What's wrong with TEEN?

73. Iconic bull : ELMER

75. Lean-__: sheds : TOS

76. Jazz title : COUNT

77. Cartoon stinker : LE PEW

78. Part of un año : ENERO

80. Impressionist John : BYNER. Another unknown to me. Please link in the Comments section his most famous work.

81. Honorarium : FEE

84. Adorn : DECORATE

86. London gallery : TATE

87. Sometime it goes : ANYTHING. Oh, anything goes.

89. Explosive compounds : TNTs

91. __ Butterworth : MRS

93. Brake neighbor, informally : THE GAS

95. Melt together : FUSE

96. Mobster's code of silence : OMERTA. Also Mario Puzo's book.  I also read "The Last Don".

98. Elicit : EDUCE

100. Hayseeds : RUBES

101. Longing : ITCH

102. First-century emperor : NERO

103. Cassoulet, e.g. : STEW. Never had Cassoulet. But D-Otto, Lucina and TTP might. They're serious foodies.

105. Cousteau's milieux : MERs

107. "This guy walks into __ ..." : A BAR

108. "M*A*S*H" star : ALDA

109. Subj. for Euclid : GEOM

111. Sun. delivery : SER

113. Cable co. that merged with AT&T : TCI

114. Poly- ending : GON. Polygon.

115. Uplifting wear : BRA

Happy 43rd Birthday to dear Splynter, our talented and hard-working Saturday Stud, who  always gives me solid feedback on my theme entry selection & other life issues. Thanks for being here, Splynter!

C.C.

Saturday, February 8, 2014, David Steinberg

Theme: None (With the quad-stacks 15's in the middle, this grid has 16 rows)

Words: 73 (pangram~!)*

Blocks: 36

   I have seen David's name before, but this may be his Saturday LAT debut; he collaborated on this SALMON puzzle that gave us fits, and a Friday puzzle with WATER "falling" in the clues.  I "LIKEN" (13d.) this one at about a Wednesday level - done in about half the time I normally allow myself to do a Saturday crossword; but as we've discussed here before, when you have triple- and quad-stacks, it tends to make the perp answers shorter, and therefore, easier.  There were two ten-letter words in the across, plus four nines 'perping' the quad-stack - impressive~!:

31A. Women seen standing at tables : DINER WAITRESSES

40A. Walmart advantage : ONE-STOP SHOPPING

41A. Attempts to best : COMPETES AGAINST

42A. Stretched, in a way : STOOD ON ONE'S TOES

on WA rd~!  ( to Seattle in the fall....)

ACROSS:

1. They're used in British puzzles : ZEDS - nailed it, but I figure most of you did, too

5. Peter Pan rival : JIF - and I was onto this clue, too - the Peanut Butter, not the character

8. "The X Factor" judge : COWELL (Simon) - my only mistake; I did not get my "Ta-DA~!" because I put in "P"owell first; no wonder "PAF" made no sense....

14. Picked locks : AFRO - nice misdirection; hair, not doorknobs

15. Classified letters : EOE - Equal Opportunity Employer

16. God in a temple : ADONAI - a little Wiki for you

17. Lesson __ : PLAN

18. Double shot, say : STIFF DRINK - today marks 9yrs, 1month

20. Many an Urdu speaker : PAKISTANI

22. Appropriate : TAKE - the verb -  "uh pro pri ATE", not "uh PRO pri ate"

23. Rankled : ATE AT

24. Common desktop icon : TRASH CAN - mine's the PC recycle bin

27. QB's stat : ATTempts - there will be no more of these in the 2013-14 NFL season

30. Math group : SET

43. Italian article : UNA

44. MDCLIII ÷ III : DLI - Roman math; 1653/3 = 551

45. Stock problem : STAMPEDE - I had a feeling this was "live" stock, and not Wall Street stock

50. Georgia retreat : DACHA - ah, that Georgia

55. Ending suggesting wealth : AIRE - MillionAIRE, BillionAIRE

56. State treasury : EXCHEQUER - nice fill; gets the 8pts for the "X" and 10 for the "Q"

59. It's used in dashes : GARLIC SALT

62. 51-Down resident : ARAB

63. Old-fashioned "Neat!" : GROOVY

64. Starting to burn : LIT

65. Quail collection : BEVY

66. Looked bored : YAWNED

67. Spinner : TOP

68. Drinks from a stand : ADES

DOWN:

1. Posthumous 1995 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee : ZAPPA - brilliant musician, but I could never get into his music

2. Key of Shostakovich's "First of May" : E FLAT - guess what~! I HAD the "E" to start - so I did NOT have to wait~!

3. Pond swimmer : DRAKE - not to be redundant, since it's followed by;

4. The duck in Disney's "Peter and the Wolf" : SONIA

5. Bon mot : JEST - Frawnch

6. Jot : IOTA - I have heard this before - the smallest Greek letter, thus something miniscule; technically, the word "JOT" is IN IOTA, since there's no "J" in Latin

7. Artful action : FEINT

8. Stimulating substance, briefly : CAF - Caffeine, as in your coffee this A.M.

9*. "That's weird" : ODD - *it's ODD that I have an ODD number of words in a Saturday grid*

10. Net __ : WORTH - my net worth is not within an iota of anything like "-AIRE"

11. Giant with 17,468 vacuum tubes : ENIAC - The computer; short for Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer

12. Sri __ : LANKA

13. Make an analogy : LIKEN

19. From the horse's mouth : FIRST HAND

21. Turned on : STARTED UP

25. Skylight insulation material, perhaps : AEROGEL - Never heard of this stuff being used in skylights, but it is highly effective in reducing thermal transmission

26. Words from one about to take over : STEP ASIDE

28. Black and blue, say : TWO-TONE - more deception, since "BRUISED" fit, too

29. Provençal spreads : TAPENADES - M-W online says: a seasoned spread made chiefly with mashed black olives, capers, and anchovies - I'll pass....

31. JAMA readers : DOCs - I went to the DPM this week - the Doctor of Podiatric Medicine, who diagnosed my heel pain as "Plantar Fasciitis"; it started bothering me in my first week of UPS driving, and I finally had to have something done.  Now I have a foot brace I wear at night, and orthotics coming in two weeks - I can't wait to walk properly again~!

32. How some NBA games are resolved : IN OT - also in the NHL; the Rangers went INto Over Time last night, then on to the shoot-out, and beat Pittsburgh 4-3

33. Fictional captain : NEMO - of the Nautilus, in Jules Verne's Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea

34. Hockey Hall of Fame nickname : ESPO - Phil Esposito, one-time Boston Bruin and NY Ranger who helped start up the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning

35. Short retort : "IS SO~!"

36. Rain in scattered drops : SPIT

37. __-Indian War : SINO

38. Bay State motto starter : ENSE - Here's some interesting facts about Massachusetts

39. Friday et al.: Abbr. : SGTs - Sergeant Joe Friday of Dragnet

45. Needing a lift, maybe : SAGGY - boy, it's a good thing this wasn't followed by 48d.~!

46. Papal headgear : TIARA - I thought it was called a MITRE; I did not know about this piece of adornment

47. Common keyboard symbol : ARROW - we just had this discussion on keyboards last week

48. Winter __ : MELON - I like these winter melons - not SAGGY~!  How come THIS isn't in the Olympics?

49. Glorify : EXALT

51. Jordanian city : AQABA

52. Back to normal : CURED

53. Start of a nautical order : HEAVE - Spitzboov could share more

54. Chain with roast beef Mighty Minis : ARBY'S

57. Muse of history : CLIO

58. Start of many addresses : HTTP - the HyperText Transfer Protocol of website addresses

60. "__ had it!" : I'VE

61. Dancer Charisse : CYD

Splynter

Friday, February 7, 2014, Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: Follow the waters

For those who attempted this without the circles the theme was most assuredly deeply submerged, but if you know your major world rivers and you understood 34A was the hint, it was a very fun paddle, though some white waters to avoid. JW has become a regular contributor to our entertainment, with this being his 17th publication in the 18 months or so since his first trip to the LAT stage. marti has done most of the explicating, but this will be my 5th, the first almost exactly one year ago. Each has been a very different type, as well from anagrams, to homonyms to definitions. This is the first with any "gimmick" as the theme answers crawl over both across and down fill, giving each name the "bend" which is the hidden treasure.  I hope you enjoy this Friday freshness.  Presenting the theme will be different, but here goes.

River one: PECOS running from 17A down the middle of 3D.

River two: GANGES running up from 5D though 4A.

River three: AMAZON running backwards in 19A and down 1D.

River four DANUBE running from 58A up 41D.

River five: NIGER running backwards in 62A and up 44D.

River six: THAMES running down the middle of 51D and backwards across 67A.

and the Hint/ reveal at 34A. Topographic feature represented in this puzzle's circles : RIVER BEND. This tells you the river names bend around the answers.

The rest of the puzzle does not exactly feel like a Friday with one nine letter fill the longest, but  22 of fill are 7 letter answers including some fun ones. Let's get going

Across:

1. __-de-sac : CUL. Well this dead end is our beginning.

4. Consumes : INGESTS.

11. Privately keep in the email loop, briefly : BCC. Blind Courtesy Copy.

14. New START signatory : USA. Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. Double your initial pleasure.

15. Unexpected result : FALLOUT. This was hard for me, I guess I was raised in too sheltered an environment.

16. Bit of cybermirth : LOL. My Romanian friend thought this was Lots of Love for a long time.

17. Upper-bod muscle : PECtoral. Like these...

18. With great energy, in music : AGITATO. The Italian influence, I will defer (yes I corrected it manually, not autocorrect) to JzB.

19. Gp. that declared obesity a disease : AMA. Once again we are seeing lots of initialisms.

20. Natives who met Lewis and Clark near modern-day Council Bluffs : OTOS. More natives, 64D. Cheyenne allies : ARAPAHO.

22. Scent : ODOR.

23. Puts one's feet up : LAZES. This is a word I never see outside of the crossword world, you? Do you laze about?

25. Go the distance : LAST. Why does this sound sexual to me? Followed immediately by...

26. Desire : YEN.

27. Stopper, with "the" : KIBOSH. I had better put the Kibosh on that line of thought.

28. Pretended to be : ACTED AS. Another toughie for me, that perped itself out.

30. Bow tie preference : AL DENTE. Love this clue, it was cooked just right!

31. Likely to tax one's budget : STEEP. Gee honey, the prices here are awfully steep.

32. Corrida cry : OLE.

33. Greenskeeper's supply : SOD. The seniors are back in Boca Raton playing this week; are you going Dennis? The ones I have met and played with are all very nice. 47A. Not good for a pro, usually : OVER PAR.

39. Inflate : PAD. The bill, not a balloon; tricky for three letters.

42. Hyde's birthplace? : LAB. Dr. Jekyll's of course, another wonderful clue.

43. Less furnished : BARER. Why furniture?

50. Traditional process for hammock making : MACRAME. How many crafty people are at the Corner?

52. "The Canterbury Tales" inn : TABARD. Oh the depths of memory, it has been so long since Chaucer. Interestingly according to wiki, it was built by the Abbot of Hyde. A Tabard is the tunic you see in the depictions of the crusades etc.

53. Geometric fig. : CIRcle.

54. Moderate pace : TROT.

55. Dimwit : STUPE. This does not seem very PC.

56. Small opening : PORE. I got that by the skin of my teeth.

57. Exobiologist's org. : SETI.  Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence. Acronym.

58. Voice actor Castellaneta of "The Simpsons" : DAN. Also he was not the father on The Wonder Years

59. Foolishness : FATUITY. I know fatuous, but not this incarnation; a very much Nero Wolfe word.

62. Cotton __ : GIN. As a kid this always puzzled me because I thought it came from juniper berries, and we had juniper bushes.

63. Storied vessel : ARK. I hope you Noah this one.

65. "Middle of Nowhere" director DuVernay : AVA. Indie movie.

66. Ed.'s pile : MSS. Manuscripts.

67. First, second or third person? : BASEMAN. Baseball, but you need the perps to get that.

68. Pinch for Pépin : SEL. French for salt.

Down:

1. Domelike structures : CUPOLAS. There are many kinds, reminds me of Ken Follett

2. Be diplomatic : USE TACT. Nice fill.

3. 1920s tennis great René : LACOSTE. Lives on through all the shirts.

4. "__ tree falls ..." : IF A. in the forest....

5. Noritake headquarters city : NAGOYA. Luckily ODOR and YEN were easy, which helped the section to fall.

6. Moves smoothly : GLIDES. Getting excited about the ice skaters and the Olympics?

7. John of pop : ELTON. As C.C. would say, nailed it!

8. Hang-glide, say : SOAR. Oh oh.

9. Word of disdain : TUT. Usually needs two but the clue does say 'word.'

10. Impassive : STOLID.

11. Displays publicly : BLAZONS. I am familiar with things being emblazoned, but not this verb.

12. Opens one's eyes : COMES TO.

13. Butted heads : CLASHED. My research shows this fill has never been in the LAT or NYT before.

21. Direct : STEER. Fits in with our earlier STEEP and STUPE?

24. First Japanese prime minister born after WWII : ABE. No clue about Shinzō Abe, born in 1954. I read it as the first prime minister after WWII, never seeing the word bord; coincidentally, also a man named ABE.

27. "The Goldfish" painter : KLEE. This WORK. So you think you could have done that?

29. Print resolution letters : DPI. Dots Per Inch, from our old dot matrix printers.

30. Clerical wear : ALB. It is the long white (the word is from Latin for white) dress like garment.

32. Moon, e.g. : ORB.

35. "The Impaler" who inspired Dracula : VLAD.

36. "Who hath a story ready for your __": Shak. : EAR. An obscure quote from Measure for Measure, but easily sussed.

37. 2014 Olympics airer : NBC. So many initials.

38. Moves quickly : DARTS.

39. 1945 Big Three city : POTSDAM. One of the meeting places for the allies, US, England and Russia.

40. Online game icons : AVATARS. If you did not know it before the movie should have taught you.

41. Proves fallacious : DEBUNKS. I myth the mythbusters.

44. Xenon, for one : RARE GAS.

45. Soul-stirring : EMOTIVE. Did the clue move you?

46. __ scan: ID method : RETINAL. Eye had no problem with this one.

48. Knock : RAP. Don't knock rap?

49. Assembly-ready : PREFABricated.

50. Sister of Moses and Aaron : MIRIAM. You need to know MORE?

51. Big name in soul : ARETHA. Finally, a musical INTERLUDE. (2:29)

53. Two-door vehicle : COUPE.

56. School gps. : PTAS. At least the initials are all familiar.

60. __ Pacis: altar of Peace : ARA. This is just Latin for an altar built during the time of Caesar Augustus for the goddess Pacis. It is from her name we get our word.

61. Thither : YON.  Hither and yon, hither and thither, it all sounds silly to me.

Well we are into February, with only 7 more days to prepare for marti's birthday, oh and Valentine's Day.  I thought this was a nice romp and the trick did not give me fits, and I hope none of you. Lemonade out.

Thursday February 6, 2014 Jill Denny and Jeff Chen

Theme:  TOP DOG - Different dog starts each theme entry.

2D. Fruit of ancient Persia :POMEGRANATE. Foodies call those pomegranate seeds arils.

8D. Numbskull : CHOWDERHEAD

11D. Daedalus' creation : LABYRINTH

12D. Combativeness : PUGNACITY

Reveal entry:

60A. With 62-Across, a hint to the starts of this puzzle's four longest Down answers : TOP 62A. See 60-Across : DOG.

And FUR (4A. 62-Across coat) & PETS (38A. Strokes a 62-Across). Also TREAT (37A. Biscuit, maybe). For dogs too.

We also have a grid-spanning  LEADER OF THE PACK (50. Big enchilada). Top dog!!

C.C. here, pinch-hitting for Marti, who needs to fix the house next door as the tenants will move in on March 1.

Jill Danny is Jeff Chen's wife, and we all know Jeff, the genius behind so many creative puzzles.

Today's theme approach is a bit different:

1) Theme entries are arranged vertically for visual effect;

2) Left to right symmetry;

3) Only 72 word (themeless word count) &  50 black squares. 

 

Do you see anything out of those black squares arrangement? Argyle told me "Squint at it or like most of us, remove your glasses. If you can only see it as black and white, it looks like a puppy face."

Across:

1. Easter season: Abbr. : SPR

7. Interest fig. : PCT

10. Long, on Molokai : LOA. As in Mauna Loa ("Long Mountain").

11. Experience with enthusiasm : LAP UP

13. Pi follower : RHO

14. "Out" crier : UMP

15. Chic "Bye" : ADIEU. Chic?

16. Charged particle : ION

17. Detox place : REHAB

19. Bridal emanations : GLOWS. Sweet clue.

21. Reminiscent of venison : GAMY. Never had venison. You?

22. Dweeb : NERD

23. Red state? : ARREARS. Oh, now I see why it's red. Debts.

26. Easy gaits : CANTERS

29. Given a hand : DEALT IN

30. Annabella of "The Sopranos" : SCIORRA. Drew a blank. Anon-T might know her. So how do you pronounce her name?

31. Chased (after) : RAN

32. Whirling : IN A SPIN

34. Farm feed : HAY. Hi there Spitzboov!

35. Computer that once came in "flavors" : iMAC. Other than my iPod, I own iNothing.

39. Greek cheese : FETA

40. First name in one-liners : HENNY (Youngman). "Take my wife, please!".

41. Actress Charlotte et al. : RAES

42. Fountain near the Spanish Steps : TREVI

44. Buddy : KIDDO

45. __'acte : ENTR

48. Flute part : STEM

57. Babysitter's handful : IMP

58. New evidence may lead to one : RE-TRIAL

59. Fawn spawner : DOE

61. Slogan sites : T-SHIRTS

Down:

1. Bit of mudslinging : SLUR

3. Vatican Palace painter : RAPHAEL

4. Pet rocks, e.g. :  FAD 

5. News agcy. since 1958 : UPI

6. Regret bitterly : RUE

7. Preceding : PRIOR TO

9. Bunches : TONS

18. Cremona artisan : AMATI. I'm so glad they caught the Strad suspects  yesterday. Art thieves!

20. Red Square honoree : LENIN. My childhood hero.

23. Lacking purpose : ADRIFT

24. Juice extractor : REAMER. I just call mine Juicer.

25. Grab, as a line drive : SNARE

26. D.C. network : C-SPAN. And 33. Fig. on 26-Down : SEN

27. Like most bawdy films : R-RATED. Or RATED R.

28. Lays down the law : SAYS SO

36. Gave in : CAVED

38. Groom with care : PRIMP

43. Unmoving : INERT

44. Hull stabilizers : KEELS

46. "__ bien!" : TRES

47. Big name in IRAs : ROTH

48. Rustle : STIR

49. "Take __!" : THAT

50. Aflame : LIT

51. Angst-filled genre : EMO

52. Killer Birds, e.g. : APP. Is it related to Angry Birds?

53. Calendar abbr. : FRI

54. Recipe instruction : ADD

55. Soft murmur : COO

56. Barrel at a bash : KEG

I have a question for all of you: Which is your go-to site for news? NBCNews went live on Tuesday night (Feb 4, 2014) and I really dislike the new format, which is more suited for mobile devices. I tried CNN and Google News yesterday but liked either.

C.C.