Interview with Tom Pepper

Tom Pepper made one of the most creative puzzles earlier this year. Please click here if you have not solved the puzzle. Spoiler alert: Here is a wonderful write-up by the super-fast Howard Barkin.

Today is Tom's LA Times debut. He has had 2 puzzles published by the NY Times. You'll all like him when you meet with him in person, trust me! He is Minnesota Nice. (Added later: Please click here (George Barany's website) for more information on the puzzle).

  Left to Right: Tom Pepper, Marcia J. Brott, Victor Barocas, David Hanson, DK
&  Andrea Carla Michaels

I'm so in love with your "Executive Decisions" puzzle. How did the idea come to you and how long did it take you to complete the grid?  

Thanks, C.C.  It started out as a list of the presidents on the faces of U.S. coins.  The first problem: that's boring.  The second problem: the Mint had recently started making commemorative dollar coins with all the presidents on them, which I didn't know until I was already knee-deep in the puzzle.  So I gave up on that idea.  But I really liked the gimmick part of the grid, and I had put a lot of effort into making it work, so I noodled on it more, and came up with a better context for it. (I'm being intentionally vague in case someone reading this wants to dig it out of the BEQ archives and solve it.)  I wish I had logged my hours on that puzzle.  I think I'd be shocked at the number.  I'm sure it's over 100.
 

What are the other theme answers you also considered but discarded for today's BUGS puzzle?  

My original effort had seven themers: HIDDENMIKES, FLUS, OBSESSIONS, ELMERSNEMESIS, PCGLITCHES, IRKS, and ORIGINALVWS ... but all that theme caused the fill to suffer greatly, so I scaled back to five--only HIDDENMIKES from my original grid survived to the end.  Surprisingly, I never came up with a good answer for the most common usage of bugs: those creepy-crawly things.
 

Tell us a bit about your background. What prompted you to make your first crossword?   

Grew up in MN. College in Oregon (Go Ducks!). CPA. MBA. Finance guy. So numbers are my work, words are my play time.  I'd solved crosswords on and off for years, and made a few (horrible) birthday/Christmas puzzles for family and friends along the way.  But two years ago, when my second daughter left the nest and I had all this time on my hands, I bought Crossword Compiler as a birthday present to myself and added "Get a crossword puzzle published somewhere" to my bucket list.

Which part do you enjoy the most in the construction process: theme development, filling or cluing?  

Good question.  It's kind of euphoric when a clever theme idea or a fabulous, never-used clue comes to mind, but it doesn't happen that often, so theme development and cluing are usually more work than pleasure for me.  But once I get a theme framed up, it's hard to pull me away from the filling process.  Filling a puzzle is solving a puzzle in itself.  I stay up way too late some nights "solving the puzzle."  You're probably thinking that sounds like an addiction ... and you're probably right!

  

What kind of themes and fill appeal to you and what are the ones you try to avoid in your grids? 

The best theme answers make you smile as you fill them in.  I like puns, re-parsing of words, current slang ... and the edgier (without going over the edge), the better.  I try to avoid the words people complain about in the blogs.  A lot of them are 3-letter answers, so I try to minimize the number of 3-letter words when creating a grid.  I'm working on a puzzle right now where the theme answers go around the edge--it's the last time I'm going to try that!  Way too difficult working from the outside in.

You mentioned that you have some 1960s baseball cards. What's the most cherished card in your collection and what's the one card you'd like to own someday? 

I was a big Willie Mays fan, and I like the purple color on his 1965 card, so while it's not the most valuable, it's my favorite.  (Tony O's 65 card is purple too--another favorite!)  The cards I'd like to own (again) are the dozen or so I gave away back in the '80s to a kid I was babysitting who wanted to start collecting.  I know my 1965 Mantle card was one of them.  He told me the next day he'd looked them up and they were worth $400.  I had no idea.
 

Besides crosswords, what else do you do for fun?  

I enjoy my time volunteering as a tutor to East African adults one night a week, and as a teacher of a 12-week class through the National Alliance on Mental Illness for family members of people living with a mental illness.  And I love to play golf, play Boggle, and travel.

Thursday, July 11, 2013 Tom Pepper

Theme: "Those Creepy Crawly Things" (Thanks, Tom, for supplying me with the title!)

No unifier is necessary for this type of theme. Each of the theme entries is a different definition for the common clue:

17. Bugs : HIDDEN MIKES. I had hidden wires at first.

23. Bugs : BEETLE CARS. I thought this was going to be a literal definition at first.

37. Bugs : SOFTWARE DEFECTS.

48. Bugs : ELMER'S BANE. Bugs Bunny, of course!

59. Bugs : DRIVES CRAZY.

I really enjoyed this puzzle. Sometimes definition type puzzle have strained theme entries, to fit within the constraints of the grid size, and to come out symmetrical.  But all five of these entries felt like normal phrases. There was some fun stuff in the fill, too. So let's get to it.

Across:

1. Shake, as one's tail : ELUDE. Oh,  I was sooooo thinking of this. 2:30

6. Apple polisher : TOADY. From the 16th c. "toad-eater." Fascinating story here.

11. "Ri-i-ight!" : HAH. Hah! Nailed it! And a clecho at 25-Down. "Ri-i-ight!" : AS IF.

14. Patient's share : CO-PAY. It seems to be more and more the "lion's" share lately...

15. Els only about six feet above the ground : ERNIE. I love golf, and enjoy watching ERNIE Els, a.k.a. "The Big Easy."  (BTW, he is actually 6'3".)

16. Big name in kitchenware : OXO.

19. Animation collectible : CEL.

20. "Double Fantasy" artist : ONO.

21. Carnation spot : LAPEL.

22. Booked solid : BUSY.

26. Says it isn't so : REBUTS.

29. Annual Queens sports event : US OPEN. Tennis, not golf. It is held at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, and runs from August 26-September 9 this year.

32. Seals, as a deal : ICES.

33. One may be given to a detective : ALIBI.

36. ___ diet : ON A.

41. "Don't Bring Me Down" rock gp. : ELO. Listen here. 4:04

42. Hits the trail : HIKES.

43. Mongolian tent : YURT.

44. Try to better understand, as difficult prose : RE-READ.

46. Bandleading brothers' name : DORSEY. Tommy and Jimmy.

52. Moo juice : MILK.

54. Lofty nest : AERIE.

55. Get-up-and-go : VIM.

58. Kerfuffle : ADO. I want to see the word "kerfuffle" in a crossword...

62. X, at times : TEN.

63. "Peer Gynt" playwright : IBSEN.

64. Lincoln's side : UNION.

65. Withered woman : HAG. (Hey, I'm not all that withered...)

66. With 67-Across, San Diego Zoo attraction : GIANT. and 67-Across. See 66-Across : PANDA.

Down: (...worth repeating.)

1. Letter before Foxtrot : ECHO. Have you memorized your NATO phonetic alphabet yet?

2. Pork purchase : LOIN.

3. Bridesmaid's coif : UPDO.

4. "American ___!": animated sitcom : DAD. While I was doing this write-up, the show came on TV and I suffered through it, just so I could report to you. My report? .... judge for yourself.

5. Ornamental embroidered hole : EYELET.

6. Bait : TEMPT.

7. Projecting window : ORIEL.

8. Popular tat spot : ANKLE. Bicep also fits. Just sayin'...

9. Conk out : DIE.

10. "It's a go!" : YES!

11. Words before disappearing, perhaps : HOCUS POCUS.

12. Fires : AXES.

13. First word from Robin : HOLY. Holy You Tube!

18. Laddie's turndowns : NAES.

22. "My man!" : BRO.

23. Pedestal sculpture : BUST. Like this?

24. 8 or 64, e.g. : CUBE.

26. Choir support : RISER.

27. Place for élèves : ECOLE. French for "students" and "school"

28. Any day now : BEFORE LONG.

30. ___ nous : ENTRE. "Between ourselves..." ("Keep it confidential.")

31. Vile : NASTY.

33. Object of Indy's quest : ARK. Indiana Jones and the "Raiders of the Lost Ark."  (Why, all they had to do was look on top of Mt. Ararat!)

34. Sea side : LEE. Nice misdirection.

35. Tags on bags : IDS. Identification tags are about the only things many airlines still give away for free.

38. Impact sound : WHAM!!

39. Camp staffer : AIDE.

40. Rochester's bride : EYRE. Plain Jane.

45. Antlered critter : ELK.

46. Place of honor : DAIS.

47. Like small coffeemakers : ONE CUP.

49. Madame Gorbachev : RAISA. She died in 1999 of leukemia. In 2009, Mikhail made an album titled "Songs for Raisa" made up of old Russian love songs. Who says the Russians are cold-hearted??

50. Atomic number for nitrogen : SEVEN.

51. Bush adviser Scowcroft : BRENT.

52. It has roots and branches : MATH. Great misdirection!

53. Think tank output : IDEA.

55. Unable to merely walk past a mirror, say : VAIN.

56. Brand that once sported a reptile : IZOD.

57. Flying talker : MYNA.

59. "Get it, man?" : DIG?

60. Slugger's stat : RBI. I am finally getting the hang of this: slugger = Runs Batted In, pitcher = Earned Run Average. And then we have : 61-Down. Transfer ___ : RNA. Runs Not Allowed. (^0^)

Have a great week, everyone. See you next Thursday!

Marti

Wednesday, July 10, 2013 Joel D. Lafargue

Theme: CUES AND CUDGELS.  Each theme entry ends in a synonym for a round stave or pole.

20A. Member of a "joint" military group : CHIEF OF STAFF. A decision maker with a walking stick.  Two disparate meanings of the word STAFF.

28A. Franklin invention : LIGHTNING ROD. A conductive metal pole fixed to the top of a building and grounded to deflect the energy of a lightning strike.  In slang, a person or thing that draws a lot of criticism.

Photo source and more info

46A. Make a relay race connection : PASS THE BATON.  A relay is a race run in segments by a team of runners.  Passing the BATON, which is just French for stick, from runner to runner is the connection between the race segments. 

Source

 55A. Cocktail accessory : SWIZZLE STICK.  A small skewer used to hold garnishes and stir a drink, so named for the Rum Swizzle, the national drink of Bermuda. Bottoms up!

Hi gang, JazzBumpa here. I didn't recognize Joel's byline, but a quick Google search indicates he's been at it since at least 1988.  It looks like this is his 5th LA Times entry since this blog started.  Let's see if he passes the baton smoothly, or uses it to beat us up.

Across:

1. Urban rails : ELS.   Elevated trains.

4. "__ life!" : THAT'S.  Sinatra.

9. Self-satisfied : PROUD.

14. 2002 NBA Rookie of the Year __ Gasol : PAU.  He played with Memphis until 2008, and since then with the Lakers.

15. Put back to zero : RESET.  Back to square 1.

16. Total : RUN TO.  Kind of an odd phrase, but legit.

17. " ... book by __ cover" : ITS.   It's what's inside that makes the difference.

18. Author Jong : ERICA.  Is she still afraid of flying?

19. Many times : OFTEN. 

23. "__ evil ..." : SEE NO.  At least when I cover my eyes.

24. Time of one's life : ERA.  Nice word play.  An ERA is a notable time span. The time of one's life is a notable event.

25. Pub. of an oft-quoted journal : AMA.  American Medical Association.

33. Full of mischief : DEVILISH.  But not usually in a malicious way.

36. Like much of King's work : EERIE.  I wonder if Stephen King ever wrote a weird story about an eagle's nest near the shore of a Great Lake?

37. Verbalized sigh : ALAS.  Woe is me.

38. Buddhist shrine : STUPA.  Here is where Joel got out the cudgel and gave me a sharp rap between the eyes.  The word comes from Sanskrit and literally means "a heap."  The shrine is a mound-like structure containing Buddhist relics and used as a place of meditation.

41. Injured, in a way : TORE.  A muscle or ligament.  Sounds awful.

42. Jazzman Jackson and cartoonist Gross : MILTS.  MILT Gross was a popular American cartoonist from the 20's through the 40's.  MILT Jackson was a vibes player discovered by Dizzy Gillespie in 1946 who was an original member of the modern jazz quartet in 1952, and went on to record well into the 80's. Milt.

44. More easygoing : MELLOWER.

49. Kalamazoo-to-Cincinnati dir. : SSE. South by South East. Wouldn't be a very good movie title.

50. Billion-year span : EON.  A bit more than the time of your life

51. Waits : BIDES.  I can't BIDE my time that long.

59. Traditional Islamic garment : BURQA. It's like wearing tent.  The "Q" threw me.

62. Dough raiser : YEAST. Not a fund raiser, though both involve bread.

63. One of the Khans : ALY.  Not AGA.  Needed perp help.

64. Words before "Gave proof through the night" : IN AIR.  I hope we all know what song this is.

65. Clerical residence : MANSE.

66. Short snooze : NAP.  I haven't had one in a while.

67. Incessantly : NO END.  Sometimes ON END, and that never seems right.

68. Like one's big brother : ELDER.  I wonder if this is how my little sister thinks of me.  I don't think I'll ask.

69. Chowed down : ATE.  Or, perhaps, devoured.

Down:

 1. "Lawrence of Arabia" and others : EPICS.  The story, not the man.

2. Bat maker's tool : LATHE.  A small theme echo, perhaps.
 

3. "Wake Up, Little __" : SUSIE.  The Everly Brothers, from back when I was a pre-teen
 

4. Girl Scouts emblem : TREFOIL.  French for three leaves, it's a stylized clover image with three profiles superimposed.  Also a cookie.

 

Image Source

5. Protagonist : HERO.  Is a protagonist sandwich made with provolone?
 

6. "Yeah, like that'll happen!" : AS IF. Sarcasm.
 

7. Sleuths, briefly : TECS. 
 

8. New York's __ Island : STATEN. 
 

9. Hardly G-rated : PROFANE.
 

10. Win by trumping, in bridge : RUFF.  That is the correct word.  If you say, "I trumped it," some stuffy bridge player will look at you funny.
 

11. Que. neighbor : ONT.  Quebec and Ontario, Canadian provinces.
 

12. Beehive State native language : UTE.  And eponym for the state.  Nice cluster of Native American words.
 

13. Put on : DON.  As in, gay apparel.
 

21. Doesn't need to be drafted : ENLISTS.  Two ways to get into the armed forces.
 

22. Bush spokesman Fleischer : ARI.
 

25. One-way sign shape : ARROW.
 

26. Wavy pattern : MOIRE.  Looks MOIRE less like this.

Source

 

27. "Doe, ___ ..." : A DEER.  I still hate that awful song.
 

29. APO mail recipients : GI'S.  American military service personnel.
 

30. FDR's successor : HST. Harry S. Truman was president after Franklin Delano Roosevelt.  The S didn't stand for anything.  It's true, man.
 

31. Opposable digit : THUMB.  But I've never been opposed to THUMBS.
 

32. Start the assignment : GET ON IT.  I associate these words with "right away."
 

33. Moistens : DAMPS. Dampens - sure; DAMPS - I dunno.  Looks like gratuitous verberization.
 

34. Inventor Howe : ELIAS. He invented the sewing machine.  HOWE 'bout dat!
 

35. Ballroom dance, in Burgundy : VALSE.  Waltz, in Brooklyn.  Ravel.
 

39. Green veggie : PEA. Comes in a pod.
 

40. Flight stat. : ALT.  Altitude.  Not the usual 3 letter flight abbrv.
 

43. Wine list presenter : STEWARD.   Why did I want sommelier?
 

45. Maine dish : LOBSTER.  Another nice word play. I've never been to Maine, but I did have LOBSTER in Rhode Island.
 

47. __ polloi : HOI.  Greek to me, meaning "the many," and used in English to insultingly denote the unwashed masses comprising about 47% of the population.
 

48. Digestive protein : ENZYME. A protein molecule that acts as a catalyst in digestive processes.
 

52. Rigg who played Mrs. Peel : DIANA.  Of course. Now Lady Olenna Tyrell, as you can see at the photo source link.

 

 Source

53. Brilliance : ECLAT. A learning moment.  It comes into English via Old French.
 

54. Internet calling service : SKYPE.  The next best thing to being there.
 

55. One of 16 in a 4x4 tile: Abbr. : SQ. IN.  Square Inch - simple - no?  But here is where Joel beat me severely about the head and shoulders with a sheleighly.  Having missing the "Q" in BURQA there was no way I could make sense of SKIN for this fill, no matter how hard I SQINted.
 

56. Enthusiasm : ZEAL. But my ZEAL did not wane.
 

57. Catch, as a fish : LAND.  Can you LAND a fish if you're in a boat?
 

58. Being, to Brutus : ESSE.  Latin.
 

59. Storage receptacle : BIN.  As, the dust bin of history.
 

60. Colorful card game : UNO.  Good game to play with the grand kiddies.
 

61. Actress Charlotte : RAE.  Edna Garrett, from  the TV sitcoms "Diff'rent Strokes" and "The Facts of Life", which I never watched.

Well, I'm a bit bruised, but survived.  Time to take some acetaminophen and head for bed. How did you do?

Cool Regards!

JzB 

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to Don "Hard G", my very gifted, patient and generous mentor & friend!

Don & his lovely wife Barbie

Tuesday, July 9, 2013 Jack McInturff

Theme: Quiet! - Each word in these two-word entries admonish us to hush. Sh! Sh!

20A. 12-gauge ammo : SHOTGUN SHELLS

33A. Little consideration : SHORT SHRIFT. Word Origin & History: O.E. scrift "confession to priest, followed by penance and absolution," verbal noun from scrifan "to impose penance" (see shrive). Short shrift was originally the brief time for a condemned criminal to confess before execution (1594); fig. extension to "little or no consideration" is first attested 1814.

40A. Woolgatherer's tool : SHEEP SHEARS. Windhover?

49A. Eye protection for a tot's bath : SHAMPOO SHIELD

"Argyle here", he whispers. "I found this easier than yesterday's but mum's the word."

Across:

1. Pequod captain : AHAB

5. Online diary : BLOG

9. "My stars!" : "EGADS!"

14. Sagan of "Cosmos" : CARL

15. Capital NW of Napoli : ROMA. In Italia.

16. Challenges : DARES

17. Tex-Mex fare : TACO

18. Piece of news : ITEM

19. Flash of starlight : GLINT. It could have been better clued, IMO.

23. Talc-to-diamond hardness scale inventor : MOHS. Friedrich.

24. Tic-tac-toe win : OOO

25. Hush-hush : COVERT. Snuck in a theme related?

28. Baseball family name : ALOU

30. Tiny, to tam wearers : SMA'. I wanted WEE.

35. Harbor vessel : TUG

36. Squares with dinner rolls : PATS. I hate when they're ice hard.

37. NFL fifth periods : OTs. (overtimes)

38. Olin of "Alias" : LENA. A crossword regular but not so much in the TV series, "Alias". She was in 27 out of 105.

39. Lode load : ORE

44. Road crew goo : TAR

45. Sharing pronoun : OURS

46. Janitor's tool : WET MOP

47. Jungle __ : GYM

48. Lip soother : BALM

55. Reason for some food recalls : E. COLI

56. Pro foe : ANTI

57. Turner in a barbecue : SPIT

59. Pin place : LAPEL

60. Genuine : REAL

61. "Contents could cause Dad to make breakfast" brand : EGGO

62. Pat down : FRISK

63. Indian dress : SARI

64. Bridge position : EAST

Down:

1. Play a part : ACT

2. Lukas of "Witness" : HAAS. The little Amish boy who witnesses a murder.

3. Elaborate entrance : ARCH

4. They may be late : BLOOMERS. Show us your bloomers!

 5. High beams : BRIGHTS

6. Sacred flower, in Hinduism : LOTUS

7. Prophetic sign : OMEN

8. Looker's legs : GAMS

9. Beat by a nose : EDGE OUT

10. Winemaking giant : GALLO

11. Seed pod : ARIL. Close enough.

12. Man caves, perhaps : DENS

13. Old jet set jet, briefly : SST

21. Legal wrong : TORT. I much prefer a torte.

22. Filly's foot : HOOF

25. 100 smackers : C SPOT. Snuck in a Roman numeral.

26. Butler's bride : O'HARA

27. Election participant : VOTER

28. __ liberales: universidad course : ARTES. (liberal arts)

29. Daffy Duck has one : LISP

30. Iron emission : STEAM

31. Canadian storywriter Alice : MUNRO. Perps. LINK to Wiki.

32. Shocked : AGASP

34. Gardener attacking weeds, say : HOER

38. "Hmm ..." : "LET ME SEE". Yes, what I said after the previous entry.

40. Coffee additive for the lactose intolerant : SOY MILK

41. Camel feature : HUMP

42. One of Kenya's official languages : SWAHILI

43. Prefix with port : HELI

47. Strong winds : GALES

48. Massive, relatively hot luminous body : B STAR

49. Wound reminder : SCAR

50. Pueblo Indian : HOPI

51. Boathouse equipment : OARS

52. Draft category : ONE A

53. Nancy Lopez's org. : LPGA. (Ladies Professional Golf Association)

54. Works on a trench : DIGS

55. Sprite : ELF

58. Little shaver : TOT

Argyle

Monday, July 8, 2013 Gail Grabowski and Bruce Venzke

Theme: Anything for me? - The last word of the theme entries might be in the mail. Honest!

21A. Wild West showman : BUFFALO BILL. OK, definitely in the mail.

54A. Character written in kindergarten : BLOCK LETTER. Probably from Geico, et al.

3D. Ticket from a postponed ball game : RAIN CHECK. May not be in the mail.

35D. Game accessory with 24 numbered squares : BINGO CARD. E-cards are all right but you can't save them for years in the bottom of a drawer.

39A. Sack on a red-white-and-blue truck, which can hold the ends of 21- and 54-Across and 3- and 35-Down : MAIL BAG. Papa's Got a Brand New Bag(2:05)

Argyle here. The duo have given us a challenge for a Monday in a neat pinwheel around the unifier. Well done.

Across:

1. __ acid: antiseptic cleaner : BORIC. Multipurpose household item

6. Raindrop sound : [PLOP]

10. Hunter's quarry : PREY

14. Texas shrine : ALAMO

15. Civil rights icon Parks : ROSA

16. Mortgage adjustment, briefly : REFI. (refinance)

17. Figure of speech : IDIOM

18. Waikiki's whereabouts : OAHU

19. Aunt Bee's grandnephew : OPIE

20. Countdown kickoff : TEN. nine, eight, seven, ...

24. Makes small talk : CHATS

26. Did some pressing work? : IRONED

27. South Pacific island : TAHITI

29. Spotless : CLEAN

31. Sent packing : AXED

32. Egyptian portrayed by Liz : CLEO

34. Prize with six categories : NOBEL.

Physics ( decided by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences )

Chemistry ( decided by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences )

Physiology or Medicine (decided by the Karolinska Institute )

Literature ( decided by the Swedish Academy )

Peace (decided by a committee appointed by the Norwegian Storting )

Economics ( decided by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences )

Source: wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobel_Prize

38. Dwarf wearing specs : DOC

41. Savings option, briefly : IRA

42. A parolee may wear a monitor on it : ANKLE

44. Vehicle on runners : SLED

45. Door opener : KNOB

46. Muse who inspires poets : ERATO

48. Barcelona buddies : AMIGOS

50. Phase : ASPECT

53. NFL replay aid : SLO-MO

57. Foldable sleeper : COT

60. Criticize severely : BASH

61. Good-sized home site : ACRE

62. Arcade pioneer : ATARI

64. Dust Bowl refugee : OKIE

65. Send, as packages : SHIP

66. Enticed : LURED

67. Asian holidays : TETs

68. Does better than : TOPS

69. Grasslike marsh plant : SEDGE

Down:

1. Angler's bucketful : BAIT. My angler was successful, his bucket was full of fish...for a while.

2. Shoppe adjective : OLDE

4. "If you ask me," in texts : IMO. (In My Opinion)

5. Battle : COMBAT

6. Univ. employees : PROFs

7. Waste time : LOAF

8. Dept. of Labor protection arm : OSHA

9. Talking parrot of film : PAULIE

10. Free, as legal work : PRO BONO

11. Fasten anew : REPIN

12. Use TurboTax, say : E-FILE

13. Triangular traffic sign : YIELD

22. New York city : UTICA

23. Malaysian ape : ORANG

25. Stayed out of sight : HID

27. "I did it!" : "TA-DA!"

28. Neural transmitter : AXON

29. Yo-Yo Ma's instrument : CELLO

30. Ear part : LOBE

33. Marketgoer's memo : LIST

36. Suffix with switch : EROO

37. "CSI" facilities : LABS

39. Pharmaceutical giant : MERCK

40. Allan-__: Robin Hood cohort : A-DALE. Allan-a-Dale (also spelled Allen-a-Dale, Alan-a-Dale, Allin-a-Dale, Allan A'Dayle etc.) is a figure in the Robin Hood legend. According to the stories, he was a wandering minstrel who became a member of Robin's band of outlaws, the "Merry Men."

43. Bloodsuckers : LEECHES

45. Actress Basinger : KIM. Hot.

47. "It's about time!" : "AT LAST!"

49. Fable conclusions : MORALS

50. Monk's superior : ABBOT

51. Quench : SLAKE

52. Assume to be true : POSIT

53. Staircase units : STEPS. Meh.

55. Canyon feedback : ECHO

56. Lose one's footing : TRIP

58. Calif. neighbor : OREG. (Oregon)

59. Ocean motion : TIDE

63. Wed. preceder : TUE.

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Here are two more pictures of Lemonade's beautiful granddaughter Charlotte. Please click here for more. Oh, I just noticed she's wearing earrings. She's just so pretty!

 

 

Sunday July 7, 2013 Gail Grabowski

Theme: "Tee Time"- TY (Tee sound) is added to each two-word theme entry.

27A. Really old deck of cards? : RATTY PACK. Rat Pack.

29A. Feline in the headlines? : PRESS KITTY. Press kit.

48A. Thief who begs to be arrested? : CRIME NOVELTY. Crime novel. 

65A. Frogumentary? : WARTY FILM. War film. Fun clue.

82A. Price tag on a toilet for tots? : POTTY STICKER. We call it Jiaozi in China.

101A. Humongous harbor wall? : JUMBO JETTY. Jumbo jet. Asiana has great food. I still think Cathay Pacific is the best.

104A. Sitcom with spiteful scripts? : CATTY SHOW. Cat show.

36D. Flickering bulb? : SPOTTY LIGHT. Spotlight. The only entry where the base phrase is one word.

40D. Nitpicking kid minder? : PETTY SITTER. Pet sit.

This is another puzzle where the theme entries start at Row 4 rather than Row 3. Gail likes this kind of Across & Down pinwheel design. 

If she had a pair of 13's rather than 12's, she might have put a pair of 9 & 11 in Row 3. Grid design is rather subjective, just like fill.

Across:

1. Put one's hands together, in a way : CLAP

5. Apple products : MACs

9. Concert memorabilia : STUBS

14. Preserves, in a way : SALTS

19. Hip dance? : HULA

20. "Summertime," for one : ARIA

21. They're forbidden : NONOs. Like D-Otto's Russian triangle.

22. Genre of Vasarely's "Zebras" : OP ART

23. Before thou know'st : ANON

24. Many a cheerleader : GIRL

25. Golf green border : APRON. I call it fringe.

26. South-of-the-border residences : CASAs

31. Catamaran mover : SAIL

32. WWII torpedo vessel : E-BOAT

33. "Uh-uh" : NAH

34. Guarantee : ASSURE

37. Like skilled negotiators : SHREWD

39. Perch in a pond : LILY PAD

43. __ Robert: nickname for pitcher Bob Feller : RAPID. Also "Bullet Bob". 44 shutouts.

44. Watchdog breed : AKITA

45. Go bad : ROT

46. From Athens to Augusta, Ga. : ESE

47. When some deadlocks are broken, briefly : IN OT

52. Word alphabetizers ignore : THE. I pronounced it as "de" when I started learning English. TH is not easy.

53. Get stuck for, as a cost : EAT

54. Stroked tools : OARS. Huh?

55. Mouth piece? : LIP

56. Sunrise service occasion : EASTER

58. Jazz nickname : SATCHMO. Louis Armstrong.

60. Wrecker's fee : TOWAGE. Spelling check does not like this word.

63. Hickman who portrayed Dobie Gillis : DWAYNE

64. Decade divs. : YRs

68. Where Hillary was a sen. : NYS (NY State)

69. Miss the beginning : BE LATE

72. Macadamia product : NUT OIL. Not fond of macadamia or pecans.

73. Quitter's words : I RESIGN

77. Tampico pals : AMIGOS. Never heard of Tampico.

78. Union agreement? : I DO

79. Epitome of virility : STUD

80. Excessively : TOO

81. Christmas cupful : NOG

87. Initial step : A TO B

88. Ultimate power : NTH

89. Certain suit top : BRA. Bathing suit.

90. Deduce : INFER

91. 1980s attorney general : MEESE (Ed)

92. Uncaged : SET FREE

95. Cuddly companion : LAP DOG

97. It's not good to be over one : BARREL. Oh, over a barrel.

98. Dawn deity : EOS. This is Lemonade's word.

99. People now known as Sami : LAPPS

100. Mark's successor : EURO

109. Sweetheart : SUGAR

110. Trying to lose, after "on" : A DIET

111. Share a border with : ABUT

112. Makeshift swing : TIRE

113. Saxon leader? : ANGLO. Anglo Saxon.

114. Old laundry soap : RINSO

115. Start over : RE-DO

116. They're drawn in bars : ALES

117. Saunter : MOSEY

118. Conservative IRA asset : T-NOTE

119. WWII weapon : STEN

120. Traffic sound : TOOT

Down:

1. Turn black : CHAR

2. Moon goddess : LUNA

3. Often : A LOT

4. Saint Laurent's Le Smoking, e.g. : PANTSUIT

5. Chatterbox : MAGPIE

6. Serif-free font : ARIAL

7. Copies per day, say: Abbr. : CIRC

8. Virologist Jonas : SALK

9. Edible with a crisp pod : SNAP BEAN. I just harvested a few snap peas.

10. Cheap-seats spot : TOP ROW

11. Like much small print : UNREAD

12. Leg up : BOOST

13. Three-part figs. : SSNs

14. Gregarious : SOCIAL. Lucina's sisters are all gregarious.

15. Ho-hum feeling : APATHY

16. Wear : LAST

17. Server's aid : TRAY

18. Rd. atlas listings : STs

28. Place to play bocce, perhaps : YARD

30. Like sweaters : KNITTED

32. "Symphony in Black" artist : ERTE

34. Taurus neighbor : ARIES

35. Arabian peninsula capital : SANA'A. Yemen.

37. Items on an auto rack : SKIS

38. "I Will Follow ___": 1963 chart-topper : HIM

39. Twitter titter, and then some : LOL

41. Visibly frightened : ASHEN

42. Mower handle? : DEERE. Can't fool me.

44. Hood's missile : ARROW. Robin Hood.

45. Force back : REPEL

48. Baby or nanny follower : CAM.  Male nanny = Manny.

49. Norwegian king, 995-1000 : OLAF I

50. Watch : VIGIL

51. Was about to nod, maybe : YAWNED

54. "Quit worrying about it" : OH STOP. This comment is from a man!

57. Comes out with : SAYS

59. Mountaineer's challenge : CRAG. Dictionary says it's "A steep rugged mass of rock projecting upward or outward."

60. Pete's wife on "Mad Men" : TRUDY

61. Bismarck et al. : OTTOS

62. Devils Tower st. : WYO (Wyoming). I've only used WY.

66. Santa __ racetrack : ANITA

67. Carpentry joint : MITER

69. Premarital posting : BANNS

70. Act the wrong way? : EMOTE

71. Anka hit with a Spanish title : ESO BESO

74. Capek play about automatons : R.U.R.. It introduced the word "robot".

75. Silly sort : GOOSE

76. Dynamite guy? : NOBEL. Nice clue.

79. Surfboard fin : SKEG

83. Half of sei : TRE

84. What one might sneak out on : TIPPY TOE

85. Swing voters: Abbr. : INDS. Independents.

86. Fiscal exec : CFO

87. Balloon or blimp : AEROSTAT. New word to me.

91. Gardener of rhyme : MARY. "Mary, Mary, quite contrary / How does your garden grow?...". I drew a blank. Nursery rhyme often stumps me.

93. What "F" often means : FEMALE

94. Cocktail with scotch : ROB ROY

95. Bodega patron : LATINO

96. Most fitting : APTEST

97. Symbol of precision : BUTTON. "Neat as a button", right?

99. Escorted : LED IN

100. Scriabin composition : ETUDE. Alexander Scriabin.

101. Jupiter's wife : JUNO. Hera in Greek.

102. Trendy warm boots : UGGS

103. Lawn game missile : JART

104. They're sometimes seen in jams : CARS

105. Partner of aid : ABET

106. Big Island port : HILO

107. Versatile cookie : OREO

108. Wild place, once : WEST

109. Avuncular top hat wearer : SAM. Uncle Sam.

C.C.