Friday, June 21, 2013, Ed Sessa

THEME: The long "S."

the LINK.

When I was in college and we read Shakespeare, our professor would drag out an old volume which was printed in old English where the "s" in the beginning and middle of the words looked like the letter "f." So in this wonderfully witty offering from Dr. Ed Sessa, the "s" sound in words are replaced with F where the they sound like S. The 'sounds like' aspect is really well done, but the added bonus of the long S versus the minuscule S made it great for me. Also, working "Lilliputian" and "Brobdingnagian" into the clues in same puzzle is awesome (with a hidden bonus); only 9 three letter words and nice non-theme fill like FLURRIED, GUFFAWED, SCOUT OUT, SCREW TOP make this a really nice Friday. I believe this is our 17th from Ed, and the last one I blogged was a double ZZ puzzle back in February. Let's start our day with a song from a Z who died too young.

20A. Dog aficionados?: GREYHOUND BUFFS.(BUS). (14). Buffs being a slang for someone interested in something big time, and a Greyhound bus is, well a bus. I had hound from the perps, but this fell after I got

34A. Lilliputian ocean formations?: PEE WEE REEFS. (REESE). (11). The old Dodger shortstop becomes a little reef, excellent.

40A. Fodder for the British tabloids?: NOBLE GAFFES. (GASES).(11). They love their royalty, and they love skewering them in the press. I still do not know why a GAS would want to be Noble, maybe Barnes knows.

54A. Reason for many December returns?: CHRISTMAS GOOFS.(GOOSE).(14). Back in GB where the goose rather than the turkey is the fowl of choice.

on with the show.

Across:

1 "Apostrophe (')" rocker: ZAPPA. My friend Edgar Riley played keyboards for him; Frank died of prostate cancer.

6 Decide not to run: KILL. I had the hardest time convincing myself to put the K in but KAPUT was solid, and I guess if you do not go forward with a project you kill it.

10 Artist van __: GOGH. Earie clue.

14 Works about the country: IDYLS. Damn variant spelling slowed me down wanting two Ls.

15 It may involve pi: AREA..

16 Bone used in pronation: ULNA.. This is our bone of the month apparently.

17 Multiple Grammy winner Jones: NORAH.  A fabulous VOICE (2:34) for the daughter of sitar master Ravi Shankar.

18 Party animal?: PONY. rent a pony or a clown.

19 Debussy’s “Prelude to the Afternoon of a __”: FAUN. Very soothing MUSIC(.5:12), very tough clue.

23 Word seen annually on a November People magazine cover: SEXIEST.

24 Grisham’s gp.: ABA. America Bar Association. In the real world, not an important organization to lawyers.

25 Bit of needlework: TAT. Funny, I read articles by young people who seem to think tattoos and piercings are new.

26 Common soft drink feature: SCREW TOP. I had the top, but it took a while to get to SCREW. I am getting old.

31 Current type: EBB. Maybe my enthusiasm ebbed.

36 “__ the opinion ...”: I'M OF. Initially, did not see the 'the' so I had IN MY, that was bad.

38 Conan Doyle title: SIR. Not one of his books, but himself.

39 Artist who wrote “Diary of a Genius”: DALI. He makes sense of the term twisted genius; I love how he was portrayed in Midnight in Paris.

45 May honorees: MAS. Moms would not fit, I almost gave up in Spanish like Roberto Duran.

46 Search for: SCOUT OUT. This took work and perps, but I like it.

47 Bygone flier: TWA. Not a bird, and airline.

49 McClanahan of “The Golden Girls”: RUE. Only Betty White lives, they almost switched. LINK.(2:55).

50 Classic Stutz: BEARCAT. I heard so much about this car as a child.

58 Kapalua Airport site: MAUI.

59 Father of Phobos: ARES. here we go again with more war.

60 Rhymes of rap: BUSTA. I cannot censor, so WATCH (3:21) at your own risk.

61 Hunger: URGE. This Corner was tough for me.

62 Buzz cut’s lack: PART. So simple, in retrospect.

63 Starlike flower: ASTER. The names comes from the Latin, ASTRUM,  and should remind you of asteroids or astral projection.

64 Horse show: MR ED. I am embarrassed to say, I had an M RED moment, before I remembered he was a horse of course. We have had one of our own at the corner. I should have recalled Dr. Sessa' s wonderful Mr. Ed puzzle.

65 Sport with a wired weapon: EPEE.

66 Park and drive: GEARS. My first thought was lots, but my brain awoke, and came out of neutral.

Down:

1 Sharp put-downs: ZINGS.  Of course for us it is THIS.(1:28).

2 Esteem to the max: ADORE.

3 Lab glass: PYREX. All you want to know about borosilicate GLASS.

4 Start of an oft misquoted 1942 film line: PLAY IT. Again Sam, is the misquote; oddly the words said start the same, but go on "Sam, you played it for her..."

5 Valueless pile: ASH HEAP. Diabolical to have two Hs next to each other in a word.

6 Down the tubes: KAPUT.

7 Element abundant in liver: IRON.

8 __ a hand: LEND. 

9 Expose: LAY BARE. More nice non-theme words requiring thought. Almost enough of an excuse to link Ygritte naked.

10 Didn’t just chuckle: GUFFAWED. At first, I was thinking with the FF, this might be part of the theme, but it is just a nice word.

11 Norway’s patron saint: OLAF. I think our Norwegian readers get more shout outs than anyone else.

12 African bovines: GNUS. I am sure this was not new to you and you knew the GNU.

13 Dynasty after the Qin: HAN. No relation to Solo or ukkah.

21 Bone: Pref.: OSTE.oporosis for example.

22 Over, to Ulrich: UBER.

26 Fleet: SWIFT. This for me is the subtle highlight of the work, as the clue was tricky, not dealing with lots of cars or trucks, but also is the surname of Jonathan Swift who wrote about the Lilliputians and the Brobdingnagians.

27 Co-panelist with Francis and Kilgallen: CERF.

28 Group with lineups: TEAM. And no I.

29 “Man __Mancha”: OF LA. (OLAF anagram?)  My inspiration, Don Quixote.

30 Three-pronged letters: PSIS. Ψ, ψ, he sighed.

31 A tenth of zehn: EINS. German Ten and One.

32 UCLA VIP, e.g.: BMOC. Big Man On Campus.

33 Former wrestling star __ Brazil: BOBO. I used to sit and watch the wrestling, Killer Kowalski, Bruno Sammartino with my grandfather; great bonding moments. WATCH. (2:00).

35 Genesis twin: ESAU.

37 Came down without sticking, usually: FLURRIED. I was snowed by this clue for the longest time.

41 Case for some small, sharp items: ETUI. Sewing stuff.

42 Blows one’s stack: GOES APE.

43 Hot times in the cité: ETES. Summer which starts this year at 1:00 AM EDT. Apparently now we must see this fill everyday until fall.

44 Party parting gift: SWAG BAG. Nice rhyme and to me more related to events than parties.

48 Motivate: AROUSE. Yes, I do recall trying to motivate a young lady recently, when... oh, never mind.

50 Tend to a duck: BASTE. Don't feed it, cook it.

51 __ del Sol: COSTA.

52 Hunting: AFTER. Not my first choice, but the perps led the way and it does work.

53 Alexander et al.: TSARS. Making a clue comeback this week. 

54 “The Alienist” author: CARR. Caleb, a wonderful book.

55 Brobdingnagian: HUGE. We had the little, now the big.

56 Crab pot, e.g.: TRAP.

57 Not much more than: MERE. Just one clue away from the end, it should take a mere minute.

58 Fall bloom: MUM. is the word.

So it is time to pack my needles and and my barbs into my etui and go off into the night. Thanks Ed for a really challenging Friday, and thank you all for being here and checking in. Lemonade out.

Note from C.C.:

1) Below are a few beautiful photos from Marti's Italy trip. Please click here for more. Notice the name of that store (#4)?

  The view from our balcony in Rapallo, Italy (on the "Italian Riviera")

Wine and pizza for lunch - how cliched!!

  Joe cool! (Marti's husband Allen)

2) Lucina is visiting CA at the moment. The California coven gathered at Dodo's place yesterday. 

Left to right: Lucina, Chickie, Dodo, Garlic Gal & JD

3) Belated Happy Anniversary to Chickie and her husband Bill!

Thursday, June 20, 2013 Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: "Candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker." Ogden Nash

18A. Meeting of a select few : CLOSED FORUM.

24A. Crier's cry : HEAR YE HEAR YE.

39A. Estuary : TIDAL RIVER MOUTH.

51A. Shipping datum : PORT OF ORIGIN.

And the unifier:

60A. Bit of one-upmanship...and what can be found at the end of 18-, 24-, 39- and 51-Across? : PARTING SHOT. Each of the theme entries contains a hidden shot of booze at the end. How cool is that? This puzzle reminded me of Don G.'s martini mix from a couple years ago. Funny how some puzzles just stay in your memory long after the solve is finished.

Jeff saw me off on my trip to Europe, and now he welcomes me back to the corner with another great Thursday puzzle. I have come to love his stacked long non-theme entries like TO THE POINT, FREE ALL DAY, YOU'VE GOT ME and his word-of-the-day AUTODIDACT.

This will be brief, because it is late and I flew for 14 hours to get back home. But let's see what else Jeffrey has for us.

Across:

1. Org. with bomb-sniffing dogs : ATF. Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. The complete name is "Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives." The beagles at Logan airport are so cute, but you mustn't pet them!  (I found this out first-hand.)

4. Actor in many Tim Burton films : DEPP. "Edward Scissorhands" is still one of my favorite Depp/Burton films. 2:05

8. Chewed the fat : GABBED.

14. ___ favor : POR. Tough to see the Spanish without an upside down question mark or other accent.

15. Dunn's "___ Minnow Pea: A Novel in Letters" : ELLA. The full title of the hardcover version is Ella Minnow Pea: a progressively lipogrammatic epistolary fable, while the paperback version is titled Ella Minnow Pea: A Novel without Letters.

16. Bird in a dugout : ORIOLE. Baseball! (And I actually got it!)

17. Suburban suffix : ITE.

20. Old queen's land : SHEBA.

22. Spot for a mineral scrub : SPA.

23. "Xanadu" band, briefly : ELO. Electric Light Orchestra. Do I dare to link it?

29. TV type : PLASMA.

30. British East Africa, now : KENYA. Geography lesson.

33. It rises in el este : SOL. The "sun" in Spanish, rises in "the east."

34. Nile wader : IBIS.

37. Dark suds : STOUT.

43. Like a maternal grandmother : ENATE.

44. Spare in a boot : TYRE. Brit spelling, Brit "boot" instead of "trunk."

45. ___ populi : VOX. Latin for "voice of the people." Like Jay Leno's "Jaywalking" interviews.

46. Bringing together : TYING.

48. Progressed slowly : INCHED.

55. Kimono accessory : OBI.

58. Collector's item? : IOU. Fun clue!

59. Lyric poem : EPODE.

65. Roofing goo : TAR.

66. Marzipan base : ALMOND. "Mozart" chocolates are ubiquitous in Vienna, and have a marzipan filling. I don't really like them - too sweet!

67. Casserole fish : TUNA.

68. Early 12th century year : MCV. 1105, to us Americans.  I saw lots of Roman numerals in Italy!

69. With 40-Down, follows restaurant protocol : LEAVES. and 40-Down. See 69-Across : A TIP.

70. Spotted : SEEN.

71. Cézanne's warm season : ETE. French for "summer." Cezanne had a fascination with skulls.

Down:

1. Inane : APISH.

2. Terse : TO THE POINT.

3. Without a single appointment : FREE ALL DAY.

4. Breaks down : DECAYS.

5. Tetris piece : ELL. These are all the pieces:

6. Ramallah-based gp. : PLO. Palestine Liberation Organization.

7. Out of favor : PASSE.

8. Stop transmitting, as a radio station : GO DARK. How can a radio "go dark?" Do the dials not glow any more?

9. Lab report? : ARF. Funny.  Labrador retriever's bark.

10. A&E offering : BIO.graphy.

11. Party pooper : BORE.

12. Jewish month after Av : ELUL. Have you memorized your Jewish months yet?

13. Sales rep's tool : DEMO.

19. Emissions watchdog gp. : EPA. Environmental Protection Agency.

21. Spandex garment : BRA. I like spandex shorts, myself!

25. Mideast VIP : EMIR.

26. Target of a New Year's resolution : HABIT.

27. Quaint agreement : YES'M. DH always says "Yes, Ma'am"....even to me!

28. Within: Pref. : ENTO. I wanted "endo."

31. "I'm stumped!" : YOU'VE GOT ME.

32. Self-taught individual : AUTODIDACT. Word of the day!

33. Fr. holy woman : STE. "Sainte."

35. Trellis adornment : IVY.

36. Stroke lacking in many modern fonts : SERIF. Like this.

38. Texter's gratitude : THX. Modern clue for abbreviation = "Text."

41. Car-collecting TV host : LENO. Why isn't his name pronounced LEE-noh?

42. '90s attorney general : RENO. Why isn't her name pronounced REHN-oh?

47. Runs through the mill : GRINDS.

49. Like El Greco and the Minotaur : CRETAN. From the isle of Crete.

50. With it : HIP.

52. Dress (up) : TOG. We have had this discussion before...

53. Gives the boot : OUSTS.

54. "The ___!" : NERVE.

55. Down Under gem : OPAL. Pretty!

56. Agricultural unit : BALE. Not "acre."

57. "Garfield" waitress : IRMA. Not pretty!

61. Good, in Hebrew : TOV. WAG - I thought of the salutation "Mazel tov."

62. Like Mendelssohn's Piano Sonata No. 1 : IN E. Finally!!  A musical interlude.

63. Color quality : HUE.

64. Unique : ONE. And on this ONE, I am done!!

Hugs from a jet-lagged and party-pooped Marti.

Wenesday, June 19, 2013 Gareth Bain

Theme: WEIRD TALES - The first word of each two-word theme answer is an anagram of TALES.  Weird is used to indicate that the letters of TALES have been morphed into some strange new form - a typical trick often used in crossword clues where a verb is used to indicate that the letters have been mixed, altered, or otherwise tampered with.

17A. Get closer to home? : STEAL THIRD.  Our first WEIRD TALE, and a bit of baseball, too.

25A. Electrical device named for its inventor : TESLA COIL.  This plaything, invented by Nikola TESLA looks like it belongs on The Forbidden Planet.  Tesla was a brilliant engineer and inventor, and might have been a bit Weird, even without the COIL.

36A. Chestnut : STALE JOKE.  I googled "world's oldest joke" and actually came up with it. 

51A. Dress pants shade : SLATE GRAY.  Perfect with a classic navy blue blazer

And the unifier, 62 A. Classic horror magazine, and a literal hint to the beginning of 17-, 25-, 36-, and 51-Across : WEIRD TALES.

 All COIL, no TESLA

Hi gang, JzB here.  Just home from rehearsal and ready to see what sort of adventure Gareth will lead us on today.

Across:

1. Fictional circumnavigator Phileas : FOGG.  "Around the World in 80 Days."

5. Like weather that makes hair frizz : MUGGY.  Hot and damp.

10. European auto : SAAB.  AUDI and MERC fit.

14. Beach bird : GULL.  Here in the Great Lakes region, we see them in grocery store parking lots.

15. Cool place to live? : IGLOO.  An ice house

16. Et __ : ALIA.  And others, in Latin.  But Kazie et alia knew that.

19. Kitten's plaything : YARN.  I'm not a cat lover, but I've heard such TALES.

20. Fortuneteller's card : TAROT.  Perhaps a tool for divination, or to focus your psychic energies.

21. Near-failing grades : DEES. 

23. Lo mein additive : MSG.  MonoSodium Glutamate, used a flavor enhancer, and abundant in Chinese cooking - at least in North America. Back in China, probaly not.  C.C. ? (From C.C.: Widely used in China too. Never gave me headache.)

24. Less valid, excusewise : LAMER.  Less LAME.  Awkward looking and sounding word. 

27. "South Park" baby brother : IKE.  Never watched it, but I still know that Kenny dies.

28. __-wop : DOO.   Easier to show than tell.

30. With 38-Down, "People's Court" rival : JUDGE. And  38 D. See 30-Across : JUDY.  Never watched either of them. 

31. Sacred Hindu work : VEDA.  These revealed texts are the oldest Hindu scriptures and the oldest known Sanskrit literature.

33. Space station for about 15 years : MIR.  Soviet and later Russian long term research station.

35. Approaches evening : LATENS.  Perfectly valid but WEIRD looking word.

39. Spreading Indian tree : BANYAN. 

I wouldn't get in its way

42. Puddle gunk : MUD

43. Teen safety org. : SADD.  Students Against Destructive Decisions.

47. Great Lakes natives : ERIES.  Native Americans and eponyms for a Great Lake.

48. Brief swim : DIP

50. Scand. land : NOR.  Time for a rhyme.  Neither SWE NOR FIN worked.  Note Abr. in Cl & Ans.

55. Like Oreos dropped in milk : SOGGY.

57. Eldest March sister, in a 19th-century novel : MEG.  "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott

58. Wonka's creator : DAHL. Roald. This British writer and fighter pilot was born in Wales to parents from NOR.

59. Big cheese : NABOB.  Originally a provincial governor of the Mogul empire in India.  Later a person of wealth or prominence.  Later still, members of the press corps out of favor with Spiro T Agnew, erstwhile V.P. and convicted criminal.  The phrase was used by Agnew but coined by William Safire. 

60. Big cheese in Holland : EDAM.  Why do we never get Stilton NOR Limburger?  At least we got a clecho!

65. Taj Mahal city : AGRA. Why do we never get Hyderabad NOR Bangalore?

66. Cousin of "ish" : KINDA. Sorta, more or less.

67. Artist Chagall : MARC.

My Word!

68. Use a sickle : REAP. 

69. One going behind your back : SNEAK.  A bold or careless SNEAK might go in front of your back.

70. Naysayer : ANTI.  AKA: Nattering nabob of negativism.

Down:

 1. NFL three-pointers : FGS.  National (American) Football League, and Field Goals.  Points earned by kicking the ball through the uprights.

2. DVD extra : OUT TAKE.  Scenes cut from the movie. 

3. Shone brightly : GLEAMED.  Like this.

4. Blinding light : GLARE.  Like this.

5. Item in a dugout : MITT.  Fielder's glove - more baseball!

6. "Disgusting!" : UGH.  Tigers lost tonight.  Down three in the ninth inning, one out, two on, Miggy hit into a double play.

7. Soar effortlessly : GLIDE.  Like a goose on the wing.

8. Gets with a tusk : GORES.  Pierces or stabs with a horn or tusk.  Not something we need to see. 

9. High-range song, in more ways than one : YODEL.  High register notes from the Swiss Alps.

10. "Incidentally ..." : SAY.  Oh, BTW  .  .  .

11. Pie order : A LA MODE.  Served with a scoop of ice cream.

12. Libra, for one : AIR SIGN. From the Zodiac.  There are three each of air, earth, fire and water signs.

13. "Manic Monday" band : BANGLES.  Very 80's.

18. Fauntleroy's title : LORD.  From the children's novel by English  author Frances Hodgson Burnett. It was originally published as a serial in the St. Nicholas Magazine between November 1885 and October 1886.

22. White co-worker : SAJAK.  Vanna and Pat

24. Actress Tyler : LIV.  Arwen.

Spittin' image of Luthien Tinuviel

25. Work up a sweat : TOIL.  Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and caldron bubble.

26. Affected preciousness, with "the" : CUTES.  I can see this, but I've never heard it.

29. Muscat's sultanate : OMAN.  Neighbor of Yemen and Saudi Arabia.

32. Hitherto : AS YET.  Up to now.

34. Sleep stage letters : REM.  Rapid Eye Movement, the dreaming stage.

35. Wine city near Sacramento : LODI.  Can anyone in the coven give us the LODI lowdown?

37. Used a stun gun on : TASED.  But, really, bro - don't.

39. Sully : BESMEAR.  As one's reputation.

40. TV news exec Roone : ARLEDGE.  For good or for ill, he gave us Monday Night Football.

41. Horseshoe Falls river : NIAGARA.  On the Canadian side.

44. Luanda native : ANGOLAN.  Luanda is Angola's chief seaport and administrative center.

45. Bespectacled cartoon canine who was once a CEO : DOGBERT. From Dilbert.

46. Oenophile's "sec" : DRY.  Related to the Latin, Spanish an Portuguese words for DRY.

49. Test for jrs. : PSAT.  Pre-SAT.  College admission exam with close to zero correlation with success. Scam? You decide.  Originally it meant "Scholastic Aptitude Test, " later, "Scholastic Assessment Test."  Later still it was announced, quite appropriately, that it stands for nothing.

52. Rubbernecks : GAWKS.  Here, it is a verb, not a plural noun.

53. Deutschland river : RHEIN.

54. Flared dress : A-LINE.

Looks good to me

56. "The Audacity of Hope" author : OBAMA.  He went on to a more frustrating career.

59. Third-least populous U.S. state : N. DAK.  Neighbor of Saskatchewan and Alberta.

61. "Do I have to draw you a __?" : MAP.  Really, they're side by side, just to the north.

63. Old vitamin bottle no. : RDA.  Recommended Daily Allowance.

64. Poli __ : SCI.   Political Science.

Quite a journey.  We circumnavigated the globe, had some sports, saw some sights and visited some exotic places.  Hope you enjoyed the journey.

Cool regards!

JzB

Notes from C.C.:

Jazzbumpa (Ron) and his wife Gloria drove down to Florida and visited his stepson Tom and family last month. Below are some pictures. Tom is with the Air Force. Longtime regulars probably remember the tough time for Ron's family when Tom was deployed in Afghanistan.

  

 Lauren -  Here we are with her in costume before her dance recital.

Lauren Dancing - This is her lyrical dance.

Officer Josh -  Gloria's dad was a policeman. We took his hat to Josh, who was quite delighted to have it.

Please click here for more pictures.

Tuesday, June 18, 2013 Jeff Chen

Theme: A Tribute Puzzle - A puzzle dedicated to Roger Ebert on his birthday.

17A. Longtime employer of 44-/49-Down : CHICAGO SUN-TIMES

29A. Award won by 44-/49-Down : PULITZER PRIZE

41A. Signature 44-/49-Down gesture represented by the clusters of black squares bordering this answer : TWO THUMBS UP

44-/49-Down. Late film critic born 6/18/42 : ROGER : EBERT

Argyle here. I missed the portrait until I started my write-up. Then it dawned on me; all those black squares, the unusual left-right mirror image. I didn't include 41-/45-Down as part of the theme, in part, because they didn't conform to normal crossword symmetry. I hope Jeff stops by with some insight into the construction of today's puzzle.

Across:

1. First network to show "The Wizard of Oz" : CBS-TV. (November 3, 1956)

6. Wee, like Abner : LI'L

9. Jeweler's fitting tool : SIZER. A fitting name.

14. "Easy __!": "Piece of cake!" : AS PIE. That's it! Pie with my coffee this morning.

15. Altar consent : "I DO"

16. Ridiculous : INANE

20. Sci-fi pilot Solo : HAN. (Star Wars)

21. Novelist Deighton : LEN. (crossword staple)

22. Geese formation : VEE

23. ASCAP rival : BMI. American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers and Broadcast Music, Inc., if your interested.

24. Ending for smack : EROO

26. Big name in skin care : NIVEA

28. Chow __: noodle dish : MEIN. Mmm, more food.

32. MPAA criteria, e.g. : STDs. Standards used by Motion Picture Association of America.

33. George Strait's "All My __ Live in Texas" : EX'S

34. Both Bushes, college-wise : ELIs. (Yale)

35. Sound of lament : [SOB]

37. __ alai : JAI

38. Like perennial rivals, constantly : AT IT

40. Hypotenuse, e.g. : SIDE. The square of the hypotenuse equals the sum of the squares of the other two sides - Pythagoras' theorem.

44. Cox's command : ROW. Short for coxswain, and, according to this LINK, they don't yell "Stroke" all the time.

46. Continue despite adversity : PERSIST

47. Lament : RUE

50. More than portly : OBESE

52. Hoosier St. : IND. (Indiana). Perhaps Gary can elaborate on why it's called the Hoosier state.

53. Dental care brand : ORAL B

55. Mother of the Titans : GAEA. Whoa, that's quite the story about her.

56. Half-mast fliers, at times : FLAGs. At sad times, in remembrance.

58. Berlin article : EINE

59. Ambulance team, briefly : EMTs. (Emergency Medical Technician)

60. Santa's helpers : ELVES

61. Ivan the Terrible, e.g. : TSAR

62. Hasty : RASH

63. Bruce better known as Batman : WAYNE. Shh! That's secret.

64. Bug-bugging compound : DEET

Down:

1. Treasure trove : CACHE

2. Equivalents of C's : B SHARPs

3. Daytona 500 mishap : SPINOUT

4. Muscle spasm : TIC

5. Wiener schnitzel meat : VEAL. Enough with the food.

6. Treat like a king : LIONIZE

7. They may be checked for R-rated movies : IDs

8. Blinds with angled slats : LOUVERS

9. imdb.com, e.g. : SITE. Places to be linked.

10. Pasta suffix : INI. (linguini, i.e.)

11. River along the Zambia-Zimbabwe border : ZAMBEZI. Victoria Falls.

12. Foes : ENEMIES

13. Piny ooze : RESIN

18. Mannerly fellow : GENT

19. Tide type : NEAP. Yeah, not the soap.

25. "A picture is worth ...," e.g. : OLD SAW. Origin: before 950(really old); Middle English; Old English sagu; cognate with German Sage, Old Norse saga saga; akin to say. So just an old saying, I guess.

27. Really irritate : VEX

28. Social sphere : MILIEU

30. Elemental variant : ISOTOPE

31. Entertains, as a tot at bedtime : READS TO

36. Mark from Dracula : BITE

37. Triangular sails : JIBS

39. Manila fight nickname : THRILLA. The Thrilla in Manila was the third and final boxing match between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier.

40. Tiny bit : SMIDGEN

41. "The movies won't be the same without 44-Down" and others : TWEETS and 45D. President who wrote the 41-Down quote : OBAMA

42. SEALs' gp. : U.S. NAVY

43. Eulogize : PRAISE

48. Radii-paralleling bones : ULNAE. Oh, didn't I mention yesterday there would be a quiz.

51. Beauty contest accessory : SASH

54. Collecting a pension: Abbr. : RET'D.

56. Handful : FEW

57. Opposite of NNW : SSE

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Here are a few more pictures from JD's trip. She also told me "I did learn that only the Highlanders wore kilts, like our tour guide - who was both Irish and Scottish- and the Lowlanders wear tartans, just the slacks made up of their family's plaid."

Those yellow fields are growing rapeseed which makes canola oil.

We took a ride in a jaunting car through a beautiful park after a boat ride in one of
the 3 lakes in Killarney.

View from the Edinburgh Castle.

One more picture of the handsome Truman who sometimes plays Scrabble on grandma's iPad. Click here, you'll see all how much Truman has grown.

Monday, June 17, 2013 Patti Varol

Theme: Pail Face - The last word of the theme entries can precede the unifier.

18A. Longtime UCLA coach known as the "Wizard of Westwood" : JOHN WOODEN. Wooden bucket.

23A. Cracks a little joke to ease tension, say : BREAKS THE ICE. Ice bucket.

38A. One no longer in his comfort zone : A FISH OUT OF WATER. Water bucket.

48A. Command sequence before shooting : READY, AIM, FIRE. Fire bucket. (These may be full of sand.)

57A. Once-in-a-lifetime agenda, or an apt description of the ends of 18-, 23-, 38- and 48-Across : BUCKET LIST

Argyle here. Today's constructor is Patti Varol so I should choose my words carefully. What a wonderful Monday puzzle. Nice long entries, including a grid spanner. The coach gave me pause (because I had a variant spelling on a perp) and some others but your results may vary. Very acceptable.

Across:

1. Phi __ Kappa : BETA. An academic honor society.

5. Legislative addendum : RIDER. Where a lot of pork slides through.

10. Future atty.'s exam : LSAT. (Law School Admission Test)

14. Security problem : LEAK

15. Greek marketplace : AGORA

16. Opposite of dry, as skin : OILY. You can find infomercials to 'cure' either condition.

17. Radius neighbor : ULNA. For you pre-meds out there.

20. Caught __-handed : RED

21. Used a stool : SAT

22. Family reunion attendee : NIECE. I attended my fiftieth class reunion this weekend; disappointing turnout.

28. 6, on a cellphone button : MNO

29. Theater walkway : AISLE

30. Blot gently : DAB

33. Picasso's movement : CUBISM. They support the Chicago Cubs?

36. Chicago-to-Atlanta dir. : SSE. I did like one of these that didn't have obscure cities.

37. Volcanic overflow : LAVA

41. Pig in a __ : POKE. A poke: 1250–1300; Middle English & Middle Dutch, whence also Old North French poque, French poche bag, pocket. In a nut shell, don't buy a bag that purports to have a pig in it without looking in the bag first.

42. Baja bear : OSO. Don't buy one in a bolsa.

43. Hitting sound : [THWACK!]

44. Mao __-tung : TSE

45. Attorney general's intern : CLERK. ?

47. __ Kippur : YOM. This year, Day of Atonement begins in the evening of Friday, September 13 and ends in the evening of Saturday, September 14.

52. Bald tire's lack : TREAD

55. Suffix with salt : INE. (saltine cracker)

56. Henpeck : NAG

61. Half of table tennis? : PING. and pong.

62. Burn balm : ALOE

63. "Yes __!" : SIREE

64. Avid about : INTO

65. Tear to shreds : REND

66. Oyster bead : PEARL

67. Self-perceptions : EGOS

Down:

1. DVD case promo : BLURB. "Miss Belinda Blurb in the act of blurbing." LINK

2. Fisherman who supplies a sushi bar : EELER

3. Two-wheeler for two : TANDEM BIKE. I'm still LOL.

4. Wanted-poster abbr. : AKA

5. Indian princes : RAJAs

6. "__ run!": "Time for me to leave!" : I GOTTA. "Not yet"

7. Play-__: kids' clay : DOH

8. Marine eagle : ERN

9. Not cooked : RAW. How the erne likes his fish.

10. Sarge's superior : LOOIE. (louie is a variant)

11. Pro or con, in a debate : SIDE

12. Guinness of "Star Wars" : ALEC

13. Actress Daly : TYNE

19. "__ upon a midnight dreary ..." : ONCE. Name that poem.

21. Wee bit : SKOSH. This was well discussed on this day. LINK

24. Ouzo flavoring : ANISE. An anise-flavored aperitif that is widely consumed in Greece and Cyprus (and it sneaks up on you, so I've heard).

25. American or World follower, in school : HISTORY

26. Bygone gas station : ESSO. Or gone bye-bye to other countries.

27. "__ my heart in ..." : I LEFT. Cue Tony! LINK

30. Pattern-seeking information analysis : DATA MINING

31. With, to François : AVEC

32. "Speak" response : [BARK!]

33. Ahab or America: Abbr. : CAPT. (Captain)

34. Space saucers, briefly : UFOs

35. Money, in slang : MOOLA

37. __ diminishing returns : LAW OF. For one law, it sure has complex definitions(that's like a true law).

39. Not new : USED

40. "Pick someone else, pleeease?" : "WHY ME?"

45. Hand over : CEDE

46. Old German leader : KAISER

48. Collected, as downed leaves : RAKED

49. Chip-making giant : INTEL

50. Greeted with enthusiasm : RAN TO

51. Toaster waffles : EGGOs

52. Skier's transport : T-BAR

53. Guideline : RULE

54. Business maj.'s focus : ECON. (economics)

58. Sugar meas. : TSP. It helps the medicine go down.

59. Fib : LIE

60. Keogh plan relative: Abbr. : IRA

61. Apple dessert : PIE

Argyle

Notes from C.C.:

Here are 2 pictures from JD's recent Ireland & Scotland trip. JD said "I must have taken 100 pictures of sheep on the hillsides. Hard to get them clear when we were driving along. We loved the quaint little college town of St. Andrews of the famous golf course." Argyle is dreaming of St. Andrews!

Hillside, Ireland

Loch Ness

Truman, JD's oldest grandson, just graduated from Kindergarten. Look at how proud the grandma is!