Monday Septemer 8, 2008 Allan E. Parrish

Theme: A Few Drops of *OYLE

18A: Card game authority: EDMOND HOYLE

61A: "The French Connection" role: POPEYE DOYLE

3D: "Monster's Ball" co-star: PETER BOYLE

30D: 1940 Ginger Rogers movie: KITTY FOYLE

None of the above 4 theme answers were gimmes to me today. I've actually seen the movie "Monster's Ball", but I do not remember this name PETER BOYLE. Have heard of EDMOND HOYLE, but I could not retrieve his name so readily from my brain. The other 2 were complete strangers to me.

I did a quick google search, and found another *OYLE name, Allan MOYLE, the Canadian film director. But I suppose his name is way too obscure to be gridded in our puzzle.

But boy, what an arduous TOIL for me this morning! Too many unfamiliar names. Very hard struggle. Felt like it's tailor-made for Barry G.

Across:

1A: Milk-carton abbreviation: EXP

4A: "The Grapes of Wrath" family: JOADS. No idea. I've never read this novel or any of John Steinbeck's work.

9A: Pal of Porthos: ATHOS. And Aramis. The Three Musketeers. "One for all, and all for one".

15A: Jetson boy: ELROY. ASTRO is often clued as "Jetsons' dog".

20A: Model: EXEMPLAR

23A: Pine product: ROSIN. What's the difference between ROSIN and RESIN?

24A: Noted Swiss psychologist: JUNG (Carl). The only Swiss psychologist I know. Founder of Analytical Psychology.

27A: "My Life in Court": NIZER (Louis). I forgot. Identical clue in Parrish's June 24 puzzle. He sure loves names with letters J's & Z's.

33A: Family of Canadian quintuplets: DIONNE. The second girl from the left looks very pretty.

37A: Dockers' org: ILA (International Longshoremen's Association)

39A: Dernier __ (Latest fashion): CRI. "CRI de coeur" would be a great clue too. Kazie probably could come up with more.

40A: Cooper's Bumppo: NATTY. Unknown to me. I've never read "The Last of the Mohicans".

45A: Tea Party site: BOSTON. I was immediately thinking of a beautiful flowery GARDEN where afternoon tea is served, then realized that "Party" is capitalized.

48A: Chutzpah: MOXIE

51A: Artistic piece: OPUS. Ha, I got it this time. Aren't you proud of me? Here is some Mozart, for you, Lois. It's soul-calming.

53A: Letter flourish: SERIF

58A: Lounging attire: BATHROBE. Probably Garrison Keillor's choice, not mine. What do you wear when lounging around?

67A: Golfer Calvin: PEETE. He was the most successful African-American golfer before Tiger. I've never seen him play though. Nice vintage card (1981 Donruss), but it's worth much, even though it's a limited issue.

Down:

2D: PlayStation rival: XBOX. Launched in 2001. Microsoft product.

4D: Army vehicles: JEEPS. JEEP was the ultimate symbol of power when I grew up. Only the very high-ranking government officials had JEEPS.

5D: Tired pickup attempt: OLD LINE. I've never heard of "OLD LINE" being used in this sense.

6D: Big name in fashion: ARMANI. Here is George Clooney in ARMANI.

10D: Certain sandals: THONGS. Hmm, this is not the THONG I am wearing. I like the low-rise one.

11D: Wilhelm of Cooperstown: HOYT. He is the best knuckleballer in baseball history, isn't he?

12D: Heraldic border: ORLE. No idea. I know nothing about heraldry.

19D: "Advise and Consent" writer: DRURY (Allen). Another unknown. Wikipedia says he won Pulitzer for this novel in 1959.

24D: "Star Wars" warrior: JEDI

25D: Red of firefighting: ADAIR. Not a familiar name to me. He does look fiery.

28D: Preston rival: ZEREX. I forgot. This constructor used the same clue in his May 19 puzzle. Dennis said both of them are antifreezes.

31D: Rocker John: ELTON. I love his "Candle in the Wind".

32D: Singer Newton: WAYNE. I don't like him. I like this WAYNE.

45D: Crop pests: BEETLES

49D: Because follower?: I SAY SO

55D: Per unit: A POP

58D: Flapdoodle: BOSH. I did not know the meaning of "Flapdoodle". I only knew "Baloney" & "Hogwash". Maybe you can educate me today with more "Nonesense".

59D: Wally's bro: BEAV. I remember BEAVER from our previous slang discussion. Had no idea that it can be shortned to BEAV. Kind of similar to Barb or Barbara, isn't it?

60D: "Only Time" singer: ENYA. Beautiful song.

C.C.

Sunday September 7, 2008 Josiah Breward

Theme: Endearments

23A: Make palatable: SUGARCOAT

47A: Weight we hate?: LOVE HANDLES

72A: King novel: PET SEMATARY

97A: Ratel: HONEY BADGER

125A: Tiny dwelling: DOLL HOUSE

14D: Sultan of the Swat: BABE RUTH

16D: 1959 Peck/Kerr movie: BELOVED INFIDEL

52D: Golden parachute: SWEETHEART DEAL

90D: Last letter?: DEAR JOHN

I've never heard of "PET SEMATARY" or "HONEY BADGER". Had no idea that the latter is the most fearless animal on earth. The clue "Ratel" looked like a kind of palm tree to me. I must have mixed it up with "Rattan" or something else.

I loved this puzzle. Very sweet theme and engaging theme answers. I was surprised that there was no DARLING in the grid. Don't you ever call your loved one DARLING at home?

I think I've seen enough RYA (70D: Scandinavian rug) and ERECT (98D: Put up) this week. So annoying! The clue for IRAN (27A: Iraq neighbor) was very jarring too. Why not simply "Turkey neighbor"? I was also stumped by SPEEDUPS (65A: Increases in pace). I thought the clue was asking for a verb phrases, so I kept wanting SPEEDS UP.

Across:

9A: Tree with huge trunk: BAOBAB. It's indeed huge. I've heard of "monkey bread tree". But I did not know that it's called BAOBAB in English.

19A: NASA's ISS partner: ESA (European Space Agency)

20A: City in Provence: ARLES. Van Gogh painted here! This is his "View of ARLES with Irises". Do you like it?

21A: Floating fleet: ARMADA

25A: 2nd best: GRADE B

26A: Pitcher's rubber: SLAB. Ha, new baseball slang to me.

28A: Baudelaire's "Paris __": SPLEEN. The title SPLEEN here refers to "bad temper", not the organ. I've never heard of Charles Baudelaire before. Wikipedia says he also wrote "The Flowers of Evil", and it's "important in the symbolist and modernist. The subject matter of these poems deals with themes relating to decadence and eroticism."

30A: Zeno's birthplace: ELEA. Last time's "Whence Zeno" clue brought hundreds of new visitors to this blog.

33A: Cassia plant: SENNA. Very pretty, in full bloom. Wikipedia says the leaves and flowers of SENNA are used in Thai cooking. I did not know that some of SENNA stems can grow as high as six feet.

35A: Fine porcelain: SPODE. I forgot. Identical clue on another TMS puzzle. SPODE china is named after British potter Josiah SPODE. Good example of EPONYM (29D: Word derived from someone's name).

44A: 1964 A.L. Rookie of the year: OLIVA (Tony). This clue makes me happy. I love Tony OLIVA.

50A: Starter's starter?: ESS. Clever clue.

54A: Segal and Leinsdorf: ERICHS. I got it from down clues. I know neither of them.

69A: Wrongly convicted French soldier of the 1890ss: DREYFUS (Alfred). I googled his name, then I realized that he was the guy in Zola's "J'accuse" letter.

71A: Way of old Rome: ITER

77A: John Tyler's First Lady: LETITIA. I googled again. I did not know her name. I had no idea that John Tyler had a second "First Lady" too (Julia Gardiner Tyler).

79A: Alfonso's queen: ENA. She looks a bit rebellious. Her grandson Juan Carlos is the current king of Spain.

80A: Coastal resident: SEASIDER. Hmmm, this reminds me of the limericks "There once was a man from Nantucket...."

83A: Lge. landmass: CONT. And ISL (121D: Sm. landmass). Oh by the way, I was really in awe of the ISLS clue last Saturday. But later I found out that it was not original. Someone else tried "Christmas or Easter, briefly" for ISL several years ago.

87A: City on the Adige: TRENT. I forgot, yet again. It was just here last Sunday, identical clue. Here is the map. I bet this clue would be different if Senator TRENT Lott were still in the office.

91A: Maltreat: ILL-USE. I've never heard of "ILL-USE" before. Good to learn.

100A: Callaway's "Big" driver: BERTHA. Nice Big BERTHA driver. Callaway also has Big BERTHA iron sets. But why quotation mark for Big?

102A: Broadcast talent org.: AFTRA (American Federation of Television and Radio Artists). Not familiar with this acronym. Were they involved in the writer's strike earlier this year?

103A: Denver concert site: RED ROCKS. New to me. Oh my goodness, gorgeous photo. WP says U2 performed here in June 1983, and their performance was later included in Rolling Stone's list of the "50 Moments that Changed Rock and Roll".

107A: Pollen-bearing organs: ANTHERS. I like the drops of dew on this flower petal. ANTHER is from ANTHOS, Greek for flower.

112A: Old Ford model: LTD. Learned this LTD model from doing Xword. LTD is always "Inc." to me.

113A: Open some: AJAR. I suppose "Open" here is an adjective. But "Open some" does not make any sense to me. What does "some" mean here?

115A: Nervous system disorder: CHOREA. New to me. It's defined as "any of various disorders of the nervous system marked by involuntary, jerky movements, especially of the arms, legs, and face, and by incoordination." From Greek chorós, dance, the same root as "chorus". No wonder dictionary says this disorder is also called "Saint Vitus' dance".

120S: Helmut's three: DREI. Eins, zwei, DREI.

128: M. de Balzac: HONORE. Had no idea that Balzac's given name is HONORE. One of my favorite Chinese authors, Fu Lei, was very influenced by Balzac.

131A: Caterwaul: YELL. I did not know the meaning of "caterwaul".

132A: Caught red-handed: NAILED. Lois probably wanted the clue to be "Used a hammer".

133A: Virgule: SLASH. I forgot the meaning of "Virgule".

134A: TV's "Science Guy" Bill: NYE. He has become a stalwart in our puzzle.

Down:

1D: Put up a fight: RESIST. I would add some romantism and clue RESIST as "Withstand the lure of".

2D: Loan shark: USURER

3D: 1998 Olympics city: NAGANO. Can never remember the English name for this city. Only knew its Chinese name 長野市.

9D: Author of "National Velvet": BAGNOLD (Enid). Good to see her surname being the answer.

11D: Tumor: suff.: OMA. Ha, I actually remember this OMA.

13D: Ms. Rogers St. Johns: ADELA. Her autobiography is named " The Honeycomb". Could be a good theme entry too.

17D: Almost a ringer: LEANER. Horseshoes terms. It's "a thrown horseshoe that leans against the stake." New to me.

18D: Carve relief: EMBOSS

31D: Pretentious performer: ARTISTE. I don't understand the clue. Why "Pretentious"? ARTISTE is just a French word for artist, isn't it?

36D: No-win situation: DILEMMA. Do you like "Catch-22"?

41D: CXII halved: LVI. Roman 56.

51D: Group of seven: SEPTETS. Trio & quartet.

60D: Like horror movie: EERIE. That's how I felt about "The X-Files".

64D: Iceland currency: EYRIR. Did not know this Iceland coin.

74D: International accord: ENTENTE. And PEACE (67D: Dove's desire).

75D: Stone-worker's block: ASHLAR. Had no idea that such kind of block is called ASHLAR.

78D: Windpipe: TRACHEA. The respiratory tube. New to me also.

84D: Workplace safety grp.: OSHA

93D: J. Hancocked?: SGD (Signed).

99D: Popeil company: RONCO. "But wait, there's more!"

100D: In a blunt manner: BALDLY. Did not know that bald also means "blunt".

104D: Supporting pillar: COLUMN

105D: Klown on "The Simpsons": KRUSTY. Another google. Here he is.

106D: Derrick for loading cargo: STEEVE. It's not in my dictionary. I still could not believe this is a real word.

114D: "Aurora" fresco painter Guido: RENI. See this captivating "Aurora", so soft and harmonious in touches. I like the mythological themes in his and Raphael's paintings. Very beautiful & poetic!

116D: Muslim unit of weight: ROTL. I simply forgot. Stared at _ OTL for eons.

C.C.

Saturday September 6, 2008 Matthew Higgins

Theme: None

Total blocks: 27

I had an epiphany earlier. I suddenly realized what was really missing in Higgins' puzzle: vitality. I just could not find much spontaneity or creativity in them. It felt like he made up this grid just by looking at the dictionary and reference books.

If you look at his clues carefully, nearly every one of them is theoretically & factually correct, but most of them just feel so stiff and wooden. I guess I am too instinctive and intuitive a person for his rigidness.

For example:

57A: Stringed instruments: CELLOS. No flaw in the clue. But "Yo-Yo Ma's instruments" will evoke some vivid memories/images for the solvers, at least, for me.

34D: Hone: SHARPEN. Again, the clue is fine, but boring. "Make a point, perhaps" will force the solvers to think a bit, and add some flavor to the grid.

50D: Figure of worship: IDOL. Once again, the clue is correct. But why not "David Cook, e.g." to perk up the puzzle?

Also, I would prefer the clue for PAGAN (23A: Idolator) to be "Heathen", it's just visually jarring to see IDOL as the answer and part of the clue.

REPEAL (15A: Withdraw formally) & RECLAIMS (37A: Gains restoration) are perfectly fine words. And I suppose RETOOLS (2D: Changes the machinery) is OK too. But REDARES (37D: Challenges anew)? And is PERVADER (51A: Something that permeates) really a word?

Across:

1A: Visual aids: GRAPHS

7A: Bucolic: PASTORAL. Here is Beethoven No. 6 (PASTORAL).

16A: Not counting: LET ALONE. What kind of clue is this? I don't understand it.

18A: Tiresome long: UNENDING

19A: Yankees in Dixie: NORTHERNERS. I learned a new phrase this morning: "Whistle Dixie". Dictionary explains it as "to indulge in unrealistically optimistic fantasies". Kind of like "have a pollyanna notion about certain things", isn't it? Have you used "whistle Dixie" before?

21A: ___ generis (of its own kind): SUI. New to me.

22A: Neil Simon's nickname: DOC. Did not know this. This is a list of baseball players' nicknames. Maybe Mr. Higgins should try to create such a sportspeople nicknames themed puzzle rather than indulging himself in his affixes infatuation.

25A: Spunk: PLUCKINESS. And 56A: Proximity: NEARNESS. Yawner, yawner!

29A: Beset: ASSAILED

30A: Intrinsically: PER SE

41A: Target on the green: HOLE. Just how deep is a HOLE? Do you know? Do you want to know? I know the diameter is about 4 1/4 inches. I would clue KITE (27D: Fork-tailed bird) as "Tom of the Champions?" (Champions Tour) to pair up with HOLE. Tom KITE won U.S. Open in 1992 and certainly has the name recognition.

42A: Prodigious: PHENOMENAL. JVJ24601 mentioned on Wednesday that "Michael Phelps is to be the host for the new season premier of SNL on 9/13."

45A: Waterproof wool cloth: LODEN. I forgot. LODEN appeared as "Waterproof cloth" on a Sunday puzzle before. It's made of sheep wool. Here is happy family all in LODEN coat.

46A: Reggae relative: SKA. Are you very familiar with the "calypso music"?

48A: Products of the body's fuel-burning system: METABOLITES. Another new word to me. I only knew METABOLISM.

54A: Twist together: ENTANGLE

55A: Tristan's beloved: ISOLDE. No idea. It's a Wagner opera. Have you seen this movie before?

Down:

3D: Revealing glimpses: APERÇUS. It's always "short summary" to me.

5D: Muddle: HASH. Are you really synonymous? In what sense?

6D: In a languid manner: SLEEPILY

7D: Dashed with headlong haste: PLUNGED

8D: Virgil's Trojan hero: AENEAS. Vaguely remember this name due to an earlier DIDO (Queen of Carthage) puzzle. DIDO killed herself when abandoned by AENEAS. How sad! Men can be so cruel! It's from Vigil's epic poem, "The Aeneid".

12D: Revel boisterously: ROISTER. This is another new word for me. I like the adjective "roisterously", very noisy-looking.

14D: Easily deciphered: LEGIBLE

24D: Cornerstone tablets: STELAE. Singular form is STELE, or STELA.

30D: Cardsharp's maneuver: PALM. "Carsharp" is new word to me.

32D: Supergiant star in Cygnus: DENEB. I forgot again. Here is the map. Wikipedia says that DENEB, together with Altair and Vega, forms the Summer Triangle.

33D: Financially rewarding: ECONOMIC

35D: Part of TNT: TOLUENE. The second T in TNT. I had no idea. I was thinking of the "We Know Drama" TNT network.

36D: Calgary's province: ALBERTA. Ha, Stephen Harper comes from ALBERTA.

38D: Implant: INSTILL

39D: Gets by with less: MAKES DO

40D: Cuts slits: SLASHES

48D: Horace or Aimee: MANN. Have heard of Horace MANN, not Aimee. I always associated Aimee with actress Anouk.

49D: Mislay: LOSE. I've never used this word "mislay" before. Can you say "The key was mislaid"?

C.C.

Friday September 5, 2008 Barry Silk

Theme: CRACKER (40A: 17A, 24A, 51A and 64A follower)

17A: Cow or chicken: FARM ANIMAL

24A: Float: ICE CREAM SODA

51A: Fastener with wings: BUTTERFLY NUT

64A: Large gun barrage: CANNON FIRE

And Graham CRACKER, Oyster CRACKER & Saltine CRACKER. What else can you think of?

I hate the clue for 40A. It's inaccurate. CRACKER only follows the last word of those theme answers. I also dislike the clue for TSE (10D: Half a fly), not only because the clue needs a "?" mark, but also because of BUTTERFLY in 51A. Besides, why obsessed with this terrible fly all the time? What's wrong with cluing TSE as "China's Mao __-tung"?

I am also not fond of the below three clues:

45A: Bog: QUAG. Is QUAG a commonly accepted shortened word?

52D: Phillies all-star 2nd-baseman Chase: UTLEY. An apostrophe should be added to Phillies, right?

65D: Sugary suffix: OSE. I suppose it's OK, though I prefer the clue to be "Sugar suffix".

Other than those, it's a great puzzle, very enjoyable. I love seeing TGIF (10A: End-of-week cry) & Barry Silk on a Friday. I also like this kind of theme type very much.

Still needed Google's help though. It will probably take me a few more months before I can crack this Silk code. He is a very wise man. Ha, WISECRACKER.

Across:

14A: Actress Sofer: RENA. It's clued as "Sofer of soaps' in an earlier TMS puzzle. I like the flowers on her shirt. FYI, RENA means "Joy" in Hebrew.

15A: Lickety-split: APACE

21A: Sealy rival: SERTA. Identical clue in his July "main squeeze" puzzle.

27A: Money set aside: ESCROW. Oh, I forgot to mention yesterday that George Washter, the specialist for the old-masters at Sotheby's, is the father of the 13-year old boy who spent $5,000 on this Rembrandt's etching "Agony in the Garden".

36A: Disunit a fly?: UNZIP. Interesting clue. I wonder if this is Barry Silk's original. It certainly has our editor's fingerprint.

39A: Actress Charlotte: RAE. Legends of what?

43A: Madrid museum: PRADO. A heaven for those Goya fans. Beautiful "The Clothed Maya". Dennis probably loves "The Nude Maya".

49A: Starting lineups: A-TEAMS

56A: Env. contents: LTR. Shouldn't the clue be in singular form?

57A: "Ecologues" sheperdess: DELIA. Would not have got it without the surrounds. It's clued as "Shepherdess in Virgil's "Eclogues" 2 weeks ago. This is Argyle's comment: "DELIA seems to be very obscure. Vigil only mentions the name in passing, "insomuch that now our dogs know not Delia better. The character was saying his boyfriend came around so much that the dogs knew him as well as they knew the shepherdess, I think."

62A: Et __ (and others): ALII. Masculine plural. "Et ALIAE" is femine plural. And "Et ALIA" is neutral plural. And another Latin word is IDEM (37D: Footnote word).

68A: Declare frankly: AVOW. I am always confused about AVOW and AVER, so similiar in meaning.

Down:

1D: Pound sounds: ARFS. I like the rhyme in the clue.

2D:Osso buco meat: VEAL. I would add a few apricots to this dish. I want my meat to be firm, juicy and sweet.

4D: Bloodsucking evil spirit: VAMPIRE

6D: Prot. denom.: EPISC. No need to abbreviate both words in the clue.

8D: Words of concern: I CARE. 4 U.

9D: River ends: DELTAS

11D: Italian cheese: GORGONZOLA. I've never had this cheese before. What does it taste like?

13D: Jane of "Klute": FONDA. I've never seen this movie. That's a daring skirt. Jane FONDA is an awful mother in "Monster-in-Law".

18D: Label for Sonny & Cher: ATCO. No, have never heard of ATCO label before. Here is their "I Got You Babe".

22D: Love in Lyon: AMOUR. "My Cherie AMOUR, lovely as a summer's day...... How I wish that you were mine."

27D: Holliday partner: EARP (Wyatt). Got it from the across clues. I had no idea who Holliday was.

29D: "I Want You to Want Me" band: CHEAP TRICK. New to me. I do love the song title.

33D: Help-page acronym: FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions). Gimme.

34D: Fort Worth sch.: TCU (Texas Christian University). Strange logo.

35D: Jamaican music: SKA. Every time I see this clue, I think of Bob Marley and "The Wailers".

38D: Holding areas: PENS. "Holding areas" for whom?

41D: "Magnet and Steel" singer Walter: EGAN. Nope, he is new to me. Here is the song. I like this fresh new clue, don't you? I am tired of "Alaska's first governor".

46D: Puts on pounds: GETS FAT

59D: Bounty competition: VIVA. I've never paid attention to this brand. I use Bounty at home.

63D: Resident's suffix: ITE. Xchefwalt & Lois probably want the clue to be "Manhattan chaser?".

C.C.

Thursday September 4, 2008 Alan O. Olschwang

Theme: A Happy Thought

17A: Start of a quip: CONTENTMENT

24A: Part 2 of quip: IS THE BEST

40A: Part 3 of quip: OF ALL

52A: Part 4 of quip: RICHES AND

64A: End of comment: ITS NOT TAXED

How come the quip was segued into a comment?

I didn't quite understand this Evan Esar quote. Does the "RICHES" refer to "the rich people"? If so, shouldn't there be a "the" in the quip? If not, what does "RICHES" refer to then?

I was stumped by a few obscure words. Had to ask Google for help. I really disliked seeing OFF (11A: Not turned on) and I'M OFF (24D: See-ya!) in one grid. They are jarring to my eyes.

Overall, it's pretty decent puzzle, at least I was not bored.

Across:

1A: "Waterloo" group: ABBA. "Mamma Mia"! ABBA won Eurovision 1974 for "Waterloo". I am very fond of this year's winning song "Believe" (Dima Bilan).

5A: Bogart film, "High __": SIERRA. Not familiar with this movie. I wonder if Bogart encountered TSETSE (49D: Dreaded fly) while filming "The African Queen". He might be too drunk to remember anything.

15A: Provo resident: UTAHAN. Goodness gracious! How can they be so obsessed with "zz" in their sport teams' names?

21A: Depict distinctly: ETCH. I was stunned when a 13-year old boy bought this Rembrandt's etching "Agony in the Garden" with his bar mitzvah money.

22A: Handwoven rug: RYA. The "Scandinavian rug".

26A: Hawthorne's birthplace: SALEM. No idea. He wrote "The Scarlet Letter" at this place also.

28A: Tumor: suff.: OMA. As in "Melanoma". New to me.

31A: Parkinson's medication: L-DOPA. Absolutely no idea. I am sure Dr. Dad/Flyingears/A Lucid Dream will provide us with more information.

34A: Dearie: SUGAR. What is the theme of this "SUGAR, SUGAR" clip? So odd a collection.

42A: "Whip it" rock group: DEVO. Foreign to me. Here is the clip. Is there any symbolism in those red hats?

43A: The king of France: LE ROI. This reminded me of Louis XVI (LE ROI Soleil) and his "L'État, c'est moi" statement.

45A: Ice sheets: FLOES. Is this a real penguin? Looks like a decoy.

50A: Absolute: UTTER. Do you like these dewy flower petals? UTTERLY amazing, so pretty and delicate. Are they edible?

57A: U-shaped river bend: OXBOW. I forgot. Earlier in a May puzzle, Crockett mentioned the OXBOW Park, "where the Sandy River makes that U-shaped turn (OXBOW)".

62A: Zen enlightenment: SATORI. Ah, this enlightenment is deeper and more lasting/penetrative than "kensho".

63A: Tibetan gazelle: GOA. No idea. This GOA region of India came up when I googled.

66A: Letters in tennis?: ENS

67A: Former Dophin running-back: CSONKA (Larry). No, I've never heard of him. WP shows that he is the Super Bowl VIII MVP. How to pronounce CSONKA?

70A: Nairobi native: KENYAN. I don't know why they are so good at marathon.

Down:

2D: Raspberry blower: BOOER. I did not know this displeasing meaning of "Raspberry". Could not understand why someone wants to do a "raspberry" blowing job.

3D: Four-minute mile breaker: BANNISTER (Roger). No idea. See this plaque.

4D: NY prison: ATTICA. Learned from doing crossword.

6D: Morticia's cousin: ITT. I am more familiar with the "The Addams Family" cousin" clue.

7D: Chair designer: EAMES. Unknown to me, though I might have seen an EAMES chair on "Antique Roadshow" before.

9D: "____ Notorious": RANCHO. No idea. Here is a poster. That girl does not really look like Marlene Dietrich.

25D: One bit per second: BAUD. Not familiar with this computer term either. It's the "unit of data transmission".

35D: Shift mechanisms: GEARBOXES. Certainly not a gimme to me.

44D: Awllike tool: ICE PICK. This brings to mind the "Basic Instinct". I did not get the ending. Was Sharon Stone planning to kill Michael Douglas?

51D: Still around: EXTANT

52D: Star in Orion: RIGEL. I forgot again. See this map. See "the Hare" Lepus also?

53D: Intriguing incongruity: IRONY. I like the alliteration in the clue. What's the difference between "incongruity" and "incrongruousness"?

55D: Pyromaniac's crime: ARSON

58D: Where the Magic used to play: O-RENA. I don't understand this one. Why? Is this an old LA Lakers' stadium?

62D: Kyle's "South Park" friend: STAN. OK, let me get it right this time: "Oh my God, they killed Kenny!" "Those Bastards"!!

65D: River of Orel: OKA. It's clued as "Volga tributary" before. Of course I forgot. Lately I've been crossing river Lethe frequently & blissfully.

C.C.

Wednesday September 3, 2008 Allan E. Parrish

Theme: What's my LINE? (59D: Word after 21A, 39A, 54A, 3D and 35D)

21A: "(Today I Met) The Boy I'm Gonna Marry" singer: DARLENE LOVE

39A: Conference ID: NAME TAG

54A: Upstairs: SECOND STORY

3D: End-of-filming get-together: WRAP PARTY

35D: Submariners' harbor: NAVAL BASE

I've never heard of DARLENE LOVE or her song. I've never heard of "LOVELINE" either. It sounds like a dating service to me.

I really like this puzzle, good theme concept and great theme execution. I enjoy most of Allan E. Parrish's puzzles, so creative and entertaining. Scrabbly too. Quality stuff.

But I often wonder why most of the constructors choose to place their theme words at the very end of the grid. In today's case, it's LINE. You know, they could have put it at the upper left corner, or at the very heart of the grid. Do they position it at the end on purpose to elicit reader's "Aha"? If so, they are woefully wrong, unless LINE is simply clued as a "Queue". Solvers need to be challenged and work hard to figure out the theme title rather than being given so readily.

Across:

1A: Young deer: FAWNS. I don't know what makes a crossword constructor tick. What prompts him to clue FAWNS as a noun rather than a verb?

10A: Counterfeit: SHAM. I would prefer the clue to be a simple "Fraud". See FAKE (1D: Counterfeit).

14A: Skylit courtyards: ATRIA. Also "Heart chambers".

15A: Be aware of: KNOW. I have a question: What's the difference between BEWARE and BEWARE OF? Also, can you give me examples to show the distinctions?

16A: Wakiki wiggle?: HULA. Good clue. I love the skirts they are wearing.

24A: House coat?: PAINT. "PAINT my love, you should PAINT my love, it's the picture of a thousand sunsets...", one of my favorite songs from "Michael Learns To Rock".

34A: Jim of CBS sports: NANTZ. Do you like him?

42A: "Heidi" novelist: SPYRI (Johanna). I really have difficulty remembering this author's name. Shirley Temple is adorable in "Heidi".

44A: Rider Revere: PAUL. I've never heard of his name before. PAUL Klee, PAUL Cézanne & PAUL Gauguin yes.

45A: Cinematopgraher Nykvist: SVEN. Got his name from the down fills. Of those films, I've only seen "The Unbearable Lightnes of Being" & "Sleepless in Seattle". Which ones have you watched before?

53A: 1986 Indy winner Bobby: RAHAL. I don't think I could have got his name without the surrounds.

57A: Cartoonist Keane: BIL. I like his "The Family Circus". What comic strip do you read every day?

66A: Red dye: EOSIN. Nope. Interesting root word "EOS" (Greek Goddess of dawn). "In" is just a chemcial suffix. Dictionary says EOSIN is "used chiefly as an acid dye for dyeing silk a rose red color". I am sure Dr. Dad will provide us with his expert information on EOSIN.

67A: Printed matter: TEXT

Down:

2D: Actor Roscoe: ATES. Got it from the across fills. Not familiar with him at all. Would you be able to get him without the crossing references?

6D: Bypass: SKIRT. Nice SKIRT. I like the color, don't you?

7D: Organic compound: ENOL. So many crossword-friendly organic compounds: AMINE, AMIDE, ENOL, ESTER & NITRILE.

8D: "Lady Jane Grey" dramatist: ROWE (Nicholas). I forgot. He appeared in our puzzle before. I did not know that "Lady Jane Grey" refers to Queen Jane, whose "claimed rule of nine days in July 1553 is the shortest rule of England in its history." Interesting, WP says that the seductive lady-killer Lothario is from his play "The Fair Penitent".

9D: African titles: BWANAS. "Masters" in Swahili.

10D: Clinton cabinet member Donna: SHALALA. Gimme to me. She served as Clinton's Secretary of Health and Human services for all eight years.

11D: Impresario Sol: HUROK. Completely unknown to me. Is that an OPERA HAT he is holding?

23D: "Dallas" family: EWING. Also Adlai E Stevenson's middle name.

28D: Hanks role: GUMP. Indeed, "Forrest GUMP" should have ended this way!

29D: Sheep's cry: BLEAT. Exactly, Ewe said it!

30D: Aleutian island: ATTU. Where is ATTU? I cannot locate it in this map.

40D: Site of rites: ALTAR. Interesting book title.

43D: Changed the land-use rules: REZONED

49D: Limerick necessities: RHYMES. I am not fond of Rap music, but I do admire those rappers' strong sense of rhyme, amazing!

51D: Paris subway: METRO. Ah, the best method to travel in Paris, highly efficient.

52D: Amtrak's bullet train: ACELA. Got it this time. Identical clue in his June 24 puzzle. I also found out that ACELA means "one" in Romanian language.

55D: Wild plum: SLOE. They look like blueberries to me.

56D: Kodak brand: T-MAX. Another identical clue in his August 8 puzzle.

63D: Winter Games grp.: IOC. Ha, I was thinking of NFL. Nice clue though, much more interesting than "Summer Games org."

C.C.

Tuesday September 2, 2008 Stanley B. Whitten

Theme: Before You Cross the Street

20A: Never say die: STOP AT NOTHING

38A: Burton/Bloom film of 1958: LOOK BACK IN ANGER

56A: Eavesdropper's perch: LISTENING POST

Why LISTENING? Why not LISTEN*? I really hate this kind of lack of consitency in theme answers. But I could not think of a 13-letter phrase with the word "LISTEN" in it, can you?

I was not excited by this puzzle at all. Nothing sparkling. It looks very ordinary to me. However, I was not familiar with either the song "Stop, Look and Listen" or the movie "Stop, Look and Listen", so I could have been missing on something important here. Maybe you can enlighten me with your take.

Had to ask Google for help on PEYOTE & HYSON. You could not believe it, but I've never heard of HYSON green tea before.

Across:

1A: Momma's partner: POPPA. I always thought it's Mama and PAPA.

14A: Of hearing: AURAL. What's the difference between AURAL, OTIC, auricular & auditory?

15A: Chummy: CLOSE. Come CLOSER with Glen CLOSE? What is the product?

16A: William Tell's canton: URI. Have not seen the "Mentalist Geller" clue for a long time.

18A: Holliman and Scruggs: EARLS. Have heard of EARL Scruggs, not Holliman. That's a great clip. Steve Martin is so talented.

19A: Road to Rouen: RUE. Good alliteration. This is probably the most famous RUE in Paris.

23A: Ornamental container: VASE. Hmmm, I still want "Flower Holder" clue.

26A: Mescal: PEYOTE. New word to me. I did not know what's the meaning of "mescal". WP says PEYOTE is also called Mescal Button or the Divine Cactus. Look at this flowering PEYOTE. WP also says that "Native Americans used the plant for its curative properties as well. They employed PEYOTE for treating such varied ailments as toothache, pain in childbirth, fever, breast pain, skin diseases, rheumatism, diabetes, colds, and blindness." Melissa is probably aware of this medicinal use.

27A: Peacock's "eyes": OCELLI. Singular is OCELLUS, dimunutive of Oculus (plural: Oculi) . New to me also. I did not know those eyespots are called OCELLI. Rememer this Pantheon OCULUS (clued as "Eyelike window") I linked last time?

31A: Muslim prince, var.: AMEER. Or EMEER sometimes.

43A: Of blood: HEMAL. Ha, I got this one. Had to thank Barry for his AKIN ("Blood-related) mistake last week.

45A: "Painting" painter: MIRO (Joan). Sigh... what can I say? Our editor is obsessed with "Painting". This is MIRO's "The Farm".

50A: Partly frozen drink: FRAPPE. I've never had FRAPPE before. What does it taste like?

55A: Simpson kid: BART. What, am I not good enough to be clued as BART?

65A: Inorganic compound: AMIDE. "Inorganic"? Are you sure?

66A: Old-time journalist Pyle: ERNIE. I forgot. Obtained from the across clue. Would have been a gimme if it's clued as ERNIE Els or ERNIE Banks.

Down:

2D: "___ Town": OUR. Is it good? I am not familiar with any of Thornton Wilder's work.

3D: Keeps going: PRESSES ON

4D: Chalklike crayon: PASTEL. Ha, that's Degas, he loved PASTEL. Wonderful "After Bathing"!

9D: At a slant: ASLOPE. I would prefer the clue to be a simple "Tilted".

22D: Green tea: HYSON. Sometimes Cantonese spelling can really throws me off. I grew up speaking Mandarin Chinese, Xi'An dilact to be exact.

23D: See-through fabric: VOILE. Pretty pink VOILE skirt. I like the small dots.

32D: Call back?: ECHO. I rather like the Greek mythology on ECHO/Narcissus. Have you ever had unrequited love before? The saddest thing in this world is to love someone who does not love you.

35D: Shaking up: AGITATING

39D: Neatly maintained: KEMPT. I only knew UNKEMPT.

40D: Image Award grp.: NAACP

46D: Emetic medication: IPECAC. New to me also. I did not the meaning of "emetic" either. Hard to imagine the root of this plant can be so powerful. Do you like ginger root?

52D: Very, in music: ASSAI. Allegro ASSAI & Lento ASSAI.

57D: Footnote abbr.: IBID. Sometimes it's OP. CIT. I forgot what's the difference between them.

63D: Back of a chariot?: EER. Charioteer. New word to me. I'm used to the "End of auction" clue. Here is the The Charioteer of Delphi Statue. Incredible detail. Look at his eye lashes, amazing!

C.C.

Monday September 1, 2008 Michael T. Williams

Theme: FINAL OFFER

18A: Elvis's Musical ultimatum: NOW OR NEVER

27A: Frustrated athlete's ultimatum: PLAY ME OR TRADE ME

49A: Seller's ultimatum: TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT

64A: Hide-and-seek player's ultimatum: READY OR NOT

Shouldn't the clue for 18A be Elvis' instead of Elvis's?

Both "More or less" and "Sooner or later" are antonym phrases too, but I don't think they carry an "OR ELSE" tone. How about "To be or not to be"? Would you consider it a possible ultimatum?

Because of various OR's in the grid, I would prefer LOWE (7D: Rob or Chad) to be clued simply as "Actor Rob", and DALE (41D: Carnegie or Murphy) simply as "Catcher Murphy". No need to provide 2 names for the answer, one is sufficient.

Lots of proper names in this puzzle, most easily obtainable though. I did have trouble in the lower middle corner. I guessed ESTELLAS instead of ESTELLES for 55A: Getty and Winwood, so my 51D became OBARON, which sounded pretty good to me.

Across:

5A: Muslim faith: ISLAM. Literally "submission" in Arabic. "Muslim" (one who surrenders) has the same root word 'aslama (to surrender), according to the dictionary.

14A: Vault: LEAP. My first thought was SAFE.

15A: Wynonna's mom: NAOMI. They really look like sisters, don't they? I like Ashley Judd in "Double Jeopardy".

16A: Skater Lipinksi: TARA. Awesome! I like the music she picked.

20A: Marina skyline: MASTS. If MASTS refer to those vertical spars, then what do you call those horizontal poles?

22A: Old World: EUROPEAN. Really? Not EUROPE?

26A: 11: NOV.: I don't like this clue. I would prefer "Election mo."

36A: Poet Teasdale: SARA. I got it from the down clues. What poem is she famous for?

71A: Kyle's friend on "South Park": STAN. "Oh my God, they killed Kenny!"

Down:

1D: Bronco's kicker Jason: ELAM. This is what Dennis said last time: "Jason ELAM is tied for the longest field goal (63 yds.), and has Super Bowls and Pro Bowls under his belt. One of the better kickers." But I forgot, would not have got it without the across fills. I seem to only remember things I should not have been taught.

2D: Composer Bartok: BELA. I hope you enjoy this "Sonata for Solo Violin" clip. So good.

3D: Quartet member: BASS. Does this refer to vocal quartet?

927D: Whitneys partner: PRATT. Great logo.

28D: Gospels' source material: LOGIA. Plural of Logion. New to me. Was it a gimme to you?

29D: Wild way to run?: AMUCK. I still think there should be a "var." mark with the clue. What's your opinion?

33D: ___ Gras: MARDI. Let's keep our fingers crossed for Chris, Sandra and all those whose are affected by Gustav.

34D: German artist Max: ERNST. I am so tired of Dadaism. Remember René Magritte (surrealist)'s "This Is Not a Pipe"?

42D: Pipe part: STEM. Or "Flower holder". Do you love red, red rose?

51D: Titania's mate: OBERON. Vaguely remember "A Midsummer Night's Dream" story, but could not remember his name. WP says OBERON is also a "moon of Uranus".

61D: Puccini piece: ARIA. Very fascinating Maria Callas clip. Ari Onassis probably should have married her instead of Jackie. Is anyone here an opera fan?

65D: Last of pay?: OLA. Payola. I just learned earlier that OLA is also Spanish for "wave". How do you say "make waves" in Spanish? And what will be the Spanish title for this songtrack?

C.C.

Sunday August 31, 2008 Willy A. Wiseman

Theme: FAMILY NAME: WILLIAMS (87D: Another last name for 23A, 39A, 56A, 77A, 94A, 111A, 8D and 69D)

23A: Cartoon character, not the playwright: TENNESSEE TUXEDO

39A: Former Brewers shortstop, not the comic: ROBIN YOUNT

56A: Media tycoon, not the Splendid Splinter: TED TURNER

77A: Legendary Brave, not the C & W singer: HANK AARON

94A: Pop artist, not the singer: ANDY WARHOL

111A: March composer, not the conductor: JOHN PHILIPS SOUSA

8D: Comic/writer, not Tiger's caddy: STEVE MARTIN

69D: Sculpture, not the tennis player: VENUS DE MILO

And don't forget Wayne R. WILLIAMS, our editor and the real author of this puzzle. In case you have not heard of it, today's constructor, Willy A. Wiseman is our editor's alias name. Willy A. Wiseman is an anagram of "i.e. Wayne Williams". I suspect that he created this puzzle to celebrate a family reunion.

Anyway, out of the above 8 theme answers, 23A was the only one I had never heard before. And I enjoyed this puzzle tremendously. The theme was right in my wheelhouse. I really liked the sports references (esp baseball). Antonio Banderas is hot to Clear Ayes & Lois, but STEVE WILLIAMS is a real HUNK (67D: Beefcake poser) to me, so it pleased me to see his name as an theme entry.

Several lively fills. And of course, there were a few very obscure words as well. But Google extended a helping hand immediately and I was able to finish the puzzle with a happy face. It's such a comforting feeling that he is there whenever I need him. Sometimes I can be very needy & clingy.

Oh, before I forgot, Barry Silk told me that in his original submission, he clued MIZE (58A) as "Slugger known as the Big Cat", PUZO (63A) as "Corleone's creator", and INTERMEZZO (29D) as "Between acts musical fare". Too bad our editor changed so much of his original lower left corner. I really would have liked those Z's. Johnny MIZE might be a bit obscure though, his nickname reminded me of the "Catfish" Jim Hunter.

I was not fond of seeing both WATERY (95D: Too diluted) and WATER-SKI (1D: Surfboard's little brother) in one puzzle. I was, however, very happy to see ACTA (47A: "__ Sanctorum"), STES (122A: Fr. holy women), and THERESE (43D: Saint __ of Lisieux) in one grid.

Across:

14A: Ski-slope rides: T- BARS. I don't think I've seen X-Files being clued in TMS puzzle. D-Day, X-Rays, T-Shirt, T-Men, T-Bone, yes. What other similar words can you think of?

20A: Artist Mondrian: PIET. Gimme for Gordon Brown I am sure. This is beautiful pair of Nike shoes inspired by Mondrian's 1921 masterpiece “Composition with Red, Yellow and Blue".

22A: God of the east wind: EURUS. God of west wind in Greek mythology is ZEPHYRUS.

26A: City on the Adige: TRENT. Unknown to me. Here is the map. See the green arrow?

28A: Loser to DDE: AES. It's just so unfair to see AES repeatedly being clued as DDE loser. He had a highly admirable political career. How about DDE opponent/challenger?

33D: End of a threat: OR ELSE. Groan Argyle?

44A: Welles character: KANE. "Citizen KANE".

45A: "A Lesson from Aloes" playwright: FUGARD (Athol). Wow, our editor sure loves this guy.

50A: Cubic decimeter: LITER. So abstract a clue. Why not simply "Soda bottle unit"?

53A: Paint solvent: ACETONE. It's the ingredient in nail polish remover.

63A: Grant's first name: HIRAM. I wonder why he disliked this name, esp since HIRAM means "noble" in Hebrew.

64A: Park in California: YOSEMITE. I'd love to be there.

66A: Pico de ___ (Pyrenees peak): ANETO. I simply forgot again. It's in northeast Spain near the French border. Ha, I remember these guys.

67A: Pueblo people: ZUNI. I want this pair of ZUNI earrings. I love the turquoise moon or star. Very pretty.

80A: Immemorial: AGELONG. I've never used AGELONG in writing.

88A: ___ cava: VENA. No idea. I obtained it from the down clues.

91A: Hebrew mystic: ESSENE. I can never remember this word. It refers to the ancient Jewish ascetic sect member during the time of Christ. They were "remarkable for their strictness and abstinence."

93A: "Lift Every Voice" author Guinier: LANI. Unknown to me. WP says she is "the first black woman tenured professor at Harvard Law School". This is the book cover.

120A: Chicago pros: BEARS. Have BEARS ever won a Super Bowl? The answer is NO for our Vikings.

121A: Seine tributary: OISE. And another French river ORNE (74D: Caen's river).

Down:

2D: Formal topper: OPERA HAT. New name to me. Nothing unusual about this silk hat. I wonder why it's called OPERA HAT.

6D: Morally corrupt: DISSOLUTE. Gimme. I am a morel moral expert.

9D: Structural support: TRUSS. Look at this TRUSS bridge in Denmark.

12D: EL __ Campeador: CID. Learned from doing Xword. What a great statue. His eyes are so deep and penetrating.

14D: Parathyroid malady: TETANY. New word to me. Dictionary defines TETANY as "a state marked by severe, intermittent tonic contractions and muscular pain, due to abnormal calcium metabolism." What's the difference between TETANY & Tetanus then?

15D: Overworked to exhaustion: BURNT OUT

16D: Bellicose deity: ARES. The Greek god of war (Mars for the Romans).

17D: Futhark letter: RUNE. I had to check the dictionary for the meaning of "Futhark".

24D: Bridge position: EAST. "But soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the EAST and Juliet is the sun! Arise fair sun and kill the envious moon...". I like the way Romeo romanticised Juliet. Sometimes love is very elusive, and so full of tears and fears.

25D: Masonic doorkeeper: TILER. No idea. Dictionary says it can also be spelled as TYLER, referring to the "doorkeeper of a Masonic lodge".

36D: Romani people in Spain: GITANOS. Spanish for GYPSY. New to me. It's "Bohémian" in French.

41D: Paradise resident?: UTOPIAN. Perfect clue.

42D: Actress Fabray: NANETTE. I've never heard of her name before. Have you seen this before?

46D: Avant-garde art movement: DADA. Ennui. I am so tired of DADA. When are you going to clue SURREALISM?

50D: Basutoland, today: LESOTHO. New to me also, both the clue and the answer. It's encircled by South Africa.

52D: Gulf off Brittany: ST. MALO. Another unknown. Alright, Map of Brittany, See ST. MALO?

54D: Religious recluse: EREMITE

55D: Czech physicist Beckmann: PETR. No, completely unknown. What a strange name! He wrote "A History of PI".

57D: Jong and others: ERICAS. OK, let's review once again ERICA's Spitzer Morel Moral Lessons.

58D: Swedish rugs: RYAS. I like the lovely sun pattern in this RYA rug.

60D: Tapioca source: CASSAVA. How long do you think this CASSAVA is?

61D: Injected toxin: ANTIGEN. "-GEN" is a suffix meaning producer, "hydrogen" is another example.

62D: Back part: REAR END

67D: Pointed barbs?: ZINGERS. I like this Dorothy Parker Blue. Which of her quotes do you like the most?

72D: Forum footwear: SANDAL. I don't understand the clue. Why "Forum"?

79D: Old-time flasks: WINESKINS. See this picture.

90D:Govt. agcy. (1934-65): FHA (Federal Housing Administration). I got it from the across fills.

92D: Psalm ending: SELAH. Again, learned it from doing Xword.

93D: Roman law: LEX

96D: "Brigadoon" lyricist: LERNER (Alan Jay). Also the lyricist for "Gigi" & "Camelot".

101D: Constellation near Eridanus: LEPUS. It's more close to Orion I think. LEPUS is also known as "The Hare" constellation. New to me. Now I understand why rabbits and hares are called leporid mammals.

105D: Anticrime acronym: RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act). Enacted in 1970.

114D: G. I. wear: ODS. "Olive Drabs" I suppose.

C.C.

Saturday August 30, 2008 Barry Silk

Theme: None

Total blocks: 29

Disaster, total disaster today.

Maybe Barry Silk should write a book on how to read his mind and how to conquer his puzzles. Stan Newman's "Saturday-savvy" tip (top row consonants-heavy, lower row high occurrence of the quartet letters REDS) did not help me at all.

I started recklessly with a LIFT for 1D: Plagiarize. CRIB is always baby's bed to me. Then I filled in HADJ for 2D: Pilgrimage to Mecca and I was 100% sure that I was right. Then I was so confused by my LHA* start for 1A.

Flitted away quickly to the upper right corner, and filled in IVE rather than IAL for 11D: Adjective-forming suffix. Had no idea that both Christmas and Easters were Islands. Wanted EVES and it did not fit. I was very annoyed and gave up the puzzle after 10 minutes.

I think I need more rest, having trouble staying asleep lately.

Across:

1A: Action flick staple: CHASE SCENE. Which movie do you think has the best car CHASE SCENE?

11A: Christmas, Easter, etc.: ISLS (Islands). Big stumper. Here are Christmas Island (Terriroty of Australia, Indian Ocean) and Easter ISLAND (Territory of Chili, South Pacific Ocean).

15A: Up the duties: RAISE TAXES. If only taxes are raised for the sole benefits of the taxed.

16A: Blood-related: AKIN

17A: Water-cooler rumors: IDLE GOSSIP. Is there any non-IDLE GOSSIP? So the plural form of GOSSIP is still GOSSIP?

18A: Prose finisher?: LYTE. Very unexpected clue, nice!

19A: Wholesale club: BJ'S. I've never heard of this warehouse chain. Only know Sam's Club & Costo.

20A: Bankrupt: RUINED

23A: Alpine tool: ICE AX. Here is one. Leon Trotsky was killed by an ICE AX. I think I am more used to the AXE spelling.

25A: Observation: REMARK

27A: Singer Lopez: TRINI. I always wanted JENNIFER for this "Singer Lopez clue".

30A: Misdirected: LED ASTRAY. Women are more easily to be LED ASTRAY (though sometimes willingly).

32A: Worth mentioning: OF NOTE

34A: Overtake on foot: RUN PAST. And 62D: Take off: RUN. I dislike having two RUN's in the grid.

35A: Shopping ctr.: MKT. I dislike this clue also. MKT brings to mind NYSE/NASDAQ. I am OK with the STORE (6D: Shopper's stop) though.

38A: VW model: GTI. What does GTI stand form?

39A: Dinger or drum starter: HUM

41A: Tranquilizes: SEDATES

44A: Peterson and Wilde: OSCARS. Don't know who OSCAR Peterson is.

46A: Part of SALT: STRATEGIC. SALT is the acronym of Strategic Arms Limitations Talks.

49A: Wheel-alignment measure: CAMBER. Was this a gimme to you?

50A: Ill-gotten profit: LUCRE. Filthy LUCRE.

53A: Goddess of the moon: SELENE. The Greek Goddess. Luna is the Roman equivalent. There seems to be another pair of moon Goddesses: Artemis (Greek) & Diana (Roman). I don't know what's the difference.

60A: "Wayne's World" co-star: DANA CARVEY. So silly.

64A: Plotters: INTRIGUERS. I was only familiar with the "capture" meaning of INTRIGUE. Interesting, dictionary explains that INTRIGUE can also refer to "a secret or illicit love affair" (noun) or "To carry on a secret or illicit love affair" (verb). Now I am really intrigued!

65A: City on the Irtysh River: OMSK. I had no idea where Irtysh River was. Here is a good map, so close to Borat's Kazakhstan.

66A: Type of pliers: NEEDLE-NOSE. I did not know that this kind of plier is called NEEDLE-NOSE.

Down:

2D: Pilgrim to Mecca: HADJ. Or HAJJ.

5D: Neurological test letters: EEG. I forgot. My brain is so selective that it only remembers what it wants to remember.

8D: Former Philly pro, so to speak: EX-SIXERS. Hard, hard for me. I don't follow NBA. HOFer Mike Schmidt, a real "Former Philly pro", popped into my mind immediately.

7D: Offhand: CASUAL

9D: Nuremberg negative: NEIN. "NEIN, danke"; "Ja, bitte!"

10D: Artificial international language: ESPERANTO. I forgot again. Saw this clue before. Does anyone actually speak this language?

11D: Adjective-forming suffix: IAL. As in presidential and differential.

12D: Airline-safety figure: SKY MARSHAL. I am more familiar with AIR MARSHAL.

13D: Art of words: LITERATURE. Somehow I wanted Rhetorics.

13D: Backdoor: SNEAKY. I was imagining a real backdoor.

21D: One in hate mode: DESPISER. Such a made-up word.

23D: Daughter of Cadmus: INO. Greek to me. Dictionary says INO is "sea goddess who rescued Odysseus from drowning by giving him a magic veil."

24D: Mild chelating agents: CITRATES. No guts to clue it as "Sildenafil ___ (Viagra)"? Of course I did not get it. I did not even understand the meaning of "chelating".

26D: Kingston Trio hit: MTA. Here is the clip. I've never heard of it before.

27D: Mix of oaters: TOM. Did not know him. TOM Cruise yes. I was really picturing a group of oaters chatting idly on a ranch.

28D: Former Redskins home: RFK STADIUM. I did not know that the Redskins played at RFK STADIUM before. Might have got the answer if the clue were "Washington Nationals home".

29D: Burials: INTERMENTS. New word to me also.

33D: Joined, redundantly: ENTERED IN. It's indeed reduandant.

37D: Pc.: SEG

40D: NetZero rival: MSN. I like their butterfly logo. I like this pair of butterfly earrings too.

43D: Quiet finish of fame or fortune: SILENT E. Good clue.

45D: French key: CLE. I am truly tired of this French related clue. Tell me why you don't like the Cleveland Indians.

46D: Singer Renata: SCOTTO. I don't understand a word she is singing. I like her earrings. I've never heard of her name before. No problem for Sallie I am sure.

47D: Steamship line founder: CUNARD (Samuel). Another unknown. According to Wikipedia, CUNARD Line is the operator of Queen Elizabeth 2, Queen Mary 2, & Queen Victoria.

51D: Beany's pal: CECIL. Nope. Complete stranger to me. Here is a clip.

54D: Travel channel?: LANE. Good clue.

55D: Chevy model: AVEO. Did this come easily to you?

56D: Generation after boomers: XERS

57D: Disappear, as symptoms: LYSE. I forgot. It's clued as "Subside, as disease" on August 10 Sunday. I disliked the clue then, I still don't like it now.

C.C.