Thursday October 28, 2010 Jascha Smilack

Theme: Inverted Phrases - The first and third words of common phrases are switched and wackily clued with a "?" indicator. The altered phrases all end with "THE" and a three letter word.

18A. Libertarian slogan?: FIRE THE FED. Libertarians hold that if it is not explicitly provided for in the constitution, that it should not be dealt with or (especially) paid for on a federal level, it is the domain of each individual state to deal with it (or not) instead (as explicitly provided in the Constitution's tenth amendment, State's Rights). /Fed the fire. (What talking about politics will do)

24A. Finish an ascent?: SCALE THE TIP. Climb to the top./Tip the scale.

35A. Tidy up in a wood shop?: DUST THE BIT. Keep your tools clean./Bit the dust. Died.

43A. Floor an oppressive boss?: DECK THE MAN. Punch a jerk./Man the deck. Get to your station on a ship.

51A. Value one's vision?: PRIZE THE EYE. Eye the prize. Keep your eyes on the prize was a 50s/60s folk song during the civil rights movement.

62A. Send a star pitcher for an MRI?: TEST THE ACE. Magnetic Resonance Imaging/Ace the test. Score very highly.

Al here.

Heavy themage today, which didn't help in the least with solving, and no revealing clue was included in the puzzle. It was like solving a second puzzle to suss out what was going on, which was kind of fun, actually. Interesting to see a symmetry with six theme entries. Four or five are more common, with the occasional seven that Dan N. usually provided. A pangram, to boot. The (small) price to pay for XTRA features in the construction is accepting that a few more abbrevs are necessary here and there for fill.

ACROSS:

1. Fat job?: LIPO. Suction.

5. Interstate exit: RAMP.

9. See 12-Down: AFTER. And 12D. With 9-Across, fairy tale ender: EVER. Happily for some. Has anyone read the actual book Wicked (I know, I know, there's a musical), the story from the point of view of the Witch of the West? What if all fairy tales were actually like that?

14. Pararescue gp.: USAF. A division of the US Air Force that does search and rescue missions.

15. Organic compound: ENOL.

16. Hanker for: CRAVE. Probably from Flemish hankeren, related to Dutch hunkeren "to hanker," intensifier of Middle Dutch hangen "to hang." The notion is of "lingering about" with longing or craving.

17. Poet who wrote, about children, "And if they are popular / The phone they monopular": NASH. Ogden. Also the shortest poem ever (about fleas): Adam had 'em.

20. Rich sponge cake: GATEAU. I am now scarred for life from doing a google image search for this, even with safe image search set to moderate.

22. Pithy saying: SAW. An adage, an aphorism, an apothegm, usually terse, i.e., if something can go wrong, it will.

23. NFL game foursome: QTRS. Quarters. There are six referees, so refs didn't work.

27. Buying outing: SPREE. From French: "esprit", lively. This would not be me during shopping.

28. Cones and prisms: SOLIDS. 3-D geometric figures.

33. Farm expanse: LEA. An open field or meadow.

38. Grads: ALUMS.

41. Sandwich request: RYE. My first thought was SUB.

42. Untrusting: LEERY.

46. __ scripta: written law: LEX. Explicitly stated law, as opposed to lex non scripta, common law, set by precedent.

47. It's often served with lemon: ICE TEA. Some day a clever constructor will include the "D" and everyone will all be confused.

48. It can be rolled, pressed or stuffed: SUSHI.

56. Warrior trained by the centaur Chiron: AJAX. If I read it right, the great grandson of Zeus, also the cousin of Achilles.

60. It merged with AT&T in 2005: SBC. Southwestern Bell Corp.

61. Be amazed (at): MARVEL. Shazam!

65. Like pretzels: BENT. Baked in the shape of folded arms. Pretzel traces back to a word for branches.

66. D.C. underground: METRO. A Subway system that branches out to the suburbs above ground..

67. "Rigoletto" highlight: ARIA. Not a happily ever after fairy tale... In this opera a licentious Duke ravishes his jester's daughter; the jester's revenge goes tragically awry with his daughter's death.

68. Concerning: AS TO.

69. Dust crops, e.g.: SPRAY.

70. Certain NCO: MSGT. Master Sergeant.

71. A library book may be on it: LOAN.

DOWN:

1. Airway termini: LUNGS. I was fooled into thinking about airports, not where your bronchi attach.

2. Stern with a Strad: ISAAC. Fiddler behind the scenes...

3. Noodle topper: PASTA SAUCE.

4. Useful: OF HELP. Needed perp help for this.

5. Proved false: REFUTED. The "correct" original meaning of refute. The meaning has been shifting towards "to deny" since the 60's, as used with the word "allegations".

6. "Star Wars" saga nickname: ANI. Anikin Skywalker, Darth Vader, who says "Yippee" in the fourth movie released, which is chronologically the beginning.

7. Code creator: MORSE. Samuel. Co-created "American Morse Code", also called Railroad code, with Alfred Vail. Since 1865, International Morse code has been used instead, with "American" being limited to re-enactments only.

8. Fabric fold: PLEAT. Also a flounce, apparently.

9. Günter's gripe: ACH. German Oh! An interjection.

10. Radio abbr.: FREQ.uency.

11. 300-pound president: TAFT. William Howard. 27th president and later the 10th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. The only person to have served both offices.

13. Great American Ball Park team: REDS. Cincinnati.

19. Checker's dance: TWIST. Chubby Checker (Ernest Evans). It was a cover of the B-side song by R&B artist Hank Ballard. Popularized thanks to Dick Clark and American Bandstand.

21. Flying prefix: AER. Latin air.

25. One of 24 in un jour: HEURE. French, 24 hours in a day.

26. Sci-fi writer Frederik: POHL. Prolific author and editor.

29. Sheltered side: LEE. So odd to see it without the "A".

30. "That's my take": I BELIEVE SO.

31. Desperate: DIRE. As in circumstances.

32. Charon's river: STYX. Don't pay the ferryman until he gets you to the other side.

33. __-da: pretentious: LA-DI.

34. Juice: Abbr.: ELEC.tricity

36. Orch. work: SYM. Orchestra, symphony.

37. Flirt: TEASE. One who does, is.

39. NYSE, e.g.: MKT. New York Stock Exchange, Stock Market.

40. Stride: STEP.

44. Caustic: HARSH. I had BASIC in there briefly because lye is a very strong base. Caustic lye is the opposite of acid, but no less destructive. Sort of like the two-party system. If you try to mix the two extremes together, sparks really fly and everything in between gets hurt.

45. Edible part of a pecan: NUTMEAT. Pecan, a word from our crossword friends, the Cree: pakan, hard-shelled nut. So, how do you say it? PEEcahn, payKAHN, or PEE-CAN?

49. Doo-wop syllable: SHA. A blast from the past.

50. Like some supplements: HERBAL.

52. Building girder: I-BEAM. Guessed _beam right away, and 53D. Many Nissan autos: Z-CARS. Similarly got _cars, but had to wait for the leading letters for both. Which was tough because the theme perp wasn't helping.

54. Busybody: YENTA. From Yente Telebende, comic strip gossip in 1920s-30s writing of Yiddish newspaper humorist B. Kovner (pen-name of Jacob Adler).

55. John with Grammys: ELTON. Who else could it be?

56. Green dispensers: ATMS. Not fooled this time, filled immediately.

57. Wrangler, for one: JEEP. An SUV or UTE.

58. Copernicus's sci.: ASTR. Science, astronomy.

59. Bonus, in adspeak: XTRA.

63. Peke, e.g.: TOY. Pekingese dog, toy breed.

64. One might be bummed, briefly: CIG.arette

Answer grid.

Al

Wednesday October 27, 2010 Dan Naddor

Theme: Tool Time - The first word of each common phrase is also a common tool.

17A. Track and field event: HAMMER THROW. This was the RECORD .

23A. Agreed: SAW EYE TO EYE. Did you all like this MOVIE ?

39A. Lou Gossett Jr. played one in "An Officer and a Gentleman": DRILL INSTRUCTOR. I never cared for the MOVIE .

49A. Air traveler's need: PLANE TICKET. I used to love using this TOOL followed up by using:

61A. Folder holder: FILE CABINET. This ONE .

Happy Wednesday all; it is getting bittersweet to be the one who lucks out and gets to write up one of the remaining Dan Naddor puzzles, not knowing which one will be last. We have Dan’s consistent heavy themeage, four 11’s and a grid spanning fifth. I was looking for another layer with the tools, maybe the order you used the tools, but I could not find anything else, except some fun clues, and lots of Dan’s tricky multiple words.

Across:

1. One of a "Sesame Street" duo: BERT. I always have trouble remembering which is ERNIE .

5. Tizzy: LATHER. Just a fun WORD .

11. Chest muscle, briefly: PEC. ENOUGH ?

14. Bug tail?: ABOO. BUGABOO .

15. Injury requiring emergency room treatment: TRAUMA.

16. Everyone: ALL.

19. Double standard?: TWO.

20. Hardly laid-back: TYPE A. Dan obviously was one, but are you? Take the TEST .

21. Morsel: ORT. Classic crosswordese.

22. Corp. exec hopefuls: MBAS.

27. Dilettante: AMATEUR. dil•et•tante/ˌdiliˈtänt/Noun
1. A person who claims an area of interest, such as the arts, without real commitment or knowledge.
2. A person with an amateur interest in the arts. My parents always made it sound much worse.

31. "Nuts!": DARN.

32. Baby Arp's first word?: DADA. Oh my, this is a complicate double pun, I think talking about Hans ARP one of the influential DADAISTS, and DA DA. I filled in and had to think and ponder to understand the answer.

33. Metric prefix: DECI. CENTIMETRE DECIMETRE, etc.

36. Talk big: BOAST.

42. Ketel One alternative, familiarly: STOLI. I am a POTATO PURIST .

43. Señor's "Certainly!": SI SI. I always have a hard time with this very easy fill, because my mind only sees sisi. This is one of the multiple words fill Dan liked, 47A. In a way: OF SORTS and 66A. Opposite of 43-Across: NO NO. 29D. Señor's sendoff: ADIOS AMIGO. Beautiful bilingual double alliteration, and our Spanish lesson. 30D. Happy hour request: TALL ONE. Which is your preference Lois, Jeannie from this IMAGE . 35D. "Not to worry": IT'S OK. 57. How some NFL games are resolved: IN OT. I just finished reading The Glory Game by Frank Gifford, about the 1958 CHAMPIONSHIP GAME which many claim is the greatest game ever, and the first overtime game in pro football history.

44. Bistro: CAFE.

45. Crash site?: SOFA. My favorite misdirection of the puzzle.

53. Main Web page: HOME.

54. Nashville sch.: TSU. TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY, the more famous U. of TENNESSEE is in KNOXVILLE.

55. Bond: UNITE.

60. Jackie's second: ARI. Jackie Bouvier Kennedy Onassis, after her marriage to shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis.

64. Droop: SAG.

65. Composer Debussy: CLAUDE. Do we all know CLAIR de LUNE ?

67. Prefix with skeleton: EXO. Like IRON MAN .

68. Counselor's charge: CAMPER. Lo-li-ta, what am I to do with CAMPERS?

69. Mail-routing abbr.: ATTN. A foreshadowing of our USPS.

Down:

1. Thai currency: BAHT. This MONEY is also an anagram for BATH.

2. Online marketplace: EBAY. If you have never shopped EBAY, it is amazing; my kids saved a fortune by buying used textbooks, and you can find all kinds of out offprint stuff. Coolieo.

3. Easy win: ROMP.

4. Hefty volume: TOME.

5. USPS delivery: LTR. United States Postal Service.

6. Miró on the wall: ART. My uncle had this PRINT hanging in his office; as a child I could not understand why.

7. Second-deepest U.S. lake: TAHOE. This is the most beautiful place in the 48 STATES

8. "Faster!": HURRY. Am I the only one who wanted to find a famous non-eater like Gandhi?

9. Hammed it up: EMOTED. Who do you think is the worst ham actor (actress) you know?

10. Like crudités: RAW. I do not think I have ever been to a law related get together that did not start with VEGGIES .

11. "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" singer: PAT BENATAR. When I would go on the road with the bands I worked with, I always enjoyed this feisty performer and this SONG.

12. Hall of Fame Broncos quarterback: ELWAY. Mastermind of THE DRIVE .

13. Intimate: CLOSE. Hmm, “hey baby, let’s get close…” Nah. Oh, friends, I see.

18. Leisure: EASE.

22. African country nearest Spain: MOROCCO. Home for RICK’s .

24. BMW rival: AUDI.

25. Small songbirds: WRENS. But they are powerful SINGERS .

26. Cologne that sounds wrong?: TABU. You never hear of this anymore, perhaps they need this SPOKESPERSON , what do you think VIDWAN?

27. Tacks on: ADDS.

28. Trading center: MART. Do like K or WAL or perhaps this ONE ?

34. CBS forensic drama: CSI.

37. "Hush!" to Romeo: SOFT. This is my favorite JULIET , who is yours?

38. "__ bien!": TRES. Must get some French in.

40. Cereal Mikey liked, in ads: LIFE. I loved the cereal as a kid, it was just nice to have a change from flakes and krispies; but also notice this fill rhymes with 41A. Abundant: RIFE, which is a favorite word of all who write poetry because it also rhymes with wife, and strife and knife, and there has to be a poem in there somewhere.

46. Number one Hun: ATTILA. Did we think HUN was an abbreviation like CAB?

48. Movie souvenir: STUB. So the HEAT lost to the Celtics, I wonder if the fans saved their tickets?

49. Period: PHASE.

50. Seuss's environmental advocate: LORAX. Who doesn’t love the work of the good DOCTOR S. .

51. Sadat's faith: ISLAM.

52. Search for and find, as a CD track: CUE UP.

56. 1492 trio member: NINA. Have our Wisconsin natives gone to look at the SHIPS ?

58. Circus sight: TENT.

59. Prince William's school: ETON.

61. TV monitor: FCC. Classic Dan Naddor misdirection, unluckily LED and LCD both fit.

62. B-F connectors: CDE. My me, suited connectors.

63. __ Lingus: AER. No wonder the Irish drink so much, all their words sound so suggestive; let’s get off on AER LINGUS!

Answer grid.

Okay, we have made it to another hump day, and almost wrapped up another month. Thank you Dan wherever you are, and come out and play everyone.

Lemonade

Tuesday, October 26, 2010 Jeff Chen

Theme: On a Roll - The start of the four theme answers modifies the meaning of the first word in the unifier.

17A. *"That's a certainty!": "BANK ON IT!". Bankroll can either be a noun (literally or figuratively, a roll of bills) or a verb meaning to fund someone or something.

22A. *Say "Well done," say: PAY A COMPLIMENT. Payroll, again either a noun or verb. The list of people to be paid or the money to pay them. The act of paying them. In old Westerns, the bad guys stopped the stage that was carrying the payroll.

34A. *Cover the night's check: SPRING FOR DINNER. Spring roll is like an egg roll but with a flaky wrapper. Image. I like the spring rolls better than the egg rolls.

46A. *Generate sales leads: DRUM UP BUSINESS. Drumroll, the continuous sound of a drum rapidly beaten. Five second clip.

54A. Attendance check, and a hint to the puzzle theme in the first words of the starred answers: ROLL CALL

Roll call answer: "Argyle!", "Here, Sir!" Jeff Chen continues his roll of excellent puzzles. 74-worder with 3 Js. Only one Q away from being a pangram.

A tad harder than a usual Tuesday, with three long answers. Plus, some clechos.

Across:

1. Homey : COZY

5. Boeing product : JET

8. Shoulder wraps : SHAWLS

14. Converse competitor : AVIA. Latin for "fly".

15. Fuss : ADO

16. Immensely popular : RED HOT

19. "Ripe" part of life : OLD AGE

20. Ceremonial act : RITE

21. Mousse user : SALON. Mousse user, just fun to say.

27. Rock examiner? : JEWELER. Diamond "rock".

28. A seeming eternity : EONS

29. Q.E.D. word : ERAT. Math proof letters, Latin meaning "quod erat demonstrandum" or "which was to be shown or proven".

30. Bozo : JERK

31. Remark from Rex : "ARF!". Rex, the name of the sheepdog in the 1995 film, "Babe", is Latin for king.

39. Function : USE

40. Suave to a fault : OILY. This man?

41. Long-tongued cartoon dog : ODIE. From the Garfield strip.

42. "Brave New World" drug : SOMA. The fictional hallucinogenic drug in Aldous Huxley's 1932 novel.

43. Obvious : EVIDENT

50. Knock one's knuckles against : RAP AT

51. Nae sayer : SCOT. A play on "nay sayer".

52. To excess : OVERLY

59. Blew off steam : VENTED

60. Doctor of music? : DRE. Andre Romelle Young, primarily known by his stage name Dr. Dre, is a record producer, rapper, record executive, and actor.

61. Skin lotion additive : ALOE

62. Some dadaist paintings : ERNSTs. Dada is the groundwork to abstract art and sound poetry and the movement that lay the foundation for Surrealism. Max Ernst was one of the founders.

63. Verizon rival : AT&T

64. Coquette : MINX. Image. Ho, Ho, Ho!

Down:

1. Chard alternative : CAB and clecho 3. Chard alternative : ZIN. No clue that these are wines. Chardonnay, Cabernet, Zinfandel; not sure cab (red) works for a alternate for chard (white), zin can be red or white.

2. Egg cells : OVA

4. Himalayan beast : YAK and 24. Rumored Himalayan beast : YETI

5. Chandler's "Friends" ex-girlfriend with an annoying laugh : JANICE. Clip, at the fertility clinic.

6. Magazine VIP : EDITOR

7. Carved pole : TOTEM

8. No more seats, on a sign : SRO. Standing room only.

9. Capital east of Oslo : HELSINKI. Oslo, Norway and Helsinki, Finland. Map. Sweden is in between them.

10. "Mysterious and spooky" TV family name : ADDAMS

11. Ahab's quarry : WHALE. From Herman Melville's classic of the sea, telling of the pursuit of Moby Dick, the white whale.

12. Start one's work day, maybe : LOG ON

13. Angioplasty implant : STENT

18. Like much family history : ORAL

22. Offenders, in copspeak : PERPS. Not in our argot, though.

23. Enlightened : AWARE

25. Word with group or pressure : PEER

26. British nobleman : LORD. A member of the peerage, a system nobility in England.

27. Son of God, in a Bach cantata : JESU. German.

30. Elation : JOY

31. Bolivian range : ANDES

32. Stagecoach controls : REINS

33. Fuss : FRET

35. Sign at a cul-de-sac : NO OUTLET

36. Hobbling gait : GIMP

37. Love handles, so to speak : FLAB

38. Botanical branch point : NODE

42. Stings : SMARTS

43. Companion : ESCORT

44. Purple shade : VIOLET

45. Worldwide: Abbr. : INTL. International.

46. Took the wheel : DROVE

47. Ecstatic film critic, e.g. : RAVER

48. Sch. founded by Franklin : UPENN. University of Pennsylvania. Founded by Benjamin Franklin in 1749. Motto, Leges sine moribus vanae, translates to "Laws without morals are useless."

49. Dietary standard often measured in mg. : US RDA. United States Recommended Daily Allowances (USRDA).

53. NFL rushing nos. : YDs.. American football.

55. "Overhead" engine part : CAM

56. Poetic pugilist : ALI. "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee." Right, NC?

57. "Man of a Thousand Faces" Chaney : LON. Lon Chaney Tribute.

58. Archvillain Luthor : LEX. Superman's supervillain bad guy.

Answer grid.

Argyle

Monday, October 25, 2010 Robert A. Doll

Theme: Boys Only! - Four phrases that start with a man's name and a unifier.

17A. Wealthy relative: RICH UNCLE

24A. Emulate Muhammad Ali: BOB AND WEAVE

39A. Father-son talk, e.g.: FRANK DISCUSSION

50A. Assembled in a makeshift manner: JERRY-RIGGED

64A. Get-together for the starts of 17-, 24-, 39- and 50-Across?: STAG PARTY

Argyle here.

Even though there are five entries, I kept looking for a more complicated connection between the four names. Must be the effect of last week. Some others weren't invited to the party. 1A SETH, 19A TONTO, 17A BONO, 31A IAN, 47A DON, and 59D ART. O MAN!

Before anyone starts, JERRY-rigged and JURY-rigged are the same thing.

Across:

1. Eve's youngest : SETH. The only 3 names mentioned in the Bible are Cain, Abel, and Seth. Adam also had "other sons and daughters," though they aren't named. (Answers.com)

5. Special __: military force : OPS. Special OPerationS.

8. Priest's place : ALTAR

13. Trojan War epic : "ILIAD". The older of the two surviving ancient Greek epic poems, traditionally ascribed to Homer.

15. "The __": placekicker Lou Groza's nickname : TOE. Louis Roy Groza (January 25, 1924 - November 29, 2000) was an American football placekicker who played his entire career for the Cleveland Browns. (Wikipedia)

16. Dog : POOCH

19. Sidekick who rode Scout : TONTO

20. Bagel flavoring : SESAME

21. Rio automaker : KIA. Korean automobile manufacturer. Image. A subcompact car.

23. Bones partner : SKIN. Emaciated. Nothing but skin and bones. But how many of you thought of Seely Booth from TV's Bones?

27. Free, as legal work : PRO BONO. A phrase derived from Latin meaning "for the public good", pro bono publico, shortened to just pro bono.

31. Author Fleming : IAN. James Bond creator.

32. Titled woman : DAME and 1D. 32-Acrosses' spouses : SIRS

33. Older but __ : WISER

36. Dean's list factor: Abbr. : GPA. Grade Point Average (GPA)

43. D.C. bigwig : SEN.

44. Annually : A YEAR

45. Jason's vessel : ARGO. Greek mythology.

46. Had some grub : ATE

47. Leave high and dry : ABANDON

55. North Carolina university : ELON. A private liberal arts university located in Elon, NC. Location.

56. Fed. loan guarantor : SBA. Small Business Administration (SBA).

57. Take turns : ROTATE

62. Bank takebacks, briefly : REPOs. Origin: by shortening of repossessions.

66. Used a prie dieu : KNELT. Image. A prayer desk.

67. Many, many moons : EON

68. Coach:athlete ::__:student : TUTOR. A coach is to athlete as a TUTOR is to student.

69. When tripled, and so on : YADDA. Or spelled with one D. Speaking of Double D's, where is my number one on the naughty list?

70. Gun lobby org. : NRA. The National Rifle Association of America, or NRA.

71. Rockwell or Gothic : TYPE. Types of type!

Down:

2. Nobelist Wiesel : ELIE. This man.

3. Nervous spasms : TICS

4. "Very funny!" : "HA-HA!"

5. Non-Rx : OTC. Over-the-counter (OTC). Also can apply to stocks.

6. Oktoberfest dance : POLKA. Let's all get up and dance around the breakfast table. "Beer Barrel Polka" : Myron Floren on accordion.

7. Make welcome : SEE IN

8. On-target : APT

9. Let out a few notches in : LOOSEN

10. Toy truck brand : TONKA

11. When Ophelia drowns : ACT IV. From Hamlet, by Shakespeare.

12. River at Arles : RHONE. Map. Arles is on the coast, the Riviera.

14. Disney pachyderm : DUMBO. The Flying Elephant.

18. One of the noble gases : NEON

22. French farewell : ADIEU

25. Alamo hero : BOWIE. That would be James Bowie, not David Bowie.

26. Part of V.F.W. : WARS. Veterans of Foreign Wars.

27. Commonly e-mailed files, for short : PDFs. Portable Document Format.

28. Porterhouse order : RARE. I tell you, it is very rare when I get a steak.

29. Arabian sultanate : OMAN. On the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula.

30. Golfer Hogan : BEN. Legendary.

34. "This __ ripoff!" : IS A

35. Scrawny one : SCRAG

36. Prepare, as for action : GIRD

37. Walt Kelly's possum : POGO. Comic strip.

38. Soon, poetically : ANON

40. "K-K-K-__": 1918 song : KATY. Let's all sing now! Lyrics.

41. Batik artisans : DYERS. They use wax and dye to produce images on cloth.

42. __ Francisco : SAN

46. Composer Schoenberg : ARNOLD. I thought they should have clued Gov. Schwarzenegger, after the previous clue.

48. Arctic floater : BERG

49. Take in from a pet shelter : ADOPT

50. Beef __: dried meat : JERKY

51. Kagan who replaced Stevens on the Supreme Court : ELENA

52. Enticed, with "in" : ROPED

53. "Peer Gynt" dramatist : IBSEN. Edvard Grieg famously composed incidental music and songs for his play.

54. Croc's cousin : GATOR

58. Drawn tight : TAUT

59. Culturally pretentious : ARTY

60. 'Vette roof option : T-TOP

61. Brontë's "Jane __" : EYRE

63. RR depot : STA.

65. Literary collection : ANA

Answer grid.

Argyle

Sunday October 24, 2010 John Lampkin

(Note: LA Times website does not support circled letters feature. Here is the pdf file of today's puzzle.)

Theme: Country Kitchen - a UN Day Tribute puzzle. Each familiar food phrase contains two 3-letter country codes used by the UN.

23A. Lunch box item : BOLOGNA SANDWICH. Bol: Bolivia. And: Andora.

41A. Sautéed fish entrée : PAN FRIED TROUT. Pan: Panama. Rou: Romania.

48A. Cup-shaped breakfast fare : BRAN MUFFIN. Bra: Brazil. Fin: Finland.

77A. Basil-based topper : PESTO SAUCE. Est: Estonia. Sau: Saudi Arabia.

85A. Honey-coated dish : GLAZED CHICKEN. Aze: Azerbaijan. Ken: Kenya.

103A. Tangy confection : PEPPERMINT CANDY. Per: Peru. Can: Canada.

16D. It's milder than yellowfin : ALBACORE TUNA. Alb: Albania. Tun: Tunisia.

58D. Some links : SWEET SAUSAGE. Swe: Sweden. USA, not AUSA, the first A is for the crossing Aze. John probably could not find a better phrase where all the embedded codes are isolated.

54D. Country __: used by the org. in 65-Across, there are 16 circled in this puzzle : CODES.

65A. Oct. 24, every year : UN DAY. Today.

Great central placements of the odd number lettered CODES & UN DAY.

Some of the codes are not familiar to me. Had to check Wikipedia NATO country code. So has trigram replaced digram or both are in use?

I can''t imagine the amount of research John did for this puzzle. We all can pick a few phrases which contains 2 different country codes. But to pick 8 with no repeat and to make the grid work is daunting.

As usual, no cheater square, only one letter Q away from a pangram. Lots of fun & witty clues, many clechos (highlighted in green) as well.

Across:

1. Breakfast-on-the-run choice : BAGEL

6. On the way : SENT. Mails.

10. Competed in a triathlon : SWAM

14. Moves with the music : SWAYS

19. Building on a 1936 centennial stamp : ALAMO. Was unaware of the trivia.

20. Speed : PACE

21. Plane starter? : AERO. As in aeroplane. And the real PILOT (22. Plane starter).

26. Ready to bloom : IN BUD

27. Shout : YELL

28. One-named Irish singer : ENYA. Bono too.

29. Its formula includes a plus or minus : ION. Because it can be both positive and negative?

30. Mattress giant : SERTA. Sealy is 5-letter as well.

32. Archimedes' shout : EUREKA

34. They may be behind pictures : SAFES. Wall safes are often hidden behind pictures.

36. People in trees, perhaps : NIECES. Family trees.

39. So-called autobiographer of "Before You Leap" : KERMIT. Here's the book cover. I thought the author is a real person

43. Dvorák contemporary : GRIEG (Edvard). Norwegian composer. Of "Peer Gynt Suite" fame.

44. Aegean region where an architectural order began : IONIA. Oh, no wonder the name.

46. False-sounding soap components : LYES

47. Tech sch. near Albany : RPI. Hey, Spitzboov!

50. Prying tool : LEVER

52. Glassmaker's oven : LEHR. Pronounced like "leer". New word to me.

53. Holes a gimme : TAPS IN. No yip.

54. Made 7 into 343, say : CUBED. "Made 1 into 1" could be tricky.

55. __-Rooter : ROTO

56. Rm. coolers : ACs

59. One of two in a Frost poem : ROAD. "The Road Not Taken".

60. Ping maker : SONAR. Dennis said "when a ship or submarine sends out a sonar signal, it's a PING. I was lost. Could only picture Ping golf clubs.

61. Bolt down : SECURE. Crossing EAT (62D. Bolt down). Great clechos.

63. Herder's equine : COWPONY. Another new word for me.

66. Waxy-flowered plant : BEGONIA

67. Louisiana language : CREOLE

68. Bygone news medium : CRIER

69. Lewd look : LEER

70. Do one's part : ACT

71. Take-out order? : DELE. Editing "take-out".

72. Crabber and cutter : BOATS. Dictionary says crabber is a boat used in catching crabs.

73. Court clown : JESTER. And 83. __ clown : CLASS.

75. Partner of starts : FITS. Fits and starts.

76. Heavy hammers : MAULS

81. Gp. from which Cuba was suspended from 1962 to 2009 : OAS. Ha ha. I knew this fact.

82. Phone call : RING

84. Cranial recess : SINUS

89. Streetcar name? : DESIRE. "A Streetcar Named Desire".

90. Rocketeer gear : G-SUITS

91. Netlike hair wear : SNOOD. Learned from doing Xword.

92. Tiny sandwich : SLIDER

94. Ill will : SPITE

96. Early riser? : SUN. Lovely clue.

97. Jubilance : GLEE

98. Hip : COOL. And 87. Hip location? : IN SPOT. Where the hip crowd are.

101. Jumped : LEAPT

107. Heavenly body? : ANGEL

108. One with many fans : IDOL

109. Say no to : DENY

110. '60s protest : LIE-IN. Like what John Lennon and Yoko Ono did.

111. Name on a mower : DEERE

112. Puppylike : CUTE. And 113. "Puppy Love" singer : ANKA (Paul).

114. List in the back : INDEX

Down:

1. Labor day output? : BABY. Great clue. Also 4D. Compensation for labor : EMOLUMENT. Another new word for me.

2. Soothing balm : ALOE

3. Shopping mecca : GALLERIA

5. Turtle's basking spot : LOG. Vivid image.

6. Punish, in a way : SPANK

7. Hardly a tough course : EASY A

8. Sweet Sixteen org. : NCAA

9. Pin in the back : TEN. Bowling pin.

10. Prune : SAW OFF

11. "Mad Men" creator Matthew : WEINER. No idea. Any "Mad Men" fans?

12. Episodic story line : ARC

13. Mineralogist with a scale : MOHS. Hardness scale. And 89D. You probably need a scale to tell if it's working : DIET.

14. Apparitions : SPIRITS

15. Concerto in Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons" : WINTER. Needed crossing help.

17. Word said while pointing : YOU

18. Not irr. : STD (Standard)

24. First hair remover to be marketed in cream form : NEET. ENYA prevented me from penning in NAIR.

25. Roman goddess of the hunt : DIANA. Artemis in Greek.

31. Rear-__ : ENDER

33. Tediously detailed process : RIGMAROLE. Mainic likes to use this word.

34. Three-time All-Star pitcher Johnny who threw the first major league pitch to Jackie Robinson : SAIN. Interesting trivia. I knew his name only from the poem "First we'll use Spahn/then we'll use Sain/Then an off day/followed by rain...".

35. Dinnerware : SILVER

37. Deliriously happy : EUPHORIC

38. Recipe instruction : STIR

39. CIA rival, once : KGB. Putin was a KGB.

40. Lose money on "Jeopardy!" : ERR

41. Nabokov novel : PNIN. Also learned from doing Xword.

42. Looked at : EYED

44. "Suppose ..." : IF SAY

45. "The Wizard __" : OF ID. Comic strip "The Wizard of ID". I've learned not to recklessly put in OF OZ.

49. Barely winning : UP ONE.

50. Like some eclipses : LUNAR

51. 24/7 auction site : EBAY

52. Crackers : LOCO. Another great clue.

55. Backslid : REGRESSED

56. Blue Devils' gp. : ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference). Blue Devils is Duke's sports team.

57. Liqueurs : CORDIALS. Oh, new meaning of cordial to me.

60. Piques : SNITS

61. Take care of : SEE TO

64. D.C. insiders : POLS

65. River to the Caspian : URAL

66. Defeats : BESTS

68. Hacks : COUGHS. Hack has so many meanings.

69. On sale, say : LESS

72. Judicial seat : BANC. Literally "bench" in French.

73. Author Auel : JEAN

74. Run riot : RAISE CAIN. Not many multi-word today.

75. Verne's traveler : FOGG. Phileas Fogg. "Around the World in Eighty Days". I can never remember his name.

76. Heart : MIDST

77. Appealed : PLED

78. Having a pressing need? : UNIRONED. Nice clue.

79. Contemptible one : CUR

80. Peking add-on : ESE. Pekingese.

82. Do an editor's task, perhaps : RE-TITLE. Rich does re-title some of the Sunday puzzles.

83. Unisex designer cologne : CK ONE. Sparkling fill.

86. It may be under a fly : ZIPPER

88. Link : COUPLE. Both verbs.

92. Move furtively : SLINK

93. Singer of many Weill songs : LENYA

95. "Paradise Lost," e.g. : EPIC. Did you want POEM?

97. Racketeer busters : G-MEN

99. Slobbering comics dog : ODIE

100. Forest cat : LYNX. Hey, dog and cat, consecutively.

101. Little shaver : LAD

102. 67.5 deg. : ENE. This kind of clue often confuses me.

104. Campus URL ending : EDU

105. Old vitamin bottle abbr. : RDA (Recommended Dietary Allowances). Now it's RDI (Recommended Daily Intake).

106. Caesar's 151 : CLI

Answer grid.

C.C.

Saturday October 23, 2010 R. M. (Bob) Peoples

(Note: Tomorrow's puzzle involves circles, which are unsupported by LA Times website. I'll release the pdf & puz files on the blog around 9:00pm tonight.

(Updated @9:05pm. Here is the pdf version of tomorrow's puzzle.)

Theme: None

Total words: 70

Total blocks: 29

This puzzle has two grid-spanning marquee answers, all lively colloquial phrases:

17A. "You've made your point!" : OK, I GET IT ALREADY

60A. Reference to a long-forgotten acquaintance : OLD WHAT'S HIS NAME?

They are intersected by a couple of 9s and 11s:

3D. Swing both ways : SWITCH HIT. Did you think of baseball immediately?

11D. Hardly a Michelin three-star eatery : GREASY SPOON. Guess which city has the most Michelin starred restaurants?

23D. Catnap : CATCH A FEW Z's

35D. Decide to defend someone, say : TAKE A CASE. Didn't come to me easily.

The ladder structure in the middle of the grid gives the puzzle an amazing interconnectedness. Quite challenging to put together, as one bad answer could cause a collapse of the whole puzzle.

Across:

1. Sources of inside info? : CT SCANS. "Info" hints an abbreviated answer.

8. Small hounds : BEAGLES

15. Question at a wine tasting : HOW IS IT? Also 36D. Wine selection concern : AGE & 37D. Wine selection : RED. "Wine" clechos (clue echos).

16. Like some glass display cases : REAR LIT

19. Stroke : PET. Both noun/verb work.

20. Atomic number of nitrogen : SEVEN. I forgot all I learned in the chemistry class.

21. Place for controls : PANEL. Oh, control panel.

22. Starfleet registry prefix : NCC. Drew a blank. From "Star Trek".

24. E-mails : SENDS

26. Hurting : SORE

27. Turn left : HAW. GEE is "Turn right".

29. In a level-headed way : SANELY

31. 1987 Beatty bomb : ISHTAR. The name escaped me again. We had this clue before. JD mentioned the Babylonian Ishtar before. Goddess of love/war/fertility.

34. One who draws exceptionally well? : MEGASTAR. Because megastars have drawing power?

38. Insert casually : STICK IN

40. Surfer's destination : WEB PAGE. Internet surfer.

41. Precisely : ON THE DOT. Wanted ON TARGET.

43. Short-changed : ROOKED

44. Energy problem : ANEMIA. Lack of iron.

46. Preschool group? : ROE. It has not become fish, which travel in school.

47. Beehive, say : COIF

50. Health, in Le Havre : SANTE. ''A votre santé!''

52. "Coming Home" subject : NAM. Have never heard of the movie. Starring Jane Fonda. How ironic! I bet Dennis boycotted it.

54. Wrinkles : LINES

56. Tank swimmer : TETRA

58. One sold at Sotheby's in 1989 for more than $50,000 : CEL. Not surprised. Saw some expensive ones in "Antique Roadshow".

63. Taking by force : SEIZURE

64. Truman secretary of state : ACHESON (Dean). Nope. Complete stranger.

65. He played Captain Davies on "Roots" : ED ASNER. His name consists of all common letters, hence the frequent appearances in Xword.

66. Number one : THE BEST. I like how it ends the grid.

Down:

1. Do some food prep : CHOP

2. Keepsake : TOKEN

4. Smoke, briefly : CIG

5. Grieg's "__ Death" : ASE'S. No idea. Here is a clip. Edvard Grieg. ASE is sometimes clued as "Peer Gynt's mother". Ibsen play.

6. Evenings in the classifieds : NITES

7. Destination in a poetic riddle : ST. IVES. Riddle: "As I was going to St. Ives. / I met a man with seven wives...". Got me.

8. Cherry, so to speak : BRAND NEW. New meaning of "cherry" to me.

9. Fish often smoked : EEL. Not to my taste. I liked pickled fish.

10. Seniors' PAC : AARP

12. Plain in the Southwest : LLANO

13. It might get you down : EIDER. Awesome clue.

14. Pizazz : STYLE

18. When Sunday NFL action starts on the West Coast : TEN AM. Big game this weekend for the Vikings. Against Al's Packers.

25. "Against the Wind" singer : SEGER (Bob). See this clip.

28. Rise, and maybe shine : WAKEN. What exactly does "shine" refer to?

30. Cabinet department since 1913 : LABOR. Nice to know.

31. Equal opening : ISO. As in isobar.

32. Place to buy tkts. : STN

33. Teases : RIDES

39. Irrespective of : NO MATTER. WHATEVER has 8 letters too.

42. Some silverware parts : TINES

45. In addition : AT THAT

47. Nip and tuck : CLOSE

48. Smashed : OILED. Yet another slang for "drunk".

49. Birthplace of Merle Oberon : INDIA. I don't even know who Merle Oberon was. British actress.

51. __ Maria Remarque, author of "All Quiet on the Western Front" : ERICH. Nope. This author is not in my memory shelf either.

53. Notes : MEMOS

55. Steer clear of : SHUN

57. "Off the Court" autobiographer : ASHE (Arthur)

59. Fast time : LENT. I've never fasted. Don't have the will.

61. Art today? : ARE. "Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?". Great clue.

62. Lincoln's st. : NEB

Answer grid.

C.C.

Friday October 22, 2010 Clive Probert

Theme: The Art of the Pun - The first word/part of each familiar phrase/word is punnily replaced by a sound-like name of an artist, whose school of art is indicated in the clue with a question mark to let the solver know a play on words is coming.

20A. Baroque painter's study of a snack?: RUBENS SANDWICH. Pieter Pawl Rubens was a Flemish painter who perhaps is best remembered for his portraits of FULL FIGURED women, so much that the term Rubenesque is used to compliment an attractive but not petite woman. I am not sure it is a snack, but who (other than you Veeeegans) does not love a good REUBEN SANDWICH .

36A. Surrealist's portrait of a president?: DALI MADISON. The wife of James Madison our fourth, and shortest president, was DOLLEY MADISON who was the first president’s wife to get much notice. She might have been a good subject for Rubens, but not for our bizarre friend SALVADOR .

42A. Synthetist's picture of a French author?: GAUGUIN ZOLA. My favorite as this synthesizes into one word, GORGONZOLA, the cheese, which has little to do with the colorful paintings of the Van Gogh contemporary PAUL GAUGUIN who was around the night Van Gogh cut his ear off, and showed the world the beauty of Polynesia.

57A. Impressionist's study of a washerwoman?: MONET LAUNDERER. In my youth, as a criminal defense lawyer, I learned about the strange art of the MONEY LAUNDERER, who could make black money green. MONET not to be confused with his fellow impressionist MANET, was credited as the founder of impressionism. I personally enjoy all four of these artists work; as my father taught me, I may not know art, but I know what I like. My youngest is a big DALI fan.

Plus, 45D. Representing in drawing: LIMNING. I guess this DEFINITION supplements our artistic theme.

Good day to C.C. and all of you anxiously awaiting the week end, and Halloween next week end. Lemonade here, with a fun puzzle from Clive Probert, who this summer did a NYT puzzle with 48 “B”s, with at least one in each answer. This theme was much simpler.

On to the rest, with clechos, lots and lots of music, and more.

Across:

1. Bulletin board material: CORK. A little teeny deception if you were trying to think what was being posted.

5. __ ed: PHYS. Shouldn’t there be a period after ed. To show it is an abbreviation?

9. Human-powered Eastern cab: CYCLO. I was not familiar with this term for the BICYCLE TAXI which was my learning experience of the day.

14. Hyalite, e.g.: OPAL. INTERESTING .

15. Realize: REAP. Reap what you sow big boy.

16. Arcadian: RURAL. This ancient Greek concept of pastoral bliss could have fit in out UTOPIA puzzle.

17. Actress Andersson : BIBI. One of Ingmar Bergman’s regular ACTRESSES starring some wonderful movies, like Seventh Seal .

18. Karachi language: URDU. In our current world, we should all know KARACHI is the largest city in Pakistan, and URDU is one of the two official languages of Pakistan. What do you think the other is? We also have 25. Muscat money: RIAL with MUSCAT the largest city in OMAN.

19. Popped up: AROSE. Calm down Lois.

23. 1986 movie title trio: AMIGOS. How bad could a MOVIE starring Steve Martin, Martin Short and Chevy Chase be? Watch and see. Funny, every puzzle I blog reminds me of a story from my life. I am sure most of you have seen the new commercial where the couple bumps into Chevy Chase on the plane, they buddy up on vacation. Well, when I was doing my traveling to LA to talk to record companies, I literally bumped into him (he is one tall guy, btw) outside a Mexican restaurant. It just so happens my brother had published a book on Karate for teenagers (Defend Yourself, New American Library, long out print, but sometimes seen on ebay) and the editor was Ned Chase, Chevy’s father, which I thought made for an interesting coincidence. He did not, and was rude.

24. Rib: KID.

28. Employees with a lot of keys: VALETS. Really, is this supposed to be literal?

33. Go back: EBB. A new, simple way to clue a puzzle favorite.

38. Spanish pronoun: ELLA. Our first language lesson of the day.

40. Suffix with polymer: ASE. Way beyond my knowledge of SCIENCE .

41. Org. co-founded by Babe Zaharias: LPGA. Ladies Professional Gold Association, now at home in Florida. She was an amazing athlete, who is worth reading about. LINK .

47. Afternoon break: NAP. I know, I am going so slowly, you all need one.

48. Radiances: SHEENS. Like these TWO .

49. Mars candy bar: TWIX. Their version of the KIT-KAT, which has been around in England for decades.

50. Pol. platform-promoting org.: DNC. Democratic National Committee.

52. Après-dinner confection: MENTHE. Now our French lesson, I am sure you all deduced it just means mint.

62. Intense excitement: FEVER. Do you like A or B ? Also, 63. Sheryl Crow's "__ Wanna Do": ALL I. A very nice SONG filmed in part outside the ROXY in Hollywood, where I had some wild nights with Dick Whitehouse from Curb records. This is balanced by 44D. Stevie Wonder's "__ She Lovely": ISNT. LISTEN .

64. When repeated, "I agree": HEAR. And, then 7D. When repeated twice, "and so on": YADA. (Clecho) For good measure we also have the semi-synonym, 34D. Yawn-inducing: BLAH.

65. Newmark with an online list: CRAIG. Never knew this GUY .

66. Land of 10,000 Lakes: Abbr.: MINN. Is there ever been a bigger gimme for C.C. Jeannie and you other northern lights?

67. Delinquent's fear: REPO. I was thinking more about my father’s belt, but…

68. Ma's forte: CELLO. More music from the fabulous YO-YO .

69. Pre-wedding party: STAG. Not any more, very un-PC.

70. Pres. Reagan's "evil empire": USSR. We all know better, don’t we TB DAMN YANKEES .

Down:

1. G.I. Joe foe: COBRA. Never got into that world with my boys, more Transformers and Power Rangers.

2. Subject of Great Britain/China wars: OPIUM.

3. Religious teacher: RABBI. Literally.

4. Filmmaker's __ light: KLIEG. Our WORD OF THE DAY

5. Berlin was its last capital: PRUSSIA. More to LEARN .

6. Bathrobe word: HERS. I think more of towels.

8. Mettle: SPUNK.

9. Freshwater crustacean: CRAWDAD. You catch ‘em you eat THEM . And, 51D. Quahogs: CLAMS. LINK .

10. First first name in space: YURI. Then, 59D. First first name on the moon: NEIL. (Clecho) followed by, 60D. Landed: ALIT.

11. Popular foam shoe: CROC. I wonder if Clive received some shoes for planting AN AD.

12. Mascara target: LASH. Better than La Rue?

13. Shout of support: OLE. Not for the Bull.

21. Gare du __: Paris railway station: NORD. This is where we got our word NORTH.

22. Aria singer, often: DIVA. More music, three in a row.

26. Country singer Jackson: ALAN. Wrote a powerful song after 9/11 .

27. Symphonic poem pioneer: LISZT. Listen and see if you can recognize where you know this TUNE is from.

29. Word in many a rap name: LIL. Eva, Wayne, etc.

30. "NBA on __": ESPN. I wonder why they started in Bristol Connecticut of all places.

31. Frat party wear: TOGA.More than just fraternities.

32. __ pea: SNAP. I had them for dinner last evening; wow Clive and I are in tune.

33. Noodle tests?: EEGS. Cute, noodle equals brain, use it wisely.

35. Sad: BLUE. LISTEN .

37. "Please open a can for me"?: MEOW. Poor Morris.

39. Improve, perhaps: AGE. Fine wine, steak and….

43. Have, as an operation: UNDERGO.

46. Let go: AXED. Never liked this phrase.

53. Type of jacket the Beatles helped make fashionable: NEHRU. Perfect costume for HALLOWEEN .

54. Windbreak, often: TREES.

55. Lots: HEAPS.

56. Oversight: ERROR.

57. Like mortals?: MERE. Mere mortals. Love the alliteration.

58. Track: OVAL. Like INDY .

61. Humerus neighbor: ULNA.

62. Govt. broadband regulator: FCC.

Answer grid.

Here is an awesome photo of our witty Santa Baby Argyle. Here is a closer look. So sweet.

Oh well, I went over board again, and you all will need to take the day off to finish, but it was fun. Meanwhile, I am serious about a Corner thanksgiving day where we try to get EVERYONE to say hello; it is so nice to hear from Dr.Dad, g8trmom, Robin and the others, but if you still talk to our MIAs, let’s aim for the day before Thanksgiving. Good night Mrs. Calabash.

Lemonade

Thursday October 21, 2010 Ed Sessa

Theme: You've Been Pied - Several 2-word common phrases & one compound word, unrelated to food, with first part being a type of pie, are humorously interpreted and ? clued with "Pie" and an associated description for the remainder.

18A. Pie flop?: CHERRY BOMB. Illegal fireworks, a type of "salute", which is a pyrotechnic device designed to make a loud report. A show that bombs is a flop. Cherry pie.

23A. Pie taste-test site?: CHOCOLATE LAB. A dark Labrador Retriever. Tests are performed in a laboratory. Chocolate pie.

39A. Pie to-do?: MUDFLAP. A splash guard for vehicles. A flap was originally Brit slang for a noisy tumult or to-do. Mud pie.

50A. Pie charts?: APPLE RECORDS. Music recording label founded by the Beatles. Charts and records as in a doctor's office. Apple pie.

60A. Pie patter?: MINCE WORDS. To try to politely tell someone something unpleasant in a manner such as to not hurt their feelings. Patter orig. from Latin "pater" to mumble prayers rapidly (pater from Paternoster, the Lord's Prayer). Mince pie.

Al here.

An OK puzzle today, sped through fairly quickly except the SW gave me some trouble getting a start, but I got it all without assistance, the perps filling in enough of the names and abbrevs for guessing, which is how it should be. I never saw a few of the clues, so this was more like a Wednesday level puzzle to me.

ACROSS:

1. A party to: IN ON.

5. Quite the fashion plate: CHIC. I find it interesting that it might come from two different sources: old German words for neat/orderly shikken/schicken, or from a French word for trickery (chicanery). Make your own fashion conclusions...

9. Spring bloomer: LILAC.

14. His epitaph reads "And the beat goes on": BONO. Sonny Bono (Sonny & Cher) was the only member of congress to have a #1 single on the Billboard top 100 chart.

15. Faulkner femme fatale Varner: EULA. A William Faulkner story, The Hamlet, was made into The Long Hot Summer in 1958, with Lee Remick as Eula. Also made into a 26 part TV series in 1965. Never heard of any of it before today...

16. BP merger partner: AMOCO. American Oil Co., British Petroleum.

17. TV role for Bamboo Harvester: MR. ED. The "real" name of the palomino horse in the TV show of the same name.

20. Italian deli sandwich: PANINI. Similar to a small Italian sub.

22. Travelers' burdens: VALISES. Suitcase, soldiers kit bag.

26. X, at times: TEN. Roman numeral. Also times at times. Cute.

27. www bookmark: URL. Uniform Resource Locator.

28. Film director's headaches: EGOS.

32. Luther's lang.: GER. Martin Luther, medieval priest. Basically stated that you can't buy your way into heaven, which got him in all sorts of trouble with the church.

34. First Amendment lobbying gp.: ACLU. American Civil Liberties Union.

36. Numbers game: SUDOKU.

38. Buckeyes' home: Abbr.: OSU. Ohio State Univ.

41. Post- opposite: PRE.

42. One in distress?: DAMSEL. Melodrama.

44. Slug or song ending: FEST. Shortening of festival.

45. Loft material: HAY.

46. Apartment manager, familiarly: SUPE.

47. Quaff for Andy Capp: ALE. British syndicated comic strip.

48. Curling setting: ICE. Probably the only Olympic sport you can participate in while preggers.

56. Like the auditory and optic nerves, e.g.: CRANIAL. They're all in your head.

59. Aspen topper: SKI HAT.

63. Prohibited thing: NO-NO.

64. Days of Hanukkah, e.g.: OCTET.

65. Flag: TIRE. To go limp or droop, as with a flag with no wind.

66. First name in Olympics gymnastics: OLGA. Korbut. The media whirl which surrounded her 1972 Olympic debut caused a surge of young girls to join their local gymnastic clubs, and a sport which had seldom been noticed previously made headlines.

67. Like beer halls, usually: NOISY.

68. Eyewear, in ads: SPEX. X-ray ones, no doubt.

69. Raid target: PEST. Not just for bugs.

DOWN:

1. High-tech debut of 1981: IBM PC.

2. Grammy winner Jones: NORAH. Best Album. Don't know why.

3. Bridge opening: ONE NO TRUMP.

4. "Fuggedaboutit!": NO DICE. Nothin' doin'. Gambling with dice was illegal in many states and so gamblers went to some pains to hide the dice when challenged by the police. Courts would sometimes throw out cases if the dice weren't offered in evidence. There are several court records where gamblers were alleged to have swallowed dice to avoid arrest. No dice, no conviction.

5. 1980s-'90s slugger Fielder: CECIL

6. "Whazzat?": HUH.

7. Seine sight: ILE. French river, island.

8. Longtime ice cream cake brand: CARVEL. Another unknown to me. Connecticut based.

9. Clapton title woman: LAYLA. Unplugged.

10. Wet one's whistle: IMBIBED. From Latin imbibere "absorb, drink in, inhale.

11. Johns, to Elton: LOOS. Probably from Fr. lieux d'aisances, "lavatory," lit. "place of ease," picked up by British servicemen in France during World War I. Or possibly a pun on Waterloo, based on water closet.

12. Top: ACME. Or apex. Need at least one other perp letter besides the A.

13. Male swans: COBS. Females are called PENS.

19. "Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-__": Irish lullaby: RAL.

21. Hardly distinguished: NO NAME.

24. Nostalgic song title word: AULD. LANG SYNE

25. Godiva product: TRUFFLE.

29. Tunnel entrance of sorts: GOPHER HOLE.

30. Gumbo ingredient: OKRA.

31. Chop __: SUEY. From Chinese (Cantonese dialect) tsap sui "odds and ends."

32. Mars and Venus: GODS.

33. Name meaning "hairy" in Hebrew: ESAU. Perhaps a tad obscure...

35. __-de-sac: CUL.

36. Airline to Oslo: SAS. Scandinavian Airlines.

37. Slight market improvement: UPTICK. Stock market trend change.

40. Disconcerting glance: LEER. Or OGLE.

43. Hand-holding events: SEANCES. From French séance "a sitting,"

47. Parcels out: ALLOTS. To divide into lots. Related to the sense of "drawing lots" where in new settlements, sometimes the best properties were determined by lot. Also related, lottery.

49. Requiring change, briefly: COIN-OP. Like the government in both senses, needing to change, and being run by money...

51. Reverence: PIETY.

52. A pad helps protect it: PAW.

53. Elizabeth I's beloved: ESSEX. Robert Devereux, the second Earl of Essex. Eventually executed for treason after falling out of favor and trying to mount a coup.

54. Mild expletives: DANGS.

55. Brown ermine: STOAT.

56. "Get real!": C'MON.

57. Guy who "wore a diamond," in the song "Copacabana": RICO.

58. ABM component?: ANTI. Ballistic Missile.

61. Scary current: RIP.

62. Grammy-winning Dr.: DRE.

Answer Grid.

Bon voyage, Clear Ayes! You'll be missed.

Al