Thursday, May 26, 2011, Jack McIntruff

Theme: Whee! Fun homonyms. I might have gone with the five (three sir!) little piggies, but that's spelled the same as one of the clues.

17. We: PERSONAL PRONOUN.

23. Wie: GOLFER MICHELLE.

33. Oui: FRENCH YES.

50. Wee: EXTREMELY SMALL.

57. Wii: NINTENDO CONSOLE.

Hi all, another Thursday, and another puzzle with the clues carrying the theme instead of the answers. A good mix, all different spellings and meanings. For a while there, I thought I wasn't going to be able to think of another one to to tie them together.

ACROSS:

1. Bass-baritone Simon: ESTES. A late week, more obscure clue than Colorado Park.

6. Second-century date: CXIX.

10. Welding sparks: ARCS.

14. Hard to stir: STOIC. Stir, as in the emotional sense.

15. Old __, Connecticut: LYME. Historical district, artist's colony, and summer resort. Pop. 7500.

16. Half a fictional detecting pair: NORA. Nick and Nora Charles (with Asta the crossword puzzle terrier).

20. Prov. bordering four Great Lakes: ONTario, Canada.

21. Limoges liver: FOIE. French  Foie gras is "fatty" liver.

22. Saltpeter: NITER. Puts the bang in gunpowder and takes it away from something else.

27. Maroon: ENISLE. I had the "LE" at first and was thinking PURPLE? That can't be right.

28. Cycle start: TRI.

29. Common street name: ELM.

30. Amateur golfer's score, perhaps: LIE.  If you lie about your lie, you won't lie easy.

31. Lasting impression: SCAR.  From Old French escare "scab," from Greek eskhara "scab formed after a burn," lit. "hearth, fireplace,"

32. Confucian path: TAO. Literally "the way", path.

38. First woman to land a triple axel in competition: ITO. Midori.

41. Nyctophobic fictional race: ELOI. Afraid of the dark because the Morlocks lived below and hunted at night.

42. Fed. fiscal agency: OMB. Office of Management and Budget.

45. Cheese partner: MAC. We just call it "glop".

46. Moving aid: VAN. Shortening of caravan.

47. "Obviously": SO I SEE.

53. Win by __: A HAIR.  Anyone for a nose or a mile first?

54. Words before many words?: IN SO.  Idiom: In so many words.

55. Canadian attorney's deg.: LLB. Bachelor of Laws.  The double L is a plural form abbreviation, like pp for pages or bbl for barrels.

61. Seller of FÖRNUFT flatware: IKEA. Swedish uses umlauts, too.

62. Phnom __: PENH. Capitol of Cambodia, today's geography lesson.

63. Corn Belt native: IOWAN.

64. Tracy's Trueheart: TESS. The Dick Tracy comic strip that went 18 years before they finally married on Christmas, in 1949.

65. Chipmunks creator Bagdasarian: ROSS. (Rostom) The real name of David Seville, the original voice of Alvin, Simon and Theodore.  Later he employed female vocal artists, recorded at 33, and played back at 45 rpm.

66. Recipe amts.: TBSPS. Equal to half a fluid ounce, one-sixteenth of a cup.

DOWN:

1. Five-time Art Ross Trophy winner, for short: ESPO. Phil Esposito, hockey.

2. Baseball's "Old Perfessor": STENGEL. Casey.  "They told me my services were no longer desired because they wanted to put in a youth program as an advance way of keeping the club going. I'll never make the mistake of being seventy again."

3. Ristorante dessert: TORTONI. Ice cream made with heavy cream, minced almonds, chopped maraschino cherries, flavored with rum. How have I never had this?

4. Frozen Wasser: EIS. German: water, ice.

5. Mocks: SCOFFS.

6. Eau __, Wisconsin: CLAIRE. "Clear waters".

7. Water-carrying plant tissue: XYLEM. A picture is worth a thousand words.

8. Sitter's handful: IMP. Old English impe, impa "young shoot, graft," from impian "to graft," sense of "child, offspring" came from transfer of the word from plants to people. "Suche appereth as aungelles, but in very dede they be ymps of serpentes."

9. Thirtysomething, e.g.: X-ER.

10. Hall of fame: ANNIE. My best guess is referring to the Woody Allen movie with Diane Keaton,since  fame is in lower-case, so not part of a title.

11. Small plant support: ROOTLET.

12. Fur-loving villain de Vil: CRUELLA.

13. Riviera resort: SAN REMO.

18. Carol: NOEL.

19. Available for service: ON HIRE. Again? This still sounds odd to me. On call, now that I understand all too well..

24. Gladly: LIEF. Etymology gives this as "dear" or "love" as with German lieb.

25. Burning desire: ITCH. Um... not really the kind of burning you want to associate with desire.

26. Supercomputer name: CRAY.

31. Fi front: SCI. Science Fiction.

34. Admire greatly: REVERE. From revereri to stand in awe of, to fear, to be wary of.

35. Ancient rival of Assyria: ELAM. Now part of southwest Iran.

36. Zilch: NONE.

37. Slugger Sammy: SOSA.

38. Mom's tough emphasis: I MEAN IT.

39. It makes one's net smaller: TAX HIKE.

40. Pump ratings: OCTANES.

43. Veges (out): MELLOWS.

44. Last track circuit: BELL LAP.

47. Meshes: SYNCHS.

48. __ buco: OSSO. Italian: bone with a hole, a marrow bone of veal with vegetables and wine.

49. Music to the boss's ears: I'M ON IT.

51. Coolidge and Moreno: RITAS.

52. Ford Field team: LIONS. Football, Detroit.

56. Uncle __: BEN'S. Competitor for Minute Rice.

58. "Fresh Air" airer: NPR. A talk show hosted by Terry Gross for over 30 years.

59. __ gratias: DEO. Latin: Thanks be to God.

60. Sound after a breakup, maybe: SOB. Hmmm, that could be what was done, or what was said...

Answer grid.

Al

Note from C.C.:

Here is a beautiful picture of Linda & her husband cutting their 50th wedding anniversary cake last Saturday. She said: "Being a non-traditionalist, I chose lavender, pink and white as my color theme. Those were our wedding colors. The cake topper is the original one.  Note the photo at lower left of us cutting the first cake".

Wednesday, May 25, 2011 Don Gagliardo and C.C. Burnikel

Theme: A New Dimension in Crossword Entertainment ! - The theme entries all have the word SOUND surrounding the phrases front and back, with the unifier at 50A: Home theater feature, and a hint to the puzzle theme in 19-, 22-, 32-, 46-Across, and the first (sic) word of this answer : SURROUND SOUND. At first, I thought that was a typo, until I realized that it was a hint that the first word of the unifier also contains "sound" surrounding it...great stuff!

19A. "Afraid you can't have your money back" : SORRY NO REFUND. I wonder why they wouldn't take back the thong I bought last month?

22A. Progresso or Lipton : SOUP BRAND. Would you believe, I was looking for types of tea??

32A. Refuse to budge : STAND ONES GROUND. A grid-spanning anchor in the center of the Home Entertainment System!

46A. Home of Notre Dame : SOUTH BEND. Alma Mater.

You got me, C.C. !

Marti here, and she didn't tell me it was her puzzle when she asked me to fill in today. How great to blog one of our dynamic duo's puzzles!! (See notes from C.C. and Don at the end.)

Across:

1. Winter break? : THAW. We really needed one this past winter. Didn't happen until, oh, about three days ago...

5. Drink noisily : SLURP.

10. Agcy. that established rules for kite flying : FAA. Go fly a kite! (But not near the airport...)

13. Poet known for inventing words : NASH.

"Reflection on Babies"

A bit of talcum

Is always walcum.

14. Prairie home : TEPEE

15. "__ la Douce" : IRMA. Great 1963 flick with Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine.

16. The Dixie Chicks, e.g. : TRIO. Aww, do I have to? (link)

17. "__ of robins in her hair": Kilmer : A NEST. Help, Clear Ayes!

18. Strip light : NEON. Dennis, are there strip lights on South Beach?

24. Climber's toehold : LEDGE. Yes, and pitons, cables or anything else I could get my big toe into...

25. Fertile desert spot : OASIS

26. New Deal inits. : FDR. Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

27. Sch. with a Spokane campus : WSU. Washington State University. Top 10 in the country for using clean technology on campus.

28. Like the Parthenon : ANCIENT. No, like me.

38. Young in films : LORETTA. Is she ancient now?

39. Sushi topping : ROE. Roe, roe, roe your boat...Oh, oops - I did that last time... (This is really hard, guys!)

40. Lincoln or Ford : CAR. Ha Ha. You didn't fool me. I knew right away that "prez" wouldn't fit!

41. Rapids transit : CANOE. Great pun on Rapid Transit. But I confidently filled in "kayak".

43. Chinese, e.g. : ASIAN. Do you think of yourself as "Asian" or "Chinese", C.C.? I think of myself as "American", not "USA'an".

52. Cement piece : SLAB

53. Auto buyer's choice : SEDAN

54. Ages and ages : EONS. I just keep aging and aging...

57. Hgts. : ALTS. "Alps" would fit, but I don't think the Down would fit the "breakfast test"...

58. Ragú rival : PREGO

59. Hurry : RUSH. We all know Hurry Limbaugh, right?

60. Food additive : DYE. Ewwww, and we got a lesson the other day about what exactly is in those dyes.

61. Scatter : STREW

62. Hang around : STAY. I can't STAY. I have to go DOWN...

Down:

1. "We know drama" channel : TNT. Turner Network Television.

2. Guffaw syllable : HAR. Haw, haw, hee hee, ho ho!

3. Customarily : AS IS USUAL. Great phrase. As is usual, our constructors brought out their "A" game today!

4. Moderator of a panel including Joy, Elisabeth and Sherri : WHOOPI. Goldberg.

5. Best successor of 1962 : STARR. Pete Best, Ringo Starr. If this were Monday, they would never get away with this clue - great misdirection!

6. Actress Lotte : LENYA. OK, maybe you don't remember her. But do you remember "Mack the Knife", written for her by her husband Kurt Weill? Ok, so it's in German, and not the Louis Armstrong-famous version, but it is Lotte Lenya, which is probably why you don't remember her...

7. Wharton's sch. : UPENN. Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania.

8. Fix, as a green : RESOD. They need to RESOD the greens at my local course. Terrible shape! None of my putts would go in today...

9. Sykora of the NHL : PETR. Now playing in Russia, he played around with the Devils, Ducks, Rangers, Oilers, Penguins and Wild before finally saying sayonara to the USA. I bet Eddy B. and JD know him.

10. "The Ego and the Id" author : FREUD.

11. Included in : AMONG

12. "Dog the Bounty Hunter" airer : A AND E. Whew! This one threw me for a while. Finally parsed it.

15. Oven, so to speak : INFERNO. Does anyone remember the movie?

20. NFL ball carriers : RBS. National Football league, Running Backs.

21. Revered figure : ELDER. Oh, so I should be revered, right?

22. Plants : SOWS

23. Hops drier : OAST

26. Newton fruit : FIG. Not an apple?

28. Farm denizen : ANT

29. Bottom line : NET

30. Rebs' gp. : CSA. Confederate States of America.

31. Ended up : TURNED OUT. Turned out, I didn't have to worry about another blitch...so far, so good.

33. Feature of some extreme diets : NO CARBS

34. Pipe cleaner : DRANO. I wonder if Drano would take care of ear wax?

35. Atop, poetically : O'ER.

36. High time? : NOON. Already? I just got started...

37. Safe document : DEED. Nope, don't have one in my safe. Only a huge mortgage note from the bank. Oh, maybe they have the deed in their safe?

41. Obama's secretary of energy : CHU. Chattanooga Chu? (Sorry - it's Steven.)

42. Doubleday and Yokum : ABNERS

43. Syrian president : ASSAD. Bashar al-Assad wanted to be an opthamologist, until his older brother died in a car accident. So he became heir apparent and was elected president in 2000 when his father died.

44. Tarnish : SULLY

45. Steaming : IRATE. My veggies were really irate while I was cooking them tonight. (Well, wouldn't you be?)

46. Hägar's dog : SNERT. Love him in the comic strip!

47. More eccentric : ODDER

48. Linguist's concern : USAGE

49. Thus far : TO NOW. To now, I don't think I've made any boo-boos, have I?

51. Mail letters : USPS. United States Postal Service. Did you know? The USPS does not have a motto. The saying "Neither rain, nor sleet, etc." is simply an inscription on a Post Office in NYC.

55. Gp. whose insignia consists of a bald eagle holding a key : NSA. National Security Agency.

56. Bashful : SHY. Not elf? Oh, that's a dwarf...sorry, I'm getting Sleepy. Er, no, I'm not "getting" Sleepy tonight. At least, he hasn't called yet...

Answer grid.

Good night, Marti.

Note from C.C. & Don:

Don came up with this nifty idea while we were brain storming a "* AROUND" theme where the * bookends each theme entry. We tried to even it out with different SO* *UND pattern. SOUTHERLY WIND and SOUVENIR STAND ended up on the cutting room floor. Did you all notice that the unifier word SURROUND is also surrounded by SOUND?

Tuesday, May 24, 2011 Gareth Bain

Theme: Sherwood is getting crowded - Four actors who portrayed 64A in the movies at various times.

18A. "Kiss the Girls" actor (1993) : CARY ELWES. Image.

25A. "Gladiator" Oscar winner (2010) : RUSSELL CROWE. Image.

38A. "Captain Blood" star (1938) : ERROL FLYNN. Image.

53A. "Field of Dreams" star (1991) : KEVIN COSTNER. Image.

64A. Role played by each of four actors in the year indicated in their clues : ROBIN HOOD. Image.

Argyle here. Interesting theme and some good fill. Maybe a little flat but that might be just me. There are a few more Robin Hoods out there. Who's your favorite?

Across:

1. iPhone add-ons : APPs. Is there a crossword APPlication?

5. Big name in kibbles : ALPO. Dry dog food.

9. Perturb : DISMAY

15. Quantum __ : LEAP. Atomic electron transition that turned into an NBC sci-fi series in the early '90s.

16. Ponce de __ : LEÓN. Reputedly explored Florida searching for the fabled Fountain of Youth. (Hello, Dennis.)

17. Speak liturgically, perhaps : INTONE. A form of public worship.

20. Leads off : STARTS

21. Thanksgiving mo. in Canada : OCT.

22. Slightly : A BIT

23. Look peaked : AIL

24. Ne'ertheless : THO. Although.

31. Lease signatory : TENANT. Signing a lease doesn't necessarily make you a TENANT.

33. "Go ahead!" : "DO IT!". Reminds me of schoolyard dares.

34. Barracks bed : COT

35. Golf's Ballesteros : SEVE. Ballesteros died of brain cancer on 7 May 2011, aged 54. Sad.

36. Potted plant spot : SILL

37. Furniture company named partly for its founder Ingvar Kamprad : IKEA

42. Plumbing joints : ELLs

45. Skin cream brand : OLAY

46. Items included in envs. : ENCS. Enclosures in envelopes.

49. Island gift : LEI

50. Tabloid twosome : ITEM

51. Agricultural measure : BUSHEL. Derived from a need to have a standard to measure wheat.

57. 67.5 deg. : ENE. East North East.

58. PC's top-left key : ESC

59. Prefix with gram : HOLO. The famous scene from Star Wars. Clip.(0:57)

60. "Because" evoker : "WHY?"

61. Player in front of a net : GOALIE

66. Take flight? : AVIATE

67. Foxx who sang "Mockingbird" : INEZ. With her brother, Charlie. Clip.(2:31)

68. Unadulterated : PURE

69. Lunatics : MADMEN. Mad Dogs and Englishmen is a song by Noel Coward; I never knew. Video.(2:50)

70. Keep on looking at, and not in a nice way : OGLE

71. Ollie's sidekick : STAN. Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy.

Down:

1. "Little Men" novelist : ALCOTT. Louisa May's follow-up to "Little Women".

2. Often flambéed fruit : PEACHES

3. Start of a saga, maybe : PART ONE

4. Le Carré hero, e.g. : SPY. John le Carré is an English author of espionage novels. And he should know; he worked for MI5 and MI6.

5. Very nearly : ALL BUT

6. "Surprised By Joy" autobiographer C.S. : LEWIS. Author of "The Chronicles of Narnia".

7. Ode writers : POETS and 63D. Dusk, to 7-Down : E'EN

8. Put-__: pranks : ONs

9. Talk smack to : DIS. To disrespect some one, not give them their props("proper respect").

10. Not broken : INTACT

11. Step in a flight : STAIR

12. Eloi predator : MORLOCK. From "The Time Machine"

13. Colony dweller : ANT

14. "It is so" : "YES"

19. Breadwinner : EARNER

26. Build up spiritually : EDIFY. But it comes from to build up, literally. Think edifice.

27. Lounge, as on a chaise : LOLL. (Hello, Dennis.)

28. Easter bloom : LILY

29. "__ is me!" : WOE

30. Greek vowel : ETA

32. Birds' biological class : AVES

36. Condemns verbally : SLAMS. Really dis.

37. Quaint lodgings : INNS

39. Univ. recruiter : ROTC

40. Marg : Brits :: __ : Americans : OLEO. I can believe it's not butter here or over there.

41. Cell with an axon : NEURON

42. Antlered critter : ELK

43. Sheltered side : LEE

44. 1985 multi-venue charity concert for Ethiopian famine : LIVE AID. Live Aid was a dual-venue concert held simultaneously in Wembley Stadium in London and John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia.

47. Read the riot act : CHEW OUT

48. Portuguese lady : SENHORA

50. Stir up : INCITE

51. British Honduras, now : BELIZE. Map.

52. __ jar: static electricity storage device : LEYDEN. Did your science lab have one?

54. Imam's faith : ISLAM

55. Beach footwear : THONG

56. Prize name : NOBEL

61. Pinup's leg : GAM. Probably from the Italian word gamba.

62. Egg cells : OVA

64. Brazilian hot spot : RIO. Rio de Janeiro.

65. Some inkjets : HPs. Hewlett-Packard Brand.

Answer grid.

Argyle

Monday, May 23, 2011 Victor Barocas

Theme: Colorful Language - A color idiom morphed with a phrase to give us three new comical idioms with criminal evidence.

20A. Evidence against an aristocrat? : BLUE BLOOD STAIN. Blue blood. Blood stain.

40A. Evidence against a gardener? : GREEN THUMB PRINT. Green thumb. Thumb print.

56A. Evidence against an Oscar attendee? : RED CARPET FIBER. Red carpet. Carpet fiber.

Argyle here on a colorful, musical Monday, a tick harder than usual. Victor's January offering was colorful, too. 2011/1/3

Across:

1. In the heavens : ABOVE

6. McCartney's instrument : BASS. and 18A. "All you need," in a Beatles song : LOVE. From Yellow Submarine. (2:59)

10. Predecessor of surrealism : DADA

14. Seedless type of orange : NAVEL

15. "There oughta be ___!" : A LAW

16. Password enterer : USER

17. Like the more serious larceny : GRAND

19. Farm structure : SILO

23. Immigrant's subj. : ESL. English as a Second Language.

24. Guitar neck features : FRETS. The ridges set across the fingerboard which help the fingers to shorten the strings at the correct points.

25. "Private Practice" network : ABC. A spin-off of Grey's Anatomy, it is a medical drama show.

28. Bluesman Mahal : TAJ. Henry Saint Clair Fredericks has two Grammy Awards. Fishing Blues clip.(1:03)

30. Resident since birth : NATIVE

34. Tombstone lawman : EARP. Wyatt.

36. Common mixer : SODA

39. Styles : MODES

43. To whom "I'll see you in my dreams" is sung : IRENE. Sung here by 69A. Seeger of the Weavers : PETE

44. Singer Diamond : NEIL. Singin' about that Kentucky Woman.(2:26)

45. Pout : MOUE. This little guy is quite expressive.

46. Opening word for Ali Baba : SESAME. Closing word, also. "Close Sesame" sealed the treasure cave back up.

48. Long sandwich : SUB

50. Ed.'s workload items : MSS. Manuscripts.

51. Smallest : LEAST

54. Enemy : FOE

62. Black-and-white treat : OREO

63. Suffix with soft or flat : WARE

64. Seuss environmentalist : LORAX. The good Doctor's tree defender. Image

66. Matter topper? : MIND. Mind over matter.

67. Part of NRA: Abbr. : ASSN.

68. Hardly hoi polloi : ELITE. This term is of Greek origin and a literal translation  is 'the many'.

70. Marvel Comics heroes : X-MEN

71. Hamlet's countrymen : DANES

Down:

1. Director Lee : ANG

2. Harpoon point : BARB

3. Racetrack shape : OVAL

4. Legal site : VENUE

5. Firstborn sibling : ELDEST

6. Fun time : BALL

7. Distant : ALOOF

8. Relish : SAVOR

9. "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" setting : SWEDEN

10. Wind-related desert event : DUST STORM

11. Where Siberia is : ASIA

12. Corned beef seller : DELI

13. Elvis's middle name : ARON

21. Fun time : BLAST

22. "Forever" post office product : STAMP

25. Sponsorship : AEGIS

26. Ballet rail : BARRE

27. Some Saskatchewanians : CREEs

29. Elton of England : JOHN

31. "Eat crow," e.g. : IDIOM

32. Evening star : VENUS

33. Politician Kefauver : ESTES. The Senator from 59D. TENN. Nashville's st.

35. Crime laws, as a unit : PENAL CODE

37. Scheduled to arrive : DUE

38. French friends : AMIS

41. Where Hercules slew a lion : NEMEA

42. Poker ploy : BLUFF

47. Q-Tip target : EARWAX

49. Didn't just simmer : BOILED

52. Cramp or twitch : SPASM

53. Of few words : TERSE

55. Deadly virus : EBOLA

56. Play boisterously : ROMP

57. Toledo's lake : ERIE

58. Minor collision damage : DENT

60. The Auld Sod : ERIN

61. Do a film critic's job : RATE

65. Crosses (out) : Xes

Answer grid.

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Here is a great photo of 15-year-old Argyle in 1960. He's a Freshman. Class of '63. Look at his socks!

Sunday May 22, 2011 Verge

Theme: And/or - OR is added to common phrases.

23A. Important meeting for Domingo and colleagues? : THE BIG TENOR CONFERENCE. The Big Ten Conference.

33A. Pulpit tirade? : BLAST FROM THE PASTOR. Blast from the past.

50A. Sale of swampland? : MORASS MARKETING. Mass marketing.

63A. Disloyal union member? : LABOR RAT. Lab rat.

69A. "Babe," e.g.? : PIG STORY. Pig sty.

83A. Really conservative Conservatives? : OLD SCHOOL TORIES. Old school tie.

92A. Comment about a recently razed vacation complex? : THE RESORT IS HISTORY. The rest is history.

114A. Maine travel agency's come-on? : MORE BANGOR FOR YOUR BUCK. More bang for your buck.

Some ORs are inserted to the end of the word, some in the middle. Can you think of one with OR attached to the beginning?

Did the theme clues make you laugh? One of the challenges in letter addition/deletion/substitution theme is to come up with entertaining clues.

I still don't know who Verge is. Alias name, perhaps. I feel it's a he.

Across:

1. Missouri range : OZARKS. Scrabbly start.

7. Very friendly with : CLOSE TO

14. Legitimate : LAWFUL

20. Incisor neighbor : CANINE. Tooth.

21. Lost it : HAD A COW. "Don't have a cow, man!"

22. His team has an orange-and-black logo : ORIOLE. Baltimore Orioles.

26. Cabin fever, e.g. : ANGST

27. Salon supply : HAIR GEL

28. "Hmm ..." : I WONDER. And 115D. "Hmm ..." : GEE

29. Glom : COP. Did not know "glom" can mean "steal".

30. Hesitant sounds : UMs

32. A long time : YEARS

43. Like a hawk's perspective : AERIAL

44. __ agreement : ORAL

45. Recipe amount : CUP

46. Carides of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" : GIA. No idea. The movie is good. I like her hair.

49. Scottish psychiatrist R.D. __ : LAING. Another no idea. I bet Lois knows him.

55. Windows predecessor : MS-DOS

56. Sharp sensation : PANG

57. Transfix : AWE

58. "... __ mention ..." : NOT TO

59. Ornamented, as curtains : TASSELED

62. Sharpness : ACUMEN

68. Half of vingt : DIX. Dix = Ten. Vingt = Twenty. You won't see Splynter clue his DIX this way.

71. "Anchorman" producer Judd : APATOW

72. Place for a large E : EYE CHART

74. Wine grape : PINOT

75. Tournament break : BYE

77. Part of a roof : EAVE

78. Boundary : AMBIT

87. Welsh breed : CORGI

88. 2010 Mark Twain Prize winner : FEY (Tina). So talented.

89. Diving seabird : AUK. What is he doing?

90. Didn't spoil : KEPT

91. Meaningful interval : PERIOD

97. Region on the South China Sea : MACAO. Gambling mecca in Asia. They speak Cantonese there also.

100. Lunch letters : BLT

101. Looney Tunes animator Avery : TEX. Got via crosses.

102. Might well : IS APT TO

104. Plymouth passenger carrier : RAILCAR.

109. Self-congratulatory cries : TA-DAs

117. Online memos : E-NOTEs. Dennis likes to title his email subject line as "Note".

118. Microsoft reference : ENCARTA. No new updates.

119. Italian desserts : GELATI

120. Out of fashion : DEMODE

121. Tough teammate to handle : EGOTIST. Randy Moss, e.g.

122. Obeyed a canine command : HEELED

Down:

1. Prefix with -hedron : OCTA. Prefix for "eight".

2. Journalist Paula : ZAHN

3. Rare blood type: Abbr. : A NEG

4. Cage components : RIBS

5. Work with needles : KNIT

6. Circ. part : SEG

7. Hardly top-of-the-line : CHEAPO

8. Legal scholar Guinier : LANI. I can never remember her name.

9. Stimulus used in aversion therapy : ODOR. 

10. Puppeteer Tony : SARG. Know this guy only from doing Xword.

11. Behold, to Brutus : ECCE

12. Prepare the factory : TOOL UP

13. Hold one's __ : OWN

14. Early movie mogul : LOEW (Marus). Founder of MGM.

15. Gully : ARROYO

16. Cybernetics pioneer Norbert : WIENER. Maybe Bill G knows him. I've got no idea.

17. 1981 Hepburn co-star : FONDA. "On Golden Pond". Henry Fonda. Also Jane Fonda.

18. Gastric woe : ULCER

19. Rude looks : LEERS

24. God in a chariot : THOR. Thunder god.

25. Rift : FISSURE

29. Grey Cup sports org. : CFL (Canadian Football League)

31. Large-beaked talker : MACAW. Melissa style picture. Lovely.

33. Soothing application : BALM

34. Green spans : LEAs. Nice clue. Would be even better if the answer is singular. It's hard to be Greenspan.

35. Requiring irrigation : ARID

36. Chinese: Pref. : SINO. Sino-US relationship.

37. They may put players out : TAGs

38. Poetic times : MORNs

39. Play genre : TRAGEDY

40. Suffers from : HAS

41. Some city lines : ELs

42. Toll rd. : TPK

46. Cuban base, familiarly : GITMO. "You can't handle the truth!".

47. Bury : INTER

48. Torment : AGONY

50. Movie-rating org. : MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America)

51. Beer-making aid : OAST

52. Magazine that began as a comic book : MAD

53. Some refs. : ENCs

54. Build up : TOUT

59. Experian, formerly : TRW. Forgot also.

60. It's made up : LIE. Quite true.

61. Passage : EXCERPT

62. Player rep. : AGT

63. __ luxury : LAP OF

64. Make __ of money : A PILE

65. Exchange, as words : BANDY

66. Onetime Siouan natives : OTOs

67. Campus military prog. : ROTC

69. Smooth, in a way : PAVE

70. Ticks off : IRES

72. Sniggler's target : EEL

73. 2010 earthquake site : HAITI

75. Historic Kentucky county : BOURBON. Whiskey.

76. Simple country type : YOKEL

78. Scores 90+ on : ACEs

79. Satirist Sahl : MORT

80. Liveliness : BRIO

81. Borodin prince : IGOR

82. Uncluttered : TIDY

84. Possess, to a Scot : HAE

85. Ring ruling : TKO (Techinical knockout)

86. Poetic contraction : O'ER

91. Photos : PIX

92. __-CD conversion: music collection updating system : TAPE TO

93. Breeding ground : HOT BED

94. Bad way to come on : STRONG

95. Visit overnight : STAY AT

96. Legend subject : HERO. Made me think of Killebrew. Nicest player I've ever met. TwinsFest wouldn't be the same without him.

97. Acted quietly? : MIMED

98. "... world will live __": "Imagine" : AS ONE

99. Bank : CAROM. Pool.

103. Facilitate an arrest, in a way : TASE

105. Oil acronym : ARCO (Atlantic Richfield Company). I just thought it's a name, Argyle!

106. "__ first ..." : IF AT

107. Actress Singer : LORI. She's famous for?

108. LCD flat panel displays have replaced many of them : CRTs

109. Bush overshadower : TREE. Oh, not President Bush.

110. Up to it : ABLE

111. Like a Jekyll and Hyde personality : DUAL

112. Comédie part : ACTE

113. Slide wildly : SKID

116. Word of disgust : UGH

Answer grid.

Hope Barry G comes back to us. All too sudden yesterday.

C.C.

Saturday, May 21, 2011 Barry Silk

Theme: None

Words: 72

Blocks: 28

Good doomsday to all ~! Personally, I am waiting on December 21st, 2012 - as our constructor notes in 37D. -

Dark clouds, to some : ILL OMENS

Another Saturday Silk - the man is a monster - I have about 10 puzzles I am trying to complete for submission for publishing, and I am struggling with the more complex grids - and Mr. Silk just pounds them out, in my opinion. 

ACROSS:

1. Unhappy fans, in slang : BOO BIRDS - Good NHL semi-finals, the fans in Tampa Bay were not happy with their Bolts, shut-out at home last game - lots of Boos

9. Dinar spenders : IRAQIs - I had Iranis to start; see 9D.

15. Encroachment : INVASION

16. Scraps : REFUSE - the noun; REH - fuse

17. Cruel woman : SHE-DEVIL - Blue Öyster Cult's "Sinful Love"; it's in the chorus

18. Cheerios' cousins : ADIEUX - French, plural, and I nailed it - HA~!

19. Poitier title role : SIR - "To SIR, with love", 1967

20. Sargasso Sea spawner : EEL - I did not know this, but the perps did

21. Hunter, at times : SNARER

22. "The Little Mermaid" prince : ERIC - Loved the movie, couldn't remember him

24. Clancy hero : RYAN - and our first reference to a Harrison Ford role, along with Alec Baldwin, playing Jack Ryan, from Tom Clancy's "spy/CIA" novels

26. Principle : TENET

28. Four-note chord : TETRAD - shoulda known this; as a guitarist, I play a lot of diads and triads (much of Van Halen); actually, four notes on a guitar is a bit hard - it means skipping strings, and it's not that easy; here's the major chord standard patterns; B and D are tetrads, the X's are strings you don't strum, O's you do

30. Investment company T. __ Price : ROWE - was stuck on "BONE" for a bit

32. Dating letters : BCE - Dating, as history - Before Common Era; more here

33. 160 square rods : ONE ACRE - a rod is 5.5 yards

35. Ugly : MEAN

36. Centennial debut of 1909 : LINCOLN HEAD CENT- seed entry?

40. Downwind : ALEE

41. Sunbeam product : TOASTER

42. Nth: Abbr. : ULTimate

43. Bird suborder that includes gulls and terns : LARI - perps again for me

44. Prom queen's concern : HAIRDO - and; 53. High-profile 44-Across : MOHAWK; image

48. Divine, in a way : DOWSE - as in divining rods, fooled me at first; for finding a water source.

50. Summit : ACME - image

52. Shade of red : BEET

55. Title object of a 1981 film quest : ARK - Harrison Ford #2 - this might be my all-time favorite movie, "Raiders of the Lost Ark" - great scene

57. Rubble creator : TNT - I wonder if Mr. Silk was going for a Flintstones misdirection - Barney Rubble?

58. Fine wool : MERINO

59. Polish : SIMONIZE - both my vehicles desperately need to be washed and waxed

61. Observation while passing the buck : ANTLER - oh, very good, sir ~! "HEY!, nice rack~!"

62. Jason, for one : SEAFARER - Jason and the Argonauts, pursuing the Golden Fleece

63. On the beach : ASHORE

64. One of only three golfers who briefly kept Tiger Woods out of the World #1 spot between 1/11/1998 and 10/30/2010 : ERNIE ELS - Mr. Els makes a lot of puzzles - he's got a good arrangement of letters there

 DOWN:

1. "The Deep" co-star : BISSET - and in respect to 61A, here's Jacqueline~!

2. Available, in a way : ON HIRE - meh, FOR sounds better

3. Ready to move on : OVER IT - ah, I was looking for an "INVASION"-type answer, 'MOVE on', instead of  'move ON'

4. Sinister : BAD

5. "Of course" : I SEE

6. Mouth formation : RIVER DELTA - nailed it; started with the downs, too - image

7. Decoration under a bowl : DOILY - that lacy circle

8. Oct. 1975 TV debut : SNL - Saturday Night Live - if it's 1975 and TV, it's probably something related to this comedy sketch show

9. Modern-day theocracy : IRAN - and the "other" I-R-A_ answer

10. Make an archaeological adjustment to : RE-DATE - sort of a clecho to 32A

11. Hot : AFIRE - "A" answer

12. Colonial leader : QUEEN BEE - in the hive; a colony of bees; thought it was ants

13. "Glad to do it!" : I SURE CAN - can I blog this Saturday?  "I sure CAN~!"

14. Word with appeal or change : SEX  sex appeal, sex change - yes on one, no on the other....

21. They may wake you up : SNORES

23. "I Got a Name" singer : CROCE - Jim

25. Very old : ARCHAIC - Ancient fit at first....

27. Big top, e.g. : TENT

29. Year in Mexico : ANO

31. One concerned with clemency : WEATHERMAN - I had a high school buddy who wanted to be the TV weatherman since he was a kid - on the tube in VA today.

34. Arctic jacket : ANORAK - the Wiki

35. Fast-food pork sandwich : McRIB - for all the hype surrounding it's limited release, I have nver had one

36. Glorify : LAUD

38. Financial planning yardstick : NET WORTH

39. Traffic controller, briefly : DEA - Drug Enforcement Agent - that kind of traffic

43. One resting against a stake : LEANER - a horseshoe game reference, and I love to play - worth two points; the other winning shot is the ringer, worth three

45. Turn in : RETIRE

46. Washington of "Glory" : DENZEL

47. River rompers : OTTERS

49. 1970 Neil Diamond hit : SHILO

51. Gold medalist skier Hermann : MAIER - all perps on this one

54. Passed slowly, with "on" : WORE

56. First name in diplomacy : KOFI - Annan, United Nations

58. Barnyard bleat : MAA - also my house growing up..."Maaaa, where's my sneakers?"

59. Vane dir. : SSE

60. Clydebank contradiction : NAE - Clydebank, in Scotland - only geography for the day, up next to Glasgow, and the birthplace of some famous ships, including the QEII

Answer grid.

Splynter

Note from C.C.:

I'm pleased to announce that Splynter (Richie) will blog all Saturday puzzles from now on. As you can see, he loves guitar and hockey. He is also an aspiring constructor and I can't wait to see his debut. I bet it'll be French free.

Friday, May 20, 2011, Mark Feldman

Theme: How to compose a movie pun. Each grid spanning theme answer began its life as a movie title, and by replacing a sound alike word (or words) with the name of a famous composer, a new movie title emerges to the guffaws of many. Having all the theme answers 15 letters obviously took lots of searching of movie titles, as well as undercurrents of more music, more movies and a sub-text of war. Let's see how it all turns out.

17A. Biopic about a time-traveling composer?: BACH TO THE FUTURE.  JS BACH transforms from the Michael J. Fox series which began with BACK TO THE FUTURE. This one cheated a bit as the sound is off.

27A. Biopic about a composer who is unrecognized in public?: HAYDN PLAIN SIGHT. Another tricky one as you have to know the pronunciation of JOSEPH'S name sounds like HIDE IN PLAIN SIGHT, a James Caan movie that may have started the genre of mysteriously disappearing wives.  The music was the perfect lead into....

48A. Biopic about a composer from a WWII hero's perspective?: SCHINDLER'S LISZT. Where Franz replaces a very moving true story, SCHINDLER'S LIST. To lighten the mood, I suggest this rendition of HUNGARIAN RHAPSODY II.

63A. Biopic about a composer fighting his inner demons?: BATTLE OF BRITTEN.  I was unfamiliar with the work of this British COMPOSER who wrote operas, but I enjoyed the movie BATTLE OF BRITAIN, which had a great CAST.

As you can see we already have direct and indirect references to World War II, and now to continue our tour of duty, corporal Lemonade here as your guide.

Across :

1. Pale: WAN.

4. Mozzetta wearer: ABBOT. This is the little cape worn by the hierarchy of the Catholic Church.

9. Sat: POSED. As in, sat for the portrait.

14. "Exodus" hero: ARI. Played by the late Paul Newman, who many do not know was half Jewish. The war of independence for Israel.

15. Intimate: CLOSE. Well I guess you have to get close to be intimate.

16. Key scene for bursting bombs?: IN AIR. I love this misdirection, with Francis Scott Key and his famous lyric, music bonus #1. More war.

20. "... like __ buzzing in blind fury": Pyle: A BEE. The full quote is, " About every two minutes a wave of planes would be over. The motors seemed to grind rather than roar, and have an angry pulsation, like a bee buzzing in blind fury." Written by the Pulitzer prize winning World War II correspondent ERNIE PYLE who died on the battlefield in Okinawa. More war.

21. Go after: CHASE. Like when you play golf, you go after your ball.

22. Traveling, in a way: ASEA. Our favorite A word.

23. Builder's options: SITES. This actually may mean houses, or we can webify it into websites.

25. __ avis: RARA. Not rare around here, lately.

34. Heavy: SOLEMN. Like certain duty.

35. Rondeaux, e.g.: POEMS. I will let our resident expert CA explain more, but this is a formalized type of poetry. The most famous of which I have any knowledge is In Flanders Fields by John McCrae, which is about World War I.

36. Go astray: SIN. Hey, it was only an extra cookie.

39. Switch words: ON OFF. Simple, but I liked it.

41. Political pacifier: SOP. An old timey word, that I believe fits more than politics.

42. Ruled quarters?: ROOST. King of the hill, hence the name Rooster.

45. Devised, with "up": DREAMT. Like so many schemes in life.

53. Absorbed by: INTO. Dancing with the Stars, American Idol, what is the Corner into these days?

54. Legendary luster: SATYR. Love a good alliterative clue.

55. Tiny amount: IOTA. A Greek letter, which was like our little i, and to signify nothing would be changed, not a single IOTA would be altered.

57. Sting: SMART. This interesting synonym pair can mean both physical and mental pain.

62. Zilch: NADA. Zip, Zero, Nothing, Nil and on and on.

66. Grenoble's river: ISERE. Must for puzzle doing.

67. Put to the test: TRIED. Yes, the product was tried and true.

68. Former transp. regulator: ICC. Interstate Commerce Commission was charged with overseeing the railroads; created under President Grover Cleveland, it later regulated trucking, but it was discarded during the great deregulation wave of the 80's and 90's.

69. Itzhak Perlman choice: STRAD. The great violinist like his Stradivarius, a bonus music.

70. Takes to the cleaners: HOSES. Eh,

71. Canadian LPGA golfer Dawn __-Jones: COE. This was obscure, but very short, so it should not have been a problem.

On to the rest.

Down:

1. Indiana county or its seat: WABASH. Interestingly, the home of one of the rail companies regulated by the ICC, and the name of a famous train of song, the Wabash Cannonball.

2. Where Mecca is: ARABIA. Where the pilgrimage ends.

3. Civilized feature: NICETY. Yes, let us all play together and observe the niceties.

4. Put-on: ACT. The put-on, like Andy Kaufman, or Cliff Arquette as Charlie Weaver used to be more popular.

5. Alliance: BLOC. For example, the now defunct Soviet bloc.

6. This and that: BOTH. Another simple, but deceptive little clue.

7. Pub. of a "Distracted Driving" brochure: OSHA. Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

8. Some shirts: TEES. Remember when they were just undershirts and not shirts?

9. More, in music: PIU. More bonus music, I wish I were JzB, but I think it just means more, like PIU Allegro, would mean faster.

10. Where London is: ONTARIO. Very nice, as Canada has its own London near Toronto.

11. Some links: SAUSAGES. I wanted a golf course, especially since there are so many links courses in....

12. Limerick land: EIRE. Ireland.

13. "The Sopranos" actress __ de Matteo: DREA. The poor waitress who hooks up with Chris, becomes a government spy and pays the ultimate price- working on a sitcom with Matt LeBlanc.

18. Doesn't ignore: HEEDS.

19. Spore producer: FERN. Ah, spring and Allegra not allegro.

24. Cat lead-in: SNO. Geez, again?

26. Old Egyptian symbol: ASP. This snake is back.

28. Abbas's gp.: PLO. Mahmoud Abbas took over the Palestine Liberation Organisation upon the death of Yasser Arafat, and won't let go, causing another rift between Fatah and Hamas.

29. He appeared in eight consecutive U.S. Open finals: LENDL. Ivan, a Czech star who along with countryman Petr Korda has raised a daughter who is looking to play professional golf.

30. Love overseas: AMORE. Sounds more romantic doesn't it.

31. Figure: INFER. Another stretch here, but I figured it out from the clue.

32. Ins. plan: HMO. Health Maintenance Organisation

33. 1/48 cup: Abbr.: TSP. When you read the recipe and it says a cup of sugar, remember it is 48 teaspoons.

36. Yearbook sect.: SRS. Seniors.

37. Games org.: IOC. International Olympic Committee.

38. Historic game: NO HITTER. usually a shut out as the opposition has no hits, from baseball where we also get, 47D. Three-time A.L. shutout leader of the '60s-'70s: TIANT. Luis, who had the unnerving motion where he completely turned his back to the plate before delivering the ball, making the batter wonder where it might come from, and maybe they did not sit comfortably as he pitched for the Indians and the Red Sox when they almost won. 60D. Sluggers' stats: RBIS. Which nobody gets if there is a shut out.

40. Musical syllables: FAS. More music.

43. 1953 Best Supporting Actor Oscar winner: SINATRA. Wow, music and war and another movie, all in one clue. FROM HERE TO ETERNITY  is a very powerful war movie with another great cast.

44. Big bang producer: TNT. Not the CBS TV show after all, Penny and Raj! Shocking!

46. L.A. Galaxy's gp.: MLS. Major League Soccer; sort of like Charlie Sheen's Baseball movie.

49. Pharmacy concern: DOSE. and DESE, and DEM.

50. Trouble: STATIC. People used to say, "don't give me any static", I wonder if it was because they listened to the radio so much.

51. Louisiana folk music: ZYDECO. More music, Hahtool, you want to explain,as this was my learning moment as I did not know this STYLE.

52. Daze: TRANCE.

55. Wading bird: IBIS. Mascot for the Miami Hurricanes, why?

56. Brewery feature: OAST. Another recent regular clue.

58. Evening flier: MOTH. I do not believe Florida is a healthy climate for moths.

59. Full do: AFRO. Hairdo.

61. Corner: TREE. Hunting dogs often chase their prey up a tree; dogs are not great in trees.

64. Brought: LED. You got me supply your own explanation.

65. Some tags: IDS.

Answer grid.

Well like I said this is Lemonade, back in the saddle, or the tank turret,  after a week off when I left poor Marti with the whole blogging world in tatters. I do not know if that was fate protecting me, or teasing her, but I expect to be back again, you all take care.

Notes from C.C.:

1) Happy 50th Wedding Anniversary to Linda.

2) Happy Birthday to the wicked fun guy Mainiac & a belated Happy Birthday to Grumpy & M.J.

3) Safe travels, Dennis. Don't stray from the blog too long.