Saturday, Aug 31st, 2013, Doug Peterson & Brad Wilber

Theme: DP+BW

Words: 68 (missing J,Q,X,Z)

Blocks: 31

   Doug and Brad combine again for a tough, but do-able, challenge this week.  For me, it was a hit....and then a miss; a hit....and then a miss.  A near perfect symmetry to the grid; two more black squares and it would look the same even if you rotated the puzzle through 90°.  Two 13-letter climbers in sequence;

14D. Currency printed on only one side : MONOPOLY MONEY - I landed on BANDO - need $200

15D. Rued years : MISSPENT YOUTH - I spent my youth well; it was after missing out on film school that I could say I 'rued' the next 15 years

And a pair of hard-to-work-into-a-grid 14-letter spanners;

30A. "That's the pot calling the kettle black!" : YOU'RE ONE TO TALK

35A. London arena that Pelé dubbed "the cathedral of football" : WEMBLEY STADIUM - Nailed it - but not too difficult for me, since my parent's were born in England, and my father was a HUGE (football) soccer fan - he wanted his ashes scattered at  midfield there; we may still....

~!

ACROSS:

1. Hits the dirt? : SCRUBS - not a good start to this one; my whole NW corner was either blank or filled in with the wrong answers

7. Window in many loft conversions : DORMER - better; carpentry is my thing; I like this one

13. Prepared to fire : TOOK AIM - DAH~!  I filled in "AIMED AT" - right, but wrong

15. Tool for hackers : MACHETE - who else was on a computer hacker train of thought?

16. Name on "The Name of the Rose" : UMBERTO - not a clue

17. Spoke like an uninspired lecturer : INTONED

18. Smartphone component, for short : CPU - DAH~!  I put in APP - and only one "P" was good.

19. Soothes, in a way : SINGS TO

21. Mars, for one : ORB - DAH~! I went with the "GOD" version

22. Throw : CAST - DAH~!  I put in TOSS ( and thought it was too easy, too )

24. Old language that gives us "berserk" : NORSE - WAGed it

25. Home of the Czech Republic's Supreme Court : BRNO - I got down to one cell, and it was the second here, fifth in the down clue - both foreign places, and the "R" was a total WAG - and when I got "Ta-Da~!", I still didn't like Brno - but I do like their advertising campaign....

26. Second to none : ON TOP - DAH~!  I had ELITE

28. Spot in a casino : PIP - the dimples on dice

29. Crème de __ : CACAO - MENTHE did not fit, even with the "E" being silent

33. Hose holder : REEL

34. Indoor football name : NERF - not the league, just the toy

41. Fauvist painter Dufy : RAOUL

42. 5, spelled out? : MAY - The FIFTH month

43. Rayed bloom : ASTER - Crossword staple, Saturday cluing

45. Tendon attachment? : ITIS - tendonITIS

46. Pamplona runners : TOROS - Da Bullz

48. Green opening : HOLE - Second time the guys threw me this week; instead of getting crafty with a prefix like "ECO-" or "AGRI-", we are looking for the a plain old cup in the grass of a golf course....

49. Mdse. : GDs - Goods

50. Like many consonants : LINGUAL - I tried "GLOTTAL"

52. Cat's batter : PAW - Did anyone else think of cake mix at first?

53. Ancient Syrian : HITTITE - Learned from watching Ghostbusters

55. First golfer to win the U.S., British and Canadian Opens in the same year : TREVINO

57. Overly sentimental : TREACLY

58. Side effect of a bike helmet : HAT HAIR - this is NOT what YOU were thinking....

59. Pet : STROKE - hwwwwsh - I had CARESS; so close....

60. Disrespected outwardly : SASSED

DOWN:

1. Masonry finish : STUCCO - here's where I could tell my first ACROSS pass was a 'fail'; I knew what masonry finish the guys were looking for;  I did one for a customer on her porch, my shed is getting the treatment, and my future home will definitely be stucco

2. Firm : COMPANY - noun? adjective? verb? had to wait

3. Humidor item : ROBUSTO - I likes me a cigar; I prefer a Tatiana flavoured cigarillo over a robusto; refers to the ring size of the smoke

4. Island entertainment : UKE

5. Places to see a lot of spirits : BARS - yep, tis where I spent those 15 years....

6. March alternative : SIT-IN - I was on a toccata, fugue, corale wavelength

7. Poet translated by Longfellow : DANTE

8. Pi preceder? : OCTO - octopi, the plural of octopus....gritting my teeth

9. Pi follower : RHO - Greek letters

10. Mediterranean island, to locals : MENORCA - I guess everyone else refers to it as M-I-norca, as opposed to the other island in the area, Mallorca (MAJORca)

11. Like amaranth flowers, in myth : ETERNAL - from the Greek, for unwilting; I have taken inspiration from Yellowrocks, and found this poem

12. Magazine in which "The Thin Man" first appeared : REDBOOK - I have heard of it; more here from Wiki

20. Put on a happy face : GRIN

23. Sightseers can be seen on one : TOUR BUS

25. Spade-shaped reef swimmer : BATFISH

27. Alberto VO5 rival : PRELL - hair care products

29. Una __: using the soft pedal : CORDA

31. Brogan classification : EEE - shoe size

32. High __ : TEA

35. Pair commemorated on North Carolina's state quarter : WRIGHTS - the bicycle brothers who designed and built the first flying machine

36. Humble oneself : EAT DIRT

37. More likely to win the bakeoff, maybe : MOISTER

38. '33 Chicago World's Fair puppeteer : SARG - Fascinating; I found this clip - watch the king (sultan?) hitting the hookah (@6:55), and then it gets a bit DF about 8:15.  If you want to see a modern take, there's some more marionettes in the movie "Still Breathing"

39. Beauty spots? : UTOPIAS

40. One-named singer/songwriter of the 1970 Woodstock-inspired hit "Lay Down" : MELANIE - link away~!

44. Paraphrase : RE-WORD

46. Safe-deposit box document : TITLE

47. Author Paretsky and others : SARAS

50. Defeat : LICK - Well, the guys could have gone the other way with the cluing

51. "Why, then, __ soldier drink!": Iago : "LET A"

54. Confucian path : TAO

56. Old Beta rival : VHS - Video Home System; definitely the winner in the consumer market, but the news shows I worked with swore by Beta.

Splynter

Friday, August 30, Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: Definition puzzle, type 3.

Week 4 of the Friday definition theme. The first two were classic clecho clues, just one clue for all the theme answers; last week we had modified definition clues, and this week we have three answers to the same clue, but you need the reveal to unlock the clue. Through perps I was able to solve HIDDEN HAZARD, but I thought IT'S A WONDER was also part of the theme, luckily my special amusing muse steered me in right direction and then I 'got' the reveal which told us the three numbered clues were PHRASES meaning CATCH. Cool! This is my second time blogging Jeffrey, who provided 5 Thursdays this year for Marti, including before and after her vacation, some really fun work and 9 LAT in the past year. Let us go unravel this one.

20A. See 56-Across : HIDDEN HAZARD. (12). You will sell me a car for $1,000.00, what's the CATCH?

31A. See 56-Across : BALL TOSSING GAME. (15) Hey son, let's go play CATCH.

41A. See 56-Across : GOOD TYPE TO MARRY. (15). I can't believe she married the Prince, he was quite a CATCH.

56A. Some slogans, and what 20-, 31- and 41-Across are? : CATCH PHRASES.(12). A tight theme, but I know many of you do not like self-referential cluing. But it is Friday, so enjoy.

Across:

1. Use an updraft, say : SOAR.

5. Pacific veranda : LANAI.

10. Shoe site : HOOF. Already Jeffrey' s sense of humor shows as he horses around with the clues

14. "___ la Douce" : IRMA. Shirley MacLaine again.

15. Mission attacked by Santa Anna : ALAMO. Mission San Antonio de Valero.

16. "Betsy's Wedding" director : ALDA. Alan of M*A*S*H fame.

17. Alfred E. Neuman expression : GRIN. This had me thinking how to fit, "What, me worry?" in 4 spaces.

18. "I can't believe..." : IT'S A WONDER. Butter?

22. Winner of a record 82 PGA tournaments : SNEAD. Slamming Sammy, Tiger has won 80 and counting.

23. Cheer from Charo : OLE. Xavier Cugat' s second wife. CUCHI CUCHI.(0:39).

24. Bring down : ABASE.

28. Top : LID.

30. Book between Micah and Habakkuk : NAHUM. A minor prophet who is unknown to most. LINK.

38. Id checker : EGO. My favorite misdirection for a 3 letter clue; in Freud's world the ID and EGO and SUPER EGO worked to achieve balance.

39. Get up : ROUSE.

40. Comparative suffix : IER.

46. Mail at a castle : ARMOR. Another well done clue, chain mail.

47. SSA IDs, e.g. : NOS.

48. Discrimination : TASTE. Discrimination= bad. Discrimination= good.

49. Gay Nineties, e.g. : ERA.

52. Catherine of "A Mighty Wind" : O'HARA. One of the many who came from SCTV.

59. Response to an awkwardly timed call : I'M NOT ALONE. And I have no way to hold the phone...

62. Whiff : MISS. A baseball term, which reminds of the great announcer Marty Glickman, who coined many now common basketball phrases including SWISH for when the ball goes into the net without hitting anything else. While many my age will recall the name from his work with baseball and football announcing, he was a world class sprinter on the 1936 Olympic team with Jesse Owens.

63. Bed or bar attachment : ROOM. I was thinking about young ladies, but....

64. Discussion group : PANEL.

65. Actress McClurg : EDIE.

66. "___ these days..." : KIDS.

67. Signal to a runner : STEAL. The last baseball clue, well maybe.

68. Negative impression? : DENT. I am sure there was no more negative impression in New England than this ONE.(0:39).

Down:

1. Chorus from adoring fans : SIGHS. Anyone see Miley Cyrus 'perform' at the VMAs? As a parent, sigh.

2. Hatch of Utah : ORRIN. Non-political LINK.

3. Nitrogen compound : AMIDE. I get confused with AMINE but I am sure one of our chemically inclined posters will explain the concepts.

4. Unger player : RANDALL. Tony with Jack Klugman in

5. "This skull hath ___ in the earth...": Hamlet : LAIN. Act V, where the gravedigger tells Hamlet it is 'poor Yorick', the jester whose skull it is.

6. E'en if : ALTHO. Eh, it was easy but not an abbreviation I enjoy.

7. ___ passage : NASAL. So many passages, but Nasal fit the bill.

8. Knock the socks off : AMAZE.

9. Eastern segment of the Louisiana Purchase : IOWA.

10. Purse : HANDBAG.

11. Unoriginal : OLD. Which if you are ill, sounds like

12. Tribute in verse : ODE. Which was a theme. Marti, do you remember the puzzles, with COLD/CODE etc.?

13. Word with flung or reaching : FAR.

19. Sumatran ape : ORANG. I like the coffee.

21. Put in a word or two? : EDIT. I really like the simplicity of this clue

25. Win by ___ : A HAIR. I guess years of hanging with gamblers made A NOSE seem so right, but since we already had NASAL.....

26. Ancient Mesopotamian kingdom : SUMER. Credited with being the home of the written WORD, without which there would be no crossword puzzles, no puns and no Corner.

27. Buffing board : EMERY.

29. Flat-bottomed boat : DORY. Didn't we just have this word?

31. Brought forth : BEGAT. Another Biblical word.

32. Ancient gathering place : AGORA. With SUMER, NAHUM, we have some history going on.

33. Towers (over) : LOOMS.

34. Conciliatory offering : SOP.

35. Advice after an injury, perhaps : SUE. The bastards is the complete legal term.

36. Real end? : IST. Realist.

37. Commercial sign : NEON.

42. Targets of many searches : DOT COMS. This was hard for me to parse but once the perps were in, it made sense.

43. Unexpected pleasure : TREAT.

44. Marshy wasteland : MOOR.

45. Red in the face : ASHAMED.

49. Fanfare : ECLAT.

50. Van Gogh's "Starry Night Over the ___" : RHONE.

51. Nighttime disorder : APNEA. Sleep apnea is another more common ailment in modern times, maybe because it gets diagnosed more.

53. Dramatic device : ASIDE. Back to Shakespeare, and all his lovely characters speaking conspiratorially with the audience.

54. Frankincense or myrrh : RESIN. I did not know this and confuse rosin/resin.

55. Black-ink entry : ASSET. Nice clue; we have disagreements with clients who do not want to sign in blue ink.

57. Lights-out signal : TAPS.

58. Inferno : HELL. Dante's was ice.

59. Rub the wrong way : IRK.

60. Word of feigned innocence : MOI?  Feigned? The ORIGINAL.(4:48).

61. Subtle assent : NOD. Hopefully the room is filled with subtle assents, that our day is done and the fine effort from JW pleased your puzzling palates. Labor day ahead on the near horizon, so enjoy the long week end, and thanks for tuning in.

Lemonade out.

Thursday, August 29, 2013 David Poole

Theme: "Two-Timers"

Men whose names end in double letters, that is. And all of them are real animals...

17. "Django Unchained" co-star : JAMIE FOXX. Directed by Quentin Tarantino.

24. "Malice N Wonderland" rapper : SNOOP DOGG.

35. "This Boy's Life" memoirist : TOBIAS WOLFF.

50. Sal Romano portrayer on "Mad Men" : BRYAN BATT.

59. Super Bowl X MVP : LYNN SWANN. Also Chairman of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.

A nice mixture of movie actor, music, literature, TV, and sports figures! A theme consisting of all proper names is sometimes daunting.  But all of them emerged after a few perps. What did you think?

Marti here, to give meaning to life...or, at least, come up with some plausible excuses!

Across:

1. Window sill coolers : PIES. I wanted "fans." But I can also picture PIES cooling on a window sill.

5. Waffles no more : OPTS.

9. In an offbeat way : ODDLY.

14. Spots teens don't like : ACNE.

15. Unoccupied : FREE.

16. Civic, perhaps : COUPE. Honda Civic.

19. Different take : TWIST. I'll take a TWIST of lemon instead of lime in my Gimlet...

20. Rings of activity : ARENAS.

21. Area near a hangar : APRON.

23. Thoughtful type : MUSER. Like Husker Gary!

28. Cinders : ASH.

29. Cross word : BAH, humbug!

31. Pirouetted : TWIRLED.

32. Salk vaccine target : POLIO.

34. Group with a self-titled monthly magazine : AARP.

39. Beyond bad : EVIL. An oldie but goodie. 3:38

41. Bedding item : SHEET.

42. It involves checks and balances : BANKING. Nice misdirection.

46. Cenozoic ___ : ERA.

47. Parisian possessive : SES. Here are the rest, with singular / feminine / plural forms.

MY: mon / ma / mes
YOUR: ton / ta / tes
HIS / HER / ITS: son / sa / ses
OUR: notre / notre / nos
YOUR: votre / votre / vos
THEIR: leur / leur / leurs

52. Stem cell research advocate Christopher : REEVE. He was a great inspiration to thousands of spinal injury patients.

54. Kitchen gadget : DICER.

55. First name of two U.S. presidents : ANDREW. Jackson and Johnson, the seventh and seventeenth presidents.

56. Lost a lap : STOOD. Fun clue!

61. Streisand title role : YENTL. I enjoyed the movie. 3:36

62. The Gaels of college sports : IONA.

63. ___ facto : IPSO. Latin, "by the fact itself." She had to write the blog and was, ipso facto, unable to go to bed early.

64. Candy man : REESE.

65. Tech news dot-com : CNET. DH reads it every day.

66. Broadway shiner : NEON. Not a black eye, but the lights above your head.

Down:

1. ___ party : PAJAMA. Pillow fight!

2. Boy who had a legendary meltdown : ICARUS. Moral of the story: "Boys with wax wings should stay away from the sun."

3. Tangle up : ENMESH.

4. The Pont Neuf spans it : SEINE.

5. Wastes, mob-style : OFFS.

6. For : PRO.

7. Perot, e.g. : TEXAN.

8. One who's really hot : SEXPOT. I am sure we will be seeing links by our regulars...

9. Cuttlefish cousins : OCTOPI. Anyone else want "squids?"

10. Vertical air movement : DOWNDRAFT.

11. It makes SADD mad : DUI. Driving Under the Influence. We just had SADD as an answer yesterday.

12. Groovy music collection? : LPs. Long Play(s) 33 1/3 RPM microgroove vinyl records.

13. However : YET.

18. Bit of dangly jewelry : EARBOB. Does anyone really call them that?

22. Fracas : ROW.

24. Islamic branch : SHIA.

25. Norwegian royal name : OLAF. Ah, the old "F or V?" dilemma.

26. An official lang. of Switzerland : GER.man.

27. National econ. stat : GDP. Gross Domestic Product.

30. Clay, today : ALI.

32. Spotty pattern : POLKA DOTS.

33. CIA forerunner : OSS. Office of Strategic Services.

35. Minute : TINY.

36. Use a strop on : WHET.

37. "___ the fields we go" : O'ER.

38. Hears : LEARNS.

39. Drop in the ocean? : EBB. A fun clue for a common xword word.

40. Alt. spelling : VAR.iant.

43. Sitting at a red light, say : IN IDLE.

44. "Days of Our Lives" network : NBC.

45. Language that gave us "galore" : GAELIC. I did not know that she was Gaelic?

47. Señorita's shawl : SERAPE.

48. "All the same..." : EVEN SO.

49. Like some patches : SEWN ON. Wanted "iron on" at first.

51. Check for fit : TRY ON.

53. Dickens' Drood : EDWIN. "The Mystery of Edwin Drood." His final novel, it was unfinished at his death. We'll probably never know "whodunnit."

55. Future MD's class : ANAT.omy.

56. Leb. neighbor : SYR.ia.

57. Beginning of time? : TEE.

58. Half and half : ONE. Two tricky clues in a row.

60. Oak Lawn-to-Chicago dir. : NNE. Not the Texas city of Oak Lawn, but the suburb of Chicago. Map. (Zoom out.)

Now I'm zooming off to bed!
Marti

Note from C.C.:

Happy 6th Birthday to the handsome Truman, JD's oldest grandson.

JD & Truman

 This is one of my all-time favorite Blog photos:

Taken on July 5, 2010

From left to right: Grady (11 months, Truman's little brother), Truman 3 & Cameron (2 weeks then, and he's starting preschool next month.)

Wednesday, August 28, 2013 Pancho Harrison

Theme: Most telling put downs - Each humorous two-word answer consists of a noun preceded by a two-syllable verb that indicates a negative action or feeling, and whose second syllable connects with the noun to yield an in-the-language phrase, all clued as "Put down ..."  Or to put it simply, DE is added to the start of each noun phrase.

17A. Put down toddlers? : DECRY BABIES.  To DECRY is to publicly denounce. CRY BABIES complain, whether they have a reason to or not.

28A. Put down formal education? : DEGRADE SCHOOL. To DEGRADE is treat or regard someone with disrespect.  GRADE SCHOOL is the designation for grades 1 through some number between 5 and 8, depending on whether your district has middle school and what year it starts.

48A. Put down thoroughfares? : DEMEAN STREETS.  DEMEAN means to cause a severe loss of dignity or respect.   MEAN STREETS, besides being a 1973 Martin Scorsese movie, means a part of town known for violence and crime.

64A. Put down a rock genre? : DEBASE METAL. DEBASE means to reduce the value or quality of something.  BASE METAL is something other than a precious metal. Copper, tin and zinc all qualify.

Hi gang, JazzBumpa here.  Rather a brilliant theme, IMHO.  But I love word play of all sorts.  This kind of involuted pun is somewhat akin to the old Tom Swifty.  Kinda, sorta, maybe.

Across:

1. Stockpile : AMASS.

6. A.L. West player : ASTRO.  Cellar dwellers from Houston.

11. Place to see reeds : FEN.  Bog, swamp.

14. Like some trains and anesthetics : LOCAL. Odd pairing, but I can't quibble.

15. "Gigi" star Leslie : CARON.  She was 27 when they made this movie.  Maurice Chevalier was a bit older.  My grandmother had a thing for him, as did Gigi's.

16. Pollution-policing org. : EPA. Environmental Protection Agency

19. It's in many poems : TIS.  Keeping with the involution idea, it's "it's" turned inside out,  Would a poet do that?  'TIS a shame.

20. Wirehair of whodunits : ASTA.  Nick and Nora's terrier.

21. Start of a morning diner order : A CUP.  Of coffee, tea, hemlock, bile  .  .  .

22. Hunt illegally : POACH. Why would anyone ever illegally hunt an egg?

24. Petty of "A League of Their Own" : LORI.  Can't say I remember her.

26. Sediment : LEES.  Dregs in wine making.

33. Handle the helm : STEER. 

35. They're not from around here, briefly : ET'S.  Extra-Terrestrials.

36. Ship of Greek myth : ARGO.  Jason and the Argonauts.  They went for the gold, and got fleeced.

37. Rand who created Dagny Taggart : AYN.  Worst!  Novel!  Ever!

38. Went by : ELAPSED.

42. The Matterhorn, e.g. : ALP.

43. Plumbing concern : DRIP.

45. GI entertainers : USO.  United Service Organizations

46. British __ : ISLES.  There are well over 100 of them.  I'm rather fond of Islay.

52. Hook's sidekick : SMEE.  He's getting to be a regular here.

53. Caesarean rebuke : ET TU.  And you, Brutus?  Very disappointing day for Julie.

54. "Me too!" : SO DO I.

57. Pay, as expenses : MEET. 

59. Russian assembly : DUMA. Government council.

63. Fuss : ADO.

67. Spruce cousin : FIR.  Evergreen trees.

68. Soothing application : SALVE.  What -- not ALOE?!?

69. Cockamamie : INANE. Now, that's just silly.

70. Comics cry : EEK.  I tawt I taw a mouse.

71. Ancestral diagrams : TREES.  Not to be confused with 67 A.

72. Dumas swordsman : ATHOS.  One of the musketeers. But shouldn't they have been the three swordsmen?

Down:

1. "The West Wing" Emmy winner : ALDA.  Alan

2. Homer's hangout : MOE'S. 'Tis HOMER Simpson, not the Greek poet.

3. IRA part: Abbr. : ACCT.  Individual Retirement Account.

4. Big name in frozen desserts : SARA LEE.  Everybody doesn't like something  .  .  .

5. Crafty : SLY.  Like advertising slogans

6. Thorny shrub : ACACIA.  With a strange flower.

7. "Elephant Boy" actor : SABU.  Of 1940's movie fame.

8. Rare sights in nurseries : TRIPLETS.  babies, not plants.

9. Lobster eggs : ROE. Fish eggs, too.

10. How many writers work : ON SPEC. Writing done without a guaranteed sale for the finished work.

11. Greek salad topper : FETA.  What I had for dinner, with enough leftover for tomorrow's lunch.  [Well, today, as you're reading this.]

12. Larger-than-life : EPIC.

13. 1950s Rambler maker : NASH.  Compact car, famous, at the time.

18. Virologist who worked with Epstein : BARR.  Wikipedia: The Epstein–Barr virus (EBV), also called human herpes virus 4 (HHV-4), is a virus of the herpes family, and is one of the most common viruses in humans.

23. Worker protection agcy. : OSHA.  Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

25. Storybook baddie : OGRE.

27. To be, to Brutus : ESSE. Him again?  Latin

28. Wrangler material : DENIM. Forever in blue jeans.

29. Station : DEPOT. A heavy handed station master is the DEPOT despot.  Don't mess with his tea pot.

30. 47-Downs have to talk their way out of them : ORALS. Clever. Exams for certain students, like dental hygienists, perhaps.

31. Look at lecherously : OGLE.  Makin' eyes.

32. Cuts off : LOPS.

33. H.S. sobriety crusaders : S.A.D.D.  Students Against Destructive Decisions.

34. Spare, in Soho : TYRE.  Spare tire, nor an extra of anything else.  British spelling. Soho London.

39. Moon over Marseille : LUNE. French.

40. Put together : ASSEMBLE.  Who assembled the DUMA?

41. Waist management : DIET. Cute.

44. Cuban cabbage? : PESO. Money.

47. Loan recipient, often : STUDENT.  Of the collegial variety.

49. In the center of : AMIDST.

50. Popular pieces : REESE'S.  Candy.

51. Rock follower? : ETTE.  The famous dancing troupe at Radio City Music Hall.  Granddaughter Amanda spent a week with them earlier this month.  Still hate these affix clues, though.

54. Sound partner : SAFE.

55. Drooling comics dog : ODIE.  From Garfield

56. Idiot : DORK. Is that really what this means?

58. Water-draining aid : EAVE.  It's raining here, and the downspout on my garage came disconnected from the EAVE.  I'll deal with it tomorrow.  [Today, as you read this.]

60. Canyonlands National Park locale : UTAH.

61. Hand, to Jorge : MANO.  Español.

62. Pub server's trayful : ALES.

65. Tuner's asset : EAR.

66. "Mamma __!" : MIA.  Italian expression cum ABBA musical.

Well, among other things, we've had movies, song and dance, salad and a snack. Pretty filling, I'd say.  Hope you enjoyed the excursion.

Cool regards!

JzB

Tuesday, August 27, 2013 Gail Grabowski and Bruce Venzke

Theme: I couldn't eat another bite of fish - The four letter reveal word stuffed with other letters in the middle.

17A. Easy-to-swallow gelatin pill : SOFT CAPSULE

31A. Decorative piece behind a couch : SOFA TABLE. For when a sofa isn't against a wall, like here.

40A. Aromatic burner made from vegetable wax : SOY CANDLE

11D. Cucumber in brine : SOUR PICKLE

27D. Bathtub popper : SOAP BUBBLE

57A. Seafood selection suggested by this puzzle's circles : STUFFED SOLE

Argyle here. If you have circles, I hope they are in he right spots! I had a personal Natick at the cross of 47 and 61 but the R was easily inferred. All in all, a decent Tuesday with some eclectic fill. Great theme intersection.

Across:

1. Seepage at sea : BILGE. The BILGE is an area on a ship, so the water that collects there is known as BILGE WATER.

6. King's tenure : REIGN

11. Attach a button, e.g. : SEW

14. "Bye, José!" : "ADIOS!"

15. WWII sub : U-BOAT. The E-BOAT was a torpedo boat that ran on the surface.

16. "Go, José!" : "OLÉ!"

19. Luau instrument : UKE

20. Util. supply : ELEC.

21. Gets a load of, so to speak : SEEs. A little strained on some of the clues today.

22. Backpack part : STRAP

24. Daily Planet cub reporter : OLSEN. And 7D. Jed Clampett portrayer Buddy : EBSEN. Waiting to trip you up if you put in SON instead of SEN.

26. Swab brand : Q-TIP

27. Pirate on the Jolly Roger : SMEE

28. Sydney natives : AUSSIES. Not "true" natives.

34. Cost-of-living fig. : CPI. (consumer price index)

35. Sticks around : STAYS

36. Wish undone : RUE

37. "For goodness __!" : SAKES

39. European peak : ALP

42. Lake __: "Prairie Home Companion" town : WOBEGON. "Welcome to Lake Wobegon, where all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average." - Garrison Keillor

45. Thin coin : DIME

46. Colorado natives : UTEs

47. Valuable violin : AMATI

49. Persian Gulf emirate : DUBAI

51. Refinery waste : SLAG

52. Arduous expedition : TREK

56. Flow back : EBB

60. Gibson of "Braveheart" : MEL

61. Artist Rousseau : HENRI. (1844–1910) French Post-Impressionist painter.

62. Pisa place : ITALY

63. Pay dirt : ORE

64. Out of the harbor : AT SEA

65. Styles : MODEs

Down:

1. Slider's goal : BASE. (baseball)

2. Recipient of bags of fan mail : IDOL

3. "That's __!" : LIFE

4. Snuggled up on the couch, say : GOT COMFY

5. PC "oops" key : ESC. In the upper left corner on a standard keyboard; I don't know about all the other devices out there.

6. Mumbai money : RUPEE. (India)

8. Promissory notes : IOUs. Could be in RUPEES, I suppose.

9. Guy's pal : GAL

10. Experimental bomb blasts : N-TESTS

12. Betty's role in "Hot in Cleveland" : ELKA

13. Have a bawl : WEEP

18. Desirable quality : ASSET

23. "__ the season ..." : 'TIS

25. Grassy expanses : LEAs

26. "__ Sera, Sera" : QUE. Clip from the movie. LINK(2:05)

28. Actor Guinness : ALEC

29. Fencer's sword : ÉPÉE

30. Family nickname : SIS

31. 1944 invasion city : ST-LÔ

32. Presley's middle name : ARON

33. Pay cash for : BUY

35. Tool with teeth : SAW

37. Fit of temper : SNIT

38. Acknowledges responsibility for : ADMITS TO

40. "Mayday!" : [S-O-S]

41. Maxim : ADAGE

43. LAX listing : ETA

44. Teahouse hostess : GEISHA

47. Four-time Emmy winner Woodard : ALFRE. Her IMDb page.

48. Underworld society : MAFIA

49. Tutorial feature : DEMO

50. Slangy prefix meaning "super" : ÜBER

51. Phoenix cagers : SUNS. They play at the US Airways Center (formerly America West Arena).

53. Place for a pothole : ROAD

54. Couture monthly : ELLE. (magazine)

55. Jinglers on rings : KEYS

58. Vietnamese New Year : TET

59. Poorly lit : DIM

Argyle

Notes from C.C.:

1) Happy 65th Birthday to Lemonade, who has been guiding us through Friday puzzles since March 2010. Despite his eye problem and health issue, he never gives any puzzle a short shrift. He enhances my appreciation for every Friday puzzle with his passion, knowledge & wit.

Lemonade & John Lampkin

2) Happy 65th Birthday to the very knowledgeable & modest Vidwan as well! Hope you successfully renewed your driver's license.

3) As Montana (Darlene) mentioned yesterday, she flew to Denver and celebrated her birthday with her granddaughter, who was 2 yesterday.

Monday, August 26, 2013 Billie Truitt

Theme: It's all mud after it rains for a week - Various terms for the stuff under our feet...or under our nails.

17A. Home country : NATIVE SOIL

23A. Out of touch with reality : IN LA-LA LAND

37A. Get one's head out of the clouds : COME DOWN TO EARTH

47A. Strike it rich : HIT PAY DIRT

58A. Position of moral superiority : HIGH GROUND

Argyle here with a solid Monday puzzle. In the words of Goldilocks, not too easy, not too hard but just right. All in language phrases, although I had to change 17-Across when 23-Across showed up. I like to see a grid spanner on a Monday, also. Fertile loam for those mash-ups that some of you do so well.

Across:

1. "Pay attention!" : "FOCUS!". "Look here!"

6. Taj Mahal city : AGRA

10. __ of Arc : JOAN

14. Tokyo automaker with a liar named Joe in its old ads : ISUZU

15. Forehead : BROW. The spot for smashing V-8 cans.

16. Neutral shade : ECRU

19. Amble : WALK

20. Add blonde highlights to, say : DYE

21. Whole bunch : SLEW

22. Free-for-all : MELEE

26. Musical with nightclub scenes : CABARET

31. Men of the future? : BOYS

32. Take to the soapbox : ORATE

33. Disco brothers' name : GIBB. The Bee Gees, brothers Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb.

34. Church seat : PEW. 34D. Seek guidance in a 34-Across : PRAY

41. Tooth tender's org. : ADA. (American Dental Association) Cute pun in the clue.

42. Trim, as a photo : CROP

43. Any one of New England's six : STATE

44. Fly alone : SOLO

45. So far : AS OF YET

51. Stave off : AVERT

52. March Madness org. : NCAA. (National Collegiate Athletic Association)

54. Performing pair : DUO

57. Missing : GONE

61. Bear in the sky : URSA

62. Clarinet cousin : OBOE

63. "Rubber Duckie" Muppet : ERNIE

64. Checked out : EYED

65. 911 responders: Abbr. : EMTs. (Emergency Medical Technician)

66. Helps, as a perp : ABETS

Down:

1. Discover : FIND

2. Anthem start : "O, SAY..."

3. Just darling : CUTE

4. Israeli weapon : UZI

5. Honda Pilot and Ford Explorer, briefly : SUVs. (sport utility vehicle)

6. Not there : ABSENT

7. Watchdog's warning : [GROWL]

8. "Vive le __!" : ROI. "Long Live The King!"

9. Piercing tool : AWL

10. Tiara sparklers : JEWELS

11. Central Florida city : OCALA

12. Specter formerly of the Senate : ARLEN. Not usually in a Monday puzzle.

13. Microwaved : NUKED

18. "Night" author Wiesel : ELIE. His vowel rich name shows up on any day of the week.

22. "It's possible" : "MAYBE SO". "Would I lie", J.Isuzu

24. Slightly : A BIT

25. Gray wolf : LOBO

26. __-Cola : COCA

27. Longtime infield partner of Jeter, familiarly : A-ROD. And now known as A-Roid.

28. Ole Miss rival : 'BAMA

29. Downed : ATE

30. Minuteman enemy : REDCOAT

 33. Econ. yardstick : GNP. (Gross National Product)

35. Suffix with sermon : ETTE

36. Sharpen : WHET

38. Air France destination : ORLY. "We'll always have Paris."

39. Lumber : WOOD

40. DOJ division : ATF. (Department of Justice / Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives)

44. Butter or mayo : SPREAD

45. McDonald's golden symbol : ARCHES

46. Without a date : STAG

47. World Court site, with "The" : HAGUE. MAP

48. Old white-key material : IVORY. If it's new, it's illegal.

49. Anxious : TENSE

50. Gold bar : INGOT

53. Geometry calculation : AREA

54. Sandy slope : DUNE

55. Military squad : UNIT

56. Keats works : ODES

58. Whack weeds the old-fashioned way : HOE

59. "Big Blue" : IBM

60. Sphere : ORB

Argyle

Notes from C.C.:

1) Happy Birthday to dear Montana, a retired math & science teacher based in Montana. I'm waiting for some updated pictures. But here is a great one from her Oregon Trail trek last year. Click here for more.

2) To regular commentators: Please email me (crosswordc@gmail.com) if you have pictures to share or your birthday is not in my Blog Birthday List.