Saturday, Sep 22nd, 2012, Doug Peterson & Brad Wilber

Theme: None

Words: 70

Blocks: 30

Hey~!  Three weeks ago, we had the same constructor coupling, and the numerical similarities are uncanny; words, blocks, avg. word length, even the missing letters both number four - this time, we gained the X, but lost the F.  Triple 10-letter entries all around; here's one from each section -

1A. Florida city with an I Dream of Jeannie Lane : COCOA BEACH - Hey, Dennis, does your "office" have a branch in this town, too?

 

 12D. "Doctor Who" subject : TIME TRAVEL - Never watched it (more of a Hitchhiker's Guide fan); he got around time in his phone box

 59A. Titular guys in a 1993 Spin Doctors hit : TWO PRINCES - I liked the song, but I could see which direction music was going, too - and it was away from HeAvY MeTaL - and that's "Titled" for the DF crowd....

 26D. Devious General Mills spokescritter : TRIX RABBIT - This guy;  broke open the SW when I figured it out.   "Silly Splynter, 26 is for kids~!!!" (down, that is)

Onward~!

ACROSS:

11. Ado : STIR

15. An orator's may rise and fall : ADAM'S APPLE - Pondered such things as cadence, volume, enthusiasm, etc.; what if it's a woman speaking?  Is she an oratress?? Let's not get too DF here....

16. Skid row denizen : WINO

17. Where a barrister's questions are answered : WITNESS BOX

18. Matadors of the '70s : AMCs - DAH~! Got me - I was thinking "TORI"?, but now I get it - this car; I had the Hornet wagon when I got my license

19. Alien-hunting org. : SETI - Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence

20. Shade-loving plant : HOSTA - we have some green thumbs here on the blog

21. Pope before Hilarius : LEO I - A WAG, but there's a few choices, still; V, X, PIUS....

22. Game pieces : MEN

23. "The Sorrows of Young Werther" author : GOETHE

25. "Birdman of Alcatraz" Robert __ : STROUD - Another WAG

29. Diamond family name : ALOU - Getting to be as frequent as ALOE

31. One curl, say : REP - arm muscle builders, not hair locks

32. Some racing teams : CREWS - Rowers and oar locks

33. "No difference" : I DON'T CARE

35. Fix firmly : RIVET - Funny this should be sitting on top of "WWII propaganda name" because i was trying to squeeze in Rosie (q.v. 14D) the Riveter....

36. Thanksgiving serving : LEG - you know I'll have a "pair" - hi there, Stacey~!

37. Have doubts : WAVER - ah, not Worry

38. WWII propaganda nickname : AXIS SALLY - never heard of her

40. Castle on Broadway : IRENE - Heard of her

41. Eminent leader? : PRE - Almost put TOO much thought into this one; SHORT E?, oh, PRE-eminent

42. De bene __: provisionally : ESSE - Straight Latin

43. "Mask" actor : STOLTZ - I know him as this guy, [drug use & language] or the perverted father from "The Butterfly Effect", not this movie

44. Bow parts with anchor cable openings : HAWSES - I knew what this thing was, but can't remember its name, either - this thing, right Spitzboov??

46. Physical responses : AHs

47. Six-Day War statesman : EBAN

48. Say "cap'n," e.g. : ELIDE - by not saying "cap TEN"

51. "The boy you trained, gone he is" speaker : YODA

55. Chartres cleric : ABBE - Frawnche

56. First ballplayer to hit 50 home runs before the end of August : ROGER MARIS - as always, I defer to our lovely leader for baseball clues; we are getting to October now.... (From C.C.: You've got to watch "61", it's so, so good. There's an annual Roger Maris celebrity golf tournament in Fargo every June. I'll go to watch if Jeter shows up. )

58. Eye-popping profit : PILE

60. Poll closure? : STER - Pollster,  again, too much thought; tried "ELLS" - hey, not a bad clue if I were constructing....

61. Part of a typical Western ending : SETTING SUN - also seen in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

   

 DOWN:

1. Field calls : CAWS - so I guessed MOOS, BAAS, etc....

2. Veterinary patient of Dr. Liz Wilson : ODIE - Did not know comic strip Garfield's buddy had a vet with a name - I think Jon tired to date her, no?

3. League of Women Voters organizer : CATT - WAG; this lady

4. Magazine that excerpted Stephen King's "Firestarter" : OMNI - WAG again - lots of proper names this week

5. Enzyme ending : ASE - learned from doing crosswords

6. Denounced : BASHED

7. Scanner brand : EPSON

8. Manhunt initiators, briefly : APBs - ah, a thing, not a person; All Points Bulletin

9. Small, tight group : CLOT

10. Its internal angles total 720 degrees : HEXAGON - had to do some math; triangles are 180°, squares 360 ( 4x90° ) - confidently put in OCTAGON, which worked with ALOU; but then the math was wrong; 8 x 45 = 360 again, so I went back and changed it

 

11. Marshland tract : SWALE

13. Hard to follow : INCOHERENT - just good long fill

14. She played Spike Lee's girlfriend in "Do the Right Thing" : ROSIE PEREZ

22. Thing not to miss : MUST SEE - not just NBC, either

24. Gets the jump on : OUTWITS

25. Dumps : SCRAPHEAPS

27. Like home runs nowadays : REVIEWABLE - hey, C.C., I did not know this; once upon a time, there was a sport played with a frozen rubber disc; some of the goals scored there were reviewable....

28. Is short : OWES

29. "Rolling in the Deep" singer : ADELE

30. Lacking pep : LOGY - another word learned doing crosswords

33. Reformers' targets : ILLS

34. "__ nome": "Rigoletto" aria : CARO

39. Maintains : ASSERTS

43. Shepherd of "The View" : SHERRI

45. Twisted look : SNEER

46. Crackerjack : ADEPT

49. Eponymous hardware store founder Lucius : LOWE - Don't shop there unless forced to; I used to work at Home Depot, and so did one of my Ex-GFs; she would say she "bleeds" orange

50. "__ Stripes": Cash song : I GOT - I will leave it to you to link the song....

51. Masculine principle : YANG

 

52. Middle-earth soldiers : ORCS

53. Almighty, to a 55-Across : DIEU

54. The Y, e.g.: Abbr. : ASSN - The YMCA, Young Men's Christian Association - no Village People earworms, please....

57. Short time? : MINute

Answer grid.

Hey~! We are getting close to finishing the church ramp - I figure two more weeks ~!

Splynter

Interview with Neville Fogarty

Look what I found when I googled Neville Fogarty? A 11-year-old Jeopardy! "Back to School Week" (October 3, 2000) contestant with a pet fish named Bob Saget. So don't feel bad if you're stumped by his puzzles.

Neville started constructing puzzles in 2008, and he has been published by the LA Times, NY Times & the Chronicle of Higher Education.

Neville just started a new site and publishes a new puzzle every Friday. Click here and check his offering today.

Tell us a bit about your background. How did you develop an interest in crossword construction?

I started solving crosswords regularly in the summer of 2007 in preparation for an audition for the short-lived game show "Merv Griffin's Crosswords." Later that year, I tried writing one myself just to see if I could make one by hand. My first puzzle wasn't perfect, but it was pretty fun to make, so I spent the next few months reading up on construction online and refining my skills by writing a weekly puzzle for my school newspaper.

You've been making both themed and themeless puzzles (MONEY SHOT!),  which one do you enjoy more and what are the major differences in your approach?

Slipping phrases like MONEY SHOT into a themeless is great fun, but I really love writing a good themed puzzle. There's just something about finding some phrases with a common bond or a neat phrase to riff off of. I'm not giving up on either of them.

When I go to write a themed puzzle, I usually already have a theme in mind. either I've noticed a cool pattern in a word, or a bit of wordplay somewhere. Sometimes I'll have stumbled across a nice "tie-together" entry for a theme, and I'll work backwards from that. Then it's a lot of brainstorming to come up with the best theme entries possible before I go to fill the grid. Since I've been blogging over at the Crossword Fiend, I've become very conscious of what themes we've seen before and what is and isn't fun for the solver. I try to keep this in mind when I'm constructing: What experience am I bringing to the solver? I want them to be able solve a fresh, new puzzle each time, so I have to put my themed puzzles through a lot of internal scrutiny.

With a themeless puzzle, it's a similar story, but I have some more leeway. I don't have to have a new idea tying the puzzle together. Instead, I get to rely on picking out some fun names and phrases to make a puzzle shine. Most of my themelesses feature a pinwheel-type pattern - stacks of 8 to 10-letter entries in each corner. I usually pick out one entry for each corner and then try to fill around it, making each segment of the puzzle as lively as possible.

As a young solver/constructor, what kind of themes/fill fascinate you the most and what kind of themes/fill do you dread seeing in a puzzle?

I love seeing contemporary titles (books, TV shows, etc.), full names of well-known people, and current turns of phrase in crosswords.  I usually don't mind when things push the so-called breakfast test. I don't need a theme to be mindbending to enjoy it; just something that has interesting phrases and clever clues.

I'm not a fan of entries that I can't reason out if I haven't heard of them, especially ones where the crossing is unhelpful. This mainly applies to unfamiliar abbreviations crossing not-so-well-known names that don't even look like names to me.

Which part do you normally spend the most time on in the construction process: theme brainstorming, gridding or cluing?

I really enjoy cluing, and I can bang it out pretty quickly, usually. Even for themed puzzles, I probably spend the most time filling the grid. I tend to write more than one grid just to make sure I'm making as fun a puzzle as possible (or because I've worked myself into an undesirable corner), so the time spent gridding tends to add up.

Which is the best puzzle you've made and why?

Now that's a hard one; it often feels like whichever one I'm working on is my current favorite! I'm quite partial to the most recent themeless puzzle I posted on my new webpage: http://nevillefogarty.wordpress.com/2012/09/14/puzzle-9-themeless-3/. But if you ask me next week, it'll likely change.

Wat puzzles do you solve every day and which constructors do you find most inspiring?

I solve the Los Angeles Times and New York Times puzzle everyday like clockwork. I think my short list of inspirational constructors would include Mike Nothnagel and Doug Peterson, primarily for their awesome themeless puzzles, Brendan Emmett Quigley and Matt Gaffney for their ability to mess with my head, and Merl Reagle for his overall punniness. I wish I could steal some of their abilities!

Besides crossword, what else do you do for fun?

Most of my time away from crosswords is spent working toward a PhD in mathematics - I'm a second-year graduate student at the University of Kentucky. But beyond that, I love playing racquetball, video games and ultimate frisbee.

Friday, September 21, 2012, Neville L. Fogarty

Theme: You Dirty Rat!  LINK. (1:00) Like "play it again Sam," this famous quote never was.

We have an interesting addition puzzle where the word RAT is added to a common phrase to create a whimsical new phrase. With only three theme answers (though two are grid spanners) and a hint, we have plenty of room for creative fill and the puzzle is loaded with some nice ones. Neville a very bright young man is a regular contributor to Amy Renaldo's Crossword Fiend blog, as well as this being his 5th LA Times publication since the changeover from TMS, and first in more than a year. Get to know this constructor along with our own ace interviewer, Ms. C.C. Meanwhile back to the puzzle,

17A. One who illegally brings home the bacon? : PORK PIRATE.(10) A pork pie hat was popular in the 20s and 30s. I love the image of the bacon thief, especially so soon after talk like a pirate day.

25A. Mistakes in Dickens, say? : VICTORIAN ERRATA. (15)The Victorian Era morphs into errors.

42A. When to send an erotic love note? : R-RATED LETTER DAY. (15) any day you send or receive erotic mail is a Red Letter Day, I am sure.

56A. "Something's fishy," and a hint to this puzzle's theme : I SMELL A RAT.(10) Not sure what smelling has to do with adding but if you did not see the little rats before, this should have helped.

Now let us look at all of the yummy 5, 6 and 8 letter fill.

Across:

1. Collected : CALM. Cool, calm and collected, yes that described your friendly Friday fanatic.

5. Tilting tool : LANCE. Ah the good old days of jousting, like in Game of Thrones.

10. Swift : FAST. Fast has an entirely different meaning to those of us atoning next Tuesday/Wednesday.

14. Apple application no longer in use : ALAR.

15. Eponymous William's birthplace : OCCAM. This name and the principle of Occam's razor have both undergone modernization. LINK.

16. Gospel writer : LUKE.

19. God in both Eddas : ODIN. From Norse myth and mythological writings; we see both often.

20. The orange kind is black : PEKOE TEA. Really cute clue, and I love seeing the whole phrase.

21. Tape deck button : RE-WIND. Anybody still have theirs? and, a mini-theme: 40A. Go green, in a way : RE-USE. But please, not your moist towelette. 60A. Modernize : RE-DO. But not, 45A. English class assignment word : READ. So simple an answer.

23. Uno e due : TRE. This is a math problem for Lawrence Welk in Italian.

24. Fairy tale baddie : OGRE. Don't tell Shrek and Fiona they are bad.

33. Sound, perhaps : INLET. I grew up 40 miles from Long Island Sound, so I understand this one, but it required perps.

34. Insect-eating singers : WRENS. Am I the only one who thought only of this IMAGE? (0:14)

35. Rapper ___ Jon : LIL. Do not know him and after listening to two songs, could not bring myself to link anything. In fact the songs left a....

36. Lasting impression : SCAR. I like this simple misdirection.

37. Just a bit wet : MOIST. Towelette?

38. Stove filler : COAL. Not wood, and not in my lifetime.

39. "___ American Cousin," play Lincoln was viewing when assassinated : OUR. All you wanted to know about the PLAY and more.

41. Linney of "The Big C" : LAURA. I have not watched this show, but she was quite good in the mini-series John Adams, and was Frazier Crane's last girlfriend, I think.

46. Ottoman title : AGA.  I khan imagine this variant was tricky for some.

47. Remote insert : AA CELL. Another Friday made up phrase, for double A batteries.

50. By oneself : ALL ALONE. The state I try to be in when doing this blog; many interruptions tonight. Arrgh!

55. Big-screen format : IMAX. Avatar was so good in the 3-D Imax.

58. Pantheon feature : DOME. This historic STRUCTURE.

59. "Fear Street" series author : STINE. R.L. author of the Goosebumps books which my boys loved. LINK.

61. Tools for ancient Egyptian executions : ASPS. Speaking of snake in the grass puzzles from our own Cleopatra, you are on the clock, marti.

62. 16th-century English architectural style : TUDOR. I have always preferred a FORDOR.

63. Zombie's sound : MOAN. That is such a horrible image, and could take all the fun out of.....

Down:

1. Andy of comics : CAPP. We begin the down clues with the famous unemployed northern Brit of comic strip fame.

2. Soothing agent : ALOE. Rhymes with how Andy says Hello, coincidence?

3. Bird symbolizing daybreak : LARK. From WIKI: The lark in mythology and literature stands for daybreak, as in Chaucer's "The Knight's Tale", "the bisy larke, mesager of day" (I.1487; Benson 1988), and Shakespeare's Sonnet 29, "the lark at break of day arising / From sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven's gate" (11-12). I only think of this CLASSIC. (1:00)

4. '70s TV teacher : MR. KOTTER. The "star" of Welcome Back Kotter, was created  and played by Gabe Kaplan, who went on to become a professional poker player. Aside from launching the career of John Travolta, Gabe had a limited show biz career. I had the misfortune of working with him when I was in Gainesville doing Gator Growl, where he was the performer the year after Bob Hope. Mr. Hope was a gracious gentleman, Gabe was not.

5. Idle : LOITER. A close friend of PROWL.

6. Farm unit : ACRE. We are seeing this lately.

7. Sports gp. with divisions : NCAA. National Collegiate Athletic Association.

8. Garfield, for one : CAT. Another comic strip character.

9. Budding : EMERGENT. A nice long fill and a perfect lead in to

10. Blossom : FLOWER. which is not a river in England.

11. European wheels : AUDI.

12. Crispy roast chicken part : SKIN. The yummy unhealthy part.

13. Take care of : TEND. do you tend your flock?

18. 1996 Reform Party candidate : PEROT. H. Ross, could not buy the office.

22. Messes up : ERRS. A mini reminder of our errata?

24. Short tennis match : ONE SET. Is one set a match?

25. Biker helmet feature : VISOR. Otherwise you will need Visine.

26. Provoke : INCUR. Nope, did not see this one.

27. Nurse Barton : CLARA. A very interesting and accomplished WOMAN, who like Mr. Lincoln had her life changed by the Civil War.

28. Willing words : I WOULD, if I could.

29. Stand : ARISE. I dub thee sir lemon man.

30. Not just mentally : ALOUD. did I say that?

31. Papal topper : TIARA.

32. Soothe : ALLAY. Not to be confused with earlier ALL ALONE, put your fears aside. or More LLs, in 44D. Like Everest, vis-à-vis K2 : TALLER.

37. Lauded Olympian : MEDALIST. another nice long word.

38. One might keep you awake at night : CAR ALARM. I have not heard one going off at night in a long time. Do you all recall this MOVIE? (2:17).

40. Fishing gear : REEL. Really?

41. By the book : LEGAL. Well I guess it depends on the book.

43. Prehistoric predators : T-REXES. If you do not parse this correctly, it could be very hard.

47. Musical with the song "Another Pyramid" : AIDA. Do you like the Broadway VERSION? (3:34)

48. Hebrew prophet : AMOS. One of the 12 minor prophets.

49. Pitch a tent, maybe : CAMP. There you are marti, both tent and camp.

50. Enclosed in : AMID. eh.

51. TV host with a large car collection : LENO. And a large chin.

52. Circular treat : OREO. C is still for cookie.

53. Bupkis : NADA. Yiddish באָבקעס  (remember from right to left). This is not a nice way of saying "nothing, zilch, zip", but I will let you explore on your own. 

54. David Cameron's alma mater : ETON. We are back to England for their youngest PM in 198 years.

57. Early Beatle bassist Sutcliffe : STU. And to come full cirle for the down clues, we have the Scottish born bass player, who with John Lenno named the band, but who left to become a painter, only to die very young.

Answer grid.

Well I had a very nice time this very straightforward Friday Frolic, and look forward to your comments. Happy Birthday Heidi, and best to you all until next time. Now I guess they will have Gareth blog this at the Fiend, enjoy.

Lemonade

Thursday, Septermber 20, 2012 Steven J. St. John

Theme: Grand Crus

SJSJ gives us a homophone puzzle today:

20A. GM compact that replaced the Cobalt : CHEVROLET CRUZE. Here is the 2012 model.

25A. Teams of fliers : AIRLINE CREWS. Your trusty servants.

41A. "Vanilla Sky" actress : PENELOPE CRUZ. Your trusty actress...beautiful!

48A. Ocean holiday : PLEASURE CRUISE. Ahhh, Old man rhythm! 2:46

Well, if the theme isn't self-evident by now, I don't know if I can expand any more!

Marti here, to expound on the rest of this one...

Across:

1. Former Astros, A's and Mets manager Art : HOWE. Art Howe, this guy.

5. Arabian Peninsula title : EMIR

9. Nonpaying rail rider : HOBO

13. "Skip me this time, thanks" : I PASS

15. Princess once allied with Hercules : XENA. Yes, quite "allied".

16. Each : A POP

17. Mattress brand : SERTA. "Sealy" or "Serta"? Always a WAG...

18. Finished : PAST

19. Laugh-a-minute type : RIOT

23. Soft spreads : OLEOS

24. Asserted : CLAIMED

28. Loss by #1, say : UPSET

29. Opposite of 1-Down : HERS. Arrgh...cross-referential clue that doesn't give you a chance. And 1-Down. Opposite of 29-Across : HIS

30. B.C. Lions' org : CFL. "Canadian Football League". "British Columbia Lions".

33. School-to-be? : ROE

34. Does some impromptu singing : SCATS. Nobody does it like Ella! 6:36

36. Mineral in a wall, perhaps : ORE

37. Super Bowl highlights, for many : ADS. I love this kid!

38. Dortmund's region : RUHR. Map. And 31-Down. 38-Across spouse : FRAU

39. It's a wrap : SARAN

44. Prepare for a bath : DISROBE

47. Hobbyist's cutting brand : X-ACTO

51. Student aid : LOAN

52. Beatles meter maid : RITA.  You remember this one? 2:43

53. Stirs up : ROILS

55. DOD branch : USMC. Department of Defense. United States Marine Corps. Semper Fi!!

56. D'back, for one : NLER. "National Leaguer". Diamondback, Arizona Major League Baseball team.

57. Diplomat : ENVOY

58. Eyelid concern : STYE

59. Part of CBS: Abbr. : SYST. Central Broadcasting System. (updated @ 8:00 AM: It is the Columbia Broadcasting System)

60. Email button : SEND

Down:

2. The UAE has been a member of it since 1967 : OPEC. United Arab Emirates. Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.

3. Cavalry carriers : WAR HORSES. Have you seen the movie? Outstanding!

4. George's mom on "Seinfeld" : ESTELLE. Funny clip. 

5. Make public : EXPOSE. Like this?

6. Dessert preceder : MEAL. Barry G., were you looking for something Saharan? and 8-Down. Desert dangers : RATTLERS. They don't usually eat dessert!

7. How backroom deals are sealed : IN SECRET

9. Ed of "Apollo 13" : HARRIS. Great movie - after all these years, this scene still makes me choke up! 3:24. And 21-Down. "Apollo 13" director : RON. Howard.

10. ___ den : OPIUM

11. Drink in a belt : BOOZE. Have a "belt" of booze. Do you think the explanation here makes sense?

12. Chose : OPTED

14. "Don't throw that away" : SAVE IT. Are any of you married to pack rats?

22. Sounds near the ears : CAWS. "Ears" of corn, that is!

25. ___ of invincibility : AURA

26. Song-holding gadget : IPOD

27. 2011 Masters champ Schwartzel : CHARL. Great finish: birdie-birdie-birdie-birdie!

30. Like and etcher's aid : CORROSIVE

32. Emmy winner Kay : LENZ. Old picture that is more recognizable to me...

34. Aloe targets : SUNBURNS

35. With a smile on one's face : CHEERILY

38. Speed Wagons, e.g. : REOS. The band members, or the cars?

39. Stable : SECURE

40. Lawsuits : ACTIONS

41. Frolic : PRANCE

42. Vehicle pulled by bovines : OXCART

43. 72 for 18, often : PAR. On a golf course. How often do you make that number, Husker G.?

44. Passing grade that won't please parents : D-PLUS

45. Words of defeat : I LOST

46. Sordid : SEAMY

49. Seine summers : ETES

50. North Carolina school : ELON. Any graduates here at the corner?

54. Pink Floyd guitarist Barrett : SYD. And we finish with one of his worst nightmares...

Answer grid.

'Til next week!

Hugs,
Marti

Note from C.C.:

Click here and here to see 2 photos of deer taking their afternoon "break" in Spitzboov's backyard yesterday (9/19/11), after the rain stopped. No deer in our yard, only squirrels.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012 Gareth Bain

Theme: BACK TO THE FUTURE WITH THE HONEYMOONERS. No that's not some sort of glaring error. After the 1960 success of the Flintstones - which was the Honeymooners, reset in cartoon creationist pre-history - the same formula was applied two years later to a space-age toon family, giving us our reveal, which will be revealed at the appropriate moment.

17A. Leader for whom Houston's airport is named : GEORGE (JETSON) BUSH. Poppy or W?

24A. "The Chimpanzees of Gombe" writer : JANE (JETSON) GOODALL. A British primatologist, ethologist, anthropologist, and author.

34A. "Superfudge" novelist : JUDY (JETSON) BLUME. Writer of children's books and racy adult novels.

49A. Pro Football Hall of Famer nicknamed "Crazylegs" : ELROY (JETSON) HIRSCH. As an amateur, he was a football running back and receiver with the University of Wisconsin and the University of Michigan. As a pro, he played for the Chicago Rockets of the old All-America Football Conference, and then with the L.A. Rams. He is a member of both the College Football and Pro Football Halls of Fame.

And the reveal, since now is the appropriate moment. 58A. TV series that first aired 9/23/1962 whose family shares first names with 17-, 24-, 34- and 49-Across : THE JETSONS. And here is the THEME theme.

Hi gang, It's JazzBumpa, reunited with Gareth. Once upon a time, three of my consecutive blogging dates corresponded with three consecutive publications of his puzzles - a coincidence beyond all probability, since my blogging dates were irregular. I always enjoy Gareth's puzzles. Didn't we have one just last Wednesday? I thought that would be a near miss. Let's see what he has for us this time.

Across:

1. 1983 movie about a taxi company : D.C. CAB. A cheesy, B-grade comedy starring Mr.T.

6. Place for a sala : CASA. A Spanish room in a Spanish house. ¿Entienden?

10. Home on the range : CAMP. A temporary home, I guess.

14. Kukla's dragon friend : OLLIE. Back to the past, with these TV puppets from my childhood.

15. Israeli weapons : UZIS. A family of Israeli open bolt, blowback-operated submachine guns. I have no clear idea what that means.

16. Optic layer : UVEA. The middle of three concentric layers that make up the eye. Per Wikipedia, "it is traditionally divided into 3 areas, from front to back, the iris, ciliary body, and choroid." Now you know.

19. Really tired : BEAT. Like I feel, and I'm just getting started.

20. Highlands honey : LASS. Sure.

21. Narrow-bodied river fish : GAR. Not her.

22. Intrinsically : PER SE. Latin. That's going way back.

23. Christmas __ : EVE.

27. Fixed, in a way : GELDED. Ouch! I had WELDED, at first, which is another way to be fixed.

29. Farm feed item : OAT. Feed bag morsel.

30. Salon supply : GEL. For me, this was slow to set.

31. Saloon orders : RYES. This took lots of perp help. Ironically, I am sipping a snifter of Ole George Whiskey, a genuine Michigan RYE from the Grand Traverse Distillery as I write this.

32. Hot tub reaction : AAH. Or reaction to a sip of Ole George.

33. Bit of background in a Road Runner cartoon : MESA. I tried SAND at first.

38. Nick and Nora's pooch : ASTA. The crossword canine mascot.

41. Cold War agcy. : A.E.C. Atomic Energy Commission. Now the Nuclear Regulatory Agency.

42.Shell propellers : OARS. At The Free Dictionary, definition 3b is "A light, long, narrow racing boat propelled by rowers." Definition 4 is "A small glass for beer." AAH!

45. Starfish arm : RAY.

46. WWII craft : L. S. T. Landing Ship Tank. Frequent fill item these days.

47. Not a good thing to be at the wheel : ASLEEP. Unless you're on Rt. 66.

53. Traffic cops gp.? : D.E.A. Drug (traffic) Enforcement Agency. Tricky!

54. Maxim : ADAGE. For example: "History repeats itself, first as tragedy, and then as farce." The actual quote goes like this: "Hegel remarks somewhere that all great world-historic facts and personages appear, so to speak, twice. He forgot to add: the first time as tragedy, the second time as farce." Extra credit, if you can identify the source - without Google!

55. Do lunch, e.g. : EAT.

56. Speaker with a .345 career batting average : TRIS. Frequent visitor to crosswords, this center fielder played for the Red Sox, and Indians from 1909 to 1926.

57. Stallion feature : MANE. The line of hair on the back of a horse's neck.

61. Henry VIII's fourth : ANNE. The marriage lasted from Jan. 6 to July 9, 1540. Henry demanded an annulment, which she granted, thereby keeping her head and gaining a generous settlement, including a castle formerly occupied by the Boleyns.

63. Squander : WASTE. ANNE chose not to Squander her life.

64. Ponies up : PAYS, as, frex, to a former wife.

65. Office furnishing : DESK.

66. Some McFlurry ingredients : OREOS. A frozen yogurt confection from McDonald's, with pieces of candy or cookies mixed in.

Down:

1. Zigzag hole feature : DOGLEG. Golf. So named because of it's sharp bend. I was fixated on a zigzag shaped perforation. D'OH!

2. Chop chopper : CLEAVER. Meat!

3. __ held: in few hands, as stock : CLOSELY. Like most of Ford.

4. Snob's affectations : AIRS. The best I could do.

5. Avoid, as an issue : BEG. I assume this refers to the logical ploy of BEGGING the question, which I will not attempt to explain.

6. Like many Miamians, by birth : CUBAN.

7. Clear blue : AZURE. Like the Miami sky.

8. Girl sib : SIS. I have one.

9. Campfire remains : ASH.

10. Like ice or dice : CUBED. Clever clue.

11. Run-of-the-mill : AVERAGE.

12. Spotty condition? : MEASLES. One of the dreaded childhood diseases.

13. Kneecap : PATELLA. Knees like these, if you please.

18. "I say!" : EGAD. Zounds!

22. Patio planter : POT. Our patio pots are only AVERAGE. They contain flowers.

24. Savior in a Bach cantata : JESU. This one.

25. Purpose : GOAL. Gareth's purpose is to entertain; my goal is to inform. How we doin'?

26. Interstate H-1 locale : OAHU. Map.

28. __ vu : DEJA. I think I've seen this clue before.

32. "Modern Family" network : ABC.

33. Square food? : MEAL. Three square meals a day.

35. Salt sprinkle : DASH.

36. Himalayan myth : YETI. He has an odd fondness for Ole George.

37. Dance in a pit : MOSH. Knock yourself out.

38. Visitors center handout : AREA MAP.

39. Zoe of "Avatar" : SALDANA. Better without the CGI.

40. Abuse of power : TYRANNY.

43. Flower for one's honey : RED ROSE. If she is your cup of tea. Or is this putting on AIRS?

44. Foreknow, as the future : SEE INTO. I see me sleeping in tomorrow.

46. Caustic stuff : LYE. And that's the truth!

47. Part of a Molière comédie : ACTE. Play acting, in French. Est-ce donner des airs?

48. Avoids an F : PASSES. Scholastic. Whether this is acing or eking out a D is unspecified.

50. Arches with pointed tops : OGEES. More DEJA vu.

51. Oboist's supply : REEDS. O GEE, we don't usually see oboes in the clue. They use double reeds.

52. Noted vowel seller : SAJAK. Wheel. Of. Fortune. I wanted VANNA.

56. Nicholas II, e.g. : TSAR. Back to the past, again. The last one, reigning from 1894 to 1917.

58. Wee bit : TAD.

59. Hotfoot it, old-style : HIE. Soon I will hie off to bed.

60. Pair : TWO. Gareth and I, together again.

Answer grid.

We had some fresh fill and some old familiar friends, and a bit of trickery along the way,. Hope you enjoyed it.

Jazzbumpa

Tuesday, September 18, 2012 Julian Lim

Theme: KEY is the key - The special buttons on your KEYboard finish up the theme entries and the reveal finishes up the grid.

17A. *Keep charging drinks : RUN UP A TAB

24A. *Occasion to say "Whew!" : NARROW ESCAPE

39A. *Annual April paperwork : INCOME TAX RETURN

51A. *Running amok : OUT OF CONTROL

64A. *Overnight work assignment : LATE SHIFT

71A. Each answer to a starred clue ends in one : KEY

Argyle here. If you did the puzzle on your computer, the theme answers were right there in front of you. You might have to dig a little deeper for the fill. The grid spanner makes a good anchor for the rest. All but a 'Q' is in there. Oh, and the RETURN key is the ENTER key on non-Macs.

Across:

1. President after JFK : LBJ

4. Totally absorbed : RAPT

8. Made like a kangaroo : LEAPT

13. Papers promising payment : IOU's, (just like it sounds, I Owe You)

15. "The Andy Griffith Show" tyke : OPIE. Young Ronnie Howard.

16. Bonus : EXTRA

19. Pierces : GORES. No gore before breakfast, please.

20. Rectified, with "for" : ATONED

21. "... __ a lender be" : NOR. Polonius counsel to his son, Laertes. "Neither a Borrower Nor a Lender be", Shakespeare, "Hamlet", Act 1 scene 3.

23. Comic on a roll : RIOT

27. Biblical haircutter : DELILAH. Samson got more than "Just a little off the top". Note: A gentleman named Fred informed me that it wasn't Delilah who actually cut Samson's hair. She called others in to do the deed.

30. Letter between upsilon and chi : PHI. Greek alphabet.

31. Cavity filler's org. : ADA. (American Dental Association)

32. Trait carrier : GENE

35. Actor Milo : O'SHEA. His IMBd page. (not as many today)

43. Greet casually, with "to" : SAY HI

44. Affectedly dainty, to Brits : TWEE. Barry Silk introduced us to TWEE, here, in 2008.

45. Piddling point to pick : NIT

46. Writer's undergrad deg. : BFA. (Bachelor of Fine Arts)

48. Devastates : RAVAGES

56. Not yet eliminated : IN IT

57. PC file suffix : .EXE

58. Bygone Toyotas : SUPRAs

62. Collectible print, briefly : LITHO. (lithograph)

66. Phillies infielder Chase : UTLEY. Chase Utley is the second baseman and bats left-handed but throws right-handed.

67. Chichén __: Mayan ruins : ITZÁ

68. Under sail, say : ASEA

69. Scholarly article reviewers : PEERS

70. Mopey look : POUT

Down:

1. Old Italian coin : LIRA

2. Ring contest : BOUT

3. 2007 title role for Ellen Page : "JUNO". IMDb.

4. Violent reaction to traffic : ROAD RAGE

5. Proper : APT

6. Movers' challenge : PIANO

7. Noted kneeling NFLer : TEBOW. Tim Tebow's role with the NY Jets remains unclear after debut.

8. Turkey helping : LEG

9. Curer of the demon-possessed : EXORCIST

10. Cardiac chambers : ATRIA. Caught myself putting in AORTA.

11. Before surgery, briefly : PRE-OP

12. Stylistic judgment : TASTE

14. Largest division of Islam : SUNNI. The Shi'ites split with the Sunni and are the second largest division.

18. Prolonged ringing : PEAL. If the ringing in just in your ears it's tinnitus.

22. Gym unit : REP. (repetition)

25. Butler of fiction : RHETT. from "Gone With the Wind".

26. Dealer's dispenser : SHOE. Playing cards.

27. Orator's platform : DAIS

28. Outlandish Dame : EDNA

29. Like some nightgowns : LACY

33. "I ain't doin' that!" : "NAW!". Best said with a curled lip.

34. Apply : EXERT

36. Unable to decide, as a jury : HUNG

37. Toledo's lake : ERIE

38. Sugar bowl invaders : ANTS

40. Woeful words from Winnie the Pooh : "OH, BOTHER"

41. Vex : MIFF

42. What shotgun callers shun : REAR SEAT. To call "shotgun" means you claim the front passenger's seat. From the days of the stage coach. Shotgun rules, who knew?

47. Pass and then some : ACE

49. RSVP part : VOUS. (répondez, s'il vous plaît)

50. Top dog : ALPHA

51. Prepare to shine in a bodybuilding contest? : OIL UP

 

52. Band together : UNITE

53. Champ's holding : TITLE

54. Primrose family plant : OXLIP. Info.

55. "Far out!" : "NEATO!"

59. Chance : RISK

60. For __: not gratis : A FEE. (not free)

61. Time at the inn : STAY

63. Yiddish laments : OYs

65. Shih __: Tibetan dog : TZU

Answer grid.

Argyle

Notes from C.C.:

1) I got this email from Parker Lewis, a NY Times constructor. He said: "I've been working with the great crew at Puzzazz and we are excited to announce the launch of our new app for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. As a reader of your blog and fellow puzzle enthusiast, I'm sure you and your followers will be interested in what the app has to offer...

The app itself is free to download and acts as a bookshelf where you can look through our collection of puzzle books. So far there are 29 books from 17 different authors. You can browse through every book and solve at least one free puzzle so you can find the puzzle books that best fit your solving tastes.."

2) Happy Birthday to Mom Speaks Out! Hope all's well.