Wednesday, July 24th, 2013 MaryEllen Uthlaut

Theme: Clue! (or in my case, Blockhead!). Fun and Games!

17A *Vessel with heavy armor: BATTLESHIP

30A *Rodent catcher: MOUSETRAP

47A *Military campaign: OPERATION

24D *Professional pursuits: CAREERS

26D *Shakespeare play that inspired a Verdi opera: OTHELLO

and the reveal

64A What the answers to starred clues are: BOARD GAMES

Top of the morning to you. Steve here with MaryEllen's foray into the world of squabbling kids. I liked the theme, the longer downs and some nice fill, both across and down. While I was solving I got the feeling there were a lot of abbreviations in the 3- and 4-letter answers, but when I looked it all over at the end it didn't seem to be the case, so no complaints. I hit a couple of humps along the way, but that's what Wednesday's all about, right?

Let's take a look at everything else:

Across:

1 Small thicket: COPSE. I'd be hard-pressed to tell a copse from a thicket. If you told me a thicket was a small copse I wouldn't argue. Throw in a coppice and a spinney and it's woodland confusion.

6 Dry cleaner’s target: SPOT

10 Simple rhyme scheme: A-B-A-B

14 Like many who tweet: AVIAN. TEENS was my first thought here, but I resisted. I have a pair of sparrows nesting in the street sign outside my front door, those guys get up early and don't hold back with the vocals.

15 John’s love: YOKO. Their ballad popped up on my iPod yesterday.

16 “Compliments guaranteed” corn syrup: KARO

19 “Take __ from me!”: A TIP. Your server would say "thank you very much, 20% should do it".

20 Foxy: SLY

21 Without pretense: ARTLESS. I realized I didn't know the true definition of this word. I'd always thought of it as meaning "without class" or something along those lines. Learning moment.

23 Suffix with malt: OSE

24 Algonquian language: CREE

25 Bridge over the Arno, e.g.: PONTE The Ponte Vecchio is the best-known bridge in Florence, but there are plenty more.

27 61-Down prison: GULAG

34 Having a steeple: SPIRED. This is Salisbury Cathedral in England - a beautiful example of a medieval spire. It was built in the 1300's and is more than 400 feet tall - the tallest in the UK.

36 __ Cucamonga, California: RANCHO

37 Trident part: TINE. One of the three prongs. I wonder why the bident and the quatrodent never caught on?

38 Evoking the past: RETRO

40 Continental capital: EURO. "Capital" in the sense of "currency" here.

43 Ranking angel: SERAPH. I find it odd that there's a pecking order of angels. I get that Gabriel has got bragging rights being the Annunciator, but once you've got your wings shouldn't you all be on equal clouds?

45 Protruded: BULGED

50 Snow coasters: SLEDS

51 Versifier’s art: POESY. Thank you, crosses. New word for me today, I'll need to see it at least five more times before I finally can remember it.

52 Varied mixture: OLIO. I've seen this one five times, so now I remember it (and C.C. taught me the difference between this and OLEO when I first started out here!)

54 “The Fox and the Hound” fox: TOD. The old English "todde" means fox. I met someone called Todd Fox once, which seemed a little unfair.

55 Very hot and dry: SAHARAN. This took me a little while because I had a "C" where the "H" should be. See 57D for explanation of muddled thinking on my part.

59 Big bird: EMU

62 Megastar: IDOL

66 Ad writer’s award: CLIO. Check out the Wikipedia description of the 1991 ceremony "The Most Bizarre Event in Advertising History" if you'd like a chuckle today.

67 Actress Petty: LORI. Thank you,  crosses.

68 Military divisions: UNITS

69 Get rid of, in a way: SELL

70 Omar of “House”: EPPS. This is another "I've seen it five times so now I remember it" entry for me.

71 Peeling device: PARER. And a paring device is a peeler.

Down:

1 Fare dealers?: CABS. Nice.

2 Like Humpty Dumpty: OVAL

3 “No beast so fierce but knows some touch of __”: “King Richard III”: PITY. Two Bard references today.

4 Emulated Humpty Dumpty: SAT. Two eggman references also. I learned somewhere that Humpty Dumpty was a siege engine deployed to scale the walls of the defenders' castle during the English Civil War in the 1640's.

5 Swell: ENLARGE

6 Part of DOS: SYSTEM. The Disk Operating System is the foundation of Microsoft's fortunes. Bill Gates wrote MS-DOS which ran the IBM Personal Computer, and all PC-compatibles thereafter.

7 “Jem” sci-fi author Frederik: POHL. Thank you, crosses.

8 Migrant on the Mother Road: OKIE

9 First-rate: TOPS

10 APB letters: AKA. Because it was quicker than saying "All Points Bulletin - be on the lookout for Alphonse Capone, AKA Scarface Al". You just say "APB BOLO ....

11 Southern capital with a French name: BATON ROUGE. Red Stick. The red stick was a tree on the banks of the Mississippi festooned with dead animals marking the boundary between two tribal hunting grounds.

12 Record label owned by Sony: ARISTA

13 Crook carrier of rhyme: BO PEEP. Not a police car.

18 Present, Cockney-style: 'ERE. Orl present an' correct, sah!

22 Design detail, briefly: SPEC

27 Clock std.: GST. Greenwich Sidereal Time. You can stand astride the zero meridian line with one foot in each hemisphere at Greenwich (pronounced Grennitch) Observatory in London.

28 News org.: UPI United Press International.

29 Flax product used in paint: LINSEED OIL

31 Gardener’s brand: ORTHO

32 Old Mideast gp.: UAR. The short-lived United Arab Republic comprising Egypt and Syria.

33 Condescending one: SNOB

35 “Oh, fudge!”: DRAT

39 Prefix with center: EPI. We had a little earthquake yesterday morning in LA - a mild 2.5 with the epicenter close to the airport and my office.

41 Color in a Crayola eight-pack: RED

42 Has too much, for short: OD's

44 Light beams: RAYS. Weird stuff, light. In physics terms, it exhibits the behavior of both a wave and particle depending on how you observe it, and it seems to know that you're looking at it and changes its behavior just to mess with your head.

46 Consuming entirely: USING UP

47 Eye doctor’s science: OPTICS

48 Curly-haired dog: POODLE

49 Chuck of “The Delta Force”: NORRIS. "Death once had a near-Chuck Norris experience". One of the many Chuck Norris sayings.

53 Youngster: LAD

56 Not all thumbs: ABLE

57 Cager’s target: HOOP. I forgot the "cager" slang for a basketball player, and instead went off at a barking mad tangent and filled in the missing letter with "C". I decided that the cager was a person who needed to lock up a bunch of chickens, and therefore his target was the coop. Didn't exactly make SACARAN easy.

58 50-and-up group: AARP. This is no longer an abbreviation, it's the official name for the organization and therefore no cluing issue with cluing "group" rather than "gp."

59 Arabian chieftain: EMIR

60 Dole (out): METE

61 Cold War inits.: USSR. Our old friends the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, and another clue-pair with GULAG. (Side question to our constructor experts - could you use "CCCP" as an answer to this clue, or is that cheating because the the letters are actually Cyrillic rather than Roman?)

63 Texter’s chuckle: LOL. Isn't laughing out loud more than a chuckle?

65 Gasteyer of “SNL”: ANA

I think that wraps it up. Have a great day and see you all next time.

Steve

Tuesday, July 23, 2013 Gareth Bain

Theme: Alternative to Mad Magazine(LINK) - See 36-Across.

18A. Best kind of wrinkles to have, arguably : SMILE LINES. Crack a smile.

36A. What the starts of 18- and 57-Across and 3- and 28-Down can be : CRACKED

57A. Port in a storm : SAFE HARBOR. Crack a safe.

3D. Kid : JOKE AROUND. Crack a joke.

28D. Social agency employee : CASE WORKER. Crack a case.

Argyle here. I hope I can make you crack a smile by cracking a joke about a detective who cracked the case of the yegg.

Although skillfully constructed, I'm afraid Gareth's offering seem a bit flat despite some sparkly fill.

Across:

1. West African amulet : JUJU

5. Repelled a mugger, in a way : MACED. 53D. Shock, as a perp : TASE

10. Study at the last minute : CRAM

14. Loads (of) : A TON

15. Garlic mayonnaise : AIOLI. I wonder if Garlic Gal has a recipe.

16. Principle governing play, as in golf : RULE

17. Feint on the ice : DEKE. Or a juke if on the field.

20. Afore : ERE

21. Either "Fargo" director : COEN. Joel and Ethan.

22. Prepares, as salad : TOSSES

23. Infield shape : DIAMOND

25. Kilt wearer : SCOT

26. Flag maker Betsy : ROSS

27. Skipped the subway and bus : TOOK A CAB

31. Sparkly stone : GEODE

33. Prepare for vacation : PACK

34. Olympic pool division : LANE

35. Tempe sch. : ASU. (Arizona State University)

39. Caribbean music : SKA

40. Telephoned : RANG

42. Three-part cookie : OREO

43. First-string squad : A-TEAM

45. Capital on the Danube : BUDAPEST

47. Cornfield bird : CROW

48. Passion : LOVE

49. Home of the NHL's Blackhawks, familiarly : CHI-TOWN. (Chicago)

52. Hitting bottom, spirits-wise : AT A LOW

55. Elvis __ Presley : ARON

56. Letter after pi : RHO

59. Lose traction : SKID

60. Japanese golfer Aoki : ISAO

61. Melt glaze from, as a windshield : DE-ICE

62. Soccer immortal : PELÉ

63. Bit of a florist's greenery : FERN

64. Blunted swords : EPEEs

65. Mars : Rome : : __ : Greece : ARES. Gods of War. (sounds like a video game title)

Down:

1. Blasé : JADED

2. Where embryos develop : UTERI

4. Half of deux : UNE

5. Bricks-and-mortar workers : MASONS

6. Used a scope : AIMED

7. Piggy bank addition : COIN

8. Letter-shaped annex : ELL

9. Drink for the calorie-conscious : DIET COKE

 

 

10. Pricey brand of bubbly : CRISTAL

11. Seeks an office : RUNS

12. Away from the breeze : ALEE

13. Untidy heap : MESS

19. "Over there!" : "LOOK!"

21. Trig function : COSEC

24. Chic : MOD

25. Deserving of a standing O : [SOCKO!]

27. "Be quiet," in music : TACET

29. "My Way" lyricist Paul : ANKA. 38D. "Mack the Knife" singer Bobby : DARIN. 49D. "Time in a Bottle" singer Jim : CROCE

30. Laser emission : BEAM

31. Clothing : GARB

32. Son of Isaac and Rebekah : ESAU

33. Break down grammatically : PARSE

37. 1973 landmark court decision : ROE V. WADE

41. Spanish Main ship : GALLEON

44. Playground squealer : TOT

46. "The House at __ Corner" : POOH

47. Weekly allowance earners : CHORES. Not who but what.

50. Vague time period : WHILE

51. Bumps on a log : NODES

52. "I don't think so!" : "AS IF!"

54. Not near here : AFAR

55. "__ Baby": "Hair" song : ABIE

58. Exercise unit : REP

59. Massage locale : SPA

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

The beautiful Lea and her parents visited Grandma Kazie and Grandpa Barry a few weeks ago. Here are a few photos. Click here for more.  I love seeing her smile!

 On a blanket in the back yard

 With Grandpa and Dad in our kitchen

With Grandpa and Grandma

Monday, July 22, 2013 Billie Truitt

Theme: It will floor you - The last letters of these two word phrases will knock you out, K. O.

17A. Genre with listener participation : TALK RADIO

25A. Homeric protagonist : GREEK HERO

38A. Some fight endings, and a hint to the word endings in 17-, 25-, 46- and 60-Across : KNOCKOUT PUNCHES

46A. Three-time Masters winner : NICK FALDO. Congratulations to Phil Mickelson on his British Open victory.

60A. Enter forcibly, as a home : BREAK INTO

Argyle here. Tough Monday (in more ways than one). Cool span reveal that didn't help me until it was too late. Just something about the way the clue was written that I didn't get. Your mileage may vary.

Across:

1. "__ to you, buddy!" : SAME

5. Mon. or Jan., e.g. : ABBR. abbreviation, not date

9. Ringo of the Fab Four : STARR

14. Fan club focus : IDOL

15. Painfully tender : SORE

16. __ for: sublime : TO DIE. Sublime - exalted, noble.

19. Cook in an oven : ROAST

20. Clean air org. : EPA

21. Olympics sword : EPEE

22. Harboring a grudge : BITTER. Looks like a place for the QOD.

23. Milkshake insert : STRAW. But not hay. Glad we got that straightened out.

27. Den piece : SOFA. It's what bears sleep on during hibernation.

29. Pitching whiz : ACE

30. Outfielder Suzuki : ICHIRO. Plays for the Yankees.

33. Mexican Mrs. : SRA. Señora

34. Ice cream drink : SODA

41. Tonsillitis-treating MDs : ENTs. (ear, nose, throat)

42. Have a bite of : TRY

43. Boozehounds : SOUSES

44. "__ Believer": Monkees hit : I'M A

45. "Class dismissed" sound : BELL

51. Very very : ULTRA

55. Like some clothing patches : IRON-ON

56. Grand-scale tale : EPIC

58. Have a bite : EAT

59. Eva of Argentina : PERON

62. Leaving nothing out : IN ALL

63. "__ your pardon" : I BEG

64. Rain like crazy : TEEM

65. Singer Furtado : NELLY. Sorry about the ad. Update: The 30 sec. ad only appears if you watch it directly on YouTube.

66. Keyboard goof : TYPO

67. Avg. levels : STDs (standards)

Down:

1. Web destinations : SITES

2. Get used to new conditions : ADAPT

3. Place for a dental crown : MOLAR

4. Broad-antlered deer : ELK

5. On the double, in memos : ASAP

6. Latino corner store : BODEGA

7. Prickly shrub : BRIER

8. Vintage touring car : REO. Vintage crossword.

9. Swing and a miss, say : STRIKE

10. Incisor, for one : TOOTH

11. See 61-Down : ... A DATE". 61D. With 11-Down, "See you then!" : "IT'S ...

12. Choir platform : RISER

13. Nostalgically styled : RETRO

18. Edit considerably : REWORK

22. All-purpose answer to "Why?" : "BECAUSE!"

24. Sneaker brand : ASICS. Colorful.

26. Lawman Wyatt : EARP

28. Butler's underling : FOOTMAN

30. Prez after Harry : IKE

31. MSNBC rival : CNN

32. Sweltering : HOT

33. Pig's place : STY

34. Racing shell : SCULL

35. Sounds of surprise : OHs

36. Barely passing grade : DEE

37. Donkey : ASS

39. __ Mountains: Eurasian border range : URAL

40. "Can't catch a break" : "NO LUCK"

44. "Wouldn't that be nice!" : "IF ONLY!" These two seem to fit together.

45. She lost her sheep : BO PEEP. (nursery rhyme)

46. __ the bud : NIP IN

47. Goodnight girl of song : IRENE

48. Snorkeler's vista : CORAL

49. Hillock : KNOLL

50. Churchill Downs event : DERBY. at Louisville, Kentucky.

52. Basis of a creed : TENET

53. Given four stars, say : RATED

54. Tiny elemental components : ATOMS

57. Othello's confidant : IAGO

60. Bridle mouthpiece : BIT

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

JD's new grandson Dylan Flint arrived on July 19th Friday evening "just in time for Grandma to slip in to witness his arrival". JD said: "Words cannot express that miracle. He weighed in at  8'9".

Hello, Crossword Corner!

 Big brother Cameron, Dylan & the proud Dad

Sunday July 21, 2013 Amy Johnson

Theme: "Child's Play" - The last words are all kids' toys.

 

22A. Obstacles : STUMBLING BLOCKS

32A. Wild pair, sometimes : ONE-EYED JACKS

50A. "The Phantom of the Opera" setting : MASQUERADE BALL

65A. Morsel mentioned in '80s Australian tourism ads : SHRIMP ON THE BARBIE. Barbie is their slang for BBQ. The original 1959 barbies are worth thousands.

85A. Abstained, in a way : WENT ON THE WAGON

97A. Take the gold : COME OUT ON TOP. The guy to watch in Rio.

114A. Snap : LOSE YOUR MARBLES

Fun theme. When I was a kid, there were no blocks, or wagon or barbies or any plastic toys, we sewed our own little bags filled with beans or corn and played a very simple backyard game. Similar to this, except mine were prettier.

Across:

1. Tie-dye locale : CAMP. I like to nail 1-Across entry. Not today.

5. "Sonic the Hedgehog" developer : SEGA

9. Skunk Le Pew : PEPE

13. Pileggi of "The X-Files" : MITCH. Recognized his face. Not his name.  

18. Suffix for stink : AROO

19. Sea once fed by the Amu Darya River : ARAL

20. Round Table array : ARMOR

21. Cape Cod vacation destination : TRURO

25. End-of-term hurdle : FINAL

26. Put out there : AIR

27. Pealed : RANG

28. Barroom disorder : MELEE

29. Special Olympics founder Shriver : EUNICE

30. Picked up on : SENSED

34. Biblical verb : HAST

36. Playwright Ensler : EVE. Stranger to me.

37. Technology in Pixar films, briefly : CGI (Computer-Generated Imagery)

38. "Wicked Game" rocker Chris : ISAAK

41. Boastful opening : VENI . "Veni, vidi, vici"

43. Civil War historian Shelby : FOOTE

46. Aquarium fish : OPAH

53. With reason : SANELY

55. Coal industry org. : UMW

56. Conspiracy : PLOT

57. Get under the tag, hopefully : SLIDE

58. Hades, to Satan : REALM

59. Amanda of "2012" : PEET. Oh, I liked her Something's Gotta Give. Very pretty.

61. Like drag strips : LOUD. I don't get this clue.

63. 24-hr. convenience : ATM

64. A hitchhiker might have one : GAS CAN

70. Spots : ESPIES

72. Area usually not mowed : LEA. Simple in retrospect.

73. Pelican St. metropolis : NOLA

74. Spanish 101 verb : ESTA

77. Dummy on Bergen's knee : SNERD

78. As a companion : ALONG

80. "Herding Cats: A Life in Politics" author : LOTT (Trent)

82. Bargain basement letters : IRR

83. Seasoned sailor : SEA DOG

88. Cries from one standing on a chair, maybe : EEKs

89. Obeys : HEEDS

91. Kudrow of "Friends" : LISA. Phoebe.

92. Navel concavity : INNIE

93. "__ appétit!" : BON

94. NYC visitor's final destination, perhaps : JFK. Or first.

95. 1998 home run record chaser : SOSA (Sammy)

104. Puts into words : UTTERS

108. Unprincipled : AMORAL. Out of the $80,000 Eliot Spitzer spent on his self-destructive sexual liaisons, not one penny is from public money. I'd vote him for the Comptroller post, Splynter!

109. Reduce : LOWER

110. Pigeon shelter : COTE

112. Half-pretentious? : CHI. Chichi. Recognize him?

113. Shows pluck : DARES

117. Play, as Julius Caesar : ENACT

118. Curved moldings : OGEES

119. Blew the whistle : SANG. And 120. Blows the whistle : RATS. "Rat" always sets off  Whitey Bulger. I'd eat worms if he's not a FBI informant.

121. Shades : TINTS

122. Gamer's title island : MYST

123. Nice sweetheart : AMIE. The French city Nice.

124. Brief writer: Abbr. : ATTY. Legal brief.

Down:

1. Places on una avenida residencial : CASAs

2. Fictional Ziff infatuated with Marge Simpson : ARTIE. I'm just not into The Simpsons.

3. Wear black, perhaps : MOURN

4. Little Spitz, briefly : POM. Hello Spitzboov!

 
5. Dieters' lunch orders : SALADS

6. "__ Brockovich" : ERIN

7. Turf controller : GANG

8. Subj. with exponents : ALG. For Bill G. Thanks to his post last Tuesday, I learned the differences between "Hay" and "Straw".

9. Worker, informally : PROLE

10. Host : EMCEE

11. Gumby's sidekick : POKEY. The pony.

Gumby & Pokey

12. Relatives of ums : ERs

13. Honshu Isl. peak : MT FUJI

14. Youngest of the three Prozorov sisters : IRINA. Three Sisters.

15. Forum wear : TUNIC

16. Figure out : CRACK

17. Case weaknesses : HOLES

20. Coeur d'__ : ALENE

23. Dissolution : BREAK-UP

24. Low-budget flicks : B MOVIES

29. Advantages : EDGES

31. "Inside the NBA" analyst, to fans : SHAQ

33. Outer: Pref. : ECT

35. Wii locale : TV ROOM

36. Tight position? : END. Tight end.

38. Morning announcement : I'M UP

39. Word before time and place : SAME

40. At this very moment : AS WE SPEAK

42. Flip over : EAT UP

43. Trust : FAITH

44. "Grumpy" film title characters : OLD MEN. Grumpy Old Men.

45. Fútbol shout : OLE. Football in Spanish.

46. Part of a layette : ONESIE

47. Hippie bus decal : PEACE SIGN

48. __ marsala : ALLA

49. Choir number : HYMN

51. Perry of fashion : ELLIS

52. Hardly inconspicuous : BLATANT

54. Egyptian, usually : ARAB

60. Show places? : THIRDS. Nice clue.

62. Dressed to the nines, with "up" : DOLLED

64. Log holder : GRATE

66. Take back to the drawing board : RE-DO

67. Eye-catching signs : NEONS

68. Nuts go-with : BOLTS. Nuts and bolts.

69. Island greetings : ALOHAS

70. __ quam videri: North Carolina motto : ESSE. To be, rather than to seem (to be).

71. Three-time All-Pro Giant lineman Chris : SNEE. Knew him only because I needed a new clue for SNEE once. "Old dagger" just would not work.

75. Half-Betazoid aboard the Enterprise : TROI

76. "Alfred" composer : ARNE.  More familiar with his "Rule Britannia".

78. It might be inspired : AWE

79. Driving instructor : GOLF PRO. In the driving range.

81. Storm that's chased : TWISTER

84. Grave offender? : GHOUL

86. Neat finish? : NIK. Neatnik.

87. Med sch. subject : ANAT

90. Fangorn Forest inhabitant : ENT. The Lord of the Rings.

93. Toots one's horn : BOASTS

94. Outback young : JOEYS. Baby kangaroos.

96. Reason for oversleeping : OUTAGE. Since the alarm clock would not work? Not true for Husker Gary!

97. Future officer : CADET

98. Saudi neighbor : OMANI

99. Bugs with weapons : MORAN. Bugs Moran the gangster. Al Capone's rival.

100. Like a Siberian Husky's ears : ERECT

101. Informal science : OLOGY

102. Sketch artist's array : NOSES. "Array" made me think of the tools the sketch artist uses, not the stuff he draws.

103. Certain follower's reading : TWEET

105. Ostentation : ECLAT

106. One giving Scarlett a fever? : RHETT. Great clue.

107. No tough guy : SISSY

110. Study all night : CRAM

111. Luxury hotel chain : OMNI

114. "Ten Little Indians" actor Herbert : LOM. He's also in The Pink Panther.

115. Today preceder : USA. USA Today.

116. Victoria's Secret buy : BRA. Dave's daughter works there. Speaking of Dave, he mentioned last time "My Dentist has this poster on his door to keep your mind busy while he drills." I just could not see the man. You?

C.C.

Saturday, Jul 20th, 2013, Tom Heilman

Theme: None

Words: 72 (missing -) Pangram~!

Blocks: 27 (second lowest total I have seen)

   I came up with very little on the first across pass to work with, but a few Wild Ass Guesses got me enough perps to finish this one, and in a pretty good time, considering.  Intimidating corners with triple 8's crossing triple 9's, but then again, nothing bigger than those - and not much to say about them; pretty straight forward.

Onward~!

ACROSS:

1. Busted : FLAT BROKE - about how I'm feeling lately; two weeks to the new UPS contract, and possibly a FT position doing what I do right now; at the very least, I get a union scale raise.

10. Jag : SPREE

15. One who may confuse cees and zees : LIP READER - I can "see" that

16. Extinguish : QUELL

17. Torn to bits : IN TATTERS

18. Non-union? : UNWED

19. Architect awarded a Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1993 : PEI - I.M., designer of several well-known structures

20. Angels Landing's national park : ZION - Anyone care to visit Utah?

21. Latin case : DATIVE - nailed it - 4 years of Latin in high school

22. The Panthers of the Big East : PITT

24. At all : ONE BIT - Did I give up on this puzzle? Not ONE BIT~!

26. Apt., e.g. : RESidence

27. Holders of notions : ETUIs - Saturday level attempt to obscure "needle case"

29. Slight : SLUR

30. Provide an outlet for : VENT

31. Sale indicator : RED TAG

33. Cubic measure : STERE - a cubic meter, 1.3cubic yards, about 35.3 cubic feet - for cordwood

35. Dragged through the mud : SMEARED

37. Send to the bottom : SCUTTLE - Reminds me of "Hunt for Red October"

41. Drew in books : NANCY - Didn't fool me; Nancy Drew, the proper name

43. Where the heart is : THORAX

44. Quick hits : JABS

47. Markers : IOUs

49. Volleyball great Gabrielle : REECE

50. Surfer's destination : URL - ah, not WEB

51. Trip with a per diem, perhaps : JUNKET - def #3:

a trip, as by an official or legislative committee, paid out of public funds and ostensibly to obtain information.

53. Suffix for some lotions : DERM - Lubri-DERM, e.g.

54. Floors : AMAZES

56. Marlowe's "The Passionate Shepherd to His Love," e.g. : IDYL

58. Better : TOP

59. Brought down : RAZED

60. Whatever it takes : AT ANY COST

62. Small-capped mushroom : ENOKI

63. Reassure : PUT AT EASE

64. Quick reads? : ZINES - abbr.  for magaZINES, hence the "?"

65. Like some questions : OPEN-ENDED

DOWN:

1. Seal features : FLIPPERS

2. Budget entry : LINE ITEM - tried MORTGAGE first

3. It's tested in school : APTITUDE - nailed it

4. Melodic bit : TRA - more Saturday obscurity

5. Carl who played Donna Reed's TV husband : BETZ - WAAAY before my time; IMDb

6. Currency exchange market listing, e.g. : RATIO - total WAG here

7. Classic theaters : ODEONS - with a modern take in the next clue...

8. Movie concession stand remnants : KERNELS - Corn, scuttled in the popping machine....

9. Hosp. areas : ERs

10. Position behind the plate : SQUAT - the physical position, not the player's

11. Football option : PUNT - PASS, KICK, RUSH; had to wait

12. Replace the old connections : REWIRE - been there, done that - now that that apartment remodel is over, I am stepping away from carpentry/construction for a while; gonna try something new

13. Ones seen side by side? : ELEVEN - 1 and 1 = 11~!

14. First in line : ELDEST - that's me~!

21. Nonstop : DIRECT - Ah, not RED-EYE

23. Cronus and Hyperion : TITANS

25. Objections : BUTS

28. Actress Gilbert of "The Big Bang Theory" : SARA - lots of fans of "TBBT" here, but count me out; just can't get into it

30. Shot down : VETOED

32. Brainiac : GENIUS - most of the cast of "TBBT"

34. One of Duisburg's rivers : RUHR - I had R--R; guess what?  I got it

36. Anti-rodent brand : D-CON

38. Arboreal hopper : TREE TOAD - 'round here, we have tree "FROGS", but they're insects; speaking of what we call things here on Lawn Guyland, I had to find out why "straw" is not the same as "hay"

39. Wisconsin city on the Mississippi : La CROSSE

40. Given a pass, in a way : EXEMPTED

42. Bust a gut : YUK IT UP - either you got it, or you didn't

44. Eponymous 1850s-'70s Mexican president : JUAREZ

45. Snazzy suit : ARMANI - some day I will sport an Armani suit

46. Embellish showily : BLAZON - my high school denim jacket was emBLAZONed with Iron Maiden patches

48. Tranquilize : SEDATE

51. "A __ Fury": "Star Wars" DVD segment : JEDI'S

52. English critic Kenneth : TYNAN

55. The Cowardly Lion, back in Kansas : ZEKE - worked on the farm in "The Wizard of Oz" - he knew the difference between the two~!

57. Suffix with electro- : LYTE - ElectroLYTE - like you'd find in Gatorade - I frakkin' needed fluids this past week, let me tell you; finally got a massive thunderstorm midday Friday - aaaaaah

60. G.I.'s address : APO

61. Fivescore yrs. : CENtury; 5 X 20

Splynter

Friday, July 19, 2013, Alan DerKazarian

Theme: Where have you BEAN hiding?

Examples of this confusing PLANT, are hidden within six sets of consecutive answers using 14 of the 15 squares available in rows, starting in row 1 and ending with row 15, with the a central reveal telling you what are hidden are types of beans, and they are "jumping" across the black square. It is not common to have a reveal on Friday, but without it, this might have been too hard. A variation on the overlapping fill revealing a hidden word, as here the overlap is between to different answers. A total of 95 squares in the theme, yet in a format that looks like a Saturday themeless, with triple stacks of 9's in the corners. I think the challenge to put this together was amazing, and while I am really confused by 22A and 44D, I think this what appears to be the debut puzzle by, I am guessing, a Dentist from New England who coincidentally went to Tufts, and went to the ACPT this year,  captured your attention and was a bumpy but satisfying ride.

1A. *Seat often against a wall : DIVAN. with  6A. *Antsy : ILL AT EASE. and VANILLA (bean) us revealed. There are many multiple word answers like ILL AT EASE which made the solving harder.

15A. *Microscopic menace : E. COLI. with 16A. *The economy, in many debates : MAIN ISSUE.= :LIMA (bean).

29A. *100 centavos : ONE PESO. with 31A. *River spanned by the Three Gorges Dam : YANGTZE= SOY.  (Or SOYA). Both clues required some knowledge.

43A. *Forage plant also called lucerne : ALFALFA. with 47A. *Garlic avoider, traditionally:  VAMPIRE.= FAVA. I did not know Alfafa (not from little rascals) had another name.

63A. *Cultural artifacts : AMERICANA. with 64A. *Struggling : VYING.= NAVY. Again like Saturday, no gimmes.

65A. *Game piece that can stand on either end : CANDLE PIN, with 66A. *Sycophant : TOADY= PINTO. Another hint to the New England tie, as this form of bowling is popular in few places, though it was a TV regular when I was a child. ARTICLE.

and the reveal

36A. Seed containing moth larva, and what is aptly hidden in each puzzle row whose clues contain asterisks : JUMPING BEAN. Is it un-pc to say Mexican Jumping Bean?

Across:

17. Music genre : METAL. One of my favorites. LISTEN.(3:26).

18. It's not always met : POTENTIAL. Ah, wasted.

19. Cow-horned goddess : ISIS. I like the Brazilian version LINK.

20. Emma of "Dynasty" : SAMMS. One of my favorites.

21. Co-star of Ingrid in "Autumn Sonata" : LIV. ULLMANA.  A 1978 Swedish drama film written and directed by Ingmar Bergman. The film stars Ingrid Bergman, Liv Ullmann and Lena Nyman. It tells the story of a celebrated classical pianist who is confronted by her neglected daughter. It was Ingrid Bergman's last performance in a major theatrical feature film, and the film won a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film at the 1979 Golden Globe Awards. (per wiki).

22. Bean cover? : HAT. Man, this clue confuse the hell out of me; eventually I thought it was accepted as not conflicting with the theme because it did not relate to vegetable life but an expression for the human head.

25. Long in films : NIA. Very actress intensive. Another LINK.

26. U-boat, e.g. : SUBmarine.

33. Rod Stewart's first wife : ALANA. Another female; Alan where was your mind. Also married to George Hamilton.

35. Subvert : RUIN. She did not ruin his career.

40. Ship's spine : KEEL. Let's keep ours even.

42. Ziggurat features : TIERS. Pyramid like structures built in ancient Mesopotamia and coming to the FUTURE.(1:25)

51. Overtime cause : TIE.

52. Portugese pronoun : ELA. Similar to Spanish and French.

53. Common ___ : ERA.

54. Considerable amount : TON.

55. Work with, as clay : KNEAD. If you need to relax it is good to knead.

57. Cole Porter's alma mater : YALE. An obscure New England fact 41D. 57-Across grad : ELI.

58. UMass athlete : MINUTEMAN. Another one.

62. With 38-Down, Arctic denizen : POLAR. and  38D. See 62-Across : BEAR.

Down:

1. Venus ___ : DE MILO. Poor girl lost her arms. The back STORY. Venus is the Roman Aphrodite.

2. Strands in winter, perhaps : ICES IN. My meh of the day in an otherwise awesome creation.

3. Offered for a special intention, as a Mass : VOTIVE. You buy the candles.

4. Pained cry : ALAS. Another near ALAN word (like Alana).

5. Zippo : NIL. Zilch, nada, bubkis.

6. Rambunctious sort : IMP.

7. Vientiane's land : LAOS. A remnant of the French influence in Indochina, LINK.

8. Long account : LITANY. She had a litany of complaints.

9. Lack of vigor : ANEMIA. Well the cause of a lack of vigor.

10. Heartless guy? : TINMAN. A shout out to our prodigal son, who is loaded with heart.

11. Neighborhood figures?: Abbr. : ESTS. It cost me something in the neighborhood of $200.00.

12. Faulkner's "___ Lay Dying" : AS I. many think this was his best novel.

13. Latin possessive : SUA. In the law, when a judge does something on his own accord, it is called SUA SPONTE.

14. New Zealand longfin, e.g. : EEL.

22. Bridge position : HELM. Sulu on Star Trek.

23. "Stat!" relative : ASAP.

24. Singer Basil or Braxton : TONI. More women.

26. Sci-fi setting : STUN. "Set phasers to stun, Sulu, Spock."

27. Israeli arm : UZI.

28. Son of, to an Israeli : BEN. An odd sort of clecho.

30. Golfer Creamer : PAULA. Is this a sub-theme for the men or what!?!?

32. Apprehend : GRASP. I grasped where he was headed.

34. Picnic pest : ANT.

36. Barcelona boss : JEFE. Also, in the Mexican and Colombian cartels, the chief.

37. Buckle : GIVE. When Shaq sat down the chair....

39. Aretha's singing sister : ERMA. Rough to be Aretha's  SISTER. They say she did this song first.

40. Kit ___ : KAT.  Candy bar of choice in one of the offices where I work.

44. Soup bean : LENTIL. Really?????

45. Take for a ride : FLEECE.

46. TripTik, notably : AAA MAP.

48. Roma's home : ITALIA.

49. WWI French aviator Garros : ROLAND. They named the tennis stadium where they play the French Open after this man.

50. Einstein's "E" : ENERGY=   mc²  

55. Southeastern Turkey native : KURD.  They know whey?

56. "___ California": Red Hot Chili Peppers hit : DANI.

57. It has its ups and downs : YO YO. Fun clues.

58. Bub : MAC.

59. The Beatles' "___ Loser" : I'M A. Someone else can link.

60. Three-time All-Star reliever Robb : NEN. He was one of the many All-Stars the Marlins gave away. His father Dick Nen was a major league first baseman.

61. Bread served with chicken tikka masala : NAN. Love the placement, nen nan.

62. Cpl.'s inferior : PVT. Well I wonder what Alan's private thoughts were when he built this entertaining Friday foray. Mine are: it is time for me to head to the hills, until the next time. I leave you with these two classic BEANS.(0:56) and BEAN.(2:29).

Lemonade peace out. Thanks all.