Saturday, Dec 17th, 2016, David C. Duncan Dekker

Theme: DCDD

Words: 72 (Pangram~!)

Blocks: 31

  This is the second LA Times contribution from Mr. Dekker, his last being a Saturday grid back in April 2016.  That was also a pangram -  in fact, it was a double pangram, which I did not recognize at the time, but the phenomenon did not occur this time.  It was also April (of this year)  when we last had a pangram puzzle on a Saturday.  I was not hopeful at the start of this construction, but some really healthy WAGs and a few proper names that I knew outright were a big help; the crossings then allowed me to cruise through the second pass in short time.  Pretty pinwheel grid, with nothing longer than 8 letters;

14. Symbol on viola sheet music : ALTO CLEF

11. Quilting technique : APPLIQUE

35. Sleeveless smock : PINAFORE - I know what a pinafore is, since we used to have to wear either a red or blue one when playing team sports in schools and such - but I never really considered one to be a "sleeveless smock".  Then I went looking for an image - I like it, almost as much as a romper

Not the kind I wore

57. Message to a loser : GAME OVER

Help~! I've fallen and can't reach my wallet~!

ON credit W(c)ARD~!

ACROSS:

1. Bud holder : BEER KEG - was not sure which "Bud" we were looking at (see 4d.), but once the "EE" showed up, it became obvious

8. Horrified : AGHAST - threw it right in, and it counted~!

16. One who always finds himself over a barrel? : COOPER - the "avowal" (see 40d.) of one who makes barrels

17. Pessimistic sort : NAYSAYER

18. Take down : TOPPLE

19. Kitchen counter : TIMER

20. Ball : WAD - oops, not "ORB"

22. Guy : FELLA - my first thought, but was not sure if the "slang" was going to fly

23. "The Dukes of Hazzard" deputy : ENOS - I grew up on this show - had to get my weekly dose of the orange Dodge Challenger with the doors welded shut jumping over the inept sheriff's cruiser, or the local ravine with the bridge out, etc.; could have been another "Dukes" reference if 16a. was "COOTER"

24. __ Penh : PHNOM - knew it from reading books, but was not sure of the spelling exactly

26. Disorderly conduct : RIOT

27. Excitable toon canine : REN - I guessed the DOWN crossing ended in "R", and that helped remind me

28. Examines informally : QUIZZES

30. Who, in Quebec : QUI - Frawnche, all perps

31. Product of New Orleans : JAZZ - I was introduced to "rock-fusion jazz" and Mahavishnu Orchestra back when I was 16; here's my favorite song from them - the guitar might be a little harsh for some ears, but the drum intro is awesome....

Vital Transformation

32. Do : EXECUTE - with nothing filled in, "Do" as a clue is extremely vague; "Run" is another one

34. Little squirt : SPRITZ - SHRIMP, no, SPRITE, no SPRITZ - the literal spray of liquid

37. "Sure, why not" : "I GUESS."

38. Parti-colored : PIEBALD

40. Passed perfectly : ACED

41. So-so connection? : AND - so-AND-so

42. Process of elimination : REMOVAL

44. Links org. : PGA

47. Truck parts : CABS

49. "The Martian" star : DAMON

50. Links mounds : TEES - not the little wooden stick kind

51. Option for a return : eFILE - IRS type returns

53. Moses, for one : JEW

54. Reznor of Nine Inch Nails : TRENT - I knew this proper name, which helped

55. Destructive beetles : BORERS

59. Zealous : ARDENT

60. It can help with the healing process : ALOE VERA

61. Concluded one's case : RESTED - dah.  Went with CLOSED

62. Sooner or later : SOMEDAY

DOWN:

1. Kidding : BANTER

2. Seinfeld character who ordered the "big salad" : ELAINE

3. Word origin : ETYMON - doesn't look right, but I knew it was the right word

4. Romantic buds? : ROSES - see~?  Which "bud" is which~?

5. '80s Chrysler : K-CAR - I had one, a Plymouth Reliant, which my dad gave to me when the floor rusted out on my Subaru Brat; I ended up replacing the engine, then the transmission in the thing.  Not good.  Dodge/Chrysler have come a long way since then - I still have my Stratus with 293,640 miles on it, and now the newly purchased Grand Caravan

6. Cambridgeshire cathedral town : ELY

7. "Aw, shucks" : "GEE WHIZ~!"

8. Fake being : ACT - ooh~!  I put this in, and it worked~!  I pondered ETs, or something along the lines of an "alien" being - the noun, not the verb

9. "Oops!" evoker : GOOF

10. Optimistic sort : HOPER - one who "hopes"

12. Smash hits, often : SELLOUTS

13. Pacts : TREATIES

15. __ Ferdinand, whose assassination set off WWI : FRANZ

21. Nod : DOZE

24. At a loss : PUZZLED

25. Salma Hayek, by birth : MEXICAN - did not know this, but the crossings were in place

28. Doha is its capital : QATAR - oops, went with YEMEN - and a shout out to our Doc~!

29. Franklin Mint founder Joseph : SEGEL - only unknown, and the last "L" was an "R" first, so I did not get the 'ta-DA~!' until I reviewed the grid

31. Spinnaker relative : JIB - I knew this was a sail boat reference, but thought a spinnaker was a type of boat; here's a pic of a colorful spinnaker

Learned another new word; TWING

33. Jersey chew : CUD - Jersey as in cow; had the "D" from ACED

34. Elongated key : SPACE BAR 

36. Cards nickname : RED BIRDS - the St Louis Cardinals, if I am not mistaken

39. Key of Beethoven's Violin Concerto: Abbr. : D MAJ - the "A" was already in place, so I went right to "E MAJ", figuring "E" was the most likely of final letters for 38a.

40. Professions : AVOWALS

43. Homer's final character? : OMEGA - Homer the Greek poet, not Mr. Simpson; D'oh~!

44. Mad : PEEVED

45. Family subdivisions : GENERA - Yeah, GENUSI did not seem correct; Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus Species; can you tell me what I'm thinking of~? It's classified as Animalia/Arthropoda/Insecta/Odonata/ Libellulidae/Pachydiplax/Longipennis - phew~!

46. Off the mark : ASTRAY

48. Hard weather to deal with : SLEET - that would be rain in solid form; definitely 'harder'

50. Cache of cash, perhaps : TROVE - I had TR---, tried TRUST

52. Seaside glider : ERNE

54. Brim : TEEM

56. Norm: Abbr. : STD

58. Stock response? : MOO - More cow humor

Splynter

Friday, December 16, 2016, Gail Grabowski

Title: what's your P/L like?

The ever prolific Gail G. is back with a letter substitution puzzle with an added twist. Two word phrases beginning PO become words which start LO. Limiting her word choice to LO made this a wonderful challenge. How many could come up with 4 such phrases. Looking at a list with 1800 words which begin PO, I could not anything appealing aside from the 4 she chose. It ended up as a very straight forward solve working from corner to corner. Getting the theme early helped. Mileage may vary so let take a stroll together. No standout words but not any clunkers or cheater squares.

17A. "Don't waste your money on that pendant"? : LOCKET VETO (10). Pocket veto, It makes sene but i do not see it a real phrase.

23A. Spinner in a numbers game? : LOTTERY WHEEL (12). Pottery Wheel. Lottery wheel does seem more realistic.

51A. Hammock? : LOLLING PLACE (12). Polling Place. Yes this works too.

64A. Pruning ideology? : LOP CULTURE (10). Pop culture. A stretch.
And the reveal?

71A. Sport that hints at this puzzle's theme : POLO. Now you see it?

Across;

1. Bird that's a national symbol : KIWI. If you ever wondered WHY?

5. "Chasing Pavements" singer : ADELE.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwTMyjTNBM8

10. Party time, casually : B-DAY. Do you all have parties on your birthday?

14. Eddie __, detective involved in the actual "French Connection" : EGAN. Played by Gene Hackman in the movie.













15. Spring bloomer : TULIP.

16. Former constellation that included Vela (the sails) : ARGO. For all you stargazer. LINK.

19. Insulated cable : CORD.

20. Thorough investigation : PROBE.\ Is this real SCIENCE?

21. Opposite of bumpy : EVEN.

22. Pants part : KNEE.

26. Elaborate in design : ROCOCO. How many of you have listened to Firesign Theater's the adventures of Nick Danger and the evil Rocky Rococo?

29. It's heard in a herd : MOO. Cute clue

30. Online service option : CHAT.

31. Daring exploit : GEST. I ususaly see it with the spelling GESTE like Beau Geste..

35. One eschewing leather, perhaps : VEGAN. Love the esCHEWing got a vegan clue.

39. Satisfied sounds : AHS.

40. Pub pick : PALE ALE. IPA more likely.

42. Presidential nickname : ABE.

43. Long bout : SIEGE. a sudden experiencing of a physical or mental disorder
Synonyms access, bout, case, fit, seizure, attack, spell, turn

45. Start of something big? : MAXI. Nicely phrased though for some reason it may think of maxipad.

46. Quiets, in a way : OILS. Ahh, the squeaky part

47. Quirky : ODD.

49. Hills of Rome, e.g. : SEPTET. Seven: The seven hills are:
Aventine Hill (Latin, Aventinus; Italian, Aventino)
Caelian Hill (Cælius, Celio)
Capitoline Hill (Capitolinus, Campidoglio)
Esquiline Hill (Esquilinus, Esquilino)
Palatine Hill (Palatinus, Palatino)
Quirinal Hill (Quirinalis, Quirinale)
Viminal Hill (Viminalis, Viminale)

57. Beginning : AS OF.

58. Square figure : AREA. Cute again.

59. Early or late hr., depending : ONE A.M.

63. Go on : LAST.

66. Pulitzer-winning author James : AGEE. A regular here famous for The African Queen (1951) screen play and The Night of the Hunter (1955). Agee died in New York City on May 16, 1955. Three years later, in 1958, he was posthumously awarded a Pulitzer Prize for his novel A Death in the Family.

67. Sure-footed critters : ASSES.

68. Composer Khachaturian : ARAM. And now for a musical interlude---doe the music sound familiar?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqg3l3r_DRI   LINK

69. "What __ you thinking?" : WERE.

70. Not a hit, usually : B-SIDE.


Down:

1. Vegetation in underwater forests : KELP. The Beatles used this as their anthem when they became vegan. I bet the readers here could do better than THIS.

2. Aviation pioneer Sikorsky : IGOR. He moved to Connecticut and I had the pleasure of meeting him at my uncles house.

3. Chisholm Trail city : WACO.

4. Test pattern : INKBLOT. Another well clued fill.

5. U-verse provider : ATT.

6. Comforter : DUVET. French for DOWN.

7. Sorbonne student : ELEVE. French for student.

8. Large soda bottle label word : LITER. As in 2 or 3 liter size.

9. Henry Ford, e.g. : EPONYM. A fun word:a person after whom a discovery, invention, place, etc., is named or thought to be named: name or noun formed after a person.

10. Excavating aid : BACKHOE.Glad we had the lesson a few weeks ago.

11. Hive member : DRONE.

12. Think alike : AGREE.

13. Mountain air : YODEL. a fun LINK.

18. Fair-hiring agcy. : EEOC.

24. Draped garment : TOGA. Does everyone think of Animal House or the wonderful HBO series ROME, or PBS I, Claudius all well worth watching. You might have know all seven hills.

25. Zigzagged : WOVE.

26. Some TVs : RCAS.

27. Offhand greeting : OH HI.

28. Discounted buy : CASE. I guess he is referring to bulk buying,

32. Split-resistant wood : ELM. Elm wood is valued for its interlocking grain, and consequent resistance to splitting, with significant uses in wagon wheel hubs, chair seats and coffins. The bodies of Japanese Taiko drums are often cut from the wood of old elm trees, as the wood's resistance to splitting is highly desired for nailing the skins to them, and a set of three or more is often cut from the same tree. Wiki.  Oo and I watched the drummers live, they are awesome.

33. See 61-Down : SEA. 61D, With  33-Down, part of it is now a desert : ARAL.

34. Stress : TAX. Don't tax yourself.

36. Trot, say : GAIT.

37. Skilled : ABLE.

38. Source of tweets : NEST.

40. Beginning to cure? : PEDI. Nicely done.

41. When repeated, Cult Jam singer : LISA.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5m8lj5DCtI  LINK.

44. Driver's gadget : GOLF TEE.

46. Source of flowing water : OPEN TAP.

48. "CSI" setting : DNA LAB. It was much more than that.

50. Sci. concerned with biodiversity : ECOLolgy.

51. Multiple Emmy-winning legal drama : LA LAW.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7R6ycC_s1g

52. Missouri river : OSAGE.

53. Usually disappointed one : LOSER.

54. Sales figure : GROSS.

55. Side in a decades-long war : PEPSI. The inside STORY.

56. Tied : LACED. Shoes not sports.

60. Peseta replacer : EURO.

62. Exec's reminder : MEMO.

65. Purpose : USE.

Well there you have a bunch of really fun clues and a tight theme. Only 9 shopping days left and accept all gifts from all religious constructs.  It is fun, Lemonade out. thanks Gail and of you who read, and especially those who write, even the foolish attacking trolls who hide behind anonymity. We have some great people to know if you open up.

Thursday, December 15th, 2016 Bruce Haight

Theme: Oh Captain! My Captain! Four of them lurking in the grid:

17A. D-Day code name : OMAHA BEACH. Ahab. He of the pathological preoccupation with Moby Dick in Herman Melville's book.

24A. Again : ONE MORE TIME. Nemo, Jules Verne's skipper of the Nautilus. He also popped up in the movie "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" - a fun flick from 2003.

49A. Cleaner with a blade : SQUEEGEE MOP. Queeg. Ineffectual captain in The Caine Mutiny. SQUEEGEE is a great brand name.

58A. 1957 #1 song title that appears in the line after "I'm in love" : ALL SHOOK UP. Hook. Another monomaniac, this time in J.M.Barrie's Peter Pan. With pleasing symmetry for this puzzle, Melville provided Barrie with the inspiration for the character.

35A. Indication of cooperation with ones hidden in this puzzle's four other longest answers : AYE, AYE, CAPTAIN!

Very nice effort from Bruce, I wonder if QUEEG was the seed that germinated the idea for this puzzle? Enjoyable romp through a selection of Masters and Commanders. Let's see what else we've got.

Across:

1. Moves with effort : PLODS. Also a mildly derogatory term for British policemen, from Enid Blyton's character "P.C. Plod"

6. Golden Fleece ship : ARGO. Aye, aye, Jason!

10. Tach nos. : RPMS. Should be RsPM in Steve World. I find it funny that cars with a fully-automatic transmission have a tachometer in the dash. It serves no useful function whatsoever.

14. Any "30 Rock" episode, now : RERUN

15. Trial version : DEMO. Had "BETA" first. That didn't stay in too long.

16. Tahari of fashion : ELIE. Thank you, crosses. I discover he is an Israel-Iranian fashion designer.

19. Carroll specialties : PUNS. The Mock Turtle's teacher was nicknamed "tortoise, because he taught us". Most of Carroll's puns are homophones - he was writing for a ten-year-old and kept the humor simple.

20. Got elected : WON

21. Influence : PULL

22. Loaf : DOG IT

23. Official lang. of Trinidad and Tobago : ENG. The Queen's version, naturally.

27. Oktoberfest souvenirs : STEINS. Cheers!

29. Actor Stephen : REA

30. Clear : NET

31. Balkan native : SERB

32. "Key Largo" co-star : BACALL. Had the "B", but had to wait. Could be BOGART.

40. Red hair and green eyes : TRAITS

41. Some PX patrons : NCO'S

43. George Lucas' alma mater: Abbr. : USC. University of Southern California here in Los Angeles. His family foundation gave the film school $10m a couple of years ago. He graduated in 1967.

46. Having one sharp : IN G

47. It makes a lot of dough : BAKERY

53. Bishops and pawns : MEN. Chess people, not chess men. After all, there's a couple of queens in there.

54. "The Last Supper," for one : MURAL. Leonardo's masterwork at the convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milano.

55. NBA part: Abbr. : NATL.

56. Keep __ distance : AT A

57. Pains : AILS

61. Hunted one : PREY

62. Security lapse : LEAK

63. Dr. Evil portrayer in Austin Powers films : MYERS. Funny guy.

64. Lab fluids : SERA. Que sera, sera - whatever lab fluids will be.

65. Garage sale caveat : AS IS

66. Capital on the Aar : BERNE

Down:

1. Masterful ability : PROWESS

2. Soothing brew : LEMON TEA

3. Citrus greenhouse : ORANGERY. Kensington Palace in London have converted theirs to a restaurant. Nice place for a cup of soothing lemon tea. Posh digs. The Peter Pan statue is close by. Our 58A captain would not approve.

4. "I can't believe I missed that!" : DUH!

5. Wisconsin-based tool manufacturer : SNAP-ON

6. Young adult fiction writer Griffin : ADELE. Fresh new clue. Gives Fred's sister, the singer and Jane Eyre's charge a break from crossword duty.

7. Sphere of influence : REALM

8. Sierra or Yukon : GMC.

9. "I'm impressed!" : OOH!

10. Move, roots and all : RE-POT

11. Connect to a power source : PLUG IN. The mobile worker's perennial problem. It's getting easier to find laptop power at airports nowadays though.

12. Dr. Evil's cohort : MINI-ME

13. Italian sonnet closing : SESTET. Italian referring to the word, not the sonnet itself. The second part of the sonnet being the closing six lines. The first eight are called the octave. Here's Bill the Bard with the closing of Sonnet 18:

But thy eternal summer shall not fade,

Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st,

Nor shall death brag thou wand’rest in his shade,

When in eternal lines to Time thou grow’st.

     So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,

     So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

18. Subject that may come up in a frank discussion? : BUNS. Nice clue. I like Hebrew National franks.

22. Provided the hands : DEALT

25. Ocean predators : ORCAS

26. Garner : REAP

28. "Su-r-r-r-re" : I BET

32. Pantyhose shade : BEIGE

33. Vegas routine : ACT

34. Tall and thin : LANK

36. Disney daughter of King Triton : ARIEL. The Little Mermaid.

37. Masculine principle : YANG

38. Fridge convenience : ICE MAKER. My fridge doesn't have one. There's no water line to the fridge location, so there's not much point.

39. Point at which commitment occurs : NO RETURN. I'm flying to Honolulu on Sunday. 1,260 miles out from LAX is just about PNR for that trip.

42. Neural junction : SYNAPSE

43. Some road atlas pgs. : U.S. MAPS

44. Knight's attendant : SQUIRE

45. Stone-pushing Winter Olympian : CURLER. I love watching curling in the Olympics. You only get to see the sport once every four years, unless there's an ESPN 24-hour curling channel that I'm missing.

47. Those two : BOTH

48. Self-possession : APLOMB

50. Cushy class : EASY A. This was a struggle - I was trying to think of a luxurious cabin class.

51. Zhou __ : EN LAI

52. Mardi Gras purchases : MASKS

58. Harper Lee's home st. : ALA.

59. Avignon article : LES. Avignon's got a 12th century bridge that only spans a small part of the Rhone. It kept getting washed away in floods and eventually the good burghers of Avignon got sick and tired of rebuilding it so it was abandoned in the mid 1600's.

60. Santana's "__ Como Va" : OYE. Came a little too late for a music link so I'll save it for next week.

And with that, here's the grid!

Steve

Wednesday, December 14, 2016, Alex Eaton-Salners

TITLE: LET THE CIRCLE BE UNBROKEN. The last time we saw Alex was a 11/16/16 puzzle blogged by Melissa who indicated that that puzzle appeared to be Alex's LA Times debut.

Let's start with Alex's reveal in this fabulous midweek puzzle:

61. *As sequenced in this grid, what the answers to starred clues form : WORD CHAIN

Exposing Alex's devious theme required me to put the grid upfront and then color code the WORD CHAIN he formed. The matching colors below tie the last word in one fill to the first word in a succeeding fill with a starred clue and that action generates yet another word or phrase. The pièce de résistance is that the last fill with a starred clue circles back to link to the first one and, as my title suggests, keeps the circle/chain unbroken. WOW!! 

Husker Gary today showing you Alex's WORD CHAINS:

17. *TV screen film format : LETTERBOX and 24. *At-your-desk assignment : SEATWORK that chain together to make BOXSEAT. These BOXSEATS behind the Cubs dugout for Game 7 of the World Series went for $15,000 each.

24. *At-your-desk assignment : SEATWORK now chains with 37. *Summertime destination for kids : DAYCAMP to make WORKDAY whose hours were the title of this movie

37. *Summertime destination for kids : DAYCAMP now chains with 50. *Building inspector's concern : FIRECODE to make CAMPFIRE - Everybody know the words to Kumbaya? 

50. *Building inspector's concern : FIRECODE now chains with the reveal 61. *As sequenced in this grid, what the answers to starred clues form : WORDCHAIN - to make CODEWORD - which is what Tom Hanks was seeking in The Da Vinci Code to open this cryptex. Do you remember what the CODE WORD was?

61. *As sequenced in this grid, what the answers to starred clues form : WORD CHAIN now links up with the first starred fill of 17. *TV screen film format : LETTERBOX to complete our chain and form the phrase CHAIN LETTER  - A 21st century annoyance

The puzzle and the theme made for a very pleasant solving experience. 

Across

1. Host who says, "Solve or spin" : SAJAK - A game show success and talk show failure

6. Possibilities : IF'S - If IF'S and but's were candy and nuts...

9. Apple remains : CORES - This gets right to the CORE of the matter

14. The Quakers of the Ivy League, briefly : U PENN

15. __-mo replay : SLO - Accuracy and game times both increase

16. Hairbrush target : SNARL

19. Biology dish eponym : PETRI - The PETRI dish in which Sir Alex Fleming saw bacteria being killed near a penicillium mold that grows on bread which of course led to the most used antibiotic in the world

20. __ Enterprise : USS

21. Very long periods : EONS

22. It may be carried in a boardroom : MOTION  - I move we order doughnuts!

23. Sit-up targets : ABS

26. Out : ASLEEP - The definitive book about last week's memorial whose 6. Card catalog ID : ISBN  is 13: 978-0140157345

29. Any'tizers Boneless Chicken Wyngz maker : TYSON 

30. Ben who plays an economics teacher in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" : STEIN

31. Mata __ : HARI

33. Put on the cloud, say : SAVE

36. Luv : HON

40. Cut of lamb : LEG

41. Redheaded sitcom kid : OPIE - Ronnie Howard found more success behind the camera - including aforementioned The Da Vinci Code

43. Pre-owned : USED

44. Have credit from : OWE TO - "I OWE my soul TO the Company Store"

46. Shaped like a kiwi : OVATE

48. Sun Bowl city : EL PASO

53. Braz. neighbor : ARG

54. Says "Hi, sailor" to, say : FLIRTS - Get ready...

55. One-named Irish singer : BONO

57. Canonized Fr. female : STE - Catholic Online lists STE Joan of Arc as #23

60. Lo-cal brews : LITES

63. Japanese dog : AKITA

64. Plot device? : HOE 

65. Hard-to-understand "South Park" character : KENNY

66. Exams : TESTS

67. Gives the nod : OK'S

68. "Later!" : SEE YA - "Wouldn't wanna BE YA!"

Down

1. "Star Trek" role for Cho : SULU

2. Mirrors : APES - Remember this scene?

3. New York team that plays home games in New Jersey : JETS

4. Carpenter __ : ANT

5. Plié, for one : KNEE BEND

7. Oral-B Glide, e.g. : FLOSS

8. Name on a Chicago cap : SOX

9. Big bills, slangily : C-SPOTS - With many security features

10. Boxing combos : ONE TWOS

11. Bases : RATIONALES

12. "Oops!" inciter : ERROR - Personal advice - "Don't keep your throat spray next to your computer screen cleaner spray"

13. Sneak (away), as in shame : SLINK

18. Wine choice : ROSE'

22. Actress __ Bialik of "The Big Bang Theory" : MAYIM - She plays brilliant and plain Amy Farah Fowler 

23. "Aladdin" hero : ALI

25. Online investment service : E-TRADE

26. At the summit : ATOP

27. Ailment similar to spring fever : SENIORITIS  - Hey, they're 18 and know everything!

28. Course of action? : PHYS ED - Clever

30. "Shameless" airer, briefly : SHO

32. Versatile blackjack card : ACE

34. Presidential no : VETO 

35. Swelled head : EGO

38. VW and BMW : AUTOS

39. Fizzy candy : POP ROCKS

42. '50s-'60s Illinois senator Dirksen : EVERETT - It's easy to spend other people's money 

45. Tail movement : WAG

47. Steps in for : ACTS AS

49. Touch down : LAND

50. E equivalent, in music : F FLAT 

51. "Looking good!" : I LIKE

52. Reader's download : E-BOOK - Here's Julius Caesar in said format

56. Mined finds : ORES

57. Of sound mind : SANE

58. Teensy-weensy : TINY

59. One-named Irish singer : ENYA

61. "__ cares?" : WHO 

62. Half a giggle : HEE

There are no CHAIN OF FOOLS here and so I look forward to their comments:

Tuesday, December 13, 2016 C. C. Burnikel

Theme:

17. Of the poorest quality : THIRD CLASS. Skip class.

35. Novel or short story, say : LITERARY WORK. Skip work.

43. Fashionable dude : MAN ABOUT TOWN. Skip town. I saw the M and thought METRO SEXUAL. Nope.

62. Well-hit line drive, in baseball jargon : FROZEN ROPE. Skip rope.

50. "Never mind" ... or what one might do with the last word of 17-, 35-, 43- and 62-Across : SKIP IT

Melissa here. Another stellar offering from our C.C., with a clever theme. A mostly smooth ride, save for a few wrong turns that sorted out pretty easily.
 

Across

1. "And another thing ... " : ALSO

5. Up on the latest info : AWARE

10. Not yet paid : OWED

14. California wine valley : NAPA

15. Gathered, as autumn leaves : RAKED

16. Tree fruit : PEAR

19. The "I" in MIT: Abbr. : INST

20. Long stretch : EON

21. Communication syst. for the hearing-impaired : ASL

22. Jury __ : DUTY

23. Southern speech quality : DRAWL

25. Heart exam: Abbr. : ECG

28. One of the five basic tastes : UMAMI. From Wikipedia: a savory taste, is one of the five basic tastes (together with sweetness, sourness, bitterness, and saltiness). A loanword from the Japanese (うま味 ?), umami can be translated as "pleasant savory taste."

30. Inventor Howe : ELIAS

32. River through southern Russia : URAL

34. Armed conflict : WAR

38. "If I may cut in ... " : AHEM. First snag, needed perps.

41. Typically reddish-brown ape : ORANG

42. Varieties : ILKS

46. "The A-Team" muscleman : MR. T. Without the period, it doesn't make much sense does it? Our new kitten is responsible for the missing period key on my keyboard - now all my sentences will be run on sentences I mean I could just use other punctuation but I'll be questioning everything or exclaiming it, my posts will all become inquisitive and philosophical or just very exciting or I could play the semicolon game; but honestly who uses it like what does that even do you can't just end a sentence with a semicolon that's it I'm screwed;

47. Pet food brand : ALPO

48. Bottle parts : NECKS

51. "Waiting for Lefty" playwright Clifford : ODETS. Wikipedia.

  

53. Capote nickname : TRU

55. Calendar periods : WEEKS

57. Canadian tribe : CREE

58. Sgt., e.g. : NCO

60. Zero : NIL

61. Dog treat : BONE

66. Choice on the fairway : IRON

67. Ruined : DID IN

68. Big Apple stage award : OBIE. Honoring excellence in off-Broadway and off-off Broadway theatre.

69. Like morning grass : DEWY

70. Well-practiced : ADEPT

71. Politician Romney : MITT

Down

1. Fed the pot : ANTED

2. Pakistani city : LAHORE

Second largest city in Pakistan, and home of the famous Liberty Market:

 3. Kind of column or cord : SPINAL. Or tap.

4. Dinghy blade : OAR

5. Fly ball paths : ARCS

6. 2008 Pixar robot : WALLE

7. Letters before an alias : AKA

8. Hi-__ graphics : RES. Tripped up here with DEF first.

9. Magazine VIPs : EDs

10. Poppy narcotic : OPIUM

11. Left the 44-Down sans permission : WENT AWOL

12. Patsy : EASY MARK

13. Richard Gere title role : DR. T

18. __ Lama : DALAI

 22. Fittingly : DULY

24. The name Fred yells at the end of "The Flintstones" closing theme song : WILMA

26. Museum manager : CURATOR

27. Research funding : GRANT

29. Bugs : IRKS. Nice crossing of ILKS and IRKS.

31. Happy hour perch : STOOL

33. Noble gas : ARGON

36. Blow up : ERUPT

37. Pained reaction : WINCE

38. Rifle range rounds : AMMO

39. Dyed-in-the-wool : HARDCORE

40. Words to click on at a sweepstakes website : ENTER NOW

44. Army outpost : BASE. Not FORT.

45. Cry of victory : WE WON

49. Jedi Master Obi-Wan __ : KENOBI

52. Itsy-bitsy : TEENY. W or T?

54. Open, as a parka : UNZIP

56. Icy precipitation : SLEET

59. Small change : CENT

61. eBay action : BID

62. Big Pharma watchdog: Abbr. : FDA

63. Cleared (of) : RID

64. Poem of praise : ODE

65. CD-__ : ROM

Monday, December 12, 2016 Michael Dewey

Theme: TWEET! - Those aren't birds tweeting.

20A. Locomotive operators: TRAIN ENGINEERS

25A. Singer for the cops?: POLICE INFORMANT

47A. Gridiron adjudicator: FOOTBALL REFEREE

52A. What 20-, 25- and 47-Across all are, in one way or another: WHISTLE BLOWERS

Argyle here. Unusual; the first three are needed to reveal the fourth, the unifier of the theme. I do like Michael's puzzles. I like the whole answer being theme, not just a part of it.

Across:

1. On the __: broken: FRITZ. Now there's a word to start the week on.

6. Dressed (in): CLAD

10. Quail or turkey, e.g.: FOWL. Ok, there are birds tweeting, sort of.

14. Prefix with economics: MACRO

15. Impulse: URGE

16. "Yeah, sure": "I BET"

17. Do over 60 in Hawaii, say: SPEED. Vermont, too. Any others?

18. Upsurge: BOOM

19. Null and __: VOID

23. Lao Tzu's "way": TAO

24. Republican org.: GOP

34. Flower painted by van Gogh: IRIS

35. Burns with hot liquid: SCALDS

36. Mai __: TAI

37. One who shuns company: LONER. Prefers solitude.

39. Many a Monopoly prop.: AVEnue

40. Kick out: EJECT

42. "Brokeback Mountain" director Lee: ANG. Ang Lee

43. Snoozing: ASLEEP

46. Rank between viscount and marquis: EARL

50. Motor City labor gp.: UAW. (United Automobile Workers)

51. Preacher's msg.: SERmon

60. Billiards triangle: RACK

61. "Garfield" pooch: ODIE

62. Paradises: EDENS

64. Lotion additive: ALOE

65. __ monster: lizard: GILA

66. "Rabbit food" course: SALAD

67. Remain undecided: PEND

68. Staircase part: STEP

69. Sporty sunroofs: T-TOPS

Down:

1. Radio choices: FMs. (frequency modulation)

2. Completely engrossed: RAPT

3. Bakery employee: ICER

4. Dissertation: TREATISE

5. It has a dozen signs: ZODIAC

6. Ice tray unit: CUBE

7. Scientologist Hubbard: L. RON

8. Intensely eager: AGOG

9. Divine-human hybrid: DEMIGOD. List of demigods, if you care to see if your name is there.

10. Quitting hr. for many: FIVE PM

11. Double-reed instrument: OBOE

12. Flow-altering dam: WEIR

13. Former Ford models: LTDs

21. Thumbs-down votes: NOes

22. Like Eric or Leif: NORSE

25. Rice dish: PILAF

26. Home of the University of Maine: ORONO

27. Jargon: LINGO

28. Poker wager-matching response: "I CALL"

29. Bellybutton: NAVEL

30. Baseball card rival of Topps: FLEER

31. On __: rampaging: A TEAR

32. Mother-of-pearl: NACRE

33. Owner's document: TITLE

38. Morocco's capital: RABAT

41. Made heckling remarks to: JEERED AT

44. Snooze loudly: SAW LOGS

45. Mexicali money: PESO

48. Like warthogs and walruses: TUSKED

49. Smallest number: FEWEST

52. Rolled-up sandwich: WRAP

53. In good health: HALE

54. Venerated image: ICON. A religious work of art.

55. Proofreader's change: EDIT

56. Irascibility: BILE

57. Jump: LEAP

58. Move, in Realtor-speak: RELO. (relocation)

59. Go off the deep end: SNAP

63. Vietnam War protest gp.: SDS. (Students for a Democratic Society)

Argyle

Sunday December 11, 2016 Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: "Lend Me Your Ears" - EAR is added to each theme entry.

22A. Candy served on a corporate blimp? : GOODYEAR GUMDROPS. Goody gumdrops. We also have Goodyear's headquarters AKRON (45. City on the Ohio and Erie Canal).

36A. Often censored musical groups? : SWEARING BANDS. Swing bands.

67A. Rather uninspired cocktail? : DREARY MARTINI. Dry martini.

95A. What happens at the southern terminus of Interstate 65? : MOBILE APPEARS. Mobile app.

115A. Pair of lustrous Kleenex? : TWO PEARLY TISSUES. Two-ply tissues.

 

15D. First asp most likely to bite when the group is disturbed? : NEAREST OF VIPERS. Nest of vipers is a new phrase to me.

42D. How sundaes are often served? : BEARING CHERRIES. Bing cherries. I would not know how to clue the entry to give it surface sense.

Jeffrey has been raising the bar on letter addition gimmick. No one-letter for him. Most of his puzzles has 3 or more letter strings. Very hard to pull off. He's a master. 

The ten 8-letter fill really shine in this grid. Eight of them are stacked in a 140-word grid. Stunning.

Across:   

1. "That's a __" : SHAME. Tricky clue, as the answer could be BIG IF, FIRST, GIVEN, etc.  

6. Brie-ripening agent : BACTERIA

14. SASEs, e.g. : ENCs

18. Skulking milieu, with "the" : SHADOWS. This is a new expression for me.

20. Considering identical : EQUATING

21. Aviation prefix : AERO

24. "Better Call ___" : SAUL. "Breaking Bad" spinoff.

25. Fine netting : TULLE. Named after the French city where it's first made.

26. Discipline that often emphasizes breathing : YOGA

27. LAX report : ETA

28. "Rigoletto" composer : VERDI

29. Uses a rudder : STEERS

31. "Say it soft and it's almost like praying" song : MARIA. "West Side Story".

34. "Success!" : I MADE IT. Sparkling fill.

40. Former NBA exec Jackson : STU. Don't know him.

41. Network with its HQ in Ottawa : CBC

44. Very long time : EON

46. Put into words : STATED

48. Harvest units : SHEAVES

50. Airline with blue-striped jets : EL AL. What's the best airline you've flown?

52. Get bluffed out, say : LOSE

53. Biblical landing site : ARARAT

54. __ agent : SECRET

58. Disengaged : ALOOF

61. Element #5 : BORON

62. Quotable late athlete : BERRA

63. "In spades!" : IS IT EVER. Another great fill.

66. Label for the Swedish duo Roxette : EMI. Guessed.

71. Suffix with concert : INO. Not INA.

72. Prom limo, e.g. : RENT A CAR

74. Alberto VO5 competitor : BRECK. I use neither.

75. Barcelona bar fare : TAPAS

77. Fancy dos : GALAS. Not hairdos. Look at her braids. Lovely.

78. Rusty nail liquor : SCOTCH. Here is the recipe. With Drambuie.

80. Ancient warship with two decks of oars : BIREME. Learned from doing crosswords.

81. Connect with the space station : DOCK

83. Eucalyptus, for one : TREE

85. Bucket list list : DESIRES. They're indeed all desires.

86. Ready to mate : IN HEAT

89. 2005 "Survivor" island : PALAU

92. Nemo's realm : SEA

93. High-speed letters : DSL. I'm jealous of TTP's high speed.

94. Stroke from Venus? : ACE. Venus Williams.

99. Relevant : GERMANE

101. Iraqi port : BASRA

102. Fluid transfer tool : SIPHON

107. Jones with nine Grammys : NORAH

108. Ring legend : ALI

111. Italian man : UOMO. I know it simply because of Giovanna, who used to be the editor of L'Uomo Vogue. Leggy, but she just got married, Splynter!

113. Sycophant : TOADY

114. "Amores" author : OVID. Also 23. Like 114-Across : ROMAN

119. Oracle : SEER

120. Thwart bigtime : SABOTAGE. Another great fill.

121. Take umbrage : BRISTLE. Ditto.

122. Celtic language : ERSE

123. Landscape ruiners : EYESORES. Ditto.

124. Prepare for a dubbing : KNEEL

Down:

 1. Make oneself heard : SHOUT

2. Oahu outsider : HAOLE. Cantonese call foreigners "Gweilo", literally "Ghost". Derogatory in its origin, but no negative tone these days.  

3. Confuse : ADDLE

4. Press secretary under LBJ : MOYERS (Bill). We also have 43. LBJ biographer Robert __ : CARO. I learned quite a bit about LBJ from Caro's "Fresh Air" interview.

5. Pastoral parent : EWE

6. Nonchooser? : BEGGAR. Saw similar clue before. So no problem.

7. Some tanks : AQUARIA. Spell check needs to recognize that this is a word.

8. Magna __ laude : CUM

9. Little bit : TAD

10. French 101 infinitive : ETRE

11. Card relative? : RIOT. This "Card" clue gets me all the time.  

12. Hurting : IN PAIN

13. Power players in state law: Abbr. : AGs

14. Brought slowly (into) : EASED

16. Bite-size veggies : CRUDITES. Great use of the bell pepper.

17. What loners seek : SOLITUDE

18. Snorkel and his peers: Abbr. : SGTs

19. "As I'm thinking about it ... " : SAY

28. Sprawling : VAST

30. "I like that!" : SWEET!

32. It's held in a pen : INK. Not PIG.

33. Share an opinion : AGREE. Boomer unfriended a friend because of political differences.

35. OR personnel : MDs

37. Dawn goddess : EOS

38. Head for the hills : BOLT

39. Tokyo-based airline : ANA (All Nippon Airways)

41. Auto design element : CHROME

47. Natural emollient : ALOE

48. Napoleonic Wars weapon : SABER

49. Property destroyer : VANDAL

51. Ophthalmologist's procedure : LASIK. Any of you had LASIK surgery?

54. Cook, as scallops : SEAR

55. Make the wrong move : ERR

56. Overreact to spilt milk : CRY

57. Film series Vietnam veteran : RAMBO. Also 59. Vietnam Veterans Memorial designer : LIN

60. Canal problem? : OTITIS. Ear canal.

62. Creature : BEAST

63. Bite result, often : ITCH. Our Saturday flea market is located in a big plot of farmland full of trees and weeds. Man, the mosquitoes are wild.

64. Cookware coating : ENAMEL

65. Gift from a lover : ROSES

68. 45 rpm record pioneer : RCA

69. Busts and such : ART. Also 85. Busting org. : DEA

70. __ room : REC

73. Receipts : TAKE

76. Parched : ARID

78. Salmon predator : SEAL. 80. Salmon predators : BEARS. Another clue echo.

79. "E! News" subject : CELEB

81. Evaluate symptoms : DIAGNOSE

82. Superficial look : ONCE-OVER

84. Venerable N.Y. tech school : RPI. Alma mater for Spitzboov.

87. Eastern nursemaid : AMAH. We just had this last Sunday.

88. Cargo measure : TON

90. Gp. following gas prices : AAA

91. Rapid increase : UPSURGE

92. Of ill repute : SEAMY

96. Leave town for a bit : BE AWAY. Not fond of this BE AWAY or IS BAD type of answer.

97. "1984" working class : PROLES. We just had the singular PROLE last month.

98. Audits a course, say : SITS IN

100. Familia member : MADRE

103. Western sheriff's aid : POSSE

104. __ cuisine : HAUTE

105. 1961 Newbery Medal winner Scott __ : O'DELL. For this book.

106. Where KO means Coca-Cola : NYSE. 110. 106-Down debuts : IPOs

109. Brain segment : LOBE

112. Gambling option in many sts. : OTB

115. "The Waste Land" monogram : TSE (T. S. Eliot)

116. DDE's command : ETO

117. River within Switzerland : AAR

118. Drive up the wall : IRK. Our "Hot Cooktop" (GE smoothtop range) light stays on hours after we're done cooking. Very annoying. YouTube has a solution. But too complicated. I think we'll wait until the light burns out.  

C.C.