Wednesday, Nov 9 2011, Mark Bickham

theme: YIN AND YANG- all the theme entries are in the pattern of A B AND C, both "A B" & "B AND C" are common phrases.

16A. Recommendations at the salon : HAIR-DOS AND DON'TS. anyone remember the episode of mary tyler moore with mary's 'hair bump?'

21A. Intricacies of cells : PHONE-INS AND OUTS

34A. Attributes at the links : GOLF-PROS AND CONS

51A. Vicissitudes of cargo space : HOLD-UPS AND DOWNS. a vicissitude is an alternation between opposite or contrasting things.

57A. Miscellany of benevolence? : GOOD-ODDS AND ENDS

melissa here. in buddhism, the four vicissitudes, or 'worldly winds' are praise & blame, gain & loss, pleasure & pain, and fame & disrepute. self-explanatory theme, but the clues were quite tricky. on the other hand (get it?), the non-theme clues seemed a bit on the easy side.

lots of artsy references today (theater, literature, and music), which i've highlighted in blue, just for fun.

across:

1. It may be shown to an usher : STUB

5. Flying Disney critter : DUMBO

10. Semi compartment : CAB. truck.

13. Like a firelit room on a cold night : COZY.

14. 1992-'93 NBA Rookie of the Year : O'NEAL. shaquille.

15. Apollo's org. : NASA

19. Greatly smacked of : OOZED

20. At the right time : ON CUE

26. Gloss target : LIP

27. Collector's goal : SET. c.c. collects baseball memorabilia, any other collectors out there?

28. Roleo roller : LOG. we had this word recently - log rolling competition.

29. Word with weight or worth : NET. many people wish their net weight decreased as much as their net worth.

30. __ Bator : ULAN. capitol and largest city in mongolia.

32. Feverish fits : AGUES. ague - a fever (as malaria) marked by paroxysms of chills, fever, and sweating that recur at regular intervals.

41. Exams for future attys. : LSATS

42. "As __ saying ..." : I WAS

43. Airport safety org. : TSA. transportation security administration.

46. Brit. record label : EMI. electric and musical industries, ltd. one of the 'big four' record companies, along with universal music group, sony music entertainment, and warner music group.

47. Hugs, symbolically : OOO. x's and o's.

50. Crew tool : OAR

55. 11th-century Spanish hero : EL CID. in case you're curious.

56. Jacket material : TWEED

63. Not for : ANTI

64. Levels : TIERS

65. Talk show host Banks : TYRA.

66. LAPD rank : SGT

67. One in a black suit : SPADE. playing cards.

68. Site of Charon's ferry : STYX. river in greek mythology. the band styx was named after this river - vocalist dennis deyoung says it was the only name "that none of us hated."

down:

1. PTA meeting place : SCH. school.

2. __ fault: excessively : TO A

3. Action film weapon : UZI

4. "She Walks in Beauty" poet : BYRON. there's your CUE, clear ayes.

5. Lollapalooza : DOOZIE. also an annual music festival.

6. Like some angry email, wisely : UNSENT

7. Honey beverages : MEADS

8. Shut out : BAN

9. __ Spice aftershave : OLD. the smell makes me think of my dad.

10. Yucatán resort : CANCUN

11. Sharp as a tack : ASTUTE

12. Most abject : BASEST

15. It's verboten : NO-NO

17. Mates for bucks : DOES

18. Didn't exactly answer, as a question : DODGED. most politicians make an art of it.

21. Advertisement : PLUG

22. Hawaii's __ Bay : HILO. who's been there?

23. Birthstone after sapphire : OPAL. september is sapphire, opal is october. any opals here?

24. Pond plant : ALGA. this makes jeannie and me think of sam gribley in 'my side of the mountain,' and his alga experiments.

25. It may be proper : NOUN

31. Org. for Bucs and Jags : NFL

32. Biblical mount : ASS

33. Biol., e.g. : SCI

35. False start? : PSEUDO. nice.

36. Wheelchair access : RAMP

37. Bluesman Redding : OTIS. sittin' at the doc of the bay.

38. "Man, that hurts!" : OW OW

39. Asian bread : NAAN

40. Old red states?: Abbr. : SSR'S. soviet socialist republic.

43. Something to step on while driving : THE GAS

44. "Bye" : SO LONG

45. "Little Women" author : ALCOTT

47. Leader's exhortation : ONWARD

48. Danish seaport : ODENSE

49. Had too much, briefly : OD'ED

52. Gogo's pal, in "Waiting for Godot" : DIDI. samuel beckett play.

53. Sailing, say : AT SEA. yesterday it was clued as 'bewildered.'

54. "Awake and Sing!" playwright : ODETS

58. Souse's syndrome : DT'S. delirium tremens, latin for shaking frenzy.

59. Party bowlful : DIP

60. "All the news that's fit to print" initials : NYT. new york times motto.

61. Prohibitionist : DRY. among other things.

62. Jazz combo horn : SAX. ha, last wednesday we had sacks, sachs, saks and sax.

to finish off, today's perfect 'theme' song: opposites attract.

answer grid.

melissa

Tuesday, November 8, 2011 Donna S. Levin

Theme: Auto Body Basics - Four minor imperfections to your car's finish that can finish your deductible.

17A. Cocktail party mouthful : CHIP AND DIP

25A. 1950s kiddie show hosted by "Miss Frances" : DING DONG SCHOOL

43A. They frequently shoot par or better : SCRATCH GOLFERS

58A. Very last moment : NICK OF TIME

Argyle here. A tight theme but the range of fill, oh my! From "Miss Frances" to an R&B artist. And out of the blue, a pun. All in all, a strange Tuesday but what is your take on it?

Across:

1. Argentine dance : TANGO

6. Move a little : STIR

10. Peak measurement: Abbr. : ELEV. Elevation

14. Abraham nearly sacrificed him : ISAAC

15. Right-hand person : AIDE

16. Curtain material : LACE

19. Unsullied : PURE

20. Woo with a tune : SERENADE

21. Fill, as a moving van : LOAD UP

23. Swallowed : ATE

24. New Mexico art community : TAOS

33. Dundee demurrals : NAEs. The fourth-largest city in Scotland is Dundee.

34. Horror film franchise : SAW. Started with "Saw" (short film)(2003) and now is in "Saw 3-D"(2010).

36. "So Sick" R&B artist : NE-YO. Clip.(3:29)

37. Collect compulsively : HOARD

39. It may begin with "Knock knock" : JOKE

40. Bird that can hold its coffee? : ERN. A homophone for URN. A pun of a sea eagle as a coffee pot leaves me 32A. Bewildered : AT SEA

41. Many Christmas trees : FIRS

42. Steakhouse order : FILET

47. Word often sighed : ALAS

48. Big Band __ : ERA

49. Whacks on the bottom : SPANKS. The Child Protective Services will investigate you nowadays.

52. On cloud nine : ECSTATIC

57. Yale Bowl rooters : ELIs. Students at Yale University.

60. List heading : TO DO

61. Buck suffix : AROO

62. Bunsen burner cousins : ETNAs

63. Did laps, perhaps : SWAM

64. Hair care products : GELS

65. Put into effect : ENACT

Down:

1. Eccentric mannerisms : TICS

2. 1968 U.S. Open champ Arthur : ASHE. Perennial tennis player on the crossword courts.

3. Solution for a hairy situation? : NAIR

4. Show astonishment : GAPE

5. National anthem in Nunavut : "O CANADA". Nunavut is the largest and newest federal territory of Canada; it was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999. Wikipedia link.

6. Depress : SADDEN

7. It waits for no man, purportedly : TIDE. I foolishly didn't wait for it and stuck in TIME first.

8. Dictator Amin : IDI

9. Stepped in for : REPLACED

10. Sun Bowl site : EL PASO. Texas.

11. Praise : LAUD

12. Beigelike shade : ECRU. Perennial crossword shade.

13. Prez's next-in-line : VEEP

18. Brussels-based defense gp. : NATO

22. Fireworks reactions : OOHS

24. Title of the first Fabergé egg owner : TSAR. The first Fabergé egg was crafted for Tsar Alexander III in 1885.

25. Copenhagen native : DANE

26. Anatomical canals : ITERS. A passageway that leads from one part of the body to another. Iter is Latin for "a way." As such, this is a later in the week clue and made a nasty "Natick Principal" crossing NE-YO. Oops: "Natick Principle"

27. "Bye Bye Bye" boy band : *NSYNC

28. Prefix with thermal : GEO

29. Grind together, as one's teeth : GNASH

30. "__ Mio" : O SOLE. I'm not familiar with these guys but it's one for the ladies. Clip.(3:37)

31. California hoopster : LAKER

35. Dampens : WETS

37. Run into trouble : HIT A SNAG

38. Warriors in Warcraft games : ORCS

39. The PB in a PB&J, maybe : JIF

41. Columbo portrayer : FALK. Peter.

42. Fixed price : FLAT FEE

44. Kidnapper's demand : RANSOM

45. Long-tailed tropical wall climbers : GECKOs

46. Approximately : OR SO

49. Tennis match parts : SETS

50. Oxen's burden : PLOW. Unless the beast is carrying it on its back, it's not really a burden.

51. Enslaved princess of opera : AIDA. Perennial slave girl.

52. Earth sci. : ECOL. Ecology.

53. Business envelope abbr. : ATTN. Attention.

54. Turner on stage : TINA. On stage with Mick. Live. Japan. Hot. Clip.(4:49)

55. Apple product : I-MAC

56. "__ Magnifique": Porter tune : C'EST. Jazzy clip.(1:23)

59. Anger : IRE

Answer grid.

Argyle