Saturday July 3, 2010 Will Nediger

Theme: None

Total words: 70

Total blocks: 36

One letter Q away from a pangram.

Will Nediger anchors his puzzle with a grid spanner MARRIED TO THE MOB (33A. 1988 Michelle Pfeiffer film) and stacks a couple of 11s & a 10 on the top/bottom. OVERANALYZE (52A. Figure to a fault) is my favorite entry today. Awesome.

Will is majoring in linguistics, so his fill/clue skew academics. He probably loves Shakespeare stuff, see the below clues:

1A. He played Brutus in "Julius Caesar" (1953) : JAMES MASON. Total stranger to me.

28A. "I kissed thee __ I killed thee": "Othello" : ERE

45D. "In __, you are to blame": "Othello" : SOOTH. In truth.

As the norm with Saturday puzzles, a few new words for me and plenty of V-8 moments.

Across:

11. Member of a notable foreign trio : AMO (I love). Amo, amas, amat. Latin trio.

14. Complex mirage : FATA MORGANA. New word to me. See the etymology. Italian name. Had some King Arthur root.

15. Go for the bronze? : TAN. Nailed it.

16. 1965 Peter and Gordon hit : I GO TO PIECES. The tune sounds familiar.

17. Enter the pool : BET. D'oh, betting pool. DIP did not work.

18. Crescent : LUNE. Rooted in Latin moon "Luna". Makes sense.

19. Wet-weather wear : GALOSH. Man, I never know there's a special term for this kind of waterproof overshoe.

21. Ski nautique site : LAC. French for "lake". I don't know the meaning of "Ski nautique". Nautique is just French for "Nautical".

22. Acolyte's area : ALTAR

27. Barista's preparation : LATTE

29. Shinto temple gateway : TORII. Like this. I always associate it with ex-Twin Torii Hunter.

30. House or lodge : STOW. Verb. I was in the noun direction.

31. Pelvis-patella connectors : FEMURS

32. The farther ones : THOSE

37. Large amount : OCEAN

38. Stockpile : GATHER

39. Add water to, perhaps : THIN. Can't jam in DILUTE.

40. Tribe member in many films : EXTRA. Extras who play the tribe members. I thought the answer is asking for a real Indian tribe who appears in film often.

41. New Jersey casino, with "The" : TAJ

44. Pen output : OINKS. Pig pen.

46. Sitting Bull, e.g. : SIOUX. Yes, this is the kind of tribe I was picturing for 40A.

47. Doc bloc : HMO. Rhyme.

48. Team that's played in the same home park since 1912 : RED SOX. Their Fenway Park is the oldest ball park in Major League.

50. Busiest : PEAK

51. "__ Got Bonnie": Rydell hit : I'VE. I guessed.

58. One in a zillion? : ZEE. One letter in the word "zillion". Clever clue.

59. Venerable : TIME-HONORED. Another awesome answer.

60. Transgress : ERR

61. Some countdowns : HIT PARADES. Countdowns of most popular songs.

Down:

1. Rain forest cat : JAGUAR. I drew a blank.

2. Without delay : AT ONCE

3. King's downfall, maybe : MATE. Chess ending.

4. Punk rock offshoot : EMO. Learned from doing Xword.

5. Payoff : SOP. Bribe.

6. Med. technique using contrast agents : MRI. What are "contrast agents"?

7. What candles may reveal : AGE. Wrinkles too.

8. Egg holder : SAC

9. A hundred sawbucks : ONE G. 1,000.

10. Like some vowels : NASAL. Like what? I only know nasal consonants.

11. Fundamentally : AT BOTTOM

12. Stately and dignified, in music : MAESTOSO. New word to me. So close to Maestro.

13. Generally Googleable : ON THE WEB. OK.

14. Dijon daughter : FILLE. "Daughter" in French. Alliteration.

20. 1993 Anne Rice novel : LASHER. See the book cover. Not in my radar.

22. Ordered pizza, perhaps : ATE IN

23. Capital of Togo : LOME. Uh-uh, nope. No idea. God will be resigned by my unwillingness to learn those capitals in faraway countries.

24. Walks with effort : TRUDGES

25. Chartered carrier : AIR TAXI. The answer just would not come to me.

26. Ristorante dish : RISOTTO. OK, ristorante is Italian for "restaurant" then.

31. Dogs : FRANKS. Hot dogs.

32. Walking papers : THE AX. Walking papers: slang for dismissal.

33. Make easier to use, in a way : MOTORIZE. Didn't jump to me immediately.

34. One who gets things done : ACHIEVER. This word seems to always come with "over" or "under".

35. Cupid, for one : REINDEER. Santa's Cupid. Not Roman love god.

36. Via, informally : THRU

41. "__ here!" : THEY'RE. Does this refer to the tagline for "Poltergeist"?

42. Floors : AMAZES. Verb.

43. Caused a breakup? : JOKED. Convulsed with laughter "breakup".

49. Louis __: son of Marie Antoinette : XVII. Makes senses. Her husband is Louis XVI.

50. Lumber : PLOD. I confused "Lumber" with "Slumber".

53. First to arrive, often: Abbr. : EMT. True!

54. Good standing, for short : REP (Reputation)

55. "Got it!" : AHA

56. Easter preceder? : NOR. Nor'easter. Strong rain storm in east coast. So named because the winds come from the northeast.

57. Santa __ : ANA

Answer grid.

Tomorrow we are going to have a special 4th of July tribute puzzle by John Lampkin. The theme involves circles, which are unsupported by LA Times website software. If you don't use Across Lite, please come to the blog on Sunday morning for the pdf version.

C.C.

Friday July 2, 2010 Jack McInturff

Theme: KING ME (71A. Board game demand, and hint to this puzzle's theme) - KING is added to the end of three-letter word of a common phrase.

18A. Temporary teacher's lot? : SUB PARKING. Subpar. The only theme entry where the base phrase is one word. Temporary teacher = Sub.

23A. What it would have been if 10-Down went down? : ORIGINAL SINKING. And ARK (10. Ararat arrival). Noah's Ark landed in Mt. Ararat. What exactly is the "Original Sin"? Eve & Adam ate the forbidden fruit and then made love?

52A. Brusque words about strong coffee? : ESPRESSO BARKING. Espresso Bar. Quite an evocative clue. Brusque order from a customer.

61A. Actress Brenneman losing on purpose? : AMY TANKING. Amy Tan, author of "The Joy Luck Club", very real portrait of Chinese American mindset. I liked Amy Brenneman's role in "NYPD Blue".

Interesting that every one of Jack's recent puzzles has a unifier entry. "King Me" came to my radar only because Lois had lots of DF fun with the term some time ago on the blog. I've never played Checkers.

As you all know, I am quite fond of clue echos and cross-references, but I truly dislike those ones that give absolutely nothing for me to decipher. In today's case:

6D. 13-Down relative : EDU

13D. 6-Down relative : ORG

They are relatives because both are common internet address endings?

Across:

1. Rhine tributary : RUHR. In Essen.

5. Word spoken while pointing, perhaps : HER. New clue.

8. Slow tempo : ADAGIO

14. Sitcom redhead : OPIE. Ron Howard in "The Andy Griffith Show". I thought of LUCY Ball.

15. Stock ending? : ADE. Ending to the word Stockade.

16. Sole sauce : TARTAR

17. Hosp. workers : LPNS (Licensed Practical Nurses). New abbr. to me. Maybe it's gimme for August & Crazy Horse.

20. Escorted : LED IN

22. Where to kiss the Blarney Stone : EIRE

30. Nat or Red : NLER. National Leaguer. Washington Nationals/Cincinnati Reds.

31. "The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom" author : ORMAN (Suze)

32. '60s activist gp. : SDS (Students for a Democratic Society)

35. Former sergeant, perhaps : EX-COP. Needed crossing help.

38. Classic Callas role : TOSCA. No idea. All I know about Maria Callas is her affair with Ari Onassis.

39. "Very funny" : HA HA

41. Greenish blues : TEALS

43. Links sight : CART. Golf.

44. Memorable mission : ALAMO

46. Pond papa : DRAKE. Alliteration.

48. __ Arc, Arkansas : DES. Not familiar with this city. We also have ARCED (25D. Bowed). Minor duplication.

49. Former name of the Mariinsky Ballet : KIROV. Previously Kirov Ballet.

50. Fanatics : NUTS

59. Like an undeliverable pkg. : RETD. Returned I suppose.

60. Where to get down : EIDER. Duck down.

67. Normal opening? : PARA. Opening to the word Paranormal.

68. Hunts diligently : SCOURS

69. Date : SEE

70. It acquired Applebee's in 2007 : IHOP. Unaware of this fact.

72. Little shaver : TOT. Shaver = Small kid.

73. Peter of reggae : TOSH. Gimme. The Wailers. With Bob Marley.

Down:

1. Rich kid in "Nancy" comics : ROLLO. Stumper. I don't read comic strips.

2. Berth place : UPPER

3. Language that gives us "cheetah" and "chutney" : HINDI. Any good recipe for mango chutney?

4. Quit : RESIGN

5. Holds : HAS

7. Rise up : REBEL

8. Pong creator : ATARI

9. Are more than reluctant to : DARE NOT. I say this a lot.

11. VW hatchback : GTI. GTI = Grand Tourer--Injected. Who knows? Volkswagen is the largest foreign car maker in China.

12. Creator of Q and M : IAN (Fleming). Q & M are Bond characters.

19. Circle constants : PIS

21. __ green : NILE

24. "What happened __?" : NEXT

26. McDonald's founder : KROC (Ray)

27. "When __ she comes to me with a thousand smiles": "Little Wing" lyric : I'M SAD. Stymied. Jimi Hendrix song. Any The Corrs fans there?

28. Shell layer : NACRE. Mother-of-pearl. Mollusk shell.

29. Punkies : GNATS. Punkie is a new word to me.

32. Wooden shingle : SHAKE. Was ignorant of this carpentry term.

33. "The Sacrament of the Last Supper" and others : DALIS. Here is the painting.

34. Off-key, in a way : SHARP. Need Jazzbumpa's explanation.

36. Watercraft control : OAR

37. Alternate strategy : PLAN B

40. Cupid : AMOR

42. Arctic predator : SKUA. Hi there!

45. Like many a baseball pitch : OVERARM. Overarm pitch.

47. French 101 verb : ETRE. "To be".

51. "Never mind" : SKIP IT

53. Common quality? : SENSE. Common sense.

54. NYSE buy : STK (Stock)

55. Lyrical poet : ODIST

56. Only state that borders six states and Canada : IDAHO. Wow, it's true.

57. __ Circus, where St. Peter was crucified : NERO'S. Learning moment for me. Jack likes to put a few Biblical references in his puzzle.

58. Plotting device : GRAPH

61. Quiz : ASK

62. Verizon subsidiary : MCI

63. That, old-style : YON

64. Harbor vessel : TUG. Quite a few 3-letter word entries in the grid. Total 21.

65. Revival prefix : NEO. Neoclassic, e.g.

66. Fetch : GET

Answer grid.

C.C.

Thursday July 1, 2010 Robert A. Doll

Theme: HOT STUFF (61A. 1979 song for which Donna Summer won a Grammy, and a hint to the puzzle theme found in the answers to starred clues). The queen of disco. - HOT can precede the first word of each theme entry.

16A. *Tennis legend nicknamed "Rocket": ROD LAVER. Hot Rod. To say any more would be 8D: a faux pas.

23A. *Mighty Mouse's archenemy: OIL CAN HARRY. Hot Oil. Oil Can Harry (an evil cat) and Mighty Mouse (Superman imitator) were Terrytoons released by the 20th Century Fox Studio. Perhaps a little obscure..

33A. *1983 film that won the Oscar for Best Music, Original Song: FLASHDANCE. Hot Flash.

38A. *Stray hunter: DOG CATCHER. Hot Dog.

51A. *Deli side: POTATO SALAD. Hot Potato.

Hi all, Al here.

Today's puzzle had both easy and hard spots, I thought. I got through most of it quickly, but got a little stuck in the southwest with the proper nouns going down. The theme didn't help and I didn't even really notice it until after I was done solving, which still didn't seem as long as last week, but it still was about right for a Thursday, I'd say.

Across:

1. Minute Maid product: LIMEADE. I don't think Mr. Doll reads the blog. So close to recognition...

8. John or Paul: BEATLE. Too long of an answer to be a POPE.

14. Hotel option: TWIN BED.

15. Corsage flower: ORCHID. Corsage from Old French cors "body" (related: corpse); the meaning "body of a woman's dress, bodice" is from 1818 in fashion plates translated from French; Sense of "a bouquet worn on the bodice" is 1911, Amer.Eng., apparently from Fr. bouquet de corsage "bouquet of the bodice."

18. Early hr. to retire: NINE PM. Bed? I'm just getting started with my day.

19. Olivia of "The Wonder Years": d'ABO. After playing the hippie sister Karen Arnold, she was a voice actor in quite a few animations, including Jane in the Disney's version of Tarzan and Jane.

20. Resident's suffix: ITE. Also a mineral suffix.

22. Hebrides tongue: ERSE. Early Scottish variant of Old English Irisc or Old Norse Irskr "Irish". Applied by Lowland Scots to the Gaelic speech of the Highlanders.

27. Watch: EYE.

28. Squirrel's home: TREE. It is funny because the squirrel gets dead. From "Up".

29. Put away: ATE.

30. Claude who played Sheriff Lobo in "B.J. and the Bear": AKINS. The bear was actually a chimp. Sheriff Lobo is the one seated.

32. Profs' aides: TAS. Teaching Assistants.

35. Swing __: ERA. The days of the Big Bands, Glen Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Artie Shaw, Duke Ellington, Count Basie. One of the factors for the demise was a recording ban where the union that most jazz musicians belong to told its members not to record until the record companies agreed to pay them each time their music was played on the radio. Things haven't changed much...the music industry will never learn, it seems.

37. Granola grain: OAT.

44. Call from a crow's nest: CAW. Interesting misdirection. I was looking for a sailing term, but it was actually a straightforward clue.

47. Mozart is on some Austrian ones: EUROS. The one, the two, the five and the fifty... others?

48. Hefty ref.: OED. Oxford English Dictionary.

49. Pesky yard critter: MOLE. Had to wait to see whether it would be VOLE instead.

50. Spot to stop: Abbr.: STA. Station.

55. Stevie Wonder's "__ She Lovely": ISN'T.

57. Court cry: LET. A tennis term for the serve hitting the net (but still going over), or a distraction, like a ball rolling on the court, something requiring a "do-over".

58. Partner of void: NULL. Legally, something that is "null and void" can no longer be enforced. Both words mean empty, as in a vacuum or having no contents.

59. "The Shining" mantra: REDRUM. Murder spelled backwards. "Heere's Johnny".

65. Rio Grande city: EL PASO.

66. Showed awe over: AAHED AT.

67. Safari sightings: ELANDS. The largest African antelope, it can weigh nearly a ton. As opposed to the Royal Antelope, which is about the size of a jackrabbit, only growing to about 6-7 lbs.

68. Arachnophobe's fear: SPIDERS. I don't like spiders and snakes.

Down:

1. USPS delivery: LTR. United States Postal Service, Letter.

2. WWII battle site, briefly: IWO. Jima. Letters from Iwo Jima. and Flags of Our Fathers.

3. Means: MIDDLES. Shouldn't that be Medians? A mean is a mathematical average, and if your numbers are skewed, the mean wouldn't necessarily be the middle.

4. Intertwine: ENLACE.

5. Addis __: ABABA. The capital city of Ethiopia.

6. Cornwall neighbor: DEVON. Southern England.

7. Stamp finish?: EDE. "Finish" here indicates a suffix, stampede.

8. Faux pas: BONER. Yes, those can be embarrassing...

9. Airport north of Pittsburgh, in itineraries: ERI. Erie International Airport / Tom Ridge Field

10. Reason to see a dermatologist: ACNE. Accutane warning.

11. Legalese adverb: THEREIN.

12. Mouth the words: LIP SYNC.

13. '80s attorney general: ED MEESE. The 75th, under Reagan. Quote: "An expert is somebody who is more than 50 miles from home, has no responsibility for implementing the advice he gives, and shows slides."

17. Gaucho gear: RIATA. Spanish for cowboy and lasso (Lariat)

21. Half of seis: TRES. French for six and three.

23. Giant of a Giant: OTT. Mel Ott, Baseball. Right fielder, played his entire career for one team. First NL player to exceed 500 home runs.

24. Lyricist Gershwin: IRA. Brother/partner of George Gershwin, the latter is probably most famous for "An American in Paris" and "Rhapsody in Blue", neither of which have words.

25. Difficult computer of film: HAL. I'm sorry Dave, I can't do that. (2001, A Space Odyssey).

26. "Blah ...": YADA. Seinfeld's version of "Blah blah blah".

31. "Krazy __": KAT. This comic strip was old before I was born.

33. Sprat's taboo: FAT. Jack Sprat could eat no fat...

34. Old TV knob: HOR. Horizontal hold. I suppose "abbrev" isn't necessary because the label for the knob wasn't spelled out...

35. "Foucault's Pendulum" author: ECO. Umberto. Foucault's Pendulum has been called "the thinking person's Da Vinci Code, but it is more a satire on the futility of conspiracy theories and those who believe them, rather than an attempt to proliferate such beliefs.

36. Farrier's tool: RASP. A pedicurist/shoer for horses, a specialized blacksmith.

38. Obama's first social secretary __ Rogers: DESIREE.

39. Move more goods than: OUTSELL.

40. Pop's pop: GRANDPA.

41. Pigeon shelter: COTE. A small house for animals. Related: cottage, and coterie (circle of acquaintances).

42. "Macbeth" setting: HEATH. A wasteland.

43. N.J. summer setting: EDT.

44. Plan a heist (with): COLLUDE. From Latin colludare (to play with).

45. Cookbook words: A LA. In the manner of. Chicken a la King.

46. Marry: WED.

49. Shake alternative: MALTED.

52. "Stand and Deliver" star: OLMOS. Edward James.

53. Ready to be drawn: ON TAP. Beer.

54. Sashimi cousin: SUSHI. Sashimi is raw fish served sliced, but as-is. That means no rice bed or roll, but it is often served alongside daikon and/or shiso. The word sushi refers to the rice (the Japanese word su means vinegar, and shi is from meshi, the Japanese word for rice, hence sushi is 'vinegared rice'.

56. Air__: budget carrier: TRAN. News to me, I had never heard of this airline before.

60. Amer. currency: USD. United $tates Dollar.

62. Defense gp. founded in Bogotá: OAS. Organization of American States. All the countries of North and South America except Honduras (suspended in 2009 due to a coup d'etat), Iceland, and Greenland (simply not members).

63. Way off: FAR. I still don't think I understand...

64. NBA stats: FTS. Basketball, Free Throws.

Answer grid.

Al

Wednesday June 30, 2010 Mike Peluso

Theme: ANAGRAMS! - The second word of each theme answer is an anagram of 'Skate.'

16A Prospector's funding: GRUBSTAKE. New to me. Noun: Supplies or funds advanced to a mining prospector or a person starting a business in return for a promised share of the profits. Also a historic restaurant near me.

23A. Compete in a derby, maybe: ROLLER SKATE. Roller derby.

36A. "To Autumn" poet: JOHN KEATS. There's your cue, Clear Ayes.

54A. Disbelieving looks: DOUBLE TAKES

62A. Tenderized cut of beef: CUBE STEAK

Only other possible anagram is TEAKS. But it has the same scheme as TAKES, with the plural form.

Melissa Bee here. Mike scattered in lots of artistic references today: RED A, JOHN KEATS, DELFT, ERIK, ALULA, ADELE and KLEE.

Across:

1. State of disarray: MESS

5. BLT condiment: MAYO. i have been making my own, very easy.

9. Ding-a-ling: DODO. and 45D: Featherbrain: AIRHEAD

13. __ Alto: PALO. Gimme for Californians.

14. Baby step? A TO B

15. Human, e.g.: BI-PED. Two -footed.

18. Simpson of fashion: ADELE. Is it just me, or does she look exactly like Erma Bombeck?

19. Zone: AREA

20. It's not pretty: EYESORE

22. "Bad Moon Rising" band, familiarly: CCR. American rock band, Credence Clearwater Revival. Played at Woodstock.

27. Remedial treatment: THERAPY. A term used in massage therapy, and, as i just learned, also in forestry and woodworking.

29. Opus __: "The Da Vinci Code" sect: DEI. Never saw it. Yeah, yeah, i know.

30. Rolodex no.: TEL. Telephone number. Does anyone still use a Rolodex? Seems a little archaic, but then again you never had to worry about viruses or power outages.

31. "The Scarlet Letter" letter: RED A. Nathaniel Hawthorne's book about an Adulteress in 17th century Boston. Also a play and a movie.

32. __-en-Provence, France: AIX

34. Run-down: SEEDY. Like this. Or this

40. Son of Abraham: ISAAC

43. Memorable time: ERA. Yawn.

44. Lawyer's aide: PARA. Paralegal.

48. Spa benefit, for short: TLC. That'll be extra.

49. FedEx rival: UPS

52. Tehran inhabitant: IRANIAN

57. Some OR staff: RNS. Registered Nurses in the Operating Room.

58. Showing no emotion: STOICAL

59. German chancellor, 1982-'98: KOHL. Helmut. Oversaw the end of the Cold War and the German reunification. According to George H. W. Bush, "the greatest European leader of the second half of the 20th century."

61. Flay and Ray, e.g.: CHEFS. Bobby and Rachel. Even though i don't watch t.v., i nailed it.

66. Dutch city known for its blue-and-white pottery: DELFT. View of Delft, by Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer.

67. Swiss abstractionist: KLEE. We've seen his name before. He liked shapes and colors.

68. Fee: RATE

69. Breyers competitor: EDYS. Ice cream brands.

70. Succumbed to being grilled: SANG. Grill is slang for interrogate. Sang is slang for confessed, or ratted out. Made me think of this.

71. Mideast city on its own gulf: ADEN. Seaport city in Yemen, in the crater of an extinct volcano.

Down:

1. EPA sticker datum: MPG. Environmental Protection Agency / Miles Per Gallon.

2. Otitis: EARACHE

3. Like a sot's speech: SLURRED

4. Fruit juice brand: SOBE

5. Protective pad: MAT. Here's Drew with hers.

6. Words with clip or time: AT A

7. Backwoods type: YOKEL

8. Heeded: OBEYED

9. Passed, say: DID OK

10. Run: OPERATE

11. Erased: DELETED

12. 36-Across work: ODE

15. Paul McCartney or Sting: BASSIST

17. Lee with frozen desserts: SARA

21. Poetic preposition: ERE

22. NFL snapper: CTR. The center passes (or "snaps") the ball to the quarterback at the start of each play.

24. Shimmering aquarium fish: OPAH

25. "__ Eyes": Eagles hit: LYIN'

26. Tarzan portrayer Ron: ELY

28. Rani's spouse: RAJA

33. 1960s-'70s Jaguar Down: XKE

35. "Baseball Tonight" airer: ESPN

37. Eye doctor: OCULIST

38. The Phantom of the Opera: ERIK

39. Bern's river: AARE. Wow, beautiful.

40. "__ be an honor": IT'D. Groan. I suppose it can't be helped.

41. Waded (through): SLOSHED

42. Keen way to be aware: ACUTELY

46. Lasted longer than expected, as a meeting: RAN LATE. Not always a bad thing.

47. Q&A part: Abbr.: ANS. Question and answer.

50. Push-up target: PEC. i was thinking this.

51. IHOP servings: STACKS. Pancakes.

53. Wants to know: ASKS. And if you don't want to know … don't ask.

55. Smash hits, in slang: BOFFS. No comment.

56. "Be-Bop-__": 1956 hit: A-LULA. Originally by Gene Vincent, but check out one of the greatest live albums ever, imo, Van Morrison's A Night in San Francisco - disc 2, track 4.

60. Other, in Oaxaca: OTRA

61. B-F connectors: C-D-E

63. Kingsley who played Gandhi: BEN

64. Short head lines?: EEG. 'Short' to indicate abbreviation. EEG = Electroencephalogram.

65. Baseball's Griffey: KEN

Answer grid.

Melissa

Note from C.C.:

I am very pleased to announce that Melissa Bee will blog two Wednesday puzzles a month from now on. Melissa joined the blog in May 2008 and has entertained & educated us with many of her fun links and witty comments. Thanks for the time and commitment, Melissa!

Tuesday June 29, 2010 Bruce Venzke

Theme: P_T with Vowel Progression - Not much of a theme but, oh!, what a grid.

17. Dad's legal protection: PATERNITY RIGHTS.

23. Arizona tourist mecca: PETRIFIED FOREST.

39. Batting practice aid: PITCHING MACHINE.

49. One-room schoolhouse heater: POTBELLIED STOVE.

61. Using a euphemism: PUTTING IT MILDLY.

Argyle here.

Tough Tuesday. Five grid-spanning theme entries. Four nine-letter fills cutting down through three theme entries each and the center theme crossed by all four. Impressive. So what if the theme is weak, I say.

If you gave anybody yesterday's puzzle, you might want to steer them away from this one.

Across:

1. Pirate's booty: LOOT.

5. Lash marking: WELT.

9. One of the deadly sins: SLOTH. Sin of "laziness".

14. Sacramento's __ Arena: ARCO. Home to the NBA's Sacramento Kings. Image

15. Aglio e __: pasta dish: OLIO. A traditional Italian pasta dish. Image

16. __ Puffs: COCOA. Cereal.

20. Unborn, after "in": UTERO.

21. Manitoba native: CREE. About the only Canadian Indians I know.

22. Gazetteer statistic: AREA. A gazetteer is a geographical dictionary or directory, used in conjunction with a map or a full atlas, with important references about toponomy.

26. On fire: LIT.

27. Reagan's "Star Wars" prog.: SDI. Strategic Defense Initiative.

28. Whale of a tale: SAGA. Whale Tail (The Devil made me do it.)

32. Iwo __: JIMA. Home to Mount Suribachi.

35. "Fine by me": "IT'S OK".

42. Love: ADORE. I had AMORE first.

43. Auto financing org.: GMAC. General Motors Acceptance Corporation. On May 10, 2010, GMAC Inc announced that it re-branded itself as Ally Financial Inc.

44. Cat call: MEOW.

45. Lode material: ORE.

47. Stephen of "Michael Collins": REA. Northern Irish actor who was nominated for an Academy Award for his lead performance as Fergus in the 1992 film The Crying Game. "Michael Collins" is a 1996 biopic about General Michael Collins, the Irish patriot and revolutionary who died in the Irish Civil War.

58. Keds competitor: AVIA. They call them trainers now but they are still sneakers to me.

59. Boot out: OUST.

60. Like some basins: TIDAL.

64. __-Chalmers: onetime big name in farm machinery: ALLIS. Now they are Fiat-Allis part of New Holland Ag.

65. Physics subject: ATOM.

66. GPA spoilers: DEEs. Grade Point Average takes a hit from a "D" grade.

67. Bloodsucker: LEECH.

68. Upsurge: RISE.

69. 1920s Folies-Bergère designer: ERTÉ. Russian-born French artist and designer known by the pseudonym Erté, the French pronunciation of his initials, R.T.

Down:

1. Drink like a cat: LAP UP.

2. Go on the stump: ORATE. On a stump or a soap box, to give a speech.

3. Large chamber group: OCTET. Chamber music is a form of classical music , written for a small group, in this case, eight.

4. "__ is human ...": TO ERR.

5. Took the cup: WON.

6. Drawing out: ELICITING.

7. Unit of petrol: LITRE. British form in the clue and answer.

8. Trifled (with): TOYED.

9. Biol., e.g.: SCI.. Biology, science.

10. Slide rule number: LOGARITHM. Coined by Scottish mathematician John Napier, literally "ratio-number,"

11. Yellow shade: OCHRE.

12. Handy bags: TOTES.

13. Laces into: HAS AT. Not a common term.

18. Stir up: ROIL.

19. Flag throwers, at times: REFS.

24. South Pacific archipelago and nation: FIJI. On the lower right of this map.

25. Like Pindar's works: ODIC. Pindar was an Ancient Greek lyric poet.

28. Mud bath locale: SPA.

29. Assist: AID.

30. Potent '60s-'70s Pontiac: GTO. Image of an early GTO

31. Like trapeze artists: ACROBATIC.

33. Leo's studio: MGM. Leo is the MGM lion. Roar!

34. Almond liqueurs: AMARETTOS. Pour it on some good vanilla ice cream, yum!

36. Potsdam pronoun: SIE. Alliteration, German.

37. "Double Fantasy" artist Yoko: ONO. Back to just her last name.

38. London's __ Gardens: KEW. Actual name is Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, The name Kew is a combination of two words: the Old French kai (landing place; 'quay' derives from this) and Old English hoh (spur of land). The land spur is the bend in the Thames. The name was recorded in 1327 as Cayho.

40. "What have we __?": HERE.

41. Passed and then some: ACED.

46. North Carolina college town: ELON.

48. Sparkling-wine center: ASTI.

49. Like decrees from Benedict XVI, e.g.: PAPAL. He was a Pope.

50. Seed-to-be: OVULE.

51. Champ's prize: TITLE.

52. Dick __, Hoosier senator since 1977: LUGAR. This man.

53. Question about Biblical betrayal: "IS IT I?". During the Last Supper.

54. Señor's feature?: TILDE. The diacritic (~) placed over the n.

55. More off-the-wall: ODDER.

56. Parking helper: VALET.

57. "Family Ties" mom: ELYSE. This woman.

62. "Sorta" suffix: -ISH. Sorta-ish a bad word.

63. Bovary's title: Abbr.: MME.. Madame. Flaubert's "Madame Bovary".

Answer grid.

Argyle

Monday June 28, 2010 Scott Atkinson

Theme: Wild Kingdom - Animals described by two separate animal names and before someone says a spider or a shark isn't an animal, I see everything as animal, vegetable, or mineral and they aren't one of the last two.

17A. Hammerhead relative with stripes: TIGER SHARK. Image.

27A. Huge walrus relative: ELEPHANT SEAL. Image.

48A. Primate with spindly limbs: SPIDER MONKEY. Image.

63A. One of two in "The Twelve Days of Christmas": TURTLE DOVE. Image.

Argyle here.

What a straightforward puzzle. Hardly a tricky clue in the batch. Entries from across the board. This is the one you might give to people to get them started on crosswords.

Across:

1. Apple computers: MACS

5. Subsurface woodwork decoration: INLAY

10. Coffeehouse convenience for Web surfers: WI-FI

14. Give off, as light: EMIT

15. '80s Pontiac roadster: FIERO. Image.

16. Ruckuses: ADOs

19. Pulls, as a camper: TOWS

20. Visibly stunned: AGAPE

21. 1930s-'40s New York mayor La Guardia: FIORELLO. Mayor for three terms from 1934 to 1945. La Guardia ordered construction of the airport that bears his name after his TWA flight arrived at Newark, NJ, even though his ticket said New York.

23. Submarine weapon: TORPEDO

26. Orange Free State settler: BOER. The Republic of the Orange Free State (Dutch) was an independent Boer republic in southern Africa. Boer is the Dutch word for farmer.

32. Covert __: spy activities: OPS. OPS is short for operations.

35. Be untruthful: LIE

36. Sharpshooter Annie: OAKLEY

37. Supreme Court intern: CLERK

40. Antlered critter: ELK and 42. Plains grazer: BISON. Two bonus animals.

43. Cooking class, for short: HOME EC

45. "__ Miz": LES. A colloquialism for the 1980 musical production, Les Misérables

47. Curry of "Today": ANN. Image.

52. One-named Irish singer: ENYA

53. Pago Pago natives: SAMOANS. From the South Seas.

57. Talky gatherings: GABFESTS

61. Large wall picture: MURAL. What our WM is known to paint.

62. Eins, zwei, __: DREI. German 1, 2, 3.

66. Alda of "M*A*S*H": ALAN

67. Clarinetist Shaw: ARTIE

68. Words of understanding: "I SEE"

69. Oxen's harness: YOKE

70. Have a new __ on life: LEASE

71. Hanukkah moolah: GELT. The word gelt means money in Yiddish.

Down:

1. Convened in: MET AT

2. Compadre: AMIGO

3. "Close, but no __": CIGAR

4. Treeless Siberian tract: STEPPE

5. "No __, ands or buts": IFS

6. Fed. research org.: NIH. National Institutes of Health.

7. Fall faller: LEAF. An alliterate clue.

8. Speedy Gonzales exclamation: "¡ARRIBA!". Used as an exclamation of pleasure, approval, or elation. Speedy Gonzales is a Mexican cartoon mouse. Clip.

9. John Lennon's love: YOKO ONO. Her full name, for a change.

10. Ride behind a speedboat: WATER SKI

11. TV's "American __": IDOL

12. Chicks, ducks, etc.: FOWL

13. "That __ yesterday!": IS SO. Do they still call this Valley Speak?

18. Fishing line holder: REEL

22. Adjust a paragraph setting: RETAB

24. Biden's state: Abbr.: DEL.. Delaware.

25. Mayberry boy: OPIE

28. Phone call response: "HELLO?"

29. "Born Free" lioness: ELSA

30. Long, long time: AEON

31. Nashville's Loretta: LYNN. She was a Coal Miner's Daughter.

32. Folk legend Phil: OCHS. Philip Ochs(1940 – 1976) was an American protest singer (or, as he preferred, a topical singer) and songwriter who was known for his sharp wit, sardonic humor, earnest humanism, political activism, insightful and alliterative lyrics, and haunting voice. He wrote "Draft Dodger Rag".

33. Sit (down) undaintily: PLOP

34. 18-wheeler: SEMI

38. Give new meaning to: REDEFINE

39. New Hampshire city: KEENE

41. Barbies' counterparts: KENS

44. Waterford product: CRYSTAL. A trademark brand of crystal glassware.

46. Caribbean music: SKA

49. Grown-up: MATURE

50. Plus-size supermodel: EMME. Image.

51. Cool cat's "Get it?": "YOU DIG?"

54. Cropped up: ARISE. (Correction: It's AROSE. Thanks, Tinbeni.)

55. Bellybutton: NAVEL

56. Winter hazard: SLEET

57. Melbourne greeting: "G'DAY". Kazie, are you there?

58. "The Motorcycle Song" singer Guthrie: ARLO. "I don't want a pickle, just wanna ride on my motorcycle"

59. Toucan's pride: BEAK. Here is a picture of a toucan's pride.

60. Mex. miss: SRTA

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

65. Jeans brand: LEE

Okay, I admit there may be an East Coast bias to this puzzle.

Answer grid.

Argyle

Sunday June 27, 2010 Ed Sessa

Theme: The Ends Justify the Meanings - The end word in each theme answer is split into a compound word, and the first part of which forms a familiar "__ and __" phrase with the start of each theme entry.

23A. Angler's go-to lure?: BREAD AND BUTTER FLY. Bread and Butter. Butterfly. Anglers use artificial flies as lure.

37A. Intermittent photo session?: ON AND OFF SHOOT. On and off. Offshoot.

67A. "Father Knows Best," to some: MOM AND POP CORN. Mom and Pop. Popcorn. I've never watched "Father Knows Best". Is it really corny?

97A. Zigzags?:: IN-AND-OUT LINES. In-and-Out. Outlines.

114A.Wavering conservative faction?: BACK AND FORTH RIGHT. Back and Forth. Forthright. Conservative faction = Right.

16D. Thrill from using a mouse?: DRAG AND DROP KICK. Drag and Drop. Dropkick. Fun clue/answer.

43D. Fancy dance marathon?: HUFF AND PUFF BALL. Huff and Puff. Puffball. Very evocative answer.

Fun theme.

It reminds me slightly of Doug Peterson and Barry Silk's collaboration Sunday puzzle "And another thing...". Different approach of course.

None of the expensive letters J/Q/X/Z is used in this grid. Out of 36 3-letter & 32 4-letter entries, quite a few are abbreviations. Fortunately most of them have become gimmes to me. I've been solving & blogging puzzles for more than two and a half years.

Across:

1. Long cold spell: ICE AGE. Nice clue.

7. "The Whiffenpoof Song" words: BAAS. Wikipedia says "The Whiffenpoof Song" ends in "Baa, baa, humbug!". Unknown to me.

11. Big bang: BLAST. Triple alliteration.

16. Mil. decoration: DSM (Distinguished Service Medal)

19. Grand Canyon nester: CONDOR. Had trouble obtaining the answer.

20. Quartet named for its singers: ABBA. Initials of their first names.

21. Alice's husband in '50s TV: RALPH

22. Reine's spouse: ROI. Reine = Queen (in French)

26. Hole puncher: AWL

27. Dustin's "Kramer vs. Kramer" co-star: MERYL(Streep)

28. "Jingle Bells" contraction: O'ER

29. Some nest eggs, briefly: IRAS

30. Mirrored: IMAGED

32. Sign that makes an angel happy: SRO (Stand Room Only). Angel here refers to a person who finances a Broadway show or a film.

33. Religious symbol: ICON

35. "Hold on __!": A SEC

36. Say over: ITERATE. And REPEAT (121.Echo)

40. __ White: SNOW

41. '90s Olds: ACHIEVA. Replaced by Alero in 1999. New trivia to me.

44. Work at assiduously: PLY

45. Took potshots: SNIPED

47. Lugs: HAULS

48. "A Doll's House" heroine: NORA. I forgot.

50. Passé platters: LPS. Cool clue!

52. Candy named for its creators: M AND M'S. Odd to see M & M's spelled out.

55. Overrun en masse, as ants: INFEST

57. Pedal pusher: CYCLER

59. Minsk's home: BELARUS. Nailed it.

60. Where wildebeest roam: Abbr.: AFR. Wildebeest = Gnu.

61. Possess, to Burns: HAE. "Have".

63. Two bells, at sea: ONE AM. Guessed. Don't really know the bells and the corresponded time.

65. Admission of defeat: I LOST

66. Palindromic Altar: ARA. Literally "Altar" in Latin.

71. Ale servings: Abbr.: PTS (Pints)

72. Yorba __, Calif. : LINDA. Just learned that the Nixon Library is located here.

74. Cockamamie: INANE

75. Here, to Pierre: ICI

76. Letters before a 76-Down: AKA. Nice crossing with ALIAS (76D. See 76-Across).

77. Blues Brothers toppers: FEDORAS. And SNL (118.Where the Blues Brothers began, briefly).

79. Like some outfield walls: PADDED

82. Quartz compound: SILICA

85. Quakers in the woods: ASPENS. Aspen quakes. The "in the woods" did not dissuade me from thinking of the religious Quakers.

86. These, to Thérèse: CES

87. Formerly, formerly: ERST

89. Suitable spot for a statue: NICHE. Triple alliteration in the clue.

90. Has the last of: USES UP

92. TV Guide abbr. : TBA

93. Director's do-overs: RETAKES

95. Sword handle: HAFT

101.1980s-'90s N.Y. senator D'Amato: ALFONSE. I peeked at the answer sheet.

103."Denial __ just a river in Egypt": Twain: AIN'T

104.State with conviction: AVER

105.Sleep lab acronym: REM

108.Bump off: RUB OUT

109.Anthem starter: O SAY

110.Expected: DUE

111.Typical start?: PROTO. Start of the word Prototypical.

113.GP's gp. : AMA

119.Taken as a whole: IN ALL

120.__ worlde: quaintly fashionable: OLDE

122."Rebel Without a Cause" actor Mineo: SAL

123.World carrier: ATLAS. The clue needs a question mark, does it?

124.Lanolin source: WOOL. Did not know the meaning of lanolin: a fatty substance obtained from wool and used in soaps, cosmetics, and ointments.

125.Fuel in a can: STERNO

Down:

1. Some WMDs: ICBMS. Stumper. ICBM = InterContinental Ballistic Missile.

2. Semicircular utensil: CORER. I seldom use our corer.

3. Hot time in Chile: ENERO. January.

4. Beatles' "__ in the Life": A DAY

5. Sanctity: GODLINESS

6. '70s NOW cause: ERA. I know NOW = National Organization for Women. But I don't get the clue.

7. Villains often come to one: BAD END. Wish it's true in real life.

8. Mass. or Miss.: ABBR. Can't get STATE out of my mind.

9. "Aladdin" monkey: ABU. No idea.

10. Make happy: SATISFY

11. Dam damage: BREACH

12. "__ and the Real Girl": 2007 film: LARS. Here is the poster. Doesn't look interesting to me.

13. Franklin's 1936 foe: ALF (Landon)

14. Mid-race statistic: SPLIT TIME. Car race?

15. Part of a Simon & Garfunkel quartet: THYME. "Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme". Love the song.

17. Johannesburg area: SOWETO. Nope. What's it famous for?

18. Shower problem: MILDEW

24. Reagan speechwriter: NOONAN (Peggy)

25. Spanish crowd?: TRES. Spanish for "three". Three's a crowd.

31. Military depot: ARSENAL

34. Cleveland hoopster, for short: CAV. Cavaliers.

35. Company with a spokesduck: AFLAC

36. Charge carrier: ION. I blanked on the clue.

37. Crude carrier: OILER. Nice consecutive "carrier' clues.

38. Venue for Minnie Pearl: OPRY

39. CIA predecessor: OSS (Office of Strategic Services)

41. Sashimi fish: AHI. Yummy!

42. Birds named for an island group: CANARIES

46. Monty Python member: PALIN. Someone is pouting for the clue.

49. Neptune's domain: OCEAN

50. O'Brien's successor: LENO

51. Type of school: PREP

53. Pencil or toothbrush, e.g.: MUSTACHE. Devious clue!

54. Retd. boomers: SSTS. Nailed it.

56. Howe'er: THO

58. Ran easily: LOPED

59. College QB, often: BMOC (Big Man on Campus)

62. "Time's Arrow" author: AMIS (Martin). Has anyone read the book?

64. Bases' antitheses: ACIDS

66. Bravo preceder: ALFA. Alfa and Alpha both right.

67. Seine tributary: MARNE. Can never remember this river.

68. Kitty pickup spot: NAPE

69. Spiral molecules: DNAS

70. Grafton's "__ for Ricochet": R IS

73. Argumentative cry: DOES TOO

78. Second: ASSISTANT. Constructors love this kind of ambiguous part of speech.

80. Coming-out: DEBUT

81. Part of Q.E.D.: ERAT

83. Make sense of: INTERPRET

84. DDE adversary: AES (Adlai Ewing Stevenson)

86. Audit rep: CPA. And HRS (117. 86-Down billing units).

88. Hot-pot support: TRIVET. Three-legged stand.

91. Somme one: UNE. In French.

92. Wally Cleaver portrayer: TONY DOW. Learned from doing Xword.

94. Reno-to-Elko dir.: ENE

95. Bust chops: HARASS. "Bust chops" is new slang to me.

96. Wellesley grad: ALUMNA. Women's college.

98. Some sonorant sounds: NASALS. Another triple alliteration.

99. "Gorillas in the Mist" subject Fossey: DIAN. Can never commit her name to my brain.

100. Victory emblem: LAUREL

102.Ancient Nile Valley kingdom: NUBIA. Current Egypt-Sudan region. JD said Aida is from Nubia.

105.Ham's "Gotcha": ROGER

106.Frome of fiction: ETHAN

107.Words often etched in stone: MOTTO

109.Sooner St.: OKLA. Lois is there now.

110.Birdbrain: DODO. Our Dodo got her avatar name from the starting two letters of her given & family name.

112.Ready to pluck: RIPE

115.Baseball "Iron Man" Ripken: CAL. So humble!

116.Waitress at Mel's: FLO

Answer grid.

Happy 75th Birthday to Jeannie's Dad!

C.C.