Wednesday November 25, 2009 Gareth Bain

Theme: RAMA LAMA DING DONG

Yikes! I never imagined seeing that here. Or anywhere else, for that matter.

17A: 360 degree artwork: CYCLORAMA. Never heard of it.

26A: Former resident of Lhasa's Potala Palace: DALAI LAMA. Easy answer. Hard to spell. Had to rely on perps.

41A: Wildly exciting, in slang: RING-A-DING. OK, I guess - but not very common.

52A: Long Time Chinese Leader: MAO ZEDONG. Another easy answer, but a real spelling challenge.

And 43D Named for a car model, group who sang the 1961 hit formed by the end of 17-, 26-, 41-, and 52-Across: EDSELS. I went from Freshman to Sophomore in High School in 1961. I remember the song, almost, and the car, but not the group. The YouTube link says 1957-58, not 1961, and that sounds right to me.

Hi, gang - it's Jazzbumpa, your displaced OHIOAN trombonist. Let's dedicate today's puzzle to Buckeye and Crockett. Hope I didn't miss anyone.

Rather a fun puzzle. I had no clue on the theme until I got to 43 D.

Quite a few long fills and nice 5-stacks. I counted 36 black squares. Let's work it out.

Across:

1A Workout room: GYM. Dennis can give us the details.

4A Bit of hardware: SCREW. I think of it as a machine part, but hardware is OK, too. Other meanings are possible.

9A Suffix with sea: SCAPE. I wasn't sure what to expect here. Had to get perp help.

14A Extinct ostrich like bird: MOA. The MOA, the merrier. Too bad they're gone.

15A Games authority: HOYLE. He wrote the book on many card games.

16A Give_________: care: A HOOT. I tried A DAMN first, thinking about Rhett and Scarlet. Then I got A____T from the perps, and was a bit concerned for a while.

19A Hardly the gregarious type: LONER. Thought of this guy. Wonder if he's in solitary confinement?

20A Buckeye: OHIOAN. Needs no explanation. But here, anyway. I have a semi-closely related horse chestnut tree in my backyard. I think Buckeyes were declared illegal in Michigan last Saturday. We had a great time at the game and tailgating, but the outcome was sure hard on the locals.

21A "Skip the sordid details." SPARE ME. Or a bowler requesting assistance on a 7-10, perhaps.

23A Like many Airports: Abbr.: INTL. Internal, like near the center of a continent. Oh, wait - maybe it's international.

24 A ________ FIRMA: TERRA. Well, what else could it be?

25A Well fluids: INKS. The stuff in the ink well. Nice, clever clue, it you're old enough to remember ink wells. Did anybody under about 50 have trouble with this?

30 A God of hawks: ARES. We think of him as the god of war, and therefore hawks = warmongers. But Wikipedia points out that ARES is the god of bloodlust and slaughter. Lovely.

31 A Gear part: COG. A single tooth, a cogwheel, or someone like Mongo, only pawn in game of life.

32 A Frank: WEENIE. I stumbled all over this one. Like Diogenes, I was looking for an honest man. Or at least some nice buns.

33A Fanzine, e.g. MAG Abbrv. fr. Mgzn. I gss.

34 Limerick's place: IRELAND. The Emerald Isle. Ye Olde Sod. Home of Guinness. Oddly, I have a limerick on my blog today. First one ever. Go figure

36A Old Prizm automaker: GEO. And 1D Canyon or Sierra: GMC. Correct, and correct. This time there can be no dispute.

37A Represent as Identical: EQUATE. Do you equate EQUATE with "make identical?" How about correspond, match, similar or analogous? Just askin . . .

39 A _______ And outs. INS. Are they talking about doorways, or something else?

40 A East Berlin's Cold War Counterpart: BONN The two capital cities.

43 A Guesses "true" when the answer is false: ERRS. Or drops the ball. It's only human.

44 A Pulizer winner Walker: ALICE. Won Pulizer Prize for "The Color Purple." I forgot.

46A Golfer who won the 1992 U.S. Open: TOM KITE. I couldn't tell you who won the 2009 U.S. Open.

49A Prescription measure: DOSAGE. It's just the right amount.

51 A Nebraska city: OMAHA Founded in 1854, the nations 42nd largest city.

55 A Boston Airport: LOGAN. It's just about surrounded by water.

56 A Throw out: EXPEL. Like, from school.

57 A Nitrogen based dye: AZO. Al? Dr. Dad?

58 A Pork Cuts: LOINS. Them's good eatin'!

59 A Essentials: NEEDS. If you need it, it's essential.

60 A Go one better. TOP. Lions over Browns. Crazy finish.

Down:

2 D Toy on a string: YOYO. Or a honker, dinger YOYO jamboree.

3 D Rapid fire weapon: MACHINE GUN. Rat-a-tat-tat.

4 D "Eats, ______, & Leaves" : Punctuation handbook: SHOOTS. Beware of koalas with MACHINE GUNS.

5 D Reef Stuff: CORAL And starfish fodder.

6 D "Saving Private ______" RYAN War really is hell.

7 D Common street name: ELM Formerly, a common tree. Now ash is in trouble, too.

8 D Cunning sort: WEASEL. Seems wrong. Should be "a sneaky, untrustworthy, or insincere person".

9 D Not paid hourly: SALARIED. Either way, it's take home pay.

10 D Bach Work: CHORALE Bah! I can't find a YouTube link to one actually being sung. We'll have to settle for this.

11 D Superior: A ONE. Or Minnesota's Lake.

12 D Keats work: POEM Better than a Yeats work, C.A.?

13 D Raison d'_________: Reason for being: ETRE. A bit strained, IMHO.

18 D Golf course: LINKS. Or breakfast before a round, perhaps.

22 D Shrimp like crustaceans: PRAWNS Anybody know the difference?

24 D "In space no one can hear you scream" for "Alien.": TAG LINE A memorable branding slogan used in advertising.

25 D Mosul resident: IRAQI

26 D Forest female: DOE. And the start of a genuinely horrible song. I won't link to it.

27 D Source of mohair: ANGORA GOAT Rather a handsome fellow.

28 D Bearings: MIENS I wanted more machine parts, not demeanor.

29 D Near eternity: AEON When you need a bunch of vowels, you need a bunch of vowels!

30 D From the U.S.: AMER. Abbrv. in Cl. Abbrv. in Ans.

31 D Cash Alternative: CREDIT Use it if you have it.

34 D Neopolitans, e.g. ITALIANS Originating in Naples, or Napoli

35 D Director Lee: ANG Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Brokeback Mountain, etc.

38 D Shi'ite leader: AGA KHAN The hereditary title of the Imam of the Nizārī Muslims, I had no idea.

40 D Server's basketful: BREAD In a retaurant, or at the sermon on the mount, with fish.

42 D Bygone bringers of cold blocks: ICE MEN They were cool.

45 D Leaked Slowly: OOZED. The word sounds viscous and slimey.

46 D Turnpike fee: TOLL To pay for the snack, I suppose.

47 D Melville Novel: OMOO. Unknown outside of crosswords.

48 D "The gift of the___": MAGI Sad, ironic story of loving and giving, by O Henry.

49 D Info: DOPE I haven't heard it used this way in AEONS.

50 D Auto designer Ferrari: ENZO. Must have a picture.

53 D Stump creator: AXE Sharp clue.

54 D Red State Org.: GOP. Grand Old Party. The erstwhile party of Lincoln. 'Nuff said.

Answer grid.

Pictures of the Day: Here are four fantastic photos J.D. took during her Safari expedition. Click on each one, the picture will enlarge.

Cheers!

Jazzbumpa

Tuesday November 24, 2009 Gary J. Whitehead

Theme: Homophones - The last words of the three theme answers are homophones.

20A: Sophisticated taste, foodwise: REFINED PALATE

36A: Studio item with a thumbhole: PAINTER'S PALETTE

47A: Portable shipping platform: FREIGHT PALLET

The bees (Barb & Melissa) blogging.

We didn't recognize the constructor's name. So we looked him up. Gary Whitehead is a poet, painter, teacher and crossword constructor. Get this. He also wrote this piece for the Christian Science Monitor titled A question of morels.

Homophones are words that are pronounced the same, but are different in spelling and meaning. PALLET can also mean a mattress or small, temporary bed. There are probably a lot of visiting family members sleeping on pallets this week. That might be next for Barb B, a.k.a. Goldilocks. The futon is too hard, and the couch is too soft. Maybe a pallet would be just right. Or maybe she just needs a massage.

Lots of expensive scrabbly letters, but alas, no K, Q or W.

Across:

1: Job detail, briefly: SPEC.

5: First appearance: DEBUT.

10: Irish dances: JIGS.

14: Prefix with space: AERO.

15: Really peeved: IRATE. Michael Smith's famous mad bluebird photograph. What's your pet peeve?

16: Campus south of Sunset Blvd: UCLA.

17: Investor's goal: GAIN.

18: Subsidiary building: ANNEX.

19: Thoughtful: DEEP.

23: B&Bs: INNS. Mother and daughter, too.

24: Jane Fonda, to Peter: SIS.

25: Ping-Pong need: PADDLE.

28: Airing, as an ESPN game: ON TV.

30: Schmooze: GAB.

33: See eye to eye: AGREE.

34: "Night" author Wiesel: ELIE.

35: Nod off: DOZE.

39: Datebook entry: Abbr.: APPT.

40: Improves in the wine cellar: AGES.

41: Western: OATER.

42: Guitarist ____ Paul: LES. June 9, 1915 – August 12, 2009. Moonglow. RIP Les.

43: 1982 Disney sci-fi movie: TRON.

44: Pessimistic types: CYNICS.

45: Sidekick: PAL.

46: Sargasso et al.: SEAS. The Sargasso Sea is in the heart of the Bermuda Triangle, and named for the sargassum seaweed that floats in it. Wide Sargasso Sea is a prequel to Jane Eyre, made into a movie.

53: "The Haj" novelist: URIS. Haj = pilgrimage to Mecca. Haji = one who has made a pilgrimage. Who remembers this Hadji?

54: Racetrack borders: RAILS.

55: Giant screen format: IMAX.

57: Vitality: ZEST.

58: Els on the links: ERNIE. Crossword staple. Currently ranked 16th. Career earnings: $35,810,558.

59: Free from doubt: SURE. And 4D: Free from doubt: CONFIDENT. Nice echo. Nice echo.

60: Foreboding date for Caesar: IDES.

61: Dublin-born poet: YEATS. From A Prayer For My Daughter: Have I not seen the loveliest woman born...

62: Romanov ruler: TSAR.

Down:

1: Droop: SAG.

2: Anjou or Bosc: PEAR. Homophones: pair and pare.

3: Toledo's lake: ERIE.

5: California senator Feinstein: DIANNE.

6: Maritime raptors: ERNES.

7: Robinhood's merry men, e.g.: BAND. Including Maid Marion and Friar Tuck.

8: Longhorn State sch.: UTEP. University of Texas at El Paso.

9: Oil, informally: TEXAS TEA.

10: Biblical traitor: JUDAS.

11: Rapper-turned-actor: ICE T.

12: Tickled-pink feeling: GLEE. Right Dennis?

13: Maple yield: SAP.

21: Bay or cove: INLET.

22: Actress Tyler: LIV. Aerosmith's Steven Tyler's daughter.

25: Of the Holy See: PAPAL. "See" comes from the Latin word sedes, meaning the seat or residence of the bishop.

26: Showing shock: AGAPE.

27: Plumbing problems: DRIPS.

28: Jimmy of the Daily Planet: OLSEN.

29: Playful bites: NIPS.

30: Gangster dubbed "The Teflon Don": GOTTI. Dapper Don. John Gotti Jr. is following in his father's footsteps. He's on trial for racketeering and murder, current jury deadlocked after three hung juries.

31: Ancient Mexican: AZTEC.

32: Tavern round: BEERS.

34: Consequently: ERGO.

35: Academic honor: DEAN'S LIST.

37: Tea named for William IV's prime minister: EARL GREY. Infused with bergamot.

38: True blue: LOYAL. Hey! What?

43: Mai ___: cocktail: TAI.

44: Breaks off: CEASES.

45: Roaches, ants, etc.: PESTS.

46. Bowler's headache: SPLIT. Also the word that starts Bananagram game. We've been playing. Barb B keeps winning.

47. Wilma's mate: FRED.

48. Greet the day: RISE.

49: Cocksure Aesopian racer: HARE.

50: "Saturday Night Live" alum Fey: TINA.

51: Outback runners: EMUS. Have you tried Emu oil?

52: O'Hara home: TARA. Rhymes.

53: Action film gun: UZI.

56: Gen-____: boomer's kid, usually: XER. Generation X.

Answer grid.

Barb & Melissa

Monday, November 23, 2009 Joan Buell

Theme: Lower Body Parts - Clothing items starting with a word indicating "lower body part".

17A: Beatles footwear: ANKLE BOOTS.

66A: Stockinglike workout wear: LEG WARMERS.

10D: Goalie's protective pair: SHIN GUARDS.

30D: Pants with a low waistline: HIP HUGGERS.

Argyle here. It seemed a little loose today. The theme was muddled by the inclusion of other body parts. 27A: Seasoned pros: OLD HANDS, 50A: Sledding spot: HILL SIDE and 49D: Winter hat feature: EAR LAP.

Maybe it's just me.

Across:

1A: Closes in anger, as a door: SLAMS.

6A: Cause damage to: HARM. From slamming too hard?

10A: Cover for a pillow: SHAM.

14A: Psychic's card: TAROT. A. Tarot, are you still with us?

15A: Belle man: BEAU. BEAU of the ball.

20A: In a dishonorable way: BASELY.

21A: Japanese electronics giant: NEC. Nippon Electronics Corporation, mostly in computer related products and net working.

22A: Pinot __: NOIR. Grapes and wine. It is a difficult variety to cultivate and transform into wine.

25A: Spanish wine punch: SANGRIA. A popular drink among tourists . (Any personal experiences?)

32A: The "T" in some fraternity initials: TAU.

33A: 503, in old Rome: DIII.

34A: Casa kitchen crock: OLLA.

36A: Half a '60s pop group: MAMAS. The other half: PAPAS

40A: Like the diving-board end: DEEP. I got caught thinking it referred to the board itself and not the pool.

41A: WWII noncombat females: WAACS. Women's Army Auxiliary Corps. Sloppy clue, should have said something about being service related. Were there any combat females?; I think not.

43A: Sitar music: RAGA.

44A: Seaweed-wrapped Japanese fare: SUSHI.

46A: Analogy phrase: IS TO.

47A: Contest with pistols: DUEL. I still laugh when I think of our school advertising a DUEL(dual) position.

48A: Put into service: USE.

52A: Word game involving a stick figure: HANG MAN.

56A: "No way, laddie!": NAE.

60A: Double-checks the math: READDS. Boo!

65A: Copenhagen native: DANE.

69A: Apex: ACME.

70A: Words after have or save: A SEAT.

72A: Sampras of tennis: PETE.

73A: Burial places : TOMBS.

Down:

1D: Wild guess: STAB. aka, WAG.

2D: Superboy's girlfriend Lang: LANA. Superman's girlfriend was Lois Lane. Was he O/C? (obsessive-compulsive)

3D: Boats like Noah's: ARKS.

4D: Beauty mark: MOLE.

5D: "A Streetcar Named Desire" woman: STELLA. Stella!

6D: "Real Time With Bill Maher" network: HBO.

9D: Oman's capital: MUSCAT.

12D: Computer text code: ASCII. American Standard Code for Information Interchange. I admit I always thought it was ASC II, you know, like the second version.

13D: Anne of "Archie Bunker's Place": MEARA. The show aired for four seasons, '79-'83. Anne Meara played Veronica Rooney (1979-1982), the cook at Archie Bunker's Place, the bar Archie bought. She and her husband were the Stiller and Meara comedy duo.

18D: "See ya later": BYE NOW.

24D: Stevenson who lost twice to Eisenhower: ADLAI.

26D: "Apocalypse Now" setting, briefly: NAM.

31D: Cut dramatically: SLASH. 39D: Bargain hunter's delight: SALE.

35D: Join the cast of: ACT IN.

42D: Sporty Toyota Camry: SOLARA. A mid-size coupe/convertible.

45D: Suffix with intellectual: ISM.

52D: Mythological underworld: HADES. Greek.

53D: Tequila plant: AGAVE.

54D: Octet plus one: NONET.

59D: Corp. leadership gp.: MGMT. management.

61D: "I __ busted!": AM SO. I thought of Dennis and his "False Confession Day"

62D: Judge: DEEM.

63D: Colorless: DRAB.

64D: Retd. Air France fliers: SSTS. But they will never retire as crossword fill.

67D: Like early morning hours : WEE.

Answer grid.

Argyle

Sunday November 22, 2009 Ken Bessette

Theme: Literal Translation - Familiar phrases consisting of an anagrammed word of the capitalized theme clue and anagram indicators.

23A. TOG?: GOT TURNED AROUND. GOT was turned around and became TOG.

38A. GLIBNESS?: MIXED BLESSING. BLESSING was mixed and became GLIBNESS.

51A. FELT?: LEFT IN DISARRAY. LEFT was in disarray and became FELT.

66A. GOES?: ALTER EGOS. EGOS was altered into GOES.

69A. RAGE?: GEAR SHIFT. GEAR was shifted into RAGE.

89A. SING?: OUT OF ORDER SIGN. SIGN was out of order and became SING.

97A. EARTH?: CHANGE OF HEART. Heart was changed into EARTH.

118A. STOP?: POST REFORMATION. POST was reformed into STOP.

I realized the theme is about reverse anagram after seeing all those capitalized theme clues. But I am not a cryptic fan, so the puzzle was a bit tough for me to unscramble. Cheated very early on.

All the above theme answers are actually clues, and the clues are answers. That's why all the clues are capitalized. Correct, Jerome?

I feel this puzzle is to be admired afterward. Lots of cleverly twisted clues.

Across:

1. Soft drink option: SODA POP

8. Regal rod: SCEPTER. Symbol of authority.

15. Get ready to eat?: RIPEN. Delicious clue. "Ready to eat?" would be great for RIPE too.

20. Blue books?: EROTICA. The question mark hints at the risqué meaning of "blue".

21. Way over the ocean: AIR LANE

22. Overcome glossophobia: ORATE. Glossophobia is fear of public speaking. New word to me.

25. Law school subject: TORTS

26. Pot creators: ANTES

27. NASA rank: CMDR (Commander). Stumped me.

28. One of Jason's men: ARGONAUT. Jason and the Argonauts. Jason's ship is ARGO.

30. Country's Acuff et al.: ROYS. Roy Acuff, King of Country Music. Rang a dim bell to me.

31. Annual parade city since 1890: PASADENA. Rose Bowl city.

35. Like the vb. "be," e.g.: IRR (Irregular)

36. Shipbuilding wood: TEAK. Water resistant, isn't it?

44. H, as in "Hera": ETA. The letter H in Greek goddess Hera is a vowel.

47. Multicolored: PIED. Ah, the Pied Piper of Hamelin.

49. Cantina fare: TAMALE

50. Symphonic wind: OBOE. Wind instrument.

55. Song on the Beatles' "Revolver" album: TAXMAN. Here is a clip.

57. Political position: STANCE

58. Mecca for N.Y.C. art lovers: MOMA (Museum of Modern Art)

59. Penguin on skates, for short: NHLER. The Pittsburgh Penguins.

61. Nautical pronoun: SHE

62. 1968 self-titled folk album: ARLO. Arlo Guthrie.

63. Cock and bull: MALES. Nice play on "a cock and bull story".

64. Pieces of 8?: ARCS. Is it because of the shape of 8?

74. Squeezes (out): EKES. Ekes out a living.

75. Cancels: NULLS. Thought of nixes first.

76. Island accessories: LEIS. Island in Hawaii.

78. Monk's address: FRA

81. Shocked intakes: GASPS. Nice clue.

84. "All __": 1984 film featuring an old song of the same name: OF ME. Nope. Not familiar with the movie or the song.

85. Overly affected: TOO-TOO

87. Confessions may be given under it: DURESS. Great clue too. I fell into Dennis' trap yesterday and really thought he was adopted.

92. Old Roman road: ITER

93. Picked: CHOSEN

95. Silverware point: TINE

96. Light period: DAY. "Light" indeed.

101. Micro ending: COSM. Microcosm. My initial thought was SOFT.

103. Mortgage pmt. component: INT (Interest)

104. Canal locale: INNER EAR. Not the waterway canal.

106. B'way ticket abbr.: ORCH (Orchestra). Was stymied.

110. "Says who?": IS THAT SO

115. Nitwit: SIMP

116. Mild cigar: CLARO. Learned from doing Xword. Spanish for "clear".

117. It's traditionally placed to the right of the knife: SPOON

123. "Not possible": I CAN'T

124. 12:30, on a ship: ONE BELL. See this list. Are they still using the bell to indicate time?

125. Beckett contemporary: IONESCO (Eugène). No idea. He's a Romanian/French playwright. Theater of the Absurd pioneer. Samuel Beckett was an Irish dramatist. Nobel Literature winner 1969.

126. Stuffs: SATES. Read "Stuffs" as noun.

127. Bargain hunter's stop: TAG SALE

128. Like some markets: OPEN AIR. I miss farmer's markets.

Down:

1. Olive Oyl's creator: SEGAR (E. C.). Can never remember his name.

2. Maine town named for a Penobscot chief: ORONO. Good to know.

3. Eccentric: DOTTY

4. Bear witness: ATTEST

5. __ XII, WWII pope: PIUS. There are 12 pope named Pius.

6. Text-interpreting technology, briefly: OCR (Optical Character Reader)

7. Flattened: PANCAKED. Did not know pancake can be a verb.

8. Gulf War foe: SADDAM

9. Poet John who translated Dante's "Divine Comedy": CIARDI. Stranger to me.

11. Mideast political gp.: PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization). Rival of Hamas.

12. Letter before upsilon: TAU. Greek T.

13. Sicilian resort: ENNA. The Sicilian volcano is ETNA.

14. Put through one's paces again: REDRILL. RETRACE jumped to my mind.

15. Copter blades: ROTORS

16. Curling gadget: IRON

17. Legal opening?: PARA. Paralegal.

18. Rebuke before the senate: ET TU. Roman senate. "Et tu, Brute?", Caesar's dying rebuke.

19. Cheep place to stay?: NEST. Puns on "cheap".

24. Ambulance letters: EMS

29. Welcoming ones: GREETERS

31. Revolutionary pamphleteer: PAINE (Thomas)

32. Crowd seen at a film festival?: EXTRAS. Excellent clue.

33. Around the corner: NEAR

34. Marketing pro: ADMAN

37. "Beowulf," for one: EPIC. Beowulf is an epic poem.

39. Indiana senator: BAYH (Evan)

40. Beantown team, casually: SOX. Red Sox.

41. Certain PCs: IBMS

42. Early matchmaker: NOAH. Noah collected a pair of each animal on his ark. Brilliant clue.

43. Type of therapy: GENE. Have never heard of gene therapy before.

44. Film feline: ELSA. The "Born Free" lioness.

45. Aquarium swimmer: TETRA

46. Riding for __: acting overconfidently: A FALL. Courting for danger. New idiom to me also.

48. Yankees' #5, familiarly: DIMAG. Joltin' Joe DiMaggio.

52. Govt. security: T-NOTE. OK, T-Bills mature in one year or less. T-Notes mature in two to ten years. And Treasury Bonds mature in ten or more years.

53. Flight training milestone: SOLO

54. Iowa State home: AMES

56. Classy entranceway: ARCH. Gateway Arch in St. Louis.

60. Metallica drummer Ulrich: LARS. Gimme for Matt (Red State Democrat) I am sure. Alien to me.

63. Slob's creation: MESS

65. Farm storage spots: SILOS

67. Ticker tapes, briefly?: EKGS. The heart ticker chart.

68. Second time to the top: REASCENT. Well, I guess you can just RE anything.

69. Sass: GUFF. Also a new word to me.

70. Pollster Roper: ELMO. Another unfamiliar name. He was the the first to develop the scientific poll for political forecasting. And he predicted the election of President Franklin D. Roosevelt correctly, all three times ((1936, 1940, 1944).

71. Warning: ALERT

72. Far from fragrant: FETID

73. New York town on the Susquehanna: TIOGA. No idea. See this map. I presume it's a Native Indian word. What does it mean, Argyle?

75. Reagan biographer Peggy: NOONAN. "When Character Was King" has been sitting on my bookshelf forever, unread.

77. Discman maker: SONY

78. S&L protector: FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation)

79. Dr. who wrote "Sex for Dummies": RUTH

80. Word after Bay, gray or play: AREA. Bay is capitalized.

82. Magic word: POOF

83. Bite-sized food: SUSHI. Hmm, yummy yummy.

85. Pavarotti, e.g.: TENOR. Oh, by the way, I don't Italian food.

86. Metal containers: ORES. Wow, big containers then.

88. Seaside raptor: ERNS

90. Member of many an idol's fan base: TEEN

91. "Catch Me If You Can" star: DICAPRIO (Leonardo). Great movie.

94. Trendy club: HOT SPOT

98. Super Bowl XLII champs: GIANTS

99. Act as middleman, perhaps: RESELL. A rather commonly used re word.

100. It's not important: TRIFLE

102. Liquefied by heat: MOLTEN. Molten hell.

105. Rock music genre: EMO

107. Mrs. Gorbachev: RAISA. A secret fashionista.

108. Spring bloomers: CROCI. Plural of crocus. I was picturing pansies.

109. Accept, as a coupon: HONOR

110. Egyptian fertility goddess: ISIS. Sister and wife of Osiris.

111. Shelter org.: SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals). Animal shelter.

112. Exactly: TO A T. "To a tee" is more common, isn't it?

113. Give an edge to: HONE. I liked this clue too.

114. Disney duck princess: OONA. No idea. Is this princess named after Oona Chaplin?

116. Support staff?: CANE. Got me.

119. Geom. class line part: SEG

120. Airer of baseball's Division Series: TBS

121. Stephen of "Interview With the Vampire": REA. He and ENYA are probably the most famous Irish names in our Xword world, outshining Bono.

122. Swab: MOP

Answer grid.

C.C.

Saturday November 21, 2009 Barry Silk & Doug Peterson

Theme: None

Total blocks: 29

Total words: 70

Can you picture the big smile on my face? Just a great puzzle from two of the best crossword constructors. Refreshing long word answers and twisted new clues for some of the regular short entries.

I don't know how Barry and Doug collaborated. I certainly could not not tell who worked on which section. My favorite part is the lower right corner. Simple & interesting to me. Not sure if Doug knows the DF meaning of MORELS (19D. Gourmet mushrooms) on our blog. Barry does, I think. Maybe it's Barry's proposed word? Fantastic!

I had expected a hard struggle when I saw the byline. Was rather surprised that I was able to fill in so many blanks on the first pass. Nailed all the clever wordplay clues except OCHO (22D. Three less than once). Spanish for "eight". I did not know "once" is Spanish for "eleven". I don't like today's mix of English "three" with Spanish "once". How about you?

Across:

1. Hired goons: MUSCLE. Slang for "thugs".

7. Snub: HIGH-HAT. Always thought high-hat is a just noun.

14. Power to attract: APPEAL. Don't understand Johnny Depp's appeal. People's Sexist Man Alive again?

15. Like an unexpectedly large gift: GENEROUS

16. Buys time: STALLS

17. Heed: LISTEN TO

18. "The Bridges at Toko-Ri" setting: KOREA. Set during the Korean War.

19. Sticking points?: MIRES. Write down MOOTS first.

20. Suggested actions: DO'S. And Don'ts.

21. "Fantastic Voyage" setting: BLOODSTREAM. No idea. Don't think I want to see the film now I've learned the setting.

24. Bad check letters: NSF (Not Sufficient Funds). Dennis has probably encountered bad checks at his hobby stores.

27. Land buy: ACRE

28. Refuse to make changes: SIT PAT. Same as "stand pat", isn't it?

30. Heroic: EPIC

32. Cologne title: HERR. Got the last R quickly, so no HERR/FRAU wobbling.

34. Rivera with two Tonys: CHITA. I guess Clear Ayes knows which two musicals brought her the two Tonys.

35. Its contents are under pressure: AEROSOL. I was picturing our cooking spray.

37. Authority level: ECHELON

39. Nottingham's river: TRENT. Thames wouldn't fit. Trent is England's third-longest river. River Severn is the longest.

40. 1973 Toni Morrison novel: SULA. See the book cover. Unknown to me.

42. She played WKRP's Jennifer: LONI (Anderson).

43. Fancy watches: OMEGAS. You can find plenty of counterfeit Rolex and Omega in China. Fake Microsoft Windows products too.

47. Defense agency since Nov. 2001: TSA (Transportation Security Administration). In response to the Sept 11 attack. The abbreviation escaped me.

48. Geneticist's pursuit: DNA RESEARCH. Fairly easy to string together today.

51. Keep entirely to oneself: HOG

53. Rhodes with a scholarship: CECIL. Founder of the diamond company De Beers. I obtained his name from crosses.

57. Some tattoos: INITIALS

59. Equivalence: PARITY

60. "I kid you not!": HONESTLY

61. "8 Simple Rules" star John: RITTER. Son of Tex Ritter.

62. Son of Agamemnon: ORESTES (aw-RES-teez). I've linked Remorse of Orestes several times before. He was being chased by the Furies because he killed his mother Clytemnestra, who murdered his father.

63. Biological catalyst: ENZYME. Exists in fresh veggies/fruit. Cooking kills enzyme.

Down:

1. Diver's need: MASK. Thought of Tank first.

3. Box for training purposes: SPAR

4. Tabloid subject: CELEB

5. "Deck the Halls" ending: LA LA LA. I vaguely remember we had this clue before.

6. Some commuter lines: ELS (Elevated Railways)

7. They're next in line: HEIRS. Nailed it.

8. Detailed windows: INSETS. Oh, the map closeup windows.

9. Rakes it in: GETS RICH. "Rake it in" is a new phrase to me.

10. Realm until the 19th cen.: HRE. Until 1806.

11. SUV that replaced the Passport: HONDA PILOT. Cars are always my blind spots.

12. Cuckoos in clocks, e.g.: AUTOMATONS. Struggled with the answer.

13. Chinese menu possessive: TSO'S. General Tso's chicken.

15. Quiet aircraft: GLIDER. Drone is quiet too, isn't it? CIA uses drones to kill those targeted terrorists, who can't hear the approach of the drones until too late.

23. Waters of music: ETHEL. Unknown figure to me. Pretty picture.

24. "Super-duper!": NEATO. Just like this puzzle.

25. Solution for a fertility problem, perhaps: SPERM DONOR. So simple in retrospect.

26. Vehicle with a deluge gun: FIRE ENGINE.

29. Patty Hearst's nom de guerre: TANIA. I forgot. Her kidnappers were SLA, often clued as " Radical 1970s gp.".

31. Partygoers may get their kicks out of one: CONGA. D'oh, dance.

33. Switch magazines, maybe: RELOAD. Another clever clue. But you can't fool me with "magazines" any more.

36. "Sorry, Charlie" brand: STARKIST. Here is an old commercial. I was ignorant of the catchphrase "Sorry, Charlie".

38. "Locked room" mystery writer John Dickson __: CARR. Uh-uh, nope. Have never heard of this guy.

41. Restless: UNEASY

44. Hill body: SENATE. Capitol Hill.

46. 2002 Campaign Reform Act co-sponsor: MCCAIN. Gimme. The McCain-Feingold Act.

49. Hawks: SELLS

50. Big name at airports: HERTZ. Car rental.

51. Jaunty greeting: HI HO. Hi-Yo Silver!

54. Normal in Illinois, say: CITY. Normal is a city in Illinois. Easy guess.

55. One often follows a bullet: ITEM. The dot bullet •, not ammo bullet.

56. Instrument played with a plectrum: LYRE. Again, the answer emerged itself.

58. Some NFL pass catchers: TES (Tight Ends)

59. Post- opposite: PRE. Both prefixes. Very straightforward clue.

Answer grid.

C.C.

Friday November 20, 2009 Michael Blake

Theme: ADDLE (65A. Confuse - or what to do to four common phrases to form this puzzle's theme answers) - Letters LE are added to the starts of four common phrases, hence ADD LE.

17A. Maximum tolerance for a stand-up comic's jokes?: (LE)NO LIMIT. Jay Leno.

26A. "All Trotsky, all the time" channel?: (LE)ON TELEVISION. Leon Trotsky.

47A. When dogs can't run loose?: (LE)ASH WEDNESDAY

63A. Nuts about Danish toys?: (LE)GO CRAZY. Did not know Lego is based in Denmark.

This puzzle reminds me of Merle Baker's "slangy turndown" IXNAY puzzle, where IX is nixed from familiar phrase. Or Gareth Bain's NIXON one, where letters ON are nixed in every theme answer.

Very clever interpretation of ADDLE, isn't it? It makes adding/deleting a letter puzzle so much fun.

I actually got ADDLE earlier on, but I could not parse it properly to gain any advantage in filling in the themes. Patchy Bozone Layer (The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating) on several spots. Had to peek at the cheat sheet.

Across:

1. Symbol of gentleness: LAMB. Jesus is the lamb of God.

5. Torahs' homes: ARKS

14. Fridge problem: ODOR. Fresh pineapple pieces always make our fridge smell good.

15. R-rating reason, perhaps: GORE

16. Longship sailors: NORSE. A longship is a medieval ship used in northern Europe esp. by the Norse. Unknown to me.

19. AT&T Park player: GIANT. San Francisco Giants.

20. Start of a memorable 1961 admonition: ASK NOT. JFK line: "Ask not what your country can do for you..."

21. Force: STRENGTH. A bunch of consonants.

23. Gripe: CRAB

25. Slippery swimmer: EEL. Embien just mentioned unagi (freshwater eel) and anago (saltwater eel) yesterday. I like former. Also love NORI (44A. Edible seaweed used for sushi).

36. It's often left in the copier: Abbr.: ORIG (original)

38. Wolf (down): SNARF. Wrote down SCARF first. Dictionary says SNARF is a blend of snack and scarf.

41. Mountain ride: BIKE. I've never rode a bike along a mountain.

42. Marine threats: ORCAS

46. Clear: NET. Tricky clue for me.

51. Estuary: RIA. Are they really the same?

52. Senior golfer Aoki: ISAO. Crazy vowel combination. Senior golf indeed. I've never seen him play in Senior PGA (Champions Tour) in person.

53. Lover's sweet talk?: NOTHINGS. Sweet nothings. Lovely clue.

58. Precipitated: CAUSED. Wanted RAINED.

62. Cuban boy in 2000 news: ELIAN (González)

66. Plus-size supermodel: EMME. Somehow I thought it's EMMA. Just learned that her original given name is Melissa too. She's about perfect size, no?

67. To be, in Brest: ETRE. Alliteration again. Nothing to beat last time's "Brest milk" clue for LAIT. Awesome. Brest is a seaport in France.

68. Hull damagers: REEFS

69. Signs of nervousness: TICS

70. Interpret, as tea leaves: READ. Would be a difficult clue without the additional "as tea leaves".

Down:

1. 1970 hit by the Kinks: LOLA. Not familiar with the song.

3. Religious ascetic: MONK. And REV (22D. Relig. title).

4. You can count on a lot of bucks from one: BRONCO. Bronco habitually bucks. Clever clue.

5. Stirs up trouble: AGITATES

6. CD follower?: ROM. CD-ROM.

8. Den piece: SETTEE. Again, "piece" brought to mind furniture immediately.

9. Saintly: ANGELIC

10. Knock off: DO IN. Both slang for "to kill".

11. Big bore: DRAG. DRIP too.

13. Clockmaker Thomas: SETH. Finally I remembered his name.

18. Doone in Exmoor: LORNA. "Lorna Doone" is set at the wilds of Exmoor, new trivia to me. A 1869 novel by Richard Blackmore.

24. Capital northwest of Rome: BERN. The clue would be valid for EURO too, right? EURO is definitely used in northwest of Rome.

26. He played Ugarte in "Casablanca": LORRE (Peter)

27. "All My Children" vixen: ERICA. Played by Susan Lucci.

29. Sad sound: SOB

30. Skater Slutskaya: IRINA. Always wanted IRENA.

31. Best way to sing: ON KEY. Oh, I am often off-key then.

32. Veto from Lenin: NYET. Russian for "no". Opposite of "Da".

33. Mislead: FOOL

37. Great time, slangily: GAS

40. Sistine Chapel features: FRESCOES. Thought the plural is just frescos.

43. Sacred sites: SHRINES

48. Come out on top: WIN

49. Aerie newborn: EAGLET. Does an owlet live in aerie too?

50. More morose: DOURER. Anyone else wanted SADDER?

53. Adjacent: NEAR

54. Quaint retail adjective: OLDE

55. Sand castle's undoing: TIDE

56. Even share, perhaps: HALF. Was thinking of stock even/odd shares.

57. Huge hauler: SEMI

60. Biblical reformer: EZRA. What did he try to reform? Ezra is a Hebrew name meaning "help".

61. Like blue hair: DYED

64. Tracker maker: GMC. One-time GMC sport ute.

Answer grid.

C.C.

Interview with Jack McInturff

Today's "Fools Rush In" is our 9th Jack McInturff puzzle since the switch last March. 7 of his grids are about wordplay.

Many of you probably still remember Jack's "It's IR-IR-tating!" puzzle, in which Jack swapped every IR with RI. His "L-adder" & "Let me C" letter addition wordplay puzzles are all quite memorable.

Jack has had over 120 puzzles published by Rich Norris since he started constructing for LA Times. His puzzles also appeared in NY Times and NY Sun.

What is the inspiration for this puzzle? What are the other theme answers that did not make the cut?

I was shocked to see that this puzzle proposal was first submitted on November 28th, 2008. so I'm hard pressed to remember any inspiration. Normally, it doesn't take that long, but there were many revisions and response times from Rich Norris has increased quite a bit.

My original theme proposal was: CLEAN AND JERK, CRASH DUMMY, APRIL FOOL, INSIDE DOPE AND PROJECT CREEP. Actually there was enough for a 21 X 21 but it didn't happen.

What is your background and how did you get into crossword construction?

I have an Engineering degree, but when I retired a second time it was as Chief Financial Officer of a small Boston college. Don't know how that happened.

I found a simple crossword puzzle maker on my old Macintosh Performa computer and caught the bug. I then invested in Crossword Compiler and joined Cruciverb. The rest was history, as they say.

How would you describe your style? And what kind of theme/fill do you favor or eschew? You seem to be fond of "Word that can follow/precede..." or other wordplay.

Some would say I don't have much style and they would be right. As a result of this question, I made a list of the many types of puzzles that I have seen. This may help my creativity. I enjoyed doing "rhyming" puzzles but then Rich discontinued them. I did like "Word that can follow/precede..." Now Rich has too many of them also.

I try to be creative in my fill. "Orange". the puzzle commentator, once said of a puzzle I did "The fill seems old school". It's probably because I'm 79 years old and that's what I remember. It did give me a wake-up call, however, and I'm trying to be more current. I also like to have biblical or church clues or fill as a reminder of eternal values.

What is the most proud puzzle you've made and why?

The puzzle I am most proud of is my first one published in the LA Times on Friday April 16th, 2004. A friend in San Diego sent us the paper with the puzzle in it and my wife actually framed it.

What kind of books/magazines do you read for puzzle inspiration?

I don't read books for puzzle inspirations. I walk every day for at least an hour and random thoughts or signs I see may trigger an idea. Most of the signs I see these days are "House for Sale" Not very inspirational!

What puzzles do you solve every day and who are your favorite constructors?

I solve the LA Times, NY Times, CrosSynergy and USA Today puzzles. My favorite constructors are the editors Rich Norris, Patrick Berry, and Peter Gordon. I have always liked Lynn Lempel. (His or her?) puzzles are so straight forward and uncluttered.

Besides constructing crossword, what else do you do for fun?

I like to read. Just finished " The Bridge of Sighs" ( Maybe there is a puzzle there somewhere ) I like church activities and skydiving. Just kidding about skydiving LOL

Thursday November 19, 2009 Jack McInturff

Theme: Fools Rush In - Common phrases that end with a synonym of "fool".

20A. Weightlifting event: CLEAN AND JERK

30A. Golf course pest: CANADIAN GOOSE

39A. Spinning toy manipulated with sticks: CHINESE YO-YO

49A. Honest info: STRAIGHT DOPE

So many synonyms for fool: idiot, blockhead, imbecile, jackass, nitwit, etc. I like dummy. Use it almost every day.

I read Jack McInturff's original theme proposal after I was done with the puzzle, and was so glad PROJECT CREEP did not make the cut. A complete unknown phrase to me.

Used Wite-out several times today: AIRPORT instead of ISRAELI for 23A. Ben-Gurion, e.g., and OCEAN instead of BRINY for 28A. Sea. Did you also fall for the traps or was I but a fool?

Across:

1. Choir member: TENOR

6. Quite: SUCH. Mine was MUCH.

15. Faulkner's "As __ Dying": I LAY

16. Pearl Harbor site: OAHU. Honolulu is on southeast coast of Oahu.

18. Common nickname for a doter: NANA. I sure miss mine.

19. 66 and others: Abbr.: RTES. Route 66.

26. "It's __ business": NO ONE'S

27. Kind of biological network: NEURAL. Neural network.

32. Corp. money manager: CFO. Now we know the constructor was a CFO before.

35. Fighting: AT IT. Hey, it's back! TER next.

37. Hang onto: HOLD

43. River in Lyons: SAONE (Sohn). See this map. It rises in northeast France and flows to the Rhone River at Lyons.

44. Belfast's province: ULSTER. The long, loose ulster overcoat is named after this county.

45. Early Ford success: MODEL A. And EDSEL (48D. Ill-fated Ford). How is Model A different from Model T, Dennis?

48. Actors, often: EMOTERS.

52. Road sign silhouette: DEER. Deer ticks cause Lyme disease.

53. Debt indicators: IOUS. Wrote down LOSS first. Dennis's Bozone Layer (The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating) definitely fogged my brain.

54. Ticked off: IRKED

59. Dresden's river: ELBE (EL-buh). The North Sea feeder.

60. Landlocked African country: NIGER. Ah, Bush's infamous "Sixteen Word" uranium country.

61. A handful of: SOME

62. Navy commando: SEAL. Our ex-governor Jesse "The Body" Ventura was a Navy Seal.

63. Gothic house feature: GABLE. The triangular section at the end of a pitched roof.

Down:

1. La Brea goo: TAR. Brea is just Spanish for "tar".

2. Seventh Greek letter: ETA

3. Christmas quaff: NOG. Hmm, nutmeg.

4. 200 milligrams, to a jeweler: ONE CARAT. Crockett just mentioned last time that carat indicates weight, karat purity.

5. Original primer used to paint the Golden Gate Bridge: RED LEAD. Unknown to me.

6. Source of the Law: SINAI. Does the Law here refer to the Ten Commandments God gave Moses?

7. __ Bator, Mongolia: ULAN. Iterally "red" in Mongolian.

8. Where Jesus turned water to wine: CANA. No idea. Illiterate on Bible.

9. Cape Cod site of a JFK museum: HYANNIS. Hyannis Port. The Kennedy Compound is there.

10. How some jump?: FOR JOY. Got the answer from crosses. Nice clue.

11. Corroded: EATEN

12. Sex researcher Hite: SHERE

13. Mammoth features: TUSKS. Usually, but not always in pairs.

21. Contemporary of Dizzy and Billie: ELLA

22. Finished: DONE. Or OVER.

23. Early Peruvians: INCAS

24. Senate posts: SEATS. Was thinking of the tweet posts from some of the senators.

25. Confrontation: RUN-IN

28. Carried: BORNE. Did not come to me immediately.

29. Classroom drilling: ROTE

31. Come out ahead: GAIN

32. British actor Robert, the original Colonel Pickering in "My Fair Lady": COOTE. Stranger to me. Is Coote pronounced the same as coot?

33. Candidate's handout: FLYER. Or flier.

37. Common crowd reaction in monster films: HYSTERIA. No monster film for me.

39. Colombian city: CALI. The Colombian drug cartel city.

40. Some heroes: HOAGIES. Hero sandwich.

41. Sport for 300-pounders: SUMO

42. Like lovers skipping church?: ELOPING. Valid clue without the question mark too.

43. Pharmaceutical giant that developed Celebrex: SEARLE. Pfizer wouldn't fit. I've never heard of Searle before.

45. Windows predecessor: MS-DOS

46. Alamogordo's county: OTERO. In New Mexico county. Spanish for "height". Again, I strung the answer together from Across.

47. Nightmare, e.g.: DREAM

50. Putter's target: HOLE. Golf.

51. Very big wind: TUBA. Wind instrument. Good clue too.

55. Soviet spy org.: KGB. The East German secret police is STASI.

56. Snakelike fish: EEL. Yep, snakelike. Delicious!

57. Hip-hop Dr.: DRE. I wonder why he named himself "Dr. Dre". Such a Xword friendly name.

Answer grid.

C.C.

Wednesday November 18, 2009 Dan Naddor

Theme: BAR (65A. Happy hour site, and word that can follow each last name in the answers to starred clues) - Famous people whose last name can precede the word BAR.

18. *"Seven Year Ache" country singer: ROSANNE CASH. Cash bar. Rosanne Cash is Johnny Cash's daughter. I was not familiar with the song.

20. *"All I Wanna Do" singer: SHERYL CROW. Crowbar. I love "All I Wanna Do". Is this the seed entry, Dan?

32. *Longtime "American Bandstand" host: DICK CLARK. Clark bar. Brand of candy bar.

45. *Notable member of The Second City improv group: JOHN CANDY. Candy bar. I was ignorant on The Second City. Did recognize John Candy's mug when I googled.

59. *French writer who befriended Chopin: GEORGE SAND. Sandbar. "Befriended" is an understatement. They were lovers, though they might not be sexually involved due to Chopin's health.

63. *"The Mark of Zorro" star (1940): TYRONE POWER. PowerBar. I've only seen Antonio Banderas's "The Mask of Zorro".

It's been some time since we last saw Dan's stacked theme style (the first two and the last two theme answers have a 6-letter overlap). Such a tightly focused & colorful BAR unifying theme. Very nice. Heavy themage too, total 63 theme squares.

Today's Dan Naddor Index (non-theme entries with 6 or more letters) is 16. Once again, two of the Down ones, ie, ACRYLIC and CODE RED, intersect three theme entries.

I've been thinking lately how crossword solving can be a very personal experience. Certain answers resonate with some people and bring back sweet memories. I was just musing on George Sand's "I love strongly, exclusively and steadfastly" yesterday morning, and was so pleasantly surprised to see her name in the grid. What were your touch points today?

Across:

1. Popular: HOT. And COOL (5D. Not nerdy).

4. Takes steps: ACTS

8. Does some garden maintenance: WATERS. And ADAM (26D. Eden gardener).

15. Masked critter: COON. Raccoon.

16. "Ditto": I DO TOO

17. Ecol. or agric.: SCI

22. 1963 role for Liz: CLEO. "Cleopatra". Shortened name in clue, shortened name in answer.

24. Nissan sedan: ALTIMA. More luxurious than Nissan Sentra but less so than Nissan Maxima, according to Wikipedia. All of them have 6 letters.

26. Mimosa family tree: ACACIA. The gum-yielding tree. I was unaware of its biological classification.

29. Part of TNT: NITRO

36. Lover of Christine, in "The Phantom of the Opera": RAOUL. I could only remember ERIK the Phantom.

38. Gardner of "Mogambo": AVA. And UTA (41A. Hagen of Broadway). Still remember "Yma Dream" sketch from Anne Bancroft? Both Ava Gardner and Uta Hagen were mentioned. And Ida Lupino, Oona Chaplin and many other Xword friendly names.

39. Parkinsonism drug: L-DOPA. I forgot again.

42. Bette's "Divine" nickname: MISS M. The "The Divine Miss M". Bette Midler.

48. "The Merry Widow" composer: LEHAR (Franz ).

50. Time-share units: CONDOS. Thought of Annette and her ordeal in the past 4 years.

51. Rolled oats cereal: MUESLI. Not fond of the taste.

55. Banned pesticide: DDT. Banned in 1972.

56. Voice above tenor: ALTO

66. World's largest river by volume: AMAZON. Nile is the longest.

67. King, to a subject: SIRE

68. Greater N.Y.C. campus: L.I.U. (Long Island University). I got the answer from down fill.

69. Not naked: DECENT

70. City west of Tulsa: ENID. Both Oklahoma cities.

Down:

1. "Bonanza" brother: HOSS. I can never remember those brothers name.

3. Hears arguments in court: TRIES A CASE.

4. Painter's medium: ACRYLIC. And CODE RED (46D. Official emergency status). Both connect three of the theme answers.

6. Puccini opera: TOSCA. Puccini answer is always Tosca.

7. Warning from a doghouse: SNARL

8. Best type of situation: WIN-WIN

9. Fruit drink suffix: ADE

10. Bach work: TOCCATA. New word to me. From Italian "toccare" (touch). Dictionary defines it as "a composition in the style of an improvisation, for the piano, organ, or other keyboard instrument, intended to exhibit the player's technique".

11. Catchall abbr.: ET AL. And others.

13. Fashionable London area: SOHO

19. "Just kidding!": NOT

21. Gibraltar landmark: ROCK

25. Fallen space station: MIR. Fell in 2001. Russian for "peace".

27. __ union: same-sex relationship status: CIVIL

30. King Arthur's meeting spot: ROUND TABLE. Camelot! Camelot! Summer lingers through SEP (52D: Labor Day mo.).

31. Finish ahead of: OUTDO

33. Noun modifier: Abbr.: ADJ

34. Friend of Pooh: ROO. From "Winnie-the-Pooh". Kanga's kid.

35. Canadian rd. sign letters: KPH (Kilometers Per Hour). I felt goosey, did not know Canada uses metric system.

37. Fires, with "off": LAYS

40. Very old: Abbr.: ANC (Ancient). Have never seen this abbreviation before.

43. Chat idly: Var.: SHMOOZE. Only knew schmooze.

44. Half a Kenyan rebel: MAU. Mau Mau. Learned from doing Xword.

49. University officer: REGENT

54. Author Shaw: IRWIN. Mindlessly penned in ARTIE the Clarinetist Shaw.

56. Just barely: A TAD

57. __ tick: disease carrier: LYME. Wanted DEER. Lyme disease & deer tick.

58. Gillette's __ II: TRAC. Fell for ATRA, anyone?

60. Spice Girl Halliwell: GERI. Ginger spice.

61. Wood fastener: NAIL

62. Bongo or conga: DRUM

64. Nantes negative: NON. Alliteration again. Nantes is French city on the Loire River. Edict of Nantes.

Answer grid.

C.C.

Tuesday November 17, 2009 Bruce Venzke

Theme: Last Word Mess

18A: *Undeveloped home site: VACANT LOT.

26A: *1977 Triple Crown winner: SEATTLE SLEW.

45A: *2,240-pound unit: IMPERIAL TON.

58A: *Huck Finn conveyance: RIVER RAFT.

67A: The answer to each starred clue ends in a big one : BUNCH.

Argyle here. (I say 'Last Word Mess' in the sense that MESS can mean a quantity.)

Not overly thrilled with today's puzzle. If you know your Crosswordese, then entries like 64A: Writer Nin: ANAIS and 33D: Jannings of old films: EMIL should be gimmes. We have had others, like 39A: Pouty expression: MOUE and 43A: A __: valid independent of experience, in logic: PRIORI, quite recently.

I think the result will be that some find it hard and others will think it a bore.

Across:

1A: Sirs' counterparts: MA'AMS.

6A: "Fernando" singers: ABBA. ABBA, the source of many earworms, What was the German term again?

10A: Endure: LAST.

14A: Have __ on one's shoulder: A CHIP.

15A: Defeat soundly: DRUB.

16A: Sailor's patron saint: ELMO. Not this ELMO.

17A: Another name for Farsi: IRANI. Persians.

20A: Slangy "Don't lose any sleep over it": NO BIGGIE.

22A: Overdo it on stage: EMOTE.

23A: W. Hemisphere gp. formed to defend against communism: OAS. Organization of American States.

24A: Made changes to: ALTERED.

31A: Tell-all news story: EXPOSE.

32A: One just hanging out: LOITERER. Legitimate word.

37A: Antiquing substance: AGER.

38A: Heartache: WOE.

40A: Evade: SIDESTEP.

47A: Handyman's nickname: MR. FIX-IT.

51A: Poetic dusk: E'EN.

52A: Windy City airport: O'HARE. I was wondering where it was exactly.

53A: At risk: IN DANGER.

61A: Neighbor of Florida's St. Petersburg: TAMPA and 8D: 61-Across NFLer: BUC. Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

62A: Shortly, to Shakespeare: ANON.

63A: Vaulted church part: APSE.

65A: Wisdom of the elders: LORE.

66A: Cattle rancher's tool: PROD. More common to the stockyards. Deluxe model.

Down:

1D: Everystreet: MAIN. 'Everystreet', not a legitimate word.

2D: Prefix with bat or phobia: ACRO.

3D: Obsessed fictional whaler: AHAB.

5D: Urn taps: SPIGOTS.

6D: Give counsel to: ADVISE.

7D: Highlands hillside: BRAE. Scottish 30D: Hillside: SLOPE.

9D: Lawyers' org.: ABA. American Bar Association.

10D: "Here, I'll do that": LET ME.

11D: "It's __ nothing!": ALL OR.

12D: Hit, biblical-style: SMOTE. Smite, smote, smitten.

13D: Schlepped: TOTED.

19D: Meas. of a package's contents: NET WT.. Net Weight is the product without package.

21D: It's not quite a hurricane: GALE. Do you have an IDA tale?

24D: Medicinal plant: ALOE.

25D: Luau memento: LEI.

26D: Aegean and Bering: SEAS.

27D: Military vet: EX-GI.

28D: Imitated: APED.

29D: Ripped: TORE.

34D: Underlying cause: ROOT.

36D: Harness lead: REIN.

38D: Cried: WEPT.

41D: Philly cager: SIXER. Basketball

42D: 1979 meltdown site, briefly: TMI. Three Mile Island. An island in the Susquehanna River, near Middletown, Pennsylvania, SE of Harrisburg: scene of a near-disastrous accident at a nuclear plant in 1979 that raised the issue of nuclear-energy safety.

43D: Like the Piper's clothes: PIED. (adj. Patchy in color; splotched or piebald.) pic

44D: Drank on credit: RAN A TAB.

46D: Like many a tux: RENTED.

47D: Story's lesson: MORAL.

48D: Horned safari beast: RHINO.

49D: Party gift: FAVOR.

50D: "I'll see you in my dreams" girl of song: IRENE.

54D: When repeated, Mork's sign-off: NANU.

55D: FBI agent: G-MAN.

56D: Grand in scope: EPIC.

59D: Knock: RAP.

Answer grid.

Argyle