Sunday February 21, 2010 Mike Peluso

Theme: White House Insiders - The initials of eight presidents, their number of the presidency indicated in the brackets, are embedded inside each familiar phrase.

23A. *Obligation payable within a year (37): SHORT-TERM NOTE. Richard Milhous Nixon.

38A. *Ceremonial, as Anglican ritual (31): HIGH CHURCH. Herbert Clark Hoover.

54A. *Line dancer? (18): CHORUS GIRL. Ulysses S. Grant. His real first name is Hiram, which appears in crossword occasionally.

75A. *Double martini, e.g. (32): STIFF DRINK. Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

92A. *AOL service (44): WEB HOSTING. Barack Hussein Obama.

110A. *Arizona attraction (34): PAINTED DESERT. Dwight David Eisenhower. Ike.

16D. *Hurting for money (33): CASH STRAPPED. Harry S. Truman.

60D. *Aviation pioneer (40): WILBUR WRIGHT. Ronald Wilson Reagan.

84D. Clothing embroidery, maybe, and a hint to finding the "insiders" in the answers to starred clues: MONOGRAM

All of the initials span two words. I don't think it's possible to find phrases containing JFK & LBJ due to their consonant combination.

After seeing the puzzle title and the bracketed numbers in the starred theme clues, I grokked the theme immediately. Unfortunately it did not help my solve much, as I only know the presidency numbers of Obama and Reagan. And I only know the middle initials of FDR, DDE & HST.

A few thorny spots here and there. Overall a very pleasant solve. Great to see Mike Peluso's byline. It's been a long time. The Valentine's Day last Sunday might have bumped Mike's President's Day puzzle to today.

Across:

1. Chatterbox: MAGPIE. Noisy.

7. Seven Sisters school: VASSAR. Jackie Kennedy attended Vassar.

13. PSAT takers: JRS

19. Some L-shaped wrenches: ALLENS. The hexagonal wrenches.

20. Substandard: CRUMMY

21. Moray, say: EEL

22. Palindromic Altar: ARA. Latin for "altar".

25. Visits: STOPS BY

27. PC key: TAB. Would prefer just "Computer key". PC suggests abbreviation. TAB is not.

28. Dutchman who painted "Gypsy Girl": HALS (Frans). Here is the "Gypsy Girl".

29. Blonde bombshell Diana: DORS. Very Marilyn-like.

30. Beauty, to Keats: TRUTH. "Beauty is truth, truth beauty".

31. Illness: MALADY

33. "__ match?": GOT A

34. Two-time U.S. Open champ: AGASSI (Andre). He has such a soft voice.

37. Can, after "is": ABLE TO

42. Turkey, maybe: TOM. Mr. Turkey.

43. Web addresses, briefly: URLS

44. In a few minutes: SOON. So is ANON.

46. Californie, e.g.: ETAT. State. Californie is French for California. We also have Spanish for states ESTADOS (6D. Tejas y Nuevo México, por ejemplo).

47. Span. title: SRTA (Señorita). And MADAME (120A. Frau, in France). Frau is German for Madam.

48. Authority to decide: SAY-SO

50. Kiss, to Luis: BESO. As in Paul Anka's song "Eso Beso" (That Kiss).

53. Tic or twinge: SPASM

57. Use FedEx: SHIP. Thought of MAIL first.

58. Audi rival: BMW

63. Filled French fare: CREPES. Nice alliteration.

66. Eave droppers: ICICLES. Great clue.

68. Mountain man, maybe: LONER. "Deliverance" is a scary movie.

69. Santiago native: CHILEAN. Santiago is the capital of Chile.

70. Synagogue text: TALMUD (TAHL-mood). Literally "instruction" in Hebrew.

71. Leisurely stroll: PASEO. New word to me.

72. Mob enforcer: GOON

74. Auction activities: BIDS

77. When repeated, 1963 hit with alleged obscene lyrics determined by the FBI to be "unintelligible at any speed": LOUIE. Faintly remember someone mentioned "Louie Louie" on the blog before. Sex & drug lyrics, I presume.

80. Come up short: FAIL

81. Self-reproach: SHAME

86. He orbited Earth 314 days before John: YURI (Gagarin)

87. Agreement: PACT

88. Polite rural reply: YES'M

90. Hymn starter: O GOD

91. State so. of Queensland: NSW (New South Wales)

96. Nearby: AROUND

98. Ancient invader of Greece: XERXES. The Persian king. Quite creepy in the movie "300".

100. Remedy: CURE

101. Punic Wars general: SCIPIO (SIP-ee-oh). The Roman general who defeated Hannibal. Stymied me.

102. "Able was __ ...": I ERE I. The famous palindrome "Able was I ere I saw Elba".

104. Woody's son: ARLO (Guthrie)

105. Theodore, to Wally: BEAV. "Leave it to Beaver".

106. L on a tag: Abbr.: LGE (Large). Not fond the clue. Letter repetition.

108. RSVP option: REGRETS

113. Ultimate degree: NTH

114. Old "King" Cole: NAT. Why "Old"?

115. Way of the Romans?: APPIAN. The Appian Way. Ancient Roman road.

116. Genesis peak: ARARAT. Where Noah's Ark landed.

117. Relaxed, in a way: SAT

118. Chicken general?: TSO. General Tso's Chicken.

119. Save: RESCUE

Down:

1. Caravel feature: MAST

2. Granada palace: ALHAMBRA (al-HAM-bruh). Literally "the red one" in Arabic. Dictionary says The Alhambra is the finest example of Moorish architecture in Spain. Unknown to me.

3. How multi-nationals trade: GLOBALLY

5. Because: IN THAT

7. TV add-ons: VCRS

8. A slot machine has one: ARM

9. Partial rainbow: SUNDOG. Also new to me. Why "dog"?

10. Glib: SMOOTH

11. Amphibious vehicle: AMTRAC. No idea. It stands for Am(phibious) + Trac(tor), carrying troops from sea to shore.

12. Bar array: RYES. Was picturing drinks.

13. Fun: JEST

14. Take back: RETRACT

15. Shed, with "off": SLOUGH. Clear Ayes/Kazie/Lemonade just mentioned the different pronunciations of this word when it denotes different meaning.

17. Wall St. hedger: ARB (Arbitrager)

18. St. Pete athlete: RAY. Tampa Bay Rays.

24. Nevada Northern Railway Museum city: ELY. I glanced at the cheat sheet.

26. School gp.: PTA

32. Not as much: LESS

33. Knife hyped on TV: GINSU. But "WAIT, there's more (52A).

35. DTs sufferers: SOTS. DT = Delirium Tremens.

36. Islamic leader: IMAM

37. Country N. of Slovenia: AUS (Austria)

38. Makers of beds?: HOERS. Flower beds. Tricky clue.

39. Judge, e.g.: HEARER. Oh well, you can just about ER-ize any verb.

40. Water and elec.: UTILS

41. Snitch: RAT

45. Sarrusophone cousins: OBOES

47. Pitch: SPIEL. Sales pitch.

49. Form a certain front, in meteorology: OCCLUDE (uh-KLOOD). First encounter with this word.

51. Bone formation: OSTOSIS

52. Remove, as a silly grin: WIPE OFF

53. Reduces: SHRINKS

55. Listens to: HEEDS

56. Thief, in slang: GANEF. Hebrew for "thief". Stumper for me.

57. "Danke __": SCHON. "Thank you very much" in German.

58. Drill insert: BIT

59. 1988 Motown acquirer: MCA

64. __-de-vie: brandy: EAU

67. Early 10th century year: CMIII. 903.

68. Not prompt for: LATE TO

69. Stored ropes, e.g.: COILS

71. Intimidate mentally, with "out": PSYCH

72. "Peer Gynt Suite" composer: GRIEG (Edvard). Nope. Don't know this Norwegian composer.

76. Pop singer Taylor __: DAYNE. I wanted SWIFT.

77. Wildcat with tufted ears: LYNX. Also the name of our Minnesota WNBA team.

78. River of Yorkshire: OUSE (ooz).

82. Lobe dangler: HOOP. Earrings.

83. 2000 Best New Artist Grammy winner: AGUILERA (Christina). Beautiful voice.

87. Euro preceders: PESETAS (puh-SEY-tuh). The Spanish money.

89. Paving material: MACADAM. Named after the Scottish engineer who invented this material.

92. Failed to be: WEREN'T

93. Abrasion: SCRAPE

94. Blooms from bulbs: TULIPS

95. Having a twist: IRONIC. Had to bend my brain into a pretzel to think of the answer.

97. Yankee who is the A.L. career leader in saves: RIVERA (Mariano). From Panama. I like players who spend their entire career with one team.

99. Signer, at times: XER

101. But, to Cassius: SED. Like in "Non vi sed virtue" (not by force but by virtue). Yet one more new word to me.

103. What a colon means, in analogies: IS TO

104. On __ with: A PAR

105. Nota __: BENE. Literally "note well" in Latin.

107. Kitchen trailer?: ETTE. Kitchenette.

108. Some OR personnel: RNS

109. SFO info: ETA. ETA seems to appear more than ETD.

111. Cross shape: TAU

112. Down: SAD. "Where do you go when you're blue?...". Beautiful song. I love The Corrs.

Answer grid.

C.C.

Saturday February 20, 2010 Bruce Venzke

Theme: None

Total blocks: 37

Total words: 70

Six great grid-spanning 15-letter multi-word entries in Across:

14A. Dating option: DINNER AND A MOVIE. Dinner before or after a movie? I like latter.

17A. Thank-you trinket, e.g.: INEXPENSIVE GIFT

24A. "My mind isn't made up yet": I CAN'T SAY FOR SURE. Nice clue/answer.

44A. "You've got a lot of nerve!": WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA?. New idiom to me.

57A. Retaliatory steps: COUNTERMEASURES

61A. Ups and downs of one's youth?: TEETER-TOTTERING. In playground.

Another humbling slog. So many unknowns & unaccustomed references. But I was so pleased to see HAN (6D. River to the Yangtze) in the grid. It's the longest branch of the Yangtze River (longest river in China/Asia). Han River rises from my hometown Shaanxi Province (Xi'An is its capital). There are 56 ethnic groups in China, about 92% are Han, which is named after the river. I am a Han.

Factual error with ACTA (48D. Washington Nationals manager Manny). Manny Acta is now with the Cleveland Indians.

Across:

1. Spoiled sci-fi race: ELOI. The "spoiled race" in "The Time Machine". Got me.

5. Engage in a high-tech scam: PHISH

10. High-tech mogul Michael: DELL. Founder of Dell Computer. I liked the "high-tech" sequence.

18. Arachnid's hatching pouch: EGG SAC. Here is a black widow spider and her egg sac.

19. Hole in your shoe?: EYELET. D'oh! Shoelace hole.

20. Lemon-colored quartz: CITRINE. New definition to me. Thought citrine is just an adjective for citrus.

32. Ill-advised move: NO-NO

33. German-born surrealist: ERNST (Max)

34. Oka River city: OREL (aw-REL). South of Moscow. New to me. Both the city and the damned river.

35. Stretched out: LAIN. Past particle of "lie". Dictionary gives an example: "The broad plain that lies before us". I filled in EKED.

36. Hindu fire god: AGNI (UHG-nee). Utter unknown unknown.

37. Peak: ACME

38. Perfect Sleeper maker: SERTA

43. French cathedral city: METZ. Metz Cathedral (Gothic) is nicknamed "God's Lantern". Stumper.

47. Extra: TO SPARE

48. Like chinchillas: ANDEAN

52. It may accompany a new experience: DEJA VU. Clever in retrospect.

62. What's more: ALSO

64. Capital on Upolu Island: APIA. Capital of Samoa.

Down:

1. Jack Kerouac's first wife: EDIE. Man, too obscure a clue for me.

3. Universal donor's type, briefly: O NEG. Keep reading the answer as ONE G.

4. Michael Hutchence's band: INXS. Pronounced like "in excess".

5. Exact: PRECISE

7. Former green card agcy.: INS (Immigration and Naturalization Service). Now the green card is handled by USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services). I still call it INS.

8. Reagan mil. program: SDI (Strategic Defense Initiative). Known as the Star Wars, informally.

9. One living in poverty: HAVE-NOT

10. Old Venetian magistrate: DOGE. Italian for "duke"?

11. Dark: EVIL

12. It's "too short for chess": Henry J. Byron: LIFE. Have never heard of the quote.

13. Neighbor of an Estonian: LETT. The Latvian.

15. Solar year/lunar year differential: EPACT (EE-pakt). Was surprised that I did not know this word, considering that I often measure my day/year with Chinese lunar calendar.

16. "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" director Nicholas: MEYER. Should I know him?

21. Sea dog: TAR. Both slang for "sailor".

22. Rembrandt van __: RYN. Ryn & Rijn & Rhine are the same, right, Kazie?

23. They may happen: IFS. Nice clue.

24. Oft-maligned kin: IN-LAW. True with my Mom's family.

25. Signaler in a box: COACH. Baseball.

26. Jung's inner self: ANIMA. Contrasted with "persona", the "public self".

27. The Muses. e.g.: NONET. There are nine Muses.

28. "Likewise": SO AM I

29. Pressed: URGED

30. Income, in Cannes.: RENTE. I used to think rente is French for "rent". It's actually "loyer".

31. The "her" in Broadway's "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face": ELIZA. From "My Fair Lady" . I peeked at the answer sheet.

38. Rock-throwing protesters: STONERS

39. Words of doubt: EHS

40. Good name: REP (Reputation). No hint for abbr.?

41. Abbr. for an unknown 42-Down: TBA. And AIR DATE (42d. When something is on). Wanted AIR TIME.

45. Express: STATE

46. Honkers: GEESE

50. Member's payment: DUES

51. Prefix with -zoic.: ENTO. Prefix for "within". Entozoic is (of a parasitic animal) living within the body of its host.

53. __ Mountains, which separate the Rhine and the Rhone: JURA. Located in the north of the Alps. Jura is literally "forest". Alien to me.

54. "what __!": "I've been had!": A RIP

55. Caesarean opening: VENI. The opening of Caesar's boast "Veni, vidi, vici". I was picturing childbirth.

56. Links-governing org.: USGA (United States Golf Association). Links = Golf.

59. Calendar col.: MON

60d/ X-files subjects, for short: ETS. Three consecutive Down abbreviations in this section.

Answer grid.

Happy LXV-th Birthday, Argyle!

C.C. the HAN

Friday February 19, 2010 Dan Naddor

Theme: AGELESS (39D. Eternal, and a hint to this puzzle's phonetic theme) - The AGE sound is dropped from each familiar phrase.

17A. Newly certified coroner's assignment?: FIRST MORGUE. First Mortgage.

24A. Lord's ointment?: NOBLE SALVE. Noble Savage.

34A. Mutt with a conscience?: MORAL CUR. Moral Courage.

38A. Sitting Bull telling raunchy jokes?: RAW SIOUX. Raw Sewage. On my breakfast table?

50A. Taxi with no empty seats?: STUFFED CAB. Stuffed Cabbage.

58A. Topping for schnitzel?: VIENNA SAUCE. Vienna Sausage.

(Today's puzzle analysis is provided by John Lampkin, who gave us the wonderful "Waiting for the Great Pumpkin" puzzle last year.)

Thanks, C.C., for inviting me to share my thoughts as a fellow constructor of LAT puzzles.

Those who know Dan's catalogue will recognize his work immediately - seven clever and amusing theme entries, stacks of white on the sides, and mostly sparkling fill with witty clues. How did he do it?

This is a "drop-a-letter-string" idea, and one game that's fun for solvers to play is "How many more can we think of that Dan didn't use?" Typing in *AGE at morewords.com kicks out 411 words that end in AGE. Among them is BANDAGE. Dropping the AGE gives us BAND which seems that it would work with ACE BAND or some such. But wait! That won't work because Dan took one more step. His new phrase involves a homophone. The SAV in SAVAGE became SALVE, the COUR in COURAGE became CUR, and so on. It is this twist that makes this a Friday and not a Wednesday puzzle.

Continuing our search, we see MARRIAGE. That will work! We can get (the elusive but possible) HAPPY MARRIAGE which will become HAPPY MARE: Kentucky Derby winner, perhaps? Readers, how many more can you find?

A good crossword succeeds on several levels. It's lively and fun, educational, clever, and visually pleasing. My own taste is to avoid "cheater squares" whenever possible. Imagine how much more elegant the grid would look without those single side blocks and the blocks at the end of 30A and its mate! Dan probably tried, but wound up with cruddy fill. There is usually a tradeoff, and clean lively fill trumps all. Perfection in art is elusive, yes?

There is another element that can elevate a good puzzle to a higher stature - emotional engagement. Most of you know that Dan recently succumbed to illness and passed away and that this is another opus posthumous. Art gives us a glimpse into the life of its creator. His first theme entry is FIRST MORGUE, which he surely knew was an ironic and poignant foreshadowing. Sigh.

Bottom line: Once again I am impressed by Dan's craftsmanship and deeply moved by his humanity.

Across:

1. Unceremoniously breaks up with: DUMPS. And ENDS IT (26D. Breaks up). How sad!

6. 1996 film that won Best Original Screenplay: FARGO. Made by the Coen brothers, the pride of Minnesota.

11. Pro bono TV ad: PSA (Public Service Announcement)

14. As a friend, to François: EN AMI. En = As.

15. Greg Evans comic strip: LUANN. I've never heard of this comic strip.

16. Pumpjack output: OIL

19. Wash. Nats' division: NLE (National League East)

20. Daffy duo?: EFS. The letter F (spelled as "EF") appears twice in Daffy.

21. Generation: ERA

22. In pursuit of: AFTER

29. Isn't wrong?: AIN'T. Grammatically wrong.

30. Flood deterrents: DRAINS

31. Words spoken with a yawn, perhaps: IT'S LATE

33. TV palomino: MR ED. The talking horse: "A horse is a horse, of course, of course ..."

35. Annoying negotiator: STALLER. Oh, like those congress filibusterers.

42. Cops may keep them on suspects: TABS. Idiom: Keep tabs on = keep track of.

46. Rabbitlike rodents: AGOUTIS. I can never remember this word. Dictionary says they are destructive to sugar canes. Here is a photo John Lampkin snapped in Trinidad a few years ago. He loves nature photography.

47. Gulf War reporter Peter: ARNETT. When he was with CNN. I've heard several in-depth interviews with him.

49. Peddle: VEND

53. Disappointed postgame comment: I LOST

55. Back muscle, for short: LAT. Short for latissimus dorsi.

56. Nest builder: ANT. Thought ants build hills rather than nests.

57. Seventh-largest st.: NEV. Don't know this trivia.

63. Legal ending: ESE. Ending of the word legalese.

64. Bugs once sought by cops: MORAN. A Chicago Prohibiton-era gangser. Nicknamed Bugs. Gang slang for "completely crazy". Stumped me.

65. Havens: OASES

66. Old map inits.: SSR (Soviet Socialist Republic)

67. Steamed: ANGRY

68. Take forcibly: WREST

Down:

1. Stand up for: DEFEND. "Get up, stand up, stand up for your rights..." Love Bob Marley.

2. Combat outfit: UNIFORM

3. Candy "whose success is out of this world": MARS BAR. Now called Snickers Almond in the U.S.

4. Downing St. bigwigs: PMS (Prime Ministers)

6. Botanist's study: FLORA

7. Hearing-related: AURAL. Sometimes the answer is OTIC.

8. Wiper: RAG. The cleaning cloth.

9. Migratory African critter: GNU. Curvedly horny.

10. Fit to serve: ONE A

11. Firebird maker: PONTIAC. I like C/K ending words.

12. Guest letter?: SILENT U. The U is silent in the word Guest.

13. Siren, for one: ALERTER. And earlier STALLER. One ER suffix enough in the grid.

18. Predicament: MESS

23. Pride follower, so they say: FALL. "Pride comes before fall".

25. It's not true: LIE. So, "True Lies" is an oxymoron.

27. Baroque stringed instrument: VIOL. In the 16th and 17th centuries.

28. Raison d'__: ETRE. Satori is the raison d'être of Zen.

32. "No Exit" dramatist: SARTRE. Womanizer! My brother loves his "Being and Nothingness".

34. Half of MMCXX: MLX. Don't like the MX repetition, and crossing STALLER, a word no one ever says, in the center it's even worse.

36. "What I look forward __ continued immaturity followed by death": Dave Barry: TO IS. Dennis might have quoted this line in his Words of Wisdom once. He loves Dave Barry.

37. Hung. neighbor: AUST. Austria. I blanked, but then enjoyed the vague naughtiness.

38. Coulees: RAVINES. Coulee is a new word to me. Same pronunciation as coolies.

40. Convinced: WON OVER

41. Brewski: SUDS

44. Unsatisfying response to "Why?": BECAUSE. Nice clue.

45. Positions: STANCES

47. Aqua Velva competitor: AFTA. Punning on "after". The after shave lotion.

48. Exam given intradermally, for short: TB TEST. Tuberculosis Test. Obtained the answer from crosses.

51. Like the nerve near an arm bone: ULNAR

52. Rear: FANNY

54. "South Park" rating: TV MA. Mature Audiences. Got me again.

59. H+, for one: ION. Charged atom.

60. Work unit: ERG. From Greek Ergon, literally "work".

62. Rhine feeder: AAR. Sometimes it's AARE. Rising in the Bernese Alps and flowing to the Rhine.

Answer grid.

John & C.C.

PS: Please click here for John's "Waiting for the Great Pumpkin" puzzle. Here is the answer.

Thursday February 18, 2010 Damon J. Gulczynski

Theme: THE LINE (42D. Bettor's concern, which can follow each half of the answers to starred clues)

22A. *In the netherworld: DOWN BELOW. Down the Line. Below the Line.

34A. *Use bank "protection": OVERDRAW. Over the Line. Draw the Line. Bank overdraft protection.

53A. *Place where a driver may be required to stop: CROSSWALK. Cross the Line. Walk the Line.

3D. *Climber's support: TOEHOLD. Toe the Line. Hold the Line.

A special 16*15 grid. One extra column to accommodate the even-numbered central theme entry OVERDRAW.

I am not familiar with "The Line". Is it sports betting? I could only think of "The Odds".

This theme resembles Pancho Harrison's "Time and Time again" and Bruce Venzke's "Room" we had earlier this month: the unifier can follow each word of the theme entries. Very neat concept & solid theme answers. But a few groaner affixes (Four *ER suffix) as well.

Across:

1. One might read "Mom," for short: TAT. Tattoo. Gnarly start for me.

10. "Cheers" bartender: SAM. I've never watched "Cheers".

13. Green opening: ECO. Prefix (opening) meaning "green". I can hear Jazzbumpa groan.

14. Pained expression: GRIMACE

16. Trac II successor: ATRA

17. H-1 in HI, e.g.: Abbr.: RTE. I had no idea that H-1 is in HI (Hawaii).

18. Dye, usually: RECOLOR. And REHEEL (20. Do a cobbler's work).

24. Think the world of: ADORE

25. Pocket protector contents: PENS

26. Clinton was one: YALIE. Both of the Clintons went to Yale.

27. Ginormous: COLOSSAL. Nice word.

29. Lets out, maybe: ALTERS. Was thinking of "lets out" a secret. Not tailoring.

30. Some defensive linemen: ENDS

31. Storm part: EYE

32. Eggs, to Agrippa: OVA. Latin for "eggs". Agrippa was the Roman general who defeated Mark Antony and Cleopatra.

33. Lions, on a scoreboard: DET (Detroit). Detroit Lions. Why are they so bad?

36. Hist. majors' degrees: BAS

39. Allotment word: PER. Four rows of 3-letter words in Across entries.

40. Coll. dorm overseers: RAS (Residence Assistants)

41. 1944 invasion city: ST. LO. In red color. The nearby city CAEN also has 4 letters.

45. Like some bands: ONE-MAN

47. Super trendy: ULTRA HIP

49. Hackneyed: BANAL

52. Sharp-crested ridge: ARETE. Often simply clued as "Mountain ridge".

55. Cheshire Cat, notably: SMILER. The Cheshire Cat is a character from "Alice in Wonderland". He grins frequently.

56. Bat head?: ACRO. The "head" (start) of the word Acrobat.

57. Wrap up: ENVELOP

61. Do over: ITERATE

62. Indian bread: NAN. And SARI (41D. Indian garb). Indian echoes.

64. Hi-__ graphics: RES

66. Antiquity, once: ELD

Down:

1. Cookout site: TERRACE

2. Responded to, as a stoolie's tip: ACTED ON

5. Songwriter Jacques: BREL. Probably the most famous Belgian singer/songwriter.

6. Incite to pounce (on): SIC

7. Bun-making site: SALON. Was picturing bakery "bun", not hairdo.

8. Tugs' burdens: SCOWS

9. Shore flier: TERN

10. Delayed: STALLED

11. Large wardrobe: ARMOIRE. Only know the clothes meaning of wardrobe, not the cabinet.

12. Star of "I'm No Angel" (1933): MAE WEST. Full name is always desirable. A shout-out to our birthday girl Lois, the Mae West of our blog.

15D. Builder of tiny cities: MODELER. And PAYER (25D. One treating).

16. Persistently bothered: ATE AT

21. Love personified: EROS. Greek god of love.

23. Corporate rule: BYLAW. Dictionary defines it as "A law or rule governing the internal affairs of an organization".

28. Number of Sinbad's voyages: SEVEN. Oh, I was ignorant of his total voyages.

29. Nautical "Hold it!": AVAST

32. Advanced exams: ORALS

34. Australian exports: OPALS. Opal is Australia's national gemstone. Kazie has linked a few fantastic opal pictures in the past.

35. More lit: DRUNKER. Lit is a slang for "drunk". The only adjective *ER suffix.

36. Lynx family members: BOBCATS

37. Lawlessness: ANARCHY

38. Ladies of Spain: SENORAS. Nice to see SRA's full form.

43. Word-for-word: LITERAL. "Word for Word" is also a weekly program from American Public Media. One of the few Podcast I listen to.

44. Either 2 in 2 + 2 = 4, in math: OPERAND

46. Street boss?: MASON. Because mason lays brick on the street? (Updated later: Perry Mason is the boss of Della Street. Thanks, Anonymous @7:08am).

48. Like wheelchair-accessible entrances: RAMPED

50. "Inferno" author: DANTE. Waiting for Jerome to use "Hell of a writer" clue.

51. Reindeer caretakers, traditionally: ELVES

54. River dam: WEIR. New word to me.

55. Explorer Hernando de __: SOTO. The first European (Spanish) to explore Florida.

58. Thighs, at times: LAP

Happy 30+20+4-10+20-5+1-9+3-5+6+7-2+1st Birthday, Lois!

Answer grid.

C.C.

Wednesday February 17, 2010 Pete Mitchell

Theme: VOLLEYBALL GAME (54A: Activity that involves the first words of 20-, 29- and 47-Across)

20A. How some scary things go: BUMP IN THE NIGHT. A volleyball player's most important skill is bumping - passing a volleyball by bouncing it off his or her extended forearms.

29A. Not subject to change: SET IN STONE. Setting is snapping the ball upward with two hands to set up a spike.

47A. Some stilettos: SPIKE HEELS. Spiking is sending the ball forward and downward over the net by striking it overhead with an open hand.

melissa bee blogging.

According to Wikipedia, 'Volleyball has been contested as an indoor sport at the Summer Olympic Games since 1964. Beach volleyball was introduced at the 1992 Games, and has been an official Olympic sport since 1996.'

In his interview with Concord Monitor, today's constructor Pete Mitchell mentioned that one of his hobbies is playing volleyball. He used to blog the Sun Crosswords (edited by Peter Gordon). Pete's mom Sheida stopped in our blog once last March (9:34am, the 7th from bottom up). Quite a few of our regulars started on March 2, 2009. KQ, tFrank, Andrea, etc.

Across:

1. Whack, biblically: SMITE

6. Condescending sort: SNOB

10. Kodak rival: FUJI

14. Brightly colored tropical fish: TETRA

15. Chaplin's last wife: OONA. Oona O'Neill, daughter of playwright Eugene O'Neill, and Charlie Chaplin's fourth wife. Unusual inconsistency, last name clue/first name answer.

16. Road for Pilate: ITER. Literally "road" in Latin.

17. "That's __ trick!": A NEAT

18. Cutting-edge Motorola phone? RAZR. Like this.

19. Statistician's input: DATA

23. Nous minus moi? TOI. (French) Us - me = you.

24. "The loneliest number," in a 1969 hit: ONE. Three Dog Night.

25. Wasted, as a chance: LOST. Sing it, Jeff.

35. "I wish!": IF ONLY

37. On the calmer side: ALEE. Away from the wind.

38. Floors, briefly: KOS. My favorite clue. Boxing term, Knock Outs (or Knocks Out). Can cause temporary unconsciousness. So can this.

39. Wolfgang Puck's restaurant: SPAGO. Beverly Hills, Maui, Las Vegas, and Beaver Creek.

40. Third qtr. start: JUL. The third quarter of a calendar year is made up of July, August, and September.

41. Talons: CLAWS. Golden Eagle.

43. Male in an alley: TOM. Tomcat.

44. Cognac initials: VSOP. Very Superior Old Pale. Cognac is a type of brandy that is produced only in the Cognac region of western France. Time for a new avatar, santa?

46. More work: UTOPIA. Very tricky, got me. Saint Thomas More's classic masterpiece.

50. Not easy to see: TINY

51. Crimson opponent: ELI. A nickname for a Yale University student, after Yale benefactor Elihu Yale. Crimson refers to Harvard.

52. Not quite oneself: OFF

62. Perfume holder: VIAL

63. Tobacco unit: LEAF. Quite large.

64. Like chalet roofs: EAVED. Lovely.

65. Be sore: ACHE. Time for your massage.

66. Take a shot: DARE

67. Word after sing or string: ALONG. For dennis, because i know you like it when pink appears.

68. Nerve opening? NEUR. Used in the formation of compound words, e.g., neural, neurology, neuritis.

69. Lose fur: SHED

70. Common asset? SENSE. Common sense.

Down:

1. Rough guess: STAB

2. See 3-Down: MENU

3. Unit on a 2-Down: ITEM

4. Ambush: TRAP

5. Weird Al Yankovic spoof of a Michael Jackson hit: EAT IT

and 26. King ___ (Michael Jackson): OF POP

6. Airman's assignment: SORTIE

7. Early boat builder: NOAH

8. Quatre + sept: ONZE. French numbers: Four + Seven = Eleven.

9. With no exceptions: BAR NONE

10. Act nervously: FIDGET

11. Home to Zion National Park: UTAH. Stunning.

12. Rocker Joan: JETT. I Love Rock and Roll.

13. Brokerage statement subj., perhaps: IRA. Individual Retirement Account.

21. Overly curious: NOSY. Also nosey.

22. Bat's prey: INSECT. The best natural insect control.

25. Leans, as a ship: LISTS

27. "Ditto": SO AM I

28. "Star Trek" sequel, for short: TNG. The Next Generation.

and 45. "Star Trek" defenses: SHIELDS

30. Brownish gray: TAUPE

32. Giraffe cousin: OKAPI

33. Hopeless: NO WIN. A hopeless/no-win situation.

34. Exam type you can't guess on: ESSAY

36. Apollo 13 commander Jim: LOVELL. Played by Tom Hanks in the 1995 movie.

40. Average guy? JOE. Average Joe.

42. Auction unit: LOT

46. Defunct gridiron org.: USFL. United States Football League, 1983-1985.

48. Sullivan's charge in "The Miracle Worker": KELLER. Anne Sullivan was Helen Keller's teacher.

49. Emulated a couch potato: LOAFED

53. Canine woes: FLEAS. Inside, outside, you go where you please, I give you love, you just give me fleas.

54. Guilty pleasure: VICE. Do you have any?

55. Iolani Palace site: OAHU. The only official state residence of royalty in the United States, ʻIolani Palace was the official residence of the Hawaiian Kingdom's last two monarchs--King Kalakaua, who built the Palace in 1882, and his sister and successor, Queen Lili`uokalani.'

56. "Uh-huh": YEAH

57. In one's birthday suit: BARE

58. "The Wizard of Oz" family name: GALE. Dorothy Gale.

59. Bard's river: AVON. William Shakespeare is known as the "Bard of Avon".

60. Clothing store department: MEN'S

61. Fringe: EDGE

62. U-Haul rental: VAN. Four V* words in this puzzle.

Answer grid.

melissa

Tuesday, February 16, 2010 Nancy Kavanaugh

Theme: THEY'RE DRAWN (61A: What you can say about sketches, and about the answers to the starred clues) - Theme answers all can be drawn, but with a different nuance.

17A: *Relaxing soak: NICE HOT BATH. Even more luxurious if someone else draws the bath for you, eh?

26A: *Great concert turnout: LARGE CROWD. Attracted to an event.

39A: *Many an exec's remuneration: SIX FIGURE SALARY. Most of us struggle to draw five figures.

51A: *Unlucky selection: SHORT STRAW. This is to physically draw a straw from a group of equal length straws except for one. Used to decide by chance who has to do something nobody wants to do.

Rather unique to have DRAWN apply to the three full theme answers & a fuller defining entry placed at the bottom of the grid.

Barry Silk did a DRAW puzzle for NYT in 2008. The unifying DRAW is clued as "Something you can do to the starts of ....". BATH TOWEL/CURTAIN CALL/BLANK EXPRESSION are among his theme answers.

Argyle here.

I suppose the breakfast factor (nothing disgusting at the breakfast table, when most are doing the puzzle) precludes the mention of DRAWN AND QUARTERED. You all have finished your breakfast, I hope.

A tick harder than Monday's. Still some Crosswordese and famous people but, hey, no Roman numerals.

Across:

1A: Western Florida city: TAMPA

6A: Rice-__: A-RONI. A nice bicoastal start.

11A: Air gun ammo: BBs

14A: Catherine of "Beetlejuice": O'HARA. as Delia.

15A: Binary system digits: ZEROS. And 46A: Binary system digits: ONES.

16A: Exercise unit: REP. (Shortened repetitions)

19A: Brew in a yard: ALE. A yard (or yard glass) is a very tall glass used for drinking beer or ale.

20A: "Just __ suspected!": AS I

21A: "... have you __ wool?": ANY Windhover?

22A: Company whose calling is calling: AVON. Their ads often started with, "AVON Calling"

23A: Bio kin: CHEM. (Biology) (Chemistry) And 55A: Course with many problems: MATH. (Mathematics)

29A: Sympathetic connection: RAPPORT

31A: Cease: STOP

32A: Blood system letters: A B O

33A: Confirmation, e.g.: RITE. (Religious)

35A: Outperforms: BESTS

43A: Work with hair: STYLE

44A: Pre-coll. catchall: ELHI. (Elementary-High school) A bit of Crosswordese.

45A: Bit of Internet mirth: LOL

49A: Pulls an all-nighter: BONES UP

56A: Hip-swiveling dance: HULA

57A: Beachgoer's shirt: TEE

58A: Rioting group: MOB. Creating 67A: Free-for-all: MELEE

60A: Former California fort: ORD

66A: NFL's Cardinals, on scoreboards: ARI. Arizona.

68A: McDermott of "The Practice": DYLAN. Don't look if you don't like a hairy chest.

69A: Soap-making need: LYE

70A: "__ my case": I REST

71A: Figure out: SOLVE. Great ending entry!

Down:

1D: Heavy weight: TON

2D: Bigeye or yellowfin, at a sushi bar: AHI. More CWese.

3D: Cheese partner: MAC. (Macaroni)

4D: Radio signal booster: PRE-AMP

5D: Sighs of contentment: AAHs. When Cruciverb came back online.

6D: HIV-treating drug: AZT. AZidoThymidine is a nucleoside analog reverse transcriptase inhibitor. (I have no idea what that means.)

7D: Masonry-reinforcing rod: REBAR

8D: Tree-dwelling apes: ORANGS. (Orangutans)

9D: "Almost ready--be patient": "NOT YET"

10D: Suffix with Brit: ISH

11D: "Top Chef" network: BRAVO

12D: Downstairs, at sea: BELOW. On board ship.

13D: Blow, as dough: SPEND

18D: Well driller: OILRIG

22D: Skin care maven Adrien: ARPEL

23D: Uncouth: CRASS

24D: Good thing to kick: HABIT

25D: Hobbyist's glue: EPOXY

27D: Westernmost Aleutian island: ATTU. From whence you can see Russia.

28D: Kurt of Nirvana: COBAIN

30D: Point in the right direction: ORIENT

34D: Preceding, in poetry: ERE

36D: Tex-Mex dip: SALSA

37D: "Rainbow" fish: TROUT

38D: Mythical air dweller: SYLPH. If anyone has a good knowledge of this term, please enlighten us.

40D: Regional plant life: FLORA

41D: Corsica neighbor: ELBA. Napoleon's exile.

42D: Skeptic's demand: "SHOW ME!"

47D: Her book is read during the Jewish holiday Purim: ESTHER

48D: "Remington __": STEELE. Television series, broadcasted on NBC, 1982 to 1987. It starred Stephanie Zimbalist as private detective Laura Holt and Pierce Brosnan as a roguish former white-collar thief and con man who assumed Remington Steele's fictitious identity. Ms Holt had named her agency "Remington STEELE" because she felt she would get more business if it was thought to be run by a man. It was a dated concept even back then.

50D: Pre-fetus stage: EMBRYO

51D: Shallow sea area: SHOAL

52D: Speed things up: HURRY

53D: Song from the past: OLDIE

54D: Three-time N.L. stolen base champ José: REYES. (New York Mets)

59D: Gambler's concerns: ODDS

61D: Pa. plant in the 1979 news: TMI. (Three Mile Island) Nuclear incident.

62D: Like Gen. Powell: RET.

63D: Every last one: ALL

64D: Sound file suffix: WAV

65D: L.A.-to-Helena dir.: NNE

Answer grid.

Argyle

Monday, February 15, 2010 Jack McInturff

Theme: BRAVE NEW WORLD - The ends of theme answers sequentially spell out the title of the novel written by ALDOUS HUXLEY (53A: Author of the novel indicated by the ends of 20-, 32-and 39-Across).

20A: Baseballer with a tomahawk on his jersey: ATLANTA BRAVE

32A: "Like I haven't heard that before": "WHAT ELSE IS NEW?"

39A: 4x platinum hit single co-written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie: "WE ARE THE WORLD"

Argyle here but I'd rather be abed. Cruciverb had no new puzzle and I finally went back to my old (and slower) method of retrieving clues and answers. So unless C.C. fills it out, it will be thin commentary today.

Feel free to add what you want to the blog. That is where some of the best info comes from anyway!

Across:

1) Put__: sail: TO SEA

6) Lyricist Sammy: CAHN

10) Word of woe: "ALAS!". We haven't had "Alack" lately.

14) "Lost" network: ABC-TV

15) "Milk's favorite cookie": OREO

16) Stoicism founder: ZENO. The stoic Zeno of Citium. Don't confuse him with the other Greek philosopher Zeno of Elea.

17) Upright or grand: PIANO

18) Office divider: PARTITION

22) Opposite of NNW: SSE

23) Myrna of "The Thin Man": LOY. Quite a few people today and echos of recent puzzles, too.

24) Sharpshooter Annie: OAKLEY

28) Corp. boss: CEO

29) Sawyer's buddy: FINN

31) Ore-__, maker of frozen potatoes: IDA. Ore-Ida, portmanteau of Oregon & Idaho.

35) Eyelid woe: STYE

37) Covert govt. group: CIA

38) Nights, to poets: EENS

44) PC key: ALT

45) Actress Natalie: WOOD

46) IM company: AOL

47) Diving seabird: PETREL

49) 24-hr. cash source: ATM

50) Watch chain: FOB

57) Actor's asset: GOOD LOOKS

60) Smallest: LEAST

61) Exile isle: ELBA. For Napoleon.

62) Run away: FLEE

63) Bring together: UNITE

65) Abstain from food: FAST

66) Painful spots: SORES

Down:

1) Spanish snacks: TAPAs. Interesting.

2) "In memoriam" news items: OBITS

3) Weighing device: SCALE

4) Sicilian erupter: ETNA

5) "Anne of Green Gables" setting: AVONLEA

6) Insured patient's outlay: CO-PAY

7) Many an Iraqi: ARAB

8) German "Mister": HERR

9) Zero: NOT A ONE

10) Pontiac SUV named for an early Mexican: AZTEK

11) Hawaiian garland: LEI. And UKES (55D: Hawaiian strings). For our Hawaiian gang.

12) It starts with enero: ANO. enero is Spanish for "January".

13) Trinity member: SON

19) Russian prince known as "Moneybag": IVAN I

21) Horn beep: TOOT

25) Ruled, as a writing pad: LINED

26) Genesis garden: EDEN

27) Deviates from a course: YAWS

28) Sonny's partner: CHER. Sonny & Cher.

29) Popped (out), as to the outfield: FLIED

30) "__ Mommy kissing ...": I SAW. Tryst?

32) Lawman Earp: WYATT

33) Bounce back: ECHO

34) Auction off: SELL

35) Exchange: SWAP

36) Prefix with conference: TELE

40) "The Seven Year Itch" actor Tom: EWELL. Famous scene

41) Rebuked: TOLD OFF

42) Promise in court: OATH

43) Remus' twin: ROMULUS. Founder of Rome.

48) Speeder's downfall: RADAR

49) Useful quality: ASSET

50) Knack: FLAIR

51) West, to a Spaniard: OESTE

52) Computer memory units: BYTES

54) "Return of the Jedi" dancer: OOLA

56) Strange: Pref.: XENO. Or "Foreign prefx.:". As in Xenophobia.

57) Jewelry stone: GEM

58) Corrida cheer: "OLE!"

59) "Madama Butterfly" sash: OBI

Answer grid.

Argyle