Theme: Abracadabra
17A: Magician's deception: SMOKE AND MIRRORS
35A: Magician's deception: SLEIGHT OF HAND
52A: Magician's deception: OPTICAL ILLUSION
Also, a couple bonus words which are symmetrically placed in the grid. Perfect!
27D: "Pick a __, any ...": CARD.
35D: Magic act, for one: SHOW.
The cross-referenced fill END (28D: See 38-Down) and THE (38D: With 28-Down, novel conclusion) are also symmetrically gridded. Excellently done.
Argyle here.
A very nice start to the week. A lot of three letter entries that are words and not abbreviations. A minimum of foreign words. And so many songs I could link! (This is not for everybody. Hocus Pocus Dutch insanity.)
Across:
1A: Joplin piano piece: RAG. Scott Joplin, died 1917, was an African-American dubbed the "King of Ragtime." Ragtime is an original American musical genre whose main characteristic trait is its syncopated, or "ragged", rhythm. Maple Leaf Rag.
9A: Like a disreputable hotel: SEEDY.
14A: www address: URL. Uniform Resource Locator: a protocol for specifying addresses on the Internet.
15A: Pic: PHOTO.
16A: Knight's protection: ARMOR.
20A: Kept in reserve: SAVED.
21A: Dewy: MOIST.
23A: Really smart people: BRAINS.
29A: Old salt: TAR. Sailor
30A: Investigation: PROBE.
32A: Southern breakfast side: GRITS. Either you like 'em or you don't; nothing in between.
33A: Concurrence: ACCORD.
38A: Very brief briefs: THONGS. I don't know what to say. Images.
39A: Take in or let out: ALTER. No, not the cats.
40A: Improve, as skills: HONE.
42A: __ room: play area: REC. Should this have an indication that it's a shortened version of RECreation ?
45A: Lamb's mom: EWE.
46A: Like the person in a diet ad "after" picture: LEANER.
48A: Equipment: GEAR.
49A: "Grrr!" is one: SNARL.
51A: It's enough for Luigi: BASTA. Italian for Stop! Enough! ASSEZ in French.
57A: Finish second, in a race: PLACE. Usually in a horse race: First, WIN; second, PLACE; and third, SHOW.
58A: Inventor Howe: ELIAS. He patented the first American-made sewing machine.
59A: Payable: DUE.
60A: Natives of Ankara: TURKS. The capital of Turkey.
61A: Like oboe music: REEDY. Oh, okay.
62A: Little green men, briefly: ETS. ExtraTerrestrial being, originating outside the limits of the earth.
Down:
1D: Many an Idaho potato: RUSSET.
2D: Spanish fleet: ARMADA.
3D: Danny of "Lethal Weapon" films: GLOVER. Sergeant Roger Murtaugh.
4D: Floored it: SPED.
5D: "I have the answer!": AHA.
6D: Chaney of film: LON.
7D: Takeoff approx.: ETD. Estimated Time of Departure.
8D: Christina Crawford's "__ Dearest": MOMMIE. The story of growing up with Joan Crawford for a mother. Book and Film.
9D: Wrapped garments seen in Agra culture: SARIS. Agra District is one of the districts of Uttar Pradesh state of India, and home of the Taj Mahal. Aishwarya Rai (the World's Most Beautiful Woman) in red SARI, beautiful!
10D: Says "2x2= 5," say: ERRS.
11D: :-), e.g.: EMOTICON.
12D: Palme __: Cannes film prize: D'OR. "Golden Palm Leaf", awarded for the best film. Here are three pretty women at 2004 Cannes Film Festival: the most influentical Chinese actress Gong Li, again, Aishwarya Rai and French supermodel Laeticia Casta.
19D: Cyclotron bit: ION.
23D: Naval jails: BRIGS.
24D: __IRA: ROTH.
25D: Choose not to vote: ABSTAIN.
30D: Holier-than-thou type: PRIG. Synonyms: prude, puritan, bluenose.
32D: Wilder or Hackman: GENE.
33D: Subsequent to: AFTER.
34D: "Moonstruck" Oscar winner: CHER.
36D: Texas symbol: LONE STAR.
37D: Ye __ Tea Shoppe: OLDE.
41D: Square dance leader: CALLER. Bugs Bunny, Square Dance Caller.
42D: Live (at): RESIDE.
43D: Take the family to a restaurant: EAT OUT.
44D: Building site giants: CRANES.
46D: Shoestrings: LACES.
47D: The Gay Nineties, e.g.: ERA.
48D: "Fill 'er up" filler: GAS.
50D: Just in the __ of time: NICK.
51D: Occupied: BUSY.
53D: Like "mice" and "men": Abbr.: PLU. Plural. Nice play on John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men".
54D: Land in the Seine: ILE. Islands in a French river.
56D: Young guy: LAD
Argyle
Answer grid.
Picture of the Day: Here is great photo of our fellow LAT solver Jimbo and his family. He said: "Left to right, my son, his granddaughter, his son and "yours truly".
52A: Magician's deception: OPTICAL ILLUSION
Also, a couple bonus words which are symmetrically placed in the grid. Perfect!
27D: "Pick a __, any ...": CARD.
35D: Magic act, for one: SHOW.
The cross-referenced fill END (28D: See 38-Down) and THE (38D: With 28-Down, novel conclusion) are also symmetrically gridded. Excellently done.
Argyle here.
A very nice start to the week. A lot of three letter entries that are words and not abbreviations. A minimum of foreign words. And so many songs I could link! (This is not for everybody. Hocus Pocus Dutch insanity.)
Across:
1A: Joplin piano piece: RAG. Scott Joplin, died 1917, was an African-American dubbed the "King of Ragtime." Ragtime is an original American musical genre whose main characteristic trait is its syncopated, or "ragged", rhythm. Maple Leaf Rag.
9A: Like a disreputable hotel: SEEDY.
14A: www address: URL. Uniform Resource Locator: a protocol for specifying addresses on the Internet.
15A: Pic: PHOTO.
16A: Knight's protection: ARMOR.
20A: Kept in reserve: SAVED.
21A: Dewy: MOIST.
23A: Really smart people: BRAINS.
29A: Old salt: TAR. Sailor
30A: Investigation: PROBE.
32A: Southern breakfast side: GRITS. Either you like 'em or you don't; nothing in between.
33A: Concurrence: ACCORD.
38A: Very brief briefs: THONGS. I don't know what to say. Images.
39A: Take in or let out: ALTER. No, not the cats.
40A: Improve, as skills: HONE.
42A: __ room: play area: REC. Should this have an indication that it's a shortened version of RECreation ?
45A: Lamb's mom: EWE.
46A: Like the person in a diet ad "after" picture: LEANER.
48A: Equipment: GEAR.
49A: "Grrr!" is one: SNARL.
51A: It's enough for Luigi: BASTA. Italian for Stop! Enough! ASSEZ in French.
57A: Finish second, in a race: PLACE. Usually in a horse race: First, WIN; second, PLACE; and third, SHOW.
58A: Inventor Howe: ELIAS. He patented the first American-made sewing machine.
59A: Payable: DUE.
60A: Natives of Ankara: TURKS. The capital of Turkey.
61A: Like oboe music: REEDY. Oh, okay.
62A: Little green men, briefly: ETS. ExtraTerrestrial being, originating outside the limits of the earth.
Down:
1D: Many an Idaho potato: RUSSET.
2D: Spanish fleet: ARMADA.
3D: Danny of "Lethal Weapon" films: GLOVER. Sergeant Roger Murtaugh.
4D: Floored it: SPED.
5D: "I have the answer!": AHA.
6D: Chaney of film: LON.
7D: Takeoff approx.: ETD. Estimated Time of Departure.
8D: Christina Crawford's "__ Dearest": MOMMIE. The story of growing up with Joan Crawford for a mother. Book and Film.
9D: Wrapped garments seen in Agra culture: SARIS. Agra District is one of the districts of Uttar Pradesh state of India, and home of the Taj Mahal. Aishwarya Rai (the World's Most Beautiful Woman) in red SARI, beautiful!
10D: Says "2x2= 5," say: ERRS.
11D: :-), e.g.: EMOTICON.
12D: Palme __: Cannes film prize: D'OR. "Golden Palm Leaf", awarded for the best film. Here are three pretty women at 2004 Cannes Film Festival: the most influentical Chinese actress Gong Li, again, Aishwarya Rai and French supermodel Laeticia Casta.
19D: Cyclotron bit: ION.
23D: Naval jails: BRIGS.
24D: __IRA: ROTH.
25D: Choose not to vote: ABSTAIN.
30D: Holier-than-thou type: PRIG. Synonyms: prude, puritan, bluenose.
32D: Wilder or Hackman: GENE.
33D: Subsequent to: AFTER.
34D: "Moonstruck" Oscar winner: CHER.
36D: Texas symbol: LONE STAR.
37D: Ye __ Tea Shoppe: OLDE.
41D: Square dance leader: CALLER. Bugs Bunny, Square Dance Caller.
42D: Live (at): RESIDE.
43D: Take the family to a restaurant: EAT OUT.
44D: Building site giants: CRANES.
46D: Shoestrings: LACES.
47D: The Gay Nineties, e.g.: ERA.
48D: "Fill 'er up" filler: GAS.
50D: Just in the __ of time: NICK.
51D: Occupied: BUSY.
53D: Like "mice" and "men": Abbr.: PLU. Plural. Nice play on John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men".
54D: Land in the Seine: ILE. Islands in a French river.
56D: Young guy: LAD
Argyle
Answer grid.
Picture of the Day: Here is great photo of our fellow LAT solver Jimbo and his family. He said: "Left to right, my son, his granddaughter, his son and "yours truly".
