Thursday, December 27, 2012 C.C. Burnikel and Dennis Ryall

Theme: Working for a Living - Some matter of employment hidden in the themes.

17A. Rossini's "Cinderella," e.g. : COMIC OPERA (Cop)

23A. Judge's protective ruling : NO-CONTACT ORDER (Actor)

37A. When-all-else-fails act : LAST- DITCH EFFORT (Chef)

48A. Like a good project manager : DETAIL ORIENTED (Tailor)

59A. Employee crimes, and literally, the positions hidden in 17-, 23-, 37- and 48-Across : INSIDE JOBS

Argyle here. I got the reveal first but it didn't help. I wasted my time looking for the word JOB in the answers. Then I looked for crimes, like theft. Didn't find them either. It was TAILOR that set me straight.

So there is some baseball and bra's; just what I would expect from C.C. and Dennis. A solid Thursday offering.

Across:

1. "Steeerike!" is one : CALL

5. Good-sized slices : SLABS

10. U.K. awards : OBE's. (Order of the British Empire)

14. Slobbering comics pooch : ODIE. Garfield's companion.

15. Core group : CADRE. Dennis was in a Corps group.

16. Going around in circles, maybe : LOST

19. See : DATE

20. Pluto, for example : ORB. The planet, or whatever they're calling it now.

21. Administered by spoon : ORAL

22. Self-gratifying outing : SPREE

27. Golfer nicknamed "The Big Easy" : ELS. (Ernie)

28. Shady plot : ARBOR

29. Tantrum in a restaurant, say : SCENE

32. Clip : PACE

34. Docs who deliver : OB's. (Obstetrician)

41. Cooperstown's Mel : OTT. He played right field his entire career for the New York Giants (1926–1947).

42. Tricky rink move : DEKE. A fake, a feint, a juke.

43. Like X, in some cases : ROMAN. It is if it represents the number ten in Latin.

44. Noted Titanic passenger : ASTOR. His wife survived.

47. Groupie : FAN

54. Greek labyrinth island, in myth : CRETE

55. He plays Jack on "30 Rock" : ALEC. (Baldwin)

56. November honoree : VET. Dennis again.

58. Bike basket escapee of film : TOTO. "The Wizard of Oz."

62. Isaac's oldest : ESAU. A little tougher way to clue him.

63. Carved symbol : TOTEM

64. Pod veggie : OKRA

65. At the front of the line : NEXT

66. Subject of a sports deadline : TRADE

67. Rotary Club symbol : GEAR

Down:

1. First name in fashion : COCO. Figuratively: Gabrielle "Coco" Bonheur Chanel.

2. Sew on rickrack, for instance : ADORN

3. State of oblivion : LIMBO

4. Floral garland : LEI

5. Pooh-poohs : SCORNS

6. Splash gently against : LAP AT

7. "A Passage to India" schoolmistress : ADELA. IMDb.

8. "It's too darn cold!" : [BRR!]

9. Mermaid's milieu : SEA

10. Veteran : OLD PRO. Dennis again!

11. Decision-making setting : BOARDROOM

12. First name in skin care : ESTÉE. (Lauder)

13. Pilot : STEER

18. Lost enthusiasm : COOLED

22. Have a good cry : SOB

24. Euro fraction : CENT

25. Hidey-hole : CACHE

26. Apple, for one : TREE. Gave me pause; a plethora of possibilities

29. __-mo : SLO

30. Alley lurker : CAT

31. Subject of IRS Form 706 : ESTATE TAX

32. Prefix meaning "wing" : PTERO

33. "Good grief!" : "ACK!"

35. Two-piece piece : BRA. Nothing to say.

36. RR depot : STN.. (station)

38. Star frequently gazed at : IDOL. Tricky.

39. Coneheads' home, so they said : FRANCE. From a popular Saturday Night Live skit.

40. Type type : FONT. More than alliteration.

45. Warmed the bench : SAT OUT

46. Ascot or cravat : TIE

47. What a baby's cry often means : [FEED ME!]

48. 747 competitor : DC TEN

49. Irregularly notched : EROSE

50. Many a reggae musician : RASTA

51. Fibber's admission : "I LIED"

52. Bring forth : EVOKE

53. Messing of "Smash" : DEBRA

57. Old autocrat : TSAR

59. Addams cousin : ITT

60. Hide-hair link : NOR

61. Nudge : JOG. Not JAB.

Argyle

Notes from C.C.:

1) Marti probably lost electricity last night due to snow. A big "Thank you" to Argyle for blogging at the last minute. I seriously can't live without him!

2) This theme came to me while glancing at an article in our local Star Tribune. Dennis and I searched through a ton of professions and worked out the current four that can be hidden. He came up with the essential COP (one of his buddies is a cop) and its contained phrase. Filling was rather smooth considering the 5 long theme entries (63 theme squares) in place, and I thought we had to add a couple cheater squares. We even put in Dennis' favorite BRA!

Dennis has been my trusted guinea pig. He's a patient and solid sounding board on many of my themes and fill. We talked about making a puzzle together for years, but finally got time to do so after he settled down in Florida last spring. We made 3 puzzles together. This was one. The second one was accepted by the NY Times! The last one was rejected by both editors :-(
 

Dennis, Florida

3)  Happy Birthday to our handsome pilot Dudley!

Dudley and his wife at their Block Island wedding in 2008