Tuesday, March 5, 2013 Mel Rosen

Theme: Vowel Progression - Five two-word entries; first word starts P_TT with a vowel progressing from A to U. Added bonus, the added vowels are all of the short variety.

18A. Singer called the "Godmother of Punk" : PATTI SMITH. (She doesn't seem to have any short songs!)

23A. Misdemeanor : PETTY CRIME

38A. Set in opposition to : PITTED AGAINST

50A. One given to bad language : POTTY MOUTH

57A. Finishing the 18th, say : PUTTING OUT. (Awkward phrasing, to my ear.)

Argyle here. I've got nothing to say. C.C.?

From C.C.: Here is a picture of today's constructor Mel Rosen and his wife Peggy at the 2002 ACPT tournament. Mel coined the phrase Cruciverbalist, meaning "crossword aficionado".

Across:

1. Politicos Reagan and Paul : RONs

5. Do some healing : MEND

9. Mallorcan seaport : PALMA. Spanish name for Majorca.

14. Lit sign in a dark theater : EXIT

15. Operatic song : ARIA

16. Regions : AREAs

17. Playground frolicker : TYKE

20. Not getting any younger : AGING

22. Mozart's "Così fan __" : TUTTE. Overture(4:22)

26. Reheat leftovers, in a way : NUKE

30. "Bambi" doe : ENA. (Bambi's aunt)

31. Pep rally yell : RAH

32. Grabbed at will : SEIZED

34. Triangular Indian pastry : SAMOSA. Wash it down with a Mimosa?

37. Bufferin targets : PAINS. Aspirin with an antacid buffer made by Novartis.

41. Land, in Le Havre : TERRE On the English Channel. Map

42. Puts into office : ELECTS

43. Enthusiastic reply to "Who wants ice cream?" : "I DO! I DO!"

45. Classical lead-in : NEO

46. Involuntary sign of nerves : TIC

49. Color for a panther? : PINK. Earwig warning. Theme(2:39)

54. Movie reviewer Roger : EBERT

56. China's Zhou __ : ENLAI

62. Caplet or gelcap : PILL. Bufferin comes only as a tablet.

63. Dentist's insertion : CROWN. A more straightforward clue than the other day.

64. Where the clergy sit, in many churches : APSE

65. Mayberry boy : OPIE. Another Ron.

66. It's found in veins : BLOOD. Still, there might be iron in those veins.

67. Tiny time div. : NSEC. (nanosecond)

68. MADD ads, e.g. : PSA's. (Mothers Against Drunk Driving/public service announcements)

Down:

1. Put on a new cassette : RETAPE. Iffy.

2. Roughly 21% of the atmosphere : OXYGEN

3. "La Femme __" : NIKITA. Trailer with subtitles.

4. Angioplasty implant : STENT. A stent is a small mesh tube that's used to treat narrow or weak arteries. They have had their problems.

5. "You are here" document : MAP

6. Timeline time : ERA

7. Capone cohort Frank : NITTI. He's been making an appearance frequently.

8. Factual tidbit : DATUM

9. Yesterday's tense : PAST

10. Azerbaijani's neighbors : ARMENIANS. As the map shows, Armenia is landlocked.

11. Welcoming wreath : LEI

12. Welcoming floor covering : MAT

13. Bit of fire evidence : ASH

19. Adherents: Suff. : ITEs

21. Danced wildly : GYRATED

24. Amounted (to) : CAME

25. __ Island : RHODE

27. Weapons from Israel : UZIs

28. Mild-mannered fictional reporter : KENT. Clark

29. L.A. Times staffers : EDs. (editors)

33. Exemplification : EPITOME

34. Ump's call : "STRIKE TWO!"

35. Erie Canal mule : SAL. She's a good ole gal.

36. Athlete's promoter : AGENT

38. Mani partner, salonwise : PEDI. (manicure and pedicure)

39. Laundry room tool : IRON

40. __-deucy : ACEY. (card game)

41. Advice at the track : TIP

44. Pop one's cork? : OPEN

46. Blooms from bulbs : TULIPS. Soon.

47. Home to Firenze : ITALIA. Both Italian spellings.

48. __ rellenos: stuffed Mexican dish : CHILES. Yum!

51. Church keyboard : ORGAN

52. Sporty car roofs : T-TOPS

53. Seuss's "Hop __" : ON POP

55. Difficult situation : BIND

57. Pollutant banned by Cong. in 1979 : PCB. An oil formerly used in transformers.

58. www address : URL

59. On top of everything else : TOO

60. Employ : USE

61. Investigator, slangily : TEC

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

1) You can click here (MENSA website) to solve the puzzle in old format.

2)Here are three adorable pictures of the 4-month-old Charlotte, Lemonade's granddaughter.

Hello, Crossword Corner!