Monday, June 17, 2013 Patti Varol

Theme: Pail Face - The last word of the theme entries can precede the unifier.

18A. Longtime UCLA coach known as the "Wizard of Westwood" : JOHN WOODEN. Wooden bucket.

23A. Cracks a little joke to ease tension, say : BREAKS THE ICE. Ice bucket.

38A. One no longer in his comfort zone : A FISH OUT OF WATER. Water bucket.

48A. Command sequence before shooting : READY, AIM, FIRE. Fire bucket. (These may be full of sand.)

57A. Once-in-a-lifetime agenda, or an apt description of the ends of 18-, 23-, 38- and 48-Across : BUCKET LIST

Argyle here. Today's constructor is Patti Varol so I should choose my words carefully. What a wonderful Monday puzzle. Nice long entries, including a grid spanner. The coach gave me pause (because I had a variant spelling on a perp) and some others but your results may vary. Very acceptable.

Across:

1. Phi __ Kappa : BETA. An academic honor society.

5. Legislative addendum : RIDER. Where a lot of pork slides through.

10. Future atty.'s exam : LSAT. (Law School Admission Test)

14. Security problem : LEAK

15. Greek marketplace : AGORA

16. Opposite of dry, as skin : OILY. You can find infomercials to 'cure' either condition.

17. Radius neighbor : ULNA. For you pre-meds out there.

20. Caught __-handed : RED

21. Used a stool : SAT

22. Family reunion attendee : NIECE. I attended my fiftieth class reunion this weekend; disappointing turnout.

28. 6, on a cellphone button : MNO

29. Theater walkway : AISLE

30. Blot gently : DAB

33. Picasso's movement : CUBISM. They support the Chicago Cubs?

36. Chicago-to-Atlanta dir. : SSE. I did like one of these that didn't have obscure cities.

37. Volcanic overflow : LAVA

41. Pig in a __ : POKE. A poke: 1250–1300; Middle English & Middle Dutch, whence also Old North French poque, French poche bag, pocket. In a nut shell, don't buy a bag that purports to have a pig in it without looking in the bag first.

42. Baja bear : OSO. Don't buy one in a bolsa.

43. Hitting sound : [THWACK!]

44. Mao __-tung : TSE

45. Attorney general's intern : CLERK. ?

47. __ Kippur : YOM. This year, Day of Atonement begins in the evening of Friday, September 13 and ends in the evening of Saturday, September 14.

52. Bald tire's lack : TREAD

55. Suffix with salt : INE. (saltine cracker)

56. Henpeck : NAG

61. Half of table tennis? : PING. and pong.

62. Burn balm : ALOE

63. "Yes __!" : SIREE

64. Avid about : INTO

65. Tear to shreds : REND

66. Oyster bead : PEARL

67. Self-perceptions : EGOS

Down:

1. DVD case promo : BLURB. "Miss Belinda Blurb in the act of blurbing." LINK

2. Fisherman who supplies a sushi bar : EELER

3. Two-wheeler for two : TANDEM BIKE. I'm still LOL.

4. Wanted-poster abbr. : AKA

5. Indian princes : RAJAs

6. "__ run!": "Time for me to leave!" : I GOTTA. "Not yet"

7. Play-__: kids' clay : DOH

8. Marine eagle : ERN

9. Not cooked : RAW. How the erne likes his fish.

10. Sarge's superior : LOOIE. (louie is a variant)

11. Pro or con, in a debate : SIDE

12. Guinness of "Star Wars" : ALEC

13. Actress Daly : TYNE

19. "__ upon a midnight dreary ..." : ONCE. Name that poem.

21. Wee bit : SKOSH. This was well discussed on this day. LINK

24. Ouzo flavoring : ANISE. An anise-flavored aperitif that is widely consumed in Greece and Cyprus (and it sneaks up on you, so I've heard).

25. American or World follower, in school : HISTORY

26. Bygone gas station : ESSO. Or gone bye-bye to other countries.

27. "__ my heart in ..." : I LEFT. Cue Tony! LINK

30. Pattern-seeking information analysis : DATA MINING

31. With, to François : AVEC

32. "Speak" response : [BARK!]

33. Ahab or America: Abbr. : CAPT. (Captain)

34. Space saucers, briefly : UFOs

35. Money, in slang : MOOLA

37. __ diminishing returns : LAW OF. For one law, it sure has complex definitions(that's like a true law).

39. Not new : USED

40. "Pick someone else, pleeease?" : "WHY ME?"

45. Hand over : CEDE

46. Old German leader : KAISER

48. Collected, as downed leaves : RAKED

49. Chip-making giant : INTEL

50. Greeted with enthusiasm : RAN TO

51. Toaster waffles : EGGOs

52. Skier's transport : T-BAR

53. Guideline : RULE

54. Business maj.'s focus : ECON. (economics)

58. Sugar meas. : TSP. It helps the medicine go down.

59. Fib : LIE

60. Keogh plan relative: Abbr. : IRA

61. Apple dessert : PIE

Argyle

Notes from C.C.:

Here are 2 pictures from JD's recent Ireland & Scotland trip. JD said "I must have taken 100 pictures of sheep on the hillsides. Hard to get them clear when we were driving along. We loved the quaint little college town of St. Andrews of the famous golf course." Argyle is dreaming of St. Andrews!

Hillside, Ireland

Loch Ness

Truman, JD's oldest grandson, just graduated from Kindergarten. Look at how proud the grandma is!