Tuesday, February 24, 2015 C.C. Burnikel

Theme: Food Inside Food - Foodstuff that has been stuffed with more foodstuff.

18A. Single proprietor : SOLE OWNER. Stuffed sole - Crab meat is one popular stuffing.

20A. The Old Spaghetti Factory alternative : OLIVE GARDEN. Stuffed olive - commonly pimento.

38A. Self-defense option : PEPPER SPRAY. Stuffed pepper - Ground beef

57A. Fragrant bloomer with typically pink flowers : CABBAGE ROSE. Stuffed cabbage - Ground beef again but wrapped in a cabbage leaf roll.

61A. Comment after a feast ... or what the first word of 18-, 20-, 38- and 57-Across would sometimes say--if it could talk : I'M STUFFED

Argyle here but it should have been Steve. More food! (Note the vertical stacks on the sides.)

Across:

1. Rosie of "The Jetsons," for one : ROBOT

6. Recede : EBB

9. Downloadable programs : APPs

13. Golden Gloves venue : ARENA

14. Chimney substance : SOOT

16. Toondom's __ E. Coyote : WILE

17. Camp shelters : TENTS

22. Big D hoopster : MAV. (Dallas Mavericks)

23. West Coast sch. with more than 100 NCAA championships : USC. (University of Southern California)

24. Martini order : DRY

25. Gloomy : MOROSE

27. Golf hole starting points : TEEs

29. On the topic of : AS TO

32. Fed. power dept. : ENER.

33. "__ Legend": Will Smith movie : I AM

35. Nook and Kindle : eREADERS

40. Emphatic military reply : "SIR, NO SIR!"

42. Actor McKellen : IAN

43. Japanese soup noodle : UDON

44. Formula for salt : NACL

46. Brewpub lineup : TAPS

50. Mr. Fixit's forte : REPAIR

53. Singer Orbison : ROY

55. Aflame : LIT

56. Chinese chairman : MAO

63. Christmas celebrity : SANTA

64. Future plant : SEED

65. Nonstick cookware brand : T-FAL

66. __ salts : EPSOM

67. Grinds to a halt : ENDS

68. Seek damages from : SUE

69. Poker-faced : STONY

Down:

1. Squeal on : RAT OUT

2. Parental warning words : "OR ELSE!"

3. "No fighting, kids!" : "BE NICE!". These two should be reversed. "BE NICE OR ELSE!"

4. "As seen __": ad phrase : ON TV

5. Used a stun gun on : TASED. This is the "OR ELSE!"

6. College application pieces : ESSAYS

7. Mannerless fellow : BOOR

8. Like headline typefaces : BOLD

9. "So-o adorable!" : "AWW!"

10. Cash for fun : PIN MONEY. This used to be the lady of the house laying by the egg money for herself but for a bowler like Boomer, it may have a different meaning.

11. Crowd __: popular performer : PLEASER

12. Order takers : SERVERS

15. Overflow (with) : TEEM

19. Artist with the website imaginepeace.com : ONO. New clue for Yoko?

21. Pa's pa : GRAMPS

26. Hill-building biter : RED ANT

28. "Burnt" crayon color : SIENNA

30. __ firma : TERRA

burnt sienna terra cotta

31. Surg. sites : ORs. (operating room) 51A. Post-surg. area : ICU. (intensive care unit)

34. Mil. mail address : APO. (Army Post Office)

36. Literary wrap-up : EPILOG

37. Football's Parseghian : ARA. Part of the "Holy Trinity" of Notre Dame head coaches with Knute Rockne and Frank Leahy.

38. Popped the question : PROPOSED

39. Bavarian article : EIN

40. Conjecture : SURMISE

41. Think tank guys : IDEA MEN

45. Baby rocker : CRADLE

47. King in Shakespeare's "The Tempest" : ALONSO

48. Moving engine part : PISTON. Up and down part.

49. Hot and humid : STEAMY

52. Rapids transport : RAFT

54. Go-aheads : YESes

58. Inseparable pals, to texters : BFFs. (Best friends forever)

59. Brummell or Bridges : BEAU

60. Captivated : RAPT

62. NFL scores : TDs. (touchdown)

Argyle

Monday, February 23, 2015 Kurt Krauss

Theme: National Groceries - Foodstuffs and the states that are famous for them.

20A. They're juiced in Jacksonville : FLORIDA ORANGES

33A. They're baked in Boise : IDAHO POTATOES

42A. They're boiled in Bangor : MAINE LOBSTERS

57A. They're shelled in Savannah : GEORGIA PEANUTS

Argyle here. A near pangram. No reveal necessary. Cute alliteration with the cities and preparation methods. A tad tough for any visiting tyros. Fine fun for a Monday.

Across:

1. Thom __: shoe brand : McAN

5. Greek Zs : ZETAs

10. This, in Spain : ESTO. (este (masculine), esta (feminine), esto (neuter))

14. Poi source : TARO

15. Motionless : INERT

16. Like spider webs : SPUN

17. __ the Impaler: model for "Dracula" : VLAD

18. One of a 1492 trio : PINTA

19. Ritual flammable stack : PYRE

23. Anteater's sound in the comic "B.C." : [ZOT!]

24. Mobster's gal : MOLL

25. Hawaiian wreath : LEI

26. Flood-control project : DAM

29. Garbage barge puller : TUG

31. Odorless gas : ETHANE

37. Disaster relief org. : FEMA. (Federal Emergency Management Agency)O(for when the dam fails)

38. Put the kibosh on : NIX

39. Exec's "By yesterday!" : ASAP. (As Soon As Possible)

47. Sets aside for future use : LAYS BY. Are you familiar with this phrase?

49. __ and improved : NEW

50. Barnyard home : STY

51. Suffix with transit : ORY. Transitory - not permanent.

52. "Green __ and Ham" : EGGS

55. Knock sharply : RAP

62. One-liner, e.g. : JOKE

63. Make __: get rich : A MINT

64. Dining table expansion piece : LEAF

66. Degree recipient : ALUM

67. Guts : NERVE

68. Year-end clearance event : SALE

69. Office note : MEMO

70. Deuce toppers : TREYS

71. One-named Art Deco artist : ERTÉ. Two initials. The French pronunciation of the initials of Romain de Tirtoff.

Down:

1. Network that once employed VJs : MTV

2. Muscle prone to cramps : CALF

3. Devastated Asian sea : ARAL

4. Caffeinated pill : NO-DOZ

5. "Be quiet!" : "ZIP IT UP!". [snicker}

6. Oklahoma city : ENID

7. Early brunch hr. : TEN AM

8. "Star Wars" droid, familiarly : AR-TOO

9. Hollywood hopeful : STARLET

10. "College Football Playoff" network : ESPN

11. Crow's-nest telescopes : SPYGLASSES

12. Deep serving bowl : TUREEN

13. Infant's bodysuit : ONESIE

1. __-Rooter : ROTO

22. Voice above tenor : ALTO

26. "What's the __?": "So what?" : DIF

27. Fruity cooler : ADE

28. "Li'l Abner" matriarch : MAMMY YOKUM. You didn't mess with Mammy!

30. Departed : GONE

32. Furnace output : HEAT. Working overtime this winter.

34. Lukas of "Witness" : HAAS. He was the Amish boy. Google pics

35. "Shop __ you drop" : TIL

36. Neural impulse conductor : AXON

40. Museum collection : ART

41. Would-be social worker's maj. : PSY. (Psychology)

43. "__ your pardon" : I BEG

44. NFLer who plays at the Meadowlands--in NJ, ironically : N.Y. GIANT

45. Scolds but good : BERATES

46. Ugly duckling, as it turned out : SWAN

47. Lumber mill blockage : LOGJAM. Out in the river.

                                    A big one.

48. Bump from which cactus spines grow : AREOLE. Oh?

53. Xbox enthusiast : GAMER

54. Cathedral topper : SPIRE

56. Throb : PULSE

58. San __, Italy : REMO

59. Jealous feeling : ENVY

60. Rip : TEAR

61. Word after sea or before Lake : SALT

65. Doctor's charge : FEE

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Happy 76th Birthday to Keith Fowler!  I'll just copy & paste & make slight changes to what he said last year: 

"My branch of the family is not known for longevity, so it will be an enormous leap for me to reach 76 this coming Sunday--Feb 23 at 7:19 pm PST!  At that day/time I will be three years older than any recorded Fowler (of the Shryvenham to London to NY to CT to TN to CA tribe of Fowlers) ever got to be.

My mom (actually a Hocking) reached 73, and my dad's grandfather hit that number too.  while a great many folk live much longer, it just feels mighty strange to me, like teetering on a very high pole, or maybe soloing for the first time, and very slowly."

 

Keith Fowler!

Interview with Alex Vratsanos

This is our first encounter with constructor Alex Vratsanos, who has had 10 puzzles published by the New York Times alone. Alex hit for the cycle (his puzzles appeared in every day of the week) with his 8th puzzle last June. That's a record!

Alex was also published by the Chronicle of Higher Education (a collaboration with George Barany),  and in Twenty Under Thirty, and he has several additional puzzles that have been accepted by the LAT.

XWord Info Picture

How did this theme come to you and what were the other theme answers you also considered but discarded?

 
This concept of using a decade to indicate a letter count came to me in early summer 2014, though in the form of the '80s. Finding nothing usable with eight E's, I ran through the remaining possibilities and found that '60s was the only one that had a chance of working. I guess I got very lucky to find six theme entries that were the right lengths and could intersect.

  

I don't think I could make a 6-themer work for a 21*21. I would not be so imaginative & daring to start the first theme entry at Row 6 and stack two pairs the way you did. Can you tell us a bit about your grid designing process? What were the trouble spots during the filling?

With the six theme entries in place, I started the fill at those words that crossed three of them. After finding ones that worked, I turned to the areas between TAKIN' IT TO THE STREETS and the other Across theme entries, leaving the areas at the top and bottom of the grid for last. I am very pleased with the changes Rich made, the biggest one being shortening the title (from "Puzzle of the '60s") and in adding the asterisk to it and the theme clues. I also must thank my friend Ned White for the support he gave to this puzzle during its development.

What's your background? And how did you get into crossword construction?

I constructed my first crossword in August 2006, while still in middle school. Over the next few years, I learned the language and rules of crosswords and submitted my first one in February 2009, but it wasn't until June 2011 that I received my first acceptance and publication. I have since had about 20 puzzles accepted by the major outlets, but this is my LA Times debut. Outside of Crossworld, I am currently completing an A.A. in Business Administration at Lehigh Carbon Community College, and plan to begin pursuing a B.S. in Accounting at Kutztown University this fall.

What kind of theme & fill fascinate you and what kind do you try to avoid in your grids?

Being a Scrabble fan, I try to include entries with the less common letters where I can. On the other hand, I try very hard to avoid partials and dupes of short words like IN and ON.

Which part do you enjoy the most in the construction process: theme development, filling or cluing?

Of those three, filling is my favorite and cluing is my least favorite.

What kind of reference tools do you use for crossword construction & cluing?

I use Crossword Compiler for constructing, and I take advantage of all the online and print resources that most constructors use. Once I have a puzzle pretty far along, I run it by George Barany and his team, and they in turn make incisive suggestions on how to improve it.

Besides crosswords, what are your other hobbies?

My other hobbies include chess, a variety of sports and other games, and staying up to date on the stock market. I guess that may not sound like much, but my academic studies and job at Walmart #2145 take up a lot of my time. I am very glad to have had time to answer these questions, though. :-)

Sunday, February 22, 2015 Alex Vratsanos

Theme: "The '60s*" - Each theme entry has 6 T's.

39A. *Congressional authorization of its creation was partly contingent on its forbidding

polygamy : UTAH STATE CONSTITUTION. Some sects there still practice polygamy.

45A. *Gossip : TITTLE-TATTLE

67A. *1976 Doobie Brothers hit : TAKIN' IT TO THE STREETS. Gimme, D-Otto?

93A. *Knocking sound, in Joyce's "Ulysses" (longest palindromic word in the OED) :

TATTARRATTAT. Neat trivia. Learning moment for me.

98A. *"No lie!" : THAT'S THE ABSOLUTE TRUTH!

28D. *Jolson classic : TOOT, TOOT, TOOTSIE

So did you get the theme before coming to the blog?

Very seldom do we get an asterisk mark in the theme title. Rich might be worried that the theme is tricky for solvers to grasp. Some might think those long 10's in the Across spots are theme answers. Normally when we have asterisk marks in theme entries, we have a reveal entry.

Construction-wise, this puzzle is technical feat.

Across:

1. Alice's cat : DINAH.  "Alice in Wonderland".

6. Dix follower : ONZE. 11 in French.

10. Site of the house that inspired "American Gothic" : IOWA

14. Bikini specs : C-CUPS

19. "Fear of Fifty" author Jong : ERICA

20. Vacuum : VOID

21. Diagnostic tool : MRI SCANNER. And 25. Criminals are often behind them : PRISON BARS. Lovely stack of 10's crossed by WIIMOTES (12D. Nintendo controllers).

23. Kid : JOKE AROUND. One more 10.

26. Blood-typing letters : ABO

27. Show mastery of : SHINE AT

29. Parrot : MIMIC

30. Tenn. athletes : VOLS. Tennessee Volunteers.

32. Money changers?: Abbr. : EDS (Editors). Money magazine.

33. Purposeless : OTIOSE. Not a word I use.

36. IRS hiree : CPA

46. Skipped town, maybe : MOVED

47. Newsman Roger : O'NEIL. Hey, AILES has the same letter count.

49. Ship staff : MAST. Tricky "staff".

50. From one tone to the next, in music : STEPWISE. New concept to me.

53. Vouchsafes : BESTOWS

56. Han River capital : SEOUL. Of course I was thinking of the Han River in China.

59. Henri's here : ICI

60. Fleur in heraldry : LYS. Or LIS.

61. Ward with Emmys : SELA

62. "So-o adorable!" : AWW

64. Mild, chili-wise : ONE ALARM. How high can you go?

73. Terminus : END POINT

74. With 123-Across, personal annoyance : PET. And 123. See 74-Across : PEEVE

75. Judge : DEEM

77. Pacific finger food : POI. Never had it. But I like baked taros & taro cakes.

80. "You Gotta Be" singer Des'__ : REE. We had this singer before.

81. Zenophile? : STOIC. Zeno the Stoic.

84. "Plum Island" author Nelson : DEMILLE. Marti & Hahtoola might have read this book.

86. Apple sites : ORCHARDS

89. Bone: Pref. : OSTE. Also OSSE.

91. Metroliner successor : ACELA

92. Shrek creator William : STEIG

103. Red team : SOX

104. Little work for a gardener? : BONSAI. Cute clue/answer.

105. Educational org. : PTA

106. The Aragón feeds it : EBRO

107. As a companion : ALONG. Oh, like in "Come along".

109. 1930s Rhine/Zener experiment : ESP TEST. Another learning moment for me.

113. L.D.S. school : BYU. Why did you go to BYU, Barry G? Were you a Mormon for sometime?

114. When vacations often don't start? : SOON ENOUGH. True.

119. Experiment subjects : GUINEA PIGS. Great entry also.

121. Alabaman, e.g. : SOUTHERNER

122. Walked : TROD

124. They're under heads : TORSI. Not NECKS.

125. "A Series of Unfortunate Events" villain Squalor : ESME. No idea. But inferable given Salinger's "For Esme – with Love and Squalor".

126. Six-yr. pols : SENS (Senators)

127. De-pressurized? : EASED

Down:

1. "I've seen this before" feeling : DEJA VU. Sparkling fill.

2. Asimov classic : I, ROBOT

3. Inventor on Serbia's 100-dinar note : NIKOLA TESLA. Full name!

4. Opening day starter : ACE. And 43. One making many calls : UMPIRE

5. 2011 FedEx Cup winner Bill : HAAS. Son of Jay Haas.

6. Egg-shaped : OVOIDAL. Same as Oval, right?

7. Morphological component, in linguistics : NOUN STEM. Another word I never used, but  inferable.

8. Fan mag : ZINE

9. Source of Norse mythology : EDDA

10. Mischief-maker : IMP. Hi there Spitzboov!

11. "Catch-22" pal of Yossarian : ORR

13. St. Francis' home : ASSISI

14. "Is it okay, mom?" : CAN I

15. "Mad Money" network : CNBC

16. Italian article : UNA

17. Rate word : PER

18. Many AARP members: Abbr. : SRs

22. Tailed orbiter : COMET

24. Butler created by Mitchell : RHETT. "Gone With the Wind".

31. Asian mushroom : SHIITAKE. When I worked in Guangzhou, my lunch was often rice noodles with shiitake.

 

34. Blowup cause : TNT

35. U.K. component : ISL (Island)

36. __ service : CIVIL

37. Art of verse : POESY

38. Long range : ANDES

40. 1944 invasion city : ST LO

41. DFW postings : ETAs. Dallas–Fort Worth.

42. Docket item : CASE

44. Trailer, say : TOW

47. Dictionary cousin of arch. : OBS. Obsolete.

48. Bygone depilatory : NEET

51. Out of vertical : TILTED

52. French game in which the king is the highest card : ECARTE. Do any of you play this game?

54. Roam : WANDER

55. Ran through a reader : SWIPED

57. Durham sch. : UNH

58. Jack Reacher creator Child : LEE

63. Yemen became its 160th mem. in June, 2014 : WTO. Unaware of the trivia. But it was a big deal when China joined WTO in 2001.

65. Ophidiophobe's fear, perhaps : ASP. OK, fear of snakes.

66. Great Society program : MEDICARE

68. Shabbily dressed : IN RAGS

69. "My country __ ... " : 'TIS

70. Prov. bordering four Great Lakes : ONT

71. Kids' TV quartet : TELETUBBIES. Four main characters from left to right: Tinky Winky, Laa-Laa, Po & Dipsy.

 

72. Get cash for : SELL

76. __ culpa : MEA

77. Goal pair : POSTS

78. Bug-B-Gon maker : ORTHO

79. Climber's implement : ICE AX

82. World Golf Hall of Famer Aoki : ISAO

83. Corner key : CTRL

85. Falcons quarterback Ryan : MATT

87. Good guess in Battleship : HIT. Another game I never played.

88. WWII weapons : STEN GUNS

90. 1991 Pinatubo event : ERUPTION

94. Common batteries : AAS

95. Sched. opening : TBA

96. Doesn't blow off : ATTENDS

97. Coquette : TEASE

99. Sirloin alternative : T-BONE

100. Writer __ de Balzac : HONORE

101. __ Lie, first U.N. secretary-general : TRYGVE. One more learning moment for me. He's Norwegian.

102. Contained : HOUSED

107. "A Bug's Life" colony : ANTS

108. City near Provo : LEHI. We see OREM more often.

110. Boot camp NCOs : SGTS

111. Immaculate : PURE

112. Gift-wrapping aid : TAPE

114. Retiree of 2003, briefly : SST

115. Winning combo : OOO

116. Possession indicator : OUR

117. Marvel : GEM

118. The Battle of Austerlitz precipitated its end: Abbr. : HRE. Stumper for me.

120. Royal pain? : PEA. "The Princess and the Pea".

C.C.

Saturday, Feb 21st, 2015, Jonathan L O'Rourke

Theme: None

Words: 72 (missing Q,V)

Blocks: 27

  Upon reviewing our list of constructors, Mr. O'Rourke has but one prior LAT puzzle, dating back to Oct 30, 2011 - a Sunday, and from the same year I started doing the Sat blog.  I was able to do 75% of this one, but the SW corner was just crash and burn - too many proper names/locations, and as a result, kinda sucked the life out of this otherwise engaging excursion.  Oh well.  Triple 9- and 10-letter corners, and two 11-letter spanners - one which I knew immediately, but didn't know the exact spelling;

30. "Die Hard" cry adapted from an old cowboy song : YIPPEE KI YAY - I was really close - just had an "I" at the end of yippie....one of my favorite movies, all time, and I like to watch it at Christmas

43. Range for some power measurements : ZERO TO SIXTY - in reference to cars, but the definition just doesn't jive with me....it's not really a measurement of the power so much as the rate of acceleration - which might be incredible, but have no reflection on the actual 'power'; take the Jaguar XF diesel - only gets up to 140mph, but it's 0-60 is 5.9secs.  I tested my 2000 Dodge Stratus about two years ago - 11+ seconds.  258,000 miles ago, it probably got close to 140mph.

DCLXVI~!

[Gasp~! The number of the beast~!]

ACROSS:

1. Modern location code : IP ADDRESS

10. Vertical sides : JAMBS - doors and windows, e.g.

15. Ability to stand? : TOLERANCE - I can tell you, my tolerance got pretty high when it came to alcohol, which leads to the next clue/answer;

16. "What I always get" : USUAL - like, say, Scotch, NO ICE~!!!

17. Baby, for one : SPICE GIRL - dah~! Clever. the others;
Scary, Sporty, Ginger & Posh

18. Ward cry? : NURSE - "it's medication time~!"

19. "Bless __ ...": Psalm 68 : YE GOD

20. "Shadow of the Vampire" Oscar nominee : DAFOE - no clue; WAG

22. Mr. __!: old detective game : REE - get it~?  Mister - ree....?  Har-har

23. Churchill's "so few": Abbr. : RAF

25. Chess tactic : PIN - new one to me, since I have played a lot of chess, but I get it

26. [Oh, my!] : "GASP~!"

27. Reagan era mil. program : SDI - the "Strategic Defense Initiative", which the media referred to as "Star Wars", and since I grew up with the movie/myth, found it a little insulting

33. Trap catchings : LINT - This took WAY too long....might be because I was at the restaurant and in a 'lobster' & 'crab' frame of mind

35. Wager : LAY - meh. I get it, but.

36. Get comfy : NESTLE - I do hope to get to nestling, soon - and she's wearing 65a.~!

37. "The Hangover" star : ED HELMS - totally unhelpful for me - not only did I NOT see the movie, but I still have no desire to, either, and I don't recognize the actor - IMDb

39. Is worth something, in dialect : AIN'T HAY - once the first "A" filled in, I got this

40. Fifth-grader's milestone, maybe : AGE TEN - ARGH~!  ELEVEN fit, too, and I was 11 in 5th grade

41. One may involve a homonym : PUN

42. Like the Negev : SERE - Dah~! Not ARID

46. "The Spanish Tragedy" dramatist : KYD - Had to cheat the "K" - Natick, in the truest sense; two names crossing?  Ouch.

47. Behan's land : ERIN - Duh.  Sounded IRAN/IRAQ at first

48. Robot extension? : ICS - Robotics

49. Chinese dynasty during Caesar's time : HAN - WAG - but, three letters...?

51. Little : BIT - This puzzle frustrate you~? A "bit".

52. "__ yourself!" : BRACE

54. 1946 Literature Nobelist : HESSE

58. Nice parting : ADIEU - That's "Neece", the Frawnche city

60. Baklava flavoring : ROSE WATER - I thought it was going to be honey-something

62. One removed from the company? : LONER - Two's company, three's a crowd; one's a loner....like me  ;7(

63. Cocktail portmanteau : APPLETINI - I can never remember the definition of portmanteau when I see it in crossword clues; need to remember it's a 'name' derived from parts - in this case, an apple-flavored martini

64. Start using Twitter, say : LOG ON - ugh.  I don't "tweet"

65. Victoria's Secret purchase : BOYSHORTS - I prefer seeing these on a woman over a thong any day, twice on Sunday

DOWN:       

1. Tiny : ITSY

2. Urban, e.g. : POPE - did not fool me

3. Boorish Sacha Baron Cohen persona : ALI G - I saw Borat, and stopped there

4. Style : DECOR

5. 1993 rap hit : DRE DAY - Dr. Dre

6. Low-quality paper : RAG

7. Home of Phillips University : ENID - ugh.

8. Full of spunk : SCRAPPY - I wanted sNappy, but it was too short

9. Instagrammed item : SELFIE

10. __ bug : JUNE

11. Pac-12 sch. whose mascot carries a pitchfork : ASU

12. "Swingin' Soiree" DJ : MURRAY THE K - this would have been a very neat corner were it not for the "K"....and the guy was before my time - his Wiki

13. It doesn't include benefits : BASE SALARY

14. About to crash? : SLEEPY-EYED

21. About 1.8 tablespoons, vis-à-vis a cup : ONE-NINTH - Funny, but "ELEVENTH" worked here, too, and since I don't usually divide my cups this way....

24. "Double Indemnity" genre : FILM NOIR

26. Basic ideas : GISTS

27. Despicable sort : SLEAZEBALL

28. Australian wind : DIDGERIDOO - ah, the musical instrument; I was thinking along the lines of some sort of "DEVIL ZEPHYR" - Bzzzt (pun intended)

29. Willing consequence? : INHERITING - Doesn't look right, but it is - "I bequeath..."

31. Step on stage : PAS - meh meh meh meh - Frawnche

32. Grasp : KEN - and yet I nailed this three-letter fill

34. Jackson Hole's county : TETON

38. Court call : LET - DAH~!  I was in 'law' court, and thought it was OYE

39. TV input letters : AUX - Hmmm, didn't think it was VCR

41. 1980s "SNL" regular : PISCOPO - OK, I cheated - I got as far as PI---, and could not think of his last name - but I knew he was a guest in one episode of Law & Order

44. Sacred beetle : SCARAB - Hey~!  One answer I felt confident about~!

45. Name derived from the Tetragrammaton : YAHWEH - once I had ----EH, there weren't too many names you could think of

50. "Far out!" : NEATO

52. Cheat, in slang : BURN 

53. Notice : ESPY

55. Hullabaloo : STIR

56. Text status : SENT

57. Most massive known dwarf planet : ERIS - fascinating - I did not know about this; did you, Husker~?  The Wiki. Take a look at its orbit

59. Fair-hiring initials : EEO - DAH~! Went with EOE, which is 100% right, and yet still wrong - correct, D-Otto~?

61. 2012 British Open winner : ELS - three letters and an open winner~? Try ELS

Splynter

Friday, February 20, 2015, Frank Virzi

Theme: Where do I find the "F" words? I can't C them.

Wow, it is only February and I already am blogging my second Frank Virzi puzzle this year. To refresh your recollection, Frank is a science teacher working in Townsend (?) Massachusetts (that knowledge might help solving) who gave us an 'ell of time in January with his add a sound offering. This time we have a straight letter exchange where "C" becomes "F" in 5 phrases, three of which are grid spanners. Each of the phrases had a final word that begins with C, but an F is substituted to reveal some visually amusing fill. Having the C in Cover as part of a fill may not be acceptable to some, though it is only Cs in the last word which are switched. The key to this type of theme is the wit of the new fill. I really enjoyed some of them and I hope you did as well. With 71 theme letters encased in only 5 fill we have a puzzle which has no fill longer than 6 letter, except for the theme, with 3,4 and 5 letter words dominating the grid.

17A. Forgeries that are easy to spot? : UPSIDE DOWN FAKES (15). Pineapple Upside Down Cake is the only one I have ever had. Do you get a mental image of the Mona Lisa standing on her head? Getting the theme is very critical because the perp of FIFE which intersects this and the next theme answer, is not easy.

23A. Dude in the CIA? : UNDER COVER FOP (13). I do not think of CIA operatives as Cops but I guess in the generic law enforcement sense they are. FOP is a word I know from reading  English mysteries along with TOFF.  As I said, FIFE is easy if you have the F theme.

37A. Trivial blunder? : MICKEY MOUSE FLUB (15). Ah, they have given us Annette Funicello, Britney Spears, Justin Timerlake and so many other graduates of Disney's Club. I assume we all of heard of the disparaging, what kind of Mickey Mouse operation are you running here?

49A. Pancake cook in pinstripes? : YANKEE FLIPPER (13). I love this; a reminder of Joe DiMaggio, the Yankee Clipper, in his pinstripe uniform.

58A. "My fireplace is defective!"? : I HAVEN'T GOT A FLUE (15). I also laughed out loud for this variation of I haven't got a Clue though we had many, and I hope you filled them all.

So that is the theme, just one letter changed, no spelling or sound changes, just interesting mental pictures.

Across:

1. "Invisible Cities" author Calvino : ITALO. I would guess marti knows considerably more than I do about this WRITER. Lately we are getting tough 1A starts to our Fridays.

6. "I ran away from you once. I can't do it again" speaker : ILSA. One of the most quoted films of all time, Casablanca had Ingrid say these lines:

"I can't fight it anymore.
I ran away from you once. I can't do it again.
Oh, I don' t know what's right any longer.
You have to think for both of us.
For all of us."

10. Ford Field player : LION. The stadium where the Detroit Lions play.

14. Surgery acronym : LASIK. Laser-Assisted in situ Keratomileusis or the easier to parse Laser-Assisted Stromal In-situ Keratomileusis. I am sure we all remember KERA is Greek for cornea.

15. It's a gas : NEON. Fun clue. A touch of science.

16. "Snow White" character flaw : ENVY. Poor Queen.

20. By way of : VIA. A Latin word fully accepted into English.

21. French pronoun : TOI. Moi, toi? wait for perps.

22. Habituate : INURE. Both words mean accustom, but inure is more frequently associated with bad things.

28. Essen's valley : RUHR.

29. Spotted : SEEN.

30. Slug relative : SNAIL. A slug living in a motor home?

33. Roll : WAD. Usually seen with 'of dough.'

34. Word after clip or pop : ART.

42. Colorado native : UTE.

43. "About his head he wears the winner's __": "The Two Noble Kinsmen" : OAK. How cool, some Shakespeare that I do not know, with fill that was not easily inferable.

44. Guanaco cousin : LLAMA. This animal got its name from the Qhechua, who live in the Amazon so we are once again back in Ecuador.

45. Beantown athlete : CELTic. Boston is beantown, and they ended up making no deadline trades. Danny Ainge I thought you had the inside track for Dragic? And, 66A. City NNE of Boston : LYNN. Was this a Natick for anyone? Finally, 46D. Bay State motto starter : ENSE. "ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem" "by the sword she seeks quiet peace under liberty" How many of our Bay Staters knew the motto of their home, Massachusetts?

47. Peek follower : ABOO.

54. Some Highlanders : GAELS. Having read extensively about Scotland, this was a gimme. Their STORY. Also, 19D. County on the Firth of Forth : FIFE. I find all of this stuff interesting. LINK.

56. U.N. workers' agcy. : ILO. International Labour Organization. Don't forget the 'u.'

57. Roasting time in Toulon? : ETE. Another variation on cluing the French word for summer (without the accent.)

63. "Footloose" co-star Singer : LORI. She got the Bacon sizzling...

64. Word after "funny" that clarifies its meaning : HA HA. Not, funny odd.

65. 1995 Stallone title role : DREDD. A dreadful film, that has already been remade.

67. Senate Republican leader before Frist : LOTT.

68. Sources of wisdom : SAGES.

Down:

1. Affectionate text : I LUV U. LUV was a way to avoid saying love, when I was young.

2. It's often just inches : TAP IN. You just love those tap in pars and birdies, HG?

3. Syrian leader : ASSAD.

4. Full deck Nero wasn't playing with? : LII. Fifty-two, the number of cards in a modern deck.

5. Gave a thumbs-up : OK'D.

6. Like some soccer games : INDOOR. And football.

7. Pope before Benedict III : LEO IV. All perps; there have been 266 according to the Vatican; do even the best Catholics know them all?

8. Plant : SOW. Juxtaposed with...

9. Taylor of fashion : ANN. There is no such person, it is the name of a retail chain, and it was named after a DRESS.

10. Pressure : LEAN ON. Me.

11. Finish, as a tat : INK UP. My meh fill of the puzzle, don't  you 'ink in' the artwork?

12. Finished : OVER. I am so over this.

13. Where to see MMM : NYSE. New York Stock Exchange.  They were Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company when I was young, known then for Scotch tape. A CSO to our Minnesota heritage.  LINK.

18. "Toy Story" character who draws : ETCH.

24. Composer Satie : ERIK. More marti's STYLE.

25. Gag __ : RULE. In a trial, the judge orders the participants to not speak of the courtroom happenings.

26. Isaac's eldest : ESAU.

27. Team whose logo involves a "wishbone C" : REDS. There are many Cs but only this odd one.

30. Mustangs' sch. : SMU. A return visit for Southern Methodist University.

31. Trivial objection : NIT. You get to pick you own. A tiny clecho with the theme clue.

32. One-spot : ACE. Never heard the term.

33. Pan for Yan : WOK. I guess the rhyme is cute, but YAN is not the most well known of Chinese provinces.(up date, the reference is likely to a tv cooking show You Can Cook hosted by Martin Yan)

34. Recipe words : A LA.

35. Mojito ingredient : RUM.

36. Not yet determined, in skeds : TBA. To Be Announced.

38. It's surrounded by white : YOLK.

39. Game ender : MATE. Why do we have 'check' in chess but not in checkers?

40. Morlock prey : ELOI. Yummy?

41. Bomb : FLOP.

45. He served between Warren and Herbert : CALVIN. Coolidge in between Harding and Hoover.

47. Like most rafts : AFLOAT. Not George.

48. Rorschach image : BLOT. The oldest joke: the man goes to the doctor and is shown inkblots but after each one he tells the doctor he sees naked women fornicating. The doctor expresses amazement with the man's fixation on sex, but the patient says, "Me, Doc? I think it is you since you were the one showing me all the dirty pictures."

49. Ache : YEARN. For better jokes?

50. "__ Men Out": baseball scandal film : EIGHT. Ahhm the 1919 White Sox.

51. Pequod co-owner : PELEG. The characters in Moby Dick should all be familiar.

52. Chopin's "Winter Wind," e.g. : ETUDE. Do we like Piano music ?

53. Orchestra group : REEDS. Or do we prefer the ORCHESTRA?

54. Fish feature : GILL. Vince is hurt...

55. "Hi, sailor!" : AHOY.

59. Vezina Trophy org. : NHL. National Hockey League, the award is for the best goalie, named after a Montreal Canadien goalie who died of tuberculosis.

60. Lao Tzu principle : TAO.

61. Some pop-ups : ADS. Too many.

62. Brother : FRA. This is a variant of the word FRIAR; the Catholic encyclopedia says Friars are different from monks in that they are called to live the evangelical counsels (vows of poverty, chastity and obedience) in service to society, rather than through cloistered aestheticism and devotion. Whereas monks live in a self-sufficient community, friars work among laypeople and are supported by donations or other charitable support.

We are now getting ready for spring training baseball while we have parts of So. Fla. experiencing below 40 degree temps for the first time in four years. I realize this is not impressive to all the New England, upstate NY and Canadian readers, but is our harsh winter. Hope you enjoyed Frank V., as I did. Lemonade out (in the cold!).

Note from C.C.:

 

Happy Birthday to dear Argyle, my trusted adviser and close friend. I can't picture my life without Argyle, yet I forgot his birthday! I need to be punished!!

 

Thursday, February 19, 2015 Robert Fisher

Theme: "Error Messages"

Four annoying computer pop-ups you might come across:

17-Across. "You're living in the past," nowadays : UPGRADE REQUIRED.

26-Across. "You can't go there," nowadays : ACCESS DENIED.

45-Across. "Nobody can go there," nowadays : PAGE NOT FOUND.

59-Across. "Never heard of you," nowadays : INVALID USERNAME.

I'm not sure how this ended up on a Thursday, since it seemed very Monday-friendly. Simple, straight-forward theme, without much dreck in the fill.  Maybe some of the names could trip up a Monday level solver, but the perps all quickly came to the rescue for me.

Across

1. Explosive sound : BLAM. Boom?! (The perps said "no.")

5. Outer __ : SPACE. And a cross-referential clue at 7-Down. Prefix with 5-Across : AERO.

10. Not even ajar : SHUT.

14. "Born to Die" singer/songwriter Del Rey : LANA. See? All perps!

15. Stadium divisions : TIERS.

16. Son of Leah : LEVI. No perps needed.

20. Flower celebrated in an annual Ottawa festival : TULIP. It all started with a gift of TULIPs by the Dutch Royal Family to the people of Canada after the liberation of Europe in WWII.

21. Move the boat, in a way : ROW. I suppose you could also pedal it?

22. Painting option : SPRAY. Brush? Color? Latex?

23. Like a typical farmer's market : OPEN AIR.

25. "Gotcha!" : OHO.

32. Peace Nobelist Sakharov : ANDREI. Ironically, he was key in the development of the hydrogen bomb, and later played a role in the Partial Test Ban Treaty.

35. Elijah Blue's mom : CHER. With her second husband Greg Allman.

36. __ de coeur: impassioned plea : CRI. Literally, "Cry from the heart" in French.

37. "Gone With the Wind" setting : TARA.

38. "Whew!" : BOY!

39. Sit a spell : REST.

40. The Pac-12's Beavers : OSU. Oregon State University.

41. Ego : SELF.

43. Citrine or amethyst : QUARTZ. Amethyst is the February birthstone. Citrine is November.

48. A Bobbsey twin : NAN. Bert's twin. I wonder if she likes Indian flatbread?

49. Stops : DESISTS.

53. Early New Zealand settler : MAORI.

56. "Something __, something ..." : OLD. "Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue, and a lucky sixpence in your shoe." I wonder if brides still follow this old advice for a happy marriage on their wedding days.

58. Bug : EAT AT.

62. Cinch : SNAP.

63. Sci-fi staple : ROBOT.

64. Golf shot : CHIP.

65. Breton, e.g. : CELT.

66. Band tour stop, perhaps : ARENA.

67. Building additions : ELLS.


Down

1. Olive Oyl pursuer : BLUTO. D'ah! I tried to cram "Brutus" in there.

2. Eagerly consume : LAP UP.

3. One with degrees? : ANGLE. This was acute clue.

4. Sauce of southern Italy : MARINARA. Mmmm...

5. Norm: Abbr. : STD. Standard.

6. Capital ENE of Custer : PIERRE. WAG.

7. Prefix with 5-Across : AERO.

8. Intercollegiate sport : CREW. They row, row, row their boats.

9. Lawyer's letters : ESQ.

10. Moccasin, for one : SLIP-ON.

11. Man around the Haus : HERR. German.

12. Layer in the eye : UVEA.

13. Considerable : TIDY. As in "A TIDY sum."

18. Posthaste : APACE.

19. Escort : USHER.

24. "Here," on Metro maps : ICI. Nit: the Paris subway is called the Métro, with an acute accent.

25. "__ to Billie Joe" : ODE.

27. Act the cynic : SCOFF. "Scorn" fits, too. Just sayin'...

28. Coming up short : SHY.

29. Bakery specialist : ICER.

30. Before, to a bard : ERST.

31. Scatterbrain : DITZ. I use that word all the time, usually describing myself.

32. On the highest point of : ATOP.

33. Apollo's creator : NASA. No hint of abbr. because it is Thursday?

34. Pharmacopeia listing : DRUG.

38. Abbreviation on a lunch menu : BLT. Oh, so now we get the abbreviation hint!

39. Splendor : RADIANCE. Somehow "Radiance in the Grass" just doesn't have the same ring to it.

41. Gastropod for a gourmet : SNAIL.

42. Geochronological span : EON.

43. "¿__ pasa?" : QUE. "'s up?"

44. Three-time Indy winner Bobby : UNSER.

46. Transported : ENRAPT.

47. Favored to win : ODDS ON. E.g., a bet of "2 to 1 on" means that the team is twice as likely to win as not.

50. "60 Minutes" regular : STAHL. Leslie.  I really admire her.

51. Sri Lankan language : TAMIL.

52. What a pedometer counts : STEPS. I bought DH a FitBit for Christmas, thinking it would encourage him to exercise more.  The first day he wore it, he announced that he had done almost two miles by just doing his usual stuff around the house.  (I was humbled...)

53. Catchall file abbr. : MISC.

54. Archer of "Fatal Attraction" : ANNE.  I had forgotten about her role as Michael Douglas's wife.

55. Common face shape : OVAL. ANNE's is a beautiful OVAL, don't you think?

56. Redolence : ODOR.

57. Jiffy __ : LUBE.

60. "Science Friday" radio host Flatow : IRA. He used to be on NPR, but moved to PRI (Public Radio International), which now airs the show.

61. Greek "H" : ETA. Or, Greek "n"?

It's omega for me!
Marti