Monday April 27, 2009 Pancho Harrison

Theme: What a Slugger!

17A: One who's at home on the range: COWPUNCHER

57A: Noisy eater: LIP SMACKER

10D: Oater villain who attacks from hiding: BUSHWHACKER

25A: Girl idolizing a pop star, perhaps: TEENYBOPPER

I did not know BOP can mean "strike/hit" too. TEENYBOPPER was not a familiar phrase to me. Nor did I know COWPUNCHER is simply a slang for cowboy.

Read a few pages of Molly Irvins's "Bushwhacked" several summers' ago. But I had never bothered to check what's the exact meaning of bushwhack. Wikipedia says one the most famous men who fought as a BUSHWHACKER was Jesse James. LIP SMACKER is a lip gloss brand too.

Plus BOOT HILL (28A: Gunfighters' graveyard) and NRA (55A: Org. that sticks to its guns?), this puzzle has some force!

Several affixes in today's grid: RESOD (64: Patch the lawn, in a way), USER (16A: Manipulative sort), SUER (54A: Litigant), and WRESTLER (38D: Andre the Giant, e.g.). Andre the Giant is also the nickname of Vogue's Andre Leon Talley, the adviser on fashion to the Obama's. He introduced Jason Wu to Michelle Obama.

Just found out earlier that Pancho in Pancho Harrison means "free man" in Spanish. Not an easy Monday for me at all. I think I am in a slump.

Across:

1A: Big name in copiers: MITA. Xerox, Canon & Ricoh are big to me. I've never heard of MITA copier.

5A: Improvise on stage: AD-LIB. Always thought Obama is good at AD-LIB. Had no idea that he relies on teleprompter heavily.

10A: Yawn-inducing speaker: BORE. And its anagram BOER (21A: Transvaal settler). Transvaal means "beyond the Vaal River" in Afrikaans. Is two a's spelling also common in Dutch language?

15A: Gaucho's rope: RIATA. Or REATA, often clued as "Giant" ranch.

19A: Venetian blind part: SLAT. Once Williams clued SLAT as "Louvre part" and confused the hell out of me. I did not know louver can be spelled as louvre, so I kept thinking of the museum.

20A: Make haste: HIE. Used to mix HIE with FIE.

22A: Words after "Hi, honey!": I'M HOME

24A:Counting everything: ALL TOLD

26A: Crock-Pot potful: STEW. Winter is over, no more STEW or chili.

27A: Antiquity, once: ELD. Oh, I had the wrong notion that ELD is an old adjective meaning "old".

35A: Jean Auel's "The __ of the Cave Bear": CLAN. Sigh! I totally forgot about this book. Someone mentioned the Daryl Hannah (Ayla) movie before. I bet it's a gimme for Crockett. Jean Auel lives in Oregon.

36A: 1998 Sarah McLachlan hit: ADIA. Here is the clip. I used to confuse the song with Verdi's AIDA.

40A: 1960s Cosby/Culp espionage series: I SPY. Learned the title I SPY from doing Xword. Sounds fun.

41A: Roger of "Cheers": REES. Nope. Not a familiar actor to me. He is a Welsh-American. He looks very cold.

42A: Do axels and lutzes: SKATE. Did not know the plural form of lutz is lutzes. What's the plural for Pez then? Pezes?

43A: Corned beef is usually ordered on it: RYE BREAD. What's the difference between RYE BREAD and Pumpernickel again? I am not fond of caraway seeds.

47A: Take back, as a public statement: RETRACT

51A: Fozzie Bear, e.g.: MUPPET. Fozzie Bear is new to me.

60A: Doily material: LACE. "Lingerie material" too.

62A: Queen played by Liz: CLEO. Have you tried Cleopatra's milk and honey bath?

63A: Norse thunder god: THOR. Thursday is named after him.

Down:

1D: Coffee-chocolate mix: MOCHA. Named after the Yemen port.

2D: How some tuna is packed: IN OIL

3D: Beach drier: TOWEL

4D: Dada pioneer Jean: ARP

8D: Suffix with Canaan: ITE. Suffix with Israel also.

9D: Voice between bass and tenor: BARITONE. Is Michael Bublé a BARITONE?

13D: Art Deco designer: ERTE. French pronunciation of his initials R. T. (Romain de Tirtoff).

18D: Horseshoe-shaped hardware: U-BOLT. I forgot what a U-BOLT is.

26D: Uses a hang glider: SOARS. Did not know what a hang glider is.

28D: Run, as colors in the wash: BLEED

32D: Light-skinned: FAIR. Filled in PALE first.

34D: Easy gait: LOPE. Wanted TROT.

35D: Use crib notes: CHEAT. Not familiar with "crib notes". I pictured notes written on baby's crib.

42D: Kama __: SUTRA. Kama is Hindu god of erotic desire. SUTRA is Hindu aphorism.

47D: Rene of "Tin Cup": RUSSO. She is an Italian-American. I thought she has Russian roots. "Tin Cup" is a good movie.

48D: Bracelet site: ANKLE. Not WRIST? What about anklet then?

51D: Ice cream drink: MALT. What's your daily beverage for dinner? I have a friend who drinks milk with his meal. Weird.

53D: Somewhat, in music: POCO. New word to me. ASSAI is "Very, in music". Both Italian are origins.

69D: IV amounts: CCS. Just had CCED the other day. Now I am waiting for CCING.

Answer Grid.

C.C.

Sunday, April 26, 2009 Norm Guggenbiller

Theme: Overheard at the Pub (SS → SH)

24A: Nearly matching outfit's problem?: A TOUCH OF CLASH (A Touch of Class)

47A: Wild zebra party?: STRIPED BASH (Striped Bass)

71A: Basket weaving operation?: MESHY BUSINESS (Messy Business)

94A: Ski house that rustles in the wind?: SWISH CHALET (Swiss Chalet)

118A: Washington nonsense?: POLITICAL BOSH (Political Boss)

3D: Frenzy over 1970s-'80s sitcom?: M*A*S*H HYSTERIA (Mass Hysteria)

67D: Assertive simians: BRASH MONKEYS (Brass Monkeys)

I like STRIPED BASH the most. SWISH CHALET is great too. Seeing DEE DEE (125D: Political pundit Myers) below POLITICAL BOSH made me laugh. Some of her views are indeed POLITICAL BOSH.

MESHY BUSINESS is partly transferred. I guess the constructor/editor needs an odd number 13- letter phrase at row #11 (the center theme in a grid has to have an odd number of letters). But they couldn't find a better one. Both MESHY DIVORCE and MESHY BEDROOM are one letter short. Maybe you can think of a better one?

I don't know the meaning of Brash Monkeys & Mass Hysteria. So the humor is lost on me there. My favorite clue today is DOC (12D: Dopey friend?). We had discussions on the 7 Dwarfs' names before. "Happy/Grumpy/Sleepy friend?" would be excellent too.

Tough struggle again. Too many unknowns for me. I felt like I was playing US Open with only 3 clubs in my bag: driver, 7-iron and putter. Some of the clues are tough. For example, OCT (54A: Natl. Pizza month). I would have got it if it were clued as "World Series month". Maybe not. The World Series month this year will extend to November.

Oh, I finally saw Bo Derk's TEN last night. And the RAVEL "Boléro" part kind of disappointed me. It's not as sexy as I had expected. Fun to see both TEN (5D: Perfection symbol) and RAVEL (55A: Tangle) in the grid though, though they are clued differently.

I found this similar themed puzzle in Jim's database. It has STRIPED BASH also.

Across:

1A: De Niro's "Raging Bull" role: LAMOTTA. Stumped immediately. Have never seen "Raging Bull". Not familiar with the boxer Jake LaMotta either. He is still alive. Wikipedia says he is also nicknamed "The Bronx Bull".

8A: Herod's fortress: MASADA. Hebrew for "fortress". Another stumper for me. See this picture. Did King Herod build it?

14A: "I can't be the only one thinking this": IS IT ME. Got it with the down help.

23A: Hustler's target: AMATEUR. I don't get this one. Why?

21A: Emcee's deliveries: INTROS

22A: "Sorry": NO SOAP. Did not come to me quickly. I've heard of this slang though.

23A: 32-Down player: COSTNER. And NESS (32D: Capone harasser). From "The Untouchables". Great movie.

26A: Repeat: ECHO

27A: Assimilate: ABSORB. And ATTUNE (83D: Adjust). Same first letter in one-word clue and one-word answer. I start to like this style now.

29A: Name in a B-29 lore: ENOLA. ENOLA Gay. Named after the pilot's mother.

30A: Play-__: DOH. You won't believe it. But really I've never heard of Play-DOH. I suppose the DOH is playing on "dough"?

31A: Sleep lab subject: INSOMNIAC

34A: Vibrations: TREMORS

40A: Zany Martha: RAYE. Very often COCA is clued as "Zany Imogene". Why "Zany" all the time"?

41A: Popular Apple: IMAC

43A: Inter __: ALIA. Among others. Et ALIA is "and others".

44A: Chooses not to accept: PASSED ON. Thought of OPTED OUT first.

50A: Terrestrial salamanders: EFTS. And newt. I learned both from doing Xword.

51A: Shade of gray: STEEL. Did not know STEEL can be a color.

60A: Muscular: TONED. Madonna is so thin now. Her arms are always very TONED. Notice the red string Cabala bracelet?

63A: Outcast: PARIAH

66A: Tonsillitis-treating MDS: ENTS. Trouble for me. I am used to the "Tolkien trees" clue. ENT is Ear, Nose, and Throat.

67A: Catch: BAG. Thought of NAB first.

70A: Brit. recording giant: EMI

75A: Play with robots: R.U. R. The Capek play where the word "robot" is introduced. I tanked. Might have got it if the clue were "Play about robots".

76A: Actor Stephen: REA. "The Crying Game" had a profound impact on me.

77A: Prefix with _ cardium: PERI. Pericardium is the membranous sac enclosing the heart. PERI is prefix "around", cardium denotes an organ/tissue associated with heart. New word to me.

78A: Currency exchange fee: AGIO. A word I keep remembering and keep forgetting.

79A: Zippo filler: BUTANE

82A: Taken for: SEEN AS

86A: Ice dams may form in them: EAVES. Have never heard of the term "ice dams".

91A: Full: SATED

93A: Cleft site: CHIN. I did not know there is a special term for this hollow area in the CHIN.

98A: Betrays, as a spouse: TWO-TIMES. Is there a THREE-TIME? I mean, it's not unusual for a man to cheat on his girlfriend also. By the way, what's your definition of "lovers"? Do they have to have a sexual relationship?

100A: "Fisherman with __": Bazille painting. A NET. Holy hot wick! Where is the fisherman? Where is the net?

102A: Dominican diamond family name: ALOU. Baseball diamond. Not the African diamond diamond. The last ALOU (Moisés ALOU) just retired from baseball.

105A: Sidekick played by Bruce Lee in '60s TV: KATO. From "The Green Hornet". I learned from doing Xword. His Lee has the same character (李) as the Li in Jet Li, just different spelling.

106A: "Romanoff and Juliet" playwright Peter: USTINOV. Nope. He does not look like a man with such a complicated surname. Have never heard of "Romanoff and Juliet" either.

108A: Bummed: SCROUNGED. I like this word. Lots of consonants.

111A: Stamp on a bad check: NSF

114A: Church law: CANON. I wonder where CANON Camera got its name.

116A: Point of maximum Earth-moon separation: APOGEE. Opposite perigee.

117A: Black & Decker rival: SKIL. I forgot this Bosche brand. It was clued as "Big name in tool" last time.

122A: Unlikely protagonist: NONHERO. My goodness. It's a real word.

126A: Web communications protocol: TELNET. No idea.

127A: Steak orders: RIBEYES. Want some?

128A: "Gunsmoke" star: ARNESS (James). His name escaped me this morning. I definitely googled him before. He was Marshal Dillon.

129A Ukrainian port: ODESSA

130A: Goes by: ELAPSES

Down:

1D: Tied: LACED. And LOOSES (103D: Unties).

2D: BP merger partner: AMOCO. Merged in 1998. BP is big in China, so is SHELL.

4D: "Airplane!" automatic pilot: OTTO. No idea. Not familiar with the movie "Airplane!". I can't find the name OTTO in this Wiki article. PILOT is also the answer for 81A: Light in the kitchen. But it's only 5 letter. Rich Norris says he will change if it's a long word (6-letter or more) dupe.

6D: Calendar abbr.: TUE. Too vague for me. I need a "Mon. follower" to get the answer.

7D: Rich tapestry: ARRAS

8D: Noxious influence: MIASMA. Metaphorical sense?

9D: Shakespeare title lover: ANTONY. "Antony & Cleopatra". Of course, Romeo came to me first.

10D: Levels: STORIES. British for floors, correct?

11D: Caribbean resort island: ARUBA. The Netherlands has had a strange reach in its history. It also ruled Taiwan from 1624 to 1662, hence the name Dutch Formosa.

13D: Tennis legend: ASHE

14D: Like current regulations: IN FORCE. Tough multiple word answer for me.

15D: Architectural column base: SOCLE. New word to me. Same as plinth?

16D: Capital ESE of Kabul: ISLAMABAD

18D: More, to Miguel: MAS. Know No MAS, No MAS.

19D: Bk. after Galatians: EPH. Before Philippians. I need to commit those Bible books and their order into memory.

25D: Ready in the keg: ON TAP

28D: Brunei's island: BORNEO. See this map. It's the world's third-largest island Island, after Green Land and New Guinea.

31D: Martinique, e.g.: ILE. I had no idea that Martinique belongs to France.

33D: Newspaper no. CIRC

36D: High ground: RISE. Not a familiar definition to me.

39D: Very, to Vivaldi: ASSAI. Allegro ASSAI, very quick.

42D: Two-part glove: MITTEN

44D: Sneeze inducer: PEPPERS

45D: Blazing: AFLAME

46D: Polo Grounds star: OTT (Mel). He played his entire career for NY Giant. HOFer of course.

48D: Where to see piggies: TOOTSIES. Had no idea that TOOTSIE is a slang for foot. Dictionary says it's also a slang for sweetheart/darling/prostitute. What a word!

49D: Prepare for the prom: DRESS UP. No prom in China.

52D: Modern bazaar: EBAY. I wanted MALL again.

53D: Rake over the coals: LAMBASTE. "Rake over the coals" is a new idiom to me.

57D: Somewhat wet: DAMPISH. Only know damp.

59D: Measuring device: GAUGE

62D: Fed. accident investigator: NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board). Created in 1975. I have trouble remembering this abbreviation also.
 
64D: Louse: HEEL

68D: Mame, to Patrick: AUNTIE. Blanked again. It's from AUNTIE Mame.

69D: Links targets: GREENS. Was thinking of the flags.

72D: Full house sign: SRO

73D: One with a take-out order: HIT MAN. "Take-out" means to murder. Great clue.

74D: New Rochelle college: IONA. See their logo GAELS. Makes great sense, since IONA is also a Scottish Island.

80D: Implied: TACIT

81D: Dust gun output: PESTICIDE. I did not know what a dust gun is.

86D: Birthright seller: ESAU. Often clued as "Biblical twin". Brother of Jacob.

87D: Botanical bristles: AWNS

88D: __: CONG: VIET. Vietnamese is so different in Chinese. I can't make sense of their language at all.

90D: Big bucks: ELKS. Great clue. ELKS are big. Those antlers make me headache.

95D: Buds: CRONIES. Always thought CRONY has a negative tone.

96D: Serious disorder: HAVOC

97D: Atlantic sport fish: TARPONS. Here is a big one. It's silvery. I wonder if the raw fish tastes good.

104D: "You __ Know": Alanis Morissette hit: OUGHTA. Here is the clip. Is it a very well-known song?

107D: The NBA's Archibald et al: NATES. Then NBA later appears as the answer for 123D: 123D: Wizards' grp.

109D: Coax, for instance: CABLE. Coax is short for coaxial. Coaxial CABLE. Hard for me.

110D: History or mystery: GENRE

112D: "Yes __!" SIREE

113D: Dentist's advice: FLOSS. New concept in China.

115D: Intl. alliance since 1949: NATO. Hmm, THE US is a NATO founding member. What a brutal fill the other day.

117D: George of the Jungle's pet elephant: SHEP. No idea. Have never head of "George of the Jungle". Thought it's a dog.

118D: Hi-tech organizer: PDA (Personal Digital Assistant). I am a low-tech dummy. Probably will never own a blackberry.

121D: Set the pace: LED. I like the tense ambiguity in set.

123D: "Starry Night", for example: OIL. Ah, have to show "Starry Starry Night" again. There is always yellow in Van Gogh's blue.

Answer grid.

C.C.