Monday, October 26, 2009 Jerome Gunderson

Theme: An Arnold Catch Phrase - "I'll Be Back" (The first words of 17-, 34- and 39-Across)

17A: Hymn whose title follows the line "When I die, Hallelujah, by and by": I'LL FLY AWAY.

34A: Scout's motto: BE PREPARED.

39A: How duelists begin: BACK TO BACK.

56A: With "The," Schwarzenegger film released 10/26/1984, and a hint to the puzzle theme found in the first words of 17-, 34- and 39-Across: TERMINATOR.

Nice 25th anniversary tribute puzzle.

Funny thing: In the first film he was the bad guy but when he came 'BACK', he was the good guy.

Argyle here. If you notice I didn't weed out the easy clue/answers, it is because I want to see what Lois can do with them.

Across:

1A: Highway hauler: SEMI.

5A: Cut off: SEVER.

10A: "__ Silver, away!": HI-YO. Sheesh! I always thought it was HI-HO SILVER.

14A: Gas in a sign: NEON

15A:. Utah city: PROVO. Above the A in UTAH.

16A: Sign of the future: OMEN.

19A: Fill to excess: SATE.

20A: "Cats" poet: T. S. Eliot . "Dare I eat a peach" 47D: Like ripe peaches: JUICY.

21A: Gum arabic tree: ACACIA. A striking tree. And 61A: "Star Trek: T.N.G." counselor Deanna: TROI. A striking woman and she is an empath so watch what you're thinking around her.

24A: Traffic cone: PYLON.

26A: Knight's lady: DAME.

28A: Slimy stuff: GOO.

29A: Relative known for quitting?: UNCLE. Making your opponent in a fight cry, "UNCLE", means they give up. Is STOWE clue (37D: Uncle Tom's creator) your original, Jerome?

33A: Run the country: RULE.

37A: Air ace's missions: SORTIES.

41A: Baseball stats: RBIS.

42A: "Old MacDonald" refrain: EIEIO.

43A: Rile up: IRK.

44A: Ado: FUSS.

45A: Resided: DWELT.

47A: Dance from Ireland: JIG.

48A: __ Tar Pits: LA BREA. We learned last time that LA BREA means "the tar" in Spanish , so it's The Pit Tar Pits.

51A: Daybreak: SUNRISE.

55A: French franc successor: EURO.

59A: Ford Explorer Sport __: TRAC. TRAC is ad-speak for TRACK.

60A: Storage room: ATTIC.

62A: Armored vehicle: TANK.

63A: Snappish: TESTY. And 1D: Grumpy mood: SNIT.

64A: Lip-__: mouth the words: SYNC.

Down:

2D: Morays, e.g.: EELS.

3D: Lawn burrower: MOLE.

4D: Arouse, as passion: INFLAME. I hardly dare combine these two. 5D: Watch covertly: SPY ON.

6D: The E in Q.E.D.: ERAT.

7D: Solemn promise: VOW.

8D: Sister of Zsa Zsa: EVA.

9D: Fit for a king: ROYAL.

10D: Biblical cry of adoration: HOSANNA.

11D: Popular Apple: IMAC. Noticed Apple is capitalized? I tried to put in iPOD; didn't work.

12D: Himalayan giant: YETI.The "Abominable Snowman" was coined in 1921.

13D: Fit to be drafted: ONE A.

22D: Political takeovers: COUPS.

24D: Kellogg's toaster pastry: POP-TART. They are facing a stiff ad campaign from Toaster Strudel.

25D: "Alas, poor __!": Hamlet: YORICK. The cemetery scene. "Alas, poor Yorick" has always been one of the most fondly remembered lines from Hamlet (or misremembered lines—Hamlet does not say "Alas, poor Yorick, I knew him well" but "I knew him, Horatio).

26D: Persian Gulf emirate: DUBAI. It has the world's tallest building.

27D: Wonderland girl: ALICE. Alice in her rightful place.

28D: Rodent kept as a house pet: GERBIL.

30D: Baby beds: CRIBS.

31D: Lee jeans alternative: LEVIS.

32D: Ice cream brand: EDY'S.

33D: Judge's attire: ROBE.

34D: Scarer's shout: BOO. and 35D: Scared response: EEK. Neato! Nice clue echo.

40D: Duettist with Sheryl Crow in the song "Picture": KID ROCK. The song.

41D: Toon babies of '90s-'00s TV: RUGRATS.

44D: Sawyer's friend: FINN. Tom and Huck.

46D: Frequent, as a diner: EAT AT.

48D: Riga native: LETT. A native of Latvia.

49D: Distinctive emanation: AURA.

50D: Muffin ingredient: BRAN.

51D: Infatuated, old-style: SMIT. We still use SMITTEN.

52D: "This is my best effort": I TRY.

54D: Guitarist Clapton: ERIC. "... You look wonderful tonight..." What's your favorite Eric Clapton song?

57D: Somme summer: ETE. Alliteration.

58D: Privileges: Abbr.: RTS..

Answer grid.

Argyle

Sunday October 25, 2009 John Lampkin

Theme: Waiting for The Great Pumpkin (12-Across) - A Jack-O-Lantern shaped Halloween puzzle.

12A. This puzzle's honoree: THE GREAT PUMPKIN. Linus sits on the pumpkin patch every Halloween night waiting for the Great Pumpkin to appear. It never does.

27A. Strip where 12-Across first didn't appear in 1959: PEANUTS. Wikipedia says "In the 1959 sequence of strips in which the Great Pumpkin is first mentioned". Unknown fact to me. Peanuts debuted in Oct 1950.

43A. When 25-Down expects 12-Across to appear: HALLOWEEN

56A. Characteristic 18-Down cry regarding 12-Across: OH, GOOD GRIEF! The exclamation "Good grief" is popularized by Charlie Brown.

79A. 12-Across creator: SCHULZ (Charles). He was born and grew up here in Minnesota.

82A. Dog once mistaken for 12-Across: SNOOPY. Mistaken by whom? Linus?

102A. 25-Down maintained them annually: VIGILS. Every Halloween night.

104A. 12-Across tested 25-Down's faith by being one inevitably, every year: NO-SHOW

18D: Friend of 25-Down: CHARLIE BROWN

25D. Faithful crusader for the existence of 12-Across: LINUS VAN PELT. Charlie Brown's best friend.

The symmetrical partner of TOY PIANO (70D. Instrument seen in 27-Across) is not a theme answer, so I'll just classify it a bonus fill.

The puzzle has a left to right (rather than our normal 180 degree rotational) symmetry due to its special carved pumpkin shape. Definitely my favorite LAT Sunday since the switch. I could not imagine days or even months of hard work John Lampkin put into constructing this brilliant grid.

Two small quibbles regarding 2 clue/answer duplications:

50A. Sign made with two digits: VEE. And SIGN (1D. Coach's gesturing).

51A. Droll-sounding grain?: RYE. Sounds like "wry". And GRAIN (60D. Speck of truth).

Across:

1. Blockbusters: SMASH HITS. Very rarely did I nail a long 1A answer immediately.

10. Si and Am in "Lady and the Tramp": SIAMESE CATS. Easy guess.

16. Draw again, as comic book lines: REINK

17. Last Supper question: IS IT I

18. Genesis firstborn: CAIN. Adam was not "born".

19. Masked one at home: UMP (Umpire). Home plate.

22. Amt. due: BAL (Balance)

24. And the list goes on, briefly: ET AL

26. Hobbits' region: SHIRE. Hobbit ("The Lord of Rings") lived in the SHIRE and in Bree in the north west of Middle-earth, according to Wikipedia. Unknown to me.

29. Loaf: DOG IT. Loaf on the job.

31. Chestnut horse: ROAN. Sprinkled with gray or white.

32. LPGA golfer Johnson: TRISH. Not a well-known golfer, esp if you don't follow Solheim Cup or Ladies European Tour.

33. Hydrocarbon suffixes: ANES. See the singular ANE more often.

35. The king: Span.: EL REY. Why abbreviated Span.? And the French king ROI (94D. Palais resident).

37. Tropical roofers: THATCHERS. Oh my, "thatch" can be a verb also?

41. Puppy love: CRUSH

42. Elusive guy in a striped shirt: WALDO. "Where's Waldo?"

44. Italian Renaissance poet: TASSO (Torquato). Best known for his "Jerusalem Delivered".

45. "Exodus" hero: ARI

46. Eensy-__: WEENSY. Meaning "tiny" I suppose. Not a familiar expression to me.

48. Summer Triangle star: ALTAIR. See this diagram. The other two stars are Deneb and Vega.

52. Verb from Mark Antony: LEND. And EARS (63A. Noun from Mark Antony). "Friends, Romans, countrymen, LEND me your EARS", the first line of Mark Antony's speech in "Julius Caesar". Stumped me. John seems to be quite fond of cross-references.

53. Octopus costume features: ARMS. Octopus has eight arms.

55. Party girl?: DEB. Nice clue.

62. Mets' div.: NLE (National League East). Alas, no Phillies reference.

65. Some Protestants: LUTHERANS. Very strange, but every Lutheran friend I have tells me that I'll go to hell if I don't believe in Jesus Christ.

66. Scholastic nos.: GPAS. And LSATS (80D. Hurdles for future attys.)

67. Let fall, poetically: DROPT. Same pronunciation as "dropped", correct?

69. Opposes: NAYSAYS. And CON (78D. Not supporting). Pro and con.

70. Waste allowances: TRETS. The container weight is TARE.

71. Darkly complexioned, to Shakespeare: SWART. No idea. Archaic swarthy. Othello is SWART then.

73. Himalayan sightings: YETIS. The Abominable Snowman.

74. Picturesque fabric: TOILE. Very scenic.

75. Former name of Lake Malawi: NYASA (NYAH-sah). I don't even know where Lake Malawi is. Looks like it's shared by Malawi, Tanzania and Mozambique.

77. D.C. bigwig: SEN. Sometimes it's POL.

78. Vampire's home, perhaps: CRYPT. Perhaps.

87. Show contempt for, as a villain: HISS AT

89. 11-time Olympic swimming medalist Matt: BIONDI. I forgot. This guy won seven medals (5 golds) in 1988 Seoul Olympics.

90. Scannable mdse. bars: UPC ( Universal Product Code)

93. Closer: NEARER. And AT HEEL (23D. Close behind).

95. Reagan or Kennedy: AIRPORT. President does not fit. Great clue.

97. Cupid teammate: DASHER. Santa's reindeer.

101. Ultimate purpose: END USE

103. Does a slow burn: SEETHES

Down:

2. Add a profit margin to: MARK UP

3. __ Zion Church: AME (African Methodist Episcopal). I got the answer from crossings.

6. Cool, like a cat: HEP. Or HIP.

7. Post-ER area: ICU

8. Ethnic group of southern India: TAMILS. They live in Sri Lanka too.

9. Some auto maintenance store products: STPS. The motor oil additives.

10. Paris divider: SEINE. Left Bank/Right Bank.

11. Enjoyed a cross-country jaunt?: SKIED. Great clue too.

12. Showed the ropes: TRAINED

13. Legatee: HEIR. Legatee is a new word to me.

14. "Sock __ me!" : IT TO. Not funny at all. Nixon is very respected in China though. He opened Sino-US relationship.

15. River between two Great Lakes: NIAGARA. Lake Erie & Lake Ontario.

20. Alloy components: METALS

21. To some extent: PARTLY. Does "As it were" also mean "to some extent"?

22. Nonsense, euphemistically: BUSHWA

26. Periods between vernal equinoxes: SOLAR YEARS

28. Wilhelmina's daughter in "Ugly Betty": NICO. Total unknown.

30. Form into a mosaic pattern: TESSELLATE. Also a new word to me.

31. Gave a treat for a trick, say: REWARDED. I liked the clue. Evocative of Halloween.

34. Barefoot: SHOELESS. Like Joe Jackson, who should be in the Hall of Fame.

36. Pained cry: YOWL. I often "ouch".

37. Stanley Cup org.: THE NHL

38. Colt .45, e.g.: HANDGUN. Houston Astros was named Colt. 45s before.

39. Engages, as an attorney: RETAINS

40. Some drum parts: SNARES

41. NFL snappers: CTRS

47. Fair-hiring initials: EEO (Equal Employment Opportunity). EOE is Equal-Opportunity Employer.

49. Worldwide fiscal agcy.: IMF (International Monetary Fund)

57. Our Gang affirmative: OTAY. Silly way of saying "Okay".

58. "You bet!": OH YES

59. Villa __: Italian landmark: D'ESTE. Have you been there?

61. Ocean-bottom fish: RAYS

64. Prevents littering?: SPAYS. My favorite clue today.

66. Whiny: GRIPY

68. Of the windpipe: TRACHEAL. No idea. Not familiar with the noun trachea either.

72. Summer tops: T-SHIRTS. OK, not a T-shirt, but super sexy, no? I am going to link Katrina Kaif's picture again when AREOLA appears next time.

74. Walked-on: TRODDEN

76. Smallest cont. in area: AUS. Man, I thought it's EUR.

81. Congo, once: ZAIRE

82. Yes or no emphasizer: SIREE

83. F and G, but not H: NOTES. Nice clue.

84. Being shown, in a way: ON TV. Another nice clue.

85. Classic grape soda: NEHI. Radar's drink in "M*A*S*H".

86. Puppeteer Tony who mentored Bil Baird: SARG. No idea. Wikipedia says Tony Sarg is described as "America's Puppet Master"/ "father of modern puppetry in North America".

90. "Nope": UH UH

91. Colombian coin: PESO. So many Spanish speaking countries use PESO.

92. Yacht staff: CREW

96. Idaho Panhandle hrs.: PST (Pacific Standard Time)

98. Radical '60s gp.: SDS (Students for a Democratic Society). I often confuse it with "Radical '70s gp" SLA (Symbionese Liberation Army).

Answer grid.

C.C.