Monday December 7, 2009 Robert Fisher

Theme: Shady Deals - Three ways that you can be conned.

20A: Prospecting swindle: SALTING THE MINE Planting bits of gold in the ground to make the mark think that a mine is valuable.

37A: Multilevel investment swindle: PYRAMID SCHEME This is not the same as a Ponzi scheme which investors are paid out from the funds from new investors. In a pyramid scheme, those who recruit additional participants benefit directly. (In fact, failure to recruit typically means no investment return.) It is bound to collapse because it requires exponential increases in participants to sustain it.

53A: Sleight-of-hand sidewalk swindle: THREE-CARD MONTE The mark has to pick the target card from the three face-down cards presented to him. The three shells and the pea is a similar swindle. TUTORIAL

Argyle here. Trust me.

Across:

1A: Ringing phone on stage, e.g.: PROP A classic blooper from the days of live TV was the phone that wouldn't stop ringing even after it was picked up.

5A: Place to unwind: SAUNA

10A: Complacent: SMUG

14A: Medal recipient: HERO Finally, a HERO that isn't a sandwich.

15A: Panama divider: CANAL Bisects the country

16A: Ice cream parlor order: CONE I like this clue for CONE better then a construction site marker, especially if it's chocolate.

23A: USN rank: ENS Navy Ensign.

25A: Shadow: UMBRA Nothing shady about this shadow.

27A: Suffix with farm or home: STEAD I guess you could have a homestead on the farmstead. Currier and Ives

29A: Fly in the ointment: SNAG

32A: North Pole toy maker: ELF They better be busy!

33A: Thinner, as smoke: WISPIER

36A: Temptation on a hook: BAIT

40A: Stratagem: PLOY

41A: Accomplished with a single try: ONE SHOT

43A: Quiche base: EGGS

44A: Inuit craft: KAYAK Inuit are members of the Eskimo-Aleut family.

48A: Essence of roses: ATTAR

50A: Sigma follower: TAU Greek alphabet.

52A: King beater: ACE

58A: Brit's elevator: LIFT

59A: Cube or sphere: SOLID

60A: Similar (to): AKIN

61A: Load to bear: ONUS

62A: Reclassified planet: PLUTO

63A: Golfer Ballesteros: SEVE Spanish professional golfer has announced that he is planning to play in the 2010 Open Championship at St Andrews. He has been treated for a brain tumor. Now he's 66A: Ready to drive, as a golf ball: TEED

64A: Like the stepsisters in "Cinderella": UGLY

65A: Red Sea republic: YEMEN

Down:

1D: Parts of a cycle: PHASES

2D: Stinging crawler: RED ANT

4D: Big name in breakfast cereal: POST They began in 1895 with the first Postum, a "cereal beverage". The first cereal, Grape-Nuts, was developed in 1897

5D: Barely adequate: SCANT

6D: Stereotypical pirate's cry: AARGH!

8D: Poet Ogden: NASH A short NASH poem: "Fleas" Adam had 'em.

10D: Curtain material: SCRIM Not familiar with this word. The Dictionary has two main entries; the second is: "A transparent fabric used as a drop in the theater to create special effects of lights or atmosphere."

11D: Ray from a natural satellite: MOON BEAM Ray Walston

12D: Be situated beneath: UNDERLIE

13D: "My goodness": "GEE"

21D: Gandhi's land: INDIA

22D: Java holder: MUG

26D: Shipboard direction: AFT

28D: Bad way for plans to go: AWRY

29D: Go-with dishes: SIDES

30D: Loch of lore: NESS North-West of St Andrews.

31D: St. Louis's Gateway __: ARCH

35D: Bullet-on-metal noise: PING Also, makers of golf clubs. I think our constructor today might be a golfer.

36D: Second in a series: BETA

37D: Cooking up a coup: PLOTTING Jeannie, do you have a recipe for cooking up a coup?

38D: Like kids' enthusiasm: YOUTHFUL

39D: Folderol: HOKUM Not a good match.

40D: Actress Zadora: PIA In her younger days

43D: Before, of yore: ERE

45D: Derek Jeter, e.g.: YANKEE

46D: Busy: ACTIVE

47D: Wailed: KEENED

49D: Culturally pretentious: ARTSY Old coots would say someone was artsy-fartsy.

50D: Hackneyed: TRITE

51D: Home builder's afterthought: ADD-ON

54D: Notice: ESPY

55D: Nat or Natalie: COLE

56D: School reunion attendee: ALUM

57D: Hops oven: OAST

58D: Singer Rawls: LOU R&B and Soul.

Answer grid.

Argyle

Sunday December 6, 2009 Dan Naddor

Theme: Subliminal Messages - Big company names are embedded in each industry-appropriate advertisement message.

23A. Airline message: SEE ISRAEL ALL OVER AGAIN. Embedded is EL AL (74D. Apt company found in 23-Across)

37A. Electronics message: THE REASON YOU LOVE TV. Hidden inside is SONY (18D. Apt company found in 37-Across).

66A. Shipping message: RELIABLE PICKUP SERVICE. Contains UPS (5D. Apt company found in 66-Across).

98A. Automotive message: BUILT FOR DURABILITY. Holds FORD (89D. Apt company found in 98-Across).

116A. Cosmetics message: EXPLORE A LASTING BEAUTY. Encloses L'OREAL (53D. Apt company found in 116-Across).

And ADMAN (104A. Brains behind this puzzle's theme messages). Hmmm, it's actually Dan Naddor.

All the above ad messages are positioned in Across and symmetrically placed. All the company names are randomly placed in Down and cross one theme entry in which it's not hidden.

Quite a few noticeable "It ...." style clues in this grid:

59A. It gets the ball off the ground: TEE. Golf.

62A. It may be pediatric: Abbr.: ICU

124A. It's about 10% of the Earth's surface: EURASIA. But with more than 71% of the world's population.

6D. It paves the way: TAR

95D. It's read often at conventions: NAME TAG. I was thinking of the speech.

I am quite fond of "It..." style cluing. It often paints a vivid picture.

Also enjoyed the Asian references (esp food) in this grid: EEL (10D. Sushi choice), CHOY (12D. Bok __) and SOBA (34D. Thin Japanese noodle). CHOY is Cantonese for "vegetable". Bok means "white". Eat a ton of cold soba in summer time. Soba is made of buckwheat flour.

Across:

1. Works out: COMPUTES. Was in the gym "works out" direction.

9. Like the shore, often: BEACHY. And TAN (26A. Go for the bronze?). Tricky clue. The question mark did not prevent me from thinking of bronze medal.

15. Chapters in history: ERAS

19. Bridge opening: ONE SPADE. Often clueless about bridge or card game answers.

20. School for Torah study: YESHIVA. For future rabbis.

22. Court plea, for short: NOLO. Short for nolo contendere. Latin for "I do not wish to contend".

28. What "I believe in," in a Beatles title: YESTERDAY. Nice clue.

29. Cunning sort: SLY FOX

33. Perot of politics: H ROSS. H used to be a problem for me. Not any more. It stands for Henry.

36. Latin 101 word: ERAT. Latin for "was". I am used to the E in Q.E.D. clue.

44. Bag: VALISE. And then BAG (120D. Capture). Even though the latter is a verb, I still don't like the clue/answer duplication.

46. Kindle downloads: E-BOOKS

47. Toledo-to-Valencia dirección: ESTE. Spanish for "east".

48. "Rebel Without a Cause" actor: MINEO (Sal)

52. Ear projection: AURICLE. Auri is a prefix for "ear".

55. Peek-a-boo player: TOT

56. Feminine ending: ENNE. So are ETTE & TRIX.

57. Plot inventors: CABAL. Cabal is a small group of plotters. No plural, right?

60. San Luis __: OBISPO. Literally "St. Louis, the Bishop" in Spanish.

63. Dieter's unit: CALORIE. And PHEN (70D. Fen-__: banned diet aid).

65. Hyper toon pooch: REN. Stumper. From "The Ren and Stimpy Show".

75. Razz: RIB

76. House-warming presence?: GAS HEAT. Good clue too.

77. Cambodia's Lon __: NOL. Simple palindrome.

78. Bush tour: SAFARI. Of course I was thinking of President Bush.

81. Mischief-maker: IMP

84. Perfect: IDEAL

85. Casa chamber: SALA. Casa = House. Sala = Room.

86. Env. enclosure: LTR

87. Something to turn over: NEW LEAF. Turn over a new leaf.

90. "Brokeback Mountain" director Lee: ANG. And KAI (68D. Chiang __-shek). Both are Cantonese spelling. I grew up with Jiang Jie-shi, Mandarin spelling of Chiang Kai-shek. Quite different.

91. Last: FINAL

94. Kept going: HELD ON

96. Building blocks: ADOBES. Was picturing Legos.

103. Phil or Card: NLER (National Leaguer). Phillies and Cardinals both belong to National League.

105. California prison city: FOLSOM. Not familiar with Folsom State Prison.

109. "My Point...and I Do Have One" author: DEGENERES. I adore Ellen. Have never read her book though.

114. "Evil Woman" gp.: ELO. Three letter band is often ELO.

115. Sine __ non: QUA

123. Relaxing venues: SPAS

125. Agitated: IN A STATE. Oh, I only know "in a lather".

126. Construction site marker: CONE

127. Practicing: PLYING

128. Contest in which you try to get your opponent on your side: TUG OF WAR. So simple in retrospect.

Down:

1. Goes for: COSTS. Wanted TRIES. "Goes for" has so many meanings.

2. "Paper Moon" Oscar winner: O'NEAL (Tatum). She won Oscar for the movie (youngest Oscar winner). Moses is not her father, right?

3. Kid's picking word: MEENY. "Eeny, meeny, miny, moe...". Lost on me.

4. Chi follower: PSI. Before Omega. The second-to-last Greek letter.

7. Child expert LeShan: EDA. Got her this time.

8. Stew: SEETHE

9. Close way to win: BY A NOSE

11. Visual communication?: Abbr.: ASL (American Sign Language)

13. Queen's home: HIVE. D'oh, queen bee.

14. Saint Laurent of fashion: YVES. See YSL in grid often.

15. Personalize, at the jeweler's: ENGRAVE

16. Car salesmen's offers: ROAD TESTS

17. Inter __: ALIA. Inter alia = Among others.

21. Soviet cooperative: ARTEL (ahr-TEL). I forgot.

24. Old Banca d'Italia unit: LIRA. Banca d'Italia = Bank of Italy in Italian.

25. Prefix with -nautics: AERO. Aeronautics.

30. Town on the N.J. side of the George Washington Bridge: FT LEE. Nailed it today.

31. Louisville's river: OHIO

32. Crosses (out): XES

35. Muzzle: SNOUT

39. Old times: YORE

40. Arkie's neighbor: OKIE. Did not know Arkie is a nickname for Arkansas.

41. Pac-10 powerhouse, for short: USC (University of Southern California). The Trojans.

42. Sporty car roof: T-TOP

43. Reject: VETO

44. Super Bowl's __ Lombardi Trophy: VINCE. So many great quotes from Vince Lombardi.

45. Void: ANNUL

48. Rabin's predecessor: MEIR (Golda).

50. English horn relative: OBOE

51. Timber defect: WARP

54. Film critic Roger: EBERT. Do you follow his movie reviews?

57. One in line at an airport: CABBIE

58. DXX ÷ X: LII. 520 ÷ 10 = 52.

61. Bill: Abbr.: INV (Invoice)

63. Stone monument: CAIRN. No idea. It's a man-made pile of stones, often in a conical form. Often used as landmark.

64. ER test: ECG. Or EKG. Heart chart.

67. Apt name for a financial planner?: IRA. Apt indeed.

69. Prime letters?: USDA. Tricky clue.

71. "Under Siege" star: SEAGAL (Steven). This movie was not in my radar.

72. Cockamamie: INANE

78. Concrete section: SLAB

79. Westernmost Aleutian island: ATTU. Learned this trivia a while ago.

80. Lesser of two evils, metaphorically: FRYING PAN. Stumper. "Jump from the frying pan into the fire" is not in my vocabulary.

81. "Tadpole" actor Robert: ILER. Only know him in "The Sopranos".

82. Pinochle combination: MELD. No idea. Have never played Pinochle.

83. "The Taming of the Shrew" setting: PADUA. A city in NE Italy. Close to Venice.

85. Female oracle: SIBYL

88. Comedy first baseman: WHO. From Abbott and Costello's "Who's on First?".

91. Pic, commercially: FOTO

93. Everything before the last resort: ALL ELSE. When all else fails..

97. "What's the __?": DIF. Slangily.

99. __'clock scholar: TEN O. New to me also.

100. Bordeaux brother: FRERE. French for "brother".

101. Island south of Borneo: BALI. I guessed.

102. Part of the conspiracy: IN ON IT. Did not come to me easily.

106. __ Valley: 1960 Winter Olympics site: SQUAW. No idea. Dictionary says squaw is disparaging term for a woman, true?

109. Fam. tree member: DESC (Descendant)

110. Really big show: EXPO

111. Sign on for another tour: RE-UP

112. 1950s-'60s Chief Justice Warren: EARL. He chaired the Warren Commission for the JFK assassination investigation.

113. Make laugh in a big way: SLAY

117. "__ was saying ...": AS I

118. Fall from grace: SIN. Big big "sigh" for Eliot Spitzer. I really liked him.

119. Serengeti grazer: GNU

121. That, in Toledo: ESO. So is ESA.

122. Justice Dept. raiders: ATF (Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms). No idea. Triple bogey finish for me today.

Answer grid.

C.C.