Saturday February 20, 2010 Bruce Venzke

Theme: None

Total blocks: 37

Total words: 70

Six great grid-spanning 15-letter multi-word entries in Across:

14A. Dating option: DINNER AND A MOVIE. Dinner before or after a movie? I like latter.

17A. Thank-you trinket, e.g.: INEXPENSIVE GIFT

24A. "My mind isn't made up yet": I CAN'T SAY FOR SURE. Nice clue/answer.

44A. "You've got a lot of nerve!": WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA?. New idiom to me.

57A. Retaliatory steps: COUNTERMEASURES

61A. Ups and downs of one's youth?: TEETER-TOTTERING. In playground.

Another humbling slog. So many unknowns & unaccustomed references. But I was so pleased to see HAN (6D. River to the Yangtze) in the grid. It's the longest branch of the Yangtze River (longest river in China/Asia). Han River rises from my hometown Shaanxi Province (Xi'An is its capital). There are 56 ethnic groups in China, about 92% are Han, which is named after the river. I am a Han.

Factual error with ACTA (48D. Washington Nationals manager Manny). Manny Acta is now with the Cleveland Indians.

Across:

1. Spoiled sci-fi race: ELOI. The "spoiled race" in "The Time Machine". Got me.

5. Engage in a high-tech scam: PHISH

10. High-tech mogul Michael: DELL. Founder of Dell Computer. I liked the "high-tech" sequence.

18. Arachnid's hatching pouch: EGG SAC. Here is a black widow spider and her egg sac.

19. Hole in your shoe?: EYELET. D'oh! Shoelace hole.

20. Lemon-colored quartz: CITRINE. New definition to me. Thought citrine is just an adjective for citrus.

32. Ill-advised move: NO-NO

33. German-born surrealist: ERNST (Max)

34. Oka River city: OREL (aw-REL). South of Moscow. New to me. Both the city and the damned river.

35. Stretched out: LAIN. Past particle of "lie". Dictionary gives an example: "The broad plain that lies before us". I filled in EKED.

36. Hindu fire god: AGNI (UHG-nee). Utter unknown unknown.

37. Peak: ACME

38. Perfect Sleeper maker: SERTA

43. French cathedral city: METZ. Metz Cathedral (Gothic) is nicknamed "God's Lantern". Stumper.

47. Extra: TO SPARE

48. Like chinchillas: ANDEAN

52. It may accompany a new experience: DEJA VU. Clever in retrospect.

62. What's more: ALSO

64. Capital on Upolu Island: APIA. Capital of Samoa.

Down:

1. Jack Kerouac's first wife: EDIE. Man, too obscure a clue for me.

3. Universal donor's type, briefly: O NEG. Keep reading the answer as ONE G.

4. Michael Hutchence's band: INXS. Pronounced like "in excess".

5. Exact: PRECISE

7. Former green card agcy.: INS (Immigration and Naturalization Service). Now the green card is handled by USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services). I still call it INS.

8. Reagan mil. program: SDI (Strategic Defense Initiative). Known as the Star Wars, informally.

9. One living in poverty: HAVE-NOT

10. Old Venetian magistrate: DOGE. Italian for "duke"?

11. Dark: EVIL

12. It's "too short for chess": Henry J. Byron: LIFE. Have never heard of the quote.

13. Neighbor of an Estonian: LETT. The Latvian.

15. Solar year/lunar year differential: EPACT (EE-pakt). Was surprised that I did not know this word, considering that I often measure my day/year with Chinese lunar calendar.

16. "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" director Nicholas: MEYER. Should I know him?

21. Sea dog: TAR. Both slang for "sailor".

22. Rembrandt van __: RYN. Ryn & Rijn & Rhine are the same, right, Kazie?

23. They may happen: IFS. Nice clue.

24. Oft-maligned kin: IN-LAW. True with my Mom's family.

25. Signaler in a box: COACH. Baseball.

26. Jung's inner self: ANIMA. Contrasted with "persona", the "public self".

27. The Muses. e.g.: NONET. There are nine Muses.

28. "Likewise": SO AM I

29. Pressed: URGED

30. Income, in Cannes.: RENTE. I used to think rente is French for "rent". It's actually "loyer".

31. The "her" in Broadway's "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face": ELIZA. From "My Fair Lady" . I peeked at the answer sheet.

38. Rock-throwing protesters: STONERS

39. Words of doubt: EHS

40. Good name: REP (Reputation). No hint for abbr.?

41. Abbr. for an unknown 42-Down: TBA. And AIR DATE (42d. When something is on). Wanted AIR TIME.

45. Express: STATE

46. Honkers: GEESE

50. Member's payment: DUES

51. Prefix with -zoic.: ENTO. Prefix for "within". Entozoic is (of a parasitic animal) living within the body of its host.

53. __ Mountains, which separate the Rhine and the Rhone: JURA. Located in the north of the Alps. Jura is literally "forest". Alien to me.

54. "what __!": "I've been had!": A RIP

55. Caesarean opening: VENI. The opening of Caesar's boast "Veni, vidi, vici". I was picturing childbirth.

56. Links-governing org.: USGA (United States Golf Association). Links = Golf.

59. Calendar col.: MON

60d/ X-files subjects, for short: ETS. Three consecutive Down abbreviations in this section.

Answer grid.

Happy LXV-th Birthday, Argyle!

C.C. the HAN

Friday February 19, 2010 Dan Naddor

Theme: AGELESS (39D. Eternal, and a hint to this puzzle's phonetic theme) - The AGE sound is dropped from each familiar phrase.

17A. Newly certified coroner's assignment?: FIRST MORGUE. First Mortgage.

24A. Lord's ointment?: NOBLE SALVE. Noble Savage.

34A. Mutt with a conscience?: MORAL CUR. Moral Courage.

38A. Sitting Bull telling raunchy jokes?: RAW SIOUX. Raw Sewage. On my breakfast table?

50A. Taxi with no empty seats?: STUFFED CAB. Stuffed Cabbage.

58A. Topping for schnitzel?: VIENNA SAUCE. Vienna Sausage.

(Today's puzzle analysis is provided by John Lampkin, who gave us the wonderful "Waiting for the Great Pumpkin" puzzle last year.)

Thanks, C.C., for inviting me to share my thoughts as a fellow constructor of LAT puzzles.

Those who know Dan's catalogue will recognize his work immediately - seven clever and amusing theme entries, stacks of white on the sides, and mostly sparkling fill with witty clues. How did he do it?

This is a "drop-a-letter-string" idea, and one game that's fun for solvers to play is "How many more can we think of that Dan didn't use?" Typing in *AGE at morewords.com kicks out 411 words that end in AGE. Among them is BANDAGE. Dropping the AGE gives us BAND which seems that it would work with ACE BAND or some such. But wait! That won't work because Dan took one more step. His new phrase involves a homophone. The SAV in SAVAGE became SALVE, the COUR in COURAGE became CUR, and so on. It is this twist that makes this a Friday and not a Wednesday puzzle.

Continuing our search, we see MARRIAGE. That will work! We can get (the elusive but possible) HAPPY MARRIAGE which will become HAPPY MARE: Kentucky Derby winner, perhaps? Readers, how many more can you find?

A good crossword succeeds on several levels. It's lively and fun, educational, clever, and visually pleasing. My own taste is to avoid "cheater squares" whenever possible. Imagine how much more elegant the grid would look without those single side blocks and the blocks at the end of 30A and its mate! Dan probably tried, but wound up with cruddy fill. There is usually a tradeoff, and clean lively fill trumps all. Perfection in art is elusive, yes?

There is another element that can elevate a good puzzle to a higher stature - emotional engagement. Most of you know that Dan recently succumbed to illness and passed away and that this is another opus posthumous. Art gives us a glimpse into the life of its creator. His first theme entry is FIRST MORGUE, which he surely knew was an ironic and poignant foreshadowing. Sigh.

Bottom line: Once again I am impressed by Dan's craftsmanship and deeply moved by his humanity.

Across:

1. Unceremoniously breaks up with: DUMPS. And ENDS IT (26D. Breaks up). How sad!

6. 1996 film that won Best Original Screenplay: FARGO. Made by the Coen brothers, the pride of Minnesota.

11. Pro bono TV ad: PSA (Public Service Announcement)

14. As a friend, to François: EN AMI. En = As.

15. Greg Evans comic strip: LUANN. I've never heard of this comic strip.

16. Pumpjack output: OIL

19. Wash. Nats' division: NLE (National League East)

20. Daffy duo?: EFS. The letter F (spelled as "EF") appears twice in Daffy.

21. Generation: ERA

22. In pursuit of: AFTER

29. Isn't wrong?: AIN'T. Grammatically wrong.

30. Flood deterrents: DRAINS

31. Words spoken with a yawn, perhaps: IT'S LATE

33. TV palomino: MR ED. The talking horse: "A horse is a horse, of course, of course ..."

35. Annoying negotiator: STALLER. Oh, like those congress filibusterers.

42. Cops may keep them on suspects: TABS. Idiom: Keep tabs on = keep track of.

46. Rabbitlike rodents: AGOUTIS. I can never remember this word. Dictionary says they are destructive to sugar canes. Here is a photo John Lampkin snapped in Trinidad a few years ago. He loves nature photography.

47. Gulf War reporter Peter: ARNETT. When he was with CNN. I've heard several in-depth interviews with him.

49. Peddle: VEND

53. Disappointed postgame comment: I LOST

55. Back muscle, for short: LAT. Short for latissimus dorsi.

56. Nest builder: ANT. Thought ants build hills rather than nests.

57. Seventh-largest st.: NEV. Don't know this trivia.

63. Legal ending: ESE. Ending of the word legalese.

64. Bugs once sought by cops: MORAN. A Chicago Prohibiton-era gangser. Nicknamed Bugs. Gang slang for "completely crazy". Stumped me.

65. Havens: OASES

66. Old map inits.: SSR (Soviet Socialist Republic)

67. Steamed: ANGRY

68. Take forcibly: WREST

Down:

1. Stand up for: DEFEND. "Get up, stand up, stand up for your rights..." Love Bob Marley.

2. Combat outfit: UNIFORM

3. Candy "whose success is out of this world": MARS BAR. Now called Snickers Almond in the U.S.

4. Downing St. bigwigs: PMS (Prime Ministers)

6. Botanist's study: FLORA

7. Hearing-related: AURAL. Sometimes the answer is OTIC.

8. Wiper: RAG. The cleaning cloth.

9. Migratory African critter: GNU. Curvedly horny.

10. Fit to serve: ONE A

11. Firebird maker: PONTIAC. I like C/K ending words.

12. Guest letter?: SILENT U. The U is silent in the word Guest.

13. Siren, for one: ALERTER. And earlier STALLER. One ER suffix enough in the grid.

18. Predicament: MESS

23. Pride follower, so they say: FALL. "Pride comes before fall".

25. It's not true: LIE. So, "True Lies" is an oxymoron.

27. Baroque stringed instrument: VIOL. In the 16th and 17th centuries.

28. Raison d'__: ETRE. Satori is the raison d'être of Zen.

32. "No Exit" dramatist: SARTRE. Womanizer! My brother loves his "Being and Nothingness".

34. Half of MMCXX: MLX. Don't like the MX repetition, and crossing STALLER, a word no one ever says, in the center it's even worse.

36. "What I look forward __ continued immaturity followed by death": Dave Barry: TO IS. Dennis might have quoted this line in his Words of Wisdom once. He loves Dave Barry.

37. Hung. neighbor: AUST. Austria. I blanked, but then enjoyed the vague naughtiness.

38. Coulees: RAVINES. Coulee is a new word to me. Same pronunciation as coolies.

40. Convinced: WON OVER

41. Brewski: SUDS

44. Unsatisfying response to "Why?": BECAUSE. Nice clue.

45. Positions: STANCES

47. Aqua Velva competitor: AFTA. Punning on "after". The after shave lotion.

48. Exam given intradermally, for short: TB TEST. Tuberculosis Test. Obtained the answer from crosses.

51. Like the nerve near an arm bone: ULNAR

52. Rear: FANNY

54. "South Park" rating: TV MA. Mature Audiences. Got me again.

59. H+, for one: ION. Charged atom.

60. Work unit: ERG. From Greek Ergon, literally "work".

62. Rhine feeder: AAR. Sometimes it's AARE. Rising in the Bernese Alps and flowing to the Rhine.

Answer grid.

John & C.C.

PS: Please click here for John's "Waiting for the Great Pumpkin" puzzle. Here is the answer.