Monday March 8, 2010 Nancy Kavanaugh

Theme: Firearm Nomenclature - 48D: Weapons in which you can find the starts of 17-, 31-, 46- and 62-Across: RIFLES.

17A: Hotel room cleaner: CHAMBERMAID The CHAMBER is where the bullet and cartridge are located prior to "firing".

31A: Arm-twisting wrestling hold: HAMMERLOCK. The HAMMER is the part used to initiate the firing of the bullet or shell. Found mostly on revolvers and shotguns these days.

46A: Rodeo event with obstacles: BARREL RACE. video. The BARREL is the tube the bullet travels through after being "fired".

62A: Without prior inspection: SIGHT UNSEEN. Like buying a pig in a poke. The SIGHT is used to aim where you want the bullet to go.

Argyle here. Easy Monday.

Twenty-six three-letter entries, by my count, but only three were two-letter made into plurals.

After the pounding we took (at least, I took) this weekend, we needed a break.

Across:

1A: Support gp. for the troops: USO. And 11A: Audience for 1-Across: GIS. United Service Organizations supporting our G.I. troops (Origin of G.I.: 1915–20; orig. abbr. of galvanized iron, used in U.S. Army bookkeeping in entering articles (e.g., trash cans) made of it; later extended to all articles issued (as an assumed abbrev. of government issue) and finally to soldiers themselves.)

4A: Words of deliberation: LET'S SEE.

14A: Mom's business partner: POP.

15A: Concisely put: IN A WORD.

16A: Hairy Addams Family cousin: ITT. You may not recognize him in his disguise.

19A: Long-snouted fish: GAR Unusual photo.

20A: "Green" energy type: SOLAR

21A: Opening for a peeping Tom: KEYHOLE. What with key card access now, keyholes are going the way of the dial phones.

23A: Manage, barely: GET BY. Hurray! Not ekes out.

27A: Pelvic bones: ILIA.

28A: Painter of melting watches: DALI. Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, 1st Marquis of Púbol (Betcha didn't know that.)

35A: 56-Down, biologically: OVA. 56D: Incubator items: EGGS.

36A: Jumped the tracks: DERAILED.

37A: Electric car's lack: GAS TANK.

39A: Threatened: MENACED.

43A: Like glue: ADHESIVE

45A: Tire layer: PLY. Often there are two plies in the side wall and four under the tread.

49A: Really bugs: IRKS.

50A: "__ ain't broke ...": IF IT.

51A: "Hardball" airer: MSNBC. "Hardball" is an hour-long talk show hosted by Chris Matthews.

53A: Gridiron five-yard penalty: OFFSIDE. Football infraction.

57A: "You __ to know!": OUGHT.

61A: Nothing at all: NIL.

66A: Ill temper: IRE. Be aware we haven't of late had IRE: High dudgeon.

67A: Vigilant against attack: ON GUARD.

68A: Greenwich Village sch.: NYU. (New York University) 2D: Arty Big Apple area: SOHO. Areas in New York City.

69A: Divs. on some rulers: CMS. (centimeters)

70A: Attaches securely: FASTENS.

71A: Guinness suffix: EST. The superlative degree (biggest, fastest) used in their keeping of World Records.

Down:

1D: Lines on mdse.: UPCS. (Universal Product Code)

3D: October birthstone: OPAL.

4D: Cuba __: rum drink: LIBRE. A highball made of Cola, lime, and white rum. Origin of the name: 1895–1900; Sp: lit., free Cuba (a toast used in the uprising against Spain in 1895). What The Andrews Sisters drink.

5D: Opposite of WSW: ENE.

6D: Road sealer: TAR.

7D: Certain bachelor, in ads: SWM. Single White Male, in the personal ads.

8D: Relax in the tub: SOAK.

9D: New York canal: ERIE. aka: Clinton's Ditch, named for Gov. Dewitt Clinton (1817).

10D: Whirling water: EDDY.

11D: Paid male escort: GIGOLO. 42D: Prefix with functional: DYS. 38D: Queen of Hearts' pastries: TARTS. (I thought I would make it easier for later comments by bunching these together.) 22D: Broom-__: comics witch: HILDA. Could she be looking for a 11D?

12D: Slanted type: ITALIC.

13D: 10 consecutive wins, say: STREAK.

18D: Nativity trio: MAGI.

24D: Stanley Cup org.: THE NHL.

25D: Carnival pitchman: BARKER.

26D: Singer Sumac: YMA.

28D: Boxer or pug: DOG.

29D: Gardner of "On the Beach": AVA. On the beach, indeed!

30D: "Deck the Halls" syllables: LAS. Fa la la la la, la la la la.

32D: Tries to act like: MIMICS.

33D: Late news hour: ELEVEN.

34D: Descartes or Russo: RENE.

36D: Florida's Miami-__ County: DADE. Where the TV show, COPS, got their start, I believe.

40D: EMT's skill: CPR.

41D: Yellowstone grazer: ELK.

44D: Walton of Walmart: SAM.

46D: Like the Six Million Dollar Man: BIONIC.

47D: Declare true: AFFIRM.

49D: Closely monitored hosp. areas: ICUS.

52D: Slugger Barry: BONDS.

54D: "Time __ the essence": IS OF.

55D: Actress Merrill: DINA. Elegant.

58D: Hereditary unit: GENE.

59D: Casual greetings: HEYS. Hey, how y'all doin'?

60D: Letter-shaped fastener: T-NUT. I think C.C. understands it now.

63D: "Survivor" shelter: HUT.

64D: __ kwon do: TAE. "The way of the foot and the fist."

65D: Java vessel: URN. Big coffee pot with a spigot.

Answer grid.

Argyle

Sunday March 7, 2010 Sabrina Walden

Theme: Diner Sandwiches - Familiar phrases wrapped around with letters BLT.

23A. *Site of illegal jobs?: BANK VAULT. I immediately thought of those meat factories where illegal immigrants are hired.

25. *Hit the roof: BLOW A GASKET

41A. *Not sportsmanlike: BELOW THE BELT

64A. *Unfamiliar subject: BLIND SPOT. Lots of blink spots for me on LAT Friday/Saturday puzzles.

87A. *Childbirth: BLESSED EVENT

109A. *Arena for illegal trading: BLACK MARKET. Hmm, two "illegal" references in the theme clues.

112A. *Easy way to win a game: BY DEFAULT. The other side fails to show up. How unsatisfying!

37D. *Checkup component: BLOOD COUNT

47D. *19-Across brand: BLUE BONNET. The only starred theme entry with food allusion. The cross-reference is OLEO (19A. Spread selection).

112D. Diner order found "sandwiched" around the answers to starred clues: BLT.

Today's puzzle was constructed by Rich Norris, editor of LA Times Daily Crossword. Sabrina Walden is just another of his pseudonyms, anagram of "Brand New Alias".

To those who are looking for food references after seeing the theme title, Rich gives us:

61A. Osso buco meat: VEAL

93A. Lunchroom staple, for short: PB AND J. I like peanut butter and honey.

119A. General __ chicken: TSO'S

15D. Sushi bar order: SASHIMI. Yummy, yummy.

83D. Sprinkling on French fries?: SEL. French for "salt".

86D. Sliced in thin strips: FINE CUT

The reason why unifying answer like today's BLT is usually placed at the end of the grid is because the constructors want solvers to enjoy the final "Aha" moments. But I always jump around and often obtain the unifier earlier on.

Today I got BLT rather quickly, and initially thought BLT might be sandwiched inside each theme phrase like Dan Naddor's "Heros Welcome", in which SUB is inserted in each theme entry. Had to re-read the clue for BLT after several theme entries emerged.

A few gnarly spots, but I enjoyed the solving (I really dread Saturday puzzles now). Always nice to read Rich's clues and his thinking unfiltered.

Across:

1. CBer's acknowledgment: COPY

9. Severe, as criticism: ACERB. Wanted HARSH.

14. Tests not for srs.: PSATS. For juniors.

20. Tug, say: BOAT. Tugboat.

21. Public commotion: FUROR

22. "Peter and the Wolf" bird: SASHA. Got it from crosses.

27. Compact summary: SYNOPSIS. So is aperçu.

28. Netflix delivery: VIDEO

29. Plate with five sides: HOME. Baseball home plate has five sides.

30. Irish-themed Vegas casino: O'SHEAS. Have never been to Vegas.

32. Board meeting VIP: SECY (Secretary)

33. Dived neatly (into): KNIFED. I don't get the clue.

35. Copyright pg. item: ISBN. Books.

38. Stars of old Rome?: ASTRA. Literally "stars" in Latin.

40. Oz creator: BAUM (L. Frank). "The Wizard of Oz". We also have the comic strip 72D. "The Wizard __": OF ID. Did you first pen in OF OZ also?

46. Awful: HORRIBLE

50. Newsworthy '90s jurist: ITO (Lance). O. J. Simpson trial judge.

51. Alabama rival: AUBURN. Their athletic teams is called Auburn Tigers.

52. Cruise stops: PORTS

54. Place to find loafers: SHOE STORES. Was thinking of the idle "loafers".

56. __ Alps: Eiger locale: BERNESE. And AARE (102A. Rhein feeder), which rises in the Bernese Alps. Also EUR (45D. Alps site).

58. Arles article: UNE. One.

59. Spreadsheet entry: DATUM.

60. Troubled: AILED

62. Holy, to René: SACRE. Sacre Coeur in Paris can make a man cry.

68. Exxon merger partner: MOBIL

69. Cyclo- ending: TRON. Cyclotron.

70. Where to see "The Sopranos" nowadays: A AND E. No problem parsing it today.

71. Boxer Marciano's birth name: ROCCO. Only know him as Rocky.

73. Country on the Rio de la Plata: Abbr.: URU (Uruguay). I was stumped.

74. Castle with a stone: BLARNEY. Blarney Stone.

77. Wildly excited: IN A FRENZY. Terrific entry.

81. "Gee!": MAN

82. Spanish poet García __: LORCA. Maybe a gimme for Clear Ayes. I don't know this fellow.

83. Arenas: STADIA. Have only used the plural stadiums.

84. Family tree word: NEE

85. Present: PUT FORTH. Of course I was in the gift "present" direction.

90. 500-mile race, briefly: INDY

91. Modesto winery name: GALLO. Did not know they are based in Modesto.

92. Yours, in Ypres: A TOI. Alliteration again. Ypres is a town in W Belgium. Who knows?

96. Unbending: FIRM

97. Bubbly brand that rhymes with an entrance chime: KORBEL. No idea. Wikipedia says it's founded by two Czechoslovakian brothers named Korbel.

103. How the confident do crosswords: IN INK. Ha ha, I do write in ink, though I need Wite-Out.

105. Ruffian: HOOLIGAN. I often associate this word with those unruly soccer fans in Britain.

113. Advantage: LEG UP

114. "Hollywood Nights" rocker Bob: SEGER

115. Wanton look: LEER

116. Expos, since 2005: NATS. Washington Nationals.

117. "Golden Boy" dramatist: ODETS (Clifford)

118. Irony, e.g.: TROPE

120. Chicago daily, familiarly: TRIB

Down:

2. Big name in skin care: OLAY. I love the smell of the Olay Original cream.

3. Philly school: PENN. Penn State. (Correction: It's University of Pennsylvania, thanks June & D.D.).

4. "Starpeace" musician: YOKO ONO. Surprised myself by getting the whole answer with just a few letters in place

5. Embarrass: ABASH

6. One of Donald Duck's nephews: LOUIE. Cheated on this one.

7. Ballroom dance: SALSA

8. Giant slugger: OTT (Mel)

9. Mil. jet locale: AFB (Air Force Base)

10. Drain: CULVERT. New word to me.

11. Beethoven's Third: EROICA. Originally dedicated to Napoleon.

12. Boisterous: ROWDY

13. Loch Lomond hill: BRAE. Learned from doing Xword.

14. Free TV spot: PSA

16. Want from: ASK OF

17. Central idea: THEME. BLT for today's puzzle.

18. Glutted: SATED

24. CEO's underlings: VPS

26. Amusement park attraction: GO KARTS

31. Sussex sword: SABRE. British spelling of "saber". Sussex is chosen for alliteration purpose.

32. Mo. town: STL. Nice play on Motown.

34. Care for: NURSE

35. Bird sacred to Tut: IBIS. I wonder why Egyptians consider ibis sacred, Al/MJ?

36. Genesis brother: SETH

39. Rep.'s counterpart: SEN

40. Bring to tears?: BORE. Bore to tears.

42. Refuse: WASTE

43. "The Nutcracker" garb: TUTU

44. Oppenheimer opposed it: H-BOMB

46. 1953 John Wayne film: HONDO. Nope. Here is the poster.

48. Maui neighbor: LANAI. The Pineapple Island.

49. ''The Girl Can't Help It'' actor Tom: EWELL. He's also in "The Seven Year Itch".

52. Scrub up, e.g.: PREP. In operation room I suppose.

55. Net: EARN

56. Fussbudget: BIDDY. Fussbudget is new to me.

57. Additional: ELSE

60. Ill-fated Boleyn: ANNE

61. Sotto __: softly: VOCE. Literally "voice" in Italian. Sotto = Under.

62. Confound: STUMP

63. Pianist Claudio: ARRAU. No idea. He's a Chilean pianist.

65. Durable wood: LARCH

66. Collector's suffix: IANA. As in Americana.

67. Sports headline item: TRADE

68. Jazz singer Carmen: MCRAE. Her name escaped me.

74. Like Dennis the Menace: BLOND. Did not know Dennis is blond.

75. Conrad novel: LORD JIM. See the book cover. Not in my memory file.

76. Chichi: ARTY

77. "Everything is fine": IT'S OK

78. __ in November: N AS. Not the rapper for a change.

79. Greek philosopher known for a paradox: ZENO. Zeno of Elea.

80. Himalayan legend: YETI

87. Beer server: BAR KEEP

88. Advanced legal deg.: LLM. Latin for "Lēgum Magister" (Master of Laws). Why two LL in the abbreviation?

89. Foster's prince: VALIANT. I was clueless. Comic strip "Prince Valiant". We often see ARN clued as "Prince Valiant's son".

91. __ biloba: claimed memory-enhancing extract: GINKGO. Does it work?

93. Artist Picasso: PABLO

94. In bundles: BALED

95. Very angry, after "in": A RAGE. In a rage.

96. One with an ax?: FIRER. Nailed it. One who gives others the ax (fires others).

98. "For sure!": OH YES

99. Where the big bucks are?: RODEO. I was thinking of money "big bucks".

100. Afrikaans speakers: BOERS

101. One of Santa's team: ELF

104. Tammany Hall caricaturist: NAST (Thomas). He created the GOP elephant and Democratic donkey as well.

106. Gum-producing plant: GUAR. It looks like this. The gum is from the seeds in those pods. Legume family.

107. Height: Pref.: ALTI. As in altitude.

108. U.S. accident investigator: NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board)

110. G.I. mess crews: KPS. KP - Kitchen Police.

111. Amount past due?: TRE. "Due" here is Italian for "two". Uno, due, tre. Can't fool me any more.

Answer grid.

C.C.