Monday April 12, 2010 John Lampkin

Theme: Vowel Progression - Orderly vowel (before GGY) change in the first 5-letter word of each two-word common phrase.

17A. Loose-hanging trousers: BAGGY PANTS

25A. 1957 hit for Buddy Holly and the Crickets: "PEGGY SUE"

36A. Coin collector?: PIGGY BANK

53A. Gershwin song set in London, with "A": FOGGY DAY

62A. Carriage outings: BUGGY RIDES

Argyle here. Mundane Monday. PEGGY SUE (Rare footage) and A FOGGY DAY by the Velvet Fog.

Across:

1A. A dog may pull on one during a walk: LEASH

6A. __ Hari: MATA. WWI spy

10A. Engrave with acid: ETCH

14A. Navel type: INNIE. This begs for a picture. Here.

15A. Medical suffix: OSIS. As in halitOSIS - bad breath.

16A. Rise sky-high: SOAR

19A. Soaks (up): SOPS

20A. Coiled hair style: BUN. The famous sidewheel BUNS.

21A. Slanted type style: Abbr.: ITAL

22A. Buddies: PALS

23A. Most sickly: ILLEST

28A. Sharpshooter: DEADEYE

30A. Painting props: EASELS. I did think of stage props for a sec.

31A. Tight as __: A DRUM. See 20A.

32A. Hired thug: GOON

35A. 4:00 London social: TEA

40A. Not prem., as gas: REG.

43A. Chewy Hershey's candy: ROLO. Most of us must recognize this candy by now.

44A. "__ my case": I REST

48A. Beethoven symphony originally dedicated to Napoleon: EROICA. Italian for "heroic" crossed by 41D. Art of a sexual nature: EROTICA which may require "heroics".

51A. Erode gradually, as savings: EAT INTO

56A. Coast Guard operation: RESCUE

57A. Do bar duty: TEND. Making drinks.

58A. Wander: ROAM

60A. Like two peas in a __: POD

61A. Cylindrical pasta: ZITI

65A. Grammy co-winner for the rap song "Back on the Block": ICE-T

66A. Theater award: OBIE

67A. "__ evil ...": SEE NO. SEE NO Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil.

68A. Super Bowl, e.g.: GAME

69A. Avoid flunking: PASS

70A. Admin. aides: ASSTS.

Down:

1D. Ad-__: improvise: LIB

2D. Made possible: ENABLED

3D. Lean and bony: ANGULAR

4D. Enrolled: SIGNED UP

5D. Attention-getter: HEY

6D. Castle protector: MOAT

7D. "Easy!": "A SNAP!"

8D. Lancelot's was "Sir": TITLE

9D. Barnyard brayer: ASS

10D. Some exam answers: ESSAYS

11D. Handyman's must-have: TOOL SET. A nail SET might be part of a tool KIT

12D. Word after time or timed-release: CAPSULE

13D. Time measures: Abbr.: HRS.. Hours.

18D. Feel sorry for: PITY

22D. Links org.: PGA

23D. Snake River st.: IDA.. In the state of Idaho.

24D. Big road rig: SEMI

26D. Actress Rowlands: GENA

27D. That, in Tijuana: ESA. Spanish.

29D. "Leggo my ___!": EGGO

33D. Popeye's Olive: OYL

34D. Woodwind quintet member: OBOE

37D. Alum: GRAD

38D. Evening, commercially: NITE. Adspeak.

39D. Crunchy cereal brand word: KRISPIES

40D. Foul caller: REF Wanted ump.

42D. Rah-rah encouragement: "GO GET 'EM!"

45D. Scrambles to keep secret: ENCODES

46D. Pupil: STUDENT

47D. Corn site: TOE. Corn - a local hardening and thickening of epidermis (as on a toe).

49D. Set ablaze: IGNITE

50D. Charisse of "Singin' in the Rain": CYD. What gams!

52D. Military force: ARMY

54D. Vacation isle near Venezuela: ARUBA

55D. Bear and Berra: YOGIS

59D. Ripens, as cheese: AGES

61D. Sharp turn: ZIG

62D. Jazz style: BOP

63D. Pretoria's nation: Abbr.: RSA. Republic of South Africa. South Africa has three capital cities: Cape Town, the largest of the three, is the legislative capital; Pretoria is the administrative capital; and Bloemfontein is the judicial capital. I wonder why.

64D. "H-E-L-P!": "S-O-S!"

Answer grid.

Happy Anniversary to Kazie, who met her husband 39 years ago today.

Argyle

Sunday April 11, 2010 Tom Heilman

Theme: The Last Shall Be First - Common words/phrases with the component word order reversed.

23A. Hayride musical group?: WAGON BAND. Bandwagon.

25A. Results of a burglar's bumps and bruises?: TAKING PAINS. Painstaking. Someone please explains the clue/answer rationale to me. Why "burglar"?

38A. Bleating art?: GOATSCAPE. Scapegoat. Goatscape is like landscape I suppose, at least, in the Windhover Farm.

42A. Brief film on kneading and baking?: BREAD SHORT. Shortbread.

61A. Contest related to the knife toss?: FORK PITCH. Pitchfork. Hello, Iowa!

78A. Violinist who loves the spotlight?: STRING HAM. Hamstring. My favorite theme entry.

96A. Handy lint-removing tool?: POCKET PICK. Pickpocket.

98A. Primitive projectile that's like new?: MINT SPEAR. Spearmint.

118A. Disaster at a Ritz factory?: CRACKER FIRE. Firecracker. Very evocative.

120A. Astronaut's alien squeeze?: MOON HONEY. Honeymoon. But there's no life on the Moon, where does the astronaut get the squeeze?

All the base phrases are simple and solid. I intuited the gimmick immediately with the rather self-revealing puzzle title. Then the second theme entry quickly confirmed my instinct. I picture today's constructor Tom Heilman is fun to be around, from the way he clued his theme answers alone.

Also loved his clue for FRI (119D. Time assoc. with a common superstition). Friday the 13th. Disliked the clue for YOS (77D. Informal his). The "his" in the clue is a plural of hi, isn't it?

Across:

1. Prayer start: LORD. Crossing DOOMSDAY (4D. End of the world).

5. Assertive comeback: AM SO

9. Sir Toby of "Twelfth Night": BELCH. Shakespeare's stuff often stumps me.

14. Done with: RID OF

19. 1970 Neil Young protest song: OHIO

20. Spa option: PEEL. Honey & sea salt exfoliates rather well.

21. Donovan who played Amber in "Clueless": ELISA. Total stranger to me.

22. January, in Juárez: ENERO

27. Choice: PRIMO. I was thinking of noun "choice".

28. "The Thieving Magpie" composer: ROSSINI

30. Jumpers, e.g.: DRESSES

31. "Thou shouldst not have been old till thou __ been wise": "King Lear": HADST

32. Like a hoops shot: ARCED

33. Sexually attractive: NUBILE. One of Buckeye's favorite words.

35. Justice Dept. org.: DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration)

37. Valuable deposit: ORE

47. "Full Metal Jacket" gp.: USMC (United States Marine Corps). Gimme for Dennis/Argyle. I've never seen "Full Metal Jacket".

48. __ populi: VOX. The popular opinion. Vox = Voice.

49. Not easy to hang onto: EELY

50. Some have prizes inside: CEREALS. I'll go nuts for those small bobblehead promotions.

52. "Alrighty then": OKEY DOKE

56. Rock genre: EMO

57. Director Vittorio De __: SICA. I've yet to see his "The Bicycle Thief".

58. Matched, as a bet: SEEN. Keep forgetting the card bet meaning of "see".

60. Parroted a Persian: MEOWED. Cat.

64. Afternoon celeb: SOAP STAR

67. Ruin: SPOIL

68. Hipbone prefix: ILIO. The hip bone is ILIA.

70. Trim: NEAT

71. Carpentry files: RASPS

75. Early development: NASCENCY

80. Phrase on a mailing label: SEND TO

83. Semi-convertible auto roof: T-TOP

85. Vermilion and cardinal: REDS

87. Fund source: TREASURY

90. Unlike the life of the party: ASOCIAL

92. __ Blair: George Orwell's birth name: ERIC. Unknown to me.

93. Classified ad letters: EEO. And TYPE (129. Classification).

94. Boss: HEAD

102. Covert __: spy missions: OPS

103. Soft & __: DRI

104. Beat: RHYTHM. Nice strings of consonants.

105. Prepare, as merchandise for a sale: RETAG

108. Cruise, for one: ACTOR. Tom Cruise.

112. Tenor Pavarotti: LUCIANO. Italians are so expressive.

115. Impose: OBTRUDE. With "upon".

117. Joe of "Hill Street Blues": SPANO. He's in "NYPD Blue" also.

122. German thanks: DANKE. And ERDE (124. German earth). For Kazie.

123. Like the verbs "cast" and "cost": Abbr.: IRREG. Chinese verbs have no past tense.

125. Part of NEA: Abbr.: EDUC

126. Dispatches, as a dragon: SLAYS. Dispatch = Kill.

127. 1980s-'90s Olds: CIERA. Cutlass Ciera. Stumped me.

128. Certain title: DEED

Down:

1. Like acidic detergents: LOW PH. Got me.

2. "BUtterfield 8" novelist: O'HARA (John). I've never heard of the book (film). Why is U capitalized?

3. Stiff: RIGID

5. LAPD broadcast: APB

6. Anne of "Awakenings": MEARA. Rich picked "Awakening" for alliteration purpose.

7. Hombre's address: SENOR

8. It's often hard to settle: OLD SCORE. Great clue.

9. Happen: BETIDE

10. Vigor: ELAN

11. Preferences: LIKINGS

12. Drama set in Vegas: CSI

13. Return, as graded papers: HAND BACK. Can't wait for Lois to return.

14. Staves off: REPELS

15. "Hang on!": IN A SEC

16. Agnus __: Mass prayers: DEIS. Agnus Dei = Lamb of God. Uncommon to see its plural form.

17. D-day invasion river: ORNE. The Normandy river.

18. Composer Lukas: FOSS. First encounter with this guy.

24. Wrote down: NOTED

26. Mettle: GRIT

29. Perfect Sleepers, e.g.: SERTAS

34. Man of Messina: UOMO. Italian for "man". I was at sea. Messina is a seaport in NE Sicily. Alliteration again.

36. Computer data acronym: ASCII

39. State purposefully: AVOW

40. Nudge: POKE

41. Left one's mark on: EX'ED. My grandma did not read.

44. Ecuadoran province named for its gold production: EL ORO. Literally "the gold". I've never heard of it before. Makes perfect sense.

45. Feverish: HECTIC

46. Divine counselor: ORACLE

47. Apply to: USE ON

51. Bandleader Brown: LES

53. 911 respondent: EMT

54. Has strong desires: YEARNS

55. Biker's headgear, perhaps: DORAG

57. Water balloon impact sounds: SPLATS

59. Rob Roy refusals: NAES. Scotish for "no".

62. In a manner of speaking, slangily: KINDA. Sorta.

63. Suggestion: HINT

65. "The Alamo" co-star Jason __: PATRIC. Another foreign name to me. The name is crying for K.

66. Unbroken sequence: STREAK

69. Oars in a quad scull, e.g.: OCTAD. Two oars for each of the four rowers then.

72. Lewis with Lamb Chop: SHARI

73. Go to pieces: PANIC. "Go to pieces" is a new idiom to me also.

74. Slap: SMACK

76. Insignificant amount: SOU. Not worth a sou.

79. Whittled on the porch, say: IDLED

80. Restrain: STEM

81. "Oh the joys that came ... __ was old!": Coleridge: ERE I. Got it from crosses.

82. Night light: NEON. Rhyme.

84. Corny gadget?: POPPER. Oh, popcorn.

88. Bombast: RHETORIC

89. "Righto": YEAH

91. Like some ball attendees: COSTUMED

92. Milton or Virgil: EPIC POET

95. Large wardrobe: ARMOIRE

97. Criticize severely: TRASH

99. Devious: TRICKY

100. Jiggles: SHAKES

101. Joe __, confrontational '50s-'60s talk show host: PYNE. No idea. Hosts are not supposed to be confrontational.

102. Former Sandinista leader: ORTEGA (Daniel). President of Nicaragua. I was ignorant of the Sandinista Party.

106. Dig deeply?: ADORE. I dig this clue.

107. Glittery rock: GEODE

109. Frequent Cronyn co-star: TANDY(Jessica). Hume Cronyn was her husband.

110. Outdo: ONE-UP

111. Automaker Henry: ROYCE. Founder of Rolls-Royce.

112. Some time displays, briefly: LCDS

113. River through Magnitogorsk: URAL. The Europe/Asia boundary river.

114. Site of Jesus' first miracle: CANA. Where Jesus turned water to wine.

116. Fox's title: BR'ER. Uncle Remus tales.

121. Novelist Buntline: NED

Answer grid.

C.C.