Tuesday, June 1, 2010 James Sajdak

Theme: Four Seasons - Common phrases ending in the plural form of four seasons, in chronological order. Notice I didn't use THE Four Seasons because I think that would indicate a singular result (Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter) and the theme answers are plural. English teachers, do you agree?

17A. City near the base of Pikes Peak: COLORADO SPRINGS.

28A. National Economic Counsel director: LARRY SUMMERS. Like several names, I needed the perps to attain the answer but all doable. Image.

47A. Where to board the Maid of the Mist tour boat: NIAGARA FALLS. On the Canadian side.

61A. 1999 recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor: JONATHAN WINTERS. A short clip of Jonathan Winters On Jack Paar (as a satyr, C.C.)(Oops, he is a faun.)

Argyle here. I hope you all took a moment of silence to honor are fallen men and women yesterday. Then we had a good barbecue.

An easy Tuesday where the perps should have taking care of any problems you may have incurred. 16 three-letter entries and 36 four-letter entries.

Across:

1A. Cry out loud: BAWL.

5A. Pain for a sitter: IMP.

8A. Presumed evolutionary link: APEMAN.

14A. Bee's grandnephew: OPIE. Back there in Mayberry where they say 69A. "Golly": "GEE".

15A. Brazilian-themed Vegas casino, with "The": RIO. Also, 45A. Indian-themed Atlantic City casino, with "The": TAJ.

16A. Like the sea: SALINE. Salty.

20A. Increase by: ADD TO.

21A. Floral greeting: LEI.

22A. Trial: TEST.

23A. Letters that get things moving: ASAP. As Soon As Possible.

26A. One with a brush: ARTIST.

32A. Saharan: ARID.

33A. Prefix with state or sect: TRI.

34A. Make eyes pop and jaws drop: AMAZE. And 57A. "Get a load of that!": "WOWIE!". Insert your favorite pic here.

38A. Producer's dream: HIT. As in a Broadway play producer.

39A. Rye bread seed: CARAWAY.

42A. Gentle bear: BEN. Gentle Ben is the name of a children's book by Walt Morey, later made into a film and television series, as well as made-for-TV movies.

43A. Barber's blade: RAZOR.

46A. Star's part: LEAD.

51A. Horse house: STABLE. Cute alliteration.

53A. Final, e.g.: EXAM.

54A. Nailed, as a 53-Across: ACED.

55A. NHL stat: PTS. Points(Goals and Assists). UPDATE: The total number of goals plus assists equals total points. (Thank you, Lemonade714)

65A. Tenor Bocelli: ANDREA From Wikipedia. He is the biggest-selling singer in the history of Classical music. In 1998, Bocelli was named one of People magazine's 50 most beautiful people and in March of this year, he was honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, for his contribution to live theater. Clip

66A. NASA thumbs-up: A-OK.

67A. New Mexico ski resort: TAOS.

68A. Puts back to zero: RESETS.

70A. A.D. part: ANNO.

Down:

1D. Lauderdale neighbor: BOCA. Map. Cavil alert: Last name of Fort Lauderdale and the first name of Boca Raton.

2D. Like two peas in __: A POD.

3D. Untamed: WILD.

4D. Workout wear: LEOTARD.

5D. 401(k) alternative, briefly: IRA.

6D. Central: MID.

7D. It may be Olympic-size: POOL.

8D. Seek ambitiously: ASPIRE.

9D. Golf pros often break it: PAR.

10D. Upper-class rule: ELITISM.

11D. Goes for the gold: MINES. Good misdirection.

12D. Common Woody Allen theme: ANGST.

13D. Home in a tree: NEST.

18D. Like a bright future: ROSY.

19D. Clothing line?: SEAM.

24D. Nick and Nora's clue sniffer: ASTA. Movie dog from The Thin Man.

25D. Manx murmur: PURR. Image They have genetic mutation that results in a short or non-existent tail.

27D. Busboy's aid: TRAY.

28D. Cowardly Lion player: LAHR.

29. Evidence of Sills' skills: ARIA. Beverly Sills

30. Nabisco cracker: RITZ.

31D. Mazda two-seater: MIATA. Zoom Zoom.

35D. Eve's second: ABEL.

36D. Fervor: ZEAL.

37D. Discontinues: ENDS.

39D. Nursery bed: CRIB.

40D. Soft or hard attachment: WARE.

41D. "Stronger than dirt!" cleanser: AJAX.

44D. How some hotdogging is done: ON A DARE.

46D. "Raging Bull" boxer Jake: LaMOTTA. Movie. Regarded among the greatest boxing films made despite its violent content.

48D. Top dogs: ALPHAs.

49D. "__ move on!": GET A.

50D. Young deer: FAWN.

51D. Tea cart treat: SCONE.

52D. Watches over: TENDS.

54D. Close to closed: AJAR.

56D. Stocking problem: SNAG.

58D. Teach not to rely on, with "from": WEAN.

59D. Wrinkle remover: IRON.

60D. North-of-the-border gas: ESSO. Exxon in the states.

62D. Hanoi holiday: TET.

63D. Job's lot?: WOE. Biblical Job.

64D. '50s presidential moniker: IKE.

Answer grid.

Chris in LA mentioned yesterday that his local newspaper, the New Orleans Times Picayune, is running a crossword survey. Please vote for LAT so Chris and others in the area can solve and comment the same puzzle as we do. Thank you.

Argyle

Monday May 31, 2010 Donna S. Levin

Theme: Dirty Harry - The first words of 20A, 31A and 41A form the famous quote made by Det. Harry Callahan, portrayed by 53A, in the movie, Sudden Impact.

20A. Rise from the ashes, so to speak: MAKE A COMEBACK.

31A. "Pygmalion" on Broadway: "MY FAIR LADY".

41A. Tourist who doesn't stay overnight: DAY-TRIPPER.

53A. Born 5/31/1930, entertainer associated with the phrase formed by the starts of 20-, 31- and 41-Across: CLINT EASTWOOD.

Argyle here. "Rise from the ashes" is a reference to the mythical bird, the phoenix, who is reborn from the ashes of its former self.

"The Pygmalion myth". Pygmalion was a sculptor who fell in love with a statue he had carved. In My Fair Lady, Prof. Henry Higgins transforms Eliza Doolittle into a "Lady", then falls in love with her.

Leave out the hyphen on "Day-Tripper" and you get Day Tripper by the Beatles.

A strong Monday puzzle with one possible quibble, tea grade, which I'll parse when I get to it.

Across:

1A. Buck in the forest: STAG.

5A. Mil. three-stripers: SGTS. Image. Worn on uniforms to indicate rank.

9A. Big name in insurance: AETNA.

14A. Wahine's dance: HULA. Where IS our Hawaiian contingent?

15A. In __ of: replacing: LIEU.

16A. Sink outlet: DRAIN.

17A. Slightly: A BIT.

18A. Slightly open: AJAR.

19A. Fictional chocolatier Wonka: WILLY. The original Roald Dahl novel was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

23A. Employ: USE.

24A. Laboriously earns, with "out": EKES.

25A. Gets the lead out?: ERASES.

28A. Two sizes above sm.: LGE.

29A. When the Kol Nidre is recited, vis-à-vis Yom Kippur: EVE. A dramatic introduction to Yom Kippur on what is often dubbed "Kol Nidrei night". It is written in Aramaic, not Hebrew. Its name is taken from the opening words, meaning "all vows". (I hope we get a more personal enlightenment.)

30A. 1970s radical gp.: SLA. Symbionese Liberation Army, kidnappers of Patricia Hearst.

36A. Not this: THAT.

37A. Breath mint brand: CERTS.

38A. Yalie: ELI. Elihu Yale was the benefactor of Yale University.

39A. Pirate's spoils: BOOTY. Just the sort of image I was hoping to find.

40A. Sticky stuff on a stick: GLUE. Remember we use to use tongue depressor sticks to smear paste on each others as kids.

43A. Prefix with center: EPI.

44A. "Blues Brother" Aykroyd: DAN. Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi, The Blues Brothers.

45A. Connections that help you get ahead: INs.

46A. Think highly of: ESTEEM.

48A. Clue weapon: ROPE. From the board game. The weapons are knife, candlestick, rope, wrench, lead pipe, and revolver.

50A. "The Silence of the Lambs" org.: FBI.

56A. Easy __: AS ABC.

58A. Golden rule word: UNTO.

59A. Green Gables girl: ANNE. The story, Anne of Green Gables, was set in Prince Edward Island, Canada.

60A. Tea grade: PEKOE. It is legitimate, mostly. The tea industry uses the term Orange Pekoe to describe a basic, medium-grade black tea consisting of many whole tea leaves of a specific size. 63A. Prepares 60-Across: BREWS.

61A. Complaint: BEEF. "Where's the beef?"

62A. October 15th, e.g.: IDES. It's not just for March, you know.

64A. Low man on the feudal totem pole: SERF. That would be a figurative totem pole.

65A. Ultimate: LAST.

Down:

1D. SeaWorld star: SHAMU.

2D. Oompah brass: TUBAs.

3D. More than similar: ALIKE.

4D. Garden portal: GATE.

5D. Goof-off: SLACKER.

6D. Military action doll: GI JOE. We finally get to use JOE.

7D. Sides in a game: TEAMS.

8D. Certain: SURE.

9D. Online pop-up source: ADWARE.

10D. Soap vamp __ Kane: ERICA. Erica Kane is a long-running fictional character from All My Children and portrayed by Susan Lucci who finally won an Emmy in 1999.

11D. Discusses business: TALKS SHOP.

12D. Zero: NIL.

13D. One or another: ANY.

21D. Protection: AEGIS. Derived from a large collar or cape worn in ancient times to display the protection provided by a high religious authority.

22D. Quail group: BEVY.

26D. Really delight: ELATE.

27D. Lecherous woodland deity: SATYR. Image. (for C.C.)

28D. Tardy: LATE.

29D. Blue-pencil: EDIT.

31D. "Me and Bobby __": McGEE. A song written by Kris Kristofferson and Fred Foster, originally performed by Roger Miller, and later by Janis Joplin. the Miller version.

32D. Pound sounds: YELPS.

33D. "Nutty" individual: FRUITCAKE.

34D. Taboo for Mrs. Sprat: LEAN. From the nursery rhyme. "Jack Sprat could eat no fat. His wife could eat no lean."

35D. Prince __ Khan: ALY. Aly Khan married the American movie star Rita Hayworth. He was quite the playboy. The titles of prince and princess are claimed by children of the Aga Khan(Aly's father) by virtue of their descent from Shah Fath Ali Shah of the Persian Qajar dynasty. Large entry in Wikipedia for Qajar dynasty, if you're interested.

36D. Blouses and shirts: TOPS.

39D. I.Q. test name: BINET. Alfred Binet

41D. Rhett's last word: DAMN. "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn" In the novel Gone with the Wind, Rhett does not say "Frankly," but simply "My dear, I don't give a damn." The context is also different; he is speaking quietly to Scarlett in a room, not storming dramatically out of the house.

42D. Swipes: RIPS OFF.

44D. Prepares for a winter takeoff, as plane wings: DEICES.

47D. Jab with a bone: ELBOW.

48D. Actress Zellweger: RENÉE.

49D. Western movie: OATER. Mr. Eastwood has made a large number of films of this genre.

50D. Henry, Peter or Jane: FONDA. Father, son and daughter, all actors.

51D. Forensic TV drama: "BONES". One of my favorites. Very low-keyed finale, main characters are going away for a year(but the show returns in the fall).

52D. That is, in Latin: ID EST.

54D. Beat-up boats: TUBS.

55D. Cry like a banshee: WAIL. Another meaning would be KEEN.

56D. Police broadcast, briefly: APB. All-Points Bulletin.

57D. Rev.'s speech: SER. Sermon.

Answer grid.

Argyle