Wednesday June 9, 2010 Todd McClary

Theme: PEDALS (65A. Parts of 17-, 26-, 43- and 56-Across) - Pedals are used in each theme answers.

17A. Fitness center array: STATIONARY BIKES. Ours is collecting dust in the basement.

26A. Instruments that often have chord buttons: ELECTRIC ORGANS. Ditto above comment, only in the dining room.

43A. Seamstresses' aids: SEWING MACHINES. I like how it crosses THIMBLE (42D. Monopoly token). Sewing aid also.

56A. Birdlike crafts for lake rides: SWAN PADDLE BOATS. I've never taken one. Shaped like a swan.

All of the theme answers are in plural form. I liked the consistency. Liked the unifier entry too.

Also a bit of computer/internet thread:

32A. 30-day trial versions, e.g.: DEMOS

10D. E-tailer's creation: WEB PAGE

11D. Collaborative Internet project: WIKI. Hawaiian for "fast". Wikipedia is one of the Wikis.

29D. Software installation source, perhaps: CD-ROM

Most of the non-theme entries are rather short. Forty 4-letter answers in the grid. I am eager to see how Jerome & Jazzbumpa amuse us with their anagram and symmetry observations.

Across:

1. Entertainer in a kimono: GEISHA. "Memoirs of a Geisha" is a great read.

7. Chew like a chipmunk: GNAW

11. Triumphed: WON

14. Netanyahu's nation: ISRAEL. Netanyahu is the current Prime Minister of Israel. He graduated from MIT (40. Charles River sch.), whose clue stumped me.

15. Seat of Georgia's Floyd County: ROME. Wikipedia says the city was built on seven hills with a river running between them, same as Rome Italy then.

16. Words before testimony: I DO

20. Spray-on salon treatment: TAN

21. Fed. investigators: G-MEN. I tried FBIS first.

22. Speaker's asset: POISE

23. Former 3-Down leader: SHAH. And IRAN (3D. OPEC founding member).

24. Medieval invader's obstacle: MOAT

33. Mete (out): DOLE

34. Hankering: YEN

36. Admit openly: AVOW. Always hesitate between AVOW and AVER.

37. Smoothie fruit: BERRY

39. Muse of history: CLIO. We see her sister Erato more often.

41. ___ boots: '60s fashion: GO-GO

42. Head-turning swimwear: THONG. Not a swimwear, but head-turning nevertheless.
47. Numbers in photo album captions: AGES

48. Genesis forecast: RAIN. 40 days & 40 nights.

49. Hyundai sedan: AZERA. What does Azera mean?

52. Soccer star Mia: HAMM

53. "___ Misérables": LES. The MOREL guy's favorite musical.

60. According to: PER

61. Shorten, perhaps: EDIT

62. "Tracey Takes On..." comedian: ULLMAN (Tracey). Her name escaped me. We had this clue before.

63. Wrong: SIN

64. Anna of "Fringe": TORV. Nope. Not in my radar. An Aussi.

Down:

1. Basic idea: GIST

2. Esteban's "this": ESTA

4. Didn't play: SAT

5. Hilltop: HEIGHTS. The clue for MOOR (24D. "Wuthering Heights" setting) should be redone to avoid heights duplication.

6. Baseball family name: ALOMAR. Sandy/Roberto. Nice to see a change from ALOU.

7. __ Torino: 1970s Ford: GRAN. I had never seen any movie concerning the Hmong gang until "Gran Torino", Bill G.

8. "__ gloom of night ...": NOR. "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night ...". Postal Service creed.

9. "Rehab" singer Winehouse: AMY. Train wreck.

12. Sapphic verses: ODES. Sappho was a Greek poet, born in Lesbos, from which the word lesbian is derived. Sappho is a lesbian.

13. Clown costume piece: NOSE

18. Classic fruit soda: NEHI. The drink for Radar (M*A*S*H").

19. Tiny amount: IOTA

23. Garbage transport: SCOW. Boat.

25. Air France destination: ORLY. Air France's hub is Charles de Gaulle Airport. Orly is close by.

26. Red-coated wheel: EDAM. The Dutch cheese.

27. Jeans giant: LEVI'S

28. Push the envelope, theatrically: EMOTE

30. Tent material: NYLON

31. View from the Louvre: SEINE

35. Nutmeg-flavored drinks: NOGS. I always call it eggnog.

37. Dog biscuit shape: BONE

38. Caviar, basically: EGGS

39. It may be stroked in thought: CHIN. Why "in thought"?

41. Compu Kitty or Digital Doggie: GIGA PET. Not familiar with this virtual pet.

44. Shout "Fore!" to: WARN

45. Asian sea: ARAL. Shrinking.

46. Arose: CAME UP

49. Nile dangers: ASPS

50. German couple?: ZWEI. German for "two".

51. Collect from work: EARN

52. Home theater component, briefly: HDTV

53. Dalai __ : LAMA

54. Class action lawsuit abbr. : ET AL.

55. Work IDs: SSNS

57. Commotion: ADO

58. Dept. head: DIR (Director)

59. Told too often: OLD

Answer grid.

C.C.

Tuesday June 8, 2010 Barry Silk

Theme: Day Starter - The first word of the first three theme entries are synonyms of the first word of the fourth entry.

17A. Program that uses certain Sun Microsystems software: JAVA APPLICATION. Some of the on-line crossword programs use this app.

25A. Messy contest in a pit: MUD WRESTLING. Requires an image, fer sure.

42A. Al Gore's 2000 running mate: JOE LIEBERMAN.

56A. Living room reading that includes this puzzle's theme: COFFEE TABLE BOOK.

Argyle here.

A silky Tuesday (Q away from a pangram). Some obscure words but with doable perps. Today's theme song, Java Jive by The Ink Spots.

Across:

1A. Earth neighbor: MARS.

5A. One of the four chief angels: URIEL. One of four or one of seven or...Google for yourself. Gabriel and Michael are the main two, after that, I got confused.

10A. Crew hands: OARS. The Crew on a crew can be called OARS.

14A. Pulitzer-winning author James: AGEE. His autobiographical novel, A Death in the Family (1957), won him a posthumous Pulitzer Prize.

15A. Nabisco wafer named for its flavor: NILLA. Image.

16A. Super Bowl held in MCMLXXXVIII: XXII. Super Bowl Twenty-two was played on January 31, 1988.

20A. An off-ramp may lead to one: OVERPASS.

21A. Banquet entrées: ROASTS. Or chicken or fish.

22A. Buddhism, e.g.: Abbr.: REL.. Religion.

23A. __ Fáil: Irish coronation stone: LIA. Also known as the Stone of Destiny, it is a stone at the Inauguration Mound on the Hill of Tara in County Meath in Ireland, which served as the coronation stone for the High Kings of Ireland. More at Wikipedia.

24A. Actress Spelling: TORI.

30A. Privileged folks: HAVES. As opposed to the 'have nots'.

33A. Greek peak: OSSA.

34A. Washington Sq. campus: NYU. New York University and a part of Greenwich Village, Manhatten, New York City.

35A. Came to earth: ALIT.

36A. 1971 Sutherland title role: "KLUTE". A small-town detective(Donald Sutherland) searching for a missing man has only one lead: a connection with a New York prostitute(Jane Fonda).

38A. "__ 101": Former Nickelodeon sitcom: ZOEY.

39A. High-speed www hookup: DSL. Well, faster than dial-up.

40A. Letter-shaped fastener: T-NUT. Similar to a wing nut

41A. Dollar fractions: CENTS.

46A. Curved molding: OGEE. A crossword staple.

47A. Popular ISP: AOL. (Internet Service Provider, America On Line)

48A. Classic TV brand: RCA. (Radio Corporation of America)

51A. Soak up: ABSORB.

54A. Mainly: ABOVE ALL.

58A. Wine region near San Francisco: NAPA.

59A. Bucket wheel used for irrigation: NORIA. I'll look for a video later. I found a nice one the last time we had this entry. Update: Different than the last time but if someone(Lucina?) translates what he is saying, that would be nice. Clip. The main point is that it uses the flow of the water to lift up some of the water up to a higher height.

60A. Like one with a full schedule: BUSY.

61A. LAX postings: ETDs. (Los Angeles International Airport, Estimated Time of Departure)

62A. Third dimension: DEPTH. After length and width.

63A. Flexible Flyer, e.g.: SLED.

Down:

1D. Student's focus: MAJOR.

2D. Tequila plant: AGAVE.

3D. Celebrate boisterously: REVEL.

4D. Blacken: SEAR. I thought of char first.

5D. Like a procrastinator's bills: UNPAID.

6D. Carpentry tool that cuts with the grain: RIPSAW. Against the grain would be a crosscut saw.

7D. Maladies: ILLS.

8D. Inventor Whitney: ELI.

9D. Sport with sticks: LACROSSE. La Crosse is a city in Wisconsin.

10D. Beefy soup ingredient: OX TAIL.

11D. The Earth turns on it: AXIS.

12D. Real comedian: RIOT. Or they might be a gas.

13D. Transgresses: SINS.

18D. Top grade: A-PLUS.

19D. Vital body line: AORTA. Artery.

24D. Grade factor: TEST.

25D. Bumped into: MET.

26D. GPS suggestion: ROUTE.

27D. Involved with, as a plot: IN ON.

28D. Da's opposite: NYET. Russian.

29D. Fellows: GUYS.

30D. Muslim pilgrimage: HADJ.

31D. Too: ALSO.

32D. Repulsive: VILE.

36D. Exercise involving squatting: KNEE BEND. For some of us, they're vile.

37D. Garage job: LUBE.

38D. Satori-seeking sect: ZEN.

40D. Panthère relative: TIGRÉ. French

41D. Have a cow: CALVE. When a cow gives birth to a calf, she calves.

43D. Shower sponges: LOOFAS.

44D. White Carroll critter: RABBIT. Sneaky use of the first letter of the clue being capitalized.

45D. Dough: MOOLAH.

48D. Holocaust hero Wallenberg: RAOUL. But the exact circumstances of his death have long been in dispute.

49D. Shut: CLOSE.

50D. Adhesive resin: ALKYD.

51D. High school breakout?: ACNE.

52D. Something to miss or rock: BOAT. (to miss or to rock)

53D. Dirty Harry's org.: SFPD. "Go ahead. Make my day." (San Francisco Police Department)

54D. Lobbying group for seniors: AARP.

55D. Recedes: EBBS.

57D. Little piggy, so to speak: TOE.

Answer grid.

Argyle