Friday July 2, 2010 Jack McInturff

Theme: KING ME (71A. Board game demand, and hint to this puzzle's theme) - KING is added to the end of three-letter word of a common phrase.

18A. Temporary teacher's lot? : SUB PARKING. Subpar. The only theme entry where the base phrase is one word. Temporary teacher = Sub.

23A. What it would have been if 10-Down went down? : ORIGINAL SINKING. And ARK (10. Ararat arrival). Noah's Ark landed in Mt. Ararat. What exactly is the "Original Sin"? Eve & Adam ate the forbidden fruit and then made love?

52A. Brusque words about strong coffee? : ESPRESSO BARKING. Espresso Bar. Quite an evocative clue. Brusque order from a customer.

61A. Actress Brenneman losing on purpose? : AMY TANKING. Amy Tan, author of "The Joy Luck Club", very real portrait of Chinese American mindset. I liked Amy Brenneman's role in "NYPD Blue".

Interesting that every one of Jack's recent puzzles has a unifier entry. "King Me" came to my radar only because Lois had lots of DF fun with the term some time ago on the blog. I've never played Checkers.

As you all know, I am quite fond of clue echos and cross-references, but I truly dislike those ones that give absolutely nothing for me to decipher. In today's case:

6D. 13-Down relative : EDU

13D. 6-Down relative : ORG

They are relatives because both are common internet address endings?

Across:

1. Rhine tributary : RUHR. In Essen.

5. Word spoken while pointing, perhaps : HER. New clue.

8. Slow tempo : ADAGIO

14. Sitcom redhead : OPIE. Ron Howard in "The Andy Griffith Show". I thought of LUCY Ball.

15. Stock ending? : ADE. Ending to the word Stockade.

16. Sole sauce : TARTAR

17. Hosp. workers : LPNS (Licensed Practical Nurses). New abbr. to me. Maybe it's gimme for August & Crazy Horse.

20. Escorted : LED IN

22. Where to kiss the Blarney Stone : EIRE

30. Nat or Red : NLER. National Leaguer. Washington Nationals/Cincinnati Reds.

31. "The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom" author : ORMAN (Suze)

32. '60s activist gp. : SDS (Students for a Democratic Society)

35. Former sergeant, perhaps : EX-COP. Needed crossing help.

38. Classic Callas role : TOSCA. No idea. All I know about Maria Callas is her affair with Ari Onassis.

39. "Very funny" : HA HA

41. Greenish blues : TEALS

43. Links sight : CART. Golf.

44. Memorable mission : ALAMO

46. Pond papa : DRAKE. Alliteration.

48. __ Arc, Arkansas : DES. Not familiar with this city. We also have ARCED (25D. Bowed). Minor duplication.

49. Former name of the Mariinsky Ballet : KIROV. Previously Kirov Ballet.

50. Fanatics : NUTS

59. Like an undeliverable pkg. : RETD. Returned I suppose.

60. Where to get down : EIDER. Duck down.

67. Normal opening? : PARA. Opening to the word Paranormal.

68. Hunts diligently : SCOURS

69. Date : SEE

70. It acquired Applebee's in 2007 : IHOP. Unaware of this fact.

72. Little shaver : TOT. Shaver = Small kid.

73. Peter of reggae : TOSH. Gimme. The Wailers. With Bob Marley.

Down:

1. Rich kid in "Nancy" comics : ROLLO. Stumper. I don't read comic strips.

2. Berth place : UPPER

3. Language that gives us "cheetah" and "chutney" : HINDI. Any good recipe for mango chutney?

4. Quit : RESIGN

5. Holds : HAS

7. Rise up : REBEL

8. Pong creator : ATARI

9. Are more than reluctant to : DARE NOT. I say this a lot.

11. VW hatchback : GTI. GTI = Grand Tourer--Injected. Who knows? Volkswagen is the largest foreign car maker in China.

12. Creator of Q and M : IAN (Fleming). Q & M are Bond characters.

19. Circle constants : PIS

21. __ green : NILE

24. "What happened __?" : NEXT

26. McDonald's founder : KROC (Ray)

27. "When __ she comes to me with a thousand smiles": "Little Wing" lyric : I'M SAD. Stymied. Jimi Hendrix song. Any The Corrs fans there?

28. Shell layer : NACRE. Mother-of-pearl. Mollusk shell.

29. Punkies : GNATS. Punkie is a new word to me.

32. Wooden shingle : SHAKE. Was ignorant of this carpentry term.

33. "The Sacrament of the Last Supper" and others : DALIS. Here is the painting.

34. Off-key, in a way : SHARP. Need Jazzbumpa's explanation.

36. Watercraft control : OAR

37. Alternate strategy : PLAN B

40. Cupid : AMOR

42. Arctic predator : SKUA. Hi there!

45. Like many a baseball pitch : OVERARM. Overarm pitch.

47. French 101 verb : ETRE. "To be".

51. "Never mind" : SKIP IT

53. Common quality? : SENSE. Common sense.

54. NYSE buy : STK (Stock)

55. Lyrical poet : ODIST

56. Only state that borders six states and Canada : IDAHO. Wow, it's true.

57. __ Circus, where St. Peter was crucified : NERO'S. Learning moment for me. Jack likes to put a few Biblical references in his puzzle.

58. Plotting device : GRAPH

61. Quiz : ASK

62. Verizon subsidiary : MCI

63. That, old-style : YON

64. Harbor vessel : TUG. Quite a few 3-letter word entries in the grid. Total 21.

65. Revival prefix : NEO. Neoclassic, e.g.

66. Fetch : GET

Answer grid.

C.C.

Thursday July 1, 2010 Robert A. Doll

Theme: HOT STUFF (61A. 1979 song for which Donna Summer won a Grammy, and a hint to the puzzle theme found in the answers to starred clues). The queen of disco. - HOT can precede the first word of each theme entry.

16A. *Tennis legend nicknamed "Rocket": ROD LAVER. Hot Rod. To say any more would be 8D: a faux pas.

23A. *Mighty Mouse's archenemy: OIL CAN HARRY. Hot Oil. Oil Can Harry (an evil cat) and Mighty Mouse (Superman imitator) were Terrytoons released by the 20th Century Fox Studio. Perhaps a little obscure..

33A. *1983 film that won the Oscar for Best Music, Original Song: FLASHDANCE. Hot Flash.

38A. *Stray hunter: DOG CATCHER. Hot Dog.

51A. *Deli side: POTATO SALAD. Hot Potato.

Hi all, Al here.

Today's puzzle had both easy and hard spots, I thought. I got through most of it quickly, but got a little stuck in the southwest with the proper nouns going down. The theme didn't help and I didn't even really notice it until after I was done solving, which still didn't seem as long as last week, but it still was about right for a Thursday, I'd say.

Across:

1. Minute Maid product: LIMEADE. I don't think Mr. Doll reads the blog. So close to recognition...

8. John or Paul: BEATLE. Too long of an answer to be a POPE.

14. Hotel option: TWIN BED.

15. Corsage flower: ORCHID. Corsage from Old French cors "body" (related: corpse); the meaning "body of a woman's dress, bodice" is from 1818 in fashion plates translated from French; Sense of "a bouquet worn on the bodice" is 1911, Amer.Eng., apparently from Fr. bouquet de corsage "bouquet of the bodice."

18. Early hr. to retire: NINE PM. Bed? I'm just getting started with my day.

19. Olivia of "The Wonder Years": d'ABO. After playing the hippie sister Karen Arnold, she was a voice actor in quite a few animations, including Jane in the Disney's version of Tarzan and Jane.

20. Resident's suffix: ITE. Also a mineral suffix.

22. Hebrides tongue: ERSE. Early Scottish variant of Old English Irisc or Old Norse Irskr "Irish". Applied by Lowland Scots to the Gaelic speech of the Highlanders.

27. Watch: EYE.

28. Squirrel's home: TREE. It is funny because the squirrel gets dead. From "Up".

29. Put away: ATE.

30. Claude who played Sheriff Lobo in "B.J. and the Bear": AKINS. The bear was actually a chimp. Sheriff Lobo is the one seated.

32. Profs' aides: TAS. Teaching Assistants.

35. Swing __: ERA. The days of the Big Bands, Glen Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Artie Shaw, Duke Ellington, Count Basie. One of the factors for the demise was a recording ban where the union that most jazz musicians belong to told its members not to record until the record companies agreed to pay them each time their music was played on the radio. Things haven't changed much...the music industry will never learn, it seems.

37. Granola grain: OAT.

44. Call from a crow's nest: CAW. Interesting misdirection. I was looking for a sailing term, but it was actually a straightforward clue.

47. Mozart is on some Austrian ones: EUROS. The one, the two, the five and the fifty... others?

48. Hefty ref.: OED. Oxford English Dictionary.

49. Pesky yard critter: MOLE. Had to wait to see whether it would be VOLE instead.

50. Spot to stop: Abbr.: STA. Station.

55. Stevie Wonder's "__ She Lovely": ISN'T.

57. Court cry: LET. A tennis term for the serve hitting the net (but still going over), or a distraction, like a ball rolling on the court, something requiring a "do-over".

58. Partner of void: NULL. Legally, something that is "null and void" can no longer be enforced. Both words mean empty, as in a vacuum or having no contents.

59. "The Shining" mantra: REDRUM. Murder spelled backwards. "Heere's Johnny".

65. Rio Grande city: EL PASO.

66. Showed awe over: AAHED AT.

67. Safari sightings: ELANDS. The largest African antelope, it can weigh nearly a ton. As opposed to the Royal Antelope, which is about the size of a jackrabbit, only growing to about 6-7 lbs.

68. Arachnophobe's fear: SPIDERS. I don't like spiders and snakes.

Down:

1. USPS delivery: LTR. United States Postal Service, Letter.

2. WWII battle site, briefly: IWO. Jima. Letters from Iwo Jima. and Flags of Our Fathers.

3. Means: MIDDLES. Shouldn't that be Medians? A mean is a mathematical average, and if your numbers are skewed, the mean wouldn't necessarily be the middle.

4. Intertwine: ENLACE.

5. Addis __: ABABA. The capital city of Ethiopia.

6. Cornwall neighbor: DEVON. Southern England.

7. Stamp finish?: EDE. "Finish" here indicates a suffix, stampede.

8. Faux pas: BONER. Yes, those can be embarrassing...

9. Airport north of Pittsburgh, in itineraries: ERI. Erie International Airport / Tom Ridge Field

10. Reason to see a dermatologist: ACNE. Accutane warning.

11. Legalese adverb: THEREIN.

12. Mouth the words: LIP SYNC.

13. '80s attorney general: ED MEESE. The 75th, under Reagan. Quote: "An expert is somebody who is more than 50 miles from home, has no responsibility for implementing the advice he gives, and shows slides."

17. Gaucho gear: RIATA. Spanish for cowboy and lasso (Lariat)

21. Half of seis: TRES. French for six and three.

23. Giant of a Giant: OTT. Mel Ott, Baseball. Right fielder, played his entire career for one team. First NL player to exceed 500 home runs.

24. Lyricist Gershwin: IRA. Brother/partner of George Gershwin, the latter is probably most famous for "An American in Paris" and "Rhapsody in Blue", neither of which have words.

25. Difficult computer of film: HAL. I'm sorry Dave, I can't do that. (2001, A Space Odyssey).

26. "Blah ...": YADA. Seinfeld's version of "Blah blah blah".

31. "Krazy __": KAT. This comic strip was old before I was born.

33. Sprat's taboo: FAT. Jack Sprat could eat no fat...

34. Old TV knob: HOR. Horizontal hold. I suppose "abbrev" isn't necessary because the label for the knob wasn't spelled out...

35. "Foucault's Pendulum" author: ECO. Umberto. Foucault's Pendulum has been called "the thinking person's Da Vinci Code, but it is more a satire on the futility of conspiracy theories and those who believe them, rather than an attempt to proliferate such beliefs.

36. Farrier's tool: RASP. A pedicurist/shoer for horses, a specialized blacksmith.

38. Obama's first social secretary __ Rogers: DESIREE.

39. Move more goods than: OUTSELL.

40. Pop's pop: GRANDPA.

41. Pigeon shelter: COTE. A small house for animals. Related: cottage, and coterie (circle of acquaintances).

42. "Macbeth" setting: HEATH. A wasteland.

43. N.J. summer setting: EDT.

44. Plan a heist (with): COLLUDE. From Latin colludare (to play with).

45. Cookbook words: A LA. In the manner of. Chicken a la King.

46. Marry: WED.

49. Shake alternative: MALTED.

52. "Stand and Deliver" star: OLMOS. Edward James.

53. Ready to be drawn: ON TAP. Beer.

54. Sashimi cousin: SUSHI. Sashimi is raw fish served sliced, but as-is. That means no rice bed or roll, but it is often served alongside daikon and/or shiso. The word sushi refers to the rice (the Japanese word su means vinegar, and shi is from meshi, the Japanese word for rice, hence sushi is 'vinegared rice'.

56. Air__: budget carrier: TRAN. News to me, I had never heard of this airline before.

60. Amer. currency: USD. United $tates Dollar.

62. Defense gp. founded in Bogotá: OAS. Organization of American States. All the countries of North and South America except Honduras (suspended in 2009 due to a coup d'etat), Iceland, and Greenland (simply not members).

63. Way off: FAR. I still don't think I understand...

64. NBA stats: FTS. Basketball, Free Throws.

Answer grid.

Al