Tuesday, July 20, 2010 Fred Piscop

Theme: Musical Numbers - Songs with a number in the title.

17A. Temptations number : "CLOUD NINE". Song

64A. Doris Day number : "TEA FOR TWO". Song.

9D. Josh White number : "ONE MEAT BALL". Song

24D. Tennessee Ernie Ford number : "SIXTEEN TONS". Song

Two Across theme entries with numbers in the back. Two Down entries with numbers in front.

Argyle here.

Fred Piscop is a renowned constructor but this is only the second time we have seen him. The other was a Sunday. He seems to be fond of cross-references too.

There are plenty of songs with a number in the title but if there is a particular reason he chose these four, I don't see it. Do you?

Across:

1. Letters on the Ronald Reagan : USS. Aircraft Carrier CVN-76.

4. Student of Socrates : PLATO. And 29A. 4-Across, to Aristotle : TEACHER. They're all Greeks to me.

9. Travel like Eris or Ceres : ORBIT. Eris is the largest and Ceres is the smallest of the five identified dwarf planets in ORBIT in our Solar System.

14. Zippo : NIL. Nada, zero, nothing.

15. Put to work : HIRED.

16. Source of some urban pollution : NOISE. Tricky, but not as tricky as light pollution.

19. First name in TV talk : ELLEN. Ellen DeGeneres.

20. CIA boss Panetta : LEON. The man doesn't look like a secret agent.

21. Ward, to Beaver : DAD. From the old TV show, "Leave it to Beaver". And 52A. 21-Across, slangily : OLD MAN. Theodore wouldn't call his father that but Wally might.

22. Brunch fare : OMELET.

23. Tell-all news story : EXPOSÉ.

25. Market special : SALE.

27. Guinness serving : PINT.

34. Pre-fax communication : TELEX. Variations called Telecommunications Devices for the Deaf (TDDs) are still used by the hearing impaired for typed communications over ordinary telephone lines.

37. Mob hit victim, often : RAT.

39. Worthless talk : TRIPE.

40. __-garde : AVANT.

41. "Thrilla in Manila" boxer : ALI. The third and final famous boxing match between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier,

42. School rides : BUSES.

43. Soprano Fleming : RENÉE. At the The Obama Inaugural Celebration Concert: You ll Never Walk Alone

44. Spray graffiti on, say : MAR.

45. Stocks or bonds : ASSET.

46. Swap the old for the new : TRADE UP.

48. First name in scat : ELLA.

50. Legendary loch : NESS.

56. Having just exercised : SWEATY.

60. Returns pro : CPA.

62. Move carefully : EASE.

63. Convention nametag word : HELLO.

66. Poland Spring competitor : EVIAN. (Bottled water)

67. Carriage return, these days : ENTER. Carriage, (the moving part of a typewriter) when it returned at the end of a line, would drop down a line which is what happens when you click on ENTER.

68. Catch some rays : TAN.

69. Campus VIPs : DEANS. And 4D. Deg. for many 69-Across : PHD.

70. Tractor maker John : DEERE.

71. USNA grad : ENS..

Down:

1. "I give!" : "UNCLE!".

2. Proctor __ appliances : SILEX. Frank Wolcott, in 1919, started a company in his own name as a distributor of electric heaters and appliances, using the trade name Torrid. In 1924, he bought from H.M. Bridges, the Silex Co. of Malden, Mass., which had introduced into the U.S., the German vacuum coffee maker. So does SILEX mean something in German?

3. Single -masted ship : SLOOP.

5. Tree also known as basswood : LINDEN.

6. Andrea Bocelli delivery : ARIA. He is a multiple Classical Brit-winning and Grammy and Emmy nominated, Italian pop tenor and crossover artist. Duet with Elmo.

7. Works the bar : TENDS.

8. "To a ..." poem : ODE.

10. Thespian's résumé listing : ROLE.

11. Fin or sawbuck : BILL. Fin is slang for a five-dollar bill and sawbuck is a ten. The term, sawbuck, comes from the Roman numeral for ten, X, and X looks like a sawbuck (for cutting up wood).

12. "Now it's clear!" : "I SEE!".

13. Backpacker's shelter : TENT.

18. Still in the crate : UNOPENED.

22. Soccer shout : "¡Olé!".

26. Things to wear : ATTIRE.

28. Homeless itinerants : TRAMPS.

30. One with a cause : CRUSADER.

31. Greet the villain : "HISS!".

32. Blunted blade : ÉPÉE.

33. Remainder : REST.

34. Like sourballs : TART.

35. "Rarely, if __ ..." : EVER.

36. Lang of Smallville : LANA. From Superman's youth.

38. In the style of : À LA.

47. Slangy reversal of direction : UEY. A U-turn.

49. Work shirker : LOAFER.

51. Movie segment : SCENE.

53. Dull finish : MATTE.

54. Egypt's __ High Dam : ASWAN. The newer Aswan High Dam is located a further 7.3 kilometres upriver from the Aswan Low Dam.

55. Vegas signs : NEONS.

56. Storage building : SHED.

57. "__ Only Just Begun": Carpenters hit : WE'VE. Song

58. Director Kazan : ELIA.

59. Actor Arkin : ALAN.

61. Chopped spread : PÂTÉ.

64. Fenway Park's Williams : TED. Boston Red Sox home park.

65. It usually ends in "ite" : ORE. i.e. Bauxite, Iron Pyrite.

Answer grid.

Argyle

Notes from C.C.:

1) Yesterday's "Record needles" clue for 42A (D.O.A.) in some papers are mysterious errors. Rich Norris (LA Times Crossword Editor) said his final clue was "1988 film noir remake". How the needles dropped into your local paper is still yet to be found.

2) Al solved my Firefox browser gray links problem. Thanks, Al!

Monday, July 19, 2010 Gareth Bain

Theme: Another Year Older - Four things (first word of the theme entries) associated with celebrating surviving another year and a unifier.

18A. Sure thing : CAKEWALK.

23A. Official political philosophy : PARTY LINE.

36A. Now, with "the" : PRESENT MOMENT.

52A. Deck marker, maybe : CARD SHARP.

58A. Event for the first parts of 18-, 23-, 36- and 52-Across : BIRTHDAY.

Argyle here.

CAKEWALK - Something easily accomplished. It appears the term started on the slave plantations as a dance. "Chalk-line dance" was the slaves mocking the formal galas thrown by their masters. Participants followed the chalk with exaggerated made-up dance steps. There may have been a cake as a prize but my feeling is that isn't really the phrase comes from. More likely, to me, is that it comes from "a chalk walk".

CARD SHARP vs card shark - We've had this word before and determined that both terms fill the same bill(a card cheat), they developed from separate sources.

Across:

1. Corrected, as text : EDITED.

7. Hunger symptom : PANG.

11. Taylor Swift received its 2009 Entertainer of the Yr. award : CMA. (Country Music Association)

14. Swiss convention city : GENEVA. The Geneva Conventions are international treaties that contain the most important rules limiting the barbarity of war(1949). Little bit of trickery in the cluing.

15. Emmy winner Falco : EDIE. from The Sopranos.

16. Stimpy's pal : REN. Premiered on Nickelodeon.

17. Won a game without knocking : GINNED. Help!

20. Slim fish : EEL.

21. Salary : WAGE.

22. Devil's work : EVIL.

26. Donald Duck, e.g. : DRAKE. A female duck (Daisy Duck) can be referred to as a Duck or a Hen. A shout-out to MJ's grandson & Crazyhorse's son, both named Drake.

27. Blackjack need : ACE. In the card game, also called "21", an ACE can count as "11" and all face cards are worth "10" as is the ten card. Together they total "21", a winner. In other combinations, the ACE can be counted as one point.

28. Mute assent : NOD.

29. Jeanne d'Arc, par exemple : SAINTE. French for saint.

31. __-purpose: serving two functions : DUAL.

33. Penalty caller : REF.

35. "__, humbug!" : BAH.

41. Energizer size : AAA. (Battery size)

42. 1988 film noir remake : D.O.A.. It starred Dennis Quad and Meg Ryan. (cover image)

43. Civil rights icon Parks : ROSA. In 1955, refused to give up her seat and move to the back of the bus.

45. Use Listerine, e.g. : GARGLE.

48. Nest egg initials : IRA.

50. Highland hat : TAM.

51. Skater Henie : SONJA. Olympic Champion (1928, 1932, 1936). Clear Aye's inspiration when she first learned skating. You are dearly missed, Clear Ayes!

55. Ye __ Shoppe : OLDE.

56. Site of Napoleon's exile : ELBA.

57. Give in to gravity : SAG.

60. Peace, in Arabic : SALAAM.

63. Night before : EVE.

64. Les États-__ : UNIS. French

65. Lubricating : OILING.

66. Tape deck button letters : REW. (rewind)

67. Red planet : MARS.

68. Mixes smoothly : BLENDS.

Down:.

1. Its yolk is used in mayonnaise : EGG.

2. Agnus __ : DEI. Latin term meaning Lamb of God.

3. Cochlea location : INNER EAR.

4. Church doctrine : TENET.

5. Author Waugh : EVELYN. Despite the name, this author was a man. (1903 - 1966)

6. Third-Sunday-in-June honoree : DAD.

7. Pie nut : PECAN.

8. Old saws : ADAGES. Sayings, truisms.

9. Reebok rival : NIKE.

10. "__ whiz!" : GEE.

11. Necktie : CRAVAT.

12. "I approve," Tarzan-style : "ME LIKE".

13. Often twisted body part : ANKLE.

19. Rocket scientist Von Braun : WERNHER.

21. Add lanes to : WIDEN.

23. Note taker's need : PAD.

24. "We'll tak __ o' kindness yet": Burns : A CUP. For auld lang syne.

25. French cosmetics giant : L'OREAL.

26. Circle meas. : DIAM..

30. On deck : ABOARD.

32. VIP's aircraft : LEAR JET.

34. Busy co. on Mother's Day : FTD. Flowers by Wire.

37. Galsworthy's "The Forsyte __" : SAGA. The Forsyte Saga is a series of three novels and two interludes published between 1906 and 1921. They chronicle the vicissitudes of the leading members of an upper-middle-class British family, only a few generations removed from their farmer ancestors. from Wikipedia.

38. Ballerina Shearer : MOIRA. Image, from the lead role in the 1948 film "The Red Shoes".

39. "Why does this keep happening to me?!" : "NOT AGAIN?!".

40. Winter Palace ruler : TSAR.

44. Load for a roadie : AMP.

45. Start using a successfully tested system : GO LIVE.

46. Composer __ Lloyd Webber : ANDREW.

47. Cream-filled treat : ECLAIR. "Uummmm, eclair!"

49. Lay into : ASSAIL.

51. Like a teetotaler : SOBER.

53. Deep chasm : ABYSS.

54. Oscar winner Berry : HALLE. Her birthday is next month.

56. Dame who's a man : EDNA. Comedian?

59. Sing with one's mouth shut : HUM.

60. Cry out loud : SOB.

61. "Then what?" : "AND?".

62. Classic Brit. sports cars : MGs. And avatar.

Answer grid.

Here is part IX of Kazie's Oz series. The final installment. Olio of nuggets. Noticed how high-priced those Pink Lady apples are? Solid reasoning from Kazie, don't you think? Thank you for showing us the beauty of Northern Territory and for allowing us to "vacation" with you again, Kazie!

Argyle