Monday, September 6, 2010 Lila Cherry

Theme: "Extra! Read All About It!" - The ending words of four non-newspaper phrases are what you might read in a paper, followed by the unifier.

18A. Watch or clock : TIMEPIECE

20A. Second floor of a home, say : UPPER STORY

33A. With 35-Across, real McCoy : GENUINE and 35A. See 33-Across : ARTICLE. If you're wondering where "real McCoy" came from, Wikipedia. The total word count for the two entries is 14 letters, not suitable for a central theme entry. Hence the break-up in the middle by a black block.

52. Where to begin adding numbers : ONES COLUMN. You remember, adding up numbers in the pre-calculator days

54. Daily publication where you'd read the ends of 18-, 20-, 33/35- and 52-Across : NEWSPAPER

Argyle here with a Lila "Really Rich" Cherry constructed Monday puzzle.

There are 20 three-letter entries and 18 four-letter entries. The two longest theme entries are only ten letters. There are also 24 6-letter or more non-theme fill, including four vertical 8s.

Not much to comment on. Hope you all have a pleasant Labor Day. Except for some rain in the upper mid-west, pretty nice weather nationwide.

Across:

1. Moved on all fours : CREPT

6. "Snow" veggie : PEA. Image.

9. Action film high point : CHASE

14. Break off completely : SEVER

15. Select, with "for" : OPT

16. Like Cheerios : OATEN

17. Open-mouthed : AGAPE

22. Your and my : OUR

23. John who played Basil Fawlty : CLEESE. A short clip, entitled "Panic Stations".

24. QVC competitor : HSN. QVC is an acronym for Quality, Value, Convenience. HSN is the Home Shopping Network. They are cable TV shopping channels engaged in 60A. Cybercommerce : E-TAIL

25. Town, informally : BURG. From Old High German burg, a fortified town

26. Animal fat : LARD

27. Keats or Yeats : POET. Appropriately rhymed.

29. Brighton buddy : MATEY. British alliteration.

30. Ear: Pref. : OTO

31. Ernie's Muppet pal : BERT

32. Amt. still owed : BAL

39. Got ready for a lap dog : SAT

40. Ink stain : BLOT

41. Accelerate, with "up" : REV

42. Gets nosy : PRIES

45. Bump off : DO IN

46. Arrived : CAME

47. Swedish soprano Jenny : LIND. “The Swedish Nightingale”, 1820–87.

48. Tyrannosaurus __ : REX.

49. Element used in dating rocks : CARBON

51. Actress Gardner : AVA

56. Microwave alerts : BEEPS

58. Speechify : ORATE

59. Perrier, to Pierre : EAU. French alliteration. Perrier is a brand of mineral water bottled in France.

61. Justin Timberlake's boy band : NSYNC

62. AAA suggestion : RTE

63. Aromatic compound : ESTER

Down:

1. Civil War org. : CSA. Confederate States of America.

2. Control, as temperature : REGULATE

3. Argentine leader played by Madonna : EVA PERON

4. Livened (up) : PEPPED

5. Ancestral diagrams : TREES

6. Pans partner : POTS. Triple alliteration.

7. Nickname : EPITHET

8. Maximally : AT MOST

9. Xerox : COPY

10. See 25-Down : HAI and 25. With 10-Down, "South Pacific" song : BALI

11. Enjoyed a diner : ATE OUT

12. Tie tightly : SECURE

13. Pizazz : ENERGY

19. Directional suffix : ERN

21. Regret one's sins : REPENT

23. Drain obstruction : CLOG

28. Calif. neighbor : ORE

29. Damon of "Good Will Hunting" : MATT

31. Skewed view : BIAS

32. "Bucking" horse : BRONCO

34. Secondhand : USED

35. Baba who stole from thieves : ALI

36. Dungeness delicacy : CRABMEAT. American alliteration. Dungeness, Washington, now called Old Town Dungeness, is where the first commercial harvesting of the Dungeness crab was done. Image. Don't look, Sallie!

37. Tart dessert : LEMON PIE

38. All square : EVEN

40. Costlier ballpark spot : BOX SEAT

42. Expect to happen : PLAN ON. Like you should PLAN ON a second mortgage if you want to buy BOX SEATS.

43. Funny Joan : RIVERS

44. Sort of : IN A WAY

45. Farther below the water's surface : DEEPER

46. Salad oil bottles : CRUETS

48. Cell "messenger," briefly : RNA

50. "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" playwright : ALBEE

52. Oil cartel acronym : OPEC

53. Nikki Sixx/Tommy Lee group Mötley __ : CRÜE

55. RR depot : STN. Railroad station.

57. 35mm camera type : SLR

Answer grid.

Argyle

Sunday September 5, 2010 John Lampkin

Theme: Funny Business - Familiar two-word phrases are humorously re-interpreted as if they are the workplaces for the corresponding occupations in the clues.

27A. Fishmonger's workplace? : SCHOOL BUILDING. School of fish.

41A. Justice of the peace's workplace? : HITCHING POST. This clue made me laugh.

65A. Cattleman's workplace? : STOCK MARKET. Windhover would love this answer.

89A. Matchmaker's workplace? : CHEMISTRY LAB. Awesome answer/clue, Annette!

104A. Dentist's workplace? : FILLING STATION. This one is for our Dr. G, who's a retired dentist.

15D. Racetrack owner's workplace? : OVAL OFFICE. Great workplace for Argyle/Dilbert/Tinbeni, all racing fans.

34D. Slapstick comedian's workplace? : CORN FIELD. Clue echo with PRATFALL (44A. Slapstick antic).

54D. Hard rock musician's workplace? : METAL SHOP. Crossing central hub answer STOCK MARKET, same as 34D.

70D. Ammunition supplier's workplace? : POWDER ROOM. What a drastic pun!

Very creative thinking, isn't it? I wonder if any race tracker owner actually does own an OVAL OFFICE to brag about. Several of John's theme answers made their first ever crossword appearances today.

A slight aberration from John's typical Sunday pangram puzzles. Two pairs of helper squares to facilitate a smoother fill in the middle part of the grid. Without them, we would not have the wonderful FILE NAME, subsequently SECOND HAND might be impossible. I love both of them very much.

The puzzle design resembles a bit of Rich's "Knock 'Em Dead" puzzle we had on August 15, with 9 theme entries, 4 of which are placed vertically. John's middle anchor STOCK MARKET intersects with two of the Downs, while there's no theme entry interaction at all in Rich's puzzle.

I've highlighted his characteristic clue echos in the write-up. Do feel free to add if I miss any. John is on vacation right now, so he might not respond to our comments.

Across:

1. Leg-pulls : JESTS. And PRANK (44D. Leg-pull). Quintessential John Lampkin style fun. clue.

6. Mean boss : OGRE. And DEVIL (10. Underworld boss?). Boss is related to Labor Day.

15. Chooses : OPTS

19. How some risks are taken, after "on" : A DARE

20. "I'd like to say something" : AHEM

21. Title singer of "You Must Love Me" : EVITA. Only know her "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina".

22. Full of oneself : VAIN

23. Beethoven's love : MUSIC

24. Grave : TOMB. And GHOUL (7. Grave robber).

25. Kids' snow creations : FORTS

26. Spell opener : ABRA. Opener to Abracadabra. This opener is for Jazzbumpa and all those who loves spells.

30. Ring tone activator : CALLER

32. Traffic tangle : SNARL. And JAMS (1D. Traffic tangles).

33. Strong-ox connector : AS AN. Strong as an ox.

34. Last to arrive at the station : CABOOSE. Here are some wonderful pictures and witty comments from John himself.

35. Ruler divisions: Abbr. : CMS. Centimeters. Then we have OLAF (40. Norwegian ruler) and TSAR (120. Old Russian ruler). Different rulers.

38. Letters from your parents? : DNA. Great clue, which works for RNA also, right, Al? Also EIEIO (51. Letters sung after various animal names).

39. Greenhouse gas : OZONE. And EIRE (61. Green land) & ST. PAT (97D. Green land patron, for short). Ireland.

48. First name in B-29 history : ENOLA. Enola Gay.

49. Bard's contraction : EEN. And OPE (39D. Reveal, to a bard).

50. Prince Valiant's son : ARN. Finally committed this word to my memory.

52. Hard drive title : FILE NAME. Debut entry.

55. Rice dish : PILAF

57. Bit for Fido, perhaps : SCRAP

58. Dept. store stock : MDSE (Merchandise)

59. It's south of Georgia : ARMENIA. The country Georgia. And VIRG (12D. It's N of North Carolina).

62. Bears : HAS

68. Twisting shape : ESS. And LIARS (46. Truth twisters).

69. Put __ on: limit : A CAP

71. Property claim resulting from a default : TAX LIEN. Needed crossing help.

72. Timber wolf : LOBO

75. Mill output? : RUMOR. Rumor mill.

77. Rimes of country : LEANN

78. Classic sitcom sidekick : ED NORTON. Always nice to see a full name.

82. Vermont tourist town, home to the Trapp Family Lodge : STOWE. It's named after whom, Lois?

83. One of Beethoven's nine: Abbr. : SYM (Symphony)

84. Denom. : REL. Religious denomination.

86. 1836 siege site : ALAMO

87. Big pain : HEADACHE. And SASH (3. It takes panes). Play on "It take pains".

93. Nymph who loved her own voice : ECHO. Plenty of clue echos in John's puzzle. He has a very imaginative mind.

94. Thigh muscles : QUADS

95. Spain's El __ : CID

96. Canyon pair? : ENS. Two letter Ns in canyon.

97. Begin : START-UP

100. One of two Monopoly squares: Abbr. : UTIL. And BOARD GAMES ( 73D. Monopoly and others). And AGORA (101D. Greek square). Also FETA (104. Greek cheese).

101. Danny of the NBA : AINGE. Nope. Don't follow NBA.

103. Drive to drink? : THIRST. "Drive" here is noun.

109. Baja buck : PESO

110. New, in Nicaragua : NUEVA. Alliteration.

112. Sticky substances : GOOS

113. Spiritual sustenance : MANNA. Food from heaven.

114. Folk singer Guthrie : ARLO

115. Adlai's running mate : ESTES (Kefauver). Have not seen his name for a long time.

116. Protagonist : HERO

117. Duck down : EIDER. Also ABATES (31D. Dies down) and HAIL (90. Come down hard?). Fantastic down tapestry.

118. Pour : TEEM

119. They're always advancing : YEARS. Awesome clue.

121. With a wink, perhaps : SLYLY

Down:

2. PTA concern : EDUC

4. Small chamber groups : TRIOS

5. Used : SECOND-HAND. Nice answer.

6. Healthful cereal choice : OAT BRAN. Eww, I can't stand bran product.

8. Do-fa links : REMI. Do Re Mi Fa.

9. Decorate with brilliant colors : EMBLAZON

10. Rebellious : DEFIANT

11. Four-time Australian Open champ Goolagong : EVONNE. First encounter with the lady.

13. Addams family cousin : ITT

14. Where "Madama Butterfly" premiered : LA SCALA. Easy guess.

16. Cubist Picasso : PABLO

17. Some swing seats : TIRES. Triple alliteration.

18. Drum kit item : SNARE

28. Legal scholar Guinier : LANI. Stumped me again. My brain just refuses to digest certain things.

29. Brit. mil. awards : DSOS. DSO = Distinguished Service Order.

35. Anthony Bourdain, for one : CHEF

36. 2004 iPod debut : MINI

37. Small-runway mil. craft : STOL (Short TakeOff and Land). Another mystery answer, Dudley.

42. Skelton's Kadiddlehopper : CLEM

43. "Golly" : GEE

45. Hawk's nest : AERIE

47. Horses' gaits : LOPES

50. Mem. of seven consecutive All-Star Game winning teams, 2003-2009 : AL'ER. National League won this year.

53. Admin. aide : ASST. Alliteration.

55. Image creators : PR MEN. Spin doctors.

56. Somalian supermodel : IMAN. Wife to David Bowie.

59. Analogous : AKIN

60. Oodles : A TON

62. Austere : HARSH

63. Extreme, as pain : ACUTE

64. Margaret Mead subject : SAMOA

66. Daisy whose buds may be used as a caper substitute : OXEYE. Unknown trivia to me.

67. No blabbermouth : CLAM

74. Airport south of Paris : ORLY. Hub before Charles de Gaulle Airport.

76. Hits back, say : REACTS

78. Yale Blue wearer : ELI. Have never heard of Yale Blue before.

79. Fishing souvenir? : TALE. Fun clue.

80. Land on its own gulf : OMAN. Gulf of Oman.

81. Heads, in slang : NOBS

84. Traffic stopper : RED LIGHT

85. Ambulance initials : EMS

88. Indian relish : CHUTNEY. Love mango chutney.

89. Old sailor's blade : CUTLASS. And SCISSOR (91. Cut with small blades).

92. Salon request : TINT

94. Tremble : QUIVER

98. "Done" : THERE

99. Shopping cart path : AISLE. And E-TAIL (102. Shopping with virtual carts).

105. Denials : NOES

106. Dr. Jones, familiarly : INDY. Indiana Jones?

107. Scott Turow memoir : ONE L

108. Quaint "not" : NARY

111. Employment : USE

Answer grid.

Our constructor John Lampkin writes:

A few months ago, Annette made a really sharp comment here about one of my puzzles. I immediately contacted her through her email link and invited her to be a beta tester for my upcoming puzzles. She has been phenomenal and always has solid suggestions for improvements to the clues. Also, I ran today’s theme idea by her at the early stage of construction and she came up with CHEMISTRY LAB Where matchmakers work? So a big heartfelt thank you to Annette, congratulations on her debut as constructor’s helper, and a big cheer for this blog!

C.C.