Tuesday, September 14, 2010 Dan Naddor

Theme: Take Your Medicine - Three phrases that end with a medicine delivery system followed by the provider of said systems.

18A. Historic cache for future millennia: TIME CAPSULE

25A. Investing largely in money markets, say: STAYING LIQUID

42A. Item for doodling or note-taking: WRITING TABLET

55A. Dispensers of the ends of 18-, 25- and 42-Across: PHARMACISTS

Argyle here.

Dan provided a test for a Tuesday. Interesting but not sparkling. We've been spoiled by Dan's heavy theme material. Three theme entries plus an unifier is pretty thin in his standard.

It's worth to note that the total word/square count are both quite low for an early week puzzle, and Dan gives us 16 entries of 6 letters or more non-theme fill.

Across:

1. Hydroelectric project : DAM

4. Makes improvements to : EMENDS. Although EMENDS and amends have similar meanings, EMENDS indicates improving text only.

10. California wine valley : NAPA

14. Ipanema's city : RIO. Ipanema is a neighborhood located in the southern region of the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

15. "Anything you want" : "NAME IT"

16. Petri dish gel : AGAR

17. Geological span : EON

20. Take turns : ALTERNATE

22. Name of two presidents : ADAMS. The first father and son Presidents, number two and number six.

23. Fuel for big rigs : DIESEL

24. Geological span : ERA

32. Money market fund, e.g. : ASSET. A clecho of 25A.

34. Follows a recipe : COOKS

35. ___ Championship: August golf tournament : PGA. Martin Kaymer won the US PGA Championship in a play-off after Bubba Watson and Dustin Johnson both suffered penalty strokes on the final hole, creating a three-way tie.

36. Jordanian queen dowager : NOOR. Such intrigue in her life! As a dowager(widow of a king), she remains royalty but isn't a ruler. Image.

37. Negative quality : MINUS

38. Beginning on : AS OF

39. Canal site : EAR

40. Ate sumptuously : DINED

41. Heads-up : ALERT

45. "Mighty" tree : OAK. "Mighty oaks from little acorns grow."

46. Power failure : OUTAGE

49. Really bad : AWFUL

52. "No way, José" : "NOT ON A BET!"

57. Lennon's widow : ONO

58. Emerald Isle : EIRE

59. Supplanter of the silent movie : TALKIE

60. Coffee holder : URN

61. Attracted a trooper, maybe : SPED

62. Mary Hartman portrayer Louise : LASSER. "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman", was a soap opera parody that aired in syndication from 1976 to 77. Produced by Norman Lear, the show's title was the eponymous character's name stated twice, because Lear and the writers believed that everything that was said on a soap opera was said twice. Promo clip, Lasser is the one in pig-tails.

63. Your, in Tours : TES. Tours, France

Down:

1. Live in fear of : DREAD

2. Garlicky sauce : AIOLI

3. Education pioneer Maria : MONTESSORI. A gimme for a lot of you.

4. Ask on bended knee : ENTREAT. Propose just didn't work.

5. For the most part : MAINLY

6. John's partner in "The Avengers" : EMMA. John Steed and Mrs. Emma Peel.

7. Nair competitor : NEET. Hair removers

8. Cubes that are rolled : DICE

9. Where many commuters wait: Abbr. : STA.

10. Tech-heavy stock exchange : NASDAQ

11. Contents of un lago : AGUA. A lake & water, in Spanish.

12. Arboreal Miami sight : PALM. Trees.

13. Greek god of war : ARES

19. Louvre location : PARIS. Louvre Museum, Paris, France.

21. Fragrant compound : ESTER

24. BPO __ : ELKS. The Benevolent & Protective Order of Elks.

26. Cupcake topper : ICING

27. Nine-piece combo : NONET

28. Mild Dutch cheese : GOUDA

29. Distraught over : UPSET ABOUT

30. Composer Stravinsky : IGOR. Tango for Piano.

31. Off one's rocker : DAFT

32. All over again : ANEW

33. Attract upward-looking onlookers : SOAR

37. Stole fur : MINK

38. Prince Valiant's wife : ALETA. From the comic strip; their son is Prince Arn. Note: While she is Queen of the Misty Isles, Valiant is only a prince.

40. Hitchcock's "__ for Murder" : DIAL "M"

41. Oldest driver to win the Indy 500 : AL UNSER. From the Unser family.

43. Went on the road : TOURED

44. Baby's footwear : BOOTIE

47. Country or folk : GENRE. Type of music or art, etc.

48. Preppy collars : ETONS

49. Mimics : APES

50. Lion tamer's handful : WHIP

51. Taxi rider or payment : FARE

52. March Madness org. : NCAA. College basketball.

53. Makes less squeaky, perhaps : OILS

54. Sounds of disapproval : TSKS

56. Part of NATO: Abbr. : ATL. North Atlantic Treaty Organization

Answer grid.

Argyle

Monday, September 13, 2010 Jeff Chen

Theme: B and B - Besides the obvious 53 Across, there are three other grid-spanning B and B's, plus the easy to miss but dead center, 35 Across.

17A. Consequences of a minor accident, perhaps : BUMPS AND BRUISES

22A. "The Greatest Show on Earth" promoters : BARNUM AND BAILEY

35A. Before long : BY AND BY

46A. Product improvement slogan : BIGGER AND BETTER

53A. Cozy inn whose abbreviation is a hint to this puzzle's theme : BED AND BREAKFAST

And the fill BBs (31. Air gun ammo) has to be intentional. FYI, total 14B's in the puzzle.

Argyle here.

Four grid spanners. Total 67 theme squares. Heavy themage. Good job, Jeff.

The theme gimmick is similar to Jeff's last C.C. puzzle where the initialism of the last theme entry is the hint to the other theme answers, but with an extra central answer this time.

Across:

1. Green gem : JADE

5. Runs easily : TROTS

10. Ruler marking : INCH

14. High spot : APEX

15. Baton-passing event : RELAY

16. Delhi dress : SARI

20. Less than 90 degrees, anglewise : ACUTE. If greater than 90 degrees but less than 180, the angle is obtuse.

21. Baseball card data : STATS

27. Totally dreadful : ABYSMAL. One B.

28. Place for cookies : JAR

29. Like EEE shoes : WIDE

30. Skin: Suff. : DERM. As in dermatology, the branch of medicine dealing with the skin and its diseases. Update: I gave a prefix, Kazie reminded me it called for a suffix. Same meaning but different word; à la pachyderm, someone (or something) with thick skin. It is used for animals such as an elephant or a hippopotamus

34. '50s political monogram : DDE. Dwight D. Eisenhower, our 34th President.

38. Span of history : ERA

39. "So's __ old man!" : YER

40. "¿Cómo __ usted?" : ESTÁ. It means "how are you" singular formal. I await confirmation.

41. Horse's stride : GAIT

42. Adjust to the desired wake-up time, as an alarm : SET

43. Gently slips past : EASES BY. One B. Regrettable duplication of BY with 35A BY.

51. Be __ model: exemplify grace in success : A ROLE

52. Hideous sorts : OGRES

59. Grandson of Adam : ENOS

60. Celtic priest of old : DRUID

61. Basis of an invention : IDEA

62. Tennis do-overs : LETS

63. 1,000 kilograms : TONNE. Metric ton, 2204.6 pounds.

64. Word with ghost or boom : TOWN

Down:

1. Sharp punch : JAB. One B.

2. "The Simpsons" storekeeper : APU. We will never see his full name, Apu Nahasapeemapetilon.

3. FDR or JFK, politically : DEM. Democrats, both.

4. Wide-open space : EXPANSE

5. Emotional shock : TRAUMA

6. Hertz auto, e.g. : RENTAL

7. Of days gone by : OLDEN

8. Bar bill : TAB. One B, but double B alliteration.

9. Damascus' land: Abbr. : SYR. Damascus is the capital of Syria.

10. "Lord, __?": Last Supper question : "IS IT I?"

11. __ decongestant : NASAL

12. Greek island where Minos ruled : CRETE. Minos was the mythical king of Crete. The island is not mythical.

13. __ fit: tantrum : HISSY

18. Pond gunk : SCUM

19. G.I.'s group : US ARMY

22. Off-color : BAWDY. One B.

23. Tolerate : ABIDE. One B.

24. Winona of "Edward Scissorhands" : RYDER. Her straps are twisted. I would volunteer to straighten them for her.

25. Spun CDs at a party : DJ'ED

26. Caustic remark : BARB. Two B's

30. Crime lab evidence, briefly : DNA

31. Beauty's beloved : BEAST. One B, but triple B alliteration.

32. Payola, e.g. : BRIBE. Two B's

33. Mythical man-goat : SATYR

35. Get noticed : BE SEEN. One B.

36. River of Flanders : YSER

37. Lead-in to girl or boy : ATTA. Tried "It's a" first

41. Tones one's body : GETS FIT

43. Enter stealthily : EDGE IN

44. Use emery on : ABRADE. One B.

45. Hide's partner : SEEK

46. Genesis tower locale : BABEL. Two B's.

47. Dancer Castle : IRENE. She was the wife half of Vernon and Irene Castle, a team of ballroom dancers of the early 20th century.

48. No-show in a Beckett play : GODOT. Waiting for Godot is an absurdist play by Samuel Beckett, in which two characters, Vladimir and Estragon, wait for someone named Godot.

49. Half-full or half-empty item : GLASS

50. Smudge-proof, like mascara : NO RUN

54. Banned bug spray : DDT

55. Certain sib : BRO. One B.

56. Commotion : ADO

57. Use a Singer : SEW

58. Beachgoer's shade : TAN. Tricky clue.

Answer grid.

Argyle