google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner

Advertisements

Sep 15, 2010

Wednesday September 15, 2010 Mike Peluso

Theme: ICED IN (48. Stranded at the ski lodge, perhaps, and a hint to this puzzle's hidden theme) - ICED is hidden in the middle of four two-word common phrases, each with the first word ending in ICE and the second beginning with D, as well as being the answer to the unifier.

16A. What b.i.d. means, in prescriptions: TWICE DAILY. It comes from our old friend Latin, BIS IN DIE.

26A. Some rear entrances: SERVICE DOORS. When I was a kid, I worked in a grocery store unloading the trucks through the back door.

44A. The first official one was November 11, 1919: ARMISTICE DAY. The end of World War I, which became a holiday in 1938 and was changed to VETERAN’S DAY to acknowledge those who served in later wars.

59A. Many are German shepherds: POLICE DOGS. I wonder if the GERMAN connection with the war was intentional.

Happy Hump Day all, Lemonade here.

I thought this was pretty difficult puzzle, from one of our regular constructors, MIKE PELUSO, who told C.C. in the interview, this letters in the middle theme, is his go to grid. I often would do the puns and anagrams from the London Times with my mother, and the third type of fill was recognizing words created by other words running together, so the theme was obvious, even before the reveal, but I found much of the fill hard.

Across:

1. "Mamma Mia!" group: ABBA. What do you all think of the movie?

5. Social rebuff: SNUB. For our Norwegian followers, this term is mid-14c., "to check, reprove, rebuke," from Old Norse, snubba "to curse, scold, reprove. Also 29D. Chief Valhalla god: ODIN.

9. Tunesmith Porter: COLE. How about a little FRED and GINGER doing one of his standards.

13. Hang-glide, say: SOAR. And 45D. Wax-winged flier of myth: ICARUS, along with dad DEADALUS. Glided too high.

14. RL and TL automaker: ACURA. I have a friend who will not drive anything else, but they seem just okay to me.

15. Top: APEX.

18. Masters champ between Fuzzy and Tom: SEVE. Fuzzy Zoeller won his only- Masters in 1979, Tom Watson won his second in 1981, leaving Seve Ballesteros to win his first of two in 1980; obscure if you do not love golf, but a great tournament.

19. ___ spill: OIL. Bad taste after the BP mess? With 34D. 19-Across holder: DRUM.

20. When Good Friday occurs: LENT. And what do our Catholics all give up?

21. Like citrus juices: ACIDIC.

23. Many a realty deal: RESALE.

25. North African port: ORAN. We just had this about two weeks ago, clued then as ALGERIAN SEAPORT, otherwise I would never have known.

32. Garage, perhaps: ADD ON.

35. Minuscule bits: IOTAS. And 64A. Seat of Allen County, Kansas: IOLA. This is actually a common clue in the NY Times, but I thought it was a tough cross with 50D. Brit's fireplace: INGLE, which I only have heard of from INGLENOOK.

36. Dover is its cap.: DEL. Delaware, cap. Is an abbr., so the ans. is one as well.

37. Feudal laborer: SERF.

38. "__ clear day ..." : ON A. YOU CAN SEE FOREVER .

39. Beatles girl who paid the dinner bill: RITA. A WAG, but it is their in the LYRICS .

40. __ de vie: brandy: EAU. Literally, the water of life. This fruity brandy is not aged in a wooden cask, so it remain CLEAR .

41. Singer K.T.: OSLIN. NO CLUE .

43. Eye or ear follower: CANDY. Ear Candy??? Huh?

47. Detective fond of aphorisms : CHAN. Who did you like better Warner Oland, or SIDNEY TOLER ?

52. Deep bow: SALAAM. Part of the Islamic RITUAL .

55. Wild party: BASH.

57. Transfer __ : RNA. Back once more.

58. Dubai leader: EMIR.

62. Pull-down item: MENU. No, not your pants.

63. Still-life subjects: EWERS. VASE , is this a Wednesday word?

65. Tees off: IRKS. Sadly, I do not play often enough, so teeing off does irk.

66. Like morning grass: DEWY.

67. Kadett automaker: OPEL. Also a somewhat obscure reference to an out of service car, but one that kept resurfacing IMAGE .

Down:

1. Fur giant: ASTOR. JOHN JACOB there is much written about this family; I enjoyed Gore Vidal’s books on the growth of America, from BIRR on.

2. Knife named for a frontiersman : BOWIE. One of the many brave men who died at the ALAMO.

3. Gets water out of: BAILS.

4. Softball pitch path: ARC.

5. CAT procedure: SCAN. CUTE .

6. Jour's opposite: NUIT. Our French Day and Night lesson; I always feel more french at night.

7. Link letters: URL.

8. San Francisco and environs: BAY AREA.

9. Vegas attraction: CASINO. There is so much more there TO DO .

10. Page with views: OP ED.

11. __ Johnston, former fiancé of Bristol Palin: LEVI; talk about trying to stretch his 15 minutes.

12. Corp. VIP: EXEC.

14. Like __ in the headlights: A DEER.

17. Sitcom with a coming-out episode: ELLEN, and she keeps on. Oprah is taking her audience to Australia, with John Travolta flying the plane.

22. Slimeballs: CADS.

24. Dating from: AS OF.

25. Pump figure: OCTANE.

27. Benny's instrument: VIOLIN; a great Humanitarian.

28. Greek column style: IONIC.

30. On Soc. Sec., maybe: RETD; again the abbreviation determines the answer.

31. Off, so to speak: SLAY. A new word and an old one.

32. On the briny: ASEA.

33. Letter starter: DEAR.

39. Martha of comedy: RAYE. SLAPSTICK QUEEN .

41. Workers' protection gp.: OSHA.

42. Ready to mail : STAMPED.

43. Stashed supply: CACHE.

46. Frisbees, e.g. : DISCS. We recently alluded to WFDF .

49. Slump: DROOP.

51. Like a cold sufferer's voice: NASAL; every time I blog, the puzzle hits home, and I have a cold today.

52. Weigh station rig: SEMI.

53. AKC part: Abbr.: AMER. Okay another abbreviation, enough already.

54. Sausage unit: LINK.

55. Lost, as a big lead: BLEW. Oh, oh, putting these two clues together is dangerous.

56. Open to breezes: AIRY.

60. Have obligations: OWE.

61. Giovanni's god: DIO. Equal time for our Italian speakers.

Answer grid.

Here are a few nice pictures Warren took with his iPhone during his recent trip to Hawaii. The bromeliad is so pretty and delicate.

Well another Wednesday in the books, I hope you enjoy this effort; I think it will take a bit longer than the last two days. Happy Birthday Megan!

Until next time, your humble servant

Lemonade714

Sep 14, 2010

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