Monday, October 4, 2010 Lila Cherry

Theme: Lunchbox Classic - The first parts of the theme entries form that basic lunch for kids.

17A. Sources of rowdy criticism: PEANUT GALLERIES

25A. Turkey brand: BUTTERBALL

38A. &: AND SIGN. Shorter than the two 8s and four 9s non-theme fill. Perfectly fine as it's placed right in the middle of the grid. Easily recognized as the theme entry.

49A. Colorful plastic footwear: JELLY SHOES

59A. Hawaii once comprised most of them: SANDWICH ISLANDS

Argyle here with our favorite editor, Lila Cherry, anagram of "Really Rich".

My comments will be brief due to the trouble with Cruciverb. Too bad, there were some good stuff in there, esp the non-theme long entries. As a well constructed Monday, most problems were solved by the perps.

OH yeah, a ton of alliterations. And clechos, too.

Across:

1. Self-confident to a fault : COCKY

6. Dealt with fallen leaves : RAKED. Timely.

11. Donkey : ASS

14. Sneeze sound : AHCOO

15. Vine-covered, as college walls : IVIED

16. ROTC school WSW of Washington, D.C. : VMI. Virginia Military Institute.

20. He-sheep : RAM

21. The Carpenters and Sonny & Cher : DUOs

22. Jazzy Fitzgerald : ELLA

23. Mother of Don Juan : INEZ. Not exactly a Monday word.

29. Turkey-carving machine : SLICER

31. Mine, in Metz : À MOI. Alliteration.

32. Recline, biblically : LIETH

33. Play your poker hand without drawing : STAND PAT

37. Commotion : ADO

41. Computer program suffix : EXE

42. 1997-2003 game show host who put up his own money for prizes : BEN STEIN. Nice full name. This guy.

44. How stop signs are painted : IN RED

46. ABA members : ATTs. Attorneys.

47. Oration : SPEECH

53. "Huh?" : "WHAT?"

55. Nike rival : AVIA. Latin for "fly".

56. Stumble : TRIP

58. Santa __ winds : ANA

64. Poem of praise : ODE

65. Game show host : EMCEE

66. Remus or Sam : UNCLE

67. Actor Beatty : NED

68. Cowpoke's pokers : SPURS

69. Beef source : STEER

Down:

1. Bay of Naples isle : CAPRI. Capri pants are named after this isle.

2. Aptly named California coastal city : OCEANSIDE. South of Camp Pendleton.

3. Lizard that can change colors : CHAMELEON. Lovely entry.

4. __-Tiki : KON

5. "__ be amazed" : YOU'D

6. Severity, in Soho : RIGOUR. That would be the English Soho, to indicate the English spelling.

7. Seagoing "Cease!" : "AVAST!"

8. About .62 mi. : KIL. Kilometer or, more common, Km.

9. Slithery fish : EEL

10. Pres. before JFK : DDE

11. Walled Spanish city : ÁVILA. Central Spain.

12. Use one's nose : SMELL

13. Rope-making fiber : SISAL

18. Boob __: TV : TUBE

19. Opener's next call, in bridge : REBID

24. Pimple : ZIT

26. Actor Jacques : TATI. ? Image. Not a Monday name.

27. Online zine : E-MAG

28. Country music's Milsap : RONNIE

30. Talkative : CHATTY

32. Experiment site : LAB

33. Nine-digit ID : SSN

34. "To sleep, __ to dream": Hamlet : PERCHANCE. Debut entry.

35. Chopping tool grip : AXE HANDLE. Quite a scrabbly grid.

36. CNN founder Turner : TED

39. Circus safety gear : NETS

40. Dinner plate : DISH. And SALAD (43. Dinner course). Dinner clecho. More food reference.

45. Original : NEW

47. Baseball's World __ : SERIES

48. Omega preceders : PSIs

49. Leader of the Argonauts : JASON. Jason and the Argonauts.

50. Deftly escape from : EVADE

51. Like many winter jackets : LINED

52. None of the above : OTHER

54. Stun gun : TASER

57. + : PLUS

60. All-Pro Patriots receiver Welker : WES

61. Pesky kid : IMP

62. Hosp. heart ward : CCU. Coronary Care Unit.

63. Aardvark's tidbit : ANT. Several relevant mentions in this cartoon, and some good jazz, too.

Answer grid.

Argyle

Sunday October 3, 2010 Arthur S. Verdesca

Theme: Argot - Ar got. Add R to a common English word and form a two-word new phrase where the same R-following letter string in the first word also starts the second word. Then contract the two.

23A. Width of a freeway exit? : RAMP 'AMPLITUDE. Did this tip you off the theme gimmick immediately?

25A. Collection of complaints? : RANT 'ANTHOLOGY

39A. Apartment party? : RENT 'ENTERTAINMENT

50A. "I slept about eight hours"? : REST 'ESTIMATE.

53A. Indifference to Dr. Dre? : RAP 'APATHY. I was wondering if Dr. Dre knows how famous he is in Xword world.

69A. Mai tai decoration? : RUM 'UMBRELLA

89A. Slam dunk component? : RIM 'IMPACT

92A. CBer's handle? : RIDE 'IDENTITY

99A. Like permissive dog owners? : ROVER 'OVERINDULGENT

121A. Lazy time for Huck Finn? : RAFT 'AFTERNOON

123A. Idiot driving a semi? : RIG 'IGNORAMUS

I don't quite get the title "Argot". Am I right in understanding the "ar got" gimmick? Argyle thinks so.

The title reminded me of Henry Hook's "Element 18" puzzle where letter Rs are deleted from all the answers. Element 18 is Argon ( R Gone) in periodic table.

I had a tough time getting into the constructor's mindset. The theme concept is quite unique. Also, no cheater square in the whole grid.

Not fond of the IN repeats in the grid, though I do understand the difficulty in avoiding the little duplications in a giant 21*21:

57A. Bamboozled : TAKEN IN

32D . __ town: recently arrived : NEW IN

74D. Entered : WENT IN

79D. Fill, as another's shoes : STEP INTO

101D. Up __: indignant : IN ARMS

Across:

1. Tot's call : MOMMY

6. LAX listings : ARRS

10. Cabbage with crinkly, curled leaves : SAVOY. It's Savoy Cabbage. Not savoy alone.

15. Knopf, e.g.: Abbr. : PUBL. Publication. Not a familiar abbr. to me.

19. Domingo solos : ARIAS

20. No, to Nureyev : NYET. Russian for "No". Alliteration.

21. Adler who outwitted Sherlock Holmes : IRENE. Drew a blank.

22. Capital on Upolu island : APIA. Samoan capital.

27. Ad writer's award : CLIO

28. Treacherous place : MINE FIELD. Treacherous indeed.

30. Flips : UPENDS

31. Potentially offensive, in a way : UN PC

33. TV chef Martin : YAN. Great personality.

34. Venerable one : ELDER

36. Movie buff's collectible : POSTER. See "Metropolis". Over half a million. Nuts.

45. Covert maritime org. : ONI (Office of Naval Intelligence)

46. Use a towel on : WIPE

48. Old pros : VETS

49. Bradley in uniform : OMAR

56. "O patria __": "Aida" aria : MIA. Literally "Oh, my dear country".

58. Deck out : DRESS

60. No more than : MERELY

62. Seine views : ILES

63. Navigable connection : STRAIT

65. In concert : AS ONE

67. Measure out : ALLOT

72. Scroogean look : SCOWL

76. Former jockey Smith who was married to Fred Astaire in the '80s : ROBYN. First encounter with this lady. She looks pretty.

78. Online exchange : EMAILS

80. Surveyor's measure : AREA

81. Writer Leonard : ELMORE. Have any of you read his "Get Shorty"?

84. Below, in verse : 'NEATH

86. Finished : AT AN END

88. Damone of song : VIC. What's his famous song?

94. Qatar bigwig : EMIR

96. Wine opener? : OENO. Prefix for "wine".

97. Listening to every word : RAPT

98. Completed : DID

105. Historic Honolulu palace : IOLANI. The palace where their last king lived. Had difficulty spelling the name. So many vowels.

107. Sri __ : LANKA

108. Latin word of affection : AMO. Te amo.

109. Author __ Morrow Lindbergh : ANNE

110. Andean beast : ALPACA

113. Removed with a chisel : GOUGED OUT

117. Generational disconnects : GAPS

125. Long sentence : LIFE. Prison sentence. Awesome clue.

126. Force : MIGHT

127. "Law & Order: SVU" actor : ICE-T

128. Oak-to-be : ACORN

129. Remnants : ORTS. Classic crosswordese.

130. Final word : SAY SO

131. Vat sediment : LEES

132. Kids : TYKES

Down:

1. French grape-skin brandy : MARC. No idea. Pomace brandy.

2. Hard exam : ORAL. Why is it hard?

3. "La Bohème" heroine : MIMI. Easy guess.

4. Plan : MAP OUT

5. Maker of the fragrance Opium : YSL. I am using Opium.

6. Silly bit : ANTIC

7. Record-setting miler Jim : RYUN. Nope. Another stranger.

8. Aptly named flight : RED-EYE

9. Edberg of tennis : STEFAN. Swedish.

10. Paddock parent : SIRE

11. Disappearing sea : ARAL. In Central Asia.

12. Family feud : VENDETTA. Great word.

13. N.Y. neighbor : ONT

14. Violinist Menuhin : YEHUDI. Well, one more foreign name to me.

15. Sicilian seaport : PALERMO. Capital of Sicily.

16. Soon after : UPON

17. Cowboys' city, familiarly : BIG D. Dallas.

18. Attacks, with "into" : LAYS

24. In the first place : IMPRIMIS. New word to me also.

26. In full bloom : OPEN

29. Mtge. payment part : INT

35. Make it : LAST

36. "The quality of mercy is not strained" speaker : PORTIA. The girl in "The Merchant of Venice".

37. Common soccer score : ONE ALL. Tied. One to One.

38. Ebert's longtime co-host : SISKEL (Gene)

39. On a pension: Abbr. : RET

40. Gabor and others : EVAS

41. Exercise units : REPS

42. Single-named supermodel : EMME. Always want EMMA.

43. Get the goods on : NAIL

44. Cafeteria staple : TRAY

47. Storage site : PANTRY

51. Pizarro's treasure : TESORO. No idea. It's Spanish for "treasure".

52. Party cheese : EDAM

53. Back off : RETREAT

54. Med. care provider : HMO

55. Hungers : YENS. I've got the yen for pickled herring.

59. Pick on : RIB

61. Eat one's words : RECANT

64. Clear out : RUN

65. Boxing biopic : ALI. Will Smith.

66. Lipton alternative : SALADA

68. Unit of pressure : TORR. Mystery answer. It's named after Italian physicist Torricelli, who invented barometer.

70. Hwy. mishap respondent : EMT

71. 1939 Garland co-star : LAHR (Bert). Cowardly Lion in "The Wizard of Oz".

73. Steam n' Mash maker : ORE-IDA

75. Bride of July '81 : LADY DI

77. "__ Mir Bist Du Schoen": 1937 hit : BEI. Can never remember the song. "To Me, You're Beautiful".

81. Sometime : EVER

82. Oscar night rental : LIMO

83. Twice DLII : MCIV. 1104.

84. TV alien's word : NANU. Nanu Nanu. From "Mork & Mindy'.

85. Green's sci. : ECOL

87. Composer Bruckner : ANTON. No idea. Sounds Russian.

90. Abbey resident : MONK

91. Teaching : PEDAGOGY. Perfect consonant & vowel arrangement.

93. First NYC subway : IRT

95. Tells : RELATES

100. Streak : RACE

102. Skit part : GAG

103. "Farm to Fork" author : EMERIL (Lagasse). "Bam!".

104. Curt refusal : NO DICE

106. What you will : LEGACY. Nice clue.

109. Pittypat and Polly : AUNTS. Who's Aunt Pittypat?

110. Alice's chronicler : ARLO. "Alice's Restaurant".

111. Cub's place : LAIR

112. Up-in-smoke sound : PFFT

114. Shows amazement : OOHS

115. "Do __ others ..." : UNTO

116. Architectural S-curve : OGEE

118. Crazily : AMOK

119. Unadulterated : PURE

120. Office IDs : SSNS

122. Long on screen : NIA. Nia Long. Gorgeous clue, with Long in the beginning.

124. Stinker : RAT

Answer grid.

C.C.