Tuesday, October 5, 2010 Jeff Chen

Theme: Portmanteau...not - Even though the unifier is a portmanteau, the four theme entries are two-word phrases in which the first word is Spanish while the second is English. The unifier is two words formed into one.

17A. Site for flashy couples dancing : SALSA CLUB

28A. Annual college football game in Arizona : FIESTA BOWL

38A. Spicy deep-fried stuffed appetizers : JALAPENO POPPERS. Hot!

45A. Nap period, in Latin America : SIESTA TIME. The last three all made their debut today.

62A. 2004 Adam Sandler movie, and a hint to the puzzle theme found in 17-, 28-, 38- and 45-Across : SPANGLISH . Starring Adam Sandler and our crossword stalwart Téa Leoni.

Argyle here.

Very smooth 76-worder. No obscure words or doubtful abbrs. In fact, very few abbrs. A noticeable hallmark of Jeff Chen, who seems to be focusing on earlier week puzzles now.

Quite a few nice multi-word entries. Nice clechoes (clue echoes) too.

Across:

1. Houlihan portrayer in 5-Across : SWIT. Major Margaret J. "Hot Lips" Houlihan portrayed by Loretta Swit on the TV sitcom. In the movie, the character was portrayed by Sally Kellerman.

5. Korean War sitcom : M*A*S*H

9. Reading aids : LAMPS. Part-time reading aids, when it's dark.

14. __ Major: Great Bear : URSA

15. Actress Hayworth : RITA. Always worth an image.

16. Native Alaskan : ALEUT

19. Confiscate : SEIZE

20. Popular swim briefs : SPEEDOs. Always worth an image.

21. Issue an embarrassing retraction : EAT CROW

23. Foul caller : REF

24. Group of street toughs : GANG

25. Competed in a race : RAN

34. Physics bit : ATOM

36. Ending for absorb : ENT. Absorbent.

37. Supreme Court justice Sotomayor : SONIA. The current session of the Supreme Court started Monday.

42. Crop up : ARISE

43. Indian bread : NAN. Or Naan.

44. Takes to court : SUES. Court clecho with 37A.

48. Paid athlete : PRO

49. Sign over a door : EXIT. And LEO (50. Sign before Virgo).

53. "Ain't happening!" : "NO SIREE!"

57. Emulates Jell-O : WIGGLES

61. Bar, in law : ESTOP

64. Bridal registry category : CHINA

65. Impulse : URGE

66. Poet Lazarus : EMMA. Emma Lazarus (1849 – 1887) was an American Jewish poet born in New York City. She is best known for "The New Colossus", a sonnet written in 1883; its lines appear on a bronze plaque in the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty in 1912.(Please refrain from political comments.)

67. Musical Carpenter : KAREN

68. Word with pressure or review : PEER

69. Gush : SPEW

Down:

1. Figure (out), in slang : SUSS

2. Conclude, with "up" : WRAP

3. Castaway's place : ISLE

4. Shocking weapon : TASER

5. Appliance brand that helps you wake up? : MR COFFEE. Do you all drink coffee in the morning?

6. Suffers : AILS

7. "The Simpsons" disco guy : STU. Worth a little image.

8. __ corpus : HABEAS. Uh...no image.

9. Like a desperate effort : LAST GASP

10. Actor Guinness : ALEC

11. Israel's Golda : MEIR

12. "The Godfather" author Mario : PUZO

13. Goulash, e.g. : STEW

18. Summer drink : ADE. Who really drinks it?

22. Tiny army member : ANT

24. "Start that job now!" : "GET ON IT!"

25. Indian nobles : RAJAs

26. Centipede video game creator : ATARI

27. "Cross my heart!" : "NO LIE!"

29. Lodge : INN

30. Hits on the noggin : BOPS

31. Outdo : ONE UP

32. Electrician, at times : WIRER

33. Steer catcher : LASSO

35. The "m" in E = mc² : MASS

39. Broadway flier : PETER PAN

40. Nonstick spray : PAM

41. "I just flew in, and boy are my arms tired!," e.g. : ONE LINER. "Take my wife -- please!" Henny Youngman was the king of the one-liners.

46. Tree feller : AXE. Later in the week, this might be a clue for lumberjack or an ent.

47. Snarls, as traffic : TIES UP

51. Scrambled fare : EGG

52. Makes eyes at : OGLES

53. Giraffe's trademark : NECK

54. Fed. workplace watchdog : OSHA

55. Cookbook verb : STIR

56. Actress Skye : IONE. Will an image help to remember her?

57. "Living" payment : WAGE

58. Hobble : LIMP

59. Salinger heroine : ESMÉ. From "For Esmé – with Love and Squalor".

60. "Pygmalion" playwright : SHAW

63. Season opener? : PRE

Answer grid.

Argyle

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