Monday, November 29, 2010 Jeff Chen

Theme: This & That - Two words that start with "R" connected by "and". The unifier is an abbreviated form of the other four so it isn't really a revealer, just a hint.

17A. Music genre that evolved in the '50s: ROCK AND ROLL

28A. How the wheels on the bus go: ROUND AND ROUND

39A. Time off, briefly, and this puzzle's theme: R AND R

47A. "Old" nickname for Zachary Taylor: ROUGH AND READY

63A. Complain hysterically: RANT AND RAVE

Argyle here.

After I did the comments, I realized there are a lot of names in this puzzle for a Monday, even though the theme was easy to get.

Across:

1. Toad feature : WART

5. Cravings : URGES

10. W.W. Jacobs short story "The Monkey's __" : PAW. No, not his father.

13. Etonic competitor : AVIA. No, it doesn't mean to fly.

14. Hollandaise and barbecue : SAUCES. Yes, it could include cranberry.

16. Genetic molecule: Abbr. : RNA. Molecule doesn't sound right.

19. "__ complicated" : IT'S. Probably the explanation to the above clue.

20. Evil smile : SNEER

21. Pac-10 hoops powerhouse : UCLA. University of California, Los Angeles.

22. Cambridge sch. : MIT. Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

23. Letter before kappa : IOTA. Greek. (Handy chart, if you care about these things.)

26. Tranquil : AT PEACE

32. Possess : OWN

33. Italian "a" : UNA. Feminine and singular number.

34. Tide creations : POOLS. Here is a photo of a large one at Carmel, CA. Pools often have their own little ecosphere.

37. Formally relinquish : CEDE

42. Winter fall : SNOW

43. Hägar the Horrible's dog : SNERT

45. Zippy start? : ZEE. The letter "Z".

46. Well-armed org. : NRA. National Rifle Association. (Rifles aren't considered "heaters", either.) (From a recent clue.)

52. Nonsense : BALONEY

54. The ten in "hang ten" : TOES. Standing on the front edge of a surf board.

55. Batter's stat : RBI. "Runs batted in".

56. Power co. product : ELEC.

58. Freeze, as a plane's wings : ICE UP

62. + molecule, e.g. : ION. + indicates a positive charge.

66. Work unit : ERG

67. Like the night in a classic Van Gogh work : STARRY. Clip(4:12), w/ slide show.

68. All done : OVER

69. Knox and McHenry: Abbr. : FTs. Forts.

70. "Do the Right Thing" actor Davis : OSSIE. A younger version(Image) of the couple. Ruby Dee & Ossie Davis were married 56 years when Ossie died in 2005.

71. Wimpy : WEAK. My kind of Wimpy. Image.

Down:

1. Serious conflicts : WARS

2. Cosmetic caller : AVON

3. Paddy grain : RICE

4. Adopt, as a puppy : TAKE IN

5. "Top Gun" org. : USN. United States Navy, Navy Fighter Weapons School (better known as "TOPGUN").

6. "Groovy!" : "RAD!". Only in crosswords!

7. Hindu religious instructor : GURU

8. Chevy Volt or Ford Fusion : ECOCAR

9. Do business with : SELL TO

10. Temperamental diva, e.g. : PRIMA DONNA. Remember this one(2:41).

11. Shenanigan : ANTIC

12. Trash : WASTE

15. First-rate, in Rugby : SLAP-UP. New to me.

Some great sleuthing by Clear Ayes: "About (15D) SLAP-UP: I "G'd" (15D) SLAP-UP as a rugby term and couldn't find anything other than Brit-slang "first-rate", usually referring to a meal. It took me a very non-Monday time to realize that the game is lower case and the clue must refer to a town named Rugby. Sure enough, the Warwickshire town in England is most famous as the place where the game was invented."

18. Yankee with 613 career homers, familiarly : A-ROD. "Alex" Rodriguez.

24. Bull: Pref. : TAUR. Such as TAURiform, shaped like a bull.

25. Oscar winner Paquin : ANNA. Canadian-born New Zealand actress. Paquin's first critically successful film was The Piano, for which she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1994 at the age of 11 – the second youngest winner in history. (Tatum O'Neal for "Paper Moon" (1973) age 10).

27. Nephew of Cain : ENOS

28. Big birds of lore : ROCs. A mythical giant bird.

29. Wilson of "Marley & Me" : OWEN

30. Subordinates : UNDERLINGS

31. "Who's the Boss?" star Tony : DANZA. 80's TV sitcom. Tony was in Taxi, also.

35. Manor master : LORD

36. Oscillate : SWAY

38. Sock ending : EROO. Sockeroo.

40. Car scar : DENT

41. Overhaul, as a Web site : REDO

44. Workers with an ear for music? : TUNERS

48. Italian ice cream : GELATO

49. "Laughing" critters : HYENAS

50. Longtime Nevada senator Harry : REID

51. Money for taxes and insurance may be held in it : ESCROW

52. Lawyer's filing : BRIEF

53. NASA "Stop!" : ABORT

57. NBA's Shaq and Yao, e.g. : CTRs. The big men who play the position of center on the National Basketball Association teams.

59. A gutter is often under it : EAVE. It's over your head.

60. Eye part containing the iris : UVEA

61. Exec's extra : PERK. Formed by by shortening and respelling of perquisite, an incidental payment, benefit, privilege, or advantage over and above regular income, salary, or wages.

64. "Taking Heat" memoirist Fleischer : ARI. Taking Heat: The President, the Press, and My Years in the White House. Cover. He is the former White House Press Secretary for U.S. President George W. Bush.

65. PBS science guy Bill : NYE

Answer grid.

Argyle

Sunday November 28, 2010 John Lampkin

Theme: Stuffed - The end letter(s) of each Thanksgiving Day food item is left out. You're too stuffed to eat the whole thing, a la Santa.

23A. Thursday meat : TURKEY WINGS AND DRUM STI(CKS)

35A. Thursday veggie : MASHED POTATOES WITH GRA(VY)

55A. Thursday condiment : HOMEMADE CRANBERRY SAUC(E)

77A. Thursday veggie : CANDIED YAMS WITH MARSHM(ALLOWS)

91A. Thursday dessert : PUMPKIN PECAN PIE A LA MOD(E)

111A. This weekend's fridge contents, probably, and what's missing from five long puzzle answers? : THANKSGIVING LEFTOVERS

Different number of letters are left out in each theme entry. I presume the rationale is just to get a perfect 21 in each entry? Or does CKS, VY, E, ALLOWS & E together anagram to something meaningful?

Very seldom do we see 6 grid spanners in a Sunday puzzle. Tough to pull it off. No to mention a pangram and no cheater. Low word/block count as well. Amazing.

The clue for TAIPEI (71D. Southeast Asian island metropolis) is incorrect. It's East Asian. China, Japan, North/South Korea, Mongolia, Taiwan/Hongkong/Macau all belong to East Asia.

As usual, I've green-highlighted John's signature clechoes.

Across:

1. Insect catchers : WEBS. Had NETS.

5. Something blown before a fight? : FUSE. And BURN (3D. Blow a 5-Across).

9. Seize by force : USURP

14. Monkees' jacket type : NEHRU. Always associated it with the Beatles. And TITLE (72. Jacket line). Book jacket.

19. Marine hue : AQUA. Dennis, I can see dark blue from Minnesota!

20. Exalt : LAUD

21. Long time follower? : NO SEE. Great clue.

22. Allium plant : ONION. Unaware of this fact.

27. Singing hindrance : TIN EAR. I just can't sing.

28. Net weight factors : TARES. And ENMESH (15D. Catch, as in a net)

29. Early Greek Cynic : DIOGENES. Not familiar with this dude. Maybe Argyle the Modern Cynic knows.

30. Sweeping matter : SOOT

32. Curse : OATH

34. __-relief : BAS

45. Bruins' sch. : UCLA

46. Lays eggs in water : SPAWNS

47. Jalisco hundred : CIEN. Spanish for "hundred".

48. Fleur de __: sea salt : SEL. Just "salt" in French. Poivre = Pepper.

49. They're raised at bars : SHOTS. Sure was not thinking of drinks. Also SAKE (4D. Sushi bar drink). Rice wine.

51. Connecting symbol between musical notes : TIE. And READ (62A. Decipher, as music)

52. Auto for Otto, maybe : AUDI. Nice sounding clue.

53. Arch opening? : MATRI. Opening of the word Matriarch.

60. Half an attention-getter : YOO. "Yoo -hoo".

61. Concur : AGREE

63. Everlasting, to the bard : ETERNE. Eternal.

64. Jenny's sound : BRAY. Jenny = She donkey.

65. Vise feature : JAW

66. Certain fed : NARC. Shouldn't "fed" be capitalized?

67. Secretary of state under Reagan : SHULTZ (George)

70. Try : STAB

74. Lyricist Gershwin : IRA. See also LIZA (103D. Gershwin title girl who can make "all the clouds ... roll away"). Had L in place, wanted LOLA.

81. Mountain spine : RIDGE

82. Postnatal bed : CRIB

83. AQI monitor : EPA

84. "... __ down in green pastures" : TO LIE. No idea. From Psalm 23.

85. Alias : AKA

86. __-garou: werewolf : LOUP. French for werewolf. Loup = Wolf. Lupus is Latin for wolf. Learning moment for me.

87. Flaws : FAULTS

90. "Death in Venice" author : MANN (Horace) (Correction: The author is Thomas Mann. Thanks, Dodo.)

96. Lip : RIM

97. Neil Diamond's "__ Said" : I AM I

98. King of rhyme : COLE. Old King Cole. Nursery rhyme.

99. Remain calm : STAY COOL

104. Succeed in : WIN AT

106. More's allegorical island : UTOPIA. Thomas More.

114. Azerbaijani neighbor : IRANI. Wow, what if the hard-to-spell Azerbaijani is the answer?

115. Gas that both protects and pollutes : OZONE

116. Hot rod rod : AXLE

117. Mounted on : ATOP

118. "Nowhere Man: The Final Days of John Lennon" author Robert : ROSE. Stranger to me.

119. Georgia gridders, familiarly : DAWGS. University of Georgia Bulldogs. Unknown to me.

120. Macho guy : STUD

121. Peephole feature, often : LENS

Down:

1. One with his name in lights? : WATT. James Watt I suppose.

2. Same: Pref. : EQUI

5. Trout fishing gear : FLY RODS

6. Detroit labor gp. : UAW

7. Fit perfectly : SUIT TO A TEE. Nailed it.

8. Flamboyant Dame : EDNA. Dame Edna.

9. Dethrones : UNSEATS

10. In order that : SO AS TO

11. JFK served in it : USN

12. Sly Foxx : REDD. Why "Sly"?

13. Foot at the head? : PEDI. Don't get the clue.

14. Chewy candy : NOUGAT

16. "__ Hers": 1994 Pulp album : HIS 'N". Another unfamiliar reference.

17. Learning style : ROTE

18. Colleges, Down Under : UNIs.

24. Lighten up : EASE

25. Pun, usually : GROANER

26. The American one is in the thrush family : ROBIN

31. Like an ant. : OPP (Opposite). Antonym.

33. Mother of Hector in the "Iliad" : HECUBA. Mother of Paris as well. I was stumped again.

35. Oozing schmaltz : MUSHY

36. Certain Dwarf's periodic outburst : ACHOO

37. NFL ref's aid : SLO-MO

38. Detest : HATE

39. Doubly : TWICE

40. Took up (with) : SIDED

41. Stream blocker : WEIR. River dam. New word to me. Only know golfer Mike Weir. He won Masters in 2003.

42. The sun, e.g. : G-STAR. Why isn't "sun" capitalized?

43. Show over : RERUN

44. Pulitzer winner Walker : ALICE

50. Smug sort : SMARTIE. Another new word. Reminded me of Smarty Jones.

52. Again : ANEW

53. "It's on me" : MY TREAT

54. "Be there in __" : A SEC

56. Riveted : AGAZE

57. Like Steven Wright's humor : DRY

58. Lawrence's men : ARABS. "Lawrence of Arabia".

59. King's domain : REALM

64. Sch. campus unit : BLDG

65. Doorway part : JAMB

66. Ultimate : NTH

67. Morsel : SCRAP

68. Narrowly defined verse : HAIKU

69. Allow to flow : UNDAM. A real word?

70. Waffle topper : SYRUP

72. Tilt skywards : TIP UP. Have never used this phrase before.

73. It's used for emphasis : ITALIC TEXT. True!

74. Faith of more than one billion : ISLAM. Don't really understand this religion.

75. African lumberer : RHINO

76. Alter, as an agreement : AMEND. OK, EMEND is "Alter, as a text".

78. Pest control brand : D-CON. Wanted RAID.

79. Making independent (from) : WEANING

80. "Arrivederci __" : ROMA

86. Stretches on the road : LIMOS. Nice clue.

87. Biblical hardships : FAMINES

88. Columbia Records jazz producer Macero : TEO. Is this guy very well-known?

89. Toasted : SALUTED

92. Hawthorne's "A" wearer : PRYNNE. In "The Scarlet Letter".

93. Begin to take effect : KICK IN

94. Cornfield chatter : CAWING

95. Mother of Apollo : LETO. Don't confuse her with "Mother of Helen" the swan lady LEDA.

99. Arouse : STIR

100. Via, old-style : THRO

101. Small batteries : AAAs

102. Prayer start : O GOD

105. Sadly : ALAS. Penned in BLUE. Grammatically wrong.

107. __ Office : OVAL

108. Ale brewer Slosberg : PETE. First encounter with this brewer.

109. Fe, in chemistry : IRON

110. Deadly slitherers : ASPS

112. Altar agreement : VOW

113. H1N1 virus, e.g. : FLU

Answer grid.

C.C.