Monday, January 3, 2011 Victor Barocas

Theme: Go Fetch - The dogs mentioned, by their color in the theme, love to fetch. I considered the connected answers as one for the purpose of the theme due to their mirrored placement.

17A. With 25-Across, WWI U.S. Army command nickname: "BLACK JACK" 25A. PERSHING

32A. Custard-filled pastry: CHOCOLATE ECLAIR

41A. Flip side of "Eleanor Rigby": YELLOW SUBMARINE

50A. With 64-Across, breed whose common colors begin 17-, 32- and 41-Across: LABRADOR 64A. RETRIEVER

Argyle here. A nice puzzle that a few times I had to stop over-thinking the clue and just put in the obvious, such as 15A.

I bet we will hear some dog stories today. Some like to collect the whole set.

I discovered this old clip you might find interesting. Very early use of a live figure in an animation. Clip.(3:14)

Across:

1. Nick and Nora Charles's dog : ASTA. Skippy (aka Asta) was a Wire-Haired Fox Terrier.

5. When repeated, island near Tahiti : BORA. Map.

9. Game with checks : CHESS

14. Disapproving fans' chorus : BOOs

15. Tied, as a game : EVEN

16. Line with many stops : LOCAL. Commuter trains.

19. Greek market : AGORA. That's Greek for market.

20. Overnight flight : REDEYE

21. Sad interjection : "ALAS!"

23. PC linking system : LAN. Local Area Network (LAN) is a computer network that connects computers and devices in a limited geographical area such as home, school, etc.

24. Haul to the shop : TOW. This guy will do it. Image.

27. Judge : ARBITER

31. Argentina aunt : TIA. Argentina's official language is Spanish.

38. Chop : HEW

39. Gift of the garrulous : GAB

40. Sch. WNW of Topeka : KSU. Kansas State University, but if you google KSU, you will find a lot of schools with those initials!

48. Three, in Asti : TRE. In Italia.

49. Most Chaplin films : SILENTS. Before the 'talkies'.

55. Chill in the air : NIP

56. Stat for Koufax : ERA. Baseball. Stat is short for statistic and ERA is short for Earned Run Average, an important stat for a pitcher.

57. Opposite of "yup" : "NOPE"

58. Rectangular : OBLONG. Well, I thought it was just for circles; a learning experience.

62. Solzhenitsyn subject : GULAG. Solzhenitsyn (1918–2008) was a Russian and Soviet novelist, dramatist, and historian. GULAG was the Soviet system of forced labor camps. GULAG is an acronym and we will leave it at that.

66. Extremely overweight : OBESE

67. First African-American selected for a U.S. Davis Cup team : ASHE

68. Trillion: Pref. : TERA

69. Indian wraps : SARIs

70. Attention to "pay" : HEED

71. Brings to a close : ENDS

Down:

1. This ans. is one : ABBR. Both are abbreviations.

2. Foot bottom : SOLE

3. Tadpole, grown up : TOAD

4. One leading a spartan lifestyle : ASCETIC

5. Decorate with gems : BEJEWEL

6. Eggs, biologically : OVA

7. Summary : RECAP

8. A bobby sock is often folded down to it : ANKLE

9. Like the most elegant old autos : CLASSIC

10. Monopolize : HOG

11. Dangerous bacteria : E. COLI. Some strains are very dangerous.

12. Plastic wrap brand : SARAN

13. Street language, often : SLANG

18. Environmental protocol city : KYOTO. In Japan. The Kyoto Protocol was formed by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC or FCCC), aimed at fighting global warming.

22. Commedia dell'__ : ARTE. The closest translation being "comedy of art", (shortened from commedia dell'arte all'improviso, or "comedy through the art of improvisation") and is a form of theatre that began in Italy in the year 1560, characterized by masked "types", the advent of the actress and improvised performances based on sketches or scenarios.

26. "2001" computer : HAL. From the sci-fi movie, "2001".

27. In need of a massage : ACHY

28. Syngman of Korea : RHEE. First president of South Korea.

29. Knock down some pins : BOWL

30. Joplin works : RAGS. Clip(2:46). Scott Joplin was dubbed the "King of Ragtime".

33. Sigma follower : TAU. 18 and 19 in the Greek alphabet.

34. Recedes to the sea : EBBS

35. Related : AKIN

36. "Winning __ everything" : ISN'T

37. Regrets : RUEs

42. P.O. box item : LTR.

43. Florida crops : ORANGEs

44. Shared wedding vow response : "WE DO". Curious; has anyone seen a ceremony where the couple did this?

45. Studied secondarily, with "in" : MINORED

46. Perp-to-cop story : ALIBI

47. Abundantly filled (with) : REPLETE

50. Kids' blocks : LEGOs

51. Curaçao neighbor : ARUBA. Off the north coast of South America.

52. Hay bundler : BALER. Mostly big round bales(700–900 lb) these days. Image.

53. Daytime TV mogul : OPRAH. She has started her own network now.

54. Pee Wee of the Dodgers : REESE, For the most part, the Brooklyn Dodgers.

59. Pizzeria fixture : OVEN

60. Teen comedy stereotype : NERD

61. Pâté de foie __ : GRAS. Formerly known as "Strasbourg pie" in English due to that city being a major producer.

63. "Just __ thought!" : AS I

65. Common article : THE

Answer grid.

Argyle

Sunday January 2, 2011 John Lampkin

Theme: E-Literature - Long E sound (in various spellings) is attached to the end of each well-known book.

23A. Specific item in a sleepwear collection? : TWELFTH NIGHT(IE). "Twelfth Night". Shakespeare.

47A. How a rock band's equipment damage was blamed? : ON THE ROAD(IE). "On the Road". Jack Kerouac.

68A. Amazonian oddsmaker? : THE JUNGLE BOOK(IE). "The Jungle Book". Kipling.

95A. Dressing room sprite? : VANITY FAIR(Y). "Vanity Fair". Thackeray.

120A. Fabric softener delivered overseas? : WATERSHIP DOWN(Y). "Watership Down", by Richard Adam. Neither the book nor the author is familiar to me.

17D. Goat's friend? : BILLY BUDD(Y). "Billy Budd". Herman Melville.

74D. Aboriginal Walkman? : NATIVE SON(Y). "Native Son". Richard Wright. Also an unknown book to me.

Very consistent theme. No Long E sound is added to the end of first/middle word.

Not a pangram, as Q is missing. Otherwise a typical John Lampkin puzzle: no cheater/helper squares; lots of fun clues & clechos (clue echos), which are highlighted in green color, as usual.

Also noticeable in this grid are the non-theme long answers. The two Down (STEAL A KISS & SINK OR SWIM) are particularly sparkling. They match in length to the other two 10 theme answers, which could cause theme confusion in certain grids. But not today, as John's theme is self-evident with all those question marked clues.

Across:

1. Risked : AT STAKE

8. Orderly type? : SISTER. Religious order. Nuns.

14. Take a __: attempt : STAB AT

20. Like the movie "Airplane!" : SATIRIC

21. Hardly religious : UNHOLY

22. Vacation choice : CRUISE

25. Bridal trails : AISLES. Nice clue.

26. Rat tail? : A TAT. Rat-a-tat.

27. Robert who played Roderigo in Welles's "Othello" : COOTE. First encounter with this actor. British actor.

28. Royal pain : HASSLE

30. Back muscle, for short : LAT

31. Jacob's first wife : LEAH. His second wife is Rachel, Leah's sister. Shout out to Chickie, Leah in real life.

33. City west of Mesa : TEMPE

35. Complicated : MESSY

37. Indy car's lack : REAR SEAT. Wow, I didn't know this.

40. Plated, in a way : ARMORED. New meaning of "plated" to me.

43. Kyoto ties : OBIs

46. Question : ASK. 19D. Set of questions : TEST. 96D. Uncomplicated type of question : YES OR NO

49. Logging channel : FLUME. And 51. Coal channel : CHUTE.

50. Retriever's retrieval : STICK

52. Store charge, often : TAX

53. Mil. base stores : PXes. PX = Post Exchange. Army posts.

54. More than just nodded : SAID HI

55. Pianist John : TESH. New Ager.

56. Jazz trumpeter's nickname : SATCH. Louis Armstrong? Thought it's Satchmo. And 60. Jazz trumpeter's nickname : DIZ. Dizzy Gillespie.

58. Fixed up : REDID

61. Per se : AS SUCH

63. Bite response : OUCH

66. Fax forerunner : TELETYPE

72. Niblick, nowadays : NINE IRON. Gimme. Watched so many old golf videos.

75. Stuttgart title : HERR. Was ignorant of the city Stuttgart.

76A. Writes John a letter? : ENDS IT. 107A. Intro for John? : DEAR. Nice to work one's name in clues.

80. Thurman of film : UMA

81. Ejects, as lava : SPEWS

83. Hairy herd : BISON. Alliteration.

86. Feast : DINE

87. Kathy of country : MATTEA. Not a fan of country music. Don't know her.

89. Pro __ : RATA

92. N.T. book attributed to Paul : EPH (Ephesians)

93. Second lady after Tipper : LYNNE (Cheney)

94. Certain hip-hop dancer : B GIRL. B stands for breakdance, correct?

98. Author Kesey : KEN

99. __ Trophy: biennial European golf event : SEVE. Might be tough for non-golf fans. Kind of like Ryder Cup, except it's between UK/Ireland & Europe. Named after Seve Ballesteros, genius at short game.

100. From head to foot : CAP-A-PIE. New word to me.

101. The "0" in "4 5 0," on a scoreboard : NO ERRORS. 4 is Runs, 5 is Hits. Also 64D. Indians, on scoreboards : CLE

103. Ruhr valley city : ESSEN

105. See 69-Down : PESCI. And JOE (69D With 105-Across, "GoodFellas" Oscar winner). Good movie.

108. Malaprop or Miniver : MRS

110. Turnover, e.g. : PASTRY

113. Hops-drying kilns : OASTS

115. Advanced teaching deg. : M.S.Ed. Stumper. Master of Science in Education.

118. Part of ASAP : SOON AS

123. Adopt the naturist philosophy : GO NUDE. Can't imagine doing so in public.

124. Consecrate, in a way : ANOINT

125. Architectural molding : CORNICE

126. Fashioned : STYLED

127. Dictators' underlings : STENOS

128. Paddle-wheel craft : STEAMER

Down:

1. Hammett canine : ASTA. "The Thin Man" dog. And 104D. Hammett hero : SPADE. Sam Spade. "The Maltese Falcon".

2. Believed, to Tweety : TAWT. "I tawt I taw a puddy tat!"

3. Smooch in the shadows : STEAL A KISS. Sweet clue/answer.

4. Aggressive pinballer : TILTER.

5. It might mean "I'm hungry!" : ARF

6. Hero's birthplace? : KITCHEN. Hero sandwich.

7. Narcissus snubbed her : ECHO

8. "The Nutcracker __" : SUITE

9. 1959-'60 heavyweight champ Johansson : INGEMAR. Swedish boxer. Alien to me. Looks who's on top!

10. Recital rebuke : SHH. And 36D. Recital highlights : SOLI. Solo plural.

11. Totally : TO THE MAX

12. "Grace Before Meat" essayist : ELIA (Charles Lamb)

13. Some bar shots : RYES. And 15. Shots : TRIES.

14. Climbed : SCALED

16. Mozart's birthplace, now: Abbr. : AUS

18. Boating on the briny : ASEA

24. "It couldn't be worse!" : NOT THAT

29. Barrie baddie : SMEE. In "Peter Pan".

32. "Dilbert" intern : ASOK. No idea. What a weird name, eddyB!

34. Phone on stage, e.g. : PROP

37. Dreads sporter : RASTA. Dreadlocks.

38. Richard's counterpart in the 1956 election : ESTES

39. Girl leader? : ATTA. Atta girl.

41. German border river : ODER. German/Polish border river.

42. Meet, as a challenge : RISE TO

44. Beatnik's "Got it" : I'M HIP

45. Wrest : SEIZE

48. Record holder? : EX-CON. Awesome clue.

49. Slide show effect : FADE IN

54. Smooth and soft : SILKEN

56. Hillary helper : SHERPA. Mountain guide. Edmund Hillary. The first guy to reach Mount Everest. His sherpa Tenzing Norgay is probably the most famous in the world.

57. Actor Grant : HUGH. I like him.

59. __ volente: God willing : DEO

62. Sculptor's tool : CHISEL

65. Ginseng, for one : HERB. And 109. Ginseng, for one : ROOT. Used to put a tiny bit in my soup.

67. Sexy sleepwear : TEDDY. This is tough to unbutton.

70. Open for Christmas : UNWRAP. And 111. Christmas classic opening : 'TWAS

71. Short : BRIEF

72. Ices, maybe : NUMBS

73. A scandal often ruins one : IMAGE

77. Success/failure metaphor : SINK OR SWIM. Just a great answer.

78. Central : INNER

79. Jeremy and friends, in "Zits" comics : TEENS

82. Yemen's capital : SANA

84. It's heard a lot in Los Angeles : SPANISH. And 88. Three, in 84-Down : TRES.

85. Buckeye State : OHIO

90. How a youngster might watch a parade, with "on" : TIPPY TOE. Vivid clue.

91. End in __ : A TIE

93. Apollo's instrument : LYRE

95. Movers with motors : VANS

97. "Great" feature of Jupiter : RED SPOT. Tell me about it, Husker Gary/Spitzboov/Bill G. Is it hot?

100. Quit : CEASED

102. Quimby in Beverly Cleary books : RAMONA. No idea.

106. Play groups : CASTS

108. Texter's output: Abbr. : MSGs

112. Wild harangue : RANT

114. Muscle twitches : TICS

116. Suffix with confer : ENCE. Conference.

117. Colorful worker? : DYER. Good clue for a common word.

119. Of no value, in Normandy : NUL. Like our "null"?

121. Hamburg article : EIN

122. Dr. of hip-hop : DRE. Dr. Dre.

Answer grid.

Inspired by a note from John Lampkin, Lemonade is compiling a list of his favorite LAT puzzles/clues for 2010. Hopefully we'll get it published next week.

C.C.