Tuesday, March 22, 2011 Kurt Mengel and Jan-Michele Gianette

Theme: Before and After - Just like on Wheel of Fortune or Jeopardy!, with the extra wrinkle that the first phrase leads into a state. If you haven't seen either of these TV game shows, the end of the first word or phrase becomes the start of the second word or phrase. The two words or phrases are unrelated otherwise.

17A. Having a sense of the Prairie State? : FEELING ILLINOIS (feeling ill)

27A. Webster's impression of the Natural State? : NOAH'S ARKANSAS (Noah's ark)

44A. Watch the Evergreen State? : EYE WASHINGTON (eye wash)

59A. Close to the Magnolia State? : NEAR MISSISSIPPI (near miss)

Argyle here. Now this is more like it. Two grid spanners and two near grid spanners. Cute theme. Two long perps crossing three of the themes each.

Across:

1. Crick in the neck, e.g. : SPASM

6. Exec's "I want it now!" : ASAP

10. Sci. class : BIOL. Biology.

14. Foil maker : ALCOA. Did they ever make an épée, I wonder?

15. The Big Easy, briefly : NOLA. New Orleans, Louisiana. Also, one of Chef Emeril Lagasse’s New Orleans restaurants. Associated with 47D. Mardi __ : GRAS

16. Golden rule word : UNTO

20. Retreats : EBBS. If you thought, 'noun', you might have put down 'spas'.

21. Pub quaffs : ALES

22. Between then and now : SINCE

23. "V for Vendetta" actor Stephen : REA. He portrayed Fergus in The Crying Game.

24. Mil. morale booster : USO. United Service Organization.

25. Scandinavian capital : OSLO. The capital and largest city in Norway.

33. '50s song, e.g. : OLDIE

35. Fr. holy women : STEs.

36. Not con : PRO

37. Soccer score : GOAL

38. En __: all together : MASSE

40. Like the Reaper : GRIM. Reaper is capitalized to indicate it is the black-cloaked, scythe-wielding personification of death and not one of these reapers.

41. Breakfast food : EGG

42. __ rug: dance : CUT A

43. Skip over : ELIDE

48. One-named Deco designer : ERTE

49. Mine output : ORE

50. Verizon forerunner : GTE

53. Test during pregnancy, briefly : AMNIO. Amniocentesis can give doctors essential information about the health of the fetus.

56. Start of a birth announcement : IT'S A. Hopefully, it's a healthy....

58. Potting soil : LOAM

62. Have to have : NEED

63. Sooner State tribe : OTOE

64. Staggering : AREEL

65. Estimate words : OR SO

66. Political org. until 1991 : USSR

67. Things to solve for, in some equations : X AND Y

Down:

1. Not so dangerous : SAFER

2. West Point rookie : PLEBE. Short for plebeian; I never realized that.

3. Injury treatment brand : ACE BANDAGE

4. Beethoven's fifths? : SOLs. The syllable used for the fifth tone of a diatonic scale.

5. Spring month in Paris : MAI. Our May, when I hope our snow is gone!

6. Latino's white American buddies : ANGLOs

7. Sorbonne silk : SOIE. The French word for silk.

8. What it takes, in an inclusive idiom : ALL SORTS. I tried to fit in "ALL'S FAIR".

9. Buddy : PAL

10. Toe inflammation : BUNION

11. Aware of : IN ON. ON TO is the more common answer for this clue.

12. Suffix with narc : OTIC. Narcotic.

13. Misplace : LOSE

18. Poet Ogden : NASH

19. __ Canarias : ISLAS. Canary Islands.

24. Its cap. is Abu Dhabi : UAE

26. __-Ball: arcade game : SKEE. Image.

28. Olive or peanut product : OIL

29. Very, in music : ASSAI. Italian.

30. Emulate a jack-in-the-box : SPRING OPEN

31. Saharan : ARID

32. Vague number : SOME

33. Architect's S-curve : OGEE

34. Feeling sluggish : LOGY

38. Has to : MUST

39. Nonbelievers : ATHEISTS

40. Mop & __: floor cleaner : GLO

42. Pool shot : CAROM

43. Lyon summer : ETE

45. Nut : WEIRDO

46. More snoopy : NOSIER

51. Recorded, in a way : TAPED

52. Most popular baby girl's name, 1996-2007 : EMILY

53. A.D. part : ANNO

54. The Mediterranean, to Hans : MEER. German for "sea". Here we start a little run of foreign words.

55. Scot's turndowns : NAEs

57. General __ chicken : TSOs

58. Old Italian dough : LIRA. Currency.

60. Debt acknowledgment : IOU

61. Clinton played one : SAX. Please hold any political comments.

Answer grid.

Argyle

Monday, March 21, 2011 David Levinson Wilk

Theme: NMI - Just the first and last, No Middle Initial, is used to link our theme men; each is an R. O. Man.

17A. *"Barry Lyndon" star : RYAN O'NEAL

59A. *Lead singer of The Cars : RIC OCASEK

10. *"Oh, Pretty Woman" singer : ROY ORBISON

30. *Henry Ford contemporary : RANSOM OLDS

40. Caesar, e.g. (or each of the answers to the starred clues?) : ROMAN

Argyle here. Mundane Monday. Many partials. If all four men were in the same field or all were in different fields, it would have been better. Also, entirely too many names.

Across:

1. King, queen or jack : CARD

5. URL starter : HTTP. I've posted before what words the letters stand for, but still have know idea what they really mean.

9. Van Gogh setting : ARLES. The visitor's center in Arles provides a walking tour map of ten reproductions on easels depicting actual places throughout Arles.

14. Alan of "M*A*S*H" : ALDA

15. Davenport's state : IOWA

16. Dracula's title : COUNT

19. Singer Lauper : CYNDI

20. Against : ANTI

21. Used to reach a high shelf : STOOD ON. Clue/answer doesn't feel right.

23. Sodom escapee : LOT. He didn't look back.

26. Armored vehicle : TANK

28. Being off target : ERRING

29. Genesis mountain : ARARAT. Another Biblical reference.

31. Brandy's music genre, briefly : R AND B. Perhaps all the girl singers are to offset the four man theme.

33. Under-the-chin helmet securer : STRAP

34. Saintly circle : HALO

35. Types : ILKS

39. Suffix with tele- : THON

41. It may be reserved : SEAT

42. Heavy drinkers : SOTS

43. Functions : USES

44. Second longest African river : CONGO

45. Deed holder : OWNER

47. Sea between Greece and Italy : IONIAN

48. Start of Juliet's balcony plea : "O ROMEO". Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?

51. Male heirs : SONS

53. Opposite of SSW : NNE

54. Virgin Mary : MADONNA

56. Poet Silverstein : SHEL

58. Like the Leaning Tower : ATILT

64. Mazda rival : HONDA

65. Apple computer since 1998 : iMAC

66. Fairy tale beginning : ONCE

67. Dread : ANGST

68. Turkey meat choice : DARK

69. Fake coin : SLUG

Down

1. Elevator compartment : CAR

2. One of the Khans : ALY. A socialite, racehorse owner and jockey, he was the third husband of actress Rita Hayworth. He was passed over for succession as Aga Khan but served as Pakistan's representative to the United Nations.

3. Nutritional no. : RDA. Recommended Dietary Allowance.

4. "The X-Files" agent Scully : DANA. Partnered with fellow Special Agent Fox Mulder.

5. Suggest : HINT AT

6. Wheel alignment service : TOE IN

7. First coml. airline to show in-flight movies : TWA

8. Friends : PALS

9. Harmony : ACCORD

11. Day before mardi : LUNDI. (Monday) Lundi Gras is a relatively recently popularized name for a series of Shrove Monday events taking place during the New Orleans Mardi Gras.

12. __ a happy note : END ON

13. Attack, bee-style : STING

18. Ready to serve, as beer : ON TAP

22. Mortise insert : TENON. Image.

23. Doesn't fade : LASTS

24. Big name in garden care : ORTHO

25. Medium's card : TAROT

27. Adversaries in a Hoffman/Streep film : KRAMERS. Kramer vs. Kramer (1979).

32. "Woe is me!" : "ALAS"

34. Siphoning aid : HOSE

36. Russian Revolution leader : LENIN

37. Elena of the Supreme Court : KAGAN

38. Weapon for David : STONE

40. Sentence that should be two sentences : RUN-ON

44. Trig function : COSEC

46. Charged angrily : WENT AT

47. Like pawned items : IN HOCK

48. Nebraska city : OMAHA

49. Boca __ : RATON

50. Taking too much : ODing

52. Sesame Street grouch : OSCAR

55. Parched : ARID

57. Thailand neighbor : LAOS

60. Britney Spears's "__ Slave 4 U" : I'M A

61. NBC weekend revue : SNL

62. Old French coin : ECU

63. Oktoberfest need : KEG

Answer grid.

Congratulations to Dan Feyer, who won ACPT again this year.

Argyle