Thursday, March 24, 2011 Don Gagliardo and C.C. Burnikel

Theme, revealed in 55 Across: Decide once and for all, and what one can do to the ends of 17-, 22-, 36- and 47-Across: MAKE-OR-BREAK.

17A. Romantic evening components, perhaps: DINNER DATES. Ask someone out, break their heart.

22A. California Gold Rush staple: SOURDOUGH BREAD. Earn money, start eating a meal.

36A. Alien statutes: IMMIGRATION LAWS. Aliens, of course, meaning foreigners, rather than ETs from outer space. Make legislation, break a rule.

47A. Wurlitzer whirlers: JUKEBOX RECORDS. Make a musical recording, best a formerly unsurpassed accomplishment.

Hi all, Al here, with the honor of blogging a Thursday puzzle with a very well known co-author, at least well-known around this particular blogosphere anyway... I hope I don't have to spell it out for you all. There's a note at the end from said co-author which explains the structure of the theme better than I could.

ACROSS:.

1. Soaking spots: BATHS. The original meaning was to heat, not to immerse.  Bath, in Somerset England, was named because of its hot springs.

6. Mideast ruling family name: ASSAD. Syria.

11. Field call: CAW. Corn field, not sports.

14. Language that gives us "kayak": INUIT. Inupik Eskimo inuit "people," plural of inuk "man."

15. Abu __: DHABI. The richest city in the world.  Today's geography lesson. Fabulous architecture.

16. She played Beatrix in "Kill Bill": UMA. Thurman

19. Strain: TAX. To put a burden on...so the same meaning, really.

20. Reason-based faith: DEISM. A point of view that states a supreme being exists, but without interfering in human affairs, and without any organized religion.

21. Film in Cannes: CINE. French.

27. Watering hole: PUB. Where people gather and don't drink water, and 52A. 27-Across offerings: ALES.

28. 23-Down was one: Abbr.: SEN.ator with 23D. 2009 Peace Nobelist: OBAMA and also 49D. Homeland of 23-Down's father: KENYA.

29. "Able was __ ...": palindrome start: I ERE I saw Elba.

30. Try in court: HEAR.

32. Came around regarding: AGREED TO.

40. It can make a star shine: LEAD ROLE.

41. 4-Down titles: SRIS. An honorific prefix meaning "beauty" along with 4D. Gandhi, for one: HINDU.

42. Stadium take: GATE. Short for "gate money" collected from selling tickets.

43. Like sashimi: RAW. A sushi terminology and pronunciation guide.

46. Cause of star wars?: EGO. S.W. is not capitalized, so this does not refer to the movie nor Reagan's SDI.  Literally meaning in-fighting amongst actors because of their swollen sense of self-worth. Possibly clue-related to 2D. Darth, at one time: ANI. Anakin Skywalker from the Star Wars movies.

53. Plant moisture buildup: EDEMA. A swelling, not necessarily limited to plants.

54. Quaint stopover: INN. Old English "inne" inside, within.

61. Hens do it: LAY.

62. Novelist Jong: ERICA. Fear of Flying, which wasn't about flying.

63. Blue Cross competitor: AETNA. Originally sold fire insurance, thus the "Etna" name to invoke the image of a fiery volcano.

64. Yellow __: SEA. Bonus geography lesson.

65. He passed Lou in 2009 to become the Yankees' all-time hit leader: DEREK. Lou Gehrig, Derek Jeter, baseball. I sense C. C.'s influence here...

66. Pulitzer writer Kidder: TRACY. The Soul of a New Machine, about Data General Corporation designing a new machine under high pressure and an impossible schedule so that they could compete with Digital Equipment Corporation's VAX. Set in the 70's.

DOWN:

1. Certain eBay click: BID.

3. Large cask: TUN. Originally 256 gallons, and related to the ton weight measure.

5. Directs: STEERS.

6. Attaches to the house: ADDS ON.

7. SeaWorld performer: SHAMU.

8. Did nothing: SAT.

9. Symbol of honesty: ABE. A political rarity.  He didn't like the nickname, though.

10. Bad-mouth: DIS. Shortening of "disrespect".

11. Sweetie pie: CUTIE. For the ladies...

12. Whirlpool brand: AMANA. Once owned by Raytheon, the inventors of the microwave oven way back in 1947. Home use wasn't available until 20 years later.

13. Like some slippery floors: WAXED.

18. Sally in space: RIDE. The first woman in space. I always think of this song when I see her name.

21. Anglers' baskets: CREELS. And they say men don't like wicker.

22. "So I was wrong": SUE ME. I was just watching Guys and Dolls again for the umpteenth time tonight...

24. Leslie Caron title role: GIGI.

25. Sub: HERO. Hoagie, grinder, blimpie, po' boy, others.

26. British weapon designed in Czechoslovakia: BREN. A light machine gun. The name was derived from Brno, the Czechoslovak city where the Zb vz. 26 was originally designed, and Enfield, site of the British Royal Small Arms Factory.

27. Three-time Masters champ Mickelson: PHIL. Golf.

31. Ruffles features: RIDGES.

32. Had: ATE.

33. Challenged: DARED.

34. Campfire base: TWIGS. Or steel wool connected to a battery...

35. __ buco: OSSO. Italian for "Bone with a hole", veal with vegetables, and wine sauce.

37. Snatch: GRAB.

38. __-Rooter: ROTO. That's the name, you just flush your troubles down the drain.

39. "A Clockwork Orange" narrator: ALEX. The main character. Anthony Burgess, writer, Stanley Kubrick, director of the movie adaptation, who left the final "redeeming" chapter from the book out of the movie, because it didn't feel like it "fit" with the rest of the story.

43. New Jersey's state tree: RED OAK.

44. Top server: ACER.

45. Burrowing marsupial: WOMBAT. The wombat lives across the seas/Among the far Antipodes./He may exist on nuts and berries,/Or then again, on missionaries; /His distant habitat precludes/Conclusive knowledge of his moods,/But I would not engage the wombat/In any form of mortal combat. -- Ogden Nash

47. Puts in the can?: JAILS.

48. Radii neighbors: ULNAE. Both Latin plurals.

50. Volleyball great Gabrielle: REECE.

51. More elusive: RARER.

55. Dr.'s study: MED. Abbrevs in clue and answer.

56. Were now?: ARE. Present tense.

57. Cassis apéritif: KIR. Blackcurrant liqueur topped up with white wine.

58. Seventh Greek letter: ETA.

59. Mandela's org.: ANC. African National Congress.

60. Mary __ Ash, cosmetics company founder: KAY. Pink Cadillacs for the top sales people.

Answer Grid.

A note from C.C. about today's puzzle:

This puzzle was accepted last November. Don and I tried to engage MAKE & BREAK in a different context in each theme entry. We also felt it was necessary that certain ending words in the theme answers be plural to consistently apply MAKE  & BREAK. Gridding was a bit of challenge due to the theme phrase length  & the letter combination in JUKEBOX RECORDS. The wonderful clues for STAR ROLE & EGO are Rich's creation.

Don was very open to the idea of collaborating on puzzles. He feels that the process is inspirational for both sides, no matter the experience of either. It is fun to see the evolution of thought processes as they are explored through e-mail exchanges. I am very lucky to have him as a Lao Shi (teacher).

Al

Wednesday, March 23, 2011, Frank Virzi

Theme: Don't Touch That Dial! Each theme answer is a made-up two word phrase using the names of two television shows.

17A. Family line of bar makers? : SOAP DYNASTY

24A. Windfall of chicken pieces? : WINGS BONANZA

37A. Glasgow girl under a spell? : BEWITCHED LASSIE

47A. Frat guy with a spatula? : HOUSE FLIPPER

58A. Unwanted grass at the Cotton Bowl? : DALLAS WEEDS

These kinds of themes take some extra creativity, and must be pretty challenging to clue. I don't watch much tv, but knew of all these shows. Except for House and Weeds, all are older shows. Appears to be Frank Virzi's debut LA Times puzzle.

Melissa here, late work night, rushing this out with no links.

Across

1. Note for a soprano : HIGH C. The C two octaves above Middle C.

6. Puts away : JAILS

11. Jet or time follower : LAG

14. Heart chambers : ATRIA

15. __ vincit amor : OMNIA. Latin for "love conquers all."

16. Dander : IRE

19. "Wheel of Fortune" request : AN E. I'd like to buy a vowel.

20. Huge amount : TON

21. Malamute and mastiff : DOGS. So simple.

22. "The Road to Wealth" author : ORMAN. Suze.

27. Four-time Masters winner, familiarly : ARNIE. Arnold Palmer. Wikipedia says he was the first star of golf's television age, which began in the 1950s. He is part of "The Big Three" in golf along with Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player who are widely credited with popularizing and commercializing the sport around the world.

30. Cockamamie : INANE. I want to see cockamamie in a puzzle sometime.

31. Vichyssoise veggie : LEEK. Soup made with potatoes, leeks, cream and stock.

32. Lloyd or Paul of Cooperstown : WANER. Brothers who both played baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

34. Teachers College advanced deg. : Ed.D. Doctor of Education degree. Bill Cosby earned his from the University of Massachusetts. For his doctoral research, he wrote a dissertation entitled, "An Integration of the Visual Media Via 'Fat Albert And The Cosby Kids' Into the Elementary School Curriculum as a Teaching Aid and Vehicle to Achieve Increased Learning".

41. Pitches between innings? : ADS. Great clue.

42. Clod choppers : HOERS. Cute. You chop dirt clods with a hoe.

43. Source of Davy Crockett's cap : COON

44. City on the Aar : BERNE

46. Slugger Ramirez : MANNY

52. Angiogram image : AORTA

53. Like San Francisco's Coit Tower : DECO. Déjà vu.

54. Google Earth image : MAP

57. Popular ending? : IZE. Popularize. Alright then.

62. Celestial Seasonings product : TEA. I like Bengal Spice.

63. Hot coal : EMBER

64. Bunsen burner cousins : ETNAS

65. Terre Haute sch. : ISU

66. They may be French : DOORS. Kisses wouldn't fit.

67. Reservations : DOUBT. Nice misdirection.

Down

1. "... why __ thou forsaken me?": Matthew : HAST. Words uttered by Jesus Christ from the cross in the book of Matthew. Prophesied in Psalm 22.

2. "Am __ strict?" : I TOO. This seems odd, is it a phrase you hear often?

3. Nana : GRAN. Wanted Gram.

4. With it : HIP

5. Links assistant : CADDIE. Lots of them running around where i work.

6. Mah-__ : JONGG

7. Build up : AMASS

8. __ and outs: peculiarities : INS

9. Blotto : LIT. Slang for drunk. Slammed, smashed, plastered, hammered, sloshed. Just a little toasty is enough for me.

10. Michener novel set in Japan : SAYONARA. My favorite Michener is Centennial. How  about you?

11. "Michael Collins" star : LIAM NEESON. Never saw it.

12. Desilu co-founder : ARNAZ. Desi.

13. Davis of "A League of Their Own" : GEENA

18. "Who touches a hair of __ gray head ...": Whittier : YON. Seems a bit obscure to me, this is a line from the poem Barbara Frietchie, by John Greenleaf Whittier (1807-1892). About Frietchie, a Unionist during the Civil War.

23. Campaigned : RAN

24. Collaborative Web site : WIKI. A Hawaiian word for "fast."

25. Tight spots : BINDS

26. Turow work set at Harvard : ONE-L

27. Goya's "Duchess of __" : ALBA. A departure from the usual Jessica clue.

28. Pond plant : REED

29. Reuters, e.g. : NEWS BUREAU

32. Big shot : WHEEL

33. Cousin of atmo- : AER

35. "Runaround Sue" singer : DION

36. Say no to : DENY

38. Like some machinery nuts : THREADED

39. Part of NFC: Abbr. : CONF. National Football Conference.

40. Fight memento : SCAR

45. Me. hours : EST. Maine - Eastern Standard Time.

46. Sounded like a Siamese : MEOWED.

47. Greater Antilles nation : HAITI

48. Percolates : OOZES. Percolate - Filter gradually through a porous surface or substance.

49. Lazybones : IDLER

50. Orchard fruit : PEARS

51. IBM products : PC'S

54. Maître d's offering : MENU

55. Not much at all : A DAB. A dab'll do ya.

56. Soft "Hey!" : PSST. I'd recognize my mom's pssst from across the room.

59. Latin 101 verb : AMO

60. Wall St. action : LBO. Leveraged Buyout. The acquisition of another company using a significant amount of borrowed money (bonds or loans) to meet the cost of acquisition.

61. 1940s mil. venue : ETO

Answer grid.

Melissa