Thursday, March 31, 2011, Steve Salitan

Theme: Take me out to the Ball Game, revealed in 62 Across: Its season starts today; its equipment starts the starred answers: BASEBALL.

1A. *One way to reach a superhero: BAT PHONE. I've been reliving my childhood lately, a newer cable channel called the HUB is re-running the old Batman TV series.

23A. *2008 Republican hopeful: MITT ROMNEY. I hope I don't catch (see what I did there) any flack for saying this; I'm uncomfortable now whenever a political clue comes along... It has been said that the biggest hurdle in his bid was that he is a Mormon: Both politics and religion controversy all rolled up in one single clue.

34A. *Roll-fed toy: CAP PISTOL. Speaking of childhood, anyone else remember hitting a whole roll of caps at a time with a hammer?

46A. *Musical about rock's 4 Seasons: JERSEY BOYS. Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.

Hi all, Al here. I kind of rushed through this one today, and didn't even need to read all the clues; sorry about the brevity. The perps filled a lot of the answers in for me and I found myself going back to the grid thinking "where was that?" quite a bit. There were a few nice tricky clues, but to me, the thing that seemed to stand out most was the number of two-word answers.

ACROSS:

9. Blind slat: LOUVER.

15. Concurred about: AGREED ON.

16. Lower, for now: ON SALE. There was gonna be one there. We was gonna buy one anyway, so aren't you glad I got it . . .

17. Ogled: LEERED AT.

18. Skinned: PEELED.

19. One of two O.T. books: SAML. Clue and ans. both abbrs. 1 and 2 Samuel are part of the Hebrew Bible. The Book(s) of Samuel originally was a single text.

20. When Donne is done for the day?: EEN. Poetic evening.

21. Genesis outcast: EVE. Because Peter Gabriel wouldn't fit.

22. Go by: PASS.

27. Focus of some trips: EGO. Last week's star wars clue.

28. Justice Sotomayor: SONIA. First Hispanic justice on the Supreme Court, serving since August 2009.

29. Unsatisfactory marks?: ACNE. Wanted to fill with DEES or EFFS.

30. Explain: CONSTRUE. I always construed construe to mean "understand". Guess I was always wrong...

32. Fiona, after Shrek's kiss: OGRESS. Before that, too, but only at night.

36. Fertilizer component: POTASH. Along with Nitrogen (first) and Phosphorus (second), potassium is the third number you see on a commercial bag.

39. "I can't explain it": NO REASON. Often the answer to: "Why'd you do that?

43. Imitated: APED.

44. Old 51-Across devices: ETNAS. Burners, along with 51A. Trial site, perhaps: LAB.

45. "The Simpsons" shopkeeper: APU.

49. Benjamin et al.: Abbr.: PVTS. Goldie Hawn movie, Private Benjamin.

50. Give pieces to: ARM. Gats, rods, heaters.

52. Jai __: ALAI. Basket = cesta. Ball = pelota, which travels at speeds up to 250 feet per second (170 MPH). Ouch. And I used to think it hurt to get hit with a racquetball.

53. "The Executioner's Song" Pulitzer winner: MAILER. Norman. The events surrounding the execution of Gary Gilmore by the state of Utah for murder.

55. Burlesque act: FAN DANCE.

59. Show up: ATTEND.

60. Some feelers: ANTENNAE.

61. Viewed to be: SEEN AS.

DOWN:

1. __ masqué: dance with costumes: BAL. A masquerade ball.

2. A good while back: AGES AGO.

3. Crime of betrayal: TREASON.

4. Stylish waves: PERMS.

5. Cad: HEEL. Cad is a shortening of cadet originally used of servants, then of town boys by students at British universities and public schools (though at Cambridge it meant "snob"). Meaning "person lacking in finer feelings". A heel is a "contemptible person," in U.S. underworld slang, originally "incompetent or worthless criminal," probably from a sense of "person in the lowest position."

6. "How peculiar": ODD.

7. Tishby of "The Island": NOA. Cute, but never heard of her...

8. Head M.D.?: ENT. Otolaryngology or ENT is the branch of medicine and surgery that specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of ear, nose, throat, and head and neck disorders. Practitioners are called otolaryngologists–head and neck surgeons, or sometimes otorhinolaryngologists (ORL).

9. Horse warming up, say: LOPER. I misread this clue as house instead of horse.

10. Bridge opener, briefly: ONE NO. Trump.

11. Take for a chump: USE.

12. Chemical bonding number: VALENCE. The numeric portion of the charge of an ion whether it is positive or negative.

13. Winning numbers: ELEVENS. Craps. (Thanks, melissa)

14. Flights that often span two days: RED EYES. Late night plane trips. Another misread, I kept seeing "fights" instead of flights.

20. LAX posting: ETA.

22. Chest ripple: PEC.torals. Trying to be fair, for the ladies.

23. Transform eerily, in sci-fi: MORPH. A smooth transition from one shape or face to another, SFX trickery.

24. __ to one's neck: IN UP.

25. Link with: TIE INTO.

26. Donald's second ex: MARLA. Trump, Maples. Not bad for 46...

28. Coming and going spots: Abbr.: STAS. Stations. Always have to wait for perps to see if the third letter will be A or N.

31. Carloads: SCADS.

32. Others, in Oaxaca: OTRAS. Spanish.

33. Proceeds: GOES.

35. Sharp competitor: SONY.

36. Hefner garb: PAJAMAS.

37. Work: OPERATE.

38. Unhappy home inspection find: TERMITE.

40. African plain: SAVANNA.

41. Like some film effects: OPTICAL.

42. Sorority letters: NUS. 13th letter of the Greek alphabet. We are the knights who say "ni" (as in onion).

44. Flow back: EBB.

47. "The Vampire Diaries" heroine Gilbert: ELENA. On the CW network, which I apparently don't watch much of... Another unknown to me.

48. Play places: YARDS. Wanted to get "stage" to be plural with only five letters.

49. Secondary strategy: PLAN B.

52. Chick chaser?: ADEE. Suffix: Chickadee.

54. Quarterback Dawson: LEN.

55. "Super!": FAB.

56. Actress Gasteyer: ANA. From Saturday Night Live.

57. Some Windows systems: NTS. This should have an obsolete tag on it... But without it I can't do my favorite (geeky) Microsoft joke. There is Windows CE for compact devices (WINCE, what you do when you have to work with it), Windows ME (Millenium Edition, now also obsolete), and Windows NT (New Technology, but commonly called "Nice Try") Put those all together and you get CE ME NT, as hard as a rock and as dumb as a brick.

58. Epitome of slipperiness: EEL.

Answer Grid.

Al

Wednesday, March 30, 2011 James Sajdak

Theme:   Welcome to LA-LA Land.  Or LA-LA-LA-LA, I can't hear you.  Or maybe it's L.A. LAW.  Sometimes it's hard to come up with a theme title.  Maybe I should have saved these for when I need them, but instead you get multiple choice today.  Both words of two-word theme answers begin with the letters "LA"  Hence the LA-LA, who was also a Teletubbie.

17A. Whip-cracking cowboy of old films : LASH LARUE.    I remember this guy from comic books. 

21A. Ethel, to Lucy : LAND LADY.   Lucy and Dezi rented a brownstone on E. 68th St. from Fred and Ethyl Mertz, played by William Frawly and Vivian Vance, who hated each other in real life.

35A. Sky blue : LAPIS LAZULI.   This is an intensely colored blue gem stone, or the ultramarine pigment extracted from it.  Also, a cloned daughter of Lazarus Long in Heinlein's epic novel, TIME ENOUGH FOR LOVE.  I'm delighted to tell you my daughter is not my clone.

51A. Wax-filled illumination : LAVA LAMP.   The heat generated by the lamp bulb caused thermal currents in two viscous immiscible liquids, which would flow through and around each other. Since I remember the 60's, it's clear I did not experience them.

56A. Victor's chuckle : LAST LAUGH.  Indeed. He who laughs last, laughs best. 

And the unifier.  29 D . '80s-'90s legal drama, and this puzzle's title : L.A. LAW.  One more immensely popular T.V. show that I never watched. 

Hi, gang, Jazzbumpa here - your tour guide through LA-LA Land.  Let's set out and see what we can discover.

Across:

1. Beginning for the birds? : AVI.  A prefix indicating birds, or, more generally, flight, from the Latin avis = bird.

4. Shaq on the court : O'NEAL.  Needs no introduction.  OK. Famous basketball player.

9. Beat __ to one's door : A PATH.  This is what people are supposed to do if you invent a better mouse trap

14. Vietnam Veterans Memorial architect : LIN.  Maya LIN was a student at Yale when she designed the memorial.  It is very moving.

15. Ramadi resident : IRAQI.  Ramadi is the capital of Al Anbar province in central IRAQ.

16. Local cinemas, colloquially : NABES.  Derived from neighborhood.  News to me.

19. Weight room sound : GRUNT.  As in GRUNTS and groans from performing hard labor.

20. Venetian arch shape : OGEE.  An arch formed by two symmetric S-curves.  I like the looks of this one.  Also, "Oh, gee, Arch!" was occasionally GRUNTED by the Meathead.

23. Canyon-crossing transport : TRAMWAY.  You go on ahead.  I'll wait here.

26. Fridge raider : NOSHER.  To NOSH (v) is to have a NOSH (n) - a light meal or snack.  This comes to us from the German, by way of Yiddish.

28. Hong Kong harbor craft : SAMPAN.  This boat name is common across parts of Asia.  SAMPANS come in many designs.  

29. Field for the fold : LEA.  A grassy meadow where one may find sheep, cows, and increasingly common crossword fill.

31. Remote power sources? : AAA'S.  Can't fool me.  Batteries.

32. Thing to blow off : STEAM.  Blowing off steam is a tension release outlet for people who do not have access to trombones.

34. Sign before Scorpio : LIBRA.  Zodiac signs. The sign of  LIBRA (or perhaps Le Bra) is the symbol of balance.

38. Postgrad hurdle : ORALS.  ORAL examinations are part of the arduous trek to a PhD.  Post Docs are apprentice academic positions for recent PhD recipients. 

40. "Cosmos" host : SAGAN.  "Cosmos"  was a 13-part TV series, first aired on PBS in 1980.  It was all about  life, the universe, and everything.

41. Lotto relative : KENO.  I don't know a thing about it.

42. Assure, with "up" : SEW.  To SEW something  up, is to complete or control it, presumably without leaving any loose ends.

43. Titan is its largest moon : SATURN.  SATURN is the sixth planet of our system - the one with the rings and the red spot.  Though it is the largest one we have, it is only a tiny part of the cosmos.

48. Most foxy : SLYEST.  Easy fill, but not what I had in mind.

50. Landmass encompassing the Urals : EURASIA. This is the totality of Europe and Asia.  It's always been a mystery to me why this one big continent was considered to be two.

54. Bombast : RANT.  Interesting that bombast, meaning pretentious or inflated language comes from the Middle English word for cotton padding.  RANT is more of a tirade.  I don't see the equivalence.

55. Artist's topper : BERET. I'm not sure what sort of art this is.

59. Conductor Previn : ANDRE.  He was also a composer, and learned to passably play each orchestra instrument so he could write properly for them.  Mia Farrow was the 3rd of his five wives.  He was her 2nd husband. Beyond that, things get a bit dicey.

60. Came up : AROSE. 

61. Sargasso or Coral : SEA

62. Parks and others : ROSAS.  She also needs no introduction. OK.  Famous bus rider, and 60A near-sound-alike.

63. Zellweger of "Chicago" : RENEE.   I know, she's no K-Z-J.

64. Prince Valiant's son : ARN.  From the comic strip which has been going strong since 1937.  Aleta still looks marvelous. 

Down:

1. Doles out : ALLOTS.

2. Cialis competitor : VIAGRA.  You don't need the details.  One of my friends remarked: "I don't need it, but just knowing it's out there makes me feel better."

3. Tailor's measure : INSEAM.  Leg length from crotch to ankle. 

4. Van Gogh work : OIL.  Vincent's paintings were done in oil based paints.  I guess that makes this an oil on water.

5. Gun lobby org. : NRA.  National Rifle Association.  Guns don't kill you, bullets do.

6. Ahead of time : EARLY

7. Shade in the Caribbean : AQUA.  This refers to the color of the water, under the sunny LAPIS LAZULI sky.

8. Bank holding : LIEN.  Per Wikipedia, "a form of security interest granted over an item of property to secure the payment of a debt or performance of some other obligation."  Ultimately from the Latin ligare, to bind.

9. Saxon start : ANGLO.   ANGLO-Saxons, the melding of Agles, Saxons, and Jutes (who get short shrift in the nomenclature,) tribes of Germanic peoples who migrated from western EURASIA to the British Islands starting in the 5th century, and became the English.  I'm not sure what they did to deserve it.

10. Chute above the beach : PARASAIL.  I was thinking along the lines of Chutes and ladders, not parachutes.

11. Persian Gulf emirate : ABU DHABI.  The capital and second largest city of the  United Arab Emirates.  The name means "Father of the Gazelle," and is fun to say.

12. Like some mortgages : TEN YEAR.  Many versions are available.  I guess a mortgage is a variety of LIEN

13. DDE predecessor : HST.  Harry S (for nothing) Truman, and Dwight David Eisenhower, U.S. Presidents.

18. Rope fiber : HEMP.  Hemp is the fiber of cannabis plants.  There's something about the 60's that I can't quite recall . . .

22. Paternity proof, briefly : DNA.  Deoxyribonucleaic acid.  Genetic material.

24. Mud nest builders : WASPS.  They come in many shapes, sizes, and colors.

25. Naysayer : ANTI.  Those who are against - aka "nattering nabobs of negativism" - William Safire.

27. It surrounds Lesotho: Abbr. : RSA.  Lesotho is a land-locked country, completely surrounded by The Republic of South Africa.

30. The Daily Beast, e.g. : E-MAG.  Electronic magazine.

33. To be, to Brutus : ESSE.  More Latin

34. Like the Islamic calendar : LUNAR.  Based on the periods of the moon, rather than the sun.  So is the Jewish calendar, I believe.

35. Refs' whistle holders : LANYARDS.  These are cords worn around the neck to carry something.

36. Natural burn balm : ALOE VERA.  Nice to see the whole plant.

37. Pitts of "The Gale Storm Show" : ZASU. The correct spelling is ZaSu, and pronunciation is "Say-Zoo."  She was a silent film actress who went on to vaudeville, talkies, radio, and TV.

38. Signs off on : OKS.  Gives the OK - approval - to something.

39. Chile __: stuffed Mexican dish : RELLENO.  Literally "stuffed chili."  Usually a mild poblano pepper stuffed with cheese or meat, then battered and deep fried.

42. N.L. team managed by Tony La Russa since 1996 : ST. L.  The St. Louis Cardinals

44. Scarlett's home : TARA.  The plantation from Gone With The Wind.

45. World Cup chant : USA! USA!  I'll bet there are others.

46. Horseshoes feat : RINGER.  This is a horseshoe that surrounds, or "rings" the stake.

47. Revolutionary Hale : NATHAN.  He was a volunteer for the Continental (American, not Eurasian) Army who was captured by the British and hanged.  He is famous for saying,  "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country." 

49. Fully fills : SATES.  

50. Hewlett-Packard rival : EPSON.  Printers.

52. Banned orchard spray : ALAR.  This was a plant growth enhancer, sprayed on fruit, primarily apples, to regulate size and color, and make harvesting easier.  It was used form 1963 until 1989, when it was voluntarily withdrawn from the market as the EPA was proposing a ban.

53. Full-grown filly : MARE.   Horse girl and lady.

55. Setting for many a joke : BAR.  Guy walks into a bar.  The bartender says, "Knock-knock . . ."

57. Taoist Lao-__ : TSE  He was the first Taoist philosopher.

58. Majors in acting : LEE.  Nice misdirection.  He played The Six Million Dollar Man on TV.

Answer grid.

Well, there you have.  A nice Wednesday puzzle, and a journey across space and time, around the planet, the solar system, and even the Cosmos.  There's more to LA-LA land than you thought.

Cheers!

JzB