Tuesday, November 8, 2011 Donna S. Levin

Theme: Auto Body Basics - Four minor imperfections to your car's finish that can finish your deductible.

17A. Cocktail party mouthful : CHIP AND DIP

25A. 1950s kiddie show hosted by "Miss Frances" : DING DONG SCHOOL

43A. They frequently shoot par or better : SCRATCH GOLFERS

58A. Very last moment : NICK OF TIME

Argyle here. A tight theme but the range of fill, oh my! From "Miss Frances" to an R&B artist. And out of the blue, a pun. All in all, a strange Tuesday but what is your take on it?

Across:

1. Argentine dance : TANGO

6. Move a little : STIR

10. Peak measurement: Abbr. : ELEV. Elevation

14. Abraham nearly sacrificed him : ISAAC

15. Right-hand person : AIDE

16. Curtain material : LACE

19. Unsullied : PURE

20. Woo with a tune : SERENADE

21. Fill, as a moving van : LOAD UP

23. Swallowed : ATE

24. New Mexico art community : TAOS

33. Dundee demurrals : NAEs. The fourth-largest city in Scotland is Dundee.

34. Horror film franchise : SAW. Started with "Saw" (short film)(2003) and now is in "Saw 3-D"(2010).

36. "So Sick" R&B artist : NE-YO. Clip.(3:29)

37. Collect compulsively : HOARD

39. It may begin with "Knock knock" : JOKE

40. Bird that can hold its coffee? : ERN. A homophone for URN. A pun of a sea eagle as a coffee pot leaves me 32A. Bewildered : AT SEA

41. Many Christmas trees : FIRS

42. Steakhouse order : FILET

47. Word often sighed : ALAS

48. Big Band __ : ERA

49. Whacks on the bottom : SPANKS. The Child Protective Services will investigate you nowadays.

52. On cloud nine : ECSTATIC

57. Yale Bowl rooters : ELIs. Students at Yale University.

60. List heading : TO DO

61. Buck suffix : AROO

62. Bunsen burner cousins : ETNAs

63. Did laps, perhaps : SWAM

64. Hair care products : GELS

65. Put into effect : ENACT

Down:

1. Eccentric mannerisms : TICS

2. 1968 U.S. Open champ Arthur : ASHE. Perennial tennis player on the crossword courts.

3. Solution for a hairy situation? : NAIR

4. Show astonishment : GAPE

5. National anthem in Nunavut : "O CANADA". Nunavut is the largest and newest federal territory of Canada; it was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999. Wikipedia link.

6. Depress : SADDEN

7. It waits for no man, purportedly : TIDE. I foolishly didn't wait for it and stuck in TIME first.

8. Dictator Amin : IDI

9. Stepped in for : REPLACED

10. Sun Bowl site : EL PASO. Texas.

11. Praise : LAUD

12. Beigelike shade : ECRU. Perennial crossword shade.

13. Prez's next-in-line : VEEP

18. Brussels-based defense gp. : NATO

22. Fireworks reactions : OOHS

24. Title of the first Fabergé egg owner : TSAR. The first Fabergé egg was crafted for Tsar Alexander III in 1885.

25. Copenhagen native : DANE

26. Anatomical canals : ITERS. A passageway that leads from one part of the body to another. Iter is Latin for "a way." As such, this is a later in the week clue and made a nasty "Natick Principal" crossing NE-YO. Oops: "Natick Principle"

27. "Bye Bye Bye" boy band : *NSYNC

28. Prefix with thermal : GEO

29. Grind together, as one's teeth : GNASH

30. "__ Mio" : O SOLE. I'm not familiar with these guys but it's one for the ladies. Clip.(3:37)

31. California hoopster : LAKER

35. Dampens : WETS

37. Run into trouble : HIT A SNAG

38. Warriors in Warcraft games : ORCS

39. The PB in a PB&J, maybe : JIF

41. Columbo portrayer : FALK. Peter.

42. Fixed price : FLAT FEE

44. Kidnapper's demand : RANSOM

45. Long-tailed tropical wall climbers : GECKOs

46. Approximately : OR SO

49. Tennis match parts : SETS

50. Oxen's burden : PLOW. Unless the beast is carrying it on its back, it's not really a burden.

51. Enslaved princess of opera : AIDA. Perennial slave girl.

52. Earth sci. : ECOL. Ecology.

53. Business envelope abbr. : ATTN. Attention.

54. Turner on stage : TINA. On stage with Mick. Live. Japan. Hot. Clip.(4:49)

55. Apple product : I-MAC

56. "__ Magnifique": Porter tune : C'EST. Jazzy clip.(1:23)

59. Anger : IRE

Answer grid.

Argyle

Monday, November 7, 2011 Jeff Chen

Theme: Dear John - Actually, a bit stronger than a Dear John letter. Hit The Road Jack.(2:20) (with The Raelettes.)(Wiki)

16A. Strike gold : HIT PAY DIRT

23A. Mythical Egyptian riddler : THE SPHINX

37A. Lane straddler : ROAD HOG

48A. Guy "nipping at your nose," in a holiday song : JACK FROST

58A. Singer of the 1961 #1 song found in the starts of 16-, 23-, 37- and 48-Across : RAY CHARLES

Argyle here, not on the road. (Note: Yes, it is the Greek SPHINX that asks the riddle but the Egyptian riddler is embedded too deeply in the crossword database to change it now.) Jeff used a diversity clues for this one. People 9, fictional characters 5, animals 10, some foreign words, but no Roman numerals. Your count may vary. How many animals do you consider the SPHINX is? (I included hot dogs as an animal.)

Across:

1. Magician's bird of choice : DOVE

5. Seattle's Best product, slangily : JAVA

9. Fall faller : LEAF. A done deal in my area.

13. Pub picks : ALES

14. Special Forces cap : BERET

15. Fairy tale starter : ONCE

18. Give __ to: approve : A NOD

19. Canadian coin nicknamed for the bird on it : LOONIE

20. Hand-waving or finger-pointing : GESTURE

22. For each : PER

25. Cornfield bird : CROW

27. Smallest prime number : TWO

28. 27-Across plus one, in Italy : TRE

29. Lines of theater seats : ROWS

30. Goes down in the west : SETS. Not what goes down in the west but the very act of so doing.

32. Debatable point : ISSUE

36. Encouragement for a matador : OLÉ

39. LAX hrs. : PST. Pacific Standard Time. When to we get there? 35D. LAX incoming hrs. : ETAs. Finally, a clue that lets you know whether it's an A or a D.

40. Welsh dog : CORGI

42. Screwball : KOOK

43. Dalai __ : LAMA

44. A bit amiss : OFF

46. "Milk" director Van Sant : GUS. This fellow.

47. Oval segments : ARCS

52. Inquire : ASK

53. Rand McNally references : ATLASES

54. Takes home from the pound : ADOPTS

57. Yogi, for one : BEAR

61. Can of worms, e.g. : BAIT

62. "Drat!" : EGADS

63. Brooks's country music partner : DUNN. American Country Countdown is hosted by Kix Brooks without his singing partner, Ronnie Dunn.

64. Sources of immediate cash: Abbr. : ATMs

65. Mends with thread : SEWS

66. FBI personnel : AGTS.

Down:

1. Author Roald : DAHL. James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Fantastic Mr Fox....

2. Assortment : OLIO

3. President's weapon : VETO POWER

4. Station with game reports and highlights : ESPNEWS. A portmanteau of ESPN and "news", pronounced "ESPN News".

5. Clampett patriarch : JED. Made his money in oil on TV's Beverly Hillbillies.

6. Onassis patriarch : ARI. Made his money in shipping on the high seas.

7. Brink : VERGE

8. Declare to be true : ATTEST

9. Despises : LOATHES

10. Boredom : ENNUI

11. Piece of the sky, to Chicken Little : ACORN. A fable known as Chicken Little, also as Henny Penny. "The sky is falling."

12. Shipping giant : FEDEX. On land and in the air; on the high seas? not so much.

14. "Sayonara!" : "BYE!"

17. It's roughly 21% oxygen : AIR

21. Unit of parsley : SPRIG

23. Tinker with : TWEAK

24. Franks : HOT DOGS

25. Hook nemesis, for short : CROC. From Peter Pan.

26. Cylindrical caramel candy : ROLO

27. General of Chinese cuisine : TSO

31. Loud call : SHOUT

33. Auto tune-up item : SPARK PLUG

34. Camp Pendleton letters : USMC

37. Jazz licks : RIFFS

38. Approves : OKs

41. Amusement park racers : GO KARTS

43. Longtime Dodger skipper Tommy : LASORDA

45. Brittany brothers : FREREs. French.

48. Sluglike "Star Wars" crime boss : JABBA. No picture, too ugly for breakfast time.

49. Persistently bothered : ATE AT

50. Allegation : CLAIM

51. Missouri river or tribe : OSAGE

52. Cavity filler's org. : ADA. American Dental Association.

54. Blissful sighs : AHs

55. Camping shelter : TENT

56. 9-digit IDs : SSNs

59. Deviate from a course : YAW

60. DJ's stack : CDs

Answer grid.

Argyle