Wednesday, January 11th, 2012 Don Gagliardo & C.C. Burnikel

Theme: Strong Current. Adding "Flow" to the last word in each of the theme entries creates a new word or phrase.

17A. Online data movement : INTERNET TRAFFIC. Traffic flow. This blog generates plenty of that.

22A. "Man in Black" singer : JOHNNY CASH. Cash flow. As I write this, "Folsom Prison Blues" is playing on my iPod, now that's weird.

36A. Symphony or sonata : MUSICAL WORK. Work flow. Does anyone write sonatas anymore?

46A. Pending : UP IN THE AIR. Just like all my deadlines. Air flow.

And the unifier:

56A. Conforms, or what each last word of 17-, 22-, 36- and 46-Across literally does : GOES WITH THE FLOW

Steve here.

Sweet puzzle from Don & C.C. The theme took quite some time to come kicking and screaming into the light, I had all kinds of hare-brained ideas before it all became clear with the unifier.

Across:

1. Seller's caveat : AS IS

5. Whistle blower : REF

8. Fight : OPPOSE

14. Congeniality : BONHOMIE. What a great word! I resolve to use it at least once a week.

16. Edit : REDACT

19. Extinguish : DOUSE

20. Clinch a deal, in slang : ICE IT

21. Thing to do on the cautious side? : ERR. Great fresh clue for this old stalwart.

27. Tempt with, as a carrot : DANGLE

30. "Typee" sequel : OMOO. Herman Melville made very little money from any of his novels, especially this one.

31. Highfalutin : LA-DI-DA

35. Steak order : T-BONE

38. High-tech party notice : EVITE

40. Jungle queen : SHEENA

41. Enjoy a 10-course Chinese meal : DINE. I'm going to Hong Kong shortly - Cantonese Food!

42. Categorize : ASSORT. This usage was new to me, I'd only known "assorted", which I take to mean "uncategorized". Nice learning moment.

52. VCR button : REW. I always have to wait for the cross to decide on REC or REW

53. Big name in transmission repair : AAMCO

54. Cardio-boxing workout regimen : TAE-BO

61. Intensely devoted : ARDENT

62. Shanghai setting : EAST ASIA. Mini-theme emerging here?

63. Woody's wife : SOON-YI Previn, married to Mr. Allen.

64. Mar.-to-Nov. setting : D.S.T. You never really save any daylight, you just move it around.

65. Count (on) : RELY

Down:

1. Put up with : ABIDED

2. Arizona neighbor : SONORA. South of the border, down Mexico way.

3. How board game players play : IN TURN. In my house my Mom always asked us to play nicely. Then she told us. Then we were sent to our rooms.

4. Ladies : SHES

5. First pres. to visit China while in office : R.M.N. Richard Milhous Nixon, World Traveler.

6. Farm song refrain : E-I-E-I-O

7. Sell for : FETCH

8. Hatch on the Hill : ORRIN. He's a 59D. He plays sonatas too!

9. Boglike : PEATY

10. Adobe file format : PDF. Portable Document Format if you want to get your geek on.

11. Bungler : OAF

12. Lab subj. : SCI.

13. And so forth: Abbr. : ETC.

15. Valuable rock : ORE. I confidently filled in GEM first.

18. Top rating : TEN.

22. Yoda, notably : JEDI

23. Venomous snakes : COBRAS

24. Wild way to run : AMOK

25. Numbered Chan relative : SON. From the Charlie Chan films. Movie buffs will know how many sons there were, I just count "lots".

26. Groundbreaking tool : HOE

28. Protein in wheat products : GLUTEN

29. Zap : LASE

32. Suffix with tact : ICS. Hmmm. A suffix? Need to be convinced about this one.

33. Code word : DAH. We had SOS yesterday, three DITs, three DAHs, three DITs in Morse Code.

34. Draft choice : ALE

35. A whole bunch : TONS

36. Former iPod model : MINI

37. Sport : WEAR. You can sport sportswear!

38. Academic Web letters : EDU

39. Bigwig : VIP. Very Important Person (such as Orrin Hatch?)

43. End of a threat : OR ELSE

44. Heat again, as water for tea : REBOIL

45. Like most streets : TWO-WAY

47. Lion-colored : TAWNY. Some of our regulars would prefer "Port-colored" here.

48. French-speaking republic : HAITI

49. CPR expert : EMT

50. Was sore : ACHED

51. Smidgens : IOTAS

54. First day of spring, to Vietnamese : TET

55. Miles away : AFAR

56. Total blast : GAS.

57. Au, on a Spanish periodic table : ORO. With luck your 15D has gold in it.

58. Tokyo, once : EDO

59. Bigwig on the Hill: Abbr. : SEN.

60. Post-WWII pres. : H.S.T. Harry S. Truman. No use looking up his middle name, the "S" doesn't stand for anything.

Answer grid.

That's all from me!

Steve

1) Constructors' note:

"Go with the flow" is the motto for many of my generation, who grew up during the chaotic Cultural Revolution and were confused by (and then benefited from) China's "Open Door" policy. Don and I initially had FIRST BLOOD as a partner for JOHNNY CASH. Rich felt the blood meaning is too literal. So we re-worked our theme entries.

2) Happy 98th Birthday to LA Times' oldest constructor Bernice Gordon. Thanks Argyle for getting the exact date.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012 Gail Grabowski and Bruce Venzke

Theme: Tangibles - The four themes end in a word that is capable of being felt, seen, or perceived.

17A. Cosmopolitan piece : MAGAZINE ARTICLE

27A. "This can't lose" : "IT'S A SURE THING"

48A. Los Angeles Times piece, e.g. : NEWSPAPER ITEM

63A. Stipulation from a wealthy purchaser : MONEY IS NO OBJECT

Argyle here. Two grid spanner Tuesday. Although the four themes are synonymous in one sense, their use in their individual phrases are not. Personally, I found it easier than Monday's; you may not.

Now Gimme Dat Ding (2:19)

Across:

1. Stops stalling : ACTS. Not a case of vapor lock on your runabout.

5. Concert souvenirs : STUBS

10. Spongy ball brand : NERF

14. It's often fenced : LOOT

15. Toys that need wind : KITES

16. Electric co., e.g. : UTIL. (utilities)

20. Without help : ALONE

21. FDR's successor : HST. Harry S. Truman.

22. Milo of "Ulysses" : O'SHEA. He is 85 now.

23. Nothing at all : ZERO

25. Inner Hebrides isle : IONA. Map

32. Sinbad's transport : ROC (but they lost his baggage.)

33. Part of SASE: Abbr. : ENV. (self-addressed stamped envelope)

34. Support at the meeting : SECOND

37. Somewhat wet : MOIST

40. Caesar of comedy : SID

42. Do over, as a bow : RETIE

43. Island greetings : ALOHAs

45. Whole bunch : TON

47. Stein filler : ALE

52. "Show Boat" author Ferber : EDNA

53. School since 1440 : ETON

54. McCartney bandmate : STARR

57. Signal for immediate assistance : SOS

59. Cooks cakes : BAKES

66. Banquet hall vessels : URNS

67. Plant in Greek legend : LOTUS. The "lotus-eaters" are mentioned in the Odyssey, one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer.

68. Productive start? : ANTI

69. Pest in a swarm : GNAT

70. Nautical speed units : KNOTS

71. Heath-covered wasteland : MOOR

Down:

1. __ mater : ALMA

2. Shade of black : COAL

3. Like many lunch orders : TO GO

4. Song section : STANZA

5. Do a downhill run : SKI

6. Two-bit gamblers : TINHORNS. According to World Wide Words(site), it relates to a gambling game called chuck-a-luck.

7. Colorado natives : UTEs

8. "Vamoose!" : "BEAT IT!"

9. Outdated geopolitical letters : SSR

10. Pain in the neck : NUISANCE

11. Carve in stone : ETCH

12. Make hopping mad : RILE

13. Dog bugger : FLEA

18. Snazzy duo? : ZEEs. The letters.

19. More stylish : TONIER

24. Wish one hadn't : RUE

26. Cries of surprise : OHs

27. "__ la Douce" : IRMA. 1963 romantic comedy starring Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine.

28. Chisel, e.g. : TOOL

29. Offspring : SCION

30. Musical with the song "A New Argentina" : "EVITA"

31. Was able to reach : GOT AT

35. River through Sudan : NILE

36. Consider : DEEM

38. Most diaphanous : SHEEREST

39. Cheap and gaudy : TAWDRY

41. Deduces, slangily : DOPES OUT

44. Hyphenated ID : SSN

46. Table tennis table divider : NET

49. Relay, as information : PASSON

50. Lyndon Johnson's son-in-law Charles __ : ROBB. Married Lynda Bird.

51. Experiencing serious traffic : IN A JAM

54. Self-satisfied : SMUG

55. Undecided : TORN

56. "The King and I" role : ANNA

58. Not snookered by : ON TO

60. Numbers game : KENO

61. Prefix with plasm : ECTO. "I ain't afraid of no ghost!"

62. Ruckus : STIR

64. Class : ILK

65. WWII espionage gp. : OSS. The Office of Strategic Services

Answer grid.

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

1) Good luck to Husker Gary's daughter, who's having an operation today.

2) Happy Birthday to Frenchie. Hope you're doing well.