Tuesday, January 17, 2012 Matt Skoczen

Theme: "HB, B.W." - A celebration of Betty White's 90th birthday.

9A. With 66-Across, actress born 1/17/1922 : BETTY 66A. See 9-Across : WHITE

18A. 20-Across role for 9-Across : ROSE and 20A. Sitcom co-starring 9/66-Across : "THE GOLDEN GIRLS"

37A. Dramedy on which 9/66-Across had a recurring role : "BOSTON LEGAL"

55A. Sitcom co-starring 9/66-Across : HOT IN CLEVELAND and 61A. 55-Across role for 9-Across : ELKA

Argyle here. I hope you had a chance to watch TV special honoring Betty White last night. If you want to know more about the three shows in the theme, I will give you a link to their Wikipedia page and a clip from the shows. The Golden Girls / Clip.(8:27); Boston Legal / Clip.(0:40) She played a recurring character named Catherine Piper. There are longer clips but not in English; Hot in Cleveland / Clip.(0:20)

Good thing I got those last two from the perps because I never saw her on "Boston Legal" and never heard of "Hot in Cleveland". Now Sue Ann Nivens on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show", that I know. The puzzle is OK; it has a lot of theme which means some compromises. Matt has given us Sunday puzzles before.

Across:

1. __ Romeo: sports car : ALFA. Italian.

5. Cleveland NBAers : CAVS. (Cavaliers)

14. Weevil's target : BOLL. Cotton.

15. __ II razor : TRAC

16. Love, in Italia : AMORE

17. Fit to __ : A TEE

19. Infuriates : RILES

23. Really revel in : EAT UP

24. Neptune's realm : SEA

25. NFL position : CTR. (center)

27. "Baby and Child Care" author : DR. SPOCK

30. Entertain in style : REGALE

33. Congestion site : SINUS

36. Frasier's brother : NILES. TV (David Hyde Pierce)

40. Buckeye State sch. : OHIO U

42. Miss America accessory : TIARA

43. Message on a dirty car : WASH ME

45. Becomes fond of : WARMS TO

50. White House advisory gp. : NSC. National Security Council.

51. Skater Midori : ITO. She is the 1989 World Champion and the 1992 Olympic silver medalist. She is the first woman to land a triple/triple jump combination.

54. Went out with : DATED

60. Suppress : SIT ON

62. "American ___" : IDOL

63. Fur tycoon : ASTOR

64. Lender's security : LIEN

65. Canadian vocalist Vannelli : GINO. Clip (2:32)

67. Not as much : LESS

68. Political cartoonist Thomas : NAST

Down:

1. Died down : ABATED

2. Mandrake the Magician's assistant : LOTHAR. Lothar is looking rather mod.

3. Armadas : FLEETS

4. Good thing to get in competition : A LEG UP

5. PC corner key : CTRL

6. Yankee slugger, familiarly : A-ROD

7. Flower holders : VASEs

8. Public embarrassment : SCENE

9. Italian seaport : BARI. Map

10. Mideast VIP : EMIR

11. One in a phone bill list : TOLL CALL

12. Bridge support : TRESTLE

13. "That's affirmative!" : "YES!"

21. Marsupial that plays dead : OPOSSUM

22. Long-snouted swimmer : GAR.

26. Legal thing : RES

28. Op. __: footnote abbr. : CIT. (the work has been cited)

29. Necktie feature : KNOT

31. Fencing challenge : "EN GARDE!"

32. Italian actress Scala : GIA. Image She was in "The Guns of Navarone" (1961). Died too young.

34. Prefix with form : UNI

35. Cabbagy side dish : SLAW

37. Dunkable Italian cookies : BISCOTTI. Must be leftovers from yesterday. ("Biscotti" is the plural form of biscotto.)

38. "That's amazing!" : "OOH!"

39. Generation : ERA

40. BYOB word : OWN. Bring Your Own Bottle. If you want something stronger, see below.

41. Cannabis preparation : HASHISH. "It's not mine. I'm holding it for a friend."

44. German article : EIN

46. Bad-mouth : MALIGN

47. Ballparks : STADIA. Plural of stadium.

48. Dovetail sections : TENONs. The projections on the right piece are the tenons and the slots on the left piece that receive them are the mortises.

49. Less than 100 shares of stock : ODD LOT

52. Immune system agent : T-CELL

53. Kukla's puppet pal : OLLIE. They interacted with Fran. Kukla, Fran and Ollie was an early TV show using puppets, originally created for children but soon watched by more adults than children. It did not have a script and was entirely ad-libbed. It first aired from 1947–1957.

56. __ one's own horn : TOOT

57. About, on a memo : IN RE. (in the matter of)

58. Barely gets, with "out" : EKEs. Eek, another EKE.

59. Soccer moms' rides : VANS

60. Went out with : SAW

Answer grid.

Argyle

Note from C.C.

Happy 21st wedding anniversary to Ron (Jazzbumpa) and Gloria! I know you'll make it special, Ron.

Monday, January 16, 2012 Janice Luttrell

Theme: Hang Your Hat Here - Whether you have just a cap, a ten-gallon, or un chapeau, you can find a home for it today.

20A. Dairy food with loose curds : COTTAGE CHEESE

38A. Dip for veggies : RANCH DRESSING

57A. Tenderloin often served with Béarnaise sauce : CHÂTEAUBRIAND

55D. Place to live, one of which starts the three longest puzzle answers : ABODE

Argyle here. Debut(?) puzzle for our constructor today. Three nice long themes and a unifier in a pleasing grid. No complaint from me.

Across:

1. Actress Anderson : LONI. Here is a WKRP clip(1:26) where she is laying it on for a Mr. "Breezy".

5. Like one who limps : LAME. Like Dr. House.

9. Exhausted, with "out" : WIPED. Yes, I had TIRED first. Good fake-out.

14. Sportscaster Hershiser : OREL. And 51D. Los Angeles ballplayer : DODGER. In 1988, he won the Gold Glove, Cy Young Award, the NLCS MVP and the World Series MVP with the Dodgers.

15. Director Kazan : ELIA

16. Biscotti flavoring : ANISE. More food.

17. Sagacious : WISE

18. Computer storage medium : DISC

19. Aquarium fish : GUPPY. Learn more, if you want, here.

23. Pub pint : ALE

24. Buddhist sect : ZEN

25. Many shoppers buy on it : CREDIT

28. Bare minimum : LEAST

30. Jibs and spinnakers : SAILS

33. Often-flowery verse : ODE

34. "Is it soup __?" : YET. Hard to believe but I can't find a video of this Lipton commercial.

36. Letters before an alias : AKA. (also known as)

37. Bed with a mate : TWIN

42. "I've Gotta __": Sammy Davis Jr. hit : BE ME. Recorded by a lot of singers.

43. Fair-hiring inits. : EEO. (Equal Employment Opportunity)

44. "Casablanca" pianist : SAM

45. Honest prez : ABE

46. Idyllic places : EDENS

48. Lukewarm : TEPID

52. Internal Revenue Code expert : TAX PRO

54. Stable diet? : HAY

56. Brian with the album "Music for Airports" : ENO. It's time for Mr. ENO to take a rest.

61. Pandemonium : CHAOS

63. Jackson 5 member : TITO. The third of the ten Jackson children.

64. Glitch : SNAG

65. Songstress Lena : HORNE. She didn't sing "I've got to be me".

66. Gunk : CRUD

67. Remote button : MUTE

68. Broke off, as talks : ENDED

69. Ballyhoo : HYPE

70. Suffix with road or hip : STER. Roadster or Hipster.

Down:

1. Like diet beverages : LOW-CAL. Low-Calorie.

2. Baltimore bird : ORIOLE

3. Lipton rival : NESTEA

4. Abba's "__ the Music Speak" : I LET. Clip.(5:19) One of their last songs.

5. Rocky projection : LEDGE

6. Martians and such : ALIENS

7. Catchall abbr. : MISC.

8. For one : EACH

9. Track transactions : WAGERS

10. Occupied, as a lavatory : IN USE

11. "Put a lid on it!" : "PIPE DOWN!" plus 47D. "Zip your lip!" : "SHUT UP!". Is our constructor a mother? I wonder.

12. Sixth sense, for short : ESP

13. Susan of "L.A. Law" : DEY

21. Ancient Mexican : AZTEC

22. Mercedes-Benz model series : E CLASS. Dennis?

26. Beatnik's "Gotcha" : "I DIG"

27. Finger count : TEN

29. "Auld Lang __" : SYNE

31. Hank with 755 career homers : AARON

32. Tina Turner's ex : IKE

35. Precisely, after "on" : THE DOT

37. Game-stopping call : "TIME!". A few called this weekend, eh?

38. Country singer McEntire : REBA

39. "Don't leave home without it" convenience : AMEX CARD. American Express Card.

40. Poor grade : DEE

41. Mythical man-goat : SATYR

42. Halloween decoration : BAT

46. Rubbed off the board : ERASED

49. Bar snack item : PEANUT

50. Present from birth : INNATE

53. "E.T. __ home" : PHONE

58. Cut with acid : ETCH

59. Breezy : AIRY. For Mr. Breezy, see 1-Across.

60. Doctrines : ISMs

61. Revolutionary Guevara : CHE. Castro's friend.

62. Darlin' : HON'

Answer grid.

Argyle