Monday, March 12, 2012 Donna S. Levin

Theme: American Girl Guides - Happy Anniversary, for today's theme. The first meeting was held 100 years ago today. Bio for Juliette Gordon Low.

17A. Motto of 50-Across : "BE PREPARED". Used by Boy and Girl Scouts around the world.

50A. Organization that held its first troop meeting 3/12/1912 : GIRL SCOUTS. The name was adopted a year later.

11D. Founder of 50-Across : JULIETTE LOW

25D. Popular funding source for 50-Across : COOKIE SALES.

Argyle here but it should be Dennis; he likes his Girl Scouts' cookies. What's your opinion of them?

Donna delivered a decent puzzle despite the constraints of the theme and a grid divided into three parts, or five parts, depending on how you view the one square connections between them.

Across:

1. Professional org. : ASSOC. I paused thinking it meant a particular org.

6. Like bachelor parties : STAG

10. Slightly open : AJAR

14. Gift from an oyster : PEARL. (apocryphal Dorothy Parker witticism) "The two ladies were trying to get out of a doorway at the same time. Clare drew back and cracked, “Age before beauty, Miss Parker.” As Dotty swept out, she turned to the other guests and said. “Pearls before swine.”"

15. Old El Paso product : TACO

16. General principle : RULE

19. Whodunit hint : CLUE

20. Org. for mature audiences only? : AARP

21. "Small" allegations : CLAIMS. Small claims court but the "small" varies greatly from state to state. Site.

23. Climbs : ASCENDS

27. Common takeout cuisine : CHINESE

28. Seats at the bar : STOOLS

29. Hot-platter stand : TRIVET

30. State flower of Indiana : PEONY

31. Argentina neighbor : CHILE

32. Sunbather's goal : TAN

35. Invisible or indelible fluids : INKs

36. Practiced, as a trade : PLIED

37. Video game giant : SEGA

38. Show with regional spinoffs : CSI

39. Epic : GRAND

40. Pastrami peddlers : DELIs

41. Donkey of kiddie lit : EEYORE

43. Giant among Giants : MEL OTT. Wow, full name. And 4D. Bobby of hockey : ORR. Full name between the clue and the answer.

44. Actor Armand : ASSANTE. This gentleman.

46. Clean up, as one's toys : PUT AWAY

47. Pure as the driven snow : CHASTE

48. Capitol topper : DOME. That's Capitol with an 'O'.

49. Easter bloom : LILY

56. Vicinity : AREA

57. Airline that serves only kosher meals : EL AL

58. Patty Hearst's nom de guerre : TANIA. (For desper-otto.)

59. Pigsty, so to speak : MESS

60. Hardwood trees : ELMS

61. Enjoyed Aspen : SKIED. (For Marti.)

Down:

1. Police dept.'s "Be on the lookout!" alert : APB. (All Points Bulletin)

2. Observe : SEE

3. Sticky trunk stuff : SAP. From what I hear, it's running good but the syrup is on dark side this year.

5. With no mistakes : CLEANLY

6. Red carpet interviewees : STARS

7. Rain delay roll-out : TARP

8. Expert : ACE

9. Baby sponsored at a baptism : GODCHILD

10. Mysterious : ARCANE. Can be confused with archaic.

12. Reunion attendees, for short : ALUMS

13. Witherspoon of "Walk the Line" : REESE. As June Carter.

18. Walks on little cat feet : PADS. "The fog comes on little cat feet."

22. In real time : LIVE

23. Fancy-shmancy jelly : ASPIC

24. British submachine guns : STENS. A crossword staple but the Bren is used sometimes.

26. Eternities, seemingly : EONS

27. Shed some tears : CRIED

29. Yours of yore : THINE

31. Saint of Assisi : CLARE. (Beware, sometimes spelled Clair, Claire, etc.)

33. High anxiety : AGITA. (Agitation)

34. Objectionable, as a habit : NASTY

36. Eliza Doolittle, to Henry Higgins : PROTÉGÉE

37. "The Fugitive" actress Ward : SELA

39. Ibsen's "Peer __" : GYNT

40. Picks up on : DETECTS

42. Courses taken to boost one's GPA : EASY A's

43. Many-petaled flowers, familiarly : MUMS

44. Happy as __ : A CLAM

45. British county : SHIRE

46. Surveys : POLLS

48. Wee bit o' Scotch, say : DRAM

51. Under the weather : ILL

52. Tree on the Connecticut quarter : OAK

53. Prefix with verse : UNI

54. Deadlock : TIE

55. Unhappy : SAD

Answer grid.

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

1) Here is a picture of Husker Gary's wife (right) and her twin sister (Greek dad and Bohemian mother) at the Nebraska Boy's State Basketball Championship in Lincoln. He said "Many people say they look identical but I have never seen it."

2) To make the Preview button work, please click the Restore Down button (between Minimize & Close on the upper right corner of your computer). Thanks for figuring it out, Argyle. And D-otto for the reminder this morning.

Sunday March 11, 2012 Elizabeth C. Gorski

Theme: Le Puzzle - LE is attached to CK-ending words in 7 common phrases.

22A. Cheap laugh? : TWO-BUCK CHUCKLE. Two-buck chuck. Fun clue/Answer.

32A. Create belt hardware in record time? : MAKE A FAST BUCKLE. Make a fast buck.

50A. Sweet-and-sour pita sandwich with a crunch? : PICKLE POCKET. Pickpocket. Sounds delicious. I love pickled everything.

68A. Pet's protective-yet-amusing neckwear? : FLEA AND TICKLE COLLAR. Flea and tick collar.

89A. Old-fashioned restraint with a built-in boom box? : RADIO SHACKLE. RadioShack.

102A. Plumber's inquiry about a drippy faucet? : TRICKLE QUESTION. Trick question.

119A. Like an off-key football lineman? : SHARP AS A TACKLE. Sharp as a tack. "Like a bright football lineman" would not have changed the base phrase much. So, I like the "Off-key" clue.

This is another puzzle with fairly long theme entries and tricky letter combo in CKs, which could make the gridding challenging.

A few hiccups for me. But an enjoyable solving. I was excited to see Liz Gorski's name. This is her first LA Times since we made the shift in March 2009. Her puzzles are always original, creative and often feature a visual element.

Across:

1. Not more than : AT MOST

7. Mayo to mayo, e.g. : ANO. Mayo = May.

10. "__ Blue": George Strait hit : AM I. It's been covered by many.

13. One of the Three Bears : MAMA

17. Pacify : SOOTHE

18. No : REFUSAL. I don't think Splynter will say No to this one.

20. Quieted : LULLED

24. It can knock you out : OPIATE. And 28D. Old knockout agent : ETHER. Clecho (clue echo).

25. Commentator Coulter : ANN. I like her hair. That's about all.

26. "Evita" role : CHE

27. Casino attraction : SLOT

28. Rescue squad initials : EMS

29. Ripken of baseball : CAL. "Iron Man". Very classy. He came to Kirby Puckett's funeral and his anecdote moved me to tears.

30. U.S. territory divided in 1889 : DAK

37. Caspian feeder : URAL

39. Letters under TUV, on many phones : OPER

40. About 30% of Africa : SAHARA. Literally "desert".

41. "Nothing Compares 2 U" singer O'Connor : SINEAD. Her latest marriage/divorce has been heavily covered by the tabloid.

43. Gad about : ROAM

46. Hiker's power lunch? : ENERGY BAR. I love Larabar.

53. Earth, to Mahler : ERDE

54. Japanese veggie : UDO. Here it is. Mountain veggie, though some are farmed.

55. Iceland-to-Ireland dir. : SSE

56. Vegas-based TV drama : CSI

57. Fusses : ADOs

59. Ocean diver : OSPREY

61. Old cash register key : NO SALE

64. Bakery artists : ICERS

67. Big 12 Conference city : AMES. Iowa State.

73. Ran away : FLED

74. Norwegian king who died in 1000 : OLAV I. Always need the crossing for the last letter of these OLAV/OLAF answers.

75. Los __ : ALAMOS

76. Untrustworthy sort : WEASEL

79. Beau and Jeff, to Lloyd : SONS

81. "Pshaw!" : BAH

82. Have dinner : SUP

85. DC Comics collectible: Abbr. : ISS (Issue). Lots of comic books at our local flea market.

86. Actress Hatcher : TERI

93. Protein shake spoonful : WHEAT GERM. Never had it.

96. Future D.A.'s exam : LSAT

97. Bless with oil : ANOINT

98. Sounds heard from herds : BAA BAA

99. Sports doc's pix : MRIs

101. College application nos. : GPAs

108. Botanist Gray : ASA. Learned from doing Xword.

109. Startled cries : OHs

110. Common Mkt. : EEC

111. Battleship color : GRAY. Battleship gray.

112. Yellow wheels : CAB

114. Knock : RAP

117. Morning rounds? : DONUTS. Sweet clue.

123. Latin carol starter : ADESTE. "Adeste Fideles".

124. Least arduous : EASIEST

125. Manhattan-to-Far Rockaway service : A-TRAIN. I've never been to NY.

126. Sources of red berries : YEWS

127. Soul, to Sartre : AME

128. Galoot : APE

129. Paine and others, religiously : DEISTS. My friend Linda reads Bible every night.

Down:

1. Whodunit pooch : ASTA

2. Hamlet's kin : TOWN

3. Van Morrison album or song : MOON DANCE. Gimme for Melissa.

4. Handicapper's hangout, for short : OTB (Off-Track Betting)

5. Oyster shell : SHUCK

6. PC doctor : TECH

7. Not the shortest line between two points : ARC. So, what's the shortest line between two points then?

8. O.T. book : NEH

9. Handy : OF USE

10. Demand from : ASK OF

11. Glucose-creating enzyme : MALTASE. Sometimes we see ASE clued as "Enzyme suffix".

12. Suffix with infant : ILE

13. 1051, on a monument : MLI

14. Old-style term of regret : ALACK. Alas and alack.

15. Mercury, for one : METAL

16. High-heeled Astaire : ADELE. But this Adele is everywhere now.

19. Team with 17 official Final Four appearances : UCLA

20. Guy in front of an orchestra : LOMBARDO. Oh, his name is Guy Lombardo. No idea.

21. High rises : UPSURGES

23. Dole running mate : KEMP (Jack)

31. Supermodel Wek : ALEK. Lovely.

33. Dynamic leader? : AERO. Aerodynamic.

34. Big cheese linked with Big Macs? : KROC (Ray). Great clue.

35. Not certifiable? : SANE. I'm not familiar with the "insane" meaning of "certifiable".

36. Low island : CAY

37. Mail letters : USPS

38. Social reformer Jacob : RIIS. Another name I learned from doing Xword.

39. Potemkin mutiny city : ODESSA. Drew a blank.

42. Wrap initialism : ALCOA (Aluminum Company of America)

44. Rap sheet initials : AKA

45. Healing : MEDICINAL. Has anyone tried traditional Chinese herbal medicine?

47. Myanmar, formerly : BURMA

48. "Doe, __, a female ..." : A DEER

49. Rogers and Lichtenstein : ROYS

51. Cliburn's instrument : PIANO. Van Cliburn.

52. Every other second? : TOCK. Tick tock. Tricky clue.

58. Actress Ward : SELA

60. Chums : PALS

61. Composer Rorem et al. : NEDS.

62. "Bad" cholesterol, briefly : LDL

63. JFK postings : ETAS

65. Faith syst. : REL

66. Picket line crossers : SCABS

68. Blood partner : FLESH

69. It may involve a flat fee : LEASE. Flat = Apartment. Always a good word to mislead solvers.

70. "The Lodger" actor Novello : IVOR. Another learning moment. Looks like he was wearing eyeliners.

71. Sioux enemies : OMAHAS

72. "Mean Girls" actress : LOHAN. She's back!

73. IMHO cousin : FWIW (For What It's Worth)

77. Teen comic originally focused on social graces : ETTA KETT. Gimme, Argyle?

78. Some fine print : LEGALESE

80. '60s campus gp. : SDS

82. Duds for the downwardly mobile? : SKI PARKAS. Well, for Marti. I don't feel stupid not getting this clue, since I'm not "downwardly mobile".

83. Forearm bone : ULNA

84. Vet's charges : PETS

87. Medieval violin-like instrument : REBEC. See here. Unknown to me.

88. Jordan neighbor : IRAQ

90. "__ Said": Neil Diamond hit : I AM I

91. Other, in Oaxaca : OTRO

92. Sprockets : COGS

94. "Modern Family" airer : ABC

95. "Of Human Bondage" author : MAUGHAM

100. Machu Picchu architect : INCA

102. Longtime morning show : TODAY

103. __ Island : RHODE

104. "So what else __?" : IS NEW

105. Delete : ERASE

106. Indian wedding dress, perhaps : SARI. So, can the bride and groom kiss at their wedding?

107. Like go-getters : TYPE A

108. Ease : ABATE

113. Barely : A TAD

115. Came down to earth : ALIT

116. Cross creations : PENS. And 119. Crossing site : SEA

118. __ Constitution : USS

120. Egyptian viper : ASP

121. Fr. holy woman : STE

122. Dernier __ : CRI



C.C.