Monday, August 20, 2012 Melanie Miller

Theme: H-H-H-H - What the "H"s in 4-H stand for. Celebrating its hundredth year.

16A. *Place to prop a pillow : HEADBOARD

29A. *Vital central section of a country : HEARTLAND

36A. Youth organization whose focus areas begin the answers to starred clues : FOUR-H CLUB

47A. *Effortless way to win : HANDS DOWN

61A. *Recuperative resort : HEALTH SPA

Argyle(former 4-H member) here. It appears to be a debut for Melanie Miller here on the Corner. The shortness of the themes, nine letters, meant the fill had to be on the long side to keep the word count in check. Also note the three letter fill on the sides. An interesting Monday.

I pledge...

My head to clearer thinking,
My heart to greater loyalty,
My hands to larger service,
My health to better living
for my club, my community,
my country and my world.

About the Pledge. Link.

4H website.

Across:

1. No. on a utility bill : ACCT. (account)

5. Show of affection : KISS

9. Dust and grime : DIRT

13. Old woman's home, in a nursery rhyme : SHOE. Poem Where was Child Protective Services?

14. Capital NNW of Copenhagen : OSLO

15. TV's Uncle Miltie : BERLE

18. Win by __ : A NOSE

19. St. Francis's home : ASSISI

20. Emulate Georgia O'Keeffe : PAINT. Before she went west, "Lake George".

21. Well-suited : APT

22. Luck of the draw : CHANCE

25. French girlfriend : AMIE

27. Deadlocked : TIED

31. Sawbones : MEDICO

34. Joint-bending ballet move : PLIÉ. Bending of the knees outward by a ballet dancer with the back held straight.

35. Actor Beatty : NED

39. Leave open-mouthed : AWE

42. Oklahoma tribe : OTOE. They were Nebraska natives on Friday.

43. Spread here and there : STREWN

50. Length x width, for a rectangle : AREA

51. Wheel holder : AXLE

52. "... nothing to fear but fear __" : ITSELF. FDR's First Inaugural Address.

55. Unspecified high degree : NTH

56. Bundled, as hay : BALED. A 4Her would know something about that.

58. Pretenses : GUISES

60. Chutzpah : NERVE

64. Raring to go : EAGER

65. Part of ISBN: Abbr. : INTL. (International Standard Book Number)

66. Resting on : ATOP

67. Small bills : ONEs

68. Barely passing grades : DEEs

69. Spoil, with "on" : DOTE

Down:

1. Bat wood : ASH

2. Any product at a dollar store : CHEAPIE

3. Rolled with the engine off : COASTED. A cheapie saving on gas?

4. "Bill & __ Bogus Journey" : TED'S. 1991 sequel to their Excellent Adventure.

5. __ ball: rubber toy fad of the '80s : KOOSH

6. Old Testament prophet : ISAIAH

7. Camera type, for short : SLR. (single-lens reflex)

8. Roll-your-own grass : SOD. A 4H project?

9. "It wasn't me," e.g. : DENIAL. Now isn't this convenient, right after 8-Down.

10. Armored superhero : IRONMAN

11. "Goosebumps" series author : R. L. STINE. "Goosebumps".

12. Casual shirt : TEE

15. Sheep's bleat : [BAA!]. Bring it on!

17. Ballpoint brand : BIC

20. Hazards : PERILS

21. 24-hr. cash source : ATM

23. Brothers of nieces : NEPHEWS

24. Differential or integral math subj. : CALC. (calculus)

26. Onetime Leno announcer Hall : EDD

28. "What's the __?": "Seems the same to me" : DIF. Shortened "difference".

30. German: Abbr. : TEUT. (Teutonic)

32. Lovey-dovey murmurs : COOs

33. Surpassed in performance : OUTDID

37. Ginger or ginseng : ROOT

38. Lingerie top : BRA

39. "I get it!" : "A-HA!"

40. Yellow-podded veggie : WAX BEAN

41. Make bigger : ENLARGE

44. Che's given name : ERNESTO

45. Slippery area to mop up : WET SPOT

46. "Let's not" : "NAH"

48. Probes, with "into" : DELVES

49. Prove false : NEGATE

53. Calm spells : LULLS

54. Strong and healthy : FIT

57. Suffix with auction : EER

59. Herring known for its roe : SHAD

60. Recent: Pref. : NEO

61. Stayed out of sight : HID

62. WSW opposite : ENE

63. Mimic : APE

Answer grid.

Argyle

Sunday August 19, 2012 Pancho Harrison

Theme: "Invitation to the Dance" - A Gene Kelly tribute puzzle. Seven of his most well-known movies are featured in the grid.

22A. 117-Across film which he also co-directed : ON THE TOWN. Never heard of the film. Also starring Frank Sinatra.

27A. Film that earned 117-Across a Best Actor nomination : ANCHORS AWEIGH. Also starring Frank Sinatra.

43A. Film pairing 117-Across with Fred Astaire : ZIEGFELD FOLLIES

60A. With 75-Across, Scopes Trial film featuring 117-Across : INHERIT. And 75A. See 60-Across : THE WIND. The only split-up film.

66A. 117-Across Oscar-winning film : AN AMERICAN IN PARIS. Lovely movie. Leslie Caron went back to him in the end.

91A. 117-Across film with a classic umbrella scene : SINGIN' IN THE RAIN

106A. 117-Across's film debut : FOR ME AND MY GAL. Judy Garland was in the movie too.

117A. Song-and-dance man born 8/23/1912 : GENE KELLY

Today we have 105 theme squares. I mentioned before that gridding gets trickier when the number goes over 100.

Additionally, Pancho has 9 theme entries to deal with. 7 entries with the same 105 theme squares are easier to tackle. Hence the 82 black squares in this grid. Most of the time the count is capped at 78.

Across:

1. Frivolous : FLIP

5. Household moniker : PAPA. For Husker Gary.

9. Farm houses : COOPS

14. Medieval Italian chest : ARCA. Learned from doing Xword.

18. Western casino city : RENO

19. Portent : OMEN

20. Longtime talk show : OPRAH. She said she coined "Aha moment".

21. Sewing case item : SPOOL

24. She won the All-Around gymnastics gold eight years before Mary Lou : NADIA (Comaneci). In 1976. Mary Lou 1984. I drew a blank.


25. Male prefix : ANDRO. "Female prefix" is GYNOUS. Androgynous.

26. Simoleons : MOOLAH

30. Prize hopeful : NOMINEE

33. Shakespeare's fairy queen : TITANIA. "A Midsummer Night's Dream".

34. Instead : ELSE

38. Chaney of chillers : LON

39. Garment district biz : RAG TRADE

46. Former Toyota models : ECHOS

51. Kingly : REGAL

52. Mauna __ : LOA

53. Brouhaha : ADO. The brouhaha over Gabby Douglas' hair confused me.

54. Rest : OTHERS. Was thinking of verb.

55. Like reel-to-reel recordings : ANALOG

57. Prepare : READY

61. Newer, in a way : REVISED

64. Leb. neighbor : ISR

65. Handbook list, briefly : REGS (Regulations)

71. Moment to shine : SOLO. For Hope.

73. Publicity : INK

74. "Good heavens!" : MERCY ME. I thought eating walnuts make you smarter, as they resemble human brain.

77. "Wonder Woman" star Carter : LYNDA

79. It's measured in litres : PETROL

84. Corkscrew pasta : ROTINI

85. Uruguayan uncle : TIO. Alliteration.

86. PBS funder : NEA

89. Hindemith's instrument : VIOLA. Gimme, Jayce? I'm not familiar with Paul Hindemith.

90. Journalist Alexander : SHANA

95. Uses a cell : DOES TIME. Prison cell.

97. Lateral opening? : TRI. Trilateral.

98. Marine flier : ERNE. Always picture Dennis rather than ocean when I see "Marine".

99. Calgary's province : ALBERTA

103. So-so : AVERAGE

110. Daring : HEROIC

115. Caribbean honeymoon destination : ARUBA. Where did you go on your honeymoon?

116. Discontinue : CEASE

120. Cave __: beware of the dog : CANEM

121. "Oklahoma!" aunt : ELLER

122. Airport sign in red letters : AVIS. Tricky clue.

123. Fateful day : IDES

124. Bk. after Genesis : EXOD (Exodus)

125. Floor : STORY

126. Not at all wandering : RAPT. I feel CrossEyedDave is easily distracted.

127. Arboreal abode : NEST

Down:

1. Package label word : FROM. Argyle finally has a Trader Joe's in his neck of the woods. I told him about the must-try fig butter. He thought it's buttered fig.

2. "Leading With My Chin" author : LENO

3. Absorbed by : INTO

4. Sci-fi writer whose career spans more than 70 years : POHL (Frederik)

5. Place for a patch : POTHOLE

6. Latin trio word : AMO. "I love".

7. Chapel bench : PEW

8. 1997-2006 U.N. chief : ANNAN (Kofi)

9. Bury, say : CONCEAL

10. Colorful fish : OPAH

11. Novus __ seclorum: dollar bill phrase : ORDO

12. Dancers, often : PAIR

13. Alternatives to Nehis : SHASTAS. I wonder what Melissa's favorite drink is. Maybe tea. She's spiritual.

14. Nighttime problem : APNEA

15. "The Kiss" sculptor : RODIN

16. Herder from Wales : CORGI

17. Lei giver's greeting : ALOHA

21. Tool serrations : SAW TEETH. And 54. Sloped connection : ON RAMP. What Husker Gary said yesterday: "I can hear the HUM of Splynter’s circular saw!"

23. Caesar's end? : EAN. Caesarean.

28. "I, Claudius" role : NERO

29. Crisis offering : AID

31. Gal in a gang : MOLL

32. __-European : INDO

34. Literary Pound : EZRA. Ezra Pound the poet.

35. Financial claim : LIEN

36. Saturn maker : SEGA. Sega Saturn video game. Unknown to me.

37. The same to vous? : EGAL. And 47. Sorbonne sweetie : CHERI. Mon chéri. Ma chérie.

40. Pleased : GLAD

41. Like some sums : TIDY

42. Antique auto : REO

44. Regional plant life : FLORA

45. Language for a 69-Down : FARSI. 69. 45-Down speaker : IRANI.

48. Word spoken with one hand up : HERE'S. Toast.

49. Copier insert: Abbr. : ORIG

50. Grounded fleet: Abbr. : SSTS

56. Sign of spring : GEMINI

58. Common Mkt. : EEC

59. What Butler didn't give : A DAMN. "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn".

60. 1960s Cosby/Culp show : I SPY

62. Sell : VEND

63. Miff : IRK

64. Business abbr. : INC

66. Prince Valiant's wife : ALETA

67. Like a hopeless situation : NO WIN

68. Composer Rorem : NED

70. "Still Me" memoirist : REEVE

71. Narrow waterways: Abbr. : STRS (Straits)

72. "I know! I know!" : OH OH

76. Where Alice's adventures really took place : IN A DREAM

77. Household screen target : LINT

78. "You can observe a lot by watching" speaker : YOGI (Berra)

80. Improvised swing : TIRE.

81. Banzai Pipeline sound : ROAR. Never heard of this Pipeline, JD.

82. Ken of "Brothers & Sisters" : OLIN

83. Country way : LANE

85. "__ better to have loved ...": Tennyson : 'TIS. "... 'Tis better to have loved and lost /Than never to have loved at all...".

87. __'acte : ENTR

88. Big name in shaving : ATRA

91. Where to find happy mediums? : SEANCES. Nice clue.

92. Poetic technique : IMAGERY

93. St. Petersburg's river : NEVA

94. Most costly : HIGHEST

96. Taxonomic suffix : OTA. What?

99. "I've Just Seen __": Beatles : A FACE

100. His story is told by the Once-ler : LORAX. I don't know who Once-ler is.

101. Kirby of "City Slickers" : BRUNO. He's in "Good Morning, Vietnam".

102. Surround tightly : EMBED

104. "Enigma Variations" composer : ELGAR

105. Cry of fear : EEK

107. Shoulder muscle, for short : DELT

108. Bueno's opposite : MALO. French is "Mal".

109. Nieuwpoort's river : YSER

111. Check : REIN

112. Retro sign word : OLDE

113. Spots in la mer : ILES

114. Dermatologist's concern : CYST

118. "Little" '60s singer : EVA

119. Swig : NIP

Answer grid.

C.C.