Monday, September 24, 2012 Adam Prince

Theme: Alternative to soup? - Four entrées with a salad on the side, two of which came first and two that followed.

17A. Corfu or Crete : GREEK ISLE

25A. Salute heard at the Forum : "HAIL CAESAR"

37A. Classic Frances Hodgson Burnett children’s novel : "THE SECRET GARDEN"

45A. Once-common childhood ailment : CHICKEN POX

56A. Entrée go-with, or the aptly placed part of 17-, 25-, 37- or 45-Across : SIDE SALAD

Argyle here. Debut for our constructor, I believe. The grid spanning entry and the two long down fill is impressive. The overuse of plurals, not so much. The solid blocks in two of the corners is back on the impressive side again. I'll feel the fool if Adam Prince is an anagram for our editor.

Across:

1. Sitcom’s test episode : PILOT

6. Sitcom interrupters : ADs

9. Holy Roman emperor crowned in CMLXII : OTTO I. (962)

14. In on, with “to” : PRIVY. Yes, PRIVY can mean something else.

15. Keg attachment : TAP

16. “Yep” : "UH HUH"

19. Hopping mad : IRATE

20. Close again, as a Ziploc bag : RESEAL

21. Volkswagen sedan : JETTA

22. Scary Nile snakes : ASPs

27. Friend of Monica and Rachel on “Friends” : PHOEBE

29. Dumbbell abbr. : LBS. Abbreviation found on a dumbbell, not of a dumbbell.

30. Selfish sort : TAKER

31. Snow-block home : IGLOO

34. Ab __: from day one : OVO. Latin, literally, from the egg.

40. CIA precursor : OSS. (Office of Strategic Services)

41. Arkin and Alda : ALANs

42. Queen, in France : REINE. (feminine form of roi)

43. End of a professor’s email address : .EDU

44. Makes sense : ADDS UP

51. Flower stalk : STEM

52. Boca __ : RATON. Ever wonder about the name? Wonder no more. Wiki.

53. Young bird of prey : EAGLET. Are all the bird-cams shut down now?

55. Primitive calculators : ABACI. Yes, early but primitive...?

60. Spiced rice dish : PILAF

61. Cinque meno due : TRE. Italian. 5-2=3

62. Prefix with -dactyl : PTERO

63. Keep in the warehouse : STORE

64. IRS W-4 info : SSN

65. Saudi Arabia neighbor : YEMEN

Down:

1. NBA scoring stat : PPG. (points per game)

2. Like some reduced mdse. : IRR. (irregular)

3. Commit perjury : LIE

4. Supervises : OVERSEES

5. Trike rider : TYKE. Very similar.

6. On the ocean : AT SEA

7. __ Lama : DALAI

8. Wizard’s incantation : SPELL

9. Séance accessory : OUIJA BOARD

10. Good scores on par-fours : THREEs. I started BIRDIE before THREES.

11. “__ a wrap!” : THAT'S

12. “__ sight!” : OUTTA

13. “Word on the street is ...” : "I HEAR ..."

18. “__ Dead?”: Mark Twain play : IS HE. Written in 1898, published in print in 2003. Why the lag? Wikipedia.

22. Probably will, after “is” : APT TO

23. Persian sovereigns : SHAHs

24. Jabs in the ribs : POKES

26. Thick-soled shoe : CLOG. Cousin of a sabot.

28. Serrated kitchen tool : BREAD KNIFE

31. Pension supplement, for short : IRA. (Individual Retirement Arrangement) Update: (see IRS Publication 590, "Individual Retirement Arrangements")

32. First Bible bk. : GEN. (Genesis)

33. USN officers : LTs. Pay grade O-3, Lieutenant.

34. Keats, notably : ODIST

35. Change of __: trial request : VENUE

36. Early aft. hour : ONE PM

38. Game with rooms and weapons : "CLUE". And colorful characters.

39. Republican region, on a political map : RED STATE

43. Toyota Prius, e.g. : ECO-CAR. Ecologically Friendly.

44. Wheel-supporting shaft : AXLE

45. High roller’s game : CRAPS. Betting on the roll of the dice.

46. Nun’s wear : HABIT

47. __-Turkish War : ITALO

48. Homes in trees : NESTS

49. Sock purchases : PAIRS

50. Humorous poet Nash : OGDEN

54. Catch sight of : ESPY

57. NASA moon craft : LEM. (Lunar Excursion Module)

58. “We __ the World” : ARE. Video(7:43) Original recording from 1985, "USA for Africa". Now there is "We Are the World 25 for Haiti" and "We Are the World 25 for Haiti (YouTube edition)". I'll have to listen to them when I have more time.

59. Mafia boss : DON

Answer grid.

Argyle

Sunday September 23, 2012 Alan Arbesfeld

(If your paper does not carry the puzzle we're blogging here on Sundays, Click it to solve on line or print out a copy.)

Theme: Inside Help - SOS spans across two words inside each theme entry.

 

23A. Infielder traded by the Yankees to get Alex Rodriguez : ALFONSO SORIANO. Now with the Cubs. Great leadoff man.

 33A. Bygone U.S. fuel stop : ESSO STATION

 42A. "How the Camel Got His Hump" et al. : JUST SO STORIES

 57A. Where Hope sprang eternal? : USO SHOWS. Bob Hope.

 80A. Japanese food staple : MISO SOUP. My grandma liked fermented soy beans. She never made Miso soup.

 95A. "CBS News Sunday Morning" host : CHARLES OSGOOD. Hard to find answers with S & OS spanning. Plenty of SO & S to choose.

 

 103A. Area in the North Atlantic : SARGASSO SEA

 116A. Lord Kitchener of Trinidad et al. : CALYPSO SINGERS

 120. Help found inside eight puzzle answers : SOS

On Sundays, I like to guess what the theme is by looking at the puzzle title. Often I'm wrong. Today I thought AIDE is contained in each theme answer.

 

Across:

1. Fowl poles : ROOSTS. Lovely clue.

7. Something for a rainy day : NEST EGG. I always associate this with retirement.

 14. Bad mark : STIGMA

20. Lenient sort : SOFTIE. I think Irish Miss is one. Hope your ice maker is working now.

21. Not quite par : ONE OVER. Bogey.

22. Snorkeling site : LAGOON. JD likes snorkeling.

25. Journalist Peter : ARNETT. Covered the Gulf War for CNN.

26. John Irving's "__ of the Circus" : A SON

27. Bit of derring-do : GEST

28. Obi-Wan portrayer : EWAN (McGregor)

30. Ratio words : IS TO

31. Fit to be fried : EDIBLE. Fun clue. Deserves a fun link from Dave. Such an unfaithful rat!

36. Like : A LA

38. Fair-hiring inits. : EOE

39. "Moon River" composer : MANCINI ( Henry). Forgot. Definitely googled his name before.

41. Ran into : MET

45. Select : TAP

47. Jets' former gp. : AFL (American Football League). 1960-1969.

50. Cuts short : ABORTS

51. __ of vantage: favorable position : COIGN. Never heard of this word before.

52. Literary lord : JIM. Conrad novel "Lord Jim". Drew a blank.

53. Court answer : PLEA

54. Lucy Lawless role : XENA

55. Coastal flooding cause : TSUNAMI.  Rooted in Japanese, literally "harbor wave".

59. Soft "Hey, you!" : PSST

61. Didn't quite win : PLACED. At the racetrack.

63. You can skip the flat ones : STONES

64. Stage remark : ASIDE

67. Part of a Maui welcome : LEI

69. Barber's challenge : MOP

71. Año starter : ENERO

72. Back from a trip, say : IN TOWN

74. Mideast native : SEMITE

78. One-named supermodel : EMME

 

82. "West Side Story" number : AMERICA. See here.  A few doses of racial slurs.

84. Lift near a lodge : T-BAR. Ski lodge. I think Marti can be a stunt woman. She's so adventurous & fearless.

88. Purim's month : ADAR

89. Stock mkt. opening? : IPO

90. Lean cuisine lover : SPRAT.  Good clue. Never tried Lean Cuisine though.

91. Theater district : RIALTO

93. Address bk. datum : TEL

94. Modern address : URL

97. Smashed : LIT. Drunk.

99. Was of use : AVAILED

101. Excessively : TOO

102. Short missions? : OPs. Anyone else reading "No Easy Day"?

106. Fivesome : PENTAD

108. Grenoble girlfriend : AMIE

109. Problem's end? : ATIC. Problematic.

110. It may be used in a pinch : SALT. Clever.

112. Suspicious of : ONTO

114. Iowa and Indiana are in it : BIG TEN

121. Available for work : ON HIRE

122. Most avant-garde : EDGIEST. 5D Least resonant : TINNIEST. Sometimes constructors just could not make snazzier entries work.

123. Earthquake prefix : SEISMO. Quite a long prefix.

124. Walk unsteadily : TOTTER

125. Strengthens : DEEPENS

126. Ridges in ranges : ARETES

Down:

1. Cape Town's home: Abbr. : RSA

2. Dancer enslaved by Jabba the Hutt : OOLA

3. When many trades are made : OFF SEASON

4. Put up with : STOOD

6. His, to Henri : SES

7. Long time follower? : NO SEE. Long time no see. This phrase is rooted in Chinese I think. We say this often.

8. Slaughter on the field : ENOS

9. Spanish muralist : SERT. José María Sert.

10. Vous, familiarly : TOI

11. One of the Peróns : EVA

12. Torah starter : GENESIS

13. Become gradually more desirable to : GROW ON. I have the feeling that "Gangnam Style" won't grow on Jayce. Quirky horse dance. But hey, we have an exciting new clue for PSY.

14. Bias : SLANT

15. Do road work : TAR

16. Start to burn : IGNITE

17. Abandons the band : GOES IT ALONE. Nice long answer.

18. Slogan : MOTTO

19. Dramatist Chekhov : ANTON

24. Gives more than the once-over : OGLES. Here. I've watched almost all parodies of the song, Army, Marines, Navy, etc.

29. The way things stand : AS IT IS

32. Raises : BOOSTS

33. Puzzle : ENIGMA

34. Pretty : SCENIC. Melissa linked this one before. So pretty.

35. Band booster : AMP

36. Comet competitor : AJAX

37. Garage job : LUBE

39. Marshmallowy treat : MOON PIE. A week from now on, I'll be eating moon cakes.

40. Plain font choice : ARIAL

43. Hidden entrance : TRAP DOOR

44. Ft. Worth campus : TCU

46. John of "Good Times" : AMOS

48. A smaller number : FEWER

49. Nab, in oaters : LASSO

52. Karate kin : JUDO

53. Frustrating series of calls : PHONE TAG

56. N.L. Central team : STL

58. Originate : STEM

60. Attaches, in a way, with "on" : SEWS. Boomer is attending a bowling tournament today, with a brand new bowling shirt with his name embroidered on the back.

62. Shade of green : EMERALD

64. Get in one's sights : AIM AT

65. Nasty : SNIDE

66. "There there" : IT'S ALL RIGHT. Another great entry.

68. Hockey great Phil, familiarly : ESPO

70. Upper-bod muscle : PEC

73. Dark genre : NOIR

75. Bag mate of a cleek and a niblick : MASHIE. Old name for 5 iron. Bobby Jones used this word in his "How I Play Golf" series. Cleek is 2 iron. Niblick is 9 iron.

76. Classic Chevy : IMPALA

77. __ Haute : TERRE

79. Strand : MAROON

81. Like a baseball home team : UP LAST

83. Manhattan suffix : ITE

85. Exam many examinees won't look at : BLOOD TEST. Tricky clue.

86. Over : ATOP

87. Fishing gear : RODS

92. Big name in gloves : ISOTONER

94. Hagen of Broadway : UTA

95. Falls : CASCADE

96. Leaves in : STETS

98. "That makes sense" : I GET IT

100. Spoken : VOICED

103. Cousin of a clog : SABOT. Root word for sabotage.

104. Essential acid : AMINO

105. More sound : SANER

106. Cabal activities : PLOTS

107. 1973 #1 hit for the Stones : ANGIE

110. Graf __ : SPEE

111. NCAA member?: Abbr. : ASSN. I like this clue also.

113. "Him __": beau's ultimatum : OR ME

115. Ahead of, in verse : ERE

117. Size above med. : LGE

118. Pound sound : YIP

119. Patience-virtue link : IS A. Patience is a virtue, esp in crossword construction.

Answer grid.

C.C.