Tuesday, December 11, 2012 Steven J. St. John

Theme: Not anyone else - Inside the themes is the word SELF.

17A. Eponymous son of auto pioneer Henry : EDSEL FORD

30A. Truck stop purchase : DIESEL FUEL

46A. Colorful coral reef dweller : DAMSELFISH

62A. True nature, and, literally, what can be found in 17-, 30- and 46-Across : INNER SELF

Argyle himself here. All the themes have an ELF hiding inside. Oops, that is SELF, the ELF is out in the open. This like a Monday solve/Tuesday construction. Nice vertical stacks in two corners, with some long and sparkly fill. Plenty of clechoes (clue echoes).

Across:

1. “Now!” in the ICU : "STAT!"

5. Rm. near the ICU : EMER.

9. Topping enjoyed after blowing out candles : ICING. It gets tasted while putting on the candles. You can't help but get some icing on your finger tips, right?

14. Something made before blowing out candles : WISH

15. Actress Olin : LENA. IMDb

16. 1976 Olympics star Comaneci : NADIA. and crossword favorite.

19. Easy gaits : TROTS

20. Overexercise, as a privilege : ABUSE and 21A. Like a right not exercised : WAIVED

23. It’s everything, so they say : TIMING

25. Kind of warfare or fighter : GUERILLA. Also with two R's.

29. Leaf part : STEM

32. Catalog biggie : SEARS. Still?

34. Otherwise : IF NOT

35. Lively Irish dance : JIG. Rare footage of Yellowrocks and Irish Miss in their younger days. Clip.

 

 38. Legislative assent : AYE. We had NAY yesterday. We'll have ABSTAIN tomorrow.

39. Prohibit : BAN

41. Year, in Spain : AÑO

42. “__ directed”: medication warning : USE AS

44. Hockey disks : PUCKS

49. Shoreline protection gp. : USCG. (United States Coast Guard)

53. Handshake words : "IT'S A DEAL"

54. Magazine bigwig : EDITOR. Crossword bigwig, too.

56. In exactly this way : JUST SO

58. Open-air lobbies : ATRIA

59. Ancient storyteller : AESOP

64. Insurance spokeslizard : GECKO. If you haven't seen the Geico gecko before, you don't need to see him now but it's a sheltered life you lead.

65. Lo __: noodle dish : MEIN. [Yum!]

66. Run into : MEET

67. Not from around here : ALIEN Link. Even the Russian Prime Minister has met them.

68. Performing __ : ARTS

69. ORD postings : ETD's. (Chicago's O'Hare Airport)

Down:

1. Gym duds : SWEATS

2. Snippet of gossip : TIDBIT

3. Presuppose : ASSUME

4. Game with virtual suburbanites : THE SIMS. Any players here?

5. Munchkin kin : ELF

6. Cat’s complaint : MEOW. A purr would be a compliment.

7. Makes really angry : ENRAGES

8. Half a diameter : RADIUS

9. Connect, as chain parts : INTERLINK

10. Capital of Wales : CARDIFF

11. Altar oath : "I DO"

12. “Picked” complaint : NIT

13. Nitrogen or helium : GAS

18. Sportscaster Berman : LEN

22. Geese flight formation : VEE

24. Aussie greeting : G'DAY

26. Roman moon deity : LUNA

27. Ponce de __ : LEON. He came to Florida looking for the Fountain of Youth (or was that Dennis?).

28. Voice below soprano : ALTO

31. Wrath : IRE

33. Gave more freedom to : EASED UP ON

35. Dench of Bond movies : JUDI

36. Words before stake or risk : IS AT

37. Precious stones : GEMS

39. Train alternative : BUS

40. Throb : ACHE

43. Facetiously : AS A JOKE

44. Pale lager beer : PILSNER

45. “No problem with that” : "SUITS ME"

47. “__ Misérables” : LES

48. Daughter of Muhammad : FATIMA. Strange it wasn't clued to Our Lady of Fátima, a more Tuesday friendly clue.

50. “Sesame __” : STREET

51. Like a Slinky : COILED

52. Skin transplants : GRAFTS

55. Patriotic women’s org. : DAR. (Daughters of the American Revolution)

57. Handling the job : ON IT

59. Turkish bigwig : AGA

60. Electric swimmer : EEL

61. Poli __ : SCI. Oh oh. I thought of Polident first.

63. USN rank : ENS. (Ensign)

Argyle

Monday, December 10, 2012 Amy Johnson

Theme: Ear Worm - This Video(4:04) was all the rage when it came out.

20A. *“I’m counting on you!” : "DON'T LET ME DOWN". Title of a Beatles song, could be a theme sometime.

27A. *Nervous Nellie : WORRYWART. I wonder how many will be familiar with this term but I'm not worried. The Word Detective will explain it. Link.

36A. *“By all means!” : "BE MY GUEST"

46A. *Bar’s business booster, in theory : HAPPY HOUR. It's five o'clock somewhere. Cheers!

53A. Singer of the feelgood a cappella #1 hit whose title begins the answers to starred clues : BOBBY McFERRIN

Happy Argyle here. I was half way through a clip when I realized it wasn't McFerrin's, so I linked the original. Sorry about any ad you had to watch.

I wasn't getting the theme until the unifier. And while it seemed a little tough while I was doing it, looking back, it doesn't seem that hard. Some nice down fill and a shortage of foreign words makes me happy.

Across:

1. Jellystone Park bear : YOGI. He made Mister Ranger worry.

5. Mazda roadster : MIATA

10. Pre-K basics : ABC's

14. Mary Kay competitor : AVON

15. Crop up : OCCUR

16. Female WWII gp. : WAAC. Women's Army Auxiliary Corps, changed to just WAC in 1943.

17. __ ring : MOOD

18. Cub-turned-radio co-host Ron : SANTO. A Chicago Cub legend, who was also a diabetic who lost the lower half of both legs before succumbing in 2010.

19. Thornfield Hall governess : EYRE. From Charlotte Brontë's. "Jane Eyre".

23. Foil giant : ALCOA

25. Chi.-based flier : UAL. (United Air Lines)

26. Rebellious Turner : NAT. Led a slave rebellion before the Civil War.

31. Wind-borne silt deposit : LOESS

33. Set (down) : LAY

34. Suffix with hero : INE. (heroine)

35. Last inning, usually : NINTH

39. Miserly : CHEAP

41. “__ little teapot ...” : I'M A

42. Rank above cpl. : SGT.

45. Unhappy spectator : BOOer

49. Saturn, for one : ORB

50. SoCal ball club, on scoreboards : LAA. (Los Angeles Angels)

52. Teeny-tiny : EENSY

58. Madison Avenue award : CLIO. (for advertising and design)

59. Congo creature with notable stripes : OKAPI

60. Look (like) : SEEM

63. Vocal quartet member : ALTO

64. Send payment : REMIT

65. Sporty car roof : T-TOP

66. Piece of work : TASK

67. Like a Siberian Husky’s ears : ERECT

68. W-2 IDs : SSN's

Down:

1. Thanksgiving veggie : YAM

2. Lacto-__ vegetarian : OVO. A vegetarian who does not eat meat of any kind, but consumes dairy and egg products.

3. One way to relieve pent-up emotion : GOOD CRY

4. Like some pools : INDOOR

5. Majority : MOST

6. Suffix with myth : ICAL. (mythical)

7. OXY target : ACNE. Their website, link

8. “Shame on you!” : "TUT, TUT". Well, tsk tsk if you didn't get it the first time.

9. Bakery lure : AROMA

10. Spellbound : AWED

11. Civil War weapon : BAYONET. Why the Civil War?

12. School fundraiser : CAR WASH

13. Hunting dogs pick them up : SCENTS

21. Aye’s opposite : NAY

22. Novelist Bret Easton __ : ELLIS. 1985 bestseller "Less Than Zero". Any reviews?

23. Shoemaker’s holemaker : AWL. Not Willie Shoemaker.

24. Hawaii’s Mauna __ : LOA

28. Chicken : WIMP

29. Whichever : ANY

30. Aqua __: platinum dissolver : REGIA. Why would you want to dissolve platinum? Wikipedia link.

32. Great Lakes prov. : ONT. (Ontario)

35. Spring tide counterpart : NEAP

36. Quilting party : BEE

37. Ahead of schedule : EARLY

38. Plate cleaner, at times : UMP

39. Top-selling Toyota : COROLLA

40. Tolkien’s Shire dwellers : HOBBITS. The movie is opening next week here.

42. Petrarchan works : SONNETS. Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch), was an Italian scholar and poet.

43. “Good Will Hunting” director Van Sant : GUS

44. Test, as one’s patience : TRY

45. Lynx family member : BOBCAT

46. Unauthorized user? : HACKER

47. “__ out!” : Y'ER. Last of the baseball clues.

48. Stickups : HEISTS

51. Dean Martin’s “That’s __” : AMORE

54. Reserve : BOOK

55. Starlet’s goal : FAME

56. Homer’s “Iliad,” for one : EPIC

57. “Hud” director Martin : RITT. IMDb.

61. Forever and a day : EON

62. AWOLs avoid them : MP's

Argyle