Saturday, Feb 16th, 2013, Brad Wilber & Doug Peterson

Theme: None

Words: 70

Blocks: 33

   Our "other" dynamic duo does it again with a do-able themeless thrasher.   A rather odd grid having a block (6 cheater squares) in the 1 across and 1 down position, but with the highest freshness factor I have seen, and no fill longer than 9 letters. Some answers that will grab this group's attention;

18A. Lady Violet in "Downton Abbey," e.g. : DOWAGER - I do not watch, but I have lurked here on those days when *Spoiler Alert~!* would have been appreciated....so SHH~!!! And - symmetrically, the other 7-letter fill in the lower spot starts with D-O-W-, too;

45A. Command to Fido : DOWN BOY

29A. Familiar title of Beethoven's "Bagatelle No. 25" : FÜR ELISE - It's so recognizable, but I thought I would link a version for those of us who "fret" rather than tickle the ivories

48A. Anteater's slurp in the comic "B.C." : ZOT

 

36D. Over-90 day, say : SIZZLER - Over 90°, that is - and I am sure there are those in the upstate NY and the New England area that can't wait for those days to return; me, I spent my Birthday weekend digging out, and I don't mind; I'm a winter baby

Onward~!!

ACROSS:

1. Duke's Mike Krzyzewski, familiarly—he holds the NCAA Division I men's basketball record for most wins : COACH K - not a Basketball kind of guy, but once I had "C-O-A-", I guessed the rest

7. Gets stuffed : FEASTS

13. Mawkish : MAUDLIN - sometimes I think this word seems like it's missing a final "G"

14. Many Civil War mess kits : TINWARE

15. Gallery event : ART SALE - ack~!, not ART SHOW

16. Arab League member since 1962 : ALGERIA

17. Pulled off : DID

20. GI assignments : KPs - Kitchen Patrol, working in the mess unit

21. Nash's "ill wind that no one blows good" : OBOE

23. Run together : BLUR - ack~!, not BLED

24. Hershey's candy : ROLO - ack~!, not KISS

25. Karate takedown maneuver : FOOT SWEEP

28. Bagel order, maybe : DOZEN

30. 2003-'04 OutKast chart-topper : HEY YA

31. Monopoly deed word : RENT - filled it, thought it was "too easy", took it out - and then it was back in again

32. Vitamin starter? : MEGA - mega-vitamin

33. Got the lead out? : MINED - or the ore of any metal, for that matter

35. WWII Pacific Theater battle site : CORAL SEA

39. Without any aptitude for : BAD AT - I'm BAD AT witty lines; I always think of the perfect one about 10 minutes after the cutie I was talking to is long gone....

40. Emotional one-eighty : MOOD SWING - crossing MOON BASE

41. Turgenev's birthplace : OREL - Ivan the Turgenev, playwright, born in Oryol, according to Wiki

42. Bingo call : B TEN - let's see; it could be B-one and B-two as well; the numbers associated with BINGO cards are astounding

43. Fitch who partnered with Abercrombie : EZRA

44. Broadway legend Hagen : UTA - learned from doing crosswords, and one of my first pass fills which meant it was not a complete white-wash

49. The "G" in G.K. Chesterton : GILBERT - mostly perps, and sensible WAGs for the other couple of letters

51. Ethel Waters title line following "Now he's gone, and we're through" : "AM I BLUE?"

53. Latte option : HALF-CAF - I only "do" my own coffee, and maybe 7-11 or Dunkin' Donuts; and it's coffee-flavored coffee with "fake sugar" and creamer

54. Lucky groups? : SEPTETS - C.C. said my lucky numbers are 2, 5, and 8

55. Schemer : SLY FOX

56. Sew up : ENSURE - HA~! Not STITCH, which fit, and SUTURE, too

DOWN:

1. Arctic game : CARIBOU - oh, DUH - that kind of "game"

2. Unprotected, in a way : OUTDOOR

3. Much spam : ADvertisementS

4. Decent, so to speak : CLAD - She's clad, but is she decent?  What about him?

5. American port below the 20th parallel : HILO - Considered "GUAM", but waited to see what crossed; Hawaiian port

6. Emulated a '50s TV father? : KNEW BEST - before my time

7. One doing cabinet work? : FILER - one who FILES, in that kind of cabinet; I prefer the wood-working version....

8. IBM hire, maybe : ENGR - eh, not TECH

9. Floor : AWE - it was in, then ECUADOR fit @ 16A, messed me up

10. Chirac's successor : SARKOZY - ah, French presidents; I didn't even know they HAD one; I thought it was some sort of "prime minister"

11. Like the least risky bonds : TRIPLE A - Market references in a puzzle containing MADOFF might get some people's blood in a boil

12. __ pass : SEASON - I was looking for CARSON, DODSON, etc., not the "admission ticket" to an amusement park; we have "Splish-Splash" in Riverhead, they offer a season pass

13. Bernie __, subject of the 2011 book "The Wizard of Lies" : MADOFF - Yeah, he "MADE OFF" with a lot of people's money; if you ask me, prison was too easy; he needed to be put to work at UPS for $8/hr, and forced to earn a living like most of us have/had to

14. Run after a fly? : TAG UP - hey, baseball - what, about 7 weeks away, C.C.? (The season starts on April 1 Monday.)

19. Not being buffeted as much : ALEE - healthy Saturday cluing for "away from the wind"

22. Enduring : ETERNAL

24. Majestic euphemism : ROYAL WE

26. Nasty fall : SLEET

27. Empty talk : WIND

28. "Fin d'Arabesque" painter : DEGAS

 

 30. Wrangler's charge : HERD

32. Sci-fi destination : MOON BASE - If you're a Sci-Fi kind of person, check out this movie; essentially a one-man cast, and really fascinating; more at IMDb

33. __ arts : MARTIAL

34. "If everything works out ..." : IDEALLY

35. Either "A Serious Man" director : COEN - Joel and Ethan, who have given us some great movies; here's the clued one; sounds like "Falling Down"

37. Getting there : EN ROUTE

38. Striped marbles : AGATES - Learned this one from crosswords, too

39. Large branches : BOUGHS

40. Appt. book sequence : MTWTF - the days of the week in an appointment book; I love this fill - very cool

42. Cleansing agent : BORAX - nailed it

45. Geometric art style : DECO - Art Deco, like the Chrysler Building; I happen to like the style, but then again, I am fond of straight lines (in art, that is - I like curves, too - see 4D) more here

46. Augur's reading : OMEN - Pondered PALM, but glad I waited

47. Litter sounds : YIPS - ack~!, not MEWS

50. Texter's soul mate : BFF - Best Friend Forever - I don't have one :7(

52. HVAC measure : BTU - British Thermal Unit

Splynter

Note from C.C.

Happy Birthday to Crazy Cat! Are you still reading us?

Friday, February 15, 2013, Donna S. Levin

Theme: OLA mi amigos y amigas:

A Friday offering from one of our favorite puzzle makers. I can hear the joy in Hahtoolah's voice already. Each of the theme answers has OLA added to create a new and whimsical phrase. A very tight puzzle with low word and block count, and some excellent long fill such as CATHODE,  CHARITY,  ROSIEST,  STAYS AT, FUNNY LADY,  SEMICOLON. The theme are two across and two down, with the reveal dead center, creating another visually pleasing grid. Not too much deception, just solid fill and cluing.

20A. Catch that's burnt sienna and cerulean? : CRAYOLA FISH. CRAYFISH (or crawfish, or crawdads) are lobster like creatures and burnt sienna and cerulean are colors in the really big box of crayola crayons. 

53A. Result of Pepsi shortages? : COLA RATIONS. C Rations are now passe, replaced with MREs, but the prospect of having to ration Pepsi probably would upset some. Like mb's TENG, you have to see how to parse the answer or it becomes very hard.

11D. Bootblack's buffer : SHINOLA PAD. I do not know if this brand of shoe polish is till sold, but then again, I don't know S*** from Shinola,  though I would wear a shin pad if I played soccer.

29D. Spec on an architect's blueprint? : CUPOLA SIZE. The funny little things on top of houses, churches etc. Dennis will deliver his scintillating lecture later on CUP SIZE and sensitivity.

37A. Paid endorsement, in slang, and an apt title for this puzzle : PLUGOLA. I am much more familiar with the term PAYOLA, for what DJ's were paid to play certain records, but this is the unifier.

Across:

1. AOL and NetZero : ISPS. Internet Service Providers.

5. Alley biters : CURS. The wild dogs which haunt and hunt in alleys.

9. Like some questions : YES/NO. TRUE/FALSE, most cross-examination is intended to be yes no.

14. Medieval defense : MOAT. Kinda out of style with flying ships and artillery.

15. Slim woodwind : OBOE.

16. Having a designated assignment : AD HOC. LINK.

17. Intangible quality : AURA. The tree huggers are forever seeing people's aurae.

18. Rise dramatically : LOOM. This was tricky, even though accurate, as in the specter of doom loomed over Gotham City.

19. Capital name derived from an Arabic term for "the conqueror" : CAIRO. A learning moment for me.

23. "Platoon" war zone : NAM. This MOVIE (1:51) from back when Charlie Sheen was an actor.

24. Peevish mood : SNIT. I always picture marti in a snit when she finds a nit.

25. Battery terminal : CATHODE. You need to know ions and positive and negative charges, I will let one of our resident experts expatiate.

27. Not just search for : LOCATE.

30. Adenoid, e.g. : TONSIL. When I was young it was quite common to have all of your adenoids and tonsils removed, these tissue caused problems. I still have all of mine.

31. Reclassification of 2006 : PLUTO. It lost its status as a planet, which so far has not been accepted by astrologers.

32. Soufflé recipe word : FOLD.  A tricky dish for most of us, so here is your CHANCE..

33. One of the Smurfs : PAPA. How blue are you?

36. The world total was approx. $70 trillion in 2011 : GDP. Gross Domestic Product.

40. Say nothing good about : PAN. Made famous by critics. This usage may come from the term panning for gold, from which also get, it did not pan out.

41. Dating from : AS OF.

43. "___ uncertain world..." : IN AN. The book, the movie?

44. Hit on the head : BRAIN. Pretty logical.

46. Napery : LINENS. Same root as Napkin.

48. Charley, in Steinbeck's "Travels With Charley" : POODLE. A standard, not a toy.

49. Tax-exempt entity, usually : CHARITY. There are so many tax exempts.

51. Ergo : THUS. How simple and perfect.

52. "___ So Fine": Chiffons hit : HE'S. A Classic TUNE.(1:51)

58. Roll out of bed : ARISE.

60. Dollar alternative : AVIS. Another deception, as who thinks rental cars first.

61. Airline with blue-striped jets : EL AL. The colors of Israel.

62. Slips through the cracks : OOZES. Fun clue.

63. They may be loaded : DICE. Tinman and his friends just would not fit.

64. Rest area rester : SEMI. Truck stop would have been too easy.

65. Dog in a horned helmet : SNERT. Hagar the Horrible's dog, or Snot Nosed Egotistical Rude Teen-ager.

66. Chatty bovines? : YAKS. Nice play on the meanings of YAK.

67. Nailed obliquely : TOED. Splynter can give you all the expert info.

Down:

1. Eye-catching Apple : IMAC. Is this and I to eye pun?

2. Grow displeased : SOUR. We are barely on the downs, so hang in there.

3. Normal beginning? : PARAnormal. A movie as well.

4. Patronizes, in a way : STAYS AT. The best way to patronize an inn or hotel.

5. Herding dog : COLLIE. Lassie, where are you?

6. Member of the Kaiser's fleet : U-BOAT.

7. Heliport site : ROOF. The need to land high to avoid power lines.

8. Wink without batting an eye? : SEMICOLON. ;)   LOL.  (From C.C.: My mistake earlier. Lemonade had the correct sign earlier.)

9. Marina Del Rey craft : YACHTS.

10. Author LeShan : EDA. Sorry, H. but “When we cannot bear to be alone, it means we do not properly value the only companion we will have from birth to death - ourselves.” ― Eda LeShan

12. "Wargames" org. : NORAD. North American Aerospace Defense Command is not a true Acronym, even though there is an R in there somewhere.

13. Carol start : O COME. all ye faithful.

21. Victorious : ON TOP. But not always necessary.

22. Common '80's-'90s failure : S AND L. Savings and Loan. Such complicated times.

26. Cool : HIP.

27. Stacy Lewis's org. : LPGA. Ladies Professional Golf Association, Stacy overcame scoliosis to make it to the top of the sport, though 15 year old Lydia Ko from NZ seems ready to brush all aside.

28. Auto pioneer : OLDS. This famous RANSOM.

30. Senate wear : TOGAS. Romans, not ours.

32. 1975 film sequel : FUNNY LADY. Sequel to Funny Girl, both Barbra Streisand vehicles based on the life of Fanny Brice.

34. Water holder : PAIL. On my bucket list.

35. Fantasy author McCaffrey : ANNE. If you like fiction and fantasy you will love her BOOKS.

38. Deceive : LIE TO.

39. Near : ABOUT. Why do I hear this word in my head said by a Canadian, Eh?

42. Cone home : FIR. Cone home, E.T.

45. Least pessimistic : ROSIEST. Ah, we fall into a good mood whether we want one or not.

47. Superlatively sweet : NICEST. marti's picture is next to this word in the dictionary.

48. Stages : PHASES. n excuse for bad behavior.

49. Opposite of order : CHAOS. I love Jeff Goldblum as the Chaos theoretician in Jurassic Park.

50. Shoebill's cousin : HERON. You can see how birds came from dinosaurs.

51. Ruse : TRICK. Or treat!

54. New Balance rival : AVIA. Are they hanging in with the inroads from Nike and Sketchers?

55. Dairy bar : OLEO. Misleading but already in by perps.

56. Identify : NAME. I loved the Lloyd Thaxton show where you had to identify songs, like Name That Tune for Rock and Roll.

57. Decreases : SLID. Well my energy is sliding into oblivion.

59. Msg. from the Bible : SERmon.

Well I guess my preaching for the day is done, so go and enjoy your day and the holiday if you celebrate the Presidents. I want to welcome all the newbies again. It is fun to watch the Corner evolve and survive.

Lemonade

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to our Hondo Hurricane, an avid San Francisco Giants fan since 1948, rookie season of Clinton Hartung whose nickname is "The Hondo Hurricane".  Hondo also deals with vintage baseball cards. I bet he has touched or even sold  a Topps '52 Mantle. The closest I've ever been to that card is seeing it under a glass case at a card show. $1600 price tag. I can't remember its exact grading.