Monday March 4, 2013 Peter Koetters

Theme: WANTED: Nursery Rhyme Characters (All Males)

 17A. WANTED: Dimwitted loiterer, for pie-tasting without intent to buy : SIMPLE SIMON

 23A. WANTED: Boy on the run, for unwanted kissing : GEORGIE PORGIE

 35A. WANTED: Delinquent minor, for breaking curfew and inappropriate dress : WEE WILLIE WINKIE

 49A. WANTED: Musical shepherd, for sleeping on the job : LITTLE BOY BLUE

 58A. WANTED: Merry monarch, for smoke pollution with his pipe : OLD KING COLE

C.C. here, giving Argyle a break. I had thought Cruciverb might experience their monthly no-new puzzle glitch again.

Five theme entries (63 squares) is a lot for a Monday, or any day of the week. But as I mentioned before, filling is trickier for Monday/Tuesday puzzles as constructors can't have difficult words in the grid.

This grid is just perfect.

 

Across:

1. Rebounding sound : ECHO. Easy start.

5. Early newspaper magnate : HEARST. "Citizen Kane"!

11. "So-o-o cute!" sounds : AWS

14. Vietnam neighbor : LAOS

15. List of printing mistakes : ERRATA

16. Game, __, match : SET

19. __ urchin : SEA

20. Año Nuevo month : ENERO

21. Popular exercise choice : JOGGING

27. Fun and games : PLAY. So I was reading Whitey Bulger's bio earlier. Was surprised that he talked, in the end.

29. Uncle's mate : AUNT

30. Singles : ONES

31. Dart thrower's asset : AIM

32. Turn off, as the lights : KILL. Never used this expression before. Kill time, yes.

33. Crime lab evidence, briefly : DNA

41. Isn't missing : HAS

42. Bump into : MEET. Who's the famous person you've ever met?

43. __ sequitur: illogical conclusion : NON

44. Church recess : APSE

47. Up to the task : ABLE

48. Do bar work : TEND

53. Harrison Ford's "Star Wars" role : HAN SOLO. And 44. "Java" trumpeter : AL HIRT. All full names. They appear often due to their friendly letter combo. Ed Asner is another one. (Thanks for the correction, Misty!)

54. Dispenser of theater programs : USHER

57. Pasta suffix : INI. Like Rotini. Speaking of food, I've never baked those pre-made steamed buns, Pas de Chat. I suppose you could give it a try. As for Jayce's Fish ball yesterday, Irish Miss, I think the key ingredient is Kao Fu (wheat gluten), then they add fish flavor. Mock meat is normally made of either wheat gluten or Tofu.

62. Mythical giant bird : ROC

63. Takes care of : SEES TO

64. Charity donations : ALMS

65. "For shame!" : TSK

66. Came next : ENSUED

67. Digs made of twigs : NEST

Down:

1. Otherwise : ELSE

2. Brother of Abel : CAIN

3. Dodger Stadium contest, to the Dodgers : HOME GAME. Peter must be a Dodgers' fan, like Bill. 

4. Fish hawk : OSPREY

5. Half a giggle : HEE

6. "Thinking, thinking ..." sounds : ERs

7. Onassis nickname : ARI. I think Maria Callas really loved him.

8. Type of missile engine : RAMJET

9. Small, raised porch in front of a door : STOOP

10. Dramatic ballroom dance : TANGO

11. Designate, as a seat : ASSIGN

12. Hot dog : WEENIE. I never acquired the taste for hot dogs or sausages.

13. Oater transports : STAGES

18. Lav in Leeds : LOO

22. "Ouch!" relative, in response to a pun : GROAN

24. Train tracks : RAILS

25. Noisy shorebird : GULL

26. Left hanging : IN LIMBO

27. Tiger's foot : PAW

28. Untruth : LIE

32. Sorento automaker : KIA

33. Nerd : DWEEB

34. Picayune point to pick : NIT. Triple alliteration.

36. Sharpens, as a knife : WHETS

37. Wriggly : EELY

38. Space under a desk : KNEEHOLE

39. Electrified particle : ION

40. Finish : END

45. Baby grands, e.g. : PIANOS

46. Jolly old Xmas visitor : ST NICK

47. Homes : ABODES

48. Florence native, for one : TUSCAN. Qli liked "Under the Tuscan Sun".

50. Free from restraint : LOOSE

51. Funny DeGeneres : ELLEN. Love her. So authentic.

52. Haul : LUG

55. Big shade trees : ELMS

56. Break at the office : REST

59. Sunflower St. school : KSU (Kansas State University). The Wildcats. Kent State is also known as KSU, right?

60. Suffix with Israel : ITE

61. Silently assent : NOD

C.C.

Sunday March 3, 2013 Elizabeth C. Gorski,

Theme: "Invitees" - T is inserted into each common phrase.

23A. Heavenly ruler? : ST. PETER'S T-SQUARE. St Peter's Square. So I listened to John Thavis interview with "Fresh Air" the other night. Wow, was I disillusioned. Corruption, turf battle. 

35A. Game with swinging and dancing? : DISCO T-BALL. Disco ball.

43A. Theban king's dinosaur? : OEDIPUS T. REX. Oedipus Rex. King of Thebes.

69A. Economy-boosting govt. issue? : STIMULUS T-BILL. Stimulus bill. Been more than 4 years.

96A. Steaks served at roasts? : FUNNY T-BONES. Funny bones.

102A. Contraption that gives skiers a lift in more ways than one? : COFFEE T-BAR. Coffee bar.

118A. Motto for the Untouchables? : STAND BY YOUR T-MAN. "Stand by Your Man".

Neat to see those stalwart T* words we often see in Xwords elevated into theme entries today. Very clever gimmick.

Liz Gorski also constructed one of the puzzles for the coming ACPT. That's truly an All-Star lineup.

Across:

1. Sympathy seekers : MARTYRS. Thought of that Tunisian guy who set himself on fire. Without him, there probably would not have been Arab Spring.

8. Spring title on a beefcake calendar : MR. MAY.  To me, Dave Winfield is the "Mr. May". Steinbrenner wanted a "Mr. October" (Reggie Jackson). Like Paul Molitor, Winfield was born in St. Paul.

13. Chills out : RESTS

18. Almond-flavored liqueur : AMARETTO

20. Ocean floor : SEA BED

22. Strain : EXERT

25. "The War Between the Tates" author Alison : LURIE. Not familiar with the book or the author. 

26. Cub with many dingers : SOSA. He'll never make the Hall.

27. Wight or Man: Abbr. : ISL

28. Party org. : DNC. Or RNC.

29. Alarm : STARTLE

31. Best-selling physician : DR. SPOCK

37. "I'm responsible" : BLAME ME. How nice!

40. Cohn played by Pacino in "Angels in America" : ROY.  Is it as good as "City of Angels"?

42. Sea eagles : ERNES

46. Bond girl Ekland : BRITT. No memory of this girl. She's in "The Man with the Golden Gun". Splynter's kind of girl.

47. Hubbub : ADO

50. Polish targets : NAILS. I still maintain that a man who's fully capable of taking care of himself should not visit a nail salon.

51. Surfer's gadget : REMOTE

53. Stereo on one's shoulder : BOOMBOX

55. Handed down, in a way : ORAL. Like folklore.

56. Still in the game : ALIVE

58. Kemo __ : SABE

60. The Green Wall of China is designed to slow its expansion : GOBI. Oh I read it "The Great Wall of China" and said "What?". This project started in 1978. Will be completed in 2050, supposedly. Lots of trees have been planted along the desert line.

61. City whose police cars sport a witch logo : SALEM. New trivia to me.

63. __ Nostra : COSA

64. Surpassed : OUTDID

66. Klutz : OAF

73. Bootery spec : EEE

74. Absolutely awful : STINKO

76. Writer Bagnold : ENID

77. Crimean Peninsula city : YALTA

79. Ripped : TORE

80. Fedora feature : BRIM

81. Pond flower : CALLA. Calla lily.

83. Sweet'__: drink additive : N LOW. Fake sugar.

87. As a group : EN MASSE

90. Prefix with -crat : TECHNO

92. "Revolutionary" Chopin work : ETUDE

93. Object in court : RES

94. Parishioner's obligation : TITHE

99. Pianist known for his Beethoven interpretations : ARRAU (Claudio). Chilean pianist.

100. See 62-Down : FOR. 62. With 100-Across, petition : ASK. 

101. Freaky to the max : EERIEST

106. City in Pennsylvania Dutch country : LEBANON. Gimme for Yellowrocks.

109. Like some back roads : ONE LANE
 

110. Goat's cry : MAA

112. Golden, in Paris : D'OR. As in Palme D'or.

113. Poetic dusks : EENS

117. VersaVac maker : ORECK

123. Grammy-winning Gorme : EYDIE

124. Persian Gulf sight : TANKER

125. Warned : ON NOTICE

126. Overhaul the lawn : RE-SOD

127. Low voice : BASSO

128. Getty of "The Golden Girls" : ESTELLE

Down:

1. Sunday ritual : MASS. Boomer is a Catholic. He does not go to Church on Sundays.

2. "__ to PM": 2001 Christina Milian hit : AM TO. Typo in clue. Song title is  simply "Am to Pm" (Argyle.)

3. Eschews the doorbell : RAPS
 

4. Purchases that give you a run for your money? : TREADMILLS. Great clue.

5. "Not __" : YET

6. Bus driver's course: Abbr. : RTE

7. Zebra patterns : STRIPES 

8. Bks. in progress : MSS

9. Like some coll. courses : REQ'D. Like my Marxism/Leninism. Totally useless.

10. Cleansing rite associated with Easter : MAUNDY. Thursday.

11. Collectible calculators : ABACI

12. "__ out!" : YER

13. Empathize with : RELATE TO

14. Prosperous outlying areas : EXURBS

15. Mattress brand : SERTA

16. Flutist's warble : TRILL

17. __ wool : STEEL

19. __ buco : OSSO

21. Paint a picture of : DESCRIBE.  "Paint my love, You should paint my love..."

24. Patient attention, briefly : TLC

30. Riding sidekick : TONTO

32. Workout count : REPs

33. The Mustangs of the NCAA's Conference USA : SMU. Southern Methodist University.

34. Doughnut box word : KREME

36. Sun. talk : SER

37. U2 frontman : BONO. Really love this.  I like The Corrs.

38. Ill-fated king : LEAR

39. 1998 Sarah McLachlan hit : ADIA

41. Tic-tac-toe loser : OXO

44. More fit : TRIMMER

45. Increase, with "up" : REV

46. Wild animal : BEAST
 

47. Humble home : ABODE

48. Maynard's pal in '50s-'60s TV : DOBIE.  I can never remember this. "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis".

49. Rust, e.g. : OXIDE

52. General __ chicken : TSO'S. What's your favorite Chinese dish?

54. Corp. jet group : MGT

56. Choir member : ALTO

57. Worn wreath : LEI

59. Hanging Gardens site : BABYLON

63. Chewed stuff : CUD

64. Ceramic pot : OLLA. I wonder what they use the ollas for.

65. Max. : ULT

66. Sunbeam brand : OSTER

67. Make amends : ATONE

68. Tones (up) : FIRMS. My abs, your arms.

70. Marry : UNITE

71. Pie fruit : LIME

72. Potent conclusion? : IAL. Potential.

75. Teachers' org. : NEA

78. Louis XVI's queen : ANTOINETTE (Marie). Lovely entry.

80. Software development phase : BETA TEST. Annette is John Lampkin's beta solver.

81. Boor : CHURL
 

82. King Kong's love : ANN

84. Debussy's "Clair de __" : LUNE. French for "moon". Lune de miel. Honeymoon. Where did you spend yours?

85. Wordsworth works : ODES

86. Popular 19th-century heading : WEST.

88. Barely ran? : STREAKED. Nailed it. We've seen this clue before.

89. Fire truck device : SIREN

91. Money-managing exec : CFO

92. River of Spain : EBRO. Spain's longest river.

95. Where the action is : HUB

97. Timeline beginning : YEAR ONE

98. Widely used base : TEN. Base 10. Hard clue for me, though the concept is the same in Chinese.

99. Largest U.S. union org. : AFL-CIO

100. Ballpark staples : FRANKS

102. Dove : COOER

103. Sandwich order : ON RYE

104. Nourishes : FEEDS

105. Name on a range : AMANA. "Range" often refers to "Kitchen appliance" in Xwords.

107. Ice cream maker Joseph : EDY

108. Aussie lad : BOYO. New to me.

111. Lemony drinks : ADES. Hello, Lemonade!

114. German painter Nolde : EMIL. No idea. Wiki said he was an expressionist, and "Golden yellows and deep reds appear frequently in his work". Kind of like van Gogh's bright yellow. Lucina saw my compact mirror. It's van Gogh's bedroom.

115. Salt in a lab : NaCL

116. Knife of yore : SNEE

119. Bar bill : TAB

120. "My man!" : BRO

121. Young __ : UNS

122. Break down : ROT

C.C.