Wednesday, May 8 2013, Marti DuGuay-Carpenter

theme: looks good on paper

17A. *"We've got this one!" : IT'S IN THE (paper) BAG

24A. *Mischievous child : PECK'S BAD (paper) BOY. new to me. film based on a series of books by george wilbur peck.

38A. *YouTube piece : ONLINE VIDEO (paper) CLIP

49A. *India's national animal : BENGAL (paper) TIGER. beautiful.

60A. What auditors look for, and, in a way, what the ends of the answers to starred clues are : PAPER TRAILS

melissa here. another beauty from our resident heartrx/marti. perfect wednesday level difficulty. few unknowns, some fun clues, and a theme that's worth the paper it's written on.

across

1. Fabric named for an Asian capital : DAMASK

7. Letter-shaped lift : T-BAR

11. Suntan lotion letters : SPF

14. Eight-time tennis Grand Slam champion : AGASSI

15. Finish line : WIRE

16. Covert ops gp. : CIA and 2d. 16-Across personnel : AGT'S

19. Snitch : RAT

20. Anglo-French fliers until 2003 : SST'S

21. Cuppa contents : TEA

22. Haggard : GAUNT

27. Fuel holder : GAS TANK

31. Mind : HEED

32. Ferrell's "SNL" partner in "Morning Latte" skits : OTERI

33. i follower : POD

34. Some PCs : IBM'S

42. Opinion sampling : POLL. i first read this as onion sampling.

43. Fun unit? : TON

44. Crete peak: Abbr. : MT. IDA

45. Like some vaccines : ORAL

47. Pirouetting : IN A SPIN. yeah, baby.

53. Collar inserts : STAYS

54. Jack's place : BOX

55. Soho stroller : PRAM

59. Cyclades island : IOS

64. ID material : DNA

65. Pound of poetry : EZRA

66. Render powerless? : UNPLUG. nice.

67. Night sch. class : ESL

68. Gloom partner : DOOM

69. Biblical poetry : PSALMS

down

1. Where roasters may sit : DAIS

3. Spar : MAST

4. Yard sale caveat : AS IS

5. W-4 info: Abbr. : SSN

6. Litter box trainee : KITTEN

7. Fine-tune : TWEAK

8. Seafood restaurant freebie : BIB

9. Parseghian of football : ARA

10. Jamaican genre : REGGAE

11. Deep-clean : SCRUB

12. Scott Joplin's instrument : PIANO

13. Like marbled meat : FATTY

18. "Dang!" : HECK

23. More than fans : ADDICTS

24. "I feel your __" : PAIN

25. Sporting footwear : SHOD

26. "Venerable" monk : BEDE. learning moment for me: venerable bede.

27. Sticky stuff : GOOP

28. Oxygen's 8: Abbr. : AT. NO. atomic number.

29. Hawk : SELL

30. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings," for one : TRILOGY

33. ATM access : PIN

35. Sub on a screen : BLIP. radar.

36. Modest skirt length : MIDI. between mini and maxi.

37. Stretch across : SPAN

39. List shortener, for short : ET. AL.

40. Electrical unit : VOLT

41. "A Jug of Wine ..." poet : OMAR khayyam.

46. Spoke like Vito Corleone : RASPED

47. Composer Stravinsky : IGOR

48. On deck : NEXT UP

49. Unlikely hit on a 45 : B SIDE. this is one:

50. Preppy collars : ETONS

51. Like some cavities : NASAL

52. Letter-shaped girder : I-BEAM

55. Smurf with a beard : PAPA

56. Little brook : RILL

57. Grad : ALUM

58. Voice mails: Abbr. : MSG'S

61. Dye that comes from the French word for nitrogen : AZO

62. Tour golfer, e.g. : PRO

63. OR or ER workers : RN'S

melissa

Tuesday, May 7, 2013 Jack McInturff

Theme: Live Wire? - Three endings with a loose electrical connection.

20A. Defend a position : STAND ONE'S GROUND

33A. Walk-off home run, often : TIE BREAKER. It has to be in the bottom of the last inning.

40A. Explodes with rage : BLOWS A FUSE

47A. With "The," PBS show for kids, and a hint to the ends of 20-, 33- and 40-Across : ELECTRIC COMPANY

Argyle here. Although the theme is current, much of the fill is dated.

Across:

1. Help for the poor : ALMS

5. Buffalo bunches : HERDS. Strange visual.

10. Florida resort, familiarly : BOCA. (Boca Raton)

14. Quick look : PEEP

15. German sub : U-BOAT. The E-boat was a torpedo boat on top of the water.

16. Cowardly Lion actor : LAHR

17. Old Sinclair Oil rival : ESSO

18. "Throw __ From the Train" : MOMMA. 1987, with Danny DeVito and Billy Crystal.

19. Soap Box Derby state : OHIO. Where in Ohio, you ask. 28D. Soap Box Derby city : AKRON

23. Bind with a band : GIRD. They used to GIRD their loins a lot in days of old.

24. Pinup's leg : GAM

25. Water under the bridge : STREAM

28. One in a church chorus? : AMEN

30. Brit. fliers : RAF. (Royal Air Force)

35. Horne of jazz : LENA. The Lady Is A Tramp - Words and Music, 1948

36. Metallic mixture : ALLOY

37. Homie : BRO. Homie is a shortened version of homeboy, homeboy being your close friend. Bro is someone like a brother to you, relatively speaking.

38. Honda compact : CIVIC

39. Fast-talking : GLIB

42. PC panic button : ESC. Oh?

43. Rounded hammer end : PEEN

44. Filled flapjack-like food : CRÊPES

45. Assist : AID

46. Bow-toting deity : EROS

55. Put in cargo : LADE

56. Swashbuckler Flynn : ERROL

57. Space : AREA

58. Prepare, as rice : BOIL (From C.C. to Jayce: What are your favorite congee ingredients and toppings? I wonder slow cooker will be more effective rather than boiling them forever.)

59. Petty : SMALL

60. Swed. neighbor : NORW. Sweden/Norway

61. "The Thin Man" terrier : ASTA

62. Tones down : TAMES

63. Before long : SOON. The end.

Down:

1. "Tarzan" characters : APES

2. "__ we forget" : LEST

3. Colorado's __ Verde National Park : MESA

4. Toon fry cook in The Krusty Krab restaurant : SPONGEBOB. Full name, SpongeBob SquarePants.

5. "Just go along with what I said" : "HUMOR ME"

6. WWII investment : E BOND

7. "When in __ ..." : ROME. "... do as the Romans do" - Saint Ambrose

8. River projects : DAMS

9. Walk drunkenly : STAGGER

10. Come into one's own : BLOOM

11. Hawaii's most populous island : OAHU

12. Stubble spot : CHIN

13. Yankee slugger, familiarly : A-ROD

21. Bridget Jones's book : DIARY. 2001 British romantic comedy film.

22. Was on the ballot : RAN

25. __ fright : STAGE

26. Cultivates : TILLS

27. Thing of the past : RELIC

29. Ask for Friskies, maybe : [MEOW!]

30. Accelerate, as an engine : REV UP

31. Licorice-flavored seed : ANISE

32. Stands up to : FACES

34. Competent : ABLE

35. Cradle-to-grave stretches : LIFE SPANS

38. Billiards bounce : CAROM

40. Doctor's advice : BED REST

41. Uses a mouse wheel : SCROLLS

43. Poe's "The __ and the Pendulum" : PIT

45. Amtrak speedster : ACELA. A made-up word.

46. Pierre's school : ÉCOLE

47. Isle off Tuscany : ELBA

48. Cambodia neighbor : LAOS

49. Revise copy : EDIT

50. "Joy of Cooking" writer Rombauer : IRMA

51. Study all night : CRAM

52. Suffix with buck : AROO

53. Emperor after Claudius I : NERO

54. Show fatigue : YAWN. Sums it up well.

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Here are four pictures of Kazie's pretty granddaughter Lea, who will be visiting Kazie in June. Lea's favorite thing to do now is roll over.