Friday, May 10, 2013, Gareth Bain

Theme: Run, SPOT, run .

The first letter of each of the four theme answers is removed from an in the language phrase to create a new and whimsical phrase, with the four letters when placed to together creating a new word (SPOT) which runs through the puzzle and is revealed in a Shakespearean quote. I will try and line up the fill to convey a visual. Another Friday field day with our veteran veterinarian visiting. Not as many animal references, and what seemed easier that most of Gareth's Fridays, but only if you saw the gimmick.

17A. One assaulting a sorceress? : (S)WITCH HITTER. (11). Really cute concept, and since GB is from RSA, was he referring to a baseball term for a batter who bats both right and left handed.

25A. Great price for a meadow? :  (P)LEA BARGAIN. (10). Well I guess selling a meadow full of sheep is sort of an animal clue, you have to imagine the sheep.

48A. Start of a cowboy romance? :(O)RANGE CRUSH. (10). Again, is GB familiar with the the brand of soda,

or the Denver Bronco defense
LINK.









56A. Yarn donations? :                 (T)HANKS GIVING. (11). This one messed with my mind, as my visual limitations had me read the clue as YAM DONATIONS. Eventually concluded yarn can be sold in HANKS , and the Thanksgiving had nothing to do with sweet potatoes.

The reveal from Macbeth.

35A. Shakespearean cry that hints at how 17-, 25-, 48- and 56-Across are formed : OUT DAMNED SPOT. (13).

Okay to the answers:

Across:

1. Talmud expert : RABBI. The Talmud is one of a series texts written by Rabbis to preserve the oral law of the Jews. It was first created around the year 200

6. ABBA singer Ulvaeus : BJORN. I was surprised to learn this name had not been used as a stand alone answer in any LAT or NYT puzzle before today. There was that Sunday punday by Dan Naddor back in 2009, but that was another story.

11. Dry, in a way : SEC. A word used to describe dry wine, from the French.

14. Latish curfew : ONE AM. Kids and curfews, awesome.

15. Run down : RECAP.

16. Adherent's suffix : ITE. Like Mennonite, which is not a description of people who use Mennen after shave.

19. Postgrad degrees : M.A.S. Masters of Arts.

20. 2-1 or 3-2, in baseball : COUNT. No Dracula here.

21. Doesn't feel so hot : AILS.

22. Tomato variety : ROMA. These plum tomatoes were created in an agricultural lab in Maryland in the 50's and have nothing to do with Italy.

29. Burgers and More restaurateur : EMERIL.

31. South Pacific region : OCEANIA. More geography, also a steady part of the a GB diet.

32. Barbarian of film : CONAN. played so convincingly by Arnold.

33. H.S. health class : SEX ED. As opposed to SEXED which is what most high schoolers are wanting to be.

40. "___ Gold": 1997 film : ULEE'S. The only readon Peter Fonda is still spoken about.

41. Orange Muppet : ERNIE. I was wondering about the use of Orange in the clue, with the Orange Crush above, especially when it could be Bert's pal.

43. Order including whales : CETACEA. here we get our bit of knowledge from our veterinarian constructor. LINK. Isn't it fun to learn.

47. Maître d's subordinate : WAITER.

51. Sleep ___ (computer setting) : MODE. Pie a la?

52. They can be inflated : EGOS. Cute clue.

53. Come over the top, in poker : RAISE. I like the announcer from World Poker Tour better.

55. Pilot's fig. : ALT.itude.  I was a pilot. No you were a baggage handler. Well, like I said, I would take the baggage and pile it on the plane.

62. Slogan site : TEE. Shirt, though many banks use golf tees with logos as giveaways.

63. April baby, perhaps : ARIES. Mid-March through mid-April. It is the first sign of the Zodiac as they begin with the sun and spring. They also do not get along with Virgos.

64. Hallmark Channel talk show : MARIE. Hosted by Marie Osmond, who is all grown up.

65. Roswell crashers, purportedly : ETS. I loved Max Allen Collins version in MAJIC MAN. Also, 57D. "We ___ not alone" : ARE.

66. Doughnut filler : JELLY.

67. Many a double agent : PLANT. I read Martha Grimes has a new book out next year, with Richard Jury and  Melrose Plant.

Down:

1. Division in the field : ROW. More planting.

2. Wheel spinner's buy : AN I.  Wheel of Fortune.

3. Casino action : BET. Next to the semi-clecho 4D. Casino game : BACCARAT. Reminds me of the first video adaptation of Ian Fleming's Casino Royale.(6:26).

5. Chat room qualifier : IMHO. In My Humble Opinion.

6. What Clementine fell into : BRINE. So many VERSIONS, I never knew.

7. Volkswagon sedan : JETTA.

8. In normal seasons, only month when the NBA, MLB, NHL and NFL all have scheduled games : OCT.

9. Canadian singer Carly ___ Jepsen : RAE.

10. Largely listener-sponsored org. : NPR. National Public Radio.

11. Primate : SIMIAN. From the Latin for Ape.

12. Bibliographer's catchall : ET ALII. Not alia.

13. Textron-owned plane maker : CESSNA. An obscure fact, but easy to suss once the SS appeared.

18. Body in the lake? : HULL. The body of a boat, Tricky.

21. ___ Khan : AGA. You want the HISTORY?

22. DVR button : REC. and the clecho. 24D. DVR button : MENU.

23. Melville opus : OMOO.

26. Forklift load : BOXES.

27. Solved with ease : ACED. No, I did not ace this one.

28. Place with an important part in the Bible? : RED SEA. All perps, too many choices.

30. Bring about : INDUCE.

33. Campaign tactic : SMEAR. Sad but true.

34. Storm hdg. : ENE. Then it will not hit me.

36. Baldwin in Capital One ads : ALEC. So many careers for this STAR. (0:32).

37. Like the forest in Longfellow's "Evangeline" : PRIMEVAL. Basically a very old woodland; as a kid I always thought it was EVIL not EVAL.

38. Aware of : ON TO.

39. Unsettled, in a way : TIED. If a game is tied, the result has not been settled, nice clue.

42. Browning's "before" : ERE.

43. Whip up : CREATE.

44. Aerie nestling : EAGLET. Another animal fact.

45. Govt. securities : T-NOTES. T-BILLS, T-BONDS all have the same number of letters.

46. Legal chiefs: Abbr. : AGS. Attorney Generals. So what will happen to Kate and Castle now? Is there a more self-centered, childish character on television? Nice balance with AGA.

47. Fillmore, for one : WHIG. The party of our 13th President, who is buried in Buffalo, with both of his wives.

49. "Family Matters" nerd : URKEL. Your TREAT? (1:25)

50. Impudent : SASSY.

54. Easy mark : SIMP.

56. Muslim's journey : HAJ. Also, HAJJ.

58. Not a one : NIL. Like the score in many 'football' games.

59. Michael Collins's org. : IRA. Irish Republican Army. This MAN. Downton Abbey anyone?

60. Noted 20th-century diarist : NIN. Anaïs

61. Escape, with "out" : GET.

Which is what I will be doing, as my allotted time is up and before you all use red letters to get me to leave, hope you enjoyed another wonderful effort from Gareth; gird your loins for the themeless.

L out.

Thursday, May 9, 2013 Mark Bickham

Theme: "What did we ever do before GPS?"

16-Across. *Classic paradox : CHICKEN OR THE EGG.

21-Across. *Memorable site of a 1965 Beatles concert : SHEA STADIUM.

36-Across. *Comes up with a solution : FIGURES OUT HOW.

51-Across. *Body shop's reappraisal : NEW ESTIMATE.

This theme has been done before, but Mark adds a grid-spanning unifier that gives it a little twist:

59-Across. Device useful in navigation, or in discovering the hidden theme in the answers to starred clues : DIRECTION FINDER.

Another nice touch was arranging the directions as they appear in order, going clockwise around the compass: North, east, south, west.

Marti here, to help you find your way around this puzzle!

Across:

1. Atkins diet credo : NO CARBS. A mixing bowl full of fruit is OK for lunch.

8. Medicare section : PART B. I haven't gotten there yet.

13. Freight lineup : BOX CARS. Also double sixes on a throw of the dice.

14. Asian electronics giant : TOSHIBA.

18. Fjord relative : RIA.

19. Extended break from svc. : LOA. Leave of Absence.

20. Together, on a score : A DUE. Often seen on scores as the abbrev. "a2" instead of written out.

26. Aetna's bus. : INS.urance.

27. Salmon for bagels : LOX. Not to be confused with "smoked salmon." I'll take it, either way.

28. LBJ's veep : HHH. Hubert Horatio Humphrey, Lyndon Baines Johnson's VEEP.

29. Residents along the Gulf of Bothnia : FINNS. My father was born on the "other side," along the Gulf of Finland.

31. "A nickel ain't worth a dime anymore" speaker : YOGI. Berra, not Bear.

33. Self-effacing : MODEST. Aw, shucks!

41. Horace works : EPODES.

42. Card game for three : SKAT. Learned about this game from "The Tin Drum."

44. Some choristers : ALTOS.

46. Down : EAT. One of my favorite clues for this little word was "Down a submarine."

49. Where agua flows : RIO. I thought of "mar" first, but then realized we were looking for flowing agua. (...although a mar does ebb and flow, no?)

50. Assam export : TEA.

55. Spheres : ORBS.

57. Reid or Robbins : TIM.

58. Deg. for Dilbert creator Scott Adams : MBA. Master of Business Administration.

65. Honeys : DEARIES.

66. Lowly laborer : PEASANT.

67. Party animals? : STAGS. Cute misdirection between ones who attend a party alone vs a horned mammal. Does that make them both horn-y animals?

68. Responds to the MAILER-DAEMON : RESENDS. You know those emails you get saying "Failed delivery?" In classic mythology, "Daemons" are benevolent spirits. Hence the reason for the name -- they are just trying to help you send your message (without saying what an idiot you are for mis-typing the recipient's name...)

Down:

1. "30-Rock" network : NBC.

2. Cry of wonder : OOH.

3. One-fifth of DLV : CXI. I figured out this one without even having to resort to a spreadsheet!!

4. West African capital : ACCRA. Map.

5. Sporty : RAKISH.

6. A little fresh air? : BREATH. "Like a breath of fresh air."

7. Phisher's target: Abbr. : SSN. Social Security Number.

8. French meat-and-veggies dish : POT-AU-FEU. Literally, "pot on the fire." My mother used to make a similar dish which we called "New England boiled dinner." It was corned beef, cabbage, carrots, onions and potatoes.

9. Silvery gray : ASH.

10. South American bird named for a Greek Titan : RHEA. The title of this image was "A rhea gallivanting."

11. Associated : TIED IN.

12. Many air rifles : BB GUNS.

14. Half-human Enterprise counselor : TROI.

15. Gets on : AGES. Becomes:

17. Antediluvian : OLD. Literally, it means "before the flood." So I guess that would be pretty old!

21. Wily : SLY.

22. Place for a shoe : HOOF.

23. Military vet : EX-GI.

24. Name of three Ottoman sultans : AHMED. Ahmeds I, II and III. All ruled in the 1600's.

25. Falls spray : MIST. Has anyone taken a ride on the Maid of the Mist?

30. Ordinal extremes : NTHS.

32. "___ that a lot" : I GET.

34. Verb ending : OSE. Verbose.

35. Antibiotic allotments : DOSES...of 56-Down. Shot contents : SERA.

37. "___ further reflection..." : UPON.

38. Icing buds on fancy cakes : ROSETTES. Here's how to make them. 2:47

39. Vegetable also called lady's-finger : OKRA.

40. Tarry : WAIT.

43. Little piggy : TOE.

44. Mountaintop homes : AERIES.

45. Unwitting test taker : LAB RAT. I dunno, some rats can be pretty witting...

47. Charge to bank non-members, often : ATM FEE.

48. Shinbones : TIBIAS.

50. 1860s presidential in-law : TODD.

52. Some Nintendo consoles : WIIs. Nintendo clearly states that the plural should be referred to as Wii consoles or systems or games, but "Wii" itself is never plurable... (From C.C.: Yeah, D-Otto, now you can find an electronic PAPER TRAIL of "plurable" on our blog!)

53. Angst-filled genre : EMO.

54. Parson's home : MANSE.

60. Slangy smoke : CIG.

61. "This American Life" airer : NPR.

62. Speed-skating gold medalist Jansen : DAN. 1994 Lillehammer.

63. Stop : END. Finito, pull the plug, sew up, call it a day. But there's just one more thing before we go:

64. Blockers for QBs : RTs.  Right Tackle(s).

Now I'm done - see you next week!

Hugs,

Marti