Monday, May 13, 2013 Jerome Gunderson

 

Theme: The First Family - Their names can be found at the end of the theme entries.

21A. *1950 Irving Berlin musical : "CALL ME MADAM". It starred Ethel Merman so that should give you an idea about what type of musical it was. Here is the Wikipedia LINK and it is worth a read if you have the time.

48A. *Pretend : MAKE BELIEVE

3D. *Barack Obama's 2008 opponent : JOHN McCAIN

31D. *Tag promoting organized labor : UNION LABEL

42D. Bible book where you can find the ends of the answers to starred clues : GENESIS

Argyle here. No pun intended. A solid Monday puzzle from Jerome but I still wonder if there isn't more to it that I might have missed, like anagrams or puns; some sort of word play I've come to expect from Mr. Gunderson. The names are all part of a larger word that makes them just a little bit harder to suss. Kudos.

Across:

1. Collegian's focus subject : MAJOR

6. Quite a way off : AFAR. Perfunctory 'A' word.

10. "... __ you any wool?" : HAVE. Baa!

14. With no shoulder to cry on : ALONE

 

15. Dust speck : MOTE

16. "Metamorphoses" poet : OVID. Have they made a movie of it?

17. Pacific salmon : COHOs

18. "Kablooie!" : [BOOM!]

19. TV lover's recording device : TIVO. It is already becoming passé.

20. Hankering : YEN

24. Bea Arthur role : MAUDE

26. Month between avril and juin : MAI. In France.

27. Swayed to and fro, as a cradle : ROCKED

29. Chewy Nestlé candy bar : BABY RUTH

 

34. Spanish folk hero : EL CID

35. The "thou" in "Wherefore art thou ...?" : ROMEO

36. Modern: Pref. : NEO

37. Custardy dessert : FLAN

38. More despicable : VILER. Is there a reason this follows FLAN?

39. Fraidy-cat : WIMP

40. Square root of IX : III. √9 = 3

41. Anti-wrinkle treatment : BOTOX

42. Feel one's way : GROPE

43. Cheap cigar cost, once : TEN CENTS. Inflation. "What this country really needs is a good five-cent cigar"

45. Tilted : LEANED

46. Stimpy's pal : REN

47. The V in PVC : VINYL. Polyvinyl chloride, what those white plumbing pipes are made of.

53. Nile slitherer : ASP

56. Teenager's bumps along the road of life? : ACNE

57. Taunting remark : GIBE. Is there a reason this follows ACNE?

58. Pricey fur : SABLE. (of the weasel family)

60. Farmer's yield : CROP

61. Icon clicker : USER

62. Perfect in every way : IDEAL

63. Alluring : SEXY

64. Skin ink, for short : TATS

65. Work a crossword puzzle : SOLVE. How have you done so far?

Down:

1. Department store founder R.H. __ : MACY. Love his parade.

2. The Body Shop balm : ALOE. NOT an automotive body shop. Wikipedia LINK

4. Middle name adopted by John Lennon : ONO

5. Saved from harm : RESCUED

6. Stroll along : AMBLE

7. April 1st dupe : FOOL

8. Basic unit of matter : ATOM

9. Keep in mind : REMEMBER

10. A lot of hooey : HOT AIR

11. Raring to go : AVID

12. Brawny rival : VIVA. I'm a Scott paper towel fan, myself.

13. Biblical kingdom near the Dead Sea : EDOM. The Edomites are described as descendants of Esau. The name Edom means "red" in Hebrew, and was given to Esau because he was born, "red all over".

22. Recipe verb : ADD

23. Club sandwich condiment : MAYO. What do you use if you don't like mayo?

25. Related (to) : AKIN One 'A' word fro the Across and one for the Down.

27. Update, as factory equipment : REFIT

28. Stan's slapstick sidekick : OLLIE. And Ethel.

29. Square dancers' neckties : BOLOs. If not a shout out to Yellowrocks, it's at least a nod.

30. Early premium credit card, familiarly : AMEX. (American Express)

32. Arizona city : TEMPE. Also known as Hayden's Ferry during the territorial times. per Wiki.

33. Kept the faith : HOPED

35. "Hud" director Martin : RITT. Starred Paul Newman. IMDb LINK

38. Novelist Kurt : VONNEGUT

39. Fay of "King Kong" : WRAY

41. U.K. network, with "the" : BEEB. (British Broadcasting Corporation)

44. Willies-inducing : CREEPY

45. Actress Ullmann : LIV

47. Changes course : VEERS

48. Apple computers : MACS

49. Back forty unit : ACRE. on the farm.

50. Fort with bullion : KNOX

51. "Mona __" : LISA

52. "As if!" : "I BET!"

54. Czech, e.g. : SLAV

55. Soccer legend : PELÉ

59. Hullabaloo : ADO

 

Argyle

Sunday May 12, 2013 Gail Grabowski

Theme: "Neon Lightness" - NE (chemical symbol for Neon) is inserted into each theme entry.

27A. Moniker on a box of pasta? : PENNE NAME. Pen name. I like Irish Miss & Blue Iris, so poetic.

29A. Gala for players of small pianos? : SPINET BALL. Spitball. Banned in 1920s. Very dangerous.

48A. Kangaroo from a lab? : CLONED HOPPER. Clodhopper.

65A. IQ psychologist in the crib? : TINY BINET. Tiny bit.

82A. Player asleep on the sidelines? : PRONE ATHLETE. Pro athlete.

101A. Dollhouse wicker chair craftsman? : MODEL CANER. Model car.

104A. Reality show judge in a pouch? : PANEL JOEY. Pal Joey.

36D. Cops' disagreement? : FINEST FIGHT. Fistfight.

40D. "No military bigwigs allowed"? : BRASS BANNED. Brass band. "No military bigwigs allowed" might be a mantra for any party Jill Kelley holds now.

I just learned the Neon's atomic number is 10. It would be fun to have 10 theme entries today. But 9 is already a lot to deal with. 

Gail started her theme entries in Row 4 rather than the usual Row 3, mainly because she wanted to put a 9 and a 10 in one row, and she'd have a 2-letter entry in 18-Down had she started in Row 3. 

Grid design is very subjective, it often reflects the constructors' personal preferences. Long time Gail fans might have noticed that she likes to put a couple theme entries in Down in her grids, whether a 15*15 or a 21*21.

 

Across:

1. Show appreciation, in a way : CLAP

5. Slanted column : OP-ED. Per Wiki:  abbreviated from opposite the editorial page (though often mistaken for opinion-editorial). PK groans!

9. Show biz type : CELEB

14. Greeting not needing a stamp : E-CARD

19. Inaugural ritual : OATH

20. Links shirt : POLO. Golf.

21. "Wouldn't It Be Loverly?" singer : ELIZA."My Fair Lady". Here.

22. Leafy recess : ARBOR

23. 1847 novel with the chapter "Life at Loohooloo" : OMOO. Hey, new clue! So many O's.

24. Hgt. : ELEV

25. Like some suspicious contracts : NO BID

26. Is knocked for a loop : REELS

31. Carafe kin : EWER

32. Material that might need waterproofing : SUEDE

33. Track : RUT

34. Picked up : LIFTED. I can't remember who (Bill G, maybe?) linked this picture to the blog before. An Australian photographer turns her 5-year-old daughter into classic works of art.

I like this one too.

37. Strange duck : WEIRDO

39. Bench conference : SIDE BAR. Court room.

43. Alter ego? : ALIAS

44. Hard stuff : BOOZE

45. Attack word : SIC

46. GPS option : RTE

47. Time-consuming : LONG

52. Big name in shipping : ARI (Onassis). Long time ago.

53. Suffix with polymer : ASE

54. Ear-splitting : LOUD

55. Notable time : ERA

56. Stomach creation : PEPSIN. Enzyme.

58. Film with stage scenes : WESTERN

60. ___ clock : ATOMIC

63. Cantina condiments : SALSAS. I like Trade Joe's salsas.

64. Trike rider : TOT

68. Court tactic : LOB

69. True __: exactly as expected : TO FORM. 6-letter partial is allowed in LAT.

72. Weathering the storm : COPING

73. Barricade : RAMPART

77. Iago kills her in Act V : EMILIA. No idea. She's Iago's wife in "Othello". We also had 3 cases of missing women this past winter. One was murdered by her husband.

78. Poem of praise : ODE

79. Darts : ZIPS

80. "The Matrix" hero : NEO

81. Mind reader? : EEG. Brain scan. I sure need an Abbr. hint.

87. Do-others link : UNTO

88. "That's awful!" : UGH

89. Common refund source: Abbr. : IRS

90. Eccentric : OUTRE. This stumped some last time.

91. Had leftovers, say : ATE IN

92. Inventor's safeguards : PATENTS 

95. Ravel work originally composed as a ballet : BOLERO. She looks so sweet.  

97. Transcript letters : GRADES

98. Museum funder: Abbr. : NEA

99. Modern communicators : CELLS

100. Former Mideast despot : SHAH. Oh no, Abejo does not like "despot" for the SHAH. Did you work or just travel in Iran in the 1970's, Abejo?

109. Did a car wash job : WAXED

110. Cold explosion? : ACHOO. And 6. Extremely cold : POLAR.

111. Heaps : A LOT

112. 1968 self-titled folk album : ARLO

113. Flawless : IDEAL

114. "Idol" judge replaced by Ellen : PAULA (Abdul)

115. Plant anchor : ROOT

116. Passion : ZEAL

117. Rock or metal : GENRE. Music.

118. Studied, with "over" : PORED

119. Forfeited wheels : REPO

120. Nod off, with "out" : ZONK

Down:

1. Fowl house : COOP

2. Chanteuse's fabric : LAME. Rich color.

3. Heaps : A TON

4. Series of misses : PHONE TAG. Missed calls.

5. Bet first : OPENED

7. Pre-jr. high : ELEM

8. One seeking justice for the peace? : DOVE. As to Hawk.

9. Harshly rebuked : CENSURED

10. Took off to team up : ELOPED. Marriage.

11. Important drive in Freudian theory : LIBIDO. Wow!

12. Newsweek Global, e.g. : E-ZINE. I thought the on-line version is just called Newsweek.

13. Commanded : BADE

14. Hearing aid of a sort : EARBUD

15. Get started : CREATE

16. Biblical shepherd : ABEL

17. Tape unit : ROLL

18. Their offices often have small rms. : DRs

28. Members of the flock : EWES

30. Bench press beneficiary : TRICEPS. Bench dips as well.

32. Petite, say : SIZE

34. Emmy-winning legal drama : LA LAW

35. Brief concession : I LOSE. I LOST fits better, right?

37. Logs : WOOD

38. It's quite a stretch : EON

39. Drink daintily : SIP

41. Sunlit courts : ATRIA

42. Curbs, with "in" : REINS

44. Straightforward : BLUNT

45. Curiosity's milieu : SPACE. Oh, the Mars rover Curiosity.

48. One of two N.T. books : COR. No idea. Corinthians?

49. Surround : HEM IN

50. Round gasket : O-RING

51. Bailiwicks : REALMS

54. Activate without restraint : LET RIP

57. Sit heavily : PLOP

59. Level or bevel : TOOL

60. Battery end : ANODE

61. Competitive by nature : TYPE A

62. "Madama Butterfly" accessory : OBI

66. Desktop array : ICONS

67. Humdrum : TRITE

69. Start a round : TEE UP

70. Movado competitor : OMEGA. Expensive watches.

71. __ status : MARITAL

74. Wild way to go? : APE. Go ape.

75. Do over, as a bow : RE-TIE

76. Popeye and Porky, e.g. : TOONS

79. Round number? : ZERO. Nice clue.

83. Work areas with long tables, briefly : ORs. I was thinking of Splynter's tool room. Not surgical room with "long tables".

84. Where to see rows of booths : TOLL ROAD

85. Color chart components : HUES

86. Copier tray abbr. : LTR

87. Hoops franchise born in New Orleans : UTAH JAZZ. Originally New Orleans Jazz. They moved to Utah in 1979.

91. Inland Asian sea : ARAL

93. Make beloved : ENDEAR

94. You might get stuck with it : NEEDLE

95. Heston title role : BEN-HUR

96. Chant in a ring : OLE OLE

97. Depressed area : GHETTO

99. Butter-yielding bean : CACAO. Had hot cocoa yesterday. Cold and chilly here. But we're going to be in 90's next Tuesday.

100. One poking around : SNOOP

101. Cooked up : MADE

102. Pullers of heavy loads : OXEN

103. Yokum drawer : CAPP (Al)

104. Catherine who outlived Henry VIII : PARR

105. Soap additive : ALOE

106. Snack brand with a 2012 centennial : OREO

107. Joie de vivre : ELAN. Marti has plenty. I think it's inborn.

108. Potato salad ingredient, perhaps : YOLK

109. Bogus locks : WIG

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers on our blog!

C.C.