Monday, May 27, 2013 Gail Grabowski and Bruce Venzke

Theme: Young Boy's Dream - A girl can follow the first word of the starred answers.

17A. *Sensitive spot on the elbow : FUNNY BONE. "Funny Girl", based on the story of Fannie Brice, it will always be associated with Barbra Streisand.

39A. *Conceal : COVER UP. Cover Girl

11D. *1777-'78 Continental Army campsite : VALLEY FORGE. "Valley Girl"(4:52 but I couldn't make it to the end.)

24D. *Political head honcho : PARTY LEADER. "Party Girl"

57A. Like many a teen boy ... and like the starts of the answers to starred clues? : GIRL CRAZY

Argyle here. I hope your Memorial is pleasant. This Monday puzzle is pleasant enough with an unusual grid. The two longest entries are in the columns, a short theme in the middle and the reveal where it belongs. But there is one dreaded A-*** word.

Across:

1. Stately shade trees : ELMS

5. Like tails in the dog park : AWAG. Really?

9. Cupfuls after OJ and cereal : JAVAs. Not before?

14. In __ of: replacing : LIEU

15. No __ traffic : THRU

16. Tequila plant : AGAVE

19. Contradict : BELIE

20. Hindu teachers : SWAMIS

21. __ eclipse : SOLAR

22. Distinct feature : ASPECT

25. Immigrants' night sch. class : ESL. (English as a Second Language)

27. Microscope part : LENS

28. Mazda sports car : MIATA

29. Like days when hats fly : WINDY

31. Gets it wrong : ERRS

32. Lime-garnished Mexican beer : CORONA

35. In good shape : FIT

38. Ping-Pong barrier : NET

40. Tokyo-born Yoko : ONO

41. Susan of "L.A. Law" : DEY. She hasn't been active since 2004 except, of course, in crosswords.

42. Smart __: wise guys : ALECKS

43. Study feverishly : CRAM

44. Work hard : LABOR

46. Actor's nickname that sounds like a golf term : BOGIE. Clip on how he came to be in a large sand trap.

47. Fruity drinks : ADES

49. Johannesburg's land: Abbr. : RSA. (Republic of South Africa)

51. Lawn cutters : MOWERS. The rain has stopped coming down but the grass hasn't stopped coming up.

52. Not entirely: Pref. : QUASI. Origin: Latin - quasi as if, as though, equivalent.

54. Foist (upon) : IMPOSE

56. Below : UNDER

61. End of __ : AN ERA

62. Be mindful of : HEED

63. Crossed (out) : EX'ED

64. Puts mail in boxes, say : SORTS

65. Baker's amts. : TSPs

66. Cub Scout groups : DENS

Down:

1. Arctic toymaker : ELF. One of my North Pole buddies.

2. Lucy of "Charlie's Angels" : LIU. Now she is on "Elementary" as Dr. Watson.

3. "That's just like a guy!" : "MEN...!"

4. Events before evening twilight : SUNSETS

5. Facing the pitcher : AT BAT

6. "To __ it may concern" : WHOM

7. Golfer Palmer, to fans : ARNIE. Still going.

8. Conjecture : GUESS WORK

9. Short punches : JABS

10. From way back when : AGE OLD

12. Birdlike : AVIAN

13. Clairvoyants : SEERS

18. Female advocacy org. since the 1850s : YWCA

22. Make changes to : AMEND

23. "Yes __, Bob!" : SIREE

26. "Peanuts" boy with a blanket : LINUS

30. Not a deep sleep : NAP

32. Red, white or blue : COLOR. There will be a lot of all three today.

33. Inadvertent omission : OVERSIGHT

34. __ hall: campus hangout : REC. Yes, we know it's short for recreation hall.

36. "... bombs bursting __" : IN AIR

37. Big books : TOMES

39. Hailed car : CAB

43. Crouched in fear : COWERED

45. State with confidence : ASSERT

46. Pear variety : BOSC

47. Greenish blues : AQUAS

48. "Ain't got a clue!" : "DUNNO!"

50. Pierre's female friends : AMIES

51. Gelatin shapers : MOLDS

53. Some nest eggs: Abbr. : IRA's

55. Get ready, briefly : PREP

58. Lumberjack's tool : AXE

59. Meditative practice : ZEN

60. Golf course meas. : YD's. (yards)

Argyle

From C.C.:

Please click here for the 2rd installment on Rich's interview. Here is the first part.

Sunday May 26, 2013 Matt Skoczen

Theme: "Business Meetings" - LLC meets in the middle of 9 theme entries.

 

 23A. "Gladiator" Best Actor winner : RUSSELL CROWE. I liked his "A Beautiful Mind" as well.

39A. Ended up where one started : CAME FULL CIRCLE

 

58A. Hotel supervisor : BELL CAPTAIN. Supervisor of bellhops.

70A. One in a hospital room display : GET WELL CARD. Get well soon, Lucina!

83A. Annual sports event, familiarly : FALL CLASSIC. World Series! I could not find the  Mariners/Rangers (Friday) bad call clip on YouTube. Anyone else?

102A. One may include Barbies : DOLL COLLECTION.  JD collects Cinderella dolls. 113A. 102-Across chorus, maybe : MAMAS

124A. Triceps-strengthening exercise also called a French press : SKULL CRUSHER. Looks hard. Let's just stick to our Russian twists.

17D. Old West showman : BUFFALO BILL CODY. Buffalo Bills was named after him.

46D. Marx Brothers forte : SCREWBALL COMEDY

125D. Business "meeting" hidden in nine puzzle answers : LLC

As soon as I downloaded the puzzle and read the title, I figure there must be something meet in the middle. LLC! Very clever. I guess you could hide INC also. Maybe it's done before.

Love the theme entry placement. Always amazed when others make the intersection work.

Across:

1. They're put up in fights : DUKES. Put up your dukes.

6. Zany : MADCAP

12. Small car brand : MATCHBOX

20. 12-time NBA All-Star Thomas : ISIAH. He stumped some last time.

21. San Francisco mayor, 1968-'76 : ALIOTO (Joseph). Learned from doing Xword.

22. Draft-y building? : ALE HOUSE. Thanks for the - y mark!

25. High-reaching ruminants : GIRAFFES

26. Stomach opening? : GASTRO. A rather long prefix.

27. In-crowd : ELITE

29. ["Boohoo"] : SNIFF

30. Eastern Nevada city : ELY. What is it famous for, Doha Doc?

31. Silents star Negri : POLA

34. Old European capital : LIRA. Last Sunday we had: "Former capital of Italy" : LIRA. My comment: I bet this clue would stump the Pope (Call me, maybe?). Capital refers to "money" here. Euro now.

36. 900 and 9000 : SAABS

44. Poet Edgar __ Masters : LEE

45. Long Beach sch. : CSU

47. Hackled headwear : SHAKO. The plumes are hackles.

48. Florence farewell : CIAO

49. Theater section : LOGE

50. Ipso __ : FACTO

52. About to faint : AREEL. How can we live without the A* word?

54. Cinematic sled : ROSEBUD. "Citizen Kane".

56. Supplier of household dishes : DIRECTV. Satellite dish.

62. Explosive state : IRE

63. Editing mark : CARET

66. Frosty material? : COAL. Nice clue.

67. Modern address : URL

68. They really never come home, figuratively : COWS. Til the cows come home.

74. Some cameras, for short : SLRs

77. Preschooler's protector : BIB. I attended school at age 7. How about you? I knew not even one Chinese character before then, having brought up by my grandma who had bound feet & was illiterate. I miss her so so much!

79. Skylab org. : NASA

80. Asparagus unit : SPEAR. I like oven-roasted asparagus.

82. "The Little Mermaid" collectible : CEL

87. Colorful Italian dessert : SPUMONI

89. Not what a fox wants to hear : TALLY HO. Our next-door neighbor keeps feeding squirrels. They're ruining my garden.

90. 100 kopeks : RUBLE

93. Syndicated computer adviser Mr. __ : MODEM. TTP might read his columns. Not me. Never heard of the guy.

94. Sole : ONLY

95. Flamenco cries : OLES

98. Tilts a little : LEANS

100. Affirmative at sea : AYE

101. __-1701: Starship Enterprise markings : NCC. For Naval Construction Contract, per Wiki. "Star Trek".

106. Home of Iwatayama Monkey Park : KYOTO. Guessed. Have you been there, Yellowrocks?

108. Baking __ : SODA

109. This, to Tito : ESTA.  Or ESTO.

110. Some undergrad degs. : BAs

116. Colorful tank fish : TETRA

119. "__ Full of Love": "Les Miz" song : A HEART. One 6-letter partial is allowed in LAT.

121. Take over, as a role : STEP INTO

127. Banquet product : TV DINNER. Frozen dinner brand Banquet.

128. Floral parts : SEPALS

129. Acid type : AMINO

130. Hospital recreation areas : DAY ROOMS

131. Look : ASPECT. Noun.

132. Under, to Byron : NEATH
        

Down:

1. Musical lament : DIRGE

2. Run-of-the-mill : USUAL

3. __ Suzuki, mother of Bond's unborn child at the end of Fleming's "You Only Live Twice" : KISSY. I had no idea Bond had a child.

4. Vane direction : EAST

5. Nepalese people : SHERPA. Some are. I don't like this clue.

6. Evil, to Yvette : MAL

7. Proof is its std. of strength : ALC (Alcohol)

8. Desperate : DIRE

9. Slangy "Excellent!" : COOL

10. Whenever you want : AT WILL

11. Like Shakespeare : POETIC

12. GQ, e.g., briefly : MAG

13. Laila and Tatyana : ALIs

14. Coastal bird : TERN

15. Lounging site : CHAISE. The girl with the perfect legs. I bet Splynter wants to consort with her in the bar.

16. 1992 Nicholson role : HOFFA

18. Sweet ending : OSE

19. Marks on a ballot : X'ES

24. They have shuttles : LOOMS. Tricky clue.

28. Szmanda of "CSI" : ERIC. Doesn't ring a bell.

32. City on the Seine : LE HAVRE

33. Where many travelers come from? : AFAR

35. "Entourage" agent Gold : ARI

37. Kicked off : BEGUN

38. Sesame __ : SEED. Love deep-fried sesame rice balls.

39. Precious : CUTE

40. Tiny Tim's instrument : UKE

41. Leopold's nefarious partner : LOEB

42. Turin term of affection : CARA. "Dear".

43. Script "L" feature : LOOP

45. African capital : CAIRO

49. Some military transports : LEARS. Unaware that Lears are used in the military as well, Dudley!

50. S&L guarantor : FDIC

51. Job: Abbr. : OCC (Occupation)

53. Baroque composer Jean-Marie : LECLAIR. No idea!

55. R-V connectors : STU. Alphabet.

57. Graffiti ID : TAG

59. Online guffaw : LOL

60. Érié and others : LACS. French for "lakes".

61. Applaud : CLAP

64. Sicilian spewer : ETNA

65. Christmas or Carroll poem opening : 'TWAS

69. Inane : SILLY

71. Mulholland Drive segment : ESS

72. Is offended by : RESENTS

73. Fist bump : DAP. Like this.

75. Taylor of "The Nanny" : RENEE. Fran's mother.

76. Opposite of likely : SLIM. Chance.

78. Activist Nellie : BLY

81. Cuba libre liquor : RUM

83. __-pants: foppish : FANCY

84. Sound on a track? : CHOO. Train tracks for the dumb blondes in Manac's joke.

85. Hang loose : LOLL

86. Glean : CULL

88. Haunted house sound : MOAN

89. Honky-__ : TONK

91. Honey source : BEE. Hi there Melissa!

92. Victoria's Secret frill : LACE. I like this one. But in pink. Pretty & comfy.

96. Lullaby trio? : ELS. Three L's in Lullaby.

97. British poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy, for one : SCOT. Not familiar with the poet. Wiki says She is the first woman, the first Scot and the first gay to hold the position.

99. Plucked instrument : SITAR

102. Piece with pips : DOMINO

103. Ukrainian port : ODESSA

104. Fried Hanukkah fare : LATKES. Never had Latkes before.

105. Obama, by birth : OAHUAN

107. Hoglike mammal : TAPIR

110. Coastal Brazilian state : BAHIA

111. "__ we all?" : AREN'T

112. German brewer Bernhard : STROH. Founder of Stroh's.

114. Dating word : ANNO. The A in A.D. Not the dating I had in mind.

115. Floral part : STEM

117. __ Arena: Kentucky Wildcats home : RUPP. Gimme for PK.

118. Latin wings : ALAE

120. Carlisle's wife in "Twilight" : ESME. Played by Elizabeth Reaser.

121. Part of 126-Down: Abbr. : STD. 126. Western Fla. Panhandle setting : CST

122. Norris Dam prog. : TVA

123. Surg. centers : ORs

C.C.

Added later:

Don't miss this article on Rich's philosophy on cluing.