Sunday June 2, 2013 Mark Bickham

Theme: "Hair Majesty" - The first word in each theme entry is a hairstyle.

24A. Leader of the Wild Bunch gang : BUTCH CASSIDY

26A. Plush floor covering : SHAG CARPET

53A. Greet from a distance : WAVE HELLO

93A. Dreaded musician? : BOB MARLEY. Dupe with 4D. Hopes it never happens : DREADS THE DAY

118. Low-altitude delivery agent : CROP DUSTER

122. Fetal metaphor : BUN IN THE OVEN

17. One way to decide : FLIP A COIN

40D. Scenic Massachusetts route : MOHAWK TRAIL. Remember the NASA Mohawk guy?

68D. Four Corners nickname : BEEHIVE STATE

  

84D. Rams : BANGS INTO. My ex-boyfriend is crazy about Jane Birkin. She has the most famous bangs in the world.

Amazing grid design. Loved how MOHAWK TRAIL crosses two Across theme entries in the grid. The four other pairs intersect as well. It really takes luck and skill to make this work.

Across:

1. Profitable venture : GOLDMINE. Great start. We don't often see a 8-letter 1-Across.

9. Bombay bigwigs : RAJAHS

15. Fox role : MCFLY (Marty).  "Back to the Future". Michael J. Fox,

20. "My pleasure!" : I SURE CAN

21. Region north of Morocco : IBERIA

22. Finnish architect Alvar __ : AALTO. Stranger to me. Eero Saarinen is Finnish too. So many vowels in their names.

23. Punkish accessory : NOSE RING. Boomer's daughter-in-law Sherie has a nose ring.

28. Asian region, with "the" : EAST. "The East is Red" woke me up every morning in my childhood. Our reveille.

29. Lhasa __ : APSO

30. Wilmington's st. : DEL

31. Short : SHY

32. "Silent Spring" subj. : DDT

33. "Bossypants" writer Fey : TINA. Someday she'll change her mind and host the Oscar.

35. Loses one's cool : SEES RED

39. She played Molly in "Ghost" : DEMI. Oh, I loved "Ghost".

41. Ready to shoot : IN FOCUS

44. Contact, nowadays : TEXT

45. Walton of Walmart : SAM. Say what you want about Walmart. They've always paid their taxes, unlike Apple (!!!), Microsoft & Google.

47. Two bells, in the Navy : ONE AM. Got it, Dave?

50. Old pool ball material : IVORY

51. Oahu's __ Stadium : ALOHA

56. Hotel team : MAIDS

57. Apportioned, with "out" : METED

58. Nickname for Margaret : GRETA. Wow. I thought it's Meg or Peggy.

59. Start of something big? : MEGA

61. Devotee : NUT

62. Safari sightings : PRIDES. Lion packs.

64. Is aware of : KNOWS

66. Star : CELEB

69. Notes comprise them : SCALES

71. It's over a foot : ANKLE. Clever clue.

73. Amazingly enough : NO LESS

76. Mythical giants : YETIs

78. Newspaper section : STYLE. And 95. Common newspaper name : TIMES

80. Hardly a guffaw : TEE HEE

82. Graceful male swimmer : COB. Male swan. I can't swim. You?

85. Aware of : IN ON

87. Double-check : RE-ADD

89. Burns a bit : CHARS

90. "Our Gang" series creator Hal : ROACH. New to me as well.

96. Bother : ANNOY

97. Video game pioneer : ATARI
 

98. Site of heavy traffic, with "the" : NET

100. Wind indicator : VANE

101. City on the Tigris : BAGHDAD

103. Acronym that includes middle sch. : EL HI. It just won't go away. Too useful a letter combo.

106. Tinactin alternative : DESENEX. For Athlete's Foot.

108. Evidently are : SEEM

109. Engine housing : POD

111. Takes too much : ODs

113. Xi preceders : NUs. Not An.

114. "Madama Butterfly" wardrobe items : OBIs

116. Did perfectly : ACED

125. Uncommon thing : RARA AVIS

127. Playground rejoinder : IS TOO

128. Company promoted by a nine-month-old financial wizard : E-TRADE. The E-Trade Baby has his own Twitter account.

129. Theft target : IDENTITY

130. Beach shoe : THONG. The Bikini wear is more appealing than a single shoe.

131. Pastry-making aid : ZESTER

132. Like some loafers : TASSELED

Down:

1. Sling ingredient : GIN. Singapore Sling, right?

2. Zoo animales : OSOS. Bears.

3. Like some lawns : LUSH

5. Big deal : MERGER. So simple in retrospect.

6. Winter spikes : ICICLES

7. "Peter Pan" pooch : NANA

8. Many Caltech grads : ENGRS. Both Spitzboov & Splynter graduated from RPI.

9. Outback order : RIB EYE

10. Be next to : ABUT

11. Fast flier : JET

12. Like a parabola : ARCED

13. Percussion kit item : HI-HAT

14. Egg holders : SACS

15. Parental nicknames : MAs

16. Eponymous 18th-century adventurer : CASANOVA. Womanizer.

18. Old Fords : LTDs

19. Toy on a string : YO-YO

25. Envelope abbr. : ATTN

27. Postgrad degree : PhD

32. More than just eat : DINE

34. "__ any judge of character ..." : IF I'M. Sometimes partials are not easy for me to see.

35. Philatelist's find : STAMP

36. Catchers with pots : EELERS

37. Strikingly strange : EXOTIC

38. "Hi and Lois" pooch : DAWG

41. Daughter in Shakespeare's "Cymbeline" : IMOGEN. No idea.

42. Pakistani language : URDU. Still waiting for Anony-Mouse (aka Vidwan) to answer my Urdu question.

43. Part of CBS: Abbr. : SYST

46. Blemish : MARK

48. Lumber tree : ELM. Hard to clue ELM in a new way.

49. Blind-from-birth pianist Templeton : ALEC. Never heard of him. 

52. British singer with the age-related albums "19" and "21" : ADELE. Pure talent.

54. __ cava : VENA

55. Berkshire jackets : ETONs

60. Almost all the time : A LOT

63. "The X-Files" org. : SETI (Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence)

65. More sneaky : SLYER

67. Put in power : ELECT

70. Sailor from Basrah : SINBAD. I always use Basra.

72. It has both Hebrew and English letters on its planes : EL AL

74. Medicine man : SHAMAN

75. Still : SERENE

77. Stains on a red suit? : SOOT. Santa!

79. Perfect place : EDEN

81. Cambridgeshire neighbor : ESSEX

82. Grump : CRAB

83. O'Neill's daughter : OONA. Long time no see!

86. Pistons' org. : NBA. Detroit Pistons.

88. Added highlights to, in a way : DYED

91. Strong team quality : COHESION

92. Stevenson villain : HYDE. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

94. TV role for Bamboo Harvester : MR. ED

99. Grants academic security to : TENURES

102. Latin trio member : AMAT. Amo, amas, amat.

104. Good boy of verse : HORNER. Little Jack Horner. "What a good boy am I".

105. Response known to preclude its question : I DO.

107. Lazy __: trays : SUSANs

109. Golfer Calvin : PEETE. He cleared the fairway for Tiger Woods. Golf pioneer.

110. Reasons to clean : ODORS

112. Sail-extending pole : SPRIT. New word to me.

114. Late notice? : OBIT

115. Foundation plant : BUSH

117. Stylish eatery word : CHEZ. I bet it's all tasty Chez D-Otto's. He seems to be a great cook.

118. Give up : CEDE

119. Anti-art movement : DADA

120. Bad doings : EVIL

121. Altar event : RITE

123. Holiday quaff : NOG

124. Piece of winery equipment : VAT

126. Guitarist Barrett : SYD. Pink Floyd.

C.C.

Saturday, Jun 1st, 2013, Barry C. Silk

Theme: Saturday Silkie

Words: 70 (missing Q)

Blocks: 33

   This was one of those deceptive grids with the double 10-letter answers hiding inside of the edges of the puzzle and in the downs through the middle.  I must admit, I had to Google to get a hold in the NW.  Yesterday it was 86° on Long Island - UPS was brutal, as well as doing construction outdoors that afternoon; then staying out late for a BBQ at Mike's made it hard for me to see some of the more obvious answers....oh well.  One from each section:

17. Cesar Millan, e.g. : PET TRAINER - DAH~!!! I had PETT----, and figured it was Petty 'something', and finally caved in to looking this guy up

57. Dunkin' Donuts order : ONION BAGEL - Fridays at UPS they get a platter of bagels for the drivers - so I conveniently punch out in the office and swipe me an everything bagel with cream cheese

10. Desert plant named for a Biblical spy : JOSHUA TREE - Music link #1; a commentary on the album, and I like what Bono has to say at 1:51 - and the song itself

27. Top-10 Lady Gaga hit from "The Fame Monster" album : BAD ROMANCE - Music link #2 - but from her debut album "The Fame"

6. Noble : ARISTOCRAT - which is mirrored by 29D. Dude who totally lurks in the bushes : CREEPAZOID - which to me seems WAY out of Mr. Silk's regular fill

 onwurd....

ACROSS:

1. Org. concerned with neglect : SPCA - Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals - I got this, and always makes me feel good going in

5. Rivera specialty : SAVES - Baseball for C.C. - Mariano, and I will leave it to her for the details (From C.C.: Greatest closer ever!  He's the only one who still wears #42 jersey.)

10. Group led by a council of 12 Masters : JEDI - It wasn't until I had the "I" that the V-8 can came sailing across the room....

14. Dart : FLIT - wasn't sure, but I filled it in right away

15. Restrict : CRAMP - and clecho 45A. Restricts : STEMS

16. Team members : OXEN - D'oh~!! I put in an "S" at the end, since, well, it's plural, right~!!?!?

19. Kebab need : SPIT

20. Child care option : DAY NURSERY

21. "Too great a burden to bear": M.L. King Jr. : HATE - Total WAG

22. Spends time at home : BATS - more baseball, but this one didn't fool me

23. Synthetic rubber used in footballs : BUTYL

24. Spoiler of a perfect GPA : ONE B

28. Northwestern winter fruit : BOSC PEAR - I WAGed "SNOW", since I am from the NorthEAST....

31. Foot-related : PODAL

33. Acoustically, it affects treble but not bass : CARPETING

36. Indian clay oven : TANDOOR

38. Officer Poncherello portrayer of '70s-'80s TV : ESTRADA - I grew up with "CHiPs"

39. Programs with previews : SHAREWARE

41. Lay into : SET AT

42. Wade Boggs book subtitled "My Favorite Chicken Recipes" : FOWL TIPS - HAR-HAR~!  It is quite funny, actually - and more baseball - C.C., have you heard this story? (From C.C.: What story? Boggs ate chicken before every single game.) (From Splynter: that's the one~!)

44. Alarm sounds : EEKS

47. Shell with fish, perhaps : TACO - oh, now I get it

49. Mother of Hephaestus : HERA

50. Rhythmic fitness routine : JAZZERCISE

56. 10- or 13-digit ID : ISBN - Not SSN, and not your cell phone #, either

58. TVA product : ELECtricity

59. Had to accept the loss : ATE IT

60. Ticket word : LOGE - dah~!  Not TIER

61. Skate on thin ice : DARE

62. Square figures : NERDS

63. Native to : FROM

DOWN:

1. Its HQ was once destroyed as the result of an earthquake : SFPD - The San Francisco Police Department, in the "great" one of 1906

2. Bargaining focus : PLEA

3. Map listing : CITY

4. Fax abbr. : ATTN

5. Ancient amulet : SCARAB

7. Genus of butterfly that includes the Red Admiral : VANESSA - John Lampkin nailed this one

8. Urgent care abbr. : EMERgency

9. Active : SPRY

11. One likely to vote by absentee ballot : EXPATRIATE

12. Krishna, for one : DEITY

13. Surveillance product, briefly : INTELligence

18. Difficulty : RUB - Shakespeare appears later, too; "Aye, there's the RUB"

23. Sugar sources : BEETS

24. Goes (for) : OPTS

25. Ham kin : NOAH - Son and father

26. 1925 Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist : EDNA FERBER - full name for Saturday

30. Ltr. extender : PPS - post-post script

32. Former MGM parent : LOEWS

34. Flickertail St. : N. DAKota - More here

35. Heaters : GATS - Guns, in slang; funny, but I was thinking "fastball"

37. Wide-faced bird : OWL

40. More chic : RITZIER

43. Essences : SCENTS

45. Backed (away) : SHIED

46. Magnetic induction unit : TESLA

48. "... the inconstant moon ... that monthly changes in her circled __": Juliet : ORB

50. Actress Cusack : JOAN

51. Initial payment : ANTE

52. Baby elephant : CALF

53. Classic name heard in the 1962 hit "Monster Mash" : IGOR - I'll leave music #3 to you~!

54. Utah lily : SEGO

55. I, O or U : ELEMent - Iodine, Oxygen, and Uranium

Splynter