Wednesday, Jun 12 2013, Jack McInturff

theme: FATHER FIGURES - each theme entry is an actor in a film with "Father" in its title.  timely theme, with father's day just around the corner. couldn't have been easy to fit all these full names in one grid. 

18a. "Father of the Bride" co-star : STEVE MARTIN. recently became a father, at 67.

26a. "Father Dowling Mysteries" star : TOM BOSLEY

34a. "Father Knows Best" star : ROBERT YOUNG

41a. "Father Goose" co-star : CARY GRANT

55a. "Father Murphy" star : MERLIN OLSEN

and a beautifully placed vertical crossing the center theme answer:

24d. Father's Day "award" : BEST DAD

melissa here. don't know if jack is a dad or not, but he deserves a relaxing day off for this one. (From C.C.: Jack is a 83-year-old grandpa.)

across

1. Bank offerings, briefly : CD'S. certificates of deposit.

4. Emmy winner Edie : FALCO

9. Stockholm native : SWEDE

14. Pewter with 80% tin : LEY. did not know that. wikipedia says it was used for items that did not come into contact with food or drink.

15. First husband of Bathsheba : URIAH

16. Hermit : LONER

17. Ques. response : ANS

20. Star on the stand : WITNESS. courtroom.

22. Mean : NOT NICE

23. It's uncertain when it's gray : AREA. nice clue.

24. Rite performed by a mohel : BRIS

25. USSR successor : CIS. commonwealth of independent states.

30. Force : DINT. not a word you hear often.

31. Cardinal and carmine : REDS. pretty.

32. "In that case, scram!" : THEN GO

37. Belief in one god : THEISM

39. Put in stitches : DARN. nice.

40. Disapproving sound : HISS. as in boo, hiss!

46. Freud's "The __ and the Id" : EGO

47. Cattle unit : HEAD

49. Out of the wind : ALEE

50. Brouhaha : RHUBARB. i didn't know these were synonyms, must start using this word.

52. One settling a score : AVENGER

57. Keats opus : ODE

58. First name in wieners : OSCAR. anthony wouldn't fit.

59. Carried : TOTED

60. Legal thing : RES. another obscure one for me. "An object, a subject matter, or a status against which legal proceedings have been instituted."

61. Marks on a manuscript : STETS

62. Reaches great heights : SOARS. like this.

63. LeShan who wrote "It's Better to Be Over the Hill Than Under It" : EDA

down

1. Use for scratching : CLAW AT

2. "GoodFellas" actor : DE NIRO

3. One may be used to pick Powerball numbers : SYSTEM. not my favorite clue.

4. Oft-blown circuit component : FUSE

5. Crafts partner : ARTS

6. Alibis, sometimes : LIES

7. Cleveland NBAer : CAValier.

8. Storywriter known for twists : O HENRY

9. Mattress supports : SLATS

10. Tattered : WORN

11. Like a Greek siren : ENTICING

12. Cold weather wing maintenance : DE-ICING. dig the rhyming.

13. Che, at birth : ERNESTO. guevara.

19. "Who, me?" : MOI

21. Arrest : NAB

27. Globes : ORBS

28. Appear : SEEM

29. Pres. or CEO : LDR. leader.

30. __ of iniquity : DEN

32. British Conservative's ancestor : TORY. political faction.

33. Unable to reach a verdict : HUNG

34. Natural or renewable supply : RESOURCE

35. Grafton's "__ for Outlaw" : O IS

36. Pirate's cry : YAR

37. Insulated container : THERMOS

38. Like Mount Everest : HIGHEST

41. Explorers John and Sebastian : CABOTS

42. Sought a seat : RAN. tricky.

43. Dan Quayle's successor : AL GORE

44. Had to have : NEEDED

45. Saintly Mother : TERESA

47. What hagglers split : HAIRS

48. Sea eagle : ERN

51. Sheep's sound : BLAT

52. Hammett hound : ASTA. dashiell hammet, author of the thin man series.

53. Swerve : VEER

54. Extremes : ENDS

56. Head of Hastings? : LOO. great.

melissa

 

Tuesday, June 11, 2013 Robin Stears

Theme: Male Twins - A young man can be placed following the first and the second part of the theme answers.

17A. *Campus brother's residence : FRAT HOUSE. Fraternity member can be called a FRAT BOY. If it is a really rich fraternity, they might have a HOUSE BOY.

39A. *Bossy's neckwear : COWBELL. Bossy is a cow. A COW BOY would tend her. A BELL BOY would tend to her if she had been made in to luggage.

59A. *Student's transport : SCHOOL BUS. The wheels on the bus go round and round. The SCHOOL BOY would be on the bus. The BUS BOY is on break with the BELL BOY.

11D. *Christmas hit for Roy Orbison written by Willie Nelson : "PRETTY PAPER". The SONG. There are those(I'm not mentioning names) that think Tony Dorsett is a PRETTY BOY. The PAPER BOY just brings the news. Tony used to big in the sports section.

24D. *Color with a military name : SOLDIER BLUE. Funny that the color is lighter than the blue used for the Union soldiers, the original soldiers blue. In that conflict, a SOLDIER BOY bled red no matter the color of his uniform. The BLUE BOY (PICTURE) was not involved.

25D. *An outfielder may call it : FLY BALL. Doesn't mean he will get it, sometimes. A FLY BOY (A member of an air force) might be in the stands watching. Meanwhile, the BALL BOY is watching tennis.

61D. Word that can follow both parts of the answers to starred clues : BOY. Oh BOY, that part's done.

Argyle here.(just a boy at heart). I didn't sign up for this much work. Seven entries on a Tuesday! I'm only kidding; I'm impressed with Robin's offering.

Across:

1. Résumé writer's quest : JOB. Don't get the need for French(maybe something was lost in the translation).

4. Maker of WorkForce printers : EPSON. I have a Brothers myself.

9. Pet adoption org. : ASPCA. American SPCA

14. More than vexation : IRE

15. Sports deal : TRADE

16. Pasta wheat : DURUM. Stay away, if you're gluten-intolerant.

19. Grenoble's river : ISÈRE. Grenoble is a city in southeastern France, at the foot of the French Alps where the river Drac joins the Isère.

20. Room divider : WALL

21. Vanquished : BEATEN

22. Atlantic City attraction : CASINO. So gambling is bad unless the government is getting their cut.

25. Display shamelessly : FLAUNT

27. Up to speed about : IN ON

28. Extravagant affairs : GALAS

30. "Imagine greater" cable network : SYFY. (formerly Sci-Fi Channel)

33. Loggers' balancing contest : ROLEO. Two men on a log in the water, rolling it back and forth to dump the opponent in said water.

35. Damascus's land : SYRIA. Not the place to be.

37. Bake sale purchase : PIE. "Umm, pie!"

38. Spain's El __ : CID

41. California's Santa __ Mountains : ANA

42. Aussie's college : UNI. A gimme, thanks to Kazie.

43. Golf legend Sam : SNEAD. A recent entry.

44. Camcorder inserts : TAPES. Then transfer them to CD's to play them.

46. Suffix with hip or quip : STER

48. Green-light : ALLOW. 66A. Green-lights : OKs. Verb or noun.

50. Dry run : TEST

51. Seconds from the soda fountain : REFILL. I was looking for a plural.

53. Robust : HEARTY

55. Unskilled sailor : LUBBER. (landlubber) Perhaps we can get the reason why?

57. Gallup specialty : POLL

58. Attorney-__ : AT-LAW

64. Pan-fry : SAUTÉ

65. Make sense of : GRASP

67. Transparently thin : SHEER. For Splynter.

68. Ten percent pledge : TITHE

69. Robin Hood's wood : YEW. For his bow, you know.

Down:

1. Peanut butter brand : JIF

2. Hockey legend Bobby : ORR

3. Actress Arthur : BEA

4. __ Allen furniture stores : ETHAN

5. Literary intro : PROLOG

6. First king of Israel : SAUL

7. Pigs out (on), briefly : OD's

8. Born, in a bridal bio : NÉE

9. "Farewell, mon ami" : "ADIEU". "Non, pas encore."

10. Sarandon and Sontag : SUSANs

12. Make all better : CURE

13. "You're so right!" : "AMEN!"

18. Bale bond : TWINE. Get that, sounds like bail bond.

21. Pizza sauce herb : BASIL

22. Tent entertainment : CIRCUS. Three rings, the Big Top.

23. Apply oil to : ANOINT

26. Rio Grande city : LAREDO.

29. Too : AS WELL

31. Crème de la crème : FINEST

32. Like bread dough or beer : YEASTY

34. Military training sch. : OCS. (Officer Candidate School)

36. Flight height: Abbr. : ALT. (altitude)

40. How the elated walk : ON AIR

45. In any way : AT ALL

47. Consumer lure : REBATE. But jump through hoops to redeem.

49. Wind tunnel noise : [WHOOSH]

52. Five, to ten : FEWER

54. Take the honey and run : ELOPE. A cutey.

55. Scottish miss : LASS

56. Four Corners state : UTAH

57. "Kewl" relative : "PHAT"

59. Cpl.'s superior : SGT.

60. Dernier __: the latest thing : CRI. French: literally, last cry.

62. Maui music maker : UKE

63. Lincoln-to-Lubbock dir. : SSW

Argyle