Monday, June 17, 2013 Patti Varol

Theme: Pail Face - The last word of the theme entries can precede the unifier.

18A. Longtime UCLA coach known as the "Wizard of Westwood" : JOHN WOODEN. Wooden bucket.

23A. Cracks a little joke to ease tension, say : BREAKS THE ICE. Ice bucket.

38A. One no longer in his comfort zone : A FISH OUT OF WATER. Water bucket.

48A. Command sequence before shooting : READY, AIM, FIRE. Fire bucket. (These may be full of sand.)

57A. Once-in-a-lifetime agenda, or an apt description of the ends of 18-, 23-, 38- and 48-Across : BUCKET LIST

Argyle here. Today's constructor is Patti Varol so I should choose my words carefully. What a wonderful Monday puzzle. Nice long entries, including a grid spanner. The coach gave me pause (because I had a variant spelling on a perp) and some others but your results may vary. Very acceptable.

Across:

1. Phi __ Kappa : BETA. An academic honor society.

5. Legislative addendum : RIDER. Where a lot of pork slides through.

10. Future atty.'s exam : LSAT. (Law School Admission Test)

14. Security problem : LEAK

15. Greek marketplace : AGORA

16. Opposite of dry, as skin : OILY. You can find infomercials to 'cure' either condition.

17. Radius neighbor : ULNA. For you pre-meds out there.

20. Caught __-handed : RED

21. Used a stool : SAT

22. Family reunion attendee : NIECE. I attended my fiftieth class reunion this weekend; disappointing turnout.

28. 6, on a cellphone button : MNO

29. Theater walkway : AISLE

30. Blot gently : DAB

33. Picasso's movement : CUBISM. They support the Chicago Cubs?

36. Chicago-to-Atlanta dir. : SSE. I did like one of these that didn't have obscure cities.

37. Volcanic overflow : LAVA

41. Pig in a __ : POKE. A poke: 1250–1300; Middle English & Middle Dutch, whence also Old North French poque, French poche bag, pocket. In a nut shell, don't buy a bag that purports to have a pig in it without looking in the bag first.

42. Baja bear : OSO. Don't buy one in a bolsa.

43. Hitting sound : [THWACK!]

44. Mao __-tung : TSE

45. Attorney general's intern : CLERK. ?

47. __ Kippur : YOM. This year, Day of Atonement begins in the evening of Friday, September 13 and ends in the evening of Saturday, September 14.

52. Bald tire's lack : TREAD

55. Suffix with salt : INE. (saltine cracker)

56. Henpeck : NAG

61. Half of table tennis? : PING. and pong.

62. Burn balm : ALOE

63. "Yes __!" : SIREE

64. Avid about : INTO

65. Tear to shreds : REND

66. Oyster bead : PEARL

67. Self-perceptions : EGOS

Down:

1. DVD case promo : BLURB. "Miss Belinda Blurb in the act of blurbing." LINK

2. Fisherman who supplies a sushi bar : EELER

3. Two-wheeler for two : TANDEM BIKE. I'm still LOL.

4. Wanted-poster abbr. : AKA

5. Indian princes : RAJAs

6. "__ run!": "Time for me to leave!" : I GOTTA. "Not yet"

7. Play-__: kids' clay : DOH

8. Marine eagle : ERN

9. Not cooked : RAW. How the erne likes his fish.

10. Sarge's superior : LOOIE. (louie is a variant)

11. Pro or con, in a debate : SIDE

12. Guinness of "Star Wars" : ALEC

13. Actress Daly : TYNE

19. "__ upon a midnight dreary ..." : ONCE. Name that poem.

21. Wee bit : SKOSH. This was well discussed on this day. LINK

24. Ouzo flavoring : ANISE. An anise-flavored aperitif that is widely consumed in Greece and Cyprus (and it sneaks up on you, so I've heard).

25. American or World follower, in school : HISTORY

26. Bygone gas station : ESSO. Or gone bye-bye to other countries.

27. "__ my heart in ..." : I LEFT. Cue Tony! LINK

30. Pattern-seeking information analysis : DATA MINING

31. With, to François : AVEC

32. "Speak" response : [BARK!]

33. Ahab or America: Abbr. : CAPT. (Captain)

34. Space saucers, briefly : UFOs

35. Money, in slang : MOOLA

37. __ diminishing returns : LAW OF. For one law, it sure has complex definitions(that's like a true law).

39. Not new : USED

40. "Pick someone else, pleeease?" : "WHY ME?"

45. Hand over : CEDE

46. Old German leader : KAISER

48. Collected, as downed leaves : RAKED

49. Chip-making giant : INTEL

50. Greeted with enthusiasm : RAN TO

51. Toaster waffles : EGGOs

52. Skier's transport : T-BAR

53. Guideline : RULE

54. Business maj.'s focus : ECON. (economics)

58. Sugar meas. : TSP. It helps the medicine go down.

59. Fib : LIE

60. Keogh plan relative: Abbr. : IRA

61. Apple dessert : PIE

Argyle

Notes from C.C.:

Here are 2 pictures from JD's recent Ireland & Scotland trip. JD said "I must have taken 100 pictures of sheep on the hillsides. Hard to get them clear when we were driving along. We loved the quaint little college town of St. Andrews of the famous golf course." Argyle is dreaming of St. Andrews!

Hillside, Ireland

Loch Ness

Truman, JD's oldest grandson, just graduated from Kindergarten. Look at how proud the grandma is!

Sunday June 16, 2013 Gail Grabowski and Bruce Venzke

Theme:  "In a Fog" - FOG bookends each theme entry.

23A. Sport on horseback : FOX HUNTING. Is fox edible?

28A. United States Army Infantry School site : FORT BENNING. Outside Columbus, Georgia.

42A. Enjoying one's Jeep Wrangler, say : FOUR WHEELING

65A. Compactly built canine : FRENCH BULLDOG

86A. Procrastinator's problem : FOOT-DRAGGING

101A. Clotheshorse's net reading : FASHION BLOG. My favorite.

107A. Amphibian that glides : FLYING FROG. Never heard of it.

32D. Mail order shipment insert : FREE CATALOG. Victoria's Secret probably has the best catalog.

47D. 1964 Detroit debut : FORD MUSTANG

From the byline, we can see that Gail came up with this lovely theme idea, then She and Bruce brainstormed together for the theme answers, then Bruce did the gridding and filling, then Gail completed the clues.

I wonder if Gail and Bruce ever met each other. They're both so genial, witty & warm. Marti met with Bruce at the last ACPT.

 

Gail Grabowski

Left to Right: Bruce Venzke, Byron Walden & Rich Silvestri

Across:

1. Barely sufficient : SCANT

6. It could be a plot : ACRE. Nailed it.

10. Strikes firmly : RAPS

14. Arcade no-nos : TILTS

19. Abbot's underling : PRIOR

20. "I can't deny that" : TRUE. And 63D. Interrogator's demand : ADMIT IT

21. Country singer Jackson : ALAN

22. Three-time Wimbledon champ : EVERT (Chris)

25. Half of 10? : ZERO. The other half is ONE. Love this clue.

26. First name in Olympics perfection : NADIA (Comaneci)

27. Screen pictures : ICONS

30. Give in a bit : SOFTEN

33. "Raging hormones" period : PUBERTY

36. Beast : MEANIE

37. Forgets to mail the mail, say : ERRS

38. Group that meets in the Palais du Luxembourg : SENAT. North of Jardin du Luxembourg. Great picnic and people-watching spot.

39. Reverse, e.g. : GEAR

41. Perfect serve : ACE

46. Out yonder : AFAR

50. Infomercial antitheft device : THE CLUB

52. Tangle up : ENSNARL

53. Tropical rainforest, e.g. : BIOME

54. Formed a clump : CLOTTED

56. Certain extra-base hit: Abbr. : DBL (Double)

57. Comedian __ the Entertainer : CEDRIC

58. Inamorato : BEAU. Never used "Inamorato" in my life.

60. Shine, in ads : GLO

61. Rate of movement : PACE

63. Longtime ABC News chairman : ARLEDGE (Roone)

64. Defer ending : ENT. Deferent.

68. Stylish : MOD

69. Online merchant : E-TAILER. Look at the price for this crossword book. Who can afford it? Poor Argyle is using my beat-up copy.

71. Derisive cry : HOOT

72. Outback sprinter : EMU

73. Deliberate : MUSE. 

74. Bolster, e.g. : PILLOW.

75. "Jeopardy!" record-setter Jennings : KEN. Genius.

76. Hangs around : LOITERS

78. Where to learn une leçon : ECOLE

79. Pinkish rash : ROSEOLA. New word to me.

82. "The Death of Ivan Ilyich" author : TOLSTOY. Wiki says it's a novella by Tolstoy, "one of the masterpieces of his late fiction, written shortly after his religious conversion of the late 1870s."

85. Bylaws, briefly : REGs

88. Classic Steely Dan album : AJA

89. Strives : VIES

90. Score after deuce : AD OUT

91. Erode : GNAW

92. Backspaced, perhaps : ERASED

96. Tack room gear : HARNESS

99. Provide juice for : PLUG IN

103. Oktoberfest keepsake : STEIN

105. U.S. Army O-5 : LT COL. Hard for me.

106. One way to stand : TALL

112. Unified : AS ONE

113. Dark-skinned fruit : SLOE

114. Do another tour : RE-UP. This reminds me of the reader who once complained to Will Shortz that GOUP is not a valid fill. She could not find the word in her dictionary.

115. "A Short Treatise on the Game of Whist" author : HOYLE

116. Hauled : TOTED

117. Lunches with mayo : BLTs

118. Pup squeaks : YIPS

119. Out on a limb : TREED

Down:

1. Basker's letters : SPF. I think SPF 30 is enough.

2. Zagreb's country, to the IOC : CRO (Croatia)

3. __-en-Provence : AIX. Hahtoola stayed here for a year or two.

4. Result of a batter "taking the collar" in a game : NO HITS. "Taking the collar" means getting no hits. Here is why.

5. Cease-fire : TRUCE

6. Mail-routing abbr. : ATTN

7. Fridge compartment : CRISPER

8. Aim for an office : RUN. Would be interested to see if New Yorkers are willing to give Anthony Weiner a second chance.

9. Doc's readout : EEG

10. It gets into a lather : RAZOR

11. On the ball : ALERT

12. Spring break fun-lover : PARTY GIRL

13. One often looking down : SNOB. And 15. Donald Jr.'s mom : IVANA. Trump.

14. Brit's sawbuck : TENNER

16. Ushered : LED IN

17. Singer Lopez : TRINI

18. Phase : STAGE

24. Violent opening? : NON. Non-violent. And 98D. Hollywood openings? : ROLES

28. Bashes : FETES

29. Collection of Web pages : eMAG

30. Class assignment : SEAT

31. Gp. with brass : ORCH. Orchestra.

34. Not hitched : UNWED

35. Porsche path : BAHN. Autobahn.

38. More understated : SUBTLER

40. Photo lab prod. : ENL

42. Mel's Diner waitress : FLO

43. Left behind, in a way : OUTGREW

44. Prime rib choice : END CUT

45. Designer __ : LABEL

46. Helping hand : AIDE

48. Baja buddies : AMIGOS

49. Fall back : RECEDE

51. Gulager of "The Virginian" : CLU. Learned his name from doing crosswords.

53. Waffle source?: Abbr. : BELG. Ha ha.

55. Lengthy time : EON

57. Caesar salad ingredient : CROUTON. With anchovies for Bill G, please.

58. Attention-getting device : BEEPER

59. Lure : ENTICE

61. Gave a ring : PHONED

62. Blood typing system : ABO

65. Arctic formation : FLOE

66. Bedroom piece : CHEST

67. Sign of summer : LEO. Zodiac sign.

70. Subjects of complaints : ILLS

73. Dash at the market? : MRS. Mrs. Dash. Great clue.

75. Squishy Hasbro toy used with a launcher : KOOSH BALL

76. Old Nigerian capital : LAGOS. The current capital is Abuja.

77. Taina of "Les Girls" : ELG. Both TAINA and ELG are just hard to remember.

79. Sturgeon yield : ROE

80. Malaysian swinger : ORANG

81. Put in the hold : LADE

83. Ventura County resort : OJAI. Chickie's daughter lives here.

84. [I'm bored] : YAWN

86. Name from the Latin for "I trust" : FIDO. Thought it means "Faithful".

87. Dress to the nines : GUSSY UP

89. Like some brides : VEILED

91. Pursue with purpose : GUN FOR

92. Key of Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 4 : E FLAT. Always a ? FLAT for me.

93. 1969 film con man : RATSO. "Midnight Cowboy". Tough to watch, don't you think?

94. Cravat relative : ASCOT

95. Deserved an Oscar, say : SHONE

97. Distribute : ALLOT

99. Farm house : PEN. Is your farm far from where you live, PK?

100. Far from strenuous : LIGHT

102. Accident investigation agcy. : NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board)

104. They may be in a jar : TIPS

107. Fish may be served at one : FRY

108. Ring of blooms : LEI. Never been to Hawaii. How much does a lei cost, JD?

109. Deli option : RYE

110. Chihuahua cry : OLE

111. H.S. dropout's goal : GED

Marti is now in Vienna, after a few days of frolicking in Italy. She attended a gala on Thursday night in honor of the 50th anniversary of her friend's company. She said "We were treated royally, as always in Vienna!" Here she is, looking beautiful in her lovely dress.

They also went to an exhibition of the Lipizzaner Stallions at the Spanish Riding School of Vienna yesterday. She had a private tour of the stables and was excited to see those horses in person.