Monday, June 24, 2013 Bruce Venzke and Gail Grabowski

Theme: Inclement Weather - The stars of any weather report are the bad things that may occur. Our starred entries begin with those types of storms that bring warnings.

20. *Vice president's official entrance march : HAIL, COLUMBIA. LINK(0:47)

28. *Anxiety-reducing meeting opener : ICE BREAKER

34. *Hoffman's 1988 title savant : RAIN MAN. It was on TV last night.

38. *Stir-fry veggie : SNOW PEA. Yum! Picture

42. *Endurance-building full-speed run : WIND SPRINT. Start them while they're young. LINK (0:28)

53. Weather advisory, and hint to the starts of the answers to starred clues : STORM WARNING

Argyle here. A few hard-for-Monday entries but not unduly so. Maybe a spot or two where the perp needed a perp but in the end, all doable. Substantial white space in the NW and SE.

Across:

1. Where the Stars and Stripes flies, familiarly : US OF A

6. Approximate fig. : EST.

9. Stops on the way home? : BASES. "Just to hit the ball and touch 'em all - a moment in the sun" (J.C. Fogerty)

14. Fragrant evergreens : PINES

15. "I'm underwhelmed" : "MEH"

16. "You __ right!" : ARE SO...said the boy wonder.

17. Sharply inclined : STEEP

18. Put on a pedestal : IDEALIZED

22. Trying experience : ORDEAL

23. Corn core : COB

24. Church-owned Dallas sch. : SMU. (Southern Methodist University)

27. Bygone Russian despot : TSAR

32. Gabor and Peron : EVAs

33. Irritating sorts : TWITS

40. "Ready __, here ..." : OR NOT

41. Leave speechless : STUN

45. Zap with a weapon : TASE

49. '60s militant campus org. : SDS. (Students for a Democratic Society)

50. Sleep phase initials : REM. (rapid eye movement)

51. Elevated : RAISED

56. Entrance whose top half opens separately : DUTCH DOOR. Double Dutch door.

59. Stop : CEASE

60. Not warranted : UNDUE

61. Man-mission link : ON A

62. Champing at the bit : EAGER

63. Thingy : GISMO

64. Chef's meas. : TSP. Teaspoon

65. Smeltery refuse : DROSS. The waste matter when refining ore.

Down:

1. End result : UPSHOT. 1531, from up + shot (n.); originally, the final shot in an archery match, hence the figurative sense of "result, issue, conclusion" (1604).

2. Indian stringed instruments : SITARs

3. New York lake near Syracuse : ONEIDA. I have an aunt who lives on the north shore, in Cleveland, NY.

4. Information-eliciting negotiation tactic : FEELER

5. Furry friends' protection org. : ASPCA. I'd hope it wasn't just the furry animals that get protection. (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals)

6. Jannings of classic cinema : EMIL. In 1929 he won the first Best Actor Oscar.

7. Beguiles : SEDUCES

8. Cosa Nostra : THE MOB

9. Indonesian island : BALI

10. Operatic showstopper : ARIA

11. "__ who?" : SEZ

12. WNW's opposite : ESE

13. Landscaper's purchase : SOD

19. Shortened wd. : ABBR. (abbreviation)

21. Three-time A.L. batting champ Tony : OLIVA. He is here so often, we're on a first name basis.

24. Hop, __ and jump : SKIP. Track event.

25. Parcel (out) : METE

26. Constellation bear : URSA. Major and Minor or also known as the Big and Little Dippers.

29. Recycle bin item : CAN

30. Thames school : ETON

31. "How cute!" : "AWW!". As Spitzboov said on Saturday...All the bear news from Canada.(7:42)

32. CPR pros : EMTs

34. Handles the oars : ROWS

35. Extremely dry : ARID

36. Roadside retreats : INNs

37. Agree wordlessly : NOD

38. RR stop : STN. Rail station.

39. __Sweet: aspartame : NUTRA. In the blue packets.

41. Beautyrest mattress maker : SIMMONS. That was interesting about the Sleep Number beds the other day.

43. Cattle poker : PROD. Cattle poker - "I'll see your two Herefords and raise you a Holstein."

44. Get established in a new planter : REROOT

45. Musical liability : TIN EAR

46. Italian cheese : ASIAGO

47. Has an inkling : SENSES

48. Lawn neateners : EDGERS

52. Followed a curved path : ARCED. Edging gets a little trickier if it's curved.

53. Mr. Clean target : SCUM. But not riff-raff.

54. "The Cosby Show" son : THEO

55. Rolled sandwich : WRAP. When did sandwich wraps become popular and are they really a sandwich?

56. Used a trowel : DUG

57. Prefix with lateral : UNI

58. QB scores : TDs. (Touchdowns)

Argyle

Notes from C.C.:

1) Happy 25th wedding anniversary to Dennis and his lovely wife Linda. Click here to see some fun pictures from their wedding and reception.

2)  Happy Birthday to Barbara B, Melissa's beautiful mother, who was very active on the blog a few years ago. 

Left to right: Melissa's daughter, Barbara B & Melissa

Sunday June 23, 2013 Pawel Fludzinski

Theme: "Now Showing at the Colosseum" - The number in each movie is replaced by a Roman numeral.

23A. 1993 drama for which Stockard Channing got an Oscar nomination : VI DEGREES OF SEPARATION. "Six Degrees of Separation".

40A. 2009 sci-fi Best Picture nominee : DISTRICT IX. "District 9". Unfamiliar to me.

71A. Kurosawa period film remade into a Western in 1960 : VII SAMURAI. "Seven Samurai". No plural ending S, Yellowrocks?

74A. 1988 baseball scandal movie : VIII MEN OUT. "Eight Men Out". About the Black Sox Scandal. Shoeless Joe's role is rather limited, to my surprise.

119A. Grant/MacDowell romantic comedy : IV WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL. "Four Weddings and a Funeral". I guess A is not a number.

7D. 1960 Rat Pack film : OCEANS XI. "Ocean’s 11". I only saw the remake.

31D. Hitchcock thriller remade three times : THE XXXIX STEPS. "The 39 Steps". Big number conversion here.

36D. Academy Award-nominated 1949 war film : XII O'CLOCK HIGH. "Twelve O'Clock High". Never saw it.

93D. 2003 Penn/Watts drama with "The weight of a hummingbird" in one of its taglines : XXI GRAMS. "21 Grams"

105. 1995 Tom Hanks docudrama : APOLLO XIII. "Apollo 13".

I figured out the gimmick immediately, you? Constructing crosswords has greatly improved my solving ability. I even know words that Barry G is unfamiliar with. 

Very skillful theme entry arrangement. Amazing intersections. 10 are not easy to grid, esp with 2 grid spanners & those X's and V's.

Argyle dug out this information about Pawel Fludzinski last time. I think it's our constructor.

Across:

1. Pianist Argerich : MARTHA. Gimme for Pas de chat. Wiki said she won the seventh Chopin Competition in 1965,

7. Counterbalance : OFFSET

13. Burdensome : ONEROUS

20. "... there's __!": Hamlet : THE RUB

21. Trounces : CREAMS

22. Forwards, say : RE-SENDS

26. Now, in Nicaragua : AHORA

27. Fish with bobbing bait : DAP. For Dave, though he might not solve this puzzle today. The "Fist bump" meaning of DAP stumped some last time.

28. Golden number : OLDIE

29. D-Day transports : LSTs

32. Columnist Coulter : ANN. I do like her hair. That's about all.

33. Soothsayers : ORACLES

35. Let go : AXED

39. Nicole Kidman's birthplace : OAHU. Nice trivia.

42. Trattoria starters : PRIMI. Plural of "Prima"?

43. Onetime "SNL" regular Cheri : OTERI

45. Thermal opening : EXO. "Outer".

46. Can plan : ESCAPE. Can = Prison.

48. AOL backs-and-forths : IMs

49. Points of view? : PIXELS

51. Islamic leader : IMAM. And 54. Islamic leader : EMIR. Do you how many times Allah appears in Koran?

55. Yiddish laments : OYs

56. Word with fair or opposite : SEX. Fun comments yesterday on Splynter's bed, PK. Totally agree with Linda. You do have a way with words.

57. Andean stew veggie : OCA. Haven't seen this word for a long time.

59. In need of wiping up : SPILT

62. Coterie : CIRCLE

64. Kane's estate : XANADU. Rosebud.

67. Effort before the effort : PRE-WORK. I guess you can Pre anything.

70. North Carolina university : ELON

76. "Devil Inside" band : INXS

77. Nobility : PEERAGE

79. Like the West Coast's U.S. Route 101 : SCENIC

80. Guinea pig : TESTEE

82. Prepared to propose : KNELT. Did you actually kneel down to propose to your wife?

84. Cabinet dept. created in 1965 : HUD

85. Spy org. until 1991 : KGB. What's Russia's CIA now?

88. Subway line to Columbia Univ. : IRT

89. Muffin choice : BRAN

92. Engels collaborator : MARX (Karl)

94. More upscale : POSHER

96. Bore, as a cost : ATE

97. Inclined : ASLOPE

100. Time-saving phone no. : EXT

102. Madrid monarch : REINA. Queen.

103. Two sheets to the wind? : TIPSY

109. Farming prefix : AGRI

110. Alleviate : EASE

111. Held lovingly : CRADLED

112. Rental car feature, briefly : GPS

113. First word of the Declaration of Independence : WHEN. "When in the course of human event...."

114. "Spider-Man" director : RAIMI (Sam)

116. "__ Crazy": Paul Davis hit : I GO

117. Riveting icon : ROSIE

127. Stinkers : MEANIES

128. Rear : BOTTOM

129. First in line, perhaps : ELDEST

130. Deep down : AT HEART

131. High-hats : SNOOTS

132. Gave lip to : SASSED

Down:

1. "Ladies and gentlemen, rock and roll" launch of 1981 : MTV

2. Yellowfin tuna : AHI. 18. Side for 2-Down : UDO. See here for more info.

3. Common color in national flags : RED

4. Cherish : TREASURE

5. Actor Laurie : HUGH. So talented. Genius doctor. 

6. Using a passport : ABROAD

8. TV sites, in realty ads : FRS.  No idea. Argyle said it's "Family Rooms".

9. Russian basso Chaliapin : FEODOR. Stranger to me.

10. Honeymoon adventure : SAFARI

11. Typographic measure : EM SPACE. I wonder if PK got this quickly. I just could not see it.

12. J.A. Prufrock's creator : TSE. And 122. Literary monogram : GBS. George Bernard Shaw.

13. Degree requirement, maybe : ORAL EXAM

14. Dorks : NERDS

15. Actor Morales : ESAI

16. Injure again, as a ligament : RE-TEAR

17. Covert maritime org. : ONI. Office of Naval Intelligence.

19. ID in MDs' records : SSN

24. Banks on a diamond : ERNIE. Mr. Cub.

25. Enforcement group : POLICE

29. Froot __ : LOOPS

30. Composer of gnossiennes : SATIE (Erik). I don't even know what "gnossiennes" means.

34. Pennies: Abbr. : CTs

37. Country singer Harris : EMMYLOU. Is she your type, D-Otto?

38. Minority opinion : DISSENT

41. Some cats : TOMS. We have a few TOMs on the blog. Nice cats.

42. Prefix with scope : PERI

44. Actress Massey : ILONA. Long time no see.

47. Double espresso, say : PICK-ME-UP

50. Darts : SCAMPERS

52. Rome's __ Way : APPIAN

53. Salyut successor : MIR

58. In unison, in music : ADUE

60. Parking garage section : LEVEL A

61. Light opening? : TWI. Twilight.

63. Baroque painter Guido : RENI

65. Part of ADA: Abbr. : ASST

66. Portrait finish? : URE. Portraiture.

68. Grafton's "__ for Outlaw" : O IS

69. Sumptuous : RICH

71. Spoil : VITIATE. New word to me.

72. Subject of Newton's first law : INERTIA

73. Ararat arrival : ARK

75. Ewok's planet : ENDOR

78. Masterpiece : GEM

81. Auction site : eBAY. I'm just so distrustful of those Lady Gaga pink lipsticks on eBay. Too bad Mac discontinued the product.

83. Cretaceous giant : T-REX

86. Class : GENRE

87. Jellyfish's lack : BRAIN. Wow, I don't know. I liked pickled jellyfish.

90. Chicken Little, notably : ALARMIST

91. Half a workout mantra : NO PAIN

95. Common coastal arrivals : SEAWEEDS

98. Okra unit : POD

99. "Invisible Man" author : ELLISON (Ralph)

101. "It's on the __ my tongue" : TIP OF

104. Composed : SERENE

106. Smooth, musically : LEGATO

107. Tooth: Pref. : ODONTO. A rather long prefix.

108. Promulgates : ISSUES

111. Drink from a press : CIDER

115. 1998 Sarah McLachlan hit : ADIA. I love her "I'll Remember You". So beautiful.

118. At Staples Center, briefly : IN LA

119. "__ little teapot ..." : I'M A

120. Lab inspector? : VET. Lovely clue.

121. Crib cry : WAH

123. Period, for one : DOT

124. Hi-__ monitor : RES

125. "Peer Gynt" widow : ASE. His mother. Learned from doing Xwords.

126. Inc., in Ipswich : LTD

Boomer and I attended a local constructor gathering last Wednesday. The beautiful Andrea Carla Michaels was in town. 

Left to right: Tom Pepper (He has a puzzle in Rich's queue); Marcia J. Brott (Hope to see your LAT soon); George Barany (He made that amazing Turing tribute puzzle last June); David Hanson (He had one puzzle published by the NYT); DK (Andrea's friend, a psychologist); C.C. (sleeping); Andrea (She is so caring and sweet); Boomer & Victor Barocas (He's made a few brilliant puzzles for NYT, LAT and CHE).

 I woke up in this one.