Monday, August 12, 2013 Gareth Bain

Theme: It's a Scream - Titles of horror movies begin our entries today.

17A. *Auto wreck extraction tool : JAWS OF LIFE

23A. *Princess Leia portrayer : CARRIE FISHER

35A. *Was on the same page as : SAW EYE TO EYE WITH

47A. *Inappropriately used therapeutic jargon : PSYCHOBABBLE

57A. Scary showing, and the first word of each answer to a starred clue : HORROR FILM

Argyle here. I'll leave it to you to supply your favorite clips. Some Tuesday words but a good start to the week. Thank you, Gareth. (interview)

Across:

1. "Amazing" magician : RANDI

6. Attire : GARB

10. Blacken on the grill : CHAR

14. Locales : AREAs

15. On the calm side, at sea : ALEE

16. Hawaiian dance : HULA

19. Children's book author Blyton : ENID

            Learn more LINK.

20. NYC dance troupe : ABT. (American Ballet Theatre)

21. Palindromic fool : BOOB. Don't even go there.

22. Hajji's destination : MECCA

26. Dueler's cry : "EN GARDE!"

29. Totally unlike a muscleman : PUNY

30. Author Uris : LEON. He wrote "Exodus".

31. Soldier of fortune, briefly : MERC. (mercenary)

32. Swanky parties : DOs. "DO" has a lot of meanings.

40. Directional ending : ERN

41. Makes a boo-boo : ERRs

42. Converse of "divided by" : INTO. Six divided by two is three. Two goes into six three times.

43. Nativity scene trio : MAGI. (The Wise Men)

44. Shore restaurant specialty : SEAFOOD

51. German autos : OPELs

52. Trim, as expenses : PARE

53. Monopolize : HOG

56. Trigonometry ratio : SINE

60. Words with date or precedent : SET A

61. __ and done with : OVER

62. Pacific kingdom called the Friendly Islands : TONGA

 63. Flair : ELAN

64. Texas's El __ : PASO

65. Family car : SEDAN

Down:

1. Indian monarch : RAJA

2. Spirited horse : ARAB

3. "Eye of __ ...": "Macbeth" : NEWT. Act IV, Scene I (There are some horrible videos of this. I couldn't find one I would link.)

4. Court prosecutors, briefly : DAs. (district attorneys)

5. Line on a weather map : ISOBAR

6. In large amounts : GALORE

7. Suspect's "I was home asleep," e.g. : ALIBI

8. Whistle-blower in a striped shirt : REF

9. Spelling event : BEE

10. Like some pizza : CHEESY. Wood fired in the woods.

11. Cop's conjecture : HUNCH

12. Rocker Cooper : ALICE. Video(3:09)

13. "M*A*S*H" character who hears choppers before anyone else : RADAR

18. Shallow crossing : FORD

22. Cut into tiny pieces : MINCE

23. Walking stick : CANE

24. Blunt-tipped weapon : EPEE

25. Violent rage : FURY

26. If-then-__: programmer's sequence : ELSE. If-then-help?

27. At hand : NEAR

28. Dress at a ball : GOWN

31. Jan. and Feb. : MOs

32. Fred and Wilma's pet : DINO

33. Germany's __ von Bismarck : OTTO

34. Did a farrier's job : SHOD. A farrier shoes horses, ergo, past tense, shod.

36. Casual assents : YEAHs

37. Therefore : ERGO

38. Chicago paper, briefly : TRIB

39. Wilma, to Fred : WIFE

43. "Vincent" singer/songwriter Don : McLEAN. A counter to Alice Cooper? Video(4:13)

44. Pizza chain : SBARRO

45. Spanish river : EBRO. Wikipedia.

46. Gives a heads-up : ALERTS

47. Deputized group on horseback : POSSE. "Cut 'em off at the pass!"

48. Sales pitch : SPIEL

49. Gossip spreader : YENTA

50. __-ski : APRÈS

53. __ legs: rear pair : HIND

54. Gymnast Korbut : OLGA

55. Fed : G-MAN

57. '50s high school dance : HOP

58. Fertility clinic cells : OVA

59. Enemy : FOE

Argyle

Sunday August 11, 2013 Robert W. Harris

Theme: "Mock Time" - "Ar" sound is changed into "Ah" (Short O) sound.

22A. Drill presses, lathes and the like? : SHOP OBJECTS. Sharp objects.

24A. Ways a fish avoids capture? : COD TRICKS. Card tricks.

41A. Cop's dog-days domain? : HOT BEAT. Heartbeat.

43A. Queue at a rest room, to a tot? : POTTY LINE. Party line.

67A. Time for promoting awareness about electrical hazards? : SHOCK WEEK. Discovery Channel's Shark Week.

93A. Promo for a prominent baby doctor's book? : SPOCK PLUG. Spark plug. Dr. Spock.

95A. Deity's online forum comment? : GOD POST. Guard post.

115A. Aid in moving an army bed? : COT WHEELS. Cartwheel. Two of the base phrases are one-word entries. Consistent.

117A. Late-afternoon marina observations? : DOCK SHADOWS. Dark shadows.

When did you grok the theme? I did not understand what's going on until SHOCK WEEK appeared.

This type of theme is often tricky for me to grasp, probably for other non-native English speakers as well.

Across:

1. GPS determination : LAT (Latitude)

4. Hint : SHADE

9. BlackBerry downloads : APPS

13. '70s tennis star Nastase : ILIE. Look at his personal life.  Reminds me of Wilt Chamberlain.

17. Altar agreement : I DO

18. One working on a bench? : PIANIST. Piano bench.

20. Mmes., in Monterrey : SRAs

21. Cloister group : NUNS

26. Small, in Saint-Lô : PETIT

27. 12-Down, e.g. : JET. 12. Retired flier : SST.

28. Hostile calls : HOOTS

30. Serving a purpose : UTILE

31. Summary : RECAP

33. Verbally assault : LAY INTO

35. Nasty : SNIDE

36. Rubs out : ERASES

38. External hard drive capacity prefix : TERA. We don't have a external hard drive.

39. Part of a fancy setting : CHINA

47. "__ Was a Rollin' Stone": Temptations hit : PAPA

51. Basketball tactic : PRESS

52. Some religious sects : CULTS

53. Hard-to-approach type, perhaps : SNOB

54. One going on and on : PRATTLER

56. Waterproof cover : TARP. So is mascara.

58. Pea house : POD. Ha ha, "Pea house". Our sugar peas are not doing well this year. The beefsteak tomatoes are still green. Too cold a spring. The weeds are doing great!

60. __-pitch : SLO

61. Most inane : SILLIEST. Not insane. Super funny. Thanks, Dave.

62. Clothing line : SEAM

64. Many an ex-lib : NEO-CON. Ex-liberal.

66. Short read? : MAG

71. Passé TV hookup : VCR

72. Fixed beforehand : PRE-SET

75. Funny Johnson : ARTE

76. Rebel's crime : SEDITION

80. Collecting Soc. Sec. : RET (Retired)

81. Tear : RIP

83. Other considerations : ANDs. Often this kind of little fill stumps me.

85. Ready for the sea : SAILABLE. Spell checker does not like this word.

86. Feed bag feed : OATS

88. Makes : EARNS

90. __ cuisine : HAUTE

92. Property title : DEED

97. Absinthe flavoring : ANISE

98. Topog. map stat : ELEV

99. Just down the road from : NEAR TO

103. Bold poker bet : ALL IN

105. Electromagnetic physicist Michael : FARADAY. I forgot. Lemonade linked this last this guy appeared. 

108. Enjoy, as a hammock : LIE ON. I'm not a camper. When I look at this picture, I think of mosquito spray, not how enjoyable Dave's hammock is.

109. Fields of study : AREAS

110. Lazy __ : SUSAN

111. Actress Peeples : NIA

113. Check endorser : PAYEE

120. Sri Lanka setting : ASIA

121. Courtroom fiction name : ERLE. Erle Stanley Gardner.

122. Add value to, as a deal : SWEETEN

123. Unwanted phone connection : TAP

124. Mao's successor : DENG. Here he is again. I didn't like him. He caused confusion in our ideology of China. 

125. Lock openers : KEYS. So straightforward.

126. Op-ed piece : ESSAY

127. "The Fountainhead" writer Rand : AYN

Down:

1. Speech imperfection : LISP

2. Stick : ADHERE

3. Horn blower : TOOTER

4. Bro or sis : SIB

5. Muslim's pilgrimage : HAJJ. HADJ is a variant.

6. Slippery as __ : AN EEL

7. Urgings, as of one's conscience : DICTATES. Never thought it can be a noun.

8. New England hrs. : EST

9. Fop's tie : ASCOT

10. Diplomatic formality : PROTOCOL

11. Inflates, as a résumé : PADS

13. Signs off on, in a way : INITIALS

14. Clear : LUCID

15. Woven linen tape : INKLE. Stranger to me. Which part is the INKLE?

16. Latin 101 word : ESSE

18. Fertilizer ingredient : POTASH

19. Warm-weather top : T-SHIRT

23. Typesetting measure : PICA

25. Like undercooked eggs : RUNNY. How do you like your eggs cooked?

29. __ shoestring: with little to spend : ON A

32. Streisand classic : PEOPLE

34. Baker's supply : YEAST

35. Doesn't divulge, as bad news : SITS ON

37. Emphasize : STRESS

40. URL initials : HTTP

42. Big __: WWI cannon : BERTHA. Callaway brand as well.

43. Cocoon occupants : PUPAE

44. Dedicate, as a book at a signing : INSCRIBE. David Sedaris inscribes funny stuff. The title of his Let's Explore Diabetes With Owls is actually from an inscription.

45. Court plea, briefly : NOLO. Nolo contendere.

46. Jet-black, in verse : EBON

47. Correspondent's "Oh, and another thing ..." : PPs

48. NPR journalist Shapiro : ARI

49. South Carolina state tree : PALMETTO. Been a long time since we drove to Myrtle Beach & played tons of golf.

50. Map collection : ATLAS

52. Work for a captain : CREW. Ship.

55. Detroit athlete : TIGER. For Jazzbumpa & LaLaLinda's husband.

57. Set as a price : ASKED

59. Crafty sort : DEVIL

63. Bungle : MESS UP

65. Slices in a pizza, often : OCTAD. Don't miss this Pizza Crust recipe. My first pizza is a  thick-crusted shrimp & pineapple at Pizza Hut Guangzhou. That's my ideal pizza as well.

68. Typically reddish-brown ape : ORANG

69. Smokers' buys: Abbr. : CTNS (Cartons)

70. "Annie Hall" actress : KEATON (Diane).

72. Paid players : PROs. Tiger. Tigers.

73. Get as a return : REAP

74. It might match cuff links : TIE PIN

77. Big rig fuel : DIESEL

78. Bullfight cry : OLE

79. Actor Beatty : NED. Wish I had never seen Deliverance.

82. Mates : PALS

84. Did a smith's work : SHOED

87. Reprobate : SCALAWAG. Great entry.

89. With regret : RUEFULLY

91. Progress : ADVANCES

94. Kosher deli buy : KNISH. Never had KNISH before. The sweet corn here is $3 for a dozen at the Farm Stand yesterday, Irish Miss.

95. Thyroid and pituitary : GLANDS

96. Clavell novel set in Hong Kong : TAI-PAN. Literally "Big Boss". Cantonese. Tai = Big. Pan = Boss. Both Cantonese and English are spoken in Hong Kong.

98. Historic chapter : ERA

100. Enjoy a story, say : READ. Have you read My Lunches with Orson yet? Sounds very juicy.

101. Prius automaker : TOYOTA

102. Like some airline tickets : ONE WAY

103. Got up : AROSE

104. Allow to enter : LET IN

106. Beasts of burden : ASSES

107. "Heavens!" : YIKES

109. Many a prep sch. : ACAD

110. Sun-cracked : SERE. A regular in our old Tribune days.

112. Film terrier : ASTA. The Thin Man.

114. "Baseball Tonight" channel : ESPN

116. Frightened reaction : EEK

118. Have yet to pay : OWE

119. "Ahem" cousin : HEY

Marti sent me this picture yesterday. She said: "This is one of my favorite flower arrangements, I make at least one every year, when the milkweed pods are ripe. Doesn't it look like a bunch of parakeets sitting around a garden?"

It fooled Boomer, me too if I had not read Marti's note.

C.C.