Friday, April 18, 2008 Allan E. Parrish

Theme: CONTAINERS

7A: Stunt pilot's maneuver: BARREL ROLL

61A: Jersey add-on: CHEST PATCH

11D: Louella Parsons' rival: HEDDA HOPPER

25D: Roe v. Wade, notably: FEDERAL CASE

26D: Fight with feet: KICKBOX

A few things first:

1) As I replied to the whoo in yesterday's comment, this blog has about 3,000 visitors every day (Record: 5,750 on April 7). So, on average, about 1% of the solvers leaves comment.

Many of you still prefer to send me emails, and I am grateful for you kind words and I am happy that you are willing to share with me your daily solving experience. But please do not feel ignored if you've received no response from me. I simply do not have enough time. I do, however, read every one of your email. And I believe that I've replied to all the emails with a crossword-related question in them.

I really hope you guys will join us at the Comment section, it's only 2 clicks away. And it's so much fun there. Besides, your question will be addressed more quickly and expertly. Dennis, Dick and Drdad all check in regularly during the daytime.

You've also been watching me blundering my way out of this crossword labyrinth every morning, and you've been seeing me asking all kinds of questions. Some might sound silly to others, but honestly they are TERRA INCOGNITA to me, and I am not afraid to ask. I hope you will do the same if you are baffled by certain clues/cluing. Remember, no question, as long as it's crossword related, will ever be deemed silly or dumb here in my blog. And to quote Will Rogers, "Everybody is ignorant, only on different subjects"

2) To those whose local newspapers only carry Monday-Friday TMS puzzle: You can always go to Chicago Tribune's Crossword website for Saturday puzzle. It's always themeless and quite fun to solve sometimes.

Now, back to today's mammoth headache. Oh what a nightmarish puzzle! Stupid CERF/PARI section! CERF appeared on last Sunday's puzzle, and irked me greatly as I had never heard of his name before (there were 7 authors' names in that brutal puzzle). So I googled, whined in my blog, then I promptly forgot.

I also could not remember Parimutuel and XKE, both of them appeared in this constructor's Feb 1, puzzle. Did not know that BARRIO is Spanish for neighborhood. Vaguely heard of Hedda Hopper, but I could not retrieve her surname out of my brain. So, a total quagmire there.

MOHS, HILLEL, EMILO, KEMP, AMECHE are all my Muqtada al-Sadr this morning. So formidble and hard to catch. I simply do not have enough ammo or strategy to fight them. The only thing that made me happy was to see NIC Robertson intersecting KICKBOX. I adore NIC.

Boy, it's been such a sluggish week for me. I guess I was distracted by something Philadephia related. Could be Obama's anemic off-performance, or Hillary's begrudging "Yes, Yes, Yes" comment, or I was simply bothered by Chris Coste, Ryan Howard and their fans. Twins suck!!

Across entries:

1A: Big name in book publishing: KNOPF. Gimme for me. Carl Bernstein's "A Woman in Charge" (Hillary Clinton)'s publisher. It also published Clinton's "My Life". KNOPT is now owned by Random House.

6A: Minerals scale: MOHS. No idea. Mineral hardness measure scale, named after German mineralogist Friedrich Mohs. Now, how I can remember such a forgettable name?

10A: Cut with an ax: CHOP

14A: Actress Garson: GREER. Ha ha, got her this time.

15A: Reebok rival: AVIA. Curious about the history of Adias and Puma? And a bit Nike? Read this book (Three Strips Verus Puma). English version is now available.

19A: Deuce follower, perhaps: AD IN

21A: Puzo book, with "The": LAST DON. Since "Godfather" and "Sicilian" do not fit. He also wrote "Omerta" of course. I've read all of them, in Chinese naturalmente.

23A: IRS payout: REFUND

26A: Dole's 1996 slate-mate: KEMP (Jack). I am not familiar with American politics in the '90s. I've only lived under one president, the current occupant of the White House!

28A: Courtroom declaration: PLEA. Really? I thought you declare "guilty" or "not guilty" in the courtroom. I wanted OYEZ.

29A: Actor Estevez: EMILIO. Forgot. He has to change his name in Sheen for me remember him.

31A: "__ Jude": HEY

32A: Anti -DUI org.: MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving)

33A: Roberson of CNN: NIC

38A: Classic Jaguar: XKE

40A: Actress Hedren: TIPPI. Wow, she is Melanie Griffith's mom, did not know that before. She was in "The Bird"? That's one scary movie.

43A: Vitamin-bottle data, briefly: RDAS (Recommended Dietary Allowance). Why do they make the vitamin pills so big? It's so hard for me to swallow.

45A: _ humbug!: BAH. Hmm, Scrooge is thy name Mr. Williams!

47A: Straddle: SPAN. Astraddle is also a word, like yesterday's astride.

50A: Leon lady: SENORA. Did not know where Leon was. But SENORA was easily inferable. Leon is in north Spain by the way. I love the movie LÉON a lot.

52A: Bennett of Random House: CERF. Founder of Random House.

53A: Bad French: MAL. Pas MAL a clue at all. In fact, I like it a lot. Much better than "_ de mer".

54A: Kentucky fort: KNOX

55A: Spanish neighborhood: BARRIO. No idea.

57A: Makes allowances for: EXCUSES

59A: What cons do: TIME. Good clue. Too bad I tanked this one.

60A: Quahog, e. g.: CLAM. Nailed it this time.

66A: Padlock partner: HASP

67A: Prefix for spaces: AERO

68A: Sadat of Egypt: ANWAR. He succeeded Nasser, then Mubarak succeeded him. He and Begin shared the 1978 Nobel Peace prize. He was indeed a visionary who dared.

69A: Merino mamas: EWES

71A: Bacterial infection: STAPH (Staphylococcus). No idea.

Down entries:

2D: Gun Lobby: NRA. Needs an "Org." in the clue to indicate an abbreviation.

4D: Won over: PERSUADED

5D: Refrigerant gas: FREON. All right, "FRE" stands for "refrigerant", and "-on" is suffix for inert gas.

6D: Slugger McGwire: MARK. Too bad, he screwed up his HOF chance. McGwire is also a scratch golfer, very powerful swing.

7D: Lacto - __ vegetarian: OVO. "Lacto" is milk, "ovo" is egg. Basically it's Vegan + Egg + Milk. I have discipline problem, so I can only be a flexitarianist at best!

8D: Ancient Jewish rabbi: HILLEL. No idea. It's "Palestinian rabbi who greatly influenced the interpretation of Judaic law". Literally the word means "he praised" in Hebrew.

9D: Seasoned sausages: SALAMIS

12D: Bobolink's cousin: ORIOLE. Not a bird person, did not know what was a bobolink. Would've got it had it clued as "Baltimore ball player" or "Cal Ripken Jr. is one".

13D: J. C. follower: PENNEY

18D: Heavily burdened: LADEN

22D: Gush forth: SPOUT

23D: Turning figs.: RPMS (Revolutions Per Minute)

24D: Israel's airline: EL AL

26D: Fight with feet: KICKBOX. Let me show you how.

30D: Shuffle: MIX

35D: Wrongdoer: MISCREANT. I suppose this word is too harsh to describe Jeff Immelt. But can I say his mind-boggling behavior is "MISCREANT"? Crazy, if you could not deliver, why would you promise? Would things changed that dramatically in a month? Time to leave!!

37D: To-do list stuff: TASKS

41D: __-mutuel: PARI. What can I say? I have a picky brain. It just refuses to remember certain things.

42D: Skinny, sort of: INFO. If I were the constructor, I would clue it as "Skinny, short".

44D: Five Nations tribe members: SENECAS. Nope. I totally forgot this word 5 seconds after I met him last time. SENECA is "a members of the largest tribe of the Iroquois Confederacy of North American Indians, formerly inhabiting western New York and being conspicuous in the wars south and west of Lake Erie."

46D: Convent attire: HABIT

48D: "Cocoon" star: AMECHE (Don). No, total stranger to me.

49D: Accountant's concern: TAX LAW

51D: Snacks: NOSHES

56D: Oscar org.: AMPAS (Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences). Flirted with ASCAP until PATCH (61A) came along.

63D: Hughes' airline: TWA (Trans World Airlines)

64D: Tooth topper: CAP

65D: Monarch's letters: HRH (His/Her Royal Highness)

C.C.

Thursday, April 17, 2008 Alan P. Olschwang

Theme: QUIP

17A: Start of a quip: A MAN THAT MAKES NO

38A: Part 2 of quip: WILL MAKES

62A: end of quip: LAWYERS HIS HEIRS

The original quote is "A man who dies without a will has lawyers for his heirs." (Anonymous).

Almost had a bogey-free round today. Breezed through most of the holes without dunking my Top-Flite into the lake or getting trapped in the bunker. But, omigod, what a hellish Amen Corner the dogleg of ISLE/FEN was! And I did not have a prayer!

I did not know the meaning of "Cartographic" and I had no idea where Pau was. I filled in BOG for 47D: Marsh, then I decided TEAM B sounded good for 44A: Supporting group, but then ASTI would be wrong. I stared at "Avoirdupois unit" and saw lots of green peas on a plate. Avoir du pois? Have peas? Have peas unit? I guess I've heard of ASTRIDE before, but it's not a word I can fish out of my brain so early in the morning. I like how it parallels with FLOOR though (if my understanding of ASTRIDE is correct).

Across entries:

1A: Abstention periods: FASTS. No, I will not deny myself of any pleasure in life.

6A: Period on the job: SHIFT. Wanted STINT.

14A: Bandleader Shaw: ARTIE. Again? Needs to lock this name up and sends it exile with key thrown away. Let me see what other ARTIE is available... ARTIE Ziff of "The Simpsons". No, not familiar with him.

20A: Rugged ridges: ARETES. I like this word "Rugged", exhibitive of a craggy, harsh, rough, weather-beaten image.

21A: Ticket details: SEATS. I rather like last time's misleading "Pants part" clue. "By the seat of your pants".

23A: "Bellefleur" author: OATES. Joyce Carol Oats. A Mensa member also? Amazing. Hope she wins Nobel Literature next year then. Wonder why the book title is "Bellefleur" rather than "Belle Fleur"? Has anyone misread the clue as "Ball Four" author?

26A: Removed moisture: DRIED

30A: Strained: TAXED

32A: Paul Anka's "__ BESO": ESO. "ESO Beso", that kiss. Give me my back my heart!

35A: Dining option: A LA CARTE

41A: Ice cream option: ONE SCOOP. I like strawberry mochi ice cream, no scooper for me.

44A: Supporting group: STAFF

48A: Dolphin Marino: DAN. Speaking of Dan, where the heck is Dan Quayle?

49A: Honest!: NO LIE!

52A: Cartographic speck: ISLE. Alright, cart(e) means map.

53A: Big name in rap: DR. DRE. Like this one.

56A: Actress Berger: SENTA. No, have never heard of her. She looks stunning.

58A: Avoirdupois unit: TON. OK, avoir-de-pois, have the weight. But why pois, why not poids? You don't say "perdre du pois", do you? Whatever, a made-up word.

59A: Arledge of ABC sports: ROONE. Ugh, ABC, what a horrible gossipy gotcha nonsense debate last night! Stephanopoulos, are you auditioning for Hillary's Press Secretary job? Bill's "Stumping and Simmering" torture was not enough?

61A: Fidel of Cuba: CASTRO

67A: Shoshone: UTE

68A: Old newspaper sections: ROTOS (Rotogravure). Saw this word before, forgot what it was.

70A: Dropout's doc.: GED (General Equivalency Diploma).

71A: Missouri River feeder: OSAGE. Could not catch a good map out of the google ocean. Hope this one works for you.

72A: Luges: SLEDS

Down entries:

1D: CAB's successor: FAA (Federal Aviation Administration). CAB stands for "Civil Aeronautics Board". Name change occured in 1967.

2D: Fleet groups: ARMADAS

3D: Intense lookers: STARERS. This suffix "er" simply drove me nuts.

5D: Melee: SET-TO

6D: California peak: SHASTA. Got it this time, aren't you proud of me?

7D: __ up (excited): HET

8D: Descartes' conclusion: I AM. I think, therefore I am. Like this clue a lot. "Cogito, ergo sum".

9D: Italian monks: FRAS. Repeat offender.

10D: Clicked one's tongue: TSKED

11D: More irritable: TESTIER

12D: Hardest to penetrate: DENSEST. Physically yes.

13D: Winter ATV, _ -CAT: SNO

18: Warm up: HEAT. Not HEAT up? Shouldn't the clue be "Warm (up)".

19D: Musician's pride: EAR

24D: Case in point: EXAMPLE

27D: Buck lover: DOE. Thought of Pearl Buck and Olan first.

34D: As written: Lat.: SIC

36D: Pau pronoun: CES. These, or those. Too tough a clue. Pau is "a city in and the capital of Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, in SW France: winter resort. " Anyone been there before?

37D: Vino region: ASTI

39D: Nol of Cambodia: LON. Great palindromic name: LON NOL.

40D: Writer Anita: LOOS. "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" author. "But Gentlemen Marry Brunettes" also.

41D: Unmatched: ODD

42D: Tell the tail: NARRATE

43D: Funded: ENDOWED

45D: Spanning: ASTRIDE. Astraddle. Not fond of this contrived "a" word.

46D: Bowled over: FLOORED

50D: Cut into: INCISE

54D: Rogers of oaters: ROY. Totally agree with him, "The minute you read something you don't understand, you can almost be sure it was drawn up by lawyer."

55D: Lain American January: ENERO

60D: Aphrodite's child: EROS. Cupid in Roman.

62D: Renowned archer: TELL. Would be an OK clue if not for 42D: Tell the tale. Sin, Mr. Editor!

57D: Grate deposit: ASHES

63D: Loutish fellow: LUG. Not familiar with this slangy word.

64D: Amtrak stop: STA. Rework on your clue next time.

65D: Overeater: HOG. Great, FASTS & HOG in the same puzzle.

C.C.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008 Philip J. Anderson

Theme: DATE

17A: Date: TAKE OUT SOCIALLY

39A: Date: PALM TREE FRUIT

62A: Date: DAY MONTH AND YEAR

Nope, could not get on Anderson's wavelength today. ACH, what does it mean? Alas? Oh no? Knew Chinese word for YOKOHAMA (横浜市), not English. The crossing of these 2 words drove me nuts. This "H" is very hard to fish it out. I toyed with T, K, G, never even though of H.

Got SINÉAD easily as I love her "Nothing Compared 2 U" (Tell me baby where did I go wrong?). But I've never met with 25D: ENTERIC before, and ANDRÉ Gide was a complete étranger to me. Vaguely remembered 54A: ESCARP, but could not retrieve it easily from my brain, esp letter "A" as I was not familiar with NAPALM either. So a total disaster at very heart of this puzzle. Too panicky to enjoy any of the dates, so I decided to turn to Mr. Google for comfort.

Across entries:

1A: Check words: PAY TO

14A: Cancel, as a launch: ABORT. Would be NO GO if it's 4-letter I gather?

20A: Cheri of "SNL": OTERI. She definitely craves crossword solvers' constant attention.

21A: Shea corners: BASES. Good clue. Shea Stadium (METS).

22A: German exclamation: ACH. No idea.

24A: Singer O'Connor: SINÉAD. She should not have torn Pope John Paul II's picture into pieces in front of a live performance. But she has suffered enough!

29A: Swedish auto: SAAB

31A: Writer Gide: ANDRÉ. Nobel Literature winner in 1947. Is it a gimme for you?

33A: Mal de__: MER. Or Debussy work La __. Or "MER, sexe, soleil" should you dare! J'adore Gainsbourg.

37A: Udder ends: TEATS. Audacious enough!

43A: Arab leader: var. EMEER. Or EMIR. Literally "prince" in Arabic.

44A: Ashe's game: TENNIS

46A: Matter form: GAS

49A: Poker player's declaration: ALL IN

54A: Steep slope: ESCARP. It was clued as "Slope of a rampart" before. It's "a steep artificial slope in front of a fortification''. Derived from French "escarper" (to cut).

58A: Tapestry in "Hamlet": ARRAS

60A: Sphere of wisdom?: PEARL. Great clue. Would be better if it were in plural form. Pearls of wisdom.

65A: Summer on the Somme: ÉTÉ. Good one. Alliteration. "Somme river" is in northern France. Let's try "Sand's summer" next time. George Sand, the French writer.

69A: Lag behind: TRAIL

70A: French annuity: RENTE. French for "pension", "annuity". Our "rent" is "loyer" in French, like "loyer mensuel" (monthly rent).

71A: The German: DER. Another good clue. Masculine form of "the" in German. "DIE" is the feminine form and "DAS" is the neuter form. Learned this from Dennis.

72A: Witch trial city: SALEM

73A: Sen. Kefauver: ESTES. Does ESTES park (CO) have something to do with Sen. Kefauver and his family?

Down entries:

1D: Sajak of "Wheel of Fortune": PAT. Don't know him. Pure guess. I've never watched "Wheel of Fortune".

3D: City on Tokyo Bay: YOKOHAMA. Major port in Japan, together with Kobe, Osaka, Tokyo.

4D: Waste allowance: TRET

5D: Nebraska Sioux: OTOES

6D: Membrane of the inner eye: RETINA

7D: Hesitant sounds: ERS. Lots of "R' in today's puzzle, 22.

9D: FEMA command facility: EOC (Emergency Operations Center)

11D: Aromatic fir: BALSAM. Saw this clue before.

12D: Assert to be true: ALLEGE. Are you curious about who is Client No. 8 or Client No. 10?

13D: Yellowstone Park sight: GEYSER. See this picture, so misty.

18D: Tell's canton: URI. Or Swiss Canton. Tell is William Tell, the legendary archer. He was forced to shoot an apple from his son's head with bow and arrow.

19D: Bern's river: AAR

23D: Goldfish relative: CARP. The ornamental carp I suppose. This carp is way too big.

25D: Intestinal: ENTERIC. This word screwed up the whole grid for me! The noun is "enteron" (the alimentary canal; the intestines)

26D: "Zip- __-Doo-Dah": A DEE. Nope, I've never heard of it.

27D: Working copy: DRAFT

30D: Ill humor: BILE

32D: To be, in Toulon: ÊTRE. or Raison d'___.

33D: Mme. Bovary: EMMA. Ah, the danger and thrill of adultery! The only Flaubert's work I've read.

36D: Engrave slab: STELE. Look at this piece from Xi'An Forest of Stele Museum, beautiful calligraphy. Those texts are from the Confucian classics.

41D: Audaciously rude: INSOLENT

42D: Tiny birds: TITS. Pretty, isn't it? (Thomas, I did not know the slang meaning of "tit", so I was at sea when you warned me earlier.)

46D: Arranged in steps: GRADED

47D: Expose to oxygen: AERATE. Have to ask this question again: Why green keepers aerate the greens in fall rather than spring? Where have you been Alex in PGA?

48D: More agile: SPRYER. Can also be spelled as SPRIER.

50D: Flame-thrower fluid: NAPALM. No idea. It's "a highly incendiary jellylike substance used in fire bombs, flamethrowers, etc". From Na (phthene)+PALM (itate). All gibberish to me.

53D: Senator Nunn: SAM. No, I've never heard of him. He left the Senate before I arrived here. SAM Snead tomorrow?

55D: Stimpy's pal: REN. Repeat offender.

56D: San Diego pro: PADRE. What's their record this season? 8-6, not bad. Twins bullpen sucks!!

64D: Latvian chess master: TAL (Mikhail). Not Russian?

67D: Legal thing: RES. Latin.

Quip, or quote, that's the question, for tomorrow.

C.C.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008 Verna Suit

Theme: 3 WHITE THINGS

17A: 3 white things: WATER BREAD HOUSE

61A: 3 white things: LIE SOX CHOCOLATE

3D: 3 white things: RAT ELEPHANT MEAT

11D: 3 white things: SAUCE COLLAR WALL

And some NECCO wafer (52D) and some unagi sushi rolls (25D: EEL). YUM! (40D: Dee-lish!)

This puzzle felt like it was originally constructed for TV guide, very movie-concentrated. I was annoyed by the inconsistency in the cluing of actors'/actresses' names. If you clue ABLA as Jessica, ADAM as Comic Sandler, EMIL as Actor Jannings, then 58A: MAE should be simply clued as Actress West, no need to mention the movie title (West of "My Little Chickadee"). The cluing for the role parts is pretty consistent, everyone of them has the movie/TV title: "Casablanca" heroine (ILSA), "Damn Yankees" vamp (LOLA), Ted's "Cheers" role (SAM).

Anyway, I tanked again today. I guess I was still dazed by yesterday's ULRIC/SHIV puzzle. And this vast field of Movie/TV related entries is definitely my TERRA INCOGNITA. I've got to find a way to turn this Achilles' heel into strength, somehow.

I threw in the towel very quickly, oh, probably after 15 minutes of floundering, then started my hot and heavy flirting with Mr. Google! Did not enjoy this puzzle at all.

Across clues:

4A: Ms. Andress: URSULA. Alright, let's start with her picture in Dr. No.

10A: Atlas section: ASIA

14A: Physician's org: AMA. Told you yesterday I was IATROPHOBIC. But I guess it will drive some people nuts if it's clued as "Japanese pearl diver". I wonder why most of the AMA Divers are women.

15A: Self-assured: POISED

19A: Date tree: PALM. Clue is not accurate, should add "Some". Look at these dates, they don't grow on palm trees.

20A: Foes: ENEMIES. They are us.

23A: Preserve, in a way: CAN

23A: "The Persistence of Memory" and others: DALÍS. Need to add "Painter" in the clue. Here is the painting.

24A: Founding Shaker: ANN LEE. Mother ANNE LEE. I've never heard of her.

26A: Late-night news hour: ELEVEN. I wish the entry were ÉLÈVES. It would be a perfect match for 65D: ÉCOLES.

29A: Tiny particles: SPECKS

36A: Approaches a red light: SLOWS

37A: Qatar's capital: DOHA. Today is the last day of DOHA Forum.

39A: Willy follower: NILLY. I thought of WONKA first, but quickly dismissed it.

41A: Smelting waster: SLAG

42A: Warning sound: ALARM. I put ALERT there for a long time.

44A: Remove errors from: DEBUG. "Remove errors" is sufficient, not need to add "from".

47A: Lunatic: MANIAC

49A: 1936 Loretta Young title role: RAMONA. Had no idea about this film. I am surprised by the specificity of the clue though, is 1936 that essential to string together the answer?

53A: __ incognita: TERRA. Unknown land. The plural form is TERRAE incognitae.

56A: Ted's "Cheers" role: SAM (Malone). Ted Danson role. No idea. But I am pleased that the Editor decided to put the pianist SAM on the DL today.

58A: West of "My Little Chickadee": MAE. Filled in MAE simply because she is the only West in Hollywood. Have never heard of the movie. (Update from superfrey: Adam West is the original Batman)

59A: Corridor: HALLWAY

64A: Aleutian island: ADAK. No idea. Looks like ATKA is also an island here. (Update from Dennis: ATTU is another Aleutian island)

65A: Schools near Seine: ÉCOLES

68A: Burns or Browning: ROBERT

69A: Pres. or CEO.: LDR (LEADER). No, nope, not familiar with this abbreviation at all.

Down clues:

1D: Spoke crow? CAWED. I like this clue a lot.

2D: Appliance maker: AMANA

4D: Rebels: UPRISES. Verb form here.

8D: Memorize: LEARN

9D: Extras: ADD-ONS

12D: "Casablanca" heroine: ILSA. OK, she said "Play it, Sam". Now I am waiting for RICK to appear in the next puzzle.

18D: Actor Jannings: EMIL. I vaguely remember I saw his mug before. Maybe his name came up when I was searching for Runner Zatopek.

24D: Moose toppers: ANTLERS. I prefer the clue to have "?".

28D: "National Velvet" author Bagnold: ENID. "Author Bagnold" should be sufficient!

30D: "The Bridge on the River __": KWAI. No, total stranger to me.

31D: Certain N. C. O. : SSGT

32D: Comic Sandler: ADAM. Mr. Deeds.

33D: "Damn Yankees" vamp: LOLA

35D: Actress Jessica: ALBA. She and mkat both eat peach for breakfast! Isn't she beautiful?

38D: "Tosca" tune: ARIA. Puccini work.

43D: Swedish city opposite Copenhagen: MALMO. Alright, here is the map. See Copenhagen (København) on the left?

45D: Had to ask directions: GOT LOST

48D: Cajoler: COAXER

50D: Jodie Foster film: NELL

52D: Tasty wafter brand: NECCO (Acronym for New England Confectionery Company).

55D: Per annum: A YEAR. Groan!

56D: Criticize severely: SLAM. Hmm, Hillary, I wonder who is the real "Elitist" here? Not someone who attended Wellesley College? Not someone who spent years working for the ""the ultimate establishment law firm"? Not someone who earned over $100 million in the past 8 years?

57D: Verdi opera: AIDA. The only Verdi opera I know.

60D: Maple genus: ACER. Also a big PC manufacturer

62D: Jamaican music: SKA. Nope. I only like Bob Marley & his Reggae.

63D: Fireplace shelf: HOB

C.C.

Monday, April 14, 2008 John Underwood

Theme: BAR

17A: Bar: UNIFORM INSIGNIA

27A: Bar: MUSICAL MEASURE

47A: Bar: COCKTAIL LOUNGE

62A: Bar: LEGAL PROFESSION

The theme entries today are not as awe-inspiring as Underwood's last "Chess Mate" theme, still great though. Would be better if BAR is not clued as the Answer to 70A: Stand in the way.

But I tanked! Could not get on his wavelength this morning. He was in AUGUSTA, MA. I was in AUGASTA, GA bemoaning Tiger's lost chance and his draggy putter. Coulda, shoulda, woulda, oh, Tiger!

All in all, a very foggy round of golf. Sun never came out and water never parted. Teed off OK, but lost my ball quickly after 2 holes. Put MING for Ho Chi _ City, had no idea what was SHIV, did not know the meaning of "licketys-split". Nightmare there! Also made a Herculean effort trying to putt ULRIC into the hole. Had trouble reading the line. Could not see where the breaks were. "Tack room" was a complete stranger to me.

Had lots of fun at the upper right corner though. The intersection of SEX with MANS, Knee-bending movements and IMAX made me laugh. BRAS & INKY night brought up a vivid picture, not to mention the evocative French words PARC, Semisoft BRIE, FEU (fire), AMIS (though not clued as male friends)!

Did you pay attention to the Front Nine (ACROSS) clues? They are probably the shortest I've ever seen in TMS puzzle. Felt like John Daly's golf style, powerful & quick.

Alright, let's take a mulligan and tee off again!

Front Nine:

1A: Sphere of power: ORB. A nice change from the "Poetic peeper" or "Eye, poetically" clue.

4A: Shillong's state: ASSAM. Have never heard of Shillong. It's the Capital city of ASSAM state. I want to take a walk at this ASSAM tea garden. Darjeeling tea is pretty good too.

9A: Adagio, allegro, etc.: TEMPI. Plural form of Tempo. Would have never strung this word together if not for the IMAX.

15A: Florida city: MIAMI. I love Will Smith's "Welcome to MIAMI".

16A: King's territory: REALM

20A: Audiophile's setup: STEREO

21A: Street-fighter's blade: SHIV. A knife, esp switchblade. Dictionary.com says it is probably originated from gypsy language "Chiv", meaning blade.

25A: Go lickety-split: ZIP. Now I know that "lickety-split" means "At great speed, rapidly".

35A: Tint: COLOR

36A: Closet type: LINEN

37A: Longfellow's bell town: ATRI. The Bell of ATRI.

39A: Go-ahead: SAY SO

41A: Tater: SPUD. Do you know that "murphy" is also a potato?

42A: Tack room gear: REINS. Alright, "tack room" is "a room in or near a stable for storing saddles, harnesses, and other tack."

44A: __ Loa volcano: MAUNA

46A: Switchback curve: ESS

52A: "Dune" composer Brian: ENO. The Microsoft Sound guy (Windows 95 start-up sound).

55A: High shots: LOBS. This would be a great clue entry for yesterday's The MASTERS puzzle.

58A: Code for one-on-one: DUELLO. No idea. It's of Italian origin. "The code of rules regulating dueling"

65A: Lennon's "Instant __": KARMA. Never heard of it. The only Lennon song I like is " Imagine"

68A: Simple weapon: SPEAR. Very simple indeed. Wikipedia shows 8 different kinds of wielding methods!

69A: The March King: SOUSA

Back Nine:

1D: Untitled work: OPUS. How so? Why untitled?

3D: Semisoft cheese: BRIE. Have some, avec Pinot Blanc.

4D: Of a single-celled organism: AMOEBIC

5D: Hot Sahara winds: SIROCCOS. Also spelled as SCIROCCO. Weird looking word. My Webster's says it originated from Arab word "sharq", means "east, to the rise of sun". Hot, oppressive wind blowing from Libyan deserts (Sahara Desert) across Mediterranean into S Europe. It seems more like north wind rather than east wind, doesn't it?

6D: "Casablanca" pianist: SAM. "As Time goes by", play it again, Sam. I don't like the crossing of SAM with 4A: ASSAM. (Updates from drdad and the Gargoyle. In the movie, Ilsa said, "Play it, Sam. Play 'As Time Goes By"'. Rick said, "You played it for her, you can play it for me. Play it!")

7D: Writer Kingsley: AMIS. Father of Martin Kingsley, who was romantically involved with Tina Brown in her earlier lumpy days in London.

8D: Ho Chi _ City: MINH

9D: Insignificant: TRIVIAL

10D: Med. printout: EEG

11D: Provides with a crew: MANS

12D: Knee-bending movement: PLIÉ. Ballet movement.

13D: Big name in big pictures: IMAX (Image Maximum)

18D: Monks' titles: FRAS

24D: Genoese specialty: SALAMI

19D: Magnitude: SIZE

26D: Greek letters: PSIS

27D: San __, CA.: MATEO

28D: First Pope-canonized saint: ULRIC. Or Saint ULRICH, bishop and patron saint of Augsburg. Big stumper for me.

29D: True blue: LOYAL

30D: Crewman under Capt. Kirk: MR. SULU. Like this clue a lot.

31D: Dismantle mortise joints: UNPEG. Hurry up, you EMIRS of the Golf states, unpeg your currency from US dollars, Greenspan might be right this time!

32D: Try it again: REUSE

33D: Extremes: ENDS. Tire of this cluing.

34D: Paris Greenery: PARC (Park in French)

38D: Black as night: INKY

40D: As commanded: ON ORDERS. This phrase, together with SAY SO, A POP and a few other colloquial expressions in his other 2 puzzles has convinced me that Underwood is a very young guy. What do you think?

43D: Of constellations: STELLAR

45D: Maine's capital: AUGUSTA

48D: Each: A POP

52D: Moose cousins: ELKS

53D: Tidal situation: NEAP

54D: Made-up Monster: OGRE. Indeed, it's made up.

56D: Bikini parts: BRAS

59D: An arm or a leg: LIMB

60D: _ Linda, CA.: LOMA. Nope, I have never heard of this city.

61D: Unique person: ONER

63D: Doctor's org. AMA. I am an IATROPHOBIC, deeply skeptical of anything AMA recommends.

64D: Pot-au-__: FEU. Literally Pot on Fire. Needs some Dijon extra strong to spice it up!

C.C.

Sunday, April 13, 2008 Michael T. Williams

Theme: The MASTERS (The theme is an Arnold Palmer quote, to be exact)

27A: Start of an Arnold Palmer quote: WHAT OTHER PEOPLE MAY

48A: Part 2 of quote: FIND IN POETRY OR ART

85A: Part 3 of quote: MUSEUMS I FIND IN THE

114A: End of quote: FLIGHT OF A GOOD DRIVE

Sub-theme:

70A: Garb at The Masters: GREEN JACKET

125A: Golf ball choice: DUNLOP

108A: Cromwell's nickname: IRONSIDES

130A: "Lelia" author: SAND (a bit of stretch for sand trap, but I want the puzzle to look better).

30D: Nobel Prize winner Wiesel: ELIE

No TEE for golf puzzle? You never cease to amaze me Mr. Editor! How can you clue TEE so many times in the past week yet fail to bring it up when it's aptly needed?

I marveled at the great timing of this puzzle when I first saw the titled theme (The MASTERS). I expected the theme entries to be the architectural features of Augusta National, you know, like the Hogan Bridge, Magnolia Lane, Crow's Nest, or just plain old Amen Corner, or some of the hole names, Azaleas, Juniper, Camellia, etc.

Alas, only GREEN JACKET and ARNIE (4 times Masters Champion) himself are directly related to The Masters. But the quote here is pretty good. Watching Tiger hitting his tee shots, or chipping or putting, is indeed much more enjoyable than going to an art museum or reading a poetry book, to me at least. His swing is poetry in motion. I really admire how GREEN JACKETS is positioned in the very center of the grid. Very nice concept and execution!

However, I am clearly not cut for the Sunday puzzles, still too forbidding and unapproachable to me. Way too many authors and actresses' names. I knew none of the actresses. And out of the 7 authors, I only knew ERLE Stanley Gardner. I vaguely remembered ERMA Bombeck, but I could only penned in _RMA as I was not sure whether her name is IRMA, or ERMA. I suppose George SAND (130A: "Lelia" author) was inferable, but only if you knew 105D: author EUDORA Welty, who was a total stranger to me. Susan SONTAG's name simply escaped my brain, though her photos taken by Annie Leibovitz came to my mind vividly.

"Lady Jane Grey" dramatist Nicholas ROWE was an utter tragedy for me. I had big problem with that knotty 3-author corner. Who else? Oh, Writer Shiley Ann GRAU, another weird name for me. And I pieced together CERF (Bennett of Random House) by the crossing clues. Not familiar with him either.

I hope you tamed this golf course with your TITLEIST PRO V1. I struggled with my stupid DUNLOP.

Front Nines:

1A: Sheriff's gang: POSSE. One bullying repeat offender!

6A: Political cartoonist (1840-1902): NAST (Thomas)

10A: Pastry shells: CRUSTS

16A: One of Ted's stations: TBS. The SAWYERS for 18D saved me from messing around with CNN or TNT.

19A: Arrivederci, Andre: ADIEU. Arrivederci is Italian for goodbye, ADIEU is French.

20A: "Star Trek: TNG" character: TROI. Learned it from doing crossword. Not a fan of Star Trek or Star War, or any science fiction stuff, or Lord of Rings fantasy.

21A: Cool due: HEPCAT

23A: Crevasse pinnacle: SERAC. This toughie tortured me on a Feb puzzle, and tormented me again today.

24A: Airfoil: WING. Not familiar with this term. It's "any surface, as a wing, aileron, or stabilizer, designed to aid in lifting or controlling an aircraft by making use of the air currents through which it moves".

25A: Satellite of Jupiter: EUROPA. Guess who sighted it first? Galileo! I dislike the word SATELLITE appeared again as the answer to 35A: Spy-in-the-sky.

26A: Spat: ROW

22A: Old-time high note: ELA. Nope, I don't know you.

31A: Classify: ASSORT

34A: Part of NLCS: NATL (National). NLCS is National League Championship Series.

35A: Spy-in-the-sky: SATELLITE. Would be a great clue if not for 25A.

36A: Private seals: SECRETA. Singular Secretum. No idea. Have never heard of "Sigillum Secretum". It's used "for private correspondence by medieval monarchs". My dictionary only explains SECRETA as "substances secreted by a cell, tissue, or organ."

41A: Way of old Rome: ITER

42A: Romance Lang.: ITAL

45A: Alternative to 9: SEPT.

55A: Ballet turn: PIROUETTE. I am proud that I got this one.

60A: Elroy Jetson's dog: ASTRO. Nailed this one too.

64A: Back and Red, etc: SEAS. Would be a good clue if SEAWORLD were not the answer for 4D.

68A: Devoted to schoolwork: STUDIOUS

69A: Commercial award: CLIO. The Clio Awards. Clio is the Muse of History in Greek.

75A: One who meddles: TAMPERER

77A: Hamlet or Ophelia: DANE

78A: Yields: CEDES

79A: Equipped with a tiller: STEERABLE. OK, I suppose so.

81A: Hindu tunes: RAGAS. Second appearance this week.

93A: Greek letter: THETA. My first fill is OMEGA, as I did not know the meaning of "Strumpets" for 94D. Did any of you fill in DELTA first?

97A: Bum around: ROAM

98A: __ Mahal: TAJ

100A: Pro __ (in proportion): RATA

104A: Hunt and peck: TYPE. First time I see this phrase. It's "a slow and inefficient method of typing by looking for each key separately before striking it: used by untrained typists." Opposite of Touch System/Typing.

106A: Ones who caution: WARNERS. I would prefer the clues to be "Virginia Senator John and others".

108A: Cromwell's nickname: IRONSIDES. No idea, why is it in plural form?

111A: Turn sharply: SLUE

113A: Get cozy: NESTLE

118A: Ambrosia of immortality: AMRITA. Hindu word. No, have never heard of it. Alright, so "A" is not, MRTA is dead! Try me next time then.

119A: "Lady Jane Grey" dramatist: ROWE (Nicholas). See here for more information. Dislike ROWE and ROW (26A) in the same puzzle.

126A: _ go bragh!: ERIN. So, the original Irish was "Éire go Brách". "Brách" is equivalent to "eternity" or "end of time". Ireland forever then? Wikipedia says that the other derivative spelling is "Érin go Brea". 'Brea" means beautiful. Is this the Irish poetic confusion? Beauty is seldom eternal.

127A: Digression: ASIDE

129A: Ancient Jewish mystic: ESSENE. Faintly remembered this word. It's "a member of an ascetic Jewish sect that existed in ancient Palestine from the second century B.C. to the second century A.D."

130A: "Lelia" author: SAND. George SAND. Chopin should have stayed with her. He could have lived a longer and more productive life. This is a very interesting name to mess up with the solvers' brain for any French related clues, like Sand's Sea for MER, or Sand's Salt for Sel (wonderful alliteration, isn't it?). Please share with us if you have some other clever ideas.

Back Nines:

4D: Orlando attraction: SEAWORLD. Could've been reclued as "Golf Channel's neighbor" to mislead solvers and highlight the MASTERS theme, since Golf Channel's HQ is in Orlando.

5D: Game played with 32 cards: EUCHRE. No idea.

6D: Content abbreviation: NT WT

7D: Greek poet saved by a dolphin: ARION. Ugh, another Greek myth. Wikipedia says ARION is also "the Greek music awards show". I guess it's like our Emmy Award. It's also a character in DC Comics called "ARION, Lord of Atlantis". Are you a fan of DC Comics?

8D: "Illness as Metaphor" writer: SONTAG (Susan). Her son David Rieff ("Swimming in a Sea of Death") was just on Terry Gross' Fresh Air a few months ago. Agonizing to hear how she came grips with illness!

10D: "Moonstruck" star: CHER

11D: Stays on in the military: REUPS

12D: Lift hooves, say: UPREAR. I did not get this one immediately.

13D: Gets a move on: SCOOTS

14D: Valve attachment: TAPPET. No idea. It's "a sliding rod, intermittently struck by a cam, for moving another part, as a valve".

15D: Delay by deception: STALL

16D: Wood eater: TERMITE

17D: Swollen: BLOATED

19D: Ruth and Diane: SAWYERS. Knew Diane Sawyer. Have no idea who Ruth Sawyer is.

28D: Harmonize: ATTUNE

29D: Mr. Fudd: ELMER. Got it this time.

32D: Planet-finding grp.: SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence)

37D: Cobra's cousins: ASPS

47D: Poker choice: STUD

49D: Simpson trial judge: ITO (Lance)

56D: Dublin's country: EIRE. See also 126A: ERIN

57D: Natterjack: TOAD. Sewn it together from down clues. I've never heard of "Natterjack".

58D: Use a diapason: TUNE. Did not know the meaning of "Diapason". Not fond of TUNE and ATTUNE appeared in the same puzzle.

61D: Louver piece: SLAT. (Update: I misread it as Louvre piece, so I wanted ARTS first)

62D: What cons do: TIME. Good clue. I am just so happy that "ET. AL" got some jail time today. It appeared in our puzzle 4 times in the past 6 days.

63D: Weapons in Clue: ROPE. Have never played this board game before.

66D: Steely Dan album: AJA. Saw this clue before, but I could not squeeze anything out of my brain quickly. It revealed itself after I got GREEN JACKET.

70D: Write Shirley Ann: GRAU. She won a Pulitzer in 1965 for her "The Keepers of the House".

72D: Agatha's contemporary: ERLE. ERLE Stanley Gardner.

73D: Bennett of Random House: CERF. Bennett CERF, founder of the Random House.

76D: "Maggi" creator Bombeck: ERMA. If Bombeck was not clued, I would've jumped into the train of the novel "Maggie". Of course, Stephen Crane did not fit. I've never heard of the sitom "Maggie". Old TV series are definitely my Achilles' heel.

82D: River island: AIT

83D: Do beaver work: GNAW

84D: Actress Isabelle: ADJANI. Non! Étrangère à moi!

86D: Witticism: MOT. Always thought it's "Bon Mot".

87D: Final authority: SAY SO

88D: Beseeches: IMPLORES

89D: Bilge water: NONSENSE

90D: Waste allowance: TRET

91D: Flax filament: HARL. Would've never got this one without the across clues. It's "hemp filament as well".

93D: Nothing to worry about: TRIFLE

94D: Strumpets: HARLOTS. Strumpet is such a weirld word. Where is the origin? Let me check. ... OK, so one theory says it's connected with "stuprare", Latin for "have illicit sexual relations with," or "strupum" (dishonor, violation). Others suggest "strompe" (stocking) or "strompen" (to stride, to stalk, as a prostitute might a customer). TO STRUM: to have carnal knowledge of a woman, also to play badly on the harpsichord or any other stringed instrument. I think I will remember it next time. STRUM PET.

95D: French stars: ETOILES

96D: Space juice?: TANG. By the way, TANG is also the name of a culturally very prosperous dynasty in China. Its capital city is Xi'An, where I grew up.

101D: Benchmark test: LITMUS

102D: Decorates: ADORNS

103D: Pollute: DEFILE

105D: Writer Welty: EUDORA. No idea. I had a quick glance at her bio at wikipedia, she wrote a book called "A Curtain of Green". Green is at least golf related. So "A Curtain of Green" author might work better here if not for the GREEN JACKET.

110D: Squelched: SAT ON. "Sit on" here means "to suppress or to silence". To "sit on" a bad news, to "squelch" a negative report, etc.

112: Booth or Meese: EDWIN

116D: Rip angrily: REND

121D: Actress SCALA: GIA. She appeared in the TMS puzzle before, but I forgot! My brain is very picky in what it chooses to remember.

122D: News chiefs, for short: EDS (Editors). How about Crossword Editors? They are not in charge of any news.

C.C.

Saturday, April 12, 2008 Tom Pruce

Theme: NONE

Wow, our TMS crossword stalwart golfers Ernie ELS, RORY Sabbatini both missed the cut yesterday. BUBBA Watson is hanging there strong though. I don't think K. J. Choi stands a chance this time, so I am going to flip-flop on my prediction. I will pick up Retief Goosen. I do like Travor Immelman and Ian Poulter though. Have been following both of them (and Justin Rose) since their European Tour.

I almost shot a bogey free round today. Nice and easy. Everything was in sync. I found my TIGER zone. No slice or hook, all my tee shots are straight. No chip flub. And the greens were so receptive. No undulations at all. I only went to dictionary once to check the meaning of 22A: "Subjugates" (had a bit of problem with VIREO and HELEN). Polished off this puzzle around 25 minutes.

Grid: Total letters filled: 191. Total blank squares: 34

Front Nine:

1A: One of the Seven Sisters college: VASSAR. Vassar has gone co-ed, right? Meryl Streep, Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe in "Friends") and Edna St. Vincent Millay all graduated from this college. Jackie Kennedy also studied here for 2 years before her Sorbonne venture.

7A: Mass produce efficiently: CHURN OUT. Efficiently? Really, not hurriedly or routinely? How come I cannot see any efficiency in the puzzles you CHURN OUT for us Editor? Where is the Quality Control?

15A: Slip away, as time: ELAPSE. I like the addition of "as time", rendering the clue much more accurate than "Slip away" alone.

16A: Biddies residence: HEN HOUSE

17A: Belly buttons: NAVELS

18A: Apportioned: ALLOTTED

19A: Breakfast choices: OMELET

20A: Place-kicker's need: TEE. Poor Fred Couples. Had he made that birdie on the last hole, he would've held the consecutive Masters cut record all by himself rather than sharing it with Gary Player. Speaking of Gary Player, all you crossword constructors or constructors wannabes, why not misguide us with his surname for golf related clues next time?

21A: TV journalist Safer: MORLEY. Don't you just love his interview with Helen Mirren? I bet FCC is lurking around ready to pounce on their next nude interview!

22A: Subjugates: ENSLAVES

30A: Oral moisture: SALIVA. Hope your first kiss experience is better than Leonardo DiCaprio's.

31A: Husky pull: SLED

35A: Ornamental case: ETUI. It's painful to watch Ms. ETUI's wrinkly face 3 times a week!

38A: "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" Co-star Dillon: MELINDA. No idea. I got her name from the down clues. The only actor/actress Dillon I know is Matt. Had a mild crush on him after" Crash".

42A: Accustom: INURE. No hesitation this time between INURE and ENURE due to the "I" in SMIRK.

46A: Low mountain crests: RIDGE. Alright, I am ready for former Homeland Security Secretary Tom ___ !

48A: Folk tale: MYTH

50A: Fully committed: KNEE DEEP. I thought KNEE DEEP has a negative undertone, like Hillary (Wellesley Grad) is now KNEE DEEP in trouble. "Fully committed" sounds very positive to me. Are they the same to you?

58A: Fold: CREASE

59A: Thiamine deficiency: BERIBERI. No idea. I got it from the down clues. It's of Sri Lanka origin, meaning "I cannot, I cannot" in Sinhalese language. The word is "doubled for emphasis".

64A: Laws issued by monarchs: EDICTS. Disagree. Any public proclamation issued by the authority can be EDICT, including those fatwas.

65A: Monty Python troupe member: ERIC IDLE. Pieced it together from down clues.

66A: Relative intensity: DEGREE

67A: Ready-for-anything attitude: GAMENESS

68A: Borgnine or Hemingway: ERNEST. Knew Hemingway, had no idea who Borgnine is.

Back nine:

1D: Animal toxin: VENOM

3D: Piggybank filler: SAVER

4D: Indefinite period: SPELL

5D: In dreamland: ASLEEP

6D: Fashioned anew: RESTYLED. Oh by the way, the RESTYLE maven Stacy London (TLC's What Not to Wear) also graduated from VASSAR.

7D: French manor house: CHATEAU (Castle). Here is a beautiful CHATEAU at Feste's suggestion. And enjoy some sumptuous Chocolate Gâteau if you do not care for ASPIC.

8D: Euripides play: HELEN. No idea. Anything Greek related is tragically daunting to me. According to Wikipedia, Euripides' greatest works include Alcestis, Medea, Eletra and the Bacchae.

9D: Except if: UNLESS

11D: Slangy contradiction: NOT. How come it's a "Slangy contradiction"? I don't get this one. (update: See Comments section for explanation).

12D: Inning ender: OUT. The intersection of this OUT with 7A CHURN OUT is NOT pretty.

14D: Actor Knight: TED. Knew him from the "Chess Mate" puzzle.

23D: Stick it out: LAST. Needs recluing. Don't like the double appearances of OUT (12D: Inning ender) and out.

25D: Small green bird: VIREO. Lovely, isn't it? The plumage is indeed green.

27D: Prone to backtalk: SASSY

29D: Relative to etc.: ET AL. This makes me laugh! Look how ET AL and I SAY are stacked together to anchor the whole puzzle! Is that your statement Mr. Editor? I say, bloody!!

31D: Insolent smile: SMIRK

32D: Red Square figure: LENIN

33D: Give the slip to: ELUDE. Good clue. But really I hate when "slip" appeared twice in the clue. See 15A: Slip away.

34D: Funeral song: DIRGE

36D: Brit's indignant comment: I SAY

41D: Go before: ANTECEDE. OK clue. Don't like how ANTECEDE parallels SECEDE.

44D: Uses up: EMPTIES

47D: Leave the union: SECEDE. I was on the wrong train initially, thinking of separate and divorce.

49D: More difficult: HARDER

51D: Some noblemen: EARLS. OK, OK, I know your name is EARL.

53D: Period in power: REIGN

54D: Mother of pearl: NACRE. Here is a picture.

55D: __ Park, Colo.: ESTES

61D: Periphery: RIM

63D: Open container: BIN. Most of the bins have lids, don't they?

C.C.

What Other Puzzles Do You Solve? Poll Result

Question: Besides TMS crossword, what other puzzles do you solver every day?

Total votes: 209

Sudoku: 123 (58%)

Jumble: 55 (26%)

Cryptoquip: 35 (16%)

None of the above: 56 ( 26%)

I allowed for multiple choices for Sudoku, Jumble and Cryptoquip, but now I don't know how to calculate the number and percentage of solvers who picked up all the three. I am so bad at math. Help me! (Update: Forget about my question earlier. There is no way I can figure it out, since some solvers might have picked up 2 of the 3).

Thank you for the participation.

C. C.

Friday, April 11, 2008 Stanley B. Whitten

Theme: FUNERAL RITUALS (In proper order)

20A: James Joyce classic: FINNEGANS WAKE

40A: Len Deighton classic: FUNERAL IN BERLIN

56A: Gettysburg tourist attraction: CEMETERY RIDGE

Too dark a theme for me. I would prefer driving down the Magnolia Lane this morning and lingering around Amen Corner to see how Tiger masterfully tames the whole GOLF field. I want to smell the pine trees, the azaleas, the dogwoods, and the sunshine. I want to feel the VIBES and the AURA from Augusta Golf Course, and never think about life and its fragility.

I had another double-bogey round today. This golf course just did not fit my eyes. Too many doglegs. Besides, I dubbed almost everyone of my fairway wood shot. I had no idea that OSLO was once called Christiania. Did not know that HORSE SENSE means Savvy. Horse does not have much sense for God's sake. Had to google ISAK Dinesen, then I realized that I had searched for her before. But why did she change her original name Karen into a weird ISAK? Or is ISAK a common Danish name?

And the stupid GEER! Drdad will be so disappointed to hear this, but I completely forgot what he told me last week. Sigh! I also failed miserably on LEAR, GALABA, LEVO, LOGE, COLORATURA, UVULAE. And the two literary classics meant nothing to me, I've never heard of them. My only highlight today is BOB DYLAN.

Grid: Total letters filled: 191. Total blank squares: 34

Let's tee off! Front Nine:

1A: Low in pitch: DEEP

5A: Jagged cut: GASH. Did not get this one immediately. Also, I was never aware of the crude slangy side of GASH until this morning. GASHED was clued "Cut deeply" in yesterday's puzzle.

9A: Slangy feelings: VIBES

14A: Latin and others: ET AL. Third day in a roll!

15A: Christiania, today: OSLO. Is this a gimme for you?

16A: French river: ISÈRE. Got it this time.

17A: Ambiance: AURA

18A:Goneril's father: LEAR. King LEAR's other two daughters are REGAN and CORDELIA.

19A: Core group: CADRE

23A: Jefferson's bill: TWO

24A: Will of "The Waltons": GEER

25A: Kilmer of "The Doors": VAL. He is also in Déjà Vu (Agent Paul Pryzwarra).

28A: Lead balloon: DUD

31A: Yada, yada, yada: ETC. The annoying Seinfeld! Why deceive kids with "Deceptively Delicious" food? I don't get it.

33A: Nautical distance: SEA MILE

35A: Bad to the bone: EVIL

37A: Stockings: HOSE

39A: Nero's successor: GALBA. Who succeeded him? OTHO! Here is a list of all Roman Emperors.

43A: Martini garnish, perhaps: OLIVE

45A: Numbers game: KENO. Never knew that KENO originated from China until nytanonimo told me a few days ago. My ignorance knows no bounds, that's for sure!

46A: Went for a quick visit: RAN OVER

50A: Put on: DON

51A: Actress Tilly: MEG. Nope, not familiar with her. Would've nailed it if it's clued as "Actress Ryan" or "Ebay CEO Whitman".

62A: Plot of hair?: SCALP. I like the clue.

64A: River to the Caspian Sea: URAL

65A: Breakfast area: NOOK

66A: Cliffside dwelling: AERIE

67A: Baltic capital: RIGA. Not fond of the crossing of RIGA and RAGA. Not pretty!

69A: Put forward: POSED

Back Nine:

1D: Unhearing: DEAF. Is this a self-referential meta clue of yourself Mr. Editor?

2D: Needle case: ETUI. Weren't you here yesterday?

4D: Factory: PLANT

5D:Calvary: GOLGOTHA. It's "a hill near Jerusalem where Jesus was crucified"

6D: On the Indian: ASEA

7D: Casual coinage: SLANG. Would be alright if not for 9A: Slangy feelings.

8D: Savvy: HORSE SENSE

9D: Rectory: VICARAGE

10D: Author Dinesen: ISAK. Author of "Out of Africa".

11D: Driven to distraction: BEDEVILLED

21D: Sheepish she: EWE. The alliteration here is so so.

22D: Little in Stirling: WEE. I am just so BEDEVILLED by this clue. How come WEE is always clued as "Little in Scotland"? Doesn't WEE mean "little" in America also?

26D: One lacking pigment: ALBINO

27D: Look to (for): LEAN ON

28D: Bend out of shape: DEFORM

29D:Soft palate attachments: UVULAE. Singular UVULA.

30D: Some train units: DINING CARS

32D: One soprano: COLORATURA. Brutal clue. Who knows? It's "a lyric soprano of high range who specializes in runs, trills, and other florid decorations in vocal music."

34D: Visible impression: MARK

36D: To the left: pref: LEVO. Counterclockwise. Opposite of DEXTRO, clockwise.

41D: Made over extensively: REVAMPED

42D: Robert Zimmerman: BOB DYLAN. Great clue, very topical too, given his recent Pulitzer award. Did not know that Bob Zimmerman got his last name from the poet Dylan Thomas until Winfield told me. Thanks.

49D: Court room railing: BAR

55D: Bush-league: MINOR. Disagree. It's MINORS. You don't call a Minor League a MINOR, do you? It's always MINORS to me. Unless you refer to the player, then you will have to re-clue it as Bush Leaguer. (Update: My mistake. Bush-league means Mediocre, Minor. Bush League, without the hyphen, refers to Minor League. )

57D: Nobel-winner Wiesel: ELIE

58D: Hindu Music: RAGA. I doubt there would be such rave about Anoushaka Shankar and her RAGA-heavy "Breathing Under Water" if not for the the featured guests (Her father Ravi Shankar, Norah Jones (her half-sister) and Sting) in the album.

59D: Venetian notable: DOGE. Dictionary.com says it's "The chief magistrate in the former republics of Venice and Genoa." Is this word still in use today?

62D: Chucklehead: SAP & 63D: Boardroom bigwig: CEO. Perfect parallel, perfect words to describe the ilks of Dennis Kozlowski. By the way Mr. Cayne (James), does anyone still call you for a tee time? And bridge?

Please have a look at yesterday's comment section. Littlelj offered a delicious plate of Scones/Biscuits/Cookies for your afternoon tea.

C.C.