Friday, August 29, 2008 Allan E. Parrish

Theme: Let's Say

18A: July 14th in France: BASTILLE DAY

59A: Spendable salary: TAKE HOME PAY

3D: Crosby movie: GOING MY WAY

24D: First Chief Justice: JOHN JAY

29D: Bobby Bloom hit: MONTEGO BAY

And CAY, FAY, GAY, HAY, LAY and MAY. What else?

I've never heard of JOHN JAY before, very interesting name. With Sheryl CROW, Christopher WREN and Peter FINCH, you can create a "Bird Spotting" themed puzzle. That will elate Larry BIRD.

A tough puzzle for me today. I got up late, and was stumped immediately by 1A. I wanted SIR and I knew it's not right. Somehow my mind was fixed on the physicist Newton. Never really gained any momentum, and struggled on various spots.

Across:

1A: Newton's first name ?: Why is it called FIG Newton Cake instead of Cookie/Bar?

4A: Chevy model: CAMARO. Here is the first ever Chevy CAMARO commercial.

14A: English privy: LOO. I think I really like "Elton's john" clue.

15A: Sandy or Roberto of baseball: ALOMAR. A rare gimme. I like how ALOMAR intersects MOST (6D: Part of MVP) because both of them were All-STAR Game MVPs (1997 & 1998). This is their father Sandy ALOMAR Sr (1966 Topps).

16A: 1997 Peter Fonda title role: ULEE. "ULEE's Gold". I've never seen it, have you?

24A: Actress Leigh: JANET. I don't like "Psycho", too scary.

25A: Man in Metz: HOMME. French for man. Here is Picasso's "Vieil HOMME Assis, Mougins". Another French word is OUI (49D: Nice assent).

28A: Hardly hemen: WIMPS. Are you OK with this clue?

32A: Poet Lowell: AMY. Unknown to me. What poem is she famous for?

38A: Alphrazolam brand name: XANAX. I simply forgot. Identical clue in a May TMS puzzle. It's an anti-anxiety drug.

43A: Digital image format: JPEG. I can never rememer its full name: Joint Photographic Experts Group.

48A: Fertile loam: LOESS. I sure have difficuty commmitting this word to my memory.

52A: QB Flutie: DOUG. No, I've never heard of him. A cover on Sports Illustrated? He must be very good during his college years then.

53A: Long Island institution: ADELPHI. New to me also. Is it very famous?

63A: Northern Illinois University city: DEKALB. Another unknown. WP says supermodel Cindy Crawford was born and grew up here. Here is the map.

66A: "___ Fideles": ADESTE. I don't understand a word Enya is singing, but it's beautiful.

Down:

2D: Actress Skye: IONE. No idea, even though I just watched her movie "Say Anything..." (with John Cusack) a few weeks ago.

4D: Minnelli film: CABARET. "Why Should I Wake Up?"

8D: Vituperate: RAIL AT

9D: Wrinkle-free fabric: ORLON. I had no idea that ORLON is a Du Pont trademark.

10D: Pool hall item: CUE STICK. Paul Newman's "The Hustler" is pretty good.

13D: Tunisian ruler: BEYS. Alwayst thought BEYS were Turkish rulers.

19D: Cinema-chain name: LOEWS

25D: Sister's clothing: HABIT

27D: Media bus. grp.: MCA. What is it?

35D: Devon river: EXE. It appeared in a Feb TMS puzzle, and of course I forgot. Here is the map. It flows to the English Channel.

42D: Infection type: STAPH

44D: Good gracious!: GLORY BE. I've never heard anyone say "GLORY BE!" alone as an exclamation. Is it like "Man Alive"?

54D: Confront boldly: DARE. "Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue, and dreams that you DARE to dream really do come true..." Now, tell me, do you DARE? " 'Cause if you do, I'll take you there...."

55D: Med. tests for the heart: EKGS. I forgot which one is more commonly used, EKG or ECG?

57D: Pakistan tongue: URDU. Nailed it this time.

C.C.

Thursday August 28, 2008 Alan P. Olschwang

Theme: The Power of Words

20A: Start of Molière statement: I WILL DEFEND

35A: Part 2 of statement: MY OPINION

40A: Part 3 of statement: TO THE LAST

56A: End of statement: DROP OF MY INK

Here is what Byron wrote about writing:

"But words are things, and a small drop of ink

Falling, like DEW, upon a thought, produces

That which makes thousands, perhaps millions, think."

I don't quite understand those lines. The grammar is so confusing. Can you paraphrase them for me?

The Chinese translation of Molière' name is tragically beautiful: 莫里哀. I've never read any of his works though, but I do like his view that it's not reason that decides/governs love. Love is irrational and "there is something inexpressibly charming in falling in love...".

Nothing exicting about this puzzle. I've had enough APO Quips/Quotes.

Across:

1A: Indian tourist site: AGRA (Taj Mahal). And one more reference to this enimgatic land that offered us the mysterious Kama Sutra: HINDU (9A: Caste member).

24A: Retail customers: END USERS. This is more of a computer term, isn't it? END USER vs Programmer.

27A: "Spy vs. Spy" magazine: MAD. This clue should please Xchefwalt.

28A: Shake choice: VANILLA. I like dipping French fries into chocolate milkshake. Yummy.

45A: Like clear nights: STAR LIT. "Starry, starry night, flaming flowers that brightly blaze, swirling clouds in violet haze, reflect in Vincent's eyes of china blue...". I hope you like this wonderful clip as much I do.

47A: Hop to it!: HIE. Hurry up duck, shake a leg.

48A: Land figures: ACREAGES

58A: Fragrant resin: ELEMI. I forgot. ELEMI was clued as "Varnish ingredient" in Olschwang's July 24 puzzle.

62A: Altercation: RUN-IN

65A: Feudal person: SERF. ESNE also means "Feudal SERF". FIEF is "Feudal estate". LIEGE is "Feudal lord", VASSAL is "Feudal tenant".

Down:

3D: Fleet: RAPID. I was thinking of ARMADA, but it did not fit. I did not know that "Fleet" can be an adjective meaning "swift".

4D: Sanctuaries: ASYLUMS

5D: Like some cobras: HOODED. I don't grok this. Why HOODED?

9D: Escape artist: HOUDINI (Harry). I forgot who mentioned this name in a comment sometime ago.

12D: God in Grenoble: DIEU. "Mon DIEU", though I often curse with "Oh, Merde".

13D: Argue for: URGE. I would love if it's clued as "Impulsive desire/longing", but I understand the rationale behind this verb cluing. Too many nouns in this grid.

26D: "The Delta of Venus" writer: NIN (Anaïs). I only read a few pages, way too provocative & graphic for me, a bit disturbing actually.

31D: A chip, maybe: ANTE

43D: Staunch: STEM. Hmm, no "Flower stalk"?

44D: Short theatrical offering: PLAYLET

50D: The easiest of putts: GIMME. Ah, the 6 inchers! No problem. I've never yipped or choked on those putts.

51D: City near Limerick: ENNIS. Not familiar with this town. WP says it's "located only six miles from Shannon and Shannon Airport". Here is the map, see ENNIS & Limerick?

52D: Woman's combo garment: SKORT. I love SKORT. She looks so pretty in her pink SKORT.

54D: Hebrew month: ELUL. The last month of Jewish calendar.

C.C.

Wednesday August 27, 2008 Willy A. Wiseman

Theme: He Must Be Off

17A: Screwball pitcher: DIZZY DEAN

36A: Peculiar parodist: WEIRD AL

58A: Millinery fruitcake: MAD HATTER

11D: Touched toon: DAFFY DUCK

32D: Kook of Koontz: ODD THOMAS

Of the above 5 theme answers, DIZZY Dean was a gimme, and I knew DAFFY Duck. The three 3 were new to me. But I caught the theme very earlier on, so I did not struggle that much.

I solved this puzzle without peeking at the constructor's name. After I was done, I thought it was from John Underwood. We have not seen his work for a long time. Now I am so curious to see who will be the QUIP/QUOTE author tomorrow. Can't be Alan P. Olschwang as we just did his VICTORY puzzle yesterday. Maybe Robert H Wolfe?

The clue for EIDER (37D: Downy duck) definitely needs to be changed as we had DAFFY DUCK as an answer. "Spread Down?" sounds good to me.

Across:

4A: With 64A: Wild Sioux: CRAZY. And HORSE (64A: See 4A). The monument looks quite imposing right now. But I can't wait to see the finished sculpture.

9A: Golden-touch king: MIDAS. Interesting to see ANE (59D: Dijon donkey) in the grid. MIDAS has donkey ears.

15A: Actress Anouk: AIMEE. I've never seen any of her movies. Her parents must love her a lot to name her AIMEE.

19A: Crime group: MAFIA. I like "GoodFellas".

22A: Gabfest: CONFAB. I forgot. Saw this clue before. Is CONFAB a common word?

23A: Ground-nesting Old World bird: BUSTARD. Foreign to me. Dictionary says BUSTARD came from a blend of French word "bistarde" and "outarde'. Both from Latin "avis tarda", meaning "slow bird". Great BUSTARD.

27A: Of armorial bearings: HERALDIC

30A: Came up: AROSE. Here is A ROSE for you. I also like the clues for ITCHES (47D: Restless desires) and YEN (8D: Desire), don't you?

42A: Balin and Clair: INAS. Yawner! Can you think of something else to clue INAS?

45A: Conventional: ORTHODOX

48A: Rabbits' kin: HARES. And HUTCH (50D: Rabbit residence). I wanted WARREN.

53A: Cigar fan: SMOKER. Yep, Freud is right, sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

55A: Gumshoe: TEC. Always thought of Pinkerton seeing this clue. Pinkerton has a very successful Intellectual Property Investigation service in China.

57A: Actress Veronica: HAMEL. Unknown to me. WP says she is in "Hill Street Blues". Oh, I saw Andy Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) in the picture. Which one is HAMEL? The girl on the last row?

61A: Clean with a bill: PREEN. I am so vain.

62A: Fifth of MV: CCI. Hmm, me, I, myself.

63A: No longer in: PASSE

Down:

1D: Back of a tape: SIDE B

5D: Passengers: RIDERS. Great EASY RIDER clip.

7D: Fervor: ZEAL. I like the Z's in today's puzzle. See also ZETAS (18D: Greek letters).

9D: Champagne cocktail: MIMOSA. Did not know that MIMOSA was invented at Ritz Hotel in 1925.

10D: Without sense: INANELY

22D: Chick of jazz: COREA. This should make Katherine happy.

24D: Over again: ANEW

25D: Card displays: MELDS. No idea. I don't play canasta or any card game.

27D: Little well-furred rotund mammal: HYRAX. Another unknown animal. WP says "From a distance, a HYRAX could be mistaken for a very well-fed rabbit or guinea pig." He looks so cute.

29D: Charlotte or Gary, e.g.: CITY. Clever clue.

33D: Sots: WINOS. So many words to decribe a drunkard.

38D: Org. of Gulbis and Creamer: LPGA. Ah, the prettiest girls in LPGA Tour. Both have dangerous looking dip drives. See this clip.

41D: Movers' partners: SHAKERS

46D: End of a threat: OR ELSE. "?!!"

49D: Passover meal: SEDER. Did not know that SEDER means "order" in Hebrew.

51D: Standing tall: ERECT. Long, ERECT flower stalk.

55D: Cocoyam: TARO. I had no idea that TARO is also called cocoyam. I miss so much the TARO cakes in Guangzhou.

C.C.

Tuesday August 26, 2008 Alan P. Olschwang

Theme: VICTORY (40A: Sign found in 18A, 24A, 50A and 61A)

19A: "Guitar Town" singer: STEVE EARLE

24A: Carry out: GIVE EFFECT TO

50A: Certain lineman: DEFENSIVE END

61A: Renewable power source: WAVE ENERGY

This puzzle brought to my mind Churchill's VICTORY quote: "Victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival."

It's an OK puzzle, not very exciting but much better than a lazy Quip. I liked the position of VICTORY in the grid. Lots of 4-letter words. I suppose it's mainly due to the length of the theme answers.

Other **VEE** words I've got are: VEEP, LEVEE, VEER, HUMVEE, the French word ELEVEE and the song "I Only Have Eyes for You". What other words can you think of?

Across:

5A: Woven net: MESH. Mariah Carey looks gorgeous in this MESH tank top.

16A: Nora's pooch: ASTA. From "The Thin Man".

22A: Colorful mount: ROAN. We need to have a discussion today about what exactly colors a ROAN horse exhibits.

28A: MacDonald's refrain: EIEIO. Inaccurate. It should be "Old MacDonald" refrain.

33A: Dweeb: NERD. Remember TWIRP/TWERP the other day?

35A: Wear away: FRAY. What's the difference between "Become raveled" and "Become unraveled"?

43A: Astronomer Tycho: BRAHE. I got his name from down fills. Yipes, look at his mustache.

59A: "Painting" painter: MIRO. I don't like this clue at all. "Painting" is not that well-known. This is his "Dog Barking at the Moon".

60A: Follow logically: ENSUE. Hmm, looks like our editor lacked the courage to clue ENSUE as "Come next" again. Martin sure had fun last time. Here is Beatles' "Come Together", for you.

70A: Mountain lake: TARN. I can never remember this word. WP says TARN is "derived from Old Norse word tjörn, meaning pond". This is TARN Hows in England.

Down:

1D: Scrawny one: SCRAG. Know SCRAGGY. Have heard of SCRAG.

2D: Maiden in Koranic paradise: HOURI. Their "virginity is renewable at pleasure", what a dream! It's so hard for me to picture HOURI & PERI (Persian fallen angels) as the same level as other beautiful creatures like Venus, Aphrodite, Apollo & Adonis.

3D: Bogey: ONE OVER PAR. I wonder why Humphrey Bogart was called "Bogey/Bogie". Did he play lots of golf?

4D: Famous meteor shower member: PERSEID. New to me. Have barely heard of constellation Perseus. PERSEID is defined as " one of a shower of meteors that appears to originate in the vicinity of the constellation Perseus during the second week of August."

7D: Cubic meter: STERE. I only learned this morning that STERE is from Greek "stereós" meaning solid.

8D: Total confusion: HAVOC

9D: Distinct personality: IDENTITY. Are they really synonymous? I thought of INDIVIDUALITY for "Distinct personality".

12D: Place for cargo: HOLD. CARGO was clued as "Hold contents" yesterday.

25D: Stereotypical poodle: FIFI. How come it's never clued as the annual FiFi Award?

30D: Magical command: OPEN SESAME

33D: Mount of Moses: NEBO. This is where Moses died I suppose. And 2 more Biblical mounts: SINAI ("Ten Commandments") & ARARAT (Noah's Ark).

40D: Impassioned: VEHEMENT

46D: Lettering aid: STENCIL

49D: "___ Got You Under My Skin": I'VE. Not a familiar song to me. I just heard it and I liked it. Beautiful song. Frank Sinatra had such an colorful life, so involved in American politics, JFK & Reagan adm. in particular.

51D: Half a tenner: FIN. Or "Half a sawbuck".

53D: Water wheel: NORIA. Unknown to me. It's "a device consisting of a series of buckets on a wheel, used in Spain and the Orient for raising water". See this picture.

54D: Techno-rock artist Gary: NUMAN. Pieced his name together from the across fills. Katherine, do you know this Gary?

63D: Long-snouted fish: GAR. Huge GAR. Is it edible?

64D: Over there, briefly: YON. I don't understand this Robert Burns' "O Were My Love YON Lilac Fair. But it looks beautiful, with "purple blossom" and "red rose". What does "I'd feast on beauty a' the night" mean?

C.C.

Monday August 25, 2008 Josiah Breward

Theme: (Which) Way to GO

17A: Imagined: THOUGHT UP

58A: Duck product: EIDER DOWN

11D: Without guilt: RIGHTEOUS

33D: Soup ingredients, perhaps: LEFTOVERS

Good puzzle. I like the positon of UP, DOWN, LEFT & RIGHT, very well placed. But I just feel that something is missing at the heart of the grid. I want HERE or ICI (Vous êtes ICI) as an anchor.

I dislike how ELITE (16A: Privileged few) due to FEWER (51D: Not so many), visually very jarring. Tell me how you would clue ELITE.

Had some trouble at the lower right corner. Had to google Philosopher Mach (52D: ERNST).

Across:

1A: Not so much: LESS. And FEWER (51D: Not so many)

5A: Trigger-happy: EDGY. This reminds me of Barry's TENTER (cloth stretcher) &"On tenter hooks" connection explanation last month.

9A: Branchlet: SPRIG. "Branchlet" is a new word to me.

15A: Novelist Morrison: TONI. Nobel Literature winner in 1993. I know her only because of her "our first Black President" comment on Clinton. I've never read her books.

19A: Basketball player: CAGER. My favorite CAGER (KG).

21A: I haven't a clue: SEARCH ME. New phrase to me. I've never heard anyone use SEARCH ME to mean "I haven't a clue".

26A: Lizard with sticky feet: GECKO. Here is GEICO's GECHO.

28A: Still: AT REST

31A: Where van Gogh painted like mad: ARLES. Yes, this is the place where he madly painted all those blooming (and withering) sunflowers, and the beautiful "Starry Night Over the Rhone", and of course, the gorgeous "Bedroom at ARLES". Are you happy with the clue?

34A: Dawson or Gide: ANDRE. Hmm, another Nobel Literature winner (Gide). Do you think ANDRE Dawson will make HOF next year?

38A: Poppy extract: OPIUM. I am addicted to OPIUM.

39A: Sushi choice: TUNA. Delicious! Hot, hot wasabi!

41A: Zest: SPICE. Which one, Dennis?

45A: Group psyche: ETHOS. And 5D: Cultural: ETHNIC

47A: Parts of ranges: OVENS. I was in the mountain range direction.

49A: Western state capital: SANTA FE. I've never been to New Mexico. Do you like Georgia O'Keeffe?

53A: Turns back: REVERSES

56A: Pipe cleaner: REAMER. No idea. Always associate REAMER with citrus juice.

60A: Hold contents: CARGO. Ha, the nautical "Hold" got me again. I kept wanting "Hold" to be a verb.

62A: King toppers: ACES. I was thinking of this King and his wig.

63A: Middle of a tassel?: ESSES

65A: Do a postal job: SORT. Of course, I penned in MAIL first.

Down:

1D: Stop gripping: LET GO

2D" "___ Frome": ETHAN. Learned it from doing Xword. Have never touched any of Edith Wharton's books.

3D: Audible expression of contempt: SNORT. I wrote down SNEER first.

7D: Wildebeests: GNUS

8D: Holy cow!: YIPES. Sometimes this kind of simple exclamation stumps me. YIPES, Yipee, Holy mackerel! Have you ever used "Man alive"?

9D: Hide away: SECRETE

10D: Glacial deposit: PLACER. New to me. It's a "surficial mineral deposit formed by the concentration of small particles of heavy minerals, as gold, rutile, or platinum, in gravel or small sands."

18D: Wounds with a tusk: GORES. What, not us?

22D: Cause anxiety: ALARM

24D: Giraffe relative: OKAPI. I would not have got this one without the across fills. Barb B likes the pantaloons.

27D: Preserved for later: ON ICE. Is this also a hockey term?

32D: Sports zebras: REFS. Hmm, some kind of "striped" under-theme in this puzzle.

39D: Tex-Mex menu items: TOSTADAS. Yummy.

42D: Goofy error: BONER. I should really use this word instead of abusing "faux pas" & "screw-up" all the time.

44D: Even the score: AVENGE

46D: Islamic women's quarters: HAREMS. I was wondering if men really are not allowed to enter HAREMS. Will they be punished if they do?

50D: BP merger partner: AMOCO. They merged in 1998.

52D: Philosopher Mach: ERNST. So the the Mach in "Mach topper" (SST) refers to him?

53D: Chop into small pieces: RICE. Really, not DICE?

C.C.

Sunday August 24, 2008 Edgar Fontaine

Theme: Chick Flicks

24A: Diane Keaton title role: ANNIE HALL

46A: Dorothy Dandridge title role: CARMEN JONES

69A: Kirsten Dunst title role: MARIE ANTOINETTE

95A: Barbara Stanwyck title role: ANNIE OAKLEY

118A: Ingrid Bergman title role: ANASTASIA

3D: Rosalind Russell tittle role: AUNTIE MAMA

9D: Cate Blanchett title role: ELIZABETH

15D: Shirley MacLaine title role: IRMA LA DOUCE

69D: Julie Andres title role: MARY POPPINS

78D: Greer Garson title role: MRS. MINIVER

84D: Ingrid Bergman title role: JOAN OF ARC

I like the theme, very ambitious. All the theme entries except ANASTASIA (118A: Ingrid Bergman title role) look great to me.

I am annoyed at ANASTASIA not only because because we already have one Bergman movie (84D), but the crossing of ANASTASIA with RALE (112D: Last breath) corner is extremely irksome. 4 RALE/RALES in one week? Unbelievable!

This is where the editorial creativity is sorely needed, as I am sure the constructor was not aware of the RALE(S) binge we've had. After reading the news clip on Madonna's "Sticky and Sweet" tour this morning, I thought of her title role EVITA, but it's too short. And QUEEN VICTORIA (Judi Dench in "Mrs. Brown") is not a title role, and it's too long. What movie title can you think of? It has to be a 9-letter word.

Crossword constructing is so hard. I really have huge respect for those guys, even if I often criticize their work. But my complaints are "For Love of the Game".

Lots of entertainment names in the grid, fitting the theme nicely. I had fun googling, no time to fully digest what I had read/linked though.

Across:

14A: Zodiac sign: LIBRA. Mine is Cancer. How about your?

19A: Comic Anderson: LOUIE. No, I've never heard of him or his game show "Family Feud".

22A: Bottom deck: ORLOP. I forgot why Clear Ayes mentioned this ORLOP last week.

26A: Stomachs of ruminants: OMASA. Singular is OMASUM. New to me. It's "the third division of the stomach of a ruminant animal". How many stomachs does a ruminant animal have? Three?

30A: Precision machinist: DIE MAKER. Boy, I had DOE MAKER for a long time. I wrote down SOLO instead of SOLI for the intersecting 13D: Arias for one.

40A: Fall off the wagon: IMBIBE

42A: Amin's birthplace: UGANDA. Ha, I already forgot where the capital of UGANDA is. Kampala, Kampala, Kampala.

54A: South Carolina river: SANTEE. It's named after the SANTEE tribe. Here is the map. New river to me.

57A: Womanizer: TOMCAT. I just learned that TOMCAT can be a verb too.

60A: Mother of Apollo: LETO. And the "Swan lover" is LEDA (or the "Mythical queen of Sparta").

64A: Louis and Carrie: NYES. I know neither of them, though I do remember "a NYE/NIDE of peasants".

73A: Fire opal: GIRASOL. New to me.

93A: Intermittently windy: GUSTY. Really? "Intermittenly"? I thought "GUSTY" was continuously blowing hard (This sentence feels weird, correct me if I am wrong).

94A: Ninny: SIMP. So many different words to describe an airhead.

98A: Fed: G-MAN. The FBI guy. Fed can also be T-MAN, the IRS guy.

99A: Egg receptacle: OVISAC. Another new word. It's "a sac or capsule containing an ovum or ova". What a solid made-up word! Reminds me of cruciverbalist.

103A: Patagonia plains: PAMPAS. Look, this lone gaucho seems to enjoy his life on PAMPAS.

114A: Coast of Morocco: RIF. I crossed the River Lethe again on this word. Here is the map. Argyle said "Er RIF" comes from the Berber word arif (The RIF, Er-RIF in Arabic).

115A: Composer Shostakovich: DMITRI. Can you believe I forgot his name again? This is the third time he appeared in our puzzle. Was it a gimmie to you? Do you like his music?

117A: Computer language std.: ASCII. Know the word. Can never remember what the acronym stands for.

124A: Redbone and Russell: LEONS. Interesting. "Stranger on a Stranger's Land". I don't grok what he is singing.

125A: Ancient Chinese poet: LI PO. "Li Bai" in Mandarin Chinese. From the Tang Dynasty (with capital in Xi'An). Here are some lines from his well-known "Drinking Alone by Moonlight": A cup of wine, under the flowering trees; I drink alone, for no friend is near. Raising my cup I beckon the bright moon. For her, with my shadow, will make three men....."

131A: Saint of letters: CYRIL. I've never heard of this saint. Have vaguely heard of the Cyrillic alphabet though.

Down:

4D: Time of Nick?: NITE. "Nick at NITE". I've never seen it.

6D: Kiddie spoilers?: GRANDMAS

8D: Dog's first name: RIN. RIN Tin Tin.

17D: Al of the '50s Indians: ROSEN. Couldn't tell whether this card is a real card or a reprint.

25D: Mammalian epoch: EOCENE. I could not believe this is a real word. It looks so wrong. OK, Eos is Greek goddess of dawn. "cene is " means "new", like "recent" I suppose. ECOCENE is "an epoch in which mammals dominant (50 million years ago)."

28D: Like lofty poetry: ODIC. Very interesting how adjectives are formed. For Pindar, it's Pindaric; For Keats, it's Keatsian, not Keatsic.

31D: German Dadaist: ERNST (Max). A surrealist as well. Here is The Elephant Celebes. I am looking forward to seeing ERNST's buddy Paul KLEE next week.

32D: Papeete's location: TAHITI. Got it from the across fills. I had no idea where Papeete is. FYI, Gauguin painted his "Two Women on the Beach" in TAHITI also.

33D: "A Perfect Peace" author: AMOS OZ. Gimme. He knows "How to Cure a Fanatic".

39D: Central Park S. Landmark: NYAC (New York Athletic Club). No idea. I've never been to NY.

41D: Brown in fat: BRAISE. I don't think this clue is wholly accurate. The process of braising needs some liquid for simmering.

44D: Organisms requiring oxygen: AEROBES. AER(O) is air, Obe is from Microbe. Good to learn this stuff.

53D: Multi-deck game: CANASTA . Not a familiar card game to me. I've never play rummy.

56D: Wild pig: WARTHOG. I forgot. So ugly.

79D: Thick soup: POTAGE. I did not know that some POTAGES are made of thickened liquid with mashed FLOWERS/fruit. Sounds so sweet.

80D: Fred of "The Munsters": GWYNNE. I would not have got his name without the crossing fills. It's so hard for me to grasp the popularity of this show and the wide-range (often expensive) collectibles.

83D: Water-to-wine site: CANA. You can find The Wedding at CANA at Louvre.

91D: Share a book project: CO-EDIT

92D: "The Listeners" writer Walter: DE LA MARE. "Is there anybody there...." This is the first time I heard of this poet.

97D: K2 creature?: YETI. I had no idea that K2 is a mountain peak (Karakoram Range in northern Kashmir). And it's the 2nd highest in the world. I am just so used to the "Abominable Snowman" clue.

100D: Traveling bag: VALISE. This Civil War VALISE is so well preserved.

105D: Georgia city: MACON. I forgot. Dennis mentioned this name when we had the MOON PIE long time ago. MACON is nicknamed "Heart of Georgia". Lovely cherry blossom.

107D: Incendiarism: ARSON

115D: Dist. across: DIAM (Diameter). I don't like this clue. "Dist. across" what? A square? Definitely needs a "circle" in the clue.

116D: Somewhat blue: RACY. Van Gogh' somewhat blue (literally) "Starry Night Over the Rhone popped into my mind immediately. He is such a brilliant yet tragic figure. I really like his various paintings on sunflowers, esp those in full bloom. I am so touched by his bold & daring strokes of yellow color, breathtaking. Indeed, Theo, "The sunflower is mine in a way..."

123D: Lowly NCO: CPL. PFC is the lowest NCO, right?

C.C.

Saturday August 23, 2008 Robert H. Wolfe

Theme: None

Total blocks: 26

I hope you found beautiful red, red roses in this thorny puzzle. It's way too tough for me. Felt like climbing Mountain Everest without a shirpa. I definitely need a theme to guide me.

Too many unknowns and strange cluings. I was stumped immediately by KAMPALA (1A). Letter K was simply impossible for me as I was not familiar with crossing KIWANIS (1D) at all. And I got bogged down in MENOTTI area for a long time. Had to ask Google for help.

Across:

1A: Capital city of 15A: KAMPALA. Here is the map. It's located on Lake Victoria.

8A: "The Consul" composer: MENOTTI (Gian Carlo). I forgot. Vaguely remembered seeing his name somewhere before. Wikipedia says he won Pulitzer (1950) for The Consul". He wrote both the music and the libretto for the opera. Amazing. He must love Wagner.

15A: Infamous dictator: IDI AMIN. I still don't understand why he is called "The Last King of Scotland".

16A: Protein in cereal grains: ALEURON. No idea. I could only think of GLUTEN. Dictionary says it's a "granular protein found in the endosperm of many seeds or forming the outermost layer in cereal grains." ALEURON is Greek for "meal".

17A: Rhode Island city: WARWICK. We get quite a few TMS solvers there.

18A: 3-D miniature scene: DIORAMA. New word to me. Beautifully done.

22A: Hindu sect member: SIKH. Literally, "disciple" in Sanskrit. I always confuse this word with ANKH, the Egyptian cross.

23A: City in NE France: NANCY. METZ was clued as "City near NANCY" on a July puzzle. I wonder why the editor has never considered cluing RANCY Reagan.

25A: Death rattles: RALES. This word should really be mothballed.

28A: Subcontinent leader?: INDO. INDOCHINA. Trickey clue.

29A: Adriatic seaport: BARI. It's here in Italy. Unknown to me.

30A: Seed covering: TESTA. Also, "head" in Italian.

34A: Up to the patellae: KNEE DEEP. Interesting clue, so literal.

36A: Omnispective: All -SEEING. "Omnispective" is a new word to me.

38A: Paginated: FOLIATED. No idea. I always thought FOLIATE is an adjective. I've never heard of "paginate" before.

45A: Cricket segments: OVERS. No. Dictionary defines OVER as "the number of balls, usually six, delivered between successive changes of bowlers". I originally thought OVERS might be like our "innings" in baseball.

48A: "The Lion King" character: NALA. "Can you feel the love tonight?...". Beautiful song from "The Lion King".

53A: One-tenth of MDXL: CLIV. I cannot think of any other non-Roman numberal way to clue this "CLIV", can you?

55A: Lumberjack's two-man tool: PIT SAW. Hard work!

58A: Otological problem: EAR ACHE. Be prepared, the answer might be OTALGIA next time.

60A: Bereft: SO ALONE. I disagree, they are not synonymous.

62A: Commonplace: PROSAIC

63A: Cutting tooth: INCISOR

64A: Nerve connection: SYNAPSE. This puzzle should please our fellow solver Flyingear.

65A: Suppurates: FESTERS. I did not know the meaning of "Suppurates".

Down:

1D: Worldwide service club: KIWANIS. Unknown to me once again. It's "an organization founded in 1915 for the promulgation of higher ideals in business, industrial, and professional life".

3D: "Right to remain silent" warning: MIRANDA. "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law..."

6D: Tiny insects: LICE. I penned in NITS.

8D: Kahn of "Blazing Saddles": MADELINE. I googled her name. I've never heard of "Blazing Saddles".

12D: Gad about: TRAIPSE

13D: 1992 U.S. Open winner: TOM KITE. Know him, but had no idea he was the 1992 Open champion. I was thinking of Lehman. That ball did land in the hole.

14D: Randomly piled: IN A HEAP. I got this after cheating with the across fills.

21D: Delineated: MARKED OUT

24D: 1997 Nicolas Cage movie: CON AIR. Good movie, good song too.

26D: Gregg user: STENO. Did not know what "Gregg" is.

29D: Wallop: BELT. Nice BELT.

31D: Abutting: EDGING. No need to clue *ING answer with an *ING. "Border" is just fine.

37D: Carefully planned and executed performance: SET PIECE. New phrase to me also.

38D: Medical implement: FORCEPS. Completely foreign to me. Here are some surgical FORCEPS.

39D: Of plant seeds: OVULARY. Sigh... no, no.

40D: Shackle: LEG IRON. Techincially it's "lower shackle".

42D: California city: SAN JOSE. "Do You Know the Way to SAN JOSE?"

43D: Rigby of song: ELEANOR. Not familiar with this Beatles' song. Only know ELEANOR Roosevelt.

44D: Lumberyard employs: SAWYERS. I always thought it was SAWERS.

47D: Isolated mountain: MASSIF. New to me also. It's defined as "A large mountain mass or compact group of connected mountains forming an independent portion of a range". Behind them is the Himalayan Annapurna MASSIF.

51D: Plant pest: APHIS. I forgot. Saw this clue before. Strange plural form APHIDES.

52D: Aircraft surveillance acronym: AWACS (Airborne Warning And Control System). Nope, too sophisticated for me to undertand and remember.

54D: Swedish ship that sank on maiden voyage: VASA. No idea. I like the bright colors on this VASA model.

C.C.

Friday August 22, 2008 Barry Silk

Theme: MONEY (69A: This puzzle's theme)

21A: Flour, water and shortening: PASTRY DOUGH

27A: Steamers: LONG NECK CLAMS

46A: Bibb alternative: BOSTON LETTUCE

54A: Italian restaurant staple: GARLIC BREAD

Wow, edible "Steamers", new to me. I knew DOUGH, LETTUCE, BREAD are slang words for money, had no idea that "CLAMS" can mean money too. But why CLAMS instead of CLAM?

I thought CABBAGE SOUP & BACON AND EGGS are great theme entries too. But I guess they don't fit the "Cash back" theme pattern.

Great puzzle. I like how MONEY is revealed in the very end. I often wonder why constructors/editors like to define the theme title for this kind of synonym type of grid. Why can't they just clue MONEY as "It talks" and then let the solvers figure out what those theme entries in common and enjoy the "Aha" moment when they find the MONEY.

Across:

1A: Kuwaiti 69A: DINAR. The first word that popped to my mind is EMEER. I was thinking 69D might be RULER. But quickly discarded my idea after seeing 1D.

10A: Comic Foxx: REDD. Very interesting stage name. Obviously he liked Jimmie Foxx. I would have liked C. C. Sabathia had he not played for the Indians and worn his cap off-kilter all the time.

24A: She's possessive: HER. I dislike this clue. Given ARGO (11D: Jason's vessel) other "Sailor" & "Pirate" clues, I would prefer HER to be clued as ship related.

39A: Writer Talese: GAY. I've never read any of his books. Knew him because of his wife Nan Talese ("A Million Little Pieces" scandal).

41A: __ B. Davis: ANN. Pure guess. I've never heard of her or watched The Brady Bunch.

51A: Sailor's drink: RUM. Why??

62A: Flinch or start, e.g.: REACT. "Flinch, e.g." is enough. And another "Flinch" reaction is RECOIL (10D: Draw back in horror).

64A: Promised land: ZION. I would not have got this one without the down fills. So, this is how we got the word "Zionist" I suppose.

68A: "Peter Pan" pirate: SMEE. And 53D: Pirate's pal: MATEY.

Down:

1D: Vader or Maul: DARTH. Know the name, but I have never seen "Star Wars".

3D: Vieux Carre location: NEW ORLEANS. An educated guess. Knew "The French Quarters", but was not aware of its French name.

5D: Minnesota's state tree: RED PINE. Too close to each other.

9D: Mount of the Several Sisters: HOLYOKE. No idea.

13D: Real looker: DISH. Foodies would probably like the clue to be "Chef's serving".

23D: Down source: DUCK. Brought a smile to my face.

30D: All-Star third baseman Ron: CEY. Dodgers's.

31D: Not limited to roads: ALL TERRAIN

35D: Ex-Yankee Martinez: TINO. Vaguely heard of him before.

42D: City near Sacramento: LODI

44D: Greek portico: STOA

48D: Go from 2 to 6, say: TREBLE. Not familiar with the triple meaning of "TREBLE".

55D: Calcutta's continent: ASIA

57D: Porkpie feature: BRIM. Had no idea that "Porkpie" is a kind of hat.

C.C.

Thursday August 21, 2008 Alan P. Olschwang

Theme: Lose Out

20A: Start of a quip: A GOOD LOSER IS

28A: Part 2 of quip: ALL RIGHT BUT

39A: Part 3 of quip: IT'S

44A: Part 4 of quip: NOT VERY MUCH

52A: End of quip: FUN TO BEAT HIM

Why "AT HIM"? What does it mean? Why not simply "BE HIM"? So hard for me to grok what he is trying to convey. (Addendum: My bad. It's "TO BEAT HIM", not "TO BE AT HIM". The original Evan Esar quip is: "A good loser is all right, but it isn't so much fun to beat him.")

A slight Russian/East European sub-theme:

21A: Gymnast Korbut: OLGA. OLGA means"Holy" in Russian.

30D: Second cosmonaut: TITOV (Gherman). I've never heard of this name before. Only know Yuri Gagarin. Look, it's autographed.

37D: Buckwheat groats: KASHA. Not familiar with KASHA. The only buckwheat product I like is soba noodle (served cold).

Nothing scintillating about this puzzle. The theme is too STALE (49D: Like old bread) for me. If I were the editor, I would listen to and respect puzzle solvers' opinions and offer quip/quote puzzle once a month at most.

Across:

1A: Time for a shower?: APRIL. How far would you go for true love?

10A: Small town: BURG. What is the average population size for a BURG?

14A: Spyri heroine: HEIDI. Identical clue/answer in his June 26 "Gossip" quip.

18A: Spicy stew: OLIO. So is OLLA (56A: Earthenware pot), which also means "Spicy stew".

23A: Money-managing exec.: CFO. Andrew Fastow's mug always pops into my mind every time I see a CFO clue.

32A: Bologna neighbor: MODENA. Have vaguely heard of this motor racing city (Ferrari 360 MODENA) before, but I don't think I would have got it without the crossing fills. Pavarotti was born here. Wikipedia says MODENA is also "well known in culinary circles for its production of balsamic vinegar".

40A: Shepherdess in Virgil's "Eclogues": DELIA. No idea. I've never heard of "Eclogues" and I don't know who DELIA is. Are you familiar with Bob Dylan's DELIA?

50A: Dissemblance: ACT. I got it from down clue. I did not know the meaning of "Dissemblance".

63A: Small monkey: TITI. I forgot again. It appeared in our puzzle before. He has such a long tail.

67A: Pumps, e.g.: SHOES. Silly "In Her Shoes".

Down:

5D: Pasta choice: LINGUINE. What are those green pieces?

6D: Make even: SMOOTH. Beautiful "SMOOTH operator" (Sade), so sensual.

9D: Rose: STOOD UP. I was thinking of this "Rose", Xchefwalt's FLOUR FLOWER.

10D: Elaine of "Seinfeld": BENES. You know something, no soup for you!

12D: Marconi's medium: RADIO. Gimme, after all those Tesla/Edison discussions 2 weeks ago.

31D: Oceanography deg: BMS (Bachelor of Marine Science). Once again, I obtained this answer from the across fills.

35D: Spoken: ALOUD. Are they really synonymous?

53D: Bruhn of ballet: ERIK. Unknown to me. Wikipedia says he had a long relationship with Rudolf Nureyev.

55D: Fluttery flyer: MOTH. "I was always the butterfly, and you were always the MOTH. And now it's time to embrace the flame."

59D: Personal question?: WHO. I penned in AGE first.

C.C.

Wednesday August 20, 2008 Stanley B. Whitten

Theme: Initial Reactions

20A: F. __: SCOTT FITZGERALD

35A: E.G. ___: MARSHALL

40A: D. H. __: LAWRENCE

53A: T. __: JEFFERSON PARKER

I've never heard of E. G. MARSHALL or T. JEFFERSON PARKER before. I found 35A to be an odd choice since all the other 3 theme entries are all authors.

I thought of T. S. Eliot, A. A. Milne, e. e, cummings, J. D. Salinger, J. R. R. Tolkien & J.K. Rowling earlier, all famous literary names. Of course, we also have O. J. Simpson, J. Edgar Hoover & the crossword stalwart L. Ron Hubbard as non-writer names with intriguing initials. What other interesting names can you think of?

Anyway, I like this puzzle. I like most of the puzzles with 15-letter run-through theme answers. I am very easy to please.

I did not know the meanings of HIC (24A: __ jacet ) and RIGOR (3D: __ mortis). After consulting the dictionary, I don't think I like how these two were clued. Too dark and harsh for my morning. I would prefer a drunk bar-sound choice for HIC and a boot camp experience for RIGOR.

Quite a few obscure words to me today. I took several wild guesses.

Across:

5A: The great unwashed: PLEBS. "The great unwashed" is a new phrase to me. I had no idea that "unwashed" also means the "common folk". I suppose ancient Greeks call ancient Roman PLEBS as "Hoi polloi"?

15A: Isuzu model: RODEO. Not familiar with this model. A risky guess, cowboy style.

17A: Herb of wisdom?: SAGE. "Are you going to Scarborough Fair? Parsley, SAGE, rosemary and thyme. Remember me to one who lives there, she was once a true love of mine...". Do you know why they chose those 4 herbs instead of chives/basil?

18A: Circular gasket: O-RING

26A: French stewlike dish: POT-AU-FEU. Hmm, I am not going to link a POT-AU-FEU picture. Dennis hates it. He hates ASPIC too.

39A: Chills and fever: AGUE. This is Paul's Word of the Day today. He selected it because "Mosquito transmission of malaria discoverned on this day in 1897."

43A: Pleasantly diverted: AMUSED. Are you OK with "diverted"?

46A: Of a benefactor PATRONAL. New adjective to me.

63A: Anklebone: TALUS. The plural is TALI.

Down:

1D: Chase group: POSSE. Why? Does the "Chase" here refer to Chevy Chase?

2D: Bananalike plant: ABACA. No idea. This is a ABACA plant. It does not look like a banana to me.

5D: Benefits: PROFITS

6D: Roman body armor: LORICA. Absolutely no idea. See this LORICA.

8D: Automobile pioneer: BENZ. OLDS did not fit.

9D: Wetter and mushier: SOGGIER. I recklessly sank into MUGGIER.

10D: Dweeb: TWIRP. New word to me.

27D: Brown pigment: UMBER. I only knew AMBER. Dictionary says it's called raw UMBER when used in its natural state, and burnt UMBER when used after heating.

30D: Pivot: SLUE. "Who else would the ultimate cowboy fall in love with than the ultimate cowgirl? That's SLUE-foot Sue all right...". I've never heard of that folklore, have you?

42D: Tell the tale: NARRATE

43D: Metrical foot: ANAPEST. Foreign to me also. I might have seen someone mentioned this term in a comment somewhere before, but I could not recall clearly. Can you give me an ANAPEST example?

44D: Supernatural force: MANA. No idea. A variation of MANNA?

47D: Comes clean: OWNS UP

50D: Cut corners: SKIMP

51D: Gilpin and others: PERIS. Gilpin Again? Too lazy to do more research for a different clue? PERI is also "one of a large group of beautiful, fairylike beings of Persian mythology, represented as descended from fallen angels and excluded from paradise until their penance is accomplished."

53D: Protrudes: JUTS

57D: Like a dipstick: OILY. I kind of like this clue. Very slick!

58D: Perlman of "Cheers": RHEA. I really like her earrings.

C.C.

Tuesday August 19, 2008 Allan E. Parrish

Theme: FINE Tunes

20A: Fireball hit: BOTTLE OF WINE

29A: Guns N' Roses hit: SWEET CHILD O'MINE

58A: Johnny Cash hit: I WALK THE LINE

Finally we have a "Tic-tac-toe winner" (13D: XXX)! We've been losing or near-missing on this game for a long time.

Out of those 3 theme entries, I was only familiar with 58A. I liked the movie "WALK THE LINE", and I always associated "BOTTLE OF WINE" with Tom Paxton.

I liked this puzzle, a precious pangram (Thanks for pointing it out Barry). It always made me happy to see my Chinese name initials (ZQ) gridded in one puzzle. There were, of course, a few unknown names/words to me, but most obtainable from the crossing fills. I think I am getting better at making educated guesses.

Two minor flaws:

44A: "The Bronx __": ZOO. Why the quotation mark?

47D: Gray shade: PEWTER. Says who? Where can I find this "Gray shade" definition of PEWTER?

Across:

1A: Basie music: JAZZ. A quick guess. I don't know Count Basie & his Orchestra.

9A: Heat-resistant glass: PYREX. Very interesting brand name. PYR (o)= fire. REX =king. Here are some Fire-King mixing bowls.

14A: Winglike parts: ALAE. Singular is ALA.

16A: China brand: LENOX. So simple, yet so presidential. I wonder when they are going to clue Wedgwood or Noritake, both are great brands.

18A: Maddux or Norman: GREG. Hmm, the Shark attacks again today. This is GREG Maddux's Donruss 1987 rookie card. NM to MT condition. Only $8.00. The only good card in 1987 is probably Barry Bonds' rookie card.

19A: Cromwell's earldom: ESSEX. Thomas Cromwell, first Earl of ESSEX.

25A: Popular place: HOT SPOT

47A: Bombards: PELTS

53A: Annapolis or West Point: ACADEMY. Jon Stewart probably wants ACADEMY to be clued this way.

55A: QVC rival: HSN (Home Shopping Network)

57A: Wash rm.: LAV. I don't like "rm". "W.C." should be perfectly fine.

61A: Pursuit: QUEST. I was confused for a long time over the wrong spelling of the word "Happiness" in Will Smith's "The Pursuit of Happyness". Thank you Melissa.

65A: Part of VMI: INST. Now we are on a VMI binge. Poor MIT. The clue still needs "abbr.", doesn't it?

66A: Fanny of vaudeville: BRICE. I've never heard of her name before. Oh, so Barbara Streisand's "Funny Girl" was about BRICE's life. What was she holding?

70A: Astronaut Slayton: DEKE. Unknown to me. I've seen "Apollo 13", but I don't remember seeing him. Wikipedia says he was was one of the original "Mercury Seven" NASA astronauts. Oh, by the way, are you a hockey fan?

Down:

1D: Poked: JABBED

2D: Former S. F. mayor: ALIOTO (Joseph). How I wanted his name to spell the same as Justice Samuel ALITO's!

3D: Stomach acid inhibitor brand: ZANTAC. I don't think I would have got this word without the neighboring fills.

8D: Automotive bling: MAG WHEEL. New bling term to me. Good to know.

12D: Want-ad abbr.: EOE (Equal Opportunity Employer)

21D: "Liebestraume" composer: LISZT. Another educated guess.

22D: Antioxidant ion: IODIDE. No idea. Dictionary says it's "a compound of iodine with a more electropositive element or group".

30D: German port: KIEL. Foreign to me. Wikipedia says KIEL is "famous for its sailing events, including KIEL Week, the biggest sailing event in the world. See this map. It's on the Baltic.

32D: Author of "Adam Bede": ELIOT (George). Another guess. I've never heard of this novel.

35D: Scaly inflammation: ECZEMA. And 49A: In need of scratch: ITCHY

37D: Bus. school entrance exam: GMAT. Has anyone here taken this exam before?

38D: Pet protection grp.: SPCA. Aren't you bored by "grp."? Why not "agcy" for a change?

39D: Female military grp.: WAAC (Women's Army Auxiliary Corps). I got it from the perps. But I was annoyed by another "grp." clue. What's wrong with "org"? "

41D: Pilgrimage destination: HOLY LAND. It's the same as the Promised Land, isn't it?

48D: Bit of clowning: SHTICK

50D: Outpatient facility: CLINIC

51D: Horsedrawn carriage: HANSOM. This carriage just appeared in our puzzle 2 weeks ago.

54D: Dance music: DISCO. I remember we had this DISCO fever in Xi'An around 1987.

52D: Ms. Mimieux: YVETTTE . Another guess. She appeared in "Where the Boys Are".

56D: Agitate: SHAKE. SHAKE Your Bon-Bon (Ricky Martin). What does "Bon-Bon" mean here? I like the "You are my temple of desire" line.

59D: Swiss painter: KLEE (Paul). This is his "Fish Magic". Such an complex imagery. So hard to understand KLEE's hidden theme/humor. He had too abstract a mind, too poetic and philosophical.

60D: Old Italian coin: LIRA. I just learned that LIRA is a monetary unit in Turkey too.

61D: NFL passers: QBS. Who do you think is the best QB in NFL history? Joe Montana?

62D: Mary of "Where Eagles Dare": URE. No idea. I've never heard of "Where Eagles Dare". How do you pronounce her name URE? You're?

63D: One in Emden: EIN. "Ich bin EIN Berliner". What a donut!

C.C.

Monday August 18, 2008 Michael T. Williams

Theme: State Fare

1A: Gators state: FLORIDA

27A: Razorbacks state: ARKANSAS

31A: Rainbows state: HAWAII

49A: Jayhawks state: KANSAS

51A: Cornhuskers state: NEBRASKA

73A: Violets state: NEW YORK

11D: Fightin' Blue Hens state: DELAWARE

39D: Wildcats state: KENTUCKY

Are there any common denominator among those 8 states? Am I missing something here?

I did not know that Violets is the name of NYU's sport teams. I also had no idea that the nickname for the University of Hawaii is Rainbows.

Nice puzzle, very smooth. But I was a bit annoyed by the below clues:

64A: End of cash?: IER. Terrible editorial oversight. See CASH (59D: Money). "Back of front?" would be fine.

68D: Back of station?: ARY. Someone really needs to get creative with "ARY". I am so tried of "Back of the station". How about "End of honor/budget"?

Across:

11A: "Agnus ___": DEI. Have you read "The Da Vinci Code"? I am very intrigued by this whole Opus DEI mysterious secrecy.

14A: Student's performance: RECITAL

15A: Flax product: LINSEED

17A: Tiered bric-a-brac shelves: ETAGERE. I would prefer the clue to be "Tiered bric-a-brac stand".

18A: Radar of "M*A*S*H": O'REILLY. Have vaguely heard of this nickname "Radar" somewhere before. Did not know his full name is Corporal “Radar” Walter O’REILLY. Interesting name.

22A: Former sports org.: NASL (North American Soccer League). Faintly remember this defunct organization (1968-1984) as I was into Minnesota Kicks collection for a very short period of time. But I would not have obtained this answer without the down clues

34A: Fluffy dessert: MOUSSE. I want a piece of this berry MOUSSE.

36A: Accordionist Floren: MYRON. Unknown to me. Wikipedia says he is best known as the accordionist on "The Lawrence Welk Show". What's the meaning of Tico Tico?

44A: Mr. T's group: A-TEAM

55A: Dyer: TINTER. Is this a made-up word?

58A: Gust of wind: SCUD. I am just so used to the "Gulf War missile" clue.

60A: "___ Restaurant": ALICE'S. I got it from down clues. Wow, this is a song title. I thought it was referring to ALICE Waters' restaurant.

65A: Lizard constellation: LACERTA. Latin for Lizard. New to me also.

67A: Ottoman Turk: OSMANLI. Again, I got it from down clues.

Down:

1D: Soft-drink choice: FRESCA

3D: The Cars singer: OCASEK (Ric). "Just What I Needed", for Danielle & Martin.

9D: Cherry brandy: KIRSCH. From German Kirschwasser (Cherry water). Unknown to me also.

10D: Serpent tail?: INE. Lots of ? clues today.

13D: Pastoral poem: IDYL. Idle, Idol, IDYL are all pronounced the same, right?

21D: Shrink time? SESS. I suppose adding an "abbr." in the clue will take way the zest of the "?".

26D: "If I had a ___": HAMMER. I like some of Peter, Paul & Mary's songs.

28D: Shark of golf: NORMAN (Greg). Ha, the Sunday collapse syndrome! Someday I am going to watch the 1996 Masters replay and see how Nick Faldo took away the green jacket from the Shark.

42D: NY gambling parlor: OTB (Off-track betting)

47D: Curcifix letters: INRI

52D: "Sophie's Choice" character: STINGO. Foreign to me. I've never read the book or seen the movie. Dictionary says STINGO is a British slang for "strong ale".

53D: Dancer Ruby: KEELER. I googled her name. I had KEE?ER sitting at this corner for a long time.

61D: Ethan or Joel of movies: COEN. The COEN brothers. I like "Fargo" a lot.

62D: Salinger lass: ESME. ''For ESME With Love and Squalor''. I've never read this short story, have you?

63D: Old World duck: SMEW. I can not see the eyes of that male SMEW. Is he dozing off? Do ducks sleep on the water?

C.C.