Monday April 6, 2009 Elizabeth A. Long

Theme: BE QUIET (36A: "Shh!" (and a hint to the feature shared by the answers to starred clues))

20A: *Shari Lewis puppet: LAMB CHOP

52A: *Act all innocent: PLAY DUMB

11D: *Duster's find at a crime scene: THUMB PRINT

28D: *Precariously situated: OUT ON A LIMB

Hmm, no scrabbly JAMB. All B's are silent. Great puzzle. I like how BE QUIET is positioned in the very middle of the grid. Very creative theme title. I also like how letter B starts the puzzle (1A: Narrow-necked pear: BOSC) and ends the puzzle (65A: Swedish auto: SABB). Nice touch!

B is such a strange letter. Sometimes it's also silent when it's in the middle of the words like debt, subtle, doubtful, etc.

I did not know CALEB (21D: Biblical spy). But "spy" should not be part of the clue as SPY is the answer for 46D: "James Bond, e.g.". Come to the Comments section if you have a better clue for CALEB. Dictionary says it means "dog" in Hebrew.

Will be busy in the next few weeks, so my blog Comments will be very limited.

Across:

5A: James who robbed trains: JESSE. Learned this name on my first day with Pinkerton China. We focused on Intellectual Property investigation and surveillance/debugging. Several of my ex-colleagues are EX-COPs (6D: Many a security guard), ex-Marines, British/German military force, etc. Most speak fluent Chinese.

17A: "Pow!" relative: WHAM. Also George Michael's ex-band. His original Greek name is insane, lots of vowels. I like "Careless Whisper".

18: Immune system agent: T- CELL. T stands for thymus. The B in B-CELL stands for bursa. Anyone knows the difference between T-CELL and B-CELL?

19A: Litter's littlest: RUNTS. I like this clue.

24A: Open-bodied truck: FLAT BED. Oh, I did not know this kind of trailer has a special name.

26A: Moon mission name: APOLLO. Reminds me of JD's comment on Pan the FAUN. She said Pan "created panic by showing up unannounced and scaring "people." He fell in love with the moon, but the moon said he was too ugly to marry and smelled like a goat. So he dressed up as a sweet fluffy lamb and lured the moon into the woods.When she recognized his voice, she hid behind the earth's shadow for many days, creating the 1st eclipse."

30A: No-goodnick: LOUSE. Just noticed that the plural for "No-goodnick" LOUSE is louses. But the plural for the insect LOUSE is lice.

31A: Really punch: SLUG. Hence slugger.

32A: Hops. scanners: MRIS

39A: Legal Lance: ITO. Has he written a book about the Simpson trial as well?

42A: Hit, in billiards: CUED. I like the ambiguity in tense.

45A: Jeff Gordon was its 1993 Rookie of the Year: NASCAR. Oh, I don't know this trivia. Do remember his messy divorce though.

47A: Cavern: GROTTO. And the person who explore caves is a spelunker.

50A: Gucci of fashion: ALDO. No idea. He looks like a mafia too. His father, the founder of Gucci, is named Guccio Gucci.

57A: Soft-tipped pen brand: FLAIR. Another unknown. FLAIR is just a baseball card brand to me.

60A: Dole's 1996 running mate: KEMP (Jack). I forgot. His name appeared in our puzzle before. Someone mentioned his football career last time. Wikipedia says he was a quarterback for 13 years. Reminds me of Senator Jim Bunning (KY). He was a former pitcher. Hall-of-Famer.

61A: Give up: WAIVE. Forgo also has 5 letters.

62A: This, in Tegucigalpa: ESTO. Or ESTA. "That" is ESO. Crossword editors seem to be very fond of alliteration. I had no idea that Tegucigapla is the capital of Honduras. What do you associate Honduras with? Me, banana.

64A: Force units: DYNES. Rooted in Greek dunamis (power), the same origin of "dynamic".

Down:

3D: Pillow covering: SHAM. Wonder when Rich Norris will take a shot at the ilks of Bernie Madoff/Allan Standord. I don't think I will buy Topps Ponzi Cards of Shame. Certain card inserts hold no attraction to me.

4D: Drummer's crashers: CYMBALS. Same pronunciation as symbols, correct? I'd love to hear how UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon pronounces bad/bed, sax/sex. I think he might have the same problem as I do.

5D: Rockers __ Tull: JETHRO. No idea. What's their most famous song? Al mentioned the British band ELP yesterday. Look at side two of this album. Isn't it interesting? The Three Fates (Clotho, Lachesis & Atropos).

10D: Layer: STRATUM. Can you think of another clue?

12D: Tennessee-born country singer Ford: ERNIE. His face looks very familiar. I must have googled him before. So many ERNIES to clue: ERNIE Els, ERNIE Banks, who else?

13D: Like a subdued trumpet: MUTED

22D: Paw's mate?: MAW. Comic book? I don't know. I've never heard of MAW & Paw.

25D: Opera box: LOGE. The Italian magistrate is DOGE.

27D: Protruded-lip expression: POUT. Thought of Angelina Jolie and her POUT. Do you think she is beautiful than Chinese actress Gong Li?

31D: Cheerleader unit: SQUAD

37D: Pilate's "Behold!": ECCE Pilate is the guy who said "Ecce homo!" Here is Titian's painting "ECCE Homo". Williams once clued ECCO as "Behod, to Guido". I thought he made up the word.

41D: Trounces: WALLOPS

44D: Annoying people: NOODGES. Variant of nudge. New to me. I only knew the "gentle push" meaning of nudge.

47D: Piercing looks: GLARE. Probably the most piercing and unforgettable eyes in the world.

50D: __ and kicking: ALIVE. I like Celine Dion's "I am ALIVE."

52D: It can be chronic or shooting: PAIN. What is shooting PAIN?

53D: Bear among the stars: URSA. URSA Major & URSA Minor. Latin for "bear". I also found out this morning that Latin for duck is anas.

55D: "We're not serving liquor," briefly: BYOB (Bring Your Own Bottle).

57D: Bk. introduction: FWD

58D: Make, as a wager: LAY. Mine was BET. I am not familiar with the term "LAY a wager".

Answer Grid.

C.C.

Sunday April 5, 2009 Will Nediger

Theme: In the Nonfiction Section (Add HOW to a familiar phrase)

23A: Handbook of euphemisms?: HOW TO PUT IT MILDLY

37A: Manual for talk show guests? HOW TO BE ANNOUNCED

44A: Guide for sore losers?: HOW TO BLAME

62A: Self-help book for compulsive liars?: HOW TO BE PERFECTLY FRANK

78A: Reference work for modelists?: HOW TO SCALE

85A: Vade mecum for neologists?: HOW TO COIN A PHRASE

105A: Therapeutic book for blowhards?: HOW TO SAY THE LEAST

I did not know a modelist is a person who makes models (as of planes). And I also did not know the meaning of "Vade mecum (manual, literally "go with me" in Latin). I think I need a dummy's "How to Read Rich Norris' Mind" crossword guide.

Look at these tricky clues he devised:

56A: Bouncer?: BALL. Sure, BALL bounces. I saw the question mark in his clue. And I know he is trying to play with my mind, yet I was still fixed on the bar bouncers.

13D: Take-out order?: DELE. Once again, the question mark did nothing to prevent me from thinking of food. I am so used to the "Editor's mark" clue.

30D: Notions holder: ETUI. To me, "notions" are just ideas. So I wanted HEAD. I was totally ignorant of the "small articles, such as buttons, thread, ribbon, and other personal items" meaning of "notions".

They are clever and entertaining clues once you understand the rationale. But quite frustrating if you can't think outside the box and see where the editor is trying to mislead you. Anyway, I picked up where I left yesterday. Another round of struggle.

Now looking back at my finished grid, I feel that I know lots of answers. But the cluing is so vastly different from the old Williams style that the puzzle was made so much harder to solve.

Oh, why "Ring site" for EAR (107D)? The "Ring" here is not earring, isn't it?

Across:

1A: Motorists' warnings: HONKS. My husband loses patience easily and HONKS when I don't think he should.

6A: A great deal: GOBS. And A TAD (103D: To a slight extend).

15A: "Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer" musical: CATS. Know the musical. Have never heard of the song. Very intimidating clue.

20A: Nimbus: AURA

21A: Humble home: HOVEL. I like the alliteration.

22A: Where Camus' "The Plague" is set: ORAN. Camus was born here, so was Yves Saint Laurent.

26A: Opening word?: MAMA. I thought of opening word in a letter, so I wanted DEAR.

27A: MD's workplaces: ORS. ERS too.

28A: Film introduction?: MICRO. Microfilm.

29A: Close call: SCARE

30A: Hinder: EMBAR

31A: Thread-spinning Fate: CLOTHO. No idea. Have never heard of the Moirae the Three Fates before. Only knew the three Furies (Erinyes) who are chasing Orestes.

33A: It's commonly twisted: ANKLE. I was thinking of PLOT.

34A: Sight in le ciel: ETOILE. Might be tough for those who don't speak French. "Le ciel" is "the sky". "Star in le ciel" would have been an easier clue.

40A: Large envelope feature: CLASP

43A: Patty Hearst alias: TANIA. Unknown to me. Surprised to learn that Patty Hearst is still alive.

48A: He played Sheldon in "Misery": CAAN (James). Someone mentioned this film at the Comments section a few months ago.

50A: Future elm: SEED. Oh well, I thought there might be a special term for the seed, like ACORN for "Future oak".

54A: Sushi fish: EEL. Or AHI occasionally.

55A: Item stolen in Pope's "The Rape of the Lock": TRESS. Uh-uh, nope. Have never heard of this Pope poem. I was confused by the title, thinking of the door lock.

57A: Bareback rider's lack: SADDLE

59A: Hindu god who rides a bull named Nandi: SHIVA. This detailed clue only makes the answer harder for me to obtain. I know SHIVA the "destroyer". Had no idea that he rides a bull. Why those male gods are pictured as feminine is beyond me.

60A: Programmer's output: CODE

61A: Bronze coatings: PATINAS. Heard this word a lot in Antique Roadshows.

67A: U-Haul rental: TRAILER

68A: Drift gracefully: WAFT. Why "gracefully"?

69A: Hard thing to kick: HABIT. Good clue. What's the one bad HABIT you want to get rid of now?

70A: Penn pal: TELLER. Tough clue for me. I am not familiar with Penn & TELLER . Are they very famous?

71A: Nincompoop: BOZO

72A: Lord's home: MANOR. Thought "Lord" was God.

76A: Facebook user's nudge: POKE. No idea. Not into Facebook or Twitter.

77A: Stand-up comic's need: MIKE. "Karaoke need" too.

80A: "Use your head": THINK. Well, obviously I don't know how to "Use my head". The answer did not come to me readily at all.

84A: Antidote target: TOXIN. What's the difference between antidote and antibody?

93A: Jason's vessel: ARGO. His band mates are called Argonauts. I can't remember the story. Did they find the Golden Fleece in the end?

94A: Melodious: ARIOSE. Need to chew some acorn. I can never remember this word.

95A: Drinks for Radar: NEHIS. Very odd poster. What is she holding on her hands?

96A: Get lovey-dovey: CUDDLE. And NESTLE (88D: Get cozy). So sweet!

98A: "Bingo!": RIGHT

99A: Quaint denial: TISNT. No idea. It isn't?

100A: Fencer's move: LUNGE

101A: Flapper's wrapper: BOA. Love the rhyme in the clues. All these flappers seem to have short hair.

104A: Venetian elder of yore: DOGE. Learned this word from doing Xword. It's like English "duke".

108A: __ Girl: former teen fashion mag: ELLE. Oh, I was unaware the short life of ELLE Girl (August 2001-July 2006).

109A: Colorado senator Mark: UDALL. No idea. He needs to appear on Chris Matthews' "Hardball" often for me to pay attention to him. Last time Wayne Williams clued UDALL as "Morris or Stewart of Arizona". I suppose they are all related somehow.

110A: Court statement: PLEA

111A: Jazzman Hines: FATHA. No, I don't know this Earl Hines nickname. What does it mean? Father?

112A: React in shock: REEL

113A: Ready to ship: BOXED. My first reaction is CRATED.

114A: "Sesame Street" guy with a unibrow: BERT. Learned his name from doing crossword. Who's the guy on the left?

115A: Walk, often lightly: TREAD. Really? If TREAD already means "Walk, often lightly", why do we often say TREAD lightly?

Down:

1D: "The Farmer in the Dell" syllables: HI-HO

2D: Wavy lines, in comics: ODOR. I like this clue.

3D: Scrolling 25-Down feature: NEWS CRAWL. And MSNBC (25D: 24-hr. news source)

5D: Replay technique: SLO-MO

6D: Pampean cowboy: GAUCHO. Does GAUCHO and gauche have the same root?

7D: Beat in a regatta: OUTROW. Holy cow! This is a real word. I thought it's made-up.

8D: Con__: spiritedly: BRIO. I bet it's a gimme for Crockett.

9D: Took a load off: SAT

10D: Actor Alan: THICKE. New actor to me. A Canadian. Wikipedia says he was in "Growing Pains".

11D: "Très chic!": OO LA LA

12D: Blockbuster transaction: DVD RENTAL. The cluster of 4 consonants at the beginning of the fill looks quite cool together.

15D: Utterly ordinary: COMMON AS DIRT

16D: Mauritania's official language: ARABIC. I don't where Mauritania is. Dictionary says it's a former French colony. I am surprised that ARABIC is their official language then.

17D: Food wrapped in a corn husk: TAMALE

18D: Trapped: SNARED

24D: Heart: PITH

32D: Complex ABC drama: LOST

36D: Baffin Bay sighting: FLOE. See this map of Baffin Bay. I need an "Arctic" clue for the answer to leap to me.

38D: Rolaids rival: TUMS

41D: Road problem: POTHOLE

45D: Hush money payer: BRIBER

46D: Obsolescent vote finalizer: LEVER. Unknown to me. Here is a picture of a LEVER voting machine when I googled.

47D: Exec's "Fast": ASAP

48D: Citadel student: CADET. Would have got the answer immediately if the clue were "West Point student". I am not familiar with the military college The Citadel.

52D: Panache: ELAN

53: Student's station: DESK

56D: Big, in Variety: BOFFO. Here are more Variety jargon.

57D: Make a peep: SAY BOO. Why? I don't grok it at all.

58D: To begin with: AT FIRST

59D: Part of a femme fatale's outfit: STILETTO HEEL. Great answer.

60D: Pet rocks, once: CRAZE. We had a wild Twins medallions CRAZE several years ago.

65D: Fighter in the Battle for Endor: EWOK. Once again, the extra information in the clue is useless to me. I am used to the "Furry "Star Wars"creature" clue.

66D: Spring event: THAW

71D: Sunbather's depilatory: BIKINI WAX. Another great fill.

72D: Heath: MOOR

73D: 2008 economic stimulus provision: TAX REBATE. I like this answer also.

74D: Sacha Baron Cohen persona: ALI G. Were you thinking of Borat?

77D: 6, on a phone: MNO

79D: West Virginia resource: COAL. China accounts for almost 4/5 of the total deaths in COAL mine accidents.

81D: Party giver: HOST

82D: Bar stock: ICE

83D: Barely rains: SPITS. Dictionary defines SPIT as "fall in scattered drops or flakes, as rain or snow". New to me also.

85D: Higher on the Mohs scale: HARDER. Good clue. Diamond is 10 in Mohs scale.

86D: Colorful songbird: ORIOLE. Cal Ripken Jr. is an ORIOLE too. The price of his baseball cards really does not reflect his achievements.

87D: Toe movement: WIGGLE

89D: California's governor, facetiously: AHNOLD. Because of his accent? I got the answer. Don't understand the reason.

90D: More intense: ACUTER

91D: Beach topper: SUN HAT

92D: Trim or rim: EDGE. D'oh. Of course! V-8 moment for me.

97D: Jan Vermeer's hometown: DELFT. I like Vermeer's "Milkmaid" and "Girl with a Pearl Earring"(the Scarlett Johansson movie is good too). But I don't know he was born in DELFT, a city noted for its fine blue-and-white pottery.

99D: List heading: TO DO

102D: Wrokplace stds. org.: OSHA

105D: Where spokes meet: HUB

106D: LAPD alert: APB. This is probaly the only LA reference today.

Answer Grid.

C.C.

Saturday April 4, 2009 Robert A. Doll

Theme: None

Total blocks: 30

Total words: 72

Still remember Patrick Berry's trick to count total words in a grid? You add the number of upper-left corners (the numbered squares that form the starts of two entries), and then add that to the grid's highest number. In today's grid, the number of those upper-left corners is 6: MARY JANE/MCI, LADY DI/LIMO, BOBS/BAS, RHYMES/RIOS, PLEASURE/PT BOATS, ANTE/ATTYS. And the grid's highest number is 66 (Across). So we have total 72 words, the maximum allowed for a themeless Saturday puzzle (78 for themed one).

A complete disaster for me this morning. Definitely need more time to get used to Rich Norris' multiple words and tricky clues.

I don't know. Last Saturday I was able to fill in lots of blanks. Not much luck today. Rich Norris is starting to show his true color. "Toto, I've a feeling we are not in Kansas any more." The good news is that most of my fills are correct. So I think I am making progress.

I like how EXTREME MEASURES (8D: "Outside the box" solutions) is positioned in the grid. But I don't understand the rationale for the clue. Why? Is "Outside the box" a movie? Why it's in quotation marks?

Across:

1A: Spider-Man's girl: MARY JANE. Stumped immediately. Could only think of Kirsten Dunst who played MARY JANE in "Spider-Man". I like her in "Marie Antoinette".

2A: "Candle in the Wind" dedicatee: LADY DI. Another stumper. Wanted DIANA, then thought of the original dedicatee Marilyn Monroe. Neither would fit. More familiar with the title Princess Di than LADY DI.

15A: French town at the foot of Mont Blanc: CHAMONIX. Non. Je n'ai aucune idée. See this map. Wikipedia says the first Winter Olympics was held here in 1924.

16A: "That was exhausting!": I'M BEAT. Yeah, that's how I am feeling now.

17A: Red-handed: IN THE ACT

18A: Ltr. opener: MESSRS. This is the old fashioned way, isn't it? (Note from Kazie: MESSRS is actually French, short for Messieurs, plural of Monsieur, because the possessive (mon/ma/mes) changes to agree with the noun (c.f. Madame/Mademoiselle/Mesdames). English simply borrowed yet another French term instead of creating its own.)

19A: "Flowers for __": Daniel Keyes sci-fi classic: ALGERNON. Nope. I've never heard of the book or the author. Wikipedia says it won the Hugo Award for best Short Story in 1960.

22A: Drifts on waves: BOBS. Does this refer to fisherman's bobbers bobbing?

26A: Extended operatic solo: SCENA. New word to me. Dictionary defines SCENA as "an extended operatic vocal solo, usually including an aria and a recitative."

28A: Like: A LA

29A: Wear and tear, e.g.: RHYMES. V-8 moment for me. Great clue.

32A: Gold medals, in Guadalajara: OROS. Not medallas de ORO?

33A: Spaghetti western director Leone: SERGIO. I've heard of these major movies he made. Did not know his name though. Thought SERGIO is a Spanish name, as in golfer SERGIO Garcia. But SERGIO Leone is an Italian.

35A: Completeness: ENTIRETY

37A: "Hawaii Five-O" order: BOOK 'EM DANNO. Someone mentioned this catchprase on the Comments section a few weeks ago. But I blanked this morning.

39A: Hedonist's pursuit: PLEASURE. What's the difference between Hedonism and Epicureanism again?

41A: Bursts: ERUPTS. Reminds me of the SCORIA clue we had last June: "Volcanic rock ejecta". I think that's how we started this "Holy hotwick lava bomb".

44A: U. of Maryland athlete: TERP

45A: One of numerous childhood spots?: MEASLE. I was picturing my childhood playground, not any MEASLE spot. Clever clue.

47A: Goddess of dawn: EOS. Aurora for the Romans. Just mentioned yesterday that George Sand's original name is Aurore. Dennis quoted her "Try to keep your soul young and quivering right up to old age." last time.

48A: Military operations centers: BASES

50A: CBS forensic drama: CSI

51A: Prelude to a deal: ANTES. Poker. Not the business deal I was thinking.

52A: Not in favor: Abbr. OPP. Opposed.

53A: Peevish: PETULANT

57A: Kind of number of clock: ATOMIC. What is ATOMIC clock again? My memory is so bad now.

59A: Communicate well with: RELATE TO. John Daly's swing & his demeanor are so hard to RELATE TO, yet he has so many followers.

63A: Ability: TALENT. Are they really the same?

64A: Competitor's payment: ENTRY FEE. I always associate "Competitor" with "rival" rather than one who competes.

65A: Music provider: STEREO

66A: Hangs around to see: STAYS FOR

Down:

1D: Early 12th century year: MCI. 1101. Easiest fill in the grid.

2D: Philip of "Kung Fu": AHN. I mentioned last time that AHN is Ang in Chinese, as in director Ang Lee. Or simply AN, literally "peace". Korean Hanja uses lots of old Chinese characters.

4D: Jewish Community Center grps: YMHAS (Young Men's Hebrew Associations). New to me.

5D: One of the Coen brothers: JOEL. He is married to Frances McDormand, "Marge" in "Fargo". The Coen brothers were born and grew up here in MN, so our local media follows them very closely.

6D: "I hate to be _ , but ...": complaint opening: A NAG

7D: With grace: NICELY

9D: Prom coach: LIMO. Have never heard of LIMO referred to as a coach.

10D: Words of agreement: AMENS

11D: Sound units, briefly: DBS. Know decibles, not familiar with the abbreviation though.

12D: Post-Katrina retail sign, perhaps: YES WE'RE OPEN. Did not come to me readily.

13D: Are afraid to: DARE NOT

14D: "Piece of cake": IT'S EASY. No sir, this puzzle is hard.

20D: Incessantly: NO END. Like today's multiple words, NO END, so many.

22D: __-relief: BAS. Or low relief. And high relief (alto-relievo) & sunkun relief, the three main types of relief.

24D: Familiar red-white-and-blue symbol: BARBER'S POLE. I was thinking of flag.

27D: Latin horn: CORNU. Oh, is that how we got cornucopia? It's horn-shaped.

29D: Mexico's San Juan and Conchos, e.g.: RIOS. Thought they are just cities. Have never heard of those two Mexican flow-ers.

30D: Nonsense: HOKUM

31D: French-Swiss author Madame de __: STAEL. I tried to connect this lady with Lesley Stahl, as STAEL & Stahl has the same pronunciation. That's a very odd portrait, no earrings, no necklace, no bracelet, not even a flower in her hand.

34D: Lose it: GO APE

36D: Concerning: IN RE. Sometimes the answer is AS TO.

39D: Mosquito Fleet craft: PT BOATS. Knew PT BOATS (Patrol Torpedo Boats) from reading various JFK biographies. Have never heard of the term Mosquito Fleet. See definition #6. Why "Mosquito"?

40D: Was enthusiastic about: LEAPT AT

46D: Like some partners: SILENT. SILENT partner is "One that makes financial investments in a business enterprise but does not participate in its management." It's a new term to me. I was thinking of SAME SEX.

49D: Gumption: SPINE. Thought of SPUNK.

51D: Some partners: Abbr.: ATTYS. Hard one. But I like the clue.

54D: __-1: "Ghostbusters" vehicle: ECTO. No idea. Have never heard of the car ECTO-1 or the movie "Ghostbusters". ECTO is always clued as "Prefix for outside" in our old puzzle.

55D: Resort near Snowbird: ALTA. See this map. I've never heard of the name Snowbird. Is it a city? A county?

56D: Not: NARY. I need " __ a one" for the answer to leap to me immediately.

58D: Debussy subject: MER. Debussy's "La MER".

60D: Reason for a repeat?: EFF. Maybe it's a gimme for all you teachers. But it's a tough clue for me. I was not in the test score direction at all. In China, you pass when your score is 60 (out of 100).

61D: Auto racer Fabi: TEO. Absolutely no idea. Not a racing fan. Know nothing about TEO Fabi or Formula One, except their boss Max Mosley's sensational scandal.

Answer Grid.

C.C.

Friday April 3, 2009 Jack McInturff

Theme: It's IR-RI-tating!

18A: Words to a drunk?: YOU'RE FRIED (Fired)

26A: 2000s Senate leader's turndown?: FRIST (First) REFUSAL

40A: Hilton on the ice?: PARIS (Pairs) SKATING

50A: What you never sees after strikes?: SPARE TRIES (Tires)

I did not know FRIED is slang for "drunk". Thought Trent Lott instead of Bill FRIST for 2000s Senate leader. And, of course, baseball rather than bowling "strikes" came to my mind when I read the 50A clue. PARIS SKATING crumbled easily. But shouldn't it be PAIR SKATING rather than PAIRS SKATING?

Why "Circus performers" for FLEAS (19D)? I don't grok it. The AGAPE clue (58A: Brotherly love) left me agape. Holy cow! Is it a familiar meaning to you? I truly have never heard of it before. Also, shouldn't the clue for RANIS (30A: Indian royalty) be in plural form? I filled in RAJAH first, thinking the clue is asking for a singular answer.

I hope you guys struggled. I don't want to be the one child left behind.

Across:

1A: Beachfront property?: SAND. Not a real trick. I am waiting for someone to play with George SAND. Her original name is Aurore, French for Aurora, goddess of DAWN (39D: First light).

5A: Sp. misses: SRTAS. "Fr. misses" would be MLLES.

10A: Robert who playd Anthony Soprano Jr.: ILER. I forgot all about him. Dennis mixed ILER with ILLER last time.

14A: Jumbo __: scoreboard display: TRON. Like this one. I am used to the "Disney film" clue.

15A: Sacred five-book collection: TORAH. Literally, "instruction/law" in Hebrew. I still don't understand the necessity of having a letter H in the middle or at the end of the word when it's not pronounced.

16A: Residencia room: SALA. The Casa room. I actually mis-read "Residencia" as "Residential first".

17A: Numeral prefix: OCTA. Prefix for eight. Octagon.

20A: "Is there more?": WHAT ELSE. Quit a few multiple words in today's grid.

22A: Chigger, e.g.: LARVA. I did not know the meaning of "Chigger". Dictionary says it's also called redbug/harvest mite, with 6 legs. And the adult on has 8 legs. This one has only 7 though. It can also spelled as Jigger.

23A: Creedal holding: TENET. Had no idea that creed has an adjective form.

24A: One concerned with 13-Down: SPEEDER. And RADAR (13D: It can trap a 24-Across). Oh well, I was thinking of bunker and golf balls.

29A: Rifles: LOOTS. I need a "Ransacks" clue to get LOOTS immediately.

35A: Amazes: STUNS. Look at our fellow LA Times solvers Wolfmom's food painting and Elissa's scarves. Stunning!

36A: "Was it you?" answer: NOT I. Mine was "IT'S I".

38A: Stinker: MEANY. Always thought "Stinker" means something difficult.

39A: Bourne portrayer: DAMON. My favorite Matt DAMON movie is "The Talented Mr. Ripley". Which is yours?

42A: Vague: GENERAL. I suppose so.

45A: Novelist Shaw: IRWIN. Heard of his name in Ben Bradlee's "A Good Life". Don't know what novels he wrote.

46A: Apply to: USE ON

47A: Pharyngeal tissue: ADENOIDS. No idea. Aden/adeno is a prefix for "gland". Did not know the adjective for pharyx is pharyngeal. The plural for pharyx is pharynges or pharyxes .

54A: Spelling of TV: TORI. See her name in gossip magazines often. Have never seen any of her TV shows/films.

56A: Years during Nero's reign: ANNI. Plural of anno. I thought the clue was asking for how many year Nero reigned. FOUR/FIVE does not fit. He actually rules 31 years.

57A: 2000 N.L. home run champ: SOSA. My first ever crossword fill in SOSA. I think the clue was "Slugger Sammy". What about you? Do you still remember the first time you solved a crossword?

59A: D-day transports: LSTS

Down:

1D: Lade: STOW. LADE is often clued as "Stow" in our old puzzle.

3D: Marginal comments: NOTATIONS

4D: Evidence in paternity suits: DNA TESTS. I suppose no abbreviation hint is needed.

5D: Actress Trudie who's married to Sting: STYLER. She won big when she bet on Giacomo in 2005 Kentucky Derby. Giacomo is named after their son. I could only picture how she looks. Don't know her name. STYLER fits her quite well.

6D: Motorboat's wake: ROOSTER TAIL. No idea. Is it because the wake looks like a real rooster's tail?

7D: "Right you are": TRUE. Not "You are right"?

8D: Rhine tributary: AAR. Three letter river has to be AAR. It lies entirely within Switzerland.

9D: Miss identification?: SHE. "Mrs. identification" too.

10D: Where Mount Carmel is: ISRAEL. See this map. What's the difference between mount and mountain?

11D: Scottish landowner: LAIRD. I keep forgetting this word. It's Scottish for lord. THANE is feudal lord.

12D: Collège attendee: ELEVE. Thought of étudiant.

21D: Middle Earth beings: ENTS. No idea. Those tree creatures in Tolkien's book?

24D: Eggs order: SUNNY SIDE UP. I like this answer a lot.

25D: Preceders of Omega: PSIS. Sigh! I don't know this letter precedes Omega.

26D: Stream: FLOW. Noun or verb? Or both?

27D: "Lady Jane Grey" dramatist: ROWE. No idea. Nicholas ROWE. Wikipedia says the title is "The Tragedy of Lady Jane Grey". Clear Ayes mentioned several months ago that Lady Jane Grey had the shortest rule of England (less than 2 weeks). I forgot the reason, but she was beheaded.

28D: Man-goat deities: FAUNS. Last time when I linked a picture of SATYR, it says the Roman equivalent is FAUNS. See this picture. The man with goats' ears, horns, tail and hind legs. The picture of the "Horse-man" CENTAUR leapt into my mind

31D: India and Pakistan under British: DOMINIONS. Can only think of colonies.

32D: School founded by Henry VI: ETON. In 1440. Unknown trivia to me.

33D: What birds take?: WING. Great clue. I wanted SEED.

35D: Medical supplies: SERA

36D: Like some pride: NATIONAL. Was this a gimme to you? Did not come to me easily at all.

38D: Strategic WWI river: MARNE. Here is the map again. Alfred Joyce Kilmer, the poet of "I think that I shall never see /A poem lovely as a tree" was killed at the second battle of the MARNE in 1918.

40D: Everycity, USA: PEORIA. See this map. Obama gave a big speech there a few weeks ago, from Caterpillar's HQ. Williams clued PEORIA as "Location of Bradley University" on a December puzzle.

41D: Kmart founder: KRESGE. No idea. Have never heard of this guy before. He looks like a mafia member. Walmart founder is Sam Walton.

42D: Windy day features: GUSTS

43D: Finland's second largest city: ESPOO. Close to Helsinki, Finland's largest city. I've never heard of it before. Wikipedia says Nokia is headquatered somewhere in ESPOO.

48D: "Stop": DON'T

49D: Street supplies?: SKIS. For those who ski on the street? (Note: Street refers to Olympic skier Picabo Street)

52D: Enrolled: Abbr.: REG (Registered). Not a familiar abbreviation to me.

Answer Grid.

C.C.

Thursday April 2, 2009 Dan Naddor

Theme: Paul's Siblings

18A: Pauly: COMIC SHORE

20A: Pauley: UCLA PAVILION

37A: "Paulie": PARROT MOVIE

54A: Polly: BERGEN OF FILM

57A: Poly: TECH SCHOOL

Tough puzzle. I always struggle when the clues are themes. I am just not good at defining things. And in today's case, I simply don't know those P* names.

The only "Pauley" I know is Jane Pauley. Is Pauley Pavilion well-known nationally? I still can't believe "Paulie" is a movie title. The poster looks interesting though. Maybe you can feed me some orts on Pauly Shore & Polly Bergen. I have zero familarity with them.

Several great clues today:

36A: Closing letter at Oxford?: ZED. Our ZEE, the last alphabet letter. British pronounce it as ZED. I was thinking of DEE, the last letter of "Oxford".

11D: Company, so they say: TWO. Can THREE, then, be clued as "Crowd, so they say"?

43D: Build a lengthy resume?: JOB HOP. Again, I was picturing someone padded his resume with fake experiences.

25D: Like the Opry?: OLE. Always "Corrida cry" or some kind of Spanish cheer in our old puzzle.

34D: Staff member?: NOTES. Music staff/NOTES.

Feels odd to see TEEN IDOL (23A) clued as "Any Beatle, e.g.". They might be TEEN IDOLS in 1960s, not now. I wanted BRITISH as answer. Who is the TEEN IDOL now? Miley Cyrus?

Across:

1A: Mark Cuban's NBA team: MAVS. Mark Cuban was just fined for his comments on Twitter. This guy is a real maverick. Too much reading on Ayn Rand's "The Fountainhead".

5A: Some 35mm cameras: SLRS

9A: Volkswagen since 1979: JETTA. They have a big joint venture in Shanghai. JETTA taxis dominate the streets there. "Volkswagen" is just "Folk's wagon" in German, correct?

15A: Amanda of "The Whole Ten Yards": PEET. Know Amanda PEET from "Something's Gotta Give". She is very pretty. Not familiar with "The Whole Ten Yards". Have heard of "The Whole Nine Yards" though.

17A: Sack dress creator: DIOR. Oh, good to know.

22A: Words before ghost: SEES A. This kind of partial phrase seldom appeared in our old puzzle

30A: Cuba libre ingredient: COLA. Got it from down fills. Have never heard of Cuba libre. The ingredients are: COLA, lime and rum. Sounds quite simple to mix. Even a caveman can do it.

27A: Columbia River city: ASTORIA. Stumper. See this map (the very northwest corner of Oregon). It's named after John Jacob Astor, who founded a fur trading post here in 1810.

31A: Long odds: TEN TO ONE

41A: Academic term: SEMESTER

42A: Mus. key with three sharps: A MAJ. Pure guess. Know zilch about music terms.

44A: Wisconsin birthplace of Orson Welles: KENOSHA. Another unknown. It lies along Lake Michigan. Quite close to Milwaukee, where Spencer Tracy was born.

53A: Printing gizmo: INKER. What, isn't INKER a person?

60A: Prefix with -syncratic: IDIO. Meaning "Peculiar".

64A: Philippines' highest peak: Abbr.: MT APO. No idea. Wikipedia says APO means "master" or "grandfather". Very strange, in southern China, many people call their grandma A PO (or AH PO).

65A: Knock off: SLAY. Oh, I mixed up "knock off" and "knock up".

66A: "Skip __ Lou": kids' song: TO MY. I forgot. I think we had some discussion about this song last summer. Lou is "love", right? Not loo.

Down:

1D: Snaky-haired monster: MEDUSA. The ugly Gorgon. Her head was on the aegis of Zeus.

2D: Arlo's favorite restaurant: ALICE'S. It refers to the song "ALICE'S Restaurant", doesn't it?

3D: Part of Roy G Biv: VIOLET. Big, big problem for me. I've never heard of the mnemonic Roy G. Biv. Who made that up? It sounds quite difficult to remember.

4D: City south of Tampa: SARASOTA. See this map. Anyone from this city? What's it most famous for?

5D: Humane org.: SPCA

6D: Pope after Benedict IV: LEO V. Never know it's LEO I, LEO V or LEO X.

7D: Make a payment: REMIT

8D: Token taker: STILES. I like this clue better. Williams was so stubborn with his "Steps over a fence".

9D: "Juno" director Reitman: JASON. I thought "Juno" director is a woman. So I guessed JANET.

10D: Kind of food or group: ETHNIC. I forgot what's the difference between race and ETHNIC.

19D: Co. in Paris: CIE. This is new to me. All the French customers in my old company uses Ltd or Inc. I've never paid attention to this kind of et CIE before.

21D: Kitchen gadgets: PARERS

26D: Youth: LAD

29D: Tiny power source: ATOM. Tiny & powerful.

32D: Suffix with Capri: OTE. Capriote is new to me. Native of Capri. And the native of Cyprus is Cypriot.

33D: Trans-Siberian Railroad city: OMSK. Here is the map again. Barry Silk clued OMSK as "City on the Irtysh River" last time.

35D: Allowing for the possibility that: EVEN IF

39D: Subway alternative: CAB. Thought of "Subway" restaurant first.

46D: Second lightest element: HELIUM. I was unaware of this fact. Hydrogen is the lightest element.

47D: Weapons source: ARMORY. Reminds me of the MAGAZINE confusion I had last time. Did not know it can also refer to a place where weapons are stored.

49D: Tempera painting surface: GESSO. Drink acorn coffee if you missed this one. We saw GESSO three times in Jan 2009.

50D: AEC successor: NRC. Often see AEC (1946-1974) clued as "NRC predecessor".

51D: Turkish bigwigs: AGHAS. Can also be spelled as AGA. PASHA and BEY are also "Turkish bigwig".

52D: 1988 Olympics city: SEOUL. Literally "Capital" in Korean. I feel Hanja, Chinese characters used in Korea, is much much harder to recognize than Japanese Kanji. Love SEOUL food, used to eat a ton of kimchi.

56D: "Love the skin you are in" brand: OLAY. Most of my skincare products are OLAY.

57D: Skye cap: TAM

Answer Grid.

C.C.

Interview with Pancho Harrison

Pancho Harrison officially ushered us into the Rich Norris era 9 days ago.

His puzzles have appeared in LA Times, NY Times, NY Sun, Wall Street Journal and maybe some other newspapers/magazines that I am not aware of.

Today is only our second Harrison puzzle, but I am confident that we will see more of his creations in the future. Let's get to know him a bit.

Your name intrigued a few solvers on March 23 when your "Numeral Prefixes" puzzle appeared. What is your background and how did you develop an interest in crossword constructing?

I'm a musician, and was in jail for a short time for a traffic offense. I started doing crosswords in the newspapers that were lying around. I discovered that I was good at them, and got to wondering who was writing them. When I got out, I did some research and found a mentor to help me, and an editor who saw that I understood the basics. The rest is history.

How would you describe your puzzle style? What kind of themes/fills fascinate you?

Wordplay is my thing. I sell many different kinds of themes, but my forte is the pun.

Is it tougher to design a grid or cluing entries? And why?

Designing a grid is fun, usually. Cluing is more like data entry.

What puzzles do you solve every day? And which constructor's work gives you the most trouble?

When I have time, I do the NY Times in the local paper. On Fridays, I check out the Wall Street Journal and the Chronicle of Higher Education puzzles. As far as which constructor's work gives me the most trouble, I would have to say that I'm not looking for trouble! I'm looking for a challenging, rewarding crossword experience. The puzzles that bug me are the themeless Friday and Saturday puzzles that are just ego-projects for the constructor/editor. For me, they're just a waste of time. I have never written a themeless puzzle, and I never will.

What would people find one thing that's most surprising about you?

I'm smarter than I look, thank God. . .

Thank you, Mr. Harrison

Wednesday April 1, 2009 Pancho Harrison

Theme: April Fools' Day

20A: 2003 Katie Holmes film: PIECES OF APRIL

37A: 1965 film based on a Katherine Anne Porter novel: SHIP OF FOOLS

55A: 1962 WWII film: THE LONGEST DAY

Once again, none of the theme answers was gimme to me. But this puzzle felt much easier than yesterday's, probably because there are only 3 theme answers compared to yesterday's 5. I am curious to see how many theme answers will be in Pancho Harrison's next puzzle. His last "Numeral Prefix" has 3 entries also.

This culture handicap is so hard for me to overcome. I was surprised and intrigued that THE KINGMEN puzzle yesterday brought back sweet memories to so many of you. "Louie, Louie" really meant nothing to me.

WALL is the answer for 61A: Outfield border. And then "Wall St. deals" for 30D LBOS (Leveraged Buyouts). I don't know. Maybe you can think of a better way to clue LBOS. I can't think of anything. I could not even get the answer. All that popped into my mind is M&A (Mergers and Acquisitions).

Favorite clue: Pisa dough? for EURO (6D). So clever. Very well-kneaded. Now I can smell EURO from my oven.

"Barrel of A Pencil", the alias name of a fellow LA Times crossword solver, constructed a 21*21 puzzle and he would love to hear feedback from us. I've published a special post and hope you can give him your thought on his grid.

Across:

1A: Impetuous fervor: ELAN. I am used to the old "Distinctive flair" clue. Had no idea that ELAN has an "Impetuous" color.

9A: Not on the up and up: SHADY. Like The Talented Mr. Madoff. I still can't believe he was once the Nasdaq chairman.

15A: Dark purple: PUCE. I don't understand this one. What are PUCE stamps?

16A: "Flip This House" airer: A AND E. Big stumper. I wanted MSNBC. Hard for me to interpret A & E into A AND E. Have never heard of "Flip This House".

17A: Some dadaist art: ARPS (Jean/Hans). Dada founder. Hans is German for Jean, correct?

19A: Hardly sensitive: CRASS. Reminds me of Francis Heaney's CRASSWORD crossword.

23A: Leftovers covering: SARAN. "It's a wrap" in yesterday's clue. Do you know why Dow Chemical named this product SARAN? Google shows that SARAN is also girl's name, meaning "joy".

24A: "Bus Stop" playwright: INGE (William). He has become a gimme. Won Pulitzer for "Picnic".

25A: Robin Hood's wood: YEW. No idea. Only knew the Sherwood Forest. Google search shows that Robin Hood used a bow of YEW to win Maid Marion and they wed under a YEW tree.

31A: Carole start: ADESTE. "ADESTE Fideles". I would not have got the answer without the down fills. I know "Carol ending?" is INE.

42A: "The Girl From Ipanema" singer Gilberto: ASTRUD. Here is the clip. Someone mentioned on the blog last time that Sade has a certain ASTRUD Gilberto style.

43A: Composer Andrew Lloyd __: WEBBER. His brother is Julian Lloyd WEBBER the cellist.

45A: Clytemmestra's son: ORESTES. Alas, I forgot, the guy "The Three Furies" are chasing. He was clued as "Electra's brother" in our old puzzle 3 weeks ago. His father is Agamemnon. Interesting information from Wikipedia: "According to the myth, Zeus appeared to Leda in the form of a swan, raping and impregnating her. Leda produced four offspring from two eggs: Castor and Pullux from one egg, and Helen and Clytemnestra from the other." But then it continues: "Castor and Clytemnestra were fathered by Tyndareus whereas Pollux and Helen were fathered by Zeus". Sounds very conflicting, doesn't it?

50A: Prefix with skeleton: EXO. Opposite endoskeleton.

54A: Gear parts: TEETH. Of course, I fell to the trap and put S at the end of the blanks first.

62A: 5-point K, e.g.: TILE. Scrabble TILE. I like this clue.

65A: San __ Obispo, CA: LUIS. Sometimes it's clued as "Baseball Hall of Famer Aparicio". Can you believe he is still alive? Pulled an certified Aparicio autograph out of a Topps Heritage set once. Oh by the way, I heard that Topps is going to produce a set of "world's biggest hoaxes, hoodwinks and bamboozles" trading cards. Ponzi & Madoff are among those bad guys. Maybe Ken Lay too.

67A: First name in country: REBA. Not a fan of REBA McEntire or any country music. The tunes all sound so similar and repetitive.

Down:

2D: Dogie catcher: LARIAT. La reata. The REATA/RIATA.

4D: Pocono 500 group: NASCAR

8D: Sable or Impala: SEDAN. Good clue.

9D: Like some cows: SACRED. Does it refer to the exclamation "Holy cow!" or the Indian sacred cow?

10D: Spydom name: HARI (Mata). Bond does not fit.

11D: In-depth examination: ANALYSIS. Plural is analyses. It's embarrassing, but I often have difficulty spelling analysis & analyze. Actually I can't spell the word embarrassing itself. Thank God for the automatic spelling check.

12D: Oral surgeon's deg.: DDS (Doctor of Dental Science/Surgery). Barry Silk clued DDS as"License to drill?" in his Philly Tribute puzzle. I miss Barry puzzle, don't you?

21D: Listless feeling: ENNUI. And TEDIUM (47D: Monotony).

22D: Links org. sponsoring the FedEx Cup: PGA TOUR. Gimme for me. Stanford Finanical for LPGA. They'd better go back to ADT, given Allen Stanford's huge trouble. This guy should be put into Topps Ponzi card set too.

27D: Jazz guitarist Montgomery: WES. No idea. I know nothing about Jazz. He does not look like a musician. Now, Is WES a nickname for Lesley or Wesley?

34D: Young salamander: EFT. I learned this morning there are three stages in a newt's life: aquatic larva, terrestrial juvenile (EFT), and then adult. So technically, EFT does not live under water.

37D: Enemy agent's strategy: SABOTAGE. During Chinese Cultural Revolution, many people had to stop communications with their overseas relatives for fear of being accused of SABOTAGE crime.

39D: "Golden Boy" dramatist: ODETS (Clifford). Know his name, which was clued as "Waiting for Lefty" playwright on our March 15, 2009 puzzle. I have never heard of "Golden Boy" though.

46D: Agree out of court: SETTLE. This reminds me of "nolo contendere", a phrase I never really understand. Is it a "guilty" or "not guilty" plea?

48D: And others, in bibliographies: ET ALII (masculine plural). ET ALIA is neuter plural. ET ALIAE is feminine plural.

52D: Quasimodo's hangout: TOWER. Easy guess. Clear Ayes mentioned his unrequited love for some girl last time. I don't know where they hang out. Huge once said "Intelligence is the wife, imagination is the mistress, memory is the servant." So, who is more important to you, wife or mistress?

58D: Designer Schiaparelli: ELSA. OK, time to know this "Italian artist who made clothes" (said Coco Chanel). She brought fashion to the masses, the first person to introduce off-the-rack designer wear. Her works were heavily influenced by surrealist like Salvador Dali and her style was easy to copy. Her client includes Mae West, Katherine Hepburn and Marlene Dietrich. Some article says that ELSA means "noble" in German, and it's derived from German name Elisabeth. Is it true, Kazie?

59D: Talk about sin, e.g.: Abbr.: SER. Love the clue. Reminds me of Celine Dion's "Let's Talk about Love".

Answer Grid.

C.C.

Wednesday April 1, 2009 BOAP

Puzzle Title: "Get the Lead Out"

Puzzle constructor: Barrel of A Pencil (BOAP)

BOAP has been fascinated by crossword puzzles for thirty years. And he has been a dedicated collector and user of woodcase pencils for the past several years. Big fan of Dan Naddor, whose puzzle we solved on March 24, 2009.

Please come to the Comments section and let him know your thoughts on his puzzle.

Thanks.

C.C.

(Updated on April 7, 2009: Answer Grid.)

Tuesday March 31, 2009 Steve Dobis

Theme: THE KINGSMEN (60A: "Louise Louie" singers, and this puzzle's theme)

18A: '80s TV series with a talking car named KITT: KNIGHT RIDER

23A: 1943 Triple Crown winner: COUNT FLEET

36A: England's Charles, since 1958: PRINCE OF WALES

54A: "Nothing can stop" him, in a 1962 doo-wop classic: DUKE OF EARL

I am not familar with THE KINGSMEN or their song "Louie Louie". I think I prefer the theme title to be THE KING'S MEN. Too obscure a clue? Any way to work around "All the King's Men"?

A big leap from Monday's easy grid for me. Used lots of wite-out. The clue of 18A brought to mind Fred Dryer and his "Hunter", which was hugely popular in China in late '80s. But he does not have a talking car. KNIGHT RIDER came to China only in 1995. And we have a completely different Chinese name.

I was also thinking of Whirlaway for 23A. It runs out he was the 1941 Triple Crown winner. Have never heard of the song "DUKE OF EARL". PRINCE OF WALES was the only gimme theme entry to me. He probably should give the crown to Williams.

Across:

4A: Former Anaheim Stadium NFLer: LA RAM. Stumper. Did not know St. Louis Rams was once LA Rams. Kind of like Brooklyn/LA Dodgers. Twins was called Senators before.

9A: Lawn game using lobbed missiles: JARTS. Got it from down fills. Wikipedia says JARTS is banned in the US/Canada. I thought of BOCCI the Italian lawn bowling. Boomer had another perfect game last night. An exciting 830 (289/241/300).

14A: Fenway team, familiarly: SOX. Chicago team as well.

16A: "___ Gold": Peter Fonda film: ULEE'S. I don't believe we had ULEE'S in our old puzzle before. Always ULEE, clued as "Peter Fonda role".

17A: Rock music's __ Fighters: FOO. No idea. Wikipedia says their name is taken from World War II term "FOO Fighter", used by allied pilots to refer UFOs. See here for more etymology. The cartoonist & Chinese figurine word FOO connection reminds me of Egg FOO Young, a dish you won't find in a real Chinese kitchen table.

22A: London insurance giant: LLOYD'S. "Giant"? Like AIG/AIU?

29A: Taqueria offering: TOSTADA. What are those red-skinned diced cubes? Apples?

35A: It's a wrap: SARAN. Hard to unwrap. Do you like Food Network's "Unwrapped"? Fascinating history on American packaged food.

42A: New Zealand native: MAORI. Literally "Ordinary people" in its native language. And their dance is called HAKA.

44A: Basic ballroom dance: TWO STEP

47A: Riddles: ENIGMAS. Thought of Churchill's comment on Soviet Union: "A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an ENIGMA".

56A: Ravel work immortalized in "10": BOLERO. Just beautiful! It's a TEN (28D: Gymnast's goal). Williams liked to clue TEN as "Bo's number".

65A: Expected to land: DUE IN

68A: Filmdom ogre: SHREK. Found out this morning that SHREK is from German word Schreck meaning "terror".

69A: Muffin Man's lane: DRURY. Another stumper. Have never heard of this nursery rhyme.

70A: +, on a batt.: POS

Down:

1D: To be the truth: AS FACT. Can you give me an example of how these two are interchangeable?

3D: Israelites' departure: EXODUS. Also the title of Uris novel.

4D: Sitting Bull's language: LAKOTA. Dictonary says it's also called TETON.

5D: Son of Valiant: ARN. He has become a gimme to me. "Bride of Valiant" is ALETA, who just appeared in our puzzle two days ago.

6D: Portuguese royal: REI. The Spanish king is REY.

7D: Each one in a square is 90 degrees: ANGLE

8D: Composer Gustav: MAHLER. Learned the name of his work "Das Lied von der Erde" from doing crossword. Lied (pronounced like leed") is German art song. Erde means "earth".

11D: McCarthy era paranoia: RED SCARE. Learned this "paranoia" only after I came to the US. Quite shocking to me.

24D: S&L guarantor: FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation). Forgot. Did get SSA (31D: FICA funds it) though.

37D: Soda in a float: ROOT BEER. Well, I guess I've been living under the rock. Have never heard of "ROOT BEER float". I was expecting a perfectly ripe banana split in the middle when I ordered "Banana Split" last time. And was shocked when a big boat of dessert arrived.

42D: Boston transit inits: MTA. Massachusetts Transportation Authority? I don't know. MTA was always clued as "Kingston Trio hit" in our old puzzle.

46D: Cleansed: PURGED. I WASHED first.

48D: "I wish it could be!": IF ONLY. So many IF ONLY and "what-ifs" in our lives.

50D: Zany: MADCAP. COCA is often clued as "Zany Imogene".

51D: Melodious passage: ARIOSO. I am going to drink acorn coffee if I forget this word again.

55D: "80-'90s quarterback Bernie: KOSAR. No idea. Is Bernie KOSAR very famous? Wikipedia says he is a part-owner of Florida Panthers.

57D: "The Grapes of Wrath" figure: OKIE. The family name of the novel is JOAD.

58D: Web cross-reference: LINK. Click here if you want to learn how to make a LINK at the Comments section.

62D: East Lansing sch: MSU (Michigan State University). The Spartans.

63D: Musket suffix: EER. "Auction/profit" suffix too.

Full answer grid.

C.C.

Monday March 30, 2009 Donna S. Levin

Theme: Ratings

17A: Franklin's almanac-writing alter ego: POOR RICHARD

27A: Young, promising fellow: FAIR-HAIRED BOY

48A: Beneficent biblical traveler: GOOD SAMARITAN

64A: F. Scott Fitzgerald title character, with "the": GREAT GATSBY

This is about customer satisfaction ratings, correct? Since credit card ratings are POOR, FAIR, GOOD and EXCELLENT.

I like "The GREAT GATSBY", a book that I actually can understand. Also like Robert Redford's role in the movie. Fitzgerald was born here in St. Paul, MN. The Fitzgerald Center, where Garrison Keillor's "A Prairie Home Companion" is recorded, is named after him.

Nice theme answer sequence, from POOR to GREAT, very orderly. No clever "Little butter?" today though. Everything is so straightforward and simple. Kind of boring though. I aced.

Oh, I just learned that Chicago Tribune does not carry LA Times puzzle on their Sunday paper. Very strange. Is that the same with your local paper also? Can you come to the Comments section and tell me what puzzles are on your Sunday paper? Thanks.

Across:

11A: Chugalug's opposite: SIP. Knew "chug", did not know "chugalug". I pictured "chugalug" as something similar to quahog, the clam I did not know until you guys mentioned it a few months ago. Clams are strange, no head, no eyes.

16A: Cyberaddress, briefly: URL. Many of you find me every day by googling "Star Tribune Crossword Corner". I hope you just bookmark it. I might change the blog name someday, since our paper does not carry LA Times puzzle.

19A: "Right to bear arms" grp.: NRA. Charlton Heston served as NRA president from 1998 to 2003.

22A: Port in Yemen: ADEN. ADEN sounds like a young city to me. I was surprised to learn that "Aden may be as old as human history itself. Some also believe that Cain and Abel are buried somewhere in the city". So approximately how many years? I know nothing about Bible.

23A: Detroit labor org.: UAW. They are partly responsible for this Big Three financial mess.

25A: Furious: IN A RAGE

32A: Hosp. staffer: LPN (Licensed Practical Nurse). New abbreviation to me. Got it easily from down fills.

34A: Conspiring band: CABAL. Rooted in CABALA, which was clued as "Secret doctrine" in our puzzle last Thursday.

39A: Woman's golf garment: SKORT. SK(IRT) + (SH)ORT. Made famous by Natalie Gulbis. Vera Wang's idea I think. LPGA, so worried about its low spectator turnout, invited Wang to give players a talk on how to dress (sexily) in golf course. She suggested them to get rid of the belt. Bam! Every player started to wear SKORT, including Annika.

52A: Cocktail maker: BAR KEEP. I only know bartender.

54A: Actor Afflect: BEN. Which is your favorite BEN Afflect movie? I liked his "Pearl Harbor" the most. He should run for MA Governor/Senator someday.

55A: "__ brillig, and the slithy..." Carrol: 'TWAS. Pure guess. What does "brillig" mean? Brilliant?

56A: Beautiful, in Bologna: BELLA. All alliteration. Italian guys seem to like calling girls BELLA, even if they are not beautiful.

67A: Paris Hilton's sister: NICKY. NICKY Hilton is quite talented actually. She designed some cute handbags.

68A: Nigeria neighbor: BENIN. Its capital city is Porto-Novo. Portuguese for "New Port". Originally developed as a port for the slave trade, according to Wikipedia.

69A: Hospital VIPs: MDS

Down:

3D: Nebraska tribe: OTOE. Always thought they are a "Oklahoma tribe".

6D: "__ Ado About Nothing": MUCH. Ah, the epitome of double entendre. "Nothing" is not really nothing. It's the "O-thing".

7D: Labor Dept. arm: OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration). Created under the Nixon Administration. Nixon was quite respected in China due to his groundbreaking visit in 1972.

8D: Sweetheart: DEARIE. My husband never calls me "Sweetheart" or DEARIE. Always "Lao Po", Chinese for "wife".

10D: Leary's turn-on: LSD. No "tripping" wordplay.

11D: Church garb: SUNDAY BEST. New "garb" to me. I only go to church when there is a wedding or funeral.

12D: Flawed, as sale mdse: IRREG. Really? I thought it's IRR. I need to pay attention to those abbreviations.

22D: Clamorous: AROAR. Used to hate A* words. Now I like them.

24D: Sushi tuna: AHI. Yellowfin tuna. AHI means "fire" in Hawaiian. This sesame crusted AHI tuna looks so tasty. I like AHI sushi & AHI sashimi.

26D: "Dancing with the Stars" network: ABC. Easy guess. I've never watched that program.

29D: Blends together into a whole: INTEGRATES

31D: "Valerie Harper" sitcom: RHODA. Learned from doing Xword. "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" seemed to be a big deal.

38D: Fish catchers: HOOKS. Hmm, no golf? I think Rich Norris HOOKS.

40D: Dream state acronym: REM

46D: "Desert Storm" chow, initially: MRE. Why "Desert Storm"? Isn't it still called MRE now?

49D: Rubbish: DEBRIS. The plural form of DEBRIS is still DEBRIS, isn't it?

58D: Astronomical distance meas.: LTYR (Light-Year). Reminds me of Woody and Buzz Lightyear.

60D: Annapolis inst.: USNA. Might be a different clue had Sen. McCain won the presidency.

62D: Daly of "Cagney & Lacey": TYNE. Know her name. Not familiar with "Cagney & Lacey".

64D: Wildebeest: GNU. I've never understood why they change "Wild Beast" into "Wildebeest". Maybe GNUS know. Strange, isn't it? The babies and mother have so different body colors.

Full Answer Grid.

C.C.