Sunday, March 28, 2010 Pamela Amick Klawitter

Theme: From the Produce Department - Different fruit is embedded in each theme answer.

23A. Chancellor Angela Merkel leads it: GERMAN GOVERNMENT. Mango. I love tropical fruit, esp pineapple.

32A. Bologna location: DELI MEAT COUNTER. Lime. Thought of the Italian city Bologna first.

54A. 1989 Fred Savage comedy: LITTLE MONSTERS. Lemon. Have never heard of the film.

70A. Houdini et al.: ESCAPE ARTISTS. Pear. Asian pear is the best. Sweet and crisp.

91A. Proving ground NW of Vegas: NEVADA TEST SITE. Date. I love almond stuffed Medjool dates. Heavenly!

105A. 50:1 bet, e.g.: EXTREME LONG SHOT. Melon.

122A. Striped reef dweller: EMPEROR ANGELFISH. No idea. Looks fake.

112A. A different one is hidden in each of this puzzle's seven longest answers: FRUIT

All of the fruit spans across two word, quite consistent. Lime, lemon & orange, Ms. Klawitter must love citrus fruit then.

Also a bit of Italian undercurrent:

58A. Firenze's land: ITALIA. Firenze is Italian for Florence.

68A. Ristorante dessert: TIRAMISU. "Pick-me-up" in Italian.

77A. Con __: spiritedly: BRIO. Most musical terms seem to be rooted in Italian.

95A. Olive Garden specialty: PASTA

50D. Sistine Chapel ceiling figure: ADAM

93D. Slowly, to Liszt: ADAGIO. Ad agio is "at ease" in Italian.

Smooth sailing for me today. Simple & sweet theme. Very few unknowns.

Across:

1. Pamplona parlor: SALA. Spanish for "room". Inside a casa (house). Alliteration in the clue.

5. 1912 Nobelist Root: ELIHU

10. New Balance rival: ASICS. Wikipidia says ASICS is an acronym of the Latin phrase "anima sana in corpore sano" which translates to "a healthy soul in a healthy body" or "a sound mind in a sound body".

15. Ancient symbols of Egyptian royalty: ASPS

19. 2005 A.L. MVP, familiarly: A-ROD. I've never liked him.

20. They get carried away: REPOS. Great clue.

22. First name in "Popeye"?: SWEE. Swee'Pea.

26. Clue: LEAD

27. Historical records: ANNALS

28. Oft-named period: ERA. Victorian Period, Obama Era, etc.

29. __-a-brac: BRIC

30. Cathedral feature: APSE

36. Top cards: ACES

38. Radio CD players: DJS

39. "Mad Men" airer: AMC. I guessed ABC first.

40. Tubs with jets: SPAS

46. Internet commerce: E-TAIL. So many nice baseball cards on Ebay.

49. Truman's Missouri birthplace: LAMAR. Can never remember this name.

57. Tussaud, for one: MADAME

59. Luau fare: POI

60. Friend of Rover: FIDO. And ARF (47D. Corgi comment). Dogs.

62. Neural impulse conductor: AXON. Are you a impulsive person?

63. 1983 self-titled debut album: MADONNA. The answer emerged itself.

65. Pigged out (on): OD'ED. Overdosed.

73. Do covers: HAIR NETS. Hairdo.

78. Furniture movers: CASTERS. Man, I never know the wheels under my chair are called casters.

83. Salinger character who said "I prefer stories about squalor": ESME. "For Esme with Love and Squalor".

84. Ply a scythe: REAP

86. School name follower in many addresses: EDU

88. Eye maliciously: LEER AT

89. Car shoppers' options: LEASES

96. Had an effect on: FAZED. Big effect then. Now, what does this Marisa Miller have an effect on you, guys?

97. Bigfoot cousin: YETI. The Abominable Snowman.

98. Come across as: SEEM

99. Genealogically based men's gp.: SAR (Sons of the American Revolution). Got me.

101. "Norma __": RAE

103. Rave partner: RANT. Rant and Rave.

117. Ditzy waitress on "Alice": VERA. No idea. Which one is Vera?

118. Trompe l'__: OEIL. "Eye' in French.

119. Winter coat: ICE

120. Sault-Marie filler: SAINTE. Sault Sainte Marie.

121. Dhow sailor: ARAB. Dhow is sailboat used by the Arabs. New to me.

126. Diana's escort: DODI (Fayed). I remember the tragic car crash. I like ARAB sits atop DODI in the grid. Dodi is an Egyptian Arab.

127. Lingerie shade: BEIGE

128. "__ a Grecian Urn": ODE ON. Keats poem.

129. Heavy reading?: TOME. Can't fool me.

130. Crossed (out): EX'ED. We often see X'ED.

131. "Consequently ...": AND SO

132. Jane of "Father Knows Best": WYATT. Have never heard of this lady.

133. NY Giants lineman Chris: SNEE. Also a mystery figure to me.

Down:

1. Epics: SAGAS

2. Ain't like it oughta be?: AREN'T. Lovely clue.

3. Doone of Devon: LORNA. "Lorna Doone". Alliteration.

4. Hyper?: AD MAN. Oh, I get it: hyper = one who hypes up.

5. Coastal raptors: ERNS

6. Something to shake or break, so to speak: LEG. Shake/break a leg. Nice rhyme.

7. NYSE launch: IPO (Initial Public Offering)

8. Ramshackle home: HOVEL

9. PIN relative: USER ID

10. Philip of "Kung Fu": AHN. Of Korean descent. Chinese for Ahn is Ang, as in Ang Lee.

11. Carnival dance: SAMBA

12. Like helium: INERT

13. Like dunce caps: CONICAL

14. "The Big Bang Theory," e.g.: SITCOM

15. Lewis lion: ASLAN. C.S. Lewis's lion in "Chronicles of Narnia".

16. Used a broom: SWEPT

17. Veggies in a porridge: PEASE. Pease porridge hot... Our split pea soup.

18. Passover feast: SEDER

24. "Flash of Genius" actor: ALDA

25. Certain aircraft engine: RAMJET. No idea. Know nothing about airplane.

32. Regard: DEEM

33. Prohibit, legally: ESTOP

34. Right on a mapa: ESTE. Spanish for "east".

35. Golden State sch.: UCLA

37. Spot removers: CLEANSERS

40. Unlikely: SLIM. Unlikely/slim chance.

41. Gyro bread: PITA. I am hungry.

42. The slightest bit: A TAD

43. Manche department capital: ST. LO. The D-Day Normandy town.

45. Poke around: SNOOP

48. Last Supper query: IS IT I. And IT'S ME (115. Shout upon arrival).

51. Modest skirt: MAXI

52. Cookie guy Wally: AMOS. The real "Famous Amos".

53. Eye care brand: RENU. Bausch & Lomb contact lens brand.

55. Sheets and such: LINEN

56. Hit back?: SIDE B. Nailed it. Side A is the hit side.

57. Sermon subject: MORTAL SIN. Rich Norris is really in the alliteration mood.

61. Record: DISC

64. French play part: ACTE

66. Kernel holder: EAR

67. Did a dishwashing chore: DRIED. Dishwasher does the job for us.

69. Plus: ASSET

71. Yoga position: ASANA (AH-suh-nuh). Sanskrit for "sitting down". New word to me also.

72. USA __: TODAY

73. Troubleshooting menu: HELP

74. Cruising, maybe: ASEA

75. "__ shocked as you are!": I'M AS

76. Musical symbol: REST

79. Alec D'Urberville's slayer: TESS. "Tess of the D'Urbervilles". She killed the jerk Alec.

80. Northern terminus of I-79: ERIE. New clue for a tired entry.

81. Matter of interest?: RATE. Interest rate. Another awesome clue.

82. Apple projection: STEM. Hey, one more fruit, though in the clue.

85. Candy originally from Austria: PEZ. I have a few Twins Pez. Most of the Pez are still marked "Made in Austria".

87. Unborn, after "in": UTERO

90. Effortlessness: EASE

92. Offscreen friend in "Ernest" films: VERN. I peeked at the answer sheet. Names often kill me. Why is Vern "offscreen"?

94. Coup d'__: ETAT

96. Citizens: FREEMEN

100. Lab slide critter: AMOEBA

102. Third-party account: ESCROW. Holding account

104. Nonstick cookware brand: T-FAL. What does T-FAL stand for?

105. Dodge: EVADE

106. Copy: XEROX

107. Diamond deal: TRADE. Bloody!

108. Beyond gung-ho: RABID

109. Oily compound: LIPID. Fatty!

110. Designer Cassini et al.: OLEGS. Cassini is the only Oleg I know of.

111. Intoxicating, as wine: HEADY

113. Breaks in relations: RIFTS

114. Strike caller: UNION. Thought of UMPIRE first.

116. Little laugh: TE-HEE

123. Vintage auto: REO

124. Museum funder: Abbr.: NEA (National Endowment for the Arts)

125. Figured out: GOT

Answer grid.

Picture of the Day: Here is a great photo of Jeannie's Mom & Dad on their wedding day heading off to their honeymoon in 1960. They just celebrated their 50-year anniversary on March 19, 2010.

C.C.

Saturday March 27, 2010 Brad Wilber

Theme: None

Total words: 70

Total blocks: 29

No extra-long stacks this week. More words and fewer blocks than last Saturday. Pretty open-looking grid. These are not details I usually pay much attention to.

Hi gang, it's JazzBumpa taking a big step out of the comfort zone. C.C. wished a Brad Wilbur puzzle on me, and her wish came true. Regular readers will know themeless Saturday Puzzles are not my favorite. This one seems perhaps a bit easier than usual, though I went for technical assistance early and often, in the interest of getting to bed before dawn.

Pretty good puzzle. By my reckoning, only a Q away from a pangram. Three Js.

Across:

1. Google oneself: EGOSURF. First thing tomorrow, I'm googling myself!

8. Produce greenery: FOLIATE. Burst out in leaves.

15. Exceeded, as a time limit: RAN OVER. If I exceed my time limit tonight, tomorrow I'll feel like something RAN OVER me.

16. Scale used in summer weather forecasts: UV INDEX. A warning of sun exposure danger, a bit like a terrror alert.

17. Way back when: AGES AGO. "When I was a young man, never been kissed . . ."

18. Researcher's garb: LAB COAT. Traditional protective garment for all sorts of experimentation. What you wear with it is optional.

19. Mlle. counterpart: SRTA: Abbrv. for Señora. Now how can you possibly know this is looking for a Spanish answer? (Update: from Anon@7:46 AM Señorita, not Señora.)


20. Card game declaration: I CALL. Guessed, and got it. In poker, a call is a decision to match the latest bet. Alternatives are to raise or fold.

22. Start to dominate? PRE. Start of the word predominate. Where would we be without the mandatory affix?

23. Want-ads fairness pledge: Abbr.: EEO. Equal Employment Opportunity, a promise to be fair, according to Federal guidelines.

24. Only non-actor ever chosen as People's Sexiest Man Alive, familiarly: JFK, JR. I didn't know this, but it's not a surprise. His was a very poignant story, on many levels. He and his wife and her sister died when he crashed his plane in bad weather. He had a leg injury and shouldn't have been flying. Here he is as a man, and in a famous sad picture as a boy.

25. Like some kitchens: EAT IN. A kitchen with a place to eat at - either a dinette set or standing at the sink.

27. Apology element: REGRET. No RUER today. I don't regret that.

29. Cockpit reading: AIR SPEED. I know one of our regulars will be able comment on this one better than I can.

31. MGM co-founder: LOEW. I had no idea. MGM is Metro Goldwyn Mayer. Maybe this explains the MGM lion since the name LOEW is not indicated by the initials. LOEWE is "lion" on German.

32. Dagwood's boss: MR. DITHERS, shown here with some of his peers. Not the best boss, ever.

33. "Star Trek" (2009) villain: NERO. This guy. Nope. Never watched any of the later generations.

35. Case for notions: ETUI. A little decorative box for storing doodads. My notion is, I'd almost rather have RUER.

36. Life partners: TRUE LOVES. If you're lucky enough to find each other. I mean, really - what are the chances?

40. Chimes in: ADDS. Makes a comment that advances the conversation. Presumably.

43. Extemporized: WINGED IT. Hemmed, hawed, add libbed (my original answer - I know, it doesn't fit), improvised, made stuff up, read crib notes off your hand . . .

44. Faux: ERSATZ. We've discussed this at length in the past. Poor quality substitute for the real thing.

46. Crawling with creepers: IVIED. I was relieved by this answer. It could have been something creepy crawly, that I don't want to link.

47. In advance: EARLY. They both indicate before some specified time, but they seem non-equivalent to me. What do you think?

49. Dude: BRO. Just some guy. By the way -- Don't tase me, DUDE.

50. Tip for an exam taker?: NIB. The tip of a pen, not a bit of good advice, like study, or write the answers on your hand.

51. Key of Mahler's "Symphony of a Thousand": E FLAT. Never heard of it. Had to get perp help, then it was easy.

52. "Kisses Sweeter __ Wine": Jimmie Rodgers hit: THAN. I like dry red wine and sweet wet kisses.

53. Italian pistol: BERETTA. An actual firearm. Not this son of a gun.

56. Database with openings: JOB BANK. They have a web site for job seekers

58. Deforestation concern: EROSION. Trees and other green growing things stabilize the soil and prevent runoff. But you knew that.

59. Orchestrate: ARRANGE. Assign the notes to the specific instruments. I've done a bit of that. Ravel was the master.

60. "__ Creek," TV series that launched Katie Holmes's career. DAWSON'S. The show, Dawson's Creek, which I never watched, had my homie girl Katie in one of the starring rolls. What is it about Tom Cruse and gullible Catholic girls?

61. Pack rat: HOARDER: Designation for somebody who can't throw anything out. Know anybody like that? But they, speaking of creepy crawlers, are also real critters.


Down

1. Tip for an exam taker? ERASER. Aha! the tip at the other end of the pencil. Misdirection, in more ways than one. Very clever.

2. Common DVD bonus feature: GAG REEL. This often contains humorous out-takes, mistakes, etc.

3. Pizzeria shout: ONE TO GO. Alright. this is a legit answer, but I don't think much of it. We had Costco pizza tonight. Not bad.

4. Cubs' all-time home run leader. SOSA. A pretty good baseball player, and the other Slammin' Sammie.

5. The Cavaliers of the ACC: U. VA. University of Virginia Cavaliers of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

6. Wrap again, with questionable etiquette: REGIFT. Got a gift you're not fond of? Next time around, wrap it up and give it to someone you're not fond of.

7. Monastic attire: FROCK. That about wraps it up for monks, but they can still have a fine time.

8. Enviable scholarships: FULL RIDES. An all expense paid excursion at the University that choses you.

9. Many a racetrack: OVAL. For cars, sure. What about horse races? Are those tracks oval or round? Don't ask me. I'm not a racist.

10. Empowerment word: LIB. As in "Women's LIB," I suppose. Does liberation = empowerment? To me, this looks close, but not quite on target.

11. Entrepreneurial monthly: INC. : The perfect magazine for the kick-ass start-up promoter in you.

12. Anne of Green Gables, for one: ADOPTEE. One who is adopted, generally after being orphaned. Presumably, a better second chance. I don't know anything about Anne.

13. Less stoic: TEARIER. Shedding more tears. I guess big stoics don't cry.

14. Stretches: EXTENDS. For example muscles, before and after exertion, or the mind, by taking on a Saturday puzzle.

21. Slightly cracked: AJAR. Neither quite opened, not quite closed. A slightly cracked jar is something all together different.

24. Like Faberge eggs: JEWELED. Just in time for my family's early Easter celebration. Though they may be slightly too elaborate for our humble tastes.

25. Puget Sound, e.g.: ESTUARY. An estuary is a water passage where the tide meets a river current. Your current events item of the day.

26. Rose garden bane: APHIDS. They will eat your plants. Lady bugs will eat them. I believe it's bugs, all the way down.

28. Back out: RENEGE. Just this morning, I reneged the car from my garage. Otherwise, it means to fail to carry out a promise or commitment. For shame!

30. Slowing, in mus.: RIT. Abbrev. for RITARDANDO, literally, slowing down in Italian.

32. Oscar night devotees: MOVIE FANS. I guess I'm not one, since I just don't care.

34. Poet McKuen: ROD. An American poet. Here is his home page. Clear Ayes, do you have a favorite?

36. Half a sleeping pair: TWIN BED. Another nice misdirection. A pair of matching beds, each suited for a single sleeper. I wanted jammies.

37. Mediterranean hot spot: RIVIERA. The Mediterranean coast of France and Italy with many nice beaches. Those who have been there can tell us about it.

38. Bert has one, but not Ernie: UNIBROW: A single continuous eyebrow extending over both eyes, or a condition with enough hair between the brows to suggest that effect. Here's the boys.

39. "Too many more to mention" abbr.: ET. AL. Latin for, "and others."

41. Expert: DAB HAND. Evidently, this is a British Isles expression.

42. Idiosyncratic: STRANGE. Close enough, I guess. One of my favorite novels was Idiosyncratic in an Idiosyncratic Land.

44. Banderillero's foe: EL TORO. In bullfighting, El Banderillero sticks little flags into the bull's shoulders. Don't ask me why.

45. "Doonesbury" hippie: ZONKER. A cool dude, BRO.

48. Indian royal: RAJAH

51. Hugh Laurie's alma mater: ETON. Is ETON everybody's alma mater? And Who is High Laurie? Anyway, nice EAT IN - ETON echo.

52. Vanishing slope sight: T-BAR. A device to pull you up the ski slope, so you can slide back down again. Why are they vanishing?

54. Three dots, to Morse: ESS. Three dots indicate the letter "S" in Morse code. Hence the famous dot-dot-dot, dash-dash-dash, dot-dot-dot for SOS.

55. Familia member: TIO. Tio is Spanish for uncle.

57. Top at the shore: BRA. The top part off a lady's two piece swim suit, and a great way to top off this puzzle.

Well, I might not have EXCEEDED my time tonight, but I certainly EXTENDED it.

Answer grid.

Picture of the Day: Here is a great photo of our fellow LA Times solver Dodo and her late husband. Here is a closer look at Dodo's avatar picture. Dodo is a 84-year-old retired teacher living in Stockton, CA.

Cheers!

JzB

Friday March 26, 2010 Gary Steinmehl

Theme: THE POWER OF TEN (51A. Exponential measurement, and in a way, what's demonstrated in how answers were formed in 20-, 34- and 41-Across?) - IO, which looks like Arabic number 10 in a way, is attached to the end of each common phrase.

20A. Barbecue area without chairs?: STANDING PAT(IO). Standing Pat.

34A. Relative value used in a scientific workplace?: LABORATORY RAT(IO). Laboratory Rat.

41A. Small apartment for a comical septet?: SEVEN CARD STUD(IO). Seven-Card Stud. Poker game. (Card is a slang for someone who is comical/facetious. Thanks, Dennis.)

Then we also have OHIO (63A. One of Pittsburgh's Three Rivers). OH, IO, marvelous! Did you guys catch the IO & 10 connection immediately? I hope Bill G did. He just encountered a similar gimmick in another puzzle.

I really like the theme tie-in entry THE POWER OF TEN. It certainly spices up our regular add/delete/substitute a letter string Friday fare, exponentially.

The four 9-letter non-theme answers all crumbled easily for me, with their straightforward clues. Did struggle a bit with a few short entries, very deceptive clues with several alternative answers.

Across:

1. Sugar substitute?: DEAR. Endearment "Sugar" substitute. The intersecting DOT (1D. Pointillism unit) prevented me from filling in BABY/BABE. Shout-out to our Dot, whose husband Irv will be 96 years old at the end of this month. Possibly the oldest crossword solver in our group.

5. Flirtation: PASS

9. Travel needs, perhaps: VISAS. Travel abroad.

14. End of an estimate: OR SO

15. Rival rival: ALPO. Not familiar with the pet food brand Rival.

16. __ coffee: IRISH. I wanted TEA OR.

17. Hobart resident: TASMANIAN. Did not know Hobart is the capital of Tasmania, though the answer appeared rather swiftly.

19. Lip-smacking: TASTY.

22. Certain mil. member: NCO

23. Gray head?: LEE (R. E. ). The Civil War "Gray" side. Great clue.

24. Cereal ingredient: BRAN

27. Stallone role: RAMBO. Did you want ROCKY also?

31. Plant activity: Abbr.: MFG (Manufacturing)

38. Lost a lap?: AROSE. Mine was STOOD. At least, I was in the correct "lap" direction.

39. Padre's hermana: TIA. Hermana is Spanish for "sister". Father's sister = Aunt. Several Spanish references in the grid.

40. Snacking (on) to excess: OD'ING. Overdosing.

44. Before, in verse: ERE

45. Backspace, often: ERASE. And ERROR (61. What an X may indicate).

46. "O, gie me the __ that has acres o' charms": Burns: LASS. I peeked at the answer sheet. Have ne'er heard of the poem.

47. Word-word link: FOR. Word for word. FOR links word & word.

49. Pres. between JAG and GC: CAA (Chester A. Arthur). JAG = James A Garfield. GC = Grover Cleveland. Stumped me. Gimme, Melissa?

58. Bread: MOOLA. Tough without the question mark.

59. Like clones: IDENTICAL

62. Supply, as paper to a copier: FEED

64. California baseballer: GIANT. Could also be ANGEL.

65. Signs: INKS

66. Chuck __, only coach to win four Super Bowls: NOLL. With the Steelers. Learning moment for me.

Down:

3. __ mgr.: ASST

4. Prominent facial feature: ROMAN NOSE

5. Ill-fated opener of myth: PANDORA. Pandora's Box.

6. Et __: and others: ALII. Masculine plural. Et alia is neutral plural. Et aliae is feminine plural.

7. Bridge: SPAN

8. Berlin number: SONG. Irving Berlin. I bet Kazie was in the German "number" direction too.

9. Curriculum __: VITAE. CV. Resumé.

10. Fit to be tied: IRATE

11. Spanish ayes: SI SI

12. Reference words: AS TO

13. Unassuming: SHY. Was surprised by how unassuming Andre Agassi is in his various interviews.

18. Mandela's gp.: ANC (African National Congress)

21. Gamer's maneuver: PLOT. (Added later: The answer should be PLOY. Sorry for the error.)

24. Apathetic: BLASE

25. Harder to dig up: RARER. Harder to find (dig up), like a Mint/Near Mint condition Mickey Mantle Topps 1956.

26. Upstairs: ABOVE

28. Fragrant oil: ATTAR. Rose oil.

29. Kelly of "One Tree Hill": MOIRA. First encounter with this actress. She looks demure.

30. Wire fasteners: BRADS

31. Highest peak on Crete: Abbr.: MT. IDA. Got me again. MT always give me trouble.

32. "Done!": FINIS. I sure need a French hint in the clue.

33. "We Got the Beat" singers: GO-GO'S. Here is the clip. I cheated.

35. TV Chihuahua: REN. Ren and Stimpy.

36. Baloney: ROT

37. Excessive flattery: ADULATION

42. Uno minus uno: CERO. Spanish for "zero" I suppose.

43. They can ruin diets: SECONDS. Really?

47. Pen resident: FELON. The prison "pen". I just can't get pigs out of my mind. I am a Pig. Can't be friends with those who are born in the year of Snake.

48. Illusionary genre: OP ART

50. Back on the water: AFT. Back of the boat.

51. Famous Amos: TORI. Tori Amos. Loved the sweet "Famous Amos" clue. What's your favorite cookie?

52. Joyful group dance: HORA

53. Coffeehouse connection: WIFI

54. 1950s British prime minister: EDEN (Anthony). Prime Minister from 1955-1957. Succeeded Churchill on the latter's second term.

55. Offend the olfactories: REEK. Thanks for the ODOR explanation yesterday, everyone.

57. Pointed fastener: NAIL

58. Unit of RAM: MEG (Megbyte). I was thinking of the component word unit for RAM (Random Access Memory).

60. Texter's tehee: LOL.

Answer grid.

Picture of the Day: Here is a happy photo of our gifted linguist Kazie and her husband in front of the Little Rock Capitol Building. The picture was taken last Friday March 19, 2010.

On the front page of the blog, there is a Blog Photo sidebar. Please email me (crosswordc@gmail.com) your picture if you want to be included in our virtual family. Thanks.

C.C.

Interview with Jeff Chen

Jeff Chen made his LA Times debut on July 3, 2009 with a fascinating "Set In" puzzle, in which four familiar phrases are subjected to literal cluing and twisting. For example, THE ELEPHANT ROOM is clued as "It's too important to ignore, literally", a word play on "Elephant in the Room".

And many of us enjoyed his last FALL puzzle (FALL can be added to each descending theme entry to form a common word). It has a very simple & elegant visual image. Jeff gave us more in-depth analysis on that puzzle in today's interview. He might provide us with his inspiration for today's "Four of a Kind" puzzle in the Comments section if he finds time later today.

How did the FALL theme idea come to you? And what kind of troubles did you go through to make the grid work?

After doing the New York Times and Los Angeles Times puzzles every day for about six months, I began to wonder why they always had horizontal theme entries, hardly ever vertical. I thought it would be fun to put a theme together that play off of vertical answers. One item on my running list of ideas was "words that can be followed by the word FALL" (this was back in August), but I had put it on the back-burner because both the LAT and NYT were going away from that over-used type of puzzle theme. But tying it to a vertical set of answers seemed like it might make it fresh enough to get accepted. Luckily, Rich agreed!

Theme and block placement is a fun puzzle in itself. Most of the time it's not so difficult to come up with a set of placements, unless you have more than 4 theme entries, or most of your entries are 12 or 13 letters long. Both conditions restrict the amount of space you can put between theme entries, due to the rules of crosswords. Having more space between theme entries gives you more flexibility in coming up with a clean fill. This particular grid was only challenging because I couldn't get my mind to work with vertical answers. Once I flipped everything to construct horizontally, it didn't take long. Simple matter to switch the grid diagonally after that.

You mentioned earlier on our blog that "Trying to anticipate solvers' "aha" moments as well as points of frustration has been a great exercise in creativity". Which entries did you think would give the solvers the "Aha" moments and which ones did you expect some groans or frustration?

I like the idea of people wondering why theme entries tie together while they work their way through the puzzle, then all of a sudden figuring it out in a little moment of happiness. I hoped that the answer FALL being in the bottom corner would do that. I also like looking for odd words and phrases to put in after the main answers, such as THWACK. I don't know why, but that word makes me laugh.

Perhaps the most important thing I've picked up from reading blogs (thank you all!) is that solvers (maybe above all else), hate being frustrated or bored when doing what should be an entertaining diversion to the day. Therefore, I try to work really hard in avoiding "crosswordese", partials, or little known names. Sometimes this means completely redoing a grid from the start, but for me it's worth it.

What is it like to work with Rich Norris? What have you learned about his theme/fill preferences?

I've really enjoyed working with Rich. I agree with his notion that it's a high priority is to avoid those annoying words and partials that only crossword fanatics know. He's very responsive, and spends time thinking about what his audience would like. An example of his responsiveness: I was curious how to get more crosswords published, so asked him what he needed more of. He was quick to answer that he could use fresh, easy Monday level puzzles, as well as Sundays, so I've been focusing my efforts on those. It's nice to go back and forth with him on puzzles.

What's your background? And what prompted you to construct your first crossword?

I got my Mechanical Engineering BS and MS in 1993/1994, and worked for seven years in product design consulting. I loved working on medical devices, which I felt could help so many people with the quality and length of their lives. I went to business school to make a career change toward more decision-making, and helped a friend start a pharmaceutical company in 2002, Acucela Inc. We did a nice deal in 2008 so I decided to leave the company, travel, and work more with local non-profits.

I enjoy all kinds of puzzles (one of my goals in life is to finish top 50 in the Google World Puzzle Championship qualifying exam), but for some reason shied away from crosswords. A friend got me into them two years ago, and I couldn't believe what I'd been missing. Not too long after, I decided that another goal of mine would be to get one published.

How does becoming a constructor affect the way you solve & enjoy a puzzle?

I find that I stare at and analyze grids before I even start solving. I love seeing a Monday puzzle with wide-open space, an odd grid where someone bends a rule but comes up with something interesting, or especially when a constructor manages to stuff a puzzle with goodies without compromising the solver's fun factor.

What kind of puzzles do you solve every day? And who are your favorite constructors?

Due to time constraints, I just do the LA Times and the NY Times daily, and CrossSynergy on Sundays. Another of my goals is to be able to solve the NYT Saturday regularly, but I'm still a long ways off. About 75% of the time I can almost finish the NYT Friday. There's usually a small pocket of squares that causes me to bang my head against the wall.

I enjoy the variety within constructors, but I look forward to, and simultaneously shudder, when I see Bob Klahn's name on a themeless puzzle. KLAHN!!! It's tough to beat Elizabeth Gorski when it comes to visual puzzles. She's amazingly productive and creative. I could go on and on about all the great constructors out there.

Besides crossword, what else do you do for fun?

I rock climb, mostly indoors, where yet another goal of mine is to consistently boulder V5 problems (intermediate difficulty stuff). Other climbers sometimes wonder why I spend so much time on my computer there! I love playing bridge, and have a small group of people I play with semi-regularly. I also spend a lot of time in investment management - I help out with a couple of friends and family with their portfolios. I have another goal (tired of listening to my goals yet?) of setting up three friends so they get married, before I turn 40. I only have two years left now, but two friends are getting married in July, so it's still possible! I also play Ultimate Frisbee with my team, "Genghis Khan Wild". Finally, I volunteer with several local non-profits in Seattle: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Puget Sound, Treehouse for Kids, GambiaHELP, Passages Northwest. It's been great to see Obama's call to action spur so many young people to action. I hope it continues!

Thursday March 25, 2010 Jeff Chen

Theme: Four of a Kind - Theme answers are clued with four identical question marked capitalized letters which are pronounced the same as the real hidden clues.

20A. CCCC? (4 C's, pronounced like "foresees"): TELLS THE FUTURE

39A. AAAA? (4 A's, pronounced like "forays"): MILITARY ATTACKS

56A. TTTT? (4 T's, pronounced like "forties"): CHILLY FORECAST

This puzzle reminds of Ashish Vengsarkar's NY Times July 30, 2009 puzzle. Ashish clued EEEE (Ease) as "Facility", QQQQ (Cues) as "Signals" and TTTT (Tease) as "Razz".

Sharon E. Petersen's last LAT has an interesting twist too. Among her theme answers are: CC (Seize) THE DAY (clued as "Time is fleeting" philosophy?) and GG (Jeez) LOUISE (clued as "Good grief!"?)

Anyway, today's theme answers themselves are not very interesting, they seldom are when clues and answers switch positions. But the theme concept itself is so inventive & fun. Jeff Chen has a imaginative mind.

Lots of four-letter words with straightforward cluing, guess that's why I had a easier time earlier.

Across:

1. Torah holders: ARKS

5. Dishonorable types: CADS. We also have NE'ER (67. ____-do-well).

9. Gets off the road, in a way: PLOWS. Get snow off the road I suppose.

14. Spear or pepper follower: MINT. Do you like peppermint tea?

15. End of grace: AMEN

16. Sound portion: AUDIO. The visual portion is VIDEO.

18. Pro __: RATA. Pro rata = In proportion.

19. Spills carelessly: SLOPS

23. Amount consumed: INTAKE

24. Yokel: RUBE

25. Bird was one, briefly: CELT. Larry Bird. Boston Celtics.

27. Hemingway's Santiago, in the story's title: OLD MAN. The title character in "The Old Man and the Sea".

32. Pontificate: ORATE

35. Jessica of "Good Luck Chuck": ALBA. I've never seen the movie. Sounds silly.

42. "Get outta here!": SCAT

43. Coward of the stage: NOEL. Noel Coward.

44. Clarifying words: ID EST. The full form of i.e.. Latin for "that is". I fell prey to I MEAN.

45. Inchon native: KOREAN. Inchon is a seaport in W South Korea.

49. Deli option: TUNA

52. Hunk: ADONIS. A reverse of our recent "Adonis"/HUNK clue. He is my ideal Adonis.

60. Santa __: Silicon Valley city: CLARA. So many CA references in LA Times puzzle.

61. Fuzz: LINT

62. DEA agent's discovery: KILO. DEA uses kilo rather than pound as drug unit?

63. Big jerks: BOZOS

64. Ocean predator: ORCA

65. Penultimate fairy tale word: EVER. "... and they lived happily EVER after.". Also ONCE (59D. Fairy tale opener). Nice fairy tale clue echos.

66. Used up: SPENT

68. Information __: DESK

Down:

1. Valuable violin: AMATI. Another one is STRAD. Loved "The Red Violin". Very real depiction of chaos during Chinese Cultural Revolution.

2. Like baked dough: RISEN. The dough is already risen before it's baked, isn't it?

3. Prepared to speak to a tot, maybe: KNELT. Nice new clue.

4. Overhead projection?: STALACTITE. It hangs from the roof of a cavern, formed from the dripping of mineral-rich water. Shaped like icicle. New word to me.

5. Monopoly: CARTEL

6. Eastern nurse: AMAH. Called so in Hongkong area. We just call is Ama in Guangzhou.

7. Discourage: DETER

8. Messy situation: SNAFU

9. Many a Matisse: PASTEL. Without Gertrude Stein, Matisse might not have achieved such fame.

10. Doozy: LULU

11. It's added to natural gas: ODOR. No idea. Why?

12. Use a rag on: WIPE

13. Coast Guard pickup: SOS. Oh, the signal pickup.

21. Olympic event since 1968: SKEET. Someone just mentioned this trivia on the blog.

22. Wolf pack member: U-BOAT. The WWII German sub. So U-boats form a wolf pack like attacking pack? I've never heard of the term before.

26. Poi essential: TARO. I really miss Cantonese taro cakes.

28. At an impasse, as the Senate: DEADLOCKED. One of two long non-theme entries.

29. Medieval club: MACE

30. More than wonders: ASKS

32. Trans-Siberian Railroad city: OMSK. The red arrow area.

33. Moneyed, in Madrid: RICO. Spanish for "rich". Alliteration again. Puerto Rico = Rich Port.

34. Banned apple spray: ALAR. Banned in 1989.

37. Indonesian island: BALI

40. Invalidate: ANNUL

41. España feature: TILDE. The diacritic mark above ñ. We just had UMLAUT yesterday.

46. "Finally!": AT LAST

48. __ sauce: seafood serving: TARTAR

50. Polymer introduced by DuPont in 1938: NYLON

51. Blazing: AFIRE

53. Like a babe in the woods: NAIVE

54. British __: ISLES

55. Childbirth symbol: STORK. I wonder what's the origin of stork delivering babies.

56. Equine sound: CLOP. Was thinking of the sound from equine itself rather than the sound it makes on the road.

57. Smog, e.g.: HAZE

58. Make smooth, in a way: IRON

60. Items used by good buddies: CBS. CB radios.

Answer grid.

Picture of the Day: Here is a great photo of our talented wordsmith Lois and her daughter Katie at VA Beach on a windy day.

Additionally, Dan Naddor has his second puzzle published by NY Times today. Here is the write-up from the Wordplay blog. Lovely notes from Will Shortz and moving tribute from Dan's wife Tracie.

Ming Tian Jian!

C.C.

Wednesday March 24, 2010 Peter Abide

Theme: Name That Tune - All of the song titles consist of a girl's name in possessive form and a word that describes the tune itself.

17A. John Denver #1 hit: ANNIE'S SONG. Here is the clip. I like his "Take Me Home, Country Roads". He looked so innocent in "Oh, God!".

39A. "Guys and Dolls" showstopper: ADELAIDE'S LAMENT. Waiting for Clear Ayes to find the right clip. Mystery tune for me.

61A. "Dr. Zhivago" melody: LARA'S THEME. What's your favorite scene in "Dr. Zhivago"?

67A. With 68-Across and 69-Across, classic game show, and this puzzle's title: NAME

68A. See 67-Across: THAT

69A. See 67-Across: TUNE

This is the first time I saw a theme unifier split in the bottom of the grid in a LAT puzzle. Rather unique and refreshing. Can you find other song titles that fit the same pattern?

I've never watched "Name That Tune", though the answer emerged very quickly. I must have heard of it somewhere before.

Quite a few two-word entries in this puzzle, I counted 14. Nice & smooth puzzle from Peter Abide. This might be his LA Times debut.

Across:

1. Hippo's attire in "Fantasia": TUTU

9. Sun ray: BEAM

13. Actress Lena: OLIN. She is in "Chocolat".

14. "Lion's share" fabulist: AESOP. The saying "Familiarity breeds contempt" comes from his "The Fox and the Lion".

16. Hockey great Phil, familiarly: ESPO. Short for Esposito. I can never remember his name.

19. Largest of the Near Islands: ATTU. The Near Islands are the westernmost Aleutian island.

20. Place for a massage: DAY SPA

21. Campaign funders: FAT CATS. I like how it crosses MOUSY (12D. Meek).

23. Locale in a 1987 Cheech Marin title: EAST LA

26. "Yay!": OH BOY

27. Charon's river: STYX. In Hades.

30. Rub elbows (with): HOBNOB

32. Western __: history class, briefly: CIV (Civilization)

33. Industry kingpin: CZAR. More common than TSAR when applied to business/political big shot, right?

35. Bullies: ABUSES

42. Mississippi River explorer: DE SOTO (Hernando). I confuse him with Juan Ponce de León, who discovered Florida.

44. Baby talk word: GOO

45. Trial sites: VENUES

48. Measuring tool: RULER. Oh, the school measuring tool.

51. Billiards blunder: MISCUE

54. Fork or spoon: UTENSIL. Hmm, not if you have a DF mind as Dennis does.

56. Longtime buddy: OLD PAL

60. __-Honey: candy: BIT-O. Have never heard of this candy.

64. "Cool" rapper?: ICE-T. Thought of LL. Cool J.

65. Polished: SUAVE

66. They're removed via shafts: ORES. Nice new clue.

Down:

1. Repulsive sort: TOAD. Frog too.

2. Bone near the funny bone: ULNA. Literally "elbow" in Latin.

4. Like many salons: UNISEX

5. Andalusia abodes: CASAS. Spanish for "house". Alliteration. Italian "house" is CASA also.

7. Prefix with metric: ISO

8. Informal discussion: CONFAB

9. Shell collector, maybe: BEACH BUM

10. Cornerstone abbr.: ESTAB (Established). Always want a D in the end.

11. Is __: likely will: APT TO

15. Org. for drivers?: PGA. The question mark should lead you to golf. I hope Tiger wins the Masters. Tired of this endless scandal, so distracting.

18. Eco-friendly fed gp.: EPA

22. "Tough luck": TOO BAD

24. Senator Cochran of Mississippi: THAD. How do you pronoun Cochran? We also have SESS (41. Meeting of Cong.)

25. Legendary siren: LORELEI. On the Rhine. In the Valley of Lorelei (also spelled as Loreley).

27. Big batch: SCAD. Only used in plural form, isn't it?

29. Part of YSL: YVES

31. "The Lion King" lioness: NALA. The "Born Free" lioness is ELSA.

34. Temple area of Jerusalem: ZION. Jerusalem's Mount Zion.

36. "Sonic the Hedgehog" developer: SEGA

37. Grandson of Eve: ENOS. Son of Seth.

40. It includes terms of endearment: LOVE NOTE. Sweet!

46. Diacritical pair of dots: UMLAUT. The diacritical mark over a vowel in German words. Like the one above o in Schröder.

47. On a winning streak: RED-HOT

48. Apply before cooking, as spice to meat: RUB IN

49. New York city: UTICA

50. "Who cares if they do?!": LET 'EM

52. Math subgroup: COSET. Got the answer via crosses.

53. Last: Abbr.: ULT (Ultimate)

55. They, in Calais: ILS. French for "they". Nice rhyme. Calais (KAL-ey) the French seaport is on the Strait of Dover.

57. Llama land: PERU. Alliteration again. Rich Norris alliterates every possible foreign word.
58. Church approval: AMEN

59. Suffix with Congo: LESE. Congolese. Very straightforward prefix/suffix clue today. Happy, Jazzbumpa?

Answer grid.

Picture of the Day: Here is a gorgeous photo from our fellow LAT solver Annette. She said: "I'm the blonde on the right in the bright colors. My sister Bobbie is opposite me, and her daughter Heidi is in the middle. It was taken at a Bridal Show a few weeks ago, while planning my niece's wedding".

Ming Tian Jian!

C.C.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010 Merle Baker

Theme: GRAND FINALE (61A: Big finish, and what the first words of the answers to starred clues can be) - The first word of each theme entry can follow the word GRAND. Superb tie-in phrase.

17A: *Sam in "Casablanca," eg.: PIANO PLAYER. "Casablanca", my favorite movie but I'm glad we weren't looking for a last name or the actor's name. (Dooley Wilson) He wasn't playing a GRAND PIANO, I know that.

36A: *Fast paced: SLAM-BANG. SLAM-BANG is what NASCAR racing has been this year. And while GRAND SLAM could express some of the accidents this year, it really means a sweeping success or total victory.

42A: *Collapsible headgear: OPERA HAT. (a top hat). GRAND OPERA is big production with lavish costumes and sets and a serious topic.

11D: *Hank Aaron's 6,856 is the career record: TOTAL BASES. TOTAL BASES refers to the number of bases a player has gained by his hits alone. Getting on base any other way isn't counted and any advances once on base aren't counted either. A single counts as one base, a double is two, a triple is three, and a home run is four. Combine them all and you get the GRAND TOTAL.

29D: *1962 Gene Chandler hit: DUKE OF EARL. The song. The meaning of GRAND DUKE at Wikipedia. (It's more than this but less than that.You can figure it out for yourself, if you want.)

And on that note, I'll say Argyle here. I kept waiting for Cruciverb last night but it didn't happen. I know I can count on my fellow blogsters to fill in the thin parts of my commentary. It's what makes this site GRAND!

Across:

1A: "The — Kid: early TV Western: CISCO. Very early. Song by War.

6A: Suit parts: VESTS

11A: "__ the season ...": 'TIS

14A: Choir members: ALTOS

15A: Even if, for short: ALTHO

16A: Cal. neighbor: ORE.

19A: Spinner: TOP

20A: Squealed, so to speak: SANG

21A: Be under the weather: AIL

22A: Formally unsay: RECANT

24A: Cutlass or 88: OLDS. Oldsmobile models.

26A: She plays Julia in "Julie & Julia": MERYL. Watched it this week. Agree with the rest of you; wanted more Julia, less Julie.

27A: Tack on: ADD

30A: Standards of excellence: IDEALS

32A: CEO's degree: MBA. Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Master of Business Administration (MBA)

34A: Dirty: GRUBBY

39A: "Wake Up With Al" weatherman: ROKER Best known as the weather anchor for NBC's Today show. On July 20, 2009, he began co-hosting his new morning show "Wake Up with Al" on The Weather Channel.

40A: China's Mao __-tung: TSE

41A: Studio stand: EASEL

44A: "Honor Thy Father" author Gay: TALESE. Cover. Any readers?

45A: Sun, to Esteban: SOL

46A: Outcome: UPSHOT

48A: Canonized 26-Down: STE.. 26D: Swiss miss, maybe: Abbr.: MLLE.. Hands up for those that saw Swiss Miss and thought "Cocoa!".

49A: Festival showings, perhaps: FILMS

51A: Quartz variety: ONYX

53A: Began the betting: OPENED

55A: UN anti-child-labor agcy.: ILO. International Labour Organization

56A: Old oath: "EGAD!"

60A: Menu phrase: A LA

64A: Roofing material: TAR

65A: Part of a pound: OUNCE

66A: Best-seller list entry: NOVEL

67A: NBC fixture for nearly 35 yrs.: SNL. Since 1975.

68A: Dirty campaign tactic: SMEAR

69A: Show reverence, in a way: KNEEL

Down:

1D: Limits: CAPS

2D: Hip bones: ILIA

3D: Ollie's partner: STAN. Laurel and Hardy.

4D: Zaire, today: CONGO

5D: Disney toon panda, "Special Agent ": OSO

6D: Travel bag: VALISE

7D: Airline to Tel Aviv: EL AL. Literally "skyward".

8D: Farm home: STY

9D: "Spider-Man 3" actress Russell: THERESA. Pic.

10D: More ticked off: SORER

12D: Heavy metal: IRON

13D: Back-to-school mo.: SEPT.

18D: Rice source: PADDY. Sorta like saying your wheat comes from a field.

23D: One of a drum set pair: CYMBAL

25D: Scales of the zodiac: LIBRA

27D: Soil-related prefix: AGRO

28D: Fails to grasp: DROPS

31D: Helpers: Abbr.: ASSTS.

33D: " __ of robins ...": Kilmer: A NEST. Another reference to the poem "Trees" by Joyce Kilmer.

35D: Capital east of the Elbe River: BERLIN

37D: Substantial: MEATY

38D: Elation: GLEE

40D: Base melody: TAPS. A military base.

43D: Boring: HUMDRUM

44D: Like a __ bricks: TON OF

47D: Obama attorney general Eric: HOLDER. A pic with Obama.

50D: Tyke's blocks: LEGOS

52D: Arc lamp gas: XENON

53D: Granola ingredient: OATS

54D: Word after flight or floor: PLAN

55D: Ancient Peruvian: INCA

57D: Contributed: GAVE

58D: Away from the wind: ALEE

59D: Farmer's place, in song: DELL. ''The Farmer in the Dell''.

62D: "Wheel of Fortune" buy: AN 'E'

63D: Printer need: INK

Answer grid.

Picture of the Day: Here is a grand photo of our fellow LAT solver Spitzboov "The Rascal". In his own words: "Sptzboov, in blue hat, sending greetings from the stern of the SS American Victory moored at Channelside, Tampa, FL in Feb., 2010, with his son, Peter."

Argyle