Saturday May 15, 2010 Barry Silk

Theme: None

Total words: 70

Total blocks: 36

Barry anchors his puzzle with three 15-letter Across entries right in the middle of the grid, and intersects them with another two 15 Down grid spanners:

34A. Minor league team with a locomotive in one of its logos: READING PHILLIES. Phillies' AA affiliate based in Reading, PA. Here is their logo. Unknown to me. You can always find some Phillies' reference in Barry's puzzles.

38A. He played Will Scarlet in "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves": CHRISTIAN SLATER. Saw the movie. But all I can remember is Kevin Costner.

39. New England setting: EASTERN TIME ZONE. And BOOLA (47. New England cheer word). Boola Boola. Yale's fight song. Nice New England echo.

5D. Someone to build a team around: FRANCHISE PLAYER. Like Twins' Joe Mauer.

10D. Runway displays: FALL COLLECTIONS. Loved this entry.

There are also 16 7-letter entries, including those triple stacks in each corner.

Across:

1. Move to new places?: SHUFFLE. Move the play cards to new places. Got me.

8. Exotic vacations: SAFARIS. A happy fill for JD who just safaried last year.

15. Bird known for hovering in a headwind: KESTREL. Hence nickname windhover. Hovering directly above IRELAND (17. Bunratty Castle site). A shout-out to Windhover and his wife Irish. I am not familiar with Bunratty Castle.

16. Like some birthstones: OPALINE

18. Source of relief?: BULLPEN. Relief pitchers.

19. Best Actress winner for "Two Women": LOREN (Sophia)

20. Wagner's father-in-law: LISZT

21. Look at, to Livy: ECCE. As in "Ecce Homo", "Behold the Man".

24. Suffix with fluor-: ESCE. Fluoresce.

26. 1930s Kansas governor Landon: ALF. I only knew him as the guy who ran against F.D.R. in 1936.

29. Cupcake: HON

30. Racer Fabi: TEO. Former Formula One racer. Waiting for more lessons from our racing expert EddyB.

31. Entrepreneur-aiding org.: SBA (Small Business Administration)

40. Soft & __: Dial product: DRI

41. "MS. Found in a Bottle" author: POE. I guessed.

42. Pres. title: CIC (Commander in Chief)

43. Nancy Drew's boyfriend: NED. Another guess. I've never read any Nancy Drew story.

44. Problems: ILLS

45. Where some "SNL" regulars got their start: SCTV. Second City Television. Unknown to me.

50. Child's retort: I AM SO

54. Seek acceptance at: APPLY TO

57. Mexican salamander: AXOLOTL. Stumper. Strange looking word. Strange looking too. Does it live in the water only?

59. "New York Mining Disaster 1941" was their first U.S. hit in 1967: BEE GEES. The answer emerged itself.

60. Like some academic positions: TENURED

61. They aren't on the program: ENCORES. Didn't come to me readily.

62. Gives in: ASSENTS

Down:

1. Black & Decker competitor: SKIL. I forgot this tool brand again.

2. Long lunch?: HERO. Nailed it.

3. Beta tester, e.g.: USER

4. Army post named for a CSA general: FT. LEE. In Virginia. I just found out that there's another Ft. Lee in New Jersey.

6. Author Deighton: LEN

7. "We '__ our bloomin' own": Kipling: 'ELD. Held?

8. ___ sister: SOB

9. "The Simpsons" shopkeeper: APU. Learned from doing Xword.

11. Divorcée Lowell in an '80s sitcom: ALLIE. From "Kate & Allie".

12. Tough currents: RIPS. New definition to me.

13. Spanish name meaning "chaste": INEZ. I mentioned this trivia on the blog before.

14. Elated: SENT. I know Argyle will link "You send me".

22. Restraint: CONTROL

23. Locomotives: ENGINES

24. Cultural group members: ETHNICS

25. Like many tsunamis: SEISMIC. Great C-ending word.

26. Like rainbows: ARCED

27. Operettist Franz: LEHAR. Famous for "The Merry Widow". Hungarian composer.

28. Modern Persian: FARSI

31. Squelch: SIT ON. The bad news.

32. Designer Geoffrey: BEENE. First encounter with this fellow.

33. Comparable to a beet: AS RED

35. Morse "E": DIT

36. Light hit: PAT

37. __-Boy recliner: LAZ

44. Volunteer's words: I'LL GO

46. Prize: VALUE

47. Symbol of innocence: BABE

48. Exposed: OPEN

49. Nigeria is its most populous member: OPEC. Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa.

51. Poetic period: MORN

52. Go back on the dele?: STET. "Don't change".

53. Defunct GM line: OLDS

55. Beginning of Time?: TEE. The beginning letter of Time. Why capitalized Time?

56. Org. in the 1946 film "Cloak and Dagger": OSS. Forerunner to C.I.A..

58. Strikes (out): X'ES

Answer grid.

C.C.

Friday May 14, 2010 Matt Ginsberg & Pete Muller

Theme: ON END (50D. Upright, and what's been removed to form this puzzle's theme answers) - The "ON" end in each two-word familiar phrase is dropped.

18A. Underwear that never needs washing?: MAGIC JOHNS (ON). Eww! Magic Johnson.

20A. Attack of Tolkien's Ents?: TREE SURGE (ON). Tree Surgeon. Interesting career. New to me. We often see ENT clued as "Tolkien's tree creatures". The above two theme answers overlap.

32. Press watering hole? MEDIA BAR (ON). Media Baron. Like Rupert Murdock. More familiar with the title Media Mogul.

44A. English horn?: ANGLO SAX (ON). Anglo Saxon.

56A. Chest bump cousin? BELLY BUTT (ON). Belly Button.

61A. Fido's greeting? WELCOME WAG (ON). Welcome Wagon. The last two theme answers also overlap.

Might be our first LAT from Matt Ginsberg (The happy Pete Muller is in the middle. The guy with glasses is Peter Gordon), who has constructed quite a few puzzles for NY Times.

Very nice theme concept. Entertaining clues too. Some made me laugh. BELLY BUTT conjures up a fun image. Do you like the tie-in ON END?

I was quite fond of the four long Down non-theme answers. I liked how they paralleled each other and crossed two theme answers.

Filled in CHINA instead of ENLAI (51D. 1972 host to Nixon). Zhou Enlai indeed hosted Nixon during the latter's historic visit to China in Feb 1972. But ENLAI is a given name, while the clue Nixon is surname. I dig when clues and answers fully correspond to each other.

Across:

1. Dell drivers: Abbr. : CPUS. Dell computers.

5. Holy struggle: JIHAD. Literally "struggle" in Arabic. More accurate a translation than "Holy war".

10. Like some activists: ANTI. And WET (26. Against prohibition).

14. Cellar prefix: OENO. Prefix for "wine", as in oenophile.

15. Place to live: ABODE

16. Roger Rabbit, e.g. : TOON

17. Noted cat suit wearer: LAHR (Bert). The Coward Lion of "The Wizard of Oz".

22. Imperiled layer: OZONE

23. Per: A POP

24. Spigoted vessel: URN

27. Judy Jetson's brother: ELROY. Literally "the king". From "The Jetsons".

29. Pretend to be: POSE AS

34. Main ideas: THEMES. Can't avoid the word "theme" for the tie-in 50D.

38. Hip to: IN ON

39. African capital: ACCRA. Ghana's capital.

41. Give a ticket to: CITE

42. Colorado conqueror: RAFTER. Colorado River I suppose.

46. Many a Type A suffers from it: STRESS. And ANTSY (48. Like many a Type A). I don't really know the characteristics of Type A people. But don't all people suffer from stress from time to time and get antsy occasionally?

49. Garden tool: HOE

52. Hesitation: HEM

53. 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., e.g. : ADDR

54. Boutros-Ghali's successor: ANNAN (Kofi)

63. Concerning: AS TO

64. Bump on a log: KNAR. Learned from doing crossword. Wait for Argyle for the bump link.

65. Flat condition?: BROKE. New meaning of "flat" to me. Of course I was thinking of apartment.

66. Put away: STOW

67. Peter Gunn's girlfriend: EDIE. No idea. Have never heard of Peter Gunn before.

69. "Around the Horn" channel: ESPN

Down:

1. Piece maker?: COLT. Piece is slang for firearm.

2. High-fiber fruit: PEAR. True.

3. Without precedent: UNHEARD OF. Awesome entry.

4. Conflict sources: SORE POINTS. Not enough blanks for my HOT SPOTS.

5. Clog, as a copier: JAM UP

6. Support beam: I BAR

7. Boss on "The Dukes of Hazzard": HOGG. I peeked at the answer sheet.

8. Tours ta-tas: ADIEUS

9. Solstice mo. : DEC

10. It covers everything: A TO Z. Nailed it.

11. "Ain't gonna happen": NO HOW

12. Winchester weight: TONNE. Alliteration.

19. Prophet with a fishy story?: JONAH. I thought he was swallowed by a whale.

21. Miso bean: SOYA. Miso soup is delicious!

25. Put on sale, say: RETAG

27. Kuwaiti VIP: EMIR

28. "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" star Headey: LENA. Total stranger to me. Great body.

29. __-10 conference: PAC

30. Ocean predators: ORCAS

31. Bag behind a mound: SECOND BASE. Depend on where you stand.

33. Dancer's warmup aid: BARRE

35. Is very wary of: MISTRUSTS

36. JFK approximations: ETAS

37. Hot: SEXY

40. OR VIPs: RNS (Registered Nurses). I bet it's a gimme for our Chickie & Lois, who both have a RN daughter. I thought of Oregon naturally.

43. Biology opening: ETHNO. Man, we've seen a lot of this entry lately. Nice clue though.

45. 1955 title role voiced by Barbara Luddy: LADY. Obtained the answer via crosses.

47. Fire proof: EMBERS. Was thinking of proof against fire. Not "evidence" proof.

49D. Ethan of "Fast Food Nation": HAWKE

53. Rags-to-riches author: ALGER (Horatio)

55. Plot part, perhaps: ACRE. Triple alliteration. Did you think of story plot also?

57. Hairy sci-fi critter: EWOK. The "Star Wars" creature.

58. Michigan, for one: LAKE. Not enough space for my STATE.

59. 'Vette roof option: T-TOP

60. Hamlet's kin: TOWN. Tricky capitalized hamlet placement. The constructors/edior want to trap you with Shakespeare's Hamlet and his DANE kin.

62. Management sch. offering: MBA

Answer grid.

C.C.

Thursday May 13, 2010 Gareth Bain

Theme: Let's Anagram! - The first words of all theme answers are all anagrams of "Cats".

17A. Demonstrates sincere intentions: ACTS IN GOOD FAITH. Plural act. (Update from Argyle: Acts is third persona verb. Not a plural noun.)

28A. Wonderful thing, in old slang: CAT'S PAJAMAS. Bee's knees. Possessive cat. I would not have liked the answer if it were just a plural cat. It'd be the same scheme as the plural act.

46A. Jazzy vocal style: SCAT SINGING

57A. Stereotypical movie epic feature: CAST OF THOUSANDS. What's your favorite epic movie? I liked "300". Muscular Spartan soldiers.

Gareth also weaved three "capitals" in his clues:

10A. Capital south of Quito: LIMA. Peru's capital. Quito is the capital of Ecuador.

25A. Capital replaced by Abuja: LAGOS. Nigeria's old capital. Gareth lives in South Africa. He probably thinks it's incomprehensible that I had never heard of Abuja or MAURITANIA (31D. Senegal neighbor). North of Senegal.

64A. Capital of Oman: RIAL. Currency "capital". The capital city is Muscat.

Surprised OSLO (56D. Nobel Institute site) is not clued as "Norway's capital". Probably too much.

Nice to see TAI (20A. __ chi) and JET LI (48. Martial artist co-star of "The Forbidden Kingdom") in one grid. Jet Li is a big part of my childhood memory. A real mainland Chinese cultural icon, unlike the Hongkong born Jackie Chan or US born Bruce Lee. Cantonese and Koreans often spell Li as Lee, as in Ang Lee.

By the way, Rich Norris apologized for the ANG clue error yesterday. He said the error was "discovered a couple of days ago and corrections were issued to all newspapers and web site." Obviously Cruciverb still had the wrong clue when some of us downloaded.

Across:

1. Be in a funk: MOPE

5. 1979 sci-fi blockbuster: ALIEN. And ETS (43D. They're out of this world).

14. Filthy deposit: CRUD. Couldn't jam in MONEY.

15. Gentle prod: NUDGE

16. "Trinity" novelist: URIS (Leon)

21. At no time, to Bernhard: NIE. German for "never". Bernhard means "strong, brave bear". Is it a typical German name? I only know golfer Bernhard Langer.

22. Like much junkyard metal: RUSTY

31. Humanities degs.: MAS.

34. Prefix with musicology: ETHNO. Ethnomusicology. Defined as "the study of social and cultural aspects of music and dance in local and global contexts", according to Wikipidia. New to me. Makes sense, with ethno's "race"/"culture" prefix meaning.

35. Work with notes: OPUS. Musical notes.

36. Sea dog: SALT. Both slang for sailor.

37. Cosby often wore one on his show: SWEATER. Bill Cosby. I was stumped.

39. Egg-cooking aid: SPATULA. Was picturing the coddled egg porcelain cup.

41. Waterproof cover: TARP

42. "Zip-__-Doo-Dah": A-DEE

44. Comic Cheech: MARIN. Cheech and Chong (Tommy). We also have Arnold STANG (33D. Old-time comic Arnold), whose name simply escaped me.

48. Long __: JOHNS

49. Cause of reduced visibility: MIST

50. Draws back: SHIES

53. "In Treatment" network: HBO. Easy guess.

54. Bustle: ADO

62. Either of a Monopoly pair: Abbr.: UTIL. Got the answer via crossed.

63. Informed: AWARE

65. Ricky portrayer: DESI (Arnaz). "I Love Lucy".

66. Lose one's mind: GO MAD

67. Put on the canvas: KAYO. KO (knockout) spelled out.

Down:

1. Aspiring MD's hurdle: MCAT (Medical College Admission Test)

2. Black-and-white swimmer: ORCA

3. "Shake!": PUT IT THERE. I don't get the clue.

4. Paper heads, briefly: EDS (Editors)

5. Eight-time LPGA Player of the Year Sorenstam: ANNIKA. Loved Annika. Lorena Ochoa too. Sad to see Ochoa retire so early.

6. Downhill racer: LUGE

7. Words sealed with a kiss: I DO. Sweet clue.

8. Psyche part: EGO

9. Composer Rorem: NED. Nice to meet you, sir.

10. Island bashes: LUAUS

11. It regulates the size of the pupil: IRIS. I totally dig "it"/"they" clues.

12. Specialized glove: MITT. Baseball glove.

13. Washed-out: ASHY

18. Joint that's jumping: IN SPOT. Why "jumping"?

19. Bushy styles, for short: FROS

24. "I can do it with my eyes closed!": A SNAP

25. Yorkie's perch: LAP

26. Tickles pink: AMUSES

27. [Horrors!]: GASP. The square brackets suggest non-verbal behavior or gesture.

28. Jai alai basket: CESTA. See this picture. The jai alai ball is called "pelota". Learned from doing Xword.

29. Like Russia and Japan, for most of 1904-'05: AT WAR

30D. River crossed in Joshua: JORDAN. Jordan River. Easy guess. Who crossed the river? Jesus?

32. Last-ditch bet: ALL IN. Poker bet.

36. Harts: STAGS

38. A pop: EACH

40. Prenatal tests, for short: AMNIOS. Amniocentesis. New word to me also.

46. Passable: SO SO

47. Permeated: IMBUED

50. Gulf War missile: SCUD

51. Odium: HATE

52. Sister of Osiris: ISIS. Or wife of Osiris.

53. dance: HORA. The Jewish wedding dance. Wikipedia says "Hava Nagila" is a Hebrew folk song, meaning "let us rejoice".

55. Decisive '40s event: D-DAY

58. __ end: cloth remnant: FAG. New word to me.

59. Thematic number on 61-Down: TWO. And ARK (61. Early craft). Noah's Ark. Everything in pairs.

60. Scene stealer: HAM

Answer grid.

C.C.

PS: Happy Birthday, Jeannie!

Wednesday May 12, 2010 David W. Cromer

Theme: Four Aces - All the theme answers are clued as definitions of "ACE".

17A. ACE: FLAWLESS SERVICE. Filled in FL* immediately, then I wanted FLYING something.

28A. ACE: VENTURA IN FILMS. Movie "Ace Ventura".

45A. ACE: BANDAGE ACRONYM. I only use Johnson & Johnson's Band-Aid. Have never heard of Ace Bandage.

59A. ACE: HALF OF BLACKJACK. Got the answer via crosses. Don't play Blackjack.

No hole-in-one (golf), or pitching star (baseball) or perfect serve (tennis), the aces I am familiar with.

David also gives us three math terms:

63. Geometry calculation: AREA

46D. Geometry calculations: ANGLES. Nice intersection.

48D. Advanced math subj.: CALC. Quite a few abbrs. in this grid.

ANG (51A. "Spider-Man" director Lee) was an easy fill. But I don't remember Ange Lee directed any "Spider-Man" movie. "Hulk", yes.

Across:

1. Pest control target: ROACH

6. Get down the road?: PAVE. Great clue.

10. Hired soldier, briefly: MERC. Mercenary I presume.

14. Big name in foil: ALCOA

15. Ongoing auction site: EBAY. Baseball card mecca.

16. Asian domestic: AMAH

20. Abe Lincoln's boy: TAD. Learned from doing Xword.

22. "Gerontion" poet's monogram: TSE. Easy guess.

23. Just out: NEW. Then we have EFTS (53D. New newts). New duplication. Meh!

24. Acts as lookout, say: ABETS

33. Knotted scarf: ASCOT

34. Reunion attendee: NIECE

35. Ripped: TORN

38. Help for a busy mgr.: ASST

42. Small amounts: IOTAS

44. 100 clams: C-NOTE. Clam is slang for a dollar. Got me.

49. Door squeaker: HINGE. I liked this clue.

50. Flight component: STAIR. Flight between floors.

52. Drink with a string in it, perhaps: TEA

55. Letters in a business name: LLC. Did you want LTD also?

56. One of the three states of matter: GAS. And Solid & Liquid.

65. Message obeyed by Alice: EAT ME. Wonderland cake message.

67. Narrow aperture: SLIT

68. Cornered: TREED

Down:

1. Huck's ride: RAFT

2. Earthenware pot: OLLA. I really love this olla. Some artist signed piece can cost a ton.

3. Phillips, e.g.: Abbr.: ACAD. Phillips Academy.

4. Leather source: COW

5. Largest flatfish: HALIBUT. Oh, I did not even know halibut is flatfish.

6. Dinero replaced by the euro: PESETA (puh-SEY-tuh). The former Spanish currency. I forgot.

7. Six-pack muscles: ABS. Beautiful abs.

8. Seemingly endless: VAST

9. Places for pupils: EYES. We also have SYST (66A. Part of CBS. Abbr.).

10. Dallas cager, familiarly: MAV. Dallas Mavericks.

11. "8 Mile" rapper: EMINEM

12. The Andrettis, e.g.: RACERS. OK, EddyB, your turn to comment.

13. Masticates: CHEWS. Masticate is a new word to me.

19. Dig find: RELIC. Thought of Lemonade's son.

24. Making reparations: ATONING

25. They're often sensitive to allergens: SINUSES

27. Rigby of song: ELEANOR. "Eleanor Rigby", the Beatles' song.

28. Napa Valley vessel: VAT

29. Juan's "that": ESO

30. Maker of bar code scanners: NCR

31. "Collages" novelist: NIN (Anaïs)

37. Joplin work: RAG

39. Young fellow: SON

40. Porcine abode: STY. Pigs will be happy with this clue: "abode", so dignified.

41. President pro __: TEM. Robert Byrd is the current President pro tempore of the Senate.

44. Nocturnal noisemaker: CRICKET

45. Like computer code: BINARY. Two digits.

47. Words of relief: AT LAST

49. Mirthful sounds: HAHAS

54. Genesis victim: ABEL. First ever victim. The second son of Adam and Eve, slain by his brother, Cain.

56. Concert receipts: GATE. Not a S ending answer. Tricky clue.

57. Wile E. Coyote's mail-order house: ACME

58. List of appts.: SKED. Cavil away!

61. Flowery welcome: LEI

62. It holds the mayo: JAR

Answer grid.

Notes from the constructor:

I've done a few definition themes before and the word ACE struck me as a good candidate while watching a rerun of "Ace Ventura". I did have to reconstruct the whole puzzle however after learning that ACE was an acronym for a bandage produced by 3M. I originally had "Ventura in Movies" and "Bandage Producer". The other two entries are the same.

C.C.

Tuesday May 11, 2010 Jeff Chen

Theme: C.C. - Both words in each theme phrase (and clues) start with letter C, including the unifier itself.

17A. Cough cause: COMMON COLD

27A. Courtside coverage: COLOR COMMENTARY

41A. Captain's concern: COLLISION COURSE. Two 15-letter grid spanning theme entries.

55A. Contract clone (whose abbreviation hints at this puzzle's theme): CARBON COPY

Argyle here.

Another clear and concise offering from Jeff Chen, whose note on this puzzle is attached at the end of my write-up.

Across:

1A. Pinochle plays: MELDS. A combination of cards for score or the act of laying down those cards, depending if you read the alliterated clue as a noun or a verb.

6A. Lure: BAIT.

10A. Arced line connecting two musical notes: SLUR. Image.

14A. Construction girder: I-BEAM.

15A. Rod in a hot rod: AXLE.

16A. Sniffer: NOSE.

19A. School reunion attendee: ALUM. Shortened version can mean male or female. Convenient.

20A. Ambient music pioneer Brian: ENO. Ambient music is a musical genre that focuses largely on the timbral characteristics of sounds, often organized or performed to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual" or "unobtrusive" quality. From Wikipedia. Timbral - the adjective form of timbre: the quality given to a sound by its overtones. Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary (TMI, I know.)

21A. Madeline of "Blazing Saddles": KAHN. She portrayed Lilly Von Schtupp.

22A. Cathedral top: SPIRE. Top of the steeple.

23A. Not at any time, in verse: NE'ER.

25A. Flew a plane: AVIATED.

31A. Sources of fiber: BRANS.

32A. Blackens, as tuna: SEARS.

33A. Puts in stitches: SEWS.

34A. Like a birdbrain: DITZY.

35A. Rip: TEAR.

39A. Grand Canyon pack animal: BURRO.

40A. Flashy: GAUDY.

46A. Consecrates with oil: ANOINTS.

47A. Germany's von Bismarck: OTTO.

48A. Police operation: STING. Plus, 18D. 55-Down in a bust: NARC. 55D. One with a beat: COP. I was expecting 55D to be DEA.

49A. Central points: FOCI.

51A. Microwave: ZAP.

54A. Insect wound: BITE.

58A. Agreement from the flock: "AMEN!".

59A. Two-tone cookie: OREO.

60A. Office machine powder: TONER.

61A. One of a matching pair: HERS. (HIS & HERS)

62A. Red Rose: PETE. Pete Rose played baseball for the Cincinnati Reds; aka "Charlie Hustle".

63A. More than chunky: OBESE.

Down:

1D. Scampering squeakers: MICE.

2D. Black, in verse: EBON.

3D. Statute that protects car buyers: LEMON LAW.

4D. Public works project: DAM.

5D. Camel users?: SMOKERS. 34D. Pledge target: DUST. Hiding the fact that we are looking at proper names: Camel cigarettes and Pledge furniture polish.

6D. "Goldberg Variations" composer: BACH. A set of an aria and 30 variations for harpsichord published in 1741.

7D. Neural transmitter: AXON.

8D. Not well: ILL.

9D. Bill's "excellent adventure" partner: TED. Movie. Stupid fun.

10D. Be short with: SNAP AT.

11D. Nabokov nymphet: LOLITA. Lo-li-ta.

12D. Loan shark: USURER.

13D. Cure: REMEDY.

22D. Breaks a commandment: SINS.

24D. Ages and ages: EONS.

25D. Legendary female warrior: AMAZON. Was Xena an Amazon?

26D. Quite: VERY.

27D. Its eye is on TV: CBS. TV network.

28D. Refinable rock: ORE.

29D. Egyptian god of the dead: OSIRIS. Wikipedia entry.

30D. Part of MGM: METRO. (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)

35D. Lacking slack: TAUT.

36D. Multicountry union using the same currency: EUROZONE.

37D. Promos: ADS.

38D. Deli loaf: RYE.

39D. Soft-voiced Crosby: BING. Known as a crooner, sang "White Christmas".

40D. Started liking, as a hobby: GOT INTO.

41D. Section of Algiers: CASBAH. Specifically the citadel of Algiers in Algeria and the traditional quarter clustered around it. More generally, spelled kasbah.

42D. Prompt: ON TIME.

43D. Hang around: LOITER.

44D. Tablecloths and more: LINENS.

45D. Designer Chanel: COCO. A CC echo.

49D. Guitar ridge: FRET.

50D. Double-reed woodwind: OBOE.

52D. Big galoots: APES.

53D. Combustible pile: PYRE.

56D. "We __ the World": ARE.

57D. Corn unit: COB.

Answer grid.

Notes from Jeff Chen:

I heard a friend use the phrase COLLISION COURSE a few months ago, and I thought it was catchy. I looked it up in the cruciverb database, and luckily it's only been used once in crosswords (in a themeless puzzle) since the database's inception, but I wasn't quite sure how to make a puzzle out of it. After some brainstorming, I thought that other two-word phrases using the initials CC might make a good easy-ish puzzle, so I came up with a list of about ten that I thought were interesting. However, it still didn't feel like a very good puzzle, since it didn't have anything that tied the phrases together. Luckily I was reading your blog one day and it hit me that CC is an abbreviation for CARBON COPY, so that would serve to link up the phrases nicely. Luckily Rich agreed! Thanks for the inspiration CC! Jeff

Argyle

PS: Blogger software is having some glitches showing Comments.

Monday, May 10, 2010 Dan Naddor

Theme: Gents - The end of these common phrases are men's names beginning with J (all in plural form).

18A. Ground beef concoctions on buns: SLOPPY JOES. Image

23A. Dried meat sticks: SLIM JIMS. Image

33A. Winter underwear: LONG JOHNS. Image

50A. Toronto ball team: BLUE JAYS. Image

56A. Fruit-and-cinnamon-flavored cereal: APPLE JACKS. Image

Quite low block count for a Monday. And triple stacks of 7 -letter non-theme answers in each Down quadrant. 5 Scabbly Js.

Argyle here. A Naddor on a Monday. Everything seems to be in order.

Across:

1A. The U.S. minimum is $7.25 per hour: WAGE. The statutory minimum wage was first introduced nationally in 1938 at $0.25/hr.

5A. In the phone directory: LISTED.

11A. It can follow poli or precede fi: SCI. (poli sci - political science)(sci-fi - science fiction)

14A. One out of two: HALF.

15A. Break out of jail: ESCAPE. A great movie, The Great Escape.

16A. Refusals: NOs.

17A. Amo, amas, __: AMAT. Latin

20A. Nervous twitch: TIC.

21A. Kitchen cabinet stack: PLATES.

22A. Light beige: ECRU.

25A. War's opposite: PEACE. Together, a very long book.

26A. Apprehension: UNEASE.

27A. Food fish that's often red: SNAPPER. Image Red Snapper with Lemongrass

29A. Quechua-speaking country: PERU. Quechua is the language of the Inca civilization, presently spoken by about 7 million people in Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina. Dictionary.com

30A. Two-time loser to Ike: ADLAI. We may have some discussion about using Dwight David Eisenhower's nick name to clue Adlai Ewing Stevenson II's first name.

32A. Radical '60s org.: SDS. Students for a Democratic Society.

37A. Doofus: ASS.

40A. "Do __ See God?": Jon Agee palindrome book: GEESE. It appears this maybe an entry in his 1991 book, "Go Hang a Salami! I'm a Lasagna Hog! and Other Palindromes".

41A. Meat-inspecting org.: USDA. United States Department of Agriculture

45A. Visibly embarrassed: BEET RED.

47A. Lynx family member: BOBCAT.

49A. Kind of carnival show: RAREE. A peep show, usually "raree-show".

52A. Airline to Ben-Gurion: EL AL. Ben-Gurion airport is located near the city of Lod, southeast of Tel Aviv, Israel. EL AL Israel Airlines Ltd is the flag carrier of the State of Israel.

53A. On the train: ABOARD.

55A. Rockies hrs.: MST. Mountain Standard Time

58A. Samoa's capital: APIA. Samoa Islands.

59A. Go after in court: SUE.

60A. Surgeon's tool: LANCET.

61A. Long race, for short: TEN K. 10 kilometers (6.2 miles)

62A. Military gps.: TPS. Troops?

63A. Military instructions: ORDERS.

64A. Coastal raptor: ERNE. Sea Eagle

Down:

1D. Bugs's question to "Doc": "WHAT'S UP?".

2D. Pooh's creator: A.A. MILNE. Winnie the Pooh.

3D. Ice Age remnant: GLACIER.

4D. Young newt: EFT. "They're so cute when they're young." Image.

5D. Nielsen of "Naked Gun" films: LESLIE. His movies are a farce.

6D. Muslim religion: ISLAM.

7D. Highlanders, e.g.: SCOTS.

8D. Record, á la Nixon: TAPE. Minus the an 18½ minute gap.

9D. Omar of "The Mod Squad" movie: EPPS. The 1999 movie. He is Dr. Eric Foreman on TV's "House".

10D. "L.A. Law" co-star Susan: DEY. Another TeeVee show.

11D. Nestle brand named for its covering of tiny white confection balls: SNO-CAPS. Image.

12D. Strong-armed: COERCED

13D. Publishers, e.g.: ISSUERS.

19D. Cherokee on the road: JEEP.

21D. Jammies: PJs. Pajamas.

24D. Handle roughly: MAUL.

25D. "Royal" annoyance: PAIN.

27D. Gin flavoring: SLOE.

28D. Slangy "No way": "NAH".

30D. Elderly: AGED.

31D. School dance VIPs: DJs. (disc jockey)

34D. Grimm beast: OGRE. (the Brothers Grimm and their fairy tales)

35D. Formerly, in wedding news: NEE.

36D. Math or soc. studies: SUBJ. (subject)

37D. Side by side: ABREAST.

38D. Sea lion newborn: SEAL PUP.

39D. Pancho's ponchos: SERAPES. alliteration

42D. Run playfully: SCAMPER.

43D. Motel with a sunrise in its logo: DAYS INN.

44D. On the line: AT STAKE.

46D. Relate: TELL.

47D. Pops, as a bubble: BURSTS.

48D. Multivolume ref.: OED. (The Oxford English Dictionary) What I would dearly love to have.

50D. Italian bowling game: BOCCE.

51D. Southern California hoopster: LAKER.

53D. Open just a bit: AJAR.

54D. 57-Down, for one: BAND.

57D. "Xanadu" rock gp.: ELO. (Electric Light Orchestra). We don't need to hear "Xanadu" again, do we?

58D. Chowed down: ATE.

Answer grid.

Argyle

Sunday May 9, 2010 John Lampkin

Theme: Pet Food - Part of a common food/beverage item is substituted with the sound a animal makes and the resulting punny phrase is clued with question marked appropriate animal name and the food/beverage hint.

23A. Duck's snack?: GRAHAM QUACKER. Graham Cracker. Duck quacks. This is the only theme entry where the pun is not really based on the pet sound "quack", but rather the pet itself "quacker".

38A. Canary's cereal?: SHREDDED TWEET. Shredded wheat. Canary tweets.

71A. Dog's creamer?: ARF AND ARF. Half and Half. Arf is the dog bark sound.

101A. Owl's beverage?: HOOT CHOCOLATE. Hot Chocolate. Owl hoots.

122A. Chick's first course?: SPLIT PEEP SOUP. Split Pea Soup. Chick peeps.

3D. Sheep's eggplant dish?: BAA BAA GHANOUJ. Baba Ghanouj (or Ghanoush). A dish I've never heard of. The constructor might have anticipated so, otherwise there would not be a direct "eggplant" hint. Hard to make eggplant taste good. Sheep baas.

59D. Cow's dessert? RASPBERRY MOOS. Raspberry Mousse. Cow moos.

From beverage to food. From first course to dessert. Lovely range of choices. Delicious theme clues too.

More entries for the hungry:

34A. __ Wafers: NILLA

50A. Hog meat: HAM. And PENS (62A. Hog hangouts). Hog echos.

31D. Browns in a pan: SEARS. Love seared tuna.

And of course, being a musician, John always sprinkles a few music references in his puzzle:

47A. B-flat equivalent: A-SHARP

74A. Cavaradossi's lover: TOSCA. The Puccini opera.

116A. Third degree of a musical scale: MEDIANT. New word to me. And PH. D (49D. Third deg.?). Bachelor. Master & Ph.D. Third degree echo.

55D. Vivaldi's hour: ORA. Italian for "hour".

56D. Pachelbel's "__ in D Major": CANON. Waiting for Jazzbumpa to find a perfect link.

114D. "__ in Calico": Crosby song: A GAL. Here is a clip. I was ignorant of the song.

I've highlighted in green all the cross-references and clue echos, John's hallmark. I also noticed that there's not even one cheater/helper square in the whole grid.

Across:

1. Outback developer: SUBARU. Immediately thought of Kazie and Australia.

7. Like students on finals eve: UP LATE

13. Turn over with faith: ENTRUST

20. Pain relief brand: ANACIN. And OTC (90. Like 20-Across, briefly) & ACHE (4D: 20-Across target).

21. Bit of inclemency: SHOWER

22. Have advance knowledge of, as the future: SEE INTO

25. Crossword whose answers contain all 26 letters, e.g.: PANGRAM. We've seen quite a few from Barry Silk.

26. Jeer: GIBE

27. Play narrated by a stage manager: OUR TOWN. The Thornton Wilder play.

28. Half of a Pacific island: BORA. Bora Bora.

29. Supermarket ID: UPC (Universal Product Code). And MDSE (33. Gds). Merchandise. Would prefer "Goods: Abbr.".

30. Ecol. watchdog: EPA

31. Give and take: SWAP. Nice clue.

32. Je t'__: I love you, in France: AIME. Wo Ai Ni, in Chinese.

36. Blind alley: DEAD END. And TOMCATS (19D. Alley prowlers). Alley echo.

42. 1998 biopic about model Carangi: GIA. Played by Angelina Jolie.

43. Camelot charger: STEED. Alliteration.

45. Like sirens: SEXY

46. Long-shot winners defy them: ODDS. Nailed it.

51. Stair posts: NEWELS

53. "Alice in Wonderland" (2010) star Wasikowska: MIA. Total stranger to me. An Aussi.

57. Garden party hiree: CATERER

64. Film with Bond girl Honey Ryder: DR. NO. Honey Ryder sounds very DF.

65. Jason's ship: ARGO

68. 1998 Olympics city: NAGANO. Winter Olympics.

69. Beak: SNOOT

75. Fresh: UNUSED

77. Picked do: AFRO

78. Aptly named beam: Z-BAR. No idea. Shaped like Z?

81. Lounging garb: PAJAMAS

83. Diner on a hill: ANTEATER. Ah, I definitely need a question mark in the clue.

86. NYC subway line named for two boroughs: BMT. Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit. Good to know.

87. Cue: PROMPT

91. __femoris: thigh muscle: BICEPS. See this diagram. I always associate biceps with upper arms. Also QUADS (24D: Thigh muscles). Where are quads, Dennis?

93. It may be filled with Londonderry air: TYRE. British spelling of tire. Londonderry is a new word to me. Adjective of London?

97. Van Gogh's confidant brother: THEO. He died a few months after Van Gogh killed himself.

98. Early Teutons: GOTHS

100. Mastodon preserver: TAR

104. Bunkers and streams, to golfers: HAZARDS. Hmm, it's the lake I fear. You can always pick up your balls along the streams.

108. Actress Rene: RUSSO. Love her in "Tin Cup".

109. Signed note: CHIT

111. Even so: YET

112. Fury: IRE

113. Facetious "Not funny": HA HA. And ROASTS (61D. Facetious tributes). Facetious echos.

119. Uma's role in "The Avengers": EMMA

120. Demand to be free: LET ME GO. I like the answer.

124. Not metaphorical: LITERAL

125. Tube: TEEVEE. Weird to see TV spelled out.

126. Service station feature, briefly: C- STORE. Silly, but I've never heard of Convenience Store abbreviated as C-Store.

127. Regal: STATELY

128. Garden tools: EDGERS

129. Equilibria: STASES. Plural of stasis. Euilibria is plural of equilibrium.

Down:

1. Declined: SAGGED. Not the "Declined" I had in mind.

5. Estuary: RIA

6. Going to seed, as grass: UNMOWN

7. Grab, as power: USURP

8. "Cool" relative: PHAT. And FAT (73. Full of flab). Alliteration.

9. In __ parentis: LOCO. Latin.

10. Like most early adolescents: AWKWARD. Nice clue.

11. __ Beanies: Little stuffed animals: TEENIE

12. Muff a grounder: ERR. Baseball.

13. Hockey's Phil, to fans: ESPO. Finally I remembered his name.

15. One paying a flat fee?: TENANT. Flat = Apartment.

17. Like printer paper: UNRULED. And STAPLED (18. Attached, as paper). Consecutive paper echo.

28. Moisten, poetically: BEDEW

35. Noted WWII photo site, briefly: IWO. Iwo Jima.

37. Diego's day: DIA. Alliteration.

38. Blockade: SEAL OFF

39. Blood: pref.: HEMA. Hemo too.

40. Biz boss: EXEC. Alliteration again. All the last three clues start with B. Not a coincidence. I can assure you.

44. Powerful D.C. lobby: THE NRA. THE got me.

47. Intensifies: AMPS UP

48. Earth shade: SIENNA. Beautiful shade! Sienna Miller has a unique style.

52. ER "Right away!": STAT. And TEMP (70. ER stat). ER echo.

58. They may need stroking: EGOS. Nailed it.

60. Bivouac: ENCAMP

63. Former Cub star: SOSA (Sammy). He spent his best years with the Cubs.

66. Martha's Vineyard paper since 1846: GAZETTE. Easy guess.

67. "Law & Order" actor: ORBACH (Jerry). His son Tony Orbach is a crossword constructor.

72. What the suspicious smell: A RAT

76. Sith lord's title: DARTH. Darth Vader.

79. Lee follower: REB. R. E. Lee.

82. Trendy London area: SOHO

84. Honk: TOOT

85. Posh: RITZY

88. Much-visited place: MECCA

89. Bear in a red shirt: POOH. ''Winnie-the- Pooh".

92. 1880s pres. monogram: CAA (Chester A. Arthur). Stumper.

93. Pulse quickeners: THRILLS

94. Touching comment?: YOU'RE IT. The tag game. Clever clue.

95. Stone name: ROSETTA. Rosetta Stone.

96. Visitors from afar, for short: ETS

98. Drop leaf support: GATE LEG. New word to me. It's defined as "a leg attached to a hinged frame that can be swung out to support a drop leaf table".

99. Stood out: SHONE

102. Stick: COHERE. Tricky clue.

103. Favored a foot: LIMPED

105. Montezuma's people: AZTECS. Montezuma is the last Aztec emperor.

106. Coyly decorous: DEMURE

107. Middle ear bone: STAPES. Also called stirrup.

110. Bull attractors: CAPES. Not interested in bullfighting at all.

115. Blessed: HOLY

117. Ring pretense: DIVE. Not familiar with this boxing term. Dictionary says it's "a false show of being knocked out, usually in a bout whose result has been prearranged: to take a dive in an early round".

118. Old Roman road: ITER

119 ""¿Cómo __?": ESTA

121. Strawberry, in the '80s: MET. Gimme. I have lots of worthless Darryl Strawberry baseball cards.

122. Véronique, e.g.: Abbr.: STE (Sainte). I've never heard of Véronique. French I presume?

Answer grid.

Happy Mother's Day!

C.C.

Saturday May 8, 2010 Tom Heilman

Theme: None

Total words: 70

Total blocks: 26

Quite low block count. 7-letter entries aplenty. Six in each quadrant. Clear Aye's "Pack and Stack".

But what a total disaster for me. Hindenburg crashing into the Titanic! The lower right corner was simply impossible.

So many unknown answers. Lots of unfamiliar references in the clues too. IAGO (26A. "So will I ... make the net / That shall enmesh them all" speaker) typifies the trickiness today. I know he is the "Othello" villain, but I am not acquainted with the quote at all.

Across:

1. Reacted with embarrassment, maybe: GIGGLED. Three Gs in this entry alone. I am embarrassed to say it did not come to me readily.

8. Moderate pace: JOG TROT. Unaware the existence of this term.

15. Legally gone: ON LEAVE. My first reaction is something death related.

16. Ignorant: UNAWARE

17. Spenserian beings: FAERIES. No idea. Edmund Spenser is an English poet known chiefly for his allegorical epic romance "The Faerie Queene", according to Dictionary.com. Faery is a variant of fairy.

18. Sparks resident: NEVADAN. Sparks is a city in W Nevada, E of Reno. I've never heard of it.

19. __ pro nobis: ORA. Pray for us.

20. Fry corrugation: CRINKLE. I know corrugation crinkle connection. But why fry? What fry?

22. Company abbr.: INC

23. Undersized one: RUNT

25. Nearly a billion people live in them: SLUMS. Wow, that's way more than I thought. The plural "them" and "Nearly a billion" in the clue did not prevent me from thinking of China (1.3 billion people). Felt stupid!

27. Rhone tributary: ISERE. Flowing from the Alps to the Rhone River. I drew a blank.

29. Janeane's co-star in "The Truth About Cats and Dogs": UMA (Thurman). Fun movie.

30. Asked for a hand?: ANTED. Oh, poker hand.

31. Excite: THRILL

33. Seen from above, as a view: BIRD'S EYE

35. In person: BIG AS LIFE. I've only heard of the idiom "bigger than life".

37. Deceptive lingo: JIVE TALK. Didn't know the "deceptive" connotation.

40. Carbohydrate used in jellies: PECTIN. It's stuff that makes jelly jell. Who knows they are carb? Well, maybe Al & Jazzbumpa do.

44. Chilled: ON ICE

45. Abner's radio partner: LUM. "Lum and Abner". Not in my radar.

47. Prefix with graphic: ETHNO. Ethnographic. New word to me.

48. Court org.: USTA (United States Tennis Association). Tennis court.

49. Techies' campus hangout: PC LAB

51. They can get high: SEAS. Stumped me. High seas are the open seas of the world outside the territorial waters of any nation. I was thinking of alcohol or drugs.

52. FDR home loan gp.: NHA (National Housing Agency). Outside my ken also.

53. Become payable: FALL DUE. Is this a real phrase?

55. Austin-to-Del Rio dir.: WSW. Got me also.

56. Make notes?: COMPOSE. Musical note.

58. Scholarly: ERUDITE

60. Italian colony from 1890 to 1941: ERITREA. Oh, I thought it's a French colony, like so many countries in Africa.

61. Frenzied fits: DELIRIA. Again, only knew the singular delirium.

62. Chamber group member?: SENATOR. Man, I was definitely not in the legislative chamber direction.

63. Watching carefully: ON ALERT

Down:

1. "Don't miss this chance": GO FOR IT. Just had this fill yesterday. Clued as "Words of encouragement".

2. Hurrying along: IN A RUSH. I instinctively knew the answer would not end in ING.

3. Information gatherer: GLEANER

4. Where BMW was born: GER (Germany)

5. Worldly: LAIC. I associate LAIC with nonclerical, not worldly.

6. Activist who said "You can kill a man but you can't kill an idea": EVERS (Medgar). Neither the quote nor the guy is known to me.

7. First "Mission: Impossible" TV production company: DESILU. The Arnaz-Ball studio.

8. Many ad circulars: JUNK MAIL

9. Law school newcomers: ONE Ls. One L = First Year Law Student.

10. Yielded: GAVE

11. Old carrier: TWA. Howard Hughes's airline.

12. Project, as cheer: RADIATE

13. Aptly named red tabby who played Cat in "Breakfast at Tiffany's": ORANGEY. Here is a picture. I only knew Audrey Hepburn calls the cat Cat.

14. Police radio lingo: TEN CODE. Forgot. Here is Argyle's link again.

21. Knucklehead: NUMBSKULL. I am definitely feeling like one.

24. Manhattan district: TRIBECA. Portmanteau composed of the words "Triangle Below Canal Street" .

26. Spray targets: INSECTS

28. Cream of the crop: ELITE

30. Magazine revenue item: AD FEE

32. Airport on Flushing Bay, briefly: LGA. LaGuardia Airport. Was ignorant of the Flushing Bay.

34. Sewer's target: RIP. Sewer = One who sews.

36. Safe call: ALL CLEAR. Did you think of baseball also?

37. Bumps along: JOUNCES. Yet another new word. Sigh! Did you want BOUNCES also?

38. Close to the coast: IN SHORE. OK!

39. A, B or C, e.g.: VITAMIN. Another sly clue.

41. Deadline, metaphorically: THE WIRE. Again, I only know the phrase "Down to the wire".

42. Upset: IN A STIR. Is this a common phrase?

43. "A cinch": NO SWEAT. I liked the clue and the answer.

46. Managed: MADE DO

49. Public promenade: PASEO. Stumped many last time.

50. Raeburn van __, cartoonist who drew "Abbie an' Slats": BUREN. I peeked at the answer sheet. Have never heard of this guy.

53. Defense structure: FORT

54. "The Long, Hot Summer" vixen __ Varner: EULA. Another total stranger. This poster looks hot. What's the title of that song with lyric "... making love on a long, hot summer's night"?

57. Class action gp.?: PTA. Saw this clue somewhere before.

59. "Rugrats" infant: DIL. Absolutely clueless.

Answer grid.

C.C.

Friday May 7, 2010 Donna S. Levin

Theme: Made-up Signs - Part of a familiar sign is substituted and the resulting punny phrase is clued with question marked appropriate place name.

17A. Sign at a laundry?: WRING FOR SERVICE. Ring for Service. Crossing PHONES (6D. Ringers). Letter W is added. No sound change.

24A. Sign at a nuclear reactor?: GONE FISSION. Gone Fishing. The only theme entry with no add-letter(s) scheme. Sound change.

42A. Sign at Cape Canaveral?: OUT TO LAUNCH. Out to Lunch. Letter A is added. Sound change.

54A. Sign at the Ukrainian tourism bureau?: WATCH YOUR STEPPE. Watch Your Step. Steppe is the vast grassland plain area in Russia and Central Asia. Letters PE is added. No sound change.

Donna also gives us three baseball references:

46A. Batter's position: STANCE

19D. Fielder's flub: ERROR

29D. Baseball record breaker of 4/8/1974: AARON (Hank). Dennis' favorite all time player. Hank Aaron hits his 715th career home run and breaks Babe Ruth's record.

A few thorny spots here and there. Overall an easier Friday for me. I was on Donna's wavelength most of the time.

Across:

1. More, to a minimalist: LESS. Less is more.

5. Coll. performance barometers: GPAS

9. Boatloads: SCADS

14. Reflection in a cave: ECHO. Thought of the cave echo in "A Passage to India".

15. Its quarter reads "Birthplace of Aviation Pioneers": OHIO. And REEDED (21. Like a quarter's edge). This reed meaning is new to me: make vertical grooves on the edge of a coin/medal. Quarter echo in the two clues.

16. Petty objection: CAVIL

20. Low cells: DUNGEONS. I tend to confuse this word with bludgeon.

22. Uno e due: TRE. Italian for "three".

23. Wilbur Post's buddy: MR. ED

29. Killer __: powerful software: APP. Not aware of this computer jargon.

32. Turkish peak: ARARAT. Landing peak for Noah's Ark.

33. Dept. headed by Tom Vilsack: AGR. Former governor of Iowa. I have his autograph.

34. First king of Israel: SAUL

35. Secondary: MINOR

36. Results of some receptions: Abbr.: TDS (Touchdowns)

37. __ deaf ear: TURN A

38. Soft footwear: MOCS

39. Strong squeezer: BOA. Loved the soft and strong contrast in the two consecutive clues.

40. Wisconsin college or its city: BELOIT. Unknown to me. Is Beloit a Native Indian name? What does it mean?

41. Whatever: ANY

44. Not exactly exact words: OR SO

45. Perps' patterns: MOS. MO = Modus Operandi.

49. CD holder: JEWEL BOX. Terrific answer.

56. Culprit in some food recalls: ECOLI

57. Pro's opposite: ANTI

58. Either "Raising Arizona" director: COEN. The Coen brothers.

59. Like the Taj Mahal: DOMED

60. Exploit: FEAT

61. Eldest daughter of Cronus: HERA. Did not know the eldest trivia. Her mom is Rhea.

Down:

1. Bawdy: LEWD

2. Neutral shade: ECRU

3. Commonly bruised bone: SHIN

4. Track, perhaps: SONG. Tricky clue.

5. Words of encouragement: GO FOR IT. And GET FAR (18. Be very successful). Thought of the courageous Clear Ayes and her always sunny attitude.

7. Pretensions: AIRS

8. Message in a storm: SOS. I wonder what's message in that bottle, Jazzbumpa?

9. Shield from view: SCREEN

10. Submitted: CAVED. Meh, "cave" is part of clue for 14A.

11. All fired up: AVID

12. Rolling "bones": DICE. Bone is slang for dice, I gather?

13. Arctic carrier: SLED

23. "Top Gun" enemy planes: MIGS

24. Third in a sequence: GAMMA. Alpha, Beta, Gamma. Greek alphabet sequence.

25. Sirius' master, in some depictions: ORION. Sirius is the Dog Star. I was unaware that Sirius is part of the Orion Constellation. Have no knowledge about stars.

26. Sluggo's pal: NANCY. The "Nancy" comics. I guessed.

27. Fertility deity: EROS

28. Time's 1977 Man of the Year: SADAT (Anwar). Here is the Time cover.

30. Like the wars between Carthage and Rome: PUNIC. Oh, so the Punic Wars were fought between those two?

31. Subject of the 2003 film "Sylvia": PLATH. About Sylvia Plath. Very depressing movie.

34. Enterprise helmsman: SULU. Of "Star Trek".

36. Miss Gulch's bête noire: TOTO. "The Wizard of Oz".

37. Afternoon service: TEA SET

39. "The Buddy Holly Story" star: BUSEY (Gary). Can't remember his name. Did love the movie though.

40. Screws up: BLOWS IT. Ah, Lois!

42. Prom flower: ORCHID

43. Puzo novel: OMERTA. Gimme. I've read every Puzo novel. Omerta is the the mafia code of silence.

44. Frère de la père: ONCLE. French for uncle. Aunt is TANTE. Frère de la père = Brother of the father.

46. Lang. that gives us "ombudsman": SWED. Oh, good to know.

47. Tex-Mex nosh: TACO

48. Molecule constituent: ATOM

49. Flag Day month: JUNE

50. Solidarity hero Walesa: LECH

51. Gp. led by a Grand Exalted Ruler: BPOE (Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks). Was stumped. I had trouble in this corner.

52. "0" button letters: OPER. Phone button.

53. Princess from Amphipolis: XENA

55. Lummox: OAF. Add one more letter, it becomes flummox (confuse).

Answer grid.

A special "Thank you" to xtulmkr for bringing back "lethologica" to me.

C.C.