Friday January 21, 2011 Kelsey Blakley

Theme: I’m from Boston, and er, ah, you like how I pahk my cah? You take a phrase in the language and change the ER ending into A so it might sound like said by a Bostonian, but transforming the answer into a new and witty sound alike. Wicked cool. As a born and bred New Englandah, I enjoyed the theme, though I struggled with the first entry.

20A. Heavy metal mimic?: HARD ROCK MYNA, anyone ready to hear my story about the bird who sang like Pavorotti again? Did you know MYNAS (or MYNAHS) are members of the starling family? There really is a type of mining done by a HARD ROCK MINERS which I did not know.

28A. Nickname for a pharmaceuticals czar?: PILL PAPA. Sadly, we probably all know a PILL POPPER.

37A. Surfing-induced torpor?: BEACH COMA. Torpor is a nice word, and BEACHCOMBER is a single word which changes into a phrase.

49A. Sailor's pocket bread?: SALT PITA. Lots going on here, SALT as a sailor and bread as , well bread. When I was away at boarding school, the baker told me they really put SALTPETER in the food at our school. It does yield the interesting word anaphrodisiac.

56A. Heavenly food on the nightstand?: BEDSIDE MANNA. My uncle was a doctor, and the patients loved his BEDSIDE MANNER.

Heigh ho all, it is once again Freighday, and for the whole bunch of us with ties the northeast this was a really fun puzzle. In addition to the 5 theme answers, we had another twelve words ending in “A.” So let’s go…

Across:

1. Cape Cod feature: GABLE. Continuing with the New England theme, I grew up in this type HOUSE with the shed dormers.

6. Valentine trim: LACE. We are starting early with our frilly clues.

10. Embezzle: SKIM. I am not sure, but I imagine this comes from the cream rising to the top of milk, and someone stealing the best part.

14. Medicinal plants: ALOES. Our crosswordese of the day.

15. Comet competitor: AJAX. Cleaners, not things in the sky. I had a fish named AJAX, he was a red betta, named after the redheaded giant warrior in the Aeneid.

16. Plantation near Twelve Oaks: TARA. Looks like Gone With the Wind will follow me for a while.

17. Like ESP?: SIXTH. SENSE I enjoyed the movie; it had an unrelated Osmond as well.

18. __ avis: RARA. This rare bird is pretty common in puzzles.

19. Prince William's alma mater: ETON. Their major rival is HARROW, don’t ask me why.

23. Exotic guided tour: SAFARI. Oh my, back to planning a honeymoon.

26. Subway co. in a 1959 song: MTA. Of course the M is for Massachusetts, (Transit Authority) so it fits our puzzle, as well as giving us the KINGSTON TRIO .

27. Flop: DOG. This was my difficult corner, and frankly Scarlett, I do not get the clue. Oh, I just got it, the play was a flop, a dog, a bomb; okay.

31. Aim high: ASPIRE. Dream big.

33. Commotion: ADO. Much of it can become a play.

34. Chapeau's perch: TETE. The mandatory French lesson from my write ups, Chapeau being a HAT and TETE is head.

36. One bearing down: EIDER. Really cute use of language, and play on bearing down.

40. Williams of ''Happy Days'': ANSON. Potsie, who became a director.

43. Peevish, as a puss: SOUR. We all know some, but I will stop there to prevent getting in trouble.

44. One shooting the bull?: VET. Nice misdirection again, inoculating by a veterinarian, not telling stories or killing anything.

47. Sharp Italian cheese: ROMANO. Or annoying TV comedian.

52. 11th-century date: MVI. Oh no, the dread roman numeral clue!

53. Mantel piece: URN. I once made the mistake of picking up one on the mantelpiece when I was picking up a woman foe a date, only to learn I had just met her first husband.

55. Crankcase reservoir: OIL PAN. This should have been next to Gasoline Alley.

60. Bit of plankton: ALGA. While a whale may go through tons, a human cannot digest most plankton.

61. C-3PO worshiper: EWOK. Gotta love a robot with a British accent.

62. Where to see government programs: CSPAN. CABLE SATELLITE PUBLIC AFFAIRS NETWORK.

66. Nat or Card: NLER.I like baseball, but if I do not see and NLER or an ALER anytime soon I will be happy.

67. Sparkling wine city: ASTI. Don’t call it champagne.

68. Elicit a :-) from: AMUSE. Now even puzzles speak in emoticons. LMAO.

69. Dismally damp: DANK. I do loves me a good alliteration and this carries through the clue and answer.

70. "Lolita" star Sue: LYON. I am not sure what happened to this YOUNG LADY but I do know she dated Donovan Leitch; does that help?

71. Pram occupant's wear: NAPPY. A touch of old England to go along with our puzzle, with PRAM being what they call a baby carriage, and NAPPY is a diaper. NC, your thoughts? You can change your mind.

Okay, take a break, have another sip of coffee, and then…

DOWN:

1. State of matter: GAS. Boom, a quick clecho with 51D. State of matter: PLASMA. When was a kid in school when we spoke of STATE OF MATTER we had only gas, liquid and solid; then again the periodic table had only 4 elements, FIRE, WATER, AIR and BILE.

2. Fighter who was a dove: ALI. Muhammed who would not go to VietNam but did 3D. Emulate 2-Down: BOX.

4. Ruinous: LETHAL. I do not think of these as synonymous, but that is just me.

5. F equivalent: ESHARP. JzB, I defer to you on all musical stuff.

6. Blubber: LARD. Man all of a sudden I am the synonym police, while both of these relate to fat, I do not see them as the same thing.

7. Slightly gapped: AJAR. When is a door not a door?

8. Ricochet: CAROM. We had pool table when I was young, so I learned all about ANGLES .

9. Long-odds track wager: EXACTA. Actually a PICK SIX or even a TRIFECTA is harder.

10. Stalk: STEM. For some reason, my first thought was of stalkers.

11. Insect that can mimic a leaf: KATYDID. We had lots of these BUGS when I was growing up in Connecticut, they are kind cool.

12. Cargo on the Edmund Fitzgerald when it sank in Lake Superior: IRON ORE. I did not know that fact, is it mentioned in the SONG ?

13. Recipient of an annual baseball award since 1983: MANAGER. Did not know this easier and that corner was my only slow spot.

21. Rodeo prop: RIATA. ALI pioneered the ROPE A DOPE for his fight against George Foreman.

22. "Casey's Top 40" host: KASEM. He has a 6’ tall wife, Jean who was born in New Hampshire, and was very funny as the second Mrs. Tortelli on Cheers which was set in Boston.

23. Bad Ems attraction: SPA. In case you did not know it, this is a town in the Rhineland, now part of Germany, which I know was part of the Roman incursion into the area. Helps to have a son who studies this stuff.

24. Give a leg up: AID.

25. Showman Ziegfeld: FLO. He was a German immigrant and did great things for American MUSICAL THEATER .

29. Chest muscles, briefly: PECS. No more today girls.

30. Oldest musketeer: ATHOS. I did not ever think about which among this group was the oldest.

32. Zadora of "Hairspray": PIA. Like Sue Lyon, her early film role was in Butterfly as the object of affection of an older man, only Pia did one better, as her lover was her father. In real life she married a 54 year old man when she was 23, but he was rich, and she has had a nice life.

35. OAS member: ECUA. Once again and Ecuador reference, I hope one day to tell great Ecuador stories; I already can tell you about the cocal leaf teas they gave my business partner, but that isn’t very interesting.

37. Zookeeper's main squeeze?: BOA. Oh how cute, a nice change from our ASP.

38. Lassitude: ENNUI. Well here is the ultimate cracked clecho, because this also mean BOREDOM, which could be BOADOM, id from Bahston.

39. DuPont's Fiber A, now: ORLON. Why orlon or nylon or rayon?

40. Worn symbol of support: ARM BAND. Sadly the best know being those of Nazi Germany.

41. "Billy Budd," e.g.: NOVELLA. A controversial little novel, with homosexual undertones.

42. Wee bit: SMIDGEN.

44. Certain lounge frequenter: VIP. They exist in other places than strip clubs guys.

45. SFO listing: ETA. SFO is the code for San Francisco airport.

46. Soak up some rays: TAN. It was 81 today.

48. Tough test: ORDEAL. Related to ORLON?

50. Object of a kicking game: TIN CAN. Ah yes, when we were young and poor, we played kick the can.

54. Like a thorough update: NEWSY. Meh.

57. Cutty __: historic clipper ship: SARK. This is an interesting CLIPPER SHIP and malt whiskey.

58. Agent inspired by Chan: MOTO. Another inscrutable Asian detective, played by Peter Lorre in the movies.

59. Like, with "to": AKIN.

63. Minor crying wolf?: PUP. Yes, wolf babies are pups also.

64. Egyptian viper: ASP. Oh no, the damn ASP was here after all!

65. Napoleonic Wars marshal: NEY. He is becoming a pretty common visitor.

Answer grid.

Wow, I felt like a kid again, thanks for having me in your homes; until next time be sure and use a good hand sanitizer like GermX, and be kind.

Lemonade

Note from C.C.:

Today marks the 3rd anniversary of this blog. I want to thank everyone, esp my dedicated blogging crew and regular commenters for making this a fun adventure.

Thursday, January 20, 2011 Mark Bickham

Theme: Add a silent K. Rather than giving you a long explanation, I'll let Marina Orlova explain it.

17A. Tough handicap to overcome in a joust?: KNIGHT BLINDNESS. Nyctalopia may exist from birth, or be caused by injury or malnutrition, for example, a lack of vitamin A. The opposite is hemeralopia.

22A. Hoopster featured in a news magazine?: KNICK OF TIME. Possibly from an old custom of recording time as it passed by making notches on a tally stick.

39A. What "purls of wisdom" is an example of?: KNITWIT. Nit, from nix, a variant of nichts (German for nothing).

51A. Was familiar with Britain?: KNEW ENGLAND. Not in the biblical sense, I hope...

59A. Bow tied by mortal hands?: KNOT OF THIS WORLD. The nautical unit of measure is from the practice of attaching knotted string to the log line. The ship's speed can be measured by the number of knots that play out while the sand glass is running. The distance between knots is 1/120 of a mile.

Hi all, Al here. If it's Thursday, it must be obfuscated clue day, and there sure were plenty that took a second or third thought.

ACROSS:

1. Volkswagen model since 1979: JETTA.

6. Stare: GAWK. Here you go, ladies.

10. Charm: MOJO.

14. Unit of capacitance: FARAD. Named for Michael Faraday. A capacitor that can store one FARAD would have to be somewhere between the size of a tuna can up to a one liter soda bottle. To store the total energy that a single AA battery can deliver, a capacitor would have to be of over 10,000 times larger than that.

15. "Would __?": I LIE.

16. Baseball's Moises: ALOU. Son of Felipe, also associated with baseball. You could see either name for this bit of crosswordese.

20. Words after post or suffer: A LOSS.

21. Beginning: ONSET.

26. Leo, for one: SIGN. All the focus on Astrology lately, but the dates aren't going to be changed.

27. Manhattan neighborhood acronym: NOHO. NOrth of HOuston St.

28. Ready to serve: DONE.

32. Uncertain concurrence: I GUESS.

35. Gave a buzz: RANG. Telephone.

37. Snaps: PIX.

38. Mineo of "Rebel Without a Cause": SAL.

41. HBO competitor: TMC. Home Box Office, The Movie Channel. For once it wasn't SHOwtime, but same difference, really.

42. __ king: ALA. Cooked in a cream sauce with green pepper or pimiento and mushrooms.

43. Hokkaido native: AINU. Indigenous people of Japan, conceptually like Native Americans here, the Maori of New Zealand, or Australian Aboriginal people.

44. Shoot for, with "to": ASPIRE. Associated with the concept of excitement, heavy breathing (inspiration, expiration), not the spire of a tall building.

46. Old Italian bread: LIRA. This bread/money misdirection shouldn't catch you off guard late in the week.

48. Puts on: DONS. Contraction of "do on", the original sense of "do" was "put". Contrast with doff, as with removing your hat in the presence of a lady.

50. Biol. branch: ECOL. Living organisms (biology) being optimized to suit their environment (ecology).

55. Unlikely lint-gatherer: OUTIE. This article about a collector is probably: 61D. "I didn't need to know that!": TMI.

58. Without delay: APACE.

65. Pinup Hayworth: RITA. Margarita Carmen Cansino. Died of Alzheimer's. Her case, and Ronald Reagan's years later, were instrumental in bringing this problem to light, not just to hide it away.

66. Pianist Gilels: EMIL. Rachmaninoff. Not a lot of other music references today, an unknown for me. Lots of youtube vids though.

67. Church parts: NAVES. Winchester Cathedral. (note, C.C. reported that link not working for her, even though it does for me. So here's a new one: Naves)

68. They have heads and handles: AXES.

69. Mug imperfections: ZITS. Facial acne. Again, probably TMI.

70. Symbol of strength: STEEL. Superman.

DOWN:

1. LaGuardia alternative, familiarly: JFK. Yesterday's Google banner paid tribute to Kennedy's inaugural speech. "Ask not..."

2. Suffix with Caesar: EAN. There are etymology stories that attribute naming of c-sections to his birth, but this is unlikely because his mother lived to see his triumphs, and those would have been fatal in that day and age. More likely the name comes directly from Latin caesus past participle of caedere "to cut."

3. Like jibs: TRIANGULAR. Sails.

4. Movie poster words: TAGLINE. Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water.

5. For a specific purpose: AD HOC. This clue is as direct of a translation from Latin as they come.

6. Big name in guitars: GIBSON. Also MARTIN, TAYLOR, FENDER, IBANEZ, SUZUKI... There are a lot of six letter guitar manufacturer names is what I'm saying. I only have two of those, neither of which is today's puzzle answer.

7. Pledge of Allegiance ender: ALL. Congress recently read the constitution out loud. If that wasn't just a stunt, they should pay equal attention to the words in the pledge, too. "Indivisible"? Not for lack of trying.

8. November 2006 Nintendo release: WII. The two lower case letter "i"s in Wii symbolize two people standing together playing. Pronounced "we".

9. Barbie's beau: KEN. According to Mattel, they broke up in February of 2004, but in 2006 a "new" Ken came along and now they are reunited.

10. Took one's place at, as a post: MANNED.

11. Cries following charges: OLES. I say we make Merill Lynch clean up all their "bullish".

12. __ Cuervo tequila: JOSE.

13. Remove from office: OUST.

18. Sound of reproach: TSK.

19. End for free: DOM. Freedom.

22. Capital of Rwanda: KIGALI. Geography lesson of the day.

23. Cookie information, perhaps: FORTUNE. Oh, the archaic kind of cookie, not something that your web browser saves your ADDRESS in... Speaking of which, if you are concerned about privacy, you might want to visit this site and opt out of letting them show (and sell) your personal information.

24. Relax, as tense relations: THAW.

25. Ancient Aegean region: IONIA.

26. Cordage fiber: SISAL. Rugs, mats, dartboards. Versatile.

29. Retina-brain link: OPTIC NERVE.

30. Jerk: NIMROD. A word that has flipped it's original meaning. Originally "great hunter" (Biblical reference to the son of Cush). Speculation (lets leave it at that) on the reason for the reversal has Bugs Bunny ironically referring to Elmer Fudd as a poor little nimrod. It may be that over the course of history among "manly" hunters, it started to be used in a sarcastically mocking fashion, and the popularity of Bugs gave it an extra boost, but I wouldn't go so far as to claim that to be the true etymology. Makes for a good story, though.

31. Stand out: EXCEL. Or a Microsoft spreadsheet program.

33. Calypso offshoot: SKA. Reggae relation.

34. Like ugly remarks: SNIDE.

36. Fast sports cars: GTS. Gran turismo, Grand tourer.

40. "__ pronounce you ...": I NOW.

45. Naval attire: PEACOAT. Originated from the Dutch or West Frisian word pijjekker, in which pij referred to the type of material used, a coarse kind of twilled blue cloth with a nap on one side.

47. Loyal Japanese dogs: AKITAS.

49. Sluggards: SNAILS. As in "sluggish", I guess.

52. "The Matrix" hero: NEO. Whoa! Keanu Reeves.

53. Modern dash-mounted device: Abbr.: GPS. Global Positioning System.

54. Croquet venues: LAWNS.

55. Creole vegetable: OKRA.

56. Windows alternative: UNIX. Unless you want to play a few certain specific games with certain video cards, that is. With Ubuntu you can do just about everything else.

57. Handy bag: TOTE.

60. Casbah headgear: FEZ. Also, the 11th Doctor (Who) thinks they're cool.

62. Best seller: HIT.

63. General at Antietam: LEE.

64. Step up from dial-up: DSL. Digital Subscriber Line. Cable is faster still.

Answer Grid.

Al

Wednesday January 19, 2011 Michael Sharp and Angela Olson Halsted

Theme: TANKS A LOT! Theme entries are all vertical today, and all start, or are topped, with some type of a TANK - and a different type of tank in each case.

3D. *"Heads up!" : THINK FAST - a warning to react quickly. A THINK TANK is an organization designed to influence policy.

8D. *Pioneering Frank King comic strip featuring Walt and Skeezix : GASOLINE ALLEY. I have vague recollections of this strip from my long-ago youth Skeezix gave it away. A GASOLINE TANK stores fuel in your vehicle, unless you use some type of alternate fuel.

17D. *Award-winning author of "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" : SHERMAN ALEXIE. The first of many unknowns for me. He is a novelist and poet. Here is his web site. The SHERMAN TANK is an armored war vehicle prominently used in WW II by the U.S. and allied forces. It fired a 75 mm SHELL (not 10 D.) The German Tiger fired an 88 mm shell.

33D. *Trendy place for a breather? : OXYGEN BAR, per Wikipedia, an establishment, that sells oxygen for recreational use. I am not making this up. An OXYGEN TANK is a simple utilitarian device that allows divers to go underwater without having to hold their breath, and astronauts to complete space walks.

And the unifier, 24 D. Sleeveless summer wear, or what each answer to a starred clue might be said to have : TANK TOP. Worthy of a picture.

Hi, gang, JazzBumpa here. This is a great puzzle from a constructing team that I don't recognize, but it gave me fits: way too many unknowns for my little pea brain to cope with.

(Note from C.C.: Michael Sharp is Rex Parker. Angela Olson Halsted is PuzzleGirl. Congratulations on the LA Times debut!)

Across:

1. They may be indoor or outdoor : PETS. Gold fish vs dogs, I suppose.

5. Starr with rhythm : RINGO. The mop-topped drummer who played long ago with some band from England. Inexplicably, my first thought was of Bart.

10. Angel dust, for short : PCP. AKA 1-(1-phenylcyclohexyl) piperidine, an antiglutamatergic hallucinigen. Dangerous stuff. Skip this, and go for the oxygen.

13. Yearn (for) : ACHE

14. Like a supportive crowd : AROAR

15. Come as you __ : ARE. Just the way you are.

16. China flaw : CHIP. Happens when you bang the dishes together.

17. Far from dense : SPARSE. As in densely or SPARSELY populated. I like a dense coating of nutmeg, but use parsley SPARSELY.

18. Source of rays : SUN.

19. "West Side Story" duet : TONIGHT. Worthy of a listen.

21. Prepare to seal, as an envelope : MOISTEN. Lick it, lick it good!

23. Classic Welles role : KANE. Again from Wikipedia -- "The story is a film à clef that examines the life and legacy of Charles Foster Kane, played by Welles, a character based upon the American newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst and Welles' own life." Hearst was not amused.

24. Whopper : TALL TALE. Al explained TALL to us last week. I believed him.

25. Sunscreen letters : SPF. Sun Protection Factor.

27. 7-Down's "Casta diva," e.g. : ARIA. This confused me. I thought the clue was looking for a character, not a song.

29. UN workers' gp. : ILO. International Labor Organization. From its website, "The main aims of the ILO are to promote rights at work, encourage decent employment opportunities, enhance social protection and strengthen dialogue on work-related issues."

30. Fab rival : ERA. These are laundry soap products. Try G-spotting either word, and you'll come up with everything else. Here is a commercial - good to know if you have kids or outdoor PETS.

31. Agt. under Ness : T-MAN. Treasury Agent. Eliot Ness enforced prohibition in Chicago. His big prize was Al Capone, but they could never convict him for any of his gang-land crimes, so they got him for tax evasion, and violations of the Volstead Act.

32. Hose : NYLONS. Stockings, that is, not this.

36. Playwright Hart : MOSS. His plays include You Can't Take It With You, and The Man Who Came To Dinner. He also did the screenplay for A Star Is Born (19454.) I wanted BRET, but that's Harte.

38. Place for a bracelet : ANKLE. Some of them are adornments. Here is the Lindsey Lohan Model.

40. Suit : EXEC. Synonyms for corporate big wig.

41. Like some conditional statements : IF-THEN. IF I knew more stuff, THEN I could have completed this puzzle.

43. Warty amphibian : TOAD. An outdoor PET.

45. Singer Sumac : YMA. Zoila Augusta Emperatriz Chávarri del Castillo was a Peruvian singer, reportedly descended from the last Peruvian emperor, Atahualpa.

46. Hard-rock link : AS A. Or, "Grey as a mouse, Big as a house."

47. Eye hungrily : OGLE. And in a rude way.

48. Hunk : GOB. A big ol' chunk o' somethin', and not this.

49. Polite links response : GOLF CLAP. A quiet smattering of polite applause.

53. Loll : LAZE

55. Outfit : CLOTHES

56. Drive crazy : DERANGE. I believe this is the first time I've seen DERANGE used as a transitive verb. I once DERANGED a kitchen, for remodeling.

59. Back talk : LIP

60. Like former admirals : EX-NAVY

62. Surefooted goat : IBEX. Well-endowed fellows.

63. Pre-holiday day : EVE

64. Handle with skill : WIELD

65. Hindu royal : RANI

66. Shriner's cap : FEZ

67. Lowly workers : SERFS

68. Part of Q.E.D. : ERAT. The complete phrase is, "Quod ERAT demonstrandum," that which was to be demonstrated - or, in the vernacular: "See - told ya!"

Down:

1. Warsaw __ : PACT. An alliance of eight European communist countries, from 1955 through 1991, to counterbalance N.A.T.O.

2. Bounce : ECHO. A sound that bounces back.

4. Dark brown pigment : SEPIA

5. Mesmerized : RAPT

6. George's musical partner : IRA. More than just partners - they were a band of brothers.

7. Bellini opera : NORMA. The tragic story of the love of NORMA, a Druidess, for Pollione, the Roman Proconsul.

9. 1990s "Inside Edition" host : O'REILLY (Bill)

10. Shells, e.g: PASTA. Not the 75 mm variety.

11. Unusual companion? : CRUEL. This took me a long time to suss. These words are paired in the phrase "CRUEL and unusual punishment," prohibited by the 8th Amendment to the U.S Constitution.

12. 10-Down type : PENNE. More PASTA, cylinder shaped with slanted ends.

20. Tiny biter : GNAT. Should be obvious, but I needed perp help.

22. Lifted : STOLE. The fur lifter STOLE a mink STOLE.

25. Climbing lane occupant : SEMI. A climbing lane is an extra lane in the highway, designated for large vehicles that can't climb hills quickly. I've seen them, but never knew the name, so I was stumped.

26. Univ. employee : PROF. A Professor. Note abrv in cl and ans.

28. John in Scotland : IAN. The Scottish version of the name, not to be confused with his English cousin, Loo.

34. Hard-to-find clownfish : NEMO. From the eponymous movie.

35. Picketer's bane : SCAB. A worker who crosses a picket line during a strike.

37. Vertical passage : SHAFT. I've got mine!

39. Captain Kirk's record : LOG. I believe every episode of the original Star Trek series started with a Captain's Log entry.

42. Stays away from : ESCHEWS. My favorite bumper sticker says: "Eschew Obfuscation."

44. Pricey : DEAR. Experience teaches a dear school. That confused me when I was a kid.

49. Staff symbol : G CLEF. I'm a bass (F) cleff guy.

50. Drab color : OLIVE.

51. 1990s-2000s Braves catcher Javy : LOPEZ. I had _ _ PEZ, so it was an easy guess.

52. Ed of "Up" : ASNER. I forgot. Very poignant movie.

54. Rumble in the Jungle setting : ZAIRE. Challenger Muhammed Ali knocked out world heavyweight champion George Foreman in the 8th round. This was one of Don King's early ventures, and he cooked up the deal with Mobutu Sésé Seko.

56. Netflix shipments : DVDS

57. Actress Rowlands : GENA. She played Gloria.

58. __ poll : EXIT. Polling of voters leaving the voting site is considered to be highly accurate.

61. "Go Simpsonic With the Simpsons" composer Clausen : ALF. No idea. This is the 1999 sound track album. Can't find a YouTube vid, so here is the album cover.

Answer grid.

Jazzbumpa

Tuesday, January 18, 2011 Gareth Bain

Theme: Singing Male Siblings - Three singing groups, identified by their songs, and connected by the unifier.

20A. Group with the #1 hit "ABC": THE JACKSON FIVE. Image.

32A. Group with the #1 hit "One Bad Apple": THE OSMONDS. Image.

41A. Group with the #1 hit "Jive Talkin'": THE BEE GEEs. Image.

51A. 2001 Spielberg WWII miniseries, and what 20-, 32- or 41-Across is: BAND OF BROTHERS. Image.

Argyle here.

A rather straightforward puzzle; either you knew it or you didn't. I had a few new WODs(Word of the Day) but except for one cross where I had a brain skip, all were doable.

Across:

1. Lin or Angelou : MAYA. Lin and Angelou.

5. Terrier type : SKYE

9. Performed on stage : ACTED

14. Contest with seconds : DUEL

15. Gillette's __ II : TRAC

16. Do-re-mi : MOOLA. Slang for money.

17. Catch, as one's sleeve : SNAG

18. "Mazes and Monsters" author Jaffe : RONA

19. Ventilated, with "out" : AIRED

23. Emeritus, e.g.: Abbr. : RET.. Retired.

24. Some garden plants need it : SHADE

25. Official count : CENSUS

28. Control tower devices : RADARS

35. Western-style "Scram!" : "GIT!"

36. Lena who played Glinda in the movie version of "The Wiz" : HORNE

37. Epi center? : PEE. The letter 'P', center of Epi. (No snickering.)

38. Nez __, Native Americans who breed their own horses : PERCE. They live in the Pacific Northwest region(Columbia River Plateau).

40. Faulkner's "__ Lay Dying" : AS I. A 1930 novel by William Faulkner

43. Garden tool : WEEDER. It's in the shed getting rusty now.

46. Snorkel et al., familiarly : SARGEs. Sgt. Snorkel, from the comic strip, "Beetle Bailey".

47. Put in a seat : ELECT

50. MIT or UCLA : SCH.. What about RPI?

57. Believed without question : ATE UP

58. Cosecant's reciprocal : SINE. Math.

59. Really long time : AEON

61. Present moment : NONCE

62. Ski resort lift : T-BAR

63. Arp's movement : DADA

64. Exceed the limit : SPEED

65. Eponymous logical diagram creator : VENN. Go ahead and look it up, I had to!

66. Online annoyance : SPAM

Down:

1. Docs : MDs

2. Godmother, often : AUNT

3. Slangy okay : YEAH

4. "Flowers for __": story from which the film "Charly" was adapted : ALGERNON. A science fiction short story and subsequent novel written by Daniel Keyes, Algernon is a laboratory mouse who has undergone surgery to increase his intelligence by artificial means. The name came from the poet Algernon Charles Swinburne which Keyes thought was an unusual name. And so do I.

5. Layer : STRATUM

6. Big cheese associated with Big Macs? : KROC. Ray Kroc, McDonald's founder.

7. Americans, to Brits : YANKS

8. PayPal funds : E-CASH

9. Actress Peet or Plummer : AMANDA. Peet and Plummer.

10. Styled in the salon : COIFED

11. Doughnut shapes : TORI. Image. This is funny: I had to change Google to strict search to get away from Tori Spellings(and others) and found this image on...Crossword Corner.

12. Mtn. road sign stat : ELEV. Elevation on the mountain.

13. Miami-__ County : DADE. They showed up a lot on "Cops" TV show when it first aired.

21. Wrestler Ventura : JESSE. So much more than just a wrestler, eh?

22. Rowing crew : OARS

25. Selected : CHOSE

26. Spine-tingling : EERIE

27. Next year's junior : SOPH. Sophomore.

29. What double-checked totals should do : AGREE

30. Runs through a sieve : RICES. Or use a special tool. Video.(0:16)

31. Jeanne d'Arc et al.: Abbr. : STEs

32. Defrost : THAW

33. Michelle Obama __ Robinson : NÉE

34. Ball girls : DEBS. We had DEBUTANTE BALL yesterday.

38. Birdcage feature : PERCH

39. Highbrows : EGGHEADS

41. Not kosher : TREF. Where did TREF come from?

42. New York's time zone : EASTERN

44. Figure out : DEDUCE

45. Married in secret : ELOPED

48. Network with an eye logo : CBS TV

49. "Survivor" faction : TRIBE. Don't watch it. It is on CBS.

51. Outlaws : BANS. Verbs.

52. Resting on : ATOP

53. Hawaii's state bird : NENE

54. __ errand: out : ON AN

55. Harvest : REAP

56. Fizzy drink : SODA

60. "The Deer Hunter" war zone, for short : NAM. Image.

Answer grid.

Note from C.C.:

Here is a great photo of eddyB & his dog Daisy. Eddy said: "Daisy is an AKC Boxer who thinks she is a lap dog. We will see when she is 70 lbs."

Argyle

Monday, January 17, 2011 Donna S. Levin

Theme: Game, Set, Match - The first four theme entries end in a term used in the sport that will give you the ailment in the fifth entry.

17A. Does some Web browsing: SURFS THE NET

24A. Coming-out gala: DEBUTANTE BALL

37A. Demand accompanied by a banging gavel: "ORDER IN THE COURT"

47. Illegal lottery : NUMBERS RACKET

58A. Lateral epicondylitis (and a possible injury hinted at by the ends of 17-, 24-, 37- and 47-Across): TENNIS ELBOW

Argyle here.

I did not start in the NW corner. 'Nuff said. Although the long entries were relatively easy, overall, this was one of the harder Mondays. But did you notice...the theme words (NET, BALL COURT & RACKET) were progressive in their length. Not a coincident, I'm thinking. Right, Donna?

Across:

1. Finalize, as a deal : SEW UP. I put in SHAKE and was slow to take it out.

6. "Let __!": "Start the ball rolling!" : IT RIP. I couldn't find a definitive meaning of the phrase but it relates to doing things quickly. It is much like how you can tear a fabric easily in one direction or if you are sawing lumber, ripping, or sawing with the grain, is much faster the cutting across the grain.

11. Sleep attire, briefly : PJs. Pajamas Adult Onesies.

14. Honolulu hello : ALOHA

15. NFL's winningest coach Don : SHULA. Now has a chain of steak houses.

16. Below-the-belt : LOW

19. "The Kids __ All Right": 2010 film : ARE. A book, a film, and a song(3:01).

20. Building wing : ELL

21. Photographed : SHOT

22. Brownish-green eye color : HAZEL. National Geographic.

28. Forever and ever : ALWAYS

30. Rolled grain : OATS

31. Clark's love : LOIS. And 12D. Superman's birth father : JOR-EL

32. "Me, too!" : "SO AM I!"

34. NFL six-pointers : TDs. Touchdowns

41. Casual shirt : TEE

42. La Virginie et la Caroline du Sud : ÉTATS. French for states (Virginia and S. Carolina)

43. La __ Tar Pits : BREA

44. Karate blow : CHOP

45. Restrain : REIN IN

52. Tibetan capital : LHASA

53. Bedouin, ethnically : ARAB

54. Eyjafjallajökull residue : ASH. Glad the Icelandic volcano is the clue and not the answer; it wouldn't fit anyway.

57. Get stuck for, as a cost : EAT

62. Regret : RUE

63. Furry "Star Wars" creatures : EWOKs

64. Track event : RELAY

65. Family Stone frontman : SLY

66. Thick : DENSE

67. Nerdy types : GEEKS

Down:

1. Submission encl. : SASE. Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope.

2. 12th Hebrew month : ELUL. The twelfth month of the Jewish civil year and the sixth month of the ecclesiastical year. (I could use a little help here.)

3. Global : WORLDWIDE

4. 300 to 3,000 MHz : UHF. The channels are 14 through 83. Remember when you had an antenna on the roof?

5. Elapse : PASS BY

6. Enjoys faddish popularity : IS HOT

7. It precedes iota : THETA. It's Greek to me.

8. Pantyhose woe : RUN

9. Sight in the Seine : ÎLE. French alliteration.

10. Pitiful : PATHETIC

11. Eloise's hotel, with "the" : PLAZA. From a series of children's books written by Kay Thompson

13. Peachy : SWELL

18. Ergo : THUS

23. Crunch targets : ABs

25. Relax, as restrictions : EASE

26. __ Ark : NOAH'S

27. Like most pets : TAME

28. Scads : A LOT

29. Wisdom of the elders : LORE

32. Clothes fasteners : SNAPS

33. Baseball great Mel : OTT

34. Phonograph component : TURNTABLE

35. Eins und zwei : DREI. German 1 + 2 = 3

36. Ollie's partner : STAN. Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy.

38. Readied the leftovers, say : REHEATED

39. "... believe __ not!" : IT OR

40. Big Apple theater award : OBIE. Off Broadway.

44. "Survivor" network : CBS

45. Some TVs : RCAs

46. Anita of "La Dolce Vita" : EKBERG. Image.

47. Cards and Phils : NLers. Baseball.

48. Amateur mover's rental : U-HAUL

49. Sailor's sobriquet : MATEY

50. Military levels : RANKS

51. Get up : ARISE

55. Hose down for a while : SOAK

56. Major rtes. : HWYs. In general, the interstates are even numbers for the east-west highways, increasing from south to north, and the odd numbers are north-south highways, increasing from west to east.

59. Woolly farm female : EWE

60. Rouen refusal : "NON". Rouen is the historic capital city of Normandy, in northern France.

61. Important name in Virginia history : LEE. La Virginie.

Answer grid.

Argyle

Sunday January 16, 2011 Jonathan Black

Theme: Put Me In, Coach - ME is inserted in each familiar name/phrase/word, and the resulting phrase is then humorously clued.

23A. King of workouts? : HENRY THE FIR(ME)ST. Henry the First.

45A. Belittle Short? : DE(ME)AN MARTIN. Dean Martin. Martin Short.

96A. Rogaine-induced reverie? : DREA(ME)D LOCKS. Dreadlocks. I've never heard of Rogaine. Drug for hair loss.

119A. Institution for Shrek and Fiona? : HO(ME)LY MATRIMONY. Holy matrimony.

15D. Footballers who draw flags? : DIRTY LINE(ME)N. Dirty Linen.

48D. Purloined sirloin? : (ME)AT HEIST. Atheist.

51D. Zoo area for dromedaries? : CA(ME)L ZONE. Calzone. Have yet to taste it.

64D. Silent cowboy flick? : MI(ME)D WESTERN. Midwestern.

Nice set of 8 theme answers. Half of them have one-word base phrases. No easy task to comb through **ME** words & come up with cluable answers.

I also like the intersection of 4 theme answers. Always impressive. The theme title is rather self-revealing though. I bet many of you grokked the gimmick quickly.

Could be Jonathan Black's debut. If so, congratulations.

Across:

1. Toward the ship's rear : ABAFT. Nailed it.

6. It may be rolled out : TARP. Was picturing red carpet.

10. Sandler of "Big Daddy" : ADAM

14. Really dig : ADORE

19. Man of La Mancha : SENOR. Nice play on the film "Man of La Mancha".

20. Asian nurse : AMAH. Lots of Filipinos working as nannies in Hongkong.

21. Steam (up) : RILE

22. River to the Tyrrhenian Sea : TIBER. Through Rome.

26. Cache : TROVE. Ah, now Argyle and I fully understood how important those cached files are.

27. Jam time : SESSION

28. Balaam's mount : ASS. Biblical mount.

29. Upscale groups : ELITEs

31. Swore : ATTESTED

34. By far : EASILY. Easily the best.

36. Seed protector : ARIL. Like the tiny white stuff covering the pomegranate seeds.

39. Isolate, in a way : ENISLE

41. Green sides : SALADS. Took me a minute.

50. __ Victor : RCA

52. Country where Baha'i was founded : IRAN. Their calendar consists of 19 months of 19 days.

53. Lab subject : DNA

54. Bully : COERCE

55. Hip bones : ILIA

57. Milky Way phenomenon believed to occur almost weekly : NOVA

58. Delay : LAG

59. Bullet that leaves a trail : TRACER. New to me.

60. Wordsworth works : POEMS

62. Commander, in Arabic : EMIR

63. Fragrant resin : ELEMI. Learned from doing Xword.

65. "My mama done __ me ...": song lyric : TOL'. Grammatically incomprehensible.

66. One paying a flat fee : LESSEE

67. Earned : MADE

68. Creep : INCH. Needs "along" in the clue, no?

70. Good in the 'hood : BAD

71. Bowler's assignment : LANE

73. Cup part : BRIM

76. Parting shot, say : RETORT. I don't get this clue. Why "parting"?

79. La __ : PAZ. Bolivia. Paz = "Peace"

81. Chimborazo's range : ANDES

85. Bank deposit : LODE. River bank. Awesome clue.

86. Beauty pageant prize : TIARA

87. Pounds : THROBS. What did you want, Dennis?

89. "__ fallen ..." : I'VE

90. Word most often heard around midnight : AULD. On New Year's Eve.

91. Talk with one's hands : SIGN. Sign language?

92. A lot of thinking is done in them : CRANIA. I feel the left side of my skull is bigger than the right side.

93. Truck capacity unit : TON

94. Hasenpfeffer, e.g. : STEW. I've never heard of this German rabbit stew, Kazie. Hase = Rabbit. Pfeffer = Pepper, a la Wiki.

95. Antitrust law enforcer: Abbr. : FTC

99. Mezzo Berganza : TERESA. No idea. She's Spanish.

101. They have reservations : HOTELS. Thought of Indians.

103. Quaker's pronoun : THEE. I confuse Quakers with Shakers.

104. Confined : SHUT IN

106. Most austere : BLEAKEST

111. Compound used to stabilize perfume : KETONE. Learning moment.

113. Charlotte-to-Raleigh dir. : ENE. I trust the constructor gets it right.

115. Self-playing instrument : PIANOLA

118. Like some floors : TILED

124. Bestow : AWARD

125. "-zoic" things : ERAS. I like this clue.

126. Cork's home : EIRE. Cork county, Ireland.

127. Bistro bill of fare : CARTE

128. Fool : NINNY

129. Coastal raptors : ERNS

130. Artistic impressions, briefly? : TATS (Tattoos).

131. See 2-Down : KNEES. And 2D. With 131-Across, greatest thing : BEES. Bee's knees.

Down:

1. Lenten symbol : ASH

3. Writer Tyler : ANNE. She is from Minnesota.

4. On eBay, e.g. : FOR SALE. I just buy.

5. Assignation : TRYST

6. California border lake : TAHOE

7. Words of agreement : AMENs

8. Churchill's "so few": Abbr. : RAF. Was unaware the "so few" in "Never was so much owed by so many to so few"refers to the Royal Air Force.

9. Key letter : PHI. Fraternity/Sorority key. Got me. (Correction: KEY here refers to the PHI Beta Kappa symbol. Thanks, Lemonade.)

10. Guns : ARMS

11. Semi filler : DIESEL

12. Capone and Capp : ALs. Then we have 114D. Capone harasser : NESS (Eliot). Capone echos.

13. Allots, with "out" : METES

14. Fifth-century scourge : ATTILA. Attila the Hun, Scourge of God.

16. O, in old radio lingo : OBOE. No idea.

17. Guns : REVS

18. "... __ he drove out of sight" : ERE

24. Little bird : TIT. Made me TEHEE (105. Giggle).

25. Pie cuts, essentially : RADII

30. Dr. Cuddy on "House" : LISA. Got via crosses.

32. 1970s-'90s Toyota : TERCEL. Wiki said "Tercel" derives from Latin meaning "one third" as the Tercel was slightly smaller than the Corolla.

33. Come in : ENTER

35. Mountain homes : AERIES. For the eagles.

36. Discombobulate : ADDLE. Fun word, discombobulate.

37. Kidney-related : RENAL

38. Candidate's concern : IMAGE

40. Threw barbs : SNIPED

42. Pizzeria attraction : AROMA

43. Longtime Seinfeld collaborator : DAVID (Larry)

44. Catch : SNARE

46. Join the cast of : ACT IN

47. "__ any drop to drink": Coleridge : NOR

49. "Giovanna d'__": Verdi opera : ARCO. Know nothing about operas.

56. __ Altos, California : LOS

61. Caribbean, e.g. : SEA

66. Delt neighbor : LAT

69. PC component : CRT

70. German chancellor, 1969-'74 : BRANDT (Willy). First encounter with this guy. He won Nobel Peace in 1971.

72. Like Willie Nelson's voice : NASAL. Boomer loves his songs.

73. Great time : BLAST

74. Beat : ROUTE

75. Dynamo's antithesis : IDLER

77. Discipline involving slow movement : TAI CHI. Very slow. Mostly practiced by old people in China.

78. Web address ending : ORG

79. "Wheel of Fortune" category : PHRASE

80. Saroyan's "My Name Is __" : ARAM. I've never heard of the book.

82. Abandon : DITCH

83. Arouse : EVOKE

84. Taste, e.g. : SENSE

87. Immune response component : T CELL

88. Nod, maybe : BID

95. Man-goat deity : FAUN. Satyr is a faun, right?

97. Mutiny : REBEL

98. It can help you relax : OTTOMAN. Sofa.

100. Poorly made : SHODDY

102. Like some bands : ONE-MAN

107. Like soldiers and their families, usually : APART. Poignant clue.

108. Toys with tails : KITES

109. Ring bearer? : EAR. Earrings?

110. Small cut : SNICK

111. Smallest ratite bird : KIWI

112. Brio : ELAN

116. Traditional wisdom : LORE

117. A chip, maybe : ANTE

118. "The Joy Luck Club" author : TAN (Amy). Very authentic portrayal of Chinese-American immigrants.

120. "Catch-22" pilot : ORR. Wow, no idea, Bobby!

121. "Are we there __?" : YET

122. "Mamma __!" : MIA

123. "Absolutely!" : YES

Answer grid.

C.C.

Saturday January 15, 2011 Brad Wilber

Theme: None

Total words: 70

Total blocks: 29

Looks like Brad planned the grid with triple stacks of 10s in the upper left and lower right, then added two black squares in the corner to get the smoothest fill. Here are the resulting four 10s:

14A. Manhattan clam chowder feature : TOMATO BASE. New England clam chowder is milk-based.

16A. Nanny's challenge : HOLY TERROR. Fun to say.

55A. Dramatic atmosphere source : FOG MACHINE. Needed crossing help.

58A. Some tree sculptures : TOTEM POLES. Nice full name.

Difficult solving for me. Brad Wilber has strong backgrounds in literature, art & theater, and his grids naturally reflect his interests. Stuff like DANILO (41D. "The Merry Widow" hero) is just out of my wheelhouse.

On the other hand, I was so happy to see THOME (14D. Jim with 589 lifetime homers). Such a classy guy. Twins just signed a one-year contract with him on Friday. He's going to reach 600 homers this coming season. The new Target Field certainly fits his eyes.

Across:

1. Its leaves are used as a heart stimulant : DIGITALIS. Foxgloves. Don't think they grow in Minnesota.

10. More than comfortable? : RICH

15. "The Aviator" actor : ALDA (Alan). Four letter? I could only picture CATE Blanchett & her amazing portrayal of Katharine Hepburn.

17. Disco family name : GIBB. Andy Gibb or any of the Bee Gees?

18. Like the Ford logo : OVAL

19. 2/9/2010 victory parade honoree : SAINT. The Superbowl winner New Orleans Saints.

20. Lemming predator : SKUA. Had no idea skuas prey on lemmings. Both live in the Arctic region.

21. 59-Across element : METER. 59. Frost lines? : POEM. Robert Frost.

23. The Lean One, in "Peer Gynt" : SATAN. Unknown to me. I've never read "Peer Gynt".

25. Directional suffix : ERN. As in western.

26. "... __ we extinguish sight and speech": Browning : ERE

27. Kennedy associate : ALITO (Samuel). Anthony Kennedy. Supreme Court.

29. Nitrogen compound : AMINE

31. Lupe's "Later!" : ADIOS. Is Lupe a typical Spanish name?

32. Van Helsing's creator : STOKER (Bram). Only know he wrote "Dracula".

33. Serving : PORTION

36. Imaginary monster : CHIMERA. Fire-breathing monster: with a lion's head, a goat's body, and a serpent's tail.

37. Certain Honshu resident : OSAKAN. I confused it with Okinawa, the Blue Zone prefecture, where people live a long long life.

38. Exotic smoothie ingredient : GUAVA. Love tropical fruit. Not guava though.

39. Lennon love song : WOMAN. Ode to Yoko Ono.

40. Arens of Israel : MOSHE. Stumper. Only know MOSHE Dayan. His face does look familiar though. Must have seen his interview somewhere.

41. Part of HUD: Abbr. : DEV. HUD: Department of Housing and Urban Development,

44. Logical tips? : ELS. Letter L starts and ends the word "logical".

45. Mom's dinnertime plea : TRY IT

47. Pundit : SWAMI

49. Handbook list, briefly : REGS

51. Otherwise : IF NOT. Give OR ELSE a rest.

53. Spanish cordial : ANIS. How does it taste like, Santa?

54. Latin I word : AMAT. Amo (I love), amas (You love), amat (He loves).

57. Somewhat, with "a" : MITE

60. Inventory site : STOREROOM

Down:

1. Mulligan, e.g. : DO-OVER. Golf. Some men are so vain, often take several mulligans per round.

2. White Rabbit's cry : I'M LATE

3. Rabbitt's "You and I" duet partner : GAYLE (Crystal). Eddy Rabbitt. Here is the clip. I like the consecutive "Rabbit" and "Rabbitt" clues.

4. Derby-wearing Addams : ITT. Cousin ITT. The Addams Family".

5. Water testers : TOES

6. Neosporin target : ABRASION

7. Rodeo twirlers : LARIAT. Spanish for "La Reata".

8. Sees through : IS ONTO

9. Sealy competitor : SERTA

10. Cleaning aids : RAGS

11. 1950s Irving Berlin campaign song : "I LIKE IKE". Know the slogan, not the Berlin reference.

12. Modern storage aid : CD BURNER. Thanks to Al, now I've got FLASH DRIVE.

13. Sultry Cuban dance : HABANERA. Does this look sultry to you?

22. Luminous : RADIANT

24. Locals : NATIVES

28. Savanna stalker : LION

30. NYC home of Dali's "The Persistence of Memory" : MoMA

31. Alaskan island : ATKA

32. Bygone Persian title : SHAH

33. PA system essential : POWER AMP. Our PA often blasted a song for Chairman Mao every morning when I woke up.

34. The Tony Martin hit "There's No Tomorrow" is based on its melody : 'O SOLE MIO. Not familiar with the Tony Martin reference. Elvis's "It's Now or Never", yes.

35. English Channel resort : RAMSGATE. Was ignorant of this resort. Must have lots of rams there.

36. Pitch target? : CUSTOMER. Sales pitch.

38. Attending : GOING TO

40. "Oh, ri-i-i-i-ght!" : "MY FOOT!"

42. "8 Mile" rapper : EMINEM

43. Workbench gadgets : VISES

46. Schisms : RIFTS

48. Exultant yell : "WAHOO". I've yet to cry out a "Wahoo!" on a Brad Wilber puzzle.

50. Goblet feature : STEM

52. Not very edgy : TAME

56. Lifeguard's skill, for short : CPR

Answer grid.

C.C.