Tuesday, March 15th, 2011 Gary Steinmehl

Theme: "ET TU, BRUTAL"?  -

Exercise and workout terms for today, the 15th, and Ides, of March.

20A. Last leg of a race : HOME STRETCH - Highly recommended activity before any activity; as a goalie, it is imperative that I STRETCH first.

27A. Chocolate bar with crisped rice : NESTLE CRUNCH - Too many of these, and you'll need to do more CRUNCHES, those sit-ups for 'rock hard ABS', a crossword staple (but not today).

49A. Overseas news-gatherers : FOREIGN PRESS - Leg, bench PRESS, etc., as I am sure there are others.

59A. Very little, in slang : DIDDLY SQUAT - wonderful phrase to speak, like "my pay is diddly squat", and a SQUAT; bend at the knees with a straight back - harder than it sounds, let me tell you.

and the unifier at 57D: PR specialists, and a word associated with the ends of 20-, 27-, 49- and 59-Across : REPS - PR Public Relations REPresentative, (ixnay on Mr. Sheen) and a REPetition, the number of times each exercise is performed within a set - and I am not a gym rat; all my exercise comes from 4 straight hours of carrying varying sizes of packages from the conveyor to the UPS truck.

Splynter filling in for a Santa with a sick "Elf".

And away we GO~!

ACROSS:

1. Cote bleats : BAAS - [koht] - noun: 1. a shelter, coop, or small shed for sheep, pigs, pigeons, etc.

5. Further : ALSO - also: hence, therefore, ergo, and, then....

9. Big name in restaurant guides : ZAGAT - established by Tim and Nina Zagat in 1979; see the Wiki article.

14. Flattop opposite : AFRO

15. Steady fellow : BEAU - French

16. Author Zola : EMILE - French Author, a regular in crosswords.

17. Plane or sander : TOOL - got me several of these. Plane.

18. Elongated fish : EELS - the plural implication on "fish" got me on this one.

19. Turning point : PIVOT

23. Nice season? : ETE - oh man, French, again, I seem to get a lot of this - Nice, the city in France, and the French word for summer (season).

24. Snail mail need : STAMP - I just used one yesterday, first time in forever....

25. Color in the four-color process : CYAN - CYMK, the process that uses CYAN, Yellow, Magenta, and blacK; as opposed to the RGB, two of the options in Photoshop and printing processes.

34. Plug-and-play PC port : USB - another computer term, Universal Serial Bus, for connections between devices. The abbr. of PC for Personal Computer = the abbr. answer.

37. Borat creator Sacha Baron __ : COHEN - love him, or hate him, I guess I am on the fence....

38. Trapper's gear : SNARE

39. Sheltered Greek walkway : STOA

41. Number-guessing fund-raiser : LOTTO

43. IRS agent : T-MAN - Tax Man, like a G-man, a Gov't Agent.

44. False __ : ALARM

46. Paris's __ la Paix : RUE DE - Eh, more French. Map, middle right going diagonally right.

48. Ambulance initials : EMS

52. Run or ruin : DASH - as in "dashed hopes"

53. Times spent in prison or in office : TERMS

57. Dusting aid : RAG - thought MOP first

64. Remove from the videotape : ERASE

66. Cleveland's lake : ERIE

67. DDE's alma mater : USMA - Dwight David Eisenhower, 34th president, and the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, NY.

68. Argentine grassland : PAMPA - Image

69. Ole Miss rival : 'BAMA - Alabama, crossword regular.

70. Modern Roman, e.g.: Abbr. : ITALian

71. Take badly? : STEAL - Good clue

72. Disappearing slope apparatus : T-BAR Skiers' assist getting up a hill.

73. Big Board letters : NYSE -New York Stock Exchange - I think this was in my first blog, too....

DOWN:

1. They're drawn in tubs : BATHS - very good clue; did anyone think "rings"?

2. In progress : AFOOT - "Strange things are AFOOT..."

3. Bakery quality : AROMA

4. Serious : SOLEMN

5. Aid's partner : ABET

6. Look that may be accompanied by a smirk : LEER

7. Shopping news : SALE - another great clue

8. Bounce, as from a bar : OUST

9. Gentle winds : ZEPHYRS

10. Porthos, to Athos : AMI - uh, French !

11. Abraham, to Lincoln : GIVEN NAME

12. Oodles : ALOT - never liked this answer

13. Place for a beret : TETE - yup, it's French

21. Risky business, briefly : SPEC - Speculation, that someone might come along and buy, as a house.

22. Brutus' 300 : CCC - Hey~! Ides related~! Roman 100 = C

26. Bee or Em : AUNT

28. Fa follower : SOL

29. Rose feature : THORN

30. Rain more gently : LET UP

31. Rectangular computer key : ENTER - Space, too

32. Stuff (into) : CRAM

33. Lady birds : HENS

34. DoD fliers : USAF - Department of Defense, U.S. Air Force.

35. D-Day target city : STLO - Oh, man, French - Conan had a guest last week who claimed in shock, he "turned white as a Frenchman's Flag" - that's funny....

36. Monopoly, for one : BOARD GAME - one of my favorites; you can get them custom made to any city, and movie, too.

40. House painter's calculation : AREA - height is a factor, too - ever try to paint a stair well?

42. Dedicated verse : ODE

45. Card player's goof : MISDEAL

47. Ballpark figs. : ESTS - Estimates. - What's your Ballpark, C.C.?

50. Letters under a 4 : GHI - duh, got me. Look at your phone.

51. Fashion sparkler : SEQUIN

54. Out of practice : RUSTY

55. Cass and Michelle, famously : MAMAS

56. Old hat : STALE

58. "I smell __!" : A RAT

60. Unpaid loan, e.g. : DEBT

61. Not bright at all : DRAB

62. Bean town? : LIMA - ah, not a Bahston reference, but the Peruvian city.

63. Wine taster's guesstimate : YEAR - our friend Tinbeni, any good at this ? I did not drink for the "year", let me tell you....

65. Healthful resort : SPA - after a good workout, head for the SPA~!

Answer grid.

Thanks for the chance to "pinch hit", C.C., look forward to more opportunities.

Splynter

Monday March 14, 2011 Billie Truitt

Theme: What can I say? Each two-word theme answer consists of a present participle functioning as adjective & a three-letter noun ending in G. Did I miss something?

17A. Lather-holding cup : SHAVING MUG - I shave my mug every morning, but the lather comes from a can.

25A. Sock mender's tool : DARNING EGG - I'm not sure why it's called an egg. Looks more like a bowling pin to me. But then, everything looks like a bowling pin to me.

36A. Violin knob for pitch adjustments : TUNING PEG - The clue reminded me of Frankie "Sweet Music" Viola adjusting pitches in the 1987 World Series.

48A. Retriever or pointer : HUNTING DOG - Ours was a German Shorthair named Bruno. He could scare up pheasants 100 yards away.

57A. Joke that gets funnier with repetition : RUNNING GAG - See Jack Benny later in this blog.

Can you find a phrase in the above pattern but ending in a three-letter noun ?IG, which would allow us to   have different vowel variable in the last word.

Good Morning All. Argyle's computer is sick. This is the Boomer from snowy Minnesota, but Spring is in the air - finally.

Across:

1. World Wide __ : WEB- Gets more tangled every day.

4. Gunpowder element : SULFUR - that great firecracker smell on the 4th of July.

10. Turns seaward : EBBS - Hmmmm - I thought ebb just meant recede - like my hairline.

14. Firefighter's tool : AXE

15. Dream up : CREATE

16. Losing strategy? : DIET - Losing weight. I was trying to think of a four letter word defining the play of the NBA Timberwolves or Cavaliers.

19. Homely fruit : UGLI

20. Eye part containing the pupil : IRIS

21. Timeline divisions : ERAS - Eras divided by Timelines are indefinite. I would have used "Pitcher's stats"

23. Habit wearer : NUN - I was taught by the good Sisters of St. Joseph, and there is a great Benedictine Convent in Clyde, MO, but the long black robes are becoming a thing of the past, not worn by many sisters any longer.

24. Kimono sashes : OBIs

28. Magi : WISE MEN - Melchior, Caspar, and Balthasar.

30. Sweden neighbor : NORWAY - Ya sure, you betcha!

31. Utmost degree : NTH

32. Church instrument : ORGAN

35. Flag maker Betsy : ROSS

38. "__ to that!" : AMEN

40. Ecstatic way to walk : ON AIR

41. Roman 700 : DCC

44. 1992 Olympic skating champ Yamaguchi : KRISTI. A past champion of "Dancing with the Stars".

46. As an alternative : INSTEAD

51. Heidi's heights : ALPS - I liked her better on the "Good Ship, Lollipop".

52. 2011 minus year of birth, roughly : AGE

53. It replaced the franc : EURO

54. Handling the job : ON IT

55. Member of an Iraqi minority : KURD. 17% of Iraq's population.

61. "Now ___ me down ..." : I LAY

62. Complete : ENTIRE

63. Hurry, old-style : HIE

64. Clearance event : SALE - See 65A.

65. Smells to high heaven : STINKS - Yeah, Stinks could also be a "Clearance Event."

66. Blasting sply. : TNT - I wasn't sure of "sply". TNT is in a lot of puzzles.

Down:

1. Used to be : WAS

2. Lettered piece of court evidence : EXHIBIT - I get it. I watch "Law and Order" on TNT.

3. Pessimistic about Wall Street : BEARISH - Not sure about the bear, but Wall street has been "ISH" for a couple of years.

4. Biol. and chem. : SCIs

5. Coffeepot for a crowd : URN

6. Jeans part : LEG

7. Hall of __: enshrined athlete : FAMER - My all time favorite is Harmon Killebrew, now fighting cancer. On his left is C.C.'s avatar Justin Morneau.

8. One-eighty : U-TURN

9. Win back : REGAIN

10. Campus e-mail address letters : EDU

11. Special report subject : BIG NEWS - Lots of special reports on CNN coming from Japan this week. Mother Nature can be nasty. I feel sad for those who lost loved ones, homes, and had their lives disrupted.

12. Sturgeon yielding expensive caviar : BELUGAS - I have heard of Beluga whales. The St. Croix River will sometimes yield Sturgeon over 90 pounds, but I had never heard of a beluga sturgeon. Also known as Huso huso, these sturgeon are found in the Caspian Sea, and their eggs are the most expensive caviar around. Would you believe $7,000 to $10,000 per kilo?

13. Tight-fisted : STINGY - This word was invented for Jack Benny. Once a crook held him up, saying "Your money or your life!". The robber became impatient with Benny's silence, until he finally responded - "I'm thinking, I'm thinking".

18. Workbench clamp : VISE

22. Noisy sleepers : SNORERS - I stayed up all last night to see if I was one, but I didn't hear me snore at all.

24. Part of BYOB : OWN

25. Bruce of "Coming Home" : DERN

26. Prefix with -plasty : ANGIO

27. Pirate's quaff : GROG - Those ballplayers from Pittsburgh haven't had champagne for a while, but Snowshoe grog is wonderful on a cold day. A mixture of brandy and peppermint schnapps - keeps you warm in the winter.

29. Canadian lawman on horseback : MOUNTIE - Of course the most famous was Dudley Do-Right, constantly in pursuit of Boris and Natasha.

33. Raggedy doll : ANN - A wonderful simple kid's toy from years gone by. She had a twin brother Andy.

34. Whodunit writer Marsh : NGAIO. A Kiwi writer.

36. Try out : TEST

37. Unwelcome engine sound : PING - Has anyone noticed an engine ping doesn't sound like a ping at all. I once had a Ping putter - that thing could really ping. They don't make them like they used to.

38. Peppery salad green : ARUGULA - I use green peppers, or grind some fresh black pepper. Arugula sounds more like a former relief pitcher for the Twins and Mets: Rick Aguilera.

39. Twenty Questions choice : MINERAL - Toss in Animal and Vegetable and you've already used up 3 questions.

41. "Afternoon __": suggestive #1 hit of 1976 : DELIGHT

42. Ship's leader : CAPTAIN - Okay, but most military branches have captains. Those big ships like the USS Nimitz are actually led by Admirals. I don't remember Captain Kangaroo leading a ship, but I do remember that Mr. Green Jeans' pants had legs.

43. Jewel box contents, briefly : CDs

44. Military pants : KHAKIS - Khaki is a strange word. I think it actually describes a color, which is a light brown. The khaki uniform was between fatigues and full dress, and consisted of pants, shirt, and a soft cap.

45. Hardens : INURES

47. Zesty taste : TANG - Also an orange drink that astronauts made famous.

49. McJob holder : GRUNT - A bit condescending - I sold burgers for a few years back when they were 15 cents. Earned money for a car, a date now and then, and tuition, but never felt I was a grunt - (until I went into the Army).

50. "__ know you?" : DON'T I

54. Vending machine bills : ONES - Sad but true. Used to be you could buy most anything from a vending machine for a quarter or less. Now they have slot machines that accept $100 bills!

56. Hair coloring agent : DYE

58. Author Anaïs : NIN

59. Rub the wrong way : IRK

60. Retrieve : GET

Answer grid.

Boomer

Sunday March 13, 2011 Jack McInturff

Theme: I Before E's - I (short I) is replaced by EE in each familiar phrase.

23A. Meek Jolly Roger crewmen? : PIRATE SHEEP. Pirate ship.

42A. Polish protector? : SHEEN GUARD. Shin guard.

51A. Red-costumed actor in "Veggie Tales"? : BEET PLAYER. Bit player.

59. Take really short catnaps during a Henny Youngman routine? : SLEEP BETWEEN THE CRACKS. Slip between the cracks. I remember Youngman's "Take my wife, please".

76A. Tiny nestling's cry? : MICRO CHEEP. Microchip.

88A. Ownership dispute? : DEED BATTLE. Did battle.

109A. Meryl as a coquette? : STREEP TEASE. Striptease.

16D. Drug money? : EVIL GREEN. Evil grin.

74D. Fund for hammer parts? : PEEN MONEY. Pin money.

The straying I's in 23A, 76A & 16D are not short I, so their appearances shouldn't be bothersome.

I like the title, you? Caught onto the theme gimmick rather quickly, but still struggled in various spots. Names always give me trouble, and obviously Jack and I don't know the same people.

Neat stacks of 9s in NE & SW corners. We've seen a few Dan Naddor puzzles with similar design, where non-theme entries have the same number of letters as the themed ones. Quite a challenge to pull if off.

Across:

1. Like good jokes : RETOLD

7. Night music : TAPS. In military bases.

11. Focus at a boxer's school? : OBEDIENCE

20. Brought out : EVOKED

21. Got off : ALIT. Shouldn't it be "Got down"?

22. Source of a vital supply : RESERVOIR

25. Rear-ends, say : SLAMS INTO

26. Theater aisles, usually : RAMPS

27. NASA's "Go" : A-OK

28. Some reality show winners : IDOLS

30. Flowery welcomes : LEIs

31. R.E.M. hit, with "The" : ONE I LOVE

33. "Games People Play" author Eric : BERNE. No idea. Was he or his book very well-known?

34. Hang behind : LAG

36. One-million link : IN A

37. Old strings : LYRES

38. Sporty Italian wheels : FERRARI

45. Spent the cold season (in) : WINTERED

46. Pro foe : ANTI

48. How some soccer games end : IN A TIE

49. N.J. neighbor : DEL

50. Selection word : EENIE. Eenie, meenie, miney, mo.

53. Moses sent him into Canaan to spy : CALEB. Learned from doing Xword.

55. Misses some of the lecture, perhaps : NODs

56. Swedish city connected by a bridge to Copenhagen : MALMO. Not in my knowledge zone. See this map.

57. Root vegetable : PARSNIP

69. Failed flier : EASTERN. Eastern Air Lines, 1926-1991, a la Wiki.

70. Culture: Pref. : ETHNO

71. Collar victim : PERP

75. Spin-off starring Valerie Harper : RHODA

81. Sets straight : TRUES

83. Mil. spud duties : KPs. KP = Kitchen Police

84. Paddled boats : CANOES. This clue works for OARED also.

85. Raw rocks : ORES

86. Mineral involved in much litigation : ASBESTOS

90. "Casey at the Bat" autobiographer : STENGEL (Casey). Fun guy. As quotable as Yogi Berra.

91. Barrage : SALVO

92. "To Kill a Mockingbird" Pulitzer winner : LEE (Harper)

93. Boston transit syst. : MTA

94. Londonderry's river : FOYLE. In Ireland. I've never heard of the river.

95. R rating cause : VIOLENCE

100. Mideastern pastry dough : FILO. Flaky..

103. Kurdish relative : FARSI. Oh, language Kurdish.

104. Confectionery collectible : PEZ

105. Hair cover : SNOOD. Another classic crosswordese.

106. Cry of anticipation : I CAN'T WAIT. Nice one.

112. Check before cutting : REMEASURE

113. Stadium stratum : TIER

114. Oriole Park at __ Yards : CAMDEN

115. Words before an important announcement : STAY TUNED. Good one too.

116. 1974 CIA spoof : SPYS

117. Hotel meetings, perhaps : TRYSTS

Down:

1. It's not an original : REPRO

2. Water source : EVIAN

3. Crooner Mel : TORME. "The Velvet Fog".

4. Giraffe relative : OKAPI

5. Leaves alone : LETS LIE. Fun when you parse the answer as "Let's lie".

6. Pres. during Brown v. Board of Education : DDE. Was unaware of the this trivia.

7. Chevy SUV : TAHOE

8. Supermodel Wek : ALEK. Here she is.

9. Dessert choice : PIE

10. French isl. south of Newfoundland : ST PIERRE. Guessable.

11. Bean and Welles : ORSONs

12. Ball girl : BELLE

13. Those, in Tenerife : ESAs

14. Obama, e.g.: Abbr. : DEM. First thought: CIC?

15. Form letters? : IRS. Tricky clue.

17. Zip : NONE

18. Credit card name under a red arc : CITI

19. Cupid's counterpart : EROS

24. Tropical grassland : SAVANNA

29. Stowe novel subtitled "A Tale of the Great Dismal Swamp" : DRED

32. NBC newsman Roger : O'NEIL. Stumped me last time.

33. One way to get to Paris : BY AIR

34. Novelist Deighton : LEN

35. Prado pictures : ARTE. Art in Spanish.

37. Old strings : LUTE

38. Boston department store founder : FILENE. Well, I bet Barry G knows. I've got no clue.

39. River of Tuscany : ARNO

40. Nevada senator : REID (Harry)

41. Time to beware : IDES. Ides of March.

42. Stone marker : STELE. Haven't seen this word for a long time.

43. Request to a dealer : HIT ME

44. Coming-out party? : GAY. Party here refers to the person.

45. Like Tom Jones, by birth : WELSH. Ah, remember this clip Melissa brought to us?

46. SDI weapons : ABMs

47. Oscar winner Patricia : NEAL

49. Missile with a feathery flight : DART

52. Benedict XVI, e.g. : POPE

53. Half a dance : CAN. CHA too.

54. Pen name : BIC. Saw this clue before.

57. Proverbial sword beater : PEN. The pen is mightier than the sword, probably the only way to get PENIS in a puzzle. Duplication with clue for 54A.

58. Occurring before: Abbr. : PREC. Preceding I presume.

60. Block : BAR

61. '60s Israeli prime minister : ESHKOL (Levi). Total stranger.

62. Some 'Vette coverings : T-TOPs

63. Unites : WEDS

64. Jazz __ : ERA

65. Dramatist Fugard : ATHOL. An South African. Sometimes we see ALOES clued as his "A Lesson from Aloes".

66. Dear, in Dijon : CHERE. Feminine form.

67. You can get down on one : KNEE. Nailed it.

68. Illegal payments : SOPs. This little word often poses trouble for some. Not to me.

71. Class-conscious gps.? : PTAs. Class in school.

72. Formerly, formerly : ERST

73. Bumpkin : RUBE

76. "Circle of Friends" author Binchy : MAEVE. No idea. Irish author.

77. __-European languages : INDO

78. Corn holder : COB

79. Accomplish : REALIZE

80. Bone: Pref. : OSTEO

82. Certain NCO : SSGT

84. Orchestra members : CELLISTS

87. It may be taken in a parlor : TEA

88. Popular shift : DAYS

89. Early communications satellite : TELSTAR. Launched in 1962.

91. Put into groups : SORTED

94. Elizabethan expo : FAIRE. I don't get this clue. Isn't FAIRE a French word?

95. Turns : VEERS

96. Ones against us : ENEMY

97. Wikipedia policy : NO ADs. They just ask for donations once a year.

98. Math subgroup : COSET

99. Blissful settings : EDENS

100. Douglas and others : FIRS

101. Gangsta rap pioneer : ICE-T

102. Tibetan priest : LAMA

103. Satyr's kin : FAUN

104. Hunted : PREY

107. Make lace : TAT. Not tattoo today.

108. Northwestern sch. where Cougar Gold cheese is made : WSU (Washington State University). Their sports teams are called Gougars. Not familiar with the cheese.

110. Inside info : TIP

111. Pie chart fig. : PCT

Answer grid.

C.C.

Saturday March 12, 2011 Brad Wilber

Theme: None

Total words: 70

Total blocks: 29

Triple stacks of 10s are very common in themeless. But we don't often see grid structure like today's: black square in the middle, a pair of 7s flanked by a pair of 12s. Often you'll find short-entries in the middle.

Here are marquee answers:

1A. Closer's bane : BLOWN SAVE. Baseball. Could also be Home Run or Base Hit.

15A. "My Father at 100: A Memoir" author : RON REAGAN. I like him a lot. Very articulate.

17A. Spoiled brat, stereotypically : ONLY CHILD. Made me think of China's "One-child policy". 

31A. Thematic musical release : CONCEPT ALBUM. New to me.

39A. Like architecture involving cedar shakes : SHINGLE STYLE. I bet it's a familiar term to Splynter. Have a look at his work. Isn't it gorgeous?

58A. Band with the 1997 double platinum album "So Much for the Afterglow" : EVER CLEAR. Are they very famous?

61A. "This doesn't look good, guys!" : WE'RE TOAST. I've been hassling Dennis about the validity of some colloquial expressions.

63A. Drains : ENERVATES

Probably my favorite Brad Wilber puzzle. Quite a few entries resonate with me, esp the stacks in upper left corner.

Across:

10. Like some drinking cups : CONIC. Lots of whining about CONED last time.

16. Race arbiter, at times : SLO-MO

18. Fibonacci, by birth : PISAN. Identical clue in a Dec 2010 LAT.

19. __ mission : ON A

20. Eagle relative : KITE. Husker Gary must be thinking of golf score "eagle".

21. Comic strip units : PANELS

22. __ Lisa Vito: "My Cousin Vinny" role : MONA. Easy guess.

24. Tree with above-ground roots : BANYAN. I wouldn't want to look like this if I were a tree.

26. "Out of Sight" co-star, familiarly : J-LO. With George Clooney.

27. PMs or GMs : LDRS (Leaders). PM = Prime Minister. GM= General Manger. Not a good fill. Nice clue.

29. Sleeper, for one : CAR

30. Surge in sales : BOOM

35. Environmental summit topic : ETHANOL

38. Gluck opera based on a Euripides play : ALCESTE. No idea. Gluck is a German opera composer.

41. Hand over : CEDE. Power.

42. Cheerios grain : OAT

43. Pinned arrangement : UPDO. Was worried the clue might be asking for the wrestling "pinned".

46. Galoot : APE

47. Feature of some Birkenstocks : T-STRAP. Sandals.

50. Ruin : SINK

52. Cattle drive gear : RIATAS. Or reatas.

54. Brash radio host : IMUS (Don). And 30D. Cover-ups involving 54-Across? : BLEEPS.

56. Org. with June finals : NBA

57. Country on the Gulf of Guinea : GABON. West Africa.

60. Pax Romana year : ONE AD. Got me. Wikipedia says Pax Romana spans 207 years, from 27 BCE to 180 CE.

62. Chalet beverage : TODDY

Down:

1. Curling tool : BROOM. Neat clue.

2. The Khmer Rouge overthrew him : LON NOL. Always preferable  to see a full name, not to mention a  palindromic one.

3. No longer cruising : ON LAND

4. Like some one-liners : WRY

5. Banjo part : NECK

6. Indian honorific : SAHIB. Urdu for "master".

7. Mylanta target : AGITA

8. Number denoting an ion's bonding capacity : VALENCE. The clue means nothing to me.

9. Close : END

10. House channel : C-SPAN. Congress. Remember the tricky "House shower" clue? Show-er.

11. Lena of "Chocolat" : OLIN

12. Some facial surgeries : NOSE JOBS. Nice entry.

13. Disappointing news about a sale item : I'M ALL OUT. Another good one.

14. It requires a lot of simmering : CONSOMME. Stock, broth, all same to me.

21. Somewhat : PARTLY

23. Obscure : ARCANE

25. Pester shrilly : YAP AT. Like dogs.

28. "Yesterday" or "Tomorrow" : SONG. Nailed it.

32. "He won't be missed" : NO LOSS. Didn't come to me quickly.

33. Turf piercer : CLEAT

34. First Amdt. lobby : ACLU. So Amdt = Amendment? I've never seen this abbreviation before.

35. Bistro appetizer : ESCARGOT. Yummy!

36. "Schindler's List" beat it for Best Picture : THE PIANO. 1993. I like Anna Paquin's character.

37. Studio space-saver : HIDE-A-BED. Studio apartment.

40. Tried hard : STRIVEN

44. Patronize, in a way : DINE AT

45. Contemplating stealing, maybe : ON BASE. Baseball again.

47. "Driving Miss Daisy" Oscar winner Jessica : TANDY

48. "Honour is __ scutcheon": Shak. : A MERE. Saw this clue before.

49. More pristine : PURER

51. Small racers : KARTS

53. No dreamboat : TOAD

55. Show with an "American Bandstand"-like spoof called "Mel's Rock Pile" : SCTV (Second City Television). Canadian TV.

58. Pronoun in a rebus : EWE. For you. See here. You are the apple of my eye.

59. Long, on Lanai : LOA. As in Mauna Loa (Long Mountain).

Answer grid.

C.C.

Friday, March 11, 2011, Donna S Levin

Theme: Pun for the Money, Too for the Show. The title of an early TV game show has one word changed to a sound-a-like, resulting in an evocative and witty new show. For those who are much younger than I am, this may be a difficult puzzle, but I have never blogged a puzzle more in my wheelhouse, as these are still somehow fresh in my mind from 50+ years ago. I do love me some puns.

17A. Game show about bribery at a checkpoint?: SALE OF THE SENTRY. Really funny clue. SENTRY sounds like CENTURY. SALE OF THE CENTURY was a late 60s early 70s general knowledge game show, which began with Jack Kelly, the actor who portrayed Bart Maverick, to James Garner’s Bret Maverick, as the host. He was replaced by Joe Garagiola, a second string catcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, who was a teammate of Enos Slaughter (see below).

27A. Game show about an Algerian governor's search for his spouse?: QUEEN FOR A DEY. DAY sounds like DEY. This was the most difficult because I was unfamiliar with the term Dey (Arabic: داي, from Turkish Dayı, to mean the ruling governor under the Ottoman Empire. However, because the game show was apparent and only the switching of the A for an E would sound the same, it was not too hard. QUEEN FOR A DAY was one of the earliest reality TV shows, which began on radio in the 40s, and went to TV, hosted by Jack Bailey in the 50s, a sob story with no quiz show question asked, but the audience selected the winner based on my old favorite, the applause-o-meter. This was a most distressing show, where the more horrible a woman’s life was, the greater her chance to win. Jack Bailey went on to host TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES where he stayed until he was replaced by a young BOB BARKER.

48A. Game show in which "Stuttering pig" might be a clue?: NAME THAT TOON. I wonder if Donna picked the reference to Porky Pig, when she saw the two Ts together in the answer? TUNE sounds like TOON. NAME THAT TUNE was another radio show which was brought to television in the 50s, featuring two contestants trying to name a song after the fewest notes. It was revived in 70s with a young singer then named KATHIE LEE JOHNSON, who later married football great FRANK GIFFORD, and co-hosted Live with Regis and Kathie Lee along with current media darling, Regis Philbin.

63A. Game show in which couples confess indiscretions?: TWO TELL THE TRUTH. A fun show and perhaps a new reality TV show starring our wild and crazy celebrity couples. TO sounds like TWO. This is the oddball one, as in each of the first three, it is the last word which morphs into a sound-a-like. TO TELL THE TRUTH has been a tremendously successful and resilient show airing in 6 consecutive decades beginning in the 50s, when it was hosted by the incomparable BUD COLLYER who had achieved fame both as the voice of Superman on the radio, and as the host of BEAT THE CLOCK . After hearing my mother sing, he offered her a job, but she was in nursing school, and my chance to grow up in show business was lost.

Hi, Lemonade here, with my first Donna Levin, an honor and a joy. Forgive me, but once again the puzzle has so many references to my life, I had so much fun. On to the rest of the story.

Across:

1. Equipped with 6-Across: ARMED. Okay, she started out with one of those now popular, unfair pairs, where you cannot begin to get answers until you solve the perps. The downs were okay though, so you also got 6A. See 1-Across: GATS, which is a colloquial name for guns.

10. May or Ann: CAPE. Tricky, Cape May is off New Jersey and Cape Ann is north of Boston, unlike its more famous Cape Cod, which is south.

14. Permission: LEAVE. By you leave, sire. An old fashioned word, 'Leave' has been used with the meaning of permission since at least the 9th century, and was very popular in my friend Will Shakespeare's work (more on him later).

15. Natural shade: ECRU. This common puzzle word comes from the French meaning raw, or unbleached.

16. Turow memoir: ONE L. This abbreviation for the first year of law school is a fairly new phrase which did not exist in my day.

20. Warning: OMEN.

21. Understanding words: I SEE. Mira, mira.

22. Elite octet: IVIES. We had reference to the eight IVY League schools just recently.

23. Paragon of redness: BEET. Beets are really not all that red, and in New England we said Red as a Lobster, which are not that red until you boil them.

25. Maneuver: FINESSE. Are you a direct, or finesse player?

31. Muse who inspires poets: ERATO. This is a crossword must know, as are all the muses.

32. 1,000-yr. realm: HRE. Ah, we already had an indirect reference to the Ottoman Empire, and now we have the Holy Roman Empire, which began after Charlemagne and lasted until the 1800s. The OTTOMAN ran from about 1300 to the 1920s.

33. One-time neighbor of French Indochina: SIAM. Now known as Vietnam and Thailand.

37. Arabic is one of its two official langs.: ISR. An abbreviation for Israel, whose population is 20% Arab.

38. Surfer's guide: SITE MAP. Internet surfers, fooled you?

42. "Exodus" hero: ARI. Another Israel reference, this to the engrossing historical novel by Leon Uris.

43. Suffix with grammar: IANS. Ah, we have some GRAMMARIANS among us.

45. Nonsense: ROT. That is a bunch of Rot!

46. Links coup: EAGLE. Two less than par in golf. A hole in one on a par three is also an eagle. I have never made one.

52. Biblical betrayer: DELILAH. The Torah temptress who sold out poor Sampson by cutting his hair, and the inspiration for this SONG .

55. __ dixit: IPSE. See, more for me; a law term meaning something said but unproven.

56. Up in the air: ALOFT.

57. They may be wild: OATS. Yes, and you must sow them while you are young, or so I have read.

59. Stage group: CREW. I tried to make this more complicated than it was, thinking about a team of horses.

66. Relax: EASE. A verb variant.

67. Slobbering canine: ODIE. Again, my first thought when I glanced through the clues was CUJO.

68. Mobile one of song: DONNA. A beautiful deception, as the Italian pronunciation is masked, and the constructor gets her name in the puzzle. This SONG is from Verdi's Opera Rigoletto and the lyrics are:"Woman is flighty Like a feather in the wind." I heard this music often as child.

69. Batik artist: DYER. All you wanted to know about this CLOTH.

70. Tech support caller: USER.

71. Worry about: SWEAT. Don't Sweat the Small Stuff, and its all Small Stuff. RELAX, we made it through to the Downs.

Down:

1. As well: ALSO.

2. Chew (out): REAM
 

3. Gander, e.g.: MALE. Not the verb; what's good for the goose? She needs a Gander.

4. It's as likely as not: EVEN BET. Nicely clued.

5. "In __ Speramus": Brown U. motto: DEO. Latin, meaning "In G-d We Hope." In English the word 'aspiration' and others come from this root.

6. Bothers: GETS TO. Those un-clued related clues like 1A and 6A are getting to me.

7. Dull discomfort: ACHE. They give me an ache behind my eyes.

8. Timber producer: TREE FARM. Hmm, too simple for me.

9. Pension start?: SUS. Suspension. A nice classic prefix clue; did you suss it out?

10. Transmits: CONVEYS. Carries etc.

11. They're not pros: ANTIS. Probably the first misdirection clue I remember from watching my parents do the Sunday Times; they are not Amateurs.

12. Famille members: PERES. Now for my French lesson, and a question. PERE means FATHER and FAMILLE is FAMILY; but is it fair because there is only UN PERE PAR FAMILLE, so how can it be plural?

13. "Family Ties" mom: ELYSE. Michael J. Fox's TV mom, a pretty California woman as seen in this LINK who was married for 15 years to David Birney, with whom she worked in Bridget Loves Bernie and now now Meredith has announced she is in a committed relationship with another woman.

18. Feudal holding: FIEF. Another essentially legal concept, describing land which was titled to an individual who could then pass ownership to his heirs in exchange for loyalty to the ruler of the land. The word has morphed into FOEFF and then FEE, which is why land transfers are now said to be in FEE SIMPLE.

19. Strauss's "__ Nacht in Venedig": EINE. A NIGHT IN VENICE, by JOHANN STRAUSS, Jr. While his father was famous for his waltzes, Junior gained favor for his light operettas.

24. Slaughter on a diamond: ENOS. The original hustling ball player, he and Garagiola were stars of the 1946 World Series where St. Louis beat the Red Sox.

26. Notion: IDEA. I have an Notion to give you a good spanking...

27. Former Cunard fleet member, for short: QEII. I love cruising, and once owned a travel agency so I could cruise inexpensively.

28. Starry-eyed bear?: URSA. Do you like Major or Minor better?

29. Make: EARN. What did you make last year?

30. Bonnie Blue's daddy: RHETT. Another GWTW memory.

34. "I hate the Moor" speaker: IAGO. More Shakespeare, from OTHELLO .

35. Woodstock singer before Joan: ARLO. I have previously ranted on ho disappointed we all were sitting in the mud in Bethel New York, when Arlo performed and refused to play even the short version of ALICE'S RESTAURANT which now that his star has dimmed, he is happy to play. I changed my avatar to my uncollected ticket to Woodstock.

36. Manner: MIEN. Another old fashioned word.

39. "__ la Douce": IRMA. A cute MOVIE starring Shirley McLaine and Jack Lemmon (coming to my aid?).

40. Points of initial progress: TOE HOLDS. Our favorite word, describing the pint we first began to solve a puzzle. You think Donna reads blogs?

41. Some motel guests: PETS. I wanted ROACH, but...

44. Napoleon vessel?: SNIFTER. NAPOLEON BRANDY is a designation of how long the liquor has aged. Oddly, I was at dinner with a nephew and his girl friend, explaining about how brandy was first distilled from wine (grapes) but is now made from fruits also, Schnapps, is a form of fruit brandy. COGNAC is a brandy from a specific region in France (just as Champagne, is a sparkling wine from a different region).

47. Recanted in embarrassment: ATE CROW. Meaning admitting you were wrong to the public, perhaps because cooked crow is very unpalatable.

49. Der __: Adenauer epithet: ALTE. Well, after this week you could not get this one wrong.

50. "That sly come __ stare": "Witchcraft" lyric: HITHER. This LOOK was featured in the song made famous by Frank Sinatra.

51. Church area: APSE. Crossword staple.

52. Out: DATED. PASSE and DATED both have 5 letters.

53. His Super Bowl MVP performance was his last NFL game: ELWAY. One of the few to retire on a high note, which I guess is what Bret wanted.

54. Out: LOOSE. This took a while, but I guess it is like let the dogs out.

58. Play to __: A TIE. Kiss you sister, mister?

60. Cryptic character: RUNE. These are the old alphabets which used in Europe until replaced by the Latin one we use today.

61. Italian volcano: ETNA. In Sicily.

62. Comedy routine infielder ...: WHAT. Classic comedy, which like a crossword is based on MISDIRECTION . 64D. ... and Bud's partner in the routine: LOU.

65. QB's scores: TDS. Cheerleaders, just would not fit.

Answer grid.

Well, there you have it, a very fun, and seemingly quick solve, filled with memories and humor. Donna at her best. Until next time, remember to eat your vegetables, and there is always room for J E L L O.

Lemonade

Thursday, March 10, 2011 Pamela Amick Klawitter

Theme:  Blade anagrams (shown in GREEN below), revealed in 59 Across: Street weapon, and a hint to the hidden theme in 17-, 23- and 48-Across: SWITCH BLADE. The word "switch" being a cryptic, or English crossword tip-off that an anagram is in play.

17A. Negotiation obstacle: DEAL BREAKER.

23A. Recovery sites: HOSPITAL BEDS.

48A. Most agree it should be reduced: NATIONAL DEBT.

Al here, with a fairly easy Thursday puzzle, I thought.  A few tricky clues, worthy of the day, and some fresh non-theme answers: Take that you canaries. A lot of the downs seemed pretty straightforward though. The theme was an interesting exercise for me today. It was once again something I had to ferret out after the puzzle was completed, and not so easy to see without the circles provided in the Across Lite puz file.

ACROSS:

1. Calrissian of "Star Wars" films: LANDO. Played by Billy Dee Williams.  A scoundrel.  Not really evil, but not to be trusted.

6. Playground rejoinder: AM TOO.

11. Down: SAD. In Old English, this meant sated, or satiated, which passed through heavy with fullness and thus tired, finally emerging as unhappy.

14. Center of Florida?: EPCOT. Center as a building, not as a geography.

15. Pageant prop: TIARA.

16. __ mater: PIA. Perhaps a bit obscure: from Latin "tender mother" is the delicate innermost layer of the meninges, the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord.

19. Gallery opening?: ART.

20. PDQ relative: ASAP. Get 'er done Pretty Damn Quick, As Soon As Possible, STAT (Latin statim, immediately).

21. Palindromic fashion model: EMME. I'll just quote Wiki here to see if you spot the problem: "is largely recognized as the leading model in the profession"

22. Surgeon's patient, perhaps: TREE. Not just a chainsaw wielder, tree surgeons need to know local laws and regulations against removing certain species in the area, and be able to read survey maps in the case of legal neighboring boundary disputes over who "owns" the tree in question.

27. Chip away at: EAT INTO.

30. Paint choices: HUES. I was sure this would be OILS...

31. A and B, at times: PLANS. Drawings, schematics or charts on a flat surface (mathematically, a flat surface is a plane).

32. Holdup note?: LATE PASS. School permission slip.

36. 70s-'80s televangelist show "The __ Club": PTL. Praise the Lord (and pass the ammunition).

37. Vinegary prefix: ACETO. Latin vinum acetum "wine turned sour"

39. Be in the running: VIE. A form of Middle English envie "make a challenge," from Old French envier, from L. invitare (invite).

40. State capital component, often: SALES TAX. Capital as in money.

43. Old fallout source: A TEST. Video from 1953.

45. Apollo 11 destination: MOON. Go back far enough and the same word is used for moon and month.

46. Trading places: EMPORIA. Places for buying and selling, not a scene from the Prince and the Pauper.

52. Skunk's weapon: ODOR.

53. "Children of the Poor" author: RIIS. Jacob. I remember now looking him up previously, but forgot again. Muckraking journalist and photographer trying to help the impoverished in New York over 100 years ago.

54. Reason for the downfall of many kings?: ACES. Oh, playing cards.

58. __-secret: TOP.

62. Rollover subj.: IRA. Individual Retirement account.

63. Turn away: AVERT.

64. Kitchen tubes: PENNE. Hollow pasta.

65. Turk's topper: FEZ. Fezzes are cool if you're a Doctor Who fan...

66. Fills (up): GASES. Going up to $4 a gallon this summer?  What, are we living in Europe now?

67. Germs may lead to them: IDEAS.

DOWN:

1. Yeats's "__ and the Swan": LEDA. The swan was Zeus in disguise, who seduced Leda, and in turn bore Helen (of troy) and Polydeuces (Pollux, twin of Castor) about which an opera was written.

2. Copies: APES.

3. Sweet Sixteen initials: NCAA. National Collegiate Athletic Association. Yes, it's time for March Madness (basketball) again.

4. 7-Down athlete: DOLPHIN. with 7D. Home of a 4-Down: MIAMI.

5. Place to play favorites, briefly: OTB. Off-Track Betting.

6. Score direction after accelerando, perhaps: A TEMPO. Return to the original speed.

8. Words of aggression: TAKE THAT!

9. Rush find: ORE. Gold rush, not the radio personality.

10. Galley tool: OAR.

11. Fifth wheel: SPARE.

12. Broadcast: AIRED.

13. Some are blind: DATES.

18. Doctor's suggestion: REST.

22. Kitchen meas.: TBSP.

24. Come-__: lures.: ONS.

25. Bronco or Charger: AUTO. Looking for a football word, but no, Ford and Dodge vehicles.

26. "Taking Woodstock" director: LEE. Ang.

27. "House" actor Omar: EPPS.

28. Wasatch Mountains resort: ALTA.

29. One way to stand: TALL.

32. First name in comics villains: LEX. Luthor. One of the many LL initialed characters in Superman's life.

33. Say and mean: AVER. From Old French averer "verify from Latin ad- "to" + verus "true". Related word very, which also meant true.  Verily so, sire.

34. Speedy Gonzales assent: SI SI. Spanish.

35. __ precedent: SET A. What goes before (precedes) may be taken as a rule for later cases.

37. Loads: A TON.

38. Cops' favorite birds?: CANARIES. Canaries sing (tell all, confess).

41. Dubai big shot: EMIR.

42. Jack of "Barney Miller": SOO. Detective Nick Yemana, who made very bad coffee. Characters galore in this show, Barney Miller in his NY precinct was the updated Andy Taylor from Mayberry RFD.

43. NYPD broadcast: APB. All Points Bulletin

44. Beyond repair: TOTALED. There are no auto "accidents" anymore, they are now termed crashes.

46. Orders from above: EDICTS. Proclamations having the force of law.

47. Screen door material: MESH.

48. "__ you paid me!": NOT IF.

49. Hold precious: ADORE. To speak (and think) highly of, Latin ad + orare (root of orate)

50. Birthstone after opal: TOPAZ. A Hitchcock movie, A B52's song.

51. Petrol unit: LITRE. "English" spelling. Hopefully, I used the correct term, because the language is English. Cuppa? But if you want to be confused, or perhaps enlightened, have a look at this chart of how to refer to our cousins from across the pond.

55. Mr. Peanut prop: CANE. And a top hat.

56. Tracy Turnblad's mom in "Hairspray": EDNA. Played by John Travolta in the 2007 John Waters remake.

57. Gets it: SEES.

59. Show age, in a way: SAG.

60. Sen. Byrd's state: WVA. West Virginia.

61. Electronic storage density meas.: BPI. Bits Per Inch. A bit being the smallest datum, on/off, a 1 or a zero.  8 bits make a byte, the standard for grouping.  Each letter you read on a computer takes up 8 bits to store, except for some of the Asian character set, which are termed multi-byte characters.

Answer Grid.

Al