Friday, April 8, 2011 Scott Atkinson

Theme: Lost in the City or the Country. Each of the six theme answers is capital of a country, with a single letter taken from the name of the country to create a new and wacky phrase. You can perhaps propose a better theme, but the concept is simple, though unstructured. The letter can be a consonant or vowel; it can be first or last or in the middle and the letters taken out WAONIQ, make only NO IQ, AW!

Hello, Lemonade riding the Friday express, and expressing my admiration for this puzzle; so let's do the theme entries.

16A. Celtic quaffs?: CARDIFF ALES. CARDIFF, WALES. Supposedly quite depressing, near the North Sea. Martha Grimes place one of her Richard Jury books there. You do need to know a Quaff is a libation.

30A. Caribbean baby animal?: HAVANA CUB. HAVANA, CUBA.

38A. Arabian guy?: MUSCAT MAN. MUSCAT, OMAN. We see this combination often, as clue or fill.

52A. East Asian "pet"?: BEIJING CHIA. BEIJING, CHINA. The amazingly long lasting CHIA PETS. This leads into a subtheme, with 12D. Capital ENE of Khatmandu: LHASA. This is NOT THE DOG . 24D. Some Chinese restaurant decor: GONGS. 48D. Contemporary of Mao: ZHOU. This LEADER and a clear shout out to our leader.

11D. Iberian bridge?: MADRID SPAN. MADRID SPAIN, which gives us two Spanish speaking countries.

26D. Mesopotamian savings plan?: BAGHDAD IRA. BAGHDAD IRAQ. My favorite, liking the concept of the war torn land setting up savings accounts, when they may be dead by bombing the next day.

This is from the constructor who gave us the RINKY DINKY puzzle last month, and has show some creativity. Lots of intricacies and interactions. So what do you all think? I had lots of fun. Oh let us solve it first.

Across:

1. Chuck E. Cheese's order: PIZZA. Wow, a puzzle starting with two Zs; this offering has the highest scrabble score of any I recall, though a K and X short of a Pangram. Couldn't he work a bowl of KIX in somewhere?

6. Disaster response gp.: EVAC. An EVACuation ambulance, which can be by sea, air or land. Hmmm, foreshadowing? We also have, 41A. 911 response initials: EMS. Emergency Medical System, manned by EMT's.

10. Eric the Red's birth year, roughly: CML, 950. This shout out for our Norwegian contingent, was born Erik Thorvaldsson (Old Norse: Eirīkr Þōrvaldsson; 950 – c. 1003 a.d), and was kicked out of Norway for manslaughter. He went to Iceland where he murdered at least three people. He continued his murderous ways until he set out and helped colonize Greenland. His son was Leif Ericcson, the first European to make it to the Americas.

13. Lets go: FREES.

14. Conscious: AWARE.

15. "A likely story!": HAH.

18. Old cereal box letters: RDA. Recommended daily allowance.

19. __-Caps: SNO, the movie theater version of the nonpareils (semi-sweet chocolate with dots of sugar) which we loved as children.

20. Anderson of Jethro Tull: IAN. Okay, though the name sounds Norse, he is a Scottish musician who brought the flute to rock and roll. Is their most famous song AQUALUNG ?

21. Pyle portrayer: NABORS. Jim Nabors, Gomer Pyle, USMC; I guess a shout out to Dennis. While Nabors was a very talented singer he was also the long time partner of Rock Hudson, which shocked the crap out of me.

23. Composer Stravinsky: IGOR; another sighting of this name, spelled with an I.

25. Words of affection from Luigi: CARA MIA, my dear in Italian. Am I the only one who thinks of GOMEZ; whenever I hear this phrase?

26. Club ingredient: BACON, Club Sandwich, not a club you use to hit, or go to get sozzled.

28. Astronaut Grissom: GUS. Gus Grissom, was part of the very first class of astronauts and had been chosen to command the first Apollo mission, when he and Roger Chafee and Ed White died in a fire while training. I was 18 and remember hearing about it like it was yesterday. Gus would have been 85 on April 3.

29. Seed alternative: SOD. Good thing we are not in an earlier puzzle, or I would not know sod all.

32. Impudent: SASSY. I cannot think of a better word to describe our corner ladies.

34. Senescent: AGING. I cannot think of a better word to describe... oops, I mean our first word from classic Latin, from SEN, meaning old (like SENILE, SENIOR) and ESCENT meaning becoming, like ADOLESCENT, ACQUIESCENT, TUMESCENT.

35. Refinery input: ORE. Tricky for me because I thought of OIL.

36. Escape to Vegas, maybe: ELOPE.

37. "__ life!": THAT'S. Let's SING ALONG.

40. Withdrawal concern: DTS. Delerium Tremens, the shakes one gets from alcohol withdrawal. My 10th grad math teacher Mr. Henderson, he would arrive with his coffee and his shaking would make us all nervous.

42. Hardly local: ALIEN, phone home Tinbeni.

43. '70s TV cop played by Robert Blake: BARETTA. Did you watch his murder trial, or his show which had a nice THEME SONG done by Sammy Davis, Jr.

45. Assorted: Abbr.: MISC. Ellaneous. My fourth grade teacher.

46. Farewells overseas: ADIEUS, a weak plural, but our French lesson, Jeannie; farewell, not goodbye.

47. Dinghy thingy: OAR. Bore. Rhyme time.

48. Electrical sound: ZAP. Love those bug zappers, fry you flying fiends!

51. Lighting brand: BIC. They won't let me forget my Cristal Bic story will they?

56. "__ you nuts?": ARE.

57. Matching: EQUAL. No longer the leading sweetener.

58. Agony and ecstasy: MOODS, also a fine book and movie about Michelangelo.

59. Dorm agts.: RAS. Resident Advisers.

60. 640 acres: Abbr.: SQ MI, yes the letter combination looks weird but they tell you it is an abbr, for Square Mile.

61. Opposite of lanky: SQUAT.

Made it halfway, lots of short words, so now the rest.

Down:

1. Cpl.'s subordinates: PFCS. Private First Class.

2. "__ (So Far Away)": 1982 hit for A Flock of Seagulls: I RAN, we could have had another country, instead we get this TUNE.

3. Reset: ZERO. Like your combination lock.

4. Letter from London: ZED, how they say ZEE in Merry Olde.

5. "__ was saying ...": AS I.

6. McGregor of "The Men Who Stare at Goats": EWAN. Another entertainer from Scotland, who has done many diverse movies from Moulin Rouge to Star Wars. An actual actor who plays parts, not himself.

7. Feb. sentiment: VAL, Valentine's Day. Sentiment?

8. Circus sites: ARENAS, Circus Maximus in ancient Rome.

9. French Oscar: CESAR. Did you ever wonder about the FRENCH movies? I love Catherine Deneuve.

10. Y for men only?: CHROMOSOME. I like this word, well done.

14. Way out yonder: AFAR.

17. Shrek's love: FIONA. Also a wonderful character on the Showtime series, SHAMELESS. For mature, open minded audiences only.

22. Like much Hawaiian lava: BASALTIC. You want Lave, I will give you stinking LAVA .

23. Complaint while groping: I CAN'T SEE . Well two things, an obvious shout out to me for my eye problems, just slightly sadistic; but let's face it, when I am groping someone, not being able to see does not matter. It is all in the hands.

25. Dice and ice, often: CUBES. Another rhyming clue.

27. Earhart et al.: AVIATRICES. Flying ladies, did anyone watch the movie?

28. Spiritual leaders: GURUS.

30. It may be tipped: HAT.

31. One commonly follows "said": COMMA. Have you ever had a comma happy boss? What, a, pain.

32. Naval acronym: SEALS. SEA, AIR and LAND.

33. Japanese dough: YEN.

39. Stone monument: CAIRN. These are basically ROCK PILES . Also, a Terrier, like Toto in the Wizard of Oz.

41. And those following, in footnotes: ET SEQQ; this one combines my law and Latin backgrounds, as we use this abbreviation whenever we want the reader to read a section of law and those sections which follow. The Latin is literally "and following." The two Qs are the plural.

43. King with a trunk: BABAR. I learned to read with the adventures of this ELEPHANT , and still collect Elephants.

44. Old TV parts: TUBES. my high school roommate had taken a course in TV repair; he taught me that they do not blow up, they implode. Fun.

45. Knight's protection: MAIL. Chain mail, as opposed to chain letters.

47. Ventura County resort: OJAI, a California gimme for our left coasters, and the direction the golf ball breaks on the greens out there.

49. Operatic slave: AIDA.

50. It's behind us: PAST.

53. Elemental suffix: IUM. So many, LITHIUM, SODIUM, HELIUM as well the magnetic metals.

54. MLB execs: GMS. General Managers. As opposed to field managers.

55. Chantilly crower: COQ. Chicken in French, au vin anyone? Trying to get me in trouble at the very end.

Answer grid.

Well, I am struggling to get done, so it is time to say sayonora. Until next time

Lemonade

Thursday, April 7, 2011 Don Gagliardo

Theme: How would you have spelt it? Revealed in 51 Across: Spin, as a cue ball, and how to answer each starred clue in this puzzle?: PUT ENGLISH ON IT. The last word of each answer is how you would find it in the OED (Oxford English Dictionary).

20. *Not exactly a nightie: FLANNEL PYJAMAS. From India and SW Asia "paijama", The English changed ai to "y", and the US simply dropped the "i". As for the clue, sometimes a suggestion of something hidden can be more alluring than outright exposure...

24. *Scales are part of it: PIANO PRACTISE. Practice is the noun, practise is the verb, but Americans are in the practice of always using practice.

33. *Reinforced road traveler: STEEL-BELTED TYRE. From tire "equipment, dress, covering", a shortened form of "attire". The notion is of the tire as the dressing of the wheel. The original spelling was tyre, which had shifted to tire in 17c.-18c., but since early 19c. tyre was revived in Great Britain with the advent of the pneumatic rubber form and become standard there.

43. *Headquarters: CONTROL CENTRE. The -er, -re ending confusion can be traced to Noah Webster, who attempted to reform English spelling in the US.  Despite his efforts, we still kept words like acre (instead of aker), ogre, and theatre (classy or pretentious?) Across the pond, Johnson's dictionary is considered authoritative for the -re endings, and seems to be a source of national pride (don't quote Webster to them...)

Hi all, Al here. I have to say, today the theme helped a lot. The top was refusing to fill in, but after getting CENTRE, the other theme spelt words fell quickly which gave me just enough to start getting perps.  I'll let Don's notes (included at the end) speak for themselves.

ACROSS:

1. Fictional falcon seeker: SPADE. Sam, as played by Bogie.

6. Fictional falcon source: MALTA. The Maltese Falcon. I've never seen this movie, maybe it's time to finally chase it down. Today's geography lesson.

11. "The Sting" number: RAG. Music from the movie originally composed by Scott Joplin, arranged by Marvin Hamlish.

14. Much of Israel: NEGEV. Desert.

15. Provide with heat?: ENARM. Heat, as in weapons.

16. Shaft discovery: ORE. A mining shaft of course. Any other interpretation would probably have you running to a urologist...

17. Speak above the crowd?: ORATE. Both literally (loudly) and figuratively (on a soapbox). I'm not sure if I have those backwards...

18. Solitude: TIME ALONE.

22. Jack edged him out in the 1980 U.S. Open: ISAO. AOKI. Golf. Both names are common crosswordese clues and answers, but usually one clues the other.

23. Jumbo, say: SIZE.

31. Some time ago: ONCE. upon a time.

32. Screwball: LOON.

41. "__, 'tis true, I have gone here and there": Sonnet 110: ALAS.

42. Choice word: EENY. Meeny Miny Moe.

48. Pole or Croat: SLAV. Apparently we get the word slave from slav because of their history of being conquered and being sold into servitude.

50. Where parts of the '95 film "Higher Learning" were shot: UCLA.

58. Radical: EXTREMIST. By definition, one far from the norm, thus should not be construed as representative, yet human nature will try to force a pattern...

59. Bathroom sink fitting: P-TRAP.

61. Bathroom, across the pond: LOO. More bonus English.

62. Berry picked for an Emmy: HALLE.

63. Sister of Thalia: ERATO. Muses.

64. Stab: TRY.

65. Loper leader: INTER. Prefix clue. An interloper is a "self-interested intruder".

66. Easily colored synthetic: DYNEL.

DOWN:

1. Desk globe filler?: SNO. Really kind of boring unless Pixar interprets it.

2. Line to tear along: Abbr.: PERForated.

3. "I've Got __ in Kalamazoo": A GAL. A Glenn Miller oldie.

4. Suspect, maybe: DETAINEE. With all the airport security measures now, I think the terrorists did win...

5. "Given that ...": EVEN SO.

6. Sky streaker: METEOR.

7. Deep blue: ANIL. The west indian shrub called the indigo plant, from which blue dyes are made.

8. Harpsichordist's aid: LAMP. I can only assume this is what the clue intended...

9. It has few pips: TREY. Playing card spots.

10. Key of Beethoven's Sym. No. 7: A MAJ. Second Movement (8:19)

11. Frosh assignment: ROOMIE. Often in the first year of college, you must stay in a dorm, and you can't always pick your own roommate.

12. Ball partner: ARNAZ. Lucy and Desi.

13. Sky honkers: GEESE. Did you ever notice that one side of their V formation is always longer than the other and wonder why that happens? It's because there are more geese on that side.

19. Lad's sweetheart: LASS. Scotland terms could be interpreted to be related to today's theme.

21. Hammock session: NAP.

24. Batt. terminal: POSitive. or NEGative.

25. NFL drive killer: INTerception in football.

26. Score very high on: ACE. As with an exam.

27. "This is __ sudden!": ALL SO.

28. Motel extra: COT.

29. Nail holder: TOE. A little tricky, and not my first thought.  Also, eww... but just a little.

30. Ill. neighbor: IND. Illinois and Indiana.

34. Data-sharing syst.: LAN. Local Area Network, connected computers, usually within a single building. Between buildings usually requires a WAN, Wide Area Network.

35. Lunch initials: BLT.

36. __ candy: EAR, and clecho: 40D. __ candy: EYE.

37. Renters, collectively: TENANTRY. Perhaps a bit archaic Middle English-like, and doesn't quite slide easily off your tongue, but at least it isn't boring.

38. Nevertheless: YET.

39. Time off, in mil. slang: RNR. Rest 'N Recreation

43. Yarn or bell, e.g.: CAT TOY.

44. Page-bottom directive: OVER.

45. Polish goal: LUSTER.  A disguised capitonym clue. "Hiding" it at the beginning of a sentence is a Thursday level of trickiness.

46. "The Shield" actress __ Pounder: CCH. Carol Christine Hilaria.

47. Made hasty altar plans: ELOPED.

48. Broke down, in a way: SPELT. Bonus theme-related English spelling.

49. Pyramid-shaped Vegas hotel: LUXOR.

52. Soda reportedly named for a bottle size: NEHI. One story is that the company founder sent one of his salesmen across the Chattahoochee River from Columbus to check out his competition in Alabama. The happy salesman returned to report that Alabama competition was only "knee-high". The other recurring story concerns the checking of bottle samples that were being considered for the new flavor line. Most of the drinks of that era were of the 6 or 7 ounce sizes. When the tall 9 ounce Nehi sample was set beside the competitors brands, the comment was made that the smaller bottles looked "knee-high" beside their new container.

53. Fed: G-MAN.

54. Happy tune: LILT. To "lift up".

55. Crow's-nest sighting: ISLE. On a Thursday, LAND was too simple.

56. Afghanistan neighbor: IRAN.

57. Thames gallery: TATE. More England references.

60. Capitol Hill mover: POL. Whenever I see this word, I think of Pol Pot...

Answer Grid.

Constructor's notes:

"It may be that this puzzle was inspired by a coworker of my wife, Barbara.  He is very English.  He solves my puzzles regularly and loves the diversion from his usual grind.  I have met others from England, and cannot help but marvel at their colorful phrases.  We walk our dogs in the snicket now.  I did not know the narrow, wooded glen was a snicket until the English neighbor told me so.  I cannot even find that word in an English dictionary, so who knows how many words are out there that are not even in print.  I have also marveled at the spelling changes from one language to the other.  The goal was to make as many kinds of substitutions as possible, and try to keep the word the same length.  I think I also tried for one-letter substitutions, but I cannot recall if I succeeded.  This puzzle will probably drive some people crazy at first, who think they got it right but find that it does not work out.  The unifier was important.  Fortunately there was a phrase that explains it all.  I wonder where that phrase, “Put English on it” comes from.  I used to hear people use it in reference to billiard shots.  I have even heard it on the golf course.  Does anyone know the origin of this phrase?" 

Here you go, Don:  Spin imparted to a ball, from French anglé "angled," which is similar to Anglais "English."

Al

Wednesday, April 6 2011, Patti Varol

PTheme: Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall. Each of the 13(!!) starred theme entries relates to the animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

1A. *"Bohemian Rhapsody" group : QUEEN. you're singing it in your head, aren't you?

6A. *Poet Whitman : WALT. i finally bought leaves of grass after hearing part of the poem 'spontaneous me' in the movie 'the notebook.' noah read it to his dad on the porch, remember?

23A. *Painfully shy : BASHFUL

26A. *Tormented by pollen, say : SNEEZY. bless you!

31A. *Cross : GRUMPY. harumph.

40A. *Medico's address : DOC. it looks nice right in the middle like that.

44A. *Like a quiet town : SLEEPY

48A. *He won 26 Oscars, including an Academy Honorary Award (consisting of one full-sized and seven miniature statuettes) for the film depicted in this puzzle's starred answers : DISNEY. when i first read this clue i hadn't figured out the theme yet, and had no idea anyone had won that many oscars (he was nominated for 64). it is a record that has not been broken. no wonder he created the happiest place on earth. here's an interesting disney link.

52A. *Cry of surprise : HEIGH HO. i thought of him.

68A. *Frosted flakes : SNOW. cute clue, sore subject for some of you. i was thinking more along the lines of this.

69A. *Chess side : WHITE

13D. *All smiles : HAPPY

48D. *Not very bright : DOPEY

melissa bee bogging.

WOW! i had so much fun with this puzzle. love, Love, LOVE heavy themage, and this one is absolutely overflowing with it. would not think it was even possible to fit all seven dwarves names, and 6 other related theme entries in a 15 * 15 grid . have not seen this constructor's name before, but now i'll keep an eye out for her ... really really enjoyed this, just brilliant.

a few bonuses, too:

39A. Aladdin's helper : GENIE. also a disney movie.

58A. Like a noted piper : PIED. 1933 disney short

60A. Roads scholar? : TRAMP. well it coulda been clued as 'Lady's beau.'

11D. "__ porridge hot ..." : PEASE. not disney, but a children's nursery rhyme. interesting trivia, according to wikipedia: "The 1959 Billy Wilder film Some Like It Hot derives its title from this rhyme."

and, loosely related:

8. Passed-down stories : LORE.

22. Man with morals : AESOP

i feel like it's my duty to link at least one song ... and what came to mind with this theme was seven days. it even contains the lyric 'the mirror squeaked, away i ran.'

Across

10. Exotic food fish : OPAH

14. Año Nuevo month : ENERO. enero is spanish for january - año nuevo is spanish for new year's eve.

15. Irish Spring variety : ALOE. soap.

16. Wife of Zeus : HERA

17. Sudoku fill-in : DIGIT

18. Fronded plant : FERN. i learned on npr's wait, wait don't tell me that sigmund freud had pteridophobia, a the morbid fear of ferns.

19. Irving hero : GARP

20. Starbucks pickup : COFFEE

27. Torino time period : ORA. italian for hour.

28. Good thinking : REASON

34. Overhauls : REBUILDS

41. Red simile words : A BEET. red as a beet.

42. Parent who minds how her kid acts? : STAGE MOM. cute.

45. Dojo discipline : KARATE. training facility for martial arts.

47. WNBA position : CTR

55. Quarterfinals complement, e.g. : OCTAD

56. Danube capital : VIENNA. austria. the danube is the second longest river in europe, after the volga.

59. Watch : TEND

64. Feminine suffix : ENNE

65. Corleone family head : VITO. the godfather.

66. "We're out of choices" : OTHER. made me giggle.

67. "Son of Frankenstein" role : YGOR

Down

1. Proof abbr. : QED. from wikipedia: an initialism of the Latin phrase quod erat demonstrandum, which means "what was to be demonstrated". The phrase is traditionally placed in its abbreviated form at the end of a mathematical proof orphilosophical argument when what was specified in the enunciation — and in the setting-out — has been exactly restated as the conclusion of the demonstration. The abbreviation thus signals the completion of the proof.

2. Cycle prefix : UNI. unicycle.

3. Hosp. test : EEG

4. "Love Story" novelist Segal : ERICH

5. __ this world: bizarre : NOT OF

6. Hem and haw : WAFFLE

7. On the safer side : ALEE

9. Downing Street number : TEN. number ten downing street, in london. residence of the prime minister.

10. "My goodness" : OH GEE

12. Paella ingrediente : ARROZ. spanish word for rice.

21. Faulkner's "The Sound and the __" : FURY

22. Like some reports : ANNUAL

23. His 3,000th hit was a homer : BOGGS. wade.

24. Stop in Québec? : ARRET. french.

25. Healthful hot spot : SAUNA

26. Cry noisily : SOB

29. Starbucks pickup : AROMA. clecho.

30. NYSE overseer : SEC. securities and exchange commission.

32. "Top Gun" foe : MIG. russian military aircraft.

33. Didn't wait for Christmas : PEEKED. are you a peeker?

35. "May __ of service?" : I BE

36. Hanger-on : LEECH. ew.

37. Pool statistic : DEPTH. the minimum depth of an olympic sized pool is 6' 7".

38. Start to foam? : STYRO. Styrofoam. thought of rabies.

40. Palme __: Cannes film award : DOR. the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival, it goes to the director of the best feature film of the official competition. had no idea.

43. Has the okay : MAY

44. Spotted : SEEN. i spy, with my little eye ...

46. Market index, familiarly : THE DOW. dow jones.

49. Best part of the cake, to some : ICING. you can have mine.

50. Shorthand pro : STENO. stenographer.

51. "Unsafe at Any Speed" author : NADER

53. Attached to a trailer hitch : IN TOW

54. Brooks of C & W : GARTH. thought kix first, not enough letters. why not spell out country and western?

56. Vital thin blue line : VEIN

Tuesday, April 5, 2011 Donna S. Levin

Theme: Down by the Sea - The end word of the theme entries relates to water movement.

20A. Chocolate-ribboned ice cream flavor : FUDGE RIPPLE

27A. One setting a new high : RECORD BREAKER. Waves as they break (fall over themselves and crash onto the shore) are known as breakers.

49A. Salon treatment : PERMANENT WAVE

56A. "Nifty, huh?" : "ISN'T IT SWELL?". A wave, especially when long and unbroken; What causes boats to rise and fall out on the ocean.

Argyle here. Too bad Donna couldn't get the entries in order, from slight movement to tsunami.

Across:

1. Shoppers' aids : BAGS

5. Chantilly product : LACE. Let the Big Bopper get your blood going. Clip.(2:27)

9. Religious subgroups : SECTS

14. Kareem's alma mater, briefly : UCLA. Basketball Hall of Famer Abdul-Jabbar played three seasons for the UCLA Bruins from 1966–69. He was known as Lew Alcindor at the time.

15. Airline with famously tight security : EL AL

16. Hackneyed : TRITE

17. Custardy Spanish dessert : FLAN, Image.

18. O'Hara homestead : TARA. Theme from the original soundtrack Clip.(3:51)

19. Nattered away : RAN ON

23. Two-outs-in-a-single-AB stats : DPs. Baseball's double-play.

24. Mai __ : TAI. Cocktail.

25. Asian cat breed : SIAMESE

32. Windsor Castle initials : HRH. His Royal Highness or Her Royal Highness.

33. Fabled fiddler : NERO

34. "All By __": Celine Dion hit : MYSELF. Clip.(3:59)

37. Spread in a dairy case : OLEO

39. Spots on a screen? : ADS. TV screen.

41. Inter or et follower : ALIA

42. Setting where a medium isn't rare : SEANCE

45. Nepal's continent : ASIA

48. Pioneered : LED

52. Aptly named boss at the quarry where Fred Flintstone works : MR. SLATE

54. Livy's "I love" : AMO. Titus Livius (59 BC – AD 17), known as Livy in English, was a Roman historian.

55. Mouse spotter's shriek : "EEK!"

62. Stockpile : AMASS

64. __'acte : ENTR. French for "between the acts", intermission.

65. Thought : IDEA

66. Capone henchman : NITTI. Francesco Raffaele Nittoni, AKA Frank Nitto, AKA Frank 'The Enforcer' Nitti" (January 27, 1881 – March 19, 1943) was a Prohibition gangster in Al Capone's gang.

67. Vaulted cathedral part : APSE

68. Sask. neighbor : N. DAK.

69. Isaac with a bow : STERN. Ukrainian-born violin virtuoso.

70. Inner Hebrides isle : SKYE. Home to Talisker single malt Scotch.

71. "... the slithy toves / Did __ and gimble ...": "Jabberwocky" : GYRE

Down:

Monday, April 4, 2011 John Lampkin

Theme: Rhyme Time - Four IE/IE rhyming idioms, where the first part differs from the second part only by the initial letter.

20A. Feeling of uneasiness : HEEBIE-JEEBIES. From Wikipedia: The sound of this term seems to hark back to earlier rhyming phrases, like hocus-pocus and mumbo-jumbo, with a touch of the jitters thrown in. The meaning is more like the British term - the screaming habdabs.

27A. Hand-held two-way communications device : WALKIE-TALKIE A hand-held, portable, two-way radio. You can send and receive within a limited range.

47A. Up-tempo jazz piano style : BOOGIE WOOGIE. Piano-based blues that became very popular in the late 1930s and early 1940s, but originated much earlier. The real Boogie Man.(3:00)

56A. Symbolic nosegays : TUSSIE-MUSSIES. I am not sure of the use of symbolic here. The word "tuzzy" refers to the Old English word which means a "knot of flowers". Muzzy refers to the damp moss wrapped around the stems to keep them moist. The definition in current times also extends to the cone-shaped holder for the bouquet. Nosegays are small, round bouquets composed of densely packed round flowers, greenery, and occasionally herbs.

Argyle here. John starts of our week very nicely.

Across:

1. Cotton swabs originally called Baby Gays : Q-TIPS. It is unknown why, in 1923, its inventor, Leo Gersenzang, used the name, Baby Gay, but perhaps it is a reference to nosegay.

6. Actor Guinness : ALEC

10. More than stumbled : FELL

14. Basic belief : TENET

15. Capital surrounding Vatican City : ROME

16. Falco of "The Sopranos" : EDIE

17. Shabby : RATTY

18. $3 million, 30-sec. Super Bowl feature : TV AD

19. Poet __ St. Vincent Millay : EDNA

23. Jungle swinger : APE

25. Fla. hours : EST

26. Cummerbund fold : PLEAT. The cummerbund is a broad waist sash, usually pleated, often worn with black tie. With 39. Dress (up) : TOG

32. Cheering noisily : AROAR

33. Mashed luau staple : POI

34. "M*A*S*H" staff : RNs

37. Reprimander's "reading" : RIOT ACT

40. Leave for a bit : STEP OUT

43. Mind reader's skill, briefly : ESP. Extrasensory perception.

44. "How beautiful!" : "OOH!"

46. Oil refinery input : CRUDE

51. Ami's good-bye : ADIEU

54. Tiny bit : TAD

55. His-and-__ towels : HER. Should be Hers, yes?

61. Isaac's eldest : ESAU. Exchanged for his birthright for a bowl of stew. Must have been really hungry.

62. Knucklehead : DOPE

63. Close, as a parka : ZIP UP

66. Hollywood success : STAR

67. Hollywood favorite : IDOL

68. College town near Bangor : ORONO

69. Nanny's charge : TYKE

70. Bills with Hamilton on them : TENS

71. Rehab step : DETOX

Down:

1. Super Bowl div. : QTR. Quarter. Not just the Super Bowl; any game split into four time periods.

2. Green or black brew : TEA

3. Fully informed : IN THE LOOP

4. Sampras of tennis : PETE

5. Eyelid problem : STYE

6. Manet or Monet : ARTIST. And 49. Props for Monet and Manet : EASELS

7. Affectionate bop : LOVE TAP

8. Key with four sharps: Abbr. : E MAJ.

9. Give up formally : CEDE

10. Weak : FEEBLE

11. Murphy of "48 HRS." : EDDIE

12. Top of a form, perhaps : LINE A

13. "It's the __ I can do" : LEAST

21. Honey maker : BEE

22. Prefix with center or cycle : EPI. From Greek, "upon, at, close upon (in space or time), on the occasion of, in addition" (cognate with Skt. api "also, besides;" Avestan aipi "also, to, toward;" Arm. ev "also, and;" L. ob "toward, against, in the way of"). Before unaspirated vowels, reduced to ep- ; before aspirated vowels, eph- . Used in modern scientific compounds, cf. epicenter; epicycle (late 14c.).

23. Informed (of) : AWARE

24. Capital on the Seine : PARIS

28. See 31-Down : KAT 31. With 28-Down, layered chocolate bar : KIT

29. Lyricist Gershwin : IRA

30. __ Angeles : LOS

34. Glitch in need of smoothing out : ROUGH SPOT

35. Film with nakedness : NUDIE

36. Cattle drive critter : STEER

38. Pigeon's sound : COO

41. Green prefix : ECO

42. Athlete who isn't green? : PRO

45. Stumble across, as an idea : HIT UPON

47. Have no doubt : BE SURE

48. "Yes, mon ami" : "OUI"

50. Part of wpm: Abbr. : WDS.

51. "This is only __" : A TEST

52. Like the trail on a cattle drive : DUSTY

53. Singer Chris : ISAAK

57. Change text : EDIT

58. Pie à la __ : MODE

59. Former Lacoste partner : IZOD. Clothing lines.

60. Dublin's isle : EIRE

64. Half of dos : UNO. Spanish numbers.

65. Chicken __ : POX

Answer grid.

Argyle