Saturday, June 18, 2011 Peter A. Collins

Theme: None

Words: 70

Blocks: 28

A tough offering from one of our regular constructors - I went with the Downs first, and so I didn't nail the first grid spanner right away-

17A. Top 10 single on the 1970 album "Abraxas" : BLACK MAGIC WOMAN - Santana

...had me a grid that was predominately blank for most of the time, until I hit on

29A. They're not near the action : CHEAP SEATS

... which broke it open for me; before that, I was considering throwing in the "red-letter" towel; and the other spanner,

54A. Didn't just go : ASKED PERMISSION - a simple, yet thoughtful fill

Splynter, here with another Saturday offering for your perusal

Across:

1. Old Eurasian letters : USSR - did anyone else start with CCCP, the Cyrillic version?

5. Bean counter : NUMBERS GUY - stared at "_u_bers guy" for a long time...

15. Home of H. Rousseau's "The Sleeping Gypsy" : MOMA - TATE? had to be a museum or art gallery, I figured

16. How travelers' bags are screened : ONE AT A TIME - I have not traveled by air for 8 years, was thinking "IN AN XRAY _ _"

19. Old-style street show : RAREE - I have heard of this

20. Tub contents : BATH - I had oleo to start

21. Depend : REST - I had RELY to start

22. Affected : ARTSY

23. A, B or C, perhaps: Abbr. : ANS - thought KEY, GRADE, etc.

24. Like an alias : FALSE - I usually hear "FALSE ALIBI", not FALSE ALIAS

25. Writ word : HABEAS - we have legal experts on the blog who can step in here

27. Wane : SAG - I had EBB to start

28. 1992 gold medal-winning Dream Team coach Chuck : DALY - I don't do basketball - personally, a waste of time and good hardwood....

35. Some six-pack contents : ALE - Felt good about my "ABS" here

36. Six-pack alternative? : BEER GUT - great answer, I had BEER KEG

37. It's best if it's well-seasoned : WOK - cast iron pans, too

38. Party stipulation : NO CHILDREN - I agree

40. Gentle way to go : EASY

41. Picker-upper's concern: Abbr. : ETA - Did anyone else think "Bounty", the paper towel?

42. Shuts out, in slang : SKUNKS - Both the Bruins and Canucks got shut out twice in the Stanley Cup finals; Vancouver in game 7, at home - they just plain "STUNK" in the series.  My brother drove up to Boston for the parade

44. Takes it slow : LOLLS

47. Eastern way : TAO - getting to be a crossword standard

49. '70s toothpaste with "green sparkles" : GLEEM

51. Call, in a way : HAIL - as a cab

52. Pot user : CHEF - uh, not my first thought....

53. Language that gives us "shampoo" : HINDI

57. Very loud : STENTORIAN - A STRAIGHT UP ADJECTIVE I HAVE NEVER HEARD BEFORE - BUT TYPING IN CAPITALS TENDS TO IMPLY SHOUTING; DOES IT BOTHER YOU ????

58. Wood fastener : T-NUT - this do-dad

59. Certain tax determinant : ASSESSMENT

60. They may be first class: Abbr. : SGTS

Down:

1. Sunspot center : UMBRA - Latin for shadow; in this case, it's actually a "cool" spot on the sun's surface, relatively speaking

2. Phenomenon caused by ice crystals between the Earth and sun : SOLAR HALO - I don't think I have witnessed this; I have seen something similar, at night with the moon, so I thought "LUNAR" at first - I did have the HALO part....and two Astrological clues in a row....

3. One making cracks : SMART ALEC

4. Happens quickly : RACES BY

5. Camus, for one : NOM - see 43D - Albert Camus was "French", hence his "name" in French

6. Brazen : UNABASHED

7. Kid-lit Judy Moody series author McDonald : MEGAN - new movie coming out based on this popular character when I was a kid - but I was a boy, I didn't read about 'girls', with their cooties....

8. Entices : BAITS

9. Permanently mark : ETCH

10. Word with deal or nerves : RAW - First fill for me

11. Possible reason for folding : STORAGE

12. Letter on a dreidel : GIMEL  - I am not up on my Hebrew alphabet

13. Sch. with a Lowell campus : UMASS - so here's a map, just because there isn't much to link today

14. "Fiddler on the Roof" matchmaker : YENTE - Did consider YENTA to start

18. __ Luke of Charlie Chan films : KEYE

24. Ritual abstinence : FAST

26. Rapid Northeast train : ACELA - AMTRAK

27. Moxie : SPUNK

28. Castellaneta who voices Homer Simpson : DAN - the man who improvised "D'oh", which is now in the dictionary

30. Transpose digits, say : ERR

31. Golden, Silver, Bronze and Iron, to Ovid : AGES OF MAN - tried "precious" here

32. One may be rude : AWAKENING

33. Ejected : TOSSED OUT

34. Diving milieu : SKY - had SEA first

36. Smithereens : BITS

39. Athens native : HELLENE - Tried GRECIAN early on

40. Volunteers : ENLISTS

43. Disgusted chorus : UGHs - like seeing French in my crosswords....

44. High capital : LHASA - DENV'R didn't fit

45. Hops driers : OASTS

46. Fancies : LIKES

47. 100,000 BTU : THERM - Learning moment for me

48. John Denver album with an eagle's silhouette on the cover : AERIE - I am a HUGE fan, but this one I did not know - came out when I was 9 months old....nice alternative to "high nest"

50. Cashier's counter bowlful : MINTS - the progress was PENNY, COINS, CENTS, MINTS

52. Naval noncoms : CPOs - Chief Petty Officer

55. AA issue : DTs - Delirium Tremens, more of a medical issue - THEN they suggest you start going to meetings....trust me, I have been there, and I am still there - see "Leaving Las Vegas" for a good example

56. QB's miscue : INT-erception, that is, passing it to the other team

Answer grid. 

Splynter

Friday, June 17, 2011, Gareth Bain

THEME: Kooky Curriculum. Each of the five, in the language phrases, is reclued with the second word a synonym for the credit hours needed to procure a degree, producing a new and witty study.  We have one of the most dependable and entertaining of the stable of regular contructors giving as a nice Friday work out with very few proper names, and lots of misdirection and wit. Lemonade here to lead you through the amazing maze of words, and the five (5) theme answers including a central grid spanner.

18A. Part of an astronomy degree?: LUNAR MODULE. Some university schedules are set in groups of requirements, called modules, so there the study of the moon would be the Lunar Module, as is the LEM which took the astronauts across the moon's surface.

24A. Part of a surgery degree? CUTTING CLASS. My favorite image, as surgeons do  consider themselves cutters, and we all have cut some classes.

36A. Part of a physics degree?: COLLISION COURSE. Even here I have trouble with Physics, even though I know objects do collide, and I guess one could study that. Neils Bohr, where are you? (hmm)

47A. Part of an economics degree?: MONETARY UNIT. We all study money, one way or another.

55A. Part of a theology degree?: GRACE PERIOD. Ah, the extra time we are given to pay a bill before going default, becomes a class where we study (a) how to say a prayer before a meal? or (b) achieving a state of tranquility with divinity?

Okay on with the show...

Across

1. Tool used for loosening: HOE. Gee Gareth, we all hate not getting 1 across and this was tricky; how do you spell wrench or screwdriver in three letters? Oh, loosening the earth to plant something, it is spring.

4. What some chambers hold: AMMO. Chambers of a revolver, not bedrooms, I guess it must be Friday.

8. Put down: ABASED.

14. Calder Cup org.: AHL. The trophy at the end of the minor league hockey season of the American Hockey League, named for Frank Calder, first president of the NHL. Pretty obscure.

15. Take it easy: LOAF. Probably adapted from German landläufer ‘vagabond’, a compound of ‘land’ and läufer ‘runner.’ 

16. __ threat: performer who can sing, dance and act: TRIPLE.

17. Ergot host: RYE.  Fascinating stuff which grows in rye bread as it goes bad, creating a substance with hallucinegenic properties. If you want the history and the alleged tie to the Salem Witch trials and LSD read this LINK .

20. All of us, to Bugs: DOCS.  What's up?

22. Like Inverted Jenny stamps: RARE? Do we have any philatelists among us?

23. As it __ : WERE.

27. Reward of a kind: RAISE. In this economy not getting a pay cut is a bonus.

28. "Good move, torero!": OLE. This means bullfighter; only English speaking people call the man with the cape the Matador; in Spanish, it is Matador de Toros, the killer of the bulls.

29. Shot target: FLU. How many had the shot this winter?

32. Component of some screwdrivers, briefly: STOLI.  A Russian vodka made from wheat and rye, full name Stolinyacha, which means Capital

34. West of Brooklyn: MAE. Very tricky, not another borough, but the creator of the buxom blonde persona. 

35. Crabby  SOUR. Sourpuss is such an evocative word, and so accurate.

40. Responsibility: ONUS. Burden.

41. Gp. for GPs: HMO. Group for General Practitioners, the non-specialists.

42. Like mottoes: PITHY. Pith being the core of a plant or an idea.

43. They're often sold in blocks, for short  TIX.  Tickets.

44. Bra part: CUP. I never thought of bras having parts; I have never taken one apart.

45. Surprise, sometimes: PARTY. How many have had their birthday's sprung on them? 

51. Bit with a nucleus: ATOM.

53. Act the affectionate grandparent: DOTE.  It works with grand nephews and nieces as well, see latest avatar of little Mia.

54. High-grade cotton: PIMA.  The best sheets.

58. Code word for "N" in the old U.S. Phonetic Alphabet: NAN.

59. Rather, once: ANCHOR.  Dan, the man.

60. Security concern: MOLE. The underground spy named after the gopher like animal.

61. __ salad: EGG. You got any other three letter salads? Eel?

62. Mendel's field: BOTANY. Yes, it was with plants he studies genetic progressions.

63. Actor Morales: ESAI. He was a regular back in the old pre LA Times days, where they loved that vowel combination.

64. The car in Thurber's 1933 story "The Car We Had to Push": REO.  Again, you know any other three letter cars from 1933?

DOWN:

1. Repeated cacophonic sound?: HARD C. Not our friend Don.

2. Words to a kidder: OH YOU. Sometimes, but today I am being serious.

3. Hoover rival: ELECTROLUX.  I still remember when my mother got hers.

4. Without exception: ALL. Hmm, so simple.

5. Grieves: MOURNS. Our thoughts to all who have lost anyone, a sad part of life we all most face.

6. Conduct: MANAGE. Like a business, not a symphony and not the noun.

7. Joan __: OF ARC. My favorite French Maiden Warrior appears again.

8. Gas station convenience: ATM.  Convenience? They charge you to get money for things you pay too much for, eh!

9. Shop for books: BROWSE.  In this day and age of web browsers, it was hard to focus on this 1870s meaning.

10. White House staffers: AIDES.

11. Type of poker?: SPUR. I wanted STUD, but I guess we are referring to attachment riders use to poke their horses to get them going.

12. Model Macpherson: ELLE.  Beautiful export from Oz.

13. "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" author Brown: DEE. A very interesting perspective of the mistreatment of the indigenous tribes of the Americas, which may not be accurate, but is a major best seller.

19. Bit of kindness from a bank: RELOAN. Kindness? Really, I have been a banker and a loan is not a kindness.

21. Gate divisions, at the track: STALLS. Where they line up before, "They're off!"

25. Unusual clock number: IIII. I have actually seen this instead of IV, but why?

26. Smart __ : ALEC. Baldwin?

29. Clementine's dad, for one: FORTYNINER.

30. Verdant: LUSH.  Green, like a golf course.

31. 1934 chemistry Nobelist: UREY. Never heard of this expert on ISOTOPES who trained with puzzle favorite Neils Bohr.

32. Caber thrower: SCOT. We remain in the highland to watch this SPORT.

33. "Unbreak My Heart" singer Braxton: TONI. LISTEN .

34. Milking murmur: MOO. Always alliterative.

35. Get ready to play: SUIT UP. Baseball players?

37. Ostracize: SHUN.

38. Bar: IMPEDE.  Like impediment.

39. Down-home theater: OPRY.  Grand olde.

44. "Be serious!": COME ON.

45. Artificial turf sites: PATIOS. Does anyone still have astroturf patio?

46. Ring of color: AREOLA. Where is C.C. now that you need her with her classic link?

47. Eponymous Yemeni seaport: MOCHA. Eponymous meaning taking the name of, and Mocha being now a coffee chocolate drink, though the seaport was the home of the leading naturally flavored coffee in the 1700s.

48. Singer with the 1995 album "Velvet and Brass": TORME. 

49. JPEG file content: IMAGE. Which picture format do you prefer?

50. Suggestive dance: TANGO. Aren't all dances suggestive? Marlon Brando? Paris?

51. Pisa's river: ARNO.  No new slant on this clue.

52. Savoir-faire: TACT. Quick French lesson; SAVOIR: to KNOW, FAIRE: to DO, together to know what to do.

55. Dubious "gift": GAB. Ah, the blarney stone.

56. Wield a crowbar: PRY.

57. Agnus __: DEI. We finish with a classic crossword clue. So I will leave you with best wishes for a wonderful Father's Day week end, and an entertaining US Open golf tournament and more questions than answers.

Answer grid.

Lemonade

Thursday, June 16, 2011, Bill Ballard

Theme: Wacky (absurd) cutoffs.  The last three letters have been removed (reduced) from the last word in accordance with the first word indicating that something is incomplete.

17A. Schubert's eighth, aptly: UNFINISHED SYMPHony.

27A. Reference book, aptly: ABRIDGED DICTIONary.

48A. Burnout symptom, aptly: DIMINISHED INTERest.

65A. Logical principle that applies to 17-, 27- and 48-Across, aptly: REDUCTIO AD ABSURdum. Too long to summarize succinctly, you can read it if you wish.

Great theme, four grid-spanning 15 letter answers all with the same number of letters removed. Some of the fill was a bit rough, quite a few abbreviations to make it all work.

ACROSS:

1. Needle-nosed fish: GAR.

4. Work unit: Abbr.: FT LB. Foot Pound. Lb is an abbreviation of Latin libra, the word for pound, or balance as with a scale.

8. __ Island, Florida city near Naples: MARCO. Map.

13. Put away: ATE.

14. Dickens's Heep: URIAH. Also a 70's rock band.

16. Some fitness ctrs.: YMCAS. Young Men's Christian Association.

20. Butcher's offering: LOIN. Chart of meat cuts.

21. Besides: AT THAT. My concept of this idiom is more one of concession or appeasement to smooth over an argument... But it might be right at that.

22. Garden veggie: PEA.

23. Try to be elected: RUN.

25. Sue Grafton's "__ for Lawless": L IS.  A gimmie answer, even if you never have read her books. The first letter always gives it away.

36. It goes with boo, woo or yoo: HOO. Echoic emphasis.

37. Puppet dragon of early TV: OLLIE. Along with Kukla and Fran.

38. Dix follower: ONZE. French for ten and eleven.

39. Off-white shade: ECRU.

41. Banana oil, e.g.: ESTER. An artificial flavoring, Isoamyl acetate is released by a honey bee's sting apparatus where it serves as a pheromone beacon to attract other bees and provoke them to sting.

43. Pickup attachment: PLOW.

44. John Isner, a record 113 times, in a 2010 Wimbledon match: ACER. Un-returned tennis serves.

45. Lot units: ACRES.

47. Chemical suffix: ENE. Would it be so much to ask to add the phrase "indicating a carbon double-bond" to this clue?  At least that way it isn't just "three random letters that you need to get from the perps".

52. California's __ Gabriel Mountains: SAN. Near LA.

53. PC brain: CPU. Central Processing Unit.

54. Govt. mortgage agency: FHA. Federal Housing Administration.

57. Brute: SAVAGE. Old French sauvage, salvage "wild, savage, untamed," from Late Latin salvaticus, alteration of silvaticus "wild," lit. "of the woods," from silva "forest, grove." Related word: sylvan, diety of the woods.

61. Engels collaborator: MARX. The Communist Manifesto. It argues that class struggles, or the exploitation of one class by another, are the motivating force behind all historical developments. Class relationships are defined by an era's means of production. However, eventually these relationships cease to be compatible with the developing forces of production. At this point, a revolution occurs and a new class emerges as the ruling one.

68. Mezzo role in Barber's "Vanessa": ERIKA. An Opera by Samuel Barber.

69. Big cats: PUMAS. Can be either black or tawny, spotted when young.

70. "So that's it!": AHA.

71. Cartridge contents: TONER.

72. Protective cover: TARP.

73. Meddle: PRY.

DOWN:

1. Caesarean conquest: GAUL. The Roman Empire vs ancient France.

2. Elemental ID: AT NO. Atomic number.

3. Homeowner's way to raise money, briefly: RE-FI. Refinance with cash back.

4. Pleasure: FUN.

5. Bermuda shape?: TRIANGLE. Smack in the middle of hurricane alley, the Gulf stream current cuts through it and is home to the Puerto Rico trench, the deepest point of the Atlantic.  Good luck finding anything that happens to wreck there. I kind of also like the methane hydrates theory, too.

6. Supermarket need, maybe: LIST.

7. Thai money: BAHT. What, no "bread" clue on a Thursday?

8. Arcane: MYSTIC.

9. "Rehab" singer Winehouse: AMY. Now, that's ironic.

10. Dudley Do-Right's gp.: RCMP. Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

11. New England attraction, with "the": CAPE. Cape Cod, Nantucket, and Martha's Vineyard.

12. Org. concerned with asbestos stds.: OSHA. Occupational Safety and Health Administration

15. Sneaky laugh: HEH.

18. Cross letters: INRI. Iesus Nazarenus, Rex Iudaeorum. Jesus, the Nazarene, King of the Jews.

19. Picasso contemporary: DALI. We've seen enough "Persistence", here are Picasso and Self sculptures.

24. Japanese veggie: UDO. Doesn't appear particularly appetizing.

26. Station: STOP. Railroad departures.

27. In first: AHEAD.

28. Game for bowlers: BOCCI. Anglicized form of BOCCE.  Tricked me.

29. Composer Ned: ROREM. I have heard of "Our Town", but otherwise not on my radar.

30. "__ Dream": "Lohengrin" aria: ELSA'S. Wagner Opera.

31. Lose on purpose: DITCH. Literally "to throw into a ditch".

32. 43-Across maker: DEERE.

33. Fjord: INLET.

34. Depleted layer: OZONE.

35. Like a 2011 model, say: NEWER.

40. "QB VII" author: URIS.

42. Aromatic evergreen: RED CEDAR.

46. Try a little of: SIP.

49. Its Hall of Fame is in Charlotte, N.C.: NASCAR. National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing

50. "For those listening __ home ...": IN AT.

51. Insensitive: NUMB. Old English "nimen" for "taken".  The current meaning comes from the notion of being "taken" with cold, or shock. Oddly related to the word "nimble", quick to grasp (take).

54. Neck piece: FRET. On a guitar neck.

55. Super Bowl party order: HERO. Sub, hoagie, togo, etc.

56. Game point: AD IN. Tennis.

58. Big cheese: VIP. Very Important Person. I know you all know that, I'm just pointing out abbreviations.

59. Juillet's follower: AOUT. More French: July, August.

60. Vasco da __: GAMA.

62. Rush job notation: ASAP. As soon as possible.

63. German industrial region: RUHR.

64. Like a certain superpower: X-RAY. Superman's vision.

66. Luau strings: UKE.

67. Nile biter: ASP.

Answer grid

Al

Wedesday, June 15, 2011 Jennifer Nutt

Theme: oh, bother. the first word of each theme phrase is a synonym for predicament.

17A. *Aid for loose-leaf filing : HOLE PUNCHER

10D. *Pay for a verdict : FIX THE JURY

14D. *Random sample : SPOT CHECK

29D. *Improvisational gig : JAM SESSION

32D. *Deli container : PICKLE JAR

61A. Trouble at the starts of the answers to starred clues : PREDICAMENT

melissa here. right up my alley today. what else? problem, mess, trouble, quandary, dilemma. and a few other unmentionables. pretty straightforward theme, but fun when the theme answers are both across and down.

Across

1. Highlands miss : LASS

5. Soup and a sandwich, sometimes : LUNCH. bill g., what's on the menu today?

10. "The dog ate my homework," e.g. : FIB. my first thought was 'excuse.'

13. Issues : EMITS. tricky.

15. Opener : INTRO

16. Hosp. area : ICU. intensive care unit.

19. '90s collegian, probably : X-ER

20. Chemistry subject : ISOTOPE. dr. dad?

21. Actor Matthau : WALTER. HIGH-larious.

23. Certain two-seater : TANDEM. '...but you'd look sweet, upon the seat ..'

26. Quite : OH SO

27. Goal : OBJECT

31. Go by : ELAPSE. time.

33. Refuse : TRASH. sneaky, noun - not verb.

34. Done, in Dordogne : FINI. french.

35. Piece of work : JOB. nice.

38. Former Fiesta Bowl site : TEMPE. arizona.

39. Geese flight formation : VEE. as each bird flaps its wings, it creates an uplift for the bird immediately following. i can think of another reason, too.

40. Unrefined : CRUDE. but no one here, of course.

42. Hosp. areas : ORS. operating rooms.

43. Highlands family : CLAN

45. Popular Japanese beer : KIRIN

46. American realist who painted "The Gross Clinic" (1875) : EAKINS. i had no idea. the painting depicts physician samuel david gross overseeing a surgery and lecturing to a class of medical students.

48. Was overly sweet : CLOYED. echh.

49. Bridge call : PASS

51. Sprout incisors : TEETHE.

53. Apartment dweller, often : LESSEE

55. Commits piracy, in a way : HIJACKS

60. Former press secretary Fleischer : ARI. thought of this ari.

64. __ Pepe: sherry brand : TIO

65. Consumer : EATER

66. He's got the life : RILEY. the life of riley.

67. Egg producer : HEN

68. Serengeti grazer : ELAND

69. Like variable work time : FLEX. flex-time.

Down

1. Mormon prophet, or the Utah city named for him : LEHI. not up on my mormon prophets.

2. Israeli writer Oz : AMOS. or my israeli writers. he is also a professor of literature at ben-gurion university in ve'er sheva. my favorite amos.

3. Missile housing : SILO. scroll down this page for pics.

4. "Let it stand" : STET

5. Summer suit material : LINEN

6. Auntie's mate : UNC

7. Utmost degree : NTH

8. Sailor : CREWMAN

9. Dance involving a chair, perhaps : HORA. tradition.

11. Frozen sodas : ICEES. never really thought of it as a frozen soda.

12. Sancho Panza's mount : BURRO and clecho 47. Biblical mount : ASS

18. __ the crack of dawn : UP AT. or if you're a teen, the crack of noon.

22. Spanish article : LOS

24. Moat purpose : DEFENSE

25. Writer Wiesel : ELIE. jewish-american writer, professor, political activist, nobel laureate and holocaust survivor.

27. "Beetle Bailey" dog : OTTO. relied on perps, did not remember his name.

28. Uncle Remus title : BRER

30. Psychic power : ESP. extra sensory perception.

36. "Garfield" dog : ODIE. big tongued dog.

37. Road turn : BEND

39. Roof spinner : VANE

41. Brazil's capital until 1960 : RIO

44. Word-for-word : LITERAL

48. À la mode : CHIC

49. "The Bell Jar" author : PLATH. sylvia.

50. Eagle's home : AERIE

52. Wade Boggs's base : THIRD

54. Fencing blade : EPEE

56. "I __ you are": "Ready?" answer : AM IF

57. An amoeba has one : CELL. cute.

58. Patella's place : KNEE

59. Charon's river : STYX. mythology.

62. Part of a pilot's announcement, briefly : ETA. estimated time of arrival.

63. TV room : DEN. a little dated ... anymore, this could be any room.

Answer grid.


melissa