Saturday, July 2, 2011 Barry Silk

Theme: None

Words: 72

Blocks: 31

Hey~!

 We start off the holiday weekend with a Saturday Silk, two triple stacks of 10 in the NW and SE.  Lots of entertainment clues, most before MY time....Not a tough one, but I did have to check red-letter for my first guess at 9D.  Oh well.  6 "Z"s, but no 59D - missing the "Q-U"

Let's go to the video tape ~!

 Splynter

ACROSS:

1. Extraterrestrial factor in creating much of Earth's carbon-14 : COSMIC RAYS - first thoughts were SOLAR FLARE or COMET/METEOR something....

11. '90s TV toon therapist : KATZ - Dr. Katz - this was on Comedy Central, but I couldn't watch because of the annoying jittery animation, described here

15. "The Defense Never Rests" co-author : F. LEE BAILEY - I defer to others

16. You may bid on it : EBAY

17. Circulation aid : CEILING FAN - good answer, I just installed two.

18. Five-time Wimbledon winner : BORG - Bjorn, of Sweden

19. American Fur Company founder : ASTOR

20. Firenze field : CAMPO - hey, thanks to yesterday, this one was a gimme ~!

21. "__ to Canaan": Carole King hit : BEEN - tried "ROAD" to start

24. Harris trickster : BR'ER RABBIT - a contraction of "brother", he's a character of folklore with more here

27. Sin tax, e.g. : EXCISE

29. Take-charge type : DOer

30. __ Genevieve: Missouri county or its seat : STE

31. __-ovo-vegetarian : LACTO - a guess, and I surmise that this is a person who is OK with consuming milk and eggs

32. Cry of delight : YOWZAH - last word heard here (warning: lyrical content~!).  Fun to sing and play; tough solo

34. Low life? : AMOEBAE - yes, a play on the plural, like I had before; this time, the Latin plural for our one-celled organisms

36. Remote drivers? : AA CELLS - AA batteries for one's TV remote - got this one with a smile - thinking about a similar answer in a puzzle of my own....

40. Attached, as some decals : SEWN ON - meh, but I guess if it read "patches" instead of decals, it'd be a gimme.  I tried IRON ON to start

 

42. Certain elephant : ASIAN - funny, but I couldn't get Indian or African to fit....

43. Dander : IRE

46. Pro __ : RATA

47. Miss Hungary of 1936, familiarly : ZSA-ZSA - our cop-slapping drunk driver - here

48. Where Massenet's "Don Quichotte" premiered : MONTE CARLO

51. Grate : RASP

52. Obscured : HAZED

53. Edge : SIDLE

55. Desert antelope : ORYX - image

56. Insolvent bailout beneficiary : ZOMBIE BANK - today's learning moment for me; based on the way things are after the $700B bailout of '08, I would prefer my "cut" of $22,000.

61. Michelle Phillips was one in the '60s : MAMA -of the Mamas & Papas

62. Man in the street : AVERAGE JOE - I could do without this guy's 15mins of fame in the next presidential election....but a shout out to one of our new members~!

63. Hot times in 48-Across : ETES - not gonna say it....

64. Coconut-flavored cocktail : PIÑA COLADA - gettin' caught in the rain....

DOWN:

1. Ozone-threatening compound : CFC - ChloroFluoroCarbon - here

2. Word of support : OLE~!!!

3. Half of dodici : SEI - Italian for 12 and 6 - it filled itself in via perps

4. Black garnets : MELANITES - image

5. Spoonbill's cousin : IBIS

6. "No way!" : CAN'T BE

7. Inflexibility : RIGOR

8. Served with a creamy cheese sauce : ALFREDO

9. Word of support : YEA - I had "PRO" to start, and it wasn't working for me - "FOR" was not much better; considered "BRA".

10. Lexicon abbr. : SYNonym

11. Word from the Turkish for "roasted meat" : KEBAB

12. Subj. of Cold War tests : A-BOMBS

13. Asphalt trap : TARPIT

14. Fallopian tube traveler : ZYGOTE - that is, coming down....

20. Bolívar's birthplace : CARACAS - map - Simon Bolivar

21. Coach of Nadia and Mary Lou : BELA - too 52A for me - I just know these were two Olympian gymnasts.

22. Physical, e.g. : EXAM

23. Danish shoe brand : ECCO

25. Martin's partner : ROWAN - Rowan & Martins' Laugh-in, which I saw in reruns as a kid, and where I learned about Arte Johnson - lots of famous people, including 47A

26. Iran's Mohammad Shah __ Pahlavi : REZA - um, OK, sure...

28. Dried out, with "up" : SOBERED - I "dried out" 2,365 days ago

32. Busybody : YENTA

33. 1962 chart topper whose title subject "doesn't do what everybody else does" : HE'S A REBEL - someone else might appreciate this more than I do

35. "Never Wave at __": 1952 film : A WAC - WAAAY before my time

37. "__ With a 'Z'": 1972 TV special : LIZA - again, WAAAY before my time - I WAGed it when the Z showed up

38. Miss : LASS

39. Breeze : SNAP - as in "that was a _"

41. Crew members : OARSMEN - SAILORS fit, too

43. Arrival announcement : I'M HOME

44. Find very funny : ROAR AT

45. Catalytic protein : ENZYME

47. Group of signs : ZODIAC - nailed it.  How's your life now that there are 13 signs?  I actually had to "switch" to Capricorn from Aquarius - it's OK, it's a more manly sign, anyway.

49. Gulf state : TEXAS

50. 47-Down member : LIBRA - my younger brother is one

54. Block brand : LEGO - loved this toy as a kid - still have it all in my closet

56. Reheat, in a way : ZAP - we say "Nuke" in my house

57. Duct opening? : OVI - I had VIA to start; any relation to the Zygote?

58. Grammy-winning Steely Dan album : AJA - I like old Steely Dan; the new stuff, not so much

59. Doze : NOD - NAP fit, too.

60. Mauna __ : KEA - OK, so did you go with LOA or KEA to start?

Answer grid.

Splynter

Friday, July 1, 2011, Mike Peluso

Theme: Get Real! 62A. "We're on to you!" (and a hint to how this puzzle's other four longest answers were created): DROP THE ACT. Each of the four central theme answers are in the language phrases with the word ACT removed to reveal a new, and witty phrase.

17A. Free garden supply?: COMPACTED SOIL. COMPED meaning given as complimentary item.

24A. Cost at a Walmart competitor?: TARGET PRACTICE. Target is catching Walmart.

38A. Become more forgiving?: LACTOSE INTOLERANCE. Being milk intolerant, this is my favorite, as the original phrase and the new are both very positive.

50A. Pessimistic brat?: NEGATIVE IMPACT. These on the other hand are quite negative.

Hey all, it is I, Lemonade, so it must be Friday, and we have another seemingly easy Friday, that does have some very tricky clues and a very fun letter removal theme, so on with Mr. Peluso's masterpiece.

  

Across:

1. South American plain: CAMPO. Okay, again with a difficult start; my Spanish is not great, but I believe this means field. or country (like Casa de Campo- country house) and not Plain which is a flat field mostly devoid of trees. Ah well, I am probably wrong again.

6. Fifth pillar of Islam: HADJ. Okay, the end of our lesson for the week in the religion, HADJ (or HAJJ) is the pilgrimage; the other four are: (1) the shahada (creed), (2) salat (daily prayers), (3) sawm  (fasting during Ramadan ), (4) ( zakat alms giving) ).

10. Back country transports, briefly: ATVS. All Terrain Vehicles. Lots of acronyms.

14. Poppy product: OPIUM. Mini-clecho: 15. Bean product?: IDEA. Not a green one, but your head.

16. Antihero?: GOAT. This meaning comes from the old Hebrew tradition of send out a goat to take on the sins of the people, the SCAPE GOAT.

19. Tahoe bar, say: AXLE. The Chevrolet SUV, not the beautiful city on the lake.

20. Cheese from Veneto: ASIAGO. Cheeses like wines have regions, you can read this LINK .

21. Cognac designation: VSOP. I am not sure if this was intention but Cognac is a region as well, and it is graded as Very Special Old Pale.

23. It may follow sex: ISM. A cigarette? A loud scream, oh, I see....sexism.

27. Main response?: AYE SIR. The main, meaning the sea, the bounding main.

29. Feminine principle: YIN. After Al's explanation, you are supposed to know this.

30. Bass, e.g.: ALE. The beer reference so I do not feel lonely.

31. Boomers are swelling its ranks: AARP. The old reference so I don't get uppity.

34. Vast expanse: OCEAN. Danny?

42. Only brother not in any Marx Brothers films: GUMMO. He was born MILTON .

43. Foreign minister under Meir: EBAN. Abba Eban, a very fascinating and intelligent man that I had the pleasure of meeting when he was here appearing on a locally produced Israeli TV show.

44. Comic Margaret: CHO. The Kontroversial, Korean Komedienne, watch unless you are AFRAID .

45. Petting zoo chorus: AWS. How cute!

47. Metaphorical hiding place: CLOSET. Where we have our skeletons, and our gay people; it must be crowded in theirs.

54. Palme __: Cannes award: D'OR. Of gold, in French.

55. Words of agreement: NOR I. I kept seeing seaweed.

56. Super Bowl party array: SALSAS. The Tijuana place next tome has 23 salsa for your burrito, some will curl your eyebrows.

60. Work: OPUS.

64. Sci-fi shots: ZAPS.

65. Shekels: GELT. More Yiddish, as well as the currency of old Israel. Money honey.

66. Hartford-based insurance giant: AETNA. Hartford is the Insurance Capital .

67. Harper's Bazaar artist: ERTE. Romain de Tirtoff .

68. The same, to Alain: EGAL. French lesson, not only the same as Equal, it is the root word.

69. Discomfiting look: SNEER. I already did my Snidely Whiplash, so use your imagination.

DOWN:

1. First name in soft drinks?: COCA. Coca Cola, first name, get it!!!!!

2. Mil. addresses: APOS. Army Post Office.

3. "La Bohème" role: MIMI. My grandmother was called that from the French mémé.

4. Leave the larva stage  PUPATE. really, sounds like fun.

5. James Bond and JFK have worn them: OMEGAS. The watch.

6. __ Honor: HIS. Speaking of sexism, why HIS?

7. "... and gentle as __": Matthew: A DOVE.

8. Jefferson, notably: DEIST. A practical form of Christianity, devoid of miracles.

9. Heap: JALOPY. They are uncertain where this word comes from, but it means an old, badly maintained car.

10. Turkish title: AGA. And a cooker in England, where are you our limey friend?

11. Destructive, as a relationship: TOXIC. Man, we have all been in those with beautiful but bad for us partners.

12. Sibelius's "__ Triste": VALSE. This was a work written by the most famous Finnish composer, for a  play written by his brother; truly awesome MUSIC ; I think the title means Sad Waltz, in French.

13. Keep from flowing: STEM. Stem the tide boys!

18. Gray painted by Basil Hallward  DORIAN. The only novel written by Oscar Wilde, ever published, not a color of paint, but the central character. A truly well thought out and frightening book and movie.

22. Conviction, maybe: PRIOR. In TV cop talk, how many priors?

25. Fireplace insert: GRATE. Gitta out the logs someplace.

26. Old empire builder: INCA.

27. Winningest manager in Expos history: ALOU. Felipe, the oldest of the three brothers, who all played in the same outfield for one game with the San Fransisco Giants; because the Montreal Expos do not exist any more, Felipe will keep his record.

28. Polite rural reply: YES'M.

30. Subj. for solvers: ALG. Al Gebra, or old math friend.

32. Steal from: ROB. I won't quibble, but there is a big difference in the law, as robbery requires the use of force in confrontation.

33. Not quite win: PLACE. Horse racing, Win, Place and Show. I like this clue, both for me and my degenerate friends.

35. Confer ending: ENCE. Conference.

36. Vier times zwei: ACHT. Four times two = eight, German lesson.

37. Paleo- opposite: NEO. Neo mean new, Paleo ancient, prehistoric, both from Greek roots.

39. Slate, e.g., for short: E-MAG. I learned from the puzzles, I have never seen this online publication.

40. Hoover, for one: IOWAN. Herbert Hoover the 31st president and the one who presided over the beginning of the depression. Other famous Iowans include Johnny Carson (who moved to Nebraska) Marion Morrison, better known as John Wayne, and sadly a transplanted Chicago boy whose family moved to Waterloo,  named John Wayne Gacy, who became known as the Killer Clown. A presidential hopeful recently opened her campaign in Waterloo, Iowa because it was the home of that great American, John Wayne, but she had the wrong one. It may be her Waterloo.

41. Join: ENLIST.

46. Stuffy type: STODGE. I guess one who acts stodgy would be, but eh.

48. Midwestern natives: OMAHAS. This references the Native American Tribe, not Omahans, I think; HG, help.

49. It may be vented: SPLEEN. I have had this also in previous blogging days.

50. Without face value: NO PAR. Corporations determine a basic value for each share of stock, which would be the minimum they would pay to redeem shares.

51. Blow: ERUPT. Like a volcano, or that prom night zit coming up. It surely blows to have a pimple at the prom.

52. Thrift store abbr.: IRREG. Irregular.

53. One of two in Mozart's string quintets: VIOLA. Do any of you Ryders play Viola or Cello?

54. Drop off: DOZE. Hey, WAKE UP,  I am doing my best.

57. Bloat, maybe: SATE. When I was little my parents hid the Halloween candy on the sun porch so my brothers and I would not eat it too quickly. On the morning of the 31st when they went to get it, there was a mouse in the bag, his stomach five times bigger than he was; he was dead, but he had a big smile. He was sated and bloated.

58. Promgoer's concern: ACNE.

59. Have the lead: STAR. Not first dog, but the lead in a play or show.

61. Captain's hdg.: SSE. An attempt to make random letters sound good.

63. Scandalous '80s initials: PTL. Praise the Lord, and pass the mascara. The televison ministry of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker. Did not end so well for them, but my work is ending well, as we have conquered another puzzle, one with deception, wit and I am telling the truth, NO ACT here either. Enjoy your holidays and Happy Birthday USA, and many more.

Answer grid.

Lemonade

Note from C.C.:

Here are a few sweet photos from Don "Hard G". He and his beautiful wife Barbara adopted two Havanese (Pansie & Cosmos) from puppy mills earlier this year after their dog Violet passed away.

Thursday, June 30, 2011, Ed Sessa

Theme: Hey, MICKEY, you're so fine. 52D.When spelled out, word that follows the beginnings of the starred answers in a memorable kids' show theme song: MOUSE.

20A. *13th in a literary series of 26: M IS FOR MALICE. Along with 42A. Author Grafton who wrote 20-Across: SUE.

29A. *Me.-to-Fla. route: I NINETY-FIVE. Interstate highway from Maine to Florida.

35A. *Benjamin: C-NOTE. It's all about the Benjamins. My daughter is getting sick of hearing me say "follow the money" whenever she asks me why someone did something.

39A. *Blue Light Specials store: K-MART. Now owned by Sears.

43A. *The Boss's backup: E STREET BAND. Bruce Springsteen.

53A. *All men have them: Y CHROMOSOMES.

Hi all, Al here. Did anyone else get anything more complex for the theme? Seemed a bit simple for a Thursday. (Note from C.C.: Looks simple, but it's tough to find familiar phrases where the first word is an English letter, not to mention in equal length for symmetry.)

ACROSS:

1. Nile reptile: CROC. In it's natural habitat.

5. Dance in Rio: SAMBA. Brazilian dance of African origin, Zemba, from Portugese samba, shortened form of zambacueca, a type of dance, probably altered (by influence of zamacueco "stupid") from zambapalo, the name of a grotesque dance, itself an alteration of zampapalo "stupid man," from zamparse "to bump, crash."

10. Net info sources: FAQS. Frequently Asked Questions.

14. Make over: REDO.

15. Dwindling Alaskan tribe: ALEUT.

16. It runs in Juarez: AGUA. Spanish water.

17. Copycat: APER.

18. Horn without keys: BUGLE.

19. Place to brood: COOP. Old English brod "brood, fetus, hatchling "that which is hatched by heat." The verbal figurative meaning ("to incubate in the mind") is from the notion of "nursing" one's anger, resentment, etc.

23. Glucose regulator: INSULIN. From Latin insula "island," so called because the hormone is secreted by the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas.

24. Winter phenomenon, commercially: SNO.

25. Diary of a sort: LOG.

28. Cultural org. since 1965: NEA. National Endowment for the Arts. PBS sponsor.

32. Actress Gardner: AVA. Husbands and lovers include Mickey Rooney, Howard Hughes, Artie Shaw and Frank Sinatra.

33. Party invite inits.: BYO. Bring Your Own beverage.

34. "So be it!": AMEN. From Hebrew for "truth".

38. "__ to him who believes in nothing": Hugo: WOE. From Les Misérables.

40. Bats: LOCO. Daft, nuts.

41. "Platoon" setting, briefly: NAM.

46. Basic resting spot: COT. Basic training.

49. "So that's it!": OHO.

50. Where kronor are spent: Abbr.: SWEeden.

51. Cooks quantity?: TOO MANY. Cooks spoil the broth. Many hands make the work light. Make up your mind...

55. Bunker smoother: RAKE. Golf sandtrap.

58. Give __: inspire: A LIFT.

59. Capable of: UP TO.

60. Cell impulse transmitter: AXON. Nerve ending.

61. Blakley of "Nashville": RONEE. Unknown to me.

62. Put in stitches: SEWN. Expecting something funny here.

63. "I Love Lucy" producer/writer Oppenheimer: JESS. If you say so.

64. Tipped at the casino: TOKED. Never been to Vegas, but makes sense, I guess.

65. Winged archer: EROS. Greek God of love, Roman counterpart: Cupid.

DOWN:

1. Fill snugly with: CRAM IN.

2. Complain: REPINE. Old English pine (pain, torture) with intensifier "re-", to cause pain.

3. Potemkin mutiny city: ODESSA. The Battleship Potemkin, a propaganda film. The Tsar's Cossacks in their white summer tunics march down the Odessa steps in a rhythmic, machine-like fashion firing volleys into a crowd.

4. Argonauts' island refuge: CORFU.

5. Kate's "Charlie's Angels" role: SABRINA. Charlie's Angels.

6. Some booster club members: ALUMNI. Latin alumnus "a pupil," literally "foster son", from a word meaning "to nourish".

7. Byte beginning: MEGA. Prefix meaning one million.

8. Dartboard area: BULLS-EYE.

9. Diminished slowly: ATE INTO.

10. Watch part: FACE. Band, dial, hand, stem, gear, lots of choices.

11. Back in time: AGO.

12. Status __: QUO. "The state in which", so existing state of affairs.

13. Deplete: SAP. "weaken or destroy insidiously," originally "dig a trench toward the enemy's position", from M.Fr. saper, from sappe "spade," from Latin sappa "spade". The sense of "weaken" on the notion of "draining the vital sap from."

21. Martini garnish: OLIVE.

22. Demure: COY. from Old French coi, earlier quei "quiet, still, placid, gentle," ultimately from Latin quietus "resting, at rest".

25. Andean bean: LIMA. Simmonds' "Dictionary of Trade" (1858) describes it as "esteemed," but it has the consistency of a diseased dog kidney.

26. Done: OVER.

27. Mannerly fellow: GENT.

30. Nuclear radiation weapon, for short: N-BOMB. The neutron bomb was supposed to kill people but leave buildings intact.

31. Popularity: FAME.

32. Comment end?: ATOR. Commentator

35. Mark's love: CLEOpatra.

36. Chips and dip, say: NOSH. From Yiddish nashn "nibble,"

37. Twice quadri-: OCTO.

38. Decisive downfall: WATERLOO.

39. Praise: KUDOS. Greek.

41. 1980s sitcom set in rural Vermont: NEWHART. Hi, I'm Larry. This is my brother Darryl and this is my other brother Darryl.

42. Acted snobbishly toward: SNOOTED.

44. PC key: ESC. I use it all the time with my favored Unix text editor. Really messes me up when I have to switch back to using Windows though.

45. Payment for cash?: ATM FEE. I remember when these were first being pushed to be accepted to lower your account fees because banks would save money not having to pay a teller for mundane tasks. They seem to have lost sight of that...

46. Boy scout, at times: CAMPER.

47. Fight combo: ONE TWO. Boxing. Give 'im the ol' one-two, along with 57D. Haymaker consequences: KOS. Knock-outs.

48. Boxer Mike et al.: TYSONS. Hmmm, I think one of those is enough...

53. Desires: YENS. Earlier yin "intense craving for opium", from Chinese (Cantonese) yan "craving," or from a Beijing dialect word for "smoke." Reinforced in English by influence of yearn.

54. Pen call: OINK.

55. British rule in India: RAJ. From Hindi raj "rule, kingdom" c.f. Rajah.

56. Bush whacker?: AXE. The spelling ax is better on every ground, of etymology, phonology, and analogy, than axe, which became prevalent during the 19th century; but it is now disused in Britain. [OED] (but then it wouldn't fit in a LAT crossword puzzle).

Answer grid.

Al

Notes from C.C.:

1) I'd like to share with you a baseball themed puzzle Don G made for my birthday. Click here for Across Lite file and here for PDF version. The clues are original & tough. When you're done, click here to see the layered gimmicks. I only got half of the tricks.

2) Here are a few cool pictures from Marti & Dudley's lunch meeting yesterday. Marti has more detailed captions on her photos. Unfortunately they don't show well in the pictures.

Wednesday, June 29, 2011 Jack McInturff

Theme: G-Rated (do they even make those kind of movies anymore??)  The first words of the theme entries could follow the letter "G", thusly:

17A. *Fit perfectly : SUIT TO A TEE. A "G-suit" (or more correctly, an anti-G suit) helps pilots who fly at high speeds to prevent blackouts by inflating air bladders around the legs, thus stopping blood from draining from the brain. Aren't you glad you don't need to know this?

23A. *Sexy beachwear : STRING BIKINI. And very closely related to "G-string", no? Now this is more in line with our DF group. But, my eyes are still hurting from some of the photos that came up when I looked for a link!!  (Just use your imagination here, guys!)

50A. *Behavior made automatic from frequent repetition : FORCE OF HABIT. "G-Force" is what a "G-Suit" is designed to overcome...

62A. *Superhero nickname : MAN OF STEEL.  A "G-Man" is slang for a government man, or FBI agent.

and the unifier:

39. "Gosh!" (or, based on the starts of starred answers, one who is expert at solving this puzzle's theme?) : GEE WHIZ. Hah! I must be a G-reat solver to figure this one out. 

Marti here to help you over the hump day...

ACROSS:

1. Sea of __: Black Sea arm : AZOV. GEE WHIZ, don't you hate it when the first word of the puzzle is one you don't know?

5. Parisian pals : AMIS. Ah yes, we are back to yesterday's French lesson.

9. Light bite : NOSH. Yiddish nashn, from Middle High German naschen "to eat on the sly".

13. In-box note, perhaps : MEMO

14. Like candy near the register, maybe : MINTY. Wanted "impulse buy", but wouldn't fit.

16. Hostile to : ANTI

19. Veggie that may be black : BEAN

20. Bone: Pref. : OSTEO

21. Golda of Israel : MEIR.  She was known as the "Iron Lady" years before Margaret Thatcher was labeled with that nickname.

22. "The Wizard __": comic strip : OF ID. Irreverent, often insightful humor by Parker and Hart.

26. White Sox star who played in five decades (1949-1980) : MINOSO. Oh no, not baseball! And more than thirty years ago?

29. Shortly : ANON. Also, what some bloggers are called.

30. Graceland middle name : ARON. Ah yes, interesting story about ARON - Aaron. But we all know that already, don't we?

31. "A horse is a horse" horse : MR ED. From 60's TV comedy.

35. Partner of each : EVERY

38. Seaman's "Help!" : SOS

41. __ volente: God willing : DEO

42. Prepare to be knighted : KNEEL.  Great visual from "Le Morte D'Arthur".

44. Composer Bartók : BELA. Along with Liszt, considered Hungary's greatest composer, and well-known for his "Night music" style, wherein he imitated the sounds of nature at night in his compositions.  Like this.

45. German coal region : SAAR. Mosel-Saar-Ruhr is also one of the leading wine regions of Germany.  Really, coal??

46. Once again : ANEW

48. Literary alter ego : MR HYDE. "Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde", by Robert Louis Stevenson.

55. Buck suffix : AROO. I guess "kang" wouldn't be a great clue, huh?

56. Way to go : ROAD

57. Rosary units : BEADS

61. Unfocused photo, e.g. : BLUR. Or, crossword clues when blogging at midnight...

64. Single : LONE. Hands up for "stag"?

65. Hill on Vail : SLOPE. Vail, Colorado. And they are usually slippery!

66. Gal who gets what she wants : LOLA.  Barry Manilow, anyone?

67. Loose things to tie up : ENDS. Or strings on a bikini...

68. Location : SITE

69. Barbershop sound : SNIP. Huh. "Harmony" doesn't fit.

DOWN:

1. Schoolyard retort : AM SO. Can we quit this schoolyard argument, already??

2. Olympian bigwig : ZEUS

3. Cut out : OMIT

4. Decides via ballot : VOTES ON

5. Latin lover's word : AMO. Love my Latin! (Or, is it "my Latin lover"...)

6. Home of the Heat : MIAMI. Basketball. Will they settle before their potential lockout on Thursday?

7. One __: unlikely chance : IN TEN. If it were the lotto, more like one in one in 593,775, according to my calculations.

8. "Shrek!" author William : STEIG. Unknown.

9. "Lolita" author : NABOKOV. Known.

10. Clooney/Pfeiffer comedy : ONE FINE DAY. Got meh reviews.

11. Washday challenge : STAIN. No, my washday challenge is just getting all the stuff from the bedroom down to the basement laundry room.

12. Delhi language : HINDI

15. __ Buena, town that became San Francisco : YERBA. Total WAG.

18. Little tykes : TOTS

24. "City of Seven Hills" : ROME. Nailed it. Been there, seen them.

25. Don Juan's mother : INEZ. In Lord Byron's poem, Don Juan is not a womanizer, but one who is easily seduced by women.

26. Halloween cover-up : MASK

27. Press : IRON. Who thought of gym, and "pump"?

28. Act like a snoop : NOSE AROUND. Fun clue, great fill!

32. Confederate : REB

33. Lady in the flock : EWE. Hah, didn't fool me. I knewe it wasn't you!

34. UPS rival : DHL

36. Enjoy the library : READ. Well, I think most of us here enjoy reading. But, between the Nook, Kindle, iBooks etc., are we in danger of losing this sacrosanct institution of our youth? 

37. Time past : YORE. As in, "yore late"?

39. Elated feeling : GLEE. Or, a wildly popular (with "Gleeks", anyway) TV show.

40. Foot in a poem : IAMB. I amb what I amb...or, the "beat" to a poem. Like ka-BOOM,  where the accent is stressed on the second syllable. Thus, iambic dimeter (two iambic "feet", or measures) would sound like:

the WAY / a CROW

shook DOWN / on ME...

-Frost
I'll leave the rest to CA.

43. Extras for a cheering crowd : ENCORES. Loved this clue/answer!

45. Former Jewish settlements : SHTETLS. Hated this clue/answer!

47. Squirmy bait : WORMS. eeewwwww....

49. Barbecue fare : RIBS. OK, now you're talkin' DH's language!

50. Aesop work : FABLE

51. Sweater synthetic : ORLON. I never know if it's going to be nylon, rayon, or orlon! So, let's move...ON

52. Stable newborns : FOALS

53. Vietnam's capital : HANOI. Map, for anyone who wasn't around in the 50's-60's-70's.

54. Take as one's own : ADOPT

58. Long, long time : AEON. Ages, anyone?

59. Bagels and lox seller : DELI. Mmmm...I could go for some right now.  Maybe I'll ask the guys in the SHTETL if they want some, too...

60. Blow with a palm : SLAP. V8 can on this one when it finally emerged. Or, a slap upside my head.

63. ATM charge : FEE. No charge for this blog. But you can contribute to my amusement fund by using PayPal at www.skigolfkayakhikecampreadgardenwino.com

Answer grid.

Thanks for letting me share this one with all y'all!

Marti

Notes from C.C.

1) Here are two lovely pictures of MJ's grandson Drake. She said "These photos of Drake are very telling about why I am not posting daily on the blog, although I still read the blog most mornings, and  very much appreciate all those who parse the daily LAT puzzles for your site." Here is her family picture we showed last August when Drake was 5-month old.

As some of you are aware, our local paper doesn't carry LAT crossword,  so MJ mailed me the precious first one Don and I collaborated, the whole LA Times Calendar section carefully padded between stiff boards. And  a few more later. Thanks, MJ.

2) Happy Birthday to Barry G!

Tuesday, June 28, 2011 Victor Fleming and Nancy Salomon

Theme: Dyslexic Endings - Four French phrases and a GB QB that end in VRE but are commonly pronounced RVE.

17A. Delight in living : JOIE DE VIVRE. Joy of Living

24A. Paris site of objets d'art : MUSÉE DU LOUVRE. Palace of the Louvre

48A. Peppercorn-coated beef entrée : STEAK AU POIVRE. Steak with Pepper 

56A. Shrimp cocktail, e.g. : HORS D'OEUVRE. Apart from the Main Work

22A. With 50-Across, quarterback who started a record 297 consecutive games : BRETT and 50A. See 22-Across : FAVRE. Quarterback for Green Bay Packers (1992–2007)

Argyle here. That's my take on the theme; if you have a better idea, let's hear it. My French isn't all that good anyway. Couple of clunkers in the fill but overall, pretty good Tuesday.

Across:

1. Sounds of laughter : HAHAs

6. Show off, as one's stuff : STRUT

11. Leaky tire sound : SSS

14. Change with the times : ADAPT

15. West Indian sorcery : OBEAH. A search reveals we have had this word four times before, never on a Tuesday though.

16. Back muscle, for short : LAT. Latissimus Dorsi, usually referred to as LATS.

19. Stretch to remember : ERA

20. Aruba et al.: Abbr. : ISLs.. Clunk!

21. Wine-and-cassis apéritif : KIR. A French drink, how apropos.

28. Not for : AGAINST

30. Fading star : HAS-BEEN

31. __-Novo: Benin's capital : PORTO. I wish I could find this kind of map every time. The official language of Benin is French.

32. Peter Rabbit sibling : MOPSY. His sisters are Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cotton-tail in the children's story by Beatrix Potter.

33. Play (with) : TOY

34. Slate-backing strips : LATHS. Clunk. Lath and plaster, yes.

36. Word with cozy or bag : TEA

39. Apple models : iMACs

41. They may be blown in games : LEADS

43. Hoops shot that misses everything : AIR BALL

46. Hatch, as a scheme : THINK UP

51. The whole shebang : ALL

52. Pre-splat cry : "OOPS!"

55. Saloon order : ALE. Never saw a western where they ordered an ale.

60. Knight's title : SIR

61. Justice Samuel : ALITO. N.Y.Times Magazine article. I'll have to read it later myself.

62. Speedy base runner's strategy : STEAL

63. Thing to run at a bar : TAB

64. Red Sea republic : YEMEN

65. Prefix with frost : PERMA. Frost that never leaves the ground, although the top thaws out for summer. We are probably losing perma-frost to global warming, too.

Down:

1. Pilgrim to Mecca : HAJI. Add another J if you want.

2. Bustles : ADOs

3. Desperation gridiron pass : HAIL MARY. Favre threw a few.

4. Jungle film costume : APE SUIT

5. CST part: Abbr. : STD. Central Standard Time.

6. Like old Russian states : SOVIET

7. Ford in a Beach Boys hit : T-BIRD. Sure, some more Fun, Fun, Fun.(2:21)

8. Give gas to : REV. Rev up that T-Bird.

9. Former Egypt-Syr. alliance : UAR. United Arab Republic.

10. Springsteen, to fans : THE BOSS

11. Place for an ace? : SLEEVE

12. "No Exit" dramatist : SARTRE. "No Exit" is a 1944 existentialist French play by Jean-Paul Sartre.

13. __ Island Ferry : STATEN. New York.

18. __ out: barely gets : EKEs

23. Red gemstone : RUBY

25. __-Cat: winter vehicle : SNO

26. "This could be a problem" : "UH-OH"

27. Swimmer's reps : LAPS

28. On target : APT

29. Bit of baby babble : GOO

32. The Rockies, e.g.: Abbr. : MTs.. I'm surprised they didn't use the Alps.

34. In __ land: loopy : LA LA. La is also a French article, mais oui.

35. First Amdt. defender : ACLU. Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

36. Corporate acquisition : TAKEOVER

37. School URL ending : .EDU

38. Fanged serpent : ASP

39. Building beam : I-BAR

40. What some do while the sun shines? : MAKE HAY. Keeping busy, windhover?

41. Ullmann of "Autumn Sonata" : LIV. Image.

42. On the way : EN ROUTE

43. Equally speedy : AS FAST

44. Roma's land : ITALIA. Next to France.

45. Echoic effect : REVERB

46. Snitched about : TOLD ON

47. Port of Hawaii : HILO. Map.

49. Second of a word-processing pair : PASTE. I live by "cut and paste".

53. English carriage : PRAM

54. Ward of "CSI: NY" : SELA

57. Cheer for a toreador : ¡OLÉ!

58. Perimeter : RIM

59. Clairvoyance, briefly : ESP

Answer grid.

Argyle

Monday, June 27, 2011 Gail Grabowski and Bruce Venzke

Theme: Organized Sound - Three phrases ending in synonyms for music, the end of the unifier.

20A. Stops broadcasting : GOES OFF THE AIR. You don't hear AIR used that much anymore as a synonym for a song or melody.

31A. Very cheaply : FOR A SONG

40A. Make minor changes to : FINE TUNE

53A. 1969 Beach Boys hit, and a hint to the ends of 20-, 31- and 40-Across : "I CAN HEAR MUSIC". Clip(2:29) An interesting write-up goes along with it.

Argyle here. A simple Monday but a bit unusual, having two fill longer than two of the theme entries. Lots of alliteration today.

Across:

1. Earlier : PRIOR

6. King of the Empire State Building? : KONG. Klassic klip(2:02) from King Kong 1933.

10. Felix and Sylvester : CATS

14. Beautiful, in Bologna : BELLA. In northern Italy Map.

15. Sheltered, on a ship : ALEE

16. Very much : A LOT

17. Took off : SPLIT

18. "You couldn't hit the broad side of a __!" : BARN. And if they are really bad, you add, "from the inside!"

19. Shore phenomenon : TIDE

23. Calif.'s second-busiest airport : SFO. San Francisco International Airport. LAX is #1 in CA but only #3 in US. Atlanta is #1, world-wide. Statistics.

25. Applies gently : DABS

26. 1956 perfect game pitcher Don : LARSEN. This clip is from the only perfect game in World Series history.

27. Soldiers' knapsacks : KIT BAGS

29. Lamb cut : LEG. 57. Roast cut : RUMP

30. Greek "i" : IOTA

36. Worries : FRETS

38. Payment promise letters : IOU

39. Stage platform : RISER

42. Houston player, informally : STRO. Baseball's Houston Astros.

43. Exhibit curiosity : ASK

44. Souvenirs with slogans : T-SHIRTS

47. Surprise attack : AMBUSH

51. Message from the boss : MEMO

52. Mule's parent : ASS. The offspring of a male donkey and a female horse. The offspring of a male horse and a female donkey is a hinny.

56. Fishtail : SKID

58. Use TurboTax, say : E-FILE

61. Lie around idly : LAZE

62. "Am __ late?" : I TOO

63. Used a wrecking ball on : RAZED

64. Once-over giver : EYER

65. Marseilles monikers : NOMS. The south of France, port on the Mediterranean Sea.

66. Angioplasty implant : STENT

Down:

1. NEA grant recipient : PBS. National Endowment for the Arts / Public Broadcasting Service.

2. Crunch unit : REPetition

3. Acquired dishonestly : ILL-GOTTEN. Probably from evil-gotten

4. Hodgepodge : OLIO

5. Like some bonds : RATED A

6. Cookout offerings on sticks : KABOBs

7. Five Norse kings : OLAFs

8. Spongy ball brand : NERF

9. More sensitive about breaking bad news : GENTLER

10. Supply party food for : CATER

11. Misleading name : ALIAS

12. "It's __ for!": "Fabulous!" : TO DIE

13. Tiller's locale : STERN. On a boat. (or skiff)

21. Drop in the middle : SAG

22. Comics Viking : HAGAR

23. Watercraft for one : SKIFF. But it can hold more than one.

24. Flowers, in Florence : FIORI. South of Bologna.

28. Diminish : BATE

29. Baseball great Gehrig : LOU. Another Yankee, before Larsen.

31. Grant, to Lee : FOE

32. Señor's "Positively!" : "SI, SI!"

33. Blackball : OSTRACIZE

34. "Dagnabbit!" : "NERTS!". When was the last time you heard this used, if ever.

35. A dozen dozen : GROSS

37. Secret supply : STASH

38. Fountain pen filler : INK

41. Herald, as a new era : USHER IN

44. Beats for this puzzle's theme : TEMPOs

45. Dallas campus: Abbr. : SMU. Southern Methodist University.

46. Con artists : HOSERs

47. Theater divider : AISLE

48. Olympics sportscaster Jim : McKAY

49. Feltlike fabric : BAIZE. Think pool table cover.

50. In a trance : UNDER

51. 1983 Michael Keaton role-reversal movie : "MR. MOM"

54. Caddy or Jag : AUTO

55. "__ first you don't succeed ..." : IF AT

59. Author Deighton : LEN

60. Boston summer hrs. : EDT

Answer grid.

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Here is a sweet photo of Dear Santa Argyle with the bride of a wedding he attended last Saturday June 25. 2011. Love the T-shirt. Scott is Argyle's real name.