Friday July 8, 2011 Don Gagliardo and C.C. Burnikel

Theme: Twisted NEWS, North, East, West, South describing the DIRECTION of the fill. Each of the ten (10!) theme answers represent a way to read, West to east (left to right); east to west (right to left) ; north to south (top to bottom) and south to north (bottom to top). See a simple diagram here. English for example is East, Hebrew West, Chinese South ,and ancient Korean North. What an wonderfully creative grid, which really makes you shake up your thought process and see things upside down and backwards. All theme answers are connected by the clecho: APT. And the answers flow around the edge of the grid.

Lemonade here, and we have back to back corner denizen puzzles, so let us see what the dynamic duo have wrought.

1A. Aptly, Chinese, e.g.: ASIAN. East Asian. The inscrutable East and an immediate shout out to C.C.'s heritage.

6A. Aptly, Park Avenue area: SIDE. The East Side of Manhattan; everything west of Fifth avenue is West Side, everything east...

10A. Aptly, New Jersey beach phenomenon: WIND. East wind. The wind blowing to the ocean. They even named an airline based in Trenton, EASTWIND AIRLINES.

37A. "Apt" geographical element needed to complete the answers to 10 of this puzzle's clues: DIRECTION. The unifier smack dab in the middle.

67A. Aptly, Israeli-occupied territory: KNAB. The West Bank, written right to left as Israelis and Arabs alike do.

68A. Aptly, Oval Office site: GNIW. The West Wing of the White House and a long running TV show. Also, present occupant accused of moving the country from right to left.

69A. Aptly, Hollywood locale: TSAOC. The West Coast, California here I come.

1D. Aptly, about 5 percent of the Earth's surface: ACIREMA. North America, bottom to top.

13D. Aptly, Pierre's state: DAKOTA. South Dakota, read top to bottom. Pierre is the capital.

45D. Aptly, "Happy Talk" musical: PACIFIC. South Pacific, the Broadway Musical.

46D. Aptly, Pyongyang resident: NAEROK. North Korean form this CITY .

Across:

14. Treinta ÷ seis: CINCO. Thirty divided by six equals five, Spanish lesson 1.

15. Some Neruda works: ODES. CA has given us some of PABLO NERUDA'S work.

16. Conscription category: ONE-A. Draft status.

17. "What else __?": IS NEW. The structure of this puzzle is new.

18. Tour de force: FEAT. A major accomplishment, like have a puzzle published.

19. Terrible: WACK. This is such a cool clue, really current slang meaning awful, slowly derived from wacky, with the "H" removed to distinguish it from whacked, the mob version of killed.

20. Bona fide: REAL. Literally in good faith in Latin.

21. Wall makeup, maybe: STONES. Gee, I thought PINK FLOYD sang this SONG .

23. Intl. commerce group: WTO. World Trade Organization.

24. Anger: ENRAGE. I hope none of you were put off by the extra layer of thought required to solve this puzzle.

26. Main vessel: SEA BOAT. Once again, the bounding main, and a beautiful PAINTING.

28. '60s chic: MOD. MEMORIES?

29. Virgil contemporary: OVID. A Roman poet, who had his own course back when I was studying Latin. Speaking of Latin, 32A. Earth, to 29-Across: TERRA. And, 33A. 29-Across's "__ amatoria": ARS. The Art of Love, which you can read part of translated for you in this LINK. I guess it would be a Friday so I could give a little Latin Lesson.

34. Contradict: BELIE.

36. Pop-ups, perhaps: ADS. Does anyone not have a pop-up blocker?

40. Diamond stat: RBI. Baseball, not gemstone.

42. Assault: STORM. I always associate this usage with a tower.

43. Spot in a poker game: PIP. The little things there are three of on a trey.

46. Isn't far from reaching: NEARS.

48. Like some blog comments: Abbr.: ANON. Another great inside joke from our constructors; I feel like I am watching an episode of the old George Burns and Gracie Allen Show.

49. Peruvian pronoun: ESA. Feminine, ESO, masculine.

50. "So soon?": ALREADY. You are back, oh oh.

53. Kind of acid: NITRIC. A highly corrosive acid; horrible. Want to make SOME?

55. Width measure: EEE. My clue Bigfoot?

56. Relax: GO EASY.

59. European wine area: ASTI.

60. "Shoot!": RATS. This was tricky for me.

62. Relative position: RANK. When I started practicing law in Gainesville many years ago, the old southerners would call me Colonel. Not sure why lawyers were so ranked, but I wanted to get a cigar and go cook some fried chicken.

63. "... __ of Bread ...": A LOAF. " A jug of wine, a loaf of bread and thou." A small piece of the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, and a classic example of ARS AMATORIA.

64. "__ take arms against a sea ...": Hamlet: OR TO. I do loves me my Shakespeare.

"To be, or not to be, that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them? To die, to sleep,
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
The heart-ache, and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to: 'tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wished. To die, to sleep."

65. Prado display: ARTE. Oops we slipped into Spanish again; this is the premier MUSEUM in Madrid.

66. Morels, e.g.: FUNGI. The perfect inside DF reference from our fearless leader, understood by only the corner, but like the PICTURE we all stand fully at attention to salute you in our best Dennis mode.

No rest though, we have more

Down:

2. Latin agreement: SI SENOR. Tricky, not that Latin, the other one. Yes mister!

3. Machine makeup, informally: INNARDS. Guts to me.

4. Amtrak's bullet train: ACELA . Any of you remaining New Englanders ridden it?

5. Word of impatience: NOW. "I want it on my desk...."

6. Lax: SOFT.

7. Prefix with logical: IDEO. IDEOLOGICAL. I wonder why this was not clued Logical head, to lead into....

8. Heads with lists: DEANS. Department heads who put out the List of Honor Students.

9. Big name in compacts: ESTEE. Lauder the make up queen.

10. Eye-popper response: WOW. My favorite, wowee kazowee.

11. Succinctly: IN A WORD. Very succinctly.

12. Bee drawers: NECTARS. No not little bitty knickers but the plant yummies from which bees make their honey.

21. Break off: SEVER. Like diplomatic ties.

22. Warmed the bench: SAT. Yes this (benchwarmer) was my position when I played basketball.

25. "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" setting: GOBI. Chinese: 戈壁, pinyin: Gēbì. Another China reference, and a multi-award winning movie which I found difficult to follow.

27. Certain counter's unit?: BEAN. Bean counter, our euphemism for an accountant.

30. Quebec's Sept-__: ILES. The northernmost seaport in Quebec Province. LINK .

31. Orders: DICTA. From the Latin, I have given you my dicta speech before.

35. Thames landmark: ETON. Crosswordese.

36. Urgent: DIRE. Like STRAITS.

38. It may be dramatic: IRONY. One of many popular literary devices.

39. Luxury hotel: OMNI. They had them in Miami and Atlanta.

40. Freshen one's familiarity with: RELEARN.

41. '70s Robert Blake cop show: BARETTA. Look for his new reality show co-starring Casey Anthony.

43. Public projection: PERSONA. My sarcasm leaves often, non grata.

44. "Are we in?": IS IT A GO. A nice Naddorish misdirection of letters.

47. Slump: SAG.

51. Trendy headgear: DO RAG. I am not sure they are still in.

52. Long: YEARN. I'm burning, yearning for your loving.

54. Foot bone: TALUS. Ankle bone, and the name of Dr. Who's ship?

57. Objector : ANTI. Latin meaning against.

58. Slant, as to a specific audience: SKEW.

61. Graveside sound: SOB. My first thought was why would someone call another an SOB at a graveside.

63. Popeye's behind?: AFT. The sailor man's rear of the ship. Love this clue, what a great laugh to end what for me has been a great ride, with a really creative visual puzzle. Until next time.

Answer grid.

Lemonade

1) Constructors' note:

I thought it would be fun to make a theme taking advantage of directional heading of the edge words in the grid. As is usually the case with collaborating, we (mostly Don) developed a central unifier CLOCKWISE, which was changed to DIRECTION at Rich's suggestion. The number of words that can follow the headings are rather limited. We were lucky to get them to join in the corners. Filling was weird at spots, the bottom and left-edge words can be somewhat disorienting.

2) Here is another Hard to Believe picture. Tell in the Comments section who do you think that sweet boy is.

Thursday, Jul 7, 2011, Marti DuGuay-Carpenter

Theme: Lawesome puns. Some of these are truly lawful, others are just a law deal.

17A. Fine print in Yogi's contract?: BEAR CLAUSE. (claws). A clause is an article or section of text; it originally meant conclusion, but lost that meaning over time.

25A. Court allegations requiring consideration?: ATTENTION PLEAS. (please) Plea from Old French plait: lawsuit.

42A. Product liability problems for Willy Wonka?: CHOCOLATE TORTS. (torte) Middle Latin tortum: injustice.

57A. Vague religious law?: LOOSE CANON. (cannon) From Latin "canon": straight line, rule.

Hi all, Al again, and another puzzle by one of our own, Marti. I think this should have been Lemonade's to blog though, I'm a bit out of order here.

ACROSS:

1. President known as "Big Bill": TAFT. William. At 5'11", he weighed about 335 lbs. at his peak.

5. Beat it: SPLIT. Scram, leave.

10. Shady growth: MOSS. Not exclusive to north sides, trees can shade other trees, and prevailing winds can dry out the "wrong" side as well. Keep your GPS handy.

14. Jamaican tangelo: UGLI. Cross between orange, tangerine, and grapefruit. The one time I tried one, it tasted like a grapefruit, so why bother? Anyone have one "in the wild" that tasted any better?

15. Stag: ALONE. Well, OK it can mean that, but I think of this term more as meaning male-only, like a men's club.

16. Wheelset piece: AXLE.

19. "Swell!": NEAT.

20. Body in a belt: ASTEROID. Between Mars and Jupiter.

21. Abby and Martha, to Mortimer, in "Arsenic and Old Lace": AUNTS.

22. Exempt attachment?: ION. Exemption.

23. Tab, for one: COLA. Sales declined sharply with the introduction of diet coke, but it is still available. Initially used cyclamates (banned), then saccharin(warning label), then aspartame (should be banned) as the sweetener.

32. Clip: SPEED. I worked through this puzzle at a good clip.

33. A lot of nothing: NILS. Normally, plurals evoke a "meh" from me, but the clue for this one made it better somehow.

34. Many a '50s-'60s pop act: DUO. Here are some, most I'm too young to know or remember...

35. Fine cotton: PIMA. Had not heard of this.

36. Moving aid: DOLLY. Applied from 1792 to any contrivance fancied to resemble a doll in some sense, especially "a small platform on rollers". Doesn't look like one to me, either.

38. Douglas and Fraser: FIRS. My wife seems to prefer Frasers at Christmas. I prefer artificial. Guess who wins?

39. Medium power?: ESP. A 4' tall psychic successfully eluded police after a bank robbery. The headline read: Small medium at large.

40. Show enthusiasm: RAVE.

41. Hershey's raw material: CACAO. Chock full of antioxidents, dark chocolate is actually healthful in small quantities, if only they don't use milkfat instead of cocoa butter. Milk in chocolate negates any benefit.

46. Biblical middle child: ABEL. According to Genesis 4:25, Seth was born after the slaying of Abel by Cain, and Eve believed God had appointed him as a replacement for Abel.

47. Jamaican spirits: RUM. Originally rumbullion, rombostion, of uncertain origin, perhaps from the ajective form of rum, meaning fine or excellent used approvingly by rogues in reference to one another.

48. Thin: SPARE. Old English, sense of frugal or absence of fat.

51. Get the most out of: MAXIMIZE. Latin maximum, largest, greatest.

56. America's first spy: HALE. Nathan. Symbol of bravery and patriotism.

59. Elects: OPTS.

60. Sat rocking, say: IDLED.

61. Ivory Coast neighbor: MALI. Today's geography lesson.

62. New Mexico resort: TAOS. I should have taken that left turn at albuquerque

63. Spanish filmmaker Almodovar: PEDRO.

64. Hardly at all: A TAD. Perhaps from a shortening of tadpole.

DOWN:

1. Big band wind: TUBA. I liked the crossing of big wind and a politician in the NW corner.

2. Gets along in years: AGES.

3. Place to take 27-Down: FLAT English Apartment, along with 27D. See 3-Down: TEA.

4. Turnpike roller: TIRE.

5. Oater joint: SALOON. Anglicized form of salon, a large hall.

6. Lament: PLAINT. Vaguely theme-related, from French plaintif (complaining).

7. More than just eye-catching, clotheswise: LOUD.

8. Good tennis returns: INS.

9. Where to start playing a round: TEE. Golf. The grassy area and the peg the ball is placed upon.

10. Guide: MANUAL.

11. Team with a lot of pull?: OXEN.

12. Blind section: SLAT.

13. Directors' milieus: SETS. Milieu is French for place, related: lieu (in lieu of).

18. Exclaimed: CRIED.

21. Range in seven countries: ALPS.

23. DNA shape: COIL. A double helix, actually.

24. Singular: ONLY.

25. Silly: APISH. Quit monkeying around...

26. A conductor sets it: TEMPO. Italian, literally "time".

28. Firth or fjord: INLET. a long, narrow inlet with steep sides, created in a valley carved by glacial activity.

29. Proclamation: EDICT. Theme related bonus word.

30. Subtle qualities: AURAS.

31. Not too hot: SO-SO.

32. What houses may be built on: SPEC.

36. Valley: DALE. Glen, vale.

37. Like the lenses on some granny glasses: OVAL.

38. Considerably: FAR.

40. Courtroom cover-up: ROBE. Judge's dress.

41. Book with drawings: COMIC. Manga too.

43. Tender touch: CARESS.

44. Test-taking tip?: ERASER. Cute, a pencil end.

45. Prom dress: TUXEDO. M/F bender. Lots of trickster clues today.

48. Tavern measure: SHOT. One ounce. A jigger is 1.5 oz.

49. Senior Smurf: PAPA and 52D. 49-Down's partner: MAMA. Before anyone complains about there not actually being a mama smurf character (Smurfette was the only female Smurf), the reference clue for 52 was to the answer for 49, not for the clue to 49.

50. Chorus line: ALTO. I assume because they stand altogether...

51. Bread concern: MOLD. Another Thursday and another clue not about money.

53. __ the finish: IN AT.

54. "J'accuse" author: ZOLA. An accusation of outrage against someone powerful. An open letter in the newspaper L'Aurore by the influential writer Emile Zola, was addressed to the President of France, and accused the government of anti-Semitism and the unlawful jailing of a French Army General Staff officer for espionage. Zola pointed out judicial errors and lack of serious evidence. The letter was printed on the front page of the newspaper. Zola was prosecuted and found guilty of libel. To avoid imprisonment, he fled to England.

55. City west of Tulsa: ENID.

57. Sass: LIP.

58. Writing on an urn: ODE. Ode on a Grecian Urn -- John Keats.

Answer grid.

Al

Wednesday, July 6, 2011 Gareth Bain

Theme: "Pop" goes the weasel.  This was an unusual theme, which would be almost impossible to suss without the unifier:  45D. Asked, burst open, extracted, or broke, as the ends of this puzzle's four longest answers : POPPED. Or, as my title for the theme suggests "Jumped out". Can you think of any other meanings?

17A. "Will you marry me?" is one : YES OR NO QUESTION  (I would, Gareth, but DH might object!)

"Popped the question" uses the first unifier verb, meaning "asked".

32A. Steak au poivre flavoring : PEPPERCORN. "Poivre" is French for "pepper". And "popped corn" demonstrates the second unifier verb, for "burst open". 

41A. Administrative area on Ireland's south coast : COUNTY CORK.  A "popped cork" uses the third unifier verb for "extracted". 

59A. Bit of wedding toast effervescence : CHAMPAGNE BUBBLE. A "popped bubble" is the final unifier verb, meaning "broke".

Marti here, with what I hope was a logical explanation for this puzzle.

Across

1. English horn, e.g. : REED. And clecho 47. __ anglais: English horn : COR. Cor Anglais is the French term for English horn.  But it is not from England, and is not a horn.  It is a double-reed woodwind in the oboe family. 

5. No Doubt lead singer Stefani : GWEN. Their first ska-pop album failed to make any waves. Gwen went on to launch a solo career with her successful album "Love. Angel. Music. Baby". "Hollabak Girl" from the album was one of the most popular songs of 2005. Judge for yourself.

9. Hard stuff : BOOZE. Did anyone want "cider"?

14. Old apple treatment : ALAR. 

15. Gaelic tongue : ERSE. 

16. Part of A/V : AUDIO. 50/50 shot of getting this one right..

20. Play flawlessly on the green : ONE PUTT. I'd rather pitch in for eagle.

21. Gets ready for market, as livestock : FATTENS

22. "Stillmatic" rapper : NAS. "One Mic" from the album (released in 2002), samples a portion of Phil Collins's "In the Air tonight".  Can you hear it? 

23. Commoner : PLEB

25. 4:00 English drink : TEA. I guess that would be 11:00 AM in Boston? 

26. Levi's alternative : LEE. Both popular brands of jeans.

27. Big pitcher : EWER. Weighing in at 270, NY Yankees pitcher Andrew Brackman would also qualify.

29. General Arnold of WWII : HAP. The only five-star general in both the Air Force and the Army, he was instructed how to fly by the Wright brothers.

36. Danish toy brand : LEGO.

37. Sacha Baron Cohen alter ego : ALI G. He also portrays Borat and Bruno in his whacky comedy routines.

38. See red? : OWE. Great clue.

39. Orenburg's river : URAL

40. Elizabeth of "Jacob's Ladder" : PENA. I can't watch thriller/horror movies like this.  You?

44. Street sign abbr. : AVE

45. Shroud of gloom : PALL. "McCarthy got drunk at Sullivan's wake, fell off the bar stool and broke his leg...threw a pall over the entire funeral!"

46. Much : WAY. As in, "I've had WAY too much to drink..."

48. Fall short : FAIL

50. GI entertainers : USO. "United Service Organizations"

53. Bit of moral fiber : SCRUPLE. From the Latin "scrupulus", meaning "pricking of conscience"; literally, "small stone". Like a pebble in your shoe, giving you anxiety.  

57. Skateboarder's wear : KNEEPAD

61. Peregrine's place : AERIE.

62. Reason to warn boaters : GALE. Does anyone remember the old sitcom "The Gale Storm Show"?

63. Caramel candy brand : ROLO. Yummm. Who doesn't like chocolate and caramel?

64. Pollster's find : TREND

65. Sardine's cousin : SHAD

66. Wilson of "Drillbit Taylor" : OWEN. Is this Friday? That was one of his more obscure (and poorly rated) movies, as I remember him better for "The Royal Tenenbaums", "Marley and Me", "Zoolander', "Starskey & Hutch" or "The Wedding Crashers".

Moving on...

DOWN

1. Lustrous synthetic : RAYON. As I have said before, nylon, orlon, rayon...just wait for the perps.

2. 2010 tennis retiree Dementieva : ELENA. She won the singles gold at the Beijing Olympics. Interesting website.

3. Alleviates : EASES.  Aleve alleviates arthritis pain...

4. Pearl __ earring : DROP. I think of this painting by Vermeer.

5. Less violent : GENTLER

6. Authored : WROTE

7. Lawyer's letters : ESQ. Why are they "esquires"?

8. Bordeaux ball team? : NEUF. HaHa..."NEUF Ball". Get it? (Nerf ball?)...oh, never mind. I think Gareth meant there are nine on a ball team, and neuf is French for nine. (This is getting WAY too complicated, so I'll move on now).

9. Turkey-roasting tool : BASTER. That little syringe-y think that sits in your drawer all year, and comes out only on Thanksgiving.  Remember?

10. "I'm __ here!": "Bye!" : OUTTA. Not yet!  I still have more 30 more clues to unravel!

11. Comic strip dog : ODIE. One of my favs, from "Garfield".

12. Mount sacred to Judaism : ZION

13. Geologic periods : EONS

18. Indian capital : RUPEE. One of these days, they are actually going to be looking for "Delhi" as the answer.

19. Unlike leftovers : EATEN. Why, that's true! My leftovers usually sit in the 'frig for about two weeks, and then they are tossed.

24. Old English epic poem : BEOWULF. Did anyone see the 3-D version with Anthony Hopkins?

26. Org. for Paula Creamer : LPGA. Ladies Professional Golf Association.

28. Birdhouse songbird : WREN

29. Po' boy relative : HERO. Or Hoagie, sub, grinder, torpedo, blimpie...

30. Ice cream thickener : AGAR. Much better image than "bacteria-growing medium".

31. Mexican War president : POLK. James Knox Polk, served 1845-1849. The victory in this war gave the USA much of the present southwest.

32. Bear with a hard bed : PAPA

33. Mountain sign no. : ELEV. Elevation.

34. Turpentine source : PINE

35. Not nerdy : COOL

36. "Peanuts" fussbudget : LUCY

41. "Cheers" barmaid : CARLA. Her full name was Carla Maria Victoria Angelina Teresa Apollonia Lozupone Tortelli LeBec.  

42. Hotel room choice : TWIN BED. Make mine a double...

43. New Eng. school since 1701 : YALE U. Hard to suss this one. I think of it as simply "Yale".

47. Curry flavoring : CUMIN

49. "The Jungle Book" pack leader : AKELA. Not familiar with this lone wolf.

50. Violin stroke : UP BOW. The player pushes the bow from tip to the frog (bottom of the bow), moving it towards the left shoulder. 

51. Hôtel room : SALLE. More french. I wanted "chambre".

52. Cineplex name : ODEON

53. Gibberish singing style : SCAT. Ella Fitzgerald was one of the greats.

54. Mother of Chaz : CHER. Chaz is a transgender advocate, having completed a female-to-male gender transition in 2010.

55. A bit beyond raw : RARE. I like both raw tuna and rare steak.

56. Breakfast order : EGGS. These, I like cooked!

58. River to the Mediterranean : EBRO. Northern Spain. Want some monster catfish? Map.

60. Slangy dismissal : NAH. Yeah, now I'm OUTTA here!

Answer grid.

Marti

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to our blog matriarch (good one, Dennis) Clear Ayes. Thanks for being here for us.

Tuesday, July 5, 2011 Kevin Christian

Theme: Dog Days - Seven dogs and their greeting & food brand. (Click on name for image.)

9A. *Jake LaMotta, e.g. : BOXER

17A. *Mexican neighbor of New Mexico : CHIHUAHUA

24A. *Skiers' patron : SAINT BERNARD

41A. *Like Hammett's falcon : MALTESE

43A. *Piece of advice : POINTER

54. *Labrador was added to its provincial name in 2001 : NEWFOUNDLAND

67A. *Beijing dialect : PEKINGESE

Unifiers:

58D. Steadfast belief (and parent of each answer to a starred clue?) : DOGMA. (DOG MA, get it?)

73A. Greetings from the answers to starred clues : BARKS

Bonus entry:

51A. Brand for a 58-Down : ALPO

Argyle here. Easy theme but a lot of it! It has been over a year since Kevin's last LAT puzzle and a pangram to boot. Welcome back.

Across:

1. Word after boom or Bean : TOWN. BEANTOWN/ Boston.

5. Dickens's Uriah : HEEP. From the novel David Copperfield, the character is notable for his cloying humility, obsequiousness, and insincerity.

14. Aleve target : ACHE

15. Fall birthstone : OPAL

16. "All systems __" : ARE GO

19. Feature of "butte" but not "but" : LONG U. I'm catching on to this gimmick quicker now.

20. Like lava flows : OOZING

21. Austin-to-Dallas dir. : NNE

23. British golfer Poulter : IAN. Colorful.

28. NYC hub : JFK and 68D. Inbound flight posting at 28-Across : ETA

31. Tolerate : BEAR

32. 2008-'09 Japanese prime minister Taro __ : ASO. Image.

33. Sans serif typeface : ARIAL

35. Expansive : VAST

37. Ye __ Tea Shoppe : OLDE

45. Information storage unit : BYTE

46. Choice word : ELSE

48. __-wip: dessert topping : REDDI. Whipped cream in a can.

49. Bear: Sp. : OSO

53. Follow-up film: Abbr. : SEQ.

59. Pie __ mode : À LA

60. Suffix for glob : ULE

61. Home builder's subcontractor : ROOFER

65. Get started : BEGIN

70. Upright : ON END

71. "They're __ again!" : AT IT

72. Desert tableland : MESA

74. Lord's partner : LADY. Can't be clued as Tramp's partner to avoid conflict with the theme.

75. Tiny power source : ATOM

Down:

1. Filled tortilla : TACO

2. Cuatro times dos : OCHO. Spanish 4 X 2 = 8

3. Ace : WHIZ

4. Classic grape sodas : NEHIs

5. Philly's signature sandwich : HOAGIE. What? Not the cheesesteak?

6. N.T. book after Galatians : EPH.. Ephesians. The Epistle of Paul to the Ephesians, often shortened to Ephesians, is the tenth book of the New Testament. Its authorship has traditionally been credited to Paul, but it is considered by some scholars to be "deutero-Pauline," that is, written in Paul's name by a later author strongly influenced by Paul's thought.

7. Seine contents : EAU. French / water.

8. Backup strategy : PLAN B

9. Agricultural cubists? : BALERS. Shout out to WH. Forgot to mention yesterday, I thought of Jeannie when I saw the riddle about the HAIR. I hope she's still afloat.

10. Yellow metal, in Mexico : ORO. Maybe we can get an answer today from yellowrocks about his her name. (Oops)

11. Seat of Greene County, Ohio : XENIA

12. Samantha of "Doctor Dolittle" : EGGAR. Image.

13. Set of drinks for the table : ROUND

18. Lacking capacity : UNABLE

22. "Cool!" : "NEATO!"

25. Umbilical terminus : NAVEL

26. __ la la : TRA

27. Not a soul : NO ONE

28. Doorframe part : JAMB

29. Start to unravel : FRAY

30. Scot's skirt : KILT

34. Dined on, biblically : ATE OF

36. Witch's incantation : SPELL

38. Old Ford models : LTDs

39. "__ Dinah": 1958 Frankie Avalon hit : DEDE. Clip.(2:15) A wailing sax on the bridge.

40. La Salle of "ER" : ERIQ. Image.

42. Asian Olympics city of 1988 : SEOUL

44. Like some patches : IRON ON

47. Blue : SAD

50. Squeaks and creaks : SOUNDS

52. Equivalence : PARITY. Often heard in sports talk.

54. Big wheel : NABOB

55. 2010 Supreme Court appointee Kagan : ELENA. Kagan is the first justice appointed without any prior experience as a judge since William Rehnquist in 1972. (Check out Hahtool's avatar from yesterday.)

56. Staked amount : WAGER

57. Himalayan country : NEPAL

62. Acre's 43,560 square units : FEET

63. Bygone U.S. gas : ESSO

64. 500 sheets : REAM

66. Octopus's defense : INK

69. Joke around with : KID

Answer grid.

Argyle

Notes from C.C.:

1) Look at this adorable boy. Can you guess who he is (from our blog, of course)?

2) Many of us have been receiving free daily Word of the Day mini-crossword from Paul Stynsberg, who always tries his best to provide the most relevant & informative crosswordese of the day. He said in his email yesterday: I'm running a 5K on July 16th to raise money for the fight against ALS. My goal is to get 50 people to kick in a buck or two. If you'd like to be a part of this, please make a check payable to "ALS Fundraiser" and try to get it to me sometime before the race. (I'm sorry, I don't have a way for you to do this on-line.) Mail to:

Paul Stynsberg

705 4th St. NE

Roseau MN 56751

Let's help and motivate Paul to run faster. Thank you!

Monday, July 4, 2011 Peter A. Collins

Theme: Fourth of July - The date of the adoption of the declaration and, coincidentally, the date the author of the preamble and the author of the document itself passed away within hours of each other.

39A. Chief author (who died 7/4/1826) of 5- and 9-Down : THOMAS JEFFERSON

5D. With 9-Down, document signed 7/4/1776 : THE DECLARATION and 9D. OF INDEPENDENCE

7D. With 51-Down, chief congressional advocate (who died 7/4/1826) of 5- and 9-Down : JOHN 51D. ADAMS

Argyle here. Happy and safe holiday! Due to the constraints of the theme, the puzzle has MIRROR crossword symmetry. Good fill considering the length of the main theme entries.

Across:

1. Racecourse setting for a "My Fair Lady" scene : ASCOT

6. IHOP beverages : OJs. With or without pulp?

9. Unseats : OUSTS

14. Coach Bill whose 49ers won three Super Bowls : WALSH. 1981, '84 and '88 (XVI, XIX, XXIII).

15. Highchair user : TOT

16. Camera setting : F-STOP

17. Fill with joy : ELATE

18. "__ will be done ...": Lord's Prayer : THY

19. Prefix with -clast : ICONO. A person who attacks cherished beliefs, traditional institutions, etc., as being based on error or superstition.

20. UFO pilots, in theory : ETs

21. Speak dully and endlessly : DRONE ON

24. Actor Beatty : NED. He should not be confused with Warren Beatty.

25. Fate : KISMET. From Turk. qismet, from Ar. qismah, qismat "portion, lot, fate," from root of qasama "he divided."

27. Stick (to) : ADHERE

29. Sprinted : RACED

31. Starting squad : A-TEAM

32. Dote on : SPOIL

34. Bruin Bobby who wore #4 : ORR

36. Chopin's instrument : PIANO

42. NASA vehicle : LEM. lunar excursion module

43. Cheers for : ROOTS ON

44. Like Robitussin: Abbr. : OTC. Over-the-counter cough medicine'

45. GM navigation system : ON-STAR

47. Danish birthplace of Hans Christian Andersen : ODENSE. Map.

49. Drew, as a magnet : ATTRACTED

53. Video game pioneer : ATARI

56. Org. for drillers? : ADA. American Dental Association(Did it fool anyone?)

57. Innocent ones : NAIFs

61. "Bedtime for __": Reagan film : BONZO. 1951.

62. Used a chair : SAT

63. Nav. officers : CMDRs. Commanders.

64. Sir Arthur __ Doyle : CONAN. Scottish physician and writer, most noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes.

65. HBO alternative : TMC. The Movie Channel (TMC) on Showtime.

66. Moray fisherman : EELER

67. Ollie's partner : STAN. Laurel and Hardy.

68. Bat wood : ASH

69. Matches, as a bet : SEES

Down:

1. See 38-Down : A WEEK. 38-Down. With 1-Down, every seven days : ONCE

2. 1972 U.S./Soviet missile agreement : SALT I

3. Pupils' places : CLASSROOMS

4. East, to Ernst : OST. German.

6. Director Preminger : OTTO. Austro–Hungarian-American but not German.

8. Eye malady : STYE

10. Pac-10 sch. : USC. University of Southern California.

11. Worker with rocks : STONE MASON

12. Copier filler : TONER

13. Fine china brand : SPODE. Spode is a Stoke-on-Trent based pottery company that was founded by Josiah Spode.

22. GPS suggestion : RTE

23. Feedbag grain : OAT

26. Injure badly : MAIM

28. What can't be parted after it's departed? : HAIR. Ha-ha, very funny.

30. School where belts are earned : DOJO. Japanese martial arts.

31. Sounds from pounds : ARFs

32. 1944 battle city : ST-LÔ

33. Withdrawn diet-drug combo Fen-__ : PHEN

35. Like a gen. who no longer has men : RET.

37. Have-__: the needy : NOTS

40. Put mail in boxes, say : SORT

41. Third of a yard : FOOT

46. "__ of the Apes" : TARZAN. I actually read the book and discovered the ending wasn't anything like what Hollywood had me believing.

48. Mingo portrayer on "Daniel Boone" : ED AMES. Oh boy, a chance to link one of my favorite clips.

50. Certain Jamaican believer : RASTA

52. Hidden problem : CATCH

53. Preschool basics : ABC'S

54. Honk : TOOT

55. Kournikova of tennis : ANNA. What? She plays tennis, too? Cowgirl.

58. Not doing anything : IDLE

59. Gratis : FREE

60. Lith. and Ukr., once : SSRs. Soviet Socialist Republic.

Answer grid.

Argyle

Sunday July 3, 2011 Samuel A. Donaldson

Theme: Say Again - Common phrases are humorously re-interpreted with their heteronym meanings. Heteronyms are words with identical spellings but different meanings and pronunciations.

23A. Understudy's crime? : LEAD POISONING

33A. Short ovation? : MINUTE HAND

49A. Instrument with colored bands? : STRIPED BASS

68A. Compliment on a skillful asphalt job? : GOOD EVENING

84A. Anesthetist's error? : WRONG NUMBER. Numb-er, stuff that numbs you.

101A. Fight among forest females? : DOES' BATTLE

117A. Clean kielbasa? : POLISH SAUSAGE

16D. Telescope? : METEOR SHOWER. Show-er. We've seen C-SPAN clued as "House shower" before.

64D. Jeans feature after a barbed wire encounter? : TRAIL OF TEARS

I bet Clear Ayes had fun with this puzzle. She's talked about & linked heteronym, homophone & homonym a few times on the blog.

This theme has been done before. Still fun to solve. Outstanding grid layout and fill.  Lots of sparkly phrases.

Across:

1. Woodcutter who knew the magic words : ALI BABA. "Open sesame!"

8. Wide divide : CHASM

13. Tribal magicians : SHAMANs.

20. European triumvirate : BENELUX. Belgium is so stuffy, including their Etam lingerie shops. Their "words of support" (a la Grumpy & Splynter yesterday) just don't feel sexy.

21. Variety show : REVUE

22. Catches the show : TUNES IN

25. Steamy stuff : EROTICA

26. Israeli weapons : UZIs

27. With 116-Down, "Bed-In for Peace" co-organizer : YOKO. And ONO (116D. See 27-Across).

28. Make amends : ATONE

30. Be a disincentive to : DETER

31. Eager, in dialect : RARIN

36. Sound on Old MacDonald's farm : OINK

37. Responses to the obvious : DUHs. D'ohs too.

39. Office orders : REAMS

40. __ Shore : JERSEY

42. The Joker portrayer : ROMERO (Cesar). I can only remember Heath Ledger.

45. Spot for "Spot" : TAG. Got me.

47. Concordes: Abbr. : SSTs. Crossing SSN (47D. No. under the year on many tax forms). Constructors' crutch fill.

48. Triumphant shout : AHA

55. Seafaring salutations : AHOYs

59. Some tablets : PCs

60. Official declaration : EDICT

61. "The Gates of Hell" sculptor : RODIN. See here.

62. Goes __: deteriorates : TO POT

63. Like some advanced research, briefly : POSTDOC (Postdoctoral)

65. Cues from a stage coach : LINEs. Theater stage. Not the wagon.

66. "Trust me!" : I SWEAR

67. Epps of "House" : OMAR

72. Mother of the Valkyries : ERDA. Drew a blank.

73. Short summaries : RECAPs

75. Garfield's creator : DAVIS (Jim). Gimme for JD/eddyB.

76. Clue room : LIBRARY

78. Shinto temple gateway : TORII. Wouldn't it be nice to clue it as Torii Hunter and cross-reference LAA (86A. A.L. West team, on scoreboards)? Hunter is the right fielder for the Angels.

79. Enter, as data : KEY IN

80. Start a rally : SERVE. Tennis.

82. Ballpoint brand : BIC

83. Fishhook-to-line connection : SNELL. Learned from doing Xword.

87. Vow : OATH

89. "Owner of a Lonely Heart" band : YES

90. Still in the outbox : UNSENT. Mine is in the Draft.

92. Andre's love : STEFFI (Graf)

95. 10% donation : TITHE

99. One might go around on the patio : SPIT. Lovely clue. Skewer.

100. __ Neuf: Paris bridge : PONT

105. Mitigates : EASES

109. Rubber tree yield : LATEX

111. Astound : FLOOR

112. Tug : YANK

114. Kennel sound : YELP

115. Got one's money's worth at the buffet : ATE A LOT. Only if they have pickled herrings. Then I might pig out.

120. Pottery casserole dish : TERRINE

121. "You're __ talk!" : ONE TO

122. Unpredictable : ERRATIC

123. Therapy time : SESSION

124. Exorcist's foe : DEMON

125. Old West gang : DALTONS. The Dalton Gang.

Down:

1. "It was over so fast" words : A BLUR. It's all a blur.

2. TV host Gibbons : LEEZA

3. "... bombs bursting __" : IN AIR

4. Like some comforting manners : BEDSIDE

5. Mont Blanc, e.g. : ALP

6. Lift : BUOY

7. Geometry class list : AXIOMS. All a blur to me, my geometry class years.

8. Serenade, perhaps : CROON

9. Fox's prey : HEN

10. Pilot : AVIATE

11. Naturally brewed beverage : SUN TEA. Lovely.

12. A lot of resistance : MEG OHM. OHM is resistance measure.

13. "The Feast of Saint Nicholas" painter : STEEN (Jan)

14. Judah Ben-__ : HUR

15. Give __ to: okay : A NOD

17. Currently : AS IT IS

18. Like a noted creed : NICENE. Nicene Creed.

19. Crotchety : SNARKY. Like some blog comments.

24. Go downhill fast? : SKI. I'm picturing Marti in action.

29. "If I Ruled the World" rapper : NAS

32. Helped get healthy : NURSED

34. Impulse : URGE

35. Short spinners? : DJs. "Short" implied an abbr. in answer.

38. Ballpark staples : HOT DOGS

41. Virginie-Occidentale et al. : ETATS. Virginie-Occidentale is French for West Virginia.

42. Close connections : RAPPORTs

43. "You can't be serious" : OH COME ON. Good entry.

44. Blowout on the court : MASSACRE. Crushing defeat!

45. First O, say : TIC. Tic-tac-toe.

46. Fitting : APT

50. Diamond wearer in "Copacabana" : RICO. Spanish for "rich".

51. With accuracy or distance, a golf stat : DRIVING. Nice clue.

52. Fox forensic drama : BONES

53. City SSE of Sana'a : ADEN. See this map.

54. Spanish ayes : SI SI

56. In working order : OPERABLE

57. "Rocky" catchphrase : YO ADRIAN. Great one.

58. Future adoptee, perhaps : STRAY CAT. Meow!

65. "Deathtrap" playwright : LEVIN (Ira)

66. "You win" : I GIVE UP

69. Baltic Sea feeder : ODER

70. "The Banana Boat Song" opening : DAY-O

71. Workers' rights agcy. : NLRB (National Labor Relations Board). No idea.

74. Rice preparation : PILAF. Like pilaf, Bill?

77. Longtime collaborator with Elton : BERNIE (Taupin). He wrote most of Elton John's songs.

79. Util. unit : KWH

80. You might do it after hiring a lawyer : SUE. Interesting turn of event in the ex-IMF chief case. Still a bad guy.

81. Marxism extremes? : EMs. The both ends of the word.

85. "Wrong, comrade" : NYET. Russian for "No".

88. Three times daily, on an Rx : TID. Ter in die.

91. Spends the night in : STAYS AT

92. Evidence of egg toss errors : SPLATS

93. Just right : TO A TEE. Always tricky to parse.

94. Goes on stage : ENTERS

95. Business card no. : TEL

96. 14-legged crustacean : ISOPOD

97. "The First Billion is the Hardest" author Pickens : T BOONE.

98. Cotton Club site : HARLEM. Not familiar with the Cotton Club, a nightclub in NY in Prohibition era, a la Wiki.

99. Had a hunch : SENSED

102. Regularly : OFTEN

103. "Sounder" Oscar nominee : TYSON (Cicely). No idea. She was married to Miles Davis.

104. __-di-dah : LAH

106. Defense gp. formed in Manila : SEATO. Gone in 1977.

107. Classic watch : ELGIN

108. See-thru wear? : SPECS. Great clue.

110. Super Bowl at which Tom Petty performed : XLII. 2008 Super Bowl. I was clueless.

113. Two-season "American Idol" judge DioGuardi : KARA

118. 1989 World Champion figure skater : ITO (Midori)

119. Web ID : URL

Answer grid.

C.C.