Monday, July 11, 2011 Ed Sessa

Theme: I'm Not Angry - But all of the theme answers start with a synonym for angry. (What husband hasn't heard, "I'm not angry. Why should I be angry?")

17A. Rhetorical question on a sultry day : "HOT ENOUGH FOR YOU?"

26A. Shellfish order : STEAMED CLAMS. Next Sunday is our family reunion. Steamed clams and BBQ chicken. Um-m-m.

38. Pitcher's malady : SORE ARM

48A. Off one's rocker : MAD AS A HATTER. Hat makers worked with mercury and it caused them to appear mad. Other possible derivations.

63A. What you're solving (in more ways than one, based on the starts of 17-, 26-, 38- and 48-Across) : CROSSWORD PUZZLE

Argyle here. Interesting unifier. The word CROSS is a synonym for angry, the theme words are "CROSS WORDS" and the answer to the clue is "CROSSWORD PUZZLE". Two spanners, two almost(12) and a compact center = happy Monday; good job, Ed.

Across:

1. Cookie quantity : BATCH. The Santa in me wanted a PLATE.

6. Partner of a mani, salon-wise : PEDIcure

10. "Dancing Queen" group : ABBA

14. Hawaiian hi : ALOHA

15. Neural conductor : AXON

16. Area outside the city, briefly : BURB. Shortened form of suburb.

20. Appear to be : SEEM

21. Illness suffix : OSIS. Halitosis(bad breath) being one of the less serious ones.

22. Blood lines : VEINS

23. Enjoy a chaise longue, say : LAZE add 31A. Striped cat : TABBY and you get this.

25. Subtlety : NUANCE

32. __ polloi : HOI

33. Deck swabbers : TARS. Sailors.

37. Cavity fillers' org. : ADA. American Dental Association.

42. Tennis do-over : LET

43. "Sexual Healing" singer Marvin : GAYE

45. Meaning of a wd. : DEFinition.

46. Shrek's love : FIONA

52. Boutonniere spots : LAPELS. Image.

55. Striped fish : BASS

56. Earthy tone : OCHRE

57. Lion's den : LAIR

59. West Point, e.g.: Abbr. : ACAD.. West Point, The United States Military Academy home.

66. Lottery-like game : KENO

67. Look at leeringly : OGLE

68. Italian white wine : SOAVE. Soave is a small comune of the Veneto region in the Province of Verona. Map.

69. Original sin site : EDEN

70. Carpenter's supply : WOOD. Hey, Splynter.

71. U.S.-Canada defense acronym : NORAD. North American Aerospace Defense Command. They're the ones always tracking me in December.

Down:

1. Scroogean outbursts : BAHS. In 'Dickensesque' writings.

2. Natural balm : ALOE

3. Shopping bag : TOTE

4. Class with flasks and beakers : CHEM LAB

5. Solo in "Star Wars" : HAN. In the handy 'take-home size'.

6. Stopped briefly : PAUSED

7. Vet : EX-GI

8. Homer Simpson outbursts : D'OHs

9. Having one flat, musically : IN F. ?

10. How lovers walk : ABREAST

11. Poker tournament entrance fee : BUY IN

12. Rodeo bucker : BRONC

13. Nasty treatment : ABUSE

18. Slimy stuff : OOZE

19. Latin egg : OVUM

24. Writers Lowell and Tan : AMYs

25. Neet rival : NAIR

26. Party without women : STAG

27. Exclamation with a flourish : "TA-DA!"

28. Cybermarketplace : E-BAY

29. Master slicers and dicers : CHEFS

30. Hawaii's Mauna __ : LOA. Volcano.

34. Scads : A LOT

35. Russo of "Get Shorty" : RENE. With Gene Hackman, Danny DeVito, and John Travolta.

36. Marquee luminary : STAR

39. Las Vegas numbers : ODDS

40. "The Crying Game" actor Stephen : REA

41. Advanced degs. for writers : MFAs. A Master of Fine Arts (MFA) is a graduate degree typically requiring 2–3 years of study beyond the bachelor's degree.

44. "Nature" author : EMERSON. Ralph Waldo.

47. "What craziness!" : "IT'S A ZOO!"

49. Brewpub pints : ALES

50. Tolerated : ABIDED

51. Heavenly music maker : HARP

52. "Social contract" philosopher John : LOCKE

53. Like a big landowner : ACRED. It's in the dictionary, but not in common use.

54. Call up : PHONE

57. Nike's Swoosh, e.g. : LOGO. Lego Logo.

58. Folk singer Guthrie : ARLO

60. Drug kingpin : CZAR

61. Edison's middle name : ALVA

62. Ownership document : DEED

64. "Golly!" : "WOW!"

65. Mil. branch with ships : USN. United States Navy.

Answer grid.

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Here are two more "Hard to Believe" pictures. Tell me who do you think the cool guy is. (Added later: Yes, it's Spitzboov!)

Sunday July 10, 2011 Julian Lim

Theme: 4 x 4 - Each theme entry consists of 4 words, each word consisting of 4 letters.

23A. "We'll find out in due course" : ONLY TIME WILL TELL. This and its symmetrical partner are my favorite pair.

39A. Hotel ad phrase : HOME AWAY FROM HOME

53A. "Stay alert!" : KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN

72A. Act rashly : LEAD WITH ONE'S CHIN

88A. Cry to players in hiding : OLLY OLLY OXEN FREE

106A. Often skeptical words of encouragement : GOOD LUCK WITH THAT. Just excellent.

Again, very long answers, hence only 6 theme entries. It'd be awesome if every word in the theme entries has one syllable. Might be an impossible task. Already tough job for the constructor to ferret out the ones we have today.

Several great long non-theme Down entries:

4D. Swimming and diving, e.g. : OLYMPIC SPORTS. Very seldom do we see a 13-letter non-theme fill.

16D. Petrify : TURN TO STONE. 11s are rare too.

57D. Like hobnobbers : WELL-CONNECTED

63D. It was once described as an "odious column of bolted metal" : EIFFEL TOWER. Lovely.

Also several fill for Dennis:

60A. Brilliant bunch : MENSA. He's the cleverest Dummy I know of.

68A. Japanese canine : AKITA. He owned one.

41D. Watch for the wealthy : ROLEX. He's wearing one.

All in all, a solid grid. Quite a few names, but none obscure.

Across:

1. '50s pin curls style, e.g. : UPDO

5. Sean Combs, on stage : P. DIDDY. So flashy.

11. Things of beauty : GEMs

15. Ratatouille, e.g. : STEW

19. Stick-up stash : HAUL

20. Mumbai garments : SAREES. Or SARIS.

21. Stratford's river : AVON

22. "Reason is ... the slave of the passions" writer : HUME (David). Not familiar with this line.

26. Idle in show biz : ERIC. Eric Idle.

27. 2002 hit for Cam'ron : HEY MA. Well, Avg Joe might know this song. I've got no idea.

28. "Junebug" Oscar nominee Adams : AMY. She is very talented. Pretty too.

29. "That __ fair!" : ISN'T

30. Divine food : MANNA. I wonder what it tastes that.

31. Ramble on : PRATE

33. Thumper's pal : BAMBI. Thumper is a rabbit.

35. Near the end : LATTER.

36. One who harnesses the power of midi-chlorians : JEDI. "Star Wars".

42. Throws out : EVICTS

44. Senate passings : BILLs

45. Fancy moldings : OGEEs.

46. Sunshine __: old detergent : RINSO

47. Bug : GERM

48. Letter-shaped track : T-SLOT. No idea. Carpenter term, Splynter/Jerome?

50. Big initials in comedy syndication : TBS

57. It may be spun : WOOL. Not TALE/YARN.

58. "What a klutz I am!" : OOPS

59. Ricoh competitor : XEROX

61. Applies, as effort : EXERTS

64. Dummkopf : HALF-WIT. Dummkopf is a new word to me. Dumm = Dumb. Koph = Head.

67. Grade of beef : SELECT

69. Cruise, for one : CELEB. Tom Cruise. And SEA (87D. Cruise milieu).

70. "The Baroque Cycle" sci-fi author Stephenson : NEAL. Stranger to me. Has anyone read the clued book?

71. Linesmen's co-workers : REFs

79. Disturbing bank letters : NSF. Disturbing indeed.

80. Far from mega- : MICRO

81. Crafted, as a tale : WOVE

82. French wine valley : LOIRE

83. Town in a Carlo Levi title : EBOLI. "Christ Stopped at Eboli" .

85. "Had __ and couldn't ..." : A WIFE

87. Subject involving subjects : SYNTAX. Oh, sentence.

93. Starling's home : NEST

94. Ragtag : MOTLEY

95. Author Blyton et al. : ENIDs

96. Airbus product : PLANE

98. Treat as taboo : AVOID

99. City near Anaheim : BREA. Spanish for "tar".

100. You might give him the business : SON. Clever clue.

101. Ghana's capital : ACCRA

105. Cut down : HEWN

110. Downwind : ALEE

111. Not loose : SNUG

112. "The Ministry of Fear" author : GREENE (Graham). Here is the book cover. I bet it's a gimme for Lemonade.

113. __ Indies : EAST

114. Some paparazzi gear, briefly : SLRs

115. Carry : TOTE

116. Sunshine cookie : HYDROX. Is it still on the market?

117. Time of reckoning : D-DAY

Down:

1. "Trouble's a-comin'!" : UH OH

2. Stained-glass piece : PANE

3. How some things are noted : DULY. Duly noted.

5. Penultimate Greek letter : PSI

6. 1980s-'90s New York senator : DAMATO (Alfonse)

7. Coming-back words : I REMEMBER. Oh, this coming-back.

8. Like a field at sunrise : DEWY

9. Opus __: "The Da Vinci Code" sect : DEI

10. Pricey handbag inits. : YSL

11. Carraway's Long Island neighbor, in classic fiction : GATSBY. The Great Gatsby.

12. Supposing : EVEN IF

13. Jump out of one's skin? : MOLT. Fun clue.

14. Show with '70s samurai sketches, briefly : SNL

15. Put away, as a dagger : SHEATHE

17. "Love the Way You Lie" rapper : EMINEM. Weird song name.

18. Words of support : WE CARE

24. Driveway option : TAR

25. Beans that are a good source of manganese : LIMAs. Boomer loves lima beans.

30. "Wag the Dog" co-screenwriter : MAMET (David). Drew a blank.

32. Wistful sounds : AHs

33. Mild : BALMY

34. Belt maker's tool : AWL

35. Start using Facebook, say : LOG ON

36. Weightlifting move : JERK

37. Songwriter Sands : EVIE. Stumped me last time.

38. Eat in style : DINE

40. Seamus Heaney's homeland : EIRE. Seamus Heaney won Nobel literature in 1995, a la Wiki.

43. Matrix automaker : TOYOTA

47. Grissom of NASA : GUS. And 89D. Apollo 13 astronaut : LOVELL (Jim)

48. Semicircular moldings : TORI. Plural of torus like this. Think donuts.

49. Concern for Lady Macbeth : SPOT

51. Pear from Europe : BOSC

52. Bedframe part : SLAT

54. Psy-__: military propaganda, etc. : OPs

55. Like Deep Throat : EX-FBI. I'm glad Deep Throat revealed himself in the end.

56. Work on seams : SEW

60. Pitifully small : MEASLY

61. Take home : EARN

62. Vintage Jags : XKEs

64. Get wind of : HEAR

65. Gucci of fashion : ALDO. Did names give you trouble today?

66. "Ben-Hur" author Wallace : LEW

67. Date : SEE

69. Director DeMille : CECIL

70. Richmond-to-D.C. dir. : NNE

72. Evangeline __, who played Kate on "Lost" : LILLY. Looks familiar.

73. Target Field team : TWINS. My poor Twins!

74. "The Tao of Pooh" author : HOFF (Benjamin). I forgot.

75. Prove too strong for : OVERPOWER

76. "Women and Love" author Shere : HITE

77. Income sources for some srs. : IRAs

78. Subsequent : NEXT

80. Acted bullish? : MOOED. You comment, Windhover!

84. Writing credits : BYLINEs

85. Like a saucer's symmetry : AXIAL

86. Tie the knot : WED

88. Nebraska tribe members : OMAHAS

90. Bad news from home? : YER OUT! My favorite clue today.

91. Skittish : ON EDGE

92. Monsoon-affecting phenomenon : EL NINO

97. "I'll pass" : NAH

99. U2's lead vocalist : BONO

100. RR station posting : SKED (Schedule)

102. Niger neighbor : CHAD

103. Tabula __ : RASA

104. Trial fig. : ATTY

106. Clock std. : GST. What does this mean? I wanted GMT.

107. "How icky!" : UGH

108. Break down : CRY

109. Where Odessa is: Abbr. : TEX. Not UKR.

Answer grid.

Happy Birthday to my Lao Shi Don "Hard G"!

C.C.

Saturday, July 9, 2011 Doug Peterson

Theme: None

Words: 70

Blocks: 28

Wow~! - Considering the fine and challenging offers from our "Corner Constructors" of the last two days, I smoked this puzzle, without a single hesitation, and only one quick review to find my one-letter goof. We have seen Doug before on Saturday, his last being the duo with Barry Silk.

A nearly a 'pinwheel' symmetrical puzzle, with triple stacks of 10 in each "arm" - just a black square off in the NE and SW.

Onward~!

Splynter

ACROSS:

1. It may be picked : BASS GUITAR - I actually switched to the DOWNS first, but once I had _SS G_, I pretty much got it - I play, but use a pick more often then the finger or slap technique

11. Revival figs. : EMTs - nice misdirection, human revivers, Emergency Medical Technicians

15. Sly role, as a rule : ACTION HERO - Sylvester "Sly" Stallone, in movies such as Rambo, Cliffhanger, etc. - I still want to see "The Expendables" with "ALL" the action heroes.

16. Fly on the river, perhaps : LURE

17. One who might steal kisses : CHOCOHOLIC - those little Hershey kisses here

18. Protected from buffeting : ALEE - Saturday level cluing for this word

19. Shorten, in a way : HEW

20. Smoking choice : PIPE

21. Big name in test preparation : KAPLAN - Here

23. Certain surfer's power source : KITE - I would rather sail my Hobie Cat than do this

24. Stands in a field? : COPSES

25. Choice cut : T-BONE

28. Dealt with loose ends : MOPPED UP

30. Shadow removers : RAZOR BLADES - "5 o'clock shadow" for the hirsute man

33. Treasure State motto word : ORO

34. Intaglio stone : ONYX - Here

35. Not as refined : RUDER - I had rawer to start

36. Times to get ready : EVES

37. "The Man From U.N.C.L.E." producer : MGM - a WAG with the -G- there

38. Sinuous storytellers : HULA DANCERS - show me your links ~!

40. One of the noble metals : PLATINUM - nailed it; also Gold et. al.

42. Champion, for one : HORSE - I got it, but didn't know who Champion was....

43. Absinthe flavorings : ANISES

44. Chicago's __ House : HULL - Here's the story

46. Out there to the max : ODDEST

47. Tightly : FAST - meh, not sure about this

48. NASCAR no. : RPM

51. Doce halved : SEIS

52. "You Should Be Dancing" group : THE BEE GEES

55. Pre-bar letters : LSAT

56. Trying to get close to : ESTIMATING

57. Extremely : OHSO

58. Cops often take them at crime scenes : STATEMENTS - Huge Law & Order fan, usually this segment comes right after the first commercial break

 DOWN:

1. "Little Organ Book" composer : BACH - Four-letter organ composer?

2. Not quite smart? : ACHE - Loved this, reminds me of this

3. Put away : STOW

4. Disclaimer in a quote : SIC - most often brakceted [sic] like this....

5. More likely to ooze : GOOPIER

6. Like a pitch that's taken, ironically : UNHIT

7. "My wish is ..." : I HOPE

8. Tubby leader? : TELE - Tele-tubbies, those pastel colored things

9. 1968 newlywed, familiarly : ARI - I had LIZ at first, a WAG at Elizabeth Taylor

10. Pink Floyd's "The Wall," e.g. : ROCK OPERA

11. Slip by : ELAPSE

12. Chewed on : MULLED OVER

13. Balancing pros : TREASURERS - well-clued

14. Caught, in a way : SEEN

22. Useful downloads : APPS

23. First U.S. secretary of war (for whom a fort was named) : KNOX

24. Put into bars, say : CODED

25. Defeat badly : TROMP

26. East Pakistan, today : BANGLADESH

27. Sonnet likely inspired by Ramses the Great : OZYMANDIAS - One and the same

28. Chair's title, at times : MADAM

29. Sheriff's outfit : POSSE

31. Gentlemen's second choices? : BRUNETTES - Well, now, they happen to be this gentleman's FIRST choice

32. Corkers : LULUs

36. Sierra Club subj. : ECOL. - Ecology, hear here ~!

38. Sign of an escape? : HISS - as air from a punctured tire

39. Devils, e.g. : NHL TEAM - New Jersey - I will root for them if the NY Rangers aren't on

41. Words with organized crime : TIES TO - Another L&O reference, as in "Biegel has ties to the Masucci family..." ( I had tieD to, my only boo-boo )

44. Order clothes : HABIT - I had ROBES to start here

45. "I'm yours to command" : USE ME - I think of the lyrics here at 0:58

46. Vigeland Sculpture Park city : OSLO - Images

47. Crumbly topping : FETA - cheese, on salads, etc

48. Arabian checker : REIN - Arabian, the horse, but not Champion

49. Shut (up) : PENT

50. In-box queue: Abbr. : MSGS

53. Fair Deal initials : HST - Harry S. Truman

54. Former comm. giant : GTE - I remember these guys

Answer grid.

See ya next time ~!

Splynter

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.