Monday, November 7, 2011 Jeff Chen

Theme: Dear John - Actually, a bit stronger than a Dear John letter. Hit The Road Jack.(2:20) (with The Raelettes.)(Wiki)

16A. Strike gold : HIT PAY DIRT

23A. Mythical Egyptian riddler : THE SPHINX

37A. Lane straddler : ROAD HOG

48A. Guy "nipping at your nose," in a holiday song : JACK FROST

58A. Singer of the 1961 #1 song found in the starts of 16-, 23-, 37- and 48-Across : RAY CHARLES

Argyle here, not on the road. (Note: Yes, it is the Greek SPHINX that asks the riddle but the Egyptian riddler is embedded too deeply in the crossword database to change it now.) Jeff used a diversity clues for this one. People 9, fictional characters 5, animals 10, some foreign words, but no Roman numerals. Your count may vary. How many animals do you consider the SPHINX is? (I included hot dogs as an animal.)

Across:

1. Magician's bird of choice : DOVE

5. Seattle's Best product, slangily : JAVA

9. Fall faller : LEAF. A done deal in my area.

13. Pub picks : ALES

14. Special Forces cap : BERET

15. Fairy tale starter : ONCE

18. Give __ to: approve : A NOD

19. Canadian coin nicknamed for the bird on it : LOONIE

20. Hand-waving or finger-pointing : GESTURE

22. For each : PER

25. Cornfield bird : CROW

27. Smallest prime number : TWO

28. 27-Across plus one, in Italy : TRE

29. Lines of theater seats : ROWS

30. Goes down in the west : SETS. Not what goes down in the west but the very act of so doing.

32. Debatable point : ISSUE

36. Encouragement for a matador : OLÉ

39. LAX hrs. : PST. Pacific Standard Time. When to we get there? 35D. LAX incoming hrs. : ETAs. Finally, a clue that lets you know whether it's an A or a D.

40. Welsh dog : CORGI

42. Screwball : KOOK

43. Dalai __ : LAMA

44. A bit amiss : OFF

46. "Milk" director Van Sant : GUS. This fellow.

47. Oval segments : ARCS

52. Inquire : ASK

53. Rand McNally references : ATLASES

54. Takes home from the pound : ADOPTS

57. Yogi, for one : BEAR

61. Can of worms, e.g. : BAIT

62. "Drat!" : EGADS

63. Brooks's country music partner : DUNN. American Country Countdown is hosted by Kix Brooks without his singing partner, Ronnie Dunn.

64. Sources of immediate cash: Abbr. : ATMs

65. Mends with thread : SEWS

66. FBI personnel : AGTS.

Down:

1. Author Roald : DAHL. James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Fantastic Mr Fox....

2. Assortment : OLIO

3. President's weapon : VETO POWER

4. Station with game reports and highlights : ESPNEWS. A portmanteau of ESPN and "news", pronounced "ESPN News".

5. Clampett patriarch : JED. Made his money in oil on TV's Beverly Hillbillies.

6. Onassis patriarch : ARI. Made his money in shipping on the high seas.

7. Brink : VERGE

8. Declare to be true : ATTEST

9. Despises : LOATHES

10. Boredom : ENNUI

11. Piece of the sky, to Chicken Little : ACORN. A fable known as Chicken Little, also as Henny Penny. "The sky is falling."

12. Shipping giant : FEDEX. On land and in the air; on the high seas? not so much.

14. "Sayonara!" : "BYE!"

17. It's roughly 21% oxygen : AIR

21. Unit of parsley : SPRIG

23. Tinker with : TWEAK

24. Franks : HOT DOGS

25. Hook nemesis, for short : CROC. From Peter Pan.

26. Cylindrical caramel candy : ROLO

27. General of Chinese cuisine : TSO

31. Loud call : SHOUT

33. Auto tune-up item : SPARK PLUG

34. Camp Pendleton letters : USMC

37. Jazz licks : RIFFS

38. Approves : OKs

41. Amusement park racers : GO KARTS

43. Longtime Dodger skipper Tommy : LASORDA

45. Brittany brothers : FREREs. French.

48. Sluglike "Star Wars" crime boss : JABBA. No picture, too ugly for breakfast time.

49. Persistently bothered : ATE AT

50. Allegation : CLAIM

51. Missouri river or tribe : OSAGE

52. Cavity filler's org. : ADA. American Dental Association.

54. Blissful sighs : AHs

55. Camping shelter : TENT

56. 9-digit IDs : SSNs

59. Deviate from a course : YAW

60. DJ's stack : CDs

Answer grid.

Argyle

Sunday Nov 6, 2011 Peter Koetters

Theme: "Do or Dye Situation" (Nice title.) - The first word in each theme entry can follow "Hair".

23A. *Dangerously close call : BRUSH WITH DEATH. Hair brush.

33A. *Attachment for a paint gun : SPRAY NOZZLE. Hair spray.

51A. *Interrogator's approach : LINE OF INQUIRY. Hairline.

67A. *"Nothing to it!" : PIECE OF CAKE. Hairpiece.

81A. *Be up to snuff : CUT THE MUSTARD. Haircut.

96A. *Running back, often : BALL CARRIER. Hairball.

17D. *Greenskeeper's concern : PIN PLACEMENT. Hairpin.

61D. *Where a star prepares to shine : DRESSING ROOM. Hair dressing.

110A. Weaves, or what the starts of the starred answers are, in a way : HAIR EXTENSIONS

Had no idea where I was going until I reached 101A and was pleasantly surprised. Great unifier. It hurts to have extensions braided & glued to your own hair. But it sure looks pretty.

I just adored this theme. I bet Melissa too. Secret to thick and shiny hair often lies in your genetic make-up. But good nutrition is certainly important. Sesame seeds help. And the right brand of shampoos & conditioners.

This puzzle is a pangram. As usual, names gave me pauses.

Across:

1. Makes a short putt : TAPS IN. I'd be happy with a bogey.

7. Dabs with a towel : PATS DRY

14. Macedonian birthplace of Mother Teresa : SKOPJE. No idea. Here. Scrabbly name.

20. Fired up : AFLAME

21. Collectibles from faraway lands : EXOTICA. Some could be erotica.

22. Covets : ENVIES

25. 2010 World Series champs : GIANTS. Boomer loved the Pujols' Jack-in-the-Box I got for him.

26. Bar lineup : SHOTS

27. Derby title? : EARL. Oh, title in Derby, England.

28. Like a drumhead : TAUT

30. Fund-raising gp. : PTA

31. Autobahn distances: Abbr. : KMs

36. Do in, as the Jabberwock : SLAY

37. Glosses over : OMITS

40. Recognizes, briefly : IDs

41. DDE's challenger : AES (Adlai E Stevenson)

42. Tax pro : CPA

43. The eleventh hour : HIGH TIME. Oh? I thought it refers to the time when you're feeling high.

46. Jutland resident : DANE

48. Loses one's poker face, say : REACTS

54. Like a rational number's denominator : NON ZERO. And 64. Type of geometry : EUCLIDEAN. I sucked at math.

55. "Rocky __ to Dublin": Irish jig : ROAD

56. Major or Minor constellation : URSA

57. Leave at the altar : JILT

58. Italian possessive pronoun : MIO. "Mine" as in "O Sole Mio".

59. Wrapped up : ENDED

62. United Nations Plaza array : FLAGS

66. Onetime Italian leader Aldo : MORO. Stumper. The Italian prime minister in '60s-'70s. Was kidnapped and then murdered by a terrorist organization. Brutal.

69. "Splendor in the Grass" writer : INGE (William). Quite a heavy topic.

70. Meaty tomato : BEEFSTEAK

72. Singer Rimes : LEANN

73. Add to a database : ENTER

74. George Strait's "All My __ Live in Texas" : EX'S. I wonder why.

75. Beatles album with "Act Naturally" : HELP

76. Wishes otherwise : RUES

77. Fit for duty : ABLE

79. Rummy action : DISCARD

86. Feeling no pain : STINKO. "Feeling no pain" = "Drunk".

87. Blue-ribbon : A-ONE. Jayce's Mandarin is really good.

88. Foggy state : SEDATION

89. Wedding page word : NEE

90. An NFL Manning : ELI

91. Oral health org. : ADA

93. Sealy competitor : SERTA

94. Certain NCO : SSGT

101. Double curve : ESS

102. Cousteau's sea : MER. Still have not grasped the French"R" sound.

103. Scuttlebutt : DIRT

104. Jekyll's alter ego : HYDE

105. "__ I ever!" : WOULD

108. Arctic garment : ANORAK. This one is stylish.

115. Clock radio button : SNOOZE

116. Actress Francis and others : ARLENES. The other I know is "Dahl".

117. Overwhelming amount : DELUGE

118. It hits the nail on the head : HAMMER. I'm picturing Splynter in action.

119. Bridge support : TRESTLE

120. Pericles, famously : ORATOR. So ancient.

Down:

1. Key beside Q : TAB. Computer keyboard.

2. Egypt's cont. : AFR

3. Grade school operator : PLUS SIGN. I like both the clue & answer.

4. Over-the-shoulder accessory : SASH

5. Texter's "Seems to me ..." : IMHO

6. Mudpuppies' kin : NEWTS. Did not know they're related.

7. Snoopy, to Charlie : PET

8. Neolithic dig find : AX HEAD

9. __ special: menu board heading : TODAY'S

10. Uncompromising : STERN

11. Old way to place a collect call : DIAL "O"

12. Sales slip: Abbr. : RCT (Receipt)

13. Jubilant game-player's cry : YAHTZEE. Never played Yahtzee.

14. Slick transition : SEGUE. More "smooth" than "slick". No?

15. Make a string of purls? : KNIT. Great clue.

16. Fertility clinic cells : OVA

18. Popular Volkswagen : JETTA

19. Swift's "A Modest Proposal," e.g. : ESSAY

24. AOL, e.g. : ISP

29. Roker and Gore : ALs

31. German statesman Helmut : KOHL

32. XIX Olympic Winter Games year : MMII. 2002.

34. It means nothing to Sarkozy : RIEN. Same to me.

35. Off-the-wall : ZANY

36. Jack Blum's "Meatballs" character : SPAZ. Another unknown to me.

38. Legal contract adverb : THEREOF

39. Prepared to sing the national anthem : STOOD. Here is China's national anthem.

42. Prefix with grade : CENTI

44. "__ body meet ..." : IF A

45. Area between goals : MIDFIELD

46. Immoral : DISSOLUTE. Crossing 3 theme answers.

47. Notre Dame's Parseghian : ARA

48. Esther of "Good Times" : ROLLE

49. Post-disaster sorting process : TRIAGE

50. Cornhusker rival : SOONER. Hi there Husker Gary & Avg Joe!

52. Snake oil salesman : QUACK

53. Strongly suggest : URGE

54. Beantown, e.g. : NICKNAME

57. Valdez with a burro : JUAN. Here he is.

59. Sticks in the mud : EMBEDS

60. Sartre play with the line "Hell is other people" : NO EXIT. Good to learn the source.

63. Spring : LEAP

64. PayPal funds, e.g. : E-CASH. For Marti.

65. Family meal setting : DINETTE

67. Wing: Prefix : PTERO

68. Podiatry matters : FEET

71. Tremble in fear : SHAKE

73. "__ Dream": Wagner aria : ELSA'S

76. Go on the lam : RUN

78. Future flower : BUD

80. Online tech news site : CNET

81. Electromagnet feature : COIL

82. Actor Morales : ESAI

83. Ventilated : AIRED OUT

84. Turns bad : ROTS

85. Strands of double helices : DNAS

87. Something with a bag of chips? : ALL THAT. Cool! All that and a bag of chips.

90. Tuner's talent : EAR

91. Full of gusto : ARDENT

92. Philadelphia university : DREXEL

94. Really pound : SMASH

95. Yellow-flowered plant often used medicinally : SENNA

96. Hog owner : BIKER. Harley-Davidson.

97. Pablo Neruda's homeland : CHILE

98. Lew of "All Quiet on the Western Front" : AYRES. Difficult name to remember.

99. Farmyard female : EWE

100. Repetitive musical piece : RONDO

103. Foggy state : DAZE

106. Cybercafé patron : USER

107. Oscar winner Kedrova : LILA. For "Zorba the Greek".

109. Data storage acronym : ROM

111. Flight board abbr. : ARR

112. "The Waste Land" monogram : TSE

113. Vietnam's __ Dinh Diem : NGO. OK, you all know Sandra Oh from "Grey's Anatomy", right? Ngo (Vietnamese)= Oh (Korean) = "Wu" (Chinese). Same surname.

114. Sun. delivery : SER

Answer grid.

C.C.

Saturday, Nov 5, 2011 Barry C. Silk

Theme: None - well, slightly NY-ish

Words: 68

Blocks: 38

Another Saturday Silkie, with some brilliant cluing ~!! - I think Barry might be on to my regular blogging spot here on Saturdays, as he offers me two wonderful NY clues, in hockey no less;

19. New York team : SABRES - not fooled into thinking the team was from the 'city', these guys are from Buffalo, and do well every year - they were only recently "added" to the sports report down here. They play ice hockey in the....

7. 19-Across org. : NHL - National Hockey League, which has been doing some advertising lately, playing season opening games in Europe, and, since 2008, the annual "Winter Classic" on Jan 1st - this year my NY Rangers are playing at the Phillies ballpark, "rinked" over for an OUTDOOR game versus the Flyers, and if it's cold, dark and snowing, you get a "REAL" hockey game, like I used to play before dinner when I was a kid....ah the memories, right, eddyB?

What's your favorite team, Barry Silk ????

bonus:

39. Flushing Meadows stadium : ASHE - which anagrams to my original guess, SHEA, where the Mets baseball team once played, and

42. Rocker Ramone : DEE-DEE - more New York, the band formed in Queens

definitely a cool-looking, labyrinth-like grid, with (oh well) 6 cheater squares this week - can you spot them? Four 11-letter words, Two 10's, Eight 8's, and Three 7's, and one grid-spanning 15;

32. Scapula mover : TRAPEZIUS MUSCLE - which I half-WAGed by putting in _ MUSCLE, because I knew the scapula was that bone there -



- well, actually I thought it was the clavicle, but I was on the anatomical wavelength....

ONWARD ~!

ACROSS:

1. Useful app for a smartphone : WIFI FINDER - over here on Lawn Guyland, the monopolistic cable company offers it free all over the place, so it's automatic for my phone

11. Meas. : AMT

14. Telephone booth, for Bill and Ted : TIME MACHINE - A clip for you~!

15. "What are you waiting for?!" : NOW

16. Programmer's bane : ENDLESS LOOP endlessloopendlessloopendlessloopendlessloop

17. 1996 Olympic torch lighter : ALI - some cool info on the Atlanta games

18. Organic chemistry topic : ENOL - Wiki says there's a "C=C" bond with adjacent alcohol; I never knew, C.C. ~!!!

21. "99 Luftballons" band : NENA - classic 80's piece of synth music; how would 20D react??

22. Completely flummoxed : LOST - not ASEA, but the next answer....

26. Marina Del Rey sight : YACHT - might be....

27. It may be renewable : RESOURCE

29. Informal voucher : CHIT

30. Attach, in a way : PIN ON

31. Scoville unit veggie : CHILI - I saw the Modern Marvels on "Hot & Spicy", and they mentioned the Scoville unit

37. Was charming? : HEXED - the 'spell' kind of charmed

38. Makes an effort : TRIES

40. Medevac conveniences : HELIPADS - I was thinking about those "crash card" paddles (and HeartRx, too) from all the medical shows, but uh, yeah, a place to land the helicopter IS pretty convenient, too....

44. Origami mishaps : TEARS - origami, the paper-folding art - I can make a cube with a sheet of paper

46. Baltic waterway : ODER - Map on the right side

47. Cut the crop : REAP - oh, so close to rude....

49. Automatic-door feature : SENSOR

51. Actress Campbell : NEVE - Campbell; I know her from "Scream"

52. Engage in a summer activity? : ADD - ah, summer as in "one who sums"

53. "Jeannie Out of the Bottle" memoirist : BARBARA EDEN - a great crossword name, with its consonant/vowel cadence

59. Do stuff? : GEL - for your up "DO", and these guys (always gotta add these guys)

60. Bond's Aston Martin had one : EJECTOR SEAT - one of the most successful Mythbusters projects, IMHO

61. Words of praise : ODE

62. Black Gold and Northern Dancer, e.g. : RACE HORSES

DOWN:

1. One with the gold : WINNER

2. "Ta-da!" : I'M DONE~!!!

3. Guys : FELLAS

4. "__ Mine": George Harrison book : I, ME, Mine - pick it up here

5. Musical fourths : FAs - DO, RE, ME, FA, SOL, LA, TI, DO

6. Suffix for sciences : ICS - Orthorunics, the science of Saturday blogs

8. "O __ Mio": Annette Funicello hit : DIO - you may link your songs now

9. Genesis name : ENOS - tho I was thinking about the band Genesis, with Phil, Mike, Tony and Pete, not featured in this song - Phil is doing the vocals

10. Honor a favor : REPAY

11. Lawless : ANARCHIC

12. Sign of a lawn infestation : MOLEHILL

13. Drawstring alternative : TWIST-TIE - on garbage bags

14. High school subject? : TEEN

20. Musical dynasty : BACHS

22. __ Inácio Lula da Silva: 2003-'10 Brazilian president : LUIZ

23. Bird: Prefix : ORNITHO

24. Left no stone unturned in : SCOURED - didn't we discuss ending on a preposition???

25. Like a bungee cord : TENSILE - GOD, I hope so ~!

28. Meghan Daum piece, e.g. : OP-ED

31. Astrological delineation : CUSP - my dad was born on April 20th, on the CUSP of Aries and Taurus

32. "We're on!" : THAT'S A GO

33. Tended some bald patches : RESEEDED

34. Fellers grasp it : AX HANDLE - love this clue, Fell-ERS, not 3D

35. Classmates : PEERS

36. Rabin's predecessor : MEIR - see yesterday's blog

41. "Gunsmoke" actor : ARNESS

43. File menu command : SAVE AS

45. Able to walk a straight line : SOBER - I have been able to walk that line for seven years come Jan 8th

48. Bottled (up) : PENT

50. Indian dignitary : RAJA

54. TiVo button : RECord - Early DVR device

55. Abbr. in old dates : BCE - becoming a popular 3-letter answer in CWs - "Common Era" - the Wiki on it

56. Greek airport, on itineraries : ATHens

57. Hundred Acre Wood denizen : ROO - alternative cluing to "Tigger's pal"

58. Sheet music abbr. : ARRangement

Answer grid.

Splynter