Saturday, Dec 10th, 2011 Robert A. Doll

Theme: None

Words: 70

Blocks: 38

I did the research and found that Mr. Doll has done a Saturday puzzle for the LAT once in 2010, and 2009. I don't keep up with the other paper's grids. Robert's last puzzle was Sunday's "Fish Heads", during the Hurricane Irene days - seems so long ago, now that we are two weeks from Christmas Eve.

Anyway, a sort of 'sideways' grid, with two 12-letter down fills;

8. Feature of many a monster movie : MASS HYSTERIA - Mob mentality, like in the movie Frankenstein, but it reminds me more of this scene, from my generation

20. Called for : NECESSITATED - a rare occurrence for me, a 12-letter fill that is one word, and not underlined in red because spell-check is having a problem with it

Well, when it comes to tough puzzles, these that have one-word clues that define synonyms are the ones that really thwart me, and it gets worse when it's more than one word - for example;

17A. Try : BID - STAB, TEST, ATTEMPT, ugh - what's another three-letter word for this???

18A. Saw : ESPIED - and then there's the 'stuck in carpenter' problem, so it's not the tool, it's the verb that is echoed in 59A

27A. Entered : KEYED IN - well, I was fairly certain that it was -- IN, so I tried WALKED, WENT, AMBLED, nope, nuh-uh, not it....

13A. Miss __ : A CUE - Ah....not AMERICA, U.S.A., MANNERS, but a stage flub

6D. Inconsequential : FRILLY - YEEEACHT ~!!! OK, I get it, but I was looking for that juicy fill, like MINOR, EFFETE, FAILED - oh, I do love that tingle in the brain at the final letter ~!

ANY way, for me, BURSTING was was burst this puzzle open for me.

Onward ~!

ACROSS:

1. Engage in logrolling : BIRL - been in Crosswords before, but I couldn't recall it

5. Not quite right : OFF

8. Life Savers, e.g. : MINTS - again, not CANDY, or RINGS

14. Depression era prog. : NRA

15. 1983 World Cup skiing champ McKinney : TAMARA

16. Abel, vis-à-vis Adam: Abbr. : DESCendant

19. Controversial fuel : ETHANOL

21. Annoys : HASSLES

22. "No way!" : "GET REAL~!"

23. Kyrgyzstan border town : OSH

24. Birmingham band, briefly : ELO - Black Sabbath didn't fit

25. Fed. auditing agency : GAO - we just had this, too

26. Shout : CRY

29. But, to Brutus : SED - yeah, I took Latin for 4 years, and it didn't come to me

30. Replete : BURSTING - and this is where I '10.D' it

31. Divisions politiques : ETATS - French for state, becoming a standard

34. Pig thief of rhyme : TOM - Don't know this - filled in via perps

35. Waterproof boots brand : TOTES - Used to be a popular commercial at Christmas when I was growing up - they had slippers and umbrellas, too

36. One arriving during the overture, say : LATE SHOW - as in, "how rude, he was a late show and interrupted my view"

38. Literary contraction : EEN - Evening

39. Platoon provender : K-RATION

40. Lending letters : APR - not IOU, but Annual Percentage Rate

41. Small trip : HOP - not a JOG

44. Words With Friends, e.g. : APPlication, for one's smart phone - I don't have this particular one

45. Macavity creator's monogram : TSE - total WAG, but what can I say?

46. Idle fancy : CHIMERA - more familiar with the "animal" than this definition


48. Tray carrier, perhaps : BARMAID

50. Series of clips : TRAILER

51. Sleep inducer : OPIATE - well, sure, but so is beer, if you take enough of it - I would know....

52. Airport screening org. : TSA

53. They're above pvts. : CPLs - corporals

54. Kisser : NECKER - in this case, it's not the mouth, it's the person - and he's getting frisky

55. Overseas assent : OUI

56. Playground rejoinder : AM SO

57. Corporate __ : GREED

58. 45, say: Abbr. : RPM

59. No longer hidden : SEEN

DOWN:

1. No-goodnik : BAD EGG

2. Summer cooler : ICETEA - oh I am so not going to say it, but ARGH~!

3. Form hastily, as judgment : RUSH TO

4. Old Renault : LeCAR - Image

5. In agreement : ON BOARD

7. It doesn't last : FAD

9. Troublemakers : IMPS

10. Passed the test in a big way : NAILED IT - This is C.C.'s phrase - I learned it from her blog here

11. Mountain demarcation : TREELINE - not ALTITUDE, but it sounded right - treeline makes much more sense

12. "Teen Angel" et al. : SAD SONGS - et. al. means "and others', but I goofed by filling in _ _ SONG, and it wasn't working

15. Enticing ad : TEASER

21. Nonsense : HOKUM

28. Harrow rival : ETON

29. Leave be : STET

30. Stem at sea : BOW - the front of a ship

31. Quick Draw McGraw alter ego with a guitar for a weapon : EL KABONG - never heard of him - here he is

32. Roofer's material : TAR PAPER - well, now you're talkin' - Tar Paper is just that - paper saturated in tar, and used as an underlayment for roofing, siding, and decking applications

33. With consequences : AT A PRICE

34. In shape : TONED

37. Sock seller : HOSIER - my kind of hosiery

38. Joseph's second son : EPHRAIM - I was curious

40. Elicits a scolding : ACTS UP

41. Distressed request : HELP ME - I had J from JOG at 41A - leaving me J_ _P ME - and, well, JUMP ME is a request, but I swear, I was thinking about the car battery ~!!! (lol)

42. Ultimatum words : OR ELSE

43. Protestant cleric : PARSON

47. Layered minerals : MICAS

49. Auto title datum : MAKE - Make, model, year, mileage

52. Perch for a puma : TOR - rock ledge - here he is leaving

Answer grid.

Splynter

Question from C.C.:

I got a new computer with Windows 7 yesterday. When I go to Chicago Tribune's puzzle website in my Firefox browser, the Options, Print, Solve buttons do not work. Does anyone know why? They are perfectly fine in Internet Explorer, but I'm not fond of IE. I did get a "A fatal error has been detected by the Java Runtime Environment" message when I downloaded Java update.

Friday December 9, 2011 Robert W. Harris

Theme: Computer Terms for Dummies - Humorous re-interpretation of computer terms in non-computer sense.

17A. Correspondence between philistines? : YAHOO MAIL. Not a Yahoo Mail user.

25A. Telecommuting congressional aides? : HOME PAGES. The House is ending their page program.

38A. Grand Central waitstaff? : TERMINAL SERVERS. Desper-otto might know this term. Not me. He was an Application Developer.

47A. Drum major's concern during a parade through narrow streets? : BAND WIDTH

59A. Single-cut and rat-tail? : FILE TYPES. I've never heard of either the file type. Not a tool guy, obviously.

C.C. again. Lemonade called me on Wednesday afternoon, but I could not hear clearly what he said other than he was hospitalized. I hope it's nothing serious and he could return to us soon.

Part of today's gimmick delighted me as this is one of my favorite theme types. Part confused me due to my unfamiliarity with the theme answer or the clue.

Across:

1. Goya subject : MAJA. Naked and clothed. Crossing MAYA (1D. Builders of the Tikal temples).

5. Party guy, perhaps : STAG

9. Brought down : RAZED. This puzzle is a pangram, all 26 letters are used at least once.

14. "El __ brujo": de Falla work : AMOR. "Love, the Magician", according to Wiki. Unfamiliar to me.

15. Prefix with foil : AERO. What is aerofoil?

16. Adversary : ENEMY

19. Analogy symbol : COLON. Damn it: English :: Ta Ma De: Chinese

20. Rescinds : ANNULS

21. Poetic time reference : ERE

23. Social conclusion : ITE. Socialite.

24. Chromosome component : DNA

28. Barely got, with "out" : EKED. No other way to clue this little word.

30. Fin. neighbor : NOR (Norway)

31. Off-rd. vehicle : ATV

32. Charge : FEE. Quite pricy to get Geek Squad for a home visit.

33. Currency on which Marconi appeared : LIRA. No idea. Marconi appeared on 2,000 lira note. LIRE is the plural of "lira". (Sorry for the error earlier.)

34. Explore : GO INTO

41. Record holder : SLEEVE. Was thinking of a person.

42. Fleming and others : IANs

43. Ex-NBAer Unseld : WES. Stranger to me. Wiki said he spent his whole career with the Baltimore/Capital/Washington Bullets.

44. India neighbor, to the IOC : NEP. OK, Nepal.

45. The Tupolev Tu-144, e.g. : SST. The clue means nothing to me.

46. Like Magellan, often : ASEA

51. Dada co-founder : ARP (Jean)

52. Ring cheer : OLE

53. Like Beethoven's Sonata Op. 109 : IN E

54. Count Almaviva's valet, in opera : FIGARO. "The Marriage of Figaro".

57. Bobby __ : SOXER

62. Fall breaker : CHUTE

63. Behan's land : ERIN. Brendan Behan was an Irish poet. Another new name to me.

64. Sister of Rachel : LEAH. Jacob's first wife. And the real name of our dear Chickie.

65. Refuges : OASES

66. Like core courses: Abbr. : REQD (Required)

67. First name in humor : ERMA (Bombeck)

Down:

2. "God is not __ ...": Numbers : A MAN.

3. Baler maker : JOHN DEERE. Great entry.

4. In the area : AROUND

5. Big wholesale club : SAM'S

6. 1773 jetsam : TEA

7. NFL's Cardinals, on scoreboards : ARI

8. Artificial being of Jewish folklore : GOLEM. Inspired Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein".

9. Molecules that respond to stimuli : RECEPTORS

10. "Wheel of Fortune" purchase : AN O

11. Woody Allen film : ZELIG. Mockumentary (1983).

12. Ham it up : EMOTE

13. Physics class units : DYNEs

18. Rock-__: jukebox brand : OLA. I only know Wurlitzer.

22. Oxalic acid, e.g. : REAGENT. Whatever.

25. Wedding ring? : HORA. Ring dance.

26. Teacher of spoken language to the deaf : ORALIST. Spellchecker does not like this word.

27. Tel __ : AVIV

28. Immature newts : EFTs

29. Balance beam? : KEEL. OK, sailors, explain it to me.

30. Back-row bowling target : NINE PIN

33. Balls of energy : LIVEWIRES. Dennis is one. Don't think he ever had a quiet day.

35. Where many columns are found : NEWSPAPER

36. One with a trunk : TREE

37. Greek peak : OSSA. Mt Ossa.

39. Fix up : MEND

40. Window part : SASH

46. Varicolored pattern : ARGYLE. Look at our Argyle's socks.

47. Milk flavorer since 1928 : BOSCO

48. Hello, to some Americans : ALOHA

49. Link : NEXUS

50. Put off : DEFER

51. River island : AIT. Same as "islet", correct?

54. Ward (off) : FEND

55. Staples purchase : REAM

56. Workplace inspection org. : OSHA

58. Juillet is part of it : ETE. Juillet = July.

60. Glower inducer : IRE

61. Matter state: Abbr. : LIQ (Liquid)

Answer grid.

1) Happy Birthday to our always caring and attentive Hahtool!

2) Please click her (Chicago Tribute's website) if you're not happy with the new LA Times crossword format.

C.C.

Thursday, December 8, 2011 Don Gagliardo

Theme: Oh, Really? - Five phrases starting with an 'O' homonym.

17A. Evian, in Evian : EAU MINERALE. French mineral water.

23A. Thankfully credit : OWE EVERY THING TO ...

35A. One way to serve beef : AU JUS. French for "with [its own] juice".

50A. Sweet treat with an exclamation point in its name : OH HENRY! CANDY BAR. There is no definitive explanation as to the exact origin of the name.

56A. Classic noel : "O TANNENBAUM". German for "O Christmas Tree", Classic clip.(1:57)

Argyle again. Don "Hard G" doing a solo today. Two grid spanners, a season song; a trifle easy for a Thursday but who's complaining. Well, maybe HeartRx because she missed out blogging it but that's what you get if you go traipsing off to Europe.

Across:

1. Bombed : STANK

6. Hindu title : SWAMI

11. Easy letters? : ABC

14. Board : HOP ON

15. Bar mixer : TONIC

16. Mme., across the Pyrenees : SRA.

19. One who can't pass the bar? : SOT

20. Marked for removal : DELED

21. House coat : PAINT

28. Org. concerned with the No Child Left Behind Act : NEA. This time it is the National Education Association (NEA) and not the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), I think.

29. Ambulance arrival sites, briefly : ERs

30. London taxi : HACKNEY. Boston police department has a Hackney Carriage Unit, analogous to taxicab regulators in other cities, that issues Hackney Carriage medallions to its taxi operators.

31. She played Julia in "Julie & Julia" : MERYL. Streep

33. Bohemian dance : POLKA. Not what I'm familiar with.

34. Novelist Ferber : EDNA

37. SASE enclosure, maybe : RSVP

41. Weaklings : WIMPS

43. Place for a large umbrella : PATIO

44. Mooches : SPONGES

47. She turned pro before her 16th birthday : WIE. Michelle (golfer)

49. Sch. with a Mesa campus : ASU. Arizona State University.

53. One of the deadly sins : PRIDE

54. Pianist Claudio : ARRAU. Short but powerful clip.(1:29)

55. __ Tomé : SÃO. Off the west coast of Africa. Map. In 1908, Sao Tome had become the world's largest producer of cacao which still is the country's most important crop.

62. __ Today : USA

63. Joint-forming bones : ULNAE. Forearm.

64. Surface with legs : TABLE

65. Author : PEN so 4D. __ plume : NOM DE. pen name.

66. Tell off : SCOLD

67. Slammin' Sammy of golf : SNEAD. Snead(1912 - 2002) won a record 82 PGA Tour events including seven majors but failed to win a U.S. Open.

Down:

1. Sailor's pronoun : SHE

2. Ode title words : TO A

3. Kwik-E-Mart guy on "The Simpsons" : APU. Nahasapeemapetilon.

5. 1999 Motorcycle Hall of Fame inductee : KNIEVEL. Evel

6. Takes the wheel : STEERS

7. Prolix : WORDY. Word Origin & History: PROLIX - 1412, from O.Fr. prolixe (14c.), from L. prolixus "extended," lit. "poured out," from pro- "forth" + base of liquere "to flow". Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

8. Santa __ winds : ANA

9. "Cool" amount : MIL. as "a cool million"

10. Chipping tool : ICE PICK

11. Make responsible for, as a case : ASSIGN

12. 19th-century literary family name : BRONTË

13. Stuffed mouse, e.g. : CAT TOY

18. Card or Met : NLer. Baseball.

22. Capital south of the Black Sea : ANKARA. The capital of Turkey.

23. "My treat!" : "ON ME!"

24. Whacker's target : WEED

25. Merit : EARN

26. Grand : THOU. $1,000

27. Dutch Golden Age painter : HALS

32. Showed disinterest, maybe : YAWNED

33. Early a.m. wear : PJs. Might see them being worn anytime at Walmart.

35. AKC part: Abbr. : AMER.

36. Daisy lead-in : UPSY

38. Try : STAB

39. Plastic choice : VISA. I chose MasterCard.

40. Decant : POUR

42. Formed by the solidification of magma : IGNEOUS

43. Bookish types : PEDANTS

44. Absorbs, in a way : SOPS UP

45. More than words : PHRASE

46. Buckeye : OHIOAN

47. Put on alert : WARNED

48. Concerning, in memos : IN RE

51. Erie __ : CANAL

52. John Arbuckle's coffee : YUBAN. Decades ago there was a Yuban coffee ad campaign with the tag line: “as John Arbuckle would say, 'You get what you pay for'. Very interesting man. Info.

57. LPN skill : TLC

58. California's __ Nuevo State Park : AÑO. On the southern San Mateo County coast, Año Nuevo(New Year) is the site of the largest mainland breeding colony of the northern elephant seal. Fifty-five miles south of San Francisco, a low, rocky, windswept point juts out into the Pacific Ocean. The Spanish maritime explorer Sebastian Vizcaino sailed by the point on January 3, 1603. His diarist and chaplain of the expedition, Father Antonio de la Ascension, named it Punta de Año Nuevo (New Year's Point) for the day on which they sighted it in 1603.

59. 16th prez : ABE. Honest!

60. Form ending : ULA. (formula)

61. Post-op dose : MED. Short version of medicine and for most of us, it's meds.

Answer grid.

Argyle

Happy Birthday to Jazzbumpa (Ron). May you never lose the beat. Here is a recent photo of Ron and his beautiful wife Gloria. Here is their ad hoc trombone quartet (from left to right): Ron, Mike, Jeff and Dan. Very cool!

Wednesday, December 7, 2011 Ned White

Theme: Maybe - A fence sitters puzzle; three pros, three cons, and a grid spanning undecided in the middle.

14. "Affirmative!" : "NO ARGUMENT!"

16. "Affirmative!" : "AMEN!"

17. "Affirmative!" : "I'M SURE OF IT!"

38. "It could go either way" : "I JUST CAN'T DECIDE"

63. "Negative!" : "NOT A PRAYER!"

65. "Negative!" : "UH-UH!"

66. "Negative!" : "IN A PIG'S EYE!"

Argyle here. I researched today's constructor before I started and was slightly intimidated. The man's first puzzle was a Saturday NYT! But his debut LAT feels like a perfect fit for a Wednesday. A few unknowns to keep it a learning experience, minimal crosswordese, good fill and a unique grid layout. I would like to see some more of Ned's work.

Across:

1. Bar fixture : ALE TAP

7. Twosome : DUO

10. Border Patrol city of the Southwest : YUMA. Sector map below.

18. Drill command : HALT

19. Shiny fabrics : SATEENS

20. Hiker's map, casually : TOPO. Short for topographic map.

22. Nav. rank : ENS.

23. Times for les vacances : ÉTÉs. They get more vacation than we do in France?

25. Bank products : LOANS

29. Block or stock suffix : ADE

30. Oil, informally : TEXAS TEA

33. Give or take, e.g. : VERB

36. Japanese noodle dish : RAMEN. Clued as Nagano noodles on Sunday.

37. Zebra on a field : REF

42. Pres. Carter, e.g. : DEM.

43. Snarl noises : HONKS. Snarls from a traffic jam.

44. __ Inn : DAYS

45. 1975 seminal green movement novel by Ernest Callenbach : ECOTOPIA. Wikipedia article.

47. Post-WWII nuclear org. : AEC. Atomic Energy Commission. 1946 - 1974

49. Others, in Oaxaca : OTROS. State located in Southwestern Mexico.

50. Down Under st. : TASM.. Tasmania is the island down under Down Under.

52. Former boomer, briefly : SST

55. Staff sign : REST

58. Frankenstein's creator : SHELLEY

60. "The Thorn Birds," e.g. : SAGA. Down Under saga.

67. Hampers : BINS. You know, ladies, those clothes hampers men don't use.

68. Cribbage marker : PEG

69. Colorful fish : TETRAs

Down:

1. Ouzo flavoring : ANISE

2. Fictional salesman : LOMAN. Willy, from Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman.

3. Bridge seats : EASTs. The card game.

4. Devoted : TRUE

5. "Deal!" : "AGREED!"

6. Bandleader Tito : PUENTE

7. Excellent, in modern slang : DEF. Short for definitely but Urban Dictionary entry says it's archaic, circa 1981.

8. Second, e.g. : UNIT

9. "Beetle Bailey" dog : OTTO

10. Boors : YAHOOs

11. Thurman of film : UMA

12. Director Brooks : MEL

13. Social worker : ANT

15. Jazz pianist Allison : MOSE. Mose Allison Trio live on PBS. Your Mind Is On Vacation.(2:32)

21. Carpenter's tool : PLANE

24. Performed terribly : STANK AT

26. Bright lobbies : ATRIA. Plural of atrium.

27. Down on one's luck : NEEDY

28. They may be hard to crack : SAFEs

29. Bodybuilder's pride : ABs

31. Lifesavers, for short : EMTs

32. Crossed (out) : Xed

33. Tape, perhaps : VIDEO

34. DVD button : EJECT

35. Buzz : RUMOR

36. Eastern royal : RANI

39. More than that : THOSE

40. Swipe : COP

41. Atlanta-based health org. : CDC. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (or CDC)

46. Sacred scrolls : TORAHS

47. Fireplace receptacle : ASH PIT. Usually there is a trap door under the grate that you sweep the ashes into, the clean out would be in the cellar.

48. Come out : EMERGE

51. "Stat!" relative : ASAP

52. More cunning : SLYER

53. "Ciao!" : "SEE YA!"

54. Rolls rollers : TYRES. British car, British spelling.

56. Short cut : SNIP

57. Shape (up) : TONE

59. Endure : LAST

60. Torpedo, or its launcher : SUB. Some ambiguity, torpedo(sandwich)/sub would be launched by Subway.

61. Yellowfin tuna : AHI

62. Shooter : GUN

64. Mattress feature : TAG

Answer grid.

Argyle

Birthday greetings to Windhover today. I hope you are warm and dry.

Tuesday Dec 6, 2011 Julian Lim

Theme: All theme answers are in the pattern of: "country name" + a word which happens to be the first 3 letter of the country.

17A. Caribbean preserves? : JAMAICA JAM

27A. South American fellow? : GUYANA GUY

49A. North American food container? : CANADA CAN

63A. Balkan priestly vestment? : ALBANIA ALB. Alb is a classic crosswordese.

10D. East African beachgoer's color? : TANZANIA TAN

24D. West Indies watering hole? : BARBADOS BAR

C.C. here again.

"Jamaican Jam", "Canadian Can" (adjective+noun) feel more natural, no? We say "Chinese food", not "China food". Or am I missing something?

Otherwise, the gimmick is tight and consistent. Amazing intersection. Julian Lim's grids often feature nice theme entry interlocking. Also, 8 Z's in this grid. Very scrabbly.

Across:

1. Derby drink : JULEP. Persian for "rose water".

6. Scully on "The X-Files" : DANA

10. "Wasn't I amazing?!" : TA DA. And 19. "Amazing!" : NEAT. Clecho (Clue echo, another word coined by Dummy Dennis.)

14. Met offering : OPERA

15. Carded at a club : ID'ED

16. "It's __ to tell ..." : A SIN. A lie.

20. NBA tiebreakers : OTs

21. Mineo of movies : SAL

22. Vitality : PIZZAZZ. Four 4 Z's.

24. WWI's Red __ : BARON

26. Moths-flame connector : TO A

31. Backed-up, in a way : ON CD. Or on your flash drive. The Geek Squad guy is coming to our house this Friday. Can't get an earlier appointment.

34. Lined up : IN A ROW

35. Not blabbing : MUM

37. __-Z: classic Camaro : IROC

39. The Bee Gees' "Gee" : GIBB

40. Fred's dancing sister : ADELE (Astaire)

42. Prefix with -naut : AERO

43. Japanese noodle : SOBA. Buckwheat. I love eating it cold. This looks delicious, Steve!

44. "__ durn tootin'!" : YER

45. Arrives : GETS IN

47. Zero, to Zapata : NADA. Alliteration in the clue.

51. Available sans Rx : OTC. Marti is skiing somewhere in Austria/Germany.

53. Hogwarts motto language : LATIN. What's their motto?

54. On a rampage : BERSERK

58. Oatmeal cooker : POT

59. Corp. leader's degree : MBA. Both Jazzbumpa and Marti have a "Corp. leader's degree".

62. Many a Saudi : ARAB. Strange country.

66. Oscar winner Minnelli : LIZA

67. Brio : ZEAL

68. Harriet's TV hubby : OZZIE

69. Bakery worker : ICER. Not a fan of icing on the cake.

70. Polite rural agreement : YES'M

71. Ceaselessly : NO END

Down:

1. One-named singer with the debut album "Leave (Get Out)" : JOJO. Here she is.

2. __ the crack of dawn : UP AT

3. Moon landers, briefly : LEMs

4. Internet __ : ERA. Internet and Jeggings are the best inventions to mankind.

5. Pal : PAISANO. Rooted in Spanish. "Peasant".

6. Play exchange : DIALOG

7. Noun modifier: Abbr. : ADJ

8. Spring tide counterpart : NEAP

9. Allow entry : ADMIT

11. On a liner, say : ASEA

12. Cameron on camera : DIAZ. Still dating A-Rod.

13. 1998 insect-world animated film : ANTZ. Hi there Ant! Tell us a bit about you. Musician?

18. Seed used in sauerkraut : CARAWAY. No idea. The seed is too strong for my taste.

23. Cagey locale? : ZOO

25. C or D, to old Romans : NUMERAL. C= 100. D = 500.

27. A cappella group bookings : GIGS

28. Confederacy foe : UNION

29. Start of a Flintstone cry : YABBA. "Yabba dabba doo!"

30. Brynner of "The Ten Commandments" : YUL

32. Dimin.'s opposite : CRESC. Crescendo. Dimin = Diminuendo.

33. Andrea __: ill-fated ship : DORIA

36. Nuclear test unit : MEGATON

38. Yale Univ. state : CONN. For Hondo & LaLaLinda. Where are you originally from, Jayce?

41. Yule's mo. : DEC. Timely.

46. Textbook update specification : EDITION

48. Got into a stew? : ATE. Fun clue.

50. Flamethrower fuel : NAPALM. "I love the smell of Napalm in the morning".

52. __ eights : CRAZY

54. Indonesian island : BALI

55. "Modern Family" actor Stonestreet : ERIC. One of Barbara Walters's "10 Most Fascinating People of 2011".

56. Demolish, as a building : RAZE

57. Bauhaus painter Paul : KLEE

59. Pencil puzzle : MAZE

60. Pancake with caviar : BLIN. Caviar? Nope, never had it this way.

61. In the sack : ABED

64. Eng. majors' degrees : BAs

65. Nitrogenous dye : AZO. Azo-dye.

Answer grid.

Happy Birthday to our always cheerful Lucina and our LA Times constructor Donna Levin!

C.C.

Monday Dec 5, 2011 Gail Grabowski and Bruce Venzke

Theme: "My country, 'tis of thee... Of thee I sing" - The last word of each theme entry is a synonym of "country".

20A. Notable 1900s anti-alcohol demonstrator : CARRIE NATION. I learned her name from doing crossword. Looks very intimidating.

38A. The boondocks : GOD'S COUNTRY

57A. General situation : LAY OF THE LAND

C.C. here. Argyle will back blogging Wednesday & Thursday puzzles this week. Still struggling with a sick computer, but I feel so lucky that I always have Argyle for backup.

Monday puzzles are easy to solve but hard to construct. Themes have to be simple but not boring. Fill have to be familiar words/names but not full of crosswordese like ETUI & OLLA.

Across:

1. Trojan Horse, for example : RUSE. Or VIRUS.

5. Move a muscle : STIR

9. G sharp equivalent : A-FLAT. Jazzbumpa would have given you a witty comment.

14. iPhone downloads : APPS

15. Grab hold of : TAKE

16. Doctrine : CREDO

17. Open-handed hit : SLAP. Ow!

18. Feels sorry about : RUES

19. Intoxicating, as wine : HEADY

23. Try : ATTEMPT

24. Garden hose feature : NOZZLE. Scrabbly.

28. Car dealer's deal : LEASE

29. Rotisserie rod : SPIT

32. "Divine Secrets of the __ Sisterhood" : YA YA. Starring Sandra Bullock.

33. __-mo replay : SLO

35. Leeds lavs : LOOS. All alliteration.

37. Hoopster's target : NET

41. '60s chic : MOD

43. Acted like : APED. Not "Monkeyed".

44. Check out : EYE. For Splynter.

45. Sandler of "Grown Ups" : ADAM

47. Civil rights pioneer Parks : ROSA

49. Novelist Puzo : MARIO. I read almost all of his work.

53. Piglet pal : EEYORE. The gloomy donkey.

55. Final part : TAIL END

60. Ancient Mexican : AZTEC. Another Z in action.

63. Scott of "Charles in Charge" : BAIO

64. Mosque official : IMAM

65. Group helping the sheriff : POSSE

66. "Just doing my best" : I TRY

67. Crumbly cheese : FETA. Often in Bill G's salad.

68. Horn sounds : TOOTS

69. Ball-bearing pegs : TEES

70. Genesis locale : EDEN

Down:

1. Mischief-maker : RASCAL. Hello Spitzboov!

2. Studying into the wee hours, say : UP LATE

3. Ancient Athens rival : SPARTA

4. Trattoria brew : ESPRESSO. Some leftover coffee from yesterday.

5. Throat problem : STREP

6. Razzes : TAUNTS. Are you still there, Razzberry?

7. Furniture chain founded in Sweden : IKEA. Their HQ is in the Netherlands (Delft).

8. Put one's feet up : REST. No rest for Dennis this month.

9. Cold outburst? : ACHOO. Fun clue, though we've seen it a few times before.

10. Extreme agitation : FRENZY

11. Grassy expanse : LEA. Was clue yesterday.

12. Go on to say : ADD

13. Gift under a tree, often : TOY. A new computer is all I need.

21. Marcos who collected shoes : IMELDA

22. Emulate the Gregorians : INTONE

25. Like the Marx Brothers : ZANY

26. Corrosive stuff : LYE

27. Have a bite : EAT. So what did you have for breakfast today?

30. Moves with effort : PLODS

31. Letters of obligation : IOU

34. Fish hawk : OSPREY

36. Totally stump : STYMIE. Originally a golf term, I think.

38. Aussie greeting : G' DAY

39. Corp. bigwig : CEO

40. It's not fiction or fantasy : REAL LIFE. I just want to be a Deep Throat in fantasy land. You?

41. Fannie __ : MAE

42. Emotional verse : ODE

46. Harass : MOLEST. Sensitive fill.

48. Garb : ATTIRE

50. Widened, as a hole : REAMED

51. Present from birth : INNATE

52. Extra one who's "out" : ODD MAN

54. Oft-timed contests : RACES

56. Seagoing attention getters : AHOYS

58. Memorial news item : OBIT

59. Kismet : FATE

60. Suitable : APT

61. Petting place : ZOO

62. Chinese menu general : TSO. General Tso's chicken is a typical Chinese-American dish. I've never heard of it until I came to the US.

Answer grid.

C.C.

Sunday Dec 4, 2011 Darin McDaniel

Theme: "Film Café" -Caffeinated punification of six films.

26A. Mideast eggplant-flavored coffee? : THE PURPLE ROAST OF CAIRO (1985). "The Purple Rose of Cairo". Comedy-drama film written and directed by Woody Allen, starring Mia Farrow, Jeff Daniels, Danny Aiello.

37A. Coffee that unleashes your inner prehistoric beast? : JURASSIC PERK (1993). "Jurassic Park". Science fiction adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg, starring Sam Neill, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum.

53A. With 65-Across, words describing coffee that's almost too smooth? : THE UNBEARABLE. And 65A. See 53-Across : LIGHTNESS OF BEAN. "The Unbearable Lightness of Being" (1984). A philosophical drama directed by Philip Kaufman, starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Juliette Binoche and Lena Olin. Best work of Milan Kundera.

80A. Coffee lover's paradise? : THE BREW LAGOON. "The Blue Lagoon". A romance and adventure film directed by Randal Kleiser, starring Brooke Shields, Christopher Atkins and Leo McKern. It was also a 1949 British film.

95A. Wild West coffee to go? : PONY ESPRESSO. "Pony Express". A western film directed by Jerry Hopper, starring Charlton Heston, Rhonda Fleming and Jan Sterling.

105A. Coffee with a spot in "Guinness World Records"? : THE GREATEST JOE ON EARTH
"The Greatest Show on Earth". A drama film set in the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. The film was produced, directed, and narrated by Cecil B. DeMille, starring James Stewart, Charlton Heston and Betty Hutton. (The first movie Argyle remembers seeing.)

C.C. & Argyle co-blogging today.

My computer is sick and slow. Badly needed Argyle's help. I like how the coffee puns are narrowed down to films only, making the theme much tighter.

From Argyle: This is our constructor's debut in LA Times. He had his first NY Times Sunday last December. Until I caught on to the theme, this was giving me fits. After sussing the theme, it gave me fits of laughter. I'm a sucker for a good pun. The themeage prevented any big stacking of words but it did produce a pangram.

Across:

1. Carpal tunnel site : WRIST

6. Break down : SOB

9. Former Kiss guitarist Frehley : ACE. The Lead guitarist. Image of Space Ace.

12. Convention label : ID TAG

17. Get on (it) : HOP TO

18. Express lane unit : ITEM. "14 Items or less".

20. Instapundit, e.g. : BLOG. Instapundit is a political blog produced by Glenn Reynolds, a law professor at the University of Tennessee.

21. Singer Bryson : PEABO. R&B singer.

22. And the following, in footnotes : ET SEQ. Latin: Et sequens (of sequential things).

23. Princess who battled Callisto : XENA

24. Singer k.d. : LANG. Her Hallelujah is so good.

25. Brilliance : ECLAT

30. Hopeful lover's pickings : PETALS. "She loves me, she loves me not."

31. Reebok rival : NIKE

32. Push (through) : RAM

33. At this point : HERE

36. "Baudolino" novelist : ECO (Umberto)

42. Reminiscent of : ALA

43. Terse reproof : TSK

44. Año part : MES. Spanish for MONTH (121. Date opener)

45. Litigates : SUES

46. Scot's refusal : NAE

47. Transitional state : LIMBO

49. Pallid : WAN

50. "It's __!": speakeasy warning : A RAID. Wiki said Speakeasy is also called "Blind pig". New to me. I participated in a few raids. Exciting and scary.

52. 1998 Sarah McLachlan hit : ADIA

57. Swear : ATTEST

59. Belted out : SUNG

60. Et __ : ALII. Masculine formation.

61. Reynolds Wrap maker : ALCOA. Dow-30.

64. Augurs : BODES

69. Conservative : STAID

72. "All I gotta do __ naturally": Beatles lyric : IS ACT

73. Area 51 phenomena : UFOs

74. Tolkien tree creatures : ENTS

78. Is unable to : CAN NOT

83. Help on the way up : RUNG

84. Rival of Paris : ROMEO. Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, Count Paris is a suitor of Juliet Capulet.

87. Leb. neighbor : ISR

88. "We Got Us" Grammy winner, 1960 : GORME(Eydie)

89. Altar constellation : ARA. Southern constellation.

90. Red, perhaps : RIPE

91. Jack's predecessor : IKE. Eisenhower/Kennedy.

92. Madhouse : ZOO

94. W.'s degree : MBA. W is the only US president with MBA. Harvard Business School in 1975.

99. Etymologist's ref. : OED (Oxford English Dictionary)

100. 1985 Cher film : MASK. Biographical drama film directed by Peter Bogdanovich, starring Cher, Sam Elliott, and Eric Stoltz.

101. Commonly, to Coleridge : OFT

102. Nobelist Pavlov : IVAN. Famous Russian physiologist. 1904 award Physiology or Medicine.

103. Old manuscript copier : SCRIBE. Real old.

113. Palin's "Going __" : ROGUE

114. Prong : TINE

115. Regrettably : ALAS

116. Swelling : EDEMA

117. Asteroid group named for a love god : AMORs. Named after Amor obviously.

118. Change for a five : ONEs

119. It may drop down : MENU. Computer "Drop down menu". Like the File, Edit, View, History in your Firefox/IE browser.

120. Flying movie monster : RODAN

122. Ballclub VIP : MGR

123. Mil. decoration : DSM (Distinguished Service Medal)

124. Duke's era : SWING. "Duke" Ellington, pianist, and big band leader. I hope we get some nice links today.

Down:

1. Sharpen : WHET

2. Van Halen's David Lee __ : ROTH

3. __ dixit : IPSE. Literally"he himself said it", asserted but not proved.

4. Treeless plain : STEPPE. In Siberia.

5. Chef's hat : TOQUE

6. Abs paragon : SIX PACK

7. Verdi opera with Desdemona : OTELLO. Based on Shakespeare's play.

8. Elaine's last name on "Seinfeld" : BENES. Made billions in reruns.

9. It's east of the Bering Strait : ALASKA

10. Italian noblewoman : CONTESSA. Who doesn't like Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa?

11. Brand originally called Froffles : EGGO. "Let go of my Froffle!"

12. Medicinal syrups : IPECACs

13. Pull up stakes : DECAMP

14. Anklebones : TALI. Plural of talus.

15. "This guy walks into __ ..." : A BAR

16. Attend : GO TO

19. Deface : MAR

20. British prime minister before Brown : BLAIR (Tony)

27. GPS options: Abbr. : RTEs

28. Heavy load : ONUS

29. Peanuts character with "naturally curly hair" : FRIEDA

33. Stops : HALTS

34. Friend of Job : ELIHU. No idea. My knowledge on Bible is very shaky.

35. Nagano noodles : RAMEN

37. Malone of "Saved!" : JENA. The little girl in "Stepmom".

38. __ generis: unique : SUI. Literally meaning of its own kind/genus or unique in its characteristics.

39. Was over : ENDED

40. Bring up : RAISE

41. "A thing of beauty is a joy forever" poet : KEATS

43. Heavy load : TON

44. Steep before cooking : MARINATE

48. Moose mating activity : BUGLING. Ever marinate a moose?

49. Stays put : WAITS

50. Shakespeare title starter : ALLS. "All's Well That Ends Well".

51. Contingency plan : RECOURSE

52. Simultaneously : AT ONE GO

54. Strong suit, slangily : BAG

55. K-12 : EL-HI (Elementary-High School).

56. Tack together : BASTE. Ever baste a moose?

58. TV schedule abbr. : TBA

62. Part of OBO : OFFER. OBO= Or Best Offer

63. Words after take or tie : A BOW

66. Wedding promise : I DO. May our husbands and boyfriends never meet!

67. Repeat : ECHO

68. Immigrant's subj. : ESL (English as a Second Language)

69. Discard : SCRAP

70. Bull: Pref. : TAURO. We've had this entry before.

71. Boutros-Ghali's successor : ANNAN (Kofi). Served as the seventh Secretary-General. Succeeded by Ban Ki-moon.

75. Roe v. Wade plaintiff McCorvey : NORMA (Rae). She filed as Jane Roe; Henry Wade represented the State of Texas.

76. Resting places : TOMBS. Rather final, eh?

77. Play with no hand-off : SNEAK. By the quarterback in football.

79. Melancholy, in Metz : TRISTE. Sad. French.

81. 1960s-'70s anti-apartheid activist Steve : BIKO. Died in police custody, South Africa.

82. Earlier : AGO

85. Not in favor: Abbr. : OPP

86. Worthy of : MERITING

90. Update, as a web page : REFRESH

91. Exists no more : ISN'T

92. Like a game in which wins equal losses : ZERO SUM. Stumped me last time.

93. Anthony Hopkins's "Thor" role : ODIN

96. Probiotic snack : YOGURT. Good bacteria.

97. Leveling tool : EVENER. Weak clue regarding what a evener does. It is used in harnessing equipment to a horse or horses so it is pulled evenly, in a sense, on the same level.

98. Wedding invite encls. : SASEs

99. Vast amounts : OCEANS

100. Lea : MEADOW. Hey, LEA is often the answer.

103. Did a cobbler's job : SOLED. Did not know SOLE can be a verb.

104. Stouts, e.g. : BEERS

105. Rail transport : TRAM. Or cable transport.

106. "Ecce __": Pilate : HOMO

107. Austrian expressionist Schiele : EGON (1890 - 1918). I googled his work, quite erotic.

108. Tiny power source : ATOM

109. __ session : JAM

110. Quick, in trade names : REDI

111. Agt. under Ness : T-MAN

112. Display, in a way : HANG

Answer grid.

C.C & Argyle