Wednesday, March 7 2012, Erik Agard

theme: zip it.

17A. 1981 Richard Pryor film : BUSTIN' LOOSE. during the shooting of this film richard pryor caught himself on fire while freebasing cocaine. article.

24A. Band whose frontman passes through the audience in a plastic bubble, with "The" : FLAMING LIPS. wayne coyne, in his famous bubble.

46A. "Everything but" item : KITCHEN SINK. 'everything but the kitchen sink.'

58A. Jolly Roger fliers : PIRATE SHIPS. skull and crossbones flag.

60A. The word, as suggested by the saying formed by the ends of this puzzle's four longest answers : MUM. according to wikipedia, loose lips shink ships is an american english idiom meaning 'beware of unguarded talk,' which originated on propaganda posters during WWII.

seemed a bit easier than a wednesday level to me, but still provided some learning moments. haven't seen this constructor's name before, might be his debut.

Across:

1. Taj Mahal city : AGRA. always nice to start with a gimme.

5. Merry : JOVIAL. like santa.

11. One doing serious crunching in 29-Down : CPA (certified public accountant), and 29d. Busy mo. for 11-Acrosses : APR. timely.

14. Perturb : ROIL

15. Hang on a clothesline : AIR DRY

16. One of a swiveled pair : HIP. technically, the hip is a ball-and-socket joint.

19. Sit-__: protests : INS

20. Ancient Greek theater : ODEON. beautiful.

21. Merry old king : COLE. nursery rhyme, 'old king cole was a merry old soul, and a merry old soul was he.'

22. In a funk : BLUE

23. Managed : RAN. can anyone identify this quote without googling? 'he ran spain.' 'spain?' 'the country, he ran it, it was his job.'

27. Typical "Twilight" fan : TEEN. i haven't seen any of them, have you?

28. Billy of "Titanic" : ZANE. yummy.

29. Daisylike blooms : ASTERS

32. Pipe dream : DELUSION. haha.

36. Bartlett, e.g. : PEAR. a different kind of yummy.

37. Distress signal : SOS

38. Pop : SODA

39. Chew out : REPROACH. to express dissolution.

42. Chic : TRENDY

44. "How steak is done" sauce : A-ONE. good steaks are like good men ... better undressed.

45. Like a battery needing a charge : DEAD

50. "Don't __": 2005 R&B hit : CHA. pussycat dolls.

53. Dull discomfort : ACHE

54. Chess ending : MATE

55. Cultural values : ETHOS

57. King of Spain : REY. spanish.

61. Cab rider-to-be : HAILER. went to new york for the first time last month, got to be a pretty good hailer.

62. Sheltered, at sea : ALEE

63. Mimic : APE

64. Lover of Tristan : ISOLDE. vagner opera.

65. Student's stressor : TEST

Down:

1. Shady alcove : ARBOR

2. Dutch cheese : GOUDA. named after the city of gouda in the netherlands. gouda cheese market.

3. Gotten up : RISEN

4. Choir member : ALTO

5. "The Brady Bunch" girl : JAN

6. Tin Woodman's saving grace : OIL CAN

7. Auto race noise : VROOM

8. Puts on a pedestal : IDOLIZES

9. Arms supply : ARSENAL

10. Caustic substance : LYE

11. It's measured in alarms : CHILI. cliff huxtable's 8-alarm chili (from the cosby show).

12. Man cave hanging : PINUP

13. Church areas : APSES

18. Suss out : INFER

22. Leading a charmed life : BLESSED

25. Guitar great Paul : LES. died in 2009.

26. Novel-sounding beast : GNU. also called a wildebeest.

27. Outdoor dining spot : TERRACE. just did so yesterday, gotta love california.

30. Notice : SEE.

31. Percussive dance : TAP.

32. Homer call? : D'OH. Homer Simpson.

33. Charged particle : ION

34. Like 2011, e.g. : ODD

35. Anti's cry : NAY

37. Plot outline : SCENARIO

40. "Delightful!" : OOH

41. Causes of pallors : ANEMIAS

42. Phil Rizzuto's number : TEN. Retired by the Yankees in 1985.

43. Fall implements : RAKES

45. Tried to lose, in a way : DIETED

46. Fate : KARMA

47. Freeze, as a road : ICE UP

48. Herb in a bouquet garni : THYME

49. Slot in a stable : STALL

50. Country that's nearly 25 times as long as its average width : CHILE

51. Crosses one's fingers : HOPES

52. Liability's opposite : ASSET

56. The other one : THAT

58. Key letter : PHI

59. Before, to a bard : ERE

Answer grid.

melissa

Tuesday, March 6, 2012 Don Gagliardo & C.C. Burnikel

Theme: Going, Going, Gone! - Four RBIs at the same time equals a home run with the bases loaded.

17A. Top banana : MISTER BIG

25A. A low-flow showerhead will help lower it : WATER BILL

30A. 50 cents, in slang : FOUR BITS

45A. Baker's container : FLOUR BIN

50A. Hit generating four 71-Across : GRAND SLAM

64A. "The Iron Horse," baseball's all-time 50-Across recordholder : LOU GEHRIG

71A. One of them is hidden in 17-, 25-, 30- and 45-Across : RBIs

Argyle here to play ball. I am going to assume we all know a little about baseball here. If not, it's time you learn and it's time for spring training. Quite a line up today(7). I thought about listing two more to stretch it out to a full nine roster but I'm afraid I'd be called out.

Centerfield (3:52) "Two bits, four bits, six bits a dollar, all for the baseball stand up and holler"

Across:

1. Picket line crosser : SCAB

5. Arrange, as a vacation : PLAN

9. Washington neighbor : IDAHO

14. "Splendor in the Grass" director Kazan : ELIA. IMDb bio.

15. Gutter site : EAVE

16. La Scala's city : MILAN. Italy

19. Mayan corn crop : MAIZE

20. Observation after too many wrong turns : "I'M LOST"

21. "Dirty Harry" composer Schifrin : LALO. Four Grammy Awards and six Oscar nominations but I still don't know him.

23. "Don't __ stranger" : BE A

24. Like a dog's hind leg : BENT

27. Enzyme ending : ASE

29. Online auction site : EBAY

35. After "get," gain an advantage : A LEG UP. Or an attempt to break up a double play.

39. Attending a Lakers game, say : IN L.A.. If you say they are playing a home game.

40. Ski resort named for a tree : ASPEN

42. Longest river entirely in Switzerland : AARE

43. Inning half : BOTTOM

47. Dedicated works : ODEs

49. Taylor of fashion : ANN. I'm shocked; there wasn't a real Ann Taylor.

54. Horizontal punctuator : DASH

58. Hold up, as a bank : ROB. "We wuz robbed!" Oft heard at the old ball park.

59. Yogi, for one : BEAR. Berra, for two.

60. Wheel cover : HUBCAP. Used for a base in sand lot ball games.

62. HI hello : ALOHA. HI = Hawaii

66. Jeopardy : PERIL

67. Hops kiln : OAST

68. Took __ loan : OUT A. "It's outta here!"

69. It has reservations : HOTEL

70. G.I. fare : MREs. (Ready-to-Eat)

Down:

1. Event before finals : SEMI

2. Ascend : CLIMB

3. Path between rows : AISLE. At a stadium, perhaps.

4. Conductor's wand : BATON

5. Cheeky : PERT

6. Research site : LAB

7. St. Teresa's city : AVILA. West of Madrid, Spain.

8. Cancel out : NEGATE

9. Wicked : IMMORAL

10. Lunes o martes : DÍA. All through Spain, Monday or Tuesday is a day(DÍA).

11. Perp's story : ALIBI

12. Eye color : HAZEL

13. "Shaq Diesel" rapper : O'NEAL. Shaquille O'Neal, basketball player and rapper.

18. Founded: Abbr. : ESTAB.. (established)

22. Beirut's country : LEBANON

25. Licks, as a stamp : WETS

26. One way to play : BY EAR. I wonder if Shaq has an ear.

28. Cat breed : SIAMESE

30. White lie : FIB

31. Dedicatee of Lennon's "Woman" : ONO

32. Final: Abbr. : ULT. (ultimate)

33. Inform against : RAT ON

34. Sunblock letters : SPF. For those sunny days at the ball park.

36. Gift of the garrulous? : GAB. Back to Yogi Berra?

37. Ocean State sch. : URI. (University of Rhode Island)

38. Pilot product : PEN. We had bull PEN back on the first.

41. Jason with a record 63-yard field goal to his credit : ELAM. How'd football get in here?

44. Weirdo : ODDBALL. Such as Mark "The Bird" Fidrych, pitcher for the Detroit Tigers.

46. Like inappropriate influence : UNDUE

48. Picabo Street race : SLALOM. Skier.

50. It's plotted in math class : GRAPH

51. Loggers' game : ROLEO. (logrolling) Two loggers on one log

52. Scrub the launch : ABORT

53. Like a cheering crowd : AROAR

55. Can't stand : ABHOR

56. Use elbow grease on : SCRUB

57. Part of Hispaniola : HAITI

60. 5'2", 6'3", etc.: Abbr. : HGTs. (heights)

61. Some major golf tournaments, informally : PGAs

63. Move it : HIE. Archaic or poetic.

65. Employ : USE

Answer grid.

Argyle

Notes from C.C.:

1) Here is a wonderful article from the Times of India today on our LA Times constructor Mangesh Ghogre, who was invited as a judge for the 2012 ACPT (American Crossword Puzzle Tournament). Congratulations again, Mangesh! And be sure to say Hi to Mangesh if you attend ACPT this year.

2) Finally a puzzle for baseball! Don and I originally had HANK AARON for 60-Across, since AARON holds the MLB record for RBIs (2,297). Rich felt LOU GEHRIG should be the focus due to GRAND SLAM entry. Had A-Rod hit one more grand slam last season, we would have to place him in the grid also.

Monday, March 5, 2012 Ed Sessa

Theme: Diminutive of Amelia, Hermione, Mary, Minerva or Wilhelmina - It's good the first theme is so iconic because the unifier? has no clue as to what it is by itself.

17A. Click-and-drag tool : MOUSE BUTTON

39A. Learner’s permit prerequisite, often : DRIVER EDUCATION

63A. Memorable surprise attack site : PEARL HARBOR

71A. Name associated with the start of 17-, 39- or 63Across : MINNIE

Argyle here. Technical difficulties today; Cruciverb is down so watch out for typos. Other than the unifier coming from the theme entries or the perps, a nice puzzle with some answers I didn't see until the write-up. (And now, Cruciverb is up again.)

Across:

1. Long-necked waders : EGRETS

7. Sgt. Friday’s employer : LA PD. (Los Angeles Police Department)

11. Blow away : AWE

14. __ pork: Chinese dish with pancakes : MOO SHU. and from column B: 70A. Egg foo __ : YUNG

15. Fairy tale villain : OGRE

16. Betty Crocker product : MIX

19. Impersonal pronoun : ONE

20. Barnyard brayer : ASS

21. Half an Orkan goodbye : NANU. The other half is also Nanu.

22. Enjoyed, as a lollipop : LICKED

24. Filming locations : SETS

26. More out of practice : RUSTIER

28. Reunion attendee, briefly : ALUM

30. Libyan or Liberian, e.g. : AFRICAN. Cool map.

34. Tequila plant : AGAVE

37. Kimono sash : OBI

38. Hefty volume : TOME

43. Guitarist Hendrix : JIMI

44. Reveal, in verse : OPE

45. Thick, like fog : DENSE

46. Step on the gas : SPEED UP

48. Jack of late-night TV : PAAR

50. Legislative period : SESSION

52. Mex. ladies : SRAs. (senoritas)

56. Samples a bit of : TASTES

59. Univ. military org. : ROTC

61. Dada co-founder Jean : ARP

62. Actress Gardner : AVA

66. Deafening noise : DIN

67. Sprinter’s path : LANE

68. “Seinfeld” woman : ELAINE

69. Fruit drink ending : ADE

Down:

1. Actresses Watson and Thompson : EMMAs

2. Fairy tale Mother : GOOSE

3. Shake awake : ROUST

4. Superman’s monogram : ESS

5. Afterwards : THEN

6. Forester automaker : SUBARU. After ten years of production as a compact SUV, it grew to a mid-size crossover SUV.

7. Legs-intertwined meditative position : LOTUS

8. Player’s rep. : AGT.

9. Very productive : PROLIFIC

10. Naysayer : DENIER

11. Helter-skelter : AMOK

12. Rosé or Cabernet : WINE

13. Crossed (out) : EXed

18. U.S. motto word : UNUM. "e pluribus unum"

23. Animals, casually : CRITTERS

25. Most well-informed : SAVVIEST

27. Dana’s “forbidden fragrance” : TABU

29. Grant wartime foe : LEE

31. Nickel or dime : COIN

32. “Famous” cookie guy : AMOS

33. Hawaiian goose : NENE

34. Descriptive wds. : ADJs. (adjectives)

35. Golf club part : GRIP

36. “Je t’__”: French “I love you” : AIME

37. Shelley work : ODE

40. Philosopher JeanJacques : ROUSSEAU

41. “House” actor Omar : EPPS

42. Oral health org. : ADA. (American Dental Association)

47. With intense feeling : DEEPLY

48. Motel amenity : POOL

49. “O Canada,” e.g. : ANTHEM

51. Discount rack abbr. : IRREG.

53. Former Israeli leader Yitzhak : RABIN

54. “The San Francisco Treat” suffix : -A-RONI

55. Shopper’s indulgence : SPREE

56. “I did it!” : "TADA!"

57. Raring to go : AVID

58. Of sound mind : SANE

60. Colombian city : CALI. Map.

64. __ Arbor, Michigan : ANN

65. Took flight : RAN

Answer grid.

Argyle

Sunday March 4, 2012 Leonard Williams

Theme: Subtext - The initialism of each four common phrases spans across another four two-word common phrase.

23A. Its abbreviation is hidden in 61-Across : LAUGHING OUT LOUD (LOL)

61A. Flight school hurdle : SOLO LANDING

73A. Its abbreviation is hidden in 36-Across : IN MY OPINION (IMO)

36A. 1993 literature Nobelist : TONI MORRISON. She called Clinton "our first Black president".

116A. Its abbreviation is hidden in 97-Across : THANKS IN ADVANCE (TIA)

97A. Like opposers of the Roe v. Wade decision : ANTI-ABORTION

46D. Its abbreviation is hidden in 17-Down : TALK TO YOU LATER (TTYL)

17D. They're less than grand : PETTY LARCENIES. I like this one a lot. So unexpected, all consonants.

I think those letters are initialism, to be exact. Read here for a succinct summary of Acronym, Initialism and Abbreviations. NATO, Scuba are acronyms. They're pronounced as one word. TTYL or IMO, on the other hand, is initialism and pronounced letter by letter.

Neat concept. All common in text-speak. Ambitious grid, with low word count and low black square count. Look at those stacked long edge entries. No picnic. It's always challenging to fill when there are 3 rather than 4 black square groups poking into the grid (called Fingers in cruciverb language). Hence a few compromise here and here.

This might be Leonard Williams' first LA Times puzzle. If so, congratulations!

Across:

1. Rite using water : BAPTISM. Total 21 7-letter entries in this grid.

8. Leaves in water : TEA BAGS. Always loose leaves for me. You, Jayce?

15. Subject : TOPIC

20. Botanical bristles : ARISTAE. Plural of arista. And 31D. Roman marketplaces : FORA. Plural for forum. And 52D. Polar lights : AURORAE. I use S-ending for all.

21. Without being expressed in words : TACITLY

22. Elysiums : EDENS. Castles for a certain long-leg lover.

25. Dodge SUV model : NITRO. Part of TNT also.

26. Pays attention, informally : LISTENS UP

27. Cop, in Cannes : FLIC. You all know this?

28. Swiss district : CANTON. Also the historical name for current Guangzhou, where I had lots of fun for 6 years.

29. Sale warning : AS IS

30. Enjoy a salon, maybe : TAN

31. Adversary : FOE

32. Khloé Kardashian __ : ODOM. She'll be tweeting her presence in a crossword.

34. Long-haired bovine : YAK

35. Agnus __ : DEI. And 63. Gilberto's god : DIOS. Spanish. 105D Reason-based faith : DEISM. Same root, right? Shouldn't be in the same grid.

39. Bisset co-star in "The Mephisto Waltz" : ALDA (Alan). Not familiar with the film.

40. Conger, e.g. : EEL

41. Rocky peak : TOR

42. Yoko Ono genre : NEO-DADA. Also new to me. Absurd!

44. 1945 conference site : POTSDAM. 15 miles southwest of Berlin, see this map.

48. Elemental : BASIC

51. Fish with sucker-like organs : REMORAS. They suck on sharks. Why not? Free ride.

54. Word of sorrow : ALAS

55. Pacific island nation : FIJI

57. Here, to José : ACA

58. Slip in a pool parlor : MISCUE

59. Chronicle anew : RE-LOG

65. West end : ERN. Western.

66. Sound of disapproval : TSK

67. Bailiff's instruction : RISE

69. Nonspecific ordinal : NTH

70. __ doing: thereby : IN SO

71. Japanese drama : NOH. Literally "talent" or "ability".

72. Addams family cousin : ITT

76. Hubert's successor : SPIRO (Agnew). Hubert Humphrey. From Minnesota.

78. Water or wind, e.g. : ERODER. And 11D. One working on charges : BILLER. Also 103. Comic book artists : INKERS. I'm sure the constructor would have changed the first two into ERODED or BILLED if he had an option.

80. Large load : TON

81. Tiny time fraction: Abbr. : NSEC

83. Scorch : SEAR

84. Repeat : SAY OVER

86. Fencing supplies : EPEES

88. Antarctic waters : ROSS SEA. Happy Feet.

90. Good hole cards in Texas Hold 'em : ONE PAIR. OK, I trust you. Not a poker player.

92. Sporty coupes : GTS

94. Was the right size : FIT

95. Hera's spouse : ZEUS

101. CBS forensic drama : CSI

104. Rose of rock : AXL

105. Cutting remarks : DIGS.

106. More, in Monterrey : MAS. "No mas!"

107. Prof's address ending : EDU

108. H.S. VIP : PRIN. Alright, Principle. (Correction: It's Principal. Thanks, D-Otto.)

109. Attend to, in a way, as a tiny tot : DIAPER

111. Son of Adam : ABEL

113. Large-venue music genre : ARENA ROCK. Like which band?

115. Emperor crowned in 962 : OTTO I. First Holy Roman emperor. Hi there D-Otto!

118. Stinks : REEKS

119. Reason for a siren : AIR RAID

120. More minuscule : TEENIER

121. Relevant, to a lawyer : AD REM. This reminds me of Lemonade's Milli-helen in measuring a girl's beauty. Helen had a face that "launched a thousand ships". What do you think of Gong Li's Milli-helen number?

122. Bizarre : STRANGE.

123. Gofer's list : ERRANDS

Down:

1. Love song : BALLAD.

2. Ask for __: request more pay : A RAISE. Very rarely do we see a 6-letter partial in LAT.

3. Only reigning pope to write an autobiography : PIUS II. No clue. How come no other pope followed him then? Must be a bad idea.

4. Some Air Force NCOs : T-SGTs. Technical Sergeants.

5. Spillane's "__ Jury" : I THE

6. College founded by Norwegian immigrants : SAINT OLAF. Here in Minnesota.

7. Smart one : MENSAN. Hey, the one I know is a Dummy.

8. Sporty car roof : T-TOP

9. __ Claire, Wisconsin : EAU

10. Represent : ACT FOR

12. French possessive : A TOI. Give me this, je suis A TOI!

13. Natural sugar : GLUCOSE

14. Barrett of Pink Floyd : SYD

15. Midmorning hr. : TEN AM

16. Hopkins's "Thor" role : ODIN

18. Encroachment : INROAD

19. Hall of Fame fullback Larry : CSONKA. I can never remember this name.

24. "Give 'er some gas!" : GUN IT

28. Censures : CONDEMNS

33. Means of access : DOOR

36. Newsman Koppel : TED

37. Company with a Pegasus trademark : MOBIL. And 40. Standard Oil name : ESSO.

38. Quechua speaker : INCAN

39. Bustling times : ADOS

43. Pals : AMIGOS

44. Paints the town red : PARTIES

45. Fake fat : OLESTRA

47. Bette's "Divine" nickname : MISS M

49. Krispy cracker : SALTINE

50. Corporate raider Carl : ICAHN. Darn it, I realized I had googled him before.

53. Lisbon lady : SENHORA

56. Milne's Roo, e.g. : JOEY

60. "For pleasures past I do not __ ...": Byron : GRIEVE

62. "Hop __": Seuss work : ON POP

64. Toward the center : INNER

68. Well maintained : IN REPAIR. Sounds like broken, no?

74. Cheri of "SNL" : OTERI

75. Piano, e.g.: Abbr. : INSTR. OK, Instrument.

77. Sibilant attention-getter : PSST

79. Pulls on : DONS

82. Jobs at Apple, say : CO-FOUNDER. Steve Jobs.

85. __ a bell: was familiar : RANG

87. They may be bruised : EGOS

89. Envy, for one : SIN

91. Baseball announcer's cry : IT'S A HIT. Ready for some baseball, LaLaLinda?

93. Unrelenting : STERN

95. "Butterfly" co-star who won the 1982 Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress : ZADORA (Pia). Did not know the Razzie Award trivia. I bet Buckeye does.

96. Left the building : EXITED

98. Supreme Egyptian deity : AMEN RA. Quite a few different spellings. AMON RA as well.

99. Like Serbs or Croats : BALKAN

100. Form concepts : IDEATE. Hey, it's a real word.

101. "The Citadel" author A.J. __ : CRONIN

102. Prompted to attack, with "on" : SICCED

108. One of yoga's five vital forces : PRANA. Another learning moment.

110. Go slowly (along) : POKE

112. 2008 Libertarian presidential candidate : BARR (Bob). Where was I? Did not recall this name at all.

113. Hill helper : AIDE. Capitol Hill.

114. Testify : AVER

116. Sometime classroom leaders, briefly : TAs

117. Milano Mr. : SIG. Short for signore.

Answer grid.

C.C.

Gawd-awful Puzzle

#12 of our Curious Conundrums series.

On Thursday evening, Bill G commented on the blog: "I wonder if any constructor has tried, just for fun, to make a crossword puzzle chock full of words we all dislike. Imagine a puzzle filled with ...... "

Marti immediately created this "Gawd-awful Puzzle" with all the tired words Bill mentioned. We hope you (esp you, JD) enjoyed her effort.

Puzzle:

Here is PDF (click on File, then Download Original).

Click here to solve the puzzle on line in Across Lite. Click the bottom middle button to print out the puzzle. Google document is having trouble uploading puz file at the moment. I'll fix it once it's back to normal. (Updated: Here is the Across Lite file. Click File, then Download.)

Spoiler: Here is the answer grid. Click here (9:11 pm) to read Bill G's word list.

Thanks for solving. Feel free to post on Comments section any "Yawner" word that's not "honored" in Marti's grid.

C.C.