Friday, March 16, 2012, Marti Duguay-Carpenter

Theme: The Accent is on fun! Each of the four designated theme answers must be pronounced as if by a Southerner with a pronounced drawl. When I moved to Gainesville in 1971, I sometimes had difficulty buying gas (25 cents a gallon) because the speech seemed so foreign. What a pleasant way to return home to a Heart warming puzzle, where Marti never drawls the line on fun.

20A. *Hail: DANTE'S INFERNO. What the hell is she thinking?!? Oh, I get it. The cold place.

28A. *Tar : GROW WEARY I will never tire of good humor.

39A. *Tin: SAWBUCK. Ten dollars; a twenty is a double sawbuck from the days when fins were not on cars.

48A. *Poe: FLAT BROKE. In the south people are not just poor, they are dirt poor. Also home of the Po'Boy sammich.

and the reveal:

58A. What you need to get the starred clues to fit their answers: SOUTHERN DRAWL.

Across:

1. Storage spot: SHED. Okay no tear here.

5. 10-Down's request: Abbr.: IDENT. I guess she means Identity, but when they are throwing you out, as in 10D. Imposer of a drunk's comeuppance: BOUNCER, I do not think they care about ID.

10. State along the Sea of Cortez: BAJA. MAP.

14. Overhead projector?: EAVE. Very popular in New England homes; not to be confused with 17A. Some Monopoly props.: AVES. Interesting visual.

15. Control __: TOWER. How many thought of this LINK. (3:48)

16. Sensory stimulant: ODOR. Well a one in five guess.

18. Long look: STARE. Another of the senses, and one which requires

19. Iris locale: UVEA. An eye reference for me; the middle of the eye.

23. Club with very little loft: ONE IRON. There is an old joke about Jesus playing golf...

24. William of __, known for his "razor" maxim: OCCAM. If you did not know it before, you could watch Big Bang Theory or listen to THIS. Less is more, more or less (8:43).

27. Bouquet __: GARNI. This FRENCH is the same in English.

32. "You rang?": YES.

34. Dos Passos trilogy: USA. Can you name all three? I cannot. Hint, I think 42nd Parallel is first.

35. Some map nos : RTES. Not aves.

36. [not my mistake]: SIC. From the Latin meaning "thus" to show you are just repeating what was written by another. Notice the use of brackets.

42. Lunch, say: EAT. No, it is too late, but thanks.

43. Norsk Folkemuseum setting: OSLO. A clue partially in Norwegian for our Scandinavian brothers.

45. Sashimi choice: AHI. Tuna anyone?

46. Shelf-filling ref. work: OED. Oxford English Dictionary. The biggest and the best, it helped me learn puzzling.

51. "The best is __ be": Browning: YET TO. come, grow old with me...Hey CA hope all is well. Creature you hanging in? Buckeye, Mainiac?

55. Fractious: TESTY.

56. Had a slice of humble pie: ATE CROW. A bonus southern expression. While I am sure crow must taste bad, the British English equivalent eating humble pie, comes from the word umbles which were the innards of the deer: the liver, heart, entrails and other second-class bits. Steve? Nice Cuppa?

62. Shell occupant: CLAM. Also used to mean a dollar.

64. Handled: SAW TO/ In the sense of taking care of a situation.

65. Pilate's "Behold!": ECCE. Straight Latin.

66. Typesetting unit: PICA. Back in the day, it was this or ELITE.

67. Paper fan feature: PLEAT. Also in Jay Gatsby's trousers.

68. Unité politique: ETAT. French for STATE, ETATS UNIS.

69. Envelope abbr.: ATTN. Attention!

70. Sturdy fabric: SERGE. Not sarge, but this MATERIAL used in military uniforms.

71. Est. and Lat., once: SSRS. Where are U?

Down:

1. Seasoned salt?: SEA DOG. Veteran sailor.

2. Plaza de la Revolución locale: HAVANA.

3. Hit that sends the game to extra innings, e.g.: EVENER. A baseball clue from a skier.

4. Predetermined outcome: DESTINY. Kismet, fate and many exotic dancers.

5. "__ Easy": Buddy Holly classic: IT'S SO. A great song, but my computer crashed and will not let me link.

6. Like many aunts: DOTING. And gruncles.

7. Actor McGregor: EWAN. A fine Scottish actor in many MOVIES, but is no relation to the crossword staple 61D. Decorative jug: EWER.

8. Dorm hoops ball: NERF. Sponge Bob Square Pants illegitimate father.

9. Lineage display: TREE. He has quite the family tree.

11. Champion: ADVOCATE. Also a name for lawyers.

12. Break fluid?: JOE. Wonderful coffee pun.

13. First name in Fighting Irish history : ARA. Parseghian, the very successful Notre Dame football coach.

21. Northeastern natives: ERIES. The Native Americans, not the lakes.

22. Theater ticket word: ROW.

25. Quarter: AREA. Like the French Quarter.

26. Computer game set on an island: MYST. Kids played it, but not me, I was all Luigi and Mario.

29. Inventive cubist?: RUBIK.

30. Pac-12's Beavers: OSU. Oregon State University. Speaking of beavers, where is Dennis?

31. Seat of Texas's McLennan County: WACO.

33. Coal-rich region: SAAR. oft fought over REGION.

36. Woefully out of shape: SOFT. Not me.

37. Ferry destination: ISLE. Fire Island perhaps for you mean punsters.

38. Someone to admire: CLASS ACT. So where is Dennis?

40. Question of identity: WHO. The Doctor? (1:00)

41. Worked (up): KEYED.

44. Empire partitioned by the Treaty of Lausanne: OTTOMAN. This LINK.

47. Official proclamations: DECREES.

49. Mitt Romney's alma mater: Abbr.: BYU. Brigham Young University. The Mormon college name for its founder, who is reputed to have said, "Whatever you do, just bring'em young."

50. Livestock marker: EAR TAG Nice visual.

52. Developers' acquisitions: TRACTS.

53. RV follower: TOW CAR. Fooled me, but it is Friday.

54. Nocturnal newborns: OWLETS.

57. CD alternative: T-NOTE. Treasury Note, in between a Bill and a Bond.

59. Baker's qtys.: TSPS. Teaspoons.

60. Healthy: HALE.and Hearty, a self-plug for our constructor. Nice.

62. Returns pro: CPA. Income Tax Returns, which used to be due on March 15.

63. Aflame: LIT. We finish with an A word, it must time for a drink.

Answer grid.

Wow, another night/morning of computer issues, but Marti kept me in a good mood. Here are her thoughts and see you next time. lemonade.

"Anyone who knows that my dear husband is from The South and I am from New England, will understand the teasing humor in this one. We each find the other's accent endearing, and wouldn't change a thing. The theme was actually inspired by a comment that Bill G. made on Feb. 18th:

"My wife was always amused when one of her students would ask to borrow a pin. They wanted something to write with but pronounced pen as pin..."

The "ten" - "tin" pronunciation is in the same category. So, be careful what you say on this blog - it might just end up as a puzzle theme by some brain-warped constructor!"

Hugs,

Marti


Note from C.C.:

Tomorrow marks the two-year blogging anniversary for Lemonade. But we're celebrating today as some of you do not visit the blog on Saturdays. Lemonade has been through some tough time, but he's always enthusiastic and putting all he has into his every blogging post. Thanks, Lemonade!

Here are some wonderful photos from his business/pleasure trip last week to Denver and Las Vegas with his son Devon. He mentioned on the blog that "I did not do much gambling, though I did win $175.00 on a penny machine."

Thursday, March 15, 2012 Michael Doran

Theme: Capital Pun-ishment. Theme entries are crosswordese puns on "Capital".

17A. Capital of 62-Across : WELLINGTON. OK, not a pun. Literally, the capital of New Zealand.

11D. Capital of 62-Across : KIWI DOLLAR. Often seen in crosswords as mis-direction, this refers to the currency "capital".

29D. With 30-Down, capitals of 62-Across? : THE LETTERS
30D. See 29-Down : N AND Z. Another crosswordese pun, meaning the "capital" initial letters in the name of the country.

And the unifier:
62A. Where "The Lord of the Rings" movies were filmed : NEW ZEALAND. Land of the kiwi.

In addition to being a fun pun-fest, Michael Doran has given us a pangram, where every letter of the alphabet has been used in the puzzle. The only thing that could have improved this one is if he had added "The Beehive" as a capitol (building) of New Zealand.

But, he did give us another crosswordese pun that I just mentioned the other day:
58D. Flower in Bern? : AARE. The clue does not refer to flora, but the river that "flows" through Bern, Switzerland. So you see? I haven't been doing too many crosswords lately!

Marti here, chuckling all the way through this pun-ny puzzle. Let's see what tickled my fancy today.

Across:

1. "The Fiddler" painter Chagall : MARC. He painted many "fiddlers", but this is the one I thought of. Not exactly Zero Mostel...

5. Brooch part : CLASP

10. Scraped (out) : EKED

14. Miami River locale : OHIO. Not the one in Florida, this one is named for the Miami indians.

15. Postal scale unit : OUNCE. Also, Mary Jane unit.

16. Ristorante bottle : VINO. "Wine", in Italian. "Ristorante" in the clue hints at the foreign word.

19. Victorious cry : I WIN

20. Refines, in a way : SMELTS

21. List-ending abbr. : ETC.

22. Coffee bar stack : LIDS

23. Biol. branch : ECOL. ogy.

25. Too pooped to pop : TIRED. Cute clue.

27. First ones to spot the king's ghost, in "Hamlet" : WATCHMEN. Act I, Scene I.

31. "Stop bugging me!" : LAY OFF!

34. Eight, in Essen : ACHT. Eins, zwei, drei, vier, fünf, sechs, sieben...

35. Bellyache : MOAN

37. Yo-Yo's strings : CELLO. Time for a musical interlude. I thought this was a very interesting video interpretation of "Sarabande". 3:09

38. Pronoun on the briny : SHE

39. Mark Twain, e.g. : PEN NAME

41. Overly permissive : LAX. Or, an airport in So. Cal.

42. Insanely cold : POLAR. Like a three dog night? 3:30

44. Icelandic work that influenced Tolkien : EDDA.

45. Swelter : BAKE

46. In any way : SOEVER. What's soever? (Don't bother looking it up. It's a word.)

48. Closed, as a sleeping bag : ZIPPERED

50. Sealing aids : TAPES

52. Greenish-blue : AQUA

53. "Bad Reputation" singer : JETT. A little something for everyone today! 2:41

55. "__ only money!" : IT'S

57. Mental grasp : UPTAKE. I'm usually pretty quick on the uptake, but I did a double take when I finally filled in the answer for this clue.

61. Clueless : ASEA

64. Actress Teri : GARR. Remember her as Inga in "Young Frankenstein"?

65. Bridge call : I PASS. Card game, not ship.

66. Activist Brockovich : ERIN. Immortalized in the movie starring Julia Roberts.

67. Dope (out) : SUSS. A favorite Crossword Corner verb!

68. Bother a lot : NAG AT. Yes, when I nag at him, it bothers DH a lot...

69. Stiff hair : SETA

Down:

1. Levels the playing field? : MOWS. Loved this clue!

2. Cutting-in word : AHEM

3. Grate : RILE

4. Amass : COLLECT

5. Simple soup : CONSOMME

6. Tote with difficulty : LUG

7. Starting money of a sort : ANTE. Start of a poker hand.

8. Dilbert creator Adams : SCOTT. One of my favorite cartoons. Boy, am I glad I am no longer in corporate America...

9. One may be seen behind an ear : PENCIL

10. Sinister stare : EVIL EYE. I won't link an image here. (I'm still trying to get the bling teeth image from yesterday out of my head...)

12. Sooner State city : ENID. Oklahoma.

13. Puts on : DONS. Or, "Gagliardo and others"...

18. Strong urge : ITCH

24. Italian director Sergio : LEONE. Oh c'mon, you know him. "A Fistful of Dollars"? "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly"?

26. TV's "The Amazing __" : RACE

27. Scary nestful : WASPS. What's so scary about white Anglo-Saxon protestants? Why, some of my best friends...

28. Allergic reaction : ACHOO. (Gesundheit)

32. Oddball : FLAKE

33. Deceived : FOXED

36. 1976 Olympics headlines name : NADIA. Comăneci. First female gymnast to score a perfect 10.

39. Coach : PREP

40. Reference site for travelers : MAPQUEST. Don't leave home without it.

43. Images used by Wii players : AVATARS. Or by bloggers.

45. With "the," band with the 2006 remix album "Love" : BEATLES. Would anyone object if the clue omitted "With 'the,'"?

47. Keep under control : REIN IN

49. Metamorphosis stage : PUPA

51. Instructions opener : STEP A

53. Crying spells : JAGS. Not to be confused with these classic cars.

54. Old Testament twin : ESAU

56. Party loot : SWAG. We have a different meaning here on the Corner. ("Scientific wild-a**ed guess")

59. Make a wool cap, say : KNIT

60. "Mother Ireland" writer O'Brien : EDNA. She won the Los Angeles Times Book prize in 1990 for "Lantern Slides".

63. When repeated, a Gabor : ZSA. I wonder if that was an intentional crosswordese entry to round out this puzzle?

Answer grid.

Hugs,
Marti

Wednesday, March 14 2012, Steve Blais

theme: let's play dress up - SUITs are split into three parts in three common phrases.

20A. Standard of comparison : MEASURING STICK

31A. Like some kitchen cabinets : CUSTOM BUILT

40A. Govt. workers concerned with returns : IRS AUDITORS

53A. It includes a vest ... and what can be found in each set of circles in the long answers : THREE PIECE SUIT

circles! uncommon and fun puzzle device. it must have been difficult to come up with three phrases containing the letters S U I T in that order. steve blais gave us the this little piggy themed puzzle in january.

melissa here, going to be a bit brief due to ongoing internet issues out here in the boonies.

across

1. Diamond-studded tooth caps, e.g. : BLING

also known as grillz. okay .. uh ... sorry .. but i don't really ... get ... ech.

6. "High Voltage" band : AC/DC

10. Valence lead-in : AMBI. that was a little tricky. ambivalence.

14. Smash over the infield, say : LINER. for all you baseball fans.

15. "The Big Sleep" genre : NOIR. iMdb best film noir titles.

16. Normandy city : CAEN. two hours northwest of paris - largely destroyed in WWII.

17. Arctic digs : IGLOO

18. Refuse to grant, as access : DENY

19. Big hike : TREK

23. Be a buttinsky : PRY

24. Corner opening? : CEE. i love this shout out, hope it was intentional.

25. Saved to watch later : TIVO'ED. so many people love their tivo - if i ever start watching tv again i may get it.

27. Oldies refrain syllable : SHA. sha na na ...

28. Do one's homework, so to speak : PLAN

30. Casserole morsel : PEA

35. Go (for) : OPT

36. __ close to schedule : ON OR. on or about march 14th.

37. 'Enry's 'ouse : 'OME. eliza doolittle accent.

38. Escape : FLEE

39. Bad check letters : NSF. non-sufficient funds.

44. Asian festival : TET

45. Hi-fi spinners: Abbr. : RECS. records, as in vinyl.

46. Convenient connections : INS

47. Fighting words : IT’S WAR

49. WWII USN carrier : LST

50. Common college degs. : BS'S. or how one gets by if he/she doesn't have one.

57. Nile queen, familiarly : CLEO.

58. PTA part: Abbr. : ASSN. parent teacher association.

59. Like a five-star hotel : RITZY

60. Hide from a trapper : PELT. like this clue.

61. Spanish surrealist : DALI. interesting character.

62. Big chip maker : INTEL

63. Not busy : IDLE

64. WWII British gun : STEN

65. "With Reagan" memoirist : MEESE. attorney general during the time of secret arms sales to iran.

down

1. Goodyear flier : BLIMP

2. Crossbred big cat : LIGER. offspring of a male lion and female tiger.

3. Parquetry design : INLAY. beautiful.

4. Modernists, informally : NEO'S. neo-conservative, neo-liberal, neo-modern, etc.

5. "I have had a perfectly wonderful evening, but this wasn't it" speaker : GROUCHO.

6. Actress MacDowell : ANDIE. model turned actress.

7. Either "True Grit" (2010) director : COEN. one of the coen brothers' films.

8. "Correct answer!" sound : DING!

9. Formal glassware : CRYSTAL

10. When Juliet drinks the potion : ACT IV. romeo and juliet.

11. 13th-century globetrotter : MARCO POLO

12. One whose workplace is all abuzz : BEEKEEPER. cute.

13. Printer's purchase : INK

21. Printer's purchase : REAM

22. Add a little color to : TINT

26. Calendar entries : DATES

27. Cello sect. : STR

28. PowerCat soccer cleats, e.g. : PUMAS

29. In __ of: replacing : LIEU

31. "Reuben, Reuben" actor Tom : CONTI. 1983 academy award nominee.

32. Yet to be paid : UNSETTLED. great read, this ...

33. Crab variety : SOFT SHELL

34. Pear choice : BOSC

38. Mil. installations : FTS

40. Wrath, in a classic hymn : IRAE. dies irae, latin for 'day of wrath.'

41. Checks carefully, as a contract : RE-READS

42. Backup medium : DISC

43. Provisional : INTERIM

48. Put pen to paper : WROTE. mostly done now by putting fingers to keyboard.

49. Early Soviet leader : LENIN. vladimir lenin, russian marxist revolutionary and leader of the bolsheviks.

50. Former Montana copper-mining city : BUTTE

51. Clothing rack array : SIZES

52. Vogue : STYLE

54. Hurdle for a jr. : PSAT. preliminary SAT test.

55. Cruise stopover : ISLE

56. Trig ratio : SINE

57. Cost-of-living stat : CPI. consumer price index.

Answer grid.

melissa

Tuesday, March 13, 2012 Jeff Chen

Theme: Build a Better Trap for Them - It would have to be a good trap to hold our diverse rodents that start our theme entries today.

17A. Old-style bottle opener : CHURCH KEY. Let's start with a problem. Several dictionaries state that a church mouse is a fictional mouse created by Lewis Carroll. Unfortunately, nobody can find it in his writings. The idioms "poor as a church mouse" and "quiet as a church mouse" have been around for centuries but still no exact reason why it should be so. So I give you this poem, by John Betjeman, "Diary of a Church Mouse". And a picture of a church key, used for taking the caps off of bottles before twist-offs.

24A. Yankee with a record 18 World Series home runs : MICKEY MANTLE

41A. 1995 Woody Allen film with a Greek chorus : MIGHTY APHRODITE. I would think this grid spanner was the seed for this puzzle.

52A. Highest British military rank : FIELD MARSHAL

65A. Cry evoked by the first parts of the answers to 17-, 24-, 41- and 52-Across? : "EEK! A MOUSE!"

Argyle here. Plenty of theme materials in this puzzle (about 57 squares). Jeff also managed to put in excellent paralleled long Downs.

Across:

1. Pointer's pronoun : THAT

5. Supermarket stripes: Abbr. : UPCs. (Universal Product Code)

9. Poe's middle name : ALLAN. His poem was about a raven.

14. Hand-on-the-Bible utterance : OATH

15. Lassie : GIRL. Despite the fact in the television series the character Lassie is female, all collies to play Lassie were male. They weren't Scottish either.

16. Take care of : SEE TO

19. "Are not!" retort : "AM TOO!"

20. Afghanistan's capital : KABUL

21. Honoree of a D.C. monument at 1964 Independence Ave. : MLK. (Martin Luther King). It is hard to get an idea of the scope of his monument from just one perspective so I've linked the Google image page.

23. Treats, as squeaks : OILS

28. Pen point : NIB

31. Bullfight shout : ¡OLÉ!

32. Puzzle (out), in slang : SUSS

33. Idle of "Life of Brian" : ERIC. Monty Python's.

35. Preschool basics : ABC's

38. Charges at some booths : TOLLS

44. Actor Davis : OSSIE

45. Vim and vigor : BRIO. From Italian, of Celtic origin. (Probably can't say that about too many words.)

46. "__ dash of ...": recipe words : ADD A

47. Courtroom entry : PLEA

49. Top-row PC key : ESC

51. Approximate fig. : EST.

57. Both Chaneys : LONs

58. Beverage cooler : ICE

59. Lindsay of "Herbie: Fully Loaded" : LOHAN. Herbie wasn't the only one.

63. Connector with a slash : AND/OR

68. Traffic problem : TIE-UP

69. Wife of Osiris : ISIS. (Egyptian Religion)

70. Racing's Grand __ : PRIX. Oh my, the term is used for a lot more than racing these days. Wikipedia disambiguation.

71. Fruit-filled treats : TARTS

72. Deck chair wood : TEAK

73. Deck chair piece : SLAT

Down:

1. Sound heard around the clock : TOCK. But every other second.

2. Sarcastic joke response : HA HA

3. "... three men in __" : A TUB

4. Tap idly with one's fingers : THRUM

5. "I'm not eating that!" : "UGH!"

6. Dental care suffix : PIK

7. Double Stuf stuff : CREME

8. On the q.t. : SLYLY

9. Comparative words : AS A

10. Citrus-flavored refresher : LEMON SODA

11. Change the subject, perhaps : LET IT SLIDE

12. Lagoon surrounder : ATOLL

13. Oater omen : NOOSE

18. Ad-writing award : CLIO

22. Canada hwy. distances : KMs. (kilometres)

25. Modeling material : CLAY

26. Skewered fare : KEBAB. (or kabab, kabob, kebap)

27. Garage occupant : AUTO

28. Animated clownfish : NEMO

29. Van Gogh flower : IRIS

30. Spare-no-cost type : BIG SPENDER

34. Hangs loose : CHILLS OUT

36. EMT's procedure : CPR

37. Draws back, as in fear : SHIES

39. Former Fords : LTDs

40. Airplane assignment : SEAT

42. Ready for a drive : TEE'D. Golf.

43. __ Hashanah : ROSH

48. Friend from France : AMI

50. Unruffled : CALM

52. Scruggs's partner : FLATT

53. Ancient Aegean region : IONIA. Map.

54. Nail the test : ACE IT

55. Della of "Touched By an Angel" : REESE

56. Aerobatic maneuvers : LOOPS. Amazing kit-built aircraft. Clip (4:44)

60. Throw : HURL

61. Sri Lanka locale : ASIA. Off the tip of India. Hit by a tsunami in 2004.

62. First in line : NEXT

64. Rotation meas. : RPS. (revolutions per second)

66. Korean 27-Down manufacturer : KIA

67. Look for answers : ASK

Argyle

Monday, March 12, 2012 Donna S. Levin

Theme: American Girl Guides - Happy Anniversary, for today's theme. The first meeting was held 100 years ago today. Bio for Juliette Gordon Low.

17A. Motto of 50-Across : "BE PREPARED". Used by Boy and Girl Scouts around the world.

50A. Organization that held its first troop meeting 3/12/1912 : GIRL SCOUTS. The name was adopted a year later.

11D. Founder of 50-Across : JULIETTE LOW

25D. Popular funding source for 50-Across : COOKIE SALES.

Argyle here but it should be Dennis; he likes his Girl Scouts' cookies. What's your opinion of them?

Donna delivered a decent puzzle despite the constraints of the theme and a grid divided into three parts, or five parts, depending on how you view the one square connections between them.

Across:

1. Professional org. : ASSOC. I paused thinking it meant a particular org.

6. Like bachelor parties : STAG

10. Slightly open : AJAR

14. Gift from an oyster : PEARL. (apocryphal Dorothy Parker witticism) "The two ladies were trying to get out of a doorway at the same time. Clare drew back and cracked, “Age before beauty, Miss Parker.” As Dotty swept out, she turned to the other guests and said. “Pearls before swine.”"

15. Old El Paso product : TACO

16. General principle : RULE

19. Whodunit hint : CLUE

20. Org. for mature audiences only? : AARP

21. "Small" allegations : CLAIMS. Small claims court but the "small" varies greatly from state to state. Site.

23. Climbs : ASCENDS

27. Common takeout cuisine : CHINESE

28. Seats at the bar : STOOLS

29. Hot-platter stand : TRIVET

30. State flower of Indiana : PEONY

31. Argentina neighbor : CHILE

32. Sunbather's goal : TAN

35. Invisible or indelible fluids : INKs

36. Practiced, as a trade : PLIED

37. Video game giant : SEGA

38. Show with regional spinoffs : CSI

39. Epic : GRAND

40. Pastrami peddlers : DELIs

41. Donkey of kiddie lit : EEYORE

43. Giant among Giants : MEL OTT. Wow, full name. And 4D. Bobby of hockey : ORR. Full name between the clue and the answer.

44. Actor Armand : ASSANTE. This gentleman.

46. Clean up, as one's toys : PUT AWAY

47. Pure as the driven snow : CHASTE

48. Capitol topper : DOME. That's Capitol with an 'O'.

49. Easter bloom : LILY

56. Vicinity : AREA

57. Airline that serves only kosher meals : EL AL

58. Patty Hearst's nom de guerre : TANIA. (For desper-otto.)

59. Pigsty, so to speak : MESS

60. Hardwood trees : ELMS

61. Enjoyed Aspen : SKIED. (For Marti.)

Down:

1. Police dept.'s "Be on the lookout!" alert : APB. (All Points Bulletin)

2. Observe : SEE

3. Sticky trunk stuff : SAP. From what I hear, it's running good but the syrup is on dark side this year.

5. With no mistakes : CLEANLY

6. Red carpet interviewees : STARS

7. Rain delay roll-out : TARP

8. Expert : ACE

9. Baby sponsored at a baptism : GODCHILD

10. Mysterious : ARCANE. Can be confused with archaic.

12. Reunion attendees, for short : ALUMS

13. Witherspoon of "Walk the Line" : REESE. As June Carter.

18. Walks on little cat feet : PADS. "The fog comes on little cat feet."

22. In real time : LIVE

23. Fancy-shmancy jelly : ASPIC

24. British submachine guns : STENS. A crossword staple but the Bren is used sometimes.

26. Eternities, seemingly : EONS

27. Shed some tears : CRIED

29. Yours of yore : THINE

31. Saint of Assisi : CLARE. (Beware, sometimes spelled Clair, Claire, etc.)

33. High anxiety : AGITA. (Agitation)

34. Objectionable, as a habit : NASTY

36. Eliza Doolittle, to Henry Higgins : PROTÉGÉE

37. "The Fugitive" actress Ward : SELA

39. Ibsen's "Peer __" : GYNT

40. Picks up on : DETECTS

42. Courses taken to boost one's GPA : EASY A's

43. Many-petaled flowers, familiarly : MUMS

44. Happy as __ : A CLAM

45. British county : SHIRE

46. Surveys : POLLS

48. Wee bit o' Scotch, say : DRAM

51. Under the weather : ILL

52. Tree on the Connecticut quarter : OAK

53. Prefix with verse : UNI

54. Deadlock : TIE

55. Unhappy : SAD

Answer grid.

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

1) Here is a picture of Husker Gary's wife (right) and her twin sister (Greek dad and Bohemian mother) at the Nebraska Boy's State Basketball Championship in Lincoln. He said "Many people say they look identical but I have never seen it."

2) To make the Preview button work, please click the Restore Down button (between Minimize & Close on the upper right corner of your computer). Thanks for figuring it out, Argyle. And D-otto for the reminder this morning.

Sunday March 11, 2012 Elizabeth C. Gorski

Theme: Le Puzzle - LE is attached to CK-ending words in 7 common phrases.

22A. Cheap laugh? : TWO-BUCK CHUCKLE. Two-buck chuck. Fun clue/Answer.

32A. Create belt hardware in record time? : MAKE A FAST BUCKLE. Make a fast buck.

50A. Sweet-and-sour pita sandwich with a crunch? : PICKLE POCKET. Pickpocket. Sounds delicious. I love pickled everything.

68A. Pet's protective-yet-amusing neckwear? : FLEA AND TICKLE COLLAR. Flea and tick collar.

89A. Old-fashioned restraint with a built-in boom box? : RADIO SHACKLE. RadioShack.

102A. Plumber's inquiry about a drippy faucet? : TRICKLE QUESTION. Trick question.

119A. Like an off-key football lineman? : SHARP AS A TACKLE. Sharp as a tack. "Like a bright football lineman" would not have changed the base phrase much. So, I like the "Off-key" clue.

This is another puzzle with fairly long theme entries and tricky letter combo in CKs, which could make the gridding challenging.

A few hiccups for me. But an enjoyable solving. I was excited to see Liz Gorski's name. This is her first LA Times since we made the shift in March 2009. Her puzzles are always original, creative and often feature a visual element.

Across:

1. Not more than : AT MOST

7. Mayo to mayo, e.g. : ANO. Mayo = May.

10. "__ Blue": George Strait hit : AM I. It's been covered by many.

13. One of the Three Bears : MAMA

17. Pacify : SOOTHE

18. No : REFUSAL. I don't think Splynter will say No to this one.

20. Quieted : LULLED

24. It can knock you out : OPIATE. And 28D. Old knockout agent : ETHER. Clecho (clue echo).

25. Commentator Coulter : ANN. I like her hair. That's about all.

26. "Evita" role : CHE

27. Casino attraction : SLOT

28. Rescue squad initials : EMS

29. Ripken of baseball : CAL. "Iron Man". Very classy. He came to Kirby Puckett's funeral and his anecdote moved me to tears.

30. U.S. territory divided in 1889 : DAK

37. Caspian feeder : URAL

39. Letters under TUV, on many phones : OPER

40. About 30% of Africa : SAHARA. Literally "desert".

41. "Nothing Compares 2 U" singer O'Connor : SINEAD. Her latest marriage/divorce has been heavily covered by the tabloid.

43. Gad about : ROAM

46. Hiker's power lunch? : ENERGY BAR. I love Larabar.

53. Earth, to Mahler : ERDE

54. Japanese veggie : UDO. Here it is. Mountain veggie, though some are farmed.

55. Iceland-to-Ireland dir. : SSE

56. Vegas-based TV drama : CSI

57. Fusses : ADOs

59. Ocean diver : OSPREY

61. Old cash register key : NO SALE

64. Bakery artists : ICERS

67. Big 12 Conference city : AMES. Iowa State.

73. Ran away : FLED

74. Norwegian king who died in 1000 : OLAV I. Always need the crossing for the last letter of these OLAV/OLAF answers.

75. Los __ : ALAMOS

76. Untrustworthy sort : WEASEL

79. Beau and Jeff, to Lloyd : SONS

81. "Pshaw!" : BAH

82. Have dinner : SUP

85. DC Comics collectible: Abbr. : ISS (Issue). Lots of comic books at our local flea market.

86. Actress Hatcher : TERI

93. Protein shake spoonful : WHEAT GERM. Never had it.

96. Future D.A.'s exam : LSAT

97. Bless with oil : ANOINT

98. Sounds heard from herds : BAA BAA

99. Sports doc's pix : MRIs

101. College application nos. : GPAs

108. Botanist Gray : ASA. Learned from doing Xword.

109. Startled cries : OHs

110. Common Mkt. : EEC

111. Battleship color : GRAY. Battleship gray.

112. Yellow wheels : CAB

114. Knock : RAP

117. Morning rounds? : DONUTS. Sweet clue.

123. Latin carol starter : ADESTE. "Adeste Fideles".

124. Least arduous : EASIEST

125. Manhattan-to-Far Rockaway service : A-TRAIN. I've never been to NY.

126. Sources of red berries : YEWS

127. Soul, to Sartre : AME

128. Galoot : APE

129. Paine and others, religiously : DEISTS. My friend Linda reads Bible every night.

Down:

1. Whodunit pooch : ASTA

2. Hamlet's kin : TOWN

3. Van Morrison album or song : MOON DANCE. Gimme for Melissa.

4. Handicapper's hangout, for short : OTB (Off-Track Betting)

5. Oyster shell : SHUCK

6. PC doctor : TECH

7. Not the shortest line between two points : ARC. So, what's the shortest line between two points then?

8. O.T. book : NEH

9. Handy : OF USE

10. Demand from : ASK OF

11. Glucose-creating enzyme : MALTASE. Sometimes we see ASE clued as "Enzyme suffix".

12. Suffix with infant : ILE

13. 1051, on a monument : MLI

14. Old-style term of regret : ALACK. Alas and alack.

15. Mercury, for one : METAL

16. High-heeled Astaire : ADELE. But this Adele is everywhere now.

19. Team with 17 official Final Four appearances : UCLA

20. Guy in front of an orchestra : LOMBARDO. Oh, his name is Guy Lombardo. No idea.

21. High rises : UPSURGES

23. Dole running mate : KEMP (Jack)

31. Supermodel Wek : ALEK. Lovely.

33. Dynamic leader? : AERO. Aerodynamic.

34. Big cheese linked with Big Macs? : KROC (Ray). Great clue.

35. Not certifiable? : SANE. I'm not familiar with the "insane" meaning of "certifiable".

36. Low island : CAY

37. Mail letters : USPS

38. Social reformer Jacob : RIIS. Another name I learned from doing Xword.

39. Potemkin mutiny city : ODESSA. Drew a blank.

42. Wrap initialism : ALCOA (Aluminum Company of America)

44. Rap sheet initials : AKA

45. Healing : MEDICINAL. Has anyone tried traditional Chinese herbal medicine?

47. Myanmar, formerly : BURMA

48. "Doe, __, a female ..." : A DEER

49. Rogers and Lichtenstein : ROYS

51. Cliburn's instrument : PIANO. Van Cliburn.

52. Every other second? : TOCK. Tick tock. Tricky clue.

58. Actress Ward : SELA

60. Chums : PALS

61. Composer Rorem et al. : NEDS.

62. "Bad" cholesterol, briefly : LDL

63. JFK postings : ETAS

65. Faith syst. : REL

66. Picket line crossers : SCABS

68. Blood partner : FLESH

69. It may involve a flat fee : LEASE. Flat = Apartment. Always a good word to mislead solvers.

70. "The Lodger" actor Novello : IVOR. Another learning moment. Looks like he was wearing eyeliners.

71. Sioux enemies : OMAHAS

72. "Mean Girls" actress : LOHAN. She's back!

73. IMHO cousin : FWIW (For What It's Worth)

77. Teen comic originally focused on social graces : ETTA KETT. Gimme, Argyle?

78. Some fine print : LEGALESE

80. '60s campus gp. : SDS

82. Duds for the downwardly mobile? : SKI PARKAS. Well, for Marti. I don't feel stupid not getting this clue, since I'm not "downwardly mobile".

83. Forearm bone : ULNA

84. Vet's charges : PETS

87. Medieval violin-like instrument : REBEC. See here. Unknown to me.

88. Jordan neighbor : IRAQ

90. "__ Said": Neil Diamond hit : I AM I

91. Other, in Oaxaca : OTRO

92. Sprockets : COGS

94. "Modern Family" airer : ABC

95. "Of Human Bondage" author : MAUGHAM

100. Machu Picchu architect : INCA

102. Longtime morning show : TODAY

103. __ Island : RHODE

104. "So what else __?" : IS NEW

105. Delete : ERASE

106. Indian wedding dress, perhaps : SARI. So, can the bride and groom kiss at their wedding?

107. Like go-getters : TYPE A

108. Ease : ABATE

113. Barely : A TAD

115. Came down to earth : ALIT

116. Cross creations : PENS. And 119. Crossing site : SEA

118. __ Constitution : USS

120. Egyptian viper : ASP

121. Fr. holy woman : STE

122. Dernier __ : CRI



C.C.