Saturday, March 24th, 2012, Steve Salitan

Theme: None (well, a bit Indian, I think)

Words: 70

Blocks: 28

A little mix of everything today for me - some gimmes, some WAGs; some right-ons and some write-overs. A pinwheel of nines with two more climbers inside; got one by pure logic, the other pure luck -

9D. Hosp. staffers : E.R. DOCTORS - Had the first letter, "E", and the "-ORS", so....

31D. Mount high above Delphi : PARNASSUS - ah~! Greece~! Too early in the AM, I guess, and confused my DelPHi with DelHi (as in 44D). Had to WAG the second "S"; the rest was all perps; here's a map for you

Compared to last week's pummeling, I am pleased with how I did on this puzzle ~! I'd like to hear how you fared.

ONWARD ~!

ACROSS:

1. Diamond protector : GLASS CASE - Not Tarpaulin, so, sorry C.C., no baseball to start

10. Agra wrap : SAREE - Indian (Asian, like 44D.) garment; Agra is the site of the Taj Mahal - a crossword staple

15. A job ticket often accompanies one : WORK ORDER - seen my share of these; all my job tickets are numbered by my sobriety date; today is 80216

16. Southeastern town dubbed "Brick City" in the 1880s : OCALA - goofed here, too, thinking this was "ADOBE", but that's the South WEST; map

17. Deceptive football play : END-AROUND - I am not too familiar with football plays; the only ones I know are quarterback sneak, flea-flicker, and BLITZ~!!!

18. Inveigles : LURES - new word for me

19. Like arbitrators : NEUTRAL

20. Not straight up : OVER ICE - WHOA ~!!! Easy, Tin....

22. Packing gp.? : NRA - National Rifle Association, packing 'heat' - makes me think of this Blue Öyster Cult song.

23. Hairy TV cousin : ITT - the "Addams Family"

24. Bonds, in a way : CEMENTS - new this, but it took "DOCTOR" to give me the "C", and that altered my 10D.

25. Lawyer's thing : RES

26. Old gun across the pond : STEN - Image

27. Nice way to refer to you? : TOI - Nice the French city. As you know, meh, French for me (Nice, the city in France)

28. Some plants : SPIES - not this plant; mis-direction here

31. Sit (down) undaintily : PLOP

32. Blue genre : PORN - I hear one of the Republican candidates plans to "ban" pornography; good luck to him; he will NOT get my vote - any comments, lois?

33. Something to believe in : TENET - nailed it

34. __ ball: bad miss in hoops : AIR

35. Had, biblically : BEGAT

36. Disappearing sea : ARAL

37. Places for icons, briefly : CRTs - Cathode Ray Tubes, yeah I get it, but a bit of a stretch

38. Olympic speed skater __ Anton Ohno : APOLO - for the ladies

39. Some MDs : GPs - a WAG, but not too hard to guess - General Practitioners

40. Business word after "&," maybe : SONS - like P.C. Richard & SON (S)

41. It can lead to fisticuffs : IRE

42. Sister of Orestes : ELECTRA - a little mythology, if you care

44. Formicidae family member : ANT - I always wanted to have a whole wall of my house to be like 1A so I could have a really huge any farm

45. S.A.'s second-largest country : ARGentina

48. Sea nymphs : NEREIDS

49. Shooting marble : STEELIE - I put this in right away, tho I thought it was the ball from pinball....

51. Like a Frisbee's symmetry : AXIAL - not CONIC, and RADIAL didn't fit

52. Christian __ : SCIENTIST - not familiar with this one

54. Reagan attorney general : MEESE - The Wiki

55. "Rise 'n' shine!" : UP AND AT 'EM - crossing 46D. Out of the sack : RISEN

56. Blessed duo? : ESSES - bleSSed, very good

57. Common sedimentary rock : SANDSTONE

DOWN:

1. "Miracle on 34th Street" Oscar winner : GWENN - Ed #2, here - I have not seen this movie, go figure - but then again, I am "young"....

2. One unlikely to collaborate : LONER

3. Per __ ad Astra: RAF motto : ARDUA

4. Card game for three : SKAT

5. Most pathetic : SORRIEST

6. Certain Balkans : CROATS

7. __ education : ADULT

8. RFK, for three-plus yrs. : SENator - NYC renamed the Triboro bridge for him

10. Mirthless : SOLEMN - Had SULLEN to start

11. Words after seek or find : A CURE - find, yes, seek, meh

12. Champing at the bit : RARIN' TO GO

13. Kind of college : ELECTORAL

14. Gradually enters : EASES INTO

21. White House colloquialism : VEEP - VP, Vice President

25. Stagger : REEL

26. Thin apertures : SLITS

28. Acting handle : STAGE NAME - Splynter is my "stage name"

29. Baffles : PERPLEXES - Great fill, with an "X", too

30. Sequentially : IN A SERIES

32. Classical guitarist Romero : PEPE

35. Mixes well with others? : BARTENDS - another cute clue/ans.

37. Quantity destined to be burned : CORD - of wood, that is

40. Metro gates : STILES



41. Mean : INTEND - ah, the other meaning of mean

43. Cut out : CEASE

44. Indian, say : ASIAN - my my my ~!! Image

45. O'Connor's successor : ALITO - Supreme Court associate justice

47. "Understand?" : GET ME ???

50. Non-stateside state : ETAT - meh, French

53. Balancing pro : CPA - Busy busy busy; Certified Public Accountant

Answer grid.

For those who care to know, this was my first full week doing different trucks for UPS - I stayed union, and did not fall to the "DARK SIDE".... I am very happy with my new supervisor, assignment and drivers - and I had no mis-loaded packages for the first time in a long time - proof that I needed to change. Thanks for asking ~!!

Splynter (stage name)

Friday, March 23, 2012, Gareth Bain

Theme: Let's Dance! The letters CHA are added to the first word of three in-the- language two word phrases creating a new and amusing saying. A classic Friday with much nice fill, and a very doable grid from our regular South African contributor. I usually have trouble with GB's work, but this was smooth, though hardly easy.

18A. Keep a movie dog from wandering?: CHAIN TOTO. My ex-wife had a Cairn Terrier named Toto who needed to be chained after she went crazy, but that is another tale, which I will avoid in toto.

26A. Female padre? : CHAPLAIN JANE. How many plain janes turn into princesses, or is that just in the movies? My favorite these days is....

42A. Ancient mounted police?: CHARIOT SQUAD. A nice clue for my Roman studying oldest son.

and the reveal:

55A. Dance that reflects the pun-creating elements found in 18-, 26- and 42-Across: CHA CHA CHA.LINK for all who like DWTS or legs. One cha for each theme answer, cute.

Okay on to the show:

Across:

1. Fast food sides: SLAWS. I do not eat much fast food but like KFC's coleslaw.

6. Turkey: BOMB. Not the food but the failed entertainment, like Disney's John Carter of Mars.

10. Put away without restraint, with "on": OD'ED. Not in the death sense....

14. Unspoken: TACIT. From the Latin, Tacitus- silent.

15. '30s boxing champ: BAER. Heavyweight boxing champ for a year, father of Jr. who played Jethro on the Beverly Hillbillies and loser to James J. Braddock, story behind the movie Cinderella Man.

16. Tea traditionally made with cardamom: CHAI. Very yummy.

17. Slate, for one: EZINE. This online MAGAZINE. Does anyone of us read this?

20. Forced (in): WEDGED. Any bad high school memories guys?

22. Voted out: UNSEATED. No comment.

23. Emit: SPEW. Not to be confused with 1D. Boil slowly: STEW.

25. Angus, e.g.: BOVINE. Of cattle, like PORCINE of pigs.

31. Tropical reef denizen: MORAY. Eels.

32. Some claims: LIENS. Our law word of the day.

33. Brother's title: FRA. I like a nice FRA DIAVOLO sauce, Brother Devil.

36. Dhofar Rebellion country: OMAN. Also home to 28D. Dhow sailor: ARAB. This LINK.

37. Ski run: PISTE. My son went snow boarding on a Blue his first day; off course he fell often, but still...Anyway this French term literally means trail, and if you ski without a track if it called off piste, not to be confused with falling often which make you piste off.

38. Pen used at sea: BRIG. So what do we think of Jamie Lee Curtis as a love interest for Gibbs?

39. San Francisco's __ Hill: NOB. Better to think of snob than the current slang.

40. Roller coaster cries: WHEES. Which can lead an old man to wheeze.

41. Let up: ABATE. An A word I like.

44. Where to see a chin rest: VIOLIN. My baby Devin started out playing the violin.

47. Cavils: NITS. A shout out to our own Marti. Cavil is a favorite word of legal brief writers, who use it to emphasize their position without cavil.

48. Poem that ends "I am the captain of my soul": INVICTUS. This little POEM has influenced many not to give up, including this star 24D. Slicker: WILIER. CLIP. (1:41) He won!

51. Freewheels: COASTS. With no hills, we do not do this much in Florida.

57. Mauritius money: RUPEE. This tiny island in the Indian Ocean is perhaps best known as being the only home to the now extinct DODO bird, a nice shout out for one of our own.

58. Friends and acquaintances KITH. You have your Kith and your Kin.

59. Croat, e.g.: SLAV. Always sounds too much like SLOB.

60. More distant: ICIER. Do we all know an ICE QUEEN?

61. Barrie henchman: SMEE. JM author of Peter Pan.

62. Big __: nickname for LPGA great JoAnne Carner: MAMA. Is she a relative Jerome?

63. Coverage giant: AETNA. Brings me back to my days in Connecticut and tine to start...

Down:

2. Kick back: LAZE.

3. Ill-natured ACID. More acid tongued to me.

4. Rhea stat: WING SPAN. Another huge flightless bird.

5. How gas prices sometimes rise: STEEPLY. 3.95 here for 87.

6. Airer of the sitcom "'Allo 'Allo!": BBC.

7. Honolulu's home: OAHU. Aloha Hawaiin corner people.

8. Stingy: MEAN. Will always be Silas Marner to me, more than Scrooge.

9. Eastern Australian seaport: BRISBANE. A shout out for Kazie.

10. Musical range: OCTAVE. Minnie Ripperton had a 6.5 octave range.

11. Indian loincloth DHOTI. Not really a loin cloth in my mind but THIS.

12. Not left over: EATEN.

13. Part of LED: DIODE. Light-Emitting Diode.

19. '90s-'00s Dodges: NEONS. From the days when we tried to conserve fuel.

21. Traffic-controlling gp.: DEA. Drug Enforcement Administration, not cars.

26. Shout of encouragement: C'MON.

27. __ erectus: HOMO. All ready Lois, Carol, this is a story from history where you can tell us the true MOREL!

29. Second-generation Japanese American: NISEI. From the Japanese word NI meaning two. Does any other nation have such words?

30. Futuristic sitcom family name: JETSON. George and his boy Elroy...

33. Blücher's title in "Young Frankenstein": FRAU. From Terri Garr to CLORIS LEACHMAN.

34. Singer Coolidge: RITA. You like her version of this SONG?

35. Like balsamic vinegar: AGED. Like fine wines, and Lemonade?

37. Flight of fancy: PHANTASM. A really scary movie.

38. Cookout condiment : BBQ SAUCE. and, 52D. Cookout accessory: SPIT. The kind that rotates, silly.

40. Question of identity: WHICH. What? Why?

41. Columbia River city: ASTORIA. A shout to our Oregon group. LINK.

42. Old saw: CLICHE. We try not too.

43. First X, say: TIC. Oh, TAC

44. NyQuil maker: VICKS. From Vapo Rub an empire was built.

45. "I didn't know he had it __" : IN HIM.

46. Like aspen leaves: OVATE. Just like it sounds, egg shaped.

49. Troy Aikman's alma mater: UCLA. He started at Oklahoma, had his leg broken by Miami,coached by Jimmie Johnson; his heart broken by Barry Switzer and transferred, only to finish his career in Dallas first with Johnson and winning his third Super Bowl under Switzer.

50. Fake: SHAM. Could not resist this LINK.

.53. Typical "Hunger Games" trilogy reader: TEEN. Twilight going into the dark now?

54. Blood components: SERA.

56D. Burt's "The Killers" co-star: AVA. Another boxing reference, and the debut FILM for Burt Lancaster.(3:34).

Answer grid.

Okay, first a special thanks to John Lampkin and Annette for a fabulous night, and a thumbs up to Marti for doing her blog while on vacation! Time for this Lemonade to squeeze his way to bed.

Notes from C.C.:

1) A belated "Happy Birthday" to PK! If anyone wants his/her birthday celebrated on the blog, please email me at crosswordc@gmail.com

2) Here is a beautiful picture of our glamorous Marti, who is currently vacationing in Florida. She said "Tough day at the beach!!!" Guess what's in that cup?

Thursday, March 22, 2012 Ed Sessa

Theme: A ring of fire. You'll understand in a minute...

17A. A falsehood in every respect : PURE FICTION. I had almost filled in "pulp fiction", but no. That was a great movie, though!

24A. Chuck Connors title role : THE RIFLEMAN. I never watched the show much.

49A. "Scream" or "Halloween" : SLASHER FILM. I can't watch those, either, without having nightmares!

61A. Actor's liability : STAGE FRIGHT. Not very good for politicians or teachers, either, I would think.

And the unifier:

39. Risky activity, and what certain four-letter sequences in 17-, 24-, 49- and 61-Across are doing? : PLAYING WITH FIRE. You can see the anagrams of "FIRE" highlighted in the theme entries, above.

Marti here, playing with another interesting Ed Sessa offering.

Across:

1. Altar vestments : ALBS. Have not seen these for awhile.

5. Not back down : INSIST

11. Screw up : ERR. I made plenty of these today.

14. Boor : LOUT

15. Shortening name : CRISCO. I could not for the life of me suss this one without every single perp!

16. __ Paulo : SAO. Brazil.

19. Basinger of "Batman" : KIM. Here she is with the hero.

20. Congo River beast : HIPPO

21. Arson-investigating org. : ATF. Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, part of the US Department of Treasury. (Correction: It was shifted to the US Department of Justice in 2002. Thanks, Tinbeni!)

22. Three-time WNBA MVP __ Leslie : LISA. "Women's National Basketball Association", "Most Valuable Player". Also, a four-time Olympic gold medal winner.

23. Beast of burden : ASS

28. Condemn : DOOM

29. Passable : SO-SO

30. Common crossword clue ending : ABBR eviation.

33. Piper's followers : RATS. And Charlie Brown epithet.

36. D.C. hearings broadcaster : C-SPAN

42. Badly cooked : BURNT

43. Reasonable : SANE

44. Pilot's prefix : AERO

45. Summoning gesture : BECK. I would have rather seen this clued as "One-named American alternative rock musician". Then I would be able to link this song. Oh, wait! I can link it anyway! 3:54.

47. Plenty : A LOT

53. Sis, say : SIB

56. They're mostly fours : PARS. Occasionally there is a three or five thrown into a round of golf. But par fours are typical. How many do you get, Husker?

57. Tijuana relative : TIA. Aunt, in Spanish.

58. "Three inches is such a wretched height to be" speaker : ALICE. in Wonderland.

60. Sí, in Paris : OUI. Yes, in Boston.

64. __ pro nobis: pray for us : ORA. Latin.

65. Mid-size Nissan : ALTIMA

66. Latin 101 verb : AMAT. Latin.

67. Athlete's supporter : FAN

68. Have it in mind : MEAN TO

69. Ad amount : RATE

Down:

1. Top dog : ALPHA

2. Joe the boxer : LOUIS

3. Baby's achievements? : BURPS. I laughed out loud when this appeared from perps.

4. Baby book first : STEP. Also, BURPS.

5. Here, on the Seine : ICI. 8D: IS IT I, or are there a lot of foreign words today?

6. Atomic energy org. : NRC

7. Solo instrument in "Norwegian Wood" : SITAR. Another musical interlude. 2:03

9. Jeers (at) : SCOFFS

10. Heavy weight : TON

11. Ice cream treat since the 1920s : ESKIMO PIE. Yumm!

12. Mrs. Gorbachev : RAISA. She and First Lady Barbara Bush spoke at the Wellesley College commencement in 1990.

13. __ numeral : ROMAN

18. Snapshot, commercially : FOTO

22. Heart-healthy food claim : LESS FAT

25. Rhino feature : HORN

26. Webzines : E-MAGS

27. Scot's sailing site : LOCH

28. Wine quality : DRYNESS. No, that's the quality I have when I need a glass of wine...

30. LAPD alert : APB.All Points Bulletin.

31. Primary colore : BLU. "Colore" is the hint that we need an answer in Italian. Another foreign word.

32. Neanderthal type : BARBARIAN

34. Former carrier with a JFK hub : TWA. Merged with American Airlines in 2001.

35. Historic peninsula : SINAI. This oft-disputed piece of land.

37. JFK posting : ARR. Arrivals at JFK airport in Queens, N.Y.

38. "The Matrix" hero : NEO. He is "The One", and will end the war. Whatever.

40. Reason to scratch : ITCH

41. Archer of note : TELL. William with the apple.

46. Boiling point? : KETTLE. Fun clue.

48. Bridge master Sharif : OMAR. Probably better-known for his role in "Dr Zhivago".

49. Parody : SPOOF

50. Dr. with advice : LAURA

51. Cowboy's rope : RIATA

52. "Oliver Twist" villain : FAGIN

53. S, as in Socrates : SIGMA

54. Mac messaging program : I-CHAT

55. Actress Davis : BETTE

59. One to whom you might say, "I doubt that" : LIAR

61. Wanted poster uncle? : SAM.

62. CPR expert : EMT. Emergency Medical Technician, helpful when you need Cardiopulmonary resuscitation!

63. __ Schwarz : FAO

Answer grid.

Signing off to go to the beach!

Hugs,
Marti

Wednesday, March 21, 2012 Don Gagliardo and C.C. Burnikel

Theme: ONE BILLION - a thousand times a thousand times a thousand. (Why settle for addition when multiplication is so much quicker?)

First, the Unifier - otherwise it's all too mysterious.

64A. Spectacular concert ender, or what 17-, 26- and 51-across numerically contain : GRAND FINALE. Each of the theme entries ends in a single letter signifying 1000. Isn't that grand?

17A. With "The", Bette Middler debut album : DIVINE MISS M. Lady with a big set of pipes. This spectacular concert starter is sort of a WTH?!? M is the Roman Numeral for 1000. But M is also used as a symbol for one million, so mind your significant digits.

26A. Kellogg's cereal : SPECIAL K. You can start your own SPECIAL K plan right here. K, meaning 1000 comes form the Greek Kilo, and is often used as a prefix. The metric symbol for the prefix KILO is "k", not "K" - OK?

51A. Riboflavin: VITAMIN G. Of course, I wanted VITAMIN D. The elusive VITAMIN G, aka riboflavin, aka VITAMIN B2 is sensitive to light, but not to heat. It also comes from almonds, grains and some green vegetables. G, in U.S. slang, denotes one thousand dollars. This probably is simply an abbreviation for GRAND, meaning - tad-ah - $1000.

Hi, gang - JazzBumpa here, to guide your tour of this GRAND offering from our own dynamic duo. Let's go.

Across:

1. 17-time NBA champs: CELTS. Named for the Celtics of British isles history. It says here that "the Iron Age CELTS lived in Britain before and after Jesus." I never knew Jesus lived in Britain. The things you learn . . .

6. Stern with strings : ISAAC. Here, playing Kreisler's Schoen Rosmarin (2:00)

11. Hrs. before noon : AM'S. Good Morning America!

14. Filing board : EMERY. For nail filers, not tax filers nor rank filers.

15. Word of praise for el niño : BUENO. El niño is a boy, en Español, and in this case, a GOOD boy.

16. House plant's housing : POT. Don't get excited, it's just a terra cotta container for a potted plant.

19. Gun lobby org : NRA. National Rifle Association.

20. Funny Idle : ERIC. Of Monty Python fame.

21. Regarding : AS TO, a.k.a. IN RE

22. Classic name in toys : IDEAL. They started making dolls in 1907, and 60 years later came out with KerPlunk.

24. Floors : KO'S. Knock Outs. This one had me floored for a while. Perps to the rescue. "Floors" is a verb here, as in knocks one to the _______. Boxing reference.

28. 1-Across, e.g : PRO TEAM. Replacements would be a PRO TEAM PRO TEM.

31. Govt. cryptanalyis org. : NSA. The National Security Agency

32. Bar graph, say : CHART. If you want to get graphic.

33. Alluring : SEXY. If you want to get graphic . . .

35. Purely academic : MOOT.

39. Ones making deliveries at colleges? : LECTORS. My favorite is Hannibal.

41. Lady in a Beatles song : MADONNA. See how they run.

43. Carafe cousin : EWER. Just some kind of a pitcher.

44. First razor with a pivoting head : ATRA

46. Acquire, as debt: INCUR.

47. Austrian article : EIN. One in German.

49. Conceals from the enemy, in a way : ENCODES. Call in the NSA.

55. An ace has a strong one : ARM. BASEBALL! Nate has been working on his pitching all winter. Here he is with his sis - the divine miss Em.

56. Italian violin craftsman : AMATI.

57. Sci. with cliff notes? : GEOL. Geology. Note Abbrv. Cliffs are geological formations. Love this clue!

59. Shia Islam is its religion : IRAN.

63. Slangy refusal : NAH.

67. Self-esteem : EGO. I'm gonna go get myself a steam!

68. Caribbean country : HAITI. Site of a tragic earthquake on January 13, 2010.

69. Dry out, in rehab : DETOX. Detoxification to clean out the bad stuff from inside your body.

70. Cross-reference word : SEE. See 55 Across for a gratuitous family reference

71. "__ were the days!" : THOSE. See this link for another Family reference.

72. Plus : ASSET. The plus side of the ledger.

Down:

1. Give up : CEDE. From the Latin cēdere, meaning yield.

2. Muslim noble : EMIR.

3. Jeans pioneer Strauss : LEVI. Forever in Blue Jeans. And just to be fair. (Yikes - had to turn safe search to STRICT!)

4. October custom done in costume : TRICK OR TREAT. Halloween.

5. Dict. entry : SYN. Synonym. Or something similar.

6. Some PCs : IBMS. From back in Aesop's time.

7. "I'm fine with that" : SUITS ME.

8. Greek with 12-Downs : AESOP. Teller of fables.

9. Crossword entry : ANS. Answer - or to those of us in the know - FILL.

10. Funny pages : COMICS.

11. Sleep disorder : APNEA. Respiratus interruptus. This potentially dangerous involuntary breathing disorder is nothing to sneeze at.

12. Point : MORAL. The MORAL to the story is, don't count your chickens before they cross the road.

13. Pursue, cat-style : STALK. Or pursue Euell Gibbons style.

18. The life of Riley : EASE. A retirement spent playing music, working X-words and viewing the grandchildren's performances and activities. What could be EASIER?

23. De Beers properties : DIAMOND MINES. That's rich. See 3 D.

25. Hall of Fame quarterback Graham : OTTO. He was drafted by the Lions, but played for the Cleveland Browns from 1946 to 1955. His 57-13-1 record represents the highest winning percentage of any quarterback. He also won a professional basketball championship with the Rochester Royals in 1945. Thank you Wikipedia.

27. One-named Irish singer : ENYA. That makes her a Celt.

28. "Close call!" : PHEW. PHEW is an interjection indicating relief.

29. Political contest : RACE. No comment..

30. __ D.A. : ASST. Abbrv. for assistant.

32. Largest OH airport: CLE. Cleveland, and 'n'ther abrv.

34. Marvel superhero : X-MAN. I only know of them in the plural.

36. Tots' story starter : ONCE. Once upon a time, Aesop walked into a bar, having left his morals at home. No - wait that's an adult story.

37. Burden : ONUS. Derived from the Latin, onus, meaning - of all things - a burden.

38. Roof application : TAR.

40. Rajah's wife : RANI. An Indian queen.

42. Big name in couture : DIOR. Hey - isn't this French?

45. University officers : REGENTS.

48. "Perhaps." : I MIGHT.

50. Young dolphin : CALF. Yes, mamma tursiops truncatas is, indeed, a cow.

51. Windmill blades : VANES. Don't go tilting at them.

52. Public relations concern : IMAGE. Much more important than reality.

53. 2nd deepest U.S. lake : TAHOE. Crater Lake is the deepest.

54. New Zealand-born crime writer Marsh : NGAIO. She wrote the "Dead Letter" mysteries. Anybody read them?

58. 10-Down drooler : ODIE. Not the brightest of canines.

60. "Bah!" : RATS. Expression of dismay, Charlie Brown style.

61. Natural skin treatment : ALOE. A green succulent, on its way to being a crossword evergreen.

62. "Who's turn is it?!": NEXT. Batter up!

65. Stadium sound : RAH. Could be baseball.

66. Wyo. neighbor : IDA. Idaho. Home of hot springs, spuds, and the National Old Time Fiddlers Contest. They have a law there that forbids a citizen to give another citizen a box of candy that weighs more than 50 pounds. Seven Devils' Peaks, one of the highest mountain ranges in Idaho, Includes Heaven's Gate Lookout, where sightseers can look into four states. RAH!

Answer grid.

Cheers!

JzB

Note from C.C. & Don:

"When I first proposed this idea to Don, it's a mishmash K-RATION, G-STRING, GEE WHIZ, GRAND JURY, etc. Don simplified the key word to one letter. We had fun making this puzzle."

Tuesday, March 20, 2012 Pam Amick Klawitter

Theme: Densmore, Krieger, Manzarek and Morrison - Better known as "The Doors" and whose song, Love Me Two Times(3:20) is appropriate because each theme is a pair of doors.

17A. *Where some carry keys : FRONT POCKET. FRONT door needs no explanation but POCKET door may, except for Splynter. A POCKET door is the type that slides into the wall. I hope you can look at this video(0:26) and not think the Starship Enterprise; I couldn't.

26A. *Behind-the-scenes area : BACKSTAGE. BACK door, STAGE door

37A. *Peugeot or Renault, e.g. : FRENCH CAR. FRENCH doors, may be exterior or interior. Who remembers CARs with suicide doors?

51A. *Campaign in rural areas : BARN STORM. BARN door, STORM door

60A. School entrances, or, in a way, what each answer to a starred clue has : DOUBLE DOORS

Argyle here. I hope Pam will forgive my facetious theme interpretation. I doubt The Doors ever crossed her mind. I'm always impressed by these doubled theme entries. Throw in some decent fill, no Naticks that I could see and you have a very good Tuesday puzzle.

Across:

1. Stove fuel : GAS. "Now we're cooking with GAS." Things in the kitchen became much easier once the wood/coal stoves were replaced by GAS.

4. Consent (to) : ACCEDE

10. Sauna sounds : AHs

13. Tiny troublemaker : IMP

14. Drink ordered dry or dirty : MARTINI. A dirty martini contains a splash of olive brine or olive juice.

16. Cheer word : "RAH!"

19. Pie __ mode : À LA. The Cambridge Hotel(NY), said to be the birth place of this dessert is to appear on Chef Ramsay's "Hotel Hell" later this spring.

20. New Mexico art colony : TAOS

21. Volcano output : ASH

22. Flavor : SAPOR

24. Author Ferber and actress Best : EDNAs

29. Reno roller : DIE. Nice alliteration.

30. "Now I __ me down ..." : LAY

32. One more : ANOTHER

33. Two-time N.L. batting champ Lefty : O'DOUL. He started as a pitcher, left because of a sore arm and came back as a power hitter. Won the batting title in 1929 and 1932.

35. The Beatles' "__ Love You" : PS I. This version(2:08) has Andy White on drums. Trivia runs on the screen during the song. Andy White now lives in New Jersey. link.

36. Physics particle : ION

40. Coppertone letters : SPF. (sun protection factor)

42. Remote batteries : AA's

43. Krispy __ doughnuts : KREME. Mmmmmm, donuts.

46. Nonbeliever : ATHEIST

48. "This __ ripoff!" : IS A

49. Farm worker? : ANT. Did anyone actually have an ant farm?

53. Slow, to Schumann : LENTO. Schumann was a German composer.

55. Brazilian writer Jorge : AMADO. Took all the perps to bring him in.

56. Velvet finish? : EEN. Velveteen.

58. "Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves" singer : CHER. This clip was the most visually interesting that I found.

59. Grafton's "__ for Corpse" : C IS

64. One for Monet : UNE. French.

65. Evaporated : DRIED UP

66. MGM mascot : LEO. The lion.

67. Airline to Stockholm : SAS. Scandinavian Airlines or SAS, previously Scandinavian Airlines System.

68. Trattoria desserts : GELATI. Well! It appears it is both singular and plural. Help?

69. Time workers: Abbr. : EDs (Editors). The magazine.

Down:

1. Like geniuses : GIFTED

2. Medium with a lot of talk : AM RADIO

3. Ate, as soup : SPOONED

4. Price to pay: Abbr. : AMT. (amount)

5. Bullfighter's cloak : CAPA. Spanish for cape.

6. "Road" film co-star : CROSBY. "On the Road to..." pictures starred Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, and Dorothy Lamour.

7. __ Sketch: drawing toy : ETCH A

8. Hägar creator Browne : DIK. His son, Chris Browne, continues the strip.

9. Suffix with benz- : ENE

10. Wind River Reservation tribe : ARAPAHO. In the heart of Wyoming. Map.

11. Kind of lamp with a tungsten filament : HALOGEN

12. One who doesn't hog : SHARER

15. "__ Easy": Ronstadt hit : IT'S SO. Clip.(2:41)

18. Decoding org. : NSA. (National Security Agency)

23. Something to wear : ATTIRE

25. Sot's speech problem : SLUR

27. Money : CASH

28. Atlantic Division NBA team : KNICKS. The New York Knickerbockers, commonly known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City.

31. Balt. Orioles' div. : AL EAST. The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland.

34. Step on someone's toes, so to speak : OFFEND

35. Mac alternatives : PCs. (personal computer)

38. Brussels-based defense gp. : NATO

39. Shrinking sea : ARAL

40. Marathoner's need : STAMINA

41. They may be coined : PHRASES

44. Street opening : MANHOLE

45. Became a contestant : ENTERED

46. Gadget you can count on? : ABACUS

47. "This ___": "How strange" : IS ODD

48. Well-heeled Marcos : IMELDA. She is an elected Congresswoman - in the Philippines.

50. Sculptors' subjects : TORSOs

52. Resist authority : REBEL

54. Earth-friendly prefix : ECO

57. Neither an ally nor an enemy: Abbr. : NEUTral. Only three more letters, seems unnecessary to abbreviate. Fixed: with a tip of the hat to D-otto.

61. Common URL ender : .ORG

62. Slangy about-face : UIE

63. Printer resolution meas. : DPI. (dots per inch)

Answer grid.

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to Spitzboov (Al), who sent me this beautiful Annin flag when I became a US citizen in 2010. Spitzboov often finds delightful clips for us to enjoy. Off the blog, he always gives me wise advice and solid feedback on various crossword ideas.

Monday, March 19, 2012 Patti Varol

Theme: P?CK* - Vowel progression in the first syllable of the five theme entries.

17A. Airfare-plus-hotel stay, say : PACKAGE DEAL

24A. Poultry hierarchy : PECKING ORDER

35A. Soul food pork snack : PICKLED PIGS FEET

47A. Coins in one's pants : POCKET CHANGE

57A. Ready to be kissed : PUCKERING UP

Argyle here. "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers." There, got that out of my system. 61 theme squares, one a spanner.

Across:

1. Subdued color : PASTEL

7. Take a breather : REST

11. Marx's "__ Kapital" : DAS

14. Christmas carol start : ADESTE. Fideles.

15. Green Gables girl : ANNE. Bestselling novel by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery published in 1908. Many films and TV specials have been made using Prince Edward Island as a backdrop.

16. All-Star starting pitcher : ACE

19. Convent dweller : NUN

20. Invoice total: Abbr. : AMT.

21. Thrilla in Manila fighter : ALI

22. "I'd be delighted!" : "GLAD TO!"

27. Camaro and Corvette : CHEVYS

29. Sound from a snout : "OINK"

30. Comic actress Oteri : CHERI. From SNL.

31. RR stop : STN. (station)

32. Diagnostic scanner, briefly : MRI

40. Comics cry of disgust : "ACK!"

41. Cold War KGB rival : CIA

42. Stop in the Sahara : OASIS

43. Commotions : ADOs

45. Beachgoer's souvenir : SUNTAN

51. Texas city on the Rio Grande : EL PASO

52. NFL drive killer : INT. (interception)

53. "My lips __ sealed" : ARE

56. Note after fa : SOL

61. Capote's nickname : TRU. (author)

62. "It's her __": relationship ultimatum : OR ME

63. Lack of comfort : UNEASE

64. Has way too much, briefly : OD's

65. Bygone royal Russian : TSAR. and 44D. 65-Across, e.g. : DESPOT

66. Main course : ENTRÉE

Down:

1. Mama's main man : PAPA

2. Noted rib donor : ADAM

3. Religious splinter group : SECT

4. "For shame!" : "TSK!"

5. Seventh Greek letter : ETA

6. Inheritance : LEGACY

7. Pizza slice edges, geometrically : RADII

8. 180 degrees from WSW : ENE

9. Becoming tangled, as a fishing line : SNAGGING. Like first attempts at casting, lines can be entangled without snagging a thing.

10. Rat out : TELL ON. Reminds of the joke Spitzboov posted last night.

11. Classic role-playing game, for short : D AND D. (Dungeons & Dragons)

12. Extreme, as pain : ACUTE

13. Barcelona mister : SENOR

18. Yellowstone grazers : ELKS. It would be correct without the S as a collective noun, too.

23. Noah's handiwork : ARK

24. On-the-job extra : PERK

25. Like villains : EVIL

26. "Don't look at me!" : "NOT I!". and 46D. "That's a lie!" : "UNTRUE!" : Things villains might say.

27. Elegant and stylish : CHIC

28. "Darn!" : "HECK!". Mondays are rated PG.

30. Yr.-end auditor : CPA. Isn't that an odd way to indicate an abbreviation?

31. Hot springs facility : SPA

32. Flat-topped elevation : MESA

33. Equestrian's control : REIN. (rain, reign, rein : puzzle seed?)

34. "Baby __ You": Shirelles hit : IT'S

36. Trips to environmentally protected areas : ECOTOURS

37. Part of CD : DISC

38. iTunes download : SONG

39. Destiny : FATE

43. Alias, to the LAPD : AKA. Also Known As.

45. All there, so to speak : SANE

47. Fettuccine topping : PESTO

48. Prayer starter : O LORD

49. Slightly above average grade : C-PLUS

50. Backpack toter : HIKER

53. Petri dish gel : AGAR

54. Bit of chicanery : RUSE

55. Sport with swords : ÉPÉE

58. Nashville-based awards org. : CMA. Country Music Association.

59. Country stopover : INN

60. Badminton divider : NET

Argyle

Sunday March 18, 2012 John Lampkin

Theme: How to Finish This Puzzle -Every "Don't give up" phrase is interpreted as if it's related to the profession in the clue.

24A. Persevere, like a teamster? : KEEP ON TRUCKIN'

39A. Persevere, like a stand-up comic? : NEVER SAY DIE. I don't quite get this one. Is it because comics slay (amuse) their audience?

68A. Persevere, like a frequent flier? : CARRY ON

95A. Persevere, like a very loud organist? : DON'T STOP NOW. Those organ knobs are called "stops". That's all I know.

113A. Persevere, like a golfer? : STAY THE COURSE. Golf course.

3D. Persevere, like a boxing promoter? : PUT UP A GOOD FIGHT

6D. Persevere, like a judge? : TRY, TRY AGAIN. Ha ha!

47D. Persevere, like a lightning rod installer? : STAND YOUR GROUND

70D. Persevere, like a museum curator? : HANG IN THERE

Fun theme. Don G and I had a similar gimmick a while ago, except we clued each answer as related to the animal. Our HANG IN THERE clue is "Advice to a monkey"? Didn't interest Rich enough.

John is an artist. He pays attention the visual aspect of his grid. The arraignment of the theme entries in this grid shows his taste, skills & perseverance. How he consistently avoids cheater squares for Sunday grids is beyond me. This one has a low back square count also. Only 64. Our norm is 74.

Across:

1. Bestows on, with "to" : IMPARTS

8. Forgoes scissors : TEARS. And 11D. Forgo scissors : RIP. Clecho (clue echo). All in green highlight in my write-up.

13. Captivates : ENAMORS

20. Fashionista's field : COUTURE. As in "Haute couture". "60 Minutes" had a good segment on Anna Wintour a while ago.

21. Bring to the mix : ADD IN

22. "Sorry, Charlie" : NO SIREE

23. Start to finish, e.g.? : ANTONYM. Start & Finish are antonyms. Great clue.

26. It may be abstract or concrete : NOUN. I like this clue too.

27. Stopwatch users : TIMERS

29. Intent : AIM

30. "Gladiator" composer Zimmer : HANS. No idea. But John is a musician. As I said before, clues often reflect constructors' interests.

31. Examines closely : PEERS AT. And 49. Examination : TEST.

33. Raise a glass to : TOAST. 103. Where glasses may be raised? : OPERA. Opera glasses.

36. Clerical residence : MANSE

37. Really boring : DEADLY

42. Lang. of Jamaica : ENG. "One Love"!

43. Dora the Explorer, for one : LATINA. Dora Marquez, "the first animated Latina character in a leading role".

45. Cartoonist Keane : BIL. Died last Nov.

46. Ready : ALL SET

50. Place for a plunger in Plymouth : LOO. Plymouth, England.

51. It's wet in Oaxaca : AGUA

52. Infatuated, old-style : SMIT

54. Display irritation : BRISTLE

55. Sea debris : FLOTSAM. And Jetsam.

57. Warmup for college hopefuls, briefly : PSAT. And 40D. Poughkeepsie college : VASSAR. Another clecho with the previous "Aussi college" for UNI (89-A).

58. Diamond strategy : BUNT. Bunts are boring to watch, unless the bunter is Ichiro, right, LaLaLinda?

59. Morning hrs. : AMs

60. "Voilà!" : TA DA

61. Hand-on-chest words : I SWEAR

63. Careerbuilder.com listing : JOB

64. Contingency phrase : IF NOT

66. Writer Lebowitz : FRAN. She's in "Law & Order".

70. Challenging : HARD

71. Impose fraudulently : FOIST. On or upon.

73. Rams' city: Abbr. : STL. St. Louis Rams.

74. Musician awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011 : YO-YO MA. Yo means "friendly". Chinese nickname usually is a repeat of the last word of the given name. Hence the panda name Ling Ling. My sister-in-law calls me Chin Chin (a repeat of my Cantonese name Chow Chin).

76. Julio's yesterday : AYER. Spanish.

79. Neighbor of Uru. : ARG

80. Isaac's eldest : ESAU

82. Aussie runners : EMUS. And 89. Aussie college : UNI. That's convenient. Hi there Kazie!

83. Nonnegotiable, as a plan : IN STONE

85. Queequeg crewmate : ISHMAEL. "Moby Dick".

87. Suds : BREW

88. Utah state flower : SEGO. Ours is Lady's slipper.

90. Do routine tire maintenance : ROTATE

91. Inspired mixture : AIR

92. Strands at a chalet, maybe : ICES IN

94. Carpet : RUG

98. Bean or noodle : NOGGIN

100. Leipzig legwear : HOSEN. German for "hose"? I know lederhosen.

104. Strove to attain : WENT FOR

106. Dip __ in: test the water : A TOE

107. Manage moguls : SKI. Marti knows how to manage them.

108. Full of school spirit : RAH RAH

110. Wealthy "Wind in the Willows" character : TOAD. Mr. Toad.

117. Longtime CBS golf analyst Ken : VENTURI. I like Johnny Miller. He can be brutally honest.

119. Nintendo game with Pikachu : POKEMON

120. Nasty smile : SNEER

121. Hall of talk : ARSENIO. I thought Clinton was really cool when he appeared in this guy's show.

122. Scaredy-cats : SISSIES

123. Surfer wannabe : HODAD

124. Hero's hero : LEANDER. Such a moving love story.

Down:

1. "If __ make it there ...": "New York, New York" lyric : I CAN

2. Like old records : MONO

4. Set things right : ATONED

5. Make tracks : RUN

7. Weigh station visitors : SEMIs

8. Grab a coffee, say : TAKE TEN

9. Central German river : EDER

10. "__ Fideles" : ADESTE

12. Cat lead-in : SNO. I'm already wearing short shorts. Hot here.

13. Sum of all parts : ENTITY. Drew a blank.

14. Cliff's pal on "Cheers" : NORM

15. Sun Devils' sch. : ASU

16. "Where Creativity Happens" retail chain : MICHAELS. I like their flowery notebooks. Very pretty.

17. Mork, by birth : ORKAN

18. Harness straps : REINS

19. Get the feeling : SENSE

25. Nosy? : NASAL. Fun clue.

28. Craze : MANIA

32. Fitzgerald et al. : ELLAS

34. Planetary path : ORBIT. Quite a few alliteration in the clues today.

35. "__ turns out ..." : AS IT

36. Revolutionary army : MILITIA

37. Dutch city in many Vermeer paintings : DELFT. Did you watch "Girl with a Pearl Earring"?

38. First name in bombers : ENOLA

41. "Nerts!" : DARN

44. Antacid choice : TUMS

48. Pal of Grover : ELMO

53. Proposal with a nice ring? : MARRY ME. Sweet! It does have a nice ring to it. And 57. Ring out : PEAL

54. Buster : BUB. Did not know this meaning of "Buster".

56. Works on the road : TARS

58. One-named rocker : BONO

62. Carrie Nation's org. : WCTU. No idea. Woman's Christian Temperance Union. Wikipedia says it still exists.

63. High points : JOYS

65. Kegger locale : FRAT

67. Pigged out : ATE A TON

69. "Oh, I give up!" : YOU WIN

71. Susceptible to sunburn, probably : FAIR

72. Roughly : OR SO

73. "Exodus" actor Mineo : SAL

75. Architect __ van der Rohe : MIES

77. The blahs : ENNUI. Is anyone wearing Eclat?

78. Rule : REIGN

81. Beheld : SEEN

82. Computer message : ERROR

84. Arabic : ibn :: English : __ : SON OF

86. Flirted with, with "at" : MADE EYES. Made me think of Jeannie.

87. Calamine target : BITE

88. Thread puller : SEWER

91. Gelatin garnish : ASPIC. What? Garnish only? Aspic is the gelatin to me.

93. Branding iron wielder : COWHERD. I always want to watch "Brokeback Mountain", but Boomer says "No".

96. Mementos : TOKENS

97. Nearly birdied : PARRED. True when you had a tap-in par.

99. Understood : GOTTEN

100. Hinged fasteners : HASPS

101. 10th-century Roman emperor : OTTO I. How should we clue our own D-Otto? 21st-century Crossword Corner emperor?

102. Drenches : SOAKS

105. Involving warships : NAVAL

107. Dealer's dispenser : SHOE. Gambling.

109. No longer in port : ASEA

111. Soul singer India.__ : ARIE. A gimme for most constructors, same with yesterday's SCREAM QUEEN, a term forever associated with Fay Wray. Not many ways to clue FAY.

112. Poison and Pure Poison creator : DIOR. Miss Dior last time.

114. "OMG! Spare me!" : TMI

115. Kyrgyzstan city : OSH

116. Card game shout : UNO

118. DOD division : NSA. DOD= Department of Defense.

Answer grid.

1) Happy Birthday to dear Warren! Hope Ruth makes this day very special to you.

2) From John Lampkin:

Greetings from Florida, where I’m doing a week-long series of presentations to Nature groups based on my book of macro-photographs of insects, “Bugged Beyond Belief.” Blog regulars Lemonade and Annette and I are meeting Wednesday night, March 21 for dinner in Hollywood, FL. Please email me at JohnLampkin@JohnLampkin.com for details. You are all welcome to join us if you promise to behave. Or not.