Friday, May 18, 2012 Donna Levin

Theme: "I have a new leash on life!!" Dog puns, what could be better? Animals and puns in one puzzle? You are my new heroine, Donna Levin!!

17A. Blue-tongued dog in the canine version of the "Twilight" series? : CHOW BELLA. "Ciao, bella" ("Hello, beautiful") is a typical Italian greeting. I lived in Milano for a while, and don't remember hearing this expression said to me...

25A. Powerful dog that loves a Passover staple? : MATZO ROTTIE. "Maserati". More Italian - this time, a cool sports car.

37A. Rumbas for retrievers? : LAB DANCES. "Lap dances"...(Uh, C.C., am I allowed to link this??)

51A. Engages in toy dog smuggling? : SNEAKS A PEKE. "Sneaks a peek". Take a peek at this one. Cute!

61A. Scholarly little Spitz? : POM READER. "Palm reader". Now, here's a good pom reader!

Marti here again...Sorry you have to endure 'me' two days in a row - Lemon is not available, and asked me to blog today. So, I guess this is your "punishment" for not having any puzzles to critique from me this month. Anyhoo....let's see what Donna has in store for us today:

Across:

1. Stretch in the womb : TERM. I wanted "mark". Ugh, use lots of cocoa butter!!

5. Stare open-mouthed : GAWP. I love that word..."To gape or gawk". For you Jerome: GWAP.

9. Sauce made with pine nuts : PESTO. Jeannie, where are you? Here is her

GARLIC SCAPE PESTO
Makes about 1 cup
10 garlic scapes, finely chopped
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan (to taste and texture)
1/3 cup toasted pine nuts
About 1/2 cup olive oil
Sea salt

Put the scapes, 1/3 cup of the cheese, pine nuts and half the olive oil in the bowl of a food processor. Whir to chop and blend all the ingredients and then add the remainder of the oil and, if you want, more cheese. If you like the texture, stop; if you'd like it a little thinner, add some more oil. Season with salt. I usually serve it on crusty bread, but it’s also killer tossed with pasta and shrimp.


(My comment: Yummmmm!)


14. Samoa's capital : APIA. (You may have to zoom in to see "Apia" on this link.)

15. Flier since 1948 : EL AL. Israeli airline.

16. Different : OTHER. Not me!

19. Madame Gorbachev : RAISA. Classy lady.

20. Numerical prefix : TETRA. Oh, please, Donna! Give me a hint, at least!! Penta-, hepta-, ennea-, (Get the whole list, here.)

21. Trans Am option : T-TOP. Like this. And 68A. 21-Across, e.g. : ROOF. And 23 D. T-Mobile competitor : ATT. I switched from T-Mobile and a Blackberry to ATT and an i-Phone.

24. Promise preceding a pronouncement : I DO. (Did I really say that????)

29. Tireless campaign : CRUSADE. Lancelot from yesterday, where are you?

31. Partial : BIASED. I think I am a little biased about this puzzle.

32. Convenient encl. : SASE. Self Addressed Stamped Envelope.

33. Body sci. : ANAT.omy

36. Secondary railroad line : SPUR

40. Crockpot concoction : STEW. Julia Child's "Stew" from "Mastering the Art of French Cooking"is a little more complicated than making one in a crockpot, but well worth it. Here is the recipe - try it!

42. "Go on!" : SHOO. SCAT! SCRAM! SCOOT!

43. Victor's wife, in "Casablanca" : ILSA. Ohhh, melt me now. My favorite movie...along with Fermatprime, Husker Gary, AvgJoe, Lucina, BillG, Yellowrocks...Misty, have you watched it yet????

47. "Magnificent" mystic : CARNAC. Johnny Carson. "Sis Boom BAAAA". Priceless!!

49. Sources of local college tension : TOWNIES

54. Smidgen : BIT

55. ___ certain age : OF A. Me? Noooo...

56. Place for Sundance? : ETTA. HaHa, fun clue. Etta Place was the schoolmarm who was The Sundance Kid's flame. (But Paul Newman "Butch Cassidy" got to take her for a "ride"). 5:00. Katharine Ross, who could forget??.

57. Nepal rumbler : RHINO. I saw a white rhino and her baby at the Basel Zoo. The baby kept gamboling around, and I could just hear the mother saying "Will you PLEEEZE stop?!?!?"

59. Off : NOT ON. OK, so maybe I was NOT ON yesterday?

64. Mardi Gras parade group : KREWE. I just learned this fact from my friends last year. They live in Metairie, and invited us to their KREWE parade. I bet this was a gimme for Hahtoolah!!

65. Medicinal house plant : ALOE

66. Japanese sandal : ZORI. This footwear.

67. Tacked on : ADDED

69. Firenze pronoun : ESSA. Italian for Itt? OK, I'm just being smart-alecky. "Essa" means "It" in Italian. Thank goodness, I lived there and know what they wanted with this clue!

Halfway there....

Down:

1. Maneuvers : TACTICS

2. FDA-banned herbal supplement : EPHEDRA. Huh, it has been used by the Chinese for the treatment of allergies and hay fever for 5000 years. But the US banned it as of 2004? Who would you believe? C.C., I need your advice!! (C.C.: I can't tell, Marti, I've never used Ephedra.)

3. Not just funny : RIOTOUS. Slap my knees!

4. Bryn-___ College : MAWR. I always wondered where the word "Mawr" came from. It means "Big Hill" in Wales. Who knew?

5. "Fancy that!" : GEE. Gee, who knew?

6. To a man : ALL

7. Chopin work : WALTZ. Woo-Hoooh, finally, a chance to link music!! 3:53

8. "Phaedo" philosopher : PLATO.

9. Mammal whose name derives from the Latin words for "pig" and "fish" : PORPOISE. I love learning derivations of words, and this clue gives me two!

10. Greek vowel : ETA. Greek "Alpha, beta, gamma, delta, epsilon, zeta, ETA !! (Or, "Estimated Time of Arrival", at LAX..)

11. Acupressure technique : SHIATSU. Ooooooh...I love my shiatsu massages! (aahhh!)

12. More cranky: TESTIER. Or, like some worse audiences? (Unshameful plug, sorry!)

13. Spoke : ORATED

18. Ole Miss rival : BAMA. Fun clue -- DH went to 'Ole Miss, so this was a gimme!

22. Sphere : ORB

26. Very little : A DAB. "A little dab'l do ya!" (Is she talking about his hair, or something else...)

27. Watches over : TENDS

28. Sinks an easy putt : TAPS IN. OK, so Husker Gary, was this a "tap in" for you??

30. 1993 Best Mexican-American Album Grammy winner : SELENA. "I'd like to thank..."

34. "Open wide" response : AAH

35. Govt. issue : T-NOTE. Treasury note. A good, solid investment. But not as promising as a scratch ticket (We're rich!!) (..were rich). (Thanks, Desper-otto!!)

38. Came to : AWAKENED

39. Falsify, as books : COOK. Oh no!, see 40A!!

40. Redd's Fred : SANFORD. Really? I have to link this sit-com?

41. Took care of : TREATED

44. Freudian principles : LIBIDOS. Oooooh, I could go all DF here...

45. Dragnet users : SEINERS. Hmph, I was all ready to say "WTF"??? but, then I gg'd this and realized how stupid I am...

46. New York's Waldorf-___ : ASTORIA

47. Dolphins Hall of Famer Larry : CSONKA. Made me think of this guy...but no, they are talking about this guy...

48. St. Paul hrs. : CST. Central Standard Time.

50. Used to be : WERE. (See 35-D)

52. Stock phrase : AT PAR

53. Author of epistolas : PAOLO. Um, I think I would know these as the "Epistles of St. Paul"?

58. Visibility hamperer : HAZE. Myopia, macular degeneration, cataracts..hey, at our age, you have a lot of issues!

60. Be a bit shy : OWE. Fun clue for "being in debt".

62. Jersey sound : MOO. Of course, we are talking about these Jerseys, not these, from "Jersey Shore".

63. Flag carrier : REF. OK, ref, don't judge me for my blog today!!

Answer grid.

Not the same time, but I'll see you next week!

Hugs,
Marti

Thursday, May 17, 2012, Steve Salitan

Theme: Danny Thomas starring in Make Room for Daddy, of course I am too young to remember this show so I must have seen it on TV Land.. Each of the four theme answers are two-word names of Television Shows, with the second word describing a type of room. We have only seen Mr. Salitan with themeless Saturday offerings recently, but he put together a nice grid with lots of interesting long fill along with the theme. I kept looking for a pun on the show names, but they were straightforward, and the reveal buried at the end confirmed the only other link between the shows.

17A. Gene Rayburn-hosted program with a six-celebrity panel : MATCH GAME. Who did not love Charles Nelson Reilly. GAME ROOM is probably where we had the TV in those days.

35A. Sitcom that received 17 Emmy nominations in 2011 : MODERN FAMILY. Hmm, I guess I must start watching this show. I take it back, the TV was in the FAMILY ROOM.

41A. 2000s high school drama : BOSTON PUBLIC. One of the many shows from David Kelley, but starring such great names as Chi McBride and Fyvush Finkel. PUBLIC ROOM is more common a phrase in England I think, or maybe any room open to the Public, I guess many might have TVs in them, like at a Pub?

60A. Jon Stewart vehicle, with "The" : DAILY SHOW. Contemporary humor on Comedy central, I never watch. SHOW ROOM. Ironically, this is not the room where you watch your shows, but where you go to shop for the new TV. And the unifier....

48A. Den, often, and in a way, what 17-, 35-, 41- and 60-Across end in : TV ROOM.

Let us see where Steve takes us.

Across:

1. Result of a dough shortage? : DEBT. Well I was thinking of the invention of bagels, or doughnuts. Not a great start.

5. Java neighbor : BALI. Geography, rats. All part of Indonesia, I think.

9. "Godzilla Raids Again" setting : OSAKA. I hate starting 0 for 3, but Tokyo also fit. Time to start looking at the downs.

14. End of a court game : ALAI. Jai Alai. We just had cesta recently.

15. Finished : OVER. Will solving this ever be over?

16. One learning the ropes : PUPIL. Why ropes? Why not ropes?

19. Key component : EBONY. Piano keys. LINK.

20. City south of Juneau : SITKA. More geography, A harbor city where the Alaska cruise ships go.

21. Org. that works with vets : SPCA. Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals; veterinarians not veterans.

23. Photog.'s blowup : ENLargement.

24. Telly Savalas trademark : NO HAIR. More old TV trivia, Kojak. I had a hard time sussing this one.

28. Home near a fire : TENT.

32. Protected side : LEE.

33. Nancy's comics cohort : SLUGGO. Quite the cute couple.

34. Assortment : OLIO. I nominate this as the official word of the Corner, to go along with Loon, the official bird, and Morel the official picture. C.C.? (From C.C.: I like this choice. DF is good too, though 2-letter.)

37. Cal Ripken, for one : ORIOLE. Of the Baltimore persuasion.

40. Long-billed birds : IBISES.

45. Nobel Institute city : OSLO. For Jerome and our Scandinavian contingent.

46. Rubbed off : ERASED. Sorry, my mind did not go in that direction when I first saw this cue. I guess some of the old DF from this site is rubbing off on my innocent mind.

47. Sot's shakes : DTS. Delirium Tremens.

50. Watcher : EYER.

51. Down : MOROSE. If you are UP are you LESSOSE?

52. Hail, to Caesar : AVE. Ave Caesar, morituri te salutant. Hail Caesar, we who are about to die salute you. The great things we learn doing puzzle.

53. "The Loco-Motion" singer Little Eva's last name : BOYD. Did not know the name (her middle name was Narcissus) but know the SONG.

55. Iraqi port : BASRA. More geography, I need a refresher course.

57. Traffic light signal : ARROW.

64. "Mean Girls" star : LOHAN. Can you say Train Wreck? She is no Nancy.

65. Cookie Monster pal : ELMO. Sesame Street.

66. Meeting place for Plato : STOA. Back again, feeling its OATS?

67. Plunders : LOOTS.

68. Deeply absorbed : RAPT. How to describe all of your current state of mind as you read my words.

69. "___ knowledge..." : TO MY.

Down:

1. Distressed gal? : DAMSEL. Oh goody, one I know. EXAMPLE. For our own Dudley.

2. Lancelot's unrequited lover : ELAINE. Oh my, not Guinevere, but this MAIDEN.

3. War component : BATTLE.

4. Bit of time : TICK. Or tock?

5. Peat source : BOG.

6. Gardner of film : AVA. Beautiful, married to Mickey Rooney and Frank Sinatra. This LINK is for you Kazie.

7. Moon vehicle : LEM. Lunar Excursion Module.

8. Words spoken in a huff, perhaps : I RESIGN. No politics from me.

9. Crude org. : OPEC. I really like this clue, nice play on words.

10. Like quarks : SUBATOMIC. Physics, right up there with geography.

11. G.I. Joe's address? : APO. Army Post Office.

12. Clan members : KIN. or Kith? Right Sylvester?

13. Rita Hayworth husband ___ Khan : ALY. Another movie beauty from the past.

18. "Star Wars" hero : HAN SOLO. Harrison Ford, I would not mind kithing him.

22. Side views : PROFILES. I like my left side best, or is it the right?

25. Rival of the past : OLD ENEMY. When I was in high school, Jenny...oh never mind.

26. Color chart component : HUE.

27. Cabinet dept. : AGRiculture.

29. Some Ivy Leaguers : ELIS. The Yalies.

30. Where many a felucca is sailed : NILE. Hahtoolah, did your husband sail your felucca while you were in Egypt? No clue. I know they must be sail boats.

31. Plays (with) : TOYS. With my emotions, the rat.

35. Lake transport : MOTOR BOAT, Nice long fill

36. Follow, as rules : ABIDE BY. Another Friday fill.

37. Reed in a pit : OBOE.

38. Far from bleak : ROSY. All rosy cheeked.

39. Man, for instance : ISLE. Off of Great Britain.

42. Poker : PRODDER. For some reason this makes me think of Allan Sherman.

43. Former Egypt-Syr. alliance : UAR. We are back in Egypt.

44. Seji Ozawa led it for nearly 30 yrs. : BSO. This is a gimme for us in Massachusetts who love the Boston Symphony Orchestra. The best.

47. Race for, as the finish line : DASH TO. I was lucky I had the perps filled here.

49. Saint Lawrence ____ : SEAWAY. In Canada, and maybe our last geography of the day.

54. Dominates : OWNS. Novak Djokovic owns Nadal.

56. Second: Abbr. : ASST. Who said, "I would like to introduce you to number two."

57. The whole enchilada : ALL.

58. Literary hopper : ROO. Kanga's baby in Winnie the Pooh.

59. Air density symbol : RHO. More PHYSICS.

61. Chef's recipe words : A LA. Carte. A LA Mode.

62. Sitter's challenge : IMP. Tyrion?

63. Fortune : LOT. Well it is my lot in life to finish up and get out of here. See you next time.

Answer grid.

See you next week, same time, same channel...

Hugs,
Marti

Father's Day Crossword Puzzles

Don G and I decided to make another set of 3 puzzles to celebrate Father's Day. We think you'll enjoy the fun twists and gimmicks in this series.

For $3, you'll get the puzzles in PDF or Puz files & the answer grids. There's also an answer page with constructors' notes on each puzzle and interesting discussions about four entries in each grid.

It'll be a great gift for your father or for yourself. Our PayPal email address is crosswordc@gmail.com. If you want to pay by check, please email crosswordc@gmail.com for our address.

To thank those who helped launch our Mother's Day puzzles, we're sending complimentary puzzles.

Thanks for your support. We also want to thank Dennis, Barry G, Argyle & Splynter for test-solving and giving us constructive feedback.

C.C. & Don

Added later: For $5, you can get both our Mother's Day and Father's Day puzzles.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012 Don Gagliardo & C.C. Burnikel

Theme: ring my bell

18A. February Hollywood speculation : OSCAR BUZZ

27A. Station branding tune : RADIO JINGLE

43A. Applaud acknowledgement : CURTAIN CALL

55A. School souvenir : CLASS RING

63A. Instrument used to give someone the end of 18-A, 27-A, 43-A or 55-Across : PHONE

melissa here, reporting for duty.

the dream team is at it again, what a treat to blog a c.c. and don hard-g puzzle. lots of great cluing. see the constructor's note at the bottom.

Across:

1. Highlights segment: RECAP

6. Gets ready to seal, maybe : WETS

10. Short rests : NAPS

14. Penobscot County college town : ORONO. university of maine.

15. Robust : HALE

16. Tony's cousin : OBIE. theater awards - tony = broadway; obie = off-broadway.

17. Mermaid who rescued Prince Eric : ARIEL. the little mermaid.

20. Flat bodied bottom-feeder : MANTA RAY. so sleek.

22. "The Blue Danube," e.g.: WALTZ. i was thinking river.

23. Aout time : ETE. aout is french for august. ete is french for summer.

24. Butter : RAM. butt-er.

25. Anger : MAKE MAD. oh, verb.

30. Oil spill-monitoring org: Abbr. : EPA. environmental protection agency.

31. Langley letters : CIA. langley is a metonym for the CIA, which is headquartered in langley, a community in mclean, virginia.

32. The NBA's Magic : ORL. orlando magic - basketball.

33. Short cut : SNIP. great clue. french idiom for short cut is 'cut the cheese.' i learned this from my french amie, when we were walking somewhere and took a shortcut, and she said, "let's cut the cheese." umm, what?

34. In heaps : PILED

37. Beta rival, once: VHS. the beta format was superior, imo. both are outdated now. i wonder what will replace blu-ray.

38. Memory units : BYTES

39. Part of Q.E.D. : ERAT. latin for quod erat demonstrandum, meaning "which was to be demonstrated."

40. Mai ___ : TAI. often followed by a hangover.

41. PC hookup: LAN. Local Area Network.

42. Hong Kong currency : DOL. dollar.

48. Seriously suffering : IN AGONY

50. Joke : GAG

51. Forte automaker : KIA

52. Supplied hints for, as a crossword : CLUED. so apropos.

53. Lottery winner's cry : WE'RE RICH

57. "Tiny Bubbles" singer : DON HO. always nice to see first and last names.

58. Passionate blog entry : RANT. passionate ... so diplomatic.

59. Jessica of "Sin City" : ALBA. woops.

60. Out-and-out : UTTER

61. Line in Vegas : ODDS. betting odds.

62. Painful rebuff : SLAP

Down:

1. Gadabout : ROAMER. synonyms for vagabond, hobo, tramp, wanderer.

2. Manuscript mess-ups : ERRATA. plural of erratum.

3. Made cents : COINED

4. Working without __ : A NET

5. Instant photo : POLAROID

6. End of many a riddle : WHO AM I?

7. Piece of cake : EASY

8. Dr. Mom's forte : TLC. tender loving care. sweet.

9. Shoreline container? : SEA WALL.

10. Highborn : NOBLE

11. Arch support : ABUTMENT. nice misdirection. here's a diagram.

12. Round item in a square box : PIZZA PIE

13. "__ you!" : SEZ. anyone listen to 'says you!' on npr?

19. Bunker smoother : RAKE. golf.

21. Indian leader : RAJA

25. MLB team leaders : MGRS

26. Skips along the water : DAPS

28. "O.G. Original Gangster" rapper : ICE-T.

29. Like four Sandy Koufax games : NO HIT. more baseball.

33. harmony : SYNC.

34. Mani partner, in a spa : PEDI. do you like pedicure, too?

35. Rigid, as a contract : IRON CLAD

36. Spaced-out state : LALA LAND

37. Diversify : VARY

38. Bruised and hurting : BANGED UP. aw.

40. Arctic plains : TUNDRAS

41. False witness : LIAR. snort.

43. Miler Sebastian, et al : COES

44. Difference between generations : AGE GAP

45. Like : AKIN TO

46. Tree growth : LICHEN. pretty.

47. Capital of Pakistan's Punjab province: LAHORE

49. Flag wavers? : GUSTS

53. Org. with the Minnesota Lynx : WNBA

54. "Goodbye, Columbus" author Philip : ROTH

55. __-Magnon : CRO

56. Out of sorts : ILL

Answer grid.

melissa

Constructor's note:

Boomer's eight 300 rings inspired this puzzle. Don designed the grid with only 32 squares. We had fun (and frustration) filling this grid. 20A used to be BOY OH BOY, but it resulted in a NIRO, which is not allowed in LAT. Shout out to our own LaLaLinda with 36D.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012 Jerome Gunderson

Theme: Are your legs tired? - After Monday's workout, catch a ride on the first syllable of these four phrases. It's the way to go.

17A. Attire with deep pockets : CARGO PANTS

27A. Place offering good looks? : VANTAGE POINT

36A. "Good job!" (and a hint to the beginning of 17-, 27-, 43- or 57-Across) : "WAY TO GO!"

43A. Lake Tahoe's sole outlet : TRUCKEE RIVER

57A. Penniless, as in the opening of "Me and Bobby McGee" : BUSTED FLAT

Argyle here. I'm saying that BUS is the first syllable of BUSTED. Call it crossword license, like poetic license.(Janis4:50) I found it strange I didn't find any puns. What's up with that, Jerome? No matter if your driving style is 3-Down or 32-Down, this should be an enjoyable puzzle.

Across:

1. Phone-to-computer link : MODEM

6. Picture of health? : X-RAY

10. Doubtful : IFFY

14. Mimic's skill : APERY

15. Box office sight, often : LINE

16. The Big Easy acronym : NOLA. New Orleans, LouisianA

19. Sketch : DRAW

20. Nikon D3S, e.g., briefly : SLR. (single-lens reflex camera)

21. Chops meat : PORK

22. Peaceful protest : SIT-IN

23. Cake layer : ICING

25. Bullets with luminous trails : TRACERS

30. Frittata needs : EGGS

31. Frenzied indulgence : ORGY

32. Martini request : DRY

35. Ra or Odin : GOD

39. "The Color Purple" actress __ Dawn Chong : RAE. Google images.

40. Past : AGO

41. Creme-filled cookie : OREO

42. Pyramid plateau : GIZA. Fascinating view.

47. Renaissance : REBIRTH

50. Stand up : ARISE

51. What the fashionably late never are : EARLY

52. Saharan : ARID

53. Many AARP mems. : SR's

56. Having a tiff : AT IT

60. Mystical character : RUNE

61. Egyptian symbol of life : ANKH

62. Helmsley dubbed "Queen of Mean" : LEONA. At one time, there were twenty-three hotels directly controlled by Leona Helmsley.

63. Went lickety-split : SPED

64. Snoopy : NOSY

65. Longtime NBC newsman Newman : EDWIN. I don't believe he was the nosy type.

Down:

1. Apples on many desks : MACs

2. Play-of-color gem : OPAL

3. Bold bravery : DERRING-DO

4. Work measure : ERG

5. Mr. Magoo's malady : MYOPIA

6. Bigger than average, commercially : XLARGE

7. Hockey venue : RINK

8. Colony crawler : ANT

9. "Uh-huh" : "YES"

10. Charge with a crime : INDICT

11. Area of expertise : FORTE. Pronunciation note: Link.

12. Pizazz : FLAIR

13. Shows boredom : YAWNS

18. Early Atari video game : PONG

22. Company that made Japan's first plastic radio : SANYO. (1952)

24. Pennies: Abbr. : CT's

25. Spanish bull : TORO

26. Diana who played Mrs. Peel : RIGG

27. Old Chevy : VEGA.

28. Wide-eyed : AGOG

29. "The Chosen" author Chaim __ : POTOK. A Jewish author and rabbi, Potok is most famous for his first book The Chosen, a 1967 novel which was listed on The New York Times’ best seller list for 39 weeks and sold more than 3,400,000 copies. (Wikipedia)

32. Best way to cross a speed bump : DRIVE SLOW

33. Bring down, as a house : RAZE

34. Wine datum : YEAR

36. Fret : WORRY

37. Stuck in __ : A RUT

38. "Ugh!" : "YECH!"

42. Enlistees, for short : GI's

43. Leaning : TILTED

44. Like the smell of soil : EARTHY

45. Pennsylvania port : ERIE. You should be able to find some Pennsylvania port in this list of 141 Pennsylvania wineries.

46. Conundrum : RIDDLE

47. Backsides : REARS. Link.

48. Enjoy to the max : EAT UP

49. Salty solution : BRINE

52. Questions : ASKS

54. Hindu princess : RANI

55. Zany Laurel : STAN

57. Outlaw : BAN. The verb form.

58. One, to Juan : UNO. (Spanish)

59. Gave a lot of bologna, say : FED. Seems like a odd clue but it's OK; I like bologna.

Answer grid.

Argyle

Monday, May 14, 2012 David Poole

Theme: Move It - Three phrases that end in a word describing man's earliest means of transportation.

17A. Swimming stroke : AUSTRALIAN CRAWL

39A. Often-booed baseball play : INTENTIONAL WALK

63A. 1861 or 1862 Civil War conflict : BATTLE OF BULL RUN

Argyle here. David Poole interview here. Very pleasant Monday puzzle with three grid-spanning entries.

Across:

1. Manitoba native : CREE. If you're a little rusty on your Canadian provinces, here is a map.

5. Seat at a bar : STOOL

10. Mallorca or Menorca, por ejemplo : ISLA. Another map, this time of the Spain's Balearic Islands

14. "The War of the Worlds" broadcast, notably : HOAX. The radio broadcast that sparked a panic even though it was announced as a radio play. The Wikipedia article.

15. __ d'Or: Cannes award : PALME

16. Gush forth : SPEW

20. Major tractor manufacturer : DEERE

21. Welsh dog breed : CORGI

22. DJ's stack : CD's

23. Egyptian viper : ASP

25. Vampire vanquisher : STAKE. You can't use a plastic tent peg, can you? It has to be wood? I want to see "Dark Shadows" and need to know what stakes to bring.

27. Intense emotions : PASSIONS

32. Bigwig : HONCHO

35. Genetic carrier : RNA

36. Persona non __ : GRATA. Literally meaning "an unwelcome person", like some Anons.

38. Paleozoic and others : ERAs

43. Popular faucet brand : MOEN

44. Hawaiian porch : LANAI. And related, 31D. Greek walkways : STOAs

45. State with a peninsula: Abbr. : FLA.

46. Traffic cones : PYLONS

49. Playful marine mammal : SEA OTTER

51. Exams for future attys. : LSAT's

53. __ Balls: Hostess treats : SNO

54. Sports Illustrated named him Sportsman of the Century in 1999 : ALI

56. Voice above baritone : TENOR

59. Secretly tie the knot : ELOPE

66. Tied : EVEN. When is a clecho not a clecho?

67. Empty of liquid : DRAIN

68. Abbr. on a cornerstone : ESTD

69. Hang in there : LAST

70. Sound judgment : SENSE

71. Colon components : DOTS. That is the punctuation mark colon, please.

Down:

1. Paper ballot punch-out : CHAD. A thing of the past?

2. Scoundrel : ROUE

3. Allay, as fears : EASE

4. They're more than what's needed : EXTRAs. On a car, maybe, but just what are needed on the set for crowd scenes.

5. Hotel amenity : SPA

6. Rash soother : TALC

7. This and that : OLIO

8. Actors Epps and Sharif : OMARs

9. Inseam measurement : LENGTH

10. Netanyahu's land: Abbr. : ISR. Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu is the current Prime Minister of Israel.

11. Mariner 4 or Voyager 2 : SPACECRAFT

12. Indecent : LEWD

13. Beltmaking tools : AWLs. For making holes in leather.

18. Step down : RESIGN

19. "Arrivederci!" : "CIAO!"

24. Ocean liner's destination : PORT

26. Was familiar with : KNEW

27. Groom carefully : PRIMP. You know, titivate.

28. Bug : ANNOY

29. Phobos and Deimos, to Mars : SATELLITES

30. Hammer's target : NAIL

33. Berry of "Monster's Ball" : HALLE

34. Schindler of "Schindler's List" : OSKAR

37. Queen Boleyn : ANNE. The second wife of Henry VIII. She gave birth to the future Elizabeth I but Henry wanted a male heir and when she couldn't provide him with one, she lost her head. Well, this song(2:52) claims she still has her head (under her arm).

40. Baseball's Slaughter : ENOS

41. Very small batteries : AAA's

42. Big name in small trains : LIONEL

47. MLB league : NATL.

48. Knights' horses : STEEDS

50. Rang, as a bell : TOLLED

52. Sound asleep? : SNORE

54. Genesis victim : ABEL

55. Etna's outpouring : LAVA

57. In the blink __ eye : OF AN

58. Stats for sluggers : RBI's

60. Words of approximation : OR SO

61. Miniature golf stroke : PUTT

62. Objectives : ENDS

64. Explosive stuff, briefly : TNT

65. Arles article : UNE. A last map.

Answer grid.

Argyle

Sunday May 13, 2012 Pam Amick Klawitter

Theme: "I'll Drink to That" - Drink pun. One word in each common phrase is replaced by a drink.

23A. Music group that can't march in a straight line? : RUM AND BUGLE CORPS. Drum and bugle corps. Fun clue.

38A. Preoccupied with a green liqueur? : ABSINTHE MINDED. Absent minded.

74A. Draft critiques? : BEER REVIEWS. Peer reviews.

106A. Single-malt liquor store? : WHISKEY VENTURE. Risky venture.

124A. New Year's Eve assurance? : CHAMPAGNE PROMISE. Campaign promise.

14D. Spicy liqueur? : GINGER SCHNAPPS. Ginger snaps. The only one punning on last word. Slight inconsistency.

52D. "Another Wild Turkey, please," e.g.? : BOURBON RENEWAL. Urban renewal.

This is a perfect puzzle for Argyle to blog. He is very knowledgeable about various drinks. I hardly drink anything now. The wild days of Long Island Iced Tea are long gone.

Great to see Pam Amick Klawitter's byline again. She is one of the most innovative constructors and her puzzles are always fun to tackle.

Across:

1. Invites : ASKS

5. Miami's former county : DADE. Miami-Dade County since 1997.

9. Wild fancy : DREAM

14. Yaks and yaks : GABS

18. Old U.K. carrier : BOAC (British Overseas Airways Corporation).

19. Last stage of insect development : IMAGO. After pupa.

21. Posturepedic maker : SEALY. I don't really know our mattress name. It's just super comfortable.

22. Company with a cool-looking logo? : ICEE. Cool clue.

26. Iditarod terminus : NOME

27. Doomed mission : ALAMO

28. German menace : U-BOAT. In WWI & WWII.

29. Quip : EPIGRAM

31. Hill regulars : POLS. Not ANTS. Capitol Hill.

33. "There!" : VOILA

37. Change for the better : AMEND

43. ER procedure : CPR

44. Waitress at Mel's : FLO

45. Put a line through, maybe : DELE

46. Serb, for one : SLAV

47. California locale where "Maria Maria" fell in love, in a Santana hit : EAST LA. Love the song. "... Oh Maria Maria/She feel in love in East LA...". I like Santan's "Smooth" a lot.

51. Brindled cat : TABBY

54. Spreadsheet input : DATA

56. Times to remember : ERAs

58. New England seafood : SCROD

59. Engross : ABSORB

61. See-through item : LENS. Was thinking of a blouse.

63. NBC post-prime time staple : SNL

64. Bundle : SHEAF

65. One with a mouse : USER. Me. I'm with a mouse now. I'm so sorry about your cat, Linda. But I'm hoping for the best.

67. Garfield's "purebred clown" : ODIE

69. Manhattan Project, e.g. : CODE NAME. Mine would be "Deep Throat". I bet CrossEyedDave's would be cat-related.

71. Growl : GNAR

77. "... long __ both shall live?" : AS YE

78. Reuben component : RYE BREAD. For eddyB.

80. Summers on the Seine : ETES

81. Opera starter? : SOAP. Soap opera. I like this clue.

83. Sandbox reply : AM TOO

84. Letters in TV Guide : TBA

86. Genesis grandson : ENOS

88. Home of The Trop : ST PETE. Tropicana Field (Tampa Bay Ray's)

92. Flowering tropical plant : SENNA

93. One may involve scales at La Scala : ARIA

95. Shpeak thish way : SLUR

97. Daisy lookalike : ASTER

98. Belle and Bart : STARRS. Not familiar with Belle Starr.

100. __ buco : OSSO

102. Sylvan bounders : DEER

104. Beach shade : TAN

105. Linguistic ending : ESE

110. Ghanaian former U.N. leader : ANNAN (Kofi)

112. Perot's "giant sucking sound" maker : NAFTA

113. Chick chaser? : ADEE. Chickadee.

114. Precipitated, in a way : SLEETED

116. "To recap ..." : IN SUM

119. Speed reader? : RADAR. Did you nail it?

123. Lobster delicacy : CLAW

129. Little bit : IOTA

130. Many a chat room visitor : AOLER

131. Had a bug : AILED

132. View from Presque Isle State Park : ERIE

133. Small-runway aircraft acronym : STOL (Short Take-Off and Landing)

134. Swampy tract : SWALE

135. Brand of women's socks : PEDS

136. Old wanted poster word : DEAD. Or LIVE.

Down:

1. Magician's opening : ABRA

2. Motown genre : SOUL

3. __ Sutra : KAMA

4. Red Lobster offering : SCAMPI

5. Finished : DID

6. Attacked from hiding : AMBUSHED

7. Apply, as finger paint : DAUB

8. Thick & Fluffy breakfast brand : EGGO

9. U.S. Army medal : DSC. And 70. U.K. mil. medals : DSOS

10. Antique auto : REO

11. Sympathetic attention : EAR

12. French high spot : ALPE

13. Forgotten social network : MYSPACE. Wow, guess what? Justin Timberlake now owns Myspace.

15. Item in a fall stash : ACORN

16. Hit the roof : BE MAD

17. Come across as : SEEM

20. Early Norwegian king : OLAV I

24. Whistle time : NOON. I don't get this clue.

25. Preppy jackets : ETONS

30. Gridlock : IMPASSE

32. Old Ford luxury car : LTD

34. Warming the bench, maybe : IDLE

35. Some corporate rides : LEARS

36. Forward motion : ADVANCE

38. Mennen product : AFTA

39. Run off at the mouth : BLAB

40. Convulsive sounds : SOBS

41. Its frequent flier program is called Matmid : EL AL. Gimme for Hahtool. I never heard of the program.

42. High streaker : METEOR

48. Financial off. : TREAS. Treasury or Treasurer? Since Off. can be office or officer.

49. Rich, as soil : LOAMY

50. Charge based on line count, perhaps : AD FEE

53. Timeline data: Abbr. : YRS

55. Giant of wrestling : ANDRE. André the Giant.

57. Loses steam : SLOWS

60. Emmy winner Neuwirth : BEBE

62. Número de días en una semana : SIETE. 7. Number of days in a week.

66. Vaquero's rope : REATA

68. Chooser's call : EVENS

71. Some clippings : GRASS

72. Queens player, briefly : NY MET

73. Company name inspired by a volcano : AETNA

75. '50s Bears quarterback : ED BROWN. Total stranger.

76. Tristan's love : ISOLDE

79. Finds hysterical : ROARS AT

82. One-time connector : AT A. One at a time.

85. Tyler of "The Talk" : AISHA. Here she is.

87. Chop __ : SUEY. Suey is literally "pieces". Chop Suey = Assorted pieces.

89. Words to a double-crosser : ET TU (Brutus)

90. It may be taped : TEAR. Nice clue too.

91. Shore eagle : ERNE

94. "No way!" : AS IF

96. Overhauled : REVAMPED

99. Native New Yorkers : SENECAS

101. Old Roman seaport : OSTIA. Looks like a bone word, doesn't it?

103. Checker choice : RED

107. Hundred Acre Wood mom : KANGA. Roo's mom.

108. Fictional Wolfe : NERO

109. Yoked : TEAMED

110. Divvy up : ALLOT

111. "Awesome!" : NEATO

114. Some H.S. courses : SCIS

115. Indian Ocean vessel : DHOW. Learned from doing Xword.

117. Salon sound : SNIP

118. Ubangi tributary : UELE. How do you pronounce UELE?

120. Like some straits : DIRE

121. China setting : ASIA

122. Robert of "The Brady Bunch" : REED

125. In the style of : ALA

126. Tillis or Tormé : MEL

127. Cautionary beginning? : PRE. Precautionary.

128. Some may be dirt-covered: Abbr. : RDs

Answer grid.

Happy Birthday to Jeannie! Check in when you feel like it. Your presence is really missed here.

C.C.