Saturday, Jul 14th, 2012, Barry C. Silk

Theme: Saturday Silkie

Words: 72

Blocks: 34

I have to admit, I turned on red-letter assistance for today's Silkie - I usually do OK with Friday, the 13th - it's Saturday, the 14th that always "gets me" - known as tetradekaphobia; OK, I am making this up, but there is such a thing as tetraphobia, and quite common in Asian (4D.) countries. (C.C., do you have a fear of the number 4?). (From C.C.: 4 has similiar pronunciation as "death" in Chinese, 14 is similiar to "Going to die", hence Chinese do not pick a wedding date on 4th or 14th. Big hotels do not have 14th floor. When I buy apples/pears, I never pick up 4. Always 3 or 5.) Tough way to start this one, but I was able to fix my mistakes on the first pass. Lots of Chicago references*, too....

One 15-letter spanner:

39A. 1960s music phenomenon : BRITISH INVASION - Grew up with English parents, and I remember they had a 4-LP box set of the popular tunes, including this one

and two 11-letter entries:

23A. Justin Timberlake nickname : PRINCE OF POP - I like his solo stuff, including this one; probably have to skip an ad first

47A. "Casino" Best Actress nominee : SHARON STONE - I have linked the "other" scene she was famous for once before

OnwarD~! (10pts)

ACROSS:

1. Rakes : CASANOVAS - all the way down in the online dictionary: rake(2) a dissolute man, esp one in fashionable society; roué

10. Speedy : RAPID

15.* Chicago university founded in 1945 : ROOSEVELT - had enough perps to WAG this one

16. Participate in a secret joint venture? : ELOPE - had the 'goalpost' "E"s, and got it

17. Bag material : ALLIGATOR - this was a V-8 moment for me, then it made me guess incorrectly at half the crossings

18. Orange __ : PEKOE

19. Prefix meaning "beyond" : META - Greek, like the "phobia" I made up

20. Comfort, say : AID

22. Marked simply : X'ed

28. ER workers : RNs

30. SALT topic : ABM - Anti-Ballistic Missile, Strategic Arms Limitation Talks

31. Tank top : GAS CAP - well, I knew it couldn't be "TURRET", same clue/answer we had not too long ago; this was a great alternative

33. Party at the shore : CLAMBAKE

38. Sixth-century pope : JOHN I - I tried "LEO VI" to start, then changed to LEO XI - only my "I" stayed

41. "Alice" star : LAVIN - Linda, the main character

42. Tourist information center handouts : AREA MAPS

43. Heavy weight : ONE TON

45. Fjord cousin : RIA - nailed it, but went too far and spelled it RYA

46. Cal. units : WKs - 7-day periods of a calendar

54.* Windy City travel org. : CTA - I am figuring the Chicago Transit Authority

56. Japanese veggie : UDO - not very appealing - image

57. A part of : IN ON

58. Ruth's mother-in-law : NAOMI - Biblical reference; the "AO" connection seemed wrong, then add to that the fact that I had another "A" from "ALI" as the flame lighter; see 59D.

60. Trademarked name for epinephrine : ADRENALIN - had about 4 letters and totally WAGed this one; sounded good to me

64. Stickpin target : ASCOT

65. Popular pie topper : PEPPERONI - DAH~!!! I was locked into dessert pie, not pizza

66. Gordon __: "Wall Street" role : GEKKO - played by Michael Douglas, who starred with Sharon Stone in that "other" movie

67. Campers' tools : TOMAHAWKS - my first try was --AX, so I filled in ESSEX for 53D.

DOWN:

1. Writer's problem : CRAMP - not BLOCK

2. Many an online shopper : AOLer

3.* Longtime Chicago Symphony leader : SOLTI (Georg)

4. Cuisine category : ASIAN

5. Pic source : NEG - I tried JPG after getting my ALLIGATOR

6. Tiny tube travelers : OVA

7. Old Philly stadium, with "The" : VET - Veterans Stadium, and the Wiki

8. "Half __ ..." : A LOAF - an idiom; it's better than 'none'

9. Remove : STRIP - had SCRAP here, as in 'ideas' or 'missions'; I like this answer better - skip the POKER CHIPS and....

10. Workout unit : REP

11. Familiar game show address : ALEX - "I'll take Barry Silk clues for $1200, Alex" - Mr. Trebek, of Jeopardy fame

12. It's often seen in a stack : POKER CHIP


13. Apple products : iPOD NANOs - full answer, unique

14. Two-point Scrabble tile : DEE - filled in "-EE" and waited....actually, it can only be "D" and "G" - "B", "C", and "P" are all 3-points; see here

21. Ball game treat : DOG - Hot Dog, which I figured

24. Spanish roads : CAMINOS - oh, so now I understand this car - cute history

25. Drops off : EBBS

26. College World Series setting : OMAHA

27. Bed threads : PAJAMAS - nice, it rhymes

29. Quick trip : SPIN

32.* 1998 N.L. MVP : SOSA - anything to add, C.C.? (Not really!!!)

33. Engine block component : CRANKCASE - got it from the "A" in LAVIN alone - but then again, there aren't many parts to an engine block

34. County fair sight : LIVESTOCK

35. Fighting : AT IT

36. White wine apéritif : KIR - learned by doing crosswords; now it's my "go-to" answer for apéritif clues

37. "1" in Spain, perhaps : ENERO - also crossword knowledge for me; January on the calendar

39. Leave, in slang : BLOW - "let's BLOW this joint"

40. Fruitless : VAIN

44. Vietnam's Ngo Dinh __ : NHU - for those interested, this guy

48. Conform : ADAPT

49. Clown's employer : RODEO - looks painful - image

50. Item of royal attire : TIARA

51. Just about off : ON LOW - ah, like the stove or toaster oven

52. Printer problem : NO INK

53. County seat of County Clare : ENNIS - Ah, not Essex, but I was close; map; in the middle

55. Without restraint : AMOK

58. Noodge : NAG - new word for me; variation on nudge, says my online dictionary

59. Nagano Olympic flame lighter : ITO - strangely, Google goes to that "other" blog site when I typed this in. Midori Ito - this entry was 6 slots down the page

61. Washing machine meas. : RPM - sure, but doesn't the machine swish back and forth? Oh, OK, the spin cycle does get going pretty good....

62. MPG determiner : EPA - Miles per Gallon, tested by the Environmental Protection Agency

63. Bk. after Ezra : NEH - I finally bookmarked a page that links the KJV names, so I can "cheat" in the future

Answer grid.

Splynter

Friday, July 13, 2012, Mike Torch

THEME: MY ACHY BREAKY HEART( Rx?) (3:55).

All of the three theme answers are phrases which have "ACHE" added to the end, and thereby creating an entirely new phrase clued with humor and visual delight. They also transform the sound from AKE to AASH. This is our third LA Times puzzle from Mr. Torch, both priors were Sunday efforts, if you do not recall his name. He also has has 18 NY Times efforts since 2003. The puzzle has some very difficult clues, and some nice long fill like Pastrami and Branched, and an Errol who is not Flynn. Mr. Torch sounds like he is one of the Fantastic Four. Anyway, I know no more, except what is in the WORDS, so let us see.

17A. Brisket-making flair? : ROASTING PANACHE (15). A simple PAN becomes one of my favorite words, and as a cook who does brisket, I love the clue and fill. Also, it is a grid-spanner.

26A. Hidden dietary supplements? : VITAMIN CACHE(12). So do you believe Linus Pauling or not?

44A. Teen's response to "You need to shave"? : IT'S A MUSTACHE (12). Actually, the question with my sons was, go wash your face, your lip is dirty. The reveal...

56A. Annoyance...and a hint to how 17-, 26- and 44-Across are formed? : PAIN IN THE BEHIND(15). This tells you a synonym for PAIN is tacked on the end of the fill.

Across:

1. Stinger: WASP. My first thought was the COCKTAIL, not of WHITE ANGLO SAXON PROTESTANTS or insects.

5. Banded marble: AGATE. The pretty ones,

10. Saudi Arabia neighbor: OMAN. O man, we get this country all of the time.

14. Earthen pot: OLLA. Olla we get this pot all of the time.

15. Gruesome: LURID. I think of lurid more like Lois, or a romance novel.

16. Got up: ROSE. And the clecho, 47D. Get up: ARISE.

20. Diver's concern: DEPTH. This is true for both kinds of divers.

21. Perps' patterns: MOS. Modus Operandi. In English, method of operation.

22. Blood of the gods: ICHOR. Made from nectar and ambrosia? LINK.

23. 1988 self-titled CW album: REBA. Country singer (2:48) and actress.

25. Brilliance: ECLAT. Wow both panache and eclat, we are special.

31. Broke (in): CHIMED. Well, we all chimed in to comment on Marti's write up.

32. Zap: LASE. To use a laser, I guess. Don't LASE ME bro?

33. Mil. authority: CMD. Take your PICK.

36. Pasta ___: food brand: RONI. Not to be confused with cousin RICE A.

37. Smallest: LEAST.

39. Verve: BRIO. From the Italian, for the modern version: vim and viagra.

40. Restful retreat: SPA.

41. Talking iPhone feature: SIRI. I know you want to know why according to the ex-CEO, Siri is, in fact, not just some random jargon. Instead, it means “beautiful woman who leads you to victory” in the Norwegian language.

42. ___ rod: AARON'S. Does he mean the BIBLICAL reference? The D.H. Lawrence semi-autobiographic novel? Or my son's curtain holder?

46. Medium card: TAROT.

48. The Eagles' "___ Eyes": LYIN. MUSIC.

49. Film director Morris: ERROL.Mostly famous for documentaries.

50. PC key: ESCape.

52. John or Christine of Fleetwood Mac: McVIE. They are to reunite and tour in 2013, but without Christine. LINK.

59. Snippy retort: IS SO. IS NOT!

60. Harden: INURE. In your eye?

61. Avant-garde: EDGY.

62. YouTube co-founder Steve: CHEN. Impressive MAN. Hi Jeff.

63. Plant sometimes called heart' s-ease: PANSY. Hi Marti.

64. Conks out: DIES. The car engine, not the blogger.

Down:

1. One of six in this clue: WORD. Self-referential, cool.

2. Soothing balm: ALOE.

3. Insult: SLAP. No, I do not get this one, but the perps were there. I get it now, that is a slap in the face!

4. Deli choice : PASTRAMI. Anyone for a RACHEL? Or

5. Poetic pugilist: ALI. Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee; not a WASP!

6. Perp, perhaps : GUNMAN. Oh, that perp....

7. Ship that survived the Clashing Rocks : ARGO. A nice shout out to me and the ship that made us famous. We are even on a stamp.

8. Advice : TIPS.

9. Author LeShan : EDA.

10. Ancient source of counsel : ORACLE. With the ARGO, and ICHOR a little mythological sub theme.

11. Starbucks flavor : MOCHA. A latte with cocoa powder. Yum.

12. "Give it ___" : A SHOT. What I say ever week when my time to blog comes around.

13. Poetic negative : NE'ER. Never again will I be fooled by a constructor's hidden....

18. Motif : THEME.

19. Specific market type : NICHE. From the French to make a nest.

24. Set of potential suppliers : BID LIST. A term used in the CONSTRUCTION industry, used here by our constructor.

25. Bliss : ECSTASY. When you have PANACHE and ECLAT, you must achieve ECSTASY!

26. TV adjuncts : VCRS. Video Cassette Recorders.

27. Place to see stacks : IHOP. Not in a library, but the International House Of Pancakes.

28. Talking Heads bassist Weymouth : TINA. More MUSIC.(8:07) Obscure to me. Luckily I had the theme.

29. Say with assurance : CLAIM.

30. Small power sources : AAS. Batteries.

33. Marsh critter : CROC.

34. Ho Chi ___ City : MINH. The old Saigon.

35. Tablespoon, maybe : DOSE.

38. Significant period : ERA.

39. Diverged, with "off" : BRANCHED.

41. White Russian spec : STOLI. Stolichnaya, the once premier Russian Vodka, is now made in Latvia.I prefer Chopin, the Polish potato vodka.

43. "...___ to be born and..." : A TIME. There is a season, turn, turn, turn.

44. Like some T-shirt images : IRON ON. Not to be confused with Iron Man; has anyone else seen the newest Spider-Man movie? I like this kid.

45. Stomach issues : ULCERS. What I am getting trying to get this going.

46. Pan : TRASH. A bad review, not a cooking vessel.

49. Large-scale work : EPIC.

50. View from Catania : ETNA. The mountain.

51. Avoid : SHUN.

53. Part of Caesar's boast : VIDI. Forever trapped between VENI and VICI.

54. "Bus Stop" playwright : INGE. Know the PLAY or the SONG.

55. Company that created Rocky Road ice cream : EDYS. HISTORY or controversy.

57. Barely beat : NIP.

58. Ottoman official : BEY. We have had this title of a provincial governor in the Ottoman Empire before (per MW).

Answer grid.

Well, I guess I kept the wolves at BAY long enough to finish, did this puzzle light your fire? Thanks Mike, see you on the other side of next week.

Lemonade

Thursday, July 12, 2012 David Poole

Theme: Tribute to a well-known actor...

First, the quintessential explorer:

20A. Reggie Miller, e.g. : INDIANA PACER. News: Ian Mahinmi was just traded to them in exchange for Darren Collision and Dahntay Jones.

and
40A. Last name of the start of 20-Across : JONES. Indiana Jones. I have linked this character several times: "I HATE snakes!!" 0:15

Then we have:

26A. Long-eared hopper : JACK RABBIT. (Not the Easter Bunny?)

and

69A. Last name of the start of 26-Across : RYAN. He played Jack Ryan in "Patriot Games" and "Clear and Present Danger". If you have not seen either of these, GO OUT AND RENT THEM!! (Right NOW!!) 2:32

And finally, maybe his most famous role of all:

48A. Reign between the Qin and the Three Kingdoms : HAN DYNASTY
and
5A. Last name of the start of 48-Across : SOLO. He played Han Solo in the "Star Wars" film series. Who could forget him in this role??

And finally, the unifier, and "star" of our puzzle:
53. Actor born 7/13/1942 who played characters found in 20-. 26- and 48-Across : HARRISON FORD

Lots of cross-referencing clues, and you need to pay attention. Otherwise, you might get Han Jones mixed up with Indiana Ryan, or Jack Solo!!

Marti here, so it must be Thursday (Already???) So, lets just dive in...

Across:

1. Increasingly rare PC monitors : CRTS. Cathode Ray Tube(s). Boy, I'll say they are increasingly rare. I could hardly find them, even on Wiki!!

9. Supplement : ADD-ON

14. Flood notable : NOAH

15. "Iliad" warrior : AJAX. Also, a well-known cleaning brand.

16. Rank : GRADE. Or, like the skunks in my back yard!!

17. Site of Napoleon's 1804 coronation : NOTRE DAME. This was the name of my H.S. (It's also a lesser-known cathedral in Paris, but I won't hold it against them!)

19. Condor's castle? : AERIE. El Condor Passa.

22. Parting word : ADIEU...so long, farewell, it's time to say goodnight. Oh wait, I still have some clues left to do...

25. "Everybody Hurts" band : REM. Great song.

31. 9-3, 9-4 or 9-5 : SAAB

35. It might be casual: Abbr. : FRI.day

36. Actress Falco et al. : EDIES. Not to be confused with 67A. "Grand" ice cream brand : EDYS. Strange to say, but I really don't like ice cream!

37. Hard to look at : UGLY. Like "Coyote Ugly"?

38. Tolkien creatures : ORCS. Now, THAT'S "ugly"!!

42. Not looking well : PALE

43. Hollandaise ingredient : YOLK. My mother was French, and we had a lot of sauces, including Hollandaise, at every meal. Each of us girls had her favorite recipe, and we argued endlessly about whose was "better". One Thanksgiving, one of my brothers-in-law remarked about Hollandaise that was being served: "This is the glue that keeps you sisters together..." Sadly, they are all gone now. I miss them...and all their Hollandaise recipes!

44. Salon offerings : TINTS

46. [Sniff!] : SOB

47. Overly precious, to a Brit : TWEE. Well, I know Brits love their TEA, but TWEE? Never heard of it. The linked image below is a pastel painting (it is NOT a photograph!!) done by my dear friend Barbara Groff. She is a talented artist, and has won many national awards. I am privileged to own some of her original pieces. For more info (bold plug here), go to her web site.

50. Letters from your parents? : RNA. Haha, funny clue. Although, I did want DNA at first...

52. Pernod flavoring : ANISE

60. Often-filtered transmission : EMAIL

61. Degas subject : BALLERINA. More art, but sorry...this is probably not as affordable as a Groff original!

65. Photo finish : MATTE

66. "...___ saw Elba" : ERE I. "Able was I, ere I saw Elba." Famous palindrome. Raise your hand if you did not get this immediately? (Go to the back of the class!)

68. Manuscript marks : STETS

70. Basketful, perhaps : WASH...just did four basketfuls (baskets full??) today, so this was a gimme.

Down:

1. "Piers Morgan Tonight" channel : CNN. Cable News Network.

2. Milne marsupial : ROO. Of "Winnie the Pooh".

3. Bit of artwork seen in NBA games : TAT. Back to Groff and Monet? No, this artwork.

4. Mouse reaction : SHRIEK. Do mice shriek? Really? At what?

5. H.S. safety org. : SADD. Students Against Drunk Driving

6. City WNW of Los Angeles : OJAI. Map.

7. Tibetan for "superior one" : LAMA. A "One L-lama" in an Ogden Nash poem.

8. Farm team : OXEN. (Was anyone thinking "baseball"??)

9. With one's jaw on the floor, so to speak : AGAPE. Ahhh, the A-word.

10. Concocts : DREAMS UP

11. Jeanne ___ : D'ARC. Has anyone read Mark Twain's version? I picked it up because I thought it would be comical. But it was the most interesting and enlightening biography of Jean D'Arc that I have ever read!

12. Jon Arbuckle's pooch : ODIE. Funny one today (yesterday?)

13. "When pigs flyeth!" : NE'ER. I loveth thith clue!

18. Toughen : ENURE

21. Knack : ART. (see 47- and 61-Across)

22. Four-time Indy 500 winner : A.J. FOYT

23. Scopes's defender : DARROW. The famous "Monkey Trial".

24. December hanger : ICICLE. Not if you live in Tampa, though!

27. Tall, dark or handsome: Abbr. : ADJ.ective.

28. Flora and fauna : BIOTA. "Total collection of organisms", per wiki.

29. Togo neighbor : BENIN. Map.

30. "___ a Message": INXS song : I SEND. Love the body language.

32. Court star with the autobiography "Open" : AGASSI. Andre, eight-time Grand-Slam champion.

33. Doles out : ALLOTS

34. Parting words : BYE-BYE. Not yet! 16 more to go...

39. "Picket Fences" Emmy winner Tom : SKERRITT. You don't know him? Of course you know Sheriff Jimmy Brock!!

41. Pen name? : STY. Cute clue.

45. Marcher's drum : SNARE

48. Is ill with : HAS. As in, "Has the flu."

49. Jackson or Johnson : ANDREW. 7th and 17th presidents of the US of A.

51. TV's younger Dr. Crane : NILES. I just loved him on "Frasier"! 0:31

53. Garment edges : HEMS. They go up...they go down...they go up...they go down...

54. Latin lesson word : AMAT. amo-amas-amat-amamus-amatis-amant. I love, you love, he loves, we love, you love, they love...we all love to do crosswords!

55. Deserve : RATE

56. Upper, in Upper Westphalia : OBER. Not to be confused with "über", meaning "over".

57. Quaint negative : NARY

58. ___ market : FLEA. Anyone here in the market for fleas?

59. "Chocolat" actress : OLIN. Lena, for her role as Josephine Muscat. Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp stole the show, even though OLIN is more crossword-friendly...

62. Nev. neighbor : IDA.ho. (Alaska?)

63. Where Cuomo is gov. : NYS. New York State.

64. Cheroot residue : ASH. If you know that a cheroot is a cheap cigar, this was a gimme. Otherwise, you may have been looking for some kind of Indian war paint!

Answer grid.

That's all for now..see you next week!

Hugs,
Marti

Note from C.C.:

Happy 82nd Birthday to dear Sallie!

Wednesday, July 11, 2012 Doug Petersen

Theme: Convenience Store Bandit!

The last word of each theme clue is typically writ large (at least 72 point) in tabloids to describe someone who has - oh, probably overstayed his time at a parking meter, or jumped the line at the ATM, or - of course! - held up the 7-11!

17A. "The Wonder Years" star : FRED SAVAGE He looked too innocent to have a name like that:

25A. Muppet with a voracious appetite : COOKIE MONSTER. His real name is Sid and he eats fruit and vegetables now.

45A. Online news site that merged with Newsweek in 2010 : THE DAILY BEAST. If you've never read Evelyn Waugh's satire on newspaper reporting "Scoop" I highly recommend you do.

59A. Onetime shelfmate of Count Chocula and Franken Berry : FRUIT BRUTE I needed the crosses for this - a cultural gap in my knowledge!

Hi everyone, Steve here and I thoroughly enjoyed Doug's puzzle. There's some really fresh stuff in here, some really nice cluing and a theme which was slick. I've got a couple of mini-themes myself which I'll wrap up with, but let's look at the rest of the puzzle.

Across:

1. As a shortstop, he won the A.L. Gold Glove in 2002 and 2003 : A-ROD. Alex Rodriguez was traded to the Yankees after 2003, and moved to third base. You'd wonder why on earth you'd do this, until you remember that Derek Jeter was doing rather nicely, thank you, at short for the Bronx Bombers.

5. Salsa scoopers : CHIPS

10. Predator of the deep : ORCA. Deep? Hmmmm ... I've seen film of killer whales pretty much dragging themselves onto the beach to grab a penguin or two. Shallows, much more apt.

14. "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" co-star Rooney __ : MARA.

15. Convent outfit : HABIT

16. Shipbuilder in Genesis : NOAH

19. Tie with a cord : BOLO. Nice misdirection here, I was thinking of the verb, not the noun.

20. Seasickness : MAL DE MER. An awful thing in any language, but the French sounds a little more poetic.

21. Common cat name : FLUFFY. I'd be careful calling this dude "Fluffy" - it's MR Cat to you!

23. "You got it!" : YEP

24. Palomino's pace : GAIT. I was thinking "pace" in terms of speed, not in terms of method.

31. Hit on the noggin : BOP

32. Wise Athenian lawgiver : SOLON. We were taught the classics back at school in England in 1782 or something, and I remember this chap being known for legalizing brothels in Athens to promote "equality of opportunity". He looks a bit gruff to me.

33. November birthstone : TOPAZ

35. New coin of 2002 : EURO. I'd never really looked closely at one of these (other than to complain when the Coinstar machine rejected one from my change jar) but actually they're pretty neat with the map of Europe and the countries in the Euro zone identified.

37. English actor Hawthorne : NIGEL

39. Highest sudoku digit : NINE

40. Clog-clearing brand : DRANO. I love brand names like this. Now we have focus groups, test marketing and advertising agencies and we come up with bland. That's not the Ford Bland, or the Budweiser Bland, but it really should be. I think I'll go trademark it, it's only a matter of time.

42. Three-dimensional : CUBIC

44. Fire : CAN. I once set fire to a trash can and tried to put out the blaze by stamping on it, all that happened was the flaming trash can got wedged to my foot and shot fire up my pant leg. Hilarity in the office ensued.

48. Scandal fodder : DIRT

49. "Treasure Island" author's monogram : RLS. With a name like Robert Louis Stevenson you absolutely have to become a famous author so as not to waste a name like that.

50. Chemicals giant : DUPONT

53. Gazelle chasers : CHEETAHS. Gazelles can reach 50 MPH. They're feeling pretty smug until they get in a foot race with Mr. Cheetah, as he can hit 70 when he puts the paw to the pampas.

58. All-inclusive : A TO Z. Before the days of GPS, everyone in London had a copy of this classic Street Atlas in the car - we pronounced it the A to ZED of course.

61. Bogus : FAKE

62. Not yet firm, as Jell-O : UNSET. This could also be previously-firm.

63. Supportive contraction : ATTA. Only Girl or Boy. Never heard "Dad", "Mom" or "Cheetah".

64. Afterwards : THEN

65. Wild West show prop : LASSO. I always want to put another O at the end, then I run out of squares and leave it as it is.

66. Cuts off : LOPS. My LASSO always feels LOPPED.

Down:

1. Letters on a radio switch : AM/FM. Because Amplitude Modulation/Frequency Modulation doesn't fit on the switch.

2. __ avis : RARA. I'm going to take a stab in the dark and guess that this means "Rare Bird". You can't look everything up on Google.

3. Russian city east of Kiev : OREL. Twinned with Hershiser, Pennsylvania. (OK, I made that up, but Hershiser, PA sounds totally believable).

4. Dude, to a hipster : DADDY-O.

5. Victor : CHAMPION

6. Privileged person : HAVE. As opposed to Have Not.

7. Support beam : IBAR. A place where Apple Computer fans hang out: iBar

8. Porky or Petunia : PIG

9. Tennis great Edberg : STEFAN

10. Thing to press to get started : ON BUTTON

11. Shingle site : ROOF

12. Farm youngster : CALF

13. "Yo, mate!" : AHOY

18. Goes looking for : SEEKS

22. Mention one by one : LIST. "Interminable" is often paired with this word at awards ceremonies.

24. Elapsed : GONE BY

25. Try to win over : COURT

26. TV tycoon born in Mississippi : OPRAH

27. Draw out : ELICIT

28. Skier's challenge : MOGUL. I once skied a mogul field in Verbier, Switzerland and only touched the first and the last one with my skis - for the rest (about 200 yards of downhill) I was bouncing from one to the next on my back.

29. Homeric works : EPICS

30. Charged : RAN AT

31. Gardener's preparation : BED

34. Branch of Buddhism : ZEN

36. Donut buy : ONE DOZEN. Two Cops.

38. Booklet for an operagoer : LIBRETTO. I've always wondered about this. I've never taken a Cliff's Notes translation to a Shakespeare play - why would I take a libretto to the opera?

41. Chief Norse god : ODIN

43. TMZ regular : CELEB

46. Crafty : ARTFUL

47. Starlike : ASTRAL

50. Bonkers : DAFT

51. Wyoming neighbor : UTAH. I'm going to Utah for the first time at the beginning of August. Completely the wrong season for MOGULS, which might not be a bad thing.

52. Elbow : POKE

53. Use bad words : CUSS

54. Makes haste : HIES

55. Prius, e.g. : AUTO

56. Internet address starter : HTTP. Because if we'd had to type "Hypertext Transfer Protocol Colon Forward Slash Forward Slash Double-U Double-U Double-U" the internet would never have taken off and you'd not be reading this blog.

57. Pirates' milieus : SEAS. Favorite clue today. Arrrr!

60. Basic biological molecule : RNA. Thank goodness for Ribonucleic Acid, or where would we all be?

Answer grid.

A couple of theme-lets made me laugh - we have CHIPS AHOY, COURT CHAMPION STEFAN and MOGUL CELEB OPRAH.

That's all from me - have a great 7/11 and try to keep cool!

Steve

Tuesday, July 10, 2012 Marti DuGuay-Carpenter

Theme: You don't want me around? - Four in language entries that start with a word you might use rid yourself of some pest. And a reveal of the pest in question.

17A. Marshmallow-and-cookie layered treat : SCOOTER PIE. Image.

27A. Meteor shower phenomena : SHOOTING STARS

45A. Brunch fare : SCRAMBLED EGGS

59A. Small carpet : SCATTER RUG

36D. Stray that might evoke the start of 17-, 27-, 45- or 59-Across : ALLEY CAT

Argyle here and I'm staying. How could I leave? A C.C. yesterday and a Marti today? Life is good. Cattitude is everything (3:44)

Across

1. Butter on the farm? : GOAT. A cute clue.

5. Smart-alecky : SASSY

10. Traditional Indian music : RAGA

14. St. Louis landmark : ARCH

15. Boundary marker : STAKE

16. Nobelist Pavlov : IVAN. I read that as Novelist at first. D'oh!

19. Fly alone : SOLO

20. __ New Guinea : PAPUA. Map.

21. Uncanny ability, for short : ESP. (extrasensory perception)

22. Des Moines native : IOWAN

23. Tests for coll. seniors : GRE's. (Graduate Record Examinations)

25. Reunion attendee : AUNT

32. Big name in lawn care : SCOTT'S. Thanks for the shout out, Marti.

34. Ultimate degree : NTH POWER

35. Sphere, to a poet : ORB

36. Ger. neighbor : AUS. (Germany/Austria)

37. Breakfast grain : OAT

38. Pedicure targets : TOE NAILS

42. Spanish saffron-flavored dish : PAELLA

47. Up for anything : GAME

48. Conclusion lead-in : ERGO

49. Fried chicken piece : THIGH

52. “... the dew of __ high eastward hill”: “Hamlet” : YON. Probable guess.

54. Where to find Bologna : ITALY

58. “Count me out, too” : "NOR I"

61. Mongolia’s __ Bator : ULAN. Google map.

62. Responded to a good massage : AAHed

63. A big fan of : INTO

64. Zingy taste : TANG

65. Pulitzer writer Terkel : STUDS. Louis "Studs" Terkel (May 16, 1912 – October 31, 2008)

66. Look carefully : PEER

Down:

1. Express awe : GASP

2. Killer whale : ORCA

3. “Rent-__”: 1988 crime film : A-COP. IMBd.

4. Musing : THOUGHT

5. Seattle-to-Reno dir. : SSE

6. Like a body in Newton’s first law : AT REST. Well ...: First law: Every object continues in its state of rest, or of uniform motion in a straight line, unless compelled to change that state by external forces acted upon it.

7. Totally drains : SAPS

8. Legwear for the slopes : SKI PANTS

9. “__-haw!” : YEE

10. Ristorante rice dish : RISOTTO

11. Declare frankly : AVOW

12. Opening night after-party : GALA

13. Auth. unknown : ANON

18. Fortuneteller’s deck : TAROT

22. Police dept. rank : INSP. (inspector)

24. Aurora’s Greek counterpart : EOS. Both goddesses of dawn.

26. “That’s yucky!” : "UGH!"

27. Not loaded? : SOBER

28. Rest room sign : IN USE

29. GI truants : AWOL's. ("absent without leave" or "absent without official leave"). The second definition has a more legalese feel to it.

30. Genuine : REAL

31. Mexicali miss: Abbr. : SRTA. (señorita)

32. Ones usually loaded : SOTS

33. Swamp snapper : CROC

39. Like a headache that won’t quit : NAGGING

40. Asian nurse : AMAH

41. “Big Blue” : IBM. (International Business Machines Corporation)

42. According to : PER

43. Longhorn rival : AGGIE

44. Self-indulgent “journey” : EGO TRIP

46. Gave a bad impression to? : DENTED. A cute clue.

49. Letter-shaped fastener : T-NUT. Many different styles, depending on their final use. Google Images.

50. Guatemala greeting : "HOLA"

51. Persia, nowadays : IRAN

53. Hawaii’s “Gathering Place” : OAHU

55. “Rule, Britannia” composer : ARNE. Originating from the poem "Rule, Britannia" by James Thomson and set to music by Thomas Arne in 1740. (Wiki) Link(1:25) Note the ringing of a bell, marking a repeat of the musical phrase.

56. Minstrel’s strings : LUTE

57. Bela’s “Son of Frankenstein” role : YGOR

59. Airline to Stockholm : SAS

60. Goal line crossings: Abbr. : TD's. (touchdowns) Known as a a "try" in rugby.

Answer grid.

Argyle

1) Constructor’s note:

We have several stray cats in our back yard, and I was attempting to scare them off one evening by yelling, “shoo, scat, scram, scoot!!” The ALLEY CATs were not intimidated, but it did give me an idea for a theme…

2) Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to Don G! Without him, I'd never have created a crossword. Don taught me all I know about crossword and continues to teach me every day. Thank you so much, Don!

Monday, July 9, 2012 C.C. Burnikel

Theme: Crazy - The four themes are hiding their frailty but it is easily distinguished.

18A. Area’s distinguishing qualities : LOCAL COLOR

29A. Bud Abbott’s partner : LOU COSTELLO

48A. Fly off the handle : LOSE CONTROL

59A. Jurisdiction whose decisions may be appealed : LOWER COURT (From C.C.: In my submission, I used Lemonade's fun clue: Trial setting whose unappealing decisions may be appealed.)

68A. Off one’s rocker, and a hint to what the four longest puzzle answers have in common : LOCO

Argyle here. After the pyrotechnics of last week, it's good to start the week with a puzzle that is more in tune to a laid back summer day. The climbers in the corners are a nice touch.

Across:

1. Norway’s most populous city : OSLO

5. Sonata finales : CODAS

10. Trident-shaped Greek letters : PSIs

14. Sentence subject, usually : NOUN

15. Film critic Roger : EBERT

16. In real time : LIVE

17. Risk or Clue : GAME

20. NW, vis-à-vis SE : OPP. (opposite)

21. Jury member : PEER

22. Phantom’s hangout : OPERA

23. Work like a sponge : ABSORB

25. Flood zone procedure, briefly : EVAC. (evacuation)

28. Little bite : NIP

31. Gym shirt : TEE

32. Marvel superheroes : X-MEN. comic books and now movies.

33. Those, in Cuba : ESAS

34. Porgy’s love : BESS

35. Gelatin made from seaweed : AGAR

37. Fly high : SOAR

39. Stretch across : SPAN

42. Garr of “Tootsie” : TERI

44. Tide type : NEAP

47. Sunbather’s souvenir : TAN

51. Sinusitis-treating MD : ENT. (ear, nose, and throat Doctor)

52. Kindle Fire alternative : iPAD

53. Jot in the margin, say : NOTATE

54. Ritzy Twin Cities suburb : EDINA

56. At it : BUSY

58. Soup cooker : POT

62. Versatile tubers : YAMS

63. Parts of history : ERAs

64. Hägar the Horrible’s wife : HELGA. from the comic strip.

65. Chase, as flies : SHAG

66. Flit : DART

67. Lazybones : IDLER

Down:

1. Like accurate hockey shots : ON GOAL

2. Street performer’s stand : SOAP BOX

3. All at once, as a payment : LUMP SUM

4. Tip jar addition : ONE

5. Star Magazine stars : CELEBs

6. Clarinet cousin : OBOE

7. Formal orders : DECREEs

8. Palindromic constellation : ARA

9. Letters on a Cardinal cap : STL. A baseball cap.

10. Fall heavily : PLOP

11. Last letter in June, e.g. : SILENT E

12. Keys that may be tickled : IVORIES

13. Bright wraps : SERAPES

19. Fashion’s Chanel : COCO. №5 was her biggest fragrance.

21. Fork point : PRONG. No tine this time.

24. Vast body of water : OCEAN

26. Pickle brand with a stork mascot : VLASIC. With a Groucho delivery.

27. To boot : ALSO

30. Revered Mother : TERESA

34. Football’s Favre : BRETT. Maybe retired?

36. At the peak of : ATOP

38. Irritate : ANNOY

39. Braced (oneself), as for a challenge : STEELED

40. Mythical box opener : PANDORA

41. Like many '60s -'70s protesters : ANTI-WAR

43. Energy drink with a bovine logo : RED BULL

45. Wyoming tribe : ARAPAHO. Close allies of the Cheyenne tribe and loosely aligned with the Sioux. Arapaho is an Algonquian language. (Wiki.)

46. Washington’s river : POTOMAC. Washington threw a dollar across the Potomac but a dollar went a lot farther in those days.

48. Tall-tale teller : LIAR. Too harsh. Let's just say embellisher.

49. GM tracking service : ONSTAR

50. “C’mon already!” : "LET'S GO!"

55. Cheep digs? : NEST. Out on a limb?

57. Yen : URGE

60. Energy, in feng shui : CHI

61. British ref. work : OED. (Oxford English Dictionary)

62. French designer’s monogram : YSL. (Yves Saint Laurent)

Answer grid.

Argyle

Sunday, July 8th 2012, David Steinberg

Theme: Got Milk? or The Famous Crossword Cookie

Our friend the Oreo is such a staple of crossword fare that it's fun to see it given center-stage and the star of the show. All six theme answers have OREO contained within them, and to spice things up a little (if you can have a spicy milk cookie?) each OREO stands alone with no crosses.

18A. One dealing with spirits : LIQUOR STORE OWNER

29A. Tony Award won four times by Tommy Tune : BEST CHOREOGRAPHY

90A. 1983 World Series champs : BALTIMORE ORIOLES

107A. Spanish saint who wrote the encyclopedic "Etymologiae" :
ISIDORE OF SEVILLE

46D. Removed by hand, in a way : TORE OUT

48D. Put up points against : SCORE ON

Hi everyone, Steve here coming off the bench for C.C. I'm really torn about this theme - I saw there was something odd about the grid when I noticed the sets of four lights with no crosses, but it took some time for the penny to drop. The payoff seemed a little meager though - just six theme answers in total and what seemed to me to be a lot of scrappy fill around them.

Having said that, I did enjoy dealing with something unusual, and some of the fill really was a delight. As a bonus, this is a pangram.

Let's have a look at the rest of the solution:

Across:

1. "The Godfather" actor : CAAN

5. Furry '80s fad items : CHIA PETS. I'd have described these as more grassy or mossy than furry

13. Protest of a kind : FAST

17. Gymnast Korbut : OLGA

19. "Kinsey" star Neeson : LIAM

20. "That dress is perfect!" : ITS SO YOU! I've used this myself, sometimes just to get out of the store!

21. It may be uncharted : ISLE

22. Korea divider, briefly : D.M.Z. The Demilitarized Zone is about 2 miles wide and runs east-west across the country at Latitude 38N, or the 38th Parallel in popular parlance.

23. Anti-apartheid org. : A.N.C. Nelson Mandela's party, the African National Congress, which has taken the majority vote in every post-apatheid election, the first being in 1994.

24. Outing that includes birding : NATURE WALK. My friend Heidi and I had a nature walk of our own this morning up to the Hollywood sign - it's a pretty good hike. Here's a view you rarely see of the back of the sign from the top of the hill:

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

32. Postwar British leader : ATTLEE. Clem Attlee won a huge majority victory over Winston Churchill in the 1945 election (Churchill replaced him again in 1951) In hindsight, it seems extraordinary that a leader of Churchill's stature could lose an election only two months after the hostilities in Europe ended and the Allies were still at war with Japan. King George VI ("The King's Speech") was reportedly not happy with the result, and when Attlee went to the King with the traditional request for permission to form a Government, neither man spoke for some time. Finally Attlee said to the King - "I've won the election" to get the reply "I know, I heard it on the news".

33. Peach or plum : HUE

36. National Soccer Hall of Famer since 1993 : PELE. Also the Hawaii'an Volcano Goddess, leaving some soccer-mad middle-school pupils confused.

38. Cold War enemy, informally : RED RUSSIA

43. Prereqs for some Harvard applicants : L-SATS. The Law School Admission Test.

45. One looking for stars : TALENT SCOUT

47. Flies across the Atlantic? : TSETSES. I don't think I've ever seen this pluralized before, one always seems bad enough.

49. Caspian country : IRAN

50. Hawaiian coffee region : KONA. I think Pele drank Kona coffee?

51. Volcano output : EJECTA. Oh - a themelet here - Pele and Kona, now Ejecta! This was new to me, I fiddled around with MAGMA and LAVA and variations thereof. Needed the crosses for this one.

53. Made a touchdown : ALIT

54. Timecard abbr. : HRS. Overtime Hours are nice!

55. Vel attachment? : CRO

56. __ Bora: Afghan region : TORA

60. Marge Simpson's mother-in-law : MONA

61. Foofaraw : ADO

62. Harley-Davidson's NYSE symbol : HOG. New to me - I like this!

63. All-in-one Apple : iMAC

64. City SSW of Moscow : OREL. The town was named after the former Dodgers Hall-Of-Fame baseball pitcher Orel Hershiser. No wait - I've been reading too much Wikipedia!

65. __ Tin Tin : RIN

66. Old comm. giant : I.T.T. Still going, but no longer the communications giant it once was.

67. The Sunni, e.g. : SECT

68. Pointed : ACUATE

71. Mideast pooh bah : EMIR

72. Small combo : TRIO

73. Equitably divided : PRO RATA

76. Survey an enemy position : RECONNOITER, My word of the day.

79. Rhett's last words : A DAMN

80. Fine-tune : CALIBRATE

84. Tenn. neighbor : N.CAR.

85. Gym safety item : MAT

86. What a criminal might be on? : THE LAM

88. Aptly named shaving lotion : AFTA

93. Miner's dream : MOTHER LODE

97. College sr.'s challenge : G.R.E. Before you take the LSTAT you need to make sure your pass your Graduate Record Examination

98. Classic Jaguar : XKE. Better known as the "E-Type". Here's a lovely example in British Racing Green. Wait 'til I win the Lotto!

I did have an XJS myself, but sadly I needed a Lotto win to afford to keep it on the road, so now I just have the photo-memories:

100. "Hi, sailor!" : AHOY. Very cute clue and answer!

101. Up and running : ON STREAM

106. Lawn liming target : ACID

108. Leader after Mao : DENG

109. Mete (out) : DOLE

110. More spirited : FEISTIER

111. Sommer of Berlin : ELKE

Down:

1. Hardly friendly : COLD

2. Out on __ : A LIMB

3. Visually rapt : AGAZE

4. '60s theater, briefly : NAM

5. Lock up : CLINCH

6. Ones trying to get picked up : HITCHERS. Not one of my favorites - Hitchhikers, surely?

7. Stanford-Binet nos. : IQs Who knew? Not me!

8. It borders It. : AUS. I've skied from Austria to Italy, and back. For some strange reason, you don't need a passport when you criss-cross the borders between France, Italy, Switzerland and Austria on skis.

9. Cutesy-__ : POO

10. Mock tail? : ERY

11. 1992 presidential also-ran : TSONGAS. If I ever knew Paul Tsaongas, I'd completely forgotten about him. Thank you, crosses.

12. Scottish royal family : STUARTS

13. Texter's hedge : FWIW. For What it's Worth, I thought this was something else, IMHO.

14. Looped handle : ANSA

15. Move, as merchandise : SELL

16. "Star __" : TREK

23. When many retire : AT TEN. That's way past my bedtime.

25. Jacques of "Jour de Fête" : TATI. Funniest Frenchman ever, although you might argue that's not saying a great deal.

26. Cramming, say : UP LATE. At least Five after Ten.

27. Scoreboard initials : RHE. I'd love to tell you what this means, but I have no idea, and I watch ESPN 24/7

28. Lace place : EYELET. Really?

30. Burglar's undoing : SILENT ALARM

33. Experiences : HAS

34. Jeep or Land Rover, briefly : UTE

35. Mountain road feature : ESS

36. Room with a sofa : PARLOR

37. "Seinfeld" role : ELAINE

39. 13th/14th-century German mystic : ECKHART

40. Desperate : DO OR DIE

41. Talks and talks : RUNS ON

42. Tony winner Hagen : UTA

44. Word with analysis or significance : STATISTICAL. Loved this one. It's not often you see a "word with" clue where you've got a 12-letter word as the answer.

45. Italian lover's coo : TI AMO

51. Very spicy fare : EROTICA. This was my final fill, I just could not get away from thinking about food (Food!)

52. Slow equine pace : JOG-TROT

55. Bell : CHIMER

57. Mario Puzo novel : OMERTA

58. More likely to be R-rated : RACIER

59. One playing a part : ACTOR

69. "I don't believe it" : CAN'T BE

70. Remote insert : AA CELL

71. Tarzan creator's monogram : E.R.B. I live close to Tarzana, a town in the San Fernando Valley named for Edgar Rice Burrough's hero.

73. Cooking spray : PAM

74. Old vitamin bottle letters : R.D.A. Recommended Daily Amount. I suppose it must be called something else now, given that the clue says "old".

75. Meal starter? : OAT. I had EAT! first.

77. 7 on the Beaufort scale : NEAR GALE. I love the Beaufort Scale names. "Cap'n, it's blowing a Near Gale out there!" "Really? I was expecting Fresh Gale. Wake me if it looks like a Strong Gale, and take down the mainsail the second you feel a Whole Gale or we'll lose the mainmast"

78. How ballerinas dance : ON TOE. No, sorry, this one just doesn't work for me.

81. Violist's clef : ALTO. I recall some rather feisty discussions about clefs a few months ago.

82. Fired : LAID OFF

83. Colossal : IMMENSE

87. Laugh syllable : HAR

89. Not so flexible : FIRMER

91. Word relative : EXCEL

92. Short-legged lizard : SKINK. How I knew this I have no idea, I'm sure I've never knowingly seen a skink. I've seen lots of lizards, just never stopped to measure their legs.

93. Inn employee : MAID

94. Quite : OH SO

95. Labor : TOIL

96. University of Chicago site __ Park : HYDE

99. Sphere's lack : EDGE

102. Cinque e uno : SEI

103. Man cave staples : TV'S

104. Slowing, on a score: Abbr. : RIT. "Ritardando"

105. Member of The Whiffenpoofs : ELI

106. Soft drink ending : ADE

Answer grid.

And a soft blog ending from me. Hope you all have a great Sunday, be safe and see you all soon.