Saturday, Jul 21st, 2012, Bruce Venzke

Theme: None

Words: 66

Blocks: 35

PHEW~! - Thank God for DWEEBS~! It's the word that gave me a chance....then, one letter at a time, I had just enough to go back and literally piece together this challenge from Mr. Venzke - and I had a premonition we were due for one from Bruce. Two brilliant sets of triple-stacked grid spanners today, which is visually intimidating, to say the least ~!

1A. Steve Irwin wildlife documentary series, with "The" : CROCODILE HUNTER - Crikey~! Just could not recall the name of the show - all I remembered was his shocking death from a stingray barb

16A. It may involve a step : AEROBIC EXERCISE - I had SPIRAL STAIRCASE here, and the -C-SE at the end was good enough to get going....



17A. Senator, perhaps : STATE LEGISLATOR - considered --- ORATOR early on

54A. Valuable floor coverings? : SUNKEN TREASURES - The floor of the sea, that is; wooden ships run aground (or "a-reef"), spilling their treasure all over the bottom so that future vacationing divers have something to look for....

57A. Questionable prospects : UNCERTAIN FUTURE - can I get rich finding sunken treasure~?

58A. Some evaluations : PEER ASSESSMENTS - it's how we graded our Home Inspection tests this past winter

Onward, my lexeme liberators~!

ACROSS:

18. Hoppers : BINS - Ah, not ROOs or Rabbits; the container-type "bin"

19. Lummoxes : LOUTS

20. You might encounter a jam in one : AUTO

21. Luanda is its cap. : ANGola, Africa - map

22. The Keydets of the Big South Conf. : VMI - Virginia Military Institute - more here

23. Constellation near Virgo : LEO - image - one of those "can't be, too easy, but I'll try it" clue/ answers; considered ARA, but that constellation is near Scorpio

24. Rainbow features : HUES - I didn't think it would be ARCs, so after some pondering....

26. "Glee" extras : TEENS - never watched the show, but I know the premise - and TEENS was not my first thought....

28. Old Dodge : DART - Not OMNI, or NEON

29. Williams of "Bathing Beauty" : ESTHER

31. Get fouled up : GO AWRY

33. Addl. : AUXiliary

34. Blow smoke : LIE - and it's usually directed here

35. Pet store swimmers : TETRAS

38. Cab Calloway's signature line : HI-DE-HO - I know this from the "Blues Brothers"

41. 1891 title mother of an infant named Sorrow : TESS - a summary, here

42. One who doesn't stay put : NOMAD

44. Investor's purchase : BOND

46. Scrub sites, briefly : ORs - Operating Rooms

47. Kids usually don't want to hear them : NOs - Growing up in my house it was "We'll see...", and my mother would hope my brother and I would "forget" what we wanted

48. Month after avril : MAI - Le Freunche

49. Butter-yielding tree : SHEA - ah, I know of shea butter, did not know it was from a tree

51. Keep an __ the ground : EAR TO - "one eye on the road/price upon his head/one ear to the ground/he's listening to the dead" - song; @ 0:51

53. Items from drawers? : CELS - draw-ers, those who draw cels, animation elements

DOWN:

1. African landmark near the Mediterranean : CASBAH - someone else can link the song - not my thing

2. Entourage : RETINUE

3. Juicy fruit : ORANGES - well, that they are~!

4. Barracks lineup : COTS - not Barrack's line up

5. Brit. award : OBE - Order of the British Empire - my aunt and cousin are visiting from Nottingham, England this week - they spent quite a lot of time helping clean up the yard - then again, were I to go there, I would love to build them a deck~!

6. Parsley family herb : DILL

7. Freeze : ICE OVER

8. Lentil, for one : LEGUME - had it, took it out for my "staircase", brought it back with the 'crocodile hunter'

9. Like some traffic : EXITING - if only it was ALL exiting....

10. British pianist Dame Myra __ : HESS

11. Address letters : URL

12. Bracketology org. : NCAA - College hoops, basketball - more on 'bracketology' here

13. Like figureheads : TITULAR - as in title, only - but hey, go ahead and get DF, my friends~! Dennis, Lois, anyone? Bueller? DF for the guys

14. Abstruse stuff : ESOTERY - good words; try working one into your day today....

15. Establish a fresh foothold : RE-ROOT - several times this puzzle, I would say

25. Ballpark figures : STATS

26. Janis Joplin or Scott Joplin : TEXAN - a WAG from -E-AN; Janis you might know; Scott was a ragtime composer - there's a link to "Maple Leaf" on the right, here

27. All muscle : SOLID

28. Social misfit : DWEEB - well, I suppose I am a dweeb, by this definition

30. Ben-__ : HUR - Classic Hollywood - what year? (before my time) - IMDb

32. Developing country's need : AID

35. Founder of Sunnybank Kennels : TERHUNE - Albert Payson - learning moment for me; I was watching a science show that said Collies are the smartest of all dogs (training-wise, I think)

36. Scent : ESSENCE

37. Recital pieces : SONATAS

38. Gets a move on : HASTENS

39. Big hit : HOME RUN

40. Ready : ON ALERT

41. Tough decision for a bettor : TOSS-UP

43. Title professor in a Mitch Albom best-seller : MORRIE - the Wiki - another learning moment

45. Puts down : DISSES - Slang; to "dis" someone is to show them disrespect

50. Oslo's river : AKER - huh - all I could find was Akerselva, and not much luck finding a map that called it that

51. Middle-earth creatures : ENTs - "Even the %^&*~! trees walked" - LOTR "dis" - strong language from Clerks II

52. Lummoxes : OAFS

53. Like a button? : CUTE - as in "Cute as a Button"

55. Internet __ : ERA

56. Cartesian conclusion : SUM - Latin, "I am", and some philosophy here

Answer grid.

Splynter

Friday, July 20, 2012, David Steinberg

Theme: No meat, no fish, no fowl!

It is Friday and we do not have a simple add letter(s) theme but one where words are subtracted. Each of the theme answers are common phrases in which the last word is left off the answer. Each of those words refer to something we carnivores eat. Our herbivore unifier tells us the rest of the story. This is a return to Friday for the precocious middle schooler who debuted on a Friday in February. A very different puzzle today, so let us get to it. Maybe I can adopt him.

17A. Calm and kind : AS GENTLE AS A.LAMB.(11) How can we eat these babies? In a stew, chops?

24A. Earn a living : BRING HOME THE BACON (12). Not this ONE.

37A. Completely different situation : ANOTHER KETTLE OF FISH.(15) We stopped using kettles to cook our fish a long time ago, but the phrase lives on. A derivative of A FINE KETTLE.

48A. Suddenly stopping : QUITTING COLD TURKEY. (12) That is how I stopped smoking, This rather common phrase has its origin in what happens to the skin of a heroin addict who quits without any drug help. You should watch this incredible PERFORMANCE (2:22).

and the unifier

59A. Ones responsible for what's missing from certain puzzle answers? : VEGETARIANS.(11) Aren't they really the inspiration of the puzzle? Well, let us see what else in David's back pack.

Across:

1. Throw : FLING. So many words for throw, will have to wait....

6. Capts.' inferiors : SGTS. Hmm, a bit un-pc as while they may be subordinates, I doubt many would think they are inferior.

10. Homeric outburst? : DOH. The GREEK Simpson connection.

13. Honolulu hangout : LANAI. Nice alliteration for this popular breezy tropical building.

14. Toiletry product endorsed by pitcher Mariano Rivera : ARRID. Really obscure for anyone but a Yankee fan. Extra Dry.

16. Great ___ : APE. Did you think of this MOVIE? (1:59).

19. Era units: Abbr. : YRS.

20. Bygone AT&T rival : GTE. General Telephone and Electric.

21. Heady quaffs : GROGS. When is talk like a pirate day? Is this where the word groggy comes from?

22. Utah landscape features : MESAS. Why Utah? Why not?

26. Algebra subject : MATRIX. Obviously from someone still in school; Alge is the one bra most do not like. Also, 67A. Graph lines : X AXES.

29. Posting often seen in a window : MENU. Okay drop down and give me 50 push ups.

30. ___ Goldfinger: 007 enemy : AURIC. MUSIC. (1:04).

31. Suva is its capital : FIJI. The island home of Vijay Singh.

34. Code letters : DNA.

41. Farm enclosure : STY.

42. Movie mogul Marcus : LOEW. We had this MAN recently.

43. Insight provider? : HONDA. The old car name switcheroo. Are we in accord this is a prelude to more of this type of deception?

44. Schoolyard comeback : AM SO. Am not!

47. Like some Latin nouns : NEUTER. If a word is not masculine, or feminine it is not sexless it is THIS.Test on Tuesday.

53. "I'm all ears!" : ASK ME.

54. Sister of Terpsichore : ERATO. One of the amusing muses.

55. NASDAQ or NYSE : MKT.

58. Thumb in folklore : TOM. Also in the circus.

62. Santa ___ : ANA.

63. Florida wader : EGRET. Damn, Jason fit! Is it okay to have this bird because we do not often eat them?

64. TV spot seller : AD REP.

65. Bug-eyed TV dog : REN. Are he and Stimpy making a comeback? He looks kinda like Siciliano.

66. Unpleasant, as details : GORY. Well, it is not that unpleasant.

Down:

1. Hail, with "down" : FLAG. A passing motorist for help.

2. Far from the front : LAST.

3. 1953 Pulitzer-winning playwright : INGE. I had him last week for BUS STOP, but he got the prize for PICNIC.

4. Highland denial : NAE.

5. Newt with a large vocabulary : GINGRICH. If he had been able to get his mitts on as many votes as he gets puzzle nods, oops, no politics.

6. Dryer place : SALON. Not the desert, not the laundry room, the beauty parlor.

7. Shorthand pioneer : GREGG. Shorthand was supposedly invented by a slave of Cicero's trying to keep up with his verbose master.

8. Give one star, say : TRASH.

9. Family nickname : SIS. Not in my family, my brothers would have beaten me badly.

10. Non-dorm resident : DAY STUDENT. I was one for seven years.

11. Queen of Talk : OPRAH. Not lately.

12. State bordering Thuringia : HESSE. German states. LINK. KZ?

15. "Kickboxer" actor Jean-Claude Van ___ : DAMME. Did you fall in this Von Trapp?

18. Rabbit's food? : TRIX. Can we mention rabbits? So soon after Bunny Slope? We eat them you know.

23. Bard's time of day : EEN. Evening?

24. Brolly carrier : BRIT. Umbrella.

25. Forget to mention : OMIT. Oops I forgot to mention....

26. Barnyard bleats : MAAS. Baa.

27. Family gathering visitor : AUNT.

28. Super Bowl XXVII MVP : TROY AIKMAN. I was at the Rose Bowl for this one.

31. Do that's picked, briefly : FRO. Afro needed to be shortened?

32. Much-liked prez : IKE. Damn more politics.

33. Yeshiva student : JEW. Damn more politics.

35. Botanical knot : NODE. Ooh, ooh. I knowed that one.

36. Way in the distance : AFAR. The end is nearing.

38. Morlock prey : ELOI. Hi H.G, hope you are Well(s).

39. 2012 animated movie promoted by IHOP : THE LORAX. Did you all see this MOVIE? (2:33).

40. Clamorous : LOUD. Yes the movie did seem loud.

45. "Rhoda" production co. : MTM. Mary Tyler Moore. The show which gave us Julie Kavner.

46. Forbes, for one : STEVE. No ezine, just a guy. Damn more politics.

47. "___ chance!" : NOT A.

48. Country once known for pearl diving : QATAR. "Cutter."

49. East Coast rte. : US ONE. From Maine to Key West, and one block east of casa limon.

50. Part of UNCF : NEGRO. United Negro College Fund.

51. "Madame Curie" star Garson : GREER. Don't you love HATS (2:09).

52. Like some gossip : CATTY. For all of our feline fanatics, why?

55. "Those are my principles. If you don't like them I have others" speaker : MARX. Brother what an obscure quotation from Groucho.

56. Joint with a cap : KNEE. Punchline: What is an ugly joint like you doing in a beautiful girl like this?

57. Baker's amts. : TSPS.

60. It's legal to poach one : EGG. Great clue; do young people even know what illegal poaching is?

61. Pocatello's st. : IDAho. Not me. Ida know it is time to go.

Answer grid.

The weeks fly by, and I say bye bye. Thanks David and all you out in the Corner

Lemonade out.

Thursday, July 19, 2012 John Lampkin

Theme: Race ya! What a treat to blog a JL puzzle. He is always a treat to solve, and this one was no exception. Plus, his pictures are a sight to behold!

17A. *New skier's area : BUNNY SLOPE. HA!! Nailed this one (although it has been many decades since I have used one...) Let's LOPE along to the next one:


38A. *Hug : EMBRACE. HUGS!! My specialty, and my heart RACEs when I do JL crossword puzzles!

59A. *Freebie from the hygienist : TOOTHBRUSH. I just went to the dentist last week, and not only did I get a free TOOTHBRUSH, but I got some dental floss and mouthwash "for free". (Only a $185 bill, but they really were "free", right???). (Did I get the Bum's RUSH?)

11D. *Small collectible : OBJET D'ART. There are some in this famous painting. You can DART out to do some shopping using the Dallas Area Rapid Transit!

33D. *Paper for the paper : NEWSPRINT. Defined as a "low-cost, non-archival paper". SPRINT is also a telephone company...wonder why they named it that?

And the unifier is split between
1A. See 67-Across: RUN
and
67-Across. With 1-Across, a football play, or an apt description of what's hidden in the last part of the answer to each starred clue : END.

So, we have an END RUN. At the ENDs of the starred clues, we have various forms of "RUN". Right now, I feel as if I were running on empty, but I will try to explain the rest of the entries...

Thursday and Marti here. Whoo boy! When I saw John Lampkin's name on this one, I knew we were in for a fun RUN! So let's see what else he served up for us.

Across:

4. A loose one may activate the "Check engine" light : GAS CAP. Deja Vu, Anony-Mouse???

10. Home of the Mongolian wild ass : GOBI. I'd be an ass if I didn't link these guys.

14. One of the Gabors : EVA. With Eddie Albert, priceless!

15. Rocket sound : WHOOSH

16. Clutch hitter's stat : RBIS. "Runs Batted InS"

19. Resort near Ventura : OJAI. In California.

20. Weather-affecting current : EL NINO. It is a "quasiperiodic climate pattern that occurs across the tropical Pacific Ocean roughly every five years." Sounds like something Sheldon would say on TBBT...

21. Judicial hearing : INQUEST

23. Apply, as healing hands : LAY ON

24. Loser's demand : RECOUNT

26. Doozy : BEAUT. This was a doozy of a puzzle!

28. Interfere : MEDDLE

31. Undoing : BANE. It was almost he BANE of my existence! But, I "got it" in the end...

34. Chatted via MSN Live Messenger : IMED. Instant MessagED.

36. Amer. help to allies : U.S. AID

37. Savored a serving of : ATE. With a clecho at 45A. Serve a serving of : DISH UP

40. Country mail service : RFD. Rural Federal Delivery. (Correction: It is Rural Free Delivery.)

41. Lose-lose : NO WIN

43. Landers and Richards : ANNS

44. "Boston Legal" extra: Abbr. : ATTY. Attorney. Or a Crossword Corner extra in our own Lemonade714.

47. Etcher's etchers : ACIDS

49. Teaching story : PARABLE

51. Covent Garden staging : OPERA. The Royal Opera House at the Covent Garden. Starting Friday, you can see "Metamorphosis:Titian 2012". Not an opera, but a unique collaboration.

55. Nouveau riche : PARVENU. In English, literally "come by".

57. Chalk cube's target : CUE TIP. Lois, you use chalk on your tips?

58. "That's ___!": "No way!" : A LIE

62. Actress Anderson : LONI. Now, that's ageless!

63. Put on a throne : ENSEAT

64. Vox populi, vox ___ : DEI. "The voice of the people is the voice of G-d"

65. Baltic resident : LETT

66. Intimidates : DAUNTS


Down:

1. Fight against authority : REBEL


2. Throat projection : UVULA. That little thing-y that hangs down in the back of your throat when you say "Aahhhh".

3. One with charges : NANNY. Fun clue!

4. Fred of "The Munsters" : GWYNNE. I typed in "g-w-y-n..." and then just kept going!

5. "Oh, of course!" : AH SO

6. Costa del ___ : SOL. Resort area in Spain.

7. Squab's sound : COO. I'll send you the bill...

8. Jelly used in molds : ASPIC. I can't top King Crimson from yesterday! But what cat could resist BFF Tuna and Salmon in Aspic? (At eight dollars A CAN???)

9. Wunderkind : PHENOM

10. Keepers keep them : GROUNDS. Great clue!

12. Journalist's concern : BIAS. I wanted "Fact" at first. But that is not a concern, it is a "need". Beware the crossword clue word!

13. "Really?" : IS IT?

18. Mythical weeper : NIOBE. Sad story here. She lost 7 daughters and 7 sons, and wept until she turned to stone...

22. Line : QUEUE. I always loved that word.

24. Cuban 35-Down : RUMBA. and 35 Down. Twist, for one : DANCE

25. Like the minutes before recess, seemingly : ETERNAL. Or, like the minutes before 5:00 on Friday...

27. Sight : AIM

29. Boost : LIFT

30. Fly fisherman's concern : EDDY. Like this.3:53 Wonderful moment in film!

31. Cigar collectible : BAND. Really? People actually collect these?

32. Yours, in Tours : A TOI. French. Sorry, Abejo!

38. Make used (to) : ENURE

39. CBS drama since 2000 : CSI. Crime Scene Investigation. Not one of my favs...

42. "Oh, of course!" : I HAVE IT. "I got it" was too short.

44. According to : AS PER

46. Reacted after a race : PANTED. After this theme, you had me panting, John L. !!

48. Second thoughts : DOUBTS

50. "___ sera": Luigi's "Good evening" : BUONA. I always thought it was "buena"...

52. Scriabin piano piece : ETUDE. Yay! Music! 2:30 Interesting and "quirky" Russian composer.

53. Up : RISEN

54. Ladybug's lunch : APHID. I love seeing ladybugs in my rose garden. Such eco-friendly pesticides!

55. Gloomy covering : PALL. At Murphy's funeral, Danny got drunk and tripped over the casket and broke his leg. Threw a pall on the whole evening!

56. Flowering succulent : ALOE. Allo, crossword friend!

57. Chinwag : CHAT. New def for me.

60. The Beavers of the Pac-12 : OSU. Oregon State University. Football. They are 19-11, only behind UCLA and Arizona.

61. Pin in the back : TEN. Bowling pin. I bet Boomer never misses that one!

Answer grid.

See y'all next Thursday!

Hugs,
Marti

From C.C.:

Here is beautiful picture from John Lampkin. He said:

"This pic may be appropriate for 54 down. It is a beetle larva consuming an adult aphid. It's adult because it has wings. Most aphids we see are larvae and lack wings. Aphids are at the bottom of the food chain and are a crucial part of the diet of many insects. Larvae such as this beetle consume an average of 17 aphids each day, according to one study. For more about aphids and how they are "born pregnant," see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphid"

Wednesday, July 18, 2012 Patti Varol

Theme: YOUR SPYING EYES. The first part of each theme answer [identified with an *] is a word from the title of a recent movie based on a classic spy novel from 1974. These four words, in order, each representing a line of work, complete the title: TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY. In the story, the British secret agent called out of retirement for this adventure is George Smiley, played by Gary Oldman in the movie. Spying is a dangerous business, but it's his *.

18A. *"Peter Pan" pixie : TINKERBELL. Of course, the tiny winged lady from Neverland. Once upon a time, a TINKER plied the now obsolete trade of mending household utensils. This lost itinerant profession dates back to at least the 13th century. Hence the verb "tinker" meaning to fiddle around with something. This is the only clue in which the root word has a different meaning in the answer and the title, in case you give a tinker's dam.

24A. *Not mass-produced : TAILORMADE. What does a TAILOR make? Clothing. But the phrase is loosely applied to anything not off-the-shelf.

52A. *1962 Shirelles hit : SOLDIER BOY. A soldier is a trained professional killer, prepared to go to war, any time, anywhere. Here is the song - twelve years older than the novel. It sounds pretty awful now.

61A. *Hand-held telescopes : SPYGLASSES. These aren't used exclusively by spies, and are unlikely to give you x-ray vision, but do allow you to espy something at a distance. So maybe the root word is a little different in answer and title. Hmmm.

And the centrally-placed unifier -
39A. Author of the 1974 novel found in the starts of the starred answers : LE CARRE. British novelist David John Moore Cornwell uses the pen name John le Carré. I don't know why.

Hi gang, JazzBumpa here. I've never been good at espionage, but I do enjoy a good story. Let's see where this one takes us.

Down Across [D'OH!]:

1. It's found in bars : SOAP. Clever, and not the kind of bar I was imagining. But I'm indulging myself with a little Ole George Rye whiskey from right here in MI.

5. Bear in a kid's tale : PAPA. Along with mama, baby, orts, broken furniture, and some annoying little girl.

9. Savory gelatin : ASPIC. Tasty!

14. Troubadour's instrument : LUTE. Also capable of some serious music. Here is my favorite example.

15. Chapters in time : ERAS. The LUTE'S ERA was the 16th century.

16. In sorrier shape : WORSE.

17. French political unit : ETAT. A state. I was expecting a party or movement.

20. Charles Schwab competitor : E-TRADE. It's a fool's game.

22. Like morning grass : DEWY. But not if the overnight low is above the dew point. We are having a drought.

23. Belfry dweller : BAT.

26. Rips off : CONS. Purveys a fool's game.

27. "Leave me alone!" : SHOO. Away, thou perveyor!

28. Sturdy : SOLID.

30. Bookie's venue, briefly : O T B. Off Track Betting. An even bigger fool's game.

33. Den seating : SOFA. I'm sitting on one now, with my lap top on top of my lap.

36. Indian megalopolis : DELHI. Probably not the best place to go for salami.

38. California's Marina __ Rey : DEL. Wikipedia tells me this is a seaside unincorporated area in Los Angeles County, with a population of almost 9000.

41. Lengthy time : EON.

42. Treats with disdain : SNUBS.

44. Web page button : HOME. There's no place like web page button.

45. They often involve three infielders: Abbr. : DP'S. Baseball! A Double Play results when a ball in play leads to two outs, usually involving the batter and a runner already on base. We won't talk about tonight's Tigers game.

46. "I __ hug!" : NEED A. Not quite a cure all, but it helps. Especially after a 13-0 loss.

48. Island off Tuscany : ELBA. Able was I when I sussed this fill.

51. Take digs at : GIBE.

58. Drunk-skunk link : AS A. A hazard of over-indulging in Ole George, perhaps.

59. Evening in Roma : SERA. I did not know this. So - does Que sera sera mean "What happens in the evening stays in the evening"

60. From A to Z : ENTIRE. A little roll reversal with "A to Z" in the clue instead of the fill.

64. Brainchild : IDEA.

65. Most writing : PROSE. Or, in my case, illegible.

66. Capital on a fjord : OSLO.

67. Religious faction : SECT.

68. Logical : SOUND. That's reasonable.

69. Lunch time, often : NOON.

70. Clucks of disapproval : TSKS. Comic book style.

Down:

1. Wintry fall : SLEET. Sounds like calendar confusion, but it's frozen rain fall.

2. "__ my way!" : OUTTA. No easy way to indicate this irregular slangy variant. Required some perp help.

3. Arcade pioneer : ATARI. And X-word stalwart.

4. Potpourri pieces : PETALS. Flower detritus.

5. Ballplayer with the autobiography "My Prison Without Bars" : PETE ROSE. Great player with a bit of a problem.

6. Onassis, familiarly : ARI. Aristotle to you and me.

7. "Giant" bear : PANDA. Big and cute. Actually not a bear. But watch out, 'cuz he eats, shoots and leaves.

8. Did something appealing? : ASKED. Now this is a bit twee. A request is an appeal. Do you find it appealing?

9. Off the mark : AWRY. "The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men gang aft agley." Would it be wry or AWRY of me to again refer to rye?

10. Weep and wail : SOB. Listen to that S O B whine!

11. Like packaged kielbasa : PRE-BOILED. This seems like something made up, since PARBOILED was AWRY. We have BOILED lots of kielbasa in our kitchen over the years.

12. Explore all of Hawaii, say : ISLAND HOP. Make a stop on each island. Strangely, I googled "Hawaiian Island Hopping"and found this. Go figure. I think her name is Sandy.

13. Old Irish : CELTS. The ancient Greeks called them the Keltoi, but this was probably before they wandered over to Ireland. Keltic peoples inhabited a great swatch of Europe in the late centuries B.C.

19. Flock mothers : EWES. You should feel sheepish if you didn't suss this one.

21. Slap-on-the-head cry : D'OH! I believe this originated with Homer Simpson.

25. Freeloader : MOOCH. One who wants something for nothing, or borrows with no intention of paying back. You know the type.

26. Indians, scoreboard-style : CLE. The Cleveland-based American League team. Yep - more baseball.

29. Keats verse : ODE. To a Nightingale, To Autumn, On a Grecian Urn - take your pick, and Cf. 57D.

30. Pigs out (on), briefly : OD'S. Over-Doses. Trivializing something seriously dangerous.

31. One involved with rackets : TENNIS PRO. True in a strictly literal sense. I wanted bankers and brokers.

32. "Where the folks are fine / And the world is mine," in a Linda Ronstadt hit : BLUE BAYOU. It's OK by me if it's OK by you.

34. Toy store __ Schwarz : F.A.O. Or did they go out of business?

35. Piece-keeping? : ARMED. Clever. A weapon is called a "piece." Keep one and your armed. And arms were sometimes called peace-keepers. Pretty convoluted.

37. Personal connections : INS. I've always been an outsider.

39. '60s hallucinogen : LSD. LySergic Acid Diethylamide. Dangerous stuff.

40. Has confidence in : RELIES ON.

43. Spelling contest : BEE.

47. Far from land : ASEA. A dreaded A-word, here used in its literal sense.

49. London's Big __ : BEN. It's a really big clock. Does anybody really know what time it is?

50. Gallery exhibitor : ARTIST.

51. Short breaths : GASPS.

53. Hollywood's Welles : ORSON. He brought us The War of the Worlds.

54. Wrangler's gear : LASSO. Aka lariat, AKA riata Anyway - it's a rope.

55. Waits : BIDES. Just bidin' my time.

56. Electrolux rival : ORECK. Our old Hoover is a wreck.

57. Nobel-winning Irish poet : YEATS. Just one letter away from Keats, but I don't think he wrote many odes.

59. Winter coaster : SLED

62. "Deal or No Deal" channel : GSN. Game Show Network. I had to look this up, and now will studiously avoid it.

63. "Xanadu" rock gp. : ELO Electric Light Orchestra. Well, I guess we have time to espy one more link. [No, not kielbasa.]

Answer grid.

OK, gang - we're back from our mission, safe and SOUND. But I'd still be on the lookout for moles.

Cool regards!
JzB

Tuesday, July 17, 2012 Jim Peredo & Jeff Chen

Theme: Abigail Adams need not apply - Four entries with two A's for initials, men only.

17A. Eight-time tennis Grand Slam champion : ANDRE AGASSI

24A. Yosemite environmentalist and photographer : ANSEL ADAMS

38A. "Goody Two Shoes" singer : ADAM ANT. Video(3:18)

51A. American Dance Theater founder : ALVIN AILEY. This guy. Image.

62A. Mole—and, read slightly differently, what 17-, 24-, 38- or 51-Across is : DOUBLE AGENT or DOUBLE 'A' GENT (It would seem there was a little trouble parsing, or printing, the first part of this clue. Did you have trouble?)

Argyle here and Alan Alda isn't. A couple of odd things; I started in the NW block which gave me Andrea for the start of 17-Across and a ???. Perps to the rescue. 38-Across was just the opposite; I filled in Adam Ant and never saw the word, adamant.

A little hard for a Tuesday but the perps seem to be very helpful. It was nice to see first and last names together. Not an easy thing. A debut for Jeff's partner today. See constructor's note.

Across:

1. Not very bright : STUPID. And 1D. Very bright : SMART. Clecho start!

7. Ride in new wheels, say : SPIN. Unless they're stolen, then it's a felony.

11. Tattooist's supply : INK

14. Threat : MENACE

15. Lovers' __ : LANE

16. "Pretentious? __?" : MOI

19. Unusual : ODD

20. Yank out of bed : ROUST

21. Padded footstool : OTTOMAN

23. Pear or plum : TREE

27. Parakeet's home : CAGE

29. Gridiron play also called a sweep : END RUN. No baseball today.

30. Drops on the grass : DEW

33. Steak on a stick : KEBAB

36. "Meh" : "SO-SO"

37. Doc's bloc: Abbr. : AMA. 30, 33, and 37-Across were 36A cute.

41. Env. insert : LTR. (letter)

42. Astronaut's gp. : NASA

44. Hip-hop headwear : DO-RAG. Haven't had this in awhile.

45. Drain-cleaning chemical : LYE

46. Freezer bag brand : ZIPLOC

49. Ship's slammer : BRIG

54. Quadri- doubled : OCTO. Numerical prefixes.

58. Without end : ETERNAL

59. Spirits measure : PROOF. The measure of alcohol in a liquor.

60. Means to enlightenment : ZEN

64. In days past : AGO

65. "What's more ..." : "ALSO ..."

66. Literary family name : BRONTË

67. Spitz in your lap, briefly : POM. The Pomeranian (often known as a Pom) is a breed of dog of the Spitz type.

68. River in western Belgium : YSER. Except in Belgium they call it IJser. Map.

69. __ & Hedges: British smoke : BENSON

Down:

2. Pavarotti, notably : TENOR. Three notable tenors. Link(3:57)

3. Excessive, as pressure : UNDUE

4. About 3.26 light-years : PARSEC. And I always thought it was a word made-up for Sci-Fi shows.

5. Rapper-turned-actor : ICE T

6. Anti-narcotics org. : DEA. (Drug Enforcement Administration)

7. Venetian blind parts : SLATS

8. Kindergarten adhesive : PASTE. Umm, tasty.

9. Shoe tightener : INSOLE. If you put a thicker one in your shoe than what you had, I suppose it would be tighter. Still, strange clue.

10. Upscale retailer __ Marcus : NEIMAN. A private company founded in 1907 in Dallas, TX. Ironically, they opened their own store rather than take a chance on the fledgling Coca-Cola company. Wiki link But they did alright.

11. "Can't stop me now!" : "I'M ON A ROLL!"

12. Indicate agreement : NOD

13. Kindergartner : KID

18. Like chunky milk : GONE BAD. Or real buttermilk.

22. Puts two and two together : ADDS

24. Like a prized cabernet, say : AGED

25. Affected by mold or mildew : MUSTY

26. Sound from a La-Z-Boy, perhaps : [SNORE]. La-Z-Boy = recliner chair.

28. Alias letters : AKA. (also known as)

30. Tony of "Taxi" : DANZA

31. Kind of address : EMAIL

32. Painful insect toxin : WASP VENOM

34. Latin 101 word : AMO

35. Biceps builder : BARBELL

39. Not a one : NARY

40. With "F," end-of-week cry : TGI. (Thank God It's Friday).

43. Came to earth : ALIT

47. At some point : ONE DAY

48. Christmas songs : CAROLS

50. Snake-haired she-beast : GORGON. Medusa was one of the Gorgons but was slain by Perseus.

52. Occupied : IN USE

53. Repair bill line : LABOR

55. "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" directing brothers : COENs

56. Kemo Sabe sidekick : TONTO

57. Quite a lot : OFTEN

59. Use a peeler on : PARE

60. Ray gun sound : [ZAP!]

61. Self-regard : EGO

63. Go out to sea : EBB

Answer grid.

Argyle

This just in: Constructor's Note

I came up with the idea for this puzzle one day last fall while driving. The word AGENT just popped into my brain and somehow I parsed it abnormally and it came out A-GENT. I thought I could come up with names of men whose initials were A. It wasn't until days later when the phrase DOUBLE-A GENT appeared to me, that I knew I had something.

At that point I had only been solving crossword puzzles for a few months. I'm a geocacher. I like to hide things out in the woods and have people find them based on GPS coordinates. Sometimes I like to disguise the coordinates with the use of a puzzle. Some of my puzzles are word-based, so I thought I'd try my hand at making a crossword puzzle.

In October, Jeff had a puzzle appear in the NY Times. He offered his guidance to newbie constructors and I jumped at the chance. After many, many emails (and many more) back and forth, after a lot of hand-holding and hair-pulling, (hmm, I smell a puzzle theme) he helped me whip the puzzle into shape. Jeff is a very patient teacher and I owe him a huge amount of thanks for his guidance.

This is the first puzzle I ever worked on. With Jeff's help, it became publishable. My subsequent efforts have been miss-and-hit, mostly miss. However, I am happy to say I'll be having my first solo effort appear in a, shall we say, competing publication, sometime soon.

FWIW, most of the clues for today's puzzle were changed by the editor. I'm disappointed that I wasn't able to write more on-target clues for the Tuesday audience. That's something I need to work on, I guess.

Originally, each of the theme answers was clued in such a way that they sounded nefarious (ANDRE AGASSI was "Professional racketeer?", ALVIN AILEY was "Will help you move a body?"). And actually, to begin with, I had ALDRICH AMES instead of ALVIN AILEY. Jeff felt that since he was a real-life DOUBLE AGENT, that it messed up the consistency of the puzzle. I of course, bowed to his knowledge and experience.

My other favorite clues that didn't make the cut were "They're hidden under mattresses" (SLATS), "What the weird kid eats" (PASTE), "One that's always getting stepped on" (INSOLE), and "Like a prized cabernet (or chunky milk)" (AGED).

All in all it's been a fun and rewarding experience. I hope it provided a bit of entertainment for the crosswording community. In two weeks I'll be moving to the UK with my Air Force wife, but I hope to continue this new hobby of mine, and hopefully earn some more bylines. Thank you for this opportunity.

Jim Peredo

Monday, July 16, 2012 C.C. Burnikel

Theme: By the (old) numbers - When are Roman numerals not numbers? Hic et nunc!

1A. *"Sorry to say ..." : "I FEAR ..." (1)

9A. *Peaceful hand gesture : V-SIGN (5)

18A. *Novelty glasses in comic book ads : X-RAY SPECS (10)

30A. *Yellow Brick Road creator : L. FRANK BAUM (50)

48A. *Power sources for some toys : C BATTERIES (100)

60A. *Ones with a 1.0 GPA : D STUDENTS (500)

68A. *MGM Resorts reward program : M LIFE (1,000). If you would like more information, click here.

70A. Like each starred answer's first letter, when used as a numeral : ROMAN

Adsum, sum Argyle. If you did like I did and got the unifier first, this was a relative easy solve. But still, you have to be in awe of the construction. Finding entries starting with a single letter; going 1 to 1,000, in order; maintaining normal crossword symmetry. Wow! Very Scrabbley, too. Two 11-letter risers!

Across:

6. QBs' scores : TD's. Some football but there will be more baseball, you bet.

14. Winnie-the-Pooh's creator : MILNE

15. Years and years : EON

16. Cake invitation that Alice accepted : EAT ME. Only in Wonderland, guys.

17. Spaghetti sauce brand : PREGO

20. Dry, like some Spanish wine : SECO. or Portuguese.

21. Get ready to advance after a fly ball : TAG UP. See, baseball.

22. Cereal "for kids" : TRIX. Crazy rabbit!

25. Maniacs : MADMEN. Crazy guys!

35. "__ Lama Ding Dong": doo-wop hit : RAMA. Crazy, man, crazy! They don't write like this anymore. Link(0:15)(2:30)

36. D-backs, on scoreboards : ARI. What? More baseball. Arizona Diamondbacks.

37. Hard-time crime : FELONY

38. Picked from a lineup, briefly : ID'ed. Cute pairing.

39. Manly to the max : MACHO

41. http://www.latimes.com, e.g. : URL. Internet address.

42. Tire in a trunk : SPARE

43. Suffix with refer : ENCE

44. Dali or Degas : ARTIST. A surrealist and an impressionist.

46. MLB dugout boss : MGR. Major League Baseball.

47. Raleigh's state: Abbr. : N. CAR

50. Saint of Ávila : TERESA. Born the province of Ávila, Spain.

52. Dip in the pool : SWIM

53. Baghdad native : IRAQI

57. "One day only!" event : SALE

64. Piano foot lever : PEDAL

65. "__ and the Night Visitors" : AMAHL. Christmas classic.

66. Argentine aunt : TIA. Uncle : TIO

67. Pong maker : ATARI. I wonder if Forrest Gump ever played Pong.

69. Secret agent : SPY

Down:

1. Little rascals : IMPs

2. Pull the trigger : FIRE

3. Vehicle with a charging station : ELECTRIC CAR

4. Long-haired cat : ANGORA

5. Rock's __ Speedwagon : REO. Ridin' The Storm Out(4:15) I thought this is an appropriate song to link, given all the weird weather we had this spring.

6. Schoolbook : TEXT

7. Bilingual TV cartoon explorer : DORA

8. Stocking tear : SNAG

9. Big name in scooters : VESPA

10. Patsy : SAP

11. Suffix with Israel : ITE

12. Yukon automaker : GMC. This link sort of explains the difference with Chevrolet.

13. Super __: game console : NES. (Nintendo Entertainment System)

19. "Delish!" : "YUMMY!"

23. "Inside" dope : INFO. OK, this clue didn't make sense to me. INFO is INFO, whether it is "inside" or "outside".

24. '60s-'70s Jaguar : XKE

26. Faucet trouble : DRIP

27. Classic palindrome : "MADAM, I'M ADAM"

28. Come into view : EMERGE

29. __ Raiders: consumer advocates : NADER'S. Ralph.

30. Feel sorry about : LAMENT

31. English Channel country : FRANCE

32. Book jacket passage : BLURB

33. Main blood vessel : AORTA

34. Like a dark room : UNLIT

40. In this place : HERE

42. Hearty bowlful : STEW

44. Without __ in the world : A CARE

45. Ave. crossers : ST's. Avenue/Street

49. Meet, as a challenge : RISE TO

51. Edge along : SIDLE

54. Army insects : ANTS

55. Makeup smudge remover : Q-TIP

56. "My word!" : "I SAY!"

58. Tomb Raider's __ Croft : LARA. Video game far removed from Pong.

59. Tiger Woods's ex : ELIN Nordegren.

60. Hydroelectric facility : DAM

61. Tee size letters : S-M-L

62. __ chi: Chinese martial art : TAI

63. Old TV dial letters : UHF.(Ultrahigh frequency): 300-3000 Megahertz VHF (Very High Frequency): 30-300 Megahertz

64. Golf standard : PAR

Answer grid.

Argyle

Sunday July 15, 2012 Gareth Bain

Theme: "Say What?" - Say can precede the first word(s) in each theme entry.

23A. Area for religious zeal : AMEN CORNER. Golfers are all familiar with Augusta's Amen Corner. Say "Amen".

25A. Actress turned princess : GRACE KELLY. She epitomized elegance. Say grace.

42A. Jackie Coogan's "Addams Family" role : UNCLE FESTER. Say uncle.

47A. A Bible, to many : THE WORD OF GOD. Say the word. I just can't focus on my Bible.

68A. 1961 Marvelettes #1 hit : PLEASE MR. POSTMAN. Say "Please".

93A. O'Neill play : AH, WILDERNESS! Not familiar with the play. Say "Ah".

96A. "I'm full!" : NO MORE FOR ME. "Say no more".

116A. Start of an opinion : I DO BELIEVE. Say "I do".

119A. Everly Brothers classic : BYE BYE LOVE. Say "Bye Bye".

Simple, elegant & original. Love it. I like that two of the theme entries are familiar songs.

9 theme entries with 101 squares are not easy to deal with, luckily the entry length are grid-friendly for Gareth. Constructors love 10's on Sunday, since you can place them side by side. The 11's and 12's have a malleable 2-letter overlap.

Across:

1. Old West gunslinger Jack : SLADE. Wiki said he was "a stagecoach and Pony Express superintendent, instrumental in the opening of the American West and the archetype of the Western gunslinger."

6. Converse : CHAT

10. Sound off : OPINE

15. Wall St. hedgers : ARBs. Arbitragers.

19. "Enough of that!" : CAN IT. 29A. "Told you!" : SEE

20. Like gossamer : AIRY

21. Nobelist Curie : MARIE

22. Joint malady : GOUT. Strict diet for gout sufferers. They can't eat sardines.

27. Contemptible : BASE

28. __ voce: softly : SOTTO

30. "Who'd've thought?!" : I'LL BE. Needs "Well" in front.

31. Political handout : TRACT

33. Suffix with Zola : ESQUE. So, what kind of style is Zola-esque?

36. Rapper __ Dogg : NATE. Also the name of Jazzbumpa's grandson, who aspires to be a Tiger someday.

38. Shade of gray : ASH

40. Dragon slayer's destination : LAIR. Every Chinese wants his/her son grow up to be a "dragon", meaning "highly successful".

51. Rummage event : YARD SALE. Neighborhood yard sales are always fun.

52. Big dos : BASHES. Not AFRO (37D. High style).

53. Personal account, briefly : BIO

54. Roughly : OR SO

55. Big weight : TON

56. Et __ : ALII

57. Quaint graphic, for short : LITHO. Lithograph.

59. Ferdinand II, por ejemplo : REY. "King" in Spanish. "Rei" in Portuguese.

60. Dropped off : SLEPT

62. Chef's measure : TEASPOON. I cook by feel.

65. "The Raven" opener : ONCE. "Once upon a midnight dreary..."

67. Hobbits' home, with "The" : SHIRE. We had this before.

72. "... all snug in __ beds" : THEIR

74. Organ parts : KEYS. Are you thinking of EYES/EARS?

75. Volcanic depressions : CALDERAS. New word to me. And 104. Like volcanoes : CONIC

79. Longest river in France : LOIRE

80. Club date : GIG. So simple.

82. Eventually become : END UP

84. Human plant? : MOLE. Tricky clue.

85. Bruins legend : ORR (Bobby)

86. Superior at work : BOSS

87. Pussycat's partner : OWL. "The Owl and the Pussycat".

88. Deceive : LEAD ON

90. Queen who bankrolled Columbus : ISABELLA. Long gimme.

98. Round-of-four game : SEMI. I only know Final Four.

99. Sugar suffix : OSE

100. Starts to doze : NODS

101. Derby setting : EPSOM

106. King of Judea : HEROD

109. Realm from 800-1806: Abbr. : HRE

111. 2001-'08 White House Deputy Chief of Staff whose middle name is Whitehouse : HAGIN (Joe). Wow, I have no memory of this guy at all. He reported to Andrew Card. That's a prescient middle name.

113. Whipped cream amount : GLOB

121. "Farewell, Luigi!" : CIAO

122. Sea eagles : ERNES

123. English horn relative : OBOE

124. Crockett contemporary : BOWIE (James). Alamo.

125. Mfg. guidelines : STDs

126. India's first one took place in 1974 : N-TEST. New trivia to me. China's first was in 1964. My grandma reminded me often the great "Three Years of Natural Disasters" (1958-1961) when at least 15 millions died of hunger. Drought.

127. Cheer : YELL

128. They generate interest : BONDS. Another great clue.

Down:

1. Sign of healing : SCAB

2. Very high priest? : LAMA. High indeed.

3. It can knock you out : ANESTHESIA. Number.

4. Eatery with its own lingo : DINER

5. "Yadda yadda yadda": Abbr. : ETC

6. Major artery : CAROTID

7. Insinuate : HINT

8. Rugged ridge : ARETE. Classic crosswordese.

9. They're hardly old hands : TYROS

10. Texter's "Heavens to Betsy!" : OMG

11. Interstellar unit : PARSEC. About 3.26 light-years. Doesn't look like a word.

12. "Dies __": hymn : IRAE

13. Clairol hair-coloring brand : NICE 'N EASY. I dyed my hair red for a short period in college. I was out of my mind.

14. Width designation : EEE

15. Forever young, seemingly : AGELESS. Isn't she cool?

16. Kaiser __ : ROLL

17. Filament container : BULB

18. Eyelid problem : STYE

24. Annual black-tie affair, with "the" : OSCARS. Have you ever watched/listened to any Sacha Baron Cohen interview as himself? He's extremely intelligent.

26. Cashed, as a forged check : KITED

32. Skin irritation soother : ALOE

34. Status __ : QUO

35. Sturm __ Drang : UND. Hi there, Spitzboov!

38. Swinging time? : AT BAT

39. Rock often containing quartz : SHALE

41. Kilmer's nestful : ROBINS. "...A nest of robins in her hair..."

43. Ancient strings : LYRE

44. Certain tuber, slangily : TATER

45. Skip church, in a way? : ELOPE. We were married by a judge.

46. Musical with the song "Seasons of Love" : RENT

48. A secret may be told in one : WHISPER

49. Be the right size : FIT. This is perfect. Angelina who?

50. Call it a night : GO HOME

54. Nabisco trademark : OREO

57. Mauna __ : LOA

58. Ham __ : ON RYE

60. River herring : SHAD

61. Guy with wires : LINEMAN. Know nothing about football. What "wires"?

63. Ballet bend : PLIE

64. Anthem contraction : O'ER

66. "Strangers and Brothers" novelist : C P SNOW. Stumper.

67. Tee buyer's options, briefly : SML

69. ER readouts : EKGs

70. Racing craft with an anatomical-sounding name : SCULLS. Thanks for the helpful clue.

71. Exploit : TAP

72. Common statue : TORSO

73. Distiller Walker : HIRAM

76. Bull rider's protector : RODEO CLOWN

77. Posted __: didn't break even : A LOSS

78. Have a feeling : SENSE

79. Filet mignon cut : LOIN

80. Pro shop purchase : GOLF SHIRT. And 81. World Golf Hall of Famer Aoki : ISAO. Minor "Golf" & GOLF dupe.

83. "One for the road" offense, briefly : DWI

86. Wasn't colorfast : BLED

88. Snicket of children's books : LEMONY. What would be your pen name?

89. St. Patrick's land : ERIN

91. Rare great apes : BONOBOS. No wonder I've heard of them. Rare!

92. Lose ground? : ERODE

93. Roadie's load : AMP. 95. 93-Down measurement unit : DECIBEL

94. Cock and bull : HEs

97. '50s Superman player George : REEVES. The only Reeves I know is Keanu.

102. "This will be awesome!" : OH BOY

103. Equivocator's word : MAYBE

105. Block house : IGLOO. Sounds good. So hot here.

106. Sounds from a wino : HICs

107. Work on one's work : EDIT

108. "The __ Not Taken": Frost : ROAD

110. Artist Magritte : RENE. Surrealist. This is not a pipe.

112. Rock sci. : GEOL

114. Banished Roman poet : OVID

115. Waggle-dancing insects : BEES. Melissa is enjoying her annual Girls' Weekend at Shasta right now.

117. Deighton of thrillers : LEN

118. Superlative finish : EST

120. Go back : EBB

Answer grid.

C.C.