Saturday, Aug 4th, 2012, Joe DiPietro

(Note from C.C.: Cruciverb & some your local papers have the incorrect grid, hence the perplexing comments in Splynter's write-up. Here is the correct answer grid. Splynter's grid looks like this. A pair of symmetrically placed letters, the D in HOSTED (33A, clued as "Moderated") and the M in MAILED (37A, clued as "Sent") were accidentally blacked out. Two missing Down entries: EDU (31D, clued as "URL ending") & HMO (32D, clued as "Wellness gp."). Please click here for the correct Across Lite file.)

Theme: None

Words: 68

Blocks: 31

Ah, so this is what it feels like to get beaten up mentally....took me an extra 2 minutes beyond my 'personal' allotted time, and that was after switching over to red-letter after two passes, and all too pale. There was just too much vagueness and/or ambiguity in the clues for me. Plus, there's what I would call "orphaned" letters ( no perpendicular crossing clues ) in this puzzle, which I thought was a construction no-no, found in the 11-letter spanners;

30A. Does some wedding planning : SETS THE DATE - meh, I filled this in early, and it stayed, but doesn't really strike me as "some" wedding planning; more like THE wedding plan

36A. Where a collector may browse : ANTIQUE SHOP

So onward with what 35acrossed me....

ACROSS:

1. Letter in red and violet : SHORT E - dah~! filled this and still didn't get it, until the separation between the T & E came to me; rĕd and violĕt

7. Moves right for, say : LETS PASS - how annoying is it when someone is cruising at 55-60 in the fast lane? Please, please, move right, and let us pass ~!

15. One-dimensional : LINEAR - I overthought this; AutoCAD-wise, a line has a starting point, and a direction, hence more than 'one' dimension....

16. Even further evidence : EXHIBIT C - when your first two examples are just not enough

17. Ideal conditions : OPTIMA - filled it, didn't like it, had to keep it.

18. Sailor : SEAFARER

19. __ Mints : THIN - stuck on "breath" and "junior", but like Calvin said in the comic strip the other day, I had to write really small to get it to fit....

20. Came out with something : SAID IT - and I am not going to SAY IT....

22. Daisy __ : MAE

23. Friend, in slang : HOMIE

25. Reacts to errors, maybe : BOOS - sporting events; in hockey, it's usually a response to poor officiating

26. Only : MERE

27. Used : SPENT

28. Burma's first prime minister : U NU - this guy

29. 1956 title monster : RODAN - oh yeah, nailed it~!



31. Chilean island south of Tierra del Fuego : HOSTE - map

35. Suffered : AILED

40. Little sedative? : TRANQuilizer - ugh, I guess

41. Uppermost number, sometimes : XII - the last "I" was there, and so I switched to Roman numeral thinking, and then the clock fell off the wall and clocked me in the head; 12, at the top of the dial

42. Take out, in a way : EJECT - THROW out, yes; take out = EVICT, ERASE, EXTRACT....

47. Implores : BEGS

48. '70s TV co-host : CHER - with Sonny, so long ago

49. Court game using mallets : ROQUE - the Wiki; sounds like fun - I will have to build one in the big space in the backyard where the old shed once stood

50. Mirror : APE - new clue for an old fill

51. Bluish purples : MAUVES - in my part of the world, mauve is reddish purple, so this one was blank a very long time; according to the standard RGB numbers, there is more B than R

53. Repeated words from one who's been rebuffed : BUTS - but, but, but....

54. "Can't use it" : NOT FOR ME

56. Sign up : ENLIST - had ENROLL, screwed me up for a long time

58. Laura Innes's "ER" role : DR. WEAVER - didn't watch, couldn't begin to guess - but once I had D_WEAVER, the "R" was the only logical solution

59. Unification Church member : MOONIE - can you guess where the name came into play from this link?

60. Most thickset : STOUTEST - I mis-read this about 3 times before I saw thick SET - so I was trying DUMBEST, etc.

61. Aim : INTEND - the verb; I aim to please with my blogging.

Down:

1. Armadillo relatives : SLOTHS

2. Rap : HIP-HOP - meh, two different musical genres, if you ask me - then again, the Beastie Boys ain't "gangsta" rap; R.I.P. Adam Yauch

3. Prompt : ON TIME

4. Get to slow down : REIN IN

5. One may be worn with a kilt : TAM - hey, I got one, first pass ~!

6. Significant stretches : ERAS

7. Tissue problems : LESIONS

8. Removed : EXED OUT - and spelled out, this time

9. Rama IX subjects : THAIs - Mentally mired in Ramses, and therefore Egyptian thoughts kept popping up; also, isn't there a space program that has a name like this, too - Husker?

10. Pan for gold, say : SIFT

11. Gp. found in alleys : PBA - well, I knew it referred to bowling, but that it wasn't ABA, or WBA - I'll bet Boomer know all about the Professional Bowler's Association

12. Reward for an ace : AIR MEDAL - ugh, really???

13. Hydrogenated oil : STEARATE - I had -----RATE, and WAGed from there

14. Checked (for) : SCREENED & clecho 46D. Checked (for) : TESTED

21. Sit next to : ABUT

24. And those that follow, in notes : ET SEQQ - for those who "ugh"ed at this one, we have seen it before on the blog; half way down this page

26. __ operandi : MODI - well, I know it's modUS, but guessed the Latin plural counts, too - method-S of operations.?.?.?

29. Grim character? : REAPER - I like the Family Guy version the best

31. Trilby circlets : HATBANDS - sort of a small Fedora



32. Not favorably written up : ON REPORT - meh, to me, "on report" means probation

33. Second leg : STAGE TWO

34. Cookie holders : TINS

37. Brings to light : EXHUMES

38. Radiation dose unit : SIEVERT - see here

39. Bring in : HIRE

43. Unit of assorted merchandise : JOB LOT

44. Mustang, for one : EQUINE - yeah, but I like the FORD CAR better



45. Interrupts on the floor : CUTS IN

48. Slice : CARVE

51. Zoo protection : MOAT

52. One of two decisive games : SEMI

55. Blaise's blaze : FEU - French for fire; we had one going tonight; and clecho #2 ↓

57. Blaise's brush-off : NON

Answer grid.

Splynter

Friday, August 3, 2012 Bruce Sutphin

Theme: The Leith Police dismisseth us.

A very cool theme today - three anagrams of the unifier, which itself alludes to the fact that the answers to the first three are "twisted", or anagrams!

19A. Novice chocolatier's lessons? : SWEET TUTORING

23A. Walks in the rain, vis-à-vis fair-day activities? : WETTER OUTINGS

44A. Vacations led by Twitter? : TWEETING TOURS

and the unifier:

50A. Speaker's challenge scrambled three times in this puzzle : TONGUE TWISTER

Happy Friday, everyone. Steve here on stand-in duty for Lemonade. I love anagrams, and I really liked these three and the clever reveal. The theme I chose is reputedly the most difficult tongue-twister in the English language. Give it a try and see how you do!

Now let's take a look at the rest (Red Buick, Blue Buick)

Across:

1. University of Georgia athlete, familiarly : DAWG. The Bulldogs in polite circles.

5. Scorned paper : RAG

8. Ticket holder with a conflict, maybe : NO-SHOW. This whole section was hard work for me, but I liked everything when it finally fell into place.

14. In opposition : AVERSELY

16. Self-loathing direction : INWARD

17. "Just curious" : NO REASON

18. Note sentiment : THANKS

21. Pres. between JAG and GC : CAA. Chester Alan Arthur, who came between James Abram Garfield and Grover Cleveland.

22. It might be closed due to flooding : ROAD

29. Med. land : ISR. Neither Israel nor Mediterranean are the easiest place names to reliably spell correctly.

31. "... __ he drove out of sight" : ERE. From "The night before Christmas" by Clement Moore.

32. Mena of "American Beauty" : SUVARI. Crosses all the way. I will NEVER remember this actress's name!

33. Endured : STOOD

36. Tar on a deck : GOB

38. Mantle's number : SEVEN. The Yankee's Hall of Fame Center Fielder had three nicknames - "The Mick", "The Commerce Comet" and simply "Muscles".

39. Hardly unexpected : NOT NEW

41. Threw one's hat in the ring : RAN

43. Head start? : EGG. Egghead.

48. Internet game site : POGO. Again, crosses for me. Never heard of this.

49. __ Balls: Hostess treats : SNO

56. Of an upper heart chamber : ATRIAL. This took a bit of digging out from the recesses of the brain. I kept coming up with AORTAL and knew it wasn't right.

58. Tab, for one : DIET COLA. I remembered this being clear, but I didn't remember it being low-calorie.

59. Eyre's creator : BRONTE. This was Charlotte's most famous novel. I think I might have mentioned before that I had to read this in English Literature class when I was 14, and it put me off 19th-century fiction for years.

60. "Enough already" : OKAY OKAY

61. Luxury accommodations : SUITES

62. Charles River sch. : M.I.T. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology sits on the north bank of the Charles River, Harvard on the south. I always imagined the students sitting on the river banks insulting each other with calculus problems and rhetoric.

63. Ocean current sources? : EELS. Great clue!

Down:

1. Dapper dressers? : DANS. My aptly-named friend Dan is very dapper, so this was a gimme.

2. Say it is so : AVOW

3. "__ off!" : WE'RE. Schoolboy sniggering here for a four-letter word that would fit. The gentleman in seat 4A on the 8:45PM United flight from Salt Lake City to LAX tonight was probably wondering what on earth was wrong with me.

4. Where Olympus rises : GREECE

5. Make clearer, hopefully : RESTATE

6. Baseball's Jesus : ALOU. Any relation to Moses? I assume so, but ...

7. Ibsen title character : GYNT. Henrick's protagonist Peer. Check out the libretto to Grieg's "Hall of the Mountain King" from his operatic interpretation of the play, although it will probably ruin your breakfast.

8. Dentistry number, familiarly : NITROUS. I didn't quite understand this clue/answer. I know Nitrous Oxide is Laughing Gas and was used as an anesthetic back in the (my) day, but ...(From C.C.: numb-er here, it numbs.)

9. Taking a break : ON HIATUS. All the shows recorded at the studios close to where I live go on hiatus around May, and return about now. The hiatus weeks are notable for the pleasingly quieter restaurants, bars and traffic!

10. Graceful plunge : SWAN DIVE

11. Wait around : HANG

12. Sitcom world : ORK. "Nanu Nanu! Mork, from the planet Ork." The incomparable Robin Williams in Mork and Mindy.

13. OED listing : WDS. I need help with this one. Oxford English Dictionary I get. WDS I think is an abbreviation for "Words"? But that's plural, and the clue is "listing" singular? I know I'm missing something here.

15. Occupied, as a desk : SAT AT

20. Los Juegos Olímpicos prize : ORO. Did you see the Mexican synchronized diving pair? They didn't win Gold at the London Olympics, but wow, they were amazing!

23. Penned : WROTE. Usually, it's a she, and that's all she does.

24. Physics unit : ERG

25. Corp. change : RE-ORG. Right after a corporation does this, you can bet your bottom dollar there's going to be some downsizing, or rightsizing, or whatever is the latest euphemism.

26. Pew areas : NAVES.

27. Oldest Brady Bunch kid : GREG. Another "thank goodness for crosses" example for me today

28. Rat : SING

29. Kid's comeback : ISN'T. "IS TO" held me back for a little while before I RESTATED my answer.

30. Get into a hold : STOW. Really nice clue, had me puzzled for a good while.

34. Tight game difference : ONE POINT. I was trying to think of a sport when a one-point difference wasn't going to be close - the best I could come up with was duelling with pistols, on the assumption that you're not going to come back from a one-point deficit. (I think duelling is next week in the Olympics, right?)

35. Blow up : DETONATE

37. Step to the plate : BAT. Now this really bothers me for such an innocuous part of the fill, but - GO INTO BAT, or STEP UP TO BAT or ... but just BAT?

40. Wavy lines : WIGGLES

42. "Consider it done" : NO SWEAT

45. __-turn : NO U. Conversely, for such an innocuous piece of the fill, I loved this.

46. Show of strength : UNITY

47. 1977 Australian Open champ Tanner : ROSCOE. Golly, but he had a serve! He could crush that ball with a wooden racquet! I swear he'd give any player today a run for their money if they had to play with his equipment.

50. "Star Trek: T.N.G." role : TROI. Attaboy crosses!

51. Kingdom south of Moab : EDOM. Yay crosses!

52. Torch type : TIKI

53. Tip for a dealer : TOKE. A new meaning of the word "toke" for me. Enough said.

54. Mideast flier : EL AL

55. Beams : RAYS

56. They may be sculpted : ABS. Interestingly, I don't think you can sculpt one Ab, you have to work on them collectively.

57. 1989-'90 Broadway biodrama : TRU. Not the most critically-acclaimed of Broadway shows. Truman Capote was a complex character, and the play - well, today you'd Facebook or Tweet "Fail" and move on.

Answer grid.

And (Peter Piper Picked a Peck of Pickled Pepper) - that's all HE wrote. Have a great day, everyone! (The sixth sick sheik's sixth sheep's sick).

Steve

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to the beautiful Melissa Bee, who continues to delight us with her lovely & fun write-up despite all the technical difficulties. I also love this photo very much. So ethereal and fey.

Thursday, August 2, 2012 Jack McInturff

Theme: Material Girl 4:43

17A. Easter song title critter : PETER COTTONTAIL

28A. Rich chocolate dessert with a crust : FRENCH SILK PIE

33A. Under-the-sink cleaners : STEEL WOOL PADS

41A. Dessert sometimes colored with beet juice : RED VELVET CAKE

And the unifier:

54. Important trial figure, or what you'll be when you read this puzzle's other longest answers :

MATERIAL WITNESS.

Marti here to walk you through the fabric of this puzzle.

Across :

1. Shake in reproach, as a finger : WAG. Or in our corner terms, "Wild A--ed Guess" (Sometimes Scientific WAG...)

4. E-junk : SPAM

8. Beats handily : WHOMPS

14. Raymond Burr's TV sleuth : IRONSIDE

16. Speed up : HASTEN

19. Plenty of poetry? : ENOW. "Enough". Who was the poet who wrote the following?
"A book of verses, underneath the bough,
A jug of wine, a loaf of bread - and thou
Beside me singing in the wilderness -
Ah, wilderness were paradise enow!"

20. Facility : EASE

21. Seattle's ___ Field : SAFECO. Home of the Mariners.

24. Not likely to bite : TAME

25. Mischievous moppet : IMP

31. Expensive : DEAR

32. City east of Wichita : IOLA. Map, for those not from the Wichita area. Zoom out 6x to see Wichita in the far left edge.

39. Nasty : MEAN

40. Bit of carpenter's gun ammo : NAIL

47. Massage facility : SPA. Our favorite crossword sound: "Aaaaaaahhhhh"

48. Some necklines : VEES. Like this.

49. It's often closed for the night : EYELID. Fun clue!

52. Safecracker : YEGG. Learned from x-words.

53. Vocal range : ALTO

61. 1887 La Scala debut : OTELLO. I love opera, and Placido Domingo did Otello so well! 1:10

62. Feminist poet Rich : ADRIENNE. I remember her for declining the National Medal of Arts award in protest of Newt Gingrich's proposal to end funding for the National Endowment of the Arts (more so than for her poetry!)

63. Novelist Waugh : EVELYN. Seems like a lot of names in this puzz, no? Either you know them...or you don't!

64. "Check this out!" : PSST

65. 33-Across brand : SOS. Do you mind when an non-theme answer refers to a theme answer?

Down:

1. Diaper bag supply : WIPES

2. Bowl game venue : ARENA

3. Escaped punishment : GOT OFF

4. Old geopolitical abbr. : SSR. Soviet Socialist Republic.

5. JPEG file, usually : PIC

6. Hue and cry : ADO

7. Confronted : MET

8. Guessing game question : WHO AM I ? Or, a song from Les Mis...2:52

9. Grimm brother : HANSEL. Wilhelm wouldn't fit, and Jacob didn't work with the perps. So it had to be Hansel, brother of Gretel.

10. Prefix meaning "bone" : OSTE

11. L.A. bus-and-rail org. : MTA. Metropolitan Tranist Authority. Also a famous subway in Boston.

12. Canada's smallest prov. : PEI. Prince Edward Island. Map. Between the Gaspé peninsula and Nova Scotia.

13. NBC weekend revue : SNL. Saturday Night Live.

15. Later : NEWER. As in, a "later" model car.

18. They may be black or green : TEAS

22. Give up : CEDE

23. Answer to "How do you Yanks spell 'travelling'?" : ONE "L" (Vs. the British "travelling"??)

24. Seats of power : THRONES

25. Device with earbuds : iPOD

26. Wire measures : MILS

27. Princess provoker : PEA. Not Grimm, but a Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale!

29. Cry from a crow's nest : CAW. Loved this clue/answer - great misdirection!

30. Sportage supplier : KIA. Automaker.

33. Leak slowly : SEEP

34. "Look what I did!" : TA-DA!

35. It needs to be addressed: Abbr. : ENV.elope

36. Heart-healthy grain : OAT. Eat your Cheerios!

37. Layers of nits : LICE. HaHa, lice lay eggs which are called "nits" (...and they should be picked!!)

38. Quarterback's call : PLAY

39. Old Miss : MRS. LOL!! DH went to Ole Miss, so this was a real misdirection for me.

42. Either "Bye Bye Love" singer : EVERLY (Brothers). Song. 1:51

43. Troop group : LEGION

44. 1970s Chevy subcompact : VEGA

45. "The Family Circus" cartoonist : KEANE.

46. Actress Barkin et al. : ELLENS

50. "___ use!" : IT'S NO

51. Teaspoons, perhaps : DOSES

52. Make oneself heard : YELL

54. Curly tormenter : MOE. Curly, Moe and Larry - The Three Stooges.

55. Suzuki offering, briefly : ATV. All Terrain Vehicle.

56. Kickoff helper : TEE. Football tee. When Lucy is not available...

57. Runner's circuit : LAP

58. Sentence fragments?: Abbr. : WDS. Words.

59. Form letters? : IRS. Internal Revenue Service. Form 1040.

60. Bearded ___: small bird : TIT. Awwww, what a DF way to end this post!
Take your pick of the following two links. But you are ONLY allowed to click on ONE link. (No cheating!!): #1 or # 2

Answer grid.

See you next week!

Hugs,
Marti

Wednesday, August 1 2012, Norfleet Pruden

theme: that's gross!

17A. One in a dozen difficult jobs : LABOR OF HERCULES. greek mythology. hercules performed twelve labors given to him by king eurystheus.

32A. One in a dozen old family lines : TRIBE OF ISRAEL. old testament. jacob had twelve sons, from whom descended the twelve tribes of israel.

52A. One in a dozen constellations : SIGN OF THE ZODIAC. wikipedia says in both astrology and historical astronomy, the zodiac is a circle of twelve divisions of celestial longitude that are centered upon the elliptic: the apparent path of the sun across the celestial sphere over the course of a year.

melissa here.

very straightforward theme, but i had to stare at the theme answers for a while to figure it out. the zodiac gave it away. i know very little about mythology, and had no idea about labor of hercules.

twelve dozen is a gross, and twelve gross are called a great gross.

a dozen, a gross, and a score,

plus three times the square root of four,

divided by seven,

plus five times eleven,

equals nine squared plus zero, no more.

across:

1. Use as an ingredient : ADD IN

6. Coordinating pillowcase : SHAM.

10. Big fishhook : GAFF

14. "__ evil ..." : SEE NO

15. Something in the air : AURA. i like this clue.

16. Fisherman's gadget : LURE

20. Command from le général : ORDRE. french for order.

21. If nothing else : AT LEAST

22. Strait of Gibraltar port : TANGIER. pretty.

24. Antiseptic element : IODINE

25. "As Husbands Go" novelist Susan : ISAACS

26. Without : SANS. merriam webster says: Middle English saun, sans, from Anglo-French san, sanz, modification of Latin sine without.

28. Mountain goat's perch : TOR. wikipedia: A tor is a large, free-standing residual mass (rock outcrop) that rises abruptly from the surrounding smooth and gentle slopes of a rounded hill summit or ridge crest. like this.

29. V __ Victor : AS IN

30. Mischievous sprites : PIXIES

37. Wrongly desires : COVETS

38. Fed. crash investigator : NTSB. national transportation safety board.

40. Commotion : ADO

43. "Nothing's stopping us" : LET'S. i suppose.

44. Change the expiration of, as milk : REDATE. re-dating …. never a good idea. let's not.

46. Fishy fellows? : MERMEN. just seems wrong.

48. Event after morning twilight : SUNRISE

49. Find after digging : UNEARTH

51. __ pool : TIDAL

56. Cupid's counterpart : EROS

57. The Miners of Conf. USA : UTEP. university of texas at el paso.

58. Shakespearean barmaid : WENCH

59. No longer in the oven : DONE. by that definition, i guess these are done.

60. Some hosp. staffers : LPN'S. licensed practical nurse.

61. Seamless transition : SEGUE

down:

1. Subj. taught in silence : ASL. american sign language.

2. Justice Dept. division : DEA. drug enforcement administration.

3. Sophisticatedly charming : DEBONAIR

4. Like ammonia, chemically : INORGANIC

5. Alternative to Alpine, in skiing : NORDIC

6. Not as dangerous : SAFER

7. "What'd you say?" : HUH?

8. Cordoned-off space : AREA. seems a little weak.

9. Bond's were shaken : MARTINIS. the apostrophe gave it away.

10. Bonded, in a way : GLUED

11. Café specification : AU LAIT. coffee with milk.

12. California's largest inland city : FRESNO. didn't know this trivia.

13. Rankle, as resentment : FESTER.

18. Metal-yielding rocks : ORES

19. The Yankees' Mariano Rivera, e.g. : CLOSER

22. Niña's aunt : TIA. spanish.

23. Mgr.'s helper : ASST. assistant.

26. Puts through a strainer : SIFTS

27. Center of rotation : AXIS

30. One who "can survive everything but a misprint": Wilde : POET. oscar.

31. "A Summer Place" actress : SANDRA DEE

33. Ravel classic : BOLERO

34. Momentous : EVENTFUL

35. Online stores, collectively : E-TAILING. wanted e-tailers.

36. WWII carriers : LST'S. wikipedia: the military designation for naval vessels created during World War II to support amphibious operations by carrying significant quantities of vehicles, cargo, and landing troops directly onto an unimproved shore.

39. Comb user : BEE. honeycomb.

40. Pleasantly diverted : AMUSED

41. Young Vito Corleone portrayer in "The Godfather Part II" : DE NIRO

42. End of an old trail : OREGON. the oregon trail ran from independence, missouri to oregon city, oregon.

44. Phillies catcher Carlos : RUIZ

45. Provides funding for : ENDOWS

47. Pastor's place : MANSE. residence of a minister.

48. Instruction manual segments : STEPS

50. URL leader : HTTP. hypertext transfer protocol.

53. Feathery layer : HEN. great clue.

54. Start to puncture? : ACU. acupuncture.

55. Cohort of Fidel : CHE. castro and guevera.

Answer grid.

melissa

From C.C.:

Please click here about about the 2nd National Brain Game Challenge to be held on Sept 30, 2012. It's a part of "a collaborative effort by the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America and Merl Reagle to boost awareness of lifestyle choices that promote brain health, as well as raise awareness of Alzheimer’s disease. (Merl’s mother in law had Alzheimer’s disease)".

Tuesday, July 31, 2012 Matt Skoczen

Theme: Heeere's Johnny - Four in fact whose last name begin the in language themes and a grid spanning reveal.

17A. One may spoil the whole bunch : ROTTEN APPLE. Johnny Rotten - The stage name of the lead vocalist for the Sex Pistols, an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975.

24A. State capital near the Comstock Lode : CARSON CITY. Johnny Carson - Needs no intro. Carson City is the capital of Nevada.

38A. Handy guy to have around, or a hint to this puzzle's theme found in 17-, 24-, 50- and 62-Across : JOHNNY ON THE SPOT

50A. Monetary assets : CASH IN HAND. Johnny Cash - The man in black. Video(3:09).

62A. Substitute player : BENCH WARMER. Johnny Bench - Baseball catcher for the Cincinnati Reds from 1967 to 1983, not a bench warmer.

Heeere's Argyle. "I feel a hot wind on my shoulder

And the touch of a world that is older" - Mexican Radio.

My first look at the NW corner had me checking the day. Some of the clues/entries are from an older time. I felt an international feel for it, too. The anon who complained about abbreviations won't like it, but after all was said and done, I did.

Across:

1. Set in motion : STARTED

8. Letters for an open schedule slot : TBA. (to be announced)

11. LAX calculation : ETA. (estimated time of arrival)

14. Soho "So long!" : "CHEERIO!"

15. "Still and all ..." : "YET ..."

16. Fish-fowl connector : NOR

19. No. that's zero at the equator : LAT. The number for the latitude at the equator is 0 and 90 at the poles.

20. Golfer Palmer : ARNIE

21. Store, as a hose : COIL

22. Get wise with : SASS

23. Plaintive sound : MOAN

26. Economist Smith : ADAM. The Wealth of Nations, 1776.

28. Old draft classification : TWO A. Occupational deferment category.

29. Gaza Strip gp. : PLO. (Palestine Liberation Organization)

32. "__ Sleep, for Every Favor": old hymn : ERE I. Instrumental on the organ at Eccles Congregational Church, Salford, England, near to Liverpool.

34. 1950s WMD : H-BOMB. (weapon of mass destruction, WMD)

42. Margaret Mead subject : SAMOA. Her book, Coming of Age in Samoa.

43. Besmirch : SOIL

44. Drag behind : TOW

45. A or Jay, e.g. : ALer. (baseball)

48. "Jesus __": shortest Bible verse : WEPT

54. Dost own : HAST

58. Weight on one's shoulders : ONUS

59. Carries out : DOES

60. 19th-century German poet Heinrich : HEINE. Wikipedia article.

61. Genetic letters : RNA

64. Soho sir : GUV. Informal British for governor.

65. Philanderer : CAD

66. Syrian's neighbor : ISRAELI

67. Suffix with infant : ILE. (infantile, like some anons)

68. Pitcher's stat : ERA

69. Beats, and how : PUMMELS. Don't confuse with pommel horse.

Down:

1. "Get outta here!" : "SCRAM!"

2. Exhaustive, informally : THORO. (thorough)

3. Humana rival : AETNA. Health care companies.

4. Light-sensing eye part : RETINA

5. Mimosa, for one : TREE. The alcoholic drink is so called from its yellowish color, which resembles that of the mimosa. Who knew?

6. A, in Augsburg : EIN. Today's map of Germany.

7. Appear on screen like Hitchcock : DO A CAMEO

8. Data entry pro : TYPIST

9. Deep roar : BELLOW

10. Gobbled down : ATE

11. China's Zhou __ : ENLAI. First Premier of the People's Republic of China.

12. Salute with a raised glass : TOAST

13. La-di-da : ARTSY

18. "Un momento, __ favor" : POR. Yo no hablo español.

22. Signs of healing : SCABS

24. Grant with an Honorary Award statuette : CARY. Grant was given an Honorary Oscar at the 42nd Academy Awards in 1970. Frank Sinatra presented Grant with the award, "for his unique mastery of the art of screen acting with the respect and affection of his colleagues". (Wiki)

25. Caution to a game show audience : "NO HELP!". Unless it's "The Price is Right". All that help is no help.

27. Mount McKinley's national park : DENALI

29. Jammies : PJ's

30. Mauna __ : LOA. Are you nuts?

31. Resistance unit : OHM

33. Shoo-__: easy winners : INs

35. Make up one's mind : OPT

36. __ goo gai pan : MOO. Now, how do they say it in Boston?

37. Incidentally, in IMs : BTW. (By The Way)

39. Whose ark it was : NOAH'S

40. County subdivision : TOWNSHIP

41. Zipped along : HIED

46. Make beloved : ENDEAR

47. Beach Boys title girl : RHONDA. She was helpful.

49. Aries : THE RAM

50. Welsh dog : CORGI

51. Invalidate : ANNUL

52. Smoothly polite : SUAVE

53. Nuclear agcy. formed under Truman : AEC. (Atomic Energy Commission)

55. Pop singer Mann : AIMEE. Not my cup of tea but here is a video(3:12).

56. Fishhook connector : SNELL. Here, if you want to tie your own hook on the line. Most people buy hooks with the leader already attached.

57. Garr and Hatcher : TERIs. Unable to find a photo of the two of them together.

60. "No __, no foul" : HARM. Nor fish.

62. Pre-A.D. : BCE. (Before Common Era) If you need more, Wiki link.

63. Sch. with a Vancouver campus : WSU. (Washington State University)

Answer grid.

 

Argyle

Monday, July 30, 2012 Vanessa Michaels

Theme: Opposite Partners - Four common phrases stating diametrical extremes. The verbs are all in third person singular form.

17A. Vacillates : BLOWS HOT AND COLD

25A. Goes out with periodically : DATES OFF AND ON

47A. Acts nervously in the waiting room : PACES TO AND FRO

62A. Searches all over : LOOKS HIGH AND LOW

Argyle here and there. Debut puzzle? A little bland but it has two grid spanners on a Monday, nice. It may have been intentional; some clues are gimmes and some are Thursday. Only eight three-letter words. It doesn't feel like a rookie submission.

Across:

1. Captain after a white whale : AHAB. "Moby Dick or, The Whale" by Herman Melville.

5. Former "Idol" judge Paula : ABDUL. Replaced by Ellen DeGeneres, replaced by J-Lo, replaced by Mariah Carey?

10. Glove compartment items : MAPS

14. Pro __: free, as legal work : BONO

15. Mild cigar : CLARO. Hey, put that out! This is a smoke-free blog.

16. Juan's water : AGUA

20. Gossip spreader : YENTA

21. America's national bird : BALD EAGLE

22. Belief: Suff. : ISM

24. "__ the land of the free ..." : O'ER

32. Make a mistake : ERR

33. "__ be sorry!" : YOU'LL

34. Porcine sniffer : SNOUT. Now, don't be piggy.

37. Name of 12 popes : PIUS

39. Trick alternative : TREAT

41. "The __-bitsy spider ..." : ITSY

42. Florida coastal city : TAMPA

44. "__ at 'em!" : LEMME

46. www connection co. : ISP. (Internet Service Provider)

50. B&O et al. : RR's. (Baltimore and Ohio Railroad)

51. Gun lobby org. : NRA. (National Rifle Association)

52. "A __ Named Desire" : STREETCAR. STELLA!

58. Smells : ODORS

64. Drink buyer's words : ON ME. "I got dozens of friends, and the fun never ends

That is, as long as I'm buying" Too Much Time on My Hands(5:12) By Styx With Lyrics.

65. Use at mealtime, as dishes : EAT ON

66. When tripled, a story shortener : YADA

67. Lay eyes on : ESPY

68. Martini's partner in vermouth : ROSSI.

69. Bakery appliance : OVEN

Down:

1. "Dear" columnist : ABBY

2. Golfer's target : HOLE

3. Soon, to Shakespeare : ANON. It's not what it is to me.

4. Neckwear with a tux : BOW TIE

5. Coblenz complaint : "ACH!". The complaint is "It's spelled with a K". Map.

6. Oozy horror film menace : BLOB (1958)

7. Number-cruncher's input : DATA

8. Russian river : URAL

9. Big Ben's city : LONDON. Boy, is this a gimme or what?

10. Tubes with cheese : MACARONI

11. Eagerly excited : AGOG

12. Yank : PULL

13. One-named Nigerian singer : SADE. Paradise(3:38), filmed in Mexico?

18. Back-talking : SASSY

19. Owners' documents : DEEDS

23. No longer at issue : MOOT

25. Men's or Women's, e.g.: Abbr. : DEPT.

26. Opera highlight : ARIA

27. Noted TV firer : TRUMP. The Donald.

28. Rolls up, as a flag : FURLS

29. Admiral's command : FLEET

30. Car rental giant : ALAMO

31. "__ I have anything to say about it" : NOT IF

35. Cold War country: Abbr. : USSR

36. "Teh" for "The," say : TYPO

38. One may be hidden in a fake rock : SPARE KEY

40. IRS employee : T-MAN

43. Farm size units : ACRES

45. 2000s Houston-based scandal subject : ENRON

48. Bible book named for a woman : ESTHER

49. Bro, to a beatnik : DADDY-O

52. Blackthorn fruit : SLOE

53. Heavy weights : TONS

54. Play friskily : ROMP

55. "So long, signore" : "CIAO!"

56. FBI personnel : AGT's

57. Letters after pis : RHOs

59. Norwegian saint : OLAV

60. Went on horseback : RODE

61. Tchaikovsky's "__ Lake" : SWAN

63. "Star Wars" saga nickname : ANI. From Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace: Anakin (Ani) Skywalker is set on the road to become Darth Vader.

Answer grid.

Argyle

From C.C.:

Here is a wonderful photo of the two cottages Jazzbumpa rented for his family lake vacation last week. It's on the west shore of Black Lake. I think they go there every summer.

Sunday July 29, 2012 Gail Grabowski and Bruce Venzke,

Theme: "Dog Days of Summer" - The first word in each theme entry is just "hot".

23A. Cozy sensations : WARM FUZZIES. Every time bad girl Lois stops in.

33A. Turkey site : ROASTING PAN. Marti used this clue for ASIA once, I think.

49A. One may be set in a race : BLISTERING PACE. Alas, no medal for Phelps (yet).

91A. Stock held by a fence : HOT MERCHANDISE

105A. Place for future cookies : BAKING SHEET. I've been craving date cookies.

121A. Mae West attribute : SULTRY VOICE. Well, subjective.

3D. Crucial topic : BURNING ISSUE

66D. Critical threshold : BOILING POINT

Amazing grid. Look at the theme intersections here. Very impressive.

Here is my guess at how the puzzle was created:

1) Gail came up with the theme idea (Her name came up first in the byline);

2) Bruce liked it, then they brainstormed for the full set of the theme answers;

3) Bruce did the grid design;

4) They each filled in half the grid;

5) Gail clued the whole grid, since Bruce is not fond of cluing.

Across:

1. Sussex sword : SABRE. Saber here.

6. Full : SATED

11. On its way : SENT

15. Make comparisons at the mall, say : SHOP. I fell in love with Bruno Mars' "Just the Way You Are" while shopping in a mall last year. This kid is amazing.

19. Challenge to __ : A DUEL

20. Amazed : IN AWE

21. Reebok rival : AVIA

22. Manage : COPE

25. Cat named for its island origin : MANX. CrossEyedDave is a cat expert. Ask him if you have any cat problem.

26. Part of AMA: Abbr. : AMER

27. Feminine suffix : ENNE. So is ETTE.

28. "Brighton Beach Memoirs" playwright : NEIL SIMON. Nice to see his full name.

30. Deal sealer : AGENT

31. Source of athletic rage, briefly : ROID. Roid rage. Too much steroids.

32. Union agreements : I DOs

36. Peeples and Vardalos : NIAs

38. Look closely : PEER

40. "Most likely ..." : ODDS ARE

41. Darling : ANGEL. So lately I've been listening to Neil Young's rock version of "Oh Susanna" (that kid smokes later on), though I don't understand why Susanna will cry. I'll be crying if my love leaves me, not when he's visiting me.

43. Fussy sort : PRIG

45. Letter-shaped track : T-SLOT

48. MLB execs : GMs

52. What a password provides : ACCESS

55. '50s political monogram : AES

56. Make changes to : EDIT

57. Field standouts : SILOs. Not the "field" I had in mind.

58. Chicken, in a Chinese dish : GAI. I mentioned last time that hookers are called "wild chicken" in Chinese.

59. Play mates? : CAST. Stage play.

61. Miss roll call, say : GO AWOL

63. Available without a scrip : OTC

65. Top banana : MR BIG

69. Throne grabber : USURPER

71. Cabin fever, e.g. : ANGST

73. Daily sorting criterion : ZIP CODE. For the mailmen.

75. Take the wrong way? : STEAL. Great clue.

76. Arabic "son of" : IBN

78. List : ROSTER

80. Isn't up to snuff : AILS

81. Blue : SAD

83. When cocktails may be served : AT SIX

85. Tiptop : ACME

87. Net grazer, at times : LET

88. Nymph pursued by Apollo : DAPHNE. Literally "Laurel". She turned into a laurel.

94. Land in la mer : ILE. Both Lemonade and Marti have a French mother.

95. Safari boss : BWANA. Haven't heard from JD for a whole.

97. Classic wheels : REOs

98. Colors lightly : TINTS

99. Prevails against, in slang : ACES OUT

102. Waterfall feature : MIST. Hi there Misty!

104. "Walkabout" director Nicolas : ROEG

108. Prime Cuts in Gravy maker : ALPO. No idea. We don't own dogs.

111. Flow with force : SPEW

114. Victor Vasarely's "Zebras," e.g. : OP-ART. See here. Never heard of that guy.

115. Stubborn : TENACIOUS

117. Capitol cap : DOME

118. It might be pierced : LOBE

119. State firmly : AVER

123. A party to : IN ON

124. Actress Virna : LISI. Total stranger to me. Great eyelashes.

125. Mediterranean tourist attraction : CRETE

126. Possessed : OWNED

127. Bus. bigwigs : CEOS

128. French spread : PATE

129. Catkin bearer : ALDER

130. Enters into a deal? : ANTES

Down:

1. Carpenter, at times : SAWER. Want a beautiful deck, call Splynter!

2. Hersey's bell town : ADANO. "A Bell for Adano".

4. Puts right : REMEDIES

5. Seasonal sprite : ELF

6. Judged, with "up" : SIZED. Are you a good watermelon picker?

7. 1944 Italian beachhead : ANZIO

8. Dramatic decline : TAILSPIN

9. Fleecy meadow grazers : EWES

10. Long for : DESIRE

11. Island group near Fiji : SAMOA

12. '70s-'80s Red Sox star Dwight : EVANS. I'll leave him to Husker Gary/LaLaLinda to comment. I might have his baseball cards.

13. "Collages" novelist : NIN (Anaïs). I read the first few stories of her "Delta of Venus". Similar experience as PK. Couldn't finish the book.

14. Invoice add-on : TAX

15. "Lido Shuffle" singer Boz : SCAGGS

16. Website entry point : HOME PAGE

17. Welcoming sight? : OPEN ARMS. Quite a few nice long entries in this puzzle.

18. Saucy behavior : PERTNESS

24. Canberra colleges : UNIs

29. Human being : MORTAL. Yellowrocks, nope, I'm not aware of the code word "Little Secretary", though sleeping with the boss doesn't seem to be too uncommon for secretaries, even in western countries,

30. Also : AND

34. Also : TOO

35. One might dangle from your neck : ID TAG. Mine is a silver cross. It's magical!

37. Adjective for Adenauer : ALTE

39. Encourages : EGGS ON

41. Ancient adder : ABACUS. The clue always makes me feel old.

42. Baseball div. : NL EAST

43. A __: logician's term : PRIORI

44. Pinup Hayworth : RITA

46. Skedaddles : SCOOTS

47. "__ we forget" : LEST

50. Advantage : EDGE

51. Plymouth Colony settler : PILGRIM

53. Roughing-it spot : CAMP

54. About : CIRCA

60. Destroy : TRASH

62. Uncalled-for : WANTON

64. Composer Dvorák et al. : CZECHS. Boomer has Polish blood. We had Polka dance at the family gathering a few weeks ago.

67. Least busy : IDLEST

68. Beaux __: noble deeds : GESTES

70. Opposite of improvise : PLAN

72. Bobby __ : SOXERS

74. Early Shirley role : IRMA. "Iram la Douce".

77. Island band The __ Men : BAHA. The annoying "Who Let the Dogs Out".

79. Folded food : TACO

82. Fix, as software : DEBUG

84. Where to find the anther : STAMEN. So, where is anther?

86. Inner: Pref. : ENTO

88. Outrageously wicked : DIABOLIC

89. Symbol of Prohibition era lawlessness : AL CAPONE. I remember watching "The Untouchables" in Chinese, with Roberto. I did not really understand the plot. Now I do.

90. Face-covering game : PEEK-A-BOO

92. Sold : RETAILED

93. Loses steam : DIES DOWN

96. Mg. and kg. : WTS

100. Chase scene sounds : SIRENS

101. Niagara Falls prov. : ONT

103. Source of the Mississippi : ITASCA. Here in MN.

104. Looking up : ROSY

106. '50s blast, briefly : H-TEST

107. Uncanny : EERIE

109. Austrian singer Lenya : LOTTE

110. More virtuous : PURER

112. Dais VIP : EMCEE

113. Bed intruders : WEEDS. Garden bed. I'm disturbed by the clue.

116. Weightlifter's rep : CURL

119. Mont Blanc, e.g. : ALP. The pen name is Montblanc, one word.

120. Itinerary word : VIA

122. Intl. broadcasting initials : VOA

Answer grid.

C.C.