Saturday, Aug18th, 2012, Michael Dewey

Theme: None

Words: 70

Blocks: 32

WOW~! Fun puzzle for me today; Argyle handled Michael's LAT debut in April of this year, and he has been published in the NYT as well. Mr. Dewey seems to have a musical flair, with strong art and sports knowledge as well. Just short of the "Q" for a pangram, and we have one spanner, one climber in today's pinwheel;

32A. Football backfield formation named for its shape : WISHBONE OFFENSE - I am not a huge fan of any particular football team, but I do enjoy watching any chance I get - and for us New Yorkers, we have a pre-season Giants/Jets game today, which ought to be good

8D. Fruity desserts : RAZZLEBERRY PIES - the real deal

- lots of proper names, too, most of which I was familiar with - and that can go a L-O-N-G way in getting good with grueling grids~! Persevere my proud puzzling pals~!!!

On-Ward~!.!.!.

ACROSS:

1. "SNL" predator voiced by Chevy Chase : LANDSHARK - one of my favorite SNL skits

10. "Aladdin" villain : JAFAR - knew it, but haven't seen the movie

15. 363-mile project known as Clinton's Folly : ERIE CANAL - I remember this from watching "America, the Story of Us"

16. Genre of "Akira" : ANIME - sounded Japanese, so....

17. Tease : TANTALIZE

18. Worked on, as a surfboard : WAXED

19. Blacken : SMEAR - like someone's good name

20. Alcopop brand : ZIMA

22. Horace's art : ARS - perhaps a little too easy clue/ans for Saturday; we're already 2/3 of the way there....

23. Support beam : GIRT - I-bar?, GIRD? nope, GIRT

24. Gunstock wood : WALNUT - knew it from watching "How It's Made"; beautiful grain

26. Mannerism : TIC

27. WWII org. : OSS - Office of Strategic Services; precursor to the CIA

28. Cowboy directive? : RIDE 'EM - Loved this answer

29. Type unit : PICA

30. Seat usually in first class : ONE-B - I had "ONE_", so I just waited on the perps

31. Cacophonous : AROAR - crossing "A FEE", so a bit "Meh", but what can you do~? The rest of the grid is pretty tight

38. Los __: Bay Area city : ALTOS - map; one of the red SQUARES, not red SCARES (see 14D)

39. Former South Korean leader : RHEE - the Wiki for those who care to know more

40. Deli staple : SLAW

41. Sequence of notes : PHRASE - a musician would know this, especially one who plays the guitar; a "phrase" is usually a riff-like pattern of repetition found in a guitar solo; see the "outro" part here from Hotel California (@1:37)

43. Tyler of "Inventing the Abbotts" : LIV - Three letters and Tyler? Go with LIV~!

46. Sign of smooth operation : HUM - Purr didn't fit; my brother had to have his beloved cat 'Maddie' put down yesterday, but he had her cremated so he has something to remember her by; my fondest memory is seeing just her tail sticking straight up and cruising through the house; this is her likeness:

47. Boxer Patterson et al. : FLOYDs

48. Gospel singer Winans : CECE - Her website

49. Clairvoyance : ESP - Extra-sensory Perception

50. Air show highlight : LOOP - not "RACE"

51. Shadow : TRAIL - like a Private Eye

52. Mother of Aphrodite : DIONE

54. Tough to budge : PIGHEADED

57. Throat thing : UVULA - the thingy hanging at the back

58. Tangy strips : LEMON ZEST - we get our "Lemon" zest on Fridays

59. Brown ale brand : PETE'S - I no longer partake, but I do appreciate the "Tinbeni toast" at sunset, for many reasons

60. Class leaders : "A" STUDENTS

DOWN:

1. Frees : LETS GO

2. Literary character in an old candy bar logo : ARAMIS - Three Musketeers; I did not know this; even this version of the candy is before my time - and now it makes sense

3. Five-time Super Bowl champs : NINERS - Another Bay Area reference; the SF 49ers

4. Coup __ : D' ÉTAT - French, literally "strike against the state", or an illegal overthrow of the government - but who's going to 'convict' you???

5. Reminder of a sort : SCAR - could have been SCAb, too, but I was right the first time

6. Fictional supercomputer : HAL - 2001: A Space Odyssey

7. Game show buy : AN I - Wheel of Fortune - comes on after Jeopardy! here in NY, NY; good crossword-like concept; usually fill in "AN_" and wait....or guess; 1-in-5 chance....

9. Little word in a Mozart title? : KLEINE - Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, "a little serenade" - you'll recognize this

10. Chide : JAW AT

11. Bibliographical suffix : ANA

12. Hang-up : FIXATION

13. __ Cup : AMERICA'S - the award for a sailboat race, been going on since 1851 - here's the Wiki

14. McCarthy era paranoia : RED SCARE - Those pesky Russians....

21. Clammed up : MUM

24. Glutton of the grape : WINO - I was a glutton of the barley, you could say

25. Arabian Peninsula city in the crater of an extinct volcano : ADEN - Four-letter Arab location? Not OMAN? Try the 'other' one....although I did learn about the crater today

28. Sticks up : ROBS

29. Start to meditate? : PRE-meditate, like murder

31. Charge __ : A FEE

32. Done for : WASHED UP - nailed it

33. Misleading : ILLUSIVE - Looks 'misleading'; "E"lusive yes, but "ILL"usive...? Yep, same as Illusory, which does look right

34. Extinguish : STAMP OUT

35. Know-__ : HOW

36. "__ I Jubal's Lyre": Handel : O! HAD

37. Not conceal, with "up" : FESS - have to admit, I was stumped because originally, my 32A was "DEfense", which left me with E_SS - huh?

41. Abbas's gp. : PLO - not the "other" ABBA group

42. Ticker-tape parade, e.g. : HOOPLA

43. Tough to budge : LEADEN

44. Least hospitable : ICIEST

45. African grasslands : VELDTS - nailed it, and spelled it right, too~!

47. Canine problems : FLEAS - because CAVITIES wouldn't fit?

48. Flavor of the month, so to speak : CRAZE

51. Lean : TEND

53. Braves' div. : NLE - National League East; also the NY Mets division; not really a fan of these fills, like "ALer" and such, but it's part of our culture, so....but then again, I am a hockey guy - God help the NHL if they can't come to a contract agreement this year, right eddyB~???

55. Chronometric initials : GMT - I read this as "Chromosome", so I had DNA to start; this is chronometric, from chronometer, an "exceptional time piece" - Greenwich Mean Time

56. Astros, on scoreboards : HOUston

Answer grid.

The new church ramp is underway....Thanks for stopping in ~!!!

Splynter

Friday, August 17, 2012, Chuck Deodene

Theme: Chief Inspector Dreyfus where did you get that TIC? (9:12) The theme answers are all in the language two word phrases with TIC added to the end of the first word to create a new and amusing phrase. This is a blast from the past, as Mr. Deodene has not been seen here since 2009. He is an experienced constructor who has been often published in the NY Times since 1995. I found this easy in places, challenging in others with both old and new elements, and some really nice clues.

17A. Berserk flutterer? : LUNATIC MOTH (11). John L could give you more info on the LUNA, while I have had a great deal of experience chasing the lunatic moths around my apartment.

24A. Trans-Alaska pipeline repairer? : ARCTIC WELDER. We have all seen these in operation.

53A. Alluring facial feature? : ROMANTIC NOSE. My favorite image, even though I cannot imagine what one looks like, I know ROMAN ones, but Romantic noses?

65A Assembly celebating digestion? : PEPTIC RALLY. Did we all cheer for this answer? Or did it give you an ulcer?

The unifier

40A. Like one afflicted with the added elements in 17-, 24-, 53- and 65-Across? : NERVOUS (TIC).

Across:

1. Unlikely hits : B-SIDES. I was beside myself with joy that I could start well.

7. Hiring may accompany one : BOOM. No politics, but it would be nice to have a hiring boom.

11. Classic Pontiac : GTO. Gran Turisimo Omlogato. My brother had a 1968. John DeLorean designed this for Pontiac and took the name from the Ferrari.

14. Unkeyed : ATONAL. What is with all the ATONALITY in our puzzles?

15. Lead-in to a congratulatory cry : ATTA. waugan is where my mother was born, but I think he means BOY/GIRL.

16. Punch lines? : OWS. When was the last time you were punched, or punched anyone? Nice misdirection with the punny clue.

19. Pen name : BIC. Rhymes with....

20. Sacred carving, perhaps : IDOL. Ba'al for example.

21. Place with pint-size servings? : PUB. Oh goodie, a beer clue and again nice pun on the pint sized. My youngest has job in Denver already.

22. Source of silky wool : ALPACA. I'll pack a nice SWEATER for you and one of those models for me.

27. Central American port named for an explorer : BALBOA. This city in Panama was named for the Spanish EXPLORER who was the first European to see the Pacific Ocean from America. he was no relation to

30. Rhein tributary : AARE. We have this word often, also spelled AAR, is the longest in Switzerland.

31. Kwik-E-Mart owner : APU. One of our many regular Simpsons references.

32. Like most people : ASIAN. Simple but deceptive; there are many more Asian on the Earth than any other kind of people, many have restaurants in South Florida.

35. Skewed : AWRY. he said with a wry smile.

39. Jacuzzi feature : JET. They mean the hot tub, not Tim Tebow.

43. Wide size : EEE.

44. Cousin of a toe loop : AXEL. Ice skating maneuver, and a reminder of our dear friend Clear Ayes to whom we send our healing prayers and our red shoed friend Robin, who we see quite infrequently.

46. Operative : AGENT. Provocateur.

47. Body wrap offerer : SPA. I tried to fit Dennis, but I guess he limits his work to the personal mobile mammogram.

48. "This ___ outrage!" : IS AN. Well, I did not think it was gooing badly....

51. Something that matters : FACTOR.

58. "Yay!" : HOORAH. Hoorah

59. Community property word : OUR. A nice legal concept hidden in there, referring to states where a husband & wife are considered to each own 50% of everything owned in a marriage.

60. Campus appointment : DEAN.

64. Dash sizes : EMS. This is a 1960's crossword answer from the Will Weng days at the NY Times.

68. Imitate : APE.

69. Pound or pint : UNIT. Another reference to the pint; I wonder if Chuck likes his Ale Pale?

70. About 2% of the Earth's surface : EUROPE. No wonder there are more Asians.

71. Not likely to pipe up : SHY. like our friend marti.

72. Family nickname : PAPA. My Father used to say, "My son is shy, shy a few brains." He was really a sweet man.

73. Surcease : DESIST. we finish the first half with a $5.00 clue word, and now the rest.

Down:

1. Indonesian resort island : BALI.. A great honeymoon spot.

2. Body-piercing choice : STUD. All the ladies, women and girls I know have told me they prefer have their bodies pierced by a Stud.

3. Prefix with sphere : IONO. Eastern Airlines used the name for their club room at the airports. I met Buddy Hackett there in between flights and we were both doing the NY Times Sunday puzzle.

4. Swab analysis site : DNA LAB. or the CSI office on TV.

5. Dispose of a course : EAT. Another nice turn of phrase.

6. Boxed-set box : SLIPCASE. Not familiar with this TERM.

7. Disney classic set in a forest : BAMBI. Or Ena's nephew. Did you know there were four different actors who provided the voice of Bambi?

8. Nebraska native : OTO. Sounds like...

9. River separating Ontario and Quebec : OTTAWA.

10. "Resurrection Symphony" composer : MAHLER. The entire SYMPHONY(24:17) takes an hour a half, so I picked the excerpt.

11. Stink up the fridge : GO BAD. Don't you just hate when that happens?

12. Doubly : TWICE. So many choices, perhaps this LINK.(0:30).

13. Thespian honor : OSCAR. Wellllll, I know an actor is a thespian, but the word is more associated with the stage.

18. Sever : CUT.

23. Defendant's response : PLEA. Only in criminal cases, there are many more civil defendants who file answers.

25. Reddish equine : ROAN. According to wiki, "A horse with intermixed white and colored hairs of any color is usually called a roan. However, such mixtures, which can appear superficially similar, are caused by a number of separate genetic factors. Identifiable types of roans include true or classic roan, varnish roan, and rabicano, though other currently unknown factors may be responsible for ambiguous roaning".

26. Where rocking is not suggested : CANOE. You must listen to this SONG(2:41).

27. Mexicali's peninsula : BAJA.

28. Top : APEX. or ACME.

29. Mandolin kin : LUTE.

33. Native of Shiraz : IRANI.

34. Diamond no. : AVG. Nor on your ring but on the filed, like batting average.

36. 1940 Field’s co-star : WEST. The MOVIE (10:50).

37. Certain seizure, for short : REPO.ssession.

38. Wine datum : YEAR. one of the fascinating things about grapes and wines is each year really is different.

41. Natural : UNFORCED.

42. Some stops: Abbr. : STAS. Stations.

45. One who embroiders to excess : LIAR. ah, finally, the lawyer reference.

49. Grab : SNAP UP. Not a sna pup.

50. Aegis wielder : ATHENA. There is debate about this SHIELD. The word comes from the Latin meaning basically protection, and we use it in America to signify if someone is under the sponsorship of a powerful person or group.

52. Chest sources : CEDARS. because of the nice smell of the wood, these became the favorite for Hope Chests for generations.

53. Large flightless birds : RHEAS. We have this a lot, along with Ms. Perlman as the singular.

54. Flair : OOMPH. I am working to give this some.

55. Go casually : MOSEY. Almost time for me to mosey on out of your living rooms.

56. Literally, "baked" : COTTA. hence Terra Cotta, baked earth.

57. Rapa ___ : NUI. Easter Island, both the place, the people and their language, I think. A nice Friday piece of knowledge.

61. Wells race : ELOI. Yvette, my tasty morsel, where are you?

62. Brenner Pass locale : ALPS. Between Italy and Austria.

63. Novgorod no : NYET. A little Russian lesson.

 
66. Doozy : PIP. Well, was this a Pip or what?

67. Be penitent : RUE. Well I hope you do not rue the day I started doing these write ups, and as usual it was fun. Thank you for all your help and enjoy the week end. Mr. Deodene welcome back and stop and say hello to our cast of characters.

Answer grid.

Lemonade

Thursday, August 16, 2012 Gareth Bain

Theme: "Sometimes you feel like a nut..."

16. *Bedroom fixture : CHEST OF DRAWERS. And old CHESTNUT is a tired joke or trick. Also, they are good for roasting on an open fire...

21. *Tuxedo shirt feature : WING COLLAR. A WINGNUT could be a piece of hardware, or someone with extreme political views. This is the only inedible entry.

34. *Fog metaphor : PEA SOUP. PEANUTs are an American baseball game staple...

49. *Fashion icon with her own perfume : COCO CHANEL. Did you know that the word "COCONUT" is from the Portugese word for "grinning face", because of the three depressions on its surface?

And the unifier:
54. Screwball, and what each starred answer's beginning is : SOME KIND OF A NUT. I loved this theme, and certainly could relate to all the "nuts"!

Marti here, to go through the rest of the fill with you.

Across:

1. Wynonna's mom : NAOMI. At first, I thought of Winona Ryder. But of course, it was "Wynonna", and her mom Naomi Judd! "Mama, He's Crazy" by the duo. 3:07

6. Five-star general Bradley : OMAR

10. Break a law, in a way : SIN. One of the laws of the commandments, that is.

13. Industry magnate : BARON

14. Beurre ___: hazelnut butter : NOISETTE. I think this is probably more common in Gareth's home country than it is in the US. But I have seen it many times in European cafes.

18. Lover of an Irish Rose : ABIE. "Abie's Irish Rose", and old CHESTNUT, and a lovely movie. Catch it on TMC if you can...

19. Best of the best : ELITE

27. Predatory look : LEER

28. Many a pet : ADOPTEE. Both my cats are adoptees!

29. Period of fasting ended by Eid al-Fitr : RAMADAN. I thought that was some kind of noodle??

31. Activist Parks : ROSA. I'm not so sure she was an activist. She just was tired after a hard day of work...But what a movement she started!!(Update 8:25. She actually was very involved in civil rights.. Read more here. Thanks, Nance!)

32. Composer of a popular graduation march : ELGAR. Edward Elgar, that is. Of course, you are all familiar with this march? 2:05

33. Tissue box word : PLY. Two-ply, three-ply?

37. Wkly. research journal publisher : AMA. American Medical Association. And of course, their publication is the Journal Of the American Medical Association, or "JAMA". (This week's issue, for those who are interested.)

40. Northern European people : LAPPS

41. A-Rod's "A" : ALEX...Rodriguez, of the New York Yankees MLB.

42. Two-piece suits : BIKINIS. HaHa, I had a different suit in mind...(OK, OK, I'll link for you guys later...)

45. Reason to get dolled up : HOT DATE. See, I told you I'd link for the guys!

48. North Carolina university : ELON

51. Sinclair Lewis's "___ Gantry" : ELMER. Loved Burt Lancaster in the movie!

53. Uffizi display : ARTE. My favorite was "The Birth of Venus" by Botticelli.

61. Capital of South Australia : ADELAIDE

62. Clutch neighbor : BRAKE. Ha! I was thinking of a chicken coop, but all along, it was referring to those pedals on my 1959 Volvo PV 544. Haven't needed a "clutch" since then! (BTW, the 1959 Volvo was 10 years old when I bought it...)

63. Old-style over there : YON

64. Hermanos de su madre : TIOS. OK, I'm totally guessing here, but I guess this means "brothers of your mother"? (LUCINA!! I need you!!) Anyway, "TIOS" means uncles, in Spanish...(I hope!!)

65. Force : IMPEL. I am impelled to go...

Down:

1. "Seinfeld" network : NBC

2. Sigh during pampering : AAH

3. Underground treasure : ORE

4. Wks. and wks. : MOS. Weeks and weeks add up to months,...and months and months add up to years,...and years and years add up to ... (SOMEONE STOP ME, NOW!! PLEASE!!!)

5. Unharmed : INTACT

6. Recorded for posterity : ON FILE

7. "Project Runway" figure : MODEL. I bet C.C. watches this show!

8. Tune : AIR

9. Soweto's nation: Abbr. : RSA. Republic of South Africa. And a cool shoutout to the home state of Gareth Bain!

10. Outstanding : STELLAR...performance by Gareth!

11. Sigh after losing : I TRIED...to match his wit, but failed miserably!

12. Tetley rival : NESTEA

15. Ma with a baa : EWE

17. It's blown in the winds : OBOE. Wind section of the orchestra, that is.

20. Directional suffix : ERN. East-ern, North-ern, West-ern, South-ern...(you get the idea-ern??)

21. Distort : WARP.

22. Matinée heartthrob : IDOL

23. In the wrong business? : NOSY. In other words, in someone else's business but your own!

24. Transcript fig. : GPA. Grade Point Average.

25. First name in folk : ARLO. Guthrie, of folk music.

26. Italian for "meat-based sauce" : RAGU. So, that's where the brand name came from! ("It's in there!")

30. Place for a legend : MAP

32. Hook shape : ESS

34. One on the range : PAN. Oh, man! Do you know how much agita this one gave me until I figured out they were talking about a "stove" type range???

35. Grand-scale tale : EPIC

36. Lhasa-___ : APSO. awww, how cute!

37. Economist Greenspan : ALAN

38. Administer, with "out" : METE

39. Winter Olympics leap : AXEL

40. Ends and centers : LINEMEN. Football.

41. Programming pioneer Lovelace : ADA. Fascinating bio...

42. Quilter's session : BEE

43. "Amen to that!" : I'LL SAY

44. ___ dragon : KOMODO. Godzilla, is that you??

45. Crowds : HORDES

46. Two-thirds of dodeca- : OCTO. "Dodeca" is twelve, so 2/3 x 12 = OCTO!!

47. Org. led by Robert Mueller : THE FBI. He assumed the office in 2001.

50. "Got your back" : CAN DO.

52. Th.D.'s field : REL. Theology Doctor. Religion.

55. "Krazy" comics feline : KAT

56. Golf's Davis Love ___ : III. Captain of the USA team for the Ryder Cup in September.

57. Slot lever : ARM. That thing on the right with a red ball on top...

58. Go out in the afternoon? : NAP. HaHa, loved this clue/ans!!

59. Hula strings : UKE

60. Business card abbr. : TEL.ephone. (e-mail me, instead!)

Answer grid.

Hugs, until next week.
Marti

Wednesday, August 15, 2012 Kurt Krauss

Do these pants make my theme look fat?

Oh my gosh - Steve here with one of those questions for the ages. Just as there are no polite answers to certain questions ("Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot to cook the mushrooms - would you have liked some?") we have the MOAQ (the Mother Of All Questions). I'll leave it to you all to deal with that one, I have no good answer.

Let's get on with the crossword!

17A. Support, as a cause : GET BEHIND

23A. Inside scoop : SCUTTLEBUTT I think one word, and a lovely word at that.

36A. Washington neighborhood that's home to the State Department : FOGGY BOTTOM. A restaurant close to where I live serves a Foggy Bottom Burger, which is a beef patty with Peanut Butter and Jelly. I must ask them for the back-story.

49A. Position of advantage : CATBIRD SEAT This probably involves a huge amount of explanation around what is a catbird, why a cat bird has a seat, and why it's advantageous. This might be one phrase that we all accept we know, understand what the intention is, and move on.

59A. Ran into on the road, or an apt description of 17-, 23-, 36- and 49-Across : REAR-ENDED. The only issue I have with this unifier is that we all have a horrible memory of being the rear-ender or the rear-endee, and neither was pleasant.

So a nice theme - it really helped me, some of the fill was tough for me. At one point I was going to call this puzzle a MOAN (Mother Of All Naticks) but the theme really helped out. Let's see what caused the trouble.

Across:

1. When repeated, a Samoan city : PAGO. Bora Bora. No wait - city, not island.

5. "Fernando" foursome : ABBA. What an earworm! Maybe that didn't help going forward.

9. Hustle tickets outside the stadium : SCALP

14. Hardly snow-colored, to Keats : EBON. Loved the clue here. Needed white, then not white - so OK - black, or Ebony, then Keats, then the answer.

15. Campus bigwig : DEAN

16. Long-legged bird : WADER. One day we'll see Flamingo.

19. Flared dress : A-LINE

20. Take a shot at : TRY FOR

21. Naval forces : FLEETS. Or Navies, or Armadas, or Task Forces. Fleets are somewhere in the middle of that lot.

22. "Lord, is __?": Matthew : IT I. Did he ever get a straight answer that night? I'm not sure he did. It tends to ruin a Last Supper when you go home muttering about being a betrayer when all along you aren't.

26. Pinot noirs, e.g. : REDS. Got one right here. Alma Rosa 2008, Santa Rita Hills CA. Cheers!

28. USS Enterprise counselor : TROI. Here's one of my close-but-not-quite Naticks. I had to look at the cross (25D) very carefully before I make my pick of the O.

29. Great Lakes' __ Canals : SOO. Wow - never heard of them. Now I have.

30. Hebrew name for God : ADONAI. I was muttering about Yahweh for a while. Apologies - never heard of this name either.

33. German surrealist : ERNST. Something about Germans and surrealists don't really go together. I expect Mercedes, Audis and BMW's, not melting clocks and experimental dances.

39. Far from original : BANAL

40. Like some icy weather : SLEETY. Could do with some sleety weather here in LA. 100+. Nice and toasty.

43. Photo __: media events : OPS. Thank goodness they're not called Photographic Opportunities any more, otherwise the tabloids would run out of ink.

46. City on Utah Lake : OREM.

48. De Matteo of "The Sopranos" : DREA. My confession Natick - missed this one letter - gambled on "I" and it didn't work. I didn't watch "The Sopranos" and I've never lived in Jersey, so DRIA and TIANECK sounded fine to me. DNF for this one letter.

54. Scoff at a scarecrow? : CAW. Loved, loved this clue.

55. Vehement speech : TIRADE

56. Deep serving bowl : TUREEN. I'm going to market a wider, shallower tureen and see if anyone objects.

58. Pop up : ARISE

62. The "'em" in "Put 'em up!" : DUKES - You know I'm a Notre Dame fan and can't possibly let this one go by!

63. __ breve: 2/2 time : AL'LA

64. "Eeew!" : YECH

65. Broke down into letters : SPELT

66. Forest growth : MOSS

67. Pops the question : ASKS. If the pants/theme question was navigated successfully, this might be the next challenge.

Down:

1. Pin for hanging : PEG

2. Cased the joint, perhaps : ABETTED. The criminal charge is usually "Aiding and Abetting". I always wonders where you stopped aiding and started abetting, and which was the worse of the two. If I was a Defense Attorney I'd claim my clients only aided for a while, and stopped short of abetting when things started to get out of hand. No?

3. Eradicated : GOT RID OF

4. "Walk __": Dionne Warwick hit : ON BY Awesome! I can stop listening to ABBA now.

5. Specialized, committee-wise : AD-HOC. This was intriguing to me. I'd never thought of "ad-hoc" meaning anything other than off-the-cuff, but then thought maybe I was confusing "ad lib". I still think of ad-hoc as unscripted.

6. Lebanon's capital : BEIRUT. This was such a beautiful city.

7. Outlaw : BAN. Verb, not noun.

8. "What else?" : AND.

9. Low-lying wetland : SWALE. I knew this from playing golf - a swale is a low-lying area next to the green - think a bunker with no sand in it.

10. Biblical spy : CALEB. My name is Bond. Caleb Bond.

11. Farewells : ADIEUS. I first learned this word in an old British sea shanty

"Farewell and Adieu to you fair Spanish Ladies
Farewell and Adieu to you ladies of Spain
For we're under orders to sail for olde England
And we never will see you fair ladies again".

And I thought it odd the sailors weren't happy to be going home to their brunette wives! Funny how you learn!

12. Let use for a bit : LENT TO. I thought this was pretty cool as "Let" could be present or past tense, which would make either "Lend" or "Lent".

13. Magician's word : PRESTO

18. Affluent couple? : EFS. Hmmm. I thought F was spelt EFF?

21. Spark-producing stones : FLINTS

22. Roth plan, briefly : I.R.A. Please don't confuse your Individual Retirement Account with the Irish Republican Army.

24. Multiplies by three : TREBLES. Hand up for TRIPLES first.

25. Mower maker : TORO. See close Natick-avoidance.

27. Nose-in-the-air sort : SNOB

31. Turk's title of honor : AGA

32. Slight : IGNORE

34. Arch city: Abbr. : STL

35. __ the line: conformed : TOED. I think you did this when you were in the ...

37. Prison area : YARD

38. Luxury car biggie : MERCEDES

41. New Jersey township bordering Hackensack : TEANECK. Natick fail for me.

42. Veer from a course : YAW

43. Groups of eight : OCTADS. Hand up for OCTETS first

44. Group in twos : PAIR UP

45. X in an alley : STRIKE

47. Iron and zinc : METALS. Had a real problem with this, I put in ALLOYS first when I knew (KNEW!) that Iron and Zinc are elements. I fiddled around with it and finally gave it up.

50. Swiss city on the Rhine : BASEL. Alternate spelling is BASLE, so always wait for the crosses.

51. Clarifying Latin phrase : ID EST. I love how you clarify a point in English using a Latin phrase which isn't exactly daily usage.

52. Glowing emanations : AURAS

53. III, in modern Rome : TRE. Hand up for reading "ill" as in "sick" and wondering how you spell "Excuse me, I'm not feeling quite myself this morning" in Italian and three letters.

57. New Ager with four Grammys : ENYA.

59. Hull-cracking projection : RAM

60. "Telephone Line" rock gp. : E.L.O. E.W.T. (Ear Worm Three)

61. Players who only bat, briefly : D.H.s. There seems to be no consensus about how you spell and punctuate the abbreviation for "Designated Hitters", so I'm going with my own transatlantic best guess.

Answer grid.

That's it from me. I hope you had as much fun with this as I did for a Wednesday - thanks to Kurt for a good mental workout midweek.

Steve

Tuesday, August 14, 2012 Kevin Christian

Theme: What Bart said - The ayes have it, twice, and their homophones start the other themed entries.

20A. "Rocky III" theme song that became a #1 hit for Survivor : EYE OF THE TIGER

31A. Bart Simpson's "Good grief!" : ¡AY, CARAMBA!

41A. Robert Graves novel narrated by Nero's predecessor : "I, CLAUDIUS"

53A. "Roger," on a ship : "AYE-AYE, CAPTAIN"

Argyle here. Déjà vu. Last Tuesday's puzzle from C.C. was the same gimmick except her homophones (2) was the second word in each phrase these "I's" come first. Some pretty good fill fleshes out the puzzle.

Across:

1. Nero's 701 : DCCI

5. Silent performers : MIMES

10. Nocturnal hooters : OWLS

14. Patron saint of Norway : OLAF

15. Wombs : UTERI

16. Language of Bangkok : THAI

17. Even fewer than hardly : NARY

18. "Beat it!" : "SCRAM!"

19. iPhone message : TEXT

23. River mouth area : ESTUARY

24. World's largest cosmetics company : L'ORÉAL

27. Golfer Michelle : WIE. She tried to compete with the men; it didn't work out.

28. Breezed through : ACED

30. Tiny : WEE

35. Goddess for whom a month is named : MAIA. She is eldest of the Pleiades, the Seven Sisters. The Perseids meteor shower was last Saturday night.

36. Caught in the act : SEEN

37. Hands out cards : DEALS

39. Beginning on : AS OF

40. Sibilant "Check this out!" : "PSST!"

43. Bank acct. earnings : INT. (interest)

44. Istanbul native : TURK

46. Indefinite degree : NTH

47. Golf shirt feature : COLLAR

49. Bear __: 2008 JPMorgan Chase acquisition : STEARNS

56. "Livin' on a Prayer" band Bon __ : JOVI. Video w/lyrics(4:04)

58. Skin care brand : NIVEA

59. Former slugger Martinez : TINO. First baseman. Complete run down, Link.

60. Victor's cry : "I WIN"

61. Keystone State Ivy League sch. : U PENN. Pennsylvania is known as "The Keystone State".

62. Biblical brother : ESAU

63. Rare blood type, for short : B NEG

64. Company with "counting sheep" ads : SERTA

65. Hit the hammock : REST. in a Serta hammock.

Down:

1. Charity recipient : DONEE

2. Potter's supplies : CLAYS. I don't remember Harry getting any clay.

3. Insertion mark : CARET. More than you need to know link. CARET is at the bottom right.

4. "Anything to make my buddy happy" : "IF YOU WANT"

5. Not-to-be-missed book : MUST READ

6. Like wool, for many : ITCHY

7. __ mortals : MERE

8. Part of Q.E.D. : ERAT

9. Idiom with "as" in the middle : SIMILE

10. River frolicker : OTTER

11. Words from a digresser : "WHERE WAS I?". That's what I said after an hour, trying to find the origin of "mere mortals".

12. Lenient : LAX

13. Command to Fido : SIT

21. Evenhanded : FAIR

22. Monotheists believe in only one : GOD

25. Alphabet quintet : AEIOU. (vowels)

26. Flips (through) : LEAFS

28. Surprised way to be taken : ABACK

29. Match a bet : CALL

31. Jellied garnish : ASPIC

32. Like some easy questions : YES/NO

33. "Such is life," to Pierre : "C'EST LA VIE"

34. Former Israeli prime minister : MEIR. Golda

35. Alice's tea party host : MAD HATTER

38. Windy West Coast city? : SANTA ANA. The name for the winds may have nothing to do with the city. Etymology.

42. Sch. near the Rio Grande : UTEP. University of Texas at El Paso

44. ___ Bo: fitness system : TAE. Tae Bo is a portmanteau of tae kwon do and boxing.

45. Penultimate planet : URANUS. Second to last.

48. Full of baloney : LYING

49. Sachet emanation : SCENT

50. Increase a bet : RAISE

51. Future señoras : NINAs. La Nina's mean future weather problems.

52. Muzzle : SNOUT

54. "Holy cow!" : "YIPE!". Reaction to a cold snout?

55. At any time : EVER

56. Triangular sail : JIB

57. Possess : OWN

Answer grid.

Argyle

Monday, August 13, 2012 Gerry Wildenberg

Theme: It's a Monday, Natch - Five rhyming endings.

17A. Br'er Rabbit's thicket : BRIAR PATCH

39A. Dramatic grab in the outfield : SHOESTRING CATCH. Often while running full tilt towards the infield to catch a dying quail. Did you pay attention when we discussed what a BLOOP was?

59A. Mark with intersecting sets of parallel lines : CROSS HATCH

10D. Fight in a ring : BOXING MATCH

25D. Childproofing device : SAFETY LATCH

Argyle here. Gerry's second puzzle for us and again we might question the day of the week. Gerry made a comment on that puzzle you can read at the bottom of this link Monday, April 9, 2012. Starting out with Occam's razor did set the tone for what was to come. One grid spanner with two theme entries crossing it. All in all, a nice balance. No foreign words? Is that possible?

Across:

1. __ razor: principle of logic : OCCAM'S. Rule favoring simple theories, aka, the Law of Parsimony.

7. Tempe sch. : ASU. (Arizona State University) Google Map.

10. "Back to the Future" bully : BIFF. I was blown away by the size of the entry for Biff on Wikipedia. The Biff Tannen bio. TMI

14. Vladimir Putin's country : RUSSIA

15. Tractor-trailer : RIG

16. Face-to-face exam : ORAL

19. Powerful TV princess : XENA

20. Computer code acronym : ASCII. (American Standard Code for Information Interchange)

21. Pub beer orders : PINTS

22. "Gil __": Lesage novel : BLAS. "Gil Blas" (French: L'Histoire de Gil Blas de Santillane) is a picaresque novel by Alain-René Lesage published between 1715 and 1735. It is considered to be the last masterpiece of the picaresque genre. Quote from Wiki.

26. Baseball's Ott : MEL

27. Underhanded type : SNEAK. Not softball.

28. Wyoming college town : LARAMIE. (University of Wyoming)

31. '60s "Gotcha" : "I DIG". "I'm hip, dude."

33. "Whee!" : "IT'S FUN!". the sixties.

34. Chinese chairman : MAO

35. What rolling stones don't gather : MOSS. Phrase Finder.

42. Email status : SENT

43. Cont. north of Africa : EUR. (continent of Europe)

44. Country singer Kathy : MATTEA

45. Knitter's purchase : YARN

47. Theater section : BALCONY. Becoming a thing of the past, alas.

48. Ability : SKILL

51. Tina with a spot-on Palin impression : FEY

53. Chart toppers : HITS

54. Like pop music : TONAL. What is the difference between tonal and atonal?

55. "__ the loneliest number": '60s song lyric : ONE IS. By "Three Dog Night" (another past discussion on the blog.) Clip(3:07)

58. Sunrise direction : EAST

64. Actor Baldwin : ALEC

65. Suffer : AIL

66. '80s-'90s quarterback Dan : MARINO. Great Miami Dolphins player, Hall of Fame, but no Super Bowl Ring.

67. Subject with fractions : MATH

68. Urban transit org. : MTA. (Metropolitan Transportation Authority) The Kingston Trio sang about the Boston Metropolitan Transit Authority.

69. Least outgoing : SHYEST

Down:

1. Mars or Venus : ORB

2. Junkyard dog : CUR

3. CBS forensic drama : CSI. (Crime Scene Investigation)

4. Red __ beet : AS A

5. Actress Sorvino : MIRA

6. Patsies : SAPS. (dupes, victims, fools, chumps)

7. Wheelchair guy on "Glee" : ARTIE. Just Artie (or Arty).

8. Thick-crust pizza style : SICILIAN

9. "How gross!" : "UGH!"

11. Goodnight girl of song : IRENE. The Weavers hit number one with it in 1950.

12. Classic orange soda : FANTA

13. Back-pocket liquor holder : FLASK

18. High point : ACME

21. Letter before omega : PSI

22. Supreme happiness : BLISS

23. Wood shaper : LATHE

24. Fiery crime : ARSON

29. Conservatory subj. : MUS. (music)

30. Prefix meaning "between" : INTER

32. Church doctrine : DOGMA

34. Fallen space station : MIR

36. 10th century Roman emperor : OTTO I. There were no Popes named Otto? Is that right?

37. Perfume feature : SCENT

38. One-horse carriages : SHAYS

40. Try to escape capture : RUN FOR IT. Lam.

41. Lo-__: lite : CAL

46. Every bit : ALL

47. Tournament exemptions : BYEs. If there is an uneven number of entrants, the top seeds don't play anyone in the first round.

48. Teakettle emission : STEAM

49. Eucalyptus eater : KOALA

50. City map on a state map, e.g. : INSET

52. WWII plane __ Gay : ENOLA

56. Belief systems, for short : ISMs

57. Deposed Iranian ruler : SHAH

59. Photo taker : CAM. (camera)

60. Suffix with station or honor : ARY

61. 1-1 score, e.g. : TIE

62. Neurology subj. : CNS. (central nervous system)

63. Really sexy : HOT

Answer grid.

Argyle

From C.C.:

Happy Birthday to dear Chickie (with husband Bill)! I want to see your backyard with all the wonderful fruit trees.

Sunday August 11, 2012 John Lampkin

Theme: "Beg Your Pardon?" - Each apology is ironic & funny considering the profession of the person who apologizes.

23A. Slapstick comic's apology ... or is it? : I FELL DOWN ON THE JOB. Falling down is a slapstick routine.

39A. New Year's Eve techie's apology ... or is it? : I DROPPED THE BALL. He should have dropped the ball.

59A. Proud liberal's apology ... or is it? : I DID NOTHING RIGHT. Liberals lean left of course.

84A. Army cook's apology ... or is it? : WHAT A MESS I'VE MADE. Army mess.

100A. Zen Buddhist's apology ... or is it? : I WAS THOUGHTLESS. Zen Buddhists tend to keep their mind simple and uncluttered.

122A. Nostalgic seismologist's apology ... or is it? : THIS WAS ALL MY FAULT. Perfect apology for Jayce.

Only 6 theme entries, but they're all long, taking a total 96 squares, which is a Sunday norm (84-100).

Total 63 black squares, we normally get 70-78 on Sundays. Excellent gridding skill and amazing restriction in using cheater squares. (Correction: I meant "restraint from using cheater squares"). John likes to make every black square count.

Across:

1. Greengrocer's stock : PRODUCE

8. "Piano Man" singer : JOEL (Billy)

12. Head honcho : PREZ

16. Down-in-the-mouth org.? : ADA. Fun clue.

19. Classic mouthwash : LAVORIS. I can only think of Listerine. All clue echos are highlighted in green.

20. Sell short : UNDERRATE

22. L.A. Times section? : LOS. Great clue. Los & Angeles are two sections of L.A., visually.

25. DJIA stock : AT &T. Or IBM.

26. British peer : EARL

27. Actor Morales : ESAI

28. Smashing target : ATOM. Was picturing a door.

29. Suckling babe : NURSER

31. Western evergreen : RED FIR

33. CD-__ : ROM

35. __ Plaines, Illinois : DES

37. Muskogee's st. : OKLA

38. N.Y.C. medical facility grantor : SLOAN. Spitzboov mentioned this before.

44. "Mad Money" network : CNBC. Jim Cramer. He's always so excited.

46. Certain : SURE

47. Gave the nod : SAID OK

48. Tempo : PACE

51. Conducted : LED

53. Fruit zest : RIND

55. Sneaky : SLY

56. Kind : ILK

63. Soccer ball juggler : KNEE. And 73. Ball girls : DEBS. Different balls.

64. Dragonfly snare : NET

65. Albatross's milieu : OCEAN. Golf course too.

66. Prefix with gram : SONO

67. Composer Rachmaninoff : SERGEI

69. First name in Prohibition history : ELIOT. Eliot Ness.

71. Sciences' partner : ARTS

75. Agreements : PACTS

76. Bubbly drinks : FIZZES

78. Tavern in the same city as Krusty Burger : MOE'S. "The Simpsons".

80. Capital of India : RUPEE. Money again.

82. Slowing, in scores : RIT

83. 111 digits : ONES. Three one's.

88. Cartoon canine : REN. Ren & Stimpy.

89. Half a cocktail : MAI. Or TAI. I want a Bloody Mary now. Weird.

90. City near Provo : OREM

91. Ditty syllable : TRA

92. "Remote Control" host Ken : OBER. Not familiar with this guy. Died in 2009. Only 52 years old.

93. Muscular jerks : SPASMS

96. Shorten, as nails : CLIP

98. Auto designer Ferrari : ENZO. Learned from doing Xword.

104. Newton with laws : ISAAC

108. Writer Ephron : NORA. Really like her "Sleepless in Seattle".

109. Orbiter until 2001 : MIR

110. 67.5 deg. : ENE

111. Inedible buffet jelly : STERNO. Another fun clue.

112. Shell shooter : MORTAR

115. Frat frock : TOGA

118. Set down : ALIT

120. Gear components : COGS

121. Lyric poem : ODE

126. Boom lead-in : SIS. Sis boom bah!

127. Saying "You can say that again!" again, say : REDUNDANT. Another clue gem.

128. Victim of river diversion in Asia : ARAL SEA. This and Ross Sea both have friendly letters, hence their frequent appearance in puzzles.

129. Lunar New Year : TET

130. Mounted on : ATOP

131. Prevent littering? : SPAY. Ouch.

132. Tailgaters' carriers : COOLERS

Down:

1. Nut grippers : PLIERS

2. San __, city near San Francisco : RAFAEL

3. Go too far : OVERDO

4. Like young Shirley Temple : DOLL-FACED


5. Surfer's destination : URL. Internet surfer. And 101. Stereotypical surfer's wagon : WOODIE

6. Apple product : CIDER. And 119. Apple on a desk : iMAC

7. Those, to Juan : ESOS

8. Subordinates : JUNIORS

9. Lennon's lady : ONO

10. Poet __ St. Vincent Millay : EDNA

11. Riga native : LETT

12. Doc wannabes : PRE-MEDS

13. British rule in India : RAJ. And 14. British prep school : ETON

15. Indian cattle : ZEBU. New word to me. What's under her belly?

16. Aleutian Islands crustacean : ALASKA KING CRAB. Huge.


17. "Go on" : DO TELL

18. Star-shaped : ASTRAL

21. __ Island : RHODE

24. Annie, vis-à-vis Daddy Warbucks : WARD

30. "__Cop" : ROBO

32. Country retreat : INN

34. Cry over : MOURN

36. Hidden supply : STASH

39. Summer cooler : ICE TEA. Ate lots of water melon this summer.

40. Overly fussy types : PRIGS

41. Booth Tarkington kid : PENROD. No idea.

42. Sword handles : HILTS

43. Dreyer's partner in ice cream : EDY

45. Faction : BLOC

48. Desire intensely : PINE FOR. Don't. Giving up is a wise choice.

49. Barbershop quartet sweetie : ADELINE. "Sweet Adeline".

50. Vigilante's collar : CITIZEN'S ARREST. Excellent long entry. Same as 16D.

52. Greg's sitcom wife : DHARMA."Dharma & Greg". Unknown to me.

54. Bistro patrons : DINERS

57. Current with the wind : LEE TIDE

58. Tush : KEISTER

60. Something to take or play : NOTE. Not an easy clue.

61. From A to Z : IN TOTO

62. Lose it all : GO BUST

63. Malay Peninsula's Isthmus of __ : KRA. See here. Yet another unknown.

68. Fencing weapon : EPEE

70. U.S. pint's 16 : OZs

72. Go through : SEARCH

74. Church points : SPIRES

77. Sound of breakers : SWASH

79. Refine, as ore : SMELT

81. "Thirteen" star __ Rachel Wood : EVAN

85. Stereotypical sidelines greeting : HI MOM

86. Author Zola : EMILE

87. Hunter's bull attractor : MOOSE CALL

89. Yoga class need : MAT

94. Coll. prep exam : PSAT

95. Gets dressed for the launch : SUITS UP. Oh, for the astronauts.

97. Fine, for instance : PENALTY. I was thinking of card grading.

99. Complexion spoiler : ZIT

100. Like the hub, relatively : INMOST

102. Mature : GROWN

103. Hawk : SELL

105. Excite : AROUSE

106. One playing the bass? : ANGLER. Lovely clue.

107. Sportscaster Bob : COSTAS

111. Start to foam? : STYRO. Styrofoam.

113. Gillette Mach3 forerunner : ATRA

114. Art of publ. speaking : RHET. Rich probably only allows this entry on Saturday/Sunday.

116. Gallivants : GADS

117. "Hurry!" : ASAP

123. Agreement to enter an institution? : I DO

124. Literary collection : ANA

125. Schwarz of toys : FAO

Answer grid.

C.C.