Saturday, Sep15th, 2012, Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: None

Words: 70

Blocks: 29

This would be Jeffrey's first LAT puzzle, based on the history of the blog - there isn't even a link to his name, so I would say congratulations are in order~!!! (I did find a link to another CW of his, but....). Sadly, I have to concede a DNF (Did Not Finish) this time, as the NW corner was left partially unfilled by my allotted time....ah, well, every now and then I have to have a learning moment. Not a terribly daunting grid, triple stacks of 8's and 9's, and a smattering of 8's and 7's along the way. Some odd parsings;

2D. Confident declaration : I SURE CAN - Can you solve this puzzle in short time? "I SURE CAN'T"

53A. Repulsive : UGLY AS SIN - I can hear my mother saying this when I was a kid; there are some actresses that make me wonder how they got their jobs in front of a camera - want to know who?

12D. Ont. site of a War of 1812 battle : FT. ERIE - When I had F and T, I thought, "no, that can't be right", but then the V-8 can came sailing in....Some history here

36D. Popular burning spot : DVD DRIVE - Dah~! I had "---DRIVE" and couldn't figure out the rest; and the "D" for Cholesterol names, either H-DL or L-DL had to be right, so fooD drive, blooD drive~??? It won't fit ~!!!

Onward....

ACROSS:

1. Twisted : SICK - not BENT; I had the "C" from CAME NEXT, so I tried RACY, too - hey, my mind is SICK and TWISTED and RACY, like the DF types on the blog....

5. Completed : CAPPED OFF - Capped off a great weekend in July with a huge bonfire

14. Virtually done deal? : E-SALE - knew it would be "E" something....

16. Pure as the driven snow : LILY WHITE - you can kiss my lily white 'uglyassin'

17. Light unit : LUMEN - pretty sure it was not WATT(S)

18. Mentalist who failed to bend Johnny Carson's spoons : URI GELLER - before my time, but I was pretty confident this was right

19. Out : FREED - too many options for the term "OUT", so I had to wait on this

20. Rips into : SLAMS - not TEARS or REAMS

21. Go down the wrong path : ERR

22. Brooding sort? : HEN

23. Like some ball gowns : SATINY - my first thought; I didn't fill it in because I thought it was a bit cheesy; then I had S----Y, so....

25. Cheese originally from the department now called Seine-et-Marne : BRIE - not BLEU, but enough to get going

26. Prevented a return from : ACED - ah, tennis; I had ICED because I was thinking along a different line

28. Safari setup : TENT

29. Troubled : BESET - makes me think of this movie quote @1:09 (language~!)

30. Expense account item : TAXI FARE

32. The younger Hardy boy : JOE - the only thing I know about the Hardy Boys was the TV show that was on when I was about 8

33. Involves : ENTAILS

34. Canines : CUSPIDS - crossing 29D. Top dog : BOSS - had me on the wrong wavelength for too long

38. Gov., e,g. : POL - GOVernor and POLitician makes sense

39. Husband : CONSERVE - this is a new definition for me, and it didn't fill in easily

40. Throws in the towel : GIVES - not CEDES

43. Traditional time for hot cross buns : LENT - not YULE - hey, I'm a recovering alcoholic, not a recovering Catholic ( a little AA humor there )

44. Early word : DA-DA

45. Co-star of Hugh on "House" : OMAR - Epps, or "Foreman"; I was just watching some HOUSE yesterday; there are some episodes where I just can't tolerate House....Theme song

46. One who got plenty of sack time in Rome? : VANDAL - OK, I cheated - I went to Google to see who had a name with second letter -A- and ended -L; didn't find "a" name, but a group

48. Crestor target, for short : LDL

49. Acct. entry : BALance

50. Green sauce : PESTO

51. One may be seen from a box : OPERA

55. "Good __": 1966 #1 song : LOVIN'

56. "Evidently ..." : SEEMS TO ME - makes me think of this song

57. Energetic : ALIVE

58. Locke pieces : TREATISES

59. Candy machine input : ONES - DAMN~!! Candy has gotten expensive~! I tried DIME, COIN and CENT

DOWN:

1. Therapist's challenge : SELF-HATE - just couldn't figure this out; I had the ----HATE part, but was looking for psychological term, not a hyphen phrase

3. Ensued : CAME NEXT

4. Bauhaus school teacher : KLEE - more here

5. Many flowers grow in them : CLUSTERS - Considered GUTTERS, even though I needed one more letter; the church where I am working now has plant life growing in the gutters

6. High overhead business? : AIRLINE - I had WIRE--- to start, since here on LI there is a 'backbone' of high wire transmission lines that runs right through the UPS grounds where I work

7. Supple : PLIANT

8. __ hippo : PYGMY



9. Lea grazers : EWES - Ewww~~!! That picture is UGLY ASS IN

10. FedEx rival : DHL - meh, I have gotten a DHL package once; it always fascinates me when a FedEx or DHL package comes down my slide. Plus, the work van I bought was once an Airborne Express courier

11. Four-time 1980s Stanley Cup champs : OILERS - with the "Great One", Wayne Gretzky. They won one more in 1990. Yes, eddyB, today (well, tomorrow AM) is the day we learn about our hockey future

13. Bring to light, with "out" : FERRET

15. Purposes : ENDS

24. Whatsoever : AT ALL

25. Emitted a backup signal? : BEEPED - not really sure the "?" is needed

27. Bum wrap : DIAPER - har har har

31. Verizon communications service : FiOS - Their Fiber Optic service

32. Interim ruling group : JUNTA

34. Backs up : CONDONES - yeah, I get it, but my mind was stuck on burning a 'back-up' to DVD

35. "Deathtrap" playwright : IRA LEVIN

37. Cruise routes : SEA LANES

39. Haitian coin : CENTIME

40. Fail : GO BUST

41. Satellite's eye : IMAGER

42. Crooner Rudy : VALLEE - new to me; more here

43. They may be seen around calves : LASSOS - not these - c'mon, you should know me by now....

46. "__ la giubba": "Pagliacci" aria : VESTI - filled via Perps

47. 1970 Kinks classic : LOLA - someone else can link; I can't stand the tune

50. Over : PAST

52. Game with four-person teams : POLO - Four horses, too, I hope

54. Sumac of song : YMA - Learned from crosswords

Answer grid.

Splynter

Friday, September 14, 2012, Marti Duguay-Carpenter

Theme: RHOTACISM: (Now a word from our education sponsors: LINK)

This is Marti’s homage puzzle to 63 Across: ELMER FUDD. Each of the four theme answers (the 1st and 4th being grid spanners!) take common two-word phrases and morph them into a new and legitimate phrase, clued with a question mark to warn you the game is afoot. Each first word changes not only the R sound to W but changes the rest of the word as well. I WOVE (love) this puzzle! This is also why I will never finish constructing one, as I am intimidated by the ability to create two 15 letter answers which work in this very limiting theme. As an alternative theme because so many of you watch Big Bang Theory, please watch the following SNIPPET (1:13).

17A. About 98 degrees Fahrenheit? : WOMB (ROOM) TEMPERATURE. (15) For all the nit pickers, I do not know or care if the actual reading of body temp is the same in the womb as the rest of the body, this is just plain funny.

25A. Gardener’s agenda? : WEEDING (READING) LIST. (11) Keeping Bugs from the carrots?

43A. Bikers? : WHEEL (REAL) PEOPLE. (11) I am not sure if she was thinking of the old TV SERIES, (1:39) or just the general expression.

55A. Jack Daniel’s field? : WHISKEY (RISKY) BUSINESS. (15) I am back with more TOM CRUISE (1:54) as well as some Tennessee sipping whiskey (not BOURBON!). Did you recognize Balki and Booger?

and the hint:
63A. Toon who inspired this puzzle's four long puns : ELMER.(7:21) Early Elmer.

Well that was such fun let’s see what she did to top herself.

Across:

1. Dessert with a hyphen : JELL-O. I have the jingle in my ear. They did some pretty absurd TV ADS.(0:31). I also mourn Soupy Sales.

6. "Good for me!" : TADA. The crossword puzzler's best friend.

10. Goes for : OPTS. marti opted to be funny once again!

14. Foreign : ALIEN.

15. Answer to a nagging roommate : I'M UP. Said more than once, with feeling!

16. Textbook pioneer Webster : NOAH. Dictionary anyone?

20. Nurse : SIP. Like drinking slowly, though the word also can relate to a similar sounding three letter word....

21. Name on an airport shuttle : AVIS. Do they still try harder?

22. Pleased as punch : ELATED. I was elated to see miss m and I were doing another of our Friday fun frolics.

23. Pakistan neighbor : IRAN. This word comes from the Sanskrit meaning ARYAN. the same word used by the Nazis.

24. After-dinner drink letters : VSOP. Very Superior Old Pale, cognac designation.

29. Rested : SAT.

32. Probability number : RATIO. The ratio of fun Fridays goes way up with our crew creating..

33. Cask wood : OAK. Where they age the whiskey.

34. Part of a plot : ACRE. Not a story plot, a plot of ground!

35. Online qualifier : IMHO. In My Humble Opinion. Again!!!!!!

36. Absolut rival, briefly : STOLI. Hmm, our fifth liquor reference, marti?

38. Hideaway : LAIR.

39. Bundled off : SENT. In England, the rich kids were bundled off to public school.

40. "___ for Cookie": "Sesame Street" song : C IS. C'mon, SING (1:21) along!

41. Kind of renewable energy : SOLAR. Is this related to Solar Plexus?

42. General on a a menu : TSO. Back on the menu, like the old Buddy Hackett joke about Chinese Jews.

46. Time : HOUR. I hope it does not take you that long for this puzzle.

47. DoD fliers : USAF. Department of Defense. United States Air Force.

48. Topnotch : SUPERB. an excellent word to describe this creation.

51. Proficiency measure : EXAM. I found this to be a testy clue.

52. "Wanna ___?" : BET. Yes I do!

58. 2000s GM compacts : IONS. These were built by Saturn and I owned one for a week. Fun car.

59. Bust a gut : ROAR.

60. High capital : LHASA. I bet you knew this was in Ti-bet.

61. Butter used to deep-fry samosas : GHEE. Gee, we have not had this clarified butter since a John Lampkin Sunday puzzle in 2010.

62. Drama award : TONY. These were not named after Tony Orlando.

We press on...

Down:

1. Chews the fat : JAWS. I presume from the way we flap them while we speak.

2. Childlike sci-fi people : ELOI. Yvette honey, where are you?

3. Like a wet noodle : LIMP. Now Dennis, here is a perfect opening for you and the rest of the old timers to return some DF to the puzzle, to keep our Morel strong!

4. Isr. neighbor : LEBanon. The most beautiful woman I know is Lebanese. I had a great Uncle from Lebanon who my father used to introduce as his wife's "Lesbian" Uncle.

5. Hudson Bay province : ONTARIO. Home of Ottawa, the capital of Canada, which is where the 57D. Senators' org. : NHL play. Lots of hockey clues. Do any of you watch Matt LeBlanc in Pucks?

6. Comedian's art : TIMING. Also an important belt.

7. Rock boosters : AMPS. Amplifiers.

8. Unsettled : DUE. Pay up, please.

9. Time for a hot toddy, perhaps : APRES SKI. You knew miss m would get some skiing in, now that there is snow. Of course what you do after skiing is to drink alcohol, hmmmm.

10. Ready to be drawn : ON TAP. Okay, our mandatory beer reference. My nephew is now working for Victory Brewing.

11. Diva's fit : POUT. Can you tell?

12. Weight allowance : TARE.

13. Shake off : SHED. Like the Octomom has been doing with her clothes to get money.

18. Writer Hunter : EVAN. Wrote many books as Ed McBain, prolific writer who began writing serious novels like Blackboard Jungle, and then went to crime novels. He took his first nom de plume from the College where he went in NY.

19. Oodles : A LOT. Not to be confused with AGOB.

23. Target of a series of guide : IDIOT. Not to be confused with the KAMA SUTRA.

24. Medicine holder : VIAL. I had so many vile thoughts about this clue.

25. Something to keep a watch on : WRIST. Oh you tricky one, where else would you keep your wrist watch?

26. Name in chair design : EAMES. I learned from CW puzzles of this COUPLE. They ended up doing much more than chairs.

27. Cultural prefix : ETHNO.

28. Rough, as a translation : LOOSE. Many rough women I knew were also quite good at translating.

29. Re-sell to desperate fans , maybe : SCALP. Is this derived from the totally un-pc native American reference?

30. Standard Windows typeface : ARIAL. What type are you? We use Georgia here.

31. Land at Charles de Gaulle airport? : TERRE. En Francais on dit Terre. More translation sensation.

34. Disinterested : ALOOF. Of course many of you who read and never post are not shy, just....

36. "Trout Quintet" composer : SCHUBERT. I love this VIDEO,(7:04) not only the music, but look at their faces.

37. Piece of cake : TIER. Easy this was not, though certainly not the icing on the cake either. A nicely layered clue.

41. Nautical distance : SEA MILE.Which are really different from land ones.

43. Get the job done : WORK. Well this is still fun, but it does take a bit of time.

44. More than just creature comforts : LUXURY. Yes, the American Dream.

45. Educ. radio spots : PSAS. Public Service Announcements.

46. "Siddhartha" author : HESSE. A German born author outspoken against Hitler. LINK.

48. Snort : SWIG. Okay, we are back to getting soused again!

49. "That doesn't sound good" : UH OH. When you have that hangover...

50. Needle dropper : PINE. I went all around the medical tree and had trouble parsing this simple one.

51. "Voice of Israel" author : EBAN. I had the pleasure of meeting this gentle man when I was working with a local television show Shalom.

52. Send, "Star Trek" style : BEAM. me up Scotty.

53. ___ quam videri: North Carolina motto : ESSE. "To be rather than to seem to be." There is a wonderful author, ROBERT HARRIS who has written about Cicero, the creator of this phrase, enlightening reading.

54. Abdicator of 1917 : TSAR. Nicholas II.

56. "___-hoo!" : YOO. It is Lemonade, here saying goodnight; marti entertains but wears me out with so many provocative clues. It is way past my bedtime, so don't call too early, but have a great time. L'shana tova to those who are about to begin a New Year. Congrats marti on your Sunday and Friday coup!

Peace out.

Answer Grid.

Thursday September 13, 2012 Gary Lowe

Theme: POP STARS! (OK, I just made that up...you can write whatever theme you want!)

17A. *"Karma Chameleon" band : CULTURE CLUB. Ooooh, we start of right away with a music link!

25A. *Space traveler : STAR SHIP. Are we talkin', like Jefferson Starship???

52A. *It's not good to meet with it : FOUL PLAY. Open your mind?

64A. *Used car selling point : SINGLE OWNER. Sorry, no "Single Owner" link, but how about "Single Ladies"???

And the unifier:
39. With 40-Across, kid's toy...and a word that can precede the first word of the starred answers : POP. = Pop Culture, Pop Star, Pop Foul, Pop Single (OK, a "Pop single" hit has echoes of Pop culture and pop stars, but it is an "in the lingo" phrase, right???) Great entries!!

40. See 39-Across...and a word that can precede the last word of the starred answers : GUN. = Gun club, Gun ship, Gun play (would that be like, Russian roulette?), and Gun owner (or, NRA member, for short?)

Marti here, with a fun and excellently executed theme, with both unifiers as lead ins to each word in the theme entries. I like before-after puzzles, and this one delivered in spades.

Did anyone here have a POP GUN as a kid?

I had a BB Gun, until my mother took it away when I started shooting at my sisters...
OK, moving on....

Across:

1. 14-Time All-Star catcher Rodriguez, familiarly : PUDGE. HAH! I have an in-house expert visiting this week, and when I asked him about Rodriguez, and wanted a five-letter fill, he immediately said "PUDGE"!! Not Alex ("A-Rod" Rodriguez), but Iván Rodriguez!! Who knew??

6. Smarten (up) : SPIFF. I had to really spiff up the guest room for him...

11. Data proc. equipment : PCS. And he forgot his PC charger. So, tomorrow our first trip is to Best Buy to get him one (the 58 adapters I had in my desk drawer didn't fit...) And 59-Down. Programs for 11-Across, briefly : APPS

14. Amer. economic assistance : US AID.

15. Dermatologist's concern : TINEA. You don't even want me to link an image of this!!

16. Skill : ART

19. Boot part : TOE. Where you might get tinea?

20. ___ Sutra : KAMA. I looked up images, but wondered, "Can people really do that???"

21. Dipped in a well, maybe : INKED

22. Behold, to Livy : ECCE

23. Tilts : SLANTS

27. Corrida celebrity : TORERO. Ole!

29. Global positioning fig. : LAT.itude. (Or, Los Angeles Times!)

30. ___ alai : JAI

32. Turner memoir : I TINA

34. State with a 45-mile Canadian border : IDAHO. Yep, according to the scale, it is exactly 45 miles (see for yourself!!)

38. Notable time : ERA

42. White ___ : SOX. Bah!! The clue should have read "Red ___"!!

43. Ministers to : TENDS

45. Lengthwise : ALONG

47. "Deadwood" channel : HBO . Did anyone watch this series?

48. Tampa NFLer : BUC.caneer.

50. Learn well : ABSORB

56. 18-and-overs : ADULTS

60. ___ Reason : AGE OF

62. Trendy NYC section : NOHO . No how, not to be confused with SOHO (which is what I first entered here...). Of course, "North of Houston" is a trendy neighborhood in NYC. Is that where Carrie Bradshaw lives?

63. Hwy. : RTE

66. D. Petraeus's title : GEN. Current director of the CIA.

67. Shorthand system : GREGG. It's all Greek to me! ένα είδος στενογραφίας

68. Seen enough : HAD IT

69. Not quite right : ODD

70. "The Gondoliers" bride : TESSA. Also known as "The King of Barataria", by Gilbert and Sullivan. Typical G&S offering. 1:00

71. Actor Mike : MYERS. Ok, who else had a problem with "Actor Mike"??? Douglas...Minor....Evans..Connor...Farrell...Henry

Down:

1. Kings shoot them : PUCKS. HaHa, funny clue for the Los Angeles Kings Hockey team!

2. Unremarkable : USUAL

3. Firehouse mascot : DALMATIAN. Why are they a firehouse mascot? Ask Yahoo!

4. Jeans brand : GITANO. Not very sexy, IMHO...

5. URL ender : EDU

6. WWII weapon : STEN

7. Singles out : PICKS ON

8. Shoreline recess : INLET

9. Middle Aged? : FEUDAL. Loved this clue! I wish I were more "feudal" than I am...

10. "Swell!" : FAB

11. Sewing kit item : PATCH

12. Spring bloomers : CROCI (diles?)

13. Awfully expensive : STEEP

18. Not back down from, as a challenge : RISE TO

22. Founded: Abbr. : EST'D. Established.

24. Outwits on the stand : TRIPS UP

26. One invoked during a drought : RAIN GOD. ("Please let it be rain, and not snow!")

28. "Live! With Kelly" host : RIPA. This cutie.

30. Shark attack victim? : JET. From "West Side Story". Not this guy on Cape Cod!

31. "___ you for real?" : ARE

33. Lots : A GOB

35. Fair-haired : ASH BLONDE

36. Fireplace food-warming shelf : HOB. I first wanted "Hod", but that is for bricklayers, I guess...

37. Tic-tac-toe loser : OXO. Or, OOX, XOO, or XXO or XOX

41. Dicey : UNSAFE

44. Two-Baggers: Abbr. : DBLS. (Doubles)...I am actually starting to learn baseball!!

46. Birds do it : LAY EGGS. Ummm, I had another image in mind!

49. Eau ___ : CLAIRE. Wisconsin.

51. "Project ___": fashion design show : RUNWAY. You mean, you have never seen this show?!?!? Such DRAAAMA! 2:49

52. Red River city : FARGO

53. Made a choice : OPTED

54. Topple : UPEND

55. Actress Moorehead : AGNES

57. The enemy's : THEIR

58. Separates by type : SORTS

61. "Three Sisters" sister : OLGA. Chekhov play.

64. Pvt.'s boss : SGT

65. Electrical measure : OHM. Or, an alternative Buddhist chant?

Answer grid.

I had fun with this one -- did you?

Hugs,
Marti

Wednesday September 12, 2012 Gareth Bain

Theme: seven seas (cees)

whether by design or not, this is a lovely tribute to our c.c., how can you not love the c.c. rider right in the middle?

melissa here.

17a. Perspective-bending artist : MC ESCHER. Maurits Cornelis Escher.

19a. "Beau Geste" novelist : PC WREN. i knew the book/movie, but not the author. Percival Christopher Wren.

30a. Sears rival : JC PENNEY. department stores. James Cash Penney.

39a. Blues standard first recorded by Ma Rainey : CC RIDER. by elvis, too. from wikipedia: the song uses mostly traditional blues lyrics to tell the story of an unfaithful lover, commonly called easy riders: "see see rider, see what you have done," making a play on the word see and the sound of easy.

46a. "Never Give a Sucker an Even Break" star : WC FIELDS. William Claude Dukenfield.

61a. Pepsi alternative : RC COLA. Royal Crown Cola.

63a. Justice League publisher : DC COMICS. wikipedia says the initials DC came from the company's popular series Detective Comics.

and more C initials:

29d. One of three in Coca-Cola : HARD C

35a. Final Four initials : NCAA. National Collegiate Athletic Association

39d. Online tech news site : C|NET. Computer Network or Communication Network?

41a. KGB counterpart : CIA. Central Intelligence Agency.

55a. CNBC interviewees : CEO'S. Chief Executive Officers.

across

1. "Rumble in the Jungle" champ : ALI. october 30, 1974, george foreman vs. ali.

4. Hanging on every word : RAPT

8. Crumb bum : BAD EGG

14. Actor Chaney : LON. lon chaney, sr., known for the hunchback of notre dame, and phantom of the opera. lon chaney, jr. known for the wolf man, the mummy, frankenstein's monster, and lennie small in of mice and men.

15. Dot on a map : ISLE

16. Delphi's claim to fame : ORACLE. wow.

20. Grade for a tween : SIXTH

21. Scottish hillside : BRAE

23. Convent residents : NUNS. i admit it, i own a nunzilla.

24. Runner Sebastian et al. : COES. british athlete, won four olympic medals.

26. Second and third in a sequence : RE MI. do re me fa so la ti.

28. Port relative : SHERRY.

34. Subdue with a stun gun : TASE. don't subdue me, bro.

37. "Mercy!" : I GIVE

38. Penn Sta. users : RR'S. railroad station.

42. Prettify : ADORN

44. "Roots" author Haley : ALEX

45. Game with a 32-card deck : SKAT

48. How some beer is sold : IN CANS. ew.

50. Mil. plane for small runways : STOL. short takeoff and landing.

51. Civil wrong : TORT

52. Barbershop member : BASS. quartet singer.

58. Reverend's residence : MANSE

65. Charm : AMULET

66. Entry point : DOOR

67. Kite on the links : TOM. tom kite. pro golfer.

68. "Who wants ice cream?" reply : ME ME ME

69. Lid malady : STYE. eyelid.

70. Lamb mom : EWE. ewe never stay away for long.

down

1. Poor box donations : ALMS

2. Focal points : LOCI

3. More than : IN EXCESS OF

4. Having deeper pockets : RICHER

5. Hibachi residue : ASH

6. Roman commoner : PLEB. i thought it was always spelled plebe.

7. Okla. or Dak., once : TERR. territory.

8. Inept sheep keeper : BO PEEP. little bo peep, nursery rhyme.

9. Circle part : ARC

10. Beginning : DAWNING in the forest.

11. Color of raw silk : ECRU

12. Narrow valley : GLEN

13. Mil. bigwigs : GENS. generals.

18. Five-and-dime, e.g. : STORE

22. Game player's haunts : ARCADE

25. iPad-to-iMac activity : SYNC. not always simple to do.

27. Fourth prime minister of Israel : MEIR. golda.

28. It may be bendy : STRAW. or phoebe buffay.

30. Locks up : JAILS

31. Cable venue for vintage sitcoms : NICK AT NITE

32. Poland Spring competitor : EVIAN. bottled water. eye opening documentary tapped.

33. Dublin-born poet : YEATS

36. Pacifier site : CRADLE. aw.

40. Parkway off-ramp : EXIT

43. Meat- or fish-filled pastry : RISSOLE. don't think i've ever had one.

45. "Vamoose!" : SCRAM

47. Pin down : LOCATE. that' i've had.

49. "Mercy!" : NO MORE.

52. "Dracula" novelist Stoker : BRAM

53. Peak : ACME

54. Fountain build-up : SCUM

56. Track numbers : ODDS

57. St. Andrew's Day celebrant : SCOT

59. Garbage barge : SCOW

60. Salinger heroine : ESME. with love and squalor.

62. Apollo lander, briefly : LEM. lunar excursion model.

64. Affectedly shy : COY

Answer grid.

melissa

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to our serious foodie Steve, who's been busy traveling. Found anything exotic in Amsterdam?

Tuesday, September 11, 2012 Victor Barocas

Theme: Is there a doctor in the house? - The Doctors are at the front of the line in the four theme entries.

20A. "Yes, indeed" : "NO DOUBT ABOUT IT"

25A. Dinner table dispenser : PEPPER SHAKER

45A. Sentry's question : "WHO GOES THERE?"

52A. Tenth novel in Sue Grafton's "Alphabet" series : "J IS FOR JUDGMENT"

66A. Brief titles for the starts of 20-, 25-, 45- and 52-Across : DR's

Dr. Argyle here. I'm not a real doctor but then, neither are our entries today. Dr. No is the title character in first James Bond film. Dr. Pepper is the soft drink with a unique taste. Dr. Who is a Time Lord whose exploits are chronicled by the Beeb(BBC). And the very real Julius Winfield Erving II(Dr. J), a Hall of Famer with a degree in basketball.

Nice long entries with the reveal at the very end. A wide range of fill should produce some nits for the nit wits. A fluid puzzle.

Across:

1. Favorite texting partner, for short : BFF. (Best Friends Forever)

4. In a crooked position : ASKEW and 41A. Like bees attacking : ASWARM

9. Form : SHAPE

14. Lord's Prayer opener : OUR

15. Deli counter unit : SLICE

16. What actors have to learn : LINES

17. Barcelona gold : ORO

18. Kin of "Skoal!" : "SALUT!". "Cheers!"

19. Like much pub ale : ON TAP. "Here's to ya!"

23. Parlor or den : ROOM. Tap room, thirst parlor.

24. Kindergarten basics : ABC'S

32. Restful resorts : SPAs

35. Mystery writer Stout : REX. He created Nero Wolfe.

36. Et __ : CETERA. 11-Down yesterday, in its abbreviated form.

37. Destiny : LOT

38. Calculates : FIGURES

40. Parisian negative : NON

43. Computer network acronym : LAN. (local area network)

44. Talk show moderator : HOST

48. It replaced the punt in Ireland : EURO. The Irish pound.

 

 

49. Shade trees : ELMS

58. Lite cigarette boast : "NO TAR"

59. Messing of "Will & Grace" : DEBRA.

 

60. Afternoon potful : TEA

61. Hold holdings : CARGO

62. Best-case : IDEAL

63. Brain scan, for short : EEG. (electroencephalogram)

64. "Stuck __": Elvis hit : ON YOU. Related: 2D. Much ado about something : FUROR

 

 

 

 

65. Funeral song : DIRGE

Down:

1. Blessing : BOON

3. Bilbo Baggins's nephew : FRODO. From Lord of the Rings.

4. Postulate : ASSUME

5. Hunk : SLAB

6. Garment for Rob Roy : KILT. Kilted hunk.

 

 

7. Quito's nation: Abbr. : ECUA. Map showing the capital city of Ecuador.

8. Place to grab a screwdriver at home? : WET BAR. Equipped with a sink and running water.

9. Sits sloppily : SLOUCHES. "Sit up straight!"

10. Doesn't exactly tell : HINTS AT

11. Not pro : ANTI

12. __ moss : PEAT

13. Parapsychology subj. : ESP

21. "Didn't mean to do that" : "OOPS!"

22. Like a banned book, perhaps : OBSCENE

26. First, to Franco : PRIMERO. Spanish.

27. Wooden pin : PEG

28. Rejoice : EXULT

29. Lotto-like game : KENO

30. Mythical archer : EROS. His Roman counterpart is Cupid.

31. Talk wildly : RANT

32. Chopped side dish : SLAW

33. High-end : POSH

34. Welk's upbeat : "A TWO".

 

 

 

38. Frills, ribbons, ruffles, and such : FROUFROU

39. Bit of arena support : "RAH!". 86-Down on Sunday.

42. In olden days : AGES AGO

44. Skipper's area : HELM

46. Morally base : SORDID. The second meaning of base. Link.

47. Wine and dine : REGALE

50. Measured (out) : METED

51. Look of derision : SNEER

52. Rivers of comedy : JOAN. "Can we talk?"

53. "Just doing my job" : "I TRY"

54. User of the Force : JEDI. From Star Wars.

55. Over, in Hanover : ÜBER

56. Wet blanket, so to speak : DRAG

57. Luggage attachments : TAGS

58. Sgt., e.g. : NCO. (NonCommissionedOfficer)

Answer grid.

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to Husker Gary. Love that photo, which was taken on his last day as a full-time teacher.

Monday, September 10, 2012 Melanie Miller

Theme: Ain't No Big Thing - Five 'Little' clue echo's (clecho's), 5 synonyms for little but they aren't really synonyms for each other. (Is there a word for that?)

18A. Little vehicle : COMPACT CAR

23A. Little time : SHORT TERM

40A. Little role : CAMEO APPEARANCE

51A. Little break : BRIEF STOP

60A. Little type : SMALL PRINT

Argyle here. Odd feel to Melanie Miller's Monday musings. Some entries that are gimmes for the veteran solvers but stumpers for the newbies. Melanie gave us the 4H puzzle. The grid is more main stream today but the content, I don't know, less inspired?

Across:

1. Forest youngster : FAWN.

 

5. John Wesley's relig. : METH. (Methodism)

9. Nueve menos dos : SIETE (Spanish)

14. Canyon comeback : ECHO. Significant entry?

15. __-deucy : ACEY. Card game.

16. "Come on in" : "ENTER". and later, 48A. "It's been real, dahling" : "CIAO"

17. Pre-calc course : TRIG. (calculus/trigonometry)

20. Fable writer : AESOP

22. Western Australia's capital : PERTH

26. Salinger's "With Love and Squalor" girl : ESME. Just what I was talking about. Gimme or Natick?

30. Armoire feature : DOOR.

 

 

31. Beauty pageant accessories : SASHES

33. Therapists' org. : APA. (American Psychological Association)

36. Was nosy : PRIED

39. Friendship bracelet components : BEADS. Am I right that most do not have beads?

43. Molecular particles : ATOMS

44. Remote button with two vertical bars : PAUSE

45. Weight unit : TON

46. City thoroughfare : STREET

50. Grandstand feature : TIER

56. Valuable holding : ASSET

58. Guiding principle : TENET. Methodist's tenet?

65. Summer camp setting : LAKE

66. Bamboo muncher : PANDA

67. Manipulative sort : USER

68. MGM symbol : LION

69. __-craftsy : ARTSY

70. Silents star Naldi : NITA. This is almost a candid shot.

 

 71. Mine finds : OREs

Down:

1. Greek salad cheese : FETA. On the cheese tour, I tried cow, goat, and sheep feta; enough for awhile.

2. Real estate units : ACRES

3. Rustling sound : WHISH. Not cattle rustling, but maybe CED can find a connection.

4. Rotten to the core : NO GOOD

5. Rock's Fleetwood __ : MAC

6. Earth Day prefix : ECO

7. Arizona State's city : TEMPE

8. High-strung : HYPER

9. Religious offshoot : SECT

10. Where there are plenty of fish : IN THE SEA

11. List-shortening abbr. : ETC. (et cetera)

12. Steeped beverage : TEA. Plus 55D. Black variety of 12-Down : PEKOE

13. Flub the shot, say : ERR. Gee, I don't say, "I erred", when I flub a shot.

19. Weapons : ARMS

21. Ask for a hand on one knee : PROPOSE

24. __ Bora: Afghan region : TORA

25. Monica Lewinsky scandal figure Linda : TRIPP. No photos, please.

27. Refuse to, quaintly : SHAN'T

28. Rx managed care giant : MEDCO. I've never dealt with them. Any stories?

29. German industrial city : ESSEN

32. Side by side : ABREAST

33. "... and __ of thousands!" : A CAST

34. Singer LaBelle or LuPone : PATTI

35. Luigi's love : AMORE

37. Clean air org. : EPA. (Environmental Protection Agency)

38. Tie during a tennis game : DEUCE

41. Green gems : EMERALDS

42. "That is so not happening!" : "AS IF!"

47. Recipe amt. : TBSP. (tablespoon)

49. Verdi opera with Desdemona : OTELLO

52. Encore presentation : RERUN

53. Formal "Who's there?" response : "IT IS I"

54. Illuminated studio sign : [ON AIR]

57. Do in, as a vampire : SLAY

59. Bills with Hamilton on them : TENS

60. Mud bath venue : SPA

61. Scratch or scuff, say : MAR

62. Picnic invader : ANT

63. Butterfly catcher : NET

64. __-la-la : TRA

Answer grid.

Argyle

Sunday Sept 9, 2012 Marti DuGuay-Carpenter

Theme: "Going Daffy" - S sound (in various spellings) is changed to "TH".

23A. Quite somber Independence Day? : FOURTH OF GRAVITY. Force of gravity.

32A. Expandable waistline, say? : GROWTH MARGIN. Gross margin. Boomer likes pants with expandable waist.

55A. Ghost from outer space? : ALIEN WRAITH. Alien race.

75A. Big bag of wind? : MIGHTY MOUTH. Mighty mouse.

91A. Jet bridge? : BOARDING PATH. Boarding pass.

108A. The truth about Zeus, Apollo, etc.? : MYTH INFORMATION. Misinformation. Funny clue, "The truth".

37D. Texas Hold'em player's confidence? : POKER FAITH. Poker face.

47D. Parisian pals? : FRENCH KITH. French kiss.

A nice mixture of CE, SS, SE, S to TH conversion. Some first word, some last word. There is no TH sound in Chinese, so "These" and "Those" are quite tricky for me in the beginning, esp "Those". My "The" sounded like "de". A recent NYT puzzle used this exact gimmick.

Marti likes sound change themes, which reflect her innate humor and talent. As a non-native speaker, I often find them hard to grasp and always depend on Lemonade's write-up to guide me on Fridays.

Congratulations to Marti on her first Sunday! You made it. Simple & Elegant grid design & super smooth fill.

Across:

1. Bon mot : JEST

5. Supplies with gear : EQUIPS. With a rare letter Q.

11. Spa sounds : AHs

14. Class without struggle : EASY A. I don't remember any Easy A's in my classes, politics being the most difficult subject, esp after the Tiananmen Square incident.

19. Ticklish Muppet : ELMO

20. Gopher's route : TUNNEL

21. Fire : VIM

22. The sun, for one : G-STAR. I think I asked Spitzboov & Bill G about this or some other * STAR before.

26. Garden hose gasket : O-RING

27. Was perfectly tailored : FIT TO A TEE. TO A TEE or TO A T is not easy to parse.

28. Senators' holdings : SEATS

30. Cornerstone word : ANNO

31. Held title to : OWNED

35. Golf gimme : TAP IN. Yips are not easy to overcome.

38. Corner : TRAP

39. Bart Simpson's grampa : ABE

40. Common blood type, briefly : A POS. Oh, A Positive.

41. Set up for a fall : FRAMED

44. Cape Cod feature : GABLE. Marti was just vacationing there.

47. Dietary supp. watchdog : FDA

50. Car registration datum : MAKE

51. "Return of the Jedi" dancer : OOLA. Learned from doing Xword.

52. Like always : UNALTERED

54. Sooner than, to a bard : ERE

59. Lean : TEND. Make sense when "to" is added.

60. Fence-sit : STRADDLE

62. Conserve, in a way : RE-USE

63. Short hops : JAUNTS

65. They're often full of hot air : FLUES. Lovely. Santa Argyle will like it.

66. Stick (on) : PASTE

67. Bubbly mixer : TONIC

68. Diminished : ABATED

70. Soda bottle size : LITER

71. Chat with colleagues : TALK SHOP. Great entry.

74. Award coveted on "Mad Men" : CLIO

77. Penn of "Harold & Kumar" films : KAL. Very active in politics, one of those Obama re-election co-chairs.

78. Yellowstone feature : HOT SPRING. Nice.

81. Deal : COPE

82. Polynesian pendant : TIKI

83. Country W. of Somalia : ETH (Ethiopia). Do they also have Couscous?

84. Posh : RITZY

85. Rubbernecked : CRANED

87. Break __: take the lead : A TIE

88. RNC's group : GOP

89. Navy mascot : GOAT. Bill the Goat. A live mascot.

90. Else : OTHER

97. Part of an act : SCENE

100. "Say it isn't so!" : OH NO

101. They may be tall : TALES. "May be" in the clue is often challenging but entertaining.

102. Tick off : ENUMERATE

106. Light bulb units : WATTS

111. "Un Ballo in Maschera" aria : ERI TU. Very grid-friendly letter combo, hence its frequent appearances.

112. Capable, facetiously : EPT

113. Incapably : POORLY

114. Had too much : OD'ED

115. Scout's mission : RECON

116. Uneffusive : SHY. Not Marti. She's a passionate person.

117. Blood pressure elevator : STRESS

118. Cold War news service : TASS

Down:

1. Comedian Foxworthy : JEFF

2. Cliff-dwelling race in a 2002 film : ELOI. I definitely needed a "The Time Machine" reference in the clue.

3. Blue stuff : SMUT

4. Storied surprise winner : TORTOISE. Love this answer.

5. Patriot Allen : ETHAN

6. Bartlett specialty : QUOTE. Anyone though of Jason Bartlett first?

7. In need of nourishment, most likely : UNFED

8. "Picnic" playwright : INGE

9. A pop : PER

10. '70s radical gp. with a seven-headed cobra symbol : SLA. Was unaware of their symbol. Quite a disturbing image.

11. "__ From the Bridge": Miller : A VIEW

12. Try to whack : HIT AT. And 80. Hit the ball hard : RIP IT. Force!

13. Rocker Patty married to John McEnroe : SMYTH

14. It may be inflated : EGO

15. Equally unlikely : AS RARE

16. Undercover op : STING

17. "Live at the Acropolis" musician : YANNI

18. Incandescent bulb gas : ARGON. I just learned that Argyle has Scottish blood. I always thought he's of Polish root.

24. Word with mining or steel : TOWN

25. Cognac bottle letters : VSOP

29. Inconsequential : SMALL. You can see what a caring person Irish Miss is by the way she treats her ice-maker. I was also moved by the trouble D-Otto and his wife went through to save the squirrel.

32. Test for M.A. hopefuls : GRE. Aren't you amazed by the high GRE/GMAT scores of those foreign students?

33. "Totally awesome!" : RAD

34. Help with a heist : ABET

35. Brings to heel : TAMES

36. Needing assembly : APART

38. Counterfeiter-catching agt. : T-MAN. Seen asked YKK the other day. Did you know some of them are fake?

41. Like most mailed letters : FOLDED

42. Agitates : ROILS

43. On the calmer side : ALEE

44. Pretense : GUISE

45. Pay to play : ANTE

46. Ebenezer's epithet : BAH

48. Parking lot misfortune : DENT

49. Does sum work : ADDS

53. Tweezers holders : ETUIS

55. Together, to Toscanini : A DUE

56. Rage : WRATH

57. Trip odometer button : RE-SET

58. Rogers rival : AUTRY (Gene)

61. Some singers : ALTOS

63. Shocked : JOLTED

64. Egyptian royal cross : ANKH

66. One of five in a kids' rhyme : PIGGY

67. Tannish gray : TAUPE.

68. Snow shoveling aftermath, maybe : ACHE. Not a happy thought.

69. Bad thing on a record : BLOT

70. Austrian city with a torte named after it : LINZ. Linzer Torte. Not familiar to me. Have some!

71. This puzzle's honoree, for one : TOON

72. Jack of "The Great Dictator" : OAKIE

73. Hard worker : PLIER. Not a PLIER here, just a "Hard worker", with curious eyes. Looks like the Saturday Stud is left-handed.

75. Cambridge sch. : M.I.T.

76. Exam for future docs : MCAT

79. Poke : PROD

82. Ore-Ida item : TATER TOT. So many ways to cook potatoes. I liked fried, you?

85. Army sack? : COT

86. Bowl cheer : RAH

88. Capri attraction : GROTTO

89. Deep cut : GASH

90. Most fit to serve : ONE A

91. Leafy alcove : BOWER

92. ORD, on an airline ticket : O'HARE

93. Bit of high jinks : ANTIC. Funny link from CrossEyedDave yesterday. I never knew cleavage is a term in mineralogy.

94. Handles : NAMES

95. Mayan calendar symbol, e.g. : GLYPH. Let's see what happens on Dec 21, 2012.

96. Trivial : PETTY

97. Vibrating night sound : SNORE. Alright, "Vibrating"!

98. Biceps exercises : CURLS

99. Ed Asner septet : EMMYS. His is a record by a male actor.

102. Get an __ effort : E FOR

103. 1871 Cairo premiere : AIDA

104. Sandal revelations : TOES

105. Cuts off : ENDS

107. Icarus's undoing : SUN

109. Tape player spec. : IPS. Inches per second. I googled this before.

110. "Just kidding!" : NOT

Answer grid.

C.C.

Notes from Marti (HeartRx on the blog):

This puzzle started out as a simple Monday-level theme with "s" sound switched for "th". My title was "Going Daffy". Rich really liked the idea, but was concerned that some might think we were making fun of a lisp. So he suggested that I make it into a Sunday puzzle, in order to use the whacky title. I was lucky to fit eight theme entries into the grid, spaced both across and down. I also had to be careful not to use any phrases that contained a word with any extra "s" in it. I hope you enjoy it.