Friday, September 21, 2012, Neville L. Fogarty

Theme: You Dirty Rat!  LINK. (1:00) Like "play it again Sam," this famous quote never was.

We have an interesting addition puzzle where the word RAT is added to a common phrase to create a whimsical new phrase. With only three theme answers (though two are grid spanners) and a hint, we have plenty of room for creative fill and the puzzle is loaded with some nice ones. Neville a very bright young man is a regular contributor to Amy Renaldo's Crossword Fiend blog, as well as this being his 5th LA Times publication since the changeover from TMS, and first in more than a year. Get to know this constructor along with our own ace interviewer, Ms. C.C. Meanwhile back to the puzzle,

17A. One who illegally brings home the bacon? : PORK PIRATE.(10) A pork pie hat was popular in the 20s and 30s. I love the image of the bacon thief, especially so soon after talk like a pirate day.

25A. Mistakes in Dickens, say? : VICTORIAN ERRATA. (15)The Victorian Era morphs into errors.

42A. When to send an erotic love note? : R-RATED LETTER DAY. (15) any day you send or receive erotic mail is a Red Letter Day, I am sure.

56A. "Something's fishy," and a hint to this puzzle's theme : I SMELL A RAT.(10) Not sure what smelling has to do with adding but if you did not see the little rats before, this should have helped.

Now let us look at all of the yummy 5, 6 and 8 letter fill.

Across:

1. Collected : CALM. Cool, calm and collected, yes that described your friendly Friday fanatic.

5. Tilting tool : LANCE. Ah the good old days of jousting, like in Game of Thrones.

10. Swift : FAST. Fast has an entirely different meaning to those of us atoning next Tuesday/Wednesday.

14. Apple application no longer in use : ALAR.

15. Eponymous William's birthplace : OCCAM. This name and the principle of Occam's razor have both undergone modernization. LINK.

16. Gospel writer : LUKE.

19. God in both Eddas : ODIN. From Norse myth and mythological writings; we see both often.

20. The orange kind is black : PEKOE TEA. Really cute clue, and I love seeing the whole phrase.

21. Tape deck button : RE-WIND. Anybody still have theirs? and, a mini-theme: 40A. Go green, in a way : RE-USE. But please, not your moist towelette. 60A. Modernize : RE-DO. But not, 45A. English class assignment word : READ. So simple an answer.

23. Uno e due : TRE. This is a math problem for Lawrence Welk in Italian.

24. Fairy tale baddie : OGRE. Don't tell Shrek and Fiona they are bad.

33. Sound, perhaps : INLET. I grew up 40 miles from Long Island Sound, so I understand this one, but it required perps.

34. Insect-eating singers : WRENS. Am I the only one who thought only of this IMAGE? (0:14)

35. Rapper ___ Jon : LIL. Do not know him and after listening to two songs, could not bring myself to link anything. In fact the songs left a....

36. Lasting impression : SCAR. I like this simple misdirection.

37. Just a bit wet : MOIST. Towelette?

38. Stove filler : COAL. Not wood, and not in my lifetime.

39. "___ American Cousin," play Lincoln was viewing when assassinated : OUR. All you wanted to know about the PLAY and more.

41. Linney of "The Big C" : LAURA. I have not watched this show, but she was quite good in the mini-series John Adams, and was Frazier Crane's last girlfriend, I think.

46. Ottoman title : AGA.  I khan imagine this variant was tricky for some.

47. Remote insert : AA CELL. Another Friday made up phrase, for double A batteries.

50. By oneself : ALL ALONE. The state I try to be in when doing this blog; many interruptions tonight. Arrgh!

55. Big-screen format : IMAX. Avatar was so good in the 3-D Imax.

58. Pantheon feature : DOME. This historic STRUCTURE.

59. "Fear Street" series author : STINE. R.L. author of the Goosebumps books which my boys loved. LINK.

61. Tools for ancient Egyptian executions : ASPS. Speaking of snake in the grass puzzles from our own Cleopatra, you are on the clock, marti.

62. 16th-century English architectural style : TUDOR. I have always preferred a FORDOR.

63. Zombie's sound : MOAN. That is such a horrible image, and could take all the fun out of.....

Down:

1. Andy of comics : CAPP. We begin the down clues with the famous unemployed northern Brit of comic strip fame.

2. Soothing agent : ALOE. Rhymes with how Andy says Hello, coincidence?

3. Bird symbolizing daybreak : LARK. From WIKI: The lark in mythology and literature stands for daybreak, as in Chaucer's "The Knight's Tale", "the bisy larke, mesager of day" (I.1487; Benson 1988), and Shakespeare's Sonnet 29, "the lark at break of day arising / From sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven's gate" (11-12). I only think of this CLASSIC. (1:00)

4. '70s TV teacher : MR. KOTTER. The "star" of Welcome Back Kotter, was created  and played by Gabe Kaplan, who went on to become a professional poker player. Aside from launching the career of John Travolta, Gabe had a limited show biz career. I had the misfortune of working with him when I was in Gainesville doing Gator Growl, where he was the performer the year after Bob Hope. Mr. Hope was a gracious gentleman, Gabe was not.

5. Idle : LOITER. A close friend of PROWL.

6. Farm unit : ACRE. We are seeing this lately.

7. Sports gp. with divisions : NCAA. National Collegiate Athletic Association.

8. Garfield, for one : CAT. Another comic strip character.

9. Budding : EMERGENT. A nice long fill and a perfect lead in to

10. Blossom : FLOWER. which is not a river in England.

11. European wheels : AUDI.

12. Crispy roast chicken part : SKIN. The yummy unhealthy part.

13. Take care of : TEND. do you tend your flock?

18. 1996 Reform Party candidate : PEROT. H. Ross, could not buy the office.

22. Messes up : ERRS. A mini reminder of our errata?

24. Short tennis match : ONE SET. Is one set a match?

25. Biker helmet feature : VISOR. Otherwise you will need Visine.

26. Provoke : INCUR. Nope, did not see this one.

27. Nurse Barton : CLARA. A very interesting and accomplished WOMAN, who like Mr. Lincoln had her life changed by the Civil War.

28. Willing words : I WOULD, if I could.

29. Stand : ARISE. I dub thee sir lemon man.

30. Not just mentally : ALOUD. did I say that?

31. Papal topper : TIARA.

32. Soothe : ALLAY. Not to be confused with earlier ALL ALONE, put your fears aside. or More LLs, in 44D. Like Everest, vis-à-vis K2 : TALLER.

37. Lauded Olympian : MEDALIST. another nice long word.

38. One might keep you awake at night : CAR ALARM. I have not heard one going off at night in a long time. Do you all recall this MOVIE? (2:17).

40. Fishing gear : REEL. Really?

41. By the book : LEGAL. Well I guess it depends on the book.

43. Prehistoric predators : T-REXES. If you do not parse this correctly, it could be very hard.

47. Musical with the song "Another Pyramid" : AIDA. Do you like the Broadway VERSION? (3:34)

48. Hebrew prophet : AMOS. One of the 12 minor prophets.

49. Pitch a tent, maybe : CAMP. There you are marti, both tent and camp.

50. Enclosed in : AMID. eh.

51. TV host with a large car collection : LENO. And a large chin.

52. Circular treat : OREO. C is still for cookie.

53. Bupkis : NADA. Yiddish באָבקעס  (remember from right to left). This is not a nice way of saying "nothing, zilch, zip", but I will let you explore on your own. 

54. David Cameron's alma mater : ETON. We are back to England for their youngest PM in 198 years.

57. Early Beatle bassist Sutcliffe : STU. And to come full cirle for the down clues, we have the Scottish born bass player, who with John Lenno named the band, but who left to become a painter, only to die very young.

Answer grid.

Well I had a very nice time this very straightforward Friday Frolic, and look forward to your comments. Happy Birthday Heidi, and best to you all until next time. Now I guess they will have Gareth blog this at the Fiend, enjoy.

Lemonade

Thursday, Septermber 20, 2012 Steven J. St. John

Theme: Grand Crus

SJSJ gives us a homophone puzzle today:

20A. GM compact that replaced the Cobalt : CHEVROLET CRUZE. Here is the 2012 model.

25A. Teams of fliers : AIRLINE CREWS. Your trusty servants.

41A. "Vanilla Sky" actress : PENELOPE CRUZ. Your trusty actress...beautiful!

48A. Ocean holiday : PLEASURE CRUISE. Ahhh, Old man rhythm! 2:46

Well, if the theme isn't self-evident by now, I don't know if I can expand any more!

Marti here, to expound on the rest of this one...

Across:

1. Former Astros, A's and Mets manager Art : HOWE. Art Howe, this guy.

5. Arabian Peninsula title : EMIR

9. Nonpaying rail rider : HOBO

13. "Skip me this time, thanks" : I PASS

15. Princess once allied with Hercules : XENA. Yes, quite "allied".

16. Each : A POP

17. Mattress brand : SERTA. "Sealy" or "Serta"? Always a WAG...

18. Finished : PAST

19. Laugh-a-minute type : RIOT

23. Soft spreads : OLEOS

24. Asserted : CLAIMED

28. Loss by #1, say : UPSET

29. Opposite of 1-Down : HERS. Arrgh...cross-referential clue that doesn't give you a chance. And 1-Down. Opposite of 29-Across : HIS

30. B.C. Lions' org : CFL. "Canadian Football League". "British Columbia Lions".

33. School-to-be? : ROE

34. Does some impromptu singing : SCATS. Nobody does it like Ella! 6:36

36. Mineral in a wall, perhaps : ORE

37. Super Bowl highlights, for many : ADS. I love this kid!

38. Dortmund's region : RUHR. Map. And 31-Down. 38-Across spouse : FRAU

39. It's a wrap : SARAN

44. Prepare for a bath : DISROBE

47. Hobbyist's cutting brand : X-ACTO

51. Student aid : LOAN

52. Beatles meter maid : RITA.  You remember this one? 2:43

53. Stirs up : ROILS

55. DOD branch : USMC. Department of Defense. United States Marine Corps. Semper Fi!!

56. D'back, for one : NLER. "National Leaguer". Diamondback, Arizona Major League Baseball team.

57. Diplomat : ENVOY

58. Eyelid concern : STYE

59. Part of CBS: Abbr. : SYST. Central Broadcasting System. (updated @ 8:00 AM: It is the Columbia Broadcasting System)

60. Email button : SEND

Down:

2. The UAE has been a member of it since 1967 : OPEC. United Arab Emirates. Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.

3. Cavalry carriers : WAR HORSES. Have you seen the movie? Outstanding!

4. George's mom on "Seinfeld" : ESTELLE. Funny clip. 

5. Make public : EXPOSE. Like this?

6. Dessert preceder : MEAL. Barry G., were you looking for something Saharan? and 8-Down. Desert dangers : RATTLERS. They don't usually eat dessert!

7. How backroom deals are sealed : IN SECRET

9. Ed of "Apollo 13" : HARRIS. Great movie - after all these years, this scene still makes me choke up! 3:24. And 21-Down. "Apollo 13" director : RON. Howard.

10. ___ den : OPIUM

11. Drink in a belt : BOOZE. Have a "belt" of booze. Do you think the explanation here makes sense?

12. Chose : OPTED

14. "Don't throw that away" : SAVE IT. Are any of you married to pack rats?

22. Sounds near the ears : CAWS. "Ears" of corn, that is!

25. ___ of invincibility : AURA

26. Song-holding gadget : IPOD

27. 2011 Masters champ Schwartzel : CHARL. Great finish: birdie-birdie-birdie-birdie!

30. Like and etcher's aid : CORROSIVE

32. Emmy winner Kay : LENZ. Old picture that is more recognizable to me...

34. Aloe targets : SUNBURNS

35. With a smile on one's face : CHEERILY

38. Speed Wagons, e.g. : REOS. The band members, or the cars?

39. Stable : SECURE

40. Lawsuits : ACTIONS

41. Frolic : PRANCE

42. Vehicle pulled by bovines : OXCART

43. 72 for 18, often : PAR. On a golf course. How often do you make that number, Husker G.?

44. Passing grade that won't please parents : D-PLUS

45. Words of defeat : I LOST

46. Sordid : SEAMY

49. Seine summers : ETES

50. North Carolina school : ELON. Any graduates here at the corner?

54. Pink Floyd guitarist Barrett : SYD. And we finish with one of his worst nightmares...

Answer grid.

'Til next week!

Hugs,
Marti

Note from C.C.:

Click here and here to see 2 photos of deer taking their afternoon "break" in Spitzboov's backyard yesterday (9/19/11), after the rain stopped. No deer in our yard, only squirrels.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012 Gareth Bain

Theme: BACK TO THE FUTURE WITH THE HONEYMOONERS. No that's not some sort of glaring error. After the 1960 success of the Flintstones - which was the Honeymooners, reset in cartoon creationist pre-history - the same formula was applied two years later to a space-age toon family, giving us our reveal, which will be revealed at the appropriate moment.

17A. Leader for whom Houston's airport is named : GEORGE (JETSON) BUSH. Poppy or W?

24A. "The Chimpanzees of Gombe" writer : JANE (JETSON) GOODALL. A British primatologist, ethologist, anthropologist, and author.

34A. "Superfudge" novelist : JUDY (JETSON) BLUME. Writer of children's books and racy adult novels.

49A. Pro Football Hall of Famer nicknamed "Crazylegs" : ELROY (JETSON) HIRSCH. As an amateur, he was a football running back and receiver with the University of Wisconsin and the University of Michigan. As a pro, he played for the Chicago Rockets of the old All-America Football Conference, and then with the L.A. Rams. He is a member of both the College Football and Pro Football Halls of Fame.

And the reveal, since now is the appropriate moment. 58A. TV series that first aired 9/23/1962 whose family shares first names with 17-, 24-, 34- and 49-Across : THE JETSONS. And here is the THEME theme.

Hi gang, It's JazzBumpa, reunited with Gareth. Once upon a time, three of my consecutive blogging dates corresponded with three consecutive publications of his puzzles - a coincidence beyond all probability, since my blogging dates were irregular. I always enjoy Gareth's puzzles. Didn't we have one just last Wednesday? I thought that would be a near miss. Let's see what he has for us this time.

Across:

1. 1983 movie about a taxi company : D.C. CAB. A cheesy, B-grade comedy starring Mr.T.

6. Place for a sala : CASA. A Spanish room in a Spanish house. ¿Entienden?

10. Home on the range : CAMP. A temporary home, I guess.

14. Kukla's dragon friend : OLLIE. Back to the past, with these TV puppets from my childhood.

15. Israeli weapons : UZIS. A family of Israeli open bolt, blowback-operated submachine guns. I have no clear idea what that means.

16. Optic layer : UVEA. The middle of three concentric layers that make up the eye. Per Wikipedia, "it is traditionally divided into 3 areas, from front to back, the iris, ciliary body, and choroid." Now you know.

19. Really tired : BEAT. Like I feel, and I'm just getting started.

20. Highlands honey : LASS. Sure.

21. Narrow-bodied river fish : GAR. Not her.

22. Intrinsically : PER SE. Latin. That's going way back.

23. Christmas __ : EVE.

27. Fixed, in a way : GELDED. Ouch! I had WELDED, at first, which is another way to be fixed.

29. Farm feed item : OAT. Feed bag morsel.

30. Salon supply : GEL. For me, this was slow to set.

31. Saloon orders : RYES. This took lots of perp help. Ironically, I am sipping a snifter of Ole George Whiskey, a genuine Michigan RYE from the Grand Traverse Distillery as I write this.

32. Hot tub reaction : AAH. Or reaction to a sip of Ole George.

33. Bit of background in a Road Runner cartoon : MESA. I tried SAND at first.

38. Nick and Nora's pooch : ASTA. The crossword canine mascot.

41. Cold War agcy. : A.E.C. Atomic Energy Commission. Now the Nuclear Regulatory Agency.

42.Shell propellers : OARS. At The Free Dictionary, definition 3b is "A light, long, narrow racing boat propelled by rowers." Definition 4 is "A small glass for beer." AAH!

45. Starfish arm : RAY.

46. WWII craft : L. S. T. Landing Ship Tank. Frequent fill item these days.

47. Not a good thing to be at the wheel : ASLEEP. Unless you're on Rt. 66.

53. Traffic cops gp.? : D.E.A. Drug (traffic) Enforcement Agency. Tricky!

54. Maxim : ADAGE. For example: "History repeats itself, first as tragedy, and then as farce." The actual quote goes like this: "Hegel remarks somewhere that all great world-historic facts and personages appear, so to speak, twice. He forgot to add: the first time as tragedy, the second time as farce." Extra credit, if you can identify the source - without Google!

55. Do lunch, e.g. : EAT.

56. Speaker with a .345 career batting average : TRIS. Frequent visitor to crosswords, this center fielder played for the Red Sox, and Indians from 1909 to 1926.

57. Stallion feature : MANE. The line of hair on the back of a horse's neck.

61. Henry VIII's fourth : ANNE. The marriage lasted from Jan. 6 to July 9, 1540. Henry demanded an annulment, which she granted, thereby keeping her head and gaining a generous settlement, including a castle formerly occupied by the Boleyns.

63. Squander : WASTE. ANNE chose not to Squander her life.

64. Ponies up : PAYS, as, frex, to a former wife.

65. Office furnishing : DESK.

66. Some McFlurry ingredients : OREOS. A frozen yogurt confection from McDonald's, with pieces of candy or cookies mixed in.

Down:

1. Zigzag hole feature : DOGLEG. Golf. So named because of it's sharp bend. I was fixated on a zigzag shaped perforation. D'OH!

2. Chop chopper : CLEAVER. Meat!

3. __ held: in few hands, as stock : CLOSELY. Like most of Ford.

4. Snob's affectations : AIRS. The best I could do.

5. Avoid, as an issue : BEG. I assume this refers to the logical ploy of BEGGING the question, which I will not attempt to explain.

6. Like many Miamians, by birth : CUBAN.

7. Clear blue : AZURE. Like the Miami sky.

8. Girl sib : SIS. I have one.

9. Campfire remains : ASH.

10. Like ice or dice : CUBED. Clever clue.

11. Run-of-the-mill : AVERAGE.

12. Spotty condition? : MEASLES. One of the dreaded childhood diseases.

13. Kneecap : PATELLA. Knees like these, if you please.

18. "I say!" : EGAD. Zounds!

22. Patio planter : POT. Our patio pots are only AVERAGE. They contain flowers.

24. Savior in a Bach cantata : JESU. This one.

25. Purpose : GOAL. Gareth's purpose is to entertain; my goal is to inform. How we doin'?

26. Interstate H-1 locale : OAHU. Map.

28. __ vu : DEJA. I think I've seen this clue before.

32. "Modern Family" network : ABC.

33. Square food? : MEAL. Three square meals a day.

35. Salt sprinkle : DASH.

36. Himalayan myth : YETI. He has an odd fondness for Ole George.

37. Dance in a pit : MOSH. Knock yourself out.

38. Visitors center handout : AREA MAP.

39. Zoe of "Avatar" : SALDANA. Better without the CGI.

40. Abuse of power : TYRANNY.

43. Flower for one's honey : RED ROSE. If she is your cup of tea. Or is this putting on AIRS?

44. Foreknow, as the future : SEE INTO. I see me sleeping in tomorrow.

46. Caustic stuff : LYE. And that's the truth!

47. Part of a Molière comédie : ACTE. Play acting, in French. Est-ce donner des airs?

48. Avoids an F : PASSES. Scholastic. Whether this is acing or eking out a D is unspecified.

50. Arches with pointed tops : OGEES. More DEJA vu.

51. Oboist's supply : REEDS. O GEE, we don't usually see oboes in the clue. They use double reeds.

52. Noted vowel seller : SAJAK. Wheel. Of. Fortune. I wanted VANNA.

56. Nicholas II, e.g. : TSAR. Back to the past, again. The last one, reigning from 1894 to 1917.

58. Wee bit : TAD.

59. Hotfoot it, old-style : HIE. Soon I will hie off to bed.

60. Pair : TWO. Gareth and I, together again.

Answer grid.

We had some fresh fill and some old familiar friends, and a bit of trickery along the way,. Hope you enjoyed it.

Jazzbumpa

Tuesday, September 18, 2012 Julian Lim

Theme: KEY is the key - The special buttons on your KEYboard finish up the theme entries and the reveal finishes up the grid.

17A. *Keep charging drinks : RUN UP A TAB

24A. *Occasion to say "Whew!" : NARROW ESCAPE

39A. *Annual April paperwork : INCOME TAX RETURN

51A. *Running amok : OUT OF CONTROL

64A. *Overnight work assignment : LATE SHIFT

71A. Each answer to a starred clue ends in one : KEY

Argyle here. If you did the puzzle on your computer, the theme answers were right there in front of you. You might have to dig a little deeper for the fill. The grid spanner makes a good anchor for the rest. All but a 'Q' is in there. Oh, and the RETURN key is the ENTER key on non-Macs.

Across:

1. President after JFK : LBJ

4. Totally absorbed : RAPT

8. Made like a kangaroo : LEAPT

13. Papers promising payment : IOU's, (just like it sounds, I Owe You)

15. "The Andy Griffith Show" tyke : OPIE. Young Ronnie Howard.

16. Bonus : EXTRA

19. Pierces : GORES. No gore before breakfast, please.

20. Rectified, with "for" : ATONED

21. "... __ a lender be" : NOR. Polonius counsel to his son, Laertes. "Neither a Borrower Nor a Lender be", Shakespeare, "Hamlet", Act 1 scene 3.

23. Comic on a roll : RIOT

27. Biblical haircutter : DELILAH. Samson got more than "Just a little off the top". Note: A gentleman named Fred informed me that it wasn't Delilah who actually cut Samson's hair. She called others in to do the deed.

30. Letter between upsilon and chi : PHI. Greek alphabet.

31. Cavity filler's org. : ADA. (American Dental Association)

32. Trait carrier : GENE

35. Actor Milo : O'SHEA. His IMBd page. (not as many today)

43. Greet casually, with "to" : SAY HI

44. Affectedly dainty, to Brits : TWEE. Barry Silk introduced us to TWEE, here, in 2008.

45. Piddling point to pick : NIT

46. Writer's undergrad deg. : BFA. (Bachelor of Fine Arts)

48. Devastates : RAVAGES

56. Not yet eliminated : IN IT

57. PC file suffix : .EXE

58. Bygone Toyotas : SUPRAs

62. Collectible print, briefly : LITHO. (lithograph)

66. Phillies infielder Chase : UTLEY. Chase Utley is the second baseman and bats left-handed but throws right-handed.

67. Chichén __: Mayan ruins : ITZÁ

68. Under sail, say : ASEA

69. Scholarly article reviewers : PEERS

70. Mopey look : POUT

Down:

1. Old Italian coin : LIRA

2. Ring contest : BOUT

3. 2007 title role for Ellen Page : "JUNO". IMDb.

4. Violent reaction to traffic : ROAD RAGE

5. Proper : APT

6. Movers' challenge : PIANO

7. Noted kneeling NFLer : TEBOW. Tim Tebow's role with the NY Jets remains unclear after debut.

8. Turkey helping : LEG

9. Curer of the demon-possessed : EXORCIST

10. Cardiac chambers : ATRIA. Caught myself putting in AORTA.

11. Before surgery, briefly : PRE-OP

12. Stylistic judgment : TASTE

14. Largest division of Islam : SUNNI. The Shi'ites split with the Sunni and are the second largest division.

18. Prolonged ringing : PEAL. If the ringing in just in your ears it's tinnitus.

22. Gym unit : REP. (repetition)

25. Butler of fiction : RHETT. from "Gone With the Wind".

26. Dealer's dispenser : SHOE. Playing cards.

27. Orator's platform : DAIS

28. Outlandish Dame : EDNA

29. Like some nightgowns : LACY

33. "I ain't doin' that!" : "NAW!". Best said with a curled lip.

34. Apply : EXERT

36. Unable to decide, as a jury : HUNG

37. Toledo's lake : ERIE

38. Sugar bowl invaders : ANTS

40. Woeful words from Winnie the Pooh : "OH, BOTHER"

41. Vex : MIFF

42. What shotgun callers shun : REAR SEAT. To call "shotgun" means you claim the front passenger's seat. From the days of the stage coach. Shotgun rules, who knew?

47. Pass and then some : ACE

49. RSVP part : VOUS. (répondez, s'il vous plaît)

50. Top dog : ALPHA

51. Prepare to shine in a bodybuilding contest? : OIL UP

 

52. Band together : UNITE

53. Champ's holding : TITLE

54. Primrose family plant : OXLIP. Info.

55. "Far out!" : "NEATO!"

59. Chance : RISK

60. For __: not gratis : A FEE. (not free)

61. Time at the inn : STAY

63. Yiddish laments : OYs

65. Shih __: Tibetan dog : TZU

Answer grid.

Argyle

Notes from C.C.:

1) I got this email from Parker Lewis, a NY Times constructor. He said: "I've been working with the great crew at Puzzazz and we are excited to announce the launch of our new app for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. As a reader of your blog and fellow puzzle enthusiast, I'm sure you and your followers will be interested in what the app has to offer...

The app itself is free to download and acts as a bookshelf where you can look through our collection of puzzle books. So far there are 29 books from 17 different authors. You can browse through every book and solve at least one free puzzle so you can find the puzzle books that best fit your solving tastes.."

2) Happy Birthday to Mom Speaks Out! Hope all's well.

Monday, September 17, 2012 Gail Grabowski and Bruce Venzke

Theme: Where did you go this summer? - Maybe you stayed home but the four theme entries start with a type of the unifier.

18A. Experienced tradesperson : JOURNEYMAN

27A. Military stint : TOUR OF DUTY

47A. Bank heist idler : GETAWAY CAR

62A. Pulverizing tool powered by gravity : TRIP HAMMER

38D. Break suggested by the starts of this puzzle’s four longest answers : VACATION

Argyle at home. We start the work week with a meaty offering of themes and fill. Some oldies drop in for a visit; gives the puzzle a lived-in feel.

Across

1. Sunday celebration : MASS

5. Streisand, to fans : BABS

9. __ d’art : OBJET. A French phrase that actually is what you think it is.

14. “Don’t think so” : "UH, UH". OK, you can have your own opinion.

15. Spherical hairdo : AFRO

16. “We tried everything” : "NO USE"

17. Frozen dessert franchise : TCBY. (The Country's Best Yogurt, formerly This Can't Be Yogurt)

20. “I knew it!” : "AHA!"

21. Wrestling duo : TAG TEAM

22. Set (down) : PUT

23. 2002 Best New Artist Grammy winner Jones : NORAH. Old Hank Williams song.

 

25. Openly declares : AVOWS. I tried AVERS first.

31. High-end German car : AUDI sharing the Autobahn with 58D. High-end German cars : BMWs

34. Dutch bloom : TULIP

35. Neeson of “Unknown” : LIAM. If he's unknown to you, here.

36. Rocker Bon __ : JOVI

39. Al or Bobby of racing : UNSER. Or Jerry or Al Jr.

42. Old Ford models : LTDs

43. Fields for flocks : LEAs

44. Delete : ERASE

46. Marine predator : ORCA

52. Fed the poker pot : ANTED

54. “Groovy!” : "NEATO!"

55. Plop down : SIT

57. Gave power to : ENABLED

61. Old hand : PRO

64. A blue moon, so to speak : AGES

65. Overplay the part : EMOTE

66. Actor McGregor : EWAN. Here is his IMDb site.

67. One of the deadly sins : LUST

68. Pastor’s abode : MANSE

69. Tax return IDs : SSNs

70. Tunneling insects : ANTS

Down:

1. Deviant sci-fi character : MUTANT

2. Sound of a sneeze : [AH-CHOO!]

3. Outback automaker : SUBARU

4. Bashful : SHY

5. Peninsula bordering California : BAJA

 

 

6. In __: out of it : A FOG

7. Very dry, as Champagne : BRUT

8. Angry with : SORE AT

9. “__ Time”: ’70s jazz musical : ONE MO'. A lackluster review. Link.

10. Baby in blue bootees : BOY

11. Skydiver’s outfit : JUMPSUIT

12. Biblical birthright seller : ESAU

13. Canvas shelter : TENT

19. Seagoing military force : NAVY

21. Commandments pronoun : THOU

24. Craftsperson : ARTISAN

26. South Dakota’s state fish : WALLEYE. Why they are called WALLEYE. Link.

28. Winter bug : FLU

29. Very loud noise : DIN

30. Surprise win : UPSET

32. Family man : DAD

33. AOL pop-ups : IMs. (instant messaging)

36. “The Back-up Plan” actress, in tabloids : JLO. Her IMDb page.

37. Atop, poetically : O'ER

40. Historical span : ERA

41. Uncooked : RAW

45. Hourglass stuff : SAND

47. Actress Rowlands : GENA. Her IMDb page.

48. One of four singing brothers : ED AMES. Ed's back again.

 

 

49. Toy that goes “bang” : CAP GUN. It was POP GUN last Thursday.

50. Not moving : AT REST

51. Henhouse perches : ROOSTS. The chickens have come home to roost... again.

53. Little laugh : TE-HEE. Still giggling since Sunday's giggle?

55. Champagne flute part : STEM

56. “__ la Douce” : IRMA. One last IMDb link.

59. Tilt to one side : LEAN

60. Sea eagles : ERNS. Today without the second E.

63. Liq. measures : PT's. (pint)

64. Pie __ mode : À LA. Sweet as Irma.

Answer grid.

Argyle

Sunday September 16, 2012 Pam Klawitter

Theme: Prix Fixe Menu - Common prefixes are added to the start of the first word of each common phrase.

23A. Where there's no rest for the weary? : DISCOMFORT STATION. Comfort station.

38A. Precinct high jinks? : MISCHIEF OF POLICE. Chief of police.

47A. Adman's demo reel? : PRODUCT TAPE. Duck tape.

63A. Engross the financial district? : PREOCCUPY WALL STREET. Occupy Wall Street.

82A. Court defense team? : ADVICE SQUAD. Vice Squad.

88A. Where meteorologists relax and talk shop? : FORECASTING COUCH. Casting couch.

109A. Overpromotion of a Stephenie Meyers fantasy novel series? : TWILIGHT POLLUTION. Light pollution.

All the seemingly prefixes are parts of the words rather than real prefixes. So quite consistent.

When I downloaded the puzzle and saw the title, I thought "Boy, food! CrossEyedDave will have trouble concentrating again".

Across:

1. Venomous African snake : MAMBA

6. Slants : SKEWS

11. Actor Keach : STACY. He played Mike Hammer. Stacy is also the first name of Fergie (The Black Eyed Peas).


16. Martes, por ejemplo : DIA. Martes = Tuesday, in Spanish.

19. Pan Am rival : US AIR

20. "Delta of Venus" author Nin : ANAIS. Gimme for our Passionate Kisser PK.

21. Actor/public speaker who often began "Unaccustomed as I am to speaking ..." : HARPO. News to me.

22. Before, in ballads : ERE

26. And not : NOR

27. Exhibit presenters, briefly : DAs. Oh, evidence exhibit in court.

28. Swedish imports : SAABs

29. Some Deco collectibles : ERTEs

30. Agent Scully on "The X-Files" : DANA. She's quite cool.

31. Consider judicially : HEAR

32. Old Cleveland-based gas company : SOHIO. Merged with BP in 1987.

34. Got burning again : RE-LIT

35. Word from a crib : MAMA. This seems to be universal. Same in Chinese. Our father is Ba Ba though.

43. Multiple choice options : A B OR C

45. Rural "What if ...?" : S'POSE.

46. "Damn Yankees" role : LOLA

50. Mason's jobs : STONEWORK

55. Fruity wine concoctions : SANGRIAs. Stay cool, Bill!


56. Rifleman's aid : SCOPE

57. "Permit Me Voyage" poet James : AGEE

58. NBC sketch series : SNL. Lots of parodies of "Call me, Maybe?" on YouTube. The original is so good. Surprised by the ending? "... Hey, I just met you, And this is crazy, But here's my number, So call me, maybe?..." . Has to be the most catchy lines in the whole summer.

59. Staircase shape : SPIRAL

62. Sports venue : ARENA

69. __ d'Alene : COEUR. "Heart" in French. Lemonade would comment on CoeurRx here.

70. Can't-miss : NO LOSE

71. Links target : PAR

72. Yank or Jay : AL'er (American Leaguer). I know we don't say this in real life, but...

73. Whomp, biblically : SMITE

75. Learning period : SEMESTER

80. Cadenzas in concertos, say : SOLO PARTS

85. Soccer great who wore #10 : PELE. Never paid attention to his jersey number.

86. Court conclusion starter : I REST. " I REST my case".

87. Home of Oral Roberts University : TULSA

95. Draft picks : ALES. Can't fool me any more.

96. Birds named for a Greek titan : RHEAS

97. Big name in wrap : ALCOA

98. Turkic tent : YURT. See here. Lots of yurts in Mongolia.

100. Utopia : EDEN

101. __ Cup: classic candy : MALLO. Dennis probably carried this in his old store.

103. Extremely tiny : MICRO. So Romney is a fan of the tiny Snookie?

105. Actress Farrow : MIA

108. Large expanse : SEA

113. Elevator compartment : CAR

114. German wine region : BADEN. Marti & Kazie probably know. I've got no idea.

115. Glacial ridge : ARETE

116. Port-du-__: French cheese : SALUT

117. Prince Valiant's boy : ARN

118. Puppeteer Lewis : SHARI

119. Epic accounts : SAGAS

120. Bobby pin target : TRESS. How can we live without bobby pins?

Down:

1. California college Harvey __ : MUDD. What's it famous for?

2. China setting : ASIA

3. __ media : MASS

4. Flickable lighter : BIC

5. Materialized : AROSE

6. Jaunt through the jungle : SAFARI. Hi there, JD!

7. Turning point? : KNOB. Great clue.

8. Aardvarks have long ones : EARS

9. Quipster : WIT

10. Sound of a leak : SSS

11. Zhivago portrayer : SHARIF (Omar). "Doctor Zhivago" is so moving.

12. Skin tones? : TATTOO. I like this clue.

13. Singer India.__ : ARIE

14. Navy NCOs : CPOs. I have a "Citizen's Guide to the US Navy", thanks to Spitzboov.

15. Hither's partner : YON

16. Highest North American peak, to natives : DENALI

17. Like "Big deal!" : IRONIC

18. Do a worm's job : AERATE. Worms take their job seriously.

24. Hat-tipper's word : MA'AM

25. Giggle : TE-HEE

30. New Jersey/Pennsylvania border river : DELAWARE

31. What a gal has that a gent doesn't? : HARD G. That's Don. Nice fill & nice clue.

32. Visit Amazon.com, say : SHOP

33. Seine tributary : OISE

34. Part : ROLE

35. Meteorology tools : MAPS

36. Hocus-pocus opening : ABRA

37. Full __ : MOON. Always a full moon on Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival, a national holiday. I love moon cakes.


39. Retired jets : SSTs

40. Tax prep pro : CPA

41. Hardly a jolly good show : FLOP

42. Bread in a skillet : PONE

44. Screen blinker : CURSOR

48. POTUS's alternate title : CINC (Commander-in-Chief). "Hey... And this is crazy, But here's my number, So call me, maybe?..." The guy in black T-shirt & black eyeglasses in the very start is Michael Phelps, right?

49. Soft mineral : TALC

50. Fish feature : SCALE

51. Usage fee of a kind : TOLL

52. Molding style : OGEE

53. Monthly expense : RENT

54. New Zealand parrot : KEA. Wow, look at her wings.

56. Ladies of Sp. : SRAs

59. Windex targets : SPOTS

60. Pulitzer journalist killed in combat in 1945 : PYLE (Ernie)

61. 1945 battle setting, familiarly : IWO

62. Collar : ARREST

63. Links shirt : POLO

64. Angler's favorite dance? : REEL. Another nice clue.

65. From the Continent : EUROPEAN. Are British Europeans? If so, my favorite European. "Hey... And this is crazy, But here's my number, So call me, maybe?..."

66. Part of BTU : UNIT

67. An article may be written on it : SPEC

68. Get under control : TAME

69. __ in Charlie : C AS

73. Pamplona parlor : SALA

74. C-ration successors : MREs

75. In __: as found : SITU

76. Crouch down : SQUAT

77. "Aqualung" band Jethro __ : TULL

78. Fluency : EASE

79. Dietary amts. : RDAs. Now RDIs.

81. Muscle mag display : PECS

82. Cornstarch brand : ARGO. Also the title of the new Ben Affleck movie.

83. Ten up front? : DECA. Prefix for "ten". Hard clue.

84. Brandy label letters : VSO

86. Undercover, for short : INCOG (Incognito)

88. Diet Squirt alternative : FRESCA

89. Worrywart's words : OH DEAR

90. Gain again, as trust : RE-EARN. Tough to gain back. So honor your promises at the first place.

91. Mutt, vis-à-vis Jeff : TALLER. "Mutt and Jeff".

92. "Fighting" college team : ILLINI

93. Pedals : CYCLES

94. Fling : HURL

99. Rudely awaken : ROUST

101. [Air kiss] : MWAH. The kiss sound. "Mwah, Mwah", from Minnesota!

102. Elton John/Tim Rice musical : AIDA

103. Video file format : MPEG

104. Little bit of Greek? : IOTA

105. Wide margin : MILE

106. Debtors' letters : IOUs

107. Hill workers : ANTS. Not Capitol Hill.

109. Conan's network : TBS. CrossEyedDave is more entertaining.

110. Isn't without : HAS

111. Vocal syllable : TRA

112. Road crew's supply : TAR

Answer grid.

Happy Birthday to dear D-Otto! Any luck in the casino yesterday? Here is a young D-Otto in his Navy days. He said it's "A 1970 snapshot at the control console of the shipboard radio station during the final cruise of the carrier Bon Homme Richard. I stumbled across that one in an online copy of the ship's cruise book."

C.C.