Friday, November 16, 2012, Gareth Bain

Theme: Animal groups; what kinds can you recall?

I never knew how many TYPES there are.

A very appropriate theme for our now graduated veterinarian friend from South Africa, and along with our own marti, a Friday regular. This one is tricky, as it is both an add on to change the meaning; and a sound alike for two of the answers, where a two word base phrase is used to create a new and witty two word phrase involving a type of animal. There may even be more layers here, but it is late and I am tired. Gareth blogs the LA Times, with his efforts at the Crossword Fiend . This young man really gave me a work out today, and it is much later than I expected, but I adored the simplicity of the theme, once I got going, though it took a while to parse WINE and UINE.  I loved all of the long fill and the 53 theme spaces, and the symmetry of 6/5 for the four outside theme answers. Of course long fill leads to lots of initialisms and other minor flaws, but the result is a real Friday joy.

17A. What makes a cat a cat? : FELINE DRIVE (11). For all you cat people and nothing to do with the symbol for Iron. Baseball perhaps for C.C. with a line drive.

25A. Bearish directors? : URSINE BOARD (11). All these names are from their Latin stems. The change from sign (board) to sine board slowed me down.

34A. Sea dog who's actually a wolf? : LUPINE TAR (9). So Ida Lupino was an Italian wolf? More baseball with  pine tar.

52A. Dogs who inspire artists? : CANINE MUSES (11). My favorite visual, maybe these guys...

59A. Deliverers of certain farm news? : EQUINE PRESS (11). Like I said the wine to uine was tricky. Another cute picture of horses with press passes in their hats.

Across:

1. Restraint at a rodeo : RIATA. I had trouble lassoing this answer.

6. Magnum ___ : OPUS. I really wanted PI, but the perps saved me.

10. Telegraph "T" : DAH.  The code from Mr. MORSE.

13. Respond to : ACT ON. The first of the two word teaser answers.

14. Receive with relish : LAP UP. The second. Very nice visual clue, especially meaningful for all of our furry friends.

16. Headline-making NYSE event : IPO. Initial Public Offering.

19. Pro at balancing: Abbr. : CPA. Ceritified Public Accountant. Not C Threepio.

20. Second-smallest st. : DELaware. Delathere? We love Rhode Island.

21. To date : YET.

22. Elevated church area : ALTAR. The place where many alter their lives.

24. Greek vowel : ETA. Big breakfast today.

28. State from which the Utah Territory was formed : DESERET. This may be a learning moment for many including me; interesting that this piece of HISTORY comes from our South African constructor.

30. Tarzan, for one : ADOPTEE. Also one I need lots of help to get, not thinking of the jungle family which took him in.

31. No longer in : DATED. Unmod?

32. Prefix with culture : AVI. Did everyone want to cram in AGRI? But when you are learning from a veterinarian, you get THIS.

33. Former word for former days : ELD. This is the price you pay for three nice 7 letter downs. Do not nit, it is real.

39. Calendar pg. : JANuary.

42. Texter's "Zounds!" : OMG. Oh My G-d.

43. Many a Johann Strauss work : POLKA.  Maybe you recall this tune from the old CARTOONS (2:44).

47. Muscle Shoals site : ALABAMA. The birthplace of much music including Sam Phillips, who started the careers of Elvis, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash. The recording studios there still produce hits. HISTORY (9:07).

50. Countless : UMPTEEN. What a great word.

54. Marshal at Waterloo : NEY. We have had this many times, and I finally remember his name.

55. "___ Schoolchildren": Tracy Kidder book : AMONG. Never heard of this BOOK.

56. Nancy Drew's beau : NED. Never read the books, but this was an easy guess. Julia's niece Emma.

57. Econ. measure : GDP. Gross Domestic Product.

58. San Francisco's ___ Hill : NOB.

64. Shakespeare title word : ADO. About nothing.

65. French income : RENTE. Guess what English word we get from this?

66. iComfort mattress maker : SERTA. iComfort? Really.

67. Shooting locale : SET. Film shooting, though there often is shooting during shootings if you like NCIS.

68. 1967 #1 hit "Somethin' Stupid," e.g. : DUET. A very odd SONG (2:39) for a man and his daughter, but her career needed a hit..

69. Former "NOVA scienceNOW" host Neil deGrasse ___ : TYSON. I learned all about him HERE (1:51). Don't be sorry if you forgot.

Wow, all beat up and we are just getting to the downs!

Down:

1. Churchill's "so few": Abbr. : RAF. Royal Air Force.  LINK.

2. Summer quencher : ICED TEA.  Is everyone happy? Three.

3. In any event : AT LEAST. Four.

4. Slave : TOIL.

5. Wilson of Heart : ANN. My favorite SONG (5:28) of theirs.

6. Least fresh : OLDEST. I even struggled with this for a while.

7. Story opener : PART I.

8. Org. managed by Scripps until 1982 : UPI. United Press International.

9. Soccer mom's ride : SUV. Sports Utility Vehicle.

10. Work with a steno : DICTATE. The first of a great seven letter stack. I guess I was a dictator at one point in my life.

11. Worn things : APPAREL. Worn, not worn out.

12. Accumulated to a fault : HOARDED. Your realize their is a TV show about hoarders, I opted for this less frightening ONE (3:36). They love 48D. Storage unit : BIN.

15. R&B singer Bryson : PEABO. COOL man.

18. Lake ___, Australia's lowest point : EYRE. This strange lake is often a desert (not to be confused with DESERTE) LINK.  Kazie, I will leave it to you to tell us the rest of the story.

23. Sever, with "off" : LOP.

24. Announcer Hall : EDD. The announcer fired by Jay Leno when he hired Stuttering John away from Howard Stern.

25. Language spoken in New Delhi : URDU. I am sure they speak it there, but it is the official language of Pakistan, while only recognized in 5 states in India. Or least that is what my Pakistani liquor store man told me..

26. Church section : NAVE. Not related to Naive.

27. Change, in a way : EDIT.

29. Unadon fillets : EEL. A Japanese portmanteau. It is UNAGI in a bowl DONBURI with rice.

32. Taiwanese-born Lee : ANG. The director.

35. Apple or pear : POME. From the Latin Pomum, which also gave us POMME en francaise.

36. Mosque leader : IMAM.

37. PDA add-ons : APPS. Applications.

38. Foolish talk : ROT.

39. Tropical birds that run on lily pads : JACANAS.  A bit of homegrown knowledge from our constructor who obviously loves ANIMALS.

40. Fashionable : A LA MODE. This is not just for ice cream. Five.

41. Hypothetical high-tech predator in Crichton's "Prey" : NANOBOT. A truly prolific writer but who often provides  frightening looks at the world. LINK.

44. Banks, e.g. : LENDERS. Neither a borrower nor a lender be.

45. Abides by : KEEPS TO. Six.

46. "___ objections?" : ANY.

49. Steamed state : ANGER.

50. Online discussion venue : USENET. Your free GUIDE.

51. Assyrian's foe : MEDE. They joined up with the Babylonians to dooms the Assyrians.

53. Link : UNITE.

57. Like rainy London skies : GREY.

60. Logical abbr. : QED. Quod Erat Demonstrandum.

61. Onetime Burmese statesman : U NU. Who knew U Nu, did you? I knew U Thant and fortunately this was all filed by the time I saw the clue, because I did not have a CLUE.

(From C.C.: Wiki said the Burmese U is like our "Mr.". Must be very common in their statesmen names.)

62. L.A. setting : PST. Pacific Standard Time.

63. ___ Mateo, California : SAN. If it is California it will be SAN.

Well this is what a Friday should be, lots of stuff and well worth the ride. See you after the holiday and my visit to my baby.

Peace out, Lemonade.

Thursday, November 15, 2012 Julian Lim

Theme: "One potato, two potato, three potato, four..."  Each of the theme entries ends with a word that could follow "potato."

17. Negotiator's assets : BARGAINING CHIPS. I love Lay's Salt & Vinegar potato chips!

25. Utterly squashed : FLAT AS A PANCAKE. Anyone for a potato pancake?

45. Easily identifiable teams, in casual games : SHIRTS AND SKINS.  I had "SHIRTS AND tails" at first. D'oh, what was I thinking? How about some nice baked potato skins?

Is anyone hungry yet?  I think the people in the unifier might be! And the unifier is:

58. 1885 Van Gogh painting (whose subjects may have appreciated the ends of 17-, 25- and 45-Across): THE POTATO EATERS.

Marti here for your Thursday amusement. The puzzle is just missing a Q for a pangram. Lots of sparkly fill, starting with the first one...

Across:

1. Elegant trinket : BIJOU. I meant literally - sparkly!

6. Yam or taro : TUBER. Our theme is also a tuber.

11. "Talk of the Nation" airer : NPR. National Public Radio.

14. Not proximate : APART

15. "The Princess Bride" kidnapper ___ Montoya : INIGO. No clue - needed every single perp. The role was played by Mandy Patinkin in the 1987 movie.

16. Rivière contents : EAU. French for "river" in the clue, and eau = "water."

20. Textbook updates, e.g.: Abbr. : EDS. Editions.

21. Pricey screens : HD TVS.  DH saw a 152 inch Panasonic HD TV, and is making plans to put an addition on the house...

22. Nuts for soft drinks : KOLAS

23. Stage signal : CUE

24. Synthesizer pioneer : MOOG. Robert Moog. I got turned on to classical music when I bought "Switched on Bach" in the 60s. 2:07

32. Come undone : GO APE

33. Be just too sweet : CLOY

34. Inkling : HINT

35. ___ Lopez: chess opening : RUY.  I have seen this one before, but I misspelled it as ReY at first.

36. Mickey D's breakfast item : SMALL OJ. Why Mickey D?  I was trying to think of a Mc-something!

39. In : MOD. Short for "modern."  I hesitated to fill it in, because I thought "mod" was a bit of old-fashioned lingo from the 60s!

40. Before, to the Bard : ERST

42. "Actually, that's not true" : I LIE

43. Reasons for returns : FLAWS

48. Shared currency : EURO. Currently shared by 23 countries, and used by over 320 million people.

49. Really quiet, in music : PPP. Pianississimo. I vow to get that word into a puzzle some day. Just look at all those S's!!

50. USS Missouri nickname : BIG MO. Total WAG.

52. Digital image unit : PIXEL

55. Through : VIA

61. Angkor ___: Cambodian temple : WAT. Beautiful!

62. Die (out) : PETER

63. Trio with notable beards : ZZ TOP. Ironically, the guy without a beard is named Frank Beard!

64. "Star Trek: DSN" role : ODO. A "Changeling" on the Deep Space Nine series.

65. Below-average Joe : SCHMO. I was off in the "coffee" direction for Joe at first...

66. Eternities : AEONS


Down:

1. Big screen pig : BABE. From the 1995 film.

2. Third-generation release of 2012 : IPAD. I have an iPad, iPod, iPhone, iMac and Macbook. But this still didn't appear without a few perps!

3. 24-Down containers : JARS. And 24-Down. Subway addition? : MAYO. From the sandwich chain, not the commuter rails.

4. Part of ILO: Abbr. : ORG. International Labour Organization, a UN agency.

5. Pacific-12 member, e.g. : UTAH UTES. And 7-Across. Pac-12 member, e.g. : UNIV.ersity.

6. Windshield application : TINT.

8. Some troughs : BINS. Again, a simple one that I just did not want to fill in at first.

9. It's usually broken before use : EGG

10. "You da man!" : ROCK ON

11. Author of "The Sandman" graphic novels : NEIL GAIMAN. Needed every single perp to get this guy's name.

12. Respected Smurf : PAPA

13. Muscovite, e.g.: Abbr. : RUSS.ian from Moscow.

18. Think tank product : IDEA

19. Cheap sauce : HOOCH. "Sauce" being the euphemism for "booze."

23. Keep from going higher : CAP. Like, "Put a cap on..."

25. Club with the motto "To Make the Best Better" : FOUR-H

26. Beset : LAY SIEGE TO

27. Milan's La ___ : SCALA. Actually, it is "Teatro alla Scala" in Italian.

28. Fully committed : ALL IN. Am I the only one who loves to watch the World Series of Poker? Check out this "all in" call that lost to a royal flush! 1:40

29. Traveled down the Grand Canal, say : POLED. Meh...

30. Has met before : KNOWS

31. JFK Listings : ETDS. Estimated Time of Departure(s). And then we have 38-Down. Named for a prez, Philly public square also known as Love Park : JFK PLAZA.

32. College srs.' tests : GRES. Graduate Record Exam(s)

37. Soup with a bento : MISO. A "Bento Box" is the epitome of Japanese take-out, usually delivered by Bento Drivers on bicycles.  I don't know if MISO soup is typical in a bento box, since it might be a little sloppy by the time it arrived at its destination?

41. Master card? : TRUMP. Of course, I was thinking in terms of the credit cards in my wallet.

44. Golf hole's edge : LIP. Husker G., how many times have you claimed "Paint!!" when your putt lipped out?

46. Uniformed forces : TROOPS. Celebrated on Monday this week!

47. WWI German vice admiral : SPEE. Total WAG. I had the "S*EE," and somehow I dredged it up from the dim recesses...

50. USAF stealth plane : B-TWO. I originally had B-Ten, but Angkor Eat and Ndo didn't make sense at 61 and 64-Across

51. "___ to do it!" : I HAD. ("Oh no, you di-ent!!")

52. Trail : PATH. Nailed it! I immediately thought of some hiking trails in the Alps.

53. Brangelina, e.g. : ITEM. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are a real "item" in the gossip columns.  Why did he ever leave sweet Jennifer?

54. Tic-tac-toe option : X OR O

55. Quash : VETO

56. Element in hemoglobin : IRON

57. Egyptian dangers : ASPS

59. Dick : TEC. "Detectives" are known as "Dicks"

60. Philosopher Mo-___ : TZE. 墨子  C.C. has explained to me that Cantonese has no "Z" word.  So I suppose this would become Mo-Tse in Cantonese. He studied Confucianism, but came to the conclusion that their philosophy was fundamentally flawed.  He developed his own philosophy of "Universal Love," so was probably the first Flower Child, right?

And that's it for this week!

Hugs,

Marti

Wednesday, Nov 14 2012, Dan Schoenholz

theme: football steam. get it? - the last word is anagrammed.

21A. Good name for a Gateway City gun dealer? : ST LOUIS ARMS

26A. Good name for a Windy City nudist festival? : CHICAGO BARES

43A. Good name for a Motor City butcher shop? : DETROIT LOINS

50A. Good name for an Empire City comedy club? : NEW YORK JEST

figuring out the clever theme helped a lot with this one.

melissa here.

across

1. Harebrained prank : CAPER. that's a great word.

6. Casino freebie : COMP. complimentary.

10. Slow-cooked entrée : STEW. it's that time of year again.

14. End of a series : OMEGA. last letter of the greek alphabet.

15. Away from the breeze : ALEE

16. The gallbladder is shaped like one : PEAR. did not know that.

17. Noted storyteller : AESOP. wikipedia: Although his existence remains uncertain and (if they ever existed) no writings by him survive, numerous tales credited to him were gathered across the centuries and in many languages in a storytelling tradition that continues to this day.

18. Circulate, as library books : LEND. i think it was crockett who first linked this:

19. Like some borrowed library books : LATE. another great library tune:

20. Blast cause : TNT

24. Slugging pct., e.g. : STAT. baseball.

25. Be ready (for) : GET SET

31. Air traffic control device : RADAR

32. Thing : ITEM

33. "Holy Toledo!" : WOW

36. The Bard's river : AVON

37. Dig (into) : DELVE

39. Andean capital : LIMA

40. Actress Harris of "thirtysomething" : MEL. fiftysomething now.

41. Stink : REEK

42. World Series game : POKER. tricky.

46. Certifiable : INSANE

49. Civil disturbance : RIOT

53. Geologic time frame : ERA

56. Colorless : DRAB

57. Fall from above : RAIN

58. Swinelike beast : TAPIR. strange looking creature, below is a brazilian tapir.

60. Just sitting around : IDLE

61. Hamburg's river : ELBE. see?

62. Are : EXIST

63. Didn't let out of one's sight : EYED

64. They're below average : DEES. grades, not cups.

65. Floors : DECKS

down

1. Winter wear : COAT

2. "You said it, sister!" : AMEN

3. Crop threat : PEST

4. It might need a boost : EGO

5. Andre 3000, for one : RAP STAR. no idea.

6. Beckon : CALL TO

7. Pats on pancakes, maybe : OLEO. yuck.

8. Array of choices : MENU

9. Dog's breeding history : PEDIGREE

10. Impact sounds : SPLATS

11. Result of a sad story? : TEARS

12. Invitation on a fictional cake : EAT ME. alice in wonderland.

13. Take forcibly : WREST

22. Place for a price : TAG

23. Appear to be : SEEM

24. Read quickly : SCAN

26. Pull an all-nighter, maybe : CRAM. doing that a lot lately.

27. Contain : HAVE

28. One put on a pedestal : IDOL

29. Sitcom noncom : BILKO. non-commissioned officer, in the sitcom sergeant bilko.

30. Off-rd. conveyance : ATV. all terrain vehicle.

33. User-edited site : WIKI

34. Broken mirror, say : OMEN

35. Serious hostilities : WARS

37. Dissuaded : DETERRED

38. Racket or rocket extension : EER. racketeer, rocketeer.

39. Booty : LOOT

41. Gambling town on I-80 : RENO

42. Schemed : PLOTTED

43. Convertible sofa : DAYBED

44. Castle and Cara : IRENES

45. "Whether __ nobler ...": Hamlet : 'TIS

46. Many a low-budget film : INDIE. independent.

47. Totally square : NERDY

48. Low, moist area : SWALE

51. Leafy veggie : KALE. in season, having this often lately.

52. Correspond : JIBE

53. Many a high-budget film : EPIC

54. Game of world domination : RISK

55. Skills : ARTS

59. Cut from the staff : AXE. 

Melissa

Tuesday, November 13, 2012 Jeff Chen

Theme: You think I'll tell you the theme? As if! - And if that's not enough, I'll repeat it five times.

17A. "As if!" : "AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN!"

27A. "As if!" : "NO WAY, JOSE!"

38A. "As if!" : "DREAM ON!"

46A. "As if!" : "YEAH, RIGHT!"

57A. "As if!" : "FAT CHANCE OF THAT!"

Argyle here. You get the picture? Jeff has delivered a nice tight Tuesday, with two grid spanners and a couple of long climbers, too.

Across:

1. College donor, often : ALUM. A shortened version that can encompass single and plural of both genders. Handy.

5. 401(k) cousin, briefly : IRA. (individual retirement account)

8. Garden ground cover : MULCH

13. Mount Olympus wife : HERA. The wife of Zeus.

14. Break bread : DINE

16. Novelist Zola : EMILE. The most common of the crossword Emiles

20. Halley's sci. : ASTR. (astronomy)

21. Full of vitality : GO-GO. Full of Red Bull?

22. Ideological suffix : ISM

23. Lift with effort : HEFT

25. '60s counterculturist Timothy : LEARY. "Turn on, tune in, drop out"

31. Rants about the boss, e.g. : VENTS

34. Jacob's brother : ESAU

35. Niagara Falls prov. : ONT. (Ontario)

36. Gorky Park city : MOSCOW. Song.(5:13)

37. Like hor. puzzle answers : ACR. (horizontal/across)

40. Hostility : IRE

41. Started, as a keg : TAPPED

43. P.I. : TEC. (private investigator/detective)

44. Hypnotic trance breaker : SNAP

45. "Friend __?" : OR FOE

48. Pal of Threepio : ARTOO. Star Wars droids.

50. Not at all droopy : TAUT

51. Intro makers : MC's. (master of ceremonies)

52. One might say "shay" for "say" : LUSH. Drunks don't talk so good.

54. Inevitable end : FATE

61. Honolulu hello : ALOHA. Nice alliteration.

62. Egg on : GOAD. Phrase Finder link for "Egg on.

63. Sculling gear : OARS

64. Headwear in iconic Che posters : BERET

65. Many ESPN fall highlights : TD's. (touchdown)

66. Way to be tickled : PINK

Down:

1. Cry of enlightenment : "A-HA!"

2. Film heroine with memorable buns : LEIA. My mind was boggling for a bit there but, oh, it's just another Star Wars reference.

3. Java vessels : URNS

4. "Grumpy Old Men" co-star : MATTHAU

5. Rite words : I DO

6. Modern caller ID, perhaps : RINGTONE. Different tones can be assigned to frequent incoming callers, right? I still don't have a cell phone.

7. Part of A.D. : ANNO

8. Drop-line link : ME A. Exactly like Sunday's entry.

9. Wrigley Field judges : UMPIRES. Wrigley Field is the home of the Chicago Cubs.

10. Mouthing the lyrics : LIP SYNCING

11. Red Skelton character Kadiddlehopper : CLEM. The joys of live TV.

12. Cooped-up layer : HEN

15. Bird on old quarters : EAGLE. How 'bout that; going from a chicken to an eagle.

18. Earl __ tea : GREY

19. Groundbreaking tool : HOE

24. Greenland coastal feature : FJORD

26. Company that rings a bell? : AVON. Cute clue.

27. "Marvy!" : "NEATO!" and 57D. "Marvy!" : "FAB!"

28. Green grouch : OSCAR

29. "Star Trek" velocity measure : WARP FACTOR. About 338,000 results if you Google "warp factor".

30. Word in many university names : STATE

32. Bar mitzvah reading source : TORAH

33. Didn't lose a game : SWEPT. Giants in the World Series this year.

36. Java order : MOCHA

38. Off! ingredient : DEET. Another Sunday answer.

39. Mike, to Archie : MEATHEAD. "All in the Family"

42. Upscale sports car : PORSCHE. Any Porshe owners out there?

44. Perch on : SIT ATOP

46. Like babes : YOUNG. I found this to be a little strange.

47. Dennis the Menace's dog : RUFF

49. Pay extension? : OLA. (payola)

51. Stallion or bull : MALE

53. Craig Ferguson, by birth : SCOT. The Late Late Show is hosted by Craig Ferguson since 2005. It is on after Letterman.

55. Asian tongue : THAI

56. Bring home : EARN

58. Monopoly token : HAT

59. Has too much, briefly : OD's. (overdose)

60. Clucking sound : [TSK!]

Argyle

Notes from C.C.:

1) Don G and I made today's NY Times crossword. I hope you have a chance to solve it. Now, Jayce/Splynter/TTP, will NYT 11D's ex-girlfriend's husband "Call me, maybe?"
 
2) Here is a recent photo of dear Sallie.

Monday, November 12, 2012 Don Gagliardo & C.C. Burnikel

Theme: A week of Mondays - Five entries that start out innocent enough but there is a Mon. stuck right in the middle of them.

17A. Light reddish shade named for a fish : SALMON PINK

25A. Children's imitation game : SIMON SAYS

36A. Sticky breakfast sweets : CINNAMON ROLLS

49A. Grated citrus peel : LEMON ZEST

58A. Winter cause of sniffles and sneezes : COMMON COLD

48D. Workweek start, or an apt title for this puzzle based on an abbreviation found in its five longest answers : MONDAY

Argyle here so it must be Monday. I've been frittering my time listening to Monday songs and have decided on this one. Monday Mornin', by Peter, Paul, and Mary, I can't say as I've ever heard it before but I don't think I'll forget it. It's a strange one.

So salmon, cinnamon and lemon sort of put me on a food track but the unifier put me right. It seems like a minimum of abbreviations today. Don and C.C., thank you.

Across:

1. Actress Jessica : ALBA

5. Uses spurs, say : GOADS. Jessica could spur me on.

10. Sports squad : TEAM

14. Fortuneteller : SEER

15. Not yet burning : UNLIT

16. Taper off : WANE. Unlit tapers.

19. Tehran's land : IRAN

20. Uganda's Amin : IDI

21. Drawer projection : KNOB

22. Env. stuffing : ENCL. (enclosure)

23. Flows slowly : SEEPS

29. Deal, as a blow : INFLICT

31. "Then what happened?" : "AND?"

32. Govt. hush-hush org. : NSA. (National Security Agency)

33. "Grody to the max!" : "UGH!"

34. Dessert served in triangular slices : PIE

35. Grub : EATS

40. Relax in the tub : SOAK

41. Solemn promise : VOW

42. "__ as directed" : USE

43. Do some sums : ADD

44. Crank (up) : REV

45. Dormitory, to dirty room : ANAGRAM. OK, Don or C.C. came up with this one? I'll say Don. (From C.C.: I bumped into this anagram while reading something. Not my own creation.)

52. Onetime capital of Japan : KYOTO. Wiki link

53. Swigs from flasks : NIPS

54. Tiny bit : IOTA

56. Chili __ carne : CON. (chili with meat)

57. Go steady with : DATE

61. "Deal me a hand" : "I'M IN". Yesterday, it was "I'M OUT".

62. Heavenly path : ORBIT

63. Golden St. campus : UCLA. California is known as "The Golden State" and UCLA isn't. Here is a link to Golden State University, a school of Oriental medicine.

64. Kennel guests : PETS

65. Pre-meal prayer : GRACE

66. Bouquet : POSY

Down:

1. Birthplace of St. Francis : ASSISI. Spain. No, no, Italy. I was thinking(?) of Ávila.

2. Hard to lift : LEADEN

3. Religious conviction : BELIEF. St. Francis had 'em.

4. Shirt part : ARM

5. '50s-'60s TV detective Peter : GUNN. Check out the blooper. The police car starts rolling after Lt. Jacoby jumps out.

6. Not AWOL : ON POST. I tried ON BASE first.

7. Perp-to-cop story : ALIBI

8. Crowd noise : DIN

9. Wall St. buy : STK. (stock)

10. Minnesota baseballers : TWINS. I think we can guess who came up with this one.

11. Auditory passage : EAR CANAL

12. Some therapists : ANALYSTS

13. "Little __": Alcott novel : MEN. It is considered a sequel to "Little Women".

18. Thumb-and-forefinger gesture : OK SIGN. In this country, at least.

22. Finish : END

24. Put (down), as a bet : PLUNK

26. Common street name : MAIN

27. What a solo homer produces : ONE RUN

28. Airline to Copenhagen : SAS

30. Venezuelan president Hugo : CHAVEZ

34. "Batman" sound effect : [POW!]

35. Song of mourning : ELEGY

36. Alias for a secret agent : CODE NAME. "Skyfall" is setting records already.

37. Words of confession : "I ADMIT IT"

38. "Shake a leg!" : "MOVE!"

39. Native of Japan's third most populous city : OSAKAN. SSE of Kyoto.

40. Mineo of "Exodus" : SAL. Teen idol. Here with some other guy.

44. OR staffers : RN's

45. Like numbers in the periodic table : ATOMIC

46. Ornate 18th-century style : ROCOCO. Did you remember it from Friday?

47. Ring-shaped reefs : ATOLLS

50. Starts the show : OPENS

51. "The Lion King" king : SIMBA

55. Beach bag : TOTE

57. Salsa, e.g. : DIP. Be wary if C.C. offers you salsa dip.

58. Gear tooth : COG

59. Hockey immortal Bobby : ORR

60. Coffee container : CUP

Argyle

Notes from C.C.:

1) Don came up with this theme. He was inspired by Rich's comment on my TWO/TU/TOO/TO puzzle. Interesting tidbit about this puzzle: Rich asked us to ease up the clues as our originals were more midweek-like.

2)  Here is a picture of Vegas Doc, a real doctor! (Correction: Vegas Doc is not a doctor. Doc is just his nickname. This is his Halloween costume). He often posts on weekends. Click here to see some of his interests. Another "The Shawshank Redemption" fan.

Sunday Nov 11, 2012 Ed Sessa

(If your paper does not carry the puzzle we're blogging on Sundays, click here to solve on line or print out a copy.)

Theme: "Merge Ahead" - Each theme entry is a merge of two road signs.

 27A. "Just ignore landslide warnings" : OVERLOOK + FALLING ROCKS

 42A. "Approaching Alaskan landmark" : DEAD END + BRIDGE AHEAD. This refers to the Bridge to Nowhere, right?

 60A. "Sorry, you can't avoid strip mall traffic" : NO OUTLET + DETOUR

 73A. "Road under construction ... still" : SLOW + MEN WORKING

 

 88. "Napping mandatory for sleepy drivers" : REST AREA + NO STANDING

 107. "Animals jaywalking, use caution" : DEER CROSSING + WRONG WAY

Only 6 theme entries, but 4 are very long. Total 104 theme squares. I find that gridding and filling get tricky once the number exceeds 100. 

But Ed is one of the best. Very smooth grid and the four corners are great. Loved the overall clues today, esp these few:

31A. Forty-niners' score : ORE.

103A. Joe for DiMaggio? : CAFFE. Look, the Rebates sign is autographed.

89D. Stock owner : RANCHER

And a few more. 

Across:

1. Kerfuffles : FLAPS

6. Quaint shoppe word : OLDE

10. Former Facebook marketing director Zuckerberg : RANDI. No idea. Sister of Mark Zuckerberg.

15. Basic lessons : ABCs

19. Forum attire : TOGAE

20. Cork objections : NAEs

21. Add baubles and bangles to : ADORN. Have you heard of CC Skye? Their bracelets are all the rage nowadays.

22. West Point mascot : MULE

23. Beyond the burbs : RURAL

24. Bric-a-__ : BRAC

25. "That's it for me" : I'M OUT

26. Object of devotion : ICON

32. "__ Boot": 1981 film : DAS

33. Covenants : PACTS

34. Together : UNITED

36. Triathlete, at times : PEDALER

39. Lisbon's Vasco da __ Bridge : GAMA

40. Ga. summer hours : EDT

41. Big time : ERA

47. French actor Delon : ALAIN. He's huge in China in the late '80s.

50. Have regrets about : RUE. Poor Petraeus! Who would you like to write your biography?

51. Drop-line link : ME A. This is for regular posters: Email me your recent photo (crosswordc@gmail.com) if you want to be included in our Blog Photo archive. I'd love to "see" you.

52. Store that welcomes dogs : PETCO

53. Posies : NOSEGAYS

56. Horrifies : APPALS. Mine is always "Appall".

59. "__ Always a Woman": Billy Joel song : SHE'S

63. Work in a play : ACT

65. Fed. arson-investigating org. : ATF

66. Homer, for one : HIT. Was thinking of the "The Simpsons" DAD.

67. Change : ALTER

68. GP's gp. : AMA. Hope Bob is doing better, JD.

69. Bhutto's overthrower : ZIA. No memory of him.

72. PC port : USB (Universal Serial Bus)

76. Sugar unit : LUMP

79. Ab __: from the beginning : INITIO. Learned from doing Xwords.

81. Carousing : ON A BINGE. 105. One 81-Across, perhaps : SOT

82. Former Piston Thomas : ISIAH. He's in the Hall of Fame.

84. Green prefix : ECO

85. Mr. Nahasapeemapetilon of "The Simpsons" : APU. Indians have very long names. Same with Thais.

87. Machu Picchu dwellers : INCAS

94. Co. once led by Baryshnikov : ABT (American Ballet Theatre)

95. Gallivant : GAD

96. Play around (with) : FUTZ. Yiddish.

97. Important person to believe in : ONESELF. Quite true.

101. Wooded : SYLVAN

106. Real estate giant Webb : DEL. Another stranger to me.

112. Swinging entrance : GATE

113. Poker Flat creator : HARTE (Bret)

114. Carpe __ : DIEM

115. "Family Ties" mother : ELYSE

116. Lying over : ATOP

117. Turn inside out : EVERT

118. Old Icelandic literary work : EDDA

119. Pitch fork? : TUNER. Awesome clue. I know "Awesome" is overused.

120. Buzzers : BEES

121. Second tries : REDOS. "Try, try again" does not work in many occasions.

122. Insect repellent compound : DEET

123. Excites : SENDS
        

 Down:

1. '60s sitcom set at Fort Courage : F TROOP. Stumped me last time.

2. Right Bank attraction : LOUVRE

3. "It's a deal" : AGREED

4. Carson followed him : PAAR (Jack)

5. Follow the bears : SELL. Stock market bears.

6. Ready to ship out : ON BOARD. Spitzboov sent me a very interesting article about a few US Navy midshipmen on board a Chinese Navy ship this summer. Unimaginable in the old days.

7. Spirited adventures : LARKS. And 9. Spirited adventure : ESCAPADE. Sexual escapade, that's a phrase I'm familiar with.

8. Unwilling to listen : DEAF

10. Transport on tracks : RAIL CAR

11. Fess up : ADMIT. Wish Petraeus's escapades were handled privately.

12. High times? : NOONS

13. It may be generic : DRUG

14. Trespass : INTRUDE

15. Parma pals : AMICI. Plural of "Amico".

16. SpongeBob SquarePants feature : BUCK TEETH

17. It might be decided by a nose : CLOSE RACE. Man oh Man (a la Jayce), that Nate Silver is truly a genius.

18. Kerry or Snowe: Abbr. : SEN. Alas, Olympia Snowe is not returning.

28. Old music halls : ODEA

29. Follower of Mary : LAMB

30. Ready for use : ON TAP

35. Carpentry grooves : DADOS. We have three carpenters on the blog: Jerome, Splynter and Marti. Avg Joe must know carpentry work also. Same as Windhover.
 

37. "Ta ta," to Tati : ADIEU. I know only one Tati: Jacques Tati.

38. Derby margins : LENGTHS

39. Bearded beast : GNU

40. Étienne's equal : EGAL. Étienne is English Stephen.

43. Formerly, in former times : ERST

44. Contaminated : IMPURE

45. Letter opener? : DEAR

46. Command, to the bard : HEST. Also new to me.

47. Oscar winner Paquin : ANNA. She won for "The Piano". Very passionate movie.

48. Plunder : LOOT

49. Starting from : AS OF

54. Cover of a kind : ALIBI

55. Thus far : YET

56. When an afternoon meeting might start : AT TWO

57. Hardy work : POEM. Oh, Thomas Hardy.

58. Margaret Mead's milieu : SAMOA. Alliteration all the way.

61. Old West gang family name : DALTON. The Dalton Gang. No Bond reference. OK with me, Daniel Craig is the best anyway.

62. Weena's people, in a Wells novel : ELOI. Weena is the girl in "The Time Machine".

64. Cavalry rifle : CARBINE

68. Grain bristle : AWN

69. .975 cents? : ZINC. Great clue. The remaining is copper.  

70. Teri's "Young Frankenstein" role : INGA

71. Mellows, maybe : AGES. D-Otto, were you hot-tempered when you were young?

72. "Remember to look __ the stars and not down at your feet": Hawking : UP AT

73. Director Vittorio De __ : SICA. Wiki shows he directed "Two Women", which I mistakenly thought was directed by Carlo Ponti.

74. Grammar class subject : NOUN

75. Scepter wielders : KINGS

76. Turkish coins : LIRAs

77. Food label recommendation : USE-BY DATE. I tend to have problem finishing my salsas in time.

78. Bussing overseer? : MISTLETOE. Kissing bussing. Sweet clue.

80. Requirement : NEED

83. "Horrible" Viking of comics : HAGAR

85. Ministered to : ATTENDED

86. Guerra's opposite : PAZ.  Paz = "Peace". Guerra = "War".  Spanish. Got me.
  

90. Counterbalances : OFFSETS

91. Muslim mystic : SUFI

92. Humble pie eater : DOORMAT

93. Really digging : INTO

98. He played Uncle Albert in "Mary Poppins" : ED WYNN. Saw the movie long time ago. Don't remember this guy at all.

99. Like many company cars : LEASED

100. Two-time '70s Stanley Cup champs : FLYERS. Philadelphia Flyers. Dennis knows. The Saturday Stud might too. 

102. Mondale and Quayle, once : VEEPS. Walter Mondale is still very active here in MN.

103. Hollowed out : CORED

104. Logical prefix : ASTRO. Astrological. Is there a prefix simply meaning "Logical"?

105. Garbo, for one : SWEDE

108. Kind of review : RAVE

109. "L'immoraliste" author : GIDE (André). No idea. He won Nobel Literature in 1947.  Rather abstract cover.

110. Brings home : NETS

111. Collage application : GLUE. I read it as "College application".

112. Yakety-yak : GAB. Don't you want to gab with PK in person? Fascinating person.

Happy Veterans Day to all the veterans on the blog! "We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude...".  Thank you for the sacrifice.

C.C.