Friday, April 19, 2013 Gareth Bain

THEME: I swear, I am so mixed up.

The second word of a fairly clued two-word phrase is chopped up (anagram-med) into a mild curse, which is revealed in the middle of the across clues. What makes this so impressive is even knowing more than 50 cuss words, I could not come up with another anagram, heck I tried.  RATS I so wanted that gold STAR. A workout by one of regular young constructors  our South African veterinarian friend Gareth Bain, who doubles as a blogger of the LAT on Amy Renaldo's Crossword Fiend site. The anagrams were simple, except 59A, which took a bit because it is not 4 letters like the others. It begins as a geography-centric puzzle, which is always hard for Americans. Tricky, but lots of short words and lots of blocks and even a J. I always have a good time with a GB original.

18A. *Celebrating the big five-oh, say : MIDDLE AGED.(10) Anagrams to EGAD.

23A. *Small museum piece : OBJET D'ART.(9) Becomes DRAT. A little American French.

53A. *Dancer with many fans : SALLY RAND. (9)  DARN. She appears in many of Max Allen Collins historical mysteries, along with her famous fans, as opposed to her many fans. Love the play on words.

59A. *Profit factors : COST PRICES.(10). The tricky one because it is not 4 letters, CRIPES, and the fill does not roll off my tongue.

and the unifier:

37A. What the answers to the starred clues end in, in more ways than one. MINCED OATHS. (11). Minced meaning chopped, which like twisted and many others is the sign that an anagram is required.

Across:

1. Their first parts are geog. indicators : SSNS.  If you did not know, the first three of the Social Security Number is based on where it was issued.

5. Her last film was "Two-Faced Woman" : GARBO.

10. Newspaper page : OP-ED. I am not opening this controversial door again.

14. Injure, in a way : CLAW. I am not sure our vet friend had cats in mind,  and I bet you all have been clawed..

15. ___ dome : ONION. An obvious architectural TERM, but one I did not know I knew.

16. Denpasar's island : BALI. It is the site of their airport.

17. ___ mentality : HIVE. We must learn from the honey BEES.

20. ___-Locka, Florida : OPA. The also have an airport.

21. Sum, sometimes : I AM. (Soom), the Latin for I am.

22. Country across the sea from Eritrea : YEMEN. Across the Red Sea (happy belated Passover) before you get to Ethiopia.

27. Oil-rich African country : GABON. One of the surviving pieces of French Equatorial Africa, a small rich place.

29. City on the Rhone : LYONS. More geography, it is called  LYON in French which made this extra hard, though the clue was in English, so....

30. "___ Theme": "Doctor Zhivago" song : LARA'S. Very pretty TUNE (3:18).

32. Tram contents : ORE. As it is taken from the mine, they load the trams.

33. Hog : sow :: rabbit : ___ : DOE. Reminds me of the LSAT. A word animal clue.

35. Freak (out) : WIG.

36. Court cry : OYEZ. Also sometimes, OYER et TERMINER. It stems from the old days when judges travelled to the courts and the people had to be advised the court was there. More law stuff, 46D. Put forth without proof : ALLEGE. Sounds bad, but you allege what the facts are in a complaint and then prove them at trial.

40. Pigeon-loving Muppet : BERT. I missed this whole phase.

42. Fjord cousin : RIA. Bodies of water.

43. ___ Victor : RCA. Do you recall his name?

44. Bargainer with GM : UAW. United Auto Workers.

45. LeVar's "Roots" role : KUNTA. Kinte.

47. Bender : BINGE.

51. Icky coating : GRIME.

55. Its young are called crias : LLAMA.  Gotta love the CAMELIDS. Our vet always gets some of his specialty in the puzzles. Also, 6D. Member of a large kingdom : ANIMAL.

57. Rock's ___ Lobos : LOS. Sing along,  LA BAMBA.(3:05). (More animals, wolves here).

58. Touch clumsily : PAW. So when she said he was pawing her, it was the clumsiness that mattered. (Animal paw?).

62. Siouan tribe : IOWA.

63. ___ d'amore : OBOE. I do not know much of the OBOE of LOVE. JzB? LINK. (2:49).

64. Terse observation : ADAGE. Interesting clue, as I think of the word like aphorism, apothegm, axiom, maxim, proverb, not just terse. Terse seems unfriendly.

65. W.S. winner in four of the last five years : NLER. baseball World Series being dominated by the National League, lately.

66. Flex : BEND.

67. Leafy recess : BOWER.

68. Pirate played by Laughton : KIDD. He played the CAPTAIN.(3:17) He seemed a bit foppish to be blood thirsty.

Down:

1. Art movement : SCHOOL. Like the Pointillists.

2. Elude : SLIP BY. His youth eluded him.

3. Code talkers' tribe : NAVAJO. Did you all see/like this MOVIE? (2:19).

4. 5-Across's home: Abbr. : SWEden.

5. Lose it : GO MAD.

7. Clear : RID.

8. Spa specimen : BOD. y?

9. Lacking siblings : ONLY. Child?

10. President with a B.A. from Columbia : OBAMA.

11. Shoulder-length hair styles : PAGEBOYS. Like this?

12. The "you" in the 1968 lyric "Gee I think you're swell" : ELENORE. The spelling gave away this TUNE.(2:32)

13. Imitated : DID. Frank Caliendo did John Madden so well. Sorry to hear that Pat Summerall died.

19. Brain tests, briefly : EEGS. ElectroEncephaloGramS.

21. "Put up your dukes, then!" : IT'S ON.

24. Break up : END IT.

25. Statistician's input : RAW DATA. GIGO.

26. Common folk group : TRIO. Kingston anyone?

28. ___ Perce tribe : NEZ. Not related to the eye glasses.

31. Seaweed extract : AGAR. A wonder of the world for cooks and scientists LINK.

34. Beige relative : ECRU. Can any of the guys tell them apart?

36. Atheist activist Madalyn Murray ___ : O'HAIR. She was always being talked about when I was young as the founder of the first organized Atheists. She led to the banning of prayer in schools and was eventually murdered. LINK  (2:21). We will not talk religion or politics here, but when she died my father's words rang in my head during her funeral. "All dressed up and no place to go."

37. Dennis the Menace neighbor : MR. WILSON. Now living somewhere in Boca Raton.

38. German opener : EINS. One in German.

39. Super Fro-Yo sellers : TCBYS. This Can't Be Yogurt.

40. Eat at : BUG. This clue irritated me. In fact it 49D. Ate (at) : GNAWED at me. A tense clecho.

41. Drop zone? : EAR LOBE. OK GB, explain this one, drops meaning earrings?

45. Dole's running mate : KEMP. Former Buffalo Bill quarterback Jack. Lots of athletes make it to politics. How many do you know?

48. City SE of Roma : NAPOLI. Italian for Naples.

50. "___ Scissorhands" : EDWARD. Johnny Depp, ladies? No, okay NOT JOHNNY DEPP.(3:29).

52. Checked for the last time? : MATED. I am not sure if this is a pun on the state of matrimony, or just a reference to the game.

54. Like one who is 52-Down : LOSER. I repeat, I don't know....

56. Fast horse : ARAB.

59. Pen's mate : COB. (oops, don't we have MATED above?) Of course he is speaking of swans

 

where the adult male is a COB and the female is a PEN.  He then ends with. 62A. Pen filler: INK. to enhance the confusion, I love it.

60. Brief commitment : I DO. With such a high divorce rate, brief may be the operative concept.

61. Crow's croak : CAW. And alliteration clue to fill, nice.

Well it is great to be back to Friday, even though blogging marti is always a treat. Gareth is also much fun and a very pleasant young man, willing to answer questions. While you are reading this, I am getting ready to get on airplane to Buffalo  which to me is now Charlotte's ville, current home of my granddaughter. See you all next week.

Lemonade out.

Thursday, April 18, 2013 Erik Agard

Theme: "Get the point?"

20-Across. *Web page index : SITE MAP.

22-Across. *Keep in touch! : WRITE ME.

47-Across. *Comics supervillain whose real name is Charles Brown : KITE MAN. An homage to the kite-flying Charlie Brown of "Peanuts."

4-Down. *Vampire victim's souvenir : BITE MARKS.

10-Down. *Chicken choice : WHITE MEAT.

And the unifier:

70. With 71-Across, what the answers to starred clues contain? : HIDDEN and 71. See 70-Across : AGENDA.

The theme entries had to have the asterisk, since there was 7, 8 and 9-letter non-theme fill in the grid. So as I was filling in answers, I couldn't help but notice the first words all ended in ITE, and the second words all started with M...(hmmm, I wonder where this is going?)

Unusual grid design with left-to-right symmetry, but not top-to-bottom. And we have a pangram! C.C. just did an interview with this young man on April 3rd.

Let's see what else Erik has dished out for us.

Across:

1. Invitation reminder letters : BYOB. "Bring your own bottle." Anything you say, Erik!  Where's the party?

5. Tape player button : EJECT.

10. '80s pop duo with an exclamation point in its name : WHAM! Ah yes, the disco era...3:21

14. Renaissance painter Guido : RENI. Baroque master.

15. Indian city : DELHI. Five letters, so at least I could eliminate Agra!

16. Sharpen : HONE.

17. #2: Abbr. : ASST. Whaaa??  All I could think of was a #2 pencil.  (Comes from doing too many crosswords, I guess.)

18. Like some checking accounts : NO FEE.

19. Cry after being tagged : I'M IT!

24. Start of a boast : I CAME...I saw, I conquered.

25. "Middle of Nowhere" director DuVernay : AVA. She won Best Director at the Sundance film festival for it.

27. Prohibit : DEBAR. Hands up for "estop?"

28. Restaurant survey creator : ZAGAT.

29. Tease : RIB.

30. Smacked, biblically : SMOTE.

31. Steven Chu's Cabinet dept. : ENER.gy

32. Mononymous "Rumor Has It" singer : ADELE. You know I have to link it! 3:43

34. Used peepers on : EYED.

35. "Firework" singer Perry : KATY. Anyone else fill in "Como" without thinking?  DUH! It's the 21st century, people. Here's the song. 3:54

37. Exile isle : ELBA.

39. Debacle : FIASCO. Great word!

42. Soda buys : LITERS.

46. Mac interface : OSX. "Operating System 10."  I wonder how many PC users would know that?

51. Start to push? : PEE.  No, it's not bathroom humor. We are simply looking for the first letter of "push" here.

52. Clarified butter : GHEE.

54. "___ Believer":'60s hit : I'M A. Ear worm from the sixties. 2:35

55. Retailer T.J. ___ : MAXX.

56. Knock out of contention : ELIMINATE.

61. Personal partner? : UP CLOSE. "Up close and personal."

64. It goes around the world : EQUATOR.

68. Flat container : SHOE BOX. Great clue!  "Flats" are a type of ladies shoe.

69. Ice cream treats : SUNDAES.

Down:

1. Lingerie spec : BRA SIZE. The gents would tar and feather me if I didn't link one of these.

2. "Absolutely!" : YES I CAN.

3. Treading the boards : ON STAGE.

5. Flamboyant Dame : EDNA. Oh, I dunno. She looks pretty normal to me.

6. Where to find a lot of answers? : JEOPARDY. Another nice clue.

7. Impish sort : ELF.

8. Like some vitamins : CHEWABLE.

9. Cake level : TIER.

11. Inner city buddy : HOME BOY. Anyone else want "main man?"

12. Produce, as cartoons : ANIMATE.

13. Like most cabs : METERED.

21. Was introduced to : MET.

23. Passports, e.g. : IDs.

26. Contend : VIE.

32. Yours, in Tours : A TOI.

33. Big name in scat : ELLA. Another era heard from. I believe this is # 5 for today.

36. Cry from Cathy of comics :

38. Trash repository : BIN.

39. Weather for low beams : FOG.

40. Moderating suffix : ISH. "I'm fifty-ish..." (OK, that might be stretching it, rather than moderating it.)

41. Terminate : AXE.

43. Green org. : EPA. Environmental Protection Agency.

I liked the progression of the next three answers:

44. T. ___ : REX.

45. What F or M may denote : SEX.

48. "It takes a licking..." watch : TIMEX.

49. U.K. record label : EMI. Electric and Musical Industries. Probably best known as the record label of The Beatles, but they had a couple other notable names under their belt, as well.   ;-)

50. Leonine neck features : MANES.

53. Sought morays : EELED. Nothing about sniggling?

55. Gettysburg general : MEADE.

57. Brain part : LOBE.

58. "And the race ___!" : IS ON.

59. Blue hue : AQUA.

60. Mao Tse-___ : TUNG.

61. Seat, in slang : USH. Change the "s" to a "g" for me.

62. NYG NFL rival : PHI.ladelphia and the New York Giants of the National Football League.

63. Fish-and-chips fish : COD. I like haddock in my fish-and-chips!

65. Basking goal : TAN.

66. Where age always goes before beauty, briefly : OED. Alphabetically, that is. Oxford English Dictionary.

67. The ANC's country : RSA. African National Congress, Republic of South Africa.

'Til next week!

Hugs,

Marti

Wednesday, April 17th, 2013 Howard Barkin

Theme: Baby Steps - the theme clues all begin with something which is commonly found in a nursery.

20A *“Jolene” singer: DOLLY PARTON. Is the Pope Catholic? Does a bear sleep on its back? Is Bill G. going to comment on this?

50A *Rush hour jam spots: BOTTLENECKS. We've got our fair share of these in SoCal. I particularly like the one in Orange County at the confluence of the 5, 22 and 57 freeways which is nicknamed "The Orange Crush".

11D *Residence in a park, often: MOBILE HOME. Those pesky 9D phenomena always seem to seek out these places.

29D *Rickety wheels: RATTLETRAP. My BMW falls into this category at the moment - the rear struts need replacing and they're squeaking like a 17th-century chuck wagon, and the engine idle is too low and making every panel inside rattle when I'm at a stop light. I'd better call my mechanic.

37A Illicit exam aids, and places where the first parts of the answers to starred clues can be found: CRIBS. Those books of log tables that we were allowed to carry into math exams back in the Stone Age were handy places for cribs (mine, of course, was pristine).

Happy Wednesday everyone - Steve here with what I believe might be Howard Barkin's debut puzzle for Tribune - if that's the case congratulations! (I couldn't anagram anything "Rich Norris"-related!)  (Note from C.C.: Howard Barkin finished 13th in this year's ACPT. )

Left to right: Dan Feyer, Howard Barkin &  Anne Erdmann, 2010 ACPT

Four fun theme entries with a unifier and some nice fill too - lots of high-scoring Scrabble letters in the grid - missing only a Q and an F for the pangram. Let's check out  the rest, including a back-reference to the theme at 61A.

Across:

1 Insectivore’s meal: BUGS. And Bizarre Food presenter Andrew Zimmern.

5 Toppled tyrant: TSAR. Alternatively CZAR, so I wait for the crosses.

9 Circus chairman?: TAMER. I liked this one. Some might quibble about the lack of "LION" but I'm good with it.

14 The “Aeneid,” for one: EPIC. It is quite an epic, it took Virgil 10 years to write.

15 Squeegee, e.g.: WIPE

16 Layer to worry about: OZONE

17 Cutting-edge brand?: ATRA. Gillette razor blades from the 90's now manufactured in India.

18 Yoked team: OXEN

19 Spa wear: ROBES

23 Tax shelter, briefly: IRA. Topical subject for Tax Week.

24 Place for a date: PALM. I was trying to figure if this was a fair clue/answer as you can put your calendar entries in any organizer, not just a Palm, then the food-related penny dropped.

25 Hibiscus plant’s family: MALLOW. The State Flower of Hawai'i

27 Once in a blue moon: RARELY.

30 Little bit: SMIDGE

32 Weight Watchers meeting need: SCALE. Not a strengthened floor?

33 Software with crop and marquee tools: PHOTOSHOP

36 Vintner’s vessel: VAT. I love the alliteration.

38 Egg cells: OVA

39 Baked snacks often dipped in hummus: PITA CHIPS. A friend of mine named one of her bichons Pita, which is an acronym for Pain In The Ass. She was prescient as well, the poor dog is on Prozac.

42 Bond-Bond link?: JAMES. "My name is Bond. James Bond".

44 Easter flowers: LILIES

45 Death Valley, for example: DESERT

46 Oscar winner Charlize: THERON

48 Salty seven: SEAS. I tried naming them, and came up with a lot more than seven.

49 Though: YET

56 Medicare insurance segment: PART B

58 Breakfast chain: IHOP. The International House Of Pancakes is not really international, and serves more than just pancakes, but hey, why spoil a good name.

59 Many a blog post: RANT. Not me, mine are always reasoned and balanced. Really.

60 Backspace through text: ERASE. When I was a computer programmer, I was a very fast but highly inaccurate typist. I was given the nickname "Backspace". You could always tell which was my keyboard - that key was worn blank.

61 Word heard in 37-Across: MAMA

62 Low card: TREY. I was going to grumble that the deuce is lower, but then realized "A low card" not "THE low card".

63 On the say-so of: AS PER

64 Furry sci-fi creature: EWOK

65 Glasses, in ads: SPEX. Do pubescent boys still want a pair of X-Ray Spex?

DOWN

1 Abacus slider: BEAD

2 __-the-minute: UP-TO

3 Miss: GIRL

4 “Grey’s Anatomy” prop: SCALPEL

5 Like more absorbent paper towels: TWO-PLY. I often have trouble reading the downs, and could not figure out what on earth this word was until I realized it was hyphenated.

6 Workday alarm hr.: SIX AM. My Pilates trainer was knocking on my door at 6AM today. I like to start the day with pain and suffering.

7 Copycat: APER

8 “La Vie Bohème” musical: RENT

9 Carrier to Oz: TORNADO. I wanted "QANTAS" here, very nice clue/answer

10 __ dye: food-coloring compound: AZO. Learning moment for me.

12 Start of el año: ENERO. The Spanish year starts with this month.

13 Sat through again: RESAW. This one got a "hmmmmmmm, not really" from me today.

21 New Haven’s biggest employer: YALE. I posted a pic of West Point last time out, so here's one of Yale - it looks flooded to me!

22 Skips: OMITS

26 Some cellphones: LG'S. Cellphone manufacturer with the slogan "Life's Good"

27 Invitation abbr.: R.S.V.P. The "s'il vous plaît" part of this phrase is an alternate to the clue at 33D - a fun tie-in

28 Trendy berry: ACAI. When did berries get trendy? They undoubtedly are in L.A. - people claim almost mystical results from adding Goji berries to their smoothies.

30 Uses FedEx: SHIPS

31 “Flash” gatherings: MOBS. There have been bigger, longer and more musical flashmobs, but this was one of the first and my favorite - at Grand Central Terminal in New York.

33 “Je vous en __”:“Please”: PRIE. A more pleading way of saying please in French than "s'il vous plaît" - this translates more literally as "I pray of you .."

34 CBer’s “Your turn”: OVER

35 Former time: PAST

37 Sturdy material: CHINO. I had no idea the reason my pants are chinos is because of the fabric - I thought it was the cut and color.

40 Go public with: AIR

41 Knock into next week: CLOBBER. Great word!

42 Composer Sibelius: JEAN

43 Strongly maintains: ASSERTS

45 “Spiritual Solutions” author Chopra: DEEPAK. Are there any other Chopras?

46 Go-go personality: TYPE A

47 Pays heed to: HEARS

48 NFL highlight reel technique: SLO-MO

51 Hourglass figure?: TIME

52 Deice?: THAW. I had to look at this clue a dozen times before I saw what it was - I thought it was a misprint at first.

53 Beef, or a fish: CARP. Nice one!

54 Joint with a cap: KNEE

55 Netherworld river: STYX. And an earworm which is a favorite of classic rock fans everywhere

57 “Cats” initials: T.S.E. T.S.Eliot. Did you know that T.S. stands for Thomas Sterns? I didn't.

And that's it! I'm cutting my teeth in my first competitive crossword competition out here in Sherman Oaks this coming Sunday in aid of the Brain Research Foundation - Four NYT puzzles from Will Shortz - I promise to tell you all if I make an unholy mess of it! If any other left-coasters are interested, here are the details.

Have a good Wednesday. Hug your family and appreciate your friends.

Steve

Tuesday, April 16, 2013 C.C. Burnikel

Theme: Progression - The second word starts with the letter 'P' followed by a phonetic long vowel (A to U) progression & L.

17A. Lost color in one's cheeks : TURNED PALE

26A. Bartender's twist : LEMON PEEL

38A. Stack of unsolicited manuscripts : SLUSH PILE. (learning moment)

53A. Tribal carving : TOTEM POLE

63A. It may be filled with a garden hose : KIDDIE POOL

Argyle here with our fearless leader's Tuesday puzzle. Enjoy those verts in the corners. You might say C.C. is becoming a "corner" specialist.

Across:

1. Soccer officials : REFs

5. "You __ dead!": "I'm telling mom!" : ARE SO. 15A. "No way!" : "NEVER!". 11D. Terse critical appraisal : "I HATE IT!". Or could be clued, "Teen critical appraisal of everything"

10. Location : SITE

14. Berry in healthy smoothies : ACAI

16. Jazz classic "Take __ Train" : THE 'A'

19. Greasy spoon grub : [EATS]

20. Hit hard : RAM

21. Like blue hair : DYED

22. "Faust" dramatist : GOETHE. Faust is the guy who sold his soul to the Devil.

24. Fred's dancing sister : ADELE

28. Beer to drink on Cinco de Mayo : CORONA

30. Four quarters : ONE

31. Tax agcy. : IRS

32. Archaic "once" : ERST

33. Talk show pioneer Jack : PAAR

36. Residential bldg. units : APT's

41. Bush secretary of labor Elaine : CHAO. Short bio.

43. Madeline of "Blazing Saddles" : KAHN. Here she does a routine with George Burns.

44. Emails the wrong person, say : ERRS

48. U.S./Canada's __ Canals : SOO. The name, Soo, is shortened and anglicized for the two cities named Sault Ste. Marie, in Ontario and in Michigan. Sault either means "jump" or "rapids" in French.

49. Sunrise direction, in Köln : OST. German town also known as Cologne.

51. Buyer's "beware" : CAVEAT. Caveat emptor ("let the buyer beware") (Important to someone who goes to flea markets.) ;-)

57. Go : LEAVE

58. City on the Rio Grande : EL PASO. Home of the UTEP Miners.

59. Feed the kitty : ANTE. Poker.

61. "Cool" monetary amt. : MIL. Short for million.

62. Even-handed : FAIR

66. Helsinki resident : FINN

67. Actress Burstyn : ELLEN

68. Hip-swiveling dance : HULA

69. Vexes : IRKS

70. Extremely poor : NEEDY

71. Ruin Bond's martini : STIR. James prefers them shaken.

Down:

1. Daily grind : RAT RACE

2. Besides Chile, the only South American country that doesn't border Brazil : ECUADOR

3. __ market : FARMER'S. Limited selection in the spring.

4. Break a Commandment : SIN. Moi?

5. "Toy Story" boy : ANDY

6. Fend off : REPEL

7. Dance around : EVADE

8. Somme salt : SEL. Somme is a department of France, located in the north of the country and is part of the Picardy region.

9. Where Nike headquarters is : OREGON. Beaverton, OR, seven miles west of Portland.

10. Considerable, as discounts : STEEP

12. Ties to a post, as a horse : TETHERS. I can't picture a cowpoke actually using the word though.

13. Art gallery props : EASELS

18. Delightful spot : EDEN

23. "Paper Moon" Oscar winner Tatum : O'NEAL. She was ten when she won.

25. Many, informally : LOTSA

27. Change from vampire to bat, say : MORPH

29. Kwik-E-Mart owner on "The Simpsons" : APU

34. Extend an invitation for : ASK TO

35. "I knew it!" : "AHA!"

37. Thorn in one's side : PEEVE. Used as a noun here.

39. Appears strikingly on the horizon : LOOMS

40. Co. letterhead abbr. : INC. (incorporated)

41. Welcome summer forecast : COOL AIR

42. Noticeable lipstick color : HOT PINK. Cute pairing of 'cool' and 'hot'.

45. Come down hard on : REAM OUT

46. Filled pasta : RAVIOLI

47. Top-notch : STELLAR

48. Golden Slam winner Graf : STEFFI. (tennis)

50. Said : SPOKEN

52. Away from the wind : ALEE

54. Takes home : EARNS

55. Punch bowl spoon : LADLE

56. Over and done : ENDED

60. Hard to see : TINY

64. French landmass : ÎLE

65. Acidity nos. : PH's. A scale of 0 to 14, where less than 7 represents acidity, 7 neutrality, and more than 7 alkalinity.

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Happy 85th Birthday to dear Dot! And a belated Happy 99th Birthday to her husband Irv!

Left to Right: Kazie, Dot, Irv & Andrea, Sept 2009

Monday, April 15, 2013 Patti Varol

Theme: No Kidding - Four leaders you should follow or else.

16A. *Comforter-and-sheets set for a large mattress, say : KING-SIZE BEDDING

22A. *Gaga way to be in love : HEAD OVER HEELS

36A. *Big tourist draw : MAJOR ATTRACTION

50A. *Industry-spanning work stoppage : GENERAL STRIKE

59A. Simon Says relative, and a hint to what happens after the starts of 16-, 22-, 36- and 50-Across : FOLLOW THE LEADER. "Mother, May I?" is in the same family.

Argyle here. While the theme doesn't do much for me, the three grid spanners on a Monday is impressive. The fill is consistent, user-friendly. All and all, a pleasant start to, for some, an unpleasant day.

Across:

1. Wynonna or Naomi of country music : JUDD. Country music's mother and daughter duo. Mama He's Crazy(3:08)

5. "Doctor Zhivago" heroine : LARA. Many versions! This is an instrumental. Lara's Theme(3:32)

9. Files opened with Adobe, for short : PDFS. (Portable Document Format)

13. Licked cookie : OREO. Ho! Ho! Ho!

14. Underage person : MINOR

15. La Scala showstopper : ARIA

19. Enter gingerly : EASE IN

20. Bigfoot cousin : YETI

21. "__ Misérables" : LES

25. Follow one's new job, in Realtorese : RELO. Realtorese? Really?

26. "Cheerio!" : "TA TA!"

27. Sci-fi vehicle: Abbr. : UFO

30. Attention from Dr. Mom : TLC

32. Answers an invite, for short : RSVP's. You notice; three ways to clue an abbreviation.

41. Movie trailer, e.g. : PROMO. Not an abbr. so much as a shortened word.

42. Sun, in Spain : SOL

43. Sea shocker : EEL

44. Hieroglyphic snakes : ASPS

47. Lovers' spat, say : TIFF

55. Right-angle piece : ELL

56. Pamplona runner : TORO. Have you seen the ad where the hook is "Now the bulls run from US!"

57. Professor's security : TENURE

62. Shade provider : TREE. In another month, maybe.

63. In __: mad : A RAGE

64. Not right in the head : LOCO

65. "Auld Lang __" : SYNE

66. Nevada gambling city : RENO

67. Auto repair figs. : ESTS. (estimates)

Down:

1. Comic's delivery : JOKE

2. Dickens villain Heep : URIAH

3. Like a thicket : DENSE

4. Folded corner : DOG-EAR. A way to mark your page and a bane to librarians everywhere.

5. Tina's "30 Rock" role : LIZ

6. "... for __, a tooth ..." : AN EYE. Old school, Old Testament.

7. Poet Frost : ROBERT. My kind of poet.

8. Franklin of soul : ARETHA. My kind of soul singer.

9. Hippie's digs : PAD. My kind of living quarters.

10. Dentist's tool : DRILL. Not kind.

11. Traffic violation consequences : FINES. Not kind, either.

12. Slumps : SAGS. See 5_Down.

14. Camera maker that merged with Konica : MINOLTA

17. Fries, for one : SIDE

18. Coke Zero competitor : DIET RC

23. Battery unit : VOLT. Standard automotive battery is 12 volts.

24. Sunup point : EAST

27. Baseball official : UMP

28. Gary Larson's "The __ Side" : FAR. Oh, how I miss it.

29. Pedro's peeper : OJO. I knew better but stuck in ORB anyway. D'oh!

31. Dol. parts : CT's. $ and ¢

33. Compete : VIE

34. "The Raven" poet : POE

35. NBC sketch show : SNL

37. Yemen neighbor : OMAN

38. Met, as a difficult challenge : ROSE TO

39. Decays : ROTS

40. Somewhat : A LITTLE

45. Like political hawks : PRO-WAR

46. "Hell is other people" French dramatist : SARTRE. (two R's, two R's)

48. At no charge : FREE

49. Big operatic ending : FINALE

50. Morning __: flower : GLORY

51. DeGeneres's sitcom : ELLEN. Only her talk show now, right?

52. Actress Lindsay : LOHAN

53. Praise : KUDOS

54. Straight up : ERECT

55. Young newts : EFTS

58. Greek Cupid : EROS

60. Golfer Trevino : LEE. I get a kick out of this ad.

61. Self-importance : EGO

Argyle

Sunday April 14, 2013 Amy Johnson

Theme: "Subway Series" - ELS is added to each theme entry.

23A. "I say! Lovely places to worship!"? : JOLLY GOOD CHAPELS. Jolly good chap.

36A. Teflon advisory groups? : NON-STICK PANELS. Non-stick pans.

 

57A. IOU? : VOWELS OF POVERTY. Vow of poverty. Great clue!

81A. Really bad nursery color schemes? : CRIMINAL PASTELS. Criminal past.

99A. Ones who control the markets? : GROCERY CARTELS. Grocery cart.

120A. What to grab for an early morning flight? : BAGELS AND BAGGAGE. Bag and baggage.

I always try to guess the theme after I download the puzzle and read the title. So my mind immediately went to the baseball Subway Series! But the theme quickly revealed itself. Loved the title!

Only 6 theme entries, but they're all quite long, a total of 90 squares. Rich's minimum is 6 entries with 84 squares.

Across:

1. "___ Mia!" : MAMMA

6. Botanist's study : FLORA. I'm going to plant yellow tea roses this year, if spring ever comes to Minnesota. Still snow on the ground. I can almost smell the scent.

11. Economics pioneer Smith : ADAM

15. Evite letters : RSVP

19. Victim of Artemis : ORION. She unwittingly killed him. Love stories often have a sad ending.

20. Chewy chocolate treats : ROLOS

21. Wrap alternative : PITA. Do you like alfalfa sprouts? I don't. Bean sprouts, yes.

22. Sport with touches : EPEE

26. Summers of Food Network's "Unwrapped" : MARC. I like "Unwrapped". Fun to learn food history.

27. Ancient concert venues : ODEA

28. European chain : ALPS. Mountain chain. Not IKEA.

29. Functional clothing accessory : TIE TAC

30. Mount near Olympus : OSSA

31. __-am: kids' book character : SAM I

33. Symphonic finale : CODA

34. Sleep inducer of a sort : SANDMAN. Mr. Sandman.

42. Cry over, maybe : RUE

43. Division word : APIECE

44. Surg. workplaces : ORs

45. Concerns in substance abuse therapy : ENABLERS. Not an easy clue for me.

50. Insert "@#$%!," say : CENSOR. Shouldn't you remove the curses rather than insert?

51. RAZR MAXX manufacturer : MOTOROLA. They have a big factory in Tianjin, hometown of Barry G's wife. Hope everyone is feeling better today, Barry.

55. Its first maps were pub. in 1905 : AAA

56. Central Eur. power until 1806 : HRE

61. Western treaty gp. : OAS

62. Speakeasy difficulty : RAID. "Difficulty" did not make me think of RAID.

64. Horn of Afr. country : ETH

65. King and queen : TITLES. So literal.

66. Filled Italian fare : RAVIOLI. Like Chinese dumplings, except no cheese in Chinese cooking.

69. Showed (in) : USHERED

72. White House middle name : DELANO. The D of FDR.

75. Religious sch. with the motto "Make no little plans here" : ORU.  I like the new clue.

77. Latin I word : AMAS

78. Pod resident : PEA

86. 24-hr. banking service : ATM

87. She played Mia in "Pulp Fiction" : UMA

88A. It was held outside of California only once, in 1942 : ROSE BOWL. From Wiki: "Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the 1942 game was moved to Duke University's Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham, North Carolina, as officials were wary of allowing such a large crowd to congregate anywhere on the West Coast due to World War II security concerns."

89. "Memoirs of a __" : GEISHA. The Geisha's real name was disclosed in the book. A big no-no. She later did write her own biography "Geisha, a Life". Yellowrocks probably read it.

92. Ristorante topper : PARMESAN

96. Comfy top : TEE

97. Salon supplies : RINSES

98. Pretense : ACT

104. Curious box opener : PANDORA. Also the music station.

108. February deity : EROS. For Marti, who was born on Valentine's Day.

109. Frankfurt's river : ODER

110. Suffix with smack : EROO. Smackeroo.

111. "Food, Glorious Food" musical : OLIVER

113. Lyon lover's word : AIME. "Je t'aime."

115. Shopping list entry : ITEM

119. __ hall : TOWN

123. Agt. after tax evaders : T-MAN

124. DOE part: Abbr. : ENER

125. Half a historic bomber : ENOLA. Enola Gay.

126. VW and BMW : AUTOS

127. Sisterhood name in a Rebecca Wells novel : YA-YA. "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood".

128. Hardly leave wanting : SATE

129. Latin for "he holds" : TENET. Etymology!

130. Food often spilled? : BEANS. Not MILK.

Down:

1. Charm : MOJO

2. Fading star of the East? : A-ROD. AL East. So true.

3. 1,760 yards : MILE

4. Sugar refining byproduct : MOLASSES. Important part of Spitzboov's breakfast.

5. Whichever : ANY

6. Gambol : FROLIC

7. Roller coaster inversion : LOOP

8. Road travel pioneer : OLDs

9. Mythical flying giant : ROC

10. Kutcher of "That '70s Show" : ASHTON

11. Word with sex or snob : APPEAL

12. Downsizing program? : DIET. Another great clue.

13. World carrier : ATLAS

14. Maybelline purchase : MASCARA. Lots of LIARs (74. Makeup artist?) tout Maybelline's Great Lash mascara. It smudges so badly. Get yourself a water-proof Clinique.

15. Update, in a way : REMODEL

16. Muscle malady : SPASM

17. Vice __ : VERSA

18. Pie nut : PECAN. Never liked pecan.

24. More sordid : GAMIER
 

25. Helper : AIDE

32. Onetime Yes label : ATCO. ATlantic COrporation. So, what's the most famous song of Yes?

33. Social group : CASTE

35. Crux : NUB

36. Cheese-topped chip : NACHO

37. Palais Garnier performance : OPERA. I always call it Opéra de Paris.

38. Tiger's front and back? : NINES. Tiger Woods. So strange what he did on Friday. He knew the rules.

39. Dragon's island : KOMODO. Komodo dragon is a giant lizard. Is that a dead tree branch in his mouth?

40. Figurehead place : PROW. Wiki said "A figurehead is a carved wooden decoration found at the prow of ships largely made between the 16th and 19th century".

41. Confident leader? : SELF. Self-confident.

46. Siesta : NAP

47. Eponymous inventor Tupper : EARL. Tupperware. Did not know this trivia.

48. It might be going : RATE. Going rate.

49. What Simon does : SAYS

52. Soccer stadium shout : OLE

53. Alphabetic run : RSTU

54. July 4th reactions : OOHs

57. Jury trial Amendment : VII. Here is a detailed list.

58. Señorita's other : OTRA

59. Joins the race : VIES

60. SFO approximation : ETD

62. Indian royal : RANI

63. Lady's business? : AVON. Avon lady.

66. St. Louis player : RAM.  Originally Cleveland Rams (1936–1945), then LA Rams (1946-1994).

67. Prunes : LOPS

68. Wrath, in a hymn : IRAE. Dies Irae.

70. Eponymous comet tracker : HALLEY

71. Maximum trio? : EMS

72. Bra spec : D-CUP. And 102. Victoria's Secret purchase : CORSET.

73. Funny Bombeck : ERMA

76. PC port : USB

78. Far from in vogue : PASSE. Splynter linked a similar shoe image a few weeks ago. Lady Gaga is actually a sweet person.

79. Merman of Broadway : ETHEL

80. Squirrel away : AMASS

82. College Football Hall of Fame inductee 29 years after Knute : ARA (Parseghian). Notre Dame.

83. Like epics : LONG

84. Beach bags : TOTES

85. Still-life vessel : EWER

89. Like drinkable milk : GRADE A. Did you ever drink sheep milk?

90. Beckett's homeland : EIRE

91. Mystery writer's forte : INTRIGUE.  Yes, Gary, “What's up, Tianlang?”. Or possibly "What's up, Ah Lang", or "What's up, Lang Zai". Cantonese like to add "Ah" in front or "Zai" after the last character to show familiarity.

93. Frequent child companion? : MADONNA. Oh, Madonna and Child.

94. Earth-friendly prefix : ECO

95. Some disco lighting : STROBES

100. Admire to the max : REVERE

101. Hurler Hershiser : OREL

103. Fight : COMBAT

104. Picayune : PETTY

105. Therapy prefix : AROMA. Aromatherapy.

106. "When pigs fly!" : NO WAY. NO CHANCE yesterday.

107. Ex of Rod Stewart : ALANA

112. "__ a Kick Out of You": Cole Porter : I GET

113. Soon : ANON

114. Like chitchat : IDLE. And 122. Chitchat : GAB. Look forward to Lucina & California Coven's gabbing report! Argyle has been thinking of a similar gathering in NY area. Anyone interested?

116. "Bye" : TA TA

117. Bespectacled Ghostbuster : EGON. Got me last time.

118. Neatnik's bane : MESS

121. Prop- suffix : ANE

C.C.