Friday, May 10, 2013, Gareth Bain

Theme: Run, SPOT, run .

The first letter of each of the four theme answers is removed from an in the language phrase to create a new and whimsical phrase, with the four letters when placed to together creating a new word (SPOT) which runs through the puzzle and is revealed in a Shakespearean quote. I will try and line up the fill to convey a visual. Another Friday field day with our veteran veterinarian visiting. Not as many animal references, and what seemed easier that most of Gareth's Fridays, but only if you saw the gimmick.

17A. One assaulting a sorceress? : (S)WITCH HITTER. (11). Really cute concept, and since GB is from RSA, was he referring to a baseball term for a batter who bats both right and left handed.

25A. Great price for a meadow? :  (P)LEA BARGAIN. (10). Well I guess selling a meadow full of sheep is sort of an animal clue, you have to imagine the sheep.

48A. Start of a cowboy romance? :(O)RANGE CRUSH. (10). Again, is GB familiar with the the brand of soda,

or the Denver Bronco defense
LINK.









56A. Yarn donations? :                 (T)HANKS GIVING. (11). This one messed with my mind, as my visual limitations had me read the clue as YAM DONATIONS. Eventually concluded yarn can be sold in HANKS , and the Thanksgiving had nothing to do with sweet potatoes.

The reveal from Macbeth.

35A. Shakespearean cry that hints at how 17-, 25-, 48- and 56-Across are formed : OUT DAMNED SPOT. (13).

Okay to the answers:

Across:

1. Talmud expert : RABBI. The Talmud is one of a series texts written by Rabbis to preserve the oral law of the Jews. It was first created around the year 200

6. ABBA singer Ulvaeus : BJORN. I was surprised to learn this name had not been used as a stand alone answer in any LAT or NYT puzzle before today. There was that Sunday punday by Dan Naddor back in 2009, but that was another story.

11. Dry, in a way : SEC. A word used to describe dry wine, from the French.

14. Latish curfew : ONE AM. Kids and curfews, awesome.

15. Run down : RECAP.

16. Adherent's suffix : ITE. Like Mennonite, which is not a description of people who use Mennen after shave.

19. Postgrad degrees : M.A.S. Masters of Arts.

20. 2-1 or 3-2, in baseball : COUNT. No Dracula here.

21. Doesn't feel so hot : AILS.

22. Tomato variety : ROMA. These plum tomatoes were created in an agricultural lab in Maryland in the 50's and have nothing to do with Italy.

29. Burgers and More restaurateur : EMERIL.

31. South Pacific region : OCEANIA. More geography, also a steady part of the a GB diet.

32. Barbarian of film : CONAN. played so convincingly by Arnold.

33. H.S. health class : SEX ED. As opposed to SEXED which is what most high schoolers are wanting to be.

40. "___ Gold": 1997 film : ULEE'S. The only readon Peter Fonda is still spoken about.

41. Orange Muppet : ERNIE. I was wondering about the use of Orange in the clue, with the Orange Crush above, especially when it could be Bert's pal.

43. Order including whales : CETACEA. here we get our bit of knowledge from our veterinarian constructor. LINK. Isn't it fun to learn.

47. Maître d's subordinate : WAITER.

51. Sleep ___ (computer setting) : MODE. Pie a la?

52. They can be inflated : EGOS. Cute clue.

53. Come over the top, in poker : RAISE. I like the announcer from World Poker Tour better.

55. Pilot's fig. : ALT.itude.  I was a pilot. No you were a baggage handler. Well, like I said, I would take the baggage and pile it on the plane.

62. Slogan site : TEE. Shirt, though many banks use golf tees with logos as giveaways.

63. April baby, perhaps : ARIES. Mid-March through mid-April. It is the first sign of the Zodiac as they begin with the sun and spring. They also do not get along with Virgos.

64. Hallmark Channel talk show : MARIE. Hosted by Marie Osmond, who is all grown up.

65. Roswell crashers, purportedly : ETS. I loved Max Allen Collins version in MAJIC MAN. Also, 57D. "We ___ not alone" : ARE.

66. Doughnut filler : JELLY.

67. Many a double agent : PLANT. I read Martha Grimes has a new book out next year, with Richard Jury and  Melrose Plant.

Down:

1. Division in the field : ROW. More planting.

2. Wheel spinner's buy : AN I.  Wheel of Fortune.

3. Casino action : BET. Next to the semi-clecho 4D. Casino game : BACCARAT. Reminds me of the first video adaptation of Ian Fleming's Casino Royale.(6:26).

5. Chat room qualifier : IMHO. In My Humble Opinion.

6. What Clementine fell into : BRINE. So many VERSIONS, I never knew.

7. Volkswagon sedan : JETTA.

8. In normal seasons, only month when the NBA, MLB, NHL and NFL all have scheduled games : OCT.

9. Canadian singer Carly ___ Jepsen : RAE.

10. Largely listener-sponsored org. : NPR. National Public Radio.

11. Primate : SIMIAN. From the Latin for Ape.

12. Bibliographer's catchall : ET ALII. Not alia.

13. Textron-owned plane maker : CESSNA. An obscure fact, but easy to suss once the SS appeared.

18. Body in the lake? : HULL. The body of a boat, Tricky.

21. ___ Khan : AGA. You want the HISTORY?

22. DVR button : REC. and the clecho. 24D. DVR button : MENU.

23. Melville opus : OMOO.

26. Forklift load : BOXES.

27. Solved with ease : ACED. No, I did not ace this one.

28. Place with an important part in the Bible? : RED SEA. All perps, too many choices.

30. Bring about : INDUCE.

33. Campaign tactic : SMEAR. Sad but true.

34. Storm hdg. : ENE. Then it will not hit me.

36. Baldwin in Capital One ads : ALEC. So many careers for this STAR. (0:32).

37. Like the forest in Longfellow's "Evangeline" : PRIMEVAL. Basically a very old woodland; as a kid I always thought it was EVIL not EVAL.

38. Aware of : ON TO.

39. Unsettled, in a way : TIED. If a game is tied, the result has not been settled, nice clue.

42. Browning's "before" : ERE.

43. Whip up : CREATE.

44. Aerie nestling : EAGLET. Another animal fact.

45. Govt. securities : T-NOTES. T-BILLS, T-BONDS all have the same number of letters.

46. Legal chiefs: Abbr. : AGS. Attorney Generals. So what will happen to Kate and Castle now? Is there a more self-centered, childish character on television? Nice balance with AGA.

47. Fillmore, for one : WHIG. The party of our 13th President, who is buried in Buffalo, with both of his wives.

49. "Family Matters" nerd : URKEL. Your TREAT? (1:25)

50. Impudent : SASSY.

54. Easy mark : SIMP.

56. Muslim's journey : HAJ. Also, HAJJ.

58. Not a one : NIL. Like the score in many 'football' games.

59. Michael Collins's org. : IRA. Irish Republican Army. This MAN. Downton Abbey anyone?

60. Noted 20th-century diarist : NIN. Anaïs

61. Escape, with "out" : GET.

Which is what I will be doing, as my allotted time is up and before you all use red letters to get me to leave, hope you enjoyed another wonderful effort from Gareth; gird your loins for the themeless.

L out.

Thursday, May 9, 2013 Mark Bickham

Theme: "What did we ever do before GPS?"

16-Across. *Classic paradox : CHICKEN OR THE EGG.

21-Across. *Memorable site of a 1965 Beatles concert : SHEA STADIUM.

36-Across. *Comes up with a solution : FIGURES OUT HOW.

51-Across. *Body shop's reappraisal : NEW ESTIMATE.

This theme has been done before, but Mark adds a grid-spanning unifier that gives it a little twist:

59-Across. Device useful in navigation, or in discovering the hidden theme in the answers to starred clues : DIRECTION FINDER.

Another nice touch was arranging the directions as they appear in order, going clockwise around the compass: North, east, south, west.

Marti here, to help you find your way around this puzzle!

Across:

1. Atkins diet credo : NO CARBS. A mixing bowl full of fruit is OK for lunch.

8. Medicare section : PART B. I haven't gotten there yet.

13. Freight lineup : BOX CARS. Also double sixes on a throw of the dice.

14. Asian electronics giant : TOSHIBA.

18. Fjord relative : RIA.

19. Extended break from svc. : LOA. Leave of Absence.

20. Together, on a score : A DUE. Often seen on scores as the abbrev. "a2" instead of written out.

26. Aetna's bus. : INS.urance.

27. Salmon for bagels : LOX. Not to be confused with "smoked salmon." I'll take it, either way.

28. LBJ's veep : HHH. Hubert Horatio Humphrey, Lyndon Baines Johnson's VEEP.

29. Residents along the Gulf of Bothnia : FINNS. My father was born on the "other side," along the Gulf of Finland.

31. "A nickel ain't worth a dime anymore" speaker : YOGI. Berra, not Bear.

33. Self-effacing : MODEST. Aw, shucks!

41. Horace works : EPODES.

42. Card game for three : SKAT. Learned about this game from "The Tin Drum."

44. Some choristers : ALTOS.

46. Down : EAT. One of my favorite clues for this little word was "Down a submarine."

49. Where agua flows : RIO. I thought of "mar" first, but then realized we were looking for flowing agua. (...although a mar does ebb and flow, no?)

50. Assam export : TEA.

55. Spheres : ORBS.

57. Reid or Robbins : TIM.

58. Deg. for Dilbert creator Scott Adams : MBA. Master of Business Administration.

65. Honeys : DEARIES.

66. Lowly laborer : PEASANT.

67. Party animals? : STAGS. Cute misdirection between ones who attend a party alone vs a horned mammal. Does that make them both horn-y animals?

68. Responds to the MAILER-DAEMON : RESENDS. You know those emails you get saying "Failed delivery?" In classic mythology, "Daemons" are benevolent spirits. Hence the reason for the name -- they are just trying to help you send your message (without saying what an idiot you are for mis-typing the recipient's name...)

Down:

1. "30-Rock" network : NBC.

2. Cry of wonder : OOH.

3. One-fifth of DLV : CXI. I figured out this one without even having to resort to a spreadsheet!!

4. West African capital : ACCRA. Map.

5. Sporty : RAKISH.

6. A little fresh air? : BREATH. "Like a breath of fresh air."

7. Phisher's target: Abbr. : SSN. Social Security Number.

8. French meat-and-veggies dish : POT-AU-FEU. Literally, "pot on the fire." My mother used to make a similar dish which we called "New England boiled dinner." It was corned beef, cabbage, carrots, onions and potatoes.

9. Silvery gray : ASH.

10. South American bird named for a Greek Titan : RHEA. The title of this image was "A rhea gallivanting."

11. Associated : TIED IN.

12. Many air rifles : BB GUNS.

14. Half-human Enterprise counselor : TROI.

15. Gets on : AGES. Becomes:

17. Antediluvian : OLD. Literally, it means "before the flood." So I guess that would be pretty old!

21. Wily : SLY.

22. Place for a shoe : HOOF.

23. Military vet : EX-GI.

24. Name of three Ottoman sultans : AHMED. Ahmeds I, II and III. All ruled in the 1600's.

25. Falls spray : MIST. Has anyone taken a ride on the Maid of the Mist?

30. Ordinal extremes : NTHS.

32. "___ that a lot" : I GET.

34. Verb ending : OSE. Verbose.

35. Antibiotic allotments : DOSES...of 56-Down. Shot contents : SERA.

37. "___ further reflection..." : UPON.

38. Icing buds on fancy cakes : ROSETTES. Here's how to make them. 2:47

39. Vegetable also called lady's-finger : OKRA.

40. Tarry : WAIT.

43. Little piggy : TOE.

44. Mountaintop homes : AERIES.

45. Unwitting test taker : LAB RAT. I dunno, some rats can be pretty witting...

47. Charge to bank non-members, often : ATM FEE.

48. Shinbones : TIBIAS.

50. 1860s presidential in-law : TODD.

52. Some Nintendo consoles : WIIs. Nintendo clearly states that the plural should be referred to as Wii consoles or systems or games, but "Wii" itself is never plurable... (From C.C.: Yeah, D-Otto, now you can find an electronic PAPER TRAIL of "plurable" on our blog!)

53. Angst-filled genre : EMO.

54. Parson's home : MANSE.

60. Slangy smoke : CIG.

61. "This American Life" airer : NPR.

62. Speed-skating gold medalist Jansen : DAN. 1994 Lillehammer.

63. Stop : END. Finito, pull the plug, sew up, call it a day. But there's just one more thing before we go:

64. Blockers for QBs : RTs.  Right Tackle(s).

Now I'm done - see you next week!

Hugs,

Marti

Wednesday, May 8 2013, Marti DuGuay-Carpenter

theme: looks good on paper

17A. *"We've got this one!" : IT'S IN THE (paper) BAG

24A. *Mischievous child : PECK'S BAD (paper) BOY. new to me. film based on a series of books by george wilbur peck.

38A. *YouTube piece : ONLINE VIDEO (paper) CLIP

49A. *India's national animal : BENGAL (paper) TIGER. beautiful.

60A. What auditors look for, and, in a way, what the ends of the answers to starred clues are : PAPER TRAILS

melissa here. another beauty from our resident heartrx/marti. perfect wednesday level difficulty. few unknowns, some fun clues, and a theme that's worth the paper it's written on.

across

1. Fabric named for an Asian capital : DAMASK

7. Letter-shaped lift : T-BAR

11. Suntan lotion letters : SPF

14. Eight-time tennis Grand Slam champion : AGASSI

15. Finish line : WIRE

16. Covert ops gp. : CIA and 2d. 16-Across personnel : AGT'S

19. Snitch : RAT

20. Anglo-French fliers until 2003 : SST'S

21. Cuppa contents : TEA

22. Haggard : GAUNT

27. Fuel holder : GAS TANK

31. Mind : HEED

32. Ferrell's "SNL" partner in "Morning Latte" skits : OTERI

33. i follower : POD

34. Some PCs : IBM'S

42. Opinion sampling : POLL. i first read this as onion sampling.

43. Fun unit? : TON

44. Crete peak: Abbr. : MT. IDA

45. Like some vaccines : ORAL

47. Pirouetting : IN A SPIN. yeah, baby.

53. Collar inserts : STAYS

54. Jack's place : BOX

55. Soho stroller : PRAM

59. Cyclades island : IOS

64. ID material : DNA

65. Pound of poetry : EZRA

66. Render powerless? : UNPLUG. nice.

67. Night sch. class : ESL

68. Gloom partner : DOOM

69. Biblical poetry : PSALMS

down

1. Where roasters may sit : DAIS

3. Spar : MAST

4. Yard sale caveat : AS IS

5. W-4 info: Abbr. : SSN

6. Litter box trainee : KITTEN

7. Fine-tune : TWEAK

8. Seafood restaurant freebie : BIB

9. Parseghian of football : ARA

10. Jamaican genre : REGGAE

11. Deep-clean : SCRUB

12. Scott Joplin's instrument : PIANO

13. Like marbled meat : FATTY

18. "Dang!" : HECK

23. More than fans : ADDICTS

24. "I feel your __" : PAIN

25. Sporting footwear : SHOD

26. "Venerable" monk : BEDE. learning moment for me: venerable bede.

27. Sticky stuff : GOOP

28. Oxygen's 8: Abbr. : AT. NO. atomic number.

29. Hawk : SELL

30. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings," for one : TRILOGY

33. ATM access : PIN

35. Sub on a screen : BLIP. radar.

36. Modest skirt length : MIDI. between mini and maxi.

37. Stretch across : SPAN

39. List shortener, for short : ET. AL.

40. Electrical unit : VOLT

41. "A Jug of Wine ..." poet : OMAR khayyam.

46. Spoke like Vito Corleone : RASPED

47. Composer Stravinsky : IGOR

48. On deck : NEXT UP

49. Unlikely hit on a 45 : B SIDE. this is one:

50. Preppy collars : ETONS

51. Like some cavities : NASAL

52. Letter-shaped girder : I-BEAM

55. Smurf with a beard : PAPA

56. Little brook : RILL

57. Grad : ALUM

58. Voice mails: Abbr. : MSG'S

61. Dye that comes from the French word for nitrogen : AZO

62. Tour golfer, e.g. : PRO

63. OR or ER workers : RN'S

melissa

Tuesday, May 7, 2013 Jack McInturff

Theme: Live Wire? - Three endings with a loose electrical connection.

20A. Defend a position : STAND ONE'S GROUND

33A. Walk-off home run, often : TIE BREAKER. It has to be in the bottom of the last inning.

40A. Explodes with rage : BLOWS A FUSE

47A. With "The," PBS show for kids, and a hint to the ends of 20-, 33- and 40-Across : ELECTRIC COMPANY

Argyle here. Although the theme is current, much of the fill is dated.

Across:

1. Help for the poor : ALMS

5. Buffalo bunches : HERDS. Strange visual.

10. Florida resort, familiarly : BOCA. (Boca Raton)

14. Quick look : PEEP

15. German sub : U-BOAT. The E-boat was a torpedo boat on top of the water.

16. Cowardly Lion actor : LAHR

17. Old Sinclair Oil rival : ESSO

18. "Throw __ From the Train" : MOMMA. 1987, with Danny DeVito and Billy Crystal.

19. Soap Box Derby state : OHIO. Where in Ohio, you ask. 28D. Soap Box Derby city : AKRON

23. Bind with a band : GIRD. They used to GIRD their loins a lot in days of old.

24. Pinup's leg : GAM

25. Water under the bridge : STREAM

28. One in a church chorus? : AMEN

30. Brit. fliers : RAF. (Royal Air Force)

35. Horne of jazz : LENA. The Lady Is A Tramp - Words and Music, 1948

36. Metallic mixture : ALLOY

37. Homie : BRO. Homie is a shortened version of homeboy, homeboy being your close friend. Bro is someone like a brother to you, relatively speaking.

38. Honda compact : CIVIC

39. Fast-talking : GLIB

42. PC panic button : ESC. Oh?

43. Rounded hammer end : PEEN

44. Filled flapjack-like food : CRÊPES

45. Assist : AID

46. Bow-toting deity : EROS

55. Put in cargo : LADE

56. Swashbuckler Flynn : ERROL

57. Space : AREA

58. Prepare, as rice : BOIL (From C.C. to Jayce: What are your favorite congee ingredients and toppings? I wonder slow cooker will be more effective rather than boiling them forever.)

59. Petty : SMALL

60. Swed. neighbor : NORW. Sweden/Norway

61. "The Thin Man" terrier : ASTA

62. Tones down : TAMES

63. Before long : SOON. The end.

Down:

1. "Tarzan" characters : APES

2. "__ we forget" : LEST

3. Colorado's __ Verde National Park : MESA

4. Toon fry cook in The Krusty Krab restaurant : SPONGEBOB. Full name, SpongeBob SquarePants.

5. "Just go along with what I said" : "HUMOR ME"

6. WWII investment : E BOND

7. "When in __ ..." : ROME. "... do as the Romans do" - Saint Ambrose

8. River projects : DAMS

9. Walk drunkenly : STAGGER

10. Come into one's own : BLOOM

11. Hawaii's most populous island : OAHU

12. Stubble spot : CHIN

13. Yankee slugger, familiarly : A-ROD

21. Bridget Jones's book : DIARY. 2001 British romantic comedy film.

22. Was on the ballot : RAN

25. __ fright : STAGE

26. Cultivates : TILLS

27. Thing of the past : RELIC

29. Ask for Friskies, maybe : [MEOW!]

30. Accelerate, as an engine : REV UP

31. Licorice-flavored seed : ANISE

32. Stands up to : FACES

34. Competent : ABLE

35. Cradle-to-grave stretches : LIFE SPANS

38. Billiards bounce : CAROM

40. Doctor's advice : BED REST

41. Uses a mouse wheel : SCROLLS

43. Poe's "The __ and the Pendulum" : PIT

45. Amtrak speedster : ACELA. A made-up word.

46. Pierre's school : ÉCOLE

47. Isle off Tuscany : ELBA

48. Cambodia neighbor : LAOS

49. Revise copy : EDIT

50. "Joy of Cooking" writer Rombauer : IRMA

51. Study all night : CRAM

52. Suffix with buck : AROO

53. Emperor after Claudius I : NERO

54. Show fatigue : YAWN. Sums it up well.

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Here are four pictures of Kazie's pretty granddaughter Lea, who will be visiting Kazie in June. Lea's favorite thing to do now is roll over.

Monday, May 6, 2013 Jeff Chen

Theme: Dress Right - The unifier emphatically explains that when preceding the end of the theme entries, why you'll be asked to leave a business.

20A. Blew a fortune : LOST ONE'S SHIRT

35A. Prim and proper sort : GOODY TWO-SHOES. Link to the origin of the expression.

52A. Protector of the president : SECRET SERVICE

65A. Emphatic refusal, and words that precede the ends of 20-, 35- and 52-Across in a restaurant warning : "NO! NO! NO!"

Argyle here. "No shirt, no shoes, no service" doesn't apply if you are doing the puzzle at home, so relax. A similar theme as Ice, Ice but the unifier is just one entry. It is part of the stacks of six-letter words in the corners. I wonder who is responsible for all the clechos. A nit-free Monday, I say. I hope you all had a safe Cinco de Mayo.

A note to all you bridge players at the bottom.

Across:

1. Soak up like a sponge : ABSORB

7. Iranian leader toppled in 1979 : SHAH

11. Chicago transit trains : ELs

14. "Hear hear!" : "SO TRUE!"

15. Roll down the runway : TAXI

16. Accessory with a muumuu : LEI

17. Kind of deli roll : KAISER. Kind of clecho. Thought to have been named to honor Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria.

18. Squadron, e.g. : UNIT

19. Bedevil : VEX

23. Twittering bird : WREN

25. Affectionate squeezes : HUGS

26. Bat mitzvah scroll : TORAH

27. Comedian's asset : WIT

28. Comedian's bit : GAG

29. "Consarn it!" : "OH, RATS!"

30. Emcee's opening : INTRO

32. User trying to get through a firewall : HACKER. Yesterday's theme.

39. Stretch (out), like a dog in the heat : SPRAWL. (glad that 'the' was there)

40. Burning crime : ARSON

42. Major blood lines : AORTAs

45. Letters on a tinkerer's kit : DIY. Do It Yourself.

47. Email attachment format : PDF. (Portable Document Format)

48. See-through : SHEER

49. Utopia : EDEN

51. Face-to-face exam : ORAL

55. Bi- minus one : UNI. (prefix)

56. Close margin at the track : NOSE

57. "__ Fideles": carol : ADESTE

60. Mohawk-sporting muscleman : MR. T

61. "The Wind in the Willows" hero : TOAD

62. "Hold your horses, will ya?" : "IN A SEC!"

63. Watch closely : EYE

64. "The __ the limit!" : SKY'S

Down:

1. Pose, as a question : ASK

2. Poser's neckwear : BOA

3. Heel type named for a dagger : STILETTO

4. Welles of "Citizen Kane" : ORSON

5. Is sorry about : RUES

6. "Big" 23-Down cannon : BERTHA. Now it's merely a golf club. 23D. Conflict that ended Nov. 11, 1918 : WW I

 

 

7. Hurt, like a barb : STUNG

8. Underwear brand : HANES

9. Revolving point : AXIS

10. Calls it a night : HITS THE HAY. If you're going to sleep in the hay, try to find some that has been put up loose. Much better than the baled stuff.

11. "Mistress of the Dark" film hostess : ELVIRA

12. Ogle : LEER AT. Great pairing.

13. Trivial Pursuit wedges, vis-à-vis the whole pie : SIXTHS. Game trivia.

21. Should, informally : OUGHTA

22. Lugosi's genre : HORROR. (Bela Lugosi)

24. Phone sound : RING

28. Christening VIPs : GODPARENTS

29. Gives a thumbs-up : OKS

31. Roll call listing : ROSTER

33. "How adorable!" : "AWW!"

34. More chilly : COLDER

36. Age abbr. : YR's

37. Barista's concoction : ESPRESSO

38. Jerk's concoction : SODA. I've heard the soda fountain is making a comeback.

41. Niners' org. : NFL

42. Presuppose : ASSUME

43. Storywriter known for irony : O'HENRY

44. Quote by rote : RECITE

46. To no avail : IN VAIN

49. Test answer in a blue book : ESSAY

50. Scouts do good ones : DEEDS

51. Watery expanse : OCEAN

53. Stole : TOOK

54. SSN, for example : ID NO. (identification number)

58. X on a sundial : TEN

59. "The Name of the Rose" author Umberto : ECO. Give me his last name and I can remember the first.

Argyle

Note from Jeff:

CROSSWORDS WITH A BRIDGE FLAVOR

Now bridge players who enjoy crosswords can combine their favorite pastimes! For this book, New York Times and Los Angeles Times crossword constructor Jeff Chen has designed 52 brand-new crosswords with bridge-themed clues and solutions, providing hours of challenge and fun. The puzzles in this book range from Easy (N.Y. Times Monday level) to Challenging (N.Y. Times Thursday level).

Amazon link

Sunday May 5, 2013 Jean O'Conor

Theme: "Hack-er" - ER is hacked from the end of each theme entry.

23A. Oatmeal? : MORNING PAP. Morning paper. Poor Spitzboov! He's having pap every morning.

25A. Smooth con man's tool? : NATURAL FIB. Natural fiber.

34A. Victoria's Secret ad? : UNDERWEAR DRAW. Underwear drawer. Mine are like this. I don't fold them.

47A. New member of the faith shaking things up? : CATALYTIC CONVERT. Catalytic converter. 

61A. Soup kitchen scene? : EVERYONE AND HIS BROTH. Everyone and his brother.

81A. Skewed priority? : DISLOCATED SHOULD. SHOULD is a noun here? Dislocated shoulder.

90A. Foot pain location? : AROUND THE CORN. Around the corner. So, as someone mentioned last Sunday, we have yellow corn, red corn, white corn, CORN is still not plurable?

107A. Edam? : CHEESE BURG. Or STAD. Cheese burger.

109A. Tired of watching "Downton Abbey"? : SERIAL NUMB. Serial number.

Nice title. I think this is Jean O'Conor's first Sunday puzzle. Congratulations! 

Two of the Across entries OPERA HOUSE (20A. Venice's La Fenice, for one) and HORSE SENSE (111A. Good thinking) have the same letter count as two of the theme entries. Since neither has ? mark in their clues, so solvers should not mistaken them for theme entries.

When theme entries are all placed in Across, constructors tend to have long Down entries and cap the maximum letter count of their Across non-theme entries to avoid any confusion. Normally they're shorter than the shortest theme entry.

 

Across:

1. Roasting aid : BASTER

7. Monopoly token introduced in 2013 : CAT. Did you nail it, Dave? 70A. Token replaced by 7-Across : IRON

10. Preserve, in a way : SALT

14. Hardly eye-catching : DRAB

18. Fifth-century plunderer : ATTILA. The Hun.

19. Woodcutter Baba : ALI

26. Bridge : SPAN

27. Building sites : LOTS

28. Roman statesman : CATO. "The Censor".

29. Refer (to) : ALLUDE

30. Bit of climbing gear : PIT-ON

32. Words before DVD : OUT ON

33. Celebrity entourages : POSSES

38. People at the supermarket counter? : MAG. People magazine.

39. Fifth of a century : SCORE

40. Fictional barber Sweeney : TODD

41. Leeds leave-taking : CHEERIO

46. "Don't reckon so" : NAW

52. Pisa's river : ARNO

54. Exhilarating : HEADY

55. Makes better : HEALS

56. "You're looking at her" : I'M IT

57. Queen dowager of Jordan : NOOR. What if she remarries?

59. Unstable particle : MUON. PION, KAON, no difference to me.

60. Felicity : BLISS. Oh, I loved Felicity.

68. Jordan's only port : AQABA. Another U-less Q.

69. Award-winning 2012 film thriller : ARGO

71. Hill of "Psych" : DULE. His face looks familiar.

 

72. Tickle : AMUSE

74. One to ten, say : SCALE

77. German one : EINS

84. Soft slip-on : MOC

85. Bee student : SPELLER

86. Wave to from the curb, maybe : HAIL

87. Courtmate of Elena and Ruth : SONIA (Sotomayor). This love letter Ruth Bader Ginsburg's husband Marty wrote to him shortly before he died is so moving.

89. Drying-out problem : DTS

94. Café : BISTRO

98. Orly arrival : AVION

99. Subject of the 2008 biography "The Man Who Made Lists" : ROGET

100. Kutcher of "No Strings Attached" : ASHTON

101. Marathon prep run : TEN K

102. "Wuthering Heights" setting : MOOR

104. Befuddled : ASEA

112. Diplomatic VIP : AMB (Ambassador)

113. "Katie" host : COURIC

114. Diamond datum : STAT

115. Stag, e.g. : DEER

116. Spot markers? : X'ES

117. Collectible Fords : EDSELS

Down:

1. Cries from Emeril : BAMS

2. On : ATOP

3. Attach to the luggage rack, say : STRAP DOWN

4. Less resonant : TINNIER

5. Hillary Clinton, e.g. : ELI

6. Dwindled alarmingly : RAN LOW

7. Cook, for one: Abbr. : CAPT. Captain Cook.

8. "Ah, me!" : ALAS

9. Handicapper's help : TIP

10. Beethoven's "Pathétique," e.g. : SONATA

11. "Bridesmaids" co-producer Judd : APATOW. Look at his beautiful family. They're all in "This is 40".

12. Show you know : LET ON

13. 1989-'90 Broadway one-man show : TRU

14. American Girl collection : DOLLS

15. Chaka Khan's original band : RUFUS. Learning moment for me.

16. Remark to the audience : ASIDE

17. Nice infants : BEBEs

21. Wyoming natives : ARAPAHOS

22. Chlorine or fluorine : HALOGEN

24. Used up : GONE

28. Like cottage cheese : CURDY. Never used this word before.

31. III, in modern Rome : TRE

32. "You'd never guess, but ..." : ODDLY

34. Pres. Carter's alma mater : USNA

35. Cape Fear's st. : N. CAR

36. Congratulatory contraction : ATTA (boy/girl)

37. Place for a hog? : ROAD. Oh, road hog.

38. Mid-century year : MCCL. 1250. Non-clue clue to me.
 

42. Archfiend : EVIL ONE

43. Send in : REMIT

44. Gaeilge, to its speakers : IRISH. I only know Gaelic.

45. Baseball's Mel and Ed : OTTS

47. Bok __ : CHOY. The secret to delicious bok choy is the soy sauce, right, Jayce? Has to be the sweet kind.

48. Flying prefix : AERO. 63. Suffix with 48-Down : NAUT

49. Clunk cousin : THUD

50. The "I" in I.M. Pei : IEOH. Totally irrational Cantonese spelling. In Mandarin, Ieoh is spelled as Yu. Pei was born in Guangzhou, where Cantonese is spoken.

51. "Pleeease?" : CAN I

53. Seaman's 12:30 : ONE BELL. For Spitzboov/D-Otto (Shocked at your Chronicle picture. But, what can you do?)

58. "Chopsticks __ fork?" : OR A

59. Phone button letters : MNO. 6.

60. Fella : BRO

61. Provide with gear : EQUIP

62. Triple-meter dance, in Dijon : VALSE. I forgot. We had this before.

64. Language that gave us "clan" : ERSE

65. Like much wine and cheese : AGED

66. Houseplant spot : SILL

67. Raised on a farm : BRED. Hello, PK!

68. Totals : ADDS

72. Flammable solvents : ACETONEs

73. Bar in a brown wrapper : MARS. Dark brown.

74. Snowboarding gold-medalist White : SHAUN
 

75. Bit of change : COIN
 

76. Word sung after midnight : AULD. Was not thinking of New Year's Eve.

78. "Can't really say" : I'M NOT SURE.

79. "The Third Man" genre : NOIR

80. Digitize, in a way : SCAN

82. Antique grayish-pink shade : OLD ROSE. Like the color of these beads.

83. Trembled : SHOOK

87. Part of a line: Abbr. : SEG

88. Father of the river gods : OCEANUS. You'd think it's Poseidon.

90. Reluctant : AVERSE

91. Lookalike : RINGER

92. Enterprise counselor : TROI.  "Star Trek".

93. Ancient odist : HORACE. Roman lyric poet.

94. Baroque musical dynasty : BACHS

95. Has sex appeal : IS HOT. For Splynter.
 

96. He-Man's twin sister : SHE-RA

97. Statistical tool first used to monitor the quality of stout : T-TEST. Well, Lemonade & Abejo & Windhover might know this. I have no idea.

98. Hum __ : A TUNE

102. Cultural idea that may go viral : MEME. DFN (Did Not Finish) is a meme on our blog. Everyone just adopted it in quick fashion.

103. Round bodies : ORBS. Hello, "Round body"!

105. First Best Actor Oscar winner Jannings : EMIL

106. Basics : ABCs

108. Soil holder : BED. Flower bed.

109. Adderley's instrument : SAX

110. City close to Ben-Gurion Airport : LOD

C.C.