Thursday, June 20, 2013 Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: "Candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker." Ogden Nash

18A. Meeting of a select few : CLOSED FORUM.

24A. Crier's cry : HEAR YE HEAR YE.

39A. Estuary : TIDAL RIVER MOUTH.

51A. Shipping datum : PORT OF ORIGIN.

And the unifier:

60A. Bit of one-upmanship...and what can be found at the end of 18-, 24-, 39- and 51-Across? : PARTING SHOT. Each of the theme entries contains a hidden shot of booze at the end. How cool is that? This puzzle reminded me of Don G.'s martini mix from a couple years ago. Funny how some puzzles just stay in your memory long after the solve is finished.

Jeff saw me off on my trip to Europe, and now he welcomes me back to the corner with another great Thursday puzzle. I have come to love his stacked long non-theme entries like TO THE POINT, FREE ALL DAY, YOU'VE GOT ME and his word-of-the-day AUTODIDACT.

This will be brief, because it is late and I flew for 14 hours to get back home. But let's see what else Jeffrey has for us.

Across:

1. Org. with bomb-sniffing dogs : ATF. Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. The complete name is "Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives." The beagles at Logan airport are so cute, but you mustn't pet them!  (I found this out first-hand.)

4. Actor in many Tim Burton films : DEPP. "Edward Scissorhands" is still one of my favorite Depp/Burton films. 2:05

8. Chewed the fat : GABBED.

14. ___ favor : POR. Tough to see the Spanish without an upside down question mark or other accent.

15. Dunn's "___ Minnow Pea: A Novel in Letters" : ELLA. The full title of the hardcover version is Ella Minnow Pea: a progressively lipogrammatic epistolary fable, while the paperback version is titled Ella Minnow Pea: A Novel without Letters.

16. Bird in a dugout : ORIOLE. Baseball! (And I actually got it!)

17. Suburban suffix : ITE.

20. Old queen's land : SHEBA.

22. Spot for a mineral scrub : SPA.

23. "Xanadu" band, briefly : ELO. Electric Light Orchestra. Do I dare to link it?

29. TV type : PLASMA.

30. British East Africa, now : KENYA. Geography lesson.

33. It rises in el este : SOL. The "sun" in Spanish, rises in "the east."

34. Nile wader : IBIS.

37. Dark suds : STOUT.

43. Like a maternal grandmother : ENATE.

44. Spare in a boot : TYRE. Brit spelling, Brit "boot" instead of "trunk."

45. ___ populi : VOX. Latin for "voice of the people." Like Jay Leno's "Jaywalking" interviews.

46. Bringing together : TYING.

48. Progressed slowly : INCHED.

55. Kimono accessory : OBI.

58. Collector's item? : IOU. Fun clue!

59. Lyric poem : EPODE.

65. Roofing goo : TAR.

66. Marzipan base : ALMOND. "Mozart" chocolates are ubiquitous in Vienna, and have a marzipan filling. I don't really like them - too sweet!

67. Casserole fish : TUNA.

68. Early 12th century year : MCV. 1105, to us Americans.  I saw lots of Roman numerals in Italy!

69. With 40-Down, follows restaurant protocol : LEAVES. and 40-Down. See 69-Across : A TIP.

70. Spotted : SEEN.

71. Cézanne's warm season : ETE. French for "summer." Cezanne had a fascination with skulls.

Down:

1. Inane : APISH.

2. Terse : TO THE POINT.

3. Without a single appointment : FREE ALL DAY.

4. Breaks down : DECAYS.

5. Tetris piece : ELL. These are all the pieces:

6. Ramallah-based gp. : PLO. Palestine Liberation Organization.

7. Out of favor : PASSE.

8. Stop transmitting, as a radio station : GO DARK. How can a radio "go dark?" Do the dials not glow any more?

9. Lab report? : ARF. Funny.  Labrador retriever's bark.

10. A&E offering : BIO.graphy.

11. Party pooper : BORE.

12. Jewish month after Av : ELUL. Have you memorized your Jewish months yet?

13. Sales rep's tool : DEMO.

19. Emissions watchdog gp. : EPA. Environmental Protection Agency.

21. Spandex garment : BRA. I like spandex shorts, myself!

25. Mideast VIP : EMIR.

26. Target of a New Year's resolution : HABIT.

27. Quaint agreement : YES'M. DH always says "Yes, Ma'am"....even to me!

28. Within: Pref. : ENTO. I wanted "endo."

31. "I'm stumped!" : YOU'VE GOT ME.

32. Self-taught individual : AUTODIDACT. Word of the day!

33. Fr. holy woman : STE. "Sainte."

35. Trellis adornment : IVY.

36. Stroke lacking in many modern fonts : SERIF. Like this.

38. Texter's gratitude : THX. Modern clue for abbreviation = "Text."

41. Car-collecting TV host : LENO. Why isn't his name pronounced LEE-noh?

42. '90s attorney general : RENO. Why isn't her name pronounced REHN-oh?

47. Runs through the mill : GRINDS.

49. Like El Greco and the Minotaur : CRETAN. From the isle of Crete.

50. With it : HIP.

52. Dress (up) : TOG. We have had this discussion before...

53. Gives the boot : OUSTS.

54. "The ___!" : NERVE.

55. Down Under gem : OPAL. Pretty!

56. Agricultural unit : BALE. Not "acre."

57. "Garfield" waitress : IRMA. Not pretty!

61. Good, in Hebrew : TOV. WAG - I thought of the salutation "Mazel tov."

62. Like Mendelssohn's Piano Sonata No. 1 : IN E. Finally!!  A musical interlude.

63. Color quality : HUE.

64. Unique : ONE. And on this ONE, I am done!!

Hugs from a jet-lagged and party-pooped Marti.

Wenesday, June 19, 2013 Gareth Bain

Theme: WEIRD TALES - The first word of each two-word theme answer is an anagram of TALES.  Weird is used to indicate that the letters of TALES have been morphed into some strange new form - a typical trick often used in crossword clues where a verb is used to indicate that the letters have been mixed, altered, or otherwise tampered with.

17A. Get closer to home? : STEAL THIRD.  Our first WEIRD TALE, and a bit of baseball, too.

25A. Electrical device named for its inventor : TESLA COIL.  This plaything, invented by Nikola TESLA looks like it belongs on The Forbidden Planet.  Tesla was a brilliant engineer and inventor, and might have been a bit Weird, even without the COIL.

36A. Chestnut : STALE JOKE.  I googled "world's oldest joke" and actually came up with it. 

51A. Dress pants shade : SLATE GRAY.  Perfect with a classic navy blue blazer

And the unifier, 62 A. Classic horror magazine, and a literal hint to the beginning of 17-, 25-, 36-, and 51-Across : WEIRD TALES.

 All COIL, no TESLA

Hi gang, JzB here.  Just home from rehearsal and ready to see what sort of adventure Gareth will lead us on today.

Across:

1. Fictional circumnavigator Phileas : FOGG.  "Around the World in 80 Days."

5. Like weather that makes hair frizz : MUGGY.  Hot and damp.

10. European auto : SAAB.  AUDI and MERC fit.

14. Beach bird : GULL.  Here in the Great Lakes region, we see them in grocery store parking lots.

15. Cool place to live? : IGLOO.  An ice house

16. Et __ : ALIA.  And others, in Latin.  But Kazie et alia knew that.

19. Kitten's plaything : YARN.  I'm not a cat lover, but I've heard such TALES.

20. Fortuneteller's card : TAROT.  Perhaps a tool for divination, or to focus your psychic energies.

21. Near-failing grades : DEES. 

23. Lo mein additive : MSG.  MonoSodium Glutamate, used a flavor enhancer, and abundant in Chinese cooking - at least in North America. Back in China, probaly not.  C.C. ? (From C.C.: Widely used in China too. Never gave me headache.)

24. Less valid, excusewise : LAMER.  Less LAME.  Awkward looking and sounding word. 

27. "South Park" baby brother : IKE.  Never watched it, but I still know that Kenny dies.

28. __-wop : DOO.   Easier to show than tell.

30. With 38-Down, "People's Court" rival : JUDGE. And  38 D. See 30-Across : JUDY.  Never watched either of them. 

31. Sacred Hindu work : VEDA.  These revealed texts are the oldest Hindu scriptures and the oldest known Sanskrit literature.

33. Space station for about 15 years : MIR.  Soviet and later Russian long term research station.

35. Approaches evening : LATENS.  Perfectly valid but WEIRD looking word.

39. Spreading Indian tree : BANYAN. 

I wouldn't get in its way

42. Puddle gunk : MUD

43. Teen safety org. : SADD.  Students Against Destructive Decisions.

47. Great Lakes natives : ERIES.  Native Americans and eponyms for a Great Lake.

48. Brief swim : DIP

50. Scand. land : NOR.  Time for a rhyme.  Neither SWE NOR FIN worked.  Note Abr. in Cl & Ans.

55. Like Oreos dropped in milk : SOGGY.

57. Eldest March sister, in a 19th-century novel : MEG.  "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott

58. Wonka's creator : DAHL. Roald. This British writer and fighter pilot was born in Wales to parents from NOR.

59. Big cheese : NABOB.  Originally a provincial governor of the Mogul empire in India.  Later a person of wealth or prominence.  Later still, members of the press corps out of favor with Spiro T Agnew, erstwhile V.P. and convicted criminal.  The phrase was used by Agnew but coined by William Safire. 

60. Big cheese in Holland : EDAM.  Why do we never get Stilton NOR Limburger?  At least we got a clecho!

65. Taj Mahal city : AGRA. Why do we never get Hyderabad NOR Bangalore?

66. Cousin of "ish" : KINDA. Sorta, more or less.

67. Artist Chagall : MARC.

My Word!

68. Use a sickle : REAP. 

69. One going behind your back : SNEAK.  A bold or careless SNEAK might go in front of your back.

70. Naysayer : ANTI.  AKA: Nattering nabob of negativism.

Down:

 1. NFL three-pointers : FGS.  National (American) Football League, and Field Goals.  Points earned by kicking the ball through the uprights.

2. DVD extra : OUT TAKE.  Scenes cut from the movie. 

3. Shone brightly : GLEAMED.  Like this.

4. Blinding light : GLARE.  Like this.

5. Item in a dugout : MITT.  Fielder's glove - more baseball!

6. "Disgusting!" : UGH.  Tigers lost tonight.  Down three in the ninth inning, one out, two on, Miggy hit into a double play.

7. Soar effortlessly : GLIDE.  Like a goose on the wing.

8. Gets with a tusk : GORES.  Pierces or stabs with a horn or tusk.  Not something we need to see. 

9. High-range song, in more ways than one : YODEL.  High register notes from the Swiss Alps.

10. "Incidentally ..." : SAY.  Oh, BTW  .  .  .

11. Pie order : A LA MODE.  Served with a scoop of ice cream.

12. Libra, for one : AIR SIGN. From the Zodiac.  There are three each of air, earth, fire and water signs.

13. "Manic Monday" band : BANGLES.  Very 80's.

18. Fauntleroy's title : LORD.  From the children's novel by English  author Frances Hodgson Burnett. It was originally published as a serial in the St. Nicholas Magazine between November 1885 and October 1886.

22. White co-worker : SAJAK.  Vanna and Pat

24. Actress Tyler : LIV.  Arwen.

Spittin' image of Luthien Tinuviel

25. Work up a sweat : TOIL.  Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and caldron bubble.

26. Affected preciousness, with "the" : CUTES.  I can see this, but I've never heard it.

29. Muscat's sultanate : OMAN.  Neighbor of Yemen and Saudi Arabia.

32. Hitherto : AS YET.  Up to now.

34. Sleep stage letters : REM.  Rapid Eye Movement, the dreaming stage.

35. Wine city near Sacramento : LODI.  Can anyone in the coven give us the LODI lowdown?

37. Used a stun gun on : TASED.  But, really, bro - don't.

39. Sully : BESMEAR.  As one's reputation.

40. TV news exec Roone : ARLEDGE.  For good or for ill, he gave us Monday Night Football.

41. Horseshoe Falls river : NIAGARA.  On the Canadian side.

44. Luanda native : ANGOLAN.  Luanda is Angola's chief seaport and administrative center.

45. Bespectacled cartoon canine who was once a CEO : DOGBERT. From Dilbert.

46. Oenophile's "sec" : DRY.  Related to the Latin, Spanish an Portuguese words for DRY.

49. Test for jrs. : PSAT.  Pre-SAT.  College admission exam with close to zero correlation with success. Scam? You decide.  Originally it meant "Scholastic Aptitude Test, " later, "Scholastic Assessment Test."  Later still it was announced, quite appropriately, that it stands for nothing.

52. Rubbernecks : GAWKS.  Here, it is a verb, not a plural noun.

53. Deutschland river : RHEIN.

54. Flared dress : A-LINE.

Looks good to me

56. "The Audacity of Hope" author : OBAMA.  He went on to a more frustrating career.

59. Third-least populous U.S. state : N. DAK.  Neighbor of Saskatchewan and Alberta.

61. "Do I have to draw you a __?" : MAP.  Really, they're side by side, just to the north.

63. Old vitamin bottle no. : RDA.  Recommended Daily Allowance.

64. Poli __ : SCI.   Political Science.

Quite a journey.  We circumnavigated the globe, had some sports, saw some sights and visited some exotic places.  Hope you enjoyed the journey.

Cool regards!

JzB

Notes from C.C.:

Jazzbumpa (Ron) and his wife Gloria drove down to Florida and visited his stepson Tom and family last month. Below are some pictures. Tom is with the Air Force. Longtime regulars probably remember the tough time for Ron's family when Tom was deployed in Afghanistan.

  

 Lauren -  Here we are with her in costume before her dance recital.

Lauren Dancing - This is her lyrical dance.

Officer Josh -  Gloria's dad was a policeman. We took his hat to Josh, who was quite delighted to have it.

Please click here for more pictures.

Tuesday, June 18, 2013 Jeff Chen

Theme: A Tribute Puzzle - A puzzle dedicated to Roger Ebert on his birthday.

17A. Longtime employer of 44-/49-Down : CHICAGO SUN-TIMES

29A. Award won by 44-/49-Down : PULITZER PRIZE

41A. Signature 44-/49-Down gesture represented by the clusters of black squares bordering this answer : TWO THUMBS UP

44-/49-Down. Late film critic born 6/18/42 : ROGER : EBERT

Argyle here. I missed the portrait until I started my write-up. Then it dawned on me; all those black squares, the unusual left-right mirror image. I didn't include 41-/45-Down as part of the theme, in part, because they didn't conform to normal crossword symmetry. I hope Jeff stops by with some insight into the construction of today's puzzle.

Across:

1. First network to show "The Wizard of Oz" : CBS-TV. (November 3, 1956)

6. Wee, like Abner : LI'L

9. Jeweler's fitting tool : SIZER. A fitting name.

14. "Easy __!": "Piece of cake!" : AS PIE. That's it! Pie with my coffee this morning.

15. Altar consent : "I DO"

16. Ridiculous : INANE

20. Sci-fi pilot Solo : HAN. (Star Wars)

21. Novelist Deighton : LEN. (crossword staple)

22. Geese formation : VEE

23. ASCAP rival : BMI. American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers and Broadcast Music, Inc., if your interested.

24. Ending for smack : EROO

26. Big name in skin care : NIVEA

28. Chow __: noodle dish : MEIN. Mmm, more food.

32. MPAA criteria, e.g. : STDs. Standards used by Motion Picture Association of America.

33. George Strait's "All My __ Live in Texas" : EX'S

34. Both Bushes, college-wise : ELIs. (Yale)

35. Sound of lament : [SOB]

37. __ alai : JAI

38. Like perennial rivals, constantly : AT IT

40. Hypotenuse, e.g. : SIDE. The square of the hypotenuse equals the sum of the squares of the other two sides - Pythagoras' theorem.

44. Cox's command : ROW. Short for coxswain, and, according to this LINK, they don't yell "Stroke" all the time.

46. Continue despite adversity : PERSIST

47. Lament : RUE

50. More than portly : OBESE

52. Hoosier St. : IND. (Indiana). Perhaps Gary can elaborate on why it's called the Hoosier state.

53. Dental care brand : ORAL B

55. Mother of the Titans : GAEA. Whoa, that's quite the story about her.

56. Half-mast fliers, at times : FLAGs. At sad times, in remembrance.

58. Berlin article : EINE

59. Ambulance team, briefly : EMTs. (Emergency Medical Technician)

60. Santa's helpers : ELVES

61. Ivan the Terrible, e.g. : TSAR

62. Hasty : RASH

63. Bruce better known as Batman : WAYNE. Shh! That's secret.

64. Bug-bugging compound : DEET

Down:

1. Treasure trove : CACHE

2. Equivalents of C's : B SHARPs

3. Daytona 500 mishap : SPINOUT

4. Muscle spasm : TIC

5. Wiener schnitzel meat : VEAL. Enough with the food.

6. Treat like a king : LIONIZE

7. They may be checked for R-rated movies : IDs

8. Blinds with angled slats : LOUVERS

9. imdb.com, e.g. : SITE. Places to be linked.

10. Pasta suffix : INI. (linguini, i.e.)

11. River along the Zambia-Zimbabwe border : ZAMBEZI. Victoria Falls.

12. Foes : ENEMIES

13. Piny ooze : RESIN

18. Mannerly fellow : GENT

19. Tide type : NEAP. Yeah, not the soap.

25. "A picture is worth ...," e.g. : OLD SAW. Origin: before 950(really old); Middle English; Old English sagu; cognate with German Sage, Old Norse saga saga; akin to say. So just an old saying, I guess.

27. Really irritate : VEX

28. Social sphere : MILIEU

30. Elemental variant : ISOTOPE

31. Entertains, as a tot at bedtime : READS TO

36. Mark from Dracula : BITE

37. Triangular sails : JIBS

39. Manila fight nickname : THRILLA. The Thrilla in Manila was the third and final boxing match between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier.

40. Tiny bit : SMIDGEN

41. "The movies won't be the same without 44-Down" and others : TWEETS and 45D. President who wrote the 41-Down quote : OBAMA

42. SEALs' gp. : U.S. NAVY

43. Eulogize : PRAISE

48. Radii-paralleling bones : ULNAE. Oh, didn't I mention yesterday there would be a quiz.

51. Beauty contest accessory : SASH

54. Collecting a pension: Abbr. : RET'D.

56. Handful : FEW

57. Opposite of NNW : SSE

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Here are a few more pictures from JD's trip. She also told me "I did learn that only the Highlanders wore kilts, like our tour guide - who was both Irish and Scottish- and the Lowlanders wear tartans, just the slacks made up of their family's plaid."

Those yellow fields are growing rapeseed which makes canola oil.

We took a ride in a jaunting car through a beautiful park after a boat ride in one of
the 3 lakes in Killarney.

View from the Edinburgh Castle.

One more picture of the handsome Truman who sometimes plays Scrabble on grandma's iPad. Click here, you'll see all how much Truman has grown.

Monday, June 17, 2013 Patti Varol

Theme: Pail Face - The last word of the theme entries can precede the unifier.

18A. Longtime UCLA coach known as the "Wizard of Westwood" : JOHN WOODEN. Wooden bucket.

23A. Cracks a little joke to ease tension, say : BREAKS THE ICE. Ice bucket.

38A. One no longer in his comfort zone : A FISH OUT OF WATER. Water bucket.

48A. Command sequence before shooting : READY, AIM, FIRE. Fire bucket. (These may be full of sand.)

57A. Once-in-a-lifetime agenda, or an apt description of the ends of 18-, 23-, 38- and 48-Across : BUCKET LIST

Argyle here. Today's constructor is Patti Varol so I should choose my words carefully. What a wonderful Monday puzzle. Nice long entries, including a grid spanner. The coach gave me pause (because I had a variant spelling on a perp) and some others but your results may vary. Very acceptable.

Across:

1. Phi __ Kappa : BETA. An academic honor society.

5. Legislative addendum : RIDER. Where a lot of pork slides through.

10. Future atty.'s exam : LSAT. (Law School Admission Test)

14. Security problem : LEAK

15. Greek marketplace : AGORA

16. Opposite of dry, as skin : OILY. You can find infomercials to 'cure' either condition.

17. Radius neighbor : ULNA. For you pre-meds out there.

20. Caught __-handed : RED

21. Used a stool : SAT

22. Family reunion attendee : NIECE. I attended my fiftieth class reunion this weekend; disappointing turnout.

28. 6, on a cellphone button : MNO

29. Theater walkway : AISLE

30. Blot gently : DAB

33. Picasso's movement : CUBISM. They support the Chicago Cubs?

36. Chicago-to-Atlanta dir. : SSE. I did like one of these that didn't have obscure cities.

37. Volcanic overflow : LAVA

41. Pig in a __ : POKE. A poke: 1250–1300; Middle English & Middle Dutch, whence also Old North French poque, French poche bag, pocket. In a nut shell, don't buy a bag that purports to have a pig in it without looking in the bag first.

42. Baja bear : OSO. Don't buy one in a bolsa.

43. Hitting sound : [THWACK!]

44. Mao __-tung : TSE

45. Attorney general's intern : CLERK. ?

47. __ Kippur : YOM. This year, Day of Atonement begins in the evening of Friday, September 13 and ends in the evening of Saturday, September 14.

52. Bald tire's lack : TREAD

55. Suffix with salt : INE. (saltine cracker)

56. Henpeck : NAG

61. Half of table tennis? : PING. and pong.

62. Burn balm : ALOE

63. "Yes __!" : SIREE

64. Avid about : INTO

65. Tear to shreds : REND

66. Oyster bead : PEARL

67. Self-perceptions : EGOS

Down:

1. DVD case promo : BLURB. "Miss Belinda Blurb in the act of blurbing." LINK

2. Fisherman who supplies a sushi bar : EELER

3. Two-wheeler for two : TANDEM BIKE. I'm still LOL.

4. Wanted-poster abbr. : AKA

5. Indian princes : RAJAs

6. "__ run!": "Time for me to leave!" : I GOTTA. "Not yet"

7. Play-__: kids' clay : DOH

8. Marine eagle : ERN

9. Not cooked : RAW. How the erne likes his fish.

10. Sarge's superior : LOOIE. (louie is a variant)

11. Pro or con, in a debate : SIDE

12. Guinness of "Star Wars" : ALEC

13. Actress Daly : TYNE

19. "__ upon a midnight dreary ..." : ONCE. Name that poem.

21. Wee bit : SKOSH. This was well discussed on this day. LINK

24. Ouzo flavoring : ANISE. An anise-flavored aperitif that is widely consumed in Greece and Cyprus (and it sneaks up on you, so I've heard).

25. American or World follower, in school : HISTORY

26. Bygone gas station : ESSO. Or gone bye-bye to other countries.

27. "__ my heart in ..." : I LEFT. Cue Tony! LINK

30. Pattern-seeking information analysis : DATA MINING

31. With, to François : AVEC

32. "Speak" response : [BARK!]

33. Ahab or America: Abbr. : CAPT. (Captain)

34. Space saucers, briefly : UFOs

35. Money, in slang : MOOLA

37. __ diminishing returns : LAW OF. For one law, it sure has complex definitions(that's like a true law).

39. Not new : USED

40. "Pick someone else, pleeease?" : "WHY ME?"

45. Hand over : CEDE

46. Old German leader : KAISER

48. Collected, as downed leaves : RAKED

49. Chip-making giant : INTEL

50. Greeted with enthusiasm : RAN TO

51. Toaster waffles : EGGOs

52. Skier's transport : T-BAR

53. Guideline : RULE

54. Business maj.'s focus : ECON. (economics)

58. Sugar meas. : TSP. It helps the medicine go down.

59. Fib : LIE

60. Keogh plan relative: Abbr. : IRA

61. Apple dessert : PIE

Argyle

Notes from C.C.:

Here are 2 pictures from JD's recent Ireland & Scotland trip. JD said "I must have taken 100 pictures of sheep on the hillsides. Hard to get them clear when we were driving along. We loved the quaint little college town of St. Andrews of the famous golf course." Argyle is dreaming of St. Andrews!

Hillside, Ireland

Loch Ness

Truman, JD's oldest grandson, just graduated from Kindergarten. Look at how proud the grandma is!

Sunday June 16, 2013 Gail Grabowski and Bruce Venzke

Theme:  "In a Fog" - FOG bookends each theme entry.

23A. Sport on horseback : FOX HUNTING. Is fox edible?

28A. United States Army Infantry School site : FORT BENNING. Outside Columbus, Georgia.

42A. Enjoying one's Jeep Wrangler, say : FOUR WHEELING

65A. Compactly built canine : FRENCH BULLDOG

86A. Procrastinator's problem : FOOT-DRAGGING

101A. Clotheshorse's net reading : FASHION BLOG. My favorite.

107A. Amphibian that glides : FLYING FROG. Never heard of it.

32D. Mail order shipment insert : FREE CATALOG. Victoria's Secret probably has the best catalog.

47D. 1964 Detroit debut : FORD MUSTANG

From the byline, we can see that Gail came up with this lovely theme idea, then She and Bruce brainstormed together for the theme answers, then Bruce did the gridding and filling, then Gail completed the clues.

I wonder if Gail and Bruce ever met each other. They're both so genial, witty & warm. Marti met with Bruce at the last ACPT.

 

Gail Grabowski

Left to Right: Bruce Venzke, Byron Walden & Rich Silvestri

Across:

1. Barely sufficient : SCANT

6. It could be a plot : ACRE. Nailed it.

10. Strikes firmly : RAPS

14. Arcade no-nos : TILTS

19. Abbot's underling : PRIOR

20. "I can't deny that" : TRUE. And 63D. Interrogator's demand : ADMIT IT

21. Country singer Jackson : ALAN

22. Three-time Wimbledon champ : EVERT (Chris)

25. Half of 10? : ZERO. The other half is ONE. Love this clue.

26. First name in Olympics perfection : NADIA (Comaneci)

27. Screen pictures : ICONS

30. Give in a bit : SOFTEN

33. "Raging hormones" period : PUBERTY

36. Beast : MEANIE

37. Forgets to mail the mail, say : ERRS

38. Group that meets in the Palais du Luxembourg : SENAT. North of Jardin du Luxembourg. Great picnic and people-watching spot.

39. Reverse, e.g. : GEAR

41. Perfect serve : ACE

46. Out yonder : AFAR

50. Infomercial antitheft device : THE CLUB

52. Tangle up : ENSNARL

53. Tropical rainforest, e.g. : BIOME

54. Formed a clump : CLOTTED

56. Certain extra-base hit: Abbr. : DBL (Double)

57. Comedian __ the Entertainer : CEDRIC

58. Inamorato : BEAU. Never used "Inamorato" in my life.

60. Shine, in ads : GLO

61. Rate of movement : PACE

63. Longtime ABC News chairman : ARLEDGE (Roone)

64. Defer ending : ENT. Deferent.

68. Stylish : MOD

69. Online merchant : E-TAILER. Look at the price for this crossword book. Who can afford it? Poor Argyle is using my beat-up copy.

71. Derisive cry : HOOT

72. Outback sprinter : EMU

73. Deliberate : MUSE. 

74. Bolster, e.g. : PILLOW.

75. "Jeopardy!" record-setter Jennings : KEN. Genius.

76. Hangs around : LOITERS

78. Where to learn une leçon : ECOLE

79. Pinkish rash : ROSEOLA. New word to me.

82. "The Death of Ivan Ilyich" author : TOLSTOY. Wiki says it's a novella by Tolstoy, "one of the masterpieces of his late fiction, written shortly after his religious conversion of the late 1870s."

85. Bylaws, briefly : REGs

88. Classic Steely Dan album : AJA

89. Strives : VIES

90. Score after deuce : AD OUT

91. Erode : GNAW

92. Backspaced, perhaps : ERASED

96. Tack room gear : HARNESS

99. Provide juice for : PLUG IN

103. Oktoberfest keepsake : STEIN

105. U.S. Army O-5 : LT COL. Hard for me.

106. One way to stand : TALL

112. Unified : AS ONE

113. Dark-skinned fruit : SLOE

114. Do another tour : RE-UP. This reminds me of the reader who once complained to Will Shortz that GOUP is not a valid fill. She could not find the word in her dictionary.

115. "A Short Treatise on the Game of Whist" author : HOYLE

116. Hauled : TOTED

117. Lunches with mayo : BLTs

118. Pup squeaks : YIPS

119. Out on a limb : TREED

Down:

1. Basker's letters : SPF. I think SPF 30 is enough.

2. Zagreb's country, to the IOC : CRO (Croatia)

3. __-en-Provence : AIX. Hahtoola stayed here for a year or two.

4. Result of a batter "taking the collar" in a game : NO HITS. "Taking the collar" means getting no hits. Here is why.

5. Cease-fire : TRUCE

6. Mail-routing abbr. : ATTN

7. Fridge compartment : CRISPER

8. Aim for an office : RUN. Would be interested to see if New Yorkers are willing to give Anthony Weiner a second chance.

9. Doc's readout : EEG

10. It gets into a lather : RAZOR

11. On the ball : ALERT

12. Spring break fun-lover : PARTY GIRL

13. One often looking down : SNOB. And 15. Donald Jr.'s mom : IVANA. Trump.

14. Brit's sawbuck : TENNER

16. Ushered : LED IN

17. Singer Lopez : TRINI

18. Phase : STAGE

24. Violent opening? : NON. Non-violent. And 98D. Hollywood openings? : ROLES

28. Bashes : FETES

29. Collection of Web pages : eMAG

30. Class assignment : SEAT

31. Gp. with brass : ORCH. Orchestra.

34. Not hitched : UNWED

35. Porsche path : BAHN. Autobahn.

38. More understated : SUBTLER

40. Photo lab prod. : ENL

42. Mel's Diner waitress : FLO

43. Left behind, in a way : OUTGREW

44. Prime rib choice : END CUT

45. Designer __ : LABEL

46. Helping hand : AIDE

48. Baja buddies : AMIGOS

49. Fall back : RECEDE

51. Gulager of "The Virginian" : CLU. Learned his name from doing crosswords.

53. Waffle source?: Abbr. : BELG. Ha ha.

55. Lengthy time : EON

57. Caesar salad ingredient : CROUTON. With anchovies for Bill G, please.

58. Attention-getting device : BEEPER

59. Lure : ENTICE

61. Gave a ring : PHONED

62. Blood typing system : ABO

65. Arctic formation : FLOE

66. Bedroom piece : CHEST

67. Sign of summer : LEO. Zodiac sign.

70. Subjects of complaints : ILLS

73. Dash at the market? : MRS. Mrs. Dash. Great clue.

75. Squishy Hasbro toy used with a launcher : KOOSH BALL

76. Old Nigerian capital : LAGOS. The current capital is Abuja.

77. Taina of "Les Girls" : ELG. Both TAINA and ELG are just hard to remember.

79. Sturgeon yield : ROE

80. Malaysian swinger : ORANG

81. Put in the hold : LADE

83. Ventura County resort : OJAI. Chickie's daughter lives here.

84. [I'm bored] : YAWN

86. Name from the Latin for "I trust" : FIDO. Thought it means "Faithful".

87. Dress to the nines : GUSSY UP

89. Like some brides : VEILED

91. Pursue with purpose : GUN FOR

92. Key of Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 4 : E FLAT. Always a ? FLAT for me.

93. 1969 film con man : RATSO. "Midnight Cowboy". Tough to watch, don't you think?

94. Cravat relative : ASCOT

95. Deserved an Oscar, say : SHONE

97. Distribute : ALLOT

99. Farm house : PEN. Is your farm far from where you live, PK?

100. Far from strenuous : LIGHT

102. Accident investigation agcy. : NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board)

104. They may be in a jar : TIPS

107. Fish may be served at one : FRY

108. Ring of blooms : LEI. Never been to Hawaii. How much does a lei cost, JD?

109. Deli option : RYE

110. Chihuahua cry : OLE

111. H.S. dropout's goal : GED

Marti is now in Vienna, after a few days of frolicking in Italy. She attended a gala on Thursday night in honor of the 50th anniversary of her friend's company. She said "We were treated royally, as always in Vienna!" Here she is, looking beautiful in her lovely dress.

They also went to an exhibition of the Lipizzaner Stallions at the Spanish Riding School of Vienna yesterday. She had a private tour of the stables and was excited to see those horses in person.