Saturday, Jul 6th, 2013, Bill Thompson

Theme: None

Words: 70 (missing F,J,V,X)

Blocks: 26

  Now that's what I call a Saturday grid~!  Triple 8's and 6's in the across AND down corners, with a grid spanner, AND a grid climber, to boot~!  Mr. Thompson was last seen here over a year ago with his "Box Set"; I have not had the "39A".  Completely intimidating, but with a few educated fills from crossword experience and a lot of WAGs, I did get this one done, and in a relatively short time.  Here's the 15-letter answers:

35A. Film based on junk science, say : SCHLOCKUMENTARY - anyone think of an example~?

8D. Biased interview features : LOADED QUESTIONS

And some of the others;

36D. Licorice stick in a pit : CLARINET - HA~!  I get it~!

 

And I am guessing some of you are wondering what happened with miss Home Depot?

63A. Premature plot giveaways, e.g. : SPOILERS - can't tell you now....have to wait to the end~!

Oscar-November-Whiskey-Alfa-Romeo-Delta~!

ACROSS:

1. Onetime college All-Star football game : HULA BOWL - Once I had HU--, I WAGed the rest

9. "Hasn't scratched yet!" cleanser : BON AMI

 

15. Song played at the 1920 Olympics when music for the Italian national anthem could not be found : "O SOLE MIO" - one of the educated crossword fills

16. Enmity : ANIMUS

17. Colorful headwear : BANDANNA - the second (er, third) "N" got me; I went with BANDANAS, since headwear could be plural

18. Sorbetto alternative : GELATO - oops~! put in GelatI

19. Sister : NUN - I have a friend, Sister Barbara, in the "Friends of Bill W." clan - she is a character, let me tell you; I used to joke that she could get thru the "Third Step" (the one about God) easier, because she has the 'hot-line' somewhere in the nuns' Villa....

20. Blitzes, in old football lingo : RED DOGS - I did not know this; it was mostly perps for me

22. RSA neighbor, in the Olympics : ZIMbabwe - map

23. Grizzlies, in Granada : OSOs

25. Not at all swank : SEEDY

26. "He who hath many friends hath __": Aristotle : NONE - this is my take on people who go around claming they have 763 "friends" on Facebook - I am probably the last 42yr-old who still does not have a presence there; I am trying to get my H.I. business a page - anyone help me with that?

27. Did some farm work : BALED

29. "Crusade in Europe" memoirist, initially : DDE - Dwight David Eisenhower, seemed like a good choice to me (I also had D-E....)

30. "Bouquet of Sunflowers" painter : MONET

 

31. Have a life : ARE

33. More unsettled : QUEASIER - as in one's stomach

39. Delight : PLEASURE

40. Czech sci-fi play : RUR - Nailed it, but not saying much; crossword standard

41. Pulls down : EARNS

42. Fire proof : ASH - had a bonfire while the English family was here; the next day the neighbor complained the smoke was getting in his house; too bad his windows are closed with the A/C units runnning....

44. Like infant fingers : PUDGY

48. First Nations tribe : CREE

49. Skirts that come in bell and pancake styles : TUTUs - not my kind of skirt, as you know

51. Insignificant : MERE

52. Rx instruction : t.i.d. - ter in die, Three Times a Day

53. Pros : ARTISTS

55. Decline : SAG

56. Strand, in a way : ENISLE

58. "Absolutely!" : "OH YES I DO~!" - ooh, four-word answer~!

60. Wrap again, as an ankle : RETAPE - ah, I had REBAND, and I knew it wasn't quite right

61. Cared for : NURTURED

62. Cut and dried? : STYLED - hair-dos; Lilia had a ponytail today....


DOWN:

1. Mingle (with) : HOB-NOB - and I did so with her last evening....

2. 1992 Dream Team chant : USA~! USA~!

3. Cambodian leader ousted by the Khmer Rouge : LON NOL

4. City pol. : ALD. - This filled in via perps; I have never heard this term, either

5. Support : BEAR - Could have been beaM, too, which is what I had

6. Exeunt __: stage direction : OMNES - All go off stage - hey~! my high school Latin came in handy~!

7. Breathless : WINDED

9. Like some jeans : BAGGY - not FADED, like Lilia's....

10. People : ONES - the "ones" over there

11. Cipher : NIL - well, it's a stretch, but with the absence of "0" in Roman times....more here

12. Vast rainforest : AMAZONIA - AMAZON was too short; then the -IA filled, and the V-8 can flew....

13. Bounty rebel : MUTINEER - Mutiny on the Bounty - not the paper towel

14. Equality of measure : ISOMETRY

21. Concert hall : ODEUM

24. Pirate's hunting ground : SEA LANE

26. Medicine show elixir : NOSTRUM - "a medicine of secret composition recommended by its preparer but usually without scientific proof of its effectiveness" - Merriam Webster

28. Refuse : DROSS - Ooh, I was close - I went with DREGS - a noun and not a verb

30. Put on one's big-boy pants : MAN-UP - Like this commercial~?

32. Old coin with an accented first letter : ÉCU - another "educated crossword experience"

34. Poetic adverb : E'ER - went with o'er first

35. Haunting images : SPECTERS - here's a song from "Spectres", Blue Öyster Cult

37. Trait determinant : HEREDITY

38. Brat topper : KRAUT - ah, the food; I was thinking "TIARA", as in Toddlers & Tiaras

43. Keep under wraps : HUSH UP

45. Really fancy : DESIRE - the verb, to fancy - as I do Lilia

46. Teacher, during exam week : GRADER

47. "Mercy me!" : YE GODS~! - so? so? what happened at HD~?....

49. Stuck up? : TREED - stuck, UP, in a tree~!

50. Prefix in a Dow trademark : STYRO - Dow the chemical company, and their extruded polystyrene foam

53. Suisse peak : ALPE - just the "European" spelling for Alp

54. "Contact" acronym : SETI - Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence - and another BÖC song~!

57. Baseball's Bando : SAL - I leave it to you, C.C. (Wiki talks. He let Paul Molitor go!)

59. Oporto-to-Lisbon direção : SUL - straight up Portuguese for south

OK - Home Depot & Lilia....Um, well, the conversation went really well, and while Lilia was mixing my paint, she was telling me all about being Russian, and living in New York....so when I asked if she would like to carry on this conversation over coffee, she said....
she was married.

DAH~!  I couldn't believe it.  Two years.  BUT - then she says, "give me your number, and when I go out with my friends, I'll call you" - apparently, her hubby is not much of a party guy.  We will see....

Splynter

Friday, July 5, 2013, Robyn Weintraub

Theme: FREE THROW LANE, the ultimate Clecho..

In basketball the rectangular area under and away from the basket is known as the KEY, which is our clue for all four theme answers. Last week I was not sure how to present the theme, today it presents itself.  If you want to know more about BASKETBALL and the court, click the link. You can read about our constructor HERE. This our third from Robyn who had two Monday LATs and two others published by the NYT. This is a classic "same clue for all themes fill" puzzle with 4  long fill, two 13s and two 14s. As befitting a Friday there was difficulty and some wit, but overall I enjoyed her Mondays more. I actually like FREE THROW LANE better than the PADLOCK OPENER which seems arbitrary (why pad not regular lock?) but I have never made a puzzle so it might be a foolish suggestion, but for me if you do this big clecho (by now all you newbies understand the term our Dennis coined and had been approved by the official URBAN DICTIONARY), you need to have some tricky and fun theme fill. Well let us take a slow post Holiday walk into Robyn's mind.

20A. Key : PADLOCK OPENER.  (13). A simple literal fill.

27A. Key : ANTHEM LYRICIST. (14). Francis Scott Key, a Maryland lawyer who wrote the Star Spangled Banner after watching the British bombard Fort McHenry. LINK.

42A. Key : MAP EXPLANATION. (14).Where they tell you one inch equals ten miles.

50A. Key : FLORIDA ISLAND.  (13). Also spelled Cay. Have you ever driven to Key West? Hemingway's influence is still strong.

Across:

1. Break the rules : CHEAT. We begin with a rule breaker.

6. "___ difference" : SAME. An odd phrase which probably comes from same thing, no difference..

10. Apothecary's measure : DRAM. When I was young pharmacists still made most of the things they sold, based on a Doctor's instruction and drams are the common measure. Since then big Pharma took over making medicines.

14. Refuse : SAY NO. To drugs.

15. Buck : CLAM. Idioms for money.

16. Quite : OH SO. All perps but if you think, oh so good, then it fits.

17. Update, perhaps : AMEND. Pleadings are amended all of the time. Not to be confused with EMEND.

18. Ingredient from the garden : HERB. We need to get Herb out of the garden and to get a job.

19. "Copacabana" guy who "went a bit too far" : RICO.

His name was Rico, he wore a diamond

He was escorted to his chair, he saw Lola dancin' there

And when she finished, he called her over

But Rico went a bit too far, Tony sailed across the bar

23. Eye-catching wrap : BOA. I hope you have never been hit in the eye with one of these as they are swung around; it stings.

25. ___-tzu : LAO. The founder of Taoism? It reminds me of Tuesday's video and COW TSE TONGUE.

26. Exorcism targets : DEMONS. Anyone read Dan Brown's new book?

31. Keep happening : RECUR.

32. Some tributes : ODES. Can someone write an ODE to this oft used clue?

33. Gus ___, subject of the 1951 biopic "I'll See You in My Dreams" : KAHN. No memory of the man, a famous Lyricist (mini-theme?) or the movie. His music is part of the Liberace MOVIE.

34. Touch type? : MIDAS. Golden, and very tricky.

36. Treaters of boxers : VETS. Yes the woof woof kind, a shout out to the prolific Gareth Bain. Wonderful animal sleeping video Dennis. More of the puzzle going to the dogs, 23D. Lab output? : BARK.

40. ___ novel : DIME. Read WIKI.

41. Three-time NFL MVP : FAVRE. Brett. He also was in a movie, remember?

47. Joseph Kennedy's middle daughter : EUNICE. She married R. Sargent Shriver. As well as being the mother of Maria, Arnold's ex-wife; this Kennedy started the Special Olympics.

48. Mark Thackeray, to his students, in a 1967 film : SIR. Really too obscure for me, but once revealed by perps I knew the ROLE.(0:20).

49. Fleur-de-___ : LYS. I always think of this lily as LIS.

54. Hip bones : ILIA. This is becoming a popular fill.

55. Calamine target : BITE. Insect ones usually, also used for poison ivy.

56. Went a-courting : WOOED. Old fashioned clue and old fashioned fill.

59. Period of sacrifice : LENT.

60. War god : ARES. Three weeks in a row?

61. ___ football : ARENA. It is their season for this indoor game. This odd indoor spring/summer football did give us this QB.

62. Feminine suffix : ETTE. Like Smurfette.

63. 6-Down rooms : GYMS. and, 6D. Hogwarts, e.g. : SCHOOL. All schools have gymnasiums, right?

64. Golf scorecard word : YARDS. In the US, the length of each hole is shown in yards.

Down:

1. Lee side: Abbr. : CSA. Confederate States of America. If you have three letter fill this tricky, it is all good, as we usually are bombarded with leeward and alee, and to slip in a Robert E. was well done.

2. Seuss title food : HAM. Green Eggs anyone?

3. 44-Down accessory : EYE PATCH. and 44D. 3-Down wearer : PIRATE. Arrgh.

4. Wintour of fashion : ANNA. This designer, editor and all around in VOGUE woman.

5. One prone to falling : TODDLER. This is a sweet and somewhat poignant clue as Charlotte now stands.

7. Smart ___ : ALEC.

8. A, ideally : MARK.

9. Personifies : EMBODIES.

10. "The Sound of Music" song : DO RE MI. Classic Julie Andrews SONG.(4:51).

11. Large-horned mammals : RHINOS. Twice this week, it must be mating season.

12. Trip up : ASCENT. Nicely done, a trip UP, not a tripup.

13. Othello et al. : MOORS. Do any of us recall who they were?  A learning LESSON?

21. Flee : LAM. Another repeat.

22. Push-up targets : PECS. Pectoral; like young Arnold?

24. Most fit for duty : ONE A. Draft status.

28. Fifth-century invader : HUN. Attila anyone?

29. Feature of bluegrass singing : YODEL.

30. Nutritional stat : RDA.

34. Hodgepodge : MIXED BAG. There are a POTPOURRI of answers here.

35. Calvin of comics, for one : IMP. Really, Calvin is a sweetheart, it is Hobbes who keeps getting him in trouble.

36. Large vessel : VAT. Not for the sea, but for holding stuff.

37. Superhero's nemesis : EVIL DOER. Really?

38. Metal-measure word : TROY. If you had an ounce of sense you got this easily; the reason for the variant spelling of LIS. We could have had Deanna, well actually we could not.

39. D.C. bigwigs : SENS. Senators.

40. Prefix with liter : DECI. My least favorite liter. 1/10 th of a liter, or about 3.3 ounces. Only a good measure if you are visiting Casa Incognito.

41. Like some unfocused looks : FARAWAY.

42. Popular '80s-'90s do : MULLET. Billy Ray Cyrus anyone?

43. Consecrate, in a way : ANOINT. Before or after washing the feet?

45. Take stock of : ASSESS.

46. Zip : NIL. No comment, zilch, zero, nada, rien.

47. System used for most returns : E-FILE. Income tax returns not bad purchases. E-filing has come to the courts and man is it a mess.

51. Well-ventilated : AIRY. Yes the family room is quite well ventilated.

52. Two stars, maybe : ITEM.

53. Asta's "mom" : NORA. Myrna Loy.

57. English fin : END. French FIN (sounds more like fan) from which we get finsih, which I almost have, but we have to come full circle as we started with a cheat and now we have someone to deal with that.

58. Court VIPs : DAs. District Attorneys.

Well if anyone is out there after the rare Thursday holiday, I hope you enjoyed the show and see you next time. Lemonade leaving you with a memory from my youth when we used to drive 26 miles to go to this DELI. Thanks Robyn.

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to another lovely Linda in our blog!  Like our LaLaLinda, this Linda is also very caring and thoughtful.  She still shows up on the blog occasionally.

This picture is from Linda's 50th wedding anniversary in 2011. She said then:

"Being a non-traditionalist, I chose lavender, pink and white as my color theme. Those were our wedding colors. The cake topper is the original one.  Note the photo at lower left of us cutting the first cake"

Thursday, July 4, 2013 David Steinberg

Theme: At the Laundrette. 0:52 (I wonder if he tumble dried those jeans?)

17-Across. Fate of one with a cause, perhaps : MARTYRDOM.

9-Down. Monster product : ENERGY DRINK.

11-Down. 33-year "60 Minutes" regular : ANDY ROONEY.

25-Down. Pie preparation : PASTRY DOUGH.

30-Down. James Brown nickname : MR DYNAMITE.

And the unifier gives us the raison d'être for the theme entries:

64-Across. Not leave hanging? (or a hint to the circled letters) : TUMBLE DRY. Great double meaning in the clue. So we mix it up a little, with five anagrams of the word "dry" tumbling all around the grid.  How fun is that?

Across:

1. It's usually a left : JAB. In boxing, it's usually a right hook or a left jab.

4. Mideast leadership family name : ASSAD. "Al Assad" means "The Lion" in Arabic.

9. Send to cloud nine : ELATE.

14. Multi-platinum Steely Dan album : AJA. Nice photo montage for the 1977 album. 7:55.

15. Later, to Luis : LUEGO. "Hasta luego!" is the phrase that helped me think of this answer. ("See you later!") UPDATE FROM LUCINA: (And I trust her completely in these matters.) The literal translation is "Until then."

16. Aviator's number : NINER. "Synonym for nine, five letters, starts with "n"..." 0:30

19. Respected figure : ELDER.

20. Cook up : BREW.

21. External layer : VENEER.

23. Distance units: Abbr : YDS. Yards.

24. Mimic's shtick : APERY.

26. Classic doctor's aide : IGOR.

28. Hot-tempered chef Gordon : RAMSAY. Ugh, spelled it RAMSeY at first.

31. Slangy transition word : ANYHOO.

33. Claustrophobe's cry : AIR. "Gimme AIR!!!"

34. Golden St. region : SO. CAL. Southern California.

37. Exmoor heroine : DOONE. From the book "Lorna Doone: A Romance of Exmoor," by Robert Doddridge Blackmore.  I like the cookies better than the book.

39. Detachable craft : POD. Hal?

40. "Jerry Maguire" distributor : TRISTAR. Pictures.

42. Video game initials : NES. Nintendo Entertainment System.

43. More wily : SLYER.

45. Actress Watts : NAOMI. I vaguely remember her from "Mulholland Drive."

46. Take a course or two? : EAT. Nice misdirection!

47. Together : IN SYNC. Not to be confused with the boy band "'N Sync."

49. Biological food processor : ENZYME.

51. Fashion's Gucci : ALDO. I have a pair of these.

52. Drink it "and sleep!" beverage : SANKA. "Unleaded" coffee.

54. Jim's wife on "The Office" : PAM.

56. 1998 Masters champion : O'MEARA. Amazing birdie on the 18th hole to win it. Only four golfers have won that way. 0:51

58. "Adeste Fideles," e.g. : NOEL.

62. Yale founder Yale : ELIHU.

66. Mark with a new price : RETAG.

67. "Someone Like You" singer : ADELE. Oh, boy. I get to link one of my favorite singers. 5:10

68. Racket : DIN.

69. Impression makers : TEETH.

70. Better song, usually : SIDE A.

71. Application datum : SEX.

Down:

1. Window segment : JAMB. Hmmm..."segment" steered my mind towards "pane."

2. Open slightly : AJAR.

3. Empty : BARE. Like Old Mother Hubbard's cupboard. (Believe, me, I was looking for something to link, but "naked yoga" might not pass the breakfast test...)

4. Prince ___ Khan : ALY. Third husband of the actress Rita Hayworth.

5. Construction job worker : SURVEYOR.

6. Ritual including bitter herbs : SEDER.

7. Anguish : AGONY.

8. Cathedral cap : DOME. Was thinking of a bishop's "mitre" hat at first.

10. Short, shortened : L'IL.

12. Slightly elevated : TEED. Up, not off. (Think golf.)

13. Hits Reply All instead of Reply, say : ERRS. Oops!!

18. Quaint contraction : 'TWAS...the night before Christmas...

22. Freudian article : EIN. German "one" or "a."

27. "So that's your game!" : OHO.

28. Sings like Snoop Lion : RAPS.

29. Pungent mayo : AIOLI. Didn't we just have this one?

31. Chorus voice : ALTO.

32. Wee hr. : ONE AM.

35. Obama's mil. title : C IN C. Commander in Chief.

36. Sharp-tack center : AS A.

38. 90 degrees from norte : ESTE. Spanish for north in the clue and east in the answer.

41. Willing to please : AMENABLE.

44. Night class subj. : ESL. English as a second language.

48. Manet or Monet, e.g. : NOM. French artists, hinting at the French word for "name."

50. "Titanic" actor Billy : ZANE. He played Kate Winslet's fiancé,  Caledon Hockley.

52. Mecca native : SAUDI.

53. Hardly defenseless : ARMED.

54. Brash : PERT. Not my first thought for "brash."

55. Tar's direction : ALEE.

57. SFO postings : ETAs. Estimated Time of Arrival (s).

59. Racing form info : ODDS.

60. Scary-sounding lake : ERIE. Eerie!

61. Northern forest cat : LYNX.

63. Derby, for one : HAT.

65. Grassy expanse : LEA. As we hike off into the sunset...

See you next week!

Marti

Wednesday July 3, 2013 C.C. Burnikel

Theme: VILLAGE PEOPLE (36A. Disco-era group known for the starts of 18-, 20-, 54- and 57-Across). Y, M, C, A starts each theme entry.

18A. What makes a man a man : Y CHROMOSOME. So what came to your mind first?

20A. 1988 Tony-winning play inspired by a Puccini work : M BUTTERFLY. Inspired by Puccini's Madama Butterfly. See here. Read the plot. Astonishing. Are you guys familiar with Beijing opera? In old days, the females were all played by males.

 

54A. Duracell R14's : C BATTERIES

57A. First of a planned 26-book mystery series : A IS FOR ALIBI

C.C. here. Melissa gets intermittent power due to excessive heat in CA, so I'm here to sub.

I made this puzzle sometime last summer, so I could not remember the details. Ideally the reveal entry should be placed as the last theme entry. But VILLAGE PEOPLE has 13 letters, so it could not go to the standard Row 13, hence its current middle row. 

I normally don't stack theme entries as they often force compromised fill. But stacked this one due to necessity.

I mentioned before that Rich always changes at least 50% of my clues. He adds interesting trivia. He corrects my grammatical errors. He succinctly expresses what I try to say in a long-winded way. He just adds so much color to my puzzles and always makes me look better.

 

Across:

1. Close one : PAL

4. Stout sellers : PUBS. I had "Stout spots" originally.

8. Archie Bunker's wife : EDITH. I had Edith Head reference.

13. Its members employ hygienists: Abbr. : ADA

14. Six-time All-Star Moises : ALOU

15. Transit systems in Delhi and Paris : METROS. I had no "Delhi" in. I'm prone to grammar mistakes.

17. Campfire seat : LOG

22. Parroted : APED

23. Golf course regular, often : SENIOR. Yep! Husker Gary and Boomer.

24. Backpacked beast : ASS

26. Hard water? : ICE. Repeat of a clever clue some other constructors used before. But worth repeating. It's good.

27. Fan mail encl. : SAE (Self-Addressed Envelope)

28. Noisy bird : JAY

30. NATO alphabet word after November : OSCAR.  Originally just "O, in NATO alphabet".

32. Reef material : CORAL. I had the nail color reference. I was obsessed with coral last summer.

35. Sanctuary sections : ALTARS

39. Subject of the sports film "42" : RACISM. Great clue. I referred "American History X". 

40. Nemo's creator : VERNE

41. Obviously impressed : AGAPE. You were impressed I had the dreaded A* words, right?

42. Just out of the shower : WET

43. You, to Yves : TOI

46. Scathing review : PAN

47. Tandoori bread : NAN. In China, the Muslims spell it as NANG.

49. Get even for : AVENGE

52. Span. miss : SRTA. My clue "She's available in Barcelona, briefly".

59. NHL tiebreakers : OTs

60. Use a ring in a crib : TEETHE. I had "Need a ring?". Does not make sense now.

61. Devastated Asian sea : ARAL. I had a wordy "Lake that lost 75% of its water volume since 1960".

62. "Are We Done Yet?" actress Long : NIA

63. Baseball features : SEAMS. I had "Baseball bracelet features", since I have a beautiful #33 baseball bracelet.

64. Pulls in : NETS

65. Muddy home : STY. I had "Home, sweet home, for pigs". And 38D. Four-footed friend : PET. My clue: "Pig, to Clooney".

Down:

1. Where to find dates : PALMS

2. Pueblo homes : ADOBES

3. __ Beach: Southern California resort : LAGUNA

4. Words before "the order of" : PAY TO

5. Stress-related ailment, possibly : ULCER

6. Physics Nobelist Niels : BOHR

7. Wander online : SURF

8. Ed Asner has seven : EMMYS. That's a record for a male actor.

9. "Gloria in Excelsis __" : DEO

10. "__ ripoff!" : IT'S A

11. Like many bright aquarium fish : TROPICAL. I clued it as "Like the weather in Bangkok." Steamy there.  "... One night in Bangkok makes a hard man humble..."

12. Post-hospital recovery program : HOME CARE

16. Matzo meals : SEDERS

19. Big name in facial cleansers : OLAY. Facial cleaners, scrubs, defoliators, toners, eye gels, eye creams...  It's not easy to be a woman.

21. Accessory with a suit : TIE CLIP

25. Athenian lawgiver : SOLON

28. Binge : JAG

29. Painkiller with an Easy Open Arthritis Cap : ALEVE. Rich's clue. I simply had "Arthritis pill".

31. Heaven's gatekeeper : ST. PETER

33. Designer Mary-Kate or Ashley : OLSEN. I had "Boho Chic icon Mary-Kate ".  She's probably still a kid in your mind. But she and Sienna Miller inspired this whole Boho Chic style.

34. Chrysler truck : RAM

35. __ Lingus : AER

36. Unpredictable occurrences : VAGARIES.  "Vagaries of life". Boomer said I could not pluralize "Vagary". I just ignored him.

37. Complaint about blocked vision : I CAN'T SEE

39. Knocks on : RAPS AT

42. Minnesota Lynx org. : WNBA. Oh man, I thought this is my clue as a shout-out to our MN team. But it's not. I had "Org. for some female guards". Thanks, Rich! The Lynx and Timberwolves have the same owner.

44. Risotto ingredients : ONIONS 

45. "That makes sense" : I GET IT

48. Ranch measures : ACRES

49. Awaiting a pitch : AT BAT. I had "Up time".

50. Facial cover-ups : VEILS. I did not have extra "Facial".

51. Swift work : ESSAY. Rich's clue.

53. Old Spice rival : AFTA

55. King of comedy : ALAN

56. Lose steam : TIRE

58. Electrical unit symbolized by omega : OHM

C.C.

Tuesday, July 2, 2013 Amy Johnson

Theme: Might is Mite - Common phrases take on new meanings when the last word is replaced with a homophone.

20A. Bad web designer's product? : NOT A PRETTY SITE. SIGHT > SITE

37A. Start the service ceremonially? : LEAD WITH A RITE. RIGHT > RITE

56A. Dieter's hope when entering the brewpub? : LET THERE BE LITE™. LIGHT > LITE™

Argyle here. Quite a range of entries; programing, pugilism, and pubs. The resulting homophones, (a word that is that is pronounced the same as another word but differs in meaning) change the original meaning. The only nit might be whether LITE is a legitimate word. Mad Men would say yes.

Across:

1. Mama who sang with the Papas : CASS. Elliot

5. Mercury and Saturn : ORBs. Clecho: 14A. Mercury or Saturn : AUTO

9. "What a tragedy" : "SO SAD"

15. Picnic spot : PARK

16. Revise, as text : EMEND

17. Mine car : TRAM

18. Pincushion alternative : ETUI. Strange, I never really looked at ETUIs before. They aren't pincushions but may contain one.

19. Maternally related : ENATE

23. Extreme anger : IRE

24. Boy : LAD

25. Hanoi holiday : TET. Clued this way should keep someone happy.

26. Sandwich shop letters : BLT

28. Cut companion : PASTE. My friends.

30. Heavy herbivore : RHINO. Cute alliteration.

32. Greek goddess of the dawn : EOS. Near clecho: 2D. Roman goddess of the dawn : AURORA

33. Coll. dorm mentors : RAs. (Resident assistants)

35. Essen-to-Leipzig direction : OST. Headed east in Germany.

36. Food for Fido : ALPO

41. "Roger that" : "COPY". Radio talk.

42. Keats wrote one to a nightingale : ODE

43. Funnyman Caesar : SID. With Imogene Coca.

44. Prefix with duct : OVI

45. Melbourne marsupial : KOALA

47. Discourage : DETER

51. Get hitched : WED

52. Shimon Peres's land: Abbr. : ISR. He is the current President of Israel.

53. Cosmo, e.g. : MAG. Cosmopolitan/Magazine

55. Delighted utterance : "AAH!". and "OOH!" Get ready for the fireworks.

60. Shoot for : AIM AT

61. Like some support : SOLE

62. Crack pilots : ACES

63. Flambé : AFIRE

64. Laos location : ASIA

65. Unlike a dead end, briefly : THRU. (through)

66. Spy mission, in brief : RECON. (reconnaissance)

67. Cornerstone datum : YEAR

68. Boo relative : HISS. Did you see that some military bases are cutting out fireworks this year?

Down:

1. It makes a feline frisky : CATNIP

3. Declares : STATES

4. Dream-inducing "Brave New World" drug : SOMA. "take a trip and never leave the farm"

5. Puccini work : OPERA

6. Like slasher films, typically : RATED R

7. Champagne designation : BRUT

8. Very jumpy : SKITTISH

9. Deals with : SEES TO

10. Present opening? : OMNI. Omnipresent.

11. "Click It or Ticket" device : SEAT BELT

12. Range playmate of song : ANTELOPE. Range companion of deer.

13. JFK's predecessor : DDE

21. Profess one's innocence, perhaps : PLEAD

22. Grapevine starters? : YENTAs. Word Origin & History. "yenta" : "gossip, busybody," 1923, from Yente Telebende, comic strip gossip in 1920s-30s writing of Yiddish newspaper humorist B. Kovner (pen-name of Jacob Adler) in the "Jewish Daily Forward." It was a common Yiddish fem. proper name, alt. from Yentl and said to be ult. from It. gentile "kind, gentle," earlier "noble, high-born".

27. Chinese menu surname : TSO. (General)

29. Cafeteria convenience : TRAY

31. Monopoly miniature : HOTEL. You need four houses on each of your color group before you can get a hotel.

34. "Just Do It" logo : SWOOSH

36. Guy or gal Friday : AIDE

37. Topic for advice columnists : LOVE LIFE. And for yentas.

38. Serious flu outbreak, e.g. : EPIDEMIC

39. Start of a speculation : "I DARE SAY ..."

40. Blue __ Mountains : RIDGE

41. Chick-fil-A spokescritter : COW

45. "Awww"-inducing pet shop resident : KITTEN

46. Earhart in the air : AMELIA

48. Chinese martial art : TAI CHI

49. Diner patrons : EATERS

50. Monkey used in research : RHESUS

54. "Fuzzy Wuzzy was __" : A BEAR. "Fuzzy wuzzy was a bear, fuzzy wuzzy had no hair, fuzzy wuzzy wasn't fuzzy was he?"

57. Luau staple : TARO. Must be cooked thoroughly to leach out the calcium oxalate.

58. Fragrant flower : ROSE. Shout out to ARBAON.

59. Strip of latticework : LATH

60. Swiss river : AAR

Smooth sailing today.

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to Eric Wells, who reads but has never posted on our blog. Eric told me "The coolest part about my birth date is that it's also my mother's birth date. I was her (best?) gift on her 29th birthday (many years ago!)" Happy 83rd Birthday to Eric' mom as well!

Monday, July 1, 2013 Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: This One is for Beetle Bailey - Key letters from the reveal begin the theme entry words.

53A. Military mess assignment, and this puzzle's title : KP DUTY

6D. Tot's wading spot : KIDDIE POOL

10D. Deli sandwich freebies : KOSHER PICKLES

18D. Decisive end to a boxing match : KNOCKOUT PUNCH

30D. Rustic paneling wood : KNOTTY PINE

Argyle here. Rabbit, rabbit. Bit confusing for a Monday. Four columns for the main entries and an across for the reveal. Until I replaced TATER with TUBER, my SE corner would not fill. A challenging Monday.

Across:

1. Toast go-with : JAM

4. Its pH is more than 7 : ALKALI. Less than 7 is acidic.

10. Queen's spouse : KING. Too easy, didn't trust it.

14. "__ live and breathe!" : AS I

15. Spoil, as a barbecue : RAIN ON. Let's hope it won't rain on your parade Thursday.

16. Most eligible to be drafted : ONE A

17. Conceded the point : BACKED DOWN

19. Sean Connery, by birth : SCOT

20. Connected the opposite shores of, as a river : SPANNED

21. Flammable gas : ETHANE

23. Caravan's watering hole : OASIS

25. Feel remorse over : RUE

26. Like-minded groups : BLOCS

29. Yosemite grazer : ELK. I'm not sure of the location but it's pretty.

Update: Yosemite no longer has grazing elk. This elk is in Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, CO.

31. Cattle marking : BRAND

35. Geologist's collectible : ROCK

36. Backbone : SPINE

38. Fishing spot : PIER

39. Turnpike traveler : AUTO

40. With 69-Across, Dr. Seuss classic : HOP ON. 69A. See 40-Across : POP

41. State where Interstates 35 and 80 cross : IOWA

42. Prie-__: kneeler : DIEU. Has this become a Monday word?

43. Receives guests : HOSTS

44. Symbol before the sharps and flats : CLEF

45. Dust-up : SET TO

47. Way past tipsy : LIT

48. Dress bottom : SKIRT

49. Influential D.C. group : PAC

51. Medication for insomniacs : NYTOL. Brand name.

56. Developmental stage : PUBERTY

60. Sentence subject, as a rule : NOUN

61. "Is that a guarantee?" : "CAN I BE SURE?". Hah!

64. Oil cartel acronym : OPEC

65. Repair shop courtesy : LOANER

66. Wire thickness unit : MIL

67. Second-youngest March sister, in literature : BETH. "Little Women"

68. __ Glue-All : ELMER'S. Another brand name. 

Down:

1. They set up the 18-Down : JABS 18D. Decisive end to a boxing match : KNOCKOUT PUNCH. (in case you forgot)

2. Quickly, in memos : ASAP

3. Flaky mineral : MICA

4. Sports venues : ARENAs

5. Puts on cargo : LADES

7. 12 months in Madrid : AÑO.  Update: Tilde added thanks to PaulG's comment. Perhaps I've learned my lesson.

8. Close to the ground : LOW

9. Word before circle or peace : INNER

11. Ancient Peruvian : INCA

12. Eye-catching sign : NEON

13. Airport boarding area : GATE

22. Bathroom fixture : TUB

24. Enters stealthily : SLIPS IN

26. Thin nails : BRADS

27. Huey and Dewey's brother : LOUIE. Donald's nephews.

28. Four pairs : OCTET

32. Garlicky sauce : AIOLI. Mayo with attitude.

33. More modern : NEWER

34. Preliminary version : DRAFT

36. Librarian's admonition : [SHH!]

37. Nav. officer : ENS.

46. Bit in a horse's mouth? : OAT. A bit is part of the bridle that goes in the horse's mouth.

48. Recovers from a bender, with "up" : SOBERS

50. Washer phase : CYCLE

52. Yam, for one : TUBER

53. Handle near a keyhole : KNOB

54. Francis or John Paul II, e.g. : POPE

55. Song for two : DUET. 58D. Song for three : TRIO

57. Beef cut : RUMP

59. Shrill cry : YELP. This got me; I had YELL.

62. Internet giant that owns MapQuest : AOL

63. '60s combat venue, briefly : NAM

Argyle

Sunday June 30, 2013 Elizabeth C. Gorski

Theme:"PH Balance" - P & H bookend each theme entry.

23A. 11-part documentary with the episodes "Caves" and "Deserts" : PLANET EARTH

 

37A. "Peanuts" Halloween setting : PUMPKIN PATCH. Remember John Lampkin's Pumpkin puzzle?

68A. Yamaha seat, perhaps : PIANO BENCH

71A. It can help you put on a coat : PAINT BRUSH

100A. Soapbox delivery : PUBLIC SPEECH. And 107A. 1942 Cooper role : GEHRIG (Lou). The Pride of the Yankees. "... today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth" is one of the best public speeches. 

121D. Fruity pastry : PPRUNE DANISH

33D. Hybrid language : PIDGIN ENGLISH

 

35D. A former ace might be one : PITCHING COACH

 

Simple theme today. Liz Gorski's NYT puzzles often have an extra layer of visual involved. She's a true artist. 

She's also a brilliant clue writer. Rich probably changed only a few words of her clues.

 

Across:

1. Sixth-day creation : ADAM

5. Iraqi port : BASRA. Sinbad's hometown.

10. Exchange : SWAP

14. Supermodel with a Global Chic collection : IMAN. Never tried her products, but I'm aware of the line.

18. Jared of "Lonely Hearts" : LETO

19. Places of worship : ALTARS

21. Kent State state : OHIO

22. Upscale : TONY

25. Lopsided win : ROMP

26. Trumpeter, e.g. : SWAN. Trumpeter swan. Wiki said it's "the heaviest bird native to North America and is, on average, the largest extant waterfowl species on earth."

27. Motorcade wheels : SEDANS

28. Flea market transactions : RE-SALES

30. Meager : SCANTY

32. Happy outdoorsman? : CAMPER

34. Grafton's "__ for Malice" : M IS

35. "The Little Sparrow" : PIAF (Edith)

36. "My Cousin Vinny" Oscar winner : TOMEI (Marisa)

42. E. African land : ETH (Ethiopia). Has any of you dined at the Red Rooster?

44. Year-span separator : EN DASH

47. After-dinner drink : PORT

48. Noodlehead : SCHMO. The SCHMO in our association has a garage sale almost every week. 8 bikes on his lawn yesterday! He called those who complained about him "Racist". And 94D. Downsizing event? : DIET. Not yard sale, you SCHMO!

49. Quaint writer : QUILL

51. Despondency : GLOOM

53. Personal quirk : TIC

54. Resort NE of Los Alamos : TAOS

55. __ Reader: eclectic magazine : UTNE

56. "Beats me!" : I DUNNO

58. Fancy pillowcase : SHAM

61. Blast cause : TNT

62. "Let __!": "Move on!" : IT GO

63. Power dept. : ENER

64. __-pah band : OOM

66. Personal ltrs. : INITS. How many letters in your name? Mine has 15 and quite scrabbly.

75. Italian fashion center : MILAN

76. Get takeout, say : EAT

78. "Bus Stop" playwright : INGE (William)

79. Visiting the Getty Center, briefly : IN LA

80. Turkish honorific : AGA

82. NASA hire : ENGR

84. Landing strip : TARMAC

86. Britney's ex, in tabloids : K-FED. He was her backup dancer at the beginning. J-Lo's current boyfriend is her backup dancer as well.

87. Long lunches : SUBS

89. Schlep : LUG

91. "... farm, __" : E I E I O

92. Aptly named novelist : READE (Charles)

93. "Dust Tracks on __": Zora Neale Hurston autobiography : A ROAD

95. Apple product : iPOD

97. Bank ad number : CD RATE. Ultra low.

99. El Al home: Abbr. : ISR

103. Humidor item : CIGAR

105. Radio host John : TESH

106. __ Balls: Hostess snack food : SNO

109. Hospitality : WARMTH

112. From now on : ANYMORE

114. Iron target : ANEMIA

118. Berry touted as a superfood : ACAI. This always stumps some on our blog. Super friendly letter combo, so you'd better commit it to your memory.

119. Org. with part of a prominent statue in its logo : ACLU

123. It may be ear-to-ear : GRIN

124. Wild way to run : RIOT

125. Doddering : SENILE. I often wonder if Deep Throat revealed his identity willingly.

126. Sussex streetcar : TRAM

127. Dover delicacy : SOLE

128. Breadbasket bunch : PATS

129. Parts of goblets : STEMS

130. It often takes place in a bar : JOKE

Down:

1. Skier's mecca : ALPS

2. Editing mark : DELE

3. Hardly at all : A TAD

4. Rainier's locale : MONACO. Oh, I was thinking of Mt. Rainier. Not the prince.

5. Cricket players : BATSMEN

6. Bass in a glass : ALE. Bass ale.

7. It may be glassy : STARE

8. Less common : RARER

9. Dance and such : ARTS

10. Touchy subject : SORE SPOT

11. Villagers below Mount Crumpit : WHOS.  Dr. Seuss.

12. Goal : AIM

13. Visits on a whim : POPS IN

14. "Believe you me!" : IT'S A FACT. Never said "Believe you me".

15. Cut : MOWN

16. Constitutional subj.? : ANAT. Great clue.

17. Abbr. on Manhattan mail : NY, NY

20. SeaWorld headliner : SHAMU

24. Tooth coating : ENAMEL

29. Tired : LIMP

31. They may be used for emphasis : CAPS

36. Doohickey : THINGAMABOB. Nice entry.

37. Sound unit : PHON. So is SONE.

38. Reality TV matriarch Jenner : KRIS. Grandma to North West.

39. Ethical complaint : THAT'S UNFAIR

40. "Hurry!" : C'MON

41. Olympics city, e.g. : HOST

42. Furnish : EQUIP

43. Everyone, in orchestral scores : TUTTI

45. Noted Mayflower passenger : ALDEN (John)

46. Origin : SOURCE

50. "Spanglish" actress Téa : LEONI

52. Phone button sequence : MNO

57. Alley in comics : OOP

59. Pay (up) : ANTE

60. Will Smith film series, briefly : MIB (Men in Black). And 104D. Will Smith's role in 60-Down : AGENT J. Tommy Lee Jones is Agent K.

63. "Personal Witness: Israel Through My Eyes" author : EBAN (Abba)

65. Injured badly : MAIMED

67. Playground ride : TRIKE

69. Grand __ Opry : OLE

70. Bowler, for one : HAT. Nailed it.

72. Lead __: EPA concern : IN AIR

73. Flexible Flyers, e.g. : SLEDS

74. Recent "SNL" regular Bill : HADER

77. Inventor's monogram : TAE. Thomas Alva Edison.

80. Urgent acronym : ASAP. Hurry up to Home Depot, while you're still young.

81. Trusted adviser : GURU

83. College hoops coach with 876 victories : RUPP ( Adolph). Gimme for PK. I drew a blank. Rupp Arena is named after him.

85. Really funny : RICH

88. Grueling workplace : SALT MINE. Yet salt is so cheap.

90. Freaks out : GOES NUTS

92. Capital west of Winnipeg : REGINA

96. Turn down : DENY

98. Cross words : TIRADES. Another great clue.

101. Note in a D major scale : C SHARP

102. Free stuff : COMPS

107. Weight room sound : GRUNT

108. "__ Meenie": Kingston/Bieber song : EENIE

109. Wits : WAGS

110. High opening : ACRO

111. Track boundary : RAIL

112. Tremendously : A LOT

113. Holders of buried treasures : ORES. Love it. Hard to come up fresh clues for ORES.

115. Joan of art : MIRO

116. "Winter's Tales" author Dinesen : ISAK. Only know her "Out of Africa".

117. Words of lament : AH ME

120. Org. in Clancy novels : CIA

122. Spreading tree : ELM

C.C.