google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner

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Sep 19, 2013

Thursday, September 19, 2013 Gareth Bain

Theme: Stork naked puns

18A. Governor's pet projects? : STATE PORK. We all know about pork barrel politics. State park.

29A. Utensil that gives you ideas? : CREATIVE SPORK. When you need to backpack light, but creatively. Creative spark.

43A. Bully's secret shame? : FEAR OF THE DORK. Biff's private stigma? Fear of the dark.



56A. Say "Come in, Orson!" e.g.? : QUOTE MORK. Nanu nanu!  Quote mark.


OK, so this has to be one of my all-time favorite theme types, with a simple letter change. Other than stork/stark, can you come up with any other solid themers? I think Gareth has covered them all!

This was a speed run for me, and seemed more Tuesday than Thursday-ish.  Your experience may vary.

Across:

1. One who's always on the go? : NOMAD.

6. Pear that's good for poaching : BOSC. What a pair!


10. Glass sheet : PANE.

14. Superior to : ABOVE.

15. Member of the opposition : ANTI.

16. One on a pedestal : IDOL.

17. Pick-me-up : TONIC.

20. Like one who forgot the Dramamine : SEASICK.

22. Exposed : BARE. Stork naked?

23. Nutritionist's recommendation : DIET.

25. Causes to quail : DAUNTS. Funny word, "quail." A small, migratory gallinaceous game bird.

32. Take to task : SCOLD.

34. Cock or bull : MALE.

35. Blues-rocker Chris : REA. Probably my favorite of his is this one. 2:37

36. Clothes : TOGS.

37. Alex Haley classic : ROOTS.

39. Abarth automaker : FIAT.
40. Coffee hour item : URN.

41. Talent : GIFT.

42. Precipitation : HASTE.

47. Day spa offering : FACIAL. My face is beyond help...

48. First name in fashion : YVES. St. Laurent.

49. Pundit's piece : OP ED.

51. Olympic Airways founder : ONASSIS.

60. Empty room population? : NO ONE.

61. Poetic lowland : VALE.

62. Iroquoian people : ERIE.

63. Compass dirección : NORTE.

64. Rep on the street : CRED.

65. "Law & Order" org. : NYPDNew York Police Department.

66. Composer Bruckner : ANTON. He was described by Mahler as "half simpleton, half god." Listen to some of his best here.


Down:

1. Expos, since 2005 : NATS. Washington D.C. baseball team.

2. High wind : OBOE. Nice misdirection.

3. Pulitzer poet Van Duyn : MONA. Her "Near Changes" won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1991. Maybe YR can share something from the collection.

4. Budget alternative : AVIS. I sooooo wanted "spree."

5. Ruled : DECIDED.

6. Hoops score : BASKET.

7. London's prov. : ONT.ario

8. Shot in the dark : STAB.

9. Fortresses : CITADELS.

10. Find one's voice : PIPE UP.

11. Stir : ADO.

12. Eur. kingdom : NOR.way

13. Antlered bugler : ELK.

19. Take out : ERASE.

21. "Charlie Wilson's War" org. : CIA. Great movie.

24. Recipient of two New Testament epistles : TIMOTHY. First and second epistle to Timothy in the New Testament.

26. Without a downside : NO RISK.

27. Pet's reward : TREAT. My cats love Greenies.

28. Use the rink : SKATE.

29. After-dinner drink : COGNAC.  For Tin, it is at sunset.

30. Jekyll creator's initials : RLS. Robert Lewis Stevenson.

31. Distillery vessel : VAT.

32. Things : STUFF. My favorite routine by George Carlin. 5:09

33. Chick of jazz : COREA. More music. 3:25

37. Winchester wielders : RIFLEMEN. Chuck Connors, for one.

38. Frequently, in verse : OFT.

39. Hardy's "__ From the Madding Crowd" : FAR.

41. Freak out :  GO APE.

.42. Liturgical shout of praise : HOSANNA.

44. Was revolting? : RIOTED. [chuckle]

45. Brought to mind : EVOKED.

46. Place for a wide-screen TV : DEN.

50. Fishing boat : DORY.

52. In short order : SOON.

53. Spreadsheet function : SORT.

54. Liking quite a bit : INTO.

55. Not hidden : SEEN.

56. Home shopping channel : QVC. "Quality, Value, Convenience."

57. Nasser's confed. : UARUnited Arab Republic.

58. Cry for a picador : OLE.

59. Fashionable jeans feature : RIP. And may today's blog rest in peace...

'Til next week!
Marti


Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to Allen, Marti's Ole Miss husband.


2) If you revisit the web pages associated with Crosswords with Friends ... of the University of Minnesota Libraries puzzle, or  its explanation, you can now find links to the full presentation (one-and-a-half hours) that Will Shortz made on September 12, 2013.

Sep 18, 2013

Wednesday, September 18th 2013, C.C.Burnikel

(Note from C.C.: It's Jazzbumpa's turn today, but Steve blogged today's puzzle also. So a rare double treat for us! Jazzbumpa first, then Steve.)

Theme: My mom is one - TWINS.  Each starred clue is answered by one of a brace of famous real or mythical twins.  The crossing theme answer is the other twin of the pair.  Further, one of these twins is indicated by a two-word answer in which the second word is a red herring, while the other is a simple one-word name, clued in a way that should specifically identify the set of TWINS in question.

17A. *Edward Cullen's rival for Bella's hand, in the "Twilight" series : JACOB BLACK.  I haven't watched this series, so it took a lot of perp help. 

2D. *Biblical birthright seller : ESAU.  JACOB's TWIN.  Isaac's non-identical twin sons are both frequent crossword denizens.  You know the story.

23A. *She played Michelle on "Full House" : MARY-KATE. Tricky, since the roll was shared by both of these TWINS.

11. *"High Crimes" actress : ASHLEY JUDD.  As this point, having only half sussed the theme, I'm thinking - wait!  The Judd sisters aren't twins! But MARY KATE and ASHLEY Olsen are.  They have since grown up, or at least gotten older.




45 A. *Brother of Helen of Troy, some say : POLLUX.  I did not know that.

28 D. *Source of an age-old medicinal oil : CASTOR BEAN.  CASTOR OIL, of course.  I don't recall ever being subjected to this cure. CASTOR and POLLUX in Greek mythology, present a confusing case. Per Wikipedia: "Their mother was Leda, but Castor was the mortal son of Tyndareus, the king of Sparta, and Pollux the divine son of Zeus, who seduced or raped Leda in the guise of a swan (Greek myths concerning divine sex are often vague on the issue of female consent)."  That's more than I can comprehend.  Better still, Helen also had a TWIN, the unfortunately named Clytemnestra.  CASTOR and POLLUX are also the brightest stars in the constellation Gemini, and a pet products brand.

59 A. *Beach Boys title girl : BARBARA ANN.  This takes me back to my ute.  But back in the day [1961] this was a hit recording for the Regents.  The Beach Boys cover came later.

44 D. *"Today" correspondent __ Bush Hager : JENNA.  BARBARA and JENNA are the daughters of former President George W. Bush, and clearly non-identical TWINS.  They also got older.  Here they are with their mom, former first lady Laura Bush.


And the unifier:  64 A. Target Field team, and each pair of intersecting names in the answers to starred clues : TWINS.  C.C.'s home baseball team is not having a good year.  They play three games against the Tigers next Mon.- Wed.

It took me quite a while to find C.C.'s wavelength.  But wow - eight paired, crossing theme entries, with the long theme entries in perfect symmetry, plus a unifier stacked below the last horizontal theme fill. Also, two TWIN sets are male and two are female. I don't even want to think about what it took to put this together.

Hi gang, a very impressed JazzBumpa here.  Let's see what else C.C. has in store for us the rest of the way.

Across:

1. Nation between Togo and Nigeria : BENIN.  Along the west coast of Africa where it takes a big sweep to the east.

6. "Look over here!" : PSST.  Sibilant attention getter. 

10. CSNY member : NASH.  Of course I should know what CSNY is, and of course, I didn't.  Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, famous for their tight harmonies.  Back to my ute again.




 
14. Private line? : ASIDE.  A stage line spoken to the audience, not the other players.

15. Elevator man : OTIS.  In 1853, Elisha Otis invented the elevator safety brake.  Now, 160 years later, his company's products are used in over 200 countries around the world.

16. "It's clear now" : I SEE

19. Genghis __ : KHAN.  No relation to Madelaine.

20. "The Plains of Passage" author : AUEL.  Jane

21. Former SSR : UKR.  The Ukraine.

22. Pharmaceutical rep's samples : PILLS.  

26. Dogpatch creator : AL CAPP

31. Alley cats, e.g. : STRAYS

33. Some crowns : TIARAS

34. Desert tableland : MESA.  Spanish for "table."

35. Blue bird : JAY

37. Looking for a fight : TESTY

38. Suffix with infer : IOR  This, I believe, is pushing it.

39. Cook, in a way : SAUTE

41. Bar bowl item : NUT

42. "Don't tell me!" : OH NO

44. 2007 "American Idol" winner Sparks : JORDIN. Pretty obscure.

47. Fails to pronounce : ELIDES.  This took some thought.  It means omitting a sound or syllable in a spoken word.  I heard it in my ute.

48. Image to identify on a driver's license exam : ROAD SIGN

51. Drifters : HOBOS

53. Diarist Anaïs : NIN

54. Neighbor of a Cambodian : THAI

58. Short race, briefly : ONE K.  One kilometer, about .6 miles.

62. Ruse : SCAM.  Phoney business.

63. Duel tool : EPEE. The most common crossword weapon.

65. Funny Dame : EDNA.  Dame EDNA Everage is a character created and performed by Australian comedian Barry Humphries.  That's all I know.

66. Bombs : DUDS.  Funny how language twists.  "A bomb" is a failure, but "THE bomb" is something really cool, while a "bomb" can blow you away.

67. Narrow piece, as of cloth : STRIP.  Other definitions are possible.

Down:

1. __ California : BAJA.  Spanish for "lower."  The peninsula extending south from CA is part of Mexico.

3. "Great shot!" : NICE.  Well done

4. Teen Vogue subject : IDOL.  Today's star, tomorrow's has-been.

5. Lincoln's st. : NEB.  Nebraska.  Gary can tell us all about it.

6. Beer garden music : POLKA.  Oom-pah!

7. Super Bowl I and II MVP : STARR. Bart, QB for the Packers.

8. [Not my error] : SIC.  Short for sic erat scriptum, "thus was it written."  Used when something in a quote looks not quite right.

9. "That wasn't nice" : TSK.  Comic book admonition.

10. Former Soviet leader Khrushchev : NIKITA.  Famous shoe banger.  Or maybe not.

12. Corporate emblem : SEAL.  I wanted LOGO.

13. Egg sources : HENS.

18. Bruises partner : BUMPS.  They go together.

22. Shade provider : PARASOL.  I wanted ELM TREE.

24. North Sea feeder : YSER.  I didn't know what I wanted.

25. Naut. speed units : KTS.  Knots.  Wikipedia again: The knot (pronounced not) is a unit of speed equal to one nautical mile (1.852 km) per hour, approximately 1.151 mph

26. Env. router : ATTN. Abrv. for attention, often used on inter-office communication envelopes.

27. Stay awake in bed : LIE UP.  Or deliberately leave your golf shot short of a hazard.

29. Part of MOMA : ART.  The Museum of Modern ART.

30. Promotional bribes : PAYOLAS.  Big scandal back in my ute.

32. Composer Erik : SATIE.  French.




34. Cattle call : MOO.  Of the cattle, not to the cattle.

36. Hankerings : YENS.  I thought about going to Japan, but didn't have the YEN to travel.

38. "Need You Tonight" band : INXS

40. First name in shipping : ARI.  Onassis.

43. 1963 Newman/Neal film : HUD.  Family strife, sexual tension and diseased cattle on a Texas ranch.

46. Start of a show-off kid's cry : LOOK MA.  Followed by "No hands!"  and CRASH!

49. How traditional Chinese brides dress : IN RED.  Why not?  It's a festive color.

50. Taunts : GIBES

51. Garden waterer : HOSE

52. Burned, in a high-tech way : ON CD.  Probably the next music presentation format to become obsolete.

54. "I __ I taw ..." : TAWT.  A puddy tat.  Tweety Bird

55. It may have highlights : HAIR.

56. Years, to Caesar : ANNI.

57. Clouseau's rank: Abbr. : INSP.  Inspector Jacques Clouseau, the bumbling police detective played by Peter Sellers.  A portrayal by any other actor is a SCAM and a fraud.

59. Place to sleep : BED.  Or plant flowers

60. Bart's Squishee provider : APU.  He runs the Kwik-E-Mart on the Simpson's TV show.

61. ACLU concerns : RTS.  Rights, not routes, except for the one to the court house. 

There you have it.  This puzzle did not BOMB.  In fact, I'd say it was THE bomb.

Cool regards!
JzB


****************

 
Theme: Double Vision: Squint a little further and there's another solve right there!

17A. *Edward Cullen's rival for Bella's hand, in the "Twilight" series : JACOB BLACK
2D. *Biblical birthright seller : ESAU: And a very expensive bowl of soup.

23A. *She played Michelle on "Full House" : MARY KATE
11D. *"High Crimes" actress : ASHLEY JUDD. And a very expensive backpack - $55,000 anyone? To be fair, Ms. Judd had nothing to do with this. A reference to the Olsen twins.



45A. *Brother of Helen of Troy, some say : POLLUX
28D. *Source of an age-old medicinal oil : CASTOR BEAN: You really should look these two up. Not appropriate for family viewing.

59A. *Beach Boys title girl : BARBARA ANN
44D. *"Today" correspondent __ Bush Hager : JENNA: POTUS 41 offspring.

64A. Target Field team, and each pair of intersecting names in the answers to starred clues : TWINS

Just because I love saying "Miiiinesodda" - here's POTUS 40 announcing a Twins game back in 1935:




Hi everyone - Steve again. Was this just me or was this a really tough Wednesday? I was picking around the corners, I couldn't see a theme, there were names, names, names .. these are the puzzles I love - I know I can ....... just ...... get ...... there ..... if ....... I .... keep ...... at ......it. Oh, then I see it's a  C.C teaser. Thanks, I swear she does it just to keep all the regulars honest! 

Across:

1. Nation between Togo and Nigeria : BENIN. I know that, I drive that road every day. Ummm.

6. "Look over here!" : PSST

10. CSNY member : NASH. Now this was thoroughly obscure for me. I was thinking "C whatever State New York" University- Nash College? Oh no, wildly wrong. Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. My bad.

14. Private line? : ASIDE

15. Elevator man : OTIS

16. "It's clear now" : I SEE

19. Genghis __ : KHAN

20. "The Plains of Passage" author : AUEL. A thoroughly opportune vowel combination to guarantee crossword immortality! The book isn't bad, either.

21. Former SSR : UKR. My swim coach Dmitri is from the Ukraine, and coached for the Soviet Socialist Republics before he realized is was better to move to sunny SoCal and coach me.

22. Pharmaceutical rep's samples : PILLS

26. Dogpatch creator : AL CAPP

31. Alley cats, e.g. : STRAYS They strut, those stray cats ....

33. Some crowns : TIARAS

34. Desert tableland : MESA

35. Blue bird : JAY

37. Looking for a fight : TESTY

38. Suffix with infer : IOR, Hmmmmmm , not a fan of this one - it's not really a suffix infer/inferior - ah not the same thing

39. Cook, in a way : SAUTE Food! Yay! I sautéd some shrimp for dinner tonight

41. Bar bowl item : NUT. Don't eat the nuts on the bar unless you've seen them poured and you've had the only hands in them. I won't gross you out by explaining.

42. "Don't tell me!" : OH NO. After you find out about the nuts on the bar.

44. 2007 "American Idol" winner Sparks : JORDIN. Perps.

47. Fails to pronounce : ELIDES. I finally got this one after YEARS of telling myself to remember it. And I needed it for a whole bunch of crosses

48. Image to identify on a driver's license exam : ROAD SIGN

The ones in my native Ireland are not always too helpful as Irish Miss and Mari can affirm:


51. Drifters : HOBOS

53. Diarist Anaïs : NIN

54. Neighbor of a Cambodian : THAI

58. Short race, briefly : ONE K, I'm running a 5K in November in November as a prelude to a triathlon in San Diego in January. It's been mmmmnmmnmm years since I've run to the store, so it'll be interesting.

62. Ruse : SCAM

63. Duel tool : EPEE

65. Funny Dame : EDNA. Dame Edna Everage. Here she is in all her glory:


66. Bombs : DUDS. There's a lot of folks wished the bombs they heard were duds.

67. Narrow piece, as of cloth : STRIP

Down:

1. __ California : BAJA. Just south of me, and a wonderful place to go. Don't believe everything you read in the papers.

3. "Great shot!" : NICE

4. Teen Vogue subject : IDOL

5. Lincoln's st. : NEB. Lincoln the town, not the President - he was born in Kentucky, not Nebraska.

6. Beer garden music : POLKA. It's Oktoberfest very soon - get ready to polka! Which is odd, as the polka is Polish, but what the hey! Drink beer and dance with a green hat and a feather!

7. Super Bowl I and II MVP : STARR. This Green Bay Quarterback also goes by BART, which fits nicely into a puzzle grid when the Simpsons are getting tired.


8. [Not my error] : SIC. Ooops

9. "That wasn't nice" : TSK. [Sorry, not my error]

10. Former Soviet leader Khrushchev : NIKITA

12. Corporate emblem : SEAL

13. Egg sources : HENS

18. Bruises partner : BUMPS

22. Shade provider : PARASOL

24. North Sea feeder : YSER. Not a fish, the Belgian river. Look, here's an Argyle-style explanation:


Oh wait, that's London - never mind

25. Naut. speed units : KTS. A knot is one nautical mile, and it is a precise division of the earth's circumference at it's equator. Lots of nice theme words and a bit of Scrabble in there!

26. Env. router : ATTN. Yeah, you lost me here.

27. Stay awake in bed : LIE UP. Nope. I stay up. When I can can't get up I lie in. Sorry!

29. Part of MOMA : ART. The wonderful Museum of Modern Art in New York City. I spent a day there lost in everything.

30. Promotional bribes : PAYOLAS

32. Composer Erik : SATIE. You've probably heard this but it's wonderful

34. Cattle call : MOO

36. Hankerings : YENS

38. "Need You Tonight" band : INXS. I'd post a link but I'm still listening to Gymnopédie No.1

40. First name in shipping : ARI. Jackie's friend

43. 1963 Newman/Neal film : HUD

46. Start of a show-off kid's cry : LOOK MA. Ends up in the ER.

49. How traditional Chinese brides dress : IN RED. C.C? We'd love to see you in red! (From C.C. I have a picture of Boomer dressed IN RED traditional Chinese coat.)

May 2003, Boomer Retirement Lunch

50. Taunts : GIBES

51. Garden waterer : HOSE

52. Burned, in a high-tech way : ON CD

54. "I __ I taw ..." : TAWT

I worked for Warner Bros. for a while - I learned that Warner Bros. is not Warner Brothers! Oh No! It is Warner Bros.(period) - as I hope I have adequately proven. Also, this this yellow annoyance is called Tweety. Not Tweety Bird. No bird - simply Tweety. Call this thing "Tweety Bird" and it's close to a hanging offense. I escaped - just.




55. It may have highlights : HAIR

56. Years, to Caesar : ANNI.

57. Clouseau's rank: Abbr. : INSP. The clumsy Inspector of the Pink Panther movies.

59. Place to sleep : BED

60. Bart's Squishee provider : APU

61. ACLU concerns : RTS.  Hmmm - Rights? I get the American Civil Liberties Union but ..

That's it from me - a great Wednesday from C.C. - had me guessing and picking all the way. Take care out here and have a wonderful rest of the week!

Steve





More from C.C.:

Some of you solved the "Crosswords with Friends" puzzle I put on the blog last Sunday. George Barany & Friends specially made it for the Will Shortz event. I chucked (Edited later: I meant "chuckled", D-Otto, :-), I'm amazing like that!) reading his comments on the TWINS clue change. See here (almost the bottom).

I submitted this puzzle in February and it was accepted in May, long before the Twins traded Morneau. Sigh. Go Pirates!


Sep 17, 2013

Tuesday, September 17, 2013 Steve Blais

Theme: Hometown, USA - The last word of the unifier (VILLAGE) can precede the first word of the theme entries.

37A. 1996 Hillary Clinton best-seller, and what might be said about the start of 17-, 24-, 48- or 59-Across : "IT TAKES A VILLAGE"

17A. "American Idiot" punk band : GREEN DAY. Video(4:48) - (village green, the open square in many NE towns.)

24A. Performer who is heard but not seen : VOICE ACTOR. They give voice to cartoon characters, i.e. - (Village Voice, an alternative weekly paper in NYC)

48A. Table scraps, to the dog : PEOPLE FOOD. (Village People gave us YMCA)

59A. Boob tube : IDIOT BOX. TV - (village idiot, some get elected)

Argyle here. The strong theme must be why IDIOT was allowed in a clue and an answer. Other than that, nothing jumps out at me. A nit nibbles at me on 67-Across.

Across:

1. Terrible grade : EFF

4. Don of radio : IMUS. He has generated many controversies.

8. Got smart with : SASSED

14. Not feel well : AIL

15. "Brave New World" drug : SOMA. Brave New World is a novel written in 1931 by Aldous Huxley and published in 1932. Still relevant?

16. Developed a liking for : TOOK TO

19. James of "Gunsmoke" : ARNESS. There is lots of trivia about him.

20. Most insignificant : LEAST

21. Hopefully helpful track info : HOT TIP

23. Once, formerly : ERST

28. Thames school : ETON

30. QB's successes : TDs

31. "__ were you ..." : IF I

32. Meat-and-potatoes bowlful : BEEF STEW. If it is really good, I would 65A. Patronize, as a restaurant : DINE AT

36. Mil. school : ACAD. (academy)

41. "High Hopes" lyricist Sammy : CAHN

42. One printing defamatory text, in England : LIBELLER. Two "L's"

43. Prefix with gram : EPI. A smart remark.

44. Bars to scan, briefly : UPC. (Universal Product Code)

47. Boy of la casa : NINO. 49D. Father of la casa : PADRE Spanish

51. Zero-calorie protest : FAST

55. War hero played by George C. Scott : PATTON


56. Sitcom sergeant : BILKO


57. Like citrus juices : ACIDIC

62. TV's "__ & Greg" : DHARMA

63. Remove from power : OUST

64. Sch. in the smallest state : URI. (University of Rhode Island)

66. Source of some psychiatry grants: Abbr. : NIMH. (National Institute of Mental Health)

67. Whitney or Washington: Abbr. : MTN. My nit is these are both called Mount and that is abbreviated MT. Geographically they are mountains, I suppose.

Down:

1. Apollo 11 moon lander : EAGLE

2. Pink-slip issuer : FIRER

3. Bugs with bounce : FLEAS

4. Fails to be : ISN'T. Devilishly simple.

5. Stylish, '60s-style : MOD

6. Hollywood's Thurman : UMA

7. Greet someone casually : SAY HI

8. Uttered : STATED

9. Major heart vessels : AORTAs

10. Former Seattle NBAer : SONIC

11. Doubtful : SKEPTICAL

12. UFO pilots, in theory : ETs

13. Hair styles : DOs

18. Grammy winner Gloria : ESTEFAN


22. Halloween mo. : OCT.

24. Cast a ballot : VOTE

25. Dollar bills : ONES

26. Old enough : OF AGE

27. Bill attachment : RIDER

29. Sound of disdain : [TSK!]

32. __ tendonitis: arm muscle ailment : BICEP

33. Daylong military march : ÉTAPE. from French.

34. Addis Ababa native : ETHIOPIAN

35. Mart opening : WAL

36. The whole thing : ALL OF IT

38. Ristorante carafe contents : VINO. "A bottle of white, a bottle of red / Perhaps a bottle of rose instead" - Billy Joel

39. Footnoter's "ditto," briefly : IBID. (Latin, short for ibidem, meaning "the same place")

40. Deighton of spy-fi : LEN

44. Final syllable : ULTIMA

45. Scratcher on a post : PET CAT. If only it was just the post!

46. Corp. money manager : CFO. (Chief Financial Officer)

50. Hamburger topper : ONION

52. Wedding memento : ALBUM

53. Hybrid tennis garment : SKORT

54. Wasp venom, for one : TOXIN

56. "The other one, too" : "BOTH"

57. Throw in : ADD

58. Cubs' home: Abbr. : CHI. (Chicago)

60. MADD concern : DUI. (driving under the influence)

61. Doctrinal word ending : ISM


Argyle

Notes from C.C.:

1) Below are two beautiful photos from our Corner Northeast Contingent & Montana (Darlene) gathering yesterday. Please click here for more. So nice to finally "see" Hondo, who met with Irish Miss at a card show before. Irish Miss met with Santa Argyle a couple times.

This one has the clearest image when enlarged.

Left to Right: Marti, Dudley, Hondo & Montana


 Everyone smiles in this one, lovely!

Left to Right: Marti, Dudley, Hondo & Montana


2) For those who had trouble getting D-Otto's birthday puzzle yesterday, please click here for direct download of the PDF file; (Thanks, Erik Agard, for teaching me how).

Sep 16, 2013

D-Otto Birthday Puzzle

Happy Birthday to dear D-Otto!

He is one of the very few who read every word my blogging team write. He's also been unfailingly kind and caring to our blog posters, always responsive to those who need help or post a great link/comment.

I made this crossword to celebrate his birthday. The clues are about mid-week difficulty. You don't need to know him to solve this grid.

This puzzle comes in two versions (same Answer Grid, but a handful clues differ):

1) If you are a blog regular, please click here  for PDF file (click on Download at the top right), here for puz file; (Thanks, Erik Agard for teaching me how!)

2) If you are just a blog reader & not familiar with some blog insider talk, please click here  for PDF, and here for puz file.

Spoiler alert: Here is the Answer Grid.
 
Thanks to Marti & Argyle for editing my clues & catching my various goofs. Thanks also to Splynter for test-solving Version 2 and giving me great feedback.

I hope you enjoy the puzzle and I look forward to your comments.

Now, Dave,  please find the perfect cake!


Sheng Ri Kuai Le, D-Otto!

C.C.


Monday, September 16, 2013 Jerry Edelstein

Theme: You may not like "dis" - Words that start with DIS are clued as if they were two words, starting with the slang for criticizing something.

17A. Criticize gas and electric companies? : DIS SERVICES. (disservices)

27A. Criticize a modeling shoot array? : DIS POSES. (disposes)

46A. Criticize stage shows? : DIS PLAYS. (displays)

60A. Criticize awards? : DIS TRIBUTES. (distributes)

11D. Criticize college subjects? : DIS COURSES. (discourses)

27D. Criticize farmers? : DIS TILLERS. (distillers)

Argyle here. No disrespect intended. This appears to be an ambitious debut by our constructor so a few hard nuggets can be accepted and the high number of "esses".

Across:

1. Manages (for oneself) : FENDS

6. Snuck : CREPT. Sneaked or snuck, ok? See the usage note here.

11. __ Moines, Iowa : DES

14. Native Alaskan : ALEUT

15. Cowboy singer Gene : AUTRY. No discouraging word here(2:43).

16. "That's nasty!" : "ICK!"

19. The Beatles' "__ Loves You" : SHE. Yeah, Yeah.

20. Sunrise direction : EAST

21. One of a D.C. 100 : SEN. (senators)

22. Russian capital : MOSCOW

24. Roy G __: rainbow mnemonic : BIV

26. Piebald horse : PINTO. Like what Little Joe rode on the Ponderosa.

30. It replaced the French franc : EURO

33. Pass out : FAINT

35. Mudville number : NINE. The poem on YouTube LINK

36. Complete, as a scene : WRAP

37. Tropicana and Minute Maid, briefly : OJs

38. Cheesy sandwiches : MELTS

39. Grounded jet : SST

40. Sworn statement : OATH

42. Isaac's eldest : ESAU

43. Wranglers with wheels : JEEPS

45. Folk music's Kingston __ : TRIO

48. Former Bears head coach Smith : LOVIE. Chicago Bears Head coach, 2004–2012

50. Be in debt : OWE

51. Sea near Stockholm : BALTIC


53. Prefix with pass : SUR. (surpass)

55. Become enraged : FUME

59. World Cup cheer : "¡OLÉ!"

63. Gen-__: boomer's kid, probably : Xer

64. Invalidate : ANNUL

65. On one's toes : ALERT

66. Fist pumper's word : "YES!"

67. Trotsky and Uris : LEONs

68. Pack animals : ASSes

Down:

1. Lose color in the wash : FADE

2. "On the Waterfront" director Kazan : ELIA


3. Loch with a monster : NESS

4. Brit's trash can : DUSTBIN

5. Sault __ Marie : STE.

6. Batman's hideout : CAVE. "Quick, to the Batmobile!" 12D. Bounce in a 6-Down : ECHO. "Quick, to the Batmobile!"

7. Wreck completely : RUIN

8. And so on: Abbr. : ETC.

9. Vacate the __: eviction notice phrase : PREMISES

10. Big name in chicken : TYSON. Perdue's competition.

13. Depict unfairly : SKEW

18. Invitation letters : RSVP

23. Bouillabaisse, e.g. : STEW. Traditional fish stew.

25. Practitioner: Suff. : IST

26. Kept in, as hostility : PENT-UP

28. Bodysuit for a tiny tot : ONESIE

29. "__ Marner": Eliot work : SILAS

31. Speak with a grating voice : RASP

32. Chooses : OPTs

33. 12 inches : FOOT

34. Open a bit : AJAR

38. Doctor's profession : MEDICINE

41. Owl's cry : [HOOT!][

43. A boxer may have a glass one : JAW

44. They're attractive to look at : EYEFULs

47. "Footloose" co-star Singer : LORI. Did you catch that Singer was capitalized?


49. "Myra Breckinridge" author Gore : VIDAL

51. Like the Honda Element : BOXY. Probably want to keep it like the following...

52. Away from the wind : ALEE

53. Really surprise : STUN

54. Web addresses, briefly : URLs

56. Beehive State natives : UTEs. Not Utahn today.

57. Little more than : MERE

58. Repair co. proposals : ESTs. (estimates)

61. __-cone : SNO

62. Sheep's call : [BAA]


Argyle


Sep 15, 2013

Sunday September 15, 2013 Amy Johnson

Theme: "No-win Situations" - All possible combinations of letters XXO (except XXX & OOO) are hidden in each theme entry.
 
23A. Wonka's starting hockey team? : SIX OOMPA LOOMPAS. Oompa-Loompas work for Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. Six player on ice during a hockey game.

37A. Much "Sanford and Son" banter? : REDD FOXX ONE- LINERS

66A. Rockport knockoffs? : FAUX OXFORDS. Maybe Famous Footwear has Rockport. Never paid attention to that brand before.

96A. Rusty, the Iron Man? : SUPERHERO OXYMORON. Funny clue.

16D. Artistic place for tiny letters? : MAILBOX ORIGAMI

50D. Non-conforming Marvel mutants? : UNORTHODOX X-MEN

Reveal entry:

116A. Three-letter combinations hidden in this puzzle's six other longest answers : TIC TAC TOE LOSERS

Amy covers all the possible 6 arrangements, correct? X'es are tricky to deal with in filling, she had 10 of them!

Across:
1. Casserole holders : MITTS

6. Flood barrier : DIKE

10. Santa __, aka "devil winds" : ANAs

14. Tut's home, now : TOMB

18. Online payment : E-CASH

19. OS X basis : UNIX. Mac OS X.

20. Guns : REVs

21. At full throttle : AMAIN

26. Say "I do" : UNITE

27. 2006 Verizon acquisition : MCI

28. Dutch pottery city : DELFT

29. Nonstick cookware brand : T-FAL.  Great quality.

30. Clown's props : STILTS

31. Early philosophical hot spot : ELEA. I know this place only as  Zeno of Elea. He's a philosopher, so it could be a hot spot. MN is a hot spot for crosswords. George Barany told me that  "...Will said that besides New York and California, there is no other state with such a concentration of constructing talent (maybe he forgot about Maryland?)".

33. Island gift : LEI

34. Home of the Green Wave : TULANE


36. Civil War nickname : ABE

42. Eugene's st. : ORE

44. Cousin of a bald eagle : ERN

45. Bygone TV knob : HOR

46. High points : CLIMAXES

48. Grammy winner Cole : PAULA. "Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?"

51. Alley cries : MEOWs

53. Org. with Pirates and Sharks : AHL. No idea. American Hockey League.

54. Black hues, to Chaucer : EBONs

55. Traditional fourth-anniversary gift : LINEN. See here. Boomer and I will celebrate our 13th year next May.

56. Fed. workplace monitor : OSHA

57. Hot state : IRE

58. Bob or bowl : HAIRDO

59. Game with Skip cards : UNO

60. Hawaii's coffee capital : KONA

62. Half the taijitu symbol : YANG

64. "__ Went Mad": Riley poem : ERE I

65. Cellists' sect. : STR (String)

70. Styling stuff : GEL

73. Us opponents : THEM

76. Certain slip-on : MULE. Shoes.

77. Catch some rays : BASK

79. Crest letters : ADA

80. Like sailors on leave : ASHORE. I wanted something drunk related. Sorry, Spitzboov/D-Otto!

82. Lucrative : FAT. OK, a fat year.

83. Epitome of thinness : RAIL

85. High points : ACMES

87. Polynesian language : MAORI. I think Steve used this image last time. Stick your tongue out. How low can you go?



88. ABO designation : POS (Positive)

89. High : TIPSY

90. Venerated one : SAINT

91. Skating on thin ice : IN DANGER

93. Holiday chuckles : HOs. Santa!

94. 21st, e.g.: Abbr. : CEN

95. Tokugawa shogunate seat of power : EDO

104. Scripts that may be hard to read : RXS

106. Part of ASAP : AS SOON. One 6-letter partial is OK.

107. Old-fashioned show of affection: Abbr. : LTR. My sister-in-law Barbara always writes us letters.

108. Project Mercury org. : NASA

109. Actress Meredith __-Birney : BAXTER

111. Coll. major involving an observatory : ASTR (Astronomy)

112. Calligrapher's line : SERIF

114. Rotation meas. : RPS (Revolutions per Second)

115. Skilled pitchers : ADMEN. Not baseball.

119. Hardly certain : LEERY

120. Natural soother : ALOE

121. Bengay, e.g. : BALM. This might work if you have mild arthritis pain or muscle pain. You local Asian store should have them. The stuff stinks though.



122. "Have a look!" : GO SEE

123. Lombardy Castle city : ENNA. In Sicily. Splynter might know Lombardy Castle. Not me.

124. Surfer, perhaps : USER. Internet surfer.

125. Old dagger : SNEE

126. Mythical lover of wine and women : SATYR

Down:

1. "Animal magnetism" coiner : MESMER. He gave us "Mesmerize".

2. Frozen drip : ICICLE

3. Rolled on a runway : TAXIED

4. Menu general : TSO. Chicken.

5. Sporting heels : SHOD

6. Two-floor apartment : DUPLEX

7. Up the creek : IN A FIX

8. Highland wear : KILT

9. Skeletal prefix : EXO. "Outer".

10. Carrying limit : ARMFUL

11. Himalayan native : NEPALI. Sherpa's life is actually very hard.

12. Ski area concern : AVALANCHE. Sherpas encounter this often.

13. Snake's "Back off!" : SSS

14. Ready to snap : TAUT

15. __ vincit amor : OMNIA. Do you believe in "Love conquers all"?

17. What some fight to, with "the" : BITTER END

22. Video game console : NES

24. Cantaloupe, e.g. : MELON

25. Aquatic rompers : OTTERS

30. Pak of the LPGA : SE RI. She opened the door for all those Korean LPGA players. 


32. Mr. Rochester's ward : ADELE. Jane Eyre.

35. "Gimme a Break!" star Carter : NELL. And 49. "__ Misbehavin'" : AIN'T

38. Ballpark buy : FRANK

39. "This could be a problem" : OH OH

40. Trouble for the hopelessly trapped : NO WAY OUT

41. Nasty race tactic : SMEAR

43. Manitoba pump sign : ESSO

47. Irish Rose's guy : ABIE. Learned from doing Xwords.

48. Grade refinement : PLUS

51. "__ Lisa" : MONA

52. Biblical barterer : ESAU

53. Ship protected by Hera : ARGO. Otherwise, no woman on that ship.

57. Lower-ranking : INFERIOR

58. Company with toy trucks : HESS


61. "All __": 1984 film : OF ME

63. Rocker Rose : AXL

67. Adman's yuletide : XMAS

68. Aaron's MLB record 2,297 : RBIs

69. Longtime "What's My Line?" host : DALY (John). I should borrow Splynter's BMT (Before My Time).

71. Original sin site : EDEN

72. __ resort : LAST

74. Israeli folk dance : HORA

75. Actress Moran et al. : ERINs

78. "Casey's Top 40" host : KASEM

80. French girlfriend : AMIE

81. 1959 Gidget player : SANDRA DEE. Hey, a full name.

82. Jibs, e.g. : FORESAILS

84. Lhasa __ : APSO

86. Church law : CANON

88. Spices (up) : PEPS

89. Powerful D.C. lobby : THE NRA

92. __ gum: thickening agent : GUAR

94. Ritchard who played Hook on Broadway : CYRIL. Stranger to me. Captain Hook. Wiki said he was born in Australia. Not Russia as I thought.


97. Gun, in old slang : ROSCOE. I forgot. But we had this clue before.

98. More spicy : HOTTER

99. Soccer stadium shout : OLE OLE

100. Limit-pushing, in adspeak : XTREME. The bowling center in Treasure Island is called Island Xtreme Bowl.

101. Most limited : RAREST

102. Fish-eating hawk : OSPREY

103. 1952 Egyptian Revolution leader : NASSER. The guy who's in control now is General Sisi. No government can survive in Egypt without the military backing. Morsi is a good example.

105. Tough : STERN

109. Statement no. : BAL (Balance)

110. Mononymous New Ager : ENYA

112. Asian country suffix : STAN. Meaning "Land".

113. London forecasts : FOGS

116. Sigma follower : TAU

117. Letters next to an eye : CBS. Great clue.

118. "__ man walks into ..." : SO A



I mentioned last week that George Barany (The genius behind the Alan Turing tribute puzzle)  & Friends made the fun puzzle inside the program for "An Evening with the Puzzle Master". Everyone was busy solving the grid while waiting for Will to start the presentation.

George kindly provided me with the puz file. I thought you might enjoy it. You don't have to be an Minnesotan to solve the grid. 

Click here for the PDF file. Click here for the puz file. 
 
Spoiler alert:

Click here to read how the puzzle was created & George's thoughts on several entries. I bet TTP & PA Don enjoyed reading his remark on 51-Down. There is also a great picture of the MN constructors with Will Shortz at the bottom. 

C.C.