Friday, January 3, 2014, Ed Sessa

Theme: Before and After Bridge

Well it is Friday and time to present another way to hide the theme, this time with 4 sets of answers paired together where the answer to the the first fill needs BRIDGE added to the end to make sense of the clue/fill and the second part of the pair needs BRIDGE to precede the answer to complete the fill. The puzzle certainly made me aware of how many different meanings BRIDGE has. Without asterisks or other hints, locating and sussing the theme was quite difficult, even with the reveal. This is my third write up of Mr. Sessa, who has been one of the steadiest and most prolific constructors with about 30 LAT and 21 NYT in the past few years. The puzzle did not have much long fill, but the 7s and 8s were good. ARTISTE, CANTEEN,  CORRODE,  COURSES,  IN TOTAL,  MACABRE,  NOODGES, STERNUM, COIN CASE,  INTEGRAL. The cluing was hard, so I'd best get to work unraveling....

14A. Stream crosser : FOOT. (4) (Footbridge).  and 16A. Sets of 13 cards : HANDS. (5). (Bridge hands).

24A. 1990 Newman/Woodward drama : MR AND MRS. (8) (Mr and Mrs Bridge). Never heard of this MOVIE (2:46), despite the cast, it only grossed $7 million; but knowing I was looking for BRIDGE from footbridge, this made sense, then I later saw the reveal, then 26A. Overcome a significant difference : THE GAP (6) had to be (Bridge the Gap).

54A. Oral prosthesis : DENTAL. (6) (Dental bridge). With implants, they may disappear. 56A. Spock and Uhura, e.g. : OFFICERS. (8) (Bridge officers). Notice how the length of the fill flip flops to maintain symmetry.

66A. Place for spectacles : NASAL. (5) (Nasal bridge) The bridge of your nose. 67A. Military fortification : HEAD. (bridgehead). I am not sure if it is intentional or not, but footbridge and bridge head which are the symmetrical 'hidden' theme answers, are the only ones which are a single word. Securing the end of a bridge in war has always been Military STRATEGY.

The reveal:

52D. Apt word to substitute for each of four black squares to make sense of the across answers on either side of them : BRIDGE. That made everything as clear as mud.

Across:

1. Creepy thing : MOSS. What a tough way to start, after giving up on bugs, and ghouls, I thought of IVY then VINE; 1 down not being easy made this a challenging beginning.

5. Oft-used PC key : ESC. How do you guess between ESC, ALT and DEL? Really hard with SOLAR and LUNAR both fitting.

8. Karel Capek genre : SCI FI. We have had various references to this AUTHOR before, usually because he coined the word ROBOT. This was a gimme for Owen, but for the rest of us,  I knew this was not going to be a speed run.

13. "O.G. Original Gangster" rapper : ICE T. I do not know rap, and it is getting harder to find links without long ads, so we travel to Poland for this VERSION. (2:58). Along with ICE CUBE, he has made the transition to mainstream TV.

17. Residential plot : ACRE. Even this was tricky as so few houses are built on this large a lot.

18. Sweeping target : FLUE. Chimney sweeps...we have to work for every letter today.

19. Prologue : INTRO. Finally, and some may nit about it not suggesting an abbreviation.

20. Hindu collection : SUTRA. I know we have all heard of the Kama Sutra, but there is MORE.

22. Performer : ARTISTE.

29. Promise : ASSURE.

30. Doc who treats snorers : ENT. Ear Nose and Throat.

32. Lake __ College, near Cleveland : ERIE.

33. Wrong treatment : MISUSE. I had trouble seeing this definition.

35. Tree knot : GNARL.

36. 1957 Treaty of Rome org. : EEC. European Economic Community. This TREATY was a step on the way to the current European Union.

39. Consume : EAT. Placed nicely next to...

40. Consumer's guide, briefly : RDA. Recommended Daily Allowance. I never had an allowance.

42. Caustic chemical : LYE.

43. It may be pulled at a gym : GROIN. As opposed to your leg in conversation.

45. Bring up to speed : INFORM.

48. V __ Victor : AS IN.

49. Road warning : SLO. I do not like this sign, but the fill is legitimate.

50. Lit at the table, perhaps : FLAMBE. People and flames....

58. Become rusty : CORRODE.

60. "Shaddap!" : CAN IT! My New England upbringing always taught me, "You eat what you can, and what you can't, you can."

61. Muse of poetry : ERATO. More popular than lady gaga and miley combined.

63. Mythical maneater : OGRE. Musical interlude. ONE. (4:25).

65. Sit tight : BIDE.

68. Fly off the handle : RAGE. Many of us have had to deal with rageaholics in life.

69. Inscribed pillar : STELE. This has become a CW staple, we saw it at the end of November here..

70. Sneaky : SLY.

71. Sch. level : ELEM.

Down:

1. Noxious gas : MIASMA. I am more familiar with its use as to noxious atmosphere; a Friday word.

2. Comes to pass : OCCURS.

3. SmartSurface mattresses : SERTAS. Interesting that SEALY has the same number of letters as SERTA.

4. Rib cage part : STERNUM.  From the Greek Sternos. This finally got me started.

5. Valedictorian's nightmare : EFF. Man, is this where I get to link the EFF  word pics?

6. __ eclipse : SOLAR. Lunar/solar...

7. Soup-to-nuts listing : COURSES. Four courses is about the most I can handle.

8. Turkish for "skewer" : SHISH. Sheesh, we should know this from all the Kebab (kabob?) we eat.

9. Hiker's container : CANTEEN. Hydrate.

10. Vital : INTEGRAL.

11. New Deal initials : FDR. Do I need to spell this one out?

12. Prefix meaning "equal" : ISO.

15. Asian festival : TET. To most my age inextricably associated with the Vietnam War.

21. Brody of "The Pianist" : ADRIEN. Wonderful, sad, moving movie.

23. TV cousin : ITT. The Addams family.

25. Phoenix suburb : MESA.

27. Light : AIRY.

28. Soccer superstar : PELE. His legend lives on in the CW world.

31. Maker of the Super Soaker : NERF. Unrelated by I recently heard this SONG.(3:57).

34. Monthly exp. : UTILities.

35. Enticing kitchen aroma : GARLIC. A shout out to our Gilroy girl.

36. "Gosh!" : EGAD.

37. Scots Gaelic : ERSE.

38. Place for petty cash? : COIN CASE. Like alliteration, but struggled a bit here.

41. Tip : DOFF. My cap at this one.

44. Taken together : IN TOTAL.

46. Nags : NOODGES. From Yiddish nudyen (to pester, bore), from Polish nudzic. The word developed a variant spelling 'nudge' under the influence of the English word 'nudge'. A cousin of this word is nudnik (a boring pest). First recorded use: 1960. Per wordsmith.

47. Saint-Saëns' "Danse __" : MACABRE. A Halloween staple, seen HERE (7:18) from a visual perspective.

49. Camera letters : SLR. Single Lens Reflex.

51. Lowly : MENIAL.  Followed by...

53. Value : ESTEEM.

55. Play __ in : A ROLE.

57. Born in the wild : FERAL. I guess this is accurate but I think of feral as a domesticated animal living in the wild.

59. "How lovely!" : OOH. AHH, we are almost done and these three letter ones helped.

61. Annapolis grad. : ENSign.

62. Squealer with a tale or a tail : RAT. Lovely use of language.

64. Market freezer name : EDY. Because Breyer's never fits.

Well, here is another year upon us, and almost time for the Corner's anniversary, as C.C. pointed out, and so many responded on the 1st. I hope this one did not keep you late night solvers up too late, and I look forward to opinions hearing from all the readers, the lurkers, the regulars, the now and agains, and the long lost. Peace out and may 2014 be the best yet.

Lemonade.

Note from C.C.:

Husker Gary just updated his brilliant Crossword Corner map. Click on it for a clearer view. Please contact Gary (gschlapfer@gmail.com) if you want to be added or removed from the map. Thanks for the hard work, Gary!

Thursday, January 2, 2014 Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: "Could'a, should'a, would'a seen it coming!"

17. *Sweet melons : CAN'TALOUPES.

24. *Ramshackle community : SHAN'TYTOWN.

31. *The Prairie State : I'LLINOIS.

40. *Horror film shapeshifter : WE'REWOLF.

47. *Chinese restaurant staple : WON'TONSOUP.

56. Beginning of labor, and, in another sense, the beginning of each answer to a starred clue : CONTRACTION.

I don't think I have ever seen this gimmick before.  Until I saw the reveal, I didn't have a clue.

Across:

1. Towering : BIG.

4. Give quite the earful : SHOUT AT. Some tricky little phrases in the puzzle that made me check more than a few perps.

11. Woody Allen asset : WIT.

14. Soul, in Somme : AME.

15. City that was the source of the marble for Michelangelo's "David" : CARRARA.

16. Squeeze (out) : EKE.

19. Taylor of fashion : ANN. Classic styles. Kind of boring, IMHO.

20. Behind : AFTER.

21. CD return : INT.erest

22. Princess provoker : PEA. From the classic fairy tale, "The Princess and the Pea."

23. Agile deer : ROES. Deer doesn't need an "s" for the plural. Frustrating to C.C.

28. Forest mom : DOE. Doe adds an "s" for the plural. Go figure.

29. Kublai __ : KHAN.

30. Hand or foot : UNIT.

33. Some words in baby books? : FIRSTS.

35. Kitten cry : MEWL. Beware of mewling kittens…they will steal their way into your heart and end up taking over the household.

36. Warm-water shark : MAKO.

37. Smooth moves : SEGUES. Not to be confused with Segways, which are also pretty smooth:

44. "Rag Mop" singing brothers : AMES. Oldie but goodie.

45. Burden : ONUS.

46. Go (for) : VIE.

51. Broad bean : FAVA.

52. Brief writer: Abbr. : ATT.orney

53. Pal of Piglet : ROO.

54. One with a muzzle, maybe : BITER. If I see a dog with a muzzle, I steer clear!

55. Movement-sensing game console : WII. My WII Tai Chi instructor is a hard taskmaster.

60. Clark's "Mogambo" co-star : AVA. Clark Gable and Ava Gardner.

61. Like some elephants : ASIATIC. As opposed to African elephants.

62. Musician Sean Taro __ Lennon : ONO. How many ways to clue ONO?

63. Intense hunger : YEN.

64. Sand dollar habitats : SEABEDS.

65. Web : NET.


Down:

1. Company that now owns Dewar's, Bombay Sapphire and Grey Goose : BACARDI.

2. "Stupid me!" : I'M A FOOL. A gratuitous CONTRACTION.

3. Well-mannered : GENTEEL.

4. Swordplay memento : SCAR.

5. "2001" computer : HAL. "2001: A Space Odyssey."

6. Galeón cargo : ORO. Spanish ship seeking gold.

7. Braz. neighbor : URU.guay

8. Easy putt : TAP IN. I bet Husker Gary has had plenty of those.

9. "__ you ready yet?" : AREN'T. Another gratuitous CONTRACTION. I think I would have tried to avoid this type of entry, given the theme.

10. Lip-smacking : TASTY.

11. Some Clue cards : WEAPONS.

12. "My suspicions are confirmed!" : I KNEW IT! Another tough little phrase to parse.

13. Building group : TENANTS.

18. Your, to Pierre : TES.  The others are: votre, vos, ton and ta (adjectives or pronouns) and à vous and à toi (pronouns).

24. Broadway attractions : SHOWS.

25. It comes down hard : HAIL. Haha, cute clue.

26. "Jeopardy!" monitor display: Abbr. : ANS.wer

27. "One L" author : TUROW.

29. Often-torn trouser part : KNEE.

32. "__ down to the seas again": Masefield : I MUST. From "Sea Fever." Complete poem, here.

33. At a great height : FAR UP.

34. Turner and others : IKES.

36. Remote button : MENU.

37. Figured out how : SAW A WAY. See what I mean about the tough little phrases?

38. Producing intense feeling : EMOTIVE.

39. Blue-flowering plant used in herbal medicine : GENTIAN. My mother used to drink Moxie, which contained gentian root. Blecch!!

40. Try to persuade : WOO.

41. Show of hands? : OVATION. Fun clue.

42. Potential dupe : LIVE ONE. In this case, "dupe" refers to a patsy.

43. Biblical words of comfort : FEAR NOT.

48. SeaWorld swimmers : ORCAS.

49. Lariat loop : NOOSE.

50. Colleague of Elena and Antonin : SONIA. Elena Kagan, Antonin Scalia and Sonia Sotomayor. Supreme Court Justices.

51. Hale and hearty : FIT.

54. Secretly keeps in the email loop, briefly : BCCs. Blind Carbon Copies, on an email.  Whenever I send an email to a large group, I always put their addresses in the BCC field. That way, the names are less likely to be grabbed by internet bots.

57. Computer key : TAB.

58. Short shortcut? : RTE.  Route.

59. Samaritan's offering : AID. I quickly saw that "alms" wouldn't fit. (Very perceptive of me, don't you think??)

See you next week!
Marti

Wedneday January 1, 2014 C.C. Burnikel

Theme: SILENTS (37A: Many Greta Garbo films, and what you'll find at the intersections of four pairs of answers to starred clues) - Parse it as SILENT S. The four intersecting S'es are all silent.

 

16A. *Sargent Shriver was its first director : PEACE CORPS. Crossing 8D. *Rank below earl : VISCOUNT

60A. *Aptly named New York region : LONG ISLAND. Crossing 47D. *We, to Monet : NOUS

10D. *Driving hazard : ROAD DEBRIS. Crossing 45A. *See 36-Across : MOINES

26D. *Theater guide : AISLE LIGHT. Crossing 36A. *With 45-Across, Iowa's most populous city : DES

Happy New Year, everyone!

C.C. here, filling in another blog gap. When I submitted this puzzle, the four intersecting S'es are circled. You can click here for my original clues and grid. Rich probably thought they're unnecessary. As usual, lots of clue changes.

Across:

     
1. Tail end : REAR

5. Airing, as a golf tournament : ON TV

9. Spoiled kid : BRAT

13. "Splendor in the Grass" author : INGE. I liked the movie, though it's a bit heavy.

14. Premier Zhou who hosted Nixon's 1972 visit : ENLAI. The most beloved figure in China. He could have done more and protected more during the Cultural Revolution.

15. Lauderdale neighbor : BOCA

18. Go-__: small racer : KART

19. Dry gulch : ARROYO

20. Wite-Out maker : BIC. Spitzboov uses Wite-Out.

21. Mind flash : IDEA

22. Move, to an agent : RELO

24. Seemingly forever : NO END

26. Doing the math, in a way : ADDING

28. Top-priority : URGENT. I don't think Argyle or the few friends I have on the blog like email from me with the subject line "Olio". It's normally trouble. Yet they always give me quick & honest opinions. Feels good to be prioritized.

31. National rival : AVIS

33. Supreme Court justice Kagan : ELENA

35. Dark horse : BAY

39. Runway disaster : RIP. No disaster here. Just a selfie from Gisele with a hashtag #multitasking.

40. Bigger picture: Abbr. : ENL

41. Fireplace bit : EMBER

42. Ill humor : BILE

43. Caroline and Maria, to Ted Kennedy : NIECES

48. Some cosmetic surgeries, for short : LIPOS

50. Midday : NOON

51. Fail to mention : OMIT. Welcome to the blue world, Buckeye Bob!

53. Classic Pontiac : GTO

55. Crunchy snack : NUT BAR

59. Gift-bearing trio : MAGI

62. Longing : ACHE

63. Company removed from the Dow 30 in 2013 : ALCOA. So were HP & Bank of America. Goldman Sachs, Visa and Nike were in.

64. Sicilian resort : ENNA. Learned from doing Xwords.

65. Fish catchers : NETS

66. Scout's good work : DEED

67. Positive votes : YEAS

Down:

1. Strahan co-host : RIPA (Kelly)

2. Nuke-testing dept. : ENER

3. Petri dish gel : AGAR

4. Audiophile's collection : RECORDS

5. Artist Yoko : ONO. I used a quote clue. Too long.

6. Workers' rights gp. : NLRB (National Labor Relations Board)

7. Six-inch putt, say : TAP IN

9. Beale Street blues legend : B B KING

11. Cornfield measure : ACRE. Is this heaven?

12. "Ciao!" : TA TA

14. Food recall cause : ECOLI

17. Watched : EYED

23. Deli counter qty. : ONE LB

25. Times in history : ERAS

27. Procter & Gamble toothpaste : GLEEM

29. Polish target : NAIL

30. Prepare a blog post, say : TYPE. What I'm doing now.

31. Yemen's Gulf of __ : ADEN

32. Part of a memorable boast : VENI. "Veni, vidi, vici".

34. "Conspiracy of Fools" company : ENRON. Thought of Husker Gary's uncle, who lost all his fortunes with Enron.

37. Drain slowly : SEEP

38. "That makes me happy" : I'M SO GLAD

42. U.K.-based luxury automaker : BENTLEY. Do you dream of owning one? I couldn't care less about cars.

44. Two in a Dickens title : CITIES

46. Ancient region of present-day Turkey : IONIA

49. Lifted or boosted : STOLE. I did not know "boosted" can mean "stole" also. Rich's clue of course. Great one!

51. Neighbor of Saudi Arabia : OMAN

52. Defensive spray : MACE

54. "The Raven" opening : ONCE

56. Downfall cause : BANE

57. "Breaking Bad" Emmy winner Gunn : ANNA.

58. Old cereal box stats : RDAS

61. Mars, e.g. : GOD

This blog will turn 6 years old on January 21, 2014. Tell me in the Comments section: How long have you been reading our blog? If you've been just lurking, delurk today and say "Hi" to our regulars.

C.C.

Tuesday, December 31, 2013 Jack McInturff

Theme: Tasty - The word SWEET may be placed in front of the last word of the four theme entries to create a new phrase.

20A. Hopes that weren't meant to be : BROKEN DREAMS. Sweet Dreams, a song by Jewel Clip.(4:59)

31A. Concern before changing lanes : BLIND SPOT. Sweet spot, often spoken of as the best place on bat, club, racket, etc. to strike a ball.

40A. Locker room motivator : PEP TALK. Sweet talk, Sweet Nothin's by Brenda Lee Clip.(2:30)

49A. Kids' game with a quickly passed object : HOT POTATO. Sweet potato, may not have another one until next Thanksgiving.

56A. Jackie Gleason catchphrase, and a hint to the ends of 20-, 31-, 40- and 49-Across : "HOW SWEET IT IS!"

Argyle here. Interesting. Nice triple columns on either side. Seareeferd will be happy there is less foreign words today.

Across:

1. Run-down area : SLUM

5. French message-carrying boat : AVISO. We've seen this before.

10. Castle trench : MOAT

14. __ Cod : CAPE

15. Toy blocks : LEGOs

16. "Bus Stop" dramatist : INGE. The 1956 film is only loosely based upon the play.

17. Military assistant : AIDE. (aide-de-camp)

18. Many, many centuries : AEONs

19. In a little while : SOON

23. Jacob's twin : ESAU

24. Dethrones : OUSTs

28. One of Scrooge's four visitors : GHOST

35. Predatory bird : RAPTOR

37. College URL ending : .EDU

38. Nautical opening? : AERO

39. Bird: Pref. : AVI

43. Be in the wrong : ERR

44. __ de soie: silk cloth : PEAU. (literally: skin(pelt) of silk)

46. PBS underwriter : NEA. (Public Broadcasting Service/National Endowment for the Arts)

47. Lassie chaser : LADDIE

                                LINK

52. Goads : PRODS

53. PGA great Sam : SNEAD

54. "__ Grit": John Wayne classic : TRUE

63. Service station job : LUBE

66. Dressy footwear : HEELS

67. Partner of Roy or Chip : DALE. 'Queen of the West' and Chip'n'Dale, Disney chipmunks.

68. Swedish furniture giant : IKEA

69. Lift up : EXALT

70. Ultimatum ending : ELSE

71. Property document : DEED

72. Greenhorns : TYROs

73. In fighting trim : LEAN

Down:

1. Union underminer : SCAB

2. Hibernation site : LAIR

3. Fancy hairstyle : UPDO

4. Most submissive : MEEKEST

5. Ex of Rod Stewart : ALANA

6. Beetle with four wheels, slangily : VEEDUB. (VW,shortened)

7. Movie lab helper : IGOR. Bit of misdirection.

8. Sound measure : SONE

9. Mount near Olympus : OSSA

10. Pageant title since 1952 : MISS USA. Miss Connecticut Erin Brady.

11. Singer Yoko : ONO

12. Gone by : AGO

13. Low card in a royal flush : TEN. An ace-high straight flush is the highest-ranking standard poker hand.

21. Prevent legally : ESTOP

22. Trendy, '60s-style : MOD

25. Muscle beach swimwear : SPEEDO

26. Steaming hot : TORRID. Coincidence it follows the above; I think not.

27. Retail outlets : STOREs

28. Board meeting displays : GRAPHs

29. Be dressed in : HAVE ON

30. Sleep-inducing drug : OPIATE

32. Put on the attack : LET AT

33. Actress Lupino : IDA

34. Void partner : NULL

36. Apartment payment : RENT

41. Veggie on a vine : PEA

42. Shot, as an engine : KAPUT

45. In front : UP AHEAD

48. Hanukkah spinning toy : DREIDEL

50. "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" constable : ODO. Odo and Quark

                               LINK

51. Verdi opera based on a Shakespeare play : OTELLO

55. Enjoys a siesta : RESTS

57. Sharpen : WHET

58. Like centerfolds : SEXY

59. Be dressed in : WEAR

60. Story : TALE

61. Ingrid's "Casablanca" role : ILSA

62. Espied : SEEN

63. Hinged cover : LID

64. Don Ho's strings : UKE

65. Bonnet-dwelling insect? : BEE

Argyle

Monday, December 30, 2013 Joel D. Lafargue

Theme: Little Boy Blue's Lament - The first word is descriptive of Little Boy Blue's stock.

17A. 1965 Righteous Brothers hit repopularized by its use in the 1990 film "Ghost" : UNCHAINED MELODY

33A. Scarily unpredictable type : LOOSE CANNON

41A. Monopoly board corner : FREE PARKING

59A. Pep that won't quit : BOUNDLESS ENERGY

"Little boy blue, Come blow your horn,

The sheep's in the meadow, The cow's in the corn.

But where is the boy Who looks after the sheep?

He's under a haystack, Fast asleep."

Argyle here. I found this a challenge for a Monday. Joel has shown he is good for any day of the week. Two grid spans. Some tricky clues and some so straightforward you might overthink them. A good mix.

"Will you wake him? No, not I - for if I do,

he's sure to cry."

Across:

1. Key with no flats or sharps: Abbr. : C MAJ. A gimme for some but not for me.

5. Terra __: pottery clay : COTTA

10. Dog's greeting : [BARK!]

14. Big deli sandwich : HERO. Sub, hoagie, hero, grinder; one study found 13 different names for the sandwich in the United States. 29A. Mini-burgers : SLIDERS

15. Extreme fear : DREAD

16. Away from the wind : ALEE

20. "__ sera": Italian "Good evening" : BUONA

21. Clip-__: earrings for non-pierced ears : ONs

22. Choir section : ALTOs

23. Letter-shaped hardware items : T-NUTs

25. Pilot's approx. : ETA. He should know. (Estimated Time of Arrival)

26. Fixes firmly (in) : EMBEDs

36. However, briefly : THO

37. 1/12 of a foot : INCH

38. See 67-Across : PEA 67A. With 38-Across, Popeye's kid : SWEE'

39. Leg bone : SHIN

40. Sleuth, slangily : TEC

45. Lash holders : EYELIDS

47. Tenor and bass : VOICES

48. Where cows graze : LEA. Or in the corn if they get free.

49. Coffee maker brand : BRAUN. They've stopped selling coffee makers in the US market. Can anyone confirm?

51. TV financial adviser Suze : ORMAN

54. Sturgeon delicacy : ROE

55. Macaroni shape : ELBOW

62. "That __ say ..." : IS TO if you're Hamlet 6D. "To be, __ to be ..." : OR NOT

63. Indy 500 family name : UNSER. Sort of like Alou in baseball, eh?

64. Wall Street order : SELL

65. Skin pics : TATS

66. Bearded farm critters : GOATS

Down:

1. Common freshwater bait fish : CHUB

2. List of dishes : MENU

3. With the bow, in music : ARCO. Not just for violins either; only here on the corner!

                             LINK

4. '80s-'90s "Entertainment Tonight" co-host : JOHN TESH. A crossword regular, he finally gets his full name in. Way to go, John!

5. 401, in old Rome : CDI

7. Adolescents : TEENS

8. Little boys : TADS

9. Naval bigwig: Abbr. : ADM.iral

10. Song from a troubadour : BALLAD

11. Very much : A LOT

12. Decorate again : REDO

13. Lock inserts : KEYS

18. "Duck Dynasty" network : A AND E. (Arts & Entertainment)

19. Part of EIK : EAT-IN. Eat-in kitchen, a term used in apartment listings. Could you parse it?

24. Trojans' sch. : USC. Near LAX. Right, Bill?

25. "Xanadu" rock gp. : ELO. (Electric Light Orchestra)

26. Privileged few : ELITE

27. Cold hard cash : MONEY

28. Lawn bowling game : BOCCE. It seems it is a bit of a misnomer. Bocce and lawn bowl are two different games. I didn't know that. Boche and Lawn Bowl

29. Ginger cookie : SNAP. Reminds me of Lois, yum.

30. Code of conduct : ETHIC

31. River valley known for Riesling wine : RHINE. Riesling is from white wine grape.

32. Karaoke selections : SONGS

34. Tarzan's foster family : APES

35. Once known as, in society pages : NÉE

39. Like less-caloric chicken pieces : SKINLESS

41. Devilish one : FIEND

42. Nutritional stat. : RDA. (Recommended Dietary Allowance)

43. Gardner of the silver screen : AVA

44. Cathedral city on the Seine : ROUEN. One more European river and we've got a mini-theme.

46. Gauchos' plains : LLANOs

49. __ nova: Brazilian dance : BOSSA. One more South Amer... oh, never mind.

50. Stopwatch button : RESET

51. "In memoriam" column, briefly : OBIT

52. Civil rights activist Parks : ROSA

53. Mixed-breed pooch : MUTT

54. Nevada casino city : RENO

56. Make, as coffee : BREW

57. Look at lecherously : OGLE

58. Noah of "Falling Skies" : WYLE. He got his share of ogles on ER. (Am I right, girls?)

60. Carry with effort : LUG

61. Triage ctrs. : ERs. Learned of triage from TV series, M*A*S*H and Emergency! long before ER.

Argyle

Sunday December 29, 2013 Gail Grabowski

Theme:  "Interjection" - TER is added to each familiar phrase. I don't quite get the title "Interjection" and the theme gimmick connection. Can you explain to me? Should I just parse it as "In-TER-jection"?

23A. Period after one round too many? : TEETER TIME. Tee time.

28A. Fertilized egg? : CHILD STARTER. Child star.

53A. Benefit from barn raising? : BETTER THE FARM. Bet the farm.

87A. Where Monet got his physical? : PAINTER CLINIC. Not familiar with "Pain clinic".

109A. Tipsy gym helper? : TIGHT SPOTTER. Tight spot. You need a spotter in lifting weights.

120A. Joking after a midterm? : TEST BANTER. Test ban.

36D. Need some trough repair? : BUST A GUTTER. Bust a gut.

43D. 1970s presidential fundraiser? : CARTER RALLY. Car rally.

Classic Gail Grabowski grid, always 5 or 6 theme entries Across, and 2 Downs. She also likes pinwheel style for her weekday puzzles.

Half of the TERs are added to the end of first word, half to the second word. Very consistent.

Across:

1. Speech therapist's concerns : LISPS

6. Work on the street : PAVE

10. DOL division : OSHA

14. The Christina in Wyeth's "Christina's World" : OLSON. Got via crosses. Wiki said she suffered from Polio.

19. For this purpose : AD HOC

20. Rotten to the core : EVIL

21. Be inclined : LEAN

22. Scope : RANGE

25. "Shoot!" : DANG

26. Duplicity : GUILE

27. "Golf Begins at Forty" author : SAM SNEAD. I nailed it.

31. Capital of Denmark? : DEE. The capital letter in Denmark.

32. It may be blank : STARE

33. Signal to begin speaking : TONE. Answering machine.

34. Out-of-favor sunscreen compound : PABA

37. Certainty : FACT

40. Flock member : BIRD

42. Reacted to a sour note : WINCED

46. Like many laps : SWUM

47. Herding dogs : CORGIS

49. Vichy vacation times : ETES. Paris is empty in summer.

51. Thing to grind : AXE

52. State legal VIPs : AGS. Attorneys general.

56. Stephen of "Interview With the Vampire" : REA

57. Pretends : LETS ON

59. Oil can letters : SAE. I can never remember what it stands for: Society of Automotive Engineers)

60. Paretsky's Warshawski and Grafton's Millhone, briefly : TECS. Detectives.

61. Key not used by itself : CTRL

62. Isn't kidding : MEANS IT

64. Tom : MALE CAT. All the three Toms I know via this blog are incredibly nice guys.

67. "Never, at any crisis of your life, have I known you to have a handkerchief" speaker : RHETT (Butler). "Gone With the Wind".

68. Semisoft cheeses : GOUDAS

70. Advertisers say it sells : SEX. Sex sells.

71. Musical weakness : TIN EAR

73. Reject with contempt : SPURN

75. Suitable for most audiences : RATED PG

78. Complete with crayons : COLOR IN

 81. Mention : CITE

82. Whirled : SPUN

83. Rosy-fingered goddess : EOS

85. Herbal tea : TISANE. Remember the tisane scene in "Le Divorce?". Read here.

86. Social pest : ANT

91. JFK alternative : LGA

92. Surname for an unknown : DOE

93. Jazzy James : ETTA

94. Take a turn : ROTATE

95. Tremendously : A LOT

96. Low clouds : STRATI

98. "Breaking Bad" lawyer Goodman : SAUL. Finally. I linked this poster a few times in the past.

 

100. Usher's find : SEAT

102. Pandora's box, e.g. : MYTH

103. Three-part figs. : SSNS

105. Dropped-egg sound : SPLAT

107. Magnolia St. campus : USM (University of Southern Mississippi)

113. Flash drive connections : USB PORTS. With Drop box, now flash drives are almost unnecessary.

118. Sister of Calliope : ERATO

119. School acronym : EL-HI. Elementary (school) + high (school). Super friendly letter combo, hence its frequent appearance in crosswords.

122. Box cutter, e.g. : RAZOR

123. Wheels that are longer than cars? : LIMO. Nice clue.

124. Push for : URGE

125. City near Florence : SIENA

126. Cockamamie : INANE

127. Car buyer's aid : LOAN

128. Chew (out) : REAM

129. Rigged supports : MASTS

Down:

1. Pull-down beneficiaries : LATS.

2. Mind matter : IDEA

3. Son of Noah : SHEM. I also know HAM.

4. 1945 conference site : POTSDAM. Faintly recall this name. It's close to Berlin.

5. Crime locale : SCENE

6. Gp. opposed to factory farming : PETA

7. Enthusiastic : AVID. And 8. Enthusiasm : VIM

9. Campaign poster word : ELECT

10. Pre-1000 Celtic language : OLD IRISH

11. Caulk, e.g. : SEALER

12. Crew member : HAND. Oh, deckhand.

13. Inner turmoil : ANGST

14. Life form : ORGANISM

15. Actress Ambrose of "Six Feet Under" : LAUREN. Stranger to me. Never watched  "Six Feet Under". I wanted embed that picture, but Google sent me below email 2 days ago. How am I supposed to know which pictures I can or can't embed?

 

"Blogger has been notified, according to the terms of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), that certain content in your blog is alleged to infringe upon the copyrights of others. As a result, we have reset the post(s) to \"draft\" status. (If we did not do so, we would be subject to a claim of copyright infringement, regardless of its merits. The URL(s) of the allegedly infringing post(s) may be found at the end of this message.) This means your post - and any images, links or other content - is not gone. You may edit the post to remove the offending content and republish, at which point the post in question will be visible to your readers again."

16. Tizzy : SNIT

17. Not look well? : OGLE. A smile after I got it.

18. "When hell freezeth over!" : NE'ER

24. Atoll former : REEF

29. Behavior pattern : HABIT

30. Airport structures : TOWERS

32. Broadcast online in real time : STREAM

34. Miserere, for one : PSALM. Wow, I never heard of Miserere before. It's Latin for "Have mercy".

35. "Shucks!" : AW GEE

38. Do one's part : ACT

39. No-frills beds : COTS

41. Loss : DEFEAT

44. Bring to bear : EXERT

45. Coped (with) : DEALT

48. "You're the One That I Want" musical : GREASE. Was this a gimmie to you?

50. Bit of strategy : TACTIC

53. Merchant vessel elision : BOSUN

54. Oklahoma's "Wheat Capital" : ENID. New trivia to me.

55. And such: Abbr. : ETC. Do you think plural ETCS is legit?

58. Big yawn : SNORE

61. Complete confusion : CHAOS

63. Site of some mammoths' demise : TAR PIT

65. Spearheaded : LED

66. Consider it likely : EXPECT

67. Museum artifact : RELIC

69. Places for sweaters? : SAUNAS. Sweat-ers, those who sweat.

72. "Me? Uh-uh!" : NOT I!

73. Quite a bit : SCADS

74. Wine grape : PINOT

76. Big bang producer : TNT

77. Bring up the rear : GO LAST

79. Cash bar? : INGOT. Great clue also.

80. "'__ the Arizona Skies": 1934 John Wayne movie : 'NEATH

82. Glossy materials : SATINS

84. Location : SITE

87. Place to buy a tank : PET STORE. Fish tank.

88. Violent outburst : ERUPTION

89. "Good Times" actress : ROLLE (Esther)

90. Museum funder: Abbr. : NEA

95. Pungent cleanser : AMMONIA

97. Actor Kutcher : ASHTON. He and Mila Kunis are a great couple. Hope this embed is safe.

99. Bronchial woe : ASTHMA

101. Ernest of country music : TUBB

104. Write letters? : SPELL. I like this clue also.

106. Pianist Rubinstein : ARTUR. Or Arthur. Click here.

108. Twitch : SPASM

109. Actress Polo : TERI

110. Country on the Caspian : IRAN

111. Disputed strip : GAZA

112. Mixed bag : OLIO. You all think of me, right?

113. Open-organizing org. : USGA (United States Golf Association)

114. Mushroom piece : STEM

115. Hwys. with nos. : RTES

116. No-frills shelter : TENT

117. Toledo titles: Abbr. : SRAS

121. Quaint "before" : ERE

Dudley sent me this sweet picture yesterday. He said:

"Within the blog family, there are certainly some cute little kids, but I submit that my grand-niece Lillie is the cutest of all. Here she is thanking a dear family friend who had done a very generous favor."

C.C.

Saturday, Dec 28th, 2013, Steve Salitan

Theme: None

Words: 70 (missing F,J,Q,Z)

Blocks: 28

   Thank you all for last week's get well comments; I had such a high fever I thought I was going to lose my mind - literally. This is the first time I've gotten to a crossword in two weeks.  I was able to review the last three LAT this week, and I have to say thank you to C.C. for covering my part last Saturday, and for a stellar effort on Thursday's puzzle. As for today, when I saw Steve's name at the top, I figured I was looking at a DNF - I am usually thwarted by his misdirection and vagueness, but with only one cheat,  I was able to finish this one.  Nothing longer than the two 11-letter cross fills today;

 31A. "Violator" band : DEPECHE MODE - JUDAS PRIEST fit, too - but I knew that was wrong; I was finally able to tune in to Pandora for the first time in a month yesterday, and Depeche Mode pops up on my favorite channel with this song

39A. 1996 film with the tagline "YIKES! They've Landed!" : MARS ATTACKS! - Hysterical parody of science fiction and horror directed by Tim Burton with a cast of big names - and Tom Jones, too~!

Onward~!

ACROSS:

1. There may be tears in them : DUCTS - Right off we have ambiguity; tEErs, or tAIrs~???

6. Track event : GRAND PRIX - the Indy car kind of track; clecho 16A. Track event : RELAY RACE - the human leg kind of track

15. Like some office boxes : IN/OUT

17. Yellow-flowered medicinal plant : SENNA

18. Champing at the bit, and then some : OVEREAGER

19. "__ Cheerleaders": 1977 comedy-horror film : SATAN'S - I wonder if the people at IMDb feel like they really, really need to include these types of films; then again, the summary does sound intriguing....

21. Campus not far from LAX : USC - well, I figured it was University of something/something California

22. Camera that uses 70mm film : IMAX - So far, I've only seen Skyfall in IMAX (and a nature film at the Museum of Natural History)

23. Exploit : USE

24. Casual evening? : NITE - night (evening) spelled casually

26. Inedible orange : OSAGE

27. Aspire to greatness : AIM HIGH

29. "84, Charing Cross Road" novelist Hanff and others : HELENEs

33. Deco designer : ERTE

34. Agreeing words : "SO AM I"

35. Latin quarters? : CASA

41. Arizona retirement community : SUN CITY

45. Black-footed albatrosses : GOONEYS - also the nickname of the Douglas C-47

46. Ring material : ONION - steel? nylon? oh, duh

47. Savory, e.g. : HERB

48. Tex.-based carrier : SWA - Southwest Airlines - they are the leading airline at my 'local' jet airport, MacArthur; gets so little respect being in the neighborhood of JFK and LGA....

49. "Such a shame" : PITY

50. It's a mess : STY

52. Zen awakening : SATORI

54. Daily reading for many : HOROSCOPE - NEWSPAPER fit, too - and I DO read my daily horoscope each morning; said nothing about getting sick, tho

57. Nitpick : CAVIL

58. New members : INITIATES - Rookies, probies, neophytes (hey, that one fit) - I am a 'new member' of the driver's group at UPS - but I have not made their UNION yet

59. Whence Icarus fled : CRETE

60. Ones on the way up : ASCENDERS - yes, they, are....

61. Had a row : OARED - and another ambiguous word; roe, or rOW

DOWN:

1. Convince otherwise : DISSUADE - took a little too long to let go of PERSUADE

2. More disturbed : UNEASIER

3. Disdain : CONTEMPT

4. Skipjack, perhaps : TUNA - my one look-up; I was sure it was a boat, and it turns out it's also a block cipher, and the one we needed - TUNA

5. Tinny : STANNIC - which means "containing TIN"- STANA KATIC is better

6. Nursery product word : GRO - Miracle-Gro, e.g.

7. Follies : REVUE

8. Draft picks : ALES

9. Traffic blocker? : NARC - the drug traffic

10. Shade provider? : DYE - the "?" meant it was NOT "ELM"

11. Extol : PRAISE

12. Dealer in old clothing : RAGMAN

13. Way more than a cold snap : ICE AGE

14. Darius I's successor : XERXES - Persian (likely Bibilical) kings

20. Reacts to with an eye roll, perhaps : SIGHS AT - wasn't there a 'Friends' episode where Joey wasn't allowed to roll his eyes at what Phoebe said?

25. Something to test : THEORY

26. Cry of approval : OLE - I had O-HO, then OYE, and I wondered what other "Heyenes" there could be (29A)

28. Laugh line? : HEE - hee-hee

29. Respect : HOMAGE - if you're being really reverent, it's an OH-MAHJE

30. Corrections staff? : EDITORS

32. Humanities degs. : MAs

35. Soup holder : CAN - sometimes, the simplest answers....

36. Best kind of full house : ACES OVER - I had ACE/KINGS, and that stopped me from getting anywhere in the SE for the longest time

37. Use lofty words? : SKYWRITE - HAR-HAR~!!!

38. Pounced on : ASSAILED

39. Short time? : MINute

40. Caldwell's "__ Road" : TOBACCO

41. Most popular baby girl's name of 2011 and 2012 : SOPHIA - what's the inspiration? Usually there's a super-popular female singer/star that causes the increase in popularity; Britney Spears was one I recall

42. They may be civil : UNIONS - wars, rights, engineers

43. __ acid : NITRIC

44. Prairie predator : COYOTE

47. Bouncing off the walls : HYPER

50. Large amount : SCAD

51. Haul : TOTE

53. Frank Kennedy saved it from foreclosure : TARA - the plantation from "Gone With the Wind"

55. Moral lapse : SIN

56. Twisty character : ESS - as in

Splynter