Saturday, Mar 8th, 2014, Brad Wilber

Theme: BW

Words: 70 ( Pangram~!)

Blocks: 31

   Another solo effort in this year from one of our regular Saturday contributors, Brad is keeping pace with Mr. Silk.  This one made my brain hurt, mostly due to the proper name references, but in terms of geographic obscurity, we did get somewhat of a reprieve.  A 'reverse' pinwheel, with the 11-letter triple stacks towards the right, and 9-letter triples to start the Downs.  Some of the longer fill we have;

2d. A woodpile may be under it : TARPAULIN - I tried ---- TARP, and that wasn't working

4. Teddy Roosevelt sobriquet : TRUSTBUSTER - I tried "SPEAK SOFTLY", because I was thinking sobriquet was a catchphrase, not a nickname

33a. 19th-century bat-and-ball game : ONE OLD CAT - learned this from crosswords, altho I was looking to fit One O' Cat, and it wasn't working

57a. Delta Tau Chi, familiarly : ANIMAL HOUSE - ah, I did not recall their Greek name - it's up on the second floor railing, askew

onward - by skipping an hour tonight~!

ACROSS:

1. Leavenworth and McHenry: Abbr. : FTs - Forts

15. Medium evocation : RAP - "I see...." did not fit; this is the knock on the table while everyone is (supposedly) holding hands

16. Like evergreens : WINTER HARDY - this took too long for me to see, especially since I had "RENO" and not "RICE" in the downs

17. "... __ the hot sun count / His dewy rosary ...": Keats : ERE

18. "I Hope I Get It" musical : A CHORUS LINE

19. Clinking currency : SPECIE - straight up definition - money in coin

21. __ judicata: decided case : RES

22. "Sorry to say ..." : ALAS

23. Sported : HAD ON

24. Mineral in pumpkin seeds : ZINC - OK, so I threw in IRON to start - the garden (24d.) fixed that

25. __ Toy Barn: "Toy Story 2" setting : AL'S

26. Prepare for a poster tube : FURL - Dah~!  not "ROLL"

27. London Philharmonic co-founder Sir Thomas __ : BEECHAM - nearly all perps, this was one of those proper name stumbling points

29. Sailor's direction : ALEE - I was fairly certain that on Saturday, it would not be EAST or WEST

30. Hidden : UNSEEN

31. Prefix with scope : OTO - an OTOscope is used to look very closely at the Indian tribes of the plains....no, actually, it's for an ENT - no, not the tree, the doctor who looks in your ears

34. KGB agent's foe : CIA SPY - Oddly, I threw in CIA MAN to start, then I figured it had to be wrong with the next clue/answer being --->

36. Beatles song with the line "There's one for you, nineteen for me" : TAXMAN - "yeah, I'm the taxman" - in 1966, the Beatles' tax bracket had them paying 95%, which makes this math correct - ouch.  We're getting closer to April 15th; I was pleasantly surprised when my "taxman" got me some money back - I had not filed for 4 years, due to low income, but I did pay for Home Inspection school, and that was my big write-off

38. Wrap : END - Pretty sure BOA was not the answer; this is the verb, not the noun

39. Like many French Quarter streets : GAS-LIT

43. Goalie's undoing : DEKE - You can say that again~! (From C.C.: Great picture, Splynter!)

44. Sextet at Woodstock : SANTANA - I liked his Supernatural album

45. Dairy aisle tub : OLEO

46. Start to amble? : PRE - Preamble, as in "WE, the People..."

48. Film villain in a Nehru jacket : DR. NO - Because Dr. Evil did not fit

49. Stifle : QUELL

50. Women : SHEs

51. Keep to oneself : HOG

52. Stuck (out) : JUTTED

53. Spaghetti sauce ingredient : TOMATO PUREE - I went with pASTe, and that was a whopping 72% correct

56. Lobbying gp. : PAC - Political Action Committee

58. Kate's role in "The Aviator" : AVA

59. Maple leaf eater : BOXELDER BUG

60. Make : NET - ah, as in the financial sense; I was trying "FIX", and "SET"

DOWN:


1. Talent scout discovery : FRESH FACE - I was looking for a high school/college sports player being found, not a singer/dancer/artist/movie star

3. Whiz through, in a way : SPEED-READ

4. He said, "Man is the only animal that blushes. Or needs to" : TWAIN

5. Powell's successor : RICE - oops, Condoleezza, not Janet; the Secretary of State, not the Attorney General

6. New England sch. with a wildcat mascot : UNH - University of New Hampshire, so we had some geography

7. They need connecting flights : STORIES - I knew this was a stairs reference, but I was stuck on FLOORS

8. Playwright Rattigan : TERENCE

9. Grilled-bread appetizer : BRUSCHETTA

10. Uncertain sounds : UHs - not UMs or ERs

11. Deep bow : SALAAM

12. Clarinetist's effect : TRILL - Guitar, too - and probably easier on the guitar

13. Author Ferber et al. : EDNAs

14. Distillery output : RYES

20. "Unforgettable" duet partners : COLES

24. __ garden : ZEN

27. Long-term investment strategy : BUY AND HOLD - great fill

28. The Ducks, on an ESPN ticker : ANAheim

31. Breakfast buffet utensil : OMELET PAN - is a pan a utensil?  Not in my house - pots & pans are cookware; the implements used in preparation and consumption are the utensils

32. Depart : TAKE LEAVE - I had mAKE, which gave me an OMOscope - which is used to...oh, never mind

35. Org. that keeps driving stats : PGA - anyone go with AAA~?

37. Marked for deletion : X'D OUT - the 'meh' fill for the day

40. Greek poetic stanza : STROPHE - a rhythmic system composed of two or more lines repeated as a unit - online dictionary

41. Lassitude : LANGUOR - listless lack of liveliness

42. Italian diminutive suffix : INO

44. Bagel selection : SESAME

46. Button on some receivers : PHONO

47. Dance version of a pop hit, often : REMIX

49. Literary captain : QUEEG

50. Skewer : STAB

52. "__, meine Freude": Bach motet : JESU - I have a few Bach Pipe Organ CDs, so I have seen this

54. __ vez: maybe, in Pamplona : TAL - Spanish

55. Abrade : RUB - fixed my PASTE to PUREE

Splynter

Friday, March 6, 2014, Bruce Haight

Theme: NO "E"s? EZ?

Like the recent Paul Hunsburger puzzle written up by marti, this puzzle is its own theme. In a wonderful blend of visual (the big "E" created by the black squares, and the really difficult task of cluing AND filling a puzzle without ever using the most COMMON letter in the alphabet, the e.  To do both is awesome. This is Bruce's first LAT publication, his NYT debut in January of 2013, was with 4 "1"s made of the blocks, then his second recently on Valentine's Day that created a little KERFUFFLE , and finally another grid theme Tuesday in the NYT as a collaboration with Peter Collins. The fill includes every other letter and some really sparkly fill including three grid spanners, PHOTOGRAPH ALBUM, PSYCHOANALYZING and TOTALITARIANISM. Also a slew of nice nine letter fill, ALAN ARKIN, CANADIANA,  COSTA RICA,  DRAMATICS, HAND HOLDS and PUSSYCATS, and really fun triple 7 stacks top and bottom. I am really curious as to what everyone thought of this and whether you will grade it an A or an F. Is there a theme, or is it a themeless without any E?

The reveal:

65A. What this grid's big symbol is, Across and Down : MISSING.

(Note from C.C.: The Saturday we had a while ago is a themeless puzzle without E in the clue or grid. Also, today's grid features a  Top to Bottom symmetry.)

Across:

1. Small amount : JOT. I get my J right away.

4. WWII MIA location : POW CAMP. Missing In Action (not Miami). Prisoner Of War. Stalag 13 (0:51)?

11. NFL captains : QBS. QuarterBacks. A very misleading and not necessarily true clue.

14. __ Jima : IWO. Back in "WWII, the big one". What 1950's TV show is that line from?

15. High-class tobacco products : HAVANAS.

16. Samovar : URN. not an expert, other than from my Russian grandmother

17. GPS finding : LATitude. A CSO to the Times?  Or maybe Jimmy B. (3:28)

18. Good chap : OKAY GUY. Not sure why, but I really liked this fill.

19. Nonpro sports org. : AAU. Amateur Athletic Union. Has a storied but controversial HISTORY in American amateur sports.

20. Plot : TRACT. Land not a story.

22. Providing with a transcript, possibly : CCING. Another CSO?

24. __-tzu : LAO. Father of TAO.

25. Climbing aids : HAND HOLDS. Nice  alliterative fill. Many resorts and cruise ships are offering climbing places.

29. Arm support : SLING.

31. Viral chorus? : ACHOOS. Really another very fun clue that is Friday fair; that talent is nothing to sneeze at.

32. Turkic Russian : TATAR.

33. Histrionic display : DRAMATICS. I think every family has at least one Drama Queen.

37. Roast, in a Baja dish : ASADA. Thank you Taco bell for teaching me this one.

38. Stuck : IN A RUT.

39. __ mining : STRIP.

40. "Argo" actor : ALAN ARKIN. Still have not seen that movie, though Arkin was great in Catch-22.

43. NBA coach Thomas : ISIAH. Sports trivia are tough on many solvers, especially when you are using a great player who had a very short coaching CAREER.

44. Historic town in Lazio : TIVOLI. Really obscure, even if the garden is famous. VIEW. (1:09)

45. Santa __ winds : ANA.

46. Innocuous sorts : PUSSYCATS. Not my first thought but in hindsight it works, usually with Big and baby talk.

50. Way to find out what you know : FINAL. Exam.

52. 3-D graph part : Z-AXIS. To join the x and y to get the third dimension.

53. "It's just __ thought ..." : AS I.

54. "South Pacific" song : BALI HAI. It has been linked many times, again?

60. Highway or city stat : MPG. Miles Per Gallon.

61. "Illmatic" rap star : NAS.

62. Mythical symbol of purity : UNICORN. Purity, really? I did not know this.

63. Fitting : APT.

64. Room with hoops : GYM. I guess a basketball court is a room, and I like the hoops misdirection.

66. Albany is its cap. : NYS. I understand this must stand for New York State but I find this a real stretch as NY is the state where Albany is the capital.

Down:

1. Dump : JILT. Originally a word for harlot, it became just a deceiver in love. Probably from a woman named Gillian or Jill. So maybe that is why they went up the hill.

2. Man __ : O'WAR. What a random and challenging fill in the blank. A great racehorse.

3. Autocratic approach : TOTALITARIANISM. This was a big word I heard often while I was growing during the Cold War.

4. Book with shots : PHOTOGRAPH ALBUM. Really nice clue/fill, especially bracketing a nine letter fill.

5. Poison __ : OAK. Ivy, Oak and Sumac, the poison sisters.

6. Morgantown's st. : WVA. West Virginia whose basketball team in 31-0 this season, only undefeated team.

7. Low island : CAY. We have lots of Cays and Keys in our area.

8. Afr. country : ANGola.

9. If said again, group in a 1950s African uprising : MAU. You can draw your own conclusions, but this was talked about when I was very little. HISTORY.

10. Studying on a couch? : PSYCHOANALYZING. My favorite Psyc professor was a Neo-Freudian.

11. Draw back with alarm : QUAIL.

12. Stock mark : BRAND. Nicely done, a mark on the livestock.

13. Curls up : SNUGS. verb (used without object), snugged, snug·ging. to lie closely or comfortably; nestle. Meh.

21. Books about Toronto and Ottawa, say : CANADIANA. Like Americana, *CSO to Eh!.

23. Country abutting Nicaragua : COSTA RICA, where everyone goes for inexpensive plastic surgery.

25. Put away : HAD. I had 3 pieces of Papa John's.

26. Not down: Abbr. : ACRoss. Context.

27. FDR loan org. : NHA. The National Housing Act was a landmark in the residential buying experience in the US. LINK. Much of what I do these days relates to closings, and foreclosures.

28. Papa John's rival : DOMINOS. All pizza no matter how you slice it.

29. GDR spy group : STASI. German Staatsicherheit meaning State Security. You can READ all about it.

30. Holds up : LASTS.

34. Annoy : IRK.  Is it coincidence this rhymes with jerk?

35. __ bono: "Who stands to gain?" in law : CUI.

36. B&O stop : STN. We know it is station, but is it STA or STN?

40. Org. for Nadal and Djokovic : ATP. Association of Tennis Professionals.

41. Lucy of "Kill Bill" : LIU. Elementary anyone?

42. Colorado NHL club, to fans : AVS. The rather depressing nickname, the Avalanche.

47. Band guitarist, in slang : AXMAN. The axman from AXE, BOBBY BARTH. (2:48)

48. Lacking stability : TIPPY. A stretch for me; that table was tippy? No Hedren or Walker?

49. Army squad NCOs : SSGTS. Staff sergeants?

50. Sharp tooth : FANG, So as a vampire, you name your bar Fangoria.

51. Words from Watson : I SAY. All I think of was Nigel Bruce, " I say, HOLMES".(1:09).

55. Buy from Sajak : AN I. Apparently Pat sold all the Es.

56. Paris lily : LIS. You all know 'Fleur de Lis.'

57. Suffix with tact : ICS. So this is ok fill because it is clues properly, but would tact ending be ok?

58. __ polloi : HOI. Literally "The people" in Greek, hoi means "the" so do not say 'the hoi polloi'. Has come to have derogatory connotations.

59. Valiant's son : ARN. The young prince.

I am neither young nor a prince,  but I had a royal good time with the grid and all the fresh fill. It seemed oddly easy after all, but I cannot imagine the work needed to avoid a single "e" in fill and clues.  Get ready for more daylight and less sleep. Turn the clocks ahead; reporting from Ocho Rios, Lemonade out.

Thursday, March 6, 2014, John Guzzetta

Theme: "Heavens Above!"

17A. *Large emigration : MASS EXODUS.







24A. *Lunchbox item : SOUP THERMOS.










32A. *"I'll Be There for You" on "Friends," e.g. : THEME SONG.



47A. *Children's literature VIP : ILLUSTRATOR.



54A. *Daily Planet setting : METROPOLIS.


62A. Word that can follow five prefixes hidden sequentially in the answers to starred clues : SPHERE.

Wow. Once again, I believe I have an LA Times debut puzzle. If so, congratulations on your tour de force, John! Finding words that have atmospheric prefixes hidden in them would be tough, but to put them into the grid, in order of their height above the earth, is simply awesome!

It was fun to see 8D SHUTTLES crossing the THERMO- prefix, since that is where the space shuttle orbits. Let's see what else is on the agenda today.

Across:

1. Elementary fellow? : HOLMES. I immediately tried "Watson." Nope!

7. Chief Osceola riding Renegade introduces its home games: Abbr. : FSU.  Florida State  
University. The Seminoles had an unforgettable game against Auburn to win the national championship this year.

10. Daddy : PAPA.

14. Longtime Hawaiian senator Daniel : INOUYE.

15. Ottowan interjections : EHS. CanadianEh!

16. Woeful cry : ALAS.

19. Frisks, with "down" : PATS.

20. Asian holiday : TET.

21. Letter-shaped fastener : T-NUT.

22. Land at Orly? : TERRE. Cute misdirection. French "land."

23. Confederate : REB.

26. Smallish crocodilians : CAIMANS. Hey - I just had this one last week.

28. Portal toppers : LINTELS.

29. 100-eyed giant of myth : ARGUS.

30. Word of greeting : HEY.

31. Points a finger at : IDs.

36. __ date : DUE.

38. Levy : TAX.

39. Brought about : LED TO.

43. Southeast Asian honey lover : SUN BEAR. They also love termites.

Sun Bear Image

45. Oporto native, e.g. : IBERIAN.

49. Brandy label letters : VSO. Very Superior (or "special) Old. I immediately thought of Tinbeni.

50. Cream of the crop : ELITE.

51. CNBC topics : IPOs. Initial Public Offering, on the stock market.

52. Breadbasket, so to speak : GUT.

53. Director Gus Van __ : SANT. I loved "Good Will Hunting."

57. Palm smartphone : TREO.

58. Celebratory poem : ODE.

59. Valuable lump : NUGGET. Not if it is just scat.

60. Bldg. annex : ADDN. Addition.

61. Beersheba's land: Abbr. : ISR.ael. We just had Beersheba in one of the Sunday clues this week.


Down:

1. "Tell __": 1962-'63 hit : HIM. The Exciters. 2:33.

2. Winning steadily : ON A TEAR. I always thought it meant to do something with a burst of frenzy. ("She was on a tear to get the house ready for her mother-in-law's visit.")

3. Get clobbered : LOSE BIG.

4. It's not an option : MUST.

5. Observe : EYE.

6. Church maintenance officer : SEXTON.

7. Disgusted : FED UP.

8. Back-and-forth flights : SHUTTLES. US Airways runs shuttles between Boston and NYC every hour from 6 AM to 9 PM.

9. Navy hull letters : USS. Spitzboov!

10. Empty threat : PAPER TIGER.

11. Afraid : ALARMED.

12. Platoon activities : PATROLS.

13. Look over carefully : ASSESS.

18. Burden : ONUS.

22. X, sometimes : TEN.

23. __ Victor : RCA.

24. Window part : SASH…jamb…sill…pane…head…rail...

25. Silver opening? : HI-YO. The Lone Ranger's shout to his horse "Hi-yo, Silver! Awaaaay."

27. Remote control : MUTE BUTTON. (Do husbands come with one of those?)

30. Spell : HEX.

33. Floride, par exemple : ETAT. More French.

34. Many couples : MARRIEDS.

35. Cub or Card : NLER. National Leaguer.

36. Simpleton : DULLARD.

37. Like some looseleaf paper : UNLINED.

40. Reveal : DIVULGE.

41. More to one's liking : TASTIER.

42. Plastic __ Band : ONO.

43. Cuarenta winks? : SIESTA. Spanish "40" = cuarenta.

44. Tongue suffix : ESE. Languages. Cantonese, Burmese, Chinese, etc.

45. "Click __ Ticket": road safety slogan : IT OR.

46. Quantum gravity particles : BOSONS. If you have trouble sleeping at night, turn to this article.

48. More timely : APTER. meh.

52. Painter van __ : GOGH.

54. French pronoun : MOI. It's all about me. Even more French.

55. __ tent : PUP.

56. CPA's office, perhaps : STE. Suite. I'll be visiting him soon.

'Til next week, adieu!

Marti

Wednesday, March 5, 2014, John R. O'Brien

Theme: I MUST BE DREAMING.  The first word of each two-word theme answer phonetically gives us part of James Bond's Identity number: 007, usually rendered as Double-O-7, phonetically DOUBLE OH SEVEN.  In the cold imaginary universe of this series of spy novels and movies, the Double-O ID is only given to operatives who have killed in cold blood in the course of completing an assignment, and are licensed to do so again in the future, as necessary.  Per Wikipedia, in the back story preceding Casino Royal, the first Bond Novel, Bond is awarded his 007 for having twice done so.  Not until the third novel Moonraker, does the 00- designation indicate a license to kill.  We have to permit our novelists these kinds of little inconsistencies over the course of a long series.

16A. Outing for four : DOUBLE DATE.  Two couples on one adventure.  Opportunities limited only by your imagination.

24A. "Don't tell me!" : OH BROTHER! A colloquial expression of wonderment or disbelief.  I don't recall hearing it much in recent decades.

49A. World waters : SEVEN SEAS.   Which seas are counted depends on where and when you ask. Here's a brief run down from the National Ocean Service.

And for a unifier, we have the creator of the 007 series:  63A. Author suggested by the starts of 16-, 24- and 49-Across : IAN FLEMING.  Wikipedia tells us: While working for Britain's Naval Intelligence Division during the Second World War, Fleming was involved in planning Operation Goldeneye and in the planning and oversight of two intelligence units, 30 Assault Unit and T-Force. His wartime service and his career as a journalist provided much of the background, detail and depth of the James Bond novels.  Just the right kind of experience to give us these stories.

BTW, If you're wondering about the title, it's contained in this snippet of dialog from the movie GOLDFINGER.

Pussy Galore: “My name is Pussy Galore.”  

Bond: “I must be dreaming.”                             

And, as a bonus, if you had circles in the corner squares, they would help you notice that by proceeding clockwise starting in the NW, they contain the letters spelling BOND.  All very tidy.

Hi gang, Agent JzB on duty, licensed to guide you through today's intrigue.  With a little luck, nobody will get hurt.

But first, today's theme song.

Across:

1. Humanities degs. : BAS. Bachelors of Artses.

4. Bullpen stats : ERAS.

8. Not exceeding : UP TO.  As my father used to ask me, "What are you not exceeding, now?"  Usually it was my potential.

12. "__ way!" : ATTA.  ATTA boy or girl - OK.  ATTA way - ???

14. Soft tissue : FLESH. Mandatory Monty Python link.

15. Consequences of most missed birdie putts : PARS.  I could do worse.

18. __-Z: classic Camaro : IROC.

 1989 Model

19. Make beloved : ENDEAR.

20. Pixar film in which Richard Petty had a voice role : CARS.

22. FDR power project : TVA. Tennessee Valley Authority, a dam good idea.  Note Ints. in cl & ans.

23. Some Iberian kings : REYES.  Spanish kings.  The Portuguese ones are REIS.

26. Soak (up) : SOP.

28. Days gone by : YORE.

29. Took out for a while : BORROWED.   Like if your DOUBLE date is to the library

34. Dvorak's last symphony : NINTH.

37. Three-part snack : OREO.  Stacked snack, suitable for dunking.

38. Delight : ELATE.

41. Work with an artist, perhaps : POSE.

42. Make sense : ADD UP.

44. "Hawaii" novelist : MICHENER.

46. Decorative sewing case : ETUI.   Meh!

48. Star quality : EGO. More a characteristic than a quality, IMHO.

53. Meet competitor : RACER.

58. Hero in the air : ACE.

59. Patio furniture protector : TARP.

60. Concert hall cry : ENCORE.

61. "Copacabana" temptress : LOLA.  As I understand it, Barry Manilow is a wonderful person.  But, alas, his music makes me gag, so no link.

65. __ vera lotion : ALOE.  It's vera soothing.

66. Mr. T's TV outfit : A-TEAM.   Mr. T. Played the part of Sgt. Bosco 'B.A.' Baracus in all 97 episodes of this TV series from 1983 to '87.  He's in the bottom left of this cast picture, which also includes Melinda Culea, who played newspaper reporter Amy Amanda Allen.  Though her Triple A initials were impeccable, this character only lasted through 25 episodes.  She wanted more action, and George Peppard, evidently scarred for life by his appearance in Breakfast At Tiffany's, wanted no female lead.  Looks as if he was licensed to kill her part.

67. "A Streetcar Named Desire" director Kazan : ELIA.

68. Quick swims : DIPS.

69. Frosty coating : HOAR.  An ancient adjective, dating from before the 12 century, meaning grey with age, here transformed into a noun.  The frost coating makes the grass look like old grey hair.  I am taking this personally.

70. Cong. bigwig : SEN.  Congressional, Senator.

Down:

1. Justice Ruth __ Ginsburg : BADER.  Appointed by Clinton.

2. Advice to a sinner : ATONE.  Repent and be saved.  If you have already repented, please disregard this notice.

3. Quiet room : STUDY. 

4. Former times, formerly : ELD.  Back in the day, back in the day.

5. Get through to : REACH.

6. Take __ at: try : A STAB.  As in trying to get past the Black Night.

7. Amontillado, for one : SHERRY.  A Poe choice.

8. News gp. : UPI. United Press International

9. Acropolis temple : PARTHENON.

Source

10. Hidden treasure : TROVE.

11. Boxer De La Hoya : OSCAR.  Could have been clued differently this week.

Source

13. Busy as __ : A BEE.  Watts up, little buzzer!

14. Not agin : FER.  Ah'm agin this kinda fill.

17. Rodeo ring : LASSO.   Of rope, not fire.

21. Shortly : SOON.

24. Autobahn auto : OPEL.

25. Baloney : TRIPE.  Words not worth the air used to express them.

27. Haven't paid off yet : OWE.

29. Something to wrap around one's neck ... or maybe not : BOA.  A scarf or a choking snake.  Choose wisely.

30. Traffic reg. : ORD.  Regulation and ordinance.

31. Improve, as a downtown area : REDEVELOP.  Gentrification, perhaps.

32. Travel plan : ROUTE.  Did you ever go this way?

33. Water holder? : DAM.  Cf 22A.

35. "The Waste Land" poet's monogram : TSE.  Thomas Stearns Eliot.  tl;dr.

36. "... and sat down beside __ ..." : HER.  Miss Muffet and the arachnid antagonist; could have been clued differently this week.

39. Gifts for grads or dads : TIES.  Neckties.  Who needs them?

40. Heart chart, for short : ECG.  ElectroCardio Gram.

43. Pre-euro Irish coin : PUNT.  For in those days, football had not yet been invented.

45. Lena of "The Wiz" : HORNE.

47. "Swords into plowshares" prophet : ISAIAH.  Chapter 2, Verse 4:  He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.

49. Dieter's lunch : SALAD.  Yum!

50. Bacteria in rare meat, maybe : E COLI.   Yucch!

51. Muse for Shelley : ERATO.  The muse of poetry, especially love or erotic poetry. 

52. Sleep lab subject : APNEA. 

54. Cartoon supplier of anvils and explosive tennis balls : ACME.  Alas, poor coyote.

55. Hoses are often stored in them : COILS. Roll 'em up.

56. Adopted son on "My Three Sons" : ERNIE.

57. Sister of Goneril : REGAN.  Cordelia, too.  Kng Lear's Daughters.

60. Scary movie street : ELM.  Did you avoid these nightmares?

62. DDE rival : AES.  Dwight David Eisenhower and Adlai Ewing Stevenson II.

64. "__ out!" : FAR.  An expression from the 60's, the era of Sean Connery - the only REAL James Bond.

So we come to the end of this adventure.  Looks like this might be John's first entry in the L. A. Times.  Hope you all enjoyed the BONDing experience.

Cool regards!

JzB

Tuesday, March 4, 2014 Jeffrey Wechsler

  

First word starts with a F, middle word starts with an A, and last word starts with a T.  

18. Eternally : FOR ALL TIME

31A. "Let's move on to something else" : "FORGET ABOUT THAT"

37A. Building safety procedure : FIRE ALARM TEST

44A. Some studio-based educators : FINE ART TEACHERS

59A. What 3/4/2014 is, and a hint to 18-, 31-, 37- and 44-Across : FAT TUESDAY

Argyle here. Throw me some beads. A timely puzzle with two grid spanners and some interesting fill. Not much trouble.

Across:

1. American Revolution supporter : WHIG. "Early activists in the colonies called themselves "Whigs", seeing themselves as in alliance with the political   in Britain, until they turned to independence and started emphasizing the label Patriots." - Wikipedia

5. Cracked fixture across from Independence Hall : BELL

9. Suitor : SWAIN. Most dictionaries show a reference to Old Norse.

14. Loser in a fable : HARE

15. Ice formation : FLOE

16. Garden violet : PANSY

17. Big name in door-to-door sales : AVON

20. Moral precept : TENET

22. Arctic inhabitant : INUIT. The preferred term for Eskimo.

23. Suffix with Manhattan : ITE

24. In the know : HIP

27. Soak up some rays : TAN

28. URL letters : WWW

35. Davis of "Do the Right Thing" : OSSIE. Directed by Spike Lee. (1989)

36. Geologic periods : EONs

42. Obstruct : CLOG

43. Paper tray unit : SHEET

51. Brief missions? : OPs. (operations)

52. Drill sergeant's address : "SIR!"

53. Barbecue residue : ASH

54. On the __ vive: alert : QUI. (literally: long live who?)

55. Debate focus : ISSUE

57. Took a cut : SWUNG. Baseball.

64. Ill-considered : RASH

65. Word before circle or child : INNER

66. Shore phenomenon : TIDE

67. Attacking the task : AT IT

68. Reply to "Who wants to clean up this mess?" : "NOT ME!"

69. Cry of pain : [YEOW!]

70. Ballpoints : PENs

Down:

1. "Consider this scenario ..." : "WHAT IF ..."

2. Must : HAVE TO

3. One with pressing chores? : IRONER

4. One in a pool : GENE. On another day, it might be STENO.

5. Pal 4 life : BFF. (Best Friends Forever)

6. "Xanadu" band : ELO. (Electric Light Orchestra)

7. Loughlin of "Full House" : LORI. Full House was a hugely popular ABC sitcom which ran for 192 episodes.   Link

8. Crude shed : LEAN-TO

9. Support for a broken digit : SPLINT

10. Power unit : WATT

11. "Give me __!": start of a Hawkeye's cheer : AN I. (Iowa Hawkeyes)

12. Philosophy suffix : ISM

13. Bill, the "Science Guy" : NYE

19. Waikiki feast : LUAU

21. This and this : THESE

25. "__ miracle!" : IT'S A

26. Beach bucket : PAIL

28. Villagers below the Grinch's cave : WHOs

29. Have a yen for : WANT

30. Oz. and kg. : WTs. & 40D. Oz. or kg. : MEAS. (Dept. of Weights and Measures)

32. Steep-walled canyon : GORGE. Interesting usage for this word. Dict.

33. Creature : BEAST

34. Pearly whites : TEETH

37. Turn, as pancakes : FLIP. Today is National Pancake Day at IHOP. Get a free short stack of buttermilk pancakes.

38. Electrical particles : IONs

39. "Cheers" actress Perlman : RHEA. She met her match when she met Lilith's mother.

                  LINK

41. Geek Squad pros : TECHs

42. Money VIP : CFO. (chief financial officer)

45. Guarantee : ASSURE

46. Go up : RISE

47. Unlikely to disappoint : TRUSTY

48. Compare apples to apples? : EQUATE

49. Takes to jail : RUNS IN

50. Tourist attractions : SIGHTS

55. News piece : ITEM

56. Actress Falco : EDIE. IMDb bio.

58. Food truck offering : WRAP

59. Snorkeling aid : FIN

60. Year, south of the border : AÑO

61. Tunneler's explosive : T-N-T

62. Ruckus : ADO

63. Evergreen with elastic wood : YEW

I'll leave you with some mood music. Link

 

Argyle

Monday, March 3, 2014 David Poole

Theme: Say What? - Speak right up, or some other word for speak up front.

18A. Prohibition era saloon : SPEAKEASY

26A. John Kerry's domain : STATE DEPARTMENT

43A. Supermarket convenience : EXPRESS CHECKOUT

57A. Complete ninny : UTTER FOOL

Argyle here. Straightforward cluing but a few too many tough answers. YRMV (your results may vary). Two good grid spanners. AUDIT is a nasty word to use at this time of year.

Across:

1. Rosary counters : BEADS

6. Fall faller : LEAF

10. Long hike : TREK

14. Review of business books : AUDIT

15. Girl in a J.D. Salinger short story : ESME. "For Esmé—with Love and Squalor"

16. Wound-up fire engine item : HOSE

17. Jim who sang "You Don't Mess Around With Jim" : CROCE

                         LINK

20. Budget accommodations : HOSTELs

22. Chafing dish heaters : STERNOs

23. Basilica recesses : APSEs

25. Spanish "a" : UNA. (f.)

33. Flirt with : HIT ON

34. Tops, as cupcakes : ICES

35. Stephen of "The Crying Game" : REA

36. From the U.S. : AMERican

37. Dwindled : WANED

39. "The Wizard of Oz" lion Bert : LAHR. Hello, old friend.

40. Little, in Lyons : PEU. Little, in Lille: PEU. un peu de Francais.(Feb 17, 2011)(Feb 28, 2014)

41. Fictional plantation : TARA. GWTW

42. In __ fertilization : VITRO

47. Tolkien giant : ENT

48. Le __, France : HAVRE. Church of St. Joseph

49. Rodeo rider, at times : LASSOER

53. Put on an extra sweater, say : GET WARM

59. Alvin of dance : AILEY. Unknown to me. He founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in New York City and died in 1987.

60. Midday : NOON

61. __ Reader: alternative media digest : UTNE. A magazine founded in 1984 by Eric Utne and Nina Rothschild Utne. They live in Minneapolis and get away to a 100-acre Wisconsin farm for weekends.

62. Sunday song : PSALM

63. PDA entry : APPT. (appointment)

64. Lewd look : LEER

65. Itty-bitty : EENSY

Down:

1. Composer of fugues : BACH. I had no idea fugues were so long. The Well Tempered Clavier(1:52:33)

2. Multinational currency : EURO

3. Big fusses : ADOs

4. Absolute ruler : DICTATOR

5. Increase the slope of : STEEPEN

6. Tenant : LESSEE

7. Psychic's claim : ESP

8. Iowa State home : AMES

9. Showcased : FEATURED

10. Aries : THE RAM

11. Chestnut horse : ROAN

12. Petro-Canada rival : ESSO

13. Janitor's janglers : KEYS. A little alliteration.

19. Adoptive parents of Superman : KENTs

21. '60s hallucinogen : LSD

24. Popeye's favorite veggie : SPINACH

26. Physical condition : SHAPE

27. "It takes a licking ..." watch : TIMEX

28. Wolfed down : ATE UP. Misdirection?

29. King beater : ACE. (not the Queen)

30. Muse for a bard : ERATO

31. India's first prime minister : NEHRU

32. Fortunetelling card : TAROT

37. Opposite of thrifty : WASTEFUL

38. Horace's "__ Poetica" : ARS. A poem (c20 b.c.) by Horace, setting forth his precepts for the art of poetry.

39. "Ditto" : "LIKE-WISE"

41. Choir member : TENOR

42. DVD forerunner : VCR TAPE

44. Take exception to : RESENT

45. Boxer "Marvelous" Marvin : HAGLER

46. Adam's mate : EVE

49. Roman moon goddess : LUNA

50. Perched on : ATOP

51. "Quit it!" : "STOP!"

52. Repetitive learning : ROTE

54. Actor Alda : ALAN

55. Kinfolk: Abbr. : RELs. Acceptable for genealogy research.

56. "Goodness gracious!" : "MY, MY!"

58. Single in a wallet : ONE. If down to a single single, get thee to the ATM.

Argyle