Wednesday, March 19, 2014 Jim Horne and Jeff Chen

Theme: THE I's HAVE IT, or I-YI-YI, or OH MY, MY I.  If you noticed the somewhat unusual grid, you probably also spotted the big letter I in the middle.  With my keen powers of observation, that was the LAST thing I noticed. But It's just the beginning. Every vowel in every fill word is the letter I.  There are also a few vowel-less entries. I might nit-pick - instead I'll  identify them as illustrious enhancements.  Also, there's a unifier, though it's not identified as such in the cluing.  I'll get to it in due time.

Jim and Jeff continue their assault on the alphabet.  Just five weeks ago, I blogged their puzzle in which every entry contained the letter H.  And just 11 days ago we had the no E puzzle by Bruce Haight.  Is this a pattern? 

Hi, Gang.  There's no I in JazzBumpa, nor in team, but that doesn't mean that you and I can't team up to work our way through this I-mazing puzzle together.  Let's have at it.

Across:

 

1. Conflict in FDR's presidency : WWII.  Here, the I's become the Roman numeral 2.  WW I was supposed to have been the war to end all wars.  You can see how well that worked out.

5. Readies, as presses : INKS.  Perfect job for a squid.

9. Pod prefix : TRI.  Of course, I wanted cephalo-, not the three-legged camera holder.

12. Rise : HILL.   Topography.

13. Carding at a door : I.D.-ING.  Identifying those over/under age.  I'll take the over.  I got carded at a Lion's game a few years ago, thinning grey hair not withstanding.

14. Indian honorifics : SRIS.  The don't spell SIRS properly.

15. Stops for Carnival custs. : ISLS.  Carnival Cruise line customers and islands.  Brief stops, come to think of it.

16. Finger, e.g. : DIGIT.  Toe, too.

17. Elton's "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" duet partner : KIKI.  I remember the song, but Kiki Dee is but a long faded memory.

18. T'ai __ : CHI   An exercise regimen consisting of graceful and slow movements that relax and strengthen both body and mind.  It dates from the 11th century.

19. Billy clubs : NIGHT STICKS.  Head breakers.

21. Indian language : HINDI.  My massage therapist is married to an Indian guy from Goa, where they speak Portuguese.

23. User-edited site : WIKI.  Even I could be an editor.

24. Model in a bottle : SHIP.  Not necessarily.

27. Outer coating : SKIN.  Should be bottle. See above.

29. Capital of Georgia : TBILISI. Not Atlanta, though it fits and has all wrong vowels.  Say it three times real fast. 

32. Works without a script : WINGS IT.  Or a result of being unprepared.

36. "This tape will self-destruct in five seconds" fictional spy org. : I .M. F.  Not the International Monetary Fund.

37. Architect Maya __ : LIN.  She did the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

38. Bug : IRK.  Irritate.

39. 24-hr. info source : CNN.  There is no I in news.

40. Longing to see : MISSING.  I am keenly aware of your absence.

 42. Yellowish embellishment : GILDING.  Thou shalt not embellish lilies yellowishly.

44. "Sent" folder contents: Abbr. : MSGS.  Short, i-less messages.

45. Small cut : SNIP. 

46. Tizzy : SNIT.  Hissy fit.

48. Singer Minaj : NICKI.  Seek a link if you are so inclined

52. Maintaining shoe gloss, in a way : SPIT SHINING.   Instructions.

58. Popular show : HIT.

59. Friends and neighbors : KITH.  Middle English, from Old English cȳthth; akin to cūth, meaning "known," recognizable today as it's antonym, uncouth.

60. "Lemon Tree" singer Lopez : TRINI.

61. S&P 500 bank : CITI.

62. NFL stats : INTS.  Football Interceptions.

63. Easy two-pointer : TIP IN.  Basketball.  Just in time for March Madness.

64. Diner orders, briefly : BLTS.  Bacon-lettuce-tomato [no I so far] sandwiches - [Darn!]

65. Letter before omega : PSI. It's all Greek to me.

66. Start of a library conversation : PSST.  Could I have your attention, without batting an I?

67. Señor's assent : SI SI.  I agree.  Does C. C.?

Down:

 1. Question of choice : WHICH.  'Round the cauldron - which witch?

2. Words often heard before may and might : WISH I. There is an I in WISH.

3. "You Be __": 1986 Run-D.M.C. hit : ILLIN'.  Per 23A, The slang term illing means to "be uncool and unrelaxed", "be acting crazy", "be 'tripping' or 'bugging' ", or "be acting 'wack' "

4. They, in Tours : ILS.  French.  Is ILS Illin'?

5. "Got it, man" : I DIG.  Retro 60's slang.

6. At hand : NIGH.

7. Make socks, e.g. : KNIT.

8. Pepper and Bilko: Abbr. : SGTS.  There is no I in Sergeant.

9. Prank : TRICK.

10. __-Tikki-Tavi: Kipling mongoose : RIKKI.  Cobra fighter from the Jungle Book.

11. Egyptian fertility goddess : ISIS.

13. Despot Amin : IDI.  Very illin' dude.

14. Street sport : SKIING.  Now, this is tricky.  Olympic medalist Picabo Street.

19. Ones who reject established institutions : NIHILISTS.  A bit understated.  It's a belief that current conditions are so bad that existing society should be destroyed.

20. Instant : TWINKLING.  I assume this is condensed from the phrase, "In a twinkling of an I."

22. One way to get online, briefly : DSL.  Digital Subscriber Line.  I's everywhere.

25. "Of Thee __" : I SING.  Sweet land of liberty.

26. Sonar pulses : PINGS.

27. Way more than sips : SWIGS.  Two ways to go at your Guinness.  Before I caught on, I wanted GULPS.

28. Beer from Japan : KIRIN.  It's also good for a sip or a SWIG.

29. "A Christmas Carol" boy : TIM.

30. Ratio involving ht. and wt. : B.M.I.  Body mass index, briefly. 

31. Suppositions : IFS.  They occasionally travel with ANDS or BUTS.

33. __-fi : SCI.  Science Fiction.

34. Accommodating place : INN.  A place with accommodations.  Nice, fresh clue

35. Series with Capt. Picard, to fans : TNG. There's no I in Star Treck: The Next Generat -- oops!

41. Horseshoe makers : SMITHS.

43. Printer spec. : DPI.  Dots Per Inch.

46. Quick rides : SPINS.

47. Ness foe : NITTI.  Gritty guy.  Per 23A: Francesco Raffaele Nitti (January 27, 1886 – March 19, 1943), also known as Frank "The Enforcer" Nitti, was an Italian American gangster. One of Al Capone's top henchmen, Nitti was in charge of all strong-arm and 'muscle' operations.  Eliot Paul Ness joined the U.S. Treasury Department in 1927, working with the Bureau of Prohibition, in Chicago.  Fun times.

49. Spicy pepper : CHILI.

50. Saint __ and Nevis: Caribbean country : KITTS.  More formally, St. Christopher.  These neighboring West Indies Islands form a single country.

51. Formal "Who's there?" reply : IT IS I.  Finally, it is the unifier

52. Miss on purpose : SKIP.

53. Web address letters : HTTP.  HyperText Transfer Protocol.

54. "Elegy for __": memoir about writer Murdoch : IRIS.  Per the font of all knowledge, she was an Irish-born British author and philosopher, best known for her novels about good and evil, sexual relationships, morality, and the power of the unconscious.

55. Pinches : NIPS.  A word with many meanings, here I take it to be arrests, as by a police officer.  You may ponder other meanings at your leisure.

56. Part of FDR: Abbr. : INIT. Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Initials.

57. Diarist Anaïs : NIN.  Angela Anaïs Juana Antolina Rosa Edelmira Nin y Culmell (February 21, 1903 – January 14, 1977) was an author born to Spanish-Cuban parents in France.

61. "Mike & Molly" network : CBS.  Columbia Broadcasting System, which unfortunately contains an I.

That wraps it up.  A pleasant journey, and quite an I full, with some musical interludes and interesting authors. Hope you injoyed it.  I'll be off-line today, and will try to check in this evening. 

Cool Regards!

JzB

Tuesday, March 18, 2014 Gail Grabowski and Bruce Venzke

Theme: Aaugh! - Words for at the end of one's rope, at the end of the theme entries.

18A. Smart remark : WISECRACK

27A. Crisp cookie : GINGER SNAP

48A. Super-popular : ALL THE RAGE

63A. Compulsive cleaner : NEAT FREAK

71A. Lose it, and a hint to the last words of 18-, 27-, 48- and 63-Across : GO APE

Argyle here. Synonyms today. Charlie Brown's cry of frustration sums up the feeling we have when we've come to the end of our rope and can't take it anymore. One misstep and we are off the deep end. Fortunately, Gail and Bruce have given us a puzzle that shouldn't incite such feelings; quite the opposite. Very nice Tuesday.

Across:

1. Uncertainty : DOUBT

6. Bit of gel : DAB. A little dab will do ya'.

9. Classroom supply : CHALK. Really? Do they still have chalkboards?

14. Media mogul Winfrey : OPRAH

15. Old studio letters : RKO. (Radio-Keith-Orpheum)

16. Google rival : YAHOO

17. "The Cloister and the Hearth" author Charles : READE. An historical novel (1861) set in the 15th century, it describes the events, people and their practices in the struggle between man's obligations to family and to Church.

20. Bowling building : ALLEY. Boomer's baliwick.

21. Year's record : ANNAL

22. Word from a heckler : BOO

23. Firmness of spirit : GRIT

25. Makes furious : IREs

31. Ditty : TUNE

35. Old vitamin bottle no. : RDA. (Recommended Dietary Allowance)

36. Melville novel that continued the story from "Typee" : "OMOO"

37. Betray like a stoolie : RAT ON

38. Country music's __ Ridge Boys : OAK. Find your favorite. Videos

39. Team supporters, collectively : FAN BASE

42. "As I see it," in texts : IMO. (in my opinion)

43. Reaper's bundle : SHEAF

45. LAX predictions : ETAs

46. Windy City hrs. : CST. Chicago is in the Central time zone.

47. Can in a cooler : SODA. Did you have soda bread yesterday?

51. Jessica of "Sin City" : ALBA

53. Voice below soprano : ALTO

54. Unit of resistance : OHM

57. Desktop computer that inspired clones : IBM PC

59. Rainy-day covers : TARPS

65. "__ you to try it!" : I DARE

66. Fad : CRAZE

67. Place for pampering : SPA

68. Israeli desert : NEGEV. Beersheba is its largest city.

69. Voice an objection : DEMUR

70. Skosh : TAD

Down:

1. Cartoon explorer with a cousin named Diego : DORA

2. German automaker : OPEL

3. Eurasian border river : URAL

4. Rotten apple : BAD EGG

5. Race track cry after "And" : "THEY'RE OFF!"

6. Holmes' confidant : DR. WATSON

7. Similar : AKIN

8. Region bordering Croatia : BOSNIA

9. Rinse or spin, e.g. : CYCLE

10. Guffaw syllable : HAR

11. Obsessed fictional captain : AHAB

12. Bonkers : LOCO

13. Early cartoon clown : KOKO

19. Lawman Wyatt : EARP

24. Culinary author Rombauer : IRMA

26. RR stop : STA

27. "That's disgusting!" : "GROSS!"

28. Montana neighbor : IDAHO. Direct shout out.

29. Ready to skinny-dip : NAKED

30. Prestigious prize : NOBEL

32. City in upstate New York : UTICA. Semi-shout out.

33. Asian menu assurance : NO MSG

34. Cyberjotting : E-NOTE

37. Turning back to zero, as an odometer : RESETTING

40. Smear campaign commercial : ATTACK AD

41. Satirist Mort : SAHL

44. Duracell size : AAA

48. Shortened wd. : ABBR. We get a lot.

49. Least plausible : LAMEST

50. Truckers' competition : ROADEO. See the cute play on 'rodeo'.

52. Career soldier : LIFER

54. One way to store pics : ON CD

55. "Grab this" : "HERE"

56. Title of respect : MA'AM

58. Mama's mate : PAPA

60. Sitar music : RAGA

61. Get ready for the OR : PREP

62. Golfer Ballesteros : SEVE. Spanish professional golfer: won the British Open Championship (1979; 1984; 1988) He died in 2011 at 54

64. Shih __: Tibetan dog : TZU. "Being beautiful takes a lot of work."

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to dear Warren, who used to comment on our blog regularly. How's the pottery & jam business, Warren?

Left to right:  Warren, JD, EddyB, Chickie

Monday, March 17, 2014 Charlie Riley

Theme: 'Tis Wearin' of the Green Day - Have some Irish items.

16A. Tricky situation to deal with : HOT POTATO. Irish potato.

24A. Salon styling stuff : HAIR CREAM. Irish Cream.

37A. Former NFLer with a season record 23 touchdown receptions : RANDY MOSS. Irish moss.

54A. Flying socialite : JET SETTER. Irish Setter.

64A. Hearty meal often made with mutton, and, in a way, what the ends of 16-, 24-, 37- and 54-Across comprise : IRISH STEW

Argyle here with Charlie. ;~) Top of the mornin' to you, when even an editor is Irish. He has shown us what a Monday puzzle can look like and gave out a few CSO's, too.

(Note from C.C.: As Argyle mentioned, Charlie Riley is the pseudonym of Rich Norris (LA Times Daily Crossword editor).  It's an anagram of "i.e., Really Rich")

Rich and his wife Kim

Across:

1. Bambi's mom, e.g. : DOE

4. First grade lessons : ABCs

8. Father-son actors Robert and Alan : ALDAs

13. Essence : CRUX

14. Sodium hydroxide, in chem class : NaOH

15. Deserve : MERIT

18. Chicago airport : O'HARE

19. Smitten : IN LOVE

20. Piper's son of rhyme : TOM

22. Radio switch letters : AM/FM

23. End : CEASE

26. Santa's laugh sounds : HOs

27. Victrola corp. : RCA

29. Govt. intelligence gp. : NSA

30. Dr. of rap : DRE

31. Division word : INTO

33. Taiwanese-born director Lee : ANG

35. Asked God for guidance : PRAYED

40. JFK's vessel : PT BOAT. Our "Patrol Torpedo" version of the German S-boat that the English called an E-boat. Got it? U-boat was a submarine.

43. Soft slip-on : MOC

44. Norse trickster : LOKI

48. "I got it!" : "A-HA!"

49. "Norma __" : RAE. (1979)

51. Approves : OKs

53. Flying Peter : PAN

57. Start of a fitness motto : "USE IT....or lose it!"

59. Curved foot part : ARCH

60. Minor league rink org. : AHL. (American Hockey League)

61. "Just watch me!" : "I CAN SO!"

62. "Politically Incorrect" host Bill : MAHER

66. "Not __ out of you!" : A PEEP. Dreaded 5-letter partial.

67. Casino freebie : COMP

68. Chile's Cape __ : HORN

69. Methods: Abbr. : SYSTs

70. "Ghost Hunters" channel : SYFY. (previously the Sci Fi Channel)

71. Two-time loser to DDE : AES. Dwight D. Eisenhower / Adlai E. Stevenson

Down:

1. Talk and talk and ... : DRONE ON

2. Show more staying power than : OUTLAST

3. Old Montreal team : EXPOS. Baseball

4. Poker game starter : ANTE

5. Sheep's sound : [BAA!]

6. Terra __: pottery clay : COTTA

7. Surefire winner : SHOO-IN

8. Latin "I love" : AMO

9. "The Merry Widow" composer Franz : LEHAR. Info on his operetta.

10. Serious-and-funny show : DRAMEDY. (drama/comedy)

11. Orbitz quote : AIR FARE

12. Originated (from) : STEMMED

13. Oh-so-stylish : CHICHI. [shee-shee]

17. Finished for good : OVER

21. Logical guy with pointy ears : MR. SPOCK. Science officer on the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701)

24. Ranch worker : HAND

25. Auto dealer's inventory : CARS

28. Bach composition : CANTATA

32. Gold, to Gomez : ORO

34. Workout place : GYM

36. Communication for the deaf: Abbr. : ASL. (American Sign Language)

38. Swiss river : AARE

39. Othello, for one : MOOR

40. Pillow fight garb : PAJAMAs

41. Psychologist's treatment : THERAPY

42. Cookie dough units : BATCHES

45. Summer shoe style : OPEN-TOE

46. Former German leaders : KAISERS

47. Back home after traveling, say : IN TOWN

50. Moral principles : ETHICS

52. For instance, with "as" : SUCH

55. Piece of paper : SHEET

56. "The Jetsons" boy : ELROY

58. Malia Obama's sister : SASHA

61. Cosby/Culp TV series : "I SPY"

63. Rotation meas. : RPS. (revolutions per second)

65. Global currency org. : IMF. (International Monetary Fund)(Headquartered in Washington, D.C.)

"Kiss me, I'm Irish."

Argyle

Sunday March 16, 2014 C.C. Burnikel

Theme: "Foresees" - Each theme entry has Four C's.

23A. South Temperate Zone border : ANTARCTIC CIRCLE

34A. Pope's realm : CATHOLIC CHURCH

50A. NFL wide receiver who once changed his name to match his uniform number : CHAD OCHOCINCO. Now back to Chad Johnson. Ocho Cino is 8 & 5 rather than 85.

73A. Challenge for Henry Higgins : COCKNEY ACCENT

93A. Proof of payment : CANCELED CHECK

111A. It's barely legible : CHICKEN SCRATCH

124A. Current path : ELECTRIC CIRCUIT

As usual, lots of clue changes. Rich always makes me look smarter than I really am.

Click here to see my original submissions. I actually had CHAD OCHOCINCO clued as "6-time NFL Pro Bowl wild receiver" initially.  Rich said:

"... I had to chuckle at your "wild receiver" typo--an apt one for Mr. Ochocinco, I'd say.  ;-)..."

 Across:

1. Data theft target: Abbr. : SSN

4. Bowler feature : BRIM. Hat.

8. Instant, in product names : REDI

12. Brightly colored foam shoes : CROCS

17. Traffic noise : TOOT

19. It may be cracked: CODE

20. Green shampoo : PRELL. So what's your favorite shampoo?

22. Like most of western China : RURAL. Xi'An, my hometown, means "Western Peace". It's the gate to Western China.

26. Ma-__ store : AND PA. Dreaded 5-letter partial. Owen said last Thursday"...Every puzzle must have nits, its a LAW!". I've got to obey the law. Owen's Law.

27. Do without : FORGO

28. Outfielder Crisp : COCO. He has 3 C's.

29. Helps with a job : ABETS

31. Some Caltech grads : EES

32. Sprite Zero alternative : FRESCA

38. Airline that co-founded Star Alliance : SAS. See here. United is a founding member also.

39. Maker of Total Effects skin care products : OLAY

41. Colin Hanks, to Tom : SON

42. Common article : THE

43. Gin fizz fruit : SLOE

44. Wore out the carpet : PACED

46. Ready to eat : RIPE. So ready for the nectarine/peach season.

48. Company that insured Bruce Springsteen's voice : LLOYDS

55. Tiger's 2004 bride : ELIN. Tiger is now dating Linsey Vonn, a Minnesota Native.

56. Sly tactic : RUSE

57. Pickle pick : DILL

58. Island near Corsica : ELBA

60. NASA moon landers : LEMs. I'm not sure Rich will accept YUTU, China's moon rover. It means "Jade Rabbit".  In Chinese myth, there's a rabbit living in the moon.

63. Haunt : OBSESS

66. Gullible one : NAIF

68. Actor Morales : ESAI. I missed the last episode of "NYPD Blue".

70. "__ open!" : IT'S

72. Asian sash : OBI. This one is so elaborate. I bet it costs a fortune.

77. Wood cutter : SAW

78. Sister : NUN

79. Online magazine with a "Runway" section : ELLE.  I referenced Elle Fanning.

80. With 102-Across, Japanese golfer : ISAO. And 102. See 80-Across : AOKI

81. Cascades peak : SHASTA

83. Bug-__: Ortho garden product : B-GON. Owen's law.

85. Glorifying poems : ODES

88. Boy with a bow : EROS

90. Quick ride : SPIN

91. Guinness serving : PINT

97. Sam's rival : COSTCO. Not my type. Everything is so big.

100. Morro Castle site : CUBA. Never heard of the castle.

101. "Over the Rainbow" composer : ARLEN (Harold)

103. Picasso's aunt : TIA. And 65D. Picasso's sun : SOL. 123D. Picasso's here : ACA

105. Some Bronx trains : ELS

107. Palm Pre predecessor : TREO. Look how Rich simplified my wordiness.

108. Tiny songbird : TIT

115. Call-to-action response to one's own rhetorical question : I SAY NO

117. Merged Dutch carrier : KLM. Owen's Law. One airline per puzzle is enough.

118. Daisylike flower : ASTER

119. Et __ : ALIA

121. Wear down : ERODE

122. East Texas university : LAMAR. My clue is too gossipy.

128. Put in : ELECT

129. Drink from a bowl : LAP UP

130. Pod veggie : OKRA

131. Other, in a bodega : OTRA

132. Pops, to tots : DADAs

133. Intricate patterns : WEBS. Are you surprised by Bill Gates' comment on Snowden, Jayce?

134. Caught, as a show : SEEN

135. Occurrence : HAP

Down:

1. Fills vacancies in : STAFFS

2. Mexico's second-largest state : SONORA

3. Warning sign : NO TRESPASSING. The kids in our neighborhood just ignore the sign.

4. Discreetly send a dupe email to : BCC

5. Campus military gp. : ROTC

6. Folly : IDIOCY

7. Muslim holy city : MECCA

8. Troy, N.Y., tech sch. : RPI. Hi there Spitzboov & Splynter. By the way, Irish Miss, where were you born?

9. Bungle : ERR

10. Tattoo alternative for the squeamish : DECAL

11. "No more guesses, just tell me" : I'LL BITE

12. Computer problem : CRASH

13. Download option : RUN

14. Well-organized : ORDERLY

15. Its southern shore is on Nantucket Sound : CAPE COD

16. Budget overhauls : SLASHES

18. Diamond thieves' undoings? : TAGS. Baseball diamond. Rich's doing. Loved the clue.

21. Hanger-on : LEECH

24. Like Louis XV chairs : ROCOCO

25. Private beds? : COTS

30. Immune system defender : T CELL

33. D'Urberville who seduced Tess : ALEC. Real jerk.

35. Cornucopia shape : HORN

36. Not neat : ON ICE

37. Me.-to-Fla. route : US ONE

40. Condition that affects focusing, briefly : ADHD

45. ''Zip-__-Doo-Dah'' : A-DEE. Owen's law

47. C-SPAN figure : POL

49. Bebe's "Cheers" role : LILITH

50. Sing like Michael Bublé : CROON. Do you like him, CanadianEh!?

51. Noisy disturbance : HUBBUB

52. Grunted, in a way : OINKED

53. Group sharing a crest : CLAN

54. French Open winner before Björn : ILIE (Nastase)

55. Alleviate : EASE

59. "Chill out!" : BE COOL

61. Squandered early years : MISSPENT YOUTH. Santa gave me this clue. Must be from his personal experiences. He looks so innocent in this 1960 photo.

15-year-old Argyle

62. Reception disruption : STATIC

64. Like California's 17-Mile-Drive : SCENIC. Oh, I'm not familiar with the drive. Pebble Beach is there. No wonder. JJM might have played there.

67. Memo opener : FYI

69. Brief reply? : ANS (Answer)

71. Posh : SWANK

74. Thicken, as cream : CLOT

75. "Gimme __" : A SEC

76. Feel concern : CARE

82. "I don't want to be remembered for my tennis accomplishments" speaker : ASHE

84. __ nerve : OPTIC

86. Old French coin : ECU

87. Civil War weapon : SABER

89. Slightly burn : SEAR

92. Jots down : NOTES. I still write my notes in Chinese. Strange, isn't it? I also count in Chinese.

94. Simba's love : NALA

95. A third of neun : DREI (3)

96. Dennis Eckersley, e.g. : CLOSER. Gimme!!

97. Laughed demonically : CACKLED

98. "Très chic!" : OOH LA LA

99. Went over cursorily : SKIMMED

100. Source of legal precedents : CASE LAW

104. Inside company? : INTEL. Intel Inside.

106. Headliner : STAR

107. "Blurred Lines" singer Robin : THICKE. He and Miley Cyrus performed this infamous song at the 2013 MTV VMA Awards. Too much for me to link. Very gifted. He's the son of Alan Thicke.

109. Former Indian prime minister Gandhi : INDIRA

110. Dance click : TOE TAP

112. Mini racers : KARTS

113. Breakfast treat : CREPE. Oh, I have a question for D-Otto or other foodies on our blog:  How do you prepare your oatmeal? I've only used the quick-cooking rolled oats. Alton Brown's steel cut  looks quite creamy.

114. Advertising awards : CLIOs

116. Gas acronym : ARCO

120. Corn maze measure : ACRE

125. Young lion : CUB

126. Decorates with Angel Soft, briefly : TPs. Where are you, TTP?

127. Actor Holm : IAN

C.C.

Saturday, Mar 15th, 2014, Barry C. Silk

Theme: Saturday Silkie~!

Words: 72   (missing J,Q)

Blocks: 30

  Today's challenge from Mr. Silk took some intuitive thinking, as quite a few clues gave me fits. With the chunky triple 7-letter corners, I find this type of grid to be the most difficult, especially when you can't get a foothold.  In my case, I struggled a bit in the SW, and bad WAGs made some other spots slow to solve - and I had one wrong letter.  One grid-spanner, and let's hope that it's a thing of the past for the next 12 months~!

35. Winter forecast : FREEZING DRIZZLE - I got the DRIZZLE part from MAZDA, so I tried "--- AND DRIZZLE", but that didn't help

Aw, Dr. NO~!

 ACROSS:

1. Instrument played with mallets : MARIMBA - BAM~! Nailed it, not that I'm saying much - but hey, XYLOPHONE wouldn't fit

8. Pitcher's coup : PICK-OFF - I don't watch baseball, but this is one of those nifty little plays that make the game interesting - along with the "hidden ball" trick

15. Mine carriers : ORE CARS - Funny, ORE CARTS didn't fit, so I skipped it the first time around - and I was 114% correct

16. Orwell superstate : OCEANIA

17. 1980s Hollywood sex symbol : BO DEREK - I was trying to think of a popular male, and when the "K" appeared, I was stumped - oh, her - still looking good

18. Hang : SUSPEND

19. Meas. seen on a tee : YDs - Argh~!  My first thought was golf, but then I thought "nope, he's going with T-shirt here", and tried "XXL"

20. Beguile : TEMPT - not TEASE, not GET AT

22. Warthog features : TUSKS - made the "Top 10 List" for ugliest animal~!

23. Screened conversation? : VIDEO CHAT - I was thinking this could be "CONFESSION", but it's one letter too many

25. 28-Across natives, e.g. : ASIANS - circular clues -->

28. The Mekong flows along its border : LAOS

29. Fighter acronym : MiG - Mikoyan-Gurevich, the Russian military aircraft company

32. Going downhill : WORSE

33. "The __ Affair": Jasper Fforde novel : EYRE - never heard of it; Saturday cluing

34. Lighten : EASE - a burden, for example

38. Servers at affairs : URNS

39. Ballpark figs. : MGRs - Ah, the guy in the dugout, not ESTs

40. Needles : RIDES

41. Food-curing chemical : LYE - not MSG

42. "__ Mia": 1965 hit : CARA - I tried MAMA, and that's 50% right, but I knew the date was wrong

43. Give away : DONATE

44. Funk band instrument : SAXOPHONE - I think this is funky

46. When to see die Sterne : NACHT - 'the star(s)' in German, and 'night'; there's also a band by the same name, so I guess you could see them at night, too

49. Pasta bit : SHELL

50. Card quality : WIT - Card as in ham, clown, cut-up, etc.

53. Odorless fuels : ETHANES - all the light ones are pretty much odorless; the stink from propane is actually ethyl percaptan, which is added to warn you of a leak - it was a gas explosion that leveled the two buildings in Harlem NYC this week.

55. Tennessee neighbor : ALABAMA - GEORGIA fit, too; KENTUCKY, ARKANSAS, MISSOURI, and VIRGINIA are all 8-letters long

57. Zip up : ANIMATE - I was in "winter clothing" mode on this one, so this answer was slow to show

58. Extreme : RADICAL

59. Surfing annoyance : POP-UP AD - tell me about it; I hate that little 'hiccup' you get from ads on computers and mobile devices that shifts everything down one line JUST as you tap to move to the next link

60. Ship maintenance site : DRY DOCK - my Dodge Stratus and Ford Van are in 'dry dock' right now; today will be the first warm, dry day with no snow on the ground, allowing me to finally take a look and see what's wrong

DOWN:

1. Colorado State's __ Arena : MOBY

2. MLB nickname in recent news : A-ROD

3. Cabs, e.g. : REDS - DAH~! Wines, not Taxis

4. Winter coat : ICE - I've seen enough

5. Two-time 1990s A.L. batting champ Edgar : MARTINEZ - C.C. has more (From C.C.: He spent his whole career with the Mariners. He'll remain in the Hall of Fame ballot next year. Look at what I found:)

2-Down, Ken Griffey Jr, 5-Down

6. Procreates : BREEDS - Ah, not the Biblical BEGETS

7. Help desk sign : ASK ME

8. Deltiologist's collection : POSTCARDS - learning moment

9. Post-op area : ICU

10. Basque baskets : CESTAS

11. Shot : KAPUT

12. People : ONES - As in "the ones waiting for spring to arrive"

13. Rat : FINK

14. They come and go : FADS

21. Storyteller? : POLYGRAPH - TATTLE-TALE didn't fit

23. Arrangements may be made in them : VASES

24. Weed killer : HOER - my one missed letter; I had HOAR - hey, that could kill weeds, too - it kills the grass....

25. Horrific : AWFUL - not SCARY

26. Classic board game : SORRY!
 

27. Daughter of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands : IRENE - Saturday cluing for a popular crossword name; this one goes back a bit, as Queen Juliana passed at 94 ten years ago

29. Tribute maker : MAZDA

30. Key : ISLET - ah, not iNSet

31. Inane ones : GEESE - "You silly gooses~!"

33. Absorbed : ENGROSSED - I did NOT try "---- UP" to start, as in "SOAKED"

34. Salon, for one : E-ZINE

36. Big name in movies? : IMAX - yep, that's a big screen

37. Nickname in 20th-century British leadership : IRON LADY - Margaret Thatcher - that's the second "Iron" to come out of Britain - I prefer Iron Maiden....

42. Short time out? : CAT-NAP

43. Word on a Canadian loonie : DOLLAR - no animals were tattooed in the making of this crossword

44. San Diego attraction : SHAMU - not ZOOOO....

45. Picked up : HEARD

46. Tide table term : NEAP

47. Words before time or point : AT NO

48. Wood __ : CHIP - ah, not SHED

50. City on the Brazos : WACO

51. Apple product : iMAC - It's going to be "i" something....

52. Converse : TALK

54. Touchdown info : ETA - airplanes, not football

56. Nod, at times : BID

Splynter