Thursday, June 4, 2015 Michael Dewey

Theme: "100 Pounds of Clay" 2:16

17-Across. Heavyweight who dethroned Sonny Liston : CASSIUS CLAY. First you take some CLAY,

25-Across. The London Eye, for one : FERRIS WHEEL...throw it on a WHEEL,

36-Across. Zesty meat coating : ORANGE GLAZE...coat it with a GLAZE,

50-Across. Beer-making device : BREWERS KILN...and cook it in a KILN.

And the reveal:

59-Across. Fictional wizard, and a hint to who would use the ends of 17-, 25-, 36- and 50-Across : HARRY POTTER. If you manage to come out with something useful or pretty, you are a POTTER! I liked the logical progression in the theme entries. Well done.


Across

1. Los Alamos projects : A-BOMBS.

7. "A Jug of Wine ... " poet : OMAR. Khayyám. 

11. Shelter acquisition : PET. Oh, one acquired from a shelter...I thought it was something acquired for shelter, like a tent or an IRA.

14. Hat with a brim : FEDORA.

15. Sport for heavyweights : SUMO.

16. Fertility lab supply : OVA. Plural of ovum.

19. NASA transport : LEM. Lunar Excursion Module.

20. Attacks : SETS AT.

21. Other, to Orlando : OTRA.

22. Happy hour site : PUB. "Bar" also fit.

28. Exception lead-in : UNLESS...

30. Memorable "Richard III" words : A HORSE, a horse! My kingdom for a horse!

31. Disadvantaged : POOR.

32. One of the Mountain States : IDAHO.

35. Some hot rods : GTs. From the Italian Gran Turismo, they are not just hot rods. True "grand touring" cars have specific attributes to go along with the name.

40. Roulette option : ODD. "Red" also fit.

42. "Sorry" : I CAN'T.

43. Land of the banshee : EIRE.

46. Home of the NCAA's Wolf Pack : NEVADA.

48. "Tess" Golden Globe winner : KINSKI. Nastassja played the role so well.

54. Slew : TON.

55. Level, in London : RASE. Those Brits, I wish they'd learn to spell...  ;-)

56. Spelunkers : CAVERS.

58. Dash widths : ENs. Half as wide as an EM dash.

64. __ limit : AGE.

65. Assist badly? : ABET.

66. Words before "Happy New Year!" : ...TWO, ONE.

67. Kenan's TV pal : KEL. "Kenan and Kel" ran for four years on Nickelodeon. It was cancelled in 2000. Never saw it.

68. Chats : JAWS.

69. New York county on Lake Ontario : OSWEGO. That sounds like an Air Force song: "Oswego, into the wild blue yonder..."


Down

1. Browns' gp. : AFC. American Football Conference. The AFC and the NFC are the two conferences which make up the NFL.

2. Cole Porter's "__ Clown" : BE A. What movie was it from?

3. Takes too much, briefly : ODs. Overdoses.

4. Peat component : MOSS.

5. Legal filings : BRIEFS.

6. Browns, perhaps : SAUTÉS.

7. Word before nod or buzz : OSCAR.

8. Millionaire starter? : MULTI. Because "mega"-millionaire was too short.

9. Org. with a monthly Journal of Ethics : AMA. American Medical Association.

10. Kevin's "Tin Cup" role : ROY. Not one of Kevin Costner's finest movies.

11. Disruptive spirit : POLTERGEIST.

12. Tibetans call it Chomolungma : EVEREST. Learning moment, but easily inferable.

13. They may be hot : TAMALES. Nailed it!

18. Belarus or Ukr., once : SSR. Soviet Socialist Republic.

21. "Looky here!" : OHO.

22. Small seal : PUP.

23. Low número : UNO.

24. Circulation need : BLOOD VESSEL. I briefly toyed with a "publication."

26. Humorist Mort : SAHL.

27. "Hold it!" : WHOA.

29. Bobble the ball : ERR.

32. Market chain based in Chicago : IGA. With the red and white logo.

33. Room with a recliner : DEN.

34. Insurance fig. : AGT. Insurance agent.

37. Helper : AIDE.

38. Site of Mt. Mitchell, highest Appalachian peak : N. CAR. Did you skip over the abbr. of "Mt." in the clue?

39. __ master : ZEN.

40. Taking five or ten : ON BREAK.

41. Drive up the wall : DERANGE. and 53-Down. One climbing the walls : IVY.

44. "King Kong" studio : RKO.

45. Cologne article : EIN. It can mean "one" or "a/an." It can be easily confused with "eins," which is the number "one."

47. Blow away : AWE.

48. Heavy lifter, for short? : KLEPTO.maniac.

49. Aligned : IN ROWS.

51. Head-turner's hardware? : SCREW. I had a hard time aligning the clue with the answer, since I feel it's the screwdriver that does the head turning, not the screw.

52. Super Mario racers : KARTS.

57. Stash : STOW.

59. Uris novel, with "The" : HAJ. I read it when it first came out, so this was a gimme.

60. Old sports org. with a red-white-and-blue ball : ABA. American Basketball Association. It merged with the NBA in 1976.

61. Piggy : TOE.

62. Writer's coll. major, often : ENG.lish

63. Vintage auto : REO.


And my work here is done...

Marti

Note from C.C.

Our California Coven & Lucina had their annual get-together yesterday. JD said:

"Here we are today in Pleasanton, CA: Chickie, JD, Garlic Gal and Lucina. Chris (Garlic Gal)  read a sweet email that she had received from Dodo (wish I had brought some of mine too). Then we toasted her and a life well lived."

Left to Right: Chickie, JD, Garlic Gal and Lucina.

June 3, 2015

Wednesday June 3rd, 2015 Ed Sessa

Theme: Sheik's Peer Group - the ends of the six theme entries homo-phonically reveal the start of one of the Bard's most famous soliloquies

19A. *Split apart : IN TWO

20A. *Working, working, working : AS BUSY AS A BEE

35A. *1967 NHL Calder Memorial Trophy recipient : BOBBY ORR. Hockey's "Rookie of the Year" trophy presciently awarded to this Hall of Famer and Boston Bruins legend.

41A. *Half-hitch kin : SLIP KNOT. Pull the loose end to release it. 

56A. *"And it took long enough!" : ABOUT TIME TOO. On finishing the crossword?

59A. *Backup option : PLAN B. I once worked for a company that liked to have Plans C thru Z too, just in case. It was a tad tedious, to say the least.

and then all the way at the bottom, the hint:

48D. Speaker of the ends of the answers to starred clues : HAMLET

Royal Shakespeare Company 50th Anniversary UK Stamp

"To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub;
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause: there's the respect
That makes calamity of so long life;"

Talented chap, that Shakespeare bloke. So is Ed Sessa, come to that. I found this a little tricky for a Wednesday and took a little while to get a foothold, but then a couple of spirals around the grid and things started to fall into place. I enjoyed the POE/MAELSTRÖM connection, and could easily visualize a HAM ACTOR making a mess of HAMLET. Let's get into the details:

Across:

1. Gothic literature middle name : ALLAN. Mr. Poe.

6. Sound of relief : AAH.

9. Tells : BLABS

14. Olympus competitor : LEICA. Always need to wait for crosses with these - you've got Nikon and Canon as other possibilities.

15. Lobster __ Diavolo : FRA. Yay - Food! making an early appearance. The tomato-and-chilli Fra Diavolo sauce is Italian for "Brother Devil", so named because of the spicy heat.

16. Talked a blue streak : RAN ON

17. Violent whirlpool : MAELSTRÖM. Our 1A friend Mr. Poe wrote a short story in 1841 "A Descent into the Maelström" which captivated me when I read it as a child.

"I'm guessing this is not good"

22. Bashful : SHY

23. Per person : APIECE

24. Pinch : DASH

28. Part of Q.E.D. : QUOD. "Erat Demonstrandum" rounds out the phrase. Tada! in mathemetician-speak.

29. Asian holiday : TET. I'm sure there are more Asian holidays than this one, but it's a crossword-fave.

31. Transcript fig. : G.P.A.

32. Géorgie, to Georgette : ÉTAT. The French spelling of the State of Georgia. I learned in French lessons years ago that if you replace the "e-acute" at the start of a word with the letter "S", you'll often get closer to the English meaning of the word. Not a hard-and-fast rule, but it works in this case.

37. Sound : AUDIO

39. Game show prize : CAR

40. Long tales : SAGAS

43. With 64-Across, tax shelter since 1998 : ROTH

44. "Power" accessory : TIE. I used to wear a tie pretty much every day, but now businesses are much more relaxed about such things.

45. Updike's "Rabbit Redux," e.g.: Abbr. : SEQ. The sequel to "Rabbit, Run"

46. Longtime Saudi king : FAHD

49. Tater : SPUD. Food! I'm liking Ed's puzzle today.

51. Ancient Israeli fortress : MASADA. Crosses all the way.

53. Workout "washboards" : ABS. Let's ask USA Olympic sprinter Torri Edwards to illustrate what these look like:

62. Vibrator in the larynx : VOCAL CORD. My thought process here went "voice box .. no wait .. "vocal chord" ... no, what? ah! Got it!

63. Public opening? : JOHN Q. Does Mr. Public live in Peoria?

64. See 43-Across : IRA

65. Low-price prefix : ECONO- Yee-ha! Nancy Griffith extols the virtues of the Ford panel van.

66. Really cracks up : SLAYS

67. Volleyball barrier : NET

68. Carved emblem : TOTEM

Down:

1. Soprano Gluck and composer Mahler-Werfel : ALMAS. On the "I know this" scale of 1-10 I was was a solid zero. Thank you, crosses.

2. Chihuahua lead : LEASH. I was expecting something fiendishly Mexican-Spanish here. Nope.

3. Stretch out next to : LIE BY

4. Censorship-fighting org. : A.C.L.U.

5. Bahamas port : NASSAU. Port of Registration for many cruise liners.

6. Hiding under the covers : AFRAID

7. Tossed off the covers : AROSE

8. Poor choice to play 48-Down : HAM ACTOR. Good choice to play "Babe" though?

9. Creamy cheese : BRIE

10. Like Olympic pools : LANED. Also seems a darned long way from one end to the other when you're in the middle of sprint training.

11. Picnic invader : ANT

12. Moment of stage gratitude : BOW

13. __-Cat: winter vehicle : SNO

18. Proofer's find : TYPO

21. U.K. network, with "the" : BEEB. Fondly, the BBC - the British Broadcasting Corporation.

25. Disco phrase : A GOGO. The famous Whisky a Go Go nightclub here in Los Angeles was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006. Pretty good for a building.

26. Nursery rhyme surname : SPRAT. Jack and his wife. We never learned Mrs. Sprat's first name. Maybe it was Jill, of "tumbling after" fame.

27. Strident : HARSH

28. Cotton swab brand : Q-TIP

30. "Conan" channel : TBS. Ted Turner's TBS, based in Atlanta was the first "Superstation" - the first basic cable channel to transmit programming via satellite, enabling it to be carried on cable networks in all 50 states by 1978.

32. Bridge positions : EASTS

33. Cup-shaped bloom : TULIP

34. "Cheers," across the Channel : ADIEU. I tried SANTÉ first. Bottoms up!

35. Ball striker : BAT

36. Play area : YARD

38. Endorsements : OK'S

39. Chicken-in-wine stew : COQ AU VIN. Food! I learned early to use the same wine you were planning to drink with the meal, rather than throw in some cheap stuff and hope it magically tasted great when it cooked out. I use a nice Californian Pinot Noir, the same primary varietal in French burgundy.

42. Movie clownfish : NEMO

46. One with money to burn : FAT CAT

47. 1998 Sarah McLachlan song : ADIA. This song is following me around on crossword Wednesday. No matter, it's a beautiful song.

50. Boy in an Irish song : DANNY. Here's the Irish Tenors

52. Target, for one : STORE

53. On __: reveling : A TOOT

54. Carried : BORNE

55. City destroyed in Genesis : SODOM. It's near-neighbor Gomorrah didn't fare too well either. As Danny Boy would have said "Begorrah, Gomorrah"!

57. Tailgaters' cookers, for short : BBQ'S

58. __ Domani: Italian wine brand : ECCO. I'm very familiar with the name and the label, although I don't believe I've actually tasted any. Marti?

59. Sleepover attire : PJ'S

60. Cyberyuk : LOL. Laugh Out Loud. Great clue.

61. "Just as I thought!" : AHA!

Time for me to shuffle off the crossword coil. Here's the grid:

Steve

Note from C.C.:

Happy birthday to our talented Owen! Thanks for the time and hard work you put into your poems. You bring smiles to many regulars and we're grateful for your presence.

Owen & his wife Brenda (Feb 28, 2009)

Tuesday, June 2, 2015 Mike Peluso

Theme:  SPIT IT OUT. The first word can precede TALKING.

4. *Round before the Elite Eight : SWEET SIXTEEN. Sweet talking. Elite Eight are the eight final teams in the NCAA regional finals or national quarterfinals.

6. *Ball carrier's maneuver depicted by the Heisman Trophy : STRAIGHT ARM. Straight talking.

26. *Two over par : DOUBLE BOGEY. Double talking.

23. Pundits ... and what the first words in the answers to starred clues literally are : TALKING HEADS

Four wrong answers snagged me until I got those untangled, aside from that, very do-able, just right for a Tuesday. 

melissa here.

Across:

1. Tostitos dip : SALSA

6. #, in music : SHARP

11. Swabbing need : MOP

14. Makes furrows in fields : PLOWS

15. Universal donor's group : TYPE O

16. Sports drink suffix : ADE

17. Roof overhangs : EAVES

18. Check the total of : RE-ADD.  Tried ADDED first.

19. Musician's booking : GIG

20. Gallic gal pal : AMIE.  Tried LASS first.

21. Paving goo : TAR

22. Adorable ones : CUTIES

24. Thor Heyerdahl's raft : KON-TIKI. I had no idea of this interesting story.

26. Lady of Lisbon : DONA. Portuguese title of address equivalent to Mrs. or Madam.

27. Beijing skyline haze : SMOG. Awful.

28. Home of the Raiders : OAKLAND

32. Video game brother : MARIO

35. High, in the French Alps : HAUT

37. Swiss painter Paul : KLEE. Very recognizable and colorful style.

38. Green card in the credit world : AMEX

39. Wild guesses : STABS

40. Brainchild : IDEA

41. Breathe heavily : PANT. Tried GASP first.

42. Hair clipper brand : WAHL

43. Twist into knots : GNARL. Tried BRAID first.

44. More vertical : STEEPER

46. Periodical with a URL : E-MAG

48. Oater actor Jack : ELAM

49. Chess pieces that move only diagonally : BISHOPS

53. Venus, e.g. : PLANET

56. Dress for success, with "up" : TOG.  If this is common crosswordese, I didn't remember. So out of practice.

57. Gardner of mystery : ERLE. 

58. Old nuclear agcy. : AEC

59. Repair, as faulty software : DEBUG

61. Morocco's capital : RABAT

62. Pixar collectible : CEL

63. Loon kin : GREBE

64. Official command : EDICT

65. Nonstandard product-tracking no. : SKU. Stock Keeping Unit.

66. College paper : ESSAY

67. "Bone" prefix : OSTEO

Down:

1. Command to Fido : SPEAK

2. "Drive Happy" rental company : ALAMO

3. "Good __": 1966 Young Rascals hit : LOVIN

5. Biblical mount : ASS

7. Martha of "Some Came Running" : HYER. 1959 Movie.

8. Therapists' org. : APA. American Psychological Association.

9. Revolutionary soldiers : REDCOATS

10. Middle-of-nowhere town : PODUNK

11. Star-struck trio? : MAGI.  Nice clue.

12. Drooly toon dog : ODIE

13. Cribbage pieces : PEGS

21. Bout decision : TKO

25. Texter's "I think ..." : IMO. "In My Opinion."

29. "M*A*S*H" star : ALDA. Hawkeye Pierce. IMO, Radar is the most endearing character. 

30. At no time, in poems : NE'ER.  Fare thee well, for ne'er shall we meet again ...

31. Negotiation ender : DEAL. Sneaky clue.

32. Plans (out) : MAPS

33. Amo, amas, __ : AMAT

34. Philosopher Descartes : RENE

36. Contented sigh : AAH

39. Cool weather clothes : SWEATERS

43. Fun time : GAS

45. Telethon promise : PLEDGE

47. Russian fighter : MIG

50. Heavenly path : ORBIT

51. "Peyton __" : PLACE

52. Spat : SET-TO. Got hung up here, thinking of Spat as a verb. The first T, crossing RABAT was my last to fill in. 

53. Lobbying orgs. : PACS

54. Scallion kin : LEEK

55. First Amendment defender: Abbr. : ACLU

56. Oom-pah maker : TUBA

60. Wanna-__: pretenders : BE'S

61. Popular Roaring Twenties auto : REO

melissa

Monday, June 1, 2015 Gail Grabowski and Bruce Venzke

Theme: The TRUTH... shall turn you LOOSE; set you FREE to be LIBERATED and UNBOUND.

20A. Coin-counting machine input : LOOSE CHANGE

33A. Capitalist principle : FREE ENTERPRISE

40A. Feminist : LIBERATED WOMAN

56A. Yet-to-be-covered volume : UNBOUND BOOK

RABBIT, RABBIT. Argyle here with the latest from Gail and Bruce. My alternate title was "Going Commando...".

Across:

1. Scrubbing Bubbles target : SCUM. Commercial.

5. Medical research goal : CURE

9. Faked on the ice : DEKED

14. Walking aid : CANE

15. "Up and __!" : AT 'EM

16. Somber verse : ELEGY. Not the eulogy but may be heard at the same service.

17. "What's going __ there?" : ON IN. Kids are too noisy or too quiet; same question.

18. Knock down, as an old house : RAZE

19. Russian river : VOLGA

23. Chaney of horror : LON

24. "Gracias" response : DE NADA. "It was nothing"

25. Dawdle : DALLY

27. Annoys : IRKS

30. Respond to with loud laughter : ROAR AT

37. Tesla Motors co-founder __ Musk : ELON. Occasional visitor to the Corner.

38. Former California fort : ORD, on Monterey Bay.

39. Sanctuary recess : APSE

45. Mall divisions : STORES

46. Say "Be careful" to : WARN

47. Chocolaty concoction : COCOA

49. Cupcake toppings : ICINGS

54. Spot for a seaweed wrap : SPA. Not a sushi bar?!

59. Stable youngsters : COLTS

61. Floating ice mass : BERG

62. Yours, in France : A TOI

63. Kate's sitcom friend : ALLIE. (1984–1989)

64. Jigsaw puzzler's starting place : EDGE

65. Upward slope : RISE

66. Southwestern plateaus : MESAs

67. Belgian river : YSER

68. Zipped : SPED

Down:

1. Admonish : SCOLD

2. Paddled boat : CANOE

3. Group for ones in labor? : UNION. Cute clue.

4. Brilliant bunch : MENSA

5. Vehicle maintenance : CAR CARE

6. Canyonlands National Park site : UTAH

7. Exiled Shah Mohammed __ Pahlavi : REZA. A rare trip to a Monday.

8. Edit, as text : EMEND

9. Come to light : DEVELOP

10. Jeff Lynne's symphonic rock gp. : ELO. (Electric Light Orchestra)

11. Morning TV host : KELLY RIPA. Looker 1

12. "Leggo my __!" : EGGO

13. Actress Cannon : DYAN. Looker 2

21. Singer Brickell married to Paul Simon : EDIE. Looker 3

22. Teri of "Mr. Mom" : GARR. Looker 4

26. Former California NFLer : LA RAM

28. Secure shoelace feature : KNOT

29. Scatter : STREW

31. Part of LPGA: Abbr. : ASSN. (association)

32. Collarless shirt : TEE

33. Move like a moth : FLIT

34. Autodialed campaign messages : ROBO-CALLS

35. Juan's January : ENERO

36. Old Norse poetic work : EDDA

37. Chicago transit trains : ELs

41. Disqualifies (oneself), judicially : RECUSES

42. "You have __": obstetrician's news : A SON

43. Old laundry-squeezing device : WRINGER

44. How some data is backed up : ON CD. (Compact Disc)

48. Cloister : ABBEY. I just borrowed the first five seasons of "Downton Abbey"; should keep me busy for awhile.

50. Letter-shaped girders : I-BARS. Commonly called an I-beam.

51. Upshot of poor service : NO TIP

52. "Duck, duck" follower : "GOOSE"

53. Maneuvered among moguls : SKIED

54. Bogus offer : SCAM

55. Flag holder : POLE

57. Ref. works that take up a lot of shelf space : OEDs. (Oxford English Dictionary)

58. Try to convince : URGE

60. Familia member : TIA. Your Spanish aunt or Tinbeni's Tia Maria.

Argyle

Notes from C.C.:

1) For those who were not able to make the Indie 500, you can now solve the puzzles at home. Please click here for details. The amazing constructors are: Erik Agard, Evan Birnholz, Peter Broda, Neville Fogarty, Andy Kravis and Finn Vigeland. All are NYT published constructors. Several are our LAT constructors also.

2) The fourth Minnesota Crossword Tournament will be held on June 14th, 2015 Saturday. Please click here for more details. Don G and I teamed up again this year. Hope to see some of you there.

Sunday May 31, 2015 Jason Mueller

Theme: "Ms." - All theme entries are women with M* S* initials.

22A. "Silkwood" star : MERYL STREEP. She's a natural.

28A. "Frankenstein" author : MARY SHELLEY

 

37A. Counselor Troi portrayer on "Star Trek: T.N.G." : MARINA SIRTIS. Deanna TROI, who appears in our crossword often. I did not know her full name though.

52A. Tennis star with five Grand Slam titles : MARIA SHARAPOVA. Contending for French Open right now.

61A. Host of a spin-off of "The Apprentice" : MARTHA STEWART. She's aging so beautifully.

77A. Toon with a pacifier : MAGGIE SIMPSON

84A. Early advocate of birth control : MARGARET SANGER

98A. 1995-2001 "SNL" regular : MOLLY SHANNON

111A. "Mighty Aphrodite" Oscar winner : MIRA SORVINO. She speaks Chinese.

  

120A. Jean Brodie creator : MURIEL SPARK. Learning moment for me.

I don't see Jason Mueller's name in our blog record. Must be his debut. Congratulations! 

Simple but fresh theme. And Jason gave us 10 theme entries. A total 122 squares. The highest I blogged this year. It's an incredible achievement for a rookie constructor.

 

Across:

    

1. Straw __ : POLL. The Iowa Straw Poll has lost relevance.

5. Immunization letters : DPT. Wiki says it stands for "Diphtheria, Pertussis (whooping cough), and Tetanus."

8. Duped in a good way? : CC'ED. Indeed.

12. __ Zero : COKE

16. They have Red Velvet and Watermelon varieties : OREOS. I knew this! All constructors search hard for fresh clues.

18. Many a surfer : AOLER

20. Norse trickster : LOKI

21. Chennai's continent : ASIA. India, to be exact.

24. Zira and Cornelius, in a 1968 film : APES. Planet of the Apes.

25. Auction units : LOTS

26. ATM necessity : PIN

27. Women's World Golf Rankings sponsor : ROLEX. I love my Timex.

 

31. Polish-German border river : ODER

33. Hunters' outfits, briefly : CAMOS

35. Seaman : TAR

36. Different : ELSE

40. Conditional words : IF SO

42. Pin surface : MAT. Wresting.

45. Costa del __ : SOL

46. Film franchise with a mammoth named Manny : ICE AGE. This stumped me last time.

48. Place : SITE

49. Nonlethal weapon : TASER

 

56. Chemical ending : INE

57. Oregon __ : TRAIL. Our Montana was there a few years ago.

60. Flashing light : STROBE

66. Flashiest : LOUDEST

70. Arab VIP : EMIR. EMIR & OREO have such convenient letter combo.

71. Point to pick : NIT

72. __ mater : PIA. Brain membrane. New to me.

73. "To Kill a Mockingbird" sibling : JEM

74. West Point inits. : USMA

75. Bygone : DEFUNCT

 

80. Nod : DROWSE

82. "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" author : KESEY (Ken). I did not like the movie. Too much.

83. Hosp. test : EKG

90. Pasadena parade posies : ROSES

92. "Permit Me Voyage" poet : AGEE. Did not know James Agee was a poet as well.

93. Hercules bicycle model : ROADEO. New to me also.

94. Billings-to-Helena dir. : WNW

95. Brown in Calif., e.g. : GOV. Jerry Brown. Our governor is Mark Dayton. His great-grandfather founded Dayton's (now Target).

96. Get ready : PREP

105. Engrave : ETCH

107. Asian sash : OBI

109. Colonial diplomat Silas : DEANE

110. McGwire rival : SOSA. Sad. All our boxes of Sosa/McGwire/Bonds cards. Worthless.

115. Discontinued P&G toothpaste : GLEEM

117. Back talk : LIP. And 128. Back talk : SASS

118. "Crossword Clues 'M,' __" : ALEX (Trebek). I just did not think of "Jeopardy!".

119. Plan for losing : DIET. This got me again.

123. Port, for one : WINE. And 127. 123-Across category : REDS

124. To be, in Paris : ETRE. I miss the food. And the lovely Etam shops.

125. Utter : SHEER

126. Bottled spirits : GENII

129. Moroccan city of one million : FES. Thought it's spelled as FEZ.

130. NCAA part: Abbr. : ASSN

Down:

1. Cheerleader's accessory : POMPOM

2. Frozen food brand : ORE-IDA. Boomer loves their tater tots.

3. Loewe's lyricist : LERNER

4. See 79-Down : LOY. And 79. With 4-Down, "The Thin Man" co-star : MYRNA

 

5. "The Sound of Music" song : DO-RE-MI

6. Hammer used to test reflexes : PLEXOR. New word to me.

7. Summer top : TEE

8. Santa __ : CLARA

9. Legal protection : COPYRIGHT. Clothing industry does not have much protection. You can't use others' labels, but OK to copy the design.

10. __ out a living : EKES

11. Menu listings : DISHES. Not computer menus.

12. Judgments : CALLS

13. Italian source of the melody for "It's Now or Never" : O SOLE MIO. "My Sunshine".

14. Toy with a tail : KITE

15. Like pie? : EASY. I never got into pies.

17. 35mm camera type : SLR

18. Map site : ATLAS

19. Turntable stat : RPM

23. Trojans' region, familiarly : SOCAL. USC Trojans.

29. Confused : AT SEA

30. "Strange Magic" gp. : ELO

32. Ascend : RISE

34. Agitate : STIR. I tried Marc Maron's WTF podcast because he had a longer version of  his interview with Terry Gross. I like him better now. Fresh Air also ran the interview, but it's heavily edited.

  

38. Irangate figure : NORTH (Oliver)

39. Here, to Henri : ICI

41. Bold : FEARLESS

43. Four-wheeler, for short : ATV

44. Leaves in a bag : TEA. My favorite. Loose leaf Jasmine Tea.

47. __ D.A. : ASST

48. Went faster : SPED UP

49. Like some tests : TIMED

50. "I Got __": Jim Croce hit : A NAME

51. Font flourish : SERIF

52. Diamond need : MITT. Paul Molitor makes me believing again!

53. Pale ___ : ALE

54. Certain sharer : ROOMIE

55. __ Dhabi : ABU

58. Acrimony : RANCOR

59. So to speak : AS IT WERE. Nice 8-letter fill.

62. Slog : TRUDGE

63. New Deal org. : WPA. Works Progress/Projects Administration

64. 2008 bailout beneficiary : AIG. They're big in Guangzhou, which is not my hometown, Gary. I grew up in Xi'an.

65. Cleaning aid : RAG

67. Massachusetts quartet : ESSES

68. Fire sign : SMOKE

69. Sharp tastes : TANGS

73. Taunt : JEER

76. Charlton Heston once led it: Abbr. : NRA. I knew this trivia also.

77. Phoenix suburb : MESA

78. He bested Adlai : IKE

81. Breaks on the road : STOP-OVERS

84. E-__ : MAG. Not fond of this clue.

85. Earlier : AGO

86. Spooner, for one : REVEREND

87. Mgmt. : ADMIN

88. Opposite of paleo- : NEO. I hope you're not into Paleo Diet. What's the lifespan for cavemen?!

89. Winner's prize : GOLD

91. Has title to : OWNS

94. Cheese shape : WHEEL

96. Mac alternatives : PCs

97. Scholarship founder : RHODES

99. Fictional symbol of brutality : LEGREE (Simon). "Uncle Tom's Cabin".

100. Elis : YALIES

101. Show of scorn : SNEER

102. Ryan and Bushnell : NOLANS. Nolan Bushnell founded Atari.  Nolan Ryan never had a perfect game.

103. God wed to his sister : OSIRIS

104. Place setting item : NAPKIN

106. Strains : TAXES. Verb.

108. Nibbles : BITES

111. Bryn __ College : MAWR

112. Netman Nastase : ILIE

113. Moreno with Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards : RITA

114. Meditation syllables : OMS. My landlord in Shanghai meditated every evening, with his incense and chants. Then he started to drink. He probably found more peace in these strong  drinks.

116. Flavor enhancer : MSG

121. TV dial letters : UHF

122. Princess' bane : PEA

The fourth Minnesota Crossword Tournament will be held on June 14th, 2015 Saturday. Please click here for more details.

C.C.

Saturday, May 30th, 2015, Barry C. Silk

Theme: Saturday Silkie~!

Words: 72 (missing J)

Blocks: 30

   This was a great puzzle - I could have been done in 5 minutes if I had gone with my original thoughts, but there were so many places where I hesitated and did the 'in-and-out' routine that I ended up closer to 25mins.  In fact, I was cruising so well at the end that I got the "Ta-DA~!" and wasn't expecting it.  No intimidating corners, and just two 13-letter spanners with two 14-letter climbers.  The longer fill:

25a. Assigning responsibility by committee, in modern lingo : BLAMESTORMING - I had the BLAME part, then the ST---, and this just seemed "logical"

40a. Where Langley is : FAIRFAX COUNTY - I tried "--- VIRGINIA" to start; Bzzzt. 

9d. Zinc compound : CALAMINE LOTION - I had "---LOTION", but SUNSCREEN didn't fit

15d. Many wallets contain one : DRIVER'S LICENSE

Down Jar~! ( there's the "J" )

ACROSS:

1. Org. whose website has a Track & Manage option : USPS - because neither UPS nor FedEx would fit

5. Ending sound : Pfft - usually associated with a 'lame' ending

9. Checked out : CASED - Think Private Eye

14. Copper mine? : SQUAD ROOM - Har-har.  Policemen cop-pers

16. Floral perfume : ATTAR - thought it, put it in, took it out

17. Predictable patterns : SYNDROMES - I always think of this word as medical related

18. Imprecise : LOOSE - like, say, an interpretation

19. Map lines: Abbr. : RDs

20. Clinches : ICES - The Rangers could not ice their run to the Stanley Cup

21. Some Buffalo wings : SABRES - DAH~!  I totally should have known this - NHL hockey clue about the 'other' NY team

Lindy Ruff, player and former coach

22. Subway device : OVEN - Subway, the sa'mich restaurant, that is

23. Like bodegas, to Span. speakers : FEMinine - I believe the term is 'declension'

24. Pitches : ADS

30. Facial cosmetics : LINERS - I like make-up on a girl, but it needs to be subtle

31. Like the Southeast, vis-à-vis other U.S. regions : RAINIEST - Odd; I would have thought the NW was the rainiest

34. Assume the role of : ACT AS

35. Put down : LAY

36. Camp sight : EMBER

37. Thing handed down : HEIRLOOM

39. Moby-Dick, e.g. : ALBINO - ah, not a drum solo reference; John Bonham was melodic and dynamic, which you don't hear in a lot of drum solos that followed - I tried to find a clip that was under 11+ minutes....

John Bonham - Led Zeppelin - Moby Dick

42. Jug part : EAR

44. Critter in a clowder : CAT

45. Small songbirds : TITS - Mr. Silk, did Mr. Norris change your original clue~?

46. Title heroine in a Humperdinck opera : GRETEL

48. Start to cure? : PEDI - had MANI, and that worked with "Avalon" at 41d. - but that's a Toyota model

49. Marker, e.g. : PEN - yup, first thought, but seemed too simple

52. Inexperienced : GREEN - not NAIVE

53. Two-time winner of the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar : MARIO PUZO

55. Runs slowly : OOZES

56. Allied : PARTNERED

57. Angström, e.g. : SWEDE

58. Aptly named Civil War general Henry : GRAY - yes, that is convenient; would have taken a drubbing being on the blue North side

59. Fake : DEKE - DAH~!  My first thought, and I hesitated.  Another hockey reference, as in feint

DOWN:   

1. BOAC flier's destination in a 1968 song : USSR - The Beatles - The Wiki

2. Carpeting unit: Abbr. : SQ. YD. - Square Yard

3. "Alice in Wonderland" features : PUNS

4. Blue : SAD

5. Work through : PROCESS

6. Incite : FOMENT

7. They aren't behind you : FOES

8. Corp. symbols : TMs - like this one

10. Narrow range : A TO B

11. Flier's convenience : STORAGE BIN

12. Let up : EASED

13. Adorn : DRESS

21. Rig : SEMI - the truck.  I was thinking "fix",  as in temporarily

22. 1998 Masters champion : O'MEARA - total WAG

23. Wear : FRAY

25. Lackluster : BLAH - ah, not DULL

26. Tiny parasites : LICE

27. Engine protector : ANTI-FREEZE

28. Slangy event suffix : O-RAMA - like, say, a "Sale-O-Rama"

29. Halo : NIMBUS - not "AREOLA", and crossing 45a.....

32. On the way : SENT

33. Home to Paris : TROY - the epic story character Paris

35. Tall story? : LOFT - not "TALE" - a story, as in a building

38. Like some history : ORAL

39. Bite : ACIDITY

41. Nissan whose last model year is 2015 : XTERRA - as far as SUVs go, this was probably my favorite style

42. "Some things are too delicious to share" food : EGGOs - I noticed they've moved away from "Leggo my Eggo"

43. Hood defense : ARROW - Robin Hood, that is

47. Started a hole : TEED - golf

48. Allen's successor : PAAR - TV's 'The Tonight Show' hosts

49. Sheer : PURE - aw, you know what I was thinking when I saw "sheer"

(God, she is stunning)

50. O.T. book : EZEKiel - well, I have to add my favorite reading of "25:17"

51. Networking connection point : NODE

53. Odometer stat. : MPG - meh.  My odometer tells me I have 267,200 "MIs" on the car; I suppose some newer cars have a odometer that features a Miles Per Gallon calculator

54. Crossing party, briefly : PED(estrian) - I am thinking Mr. Silk was not happy with PEDI and PED and PEN together in one grid

Splynter

Notes from C.C.:
 
1) I got this from Renèe Harvey of Mensa: "I am sorry the games and puzzles are not working, we are having syndication issues. We are working to resolve this as quickly as possible."
 
I don't know when they'll solve this issue. It's been a week. I encourage those Mensa users to download free Across Lite from NY Time's website. Then you can have LA Times puzzle at Cruciverb, which has a one-month archive. Plus the puzzle is always available at 10:00pm the previous night.
  
2) Happy Birthday to Splynter's mom! Hope Splynter makes it special for you.

Baby Splynter and his parents