Saturday, Jul 11th, 2015, Barry C. Silk

Theme: Saturday Silkie~!

Words: 70 (missing Q,X,Z)

Blocks: 26

Dammit~!  I can't remember the last time I solved a Saturday puzzle without red-letters, and it's starting to annoy me.  I got stumped in the NE corner this time, with bad fills on my part.  Ugh - oh well.   I was really looking forward to finishing this Silkie unassisted - it did have some great fills.  Triple 10-letter corners, with triple 7-letter corners in the down paired to a pair of 11-letter climbers;

24. Cutting, as a thick steak : SLICING INTO

11. Dynamic : HIGH VOLTAGE

onweirrrrrrd....

ACROSS:

1. Band conductor? : COPPER WIRE - I got it, but it's not Mr. Silk's most wittiest; since most electric guitar, mic cables, etc., are copper wire....

11. Burlap source : HEMP

15. Kindle owner, often : AVID READER

16. Logical introduction : IDEO - ideological

17. Shipped out : SENT ABROAD

18. Beaufort scale word : GALE - here's my first cheat; I Googled the scale; could have been "CALM" as well, with 50% still correct

19. Half of sei : TRE

20. Briefly, with "in" : SUM - "in sum"

21. Drying convenience : BATH MAT - ah.  All I could think of was "towel rack"

23. Proposal figs. : ESTs

25. Head makeup : SUDS - Beer heads, that is

27. Grand Prince of Moscow, 1328-1340 : IVAN I - I tried "PETR I", figuring it would be Russian and Latin combined

28. Sphere : REALM - ah, not ARENA

30. Harpo Marx or Carrot Top : PROP COMIC - was pondering something about red-heads

32. Soap, e.g. : SERIAL - the TV soaps, that is

34. Cen. parts : YRs - centuries and years

35. River through Yakutsk : LENA - perps

36. Eye-catching link designed to generate ad revenue : CLICK BAIT

39. Sith foe : JEDI - Star Wars

42. Thanksgiving follower: Abbr. : FRI - true; it is always followed by Friday, and a Black one at that

43. Rogues : SCAMPS

47. "Beats me" : I CAN'T TELL

50. The same, in Sauternes : EGALE - our weekly dose of Frawnche

51. "In the Summertime" rock group __ Jerry : MUNGO

52. Biol. branch : ANATomy

54. Company name based on a passage from Hosea : EL AL - learning moment; Saturday cluing for "Israel airline" - Wiki says it's Hebrew for "To the Skies"

55. Most suggestive : RACIEST

57. 21st Greek letter : PHI - yeah.  I had to wait on perps

59. "Rugrats" infant : DIL - OK, cheated here, too; didn't know the last letter

60. God in both Eddas : ODIN

61. Doesn't wait one's turn : CUTS IN LINE - gives me a chance to link this Paul Simon song, third verse

The Afterlife - "no one here likes a sneak"

64. __-Tremblant, Quebec : MONT - Frawnche, deux

65. Unauthorized underground city explorer : URBAN CAVER - there was a Law & Order: Criminal Intent episode that opened with a young man into something similar

66. "And so ..." : ERGO

67. Deli counter customers, as a rule : MEAT EATERS

DOWN:   

1. Moving aids : CASTERS - I stripped off the casters of an old BBQ last week to mount them on a refrigerator at one of the restaurants.  Also building a new 'side stand' for water and a computer terminal - I hope to get done before vacation next week; off to Delaware to scout out UPS, the tech school, and apartments - my friend Mike is officially a Delawarian.

2. Supervise : OVERSEE - too bad the supervisor at my UPS is a micro-managing moron; maybe they're better in Dover (actually, Harrington - hey, Bluehen, where are the other terminals~?)

3. Subject of a 1983 incident in which a George Brett homer was originally nullified : PINE TAR - ah yes, I recall this incident, and Brett thundering out of the dugout

4. L.A. summer setting : PDT

5. Big times : ERAs

6. "Concentration" feature : REBUS

7. Throw in a pen : WARM UP - ah, more baseball

8. ''Yes'' : I DO - [sigh] some day

9. Take in again : REABSORB

10. Mother of the Valkyries : ERDA

12. Sushi bar appetizer : EDAMAME

13. Albino's lack : MELANIN - argh~!  Not PIGMENT

14. Horace's "Ars __" : POETICA - all I could think of was 'ars gratia artis'

22. Mannerism : TIC

26. Lumber processing equipment : DRY KILN - meh.  dryING kiln works better for me

29. __ du pays: homesickness : MAL - trois Frawnche

31. Free spots, briefly : PSAs

33. Pick up : LIFT

37. Animal : CREATURE

38. It may be shaved : ICE - Run away, Tin~!

39. CBS Sports Radio host : JIM ROME - his show was called "Jim Rome is Burning" - har-har

40. Gran Colombia successor state : ECUADOR - half perps

41. Like the queen in a 1977 #1 hit : DANCING - ABBA

44. __ Islands: former name of an Indian Ocean republic : MALDIVE

45. Less pretentious : PLAINER

46. Bears, often : SELLERS - Stock Exchange lingo

48. Nail holder : TOE

49. Washes against : LAPS AT

53. Biblical possessive : THINE

56. Pond problem : SCUM

58. Pachacuti, for one : INCA - perps; didn't see this until I was working on the write-up

62. TV Guide abbr. : TBA

63. Small muscle? : LAT - dah! Not PEC

One for the ladies

Self portrait ( NOT~!!)

Splynter

Friday, July 10, 2015, Mark Bickham

Theme: Order in the Court! Courtroom DRAMA?

A quick revisit from Mark Bickham who provided Sunday's 21x21. Mark is one of my favorites and this puzzle was happily easy for me based on the subject matter, but it is an odd one. Each of 4 common legal phrases is re-clued in witty fashion and then tied together with an equally deceptive but amusing reveal. I cannot tell if the terminology is tricky for those who do not have a legal background, so I am not sure if the puzzle will be hard for anyone, but it was a quicker than normal solve for me.  The 5 theme related answers use 67 letters, so like last week, we have lots of short fill to balance. Overall this one has a very un-Friday like average word length under 5 letters with lots of black squares. The few non-themers over 5- ALYSSA,  GROSSE,  LIED TO,  NATION,  SPEARS,  SUMMON, INSECTS, INTERNS, BEQUEATHS and  PRE-ASSIGN are okay, and none seem too obscure. Let's look at what happened.

17A. Rating for a recap? : SUMMARY JUDGMENT (15). A recap is a summary; a rating is a judgment; a summary judgment is a legal term referring to the disposition of a case without a trial.

29A. Advice on paper size? : LEGAL COUNSEL (12). I do not use apple computers (at least not until the end of the month) but on all of my print functions, one of the decisions one must make is paper size, letter or legal. If you ask someone to suggest one...legal counsel is one phrase for the attorney.

44A. Dibs on kitchen space? : COUNTERCLAIM (12). Dibs is a great invention, like calling shotgun; while kitchens all have counters. A counterclaim is where a Defendant files an action against the original Plaintiff in a law suit.

58A. Displeased wave of the hand? : MOTION TO DISMISS (15). I can picture many famous hand wave dismissals, while a Motion to Dismiss is a pleading to end a case based sole on deficiencies in the language of the original complaint.

and the reveal:

36A. Fooled by one's imagination ... or, another way, what the four other longest puzzle answers are? : HEARING THINGS (13). All relate to matters which will go to a hearing before a judge.

Okay let's plunge in the rest....

Across:

1. Hybrid carriers : MULES. Great misdirection to begin Friday, if you did not think about cars you are smarter than I.

6. Hardly next door : AFAR.

10. Shelter gp. : SPCA. Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has a long HISTORY worldwide.

14. Functional : UTILE. One of those words that sounds like more trouble than it is worth.

15. Winter Olympics event : LUGE.

16. __ Mountains: European border range : URAL.

20. Start to state? : TRIstate. I just did the New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania part after Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island part.

21. Land east of the Suez Canal : ASIA.

22. June portrayer in "Henry & June" : UMA. Do we like her or not? LINK. (1:28).

23. Trainees : INTERNS. We have a summer intern at the office this year. Her name is Stephanie, we now call her Charlie.

26. __ Pointe: Detroit suburb : GROSSE. An old COMMUNITY.

32. Rock and Roll Hall of Famers since 2010 : ABBA. This would have been hard except that the only bands I could only think of with four letters were ABBA and TOTO which was mentioned yesterday, and TOTO never made it to the hall.

34. Word with sick or cold : OUT. Out sick, or out cold.

35. Press : INK. A term I learned from reading where comments were made about how much ink did a story get.

41. __ au vin : COQ. Who makes this at home?  RECIPE.

42. Ornamental fish : KOI. let's not carp about what they are.

43. Stapes, for one : BONE. Earie?

49. Artist with the 2011 album "Femme Fatale" : SPEARS. A little glimpse of dear BRITNEY. (3:33).

50. Antennae holders : INSECTS. A very fun clue, hey John Lampkin.

54. Took in : ATE. Reminds me of this LIST.

55. Cooperate with in a caper : ABET.

57. Eggs : OVA.

63. Point-of-view intro : IMHO. In My Humble Opinion.

64. It may need cobbling : BOOT. I really like this one.

65. Shafts on the road : AXLES. Don't get cranky if you think they are actually above the road.

66. AAA part: Abbr. : ASSN.

67. Magazine filler : AMMO. Nice classic clue.

68. Erroll Garner classic : MISTY. Worth a LISTEN. (2:48)

Down:

1. "Can't you get someone else?" : MUST I?

2. Political surprise : U-TURN. I had trouble parsing this one. Flip flopping?

3. Cap : LIMIT.

4. Shade provider : ELM.

5. Source of shells : SEA. So simple, I was afraid it was wrong.

6. "Mistresses" co-star Milano : ALYSSA. She and ex co-star Shannen Doherty supposedly cannot be in the same room.

7. Big name in film : FUJI.

8. Río contents : AGUA. A River holds water (Sp.).

9. __ cell : RED. A clue out of the 50's and 60's when people saw communists everywhere.

10. Call : SUMMON. Sounds like a word to use with demons.

11. Designate in advance : PRE-ASSIGN.

12. Has the power : CAN.

13. Either of two space bar flankers : ALT. For the online solvers a gimme, but did you have to look?

18. Checked out of the store, with "up" : RANG.

19. Wise teacher : GURU.

24. Island off Tuscany : ELBA. I was able to get this.

25. Bottom : REAR. PC, PC!

26. Black-clad subculturist : GOTH. My youngest hung out with the goths in early high school, but i believe it was the girl goths who got him.

27. Sight, say : SENSE.

28. Image on Idaho's state flag : ELK.  If you want to see, LOOK.

30. Detective's skill : LOGIC. Elementary my dear Watson.

31. Song on a record : CUT. This used to be literally true.

32. Renoir's "Girl With __" : A HOOP. This was before they realized you could do the Hula with it.

33. Wills : BEQUEATHS. A bonus legal term.

37. A Clanton and a president : IKES. Quite the logical pair. IKE 1. IKE 2.

38. Fish-fowl link : NOR.

39. Sacred wader of ancient Egypt : IBIS. The Miami Hurricanes like this bird, which I did not know comes in red.

40. Seward Peninsula city : NOME. How many of the Corner have been to this Alaskan CITY?

41. Engine units: Abbr. : CCS. Cubic centimeters.

45. Turkey, for one : NATION. Fooled me at first.

46. Old Smartphone : TREO. I had a friend who loved hers, until Blackberry came along.

47. Betrayed, in a way : LIED TO.

48. Unwilling to stand up for : ANTI. Iffn you aint fer me, yer agin me.

51. Some are tightly wound : COILS.

52. Den focal point : TV SET. More from the 50s and 60's.

53. Impudent : SASSY.

55. Smashing target : ATOM. My favorite clue.

56. Mike holder : BOOM. Hand held.

58. Girl's name that's a verb spelled backwards : MIA. This is a really obscure clue; are there other possibilities?

59. Serene sounds : OMS. For those who meditate.

60. Org. with Kings and Wizards : NBA. National Basketball Association. And the free agent parade continues.

61. "I can't remember it, Miss Ilsa" speaker : SAM. Great movie.

62. 11th-century year : MXI. 1011, a kind of pun?

Thank you Mark B. and thank you all for tuning in. Hard to believe we are already in the second half of the year. Lemonade out.

Notes from C.C.:

1) Belated Happy 45th Birthday to our Anon-T (Tony), the computer geek, foodie and an incredibly caring friend, on and off the blog. He also solves LA Times puzzle with his mother-in-law at times. So sweet!

 

Anon T, Giza, Feb 2014

2) Happy Birthday to my mentor and close friend Don G, who turns 61 years old today! We've collaborated on over 100 puzzles for various venues the past few years. The time and attention he's given me are truly unparallelled.

Don & his wife Barbie

Thursday, July 9, 2015 Jerry Edelstein

Theme: Somersaults.

We have an acrobatic theme, and are given the reveal immediately at 1-Down:

1-Down. With 57-Down, reverse ... and a hint to hidden letters in 6-, 9-, 15- and 21-Down : FLIP.
57-Down. See 1-Down : SIDE.

So it was no secret that we would be looking for the word "SIDE" appearing from the bottom-up. We are even given the theme locations right away.  That took away from the fun of figuring it out on my own, but others may appreciate the leg up. Simple theme entries:

6-Down. Subject of debate : CONTESTED ISSUE.

9-Down. Retail promotion : STORE DISPLAY.

15-Down. Shipwreck movie staple : DESERTED ISLAND.

21-Down. General Electric co-founder : THOMAS EDISON.

Now, let's look at the rest.


Across

1. NFL threes : FGS. Field goals.

4. S&L offering : ACCT. 2 Abbr. to start...

8. Daisylike flower : ASTER.

13. Waikiki wreath : LEI.

14. Overwhelm in abundance : FLOOD.

16. Shoulder accessory : STOLE. At first, all I could think of was shoulder pads. Remember those from the '80s?

17. Place for the night : INN.

18. "Blue Sky" Oscar winner : LANGE. Jessica also won many other awards for her role.

19. Reliable : SOLID.

20. Wear a long face : POUT.

22. "Take __ a sign" : IT AS.

23. Geometric products : AREAS.

24. Having left the water : ASHORE.

26. '70s "Laugh-In" regular Ann : ELDER. I don't remember her.

28. Fat substitute : OLESTRA. It lost favor due to the side effects.

30. Panel with gauges : DASH.

33. Love interest : FLAME.

36. "Rosanna" band : TOTO. The video. 5:28

37. Empire founded by Manco Cápac, in legend : INCA. He was believed to be a fire and sun god.

38. Baltic capital : RIGA. Map.

39. Feints : DEKES.

40. Leave a lasting mark on : SCAR.

41. Energy measures : ERGS.

42. Picked out of a lineup : ID'ed.

43. Used : SPENT.

44. Throw down the gauntlet : DARE.

45. Barely enough : MINIMAL.
Followed by a semi-clecho:
47. Barely bests : EDGES.

49. Staid : SEDATE.

52. Bacall's love, informally : BOGIE. Listen here.

54. Ward of "Sisters" : SELA. I don't think I ever watched that show. She's the one at the upper left.

56. Some raised hands : YEAS.

58. Clear in class : ERASE.

59. __ about: recuperating : UP AND.

61. Pent- minus two : TRI-.

62. You might pass one in a race : BATON.

63. Choosing word : EENIE. meenie, miney, mo...

64. Like too many jokes : OLD.

65. Colleague of Ruth and Sonia : ELENA. Supreme Court Justices Bader Ginsburg, Sotomayor and Kagan.

66. Blissful place : EDEN.

67. Emmy-winning scientist : NYE. Bill Nye, the Science Guy.


Down

2. Italian port : GENOA.

3. Paranasal space : SINUS.

4. Gp. in a historic 1970 sports merger : AFL. The American Football League merged with the National Football League.

5. Actress Danes : CLAIRE.

7. Roman robe : TOGA.

8. Big name in Syrian politics : ASSAD. Bashar Al-Assad is the Syrian president.

10. Permissible variation : TOLERANCE.

11. Charles Lamb pen name : ELIA. "Essays of Elia."

12. Great American Ball Park team : REDS. The Cincinnati Reds, that is.

25. Bullfight cheer : OLE.

27. Thailand neighbor : LAOS.

29. Evidence of esteem? : TOKEN.

31. Do a cashier's job : SCAN. At our local supermarket, you can grab a wand on your way in and scan and bag your groceries as you go through the aisles.  Thus totally eliminating the need for cashiers.

32. Roxie __, Zellweger's "Chicago" role : HART. The name on everyone's lips.

33. Barney's friend : FRED. The Flintstones.  I was torn between Barney Rubble and Barney Fife, because "Andy" also fit.

34. Capital of Turkey : LIRA. The money type of capital, not the principle city.

35. Combined : AGGREGATE.

39. Old phone booth user's need : DIME. Good lord, I feel old!

43. __ sack : SAD.

46. Nasty sort : MEANIE.

48. Davis of "A League of Their Own" : GEENA. I loved her in that movie.

50. Wyoming's __ Range : TETON. Breathtaking.

51. Ahead of time : EARLY.

52. Tiny tot, in Toledo : BEBE. Good thing this was already filled by perps. My mind would have been on Tater Tots and Toledo, Ohio, I'm sure.

53. __ exam : ORAL.

55. Parrier's tool : EPEE.

60. Place to solve a puzzle : DEN. My go to places are the deck in summer, or the solarium in winter.


See you on the FLIP SIDE!

Marti

Wednesday, July 8th, 2015 Jack McInturff

Theme: Meeting your Match

20A. Formal education : BOOK KNOWLEDGE. Matchbook. I was unfamiliar with the clued definition; I understood it to allude (in a somewhat derogatory fashion) to a person who has no practical knowledge of a subject but got everything out of a book.

31A. Hold firm : STICK TO ONE'S GUNS. Matchstick. The English artist L.S.Lowry, who was famous for depicting scenes from the industrial north, was sometimes derided by art critics for painting "matchstick men and matchstick cats and dogs". One of his paintings sold at auction in 2011 for around $8.6m. Not bad for a "Sunday artist".

41A. Sweets for one's sweet : BOX OF CHOCOLATES. Matchbox. When I've got some time on my hands I like to make dark chocolate truffles. I have to give most of them away or I'd eat the lot myself, and you have to make quite a few (at least five dozen) to justify the effort. That's a lot of chocolates!

57A. Smoker's superstitious no-no ... and hint to the starts of 20-, 31- and 41-Across : THREE ON A MATCH. I was familiar with the superstition, but not the actual phrase (In the UK, we referred to the superstition as "third light".) I discover that it was also a 1932 movie and a 70's daytime game show airing on NBC.

Jack Mac is back! When I blogged his previous puzzle on June 17th he commented that it was "probably" going to be his last puzzle. This one was fun - a lot of learning moments for me, and I didn't have my grumpy trousers on either, unlike the prior time blogging Jack, so I'm glad for the opportunity to let him go out on a happier note if this turns out to be his last.

Let's see what else we've got going on here.

Across:

1. One in a semi circle? : CB-ER. Great clue. One of a group of truckers.

5. "Peer Gynt" playwright : IBSEN

10. Chopped-up fare : HASH. Food! If you're ever anywhere near Napa, make a bee-line for the Boon Fly Cafe for breakfast. They make the world's best corned beef hash (in my humble opinion, of course). Here's the evidence before I ate it:

14. In the style of, on trattoria menus : ALLA. Two Food! in a row! Thanks, Jack.

15. Mount in Exodus : SINAI

16. Mighty Dog alternative : ALPO

17. Links star McIlroy : RORY. He tore a ligament in his ankle last weekend playing a pick-up soccer game with his buddies. He's probably going to miss the next four tournaments, including the Open Championship at St. Andrews next week. That's an expensive game of footie.

18. Court star Borg : BJORN. A very topical name as the Wimbledon tournament is currently underway. He won the Men's Singles there five times in a row.

19. Spiffy : NEAT

23. "Heidi" author Johanna : SPYRI. Crosses - I can never remember how to spell this name.

24. Entry before a password : USER ID

25. Mil. training academy : O.C.S. Officer Candidate School.

27. Legendary 15-Across climber : MOSES. He apparently came down with the Ten Commandments, which have been causing us miserable sinners trouble ever since.

38. Rent alternative : OWN

39. Pasty : ASHEN

40. Quaint quarters : INN

46. "Ah, Wilderness!" mother : ESSIE. This Eugene O'Neill play was completely unknown to me, so thank you, crosses.

47. Fifth scale note : SOL

48. 1950s-'70s TV heroine : LASSIE

53. Collect : AMASS

59. All-birds comic strip : SHOE

61. Matter of fact : DATUM

62. Big Apple neighborhood above Houston Street : NOHO. North of Houston. Soho is south. My next-door neighborhood here in LA is also a NOHO - North Hollywood.

63. New Rochelle college : IONA

64. Reason to wear shades : GLARE

65. __ mater : ALMA

66. Bird's place : NEST. 59A locale.

67. Ruhr Valley city : ESSEN. My first German text book in high school featured the Müller family who lived in Essen. I recall they were proud of the zoo and the river.

68. Congeal : CLOT. I  had "CLOG" first, which made my final entry a "what on earth is a shoag? moment."

Down:

1. Pasta nutrients : CARBS. My pasta nutrients are much more likely to be San Marzano tomatoes, olive oil and grated pecorino.

2. Hit just over the infield : BLOOP

3. Judy Jetson's brother : ELROY

4. Fast-food tycoon : RAY KROC. Dire Straits frontman Mark Knopfler wrote this song about him.

5. Dust jacket ID : ISBN. The International Standard Book Number.

6. Delicate piece of jewelry : BIJOU

7. Bamboozles : SNOWS. Learning moment for me. I don't recall  seeing "snow" used in this context before.

8. Country star Steve : EARLE

9. Former Candlestick Park NFLer : NINER. The 49ers have decamped to a new stadium at the southern end of the bay in Santa Clara. I saw Paul McCartney playing the final concert at Candlestick last year. I couldn't hear the music though - I was on a plane taking off from SFO heading home to LA. Great timing!

10. Intimidated, as a look : HANGDOG

11. Protected from gusts : ALEE

12. Place to relax : SPA

13. On a streak : HOT

21. Fourth-down call : KICK. Strictly speaking, it's usually called a punt on fourth down, but we'll let this one slide.

22. Lowers with a switch : DIMS

26. Like a dotted note, in mus. : STAC. Staccato. One of these things:

28. Court filing : SUIT

29. Kin of -ess : -ENNE

30. Fed. IDs : SSNS

31. Drink brand with a lizard logo : SOBE

32. Bills with Jefferson on them : TWOS. When I first got one of these when I moved to the US I thought it was a fake.

33. "What You Need" band : INXS. I thought the band name was pronounced "Ink-sis" when I first saw it in a music magazine.

34. __Kosh B'gosh : OSH. Kid's clothing chain, the clothes are no longer made in Oshkosh, which seems a shame.

35. "My, my!" : OHO!

36. Japanese chip maker : NEC. Microchips, not these cheeseburger-flavor ones from Tokyo:

37. Grandson of Eve : ENOS

42. Homeowner's winter option : OIL HEAT. Never heard of it until today. Heating oil, yes.

43. Reaction from a chicken : FEAR. Nothing to worry about from the Muppet's Swedish Chef though.

44. Rich topsoil : LOAM

45. Annual reference volume : ALMANAC

49. Marsh plant : SEDGE

50. "Captain Phillips" military group : SEALS. U.S. Navy Special Forces. Not to be trifled with.

51. Greek vowels : IOTAS

52. Harden : ENURE. Variant of the more common INURE.

54. Ring-shaped reef : ATOLL

55. Noodlehead : SCHMO

56. Young pig : SHOAT. My erroneous CLOG had me wondering what a SHOAG was. Then I read the clue. Aha!

57. A whole lot : TONS

58. Response to a sermon : AMEN

59. Offense : SIN

60. Ground breaker : HOE

That's Game, Set and Match from me! Here's the grid:

Steve

Tuesday, July 7, 2015 David Poole

Theme: Enough to make your head spin. - The sets of four circles are in the four corners spelling out DOOR.

49A. Hotel entrance, often, and, literally, what each set of four puzzle 35-Across contains : REVOLVING DOOR

23A. How a 49-Across goes : ROUND AND ROUND

35A. Paths described when things go 23-Across : CIRCLES

Argyle herereh elygrA. Quite the go-around. Note how the D revolves to be in the four corners so as to make a complete revolution. The reveal may have led to some head-scratching, I dare say, especially if you're missing the circles because the clue doesn't seem very clear.

Across:

1. Rope-a-__: Ali boxing style : DOPE

5. French wine valley : LOIRE

10. Tough : HARD

14. Agile deer : ROEs

15. Widish computer key : ENTER

16. "Typee" sequel : "OMOO"

17. Craggy outcroppings : TORs

18. Fielder's gear : GLOVE. (baseball)

19. Goes down in the west : SETS. The action, not the thing.

20. Nautical distance unit : SEA MILE. 1,852 metres(about 6,076 feet).

22. Twyla Tharp forte : DANCE. Wiki link

26. Weaver turned into a spider by Athena : ARACHNE. Spiders are the largest order of arachnids.

27. Zodiac division : SIGN

28. Roping and riding contest : RODEO

29. Daddies : PAs

30. Height: Pref. : ACRO. From Ancient Greek for “highest, at the extremity”.

34. L.A.-to-N.Y. direction : ENE

39. Rowing need : OAR

40. Flag maker Betsy : ROSS

42. Bon __: quip : MOT

43. Much of Santa's mail : LISTS

45. Big name in hair trimmers : WAHL. Not on many lists.

47. Marshmallowy treat : MOON PIE

51. Actress Kelly of "The Cutting Edge" : MOIRA. (Moira Kelly)

Filmed mostly in Canada

53. Earns : TAKES IN

54. Airing, as a miniseries : ON TV

55. Some plum tomatoes : ROMAs

56. Concerning : AS TO

59. Move like sludge : OOZE

60. China company based in Stoke-on-Trent : SPODE

61. Jordan's Queen __ : NOOR. The widow of King Hussein of Jordan. Wiki link.

62. Prohibitionists : DRYs as opposed to the WETs.

63. The "A" in YMCA: Abbr. : ASSOC. (Young Men's Christian Association)

64. Yankee who passed Willie Mays on the career HR list on 5/7/2015 : A-ROD

Down:

1. "__ & the Women": 2000 Gere film : DR. T

2. "Hollywood Squares" win : O-O-O

3. Convinces : PERSUADES

4. Basic nature : ESSENCE

5. Errand runner : LEGMAN. Using one's shanks' mare.

6. Ready to chat, nowadays : ONLINE

7. "__ you so!" : I TOLD

8. Unfavorable change of fortune : REVERSAL

9. Before, in verse : ERE

10. Hallelujah kin : HOSANNA

11. Improve : AMEND

12. Campus recruiting org. : ROTC. (Reserve Officers' Training Corps)

13. Medicinal measure : DOSE

21. Like a specially formed committee : AD HOC

22. Grooved on : DUG

23. Not as well-done : RARER

24. University of Maine town : ORONO

25. Seine tributary : OISE

29. Cut for an agt. : PCT. (%)

31. Jointly underwrite : CO-SPONSOR

32. Math relationship : RATIO

33. Skater Brian : ORSER. He is the 1984 and 1988 Olympic silver medalist, 1987 World champion and eight-time Canadian national champion. ~ Wikipedia

36. "As I see it," in textspeak : IMHO. (in my humble opinion)

37. Popular antique desks : ROLLTOPS. Out of my price range.

38. Trudges (through) : SLOGS

41. Tries to avoid a pothole : SWERVES

44. State whose name is part of its capital : INDIANA. (Indianapolis)

46. Actress Gardner : AVA

47. Operetta set in Japan, with "The" : MIKADO. (An archaic name for the Emperor of Japan.)

48. "Be right there!" : "ONE SEC!"

49. Swanky : RITZY

50. "Let's go, amigo!" : "¡VAMOS!"

51. Frame of mind : MOOD

52. __ about: approximately : ON OR

55. Pres. Mandela's land : RSA. (Republic of South Africa)

57. Also : TOO

58. Command from a maj. : ORD. (order) (ick!)

Argyle

Monday, July 6, 2015 Gareth Bain

Theme: Too Big To Fail - Initials T B.

60A. Diagnostic skin injection, and, based on the initials of their answers, what the starred clues represent : TB TEST

18A. *Military bigwigs : TOP BRASS

58A. *Home mortgage payer's benefit : TAX BREAK

6D. *Off-road two-wheeler : TRAIL BIKE

10D. *Fairy tale porridge eaters : THREE BEARS

27D. *Salon device for one who wants color but not sun : TANNING BED

35D. *"Beetlejuice" director : TIM BURTON

Argyle here. Not much for a theme but Gareth gave us a lot of it.

Across:

1. Hockey stat : ASSIST

7. Hill-building insect : ANT

10. Decorate, as a Christmas tree : TRIM

14. Post office patron : MAILER

15. Podded plant : PEA

16. Sharpen : HONE

17. Ancient region ruled by Athens : ATTICA

20. Section of town, for short : NABE. (neighborhood)

21. Not well : ILL

23. Notifies : ALERTS

24. Indefinite number : ANY

25. Be overly sweet : CLOY

26. "Glee" cheerleading coach : SUE

actress Jane Lynch

27. Marching band member : TUBA

28. Black, in poesy : EBON

31. Triteness : BANALITY

35. Earthquake aftershock : TREMOR

37. Chief Norse god : ODIN

38. Dull uniform color : KHAKI

40. Top-shelf : A-ONE

41. __ the Pooh : WINNIE

43. Roll call setting, for most teens : HOMEROOM

45. Frau's refusal : NEIN

46. Basic lessons : ABC'S

47. Slap the cuffs on : NAB

49. Electrical outlet insert : PLUG

50. UV-blocker rating syst. : SPF. (sun protection factor)

53. Cheap cigar : STOGIE. "I smoke old stogies I have found short, but not too big around"

56. Blade that makes a wake : OAR

57. Slip-on, e.g. : SHOE

62. Olympian's blade : EPEE

63. Revolutionary Guevara : CHE

64. Threat-ending words : OR ELSE

65. __ one's way: proceed : WEND

66. Squirreled away : HID

67. Port in southwestern Italy : NAPLES

Down:

1. GE competitor : AMANA

2. The devil : SATAN

3. Show indifference : SIT BY

4. "Would __ to you?" : I LIE

5. Part of a min. : SEC.

7. In a fitting way : APTLY

8. Prefix with natal : NEO

9. Spanish bar snacks : TAPAS

11. Sound of the surf : ROAR

12. The "I" in VMI: Abbr. : INST. (Virginia Military Institute)

13. Sloppy situation : MESS

19. More deeply colored, as a clear sky : BLUER

22. Reluctant : LOATH

25. __-de-sac : CUL

29. 1847 Melville novel : "OMOO"

30. Taboo : NO-NO

31. Gift decoration : BOW

32. Game point, in tennis : AD IN. Last month.

33. Yellow-striped pool ball : NINE

34. Slangy agreement : "YAH"

36. Sleep stage letters : REM. (Rapid Eye Movement)

39. Cuddly-looking Australian marsupial : KOALA

42. " ... bombs bursting __" : IN AIR. Lot of that Saturday night.

44. Heart exam: Abbr. : ECG. (go argue among yourselves)

48. Tree that sounds like a sandy shore : BEECH

49. Elbowed : POKED

50. Snail's protection : SHELL

51. Old West search party : POSSE

52. Big celebrations : FETEs

53. Hearty meal : STEW

54. Scotch __ : TAPE

55. Plow-pulling team : OXEN

57. Staircase part : STEP

59. Yellowfin tuna : AHI

61. Maidenform garment : BRA

Argyle

Sunday July 5, 2015 Mark Bickham

Theme:  "All Together Now" - Each theme answer is a group of surnames of well-known people with the same given names hinted in the clue.

22A. Gene pool? : KELLY RODDENBERRY AUTRY. All in entertainment business.

39A. Bills piling up? : GATES MURRAY COSBY BLASS. I recall seeing  OUTSTANDING BILLS clued with a group of Bill's.

68A. Art gallery? : GARFUNKEL MONK BUCHWALD

92A. Robins' nest? : QUIVERS TUNNEY WILLIAMS. The first two might be challenging to some. Robin Quivers is with The Howard Stern Show. Robin Tunney is known for her role in The Mentalist. 

113A. Buddy list? : RICH EBSEN HACKETT HOLLY. All famous. Works perfectly with the clue.

In the old Tribute Media Daily puzzles, this type would be clued just as "Three Mikes", "Three Toms", "Three more Toms",  etc, regardless whether the clues are solid in-the-language phrase hinting at the collection of surnames.

Mark furthers restricted his theme entries to 21-letters, hence the omission of Carney and Linkletter for 68A, in case you wonder. Five spanners are very hard to maneuver on Sundays.

 Across:

1. National animal of Malaysia : TIGER. I know this trivia.

6. Place for a speaker : DAIS

10. Paper pieces : OP-EDS

15. Hand-off recipients: Abbr. : RBS. Running backs. Got me.

18. Tone sequence : SCALE

19. Many an Indian : HINDU

20. It doesn't happen often enough : RARE TREAT. Love the clue/answer.

25. 1989 World Champion figure skater : ITO (Midori)

 26. Plant : SOW. Not SPY.

27. Unimpressive bunch : SAD LOT

28. Beatles song with the line "And she promises the earth to me" : GIRL

29. 1898 chemical discovery : NEON. Look at this neon text message. Amazing.

31. Eye or sun : ORB

33. Chairman __ : MAO

34. Emilia's husband : IAGO.  "Othello".

38. Wedding column word : NEE

44. Jazz guitarist Montgomery : WES

45. Hammock happenings : NAPS. I could not find that picture of you solving crossword in a hammock, Dave. Where did it go?

46. Animal groups : FAUNAE. Crossing 43. Onion cousin : LEEK. So no *E or *S dilemma.

47. Rock band with the hit "Edison's Medicine" : TESLA

50. Square with roots : SOD. Nice clue.

51. Name names : SING

52. Shoulder muscle, for short : DELT

55. Come into : INHERIT

57. Map of Alaska, often : INSET

60. "Think this looks good on me?" : LIKE IT?

62. Frozen Four org. : NCAA

63. Bar entertainment : KARAOKE. Weekly actively when I lived in Tsingtao area.

65. Pool color : AQUA

67. Rain-__: bubble gum brand : BLO

72. Seer's supposed skill : ESP

73. Work with feet? : POEM. Noun "Work" here. Also 122. Type of 73-Across : ODE

74. Part of it is now a desert : ARAL SEA

75. Staging __ : AREA

76. Go back and forth : SEESAW

78. ___ Islands: Taiwan Strait archipelago : MATSU. It's spelled as Mazu in Chinese.

79. Flash drive slot : USB PORT

81. Mouth build-up : SILT. River mouth.

82. Utah city on I-15 : OREM

84. Shipping rope : TYE. Wow, have not seen this word for a long time.

86. Conditioner bottle directive : RINSE

87. (Having) come up : ARISEN

89. Hatchet relative : ADZE

91. It may be made or laid : BET

100. Member of the fam : UNC (Uncle)

101. Morales of "Caprica" : ESAI. He needs to get into a big movie to stay relevant.

102. Deadly snake : ASP

103. Toledo title: Abbr. : SRA

104. Lose it : SNAP

105. Busy : AT IT

107. Sugarcane-scraping machine : RASPER. Learning moment to me. Like this?

110. Pack animal : ASS

112. Warning from a small house : GRR

119. Showed, in a way : TELEVISED

120. Picked : CHOSE

121. Ninja Turtles' human pal April __ : O'NEIL. Stranger to me as well.

123. More than ready to go : ANTSY. Boomer got his National Senior Games credentials on Friday. Inspiring crowd. The guy behind us in the check-in line is a 91-year-old golfer from New Mexico.

124. Company with collectible trucks : HESS

125. Very small : TEENY

Down:

1. It may be accompanied by finger-wagging : TSKING

2. Arnold Palmer ingredient : ICE TEA. I still prefer Iced tea.

3. Stumblebum : GALOOT.  Also 70. Hardly dexterous : KLUTZY

4. Legal side? : ELL. Legal.

5. Husband-and-wife creators of Curious George : REYS

6. Impersonated : DID

7. Afterthoughts : ANDs

8. Brainstorming tool : IDEA MAP

9. Components of a very long month? : SUNDAYS.  Month of Sundays.

10. Milk go-with : OREO

11. Biased : PARTISAN

12. Goof : ERR

13. "N __ Say": Nelly song : DEY. Not familiar with the song. What does N Dey mean?

14. RR stop : STA

15. Eye part : RETINA

16. Dance studio aids : BARRES

17. Dos : STYLES

19. Texter's greeting : HOW R U?

21. Persian, e.g. : RUG

23. Shares a place (with) : ROOMS. Those idealistic college years.

24. Allied group : BLOC

30. Symbol of a fresh start : NEW LEAF

32. Moravian city : BRNO. Largest city there. Second largest in Czech.

35. Put __ in one's ear : A BUG

36. MD for women : GYN

37. One of the Minor Prophets : OBADIAH. Here is the list.

40. Barely burn : SEAR

41. Goodyear offering : RADIAL

42. Out __: confused : OF IT

47. Nuances : TINGES

48. Fully surrounds : ENCASES

49. Chinese dog breed : SHAR PEI. Literally "Sand skin". Cantonese.

50. Claim, with "out" : STAKE

51. Taken for : SEEN AS

53. Early upscale Chrysler : LeBARON. Another unknown to me.

54. Farm machines : TILLERS

56. "__, right?": "You said it!" : I KNOW

58. Polite refusal : NO MA'AM

59. Hybrid tennis garment : SKORT. Golf too.

60. Vader creator : LUCAS (George)

61. As of now : TO DATE

64. "Everybody Hurts" band : R. E. M.

65. Six-pack makeup : ABs

66. Netflix list : QUEUE

69. In hot water : UP A TREE

71. Forest rangers? : WAPITIS. Cute clue.

77. Pole, for one : SLAV

78. Source of many an order : MENU. Have any of you tried sesame balls before? For many years, two freshly-made sesame balls were my standard breakfast.

80. Belgian balladeer Jacques : BREL

82. Mount between Pelion and Olympus : OSSA

83. Ones out of work : RETIREES

85. Conifers yielding elastic wood : YEWS

88. Org. with complex schedules : IRS

89. Susan of "Five Easy Pieces" : ANSPACH. Another stranger to me. This puzzle is quite name-heavy.

90. __ Mode: English band : DEPECHE. What's their most famous song?

91. Great time : BLAST

92. Book size : QUARTO

93. Trip-inducing, as shoelaces : UNTIED

94. Eaves dropper? : ICICLE

95. "Candy is dandy" poet : NASH

96. Fuming : IRATE

97. "Eat Drink Man Woman" director : ANG LEE. I saw the movie ages ago. Food feast.

98. Miami athlete : MARLIN

99. With pep in one's step : SPRYLY

106. Widely read article? : THE. Indeed. I often skip THE. Chinese does not have definite article.

108. Hardy of old films : ANDY

109. Bygone theaters : RKOs

111. No longer usable : SHOT

114. Green of "Penny Dreadful" : EVA. Also the Bond Girl in Casino Royale.

115. Bargain __ : BIN

116. JFK sight, once : SST

117. It has two of itself in it : ESS. Easy in retrospect.

118. Unified : ONE

C.C.