Tuesday, July 21 2015, Daniel Nierenberg

Theme: Spread 'em. Words for edible spreads are s-p-r-e-a-d across the theme answers.

17. Betrayal : DOUBLE CROSS. Oleo.

23. Mailroom device : POSTAGE METER. Pate.

37. Sandstone, for one : SEDIMENTARY ROCK. Mayo. Impressive - can you think of any other phrase in which to hide MAYO? 

49. Old West reward seeker : BOUNTY HUNTER. Butter.

61. Enthusiastic smorgasbord words ... and hint to this puzzle's circled letters : WHAT A SPREAD

Mostly a quick solve with a few exceptions. If it weren't for the circles I would never have found the hidden "spreads." Very cleverly done. 

Melissa here. I am playing ketchup after being out of town for girls weekend (I relish the thought). I apologize to olive you, these are the wurst puns ever. Surely you can do butter than this. 

Across

1. Barroom fisticuffs : BRAWL

6. Triangular pelvic bones : SACRA. Tricky plural form unless you've seen it recently. 

11. Soldier under Stonewall Jackson : REB. "Johnny Reb" was the term for the rank-and-file confederate soldier.

14. YouTube upload : VIDEO. See above :).

15. Code of conduct : ETHIC

16. Hustle and bustle : ADO

19. Spiky plant part that sticks to your clothes : BUR. To dogs, too. Interesting story about the inspiration of Velcro.

20. Pilfers : STEALS

21. Pen filler : INK

22. Clock front : FACE

26. "Yay!" : YIPPEE

28. Beaver's structure : DAM

29. Old Opry network : TNN. Grand 'Ole Opry stage.

30. Minimum-range tide : NEAP

33. Uses lidocaine on : NUMBS

41. Damaged layer : OZONE

42. Dreamcast game console developer : SEGA

43. Questionnaire choice, in Bordeaux : OUI. Yes.

44. Swiss landscape feature : ALP. Next girls weekend?

46. B-flat equivalent : A SHARP

54. Frosty coating : RIME. Who knew there was a rime festival?

55. Back-row bowling pin : TEN

56. Nome home : ALASKA. I was thinking gnome at first. That's different.

60. Mass vestment : ALB

63. Neckline shape : VEE

64. Driver's invitation : HOP IN

65. Canada's official tree : MAPLE

66. Be human, so they say : ERR

67. Initial appearance : ONSET

68. Plural diminutive suffix : ETTES

Down

1. Brand of skivvies : BVD'S

2. Civil uprising : RIOT

3. Both players in unison, musically : ADUE. Needed perps. Italian word, pronounced ah doo-ey. Literally meaning "by two." In French, it is  à deux.

4. Program running in a browser, informally : WEB APP

5. Lounge about, in British dialect : LOLLOP. Umm ... what? Okay this is my new favorite word. Listen to the British vs. American pronunciation.

6. "Be with you in a __" : SEC. Later. As soon as I finish lolloping.

7. Sun-brightened lobbies : ATRIA

8. Cheech's buddy : CHONG

9. Took a chance on : RISKED

10. Bldg. coolers : AC'S. 

11. Capital of Morocco : RABAT. I never remember this.

12. Bring out : EDUCE. Or this.

13. Hole-making insect : BORER. One who bores. I know a few.

18. Reputed Dead Sea Scrolls writer : ESSENE. Such a fascinating discovery (scroll down page to see pictures of the ruins).

22. Longest human bone : FEMUR

24. Cold temperatures : TEENS

25. Loads of : MANY. 

26. Santa __ Valley: wine region in which "Sideways" was set : YNEZ. Only a few Santa _ _ _ _ possibilities.

27. Prefix with European : INDO

29. Chinese menu general : TSO

31. Had breakfast : ATE

32. Missionary's concern : PAGAN. Nice clue.

34. Keep from floating away : MOOR. Perps, please.

35. Bra size : B CUP

36. Glide on snow : SKI

38. Foolish : INANE

39. Soften, as sorbet : MELT

40. Dreadlocks wearers : RASTAS. No dreads, but if you close your eyes ...

45. "Monty __ and the Holy Grail" : PYTHON. Just a flesh wound.

47. "I need another pair of hands, please" : HELP ME. See above.

48. Where Noah landed : ARARAT. Turkey.

49. Gutsy : BRAVE. I read gusty. That's different.

50. Petroleum transporter : OILER

51. "Raw" pigment : UMBER

52. Jalopies : HEAPS

53. Set free : UNTIE. I guess. I will set free my shoes at the end of the day.

57. Pennant race mo. : SEPT. Baseball, I presume.

58. Leafy green : KALE

59. Fruity drinks : ADES

61. Investigator's pronoun : WHO

62. Tiny tunneler : ANT. Cute.

Melissa

Notes from C.C.:

1) Please click here for a few pictures from Melissa's Girls Weekend outing in Bodega Bay, the city where hitchcock's "the birds" was filmed. Melissa further said that "... our limo driver stopped on the way back from our winery tours to see the church and schoolhouse used in the movie. The gentleman on the steps of the church was on holiday from the UK, crossing off landmarks to see from his 'bucket list.'"

 

2) Victor Barocas, the talented NYT/LAT constructor and the self-effacing editor behind our annual Minnesota Crossword Tournament, has launched a Kickstarter to "write a series of mysteries in which the detective gets help from solving a series of crosswords, and the solver does the crosswords along with the detective". Please click here for details on Victor's Ada Cross, Crossword Detective. I hope you can back his project.

Monday, July 20, 2015 Andy Kravis

Theme: not ready for prime time - Words starting with J & V.

38A. School's underclass team ... or, initially, what the four longest answers in this puzzle comprise : JV SQUAD

17A. Decision of a courtroom dozen : JURY VERDICT

22A. Business partnership : JOINT VENTURE

48A. Words on Monopoly's Jail square : JUST VISITING

57A. Vital blood vessel : JUGULAR VEIN

Argyle here, in a bit of a quandary. This is Andy's first solo effort with us and it's a doozy. The theme is an easy reveal but an impressive construction. The problem lies in the level of the fill, ranging from crosswordese to Thursday level. Nearly a pangram(no H) and a trio of six letter stacks on the sides gives us a good start to the week...or a warning?

Across:

1. Cager Shaquille : O'NEAL

6. Port in southeastern Iraq : BASRA. Anagram of Arabs.

11. Butcher's trimmings : FAT

14. Actor Gabriel or singer David : BYRNE. David is lead for The Talking Heads while Gabriel may become more well know with an upcoming film.

15. "Family Matters" misfit : URKEL. The annoying "Did I do that?" kid.

16. Sci-fi aircraft : UFO

19. Half an evasive route : ZAG

20. Noisy pig : OINKER

21. Poet Pound : EZRA. Yes, that's his real name.

27. "Snowy" birds : EGRETS

28. Fuse with an alloy : SOLDER

32. Greek Cupid : EROS

33. Letter between rho and tau : SIGMA

36. Chicken __ king : À LA. The sauce is the thing in Chicken à la King but the creator of the sauce is in dispute.

37. Fled the scene : RAN

40. Tennis division : SET. Match, set, game.

41. Tokyo, once : EDO. crosswordese.

42. Itty-bitty : EENSY

43. Donated : GAVE

44. Hereditary ruler : DYNAST

46. Made amends : ATONED

52. Head over heels (over) : GAGA

55. Bronx baseballer : YANKEE. Hey, stop that booing!

56. Mimic : APE

62. Buddhist sect : ZEN

63. Supreme Court justice Kagan : ELENA

64. Pass on, as a message : RELAY

65. Lumberjack's tool : AXE

66. Like toads : WARTY

67. Japanese cartoon art : ANIME

Down:

1. Noun after a vb., generally : OBJect

2. Big Apple sch. : NYU. (New York University)

3. Make a mistake : ERR

4. "It's still __ game" : ANYONE'S. Common sports comentary.

5. "Inception" actor Joseph Gordon-__ : LEVITT

6. Actress Delta : BURKE

7. Shakespearean forest : ARDEN

8. Blouse go-with : SKIRT

9. Camcorder button : RECord

10. PC key : ALT. Who peeked? Wait! Don't ask, don't tell.

11. Peach __ : FUZZ

12. Miles off : AFAR

13. "Julius Caesar" costume : TOGA. Gaius Julius Caesar we now know.

18. Holders of ltrs. or bills : ENVS. (envelopes)

21. Long-bodied swimmer : EEL

22. Razzed : JEERED

23. Sweet Rosie of song : O'GRADY. The Uncle Miltie Show, take a look.



24. Applied with heat, as patches : IRON ON

25. West Point letters : USMA. (United States Military Academy)

26. Willie Nelson's "On the __ Again" : ROAD

29. Aquafina rival : DASANI. Pepsi vs Coke.

30. Late news hour : ELEVEN

31. Kid-friendly, TV-wise : RATED G

33. Govt.-issued ID : SSN

34. Mensa stats : IQs

35. Fella : GUY

38. Bach's "__, Joy of Man's Desiring" : JESU



39. November honorees : VETs. The 11 hour of the 11 day of the 11 month.

43. Settled a score : GOT EVEN

45. 1977 Steely Dan album : AJA. crosswordese.

46. "__ silly question ... " : ASK A

47. __ del Fuego : TIERRA. Southernmost tip of the South American mainland.

49. Blake's "burning bright" big cat : TYGER

Tyger Tyger, burning bright,

In the forests of the night;

What immortal hand or eye,

Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

50. Brag : VAUNT. Often used as VAUNTED.

51. Decorative woodwork : INLAY

52. Disputed Mideast strip : GAZA

53. Peak : APEX

54. Heredity unit : GENE

57. Yom Kippur observer : JEW

58. Suffix with form : ULA. (formula)

59. Quarterback Manning : ELI

60. "__ the Walrus" : I AM

61. "Science Guy" Bill : NYE

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Misty's husband Rowland passed away on Saturday afternoon. Misty said "He had still been able to answer questions and even respond to crossword puzzle clues on Wednesday, but became unresponsive that night. Thankfully he appeared to have very little pain and I held his hand when he stopped breathing."

Our condolences to Misty, who's been contributing to our blog almost daily since 2011. Rowland introduced crosswords to Misty after his stroke in 2008 and they often solved LAT Daily together.

 

Misty & Rowland 2009 (15th Anniversary Party)