Friday, October 2, 2015, Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: Que pasa? Que sera sera!

JW is back with an add on theme where QUE is added to the end of a word to completely change the meaning of a word or phrase. Three add the que at the end of the phrase, with two adding to the middle of a word creating a two word answer. Four feature "I" before the add on, with one A. I love the first three in the theme. I also love the gridspanner in the middle. The rest of the fill is very good with ABOUND, ANUBIS, BEAT UP,  EX-PROS, GULDEN, OCEANS, TAIPEI, TRIBAL, ADRENALIN,  AQUA REGIA, FULL MOONS, HEARTBURN examples and some Friday fill like BIOTA and TOQUE. As always, JW makes us work to decipher some of the fill, but is Friday, so let us have at it.

18A. Angry young man's fate? : LIFE OF PIQUE (11).  The book Life of Pi became a worldwide best seller and movie after many rejections.

24A. Hercules, e.g.? : ANTIQUE HERO (11). Anti-hero (or antihero) has been a literary theme from Don Quixote through Marlon Brando, but while an ancient story, there is nothing but hero about Hercules.  (1:25).

39A. Result of a Caribbean sanitation strike? : DIRTY MARTINIQUE (15). My favorite of the theme, both for the drink and a reminder of the horrible volcanic eruption in 1902 that made one PRISONER famous.

56A. Proprietary paperwork? : UNIQUE FORMS (11). Uniforms.

62A. Ready-to-hang Cubist painting? : WIRED BRAQUE (11). A really creative one, with a very famous contemporary of Picasso (Georges Braque) brought to life from an under-wire bra, which he probably never painted.  IMAGE.

Across:

1. "I don't like it!" : BAH. Oddly, my first thought of which I was quite unsure.

4. Waikiki allure : SURF. There are other  sights to see. LINK.(4:12).

8. Like an old jalopy : BEAT UP.

14. Chemical suffix : IDE. A compound.

15. Hesse-based automaker : OPEL. We have seen this German automaker more often than I have seen their cars. And a semi-clecho: 33A. Ingolstadt-based automaker : AUDI. More Germany 46A. Einstein's birth city : ULM. In southern Germany near the Danube.

16. Reporter's coup : EXPOSE. This was harder without imagining the accent.

17. Man-mouse link : OR A.

20. Hill stint : TERM. Capital Hill for politicians.

22. Hershey bar : SKOR. Back again I must get one.

23. Bygone political entity that included Syr. : UAR. The short lived alliance between Egypt and Syria. United Arab Republic.

28. South African golfer with four major championships : ELS. A CSO to our own Big Easy.

29. Be quite prevalent : ABOUND.

30. Polite response to Aunt Polly : YES'M. A reference to Tom Sawyer's aunt, I guess, which fits with 35A. Crude carrier : RAFT.

32. Seasonal affliction : FLU.

44. Poet Sexton : ANNE. One of many creative people who could not control the demons that made them great. LINK.

45. Popular melt meat : TUNA. Yum.

47. 50-50, to Fifi : EGAL. Equal in French.

51. __ Council: "Survivor" feature : TRIBAL. Never watched an episode.

53. Rush : HIE. A nice Shakespeare word.

59. "Well done!" analog : OLE.

60. Pacific feast : LUAU. In Waikiki?

61. Drudge : PEON. So many words for the put upon.

67. Indian state that was part of a former Portuguese colony : GOA. They are famous for their beaches.

68. Tamsui River capital : TAIPEI.

69. Excited about, with "on" : KEEN. A 50s word.

70. "Monsters, __" : INC.

71. Magellan's milieux : OCEANS. He was going round and round.

72. Breyers competitor : EDYS. Yum.

73. Require : ASK. Not want your country can do for you....

Down:

1. Regional organisms : BIOTA. Not a term I am really familiar with so my start was slow.

2. Stimulant trademark : ADRENALIN.  Synthetic epinephrine which has become more popular than the original adrenaline; quite the rush.

3. Jalapeño product, for some? : HEARTBURN. This is our medical corner with pyrosis, cardialgia, or acid indigestion as other names for the burning sensation in the chest. Per wiki.

4. San José sun : SOL. Spanish.

5. News org. : UPI. United Press International.

6. Court charge caller : REF. Basketball court.

7. Soft tissue : FLESH.

8. In front of : BEFORE.

9. Many sports commentators : EX-PROS. Nice letter string XPR, but conflict with clues below.

10. Bee: Pref. : API. From whence comes Apiary, etc.

11. Chapeau seen in "Ratatouille" : TOQUE. A gratuitous bonus QUE

12. Quotidian : USUAL. Not one of your usual clues, this means daily. Latin comes in handy.

13. Jury members : PEERS. Such a strange concept.

19. "__-doke!" : OKEY. Okey dokey smokey.

21. Apennines possessive : MIO. Italian, a region and history I did not know. LINK.

25. Ship loading site : QUAY.

26. Word on a bill : UNUM. E pluribus....

27. Old writings mentioning Odin : EDDA.

31. Open __ : MRI. Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

32. Org. requiring milk pasteurization : FDA. Food and Drug Administration.

34. The Bronx's Jerome Ave. line is part of it : IRT. Interborough Rapid Transit. the SUBWAY.

36. Mixture that dissolves gold : AQUA REGIA. Latin for royal water; the question is why do you want to dissolve gold?

37. Rare twosome of July 2015 : FULL MOONS. The even rarer three full moons?  LINK.

38. Pro __ : TEM. Followed immediately with the clecho

40. Pro's support : TEE. Then staying in the Ts.

41. 1984 Nobel Peace Prize winner : TUTU. The Anglican Bishop DESMOND.

42. Regarding : IN RE. More Latin.

43. Innocent : NAIF. A guileless, unsophisticated person: babe, child, ingénue, innocent. Same stem as naive.

48. Big name in mustard : GULDEN. Their spicy brown is the third largest in the US behind French's and Grey Poupon.

49. Wolf-headed god : ANUBIS. This is the Greek name for the Egyptian god.

50. One covering tracks, perhaps : LIAR. Liar pants on fire.

52. Hit on the head : BOP.

53. Book with steps : HOW  TO.

54. __ crest: pelvic border : ILIAC.

55. Like H.P. Lovecraft stories : EERIE.

57. Tremble : QUAKE.

58. Oreos, say : SNACK.

63. Org. monitoring endangered species : EPA. Environmental Protection Agency.

64. Letters of proof : QED. EVERYONE must know this by now.

65. Turn that's hung : UEY.

66. Chekov's "Star Trek" rank: Abbr. : ENSign. Before he became a Captain and an Admiral.

Well another week and month have slipped away, I hope everyone on the east coast is kept safe from Joaquin. I wonder if Mr. Trump will blame that on Mexico as well? No politics. just silliness.

I am tired from the excitement of the new baby, so off to rest; lemonade out.

Thursday, October 1, 2015 Jerry Edelstein

Theme: "We Didn't Start the Fire..."


55-A. With 61-Across, radar trap question ... and a hint to what can precede each part of the answers to 3-, 6-, 30- and 40-Down : WHERES 61-A. See 55-Across : THE FIRE?

So, we may not have started the fire, but "fire" starts all the theme words.

3. Cheaper market option : HOUSE BRAND. Firehouse, firebrand.

6. "Jaws" shark, e.g. : MAN EATER. Fireman, fire-eater.

30. Protected from violent weather : STORM PROOF. Firestorm, fireproof.

40. Keep at it : PLUG AWAY. Fireplug, fire away.

Now let's plug away at the rest of the answers to see what we can dig up.


Across

1. Performance enhancement banned by MLB : HGH. Human Growth Hormone.

4. Descartes' conclusion : I AM. "I think, therefore..."

7. Placate : APPEASE.

14. "Evil Woman" gp. : ELO. Electric Light Orchestra.

15. Govt. benefits org. : SSA. Social Security Administration.

16. Strutted : PARADED. With 76 trombones, HG?

17. Annual get-together : REUNION.

19. Stop : PREVENT.

20. Ash, for example : RESIDUE.

21. Rise : ASCEND.

22. __ Gay : ENOLA.

23. Waikiki wreath : LEI.

24. "Green Acres" co-star : GABOR. Eva GABOR and Eddie Albert were hilarious in that show.

26. "__ We Meet Again": 1940 romance film : TIL. A remake of the 1932 movie "One Way Passage." Star-crossed lovers on an ocean voyage.

28. 2006 skating silver medalist Cohen : SASHA. Watch her Olympic performance here.

33. Classic sci-fi play : RUR. I knew it was where the word "robot" comes from, but JazzB gave us a thorough explanation of the play just last Wednesday. (44-Down.)

34. Squeezed (out) : EKED.

36. Gossips : YENTAS.

37. "The Wealth of Nations" author Smith : ADAM. Also called "The Father of Modern Economics."

39. Complaint : GRIPE.  We never see one of those at this Corner, right?

41. Puts on : DONS. "Don we now our Gagliardi..."

42. Muscle cords : SINEWS.

44. Snowman in "Frozen" : OLAF. All perps!

46. 1973 Court decision alias : ROE. v. Wade.

47. MLB Network analyst Martinez : PEDRO.

48. A/C measure : BTU. British Thermal Units.

49. Take the blame for : ADMIT.

51. What "I" may indicate : RTE. Interstate - route.

53. Fill the tank : GAS UP. DH gassed up for me the other day, for only $1.98 / gallon!

58. Sticks : ADHERES.

62. Hunker down for the duration of : WAIT OUT.

63. Most extensive : VASTEST.

64. In times past : AGO.

65. Miner's reward : ORE. We went down a slide into the depths of the salt mines outside Salzburg while we were there. Wheee!!

66. Accumulates : AMASSES.

67. Longing : YEN.

68. Dandy : FOP.


Down

1. Munich man : HERR. Gimme!  Here is my HERR overlooking Bad Ischl in Austria.

2. Joy : GLEE.  After several beers at this cool brewery during Oktoberfest, we were feeling pretty GLEE-ful!!

4. Spanish encyclopedist St. __ of Seville : ISIDORE. Mostly perps and WAGs.

5. Nary __: no one : A SOUL.

7. Horrify : APPALL.

8. Break down, in a way : PARSE.

9. Exact : PRECISE.

10. Roof extension : EAVE.

11. Site of the 2000 USS Cole attack : ADEN.

12. Email : SEND.

13. Fla. summer setting : EDT. Eastern Daylight Time is almost at an end for our Fla. denizens.

18. Young hombre : NINO.

24. Understand : GRASP.

25. War hero Murphy : AUDIE.

27. Fool : IDIOT.

29. Common link : AND.

31. Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum city : HANOI.

32. Diamonds, say : ASSET. Also, a girl's best friend.  ;-)

35. Metric wts. : KGs. Kilograms.

36. Vocal nod : YEA.

38. Marseille sight : MER. "Sea" in French.

43. Troubles : WORRIES.

45. Style : FASHION.

48. Lays siege to : BESETS.

50. Piano piece for four hands : DUET.

52. Concise : TERSE.

54. Old saw : ADAGE.

55. Impact sound : WHAM!

56. "__ real nowhere man": Beatles lyric : HE's A.

57. Young newts : EFTS. They are quite tiny, but fully formed.

59. Vatican City coin : EURO.

60. Word often followed by a number or letter : STEP.

61. FDR power project : TVA. Tennessee Valley Authority.

I am retiring from doing the blog after today.  I have really enjoyed all my virtual friends here at the corner, but my plate is getting too full to do the blog justice every week. I know C.C. has an entire stable of talented and witty commenters who can step in to fill the gap!

Hugs,
Marti

Note from C.C.:

I'm sad to lose dear Marti as our Thursday Sherpa. I'll sorely miss her unique take on Thursday LAT. I'll miss her chuckle-evoking links, quick zingers and warm presence. It's fun to blog once or twice, but doing it week after week for more than four years takes enormous patience and dedication. Thank you so much for being our reliable guide and friend, Marti! I hope you continue to stay involved with the blog. Your simple presence makes me happy.

I'm also happy to let you know that Steve has agreed to guide us on Thursdays from now on. Husker Gary will take up Steve's Wednesday spot.

Wednesday, September 30th 2015 C.C. Burnikel

Theme: A Five-Card Trick - CARD is scrambled five ways and concealed in five theme entries as indicated by the circles.

17A. Blanket containers : CEDAR CHESTS. Are they all cedar?

 29A. Burrowing beach denizens : SAND CRABS. Not much bigger than your thumb according to the Monterey Aquarium website. Not really Food! material then .. darn.

43A. Lollipops, e.g. : HARD CANDY. Here's the spokesman for the Hard Candy Association if there is such a thing:

57A. Where much classical music is heard : PUBLIC RADIO. Here's a little something from the Berlin Philharmonic.

 4D. Rolex 24 at Daytona, e.g. : ROAD RACE. Cousin of the more well-known (to me at least) Le Mans 24 in France, or "24 Heures du Mans" as it is officially known.

and the reveal:

39D. One of two baseball playoff teams determined next week by a "play-in" game in each major league, and a hint to this puzzle's circles : WILD CARD. Wikipedia can do the job of 'splaining the machinations of these MLB games.

Gooooood Morning Crossword Corner! Steve here with a very poor Adrian Cronauer impersonation. The circle puzzles seem to be popping up a lot on Wednesdays, I've blogged a few recently. The constructor shouldn't be tough to guess - it's a baseball-inspired theme, so it's not a stretch to posit that it might be C.C!

Neat theme - I thought at first that the 4D entry was something of an odd man out until I realized that it's balanced by the reveal at 39D. Cool stuff.

Across:

1. Wild hogs : BOARS

6. Wild animal : BEAST

11. Bird in a cage, often : PET. A menagerie trifecta to kick things off.

14. Pinhead : IDIOT. How many angels can dance on the head of an idiot? Discuss.

15. Off-the-cuff : AD LIB

16. Hot feeling : IRE

19. Sign word often seen before "next exit" : GAS

20. Matzo meal : SEDER. Great clue. Matzo ball soup is a traditional menu item for Passover.

21. Some RSVPs : NOS. I think you should reply "Oui, Merci" or "Non, Merci".

22. Punch source : FIST

23. "Born to Die" singer Lana Del __ : REY. Crosses. I'm more familiar with her Los Angeles-based sister, Marina Del Rey.

Photo Credit: Mark Kitching

24. Caspian Sea land : IRAN

26. Diamond figure : CARAT

34. Smart guys? : ALECS

35. Spanish tourist city : AVILA

36. Knock on Yelp : PAN. I used Yelp a lot when I'm traveling in unfamiliar territory to find restaurants. You need to take the one-star rants and the five-star gushes with a pinch of salt. The truth usually lies somewhere in the middle.

37. Mall bag : TOTE

38. Given (to) : PRONE

39. Responded to reveille : WOKE. I was a little slow to respond to my reveille this morning - I was at a six-course wine dinner last night. Three hiking miles later and a mug of coffee and I was better.

40. Former Energy secretary Steven : CHU. Thank you, crosses.

41. No-frills : PLAIN

42. Hog lover : BIKER. Fun clue. Here's a couple of famous examples:

45. On the ball : ALERT

46. Like reporters, by trade : NOSY. Are reporters nosy? It has a slightly different connotation in my mind than professional investigation.

47. Brief letters? : BVD. Does Warren Buffett wear tighty-whities of this brand? Berkshire Hathaway owns the company.

48. Artist's pad : LOFT

50. Arranged locks : DO'S. I get a haircut when it reaches the point I can arrange my locks, I don't even own a comb.

53. Strips on a sandwich : BACON. Food! A pub close to where I live has a veggieburger on the menu, and proceeds to state "Bacon can be added for $1.00" which seems to rather miss the point.

56. Frazier foe : ALI

60. Spoil : MAR

61. "Too rich for me" : I'M OUT. A poker player's exit line when the stakes get too high.

62. Castle in the 1914 musical "Watch Your Step" : IRENE. I learned this from a crossword I blogged a while ago - she must have been one heck of dancer to still be clued more than 100 years later!

63. "Ciao!" : BYE

64. 1975 Pulitzer winner for criticism : EBERT. The great movie critic Roger Ebert who sadly passed in 2013. He spent his entire career with the Chicago Sun-Times.

65. Put two and two together : ADDED

Down:

1. Media Clic Ice maker : BIC. These things - never heard of 'em!

2. Often emotional works : ODES

3. Help on the Hill : AIDE

5. Parade venues : STREETS

6. "That's hogwash!" : BAH

7. Big name in organic foods : EDEN. Caused a bit of a stir in 2013 with a controversial stance on certain healthcare provisions for their employees.

8. Furthermore : ALSO

9. Isn't active, as equipment : SITS IDLE

10. "King of the Nerds" airer : TBS

11. Sight-unseen buy : PIG IN A POKE. Great expression. Researching this, it transpires that the poke is a bag, and the piglet you think that you're buying turns out to be a dog or a cat when you open the sack. French "poque" gives us "poquette", a little bag, or our "pocket". Here endeth the lesson.

12. Stretches of history : ERAS

13. Lab work : TEST

18. React to a kitchen bulb, maybe : CRY. Not because the lights went out, but onion-peeling woes.

22. Word after go or so : FAR

25. Miley Cyrus label : RCA. Wouldn't have had a clue without crosses. Just missing a "D" for another wild card.

26. Hidden problem : CATCH

27. Hawaiian Airlines greeting : ALOHA

28. Shoot back : RETURN FIRE

29. Leftovers preserver : SARAN. Not if you forget to put 'em in the fridge, which I frequently do.

30. Dodge : AVOID

31. Doofus : NINNY. Pinheads, idiots, doofuses and ninnies today. A quartet of oafs.

32. One creating enticing aromas : BAKER

33. Hägar's dog : SNERT. Food! Oh wait, not the split pea soup. Darn.

38. Feign ignorance : PLAY DUMB

41. Lenovo products : PC'S. My new laptop is a Lenovo. It weights about half as much as the old Dell, which makes my travel a little easier!

42. Munich's state : BAVARIA. Here's a question for you - the soccer team is F.C. Bayern München, but is anglicized as Bayern Munich. Why not Bavarians Munich? We English-speakers do weird things to proper names.

44. Small point : DOT

47. English channel, briefly : BBC. The public broadcaster came in for a lot of criticism during the last British elections for being overtly biased, to the point that there is a weight of opinion that the corporation should lose its charter.

48. Moussaka meat : LAMB. Layered ground lamb, sliced eggplant, zucchini and bechamel sauce. Greek loveliness.

49. Facial cosmetics brand : OLAY

51. Clarinet cousin : OBOE

52. Disparaging comment : SLUR

54. Pigged out (on), briefly : O.D.'ED. I probably made a mess of the punctuation there.

55. Ted Williams' number : NINE. This Hall-of-Famer played only for the Red Sox during his 19-year outfielding career.

57. Chart shape : PIE

58. Addams family cousin : ITT

59. Heavy ref. : O.E.D. 20 volumes in total. You need a strong shelf for all those!

That's it from me - here's the grid.

Steve

Note from C.C.: 

Happy Birthday to Pje (Pat) and her husband! I don't know any couple in real life who were born in the same day and same year. Pat was born in the morning, her husband in the afternoon. Hope it's a day full of surprises, Pat.

Tuesday, September 29, 2015 Mark Bickham

Theme: So and So - Four three-word phrases ... oh, never mind.

17A. Like stickers that smell when rubbed : SCRATCH AND SNIFF

27A. Little girl's makeup, so they say : SUGAR AND SPICE

48A. Terse : SHORT AND SWEET

62A. Old Glory : STARS AND STRIPES

71. Metaphor for time ... and, when divided into three words, puzzle theme found in the four longest across answers : SANDS. S and S

Argyle here. A reveal, really? Hardly necessary. Do you suppose he looked at SANDS and decided it could be parsed S and S? It is interesting that there are nine different length entries. Four long columns; the two longer ones cross three of the themes and the two shorter ones cross two theme entries. Overly easy but not USA mindless by any means.

Across:

1. Diagram with axes and coordinates : GRAPH

6. Very top : ACME

10. Shift neighbor, on PC keyboards : CTRL

14. St. __ Girl beer : PAULI

15. Guard site : SHIN. Cute.

16. Nabisco cookie : OREO

20. Buckwheat dish : KASHA. Not Little Rascals Buckwheat.

21. Court order to all : RISE

22. Fruit seed : PIT

23. Drop-down __ : MENU

25. Like some microbrews : MALTY

33. Crisp covering : CRUST

34. Welfare : SAKE

35. Firebird roof option : T-TOP

38. What cake candles may indicate : AGE

39. On the rocks : OVER ICE

42. Bart Simpson's grandpa : ABE

43. See 44-Down : BEST

45. City near Colombia's coastline : CALI

46. Leica competitor : NIKON

51. Sounded sheepish? : BAAed

53. Pop singer Vannelli : GINO. Clip

54. "Life of Pi" director Lee : ANG

55. Flood preventer : DIKE

59. Louisiana cuisine : CAJUN

66. Words starting many a guess : "IS IT ... ?"

67. Kind of dancer or boots : GO-GO

68. Atlanta campus : EMORY

69. "Auld Lang __" : SYNE

70. Follow the leader : OBEY

Down:

1. Navig. tool : GPS. (Global Positioning System)

2. Pool hall triangle : RACK

3. Saintly glow : AURA

4. Some flat-screen TVs : PLASMAs

5. Until now : HITHERTO

6. Remnant of an old flame : ASH. Good one.

7. Blacken : CHAR

8. Prefix with series : MINI

9. Remnants : ENDS. 49D. Partner of 9-Down : ODDS

10. Grifter's specialty : CON

11. Exaggerated response of disbelief : TRIPLE TAKE

12. Equip anew : REFIT

13. Towering : LOFTY

18. "How many times __ man turn his head and pretend that he just doesn't see?": Dylan : CAN A. Lot of clue for a short answer.

19. Freeway hauler : SEMI

24. Boot from office : UNSEAT

26. Work with a cast : ACT

27. Natural cut protection : SCAB

28. Strong desire : URGE

29. "Still wrong, take another stab" : "GUESS AGAIN

30. Alfalfa's girl : DARLA. Now we're talking Little Rascals.

31. Coming down the mountain, perhaps : SKIING

32. Push-up target, briefly : PEC. Build them up by doing push-ups. (Not my first thought)

36. Reed instrument : OBOE. A Püchner Oboe, model 30.

37. Cooped (up) : PENT

40. DVD predecessor : VCR. You remember videocassette recorder, right?

41. Catches, as in a net : ENSNARES

44. With 43-Across, outstanding : THE

47. Historic Japanese island battle site : IWO JIMA. Still a little rock in a big ocean.

50. Merriam-Webster ref. : DICT. (dictionary)

51. Underlying principle : BASIS

52. Restless : ANTSY

56. "Othello" villain : IAGO. Perennial bad guy.

57. Door opener : KNOB

58. Periphery : EDGE

60. Well-versed in : UP ON or maybe DOWN ON?

61. Uncool type : NERD

63. AAA suggestion : RTE. American Automobile Association/Route

64. Dim sum sauce : SOY

65. Part of PBS: Abbr. : SYS. I'm shocked! Public Broadcasting Service, not System.

Argyle

Monday, September 28, 2015 Lila Cherry

Theme: Give My Regards To Broadway - Things you see in a theater.

17A. *Last leg of a journey : FINAL STAGE

57A. *Matching breakfast nook furniture : DINETTE SET

11D. *Thanksgiving night snacks : TURKEY WINGS

25D. *Cold War barrier : IRON CURTAIN

43D. Broadway building, and where to find the ends of the answers to starred clues : THEATER

Bonus entry: 39A. Broadway productions : SHOWS

Argyle here with an anagrammed constructor. Some new stuff, some old, and some to see if you've been paying attention the last few weeks. Enjoy!

Across:

1. Borscht veggies : BEETS

6. Garden neighbors of glads, perhaps : MUMS

10. "Looking at it differently," in texts : OTOH. (On The Other Hand)

14. Play the coquette : FLIRT

15. Part of MIT: Abbr. : INST. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

16. Make all better : CURE

19. Cleveland's lake : ERIE

20. Protruding-lip expression : POUT

21. Made minor adjustments to : TWEAKED. Like using botox to get that pout.

23. Enjoy snowy trails : SKI

26. Constellation bear : URSA

28. Discussion groups : PANELS

29. Stephen King's harassed high schooler : CARRIE. "Carrie: The Musical" was both on Broadway(1988) and Off-Broadway(2012)(Revival).

31. Shiny photo : GLOSSY. "27 8×10 color glossy pictures with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one explaining what each one was to be used as evidence against us" ~ Arlo

33. Great Plains natives : OTOEs

34. Largest Greek island : CRETE

35. Roll of cash : WAD

38. Comes out on top : WINS

40. Actress Sorvino : MIRA. Screen and TV but no stage work that I could find.

41. "Just a __!" : SEC

42. How not to talk in libraries : ALOUD as distinguished from whisperingly

43. Piquant : TANGY

44. Stereotypically wealthy city area : UPTOWN. Sans shades.

46. Clavell novel of feudal Japan : SHOGUN. On Broadway in 1990, "Shogun: The Musical".

47. Take out a loan : BORROW

49. Ice hockey feint : DEKE

51. Observe : SEE

52. Intermittently : AT TIMES

54. Perfume container : VIAL

56. Fava or soya : BEAN

62. Spy novelist Ambler : ERIC. NYTimes Obit

63. Japanese noodle : UDON

64. Midterms, e.g. : EXAMS

65. "The __ Ranger" : LONE. The Green Hornet's great-uncle.

66. Chapel seating : PEWS

67. Assemble, as equipment : RIG UP

Down:

1. Texter's soul mate : BFF. (Best Friends Forever)

2. Yalie : ELI

3. A, in Austria : EIN

4. Mouse catcher : TRAP. Board game with cheese-shaped tokens, "Mouse Trap". "The Mousetrap" is a murder mystery play by Agatha Christie. It opened in the West End of London in 1952, and has been running continuously since then. Will it come to Broadway?

5. Arch city : ST. LOUIS

6. Catchers' gloves : MITTS

7. __ vez: Spanish "once" : UNA "At once" or 58D. Without delay : NOW

8. High-ranking NCO : MSGT. (Master Sergeant)

9. Gumbo cookers : STEW POTS

10. Pacific and Atlantic : OCEANS

12. Bay window : ORIEL

13. Pays attention to : HEEDS

18. "Be glad to" : "SURE"

22. Effortlessness : EASE

23. Garbage haulers : SCOWS

24. News anchor Couric : KATIE

27. Bad way to run a yacht? : AGROUND

30. Legal thing : RES

32. Indecent : LEWD

34. Vittles : CHOW

36. Take issue (with) : ARGUE

37. "Tell It to My Heart" singer Taylor __ : DAYNE

39. Decelerated : SLOWED UP

40. Chinese chairman : MAO

42. Molecule part : ATOM

45. Royal son : PRINCE

46. "SNL" segment : SKIT

47. Biblical tower site : BABEL

48. Alamogordo's county : OTERO, New Mexico. Update: Otero County was created January 30, 1899 from the eastern end of Doña Ana County, the southern portion of Lincoln, and southeast corner of Socorro County. Otero County was named after Miguel Antonio Otero, New Mexico's governor at the time (the first Hispanic surnamed governor of New Mexico Territory, served 1897-1906). His father, by the same name, had served as Territorial Representative to Congress from 1856 to 1861.

50. Odds alternative : EVENS

53. Either team on the field : SIDE

55. LPGA golfer Thompson : LEXI. Hmm, golfer or model, Images.

59. Droop in the middle : SAG

60. Down Under bird : EMU

61. Baker's meas. : TSP

Argyle

Sunday September 27, 2015 Jake Braun

Theme:  "Aluminum Siding" - AL (symbol of Aluminum) is inserted into each theme answer.

23A. Easy summer listening? : BEACH ALBUM. Beach bum.

25A. Important exam for shady lenders? : SHARK FINAL. Shark fin. We used to have the expensive shark fin soup at our annual company New Year's dinner. It's supposed to be aphrodisiac and good for your skin.

41A. Thoroughbreds' annual dance? : RACING FORMAL. Racing form.

49A. Diet for conspirators? : CABAL FARE. Cab fare. Fare changes its meaning also. Same as the SHARK in 25A. Nice.

61A. Really bad bubbly? : BRUTAL CHAMPAGNE. Brut champagne.

78A. Lager shipping route? : BEER CANAL. Beer can.

85A. Prayer book for kids? : JUNIOR MISSAL. Junior/Miss.

104A. Last-minute jilters? : ALTAR HEELS. Tar Heels.

106A. Flower hater's bugbear? : PETAL PEEVE. Pet peeve.

Our second encounter withwho added AH sound to his LAT debut.

Another well-designed grid, with all 9 themers are placed Across, exactly how I'd handled the gridding. I love grids with four or more pairs of splashy long non-theme fill. 

Across:

1. Seriously deteriorates : ROTS

5. Item sold in sheets : STAMP

10. "Social contract" philosopher : LOCKE (John)

15. Pit-__ : A-PAT.  Fill-in-the-blank is often a partial. So slim chance for BULL.

19. To be, to Bizet : ETRE

20. Pelican State sub : PO BOY. Food! Never had one.

21. Behavioral guide : ETHIC

22. Moneyed, in Málaga : RICO

27. "I have to go out!" : ARF.  Or GRR.

28. Van Gogh setting : ARLES
 

29. Kadetts, e.g. : OPELS. My last-filled area. I did not know what Kadetts are.

30. "Let me repeat ... " : I SAID

31. Mixes, as cards : RIFFLES

33. Set out : EMBARK

35. Novelist Waugh : ALEC

36. Wrath : IRE

37. Record player : STYLUS. Would have nailed it with a "needle" hint.

38. Ciudad Bolívar's river : ORINOCO. Know it because Enya's "Orinonco Flow".

45. De Matteo of "The Sopranos" : DREA

46. Black dog : LAB. And 47. King dog : CUJO

48. Calm : ALLAY.  And 52. Substitute for a bad word : BLEEP. Both clues are verbs. I like this kind of misleads.

51. Celestial altar : ARA

 

53. Reheats : WARMS

55. Nutritional figs. : RDAs. Not any more.

56. "Cheers" role : SAM. And  57. "Cheers" order : ALE

58. Island setting for the 10th season of "Survivor" : PALAU. Nailed it. Had to put it in one of my grids once.

59. Words to a captain : AYE AYE
 

65. Inept shepherd : BO PEEP

68. Biker's invite : HOP ON

69. Gettysburg Campaign VIP : LEE

70. Dairy sight : COW. Not EWE.

73. Adidas competitor : AVIA

74. Horse of the Year, 1960-'64 : KELSO. All crosses.

75. City SSW of Seville : CADIZ. Had C???Z earlier on. So, easy fill.

77. Old studio letters : RKO

81. Ones wrapping around a pole? : ELVES. Oh, wrapping gifts in North Pole.

82. Casual top : POLO. Thought of TANK first.

83. Crescent piece : ARC

84. Prayer starter : O GOD

88. Leave for a bit : STEP OUT

90. Memorable 1893 defendant : BORDEN. Stumped me. I sure need "Lizzie" in the clue.

91. "__ a pity" : 'TIS

92. Ready to eat : RIPE. We only harvested one cucumber this year. So weird. Next year we'll only grow tomatoes & green beans.

93. Follower : MINION

94. Boxster maker : PORSCHE

98. Rustle (up) : SCARE

100. 2000s NCAA president __ Brand : MYLES. No idea. 

101. Shinto temple entrance : TORII. Literally "Bird perch". Tori = Bird.

103. General Arnold of WWII : HAP

108. Old Nair rival : NEET

109. Draft recipient : PAYEE

110. Fail to say : ELIDE

111. Spread measure : ACRE

112. Two caplets, say : DOSE

113. They may follow teams : SLEDS. Dog teams. Great clue.

114. Do a lawn repair job : RESOD

115. Luau music makers : UKES

Down:

1. Concrete-reinforcing rod : REBAR

2. '90s "SNL" regular Cheri : OTERI

3. Accident consequence, perhaps : TRAFFIC JAM. Lovely Down.

4. Triple __ : SEC

5. Just-in-case item : SPARE

6. Part of a traveler's budget, perhaps : TOLLS

7. Chartres cleric : ABBE

8. Board game with cheese-shaped tokens : MOUSE TRAP. Both of the Down 9's are great as well.

9. British novelist Barbara : PYM

10. Electric guitar innovator : LES PAUL. And 64. Electric guitar wood : ALDER

11. End of a list : OTHERS

12. Attribute, with "up" : CHALK

13. White wine apéritifs : KIRs

14. Theologian who opposed Luther : ECK (Johann). Total stranger to me.

15. Gotten up : ARISEN

16. Cocktail invented in Puerto Rico : PINA COLADA. Lovely as well.

17. Trendy berry : ACAI

18. Related : TOLD. Verb again.

24. Rockers Van __ : HALEN

26. Like sons and daughters : FILIAL. Filial piety (Xiao) is an extremely important virtue in Chinese culture.  Respecting and taking care of your parents and elders are instilled in us from an early age.

29. Beatles nonsense syllables : OB-LA. "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da".

32. Cold, to Carlos : FRIO

34. "Oh dear!" : MY MY

35. Specialty : AREA

37. Only : SOLE

38. Jupiter and Saturn : ORBs. Thought of GODS first.

39. Chip, Skip or Harry of broadcasting : CARAY. Holy cow! I did not know this: Chip is Skip's son. Skip is Harry's son.

40. Quite big : OBESE

41. Some TVs : RCAs

42. Surrounding glow : AURA

43. Poll man : GALLUP

44. Company cars, as a group : FLEET

45. Block, beaver-style : DAM UP

49. Stuff : CRAM

50. For nothing : FREE. And 52. Wearing nothing : BARE

53. Large mackerel : WAHOO. Huge! I tried a can of broiled mackerel from our Asian grocery store yesterday. So so. The only canned fish I really like is roasted eel. Do you know that brand, Jayce?

54. Actor Ladd : ALAN

58. Patients' main MDs, to insurers : PCPS (Primary Care Physicians)

59. AARP concern : AGEISM

60. Santa __ Valley: California wine region : YNEZ

61. Endure : BEAR

62. Leading : AHEAD

63. Take it easy : LOLL

65. Spiked cakes : BABAs. Baba au rhum. Never had it.

66. Hardly secret : OVERT

67. Per-unit pay scales : PIECE RATES

70. Verify with several sources : CROSS-CHECK. Some of Seymour Hersh's articles are really thinly sourced.

71. Norman's home: Abbr. : OKLA. I was thinking of the 1066 invaders.

72. Winter fabric : WOOL

74. Stomach discomfort : KNOT

75. Customers : CLIENTELE

76. Romance novel publisher : AVON. New to me. I read lots of romance novels in my college years.

79. Barrel maker : COOPER

80. Hot-and-cold fits : AGUE

81. Prefix with morph : ENDO

82. Three-pronged letters : PSIs

85. Generic trendsetters : JONESES. Oh, Keep up with the Joneses.

86. "Redemption" author : URIS (Leon)

87. "Let __!": "Get going!" : IT RIP

89. PNC Park player : PIRATE. Hi there, TTP!  Thanks for the Spaetzle idea. So what happened at the golf awards dinner two weeks ago? Were you voted the league secretary again?

90. Charged : BILLED
 

93. "Not a chance!" : MY EYE

94. Where to see many El Greco works : PRADO

95. No longer squeaky : OILED

96. Le __, France : HAVRE

97. Pentathlon blades : EPEES

98. Painting medium : SAND

99. "Pinocchio" goldfish : CLEO. I forgot.

100. One of a daily trio : MEAL. Felt stupid blanking on the answer.

102. Publisher Chandler : OTIS. L. A. Times.

105. ENVY and OMEN laptops : HPS. Don't own their laptop. But our printer is HP ENVY.

106. Distribution word : PER

107. Water under le pont : EAU. Water under the bridge.

Merl Reagle's memorial service will be held today (Sept 27, 2015) from 5pm-8pm. The gathering will be at the University of Tampa’s Vaughn Center, 9th floor, and all are invited.

(Added later: Here is a short clip of Merl at the movie "Wordplay". Thanks, Tony!)

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival to those who celebrate! This is my favorite Chinese holiday after Spring Festival. It always takes place on August 15th (full moon) in Chinese lunar calendar. The sweet mooncakes are available only for a short period of time.

C.C.

Saturday, Sep 26th, 2015, Don Gagliardo

Theme: None

Words: 70 (missing J,Q,V,X,Z)

Blocks: 28

Don G returns for the last Saturday puzzle of the month for the second time in a row for the LATimes.  No theme this time, although we have three of four long answers that are food related.  One Natick, which I had to use red-letters to solve, but what can you do~? Likewise, there were a few 'meh' answers that made me grit my teeth, but it's Saturday, so I've come to expect them.  Threw caution to the wind on a few clues, and glad to see they were solid WAGs.  Two 12-letter spanners, and two 11-letter climbers;

19a. Telltale facial mark : MILK MUSTACHE

54a. Picnic piece : CORN ON THE COB

3d. It's often chosen from a map : AIRLINE SEAT

24d. Arbitrary experimentation variable : FUDGE FACTOR

"one of these things is not like the other...."

Donwar~!

ACROSS:

1. Go gaga over : STARE AT - you know what I go gaga over....

8. Put into motion : ACTUATE

15. Bride of Dionysus : ARIADNE - Once the "-NE" appeared, this dawned on me

16. "This can't wait!" : "DO IT NOW~!" - Reminds me of Ahhhnold in Predator

17. "Gilligan's Island" ingénue : MARY ANN - much more appealing to me than Ginger

18. How some things are written : IN STONE

21. The clink : STIR - meh.  Never heard this, but if you consider stir-crazy, then it fits

22. Field : LEA

23. Scolding : EARFUL

27. Japanese food item sold in sheets : NORI - oops, went with noKi first

29. Dept. head, e.g. : LDR - leader.  meh.

31. Selene's Roman counterpart : LUNA - I am pretty good with my mythology

32. El __ : GRECO

34. Barely make waves? : SKINNY-DIP - hand up for NOT having done this - yet

36. Some RPI grads : EEs - I attended one semester - Spitzboov stayed longer

37. Medium-dry sherry : OLOROSO - we've seen this in puzzles before - the Wiki

39. Political initials since 1884 : GOP

40. Wonder Girl or Kid Flash : TEEN TITAN - new to me; SIDEKICKS fit, too

42. Quiet spots : GLENS - I had NOOKS to start

44. Twin seen in a thesaurus? : ESAU - clever; th-esau-rus

45. Abs, pecs, delts, etc. : BOD - meh.  I get it, but....meh.

46. Place for a shoe : HOOF - horseshoe

47. Grit : METTLE

49. First bk. of the Latter Prophets : ISA

51. 1988 N.L. Rookie of the Year Chris : SABO - the "B" was my only blank; and with the next clue, DonG is making up for the lack of baseball from C.C. last week

57. Situation after the first out, in baseball lingo : ONE AWAY

60. John or Paul : APOSTLE - solid WAG

61. Astronomical measures : PARSECS - parallax second; the Wiki

62. Knee-slapping : RIOTOUS

63. Original McDonald's mascot : SPEEDEE

64. Stand behind : ENDORSE

DOWN:

1. "Dynasty" actress Emma : SAMMS - it took a moment to remember her

2. Character-building unit? : TRAIT

4. '70s-'80s San Diego Padres owner : RAY KROC - more McDonald's - his Wiki

5. Red-coated wheel : EDAM - cheese

6. Trees' age indicators : ANNULI - because RIINGS didn't work; today is my brother's B-day; he has 42 rings now

7. Strained : TENSE

8. Sarah McLachlan hit : ADIA

9. Companies : CONCERNS - think late 1800's

10. "My Wife & Kids" co-star __ Campbell-Martin : TISHA - mostly perps

11. Completely : UTTERLY

12. Year abroad : ANO

13. Lot : TON

14. Common rebus pronoun : EWE

20. You won't hear any hits on it : TALK RADIO

25. Dues collector : UNION - UPS is trying to collect back dues from me - not my fault

26. People now known as Sami : LAPPS - WAG

28. Square __ : ROOT - I had KNOT first

30. "Falling Into You" Grammy winner : DION - Celine - not my thing

32. "Chase those guys!" : GET 'EM

33. Piece maker? : REESE - Reese's Pieces

34. __ speak : SO TO

35. Canceled : NO-GO - think NASA and the Apollo missions

38. Ring-wearing pianist : LIBERACE

41. Colorful helmet brand : NUTCASE - clever name; their web page

43. Is blitzed by : LOSES TO

46. Millinery accessory : HAT PIN

48. Called from a field : LOWED

50. Drum kit item : SNARE

52. Big pill : BOLUS - never heard of it; the definition is "a round mass of medicinal material, larger than an ordinary pill"

53. Like one contemplating bariatric surgery : OBESE

55. Where KO means Coca-Cola : NYSE - nailed it

56. Place for an ornament : HOOD - reminds me of a vulgar joke - email me if you care to hear it

57. Short missions? : OPs

58. Power __ : NAP - I take a power nap from about 11am - 1pm everyday between UPS and the restaurant work

59. "Take heed, __ summer comes ... ": Shak. : ERE

Splynter

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to Dennis, who was often the first to post on the blog before he moved to Florida.  I have fond memories of talking to him frequently about baseball cards (He has a Bowman Mickey Mantle 51), American slang and various blog comments. Rich's acceptance of the puzzle I made with Dennis is one of the highlights of my puzzle career. How's everything, Dennis?