Wednesday, October 21, 2015, John Lieb

Title: CC Rider

We denizens of this site quickly saw our lovely leader C.C. in the gimmick of double C's in each two word phrase where the first word ends in C and the second word begins in C. However, John's fine hump day offering invoked the original use of CC for the Carbon Copy method of producing a messy facsimile as seen in this blurry CC of an interesting 1958 typewritten letter from Eleanor Roosevelt to JFK.

Today, of course it is mainly used as a way to send a duplicate email to another recipient electronically sans the messy paper

Theme answers:

16. Three-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee : ERIC CLAPTON - First as a member of this group, then a member of Cream and then as a solo artist

22. Master thespian's skill : DRAMATIC CHOPS -Yeah, I've heard she's got 'em. Do you remember this movie?

49. Brew produced without pesticides : ORGANIC COFFEE - This must be good  because it says so!

58. "One Thousand and One Nights" transport : MAGIC CARPET - Or a ride offered by this group

The theme reveal:

65. Duplicates, briefly ... and a hint to 16-, 22-, 49- and 58-Across : CC'S 

John's fun gimmick could also have referred to CC's of medicine, Closed Captioning  we use for Downton Abbey or, as previously mentioned, the very nice lady in Minneapolis who runs this electronic popsicle stand.

Across  
    
1. Punch kin : ADE - Not a JAB

4. Refuse : TRASH - Turn down garbage - REFUSE REFUSE

9. Debussy's sea : MER - I'll bet you can figure out this 1914 American song lyric here in French "Par la MER, par la MER, par la belle MER" (*answer at the bottom)

12. __ Scotia : NOVA

14. Makes arrangements for : SEES TO - What Joann will do for our kitty when we travel again

15. Chopper : AXE

18. Sleep phase initials : REM

19. 1990s Polish president : WALESA - Lech, the electrician who became president, helped Poland into a post-communist era

20. Ocean State sch. : URI - The Fightin' Rams of the University of Rhode Island

21. California's __ Valley : SIMI

25. Pretentious sort : SNOB - Dontcha just hate 'em?

27. Used Grecian Formula on : DYED - Not enough vanity with me for that

28. Uses for a fee : RENTS

29. Civil War nickname : ABE

30. Artist's shade : HUE

31. "La Bamba" actor Morales : ESAI - A frequent flyer on this airline

33. Burroughs' feral child : TARZAN - I think we know the pithy dialog below

35. Welcomes to one's home : ASKS IN

39. Actress Sommer : ELKE

41. Sets for binge watchers : TVS - Hey, it's a Jetson's marathon!

42. Rapid-fire weapon : UZI

43. Fireplace piece : GRATE

46. Maker of Air Zoom sneakers : NIKE - How would these look on a 69 yr old retired teacher? Yeah, I thought so too.

48. Eyewear, in ads : SPEX

52. Regatta implements : OARS

53. Shout of support : RAH

54. Burglars' concerns : ALARMS

57. Former AT&T rival : GTE

60. See 62-Across : LEE

61. Endless, poetically : ETERNE

62. With 60-Across, big name in desserts : SARA - They had the best jingle with a double negative that was in C.C.'s lovely Monday puzzle.

63. Harris and Asner : EDS - I best remember Ed Harris as Gene Kranz uttering, "Failure is not an option" in Apollo 13

64. Gave the wrong idea : LED ON

Down

1. Once again : ANEW

2. Latina toon explorer : DORA - The Explorer

3. Superhero's nemesis : EVILDOER

4. Long Island Iced __: cocktail : TEA - No Lipton in there!

5. Public stature : REPUTE

6. Not sidesaddle : ASTRIDE - It would never do for Lady Mary of Downton Abbey to sit ASTRIDE

7. Hard to arouse : STOIC - Even sidesaddle, she would look STOIC

8. Sweetie pie : HON

9. Ohio county or its seat : MARION - Named for "The Swamp Fox" Francis Marion. Look who played him on TV

10. Not obliged to pay : EXEMPT - UN envoy and their parking tickets

11. Neglectful : REMISS

13. Harsh : ACERB - ACERBIC is a form more familiar to me

14. Focus of an annual 26-Down contest : SLAM DUNK 

17. Jefferson Davis was its only pres. : CSA - The story of Jeff Davis being captured while disguised in  women's clothes was untrue but gained a life of its own

21. Mideast chieftain : SHEIK - Do you remember Ray Stevens' now VERY un-pc song about the "SHEIK of the burn in' sands"?

23. Reply to Bligh : AYE

24. Ill-mannered : CRASS

25. Convened : SAT

26. Hoops gp. : NBA

30. Drummer Alex Van __ : HALEN

32. Avoid embarrassment : SAVE FACE - Better than this

34. Epsilon followers : ZETAS 

36. Large political spending org. : SUPER PAC - They raised $828,224,700 for the 2012 election 

37. Ending with civil or social : IZE

38. Put the kibosh on : NIX - 1935 Variety headline translated - "Rural people don't like movies about rural people"

40. Behind bars : ENCAGED

41. Ring result, briefly : TKO

43. Help in many a search : GOOGLE

44. Like many violent films : R-RATED - MPAA says "This rating is given for strong and frequent language and violence, nudity for sexual purposes and the abuse of drugs."

45. Goes with the flow : AGREES

47. Asian MLB outfielder with a record 10 consecutive 200-hit seasons : ICHIRO - As a Mariner, Yankee and Marlin (after playing for the Orix Blue Wave in Japan for 9 years)

48. Craftsman retailer : SEARS 

50. Really boiling : IRATE

51. Jeb Bush's st. : FLA

55. Cougar maker, for short : MERC

56. Dots on a subway map: Abbr. : STAS - The Kingston Trio sang "Charlie handed in his dime at the Kendall Square STAtion and he changed for Jamaica Plain"

58. Voice legend Blanc : MEL

59. Channel founded by Turner : CNN

*Song lyric in English was "By the SEA, by the SEA, by the beautiful SEA"

A rerun of a something I have previously posted: If our blog mistress's doctor wanted to sent her med dosage to Walgreens and a copy to her, he would "CC the CC's to C.C." 


Husker Gary

Tuesday, October 20, 2015 Gareth Bain

Theme: Rock On!

17A. *Cardiologically healthy, as a diet : HEART SMART

25A. *Affectionate apron inscription : KISS THE COOK

40A. *Commuter's headache : RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC

50A. *Title for Aretha Franklin : QUEEN OF SOUL

63A. Musical conductor ... and, literally, what the start of each answer to a starred clue is : BANDLEADER

Argyle here. Rock bands with one word names lead off two or three word in language phrases. A grid spanner anchors the middle with solid little blocks all around. A couple of descending strings help tie it all together. Should prove entertaining. I'm not comfortable with the reveal; it seams to be asking for a Shaw or Goodman. The answers lead off with a band, not a bandleader. HEADBAND. My nit.

Feel free to link your favorite song by these groups.

Across:

1. "Goodbye, Columbus" author Philip : ROTH

5. High anxiety : ANGST

10. Me-time resorts : SPAs

14. Fencing choice : EPEE

15. Trip the light fantastic : DANCE

16. Quarterback-turned-congressman Jack : KEMP. NY congressman after QBing for Buffalo Bills. VP candidate with Bob Dole.

19. River of Pisa : ARNO

20. Wide variety : ARRAY

21. Gauge showing rpm : TACH. (tachometer)

23. How Marcie addresses Peppermint Patty : SIR. from Peanuts.

24. Howl at the moon : BAY. Been there, done that.

29. On its way : SENT

30. Handmade scarf stuff : YARN

31. Radar dot : BLIP

34. Chic modifier : TRÈS

37. Pay hike : RAISE

43. See eye to eye : AGREE

44. __ fide: in bad faith : MALA

45. "Teh" for "The," say : TYPO

46. Dry as the Atacama : ARID. Some like it Chile.

48. Omelet necessities : EGGS

54. Fabric flaw : RIP

57. Address bar address : URL

58. Pilot's alphabet ender : ZULU. An alternate ending is Zebra.

59. Wear away gradually : ERODE

61. Long-billed wader : IBIS

66. Charge : RATE

67. "Lucky" aviator, familiarly : LINDY. Charles Lindbergh

68. Stew veggies : PEAS

69. Was sure about : KNEW

70. Crème de la crème : ELITE

71. Footprint part : SOLE

Down:

1. Detox program : REHAB

2. Word before house or after horse : OPERA

3. In need of tissues : TEARY

4. Wife of Zeus : HERA

5. Promos : ADs

6. "China Beach" war zone, for short : NAM

7. Swarming pests : GNATS

8. "Ice Age" saber-toothed squirrel : SCRAT. He managed to get some product endorsements.

9. Easily annoyed : TETCHY. Same as touchy?

10. Caribbean music : SKA

11. Be the epitome of : PERSONIFY

12. Prenatal test, for short : AMNIO. (Amniocentesis)

13. Hybrid utensil : SPORK

18. Kid : TYKE

22. "Do I __ Waltz?": Rodgers/Sondheim musical : HEAR A. 1965 Broadway

26. A big fan of : INTO

27. Doodle on the guitar : STRUM

28. Summer camp activities : CRAFTS

29. Globe : SPHERE

31. Lingerie item : BRA

32. Carry with effort : LUG

33. Descendant of Jacob : ISRAELITE

35. Obama __ : ERA

36. Fifth cen. pope called "The Great" : ST. LEO

38. Small taste : SIP

39. Environmental prefix : ECO

41. "57 Varieties" brand : HEINZ

42. Classico rival : RAGU

47. Look-alike : DOUBLE

49. High spirits : GLEE

50. Peculiarity : QUIRK

51. Living in the city : URBAN

52. Swing wildly : FLAIL

53. Branch of Islam : SUNNI

54. Event with lots of horsing around? : RODEO

55. Flawless : IDEAL

56. Intrinsically : PER SE

60. Emulates Eminem : RAPS

62. Darn things : SEW

64. Prohibited pesticide : DDT. (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane)

65. Chemical in Drano crystals : LYE

Argyle

Monday, October 19, 2015 C.C. Burnikel

Theme: Hidden Word - A word hidden in the middle of four responses and the reveal in the middle of the puzzle.

17A. Presidency's last days, e.g. : END OF AN ERA

25A. Pre-cable reception aid : ROOF ANTENNA

36A. Anonymous writer, maybe, and a hint to the devotee hidden in 17-, 25-, 50- and 60-Across : SECRET ADMIRER

50A. Commentator dissecting chips and putts : GOLF ANALYST

60A. Usual sitcom length (including ads) : HALF AN HOUR

Argyle here, right in the open. C.C. has a seven letter column dead center. Not a common grid but some of the best fill is in those columns. I'm a fan. (Not a secret.)

Across:

1. Rifle filler : AMMO

5. Campus bigwigs : DEANS

10. Ending for brides, chamber or milk : MAID

14. Teller of fibs : LIAR

15. Humanlike machine of sci-fi : ROBOT

16. Edit menu option : UNDO

19. '90s TV title toon teen : DOUG. Mostly unknown to me. Wiki.

20. Attaches with string : TIES ON

21. Prefix with deed or lead : MIS

23. Quaint lodging : INN

24. Six-pack muscles : ABs

29. Stop for a moment : PAUSE

31. Abolish : BAN

32. Leading the field : ON TOP

33. Three: Pref. : TRI

34. Rapper __ Kim : LIL'

35. PC key near Ctrl : ALT

41. Kit__: candy bar : KAT. Stocked up for Halloween?

42. "Bossypants" memoirist Tina : FEY

43. "__ you ready?" : ARE

44. Fire-setting crime : ARSON

47. Boxing count : TEN

48. Gets a glimpse of : SPOTS

53. Bro or sis : SIB

54. Expected landing hr. : ETA

55. Wobbly walker : TOT

56. Green film on bronze : PATINA. And what have we learned about PATINA from Antiques Roadshow? Leave the PATINA alone.

58. Clear liquors : GINS

63. First chip in a pot : ANTE

64. "In other words ... " : "I MEAN ... "

65. Cabinet dept. concerned with nukes : ENER. (Energy)

66. Leaning Tower city : PISA

67. Stadium levels : TIERS

68. __ buco: veal dish : OSSO

Down:

1. Brewpub fixture : ALE TAP

2. Typically 18-inch-long baseball collectibles : MINI-BATS. A budding FAN.

3. Double-checked : MADE SURE

4. Gold medals, to Spaniards : OROs

5. Pipe clog dissolver : DRANO

6. Scads of centuries : EON

7. Prez on a penny : ABE

8. Painter Rockwell : NORMAN. Happy Fan.

9. A red wine one is hard to get out : STAIN

10. Stick-in-the-__ : MUD

11. Consecrate using oil : ANOINT

12. "Beats me" : "I DUNNO"

13. Steal a pup : DOGNAP

18. Links warning : "FORE!"

22. Vodka order, familiarly : STOLI. (Stolichnaya)

26. Memorial column, for short : OBIT

27. Pita filling : FALAFEL. Main ingredients: Fava beans or chickpeas.

28. Catch in a sting : ENTRAP

30. Bored with : SICK OF

34. Permit : LET

35. "Trainwreck" actress/screenwriter Schumer : AMY

37. Attacked on foot : RAN AT

38. Reject as false : DENY

39. Causes of disappearing beaches : EROSIONS

40. Entourages : RETINUES

44. Issue in May-December romances : AGE GAP

45. Spiral pasta : ROTINI

46. Slopes : SLANTS

47. Japanese floor mat : TATAMI

48. Laurel of Laurel and Hardy : STAN

49. "Handmade fresh all day" pizza chain : SBARRO

 

51. Like three Cy Young games : NO HIT

52. Bridge measures : SPANS

57. "The Cosby Show" son : THEO. Malcolm-Jamal Warner.

59. Baltic or Aegean : SEA

61. Sara whom "nobody doesn't like" : LEE

62. At a distance : FAR

Argyle

Sunday, Oct 18, 2015 Kathleen Fay O'Brien

Theme: "Ch-Ching!" - CH is added to the start of each theme answer. All entries go through a spelling change.

23A. Part of a dairy's financial statement? : CHURNINGS REPORT. Earnings report.

46A. Doesn't eat with one's mouth closed? : CHEWS AND AAHS. Oohs and aahs.

71A. Vacant seat you only thought you saw? : CHAIR APPARENT. Heir apparent.

95A. Spread for Sunday morning coffee hour? : CHAPEL BUTTER. Apple butter.

122A. Glance at the blackboard? : CHALKWARD MOMENT. Awkward moment.

16D. What Alice's adventures began with? : CHASE IN THE HOLE. Ace in the hole.

52D. Pizza scraps? : CHEESY PICKINGS. Easy pickings.

Much easier than last Sunday's puzzle.  I caught onto the theme immediately and filled in all the free CH's.

It's a great follow up to Donna Levin/Bruce Venzke's "Th-, Th-, That's All, Folks" puzzle we had in July. I think I've seen SH addition also.

This type of spelling change theme is more challenging than the simple letter addition gimmick. You really need to be creative in coming up with a workable set.

Across:

  

1. Old story : MYTH. I had LORE first.

5. They're often exposed in ski lodges : BEAMS. Never been to a ski lodge, this looks lovely.

10. Radio option : AM FM

14. Religious factions : SECTS

19. River in the Bernese Alps : AARE. Easy crosses, even if you don't know the river.

20. Started anew at the campsite : RE-LIT

21. Pump, for one : SHOE

22. Summer gripe : I'M HOT

26. Tropical vine : LIANA. Or Liane. Like this.

27. Truckers' competition : ROADEO

28. 2013 Masters champ Scott : ADAM. I met him and Justin Rose long time ago.

29. Whom Dennis often menaced : MR. WILSON. Nailed it.

31. Bass ending : OON

32. __ factor : ICK

34. Paper punditry : OP-EDS

37. Common Market letters : EEC

38. Slim fish : EEL. Hmm, roasted eel, the best food ever. Then fresh Lychee.

39. Retired boomer : SST

40. Karmann __: sports car : GHIA. Got via crosses.

42. Hardly handy : INEPT

44. Dry-eyes solution : SALINE

49. German finale : ENDE. German for "End".

50. Dash devices : TACHS

53. Doctrinal suffix : ISM

54. Strings for Orpheus : LYRE

55. Wash. setting : PST. I noticed the . mark.

56. Onetime Ritz competitor : HI HO

57. Smidge : IOTA

60. "That's what they tell me" : SO I GATHER. I wanted So I'VE HEARD. Not enough space.

64. Double Stuf treats : OREOS

66. Astronauts' gear : G-SUITS

68. Cab cousin : ZIN. Cabernet. 

69. Running bird : EMU

70. Take advantage of : USE

75. Right-to-left lang. : HEB (Hebrew). Chinese newspapers in Hong Kong/Macau/Taiwan are written from right-to-left also. Hard to read, esp since they still use traditional Chinese characters, while mainland China use simplified version. Can you tell the differences?

76. Some light bulbs : GEs

77. Capek's robot play : R.U.R.

78. Competed in a regatta, perhaps : SAILED

79. Future moss : SPORE

81. Settings for Monet : HAYFIELDS. I thought of gardens and water lilies when I think of Monet.

85. Genetic chains : RNAS. Plural again.

86. Actor Ken : OLIN

87. Spot on a card : PIP

88. City east of Wichita : IOLA. No idea. This crosses another unknown SLADE (84D. "Same Time, Next Year" playwright Bernard) and stumped me. My last-to-fill area.

90. Former telecom company : MCI

92. Seasonal tunes : NOELS

93. Gung-ho : AVID

99. Louis XV furniture style : ROCOCO. Nailed it.

102. Hacienda brick : ADOBE

103. Bounce in a cave : ECHO

104. Passenger vehicle : CAR. Thought of CAB first.

107. Antlered animal : ELK

108. The law has a long one : ARM

110. Horace poem : EPODE

112. "__ So Shy": Pointer Sisters hit : HE'S

113. Suffix with lact- : OSE

114. Jefferson Airplane genre : ACID ROCK. Easy crosses as well.

117. Dinghy movers : OARS

119. Put sows below cows? : RHYMED. The answer presented itself.

121. Like horses : MANED

126. Journalistic slant : ANGLE

127. Twelve __: neighbor of Tara : OAKS

128. Houston athlete : ASTRO. Do you believe in jinks?

129. Thing south of the border : COSA. Just Spanish for "Thing", right?

130. Asked : POSED

131. Like some audiobooks : ON CD

132. Dublin-born poet : YEATS

133. Uncommon blood type: Abbr. : A NEG

  

Down:

1. Users' shortcuts : MACROS. Can you give me an example, TTP/D-Otto?

2. Bumpkins : YAHOOS

3. One forging a doctor's note, maybe : TRUANT

4. Driven drove : HERD. Nice clue.

5. Eggy pastry : BRIOCHE. Are you a good baker, Steve?

6. Dusk, to Donne : EEN

7. Minuscule lake plant : ALGA

8. Make a mess of : MISDO

9. Secure for the trip : STRAP IN

10. Poisonous slitherer : ASP

11. Old reciprocal electrical unit : MHO

12. Thing to fill out : FORM

13. Dover distance : METRE

14. Mineral used in glassmaking : SILICA

15. Mickey Mouse enemy __ Eagle : EMIL. Never heard of it.

17. Constantly : TO NO END

18. Marvel Comics superhero? : STAN LEE. Wow, he's still alive. 

24. Stable sounds : NEIGHS

25. Fix text : EMEND

30. "Scream" director Craven : WES. Passed away a few weeks ago.

33. New Zealand bird : KIWI

35. Agreement : DEAL

36. Fixes : SPAYS

41. St. Francis' home : ASSISI

43. Via, à la Burns : THRO

45. "__ we forget" : LEST

46. Polite sneeze : CHOO. Why is it "Polite"?

47. Pepé Le Pew's pursuit : AMOUR

48. Appropriated : SEIZED

50. "His house is in the village __": Frost : THOUGH

51. With 74-Down, dramatic Navy mission : AIR SEA. And 74. See 51-Down : RESCUE

55. Slacks : PANTS

58. Reunión attendees : TIAs

59. How some stock is sold : AT PAR

61. Sling spirits : GIN. Oh, Singapore Sling.

62. "Kicked-Up Sandwiches" author : EMERIL. Obtainable if you know Emeril and his signature "kick up a notch".

63. Knighted Flemish painter : RUBENS

65. Rx : SCRIP. Not a word I use.

66. Spaghetti sauce staple : GARLIC

67. Quick ride : SPIN

72. Nuanced color : HUE

73. "Democracy is two wolves and __ voting on what to have for lunch": Franklin : A LAMB. Nice clue for a partial.

80. In need : POOR

82. Stereotypical pooch : FIDO

83. Qatar's capital : DOHA

89. Each : A POP

91. Rash symptom : ITCH

92. Arkansas River tributary : NEOSHO. Another unknown. Wiki says "The name "Neosho" is generally accepted to be of Native American (most likely Osage) derivation, meaning "clear, cold water", referring to local freshwater springs."

93. Visitors center handout : AREA MAP

94. Mount Rainier, e.g. : VOLCANO

96. You don't have to turn its pages : E-BOOK. We just had "Real page-turner?" for AVID READER yesterday.

97. Took out in cuffs, say : LED AWAY. We also have 111. Take out : ERASE. And 115. Take out : DELE

98. Hot drink holder : THERMOS

100. Checked the ID of : CARDED

101. Guatemala gold : ORO

104. Singles bar lure : COME ON. All's quiet in Splyner's "Blue-eyed Girl" front.

105. Sort of, with "in" : A SENSE. A rare 6-letter partial.

106. Sale indicator : RED TAG

109. "Wedding Bell Blues" soloist Marilyn : MCCOO. Got via crosses.

116. "Star Trek" villain : KHAN

118. Monterrey miss: Abbr. : SRTA

120. Song with arm motions : YMCA

123. "Best in Show" org. : AKC

124. '60s hallucinogen : LSD

125. Gere title gynecologist : DR. T. Guilty of putting it in my own puzzle.

Montana updates:

She has settled down her son's estate and has been volunteering to help local senior citizens review their Part D plans. She drives a long way to the office most of the days and enjoys her work.

C.C.

Saturday, Oct 17th, 2015, David Steinberg

Theme: 15 x 16

Words: 73 (missing Q)

Blocks: 30

  I was really excited to work on this puzzle, as I missed the 'extra' row from Mr. Steinberg's last Saturday contribution back on Feb 8th.  It was hard to miss the extra column this time, seeing that the top row is numbered 1-16....and, of course, there has to be triple spanner stacks in a grid from David on a Saturday.  Alas, the top stack refused to budge, and unlike that crossword from February, the 'shorter' crossings were of no help whatsoever for me today.  Blew up my personal time, and caved into Google for one of the longer answers, but that did not help get me any further along.  I also think that once I fried my brain trying to solve this beast, answers that should have been obvious were no longer clear.  Oh well.  Gotta take a beating once in a while to remind me that it's Saturday.  The spanners;

1. Really frighten : SCARE THE PANTS OFF

17. 2010 Eminem/Rihanna #1 hit with the lyric "Just gonna stand there and hear me cry" : LOVE THE WAY YOU LIE - this was my Google; I like Eminem, but not all his stuff, and this one was not in my wheelhouse

18. "Despicable Me 2" company : UNIVERSAL STUDIOS

61. Elgar work with an as yet unsolved musical theme : ENIGMA VARIATIONS - never heard of it, but there were enough crossings to make this one plausible

65. Threat in Season 3 of "24" : BIOLOGICAL WEAPON - dah~!  I got the first word, but weapon was not forthcoming; got brain-locked on TOXIN and POISON

66. Ways to get high : EXTENSION LADDERS - this one, I got

 
               !
            ~    
          D       
        R            
      A                
   W                    
  N                        
O                            

ACROSS:

19. Something to grab : RIDE

20. Eponymous magazine founder Eric : UTNE - ugh - one of those answers I "knew", but it was not coming to me after the brain cells got tired

21. Ruler's domain? : ROOST - the "?" made me think tape measure ruler; getting caught up in a singular definition caused me all sorts of grief today

22. Barred furniture : CRIBS - I am moving into a new "crib" this weekend; sharing a house with Gary, a buddy of mine.  The house is on the water in a 'suburb' of Riverhead called Flanders - half way between UPS and the restaurants...I'm so excited

24. Finely contoured : SLEEK - the Porsche has some smooth curves, too

27. God, in a midrash : ELOHIM - total unknown - in fact, I have never heard of a midrash

30. Pickup spots? : SCRUFFS - again, I got slowed down thinking this was the truck definition of pick-up; this time, it's the neck of your pet, the 'optimum' place to pick them up

34. City with a Pumpkin Run classic car show : OCALA

36. Baguette surfaces : FACETS - argh~!  CRUSTS fit, since this is the definition I was stuck on; instead it's the diamond cut 

38. Angry Birds sequel setting : RIO - no clue here, either - don't have, don't play

39. Valuable deposit : LODE

40. From square one, to Severus : DE NOVO - this week, my Latin failed me

41. Shock : JOLT - ugh, I had BOLT, and did not get the ta-DA~!

42. One may be blonde : ALE

43. Hard : SEVERE

44. Fortune's 2012 Businessperson of the Year : BEZOS - the man behind Amazon

45. Badly deteriorated : FAR GONE

47. Complete : ENTIRE

49. Uber : ULTRA

51. Means : AGENT - meh

53. Grand Canyon ride : BURRO - because ASS, MULE and DONKEY didn't fit

56. Quantum theory pioneer : BOHR

59. GI chow : MREs

DOWN:

1. Musical connector : SLUR

2. Like certain parlor containers : CONIC - ugh.  I believe this is a vague hint at a funeral parlor's urn shape

3. Real page-turner? : AVID READER - I had "BOOK" for AVID, thinking "real", as opposed to an eReader

4. Wake-up call : REVEILLE

5. Nice time for toasting : ETE - I went with EVE, but I figured it was the Frawnche city of Nice

6. Robin's family : THRUSH

7. "I have broke your __ to say so!": "The Tempest" : HEST - ugh.

8. Obi-Wan portrayer : EWAN - ARGH~!  I went with ALEC (Guiness), and not Mr. McGregor

9. Doesn't measure up : PALES

10. Shakespearean cries : AYs - "I" got this via perps

11. News initials since 1851 : NYT - blasphemy being in the LAT puzzle

12. British classic cars : TOURERS - JAGUARS fit, but didn't jibe with my Googled answer; this word is just a straight fun-sponge

13. Typically 81-digit diversion : SUDOKU - Once I considered 9x9, this came to me

14. Omnium-gatherum : OLIO - a blend of real and fake Latin, meaning a miscellaneous collection.  I just discovered there's a heavy metal band of the same name

15. Verizon bundle : FiOS - filled this right in - and then took it out....

16. Film follower? : FEST - FilmFEST

23. Zookeeper's main squeeze? : BOA - har-har

25. Square, in '50s slang, as shown by a four-fingered gesture : L SEVEN

26. __-1: "Ghostbusters" car : ECTO - just about the only clue I was sure of

28. Should it happen that : IF EVER - or is this the new disease from Apple, the iFever~?

29. Locks in a paddock : MANE - ARGHHH~!  The hair kind of lock

31. Hard-hit liner, in baseball lingo : FROZEN ROPE - Put in TURF BURNER, and that was just a cluster***k of wrong letters

32. Spanakopita dough : FILO

33. They're often lit : SOTS - I knew this one

34. Norwegian saint : OLAF - i got the OLA- part, but had to wait to see if it was "V" or "F"

35. Fountain output : COLA - ice cream parlor this time

37. Fruit remnant : CORE

40. Depressed area? : DENT

41. Prolonged lament : JEREMIAD - seen this before in crosswords, but it was not coming to me

43. Builder of Jerusalem's First Temple : SOLOMON - total WAG

44. Worth writing home about : BIG

46. Fountain output : GURGLE - think water fountain

48. 1943 Pacific island battle site : TARAWA - new one here, too; you can see it just below the Marshall Islands on this map

50. The Bahamas' __ Islands : ABACO - also new to me; this one's at the top of this map

52. Barbershop part : TENOR

53. Actress Neuwirth : BEBE

54. OS X basis : UNIX

55. Shields may be used in one : RIOT

57. Operation Torch target : ORAN - DAH~!  Not Iran; the Wiki, which includes a map

58. Way up : HILL - meh, part II

60. Phishers' fodder: Abbr. : SSNs

62. DOJ pooh-bahs : AGs - Attorneys General at the Department of Justice

63. 180 degrees from I : VII - like this;

64. 2012 film bear : TED - I've been told to "see it"

Splynter

Friday, October 16, 2015, Mark Bickham

Theme: Tiny puns.

Mark B, is back with simple concept, where phrases which include a diminutive, are re-imagined by witty cluing. I found a couple to be very funny, but it did not feel entirely like a theme. His July effort which was on a Friday used legal terms which were clued in non-legal ways. Here the size aspect is vital to both the base phrase and the new definition. I hope he stops by, as he often does, because I have a nagging feeling I missed something. The rest was an interesting mix of very hard fill and very easy answers. GLADIOLI, LOOKS BAD, IDIOT LIGHT,  and SUGAR SUGAR are the featured non-theme long fill. Let's see the rest.

17A. Hummingbird feature? : SMALL BILL (9). Do you have any ones on you, I want to buy some food for the hummingbirds, they have such short noses.

26A. Foothills? : SHORT RANGE (10). My drone does not go very far, it cannot get close to the mountains.

37A. Hot Wheels Volkswagen? : MINIATURE GOLF (12). I love this one. They actually EXIST. The seed entry, or maybe

50A. Potty-training tool? : LITTLE JOHN (10). Charlotte was out of diapers before she was two because of this device.

60A. Mouthpiece for a Lilliputian horse? : TEENSY BIT (9). Very cute.

Across:

1. Type of hippo : PYGMY. I spent way too much time trying to work this into the theme.

6. 59-Down product : ATM. I am not in favor of these gratuitous cross-references that make you look at the bottom of the puzzle this early. Not sure why this was needed.

9. Color guard accessory : SABER. The ceremonial sword.  Not a flower.

14. Child on TV for decades : JULIA. Ah, not that kind of Child, but the incomparable....

15. Virgo preceder : LEO. One of the easy ones.

16. "I'm here" : USE ME. This required the perps, not synonymous for me.

19. Enjoyed Vegas : GAMED. Not gambled...

20. Valley : DALE.

21. Place to live in Spain : CASA. House?

23. Sore feeling : IRE. Not achy but angry.

24. Purported ancestor of Ragnar Lothbrok on TV's "Vikings" : ODIN. I do not know this History Channel SERIES (3:15).

29. Crazy scene : ZOO. An unPC TERM now.

30. Call-day link : IT A. I wish I could; it has been a long week.

31. Value : ESTEEM.

32. Did a cobbler's job : SOLED. Shoe enough....

34. Stain : IMBRUE. To stain (something, especially one's hands or sword)."they were unwilling to imbrue their hands in his blood." Mark keeps an extensive word list to build his puzzles. This is a Friday word.

41. Hoedown move : DO-SI-DO. A wonderful CSO for our recovering dancer, YR.

42. Taking place : AFOOT. Hmm, dancing, cobblers and now this....

44. Is in store for : AWAITS.

47. Pine product : TAR. We recently linked the George Brett pine tar incident.

49. Maker of the GreenSaver Produce Keeper : OXO.

53. Absolut rival : SKYY.  Vodka in a blue bottle.

54. Explosive letters : TNT.  har har.

55. Collector's __ : ITEM. See another easy one.

56. Reveals in an unwelcome way : OUTS. Speaking of unPC, is there any good context for this meaning?

58. Naming : ID-ING.  I guess when you are naming a perpetrator....

64. Nursery supply : MULCH.

65. Psyche component : EGO. Id and superego.

66. Hiding __ : PLACE.

67. No longer an item : APART.

68. Oversaw : RAN. The business.

69. Teamed (with) : SIDED.

Down:

1. Jams : PJS.

2. Good remark? : YUM. What you say when it is good.

3. Plants with sword-shaped leaves : GLADIOLI. More swords...

4. Lombardy's capital : MILAN.

5. Everyone in Mississippi? : Y'ALL.

6. Big ring name : ALI. Muhammed.

7. AT&T, for short : TELCO. We had this before.

8. Grinder : MOLAR. Not the sandwich, the tooth. hard.

9. 1969 hit with the line "You are my candy girl" : SUGAR SUGAR. You want the Music VIDEO (3:02)?

10. Botanist Gray : ASA. No idea of this PIONEER, but he fits with the flowers.

11. Candy heart words : BE MINE. marti...

12. Show one's face : EMERGE.

13. Make amends for : REDEEM.

18. Outdo : BEST.

22. Volume measure : STERE. A cubic metre.

24. Abbr. on some cans : OZS. Ounces, also volume.

25. Hardly a happy ending : DOOM.

27. Where the Santa Maria sank, nowadays : HAITI. How many remember this HISTORY.

28. Dined on, biblically : ATE OF.

30. Dash warning : IDIOT LIGHT. Modern technology. LINK.

33. "I suggest you move on" : END IT.

35. Pie makeup? : MUD.

36. Stock : BROTH. The key to much cooking.

38. Plus : ASSET.

39. Doesn't exactly help one's reputation : LOOKS BAD.

40. Stunning or cunning : FOXY. One for Splynter? LINK.

43. One under a tree, maybe : TOY. Only 70 shopping days left  until Christmas.

44. Nissan sedan : ALTIMA.

45. Start of a pitch : WIND-UP.

46. Fifth-century Roman Empire enemy : ATTILA. Never really thought about when the Hun was at large.

48. In a little while : ANON. Our one Shakespeare hint this Friday.

51. 1996 A.L. Rookie of the Year : JETER. Who knew...

52. Psi follower : OMEGA. Straight Greek alphabet.

53. Needles : STYLI. here it is Latin that matters, the I plural for us is needed.

57. Org. whose logo features an eagle head : USPS. United States Postal Service

59. 6-Across maker : NCR. National Cash Register.

61. Awfully long time : EON.

62. Rocks in a bucket : ICE. Look away Tinman....

63. "Ideas worth spreading" acronym : TED. Technology Entertainment & Design. LINK. 

So we have reached the end of another Friday; thank you Mark, time to get ready for the beginning of the costume party season. Be careful out there, lemonade out.

Notes from C.C.:

1) Happy Birthday to dear CrossEyedDave! Thanks for the joy and happiness you've brought to me and many regulars the past few years. You're our sunshine!

2) Happy Birthday to Bluehen as well! I'm stealing a picture Dave got for you last year.

3) Welcome back, PK! Irish Miss just emailed me about you the other day. Now we need to hear from Montana, who has not replied to my email yet. We're quite concerned.

Thursday, October 15th 2015 Marti Duguay-Carpenter

Theme: Bacchanalian Brigade: Four inebriated entries:

17A. They're loaded : FILM CAMERAS. It's been quite some time since I had to do this - you always lived in trepidation that you'd somehow mess up and either expose the whole roll or shoot 36 frames and never get one on the emulsion:

29A. They're loaded : CROOKED DICE. I've been at craps tables in Las Vegas when I swore there was funny business afoot. In the unloaded light of day, of course it was just me being an appallingly bad gambler. The dice tumble where they may:

45A. They're loaded : BIG SPENDERS. Sadly, not me, probably because of the craps table behavior (see above).

61A. They're loaded : SIX SHOOTERS. Here's an 1882 Colt .44 - Did they mess up, was it meant to be a .45? It was made over 130 years ago, maybe the micrometers weren't so accurate back then. Or the gunsmith was loaded?

 

Good morrow! Steve here with a great mental workout from Marti - all kinds of head-scratching with the fill, and a really nice set of four theme entries, all 11's and no reveal other than the clechoes. The mid-Atlantic section was the one that had me staring down some white squares - EAMES and ENDEAR went in relatively easily, but the rest had me convinced I'd made a major goof until I caught on to the "they're not all single words" possibility and eventually C-NOTE, I.D. TAG and GE'S came to pass. Good stuff! And ....

Across:

1. Chinese secret society : TONG. C.C. might be a member, but of course she couldn't tell us if she was. Shhh!

5. Like many a rural road : SCENIC

11. "Big Blue" : IBM. We've seen Kubrick's "2001" rogue computer HAL quite frequently in the puzzles recently. Add one alphabet-count letter to HAL and you get - IBM.

14. Ancient concert halls : ODEA

15. Music industry underhandedness : PAYOLA

16. Call from a pasture : MOO

19. K+, e.g. : ION. An ionized potassium atom. My chemical knowledge is now officially exhausted.

20. Morning beverage choice, facetiously : UNLEADED. I'm totally defeated by the idea or purpose of decaffeinated coffee in the morning.

21. Dye source : HENNA. I dyed my hair with henna once or twice in my early twenties. Thankfully I realized that a rather jaunty orange wasn't a good look in the financial district in London.

23. Editor's mark : STET

24. Fla.-to-Cal. route : I-TEN

26. Former CNN host Alina : CHO. Thank you, crosses.

34. Terra firma : EARTH. Hmmmm. To me, Terra firma is dry land. Earth is the planet Earth, 90% of which is ocean and decidedly wet.

36. Wedding announcement word : NÉE.  Acute accent on the first "E" if you want to be particular about this.

37. Poet __ St. Vincent Millay : EDNA. Who? Thank you, crosses. I'll let the poetic blog readers pitch in here.

38. One who may need an alibi : LIAR. For explaining why his pants are on fire?

39. Bar closing hr. : ONE A.M. Not in London (11PM) nor LA (2AM). Your mileage may vary.

41. Energy source : ATOM

42. Mediterranean tourist attraction : ETNA

43. Alley target : PIN. Boomer's milieu, not mine. I've been bowling a few times, I think if you described me as "Bambi on a frozen pond" I'd be flattered.

44. Give an address : ORATE

49. Some ranges : GE'S General Electric cooktops. (If you want to put something in my Christmas stocking, I'll take this one, thankyouverymuch - I'll cook you dinner). A little ironic that the burners are gas-fired though:

50. Crown of light : HALO

51. UFO-tracking org. : SETI. The Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence. Was the screen saver that we all so religiously downloaded and left running all night a hoax?

53. Carl Reiner's nine : EMMYS. Nine wins, six nominations. Not too shabby.

56. Take care of : ATTEND TO

60. Eastern way : TAO

64. Jungfrau, for one : ALP. Stunningly beautiful. I've skied parts of the mountain from Grindelwald.

65. Leveling tool : EVENER. OK, hold on - is this really a thing?

66. Carrier with only kosher meals : EL AL

67. Grant foe : LEE

68. Vacation destination : RESORT

69. Long ride : LIMO. This took me a while before the V8 moment! Great stumping for such a little word.

Down:

1. Vegan staple : TOFU

2. Role in the 2011 film "Thor" : ODIN

3. "Little" Dickens girl : NELL. I tried DORI first before I saw sense, realized it would be DORRIT and started over.

4. Olympic __ : GAMES

5. "The Blacklist" star : SPADER. Who he? More crosses to the rescue. This chap:

6. Woke up : CAME TO

7. Looked up and down : EYED

8. Neither partner : NOR

9. Stevedore's gp. : I.L.A. International Longshoreman's Association.

10. Left the tables for the night, with "in" : CASHED. It might equally be "cashed out" except it wasn't clued that way. Something I've rarely done in Vegas (see 27A above). I don't gamble much any more, I'm seriously bad at it.

11. "Let's do it!" : I'M IN. My bad call in Vegas. If you ever hear me say this, cosh me over the head and put me in my room.

12. Blessing : BOON

13. Pulitzer poet Van Duyn : MONA. I'm zero-for-two with poets today. Corner?

18. __ of the day: menu offering : CATCH

22. Make lovable : ENDEAR

24. Furniture store that sells frozen meatballs : IKEA

25. Swarm : TEEM

26. 69-Across user : CELEB

27. "The Pearl of the Antilles" : HAITI

28. Sumatran simian : ORANG

30. Upright : ON END

31. Attachment seen on a carousel : I.D. TAG. The section that caused me conniptions. The ID Tag on your luggage as it takes a few turns around the baggage carousel awaiting collection. They all look the same anyway.

32. 100 bucks : C-NOTE

33. Furniture designer Charles : EAMES

35. Inferior : TRASHY

39. Autobahn auto : OPEL

40. El __ : NIÑO. And a hoped-for wet-weather phenomenon here in Southern California. We have an El Niño forecast for this winter.

44. Bone: Pref. : OSTEO

46. Quarterback, at times : PASSER. Compare with scrambler, flushed-out-of-the-pocket-and-throwing-out-of-bounds-er, dumped on his ass-er, desperately-handing-off-to-the-running-back-er, hail-mary-intecepted-er and, finally, benched-er. Choose your own nominee for this honor.

47. Old Testament queen : ESTHER

48. Comeback : RETORT

52. Recon consequence : INTEL

53. List shortener, for short : ET AL. How about a list of Middle Eastern airlines? El Al, et al

54. Drake, e.g. : MALE. "Duck" didn't work. Here's the rapper Drake:

55. Pout : MOPE

56. "It came __ surprise" : AS NO

57. Sub assembly location : DELI. Chassis, U-boat shipyard and fabrication shop all wouldn't fit.

58. Theme park transport : TRAM

59. Aftenposten newspaper headquarters : OSLO. More facts about OSLO and IKEA today. We are truly turning into experts on Scandinavian trivia.

62. "__ Got You Under My Skin" : I'VE

63. Symbolic kisses : X'ES

And with symbolic kisses, I'll sign off with Marti's trademark {hugs} and the grid is all that's left.


Steve