Tuesday, February 16, 2016 Mark McClain

 Theme: Take up a collection.

18. Add to the language : COIN A PHRASE. Coin collection. Nine most valuable U.S. coins.

23. Unusually high temperatures, often : RECORD HEAT. Record collection. One man, 30,000 records.

 38. Law enforcement slogan : STAMP OUT CRIME. Stamp collection. The twisty tale of the world's most expensive stamp.

50. Dessert with swirls : MARBLE CAKE. Marble collection. Man collects 50,000+ marbles.

58. What the starts of 18-, 23-, 38- and 50-Across can be part of : COLLECTIONS

Good morning all, Melissa here. Mostly smooth sailing, except for a few spots - last to fall was the crossing of 4A PONTE and 7D TUN. What? Simple, straightforward theme, once it appeared. 

Across         
 
1. Mud wrap venue : SPA
 
4. Bridge, to Botticelli : PONTE. Italian for bridge.
 
9. On a cruise : AT SEA
 
14. Knock gently : TAP
 
15. Unalaska inhabitant : ALEUT. Had never heard of this city before, so pretty.

 16. With 27-Down, striped holiday treat : CANDY
 
17. Tycoon Onassis : ARI

20. North Atlantic hazard : ICEBERG
 
22. Perching on : ATOP

26. Letters used in old dates : BCE. Before the Common Era.

29. Beirut's country: Abbr. : LEB
 
30. __-Cat: winter vehicle : SNO
 
31. Skin-and-bones sort : SCRAG
 
33. Fish and chips option : COD
 
36. Wonton, e.g. : DUMPLING

41. Felix Unger et al. : NEATNIKS

  
42. "Atlas Shrugged" author Rand : AYN
 
43. Many opera villains : BASSI.
 
44. Grassland : LEA
 
46. Uncertainties : IFS
 
49. Braying beast : ASS

54. Canyon feedback : ECHO
 
57. Ice-T or Jay Z : RAP STAR

62. "Who am __ judge?" : I TO
 
63. German river, to Germans : RHEIN
 
64. Adult insect : IMAGO. According to Wikipedia, "Imago is the last stage an insect attains during its metamorphasis.

65. Not quite lge. : MED
 
66. Chore list entries : TO DO'S
 
67. Web surfing tool : MODEM
 
68. Beverage suffix : ADE
 
Down
 
1. Step between landings : STAIR
 
2. Part of UPS : PARCEL
 
3. Unit-pricing word : APIECE
 
4. Hoosier hoopster : PACER
 
5. Grace opening : O LORD
 
6. Sounds from a stable : NEIGHS
 
7. Vineyard vat : TUN. A large cask.

8. Approximate touchdown hr. : ETA. Estimated Time of Arrival.

9. Vier und vier : ACHT. German, four and four are eight.
 
10. Hawaiian root : TARO
 
11. Feature of most fedoras : SNAP BRIM. A snap brim can be turned up and down at opposite ends.

12. Newspaper hires, briefly : EDS
 
13. Vote for : AYE
 
19. __ on the back : PAT
 
21. Spotted members of the lynx family : BOB CATS
 
24. Laptop buyer, for one : END USER
 
25. Month after juillet : AOUT. Another unknown to me, July and August in French.

27. See 16-Across : CANE
 
28. Urge (on) : EGG
 
31. Energetic : SPRY
 
32. Outpatient treatment sites : CLINICS
 
34. Upscale hotel chain : OMNI
 
35. Printer resolution spec. : DPI. Dots per inch.
 
37. __ Nashville: country label : MCA
 
38. Bering and North : SEAS
 
39. Like graduation caps : TASSELED
 
40. St. with a panhandle : OKLA
 
41. Steph Curry's org. : NBA
 
45. In Europe, say : ABROAD
 
47. Daughter of Muhammad : FATIMA. Youngest daughter of Islamic daughter Muhammad. Too many letters for Laila.
 
48. Enjoyed the ice : SKATED
 
50. Comfy slip-on : MOC
 
51. "Tootsie" actress Jessica : LANGE
 
52. Word with Downs or salts : EPSOM
 
53. Slowly eat into : ERODE
 
55. Ad writer's award : CLIO
 
56. Feathered brooders : HENS
 
58. Dated PC hookup : CRT
 
59. "So that's it!" : OHO
 
60. Bob Cratchit's boy : TIM
 
61. I believe, in texts : IMO. In my opinion.

Monday, February 15, 2016 Robert E. Lee Morris

Theme: Not for the shallow - The first word in the theme answers can be the end of a phrase starting with DEEP.

38. Pool diving area ... and, literally, what the start of each answer to a starred clue can be : DEEP END

17. *The president's annual salary, e.g. : SIX FIGURES. Deep Six, I'm going with the naval use of the term for a measure of six fathoms; a depth suitable for burial at sea.

61. *Prince film featuring "When Doves Cry" : PURPLE RAIN. Deep Purple. It seems unclear what Prince meant by 'Purple Rain'. Deep Purple is a rock band but what I like best is the use in the opening line of this remake of "Star Dust" by Nino Tempo & April Stevens. Deep Purple

11. *"Sweet dreams" : "SLEEP TIGHT". Deep Sleep. 'Sleep tight' may just mean 'sleep soundly'.

29. *Scatterbrain : SPACE CADET. Deep Space, the final frontier.

Argyle here in the deep freeze. At least we didn't get the wind they were predicting. A musical Monday, not theme related though. Standard pinwheel grid, some standard crosswordese and some c/a from recent puzzles. All-in-all, a good day.

Across:

1. Diplomat Henry __ Lodge : CABOT. (1850 - 1924) or (1902–1985)(Jr. or II) He was the grandson of Henry Cabot Lodge.

6. Former Ford division, briefly : MERC. (Mercury, 1938 - 2011)

10. "Kindly let us know," on invites : RSVP. (French: répondez s'il vous plaît). And 10D. English translation of the start of 10-Across : RESPOND

14. Like a noisy stadium : AROAR

15. Length times width : AREA

16. Israeli airline : EL AL

19. Lily that's Utah's state flower : SEGO

20. Mary __ cosmetics : KAY

21. Agree silently : NOD

22. Avoid shipping out? : SHAPE UP. Ultimatum: Shape up or ship out!

24. Electrically connected : WIRED

26. Weds in secret : ELOPES

27. Kind of football kick : ONSIDE. Deliberately kicked short in an attempt to recover the ball.

30. Prairie dog or squirrel : RODENT

32. Brown photo tone : SEPIA

33. Long skirt : MAXI. Not demure when it is see-thru or has a thigh-high slit.

34. Carpe __: seize the day : DIEM

37. Hawaii's Mauna __ : LOA

41. Dean's list fig. : GPA. (grade point average)

42. How some audiobooks are recorded : ON CD

44. Prayer ending : AMEN

45. Autumn shade : OCHER

47. Pencil mark remover : ERASER

49. PC memos : E-NOTES

50. Say yes (to) : ACCEDE

52. Arabian Peninsula country : YEMEN

54. Thick fog metaphor : PEA SOUP

56. Prefix with east or west : MID

57. Comedian Margaret : CHO

60. X-ray units : RADs. (obsolete?)

64. "Understood" : "I SEE"

65. Flanged fastener : T-NUT

66. It's measured in degrees : ANGLE

67. "Why don't we?" : "LET'S"

68. "__-dokey!" : OKEY

69. 1971 Eric Clapton hit : LAYLA

Down:

1. Wine barrel : CASK

2. Operatic solo : ARIA

3. Squarish, as some cars : BOXY

4. Lummox : OAF

5. __ and Tobago: West Indies nation : TRINIDAD

6. "All in the Family" spin-off : "MAUDE"

7. Make a typo, say : ERR

8. "Cheers" actor Roger : REES. (1944 - 2015)

9. Redeemed, as casino chips : CASHED IN

12. Unclear : VAGUE. Purple Rain?

13. Lands heavily : PLOPS

18. 2000 Bush opponent : GORE

23. Pub potable : ALE

24. Nintendo game system : Wii

25. Window treatment : DRAPERY

27. Capital of Norway : OSLO

28. Gas used in signs : NEON

31. Team on the farm : OXEN

33. Viral video, e.g. : MEME

35. Fencing sword : EPEE

36. Fourth planet : MARS

39. Approach cautiously : EASE UP TO

40. Fait accompli : DONE DEAL

43. Puts on clothes : DRESSES

46. "Vaya __ Dios" : CON

48. Commotion : ADO

49. Actor Jannings : EMIL

50. Tax deadline month : APRIL

51. Put an end to : CEASE

53. "E" on a gas gauge : EMPTY

55. Rock genre : PUNK

57. Clever : CAGY

58. Sledding slope : HILL

59. Most fit for military duty : ONE-A

62. Regret : RUE

63. Genetic stuff : RNA

 Argyle

Note from C. C.:

Happy Birthday to Hondo (Skip), whose comments often crack me up, esp the grouchy ones :-). Hope Lucy makes today extra special for you, Hondo!

Left to right: Marti, Dudley, Hondo & Montana (Sept 2013)