Sunday, Dec 24, 2017 Paul Coulter

Theme: "Magnetism" - Each theme entry has a pair of opposites.

22A. *Criminal justice supervisor : PROBATION OFFICER. On/off.

33A. *"Hail to thee, blithe Spirit!" poet : PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY. He/She.

53A. *Get worse, with no way to stop : SPIN OUT OF CONTROL. In/Out.
 
80A *Nero Wolfe title that plays on the start of an old adage : WHERE THERE'S A WILL. Here/There.

96A. *1985 #1 hit for Paul Young : EVERY TIME YOU GO AWAY. Me/You.

Reveal:

113. Maxim that applies to pairs hiding together in the answers to starred clues : OPPOSITES ATTRACT

What a great reveal. It describes the gimmick perfectly. Quite challenging to come up with a set where the antonyms are together.

I love the first two the most, as the key words ON/OFF, HE/SHE fully contained in other words.

Across:

1. 16th-century date : MDL. 1550.

4. Big name in shoes : MCAN. Not ECCO/NIKE.

8. Batted : WAS UP

13. See 2-Down : LINE. And 2. With 13-Across, write (to) : DROP A

17. Rail commonly found in water? : SORA

18. Perry of fashion : ELLIS

20. Kind of acid in proteins : AMINO

21. Any minute, old-style : ANON

25. Saturn vehicles? : UFOs. Nailed it.

26. Placing side by side : APPOSING

27. Cries of support : OLES. Had RAHS first.

28. Golf shot : STROKE

30. Wrinkly dog : SHAR PEI. Cantonese. Shar = Sand. Pei = Skin. So "Sand skin".

31. Common conjunction : NOR

32. Hanker : ACHE

41. __ Dictionary : URBAN. So many blush-worthy entries there.

44. Arles assents : OUIs

45. Bury : INTER

46. Amber __ : ALE

47. Delhi wrap : SARI

48. A little lower? : CALF. Low-er.

50. Paper size: Abbr. : LTR

51. Anime cousin : MANGA. Called Man Hua in Chinese. Same characters as Japanese. Man = "Whimsical". Ga/Hua just means "picture". Can also be a verb, meaning "draw".

59. Do serious damage to : SCAR

60. Hwy. : RTE

61. "My man!" : BRO. Clue echo with 107. "My man!" : DUDE

62. Notched, as a maple leaf : EROSE. 

63. Back in the bay : ASTERN

65. 1965 King arrest site : SELMA

67. Shortened, as a dict. : ABR. We use Abbr. as a hint in crossword clues.

68. Ballade's final stanza : ENVOI. You would think this is French for "envoy".

70. Complete : ENTIRE

73. Assume as fact : POSIT

75. Assist : AID

76. Eats or drinks : HAS. We're going to have Hormel Cure 81 Ham today. Boomer said it's the best. Do you have it in your area?

79. Israel's Golda : MEIR

85. Looked like a wolf? : OGLED

87. Oral health org. : ADA

88. Dovetail : MESH

89. In the Aegean : ASEA

90. "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" newsman : TED

91. Word coined by writer Capek : ROBOT. In his "R.U. R" play.

93. Creek croaker : TOAD. Not FROG.

95. Tube, so to speak : TV SET

101. All the time : A LOT

102. Bit of work : ERG

103. Pretenses : FACADES

107. Poetic foot : DACTYL. Often the answer is  IAMBUS

110. __-up: hybrid musical piece : MASH

111. Church contribution : OFFERING

112. Wrinkly fruit : UGLI. Our local grocery stores have them. Pretty juicy.

117. Like Beethoven, late in life : DEAF . We also have 92. Ear specialist's science : OTOLOGY 

118. Agree to : GRANT

119. Composer of the short piano pieces "Le Yachting" and "Le Golf" : SATIE. I need "Erik" in the clue.

120. Hockey's Bobby et al. : ORRs. Only know one.

121. Go around in circles : EDDY

122. Goes up and down : YO-YOS

123. Once uncool sort who's now sort of cool : NERD

124. Inquisitive-sounding letter : WYE.

 Down:

1. Transmute : MORPH
 
3. Sensation before a delivery : LABOR PAIN. Nice fill.

4. Specialty : METIER

5. Medical center : CLINIC

6. Sleep like __ : A LOG

7. "Delta of Venus" author : NIN. Imagine my surprise to find this book at our dusty flea market.

8. Symbols of thinness : WAFERS

9. Author Martin : AMIS
 
10. [Not a typo] : SIC

11. Arles article : UNE

12. Company whose German pronunciation has two syllables : PORSCHE. Its Chinese name has three characters.

13. Victory symbol : LAUREL

14. Dope : INFO

15. Cozy corner : NOOK

16. Massachusetts motto opener : ENSE. Our old buddy is back.

17. Healthful retreats : SPAS

19. André Previn's adopted daughter : SOON-YI. Such a complicated life.
 
23. Quaker in the woods : ASPEN

24. Dentist's directive : FLOSS

29. Heat unit : THERM

32. 2017 World Series champ : ASTRO. Don't cheat. How many teams have never won a World Series?

34. Texter's "seize the day" : YOLO. You Only Live Once.

35. Devotee : BUFF
 
36. Sword handles : HILTS. Sometimes it's HAFTS.

37. It's usually just before dessert : ENTREE

38. Tilter's tool : LANCE

39. Knighted English composer : ELGAR (Edward)

40. Thirst (for) : YEARN

41. Cold War initials : USSR

42. Deeply engrossed : RAPT

43. Cracker topper : BRIE
 
48. Long-billed wader : CURLEW. Thank God I don't have that bill. I would have broken mine easily.

49. Elementary particle : ATOM

52. Stop on the Turin-Genoa railway : ASTI. The wine town.
 
54. Upper, in Ulm : OBER

55. Break off : CEASE

56. Comet's path : ORBIT

57. Needle point? : NORTH. Great clue.

58. Deluxe : LAVISH

64. Pop : SODA

65. Many a retired racehorse : SIRE
 
66. Tarzan's realm : APEDOM. Spell check does not like it.

69. Dundee disagreements : NAEs

70. Ham it up : EMOTE

71. Israeli desert : NEGEV

72. Piña colada garnish? : TILDE. Garnish, OK.
 
74. Declaim : ORATE

76. Boo relative : HISS

77. Sheltered in the Aegean : ALEE

78. Bed board : SLAT
 
81. Hard thing to kick : HABIT

82. Slate or Salon : EMAG

83. Change the decor of : REDO

84. Winding-road sign image : WAVY ARROW. Debut entry.

86. How Steven Wright jokes are spoken : DRYLY
  
93. Trunks : TORSI

94. Moral obligations : OUGHTS. Ought can be a noun also?

95. "Be silent," in music : TACET

97. Formally approve : RATIFY

98. Baking supplies : YEASTS. I've been eating this to increase my B12 intake. Won't buy again once this bottle is empty. Not fond of its taste. I'm thinking of trying Steve's Marmite next.

99. Fling : AFFAIR

100. Drifted gently : WAFTED

104. Book with a lock : DIARY
 
105. Yves' ink : ENCRE. Also new to me.

106. PD ranks : SGTs
 
108. Kept in barrels, maybe : AGED
 
109. Decked out : CLAD

110. Like early Elvis albums : MONO

111. Bone head? : OSTE. Prefix for "bone".
 
114. Adept : PRO

115. Wages : PAY
 
116. Suffix with Caesar : EAN

C.C.

Saturday, December 23, 2017, Jeffrey Wechsler

THEMELESS SATURDAY

Do you know that uneasy feeling you get when you're going down the first hill on a roller coaster? That's my feeling when I see a Jeff Wex puzzle anytime but doubly so on Saturday (See kitty on front right!)

Not to worry though, I had to dance around but earned an official "got 'er done"! DATA LIMIT did hold up the SW corner for a while until RATE became necessary. 

A very striking looking grid that complements Jeff's always wonderful cluing!

Now let's see what one of our favorite crossword elves has for us on this Christmas eve eve:

Across
1. With 1-Down, "Gadzooks!" : JUMPING and 1. See 1-Across : JEHOSAPHAT JEHOSAPHAT is a euphemism for Jesus or Jehovah and the phrase "By the shaking, jumping ghost of Jehosaphat" is first seen in the 1865 novel Paul Peabody

8. The Pleiades of myth, e.g. : SISTERS - My astronomy teacher called the Pleiades Constellation "The Shopping Cart"

15. Football's "Boomer" : ESIASON - Many feel he is the best Cincinnati Bengal QB ever. I'll bet our Boomer could beat him in an alley!

16. Oregon city named for a fur merchant : ASTORIA - John Jacob Astor's city is located very near the end of the line for Meriwether and William

17. Couldn't offer any justification : HAD NO GOOD REASON - C.C. ___ for letting me blog Saturday puzzles 

19. Old Monterey Bay fort : ORD - Abandoned in 1994, the Fort Ord Reuse Authority is working on it

20. Lipstick marketing word : SMEARLESS

21. Sizing letters : SML - I know it's an old joke but...

22. Lot : FATE

24. "Music for Airports" producer : ENO - Musical wallpaper

25. "Understood" 39-Across : AYE

26. Sacha Baron Cohen persona : ALI G - He's either your cup of tea or you're like me

27. Type of lizard found indoors? : LOUNGE - Bill Murray played one on SNL perfectly

31. Law enforcement support org. : PBA - Patrolman's Benevolent Association not a bowlers organization 

32. "Livin' La Vida __" : LOCA - Everyone was Living The Crazy Life with Ricky Martin in 1999

33. Like grapefruit : SOUR and they are to be avoided if you have bad 47. Blood test letters : LDL - Low-Density Lipoprotein numbers and are taking a statin

34. Seeks a better deal : HAGGLES and 42. Eco-friendly wheels : TESLAS - I wonder if you could HAGGLE on this $74,000 electric TESLA

36. Usain Bolt, vis-à-vis virtually everyone : FLEETER - The fleetest, er, fastest ever!

39. Where to hear 25-Across : ASEA

40. One might be convincing : LIAR

41. Back again : FRO

45. __ Major : URSA - The constellation URSA MAJOR contains the asterism (Not constellation) The Big Dipper in its rump and tail

46. Hockey legend : ORR 

48. Subtle "Listen up" : PSST

49. Stylish jeans feature : RIP - Uh, what's the point?

50. Data restriction on Twitter usage : RATE LIMIT - Not DATA

54. Camera initials : SLR

55. Mamet play featuring a rare nickel : AMERICAN BUFFALO - Yes, here on the Great Plains we know that is a bison

59. Piranhas, in Venezuela : CARIBES - A synonym

60. Part of the family group : IN A CLAN - That must be us!

61. As a group : EN MASSE - 15,000 of the 18,000 fans in Kansas City to see the lady Huskers win the national VB championship last week were Nebraska fans who went there EN MASSE

62. Bishop's purview : DIOCESE -We are in the "liberal" Omaha DIOCESE  but in the Lincoln DIOCESE the sisters mostly still wear habits


Down

2. Fort Benning, e.g. : US ARMY BASE - It's centennial is next year

3. Knight time : MIDDLE AGES  

4. Item wielded on "Chopped" : PAN - Competitive cooking shows are not on my menu

5. Equal start? : ISOs - ISOTHERMS from yesterday

6. Rich beverage : NOG - Much to the amusement of my wife and daughters, one year I seasoned EGG NOG with paprika and not nutmeg

7. Ancient spiritual groups : GNOSTICS - These works discovered in 1945 could have changed the course of Christianity if they had not been suppressed.

8. "Soldier of Love" Grammy winner : SADE - (shah DAY) I only know her Smooth Operator 

9. Mediterranean land : ISRAEL

10. Fuel in tins : STERNO - It lends an odd scent to every event where it is used.

11. Burns poem whose subject is "ugly, creepin" : TO A LOUSE - "Ye ugly, creepin', blast wonder, Detested, shunned by saunt an' sinner." Yikes!

12. Gaelic tongue : ERSE - Nollaig shona dhuit! (Merry Christmas!)

13. Lago feeders : RIOS - El  RIO Lerma desemboca en el Lago de Chapala (The river Lerma flows into Lake Chapala)

14. Lacking : SANS

18. TAG Heuer competitor : OMEGA - If you can afford $500 ripped jeans...

22. Critical subject in Roman history : FALL

23. Natural emollient : ALOE

28. Like much museum art : NOT FOR SALE - I doubt they'll ever take haggle on the Mona Lisa

29. Small raiding bands : GUERRILLAS - We had 'em on our side 

30. Unreliable, in a way : ERROR PRONE

35. Shopping mecca : GALLERIA - Is Amazon marking their demise?

36. Auction action starter : FIRST BID

37. Bonny one : LASS





38. Logician's "E" : ERAT - Makes sense to us math heads! 

40. Flowering plant in the legume family : LUPIN

43. Improv staples : AD LIBS

44. Examples of bad driving : SLICES

50. Hurdles, for one : RACE - A track event for very brave people

51. "I am __ / More sinn'd against than sinning": King Lear : A MAN

52. School division : TERM - Granddaughter's TERM in Grenoble, France has ended and she is back in the U.S.A. after a life-altering few months

53. Rapper with the albums "Harlem World" and "Welcome Back" : MASE - His lyrics are many steps below profane

56. Aussie college : UNI - Shorthand for University 

57. __ Schwarz : FAO - This FAO store where this scene from Big was filmed is now closed

58. TV monitor : FCC - Federal Communications Commission - Typical Jeff Wex cleverness!

And now a word from our bloggers...

DA GRID

Note from C.C.: 

Happy 73rd Birthday to Misty, our sweet and caring friend. Here's a picture of Misty and her husband Rowland. It was taken probably seven or eight years ago. From what I read on Misty's Facebook post, they were never apart during Christmas times. Thanks for being in our lives, Misty!

Friday, December 22, 2017, Paul Cuerdon

Title: Coming and Going

We have a palindrome puzzle presented by a constructor who had his debut puzzle here on a Friday in 2010 and was one of my first Friday blogs. LINK.  In researching past puzzles, I see 4 or 5 earlier such puzzles, including the use of two of the palindromes, but they are all clued very differently. Also. EGAD NO BONDAGE is all Paul and my favorite. For CED and others, WAS IT A CAT I SAW? is also new. I really enjoyed the cluing of the theme answers, as Paul showed wit and timeliness. We also have the fresh IN A BOX, DEVIANT and IT'S LATE. I await the verdict from the Corner jury.

17A. "The terrible tsar has arrived," either way? : TIS IVAN ON A VISIT (15). Ivan the terrible stops by.

27A. Disappointed reaction to the censored version of "Fifty Shades of Grey," either way? : EGAD NO BONDAGE (13). Very whimsical and a still modern phrase.

48A. Query about the Cheshire's grin, either way? : WAS IT A CAT I SAW? (14). Seeing only the teeth could inspire that question.

63. Mrs. Claus' remark about what she did to keep Santa home, either way? : TOO BAD I HID A BOOT.Would he ride without his signature black boots?

On to the rest...

Across:

1. Plodded (through) : WADED. I am never happy when 1 across does not fill immediately. I am not thrilled with definition, but what do I know.

6. Dies down: EBBS. More trickery but this did not fool me.

10. Not quite shut: AJAR. Of course, it is not a door.

14. Where something can be set for later: ASIDE. I like this one.

15. Protected at sea: ALEE.

16. Queen of Heaven: HERA. Hera is married to her brother Zeus and is titled as the Queen of Heaven. One of her characteristics is her jealous and vengeful nature against Zeus's other lovers and offspring and against the mortals who cross her. For more WIKI click.

20. Gambit: TACTIC. A gimme for any chess players in our readership.

21. __ Field: NYC stadium: CITI.  Where the Mets play in QUEENS. 

22. QB Peyton Manning has an NFL passing record 539 of them: TDS. Touchdowns.

23. "I could __ horse!" : EAT A. But why?

25. "Sommersby" actor: GERE. Richard. A very odd MOVIE. (2:00)

32. Amused initialism: LOL. Laugh Out Loud.

33. Clumsy boats: TUBS. Number 6 on the dictionary.com definition list. 6. Nautical. an old, slow, or clumsy vessel.

34. Sweethearts: LOVES.

37. Eponymous virologist: SALK.  Love the word EPONYMOUS; anyway- polio and the vaccine were important in my childhood, First my grandfather had contracted polio as a child, and as a cure they dug a hole and buried his affected leg to keep it from twisting, Second, my uncle was the county health officer and my brothers and I were used as test subjects.

39. Part of NAFTA: TRADE. North American Free Trade Agreement

42. 39-Across, perhaps: SELL.

43. Hawaiian greeting: ALOHA.

45. "The Americans" actress Russell: KERI.      LINK.

 
47. Magic org.? : NBA. Correct twice, Orlando and Johnson.

52. Chipmaker's prefix: NANO. Personally, I like YOCTO better.

53. A, in many orgs. : ASSN.

54. "__ who?!" : SEZ?

57. DEA agent: NARC.

59. Slip away: ELAPSE.

66. __ Domini: ANNO. A bit unnerving to see these two words both meaning YEAR next to each other in the grid. Latin/Italian

67. Calendario units: ANOS. Spanish/Portuguese.

68. Springsteen's "Born __": TO RUN.

69. Tuts: TSKS. Tut, tut- tsk, tsk

70. Wail: YOWL. We had an owl fall down our chimney one winter. Luckily the grate was up. Our long-haired dachshund was convinced it was meant to be her friend. The both yowled alot.

71. __ innings: EXTRA.

Down:

1. Measure of power: WATT. This too did not jump to mind, so it was a slow start.

2. Tibet's place: ASIA. A gimme.

3. __ jockey: DISC. Many predicted this profession would be gone by now.

4. Polished words: EDITED. He was looking for the verb, not the adjective.

5. Nowhere near the norm: DEVIANT. Harsh.

6. Ending with Tyrol: EAN. Very straightforward clue/fill for a Friday.

7. Common-interest group: BLOC.

8. Harmless: BENIGN. Bingo is back and one of our favorite calls- B9.

9. Ready for the curtain to open: SEATED.

10. Sushi tuna: AHI.

11. Kid: JEST.

12. Moistureless: ARID. Despite its frequent appearance as fill, ARID has never been clued this way in the LAT.

13. Traitors: RATS. Not really that simple.

18. Rebel, in a way: ACT OUT. Right next to traitors.

19. Like some memes: VIRAL.Does everyone know what a meme is?

24. ERA or RBI: ABBR. Tricky, as it seemed like a baseball clue.

26. Coaches' headaches: EGOS.

27. Big cat of film: ELSA. She is back and Frozen takes a back seat. I finally watched the entire movie (a favorite of my granddaughters) and I enjoyed it.

28. Certain score: GOAL.

29. Give the okay: ALLOW.

30. City near Kobe: OSAKA. Okay, we leave Europe for Japan.

31. Roulette bets: EVENS.

35. Actor Idris _ _: ELBA. Interesting choice to avoid ABLE WAS I. Perhaps an intentional extra hint?

36. Sandwich side: SLAW. I make a mean cole slaw.

38. Medieval Tatar chief: KHAN. Was this where the Han came to Geroge? LINK.

40. Ten up front? : DECA. A prefix meaning ten from Latin.

41. Undid: ERASED.

44. Pose in yoga: ASANA. Not one, but all of them.

46. Words just before leaving: IT'S LATE. Get me out of here!!!!

49. How Rome wasn't built? : IN A DAY. Cute. Nor was...

50. Piemonte city: TORINO. The first car I drove regularly was my Uncle's Torino station wagon. It had the fake wood panels.

51. Ready to be shipped: IN A BOX. Rather timely considering the holiday.

54. ERA or RBI: STAT. A baseball clue fake out.

55. An eternity: EONS.

56. Pass (out): ZONK.

58. Food on the trail: CHOW.

60. Wine named for an Iberian city: PORT. Where hopefully the wine is not made from...

61. __ grapes: SOUR.

62. Sicilian mountain: ETNA. So much Europe in this puzzle.

64. Derek and Peep: BOS.  Bo Derek and Little Bo Peep, interesting couple.

65. U.K. component: ISLand.  I think this is a great explanation, but I defer to Steve (Nice Cuppa if he stops by) and others. LINK.

Is that some Jingle Bells I hear in the distance? Good luck finishing your Xmas shopping if you haven't. I celebrated 3 years married to Oo yesterday and the beginning of winter. Hope you enjoyed the puzzle Thanks and welcome back Paul C. 2. Lemonade out.

Thursday 21st December 2017 Morton J. Mendelson

Theme:

17A. Whirligig : SPINNING TOY. I'd call it a "spinning top", but that would rather defeat the purpose of the theme.

25A. Mont Blanc, e.g. : ALPINE PEAK. It's probably the least peak-y of the well-known Alps. It's big though. The ski resort of Chamonix sits in the valley below.

37A. Fine woolen wear : CASHMERE SWEATER.

46A. Westminster award : BEST IN SHOW. The Westminster Dog Show. This commercial for Audi never fails to make me laugh.

55A. Motown group ... and what 17-, 25-, 37- and 46-Across comprise? : THE FOUR TOPS. 

It's the same old song.  No, not the theme, the music. The theme entries came pretty easily, just one very minor nit with the toy/top issue I mentioned above.

This is a rare puzzle that I didn't finish. I thought that Charlotteville was in South Carolina, but USC didn't tie with EUREKA and I flat-out could not see VW BUGS, so that V was my blank spot.

Hindsight being 20/20, it couldn't really have been any other letter, but even multiple alphabet runs brought me up short. I'll blame jet-lag, even though I never really get affected by it!

Let's see what else Mr. Mendelson challenged us with:

Across:

1. It can generate a lot of interest : CREDIT. The interest can escalate pretty quickly unless you behave. The credit card companies love that.

7. Become less aloof : THAW

11. Texting format, briefly : SMS. Short Message Service. Pictures and what-have-you use MMS, Multimedia Messaging Service.

14. Saint of Ávila : TERESA

15. Opera set in Egypt : AIDA

16. Fell with an ax : HEW

19. Toothpaste-approving org. : A.D.A.

20. Northernmost capital on the Mississippi : ST. PAUL I'm sure C.C. knew this right off the bat. I had to wait for a couple of crosses.

21. Key of Grieg's only piano concerto: Abbr. : A MIN. Nice change from the African Dictator clue.

22. Careful way to play it : SAFE

28. Class-conscious gp.? : P.T.A.

29. Actress de Armas of "Blade Runner 2049" : ANA. Thank you, crosses. I've not seen the new Blade Runner, the original was great.

30. Swivel around : SLUE. Great word.

31. Fielding mishap : ERROR

33. Attacking fiercely : STORMING. Usually the castle. With pitchforks and torches.

40. Increased steadily : SPIRALED

41. Rogue : KNAVE

42. Lively, in mus. : ANIM. Animato, in a lively manner.

43. Charlottesville sch. : U.V.A. As I mentioned in the intro, jut could not see this.

45. Majors in acting : LEE

50. Admiral who explored the Antarctic : BYRD

51. x, y and z, in math : AXES

52. 11th Greek letter : LAMBDA. These chaps. Upper and lower case. Λ λ

54. "Hey, ewe!" : BAA!

60. Large shade tree : ELM

61. Run into : MEET

62. Garden figures in red hats : GNOMES. I'm going to launch a line of sundials with a gnome as the gnomon, if somebody hasn't already thought of it.

63. Muddy pen : STY

64. Scalawags : IMPS

65. Grieg wrote only one for piano : SONATA. In E Minor, unlike his one piano concerto. I wonder why he only wrote one of each?

Down:

1. Euro parts: Abbr. : CTS. Eurolets are cents. I'm not sure I knew that.

2. Street cred : REP. Urban slang, I'm guessing from "reputation."

3. "__ tu": Verdi aria : ERI

4. Not getting it : DENSE

5. Ain't right? : ISN'T

6. Clavell's "Shogun" sequel : TAIPAN. I boomeranged between SAIPAN, TAIPEI and finally settled on the correct answer.

7. Prepare to advance after a fly ball : TAG UP. Baseball. It's like cricket, except with round bats. And four bases. And a mound. And nine on each side. And a pitcher, not a bowler. And you only have one batter up at a time. And he's not called a batsman. And he has to run if he hits the ball fair. OK, it's nothing like cricket.

8. Schedules of items to deal with : HIT LISTS. I call mine to-do lists.

9. Hubbub : ADO

10. Path : WAY. Pathway!

11. "Tut-tut!" : SHAME!

12. __ blitz : MEDIA. Nice fill-in-the-blank. Took me a while to see this one.

13. Two-time Best Actress winner Hilary : SWANK

18. Simba's mate : NALA. The Lion King. Still on my to-do list (!) to see it on Broadway.

21. Hypothetical evolutionary link : APEMAN

22. Short glasses? : SPECS

23. Set __ for: lure : A TRAP

24. Language that gave us "bazaar" : FARSI. Also khaki, caravan and julep, among others.

26. Sweet'__: coffee additive : N LOW

27. California's motto : EUREKA! I've lived here for 25 years and didn't know this. Made official in 1963, apparently comes from the Gold Rush days.

29. Stylish suit : ARMANI. Depends who's wearing it. I know people who could make an Armani suit look like a bunch of old rags.

32. "Darn it!" : OH RATS!

33. But, to Brutus : SED. Thank you, Latin lessons.

34. See 43-Down : ITALY

35. When the sun rises in the west : NEVER. Took me a while to figure this out. I toyed with SIX AM for absolutely no sensible reason until the penny dropped.

36. Avarice : GREED

38. Mother of Sam and Charlie Woods : ELIN. Tiger's offspring. I recognized the names, but couldn't place them at first.

39. Dreaming phase : R.E.M. SLEEP. Rapid Eye Movement.

43. Man, in 34-Down : UOMO

44. Beetles : VW BUGS. Stymied by the V. It's odd, I would call a VW Beetle a Bug, but not the converse.

46. Innocent ones : BABES

47. Sing the praises of : EXALT

48. Hardly wholesome : SEAMY

49. Sword handles : HAFTS. I associate hilts with swords and hafts with hand axes or hatchets.

50. Relay stick : BATON

53. Spy-fi villain on Crab Key : DR. NO. Nailed it! Thank you, ghosts of crosswords past.

55. "I don't need the deets!" : TMI! Texter's Too Much Information!

56. Fence (in) : HEM

57. Medical suffix : -OMA Haematoma, glaucoma, Sonoma - no, scrub that last one.

58. Odie, to Jon Arbuckle : PET. Garfield's apparently dim-witted co-pet.

59. Org. funded by FICA : S.S.A. Payroll taxes raised by the Federal Insurance Contributions Act fund the Social Security Administration.

I think that does it for me. Hasta luego!

Steve

Wednesday Dec 20, 2017 Agnes Davidson & C.C. Burnikel

Theme: WHAT'S FOR DESSERT? (59A. Dinner table question answered by this puzzle's circled letter)- Torte, Pie, Sorbet and Flan are hidden in each theme entry.
 
17A. Polygraph procedure : LIE DETECTOR TEST 

23A. Aunt Bee's boy : OPIE TAYLOR - PIE is contained in one word.

38A. Five-card draw variation : JACKS OR BETTER-

48A. Tract : PLOT OF LAND -

Boomer here.

I just want to start by wishing all of you faithful blog visitors a very Merry Christmas or Happy Hanukkah as the case may be, and a prosperous New Year 2018!!! 

Across:     

1. Jeans joints : SEAMS - Seams like old times

6. Big coffee holders : URNS -  Every morning I yearn for a coffee urn

10. Window unit : PANE - A window can be a pane in the glass !

14. Major deity in Indonesia : ALLAH

15. Sentence structure element : NOUN - No un ever called a noun an element.  An Element is a mini Honda SUV.

16. Entry on a list : ITEM

20. Boots from school : EXPELS - Here in Minnesota in December kids wear boots to school.

21. Latte option : MOCHA - Most of these coffee names make no sense to me.  I think Starbucks named them so they could charge more bucks per cup.

22. Small swallow : SIP - Do people really swallow sips?  I thought we were looking for a small bird flying in to Capistrano !

28. Jicama or ginseng : ROOT - Root, root, root for the home team, if they don't win it's a shame!

31. Two-time Oscar-winning director Lee : ANG

32. Stock market debut, initially : IPO - IPOs should do well in this bull market, and that ain't no bull!

33. Racket : NOISE

35. St. Peter holds its keys : HEAVEN - Time out. A fellow named Tony passed away and was met by St. Peter and was issued a harp and wings.  He asked St. Pete if he knew a friend of Tony's, Sam Fink who had passed earlier.  Peter said no, but he could check down at the other place.  Tony went down and found his friend running a nightclub discotheque. They had a long chat but then Tony returned to the pearly gates.  St. Peter stopped Mr. Bennett and asked about something missing.  "Oh my gosh" said Tony, "I left my harp in Sam Fink's Disco."  

41. Professional pursuit : CAREER

42. Sidekick who rode Scout : TONTO - "Who was that masked man, I wanted to thank him."  I bowled a tournament now and then at the now closed West Side Lanes in St. Paul.  They had a back dining room with hundreds of autographed 8 X 10s, one of which was Clayton Moore.  I often wondered if he had a silver bowling ball.

43. Ventilate : AIR - I supposed there was not room in the puzzle for AIR OUT.

44. Article in Der Spiegel : EIN - The first word Army soldiers stationed in Deutschland learned.  The second word was bier

45. Veterinarian's subj. : ANAT

53. Tease : RIB - Adam traded one in for his wife.

55. "I understand!" : GOT IT

56. Disney World's county : ORANGE - Absolutely !  Minnesota Twins used to hold Spring training in Orange County but they moved to Lee. (I wonder if they make Jeans with Seams there).

63. No longer here : GONE

64. Ancestry.com diagram : TREE - Their commercials drive me crazy.  Who pays money to find out where their great great grandpa was from?  Apologies to any of you who have done it.

65. Pop by: VISIT

66. They catch fish : NETS - Terrible, give the fish a chance.  Use a rod, reel, hook, line and sinker like most of us Minnesotans do.

67. "Size matters not" Jedi master : YODA - Not the best looking, but at least the most intelligent.

68. Out of style : PASSE - Or this could be in Tom Brady's play book, right after Pass A, B, C, and D.
  
Down:
  
1. Black Friday events : SALES - We survived this over- advertised promotion to shoppers,  The only black Friday I ever experienced was November 22, 1963.

2. Magical mixture : ELIXIR

3. Syrian city on the Silk Road : ALEPPO-Chris Matthews of MSNBC made a mockery of Gary Johnson when he was not familiar with Aleppo

4. Conjured up : MADE

5. Author Silverstein : SHEL - Famous for his work in Playboy Magazine.

6. One, for Monet : UNE

7. Mythical big bird : ROC - I am a Roc, I am an Island !

8. Apple pie spice : NUTMEG - I am no baker but cinnamon seems more appropriate,  I guess there were not enough spaces for a longer word.  Shows you what I know about crossword puzzles.

9. Supercilious type : SNOOT - I believe there are too many "O"s in this answer.

10. Brief and forceful : PITHY

11. Totally creamed : ATE ALIVE - Hey watch your third grade grammar.  Should be "EATEN ALIVE".

12. Video game letters : NES - Nintendo Entertainment System.  "Legend of Zelda" will drive you crazy.  How do you think I got this way?

13. Life-saving pro : EMT - This is an acronym for something.  My Graybar Electric career taught me that EMT was electric metallic tubing. aka thin-wall pipe.

18. General on Chinese menus : TSO

19. Early TV maker : RCA - Also early phonograph maker, advertised famously by Nipper.

24. __ Robles, California : PASO - See Tom Brady's list above.

25. Subject of Newton's first law : INERTIA - What goes up, must come down.

26. "0" button letters : OPER - Remember when you had to dial "O" to get an operator to assist you on a long distance call.  This must be an Agnes clue.  C.C. is not old enough to know why OPER is on the "0" button.

27. Director Howard : RON - A repeat reference to OPIE TAYLOR.  Famous for American Graffiti, Happy Days and lots of good stuff.

29. It may be enough : ONCE - It could also be upon a time.

30. Dealer's tip : TOKE

34. Negev Desert land: Abbr. : ISR

35. Lady bird : HEN - No Way !  Claudia Johnson would be unhappy with that response.  Lyndon and Lucy Baines may not like it either.

36. Soul singer James : ETTA

37. Oceans : A TON - I am sure that oceans weigh more than that

38. "Just Visiting" Monopoly square : JAIL - Of course.  Tell the truth in comments if you have a Monopoly game in your home.  Some of the newer versions are fascinating.

39. Overbearing : ARROGANT

40. City on the Rhine : BONN

41. Gas tank cover : CAP - Well, the CAP really does not cover the tank.  My clue would have been "Anson of the Chicago White Stockings".

44. Matador's opponent : EL TORO - This is Bull

46. "Gunsmoke" star James : ARNESS - Matt Dillon of "Gunsmoke" fame was born in Minneapolis Minnesota in 1923.  The most popular Western aired for 20 years and is now rerun regularly on cable and satellite TV.  PS. Dennis Weaver did not really have a limp.

47. Mosul Dam's river : TIGRIS - Euphrates River runs parallel and said to host the Garden of Eden.  Whaddya think?

49. Convenient bags : TOTES

50. Some NHL endings : OTs

51. Old Glory's star count : FIFTY - One for each state,  But a U.S Grant bill is said to be bad luck in Las Vegas.

52. Female deer : DOE - A deer, a female deer, Re, a drop of Golden sun, Mi, a name I call myself, Fa, a long, long way to run.  Sol, a needle pulling thread, La, a note that follows sol, Ti, a drink with jam and bread, that will bring us back to Do.  And the hills are alive, with the Sound of Music.

54. Davis of "All About Eve" : BETTE

57. Invitation request : RSVP - This is an acronym for French - "Let me know if you are coming or not.

58. Much of the Silk Road is in it : ASIA

59. Chicago-based cable superstation : WGN - Too bad, they no longer have White Sox or Cubs games.  I guess Fox Sports pays more money to the team at Guaranteed Rate Field, or the gum chewers at Wrigley.

60. Tool that gets ground up : HOE - Clever clue, I was thinking of coffee.

61. Flushed : RED - I may have clued the "Galloping Ghost" (Mr. Grange.)

62. Org. in the 2000 film "Traffic" : DEA - That would be the Drug Enforcement Agency. I think they only deal with PEDs and Opioids.  My Metformin is safe.

Boomer