Monday, March 23, 2015 Mary Lou Guizzo

Theme: Motorcycle Club - Six members of this MC.

68A. Roast host, and a hint to the answers to starred clues : EMCEE

17A. *Dots-and-dashes system : MORSE CODE

36A. *Entrée : MAIN COURSE

43A. *Boxy British economy car : MINI COOPER

61A. *Venue for hypothetical legal cases : MOOT COURT

11D. *Wallet alternatives : MONEY CLIPS

29D. *Hannah Montana portrayer : MILEY CYRUS

Argyle here, bro. Easy theme and plentiful. The crossing theme entries and the fill lift this up from being a mediocre Monday.

Across:

1. Gear tooth : COG

4. Scotch whisky brand : J AND B

9. Apples, e.g. : POMES. A botanical name ultimately from Late Latin pomum.

14. Sushi bar tuna : AHI

15. "Inside the NBA" analyst Shaq : O'NEAL. Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal, nicknamed Shaq, is an American retired professional basketball player, former rapper, actor and current analyst on the television program Inside the NBA. Wikipedia

16. Scary bacteria : E COLI

19. Charged toward : RAN AT

20. Long Island airport town : ISLIP. Long Island MacArthur Airport.

21. "Divergent" star Woodley : SHAILENE. "Divergent" is a novel, a film and a sequel already.

23. Robber, to cops : PERP. Short for perpetrator and not our perpendicular.

26. Join the game : PLAY

27. Electrical unit of resistance : OHM

30. Fish market offering : SEA BASS

33. Revolutionary Guevara : CHE

38. Linen fiber source : FLAX

39. Statesman Stevenson : ADLAI

40. Part of UNLV : LAS. (University of Nevada-Las Vegas)

41. Fly like a parasailer : GLIDE

42. Weed-control tools : HOEs

45. "Take your pick" : "ANY"

46. Ironed : PRESSED

47. Grounded fast jet, briefly : SST. (Supersonic transport)

48. Affordable __ Act : CARE

50. "This __ unfair!" : IS SO

52. Car thief on a pleasure spin : JOY RIDER

56. Car wheel shafts : AXLES

60. Offensively pungent : ACRID

64. Stop to think, say : PAUSE

65. Alma __ : MATER

66. Word in itineraries : VIA

67. Tricky road curves : ESSES

69. Wild blue yonder : SKY

Down:

1. Victoria's Secret garment, for short : CAMI. (camisole)

2. Cries of discovery : "O HO!"s

3. "You go, __!" : GIRL

4. "My Cousin Vinny" co-star : JOE PESCI. The favorite scene here on the Corner.

5. Post-apartheid ruling party: Abbr. : ANC, (African National Congress)

6. Prefix with conservative : NEO

7. Father figures : DADS

8. "Ick!" : "BLEH!"

9. Hazards : PERILS

10. Central Florida city : OCALA. "Snakes and gators and bears, oh my Ocala perils!"

12. Zing : ELAN

13. Web browsing destination : SITE

18. Dainty taste : SIP

22. Church recess : APSE

24. Vintage vehicle : REO. REO was founded by Ransom E. Olds.

25. One of Tony Soprano's henchmen : PAULIE

27. Mutual of __ : OMAHA. Make sure your policy is paid up if Paulie is coming to visit.

28. Was wearing : HAD ON

31. Fiber-rich cereals : BRANS

32. St. Francis of __ : ASSISI

34. Greek god of the underworld : HADES

35. Use, as influence : EXERT

37. __ in November : N AS

38. Showman Ziegfeld : FLO

41. Devout term for a churchyard : GOD'S ACRE. Gottesacker. (German)

43. TV "neigh" sayer : "MR. ED"

44. These, in Nice : CES

46. Lion family units : PRIDES

49. Roll out of the sack : ARISE

51. Kitchenware brand : OXO

52. Bit of mockery : JAPE

53. Andean stew tubers : OCAs

54. Buxom one-named supermodel : EMME

55. What the buffalo do, in song : ROAM Go to YouTube for the lyrics.

57. Disposable diapers brand : LUVS

58. "CHiPs" star Estrada : ERIK

59. Time at a motel : STAY

62. Non-Rx : OTC. (Over-the-counter)

63. Golfer's gadget ... or where it's used : TEE...or fashion accessory.

Argyle

Sunday March 22, 2015 C.C. Burnikel

Theme: "Course Catalog" - Golf terms are re-interpreted as non-golf related.

23A. TEE : CASUAL SHIRT. Tees are needed on long holes.

25A. PITCH : SALES TALK. With pitching wedges.

39A. SLICE : PIECE OF PIE. Ball curves to the right. Most men are good at slicing.

71A. EAGLE : SCOUT RANK. Two under par. Never had one.

100A. HOOK : COAT HANGER. The opposite of "slice".

116A. LIE : FISH STORY. Just play where it lies.

119A. GREEN : ECO-FRIENDLY. Where the hole is.

38D. CHIP : DIAMOND FLAW. Chip and putt. Up and down.

43D. ROUGH : ILL-MANNERED. US Open roughs are punishing.

C.C. here.

I originally also had DRAW as a proposed entry. Rich, who has a low handicap (5, I think), was worried that it might be unfamiliar to non-golfers.

I also used question marks in my theme entry clue [Hook?], [Green?], etc. Rich changed them to all caps. But the clue words remain unchanged. A first for me. Amazing :-)

Across:

1. Extra care : PAINS

6. Sits in a cellar, say : AGES

10. Carpentry groove : DADO. Looks like those Mortise & Tenon joints.

14. Creme-filled cake : HO HO. And 51. Creme-filled snacks : OREOS

18. "Over the Rainbow" composer : ARLEN (Harold)

19. Egyptian sky god : HORUS.  His right eye was associated with the sun. Left eye the moon.

21. "Excuse me ..." : AHEM

22. Sharqiya Sands country : OMAN. I used the old "Wahiba Sands". Check the fact, C.C.

27. Kosher deli offering : LATKE

28. Millennium opener : ONE AD

30. Asian soup type : EGG DROP. I mentioned before: Cantonese have slow-cooked soup infused with various healing herbs every day. No egg drop. Too simple. Cantonese girls are very loving and loyal. Cantonese men are different.

31. Territory : REALM

33. Tourney passes : BYES

35. "See you later!" : TA TA!

36. ChooseMyPlate.gov organization : USDA

42. R.E.M. vocalist Michael : STIPE

46. Court attendant : BAILIFF

48. When a classic film gunfight started : AT NOON. "High Noon".

49. Outdated messager : TELEX

50. Weather-sensitive expectation, briefly : ETA

53. Catchall phrase : ET ALIA. The last letter could also be I, but  SGT STAR (26. Goarmy.com virtual guide) makes more sense than Sgt Stir, right?

56. Descartes' law : LOI

57. Italian cheese : ROMANO

59. Muckraker Jacob : RIIS. I had RIAS for this spot. Rich also changed my original A DUB into I DUB (60D. "So __ thee unforgiven": Metallica lyric).

62. Merging places : ON RAMPS

64. Source of a cc : ORIG. Rich's clue makes me smile. I had "HP Envy insert".

65. Put to rest : ENDED

67. __ factor : ICK

68. Co-creator of Mickey : WALT

69. Grammy winner Ronstadt : LINDA

73. Candy shapes : CANES

74. Within: Pref. : ENDO

75. Type : ILK

76. __ cake : BUNDT. More food!

77. Forsaken : LORN

78. Served with a creamy cheese sauce : ALFREDO. Quite a few food items in this puzzle, Steve & D-Otto.

80. Go (over) carefully : PORE

81. "My parents are gonna kill me!" : I'M DEAD

84. Pickles on "Rugrats" : DIL

85. Mark to come back to : DOG-EAR

89. Hot : IRATE

91. Usher's "Looking 4 Myself" label : RCA

92. As a friend, to Hollande : EN AMI. The lady on the left is history. Hollande now has a new girlfriend (right).

94. Everest expert : SHERPA

97. Card message : GET WELL. Our message to Gary! So are they really going to inject cement into your knee, Dave? Or was it just a joke?

99. Not accustomed to : NEW AT

102. Together, in scores : A DUE

103. Neighbor of Ghana : TOGO

105. __ Mawr College : BRYN

106. Range of power : REACH

108. "Beat it!" : AMSCRAY

111. CenturyLink Center city : OMAHA. CenturyLink (Qwest) is our DSL provider.

113. Rubbish : TRIPE

122. Light color : ECRU

123. Bluesy James : ETTA

124. Handle : SEE TO

125. Taunt : TEASE

126. Mud dauber, e.g. : WASP

127. Way to go on the gridiron? : DEEP. Rich's clue as well.

128. NBA part: Abbr. : ASSN

129. City on Germany's A40 : ESSEN. Autobahn A40.

Down:

1. EMILY's List, for one : PAC

2. Polluted Asian sea : ARAL

3. She left Casablanca with Victor : ILSA.  Wouldn't be a beautiful story had she left with Rick.

4. Unaligned : NEUTRAL

5. Untrustworthy sort : SNAKE

6. Contented sounds : AHS

7. "Scram, kid!" : GO HOME

8. Joyce's home : ERIN

9. Shell game, to a con man : SURE BET

10. Hearing VIPs : DAs

11. "Caught ya!" : AHA

12. Remove, in a way : DELETE

13. Movado competitor : OMEGA. Oh, Hello! You look like my next mistake.

14. Much-anticipated appointment : HOT DATE

15. Co-star of Julie in "Doctor Zhivago" : OMAR

16. Ring of light : HALO

17. Like some GIs in a mess : ON KP

20. Extend a visit : STAY ON

24. Spring game? : LEAPFROG

29. Friday's creator : DEFOE

32. Long sentence : LIFE. Prison sentence.

34. __ check : SPOT

36. Super, slangily : UBER

37. 1974 Peace Nobelist : SATO. The most common Japanese surname.

40. Treasure Island, e.g. : CASINO. I passed by but did not visit the one in Vegas. The Treasure Island here in MN hosts the annual tournament that Walter Ray Williams & Pete Weber attend.

41. __ nutshell : IN A

44. "Sexiest Man Alive" magazine : PEOPLE

45. Lives : EXISTS

47. Pythagoras' homeland : IONIA

52. Maker of the SurfaceScrub floor cleaner : ORECK

54. Security item : LOCK

55. Publicity : INK

58. Fervor : ARDOR

61. Scam : SET-UP. And 93. Contest : MATCH UP. Slight UP dupe.

63. Prize : AWARD

66. Film villain with prosthetic hands : DR NO

67. Between: Pref. : INTER

69. Dull gray, as winter skies : LEADEN

70. __ skating : INLINE

71. Tough walk : SLOG

72. 2012 NFL MVP Peterson : ADRIAN. His personal life is a mess.

73. Reindeer name : COMET

75. Hearing promise : I DO

77. Intelligentsia : LITERATI

79. They may reduce sentences : EDITORS. Real sentences here. Nice clue. But it's Rich's also.

 

82. Scopes Trial gp. : ACLU

83. Buttermilk lover Evans : DALE

86. Paul Anka's "__ Beso" : ESO

87. Starbuck's boss : AHAB. Not Howard Schultz.

88. Back in : RETRO

90. First Met to win a Gold Glove : AGEE (Tommie)

95. Poetic works : RHYMES

96. Cure-all : PANACEA

98. Some surfers : WAHINES

100. South Dakota's state animal : COYOTE

101. Surgical procedures : GRAFTS

104. Like some estates : GATED

107. Center of the Minoan civilization : CRETE

108. Not many : A FEW

109. Glittery mineral : MICA

110. Lith. and Ukr., once : SSRS. Feeling sheepish filling this in.

112. Soil-scraping tools : HOES

114. Smartphone ancestors : PDAs

115. Otherwise : ELSE

117. Way to go: Abbr. : RTE

118. Talk foolishly : YAP

120. Pal of Harry : RON. Harry Potter.

121. Japanese cabbage? : YEN. The ? indicates money. By the way, how do you normally prepare coleslaw? Just kitchen knife or do you use a mandoline?

 C.C.

Saturday, Mar 21st, 2015, Barry C. Silk

Theme: Saturday Silkie~!

Words: 72 (missing F,K,Q,Y)

Blocks: 29

  Well, I am feeling better about myself with regard to Saturday puzzles after this one - I needed a successful solve, otherwise, I'd be on a month-long 'fail'.  My first-pass guesses - and quite a few throughout - turned out to be great choices, as my crossings seemed to agree; that doesn't happen very often.  Still, I was stuck on the final bottom three letters, but got my "Ta-DA~!", and breathed a sigh of relief.  Triple 11-letter Across corners, and nearly triple 9s in the Downs:

17a. Factor in cold waves : POLAR VORTEX - ugh - one more time with the white stuff last night....

12d. Like churches, as a rule : TAX EXEMPT - answer #2 with "X".  The "X"s from 'xer' & 'axle' and didn't look promising, until I got to this clue

64a. Outlet worker : ELECTRICIAN - here I thought this first, then said "no, can't be"

Here's one for the DF - warning~!

31. Meaning : SEMANTICS - I like playing 'semantics' with people

ARD~! Snow~!

ACROSS:

1. City on the South Saskatchewan River : MEDICINE HAT - not a clue, but then with some spotty perps, I recalled this odd name - birthplace of hockey player Trevor Linden - now a president with the Vancouver Canucks, and one-time NY Islander

12. It's about 5 mL : TSP

15. Over : ONE MORE TIME - like a mulligan in golf

16. Cut (into) : ATE - think acids

18. Boomer's offspring : X-ER - Generation X - typically, people born in the 60s - 80s - that makes me one

19. Put in : ELECT - didn't have enough letters for INject, and it took a minute for this one to dawn on me

20. Senseless : NUMB

21. Jazz duo? : ZEES - jaZZ - clever

22. Answered back : SASSED

24. Drivetrain component, perhaps : REAR AXLE - complete W.A.G. - and wow, it was correct~!  Go figure

26. Southwestern language : ZUNI

28. Brawn : SINEW

29. Sign of shock : GASP

33. Diamond shape : PEAR - I never considered the "shape" of an engagement ring - is there some rule of thumb
(or finger, as it were)~?

 I like the nail polish color

35. Star movers : LIMOS

37. Runs through : PIERCES - think swords; especially sitting atop 41a.

39. Take time to answer : SLEEP ON - like the song "Paradise by the Dashboard Light"

41. Mail : ARMOR - this one always gets me - trying to think of synonyms for "send"

42. Save for later, in a way : TiVO

44. City southwest of Bayeux : St. LÔ

45. Woodstock performer before Sly : JANIS - For those who were too young to know, here's a list of the performers - there were three acts that I was unaware actually played the show

47. Ecua. rejoined it in 2007 : OPEC - sensible WAG, and an abbr to help

49. Hail Mary : LONG BOMB - I had LONG PASS - and that's 50%

51. Charges for rounds : BAR TAB

56. Newspaper section : ARTS - OK, I went with OPED

57. Goya's "La __ vestida" : MAJA - The "clothed" one; there was also the "La Maja Desnuda"

59. Washington portraitist : PEALE - more art I did not know - his Wiki

60. Star Wars letters : SDI - the "Strategic Defense Initiative", which, I have stated before, is an insult to Star Wars

61. December-to-May fruit : NAVEL ORANGE - I WAGed ALGAE at 54d., and that "G" was enough to get me the Orange part, but I had "TOO" instead of "NEW" at 61d., and that slowed me down

63. RBI producer, perhaps : SACrifice Fly - Baseball tactic

65. Stick-__ : ONS - I was thinking of this instead

66. 1623 Shakespeare work, with "The" : WINTERS TALE - if you don't know it, here's the "38d." on it

DOWN:

1. Blues : MOPES - if it helps, try "The" in front

2. "Waterworld" orphan girl : ENOLA - didn't see the movie; it was a dud.  All perps

3. Strikes out : DELES - this "struck out" my 'ENTER' for 19a.

4. Apple purchases : iMACS - did you hear Apple is coming out with a diet pill~?
It's designated the i8....

5. Mexico's Sea of __ : CORTEZ - nailed it

6. Journalist Kupcinet : IRV - perps

7. Krypton relative : NEON

8. Ancient Italian region : ETRURIA - dredged this up from the depths with '-RUR-' in place

9. Opposite of "stand" : "HIT ME~!" - Blackjack

10. They multiply by dividing : AMEBAS

11. Drive handle : TEX - cattle drive, that is.  Reminds me of this scene

13. Common abrasive : STEEL WOOL

14. Intrinsically : PER SE

21. The Marx Brothers, e.g. : ZANIES

23. Deceive : DUPE

25. Bug but good : RILE

27. Home in the woods : NEST - "home in the tree" would have been too easy for Saturday

29. Meas. of course performance : GPA - Grade Point Average.  Funny, but it was such a big deal when I was in high school - now it's meaningless - until I have kids of my own, I presume....

30. Brand with a Jumpman logo : AIR JORDAN - I knew this was Michael Jordan, but it took a moment; my OPED didn't help

32. Fine points : PRONGS - Har-Har~!

34. Letters sometimes seen before a phone no. : RSVP

36. Nestlé's __-Caps : SNO

38. Cheat : CRIB

40. 1924 co-defendant : LOEB - could not recall if it was loeW or loeB

43. Court complaint : "I OBJECT~!"

46. Horn of Africa native : SOMALI

48. Cousins of clam diggers : CAPRIs

49. Western ring : LASSO - ah, Western as in the movie genre

50. Expert : MAVEN

52. Jerk, say : REACT

53. Patty Hearst alias : TANIA

54. __ bloom: pond vegetation : ALGAL

55. __ Bag: eponymous '70s designer label : BEENE

 

58. Old, in Oldenburg : ALTE - not AULD; I knew that was wrong

61. Additional : NEW

62. Legend on ice : ORR - first clue, NHL; last clue, NHL....I like it, Mr. Silk~!

Splynter

Friday, March 20, 2015, Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: PeePee time.

A return to Friday for another of my favorite regular constructors, Jeffrey Wechsler, who gives us five two word phrases, with the first word ending in P and the second starting with P but one of the Ps is eliminated. Gratuitously for my write up I have chosen the P at the beginning of the second word as the eliminated letter. For me, the key to all letter adding or subtracting is the wit in the reveal and here is a really fun one. If I had been eating SPLIT PEA SOUP I would have spit pea soup. I started out with a bit of trouble only because the HUMAN BRAIN has such adaptive qualities that I read STRIPOKER, as if both Ps were present. There have been so many studies of this phenomenon, it was cool to see it as the basis of a puzzle. So what did one P say to the other P? "Time to split, man." The grid also has incorporated the reveal and one themer in the downs, which I always like. Lots of workable but challenging fill EARTHEN, HAD A KID, OLD WEST, WREATHE, APPARENT, GET A BITE, HARRISON, HOOSIERS and some shorter fun words ADDLED, BURROW, CANTOR, OCTAVE, ORIENT, PARSEC, SCATHE, URANIA.

A nice balance with some crunch to make you earn the Ta Dah.

17A. Where shirts may be lost? : STRIP POKER (9). I like the double entendre of the clue/fill as you can lose your shirt, literally and lose your shirt figuratively playing poker.

32A. California Marine Corps base : CAMP PENDLETON (12). OOH RAH. What do our resident marines think of its ban?

39A. Realm of some self-help books : POP PSYCHOLOGY (12). My undergraduate degree.

62A. Update : KEEP POSTED (9). I now recognize KYP, in texting. (Keep You Posted).

13D. Travel agent's suggestions : TRIP PLANS (8). My least favorite of the theme, but needed to balance the reveal.

35D. Soup variety, and a feature of five puzzle answers : SPLIT PEA (8). As mr. Gleason would say, And away we go....

Across:

1. Shoot the moon : GO BIG. This was real challenge as well, because it has so many meanings, and I mostly associate with Hearts where you must take all hearts and the Queen of Spades.

6. "Say from whence / You __ this strange intelligence?": Macbeth : OWE. Not my favorite play, but:

Stay, you imperfect speakers, tell me more.
By Sinel’s death I know I am thane of Glamis.
But how of Cawdor? The thane of Cawdor lives,
A prosperous gentleman, and to be king
Stands not within the prospect of belief,
No more than to be Cawdor. Say from whence
You owe this strange intelligence, or why
Upon this blasted heath you stop our way
With such prophetic greeting. Speak, I charge you.

9. Word of possibility : MIGHT.

14. MDX maker : ACURA. An SUV.

15. __ Pacis: altar of Peace : ARA.  This EDIFICE. PAX, was the Roman goddess of peace, from whence we derive Pax Vobiscum.

16. Tough test metaphor : A BEAR.

19. Dish man? : PETRI.  An interesting  STORY about a very cultured man.

20. Measurement for Sagan : PARSEC. Carl is back. Twice. 58A. Muse for Sagan : URANIA. A bit of a scientific mini-theme with the Galileo reference. This amusing MUSE.

21. One sending out bills : ATM. Automated Teller Machine. Nice deception.

23. Field guard : TARP. More fun cluing, for the tarpaulin protecting the baseball diamond.

24. Bolivian president Morales : EVO. A member of an Indigenous Tribe in Bolivia as well as a Coca farmer. LINK.

25. Denounce unmercifully : SCATHE. I do not go in for the Rex Parker tendency for scathing reviews.

27. Natl. debt unit : BILlion. Sadly trillion is the real answer.

28. Mountain __: soft drinks : DEWS. There are many kinds.

30. White : ASHEN.

31. Galileo's birthplace : PISA. His BIOGRAPHY.

35. Snowboarding gold medalist White : SHAUN.

38. Begins : OPENS. Our write begins with a made up theme/name.

45. Easy pace : LOPE.

46. Idle colleague : PALIN. No Sarah but Monty Python and Fish Called Wanda star MICHAEL. Nice Eric Idle misdirection..

47. Conan Doyle, for one : SCOT. The damn Scott's Lawn commercials have ruined it for me.

51. "Love __ Rose": Neil Young song : IS A. Neil got bashed for his CSNY work.

52. At sea : ADDLED. Not out on the ocean but confused.

54. LAX stat : ARRival.

55. Fade out : TIRE which describes how I feel about...

57. Film with six sequels : SAW.

60. Equals : PEERS.

64. Kovacs of early TV comedy : ERNIE.

65. Tao follower? : ISM. Taoism.

66. "JFK" director : STONE. Oliver.

67. Late bloomer? : ASTER. They bloom in the fall.

68. Skid row woe : DTS. Delirium Tremens, the shakes.

69. Prepares for recycling : SORTS.

Down:

1. Suddenly inspired : GASPED. Along with the equally confusing 5D. Is visibly thunderstruck : GAPES. These words do confound me.

2. Staff span : OCTAVE. Musical staff.

3. Underground shelter : BURROW.

4. Camera component : IRIS.

6. Sturdy tree : OAK.

7. Encircle : WREATHE. Not a usage to which I was familiar, but of course it makes sense.

8. Like 3-Downs : EARTHEN.

9. Place for an X, perhaps : MAP. It marks the spot.

10. "That's dubious" : I BET. The tone must be sarcastic.

11. Go for lunch, say : GET A BITE. Not related but see 41D. Started one's family, casually : HAD A KID.

12. President who signed the Sherman Antitrust Act : HARRISON.  Benjamin who was the grandson of William Henry and president before and after Grover Cleveland. This ACT. Shall we break up Apple?

18. Razor man? : OCCAM. It is simple, it really is.

22. Patch : MEND.

26. Venomous snake : ASP.

29. Informal pardon? : 'SCUSE. Is this supposed to be English?

31. 1666 London fire chronicler : PEPYS. A glimpse into the past with his DIARY.

33. "__ luck?" : ANY. Luck had nothing to do with it.

34. Two-by-four source : LOG. Simple, elegant.

36. Classic 1986 sports movie : HOOSIERS.

37. Obvious : APPARENT.

40. Makers of many skeds : CPAS. I am sure accountants use it but I do not like 'sked.'

42. Grey area? : OLD WEST. Zane Grey that is.

43. Small, made smaller : LIL.

44. Get ahead of : ONE UP.

48. Fixture at Rosh Hashanah services : CANTOR. At all services.

49. Put on course : ORIENT.

50. Masonry and such : TRADES. One of my mother's brothers taught masonry at trade school in Brooklyn, Connecticut.

53. Metallic waste : DROSS.

56. City on its own lake : ERIE. A shout out to our own.

59. In the matter of : AS TO.

61. Sun. delivery : SERmon. Ecumenical equal time for the Church.

63. Acute care initials : EMS. Emergency Medical Services.

Thank you Jeffrey, I had a really good time. I hope you and all the others have a great week end at ACPT, and I hope everyone has a great spring. Lemonade a bit under the weather signing out.

Notes from C.C.:

1) Welcome back, Gary! What Irish Miss said yesterday: You were missed and no more setbacks allowed! Now we need Yellowrocks to check in.

 

2) Happy Birthday to Commander Al (Spitzboov), a blog regular whose loyalty, friendship and advice I've been relying on the past few years. Al served in the Navy Reserve for over 20 years and retired as Commander. You can click here for more pictures of Spitzboov, Betty  and Argyle at the Washington County Fair last August.

 Spitzboov and Argyle with John (Deere)

 
3) Happy Birthday to John28man as well. The lady in his avatar picture is his wife. They were in a restaurant in Vienna, Austria.

 

Thursday, March 19, 2015 Ed Sessa

Theme: "Day at the Spa"

20. Area : NECK OF THE WOODS.

32. SONIC's Quarter Pound Coneys, e.g. : FOOT LONG HOT DOGS.

39. 1985 sci-fi classic : BACK TO THE FUTURE.

And the reveal:
56. Hamlet's satisfied comment about the starts of 20-, 32- and 39-Across? : AY, THERES THE RUB. I stumbled with this entry by putting "Ah" at first, instead of AY. The first editions of the play actually say "I, there's the rub."

So we have three types of massage on the table:
NECK RUB, FOOT RUB or BACK RUB.  I'll take one of each, than you!

Across

1. Dancing shoe item : TAP.

4. Initially : AT FIRST.

11. Doo-wop syllable : SHA...na na.

14. Modern address : URL.

15. Seedless raisin : SULTANA.

16. Oakley forte : AIM.  Annie, get your gun!

17. Cape Town's nation: Abbr. : RSA. Republic of South Africa.

18. Farm hauler : TRACTOR.

19. Jurist in 1995 news : ITO. "People of the State of California vs. Orenthal James Simpson."

23. "Come __!" : ON IN.

24. Govt. stipend provider : SSI. Supplemental Security Income.

25. __ Addict: fragrance brand : DIOR.

27. Spot relative : FIDO. Immediately followed by:
28. Hound : NAG. Naturally, I was on the "cur" wavelength.

31. Fictional Melbourne Dame : EDNA. Such a character!

37. "Sweet as apple cider" girl of song : IDA. Eddie Cantor made it a standard.

38. Extinct emu relative : MOA.

48. "Argo" setting : IRAN.

49. Flying Cloud, for one : REO. They are also known for their "Speed Wagon."

50. "... __ is given": Isaiah : A SON.

51. Sub builder : DELI.

52. It may be pitched : WOO. Hmm, the AV crossword yesterday had a theme entry of "Pitch WOO." I had never head the phrase before, and now it's hit me two days in a row.

55. High-level predator : PUMA. They are also known as "Mountain Lions."

61. Dadaism founder : ARP. Jean or Hans.

62. Virgin America's frequent-flyer program : ELEVATE. Easily inferable.

63. Pipe turn : ELL.

64. Commuter's choice : BUS.

65. Backs out : RENEGES.

66. "The Murders in the __ Morgue" : RUE. Gimme.

67. Star quality : EGO.

68. Ballpark officials : SCORERS.

69. Old atlas abbr. : SSR. Soviet Socialist Republic.


Down

1. Alienate : TURN OFF.

2. Hall of fame : ARSENIO. Nice misdirection!

3. Tenor Domingo : PLACIDO. Drat - I already used my music link!

4. Concerning : AS TO.

5. Gang lands : TURFS.

6. Reasons for breakdowns : FLATS.

7. Result of many a bite : ITCHING.

8. Deserve : RATE.

9. Storm output : SNOW. Enough already!!

10. Hawaiian root : TARO.

11. Took marriage vows : SAID I DO.

12. Top-ten tune : HIT SONG.

13. Latin trio word : AMO. amas, amat.

21. Unit of speed : KNOT.

22. Had too much : ODed. Over Dosed.

26. Dorm figs. : RAs. Resident Assistants (or Advisors.)

29. Words of woe : AH ME.

30. Idle, with "off" : GOOF.

33. Fired : LIT.  I just fired my fireplace?

34. Potpourri quality : ODOR.

35. "The Great" boy detective : NATE. WAG.

36. Greek consonant : TAU.

39. Bridge column datum : BID.

40. Decorator's recommendation : AREA RUG.

41. Nymph in Homer's "Odyssey" : CALYPSO. Ack - I filled in CAListO without thinking. But that nymph is spelled with two L's.

42. Baby bootee, often : KNIT.

43. "Wait, there's more" : HOWEVER.

44. Ticker __ : TAPE.

45. Loan sharks : USURERS.

46. Eponymous city founder : ROMULUS. Founder of Rome.

47. Co-dependency figure : ENABLER.

53. Oklahoma tribe : OSAGE.

54. Playful fish-eater : OTTER.

57. "His," per Ambrose Bierce : HERS. From The Devil's Dictionary.

58. Juice you can't drink: Abbr. : ELEC.tricity.  Cute.

59. Attorney general after Barr : RENO.

60. Gas company with a green-bordered logo : HESS.

61. Profiled penny prez : ABE. Not sure it needed the word "profiled," but it makes for some nice alliteration.

That's it for me - your turn!
Marti

Wednesday, March 18th, 2015 Ryan McCarty

Theme: You .... you .... PUZZLE, you ... Paired phonemes at the start of the five theme entries.

18A. Inspiration for a chewy candy : JUJUBE FRUIT. Food! Also known as the "Chinese date" (or 红枣) amongst 30-odd other names. C.C. can check my Mandarin spelling. (From C.C.: The dates in your picture are exactly the kind I grew up with, Steve. My grandma had two date trees. 红枣 are pronounced "Hong Zao", literally "red dates".)

28A. Horns banned at the 2014 World Cup : VUVUZELAS. This was singularly the best thing FIFA has ever done. I love the World Cup - I watched every game in the 2014 tournament except one - those horns would have driven me crazy, literally.

39A. Colorful island dresses : MUUMUUS. I had "MOUMOUS" first before I realized I was being something of a dummy by ignoring the theme. If you're going to be strict about it, "MUUMUU" would be the plural in the original Hawaiian - there's no "S" in the Hawaiian alphabet and plurals are spelt the same as the singular noun form.

47A. Yoga-inspired athletic apparel brand : LULULEMON. Notorious for the pants being more sheer than intended. I was out on my bike for a Sunday half-century ride last year and I was passed by a girl wearing a pair on a fixed-gear sprint bike. How I didn't eat pavement I have no idea. I did manage to keep up with her for a good five miles though - of course I was just drafting off her rear wheel, honestly.

59A. Dish at a 37-Down : PUPU PLATTER. More hawai'ian. Why not PUUPUU or MUMU? We should be told.

Food! Yay!

Morning all! I hope there are no post-St Patrick's Day hangovers to deal with today, and if there are, remember it's a self-inflicted injury so you get no sympathy. We haven't seen Ryan's name before, so congratulations on a fine debut. This actually reminds me of a "C.C."-style puzzle with a neat theme and some nice long downs. There's no reveal entry as the theme is pretty self-evident once the solution starts to come together. It's an 80 word-count grid, which means a lot of 3's and 4's, but I didn't particularly notice that while I was solving, so that's a good sign. Let's see what else we've got.

Across:

1. Cellist's need : BOW. Not if you're playing pizzicato-style. Let's cue Yo-Yo and some Bach.

4. North of Colombia : NORTE. I like these "in another language" style of clues.

9. P.T. goal : REHAB. Physical Therapy.

14. In a style resembling : A LA. Here's one of my Food! favorites - Daube a la Provençale - basically beef stewed in red wine.

15. Make less dangerous : UNARM. I would use "disarm".

16. Clear : ERASE

17. Hipster : CAT. I view hipsters as more new-age, cats as old-school.

Hipster Cat

20. Doglike scavengers : HYENAS

22. Bird on Australia's coat of arms : EMU. Not emuu?

23. __-di-dah : LAH

24. "Frasier" role : ROZ

25. Run __: find : ACROSS

31. Tons : A PILE

35. Nobelist Pavlov : IVAN. He of the psychological conditioning fame.

36. Visual greeting : NOD

37. Peruvian wool sources : LLAMAS

38. "Yo, how's things?" : 'SUP? Greetings to Hipster Cat.

41. Game show VIPs : MC'S. Masters of Ceremonies. High-falutin' title.

42. Umpteen : A LOT OF. Tons and umpteens today.

44. "Hometown Proud" supermarket chain : IGA. Crosses all the way for me. I discover that my nearest IGA store is 70 miles away in a town I've never visited.

45. Give (out) : METE

46. It's a wrap : SARAN. Fun clue/answer.

49. Actor Piven of "Entourage" : JEREMY. Not familiar - I needed the crosses. He won a Golden Globe and three Emmys for his role in the show, so I guess he's pretty good at it!

51. __ trip : EGO

52. Master : ACE. Verb or noun? Either would work.

55. Kyoto cash : YEN

56. Hammerheads, e.g. : SHARKS. There's a comic strip in England called "The Pathetic Sharks". They can't swim without floaties and they faint at the sight of blood. Very "British" humor.

63. Electron-deficient particle, e.g. : ION

64. Varnish resin : ELEMI. A learning moment. The tree is formally known as Canarium luzonicum and, as the second word in the name suggests, it is native to the Philippines.

65. Pet problem? : PEEVE. Favorite clue/answer of the day.

66. Alias lead-in : AKA. Common enough now to have lost the abbreviation designation.

67. Crashed, so to speak : SLEPT. Hipster cats probably crash rather than sleep.

68. Closer : ENDER

69. Morning salmon : LOX. More Food! Loving this puzzle today. Most "lox" you see nowadays isn't really lox, more accurately it's "nova". It's much less salty than traditional lox.

Down:

1. One of music's Three Bs : BACH. We heard him at 1A if you clicked the link.

2. Maker of Regenerist skin care products : OLAY. I think we've had the OLAY/ULAY brand-name discussion before.

3. Steam : WATER VAPOR

4. Contemporary electronic music genre : NU JAZZ. Crosses to the rescue. At this point I was waiting for the pangram to show up, but in spite of all those "U"s, there's no "Q" to be found.

5. Weighty obligation : ONUS. If we share the burden, I guess the onus is on us.

6. Howard's best friend on "The Big Bang Theory" : RAJ. Crosses again. Thankfully, very approachable perps.

7. "Storage Hunters" network __TV : TRU. Belying the name of the network, the show is allegedly staged and the auctions are fake.

8. Bonfire leftovers : EMBERS

9. Turndowns : REFUSALS

10. Misspeak, say : ERR

11. Swag : HAUL

12. Where Bhutan is : ASIA. Landlocked country at the eastern end of the Himalayas. Cracking flag!

13. "Little Women" woman : BETH. The only sister with four letters. Jo, Amy and Meg are the others. Obviously, we never see Jo in the crosswords, but we meet her other sisters from time-to-time.

19. Rock genre : EMO. Does Hipster Cat listen to this genre or is it too depressing? Here's my favorite, courtesy of Green Day.

21. Any thing : NOUN

25. Felipe of baseball : ALOU. I prefer his Indian relative, Saag Alou, but I think he probably plays cricket.

Food! Saag Alou - spinach and potato curry

26. Element in a rechargeable battery : CADMIUM. Nickel is the other element in the Ni-Cad.

27. Hydromassage facility : SPA

28. Travel papers : VISAS

29. Soft palate dangler : UVULA. A partial anagram of those annoying horns too.

30. Plenty, to texters : ENUF. Apparently I date myself by using correct punctuation and spelling in my texts. I read that if you capitalize the first letter in a text message you are guaranteed to be over 50. Guilty as charged.

32. Timeless : IMMEMORIAL. Wait, so "since time immemorial" means "since time timeless?" Doesn't sound right to me.

33. __-ovo vegetarian : LACTO. No meat. Dairy and eggs are OK though. When I went to India I became LOV for the duration of each trip, the "veg" food is so good.

34. Krupp Works city : ESSEN

37. Island bash : LUAU. Let's see if you were paying attention at the top of the blog. What do you call two of these?

39. Do-it-yourselfer's nightmare : MONEY PIT

40. Homely : UGLY

43. __ Mahal : TAJ

45. Start of something big? : MEGA

47. Delaware tribe : LENAPE. More learning for me today and the final fill.

48. Presidential debate moderator Jim : LEHRER

50. Seminary subj. : REL. Religion, I presume.

52. Big primates : APES

53. Select : CULL

54. Fencing blade : EPEE

56. Golf great Ballesteros : SEVE. Anyone who saw his victory fist-pump at the 1984 Open Championship at St. Andrews will never forget it. Sadly, he died in 2011 at the early age of 54 from brain cancer.

57. Gorilla who learned sign language : KOKO

58. Junk food, in adspeak : SNAX

60. Official at a base : UMP

61. Commonly used base : TEN. In my computing life I've used binary, octal and hexadecimal too. There are 10 kinds of people in the world - those that understand binary, and those that don't.

62. "Ideas worth spreading" conference acronym : TED. (Technology, Entertainment, Design).

Here's the grid, and as Eminem said to the music executive "It's a rap".

Steve

Tuesday, March 17, 2015 C.C. Burnikel

Theme: A Walk in the Park - The various parks are in the central part of the theme entries.

36A. Manhattan landmark, and a hint to this puzzle's circles : CENTRAL PARK

17A. Bureau of Indian Affairs purview : TRIBAL LAND. Ball Park, no surprise there.

23A. 1989 handheld gadget release : NINTENDO GAMEBOY. Dog Park, watch your step.

50A. Mr. Wilson's bane : DENNIS THE MENACE. Theme Park, think of Gary.

57A. Polynesian-themed restaurant chain : TRADER VIC'S. RV Park, for when traveling in your recreational vehicle.

"Erin Go Bragh!" Argyle here with O'Burnikel. While it was a walk in the park for the most part, I almost was mugged in one spot. Perps to the rescue.

Across:

1. Device in a jogger's armband, maybe : iPOD

5. Off-mike comment : ASIDE

10. Deck swabbers : MOPS

14. Emperor with a bow : NERO

15. Language of 14-Across : LATIN

16. Mayberry kid : OPIE. Little Ronnie Howard.

19. Heating or cooling outlet : VENT

20. Nationality suffix : ESE

21. BB-shaped veggie : PEA

22. Pay attention to : MIND

29. "Magic Mike" actor Channing __ : TATUM. C.C., what aren't you telling us? (From C.C.: Santa, I clued it as [2012 People's Sexiest Man Alive].)

30. Disparaging : SNIDE

31. Have yet to pay : OWE

32. Prof's aides : TAs. (teaching assistant). They get mad if you call them teacher's assistant.

34. Stat for Madison Bumgarner : ERA. Nicknamed "MadBum", he has pitched for the Giants since 2009.

35. Chaplin of "Game of Thrones" : OONA

39. Word before drill or engine : FIRE

41. Clothes drier : AIR. A CSO to Lucina from last night's comments.

42. Fish-on-the-line sign : TUG. I expect to see some funny links, guys.

43. "__ knows?" : WHO

44. Gentle gaits : TROTS

46. Implicit : TACIT

53. Comparable : AKIN

54. Modern, in Berlin : NEU

55. Through : VIA

56. "__ go bragh!" : ERIN. We're all Irish today. (Right, Miss?) (From C.C.: I clued this as [Fox Sports host Andrews]. See what an attentive editor Rich is! By the way, Irish Miss, I did have to ask Boomer what Dagwood  sandwich is. Holy smoke!)

61. Data unit : BYTE

62. Ready to hit : AT BAT

63. Event with specials : SALE

64. 1930s heavyweight champ Max : BAER

65. Oddballs : GEEKS

66. Mined materials : OREs

Down:

1. Sharply focused : INTENT

2. Empire conquered by Alexander the Great : PERSIA

3. "Murder on the __ Express" : ORIENT

4. Driver's lic. info : DOB. (date of birth)

5. "Midnight in Paris" writer/director Woody : ALLEN. (2011) Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams.

6. Light lunches : SALADS

7. "Give __ rest!" : IT A

8. Racket : DIN

9. Come to a halt : END

10. "Philadelphia" or "Chicago," e.g. : MOVIE

11. Test type : OPEN BOOK

12. Force to make a commitment : PIN DOWN

13. Tennis match part : SET. (game, set, match)

18. Theoretical evolutionary link : APEMAN. As sung by the Kinks, Link.(3:41)

22. Bovary's title: Abbr. : MME. (Madame)

24. Helen Keller, to Anne Sullivan : TUTEE

25. In this world : ON EARTH

26. Young lady : GIRL

27. Alter to fit : ADAPT

28. Passing remark? : "YEA!"

33. Planetarium projections : STARS

35. Liver or kidney : ORGAN

36. Longtime newsman with the catchphrase "And that's the way it is" : CRONKITE

37. Prison uprising : RIOT

38. Filmmaker with a distinctive style : AUTEUR. A filmmaker whose personal influence and artistic control over a movie are so great that the filmmaker is regarded as the author of the movie.(AUTEUR is the French word for "author")

39. F on a DVD player, perhaps : FWD. "Forward"

40. Informal "Understood" : "I HEAR YA"

44. Sardine container : TIN

45. Writer/illustrator Maurice : SENDAK

47. Pricey hors d'oeuvre : CAVIAR

48. Spiky winter hanger : ICICLE. BEGONE!

49. Pokes fun at : TEASES

51. West Coast NFLer : NINER. (San Francisco 49ers)

52. Hooks up with : MEETS

56. Partner of flow : EBB

57. License plate : TAG

58. Postal worker's beat: Abbr. : RTE. (route)

59. Grandpa Simpson : ABE

60. Brandy bottle letters : VSO. (Very Superior Old) (Very Old, Abe Simpson)

Argyle