Friday, April 3, 2015, Jim Quinlan

Theme: Double a letter, double your pleasure.

A debut puzzle from a familiar poster who was a rookie this year at ACPT where he finished 392nd. In a consistent theme, the last letter of a two letter word which begins a common phrase is doubled to create a new and visually fun answer. The choices for this theme are very limited (I thought of some not very good ones like ADD NAUSEAM and OFF HUMAN BONDAGE) because the theme is so tight. The rest of puzzle was similar to many Fridays we have had lately with average word length less than 5 letters, but it also the first pangram (puzzle containing all 26 letters) I have seen on a Friday in a very long while. I found the cluing not only difficult in places, but confusing. Perhaps this comes from the ambitious inclusion of all the letters. I did like seeing two Js in the grid.  There are some interesting intermediate fill like  AIRBAG, IMAGES, LETS GO, MATHIS, SEARCH, STIGMA, THINGS, XANADU, EMERGENT and  JAILBIRD and two which were as long as theme answers, OVERWATERS and  SOUTH SUDAN. There are also many fill with double letters (DDAY, TEEMS, ROOT, ROSS, ERRS, APP, OTTO, LEVEE, RAGG and OSS). None of these confused the issue of the theme for me.

18A. Quibble about accommodations? : INN DISPUTE (10). The second N appeared early from the perps, so I had an idea about the theme quickly.

27A. Marshmallow that's been toasted too long? : GOO UP IN FLAMES (13). My favorite of the answers, as I could picture the gooey mess I have made when trying to do marshmallows with my sons.

48A. Small group of tiny monarchs? : WEE THREE KINGS (13). Also a very cute variation on the Christmas CAROL  (2:28).

63A. Worthless buzzer? : BEE OF NO USE (10). We all know bees are very useful but I guess there is a Gilligan in every hive.

A good Good Friday, and a Happy Passover to those who celebrate; looking forward to another delicious seder. On to the rest...

Across:

1. Spell : JINX. We are going to have one of those Fridays where I am constrained to comment too vigorously, not knowing if the clue is the author's or Rich's, but I do not see these terms as interchangeable. The dictionary may disagree, but to me 'cast a spell' (or curse) would be the synonym for the verb JINX, and 'bad luck' or 'black cat' for the noun.

5. Traitor : JUDAS. A rather timely clue/fill on this Good Friday which commemorates the crucifixion of Christ after his betrayal by Judas.

10. Letters causing a rush : ASAP. As Soon As Possible.  Since people say, 'A Sap,' so is this an acronym?

14. Property measurement : AREA. As most must have, I began with ACRE.

15. Flopped financially : ATE IT. I understand the generic 'ate it' means failed miserably, but I know of no connection to financial failure.

16. Bonkers : LOCO. Some un-pc terms for mentally ill.

17. Response to a drone : YAWN. Not the one with camera or delivering from Amazon, or even from a beehive, but like my Real Property professor, D.T. Smith.

20. Zeus' beginning? : ZETA. In ancient Greek it was spelled ''Ζεύς'' with Zeta the first letter, but if you are transliterating to English, it should be Zee or Zed? I believe in modern Greek they now spell the name of the chief of the Greek gods as Δίας which aligns the name with Latin Deus. Hopefully we have a reader who can shed more light on this subject.

21. Forgives : LETS GO. The cluing so far had me scrambling, again I understand one letting go of the anger can be forgiving, but...well I will just let it go.

22. Director Burton : TIM. Wow, an easy one. Johnny Depp is his favorite.

23. Little bit : DAB.

25. "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late" duettist : MATHIS. The soulful Johnny with Deneice Williams in 1978. (3:04) reminds me of going to Peaches to buy 45s.

33. 4x4, e.g. : ATV. All Terrain Vehicle.

34. "1984" worker : PROLE. A really fine Friday CLUE, but no politics.

35. Get used (to) : INURE.

38. Assembly stage : STEP. How many have bought furniture from IKEA?

40. Hit from a tee : DRIVE. Ah some golf as we near the Masters.

42. Start of Operation Overlord : D-DAY.

43. Scrutinized, with "over" : PORED. His notes? Books and records?

45. Abounds : TEEMS. This reminds me of THIS.(2:16).

47. Generation : AGE.

51. Google, say : SEARCH.

53. Canyon part : RIM.

54. "A Bug's Life" extra : ANT.

55. It might blow up in a crash : AIRBAG. Nicely thought-out deception.

59. Shade at the shore : AQUA. Also cute as we are talking shade of color not an umbrella.

65. [I'm doomed] : GULP. Very nice cartoonish visual.

66. Goes wrong : ERRS. Do not forget to forgive.

67. Bridge expert on some "Sports Illustrated" covers : GOREN. If you ever played the game and are about my age you know and have read books by CHARLES. I do use Blackwood.

68. Mozart's "a" : EINE.

69. Soft-spoken painter Bob : ROSS. All perps for me, thought it sounds like it was an interesting SHOW.

70. Irish hero, briefly : ST. PAT.

71. Pringles competitor : STAX. I tried them once and they were not good. I do tend to try every food product once.

Down:

1. Now hyphen-less rapper : JAYZ. DKDC. He is attempting to take over streaming of music with TIDAL.

2. "Dies __" : IRAE. More religion.

3. Spotted aquarium dweller : NEWT. Mr. Gingrich's image is fading in the mirror.

4. Film estate with a championship golf course : XANADU. Took me way to long to dredge this ESTATE from my brain.

5. "Avian" for whom flight is often futile : JAILBIRD. A little prison humor.

6. __ Reader : UTNE.Does anyone actually read this?

7. It may be hammered out : DENT. Not an agreement but a literal hammer job.

8. Help providers : AIDS.

9. Stain : STIGMA. So many connotations; we also have the related STIGMATA but that sounds like religion.

10. European attraction : ALP. marti, a gimme for you?

11. Independent country since 2011 : SOUTH SUDAN.  All you wanted to know and MORE.

12. When Hamlet says, "The play's the thing ... " : ACT II. Well I got a very small taste of some Shakespeare.

13. Dickinson output : POEMS. Emily.

19. "Amen!" : SO AM I. So be it? I agree?

24. Trivia Crack, e.g. : APP. Sounds vaguely obscene, but this GAME sounds and looks like electronic Trivial Pursuit.

26. Mind : TEND. All perps, did not even see the clue and hope you all will explain. Children? One's business?

27. Horrified reaction : GASP.

28. One of the Ringling brothers : OTTO. No Sgt. Snorkel for this puzzle, but this somewhat obscure  figure who died in 1911. Per wiki the Ringling Brothers Circus was a circus founded in the United States in 1884 by five of the seven Ringling Brothers: Albert (1852–1916), August (1854–1907), Otto (1858–1911), Alfred T. (1862–1919), Charles (1863–1926), John (1866–1936), and Henry (1869–1918). In 1907 it acquired the Barnum & Bailey Circus, merging them in 1919 to become Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus, promoted as The Greatest Show on Earth. It does not say which 5, but John and Charles were the most famous and did much to put Sarasota, Florida on the map.

29. Drowns in the garden : OVERWATERS. A thoughtful clue; I do love gardening but in April one should not need to water often.

30. __ Star : NORTH. No love for Kanye and Kim?

31. Circular : FLIER.

32. Chevy's "American Pie" destination : LEVEE.

36. Woolen yarn : RAGG. Nope, sorry, I do not know this WORD. I do know MOP.

37. Socket set : EYES. Oh my, what a great alliterative misdirection.

39. Review target : PEER. Peer review is very big in many professions, especially medical ones.

41. Newly formed : EMERGENT.

44. Joe sans jolt : DECAF. Love those Js.

46. Take on moguls : SKI. I will be Colorado and the snow will be fresh. Who wants to meet me there? marti?

49. The Cat in the Hat's numbered cohorts : THINGS.

50. Visuals : IMAGES.

51. Word with tooth or saw : SABER.

52. Año starter : ENERO.

56. Repeated word in "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" : ROOT.

57. Do a new mom's job : BURP. Oh those burping moms, watch out.

58. On a cruise : ASEA.

60. Gave notice : QUIT.

61. Radius neighbor : ULNA.

62. Pinnacle : APEX. Apex, Acme? My favorite golf ball in the 80s. Second day in a row for this fill.

64. '40s spy org. : OSS. Office of Strategic Services.  The predecessor of the CIA.

Well enjoy Friday, I will be out of pocket most of the day in preparation for the first night of Passover, so smoke em if you have them and happy holidays to all. Lemonade out.

Note from C.C.:

1) Our own Minnesotan constructors George Barany and Marcia J. Brott constructed today's CHE "Sea Shells" puzzle. Tasty and timely. Please click here  to download the puz file.

2) The fourth Minnesota Crossword Tournament will be held on June 14th. Please click here for more details.

Thursday, April 2, 2015 Gareth Bain

Theme:"Here Comes Peter Cottontail"

17-Across. Holy woman sculpted by Bernini : SAINT TERESA. (of Avila)

25-Across. It may call for lateral thinking : BRAIN TEASER . Here's an apt one for this puzzle:
" There are six eggs in the basket. Six people each take one of the eggs. How can it be that one egg is left in the basket?" (*Answer at the end)

35-Across. Van Gogh painting depicting peasants : THE POTATO EATERS. He considered it one of his best works.

48-Across. Many a sofa : THREE SEATER.

And the reveal:
57-Across. Words spoken often this time of year, one of which is anagrammed four times in this puzzle : HAPPY EASTER. Very tight theme, with the last word of each entry an anagram of EASTER.


Across

1. Sweet Spanish wine : MALAGA. From Andalusia. Gimme.

7. Work unit: Abbr. : FT LB. Foot Pound (libra).

11. Mendel's sci. : BOT. I wanted "Genetics" at first, but that science came about as a result of Mendel's work with pea plants in the field of BOTany.

14. Place to surf : THE NET. Gimme.

15. Washbowl partner : EWER.

16. Protein-building molecule : RNA.

19. Battleship letters : USS. Spitzboov!

20. Self-conscious question : IS IT ME?

21. Preceder of old age? : RIPE. "He lived to the RIPE old age of 95."

22. Peoria-to-Decatur dir. : SSE.

28. Iconic figure with an anchor tattoo : POPEYE.

30. Tenochtitlán natives : AZTECS. It was their capital city, complete with floating islands.

31. Zenith : APEX.

32. Chanted phrase : MANTRA.

41. Hostile advance : INROAD. I don't always associate them with being "hostile." You?

42. Toe loop kin : AXEL.

43. Not around much : SCARCE.

46. Campaign ad urging : VOTE NO. "...on Question 2."

52. Common animal in "The Far Side" comics : COW. Gary Larson has pleaded with people not to infringe on the copyrights of his cartoons by copying them and displaying them on websites. I bow to his request.

53. Participated in a poetry slam : READ.

54. Holey reef dweller : SPONGE.

56. Give __: pay attention : EAR.

62. Whirlpool site : SPA.

63. __ nitrate : AMYL. I have to confess, this was my first thought. But I wondered how well known the compound is to the average puzzle solver?

64. Allow : ENABLE.

65. Lush : SOT.

66. In the wrong business? : NOSY. Ha ha!!

67. Scone fruit : RAISIN.


Down

1. High pts. : MTS. Mountains.

2. "So that's the answer!" : AHA.

3. Island souvenir : LEI.

4. Years in the Roman legion : ANNI. Latin years, that is.

5. Manages : GETS BY.

6. It's worn : ATTIRE.

7. Physics Nobelist of 1938 : FERMI.

8. Typical "Divergent" reader : TWEEN. I take offense - we did the book for our book club last year!

9. Guitar man Paul : LES.

10. Beach top : BRA.

11. Banana blemish : BRUISE.

12. How many artists work : ON SPEC.

13. Police weapons : TASERS.

18. Greek vowel : ETA.

21. Gangster film sound effect : RAT-A-TAT.

22. Cross words : SPAT.

23. Junior-to-be : SOPH.omore.

24. Sport with double touches : ÉPÉE. They must occur within 40 milliseconds of each other, in order to count as a "double touche."

26. Museum that awards the Turner Prize : TATE. Awarded to an artist under the age of 50.

27. Biblical scribe : EZRA.

29. No longer valid : EXPIRED.

32. "Nixon in China" tenor role : MAO. Which reminds me of this incredible video I found this week. 3:59

33. __ moment's notice : AT A.

34. Auction bid, often : NOD.

36. Formerly : ONCE.

37. Half of seis : TRES.

38. Board member, usually : EXEC.

39. Slots spot : RENO.

40. Impede : SLOW.

43. Overachiever's concern : STRESS.

44. Chintzy : CHEAPO.

45. Turkish peak : ARARAT.

46. Thin layer : VENEER.

47. "Star Wars" surname : ORGANA.

49. Best Angler and Best Jockey, e.g. : ESPYs. Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly.

50. Ask (for), as a job : APPLY.

51. First car, for many : TOY.

55. Actor Morales : ESAI.

57. Harrison role : HAN.

58. Ovid's "I love" : AMO.

59. CNN launcher : TBS.

60. Wearer of a "Y" sweatshirt : ELI. Y for Yale, not "the" Y.

61. Stimpy's chum : REN. Ren is the psychotic chihuahua, and Stimpy is the dimwitted cat.

*Answer: The sixth person took the basket, with his egg in it.

That's all for now!
Marti

Wednesday, April 1st, 2015 Daniel Nierenberg

Theme: Getting Pranked, or as the plowman said to the ox team "The yoke's on you".

A thoroughly date-appropriate theme from Daniel this morning. A whole slew of "gotchas" come together in this puzzle.

17A. "Gotcha!" : I'M KIDDING

24A. "Gotcha!" : MADE YOU LOOK. Made me look for a theme, that's for sure. See my "note" on 51A.

35A. "Gotcha!" : THE JOKE'S ON YOU

51A. Significance of this puzzle's circled letters (gotcha again!) : THERE IS NONE. I had "TO PAR" for 53D at first which made this entry read "THERE IS TONE". You'd all have gotten a good chuckle out of me trying to sing "IDDI DE-YO KES-O" and crack the "tonal" theme.

60A. Today's "Gotcha!" : APRIL FOOL

Nicely done! Steve here being fooled for a while until I corrected my "TO PAR" misstep and stopped singing nonsense. In France it is the custom today to try to stick fish-shaped cutouts on an unknowing person's back. The victim is then teased as being "un poisson d'Avril" - "an April fish". Whatever floats your bateau, I guess, they're an odd lot, those French.

Let's see what else we've got going on here.

Across

1. "Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening" rhyme scheme : AABA By the aptly-named Robert Frost.

5. Govt. org. with a "Safety Compass" blog : N.T.S.B. The National Transportation Safety Board. The "Safety" in the clue gave it away for me.

9. Under-the-tree pile : GIFTS. I wanted to cram "LEAVES" in here first.

14. Silly smile, maybe : GRIN

15. Snack with a white center : OREO. Crops up a lot in crosswords, but it's such a handy collection of vowels.

16. Garnish : ADORN

19. Brawl : MELEE

20. Menlo Park initials : T.A.E. Thomas Alva Edison. Filed 1,093 successful U.S. patent applications.

21. Those, in Oaxaca : ESAS

22. __ mater : ALMA

23. Gear on a tour bus : AMP. I have Marshall and Vox practice amplifiers. Here they are with my guitars.

28. They blow off steam : TEAPOTS. Peculiar clue, I have to say. A kettle would blow off steam, no?

30. Bugged by a bug : ILL

31. Like a twisted remark : WRY

32. Within: Pref. : ENTO

33. Hive-dwelling : APIAN. Do Roman bees travel on the Apian Way?

41. College declaration : MAJOR

42. Feminizing finish : ENNE. Hand up for "ETTE" first.

44. Icarus, to Daedalus : SON

47. Snooze : NAP

48. Add to a scrapbook, say : PASTE IN

54. Map rtes. : STS. Streets, I s'pose. Not an abbreviation I'm familiar with, I have to confess.

55. Drop-off point : EDGE

56. Charlie's fourth wife : OONA. And his granddaughter to keep the name current.

57. 201, on a monument : CCI. That's a heck of an old monument.

58. Carillon sounds : PEALS

62. Cookout spot : PATIO

63. Willing : GAME

64. "A __ for Emily": Faulkner short story : ROSE

65. Not in a slump? : ERECT

66. "Iliad" deity : ARES. We've seen him a few times recently.

67. Stops equivocating : OPTS

Down

1. Stir up : AGITATE

2. Military equipment : ARMAMENT

3. Designated park trail : BIKE PATH

4. DiFranco of folk rock : ANI. I went to link one of her songs but I dozed off trying to pick one out. Not my cup of tea, I guess.

5. Greets wordlessly : NODS AT

6. Three-note chords : TRIADS

7. Have a feeling : SENSE

8. Peat source : BOG

9. Leg, to a film noir detective : GAM. Cue "LA Confidential", appropriately.

10. Model of perfection : IDEAL. AKA Kim Basinger in "LA Confidential", above.

11. Trail : FOLLOW

12. Seismometer detection : TREMOR. Plenty of these in my neck of the woods. More than 20 in the last week alone in LA County according to the local seismic survey.

13. Duplicitous : SNEAKY

18. Self-produced recording, perhaps : DEMO

25. Slangy golf term for nervousness while putting, with "the" : YIPS. Former world #1 and two-times Masters champion Bernhard Langer suffered terribly from this affliction in mid-career. He's now one of the best putters on the senior tour.

26. Everything-in-the-pot stew : OLIO

27. __ Bator : ULAN. Mongolian home of this airport. I have a friend who quit the British secret service (MI5) because she was going to be posted here. She wanted Milan, Paris or New York. Outer Mongolia? Not so much.

29. Mary Oliver output : POEM

33. __ Lingus : AER. They fly to Ulan Bator from Dublin. Who'd a thunk it?

34. Babushka's denial : NYET

36. Actress Kaczmarek with seven Emmy nominations : JANE. Crosses all the way. Apparently "best known for playing Lois on 'Malcolm in the Middle'".

37. Ventura County resort city : OJAI. "City" is a little grand for this place, population around 7,000. Chain stores are banned here by city ordinance.

38. Keystone force : KOPS. Most of their location shoots were a couple of miles down the street from me in Silverlake.

39. Kid-sized ice cream order : ONE SCOOP

40. Price per can, e.g. : UNIT COST

43. Stores in a farm tower : ENSILES. Total WAG for me here with the first "S". I wasn't entirely convinced by "STS" so I hesitated. According to the interwebs:

en·sile

inˈsīl,enˈsīl/

verb

3rd person present: ensiles

put (grass or another crop) into a silo in order to preserve it as silage

44. Vast grassland : STEPPE

45. "Goodness gracious" : OH DEAR

46. Cancel out : NEGATE

48. "I have the worst luck!" : POOR ME

49. John Denver's "__ Song" : ANNIE'S. I'll spare you the link.

50. Corporate emblem : SEAL. Another odd clue, IMHO

52. Dig find : RELIC

53. Wall Street phrase : NO PAR. As I mentioned at the top, I had TO PAR first. I've heard of AT PAR too, but never NO PAR until today (well except for my golf game, I've had NO PAR many times over!). I discover that NO PAR means that a share of a stock has no redemption value.

59. Pink-elephant spotter, stereotypically : SOT. Did Dumbo get drunk? I can't remember the context of this in the movie.

60. Ottoman bigwig : AGA

61. To and __ : FRO

That's my lot. A Pinch and a Punch for the First of the Month and no returns! Here's the grid.

Steve

Note from C.C.: 

Please click here for a great puzzle Marcia Brott & George Barany created to celebrate the birthday of a real Minnesota Nice. If you download puz, please read Notepad after you're done. Click on View, then Notepad.

Tuesday, March 31, 2015 Jerry Edelstein

Theme: Add a Word - A reveal word is added to the start (or left) of the start of the target word.

17A. *Pest-control device : MOUSETRAP. Field mouse.

25A. *Off-the-wall game? : HANDBALL. Field hand (on the farm).

30A. *Simple garment : HOUSEDRESS. Fieldhouse or field house, is a common name for indoor sports arena.)

44A. *One given to flights of fancy : DAYDREAMER. Field day. A sports day for the younger school kids.

49A. *Hidden explosives activator : TRIPWIRE. Field trip. Taking a class to an off-school venue.

64A. Figuratively, where some wild ideas come out of; literally, a hint to a word and its position when paired with the starts of the answers to starred clues : LEFT FIELD

Argyle here. And March, whether like a lamb of a lion, please leave. Conventional grid supports a 6-entry puzzle medium length fill. Hopefully with no nits.

Across:

1. Dash gauge : TACH. (dashboard/tachometer)

5. Pawn at a shop : HOCK. Apparently from Dutch hok, "prison".

9. Vague shapes : BLOBS

14. Height: Pref. : ACRO. Think acrobat.

15. Saintly glow : AURA

16. Sportscast rundown : RECAP

19. Hersey's bell town : ADANO. A 1944 novel by John Hersey that will live forever in crosswords.

20. Like paradise : EDENIC

21. Go round and round : SPIN

23. "Tao Te Ching" poet __-tzu : LAO

24. "Yummy!" : "DELISH!"

27. Grant-granting gp. : NEA. (National Endowment for the Arts)

29. Soul automaker : KIA

36. Aerobic exercise aid : STEP

40. Woodlands man-goat : SATYR

41. Campus URL suffix : .EDU (education)

42. Serious : GRAVE

43. Old Russian ruler : TSAR

46. Short-lived Egypt-Syr. alliance : UAR. (United Arab Republic)

48. Drunkard : SOT

54. Overthrow : TOPPLE

59. Farm female : HEN

60. "__ o' your throats": "Measure for Measure" : A POX. The nearly identical quote from The Tempest is more famous.

61. Phobic : AFRAID

62. "Alas and __!" : ALACK

66. In need of a chill pill : TENSE

67. Mystery writer Gardner : ERLE. Perry Mason - Erle Stanley Gardner

68. Colombian city : CALI

69. Beer holder : STEIN

70. Ear piece? : STUD

71. __-slapper : KNEE

Down:

1. Got under control : TAMED

2. Words after "crack" or "live by" : A CODE

3. Pitiless : CRUEL

4. Mubarak of Egypt : HOSNI. President of Egypt from 1981 to 2011.

5. Came out of one's shell? : HATCHED. Literally.

6. "Days of __ Lives" : OUR

7. Attend uninvited : CRASH

8. Letter after iota : KAPPA

9. Chastain of women's soccer : BRANDI

10. Guided : LED

11. City NW of Orlando : OCALA. Déjà vu ... again.

12. Unoriginal : BANAL

13. Thread dispenser : SPOOL

18. Ex-Disney CEO Michael : EISNER

22. Printer cartridge contents : INKS

26. Iraqi port : BASRA. Basra is roughly 110 km (68 mi) from the Persian Gulf and does not have deep water access but is still its main port.

28. Neighborhood : AREA

30. FDR's last vice president : HST. (Franklin Delano Roosevelt/Harry S. Truman)

31. Western defense gp. : OAS. The Organization of American States was founded in 1948.

32. Actress Hagen : UTA

33. IHOP condiment : SYRUP. The maple syrup season is running late this year. Go figure.

34. Ice cream maker Joseph : EDY

35. Brewski : SUDS. Slang.

37. Bagpiper's topper : TAM. For whatever reason, Google Images show few bagpipers wearing the Tam O'Shanter.

38. December 24 or 31 : EVE

39. Each : PER

42. Exit the bus : GET OFF

44. Tap concern : DRIP

45. Went round and round : ROTATED

47. Greet the day : AWAKEN

49. "__ Life": Sinatra hit : THAT'S

50. Rented again : RELET

51. Silly : INANE

52. Romeo and Juliet, e.g. : ROLES

53. Apply, as pressure : EXERT

55. Puncture with a pin : PRICK. Hand up for BURST.

56. Song of praise : PAEAN

57. City in northern France : LILLE. Wiki link

58. Comic Izzard : EDDIE. Eddie Izzard-Lord of the Rings & Pipes Link(9:20)

63. TV forensic drama : CSI. (Crime Scene Investigation)

65. __ shot : FLU

Argyle

Monday, March 30, 2015 Bruce Haight

 Theme: No Grey Area - Everything is black-and-white.

17. Black-and-white cruiser : PATROL CAR

25. Black-and-white puzzles : CROSSWORDS

30. Black-and-white music makers : PIANO KEYS

45. Black-and-white companion : DALMATIAN

50. Black-and-white flag : JOLLY ROGER

64. Black-and-white ocean predator : ORCA WHALE

Argyle here. Bruce seems to manage a different style of puzzle every time he visits us. Straightforward clues, six themed entries; easy Monday. A lot of 5-letter entries results in a lot of 3-letter entries but a fair trade-off.

          Something for Tinbeni.

Across:

1. Also : TOO

4. Hotelier Helmsley : LEONA. "Queen of Mean".

9. Make small adjustments to : TWEAK

14. Post-ER area : ICU. (intensive care unit)

15. First stage : ONSET

16. ABBA's "__ Mia" : MAMMA

19. High-tech prefix with space : CYBER

20. Memorial __ Kettering: NYC hospital : SLOAN * Cancer Center founded in 1884.

21. Teensy bit : A TAD

23. Word on a penny : CENT

24. Yin's partner : YANG

27. When doubled, a Pacific island : BORA

29. Actor DiCaprio, familiarly : LEO

35. "The Jetsons" boy : ELROY

39. Go over snow : SKI

40. Painkiller with a Meltaways children's brand : TYLENOL

42. "__ Maria" : AVE

43. 2014 film about civil rights marches : SELMA

47. Outfielder's asset : ARM

49. Brouhahas : ADOs

56. Take five : REST

59. October birthstone : OPAL

60. Curly-horned goat : IBEX

61. Happen : OCCUR

62. Really casual "No prob!" : "NATCH!". Tenuous connection.

66. Pal of Threepio : ARTOO. (R2-D2)(C-3PO)

67. Behave theatrically : EMOTE

68. Type : ILK

69. Way up or way down : STEPS

70. Meeting of church delegates : SYNOD

71. Albany is its cap. : NYS. (New York State) *Slight dupe with 20-Across clue.

Down:

1. Slightly sloshed : TIPSY

2. City in Florida's horse country : OCALA. We had this last Monday. Remember?

3. Released from jail until trial : OUT ON BAIL

4. Diving lake bird : LOON. Very apt for this puzzle.

5. Picture that shows more detail: Abbr. : ENL. (enlargement)

6. "Sesame Street" grouch : OSCAR

7. "Sweet!" : "NEATO!" 10D. "Totally awesome!" : "WAY COOL!"

8. Gillette razors : ATRAs

9. HBO rival : TMC. The Movie Channel (TMC) is a cable and satellite network that is owned by the Showtime Networks, a subsidiary of CBS Corporation

11. Campfire glower : EMBER

12. Modify, as a law : AMEND

13. Go-__: mini racers : KARTS

18. Tease relentlessly : RAG ON. "of unknown origin"

22. ISP option : DSL. (internet service provider/digital subscriber line) It's been hashed over before; just accept it and move on.

25. Like dense brownies : CAKY. or CAKEY. (Spell Check didn't like either.)

26. Little shaver, to Burns : WEE LAD

28. Dial type on old phones : ROTARY

30. Ltr. add-ons : PSs. (Postscripts)

31. Eisenhower nickname : IKE. Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th President.

32. Days of yore, quaintly : ELD

33. Supporting vote : YEA

34. NBC show that celebrated its 40th anniversary in Feb. : SNL. (Saturday Night Live)

36. Cause an uproar of Biblical proportions? : RAISE CAIN

37. Fertility clinic eggs : OVA

38. Itch : YEN

41. Actor Sharif : OMAR. (Omar Sharif)

44. Shoplifter catcher, often : MALL COP

46. Handheld burning light : TORCH

48. Med. scan : MRI. (magnetic resonance imaging)

50. __ Brothers: pop music trio : JONAS. Come and gone.

51. Dizzying painting genre : OP ART

52. Coffeehouse order : LATTE

53. Bassoon relatives : OBOEs

54. Potentially infectious : GERMY

55. Former jailbird : EX-CON

57. Tarnish : SULLY

58. Tough hikes : TREKs

61. Didn't pay yet : OWED

63. Laughs from Santa : HOs

65. From __ Z : A TO

Argyle

Sunday March 29, 2015 Melanie Miller

 Theme: "Ick Factor" - EW is inserted to each theme answer.

26A. Sign outside the women's locker room? : BEWARE NAKED LADIES. Barenaked Ladies, a Canadian rock band.

41A. Hopper using hops? : BREWER RABBIT. Br'er Rabbit. Uncle Remus.  Also  Spitzboo's favorite molasses brand.

66A. Powerful Persian bloodline? : MEWING DYNASTY. Ming Dynasty. Don't forget Zhou & Qin dynasties. That's how I got my name.

91A. Draft in a moldy basement? : MILDEW BREEZE. Mild breeze.

107A. Stray nut among the Doritos? : CASHEW IN ONE'S CHIPS. Cash in one's chips. I'd love that stray cashew.

15D. Another showing of an Edsel documentary? : LEMON REWIND. Lemon rind. I often wonder why the I has the long vowel sound when the I in "ring" has a short I.

65D. Pulled hamstring, to a hurdler? : DEADLY SINEW. Deadly sin. Which do you think is the deadliest of the deadly sins?

This is a classic word addition theme, with a classic 7-themer in a classic grid arrangement, except the first theme entry starts in Row 4 rather than Row 3.

No shock and awe entries, the fill is extremely smooth. I love Melanie's grids.

Across:

 

1. Trade : SWAP. Easy start.

5. Bestow upon, as a compliment : PAY

8. Increased excessively, with "on" : PILED

13. Back country : WILDS

18. Subject of a memorable chocolate simile : LIFE.  Oh, "Life is like a box of chocolates" from Forrest Gump.

 

19. Sport with four-person teams : POLO

20. Came to : AWOKE

21. Theatrical work : OPERA. I put DRAMA first.

22. Barbecue feature : OPEN GRILL

24. More cordial : NICER

25. Canning tomatoes : ROMAS. Can't wait to start my little garden. No Romas for me though. I like a few cherry tomato plants and beefsteaks.

29. Paper cut cries : OWS

30. High : LOFTY

31. Wooded depression : DELL

32. How the riot act is read : STERNLY

34. Lifeboat item : OAR

37. Beginning of Christmas? : CEE. Christmas.

38. Tiny __ : TIM

39. Gadget in the game Twister : SPINNER

45. Gardner of "The Hucksters" : AVA. Alas, still no DuVernay.

46. Cher's "Burlesque" role : TESS

49. Reason : INFER

50. Auditorium sections : BALCONIES

52. Illegal USMC status : AWOL. Do you like my cap?

53. Pot filler : SOIL

54. Castaway's signal : FLARE

56. Where Yogi naps : DEN. Yogi Bear.

57. Vice president before Gerald : SPIRO

58. Fragrant bloom : LILAC. The smell is a bit strong for me.

60. Excitement : ADO

61. Edison's 1,000-plus : PATENTS. Is that a record?

63. Told too much : OLD. Tricky clue.

70. It's longer than a dit : DAH

71. Finale of Copland's "Rodeo" : HOEDOWN. Got via crosses.

73. Hosp. areas : ERs

74. Wii fanatic, say : GAMER

76. Shaker unit : GRAIN. Salt.

77. __ tai : MAI. Remind me of the lady who mis-ordered "Mai tai" rather than "Pad Thai", Hahtoola!

78. Equine array : GAITS

80. Paintballs, e.g. : AMMO

84. Fizzles out : ENDS. I tried DIES first.

85. Fire sign? : ALARM BELL. Nice clue/answer.

88. Inflict : WREAK

89. Sushi options : EELS. Unagi! By the way, what's your favorite giardiniera brand? Please share if you have a simple recipe. 

90. Black batt. terminal : NEG

94. "Wanna bet?" : YES IT IS

97. Academic no. : GPA

98. Full Sail or Harpoon product : ALE. Not familiar with the two brewers.

99. Title stuffed bear in a 2012 comedy : TED. Never saw the movie.

100. Squat hounds : BASSETS

102. Red Carpet stance : POSE

104. Rotisserie league data : STATS. Fantasy baseball

106. Israeli machine gun : UZI

113. Total : RUN TO

115. Naps, maybe : LOLLS. Not equivalent to me.

116. Athenian landmark : PARTHENON

117. Gussy up : PREEN. We had a big mirror in our tiny college dorm, shared by 5 girls.

118. Some map dots : ISLES

119. Olympian chariot rider : ARES

120. Real estate division : ACRE

121. Repaired, in a way : SEWED

122. Bothersome : PESTY. I use PESKY.

123. Was in the driver's seat : LED

124. Dieter's data : FATS

Down:

1. Hardly a pick-up expert? : SLOB. Ha ha.

2. Cleaning cloth : WIPE

3. Rough quantity : A FEW

4. __ colony : PENAL

5. Tip : POINTER

6. Temper : ALLAY. Verb.

7. Crème brûlée ingredient : YOLK. Exciting to see it prepared by the table.

8. Considerable outbreak : PANDEMIC

9. Cooperative words : I WILL

10. Hometown folks : LOCALS

11. Managed with difficulty, with "out" : EKED

12. Disdainful : DERISIVE

13. Slip : WORSEN

14. NYSE event : IPO

16. Matthew McConaughey has one : DRAWL. Indeed. He has very pronounced Southern drawl.

17. Nervy : SASSY

19. Want more : PREFER

23. Seller of staples : GROCER

27. Safe to have : EDIBLE. Raw honey is one of the poisonous foods in Dave's link last week. I have it almost daily. Mine is from Trader Joe's.

28. Former lab burners : ETNAS

33. Prepare to paint again : RE-TAPE

34. Kimono holders : OBIS

35. It occasionally floods Florence : ARNO

36. Mtge. adjustment : RE-FI

38. Lift not as common as it used to be : T-BAR.  What's the common lift nowadays, then, Marti?

40. Tylenol target : PAIN. Safe for Dave.

42. Fit as a fiddle : WELL

43. Summers in China? : ABACI. Gimme. Abacus sums, hence summer.

44. Tom and Jerry, e.g. : TODDY

47. Partially, casually : SORTA

48. Spill clumsily : SLOSH

51. Hard-to-miss sign : NEON. Like this one in Vegas.

54. Zoomed : FLEW

55. Estate highlight, often : LAWN

57. Lid inflammation : STYE

59. "__ a mission" : I'M ON

60. Some magazine spreads : ADs

61. Coll. prep test : PSAT

62. Some drive-thrus : ATMs

63. "That's a surprise" : OH GEE

64. Greene of the original "Battlestar Galactica" series : LORNE

67. Move in on : NEAR.

68. "The Frog Prince" byline : GRIMM

69. Like gymnasts : AGILE

72. Trash-talks : DISSES

75. Not at all typical : RARE. One of Boomer's bowling buddies has a 1954 Mickey Mantle & 1955 Jackie Robinson.

77. Wise men : MAGI

78. Ballpoint alternative : GEL PEN

79. "The Blacklist" actor : ALDA

81. Gather : MEET

82. Cornfield attraction : MAZE

83. Accepted : OK'ED

85. Santa __ Derby : ANITA

86. Accidentally reveals : LETS SLIP

87. Fraidy cat : BIG SISSY. Only used "Sissy" before.

88. "That sav'd a __ like me!": "Amazing Grace" : WRETCH

92. Filled with tears : WATERED

93. Denounces : BLASTS

95. Duel attendant : SECOND.  It's fun to trick others with "Second" in DUEL clue.

96. Bouts : SPELLS

100. Goals of some back pats : BURPS

101. Poetic blue : AZURE

103. Young barn dweller : OWLET

104. Trap : SNARE

105. Bound bunch : SHEAF

108. Washer part : HOSE

109. Abundant gemstone Down Under : OPAL

110. Old empire builder : INCA

111. Vancouver, for one : PORT

112. Sega competitor in the 16-bit market : SNES (Super Nintendo Entertainment System)

114. Ball holder : TEE

C.C.

Saturday, Mar 28th, 2015, Kevin Christian and Doug Peterson

Theme: None

Words: 72 (missing V, X, Z)

Blocks: 33

  Man, I thought this one was going to crush me.  In the end, I had to cheat - two items, but it was worth it.  The SE corner had some genuine screw-ups on my part, which slowed me down something fierce.  Lots of white-wash in the top half as well, which left me discouraged - but then, a glimmer of hope~!  Triple 9-letter corners made up the longest answers; 

15a. Spider producer : ALFA ROMEO - lots of car manufacturers make a "spider", but this company seems to be most closely associated with the style.  Did you hear about the UK Top Gear presenter getting fired~?  I'm not sure I'm watching next year....

17. 54-Down cause, in modern jargon : FAT FINGER - Funny.  This should have clued me in that my 54d. "MEMO" was wrong

 58a. Little League game ender, perhaps : MERCY RULE - Some "baseball" for C.C.; I had "--- BUNT", and that wasn't making any sense - the Wiki

32d. Where billabongs flow : AUSTRALIA - not the clothing line - a new word for me; the Wiki

oh, and -

44a. What some authority figures wear? : THE PANTS - "Let me tell you, I'm the one who wears the pants around here~!

Game - ON -ward~!

ACROSS:

1. Discouraged : SCARED OFF

10. Father of Reuben, in Genesis : JACOB - OK, I cheated.  I had to look this one up.

16. __ Bowl: Boston College won the last one in 2000 : ALOHA

18. Samurai without a master : RONIN - I recalled this from an "X-Files" episode

19. Sell the scene : EMOTE

20. __ Air : BEL

22. Have more than enough : O.D.  ON

23. Mtge. application datum : SSN

24. Hayek of "Frida" : SALMA

26. Meld : FUSE

27. Shafts, so to speak : RAW DEALS - as in "they gave me the shaft"

30. Court pos. : CTR - meh.

31. Hillshire Brands predecessor : SARA LEE

34. "Bad idea" : "NAH"

35. Skosh : TAD

36. High-protein grain : QUINOA - OK.  I cheated here, too - I was pretty sure "QUINCE" was wrong, but the "OA" was not coming to me

37. Great Plains tribe : LAKOTA - oops, not Dakota

39. Sch. whose marching band played on Fleetwood Mac's "Tusk" : USC

40. Spray-making co. : FTD - ah.  I did not know these arrangements were called "sprays"

42. Golden Globe nominee for "Tommy" : DALTREY - Roger, from The Who

43. Second-most populous Afr. country : ETHiopia

46. God in 56-Across : ARES

48. Past : OF OLD

49. K.C. setting : CST - OK, I thought Kansas City was in MDT; sorry, my mid-west friends, I thought you were further west....

52. Item on a carhop's tray : MALT

53. Fox's leg? : GAM - my kind of clue~!

54. Reno-__ Intl. Airport : TAHOE

56. It concludes with Hector's funeral : ILIAD

61. __ mentality : SIEGE - I am familiar with "herd" mentality, but I have not "heard" this phrase

62. Yosemite attraction : EL CAPITAN - Old Faithful did not fit; besides, it's in Yellowstone....

63. "Blade Runner" actor Rutger __ : HAUER

64. "Days," for one : SOAP OPERA - my mom calls her favorite daytime drama "Days", in reference to "Days of Our Lives"

DOWN:       

1. Gun holders : SAFES - ugh, took W-A-A-A-Y too long to figure out the "F"

2. Bucks : CLAMS - money slang

3. River in a Burns poem : AFTON - mostly perps

4. Great quantity : RAFT - r-aft and aft-on

5. City with a Penn State campus : ERIE - educated WAG

6. Get into : DON - Pondered "DIG" here, but we're talking clothes, not 'style'

7. Surprise letters : OMG - Text-speak for "Oh My God~!"

8. Ineffective : FEEBLE

9. Court leader : FOREMAN

10. Shake up : JAR - I got jarred in my hockey game this past Wednesday; I made the save on the guy who crashed the net, but I still have the headache

11. Hard to reach : ALOOF

12. Copper, notably : CONDUCTOR - the "T" from TAD led me to try "---- METAL" - bzzzt~!

13. Jack Nicklaus Museum campus : OHIO STATE - I WAGed "STATE" from TAD as well, and this worked

14. Time to celebrate : BANNER DAY - WAGed "DAY" from TAD, too~!

21. Dream state? : LA-LA LAND - shout-out, Linda~!

24. Misfit '70s sitcom character : SWEATHOG - Mista Kotter~!

25. Power chaser? : ADE - Powerade, the sports drink

27. Bolted : RAN

28. Up : ALOFT - ugh.  RISEN~? AWAKE~? ALIVE~? Nope.

29. Old will? : SHALT - Thou will not covet...

31. Easily appalled : SQUEAMISH - BANG~! Got it with just "---M--H"

33. "The Three Musketeers" antagonist : RICHELIEU - mostly perps

38. Ring concerns: Abbr. : KTS - dah~!  I had KOs, the boxing kind of ring, not the engagement type

41. Vilifies : DEFAMES - ooops, not ASHames

42. Indian lentil dish : DAL - all perps; last week, we had VORTEX cross with TEX; this week, it's DAL and DALtrey

45. Asian citrus fruit : POMELO

47. Part of a process : STAGE

49. Drag racing safety feature : CHUTE

50. __ system : SOLAR - DAH~!! Put in HONOR, and that blew up the whole corner; I was 40% correct

51. "Lovergirl" vocalist __ Marie : TEENA - WAG & perps

54. Paper slip : TYPO - Dah-dah-dah~!  Not MEMO; should have known it was wrong with the cross-referenced 17a.

55. "What __!": "I've been swindled!" : "A RIP~!"

57. Aachen article : DER

59. Onetime Hertz owner : RCA

60. Tube top : CAP - ah, not the clothing

Splynter

Friday, March 27, 2015, Jacob Stulberg

Theme: Waiter, what is this fly doing in my soup? ANSWER? See number 3.

Jacob has always puzzled me with his puzzles like his Wednesday NYT, and while the solve was okay and I am not a great solver, I was having difficulty with the explanation. The basic theme has TANG inside the fill, and I now understand why after consulting with the Corner guru. The first four themers are:

14A. *1952 #1 hit for Leroy Anderson : BLUE TANGO  (9), Do not know the SONG or the artist, but the perps and the theme gave me this answer quickly.

17A. *Math reciprocal : COTANGENT(9). This was easy, but I will defer to our math experts to discuss.

61A. *"Atomic" Crayola color : TANGERINE (9). I am not sure why but I remember this color.

66A. *Bogged down : ENTANGLED (9). Not perfect fit for me.

Then we have the supplemental variation of the old joke about a fly in the soup:

30A. With 35-Across, question the starred clues might ask : WHAT IS THIS FLY (13).
35A. See 30-Across : DOING IN MY ANSWER (15).
44. Response to 30-/35-Across, and a hint to a hidden word in 14-, 17-, 61- and 66-Across : THE BACK STROKE (13).

I was struggling to make sense of the back stroke reference when I was made aware that TANG backwards spells GNAT, which makes it all fit together as the GNAT in each theme answer is backwards leaving a FLY doing a backstroke. Really inventive combination of words and visual.

Again we have a Friday with almost 60 five letter or shorter words, 42 blocks and only a few non theme related sparkly fill such as ANCHOR, BEATER, EERILY, IT WAS I, KEITEL, OUTLAW, SHIRTS, SO THAT, AT STAKE, ESSENCE. We also have the cross-referenced reveal which get some complaints, and if you do not know the old joke it may have been a bear, but overall this was as an inventive and puzzling puzzle.



Across:

1. Long __ : AGO. We begin like STAR WARS Episode IV only it is our constructor who has a mind from a different galaxy.

4. Spartan colonnades : STOAS. You see many of these on college campuses as well.

9. Belief of more than a billion : ISLAM.

16. "Done!" : THERE.

18. Expand : WIDEN.

19. Numskull : DOLT.

20. Start of a rumor : I HEAR...that Rich does not like partials, is this one?

22. Fuel economy testing org. : EPA. Environemental Protection Agency.

23. Business card word : FAX.

26. On the table : AT STAKE.

33. Zhou __ : EN LAI. This Chinese POLITICIAN and cohort of Mao actually died a few month before Mao's death. And 25D. Capital of Shaanxi Province : XI'AN. CSO to our own.

34. Wide size : EEE.

42. Boston Coll. is in it : ACC. Atlantic Coast Conference.

43. '90s runner : PEROT. For president, not for distance, Ross.

50. Pith : ESSENCE.

51. Medit. land : ISRael.

52. Revised versions: Abbr. : EDS. Editions.

55. Sharp : ACRID. I think of smells.

57. Stop on Amtrak's Lake Shore Limited route : ERIE. CSO.

58. Theodore's first lady : EDITH. This LADY. She was however, his second wife.

65. Event with pole bending : RODEO. Like slalom for cowboys? No idea.

67. "Octopus's Garden" songwriter : STARR. Ringo wrote some interesting songs. His best with the BEATLES.

68. Holds up : LASTS. And, 46D. Hold : ANCHOR.

69. Sch. units : YRS.


Down:

1. Start of a children's song : ABCDE.

2. Gluttonous Augustus in "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" : GLOOP. I did not remember his NAME.(2:39)

3. Posse target : OUTLAW.

4. Stop: Abbr. : STN.

5. __ sale : TAG. We have yard sales, garage sales, moving sales as well as THESE. My grandmother manufactured tags in Southbridge.

6. Word with man or horse : ONE. ReallY?

7. Latin lambs : AGNI. A variation from our normal reference.

8. To make sure : SO THAT.

9. Confessor's words : IT WAS I. I started with I DID IT which also fit.

10. Haberdashery stock : SHIRTS. The original meaning was the peddler of notions such as needles, thread etc. but it has become associated with outfitting a man.

11. Directed : LED.

12. Exist : ARE.

13. Sign on a door : MEN. It safer to put gentleman and ladies, too easy to remove WO.

15. Put away : EAT.

21. Djibouti neighbor: Abbr. : ETHiopia.

23. Canine : FANG. Rhymes with TANG.

24. Hun king, in Norse legend : ATLI. Is this a comeback this week for ATTILA?

27. Several : A FEW.

28. "Twittering Machine" artist : KLEE. I had the K and filled in the rest, but I still am not very knowledgeable about painting. I have seen the picture, but did not know the name.

29. Observer : EYER. Not a favorite clue/fill.

31. Mother __ : HEN.

32. Fools : SIMPS. Literally I guess this is true as a simpleton is a foos.

35. 2/3, say : DATE. This partial clue fooled me for a while.

36. Big name in publishing : OCHS. Really, really BIG for the NY Times, not so much our journal.

37. Decorates, in a way : ICES. Tin, it is okay to ice a cake.

38. Mountain sighting : YETI. Ridiculous. I would rather see....

They were at Woodstock

39. JFK list : ARRS.

40. Queen dowager of Jordan : NOOR. Our American export. LINK.

41. Wall St. purchase : STK.

45. Rattletrap : BEATER. I know the term from reading old books,, but I have never heard anyone actually use the term.

47. "Born on the Bayou" band, briefly : CCR. Credence Clearwater Revival, a 2nd Woodstock band.

48. "Mean Streets" co-star : KEITEL. Harvey.  A powerful FILM. (2:58)

49. How ghost stories are told : EERILY.

53. "2 Broke Girls" setting : DINER. A female variation of the ODD COUPLE in the grand tradition of sitcoms from Lucy to the present. Much more sexual innuendo and talk. It used to follow The Big Bang Theory so I tried it.

54. Origins : SEEDS.

56. Actress Delany : DANA. I have watched her on many things since China Beach. (2:28)

57. Bit of work : ERG. Followed by....

58. Triage ctrs. : ERS. Emergency Rooms.

59. Finish, as a letter, perhaps : DOT. Finish writing the letter (i) , not the letter! Ah ha, I get it.

60. Wyo. neighbor : IDAho.

62. Some Windows systems : NTS.

63. Hood's gun : GAT.

64. U.S. Army rank abolished in 1815 : ENS. A WAG that was easier than I expected.

Another Friday gone, another month, another change of season and another puzzle with a somewhat complicated gimmick. I had fun once I got past the TANG + GNAT backwards part. A reminder to always look both ways when you see "BACK" in a puzzle. Enjoy the birdies. Lemonade out.