Friday, May 1, 2015, Max Carpenter

Theme: I love U double!

In my current fog I have not located the record for the most use of the letter "U" in the LAT 15x15 puzzles, but the NYT record is 19. This puzzle has 34 "U"s. This I guess is as close to a rebus as Rich will allow, sort of an antonym to rebus with a letter spread into two spaces instead two squeezed into one. Anyway, white rabbit, white rabbit and welcome to the new month. May 1 has so many histories two examples LINK, and LINK.

We appear to have yet another debut puzzle, with his previous published work maybe in a college paper. Anyway, the puzzle was a gridding challenge to not only fit in 34 "U"s but to match up the perps. Max also gives us some lively intermediate fill, ACCUSE,  ALAMOS,  ANORAK, ARAFAT, BIKINI,  BRETON,  ERES TU, EUCLID, MOUNDS, YEASTY, ALGEBRA, CRITERIA, DICAPRIO,  RENOUNCE and  TOLERANT, which are nice contrasts. With theme answers ranging from 3 letters to a grid spanner and 18 of them we have work to do. (18 is a lucky number to some.) I look forward to the comments as without understanding the theme this would be impossible, and I know some do not like fill that is not a real word, yet creativity must be rewarded....

17A. Tennis shot delivered from between one's legs : TUUEENER (8). TWEENER. Not familiar with the term in tennis so the start was slow

20A. Duo : TUUO (4). TWO. Obviously the cluing cannot be too deceptive.

22A. Conference, informally : POUU UUOUU (9). POW WOW. The visual is so cool.

37A. Blogosphere backdrop : UUORLD UUIDE UUEB (15). WORLD WIDE WEB. This also is awesome, finding a 15 letter one.

44A. Quarterback's target: Abbr. : UUR. (3) WR, wide receiver. (Not part of the theme but a clecho) 46A. One targeting the quarterback : CENTER.)

48A. Socially inept : AUUKUUARD (9). AWKWARD. As is the look of the fill.

58A. Slapstick performer : CLOUUN (6). CLOWN.

2D. Sad : LOUU (4). LOW.  Feeling down.  (Not part of the theme but a clecho follows)

3D. Sad : GLUM.  This fill was key to my unlocking the theme.

6D. Really let loose : RAN UUILD (8). RAN WILD. One of my favorites of the theme fill.

7D. All over again : ANEUU (5). ANEW. With this many themers we were bound to get an A word.

10D. Declare : AVOUU (5). AVOW.

25D. High-profile caucus locale : IOUUA (5). IOWA. Election time coming soon along with the robocalls.

33D. Function : UUORK (5). WORK. Needed perps.

36D. Rod with power : UUAND (5). WAND.

38D. Court case : LAUUSUIT (8). LAWSUIT.

45D. Pigtailed redhead in a restaurant logo : UUENDY (6). WENDY. Dave Thomas' little girl.

48D. Leather craftsperson's beltful : AUULS (5). AWLS.

50D. Hospital division : UUARD (5). WARD.

And the reveal, 64A. Letter that hints at how 18 answers in this puzzle should be filled in : DOUBLE U (7).

Well with well over 100 spaces of theme let's see what he managed with the rest.

Across:

1. Math course : ALGEBRA. We also have Geometry below.

8. Oslo Accords participant : ARAFAT.Not politics, but HISTORY.

14. Broad-minded : TOLERANT. How appropriate to be next to a clue about Middle East peace talks.

16. Ranks : LEVELS. In the UK, students used to take O levels and then A levels to determine their academic future. I will let NC and our own Steve elaborate.

18. Cold-climate coat : ANORAK. In the US we usually call them parkas.

19. "Sounds good!" : YUM. Look good as well.

21. Almond Joy cousin : MOUNDS. Some days you feel like a nut....

24. Suit at a shoot : BIKINI. Nice word string in the clue, but I wondered if I am the only one who thought of this use of the ATOLL and the inclusion of 8D. Los __, New Mexico : ALAMOS,  the home to the Manhattan project and site of many tests. Coincidence?

27. Nine-digit no. : SSN.

28. Secretly send a dupe email to : BCC.

31. Unique : LONE.

32. Large moth : LUNA. Now this feels like a John Lampkin. He clued them as pale green moths in 2012 NYT.

35. Spicy Indian dish : CURRY. I will curry favor with my wife and mention her delicious versions of this Asian DISH.

40. Oklahoma city : TULSA.

41. Marriott competitor : OMNI. OMNI is luxury hotel, Marriott has many classes of hotel in their chain.

42. One way to get a hand : ANTE.

43. IBM-inspired villain : HAL.

51. Point one's finger at : ACCUSE. A reminder from Monday's puzzle/write up, and a very disturbing silent movie about war. J'ACCUSE.(5:42).

54. Apartment manager, for short : SUPE. Short for Super, short for superintendent.

55. Chronological start? : CEE. The old first letter trick.

59. Ceremoniously ushers : MARSHALS. Parades?

61. Geometry giant : EUCLID. I leave commentary to Fermat and Bill G and others more qualified. I was a math major for three months.

62. Yardsticks : CRITERIA.

63. Like the smell of rising dough : YEASTY. Is that what starts the juices flowing?

Down:

1. ABA member : ATTY.

4. Broad shoe size : EEE.

5. Jacques Cartier or Jules Verne, e.g. : BRETON. I found this FACT very obscure, but I was aware of the Celtic influence in France.

9. Formally abandon : RENOUNCE. I really liked this next to AVOW.

11. Fronded bit of flora : FERN.Alliteration abounds.

12. "__-in His Lamp": Bugs Bunny cartoon : A LAD. A Jerome worthy movie pun.

13. Impatient utterances : TSKS.

15. Slacks, briefly : TROUsers. Drop trou has so many connotations....

22. Strolling areas : PIERS.

23. Bolt with great speed : USAIN. A Super STAR.

24. "Arrested Development" surname : BLUTH.

26. Hillock : KNOLL. My generation will only think about a grassy one in Dallas.

28. Main impact : BRUNT.

29. Minos' kingdom : CRETE.

30. Modern crime head? : CYBER. Cybercrime. Anyone watching this SPIN-OFF which tries to meld their franchise shows with the popularity of nerds?

34. O.T. book : NUM. The beginning of a biblical mini-theme with 57 and 60D.

39. "The Wolf of Wall Street" star : DICAPRIO.

47. 1974 Mocedades hit : ERES TU. I had heard the song but had no idea of the ARTISTS. (3:14)

49. DOD branch : USMC. Semper Fi CSO to Argyle Dennis and all who served.

51. __-deucey : ACEY. The card game? The backgammon variation?

52. Footprint, maybe : CLUE.

53. Partner of Caesar : COCA. Imogene. A wacky woman who had a turn in the Vacation movies.

55. Swedish King __ XVI Gustaf : CARL. The reigning King, and has been for 42 years.

56. "Night" author Wiesel : ELIE. The Holocaust Remembrance Day was recent and we had a band which had two survivors as members perform at the ceremony at our little synagogue.

“Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp, which has turned my life into one long night, seven times cursed and seven times sealed....Never shall I forget those moments which murdered my G-d and my soul and turned my dreams to dust. Never shall I forget these things, even if I am condemned to live as long as G-d Himself. Never.”
 Elie Wiesel, Night 

57. Isaac's hirsute son : ESAU. From Genesis, Old Testament to Christians, simply Torah to Jews.

60. N.T. book : HEBrews. New Testament, i.e. Christian TEXT.

UUell that was quite a UUorkout; UUhat did you all think? I hope Max stops by and I thank you all. Lemonade out.

Thursday, April 30, 2015 Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: "Got Glue?"

Three different takes on the act of sniffing.

20-Across. [sniff] : I'VE CAUGHT A COLD. In my case, I'm sniffling because of allergies.

37-Across. [sniff] : THIS IS REALLY SAD. All right, fess up. How many of you cried at the end of "Steel Magnolias"?

56-Across. [sniff] : WHAT'S THAT SMELL? Does your S.O. hold the milk up to your nose and ask if you think it's still good?

I have blogged Jeffrey's puzzles so often, that I can finally spell his name without looking back at the puzzle information. ;-)

Across:

1. Bit of plankton : ALGA. Nailed it. ("This is gonna be a piece of cake!")

5. Venus and Mars : ORBS. ("Ummm...")

9. Actress Thompson of "Veronica Mars" : TESSA. ("Uh-oh, I'm in trouble...")

14. Small deer : ROES. I wasn't thinking in the plural!

15. Roman numerals may be seen on one : DIAL. My first thought. But I held off because everything else up north was pretty blank for a while.

16. Coveted annual honor : OSCAR. Took a minute, but it came to me.

17. Very aware of : TUNED IN TO.

19. Caroler's wear, often : SCARF.

22. Sun. speech : SER.mon.

23. Expressive music genre : EMO.

24. Sport fishing quarry : MARLIN. I found lots of clips on you tube, but this one was just crazy scary to me. 3:19

26. Way around London : TRAM. I noticed immediately that "double-decker bus" would not fit.

28. Debatable skill : ESP.

30. Manner of speaking : TONE.

31. Rueful : GRIEVOUS.

36. Shepherd's __ : PIE. I still remember the delicious shepherd's PIE that my grammar school cook used to serve.

41. "Jingle Bells" contraction : O'ER.

42. Some road signals : BLINKERS. The car's blinkers, or the yellow blinking light?

43. Desertlike : ARID.

45. Otoscope user, for short : ENT. I never knew that Tolkien's giant trees used otoscopes?  ;-)
(Ear Nose and Throat doctor)

46. Hurricane __ : LAMP.

50. Knock it off : DESIST.

52. Inflation meas. : PSI. Pounds per Square Inch.

55. "Alice in Wonderland" (2010) star Wasikowska : MIA. She and Johnny Depp were very good in this version.

60. Botch : MISDO.

61. Cockpit option : AUTO PILOT.

62. Expensive : STEEP.

63. Not at all pleasant : GRIM.

64. NYC-to-Montauk system : LIRR. Long Island Rail Road.

65. Frauds : SHAMS.

66. Barnyard meal : SLOP.

67. Cocker spaniel of film : LADY...and the Tramp.


Down

1. Recording __ : ARTIST.

2. Vent opening : LOUVER. Nit.  The louver is what covers or exposes the vent opening.

3. Canis and Felis : GENERA. Your generic dog and cat.

4. "Give me __" : A SEC.

5. Disgust : ODIUM.

6. "Don't Pass Me By" songwriter : RINGO.

7. Bad thing to take in Vegas? : BATH.

8. Pinball machine feature : SLOT. Ah yes, you never get to use all the other features until you put your coin in the SLOT.

9. 1900 Teatro Costanzi premiere : TOSCA. Nailed it. Rome's original opera house.

10. Go with : ESCORT.

11. Food often served seared : SCALLOPS. I just made those the other night, and served them with a balsamic reduction. Yumm.

12. Autonomous region of Italy : SARDINIA. There were five choices.

13. Dog's declaration : ARF.

18. Actor Daniel __ Kim : DAE. Remember him from Hawaii Five-O?

21. Pharmaceutical container : AMPULE.

25. Grant factor : NEED.

27. Classic two-seated roadsters : MGs.

28. It happens : EVENT. Because "S**T" was too short.  ;-)

29. Overcharge : SOAK.

32. Barbecue morsel : RIB.  Mmmm...it's getting to be that time of year, when we use our favorite 52-Down. Cookout site : PATIO.

33. The Skerries in the 39-Down, e.g. : ISLETS. And 39-Down. View from Liverpool : IRISH SEA.

34. Yeats' home : ERIN.

35. Camera shop offering, briefly : SLR.

37. "The Wind in the Willows" figure : TOAD.

38. Legalese adverb : HEREWITH.

40. Fashion monogram : YSL. Yves St. Laurent.

44. Crown jewels item : DIADEM.

47. First name in aviation history : AMELIA.

48. Upper-class address : MILORD.

49. Insignificant : PALTRY.

51. Conductor's calls : STOPS.

53. Tread heavily : STOMP.

54. NetZero, e.g.: Abbr. : ISP.

57. Puts (out) : TAGS.

58. Throw hard : HURL.

59. Paper or pepper source : MILL.

60. Ed.'s pile : MSS. Manuscripts. The second "S" is not just the plural of the abbreviation.  It follows the rule of doubling the last letter of the abbreviation, similar to using "pp" for the plural of "pages."

And that's it from me for now. Your turn!
Marti

Wedneday, April 29, 2015 Ed Sessna

Theme: WHY AREN'T YOU IN BED? or WHY iS THERE A TV IN YOUR BED ROOM?  The first words of the theme answers are the first names of a sequence of hosts for a TV show that airs too late to stay up for - at least for me in my time zone.

17 A. *Knave in a black suit : JACK OF CLUBS.   A most excellent clue!  In Britain, and among bridge players,  the Jack of a card suite is known as the knave.  This guy's counterpart is the JACK of Spades, offering another theme opportunity, depending on how many letters were needed.  The host referred to is JACK Paar [1957-62], who got into a big dust-up with the network suits for making a joke about a toilet.

24 A. *Griddle-cooked corn bread : JOHNNY CAKE.  Southern fried fare, and the iconic, always impeccably dressed JOHNNY CARSON [1962-92.]

38 A. *Symbol of nakedness : JAY BIRD.  If you ever wondered where this expression came from, here is your answer.  In my 'ute, a common insult, slightly bowdlerized was," If you stuck your brains in the hindquarters of a JAY bird, he'd still fly backwards."  JAY Leno [1992-2009, 2010-14] is known for his car collection and his chin.

48 A. *Like a well-made lock : JIMMY PROOF.  A JIMMY is a short pry-bar used to force open a door or window, and by extension a device to force open a lock.  JIMMY Fallon [2014 - ] is the current host of the program yet to be identified.

If you haven't sussed it by now, the unifier completely gives it away.   60 A. With "The," post-prime time fare since the '50s, four of whose regular hosts appear in sequence in the answers to starred clues : TONIGHT SHOW.  Since its inception in 1954, this is the longest running regularly scheduled talk and entertainment program on U.S. TV.  Not included in this list are the first host, the brilliant Steve Allen, [1954-7] and Conan O'Brien [7+ months spanning 2009-10] whose short stint was sandwiched between Jay Leno's two runs.  Carson had the longest tenure, but Leno had the greatest number of hosted episodes. 

Hi gang, JazzBumpa here.  Not really a TV maven, but I assume everyone knows about this program and its roster of celebrity hosts.  Let's get through this quickly so I can go to bed at a decent hour.

Across

1. Senate electee : MEMBER.  One who joins, or in this case is [s]elected to be in a group or organization.

7. Russia-Manchuria border river : AMUR.  The world's 10th longest river meanders generally west to east, making the border between the Russian far east and northeastern China.

11. Simile center : AS A.  Right now I'm feeling smart AS A mule.

14. Esoteric : ARCANE.   Secret, mysterious and/or understood by few.

15. Without help : LONE.  

Four and a half minutes of misery

16. Amendments 1-10 subj. : RTS.  The Bill of Rights from the U.S. Constitution.

19. Prefix with state : TRI-.  Referring to a town, city or region that encompasses parts of three states.  There are several such in the U. S.  

20. Maldives landform : ATOLL.  A ring shaped coral archipelago.  The Maldives islands are one such, located in the Indian Ocean, 470 miles south west of Sri Lanka.

21. Taxi pickup : FARE.  Here is a not at all typical example. 

A sad smile, just the same [6:40]

22. Corrosive compound : ACID.  In either of a couple different senses.

23. Tofu source : SOYA.  Glop made from bean curd.

26. By way of : VIA.

28. Former Yankee manager who's now an MLB exec : TORRE.  Joe, who managed the Mets from 1987 to 81, Braves from '82 to 84, Cardinals from '90 to '95, Yankees from 1996 to 2007, and Dodgers from 2008 to 10.  

29. Comedy team who voiced the Piel Brothers of beer fame : BOB AND RAY.  

BOB AND RAY, the Two and Only 

35. Things to avoid : NO-NOS.  Just ask Nanette.

37. Goya's year : ANO.   En Español y sin tilde.

40. Clinker in a Glas : EIS.  And now,  in German, ICE in a glass.  Tin Man, just skip this one.

41. India's first prime minister : NEHRU.  Jawaharlal, in office from 1947 to 1964.

43. Pulitzer-winning WWII journalist : ERNIE PYLE. He died in combat in Okinawa on April 18, 1945.

45. Learns : HEARS.  Well, that is one way to learn.  If you listen.

47. Casual day, perhaps: Abbr. : FRIday.  Dress down day at work.  I never could get myself to wear denims, though.

52. Low-__ diet : CARB.  A la Atkins.

56. Big name in elevators : OTIS.  Big name in crosswords, too, though he had his ups and downs.

57. N.Y. commuter line with a Hempstead Branch : LIRR.  Long Island Rail Road.

58. Malia's sister : SASHA.  Obama, first and second daughters, respectively.

59. Flight-tracking fig. : ETA.  Estimated Time of Arrival.

62. Craving : YEN.    Derived from obsolete English argot for opium craving.   Meanwhile, I considered going to Japan, but didn't have the Yen to travel.

63. Some Alcan Highway pumps : ESSO.  Canadian petrol brand.

64. Email again : RESEND.

65. Soon-to-be grads: Abbr. : SRS.  Last year's JRS.

66. Afterwards : THEN.  Refers to the ensuing subsequent event that followed.

67. "__ End": 1970-'71 Streisand hit : STONEY.  

I forgot about this one

Down

1. Subjects of two Goya paintings : MAJAS.  Anything worth doing is worth doing twice - right?

Pose in repose

2. Muse for Millay : ERATO.  The muse of lyric poetry, especially of the romantic erotic, or perhaps even BAWDY variety.  Her name, meaning "desired" or "lovely," derives from the same root as Eros.  This muse is especially appropriate for Edna St. Vincent Millay, who was both a Pulitzer Prize winning poet and wildly promiscuous.

3. Kelley's "Star Trek" role : McCOY.  

Dammit, Jim

4. Syrup-topped pastry : BAKLAVA.  Filo dough, nuts and honey.

5. Organic compound : ENOL.  This always bothers me, first, because the clue is so vague - there are literally millions of organic compounds, and second, because enols are inherently unstable, and quickly transforms into ketones.

6. One who whistles while he works : REFeree.  Cute clue

7. God of Islam : ALLAH.   Same God as Christians and Jews, just a different name.

8. Grieve : MOURN.

9. Not having yielded : UNBENT.  House Martell of Dorne has this motto as it's House Words: "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken."

10. Hi-__ image : RESolution - clarity of image, having nothing in particular to do with New Year's Eve..

11. Ed Norton player : ART CARNEY.  From the Jackie Gleason sit-com, The Honeymooners; not to be confused with Ed Norton, the actor who played the un-named protagonist in the movie Fight Club.

This guy, being shown the door

12. Drill successfully : STRIKE OIL.  My dentist did some drilling a couple weeks ago.  Nothing this exciting ensued, I'm happy to say.

13. Parenthetical comment : ASIDE.  A comment a stage-play character makes to the audience, rather than as part of dialogue; or more generally, a comment in a text that is ancillary to the main topic.

18. Fiscal exec : CFO.  Chief Financial Officer.

22. Phobia lead-in : ACRO-.   Fear of heights.  I can relate.

24. Actress Pinkett Smith : JADA.  Veteran of many movies and TV shows, including the voice of Gloria the Hippo in the animated Madagascar movies.

Source

25. Over there : YONDER.

27. Strain or sprain : INJURY.

29. Interdict : BAN.

30. Game that's close to perfect : ONE HITTER.  A baseball game in which the pitcher gives up only one hit to the opposing team.   In a perfect game, there are no hits and no walks.

31. Dvorák and Smetana : BOHEMIANS.   Two gentlemen from that geographic region in the Czech Republic, rather than the artsy-fartsy proto-hippies of the 19th century.  Though both were composers, so who knows. 

32. Deli option : RYE.  Bread.  Of course, there are also RYE whiskey, and RYE beer, for the trifecta.  

33. Like many dicts. : ABR.  I guess "dict." is the ABReviation for "dictionary," but I'm have a hard time making sense of this entry.  UPDATE:  As Argyle and some others pointed out, ABR is short for ABRIDGED, so we have, in ABRIDGED form an ABRIDGED dictionary.  Thanks, guys! 

34. Feminine force : YIN.  The make counterpart is Yang.

Two curves in perfect fit

36. Kalamazoo-to-Cincinnati dir. : SSE.  South-South-East.  There's also a song about Kalamazoo, which has been my ear worm for about the past month.

Everything's O-K- . . .  

39. Jazz solo : RIFF.  Not really.  It's more of an ostinato phrase that might support an improvisation.  Here's a classic example.

Frank Rosolino on the trombone solo

42. Lambs' kin : RAMS.  The kids' dads and uncles.

44. Artist who had a Blue Period : PICASSO.  Pablo had his blue period from 1901-4, painting mostly in shades of blue.  These works were unpopular at the time, but are very popular now.

46. Jumping-in-puddles sound : SPLOSH.  Not SPLISH nor SPLASH?

All wet

48. Young hoppers : JOEYS.  Kangaroo offspring.

49. Car wash cycle : RINSE.   Heavy metal laundry.

50. Hunter seen at night : ORION.   The constellation that is home to Rigel and Betelgeuse.

Use your imagination

51. Kin of gov : ORG.  Two top level domain url suffixes, for government agencies and organizations, respectively.   The ".org" designation was originally intended for non-profits, but now includes other types of organizations such as schools, opens source projects, and communities.

53. Pale : ASHEN.

54. French wine region : RHONE.  In southern France along the Rhone river, where wine grapes have been cultivated since around the year 600 A.D.

55. Off-color : BAWDY.   Lewd, or, more specifically, dealing with sexual matters in a humorous way.

58. Editor's mark : STET.  From the Latin for "let it stand," indicating that a previously noted editorial change should be ignored.

60. Vietnamese holiday : TET.  The lunar new year.

61. Billing nos. : HRS.  For attorneys and other professionals who bill according to time spent on a project. 

Well, that wraps it up.  Good puzzle, nice theme, well executed, albeit with a couple questionable entries.  Hope you didn't lose any sleep over it.

Cool regards!

JzB

Tuesday, April 28, 2015 Robert E. Lee Morris

Theme: Hey buddy, can you spare a medi? - The sequence of the letters in the word SPARE have been changed and scrambled inside 17-, 32-, 38-Across and 11-, 29-Down. If you have the circles, that's fine. If you don't, then it's an added challenge.

17A. Airport security indignity : STRIP SEARCH

32A. Flour packaging : PAPER SACK

38A. Diva's big moment : OPERA SOLO

11D. Social gathering at a home : HOUSE PARTY

29D. Region beyond our atmosphere : OUTER SPACE

54A. Pocketful of coins, and what literally occurs in the circled letters in five puzzle answers : SPARE CHANGE

Lyegar here. I found having the circles and knowing the gimmick helped a skosh in the solve. Otherwise, a standard grid with mostly standard fill. Too many proper names?

Across:

1. Tennessee senator Alexander : LAMAR. (Andrew Lamar Alexander, Jr) Unknown to me.

6. Disgusting : GROSS

11. Summary on a timecard: Abbr. : HRs. (hours)

14. Olds model : ALERO

15. Emotionally expressive, as poetry : LYRIC. Dictionary approved.

16. OPEC commodity : OIL

19. Charlottesville sch. : UVA. (University of Virginia)

20. "Mazel __!" : TOV. ("good luck!")

21. Flair : ELAN

22. NFL Network talk show host Rich : EISEN. A journalist who attended the University of Michigan and was NOT an athlete although he was co–sports editor of the school's paper.

24. Father of Cain and Abel : ADAM

25. "The Maltese Falcon" novelist : HAMMETT. (Dashiell Hammett)

27. "That's enough!" : "STOP IT!"

30. Get started, as a grill : FIRE UP. Oh, yeah!

31. One-eighty : U-TURN

35. Bon __: witticism : MOT

36. Animal skins : PELTS

37. __ v. Wade : ROE

41. "Another card, dealer" : "HIT ME". Playing Blackjack.

43. Citizens under Caesar : ROMANS

44. Gorge : CANYON

45. Pure joy : ECSTASY

47. Quaint dagger : DIRK. 'Tis the one ye Scots wear in their hose.

48. Controversial Nixon records : TAPES

49. Blue jay or oriole : BIRD

50. Down in the dumps : SAD

53. Actress Thurman : UMA

58. Mo. with the shortest day of the year : DEC. Day meaning the period of sunlight.

59. Elaborate display : ECLAT

60. The "A" in "CAT scan" : AXIAL. (computed axial tomography) Older and less preferred term. per Wiki.

61. Fair-hiring abbr. : EOE. (Equal Opportunity Employment)

62. Thick-furred dog : SPITZ



Finnish

63. Colorful tank fish : TETRA

Down:

1. "The __ of the Mohicans" : LAST

2. Choir voice : ALTO

3. "Jeopardy!" creator Griffin : MERV

4. The D-backs, on scoreboards : ARI. (Arizona Diamondbacks)

5. Tricked by a scam : ROPED IN

6. Sparkle : GLEAM

7. Meg of "You've Got Mail" : RYAN

8. Bruin legend Bobby : ORR

9. Attack, to Rover : SIC

10. One with a devious plan : SCHEMER

12. Metal fastener : RIVET

13. Bias : SLANT

18. Bed support : SLAT

23. Don of morning radio : IMUS. "Don Imus Leaving Fox Business Network". Didn't know, don't care.

24. Auto financing abbr. : APR. (annual percentage rate)

25. Aware of : HIP TO

26. Greek god of war : ARES

27. Japanese wrestling : SUMO

28. 'Vette roof option : T-TOP. The '68 Corvette coupe was the first U.S.-built car to feature a T-top roof.

30. Niagara __ : FALLS

32. Showy flower : PEONY

33. Crooner Perry : COMO. If it's hip to be square, this dude was.

34. Sharp : KEEN

36. "The more you know" TV ads, e.g. : PSAs. (Public Service Announcement)

39. Repetitive learning : ROTE

40. Builds up : AMASSES

41. Construction site headgear : HARD HAT

42. Bic filler : INK

44. Newspaper sales no. : CIRC. (circulation)

45. Technique-mastering piano piece : ETUDE

46. Short film role : CAMEO

47. "Legion of the Damned" series writer William : DIETZ. What? His website.

49. Naughty kid : BRAT

50. Cranky state : SNIT

51. Biology lab gel : AGAR

52. Fashion's Oscar __ Renta : DE LA

55. Narc's find, briefly : PCP. Angel Dust.

56. Boxing immortal : ALI

57. Firefighter's tool : AXE

Yes, too many names.

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Kerry S, a long time lurker on our blog, sent me this fun picture yesterday: 1-A: Town in Italy!

Monday, April 27, 2015 Mark Bickham

Theme: Thumbs

17A. Color named for a fruit : LIME GREEN. Green thumb, the ability to grow healthy plants.

37A. Legendary Lady Godiva watcher : PEEPING TOM. Tom Thumb, disambiguation There are several.

42A. Stiff from horseback riding : SADDLE SORE. Sore thumb, something you don't want to stand out like.

62A. Clumsy ... or what the ends of 17-, 37- and 42-Across are? : ALL THUMBS

Argyle here. Bit unusual to have entries longer than the themes but not confusing. They add some panache to an easy-peasy Monday.

Across:

1. Flat-topped hill : MESA. Not loma this time.

5. Bash thrower : HOST

9. Arctic or Antarctic : OCEAN

14. "Are you asleep yet?" response : "I'M UP". Would not be my response.

15. Not tricked by : ON TO

16. Modeler's wood : BALSA

19. Like a mosquito bite : ITCHY

20. "Ah-oo-gah" horn : KLAXON

21. __ rally : PEP

23. Howls at the moon : BAYS

24. "Hold on a __" : SEC

25. Seek the affections of : WOO

27. Stop producing opportunities, as a financial market : DRY UP

29. Prefix with red : INFRA

31. What a musty room needs : AIRING

34. Ancient invader of Rome : GOTH

39. Converse competitor : AVIA

40. Gets rid of, as weight : LOSES

41. Park path : LANE

44.Soon, quaintly : ANON

45. Set aside a day for : PLAN ON

46. Word before house or plant : POWER

48. Oafs : LOUTS

50. Tyke : TOT

51. Eric Stonestreet's "Modern Family" role : CAM. In his role as Cameron Tucker on Modern Family, Stonestreet has earned three consecutive Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (2010, 2011 and 2012), winning the award in 2010 and 2012. He also received three Golden Globe Award nominations (2010, 2011 and 2013) for his work on the series.

54. New Zealand fruit : KIWI

56. Affirmative vote : YEA The other side. 13D. Negative votes : NAYS

58. Pepsi competitor : RC COLA

60. Slip past : EVADE

64. Judge's hammer : GAVEL

65. Jacob's first wife : LEAH

66. Lewd material : SMUT

67. Go on tiptoe : SNEAK

68. Like centerfolds : SEXY

69. Glazed Easter meats : HAMS

Down:

1. Does a farm job : MILKS. I guess mucks isn't a Monday word.

2. Author Zola : ÉMILE. "J'accuse"

3. "Poison" plant : SUMAC

4. Peak : APEX

5. Cornucopia : HORN OF PLENTY

6. "__ Life to Live" : ONE. A soap opera that had a 43 year run. Any fans?

7. Dance move : STEP

8. Got into shape, with "up" : TONED

9. __-Wan Kenobi : OBI. Star Wars.

10. Agile thief : CAT BURGLAR

11. Yosemite monolith popular with rock climbers : EL CAPITAN

12. Pale as a ghost : ASHY

18. Red-carpet garment : GOWN

22. Commendable : PRAISE WORTHY

26. Black-and-white cookies : OREOs

28. Yang counterpart : YIN

29. "That never occurred to me" : "I HAD NO IDEA"

30. Ancient storyteller : AESOP

32. Forbidden act : NO-NO

33. Fed. agents : G-MEN

34. Quick inhalation : GASP

35. Running track shape : OVAL

36. Seaside disaster cause : TIDAL WAVE

38. 1995 Reform Party founder : PEROT. (H. Ross Perot)

43. Singer Reed : LOU

47. Engrave on glass, say : ETCH

49. Makes watertight : SEALS

51. Punctuation mark in large numbers : COMMA

52. Scrapbook : ALBUM

53. Supports for sails : MASTS

54. Tapped beer holders : KEGS

55. Tennis great Lendl : IVAN

57. Out of the wind : ALEE

59. Like an easy job, slangily : CUSH. (cushy)

61. Moose relative : ELK

63. Southern Cal. airport : LAX

Argyle

1) Belatedly Happy Birthday to Lea's grandma Kay (Kazie), who joined this blog the year I started. I'm awfully sorry that I blanked on Saturday morning, Kay! We've been in a frenzy to prepare for our card show next week. I hope Barry and you did something special.

Kay and her husband Barry on Tamborine Mountain, overlooking Brisbane

2) The real Big Easy sent me these pictures of Justin Rose, the winner (22 under par) of the Zurich Classics. Big Easy has been volunteering for the event for years.  The other Big Easy skipped the event.