Tuesday, June 2, 2015 Mike Peluso

Theme:  SPIT IT OUT. The first word can precede TALKING.

4. *Round before the Elite Eight : SWEET SIXTEEN. Sweet talking. Elite Eight are the eight final teams in the NCAA regional finals or national quarterfinals.

6. *Ball carrier's maneuver depicted by the Heisman Trophy : STRAIGHT ARM. Straight talking.

26. *Two over par : DOUBLE BOGEY. Double talking.

23. Pundits ... and what the first words in the answers to starred clues literally are : TALKING HEADS

Four wrong answers snagged me until I got those untangled, aside from that, very do-able, just right for a Tuesday. 

melissa here.

Across:

1. Tostitos dip : SALSA

6. #, in music : SHARP

11. Swabbing need : MOP

14. Makes furrows in fields : PLOWS

15. Universal donor's group : TYPE O

16. Sports drink suffix : ADE

17. Roof overhangs : EAVES

18. Check the total of : RE-ADD.  Tried ADDED first.

19. Musician's booking : GIG

20. Gallic gal pal : AMIE.  Tried LASS first.

21. Paving goo : TAR

22. Adorable ones : CUTIES

24. Thor Heyerdahl's raft : KON-TIKI. I had no idea of this interesting story.

26. Lady of Lisbon : DONA. Portuguese title of address equivalent to Mrs. or Madam.

27. Beijing skyline haze : SMOG. Awful.

28. Home of the Raiders : OAKLAND

32. Video game brother : MARIO

35. High, in the French Alps : HAUT

37. Swiss painter Paul : KLEE. Very recognizable and colorful style.

38. Green card in the credit world : AMEX

39. Wild guesses : STABS

40. Brainchild : IDEA

41. Breathe heavily : PANT. Tried GASP first.

42. Hair clipper brand : WAHL

43. Twist into knots : GNARL. Tried BRAID first.

44. More vertical : STEEPER

46. Periodical with a URL : E-MAG

48. Oater actor Jack : ELAM

49. Chess pieces that move only diagonally : BISHOPS

53. Venus, e.g. : PLANET

56. Dress for success, with "up" : TOG.  If this is common crosswordese, I didn't remember. So out of practice.

57. Gardner of mystery : ERLE. 

58. Old nuclear agcy. : AEC

59. Repair, as faulty software : DEBUG

61. Morocco's capital : RABAT

62. Pixar collectible : CEL

63. Loon kin : GREBE

64. Official command : EDICT

65. Nonstandard product-tracking no. : SKU. Stock Keeping Unit.

66. College paper : ESSAY

67. "Bone" prefix : OSTEO

Down:

1. Command to Fido : SPEAK

2. "Drive Happy" rental company : ALAMO

3. "Good __": 1966 Young Rascals hit : LOVIN

5. Biblical mount : ASS

7. Martha of "Some Came Running" : HYER. 1959 Movie.

8. Therapists' org. : APA. American Psychological Association.

9. Revolutionary soldiers : REDCOATS

10. Middle-of-nowhere town : PODUNK

11. Star-struck trio? : MAGI.  Nice clue.

12. Drooly toon dog : ODIE

13. Cribbage pieces : PEGS

21. Bout decision : TKO

25. Texter's "I think ..." : IMO. "In My Opinion."

29. "M*A*S*H" star : ALDA. Hawkeye Pierce. IMO, Radar is the most endearing character. 

30. At no time, in poems : NE'ER.  Fare thee well, for ne'er shall we meet again ...

31. Negotiation ender : DEAL. Sneaky clue.

32. Plans (out) : MAPS

33. Amo, amas, __ : AMAT

34. Philosopher Descartes : RENE

36. Contented sigh : AAH

39. Cool weather clothes : SWEATERS

43. Fun time : GAS

45. Telethon promise : PLEDGE

47. Russian fighter : MIG

50. Heavenly path : ORBIT

51. "Peyton __" : PLACE

52. Spat : SET-TO. Got hung up here, thinking of Spat as a verb. The first T, crossing RABAT was my last to fill in. 

53. Lobbying orgs. : PACS

54. Scallion kin : LEEK

55. First Amendment defender: Abbr. : ACLU

56. Oom-pah maker : TUBA

60. Wanna-__: pretenders : BE'S

61. Popular Roaring Twenties auto : REO

melissa

Monday, June 1, 2015 Gail Grabowski and Bruce Venzke

Theme: The TRUTH... shall turn you LOOSE; set you FREE to be LIBERATED and UNBOUND.

20A. Coin-counting machine input : LOOSE CHANGE

33A. Capitalist principle : FREE ENTERPRISE

40A. Feminist : LIBERATED WOMAN

56A. Yet-to-be-covered volume : UNBOUND BOOK

RABBIT, RABBIT. Argyle here with the latest from Gail and Bruce. My alternate title was "Going Commando...".

Across:

1. Scrubbing Bubbles target : SCUM. Commercial.

5. Medical research goal : CURE

9. Faked on the ice : DEKED

14. Walking aid : CANE

15. "Up and __!" : AT 'EM

16. Somber verse : ELEGY. Not the eulogy but may be heard at the same service.

17. "What's going __ there?" : ON IN. Kids are too noisy or too quiet; same question.

18. Knock down, as an old house : RAZE

19. Russian river : VOLGA

23. Chaney of horror : LON

24. "Gracias" response : DE NADA. "It was nothing"

25. Dawdle : DALLY

27. Annoys : IRKS

30. Respond to with loud laughter : ROAR AT

37. Tesla Motors co-founder __ Musk : ELON. Occasional visitor to the Corner.

38. Former California fort : ORD, on Monterey Bay.

39. Sanctuary recess : APSE

45. Mall divisions : STORES

46. Say "Be careful" to : WARN

47. Chocolaty concoction : COCOA

49. Cupcake toppings : ICINGS

54. Spot for a seaweed wrap : SPA. Not a sushi bar?!

59. Stable youngsters : COLTS

61. Floating ice mass : BERG

62. Yours, in France : A TOI

63. Kate's sitcom friend : ALLIE. (1984–1989)

64. Jigsaw puzzler's starting place : EDGE

65. Upward slope : RISE

66. Southwestern plateaus : MESAs

67. Belgian river : YSER

68. Zipped : SPED

Down:

1. Admonish : SCOLD

2. Paddled boat : CANOE

3. Group for ones in labor? : UNION. Cute clue.

4. Brilliant bunch : MENSA

5. Vehicle maintenance : CAR CARE

6. Canyonlands National Park site : UTAH

7. Exiled Shah Mohammed __ Pahlavi : REZA. A rare trip to a Monday.

8. Edit, as text : EMEND

9. Come to light : DEVELOP

10. Jeff Lynne's symphonic rock gp. : ELO. (Electric Light Orchestra)

11. Morning TV host : KELLY RIPA. Looker 1

12. "Leggo my __!" : EGGO

13. Actress Cannon : DYAN. Looker 2

21. Singer Brickell married to Paul Simon : EDIE. Looker 3

22. Teri of "Mr. Mom" : GARR. Looker 4

26. Former California NFLer : LA RAM

28. Secure shoelace feature : KNOT

29. Scatter : STREW

31. Part of LPGA: Abbr. : ASSN. (association)

32. Collarless shirt : TEE

33. Move like a moth : FLIT

34. Autodialed campaign messages : ROBO-CALLS

35. Juan's January : ENERO

36. Old Norse poetic work : EDDA

37. Chicago transit trains : ELs

41. Disqualifies (oneself), judicially : RECUSES

42. "You have __": obstetrician's news : A SON

43. Old laundry-squeezing device : WRINGER

44. How some data is backed up : ON CD. (Compact Disc)

48. Cloister : ABBEY. I just borrowed the first five seasons of "Downton Abbey"; should keep me busy for awhile.

50. Letter-shaped girders : I-BARS. Commonly called an I-beam.

51. Upshot of poor service : NO TIP

52. "Duck, duck" follower : "GOOSE"

53. Maneuvered among moguls : SKIED

54. Bogus offer : SCAM

55. Flag holder : POLE

57. Ref. works that take up a lot of shelf space : OEDs. (Oxford English Dictionary)

58. Try to convince : URGE

60. Familia member : TIA. Your Spanish aunt or Tinbeni's Tia Maria.

Argyle

Notes from C.C.:

1) For those who were not able to make the Indie 500, you can now solve the puzzles at home. Please click here for details. The amazing constructors are: Erik Agard, Evan Birnholz, Peter Broda, Neville Fogarty, Andy Kravis and Finn Vigeland. All are NYT published constructors. Several are our LAT constructors also.

2) The fourth Minnesota Crossword Tournament will be held on June 14th, 2015 Saturday. Please click here for more details. Don G and I teamed up again this year. Hope to see some of you there.

Sunday May 31, 2015 Jason Mueller

Theme: "Ms." - All theme entries are women with M* S* initials.

22A. "Silkwood" star : MERYL STREEP. She's a natural.

28A. "Frankenstein" author : MARY SHELLEY

 

37A. Counselor Troi portrayer on "Star Trek: T.N.G." : MARINA SIRTIS. Deanna TROI, who appears in our crossword often. I did not know her full name though.

52A. Tennis star with five Grand Slam titles : MARIA SHARAPOVA. Contending for French Open right now.

61A. Host of a spin-off of "The Apprentice" : MARTHA STEWART. She's aging so beautifully.

77A. Toon with a pacifier : MAGGIE SIMPSON

84A. Early advocate of birth control : MARGARET SANGER

98A. 1995-2001 "SNL" regular : MOLLY SHANNON

111A. "Mighty Aphrodite" Oscar winner : MIRA SORVINO. She speaks Chinese.

  

120A. Jean Brodie creator : MURIEL SPARK. Learning moment for me.

I don't see Jason Mueller's name in our blog record. Must be his debut. Congratulations! 

Simple but fresh theme. And Jason gave us 10 theme entries. A total 122 squares. The highest I blogged this year. It's an incredible achievement for a rookie constructor.

 

Across:

    

1. Straw __ : POLL. The Iowa Straw Poll has lost relevance.

5. Immunization letters : DPT. Wiki says it stands for "Diphtheria, Pertussis (whooping cough), and Tetanus."

8. Duped in a good way? : CC'ED. Indeed.

12. __ Zero : COKE

16. They have Red Velvet and Watermelon varieties : OREOS. I knew this! All constructors search hard for fresh clues.

18. Many a surfer : AOLER

20. Norse trickster : LOKI

21. Chennai's continent : ASIA. India, to be exact.

24. Zira and Cornelius, in a 1968 film : APES. Planet of the Apes.

25. Auction units : LOTS

26. ATM necessity : PIN

27. Women's World Golf Rankings sponsor : ROLEX. I love my Timex.

 

31. Polish-German border river : ODER

33. Hunters' outfits, briefly : CAMOS

35. Seaman : TAR

36. Different : ELSE

40. Conditional words : IF SO

42. Pin surface : MAT. Wresting.

45. Costa del __ : SOL

46. Film franchise with a mammoth named Manny : ICE AGE. This stumped me last time.

48. Place : SITE

49. Nonlethal weapon : TASER

 

56. Chemical ending : INE

57. Oregon __ : TRAIL. Our Montana was there a few years ago.

60. Flashing light : STROBE

66. Flashiest : LOUDEST

70. Arab VIP : EMIR. EMIR & OREO have such convenient letter combo.

71. Point to pick : NIT

72. __ mater : PIA. Brain membrane. New to me.

73. "To Kill a Mockingbird" sibling : JEM

74. West Point inits. : USMA

75. Bygone : DEFUNCT

 

80. Nod : DROWSE

82. "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" author : KESEY (Ken). I did not like the movie. Too much.

83. Hosp. test : EKG

90. Pasadena parade posies : ROSES

92. "Permit Me Voyage" poet : AGEE. Did not know James Agee was a poet as well.

93. Hercules bicycle model : ROADEO. New to me also.

94. Billings-to-Helena dir. : WNW

95. Brown in Calif., e.g. : GOV. Jerry Brown. Our governor is Mark Dayton. His great-grandfather founded Dayton's (now Target).

96. Get ready : PREP

105. Engrave : ETCH

107. Asian sash : OBI

109. Colonial diplomat Silas : DEANE

110. McGwire rival : SOSA. Sad. All our boxes of Sosa/McGwire/Bonds cards. Worthless.

115. Discontinued P&G toothpaste : GLEEM

117. Back talk : LIP. And 128. Back talk : SASS

118. "Crossword Clues 'M,' __" : ALEX (Trebek). I just did not think of "Jeopardy!".

119. Plan for losing : DIET. This got me again.

123. Port, for one : WINE. And 127. 123-Across category : REDS

124. To be, in Paris : ETRE. I miss the food. And the lovely Etam shops.

125. Utter : SHEER

126. Bottled spirits : GENII

129. Moroccan city of one million : FES. Thought it's spelled as FEZ.

130. NCAA part: Abbr. : ASSN

Down:

1. Cheerleader's accessory : POMPOM

2. Frozen food brand : ORE-IDA. Boomer loves their tater tots.

3. Loewe's lyricist : LERNER

4. See 79-Down : LOY. And 79. With 4-Down, "The Thin Man" co-star : MYRNA

 

5. "The Sound of Music" song : DO-RE-MI

6. Hammer used to test reflexes : PLEXOR. New word to me.

7. Summer top : TEE

8. Santa __ : CLARA

9. Legal protection : COPYRIGHT. Clothing industry does not have much protection. You can't use others' labels, but OK to copy the design.

10. __ out a living : EKES

11. Menu listings : DISHES. Not computer menus.

12. Judgments : CALLS

13. Italian source of the melody for "It's Now or Never" : O SOLE MIO. "My Sunshine".

14. Toy with a tail : KITE

15. Like pie? : EASY. I never got into pies.

17. 35mm camera type : SLR

18. Map site : ATLAS

19. Turntable stat : RPM

23. Trojans' region, familiarly : SOCAL. USC Trojans.

29. Confused : AT SEA

30. "Strange Magic" gp. : ELO

32. Ascend : RISE

34. Agitate : STIR. I tried Marc Maron's WTF podcast because he had a longer version of  his interview with Terry Gross. I like him better now. Fresh Air also ran the interview, but it's heavily edited.

  

38. Irangate figure : NORTH (Oliver)

39. Here, to Henri : ICI

41. Bold : FEARLESS

43. Four-wheeler, for short : ATV

44. Leaves in a bag : TEA. My favorite. Loose leaf Jasmine Tea.

47. __ D.A. : ASST

48. Went faster : SPED UP

49. Like some tests : TIMED

50. "I Got __": Jim Croce hit : A NAME

51. Font flourish : SERIF

52. Diamond need : MITT. Paul Molitor makes me believing again!

53. Pale ___ : ALE

54. Certain sharer : ROOMIE

55. __ Dhabi : ABU

58. Acrimony : RANCOR

59. So to speak : AS IT WERE. Nice 8-letter fill.

62. Slog : TRUDGE

63. New Deal org. : WPA. Works Progress/Projects Administration

64. 2008 bailout beneficiary : AIG. They're big in Guangzhou, which is not my hometown, Gary. I grew up in Xi'an.

65. Cleaning aid : RAG

67. Massachusetts quartet : ESSES

68. Fire sign : SMOKE

69. Sharp tastes : TANGS

73. Taunt : JEER

76. Charlton Heston once led it: Abbr. : NRA. I knew this trivia also.

77. Phoenix suburb : MESA

78. He bested Adlai : IKE

81. Breaks on the road : STOP-OVERS

84. E-__ : MAG. Not fond of this clue.

85. Earlier : AGO

86. Spooner, for one : REVEREND

87. Mgmt. : ADMIN

88. Opposite of paleo- : NEO. I hope you're not into Paleo Diet. What's the lifespan for cavemen?!

89. Winner's prize : GOLD

91. Has title to : OWNS

94. Cheese shape : WHEEL

96. Mac alternatives : PCs

97. Scholarship founder : RHODES

99. Fictional symbol of brutality : LEGREE (Simon). "Uncle Tom's Cabin".

100. Elis : YALIES

101. Show of scorn : SNEER

102. Ryan and Bushnell : NOLANS. Nolan Bushnell founded Atari.  Nolan Ryan never had a perfect game.

103. God wed to his sister : OSIRIS

104. Place setting item : NAPKIN

106. Strains : TAXES. Verb.

108. Nibbles : BITES

111. Bryn __ College : MAWR

112. Netman Nastase : ILIE

113. Moreno with Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards : RITA

114. Meditation syllables : OMS. My landlord in Shanghai meditated every evening, with his incense and chants. Then he started to drink. He probably found more peace in these strong  drinks.

116. Flavor enhancer : MSG

121. TV dial letters : UHF

122. Princess' bane : PEA

The fourth Minnesota Crossword Tournament will be held on June 14th, 2015 Saturday. Please click here for more details.

C.C.

Saturday, May 30th, 2015, Barry C. Silk

Theme: Saturday Silkie~!

Words: 72 (missing J)

Blocks: 30

   This was a great puzzle - I could have been done in 5 minutes if I had gone with my original thoughts, but there were so many places where I hesitated and did the 'in-and-out' routine that I ended up closer to 25mins.  In fact, I was cruising so well at the end that I got the "Ta-DA~!" and wasn't expecting it.  No intimidating corners, and just two 13-letter spanners with two 14-letter climbers.  The longer fill:

25a. Assigning responsibility by committee, in modern lingo : BLAMESTORMING - I had the BLAME part, then the ST---, and this just seemed "logical"

40a. Where Langley is : FAIRFAX COUNTY - I tried "--- VIRGINIA" to start; Bzzzt. 

9d. Zinc compound : CALAMINE LOTION - I had "---LOTION", but SUNSCREEN didn't fit

15d. Many wallets contain one : DRIVER'S LICENSE

Down Jar~! ( there's the "J" )

ACROSS:

1. Org. whose website has a Track & Manage option : USPS - because neither UPS nor FedEx would fit

5. Ending sound : Pfft - usually associated with a 'lame' ending

9. Checked out : CASED - Think Private Eye

14. Copper mine? : SQUAD ROOM - Har-har.  Policemen cop-pers

16. Floral perfume : ATTAR - thought it, put it in, took it out

17. Predictable patterns : SYNDROMES - I always think of this word as medical related

18. Imprecise : LOOSE - like, say, an interpretation

19. Map lines: Abbr. : RDs

20. Clinches : ICES - The Rangers could not ice their run to the Stanley Cup

21. Some Buffalo wings : SABRES - DAH~!  I totally should have known this - NHL hockey clue about the 'other' NY team

Lindy Ruff, player and former coach

22. Subway device : OVEN - Subway, the sa'mich restaurant, that is

23. Like bodegas, to Span. speakers : FEMinine - I believe the term is 'declension'

24. Pitches : ADS

30. Facial cosmetics : LINERS - I like make-up on a girl, but it needs to be subtle

31. Like the Southeast, vis-à-vis other U.S. regions : RAINIEST - Odd; I would have thought the NW was the rainiest

34. Assume the role of : ACT AS

35. Put down : LAY

36. Camp sight : EMBER

37. Thing handed down : HEIRLOOM

39. Moby-Dick, e.g. : ALBINO - ah, not a drum solo reference; John Bonham was melodic and dynamic, which you don't hear in a lot of drum solos that followed - I tried to find a clip that was under 11+ minutes....

John Bonham - Led Zeppelin - Moby Dick

42. Jug part : EAR

44. Critter in a clowder : CAT

45. Small songbirds : TITS - Mr. Silk, did Mr. Norris change your original clue~?

46. Title heroine in a Humperdinck opera : GRETEL

48. Start to cure? : PEDI - had MANI, and that worked with "Avalon" at 41d. - but that's a Toyota model

49. Marker, e.g. : PEN - yup, first thought, but seemed too simple

52. Inexperienced : GREEN - not NAIVE

53. Two-time winner of the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar : MARIO PUZO

55. Runs slowly : OOZES

56. Allied : PARTNERED

57. Angström, e.g. : SWEDE

58. Aptly named Civil War general Henry : GRAY - yes, that is convenient; would have taken a drubbing being on the blue North side

59. Fake : DEKE - DAH~!  My first thought, and I hesitated.  Another hockey reference, as in feint

DOWN:   

1. BOAC flier's destination in a 1968 song : USSR - The Beatles - The Wiki

2. Carpeting unit: Abbr. : SQ. YD. - Square Yard

3. "Alice in Wonderland" features : PUNS

4. Blue : SAD

5. Work through : PROCESS

6. Incite : FOMENT

7. They aren't behind you : FOES

8. Corp. symbols : TMs - like this one

10. Narrow range : A TO B

11. Flier's convenience : STORAGE BIN

12. Let up : EASED

13. Adorn : DRESS

21. Rig : SEMI - the truck.  I was thinking "fix",  as in temporarily

22. 1998 Masters champion : O'MEARA - total WAG

23. Wear : FRAY

25. Lackluster : BLAH - ah, not DULL

26. Tiny parasites : LICE

27. Engine protector : ANTI-FREEZE

28. Slangy event suffix : O-RAMA - like, say, a "Sale-O-Rama"

29. Halo : NIMBUS - not "AREOLA", and crossing 45a.....

32. On the way : SENT

33. Home to Paris : TROY - the epic story character Paris

35. Tall story? : LOFT - not "TALE" - a story, as in a building

38. Like some history : ORAL

39. Bite : ACIDITY

41. Nissan whose last model year is 2015 : XTERRA - as far as SUVs go, this was probably my favorite style

42. "Some things are too delicious to share" food : EGGOs - I noticed they've moved away from "Leggo my Eggo"

43. Hood defense : ARROW - Robin Hood, that is

47. Started a hole : TEED - golf

48. Allen's successor : PAAR - TV's 'The Tonight Show' hosts

49. Sheer : PURE - aw, you know what I was thinking when I saw "sheer"

(God, she is stunning)

50. O.T. book : EZEKiel - well, I have to add my favorite reading of "25:17"

51. Networking connection point : NODE

53. Odometer stat. : MPG - meh.  My odometer tells me I have 267,200 "MIs" on the car; I suppose some newer cars have a odometer that features a Miles Per Gallon calculator

54. Crossing party, briefly : PED(estrian) - I am thinking Mr. Silk was not happy with PEDI and PED and PEN together in one grid

Splynter

Notes from C.C.:
 
1) I got this from Renèe Harvey of Mensa: "I am sorry the games and puzzles are not working, we are having syndication issues. We are working to resolve this as quickly as possible."
 
I don't know when they'll solve this issue. It's been a week. I encourage those Mensa users to download free Across Lite from NY Time's website. Then you can have LA Times puzzle at Cruciverb, which has a one-month archive. Plus the puzzle is always available at 10:00pm the previous night.
  
2) Happy Birthday to Splynter's mom! Hope Splynter makes it special for you.

Baby Splynter and his parents

Friday, May 29, 2015, John Lampkin

Theme: It is T time, so let's have some dessert.

A Friday frolic with our musical bug man, photog, where a T is is added as the first letter of the second word of a common phrase, resulting in an amusingly clued dessert. With only three themers and a reveal there is plenty of room for creativity in the grid. First, I like the visual of this puzzle, JL's photographer's eye I am sure helped. (A hint is hidden in the grid: look closely at the middle). Instead of the regular look, we have mirror symmetry. We also have standard Friday low word count with longer average word length. The longer fill is loaded with sparkle: ANY TIME,  BIDS FOR,  BREWSKI,  DETENTE,  ETERNAL,  FLAT FEE,  INCUBUS, MUD PIES,  NOT IN IT,  YES DEAR, APIARIST,  BOB FOSSE,  EVIL TWIN,  RETRACTS with much of it word strings which are a challenge to suss. Any puzzle that ranges from ROO and MUD PIES to INCUBUS is a joy to me. Let us follow John's lead.

17A. Self-preparing dessert? : AUTOMATIC TRIFLE (15). A nice change from a weapon of destruction to an English yummy. RECIPE.

27A. Dry, powdery dessert? : DUST TRUFFLE (11). We just bought a new comforter with matching dust ruffle, but I should have gotten a chocolate treat. RECIPE.

34D. Surreal dessert? : DADA TART (8). We all should know this MOVEMENT from Jean Arp and others. The simple tart comes in many forms. RECIPE.

36D. Like the desserts in this puzzle, literally? : DONE TO A T (8). A Friday reveal.


Across:

1. Like some timers? : OLD. 20 mule team borax anyone?

4. Kids' rainy day projects : MUD PIES. The only time little boys are encouraged to 'cook.'

11. Watch kids : SIT. We get to baby sit Charlotte.

14. Piglet bud : ROO. From the world of Winnie.

15. Boring, facetiously : ETERNAL. This definition required perp inspiration, but it makes sense.

16. Kyrgyzstan city : OSH. B'gosh, I get this right away finally.

20. Supple : LITHE.

21. Red meat source : EMU. Too late for Memorial Day, but you can order these for the Fourth. LINK.

22. Red giant : S-STAR. This has been appearing regularly.

23. 37-Down's concerns : BEES. A tricky cross-reference but it is Friday. 37D. See 23-Across : APIARIST. A five dollar word for bee keeper. Where are Ulee and Sherlock? John any great Bee pictures? How about an original...

24. Year during Augustus' reign : ONE BC. For all the southern readers, "How many headache powders do you need to take?"

26. Val-d'__: French department : OISE. Oise is a river you need to know because of the great use of vowels. For Splynter, you can practice your FRENCH.

30. Human __ : RACE. I thought "kind" first.

31. Big bunch : SCAD. Not used to the term in the singular.

32. Moisten, as garden cobwebs : BEDEW. A nice Shakespearean word.

35. Shingle wood : CEDAR.

39. Biological duct travelers : OVA. Eggs.

40. Wagering letters : OTB. Off track betting. I believe this has been replaced with online choices like TVG  etc.

43. You'd be amazed to stand in it : AWE. Really nicely crafted clue/fill for such a simple answer.

45. Unlock, to Byron : OPEn. Read some POETRY?

46. Tries to obtain : BIDS FOR. This works two ways, both literally and figuratively.

48. Dead last, say : NOT IN IT. Tough letter string, but accurate.

50. Hourly-rate alternative : FLAT FEE. A very large part of law practice, one of the three types of fee arrangements: hourly, contingency, and flat fee.

51. Marital concession : YES DEAR. My favorite fill of the entire puzzle; so well put.

52. Anne Frank's father : OTTO. I did not remember this

53. Belts : SWATS.

55. __ vez: Juan's "again" : OTRA.

56. Grassy surface : SWARD. This appears to be the LAT debut of this Friday word. It along with STORER almost did me in.

58. Bio, e.g. : SCIence.

59. Indifferent : STOIC.

60. Yes-Bob link : SIREE.

61. One of the Kardashians : KIM. If you want a link, go for it.

62. Sandwich request : TOAST.

63. Blog input : ENTRY. A CSO to us all.

64. Compound suffix : IDE. This old bromide...

65. Annie of "Designing Women" : POTTS. I enjoyed the series but I like Annie better in this ROLE  (0:29).

Down:

1. Colgate rival : ORAL B. I started with Crest.

2. Mascot of the NHL's Blues : LOUIE.

3. Like pointillist works : DOTTED. My father studied and practiced this type of painting

4. Cultural idea that may go viral : MEME. If you paid attention yesterday....

5. Acting legend Hagen : UTA.

6. Political thaw : DETENTE. Not in fashion any more. Now the Olympic arrests are a US scheme to take the World Cup from Russia, according to Vladimir Putin.

7. First coat : PRIMER.

8. Nocturnal demonic visitor : INCUBUS. My first thought was SUCCUBUS but it did not fit.

9. Corrode : EAT. The rust ate away my outdoor furniture.

10. Some pic takers : SLRS. Single Lens Reflexes.

11. Pushover : SOFTIE.

12. Lands in el mar : ISLAS. Spanish.

13. Pointing remark : THERE. Cute clue. An excuse for this CLIP. (0:26)

18. "And I'm Cleopatra" : OH SURE. I thought it was Queen of Sheba.

19. Wagnerian soprano : ISOLDE. Inspector Morse loved his Opera. They just announced a 9th season of Lewis in addition to the 3rd for Endeavor.

24. Needing no Rx : OTC. Over The Counter.

25. Ozone-threatening compound : CFC. Chlorofluorocarbon. Better known as FREON.

28. Prune : SAW OFF. A branch on a tree, not a dried plum.

29. Aspects : FACETS.

32. Choreographer with nine Tonys : BOB FOSSE. We like to see full names in puzzles. hard to believe he has been dead almost 30 years.

33. Facetious scapegoat : EVIL TWIN. Also a TV favorite PLOT.

38. Pulls back : RETRACTS.

41. Digits displayed on beaches : TOES. Sing-a-long.

42. Suds : BREWSKI.

43. "Whenever" : ANYTIME.

44. Travails : WOES.

47. Acorn woodpecker, e.g. : STORER. JL like birds and bugs, but this clue bugs me.

49. "Ditto" : I DO TOO. Fun letter string.

54. Lithographer's material : ACID. This answer should be etched in your mind.

57. "L.A. Law" actress : DEY. A partridge that grew up. Interestingly, she was replaced by Annie Potts in the TV Series Love and War. I liked her in LINK.

59. Indy initials : STP. Scientifically Treated Petroleum. Andy Granatelli.

Well another fun effort from a dear friend to the Corner. See you in June. Lemonade out.

Thursday, May 28, 2015 David Poole

Theme: "Before and After"

Common fabric patterns are combined with common objects to form new items. Hilarity ensues.

17. Digging tool with an abstract pattern? : HOUNDSTOOTH PICK. Houndstooth / Toothpick. I can order my very own customized cake PICK from Zazzle.com.

24. Mathematical array with a spotted pattern? : POLKA DOT MATRIX. Polka dot / Dot matrix. "Spot" on description, since some mathematical arrays do look like POLKA DOTs!

45. Fish with a linear pattern? : PINSTRIPED BASS. Pinstriped / Striped bass. How about this pinstriped bass?

59. Volume with a plaid pattern? : MADRAS CHECK BOOK. I couldn't find a BOOK with a MADRAS CHECK cover. But  Coach makes a MADRAS CHECK CHECKBOOK for only $50.

This seemed awfully easy for a Thursday, with only one snag for me.   I guess the low word count and tricky theme pushes it to late week status. How did it treat you?


Across

1. Help with a heist : ABET.

5. Senate __ : RACE. Hands up for wanting "seat"? (Which led to my boo-boo, erasure, and an extra 15 seconds at 8-Down.)

9. Rascal : SCAMP.

14. First name in fashion : COCO. Immediately followed by a clecho at 15-Across. First name in fashion : OLEG. Needed a couple perps to sort them out.

16. Transmission repair franchise : AAMCO.

20. Wrecks : TRASHES.

21. How a scolding may be given : IRATELY.

22. First and last words of "Green Eggs And Ham" : I AM. Sam...Sam I am.

23. Winter Palace resident : TSAR.

31. Champagne label word : SEC. SEC means "dry" in French. On non-sparkling wines, that indicates just what it implies: they are "dry" and not sweet. But champagne bottles labeled SEC are much sweeter than "Brut" champagnes. Go figure.

32. Olympic hawk : ARES.

33. Reunion attendee : NIECE.

34. 3-Down is in it : OPEC. And 3-Down. Besides Chile, the only S.A. country that doesn't border Brazil : ECUA.dor

36. Arafat of the PLO : YASIR.

39. Broadway feature : NEON.

40. Carne __ : ASADA. "Grilled meat" in Spanish.

42. Pupil's place : UVEA. Not desk, haha!

44. Letters from your parents? : DNA. Good one.

49. Snaps : PICS. Here's a couple PICS of our new deck.

This is the water feature in our moss garden:

We have to wait a few months before staining it, right, Splynter?

50. Much : FAR. "It is a far, far better thing that I do..."

51. College milieu : ACADEME. Pronounced AK-uh-deem.

55. Ghoulish : MACABRE. Nice fill.

61. Son of Abraham : ISAAC.

62. Top : ACME.

63. Run without moving : IDLE.

64. "Married to the Mob" director : DEMME. My one entry that relied totally on perps. He also directed "Silence of the Lambs."

65. Appealed : PLED.

66. Some votes : AYES.


Down

1. Twice vier : ACHT. German "four" and "eight."

2. Lout : BOOR.

4. Neck tissue : TONSIL.

5. Italian cuisine herb : ROSEMARY. This year I expanded my herb garden to include sage and basil, along with rosemary, thyme, chives, dill, cilantro, parsley, tarragon and oregano.

6. Cockpit figs. : ALTS. ALTitudes.

7. Satya Nadella of Microsoft, e.g. : CEO. This guy.

8. Self-seeker : EGOIST. I thought "taoist" at first!

9. Like nearly one-third of Africa : SAHARAN.

10. Kirk or Picard: Abbr. : CAPT.ain

11. Brest friend : AMIE. HarHar. I guess clueing it as "Brest" indicates that we are looking for the feminine noun?

12. Year in which Frederick II died : MCCL. Sure, I knew that...

13. Snail-paced : POKY.

18. Bangladesh capital : DHAKA.

19. Streetcar relative : TRAM.

23. Hard-to-call contests : TOSSUPS.

24. It was originally named Brad's Drink : PEPSI.

25. Indian __ : OCEAN.

26. Bust gp. : DEA. Drug Enforcement Agency.

27. Bronze component : TIN.beni?

28. Orchestra section : REEDS.

29. Madonna and Lady Gaga : ICONS.

30. Gabrielle's friend : XENA. From the series "Xena: Warrier Princess." I always wanted to write a song about her: "I'll be XENA in all the old familiar places..."

31. Hotel freebie : SOAP. If they didn't have such strong fragrances, I might be tempted to take some home!

35. Collection to burn : CDs.

37. "Now __ seen everything!" : I'VE.

38. Embarrassed : REDFACED. (Oops! I saw too much!)

41. Tranquil : AT PEACE.

43. One way to be taken : ABACK.

46. What some eyeglasses lack : RIMS.

47. Polar concern : ICE CAP.

48. Oil-rich peninsula : ARABIA.

51. Within : AMID.

52. One taken to court : CASE.

53. Leading man? : ADAM.

54. Eighth of a fluid ounce : DRAM.

55. Fast-spreading Internet phenomenon : MEME. This has to be one of my favorites.

56. Murder mystery staple : BODY.

57. Something to cast : ROLE.

58. Laboriously earns, with "out" : EKES.

60. Stomach acid, to a chemist : HCL. Hydrochloric acid.


Marti, out!