Tuesday, April 8, 2014 Jason Chapnick and Marti DuGuay-Carpenter

Theme: President Nixon - Rhyme time for cartoon characters.

17A. High-maintenance Gonzales? : NEEDY SPEEDY

62A. Overeating bird tempting Sylvester? : MEATY TWEETY

11D. Bullwinkle pal who's been working out? : STOCKY ROCKY

25D. Fussy Disney mouse? : PICKY MICKEY

Argyle here...with friends. A nice pinwheel puzzle with a pinch of pizazz.

Across:

1. Parking lot attendant : VALET

6. False friends : USERs

11. Brillo competitor : S.O.S

14. St. Teresa's home : ÁVILA. NW of Madrid.

15. Just beginning to learn : NEW AT

16. Demolition need : TNT

19. Native Nebraskan : OTO. Today the Otoe Tribe is based in Red Rock, OK.

20. Power co. service : ELEC.

21. Pitcher Maglie : SAL

22. Dove call : COO

23. Off-the-cuff stuff : IMPROV. (improvisation)

26. Took a chance on : RISKED

28. Cinque e uno : SEI. Italian. (six, we had seven on Sunday)

29. Naps, say : RESTS

33. Versatile bean : SOY

34. Fond du __, Wisconsin : LAC. (bottom of the lake)(the outlet of the lake)

35. Like a blue moon, in old Rome : RARA

36. Hand-holding group dances : HORAs

39. Sacred synagogue cabinets : ARKs

41. Muse of poetry : ERATO

43. Forum robe : TOGA

44. Rahm Emanuel, vis-à-vis Chicago : MAYOR. When you put it that way, I can remember him.

46. Felipe or Matty of baseball : ALOU

47. Outdated PC monitor : CRT. (cathode ray tube)

48. Curly tormentor : MOE. The Three Stooges.

49. December drop-in : SANTA. Who?

51. __ to the city : KEY

52. Bee bites : STINGS. Sign of spring, the wasps are waking up.

55. One in the game : PLAYER

57. Curved part : ARC

58. Feverish : ILL

60. In need of sharpening : DULL

61. Round-bottomed cooker : WOK

67. Eden outcast : EVE

68. Spooky : EERIE

69. "Sesame Street" roommate : ERNIE and Bert.

70. "L.A. Law" co-star Susan : DEY

71. Sports page data : STATS

72. Sporty sunroofs : T-TOPS

Down:

1. Airport shuttle, often : VAN

2. Many a Monopoly prop. : AVE.

3. More than a fib : LIE. Just semantics?

4. Respected village figure : ELDER

5. President after Polk : TAYLOR. Zachary Taylor was our 12th President. He died sixteen months into his term.

6. Like "stewardess" nowadays, briefly : UN-PC

7. "I __ what you did there" : SEE

8. Meadow moms : EWEs

9. Storm-tracking device : RADAR

10. In vogue : STYLISH

12. En pointe, in ballet : ON TOE

13. Waited in line, say : STOOD

18. Harsh : SEVERE

23. Muslim religion : ISLAM

24. Stiller's partner : MEARA

27. Smudge on 49-Across's suit : SOOT

30. Poet Teasdale et al. : SARAs

31. Refrain syllables : TRA LA

32. Kept under wraps : SAT ON

37. Shake hands (on) : AGREE

38. Mythical man-goat : SATYR

40. "It won't be long" : "SOON". "Are we there yet?"

42. Yield : OUTPUT

45. Periods of power : REGIMEs

50. Way off base : ALL WET

52. Cut, as logs : SAWED

53. Valuable stash : TROVE

54. Driving hazard : SLEET

56. Bright-eyed : ALERT

59. Actress __ Flynn Boyle : LARA

60. Salon supplies : DYES

63. __ for tat : TIT

64. Record producer Brian : ENO

65. Gratuity : TIP

66. "Right!" : "YES!"

Argyle

Note from C.C.: Jason is our Friday blogger Lemonade, who just had his IPO (Initial Puzzle Offering, a la Spitzboov) last Sunday. Marti, our Thursday blogger, used HeartRx in her daily blog Comments. Congratulations, you two, sweet puzzle!

Monday, April 7, 2014 Jack McInturff

Theme: Classic Focus - Two word entries with the same beginning initials except that's not enough these days so the second letter of the second entry is also identical.

17A. Takeout option : CHINESE FOOD

27A. Subject for a meteorologist : CLOUD FORMATION

37A. Look after : CARE FOR

47A. Bill Gates or Paul Allen, vis-à-vis Microsoft : COMPANY FOUNDER

62A. Summoned up : CALLED FORTH

68A. Exec. moneyman, and a hint to 17-, 27-, 37-, 47- and 62-Across : CFO

Argyle here. So this gave me a hard time which in retrospect, was my over-thinking the answers. A lot of "D'oh" moments. Very un-Scrabbley, missing: {BJKQVXZ}, not important but interesting. The unifier wasn't really necessary but does tighten up the theme. Two answers are verb phrases and the other three are "noun as adjective" noun phrases.

Across:

1. Theater attractions : SHOWS

6. Big fusses : TO-DOs

11. Gallery display : ART

14. Taxpayer's worry : AUDIT. Hush!

15. Real estate offering : HOUSE

16. Sinking ship signal : S-O-S

19. Wash. neighbor : IDA. (Idaho)

20. Personal IDs : SSNs

21. Ambulance destinations, for short : ERs. (emergency room)

22. Comfy shoe : LOAFER

24. Biblical pronoun : THEE

26. Bic products : PENS

33. Ross of the Supremes : DIANA

34. "__ won't be afraid": "Stand By Me" lyric : NO, I.  couldn't find the song sung by Miss Ross unfortunately.

35. French lady friend : AMIE

36. Jerusalem's land: Abbr. : ISRael

41. Chicken __ king : À LA

42. Swindle : SCAM

44. Prefix with classical : NEO

45. Bernese Alps peak : EIGER. The Bernese Alps are a group of mountain ranges in the western part of the Alps, in Switzerland.

51. Those, to Tomás : ESOS

52. On an ocean liner, say : ASEA

53. All for __: to no avail : NAUGHT. Beware the dreadnaught if asea.

56. Co. that merged into Verizon : GTE. Formerly General Telephone & Electronics Corporation.

57. Gas company with toy trucks : HESS

61. Egyptian snake : ASP

65. Curtain support : ROD

66. Shed __: cry : A TEAR

67. Muhammad Ali's boxing daughter : LAILA

69. Requirements : NEEDS

70. Aggravate : ANNOY

Down:

1. Animal pouches : SACS

2. Comments from the confused : [HUHs]

3. Supreme Norse god : ODIN

4. __-Salem, N.C. : WINSTON

5. Fr. holy woman : STE.

6. 1994 Denis Leary film about a crook who acts as an arbiter : "THE REF"

7. Gut-punch reactions : [OOFs]

8. Batman and Robin, e.g. : DUO

9. Italian tenor standard : 'O SOLE MIO

10. Spiritual Arizona resort : SEDONA. Chamber of Commerce

11. "Keep dreaming" : "AS IF"

12. Came by horse : RODE

13. Old Russian royal : TSAR

18. Flower starter : SEED

23. Nick and Nora's dog : ASTA

25. Former Congressional gp. concerned with Communist infiltration : HUAC. (House Un-American Activities Committee)

26. Univ. teacher : PROF.

27. "The __ Kid": '50s TV Western : CISCO. Dig the old ad.

28. Former Calif. NFLer : LA RAM

 

29. __ a kind: unique : ONE OF

30. Mental picture : IMAGE

31. Persian Gulf ship : OILER

32. Pretty close : NEAR

33. Checker, e.g. : DISC. The board game.

38. Provide critical comments for : ANNOTATE

39. Curious George creators Margret and Hans : REYS

40. Actress Russo : RENE

43. Video file format : MPEG. M(oving) P(icture) E(xperts) G(roup)

46. Boise resident : IDAHOAN

48. Trash bin : ASH CAN

49. Old cowboy movies : OATERs

50. Previously owned : USED

53. Drug cop : NARC

54. Dating from : AS OF

55. High hairstyle : UP-DO

56. Happy : GLAD

58. Emerald Isle : ERIN

59. Normandy battleground : ST. LÔ

60. One-horse carriage : SHAY

63. Dixie general : LEE. Robert E.

64. St. Pete's state : FLA. (St. Petersburg / Florida)

Argyle

Sunday April 6, 2014 Jason Chapnick & C.C. Burnikel

Theme: "The Living End" - The last word is a living spot. 

23A. 50 different ones were released over a 10-year period starting in 1999 : STATE QUARTERS

29A. Get no laughs, as a joke : FALL FLAT

35A. Brillo, for one : SCOURING PAD

48A. Archeological sites : FOSSIL DIGS. Getting this is a key in our theme set search. Not many * DIGS phrases to work with.

68A. Everywhere : ALL OVER THE PLACE

90A. Electronics chain : RADIOSHACK. The only one-word entry.

97A. It merged with Penguin in 2013 : RANDOM HOUSE

105A. Bed with bars : BABY CRIB. Lemonade's original clue. Sweet!

Reveal entry:

117A. Embroidery slogan, and an alternative title for this puzzle : HOME SWEET HOME

Jason is Lemonade, our witty & hard-working Friday Sherpa since March 2010. This is his debut puzzle, and I'm so happy to be part of his effort. Congratulations, Charlotte's grandpa!

Lemonade's granddaughter Charlotte

Lemonade originally came up with 4 phrases with 2 work places and 2 living spots (PRESCRIPTION PAD (sorry for the typo earlier) & STUDIO APARTMENT). I proposed we narrow down to living spaces only & tighten up the set with answers where the last word has a non-living context (so out * APARTMENT phrases ) and use "HOME SWEET HOME" as a reveal entry.

Lemonade liked my suggestions, so together we worked out this current set. He did not have Compiler at the time (now he does & happily works at his own grids), so I filled the grid. He then did the most time-consuming part of a Sunday puzzle: cluing. 

I knew how much he loves words and wordplay, but I was still amazed by his creativity and brillance. You can see his original clues here. I changed a slightly few & submitted this final version. Just to add a new "Now-ness" & avoid duping previously used clues.

Today's title is Rich's. We had Lemonade's "Main Domain" in our submission.

Across:

1. Start bubbling, perhaps : BOIL

5. 2004 Grey Goose acquirer : BACARDI. Also owns Dewar's, favorite of Irish Miss.

12. Feels a strong need (for) : STARVES

19. Wise leader? : OTHER. Otherwise. Lemonade's creation, of course!

21. Red-hot : ON A TEAR

22. Fancy-sounding bedroom piece : ARMOIRE

25. Paper in a frame : DIPLOMA

26. New England swimmer : COD

27. Clucks of disapproval : TUTS

28. Brew choice : ALE. Lemonade's son (left) brews his own beer.

Lemonade & Montana, Denver, 2013

30. Final Four org. : NCAA

32. Salinger title 13-year-old : ESME. "For  Esmé - With Love and Squalor".

34. Two-time U.S. Open winner Trevino : LEE. He talks 150 miles/hour.

41. Baja bear: OSA

43. California nine, in sports crawl lines : LAA. Los Angeles Angels.

46. Brest milk : LAIT

47. Forum talk was in it : LATIN

52. Include : ADD IN

54. Chocolate Mr. : GOODBAR. Never had it.

56. Slide subjects : AMOEBAS

57. King Minos, e.g. : CRETAN

59. Sochi no : NYET. Now Sochi has become a past.

60. Guidelines : CRITERIA

61. Mauna __ : KEA

62. Number of hills di Roma : SETTE. 7.

65. Enjoy Olive Garden, say : EAT OUT

67. Dancer Sally with just a few fans? : RAND. Rich polished a bit of  Lemonade's lovely clue.

71. City on Utah Lake : OREM

74. Trap setter, when it works : SNARER

75. Deal with : SEE TO

76. Yosemite Sam's "Scram!" : GIT

79. OneStep 600 producer : POLAROID

81. -y to the max : IEST.  Very bad. And I know it. Just could not get better fill here.

83. Break indicator : EM DASH

85. It may involve pasting : EDITING

86. Back : ENDORSE

89. Ball queen : BELLE. I can picture Yellowrocks dancing away in her college days.

92. One of the Allman Brothers : DUANE

94. Skelton's Kadiddlehopper : CLEM

95. Wheel spinner's buy : AN "E"

96. However, briefly : THO

99. Short smoke? : CIG. Anon-T uses e-cig.

102. Pharaoh's cross : ANKH

104. Criticize : CARP

109. Wall St. locale : NYC

111. Lummoxes : APES

113. Faux __ : PAS

116. Thoroughbred ancestor : ARABIAN

120. Mortgage feature? : SILENT T.  I made a change to Lemonade's "Castle feature" since I saw the "Castle" clue in another puzzle.

121. Built : ERECTED. Isn't this lovely? Splynter built it.

122. Swiss calculus pioneer : EULER

123. Do stuff : HAIR GEL

124. 2002 Adam Sandler role : MR DEEDS

125. "Lohengrin" heroine : ELSA

 

Down:

 1. Slender-necked pear : BOSC. Have any of you tried Asian pears? Very juicy. Pricey too. I only buy one at a time.

2. "The Simpsons" bus driver : OTTO. Gimme for D-Otto! Was the tax season over for you?

3. "Who knew?" : I HAD NO IDEA

4. Court call : LET

5. Ring event : BOUT

6. Santa __: offshore winds : ANAS

7. Garage unit : CAR

8. "__ girl!" : ATTA

9. Pulled (in) : REELED

10. Challenges : DARES

11. Form letters? : IRS. Nice clue. Rich's creation.

12. Thompson of "Family" : SADA. I don't know why her name is so hard to remember.

13. Sound from a nest : TRILL

14. More than enough : AMPLE

15. Pocahontas' spouse : ROLFE (John)

16. Fretted fiddle : VIOL

17. Aunt with a "Cope Book" : ERMA

18. It's often reserved : SEAT

20. Pave over : RE-TAR

24. Bird in a covey : QUAIL.Quail eggs are quite popular in Southern China. I miss Guangzhou so so much.

29. Admit, with "up" : FESS

31. Make the grade : CUT IT

33. Secure with lines : MOOR

35. Play in a line : SLACK. I don't get this clue.

36. Leadership nucleus : CADRE

37. Badger : NAG

38. Classic muscle car : GTO

39. Trailblazer : PIONEER

40. Writer Rooney : ANDY. Can you imagine he blogged a crossword puzzle? He'd be kvetching all the time.

42. In most cases : AS A RULE

43. Many an October baby : LIBRA

44. "Encore!" : AGAIN

45. Syrian leader : ASSAD. Surprised he's still in power.

48. Palestinian political party : FATAH

49. Copy : IMITATE

50. Garage alternative : LOT

51. John on the farm : DEERE

53. Minnesota United FC org. : NASL (North American Soccer League). Holy Guacamole, Rich! Click here. Their stadium is not far from our home.

55. Visibly embarrassed : BEET RED

58. Wrestling holds : NELSONS

60. Deal : COPE

63. "West Side Story" duet : TONIGHT

64. Plug in the den? : TV AD. Nice "Plug" mislead.

66. Beta release, e.g. : TEST RUN

68. Maker of old strings : AMATI

69. Sign again : RE-INK. I'm always amazed by  by the high pain threshold of those with tattoos.

70. Vanity item : COMB

71. Verdi creation : OPERA

72. Sometime ally of Godzilla : RODAN

73. Say somethin', say? : ELIDE

76. Collector of views : GALLUP POLL. Rich's clue.

77. Key chain : ISLES

78. Central idea : THEME

80. Where agua flows : RIO

82. Party supply : SODA

84. Martha Stewart Living topic : DECOR

86. Bus. course : ECON

87. Blue : SAD

88. "Microsoft sound" composer : ENO (Brian). He composed with his Mac.

91. Melville tyrant : AHAB

93. Roast host : EMCEE

97. Matched shirts and skirts? : RHYMED. Oh, I had "Like shirts and skirts" originally. Lovely 85A.

98. Waste creator : HASTE

99. __ Monday: post-Thanksgiving event : CYBER

100. Cupcake cover : ICING

101. Prepare, as Parmesan : GRATE

103. Big name in packaged soups : KNORR

105. Big party : BASH

106. Met solo : ARIA. Can you see "Met solo" on the windows? Steve our Foodie dined at their tapas restaurant.  

107. Indonesian island on its own sea : BALI

108. Like LAX : INTL

110. Gospel singer Winans : CECE

111. Blown away : AWED

112. Anti-doping targets, briefly : PEDS (Performance-Enhancing Drugs). Glad Rich used this clue.

114. Iowa city : AMES

115. Evening at Lake Como : SERA

117. Shut (in) : HEM

118. Canonized mlle. : STE

119. Peach or cherry : HUE. Two of my favorite fruits.

C.C.

Saturday, Apr 5th, 2014, Barry C. Silk

Theme: Saturday Silkie

Words: 70 (missing J,Q,U,V,X)

Blocks: 30

   Well now, today's offering from Mr. Silk was still tough in some spots, but do we feel better about our crossword solving ability since the beating I think we all took from last week's bear~?   I did have to wait on the hefty answers while I did my first pass through the Downs, then I was able to get a grip.  Several "exclamations" in the grid today (*). Triple 11-letter stacks in the NW and SE, with four 10's and six 9's to round out the long fill of the grid:

1a. Performing poorly : FALLING DOWN - also a movie starring Michael Douglas; they "Stopped Serving Breakfast"

15a. Music lover's resource : iHEART RADIO - Don't care for anything "i" these days; "I" listen to Pandora Internet Radio, and I am sad to say that didn't fit the space....

20a. Think : CEREBRATE - Oooh, that's a $2 word you can use in passing today....

12d. Spider producer : ALFA-ROMEO - the latest Alfa as I have seen from watching the BBC show "Top Gear" is this one, the Disco Volante ( "fly wheel")

28. Aristotelian ideal : GOLDEN MEAN - The Wiki; I could argue that this is the principle of Alcoholics Anonymous as well; I am a card-carrying member

ONWARD~!

ACROSS:

12. Hematological system : ABO - Blood types; I am "B positive~!"

16. Crucible setting : LAB - I was concerned this might have to do with the novel at first

17. Accept financial responsibility : BEAR THE COST

18. Not to : FRO - cute; "To & Fro"

19. St. Louis bridge architect : EADS - Beautiful, but I happen to like bridges in general

22. RR crossing sites : RDs - Dah~! Went with STs first - Roads, not Streets

23. Chaotic scene : ZOO

25. Rum company founder Fred : MYERS

26. Onslaught : BARRAGE

29. Animal shelter : COTE - LAIR, CAVE, COTE  all worked

31. Satisfied : MADE GOOD ON - MADE ENDS MEET was too long

34. Latin 101 word : AMAT - "He loves" - had amaS to start

35. Pulitzer playwright Zoë : AKINS

36. Brooks of Hollywood : MEL - The man who brought us "Young Frankenstein" and "Stand-up Philosophers"

37. Dog in a horned helmet : SNERT - from the comic strip Hägar the Horrible

38. Qajar dynasty country, today : IRAN

39. Bar seller : CANDY STORE - ah, that kind of bar

41. Norton Sound city : NOME

 

42. Broken up : IN TEARS - emotionally broken up, that is

43. Food mfr.'s calculation : NET WT.

45. At 5,343 ft., Mt. Marcy is its highest point : NYS - huh - New York State - I live here, and did not know this - did you, Argyle?

46. HDTV brand : RCA

49. Netherlands port : ROTTERDAM

52*. Cries of discovery : "O-HOs~!"

53. Cuban Revolution name : CHE

54. They may come from ostriches : BOA FEATHERS

57. Craft whose name means "peace" : MIR - Russian space station

58. Picture in your head : MENTAL IMAGE

59. Batt. terminal : POSitive

60. Forensic technique : DNA ANALYSIS - with a semi-clecho to start the downs -->

DOWN:

1. Bit of forensic evidence : FIBER

2. Not trying to catch anyone : AHEAD - some crafty clechoing here, too -->

3. Doesn't have to catch anyone : LEADS - being 'ahead' in a race, e.g.

4. Norwegian-born chemistry Nobelist Onsager : LARS

5. NYC subway : IRT - gimme, being that I do live 60mi from New York City; the Interborough Rapid Transit

6. Degree in math : NTH

7. Wrestling style : GRECO-ROMAN

8. Freshwater fish : DACE

9. Suggestive quality : ODOR - did this puzzle has an 'odor' of "DNF"~?

10. Guys with gifts : WISE MEN - SUITORS fit, too

11. __ a long shot : NOT BY

13. MVP of the first two Super Bowls : BART STARR - had to dredge this one up from the depths.  Much cerebrating.

14. Wind up on stage? : OBOE - Wind, short e, not Wye-nd

21. Takes back : RECANTS

23. Turns abruptly : ZAGS

24. Montana motto word : ORO - Shout-out~!!!

26. Floyd __ Field, NYC's first municipal airport : BENNETT - great, another NYS learning moment for me - hey, I did know the name of JFK before it was called JFK Airport

27. Make __ in : ADENT

30. Usher follower? : ETTE - usherETTE - my 'meh' clue for the day

31. Key : MAIN - ah, not ISLE

32. LeBron James' birthplace : AKRON, OHIO - mostly perps on this one

33. Circle measures : DIAMETERS

37. Cold War gp. : SSRs - I have a bit of a nit with the plural nature of the answer

39. French auto pioneer : CITROËN - André-Gustave, read about WWII sabotages and more here

 

40*. "Way to go!" : "YAY~!"

44. Site with a Symptom Checker : WebMD - I have had reason to stop by this website

46. Flightless birds : RHEAs

47. Cardigan or Pembroke dog : CORGI - I had the "C", took a W.A.G.

48. Burden-bearing team : ASSES - I'd like to see this clued 'another' way....

49. Law org. with an annual Musical Ride tour : RCMP - Royal Canadian Mounted Police

50. Actress Delany : DANA

51. Mennen lotion : AFTA

52*. "Wow!" : "OH MY~!"

55. After : A'LA - as in styled "after"....

56. Up to, briefly : (un)TIL

Splynter

 

 

 

Notes from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to dear Irish Miss & Abejo, two of our very loyal and caring regulars. I still feel guilty forgetting their birthday last year. 

Here is a picture of Irish Miss (Agnes) with her sister Eileen. The picture was taken on Nov 22, 2013 at their sister Peggy's house. Any special plans today, Agnes?

Eileen & Agnes

Let's meet Abejo (Bradley):

Abejo & Harvey

Abejo said:

This is a photo of myself and Fermatprime's friend Harvey about a year and a half ago. I am on the left as you are looking at the picture. Harvey is on the right. We were in Virginia together. This organization, the Knights Templar, is what I do in my spare time.

Friday, April 4, 2014, Kurt Krauss

Theme: REBUS, let your mind see the picture.

By now everyone should be used to the concept that Friday will give you something challenging, and often something new to deal with as you solve. We have had conversation (YR, I believe?) as to rebus puzzles being pictures like this classic FRAME GAME from USA Weekend magazine.  This will be my third of Kurt's Kreations to blog, and by far the most complex. All of the theme answers require two fill, which intersect, and the intersection is what reveals the single final fill. In effect the second word is inserted "in to" the first word to create a phrase that then stands alone. Tricky, but once you see the idea the rest really fell into place quickly. The symmetry of the top two sets have the intersecting word come from the top down, and the bottom two going down to the bottom from the intersection, along with some very nice 8 letter fill, like ACADEMIA, ONTARIAN, REFRAINS, SERPENTS, SNEAKERS and  VAN BUREN makes this a very fun looking puzzle.

20A. See 4-Down : SADKDLE. 4D. With 20-Across, working again, aptly : BACK.  (11). The common K tells you the fill is "Back in the saddle." Picture the perpendicular message here.

22A. See 8-Down : FAMSILY. 8D. With 22-Across, what red hair often does, aptly : RUNS. (11), The common S  reveals, "Runs in the family."

35A. See 30-Down : BANNK. 30D. With 35-Across, a financially sure thing, aptly : MONEY. (10). this central combination gives us, "Money in the bank."

50A. See 51-Down : MIRLROR. 51D. With 50-Across, do some self-examination, aptly : LOOK. (11). The intersection yields, "Look in the Mirror."

52A. See 53-Down : BUCDKET.  53D. With 52-Across, trivial amount, aptly : DROP(11). And we finish with my favorite, "Drop in the Bucket."

Across:

1. Biblical kingdom near the Dead Sea : MOAB. I knew I was going to have a good day when I confidently put this in and then confirmed with the perps.

5. Blue : LOW. Feeling kinda punk, down.

8. Chew (out) : REAM. He reamed him a new a******

12. Old empire builder : INCA. Love this near 16A. Donald's address, in comics : UNCA. By his sweet NEPHEWS. (7:33), I called my father's brother "Unc."

13. Construction materials : I-BARS.

17. Like a dotted note, in mus. : STAC. I knew this had to be STACCATO. See LINK. Any more commentary will have to come from those not musically deficient.

18. Bob preceder : SIREE. leaving out the "YES" to confuse you. (Yessiree bob!).

19. Tiny fraction of a min. : NSEC. We get this nanosecond frequently.

24. Dander : IRE.

25. Some tech sch. grads : EES. Electrical Engineers. Again.

26. Soweto's home: Abbr. : RSA. Republic of South Africa. Home to our now veteran veterinarian constructor, Gareth Bain, who has used NSEC in his works.

27. Great time, in slang : GAS. From nitrous oxide?

28. Rain cloud : NIMBUS. Our friend the cumulonimbus.

30. Fair ones : MAIDENS.

32. Julius Caesar's first name : GAIUS. A very common name, but this was an UNCOMMON man. 46D. Gallic girlfriends : AMIES. Gallic being French, amies are French girlfriends; in homage to Gaius Julius Caesar we can recall "Omnia Gallia in tres partes divisa est...." The beginning of his history of the invasion of Gaul. More on our Latin/Roman mini-theme, 21D. Roman god : DEUS. Just the Latin word, but because it looks like the name of the Greek god, ZEUS, this could be hard. Also, 44D. Dawn goddess : AURORA. The city outside of Denver.

33. Said : VOICED. Often times opinions....

34. Tandoori bread : NAN. Or NAAN.

36. Grilling sound : SSS. The steak or shrimp on the Barbie. Welcome back Kazie.

39. Macduff and Macbeth : THANES. This is/was a Scottish term the equivalent of Counts.

41. Charity, e.g. : DONEE. One who receives from a donor is a donee. A bit of a stretch.

43. Slipped past : EASED BY.

45. Sunday best : FINERY.

46. Soccer star Freddy : ADU. The son of Ghanian woman who won a green card lottery, Adu was considered an up-and-comer for United States football; much speculation surrounded his potential for future success, and he was even referred to as "the next Pele." With our mini-theme, 31D. Pelé's first name : EDSON. More specifically, Edson Arantes do Nascimento.

47. __ Simbel, site of Ramses II temples : ABU. You can read about it HERE. Do you agree the next fill should our old friend the Simpson's shopkeeper, APU?

48. Michaels et al. : ALS. So many Michaels in the world, we get the 'Miracle on Ice' announcer.

49. Galoot : APE.

54. "Was __ loud?" : I TOO.

55. Having no room for hedging : YES/NO. In cross-examining a witness you can often restrict the answer to Yes or No.

57. '20s tennis great Lacoste : RENE. Nice shirts? Chemise?

58. Designer Saarinen : EERO. Old time crosswordese. An architectural family, not like Ted Mosby.

59. Cynical response : SNEER.

60. Leftover bits : ORTS.

61. 40th st. : S DAK. Guess what state was 39th?

62. Whiz : PRO.

63. "Over here!" : PSST.

Down:

1. Not where it's expected to be : MISSING. So simple, yet I can see it hiding for a while.

2. Windsor resident : ONTARIAN. Eh, another Canadian reference.

3. Scholarly milieu : ACADEMIA. Where I become Dr. Lemonade.

5. Fine cotton threads : LISLES. Made from long staple cotton. Yeah, I really know what that means.

6. Awards named for a location : OBIES. Off Broadway.

7. Kids' card game : WAR. This is now a real money game in the casinos here.

9. Banner : ENSIGN. Apparently when you use your national flag at sea it becomes an Ensign. If you have watched Sheldon, I am sure you would know all about vexillology, or on the Game of Thrones, the bannerman. Sunday night!!!

10. Amtrak speedsters : ACELAS.  The high speed trains incorporated into our rail system. The name comes from Acceleration and Excellence, they say.

11. Store with a star : MACY'S.

14. Choruses : REFRAINS.

15. Queasy near the quay : SEASICK. This made me queasy.

23. Earned : MADE. Oh that life were fair and people actually made what they earned and earned what they made.

29. Squeeze plays involve them : BUNTS. Aren't you glad we had the discussion of this last week.

33. Jackson follower : VAN BUREN. Martin, president number 8 following Andrew Jackson, #7. Martin was from Buffalo and the first president born after the US was born.

35. 1995 Will Smith/Martin Lawrence film : BAD BOYS. Twenty years ago they made this MOVIE. (2:46).

37. Running pair : SNEAKERS.

38. Malicious types : SERPENTS. If the answer were snakes it would have come easier.

40. Try, as a case : HEAR. The Judge and/or jury "hear" the case.

41. Record : DISC. Hard to get away from the verb.

42. Seer's challenge : EYE TEST. The one examination I have never been able to do well on.

43. Corrected, in a way : EDITED.

45. Prefix with carbon : FLUORO. The  ENEMYof our world? 

48. Running back Haynes, first AFL player of the year : ABNER. On Friday, you do not get Lil, you get this. He is perhaps most famous for winning the toss and choosing to kick off in overtime in the championship game against Houston. LINK.

56. Equinox mo. : SEPtember. The autumnal season of equal day and night.

Wow, we are through already.  I hope you all had a good time and found the visual theme easily. Until then It is Lemonade off into the night.

Thursday April 3, 2014 Don Gagliardo and C.C. Burnikel

Theme: Play Ball! - Four blocks of black squares signal first base, second base, third base and home plate. Circled letters spell out BLOOP, STEAL, ERROR, HOMER. 

Revel entry:

32A. With 37-Across, what the circled words (shown in the appropriate direction) are capable of doing : ADVANCING

37A. See 32-Across : THE RUNNER

A few more baseball entries:

6D. Baseball commissioner under whom interleague play became a reality : SELIG (Bud)

25D. Ones getting lots of Bronx cheers : YANKEES. And 58A. 25-Down div. : AL EAST

59D. Mike Trout's team, on scoreboards : LAA. Angels.

C.C. here. No draft from Marti in our blog folder. I'll get the Clue/Answer list up and will fill in more comments later.

Theme involved diagonals is tough to pull off. Don did all the hard work.

Across:

1. Lab shelfful : FLASKS

7. Many a chalet : A-FRAME

13. Nielsen of "Airplane!" : LESLIE

14. Purple Label designer : LAUREN (Ralph). Was this a gimme or tough fill to you?

15. Open, as a fern frond : UNCURL

16. Relieving : EASING

17. Olfactory detection : ODOR

18. Rumor starter : I HEAR

22. Spanish pronoun : ESTA

23. Vintage auto : REO. Never heard of Flivvers you guys talked about yesterday.

24. Ballerina's asset : AGILITY

26. Dress nattily, with "up" : TOG

27. Wrinkle-resistant synthetic : ORLON

29. Alternative to gravel, perhaps : TAR

30. Humiliate : ABASE

35. Poker variety : STUD

36. Golfer Isao : AOKI. Just remember AO is featured in both his given name and surname.

39. Part of a process : PHASE

42. "Bartender, make __ double!" : IT A

43. Tie the knot on the sly : ELOPE

47. LBJ's antipoverty agcy. : OEO (Office of Economic Opportunity). Nose-wrinkling fill. You'll see a few more compromises in this grid.

48. Sierra __ : NEVADAS

51. "Papa-__-Mow-Mow": 1962 novelty hit : OOM

52. Suffix with school : MARM

54. Former "The View" co-host : BEHAR (Joy)

55. Conglomeration : OLIO. Most common subject line in my SENT emails.

56. '30s-'50s British Labour Party leader : ATTLEE. He's back.

60. One on a ladder, to a kitten up a tree : COAXER

61. Property recipient, in law : BAILEE

62. Join up : ENLIST

63. Garden sides : SALADS

Down:

1. Prefix with scope : FLUORO. Not an easy fill for me.

2. Shark, maybe : LENDER

3. Comparable to a cucumber : AS COOL

4. Hurtful remark : SLUR

5. Cocktail with cassis : KIR. Never heard of cassis, French for blackcurrant.

7. Wake-up call, say : ALERT

8. Pilot-licensing org. : FAA

9. Red herring : RUSE

10. __ Nashville: country record label : ARISTA

11. "Stay Fresh" candy : MENTOS. They have a big factory in South China.

12. Mesh, as gears : ENGAGE

19. Tee off : HIT A DRIVE. Hi there Gary!

20. Joie de vivre : ELAN

21. Carrier with a Maple Leaf Lounge : AIR CANADA. Our blog has quite a few Canadian readers. But most of them are quiet.

24. "Here's what happened next ..." : AND THEN

28. Hops driers : OASTS

31. Speakeasy employee : B GIRL

33. Saturn SUV : VUE

34. Physics class topic : ION

38. Bryce Canyon state : UTAH

39. Cider press leftovers : POMACE. Learned from doing xwords.

40. Patricia of "Everybody Loves Raymond" : HEATON

41. Of a blood line : AORTAL

44. "Va-va-voom!" : OO LA LA. I think "Ooh la la" is more common.

45. Self-assured : POISED

46. Gushes on a set : EMOTES

49. His last blog post ended, "I'll see you at the movies" : EBERT (Roger)

50. Most Iraqis : ARABS

53. Mid-11th century year : MLXI (1061). Bad fill. But we could not get anything cleaner here.

55. Eye, at the Louvre : OEIL. Trompe l'oeil.

57. Some RPI alums : EEs. For two of my favorite people on the blog!

C.C.