Monday, May 12, 2014 Jennifer Nutt

Theme: Bye Bye - The unifying word follows just the first word today; like yet unlike Sunday.

18A. *Pre-performance audio test : SOUND CHECK. Sound waves.

25A. *Area marked with police tape : CRIME SCENE. Crime waves.

50A. *Disturbing potential, as of a gory film scene : SHOCK VALUE. Shock waves.

61A. *Best possible poker hand : ROYAL FLUSH. Royal waves.

3D. *Lasers at a rock concert, e.g. : LIGHT SHOW. Light waves.

36D. Cause a sensation, or what the first words of the answers to starred entries may do : MAKE WAVES

Argyle here.  A real quick Monday despite six theme entries. Not much to trip up on.

Across:

1. Big-eyed birds : OWLS

5. Spanish house : CASA

9. Witchy woman : CRONE

14. Toy in the sand : PAIL

15. For whom the memo is intended: Abbr. : ATTN. (attention)

16. Window sticker : DECAL

17. Frozen breakfast brand : EGGO

20. Zap, as leftovers : REHEAT

22. Carnival city : RIO de Janeiro

23. Bunny features : EARS

24. Gallery display : ART

28. New England whitefish : SCROD

30. Pipe joint : ELL

31. "Huzzah!" : "YAHOO!"

33. Singer Ronstadt : LINDA. She is one of my favorites.

 

36. Puddle-bottom earth : MUD. Great clue.

39. Objects of worship : ICONS

40. Historic timespan : ERA

41. Theater platform : STAGE

43. Bench for flock members : PEW

44. Zapped while resisting arrest, say : TASED

46. Turbaned Punjabis : SIKHS. Punjabis - Natives or inhabitants of the Punjab.

47. Quick hellos : HIs

48. Concur : AGREE

54. Lbs. and ozs. : WTs

57. "All __ Jazz" : THAT

58. Crew blade : OAR

59. Spread out ungracefully : SPRAWL

64. Athletic shoe brand : AVIA

65. Many a low-budget flick : INDIE. A film from an independent production company..

66. Bassoon cousin : OBOE

67. Steam outlet : VENT

68. Horror or romance, e.g. : GENRE

69. Sunbeams : RAYS

70. "Understood" : "I SEE"

Down:

1. La Scala production : OPERA

2. Put money (on) : WAGER

4. Gin flavoring : SLOE

5. Fidel or Raúl of Cuba : CASTRO

6. From __ Z : A TO

7. __ und Drang : STURM

8. Sharpshooter Oakley : ANNIE

9. Atlanta-based health org. : CDC. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) (CDC)

10. Fix, as a shoe : REHEEL

11. Humpback whale's home : OCEAN

12. Mother-of-pearl : NACRE

13. Lodge fellows : ELKS

19. Supplied medicine to : DOSED

21. Word puzzle that involves a quotation : ACROSTIC

26. Waits at a light, say : IDLES

27. School reunion organizer : CLASS REP. If you say so.

29. Swindle : CON

31. Shrill bark : YIP

32. Star pitcher : ACE

34. Wrath : IRE

35. Eight-time French Open champ Rafael : NADAL

37. "Blech!" : "UGH!"

38. __ Moines : DES

42. Bit of business attire : TIE

45. Demand from : ASK OF. Not quite the same, eh?

47. Windbag's bagful? : HOT AIR

49. Overdoes the praise : GUSHES

50. Glistened : SHONE

51. "Surprise Symphony" composer : HAYDN

52. Heroic behavior : VALOR

53. Vacation island off Venezuela : ARUBA

55. Package-fastening rope : TWINE

56. Fine-grained rock : SLATE

57. Math course with sines and tans : TRIGonometry

60. Sitarist Shankar : RAVI

62. "Do the Right Thing" director Spike : LEE

63. __ milk : SOY

Argyle

Sunday May 11, 2014 Robin Stears

Theme: "Body Language"-  Both word can precede "Body" in each theme entry.

23A. Bit of roomy footwear? : FAT STOCKING. Body fat. Bodystocking.

28A. Iron Man's coat? : ARMOR PAINT. Body armor. Body paint. Reminds me of the "This is not a parrot" picture Hahoola linked last time.

42A. Shrill morning awakener? : PIERCING CLOCK. Body piercing. Body clock.

 59A. AutoZone inventory? : PARTS COUNT. Body parts. Body count. A bit of a downer.

65A. Hawaii museum section? : SURFING ART. Bodysurfing. Body art. How many people can you see?

  

86A. Clothing store shoplifters? : SUIT SNATCHERS. Bodysuit. What are "body snatchers"?

97A. The old one-two? : DOUBLE BLOW. Body double. Body blow.

105A. Put down a high school subject? : SLAM ENGLISH. Body slam. Body English.

Did you get the theme easily? It stumped our own Steve.

Robin has a knack for this type of both words can follow/precede theme type. See her last LAT puzzle.  "Dance Partners", also a Sunday.

Across:

1. Cold mold : ASPIC. The ones in Xi'An often contain bits of fried tofu.

6. Remove pieces from? : UNARM. Use DISARM more often.

11. Stay-at-home ones, perhaps : DADS

15. Disappearing slope apparatus : T-BAR. I don't get the "Disappearing" part.

19. Isabella, por ejemplo : REINA. Spanish queen.

20. Largest of the Cyclades : NAXOS

21. Peace Nobelist Wiesel : ELIE

22. Poker chip collector : RAKE. If my brain works as fast as Ben Affleck's, I'll count cards too.

25. Fresh, in a way : RUDE

26. Tiger's ex : ELIN. So pretty.

27. Puts away, as a dagger : SHEATHES

30. Escalator feature : TREAD

31. Sour notes : CLINKERS. I only know clunkers.

32. "The Racer's Edge" : STP

35. Phoenix team, on scoreboards : ARI. D-backs.

36. Home to one billion : AFRICA. 4.3 billion people in Asia.

38. One vis-à-vis three, at times : SOONER. Simple in retrospect.

45. Ring of Fire danger : TSUNAMI. Love this picture Dave linked a few days ago.

46. Divvy up : ALLOT

47. Jack up : RAISE

48. Got ready to drive : TEED. Unlike Marti, Laura Davies never uses tees. She just kicks up a bit of sod and uses it as a tee.

49. 45, e.g. : RPM

50. Dole (out) : METE

51. Bits of holly : SPRIGS

53. Influence unfairly : BIAS

54. Opposite of ecto- : ENTO. Inner.

55. Boat-steering tool : OAR

56. Wood stove, for one : HEATER

58. Grade school quintet : A E I O U

67. Say "y'all," say : ELIDE

68. Acapulco beaches : PLAYAS. Had no idea that "Playa" means "Beach" in Spanish.

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

71. Gym series : REPs

72. Instrument played with a mallet : GONG. Also the surname of the most famous Chinese actress Gong Li.

73. Follow orders : COMPLY

76. Quipsters : WITS

80. Brown, in old ads : UPS. Sorry about my umlaut mess-up yesterday, Splynter. No Blue-Eyed Girl yesterday?

81. 1998 N.L. MVP : SOSA

82. Paroxysm : THROE

83. Pago Pago's nation : SAMOA

84. Airport arrival : SHUTTLE

89. Spotted : ESPIED

90. Least significant : MEREST

91. Fed. auditing agency : GAO (Government Accountability Office)

92. Talk trash to : DIS. Don't you ever talk about me like that! I'm the best Chinese crossword blogger in the game.

93. Deportment : DEMEANOR

95. Connection : NEXUS

100. It joined the Union in 1876 : COLORADO

103. Jamaican tangelo : UGLI. Most grocery stores carry UGLIs nowadays.

104. Sliding __ : DOOR

108. Bed board : SLAT

109. Oscar winner Hathaway : ANNE

110. Spanish bar servings : TAPAS

111. Chew the scenery : EMOTE

112. Now Look dolls, e.g. : KENs. Not familar with the "Now Look".

113. Drain cleaners : LYES

114. Oodles : SCADS

115. Less cracked? : SANER. Nice clue.

Down:

1. Chihuahua greeting : ARF

2. Seven __ : SEAS

3. Essence : PITH

4. Map of Hawaii, often : INSET. Indeed.

5. Falls : CATARACT. Plural-like singular, like Niagara Falls, I guess.

6. Release : UNCHAIN

7. Au naturel : NAKED

8. Line in math class : AXIS

9. Burgundy of film : RON. Hi there, Ron!

10. Controversial flavor enhancer : MSG

11. Lifting device : DERRICK

12. Smith graduate : ALUMNA

13. Got a C-plus, say : DID OK

14. Sibyls : SEERESSES

15. High-level disloyalty : TREASON

16. 2008 Asian Beach Games host : BALI. Have no memory of the games.

17. Similar (to) : AKIN

18. "Seasons of Love" musical : RENT

24. Cheri of "SNL" : OTERI

28. "... a grin without a cat!" thinker : ALICE

29. Self-important : PROUD

31. Stick with a net : CROSSE. In Lacrosse, right?

32. Annoying messages : SPAM

33. Domino, for one : TILE

34. Pound repeatedly : PELT

36. Berry rich in antioxidants : ACAI. See lots of Acai bowls on Pinterest.

37. Capricious : FLIGHTY

39. Country by the River Shribble : NARNIA. Got via crosses.

40. Caveat __ : EMPTOR

41. Curl around the hole's edge without going in, in golf lingo : RIM OUT. The clue describes the entry accurately.

43. School of the future? : ROE. Another great clue.

44. "Stay off my turf!" : GRR

45. Sad : TEARFUL

48. Bit of ticket info : TIER

51. Pouch : SAC

52. Ask for a hand? : PROPOSE

53. A/C unit : BTU. So pricey to ask those guys for a check up. Often they don't have the correct parts in their car, and they have to come again. I often wonder if they're telling the truth.

54. Neurofeedback readout : EEG

55. Sugar suffix : OSE

57. Pigeonholes : ASSORTS

58. Gasteyer of "Suburgatory" : ANA

59. Wade through : PERUSE

60. Hebrew leaders? : ALEPHS. Just first letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

61. Turns to confetti : RIPS UP

62. Some ESPN highlights : TDs

63. It parallels the radius : ULNA

64. Unlikely derby winner : NAG

66. Wrigley Field feature : IVY

69. Increasingly sore : ACHIER

72. Cherished prize : GOLD MEDAL. I'll always remember the 15 gold medals China won in 1984. That's the first Olympics to many Chinese (China had been boycotting Olympics prior to that).

74. More than half : MOST

75. Memento from a bill-signing ceremony : PEN

76. ''Do __ Diddy Diddy'': 1964 hit : WAH

77. Pinged, in a way : IM'ED. "Pinged" made me think of the Malaysia Airlines Flight 370.

78. Famous Amos : TORI

79. Get smart with : SASS

81. Shade of gray : STEEL

82. "Presumed Innocent" author : TUROW (Scott)

83. Calamity causes : SCOURGES

85. Choice morsels : TIDBITS. So I made Granola with Argyle's maple syrup a la this recipe. Skipped coconut flakes & used slivered almonds. I must have done something wrong, the taste was a bit bitter.

86. Men of La Mancha : SENORES

87. Eternal : AGELESS

88. Phylum or genus, e.g. : TAXON. New word to me. The plural is TAXA.

90. Sam who worked with Coach and Woody : MALONE. In "Cheers!" Never watched it.

94. Key material : EBONY. Piano key.

95. Itinerant : NOMAD

96. Hayek of "Frida" : SALMA. Saw a Frida Kahlo exhibit a few years ago. She sure knew pain &  passion.

97. Evenfall : DUSK

98. Look like a wolf? : OGLE. Lovely clue.

99. __ Bator : ULAN

100. Corrida cloak : CAPA

101. "Runaround Sue" singer : DION

102. Prefix meaning "bone" : OSTE

105. Bernard and Bonaventure: Abbr. : STs

106. Varnish ingredient : LAC

107. "__ Town Too": 1981 hit : HER. James Taylor.

The third Minnesota Crossword Tournament will be held on June 22 at The Landmark Center in Saint Paul. Please click here for more information. The puzzles are all made by our local constructors or constructors with MN ties (Andrea Carla Michaels, e.g.).  The local constructors include Tom Pepper, George Barany, David Hanson, David Liben-Nowell, Dan Kantor, Jay Kaskel & Victor Barocas (also our editor). Don G and Andy Kravis also took part in the effort. A few are our LA Times constructors. All have been published by the NY Times.

C.C.

 

Saturday, May 10th, 2014, Mitch Komro

Theme: None

Words: 64 (missing J,Q,Z)

Blocks: 25

 YES~!!!  This one looked daunting, to say the least, but I did manage to solve it - though I have to admit to two red-letter checks. :>(  I did some research, and it looks like Mitch is new to the LAT scene - he has had 6 NYT puzzles, the last one dating back to 2004.  His grid today has a truly symmetrical pinwheel design which boasts the lowest block count I can recall, and I think the fewest words, too.  This led to monster 8 X 6 chunks in the corners, plus 4 crossing 11-letter words on the inside;

24a. Opportunity seeker's words : GIVE ME A SHOT - that's all I'm asking....

42a. Began chastising : STARTED IN ON

22d. Gulf War code name : DESERT STORM

9d. Visibly awestruck : OPEN-MOUTHED - if certain events played out smoothly last night, I invited someone to stop here at the blog and take a peek at what I do; I am 'visibly awestruck' when I see her....

ONWAAARD~!!!
 

ACROSS:

 1. Name : ACCUSE - Dah~!! Went with HANDLE first - I did know the "E" was correct

7. On-again, off-again : SPORADIC

15. Allure maker : CHANEL - ah, I was thinking cars; so, Toyota does not make the Allure....my friend Adam owns a restaurant out here on L.I. called "A lure", which is a pretty clever name for its location on the Sound and the Bay

16. First of August? : CAPITAL A - It's the first letter of a name, too....I knew that the last letter of the answer would be an "A" from the question mark, but I wondered if there was another word to describe double vowels because "diphthong" wouldn't fit

17. Soup choice : TOMATO - Dah~! I had the "O", but stared at this one way too long

18. Metal seeker : ORE MINER - DETECTOR fit, too

19. 1936 Olympics standout : OWENS - had to wait on a few perps to recall this name
                                                                                                         ..
20. Band with an umlaut on the "n" in its name : SPINAL TAP - Oh, I am all over this clue - so many umlauts to choose from....  (Note from C.C.: I screwed up Splynter's N mark earlier. Click  here see how it's stylized. If you know how to put the umlaut above capital letter N, please let me know.)

21. Aggressively promote : FLOG

22. It's all in your head : DREAM - technically speaking, so is your BRAIN

23. "Jabberwocky" creature : TOVE - complete W.A.G. - the Wiki on the poem

27. Lifesaver, at times : NET

28. Not quite as many : ONE LESS - How ironic that I had "CALAMITY" at 1d, and so I tried TWO LESS at first, and thought "there's no way that got in the puzzle"

29. "You betcha!" : "SURE~!"

31. Sneer at : DERIDE

32. Conducted a trial : TESTED

36. Like some U.S. mail : CERTified - the only thing certified at UPS is the insanity

38. With a quiver : SHAKILY - because 'crossbow' didn't fit (Har-har~!)

39. Taft became its president after his term as U.S. president : ABA

44. __ salad : COBB

46. Scandinavian bard of yore : SKALD - the straight up word for "poet" in the language

47. __ Harker, heroine in Stoker's "Dracula" : MINA - I just saw this for the first time about a month ago - not that great, seemed to drag on a bit, but - Gary Oldman is one of my favorite actors; Commissioner Gordon, Sirius Black, and "Zorg"; what movie is this last character from?

48. Heading for : EN ROUTE TO

50. Big Ben sounds : BONGS

51. It's unpleasant to end on one : SOUR NOTE - This clip contains one of the best sour notes I can recall - and it set the tone for the movie

52. Word often seen after rinse : REPEAT- and preceded by "Lather" on your shampoo bottle

53. Not 100 per cent : IMPAIRED

54. She beat Midori for the 1992 Olympic gold medal : KRISTI - Yamaguchi

55. Without holding back : TO THE MAX

56. "Wait a minute" : "ONE SEC"

DOWN:

1. Unforeseeable event : ACT OF GOD - the one NOT covered by your insurance

2. Order at a mess : CHOW LINE

3. Dropped by : CAME OVER

4. Devilish : UNANGELIC - I had the "U", "A" and "L", so this was a complete W.A.G. - it's only when I came to do the write-up that I said "Hey, that was right?!?"

5. Gig arrangements : SETS - Musical gigs, and what the band plays in between drinking binges

6. "Don't Bring Me Down" gp. : ELO

7. Checks (out) : SCOPES

8. Outcasts : PARIAHS

10. Device for un poeta : RIMA - I'm guessing this is Spanish (or Italian?) for poetry and rhyme

11. Leaning : ATILT

12. Robespierre foe : DANTON - Notables from the Frawnche Revolution

13. Start of a bequest : I LEAVE - "to my son, I LEAVE the Porsche 918..."

14. Shag, e.g. : CARPET - Yeah, baby, Yeah~!

20. Mmes., in Mexico : SRAs

25. Ancient Iranians : MEDEs

26. __ water : TREAD

30. Treat once known as an I-Scream Bar : ESKIMO PIE - Nailed it

33. Lilliputian quality : TININESS

34. String out : ELONGATE - a bit 'meh' for me; I wouldn't say addicts get "elongated"....

35. Like the New York Yankees, historically : DYNASTIC - Screw the Yankees - and I'm from NY

37. Break, in Bath : TAKE TEA - Bath, the city in England

38. WWII battle site : St.LO - more Frawnche

39. Nails the exam : ACES IT

40. Turkish Taffy maker : BONOMO - the "B" was my last fill, and it was a W.A.G.

41. Short : ABRUPT

43. Like "Midnight Cowboy," originally : RATED X - I remembered this, and went with "X-RATED" first, but the letter combinations weren't working

45. __ Peak, highest mountain in Idaho : BORAH

49. Combined, in Chartres : UNIE -  more Frawnche

50. Swiss capital : BERN

52. "The Body Snatcher" studio : RKO - Here's the Wiki on this one; not to be confused with "Invasion of the Body Snatchers", which terrorized me as a child....I didn't sleep comfortably for a year - that's when they come and GET you~!

Splynter

Friday May 9, 2014 Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: Run on thoughts.


JW makes the move from Thursday to Friday this week with a complicated and ingenious (not igneous, see below) group of phrases clued with Canadian cities (EH!) mashed together with a word or phrase to create a new phrase that almost makes sense. Doing this all from Canadian cities is great, and gives you some idea how puzzles are born. I would guess at some point the sound of  HALI FAX MACHINE popped in his head and he was off to the creative races. The rest of the puzzle has some difficult clues, but with the longest non-theme answers 7 letters (many of which were fun- DIORITE, ECHELON, FANTAIL, IN LIMBO, ROAD TAX, TELECOM,  WEIRDOS and  WIMPISH) I found this to be a very doable puzzle. I would think Mr. Wechsler, who I have blogged before,  must have strong ties to Canada as I do not know many USA citizens who can name the Canadian provinces and major cities; I just learned he published his first NY Times in 1969, his second in 2009 - 40 years later. I would love to hear the story of the delay. So here we go...thanks for lending me JW, marti.

17A. TV fare in Quebec? : MONTREALITY SHOW. (15). Reality TV has taken over the world because they can pay so much less, even in Canada. I enjoy Montreal both from my family history and the people. They do however drive even worse than Floridians. This is the odd one as the REAL changes sound.

31A. Communication device in Nova Scotia? : HALIFAX MACHINE. (14).  My favorite and what I guess is the seed answer. Are fax machines going the way of beepers?

39A. Tool storage convenience in Manitoba? : WINNIPEG BOARDS..(14). All I really know is that the Blue Bombers play there in the CFL and the Jets in the NHL. Who doesn't hang tools on a pegboard in the garage?

60A. Throat ailment in Alberta? : EDMONTONSILITIS.(15). The most impressive run on. Wayne Gretzky taught me all I know about Edmonton.

Across:

1. Kate, to Petruchio : WIFE. The Taming of the Shrew. Loves me some Shakespeare.

5. Works on walls : ART. Cute, hard to be too tricky with a three letter fill. CLECHO! 50D. Works on walls : OILS. Hanging on them, in museums etc. Tricky 2.

8. Apportioned, with "out" : METED. A favorite of judges meting out justice.

13. Prayer leader : IMAM.

14. Sandwich staple : RYE. I thought of ham first, go figure. And, 6D. Thick-pile rug : RYA. This traditional Scandinavian rug was an unknown.

15. Bring forth : ELICIT.

20. Contributes : PUTS IN. His two-cents worth.

21. Spacewalk initials : EVA. Extra-vehicular activity.

22. See 2-Down : HERE. A backwards cross-reference. 2D. With 22-Across, "See ya!" : I'M OUTTA.

23. Marseilles : -euse :: Madrid : __ : ITA. Feminine endings in French and Spanish.

24. "Pensées" author : PASCAL.  This is a really interesting LINK.

26. "... if I tell thee __, spit in my face": Falstaff : A LIE. More Will.
FALSTAFF

Nay, that’s past praying for. I have peppered two of them. Two I am sure I have paid, 

two rogues in buckram suits. I tell thee what, Hal, if I tell thee a lie, spit in my face, 

call me horse. Thou knowest my old ward. Here I lay, and thus I bore my point. 

Four rogues in buckram let drive at me.

27. Move a bit : STIR.

29. Very long time : EON.

30. Teammate of Hubbell : OTT. A new clue for Hall of Famer Mel.

37. Friend of Huck : JIM. Not Tom....

38. One working at home : UMP. A baseball reference for C.C. Tricky 1.

47. Psychotic Chihuahua : REN. A mini-theme? 52A. Reprimand often given while pointing down : BAD DOG.

48. Theban queen of myth : INO. Goody, some MYTHOLOGY. Really, all perps.

49. Boss's command : DO IT.

55. Thin-rail bridge : AS A.

56. "Get a __!" : GRIP.

57. Sea urchin roe, in sushi bars : UNI.  Time to learn. LINK.

58. Without restraint : WILDLY.

63. Additionally : TO BOOT. Weird sounding phrase. Per wiktionary:

Etymology

From Middle English to bote (“something added to, addition”), from Old English tō bōte (“to boot, besides, moreover”). More at boot.

(idiomatic) moreover, on top of that, besides, also.

My boyfriend is funny, and a pretty good cook, to boot.

64. DDE, e.g. : GENeral. Eisenhower.

65. Speedy shark : MAKO. Want to know WHY?

66. Get to the bottom of : SOLVE.

67. Weaken : SAG.

68. Powerful team : OXEN.

Down:

 1. Like some chickens : WIMPISH. People not farm animals. Tricky 3.

3. Split and flattened, as shrimp : FANTAIL. Want to know HOW?

4. Personnel providing CPR : EMTS. Emergency medical technicians

5. Olympic venue : ARENA.

7. Vonage, for one : TELECOM. Better answer than Phone Co.

8. Osmium or rhodium : METAL.

9. English cathedral city : ELY. I am sure Steve can tell you all about this PLACE.

10. Actress Campbell of TV's "Martin" : TISHA. Need a pic?

11. Rank : ECHELON. Really fun word, but not my first or second thought.

12. Igneous rock on which the Code of Hammurabi is inscribed : DIORITE. Like Sheldon, I know no GEOLOGY.

16. Brief statement, by necessity : TWEET. I do not tweet and based on their stock performance I am not alone.

18. Grave statement, briefly? : RIP. Funny? Rest In Peace. Tricky 4.

19. The Donald's first ex : IVANA. How cool she is next to...need a pic?

25. Questionnaire datum : SEX. In taking the PSAT a classmate answered, "I wish!"

28. Rembrandt van __ : RIJN. Need a pic?

32. Fiver : FIN. Old timey slang like sawbuck.

33. "Who, me?" : AM I? Not sure I understand completely...

34. Furry youngster : CUB. Maybe.

35. Gp. for GPs : HMO. Health Maintenance Organization.

36. Apple product : iPAD.

39. Eccentric types : WEIRDOS. Who does not love a puzzle with wimps and weirdos.

40. Undetermined : IN LIMBO.

41. Liszt's instrument : PIANO. Want to LISZTEN? (9:46).

42. Some games have multiple ones : ENDINGS. Are we talking  marriage here?

43. Neptune, e.g. : GOD. Semi-clecho 62D. Neptune's realm : SEA.

44. Toll, basically : ROAD TAX. They put tolls on the Florida Turnpike to pay for the construction, now 50 years later they are just taxing drivers, especially all you lovely tourists.

45. Take a dim view of : DISLIKE.

46. Doesn't quit : STAYS ON. After the merger....

47. Synonym eponym : ROGET. Really cute clue.

51. Wire holder : SPOOL.

52. Monument Valley sight : BUTTE. Not a shout out to dear Montana, but to the formation on the Utah-Arizona border. LINK.

53. Short : OWING. I was short on my rent, not just vertically challenged.

54. Original boss of Sara and Nick on "CSI" : GIL Grissom. need a pic?

59. Long ride? : LIMO. Tricky 5.

61. Four-day weekend time, for many: Abbr. : NOV. Thanksgiving.

As with all of Mr. Wechsler's puzzles there were lots of fun clue/fill combinations and just enough spice to name it a Friday. I want to wish all a very Happy Mother's Day and off to golf in a charity tournament. Lemonade out.

Thursday, May 8, 2014, David Poole

Theme: "One of these things is not like the other."

16. "Atonement" actress : KEIRA KNIGHTLEY. I remember her from this famous movie series.

Pirates of the Caribbean Cast

23. Aviation pioneer : WILBUR WRIGHT. Ever the salesman, he had hundreds of postcards on the plane he flew at a show in Boston, then sold them to raise money for his next project.

Signed Postcard

37. Dr. Phil, e.g. : POP PSYCHOLOGIST. His methods have garnered some controversy. But he looks a lot like Wilbur Wright, don't you think?

Dr. Phil

52. Kitschy lawn decorations : GARDEN GNOMES. Not just for gardens any more...

Travelocity Gnome

61. Captains of industry : CORPORATE CZARS. I'm not sure this is an "in the language" phrase. I am more familiar with the term "Energy Czar."

Did you spot the theme when solving? I have to admit, it was not apparent to me until I wrote out the five theme entries above.  How clever of David Poole to find two word entries with the same letter beginning both words, but in the second word the letter is silent.

Marti here, to check out the rest.

Across

1. Fast money sources : ATMs. Automated Teller Machine(s). I grit my teeth when I hear someone say they took money from the "ATM machine." (You'll notice a lot of red in the "Across" portion of my write-up…)

5. First name in jazz : ELLA. One song today, and it's a beaut!

9. "The Kite Runner" boy : AMIR.

13. Police jacket acronym : SWAT. Special Weapons and Tactics.

14. Place : LIEU.

15. Peace Nobelist Walesa : LECH.

19. Many a car : SEDAN. Like 21-Across.

20. Abu Dhabi is its cap. : UAE. United Arab Emirates.

21. Cadillac compact : ATS. Attitude Tweaking Sedan.

28. Dickens pen name : BOZ.

31. Motown team : LIONS. LinkedIn Open Networker(s). (Sorry, I got carried away for a moment there…I'm back now.)

32. The Joker, to Batman : ENEMY.

33. Kentucky border river : OHIO.

35. Some four-year degs. : BSs. Bachelor of Science(s). And that's no BS!

36. Cinematic FX : CGI. Computer Generated Imagery.

43. "Up, up and away" carrier : TWA. Trans World Airlines.

44. Suffix in taxonomy : -OTA. Basidiomycota, eukaryota and the like.

45. Slobbering toon dog : ODIE.

46. Host : EMCEE.

49. Maker of XX antiperspirants : ARRID.

51. Fire : AXE.

55. Test for srs. : GRE. Graduate Record Exam.

56. Chargers linebacker Manti __ : TEO.

57. Matthew Broderick originally provided his adult voice : SIMBA.

66. Apiarist in a 1997 film : ULEE. Welcome back, old friend.

67. Lady's business? : AVON. Um, excuse me. Isn't that a little un-PC? There are over 12,000 men who also sell AVON products.

68. Work in the cutting room : EDIT.

69. Genesis creator : SEGA. Service Games. (True!)

70. Email : SEND.

71. Circle opening? : SEMI. Semi-circle.


Down

(Nary a bit of red to be found in this bunch!)

1. Petitions : ASKS.

2. Oh-so-dainty, in Devon : TWEE. I was not familiar with this British definition. But I have heard of "TWEE Pop" referring to certain Indie music.

3. Hotel employee : MAID. Because the more PC term "housekeeper" would not fit.

4. Soda fountain freebie : STRAW.

5. Lodge logo animal : ELK.

6. Vietnam Veterans Memorial designer : LIN. Maya Lin's structure evokes an almost universally emotional response from visitors. And we have another architect in our midst at 27-Down. Covent Garden architect Jones : INIGO. He was slightly before Maya Lin's time.

7. Welcoming ring : LEI. Oh, I was thinking of cell phone ring tones. I always love to hear the one that plays when DH calls me.

8. Bodes : AUGURS.

9. Superhero's cover : ALTER EGO.

10. Blanc who voiced Bugs : MEL.

11. When mammoths roamed : ICE AGE.

12. Musician's asset : RHYTHM.

17. Indigo source : ANIL. INIGO's father?

18. Half a bray : HAW.

22. Place for a mud bath? : STY. I almost put "spa" but then I saw the question mark.

24. Chad neighbor : LIBYA. Chad has lots of neighbors. And four of them are five letters. Eeny, meeny, miny, moe...

25. Anjou cousin : BOSC.

26. Still woolly, perhaps : UNSHORN.

28. Conk : BOP.

29. "So that's your game!" : OHO!

30. Speed : ZIP.

34. Went (for) : OPTED.

36. Demand as due : CLAIM.

38. Fragrant climbing plant : SWEET PEA.

39. Another, in Acapulco : OTRO.

40. Director Lupino : IDA.

41. Milne's "Now We Are __" : SIX. A book of children's verses.

42. Where a driver is often needed : TEE. HG, do you always use a driver off the tee?

46. Frittata ingredient : EGG. Yumm!

47. Neiman's partner : MARCUS. Instead of investing in the fledgling Coca-Cola company in 1907, they decided to start a department store, because "sugary pop" was too risky. Hah!

48. Like jambalaya : CREOLE. Yumm! (Anyone else getting hungry?)

49. Old gathering places : AGORAS.

50. Fam. tree member : DESC.endant.

53. Con lead-in : NEO. Neoconservative. No politics!

54. King and queen, but not prince : SIZES. "Beds" was too short.

58. Identified, as an undercover cop : MADE.

59. Beret's lack : BRIM.

60. European wine area : ASTI.

62. Pump spec. : REG.ular.

63. Blvd. relative : AVE.nue. Kissing cousins to sts.

64. Whole bunch : TON.

65. Remnant : END. And that's exactly what this is!

Marti

Wednesday, May 7, 2014 John Dunn

Theme: "Sends up to" a Beach Boys' album remix?

17A. Chinese noodle dish : CHICKEN CHOW MEIN. Food! Off to a great grid-spanning start, although it wouldn't span the grid in Mandarin with just these two characters: 炒面

Yum!

23A. 1995 Shania Twain album : THE WOMAN IN ME. This Canadian (who knew?) singer is credited with having a scientifically-perfect face based on "golden ratio" proportions.

47A. Greeter of new homeowners : WELCOME WAGON. New to me. I didn't know the next theme entry either, so very reliant on crosses down in this area.

57A. Will Schuester portrayer on "Glee" : MATTHEW MORRISON. I needed to be introduced to him today.

and the reveal tucked away in the middle of the grid:

38A. Whiskas alternative ... or, literally, what's hidden in 17-, 23-, 47- and 57-Across : MEOW MIX

Welcome to Wednesday everyone! Steve here with a fine anagram-themed puzzle from John Dunn. I love anagrams and so I threw in an extra one with my posting title. Extra credit for the solution to that!

This puzzle gave me fits for a Wednesday - it took me quite some time; in fact longer than last Saturday's Silkie. Finally I had to WAG the "U" for the UBOATS/UGARTE intersect - EGARTE would have looked equally correct to me. When we opened up with "Z" I was looking out for a pangram but in the end we're missing a Q.

Across:

1. Takes out in an arcade, as bad guys : ZAPS

5. Longtime AFL president Gompers : SAMUEL. I was surprised I'd not heard of him as I'm such a sports fan, but then I discovered that the clue refers to the American Federation of Labor, not the American Football League.

11. Rank above cpl. : SGT

14. Spread unit : ACRE

15. Really enjoys : IS INTO

16. Quattro meno uno : TRE. Spanish math class today!

20. Clothes line : HEM. Check the clecho at 43A

21. Antiquing agent : AGER. For faux antiques. The genuine agent is time.

22. "A Farewell to __" : ARMS

27. Lincoln Town Cars, e.g. : SEDANS. Almost always black, for some reason.

30. Highest point : ACME. Apex went in first, then came out just as quickly.

31. "Jeopardy!" name : ALEX. Mr. Trebek one of only two names in the puzzle today that I knew. I didn't know that he is part Canadian.

32. Hanging around : LOITERING. Doing this "with intent" used to be a crime in the UK. It's still not actually legal, but you now violate the wider "Criminal Attempts Act".

37. Org. for Hawks but not Eagles : NBA. The purist in me would have liked to have seen this clued this as "Org. for Hawks but not Falcons" as they're both Atlanta-based teams.

40. Pivotal : KEY

41. Commonly yellow blooms : DAFFODILS. I thought all daffodils were yellow, but I'm not a horticulturist. I thought the white/yellow varieties were narcissi.

43. Clothes line : SEAM

44. Not quite closed : AJAR

45. WWII fleet : U-BOATS. As I mentioned earlier, I could easily have put E in place of U.

52. Missouri River tribe : OTOE

53. "Dies __" : IRAE

54. Deluge refuge : ARK. Loved the clue.

62. Was tricked by a worm? : BIT. It took a few beats to see this one - from the perspective of a fish.

63. Pull into, as a motel : STOP AT

64. Late-night rival of Jimmy and Jimmy : DAVE. Letterman, to Fallon and Kimmel.

65. Pavement warning : SLO. If you drive on the pavement in the UK you'll get arrested - that's what Brits call the sidewalk.

66. "__ here": "Poltergeist" : THEY'RE. I've never seen it and never will - I can't watch horror movies, they scare the bejasus out of me. I snuck into "The Exorcist" when I was about 14 and I had to sleep with the light on for a month.

67. Expel with force : SPEW

Down:

1. "The Hangover" actor Galifianakis : ZACH. I'm terrible with actors' names. I saw the movie but didn't have a clue with this one.

2. Workout consequence : ACHE

3. Schoolmarmish : PRIM.

4. "Hold on a __!" : SEC

5. Extended attacks : SIEGES

6. Good __: fully restored : AS NEW

7. Start to manage? : MICRO. Micromanage. Another fun clue/answer.

8. The Wildcats of the America East Conf. : U.N.H.

9. 1940s mil. zone : E.T.O. The European Theater of Operations. I think it should be "theatre" being as it's Europe.

10. Cattle call : LOW. Hand up for MOO first.

11. Back at sea : STERN

12. Fairy tale brother : GRIMM

13. High-strung : TENSE

18. Lyricist Gus : KAHN. I had to look him up, he has quite a body of work including this gem.

19. Champion skier known as the "Herminator": MAIER. The other name that I knew. He is famous for getting up after this amazing crash during the Nagano Olympics downhill event and winning gold medals in giant slalom and Super-G a couple of days later.

23. Strain : TAX

24. Seriously injures : MAIMS

25. Overture follower : ACT I

26. "Breaking Bad" setting: Abbr. : N.MEX. I just stared watching season 1 - I'm a tad behind the times when it comes to popular TV culture.

27. Beach pailful : SAND

28. Where Napoleon was exiled : ELBA. He was able, ere he saw it.

29. Like The Who's Tommy : DEAF. Also mute and blind; he wasn't dealt a good hand. Did you know his last name was Walker?

Elton John exercising his usual understated restraint in "Tommy"

32. River through Tours : LOIRE. The Loire Valley is one of the most beautiful parts of Europe.

33. Head-rotating bird : OWL

34. Source of much dorm furniture : IKEA

35. "Groovy!" : NEAT

36. Fitness centers : GYMS

38. Magic amulet : MOJO

39. Mild cheese : EDAM

42. Gem surface : FACET

43. George W., to George : SON

45. Lorre's "Casablanca" role : UGARTE. No idea, and came close to having me stumped as I mentioned before.

46. Certain Afrikaner : BOER. I thought all Afrikaners were Boers? This seems to suggest that there are Afrikaners who are not.

47. Areas for development : WOMBS

48. Cybercommerce : ETAIL. It took me a while to shake E-TRADE out of my head.

49. Numbers game : LOTTO

50. Not macho at all : WIMPY. It's a fast food chain in the UK and pre-McDonald's invasion it was pretty much the only place to get a burger. Take my word for it - they were not good.

51. Like a loud crowd : AROAR

54. "By yesterday!" letters : ASAP. Tempted by STAT, resisted.

55. Gad about : ROVE. I'd like to see Karl do this, so I could say I saw Rove rove.

56. Had down cold : KNEW

58. FDR successor : HST.  Hunter S. Thompson? Wait, no, Harry S. Truman

59. Biblical verb suffix : -ETH

60. Misfortune : WOE

61. They may be checked at the door : ID'S. This was my first US driver's license before the stress of living in California turned my hair gray.

... and with that I'm done, or as the ruler said to the knuckles - it's a rap!

Tuesday, May 6, 2014 Pam Amick Klawitter

Theme: What's between your ears? - I think my mother might have chosen any one of these synonyms that start our theme entries to answer that question.

17A. Fill-in-the-amount document : BLANK CHECK

25A. Expanding bullet : HOLLOW POINT

37A. Uncomprehending look : VACANT STARE

52A. Like men modeling swimming trunks : BARE-CHESTED

61A. Insincere talk, and a hint to the starts of this puzzle's four other longest entries : EMPTY WORDS

Argyle here. This seemed easy when I solved it but after writing up the blog, there seems to be some wicked entries. Whether or not they formed some Naticks remains to be seen. Two strong corners are nice. Good in-the-language entries makes up for the random obscurity.

Across:

1. SoCal enforcement squad : LAPD

5. "12 Angry Men" star Henry : FONDA. (1957)

10. Swimming spot : POOL

14. Seat of Allen County, Kansas : IOLA. Motto: "Come home to Iola, Kansas...it's time"

15. Queen __ lace : ANNE'S

16. Cherub, in Chambéry : ANGE. Chambéry is a city in southeastern France.

19. Actress Ward : SELA

20. Made sure of : SAW TO

21. Dines at home : EATS IN

23. Place to check your balance, briefly : ATM

28. Feathery scarves : BOAs

30. Put down, in slang : DIS

31. Marinara sauce brand : PREGO

32. Bear witness : ATTEST

35. Stun, as a perp : TASE

41. French girlfriend : AMIE

42. Soviet newspaper : PRAVDA

45. Horoscope columnist Sydney : OMARR. (1926 – 2003)

49. Opening for a chorus line : TRA

51. Free from bias : FAIR

56. Family animal : PET

57. With perfection : TO A TEE

58. Roofing piece : SLATE

60. Prefix with sphere : ATMO

66. Wife and sister of Osiris : ISIS

67. Seated yoga position : LOTUS. And he is bare chested.

68. Increase, as prices : GO UP

69. Loch with a monster : NESS

70. Garden tool : SPADE

71. Crooner Williams : ANDY

Down:

1. Ad-__: improvise : LIB

2. Internet giant : AOL

3. Flat panel in many a sports bar : PLASMA TV

4. Funnyman Carvey : DANA

5. Ipso __ : FACTO

6. Waiting to talk to a real person, say : ON HOLD

7. Peoria-to-Green Bay dir. : NNE

8. End-of-year abbr. : DEC.

9. Out of kilter : ASKEW

10. Sunday speaker : PASTOR

11. Baby shower bodysuit : ONESIE

12. Leering at : OGLING

13. Makeshift shelter : LEAN-TO

18. Electric bill meas. : KWH. (kilowatt hour)

22. Pop up : APPEAR

23. Lawyer's gp. : ABA. (American Bar Association)

24. Day care attendee : TOT

26. Ignores the trash can : LITTERS

27. Mama bears, in Spain : OSAs

29. Dead __ Scrolls : SEA. The Dead Sea Scrolls are a collection of texts discovered inside caves about a mile from the shore of the Dead Sea.

33. Not widely available : SCARCE

34. Scottish hat : TAM

36. Gas additive brand : STP

38. Nick at __ : NITE

39. WWII fliers : RAF. (Royal Air Force)

40. Tony-winning role for Patti LuPone : EVA PERON. Evita opened at the Broadway Theatre on 25 September 1979 and closed on 26 June 1983, after 1,567 performances.

43. Roller with pips : DIE. The little square that rolls.

44. Gallery showing : ART

45. Gain possession of : OBTAIN

46. China's __-tung : MAO TSE. (Mao Zedong)

47. One of the Musketeers : ARAMIS. His fellow Musketeers are Athos and Porthos.

48. Freshen, as the salad : RETOSS

50. Available for breeding : AT STUD

53. Sexy-looking shoes : HEELS

54. Steven's wife on "Family Ties" : ELYSE

55. Margery of kids' rhyme : DAW. Stopped in for a second visit.

59. Frat party wrap : TOGA

62. Unruly head of hair : MOP

63. School support org. : PTA

64. Flop : DUD

65. Undercover agent : SPY

Argyle