Tuesday, May 20, 2014 Jeff Chen

Theme: Name That Tune - Probably the first song we ever learned.

20A. "Twinkle, twinkle, little star" : ABCDEFG

28A. "How I wonder what you are" : HIJKLMNOP

36A. "Up above the ..." : QRS

41A. "... world so high" : TUV

44. "Like a diamond in the sky" : WXY AND Z

58A. Ditty sharing a melody with "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" : THE ALPHABET SONG

Argyle here. The puzzle has mirror (left to right) symmetry and is a pangram. Plus: the reveal spans the grid.

Across:

1. Gallery exhibitors : ARTISTS

8. NFL great "Boomer" : ESIASON

15. Dada pioneer : JEAN ARP

16. Heavenly : SUBLIME

17. "Hamlet" woman at whose grave Gertrude says "Sweets to the sweet" : OPHELIA

18. Flowing locks : TRESSES

19. Rain-__ Pops: gum-filled candy : BLO

22. LAPD rank : SGT.

23. Polite country assent : YES'M

25. Language suffix : ESE

26. "Divine Secrets of the __ Sisterhood" : YA-YA

31. First of 12 popes : PIUS I

33. Mark or markka replacements : EUROs

37. Rock bottom : NADIR

43. Carrier with a hub at DEN : UAL. Denver is the fourth-largest hub for United Airlines.

46. Brewed drink : TEA

47. Very little, in recipes : A DASH

49. Put the kibosh on : END

50. Agenda listings : ITEMS

52. "Divine Comedy" poet : DANTE

53. Cagey : SLY

54. "Gay" capital of song : PAREE

55. Forest foragers : DEER

57. Finger of smoke : WISP

65. New Year's Eve popper : CORK

66. Gumption : MOXIE

67. Fencing sword : EPEE

68. Untidy situation : MESS

69. Throw money around : SPEND

70. Atty.-to-be's exam : LSAT. (Law School Admission Test)

Down:

1. "This looks like __ for Superman!" : A JOB

2. Email option : REPLY

3. California/Nevada resort lake : TAHOE

4. Suffix with elephant or serpent : INE

5. Deli display : SALAMIs

6. Chicago paper, familiarly : TRIB. Chicago Tribune

7. See 12-Down : SPACEK 12D. With 7-Down, "Coal Miner's Daughter" star : SISSY

8. Hold in high regard : ESTEEM

9. Poke around the Web : SURF

10. Pleading remark : "I BEG YOU"

11. Racing Unsers : ALs

13. Horseshoe-shaped letter : OMEGA

14. Place for a jay : NEST

21. ISP option : DSL. (digital subscriber line)

24. Moo __ pork : SHU

27. Busy mo. for a CPA : APR.

29. Hex : JINX

30. Many a Pi Day celebrant : NERD. Pi Day is March 14 (or 3/14) celebrating the mathematical constant π since 3, 1, and 4 are the first three significant digits of π.

31. Big name in high fashion : PRADA

32. 1980s four-peat Stanley Cup champs : ISLANDERS

34. Frozen fruit-juice treats : OTTER POPS

35. "I was wrong. So what" : "SUE ME!"

36. Campus hangout : QUAD

38. Yeses at sea : AYEs

39. Pioneer Boone, folksily : DAN'L

40. 200-lap race, briefly : INDY. Indianapolis 500.

42. Place for posies : VASE

44. Ferris __ : WHEEL

45. "Shh!" : "ZIP IT!"

48. Chophouse fare : STEAKS

51. Loafer adornment : TASSEL

56. Tach measures: Abbr. : RPMs

57. Invasive plant : WEED 59D. 57-Down killer : HOE

58. Channel for old films : TCM. (Turner Classic Movies)

60. Short flight : HOP

61. Lumberjack's tool : AXE

62. Composting receptacle : BIN

63. PBS supporter : NEA. (National Endowment for the Arts)

64. Understand : GET

Argyle

Monday, May 19, 2014 Kevin Christian

Theme: Above the Shoulders - At the start of the longest entries are parts of the human found at the top of the body (except maybe, the second one).

20A. Local area : NECK OF THE WOODS

26A. Hangover cure, so they say : HAIR OF THE DOG

43A. Way things are legally viewed : EYES OF THE LAW

52A. Valedictorian : HEAD OF THE CLASS

Argyle here. No reveal Monday but the theme is right in your face. Fourteen 3-letter words but seemed like less and 2 letters shy of a pangram. I wonder what Tuesday will bring.

Across:

1. Omega's opposite : ALPHA

6. Hundred Acre Wood bear : POOH

10. "And another thing ..." : "ALSO"

14. Fable conclusion : MORAL

15. With 16-Across, money to buy a car : AUTO

16. See 15-Across : LOAN

17. Oust : EVICT

18. Glasgow native : SCOT

19. Checkers or chess, e.g. : GAME

23. Rapper Dr. __ : DRE

24. B'way full-house sign : SRO. (Standing Room Only)

25. One of the back forty : ACRE

31. Mail dely. compartment : P.O. BOX

34. Vegetable oil-based spread : OLEO

35. Fed. property overseer : GSA. (General Services Administration)

36. Vogue shelfmate : ELLE. Fashion magazines.

37. Madagascar tree dweller : LEMUR. With the big eyes.

39. Fourth of __ : JULY. No sequester cuts to spoil the fireworks this year.

40. Greek "T" : TAU

41. Junky car : HEAP

42. Tippy boat : CANOE

47. Shoulder muscle, for short : DELT. The deltoid muscle. Today's theme is above them.

48. Small songbird : TIT

49. Sheep sound : BAA

56. Poli sci subj. : GOVT.

57. Eight, on a sundial : VIII

58. Hard thing to break : HABIT

59. Tony Award relative : OBIE. The Tony Award is for Broadway theatre and the OBIE is for off-Broadway theatre.

60. Util. supply : ELECtric

61. Throw off one's trail : EVADE

62. Type option for emphasis : BOLD

63. Cincinnati team : REDS

64. Less likely to be a bargain on eBay : RARER

Down:

1. Change, as a constitution : AMEND

2. Romantic partner : LOVER

3. Five dollars a pound, e.g. : PRICE

4. Access illegally, as a database : HACK

5. Jazz combo instrument : ALTO SAX

6. Church leader : PASTOR

7. "That hurt!" : "OUCH!"

8. Native Nebraskan : OTOE

9. Serious trouble : HOT WATER

10. '90s veep : AL GORE

11. Weapon with ammo : LOADED GUN

12. __ Club: Costco rival : SAM'S

13. Number of gods in a monotheistic faith : ONE

21. "Thank God" day: Abbr. : FRI.

22. Cuatro times dos : OCHO. Spanish 4x2=8

26. Clod chopper : HOE

27. Get-up-and-go : OOMPH!

28. Ailment with a "season" : FLU

29. Norwegian capital : OSLO

30. "What's Going On" singer Marvin : GAYE

31. Sampras of tennis : PETE

32. Moisturizer brand : OLAY

33. Duke University athlete : BLUE DEVIL

37. Like doggy bag contents : LEFTOVER. Should it be plural? Discuss.

38. Have a bite : EAT

39. Knockout punch target : JAW

41. Place for cargo : HOLD

42. Buster Posey's position : CATCHER. For the San Francisco Giants.

44. On a chair : SEATED

45. Moral standards : ETHICS

46. Stretch the truth : LIE

49. Kiddie lit elephant : BABAR

50. Comment meant only for the audience : ASIDE

51. Daisylike flower : ASTER

52. Vagrant : HOBO

53. Use an emery board on : FILE

54. Even, as a score : TIED

55. Etna output : LAVA

56. Lump : GOB

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to dear Grumpy, who has not posted on the blog for a long while. What's up, Grumpy?  Click here to see more of Grumpy, Sallie & Spitzboov.

Grumpy & his lovely wife Wilda

Sunday May 18, 2014 John Lampkin

Theme:  "Addressing the Crowd" - Each theme answer ends with a street address, all clued appropriate for the profession mentioned in each clue.

23A. Apt address for hit men? : VICIOUS CIRCLE

28A. Apt address for prizefighters? : BELT LOOP

41A. Apt address for petrologists? : ROCKY ROAD. Misty's husband is a petrologist, I think.

50A. Apt address for surgeons? : INSIDE LANE

68A. Apt address for an Orlando team? : MAGIC SQUARE

 

86A. Apt address for photographers? : FLASH DRIVE. We all know John is a nature photographer.

94A. Apt address for gossip columnists? : DIRT TRAIL. Miss the old MSNBC Entertainment coverage.

109A. Apt address for dairymen? : MILKY WAY

118A. Apt address for Australian zookeepers? : KANGAROO COURT

What a great title!

Not a pangram as John's typical Sunday puzzles. 9 theme entries are not easy to deal with, esp if the first one starts with a 13, as you're forced with deep stacks of 7's on the upper right immediately. John could put another black square in square 22, but then he would have exceeded the word limit. 

Same with square 19. This is a potentially 3-letter heavy puzzle (I could easily see 20 in the top and bottom three rows alone), but John is a grid master.

Across:

 

1. Braying beast : ASS. Alliteration.

4. PC display : LCD

7. Places for prayer leaders : APSES

12. Bourbon barrel wood : OAK

15. "Silly me!" : D'OH!. And 18. Silly talk : TWADDLE. I like this word.

20. Collar attachment : LEASH. And 26. Helmet attachments : STRAPS

21. Certify : SWEAR TO

25. "Get busy!" : HOP TO IT!

   

27. Porcine cry : OINK

29. Overjoys : ELATES

31. "C'est magnifique!" : OO LA LA. Hi there Linda!

34. "Besides that ..." : ALSO

35. i follower : POD. iPod.

37. Capable, kiddingly : EPT

38. Chiapas chaperon : DUENA. New word to me. Also not familiar with the Mexican state Chiapas. Another Mexican state in the clue of AMIGA (122. Jalisco gal pal).

39. Mollycoddle : COSSET. No idea. Never been cosseted. 

45. Basic dance : TWO-STEP

47. It's a gas : OZONE

48. Native Canadian : CREE

55. Put under a spell : BEWITCH

57. Liberal group? : ARTS. Good old clue.

59. Scientific map subjects : GENOMES

60. "Three Days of the Condor" org. : CIA. I liked the movie. I like Robert Redford.

61. Scena segment : ARIA

62. Miler Sebastian : COE

64. Bug user : SNOOP. Wiretap bug.

65. Jerk : DORK.  Nope. Dorks are not jerks.

72. Football Hall of Famer Marchetti : GINO. Look, he even attached HOF in his signature.

73. Projecting window : ORIEL

75. Finder's reward : FEE

76. It may be artificial : TURF

77. Grate stuff : ASH

79. Pull back, as talons : RETRACT. Vivid clue.

81. Two in seventy-five? : VEES. Two letter V's.

82. Aaron Burr was once tried for it : TREASON. He was? This guy was so problematic.

89. Africa's Mobutu __ Seko : SESE

91. Kiddie lit redhead : PIPPI

92. Car deal component : TRADE-IN

96. Synagogue leaders : RABBIS

100. Two-time US Open winner : SELES (Monica). 

102. Burn at the beach : FRY. Shout-out to a blog regular, who loves his Pirates.

103. Bee follower : CEE

104. Jai __ : ALAI

105. Ankle-related : TARSAL

106. What burglars may walk on : TIPTOE

112. Hummable bit : TUNE. So simple, so beautiful. Make me think of the young Spitzboov, Argyle & PK.

114. Fairy tale brother : HANSEL. And Gretel.

117. Searches for anew : RE-SEEKS

121. For kicks : ON A LARK

123. Missing more marbles : LOONIER. Fun clue.

124. Mil. award : DSM (Distinguished Service Medal)

125. Turning meas. : RPS

126. River to the Bering Sea : YUKON

 

127. USCG officer : ENS (Ensigns)

128. Carol contraction : 'TIS

Down:

1. Some three-wheelers, briefly : ATVs

2. "M*A*S*H" actress : SWIT. "Hot Lips".

3. Untouchable : SACRED COW. Lovely entry.

4. Parkinson's treatment : L-DOPA

5. Tight gathering : CLUSTER

6. __ Plaines, Illinois : DES

7. Et __ : ALII

8. Anise-flavored liqueur : PERNOD. Gimme for Argyle, not me.

9. Grab some z's : SACK OUT

10. Subj. for aliens : ESL

11. Boater's pronoun : SHE. Not "Boater" hat.

12. Irish actor Milo : O'SHEA

13. Like a GI who missed the boat? : AWOL. On purpose then.

14. Didn't trash : KEPT

15. Responds to kitchen aromas : DROOLS. Do you miss your grandma's kitchen? I do.

16. Futile : OTIOSE. This word looks fat to me.

17. British stew : HOT POT. Chinese too.

19. Where to see hands on a wrist : DIAL. Another fun clue.

22. Traveler's aid : ATLAS

24. Credit sharer : CO-STAR

28. Coty Award winner Bill : BLASS. See here. He won in 1983. The Award was discontinued in 1985.

30. Big period : EPOCH

32. 2013 Women's British Open winner Stacy : LEWIS. Old course at St. Andrews. JD was there once.

33. Auth. unknown : ANON

35. SAT item : PROB. And 70. SAT item : QUES. Problem and Questions.

36. Exude : OOZE

39. Hand over : CEDE

40. Pops the top off : OPENS

42. Old-style golf wear : KNICKERS

43. Sasquatch kin : YETI

44. Honey substitute? : DEARIE. Sweet!

46. Member of the Panthera genus : TIGER

49. Spy novelist Ambler : ERIC

51. Classical music lover, facetiously : LONG HAIR. Both John & Rich are long hair(s) then!

52. Mine, in Monaco : A MOI

53. Vegas light : NEON

54. Beantown hockey hero : ESPO. Phil Esposito.

56. Nanny follower : CAM. Nanny cam.

58. Aesthetic attitude : TASTE

61. Negotiate a figurative hill? : AGE. I don't get this clue.

62. Put under a spell : CURSED

63. Klutz : OAF

65. German village : DORF. Learning moment for me.

66. Sportscaster Hershiser : OREL

67. Poet Dove : RITA

69. Performers' union acronym : AFTRA (American Federation of Television and Radio Artists)

71. Wing for Dumbo : EAR

74. "Chicago Hope" Emmy winner : LAHTI (Christine)

78. Equinox mo. : SEPT

80. Burned media, for short : CD-Rs. CD-R = Compact Disc-Recordable.

81. Salome septet : VEILS

82. Country singer Clark : TERRI

83. Apollo protection : SPACE SUIT. I was thinking of Greek god Apollo, Gary!

84. Mayberry moppet : OPIE

85. River to the Mediterranean : NILE

87. "In my opinion ..." : I'D SAY

88. Deviate : VEER

90. Bakery tool : SIFTER

93. One who's bound to order? : NEATNIK. Loved the clue and answer.

95. Tropical blow : TYPHOON

96. Muzzleloading aid : RAMROD

97. Far-out bunch? : ALIENS

98. Holiday tree : BALSAM

99. Theodore of "The Defiant Ones" : BIKEL. He looks familiar. I must have googled him before.

101. Nancy's buddy : SLUGGO

105. Things to do : TASKS

107. Mexican restaurant staples : TACOS

108. "__, you noblest English": "Henry V" : ON, ON

110. Coin datum : YEAR

111. Sitcom radio station : WKRP

113. Tandoori bread : NAAN

115. "... __ saw Elba" : ERE I

116. P.O. deliveries : LTRS

118. Kick starter? : KAY. Letter K. Or our Kazie's real name.

119. __ Darya River : AMU

120. Corrida kudos : OLE

C.C.

Saturday, May 17th, 2014, Mark Bickham

Theme: None

Words: 72 (missing J,Q,V)

Blocks: 28

  Today's puzzle from Mark had lots of clues that were right up my alley, and I thought I was going to cruise to a quick end - but then the SE corner just wouldn't fill in - and I had to switch to red-letter to see what mistakes I made.  When I did, I was disappointed with myself for not giving it more time....oh well.  Triple-9 pinwheel design with a couple of 10's on the inside, and one grid climber;

8. Inducing a nod, perhaps : DULL AS DISHWATER

and some of the other long fill;

29. Heavy metal band with the album "The Final Frontier" : IRON MAIDEN - One of the first (and best) bands I ever got into; even more interesting is that my favorite guitar player in the band, Adrian Smith, did a solo project, "Adrian Smith & Project", which featured:

38. __ Starkey, longtime drummer for The Who : ZAK - Ringo Starr's son, who appeared on the A.S.a.P. album "Silver & Gold"

38. BOLO clarification, perhaps : Z AS IN ZEBRA - Great fill; two non-connected "Z"s; Police term for "Be On the Look-Out"

Ugh, guess I have to move onward :>( ....

ACROSS:

1. Outlaw : DESPERADO

10. City on the Shatt al-Arab river : BASRA - Educated WAG with a couple of letters in place

15. Lady of the Lake's gift : EXCALIBUR - NAILED it - love this Monty Python scene (@ 1:05)

16. Web-footed animal : OTTER - Tried GOOSE first

17. Term popularized by physicist John Wheeler : BLACK HOLE

18. Spring sound : BOING - A WAG that stayed

19. Fully prepared : RIPE

20. Alice's chronicler : ARLO - The Alice of the 'restaurant', not 'Through the Looking Glass' - Arlo Guthrie

21. Italian nobleman : CONTE

22. Presidential nickname : ABE - Went with "IKE" first

23. Member of a bygone empire : INCA

24. 23-Down competitor : KAL-KAN - X-ref with; 23d. "Home 4 the Holidays" adoption sponsor : IAMS - Dog foods

25. Scottish John : IAN - John, Sean, Ian, Jan, Yanni

26. Sketch : SKIT - anyone else throw in "DRAW"?  Too easy for Saturday

28. Club alternative : BLT - The club sandwich, that is

33. Convergence points : FOCI

34. Some iPods : NANOs - I have a 30GB that I use every morning at UPS

35. It fell in 2001 : MIR - Russian space station

36. Heifetz contemporary : ELMAN - Violinists; more here

37. Old school : ETON - ah, an actual school, not a decription of how one "does things"

40. A, in Austria : EIN

41. Mass producer : BACH - Nice misdirection; mass as in church, not a production company

42. 16-symbol system, for short : HEX - Had no idea; 0-9 + a-f; the Wiki

43. Gets a C, say : DOES OK

45. TV musical host in four decades : WELK - Lawrence~!

47. Like a slim chance, oddly : FAT - Yes, how ironic

50. Egyptian signs of life : ANKHs

51. Latvian, for one : BALT - a bit meh for me

52. Unite by treaty : ALLY

53. Family nicknames : NANAs - I WAG-ed MAMAS, and was 60% right

54. Old Bethlehem sight : STEEL MILL - Ah, Bethlehem PA, that is

56. Coeur d'__ : ALENE - Idaho

57. Where the wild things are : MENAGERIE

58. Forbidden looks : PEEKS - Tried LEERS

59. Gestation period : TRIMESTER

DOWN:


1. "Everybody Loves Raymond" wife : DEBRA - Ray's wife

2. Book inscription abbr. : EX LIB - Latin, Ex Libris - "From the books of..."

3. Dream follower : SCAPE - Dreamscape. Not "ALARM"....I am pretty good at recalling my dreams

4. Duel unit : PACE

5. Order member : ELK

6. "Take a Bow" R&B singer : RIHANNA

7. Test options, at times : A, B, OR C - Another great fill

9. Breyers __ Cookies & Cream : OREO

10. Beginning Cub Scout : BOBCAT - Everything you need to know, here;   I was not a Boy Scout, Cub Scout or Bobcat

11. "Tragedy is __ for the living to gain wisdom": RFK : A TOOL

12. Smelly prank : STINK BOMB

13. Airport pickup : RENTAL CAR

14. San Martín was its liberator : ARGENTINA - half perps, half WAG

24. People : KIN

25. Advised of : IN ON

27. Skin lotion brand : KERI - I once dated a Kerry, and I was mocking her with this brand's slogan, which went "Keri, is so very..." and ironically, she threw the next phrase at me, which is "Rich, in emollients" - and Rich is MY name

29. New parent's complaint : I NEED A NAP

30. Thinking : RATIONALE

31. Making a proposal, perhaps : ON ONE KNEE - not any time soon

32. Non-PC purchase : iMAC - I am PC

33. Show off, in a way : FLEX

36. O.T. book before Daniel : EZEKiel

39. Blues or Blue Jackets : NHL TEAM - All me~!  I was hoping the Blue Jackets of Columbus OH would defeat the Penguins, but it didn't matter - my Rangers took care of a second PA team in 7 games.  Montreal next.  LET'S GO RANGERS~!!!

41. Big shots : BOSSES

44. Beef cut : SHANK

46. 1985 Malkovich movie : ELENI - never saw it; IMDb

47. Trifle (with), as an idea : FLIRT - I flirted with an idea for three weeks, and it turned out to be a mistake

48. '80s sitcom title woman : ALLIE - I put in "MAUDE", which ended in '78....oops.  "Kate and Allie", never watched the show

49. Seat of Texas' Smith County : TYLER

51. Realty ad abbr. : BSMT - I require a 'basement' as I carry on my search for my own house - need a place to play the drums

52. City near Des Moines : AMES - Name two cities in Iowa....

55. T size : LGE - T-shirt

Splynter

Friday, May 16, 2014 Jack McInturff

Theme: Pea-picking. Each of the theme phrases picks up a "p" at the start of the last word to create a new punning phrase.

Morning all! Steve here today subbing for Lemonade - don't get confused and think we've gone back a day to Wednesday.

Super crunchy puzzle from Jack Mac - after my first pass I had precisely four words and one letter filled, and one of those words turned out to be wrong anyway! I finally got a toehold in the south-east and worked backwards. I definitely needed to see the theme to make progress, and SEVEN YEAR PITCH saved my bacon. For some reason, I decided that Bonnie spelled her last name RAITE and that left me staring at NES wondering how there was a computer manufacturer I'd never heard of until the penny dropped. Great stuff, Jack!

16A. Be a part of treaty negotiations? : GET IN ON THE PACT. 

Helping to ratify the START treaty

24A. Unexpected political upheaval? : SUDDEN PURGE

 The UK House of Commons after a particularly far-reaching purge

36A. "White Fang," for example? : WILD PROSE. This clue/answer was my absolute favorite. The subject of Jack London's novel was a wild wolfdog. Great stuff!

52A. One that keeps bumping into senators? : AWKWARD PAGE

"Thank you for not knocking anyone over today"

60A. Endless spiel? : SEVEN YEAR PITCH. I've been working some of my deals for so long that it feels like it's been seven years.

That wraps up the theme entries. Let's see what else needs some 'splaining.

Across:

1. Trick or treat, e.g. : VERB. My second-to-last fill, and only because the checho at 29A gave me a clue.

5. Center of authority : SEAT. The seat of power.

9. One on the lam, perhaps : PERP. And speaking of which, I needed all the perps I could get today.

13. DH, usually : ALER. In Major League Baseball's American League, teams are allowed to send a designated hitter to bat in the place of the pitcher. In the National League, the pitchers have to take their own cuts.

14. Novelist Jaffe : RONA

15. Mixed bag : OLIO. One of the first words C.C. taught me when I started blogging here.

19. "Silver Lining" album maker : RAITT. Spelling this with an "E" wasn't a great idea. Here's Bonnie.

20. Tulsa sch. : ORU. Oral Roberts University. We've had it a couple of times recently.

21. Satisfied sound : AAH

23. Bay State cape : ANN

29. Trick or treat, e.g. : NOUN. This gave me 1A when I finally cracked this.

31. Irish __ : SEA. Of course, my first thought here was "Miss"!

32. It helps smooth things out : SANDER

33. Palm Pre predecessor : TREO. This was a trawl through the old memory banks. It had quite some heft to it.

34. Like "la" in Fr. : FEM. A noun's feminine gender indicated by 'la' in French. Masculine nouns are 'le'. Tricky clue.

35. Smelting waste : DROSS

40. Words after give or take : A HINT

43. Nice setting : MER. Quite a lot of foreign lingo today. Nice is on the Mediterranean Ocean, so a nitpicker would tell you that "mer" means "sea" and so strictly speaking this isn't correct. Today's Owen's Law?

44. Touch : ABUT

48. Humorous : JOCOSE. Word of the day. I'm going to use it.

50. Item tied with a decorative knot : OBI

51. Shore thing : DUNE

55. Réunion, par exemple : ILE. Island under French control off the coast of Madagascar. Nice beaches!

56. Midnight indicator, maybe : XII. The roman numerals on a clock face.

57. W, for one : DIR. Because "Luxury hotel brand marketed by the Starwood Group" doesn't fit. Took me ages to see this one.

58. Champagne toast? : SALUT! And a Pinch toast - Salut, Monsieur Tinbeni!

65. Yu the Great's dynasty : HSIA. 夏 Quite some time ago.

66. "No problem" : EASY

67. Coach K's team : DUKE. It's easier than writing out Krzyzewski (and double-checking the spelling) when you want to write about Mike.

68. Bibliog. term : ET AL "Et alia", "and the rest".

69. Trick : RUSE

70. 1974 CIA spoof : SPYS. I don't recall this movie. Looking at the reviews and the ratings I think Donald Sutherland and co. might want to forget it too.

Can the critics still see us?

Down:

1. Drifter : VAGRANT

2. First lady after Lou : ELEANOR

3. Attendants : RETINUE. Nice word, and corrected my misspelling of TREO.

4. One putting a tyre into a boot : BRIT. First word in the grid for me. Blindingly obvious! (Tongue firmly in cheek). Now I put my tire in the trunk like all y'all.

5. Sellout sign, briefly : SRO. "Sold Right Out"? No, "Standing Room Only".

6. It's quite a stretch : EON

7. Pantry raider : ANT. I misread "panty" at first and wondered what answer could possibly be family-audience appropriate.

8. Lake near the Kirkwood Mountain Resort : TAHOE. Big, blue and clear.

9. They're often blocked : POP-UP ADS. Whoever invented the pop-up blocker deserves a knighthood for services to humanity.

10. She, in Lisbon : ELA. Portuguese making an appearance today.

11. Sitcom family name : RICARDO

12. Thick soups : POTAGES. I never really associated the word with describing the thickness attribute of my soup, but on reflection it's true. Nice learning moment and food!

Potage aux Patates Douce

17. Some Windows systems : NTS. My final letter fill was the "T". The Windows NT operating system. "NT" stood for "New Technology". It was developed as a more corporate-strength OS than the existing consumer-focused Windows 3.1 and Windows 95. There, got that off my IT nerd chest.

18. Sea eagles : ERNS

22. Indicator of possession in the bathroom : HERS. Hands off.

25. Failed '80s gridiron org. : USFL. The short-lived United States Football League introduced two innovations used today in the NFL - the two-point conversion and video replay to allow challenges of officials' on-the-field rulings.

26. Indicator of possession : DEED

27. Janitor's tool : DAMP MOP

28. Like much spam : UNREAD

30. Calming words : NOW, NOW

37. Agreeing words : IT'S A DEAL. Music to my ears. Now if I can get more of my "seven year pitch" prospects to sign a contract, I'll be a happy camper

38. First name in country : REBA. I ALWAYS spell Ms. McEntire's last name wrong. Except for just now, but only because I went to look it up.

39. It may be left in a copier: Abbr. : ORIG. I just checked my copier. No originals in there.

40. Mr. Clean rival : AJAX.

41. Concerned question about a sick friend : HOW IS HE?

42. Most gross : ICKIEST. Love this word!

45. Developed : BUILT UP. A little bit like Mexico City. It's very unlikely that they'll be holding the next World Cat-Swinging Championships there.

46. Word from a grumpy gambler : UNLUCKY. Most gamblers claim ill-luck when they lose, but it's never good luck when they win - it's all scientific method and study.

47. Sprouts incisors : TEETHES. I equated "sprouts" with "children" for no good reason, and was wondering why "milk teeth" wouldn't fit.

49. Home to Sean O'Casey : ERIN. Hand up for EIRE first.

53. One full of hot air : DRYER. I was missing the R and could NOT see this for the longest time.

54. Clairvoyance : ESP

59. Is more than a bystander : AIDS

61. __ Dolorosa : VIA

62. French quencher : EAU. You can't tell if it's masculine or feminine because of the "l'eau" apostrophe convention.

63. Pack animal : ASS

64. Deli choice : RYE.

That's all from me. As they say in India "It's a sari". Substitute Lemonade signing off.


Steve

Note from C.C.:

Happy 93rd birthday to Jazzbumpa's beautiful mother! Click here to read Ron's musing last year. Any special plans today, Ron?

Thursday, May 15, 2014, James Sajdak

Theme: "Dog-gone good!"

20. Loser's hoped-for path : COMEBACK TRAIL. I wonder if Rory will find his path soon?

28. Significant dry spell? : SPEAKEASY ERA. (Apologies to Tinbeni.)

45. Disruptive occupation : SIT-IN PROTEST. Anyone run into the "Occupy" tents yet?  They seem to disappear in the winter here up north...

55. Telecommuter, perhaps : STAY-AT-HOME DAD. I think of STAY-AT-HOME DADs as non-working. But telecommuting works, too, I guess!

38. A good one follows the starts of the four longest puzzle answers : DOG. But a smart one can do all these things, too. (Thanks for the fun video from Tuesday, Argyle - it was just too good not to use on this puzzle!)

Pretty straightforward for a Thursday, don't you think? The clues seemed so as well. But I'll do my best to shed light on anything that might have tripped you up.


Across:

1. Quiets : CALMS. -

6. Fund-raising target : GOAL. -

10. Combat group : UNIT. -

14. Muslim deity : ALLAH. -

15. Tom Joad, e.g. : OKIE. -

16. Gp. for leather loathers : PETA. -

17. Quench : SLAKE. -

18. Moderate, with "down" : TONE. -

19. Piece of land : PLOT. -

23. __ standstill : AT A. -

24. __Kosh B'Gosh : OSH. -

25. Comical routine : SHTICK. - (Love that word!)

31. Drift, as on the breeze : WAFT. -

34. Himalayan legend : YETI. -

35. Take a turn in the box : BAT. -Ah! Here's one that might have made you scratch your head.  All I could think of was my cats. But not just domestic cats. As it turns out, ALL cats just love a box! 2:47

36. Where surfers shop : E-MALL. Ack.

39. "Affliction" actor : NOLTE. Nick. 1997 film set in NH. Anyone see it?

41. Ex-Saudi ruler __ Saud : IBN. King Abdulaziz, first monarch of Saudi Arabia 1932-1953.

42. Such-is link : AS IT. - "Such as it is."

44. Pro votes : AYES.

50. Poem part : STANZA.

51. "Rumble in the Jungle" winner : ALI.

52. Botanist Gray : ASA.

59. "Lovely" girl of song : RITA. The Beatles' meter maid. 2:42

61. "Am __ late?" : I TOO.

62. Numbered hymn : PSALM.

63. Actor Estrada : ERIK. My only hesitation was having to remember if it was spelled with a "c" or a "K."

64. Zero : NONE.

65. Cocoon dweller : LARVA.

66. Watch part : FACE.

67. Tour stops : GIGS.

68. Whitehorse's territory : YUKON. Map.


Down:

1. Brutus co-conspirator : CASCA.

2. Deal out : ALLOT.

3. South American carrier : LLAMA. Anyone else looking for an airline?

4. Rake in : MAKE.

5. Cyndi Lauper hit : SHEBOP. I already used my music link.

6. "Check" : GOTCHA.

7. "All right already" : OK OK. I said, "GOTCHA!!"

8. English class no-no : AIN'T.

9. Eyes rudely : LEERS AT.

10. Snobbish : UPPITY.

11. "Ten Days in a Mad-House" journalist, 1887 : NELLIE BLY. Pen name of Elizabeth Jane Cochrane. She faked insanity in order to report on mad-house conditions from within.

12. Judge in 1995 news : ITO. Lance ITO of the O.J. Simpson trial fame.

13. Art in a parlor : TAT.

21. Enzyme ending : ASE.

22. Twain/Harte play : AH SIN. "Ah Sin" is the name of the Chinese character in the play. No complete manuscript of this play survived. Its content can be derived from reviews of the time. The play ultimately failed, and the enmity between Harte and Twain began. (From C.C.: "Ah" is very common in Cantonese nicknames. It's often put in front the given name of a family member or close friend. For example, we can call Marti "Ah Marti". You can't use it for a stranger or your boss though. See here. Remember, Chinese put surnames first, hence his Ah-po nickname.)

26. Slatted box : CRATE.

27. Middleton and Spade : KATES.

28. Arch home: Abbr. : ST. L.ouis

29. Japan's second-oldest university : KYOTO.

30. Diagnostic test for epilepsy, for short : EEG. Electroencephalogram.

31. Houdini's family name : WEISS.

32. Boundary : AMBIT.

33. Extraordinary : FANTASTIC.

37. Tenor who portrayed Caruso : LANZA. Mario is worthy of a second music link. 3:02

38. Ang Lee, e.g.: Abbr. : DIR.ector and Academy Award winner for "Brokeback Mountain" and "Life of Pi."

40. Healthy grain : OAT.

43. Fixing, in a way : SPAYING. (Shhh! Don't mention this one to the 38-Across!)

46. __ manifold: engine part : INTAKE.

47. Chevy SUVs : TAHOES.

48. "Strange Magic" gp. : ELO. Electric Light Orchestra.

49. Without complication : SIMPLY.

52. "... __ and stormy ..." : A DARK.

Snoopy wrote it so well…

53. Series of shots : SALVO.

54. Marketing pro : AD MAN.

56. Yours, to Yvette : A TOI.

57. Half a bar tool : TONG. Ack!

58. Genesis brother : ESAU.

59. Flag thrower : REF.

60. Portfolio element : IRA. Individual Retirement Account. Nary a hint of abbr., so have IRAs become one of those acronyms that are now accepted as words in and of themselves?

So, how did you do?

Marti

Note from C.C.:

Misty commented yesterday: " Las Vegas "snow-covered"? Really? Not when I've been there."

JD emailed me with a few photos. She said "here is LV covered in snow (09) with the "asses". Click here for 2 more pictures.

Wednesday, May 14, 2014 C. C. Burnikel

Theme: We all have our ups and downs; even the center of our solar system. I hope you got to see the circles in the puzzle, since they are crucial to discovering the placement and meaning of this clever and original theme. The word SUN is contained in four symmetrically-placed, multiple-word vertical theme answers, alternating in retrograde and prograde arrangement, giving us two each of  SUN RISE and SUN SET.  I guess that makes this some sort of a concealed rebus, but I'll set aside my usual disdain in deference to this beautiful construction by someone we all know, love and revolve around.

Here are the theme entries, presented from left to right in the grid, rather than numerical order, to preserve the rise and fall.

3D. Pageant for under-20s : MISS TEEN USA.   This year's pageant will be at 8:00 p.m. on August 2nd at the Atlantis Paradise Island Resort in Nassau, Bahamas, many hours after SUNrise.  

 Cassidy Wolfe - 2013 Miss Teen USA

32D. Admits defeat : SAYS UNCLE.  Otherwise the victim's arm could get twisted until SUNset.  This expression might go all the way back to ancient Rome.

9D. Like our secret : BETWEEN US.  Shhhh! Don't tell anyone. At least not before SUNrise.

25D. Cheating victim's cry : THAT'S UNFAIR.  A fair person would never let the SUN set on such an outrage.

And the centrally placed unifier, 14D. "Fiddler on the Roof" song suggested twice by this puzzle's circles : SUNRISE, SUNSET, which then naturally becomes today's theme song.

A nice, elegant touch is that at each rotation of the SUN, the word is broken at the first letter encountered in reading, N for the rises and S for the sets.  Looks like North and South, rather than East and West.

This is not a startlingly unusual grid, but, upon closer inspection, it does seem a bit out of the ordinary.  The symmetrically placed horizontal 6 and 8 stacks near the top and bottom don't leave room for a more typical theme placement.  The 13-letter vertical unifier is not an axis of symmetry.  The only symmetry in the grid is 180 degree rotational, around the center square.  Let's see what else is in orbit.

Across:

1. Downfall : DEMISE.  From Late Middle English via Old French, and ultimately Latin.

7. Msg. to squad cars : APB.  All Points Bulletin.  Note Abrv. in Cl. & Ans.

10. Luxury resort amenity : SPA.

13. "Savages" director Stone : OLIVER.  Not my kind of movie, but here is the trailer.

14. Unsportsmanlike sort : SOREHEAD.  Bad loser.

16. Egyptian president during the Suez Crisis : NASSER.  Gamal Abdal, Jan 15, 1918 - Sep 28, 1970.  He died of a heart attack shortly after the conclusion of the Arab League Summit Conference.

17. One-piece garments : UNITARDS.  Leotards with legs.

Source

18. Golf Hall of Famer Ernie : ELS.   He is one of six golfers to twice win both the U.S. Open and The Open Championship.

 Source

19. "Death in Venice" author : MANN.  Thomas.

21. Bugs on a highway : VWs.  Beetles.  In August you might see monarch butterflies.

Source

22. Wobble : TEETER.  Weebles TEETER, but they don't fall down.

Source

24. Gossip : YENTA.  Yiddish.

27. See 26-Down : SEA.   Plus:  26D. With 27-Across, one end of the Dardanelles : AEGEAN.  The Dardanelles is a narrow strait in northwestern Turkey connecting the AEGEAN SEA to the Sea of Marmara.

28. Bird: Pref. : AVI-. So why isn't AVI-brained a common expression?

29. Tie up : TETHER.

31. Still-life pitchers : EWERS.

33. __ Martin: Bond's car : ASTON.

35. Dating service datum : AGE.

36. Summer of songs : DONNA.  Summer is hot.

37. Narc's org. : DEA.  Drug Enforcement Agency.

38. Peso spender's pronoun : USTED.  You, nominative case, formal.

40. __-turn : NO U.  Ixnay on the ooeyay.

41. Brewery supply : YEAST.   Hops, barley, malt.

43. "What a shame!" : SO SAD.

44. Size up : ASSESS.  Want to ASSESS these asses?

They're wild

46. Beehive State college player : UTE.

48. Attila follower : HUN.  Attila ruled the Huns from 434 until his death in 453.  This great warrior died of a nose bleed on his wedding night.  The recent report that his grave had been found turned out to be a hoax.

49. Overact : HAM UP.  And 45D. Overact : EMOTE.  Crossing clechos share the M.

50. Big name in antivirus software : NORTON.

52. "Dear Yoko" subject : ONO.  Song from the Double Fantasy album.

53. Rise precipitously : SOAR. 

54. Coat lining : FUR.  Silver is for clouds

57. Treatment for burnout : REST CURE. 

61. "Confidence in Motion" car : SUBARU.  

63. Has a knack for : EXCELS AT

64. Online order confirmations : E-MAILS. 

65. Designer of Hong Kong's Bank of China Tower : PEI.   Ieoh Ming Pei (born April 26, 1917) is a Chinese born American architect who likes sweeping lines and cantilevered structures.

66. Brain scan letters : EEG. ElectroEncepheloGraph

67. Far from abundant : SPARSE.   I had SCARCE.

Down:

1. "Ta-da!" : DONE.  Did you get the Ta-da?

2. Airline to Tel Aviv : EL AL.

4. Drips in the ICU : IVs. Intensive Care Unit and  Intra-Venous.  Note Abrvs.

5. Terse meeting request : SEE ME.  Usually not good news.

6. Editorial slips : ERRATA.  Mistakes in copy.

7. Chicago Loop's __ Center : AON.  Skyscraper completed in 1974, originally the Standard Oil Building

8. In on : PRIVY TO.

10. Inspiring lesson, perhaps: Abbr. : SER.  Sermon.

11. Spot for notes : PAD.  Is your iPad a note pad?

12. Website clutter : ADs.

15. "It __ hit me yet" : HASN'T.  And maybe it won't

20. Place name meaning "snow-covered" : NEVADA.  Spanish.

23. Draw wages : EARN.  I'm very disappointed that I couldn't find a picture of a cartoonist literally drawing wages.

27. Logo on some sports bras : SWOOSH.

Nike

30. Funny Foxx : REDD.  Of Sanford and Son fame.

He's not the son

31. Writer Ferber : EDNA.  August 18, 1885, July 16, 1968.  She wrote Giant, So Big, Showboat and Cimarron.

34. Skin picture : TATTOO.

 Dwayne Johnson - The Rock

39. NYC gallery district : SOHO.  South of Houston Street.

42. Champion, as a cause : ESPOUSE.

47. Deletes : ERASES.

51. "You're fired!" speaker : TRUMP.  The Donald.

55. Bing results, briefly : URLs.  Internet search engine.

56. Stratagem : RUSE. 

57. GOP member : REPublican.  No politics.

58. Program file suffix : EXEcutable.

59. "Nova" subj. : SCIence.

60. Tattered tee, maybe : RAG.  Re-use for old clothes.

62. Pipe up in the pasture : BAA.  "Is it ewe?" Tom asked, sheepishly.

An excellent puzzle by our own fearless leader.  Hope you all enjoyed this cirque du soleil.

Jazzbumpa