Sunday, May 25th, 2014 C.C. Burnikel

Theme:  "Intel Inside" - My God, the NSA is even hiding in our puzzle now!

What a treat to blog one of C.C.'s Sunday offerings! The puzzle represents her wide-ranging knowledge of many cultures and semantic acuity.

23. "When it rains, it pours" brand : MORTON SALT.  Arbor Day founder Nebraskan J. Sterling Morton's son Joy founded this company.

29. 1954 Kurosawa classic : SEVEN SAMURAI. An American derivative

43. Only player to appear in both the Super Bowl and World Series : DEION SANDERS

52. Game with many imitators : SIMON SAYS

65. Cecilia, to musicians : PATRON SAINT

84. Baseball closer's nightmare : BLOWN SAVE. Too many of these and it's bye, bye New York, hello Scranton.

91. Investment firm founded in 1869 : GOLDMAN SACHS

103. Classic sci-fi gesture : VULCAN SALUTE

113. Leafy course : GREEN SALAD. Grow one in a single planter

Theme reveal:

123. Intel collector hidden in nine puzzle answers : NSA. Go ahead, read my email

ACROSS
  1. "Holy Smokes!" : WOW.

4. Like bodyguards : ARMED

9, Stinger : WASP. In what play is Muriel Tate's drink of choice a vodka stinger?

13. Dip : SWIM

17. Japanese band : OBI

18. Dashboard array : GAUGES. Dash in first car I ever owned

20. Stars at the Forum? : ASTRA. Ptolemy's stars?

22. "Oh Dear" : AH ME

25. More distant : ICIER. Our yard was icier after a mid-spring frost last week

26. Raised in a way : TEED. I've TEED up and then been TEED off!

27. Cold Draft : BEER

28. Eye protector : LID.

32. Apples on a desk : IMACS. 

34. Blows off steam : VENTS. Once you VENT, it's hard to take it back!

35. Battleground : ARENA

36. "Enough already" : OH STOP. 

39. Wide awake : ALERT. Sadly, we were NOT on 12/7/41 and 9/11/01

41. Changes course : TURNS.

46. Old 45 player : HI-FI. Talk about your artifact!

47. Org. for heavyweights : WBA. Can you name the heavyweight champ. Nah, I can't either.

50. Muscat Daily reader : OMANI. An English-speaking daily in Oman with a circulation of 33,000

51. Bird feeder cakes : SUETS. The Starlings go nuts for this goop and so I pitched it

54. Golden Fleece source : RAM

55. Égoïste maker : CHANEL. Not Mennen?

57. Silver hair? : MANE. Hi Yo! Fun!

58. Issues for fashionable readers : ELLES

59. Vice squad operation : RAID. Be careful the mayor isn't in there.

60. With no break : ON END

62. Camp David Accords signer : SADAT. Jimmy's proudest moment

63. Emmy-winning sportscaster Buck : JOE. Jack Buck's son shows that there might be something to this DNA stuff

70. Lisbon's land, to the IOC : POR

71. Aquatic birds : TERNS.

73. Pink flowers in a Van Gogh still life : ROSES.

74. Base figures : UMPS. Now UMPS have instant replay. That's all baseball needs - something to slow down the game.

76. Totally lost : AT SEA

77. "Forget it" : NOPE. Ain't happenin'!

78. Sexy one : HOTTIE. Aw, go link yourself! ;-)

81. Athenian cross : TAU

86. __ gun : RADAR. Ever talked your way out of a ticket?

87. French twist need : TRESS

89. Envy, e.g. : SIN. If that's my worst SIN...

90. "I'm Not There" actor : GERE

93. Like toads : WARTY. These are too

 95. Post grad hurdles : ORALS

96. Choice word : EITHER.

97. "SNL" alumna Cheri : OTERI

99. "Hasta la vista" : ADIOS

101. Washington, for one : STATE

106. Way to stand : PAT

107. Lox stocker : DELI. I like this clue

111. On Vine St., say : IN LA. Hey, Wilbert Harrison sang that in KC you could "be standin' on the corner, 12th Street and VINE"

112. Improves : HONES.

116. Grant factor : NEED  ...or a friend in DC

117. Cabbage? : LUCRE

118. Pet on a wheel : GERBIL

119. 39, for Derek Jeter : AGE. The captain has lost a step but is still the standard for "classy athlete"

120. Celtic tongue : ERSE

121. "I took the one __ traveled by": Frost : LESS

122. Like cigar bars : SMOKY.

DOWN

1. Baby carrier? : WOMB

2. High wind : OBOE. This High Wind provides a haunting introduction in Judy Collins' Send In The Clowns

3. Current carrier : WIRE

4. Back in the day : AGO

5. Went around in circles? : RAN LAPS. Jazz, Did you ever see a trombone player run laps for messing up at practice like a football player? ;-)


6. __ video : MUSIC. MTV used to play these.

7. "Great Scott!" : EGADS

8. U.S. State with three counties : DEL. See:

9. Release relatives : WAIVERS

10. Way up : ASCENT

11. Tour of duty : STINT

12. When printing starts : PRESS TIME

13. Ring site : SATURN. Same goes for Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune and my bachelor bathtub


14. 1987 kid's best-seller : WHERE'S WALDO.

15. "That is ..." : I MEAN. Old punch line, "No, young lady, what I MEAN to say is 'I want two tickets to Pittsburgh'"

16. Mass __ : MEDIA

19. Some GPS lines : STS

21. 1966 Sporting News College Coach of the Year Parseghian : ARA. All I remember is he went for the tie in 1966 against MSU

24. Largest moon of Neptune : TRITON

30. Tinker to __ to Chance: classic double-play combo : EVERS

31. "The Few. The Proud" group : MARINES. We all honor Dennis' STINT here. Semper Fi!

33. "Friends" friend : MONICA. Another MONICA has re-emerged

36. Scent : ODOR

37. Blood: Pref. : HEMA

38. "The King and I" kingdom : SIAM

39. Chick chaser? : ADEE. Chickadee. Ah yes, W.C. and Mae


40. Free : LET LOOSE

42. Tabloid subj. : UFO

44. Carne __: Mexican beef dish : ASADA

45. One with a habit : NUN

46. Language that gives us "shampoo" : HINDI

48. One way to play : BY EAR. It's hard enough using a pick in my fingers


49. Mgr.'s helper : ASST

52. Yemen's capital : SANA

53. Waves-against-rocks sounds : SLAPS

56. Not square : HIP

57. Private eatery : MESS HALL. Yes, I'll have the S.O.S. almondine please

59. Get more Money : RENEW. Money magazine.


61. Atlanta-to-Charleston dir. : NNE

63. "Once Upon a Time in China" star : JET LI. All right Jet, you can have the last pizza roll!

64. 1938 "The War of the Worlds" narrator : ORSON WELLES

66. Treasure cache : TROVE

67. Ring barrier : ROPE as in Ali's rope-a-dope


68. ___Sweet: sugar substitute : NUTRA

69. "No details, pls!" : TMI. Hey, I believe you have a rash down there.


71. Bar pickups : TABS

72. Spanish wine punch : SANGRIA

75. Feed a friend's feline, say : PET SIT

77. Nobody : NARY A SOUL

79. Sports figures : ODDS. The ODDS on Florida State repeating as National Champs are 5:1. The Huskers? 75:1

80. Dundee topper : TAM

81. Virginia __ : TECH

82. "Off the Court" author : ASHE

83. Cold War initials : USSR

85. Good to go : SET

86. Event with mocking : ROAST. The good-natured fun of Dean Martin's ROASTS have been supplanted by the filth on Comedy Central's version

88. Top-notch : RATED-A

91. Puts up a fuss : GROUSES

92. One who's quick to pick up? : NEATNIK. I live with one but that gene must skip a generation


94. Where many quarters are used : ARCADE

95. Rexall Place team : OILERS

97. Like merinos : OVINE

98. Upright worker : TUNER

100. Gym event : DANCE

101. __ whale : SPERM

102. Martial arts-based regimen : TAEBO

104. 95-Down's org. : NHL

105. Person, slangily : EGG

108. Dashing style : ELAN

109. Gets behind : LAGS

110. What's on your mind : IDEA

114. Hi-__ monitor : RES

115. Underhand : SLY

What a Herculean effort by our lovely blogmaster. The time and effort it took to ferret out these nine fills and then all the clever cluing is amazing!

Husker Gary 

Saturday, May 24th, 2014, Alan Olschwang

Theme: None

Words: 72 (missing F,G,J,K,X)

Blocks: 28

    I was pretty sure this one was not only going to beat me up and take my lunch money, but it was planning on giving me a wedgie and stuffing me in my locker, too.  The whole grid remained blank after a full across and downs pass, save for one or two, and after the second run, it didn't get much better.  My break through was at 26a, because I "knew" who it referred to, but couldn't recall the name.  After that, it was only the PNW ( for shame, I like that part of the world ) that refused to budge until I changed one letter in 25a.   Triple 9-letter corners, one grid spanner; 

 39a. '60s pro-war words : LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT

32a. Ram : CRASH INTO - I like getting 9-letter fill from only two crossings; this one I got from just the "C" and the "H"

42a. Northwestern legend : SASQUATCH - Nailed it~!  Big Foot - can you spot him in the blog today?

Ah-ah-ah-aaaaaahnward~!

ACROSS:

1. Chewed the fat : SCHMOOZED - ooh, such a great word~!  Although around here, it's not so much chewing the fat as stroking someone's ego with words

10. Aristophanes satire, with "The" : WASPS

15. Obligatory joke response : WHO'S THERE - Knock knock

16. Buddhist who has attained Nirvana : ARHAT - one of two 5-letter "A-r" words I did not know

17. Pellet shooter : AIR PISTOL

18. Informal qualifier : SORTA - It's kinda slangy

19. ER needs : IVs

20. Bowls, e.g. : STADIA - Ah, those kinds of bowls; I was thinking 'games', but not arenas

22. Boglike : MIRY - the "meh" fill for the day

23. Start to do well? : NE'ER - Ne'er do well

25. Suffix with malt : OSE - DAH~! Went with "E"SE first

26. One of a fictional trio : ARAMIS - Here's my cheat point; Knew we might be talking about the Three Musketeers, but I can never recall these names

28. Road Runner, e.g.: Abbr. : ISP - Internet Service Provider

30. Beantown tower, with "the" : PRU - not from 'BAHston', but this sounded familiar - The Prudential Tower - they have a place called the "5-Napkin Burger"~?  Sounds like something I need to try

31. Fight sound : POW - Batman taught me all I need to know

37. "La Strada" co-producer : PONTI - All perps

41. Idaho's Coeur d'__ River : ALENE - Got this based on last week's puzzle

43. Divinity sch. : SEMinary - I tried ORU to start

44. Follow : SEE - Stared at this way too long;
 "Do you follow what I'm saying?"  "Do you SEE what I'm saying?"

46. Final: Abbr. : ULTimate

47. Common sense : SMARTS - I'm writing a satirical book about Common Sense, and how it's not that common anymore

49. Pujols' team, on scoreboards : LAA - L.A. Angels - C.C. has more on this guy

51. Holliday companion : EARP - Ah-HA~! DOC Holliday, that is....I missed the second "L" in there.  A friend at UPS just got me interested in this group - Love this song~! (yes, spelled wrong)

55. Seconds : MORE - "Please, sir, may I have some seconds?"

56. Silicon mineral : QUARTZ - I figured why not, it fit, and it stayed

59. Long, on Lanai : LOA - Hawaiian

60. Hillside entrances : ADITS - BANG~!  I threw this in, and it was right; learned from doing crosswords, though during the week it's usually "Mine entrances"

62. Convinced of : SURE ABOUT

64. Sad : TEARY

65. Bronson film with four sequels : DEATH WISH - Never saw any of them - IMDb

66. Spanish heater? : EL SOL - Total WAG that totally stayed - didn't realize it til I started on the write-up

67. Illegal heaters? : ARSONISTS - Ah. Clever.

DOWN:

1. Beau : SWAIN - straight up definitions....uh, pun intended~?

2. Leek relative : CHIVE - Anyone go with ONION to start?

3. Game sometimes played near a garage : HORSE - I've played this before, but basketball is just not my thing; the first person to spell HORSE loses

4. Twin Cities airport, on luggage tags : MSP - Gah~! C.C. will be so disappointed - I knew where we were talking about, but I didn't know the three-letter airport & Airport code for Minneapolis/St. Paul

5. Milo's pug pal, in a 1989 film : OTIS

6. "Enough already!" : "OH, STOP IT" - Yesterday I rolled a BBQ off a pallet at the Home Depot and the asst. store manager said "don't break it before you build it~!";  I responded "Oh, stop it~!", which was pretty bold - I wouldn't have said that a month ago

7. Frat letters : ZETAs

8. Diminish, in a way : ERODE - I tried ABATE

9. Sub base? : DELI - Good one

10. Common word in history texts : WAS - I tried ERA; this was my last fill, crossing Buddhist and Aristophanes - and an educated WAG

11. Food court lure : AROMA

12. Gulf Coast trawler's gear : SHRIMP NET - Pretty sure we were looking for a "net"

13. Like some anthems : PATRIOTIC

14. Doesn't give up on : STAYS WITH

21. Lake Thun feeder : AAR

24. Taken off : RISEN - ah, like airplanes

27. "You can call me he. You can call me she" speaker : RUPAUL - More here

29. Least extroverted : SHIEST

30. Campaign pros : POLS - Politicians

32. Yearbook signer : CLASSMATE - another 9-letter fill I got from just the two "A"s

33. Great teacher, often : ROLE MODEL

34. Some prayers : AVE MARIAS

35. Barely beat, with "out" : NOSE

36. Lilted sound : TRA - Um, OK

38. Like aspen leaves : OVATE

40. Be virtually the same as : EQUATE TO

45. Office suite door abbr. : ESQuire

48. Derivative of the past : RETRO

49. '80s "PM Magazine" host : LAUER - Matt

50. "Behind the __ I'll convey myself": Polonius : ARRAS - Learning moment; The other "A-r" - I did not know this was a 'tapestry'

52. Schwarzenegger's middle name : ALOIS - I liked him best in "Predator"

"If it bleeds, we can kill it."

53. Get up : ROUST - Tried ARISE, AROSE, etc

54. They may be winding : PATHS - sounds romantic

57. Approval letters : USDA - USDA approved for your consumption

58. 1984 Hugo Award winner Timothy : ZAHN

61. One has one: Abbr. : SYLlable

63. The Bahamas were once part of it: Abbr. : BWI - British West Indies

Splynter

Friday, May 23, 2014, Sam Ezersky

Theme: "I'll have the usual."

Let's start with the reveal today:
56-Across. Pub purchases, and a hint to this puzzle's circled letters : MIXED DRINKS. If you had the circles, it was a pretty easy scrambled letter theme to spot.

11-Down. Refuse transports : DRAIN PIPES. Pepsi - overwhelmed by the competition in this puzzle?

17-Across. No ordinary creation : MASTERPIECE. Sprite - made by Coca-Cola Co.

27-Down. Record player : DISC JOCKEY. Coke - Coca-Cola's original.

35-Across. Colonial environment? : ANT FARM. Fanta - also made by the Coca-Cola Co.

Marti here, switching with Lemony who was kind enough to blog my puzzle yesterday. In this one, well-known brands are mixed up inside the theme entries. I thought the theme was well-done, and enjoyed seeing the spiral pattern with a bonus 7-letter themer smack in the middle. And just missing a Q for a pangram. Let's see what else Sam is offering today.

Across:

1. Meddle, in a way : KIBITZ. Great word to start off!

7. Regarding : AS TO.

11. Shakes at rehab : DTS. Not the ice cream drinks, but Delirium Tremens.  Not nearly as fun.

14. Carelessness? : APATHY. Great misdirection. Not caring makes you apathetic.

15. Skater Michelle : KWAN.

16. P-like letter : RHO. I can kind of see the similarity…

Greek RHO

19. 2008 govt. bailout recipient : AIG.

20. Some Super Bowl highlights : ADS.

21. Typical leader? : STEREO. Stereotypical.

22. Send an IM to : PING. IM = Instant Message.

23. More than glance over : PEER AT.

24. "__ Tonk Women" : HONKY. Rolling Stones classic, but I'm saving my music link for a better one.

25. Golfer's concern : BAD BACK. Do you think Tiger will ever…

28. Get ready on the golf course : TEE UP. …again?

30. Pelican relative : IBIS.

31. Like the action in "High Noon" : REAL TIME.

34. NFL's Jim Brown et al. : FBS. Fullbacks. Before he was an actor, he played for the Cleveland Browns his entire career 1957-65, and set several records. His 1,863 rushing yards in the 1963 season remains the all-time record for that franchise to this day.

38. __ patch : PEA.

39. Walls are an important part of it : FACEBOOK.

41. Drop-down item : MENU.

42. Cartoon mouse : JERRY.

Tom's nemesis

43. Instrument for Jimmy Dorsey : ALTO SAX. Here's my choice for today. Classic! 1:25

46. "The Hot Zone" subject : EBOLA.

48. '90s sitcom neighborhood : BEL AIR. "The Fresh Prince of BEL AIR."

50. Gossamer : LACY. A bit of gossamer lace for the guys.

51. Like some livestock : BOVINE. And it's only fair to have some BEEFcake for the ladies.

52. "__ Am": 2007 Alicia Keys album : AS I.

55. "For shame!" : TSK.

58. Pickax picking : ORE.

59. Yemeni seaport : ADEN.

60. Tout's tidbit : HOT TIP.

61. "Opposed" : NAY.

62. Kid : JEST.

63. Entry for Ripley : ODDITY.


Down:

1. Hindu god of desire : KAMA. The Sanskrit term also means pleasure and love - one of the four goals of life.

2. Air, for one : IPAD. The iPad Air was CNet's 2013 Editors' Top Pick for the best full-size tablet.

3. Largemouth __ : BASS.

4. Long-haired cousin : ITT. From "The Addams Family."

5. Debussy work, across the English Channel : THE SEA. In French, "La Mer."

6. Allergy medication brand : ZYRTEC.

7. Director Kurosawa : AKIRA. 1910-1988. Prolific and influential film maker. I remember his "Seven Samurai."

8. Southern brew : SWEET TEA.

9. __ salad : TACO.

10. "Story of My Life" band __ Direction : ONE. Also initialized as 1D, a boy band that was propelled to instant success via social media. Their first three albums debuted at number 1.

12. Aptly named Final Jeopardy! theme song : THINK. Anyone watch Ken Jennings and Roger Craig lose to Brad Rutter?

13. "Never eat __ waffles"" compass point mnemonic : SOGGY. N-E-S-W.

18. Exec's extra : PERK.

22. Show some lip? : POUT.

23. TV pledge drive holder : PBS. Do you support them?

24. Navigation location : HELM.

25. "Back to the Future" bully : BIFF.

26. Group whose second letter is often written backwards : ABBA.

Registered Trademark

29. Exaggerated feature in Obama caricatures : EAR.

31. '60s atty. general : RFK. Robert Francis "Bobby" Kennedy.

32. Suvari of "American Pie" : MENA.

So pretty!

33. __ de vie: French brandies : EAUX. Singular: Eau de vie.

35. Spelling word? : ABRA.cadabra.  Magic spell. Minor nit: it's only part of the word.

36. Neither partner : NOR.

37. Places for action figures : TOY BOXES.

40. Serpentine : EELY.

41. "Eat __ chikin": Chick-fil-A slogan : MOR. I love their ads, but don't think I have ever eaten at one.

43. "Put __ on it!" : A LID.

44. Cry from a nest? : LAND HO. Crow's nest.

45. Steering system component : TIE ROD.

46. Entertainer John whose middle name is Hercules : ELTON. Né: Reginald Kenneth Dwight.

47. Iraqi seaport : BASRA.

49. It happens : EVENT.

51. Tarry : BIDE.

52. Lock opening? : ANTI. Anti-lock, as brakes.

53. Satiric bit : SKIT.

54. Traveling game : I SPY. with my little eye...

56. Coll. focus : MAJ.or.

57. "__ be an honor" : IT'D…to blog again sometime for the Friday crowd!

Marti

Thursday, May 22, 2014, Marti Duguay-Carpenter

Theme: Put an end to the fight.

Well I (Lemonade) am back, not on Friday, but pinch hitting for the ubiquitous Marti Duguay-Carpenter, who has asked me to explain her latest publication. The theme was readily apparent and seemed appropriate for me who used to be a trial lawyer and presented many closing arguments. The end of the three theme answers describe a minor dispute. I found this fun, though it seemed like a Wednesday with just a few clues toughened up. Or perhaps I just understand the divine miss m's mind...The difficulty for me was in some of the proper names, not all of whom came immediately to mind, but without any long deceptive fill, the puzzle was done in normal time. It features a great triple clecho in the middle, a mental tour of the Italian Alps and marti's wit. Let's see if the glove fits and how I acquit myself.

17A. "The Goodbye Girl" Oscar winner : RICHARD DREYFUSS.(15). You want to WATCH? (1:24) You cannot forget the second S.

29A. Short-muzzled dog breed : BULL MASTIFF (11). They are massive, over 50 kg.

46A. Futuristic car unveiled at the 1933 New York Auto Show : SILVER ARROW (11).

62A. Court wrap-up ... and what's hidden in 17-, 29- and 46-Across? : CLOSING ARGUMENT. I love when a unifier works this well.

ACROSS:

1. Kazantzakis title hero : ZORBA. The author of the Zorba the Greek and the Last Temptation of Christ. I did not recall the name, but what else starts ZORB_?

6. Singer James : ETTA. Supply your own favorite link.

10. Apple variety : iMAC.

14. "Water is life" brand : EVIAN. Interesting STUFF.

15. Bishop's rte. : DIAGonal. The chess piece not Tutu. 

16. Jet Propulsion Lab org. : NASA, National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

20. Classical theaters : ODEA. The plural of Odeum, from the Latin, which comes from Italy.

21. Private __ : EYE.

22. Has no obligation to : NEEDN'T.

23. Org. with an interlocking rings logo : IOC. International Olympic Committee.

25. Journalist Tarbell et al. : IDAS. The WOMAN was a very admirable journalist even if a bit of a muckraker.

26. CD precursors : LPS. Long Plays. 

35. Shoe box letters : EEE. When in doubt, trot it out.

36. Devoured : ATE UP. This one was a piece of cake.

37. French 101 word : ETRE. To be.

38. West Coast natl. monument since 2012 : FT. ORD. Monument? FT to start a word? This took a while.

40. Disney doe : ENA.

41. Times for action : D-DAYS. They are not just for war. Cute how this follows disney doe

42. Honorable : TRUE.

43. Rear : RAISE. Not where your minds were going?

45. Disappoint, with "down" : LET.

49. "... good witch, __ bad witch?" : OR A. Do you recall this scene (0:30) from Wizard of Oz

50. Part of Q.E.F. : ERAT. By now this should be in everyone's memory banks. More Latin.

51. Tourney pass : BYE. The French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros is coming close with the best getting 1st round byes.

53. Hallowed : SACRED. Just don't have a cow about this clue/fill.

56. __ alai : JAI. J also clued with a game down.

58. City on the Rhône : LYON.  In the Rhone-Alpes region, Very important ever since the Romans conquered Gaul. 

65. Puma rival : AVIA. Latin for a way.

66. Pull down : EARN.

67. Two-masted craft : KETCH.  My oldest brother is the sailor in my family, my only experience with a ketch was ketchup.

68. Stores in a large building? : MALL. Gee, I never thought about it being a single building.

69. Till opener : ROTO. Windhover, do you use one on your farm?

70. Iroquois foes : ERIES. Best know your native tribes.

Down:

1. Shutout score feature : ZERO.

2. "Ars amatoria" poet : OVID.  The Roman take on the Art of Love.  LINK.

3. It might be sticky or dirty : RICE. Interestingly the center of Asian and Mexican cuisine.

4. Religion founded in Persia : Bahá'í. One of the newest Judeo-Christian Muslim fusion religions. I think this is the religion of Vic Damone.

5. Actress Gasteyer : ANA. If you are a die hard SNL fan you will know this performer, or maybe you watch the odd show Suburgatory  which follows Modern Family.

6. Current event : EDDY. Tricky beginning to the triclecho, as eddys appear in water.  7. Current influence : TIDE. Still in the water. and, 8. Current observer : TAR. Our old sailor reappears.

9. Things to do : AGENDA.

10. Pest-ridden : INFESTED.

11. Irish revolutionary __ Gonne MacBride : MAUD. She was not in my memory banks; beyond Michael Collins, I know not much about Irish revolutionaries, especially since Branson wimped out.  READ.

12. NCAA member?: Abbr. : ASSN.

13. Play group : CAST.

18. Saw again : RECUT. That saw!

19. Words said in passing? : YEAS. Legislation for example.

24. O.T. book after Amos : OBADiah is not one of the famous PROPHETS. The history is interesting.
                    
25. Damage : IMPAIR. A  tricky definition.

26. Some jabs : LEFTS.

27. Lab dish inventor : PETRI. Named for the German bacteriologist who invented it.

28. Capital city on the Han River : SEOUL. You know your Korean Geography? 

1. The Han River is a major river in South Korea and the fourth longest river on the Korean peninsula after the Amrok, Tuman, and Nakdong rivers. Wikipedia

30. Ogle : LEER AT. Looking at the Moon?  For SPLYNTER

31. Like some eclipses : LUNAR.

32. Author Calvino : ITALO. I am unfamiliar with this Italian author who was born outside of Havana, Cuba. READ.

33. Fritter maker : FRYER. I wonder if the food is related to the wasting of time.

34. Pisa party : FESTA. More Italian, I guess marti is back in Europe, in her mind.

39. About-face : REVERSAL.

41. Like early morning links : DEWY. HG, I bet you like the dewy morning fairways.

44. Pulitzer-winning Ferber novel : SO BIG. This Novel won the Pulitzer Prize in 1925, and was made into a MOVIE 1:03 in 1932.

47. "... harken __ die": Tennyson : ERE I. From the poem "Œnone" by a poet whose work I have never appreciated. Perhaps our resident rhymer has better things to say.

48. Portrayer of Wawa and Litella : RADNER. Gilda, who died so young. Post your favorite from her SNL days.

52. Film composer Bernstein : ELMER. Not to be confused with Leonard, no relation, Berstein. Elmer did so many wonderful movie scores like  The Magnificent Seven, The Ten Commandments, The Great Escape, To Kill a Mockingbird, Ghostbusters, The Black Cauldron, and The Rookies. He finally won an Oscar for Thoroughly Modern Millie.

53. Phishing lure : SCAM. Internet scamming.

54. Menlo Park middle name : ALVA. Mr. Edison.

55. Slinky, e.g. : COIL. I was unpacking some stuff my boys left behind and was quite distressed to see theirs had rusted.

56. Lawn game projectile : JART. Thanks for the J, miss m, you seem to like the pointedly dangerous game.

57. River under the Ponte Vecchio : ARNO. More Italian, literally the 'Old Bridge' crosses the Arno at its narrowest point and goes back many centuries.

59. Mountain legend : YETI. 

60. Grimm start : ONCE upon a time. Anyone watch that show?

61. Unspecified degrees : NTHS.

63. Agcy. concerned with the federal fiscal outlook : GAO. Government Accountability Office

64. Island strings : UKE.  Not strings of islands, hey to our old Hawaiians. 

Well Maud and Italo and some others slowed me down, but hopefully you did not stumble. the good news is that you have marti's puzzle today and her write up tomorrow.  All that and amazing it is already time for Memorial Day; be safe and do not speed. L714, out. 

Wednesday, May 21, 2014 Gareth Bain

Theme: Four-Pack - "pack" can follow the first word of each of the four theme answers.

Guten Morgen! Steve here with Gareth's latest and a fun solve it was. A few unknowns for me, but these were taken care of by the crossings so no complaints at all. I had a couple of corrections as I went; for example SWEET led me to SWEETHEART at first but that didn't stay wrong for too long, the same for APEX and EARRINGS.

I did think the face pack/powder entry was somewhat the odd man out as the two different items are somewhat similar, and there's no such similarity with the other theme entries. Let's take a look.

17A. Barbra Streisand's "Funny Girl" role : FANNY BRICE. Fanny packs are called "bum bags" in England due to the fact that "fanny" is slang for a quite different part of the anatomy.

24A. "The Situation Room" host : WOLF BLITZER.

Uh-oh

38A. 1964 Shangri-Las hit ... or a hint to this puzzle's theme found in 17-, 24-, 47- and 59-Across : LEADER OF THE PACK. Spectacularly awful lip-syncing, acting and dancing can be found here.

47A. Like reptiles and amphibians : COLD BLOODED. I'd rather have a cold six-pack.

59A. Shine-minimizing makeup layer : FACE POWDER.

Cucumbers appear to be compulsory with a face-pack

Across:

1. National Museum of Afghanistan city : KABUL

6. High point : ACME

10. Hit : SWAT

14. Greek market : AGORA. This word is now finally part of my puzzle vocabulary. Only took mumble-mumble years.

15. Really good, in '90s slang : PHAT

16. Salary : WAGE. I don't personally see these as synonyms. The wiki entry also makes the distinction.

19. Flair : ELAN

20. Nanny's charge : KID

21. Singer India.__ : ARIE. Crossing help needed here, but the crosses were solid.

22. Short fight : SET TO

23. Comeback: Abbr. : ANS.

27. Dick Tracy has a square one : JAW

Also the inventor of the Apple iWatch

28. Daughter of Lyndon : LUCI. Another unknown for me. Thank you crosses!

29. Permanent UN Security Council member, familiarly : THE UK. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a bit of a mouthful.

32. Some CNBC interviewees : CEO'S. There seem to be more and more Chief "something" Officers. I encountered my first CCXO recently, CX standing for "Customer Experience". I hope every company gets one and then we can start using the abbreviation in crosswords!

34. K thru 12 : EL-HI

41. Drink quickly : CHUG. Where's my cold six-pack?

42. Sinusitis docs : E.N.T.S. I'd love to find a Dr. Treebeard who's an ENT.

43. Supermarket division : AISLE

44. "Zounds!" : EGAD. Gadzooks and foresooth! We just had this recently! Huzzah!

46. Ante- kin : PRE-

52. "Not on a __" : BET. Not a phrase I'd heard before.

55. Password creators : USERS

56. Palmist, e.g. : SEER

57. "__ Been Thinking About You": 1991 Londonbeat chart-topper : I'VE. And I've never heard of either the song or the band before. If you've got the Shangri-La's stuck in in your head then maybe this will stop the agony.

58. Was charitable : GAVE

62. Kept in a vat, say : AGED. Then bottled "under Government supervision" and shipped to Tinbeni.

Cheers!

63. Lab medium : AGAR

64. House of Lords members : PEERS. The UK parliament's upper house comprising Peers of the Realm. Legislation passed by House of Commons must be ratified by the Lords before the Queen rubber-stamps it.

65. Angry, with "off" : TEED. With 'EED' my first thought wasn't a T.

66. Yawner : BORE

67. Feel : SENSE

Down:

1. "Metamorphosis" author : KAFKA. Relentlessly upbeat tale (!) about a man who wakes up to find himself transformed into a "monstrous vermin".

2. One more time : AGAIN

3. Connects emotionally : BONDS

4. Buffet table server : URN

5. Suffered from insomnia : LAY AWAKE. Kafka's chap probably did this often.

6. Earth Day month : APRIL

7. Top cop : CHIEF

8. Bub : MAC

9. Parisian summer : ÉTÉ

10. Honey : SWEETIE PIE

11. Ballroom dance : WALTZ. A friend and I took beginner's ballroom dancing classes once. We obviously weren't very good because we weren't allowed to graduate up to intermediate. We still laugh about it.

12. Quartz variety : AGATE

13. Voice above baritone : TENOR

18. It may be knitted : BROW. Are brows ever anything but knitted or furrowed?

22. [Not my mistake] : SIC.

That's sic!

25. Absorbs with a towel : BLOTS

26. Verdant : LUSH

27. 1995 Stallone film : JUDGE DREDD

29. Treatment from Dr. Mom : TLC

30. Sneaky laugh : HEH

31. __ de Cologne : EAU. I never get why we have to use the French term for this stuff when the German original is perfectly serviceable. What's wrong with Kölnisch Wasser? I also get the sniggers when I hear that "English is the lingua franca of international trade".

32. Homebuyer's option : CONDO. Other options are HOU or TOWNH.

33. Little newt : EFT

35. Vegas intro? : LAS

36. Stomach acid, chemically : HCL. Hydrochloric Acid. Good job the stomach lining is usually up to the job.

37. Well-liked prez : IKE

39. Very : REAL

40. Dangling jewelry : EAR DROPS. EAR RINGS first. I thought ear drops were to help with infections and what-not.

45. "Pygmalion" playwright's monogram : G.B.S. Inspiration for the musical "My Fair Lady".

46. Hatchery sound : PEEP

47. Bandleader Xavier : CUGAT. No clue, thank you crosses. That's four new names for me today.

48. Missouri tributary : OSAGE

49. River barrier : LEVEE

50. Witty Wilde : OSCAR. Famously turned up for his indecency trial wearing a green carnation in his lapel, which didn't exactly endear him to the judge.

51. "It's __ Season": agricultural supply slogan : DEERE. Because "International Harvesters" wouldn't quite fit.

52. Longtime Delaware senator : BIDEN

53. '50s-'60s civil rights leader : EVERS

54. Hardly talkative : TERSE

59. British Invasion adjective : FAB

60. In the past : AGO

61. Like a bairn : WEE. Bairns are always wee. Big bairns are adults behaving like babies.

And that, mes amis, est cette.

Steve