Sunday August 3, 2014 Amy Johnson

Theme:  "Kiddie Lit" - A word is added to each famous novel & turns it into a kid book.

23A. Tolstoy tale of child's play? : THUMB WAR AND PEACE. Never read War and Peace. So heavy. How things have deteriorated in Iraq & the whole Middle East!

36A. Carson tale of well-behaved classroom clock watchers? : SILENT SPRING FEVER. Rachel Carson's Silent Spring. Spring fever.

54A. Dickens tale of math woes? : HARD TIMES TABLES. Dickens' Hard Times. Times tables was certainly math woe to me.

75A. Palahniuk tale of a rowdy slumber party society? : PILLOW FIGHT CLUB. I only saw the movie Fight Club. Did not know the author.

89A. Orwell tale of Beanie Baby breeding? : STUFFED ANIMAL FARM.  I learned not long ago that George Orwell coined the term "Cold War".

108A. Updike tale of an idle cereal mascot? : TRIX RABBIT AT REST. Wiki said "the novel won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1991, the second "Rabbit" novel to garner the award."  Never read it. Trix is made by General Mills here in MN.

This puzzle has only 6 theme entries, but they're all pretty long. Total 96 theme squares. Personally I feel very comfortable with 90. 

I don't think I've made a Sunday puzzle without cheater squares. This grid is cheater-free. Only 70 black squares.

 Across:

1. Beijing Zoo attraction : PANDA. Every major zoo in China has a panda or two.

6. It's often seen in sheets : GLASS. Not STAMP.

11. Spreadsheet figures : DATA. "Sheet" clue echo.

15. Foolhardy : RASH

19. TWA competitor : US AIR

20. Cowboy's rope : RIATA. Or REATA.

21. Baylor, for one: Abbr. : UNIV

22. Analogy words : IS TO

26. Robert De __ : NIRO. I once had to remove NIRO from my puzle. Rich said his name is De Niro.

27. Giga- x 1,000 : TERA

28. St. Laurent of fashion : YVES. He had a great lover in Pierre Berge.

29. Upper-bod muscle : DELT

30. Hit song of 1950 : RAG MOP. Ames Brothers

32. Get cozy : SNUGGLE

34. Like Death Valley : SERE. Haven't seen this word for a long time.

35. Stud site : EARLOBE. You've got to think of earrings when "stud" is in the clue. Not this one.

Splynter the Saturday Stud

40. Certain school team activity : DEBATE

44. Kick : BOOT

45. __ double take : DOES A

46. Botanical coating : ARIL. Wish it were clued as pomegranate seed.

47. "Fernando" band : ABBA

48. Matches at the poker table : CALLS

50. Hoover and Mossyrock : DAMS. Know former only.

58. Drink that lost the second part of its name in 1961 : PEPSI. Cola? I still call it Pepsi Cola though.

59. Mended, in a way : DARNED

60. Israel's Iron Lady : MEIR (Golda). She's in Munich.

61. War movie staples : HEROES

62. Diplomatic rep. : AMB

64. Nods, say : OKs

65. Evade : SKIRT

67. 1921 sci-fi play : R.U.R.

68. Biol. or chem. : SCI

69. Artichoke servings : HEARTS. I don't like artichoke. How about you, Marti?

71. Earth has one : MOON

72. Overdo the buffet, say : PIG OUT. Only if they have pickled herrings.

74. These, in Juarez : ESTAS

80. Half a fish : MAHI

81. Welles of "War of the Worlds" : ORSON

82. "Return of the Jedi" dancer : OOLA.  Alley Oop's girlfriend is OOOLA.

83. Apollo landers, briefly : LEMs

84. Grannies : NANAs

86. Samoan capital : APIA

87. Gets : GRASPS

95. Oregon coastal city : ASTORIA

96. Late notice? : OBIT

97. Berlin School psychological theory : GESTALT. Lovely entry. "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts".

102. Excitable cell : NEURON

103. Billionaire bank founder Andy : BEAL. Nope. No idea.

104. Latin trio member : AMAT

106. Wind in a pit : OBOE

107. Parisian's "to be" : ETRE

112. Employee IDs : SSNS

113. Actor Morales : ESAI. He was cool for a few episodes in NYPD Blue.

114. What a white flag may mean : TRUCE

115. Complete : UTTER

116. __ drive : TEST

117. "Father of the American Cartoon" : NAST. I guess he deserves the title.

118. "Symphony in Black" et al. : ERTES

119. "The Gondoliers" bride : TESSA. I can never remember this lady.

Down:

1. Forgoes the gimme : PUTTS. I'll take the gimme.

2. Like Dracula's visage : ASHEN

3. Tiny republic formerly called Pleasant Island : NAURU. Gimme.

4. Yankee legend, familiarly : DIMAG

5. Wall St. trader : ARB

6. Fish tank flooring : GRAVEL

7. Old Bologna bread : LIRE

8. Wiimote inserts : AAAs

9. Stop: Abbr. : STN

10. Most mournful : SADDEST

11. One with a second : DUELER. "Second" is the DUELER's assistant.

 12. Med sch. subject : ANAT
 

13. Poker game tell, maybe : TIC

14. Batting figures : AVERAGES 

15. Mastermind : RING LEADER. Great answer also.

16. "The Robots of Dawn" author : ASIMOV

17. Disco light : STROBE

18. "Sesame Street" store owner : HOOPER. Stumper for me.

24. Poet Elinor : WYLIE. Must be gimme for Yellowrocks and Owen.

25. Cop's quarry : PERP

31. Lab greetings : ARFs

33. Prime meridian std. : GST. Always want GMT.

34. Source of brown fur : STOAT

35. Carbon compounds : ENOLS. Every puzzle has a few undesirable entries.

37. Receded : EBBED

38. Noggins : NOBS

 39. Hardly a doer : IDLER

40. Code word : DAH. Morse Code.

41. Timeline chapter : ERA

42. Pool on a pedestal : BIRD BATH

43. "The Aviator" Oscar nominee : ALDA (Alan)

47. Skunk River city : AMES. Not a pleasant name: Skunk River.

 

48. Highway breaker? : CBER. Nice clue.

49. Came down : ALIT 

51. Last Supper attendees : APOSTLES. Last week at the flea market there was a woman who kept shouting "Jesus is $9. Jesus is $9". I discovered that she was selling Jesus figurines.

52. PC processing unit : MSEC

53. "Absolutely, amigo!" : SI SI

55. Races with sulkies : TROTS. Sulky is two-wheeled & one-horse carriage.

56. Tattoo parlor supplies : INKS. So do you have tattoos?

57. PABA part : AMINO

58. Texarkana-born '90s candidate : PEROT

61. Julia's "Notting Hill" co-star : HUGH (Grant). He had 2 kids with a Chinese girl.

62. "If I may butt in ..." : AHEM

63. Phoenix suburb : MESA

65. "Take it!" response, in a jazz club : SOLO. Easy for our Jazzbumpa.

66. City on the Rhein : KOLN

67. Latvia's most populous city : RIGA

70. Rapidly shrinking ecosystem : RAIN FOREST
 

71. Didn't __ beat : MISS A

72. Rice style : PILAF

73. Jim Morrison's alma mater : UCLA

75. The Devil's label? : PRADA. The Devil Wears Prada. The movie is better than the book.

76. Tom of "The Dukes of Hazzard" : WOPAT. Another stranger to me.

77. Straight man : FOIL. Wiki said "straight man is a stock character in a comedy performance, especially a double act, sketch comedy, or farce". Not a familiar concept to me.

78. Base decision maker : UMP

79. Undergrad degs. : BSS

81. Not a great chance : ONE IN TEN

85. Hendrix hairdo : AFRO
 

86. Comment from one rushing in : AM I LATE

87. Actress Scacchi : GRETA. Never heard of her either. Very pretty.

88. Condo divs. : RMs

89. Having the most marbles : SANEST. 94. Shooting marbles : AGATES. Marble clue echo.

90. Sub-Saharan menace : TSETSE

91. Reversals : U-TURNS 

92. "You can't get out this way" : NO EXIT

93. Building beam : I-BAR
 

98. Dessert cart goodie : TORTE

99. Drives the getaway car for : ABETS

100. Blows, perhaps : LOSES. Great clue also.
 

101. Aquarium swimmer : TETRA

103. Predisposition : BIAS

104. Be up against : ABUT

105. Mickey and Minnie : MICE

109. Pres. Mandela's land : RSA. Republic of South Africa.

110. Winter outburst? : BRR

111. "Shame on you!" : TUT

Happy Birthday to dear Melissa, who's been through some really tough time. She's always strong and never complains.

C.C.

Melissa Bee

Saturday, Aug 2nd, 2014, Barry C. Silk

Theme: Saturday Silkie~!

Words: 70 (missing F,Q,V,X)

Blocks: 26

  YES~!  This week's offering from Mr. Silk was probably one of the toughest puzzles he's given us in a long time - IMHO.  The low block count, triple 11- and 10-letter corners and  inner pinwheel stacks left little wiggle room.  Not to mention the utter vagueness of the clues and the clever misdirections - oh, wait, I just did.... There were two breakthrough answers (*) that got me to the finish - but with a mere 57 seconds left on the clock of my personal time limit.  Some of the longer fill:

15a. Riverbend Festival city : CHATTANOOGA - that's odd; Boston in Tennessee?

55a. Egyptian expanse : SINAI DESERT - SAHARA was a tad too long

25. African Union Commission headquarters : ADDIS ABABA - Africa is popular today

14. Part of Larry King's legacy : SUSPENDERS

 

On(e more week) ward~!!!

ACROSS:

1. Travelocity offering : PACKAGE DEAL* - 11-letter start, and I'm thinking HOTEL---, PLANE---, etc., and it wasn't until the third or fourth pass, with a smattering of letters in place that I finally realized this was a 'general' term

12. Bit of texting tact : PLS - ah, so the "new" language is making its way into crosswordese; PLeaSe

16. Note : I.O.U. - the vagueness; no 'debt' reference

17. Private collectibles? : TOY SOLDIERS - I had the second "O" in place, and PHOTO--- was looking promising, as in Private Detective....

18. Sporty cars : GTs - dah~! Not MGs

19. Mac OS part: Abbr. : SYStem - I'm PC.  'nuf  said.

20. Ghostly sound : MOAN

21. Relax : EASE UP

23. Tabloid fodder : DIRT - not ITEM

24. "__ Place" : MELROSE - ARCHIE'S, MILLER'S....strange - Miller Place is right next to Mount Sinai here on Long Island (55a.)

25. Torrid : ABLAZE - Dah~!  The "Z" was in place, so I considered SLEAZY - the "Y" led me to PLENTY at 6d., and that just messed up the NW

28. It may be fit for a king : BED LINEN - Har-har~! king-sized bed, that is

29. Mideast monotheistic sect : DRUZE - the Wiki

30. Ramble on : PRATE

31. Taken : HAD - "I've been ___~!"

32. Monopoly needs : DICE - Ugh, really, Mr. Silk~??? The plural vagueness got me

33. "Cool!" : "NEATO~!"

34. Thoughtless procedure? : ROTE - Clever

35. Gross remark? : ICK - not UGH, not ACK ( my last correction before time expired )

36. Difficult : MESSY - like, say, d-i-v-o-r-c-e

37. More sound : HALER - not sAnER - that's 60%, D-Otto~!

38. Vietnam War attack aircraft : SKYHAWKS

40. They're history : GONERS

41. Ed O'Neill sitcom role : AL BUNDY - "Married, with Children" - could only watch so much of it

42. Bottled (up) : PENT

43. Cultural icon making her debut in 1959 : BARBIE - I only saw this upon doing the review; she looks good for 55....

44. Prefix with nautical : AERO - aeronautical

45. Poke : JAB

48. Call for passage : AYE

49. Each of the two longest ones lasted 15 innings : ALL-STAR GAME - they take it way too seriously, then

52. Emmy winner Arthur : BEA

53. Split personality? : CHEERLEADER* - ah, that kind of split

54. Vessel measured in cubits : ARK - three-letter vessel? All I could think of was URN - DAH~!! THAT kind of vessel

DOWN:

1. Election figs. : PCTs - Percentages

2. Gob stopper? : AHOY - Gob being a term for a sailor in this instance

3. Small islands : CAYS - not KEYS, AITS....

4. Board jumpers: Abbr. : KTs - Knights, on Chess boards - the only piece that can 'jump'; makes this today's uber-vagueness winner~!

5. Reduce to mist : ATOMIZE - one of my very few first pass answers

6. In abundance : GALORE

7. Proceed until : END AT

8. "Whatcha __?" : "DOIN'?"

9. Job listing letters : EOE

10. Accepted : AGREED TO

11. The Explorers of the Atlantic 10 Conf. : LaSALLE

12. Catalog : PIGEONHOLE

13. Mythological daydreamer : LOTUS EATER - more here

22. Indian honorific : SRI

23. Floor : DAZE - the verb, not the noun

24. Substantive : MEATY

26. Construction worker : BRICKLAYER - got a new wood working project to do at a restaurant on the east end of L.I. called "A Lure", so this wash-out weekend will be spent doing CAD work; the Rook Table is on hold

27. Sore loser's comment : LUCKY BREAK

28. Source of many orders : BRASS - I threw in "SARGE" - that's 0%, D-Otto

30. Irksome : PESKY

33. One of the Nehru Planetarium cities : NEW DELHI

34. Carry on : RANT

36. More than just zealots : MANIACS - fanatics was one too many

37. Award winner : HONOREE

39. Where some routes meet : HUB - ALL of Suffolk County's Eastern UPS routes meet at our HUB, which is more of a TERMINAL, actually

40. Predecessor of Nelson : GERALD - Vice Presidents, Gerald Ford, Nelson Rockefeller

42. __ dish : PETRI - Hey~! I got one~!

44. Perplexed : ASEA

45. Alaska's state gem : JADE

46. From Hawaii, say: Abbr. : AMERican - argh~!!! Yes, anything from Hawaii is STILL American

47. Hall of Fame pitcher Blyleven : BERT - I'll have to dig out my old baseball sticker albums - I actually KNEW this one, C.C.~!

50. Novelist Deighton : LEN

51. Energy : GAS

Splynter

Friday, August 1, 2014, Julian Lim

Theme: Flights of fancy, or just plane pun!

White rabbit, white rabbit. In a reversal theme, the four in the language phrases are clued to make them related to air travel. The first word of each phrase can be used in the context of a scheduled flight, and what you may see if you look at the arrival/departure board at an airport. If you Google, even with quotation marks, the four phrases you see they are all common, though obviously some more easily sussed. Boarding School tipped me to the theme and it made getting the others much easier. Julian, a prolific constructor living in Singapore always gives me a work out, but this one seemed a tad easier. Not easy, just doable. In addition to two 13s and two 14s in the theme (TEMA for our Italian friends) there were some gems CASIOS,  SPATES, CROATIA,  DATA SET,  PAY CASH,  RASHERS, LOLL AROUND and my favorite TOOTSIE POP.  Well, while I suck on my candy, let's get to work.

20A. Consequence of a late flight? : DELAYED EFFECT. (13). For me this was the hardest because it is such a vague, all encompassing phrase. Flight delays are less of problem now that the airlines deliberately factor them into their estimates.

33A. Where to learn how to be on time for a flight? : BOARDING SCHOOL.(14). I went to boarding school, one run after the tradition of Eton (see below).

39A. Luggage on a recently-arrived flight? : LANDED PROPERTY.(14). This TERM may be more prevalent in Singapore, but I am sure you have heard of the landed gentry and their ESTATES. (see below).

 

52A. Mark showing the status of a stormy-day flight? : CANCELED CHECK.(13). Remember when you used to get your canceled checks from the bank with your monthly statement? Theme complete? Check!

Across:

1. Bottom application : TALC. Cute way to start the day with a baby's bottom.

5. Crystallizes : JELLS. Are they the same? Certainly when it comes to an idea, but does the science work?

10. Hemingway sobriquet : PAPA. I get called Papa, because my beard is all white but I do not look like these guys:

14. New car feature : ODOR. You can buy the smell in a can now.

15. "Stop kidding around!" : OH YOU. I get this often.

16. Claire's younger daughter on "Modern Family" : ALEX. The smart one. CLIP. (0:23).

17. First name at Woodstock : ARLO. He gave the absolute worst performance and refused to sing even a few bars of Alice's Restaurant. Had 400,000 people angry.


18. Harold's film partner : KUMAR. The modern version.

19. "Eek!" : YIPE.

23. Outpourings : SPATES. Spate to me is even more dramatic then just an outpouring.

24. Day __ : SPA. Very popular here.

25. Narrow inlet : RIA. A word I know only from crosswords. We just do not teach geography in the US.

26. 2014 U.S. Women's Open champ : WIE. This 6' Hawaiian, Michelle, is finally harnessing her TALENT. (0:32) You may not know that her mother was a beauty queen.

29. Immature retort : IS TOO. IS NOT!

36. Premier __: wine designation : CRU.

37. Patek Philippe competitor : OMEGA. You have to watch out for Julian's trickery.

38. Ratified : OK'D. Is this a real abbreviation?

44. Stop by : END AT. Not to visit, but to cease.

45. Getting-off pt. : STN. Station.

46. Some hosps. : VAS. Veteran Administrations. Hard to comment and not get political.

47. Talking-__ (lectures) : TOS. Ah, the old parental good "talking to."

49. Privia digital pianos, e.g. : CASIOS. The FACTS.

56. Media concern : BIAS. Really? It hardly seems anyone cares about bias in the media as all sides have their slanted presentations.

58. Bellowing : AROAR. Oh my, I have not had an "A" word in months; they used to be the bane of Fridays.

59. Sport with touches : EPEE.

60. Boxer's reward : BONE. Woof woof.

61. Tool in Excel : MACRO. I know how to use macros in word perfect...

62. It's played on Broadway : ROLE.

63. Stop : QUIT.

64. Church reading : PSALM. I get confused, as the Psalms are all part of the Old Testament, how are they used in the Church?

65. Hit the __ : SPOT. For me it is that first sip of coffee.

Down:

1. Natterjacks : TOADS. No idea. A very Friday CLUE. 

2. Pitcher? : AD REP. Back to my Monday references to Mad Men and Crazy People.

3. Hang out : LOLL AROUND. This required building from the perps, just not a phrase that jumped to mind.

4. Montenegro neighbor : CROATIA. The Black Mountain is a very entertaining book in the Nero Wolfe series by Rex Stout where he explores the characters Montenegrin background. An CSO for Tinbeni and his work.

5. Routine elements : JOKES. Really great Friday clue, as jokes are part of a comedian's routine, not part of everyday life.

6. Israeli statesman Barak : EHUD. This past prime minister of Israel perhaps is best known for his involvement in successful RAIDS. A Friday name for certain.

7. __ disease: tick-transmitted affliction : LYME. This was named after a town in Connecticut, not far from where I grew up.

8. Word with meat or sugar : LOAF.  Your choice, MEAT (7:18) or SUGAR.(4:00).

9. Sees the sites : SURFS. Sights, sites word play.

10. Exchange notes : PAY CASH. Bank notes. Tricky as you fall into the school note passing trap.

11. Disembarked : ALIT.

12. Zip or drive : PEP.

13. Big name in men's grooming : AXE. This does appear in many forms in so many of my puzzles to blog.

21. Wine datum : YEAR.

22. Expansive : EPIC. Four letters but not that easy.

26. Chickens : WIMPS. I perceive wimps as even more afraid than chickens.

27. Nonreactive : INERT. The clue is often a gas. How noble.

28. Goad : EGG ON. According to Answers.com the use of  egg as the verb to  'urge' as in egg on is from Old Norse eggja 'incite, encourage, urge on' - and is not related to the eggs laid by birds. Egg as a verb is recorded in print in 1200, but not until 1566 in the phrase egg on.

30. Lickable candy since 1931 : TOOTSIE POP. I bet many a tooth was lost to the impatient ones wanting the to get to the center. HISTORY.

31. "The Addams Family" adjective : OOKY. The theme SONG.(0:54). What would you rhyme with spooky?
 
32. Clichéd : OLD. Hmm, maybe I am only cliched now.

33. Cereal box word : BRAN.

34. Chuck Hagel's gp. : DOD. Department of Defense.

35. Enervate : SAP. The opposite of the similar sounding energize.

36. Browns, on scoreboards : CLEveland, Johnny Manziel and Lebron; and the PGA at Firestone in Akron; how much excitment can Ohio take?

40. Mining target : DATA SET. The next step in the Bif Brother world predicted. LEARN.

41. "The most private of private schools": Hugh Laurie : ETON. You need to know this four letter school in England for kings and princes and actors.

42. Copter rescue, perhaps : EVACuation.

43. Bacon units : RASHERS.

48. Rogue : SCAMP.

49. Storage medium : CD-ROM. Why are all CDs gypsies?

50. 3M sponge brand : OCELO. Actually, O-CEL-O.

51. Sport with shotguns : SKEET. I never heard of a word which was born in a CONTEST.

52. "Is it allowed?" : CAN I? I was raised to ask May I.

53. Chunks of history : ERAS.

54. "Livin' La Vida __": Ricky Martin hit : LOCA.

55. Well-manored individual? : EARL. Another fun play on words, as Downton Abbey is Lord Grantham's manor. A reference to the Landed Property above.

56. Chip flavor : BBQ.

57. Slip for chips, maybe : IOU. A chip double...When you win keep betting, when you lose quit before you lose big. Never gamble on IOU's.

Well we embark on a new month, the Bachelorette got called out, we are down to the semi-finals in AGT and the Last Comic and there are more and more original programs on TV during the summer. Well hoping you all still find time for the puzzle and the Corner. Lemonade out.

Thursday, July 31, 2014 Steve Blais

Theme: "I'm All Shook Up"

I thought we were in for a homophone puzzle after I filled in the first two theme answers:

20-Across. Really opens up : BARES ONE'S SOUL.

24-Across. Warrants another mention : BEARS REPEATING.

But the third one didn't fit the mold:
45-Across. Greed and jealousy are among them : BASER INSTINCTS.
Hmmm...but it did contain the same letters.

AHA!
51-Across. Threat of power, and a hint to the starts of 20-, 24- and 45-Across : SABER RATTLING.
The "rattling" indicates that the letters are shaken around, and a classic anagram theme is born.

This is Steve's third LAT puzzle this month, and the second one I have blogged.  They are always fun and fresh, with some clever clues and nice juicy fill. Come with me and see what I mean...

Across

1. Stephen King title city : SALEM. "Salem's Lot." I never read his books or watch the movies. Waaaay too scary for me.

6. USS Enterprise android : DATA. I had to pause for a minute to come up with this guy's name.

10. Drinks slowly : SIPS. The way to drink scotch, right Tin?

14. Beethoven honoree : ELISE.  "Für ELISE."

15. What may make the future tense? : OMEN. Fun clue!

16. Start of a solution : IDEA.

17. Steer catcher : RIATA.

18. Haboob, for one : WINDSTORM.  One of them blew over Phoenix last Friday.

22. Circuit protector : FUSE.

23. Nashville awards gp. : CMA. Country Music Association.

31. Astrologer Dixon : JEANE. I always want to put two N's in her name.

32. MD for women : GYN.ecologist.

33. Falco of "Nurse Jackie" : EDIE.

34. River ends? : ARs.

35. Idealist : DREAMER.

39. Dark time in poetry : E'EN. And a semi-clecho at 55-down. Dark time in ads : NITE.

40. "What kind of a name is 'Wilbur' for a man?" speaker : MR. ED. He was a horse, of course...

42. Donation, say : AID.

43. Seating option : AISLE. I always prefer the window - no food carts banging into my ankles, or people crawling over me to get to the bathroom.

49. Trig. ratio : COS.ine.

50. "Bus Stop" playwright : INGE.

57. Autograph signing locale : STAGE DOOR.

59. Call, in a way : RADIO.

60. Ship that sailed to Colchis : ARGO. Jason and his Argonauts.

61. Humerus neighbor : ULNA. Then there is this type of humorous neighbor.

62. Draw together : UNITE.

63. Withdraw by degrees : WEAN.

64. Ingredients in some stews : PEAS.

65. Egyptian pyramid's eight : EDGES. Not "kings."


Down

1. Balkan native : SERB.

2. Latin "others" : ALIA. Usually abbr. as al. And 28-Down. Clarifier usually abbreviated : ID EST. i.e., like this. (Latin for "that is...")

3. One may be habitual : LIAR.

4. Miami Sound Machine singer : ESTEFAN. I hope you appreciate the fact that I linked this singer instead of Beethoven's "Für Elise."

5. Carefully considered : MEASURED.

6. It'll bum you out : DOWNER. I read it as BURN instead of BUM.  I think crossword clues should be PRINTED ALL IN CAPS FROM NOW ON.

7. Henri's lady friend : AMIE. French "friend."

8. Arithmetic column : TENS.

9. Director's "Done with this segment!" : AND...SCENE. I wanted AND..."cut" but it was too short. I had never heard AND...SCENE, so I looked it up.  Seems it was often used by someone auditioning, to let the director know they were finished with their piece. Now it is used in a facetious way. After ranting and raving about something, a person might say AND...SCENE, to indicate that whatever they just said was all an act.

10. Put in place : SITUATE.

11. False __ : IDOL.

12. A : PER. As in $5 PER dozen, or $5 A dozen. How much is corn on the cob in your state?

13. Yosemite __ : SAM.

19. "Brave New World" drug : SOMA.

21. WWII intelligence org. : OSS. Office of Strategic Services. Julia Child was in the OSS.

24. Three-time A.L. MVP : BERRA.

25. Lightens : EASES.

26. "Zounds!" : EGADS.

27. "Quartet in Autumn" English novelist Barbara : PYM. I only know the character in Poe's novel. There once was a PYM from Nantucket...

29. Bohr of the Manhattan Project : NIELS.

30. Code carrier : GENE.

31. It's perpendicular to a threshold : JAMB.

36. Lifted : RAISED UP.

37. A, in Germany : EIN.

38. Sounded right : RANG TRUE. Yep, sounds right to me!

41. Figure with 10 sides : DECAGON.

44. Republic formerly under Danish rule : ICELAND.

46. Court cover-up : ROBE. Cute - not the hiding of evidence, but the judge's covering. Why do they wear robes, anyway?  I should think they could do the same thing in a tuxedo and look far more dashing...

47. Pageant symbols : TIARAS.

48. What a QB tries to avoid : INT.erception.

51. Multipart story : SAGA.

52. Auditioner's goal : ROLE.

53. Gossip columnist Barrett : RONA.

54. "Copacetic, man" : I DIG.

56. Exits : GOES.

57. Caught at the theater : SAW.

58. Amount past due? : TRE.  HaHa!  Irish Miss, did you get this one? Italian due = two and tre = three.

Marti, out!

Wednesday, July 30, 2014 Gareth Bain

Theme: I GIVE UP.  The last words of the theme entries are indications of surrendering, so as to avoid suffering further damage.  Your opponent wins, and - if he is honorable - you get to go somewhere safe and lick your wounds. 

17 A. Stereotypical benefactor : RICH UNCLE.  Literal or figurative designation for financial backer.  I only had poor UNCLES, alas.  To cry "UNCLE" indicating submission, may or may not go back to ancient Rome.

36 A. Of age : OLD ENOUGH.  Having been alive for a sufficient period to drink, drive, vote, know better, etc.  "ENOUGH" indicates you don't want any more of whatever your abuser is dishing out.

42 A. "Understood" : SAY NO MORE.  OK - I got it.  "NO MORE" is another way of saying "ENOUGH"

And the unifier -- 62 A. Waved banner hinted at by the ends of 17-, 36- and 42-Across : WHITE FLAG.  This usage does go back to ancient Rome, and also the Han dynasty of China.  In modern times, the use of a white flag to indicate surrender is included in the Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907. 

Hi gang, it's JzB, after a long hiatus, reunited with Gareth on a Wednesday.  We never can get ENOUGH of his puzzles, so I am not going to give up.  Let's SAY NO MORE on that topic, and dive into the solve.

Across

1. Prepare, in a way, as sweet potatoes : MASH.  We add a bit of butter and sour cream.  Makes a nice companion dish for Gloria's orange and maple glazed salmon.

5. Says further : ADDS.  The opposite of SAY NO MORE.

9. Run away, say : REACT.  I suppose one could REACT to an unpleasantness by running away, but, unless I'm missing something, this is a far from obvious connection.

14. Entrepreneur's start : IDEA. Around which a business plan can be built.

15. Come together : MEET.

16. Come to pass : OCCUR.   Near clechoes.

19. Spherical dessert : BOMBE.  An Ice cream dessert molded in a half-spherical shape to resemble a cannon ball.  The only thing that explodes is your weight.

Recipe

20. Airport city east of Los Angeles : ONTARIO.   I flew in there about 30 years ago.  IIRC, there are distant mountains in every direction.

Source

21. One brewing in a cup : TEA LEAF.  Not a tempest. Mayhaps Nice Cuppa can provide details.

23. Many a Prado painting : GOYA.   Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (1746–1828).  Here is the Prado on-line gallery of his work.

25. Baseball card stat : RBI. Runs Batted In.  BASEBALL!!!

26. Oranges opposite? : APPLES.  Different, for sure - but opposite?  Doubtful, but I won't let one bad APPLE spoil the whole puzzle.

30. "I'd just as soon kiss a Wookiee" speaker : LEIA.  Do I need to tell you this is from Star Wars?  Prob'ly not.

 Not under-rated nor overdressed

32. "__ Boys": "Little Men" sequel : JO'S.  Story of the boys' troubles as adults, and the only Louisa May Alcott novel that has not had a movie adaption.

35. Cowboy's neckwear : BOLO. By now everyone should recognize this as a string necktie.  So here is Bolo Yeung, who might be marginally more interesting.

He's older than that now

38. Standoffish : ALOOF.  Remote.

40. Pull : TUG. Yank, jerk.

41. Friendly address : KIDDO.  Seems a bit condescending.

44. Opposite of alway : NE'ER.  Alway is an archaic form of always.  NE'ER is a contraction of never, seldom or NE'ER encountered nowadays.   So I guess it's OK.

45. Appt. book divisions : HRS. Hours. N.B. abrvs.

46. Went up : ROSE.  Up toward the sky.

47. Saturated hydrocarbon : ALKANE.  Chemistry.  Saturated means all the available bonding locations on the carbon atoms are filled.  Thus, there are no C=C double bonds in the chain, which would contribute to instability.  The compounds are quite flammable, though.  Propane and butane [ 3 and 4 carbon ALKANES] are examples.  Gasoline is a complex mixture of hydrocarbons and additives, containing lots of pentane and hexane [5 ansd 6 carbon ALKANES.]

49. Had-at link : A GO.  Tried something.  I always think of Mitchell Anderson putting his move on Marian Wyman in Raymond Carver's poignant short story Will You Please Be Quiet, Please.  I do not recommend this dry analysis.

50. Trilogy, often : SAGA.  Originally an Old Norse prose narrative of heroic achievement, now any long and involved story.

52. Emcees' responsibilities : LEAD-INS.  Introductions to the main-line performers.

56. Gum with a longtime eyepatch-wearing mascot : BAZOOKA.  But BAZOOKA Joe did not fare well in the rebranding.

61. Calculus pioneer : EULER.  [Pronounced OILER] Leonhard, (1707 - 1783) a highly accomplished Swiss mathematician. I've often wondered why no technical school has a sports team nick-named the EULERS?

64. Ruffle : FRILL.  A a strip of fabric or lace gathered or pleated on one edge, and attached to a garment or other item as decoration.

Not all ruffles have ridges

65. Right hand : AIDE.  Figurative designation for an assistant

66. Ax : FIRE.  Job elimination.

67. Pledge drive bags : TOTES.  Carry-alls.  Also, in contemporary slang, short for Totally.  Habitual users can save as much as 26.6 seconds per day.

68. Apiary dwellers : BEES.  Not apes.

69. Convinced : SOLD.   Are you SOLD on Gareth's puzzle yet?  If not, let's move on.

Down

1. Picasso contemporary : MIRO.   Joan Miró i Ferrà was a Catalan artist who wanted to upset the visual elements of established painting.

 Not all of his work is so Picassoesque

2. Score after deuce : AD IN.  In tennis, deuce indicates a tie score after both players have reached 40.  AD, short for advantage, indicates the next point has been scored.  If the server has the advantage it is AD IN, otherwise, AD out.

3. Shakers, but not movers : SECT.  This religious community splintered off from the Quakers in Northwest England in the mid-18th century.  They are known for gender equality and a celibate life style.  Second generation Shakers are thus somewhat rare.  They did give us this nice hymn, here put to good use by Aaron Copeland..

4. "The joke's on you" : HA HA.  Hope you thought it was funny.

5. Prenatal procedures : AMNIOS.  Short for amniocentesis, a rather risky procedure.

6. Deceptive military tactic : DECOY.  A diversionary PLOY.  You can read about it here.

7. "Runaway" singer Shannon : DEL.  Another clecho, and a classic song from my 'ute.

8. "Don't change that" : STET. Editor's mark.

9. Emulate Dillinger : ROB A BANK. I do not recommend this risky activity.  When Dillinger emulator Willie Sutton was asked why he robbed banks, he reportedly answered, "Because that's where the money is."

10. Gastroenteritis cause, perhaps : E-COLI.  Bacterium naturally occurring in the lower digestive tract that causes all sorts of problems when it gets into the wrong territory.

11. Pinnacle : ACME.  Apex.  Always need perps.

12. World Baseball Classic team : CUBA.

13. Nonkosher : TREF.  I can never remember this word.  It comes from a Hebrew root meaning something torn.

18. Strong desire : URGE. 

22. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's lake : ERIE.  In Cleveland.

24. Tempts : ALLURES.  Inspires URGES.

26. Make red-faced : ABASH.  To shame or embarrass.

27. Opposite : POLAR.  Extremely opposite.

28. Artful stratagems : PLOYS.  In A Game of Thrones, Petyr Baelish is the master of these cunning plans.

29. Fish-eating bird : LOON.  It is about the size of a large duck, but they are unrelated species.

Minnesota State Bird

31. What a slight favorite has : EDGE.

32. Where Herod ruled : JUDEA.  More old Roman, when JUDEA was a province in the empire.

33. City near the Great Salt Lake : OGDEN.

34. Vacation location : SHORE.  The fringe of land at the edge of a large body of water.  We just spent a week on the SHORE of Black Lake.

36. Plains people : OTOS.  Native American tribe.

37. Farm grunt : OINK.  From the sty.

39. Like pink toys, stereotypically : FOR GIRLS.  Indeed, there are few pink toys for boys.  Trust me, I looked.

43. Word after new or full : MOON.  The orbiting orb, going through phases.

47. Collectible marbles : AGATES.  I remember this term from my 'ute.

48. Kick back : LAZE. You can do this at the SHORE

49. "Chasing Pavements" singer : ADELE. I've heard worse pop songs.

51. "__ With Me": hymn : ABIDE.  I've heard worse hymns.

52. Took off : LEFT.  Departed [but not OFFED.] Split.  Exeunt stage left?

53. Capital of Belgium : EURO.  Money.

54. Landed : ALIT.  Atop something, I suppose.

55. DNA lab item : SWAB.  For collecting bio-samples.

57. Rubs out : OFFS.  Murders.

58. Little of this, little of that : OLIO.  Hodge podge.

59. Auto pioneer Benz : KARL.

60. Like fine port : AGED.  When do we know our port is OLD ENOUGH?  Hmmm.

63. Go in haste : HIE. Quickly, now.

Well, that wraps it up for another Wednesday.  Hope you made it through without having to surrender.
Cool regards!
JzB

Note from C.C.:

As Jazzbumpa mentioned in 34D, he and his family spent their summer vacation at Black Lake last week. Here are 3 sweet pictures:

From the left:

My daughter Karen, Samantha, Amanda, Me, Rebekka, Emily, daughter-in-law Lisa

 Me and my honey, swinging by the lake side.

The Flotilla
Rebekka, Nate, Samantha, Emily

Tuesday, July 29, 2014 Pawel Fludzinski

Theme: Batteries Included - Eight(8!) entries with four A's and only A's plus the reveal clued as the tiny battery.

18A. Undoubtedly : FAR AND AWAY. Link

23A. Lawn option in warm climates : BAHAMA GRASS. Link

33A. Straw topper first made in Ecuador, surprisingly : PANAMA HAT. Link

46A. Twin-hulled vessel : CATAMARAN. Link

51A. Sleepover with more giggling than sleeping : PAJAMA PARTY. Link

64A. Island off Africa's southeast coast : MADAGASCAR. Link

4D. Picnic staple : PASTA SALAD. Link

29D. Missed the bus, forgot lunch, argued with the boss, etc. : HAD A BAD DAY. Link

59D. Battery found, in a way, in eight puzzle answers : AAAA. Link

Argyle here. By my count(entries with A's only), there two triple A's and ten double A's; 49 in total. All those entries but the fill didn't suffer. The theme took up 79 squares. The grid doesn't look like a Tuesday but the solve was. Very good, Pawel.

Across:

1. File attachment icon : CLIP. A paper clip.

5. Caviar, e.g. : ROE

8. Inbox fillers : EMAILS

14. Turkish currency : LIRA

15. Train station abbr. : ARR. (arrival)

16. Update the factory equipment : RETOOL

17. Long-billed wader : IBIS

                         ibis in the myst

20. Computer adventure game : MYST

21. Not any : NONE

22. Ordered : BADE

27. Heavy drinker : SOT who might 36D. 27-Across sound : [HIC!]

28. South Seas resort island : TAHITI

39. Crimson Tide coach Nick : SABAN. Current head football coach of the University of Alabama.

40. Inland Asian sea : ARAL

41. Backless sofa : DIVAN

43. Woodworking groove : DADO. More information than you probably care to know. Link

44. Competitor : RIVAL

48. Obeyed a doctor holding a tongue depressor : SAID "AH"

50. Have a good cry : SOB

58. Olympic sprinter Devers : GAIL. ESPN Where Are They Now? Link

62. Still-life object : VASE

63. Be bold enough : DARE

67. Key of Beethoven's Ninth: Abbr. : D MINor

68. __ Islands, south of Cuba : CAYMAN

69. Suffix with pay : OLA

70. Fence the loot for, say : ABET

71. Lipton alternative : SALADA

72. Recipe amt. : TSP

73. "Star Wars" guru : YODA

Down:

1. Scale, as a wall : CLIMB

2. Egypt neighbor : LIBYA

3. Notre Dame's Fighting __ : IRISH

5. Battle of Britain fliers: Abbr. : RAF. (Royal Air Force)

6. Endangered ape : ORANGutan

7. Proofreader's find : ERROR

8. One of the Gallos : ERNEST. His brother was Julio.

9. __ school : MED

10. Run __: pay later at the bar : A TAB

11. Hawkeye State : IOWA

12. Put ammo into : LOAD

13. Roy Rogers' birth name : SLYE. Leonard Franklin Slye doesn't sound like a cowboy, eh?

19. Santa __ winds : ANA

24. May honoree : MOM

25. Just barely : A TAD

26. Carrier to Copenhagen : SAS

30. Construction beam : I-BAR

31. "Look what I did!" : "TADA!

32. Advised about : IN ON

33. Golf scorecard numbers : PARS

34. Operatic solo : ARIA

35. "Avatar" race : NA'VI. From the movie.

37. Actress Gardner : AVA

38. Bit of body art, briefly : TAT

42. Voyager-launching org. : NASA

45. Napkin holder : LAP

47. Floor-washing aid : MOP

49. Cuban capital : HAVANA

52. Madison or Monroe, for short : JAS. (James)

53. Fancy tie : ASCOT

54. Brunch and lunch : MEALS

55. Stallone role : RAMBO. Rocky was on TV so I stuck that in first.

56. Took a crack at : TRIED

57. Busybody : YENTA

58. Safari and Yukon : GMCs. General Motors Company van and SUV.

60. Pastoral verse : IDYL

61. Tibetan monk : LAMA

65. Meander : GAD. Roam.

66. Jay Z's genre : RAP

Argyle