Wednesday, September 10th 2014 C.C.Burnikel

Theme: Riotous Assembly - the word "FUNNY" can prefix the first word of each theme answer giving a new phrase.

17A. Par, for stock : FACE VALUE. Funny Face. Most gargoyles don't look particularly funny - this one is pretty cute though.

25A. Delicate tableware : BONE CHINA. Funny Bone. I haven't banged mine for quite some time - it seemed as a kid I was always doing it

39A. Same old same old : BUSINESS AS USUAL. Funny Business

51A. Special effects scene in a summer blockbuster, say : MONEY SHOT. Funny Money. I read recently that they had to re-shoot the "blowing the bridge" scene from "Bridge on the River Kwai" because a cameraman couldn't get out of the way of the train in time. I'm guessing that they managed to "CUT!" before they hit the detonator.

64A. Slogan for TV channel TBS, and a hint to the first word of 17-, 25-, 39- and 51-Across : VERY FUNNY. I have it, but never watch it.

A C.C. Wednesday, so here's a great middle of the week. Tight theme and always great fill and a couple of long downs. I've got a minor snit about the cluing of 39A but I'll leave that to the comments. A couple of unknowns for me, but that's what solid crosses are for and what she does so well. Let's see what else we've got.

Across:

1. City with a Viking Ship Museum : OSLO. This should get you off to a good start.

5. Booking agents? : COPS. Nice!

9. Boardroom graphic : CHART. Could a bakery menu be called a pie chart?

14. Goof up : FLUB

15. Cheerful tune : LILT

16. "Thus with a kiss I die" speaker : ROMEO

19. "No thanks" : I PASS

20. Spend an evening at home : STAY IN. And listening to Stayin' Alive, per the Bee Gees.

21. Spam holders : TINS. Not email inboxes?

23. Minor facial spasm, say : TIC

24. Wanna-__: poseurs : BES

27. Friendly : CORDIAL

30. Rival of Peyton : TOM. I put "TIM" first, and was wondering how Mr. Tebow could be descibed a rival of Peyton Manning, then sanity prevailed and I realized we were looking for Tom Brady, of the New England Patriots.

31. A, in Assisi : UNA. Italian, and a gimme for Marti.

32. Best : ONE-UP

35. Workplace protection agcy. : OSHA

43. Craigslist caveat : AS IS. Probably means it's all banged up or it doesn't work. My favorite CL ad is here - mild profanity warning.

44. University of Alabama head coach Nick : SABAN. Famously buttoned-up. Once described as "..rolling into the house wearing Armani and looking like he'd been dipped in lip-gloss" during one visit to the home of a prospect.

45. Tear : RIP

46. Some commuter lines : ELS

49. Web designers : SPIDERS

56. Silent __: Coolidge nickname : CAL. I typo'd "CAT" on the run across and had to fix it when I ran into 36D. No harm, no foul. "Cat" Coolidge though? I wonder if he played the sax.

57. Year in Mexico : ANO

58. Bring in : REAP

59. Many a marathon winner since the '90s : KENYAN. You're not kidding - in the 25 times the Men's Boston Marathon has been run since 1990, a Kenyan has won it 19 times.

62. Talmud scholar : RABBI

66. Pastel shade : LILAC

67. Word-of-mouth : ORAL

68. Beethoven's birth city : BONN

69. Spheres : AREAS

70. Pound enclosure : CAGE. Oh - Dog Pound! [penny drops]

71. Online crafts store : ETSY. Didn't have a clue on this one - crosses to the rescue.

Down:

1. Does in : OFFS

2. Blind piece : SLAT. As in Venetian blinds.

3. "The Godfather" hatchet man : LUCA BRASI. Victim of being OFFED. He ended up "sleeping with the fishes".

4. Did as directed : OBEYED

5. Tartan-wearing group : CLAN. Men in plaid skirts can be pretty scary.

6. Canola __ : OIL

7. Demoted planet : PLUTO. The demotion seemed a shame. It's not like it had been doing anything differently since it was discovered, just orbiting the sun once every now and then and whistling "Dixie".

8. Stout holder : STEIN

9. Shortening brand since 1911 : CRISCO

10. Short flight : HOP

11. Vintage violin : AMATI. Let's listen to one.

12. Pine secretion : RESIN

13. Puccini classic : TOSCA. More Puccini to come shortly.

18. Asset of successful entrepreneurs : VISION

22. Monarch catcher : NET

25. Hallow : BLESS. Interesting - I knew the term "hallowed ground" but it never crossed my mind that there was a verb form. Nice learning moment.

26. Med. plan choices : HMOS. Heath Maintenance Organizations. Like you didn't know.

27. Largest Caribbean island : CUBA

28. Burden : ONUS

29. "Wheel of Fortune" request : AN 'E'

33. Solheim Cup team : USA. The women's biennial golf challenge tournament between the USA and Europe. The men's version, the Ryder Cup, begins on September 23rd.

34. Brew brand with a ribbon logo : PABST

36. Formal "Uh-uh!" : SURELY NOT. I like that finally I know "Uh-Huh!" means "Of course, you knucklehead" and "Uh-uh" means "Are you kidding me?" Tough language to learn, this 'Murican.

37. Kojak's lack : HAIR

38. Lake Geneva backdrop : ALPS

40. ''Got it" : I SEE

41. Gullible one : SAP

42. Intl. relief agency since 1946 : UNICEF. An acronym from the original name - United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund. A number of soccer teams around the world, notably F.C. Barcelona in Spain have a "reverse sponsorship" agreement with the agency where the club donates 1.5M Euros annually to display the Unicef logo on their shirts.

Lionel Messi, Unicef Global Goodwill Ambassador

47. Karaoke machine display : LYRICS

48. Spokane-to-Boise dir. : SSE

50. Vienna's river : DANUBE

51. "A League of Their Own" infielder __ Hooch : MARLA. Did not know. Thank you, crosses!

52. Studio alert : ON AIR

53. Duke or earl : NOBLE

54. Utter chaos : HAVOC. Cry "Havoc" and let loose the dogs of war!" Shakespeare had a way with words, you have to admit.

55. Puccini work : OPERA. Two Puccini's today.

59. Stan's pal on "South Park" : KYLE. You pretty much either love this show or hate it. I'm in the former camp.

60. Landers and Richards : ANNS

61. Part of a SoHo address : NY NY. Unless you're in London, then it would be "City of Westminster, W1". Doesn't fit too well into a crossword grid though.

63. Petting zoo cry : BAA. Not "Ouch" when you get bitten by the goat?

65. Dust collector : RAG. Home exercise bikes and treadmills also fall into this category.

That's it from me - I'm hitting the road this week for a couple of quick trips - Las Vegas and Dearborn, MI. Try to keep safe in the weird weather.

Steve

Tuesday, September 9, 2014 Michael Dewey

Theme: Who let you in? - Unwanted groups.

20A. Uninvited guests : PARTY CRASHERS

27A. Gold rush bad guys : CLAIM JUMPERS

49A. Thieves in the tombs of the pharaohs, say : GRAVE ROBBERS

58A. Early arcade game with pixelated aliens, and, in a way, what 20-, 27- and 49-Across all are : SPACE INVADERS

Argyle here. Just a Q short of a pangram. Everything worked out nicely; no strain to get words to pffft. A little step up from Monday.

Across:

1. Rhubarb desserts : PIES

5. Blue cartoon critter : SMURF

10. Spoiled one : BRAT

14. Mount of Greek myth : OSSA. A real mountain.

15. Old Testament prophet : HOSEA

16. Move like slime : OOZE

17. St. Bernard's bark : [WOOF!]

18. German WWII threat : U-BOAT. The submarine one.

19. Cowboy boot attachment : SPUR

23. '70s-'80s Olympic skier Phil : MAHRE. Remember?

25. Suffix with glob : ULE

26. "Just as I predicted!" : "SEE!"

32. Irish dance : JIG

33. Right triangle ratio : SINE

34. Minor quarrels : TIFFS

38. Egg cell : OVUM

40. "May the __ be with you" : FORCE

43. Fizzy drink : COLA

44. Hemmed in : BESET

46. Pop's Lady __ : GAGA

48. Flashlight output : RAY

53. Immigrant's subj. : ESL. (English as a Second Language)

56. Miss Teen __ : USA

57. "John Brown's Body" poet : BENÉT. Stephen Vincent Benét

63. 1974 Peace Nobelist from Japan : SATŌ. Eisaku Satō was the 39th Prime Minister of Japan and shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Seán MacBride in 1974.

 64. Hersey's bell town : ADANO

65. Athletic equipment giant that sponsors golfer Rory McIlroy : NIKE

68. This, in Tijuana : ESTO

69. Twangy : NASAL

70. Like summer tea : ICED

71. Marvel Comics mutants : X-MEN

72. Succumbed to the sandman : SLEPT

73. Jacob's twin : ESAU

Down:

1. "Wham!" : "POW!"

2. Prefix with metric : ISO

3. Gullet : ESOPHAGUS. Whoa! Not a common word for any day of the week(but common enough for TV ads).

4. Jungle journey : SAFARI

5. Boarded up : SHUT

6. "__-Dick" : MOBY

7. Biennial games org. : USOC. (United States Olympic Committee)

8. Rise on hind legs, as a horse : REAR UP

9. Femme __ : FATALE

10. "Fiddlesticks!" : "BOSH!"

11. What rookies are shown, with "the" : ROPES

12. Sky shade : AZURE

13. To the point : TERSE

21. Radiation measures : REMS. Straight from the NRC Library, meaning.

22. Rockefeller Center muralist José María : SERT

23. Low-paying employment, slangily : McJOB

24. Partner of kicking : ALIVE

28. Peter Pan rival : JIF. Peanut butter.(#1 brand Jif)

29. Numero __ : UNO

30. Road sign with a double-tailed arrow : MERGE

31. Attack command word : SIC

35. "CSI" science : FORENSICS

36. Distress signal : FLARE

37. Speak, biblical-style : SAY'ST. "Than ours, a friend to man, to whom thou say'st, "Beauty is truth, truth beauty, — that is all." - Ode on a Grecian Urn - John Keats

39. Ryan of "When Harry Met Sally..." : MEG

41. Bronco or Mustang : CAR

42. Self-regard : EGO

45. Factual : TRUE

47. French cleric : ABBÉ

50. Chinese and Thai, e.g. : ASIANS

51. Property destroyer : VANDAL

52. Elton John collaborator Taupin : BERNIE

53. County near London : ESSEX

54. Twitch : SPASM

55. Drink with steamed milk : LATTE

59. Maine __ cat : COON. Aww!

60. Flower holder : VASE

61. Take __: doze : A NAP

62. Simpleton : DOLT

66. Hawaii's Mauna __ : KEA

67. College URL ending : .EDU

Argyle

Monday, September 8, 2014 Brock Wilson

Theme: Desktop Adjunct - Multifunctional device that goes with a computer.

18A. Dodger pitcher with three 1960s Cy Young Awards : SANDY KOUFAX

31A. Friar from Assisi : FRANCISCAN. Friar Alessandro, the "Singing Monk" of Assisi.

41A. Short exercise dash : WIND SPRINT. Usually sprint to a point and sprint back; repeat.

56A. X-ray imaging technique : FLUOROSCOPY. FDA rap on the subject. LINK

46D. With 57-Down, multifunctional office machine suggested by this puzzle's circles : ALL-IN-. 57D. See 46-Down : ONE. I'm happy with my Brothers.

Argyle here with a debut constructor, I believe. Well done; a touch more difficult than our usual fare but fair none-the-less. The circles weren't necessary to solve it.

Across:

1. In addition : AND

4. Infielder's statistic : ASSIST

10. Mop for a deck : SWAB

14. "The Tell-Tale Heart" author : POE, Edgar Allan.

15. Casual slacks : CHINOS. Out of favor? Chinos vs Khakis

16. __ San Lucas: Baja resort : CABO

17. Frying pan spray : PAM

20. Compare prices : SHOP

22. Classic autos : REOs

23. Very overweight : OBESE

24. Blokes : CHAPS

26. Replacements for flat tires : SPARES

27. Prison sentence shortener : PAROLE

29. Restful resorts : SPAs

33. "Over here!" : "PSST!"

37. Honors with a fancy party : FETES

38. National Gallery architect I.M. __ : PEI

39. Second film in a 2000s horror franchise : SAW II

40. Soviet news source : TASS. Launched December 30, 1902.

43. Charge per day, e.g. : RATE

44. Mall booths : KIOSKS

45. Late-night pioneer Johnny : CARSON

49. Tight spots : BINDS

50. Hilo howdy : ALOHA

51. 50-and-over org. : AARP

53. Sign of sleepiness : YAWN

59. Zodiac lion : LEO

60. "Put up your dukes" duke : FIST. I thought of Bert Lahr first.

61. Cut while shaving : NICKED

62. Faux __: blunder : PAS. "My bad"

63. Middle-earth creatures : ENTs. The good tree people.

64. Diners : EATERS. Never heard it used for the building but for those inside, ok.

65. Cloud locale : SKY

Down:

1. iPhone add-ons : APPs. 21D. Text messaging devices : PHONES

2. Ark captain : NOAH

3. Blue-staters : DEMOCRATS

4. Cooling units, briefly : ACs. Only need them for a few more days in the NorthEast.

5. Wrinkly Chinese dog : SHAR PEI. Aww!

6. Trig ratios : SINES

7. Prefix with European : INDO

8. Versatile beans : SOYS

9. Cluck of reproach : TSK

10. __ diver : SCUBA

11. Communion bread : WAFER

12. Degrade : ABASE

13. They're stacked in moving vans : BOXES

19. "How clumsy of me!" : "OOPS!"

25. Oct. contest whose winner goes to the World Series : ALCS. (American League Championship Series)

26. __ Diego : SAN

27. Dying-out sound : [PFFT!]

28. Region : AREA

29. Heated argument in public, say : SCENE

30. Settled up : PAID

32. Rotating cooking rod : SPIT. What's cooking?

33. Make fun of : PARODY

34. Region including the Matterhorn : SWISS ALPS

35. Kitchen fixture : SINK

36. Little songbirds : TITs

39. Rotate like a top : SPIN but not like a spit.

41. Pale : WAN

42. Ship's captain : SKIPPER

43. Waterfall sound : ROAR

45. Luigi's drink with latte : CAFFÈ

47. Yank out of bed : ROUST

48. Flu season precautions : SHOTS. The next round will be here soon.

49. Penniless : BROKE

51. India's continent : ASIA

52. Bank holding: Abbr. : ACCT.

54. Frail from the flu, say : WEAK

55. Minding business that's not your own : NOSY

58. NFL gains : YDs. (yards)

Argyle

Sunday September 7, 2014 Julian Lim

Theme: "I Owe You One" - I O is added to each theme entry, changing spellings when needed.

23A. Outdoor dining area with no chairs? : STANDING PATIO. Standing pat.

32A. Become adept at aerobic exercise? : MASTER CARDIO. MasterCard

55A. Spanish neighborhood known for its kisses? : CHOCOLATE BARRIO. chocolate bar.

 

80A. Contest to win an objet d'art? : RACE FOR THE CURIO. Race for the Cure.

101A. Brit's New York signoff? : BRONX CHEERIO. Bronx cheer.

112A. TV station mascot? : STUDIO CHICKEN. Stewed chicken. Is it a southern dish? I never had it. I was wondering what a "stud chicken" is. It's Argyle, who has been using this avatar for a long time.

16D. Contact a provisions room on a shortwave? : RADIO THE PANTRY. Raid the pantry.

50D. Buyer of "Gangsta's Paradise"? : COOLIO CUSTOMER. Cool customer. Coolio wrote "Gangsta's Paradise".

So, 3 IO's are added to the end of the first word, 5 to the end of the last word. Very consistent.

I love grids where theme entries intersect. Julian is very very good at it. Luck & skill. We wouldn't see chunky corners today had Julian put all his theme entries in Across. 

Read more about Julian here.

Across:

1. Wax museum founder Marie : TUSSAUD. Easy start.

8. Many a Jordanian : ARAB

12. Pacts : ACCORDS

19. 1992 David Mamet play : OLEANNA. Nailed it. Ultra friendly letter combo for constructors.

20. Fancy drink garnish : PETAL. Not OLIVE.

22. Reveal : LAY BARE

25. __ trading : INSIDER

26. Link clicker's destination : SITE

27. Inter __ : ALIA

28. Man of steel? : ROBOT. Nice clue.

30. Suffix with 62-Across : IST. And  62. Exemplary : IDEAL

31. Thurman of "Kill Bill" : UMA

36. Santa __ : ROSA

37. Boxer with titles in eight different weight classes : PACQUIAO (Manny). I recognized his face when I googled.

39. Went hastily : HIED

40. "Curses!" : DRAT. Hold your dominant hand up & draw a capital Q on your forehead. Did the tail of the Q fall towards your left or your right shoulder? You're a terrible liar if it falls to the right. Good liars draw the tail to the left so the person facing them can actually see it.

42. Sch. with the mustachioed mascot Hey Reb! : UNLV (University of Nevada-Las Vegas). Wiki said their sports teams are UNLV Rebels.

43. Kept the dance floor busy, briefly : DJed

45. Gets down : ALIGHTS

48. __ nod: acting honor : OSCAR

51. Biblical name meaning "hairy" : ESAU

53. Biol. majors' awards : BS DEGREES

59. CNN medical correspondent Sanjay __ : GUPTA. I like him.

60. Ring punch : HOOK

61. Pay ending : OLA. Payola.

63. Hertz opening? : MEGA. Megahertz.

64. Scale fifth : SOL

65. "Holy __!" : MOLY

66. Chaney of old horror films : LON

67. River of Germany : EDER

69. Put the cuffs on : NAB

72. Author Dinesen : ISAK

74. Refine, as ore : SMELT

76. Montréal moniker : NOM

77. Texas NLer : STRO. Julian lives in Singapore. No baseball there. (Correction: Astros moved to the American League in 2013).

78. Pained shrieks : YEOWS

83. Colluding : IN CAHOOTS. Love this entry.

85. User's reversal : UNDO

86. Ancient Indo-European : ARYAN

87. Canadian french fries dish : POUTINE. I knew it. I just don't know how to spell it correctly.

88. "Why not?" : LET'S

90. Mudville number : NINE

92. __ butter: cosmetic moisturizer : SHEA. Never tried it. I'm pretty happy with my coconut oil and Argan oil.

93. Ersatz : FAUX

95. Drug-induced hostility : ROID RAGE. Another great entry.

99. Book after John : ACTS

105. Sound file suffix : WAV. See here. Just remember wave.

106. However, informally : THO

107. Blow a gasket : ERUPT

108. Like weak handshakes : LIMP

109. Exude : OOZE

110. Leaf-wrapped Mexican dish : TAMALES. Hmm, Lucina!

117. "Once more ..." : I REPEAT

118. Tune with many high notes : YODEL

119. Winter beverages : HOT TEAS. I really like the gunpowder green in Steve's Numi  box.

120. Jewel case holders : CD RACKS

121. Rebel against : DEFY

122. Expand, as a home : ADD ONTO

Down:

1. 50-50 shot : TOSS UP

2. Last syllable : ULTIMA. Learning moment for me.

3. Northwest airport named for two cities : SEA-TAC. Seattle & Tacoma.

4. Sensible : SANE

5. Fish-chips link : AND. Fish and chips.

6. Down Under school : UNI

7. Emmy-winning sportscaster Patrick : DAN

8. Familiar fruit logo : APPLE

9. Show again : RE-AIR

10. Diplomat's case : ATTACHE. Attaché's attaché.

11. Tang dynasty poet Li __ : BAI. He drank a lot a lot and wrote this classic poem. Perfect for Mid-Audumn Festival, which will be celebrated tomorrow. Jayce & Yellowrocks would probably love this clip.

s

12. Subject of corroboration : ALIBI

13. Do some necking : CANOODLE

14. Skin malady, perhaps : CYST

15. __-Wan Kenobi : OBI

17. Get into gear? : DRESS. I like this clue also.

18. Perfect Sleeper maker : SERTA

21. Moto portrayer : LORRE (Peter)

24. Pet for Pedro : GATO. Cat.

29. "That's strange" : ODD

32. 2013 Literature Nobelist Alice : MUNRO

33. Cough and sneeze, say : AIL

34. Comprehensive command : SAVE ALL. Computer.

35. Hinder's opposite : AID

36. Do-it-yourself floor covering : RAG RUG

38. Farmyard sound : QUACK

41. Sailor, at times : RIGGER

43. 2000 Peace Prize recipient Kim __-jung : DAE. Know for his "Sunshine Policy" towards North Korea.

44. Anniversary bash : JUBILEE

45. Tumult : ADO

46. Asian New Year : TET. Same day as Chinese Spring Festival which is celebrated in Singapore also.

47. Govt. ID issuer : SSA

48. Protest singer Phil : OCHS

49. "Go away!" : SHOO

52. Patronizes, as a motel : STAYS AT

53. Sports __ : BRA

54. Sandwich ingredient for many? : SILENT D. Letter D. Oh, I get the "for many" modifier, as some do pronounce the D.

56. "Check it out!" : LOOK

57. Adidas founder Dassler : ADOLF

58. Let : RENT OUT

63. Internet __: viral item : MEME

65. Five iron, old-style : MASHIE. I used to watch those Bobby Jones stuff on Golf Channel.

68. Pay homage (to) : DO HONOR

70. Domingo number : ARIA

71. Godsend : BOON

73. Harvester's paths : SWATHS

75. Party leaders : MCs. Not political party.

77. More certain : SURER

78. Pup squeak : YIP

79. Roxy Music alum : ENO

80. Sushi topper : ROE

81. Temp. takers, at times : RNs

82. "I'm on it!" : CAN DO

84. Resting : ON A BREAK

88. "__ Aeterna": Requiem Mass song : LUX. No idea. Wiki said it's Latin for "eternal light".

 

89. Omit : EXCLUDE

91. Sundial number : III

93. Fancy dresser : FOP

94. Not at all settled : ANTSY

95. Forfeited wheels : REPO

96. Asleep no more : AWOKEN

97. Watch in awe : GAZE AT

98. Yet : EVEN SO

99. Top story : ATTIC

100. Vitamin-rich veggie : CHARD. My favorite veggie is water spinach. I was so delighted to find it at the farmer's market.

102. Gets eaten away, in a way : RUSTS

103. HDTV part, for short : HI-DEF

104. Post of good manners : EMILY. Emily Post.

107. Gas partner: Abbr. : ELEC

109. Prefix with -pus : OCTO. Octopus.

111. Mental health org. : APA

113. "The Unknown" director Browning : TOD. He directed  "Dracula" as well.

114. Half a dance : CHA

115. Coal scuttle : HOD

116. "__ be sad if ..." : IT'D

C.C.

Saturday, Sep 6th, 2014, Don Gagliardo

Theme: DonG~!

Words: 70 (missing X)

Blocks: 26

  Half of our Dynamic Duo makes his second Saturday appearance for the LAT, to the best of my knowledge, with an impressive low block count of only 26, no less.  Big chunky 8x5- and 9x6-letter corners, two 10-letter fills in the middle, and one 15-letter climber, which I did not see at first glance.  Have to admit, had to cheat with red-letters for ONE lousy cell, and it was NOT in the SE corner, I might add.  Still, there was a gratuitous shoutout to yours truly, and so I am pretty happy overall.  The longer answers;

7. Flying cartoon hero, formally : ROCKET J. SQUIRREL - Before my time; must be hard up for work these days as he's appearing in Geico commercials now

31. Gang leader of old comics : BAZOOKA JOE - The Joe that you will no longer find in the comics wrapped around your Bazooka Bubble gum; the Wiki

43. Stewed : LIQUORED UP - ah, now this is a phrase that I AM familiar with....

10d.~!!!!!

ACROSS:

1. Some daily activities : HABITS - Let's see; coffee, cigars, Monster energy, cursing, bathing, brushing teeth - but I did not drink, just for today - but there's a toast to all at sunset, right Tin~!?

7. Restored vigor to, in a way : REPOTTED - Maybe for the marijuana plant, but most of the people I know who get "re-potted" don't usually show much vigor

15. Big Sur retreat : ESALEN - Sounds like a place I might like to visit; spirituality, holistic healing, and education - more from their website

16. Chef's assortment : OVENWARE - because CUTLERY was too short

17. Philosopher de Beauvoir : SIMONE

18. 1992 Michelle Pfeiffer role : CATWOMAN

19. Wright-Patterson, e.g.: Abbr. : AFB - Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio

20. Certain laundry load : DARKS - my first fill

22. "This is just __" : A TEST

23. Titicaca feeders : RIOs - Educated WAG; lake in South America

25. Forest mom : DOE

26. Turning points : CRISES

27. __ Lodge : ECONO - who else went with MOTOR~?

29. "Fats" Waller piano style : STRIDE

33. Trick : RUSE

37. Goethe's "The __-King" : ERL - I think I have seen this before in crosswords, but it was all perps today

38. To begin with : FIRSTLY

40. Yvette, e.g. : NOM - Frawnche

41. Soup vegetable : LEEK - My first guess, but I left it blank

45. "Free," in "land of the free" : ADNOUN - New to me - the Wiki says it's an adjective used as a noun

47. Wheat used in health food : SPELT - Nailed it

48. Gets clean : BATHES - nothing to do with "sobriety" getting clean

51. 19th/20th-century civil rights leader __ B. Wells : IDA

53. Marching band? : ARMY - har-har....could've flown without the "?", too, IMO

54. On the wrong side (of) : AFOUL - "He ran afoul of the law."

55. Ceremonial lineup : GRADs - meh

57. Disallow : BAN

58. Common ore of mercury : CINNABAR - My high school paper was called this; not sure picking an ore of a poisonous metal is such a good choice in terms of 'what's good for you'

60. Pin down : LOCATE

62. Form a union : ORGANIZE - Nailed it; but then again, I'm at UPS....

63. Sees the light, maybe : AWAKES - Sorry, but a BIG MEH here - either WAKES, or AWAKENS, but halfway in between~? meh.

64. Like many sales : SEASONAL - Like "Peeps" half off the day after Easter

65. Devote, as time : INVEST

DOWN:

1. 1962 Crystals album with cover art of a biker : HE'S A REBEL - The REBEL part came from perps; the rest was an educated WAG - before my time

2. "Whatever" : "AS IF I CARE"

3. Hoodwink : BAMBOOZLE - Got it with "---OO-E" in place

4. Workers' rights gp. since 1919 : ILO - Dah~! I tried CIO, then AFL; we are looking for the International Labour Organization - and the "O" was "A" for me - my bad cell; in hindsight, SimAne does sound a bit off....

5. Look after : TEND

6. Three-time Masters winner : SNEAD - Sam, of golfing fame

8. Some NASA missions : EVAs  - Extra-Vehicular Activities; in other words, space walks ( I know, it's more than just that, HuskerG)

9. Favorite : PET

10. Ahead : ONWARD~! - Thank you, kind sir~!!!

11. Wedding cake specification : TWO-TIER

12. Tones down : TAMES

13. Backspace, usually : ERASE

14. Reasons for as-is sales : DENTS

21. Actress Dawson of "Men in Black II" : ROSARIO - Good movie, but not as good as the first Men In Black - and I am ashamed to admit I have NOT seen "III" yet

24. Wintry commercial prefix : SNO - Sno-Cat, e.g.

26. Spanish sky : CIELO

28. Doubled-over reaction : "`OOF`!"

30. Capitol center : ROTUNDA - Nice slight mis-direction

32. Where some artists' firings occur : KILNs

34. Cook poorly, in a way : UNDERBAKE

35. Ideal pairing : SOULMATES - I sometimes think I have already met her....now for the next step

36. 1980s-'90s Richard Mulligan sitcom : EMPTY NEST - I liked him in "SOAP", and this show was pretty good, too - featuring Kristy McNicol and "Isuzu Joe"

39. Age abbr. : YRs

42. Hawaiian priests : KAHUNAs - I must link Pulp Fiction~!

44. AQI monitor : EPA - Air Quality Index, and the Environmental Protection Agency

46. California city near Bakersfield : DELANO

48. Salad bar items : BACOs - Mmmm, Baco's....did anyone else try TONGS, and then get to 50D~?

49. Burning : AFIRE

50. Pacific island nation : TONGA

52. Grover's 1890s vice president : ADLAI - Stevenson, the "I"; I am more familiar with "II", who was 20th century

55. Troubled Mideast region : GAZA - Timely

56. Ready to grow : SOWN - It's harvest time for the sod farms here on L.I.

59. Garbage holder : BIN

61. James, again, briefly : CAV - this one was super MEH - I had to dig deep to get the reference, which is LeBron James, who played for the Cleveland CAValiers, twice - with a stop in Miami in between - and I do NOT like Basketball~!

Splynter

Friday, September 5, 2014, Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: Take two aspirin and add a J.

I often complain that constructors do not use enough imagination to add the letter "J" to their creations, being prejudiced by my name. This puzzle by our new Friday fixture, JW, takes out all of the stops and uses a really cute reveal to explain all the Js 'popping in' the four in the language phrases, each of which is clued with wit and becomes a fun visual. Mr. Wechsler seems to be on a good Friday run with his usual array of fill such as KNELLED,  SEXISTS,  ST JAMES,  WII MINI, IN A STATE,  MILLINER,  SOMEWHAT,  TO AND FRO.  TOOL SHED,  UNBURDEN. Like yesterday's puzzle, the reveal is really entertaining and fair and no Naticks,  though a few Massachusetts ties. So let's unburden ourselves and see what this First Friday in September has to offer.


16A. Exceptional practical joke? : GREAT JAPE.(9). Am I alone in wondering about the oxymoronic concept of a "practical" joke? Certainly the great ape friend of Cesar had no sense of humor. Jape appears in so many of the British mysteries I read, but it is not a word I would use.

23A. What bearded men get in blizzards? : SNOWY JOWLS. (10). Being a bearded man who is getting more jowly with age, this was easy and revealed the theme quickly. For obvious reasons, the beautiful BIRD does not make it to Florida.
 
34A. Short hike for a beginner? : MAIDEN JAUNT. (11). This seemed so perfect, especially with my mental picture of the Maiden Aunt out in the woods with her binoculars, looking for Snowy Owls.

48A. Jack's friend resting on the hill? : JILL AT EASE. (10). While this is the outlier, with the J added to the first word, I wonder if it wasn't the seed entry to the theme. The question always remains unanswered; why DID they really go up the hill?

And the reveal:

57A. Pretentious showoffs, or, another way, what one would do to create 16-, 23-, 34- and 48-Across : POPINJAYS. (9). I just love a well thought out reveal like this which make the theme so cool. Another nice word from British mysteries.

And the gratuitous bonus fill

5D. NBA legend, familiarly : DR J. Julius Erving, UMass graduate and NBA hall of famer. 63 here.

Across:

1. How an airport shuttle travels : TO AND FRO. Because Back and Forth would not fit.

9. Savors, with "in" : BASKS. In the sun, to...

14. Take a load off : UNBURDEN. from the days stresses.

15. Hwy. paralleling I-95 : US ONE. I live one block west of US 1 and two miles east of 95.

17. Wrist brand : TIMEX. Back in the early days TV commercials never pitted products by name, it was always PRODUCT and brand X, with brand x a poor substitute. I wonder if that inspired the name of this timepiece?

18. Condos, to the management : UNITS.

19. Arrest readings: Abbr. : RTS. An accepted abbreviation of rights, but clued on a Friday level.

21. Lunch spot : DELI.

22. Michelangelo's "David," e.g. : NUDE. 2nd time we have had this recently, and of course fitting that it adjoins...

26. Place to luxuriate : SPA. where people often parade around naked.

27. Band from Birmingham, Eng. : ELO. Electric Light Orchestra. LISTEN.(3:43)


28. Glorifying work : ODE.

29. Distressed, with "up" : HET. They say it derives from situations which 'heat up'. In modern usage, HET refers to a heterosexual person.

30. Cast aspersions : SNIPE. Not my definition.

32. Plenty : SCADS.

37. Goodman's forte : SWING. Benny and his licorice stick.

39. Prepare for a siege : DIG IN. because stock up would not fit.

40. "Voices Carry" pop group '__ Tuesday : TIL. Not in my knowledge bank. They did not last. Their lead singer was names Aimee MANN; they were from the Boston area.

41. 1964 Nobelist's monogram : MLK. Martin Luther King. There are so many famous initials, but few reach his level. If you think only of scientists, this was a very tricky clue.

44. Destroy, in a way : GUT. Once owned a duplex, rented half to a client/friend and he gutted the place. Lesson learned.

45. Discreet email letters : BCC. Blind Carbon Copy, originally.

51. Pull up stakes, briefly : RELOcate. I am not a fan of this form of abbreviation: 7D. Dupe : REPROduction.

52. 1975 Pure Prairie League hit : AMIE. No relation, just french for girl friend. The band keeps working thought the line up of players has changed many many times; they help Vince Gill to become a star.

53. Comfy room : DEN. This room has gone through more changes without ever changing.

54. "A Few Good Men" playwright Sorkin : AARON. My oldest son's name and a prolific and successful WRITER who also created the TV drama the West Wing.

55. Supply near the register : MINTS.

60. War need? : ENEMY. An ironic clue, juxtaposed with...

61. Perturbed : IN A STATE. For which one might need a

62. Warning sound : SIREN. to let the world know of the impending danger.

63. Storage place : TOOL SHED. Do they build these with houses any more? I loved ours growing up, it was dark and dank and a fun place.

Down:

1. Appear : TURN UP.

2. Iroquois League tribe : ONEIDA. One of the Six Nations: Mohawk, Onondaga, Oneida, Cayuga, Seneca and Tuscarora.

3. Wane : ABATE.

4. "Shoot!" : NUTS.

6. Org. that regulates vaccines : FDA. Food and Drug Administration.

8. Damaging combination : ONE TWO. Really nice misdirection with boxing the hidden ingredient.

9. On the other hand : BUT. and, 11D. To a degree : SOMEWHAT.

10. "Just like me" : AS I DO. Do as I do. 49D. "I'll take a shot" : LET ME. What do you have to lose?

12. Rang tragically : KNELLED.  The ringing of a bell to signal a death (Death Knell) goes back centuries; bells also toll for the dead.

13. Some discriminators : SEXISTS. Damn those people who send naked pictures in the cloud!

16. Tries (for) : GUNS.

20. Barrett of Pink Floyd : SYD. He was a founder, the lead singer and guitarist who did not make it past the second album with Pink Floyd.

23. Lost one's footing : SLID. Rhymes with Syd.

24. "Uh-uh" : NOPE. Rhymes with Pope.

25. Pope Francis, e.g. : JESUIT. This religious order was a logical response to the reformation efforts of the Protestants.

27. Brain teaser : ENIGMA. Wrapped in a riddle inside a crossword puzzle.

30. __ Jose : SAN. On my way....

31. Word with living or bitter : END.

33. "The Situation Room" airer : CNN. Cable News Network.

34. Top designer? : MILLINER. Cute, a top (a hat) designer, NOT a TOP Designer. Did this have you spinning?

35. Reel relatives : JIGS. YR must have eaten this clue up about Virginia Reels and Irish Jigs; started me thinking about old movies and old music.

36. Fever with chills : AGUE.

37. Place in Monopoly's orange monopoly : ST. JAMES. One of the boring properties along with New York and Tennessee, not cheap but not exciting unless you can get the aqua and red to make the trip hell for your opponents.

38. Lower-cost Nintendo offering : WII MINI. Their PROMOTION. Never saw one, let alone played one, though I have many WII hours logged.

42. Relative of Inc. : LTD. Many other countries use this designation for privately held companies.

43. "Consider that a gift" : KEEP IT. Usually said after someone has either taken a bite or a sip of your drink/food.

45. Dress down : BERATE. With employees this should always be done in private.

46. Was too sweet : CLOYED. I am used to cloying, so I guess CLOYED should not have been hard.

47. Pen occupants : CONS. many of whom are pros.

50. Reprimand ending : A NO NO. Charlotte is learning about no nos.

51. Hindustan ruler : RAJAH.

54. Single-file travelers, at times : ANTS. Where do those damn sugar ants come from?

56. Numbers for songs?: Abbr. : SYNonym. A nice deception asking to compare the words.

58. Kung __ chicken : PAO.

59. Alcatraz, e.g.: Abbr. : ISLand. Now open for tourists? LINK.

Thanks JW, lots of nice clues and musical inspiration.  I thought the theme was great and overall a smooth Friday. Fall is coming and I am out. Lemonade.

Thursday, September 4, 2014 Bruce Haight

Theme: HERE We Go!                             

17-Across. Keep one's landlord happy : PAY THE RENT. Even better, pay in cash!

23-Across. Box instruction : OPEN OTHER END. And the instruction there? "Open Other End..."

37-Across. Optional learning : HIGHER EDUCATION. For my sisters and me, it wasn't optional!

46-Across. Usually not a good way to get married : ON THE REBOUND. Uh, not even a good way to date.

57-Across. "You listen to me," and an instruction about what to look for in 17-, 23-, 37- and 46-Across : NOW SEE..."HERE."

HaHa!!  You got me, Bruce!  I had absolutely no clue what the unifier would be, and I chuckled when I finally "saw" it.  I believe this is Bruce's LAT debut, although he has several NYT puzzles under his belt. This was a very typical Thursday solve for me. Some gimmes, some question marks and a couple of "Huhs?"  Let's see how it goes.


Across

1. Gusto : ZEST. Elan? (Check perps: has to start with "Z.") Zing? (Nah, that doesn't work with EL AL...) Z-E-al?  (Nah, the 4-letter vodka has to be SKYY...) Z-E-S-... (Bit of ink? Hmmm...) AHA! TAT!!  Z-E-S-T.  And so it went...

5. Reynolds Wrap maker : ALCOA. Gimme.

10. Reptile house attractions : BOAS. Asps? (Check perps: Has to start with "B"...)

14. __-Seltzer : ALKA.

15. Luxury hotel with a YouFirst rewards program : LOEWS. Tough one. There are only 20 locations in the US and Canada, so it might not be the first hotel that solvers would think of.

16. Nothing but : ONLY.

19. Cross the threshold : GO IN.

20. Tricky : SLY.

21. Big name in dangerous stunts : EVEL. Knievel, the late motorcycle daredevil. You'd think he would have died in one of those crazy stunts. But no, he died of pulmonary fibrosis at the age of 69.

22. Sierra follower, in the NATO alphabet : TANGO.

26. Not familiar with : NEW AT.

29. Staff symbols : RESTS.

30. Part of Q.E.D. : ERAT. Quod Erat Demonstrandum.

31. __ Belt : ORION'S. Were the pyramids purposely situated to align with it?

Orion Correlation Theory

34. Jan. honoree : MLK. Martin Luther King.

40. Suffix with concert : INO. Hands up for filling "ina" at first?

41. "__ Fideles" : ADESTE.

42. Back in the day : ONCE. upon a time...

43. They may be counted : NOSES.

45. Golden number? : OLDIE. Great clue!

51. Exposed : BARED.

52. Film with talking bugs : ANTZ. It's the only movie with Woody Allen (the voice of "Z") that I ever enjoyed.

53. NFL's Jaguars, for short : JAX. Jacksonville, FL.

56. "The Year of Magical Thinking" author Didion : JOAN. It won the Pulitzer prize for autobiography. It chronicles her grief during the year following her husband's death in 2003.  It is a heart-wrenching account, and a must-read for anyone grieving the loss of a loved one. Her only daughter died in 2005, and led to a second book, "Blue Nights."

60. Qatari bigwig : EMIR.

61. Chicago's __ Planetarium : ADLER. America's first planetarium.

62. Roughage source : BRAN.

63. Facetious nickname for a big guy : TINY.

64. Gnocchi topping : PESTO.

Looks terrible - tastes great!

65. Kan. neighbor : OKLA.


Down

1. Prepares, as leftovers : ZAPS.

2. Mideast airline : EL AL. It means "To the Skies," which is a great lead-in for the the next answer:

3. Absolut rival : SKYY. Vodka. Cheers, Tin!

4. Bit of ink : TAT.

5. Naproxen brand : ALEVE.

6. "Two Women" Oscar winner : LOREN.

Sophia

7. "Fool for You" Grammy winner Green : CEE LO. No clue. 4:06

8. Have : OWN.

9. PEI hours : AST. Prince Edward Island. Atlantic Standard Time.

10. "The African Queen" co-star : BOGART. Husker Gary, I know you nailed this one!

11. Under consideration : ON ONE'S MIND.

12. Straighten : ALIGN.

13. Church council : SYNOD.

18. Oct- minus one : HEPT. Huh? Prefixes for eight and seven.

22. "The Gondoliers" girl : TESSA. Gilbert and Sullivan Opera. Nailed it!

23. Four-letter word : OATH. HaHa...not what I had in mind.

24. Rainbow __ : TROUT.

Hatchery Image

25. As a result : HENCE.

26. Fruity soda : NEHI.

27. Yeats' home : ERIN. Ireland, to natives.

28. Top-rated evening TV show of 1961-62 : WAGON TRAIN. My parents used to love this show. Me, not so much...

31. Turkey on rye, e.g. : ORDER.

32. Actress Witherspoon : REESE.  She's such a cutie.

33. Some badges : IDs.

35. Centers of activity : LOCI.

36. Seat for a dummy : KNEE. Dummy, as in Mortimer Snerd.

38. Relaxed : EASED.

39. Ratted (on) : TOLD.

44. Literary award named for a writer : O'HENRY.

45. Dix et un : ONZE. 10 + 1 = 11 in French.  (Funny...it adds up to the same thing in English!)

46. __ d'art : OBJET. More French.

47. Wynonna's mom : NAOMI. The Judds.

48. Cries : BAWLS.

49. Commencement : ONSET.

50. In __: unborn : UTERO.

53. Sudden movement : JERK.

54. __ Sea : ARAL.

55. Lawless character : XENA. Lucy Lawless, that is.

57. Go out in the afternoon? : NAP.

58. Keats poem : ODE.

59. "The Leftovers" airer : HBO. No clue.  Oh, I see that it just premiered on June 29th, and "The Leftovers" are those people left after the "rapture" took 2% of the world's population.

That's it for this week!

Marti