Wednesday, October 15, 2014 C.C. Burnikel

Theme: Palindrome Partial - "A man, a plan, a canal - Panama"

The theme entries are elegantly described by the reveal at 63A - my title is a sad second in the elegance race, but the best I could come up with!

17A. Project windup : FINAL PHASE. I learned early that I.T projects follow the formula "The first 90% of the project takes 90% of the budget. The final 10% takes the other 90%"

24A. Subject of an antique auto owner's quest : ORIGINAL PART. When I had an old Jaguar XJS, eBay became my best friend in the quest for arcane components. Try asking for a distributor cap for a V12 in AutoZone and see what kind of looks you get.

37A. Me, for one : PERSONAL PRONOUN. Great clue-to-answer letter ratio!

52A. Badlands or Death Valley : NATIONAL PARK. To borrow from Buzz Aldrin: "Magnificent desolation":

and the hint:

63A. "Just in case" strategy, and a hint to a hidden letter sequence in 17-, 24-, 37- and 52-Across : BACK-UP PLAN. The back-up plan for the Panama Canal was "forget about it and build a bigger railway".

Morning all - Steve here with another product of C.C.'s fertile imagination. A very slick theme - I couldn't see the "PLAN" until the reveal - I was trying to see what FINAL, ORIGINAL, PERSONAL and NATIONAL had in common other than the "NAL" ending, so the reveal was a nice "oh!" moment. Let's see what else we've got.

Across:

1. Tell tales : FIB

4. Animal that can learn limited sign language : CHIMP. Washoe learned about 350 ASL signs. I know about ten, five of which are not suitable for a family audience.

9. Barely open : AJAR. Joke from my childhood: "When is a door not a door? When it's ajar".

13. OS X-using computer : iMAC

15. Invisible vibes : AURAE. I picked up a first edition of Carlos Castaneda's "The Teachings of Don Juan" a few months ago from my local charity store. Lots of aurae in there, and ignoring the debate of whether the books are fiction, fact or philosophy, a great "time-capsule" read.

16. Tiny parasites : LICE. I'll spare you the enlarged images.

19. Accident scene figs. : EMT'S Emergency Medical Technicians.

20. Fit to be tied : ANGRY

21. Romance writer Roberts : NORA. I've never read her, but I've seen enough of her covers on the shelves of airport book stores to have no hesitation here.

23. Baltimore Ravens mascot : POE. This was my last fill, not knowing Mr. Parsons. Congratulations to the Ravens for having some great imagination with mascot-naming. Compare and contrast with "Pat Patriot", "Freddy Falcon" and "Roary the Lion" amongst others.

28. Wheaties box figure : ATHLETE

31. Take turns? : STEER

32. "Just like I said!" : SEE

33. Ambient music innovator Brian : ENO

35. Take it easy : REST

43. Hannity of talk radio : SEAN

44. "Well, of course!" : DUH

45. Washington Wizards' org. : N.B.A. The National Basketball Association. The first of today's sports organizations.

46. Hits a high fly, in baseball lingo : SKIES

49. "Supposing ..." : LET'S SAY

55. Brouhaha : ADO. I'm working on an updated Shakespeare screenplay called "A boatload of brouhaha about diddly-squat". Well, I wasn't, until just now. Dibs on the title.

56. "The Lion King" queen : NALA

57. Kmart section : AISLE

61. "If you don't mind ...?" : MAY I?

66. Slaughter with 2,383 career hits : ENOS. I like seeing ENO and ENOS in the same puzzle.

67. Vulgar language? : LATIN. The vulgar language was listening to us grammar school boys complaining that we had to study it.

68. Place in order : SORT

69. "Cream of" serving : SOUP

70. Overplay the part : EMOTE

71. Malibu mover : GAS. The Chevy Malibu. I was thinking "earthquake" or tremor-derivatives first. Great clue.
       
Down:

1. "For the Game. For the World" sports org. : F.I.F.A. "Fédération Internationale de Football Association", or, en anglais, "International Federation of Association Football" An organization which is not a stranger to controversy in recent years. Note the source of the word "soccer" from "Association Football".

2. Words while anteing : I'M IN

3. Loud noise : BANG

4. Graduation flier : CAP. Does it matter if you don't get your own cap back?

5. "What?" : HUH?

6. Tabriz citizen : IRANI. IRAQI/IRANI? Wait for the cross, unless you have an encyclopaedic knowledge of Middle Eastern cities.

7. Bricks-and-mortar workers : MASONS

8. Watch closely : PEER AT. I associate "peering" with not being able to find my reading glasses. They're usually on the top of my head.

9. Yard sale? : ALE. Ah, happy memories. I think I'd burst if I tried to drink a yard of ale now, but I did quaff a few of these in my day, usually after playing rugby. There's a "swirling" technique involved so you can pour it smoothly down your throat without drowning in beer.

10. "The Big Bang Theory" star : JIM PARSONS. Learning moment today. I don't watch a lot of TV, unless it involves Food! or sport. Combine them for tailgating shows and I'm happy as a clam in the sand where no-one's digging.

11. 10-Down, e.g. : ACTOR

12. Pedometer button : RESET

14. Winter air : CAROL. My sister was born on December 18th, and was named "Carol" in honor of the season. She spent her early life being thoroughly disgusted by this lack of imagination, and changed her name to "Kate" at her first opportunity.

18. Strings for Orpheus : LYRE

22. Last Olds model : ALERO

25. Cal.-to-Fla. route : I-TEN. The I-10 officially starts at the McClure Tunnel, but it's more photogenic to suggest that it starts at the entrance to Santa Monica pier, which is directly above the tunnel.

26. Rowlands of "Hope Floats" : GENA

27. Hammer head : PEEN

28. Nile Valley danger : ASP

29. Concert souvenirs : TEES. Vintage ones can be quite valuable, judging by some of the prices quoted on eBay.

30. Clinking words : HERE'S TO YOU. Try doing this with two yards of ale.

34. Antique : OLD

36. Big brass : TUBA

38. Storytelling nom de plume : SAKI

39. Scallion kin : ONION. Food! Called "spring onions" in the UK.

40. "__ Free": Minute Maid spec : PULP

41. Three-toed bird : RHEA

42. Anti vote : NAY

47. Pave the way for : ENABLE

48. Peace, in Arabic : SALAAM

50. Mouse catcher : TRAP

51. Bypasses, as online ads : SKIPS. The sooner the better, in most cases

52. Designates : NAMES

53. Fictional Sicilian town in a Hersey novel : ADANO. There's a real town named Adrano in Sicily, but the bell tower doesn't look much of anything. Here's the fictional representation instead:

54. Milk: Pref. : LACTO

58. Walk with effort : SLOG

59. "Good Morning America" co-anchor Spencer : LARA

60. Tolkien tree giants : ENTS

62. DSL offerer : ISP I switched from DSL to fiber recently, but kept my ISP. At least that's what AT&T told me I was doing. Acronym soup - Digital Subscriber Line & Internet Service Provider.

64. First-aid aid : KIT

65. Cézanne's one : UNE

That's about it. As the inventor of Saran responded to questions: "It's a wrap".

Steve

Tuesday, October 14, 2014 Jacob Stulberg

Theme: Five Feet High And Rising - The water is coming up behind both parts of the theme entries.

18A. Access using force : BREAK OPEN. Break water, Open water.

23A. Old-time fountain employee : SODA JERK. Soda water, Jerkwater.(insignificant rural settlements)

38A. 1954 Oscar-winning Brando film, or where either half of 18-, 23-, 51- and 61-Across can literally be found : "ON THE WATERFRONT"

51A. Like unabridged print dictionaries : HARD BACK. Hard water, Backwater. (Out of the main current)

61A. Being attacked : UNDER FIRE. Under water, Fire water.

Argyle here with Jacob who is venturing into the earlier days of the week. I'm glad the reveal mentioned both halves of the answer because I tend to miss that. Nice grid layout.

Across:

1. Westminster landmark : ABBEY. On left, Westminster Palace on right.

6. Literary captain who says "I'd strike the sun if it insulted me" : AHAB

10. Natural bandage : SCAB

14. Witch : CRONE

15. Decide, as a judge : RULE

16. Freight train hopper : HOBO

17. Stolen pastries in "Alice in Wonderland" : TARTS. Pop Quiz: Who stole the tarts?

20. Say with certainty : AVER

21. "Get off the stage!" : "BOO!"

22. Without any slack : TAUTLY

25. Right-angle bend : ELL

26. Amigo : PAL

27. They're earned by completing college courses : CREDITS

31. Shade : HUE and 29D. Shade : TINT

34. __ bear : POLAR

37. Buffalo's lake : ERIE

42. Gyro bread : PITA

43. Staircase pillar : NEWEL. This one has a Westminster look.

44. Ultimate degree : NTH

45. Many a rush-hour rider : STANDEE

48. Drink often iced : TEA

50. Justice Dept. division : DEA. (Drug Enforcement Administration). Often one of their tactics, 4D. Catch in a sting : ENTRAP

56. Less biased : FAIRER

59. Wall-climbing plant : IVY

60. Bump off : DO IN

63. Sudden power increase : SURGE. It's time I bought a new surge protector.

64. Observes : SEES

65. Tablet operator : USER

66. In base eight : OCTAL. Odd looking word.

67. Police crisis unit acronym : SWAT. (Special Weapons And Tactics)

68. One of the deadly sins : LUST

69. Kick off : START

Down:

1. Attend to the duties of : ACT AS

2. "Well done!" : "BRAVO!"

3. Yawning in class, say : BORED

5. "Certainly!" : "YES!"

6. Ann __, Michigan : ARBOR

7. "Impresario" memoirist Sol : HUROK. Wikipedia LINK.

8. Stein filler : ALE

9. Car that's ready for the scrap heap : BEATER. That's what I and one of the Tappet Brothers drive.

10. Side of a road : SHOULDER

11. Egyptian Christian : COPT. The forgotten Christians?

12. Adam's second son : ABEL

13. More than lean : BONY

19. Leafy green : KALE

21. Later on the page : BELOW

24. Joke : JAPE. Hmm, JAPE has a sometimes bawdy history.

27. Group of workers : CREW

28. Appliance with a water reservoir : IRON

30. Late-night host Meyers : SETH

31. Beer flavoring : HOPS

32. Curriculum part : UNIT

33. James of jazz : ETTA

35. Path to the pins : LANE

36. Consumed : ATE

39. Ergonomic keyboard feature : HAND REST. Wrist rest.

40. Second attempt : RETRY

41. Hurried away : FLED

46. Bucks and does : DEER

47. Tongue-lashing : EARFUL

49. Kidnap : ABDUCT

51. Adds to the staff : HIRES

52. Stave off : AVERT

53. Vital blood line : AORTA

54. Groucho's smoke : CIGAR

55. Prepared to be knighted : KNELT

56. Make a scene : FUSS

57. Once again : ANEW

58. Creative spark : IDEA

62. Pocatello sch. : ISU. (Idaho State University)

63. Sea captain's "Help!" : S-O-S

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

After Irish Miss downloaded iOS 8 to her iPad Mini, she has to sign in to her Google account every time she leaves & rejoins the blog. There is no "Stay signed in" box for her to check.

If any of your iPad users know how to solve her problem, please leave her a note in the blog Comments section. Thank you.

Monday, October 13, 2014 Carol Hacker

 

Theme: Retro Variant - Two word phrases that start with a R and a V.

18A. *MTV staple : ROCK VIDEO

31A. *Oral indication of anger : RAISED VOICE

47A. *Trip to somewhere you've been before : RETURN VISIT

62A. *Selling point of a home on the Hudson, say : RIVER VIEW

51D. Place for Winnebagos ... and for the answers to the starred clues? : RV PARK

Argyle here with what appears to be a debut puzzle by one Carol Hacker but could it be an anagram for our editor? I thought we weren't going to see any more of these simple repeat letter puzzles but this one was so clean it may be an exception. Strong corner blocks, a touch of whimsy in the clues.

Across:

1. Parody : SPOOF

6. Infant : BABY

10. Homeless child : WAIF

14. Songstress Lena : HORNE

15. Geometry class calculation : AREA

16. Throw hard : HURL

17. According to : AS PER

20. D-flat equivalent : C SHARP

22. Territory that became North and South states : DAKOTA

23. Mauna __ : KEA

 

24. Syst. with hand signals : ASL. (American sign language)

26. "Blazing Saddles" director Brooks : MEL

27. Baseball hat : CAP

30. Nine-digit govt. ID : SSN

34. Nickname of AA co-founder William Wilson : BILL W

35. Word before limits or space : OUTER

36. Home for a bird : CAGE

39. Home for the Heat : MIAMI

42. Dermatologist's concern : CYST

43. In front : AHEAD

45. Prophet whose name sounds like a mineral : MICAH. The mica group represents 37 phyllosilicate minerals.

50. "I need a short break," in chat rooms : BRB. (Be Right Back)

53. Brit. bigwigs : PMs. (prime minister)

54. Vote of approval : YEA

55. Explosive initials : TNT

56. Egg cells : OVA

57. Either "Bye Bye Love" brother : EVERLY. If you follow this to YouTube, there is an extensive bio there.

60. Comprehends : GRASPS

65. Take the part of : ACT AS

66. Fancy pitcher : EWER

67. Actor Morales : ESAI

68. Mowing the lawn, e.g. : CHORE

69. Small horse : PONY

70. Spanish muralist José María : SERT. (Josep Maria Sert i Badia)

71. Distance runs, briefly : TEN Ks

Down:

1. Crude dwellings : SHACKS

2. Western bad guy chasers : POSSEs

3. "Little __ Annie" : ORPHAN

4. Top draft status : ONE A

5. Classic Italian sports car : FERRARI

6. Happy hour spot : BAR

7. N.Y. Yankee suspended during 2014 : A-ROD

8. Turned into : BECAME

9. Gabbed : YAKKED

10. Slightest amount : WHIT

11. Chutzpah : AUDACITY

12. Anger : IRE

13. Mel's Diner waitress : FLO. Is it time to retire the old Flo and go with the new one?

19. Swedish automaker : VOLVO

21. Biblical song : PSALM

25. Actress Taylor : LILI. She was in Mystic Pizza.

28. Top poker pair : ACES

29. Sassy : PERT

32. Hindu teacher : SWAMI

33. "That's painful!" : "OUCH!". And afterwards 61D. Hurt : ACHE

34. Boyfriend : BEAU

36. Fish that complains a lot? : CARP

37. "Can I get a word in?" : "AHEM?"

38. Exacts revenge : GETS EVEN

40. Fine spray : MIST

41. Cake topping : ICING

44. Washer's partner : DRYER

46. Draw, as flies : ATTRACT

48. Uneasy "bundle" contents : NERVES

49. Suitcase : VALISE

50. Marathon city : BOSTON

52. Lowest choral parts : BASSES

58. Exceptionally : VERY

59. 2014, for one : YEAR

62. Sales staff employee : REP Shortened from representative.

63. __ Jima : IWO

64. Quickness of mind : WIT. Some don't give whit for wit. They think you're being pert.

 

Argyle

Sunday, October 12, 2014 Matt Skoczen & Patti Varol

Theme: "Twelve-Step Puzzle" -The end of each theme answer can precede "Step".

23A. Door holder's quaint invitation : LADIES FIRST.  Indeed the very "First step" of the theme set.

25A. "Hurry!" : COME QUICK. Quickstep.

39A. Native American ritual : RAIN DANCE. Dance step. In this type of Precede/Follow theme type, it's desirable when the key word has different meanings. But sometimes it's not possible.

41A. Comic collected in "Cows of Our Planet" : THE FAR SIDE. Sidestep.

50A. Where stars come out : STAGE DOOR. Doorstep. I saw two "door" in the theme answer clues. Don't bother me as my solving is very jumpy.

71A. Secure door feature : DOUBLE LOCK. Lockstep.

73A. Where many tweens may be seen : JUNIOR HIGH. High step.

93A. "No, No, Nanette" number : TEA FOR TWO. Two step.

101A. Birds Eye rival : GREEN GIANT. Giant step. Green Giant is based here in MN. Here is their Jolly Green Giant mascot.

103A. 1974 #1 hit for Helen Reddy : ANGIE BABY. Baby step.

 

123A. Prepare for the ring : SHADOW BOX. What is "Box step"?

126A. Like some test questions : TRUE OR FALSE. False step.

I thought of Splynter and his AA when I saw the "Twelve-Step" title.

Heavy themage. Total 116 theme squares. As I mentioned before, 12 entries is more challenging to grid than 9 entries with the same theme squares. I like that they're all arranged horizontally. There's a continuity in the 12-step.

Matt and Patti did a solid job with their fill today. They made all their long entries count and got all the 3's and 4's as clean as possible, which is not easy when you have 74 of them to deal with. 

Across:

1. Takes great pleasure (in) : BASKS

6. It may be fit for a queen : TIARA. Lovely clue. Queen Elizabeth has the world's most precious tiara collection.

11. Loathe : ABHOR

16. Sushi bar tuna : AHI. Yellowfin.

19. Three-time Wimbledon champ : EVERT (Chris)

20. Rigel's constellation : ORION

21. Alla __: music notation : BREVE

22. Big __ : SUR

27. Nebraska settlers : OTOS. Or OTOEs.

28. "G'day" sayers : AUSSIES

30. Network with regular pledge drives : NPR.  And 132. Network with regular pledge drives : PBS

31. Fifth Avenue retailer : SAKS

32. Unprovoked : WANTON. I associate this word with "Willful".

34. John of Scotland : IAN

35. Part of i.e. : EST. Id est.

37. Bolt, back in the day : HIE

46. Zesty start in London? : ZED. Just letter Z in Zesty.

47. TV production company co-founder, familiarly : DESI. I need Arnaz or Ricky or Lucy in the clue.

49. Like gossip : RUMORED

56. Quarterback Marino : DAN

57. Immortal Russian ballerina Galina : ULANOVA. Never heard of this "Immortal" lady.

58. Hard work : TOIL

59. Car and Driver check : ROAD TEST

62. Alain, par exemple : NOM. Alain Delon!

63. When two hands meet? : AT NOON. Nailed it.

66. Minute : ITSY. Not the time.

67. Work __ : ETHIC

78. Capital mentioned in "M*A*S*H" : SEOUL. So where is Kim Jong-un? I sure don't think there's a coup.

 

79. __ colada : PINA

80. Rubeola spot : MEASLE. I did not know the meaning of Rubeola.

81. GPS option : RTE

84A. "Gimme a break!" : GET OFF IT! I like all the four 8-letter entries in this puzzle.

87. "Are you __ not?" : IN OR

88. Likely will : IS APT TO

92. Dog park sound : ARF

97. Like helium : GASEOUS

98. It may be flat : RATE

100. Mal de __ : MER

109. Foto Hut owner on "That '70s Show" : LEO. Never watched the show. But I'm happy to see Ashton Kutcher & Mila Kunis together. Sweet couple.

110. Fresno-to-Bakersfield dir. : SSE

111. Three times, in Rx's : TER

112. Doesn't agree to : DENIES

114. Complex course : MAZE

117. __ cat : FAT

119. Conceal : SECRETE. OK, I need to start using this word then.

122. Short side? : SLAW. Vividly remember the first time I tried coleslaw at KFC in Xi'An. Right before I left college in 1994.

128. Household cleaner : RAG. I like this clue. I was thinking of a person.

129. Polynesian tongue : MAORI

130. Chalet beverage : TODDY

131. Garbo of "Grand Hotel" : GRETA

133. Flagrant, as injustice : GROSS

134. Somewhat far : A WAYS. Quite a ways.

135. Mythical reveler : SATYR

Down:

1. Word after see or go : BELOW. Always need crosses for this type of clue.

2. Gamer's game face : AVATAR. Don't be fooled by Avg Joe's. He's a total standup guy who tolerates no nonsense. Great cook too.

3. Arizona cultural resort : SEDONA

4. Olympic skater Yamaguchi : KRISTI. Gimme. Her husband grew up here in MN. She won "Dancing with the Stars" a few years ago.

5. Sault __ Marie : STE

6. Veggie burger ingredient : TOFU. I can't picture life without Tofu.

7. Expanding-circle film effect : IRIS-IN

8. Respiratory cavity : AIR SAC

9. Prepared for use, as a violin bow:  ROSINED. Rosin can also be a verb?

 

10. Get in the game : ANTE

11. Easy as __ : ABC

12. Heathcliff's creator : BRONTE

13. Natural rope fiber : HEMP. Have you ever seen hemp plant? So tall.

14. Thorough repair : OVERHAUL

15. Like core courses: Abbr. : REQ

16. China setting : ASIA

17. Pap's son, in Twain stories : HUCK

18. Bugs : IRKS

24. Prepared for painting, perhaps : SANDED

26. Tries to charm with, as a pickup line : USES ON. When I met with Norm Duke in August, he asked me "Are you married?"

29. Goes after : SETS AT

33. Quatre et sept : ONZE. 4+7.  I feel like I need water after pronouncing "Quatre".

36. Glow : SHINE

38. "Joy of Cooking" writer Rombauer : IRMA

40. Fuss : ADO

42. Tutti-__ ice cream : FRUTTI

43. Waffle maker : IRON

44. "Whip It" band : DEVO

45. Red-wrapped import : EDAM. Also 50. Dutch burg : STAD

48. Swirl : EDDY

51. Cinematic pet : TOTO

52. Aborigine of Japan : AINU. Commit this to your memory. You'll see it again. It sounds like "I knew".

53. Lava lamp lumps : GLOBS

54. Camden Yards athlete : ORIOLE. Yeah, Royals rock, Gary.

55. Campus mil. group : ROTC

60. "Don't __" : ASK

61. "I come to fetch you to the __-house": Decius Brutus : SENATE

64. Grand __ Opry : OLE

65. Opposite of paleo- : NEO

68. Same: Pref. : HOM

69. Yeats' land: Abbr. : IRE

70. Support for a hora honoree : CHAIR

72. "The Black Cat" (1934) co-star : LUGOSI (Bela)

73. Skippy rival : JIF

74. Yard, e.g. : UNIT

75. "Money __ everything" : ISN'T. So true.

76. Pre-sunrise effect : GLOW

77. Sandwich choice : HERO

79. Sputtering sound : PFFT

81. 1997 Emmy winner for TV's "Rebecca" : RIGG (Diana) And 89D. Showed signs of age, as paint : PEELED

82. Peter or Paul : TSAR

83. Soften : EASE

85. Mountain lakes : TARNS

86. Declaims : ORATES

90. Signal to start talking : TONE

91. Beach party challenge : TUG OF WAR

94. Cannes chum : AMI

95. It's for the birds : FEEDER. I think D-Otto's have cameras in.

96. "Awake, arise __ forever fallen!": Milton : OR BE

99. Admit an embarrassing mistake : EAT CROW. or DIRT.

102. Furrier family : ASTORS

104. Poet depicted in "Il Postino" : NERUDA. The Postman.

105. Hardly generous : GREEDY

106. Cochise player of '50s TV : ANSARA (Michael). Learned from my own cluing experience.

107. Soldier's lodging in a private home : BILLET

108. Beer critic's adjective : YEASTY

113. Cross one's heart : SWEAR

114. Car sticker no. : MSRP (Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price)

115. Fictional skipper : AHAB

116. Veers suddenly : ZAGS

118. Peek or bug ending : ABOO

120. Rider on Butch's handlebars : ETTA. Oh, this girl. Etta Place.

121. Messes (with) : TOYS

124. Texter's "Holy cow!" : OMG

125. Followers of nus : XIS

127. NFL overtime margins of victory, often : FGS (Field Goals)

C.C. 

Saturday, Oct 11th, 2014, Tom Heilman

Theme: None

Words: 70 (missing J,Q,X,Z)

Blocks: 29

 The last time we saw a Saturday from Tom Heilman was back in July 2013, and we ended up in an extended discussion on the difference between hay and straw....today's puzzle did look intimidating, but once again a series of WAGs got me enough of a toehold to make the necessary adjustments and finish the grid within my personal time limit.  I will admit to a keyboard run to get my "ta-DA~!" at 42a - proper noun crossing an abbreviation.  Triple nine corners, a pair of stacked tens and two 12-letter climbers;

6d. "Sit" : TAKE A LOAD OFF

21d. Person with a warped mind, in slang : ONE SICK PUPPY

Drawno conclusions....

ACROSS:

 1. Most unwavering : STRICTEST

10. "Forget about it!" : "NO HOW~!" - Started with "NO WAY"

15. Canine issue : TOOTH ACHE - CAVITIES was too short

16. Previously in print? : ABOVE - took a minute to "get" this; e.g. "see above"

17. Standing guard : ON LOOKOUT

18. Pronged : TINED - educated WAG

19. __ roast : WEENIE - meh

20. Grandstand group : ROOTERS

22. Celebrated : RANG IN - I had a great time when I "RANG IN" the New Year for 2014; I am hoping it leads to something special, still

25. "Danny and the Dinosaur" author Hoff : SYD 

26. Marathon rtes., perhaps : AVEs

30. Botched (up) : LOUSED

32. Christmas catalog item : TOY - I loved the Sears catalog this time of year - I'd sit down and make my "list" complete with page numbers for Santa - do you still have my old lists, Argyle~?

34. Restaurant convenience : MEN'S ROOM - whereas a LADIES ROOM is a necessity....

36. Evening affair : SOIREE

38. Readily assuming different forms : PROTEAN - straight up definition; Dictionary says it's from the Greek sea god Proteus, who could change form

39. Like original Matchbox cars : DIE-CAST - I still have a case full of Hot Wheels; my original Matchbox cars are long gone

40. Got a chuckle out of : AMUSED

41. Rickety : DECREPIT

42. Ruman of "Stalag 17" : SIG - Yeah, the "S" was a letter run

43. Krona : öre :: ruble : __ : KOPECK - 1/100th of a "dollar" equivalent; Swedish & Russian currency

45. __ perpetua: Idaho's motto : ESTO

46. 2008 Soderbergh biopic : CHE - I tried "ALI" first - bzzzt

48. Shooting ratios : F-STOPS - Camera settings, that kind of shooting

50. Immobilize, as with fear : PETRIFY - My sponsor's suggestion back in July petrified me; found out this Tuesday that he did NOT have all the facts, because he wasn't paying attention, so I fired him - first time in almost 9 years I had to do this; I am extremely happy I went with my gut instinct and did not follow through on the suggestion, but the issue is still unresolved.  Now I need a new sponsor to help me try again

52. First NFL Man of the Year Award recipient (1970) : UNITAS - Here's Johnny~!

57. Savannah sighting : ELAND - Total WAG, and it stayed

58. Chukka boot feature : CREPE SOLE - Learning moment for me - the Wiki

61. Actress Kemper of "The Office" : ELLIE - Did not watch much of the show; this girl

62. Small cookers : HOT PLATES

63. Enjoyed : LIKED

64. Stretch, say : STAY LOOSE

DOWN:

1. Pack : STOW

2. Mood indicator : TONE - Pondered "RING" at first

3. Something to fill : ROLE - HOLE and HOLD were not good enough

4. "Put __ my tab" : IT ON

5. Loft user : CHOIR - I had the "H" and the "R", and this was the only word that worked

7. Car starter? : ECO - eco-car

8. Moo __ pork : SHU

9. Game for shapeshifters? : TETRIS - Har-Har~!  You have to 'shift' the shapes in order to perpetuate the game - I play 3-D Tetris at UPS every morning, shifting 250+ parcels to fit in a van that only holds 200....

10. Defense gp. : NATO

11. Passing thoughts? : OBITs - This type of clue is filling in immediately for me now

12. Espionage strategies involving seduction : HONEY TRAPS

13. Goes too far : OVER DOES IT

14. Forms a union : WEDS

23. Morning's end : NOON

24. Orbit, for one : GUM - you lint licker~!

26. Oscars org. : AMPAS - New one to me; I thought "ASCAP", but that's music...then AFTRA, then the perps left me with AM-A-; I got the "P",   but....   the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

27. Food that's Italian for "little worms" : VERMICELLI - ewww~!

28. "Time to do something about this" : "ENOUGH TALK"

29. Former fliers : SSTs

31. One who acts : DOer

33. "... __ come" : YET TO

35. Really smell : REEK - There was a band that used to play the nightclub I worked at and they went by the name "REEKING HAVOC" - yes, they got it wrong, but it seemed to fit all the same....

37. Frozen treat : ICEE

39. Like New York's Chrysler Building : DECO

41. Case worker: Abbr. : DETective - that kind of case

44. Inspires, with "up" : PSYCHS

47. Orange Muppet : ERNIE - My brother is going as Ernie for one Halloween party, and then Barney Rubble for another - guess what I am going to wear....now all I need is a place to go - oh, if only someone would join me....   ;7(

49. Matt who scored the Jets only touchdown in Super Bowl III : SNELL - The Wiki

50. Spa option : PEEL - Tried PEDI first

51. Named : IDed

53. World Golf Hall of Famer Aoki : ISAO - The crossword friendly golfer

54. Movie pooch : TOTO - dah~! Not ASTA

55. Draft choices : ALES - ugh, I thought we were talking military here, and went "A ONE"

56. Zaire's Mobutu __ Seko : SESE - We have "se-seen" this before on Saturday

59. Break down : ROT

60. Flight stat : ETA

 Splynter

Notes from C.C.:

I'd like to share with you the "Border States" puzzle I made for the Chronicle of Higher Education. You can click here (the first one) for the puz file, or here to print out a PDF file. To solve on line, click here . 

I'm eager to see what area gives you the trouble and when you grok the theme. 

Spoiler alert: once you're done, you can go to Amy Reynaldo's blog for the write-up.  Those nice clues Pannonica mentioned are all the brainwork of editor Brad Wilber, our regular LAT Saturday constructor. When I first proposed the idea to Brad, the theme is quite thin. Brad helped me muscle up the core concept and build a grid I'm quite proud of.

Mark the CHE site. Next time you see my name (probably early next year), I'll be accompanying a blog regular, D-Otto (Tom), who's super efficient and fun to work with.

Friday, October 10, 2014, Jeb Bennett

Theme: Quick I need a Quip! Get the V-8 can ready.

Well in the old days quips and quotes always appeared on Thursdays, but here we are with second such theme in the last 30 days on my watch. This appears to be another debut puzzle, so welcome Jeb. I wonder if he like all the others I know or have heard of, is really something like James Edward Bennett, hence the JEB. Anyway, the secret to a quip, which generally are not that favored, is how cute the result is and "I couldn't figure why the ball was getting bigger, and then it hit me" is a really entertaining one. We also have fewer 3 and 4 letter fill and some sparkly in between fill HERLIHY,  LITHEST, HOTSHOTS,  SON-IN-LAW, CLIENTELE,  OVERDRAWN. So let us take a ride and see where Jeb brought us.

 20A. Start of an optical illusion quip : I COULDN'T FIGURE.
 24A. Quip, part 2 : WHY THE BALL WAS.
 46A. Quip, part 3 : GETTING BIGGER.
 52A. End of the quip : AND THEN IT HIT ME.

Across:

1. Dressage gear : CROP. This was harder than it should have been, but there were so many 3 letter possibilities for 1 down...I understood the show horse reference, but....

5. Sound of warning : HISS.

9. Repel, with "off" : STAVE.

14. Member of a '60s quartet : PAPA. Luckily I had put CPO in by the time I got here.

15. Competitive blade : EPEE. Very popular in the puzzles these days.

16. Projecting window : ORIEL.

17. Like an insufficient account : OVER DRAWN. British fiction leads one to believe that Brits live on their over-drafts.(draughts?).

19. Best-dressed goal? : NINES. To the nines and the other expression using nine are all mysterious. LINK.

22. Agnus __ : DEI.

23. Film dog's first name? : RIN. A reverse CSO for the TINman?

31. "A little __ the mightiest Julius fell": Horatio : ERE. The sentinels in Hamlet preparing the audience for the excitement to come. The belief was that the dead walked just before Julius Caesar was assassinated. Zombies anyone? MMMM Shakespeare. 9D. Duke of Albany, to Lear : SON-IN-LAW. I like this and of course love me a double dose of Shakespeare. He married Goneril and paid the price.

32. Rocket retired in 2011 : YAO. I do watch some basketball so this was EASY.

33. Cry for help : MAYDAY.Along with pommes de terre frits, something else we got from the French, from 'venez m'aider', which translates to "come help me". According to wiki, it was adopted by a British officer at Croydon airport.

35. "The Scream" artist : MUNCH. Edvard. You want to read an ANALYSIS? Or just look?

38. One in a cage : RIB. Cute clue, I think coined by Brendan Emmet Quigley.

40. Drive erratically : WEAVE. Mini-theme. 12D. Avoid a suddenly stopped car, say : VEER.

41. Like the thing not to do : UNCOOL.

43. Zip : NIL. A common soccer (football) score.

45. Org. with an elephant in its logo : GOP. Grand Old Party.

50. "No more seats" letters : SRO. Standing Room Only.

51. Cross shape : TAU.

60. Small songbird : VIREO. They seem cute and are popular in the mid-west I am told. LISTEN. (0:14)

61. Customers : CLIENTELE. Pronounced differently but letter for letter from the French for a group of clients.

63. Not showing much life : INERT.

64. Masseur's selection : OILS. My masseuse prefers watercolors.

65. Project : EMIT.

66. New beginnings : DAWNS. No Eos, this time.

67. Stout grain : MALT. The creation of stouts, which are actually stout porters, stems from the use of roasted grains, which makes the liquid dark. Stout referred to the higher alcoholic content.

68. Rip violently : REND. Then you must mend.

Down:

1. USN rank : CPO. Chief Petty Officer. 47D. 1-Down, for one : NON-COM. Non-commissioned officer.

2. Sitar master Shankar : RAVI. I like listening to his DAUGHTER.

3. Gp. that includes Venezuela : OPEC. Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries:Venezuela was on of the 5 original founders; can you name the other 4?

4. Ridicule : PARODY. I do not like this paring as parodies generally have some warmth.

5. Ed who was the longtime voice of Kraft Foods : HERLIHY. Not sure why we would remember this man's name. OBIT.

6. FaceTime device : I-PAD. I-Phone, I I I I

7. Needled? : SEWN. Cute clue.

8. Nissan model : SENTRA. I like the new MODEL.


10. Subj. with many functions : TRIG. Cute.

11. Indigenous Japanese : AINU. Today's history LESSON.
 
13. End of a threat : ELSE.

18. Righteous Brothers hit, e.g. : DUET.Wasted a lot of time trying to recall a four letter hit.

21. Record, in a way : FILM. Not so much anymore. Maybe 8MM.

24. Squeezed : WRUNG.

25. From now : HENCE.

26. Spot for a stud : EAR. What do you think ladies?

27. Spring sound : BOING. 

28. River to the Severn : WYE. It separates England and Wales; but I defer to Steve and NC for real commentary.

29. Saw : ADAGE. Oh, that old saw....

30. Relish : SAVOR. Do you relish relish?

31. Flightless zoo bird : EMU. They are flightless when not in a zoo as well.

34. "Okey-doke!" : YEP. I am an okey dokey smokey man myself.

36. "M*A*S*H" set piece : COT. Where Hawkeye, Trapper John and their roommates often interacted. At first when I had CO_, my mind went to cod piece...

37. Up-and-comers with egos : HOT SHOTS. Charlie Sheen? Tom Cruise?

39. Catcher behind a plate? : BIB. I have seen this clue/fill before, but it still rings hollow for me, as my bib are opposite the plate, protecting my shirt and tie.

42. Old Italian capital : LIRE. No Friday solver will fall for this old trick.

44. Most supple : LITHEST. A fun word, unless you lisp. Diana Rigg always looked lithe as Mrs. Peel; guys who would you nominate?

48. Profit : GAIN.

49. Water catcher : GUTTER.

52. Enthusiastic : AVID.

53. 1492 caravel : NINA. It was easy to guess because of the date, but it was a new WORD.

54. Took from the deck : DREW. Just not from the bottom,  please.

55. Gull-like bird : TERN.

56. Pelvic bones : ILIA. My favorite I[l]lya. LINK. (1:47).

57. Spot for ten-spots : TILL. Nice layered clue, with the advent of credit cards and electronic cash registers, the word is not heard much anymore.

58. Fast-spreading Internet phenomenon : MEME. It is fascinating to have lived for many years without this word, which comes from an ancient Greek CONCEPT. I was watching a rerun from the first year of Criminal Minds and the characters were being told what a "viral" video was. So much changes in 10 years, and our age group sees the before and after.

59. Nordegren who married Tiger Woods in 2004 : ELIN. She was Jasper Parnevik's nanny, and now she is fabulously wealthy as well as being...after two children.

62. Flight board abbr. : ETD. Estimated Time of Departure. Well it is my exact time of departure, as another week has gone by. This is the anniversary of the birth of my paternal grandmother, so to all the departed grandparents out there, rest well and enjoy the puzzles. Happy holidays and get ready for Columbus Day coming soon.

Lemonade out.

Thursday, October 9, 2014 Robert E. Lee Morris

Theme: "No rubbernecking!"


17-Across. *Tricky puzzle : BRAIN TEASER.

37-Across. *"Let me give it a shot?" : CAN I TRY.

59-Across. *Historic route west : OREGON TRAIL.

11-Down. *Unvarnished facts : PLAIN TRUTH.

And the reveal:

29-Down. Calamity, and what's literally hidden in the answers to starred clues : TRAIN WRECK.

Each starred entry has the letters in T-R-A-I-N all jumbled up.  Fun reveal, but I didn't need it to get the theme entries. When I came across the clue, I just glanced at what was already filled in: Check! Anagram puzzle!


Across

1. Kid-lit classic "__, Plain and Tall" : SARAH. A story of grief, loneliness and abandonment. Kid-lit? Really?

6. Dust Bowl refugees : OKIES. Think of the Joad family here.

11. Part of many a texting request : PLS. Short for "please."

14. Unborn, after "in" : UTERO.

15. "It's a Wonderful Life" director : CAPRA. Ah, my favorite movie, and personal mantra.

16. Pitcher rim : LIP. I am getting gun-shy, and was actually thinking of a baseball pitcher!

19. Tenn. neighbor : ALA.bama.

20. Commuter's woe : JAM.

21. Astronomy : Urania :: poetry : __ : ERATO. Respective muses.

22. Basic chord : TRIAD.

24. City between Paris and Marseille : LYON. Map.

25. "Just this time ..." : FOR ONCE.

27. Mensa membership consideration, perhaps : IQ TEST. There are many different tests that would qualify you for membership, so "perhaps" is appropriate in this clue.

30. Most plucky : GAMEST. Not to be confused with "gamiest."

31. Myanmar, formerly : BURMA.

32. SeaWorld attraction : ORCA.

33. Stonestreet of "Modern Family" : ERIC. Never saw the show, so was not familiar with this actor, who plays Cameron Tucker.

36. Actress Wasikowska : MIA. Never knew the name of this actress, who played Alice in Tim Burton's movie version of "Alice in Wonderland." Needless to say, this section relied heavily on perps!

40. __ Today : USA.

41. Essentially fat-free : SKIM.

43. Credit report blot : REPO.ssession.

44. Film with dusty streets, typically : OATER.

46. Seconds flat : NO TIME. I really wanted "in" at the beginning.

48. Eight dry gallons : BUSHEL.

49. "Hiya!" : HOWDY DO. Let's sing to the tune of "Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay":

It’s Howdy Doody time

It’s Howdy Doody time

Bob Smith and Howdy too

Say “HOWDY DO” to you

Let’s give a rousing cheer

’Cause Howdy Doody’s here

It’s time to start the show

So kids, let’s go!

51. Genesis creator : SEGA. Arcade game, not the bible book...

52. Pasture measures : ACRES.

53. User's shortcut : MACRO.

55. Meditation beginning? : PRE. Premeditation.

58. Marine pronoun : SHE. I'm sure that Spitzboov has linked the explanation of "SHE" referring to ships before, but I couldn't find it.

62. Noir hero : TEC. The '40s-'50s era of crime drama films often involved a detective ("TEC") or undercover cop .

63. Large jazz combo : NONET.

64. Tourist __ : MECCA.

65. Origin of an egg-shaped spaceship : ORK. "Mork and Mindy" ran from 1978-82. RIP Robin Williams.

66. Locations : SITES.

67. Praise : EXTOL.


Down

1. Alg. or geog. : SUBJ.ect.

2. Razor brand : ATRA.

3. 20 quires : REAM. Factoid: The quire got its name from Old English "quare," meaning "by fours." Four sheets of vellum or parchment would be folded in half -giving a total of 8 sheets, or 16 sides. When pulp paper made it easier to stitch pages together, this meaning was quickly lost, and a quire usually contained 24 or 25 sheets. The modern ream is made up of 500 sheets, or 20 quires.

4. First name in shipping : ARI. Onassis was a Greek shipping magnate.

5. Bee's nectar reservoir : HONEY SAC. I never heard this term.  It is also called a "honey stomach."

6. Vast expanse : OCEAN.

7. Longtime pitcher Jim with the nickname "Kitty" : KAAT. I defer to people who know more about baseball than the fact that it does, indeed, require a baseball for the game. Here's the wiki.

8. By its very nature, in law : IPSO FACTO. The embedding of a wiki link does not, IPSO FACTO, turn me into a baseball expert!

9. Afore : ERE.

10. "Being and Nothingness" philosopher : SARTRE. Jean Paul.

12. Fragrant bloom : LILAC. I have both white and purple ones on my property.

13. Fictional falcon seeker : SPADE. Sam Spade, "The Maltese Falcon."

18. Relaxed pace : TROT. Unless you are trying to find the W.C.

23. Left the runway : ROSE.

24. Apollo lander, briefly : LEM. Lunar Excursion Module.

26. General Bradley : OMAR. One of the very few five star generals in U.S. history.

27. AT and PS/2 computers : IBMS.

28. Nestlé __ : QUIK.

30. Complain : GRIPE.

32. "Be right with you" : ONE MOMENT. I had to check perps before deciding between "minute" or MOMENT.

34. "Ah! Say no more" : I SEE.

35. Poet Sandburg : CARL. One of my favorites is this poem:

Fog

The fog comes

on little cat feet.

It sits looking

over harbor and city

on silent haunches

and then moves on.

38. Like New Mexico's climate, largely : ARID.

39. "Darned if I know!" : YOU GOT ME.

42. Style : MODE.

45. Cool-cucumber link : AS A.

47. Poultry magnate John et al. : TYSONS.

48. Alpine capital : BERN. Béarnaise sauce is also sometimes spelled "Bernaise," leading people to believe that it originated in Bern, Switzerland. But there is no truth to that. Béarnaise is strictly of French origin.

49. Must : HAS TO.

50. Yellowish pigment : OCHER. RGB 204.119.34

51. Highland Games participants : SCOTS.

54. "A Death in the Family" author : AGEE. Such a vowel-friendly name.

55. Agreement : PACT.

56. Wealthy, in Juárez : RICO.

57. Ben Gurion airline : EL AL.

I totally missed these last two clechos, because I had filled them in with the across answers:
60. King at Versailles : ROI.
and
61. King in old Rome : REX.

Tag, you're it!

Marti