Thursday, November 20, 2014 Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: "Little Rascals"

17. Office evaluations : JOB RATINGS.

23. Posh Riviera residence : SEASIDE VILLA.

46. "That's my general impression" : I'M PRETTY SURE.

58. Summer venue where kids can clown around? : CIRCUS CAMP.

And the reveal, sitting smack in the middle of the grid:
37. Mischievous ones hiding in plain sight in 17-, 23-, 46- and 58-Across : TROUBLEMAKERS.
BRAT, DEVIL, IMP and SCAMP all span more than one word.

My Thursday friend JW is back. 78 words and 42 blocks is a lot for an end-of-week puzzle, but theme entries of 10, 12, 13, 12, 10 make it tough to create a simple grid design. This one includes long 9- and 10-letter down entries to add to the mix. None of those down entries came immediately to mind, so this seemed tougher than a typical Thursday for me.

Across

1. 122-square-mile republic : MALTA. Oh good grief, who has memorized the acreage of every republic?  Tough start.

6. Three or four, say : A FEW.

10. Incise with acid : ETCH.

14. Voiced : ALOUD. Not "spoke."

15. Racing sled : LUGE.

16. Mozart's "__ fan tutte" : COSI. Gimme. "Thus do all (women)."

19. Industrialist who's had his ups and downs? : OTIS. HaHa - the elevator inventor.

20. Plenty : A TON.

21. Syncopated work : RAG.

22. Fla. neighbor : ALA.bama

29. Peaceful harmony : AMITY.

31. "Bravo!" relative : OLE.

32. Tied (to) : WED.

33. Riga native : LETT. If they are from Latvia, why aren't they called "Lats"?

34. Bamboozle : FOOL.

36. Damage, so to speak : COST. When you ask your mechanic, "What are the damages?" be prepared for even more - to your wallet.

40. Acute : KEEN.

41. Troubadour's offerings : AIRS.

42. Sinus docs : ENTs. Not to be confused with Tolkien tree folk.

43. Western treaty gp. : OAS. Organization of American States. Originally just the US and South American states, it later included Canada and the nations of the Caribbean.

44. One in a sports page column : WIN. I don't get it. "One" as in the #1 team? Or just a win that gets written up? [Update: The "columns" would be WINs-Losses-Ties.  Thanks for enlightening me, TTP!]

45. Art print, briefly : LITHO. I toyed with "repro" at first, but that wasn't going to work very well.

50. Wear (through) : EAT. Such a small word, but it gave me lots of trouble.

51. Huffington Post parent co. : AOL.

52. Whiskey choices : RYES.

56. "Sea Change" musician : BECK. "Lost Cause" is one of the best songs on the album, IMO.

61. Seize : TAKE.

62. Pen sound : OINK.

63. Part of a TV signal : AUDIO.

64. Milquetoast : WUSS.

65. Pine for : MISS.

66. False __ : START.


Down

1. Subject of clothed and nude Goya portraits : MAJA. We have had her...

2. Frequently : ALOT.

3. Gray wolf : LOBO.

4. Becomes even more charming, say : TURNS IT ON. This is one of the long down answers that wasn't at the tip of my tongue.

5. Org. promoting water fluoridization : ADA. American Dental Association.

6. Police profile datum : ALIAS.

7. Spore producers : FUNGI.

8. Custard component : EGG.

9. Broncos wide receiver Welker : WES. Formerly of the New England Patriots...who are doing just fine without him, thank you very much!

10. USDA inspector's concern : E COLI.

11. Gross figure : TOTAL WORTH. TOTAL (sales?), (costs?), (value?)...

12. CBS series set in a lab : CSI. Crime Scene Investigation.

13. Presley's "(Marie's the Name) __ Latest Flame" : HIS.

18. Serving aid : TRAY.

22. Street sign abbr. : AVE.

24. Words to a traitor : ET TU. Another one of those little entries that gave me fits.

25. Seals the fate of : DOOMS.

26. First name in jazz : ELLA.

27. On a smaller scale : LESS SO.

28. Home security letters : ADT. American District Telegraph.  I have Discount Alarm, and pay half the price of ADT.

29. Orioles, e.g., briefly : AL TEAM.

30. Buildings from a plane, metaphorically : MERE SPECKS. Another long down answer that wasn't on the tip of my tongue.

34. City northwest of Detroit : FLINT.

35. "A hot temper leaps __ a cold decree": Shakespeare : O'ER.

36. Butcher's offering : CENTER CUT. Not my first thought.

38. Worms, perhaps : BAIT.

39. Actor Dullea : KEIR. You may remember him as Dr. David Bowman in "2001: A Space Odyssey." Or not...

40. Showy carp : KOI.

44. Moisten : WET.

45. Ripsnorter : LULU.

47. Does some gardening : RAKES. Been doing plenty of that the last couple weeks. We finally hired a crew to come in and help, and they ended up taking out seven pickup trucks full of leaves!!

48. Incredible stories : YARNS.

49. '90s White House cat : SOCKS. The "First Cat" of the Clinton era.

53. When tripled, a story shortener : YADA...yada...yada.

54. Muslim dignitary : EMIR.

55. Pal of Rover : SPOT.

56. Incidentally, in textspeak : BTW. "By the way..."

57. __ de parfum : EAU.

58. Kin of org : COM. Both url endings.

59. Trio on Big Ben : III. Nit: "Big Ben" is the name of the bell in the clock of Elizabeth Tower, not the clock itself.

60. Sweden-based carrier : SAS. Scandinavian Airlines System.


I'm off to see what kind of trouble I can stir up now...

Marti

Wednesday, November 19, 2014 C.C Burnikel

Theme: Cumulus cumulatives - or serious cirruses?

17A. Leave in a huff : STORM OUT. Storm cloud. Not something you'd want to be flying into.

25A. Book keeper? : DUST JACKET. Dust cloud. Not something you'd want to be flying into.

34A. Steak topper : MUSHROOM SAUCE. Mushroom cloud. Not something ... you get the idea.

48A. Deep-fried carnival treat : FUNNEL CAKE. Funnel cloud. Not some .. OK, OK, enough already. Yikes!

58A. Virtual storage area, and a hint to words that start 17-, 25-, 34- and 48-Across : THE CLOUD

G'day everyone! Steve here with a C.C. Wednesday special. No baseball unless I missed something glaringly obvious, but plenty of food (!), technology and frilly things to ratchet up my interest level. The theme might have been written for me today - I'm looking down at the cloud tops on my way to Detroit to discuss one of my companies' cloud offerings with a customer.

Et alia:

Across:

1. Amin portrayed in "The Last King of Scotland" : IDI. Exiled Ugandan despot.

4. Arabic "son of" : IBN

7. Took out : ERASED

13. __ race : RAT

14. Lingerie tops : BRAS. Frills!

16. Turkey feature : WATTLE. Not the most attractive of birds.

19. Necessitate : ENTAIL

20. "Evil Woman" rock gp. : E.L.O. Founder member Roy Wood went on to odder things with Wizzard. If anyone cares to explain the bass guitarist's outfit of angel wings, cricket pads and roller skates I'd be interested to hear it.

21. Lode loads : ORES. Clue-tactic

23. Jalapeño topper : TILDE. The squiggly diacritical on the "n".

24. Chignon, e.g. : UPDO I learned this from crosswords. I've never heard it used otherwise, but then again I don't hang out in hair salons on the eve of special occasions.

27. Ultimate authorities : SAY-SOS

29. "Have some!" : EAT

30. Seattle-to-Reno dir. : S.S.E.

31. Stains on a record : BLOTS

32. One who woke up on the wrong side of the bed, say : CRAB. Marti sometimes confesses to wrong-side awakening, but I'd hesitate to ever describe her as crabby.

40. Neighborhood sale caveat : AS IS

41. Dishonorable fellow : KNAVE

43. Blissful sounds : AHS

46. Cherry core : PIT

47. Damaged : HARMED

52. One, to Goethe : EINS. This threw me - I confidently had EINE until EDE at 42D made no sense, as you can see from my final fill in the grid at the bottom.

53. Deceit : FRAUD

54. "Are we __ not?": "Is it a date?" : ON OR. Not exactly the most polite way to start out, in my ever-so-humble opinion.

55. Puerto Rico hrs. : A.S.T. The famous Atlantic Standard Time. Easterly bits of Canada (eh!) also use it.

56. TaylorMade parent : ADIDAS. I used to pronounce it "Addy-dass", as did the entire continent of Europe. I now pronounce it "Add-eee-das" due to the hilarity and mirth which ensued when I moved to the USA and my friends heard me say it. I use TaylorMade golf clubs, although similar hilarity and mirth often follows the witnessing of a shot played with them.

61. "Fighting" college team : ILLINI. Pah. Second-rate fighters. Irish first.

62. "Born Free" lioness : ELSA

63. Word after common or case : LAW

64. Starts over : RESETS

65. Pink Floyd guitarist Barrett : SYD. Or Roger Keith to his mom. If you've got 10 minutes to spare, here's "Shine on you Crazy Diamond" - the band's tribute to their former "madcap" member.

66. New Haven student : ELI

Down:

1. Govt. org. that may freeze assets : I.R.S. Not the warmest of agencies, that's for sure.

2. Desert fruit tree : DATE PALM

3. "See?!" : I TOLD YOU

4. "Big Blue" : IBM My first programming job was working on an IBM/370 mainframe using punch cards. Many years later, I had a meeting at the IBM offices in Frankfurt and was alarmed to see that the model of punch card machine I used every day was reverently displayed, under glass, in the building's lobby. Feel old, much?

5. Coop groups : BROODS

6. Tiny Pacific republic : NAURU. Small  indeed - 9,200 people on 8.1 square miles.

7. Ma that baas : EWE

8. Go off on : RANT AT

9. Place to stick rarely used stuff : ATTIC. Basements and garages for the overflow. Then to the neighborhood sales.

10. Celery pieces : STALKS.  STICKS first.

11. Fails to pronounce : ELIDES. I still shudder when I read "gonna" in print. I don't think I'll ever get used to that one.

12. Knock out, as a character : DELETE

15. Fr. holy women : STES

18. Dove bars? : ROOSTS. Cute! I had a couple of Dove squares last night, I like the little "fortune cookie" messages inside the foil wrappers.

22. Cooks, as dim sum dumplings : STEAMS. Oh boy!

24. iPad-to-PC port : USB. Universal Serial Bus, in case you wondered.

26. Ring punches : JABS

28. __Kosh B'Gosh : OSH. From Wuscaahnsun.

32. Store with a Kirkland Signature brand : COSTCO

33. Many a Louis : ROI. Many indeed. Louis dix-huit was the last. Neither English kings nor Popes come close in the XVIII stakes.

35. One way to travel : RAIL

36. Letters in an APB : AKA

37. Beyond belief : UNREAL

38. Lingerie top : CAMISOLE. More frills! No links from me, I'll leave that to others.

39. Ultimate : EVENTUAL

42. Vogue VIPs : EDS

43. Intense romance : AFFAIR

44. Steeplechase feature : HURDLE. The obstacles in the Grand National steeplechase, which is run annually at Aintree racecourse near Liverpool, England, might feel insulted to be called "hurdles". The fences are around 5 feet high  and some are almost 12 feet wide.

45. Escargots : SNAILS. Garlicky deliciousness.

46. One fussy about minor details : PEDANT. Crossword constructors, editors and solvers? I hope not ...

47. Charge against Galileo : HERESY. Not public endangerment by dropping lumps of lead from the top of the Tower of Pisa? Odd.

49. Film with a minimal costume budget? : NUDIE. No-frills production!

50. Put in a chip : ANTE

51. JCPenney rival : KOHL'S. I thought JCP had disappeared with the Macy*s takeover, but apparently still going strong.

57. Paris, to Nicky : SIS. Ahhhh - the  Hilton sisters. Things have been quiet with those two recently, thank goodness.

59. Dishonorable fellow : CAD. Egad!

60. MADD focus : DWI

Just enough time for the grid before my blog-meter time expires.

Steve

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to dear Creature, a very active member of our blog until an accident took away her husband on her birthday three years ago. I hope you've sold the farm and settled down on your city life. Leave us a note when you drop by, Creature. You're in my thought often, so is Chickie, who's taking a leave from the blog to take care of her husband Bill. Our best wishes also go to Misty, Dave and their loved ones. 

I feel incredibly lucky that I have you guys to turn to when I need advice and guidance, and I hope this blog can be of some help and comfort when you are in need as well.

Creature

Tuesday, November 18, 2014 Marti DuGuay-Carpenter

Theme: Sinkers - A reference to the weights a fisherman uses on his line, split-shots, and that's what Marti's puzzle has, split-shots.

17. Like a fajita pan : SIZZLING HOT

27. Daisy-plucking words : SHE LOVES ME NOT

43. To the point : SHORT AND SWEET

57. Not a likely chance, and, literally, a hidden feature of 17-, 27- and 43-Across : OUTSIDE SHOT

Argyle here. Marti has a certain "je ne sais quoi", European flair today, mardi. Coincidence? I think not.

Across:

1. Italian scooter : VESPA. I can just see her zipping around Roma on her put-put.

6. Weird : EERIE. and 2D. Weird-sounding lake : ERIE

11. "This is so frustrating!" : "GRR!"

14. Sharon of Israel : ARIEL. Abba Eban yesterday sets up Ariel Sharon today.

15. Old-timey "Yikes!" : "EGADS!"

16. Coventry bathroom : LOO. Now to England...

19. Perrier, to Pierre : EAU. on to France.

20. Casual Friday top : TEE

21. FAO Schwarz specialty : TOYS. Just in time for Christmas.

22. Turn away : AVERT

24. __ vivant : BON. Our constructor.

25. Tiny bit : IOTA

33. Farm or home ending : STEAD

34. Troubles : ILLS

35. "Now __ me down to sleep ..." : I LAY

37. James of "The Godfather" : CAAN

38. Count Chocula wear : CLOAK. The Count is European?

39. Turn on a pivot : SLUE

40. Start of many Internet addresses : HTTP. Adding an S (https) makes it more secure.

41. Actor Thicke : ALAN. Born in Kirkland Lake, Ontario.

42. "I can take __!" : A HINT

46. Bonny girl : LASS. A short hop from Canada to Scotland.

47. Owned : HAD

48. Hangout for some 38-Down : ALLEY. 38D. Some strays : CATS

                                      L.C.

51. Word spoken while pointing : LOOK

53. Short change? : CTs. (cents)

56. Month after avril : MAI

61. Pre-holiday time : EVE

62. Part of USNA : NAVAL. (United States Naval Academy)(pop quiz: another name for navel is __?)

63. "Keen!" : "NEATO!"

64. Twin of Bert Bobbsey : NAN. The Bobbsey Twins was a long-running series of children's novels published from 1904 to 1979, with a separate series of 30 books published from 1987 through 1992.

65. Picket fence parts : SLATS

66. Barbershop band? : STROP. The leather strap used to keep a sharp edge on a straight razor.

Down:

1. Like outer space : VAST

3. Clothing label number : SIZE

4. Candy in a collectible dispenser : PEZ

5. With everything accounted for : ALL TOLD

6. Choosing word : EENY, meeny, miny, moe. CSO

7. Omelet base : EGGS

8. Cheering syllable : "RAH!"

9. Binding words : "I DO"

10. Real __ : ESTATE

11. Delight : GLEE

12. Crowd cacophony : ROAR

13. Defeat decisively : ROUT

18. Prefix with sphere : IONO

23. Disappeared : VANISHED

24. Skinny sort : BEANPOLE

25. Hawaii component : ISLAND

26. Siberian city : OMSK

27. Box score numbers : STATS

28. Moor : HEATH

29. Luxurious homes : VILLAS. Perhaps overlooking the Mediterranean.

30. Online finance company : E-LOAN. Curious? Link

31. Stan's partner : OLLIE. Laurel and Hardy.

32. Gibe : TAUNT

33. UCLA or USC : SCHool

36. To this point : YET

42. Rouses from bed : AWAKENS

44. Synthetic fibers : RAYONS

45. In pumps, say : SHOD. In shoes.

48. "So be it!" : "AMEN!"

49. Volcano output : LAVA

50. Burden for some debtors : LIEN

51. Future atty.'s exam : LSAT. (Law School Admission Test)

52. Many Manets : OILS. Effect of Snow on Petit-Montrouge.

53. Blacken on the grill : CHAR

54. Four-legged Emerald City visitor : TOTO. Not in Kansas.

55. Halt : STOP

58. "Friendly Skies" co. : UAL. (United Airlines)

59. New Deal energy prog. : TVA. (Tennessee Valley Authority)

60. Put in rollers : SET

Argyle

Monday, November 17, 2014 Timothy L. Meaker

Theme: Bullseye - Five compound words that start with a synonym for omphalos.

22A. Acid indigestion, familiarly : HEARTBURN

38A. Auto wheel covers : HUBCAPS

51A. Go-between : MIDDLEMAN

3D. Stripe that equally divides the road : CENTERLINE

30D. Early computer data storage term : CORE MEMORY

Argyle here. The first four are closed compound words while 30-Down is an open compound word. Still a tight theme though not much zest. We don't get to see Mr. Meaker that often. I do like the pinwheel with an entry in the bullseye.

Across:

1. Physicist for whom a speed-of-sound ratio is named : MACH. Ernst Mach (1838–1916)

5. Steamers in a pot : CLAMS

10. Post-WWII commerce agreement acronym : GATT. (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade) This entry has been around before...but not lately.

14. Toast topping : OLEO

15. Lose one's cool : PANIC

16. Eight, in Tijuana : OCHO

17. __ and rave : RANT

18. Stars, in Latin : ASTRA. Fly on an astral plane.

19. What winds do : BLOW

20. Book spine info : TITLE

24. Snigglers' catch : EELS

26. Not feel well : AIL

27. Serious play : DRAMA

28. San Francisco transport : CABLE CAR

33. Daring : BOLD

34. Ottoman governors : BEYs. Not a Monday word?

36. Chip away at : ERODE

37. Prefix with lateral : UNI

40. Fishing tool : ROD

41. Henry or Jane of "On Golden Pond" : FONDA

43. Kal Kan alternative : ALPO Pet food.

44. 0 : ZERO

45. Area where goods may be stored without customs payments : FREE ZONE. And then what?

47. Oozy stuff : SLIME

49. NRC predecessor : AEC. (Nuclear Regulatory Commission/Atomic Energy Commission)

50. Scotch __ : TAPE. and for Tin; 56D. "No ice, please" : NEAT

57. Performed without words : MIMED

60. Mesozoic and Paleozoic : ERAs

61. More pathetic, as an excuse : LAMER

63. Four-legged Oz visitor : TOTO

64. No longer here : GONE

65. Pacific, for one : OCEAN

66. Russia's __ Mountains : URAL

67. "Puppy Love" singer Paul : ANKA. "Puppy Love" is a popular song written by Paul Anka in 1960 for Annette Funicello, whom he was dating at the time. Clip

68. Campground sights : TENTS

69. War journalist Ernie : PYLE

Down:

1. Satirist Sahl : MORT

2. Jai __ : ALAI

4. Detective's breakthrough : HOT LEAD

5. Tax season VIP : CPA

6. Mascara target : LASH

7. Start the poker pot : ANTE

8. Actress Sorvino : MIRA

9. Sacred Egyptian beetle : SCARAB

10. Male turkey : GOBBLER

11. Rights org. : ACLU. (American Civil Liberties Union)

12. Son of Odin : THOR

13. Chrysler __ & Country : TOWN. Van.

21. Nightmare street of film : ELM

23. Mah-jongg pieces : TILES

25. "Elephant Boy" actor : SABU. India-born actor of 1940's movie fame making a rare Monday appearance.

27. Blood bank participant : DONOR

28. Washer phase : CYCLE

29. Manager's "Now!" : "ASAP!". (As soon as possible)

31. Be wild about : ADORE

32. Update, as a kitchen : REDO

33. Physically fit : BUFF

35. Israeli diplomat Abba : EBAN

38. Brownish-green eye color : HAZEL

39. Blog update : POST

42. Scrolls source : DEAD SEA

44. "Pipe down!" : "ZIP IT UP!". (snicker)

46. Spotted wildcat : OCELOT

48. Hightail it : LAM

51. Million: Pref. : MEGA

52. Golfer's choice : IRON

53. Unpleasantly moist : DANK

54. Medieval spiked club : MACE

55. Prayer finish : "AMEN"

58. And others: Lat. : ET AL.

59. Clinton's 1996 opponent : DOLE. Bob Dole.

62. BP checkers : RNs. (blood pressure/registered nurse)

Argyle

Sunday November 16, 2014 Drew Banneman

Theme:  "PC Lab" - C is changed into P in the starting letter of each theme entry. All first words go through spelling changes.

24A. Challenge for one with an array of walking sticks? : CANE MANAGEMENT. Pain management.

26A. Perspective on a heist? : CAPER VIEW. Pay-per -view.

52A. Farmer? : CROPPER NOUN. Proper noun. Somehow I thought "cropper" is a machine.

 

71A. Sweatshirt part with wrinkles? : CREASED HOOD. Priesthood.

95A. Anthracite storage site? : COAL VAULT. Pole vault.

100A. Judge? : COURT AUTHORITY. Port authority.

33D. '40s-'50s first lady with her dog? : CORGI AND BESS. Porgy and Bess.

37D. Place for a collection of pub mementos? : COASTER BOARD. Poster board.

There are ten P's in the grid, but none in the theme answer. 

Sound changes all occur in the first letter, all have spelling changes. You would think CAIN MANAGEMENT works for the first theme entry, but it doesn't. It would break the spelling change consistency.

Lots of creativity and hard work went into today's theme selection. No USA-style loosey goosey two BAR contained in front & one isolated in the back as Argyle highlighted two days ago. Rich would have rejected that puzzle immediately.

Across:   

1. Don Rickles specialty : INSULT. Not my cup of tea.

7. Really wants : ACHES FOR

15. Reykjavik-born singer : BJORK. Aren't glad the answer is not Reykjavik?

20. Be relevant : MATTER

21. Sophist's forte : RHETORIC

22. Geometry measures : RADII

23. God, in Hebrew : ADONAI. Same root as Adonis.

28. Display aid : RACK

29. Chou En-__ : LAI. Loyal to Mao until the end.

30. Many a comic book collector : NERD

31. At a Lakers home game, e.g. : IN LA

32. Mortgage limitation : RATE CAP

36. Large chamber groups : OCTETS

39. Novelist Nin : ANAIS

40. Granite State campus: Abbr. : UNH

41. Hockey immortal : ORR. He'll always be a solid fill in my book. Same with OTT.

42. Hair cover : SNOOD

43. Former boxer Ali : LAILA

44. Adventurer Jones, familiarly : INDY. Indiana Jones.

45. 85-Across rival : RKO. And 85. 45-Across rival : MGM. I like when one of them is clued.

46. Writers' degs. : MFAs

47. God of lightning : THOR

49. Barrage from bleacher "birds" : BOOS

50. Opposin' : AGIN

51. Oktoberfest rocks : EIS. Ice.

56. Edge : BRINK

57. Session with a model, maybe : ART CLASS. And 42. Paint problem : SMEAR

59. Ore holders : VEINS

60. Pond growth : ALGA

61. Put back in : RE-ELECT

62. Clued in about : HIP TO

63. Clobber : TROUNCE

66. Like some collectibles : RARE. I like this better than his rookie card.

67. After-school helper : TUTOR. Hi Bill!

68. Joined : SIGNED UP

69. Man with a cube : RUBIK

73. Pal : BRO

74. Minuscule bit : ATOM

75. Hail in a harbor : AHOY

76. Baltimore-to-Dover direction : EAST

77. Set an example : LEAD

78. Mauna __ : KEA

79. Not out of the game : IN IT

80. Swiss peak : EIGER

83. Social division : CASTE

84. Stumble : ERR

86. One in a firing line? : AX MAN. Oh, Donald Trump style firing.

87. Just look : BROWSE. My specialty.

89. Fountain order : SODA POP

91. Tach readings : RPMs

92. North Sea feeder : YSER And 94. City west of Caen : ST. LO

93. Seminary subj. : REL

105. One may evoke ahs in spas : OIL RUB. Never had an oil rub.

106. Noted Beethoven interpreter Claudio : ARRAU. Guilty of using him in my own puzzles.

107. Rank follower, for short : SERIAL NO. Name, Rank & Serial number.

108. City known for wool : ANKARA. Angora goat is named after Ankara (also known as Angora).

109. Show prizes : TONYs

110. Immaculate : SPOTLESS

111. Test drive offerer : DEALER

Down:

 1. Teacher's Apple : iMAC

2. "De __": "Gracias" response : NADA

3. Point on a train schedule : STOP

4. __ Reader : UTNE

5. Well-educated : LEARNED

6. Hot pot spot : TRIVET. Three-legged. Hot pot is very popular in Xi'An, winter or summer.

7. Like Delaware's northern border : ARCED. Learning moment to me.

8. Tobacco wad : CHAW

9. Farm girl : HEN. Cute clue. We also have 13. Farm sound : OINK.

10. Always there : ETERNAL

11. Mogadishu's land : SOMALIA

 

12. Brawl : FRACAS

14. Color TV pioneer : RCA

15. Like Marilyn Monroe's voice : BREATHY. Wish she had not left Joe DiMaggio.

16. Farr of "M*A*S*H" : JAMIE

17. Dedicatory opus : ODE

18. __ Tin Tin : RIN

19. Word after mess or media : KIT

25. Sweat __ : GLANDS

27. Org. with involved schedules : IRS. Indeed.

31. Pasta suffix : INI

32. Long sentence : RUN-ON

34. Oscar winner Alan : ARKIN

35. Jump with all four feet off the ground, gazelle-style : PRONK. New word to me. Pronking.

36. Burning : ON FIRE

38. How-__ : TOs

39. Group with many boomers : AARP. Baby boomers.

43. Cuts short : LOPS

44. Promises to pay : IOUs

47. Hint : TRACE

48. Large number : HOST. A host of.

49. U2 frontman : BONO

50. Present in court : ARGUE

52. Store employee : CLERK

53. 1980 Tony winner for Best Musical : EVITA. More familiar with the 1996 Madonna film.

54. Some picked-up pickups, briefly : REPOs

55. Brit's saltpeter : NITRE

 

56. Fair-haired : BLOND

58. Assertion : CLAIM

60. Specialized jargon : ARGOT

62. "Hip to Be Square" rocker Lewis : HUEY

63. Familia members : TIOS. Uncles. I call my mom's brother "Jiu", but I call my dad's brother "Da". Different words for aunts also: "Yi" for mom's sister, "Gu" for dad's sister.  All my Jiu, Da, Yi and Gu had arranged marriages, same as my own parents.

64. Manage, as a museum : CURATE

65. Lyrical work : EPODE

67. Home run run : TROT

68. __-Pei : SHAR

69. Lawn maintenance tools : RAKES

70. In __: awaiting delivery : UTERO

71. Bonzo, in a '51 film : CHIMP

72. "Paula's Home Cooking" host : DEEN. Paula Deen. Southern Cooking is foreign to me.

75. Zambia neighbor : ANGOLA

77. __ school : LAW

79. Driving force : IMPETUS

80. Use : EXPLOIT

81. Wicked : IMMORAL

82. Freeway sign word : GAS

83. Like crows : CORVINE. Also a new word to me.

86. Joint: Pref. : ARTHRO. Boomer put Knox gelatin in his coffee yesterday. I heard it takes 3 weeks to notice the effect. Do you have any tip to relieve the old age arthritis pain?

87. Org. with Eagles : BSA

88. Prepare for more shooting : RELOAD

90. Impressive spread : ARRAY

92. Toys on strings : YO-YOs

94. Pace : STEP

95. Warehouse stack: Abbr. : CTNS (Cartons)

96. Commercial word with Seltzer : ALKA

97. Caspian feeder : URAL

98. Attract : LURE

99. One way to get to the top : T-BAR

100. "'Meow' means 'woof' in __": Carlin : CAT

101. Gold, to Gomez : ORO

102. Server with a spigot : URN

103. __ Arizona : USS

104. One may be seen from La Tour Eiffel : ILE. French for "isle".

Happy Birthday to Ergo (Husker Chuck). Chuck is the author of these three books. Gary is an expert in "Nursing the Corn" :-)  Hope you all have a chance to meet someday. Also, Chuck, why did you choose Ergo as your avatar handle?

C.C.

Saturday, Nov 15th, 2014, Barry C. Silk

Theme: Saturday Silkie~!

Words: 70 (missing Q,W)

Blocks: 26

Well, I figured it was time for a beating from a Barry Silk puzzle, and he did not disappoint.  This one took me my full personal time, plus I needed red-letter help to see where I went horribly wrong.  Some very clever mis-direction, plus a solid set of shady Saturday clues that drained my brain - but I loved it~!  Triple 10-letter pinwheel, with two sets of 6/7/8-letter stacks and a low block count made this one enjoyable - but I will admit to a cringe moment.  Some of the longer answers;

11a. Key of Brahms' Symphony No. 4 : E min - so I threw in the "M" and waited; the second part is typically 'MAJ' or 'MIN', and the first part is A,B,C,D,E,F, or G - easy, right?

13d. At all : IN THE LEAST - oh, so vague

55a. Device used in WWII pilot training : TRAMPOLINE - I just learned that this man was the inventor

28. Psychic : MIND READER - I had the reader part, but wanted PALM, CARD, etc.

OR WA ND~!

ACROSS:

 1. Emergency beeper : SMOKE ALARM - Dah~!  I was stuck in volunteer fire-fighter mode - I have a buddy of mine who carries an emergency beeper with him at all times

15. Former Lagos-based carrier : AIR NIGERIA - I went with ---- AIR, and I was in the right frame of thinking, but bass-ackwards

16. "__ Girl": 2012 best-seller : GONE - took too long to remember this

17. Item on a therapist's office table, maybe : KLEENEX BOX - vague, but a good one

18. Airing : ON TV - I got it, but "phew"

19. Coin feature : EDGE - head, tail, face

20. Xi preceders : NUs

21. Cuthbert of "Happy Endings" : ELISHA

23. Florida pros : BUCs - ah, the football team; I should have known better with the abbr of pros; I was thinking RAYS

25. Like cockatoos : CRESTED - the original "mohawk"

26. Plain : HOMELY

29. Smoke shop choice : PANATELA - Cigars are measured by length and ring size;  I smoke these, which measure 4 x 30 (cigarillos)

30. Term coined by Dior : A-LINE - dress shape, and I did not know this

31. Capital of Belarus : MINSK - I had the M and K in place, and so I took an educated WAG

32. __ room : REC

33. Zest : RIND - ah, the part of the fruit, not the enthusiasm definition - I went with ELAN

34. Sole piece : FILET - ARGH~!  I was so stuck on shoes and sneakers, I never caught onto the 'fish' concept

35. Starbucks offering : CHAI - OK, their tea

36. Commonly rented item : DVD - ah, not "CAR" - seemed common enough

37. Nook reads : ZINES - Meh.  In fact, meh again.  I went with EBOOK, which did not jive with the plural of the clue, and then EMAGS, and that makes more sense than ZINES

38. Raise : HOIST

39. Nightingale and others : HEROINES - referring to Florence, not the bird

41. Full of grime : SMUTTY - I tried FILTHY, but we're looking for the grime more commonly found in, say, Hustler

42. Discharged : EGESTED

43. Ultra Set Trap maker : d-CON - 4 letters and a "trap"~? Try d-CON

44. Qatar locale : ARABIA

45. Word after Premier or Grand : CRU - Winery term; the Wiki

46. Like roulette wheels : SPUN - ah, very clever

50. Extinct dove relative : DODO

51. Food fit for a queen bee : ROYAL JELLY - learning moment for me; the Wiki

54. At any time : EVER

56. "Nebraska" Oscar nominee : DERN - Bruce, and he won "Best Actor" for his role at the Cannes Film festival

57. Hill prize : SENATE SEAT

DOWN:  

1. Benefit : SAKE - as in "for the --- of...."

2. Not so hot : MILD - not WARM, not COLD, more like the spice of your sauce

3. Wash. neighbor : OREGon - see Onward~!

4. Calisthenics exercise : KNEE BEND

5. Article for Nietzsche : EIN - not "DER"

6. Bureau : AGENCY - I started the Castle Home Inspection AGENCY, but it's not a bureau - the FBI is a better example

7. F Sport maker : LEXUS - I was stuck in "FORD" mode, since their trucks are F-series

8. Wall St. figures : ARBS - arbitrators

9. __ Negro: Amazon tributary : RIO - WAG

10. "Castor and Pollution" artist : MAX ERNST - nice play on the constellation Gemini and the twins, Castor & Pollux

11. Not exactly the modest type : EGOIST

12. Smash : MONSTER HIT

14. California Gold Rush town : NEVADA CITY - and a semi-clecho 31d. Worked in a rush? : MINED

22. Intelligence failure : LEAK

24. Diminutive suffix : ULE - um, like miniscule~?

25. Rabologist's collection : CANES - another vague reference; some Pinterest

26. Stubborn : HARD-HEADED

27. Oil producer : OLIVE GROVE

29. A lot : PILES - vague

34. Certain master's area : FINE ARTS

35. Advises : COUNSELS

37. Ristorante order : ZITI

38. Ins. plan : HMO

40. "South Pacific" screenwriter Paul : OSBORN

41. Carve : SCULPT

43. Play, maybe : DRAMA - vague; could have been the "fun" definition of play

45. Color in the four-color process : CYAN

47. Barre move : PLIE

48. It's out on a limb : ULNA - very clever; the bone in your arm (limb)

49. Duma vote : NYET - Россия

52. Source of iron : ORE

53. Louis in a ring : JOE

Splynter

Friday, November 14, 2014, Steve Salmon

Theme: I loved this puzle (sic). It was awsome (sic). I had to fight with my computer to stop the correcting of the theme answers.

I believe this is the LAT debut of Mr. Salmon (the other pink meat) who has created a few NYT over the years. The five theme answers each have a common spelling mistake where a letter is omitted. How many of these do each of you get wrong? The missing letters can be silent in speech so they do not trigger an immediate sense of error. Initially I tried to make a secondary (meta) answer from the missing letters but can only come up with the anagram RUNGS from the missing letters, and there is no ladder tie in, so I guess they are just letters missing from misspelling. I do like the symmetry of theme 1/3/5 all missing a double letter and 2/4 missing a new letter. Another puzzle with many cheater squares (8) but a Fridayish word count and some nice words like ALLEGRO, ECUADOR, GLISTEN, OLD SALT, TIMPANI, AUGUSTAN, EYELINER, IN BACK OF, OFF RAMPS.
Okay, let's cast our lines and see what we catch...

17A. Making flush : EMBARRASSING (11). I often forget the double R, which in itself is....

32A. Feature of some jellyfish : FLUORESCENCE (11). If you can remember the element FLUORINE (at. no. 9) you will spell this one correctly. The only fishy clue.

24A. Pushy : AGGRESSIVE (9). RUG? Needed perp help.

46A. Administration : GOVERNMENT (9). I recall kids in school making this error, but the way the word is said is regional and some pronounce the "N" (me fore example) so this one was tricky. Listening to the news, I hear the word without the N as the dominant rendition.

52A. This puzzle's five longest answers are common ones : MISSPELLINGS (11). For a moment I was looking for a 5th (albeit 6th) misspelling, tricked by the reveal also being part of the theme. I thought that was great.

Across:

1. Arguing : AT IT. Can you believe the juxtaposition of this multi-dimensional fill with...

5. Colored part of the iris : AREOLA. A word this Corner associates with a woman and a lily.

11. Fold call : BAA. Cute poker misdirection.

14. Ho Chi __ : MINH. The life and times of this REVOLUTIONARY  present an interesting historical lesson.

15. Caribbean stopover : NASSAU. Our back yard, here in So. Fla.

16. Munic. official : Alderman. Most cities now have commissioners or councilmen but the ABBREVIAION is accepted.

19. Army E-5, e.g. : NCO. Non-Commissioned Officer.

20. You can usually see right through them : PANES. Nice misdirection.

21. Country named for its location : ECUADOR. Meaning 'of the Equator' in Spanish; I do not know where the term equator comes from though it sounds like it has a common stem with equal. The COUNTRY is a bit of an enigma with a socialist democracy.

23. Picnic contest gear : SACKS. Such as the ones used in the three-legged race.

26. Signs : INKS. LeBron inked his deal to go back to Cleveland.

27. Son, to Sartre : FILS. Simple French.

28. London gallery : TATE. We have seen this fill often, and maybe Steve and NC can share some personal moments at the Tate.

29. Obit bit : BIOgraphy. Which might be about...

30. Exiled Amin : IDI.

31. Test area : LAB.

37. Things to consider : IFS. Nice clue.

38. Golf club part : TOE. I do not associate the word with golf, though obviously I have hit it off the toe of a club. I found this one hard.

39. Thanksgiving staple : YAM. Are yours candied? Or are they sweet potatoes?

42. Instant : JIFF. Does Jiffy really need an abbreviation?

44. Suffix indicating absence : LESS. meaningless clue.

45. Blend : MELD. Pinochle anyone?

48. Selling points : MALLS. Modern misdirection.

49. Seasoned seaman : OLD SALT. I presume from the saltiness of the Ocean.

50. Willies-causing : EERIE.

51. Broadcast : AIR. Radio and TV.

56. Island loop : LEI.

57. Pre-WWII pope : PIUS XI. I do remember XII. Roman numerals.

58. Adopted great-nephew of Claudius : NERO. A great way to learn about these two and other Roman Emperors is watching this PBS series as I did back in the 70's. More Roman fill.

59. Initials seen at Indy : STP. They say it was named for Scientifically Treated Petroleum, and became famous when endorsed by Andy Granatelli and his driver Mario Andretti. I like Standard Temperature and Pressure.

60. Drinks daintily : SIPS ON.

61. Expected 2015 MLB returnee : A-ROD. He has made it clear he wants back on the Yankees and he has a contract. Imagine, you lose Jeter but  get A-rod.

Down:

 1. __ Zion Church : AME. African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. I had this before or I would not have been able to answer; a Friday piece of knowledge. LINK.

2. Symphonic set : TIMPANI. Fancy name for kettle drums used in orchestras.

3. Behind : IN BACK OF. Literal.

4. Response to a helper : THANKS. So simple.

5. Literary collections : ANAS.
an·a ¹  (n, än)

n. pl. ana or an·as

1. A collection of various materials that reflect the character of a person or place: definitive ana of the early American West.

2. An item in such a collection.

6. Dorm minders, for short : RAS. Resident Advisers.

7. Sicilian capital? : ESS. The Capital "S" at the beginning of the word.

8. Willows for wickerwork : OSIERS. A botanical fact and a Friday word as well.

9. Camelot weapon : LANCE. King Arthur had to be careful of his wife to be sure she did not Lance a lot.

10. Like the works of Virgil and Horace : AUGUSTAN. A Golden Age of LITERATURE. Another reference to old Rome.

11. Crook : BANDIT.

12. Nook : ALCOVE. Not a cranny.

13. Worship : ADORE.

18. Attorney's thing : RES. More Latin.

22. Easy __ : AS ABC. We just had "as pie."

23. Jacob, to Esau, for short : SIBling.

24. Hill helper : AIDE. Refers to Capitol Hill and the aides to the Senators, etc.

25. What icicles do in the sun : GLISTEN.

27. Douglas and others : FIRS. Oh Tannenbaum, almost time for the tree shopping.

31. Sediment : LEES. Not to be confused with TRUB. Despite my children's involvement in the beer and wine industry, I did not know this TERM.

33. "__ Little Ironies": Thomas Hardy collection : LIFE'S. never read them.

34. Some exits : OFF RAMPS. Not 'of framps', relating to one of Peter Frampton's guitars.

35. Run to : COST. Took me a long time to get to, how much is repairing my car going to run to.

36. Goth makeup : EYELINER. My youngest hung out with some of these young ladies in High School.

40. Score direction : ALLEGRO. I will let JzB explain this slowly.

41. HMO group : MDS. Medical Doctors.

42. City SW of Chicago : JOLIET. Somehow I always associate this city with the old Untouchables TV series.

43. ICU hookup : IV DRIP. Intravenous Drip. More Latin meaning within the vein.

44. Eases : LETS UP.

45. Place with berth rights : MARINA. An old puzzle pun.

46. Shootout successes : GOALS. In Hockey and Soccer to settle ties after overtime.

47. Mid-11th-century year : MLIII.

48. Harris of "thirtysomething" : MEL. One of the early big ensemble cast dramas.

50. Tiger's ex : ELIN. I gave her pictures last time.

53. Ltr. afterthoughts : PSS. More Latin, Post Scriptum.

54. Outside: Pref. : EXO.

55. Astrodome field's lack : SOD. What a convoluted clue for grass.

Well we have lots of Latin, and old Roman, two Roman numerals and a consistent theme and some challenging fill. Sounds like what a Friday should be. Thanks for coming our way Mr. S. and thank you all for being here. Lemonade out.