Thursday, December 4, 2014 Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: Female Vocalists

Usually when I am doing a puzzle that I will blog, I try to see where the theme is going as I solve. This one totally eluded me until I came to the reveal at 37-Across. "Feature shared by the women vocalists concealed in 17-, 29-, 45- and 59-Across" : ONE NAME. I loved this puzzle - a tribute to 4 extremely talented and brilliant females. And best of all, it gives me an excuse to link more than one YouTube video!

17-Across. Oft-pickled fish : ATLANTIC HERRING. CHER's successful career has spanned nearly fifty years, and she is still going strong. Even after 21 studio albums, she still came up with something new to top the charts, with "Believe."

29-Across. Educational stage : GRADE LEVEL. ADELE is the baby of the bunch, with her breakthrough album released only in 2008. I've been a big fan ever since she caught my attention with "Rolling In the Deep."

45-Across. Keep out : DENY ACCESS.  ENYA started her career in 1980. She gained worldwide recognition with her "Watermark" album in 1988 containing the hit "Orinoco Flow."

59-Across. Comes to terms : NEGOTIATES A DEAL. I can't believe that SADE has been around since the 80's.  Her "Smooth Operator" debuted in 1983.

Update: There is a bonus one-named singer hiding in the theme entries. ONE NAME hides NENA, who famously sang "99 Luftballons." [With a big tip of the hat to Jerome for spotting that one!]

Across

1. Barge, for one : SCOW.

5. Go up to one's ankles : WADE. And 30-Down. Wade's opponent : ROE. Well, I guess if I were a fish egg, I wouldn't want anyone tromping all over me, either.  ;-)

(Of course, some anon. will correct me and say the clue/answer refers to the famous 1973 Supreme Court case involving the right to abortion. I like my version better.)

9. Saw to a seat : LED IN. Thank goodness, it wasn't "ushed"...

14. Launder : WASH.

15. Obi-Wan portrayer : ALEC.

Guinness

16. Maine college town : ORONO.

20. Kit for Mr. Fixit : TOOL SET. Anyone else want TOOL "box," before checking perps??

21. Bygone : OLD.

22. London facilities : LOO.

23. Otologist's concern : EAR.

24. Cartoon still : CEL.  This collectible CEL of 25-Across. Studious-looking dwarf : DOC. goes for $2,125.

DOC

26. Strikes out : FANS. I believe this is a baseball term, implying the "fanning" motion of the batter as he attempts to hit, but misses, the pitch charged as the third strike.

33. Part of a Latin trio : AMO. He is, of course, the lead singer. Amas plays bass and Amat is on drums. ;-)

34. Subatomic particle : MUON.

35. Colleague of Sonia and Clarence : ELENA. Supreme Court justices Sotomayor, Thomas and Kagan.

36. Musical dir. : RIT.artando. Gradually decrease the tempo to let morons like me keep up with the beat.

40. P & L column : YTD. Year To Date.

41. Not from around here : ALIEN.

43. Word in a dramatic warning : IDES. "Beware..."

44. Shout for the picador : OLÉ.

48. Bargains : BUYS. And they are often 50-Across. Bargain bin abbr. : IRR.egular.

49. Blvd. cousin : AVE.nue.

51. Big __ : SUR.

53. "So that's your game!" : OHO. This and 55-Across were my two writeovers. I had "Aha!" at first.

54. Had a little lamb : ATE.

55. "Just walk away" : LET IT BE. I wanted to LET IT go...

62. Razz : TAUNT.

63. Ordering aid : MENU. Eyeglasses help, also.

64. Sea birds : ERNS.

65. "Waiting for Lefty" playwright : ODETS.

66. Cad's comeuppance : SLAP.

67. Fries, say : SIDE.



Down

1. Rescue acronym : SWAT. Special Weapons And Tactics.

2. Roman statesman : CATO.

3. Capital once called Christiania : OSLO.

4. They have very big calves : WHALES. I laughed out loud when this one filled in.

5. Super Soaker, e.g. : WATERGUN. It was originally called the "Power Drencher."

6. Ended a flight : ALIT.

7. Cal. page : DEC.ember.  Where did this year go???

8. Bounced off the walls : ECHOED. Oh, sounds.  I was thinking of a kid on a sugar high.

9. "Downton Abbey" title : LORD.

10. Drop the ball : ERR.

11. 1964 Ronettes hit : DO I LOVE YOU. Sorry, Ronettes: Cher, Enya, Adele and Sade have already upstaged you!

12. How an embarrassing question may be asked : INNOCENTLY.

13. "Mission aborted" : NO GO.

18. Org. chronicled in "The Puzzle Palace" : NSA. National Security Agency.

19. Glamour rival : ELLE.

24. More crafty : CANNIER.

25. Sci-fi author Lester __ Rey : DEL.

26. Capacitance unit : FARAD.

27. Well in the lead : A MILE AHEAD. How is your favorite team doing this year?

28. Passé : NOT IN VOGUE. So last year!

31. Jeans choice : LEES.

32. Stows, as cargo : LADES.

34. "__ Lisa" : MONA.

38. Much of 19- and 48-Down : ADS.

39. Really drops the ball : MESSES UP.

42. Potato spot : EYE. Because "couch" was too long.

46. Credit card issuer : CITI. VISA? Amex? Nope...

47. Beats badly : CREAMS.

48. Magazine with many white dresses : BRIDES.

52. Actress Hagen : UTA.

53. Aware of : ON TO. "OHO, I'm ON TO your tricks!"

54. Court figures: Abbr. : ATTs.

55. Horne on stage : LENA. Horne. Too bad, Lena: you'd be up at the top of the page if you had just one name.

56. Garr on screen : TERI. Sorry Teri, you too. And you don't sing, either. But I do admire your work for the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation.

57. Wedding choice : BAND. 58-Down. "What __ could it be?" : ELSE. Well, it could have been "gown" or "ring" or "food" or...

60. Prov. where the CN Tower is located : ONT. There are two CN towers in Canada, but Alta. was too long.

61. Bus. card number : TEL.ephone. Call me, maybe. (Fun lip sync performance from an unexpected group.)

TaTa!
Marti

Wednesday, December 3rd 2014 Bruce Venzke and Gail Grabowski

Theme: "Alpen Mix" - The first word of the four theme answers is an anagram of these five letters.

17A. Geometry subject : PLANE FIGURE. I'm on one. An Airbus A320, according to "the safety card in the seatback pocket in front of me".

28A. Vertical window dressings : PANEL CURTAINS. I'm not an interior designer, so a new phrase for me. What other kinds of curtains are there?

47A. Carrier based in Kathmandu : NEPAL AIRLINES. Small letter-counting hesitation between LINES and WAYS and then no problem. I'd love to be on an NAL plane to Kathmandu right now, but UAL back to LAX for me.

61A. Place for some exiled prisoners : PENAL COLONY.

Hi all - Steve here, en route home from a visit to Mexico. I still don't understand why there isn't an internet cable trailing out of the back of the airplane and I can still do this! Thoroughly enjoyable puzzle from Gail and Bruce, and I was able to make a fifth anagram from the letters - "Alpen" is a muesli from the UK, so a perfect "mixture" theme title (for me, anyway!).

No "reveal" entry either leaving us to figure it out for ourselves - I didn't see the theme until I was finished, so it was a nice "aha" when I looked for it. Word of the day for me was QUIRKINESS - it was my final fill and all the nicer for trying to puzzle out an odd letter combination.

Across:

1. Quizmaster's request : ANSWER. Seems a little curt for a "request".

7. Enjoy the sun : BASK. I have to confess I've been doing a bit of this over the last few days.

11. Four times a day, in an Rx : QID. OK, if you say so. No clue.

14. Whodunit plot element : MOTIVE. Professor Plum in the library with the lead pipe. Is there a motive in "Clue"? It's so long since I've played the game. It's called "Cluedo" in England, by the way.

15. Aunt Bee's grandnephew : OPIE

16. Verse starter? : UNI. Universe.


19. Portfolio holding, briefly : IRA

20. Upset : SORE

21. Cards with pics : ID'S

22. Cuban bandleader __ Prado, "King of the Mambo" : PEREZ. Here's a quick taste of "Mambo No. 5" in "True Stereo". I think the vocal track needs a little work though.

24. Western tie : BOLO

26. Haughty look : SMIRK

32. LPGA garment : SKORT, Great clue for an odd wardrobe item

34. "Do it, __ will!" : OR I

35. Lose one's cool : SNAP

36. Bud : PAL

37. Where many pioneers headed : OUT WEST

41. U.K. record label : EMI. "Electric and Music Industries Ltd." founded in 1931. (Yes, I had to look that up).

42. More than enough : A LOT

44. Scoreboard letters : RHE. I'm slowly learning. Runs, Hits, Errors. Baseball! Here's the scoreboard from my hometown Dodger Stadium:

45. Initial stage : ONSET

51. Autumn stones : OPALS

52. "What __?" : OF IT

53. "Never needs sharpening" brand : GINSU

55. Certain Ivy Leaguer : ELI

56. Senator Cochran of Mississippi : THAD. Nice to meet you Mr. Thad Cochran.

60. Special forces weapon : UZI

65. Sneaker part : TOE

66. Work on film : EDIT

67. Carol opening : ADESTE. I read today that there's actually a statute dating from 1938 in New York (usually ignored) that you can't sell Christmas trees until December 1st. I'd like to see a statute that you can't play Christmas carols on any public PA until December 24th, and you must stop on December 26th. Bah humbug!

68. '60s antiwar org. : S.D.S.

69. Knocks : RAPS

70. Stacked like Tupperware : NESTED. Not mine, however hard I try. Jumbled in the cupboard with mismatched lids. How does that happen?

Down:

1. Music boosters : AMPS

2. Brief legal plea : NOLO. I think it's short for "Nolo Contendere" but I'm not going to commit to that until I consult with my attorney. I know my rights.

3. Rating symbol : STAR

4. Place offering two-ounce servings : WINE BAR. 2 ozs? That's not even a taste!

5. December 24, e.g. : EVE. Today you can play Adeste Fideles in public, according to Steve's Law.

6. Send an amended 1040, say : RE-FILE

7. Swampy spots : BOGS

8. Calcutta Tech grad on "The Simpsons" : APU

9. Respectful title : SIR

10. "That's yours now" : KEEP IT

11. Eccentricity : QUIRKINESS

12. Memo leadoff : INRE. I'd really like to use this intro, but somehow it doesn't seem appropriate in an email. If we ever went back to typewriters and inter-office memoranda I'd jump at the chance.

13. Cameron of "Bad Teacher" : DIAZ

18. Much-admired one : IDOL

23. Significant stretches : ERAS

25. Not fooled by : ON TO

26. "Fine by me" : SURE

27. Hosp. diagnostics : M.R.I.S

28. Rides during chukkers : POLO PONIES.

29. Cringe : COWER

30. Parents' selection : NAME

31. Polish partner : SPIT

32. Wing measurement : SPAN. They're measured by the bucket in Buffalo, I hear.

33. Farmers' market veggie : KALE

38. River to the Caspian : URAL

39. What we have here : THIS. Cue "Cool Hand Luke" clip.

40. Singer Braxton : TONI

43. Pub hardware : TAPS

46. Plants with stinging hairs : NETTLES. A summertime hazard all over England when I was growing up. You can make nettle soup, but it never tasted of much.

48. "Time After Time" singer : LAUPER. She has a great voice. I'd link the YouTube video but it comes up with a really annoying kids' video game ad first, so I'll spare you that.

49. Take it easy : LOLL

50. Promiser's caveat : IF I CAN. Seems a little squirrelly to add a caveat to a promise.

53. Inner workings : GUTS

54. Tommy Hilfiger rival : IZOD

55. Works on a sub : EATS

57. Quizmaster, e.g. : HOST. Two quizmasters today.

58. Get in on the deal : ANTE

59. Like purple hair : DYED

62. Child expert LeShan : EDA

63. Something in the air, perhaps : NIP

64. Laudatory work : ODE

That's it from me today. California's getting some welcome rain, let's see how many mudslides are triggered - hopefully nothing serious.

Steve

Tuesday, December 2, 2014 Bernice Gordon

Theme: Sound Alikes - Except for the first letter, all four start with _UMBLE.

17A. Modest abode : HUMBLE HOME

53A. Windblown desert plant : TUMBLEWEED

11D. Folding feature of an old roadster : RUMBLE SEAT

28D. Hogwarts headmaster : DUMBLEDORE

Argyle here with Bernice Gordon, age 100, whose birthday is next month. Fun words, ten letters long, two across, two down. Each set has a compound word, one open, one closed. Good mix in the field, easier than Monday's.

Across:

1. Netherlands export : EDAM

5. "500" initials on Wall Street : S AND P. (Standard and Poor) Index of 500 top companies.

10. Important time periods : ERAs

14. Outfielder Crisp nicknamed for a cereal box character : COCO

15. Acting award : OSCAR

16. Night in Nantes : NUIT

19. Armory supply : AMMO

20. Galena or hematite : ORE

21. Currier's partner : IVES

22. One in a congregation : MEMBER

24. Winnebago owner, briefly : RVer. (recreational vehicle)

25. Defendant in a defamation case : LIBELEE. But no SLANDEREE in the dictionary.

26. More orderly : TIDIER

29. Weak : FEEBLE

30. Grads : ALUMS

31. Tusked porcine animals : BOARS

32. Spot for rest and relaxation : SPA

35. Gimlet fruit : LIME

36. Urge forward : DRIVE

37. Help to withdraw : WEAN

38. Neighbor of Isr. : LEB. (Lebanon)

39. Attorney general under Reagan : MEESE

40. Map out : CHART

41. Seize, as a chance : LEAP AT

43. Grab greedily : SNATCH

44. __ City: Oz locale : EMERALD

46. Tiny energy source : ATOM

47. Title for Bovary and Butterfly : MADAME. Say 39D. Respectful address : MA'AM

48. Landed : ALIT

49. ROTC school near D.C. : VMI. (Virginia Military Institute)

52. Good buds : BROs

56. To be, to Bizet : ÊTRE

57. Prop for Picasso : EASEL

58. Inland Asian sea : ARAL

59. Like Easter eggs : DYED

60. Gin berries : SLOES

61. Lock maker : YALE

Down:

1. Reverberate : ECHO

2. Sullen : DOUR

3. Top : ACME

4. Unruly group : MOB

5. In any way : SO EVER. Usually with "what". Update: Dictionaries prefer "SOEVER" but Google shows much more use of "SO EVER".

6. Peter of Peter and Gordon : ASHER. The red head.

7. Cpls. and sgts. : NCOs

8. Aswan or Hoover : DAM

9. Opening night showing : PREMIERE

10. Tooth cover : ENAMEL

12. Actress Anouk : AIMEE

13. Put away for the future : STORE

18. Exists : LIVES

23. Recedes to the sea : EBBS

24. Hoarfrost : RIME

25. Sailor's time off : LEAVE

26. Hard to believe, as a story : TALL

27. Nastase of tennis : ILIE

29. Force unfairly (on) : FOIST

31. Naan, for example : BREAD

33. Jardin du Luxembourg, par exemple : PARC. It is located in Paris.

34. Lit. collection : ANTH. (anthology)

36. Seriously reduces : DEPLETES

37. "Kapow!" cousin : "WHAM!"

40. 100 bucks : C NOTE

42. Wiped off the board : ERASED

43. Motion picture frames : STILLS

44. Fix firmly : EMBED

45. Title role that won Borgnine a 15-Across : "MARTY". Initial release: April 11, 1955 (New York City)

46. "Tiny Alice" dramatist Edward : ALBEE. Tiny Alice, a three act play, premiered on Broadway on December 29, 1964.

48. "Are not" retort : "AM SO"

49. Wang known for wedding gowns : VERA

50. Supper, e.g. : MEAL

51. Out of a job : IDLE

54. Delta rival: Abbr. : UAL. (United Airlines)

55. Method : WAY

Argyle

Monday, December 1, 2014 C.C. Burnikel

Theme: Feet - Various types of kicks (that you make with your feet).

16A. *Mark of a hothead : QUICK TEMPER. Quick kick - Surprise punt.

38A. *"This space available," in a Pennysaver box : PLACE YOUR AD HERE. Place kick - Placing the ball on the ground at a particular spot and usually kicked for points.

10D. *Relaxed : FREE AND EASY. Free kick - Restart play without any defensive pressure.

24D. *A football referee may throw one : PENALTY FLAG. Penalty kick - One on one, kicker versus goalie.

57A. Foot-operated mechanism on a motorcycle, and what the first word in each answer to a starred clue can be : KICK STARTER. I haven't seen anyone kick start a Harley in sometime. (From C.C.: My original clue is "Giant in crowdfunding, and what the first word in each starred answer is")

Rabbit Rabbit Argyle here. C.C. getting her kicks. (I hope she's feeling better) Grid span surrounded by long theme answers. Some unexpected difficulties.

Across:

1. Greenhouse growth : PLANT

6. Condescending one : SNOB

10. Take wing : FLY

13. Andrea __: sunken ocean liner : DORIA

14. "So I was wrong!" : "SUE ME!"

15. Actor Stephen : REA. Have we learned him yet?

18. "A mouse!" : "EEK!"

19. Remain fresh : KEEP

20. North African port city : ALGIERS

22. Regret one's 32-Acrosses : REPENT of 32A. Admission in a confessional : SIN

25. Cavs, on scoreboards : CLE. (Cleveland)

26. Blurt out : SAY

27. Figure skating jump : AXEL

28. NYC airport named for a mayor : LGA. Fiorello La Guardia was New York City's mayor from 1934 to 1945.

30. One of two matching beds : TWIN

33. Hotelier Helmsley : LEONA. 'Queen of Mean'

35. Lady's title : MADAM

41. Peddles : SELLS

42. Fight mementos : SCARS

43. Crunched muscles : ABs

44. Dog who reveals the Wizard : TOTO. Still not in Kansas.

46. Netherlands airline : KLM

47. Those, to Pedro : ESOS

48. Procedure: Abbr. : SYS. (system)

49. Stamp sellers, briefly : POS

51. Ancient scrolls : PAPYRI Written on paper made from papyrus.

53. Takes over, like termites : INFESTS

55. Menu item : DISH

56. Baseball's "Iron Man" Ripken : CAL. Ripken broke Lou Gehrig's record for consecutive games played, a record that had stood for 56 years and many deemed unbreakable. Cal had 2632 consecutive games. 2D. Baseball's "Iron Horse" Gehrig : LOU. 2130 consecutive games.

62. Pitcher's stat : ERA. (Earned Run Average)

63. Online letter : E-MAIL

64. Accord automaker : HONDA

65. Brain scan, for short : EEG

66. Put on notice : WARN

67. Being hauled to the garage : [IN TOW]. Often a sign in the back window.

Down:

1. ASAP cousin : PDQ. (As Soon As Possible/Pretty Damn Quick)

3. Tycoon Onassis : ARI. The Greek who married Jackie.

4. Five-cent coin : NICKEL

5. Unavailable : TAKEN

6. Total : SUM

7. Himalayan country : NEPAL

8. Brunch order : OMELET

9. Arctic hazard : BERG

11. Suspicious : LEERY

12. Chews the fat : YAKS

14. Back-to-school mo. : SEP. (September)

17. Lipton shelfmate : TETLEY. Teas.

21. Basketball Hall of Famer Thomas : ISIAH. Update: On top is ISIAH, on the bottom, ISAIAH. He was named after the Hall of Famer but his father is James Thomas. Thanks go out to Jim P. and Lime Rickey and Middletown Bomber for straightening things out.

 

 

22. Filing tools : RASPS

23. Formally banish : EXILE

25. Vancouver NHL team : CANUCKS

29. Baby talk syllables : GOOs

31. Alleged Iraqi arsenal, for short : WMDs. (weapon of mass destruction)

33. "__ we forget" : LEST

34. Sea divided by shrinkage : ARAL

36. Leafy recess : ARBOR

37. FC Barcelona soccer star Lionel : MESSI. Knows how to kick.

39. Nearby : CLOSE

40. Deodorant spot : ARMPIT

45. Kia sedan : OPTIMA

47. "Sleepless in Seattle" director Nora : EPHRON

48. Game trap : SNARE

50. "The Odd Couple" slob : OSCAR. (Oscar Madison)

52. Japanese beer brand : ASAHI

53. Slurpee alternative : ICEE

54. Distort : SKEW

55. Broadband letters : DSL. Better than dial-up.

58. Family : KIN

59. Blasting material : TNT

60. Tokyo, long ago : EDO

61. Like unprocessed data : RAW

Argyle

Sunday November 30, 2014 Michele Kane

Theme: "Résumés" - Each theme answer is in the pattern of C* V* (Curriculum Vitae).

 

23A. Apple product : CIDER VINEGAR. Bragg's raw cider vinegar is very good.

42A. Modern security threat : COMPUTER VIRUS. Dave, did you get the Vosteran out?

62A. What most coupons lack : CASH VALUE. This intersects 62D. I'm always happy when this happens.

76A. Election night drama : CLOSE VOTE. This intersect 17D.

94A. Lustrous fabric :CRUSHED VELVET. Oh, I did not know there's a term for this kind of fabric.

119A. "Glee" song, e.g. : COVER VERSION

17D. Technique employed on many police shows : CINEMA VERITE. Click here for more info. Realism, sort of.

62D. Stand in a bedroom : CLOTHES VALET

Reveal entry:

119D. Résumés, briefly, and a hint to this puzzle's eight longest answers : CVs

I think this is another LAT debut. Congratulations, Michele!

Simple theme. I grokked the gimmick immediately. I was once quite good at conducting background check. Tricky job to do in those pre-Internet days.

I like the triple stacks of 8's in the upper right and lower left. They're tough to fill cleanly, esp when crossing another long theme entry.

Across:

     

1. Fuss : ACT UP

6. 1622 newlyweds : ALDENS. This is a difficult clue for me.

12. Police show staple : SQUAD CAR

20. One of two capitals on I-84 : BOISE. The other is?

21. Southernmost U.S. state : HAWAII. My first fill.

22. With strong desire : HUNGRILY

25. Kept : RETAINED

26. Block : STYMIE

27. Slippery fish : EEL

28. Outer space feature : NO AIR

29. Genesis woman : EVE

30. Convinces : SELLS

32. Lullaby-like Chopin work : BERCEUSE. Never heard of this word before. You?

35. USA part: Abbr. : AMER

36. __ Dhabi : ABU

38. Traffic cop's gp.? : DEA. Drug traffic.

40. Boisterous : ROWDY

41. Lunes, por ejemplo : DIA

47. Anatomy feature in a '50s musical nickname : PELVIS. What musical?

50. Deejay Casey : KASEM

51. Perceptive : KEEN

52. Pittsburgh's __ Park : PNC. Pirates' home. How's going, PA Don?

54. Like a sick student, probably : ABSENT

55. Queequeg feature, briefly : TAT (Tattoo)

57. Salt in a lab : NaCL

59. Eye-fooling pictures : OP ART

61. "Of Human Bondage" (1934) studio : RKO

64. Canine complaint : WOOF

65. Nada, in Nice : RIEN

 

66. Firmly fixed : WELL-SET

68. Slo-mo studier : REF

70. "I don't think so" : NICE TRY! Nice 7-letter entry.

72. Calendario units : ANOS

73. Consider : DEEM

79. Tippler : SOT

80. Loren's husband Carlo : PONTI. Gimme for me.

81. Jalopy : HEAP

82. Bambi relative : ENA

83. Sore : ACHING

85. Annual reason for losing sleep: Abbr. : DST

87. French 101 word : ETRE

89. New Look creations : DIORs

93. Future doctor's work, maybe : THESIS

97. D.C. bigwig : SEN

98. Pauley Pavilion player : BRUIN. UCLA Bruins.

100. Ike's command : ETO

101. Joseph of ice cream fame : EDY

102. Draining aid : EAVE

104. Cheapest way in : FREE PASS. Had I known FOLIO (104D. First __: Shakespeare collection), I would have nailed this long entry.

107. Goldsmith's "The __ of Wakefield" : VICAR

110. As per : A LA

111. Haunted house noises : MOANS

112. "Got it!" : AHA

114. Balmoral attraction : CASTLE. For the Royal family.

117. Risked perjury charges : TOLD A LIE

122. Precise : UNERRING

123. Fast tempo : VIVACE. Got via crosses.

124. Showed entirely : BARED

125. MLB All-Century Team outfielder : PETE ROSE. He was out lunch when Boomer and I passed by that sports store between Mandalay bay & Luxor where he was signing autographs. Holy cow, TTP, no one cared about him there. No waiting line despite the big promotional posters.

126. Sneaky devil : SLY FOX

127. Diving ducks : SMEWS

Down:

1. Basics : ABCs

2. San Francisco's __ Tower : COIT

3. Enviable assets : TIDY SUMS. Great entry as well.

4. "I'm available" : USE ME

5. Jeopardy : PERIL

6. Sushi bar selection : AHI

7. "Penny __" : LANE

8. Social misfit : DWEEB

9. Three on a 47-Down : EAGLE. And 47. Long hole : PAR FIVE. I don't think I've ever parred a Par Five hole.

10. Actress Vardalos : NIA

11. Title for golf's Nick Faldo : SIR. He uses Sir Nick Faldo for his Twitter handle.

12. Hide from view : SHROUD

13. Like a landlubber on the open sea, say : QUEASY

14. Loosen, in a way : UNTIE

15. Culture medium : AGAR

16. Soft & __: deodorant : DRI

18. Regular "Jeopardy!" sponsor : ALEVE

19. "Girl, Interrupted" star : RYDER (Winona). JOLIE too.

24. African grassland : VELDT

28. Ski resort refresher? : NEW SNOW

31. Look for : SEEK

33. Basic educ. trio : RRR

34. Something to pull off : COUP. I should have nailed it with ?OUP in place.

35. Doesn't feel great : AILS

36. "Oh no!" : ACK

37. Eye-catching wrap : BOA. Why "Eye-catching"?

39. Place to play : ARENA

41. Not a good thing to go into : DEBT. And 56D. Not a good thing to go to : THE DOGS. Does it sound like a long partial to you, Marti?

43. "He loves me" pieces : PETALS

44. Sch. with a Lowell campus : U MASS

45. Italian restaurant choice : VEAL

46. Bring upon oneself : INCUR

48. Comic book artist : INKER

49. Like some beaches : STONY. I wanted SANDY.

53. Naval noncom: Abbr. : CPO

58. Parasite : LEECH

60. Exceptional : A-ONE

63. Dodge Viper engine : V-TEN

65. Stores, markets, etc. : RETAIL

66. Attended : WAS AT

67. Tennyson's "__ Arden" : ENOCH

69. Runs : FLEES

71. __ Nast : CONDE. They own Vogue, The New Yorker Vanity Fair and a bunch of great magazines.

74. LAX listing : ETD

75. Makes a poor stroke : MISCUES

77. Pledge : OATH

78. Shopper's indulgence : SPREE

80. Nabokov title professor : PNIN. Haven't seen him for a long time.

84. "Uh-huh" : I SEE

86. Business __ : TRIP

88. 1999 Ron Howard film : EDtv

90. Exhaust : OVERTIRE. Not a word I use.

91. Sunburn color : RED

92. Farm structure : STY

95. One, to Juanita : UNA

96. Singers' reality show, with "The" : VOICE. No double it helped Adam Levine win the 2013 Sexist Man Alive crown. (Correction: Sexiest. Thanks, D-Otto.)

98. Intelligence : BRAINS. And 105. Intelligence : SAVVY

99. Weasel out : RENEGE

102. Devour : EAT UP. Alas, I can't devour much nowadays. In fact, I had nothing on Thanksgiving. Persistent cough, tired all the time. Various tests ruled out strep throat and virus (my white blood cell count is normal), so the doctor said it might be flu. He said it lasts 7-14 days. Today is #11 day for me. My first ever flu. Coughing night and day is so draining.

103. "In bad company," to Bierce : ALONE. Interesting definition.

106. Paper bundle : SHEAF

108. Dieter's count : CARBS

109. Indian state : ASSAM. Tea/silk.

111. Former golf announcer Dave : MARR. Just found out that he was the father of Golf Channel's Dave Marr.

113. Violist's direction : ARCO. With a bow.

115. MGM co-founder : LOEW

116. Extremes : ENDS

118. Doctor of music? : DRE. Dr Dre.

120. Texas resource : OIL

121. Bug : VEX

C.C. 

Saturday, Nov 29th, 2014, Jeff Chen

Theme: None

Words: 64 (missing F,K,Q,Z)

Blocks: 33

I saw Jeff's name, and cringed - I usually suffer an epic fail when he's the constructor, but I am pleased to announce that I was, in fact, able to beat this one, with a mere 3 seconds to spare on my personal time clock.  Yay~!!  I can feel my brain cells tingling.  I loved the look of this puzzle, a true pinwheel of backwards "block C's", connected via four 10-letter fills, though it does make for a low word/high block count.  The longer fill:

24. Superstitious admonition : DON'T JINX IT - Great fill

9. Court groups : LEGAL TEAMS - Because TENNIS teams was too long

39. Undeveloped areas : OPEN SPACES

26. Ones who are retiring : INTROVERTS - I consider myself an introvert, but I am about 20yrs from retiring - har-har~!

OOO  N     N  W             W     A          RRR    DDD      ~!

O   O  NN  N    W   W   W   A  A        R    R  D    D   ~!
O   O  N  NN      W W W   A  A  A     R R     D D     ~!
OOO  N     N       W  W    A             A   R  R   D        ~!

ACROSS:

1. It's a bluff : SCARP - geological jargon

6. Let it all out, perhaps : BAWL

10. "Yeah, what-evs" : "I BET"

14. Kit and kaboodle : TOTAL

15. She plays Jackie on "Nurse Jackie" : EDIE

16. "99 Luftballons" band : NENA

17. Taqueria adjective : ASADA

18. Tongue specialists? : LINGUISTS - I knew where this was going, but "OLE" at 19d was messing me up; the "O" was making me try to get LEXICOLOGIST to fit

20. Six-Day War setting : SINAI - I knew it involved Israel, but it took a moment for this broader geographical area to occur to me

21. Target, say : MEGA-STORE - does anyone else pronounce it "tar - ZHAY" to make it sound more upscale~?

22. Prince Valiant's heir apparent : ARN - knew from doing crosswords

23. Beat on "Survivor" : OUTLASTED - outwit, outplay - outwitted worked, too

27. Laborer on the move : MIGRANT

28. Crushed, as a spice : PESTLED

34. Obliquely : ASLANT and a straight up clecho; 3d. Obliquely : AT AN ANGLE

35. Without serious consideration : AIRILY

36. "Yikes!" : "JEEPERS~!"

38. Considerable : IMMENSE

41. Title bout, say : MAIN EVENT - nailed it, which gave me the first letters of the corresponding DOWNS, and that always helps

46. Reminder of an old flame? : ASH

47. Purity : INNOCENCE

48. First name in rap : TUPAC - Shakur, gunned down in Las Vegas, Nevada

51. "Sleepy Hollow" director : TIM BURTON - nailed it.  Does anyone watch the TV series~?  I am enjoying the new "Constantine" on NBC

52. One of Chekhov's "Three Sisters" : IRINA - I toyed with ELENA, IRENE, and was not too far off

53. Abbr. for the nameless? : et al. - Latin for "and others"

54. Rocky heights : TORS - more geological jargon

55. Small change : CENTS - I tried DIMES first

56. Judicious : SANE

57. Weapon of yore : SNEE

58. "Grumpy Old Men" actor Davis : OSSIE

DOWN: 

1. King's Cross and others: Abbr. : STAs - London train stop

2. Mozart title starter : COSI - fan tutti, an opera by Wolfgang

4. Gun site : RADAR TRAP - Clever; it took a long time for me to tie "gun" to "trap", which I had via perps;  I was trying so hard to get BATTLESHIP to fit, or maybe "---DECK"; what's the name for the ship's armament level, Spitz?

5. Easy-to-miss miss : PLAIN JANE - sometimes, it's the plain Janes that are the most attractive when they dress up, IMHO

6. Last of an annual trio : BELMONT - Dah~!! Took way too long for me to get this; the Triple Crown of horse racing - The Kentucky Derby and The Preakness Stakes are the other two - in the U.S.

7. Ciao relatives : ADIEUX - I was so pleased to put in ADIEUS, but I needed the Frawnche version to be right

8. Certain brogue : WINGTIP - ah, the shoe, not the accent

11. Inebriate : BESOT - the verb, not the noun

12. Between, to Berlioz : ENTRE

13. Extremely shocked? : TASED - yep, that's getting extremely shocked

19. World Cup chant : "USA~!" - and a referential clue at 10d. 19-Down, e.g.: Abbr. : INITs

24. Key of Pachelbel's Canon: Abbr. : D maj - Ah~!  The "A" was there, so I had 75% of this one taken care of

25. River through northern France : OISE

29. Like-minded : SIMPATICO - SYMPATHETIC did not fit; nor did COMPASSIONATE

30. Cherishes : TREASURES

31. Vital components : LINCH PINS - Don't know why I spelled Linch with a "Y", maybe this connection

32. Conditional word : ELSE

33. Turns red, perhaps : DYES

37. Used to buy : SPENT ON - I get it, but the tense/usage doesn't quite jibe with me

38. Pungent, for example : INTENSE

40. Request for more : ENCORE

41. Pittances : MITES - meh.  I think mOtes is a better fit

42. Jazz singer O'Day : ANITA

43. "Cold Mountain" hero : INMAN

44. Lofty : NOBLE

45. Coin first minted under Louis IX : ECU - learned by doing crosswords

49. Against : ANTI

50. Court event : CASE

Splynter

Friday, November 28, 2014, Mike Peluso

Theme: Country puns.

Four common terms containing a country name as a descriptive adjective, are modified into amusing new version that sound alike but have very different meanings. This is the first Friday pangram in a long while and my first from Mike in a long while as well. As with many of his works, lots of 4 and 5 letter fill with some interesting medium words like IS INTO,  OAXACA,  PEG LEG,  SEANCE, AT WORST,  EQUINES, TEXAS TEA, UNALLIED. I know you are worn out from cooking, smiling at relatives and eating, so on with the show.

20A. WWII personnel from Rio? : BRAZILIAN WACS (13).  The base phrase is Brazilian Wax, referring to the complete removal of pubic hair. The HISTORY of the term is debatable, but it may just be that the indigenous tribes that were there before European were one of the Asian strains which grow very little body hair.

25A. Yoko Ono, in spirit? : JAPANESE BEATLE (14). The destructive Japanese Beetle does in fact come from Japan, which has more natural beetle predators to limit their damage. Not to be confused with the German Beetle.

46A. Andalusian plains? : SPANISH STEPPES (14). (Spanish Steps in Rome are must see according to my traveling son. LINK).  Steppe is defined as "one of the vast usually level and treeless tracts in southeastern Europe or Asia." (MW).

52A. Brussels-born lumberjack? : BELGIAN LOGGER (13). Belgian Lager beer. They produce over 700 kinds of beer in Belgium, but most are ales. READ.  Either of my sons can answer this one better than I. I did stand in line to buy the Trappists' Westveleran XII when it came out.

Across:

1. Cream, for one : TRIO. The band not the milk by product.

5. Old lab burners : ETNAS. I will let our scientists get into a BUNSEN vs. ETNA discussion.

10. Julia's "Ocean's Twelve" role : TESS. First name of actress = first name of character.

14. Teeny bit : IOTA.

15. Repeat exactly : QUOTE.

16. Bar __ : EXAM. February 1974.

17. Wii alternative : XBOX. gaming systems.

18. Prefix with marine : ULTRA.

19. Lawless role : XENA. Nicely phrased; Lucy will live on so people can find an X to grind into a puzzle.

23. Reds, on scoreboards : CINcinnati.

24. French pronoun : CES. Their.

33. EPA standard : AQI. Air Quality Index.

34. 1986 Best New Artist Grammy winner : SADE.

35. Kingdom : REALM.

37. Accumulate : RUN UP. Think of your bar tab.

40. Rio maker : KIA.

41. Leader's prerogative : SAY SO. He has the last word.

42. Place for sweaters? : SAUNA. Rather indelicate... sweat-ers.

43. Place Sundance liked : ETTA. Classic clue misdirection as her name was Etta Place, and the clue masks the capital letter which would have exposed the answer by having the word first in the progression.

45. Illegal turn, maybe : UIE.

50. Joseph Smith's denom. : LDS. Latter Day Saints.

51. __ hours : WEE. Where you could often find my sons playing the Wii.

59. It's done in parts of Switzerland : FINI. French misdirection; c'est fini.

60. Giant or Titan, briefly : NFLER. With the ever increasing size of footballers, this is becoming a doubly true clue.

61. VIII squared : LXIV. Roman math, reminds me LINK. (2:47).

63. Der __: Adenauer epithet : ALTE. Old one.

64. Island tubers : TAROS.

65. Foil relative : EPEE.

66. Techie, stereotypically : NERD.

67. Wrigley brand : ORBIT. This is my gum of choice.

68. Fishing leader? : GONE.

Down:

 1. B'way pickups : TIX.

2. Former Virginia senator Charles : ROBB. Married one of LBJ's daughters and despite rumors and scandals, they are still together.

3. "Like __ not ..." : IT OR.

4. Veracruz neighbor : OAXACA.

5. Some dams : EQUINES. Horsies.

6. Rock's Jethro __ : TULL. Very distinct sound.

7. Claim of innocence : NOT I.

8. Gillette brand : ATRA.

9. Medium setting : SEANCE. Not on your electric razor, but where the psychic's work.

10. Jed Clampett's discovery, in a sitcom theme song : TEXAS TEA. LINK in case you want to memorize the song.

11. Suit : EXECutive.

12. Without : SANS. A French word incorporated into our language.

13. "He'll hae misfortunes great an' __": Burns : SMA. small.

21. Cab cousin : ZIN, Cabernet and Zinfandel.

22. Erodes : WEARS.

25. Shakes : JARS. I guess...

26. Blue shades : AQUAS.

27. Betty Grable, e.g. : PIN UP. very popular with our boys during WWII, I have read.

28. Benefits : SAKES. For all of our sakes, I hope you sussed this.

29. WWI first lady Wilson : EDITH. Woodrow's second wife and the President after his stroke.

30. Pulsates : BEATS.

31. Easy two-pointer : LAYUP.

32. Dinsmore of children's books : ELSIE. No clue, all perps. LINK.

36. Duff Beer seller : MOE'S. Mo' Simpsons and a CSO to our own Chairman.

38. Neutral : UNALLIED.

39. Ohio-based consumer products giant, familiarly : P AND G. Proctor & Gamble.

44. In the most dire circumstance : AT WORST.

47. Has a passion for : IS INTO. Also, 59D. Buff : FAN. He is a car buff was popular when I was a kid

48. Wave checker: abbr. : EEG. Electroencephalogram. brain waves.

49. Stereotypical pirate : PEG LEG. My ex-wife hated that as a nickname.

52. Venom : BILE. One of the first 4 elopements.

53. __'acte : ENTR. French for between.

54. Hardly close : AFAR.

55. Union-mgmt. mediator : NLRB. National Labor Relations Board.

56. Sainted pope called "the Great" : LEO I.

57. Nat, before 2005 : EXPO. Base ball teams, one in Montreal which is now in Washington, both abbreviations.

58. It was nothing for Louis XIV : RIEN. More simple French, and bi-lingual pun.

62. Vacation starter? : VEE. First letter in the word, and the last clue in the puzzle. Still recovering from all the tryptophan in the turkey. Relax and enjoy, thank Mike and thank you C.C., Argyle, JzB, Steve, marti, Splynter and each and everyone of you.
Lemonade out.

Thursday, November 27, 2014 C.C. Burnikel

Theme: "It's GivingThanks Day!"

Well, that's not really the theme, but how appropriate to have our dear leader as today's constructor, so we can give her double thanks. First, for creating this fun corner. And second, for entertaining us with her creative puzzles. Thank you, C.C.!

17-Across. *Four Corners locale : COLORADO PLATEAU.

23-Across. *Arctic wolf prey : CARIBOU.

32-Across. *Car named for a California city : CHEVY MALIBU.

52-Across. *1965 Jane Fonda title role : CAT BALLOU.

67-Across. With 68-Across, "Later," or, phonetically, what the answers to starred clues have : SEE YOU. 68-Across. See 67-Across : AROUND. Each entry has a "C" and a "U" around the edges.

You may have noticed the unusual grid. It is symmetrical right to left, but not top to bottom.  That was necessary to accommodate the 15-7-11-9-12 theme entries. The long down entries were nice: TALK IS CHEAP and RHETT BUTLER's full name. Let's see what else she has dished up for us.

Across

1. Beijing trio? : DOTS. Cute misdirection. The dots over the i's and the j. And an appropriate start, with a nod to her native land.

5. Bridges of Hollywood : LLOYD. Of all his movies, I remember him best from this one.

10. First name at Woodstock : ARLO. Our old friend Guthrie is back.

14. Four Corners state : UTAH. A clecho with 17-Across, but it is not part of the theme.

15. Seeker's quarry : HIDER. C.C. doesn't usually like fabricated words, but in the game you are either a hider or a seeker.

16. Send : SHIP.

20. They may be required for rides : TOKENS. Do you call it the subway or the metro?

21. "The way things are ..." : AS IT IS.

22. Yale Bowl yeller : ELI.

27. "Four Quartets" monogram : TSE. Thomas Stearns Eliot.  I never read those.

28. Offspring: abbr. : DESC.endant.

30. Trendy cuff site : EAR.

31. Awards for J.K. Rowling and Hugh Laurie : OBEs. Order of the British Empire.

37. Hawaiian Airlines destination : TAHITI.

39. Election Day sticker : I VOTED.

42. Nebula in Taurus, familiarly : THE CRAB. Amazing photo from the Hubble telescope.

44. Prepared for a proposal : KNEELED.

45. Spanish she-bear : OSA.

46. Former upscale Manhattan eatery : ELAINE'S. It closed after she died in 2010, and is now The Writing Room.

48. Memorable period : ERA.

49. Burst open : POP. It's the season for POPping a bottle of bubbly!

50. Kerfuffle : ADO.

51. Halladay who won both the A.L. and N.L. Cy Young awards : ROY. I knew we would have a baseball reference!

58. Boris' sidekick : NATASHA. Of "The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show" fame.

61. "Raging Bull" boxer : LAMOTTA.

65. Marvel Comics assassin : ELEKTRA. With only E-L-E-K-*-R-A in place, I WAG'd ELEKTRA. (Pretty clever, huh?)

66. Hits hard, as the brakes : SLAMS ON.


Down

1. Like many ventilation systems : DUCTED.

2. "Becket" star : O'TOOLE. Peter holds the record for the number of Academy Award nominations without a win.

3. "Actions speak louder than words" : TALK IS CHEAP. Nice fill.

4. Flat or pump : SHOE.

5. High capital : LHASA. C.C. just linked the Potala Palace in LHASA the other day.

6. Jar topper : LID.

7. Prefix with meter : ODO. Odo-meter.

8. "You betcha!" : YEP. I had YEs for a while, and it messed me up from immediately seeing PLATEAU in the first theme answer.

9. 1964 Tony Randall role : DR LAO. He was more than two-faced.

10. Piedmont wine area : ASTI. Spumanti also makes a nice POP when you open it.

11. Bonnie Blue's dad : RHETT BUTLER. "Gone With the Wind."  Nailed it!

12. Make contact (with) : LIAISE.

13. Musical works : OPUSES. I put it in, changed it to OPERAS, then took it back out when AS IT IS showed up.

18. GOP org. : RNC. Republican National Committee.

19. Sun Devils' sch. : ASU. Arizona State University.

24. Juan Carlos, por ejemplo : REY. Spanish "king."

25. "__ the Walrus" : I AM....goo goo goo joob.

26. It may be backless : BRA. To go with dresses like these.

They are...

29. In vogue : CHIC. Tres chic!

31. Wind with keys : OBOE.

33. To be, to Napoleon : ETRE.

34. Lab container : VIAL. Because Erlenmeyer flask wouldn't fit.

35. Check-in delayer : LINE. I bet there were plenty of check-in delays at airports in the Northeast this week.

36. "Concord Sonata" composer : IVES. It's Thursday, so we get a clue for Charles instead of Burl.

37. 'Vette roof option : T-TOP.

38. "Now I get it" : AH SO.

40. Finnish architect Saarinen : EERO.

41. Do-or-die time : D-DAY.

43. Words to a black sheep : BAA BAA.

44. Small hills : KNOLLS. Probably the world's most infamous grassy KNOLL.

47. The Snake R. runs through it : IDA.ho

52. Like unnaturally thick makeup : CAKY.

53. Apropos of : AS TO.

54. Drive-__ window : THRU.

55. Refrain syllables : LA LA.

56. Bridge master Sharif : OMAR. A man of many talents, he also starred in "Lawrence of Arabia" and "Dr. Zhivago."

57. Man, to Dante : UOMO. He was a couple hundred years too early to be an Italian renaissance man.

58. Zombie Nation console : NES. Nintendo Entertainment System. You can play it online here.

59. Microbrew choice : ALE.

60. Ball holder : TEE.

62. Sch. in Nashville : TSU. Tennessee State University.

63. Slew : TON.

64. "What else?" : AND...?

Nope, nothing else. I'm done! Time to go make the turkey...

Marti

Note from C.C.:

Happy Thanksgiving to our blog readers, esp our faithful regulars. Thanks for your daily solving reports, constructive nitpicking, links, recipes, computer advice, health tips (now, how can I stop this nagging cough?), poems, robocall rants, bike ride accounts & other random thoughts. Thanks for sharing. You enriched my very sheltered life.

I'm also grateful to LA Times Daily Crossword editor Rich Norris, his assistant Patti Varol, his three test solvers, his fact checker and all the LAT constructors for the quality puzzles they provide to us day after day. As I mentioned in this puzzle, Rich makes me look smarter than I am. That's not the only puzzle he helped me, and I'm not the only constructor he helped. He just does everything in a very quiet & consistent manner. Rich even replies every reader mail, despite his heavy workload and limited resources. We're lucky to have such a knowledgeable, generous, patient and humble editor whose top priority is always his solvers.

I'm also incredibly grateful for my hard-working blogging team: always there for me Santa Argyle, witty Jazzbumpa, super-efficient foodie Steve, bubbly Marti, cheerful Lemonade, talented Splynter & eager to learn Husker Gary. As I said before, it's fun to blog once or twice, spending 3 + hours on each post every week is serious job. Thank you so much for the dedication and time, friends, you made this blog what it is today. Thank you also for trusting me and letting me guiding you (mostly misguiding) on puzzle-making. I know I'm not easy to work with, thanks for toughing it out!