Thursday, December 11, 2014 Ian Livengood

Theme: "I Go To Pieces"


17. Archers' protection : THUMB RINGS. My family were all into archery, and I won several trophies when I was young. I never heard of this item. Evidently, it is only used for archers practicing  Mongolian or African archery techniques.

24. L.A.-based comedy troupe : THE GROUNDLINGS. Never heard of them, either. Lots of famous alums, so I should try to remember it.

50. Scoldings : TONGUE LASHINGS. Ummm, now this one I have heard of (from personal experience!)

61. Magi : THREE KINGS. It's that time of year when they are on the move.

38. Classic 1958 Chinua Achebe novel ... and a hint what literally happens in 17-, 24-, 50- and 61-Across : THINGS FALL APART. Never heard of the author or the book.  (I had better brush up on my Cliffs Notes!)

Three of the theme entries split it as TH-INGS and one splits it as T-HINGS.  It might have been more elegant to have all split the same way, or all split in different ways. But the reveal works well with the theme. Let's see what else Ian has thrown at us.


Across

1. Long-necked instrument : SITAR. Cello? Banjo? (...time to check the perps.)

6. Spiced beverage : CHAI. Because "mulled wine" wouldn't fit.

10. Parched : ARID.

14. Annoy one's co-star, perhaps : EMOTE.

15. Suggestion : HINT.

16. Recording medium : TAPE. Does anyone still record on TAPE?

19. Say openly : AVOW.

20. Ungenerous sort : HOG.

21. "__ how!" : AND.

22. Money-related suffix : AIRE. Million-aire, billion-aire, gazillion-aire...

30. Hammers obliquely, as a nail : TOES. Essential technique when you are building a new wall--right, Splynter?

31. "Yikes!" : EEK.

32. Bit of pillow talk : COO.

33. Dress protector : APRON.

36. Fla. airport : MIA.mi.

37. Sign of summer : LEO. Zodiac.

43. MLB team whose home scoreboard is updated by hand : BOS.ton. Yay! A baseball clue that I knew the answer to.  Fenway Park is basically the same as it was on opening day, April 20, 1912.

44. Prom rental : TUX.

45. Full of recent info : NEWSY.

46. "Wheel of Fortune" buy : AN I.

48. Regarding : AS TO.

55. Vermeer's "__ With a Pearl Earring" : GIRL.

Vermeer

56. GI entertainer : USO.

57. Sénat vote : OUI.

59. Bear up there : URSA.

65. Verb, for one : NOUN.

66. One-named supermodel : IMAN. I finally remembered this name, thanks to Lucina. She said she parses it as I-MAN, even though the supermodel is "definitely not a man."

67. 10 out of 10, scorewise : IDEAL.

68. Canadian coin that's no longer produced : CENT. Canadian Eh!, do Canadians really have no cents?

69. Blog entry : POST. I'm working my tail off, here!

70. Yankee manager before Girardi : TORRE. 5 perps.


Down

1. Rogen of "Pineapple Express" : SETH.

2. "Let's get some air in here!" : I'M HOT.

3. Unyielding : TOUGH.

4. With 47-Across, payment for cash? : ATM. and 47-Across: See 4-Down : FEE.

5. Bull Run soldier : REB.

6. Casual pants : CHINOS.

7. Believer in karma : HINDU.

8. "Life of Pi" director Lee : ANG.

9. "You convinced me" : IT'S A DEAL.

10. Early game console : ATARI.

11. One of Hogwarts' four houses : RAVENCLAW.

Symbol

12. Nov. 2013 Twitter milestone : IPO. Initial Public Offering.

13. Morning drops : DEW.

18. Outback order : RARE. Outback Steakhouse does grill a pretty good steak.

23. Variety : ILK.

25. Prince Harry's alma mater : ETON.

26. Pagoda instrument : GONG. I was trying to think of the word for the instrument in "Memoirs of a Geisha," but by the time I thought of "shamisen," I had already filled this one in using perps.

27. Singer Young : NEIL.

28. Attendees : GOERS.

29. In need of a sweep, perhaps : SOOTY. HaHa, I was thinking of my kitchen floor after the cats finish eating.  But here, it's the chimney that needs a "sweep."

33. Plate appearance : AT BAT.

34. Platter player : PHONO.

35. 1992 Crichton novel involving a fictional Japanese company : RISING SUN. I did read it, but forgot what it was about.

36. Upper limit : MAX.

39. Boot option : STEEL TIP. Anyone else consider STEEL Toe?

40. Gas, e.g. : FUEL.

41. Not pro : ANTI.

42. Drudge : PEON.

47. Sable or mink : FUR.

48. Thumbs-up : ASSENT.

49. Vegas dealer's device : SHOE. It does kind of look like an open toed shoe, doesn't it?

51. 2014 World Series winning team member : GIANT. I was panicking, thinking I would have to come up with someone's name. Whew! I only had to WAG the team.

52. Vague qualities : AURAS.

53. Hopeless case : GONER.

54. Cotton candy, mostly : SUGAR.

58. Cruise destination : ISLE.

59. Chapel Hill sch. : UNC. University of North Carolina.

60. School of tomorrow? : ROE. Cute.

62. Med. care provider : HMO.

63. Set to be assembled : KIT.

64. Binding promise : I DO...believe it is time for me to leave!

Marti

Wednesday, December 10th 2014 Gareth Bain

Theme: Bring Your Own ... anagrams. Each of the five theme entries contain an anagram of "BYO" as the reveal entry succinctly indicates.

15A. Eight-time Norris Trophy winner : BOBBY ORR. "Mr Crossword" gets a full-name entry today, and a theme one to boot!

19A. Practical joke during a greeting : JOY BUZZER. Comic-strip staple (usually exaggerating the effect!) I didn't know the official name for this device.

31A. Postwar population phenomenon : BABY BOOM. Apparently, Boomers in the US control over 80% of personal financial assets, account for 80% of leisure travel and buy 77% of all prescription drugs. Obviously all that travel and wealth is not good for you.

38A. Yokohama is on it : TOKYO BAY. Trying to fit "WHEEL RIM" in here didn't get me very far.

50A. Board buyer's request : TWO-BY-FOUR. I have a minor quibble here - if you walk into a lumber yard and ask for a two-by-four, you're going to get a post, not a board.

58A. Like many teen girls, and a literal hint to this puzzle's circled squares : BOY CRAZY

Cue screams for One Direction from our youthful readership. I went to YouTube to link some audio of the boys, but you'll be happy to hear that I got distracted watching Kevin Spacey do celebrity impersonations.

Steve here with another product of Mr. Bain's fertile mind. I don't think circle-less solvers were put at too much of a disadvantage. I thought a pangram might be afoot when I saw all the Y's, Z's and the trickier J's, K's and W's making an appearance, but no room for a Q or an X. Given the six Y's and 3 Z's, that doesn't leave a lot of wiggle room.

Across:

1. Go wrong : ERR

4. Party garb for Hef : PJ'S

7. Some grenades, briefly : FRAGS. The fragmentation grenade, a thoroughly unpleasant piece of ordnance.

12. Response to a home team bobble : BOO. Tough crowd if you're going to boo your own team for a mere bobble. A complete season-long meltdown and it might just about be acceptable.

13. Tough kid to handle : BRAT

14. Amazon crocodilian : CAIMAN. Spell-check doesn't like "crocodilian". Another reason why you should never trust it.

17. A to A, e.g. : OCTAVE. Favorite clue of the day for me.

18. Mascara mishap : SMEAR

21. Vena __: heart vessel : CAVA

23. Cobbler's tool : AWL

24. Times gone by, in times gone by : ELD. It's in the Mirriam-Webster dictionary, but certainly not in mine. I tried to find an example of usage, but drew a blank.

25. Less solid : SHAKIER

28. Anti-bullfighting org. : PETA

30. Steamed cantina food : TAMALE. My local Farmer's Market has a stand selling beef, pork and chicken varieties which is a regular stop for me. I've made my own, but you have to make about 200 at a time to justify the effort.

35. Heaps : A LOT. Or the number of tamales you have to make in a session.

36. Boring routine : RUT

37. In need of a massage : SORE

41. Gravel components : STONES. Here's a very talented collection of gravel:

43. Work without __ : A NET

44. Pens in : CORRALS

45. Scammer's target : SAP

48. "The Book of __": 2010 film : ELI. Denzel Washington drama. Rotten Tomatoes gives it a 48% rating, si I don't think I missed anything by not seeing it.

49. Very little : A DAB

53. Less experienced : NEWER

57. Less taxing : EASIER

60. Lose : MISLAY. My Dad always claimed he'd not lost something, he'd merely "temporarily" mislaid it. I think "temporary" had a different meaning for him.

61. Nobelist Wiesel : ELIE

62. Tax shelter letters : IRA

63. Take the reins : STEER

64. Single chin-up, say : REP. If I was a pedant, I'd say you can't have one repetition of something, you have to have at least two. Actually, I am a pedant, so I call a very mild foul here.

65. Season ticket holder : FAN.

Down:

1. Fades away : EBBS

2. Dorm unit : ROOM

3. Post-shower wear : ROBE. Does Hef wear one over his PJ's?

4. One paid to play : PRO.

5. "Star Wars" character __ Binks : JAR JAR. Possibly the most annoying character ever introduced into a sci-fi franchise, IMHO.

6. Houston MLB'er : 'STRO

7. School group : FACULTY. I wanted GARAGE BAND, but ran out of blank squares.

8. __ Bits: cracker sandwiches : RITZ

9. Leave wide-eyed : AMAZE

10. "Order! Order!" mallet : GAVEL

11. Dummy Mortimer : SNERD. Brief SNERD/SNERT uncertainty compounded by the unknown ELD. I pondered awhile and I chose wisely (or guessed wild-assly, your call).

13. How much cargo is transported : BY RAIL

14. All-natural flytrap : COBWEB. Amazing feat of engineering.

16. Slangy "Ditto!" : "BACK AT YA!"

20. Pester, puppy-style : YAP AT

22. Crew neck alternative : VEE

25. Medical "Now!" : STAT! From the Latin "Statim", meaning "Urgent". Something I don't want to hear when I'm in the Doctor's office.

26. Saintly radiance : HALO

27. Hog-wild : AMOK

29. Shock __ : ABSORBER

31. Believe : BUY

32. Chaplin of "Game of Thrones" : OONA. I keep meaning to catch up on Game of Thrones - I watched the first two episodes; I think I've got about 90 to bring me up-to-date.

33. Pitcher Hershiser : OREL

34. Predicament : MESS

36. Numerical relationship : RATIO

39. Like many gift subscriptions : ONE YEAR

40. Quasimodo's workplace : BELFRY. Trying to cram "Notre Dame" in here doesn't really work.

41. Putting green patch : SOD

42. Mesmerized state : TRANCE

44. King of pop : CAROLE. I trod the misdirection path of ELVIS/MICHAEL/(insert your favorite here) for a little while.

45. Parts of peonies : STEMS. Misreading this as "ponies" slowed me up somewhat.

46. Look forward to : AWAIT

47. Ad hoc law group : POSSE

51. Gallbladder fluid : BILE

52. Slangy prefix meaning "ultra" : UBER

54. Street urchin : WAIF

55. University founder Cornell : EZRA.

56. "Sleepless in Seattle" co-star : RYAN

59. "Take me! Take me!" at the shelter : YIP. More puppy-pestering.

Fun stuff, and if you didn't get the circles in your publication here they are:

Steve

Tuesday, December 9, 2014 Kevin Christian

Theme: Easy as ABC..D - If you happen to be Greek.

20. Star system closest to the solar system : ALPHA CENTAURI

28. Software development phase : BETA TEST

45. Bit of electromagnetic radiation : GAMMA RAY

53. Atlanta-based carrier : DELTA AIRLINES

Argyle here. A 'J' short of a pangram. No reveal. Straightforward grid. Eclectic fill.

Across:

1. Palm reader, e.g. : SEER

5. Implied with a nod, say : TACIT

10. Music-playing Apple : iPOD

14. Berry rich in antioxidants : ACAI

15. Solo : ALONE

16. Taboo : NO-NO

17. Six-time French Open champ Bjorn : BORG

18. "I speak for the trees" Seuss character : LORAX

19. TV series with many choreographed numbers : "GLEE"

23. Snuggles : NESTLES

24. Wallops : SMACKS

27. Long in the tooth : OLD

30. Good, in the Galápagos : BUENO. Hang out for our own Sally.

33. Melody : TUNE

34. Prefix with morph : ECTO

35. Attorneys' org. : ABA. (American Bar Association)

36. Week-long year-end celebration : KWANZAA. "first fruits of the harvest" December 26 to January 1

39. River to the Rhine : AAR

40. Words of denial : "NOT I"

42. "Deal __ Deal" : OR NO

43. Stick around : TARRY

47. __ au vin : COQ. One of Julia Child's signature dishes.

48. Stonewall : STYMIE. Originally from golfing's old rule that a ball could block another ball from the hole.

49. Appraise : VALUATE. Yes, you can drop the 'E'.

56. Use a Taser on : STUN

58. "Steppenwolf" author : HESSE. (Hermann Hesse)

59. Official proclamation : FIAT

60. Show of affection : KISS

61. Steaming mad : IRATE

62. Raison d'__ : ETRE. Mine is to be here and blog this puzzle.

63. Pay to play : ANTE

64. Lacking face value, as stock : NO-PAR

65. Comical Martha : RAYE. She became a spokeswoman for Polident.

Down:

1. Crimson Tide coach Nick : SABAN. (Alabama football coach, Nick Saban)

2. School, to Yvette : ÉCOLE

3. Old West brothers : EARPS

4. "Amen, brother!" : "RIGHT ON!". Can you see Wyatt saying that to his brother Virgil?

5. Sprinkled with baby powder : TALCED. But not recommended for babies.

6. Medicinal plants : ALOEs

7. Iowa crop : CORN. Cornstarch-based powder is safer for baby than talc.

8. "For those listening __ home ..." : IN AT. Phrasing from vintage radio shows.

9. Oil, informally : TEXAS TEA

10. Unappreciative sort : INGRATE

11. Precinct wheels : POLICE CAR

12. United : ONE

13. Deer girl : DOE

21. "No problem here" : "ALL OK"

22. Actress Thurman : UMA

25. Relatively cool heavenly body : K STAR. Or the above.

26. Building level : STORY

28. Ski slope beginner : BUNNY. They can get pretty icy from over-use.

29. Automaker Ferrari : ENZO

30. Forehead-covering hair : BANGS

31. WWII sea threat : U-BOAT

32. "Try and catch me!" : "EAT MY DUST!", said Enzo.

33. "Gone With the Wind" estate : TARA

37. Became harder to deal with : WORE THIN

38. Coral ring : ATOLL

41. Ginormous : IMMENSE

44. Ground water source : AQUIFER

46. Feel poorly : AIL

47. Life's work : CAREER

49. Panoramic view : VISTA

50. Santa __ racetrack : ANITA

51. Emotional : TEARY

52. Perfumer Lauder : ESTÉE

54. Aviation prefix : AERO

55. PDQ kin : ASAP

56. Reggae cousin : SKA. Top 10 Ska Bands(8:26)

57. Cookie holder : TIN

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to Hahtoola, who joined this blog shortly after I started. She always comes to the blog with an inspiring quote related to a certain entry in the blog. Like Dave's links, it's easy to delight the crowd with one or two quotes, but doing so day after day takes time and effort. Thanks, Hahtoola!

The Corn Poppy

Monday, December 8, 2014 C.W. Stewart

Theme: "You can't stick that on me, copper!" - We have a wide variety items that can be sticky.

17A. Secretary of state before Hillary Clinton : CONDOLEEZZA RICE

26A. Score symbol that usually has a stem : MUSICAL NOTE

49A. Digit-shaped sponge cakes : LADY FINGERS

61A. Spot between a rock and a hard place ... or a hint to the ends of 17-, 26- and 49-Across : STICKY SITUATION

Argyle here. Big bonus points for 17-Across! After a rough week, we could use a little respite.

Across:

1. "__ Mia!": ABBA musical : MAMMA

6. Bit of baby talk : "DADA"

10. Defensive trench : MOAT

14. So all can hear : ALOUD

15. Apple MP3 player : iPOD

16. Makes mistakes : ERRS. So 33A. Correct a pencil mistake : ERASE

20. Approx. landing hours : ETAs

21. To be, to Caesar : ESSE

22. Golf shoe feature : CLEAT

23. Theater level : LOGE. Often box seats.

25. Changes for the better : AMENDS

31. Shirt with a band's logo, maybe : TEE

32. __ shower: pre-wedding event : BRIDAL

35. Throw in the first chips : ANTE

36. Dude : BRO

37. Swabbing tools : MOPS

41. New England fish : SCROD. All cod are scrod, but not all scrod are cod. How odd.

44. Flagged down : HAILED

46. Word repeated before "black sheep" : BAA. "Have you any wool?"

51. Performed better than : OUTDID. Sometimes yourself

53. __ close to schedule : ON OR

54. Shenanigan : ANTIC

55. Cowpoke's pal : PARD. A corruption of PARTNER, I guess.

57. Target practice supply : AMMO

64. Backsplash material : TILE. But what material is the tile?

65. Truth or __?: party game : DARE

66. Tied up in knots : TENSE

67. Aegean and Irish : SEAs

68. Fr. holy women : STEs

69. Polishes text : EDITS

Down:

1. Self-defense spray : MACE. Learning moment: a chemical spray originally used in riot control, 1966, technically Chemical Mace, a proprietary name (General Ordnance Equipment Corp, Pittsburgh, Pa.), probably so called for its use as a weapon, in reference to a mace.

2. More often than not : A LOT

3. "__ Lisa" : MONA

4. Saturated hillside hazards : MUD SLIDES. How's it looking, California?

5. Kerfuffle : ADO

6. Fuel for semis : DIESEL. The truck type of semis.

7. "Dawn of the Planet of the __" : APES

8. Sleep lightly : DOZE

9. Wood-shaping tool : ADZ

10. Travis or Haggard of country music : MERLE

11. Point in the proper direction : ORIENT

12. Pinball player's place : ARCADE

13. Dangerous fly : TSETSE. All the fly today.

18. Not prohibited : LEGAL

19. High points : ACMEs

24. South American tuber : OCA

25. "One thing __ time" : AT A

26. Management deg. : MBA

27. Coffee vessel : URN

28. Obedience school command : SIT. Spot on.

29. Far from cool : NERDY

30. Gold, in Granada : ORO

34. Moved to a new country : EMIGRATED

36. Hunk's physique : BOD

38. Encouragement for a flamenco dancer : ¡OLÉ!

39. Part of mph : PER

40. '60s radical gp. : SDS. (Students for a Democratic Society)

42. Mouse sound : CLICK

43. "Far out, man!" : "RAD!"

44. Bhagavad-Gita student, likely : HINDU

45. "I'll take that as __" : A NO

46. Blows one's own horn : BOASTS

47. Em, to Dorothy : AUNTIE

48. Leader of the Huns : ATTILA

50. Strong points : FORTES

52. Cuts into cubes : DICES

55. Exam for high school jrs. : PSAT

56. Suffix with million : AIRE

58. Knee-showing skirt : MINI

59. Lion's share : MOST

60. Vending machine bills : ONES

62. QB's gains : YDs

63. Had a bite : ATE

Argyle

Notes from C.C.:

1) Happy Birthday to Ron (Jazzbumpa), who taught me by example what hard work is. I saw him up close agonizing over every little clue of the two puzzles we worked together. I also see him spend hours on his every write-up. Thank you so much, Ron!

 Ron and his wife Gloria

2) Happy 81st Birthday to Misty's husband Rowland! You and Misty showed us what true love is.

December 7, 2014 Alan Olschwang

Theme:  "Double Shift" - The highlighted red letter in its theme answers is shifted two places to the right.

 23A. eHarmony, e.g.? : MEAT MATE MARKET. Meat market.

 

 28A. Pride of a pride protector? : MEAN MANE STREAKS. Mean streaks.

 34A. Made a healthier menu selection? : WENT WITH THE FLOW FOWL. Went with the flow.

 59A. Organized effort to get a different judge? : RESCUE RECUSE MISSION. Recuse mission.

 66A. Ashes? : GREAT GRATE EXPECTATIONS. Great Expectations.

 78A. Contest in which tires are hurled? : SPEAR SPARE THROWING. Spear throwing.

 

 96A. Makes meticulous roster moves? : TREADS TRADES CAREFULLY. Treads carefully.

104A. Precious river stone? : NEIL NILE DIAMOND. Neil Diamond.

117A. How to eat lots of soup? : BLOW BOWL BY BLOW  BOWL. Blow by blow. Double action in this answer.

Amazing theme. I can't imagine the amount of work Alan Olschwang did to make this happen. 

Heavy themage too. Total 115 theme squares, including a tricky 17-letter middle entry. I'd definitely need 144 words & 78 black squares (this one has only 140 words and 70 black squares).

Across:

 

1. Shock : DAZE

5. Some barks : SHIPS. I had no idea that "barks" are ships.

10. Model material : BALSA

15. Sticks figure : RUBE

19. Former Wall Street acronym : AMEX (American Stock Exchange)

20. Philosopher __-Louis Bergson : HENRI. Not into philosophy. Never heard of the guy.

21. First of 12 : ARIES. I thought of ENERO first. Nuts.

22. Up to no good : EVIL

25. Member of a trendsetting family? : JONES. Nice clue.

26. Valley : DELL

27. Brazen : SHAMELESS 

30. Party planner, briefly? : POL. Outwit me.

31. Pueblo pronoun : ESO

33. Stuns, in a way : TASES

41. Sticks : MIRES

45. Second part of a Latin conjugation : AMAS

46. Bone, to Benito : OSSO

47. Curved fastening bar : U-BOLT

49. Designer sportswear label : GANT. Known for its shirts.

50. Volcano feature : RIM

51. High-ranking NCO : M-SGT (Master Sergeant)

53. Vent with vehemence : RAGE. And 64. Vent with vehemence : RANT

55. Stopped producing : RAN DRY

57. Draws out : ELICITS 

62. Andalusian address : SENORA

63. Unaligned: Abbr. : NEUT (Neutral)

65. Common odds ending : ONE. Oh like 10 to 1.

71. L.A.'s __ Center : AON

73. __ test : BETA

74. Slips into : DONS

75. Throughout : DURING

82. Colorful bird : TANAGER

83. Bobby's "Dallas" wife : PAMELA. Certain old TV just does not appeal to me. "Dallas" is one of them.

84. Mtg. : CONF

85. William the pirate : KIDD

86. Singer Peeples : NIA

87. Score symbol : CLEF

88. Cutting-edge company? : X-ACTO

91. __ Lackawanna Railway : ERIE. The clues feel extra tough today.

93. Like some tires : BALD

94. Brayer group? : ASSES

100. Old-style street show : RAREE

102. Traveler's insurance?: Abbr. : TSA. Because they insure that you travel safely?

103. Really got into : DUG

109. Nearly wipes out : DECIMATES

115. Arabian Peninsula nation : OMAN

116. One way to stand : ALONE. Or APART.

118. Aforementioned : SAID

119. Spanish castle city : LORCA. Must be a gimme for Splynter. He knows all about castles.

120. Smartphone function : EMAIL

121. __ balls: chocolaty snacks : OREO

122. 1979 disco classic : YMCA

123. Teutonic town : STADT

124. Aladdin's helper : GENIE

125. Seine tributary : OISE

Down:

1. Some power producers : DAMS

2. Asian nurse : AMAH. Lots of Amahs in Hong Kong are from the Philippines. They speak English and their salary requirement is reasonable. Perfect for expats working there.

3. Sweater letter : ZETA

4. Lets off the hook : EXEMPTS

5. "Okay to proceed?" : SHALL I?

6. Point on a mall map? : HERE. You Are Here.

7. Writing supplies : INKS

8. Car radio features : PRESETS

9. Spot order? : SIT. And 117D. Spot order? : BEG

10. Cabo locale : BAJA

11. "East of Eden" son : ARON. The other son is Cal. Both love the same girl.

12. Office phone button : LINE TWO

13. Is omniscient : SEES ALL

14. Staff members: Abbr. : ASSTS

15. Makes new plans for : RE-DESIGNS

16. Visual layer : UVEA

17. Take in : BILK

18. Swell pair? : ELLS.

24. Calico call : MEOW

28. Animated TV barkeep : MOE. "The Simpsons" .

29. "Man on the Moon" group : REM

32. Reinforce : SHORE UP

34. Peddled stuff : WARES

35. Hockey Hall of Famer Francis : EMILE. Another fill for Splynter. Never heard of the guy.

36. Singing? : NAMING NAMES. Great entry/clue.

37. Clothes : TOGS

38. Only pres. born in Missouri : HST

39. Japanese pufferfish for risk-taking eaters : FUGU. Alien to me as well.

40. U.K. decorations : OBEs

42. Antenna pickup : RADIO SIGNAL

43. Company infamous for shredding : ENRON

44. "Funny Girl" composer : STYNE (Jule)

48. Port-of-Spain's island : TRINIDAD

51. Airport city near Montreal : MIRABEL. Wiki told me it's home to the Montréal–Mirabel International Airport.

52. Paycheck reduction for most : STATE TAX

54. Joined the cast of : ACTED IN

56. Shock : ASTOUND

58. One of two N.T. books : COR. Corinthians.

59. Harrison of the stage : REX

60. History course topics : ERAS

61. Pin cushion? : MAT And 71. Watchdog org.? : ASPCA. Nailed both.

63. Just around the corner : NEAR

67. Old verb ending : ETH

68. Talk about sin, in a way : CONFESS

69. "Star Trek" spinoff, briefly : TNG

70. Gun lobby gp. : NRA

72. Whitish gems : OPALS

76. Sam of "The Piano" : NEILL. Holly Hunter was amazing in that movie.

77. "Six Days of the Condor" author James : GRADY. Saw the movie "Three Days of Condor".  Not familiar with the author.

79. Some ballot items : REFERENDA

80. Twice tetra- : OCTA

81. Oak or elm : WOOD. Not TREE.

82. Top-__: best : TIER

85. Optima, e.g. : KIA

89. Got really full : ATE A LOT. Still not my old self, but my appetite has returned. Gosh, this flu is stubborn. A special "Thank you" to reader Sandy in LA for her cold/flu remedy tea.

90. Aptly named coffee lightener : CREMORA. Never used it. Google showed Borden Cremora and Nestle Cremora. So "Cremora" is a common word, not a brand?

92. Colts' former home : RCA DOME. Demolished in 2008.

93. Bete noire : BUGABOO

95. Unfortunate : SAD

97. Itinerary entry: Abbr. : ETD

98. Fit for consumption : EDIBLE

99. Vaporous : FUMY. Have you seen this word before, Yellowrocks? I'm so glad your son helped you set up the trees & curtains.

101. Muscat money : RIALS

104. More than curious : NOSY. I'm thankful Terry Gross is nosy at times.

105. Sunni leader : IMAM

106. Of the flock : LAIC

107. Backed up, in a way : ON CD. Passé.

108. Bar order : NEAT

110. Actor McGregor : EWAN

111. Second-century date : CLII. 152.

112. Spelling on TV : TORI

113. Woolly moms : EWES

114. Wild plum : SLOE

Happy Birthday to Windhover, who was once an active member of our blog. Hope you and Irish are doing well and enjoying the hard but bucolic life.

 

C.C.

Saturday, Dec 6th, 2014, Barry C. Silk

Theme: Saturday Silkie~!

Words: 72 (missing J,Q,V)

Blocks: 31

Starting off December's Saturdays with a Silkie, and a good one at that - and what I mean is, it was still difficult, but there was enough to work with that I did in fact finish, but with red-letter help and over my preferred time limit - but that was due to a ZEALOUS approach to the SW corner; I pretty much shot myself in the foot down there.  Oh well.  Two triple nine corners, and two long 14-letter fills;

28a. 2000s best-seller subtitled "The Dark Side of the All-American Meal" : "FAST FOOD NATION" - I pondered "SUPER-SIZE ME", but that was the movie about eating McDonald's everyday, every meal, for one month - more here

45a. It contains a due process clause : FIFTH AMENDMENT - DAH~!!  I was pretty confident that this was the SIXTH amendment - I watch a lot of "Law & Order" - because I know that the FIFTH amendment contains the right against self incrimination; found out that NY was the only state that requested 'due process', and that the 14th Amendment contains such language, too

42a. onward~!

 ACROSS:

1. Breakfast fare : SWEET ROLL - "----BAGEL" was working, so long as I had AGHA in place of RANI

10. Excuse : ALIBI

15. Disposable : THROW-AWAY - put it right in, decided to take it out; then the first "W" returned, and so it went back in

16. Mauritian coin : RUPEE

17. Chocolate-covered snack : RAISINETS - don't like 'em, but Goobers are good; referential clue - 47d. Maker of 17-Across : NESTLÉ

18. Tyrannical types : OGRES

19. Packed away : ATE - I can pack away a bag of Goobers no problem

20. Current : TIDE - Dah~! Not "LATE"

21. Revere : HONOR - not ADORE

22. Dry, in a way : WIPE - as, say, your windshield - see 35a.

24. Beethoven's "Archduke," for one : TRIO - did not quite understand this; here's the Wiki

26. Ones working at home, maybe : UMPS - baseball's 'home'

32. Besides : TOO

33. Alternative to shaving : NEET - NEET or NAIR? Had to wait

34. __-Cat : SNO - I'll bet Mr. Silk cringes when he has to use this in a grid

35. Cause of a wet blade : DEW DROP

39. Easter tradition : DYED EGG - I went with "EGG HUNT"

41. Prefix with lateral : UNI -unilateral

42. Working hard : AT IT - I was at it from 2am to 7am this morning at UPS, and from 12:15am to 9:30am every night this past week - only 13+ days to go~!

44. Hammer setting : EAR - ah, that hammer

50. "I'm just sayin'," in texts : FWIW - For What It's Worth

51. Reason for a warning : GALE

52. Persian Gulf capital : DOHA - shout-out to Doc~!  I had to wait on perps

54. Slate, for one : eZINE

56. Bk. before Job : ESTHer

59. Female lobster : HEN - I figured it was HEN or COW, had to wait again

60. Gem : STONE - worked for "Slate" at 54a, too, which messed me up

61. Zealot : EXTREMIST - also the title of a Joe Satriani album; here's a cut from "Surfing with the Alien"

63. Kingdom east of Australia : TONGA - Dah~! I put in SAMOA, and the "A" was good, but only 20% worth

64. Some priests : CELIBATES

65. Olympic event since 1968 : SKEET

66. There's one in the London Chancery Bldg. : U. S. EMBASSY

DOWN:

1. __ vote : STRAW

2. Experimenter's question : "WHAT IF...."

3. It may precede 16501 : ERIE, PA - very good - the zip code; I was pondering Roman numerals - but 10,000 =¯X; and that's not crossword acceptable

4. Daughter of Hyperion : EOS

5. Fool : TWIT - ah, the straight-up use of the word, IMHO

6. Eastern royal : RANI - AGHA was a possibility

7. Had because of : OWED TO

8. Eventually : LATER ON

9. Lille lily : LYS - Frawnche

10. Buck add-on : A-ROO - Buck-a-roo

11. Bit of wheel hardware : LUG NUT - important bits, I might add

12. "You can depend on me!" : "I PROMISE~!"

13. Pub game : BEER PONG

14. -osis : -oses :: -y : -__ : -IES - plural endings, as in neurosis, neuroses, pony, ponies

21. Flavored, as roasted chicken : HONEYED - I've heard of honey-glazed, so this was close enough

23. Cornerstone abbr. : EST'D - when the stone is too small to fit "established"

25. Named : IDed

27. Get lovey-dovey, in Leeds : SNOG - if you've seen Harry Potter....

29. Regular religious reading : TORAH

30. Movie scenes : FOOTAGE - ah, good clue

31. Select group : A-TEAM

35. Behind : DUFF - the noun, in this case; seasonal gratuitous image

36. 1944 battle site : ENIWETOK - wow, what a fill - new one for me; the WIki on this Pacific Atoll

37. Place to get connected : WiFi ZONE - Dah~! the "X" from my erroneous "SIXTH" stopped me from seeing this

38. Strong cotton : PIMA - a lesson in fiber-producing plants

40. __ Scott v. Sandford: 1857 Supreme Court case : DRED - learned from paying attention in high school, I think

43. Fax forerunners : TELEXES - more pluralizing

46. Minor pain : TWINGE

48. Pitches a gem against : NO HITS - more baseball for C.C.

49. Luther's 95 __ : THESES - and yet more pluralizing

53. Restless : ANTSY

55. Undiluted : NEAT - There you go, Tin~! No "three-letter words" today~!

57. In good shape : TRIM - Dah~!  Not "HALE"

58. "Sunny" singer Bobby : HEBB - that one "ugh" moment, where I could not tell which letter to start this clue with and end the "Biblical Book" abbr. clue with as well - WAG the "H"

60. D and C, in D.C. : STs - streets; clever - nothing to do with "District" and "Columbia"

61. Old French coin : ECU - been popular, lately

62. Kid's cry : "Maa~!"

Splynter

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to dear Lucina, the first blog regular I've met in person. Lucina is very close to her three sisters and they travel to different parts of the country/world together every year. They also have very similar personalities: all bubbly, cheerful and happy. You can see more pictures here.

C.C. & Lucina, Mall of America, Oct 1, 2012

Friday, December 5, 2014, Marti DuGuay-Carpenter

Theme: There is no "I" in Team unless you put it there.

A variety of in the language phrases where the first word ends in "ER" but is not a comparative word, have an "I" added to make each a new phrase comparing things. Finding words ending in "ER" that are not descriptive like STRONGER or FATTER was the key to set up this return to Friday from our old friend marti. I feel like John Wayne cast in a new western, back in the saddle again. I really like all the visuals from the theme answers. We have many letter words and initialisms and a slew of intermediate fill such as AIRSEA, APOLLO, CAMERA, C CLAMP, DERIDE,  ENTIRE, ICEAGE, KIGALI, NUTMEG, SHABBY, ELECTEES and PORTABLE to keep all of us on our Friday toes. So let me know your initial reaction to this latest from the mind of our divine miss m.

17A. Baseball, vis-à-vis jai alai? : POKIER GAME (10). (POKER GAME) I guess the word relates to slow poke, where someone or something moves slowly. I guess I learned this word HERE.

27A. GE range, vis-à-vis an Easy-Bake toy? : TOASTIER OVEN (12). (TOASTER OVEN).

44A. SpongeBob's underwear, vis-à-vis Mickey's? : BOXIER BRIEFS (12). (BOXER BRIEFS) Since Bob is square, this makes perfect sense. I changed to this style of underwear 15 years ago. TMI?

59A. Jeep, vis-à-vis a Cadillac? : BUMPIER CAR (10). (BUMPER CAR). The suspension certainly is not intended for a smooth ride in a Jeep.

Across:

1. SEC nickname : BAMA. Nick and his Crimson Tide need only to survive a mediocre Missouri team to make it to the first final four.

5. Seating choice : AISLE.  Yes, now that I am no longer young this is my seat of choice.

10. Skills : ARTS. A practitioner of the secret ways.

14. Islamic leader : IMAM.

15. What recon may provide : INTEL. Cyberspeak for intelligence data; not related to 26A. "Hooked on Bach" company : KTEL.

16. Famille member : PERE. Father in French, only tangentially related to 39A. Hemingway and others : PAPAS.

19. Award for Jessica Tandy : OBIE. The theater award for Off-Broadway (OB=obie) performances, I think started by the Village Voice.

20. Poetic preposition : ERE. I hope you did not err here.

21. Short time, shortly : NSEC. Now if you had not read the author, the next two fill would tell you this is created by our marti who loves these type words. She did a puzzle themed by them, and who does not love a good C Clamp?  I cannot find any support for N-SEC, which I assume is for nanosecond. Wiki and the dictionaries say the abbreviation is ns. Or maybe there are more kinds of seconds that I do not know, being very limited in my scientific knowledge.

22. Wood shop tool : C CLAMP.

24. Scoff at : DERIDE. Hmmm....maybe I can work this word into my comments.

33. Spread : STREW.

36. "A Challenge for the Actor" author : HAGEN. We usually get UTA as we did yesterday.

37. Commercial ending? : IZE. Commercialize. Something Ms. Hagen did not do with her craft.

38. Appear dramatically : LOOM. Though she often did this.

40. Letters on a cross : INRI.  Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum. Like this puzzle, there is no letter "J" in Latin, so this phrase translates to Jesus of Nazarene King of the Jews. Pontious Pilate is credited with attaching this name.

41. Tulsa sch. : ORU. Oral Roberts University.

42. Shell rival : MOBIL.

43. Ryan of "Bones" : O'NEAL. Ryan as a fun ex-con and father of Temperance Brennan.

47. __ block : CITY. Luckily the perps were solid because my mind went to LEGO.

48. Certain evergreen seed : NUTMEG. Coming from Connecticut helped here.

52. One taking a shot : CAMERA. Really clever cluing.

55. Grub : EATS. A cowboy reference?

57. One or more : ANY.

58. "Sin City" actress : ALBA. She is always worth a look. LINK. (1:49)

62. Buck : STAG. The message learned in this AD.

63. Its second movement translates to "Play of the Waves" : LA MER ('The Sea' in French). This orchestral WORK from Debussy was hidden from me for a long while, each answer I had was lamer than the first.

64. First name in design : COCO. Chanel. No baseball player clue for marti.

65. Socks : HOSE. Unless you consider the Pale Hose?

66. Delight : ELATE.

67. Hill workers : ANTS.

Down:

1. Human, e.g. : BIPED. Walking on two legs.

2. Love abroad : AMORE. Italian.

3. Auto attachment? : MAKER. Automakers are scrambling to recall all the vehicles with the deadly airbags.

4. "__ being unreasonable?" : AM I.

5. Like some rescues : AIR SEA.

6. "Picnic" playwright : INGE. He wrote  PLAYS and screenplays.

7. Mus. direction : STACcato. JzB?

8. 10-Down vehicle : LEM. Thanks for the CSO, from this Lunar Excursion Module. Excursion on the Moon is such a cool concept.

9. Ins : ELECTEES. Not the outs.

10. Mission program : APOLLO. The promise JFK made to the world.

11. Self-named sitcom : REBA. Gone but not FORGOTTEN. (6:10)

12. Cut : TRIM.

13. Percolate : SEEP.

18. Fund : ENDOW. The lifeblood of private universities and schools come from alumni endowments.

23. Large Hadron Collider acronym : CERN. This may be Friday, but this clue is too misleading, as the home of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) CERN is the European Organization for Nuclear Research. The name CERN is derived from the acronym for the French Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire. The combination of the secondary nature of the relationship and it being a French acronym seem very unfair, but I confess I had it filled before I saw the clue. I had to google to get the information. How many of you knew CERN? I like learning new things, but one level at a time.

25. It's checked when it's done : ITEM.

26. Capital of Rwanda : KIGALI.  I did not recall this. MAP.

28. Inferior : SHABBY. A Friday answer for sure.

29. Piglike animal : TAPIR. I think I linked this picture before.

30. Grape site : VINE. This clue/answer grew on me.

31. Poet friend of T.S. : EZRA. Pound, not a friend of mine.

32. 10-Down first name : NEIL. Armstrong.

33. Challenging roommate : SLOB.

34. 1989 Lawn-Boy acquirer : TORO.

35. Gravy base : ROUX. I regret that my mother did not teach me her gravy secrets.

39. Easily moved : PORTABLE.

40. Part of MIT: Abbr. : INSTitute.

42. Yom Kippur War prime minister : MEIR. Golda, her HISTORY.

43. Helpful : OF USE.

45. Film with Manny the Mammoth : ICE AGE. Never seen any of them.

46. Complete : ENTIRE.

49. "Heart of Georgia" : MACON. It literally is the in the center of the state. LINK.

50. Sign into law : ENACT.

51. Wrap relatives : GYROS. Eat up guys.

52. Get money for : CASH.

53. "__ Rhapsody": Brahms vocal work : ALTO. Showing off her musical taste, sorry marti, I do not know this PIECE.

54. Many CEOs have them : MBAS. Masters of Business Administration.

55. Stone of "The Help" : EMMA. Is she a redhead? Her mouth always looks a little off to me.

56. Miffed, with "in" : A PET. Never heard of this IDIOM.

60. Flier with Chicago H.Q. : UAL. United Airlines

61. Kelly Clarkson label : RCA. Radio Corporation of America. 

I am not sure why I would care what record company she is signed to, but this was filled before I saw the clue so it did not matter. As always, marti delivered a nice challenge and wit and education.

The end of the year looms near so get ready for whatever holiday(s) you celebrate. Lemonade out.