Wednesday, December 24, 2014 Don Gagliardo

Theme:  All is calm, all is bright.  The circled letters, in order, spell the word NIGHT; and each letter is silent in both of the down and across words in which it appears.   If you didn't get the circles, I don't know how you'd deal with it.

Silent N:
20 A. Spreadsheet figure : COLUMN TOTAL.  Typical spreadsheet math.
6 D. "Ave Maria," e.g. : HYMN.  A religious song.

Silent I:
25 A. Take by force : SEIZE.  Suddenly and Forcibly take hold of something.
11 D. Stereo components : RECEIVERS.  They convert broadcast signals into visible or audible form.

Silent G:
33 A. Prosecutors, at times : ARRAIGNERS.  They bring someone [a perp, perhaps] before the court to answer a criminal charge.
10 D. Station identification letters : CALL SIGN.  Unique alphanumeric designations of  transmitting stations.  They are used in commercial radio, amateur radio, transportation and the military.

Silent H:
37 A. Cheering word : RAH.  Perhaps shortened from hooray/hoorah, 'cuz we're just that lazy.
32 D. Present day? : CHRISTMAS.  The day when Christians commemorate the birth of Jesus.  The Magi brought him gifts, and so we give each other gifts.  The "present" day can be either today, Christmas Eve, as we celebrate with the Bumpa clan, or Christmas day, as we celebrate with my mom and sister.

Silent T:
54. Clever remark : MOT.  Actually BON MOT,  the French designation for a witticism.
32 D. Present day? : CHRISTMAS.  Making a second appearance, 'cuz - why not?  It's that kind of day.

And the unifier:
55 A. Classic 6-Down suggested by this puzzle's circles : SILENT NIGHT.

One might quibble, perhaps, with the degree of silence some of these letters actually present.  But let's just go with it.  Who but Hard G Don Gagliardo could so exploit the vagaries of the English language, to bring us such a brilliant and timely construction?  This is his present day present to all of us.

Hi gang, JazzBumpa here, happy to present you with Don's holiday greeting, and a whole bunch of music.

Across

1. Flexible lunch hour : ONE-ISH.  More or less 1 O'clock, kinda, sorta. 

7. PC speed unit : M-SEC.  Millisecond.  1/1000 second.

11. D.C. United's __ Stadium : RFK.  Home of the soccer team, named for former attorney General Robert F. Kennedy.

14. Marvel Entertainment parent company : DISNEY.  Entertainment empire.

15. Cinders of old comics : ELLA.   Here is her introductory panel from 1925.  You might need to blow it up to make it readable.  Read more here.  Turn her name around to suss the inspiration.

16. Reef dweller : EEL.  Any of 800 species of elongated, mostly predatory fish.

17. Needing to be bailed out, maybe : IN A JAM.  Some sort of tough spot, possibly jail.

18. "Double, double, __ and trouble": "Macbeth" : TOIL.  "Fire burn and cauldron bubble." Witches' incantation.

19. DCIV ÷ IV : CLI.  Roman numerals.  604/4 = 151.   How did the Romans ever master division?

22. Individual : SSN :: corp. : __ : E I N.  Employer Identification Number.

23. Hospital fluids : SERA.  Fluids separated from clotted blood, unlike plasma, which comes from unclotted blood.  Did anyone besides Marti know that?

24. "Impressive!" : OOH!  Like this puzzle.

27. Happen afterward : ENSUE.  Does this imply cause and effect?

29. Capital on the Dnieper River : KIEV.    Capital and largest city of Ukraine.  I've heard they have a Great Gate there.

30. Tot's recitation : ABC'S.   1-2-3's, too.

38. Nod from the maestro : CUE.  Indication you can start playing now.  And much appreciated after 179 bars of rest.

39. Short or gross measure : TON.   A short TON is the 2000 lb. measure we are used to in the U.S.   A gross TON is the same as a long TON, 2249 lbs. 

40. See 59-Across : RAP.
59. With 40-Across, trumped-up charge : BUM.  A BUM RAP is a false charge resulting in a miscarriage of justice.

41. Ones making the rounds? : BAR TENDERS.  Mixologists preparing rounds of drinks.  Clever!

44. "The Thin Man" pooch : ASTA.  Movie dog.

With Costars Myrna Loy and William Powell

45. Dot on un mapa : ISLA.  A Spanish island.

46. Capital of Senegal : DAKAR.  Un Mapa.

48. Debate subject : ISSUE.  Topic under discussion.

50. Bon __: Comet rival : AMI.  Scouring powders.

51. Sports fan's factoid : STATistic.

60. Holiday purchase : TREE.  Yo, Tannenbaum!

61. Remove all doubt : BE SURE.

62. A, in Oaxaca : UNA.  Spanish indefinite article.

63. Gremlins and Matadors : AMC'S.  American Motors Corp. automobileS from the past.

64. Lustrous fabric : SATEEN.   A fabric made with satin weave structure using spun yarn instead of filament.

65. Mag staff : EDS.  Abbreviated editors.

66. "... be good for goodness' __!" : SAKE.    Pam provides the details, with  a little help from her friends.

67. Determined ahead of time : PRESET.

Down

1. Like many Keats poems : ODIC.   He wrote the most ODIC of odes.  Fortunately, most of them are neither odious nor oddities.

2. Bogotá boys : NINOS.  Boys in Bogotá speak Spanish.

3. Online transaction : E-SALE.   A unit of E-Tail.

4. Harms : INJURES.

5. Crew member : SEAMAN.  In the Navy

7. Copycat : ME-TOOER.  Conveniently constructed, but a welcome reprieve from the ubiquitous APER.

8. A deadly sin : SLOTH.  For those too lazy to indulge in gluttony and lust.

9. Oscar-winning director Kazan : ELIA.   Gentleman's Agreement, On the Waterfront.

12. "__ Navidad": Feliciano song : FELIZ.   Merry Christmas in Spanish.

13. Kevin of "Dave" : KLINE.

21. Took the show on the road : TOURED.

26. Poetic time of day : E'EN.  Even I know this is evening, thus eventually evening me with all of you.

28. Post-workout destination : SAUNA.  Steam bath.

29. Mall stand : KIOSK.

30. Wall St. hedger : ARB.  Slothful way of indicating an arbitrageur,  one who attempts to profit from price inefficiencies in the market by making simultaneous trades that offset each other and capturing risk-free profits.

31. Cote cry : BAA.

34. Transport in an Ellington classic : A-TRAIN.   The quickest way to Sugar Hill in Harlem.

35. Informant : RAT.

36. Hotel amenity : SPA.

38. Instruments that sound similar to glockenspiels : CELESTAS.  But with a softer and more subtle timbre.  It was invented by Auguste Mustel in Paris in 1886.  Tchaikovsky was the first major composer to use it in an orchestral setting, first in The Voyadova, then - most famously  - in the Sugar Plum Fairie's dance in The Nutcracker.  You can hear one starting at about 6:40 of this video.

42. The Tigers of the Ohio Valley Conf. : TSU.  Tennessee State University.

43. Attorney general under Ronald Reagan : ED MEESE.   Not related to Mickey, as far as I know,

44. Entertainer : ARTISTE.

47. Equally hot or cold? : AS NEAR.   I don't quite get this one.

48. Inspire deeply (with) : IMBUE.  As with a particular feeling or quality.

49. In good shape : SOUND.  Hale and hardy.

50. Smart guy? : ALECK.   My comrade at arms.

52. Fits of fever : AGUES.   Fever and shivering.

53. French hens count : THREE.   You know the song.

56. "__ la Douce" : IRMA.  The story of a Parisienne prostitute.

57. Recipe meas. : TBSP.  TaBle SPoon.  Alternatively, to make out in the kitchen?.

58. Hiker's shelter : TENT.  Portable lodging.

Beautiful start to the holiday with this brilliant puzzle from Don G.  Hope you all enjoyed it, and are happy, healthy and ready to dive into the new year.

Cool Regards and Feliz Navidad, Happy Kwanzaa, Fabulous Festivus, a not very Saturnine Saturnalia, or joy at whichever near-solstice celebration you prefer.

Note from Constructor "Hard G":
 

During this past July, I thought of the book title, “Silent Spring”, and decided to make a puzzle with circles where the circled letters are literally silent S-P-R-I-N-G.  After starting the puzzle, I realized that there was also the possibility of “Silent Night”, and that there was enough time to submit a Christmas-themed puzzle before the end of the year.  So I started looking for silent N-I-G-H-T letters in words, and came across CHRISTMAS as having a silent T.  Then it struck me that what a coincidence, the H is also silent, and these are the last two letters of the silent NIGHT.  It was then a matter of arranging CHRISTMAS so that I could place the other three silent letters higher up in the grid, and SILENT NIGHT would go in the bottom right corner.  It was a lucky day that I put all this together.

Tuesday, December 23, 2014 Gail Grabowski and Bruce Venzke

Theme: Blue Christmas - My wish is that none of you are affected by these conditions for Christmas.

21A. Hitchhiked : BUMMED A RIDE

39A. Aid in driving uphill : LOW GEAR

57A. At some future date : DOWN THE LINE

3D. Deplorably bad effort : SAD ATTEMPT

30D. Sharp-billed game fish : BLUE MARLIN

Santa here but I feel a bit like Scrooge; there's no reveal for you today. Gail and Bruce didn't even provide stars...but it is a fine present anyway. A tight theme, very little dross and several CSO's (and no ice). Several entries were definitely déjà vu.

Across:

1. Hushed "Hey!" : "PSST!"

5. PC image file format : JPEG. (Joint Photographic Experts Group)

9. Quaint word of dismissal : PSHAW

14. Obsessed whale hunter : AHAB

15. Guthrie of "Alice's Restaurant" fame : ARLO. A Thanksgiving song.

16. Mozart's "Don Giovanni," e.g. : OPERA

17. Cribs and cradles : BEDS

18. Navy mascot : GOAT

19. Prey grabber : TALON

20. Place for a flock : LEA and around the corner, 24D. Meadow mom : EWE

23. Big name in taco sauce : ORTEGA

25. Remote button : MUTE

26. Handles deftly, as a baton : TWIRLS

29. __ Sapphire: gin brand : BOMBAY. Acceptable, Tinbeni?

33. Joyful shout : CHEER

35. Like wines aged in certain barrels : OAKY

37. "On the Waterfront" director Kazan : ELIA

38. Sing without words : HUM

42. Address in an online favorites list, e.g. : URL. (uniform resource locator)

43. Chalet backdrop : ALPS. One for Marti.

45. Tiny chirp : PEEP

46. Past pudgy : OBESE

48. Sound of little feet : PATTER. For all those grandkids out there.

50. "2 Broke Girls," for one : SITCOM. (situation comedy)

52. Pre-med subj. : ANAT.

54. "Shoot!" : "OH DARN!"

62. Fish delicacy : ROE

63. Fill with wonder : AMAZE

64. Silent approvals : NODS. "...And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose!"

65. Singer Fitzgerald : ELLA

66. Control tower device : RADAR

67. Eins und zwei : DREI. Something in German.

68. Harbor structure : PIER

69. Bit of salon litter : TRESS

70. Freezer bag feature : SEAL

71. "What You Need" band : INXS. What you need is more Blue Christmas/Buon Natale.

Down:

1. Painter Picasso : PABLO

2. Like some cliffs and stockings : SHEER. We know who this is for.

4. "Cougar Town" network : TBS. (Turner Broadcasting System)

5. Rain forest cat : JAGUAR

6. Senior moment? : PROM

7. Jack of old oaters : ELAM. Just one of the many screen deaths of Jack Elam.

8. Informal response to "Did you buy those items I asked for?" : "GOT 'EM"

9. Picnic salad ingredient : POTATO

10. "Skip the sordid details" : "SPARE ME". TMI

11. Prefix with port or pad : HELI

12. 14-time A.L. All-Star : A-ROD

13. Diminish slowly : WANE

21. Old nightclub employee : B GIRL

22. 2000s White House nickname : DUBYA. George "Dubya" Bush

27. Rob of "Parks and Recreation" : LOWE. He has some strange DirecTV ads on the air now.

28. Learned ones : SAGES. Three sages from the East doesn't sound right.

31. Broadcasts : AIRS

32. Prestigious New England law school : YALE. It was hard to believe Splynter missed Yale Men's Ice Hockey, 2013 NCAA Champions, last Saturday's puzzle.

33. Fellow : CHAP

34. Hippy dance : HULA. Even a shout out to our Islanders.

36. Foreign Legion cap : KEPI

40. Talk show tycoon : OPRAH

41. Valium maker : ROCHE

44. Poem divisions : STANZAS

47. Gym specimen : BOD

49. Types into the database : ENTERS

51. Throat tissue : TONSIL

53. Looks after : TENDS

55. High-end watch : ROLEX

56. Gets within a stone's throw of : NEARS

57. Sticker in a tavern target : DART

58. Actor Sharif : OMAR

59. Cross a creek, say : WADE

60. Anecdotal wisdom : LORE

61. Brainstorming contribution : IDEA

65. Prefix with center : EPI

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

I'm excited to share with you three gorgeous pictures from Lemonade's wedding. They're such a beautiful couple.

Monday, December 22, 2014 Roger Wienberg and Jeff Chen

Theme: A Royal Monday - I'll forgo the pictures because some don't like that first one.

17A. Vietnam War chopper : COBRA HELICOPTER. King Cobra

24A. Supernova named for its apparent resemblance to a crustacean : CRAB NEBULA. King Crab

40A. Publisher with an Antarctic bird logo : PENGUIN CLASSICS. King Penguin

50A. Shade similar to coral : SALMON PINK. King Salmon

60A. Lion, and a hint to critters that begin 17-, 24-, 40- and 50-Across : KING OF THE BEASTS

Argyle here. A lot of themeage for a Monday; three grid spanners, wow! Plus, it appears to be a debut for Roger Wienberg.

Across:

1. Address for a Southern belle : MA'AM

5. California wine county : NAPA

9. Chip-in at a doc's office : CO-PAY

14. __ mater : ALMA

15. Preschool basics : ABCs

16. Where to hear high C's : OPERA

20. Measuring stick : RULER

21. Sigh of delight : "AAH!"

22. Atlanta-based news channel : CNN

23. Reverent poem : ODE

29. Caesar's "vidi" : "I SAW". (veni, vidi, vici/I came, I saw, I conquered)

30. Pierre's "Done!" : "FINI!"

31. "Scram, cat!" : "SCAT!". I said, "It can't be SCAT" and yet....

34. Bounty alternative : VIVA. Paper towels.

37. Knife hyped on infomercials : GINSU. No Z.

43. Arrive by corporate jet : FLY IN

44. Sandstorm residue : GRIT

45. Eight, en español : OCHO

46. Pharmaceutical product : DRUG

48. Blessing : BOON

53. "Then what happened?" : "AND?

56. Cunning : SLY

57. Fleur-de-__ : LIS

58. Magazine copy : ISSUE

65. "Too rich for my blood" : "I'M OUT!". Poker, when the bet is too high.

66. Ecstatic review : RAVE

67. Dispense, with "out" : METE

68. Pond critters : NEWTs. The juvenile is called an eft. Both are crossword staples.

69. Was in debt : OWED

70. River of Hades : STYX

Down:

1. Close-up lens : MACRO

2. Not whispered : ALOUD

3. Walk leisurely : AMBLE

4. Mature filly : MARE

5. "Not for me" : "NAH"

6. President in a stovepipe hat, familiarly : ABE

7. Techie training site : PC LAB

8. Himalayan, e.g. : ASIAN

9. Murmur lovingly : COO

10. Like across and down: Abbr. : OPP. (opposite)

11. Place for animal vaccinations : PET CLINIC

12. Competition setting : ARENA

13. Entertaining story : YARN

18. Parts of circles : ARCs

19. "Hell's Kitchen" contestant : CHEF

25. Sitarist Shankar : RAVI

26. Bowling over : AWING

27. Major leagues, in baseball slang : BIGS

28. What singers sing in when they don't harmonize : UNISON

29. Trendsetting socialite : IT GIRL

31. Sunblock letters : SPF. (sun protection factor)

32. Cartoon frame : CEL

33. Words said with impatience : ANY DAY NOW

35. DVD predecessor : VCR

36. Suspect's need : ALIBI

38. Org. with .edu addresses : SCH. (school)

39. Support gp. for troops : USO. (United Service Organizations)

41. E pluribus __ : UNUM

42. Like __ of bricks : ATON

47. Game often involving a cart : GOLF

49. Dust Bowl refugee : OKIE

50. "Ghostbusters" goo : SLIME

51. The "N" in TNT : NITRO

52. "Fiddle-faddle!" : "PSHAW!"

53. Balance sheet item : ASSET

54. Off-the-wall : NUTTY

55. Spay or neuter : DESEX

56. Tattooist's surface : SKIN

59. Wal-Mart warehouse club : SAM'S

61. Belly : GUT

62. Extra-play qtrs. : OTs. (overtime)

63. Time for last-minute Christmas wrapping : EVE. Almost!

64. Stream bottom : BED

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Today we celebrate the 70th birthday of our sweet Misty! On and off the blog, she's gentle and caring. "Gimme a break" for some unfair clues is the harshest thing she's ever said on this blog.

Misty and her husband Rowland

Sunday December 21, 2014 Mike Peluso

Theme: "It's a Start" - A? is added to the start of the second word of each theme entry. The ? repeats the starting letter of the original phrase, so essentially "A" sound is inserted.

25A. Speech at a revival? : TENT ADDRESS. Tent dress.

27A. Variety of stars on a clear night? : COSMIC ARRAY. Cosmic ray. Four of the phrases have ARR structure.

 

56A. Only matchmaker in town? : LONE ARRANGER. Long Ranger. (Lone Ranger! Thanks, Owen!) My parents' marriage was arranged, so were the marriages of all my three aunts and uncle. Zi You Lian Ai (Free Choice of Romantic Love) came to us in early 1980s. Quite a western concept then.

83A. Approval from above? : HEAVEN ASSENT. Heaven-sent.

 

114A. St. Louis tourist? : ARCH ARRIVAL. Archrival.

119A. Rap sheet listing? : BACK ARRESTS. Backrests.

36D. Ambush during a "wrestling" match? : THUMB ATTACK. Thumbtack. Three of the original phrase are one-words. No odd man out.

41D. Extra clothes? : SPARE ATTIRE. Spare tire.

Just when you think the letter addition/deletion/alteration options are exhausted, Mike came up with this creative approach.

The grid is expertly laid out. Mike places 6 theme entries Across and 2 Down. He also makes sure his longest non-theme entries are shorter than his shortest theme entries.

Also, no cheater square (very difficult to achieve on Sundays) and only 67 black squares.

Across:

1. Anjou relative : BOSC. I loved the juicy pears Don G sent me via Harry & David.

5. Sleeveless garment : VEST

9. Chimú conquerors : INCAS

14. Give credit for : OWE TO

 

19. Russian city near the Ukraine border : OREL. Go eat a worm if you miss this city again. Our third encounter with it this week. See it?

20. Will-wisp connector : O'- THE

21. Fed. security : T-NOTE

22. Preferences : LIKES

23. Black Sea region : ASIA MINOR. Four of Mike's 9 non-theme entries intersect.

 29. Indulged : CATERED TO

30. 1969 Three Dog Night hit : ONE. I got via crosses. I just kept thinking that annoying "Who Let the Dogs Out" song. The Baha Men.

31. Alley prowler : TOM. Poor D-Otto!

32. Protected whale : SEI. It's not clued as "Italy six" because we also have SEIS (3D. Ocho menos dos) in the grid.

33. Scand. kingdom : NOR (Norway)

34. Neaten again, as a mustache : RE-TRIM. I just had my hair trimmed again yesterday. 2 inches off, as usual. Some day I'll get courageous and cut it really short like Marti's.

37. Putting up : ERECTING

40. "Sorry to hear that" : SO SAD

44. Essen exclamation : ACH

45. Primary : MAIN

47. Metz milk : LAIT

48. Grand venue : OLE OPRY. Feels like a partial to me.

50. Tag announcement : YOU'RE IT

52. Transp. to the Hamptons : LIRR (Long Island Rail Road)

53. Like Vivaldi's "Spring" : IN E. I filled in IN?, then waited.

54. First name in spydom : MATA

55. "My treat" : ON ME

60. Angling tool : ROD

61. Ora pro __ : NOBIS. Pray for us.

63. Gershwin's "Rialto Ripples," e.g. : RAG. Difficult clue for me.

64. Gobi abode : YURT. Look at this polling yurt.

65. Missouri NFL team : CHIEFS. Oh, Kansas City Chiefs.

67. "... some kind of __?" : A NUT

69. Rum __ Tugger: "Cats" character : TUM

71. More, on a score : PIU. Tricky little word.

72. Prefix with decimal : HEXA. Oh, another six.

73. Send with an email : ATTACH

75. Mosque leader : IMAM

77. Hush-hush maritime org. : ONI (Office of Naval Intelligence). Navy's CIA. Not well-known, but important.

79. Bit of mischief : ANTIC

82. Word with bird or call : CAT

87. Aleutian island : ATKA. And 120D.  Nautical rope : TYE. Both gimmes for Spitzboov. ONI too, of course.

88. Financial pros : CPAs

90. Jeanne d'Arc, e.g.: Abbr. : STE

91. Buck ending : AROO

92. Like trees in the wind : SWAYING

94. Badminton item : RACQUET. Lovely 7-letter entry.

96. Query indicating betrayal : ET TU

97. Mil. addresses : APOs

98. Sturgeon delicacy : ROE

99. Invite to one's penthouse, say : ASK UP

100. Club for a short par-3, perhaps : NINE IRON. Nailed it, though I need at least a 7 iron for a short par-3.

 

103. Cunning : SHREWD

105. I problem? : EGO

107. Frau, across the Rhine: Abbr. : MME

108. That, in Tampico : ESA

109. Eastern path : TAO. Or DAO in Mandarin.

 

110. Bart Simpson catchphrase : AY, CARAMBA. Sparkling!

121. Heathrow lander : AEROPLANE. And 1D. Former Heathrow lander : BOAC. British Overseas Airways Corporation.Read more here. It ceased existence in 1974 but merged with another airline and became today's British Airways.

122. Raise : BREED

123. No-brainer course : EASY A

124. Milieu for Sharks and Penguins : RINK. For JD & Splynter.

125. Nevada city on I-80 : ELKO. We have an ELKO in MN also. They have a big flea market.

 

126. Literature Nobelist Gide : ANDRE

127. Expensive : STEEP

128. Barrie baddie : SMEE

129. School official : DEAN

Down:

2. About : OR SO

4. Din : CLAMOR

5. Message medium : VOICE MAIL

6. View from Catania : ETNA. I did not know Catania. Wiki said it's the "second-largest city in Sicily and the tenth in Italy".

7. Edit, in a way : SHORTEN. What Rich does to my clues. I'm not a wordy person, but sometimes I can't express what I want to say concisely.

8. Intense fear : TERROR

 

9. __-bitty : ITTY

10. Shreveport-to-Little Rock dir. : NNE

11. Vanity : CONCEIT

12. Reach : ATTAIN

13. It may be saved : SEAT. I thought of FILE first.

14. Grayish-pink color : OLD ROSE. Stumped me last time it appeared in our puzzle. I'd like to be a red rose in my next life. You? What kind of flower do you want to be?

15. Teletype machine area : WIRE ROOM. New term to me. We need our newswoman PK back.

16. Barely managed, with "out" : EKED

 

17. Try out : TEST

18. Bologna bone : OSSO

24. Villainous "Austin Powers" alter ego : MINI-ME. I don't like his picture. Please don't link.

26. Wide-screen TV spot : DEN

28. Florida's __ Island : AMELIA. Never heard of it. I thought it's named after Amelia Earhart. Nope.

32. Saddle attachment : STIRRUP

34. Synthetic silk : RAYON

35. Budget prefix : ECONO

 

38. Have in stock : CARRY

 

39. Old game show prop that contestants didn't want to hear : GONG. I'll try Gong Li next time. Rich probably will change the clue. He might not if he sees this picture. Gong Li is the most recognizable actress in Asia.

42. Fromm's "The __ Loving" : ART OF. Have any of you read the book?

43. Twosomes : DYADS

46. "Use __ lose ..." : IT OR

 

49. Freeloader : LEECH

51. Isabella, por ejemplo : REINA

52. Pea, e.g. : LEGUME

 

53. Pitched properly : IN TUNE

57. Indigenous : NATIVE. Xi'an has it own dialect. Much easier than Cantonese but outsiders can't understand it.

58. Melodious piece : ARIOSO. Rooted in Aria.

59. Ostrich's cousin : RHEA

62. Similar items : SUCH

66. Slangy veto : IXNAY. Zippy 5-letter entry.

68. More than just this : THESE

70. Dugong relative : MANATEE

73. Gulf of Guinea capital : ACCRA

74. __ bar : TAPAS

76. Cuban patriot José : MARTI. Hey, our Marti got a rare shout-out! Thanks, Mike.

78. Javert's rank: Abbr. : INSP.  Javert is that jerk inspector in ' "Les Misérables".

80. "You don't have to tell me" : I KNOW

81. Behind bars : CAGED

84. Business letter abbr. : ATTN

85. More like a lemon : SOURER

86. Like some golf penalties : TWO-STROKE. Hate when this happens. One stroke is enough.

89. Narrow victory : SQUEAKER

93. B-flat equivalent : A-SHARP

95. Go from coach to business, say : UPGRADE

96. As one : EN MASSE

97. Angels' home : ANAHEIM. Mike's team is Mariners.

101. "What a long day!" : I'M BEAT

102. Glitzy winter event, with "the" : OSCARS

104. Muddied : ROILED

106. Crew member : OAR

110. "The Winner Takes It All" singers : ABBA

111. It may be spun, in more ways than one : YARN. Indeed.

112. Kept in the loop, briefly : CC'ED. Oh me!

113. Mil. rations : MREs

114. Ominous letters after "See me" : ASAP. I had ??AP very early on.

115. Secretary of Education Duncan : ARNE

116. Low-lying area : VALE

117. "My Way" lyricist : ANKA

118. Spanish province or its capital : LEON. No idea. But its Google images are gorgeous.

Congratulations to Lemonade, who's getting married today. Lemonade has been blogging for us since March 2010. I can count the days he missed his write-ups. So happy to see him find his soul mate and settle down.

Saturday, Dec 20th, 2014, John Lieb

Theme: None

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

Blocks: 29

  We have seen John before, this year, and I thought I was going to sail to a quick finish - I was racing through some of the long fill - but then the NE did me in for too long....oh well.  Oh, and I was totally off-point in a minor area of the SE, too.  Long line of unused letters today, but we have had seven on a Saturday.  Triple 9-letter across corners, triple 8-letter downs, and two 12-letter spanners;

32. 1970 Top 40 song with the lyric "And I'm lucky that you're mine" : RUBBER DUCKIE - I think I've heard it - link away~!

38. Nickname for the NFL draft's last pick : Mr. IRRELEVANT - half perps, half educated guess - but it makes sense; the Wiki

ACROSS:

1. Go figure? : DO THE MATH - I have been looking for funny T-shirts for Christmas - I liked this one

10. Scented candle option : LILAC - Once I filled AVE MARIA, and WAGed CAROUSED, the ---AC made me realize this was not "TAPER"

15. One may become an exurb : RURAL AREA

16. Carew's Twins roommate : OLIVA - Oh, I know C.C. nailed this one~!

C.C. & Tony Oliva

17. Monopoly duo : UTILITIES - I started putting in RAILROADS, which fit - but there's FOUR of those.  Duh. 

18. Inspiration for some Yahtzee categories : POKER - Had it, took it out, ended up trying it again

19. Reasons for handshakes : DEALS

20. Large volume : TOME

22. Alt-rock subgenre : EMO

23. Material for Caesar : GAGS - Ah, Sid Caesar

24. Russian crepes : BLINI

26. Egyptian __: cat breed : MAU - once I saw it, the V-8 can flew

27. Warm time for Nancy? : ETE - Is Nancy Frawnche~? I guess....

28. Nursery nourishment : LOAM - Good WAG on my part - I was in that nursery, not the kiddies

29. Slinky ad feature : STAIRS - oh, THAT Slinky - you know my mind was here - and see, Nancy is American, I'm sure

34. Restraining device : MANACLE

37. Numskull : AIRHEAD

40. High regard : ESTEEM

41. Alice's workplace : MEL'S - the Alice of TV fame

42. 1956 milestone for Ford: Abbr. : IPO - I put in LBO - which is, um, totally wrong

45. __ anglais: English horn : COR

46. Actor Ken and others : OLINS

48. Hitch : TOUR - the 'meh' clue for the day

49. Its Batman version contains a Joker : UNO

50. Like some annoying blog posts: Abbr. : ANON - let's see who pops in today~!

51. Coming-out party? : BELLE - har-har

52. Quality of a good math proof : RIGOR - still no algebra

54. Zen-like "Caddyshack" mantra : BE THE BALL - I have to admit, I'm not a big fan of this movie

57. Grenoble's river : ISERE

58. Hoops matchups : ONE-ON-ONES - basketball, not earrings

59. Former lab heaters : ETNAS - outdone by Bunsen

60. Like many lotteries : STATEWIDE

DOWN:   

1. Lowly worker : DRUDGE

2. Best in a mess : OUT-EAT - I had OUT--T, and this just wouldn't come to me

3. ER protocol : TRIAGE

4. "Vapor Action" brand : HALLS

5. 2013 NCAA Men's Ice Hockey champs : ELIs - another WAG

6. Place to wrestle : MAT

7. George W.'s first press secretary : ARI - perps

8. Driver's appointment? : TEE TIME - nailed it

9. Sports : HAS ON - I had the "---ON" part, so no misdirection for me

10. Make big strides : LOPE

11. U.N. workers' gp. : ILO

12. 2002 Lil' Bow Wow film : LIKE MIKE - I had '--KE--KE', and a vague recollection crept into my mind - IMDb

13. Prayer sung by Desdemona in "Otello" : AVE MARIA

14. Carried on : CAROUSED

21. Makes bad calls? : MIS-DIALS

24. Hall of Fame pitcher who managed the Yankees to a 1978 title : BOB LEMON - more baseball for C.C.

25. Tag : LABEL

28. Ill-gotten loot : LUCRE

30. Chances : TURNS

31. Vier times zwei : ACHT - German 4 X 2 = 8 - still no algebra

32. Special : RARE

33. Poetic rapper : RAVEN - ah, that kind of rapper - as on a door....

34. Only woman with two Nobel prizes, formally : Mme CURIE - Oddly, I filled this in with only the -CU- in place; and she WAS French, technically - the Wiki

35. Insurance fraud perpetrator, perhaps : ARSONIST

36. Ammonia component : NITROGEN

39. Distinguished : EMINENT - I think the "arsonist" clue made me read this as "extinguished" first

42. Historic island palace : IOLANI - I'm a big fan of Hawaii Five-O, both the old and the new - some trivia, including the palace

43. __ pork : PULLED - I, um, had BALLed pork to start - my palace was LElani, and, well, cut me some slack - it's been a long month

44. Uncreative threat : OR ELSE

47. Latin rock group Los __ : LOBOS

48. First sophomore to win the Heisman Trophy : TEBOW

50. "Iliad" war god : ARES

51. Factor opening : BENE - benefactor

53. Mouths, anatomically : ORA

55. See 56-Down : TEA - circumferential, I got all the letters via perps

56. With 55-Down, sore throat soother : HOT

Splynter

Friday, December 19, 2014, John Lampkin

Theme: Wherefore ARt thou AR?

Man what more could a guy ask for: marti, followed by C.C., followed by a John Lampkin special. I am in blogger heaven. Good thing this is not November 19. Letter removal puzzles require the result to be entertaining and John does not disappoint. CRIER PIGEON, MINAMALIST T, BROOM BRAWL (featuring witches) and PILL TO POST all evoke (see 49A) very funny images to me. The rest of the fill is loaded with stuff like CAPITOL, ECLIPSE, EXPORTS, ONE EYED, OOMPAHS, ORIGAMI, SPARE ME, TOENAIL, HOOFED IT, I’M NO FOOL. John always slides in some insects and some music, so lets play.

20A. Easy mark with a sob story? : CARRIER PIGEON (11). Someone who is a sucker for a crying female. Carrier pigeons are in retirment now, and should not be confused with this long gone COUSIN.

54A. Shirt that hardly covers anything? : MINIMALIST ART (11). Which would you rather have: Skimpy T-shirts

or

10D. Ruckus at a coven? : BARROOM BRAWL (10). Broom being the un-PC way to refer to witches. We have our California coven here at the Corner; hello ladies.

28D. Very small pharmaceutical mail order? : PILLAR TO POST(10). Yes, mailing a single pill sounds silly, but with the price of some of the new drugs, it might just make sense. I recall the announcers at the Gillette Friday Night Fights used the term  "he was battered from 'Pillar to Post.'"
And the hint
67A. Noble gas, and a homophonic hint to how this puzzle's four longest answers are formed : ARGON (5).  AR is GONE from each phrase. Regional accents may make this more difficult.

Across:

1. What Rudolph used to be called : NAMES. A semi clecho. 41. 1960 Olympic gold medalist Rudolph : WILMA.

All of the other reindeer
Used to laugh and call him names
They never let poor Rudolph
Join in any reindeer games

6. One in a wild bunch? : OAT. Sowing anyone?

9. Beatles song syllables : OBLA. Does this parse  OHHB LAHH, or OOOO BLAH?

13. Pilot : AVIATE. JL, really?

15. Baseball letters : RHE. Runs Hits and Errors on the scoreboard. JL is the undipsuted King of Clechos, as is seen here.

16. Baseball's Hershiser : OREL. He works in the booth now. A repeat fill with totally diferent clue.

17. Baseball champs of 2013 : RED SOX. So many years of futility followed by such success, I wonder if Joe Maddon can do that for the Cubs?

18. "What do you take me for?" : I'M NO FOOL. I/ME today, a minI theme? 31A. Part of a team observation : NO I. Just two weeks after I used this as part of my name for marti's Friday puzzle. 7D. Woeful words : AH ME. 32D. "I've heard enough" : SPARE ME. (Also, s CSO to Boomer). 38D. "No real damage" : I'M OK.

22. Trail terminus: Abbr. : OREgon. Sounds like ARGON? I wonder if terminus refers to the fact the Oregon Trail ends in Oregon, or that Trail is added to the end of Oregon?

23. British pop singer Lewis : LEONA. She won X-Factor.

24. Expressionist painter LeRoy : NEIMAN. I think football made him famous. See the SITE.

26. Habitat for some ibexes : ALPS. You run into many, marti?

29. Coke go-with : RUM.

30. Balkan native : SERB. I wonder if they serve rum and coke in Serbia?

32. Fine groove : STRIA.

34. Salt's output : YARNS. Sailors love to spin them.

37. It's seldom total : ECLIPSE. Unless it is of the HEART. GLEEFUL.

39. Digital filer's target : TOE NAIL. Devlish misdirection with digital referencing the 'digit" i.e. toe, for all you pedicure experts.

42. Cape Cod catch : SCROD. It is baaack!

44. Intl. commerce group : WTO. World Trade Organization. 14D. International commerce components : EXPORTS.

45. One-third of a WWII film : TORA. "Tora! Tora! Tora!", named after the code words use by the lead Japanese pilot to indicate they had surprised the Americans, covers the days leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor, which plunged America into the Second World War. (Wiki). Interestingly, the screen play credits both American and Japanese authors.

47. Wind often affects it : AIM. Yes, in shooting, golf etc.

48. Joy : GLEE. Nene Leakes is/was on Glee.

49. Calls to mind : EVOKES.

51. Some future fliers : PUPAE. larvae, pupae, John loves dem bugs, see below for more.

53. Hint : TIP. Do not try giving your server a hint.

59. Didn't ride : HOOFED IT. Archie Goodwin was always hoofing it from the old brownstone and leaving the Heron in the garage.

61. Hamper : HOGTIE.

62. "... we fat all / creatures __ to fat us": Hamlet : ELSE. I love this scene where the King asks Hamlet where Polonious is, and is told he is at supper, the king asks where Polonious is eating his supper and Hamlet replies:
                                                

Not where he eats, but where he is eaten. A certain convocation of politic worms are e'en at him. Your worm is your only emperor for diet. We fat all creatures else to fat us, and we fat ourselves for maggots. Your fat king and your lean beggar is but variable service—two dishes, but to one table. That’s the end.

63. Roger or Brian of music : ENO. There will alway be music in John's puzzles as there is in his soul.

64. Bundle up on the farm : SHEAVE. A perfect winter misdirection.

65. Speedometer reading, e.g. : RATE.

66. Margarita condimento : SAL. salt in Spanish.


Down:

1. Buster? : NARC. The question mark is your clue to the clue as it means one who busts.

2. Affirm as true : AVER.

3. Noon in Paris : MIDI. Time for a Midi? Mini or maxi? Skirted that issue.

4. Stands by an artist : EASELS. Only thing I think of

5. Put away : STORE.

6. Folding craft : ORIGAMI.

8. Dovetail sections : TENONS. Splynter, hope you get some rest.

9. Punch line? : OOF. See cartoon.

11. The first Mrs. Arrowsmith : LEORA. From the eponymous Sinclair Lewis book. She was played by Helen Hayes in the movie.

12. Kind of wrench : ALLEN. Actually it is a Hex Key, but Allen manufacturing from Hartford seems to have cornered the market.

19. Like some picture cards : ONE EYED. I think we had Jacks recently.

21. Gets used (to) : INURES.

25. Land with a red, white and green flag : IRAN. Man there are a lot of them. LINK. I should have paid more attention when watching...

26. Over : ANEW. Starting over- starting anew? Not easy JL.

27. Point sets, in math : LOCI. Bill G., this is all yours.

33. Court : ATRIUM. Noun, not a verb.

35. Time in ads : NITE.

36. Sour fruit : SLOE. Not in a Singapore Sling.

40. Marching band lows : OOMPAHS. Oh those TUBAE! 50D. String quartet part : VIOLA.  two violins, one cello and a viola. John Lampkin is  an accomplished piano player, teacher and composer.

43. Hill building : CAPITOL.

46. Dramatic devices : ASIDES. Shakespeare anyone?

48. Counter man : GEIGER. Har har.  It actually is the Geiger–Müller counter. LINK.

49. It's a real knockout : ETHER. Har har, though knockout drops were Chloral hydrate (please insert intelligent comment scientists).

52. Wahine's greeting : ALOHA.

55. Two-time Atlantic crosser of 1493 : NINA. I did not know this tidbit.

56. __ party : STAG. Most bachelor parties are stag; my first wedding had one but it was boooring.

57. DVR option : TIVO. How are they doing now that cable, dish people provide the DVRs?

58. Adult, at one time : TEEN. Being a teen is 7 years for each of us on the calendar, a lifetime for most males.

60. Commission : FEE. FIE FO FUM.  I finish with an introduction to some of the photography of our multitalented constructor John Lampkin, who takes the best bug pictures even if bugs are yucky. He also offers his commentary. See you after Christmas, Happy Chanukah to those who light the candles. Lemonade out. Here are pictures and words from JL. Thanks John for the puzzle and more.

For 51 Across – PUPAE

This Armyworm caterpillar (seen head downwards) had been parasitized by a very tiny braconid wasp. She had stung the caterpillar laying dozens of eggs. The eggs  hatched and the wasp larvae ate the caterpillar from the inside out avoiding all vital organs toward the head end. The wasp larvae then crawled out through the caterpillar’s skin and formed the white fuzzy pupae  sticking out of the caterpillar.  The caterpillar was still alive when I shot the pic. My Florida naturalist friend Karen Finch, bless her,  took everything home in a jar and hatched out the wasps to confirm our ID. Since parasitized larvae like this Armyworm nearly always die, braconid wasps can be an eco-friendly control of garden pests like Tomato Hornworms.

Total lunar eclipse I shot as a time-lapse from my yard at 3:33 am, December 21, 2010. 

From Wikipedia: The eclipse was the first total lunar eclipse to occur on the day of the Northern Winter Solstice (Southern Summer Solstice) since 1638, and only the second in the Common Era