Sunday August 17th, 2014, C.C. Burnikel

Theme:  "Treasure Hunt"

Hi Yo Silver Away! C.C.'s puzzle takes the chemical symbol for Silver, Ag (argentum in Latin) and uses the A as a caboose for one word and the G as the engine on the next in this Silver Streak exercise. Every fill has a silver lining!

22. *Source of mohair : ANGORA GOAT - Angora wool was the preferred material for this in my high school

28. *Runner-up to Einstein as Time's Person of the Century in 1999 : MAHATMA GANDHI- His peaceful, civil disobedience inspired Martin Luther King

47. *Super Nintendo rival : SEGA GENESIS

44. *__ Tibbets, eponymous mother of a WWII pilot : ENOLA GAY- This Omaha-built airplane changed the world

67. *1965 Beach Boys hit : CALIFORNIA GIRLS - Now for a musical interlude

91. *Black-necked honker : CANADA GOOSE- these birds and, uh, their refuse populate our golf course

94. *Hue akin to avocado : PEA GREEN

110. *Gainesville team : FLORIDA GATORS - Many memorable games against the Huskers


Reveal entry:

118. Where to find the metal whose symbol spans the words in the answers to starred clues : SILVER MINE - An episode of Bonanza had the boys figuring out how to make the SILVER MINES in Virginia City safer. Also a fun theme!!

The theme was fun to discover although not helpful to this solver out here on the prairie, so let's see what nuggets our mistress of the blog has left for us.

Across:

1. Nannies' handfuls : IMPS - I've heard 'em called worse

5. "Now hear __!" : THIS 

9. Leak indicator : HISS - Another forbidding hiss

13. Those, in Toledo : ESOS

17. First king of Israel : SAUL

18. Court statements : OATHS -Somebody's lying Judge Judy!

20. Capone associate : NITTI  - I first NITTI and NESS on this 60's TV show

21. Running __ : MATE - "You like going to funerals? Have I got a job for you!"

24. Hard-nosed : STERN

25. Land south of Moab : EDOM

26. Three, for Kentucky Derby horses : AGE - No one seems to pay any attention to horse racing except on the first Saturday in May

27. Mule parent : ASS

31. Watch a pet for a friend : CAT SIT

33. Silent movie femme fatale Theda : BARA - A little heavy on the L'Oréal eye makeup?

34. V-J Day pres. : HST - Harry wasn't told about the atom bomb until 3 1/2 mos. before he had to decide whether to drop it

35. L x XXXI : MDL -The year chocolate was introduced into Europe

36. Loaded one : SOT

37. Highest U.S. capital : SANTA FE - Santa Fe - 7,000', Cheyenne 6,400', then the mile high city

39. Pinkerton logo : EYE

41. School address ending : EDU

50. Ostentatious, in a way : LOUD - Didn't Herb Tarlek of WKRP write the book on that?

51. Key above G : A FLAT

54. Proof goofs : TYPOS - Typos were a bigger pain when we had to use typewriters

55. Tragic fate : DOOM

56. Yahoo! rival : MSN

57. Manxmen, e.g. : GAELS - Occupants of the Isle of Mann (also called Manx) where a branch of the Gaelic language is spoken

58. Fire dept. volunteer, perhaps : EMT - On July 3rd, EMTs had to save my doctor's life at his lake house when he had a heart attack

59. High chain : SIERRA

61. Car buyer's choice : SEDAN - Joann's now an SUV gal and ain't goin' back to a sedan

64. Knock on : RAP AT - Knock, knock, knock Penny. Knock, knock, knock Penny. Knock, knock, knock Penny.

66. They may be planted : KISSES

72. "Full House" actor : STAMOS - A 90's heartthrob

74. Stifled laugh : SNORT - milk out your nose?

75. Produces interest, say : EARNS - Banks here are paying a whopping 0.95% on savings

79. Cup holder : SAUCER - Does anyone really put one under your coffee cup at home?

80. Sphere : ORB

83. Fish similar to the stingray : SKATE - Forms of rays and skates predate trees

85. One-third of an inning, to a pitcher : OUT - Great line by Robin Williams in Good Morning Vietnam - Sgt. Major Dickerson: [Pointing to his rank insignia] What does three up and three down mean to you, airman? Adrian Cronauer: End of an inning?

86. Longfellow's "The Bell of __" : ATRI  

87. Spine-chilling : EERIE

89. Easy basket : TIP IN 

90. Words before dash or pinch, in recipes : ADD A

96. iOS part: Abbr. : SYS - My iOS doesn't necessarily like OSX let alone Windows 8

97. "Hold On Tight" rock gp. : ELO

98. Biblical quartet : GOSPELS - the four that made the cut

101. Pooh pal : ROO

102. Old jazz standard "__ Liza Jane" : LIL

104. Chip, say : MAR

106. Windex target : PANE - Nia Vardolas explains the use of Windex in My Big Fat Greek Wedding

107. Do a pitcher's job : PEDDLE

114. Stooge with bangs : MOE - Brothers Moe and Shemp Howard were two of the original Four (yes, four) Stooges

115. Clear (of) : RID

116. "Here's the thing ..." : LOOK

117. Continuously : ON END


121. Church recess : APSE

122. Ugli coats : RINDS

123. Where el-Sisi is president : EGYPT

124. Uniform : EVEN - Some our greens are still not uniform due to winter kill

125. Bane in a bed : WEED - Maybe Denver can be higher than Santa Fe...

126. "Transcendence" actress Mara : KATE

127. Capone nemesis : NESS - Nitti's too

128. Telescopic __ : LENS


Down

1. First name in sci-fi : ISAAC

2. Japanese comics : MANGA - Okay.

3. Washington State Ferries setting : PUGET SOUND - Here's Joann at the top of the Space Needle  two weeks ago with the Puget Sound as a lovely background

4. __-mo replay : SLO - Umpires and referees get it right now

5. It usually pops up : TOAST - Great for holding up PB&J

6. Fairy tale staples : HAGS

7. Midori on the ice : ITO

8. Tribal healer : SHAMAN - White Bull was a Cheyenne SHAMAN who foresaw a great victory coming over Custer. Some say he may have killed Custer.


9. Work out : HIT THE GYM

10. Newsy tidbits : ITEMS - We don't need no stinkin' three sources. Print/tweet it!

11. Flag-capturing board game : STRATEGO

12. Join the chorus : SING

13. Polish, as text : EMEND -I did my best...

14. Achy from riding : SADDLE SORE - Bike and horse saddles

15. Texter's "Then again ..." : OTOH - On other hand, I have a wart ;-)

16. Truck stop sight : SEMI - Steeds for Interstate cowboys

19. Kick off : START - The Huskers kick off the season August 30th

20. "Defending Our Nation. Securing the Future" org. : NSA - Okay

23. Indian yogurt dip : RAITA - A dip, condiment or salad made with yogurt

29. Two-time Senior PGA Championship winner Jay : HAAS

30. "Right on!" : AMEN

32. Closing word : SOLD - Remember the old TV cigarette ad that ended "SOLD American"

33. Pungent spice : BAY LEAF - I wish I could link to a scent


37. Wild adventures : SAFARIS - I'd do a photo SAFARI

38. Honor in style : FETE

40. Private reply? : YES SIR - SIR! YES SIR!

42. Gowns for the rich and famous : DIORS - I don't "wear" DIOR, It's usually Haggar

43. West Point inits. : USMA - Honor Code -  "A cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do."

44. O'Neill's "Desire Under the __" : ELMS - or the oaks or maples or ash or...

45. Sniffer dog's asset : NOSE - They'll stick those NOSES in embarrassing places

46. Laugh line : GAG

48. Well-put : APT

49. Historic Mesopotamian city : EDESSA - Due north of EDOM

52. Chow chow : ALPO

53. "God Save the __!": Russian Empire anthem : TSAR - Uh, he didn't

60. Resort spot : ISLE - Our favorite ISLE - Capri

62. Golden wattle, for one : ACACIA - Lovely National Floral Emblem of Australia

63. Dub : NAME

65. Heavy wts. : TNS

66. Pots on a table : KITTIES - Kitties who have anted into the, uh, kitty

68. Lancôme parent company : L'OREAL

69. RPI or MIT : INST

70. Benihana founder Rocky __ : AOKI - Nori AOKI plays right field for the KC Royals

71. Wrestle (with) : GRAPPLE

72. Skewered Thai dish : SATAY - SATAY/ATRI was a struggle por moi

73. Sets free : TURNS LOOSE

76. California street with a Walk of Style : RODEO DRIVE - I wonder how much C.C. would spend for a pair of shoes on RODEO DRIVE

77. Studio subject : NUDE - Google away

78. Musial in Cooperstown : STAN - One of the finest gentlemen to ever play the game

79. Pollen production pouches : SACS

80. Montana motto word : ORO - Oro y Plata (gold and silver)

81. River to the Gulf of Mexico : RIO GRANDE - A very busy place these days

82. Kiss, in Cádiz : BESO - Paul Anka singing Eso BESO (That Kiss)

84. Doe in "Bambi" : ENA - Bambi's mother-in-law

88. Dorian Gray's flaw : EGOMANIA - See below

90. Single-season record holder for most HRs by a shortstop : AROD - The opposite of 78 Down

92. Where to pick lox : DELI

93. Hockey's Phil, to fans : ESPO

95. Garson of "Mrs. Miniver" : GREER

99. Dissect, in a way : PARSE - It's all part of the fun here

100. Navy flag : ENSIGN - Is Frank Pulver the most famous movie one?

103. Bugged : IRKED

105. Bond, for one : AGENT - Mine'll always be Sean Connery

107. Poe and Pope : POETS - Dead POETS Society was a great Robin Williams film

108. White sale item : LINEN - How did a white sale get tied to President's Day?


109. Pristine places : EDENS

110. Chip, perhaps : FLAW - One undetected FLAW in the number 2 oxygen tank fill line DOOMed Apollo 13

111. Move with long strides : LOPE

112. Nerd : DORK - 30 years later he's a zillionaire


113. Reasons for end zone dances: Abbr. : TDS

114. LeBron James has won four of them: Abbr. : MVPS - Many people loved seeing him move back to play in Cleveland

119. Drano ingredient : LYE

120. "The Producers" (1968) director Brooks : MEL - Yup, MEL was a Jewish man who wrote and directed a play containing the song Springtime For Hitler

NOW HEAR THIS! NOW HEAR THIS! The bloggers are about to speak!



Husker Gary

Saturday, Aug 16th, 2014, Ned White

Theme: None

Words: 72 (missing J,Q,Z)

Blocks: 28

  Mr. White's last puzzle was a Saturday also, Oct. last year - with its triple-triple grid spanners.  The relatively 'easy' triple-7 corners of today's grid made this one look less of a challenge, but there were plenty of vague clues and proper names to slow me down, plus a fair amount of multi-word answers, too.  Had to admit to one bad letter - happened in that Oct. puzzle, too - but in reviewing that crossword, I treated myself to the Van Halen link I posted~!  Just the two 11-letter spanners to round out today's longer fill;

20a. Like one claiming to be short, maybe : TIGHT-FISTED

57a. Source of wisdom : TRIBAL ELDER

Oh, so close, but On...(ugh)...ward

ACROSS:

1. Like fairies : MAGICAL - oh, uh, that kind of fairie

8. Avocation, slangily : BAG - custom carpentry is "my bag"

11. Plant activity: Abbr. : MFG - first fill, and it felt iffy

14. "Almost done" : ONE TO GO...

15. Mostly : AS A RULE

17. Experienced : VETERAN - the adjective, here

18. Attacks with gusto : DIVES IN

19. "Rescue 911" fig. : EMT

22. Persian Gulf capital : DOHA - Shout out to Doc~!

24. One in charge of many couples : NOAH - Dah~! This nearly got me for the second time in two weeks

25. White __ : NOISE - I threw in HOUSE - BzzzT~!

26. Yards, e.g. : UNITS - ah, that's the word I couldn't think of...

28. Colorado __, Colo. : SPRS - my "meh" answer for the day; SPRINGS abbr. (?!)

30. Common result of use : WEAR

31. Grinder : PESTLE - I went with HOAGIE, the sa'mich Grinder/Sub/Hero, but we're looking for the implement here

33. A little, in music : POCO

35. Some NFL blockers : RTs - Right Tackles

36. Cleese antic in a Monty Python sketch : SILLY WALK

39. Ring gp. : WBA - World Boxing Association, that kind of 'ring'

42. Per __ : DIEM

43. Dominions : REALMS

47. Flavor enhancer : HERB - Tried SALT

49. Stop : STEM

51. "Paper Moon" Oscar winner : O'NEAL

52. 19th-century presidential middle name : ABRAM - James Abram Garfield, whose term lasted the second shortest in Presidential history - Wiki

54. Hat tipper's word : MA'AM - Pondered "G'Day"

56. Kerfuffle : TO-DO

60. Identify : PEG - I had her 'pegged' as being about 21....see 63d.

61. Hogan dwellers : NAVAHOS - my one bad letter - went with "J" and not "H", plus it worked in "MAJAL", too - at least, in my head

62. Evil laugh : "MWA-HA-HA~!!!"

64. Excess : OVERAGE

65. One that didn't show? : ALSO-RAN

66. JFK speechwriter Sorensen : TED - a WAG with "D" in place; I figured it was not a self-gratuitous "NED"

67. Burn cause, perhaps : LYE - Tried "SUN"

68. Unknowns to figure out : X's AND Y's - Brilliant bottom line fill; good thing I know who Mad Max is

DOWN:

1. Advanced : MOVED UP

2. Clematis relative : ANEMONE

3. Rumor starter? : GET THIS...

4. Brooklyn closer : ITE - BrooklynITE

5. Actor Bud of "Harold and Maude" : CORT

6. "Not __!" : AGAIN

7. Solo couple? : LONG Os - Following the "Hard C"s of yesterday's puzzle, S-ō-L-ō

8. It may be over one's head at first : BAD THROW - I watched some Little League World Series at the restaurant where the bench project is going on - blow out in the first inning, 13-0

9. "Oh, sure" : AS IF - "Sha, as if"

10. MacLeod of "The Love Boat" : GAVIN

11. More like the typical attic : MUSTIER

12. Attacks : FLIES AT

13. Bases for some roles : GENDERS

16. Plant anew : RESOW

21. McDonald's offering : HAPPY MEAL

23. Court workers: Abbr. : ATTorneys

27. Dropped : SLID - like the price of gas around here since July 4th - not complaining~!

29. Traumatize : SCAR

32. Clinton and both Bushes, but not Obama : ELIs - Yale attendees

34. Stick in a dish : OLEO

37. "Hmm ..." : "LET ME SEE..."

38. "The Metaphysics of Morals" writer : KANT

39. More of the same : WHATNOT

40. Encouraging words : BE BRAVE - Had the first "B" and last "E" - total WAG on this one

41. Got in : ARRIVED

44. Impala predator : LEOPARD - the hostess at the restaurant had a leopard print dress on last Friday; the one she wore Tuesday? - ha-muna-ha-muna

45. Seized the opportunity : MADE HAY - Progessing nicely with the bench project; did not waste anything but scrap in getting the corner backrest angles correct~!

 46. Spot finishers, often : SLOGANS - Commercial Advertisement "spots"

48. "Histoire de __": French children's book : BABAR - filled via perps

50. Mel Gibson persona : MAD MAX - there's a new one in the works

53. Urdu for "palace" : MAHAL - and "Taj" means 'crown'

55. Whimpers : MEWLS

58. Hardly energetic : LOGY - Pondered LAZY, but the "Z" wouldn't work

59. Tabula __ : RASA

63. Doll : HON - and yes, the hostess is a doll - looks like Taylor Swift; I was "\ /" this close to asking her out today when I found out how old she was; don't ask....

Splynter

Friday, August 15, 2014 Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme:  Look what the WIZARD of ID did to our puzzle, all the Freudian sex stuff added!

Wow, JW is back again, and this time he has inserted the letters ID into four phrases to change their meaning to a new humorous clue. His reveal is in the dead center of the puzzle,
36A. Bouncer's demand, and this puzzle's title : LET'S SEE SOME ID. I added my title to the mix since two of the new phrases sound like the Wizard (soft ID) and two sound like what you have to produce to satisfy a big, steroid raging bouncer (hard ID). Except for some difficult clues/fill, this felt more like a mid-week puzzle, with many 3/4 letter words, with a few nice answers like: DEMEANS, BUMS A RIDE,  I’LL BE AWAY,  PEKINGESE, and  ROSE MARIE, though the ID in "bum's a ride" is a little troubling. Let's examine this latest from Jeffrey, the self-proclaimed Rip Van Winkle of construction.

17A. Cause of brittle cigars? : DRY HUMIDOR. A little self assessment here, with his sense of humor becoming a excuse for bad cigars. Does he puff?

29A. Rebuke a revolutionary? : CHIDE GUEVARA. Now here is where it gets eerie; as you recall Robin Stears just had Che as a theme answer where she added "IT" (taking out the H) to her theme answers. ID happens to be the Latin word for IT, which is where Freud got the term, but it is all irrelevant because JW was thinking Identification ID. Oops, Freud wrote about THAT as well.

44A. Tolerate a Midwest capital? : ABIDE LINCOLN. A CSO to HG and his Nebraska buddies, built from Honest Abe.

60A. God of honeymoon truck rentals? : RYDER CUPID. Very timely fill, as the Ryder Cup (US versus Europe) is coming soon. Phil's second place finish at Valhalla cemented his position on the team, while Tiger (wisely) withdrew from consideration. Rory's third win, and second major in a row makes Europe the favorites. (Another clue fill conflict) 62D. Ryder Cup team : USA. JW?

And I remind you of the reveal:
36A. Bouncer's demand, and this puzzle's title : LET'S SEE SOME ID.
let's see some action:

Across:
    
1. Classic beginning or ending? : HARD C. This one had me going for a while, until I got 4D (DOH) and 5D (CLUTCH) then the bell in my head rang. Hey Don Gagliardo!

6. __ bag : GRAB.

10. Some NYSE traders : ARBS. Back again.

14. Playwright Fugard : ATHOL. I did not know this man at all, but he seems INTERESTING. Maybe Gareth Bain can provide some insight, enjoyed his puzzle on Thursday.

15. Smart Simpson : LISA.  You all can finally catch up watching every episode, all 207 hours. 4D. "I should have thought of that!" : DOH. The Homer Simpson spelling.

16. Wet course : SOUP. Logical but I am unfamiliar with this term.

19. "This __ Song": Petula Clark hit : IS MY. College years. Going Downtown.

20. Intention : AIM. It is our aim to entertain and educate and learn.

21. Bit : TAD.

22. Artistic surroundings? : FRAMES. Cute.

24. Inventor for whom a N.J. township is named : TAE. Those of you who do not know Edison Township, or think it is unfair to get just the initials of Thomas Alva Edison did not see that NJ tells you what is coming.

25. Said "You're on!" to : CUED.

27. Friar __ de Torquemada : TOMÁS. No clue about first name of this man mentioned in the Catholic ENCYCLOPEDIA. No religion, no politics, no comment. One of the Friday clues/fill.

32. NYSE event : IPO. Initial Public Offering.

34. Tortilla dough : MASA. Well this is the Spanish word for dough. Corn tortillas I think are made of masa de maize (help Lucina!). A Friday clue.

35. Manipulate illegally : RIG. Boxing, basketball and the 1919 Black Sox come to mind.

41. Jan. honoree : MLK. Martin Luther King.

42. 7UP's opposite? : COLA. Remember WHEN (1:01)? Clecho- 50A. 7UP, e.g. : SODA.

43. "Pioneer Woman" cookbook writer Drummond : REE. Another CHEF.

49. Red head : LENIN. Cute misdirection.

51. Olympic diver's ideal : TEN.

54. Former vice-presidential family : AGNEWS. Hmm, there are so many...and the plural?

57. "... from __ far country blows": Housman : YON. From A.E. Houseman's 40th poem in A Shropshire Lad, also inspired the title of  of Nevil Shute's The Far Country. (per wiki and other places).
        Into my heart an air that kills
        From yon far country blows:
        What are those blue remembered hills,
        What spires, what farms are those?

        That is the land of lost content,
        I see it shining plain,
        The happy highways where I went
        And cannot come again.

58. Kitchenware giant : OXO.

59. Actor Wilson : OWEN. Luke also has 4 letters. I now find Luke boring.

63. Vintner's quantity : CASE. Cask?

64. Certain tunnelers : ANTS.

65. Virtual transaction : E-SALE. Now we have A words and E words.

66. Batik artist : DYER. I was looking for a famous one, not just the job.

67. Garden headache : PEST.

68. Obliterates : RAZES. Always loved how the homophone RAISES is so opposite, learning English is such fun.

Down:

1. Tackled : HAD AT.

2. Heart chambers : ATRIA.

3. Sound mostly the same : RHYME. A CSO to all of our resident poets.

5. Shifting aid : CLUTCH. More than aid, I think.

6. Moved smoothly : GLIDED. Not when I am driving stick....

7. Free : RID. Finally I am free of those stupid emails.

8. Since : AS OF.

9. Epstein-__ virus : BARR. Completely unrelated to Roseanne.  LINK. One of those from the happy herpes family.

10. Heinlein contemporary : ASIMOV. To me the greatest.

11. "The Dick Van Dyke Show" actress : ROSE MARIE. She was a child actress.

12. Hitches : BUMS A RIDE. Nice hard Friday fill, but the ID in the fill seems ????

13. Furtive sort : SPY.

18. Wailuku's county : MAUI.

23. Crackerjack group : A-TEAM. No Mr. T.?

26. Humiliates : DEMEANS.

28. Lose some support : SAG. I am sure Lois has never lost her support from here at the Corner.

29. Camp sight : COT.

30. Natural resource : GAS. When I am around my youngest son, I am not so sure how natural it is.

31. Mil. morale booster : USO.

32. "That's my vacation time" : I'LL BE AWAY.

33. Typically long-haired breed : PEKINGESE. Did you do the NYT where the fill was   PIQUE PEKE PEAKED, or something like that?

37. Dramatic division : SCENE.

38. Sonora sun : SOL. Another Spanish word.

39. Timothy Omundson's role on "Xena" : ELI. No clue.  Watch.

40. Coastal raptor : ERN.

41. Content beginning? : MALcontent. From the French for bad.

45. "What's for __?" : DINNER. Really? Leftovers.

46. Least straightforward : COYEST. Nice clue.

47. Burning sulfur quality : ODOR. Funny, as this is often related to damnation.

48. Cavalry soldier : LANCER.

51. November birthstone : TOPAZ.

52. Napoleon, ultimately : EXILE. Using it as a noun was tricky.

53. Meeting places : NODES. CLUBS? No. I love this misdirection, as this botanical and biologic term does define where things meet, or intersect. I would like to intersect with the young lady from Splynter's last blog.

55. Stole, for one : WRAP.

56. January 1 word : SYNE. This clue getting auld?

59. It typically involves repetitive behavior, briefly : OCD. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

61. Sot's woe : DTS. Delerium Tremens. 11th grade math teacher, first period, his coffee cup shaking and rattling- a memory for all time!

Speaking of memories, I recall it is time to thank JW for another romp in his world, thank you all for reading, thank C.C. for being our Werowance and best wishes for Alan, and the three people who I know who are have their birthday today, and DIL tomorrow. Lemonade out.

Thursday, August 14, 2014 Gareth Bain

Theme: Back in Kansas

18-Across. "Good lad!" : THERE'S MY BOY. The phrase sounds strange to my ear. I would more likely say "That's my boy!" And only in reference to a dog.

23-Across. "I'm positive" : NO MISTAKE.

30-Across. Atlas index listing : PLACE NAME.

47-Across. "Whatever floats your boat" : LIKE I CARE. I had "As if I CARE" at first. (As if you care, right?)

54-Across. Base among boxes : HOME PLATE.

61-Across. Character who, in an 8/15/1939 Hollywood premiere, speaks the first words of this puzzle's five other longest answers : DOROTHY GALE. "The Wizard of Oz" gal.

58 theme letters is pretty dense, and you might expect some compromise in the fill. But this seemed pretty straight-forward, almost Monday-like.

Across

1. Clothing line : HEM. I have seen the same clue for "seam."

4. "Egad!" : YIPE. or YIPEs. Both are correct.

8. Sprint Cup org. : NASCAR.  The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing. The title seems a bit redundant, with both Car and Auto. But it would be too difficult to pronounce NASCR, I guess. And 46-Down. Earnhardt of 8-Across : DALE.

14. Toothpaste letters : ADA. American Dental Association.

15. Arabian ruler : EMIR.

16. Pump figure : OCTANE. It's about $3.49 / gallon around here.

17. Netflix rental, for short : VID. In 1956, a video recorder was about $50,000, and a single 1 hour videotape cost $300. I don't think Netflix would get much business at those prices!

20. Latin catchall : ET ALII. And others.

22. Looks like a wolf : LEERS.

26. LAX postings : ETAS. I took a chance and entered the A before checking perps.

29. One "who intimately lives with rain," in a poem : TREE. And then we have 41-Down. Slam offering : POEM. The first poetry slam was held in Chicago in 1984. It is a competition where poets read their compositions and are judged by selected audience members. Do you think Kilmer would have won with this?

I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the sweet earth's flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day,	5
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.	10
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.                                         Joyce Kilmer

33. Muscular problem : SPASM. "Cramp" would also fit...just sayin'.

36. Start of a series : OPENER.

37. Salon item : GEL. It was a toss-up between GEL and "dye."

40. Ab __: from the beginning : OVO.

41. Historic beginning? : PRE. Prehistoric.

42. Strands in a cell? : DNA.

43. Good to grow : ARABLE.

45. Like cutlets : BONED. I had B*kED at first because of a goof at 31-Down. Huh? Baked cutlets? (I always sauté them.) (And PaEM made absolutely no sense for 41-Down.)

49. Memo demand : ASAP.

53. More than passed : ACED.

57. Sonneteer's Muse : ERATO.

60. Nativity tableau : CRÈCHE.

65. Gun in the driveway, maybe : REV. Haha. Were you picturing a chalk outline and key evidence?

66. Keys with Grammys : ALICIA.

67. First word of "Greensleeves" : ALAS. Here's a lovely version by Celtic Women. 3:19

68. Billings-to-Bismarck dir. : ENE.

69. Less bold : MEEKER.

70. Risks : BETS.

71. Pop : DAD.


Down

1. "__ the foggiest!" : HAVEN'T. I started filling in "I haven"...and ran out of room.

2. Text __ : EDITOR.

3. European title : MADAME. I was looking for something more noble.

4. Hard-to-photograph Himalayans? : YETIS.

5. Paintball cry : I'M HIT.

6. Trivial Pursuit symbol : PIE.

7. Make a left instead of a right, say : ERR.

8. It smells : NOSE. Haha.

9. It can't be topped : ACME.

10. Compound used in plastic manufacturing : STYRENE.

11. Where business is picking up? : CAB STAND.

12. Enero to enero : ANO.

13. "Summertime Sadness" singer Lana Del __ : REY. All perps.

19. Zeno's home : ELEA.

21. Is situated : LIES.

24. Lhasa __ : APSO.

25. Air France-__: European flier : KLM. The two airlines merged in 2004.

27. Revival cry : AMEN.

28. They're measured in shots : SERA. Because "booze" wouldn't fit!

31. It may be popped : CORN. Naturally, I had "cork" at first...which led to no end of problems with the perps.

32. Foil kin : EPEE.

34. __ sci : POLI.

35. Preposition for Poirot : AVEC. French "with."

37. Blowout, so to speak : GALA.

38. "South Park" boy Cartman : ERIC.

39. Site of a critical 1813 battle : LAKE ERIE. The Battle of Put-in-Bay. I bet Abejo knows all about it.

44. Firm foundation : BEDROCK. It's where the Slate Rock & Gravel Company was founded...

;-)

45. Guy friend : BRO.

48. Hailing cry : AHOY.

50. Like some cows : SACRED.

51. Greek goddess of wisdom : ATHENA.

52. In a snit : PEEVED.

55. Showy display : ÉCLAT.

56. Button word : PRESS. So simple.

58. End in __ : A TIE.

59. Yonder, on the Pequod : THAR.

61. Block up : DAM.

62. Bit of World Cup encouragement : OLÉ.

63. Go on and on : GAB.

64. Draft order : ALE. I'll leave this for others to toast at sunset.

Cheers!

Marti

Note from C.C.:

The beautiful Andrea Carla Michaels (who co-authored our Monday LAT puzzle) visited Minnesota again this week. Below is a picture of the local constructor gathering last night. I did not feel well enough to make the trip. I snacked the whole jar of homemade pickles on Tuesday and my lower right abdominal pain just won't go away.

Also missed the PBA50 finals yesterday. Boomer went alone and watched Walter Ray Williams won the tournament. I did chat with Walter Ray again last Sunday, TTP. Also met Norm Duke for the first time.

L to R: Victor Barocas, George Barany,
Andrea Carla Michaels, David Hanson & Tom Pepper

Wednesday, August 13, 2014 Kurt Krauss

Theme: Critic's Nightmare - The last word of each theme entry indicates a less-than-stellar assessment of a production.

17A. High-jump style named for 1968 Olympic gold medalist Dick : FOSBURY FLOP. Revolutionary (!) technique introduced by this OSU student:

23A. Morning-after shot : HAIR OF THE DOG. I swear I've never felt like I've needed one, honestly. No, really. Oh well, maybe once.

36A. Last Martin/Lewis film : HOLLYWOOD OR BUST. Dean and Jerry road caper also starring Anita Ekberg. She gets the picture honors.

49A. Subject of 1950s testing : HYDROGEN BOMB.

58A. Lays it on the line : TALKS TURKEY. A curious expression, with no truly believable explanation as to it's origins (apostrophe uncertainty precedes).

Hi everyone - Steve here with Kurt's latest midweeker. I enjoyed the theme and, as convention allows, there's no reveal required as the link between the entries is reasonably obvious. Some nice long downs too. Although there were quite a few 3's, the grid was thankfully light on abbreviations. Nice job!

Let's see what else jumps out.

Across:

1. AARP concern : AGEISM

7. Other, in Oaxaca : OTRA

11. AOL chats : IM'S. Instant messages, IMHO.

14. Quick look : GLANCE

15. Need to retake in summer school, say : FAIL

16. Sylvester, to Tweety : TAT. More usually "Puddy Tat".

19. Andean vegetable : OCA. They call it a yam in New Zealand, for absolutely no good reason that I can see. Popeye in New Zealand says "I oca what I oca". No, I made that up. Food!

20. Adams of "American Hustle" : AMY. Thank you, crosses. 2013 comedy drama which never even blipped on my radar, I had to go look it up.

21. Sitter's handful : BRAT

22. Signal to stop, with "down" : FLAG

27. Spoke out against : OPPOSED

30. Zany : LOONY. Tweety's "Tunes" brand name is spelled with an additional "E".

31. Lobster part : CLAW. Not if you're a spiny lobster. Food!

32. "Wish you __ here!" : WERE

33. Expose, in verse : OPE. Romeo, on the subject of Juliet:

"She will not stay the siege of loving terms,

Nor bide th' encounter of assailing eyes,

Nor ope her lap to saint-seducing gold."

She sounds like one tough cookie!

41. Cold War missile prog. : S.D.I. Strategic Defense Initiative, or derisively "Star Wars".

42. Sound from a pen : OINK

43. Former VOA overseer : USIA. Unknown to me - thank you, crosses! I now know that the United States Information Agency was the overseer of the Voice of America broadcasts.

44. "Bye Bye Bye" boy band : 'N SYNC. No music links yet - I'll spare you this one.

46. Stumped : AT A LOSS

52. Big-grin borders : EARS. Fun clue. Grinning from ear to ear.

53. Flying prefix : AERO

54. Unlike a spring chicken : OLD

57. "Alice" waitress : FLO. 70's-80's CBS sitcom.

62. San Antonio NBA star Duncan : TIM. A very pleasant, self-effacing man if you've ever seen him interviewed.

63. Skin soother : ALOE

64. Daily special, e.g. : ENTRÉE. When I moved to the US I was confused by this being the main course - in England and France it means a course between the appetizer and the main. Marti would not bat an eyelid at three courses, but wonder why we don't all have aperitivo, antipasto, primo, secondo e contorno, insalata, formaggi et fruti, dolce, caffè and digestivo every Wednesday. And that doesn't even include the wine! Fooood! I'm moving to Italy.

65. "Comprende?" : SEE? The more I think about this, the more it seems odd - wouldn't we expect a Spanish answer here (except that the only one I can think of is "Entiende?" and that doesn't fit!)?

66. Remain up in the air : PEND

67. Swordfish servings : STEAKS. Food-fest today.

Down:

1. Former Belgian camera brand : AGFA. Knew the name, but didn't know it was a Belgian company.

2. Steal, slangily : GLOM. Crosses helped here - I thought GLOM meant "cling to, annoyingly".

3. Simple : EASY

4. Having five sharps, musically : IN 'B'

5. Dives with a tank : SCUBAS

6. Like olde England : MERRIE. Quite a lot of times not so much; plenty of wars, famine, pestilence and London catching fire to keep you on your toes.

7. __ a good start : OFF TO

8. 1960s chess champ Mikhail : TAL. Crosses again. This might be a little obscure, what do you think?

9. Ebro, por ejemplo : RIO. 578 miles long, it drains into the Mediterranean Sea. Pretty!

10. Swiss skyline sight : ALP

11. "Shoulda listened to me!" : I TOLD YOU SO

12. Region on the South China Sea : MACAO. A short ferry ride from Hong Kong and popular with gamblers.

13. Immortal college coach Amos Alonzo __ : STAGG

18. Farm attachment? : YARD

22. Bog : FEN. This seems to have cropped up a few times recently.

23. Lupine cry : HOWL

24. Took it on the lam : FLED

25. Deere competitor : TORO

26. Field worker : HOER. Hmmmm. I'll leave it at that.

27. Adolph of publishing : OCHS. Former "New York Times" owner. I never made the connection before, but when Ochs built a new headquarters in 1904 for the Times on what was then Longacre Square in Manhattan, the city renamed it "Times Square".

28. Walk with effort : PLOD

29. Mom or dad, e.g. : PALINDROME. Nice word, fun clue.

32. Bowl-shaped pan : WOK

34. Greek consonants : PSIS

35. Greek vowels : ETAS

37. Ma with a cello : YO-YO. Great stuff.

38. Annex : WING

39. "If I told you __ ..." : ONCE

40. Tulip-to-be : BULB

45. Soon-to-be alumni: Abbr. : SRS

46. Fivers : ABES. "Lady Godivas" in UK rhyming slang (she's not on the note, alas!)

47. Flourless cakes : TORTES. Food!

48. Invoice figure : AMOUNT

49. Lifts with effort : HEFTS

50. Connecticut collegian : YALIE. We had the plural on Monday.

51. In one's birthday suit : NAKED. Just like Lady Godiva.

54. Pickled or deep-fried veggie : OKRA. Food!

55. Onion relative : LEEK. Food!

56. Colorist's supplies : DYES

58. Bug on a wire : TAP

59. Microbrew choice : ALE. Comes out of a 58D!

60. Horror star Chaney : LON

61. Driver's decision: Abbr. : RTE. I let Google Maps make those decisions for me now, it does a much better job than I ever did.

And, in the words of Sylvester and Tweety: That's all, Folks!

Steve

Notes from C.C.:

1) Happy Birthday to our Jam Master Chickie! Chickie has a loving & tight-knit family. Her kids and grandkids will probably celebrate her birthday this weekend.

L to R: Chickie, Lucina, Garlic Gal, JD, and Dodo

2) Happy Birthday to Spitzboov's wife Betty as well! Don't miss this "It Matters Where You Put the Tag" & this Christ the Redeemer construction work links Spitzboov got for us the past couple of days. This vacuum one made me laugh out loud also.

Spitzboov & Betty at the reunion dinner held at the US Coast Guard Academy, New London, CT, 2012

Tuesday, August 12, 2014 Ellen Leuschner and Jeff Chen

Theme: Friends - Although there are circles, it's doubtful they helped in solving.

39A. Close associates, and a hint to this puzzle's highlighted squares : CIRCLE OF FRIENDS

1D. 39-Across, in slang : PEEPS. Short for the people one considers friends or close pals.

57D. 39-Across, in slang : POSSE. Short for the people that congregate around a leader of sorts.

Argyle here. Starting at 12 o'clock, PAISANO, COMRADE, BRO, and AMI. Friends around the orb. Four beefy corners to the puzzle. Ellen Leuschner is a new name to us; hope she stops by.

Across:

1. Aerospace giant __ & Whitney : PRATT

6. Oft-mispunctuated word : ITS. or is it IT'S?

9. Bravery in battle : VALOR

14. Like a foggy graveyard : EERIE

15. Letters in a graveyard : RIP. Finding regular letters in a graveyard might be considered EERIE.

16. Love a lot : ADORE

17. Name on a WWII bomber : ENOLA

18. Brewpub offering, for short : IPA. (India Pale Ale)

19. Actress Watts : NAOMI. Here with her little buddy.

20. Garden mulch : PEAT MOSS

22. Monkeylike : SIMIAN. or King Kong like.

23. Evening in Parma : SERA. Parma is near the top of the Italia boot.

24. Like shrinking violets : SHY

25. Fashion-designing twins : OLSENS. Famous for being famous.

26. "Conan" channel : TBS

28. Puerto Rico, por ejemplo : ISLA

29. Musical genre related to punk : EMO

32. Actor Quinn : AIDAN. Captain Gregson on TV's "Elementary"

35. Startle : ALARM

42. Become sour : GO BAD. But not bad if talking about some pickles.

43. Hard to startle : STOIC. Really?

44. Granola grain : OAT

45. Brest beast : BÊTE. As in bête noire.

47. Eponymous guitarist Paul : LES. Many guitars bear his name.

49. Smartphone feature : CAMERA

52. Vino opener? : VEE

54. Show appreciation, in a way : CLAP

58. Exaggerate : OVERDO

59. Legendary city of gold : EL DORADO

61. Heaven-sent food : MANNA

62. Usher's offering : ARM

63. Angler's bucketful : WORMS

64. Heaps : PILES

65. Pennsylvania, for one: Abbr. : AVEnue

66. Singer Costello : ELVIS

67. Slow-moving arboreal critter : SLOTH

68. "On __ Majesty's Secret Service" : HER

69. Blue-gray : SLATE

Down:

2. Three-time Golden Globe winner Zellweger : RENÉE

3. Riotous, as a crowd : AROAR

4. Charge, in a joust : TILT AT

5. Jets, Mets or Nets : TEAM

6. From Donegal, say : IRISH. Although born in Chicago, Aidan Quinn had Irish parents and spent time growing up in Ireland.

7. A bit buzzed : TIPSY

8. Place to chill : SPA. 62D. "Yeah, that's the spot!" : "AAH!"

9. Rapper whose name sounds like a dessert : VANILLA ICE

10. Water, facetiously : ADAM'S ALE

11. Sarge's superior : LOOIE. (Lieutenant)

12. Finance guru Suze : ORMAN. Often seen on PBS.

13. Buckboard controls : REINS

21. Davis who was married to Ruby Dee : OSSIE

22. Letters in the sand, perhaps : SOS. On a deserted isla, ok; in a cemetery, eerie.

27. "Horsefeathers!" : "BALDERDASH!". A nice long entry partnered with Vanilla ice. Hmm.

28. Facts and figures, for short : INFO

29. Heart chart: Abbr. : ECG. (electrocardiogram)

30. "O Sole __" : MIO

31. Mars or Venus : ORB

33. Two pills, e.g. : DOSE

34. Toward the back of the boat : AFT

36. "It's __-brainer" : A NO

37. Nutritional qty. : RDA. (Recommended Daily Allowance)

38. Hours in Tempe, Ariz. : MST. (Mountain Standard Time)

40. Popular wine grape : CABERNET

41. Hot under the collar : RILED

46. Lao Tzu's "path" : TAO

48. Move with a mouse wheel : SCROLL

49. Freebies : COMPS. Items received free of charge, complimentary.

50. Be of help to : AVAIL

51. __ Park, N.J. : MENLO. Thomas Edison set up his home and lab on the site of an unsuccessful real estate development, "Menlo Park".

52. Enthusiasm : VERVE

53. Toon hunter who has twouble with some wanguage : ELMER. Bugs called him, "poor little Nimrod".

55. Immature insect : LARVA

56. Let in or let on : ADMIT. Neat clue.

60. Is in the red : OWES

Argyle

Monday, August 11, 2014 Kevin Christian and Andrea Carla Michaels

Theme: How are you? - “Everyone Is a House with Four Rooms, a Physical, a Mental, an Emotional, and a Spiritual.” Indian proverb

17A. What regular exercise helps maintain : PHYSICAL FITNESS

27A. Mindreader's claim : MENTAL TELEPATHY

44A. 1980 Rolling Stones hit : "EMOTIONAL RESCUE"

56A. Priest or lama, e.g. : SPIRITUAL LEADER

Argyle here, in the room with padded walls. Thank goodness Google was here to give me the theme. All four themes were grid spanners, too. The fill didn't suffer either. Our constructors should show some 38-Across for this offering.

Across:

1. Jiggly see-through dish : ASPIC

6. Character deficiency : FLAW

10. Cutting remark : BARB

14. Formal "will" : SHALL

15. 1970 Kinks hit : LOLA. Live(4:31)

16. Matty or Felipe of baseball : ALOU. Our usual baseball family.

20. Run __ of the law : A FOUL

21. Like very cheap merchandise : TRASHY

22. Part of CBS: Abbr. : SYStem

25. "__ voyage!" : BON

26. Solo who loved Leia : HAN

34. Delta rival, as it was formerly known : USAIR. US Airways now.

35. TiVo predecessors : VCRs

36. Actor Stephen : REA

37. Cocktail hour bowlfuls : DIPS

38. __ and joy : PRIDE. Often found in little bundles.

40. Corridor : HALL

41. Gun for a gangster : GAT

42. Completely closed : SHUT

43. Language of India : HINDI

48. Quaint lodging : INN

49. Author Fleming : IAN

50. Mini-albums, for short : EPs. An extended play (EP) is a musical recording that contains more music than a single, but is usually too short to qualify as a full studio album or LP.

51. Bob Marley's music : REGGAE

54. Signs on for another stint : RE-UPs

61. Start of Caesar's boast : VENI. "Veni, vidi, vici" ("I came, I saw, I conquered")

62. Jason's ship : ARGO

63. Religious belief : CREED

64. Black-eyed veggies : PEAs

65. Eat, as ribs : GNAW

66. "The Metamorphosis" writer Franz : KAFKA

Down:

1. Egyptian slitherer : ASP

2. "Pipe down!" : "SHH!"

3. Foot the bill : PAY

4. "Casablanca" heroine : ILSA

5. Energy-boosting organic snack brand : CLIF BAR

6. Show off shamelessly : FLAUNT

7. Lounge about : LOLL

8. Furry TV E.T. : ALF. (Alien Life Form)

9. "Sit tight while I get help" : "WAIT HERE"

10. Fruit often sliced onto cereal : BANANA

11. Tavern orders : ALEs

12. __ Hashanah : ROSH

13. Like bees or beavers : BUSY

18. Chilly : COOL

19. Snares : TRAPS

22. Mark from an old eraser : SMUDGE

23. "No, you're not" retort : "YES, I AM"

24. Stand at attention : SNAP TO

28. "__ the season to be jolly ..." : 'TIS

29. Musical set in Argentina : EVITA

30. HDTV feature : LCD. (liquid crystal display)

31. Hypnotic state : TRANCE

32. Delayed : HELD UP

33. New Haven Ivy Leaguers : YALIES

38. Series of voice mail messages, say : PHONE TAG

39. Beat a retreat : RUN

40. Old what's-__-name : HIS

42. Mount for Moses : SINAI

43. Nag, nag, nag : HENPECK

45. Baghdad's river : TIGRIS

46. Hide out : LIE LOW

47. __ Julia of "The Addams Family" : RAUL

51. "Let me know," on invitations : RSVP

52. Fencing sword : EPEE

53. Actress Gershon : GINA

54. Music from India : RAGA

55. "Nobody doesn't like __ Lee" : SARA

57. Coffee hour server : URN

58. Phone letters on the "3" button : DEF

59. Cartoon scream : "EEK!"

60. No. formerly on vitamin labels : RDA. (Recommended Daily Allowance)

I left out a lot of musical options; feel free to link your favorites. I'll be in the music room.

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

For those who missed the Andrea Carla Michaels interview I linked last time, here it is again.