Friday, June 19, 2015, Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: Get the "F" out of here!

Two weeks, so it must be time for another Jeffrey Jem. The concluding "F" in the final word in a known phrase is removed leaving a new phrase humorously but correctly clued. After all of the 'add a letter' puzzles, here we have one with a disappearing letter. I was most impressed that he found 5 such phrases and each of the resulting new ones are very evocative and reasonable. Like the comment C.C. made last Sunday about Melanie's W, I found it unfortunate we have the MFA/FLESH crossing leaving a single F in the grid. I see the problem since the placement of two of the theme fill restricted the choices, but in a perfect world...We have a nice mini-theme of singer songwriters, as well as many interrelated concepts. Not much in the way of long fill, ACCENT,  AUBURN,  EXCELS,  POLLEN,  SAVIOR,  SULLEN, UNREAL,  VENEER, ELEVATES,  SCENE TWO but plenty of road blocks. Let us get going....

18A. USDA-approved cheese? : LEGAL BRIEF (9). This is a theme and answer where you need the perps to get started with the first themer, but once you "see" the missing "F" it all makes sense.

24A. Query when a certain queen goes missing? : WHERE'S THE BEEF (12). This I found to be a particularly fair clue, because the Q is not capitalized leaving queen bee as one of a very limited few possible answers. I hope everyone remembers dear Clara Peller.

 40A. Plow one's recently purchased field?: TURN OVER A NEW LEAF  (15). Very nice use of the word LEA.

50A. Revolutionary as a successful businessman? : EXECUTIVE CHEF (12). Great visual of cigar smoking, beret wearing Che Guevera running a vape store in SoFla

62A. Improved sci-fi computer? : BETTER HALF (10). Well almost any computer not trying to kill the humans would be nice.

On that rather special note let us move on....

Across:

1. Activities for seniors : PROMS. High school, not for me and you.

6. Cinematographer's deg. : MFA. Master of Fine Arts.

9. __ Summer: U.S. Naval Academy training program : PLEBE. A logical guess.

14. "Service at the Speed of Sound" franchise : SONIC. We have them here, but I am more familiar with Freaky Fast.

15. Not just some : ALL.

16. Ran very slowly : OOZED. Sadly, I associate the word with wounds...

17. Selassie of Ethiopia : HAILE. This was once a regular in puzzles, but his fame has dimmed, but this week a comeback?

20. Actor's study, perhaps : ACCENT. Are you all as amazed as I am at how well non-Americans like Stephen "Bill" Moyer, Simon "Jane" Baker, Hugh "House" Lawrie and oodles more are so believable with their accents? They often practice on a  64D. Studio __ : LOT.

22. King David's predecessor : SAUL.  and some more bible, 11D. Book of __ : EZRA. This is the story of the first return to Jerusalem after the Babylonian diaspora and the rebuilding of the temple, and 31D. Genesis wife : LEAH. Along with her sister Rachel, she married Jacob.

23. Gothic novelist Radcliffe : ANN. A Friday obscurity, this reclusive AUTHOR was a Gothic pioneer.

27. Head of the Greek Titans? : TAU. Cute.

28. "I can't believe my eyes!" : UNREAL. Like many Gothic Novels.

32. Angled pipe : ELBOW. Almost right next to 39A. North Sea feeder : ELBE

36. Atomic theory pioneer : BOHR. What I know about this MAN was begun from reading Margaret Grimes' Inspector Jury mysteries.

43. Obi-Wan portrayer : ALEC. great actor, Mr. Guiness

44. Early romantic figure : EROS. The boy god.

45. Controlling chain : LEASH. Below LEA.

46. Morose : SULLEN.

48. Named period : AGE. So many un-PC thoughts....

57. Org. concerned with smog : EPA. Environmental Protection Agency.

60. Firm bosses : CEOS. Chief Executive Officers

61. One who delivers : SAVIOR. Not Jimmy John. Not my favorite clue/fill.

65. :50, another way : TEN TO. Ten 'til?

66. London __ : BROIL. I always marinate before the broiling. It is a matter of...

67. Source of pride : EGO.

68. Wrapped on a set : ENDED. On a movie, or tv series set. More show biz.

69. Family and economy : SIZES. I just love how companies change products from 32 oz to 28 oz, keep the price the same and think we are too stupid to notice the price increase. That is why our grocery stores now post the price per ounce,

70. Big top item : NET. Unless they are real daredevils, working without one is then the norm. That would show great...

71. Way : STYLE. Each blogger has a unique style.

Down:

1. "Baloney!" : PSHAW. Old timey expressions.

2. Orkin target : ROACH.

3. In abeyance : ON ICE. A non-CSO for Tin.

4. Track competitor : MILER. And, 53D. Relay or dash : EVENT. At the track meet.

5. Theatrical division : SCENE TWO. More show biz.

6. Wrong at the start? : MAL. The prefix, from the Latin meaning bad, e.g. LINK.

7. Crayola color renamed Peach in 1962 : FLESH.

8. Some microflora : ALGAE. Micro meaning tiny -flora plant

9. Floral dispersion : POLLEN. More flora(l). I love how these clues are together.

10. Part of an alley-oop play : LOB.

12. Flower children's gathering : BE IN. Been there....

13. "Gates of __": Bob Dylan song : EDEN. Not his biggest hit. 34D. "The Song of Old Lovers" songwriter : BREL Jacques. 51D. "Hallelujah" songwriter Leonard : COHEN. My mini-theme.
LINK 1. LINK 2. LNK 3.

19. Georgia rival since 1892 : AUBURN. A small town in Alabama but home to a national football power for years.

21. Org. that issues "Known Traveler" numbers : TSA. Transportation  Security  Administration

25. River floater : TUBER. Not a lost potato, but one of the memorable parts of going to law school in Gainesville, Florida.

26. "Maid of Athens, __ part": Byron : ERE WE.

"Maid of Athens, ere we part,
Give, oh, give back my heart!
Or, since that has left my breast,
Keep it now, and take the rest!
Hear my vow before I go,
Ζωή μου, σᾶς ἀγαπῶ."

29. Self-titled 1969 jazz album : ELLA. Always fun to showcase Ms. Fitzgerald. LISTEN. (4:29)

30. Five-spots : ABES. Five dollar bills. Who will be the woman on the $10?

32. LAX postings : ETAS. Estimated Time of Arrival.

33. Humdinger : LULU.

35. Rouen relative : ONCLE. Le mari de ma tante.

37. Valuable elemento : ORO. Gold!

38. Attacks : HAS AT.

41. Dental treatment : VENEER. Interesting that veneers were first used with wood and now we have porcelain ones for teeth, which were also wood at one time.

42. Improves : ELEVATES. Announcers are forever talking about athletes elevating their game, like LeBron, to the point where he....

47. Has no peer : EXCELS.

49. USO show audience : GIS.

52. Dictionary information : USAGE.

54. ___ Lou, Who girl who interrupted the Grinch's burglary : CINDY.

55. Travelocity option : HOTEL.

56. Slowly reduce : ERODE. Everything from rocks to confidence.

57. Recedes : EBBS. Well my energy is in fact...

58. Prefix with meter : PERImeter. This is a Friday usage, fer shure.

59. Familiar gamut : A TO Z.

63. Clip-on, maybe : TIE. I guess I am one of the few who still wears ties regularly, but no clip-ons. But it is time to move on, as another week comes to an end. Next time I see you all it will be summer and the days will be getting shorter. Hope you enjoyed our biweekly visit with JW, thanks Jeffrey; Lemonade out.

Thursday, June 18, 2015 Robert E. Lee Morris

Theme: (I don't even have to wrack my brain for a theme, because it was handed to me by Mr. Morris) 33-Down. Bar freebie, and this puzzle's theme : MIXED NUTS.

24-Across. As hidden in 17-Across, one of this puzzle's 33-Down : CASHEW.
17-Across. 1996 Fox launch : NEWS CHANNEL.

37-Across. As hidden in 57-Across, one of this puzzle's 33-Down : PECAN.
57. Seattle landmark : SPACE NEEDLE.

47-Across. As hidden in 11-Down, one of this puzzle's 33-Down : ALMOND.
11-Down. He and Don Shula share the NFL record of 36 playoff games coached : TOM LANDRY.

24-, 37- and 47-Across were icing on the cake - the puzzle could stand nicely on its own without them.

Across

1. Military decoration : MEDAL. Like many of the answers today, this was my first thought.

6. Supporting structure : TRUSS.

11. Leading : TOP.

14. Solitary : ALONE.

15. Silent brother of comedy : HARPO. Did you know, they got their nicknames in a poker game?

16. Valuable deposit : ORE.

19. NFL players, e.g. : MEN. OK, I know it's Thursday and we have to have vague clues.  But still...

20. Cozy lodge : INN.

21. Fail, in slang : TANK.

22. Only city on California's Catalina Island : AVALON. Just 26 miles across the sea.

26. Netherlands city near the Belgian border : BREDA. Map.

27. Mork's planet : ORK.

28. Italian mathematician who was a contemporary of Euler : LAGRANGE.

31. "Good Will Hunting" actor : DAMON. One of my favorite movies with Matt DAMON and Robin Williams.

34. Flightless birds : EMUS.

35. Small amount : DAB. "Just a little DAB'll do ya!"

36. Landed : ALIT.

39. Rice-shaped pasta : ORZO. I often serve this with a shrimp  & fennel dish that I make. Here's the recipe. (You could also substitute gorgonzola for the feta.)

40. Latin law : LEX.

41. Aloe __ : VERA. Difficulty could have been ramped up for a Thursday by clueing it as Designer Wang.

42. "Breaking Bad" star Cranston : BRYAN.  He's a real baddie.

43. Restaurant freebie : ICE WATER.

45. One of the Pep Boys : MOE. Manny, MOE and Jack are the iconic figures in the logo.

46. Breaks bread : DINES.

51. 1976 Olympics decathlon gold medalist : JENNER. Caitlyn née Bruce.

53. Parched : ARID.

55. Stop working : DIE.

56. __ Claire : EAU. Wisconsin.

60. D.C. clock setting : EST. Eastern Standard Time.

61. Spa offering : SAUNA.

62. Guide : STEER.

63. Legal thing : RES. More Latin.

64. California pro : ANGEL. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Go figure.

65. Not likely to run on : TERSE.


Down

1. Highly excited : MANIC.

2. Justice Kagan : ELENA.

3. Eats : DOWNS.

4. T or F, maybe : ANS.wer.

5. Speaker's stand : LECTERN.

6. "Better late __ ..." : THAN...never.

7. General, e.g. : RANK. Filled it in without even thinking about it.

8. Coffee container : URN.

9. Fishing tool : SPEAR GUN.

10. Crossword enthusiasts : SOLVERS. Gimme for everyone here, right?

12. Creme-filled treat : OREO.

13. Ivy League school : PENN. I already had the P from TOP, so this was a gimme, too.

18. Swooping predator : HAWK.

23. Oral health org. : ADA. American Dental Association.

25. Real card : HOOT.

26. The Crimson Tide : 'BAMA. Gimme. DH's old rivals.

28. Aptly named Renault : LECAR.

29. __ Strip : GAZA.

30. Black, to a bard : EBON.

31. "The Persistence of Memory" artist : DALI. Melty watches. Gimme.

32. Actor Baldwin : ALEC.

37. Broadway flier : PETER PAN. Were you thinking pamphlets and playbills?

38. Cockney toast starter : 'ERES.

39. Utah city : OREM.

41. "Colors of the Wind" singer Williams : VANESSA. Pretty song from Disney's animated film "Pochahontas."

42. Most daring : BOLDEST.

44. Take the checkered flag : WIN.

45. Chief : MAIN.

48. Farther out? : ODDER.

49. Frasier's brother : NILES. He was so good in that show.

50. Big name on the farm : DEERE.

51. Catcall : JEER.

52. Comfort : EASE.

53. Cause of adolescent angst : ACNE.

54. Unfeigned : REAL.

58. Summer mo. : AUG.ust. And we end with a partial clecho:
59. Somme summer : ETE.

Toodles!
Marti

Note from C.C.: 

Kazie and her husband Barry traveled to China last month. They visited all the top traveling stops in China, including my hometown Xi'an. The Giant Wild Goose Pagoda (3rd picture here) is not far from my own home.

Kay said:

"Our general direction was from Beijing to Xi'an, to Guilin, to Shanghai. Also, I need to say everything there was fascinating--such a learning experience for us both. We were in a small group of only 17 people until Shanghai, when there were only 6 of us. The others stayed behind to cruise the Yangtze for several days, the week before the terrible sinking of another boat similar to the one they took!

All in all, I would recommend this trip to anyone! Incidentally, our national guide was also from Xi'an, probably about your age, very nice, and extremely good at explaining everything."

Here are a few pictures. Please click here for more. 

Kay and Barry ride in a rickshaw to the Hutong district in Beijing

Barry and Kay in front of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests at the Temple of Heaven

Kay in front of the Buddhist Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi’an. China has four main religions: Buddhism, Muslim, Christianity and Taoism 

Family outing? We couldn’t believe this!

Wednesday, June 17th 2015 Jack McInturff

Theme: Give me a hand, will you? 

18A. *One of a group of particles used to demonstrate a magnetic field : IRON FILING. Ruling with an iron hand. The "iron fist' usage seems to be more common, but both variants are out there.

23A. *Mob employee : HIRED GUN. Hired hand. Being critical here (what, me?) the thematic answer seems awfully close to the clued answer, and very close to the next thematic ..

33A. *Salad topping : RANCH DRESSING. Ranch hand. I make my own fat-free ranch dressing, I use it as a dip, a dressing, as a mayo substitute in sandwiches and wraps, and lots of other things. I make two pints at a time! Rather than spending $3 for a sachet of the mix every time I make a cup, I mix my own and make four times that amount for pennies.

48A. *Party clothes : GLAD RAGS. Glad hand. Greeting a crowd with handshakes, usually insincerely (e.g. anyone on a campaign trail!)

and the reveal

52A. In advance, and, literally, where the starts of the answers to starred clues might go : BEFOREHAND

Welcome to Wednesday, you midweek warriors! Steve here reporting from the Lone Star State today - I've got a couple of meetings in Dallas so I'm breaking out the cowboy boots and practicing my "yee-ha's"!

Maybe I've got my grumpy trousers on today, but I wasn't bowled over by Jack Mac's theme for the reasons I've already mentioned. I also get mildly irked when 1A is an abbreviation, I just don't think it's a smooth way to lead in to a puzzle. 

Finally, you can get TRIABLE through crosses, but it's obscure enough to have been used only once before in the LAT and it might quality as a bit of a stretch for a Wednesday.
  
There's a lot on the plus side to like though - I thought the NE corner was really nicely put together and that's where I finally finished up. Let's see what else we've got.

Across:   

1. Benchmarks: Abbr. : STDS. Standards.

5. West African capital : ACCRA. Specifically, capital of Ghana.

10. Kazakhstan border sea : ARAL. Or border environmental disaster, take your pick.

14. Tough trip : TREK

15. Like much invasive software : VIRAL

16. Lawless role : XENA. I never remember this actor's last name, even though I did meet her at a charity golf tournament. She gave me a beer on the first tee, in costume, wielding a sword - not something you'd think I'd forget.

17. Agree : JIBE. Gibe vs jibe vs gybe vs jive. Discuss.

20. Churchill Downs shape : OVAL. Home of the Kentucky Derby and Act 1 of this year's Triple Crown triumph by American Typo - sorry, American Pharoah.

21. No-frills sleeper : COT

22. Salami choice : GENOA. Food! This stuff - I'll spare you the argument regarding whether any self-respecting Genovese would ever acknowledge it.

26. Ambles : MOSEYS

27. Loathsome things : NASTIES. A little slangy, but a nice word.

28. Mercury or Saturn : CAR. God? Planet? Nope, auto brands today.

29. Put down : DIS. Contraction of "disrespect", no longer viewed as slang. British English spells it "diss" for no good reason other than to be awkward and confuse the French.

30. Cologne-to-Leipzig direction : OST. Cologne to Leipzig is EAST, surely? Köln to Leipzig is OST.

31. Lord's Prayer possessive : OUR

32. Sup : DINE. From whence SUPPER. Pre-crosswords, I thought it meant "drink".

37. Yellow Monopoly bills : TENS

38. Row : OAR. The verb form. not the noun. A little crossword-esey to my oar - I mean ear.

39. Sounds of pleasure : AHS

40. Fix in a bad way? : RIG. As an election, following a lot of glad-handing perhaps?

41. Prankster : IMP

42. Boston __: '50s TV detective : BLACKIE. Crosses all the way for me. A reformed jewel thief and safecracker, I now discover.

46. Arriving after curfew : IN LATE. And grounded?

49. Winner of six 2011 Grammys : ADELE. Here's a great live performance of "Rolling in the Deep"

50. Vein yield : ORE

51. Arrow-shooting god : EROS. Here's the statue at Piccadilly Circus in London, a memorial to the philanthropist Lord Shaftsbury, for whom the adjacent Shaftsbury Avenue is named.

55. Drive filler : DATA. Fun clue/answer combo to unravel.

56. Some summer births : LEOS
.
57. Brie coverings : RINDS. Food! If you can find  a triple-creme French brie made with unpasteurized milk, you're in for a treat when it ages and the rind gets a yellowish, waxy appearance. Yum!

58. __-bitty : ITTY. This is one of those "can't be anything else" clues. I'm not sure how else it could be clued though.

59. Is wrong : ERRS

60. "Wrong!" : NOT SO!

61. Beverages sometimes served over ice : TEAS

Down:

1. According to Christian tradition, Bk. of Revelation author : ST. JOHN. Beloved book of the Tinfoil Hat Brigade also.

2. "Jeopardy!" material : TRIVIA

3. Excludes : DEBARS. Your second essay question of the day. Debars vs. disbars. Discuss (or decuss!)

4. Closet occupants, perhaps? : SKELETONS. None in mine (at least that I'm aware of.) Or own up to.

5. Prefix for the birds : AVI. -ation, -ary, you get the picture.

6. Tent event : CIRCUS.

7. Sing like Bing : CROON

8. Talk frantically : RANT. Compare and contrast with CROON.

9. 1920s-'30s politico Landon : ALF. I had to look him up to see why a depression-era state governor qualifies as a Wednesday crossword clue. Apparently he is best known for being roundly spanked in the 1936 Presidential Election by FDR. Still mystifed.

10. Turnpike toll units : AXLES. Part of the tricky (for me) north-east. MILES went in first.

11. Brought under control : REINED IN. This letter sequence has a great "what?" confusion factor when partially completed.

12. Irksome : ANNOYING

13. "Kick it up a notch!" chef : LAGASSE. I'm going to plead a "Thumper" regarding Emeril.

19. Movie lab helper : IGOR. Pronounced "Eyegore" for you Young Frankenstein ("Fronk-en-steen") fans out there.

24. Brake component : DISC. Shoe would fit. Pad, caliper not so much.

25. Finish a commute : GET HOME. Accompanied by lots of AHS. My commute mileage has varied between extremes - 20 feet from my home office to my couch or 8,500 miles from Mumbai to LA.

26. Veal dish wine : MARSALA. Most recipes are very heavy-handed with the butter. I use Lidia Bastianich's recipe as a base and use half the fat (olive oil and butter). Still very decadent, so I like to cut the richness with a little lemon juice and lemon thyme and garnish with plenty of fresh parsley.

28. Pool stick : CUE

31. Legend on the ice : ORR. Bruin Bobby.

32. Cast doubt on : DISCREDIT

33. Sven of "Frozen" is one : REINDEER. I've never seen "Frozen", but given the frequency it now comes up in puzzles I probably should! Crosses all the way.

34. Artfully try to get, as a compliment : ANGLE FOR

35. Skip along the water : DAP. Aptly, given the preceeding answer, this is a fishing term. I don't fish, so I don't DAP

36. Roe source : SHAD. Food! Generally cooked and eaten rather than served caviar-style.

37. Subject to court judgment : TRIABLE. Hmm. Rarely seen - LAT once in 2008, NYT once in 1999.

41. Old Roman road : ITER. Plural "itinera" which gives us "itinerary". Who knew? Not me. An iter was more a pathway than a road, apparently.

42. Mixtures : BLENDS.

43. Self-defense method : KARATE

44. With "go," "See ya later" : I GOTTA

45. Bacon products : ESSAYS. Lovely. I'll forgive you the odd ITERs and TRIABLEs if you can come up with these gems.

47. At __ for words : A LOSS. Read clue. Fill in blank. Move on, nothing to see here.

48. Research money : GRANT

50. West Virginia border river : OHIO

53. South end? : ERN

54. Brit. military award : D.S.O. The Distinguished Service Order, almost exclusively awarded to officers for gallantry in combat.

And .... drum roll .... here's the grid! You can see where I finished up when the "REINED IN" penny dropped and the AXLES/MILES misstep was fixed.

Yee-Ha!

Steve

Tuesday, June 16, 2015 C.C. Burnikel

Theme: [error] - Right or wrong, they get changed sometimes. Other times, they get mist(sic) - TYPO is hidden in each theme entry.

17. Wet blanket : PARTY POOPER

24. Poverty symbol : EMPTY POCKETS

47. Power line holders : UTILITY POLES

58. Smartphone texting feature, which usually detects and fixes the thing hidden in 17-, 24- and 47-Across : AUTOCORRECT

Argyle here but hardly needed.

Across:

1. Sounds of disbelief : GASPS

6. Old French money : FRANC

11. Snip : CUT

14. Disney mermaid : ARIEL

15. "Star-cross'd" lover : ROMEO

16. Genetic material : RNA

19. Devilish child : IMP

20. Tongue trouble? : SLIP

21. Philosophy suffix : ISM

22. Valley where Hercules slew a lion : NEMEA. Not just any lion; the Nemean lion was a vicious monster.

28. Over-the-fence blasts : HOMERS

31. Orchestral reeds : OBOEs

32. Five Norwegian kings : OLAVs

33. Periodic pork sandwich at the Golden Arches : McRIB

35. Beer holder : CAN

38. Canoeing site : LAKE

39. Organ features : PIPES

40. Architect Saarinen : EERO

41. Easter egg coloring : DYE

42. "What a pity!" : "SO SAD!"

43. Brings into harmony : SYNCs

44. "Land __ alive!" : SAKES

46. Taco topping : CHEESE

51. Fertilizer compound : NITER

52. Otto I's realm: Abbr. : HRE. (Holy Roman Empire)

53. Has a mortgage, say : OWES

57. Brylcreem amount : DAB

62. "__ tu": Verdi aria : ERI

63. Delicate dishes : CHINA

64. Steel plow pioneer : DEERE

65. Joplin's "Maple Leaf __" : RAG

66. Annual sports awards : ESPYs. from ESPN.

67. Invite from the balcony : ASK UP

Down:

1. Generational disconnects : GAPS

2. Shrunken Asian sea : ARAL

3. Voice of the iPhone : SIRI

4. Personal source of annoyance : PET PEEVE

5. Like a fox : SLY

6. Cold-morning pumpkin coating : FROST

7. Spacious : ROOMY

8. Piece of music festival gear : AMP

9. Maiden name preceder : NÉE

10. Barbecue discard : CORNCOB

11. Area where evidence is gathered : CRIME SCENE

12. Yet to be realized : UNMET

13. Barcelona bar bites : TAPAS

18. Spots on a die : PIPS

23. Scratch (out), as a living : EKE

25. "__ Doubtfire" : MRS.

26. Read carefully : PORED

27. Japanese sashes : OBIs

28. Hang on to : HOLD

29. Fresh Effects skin care brand : OLAY

30. Succeeds and then some : MAKES IT BIG

33. Rapper Elliott : MISSY. Knot 4 me

34. Tax law expert: Abbr. : CPA. (Certified Public Accountant)

36. Curved paths : ARCs

37. Battery-free smoke detector? : NOSE

39. Pound or Pope : POET

40. Condemned buildings, say : EYESORES

42. Slalom, e.g. : SKI RACE

43. Byron's "__ Walks in Beauty" : SHE

45. Dark or pale brew : ALE

46. Egyptian queen played by Liz : CLEO

47. Sedated : UNDER

48. Pageant accessory : TIARA

49. Counterfeit : PHONY

50. SeaWorld swimmers : ORCAs

54. The Beatles' "Eight Days a __" : WEEK

55. Neutral hue : ECRU

56. Prefix in combined families : STEP

59. Sounds of hesitation : UHs

60. Piece of advice : TIP

61. Old vitamin bottle no. : RDA. (Recommended Dietary Allowance)

Argyle