Thursday, June25, 2015 Bruce Venzke and Gail Grabowski

Theme: Anagrams!

21. Patient care group : MEDICAL TEAM.

32. Political convention announcement : RUNNING MATE.

42. Casing filler : SAUSAGE MEAT.

55. Like much rock ... and like the last words of 21-, 32- and 42-Across? : "META"-MORPHIC.
Cute theme from Bruce and Gail today.  We have the prefix "META," morphing into other words.

Here's my bonus theme entry: PUDDING TAME ("What's your name?" "Pudding Tame. Ask me again, and I'll tell you the same!")

Across

1. The Olympic Australis and others : OPALS. Gimme. I have used this clue in one of my own puzzles!

6. Sound detectors : EARS. Haha.

10. Move lightly : FLIT.

14. Full range : GAMUT.

15. Produce on a farm : GROW. Verb form. Anyone else toy with things like "corn" or "beet" or "bean"?

16. Biked it : RODE.

17. Video game brother : LUIGI. Fraternal twin of Mario.

18. Hold 'em fee : ANTE.

19. "That makes sense" : I SEE.

20. 2002 British Open champion : ELS. Ernie, aka "The Big Easy."

24. Pay : DISBURSE.

26. "Frasier" role : ROZ. Last week I had Niles Crane, this week it's Roz.

27. "Arabian Nights" name : ALI.

28. Duties : TARIFFS.

37. Novelist Tolstoy : LEO.

38. Rep on the street : CRED.

39. Place for a small pet : LAP.

40. Jag, e.g. : AUTO.

41. Had-at link : A GO.

46. Picking up, in a way : SENSING.

48. Quaint preposition : ERE. And a semi-clecho at 61-Across. Quaint "not" : NARY.

49. Dennings of "2 Broke Girls" : KAT. This lady.

50. The "it" in "I don't want to talk about it" : SORE SPOT.

59. Wild way to go : APE.

60. "Little Things Mean __": 1954 #1 hit : A LOT.

62. It's usually not more than a foot : TAP IN. I hope Gary is soon back at his favorite game.

64. Lead : CLUE. Did you have one?

65. Slush Puppie maker : ICEE.

66. Part of a meet : EVENT.

67. Enjoys a hero : EATS.

68. Agreeing words : AYES.

69. Takes chances : DARES.


Down

1. Looked like a wolf? : OGLED.

2. Eighth-century pope : PAUL I.  May 29, 757 to June 28, 767.

3. Not quite right : AMISS.

4. Haul : LUG.

5. Reaction causes : STIMULI.

6. "Holy moly!" : EGADS.

7. Golf nickname : ARNIE. Palmer.

8. Coll. drilling group : ROTC. Reserve Officers' Training Corps.

9. Curse : SWEAR AT.

10. Aunt in "Nancy" : FRITZI. Full name: FRITZI Ritz.

11. Come in too late? : LOSE.

12. Start of a solution : IDEA.

13. Abound (with) : TEEM.

22. "Happy Days" actress Moran : ERIN.

23. It's retold often : LORE.

25. Ratt or Poison : BAND. Total WAG.

28. Taberna snack : TAPA.

29. Drawing passage : FLUE. And 31-Down. 29-Down buildup : SOOT.

30. Crumbly salad topper : FETA.

32. Some HDTVs : RCAs.

33. Push for : URGE.

34. Reason for glowing letters : NEON.

35. Water cooler sound : GLUG.

36. Humanities degs. : MAs. Master of Arts.

40. City north of Des Moines : AMES.

42. Rama VII's kingdom : SIAM.

43. "Mary Queen of Scots" biographer Fraser : ANTONIA. I haven't read that one.

44. One of the Spice Girls : GERI.

45. Built : ERECTED.

47. Winter Olympics equipment : SKATES.

50. Self-gratifying outing : SPREE...because "ego trip" didn't fit.

51. "But of course!" : OH YES!

52. Supermarket option : PAPER.

53. Speak one's mind : OPINE.

54. Staked shelters : TENTS.

55. Nutmeg spice : MACE.

56. Scat legend, familiarly : ELLA.

57. Talk up : TOUT.

58. Suggestive : RACY.

63. Co-star of Richard in "The Night of the Iguana" : AVA. Richard Burton and AVA Gardner. I love Allan [sic] Sherman's song about it (to the tune of "Streets of Laredo"):
"They were down there to film The Night of the Iguana 
With a star-studded cast and a technical crew. 
They did things at night midst the flora and fauna
That no self-respecting iguana would do."

Iguana go now...

Marti

Wednesday, June 24, 2015 Gareth Bain

Theme: Celebrations

17A. *Lightweight kitchen appliance : HAND MIXER. This is my hand mixer. It's called a whisk. Sometimes we like to over-complicate things.

 24A. *"Let me help" : WHAT CAN I DO? You can whisk the egg whites, thanks!

37A. *Not doing one's job : DROPPING THE BALL. What if you're a soccer referee? That's part of your job! 

50A. *Romance : LOVE AFFAIR. A tennis match before anyone scores a point?

61A. Wayne's World catchphrase, and a hint to the end of the answers to starred clues : PARTY TIME!

I think Gareth forgot the "Excellent"

Morning all - Steve here pinch-hitting for JzB, who unfortunately can't join us today. I'll do my best on his behalf.

Four types of mostly formal gatherings in the thematics today (and the first time I've been able to link a song from my theme title!) I think of "do" as a "British" thing; however it was first used in the US in this sense in a magazine article in 1952, so it's been in the vocabulary for over 60 years so let's call it "assimilated".

Wayne's World is almost as old, most skits airing on "Saturday Night Live" between 1989 and 1992.When I saw the reveal, I wanted "Party On" rather than "Party Time" - our reveal is missing the "Excellent", so I'm underwhelmed by that. Minor nit, but it was a little awkward for me.

I don't often look too closely at grid designs, but the "extra" nine-letter entries at 13A and 67A made me wonder what caused that to happen. This is a 78-word puzzle (the maximum for an LAT 15x15) and there are already 42 black squares, so shortening the two 9's to two 8's would break Rich's 43-maximum count  rule - you'd have 44. There are already six cheater squares in the grid, so there's not much wriggle room left.

OK, enough of that - let's trot down the rest of today's challenge:

Across:

1. "__ to Be Square": Huey Lewis & the News hit : HIP. I think we might have a retro theme working here - a 1986 Billboard #3 leads us off.

4. Pair on a rowing club wall : OARS

8. Press __ : CORPS. As we're on a history trip, I encourage you to read "Once Upon a Distant War" by William Prochnau - the story of the journalists Halberstam, Sheehan, Arnett and others trying to make sense of the early years of the Vietnam war.

13. "David Copperfield" blackmailer : URIAH HEEP. One of the odd 9-letter outliers.

16. Humble : ABASE

18. Himalayan region : TIBET

19. Thing on a ring : KEY

20. Story : YARN

22. Nevertheless : BUT

23. Energy : PEP

27. "To be continued" installment : PART TWO

29. "The Simpsons" shop owner : APU. Copyright rules forbid me to link the wonderful "Who loves the Kwik-e-Mart? I doooooo" clip. You may like to search for yourselves.

30. Works in a museum : ART

31. Father : SIRE

33. Brits' raincoats : MACS. The Mackintosh (note the "k") is a rubberized overcoat to keep out the rain. They also, being rubberized, keep in the sweat, so you're as wet with perspiration on the inside as you keep the precipitation out on the outside. Hopefully not made nowadays!

42. Since, in a seasonal song : SYNE

43. Nerd : GEEK

44. When repeated, a Kenyan rebel : MAU. "Rebel" might be a kindly word, but we tend to forgive.

45. Play about Capote : TRU

48. De __: strictly proper : RIGUEUR. Word of the day. I had "RIG" and I knew - KNEW! it had to be EUR but. Gosh darn it, I will remember that extra "U" for ever.

55. Game console letters : NES. Nintentdo Entertainment System. More time-warp. 1983? Later? Earlier? Who knows.

56. Saloon order : ALE

57. Says lovingly : COOS

58. Flop opposite : HIT

59. Capital of Belarus : MINSK

66. Bring to mind : EVOKE

67. Made a point of? : SHARPENED.

68. Mail in, as payment : REMIT

69. Bordeaux belief :  IDÉE. Idea. French.

70. African antelope : GNU

Down:

1. "Say what?" : HUH?

2. Portfolio element, for short : I.R.A. I'm waiting for the "Irish Republican Army" to make a debut

3. Eponymous detective agency founder : PINKERTON

4. "Yowza!" : OH MY!

5. Sashimi tuna : AHI

6. T. __ : REX

7. "Ciao!" : SEE YA!

8. Forty winks : CATNAP

9. Geisha circler : OBI

10. Torah teacher : RABBI

11. False: Pref. : PSEUD. Not really, unless slang is inferred. PSEUDO might be accurate.

12. Little fight : SET-TO

14. Masterful : ADEPT

15. Backside, slangily : PRAT. Only in the "prat-fall" context. I'm not sure anyone fell on their "prat", or had a kick up the "prat". I'm sure Dictionary.com will have a different opinion, but I'm just working on common usage here.

21. "In the Year 2525" record label : RCA.

23. Fencing deflection : PARRY

24. Battle of the Bulge conflict, briefly : WWII

25. French __ : HORN. What a wonderful-looking instrument. Ron - can you play one of these?

26. Feeling nothing : NUMB

27. Paw parts : PADS

28. Chef's meas. : TSP.

32. Bird-to-be : EGG

34. First-name-only gathering : A.A. MEETING

35. Santa __ : CLAUS

36. Put-down : SLUR

38. Tennis great Sampras : PETE. I see that the Wimbledon Championships are being trailed on TV right now. Who are your favorites? Please "boo" any sports announcer who pronounces it "Wimble-Ton", It's a "D" and has been for *cough* couplehunderdyears *cough*. I used to live a couple of miles away from the venue - I have to confess I never saw a match at the All-England Club,but I did have a few beers at the Rose and Crown on Wimbledon Common.

I never went here

I went here a lot

39. Actress Hatcher : TERI

40. Will beneficiary : HEIR

41. Pre-op test : E.K.G.

46. Clamor : RACKET. Or racquet, at Wimbledon. "Quiet Please!"

47. What a weather balloon may be mistaken for, briefly : U.F.O.

49. Make one : UNITE

50. Less credible, excuse-wise : LAMER

51. Greenish color : OLIVE

52. Stingray secretion : VENOM

53. Fancy dressers : FOPS

54. Beer brand from Tokyo : ASAHI. Not Kirin? Damn. Do-Over.

58. Promote aggressively : HYPE.

60. Deal with moguls : SKI. Or pratfall, mostly, in my case

62. "Far out!" : RAD!

63. Afternoon ora : TRE. Ouch!

64. Patriarchy rulers : MEN

65. Kin of gov : EDU. There's COM, ORG, NET and all sorts to keep you company on your journey around the World Wide Web!

Apologies for the brevity - busy week this week! If you're confused about anything here, you've got my email address.

Look forward to seeing you all soon! Here's the grid:

Steve

Note from C.C.:

Just got this cheerful update from Joann:

"Good news!  For now no surgery.  Dr wants to wait and see if the small intestine will open up more. Walking will help so we walk a lot at the hospital. No food or drink yet for now; IV's give him nutrients and meds.  Dr told Gary that if he were in Gary's shoes he would wait and see if this works.  If not then last resort he will do surgery.  

This will mean remaining in the hospital for a while longer but we both agreed we can live with that. We got a kitty last September so she has been a god send to both of us. Gary does miss seeing here but I send him lots of videos on his phone.  

Thanks so much for all your thoughts and prayers. Keep them coming okay?"

 

Tuesday, Jun 23, 2015 David Poole

Theme: Keep looking up - to see the stars in the sky...and in the puzzle.

28D. Up-and-comers, and what the circled squares contain : RISING STARS

4D. "Sugar and spice" tykes : LITTLE GIRLS. RIGEL - In the constellation Orion.

9D. Altar exchanges : MARRIAGE VOWS. VEGA - In the constellation Lyra.

21D. Brunch dish with hollandaise sauce : EGGS BENEDICT. In the constellation Cygnus.

Argyle down here. Tough to pick out the stars without the circles but they aren't needed for the solve. One entry is within the last word while the other two span two words.

Across:

1. Wayne Gretzky's NHL career record 894 : GOALS

6. SALT warhead : ICBM. (intercontinental ballistic missile) It can carry a warhead but I would not call it a warhead.

10. Gridiron throw : PASS

14. Columbo's asset : LOGIC. The TV detective.

15. Law office hiree, briefly : PARA. (paralegal)

16. Superficially highbrow : ARTY

17. Singer Baker : ANITA

18. Finished : OVER

19. Way in : DOOR

20. Mickey of the Yankees : MANTLE

22. O.K. Corral family name : EARP

24. CAT scan kin : MRI

25. Table supports : LEGS

27. Three-dimensional historical display : DIORAMA

29. Throat soothers : LOZENGES

33. "Thrilla in Manila" boxer : ALI

34. Props and scenery, as a unit : STAGE SET

35. Treat leniently, with "on" : GO SOFT

39. Nobelist Morrison : TONI. Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993 for Beloved.

40. Utah's __ Canyon : BRYCE

42. Intestinal sections : ILEA. Ileum, singular.

43. Actress North : SHEREE. ... was Kramer's mom on Seinfeld?!

45. With affection : LOVINGLY

47. System of connected PCs : LAN. (local area network)

48. Stretch out : ELONGATE. Turns a circle into an oval.

49. Waded to the other side of : CROSSED. Meh.

53. Hooting hunters : OWLS

54. Put a spell on : HEX

55. Perfect place : EDEN

57. Suppresses, as bad news : SITS ON

61. Flower painted by van Gogh : IRIS

63. Desktop image : ICON

65. Niño's mother : MADRE. Spanish.

66. Art class subject : NUDE

67. Roadwork marker : CONE

68. Shore up : BRACE

69. From square one : ANEW

70. Arborist's study : TREE

71. Heroic Schindler : OSKAR. He made a list.

Down:

1. Glittery rock music genre : GLAM. Short for glamour.

2. O'Neill's daughter : OONA

3. Feudin' with : AGIN. An informal, facetious, or dialect word for against.

5. Like some triangles : SCALENE. I had to look up the meaning. (unequal sides)

6. Wall St. debut : IPO. (initial public offering)

7. Stalactite site : CAVE

8. Diner basketful : BREAD

10. Bachelor __ : PAD

11. Food court lure : AROMA

12. Weather-controlling "X-Men" character : STORM

13. Country where damask was first made : SYRIA

23. Sport with mallets : POLO

26. Visionary : SEER

29. D-Day carriers : LSTs. Welcome back, old friend. (Landing Ship, Tank)

30. IMer's "Then again ... " : OTOH. (On The Other Hand)

31. Western writer Grey : ZANE

32. Fashion : STYLE

36. Gold medalist Korbut : OLGA

37. Poolroom surface : FELT. On the table.

38. Actor Diggs : TAYE. Taye Diggs, born and raised in Rochester, NY.

41. Where Pikes Peak is: Abbr. : COLO. (Colorado) Just behind Nevada in size.

44. Lack of difficulty : EASE

46. Left hanging : IN LIMBO

49. Wedding registry category : CHINA

50. Between-seasons TV fare : RERUN

51. Nitrous __ : OXIDE

52. Interior designer's concern : DÉCOR

56. Zero : NONE

58. Mt. Rushmore's state : SDAK. (South Dakota)

59. Ocean predator : ORCA

60. Not e'en once : NE'ER

62. Attach a patch, say : SEW

64. Bridal bio word : NÉE

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Gary's wife Joann wrote to me earlier. She said that the meds to remove the blockage have not worked, and it's very likely that Gary will have surgery sometime tomorrow.

Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers. Get back to us soon, Gary!

Joann & Gary

Monday, Jun 22, 2015 Roger Wienberg

Theme: 4 of 12 - Like the start of summer, the CRAB can be the start of our theme answers.

17A. Rural political bloc : GRASS ROOTS. Crabgrass, a summer foe.

25A. Crate-moving equipment : FORK LIFT. Crab fork. For those hard to reach morsels. CSO to Sally.
 

39A. Bone-breaking combo, in a playground rhyme : STICKS AND STONES. may break my bones but these are delish. Crab sticks.
 

51A. Slow-cooked entrée : POT ROAST. Crab pot, similar to a lobster pot.

64A. Retail outlet with a tech support area called the "Genius Bar" : APPLE STORE. Crabapple.

68A. Nebula named for a crustacean, which can precede the starts of 17-, 25-, 39-, 51- and 64-Across : CRAB

Argyle here. The timely placement of today's puzzle adds a dash of panache to Roger's second Monday with us. A grid spanner, five theme entries and a reveal; very good.

Across:

1. Limerick, e.g. : POEM. OwenKL might grace us with one this morning.

5. Underground molten rock : MAGMA

10. "Get lost!" : "SCAT!" and throw in 57A. "Get lost!" : "SHOO!"

14. Far from fair : UGLY

15. Double-reed woodwinds : OBOEs

16. Global extremity : POLE. North and South.

19. Shortly, to Shakespeare : ANON

20. Submitted : SENT IN

21. Opponents : FOEs or perhaps, 36A. Other side, in war : ENEMY

23. Mate for a stag : DOE

24. Amin of Uganda : IDI

27. Mountain climber's return trip : DESCENT

31. Rain really hard : TEEM. Are we OK with this now?

32. The Trojans of the NCAA : USC. (University of Southern California)

33. Silly error : GOOF

43. Martial arts-based workout : TAE BO

44. "Stop stalling!" : "DO IT!". Start those workouts.

45. Three, in Napoli : TRE

46. Circus safety gear : NETS

48. Double-__: traitor : CROSSER

55. Really annoy : IRK

56. "The Greatest" in the ring : ALI

58. Farther below sea level : DEEPER

62. CBS legal drama "The Good __" : WIFE

66. Bad to the bone : EVIL

67. River in Düsseldorf, in Düsseldorf : RHEIN. in German.

69. Pack of cards : DECK

70. Desirable trait : ASSET

71. Citgo rival : HESS

Down:

1. Wrinkly-faced dogs : PUGS

2. Storybook baddie : OGRE

3. Splashy style : ELAN

4. Connecticut home of a 19-acre maritime museum : MYSTIC. Good pizza, too.

5. Breakfast times : MORNINGS

6. Blood classification letters : A-B-O

7. __ on a tangent : GO OFF

8. "Likewise" : "ME TOO"

9. Stand up for (oneself) : ASSERT

10. Health resort : SPA

11. Burger bar array : CONDIMENTS. First of the two neat long down entries.

12. Emotionally distant : ALOOF

13. Religious belief : TENET

18. One of a triangle trio : SIDE. Or Tom Dooley?

22. Sport with clay targets : SKEET

26. Carson's successor : LENO. (The Tonight Show)

27. Clean with a rag : DUST

28. Juanita's "this" : ESTA

29. Word before method or notation : SCIENTIFIC. Number two.

30. Pond hopper : TOAD

34. Singer Yoko : ONO

35. Govt. banking protector : FDIC. (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation)

37. Inconsequential : MERE

38. River of Flanders : YSER

40. Trucker on a radio : CBer

41. Zither-like Japanese instruments : KOTOs

42. Shrill : STRIDENT

47. World's largest desert : SAHARA

49. Mine extracts : OREs

50. Undetailed drawing : SKETCH

51. Toyed with, cat-style : PAWED

52. Martini garnish : OLIVE

53. Last year's frosh : SOPHs

54. Drinks excessively : TOPEs

59. Skin opening : PORE

60. Important chapters in history : ERAs

61. Civil War fighters : REBs

63. Bugling beast : ELK

65. Stretch the truth : LIE

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Jazzbumpa's mom passed away on Saturday afternoon. Ron said "It was peaceful. She wasn't in any pain or distress. She received excellent care in the hospital and in hospice. We were blessed to have her with us for so long. Visitation is tomorrow, funeral on Tuesday."

Our condolences to Ron and his family. His mom was a brave fighter.

Ron, his sister Pat and their Mom

May 16, 2015