Monday, August 24, 2015 Gail Grabowski and Bruce Venzke

Theme: Ahoy! - Come aboard. First we'll show you the parts of the ship.

60A. In tidy condition, and a hint to the first words of the answers to starred clues : SHIPSHAPE

17A. *Historic Chicago landmark co-founded by Jane Addams : HULL HOUSE

24A. *Anxiety caused by confinement : CABIN FEVER

38A. *Dress fancily : DECK OUT

53A. *Old phone feature for multiple calls : HOLD BUTTON

Argyle here. The fill came from many ports of call but still smooth sailing. I failed to find a suitable diagram of a ship that showed all of today's listing so I defer any questions to Spitzboov. I don't know who to ask about link Hull House. New to me.

Across:

1. "Just as I suspected!" : "A-HA!"

4. Alabama protest city : SELMA

9. Crude dwelling : SHACK

14. Sun, in Mexico : SOL

15. Oak-to-be : ACORN

16. Company newbie : HIREE

19. With time to spare : EARLY

20. Angler's basket : CREEL

21. One thousandth: Pref. : MILLI

23. Fishtank organism : ALGA

29. Bill, Louis and Carrie : NYEs. The science guy, comedian who was on the Steve Allen show, and Carrie Nye, a stage, film and television actress and wife of Dick Cavett.

30. Porthole view : OCEAN. A-ha, another ship part.

31. Flight-related prefix : AERO

32. Either of the first two consonants in "coccyx," but not the third : HARD C

34. "We __ Overcome" : SHALL

35. Lavish affairs : DOs

41. Summer shirt : TEE. For wear at do's.

42. Curving : ARCED

44. Annual athletic awards : ESPYs. Awarded by ESPN.

46. Actor Connery : SEAN

47. "Midnight Cowboy" hustler Rizzo : RATSO. NOW we get Ratso.

49. Cantina snack : TAPA

55. Stein fillers : ALES

56. Coeur d'__, Idaho : ALENE

57. Braying beasts : ASSES

58. Drainage conduit : SEWER

64. Remove pencil marks : ERASE

65. Dutch bloom : TULIP

66. Scratching post user : CAT

67. Inner turmoil : ANGST

68. Oozes : SEEPS

69. Aliens, briefly : ETs

Down

1. Refuse receptacle : ASH CAN. Not these.

2. Like some regular news updates : HOURLY

3. Claim without proof : ALLEGE

4. Satirist Mort : SAHL

5. Novelist Umberto : ECO

6. Comical Costello : LOU. Bud Abbott's buddy

7. __ Butterworth : MRS. Syrup.

8. Iron-poor blood condition : ANEMIA

9. Place for books : SHELF

10. Racetrack near Miami : HIALEAH

11. Reach, as a destination : ARRIVE AT

12. Animation still : CEL

13. __ lime pie : KEY

18. Collar attachment : LEASH

22. Vacation stopover : INN

24. Apple discard : CORE

25. Adaptable, electrically : AC/DC

26. "Waiting for Godot" playwright Samuel : BECKETT

27. Writer __ Stanley Gardner : ERLE

28. Film cameo, e.g. : ROLE

33. Mix in : ADD

34. Hog's home : STY

35. Hyphen-like punctuation : DASH

36. Cookie with a Thins variety : OREO

37. Rascal : SCALAWAG

39. __ buco: veal dish : OSSO

40. "Once __ a time ..." : UPON

43. Nonstop : ENDLESS

45. Secret supply : STASH

47. Compete for a seat : RUN

48. '50s nuclear trials : A-TESTS

50. Strasbourg's region : ALSACE. without Lorraine today.

51. Spy on : PEEP AT

52. Balance sheet heading : ASSETS

54. Artist's flat hat : BERET. Mais oui!

57. Once-sacred snakes : ASPs

58. Baltic, for one : SEA

59. Directional suffix : ERN

61. Color chart listing : HUE

62. Land in la mer : ILE

63. Domino dot : PIP

Argyle

Sunday August 23, 2015 Gordon Johnson

Theme: "Eight is Enough" - The first words in theme entries spell out "My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nachos".

  

23A. *"I won't tell a soul!" : MY LIPS ARE SEALED. Reminds me the logo of Ashley Madison.

36A. *"You're not even close!" : VERY COLD. This refers to little kids' "Hot and Cold" game, right?

53A. *Not just a shot in the dark : EDUCATED GUESS

59A. *Sci-fi fleet leader : MOTHER SHIP

73A. *Not seriously : JUST FOR FUN. Purported reason for some to join Ashley Madison.

82A. *Words from the aptly punished : SERVED ME RIGHT. Lament for the exposed members of Ashley Madison.

94A. *Adversarial attitude : US vs THEM

113A. *Popular party dish : NACHOS AND CHEESE.  I thought Nachos refer to the chips and cheese together?  Never had Nachos myself.

35A. Familiar octet : PLANETS

104A. A typical one for the 35-Across can be found in the first words of the answers to starred clues : MNEMONIC

This might be our constructor.  Congratulations on your LA Times debut!

I solved this as a themeless. I'm sad to say that I never heard of this mnemonic. Wish I immigrated to the US at age 13 rather than 30. Lots of simple gimmes like this are just foreign to me.

Across:

1. Unwilling to listen : DEAF. Nailed it.

5. "Please don't __" : BE MAD. 34D. "__ needle pulling thread" : SEW A. 37D. Keep an __ the ground : EAR TO. And  44D. Take __: try the pool : A DIP. 110D. "The heat __!" : IS ON.. Fill-in-blanks are often partials. Rich normally caps the partials at four for Sundays. Two for weekdays.

10. Pot holder : CHEF. I was thinking of drug.

14. Japanese comics : MANGA

19. Lacking originality : UNCREATIVE

21. Work on the road : PAVE

22. Subject of a 1989 international trade ban : IVORY. Got via crosses.

25. "Yes __!" : SIREE

26. Riyadh natives : SAUDIS. 1,200 of them are members of Ashley Madison. Adultery is punishable by death there.

27. Botanical cover : ARIL

28. One scouring the junkyard : RUMMAGER

30. Dam city : ASWAN. I kept thinking of Hoover Dam.

32. 104 of Haydn's are numbered: Abbr. : SYMS (Symphonies). More music references: 41A. Like Brahms' Third : IN F. 95D. Violinist Louis who invented the chinrest : SPOHR. 98D. Pianist Watts : ANDRE. Both unknown to me. Also, 62D. Renaissance fiddle : REBEC. We had this before. I forgot.

  

39. Burpee product : SEED

 

42. Word repeated before "sis" : RAH

43. Ending with cup : OLA. Cupola.

44. Snoopy-Red Baron conflict, e.g. : AIR WAR. Friendly crosses.

46. Where some precious metal may be exchanged : ALTAR. Oh, gold rings.

50. Valued geologic mass : ORE BODY. How is different from ORE?

 

55. Whiskered swimmer : OTTER

56. "Ah Sun-flower! ... / Seeking after that sweet golden __": Blake : CLIME. Crosses again.

57. Sheltered at sea : ALEE

58. Dune buggy, e.g., briefly : ATV

64. Storm harbinger : CLAP. Thunder clap.

65. Hilo his : ALOHAS. Read it as "Hi's". We also have 79. Nonnative Hawaiian : HAOLE. Pronounced like  "Holly", right?

66. Kubla Khan's palace : XANADU

68. Street __ : CRED

71. Cornmeal loaves : PONES

 77. "Found it!" : AHA

78. Chopped down : HEWN

 

81. Stiller's mom : MEARA. OK, Ben.

85. 1966 #1 hit for The Association : CHERISH. I only knew Madonna's "Cherish". 

 

87. DNA structure : HELIX

88. 7-__ : ELEVEN. They have fantastic snack food in Guangzhou: hot and tasty.

89. Foe of Chiang : MAO

90. Sigma follower : TAU

91. Jersey casino, with "The" : TAJ

93. Gets it : SEES

 

97. Apple and Google started in them : GARAGES. Did not know Google started in a garage as well.

101. "Dang!" : DRAT

103. Tending to ooze : SEEPY

106. Kind of agt. : GOVT. Tough crossing with VACs (107D). Roombas, briefly). I did not know what Roombas are. Robotic vacuum cleaner.

108. Arrive, as clouds : ROLL IN. And  112. Contribute : ADD IN

 

117. "The Three Sisters" sister : IRINA

118. More than think : KNOW. MUSE won't fit.

119. Environmental activist : ECO-WARRIOR. Nailed it.

120. Allowed : LEGAL. So is LEGIT.

121. Alluring : SEXY

122. Moving about : ASTIR

123. Shore thing : SAND. Not DUNE.

Down:

 1. Doo-wop syllables : DUMS. Crosses again.

2. "Orinoco Flow" singer : ENYA

3. NSA wiretap challenger : ACLU

4. When Shabbat begins : FRIDAY

5. Linden tree : BASSWOOD. Did not know Linden = Basswood.

6. BWI posting : ETA. BWI = Baltimore Washington International. Learning moment to me also.

7. Arizona opponent in a landmark Supreme Court case : MIRANDA

8. Categorically state : AVER

9. Both Arnaz guys : DESIs

10. Tax season VIP : CPA

11. Shakespearean prince : HAL. Prince Hal.

12. Where or when attachment : EVER

13. Exasperated : FED UP

14. Handle badly : MISMANAGE

15. Frequent flier's malady? : AVIAN FLU. Nice clue.

16. Sweden : Sverige :: Norway : __ : NORGE. What Norway is in Norway.

17. Meet partner : GREET. Meet and greet.

18. Australia's __ Rock : AYERS

20. Certain Prot. : EPISC

24. Mythological heaven : ELYSIUM. I like this word.

29. 11th-century year : MLI. 1051.

 

31. Friend : ALLY

33. Macon university : MERCER. Never heard of it.  What are they famous for?

36. Formula One sound : VROOM

 

38. Butler with "a cynical humor in his mouth" : RHETT. Just fill in RHETT whenever you see "Butler" in the clue.

40. Record collection : DATABASE

45. Cave : RELENT

47. Bluish green : TEAL

48. Hammett hound : ASTA

49. It may contain regrets : RSVP. Had ??V? in the slot and wondered about LOVE.

51. Get conned : BE HAD

52. Russian city east of Kiev : OREL

53. Beethoven honoree : ELISE

54. Unleaded? : DECAF. Got me again.

56. Speaks for spirits : CHANNELS

60. Lured (in) : ROPED

61. "This I gotta see" : SHOW ME

63. Rejoice : EXULT

64. One using salt, perhaps : CURER. Oh, literally.

67. Rounded roof : DOME

68. Kind of cow? : CASH

69. South Korean president, 1948-1960 : RHEE. Nailed it as well. Korean RHEE = LEE = Li (as Jet Li). Same character.

70. "Downton Abbey" title : EARL

72. Cold response : SHIVER

73. Biblical baptist : JOHN

74. "Taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase": MLK : FAITH. Also the name of my mother-in-law. Her two other sisters are named Hope and Charity. 

 

75. Latin bears : URSAE

76. Book describing the fall of Nineveh : NAHUM. Stumper for me.

78. Like typical snowflakes : HEXAGONAL

80. Way back when : AGES AGO

83. Carrot nutrient : VITAMIN A. Don't drink too much carrot juice. It makes your skin orange.

84. Swamp thing : REED

85. Check out, as a joint : CASE

86. Sci-fi transport : HOVERCAR. No idea. Like this?

89. Prohibitive words : MUST NOT

92. "Friends" actress, familiarly : JEN. Newly married. So happy for her. Can't less less about Angelina.

96. 1840s White House family : TYLERs

97. AOL alternative : GMAIL

99. Excavate again : RE-DIG

100. Founders : SINKS. Verb.

102. Where cruise ships go : TO SEA. Partial in disguise.

105. Sugar source : CANE

109. Sister of Luke : LEIA

 

111. Stereotypical computer whiz : NERD

114. Crew chief : COX. Coxswain.

115. Pacific Coast or Alaska: Abbr. : HWY. And 116. 115-Down offense : DWI

 

I'm still in shock that we lost the crossword legend Merl Reagle. I never met Merl in person. Just a few email exchanges with him over the years. He was always sweet, kind and encouraging. You'll always be in my mind, Merl!

Happy Birthday to Tinbeni, whose daily sunset toast to blog regulars often makes me smile.  Hope it's a day full of pleasant surprises and romances, Tinbeni.

C.C.

Saturday, Aug 22nd, 2015, Barry C. Silk

Theme: Saturday Silkie~!

Words: 70 (missing F,J,Q)

Blocks: 30

  A pleasant challenge from Mr. Silk this week - in fact, I was not expecting a Silkie, but there it was~!  A smooth blend of phrases, common and not so common, with a smattering of proper names and a touch of the obscure to make it just a little tougher than last week's puzzle - speaking of "Z"s, we have 7 in today's grid, and three "X"s, as well.  Triple 9- and 10-letter corners, with a pair of nine's in the middle;

20a. Positive : ABOVE ZERO - ah, like temperatures, not emotions

51a. Mythological boundary : RIVER STYX

 Wiki Mythology

ACROSS:

1. "60 Minutes" symbol : STOPWATCH - well, I knew it was a something "watch", but I thought it was more of a pocket one than this type; can you tell I don't 'watch' the show~?

10. "Private Practice" star Kate : WALSH - I recognize her from a Law & Order episode, but that's all

15. "Whatever!" : "LIKE I CARE"

16. Its southeasternmost county is Bear Lake : IDAHO - tried MAINE first

Idaho Counties

17. For the time being : AD INTERIM - Literal Latin "in the time between"

18. Centrifuge component : ROTOR

19. Effectiveness : TEETH - mostly perps, but a clever clue/ answer

22. Purpose : AIM

24. Castle and others : IRENEs - tried DRAMAS, because I like the show "Castle"

25. "Live Well" retail chain : GNC - General Nutrition Centers

28. Steering system parts : TIE RODS - I have been through several tie rods during the 273,500 miles of driving my Dodge Stratus; in fact, the front wheel came off two Sundays ago; had my friend Ed help me put it back on.  Sheared the lug bolts. 

32. Special treatment : TLC - I try to give my car all the Tender Loving Care I can; has to last me about 4 more months

33. Parent : REAR - the verb.  Lost my dad two years ago, BarryG.  My condolences.  Today is one year since the passing of a waitress who worked at A Lure; she was 20.  Must be tough on her parents; her younger sister works at aMano. 

35. Smooth coat : GLAZE

36. Current: Pref. : RHEO - as in Rheostat - literally, a device for setting the flow of current - e.g. the volume knob on a stereo or guitar - the Wiki

37. When Tony sings "Maria" : ACT I

38. Muppet rat named for a movie character : RIZZO - dah~!  I put in RATzo, which can't be right with "RAT" in the clue; oh well.

39. With 2-Down, twice-monthly phenomenon : NEAP and 2d. See 39-Across : TIDE- nailed it, even getting the words in the right positions

40. It investigates RR accidents : NTSB - National Transportation Safety Board

41. __ Era: old name for Earth's pre-life period : AZOIC - well, I had the --OIC part, but crossing ELIZA, I pretty much had to WAG

42. Goalie's goal : SAVE - how true this is~!  I played a stellar game for 52mins last week, only to have my defense flag in the heat and humidity, and we ended up losing.  I love making the "glove save"

43. Who __ Nation: New Orleans Saints fans : DAT

44. Eye : STARE AT

46. French possessive : TES - aww, Frawnche

47. It became the TV Guide Channel in 1999 : PREVUE

49. Big mouth : MAW

55. Like some French vowels : NASAL - aww, more Frawnche

59. Sluggish : INERT - eh.  At least you're moving when you're sluggish.  Inert to me means hungover & bedridden

60. Underlying layers : SUBSTRATA

62. Where Rudolf of Ruritania was imprisoned : ZENDA - perps & WAG; more here

63. Get around bigtime : GLOBETROT - I would like to do this

64. Lake Placid's county : ESSEX

65. Large, to some Southwesterners : TEXAS SIZE

DOWN:

1. Blind piece : SLAT - as in Venetian blinds

3. Dust Bowl victim : OKIE

4. Gram lead-in : PENTA - pentagram; these guys worked the "Satanic" heavy metal image

5. Hip : WITH IT - or is it "WIT HIT"~?

6. Whiz : ACE

7. Johnny's partner in the 2014 Olympic figure skating telecasts : TARA - WAG; Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski - hello, Legs~

8. Nursery item : CRIB - oops, went with the other kind of nursery, and tried TREE

9. Circulation prefix : HEMO - blood circulation; semi-clecho with;

10. Circuit creators : WIRERS - those who wire

11. Napping : ADOZE - a 'meh' "A" word

12. Thermodynamics topic : LATENT HEAT

13. Liberty : SHORE LEAVE

14. Charts featuring houses : HOROSCOPES - I had a feeling HOME SCAPES was not right

21. Picture taker : VIDEOCAM - moving pictures, that is

23. Moves periodically : MIGRATES

25. Winner's reward : GRAND PRIZE

26. Peach mutations : NECTARINES

27. "Moonshadow" singer : CAT STEVENS

29. Broadway role for Julie : ELIZA - ah. Julie Andrews as Eliza Doolittle

30. Cutting device : RAZOR

31. Former White Sox manager Guillén : OZZIE - Baseball for C.C.

34. Needle : RIB

36. ER workers : RNs

44. Unpopular Vietnam War-financing vehicle : SURTAX - is any tax popular~?

45. Nice relatives : TANTES - aww, more more Frawnche - sounds close to its English translation of aunts

48. Mesa __ National Park : VERDE

50. Partner of all? : WARTS - I pondered "end all, be all" and "Once and for All" - ah - the phrase "I'll take it as is, warts and all"

52. USAF E-6 : T-SGT - A wordless clue/answer.  I just found out that the hostess I talked about last year is ROTC, and will graduate with the rank of second lieutenant - she's got er, um, three years to go....

53. Festive time : YULE

54. Wii alternative : XBOX - home video game computers

56. Indian wrap : SARI

57. All-inclusive : A TO Z - popular lately

58. Behind : LATE

61. Entrepreneur-aiding org. : SBA - Small Business Administration

Splynter

Friday, August 21, 2015, Mark McClain

Theme: Is this the Gamblers Anonymous meeting? I bet it isn't! How much  you want to put on it?

GA, which is better known as the two letter abbreviation for Georgia is added into three thirteen letter phrases to create a new and whimsically clued phrase for which another 15 letter reveal is presented. With four grid spanning answers, Mark needed lots of short fill to make the grid work, primarily using four letter words, but not THE four letter words. This is the third of Mark's LAT publications that I have had the pleasure of blogging and so far the easiest. Mark has come by the Corner to comment on puzzles as well. The sparkly 6 letter fill came easily and while the gimmick hid for a while, once you see the added letters the long ones were done. This made the rest of the solve go quickly. I enjoyed seeing AMORAL,  BORING,  DADDY-O,  EPONYM,  MITTEN,  RICOHS in the grid. There were some Friday clues/fill and some use of cheater squares to make it all fit. My unknown was COTE, which comes from the same strain as COTTAGE and I struggled with the vaguely recalled CAEN and LALO. Well let's look it over.

17A. Missed the bird's nest under the eaves? : FLEW INTO A GARAGE (14). I try not to rage.

26A. Red army unit? : BLUSHING BRIGADE (15). Do brides blush anymore?

44A. Druid baker's recipe? : PAGAN CAKE BATTER (15). Since I knew Druids were pagans, and pancake batter popped out, this is where I got the theme. Also my favorite.

57A. Carmichael/Gorrell classic, and a hint to this puzzle's theme : GEORGIA ON MY MIND (15). my favorite version. LINK.

Across:

1. Goof : SLIP. Betwixt the cup and the lip.

5. Barnyard cries : MAAS. I think of this defunct retailer.

9. Cook, in a way : BOIL.

13. Scheduled 2022 FIFA World Cup host : QATAR. More scandal there.

15. "As Time Goes By" requester : ILSA. She will live on.

16. Procter & Gamble cosmetics brand : OLAY. Katie Holmes did ads for them.

20. Toon cat : TOM. TomKat divorced.

21. Farm shelter : COTE. A new word for me, apparently home to pigeons among others. I would have done better with this one. LINK.

22. Records, nowadays : TIVOS. I think they are mostly generic DVRs.

23. Study intently, with "over" : PORE.

24. City SW of Le Havre : CAEN. This CITY was the base for William the Conqueror and the site of many war deaths.

33. Thirsts : LUSTS.  Oh my! 41A. Drive : URGE. Oh my!

34. Bit attachment : REIN. Horses.

35. Luau dish : POI. Yummy!

36. Here, in 24-Across : ICI. Just the French word.

37. Barber's "Vanessa," for one : OPERA. An easy guess. I appreciate the skill but do not get a thrill.

39. Throw in : ADD.

40. Time meas. : MINute..

42. Musical lament : DIRGE. Pray for the dead and the dead will pray for you. LINK.

48. Future execs, perhaps : MBAS. Not to be confused with MAAS.

49. They're full of beans : PODS. Fun clue.

50. It was removed from the Dow 30 the same year Nike was added : ALCOA. It happened in 2013.

53. Protective cover : HOOD.

54. Court : WOO, A nice old fashioned word.

61. Nike competitor : AVIA. Not sure  about competitor anymore,  but it has an interesting HISTORY.

62. Art medium : CLAY. I am better with play doh.

63. Shred : OUNCE. Your Honor there is not one shred of evidence...

64. Tiny stream : RILL.

65. Damage : HARM.

66. Hits the road : GOES.  Was it George Carlin who pointed out how ridiculous this expression is? He did COMMENT on much life.

Down:

1. Real estate ad no. : SQFT.  SQuare FeeT. Any Q without a U is tricky.

2. "Symphonie espagnole" composer : LALO. Compose yourself then read. LINK.

3. Couple in the news : ITEM. Another celebrity and a nanny?

4. Dog's dog : PAW. Do young people remember feet are called  dogs, and the old 'my dogs are barking complaint? Is it true they name Hush Puppies because of that?

5. Winter warmer : MITTEN.
When I was first smitten
With a perfect white mitten
It wasn't my true love
With her leather glove
But a purrfect little kitten.

6. Natural soother : ALOE.

7. "__ rule ..." : AS A.  Was it Groucho who said, " As a rule I do not smoke, but as a habit I do."

8. Subside : SAG. Not what brings sag to my mind.

9. Likely to elicit a nod? : BORING.

10. Norwegian saint : OLAV. Not OLAY!

11. "It is the green-eyed monster ..." speaker : IAGO.

12. Strong cleaners : LYES.

14. Some copiers : RICOHS.

18. "Me neither" : NOR I.

19. Canceled a reservation, maybe : ATE IN.

23. Ore. setting : PST. Pacific Standard Time.

24. Speaker of words like alpha and bravo : CBER. Semi clecho: 29D. Like alpha, but not bravo : GREEK.

25. It's frequently in Italian : ARIA.

26. Aerial view provider : BLIMP.

27. Saint __: Caribbean island nation : LUCIA.

28. Via : USING. I go to work by I-95.

30. Split : APART. Ben-Jen. TomKat, where will it all end?

31. Sidestep : DODGE. Impossible to not get into politics with this fill.

32. Where to get down : EIDER. My favorite clue, as the misdirection really works. My mind went to this SONG (3:03)with the rare female lead guitar.

37. Ocean predator : ORCA. Whale of a good answer.

38. Two of Rory McIlroy's major wins, familiarly : PGAS. A record breaking  performance last week by Jason Day and Jordan Speith knocked Rory out of world number 1.

41. Put away, as groceries : UNBAG. Really?

42. Beat address : DADDY-O. I think of Maynard G. Krebs but see

43. "__ a trick!" : IT'S.

45. Unscrupulous : AMORAL.

46. Sousaphone, for one : EPONYM. The instrument is names after the inventor.

47. Loud noise : BOOM.

50. Food thickener : AGAR, Cool to this so soon on its own again.

51. Son of Jacob : LEVI. One of 12 sons, Reuben · Simeon · Levi · Judah · Dan · Naphtali · Gad · Asher · Issachar · Zebulun · Joseph · Benjamin.

52. Stamp purchase : COIL. The hardest clue for an easy fill.

53. Icy coating : HOAR. This and rime must be known.

54. Lush : WINO.

55. "The Sea of Faith / Was __, too, at the full ... ": "Dover Beach" : ONCE. All perps.

56. Laudatory verses : ODES.

58. Berlin pronoun : ICH. Wer ist da? — Ich bins! Who's there? — It's me!

59. In the fashion of : À LA.  A little more French.

60. Actor's exaggeration : MUG. For the camera dear...

Well another Friday in the books and a nice workout from Mark, who I hope will stop by and tell us his inspiration for this puzzle. I had fun and hope you all did, Lemonade out.