Thursday, May 12th, 2016 C.C.Burnikel

Theme: Traffic Circles - as the reveal explains:

63A. Intersecting road ... and one of a pair indicated by each puzzle circle : CROSS STREET

17A. Breakfast order : SESAME BAGEL
and
5D. North Dakota symbol : ELM TREE. Sesame Street/Elm Street. Fun juxtaposition here with one of America's friendliest streets crossing one that's definitely on the darker side.

35A. Breakfast order : OVER EASY. 
and
11D. Line in a utility network : WATER MAIN. Easy Street/Main Street. Bob Seger sang about the Main Street in his home town of Ann Arbor, Michigan.

57A. Where the world is really flat? : WALL MAP.
and
34D. United Federation of Planets affiliate : STARFLEET. Wall Street/Fleet Street. Fleet Street is the odd one out here as it's in London. The area was the center of the British newspaper industry; most of the national and London dailies were printed on or around Fleet Street. The Starfleet comes from the Star Trek series.

G'day all! C.C's latest is a neat exercise in crossing theme entries. You might notice that the themers are not all arranged symmetrically in the grid, but I think it would be pretty much impossible to pull that off given the subject matter.  The circles show us where to look for the street corners.

This wasn't the quickest solve for me; there were quite a few unknowns that I had to slowly fill with crosses, but everything came together at the end. There are quite a few unique or infrequently-used words in the grid which, coupled with the Thursday-level cluing, accounts for the crunchiness here. Good stuff.

Let's see what else we've got.

Across:

1. Carmen of jazz : MCRAE. First of the unknowns for me right off the bat. I'm not a big jazz hat.

6. Ludicrous : ANTIC. Very nice. This area was tough for me, with this, LEONA and the unknown NEA crossing both of them.

11. It may be declared : WAR

14. Popular font : ARIAL

15. "Bleeding Love" singer Lewis : LEONA. Another unknown. The E was a WAG and thankfully a correct one.

16. Legendary fighter : ALI

19. Tee, for one : TOP. The shirt, not the golf gizmo.

20. Hymn relative : ODE

21. __-color pasta salad : TRI. Food! The colors in the salad are meant to be representative of "Il tricolore", the Italian flag. No olives were harmed in the preparation of this dish by any murderous sociopaths.

22. Grand cousins : SPINETS. I dithered around with this one - I understood the clue, but I thought there were two "n"s in the word. A spinet in this context is a small piano, hence a cousin to the much larger grand piano. In the past, I associated a spinet with a harpsichord. Learning moment.

24. Goth accessory : NOSE RING. My daughter has two. Kids these days, eh? Pah!

27. Sugarloaf lift : T-BAR. I was thinking of the famous Sugarloaf Mountain in Rio, and wondered why the answer wasn't GONDOLA. Sugarloaf ski resort in Maine.

28. Make equipment changes : RETOOL

30. Austen classic : EMMA. I tried Jane EYRE first, which was rather futile considering that Charlotte Brontë wrote the story of the governess.

32. Egypt's second president : NASSER. The reservoir lake formed by the Aswan High Dam is named for him.

38. Summer hrs. in Philly : EDT

39. Call off the affair : END IT

41. Expert follower? : -ISE

42. "However ... " : THAT SAID

45. Regular hangouts : HAUNTS. I was thinking along the "local pub" lines for a while.

48. Shootout shout : DRAW!

49. In shreds : TORN UP

51. Wig out : FLIP

53. Mentor's offering : GUIDANCE

60. Part of M.S.: Abbr. : SCI

61. Seaside raptor : ERN

62. Explosive state : IRE

66. Price of admission : FEE. I mentioned a couple of weeks ago I was going to Disneyland with my daughter. We got "two park hopper" passes for the Happiest Place on Earth and California Adventure. The fee for that two-fer is not for the faint-hearted.

67. All together : AS ONE

68. Stranger : ODDER

69. Enjoy oysters, say : EAT. This seemed oddly random to me - why oysters? But then again, why not?

70. Runner of 1992 : PEROT

71. Like Satchmo's singing voice : RASPY. I had BASSO first and thought I was being clever until nothing would fit around it.

Down:

1. Worker with blocks : MASON. Check this out - this is the Crimple Valley Oracle in England. This is a dry-stone wall built in Yorkshire - no mortar is used. See the details of the project here.

2. Set of beliefs : CREDO

3. Stops lying : RISES

4. Class for baseball's Durham Bulls : AAA

6. White whale, e.g. : ALBINO

7. Org. with a "Raise Your Hand" campaign : NEA. Wild stab in the dark, fortunately I stabbed correctly. The National Education Association's campaign for educators to become leaders in a national movement for public education.

8. Wardrobe : TOGS

9. Ham-handed : INEPT

10. Ammunition measurement : CALIBER. Inches, millimeters, all kinds of measurements going on here.

12. Gazillions : A LOT

13. Turbulent currents : RIPS

18. Nation east of Sudan : ERITREA

23. Sonny or Cher : NAME

25. RNs' workplaces : ER'S

26. Compliment to a boxer : GOOD DOG! I just couldn't get NICE PUNCH! to fit.

29. Half of CXII : LVI

31. Coach's aide: Abbr : ASST.

32. Service stopper : NET. Too many service faults and you're going to hear some colorful language.

33. Adderall target : ADHD. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

36. Ones bonded by a common culture : ETHNICS

37. "Sounds good" : YES

40. Little beef : NIT

43. Like most supermodels : TALL. Gisele Bündchen, the model married to QB Tom Brady, is 5'11".

44. Pool wear : SWIM CAP. When I was spending a lot of time in chlorinated pools training for triathlons, my hair started to break off by the handful. I got a swim cap.

46. Reviewer of books : AUDITOR

47. Put __ fight : UP A

50. McDonald's potato variety : RUSSET. The french fries have not been the same since they stopped cooking 'em in lard.

52. Break down, as a sentence : PARSE

54. They may be pressing : NEEDS

55. Move at a snail's pace : CREEP

56. Contest submission : ENTRY

57. Certain partner : WIFE

58. Calculus calculation : AREA. This stuff gave me nightmares at school. I never "got" calculus.

59. Lame, as an excuse : POOR

64. __-Caps: candy : SNO

65. Nutritional stat : RDA. Recommended Daily Allowance.

And ... here's the grid.

Steve

Wednesday, May 11, 2016 John Guzzetta

Theme:  PHUN WITH FONICS.  Each two word answer has the initial consonant sound /f/ spelt two different ways, with the expected letter "F" and with the digraph "PH."  Without delving too deeply into it, or proposing a general rule, it seems that many words using the "PH" digraph are derived from Greek: philosophy,  phonetics and, for a double whammy, photograph.

17 A. Communication device also called a clamshell : FLIP PHONE.   A cell phone that folds shut and flips open.  This is now a retro design, but is still rather popular.

24 A. Verne's circumnavigator : PHILEAS FOGG.  The protagonist of Jules Vernes 1873 novel, Around the World in Eighty Days.

53 A. Reunion memento : FAMILY PHOTO.   Here's one of Gloria and 8 of our 11 grandchildren, from her birthday last August.

Some of my favorite peeps

39 A. Gym teacher's concern : PHYSICAL FITNESS.   I've been working out this year to do something about my physical fatness.  Lost 9 lbs so far.

64. Ben & Jerry's flavor inspired by a Vermont rock band : PHISH FOOD.   "Chocolate Ice Cream with Gooey Marshmallow Swirls, Caramel Swirls & Fudge Fish."  In my opinion, they fudged on the spelling of Phish.  You can read about it - and listen - here.

Hi, gang.   Jazzbumpa here.   With 5 theme entries, one a grid spanner, this puzzle is pretty rich in themeage. Let's see what else we can phind.

Across

1. Choose : OPT.  I assume this derives from "option."

4. Metaphorical loss in a bad deal : SHIRT.   Presumably indicating the loss of all assets, even one's clothing.   Probably related to the expression "I'd give the shirt off my back" for something intensely craved.

9. Salon creations : COIFS.  Hair arrangements.

Would you do this do?

14. Column crosser : ROW.   In a spread sheet or crossword grid.

15. Palmer with an "army" : ARNIE.  Also a soft drink - tea mixed with lemonade.

Drink and stay sober

16. "Strange to say ... " : ODDLY.  Believe it or not.  Once, back in the days when I used to frustrate myself by phlailing with golph clubs, I was playing at Bay Hill - Arnie's resort in FLA - when I hit a drive that never got above 6 inches off the ground, and hit a squirrel square in the head.  True story. That's how I became Bumpa the squirrel slayer.    

19. Unlock the door for : LET IN.   Allow to enter.

20. Match socially : FIX UP.  Arrange a date for someone.

21. Tater : SPUD.  Potato - suitable for mashing.

23. Anti-apartheid org. : ANC.  African National Congress.  The ruling social democratic party of the Union of South Africa.

28. "Rad!" : AWESOME.   Impressive.  Because the word "awful" changed meaning from "awe inspiring" to "horrible and repugnant."

31. Consider : DEEM.  It was deemed "awful and artificial."

32. All-Clad product : PAN.   Cook ware, not the Greek god who consorted with NYMPHS.

33. Yucatán year : ANO.  Spanish.  More appropriately rendered -- año.

35. Spooky : EERIE.  I grew up not far from the shore of Lake Spooky.

44. Done in by Buffy, say : SLAIN.   Buffy is the vampire slayer.  As far as I know, she did not use sporting equipment.

Buffy in the middle

45. __ Pérignon : DOM.  Vintage champagne produced by Moët & Chandon.

46. Lunch letters : BLT.  Bacon Lettuce and Tomato sandwich -- YUM!

47. Simile words : AS AN.   It's as ________ AS AN __________.  [Phill in the blanks]

50. Affluent London area : CHELSEA.  Along the north bank of the Thames, near CHELSEA bridge.

56. "Moulin Rouge!" director Luhrmann : BAZ.  No idea.

57. Most blue state electees: Abbr. : DEMS.  The DEMocratic Party is associated with the color blue, and the Republicans with the color red.  I will say no more.

58. Secret stash : CACHE.  I wish I had a CACHE of cash.

62. Piano exercise : ETUDE.  From the Frech word for "study," a [usually] short, technically difficult exercise designed to build skill.

67. More valuable to a collector : RARER.  A word rarely said, since it trips so awkwardly off the tongue.

68. World Court site, with "The" : HAGUE.   A city in the South Holland province of The Netherlands, home to the U. N.'s International court of justice.

69. Holiday drink : NOG.   A drink made with eggs, sugar, milk and possibly some alcohol.  The origin of the word is uncertain.

70. Narrow valleys : GLENS.  A Scottish term for a deep valley in the highlands, 

71. Symbol of military power : SWORD.   The pen is alleged to be mightier.

72. __ blue : SKY.  The color of the SKY on a cloudless day.   SKY gray is common in the Great Lakes region.

Down

1. "Carmina Burana" composer : ORFF.  Carl.  Carmina Burana is a suite of 24 medieval poems, mostly in vulgar Latin, that ORFF set to music in 1937.  The topics include drinking, gambling, gluttony and lust.  Some are quite bawdy.  The entire suite takes over an hour to perform.  Everyone has heard O Fortuna a thousand time, but I can't find another section excerpted, and at least this version is a different sort of performance.

2. __ sci : POLI.  A social science discipline dealing with systems of government and the analysis of political activity and behavior.  More than that I will not say.

3. Mars candy bar : TWIX.  A biscuit covered with caramel and chocolate.

4. Lyric poet of Lesbos : SAPPHO.  [ca 620 - 570 B. C.]   Most of her poetry has been lost, and much that remains is in fragments.  One complete poem is her Hymn to Aphrodite.

5. Initials for William or Harry : HRH.  His Royal Highness, a style of address for British royalty.

6. Diminutive Italian suffix : -INO.

7. Dishwasher cycle : RINSE.

8. Starting point for Frisbee golfers : TEE PAD.   This is actually a thing - a concrete pad; preferred size is between 5x12 and 6x20 feet.

9. Loss of nerve : COLD FEET.   The origin of the phrase is uncertain.  It has been attributed to author Steven Crane, who added the phrase to the 2nd [1896] edition of his novel, Maggie: A Girl of the Streets. 

10. Dedicated poem : ODE.  

11. Luggage label : I D TAG.

12. Affair : FLING.  A fling is of short duration.  An affair can go on for years.   Either way, it probably involves one or more trysts.

13. (In) agreement : SYNC.  Derived from being synchronized.

18. Baby sharks : PUPS.  I did not know that.

22. Take advantage of : USE.

25. Apple variety : I-MAC.  Computer, not fruit.

26. Singer Horne : LENA.  Genuinely great.

27. Crow, at times, in Hinduism : OMEN.   Lots of minutia here.

28. Mobile downloads : APPS.  Software APPlications.

29. Brand of beard trimmers : WAHL.

30. Singer who co-composed a song in Elvish for "The Lord of the Rings" : ENYA.  Eithne Pádraigín Ní Bhraonáin is a frequent crossword visitor, especially when I am blogging.

34. Over the hill : OLD.   Let's not get personal.

36. CSA soldiers : REBS.  Confederate soldiers from the American civil war.

37. Archipelago part : ISLE.  One island in a group.

38. Spanish pronoun : ESTA.   Meaning "this" or "that."  Spanish pronouns must agree in gender and number with the noun they are referring to.  ESTA is feminine singular.

40. Broadway king's domain : SIAM.   From The King and I.

41. Ones with access : INSIDERS.  They are always LET IN.

42. Nina of "The Ten Commandments" : FOCH.   She played Bithiah, an Egyptian princess.

43. FWIW kin : IMHO.   For What It's Worth and In My Humble Opinion.

48. Tankard contents : ALE.  A roughly cylindrical drinking cup with a handle that may be filled with a variety of libations.

49. Mythological maidens : NYMPHS.   They consorted with PAN.  Chicks just dug that old goat.

Cooking with Pan

51. Ingrained : ETCHED.

52. Just sit around : LOAF.   Like a couch potato, to continue the quasi-food reference.

53. Decisive, as a mistake : FATAL.  Causes an epic fail.

54. Blue shade : AZURE.  Like the SKY, perhaps.

55. "Poppycock!" : PSHAW.

56. Result of glacial calving : BERG.  When an iceberg breaks off from a glacier, that is known as "calving."

59. Deceives : CONS.  Probably derived from "confidence trick" or "- game," in which someone attempts to commit a fraud by first gaining the confidence of another person or group.

60. Hoops shot : HOOK.   A basketball shot now rarely seen in the age of slam dunks, so named for the shape of the arm motion.

61. Like envelope-pushing comedy : EDGY.   Or hair dos.

63. Hibernation spot : DEN.  Suitable for bears and couch potatoes.

65. "Can __ now?" : I GO.  The inverse of "Let me in."

66. Prefix with charge : SUR-.   From the French, indicating over, above, or in addition.  A surcharge is an additional charge levied for any of a variety of reasons.

OK.  We're phinally phinished.  I had a lot of phun, and hope you did too.

Cool regards!
JzB

Notes from C.C.:

1) Jazzbumpa (Ron) made his WSJ debut today. You can click here to print out the PDF file. Congratulations, Ron! Thanks for the inspiration and fun ride.

2) Here are three great pictures from JD's Mother's Day celebration. JD is with her two daughters and four grandkids in the second picture.

Tuesday, May 10 2016, Janice Lutrell

Theme: The Other F-word

Dear Monday, I want to break up. I'm seeing Tuesday and dreaming about Friday. Sincerely, It's not me, It's you.

17. "Peanuts" outburst : GOOD GRIEF. Good Friday - the Friday before Easter.

26. Distress call at sea : MAN OVERBOARD. Man Friday. From Wikipedia: "Robinson Crusoe names the man, with whom he cannot at first communicate, Friday because they first meet on that day. The character is the source of the expression "Man Friday", used to describe a male personal assistant or servant, especially one who is particularly competent or loyal."

45. Off-the-cuff comment : CASUAL REMARK. Casual Friday. 

 60. Oil metaphor : BLACK GOLD. Black Friday. The day after Thanksgiving - which has been successfully marketed as "the biggest shopping day of the year."  A tad ironic.

67. Pre-weekend shout ... and a hint to the first word of 17-, 26-, 45- and 60-Across : TGIF. Thank God it's Friday.

Melissa here. A Tuesday-level solve, about Fridays. Some fun words - GOOD GRIEF, ME TIME, DUDE, and WHEE - and a few unknowns thrown in for good measure. 

Across

1. Big celebration : BASH. Who else tried GALA first?

5. __ guy: dependable sort : GO TO

9. Paper size : LEGAL

14. Village People song with arm motions : YMCA

15. Samoan capital : APIA. Unknown to me.

16. Send packing, as a delinquent tenant : EVICT

19. Towel material : TERRY

20. Arg. neighbor : URU. Plugged in a few possibilities before perps set me straight.

21. Fruity soft drinks : ADES

22. Student's organizer : BINDER

23. Self-indulgent period : ME TIME.

25. Grooves from wagon wheels : RUTS. The most prominent ruts along the Oregon Trail were gouged deep into sandstone and preserved inside Oregon Trail Ruts State Historic Site near Guernsey, Wyoming.

32. Where many a lanyard is woven : CAMP

35. Two-handed hammer : SLEDGE. Can you believe it's been nearly 30 years since this video? It won nine MTV Video Music Awards in 1987, the most of any single video.

  
36. __ Claire, Wisconsin : EAU

37. Spectral array : HUES

38. Zig when you should have zagged, say : ERR

39. Dry as the Mojave : ARID

40. Tax-auditing org. : IRS

41. Maritime measure : LEAGUE. Once a unit of length in Europe and Latin America - the distance a person could walk in an hour - it's no longer an official measure.

44. Zippo : NONE

48. Hunter's target : PREY

49. Discuss again and again : REHASH

53. Regular on the slopes : SKI BUM

56. Slope overlooking a loch : BRAE. One of my unknowns. Brae = A hillside, especially along a river.

58. "Who, me?" : MOI

59. Makes less difficult : EASES

62. Those girls, in Spain : ELLAS

63. Word of honor : OATH. This is one of those words that can have opposing meanings, like cleave, which can mean to split apart, or to adhere firmly. An oath can be a solemn promise, or a profane expression. Gotta love the English language. 

64. First chip in a pot : ANTE

65. Rodeo rope : REATA

66. Sledder's cry : WHEE

Down

1. Old-fashioned "How about that!" : BY GUM

2. Love, to Luciano : AMORE

3. Talent finder : SCOUT

4. Consumed : HAD

5. Flower exhibits : GARDENS

6. TV role for Ronny : OPIE. Ron Howard's role in The Andy Griffith Show.

7. Garbage bag closers : TIES

8. Bungler : OAF

9. Beatles title after "Speaking words of wisdom" : LET IT BE

10. Despite that : EVEN SO

11. Encircle with a belt : GIRD

12. Orchard measure : ACRE

13. Space travel dist. : LTYR. Light Year.

18. Explorer Vasco da __ : GAMA

22. Town : BURG

24. Little pranksters : IMPS

25. "The Shining" mantra : REDЯUM. Murder spelled backwards - from Stephen King's novel, The Shining.

 

27. Chicago Fire Mrs. : O'LEARY. The great great granddaughter of Mrs. O'Leary tells the real story.

28. Brink : VERGE

29. Prefix with space : AERO

30. Picnic spoiler : RAIN. Tried ANTS first.

31. "C'mon, bro!" : DUDE

32. Stylish : CHIC

33. Otherworldly radiance : AURA

34. Sticky situation : MESS

39. Pharaoh's cross : ANKH

41. Hall of Fame manager Tony : LARUSSA

42. Grade sch. level : ELEM

43. Common swimmer's ailment : EARACHE

46. In high spirits : UPBEAT

47. Smell really bad : REEK

50. Mixed in with : AMONG

51. Conductor Sir Georg : SOLTI. British conductor, died in 1997 at 84.

52. Part of HDTV, briefly : HI-DEF

53. Visionary : SEER

54. Curly cabbage : KALE

55. Land surrounded by agua : ISLA

56. Boring : BLAH

57. Hourly charge, e.g. : RATE

60. Present decoration : BOW

61. Thug's gun : GAT. Tried ROD first.

Enjoy your Tuesday.

I don't want to build a life and career, where I spent five days a week waiting for the weekend. No!

I want to enjoy my life, and don't wish any weekday away. I want each day to matter to me, in some way, even if it's a small tiny way.― Akilnathan Logeswaran

Monday, May 9, 2016 Gail Grabowski and Bruce Venzke

Theme: "AND THEY'RE OFF!" - heard at the races and about the Marx Brothers.

20A. Keep tabs on a shipment : TRACK ONE'S ORDER

25A. Some briefs : JOCKEY SHORTS

44A. Shrewd bargaining : HORSE TRADING

50A. 1937 Marx Brothers film ... and, based on words that begin 20-, 25- and 44-Across, this puzzle's title : "A DAY AT THE RACES"

Argyle here. My Derby pick came in third but I didn't bet so it doesn't matter. This puzzle shows itself a winner as it takes its place at the start of the week. The three entries are unique words, meaning they have never been in a NY Times puzzle.

Across:

1. See 16-Across : JULEP. 16A. With 1-Across, Kentucky Derby drink : MINT. Not your style? How about 28D. Beer barrel : KEG. No? Then 30D. Part of BYOB : OWN, Bring Your Own Booze. (or bottle)

6. Haunted house sound : MOAN. The sound of those that bet against Nyquist.

10. Females : SHEs, Like 23A. Coop group female : HEN and 32A. Crimp-haired critters : EWES

14. Soul singer Baker : ANITA. Missed the boat; not clueing this as Santa Anita, home track for Derby winner, Nyquist. Plus, on Mother’s Day, the best female horse in America, Beholder, won the $100,000 Adoration Stakes.

15. Convention center event : EXPO

17. Humongous : GIANT

18. "__ we forget" : LEST

19. Hold 'em fee : ANTE. Pay to play.

24. Favorable rise : UPTURN. Spectators rise up when the field turns for home.

31. Except if : UNLESS

33. Elbow poke : JAB

36. Party lacking ladies : STAG

37. Roadside retreat : INN

38. "Out of the way!" : "MOVE!". What the come-from-behind jockeys are saying.

39. Help for one stuck in a rut, perhaps : TOW

40. Mortgage change, briefly : REFI. (refinance)

42. Bach's "Mass in __" : B MINOR. Johann Sebastian Bach

46. Snap out of it : COME TO

49. DVR button : REC. (record)

56. Golf standout McIlroy : RORY. Currently ranked third in the world.

57. Furniture chain that sells Swedish meatballs : IKEA

58. Like a gift of chocolates : BOXED

60. Small jazz group : TRIO

61. What one often wears out? : COAT Misdirection on a Monday!

62. Went berserk : RAGED

63. Isaac's older son : ESAU

64. Once-sacred snakes : ASPs

65. Live and breathe : EXIST

Down:

1. Car with a cat logo, briefly : JAG

2. Self-storage compartment : UNIT

3. "Tell me the truth!" : "LIAR!". I get a kick out of these things.

4. Sicilian volcano : ETNA

5. Quilting squares : PATCHES

6. Fruit stand buys : MELONS

7. Yoked team : OXEN

8. Vaulted church recess : APSE

9. On the fence : NOT SURE

10. Brainpower : SMARTS

11. Many a Mumbai man : HINDU

12. Step into : ENTER

13. Back of the boat : STERN

21. Lock inserts : KEYS

22. Drops (out) : OPTS

25. Barely : JUST

26. Not fooled by : ON TO

27. Tiger's gripper : CLAW

29. '20s-'30s skating gold medalist Sonja : HENIE

33. "Both Sides Now" singer Mitchell : JONI

34. Door-to-door cosmetics seller : AVON

35. Arctic hazard : BERG

37. Things up in the air : IFs

38. Prefix with term or town : MID

40. Membership list : ROTA

41. Steamy writing : EROTICA

42. Fictional fox's title : BR'ER

43. Ghoulish : MACABRE

44. "Psst!" : "HEY, YOU!"

45. Springs for lunch : TREATS

46. À la __ : CARTE

47. Clean-out-the-fridge warnings : ODORS

48. "West Side Story" love song : MARIA

51. Boxer's stats : TKOs. (technical knockout)

52. Sloppy stack : HEAP

53. Persuade gently : COAX

54. Former soldier, briefly : EX-GI

55. Lays eyes on : SEES

59. Outlawed pesticide : DDT

One last song.

Argyle