Tuesday, August 16, 2016 Patti Varol

Theme: Discrete Approach - Catching someone's eye but hiding it in the theme entries.

17A. Annual Time honoree: PERSON OF THE YEAR. Hey

27A. Nickname of a Nobel-winning novelist: PAPA HEMINGWAY. Ahem

47A. Doesn't get confused, as facts: KEEPS STRAIGHT. Psst

60A. Verbal nudge found in each set of puzzle circles: ATTENTION GETTER

Argyle here. This is Patti's second Tuesday in two weeks. A bit funky but fun.

Across:

1. Sherbet flavor: LIME

5. Exhalation of relief: [SIGH]

9. Rumor, to a rumor mill: GRIST

14. With 5-Down, "Spanglish" actor: ADAM. 5D. See 14-Across: SANDLER

15. Capital of Samoa: APIA

16. Vitality: [OOMPH!]

20. "__ who?!": SEZ. "Sez me; that's who!"

21. Throw in: ADD

22. Selection for a reading: PASSAGE

23. Like LAX and JFK: INTL. Airports that are INTernationaL.

25. __ colada: PIÑA

26. Plant, as seed: SOW

31. Under the intended pitch: FLAT. (music)

32. DVR button: REC. (record)

33. Mogadishu is its cap.: SOM. (Somalia)

34. "Shush!": "CAN IT!"

36. Concern for an orthodontist: GAP

38. NFLer again in 2016: LA RAM

42. Old tape initials: VHS. Video Home System (VHS)

44. Detective Spade: SAM. Can you remember his comic book ads for Wildroot Hair Tonic?

46. Greek letter that would be last in English: ZETA

50. "The Greatest" boxer: ALI

52. __-chic: hippie-influenced fashion style: BOHO. "BoHo" is an abbreviation of Bohemian Homeless. Much, much more in this Wikipedia entry. Fashion

53. Knee-baring skirt: MINI

54. Letterman's successor: COLBERT. Stephen Colbert.

56. Like a texter who types ":-(": SAD

57. Winter illness: FLU

63. Trusty mount: STEED

64. Advertising award: CLIO

65. Gradually withdraw: WEAN

66. Makes by working: EARNS

67. Green Hornet's sidekick: KATO

Van Williams Bruce Lee Green Hornet 1966

68. Betting numbers: ODDS

Down:

1. Gym class punishment, perhaps: LAPS. I remember them well.

2. Cannes concept: IDÉE

3. Oft-molded almond confection: MARZIPAN. We see it often in the bithday cakes that show up here. (Thank you, CED)

4. Ambulance letters: EMS. (Emergency Medical Services)

6. Apple with earbuds: iPOD

7. Picture file suffix: GIF. (Graphics Interchange Format)

8. Something stuck in a bonnet: HATPIN. Both are vintage now. Well, except for Hat Day at the Saratoga flat track.

9. Misses military roll call, maybe: GOES AWOL

10. Rob __: cocktails: ROYs. Ruination of a good Scotch.

11. "Whatever works": "I'M EASY". But I'd have a Rob Roy if you're buying.

12. Wolfgang Puck's restaurant: SPAGO

13. Pitched: THREW

18. Inaugural recitation: OATH

19. Puts on the museum wall: HANGs

24. One born there: NATIVE

25. "Guernica" muralist Pablo: PICASSO

27. Rank below cpl.: PFC. (Private First Class)

28. __ française: À LA

29. "Family Guy" daughter: MEG

30. Like the '69 N.Y. Mets: AMAZIN'

35. Diver's sickness: THE BENDS

37. Bit of butter: PAT

39. Found a new home for, as an unwanted present: REGIFTED

40. Olympics entrant: Abbr.: ATH. (athlete)

41. Yoga class need: MAT

43. Baseball or golf: SPORT

45. Nearsighted cartoon character: MR. MAGOO

47. Off-__: askew: KILTER. See 25-Down.

48. Cornball routine: SHTICK

49. Executive's confidante: AIDE

50. Make __ for: argue in favor of: A CASE

51. Ton of, slangily: LOTTA

55. "It's __ fun": BEEN

56. Foul mood: SNIT

58. Set the pace: LEAD

59. Coffee servers: URNS

61. Suffix with pay or Cray: OLA

62. Couple: TWO

Argyle

Monday, August 15, 2016 Mark McClain and Andrea Carla Michaels

Theme: TNT - Three word phrases with initial initials of T A T

20. Painful reality that one doesn't want to face: THE AWFUL TRUTH

28. Close enough to share intimate secrets: THICK AS THIEVES

47. Features of many mountain roads: TWISTS AND TURNS

57. 1984 #1 hit for Cyndi Lauper: TIME AFTER TIME

71. Body art, briefly ... and, initially, a hint to this puzzle's four longest answers: TAT

Argyle here but it should have been Steve! Sports and airports and FOOD! Oh My! Some of the clueing is Thursday level, too.

Across:

1. Scale readings: Abbr.: WTs. And sure, I wanted LBs first.

4. Pau or Marc of the NBA: GASOL crossing 4D. London airport: GATWICK

My personal Natick: The Gasol brothers are professional basketball players from Spain. Gatwick is UK's 2nd-largest airport but I only knew of Heathrow.

9. Roofing material: PITCH

14. Snicker syllable: HEH

15. Essential acid, familiarly: AMINO

16. Online cash-back deal: E-BATE

17. WSW's opposite: ENE

18. Giveaway bags: TOTEs

19. Lone Star State: TEXAS

23. Bite-sized fish dish: SUSHI with 21D. 23-Across tuna: AHI

24. Bond creator Fleming: IAN

25. "I thought so!": "A-HA!"

33. Didn't toss out: KEPT

34. Vigilant: ALERT

35. 2015 award for Steph Curry: ESPY. He is another pro basketball player.

39. Have a craving (for): YEARN

42. Crucifix letters: INRI. “Iesvs Nazarenvs Rex Ivdaeorvm” (Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews)

43. Skin irritations: SORES

45. Slips that promise payment: IOUs. (I Owe You)

53. Walk-__: small roles: ONs

54. British ref. work: OED. (Oxford English Dictionary)

55. March b-ball tourneys, casually: NCAAs. (National Collegiate Athletic Association)

62. Nest sound: CHIRP

64. Start to type?: PROTO. (prototype)

65. Chaney of horror films: LON

66. Tapered boat: CANOE

67. Five minutes past a quarter of: TEN TO. A bit convoluted clue.

68. "Patience __ virtue": IS A

69. Use up money: SPEND

70. Cook, as mussels: STEAM

Down:

1. Stimulates, as an appetite: WHETS

2. Basic training command: "TEN-HUT!". Stand at attention.

3. "Good grief!": "SHEESH!"

5. "I __ the opinion ... ": AM OF

6. In __: unmoved: SITU

7. New law student: ONE L

8. Went berserk: LOST IT

9. Porky Pig's girlfriend: PETUNIA

10. "Yeah, right!": "I BET!"

11. Financial shelter: TAX HAVEN

12. Windy City "L" operator: Abbr.: CTA. (Chicago Transit Authority)

13. Stag party attendees: HEs

22. Cheering word: RAH

26. Münster mister: HERR

27. Italian wine region: ASTI

29. __ lime pie: KEY

30. Big primate: APE

31. Laundry day target: STAIN

32. Quarterback Manning: ELI

35. This, in Spain: ESTO

36. Scattered, as seed: SOWN

37. Uncorrupted: PRISTINE

38. "Of course!": "YES"

40. Angler's pole: ROD

41. Cashew or almond: NUT

44. Trod heavily: STOMPED

46. Solarium: SUNROOM

48. Set eyes on: SEE

49. Responds well to change: ADAPTS

50. Sales slip: Abbr.: RCT. (receipt)

51. Stick the landing, say: NAIL IT

52. Stuffed Indian pastry: SAMOSA

56. Parisian political body: SENAT

58. Get the creases out of: IRON

59. Stew (over): FRET

60. "When you hear the __, please leave your message": TONE

61. Jazzy James: ETTA

62. Emails a dupe to: CCs

63. WWII General __ Arnold: HAP

His Story

Argyle

Sunday August 14, 2016 Garry Morse

Theme: "Stop, Thief!" - Each them entry is punnily reinterpreted as if the thief indicated in the clue stole the item.

23A. The liquor store thief __ : BOOSTED SPIRITS. Totally different spirits. Nice.

35A. The restaurant thief __ : GRABBED DINNER

95A The gym thief __ : LIFTED WEIGHTS. Too heavy to steal.

 

113A. The art thief __ : KNOCKED OFF WORK. Different "work" as well.

16D. The condiment thief __ : PINCHED SALT. I use "pinch of salt".  Not "Pinch salt".

29D. The chocolate thief __ : STOLE KISSES. Different "kisses" as well.

 

50D. The poultry thief __ : POACHED EGGS. Here the original noun phrase became a verb phrase.

67D. The casino thief __ : SWIPED CARDS. The casinos probably give those playing cards away.

 

The theme reminds me of some of the John Lampkin Sunday puzzle. Tons of fun. 

The grid is also nicely designed. We don't often see four Across and four Down themer placement, unless there are some intersections going on.

Across:

       

1. Carrier with only kosher meals : EL AL

5. Vamoosed : FLED

9. Classic name in shoes : MCAN. Not AVIA or NIKE.

13. Place of worship : CHAPEL. Not CHURCH.

19. Default consequence : REPO

20. Have standing : RATE. Can you give me an example of how the clue/answer match?

21. "Gotcha" : AH SO. Rarely do we see this entry now.

22. Oscar nominee in four different decades : DE NIRO. Not STREEP.

26. Present for Garfield? : CATNIP. Cute clue.

27. With great skill : EXPERTLY

28. They may be run off : COPIES. And 89. Maker of 28-Across : XEROX

30. Reduces to small pieces : RICES

31. Browser's destination : SITE. Thankfully Explorer still exists in Windows 10 after the upgrade.

32. Farm house : COOP

33. Bit of clothing : STITCH

40. Surg. areas : ORs

41. Diminish : EBB

44. Rolled down the runway : TAXIED

45. Means of access : INs

46. Horror film sounds : WAILS

48. One looked up to : IDOL. Or HERO.

49. Mt. Hood's state : OREG

50. Creator of one who pondered "Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore"

: POE. The Raven.

51. Secret supply : CACHE

52. "Even __ speak ... " : AS WE

53. Really poor : SAD

54. Enter with rage : STORM IN

57. "The Ballad of John and __" : YOKO. Are you familiar with May Pang?

59. Hand on deck : MATE

60. "SNL" parody Baba __ : WAWA

61. Player's fixed contribution : ANTE. Oh poker.

63. Fire sign? : PINK SLIP. Great clue also.

65. Element #33 : ARSENIC

68. Some selective socializers : SNOBS

70. Lawmaking bodies : SENATES

71. Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium city : NEW DELHI. I like trivia clue.

73. Trade : SWAP

74. Unlikely : SLIM

75. All in : AVID

76. Rivulets seen after swirling, to a wine taster : LEGS. Unfamiliar with the term.

78. Exam in which letters are read : EYE TEST. Simple in retrospect.

80. Rockies hrs. : MST

83. Casual pace : LOPE

84. Discourage : DETER

86. Trig. ratio : COS. Cosine.

87. Copacetic : JAKE. I did not know the meaning of "Copacetic" or this "Copacetic" meaning of JAKE.

88. Signed, say : OK'ed

90. RSVP part : SIL

91. "I was evidently mistaken" : SO IT IS. Got via crosses.

93. Goal for a H.S. dropout : GED

94. Coll. conferral : DEG

98. Priests, e.g. : CLERGY

101. Pinot __ : GRIS. Not NOIR.

102. Unfavorable aspects : ILLs. Tricky little clue.

103. Debussy's "__ de Lune" : CLAIR

105. Great Plains language family : SIOUAN

107. Got rid of : UNLOADED

111. Stereotypical long beard grower : HERMIT

 115. Salad veggie : ENDIVE. Both are called Endives. The curly one is a bit bitter. By the way, Lucina, I buy taro roots at our local grocery stores.

116. Quito's land: Abbr. : ECUA

117. Reason for an admonition : NO NO

118. Mother of Charlie Woods : ELIN. I know Tiger has two kids. Did not know their names: Same & Charlie.

119. Nail or tack : FASTEN. Verb rather than noun.

120. Court period: Abbr. : SESS

121. Growl : GNAR. Never heard of this word before. 

122. Overrule : DENY

  

Down:

 

1. Kathryn of HBO's "Oz" : ERBE

2. 16th-century pope : LEO X

3. Each : A POP

4. Gets routed : LOSES BIG. Sparkly fill.

5. Bit one's nails, perhaps : FRETTED

6. Served, as soup : LADLED

7. Online handicraft market : ETSY

8. Bank acct. starter : DEP. OK, deposit.

9. Color from the French for "chestnut" : MAROON. Learning moment to me.

10. Michigan native : CHIPPEWA. Also 24. Five Nations unit : TRIBE

11. Bubbly region : ASTI

12. Aroma detectors : NOSES. Looking forward to receiving  this soybean paste.  Hopefully it's as good as my grandma's. It's definitely an acquired taste/smell. 

13. Atlanta-based health agcy. : CDC

14. Game with tricks : HEARTS

15. Playful : ANTIC

17. Cleveland's lake : ERIE

18. Trims, as branches : LOPS

 

25. Screen array : ICONS

 

32. Movie houses : CINEMAS

34. Org. with complex forms : IRS. I don't recall my Dad paid any taxes when he worked. But his salary was low. For a long period it was RMB49/month. About $8. But everything was free then. You did not need to pay for housing, medical bills, education, etc.

35. Classic Pontiacs : GTOs

36. __ avis : RARA

37. Cut : AXED

38. A-line designer : DIOR

39. Suggestive : RACY

42. Pee-wee Herman accessory : BOW TIE

43. Substitutes for bad words : BLEEPS

47. Restaurant with a smile in its logo : IHOP. Unaware of their new logo. I went there once. Ages ago.

48. Start of a Seuss classic : I AM SAM

 

51. Toronto skyline landmark : CN TOWER

54. Well-thought-out : SANE

55. Woven fabric : TWILL

56. Stopping points : INNs

58. First-year law students : ONE-Ls. Doesn't the L stand for Law?

60. __ bliss : WEDDED

62. Auction site : EBAY

64. Heal, as broken bones : KNIT

65. Not digital : ANALOG. I have to change battery for my Timex every year. Is it the same case with you?

66. Bridge violation : REVOKE

69. Genus subdivision : SPECIES

72. Eisner's Disney successor : IGER (Bob)

77. Small-runway mil. craft : STOL. Short TakeOff and Landing. Gluey fill.

79. Gave it away : TOLD

80. Adding and subtracting : MATH

81. "SNL" staple : SKIT

82. Hardy's "Pure Woman" : TESS

85. Meager : EXIGUOUS. Not a word I use.

87. Cut in tricky patterns : JIGSAWED

89. Millennial's parent, briefly : Xer

90. Perform horribly : STINK

91. Bring on the market : SELL FOR

92. __ Olay : OIL OF. Just Olay now.

94. Originate (from) : DERIVE

96. Brawl : FRACAS

97. "Little Women" co-star of Kirsten, Claire and Trini : WINONA. Got via crosses.

99. Allowable extreme : LIMIT

100. "Holy cow!" : YIKES.  Try this color-blindness test if you can spare one minute. I tested twice, the first time it says I'm a Tritan, the second time it says I'm normal. D-Otto is a strong Deutan. Sounds like a giant.

103. Restaurant opener : CHEF. Normally.

104. Actress Olin : LENA

106. At a former time : ONCE

107. Japanese noodle : UDON. This and Soba.

108. Give sparingly : DOLE

109. Yeats' home : ERIN

110. Big Apple fashion initials : DKNY. Widely copied in China.

112. Common base : TEN

114. Course with vocab. : ENG

C.C.

Saturday, Aug 13th, 2016, Gareth Bain & Brad Wilber

Theme: None

Words: 70 (missing J,K,Q,Z)

Blocks: 28

  Well, I thought I was not going to do so well with this puzzle when I saw the constructors' names, but all in all, I came out on the other side with just a few scratches - but I have to admit to some red-letter cheating.  I was done in by the proper names, again, and one entry that I am ashamed to have missed, but it's been a long hot and humid week, so that's my excuse....what's yours~?   Triple 9- and 11-letter corners, with a couple more nine-letter entries on the inside.  One from each corner;

15. Some wealthy '70s British emigrants : TAX EXILES - The Beatles come to mind, and a lot of other musicians

12. Political nickname : "The GOVERNATOR" - Ahhnold Schwarzenegger

67. Bond, e.g. : MASTER SPY - gratuitous image for C.C.

 

30. Liqueur in a monastic-looking bottle : FRANGELICO - back in the day, a friend of mine used to make an alcoholic drink that tasted like the milk of the cereal "Boo Berry", and this was one of the main ingredients

LONG
         W
             A
                 R
                   D
                   ~!

ACROSS:

1. Parents concerned with play dates? : STAGE MOMS - har-har

10. Like kelp : ALGAL - I thought maybe LEAFY; this image is "ALL GAL"

16. Those who call New Zealand "Aotearoa" : MAORI - educated WAG

17. Yom Kippur theme : ATONEMENT

18. Buff : MAVEN - I was stuck on the verb for a while; this is more like Film ___

19. Default : RENEGE

20. "Penny Dreadful" network, briefly : SHOwtime - never heard of this show, but I don't get premium channels

22. Lea grazer : EWE

23. Changdeokgung Palace city : SEOUL

26. Like white tigers : INBRED

28. Left Bank eateries : CAFÉS

31. Temp in many pictures : MALL SANTA - At first I thought it was "MALE ---", but the last "-TA" was solid; I just could not see the connection to 'pictures' - had it been 'shopping centers'....but then, that's too easy

33. Water cooler newcomer : HIREE - every week there's newly hired kids at UPS, and very few last beyond a year

34. Cardiogram connection : LEAD

35. Nuclear fission pioneer Otto : HAHN

36. Educator LeShan : EDA

37. Defender at Thermopylae : SPARTAN

40. Noir hero : TEC

41. Group of pals : GANG

43. Bard's instrument : LUTE

44. "... with a muffler __ her eyes": "Henry V" : AFORE

46. Pigs and cows, e.g. : UNGULATES - "hoofed" - the Wiki

48. Mules' mothers : MARES - HORSE was not the correct pluralism

49. Ideal : EDENIC - ah, so that's how you get EDEN to fit 6 letters....

50. Branding target : STEER

52. He succeeded Michael as Batman : VAL - Kilmer, one of the few proper names, and I could spell it, too

53. Lincoln's st. : NEBraska - Shout Out to two of our regulars~!

55. Swear : ATTEST

59. Stomach : ABIDE

61. Way to get to Bora Bora : AIR TAHITI - D'oh~! I went with VIA, not AIR

64. Quest for intel : RECONnaissance

65. Immature : UNRIPENED

66. Tiny energy sources : ATOMS

DOWN:
1. Scrabble board symbol : STAR - smack in the middle

2. Turner Prize-awarding gallery : TATE

3. Impulse pathway : AXON - good WAG, but then again, a four-letter brain word....

4. River through Rochester, New York : GENESEE - I'm familiar with the answer because I drove down Genesee Street when I visited my buddy up at Utica

5. Interpretations of scripture : EXEGESES - all the consonant filled via perps; the rest was "E" WAGs; new word for me

6. Old copy : MIMEO

7. Fútbol cry : OLÉ

8. Chess pieces : MEN - I SO want a stone set for the back yard~!

9. Now-flightless "birds" : SSTs - great clue for a standard CW fill

10. Two-time National Book Award-winning poet A.R. __ : AMMONS - WAGed one "M", the rest was perps

11. A.L. West team, in crawl lines : LAA - Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

13. Sleepy backseat query : "ARE WE THERE~?"

14. Performances in rows : LINE DANCES

21. "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" aunt : HILDA - again, a WAG

24. Häagen-Dazs ingredient? : UMLAUT - this is Blue Oyster Cult/Spinal Tap territory~!

25. To whom Polonius said, "To thine own self be true" : LAERTES - I WAGed the spelling

27. "Ridiculous!" : "BAH~!"

28. Cuban Revolution VIP : CHE GUEVARA - I am familiar with this iconic poster image

29. Help badly? : AID AND ABET

32. Grapevine product, with "the" : LATEST - there's also the A.A. Grapevine

38. Put : PLACE

39. Young camper's proof of ownership : NAME TAPE - I looked this up after the fact because I had never heard of such a thing

42. Try hard (for) : GUN

45. At a greater distance : FARTHER

47. Bedding : LINENS

51. Absorb the loss : EAT IT

54. "John Dough and the Cherub" author : BAUM - perps and a WAG

56. Zehn minus neun : EINS - das German 10 - 9 = 1

57. Bit of progress : STEP

58. Spruce (up) : TIDY

60. King's end? : DOM - kingdom

62. Like Schubert's "Trout Quintet" : IN A - filled in the "IN" and waited....

63. The 1906 Hepburn Act gave the ICC power to set rates for them : RRs

Splynter

Note from C.C.:

1) Happy Birthday to dear Chickie, who has been with our blog since 2008. Chickie and her husband Bill has been married for 62 years.

2) Happy Birthday to Spitzboov's wife Betty as well! They've been married for 51 years!

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