Tuesday, December 6, 2016 Katherine Stearsy

Theme: Two faced - Both parts of each theme entry can follow "Baby".

17. Bake sale confections made with root veggies: CARROT CAKES. Baby Carrots. Babycakes (term of endearment?)

24. Shine-minimizing makeup layer: FACE POWDER. Babyface. Baby Powder.

34. Wireless networking protocol: BLUETOOTH. Baby Blue (color or song). Baby Tooth.

46. Pop's pop: GRANDDADDY. Baby Grand(piano). Baby Daddy (American sitcom)

55. Driver's alert about an infant, and a hint to what can precede both words of 17-, 24-, 34- and 46-Across: BABY ON BOARD

C.C. here. Saw no draft from Melissa this morning. Hopefully she'll return next Tuesday. Santa Argyle has made progress on this post, so I'll just finish his.

This looks like Katherine's LAT debut. Congratulations! It's challenging to come up with a set of entries where both words can precede or follow. Five themers with a 9 in the middle also added constructing difficulty.

Across:

1. Rodent Templeton in "Charlotte's Web," for one: RAT

4. Provide with more than enough: SATIATE. We have SATE more often.

11. Miner's target: ORE

14. Flightless bird: EMU

15. Memorable Greek shipping magnate: ONASSIS (Ari)

16. Aggravate: VEX

19. Finish off: EAT

20. Chance for a hit: AT BAT

21. Asia's __ Darya river: AMU. It flows into Aral Sea. Darya is Persian for "river". We also have 47. Abu __: DHABI. Abu means "father of". I don't know what "Amu" means,

22. Cornstarch brand in a yellow-and-blue container: ARGO

23. Chair or bench: SEAT

27. Harmonious: TUNEFUL

29. Scare: DAUNT

30. Soon-to-be grads.: SRs

31. Vanity cases?: EGOs

33. Plagues: BESETS

36. Degenerate, like Agnew's snobs: EFFETE. Googled afterwards: "effete corps of impudent snobs". Is that Agnew's own words or his speechwriters'?

39. Apt name for a Dalmatian: SPOT

40. Mil. academy: OCS. (Officer Candidate School)

43. Black, in Bordeaux: NOIRE

44. Like the flame at Arlington National Cemetery: ETERNAL

50. Vacation site you might sail to: ISLE

51. Painter Magritte: RENÉ

52. Managed care gp.: HMO. (Health Maintenance Organization)

53. Follow, as advice: ACT ON

54. "Fear the Walking Dead" network: AMC. (originally stood for "American Movie Classics")

58. Peace symbol: VEE

59. Central Texas city: ABILENE

60. Bestow, to Burns: GIE. Scottish variant of give.

61. Chemical suffix with benz-: ENE

62. Cut at an angle: MITERED

63. Always, to Poe: E'ER

Down:

1. Finds new players for: RECASTS

2. One who plays without pay: AMATEUR

3. Wrapped headdresses: TURBANS

4. Chimney residue: SOOT. Santa's coat is still clean and nice.

Argyle our dear Santa

5. Colony insect: ANT

6. Tic-toe filler: TAC

7. Father of Jacob and Esau: ISAAC

8. Words on a volunteer's badge: [ASK ME]

9. Highway headache: TIE-UP

10. Half a figure eight: ESS. Great clue. 8

11. Late in arriving: OVERDUE

12. Substance used for chemical analysis: REAGENT

13. Obtains via coercion, as money: EXTORTS. Did you all see Jennifer Aniston's "Derailed"? Really scary.

18. Part of APR: RATE

22. Knee-deep (in): AWASH

24. Bach work: FUGUE

25. Therapeutic plant: ALOE

26. Prince Siegfried's beloved, in "Swan Lake": ODETTE

28. Like pool tables: FELTED

32. Ave. crossers: STs

33. Swag: BOOTY

34. Suisse capital: BERNE. We just had BERN yesterday.

35. Newspaper page with views: OP-ED

36. Personalize at the jeweler's: ENGRAVE. Oh I don't have a personalized jewelry item. But look at this street. It's in Siren, Wisconsin. The road is named after Bill Burnikel, Boomer's great-uncle, who had a farm there.

37. Work site supervisors: FOREMEN

38. Bride-to-be: FIANCEE

40. Performing in a theater: ON STAGE

41. Dieter's unit: CALORIE. Followed by 42. Thin: SLENDER

45. Man who "wore a diamond," in "Copacabana": RICO

48. Realm of influence: AMBIT. Not a word I use.

49. Holmes' creator: DOYLE

53. Still sleeping: ABED

55. "Kapow!": BAM

56. "__ the land of the free ... ": O'ER

57. SSW's opposite: NNE
 

Happy Birthday to dear Lucina, whose posts are always cheerful and upbeat. Lucina has also traveled extensively and met with many blog regulars, including Windhover and me.

Windhover & Lucina, July 24, 2015

Monday, December 5, 2016 Brock Wilson

Theme: Catbird Seat? - I can see Tuesday from here.

17A. What the star gets on a marquee: TOP BILLING

23A. Dejected: CRESTFALLEN

37A. Level of optimal accomplishment: PEAK PERFORMANCE

47A. Meeting of world leaders: SUMMIT TALKS

58A. Honorable ... and like the starts of 17-, 23-, 37- and 47-Across: HIGH MINDED

Argyle here. Not much to say. A couple of clunkers but on the whole, a pleasant Monday.

Across:

1. Poets: BARDS

6. Ocean breaker: WAVE

10. Former Iranian ruler: SHAH

14. From another planet: ALIEN

15. Golfer's club selection: IRON

16. Golfer's target: HOLE

19. Express checkout lane unit: ITEM

20. "__ Haw": HEE

21. Contemptuous manner, in slang: 'TUDE. (attitude)

22. "Pet" annoyance: PEEVE

26. Wrap tightly, as in bandages: SWATHE

30. Poker holding: HAND

31. Charged atoms: IONS

32. Madame of physics: CURIE. Marie Curie, (1867 – 1934)

34. Guy's partner: GAL

41. Bygone jet, briefly: SST. (SuperSonic Transport)

42. Act with passion: EMOTE

43. Caution: WARN

44. Song at the Met: ARIA

45. Like most peanuts: SALTED

52. Name on rented trailers: U-HAUL

53. Lane with a nose for news: LOIS. Reporter for the Daily Planet.

54. Pasta suffix: -INI

57. Dirt road grooves: RUTS

61. Emancipated: FREE

62. Pigmented eye layer: UVEA

63. Watchdog warning: GROWL

64. Part of NIMBY: YARD. "Not In My Back Yard"

65. Swiss capital: BERN. Bern or Berne.

66. Foul, weather-wise: NASTY

Down:

1. It's drawn in a tub: BATH

2. Natural skin soother: ALOE

3. Unlike green tomatoes: RIPE

4. Star of the ball: DEB.(debutante)

5. Tattletale: SNITCH. BLABBY CAT.

6. Witty Oscar: WILDE

7. Astrological Ram: ARIES

8. Maria __ Trapp: VON Sound Of Music. (Today's French lesson.)

9. Subj. with grammar: ENGlish

10. Handheld riot gear: SHIELD

11. Marriott facility: HOTEL

12. Advil competitor: ALEVE

13. Macho guys: HE-MEN

18. Tempt: LURE

22. "The Hunger Games" nation: PANEM

24. Severe pang: THROE

25. Carnival: FAIR

26. Drinks that make a drink last: SIPS. Verb that makes a noun last.

27. Troubles: WOES

28. Vet sch. course: ANATomy

29. Disdainful click: "TSK!"

32. Zagreb native: CROAT

33. N.Y.-based educators' union: UFT. United Federation of Teachers, a New York City affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers. A bit of stretch.

34. Insect in a dusk swarm: GNAT. Males assemble in large mating swarms known as ghosts, commonly at dusk.

35. Realtor's lot unit: ACRE

36. Allow to borrow: LEND

38. Danger: PERIL

39. Give out: EMIT

40. Tapered tool: AWL

44. Tickled: AMUSED

45. Less than 1%?: SKIM. Milk!

46. Give, as homework: ASSIGN

47. Like the beach during a storm: SURFY. Ugh!

48. "Star Trek" lieutenant: UHURA."Oh my!"

49. Alma __: MATER

50. Rags-to-riches author Horatio: ALGER. “Go West, young man” may well have been a paraphrase of advice given by Greeley in the New Yorker.  “If any young man is about to commence the world, we say to him, publicly and privately, Go to the West”

51. Lindsay who played Liz in "Liz & Dick": LOHAN

54. Wedding promises: I DO's

55. Mature eft: NEWT

56. Relaxed way to sit by: IDLY

58. O'Hare, for United Airlines: HUB. Chicago O'Hare Airport (ORD)

59. "__ been thinking ... ": I'VE. but not much.

60. Org. promoting hunter safety: NRA. (National Rifle Association)

Argyle

Sunday, December 4, 2016 Garry Morse

(Sunday puzzle is now in the Comics section in L.A. Times.)

Theme:  "Hold the Tomato" -  T is changed into BL in each theme entry.

23A. Warning technologically unavailable in Titanic times? : BLIP OF THE ICEBERG. Tip of the iceberg.

31A. Passionate maintenance of one's Cuisinart? : BLENDER LOVING CARE. Tender loving care.

56A. Forgetting how to stay up? : FLOTATION BLANK. Flotation tank is a new word to me. Looks like a spa device.

67A. Feline snitch? : BLABBY CAT. Tabby cat.

77A. Junkyard guards? : BLIGHT SECURITY. Tight security.

101A. Haul in à la the Big Bad Wolf, as a wrecked vehicle? : BLOW BACK TO THE SHOP. Tow back to the shop.

113A. Where a chant of "Well done, blokes!" might start? : ENGLISH BLEACHERS. English teachers.

Reveal entry:

116. Sandwich that hints at this puzzle's theme : BLT

I forgot to look at the title when I downloaded the puzzle. Big "Aha!" when I came to the reveal. So unexpected. 

   

Out of the seven theme entries, five have the first word changed, two have the last word changed. Three multi-word entries, four two-word answer. Nice mix. No odd man out.

Six of the seven entries are quite long, so Garry had a total of 103 theme squares to deal with. 94/95 remains my magic number.

Across:

1. Like some felonies : CLASS B. Google says "A Class B felony is a category of felony that applies to crimes that are severe yet not the most serious of crimes." I got via crosses.

7. Get whipped : LOSE

11. "The Nutcracker" garb : TUTU

15. Missile with a flight : DART. 9. '80s missile prog. : SDI (Strategic Defense Initiative). Missile clue echo.

19. Rep's bad news : NO SALE

20. Vegas bigwig : ODDS MAKER

22. Asian nurse : AMAH. Most of Amahs in Hong Kong are from Philippines.

25. Second start : NANO. Nanosecond.

26. Half-__: coffee order : CAF

27. Island band The __ Men : BAHA . The annoying "Who Let the Dogs Out".

28. Plastic __ Band : ONO

29. Helps keep track : REMINDS

35. "This fortress built by Nature for __": Shakespeare : HERSELF. Got via crosses.

39. Suspicious of : ONTO

40. It merged with SAG in 2012 : AFTRA. OK, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.

41. Kind of TV personality : ON AIR

42. Pitney's partner : BOWES. This stumped me last time.

44. Prince __ Khan : ALY

45. Prince Buster music genre : SKA. I thought it might be EMO.

48. Tetra- doubled : OCTA

49. One who doesn't get out : LIFER

50. At age 88, Betty White was its oldest host, briefly : SNL

51. Jah worshipers : RASTAs. Jah is Rasta's God. Hallelujah.

54. Fired by a waiter? : FLAMBE. Lovely clue.

59. University of San Marcos city : LIMA. Drew a blank. Wiki said it was established on May 12, 1551. Pretty old.

61. Form 1040 fig. : AGI

62. NASA, for one : ACRONYM

63. Out at the station : ALIBI

71. "Shucks" : AW GEE

72. Second Amendment word : MILITIA. Got via crosses.

74. __ Tomé : SAO

75. Migratory herring : SHAD. Hmm, pickled herrings.

81. Rhinos and hippos : BEASTS

86. Ducks : ELUDES

87. Hunk's pride : BOD . We also have 76. Six-pack you can't drink : ABs. And  92. Recently stolen : HOT. This model is 79 years old. Hottest grandpa in China.

88. Sharpens : WHETS

90. Six-time Hugo winner Frederik : POHL. What a creative brain.

91. __ sleep : REM

93. Link up with : TIE TO

94. Hooded snake : COBRA

95. Butter-yielding bean : CACAO. So many beans in one kernel.

98. Micro- ending : COSM

99. Finishes : WRAPS UP

106. Leeds lot : CAR PARK

107. Letters in an arrest records database : AKA

108. En __: in the lead, in French : TETE. Makes sense.

109. Early Beatle Sutcliffe : STU

112. Within: Pref. : ENTO

118. China neighbor : LAOS. Like Chinese, Lao does not have S plural form. No article "the". No tense conjugation. Life is much simpler there.

119. Kitchen whistler : TEA KETTLE

120. Just as planned : TO A TEE

121. Specks on a screen : LINT. Not computer screen.

122. Schumann quartet: Abbr. : SYMS. Alright, symphonies. Gluey fill.

123. This, in Toledo : ESTO

124. Text __ : EDITOR. NotePad is one. And 97. Marks for a 124-Across : CARETS. ^

 Down:

1. "Power Lunch" airer : CNBC

2. Kinks title woman with "a dark brown voice" : LOLA

3. Like : AS IF

4. Patsy : SAP

5. Kiss like a dog, perhaps : SLOBBER. Fun word.

6. Happen to : BEFALL

7. Actress Lindsay : LOHAN

8. Neruda's "__ to Wine" : ODE

10. Lines of squad cars, maybe : ESCORTS

11. Simply not done : TABOO

12. Lute family member : UKE

13. Evoke screams from : TERRIFY. What's the most terrifying movie you've watched? To me, it's "Deliverance".

14. Pressing : URGENT

15. Patrick on a track : DANICA

16. Introducer of the first side-by-side refrigerator : AMANA

17. Dr.'s orders : R AND R

18. "God helps __ ... " : THOSE

21. __ Park: Edison lab site : MENLO 

24. '60s-'70s crime drama : THE FBI. Was it good?

30. Dugout VIP : MGR (Manager)

32. Carpentry pin : DOWEL

33. Warm Argentina month : ENERO 

34. "My Eyes Adored You" singer : VALLI

35. Place for a shoe : HOOF. Horse shoe.

36. Like many cks. : ENCL. I did not know "cks" stands for "checks".

37. Pro __ : RATA

38. Site of the "Shall We Dance?" dance : SIAM

43. Butcher's waste : OFFAL

44. Marx Brothers staple : ANTIC

45. Ford muscle car, to devotees : STANG

46. West of Atlanta : KANYE. He was born in Atlanta. 

47. "If you __ ... " : ASK ME

49. Floral neckwear : LEI

50. Like saltimbocca, flavorwise : SAGY.  Wiki says saltimbocca is "a dish (popular in southern Switzerland, Italy, Spain and Greece) made of veal lined or topped with prosciutto and sage or basil; marinated in wine, oil or saltwater depending on the region or one's own taste. This dish is also occasionally topped with capers depending on individual taste."

51. GOP org. : RNC

52. Rub the wrong way? : ABRADE

53. Deliberate : SLOW

55. Carefree : BLITHE

57. Drum played with a fife : TABOR

58. Promise : OATH

60. Yale School of Management degs. : MBAs

63. Brew hue : AMBER

64. City in northern France : LILLE. De Gaulle's birthplace.

65. Pelvic bone : ILIUM. I sure don't know my bones.

66. Cowboys' home, familiarly : BIG D

68. Foppish accessory : ASCOT

69. Data transfer unit : BAUD

70. To this point : AS YET

73. "__ so you!" : IT'S

78. Tablet download : E-BOOK

79. "If only" : I WISH

80. Central idea : THEME. All Sunday LAT puzzles have a theme. 

82. Informal pricing words : A POP

83. They may be choked back : SOBS

84. Word on a fast food sign : THRU

85. Waves-against-dock sound : SLAP

89. Bunting relative : TOWHEE. Hello!

92. London taxi : HACKNEY

93. As you like it : TO TASTE

94. New England tourist mecca : CAPE COD

95. Grape-Nuts creator : C. W. POST. Learning moment for me. 

96. Lawyer's org. : ABA

98. Journalist Roberts : COKIE

100. What some spits do : ROTATE

101. Bone marrow lymphocyte : B CELL. Not  T CELL.

102. Polynesian porch : LANAI. Beautiful.

103. "Entertaining Mr. Sloane" playwright : ORTON (Joe)

104. Negotiations : TALKS

105. Fifth cen. pope called "The Great" : ST LEO

109. Paving stone : SETT. Our old pal is back. 

110. Palm Pre predecessor : TREO

111. Password creator : USER

114. Pinup's leg : GAM. You guys get plenty on Saturdays.

115. Stats in NBA bios : HTS (Heights)

117. Yokohama yes : HAI. Cantonese "Yes" also.

C.C.

Saturday, Dec 3rd, 2016, John Lieb

Theme: None

Words: 72 (missing F,Q)

Blocks: 29

Unlike last week's successful struggle, this week's puzzle was just a Google-fest for me; too many proper names that I simply had no clue about - and even some that I should have known, but were cleverly clued with misdirection.  In my humble opinion, there were a few too many "meh" clues in this one, but only because I had never heard the term, or didn't agree with the clue/answer connection.  Oh well - can't claim a win every week.... It was Mister Lieb who introduced us to "Fun Sponge".  A pinwheel grid, with no fill longer than 8 letters, all in the corners;

7a. Free speech inhibitor? : SWEAR JAR - meh.  The clue was trying to be just a little too cute; IMHO, the SWEAR JAR is for the aftermath of "free" speech; it never inhibited me.  I had "B" and "C" in there - a swear BAR makes sense, and so does CAR when you think of cell-phone free train cars - and crossing this cell with a proper name was just Natick

41d. Quality control process with an alphanumeric symbol : SIX SIGMA - new to me.  I looked it up, and the first paragraph made sense, but the rest lost me.

60. Different exercises performed consecutively : SUPER-SET - like most exercise equipment these days, too - e.g. the combo elliptical and stepper; I don't bother with exercise - I just lift everyone else's treadmills for shipping at UPS

2d. "Star Trek: Voyager" actress : JERI RYAN - Googled.  All I could think of was "JANEWAY".  Never got in to this version of Star Trek, even with a character such as Seven of Nine; I just read that she was once Borg....does that make me a Trekkie anyway~?

ONWA-[resistance is futile]

ACROSS:

 1. Major clothing chain : TJ MAXX - I thought I'd have a chance at this one, once I got a crossing letter, and it was the last "X"

15. Morsel : WEE BIT - ugh.  TID bit was in there originally, and I refused to let go

16. Tufted tweeter : TITMOUSE

17. Unspecific threat : OR ELSE

18. "Right you are!" : "YESSIREE~!"

19. "Women and Love" author Shere : HITE - Google #4 as I solved; kept getting Women IN Love, from D.H. Lawrence

20. Tach readings : RPMs

22. Norwegian king during the Cold War : OLAV V - filled in the "OLA--" and waited, but I felt the second "V" was a pretty good WAG; either I,V, or X

23. Serial sequence : ARC

24. Attributes : TRAITS

26. Door opener? : DEE - the "D" at the front of the word DOOR

27. Where Martin Scorsese taught Oliver Stone: Abbr. : NYU - I knew it was a film school, but tried USC first.  Oh well

28. Rhein tributary : AARE - filled via perps

29. 16th-century rulers : TUDORS

32. Archaeologist, at times : DATER - as in carbon dating, etc.

34. Capital of Kazakhstan : ASTANA - filled via perps

36. Disdained, with "at" : SNEEZED - oops, I had sneeRed at to begin with

38. Mickey Rooney septet : EX-WIVES

42. Blue on screen : RATED X - "BLOODS" fit, too, a show on CBS, so I was pondering

44. Last Supper query : IS IT I~? - several awkward answers in terms of parsing....

45. Completely overhauled : REDONE - for example, this could also be RED ONE

48. Revival figs. : EMTs

50. Texter's appreciation : THX - when I start typing in my texts, the app fills in the whole word THANKS for me

51. I, perhaps : ONE - the Roman numeral "I"

52. Harsh : SEVERE

54. U.N. ambassador appointed by JFK : AES - filled via perps; Adlai E. Stevenson II

55. 2008 Best New Artist Grammy winner : ADELE

58. Sweet sign-off : X O X O - lots and lots of "X"s.  Seven of "X" (see 2d.)

59. King Ahab's father : OMRI - no clue, but filled via perps, yet again; the Wiki

62. Boxer Rebellion setting : PEKING

64. Cherish : TREASURE

65. Shady Records co-founder : EMINEM - DAH!~!!!  I like Eminem, and I know that he's "Marshall Mathers" and "Slim Shady", too.  Just didn't see the connection.  Googled.

66. Snakes : SERPENTS

67. Event associated with warm climates and big midday meals : SIESTA

DOWN:

1. Driving instructor's reminder : TWO HANDS - CAR driving instructor; with TID bit in the grid, I had T-T---, thought maybe this was a GOLF driving instructor; although a "two hand" reminder on the driving range is also a good tip....

3. Initial encounter in a romcom : MEET CUTE - so completely unaware of this phrase, I still couldn't believe it even after I looked it up - here.  I have to admit, I went to pay my rent for the second time at my landlord's bank (not MY bank) because he is in Florida  - the first time I made this trip was Halloween when the tellers were dressed as "Snap, Crackle, and Pop".  However, the cutie I stepped up to yesterday was none of those characters, and when I asked, she said she was on the drive-thru as a Cinnamon Toast Crunch Baker....I like cinnamon.  Does this count as a meet-cute~?

4. Fit : ABLE

5. Frat letters : XIs

6. Former Nissan SUV : XTERRA

7. Hinders : STYMIES

8. "Bullets Over Broadway" Oscar winner : WIEST

9. Sci-fi staples : ETs

10. Recess rejoinder : "AM SO~!"

11. Stir up : ROIL

12. Katy of "High Noon" : JURADO - M, B, C, J~? Take your pick

13. Sincere sign-off : AS EVER - or is it A SEVER~?

14. Player of Kent : REEVES - ah, yes.  I knew it was not Christopher REEVE; but then I recalled the character was played by George REEVES in the 50's

21. Flaunt : PARADE

24. Fiction's Lord Greystoke : TARZAN - yeah, this one eluded me for too long

25. Pringles alternative : STAX - I did get it partially right - I laid in LAYS first 

30. Ill-conceived : UNWISE

31. Stand for 45-Down : DAIS - a circumreferential clue that I figured out; 45. They involve insult comedy : ROASTS - I just watched the roast of Rob Lowe

33. First name in architecture : EERO - first name this week, last name last week (Saarinen); I did not know he died at age 51 - I am only 5 years younger than that

35. Hybrid cuisine : TEX-MEX

37. "Nos __": 2000s French-Canadian drama set in a summer home : ÉTÉS - utterly unsolvable from my point of view; and not just because it's Frawnche; filled via perps, but with 'summer' in the clue, ÉTÉ would have been a good WAG

39. Total assets? : VITAMINS - ARGH~! The cereal Total.  Got me good.

100% of 12 vitamins and minerals~!

40. One way to connect nowadays : ETHERNET

43. Allots : DEVOTES

46. Stomach : ENDURE

47. Superior, vis-à-vis Michigan : DEEPER - Great Lakes

49. Metaphors, e.g. : TROPES - OK, this word sounded familiar, but I still looked it up to be sure.  Googled.

53. Wield : EXERT

56. Vault : LEAP

57. Language that gave us "plaid" : ERSE - yeah, CELT was not right

59. Tom Joad, e.g. : OKIE - I did actually know this one

61. Flare producer : SUN - Nice 'double flare' with the flared skirt, too

63. "Big four" record company : EMI

Splynter