Saturday March 4, 2017 Pawel Fludzinski

Theme: None

Words: 72 (missing J,Q,X,Z)

Blocks: 28

Another Saturday struggle from Pawel, but unlike his construction from Jan of this year, I did not succeed without a fair amount of cheating - but then again, I am also in the middle of a lot of projects, so my mind was not entirely focused on the puzzle.  One too many proper names, normal for the author, as well.  Today's grid, somewhat like a snake, is another example of how to make it difficult to work one area with no hope of getting in to another - for me, I could not get anything going in the NW.  Triple 9- and 10-letter corners, the longest answers in the grid;

15. Land across the Baltic from Sweden : LITHUANIA - OK, cheated - I looked at a map of Europe

14. Federal subsidy : GRANT-IN-AID - never heard the term before

53. Crash and burn : HIT BOTTOM

26. Nevada's Area 51, notably : OPEN SECRET

The

Files~!

ACROSS:

1. Picture with a surprise ending? : PHOTO BOMB

10. Cheaply, with "for" : A SONG

16. Organ __ : DONOR 

17. Burden to bear : ALBATROSS - Iron Maiden turned a classic poem into a 13minute song;

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

18. Lead-in for here or nowhere : OUTTA - outta here, outta nowhere

19. Much data: Abbr. : NOs - technically, it's just "two" numbers; 1, and 0

20. River of Tuscany : ARNO

21. Oliver Twist, for one : ORPHAN

22. Architectural molding : OGEE - I have not seen this in a Saturday puzzle for a while

23. Cut twice, perhaps : TRISECT - I was thinking someone measured wrong in the first place....

24. Clear of snow : PLOWED - my "private road" does not get plowed

27. The King's middle name : ARON - Elvis, thank you, thank you very much

28. McBride of "Draft Day" : CHI

29. Metz meal : REPAS - too much Frawnche for me today

30. __ vote : SWING

31. Wi-Fi relative : LAN

32. Eisner's successor at Disney : IGER - filled via perps

33. Org. formed in Manila in 1954 : SEATO - good WAG

34. Pulitzer poet Van Duyn : MONA - filled via perps

35. With 22-Down, immortal 20th-century racer : MAN circumreferential to; 22. See 35-Across : O' WAR - dah~! I was looking for someONE, like Richard Petty, not a horse....

36. British county : SHIRE - generic, not specific

37. Spherical bacteria : COCCI - perps got me --CCI

38. Racing Unsers : ALs

39. Make sound : MEND

40. Quenched : SLAKED

41. Downwind current : LEE TIDE

43. Improvisational style : SCAT

44. Aspects : FACETS

45. Sainted pope called "the Great" : LEO I - LEO (Roman numeral), JOHN or PIUS~? Had to wait

46. Masterpiece : GEM

49. Heron relative : EGRET

50. Product announced but never produced or canceled : VAPORWARE - I finally caved in to peer pressure and bought a vaporizer, so I can hang with the "cool" kids at UPS - they're all half my age anyway, so I find it all amusing.  I do however, think there's a chance I might quit smoking with this thing - I like the ash-less,no-more-stank-in-the-car 'just like smoking candy' aspects of the thing....

52. Coeur d'__ : ALENE

54. Treat again, as leather : RE-TAN - my preferred kind of "tan"

55. Relax : STAY LOOSE

DOWN:

1. Work on one's vacation, say : PLAN - oh, like booking a room and a flight - I am on "vacation" from UPS, but for me, it meant putting in 40+ hours at both restaurants to get them back into shape - one from the fireproofing mess, the other for grand re-opening in two weeks

2. Hawaii's __ Bay : HILO - good WAG

3. Places with indoor windows, briefly : OTBs - ah.  Filled via perps; clever, though

4. Rap article : THA'

5. Storm problems : OUTAGES - SURGES was too short

6. Kept out : BARRED - dah~! Not baNNed

7. Two __: fast-break advantage : ON-ONE - love them in hockey; I finally saw a three-on-three OT game - and I like the fact that a 2-on-1 or breakaway is always imminent

8. Protein-rich paste : MISO - not TOFU

9. Humanities degs. : BAs

10. Like most grandparents : ADORING

11. Stock options? : SOUPS

12. Facing a deadline : ON THE CLOCK

13. "In your dreams!" : NOT A CHANCE

21. College town about 100 miles NE of Portland : ORONO - seen this in enough crosswords

23. Hackneyed : TRITE

24. 1993 William Diehl thriller on which a 1996 film was based : PRIMAL FEAR

25. Formidable court figure : LEGAL EAGLE - also a movie, but it was "eagleS"

27. Agatha or Edgar : AWARD - nailed it, but then again, I had A-A--

30. The Pont Neuf spans it : SEINE - Frawnche

33. Molts : SHEDS

34. Defense that may be all wet : MOAT - my dream home has a moat

36. Gaga : SMITTEN

37. "Does she ... or doesn't she?" brand : CLAIROL

40. Part of a fictional dog name inspired by Sinatra's "Strangers in the Night" : SCOOBY

42. R&B singer __ Marie : TEENA

43. Dividing walls : SEPTA - biology

45. Café supply : LAIT - Frawnche, again

46. León relative : GATO - Frawnche, encore

47. Piccadilly Circus statue : EROS

48. Hand raiser's attention-getter : ME~! ME~!

50. Beta rival : VHS

51. Org. that complements the IMF : WTO - oh.  The International Monetary Fund and World Trade Organization - I was stuck on "Impossible Mission Force....

Splynter

Friday, March 3, 2017, Alex Eaton-Salners

Title: Look up! It's a bird, a plane - Superman!?! No, sorry, not this time.

Alex E-S makes a quick return to Friday with an imaginative "no clue" puzzle.  Each theme fill is a type of flying machine. Thus, each one becomes an Unidentified Flying Object  as they are flying objects not identified in a clue. This approach requires the solver to get the down fill to get at least one of the theme filled. Because of the difficulty of seeing the theme, the puzzle doe have lots of doable, short fill. He did squeeze in OOMPAHS, CARLS JR.,  BUTT PACK and  HER HONOR. The flying machines are diverse, but otherwise I see no other common element.

18A. No Clue : HELICOPTER (10).

23A. No Clue : GOODYEAR BLIMP (13).

38A. No Clue : BIPLANE (7).

53A. No Clue : HOT AIR BALLOON (13).

61A. No Clue : HANG GLIDER (10).

70A. Area 51 phenomena ... or what five puzzle answers are? : UFOS (4). In the purest sense and not relating to aliens. So how did we get the grid filled.....

Across:

1. Outdo : BEST.

5. So far : TO DATE.

11. "Happy Valley" airer : BBC. I never saw or heard of this SHOW which generated such wonderful reviews.

14. Joie de vivre : ELAN. Interesting as this positive sounding approach to life, can lead to one becoming...

15. Ethically indifferent : AMORAL.

16. Spat ending : ULA. Don't flip over this bizarre clue/fill. Spatula.

17. Dart : FLIT.

20. Friction reducer : OIL.

21. Benin neighbor : TOGO. Not to be confused with 64A. When repeated, an "Animal House" chant : TOGA.

22. Most Rwandans : HUTUS. Some of the HISTORY.

27. Snowboard feature : STRAP. No idea; my Colorado son snowboards. I used to ski.

28. Brass band sounds : OOMPAHS. Tuba or not tuba, that is the question.

31. Money in Miyazaki : YEN.

33. Free org. for law students : ABA. They figure if you join in law school, you stay and pay once you are out in the world.

34. Rob Roy, for one : SCOT. I was fixated on the DRINK for a while, then the book and MOVIE until I left it and came back. The LINK.

35. "Whatevs" : MEH. A regular Corner comment.

41. Poet inspired by the Battle of Baltimore : KEY. Francis Scott, and the Star Spangled Banner. When I saw poet, three letter fill and Baltimore, my mind went to Mr. Poe. Or did it?.

42. Trapezoid measure : AREA.

44. Brooklyn pro : NET. The current worst team in Basketball.

45. Droop : SAG.  No chance I will say anything here.

47. Home of the "All-Natural Burger" : CARL'S JR. This West Coast Hamburger CHAIN is famous for its raunchy  COMMERCIALS. 

49. Bobby who lost to Billie Jean in the Battle of the Sexes : RIGGS. Bobby was an aged star who defeated Margaret Court in the first battle of the Tennis Sexes.

57. Riksbank currency : KRONA. The currency of Sweden's central bank.

59. Flower from the Greek for "rainbow" : IRIS.

60. "Lenore" poet : POE.  And guess who appeared! Not a poem I know well.

65. Latin trio word : AMO, amas amat.

66. Epoch when modern mammals emerged : EOCENE. LEARN.

67. Swindle : ROOK.

68. Its debut Apr. 1971 broadcast covered Senate hearings on the Vietnam War : NPR. Imagine, this started in our lifetime.

69. Periods of growth : SPURTS. I am still waiting for mine.


Down:

1. Muddles : BEFOGS.

2. Family name in Jane Austen's "Persuasion" : ELLIOT.  Her final NOVEL. You can read it online for free.

3. Hand : SAILOR.

4. Explosive stuff : TNT.

5. Lake straddling a Western border : TAHOE. One of the most beautiful places on earth.

6. Tag Heuer competitor : OMEGA. Watches.

7. Sorrow : DOLOR.  Latin.

8. "Entourage" agent Gold : ARI. I did not hear much about the MOVIE.

9. Sea follower? : TAC. The airport, Sea-tac. - Seattle Tacoma.

10. Hebrew G-d : ELOHIM. Transliteration is so hard.

11. Infantry equipment carrier : BUTT PACK. LINK.

12. Color on le drapeau français : BLEU. The blue on the flag of France.

13. Animated film primarily set in Radiator Springs : CARS. WATCH.

19. Some heels : PUMPS. Love the clue/fill.

21. Laid-back : TYPE B.

24. V-J __ : DAY.

25. Taiwanese tea drink : BOBA. We are more used to it being called Bubble tea - Taiwanese tea-based drink invented in Taichung in the 1980s. Most bubble tea recipes contain a tea base mixed/shaken with fruit or milk, to which chewy tapioca balls and fruit jelly are often added. It has been embraced by most Asian restaurants.Various sources and personal experience.

26. Quicken product : LOANS. They started out with accounting software, but are major player in the mortgage field.

29. Plot device? : HOE. Getting it reading for planting, not a prostitute movie..

30. Bachelor pad, perhaps : STY.  Men tend to be messy when left alone.

32. Raphael or Leonardo, in fiction : NINJA. Of the hard shelled kind.

33. __-rock music : ALTernative.

35. Cheese go-with : MAC.

36. Dead-ball __: early baseball period : ERA. Before Babe Ruth.

37. Judge's address : HER HONOR.I am sure this caught all the sexists.

39. Prefix with scope : PERI.

40. Sandwich and Salisbury VIPs : EARLS. Or Grantham.

43. As company : ALONG.

46. Jazz pianist Evans : GIL. The letters were easy, but I never knew of this somewhat  TRAGIC man.

48. Play grounds? : STAGES. Very nice misdirection.

50. Disappear : GO POOF. Good thing he added the F.

51. Bit of baby talk : GOO GOO. Ga Ga?

52. Tiptoes, say : SNEAKS.

54. Backseat driver, e.g. : RIDER. meh.

55. Spiner of "Star Trek: T.N.G." : BRENT. He played the android - DATA - and also appears in both Independence Day movies. ODD.

56. Buenos __ : AIRES.

57. Mongol sovereign : KHAN.

58. Increase, with "up" : RAMP.

62. Hack : LOP.

63. "ER" setting : ICU. The TV show often had the doctors and patients in ICU.

64. Play about Capote : TRU. He died young, a month short of his 60th birthday.

Well golly, we are the end already. Too many short fill to be difficult but there are some challenging fill. It was very hard if you did not understand the gimmick. Alex is showing off his versatility and I expect to see him often this year. I also expect you all to let me know your thoughts. I am off to another new doctor. Will catch up with you after that.
Lemonade out.

Thursday, March 2, 2017 Kevin Christian

Theme: Regal Roosts - five places where various kinds of "Queens" can be found:

17A. Queen's domain : CHESS GAME. White is checkmated by the black queen in two moves, known as "Fool's Mate".

26A. Queen's domain : BEEHIVE. Hopefully not the hairstyle!

36A. Queen's domain : DECK OF CARDS. Four of these in your poker hand wouldn't be too shabby.

51A. Queen's domain : ENGLAND. Here's the splendid Miranda Richardson with a reminder to Lord Melchett from Blackadder II.

60A. Queen's domain : ARENA ROCK. Here's Queen singing about another Queen, which seems appropriate. Not in an arena though, from the BBC's studios at Wood Lane in London.

Nice clecho theme from Kevin. There are four cheater (aka helper) squares padding out the middle theme entry but you can't help that when you're working with one 11-letter phrase across the center.

Across:

1. Bleach container : JUG. I'd never thought of my Clorox container as a jug before, but so it is.

4. Shed door attachments : HASPS

9. Like iceberg lettuce : CRISP. Due to the 96% water content. Food! - almost.

14. Freudian topic : EGO. Went for SEX first, that didn't work.

15. Marginally ahead : ONE UP

16. Relative of bongos : TABLA

19. Cause of a skid, perhaps : SLEET

20. Tom Jones' "__ a Lady" : SHE'S

21. Payroll service co. : ADP

23. __-à-porter: ready-to-wear : PRET. There's a chain of ready-made sandwich stores based in the UK, and now expanding, called Pret A Manger (Ready to Eat) which I think is clever. The sandwiches are great too.

24. Keep from happening : THWART

28. Corporate big shots : SUITS

29. With false modesty : COYLY

31. Bubbly opener? : AER-ated. Popping corks.

32. Hide from a hunter : PELT. Nice.

33. Coppertone's 30, e.g. : SPF

34. Bit of IM mirth : HEE. Went with LOL first. Was wrong.

40. Versailles monarch : ROI. Here's Louis XIV, the "Sun King":

41. West __: high-end furniture retailer : ELM. New to me. Part of the Williams-Sonoma/Pottery Barn group.

42. Related : AKIN

45. Actress Arthur : BEA

48. Slyly disparaging : SNIDE

50. Back of a single : B-SIDE

53. Picked up : SENSED

54. De Matteo of "Sons of Anarchy" : DREA. Crosses all the way.

55. One in favor : YEA

57. Baseball analyst Hershiser : OREL

58. Odyssey on the road : HONDA

64. Of yesteryear : OLDEN

65. Keep down : LIMIT

66. Writer who inspired the Raven Award : POE

67. Pineal or pituitary : GLAND

68. Chef's creation : SAUCE

69. Soufflé need : EGG. That's going to be one small soufflé with one egg.

Down:

1. 39th pres. : JEC. Jimmy Carter. Not one of the most common presidential monograms that we see - rarely appears in crosswords.

2. "Bummer" : UGH

3. Runs amok : GOES WILD. Fresh entry.

4. Uncouth types, in Canadian slang : HOSERS. I'm sure Canadian Eh! can enlighten us, but I understand the origin of the term is unclear, and it has nothing to do with resurfacing hockey rinks, siphoning gasoline or getting drunk.

5. Severe anxiety : ANGST

6. Yellow __ : SEA

7. Adidas rival : PUMA. My first pair of soccer boots were made by Puma. The company's been around for quite some time, evidently.

8. Left in the dust : SPED BY

9. Nos. that are beside the point : CTS. The cents in a price tag after the decimal point.

10. Actor Fiennes : RALPH. The splendidly-monikered Ralph Nathaniel Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes to give him is full credit.

11. It's across the Pyrenees from France : IBERIA. The Iberian Peninsula comprising Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar and Andorra. There's also little sliver of France at the southern side of the Pyrenees

12. Tailor's measure : SLEEVE. You need to get this measured correctly to keep your cuffs out of your soup.

13. Auction spiel : PATTER.

CANIGETA10geta10geta10getanow15now1520attheback202020anymore25thankyouinthebalcony30onthe phone30itsonyousireanymoregoingonceat30goingtwiceSOLD.

18. Destroy : SHATTER

22. New York suburb bordering New Rochelle : PELHAM. I only know this from the book/movie "The Taking of Pelham One Two Three".

24. Recipe amt. : TSP.

25. Tinge : HUE

27. Once-over giver : EYER. Really?

29. USCG rank : CPO. Chief Petty Officer.

30. Took out : OFFED. I just saw this when I came to write up the puzzle, crosses filled it in for me.

33. Gossip : SKINNY

35. Santa portrayer in "Elf" : ED ASNER

37. Alguna __: something, in Spain : COSA. New one on me. Thanks you, crosses.

38. Cavs, on a scoreboard : CLE. Cleveland's NBA franchise, the Cavaliers.

39. White way : SKI SLOPE

43. Chem class suffix : -IDE

44. "Game of Thrones" patriarch Stark : NED. Finally remembered this! Yay me!

45. Covers stealer : BED HOG.  I don't remember seeing this before - nice phrase.

46. Join the club : ENROLL

47. Guide for a chair : AGENDA. The road-map for a meeting chair.

49. High standards : IDEALS

50. Scold : BERATE

52. Weighted down : LADEN

53. __ boom : SONIC

56. Met delivery : ARIA

59. "Then what happened?" : AND?

61. Critter on the Australian 50-cent coin : EMU

62. Machine part : COG

63. Beer source : KEG. I liked the COG/KEG/POE/EGG corner.

I think I'll go and see if you can make a soufflé with one egg.

Bon appétit and heeeere's the grid!

Steve

Wednesday March 1, 2017 Ed Sessa

Theme: J CREW (53D. Clothing chain ... or what the answers to starred clues comprise?) - All theme entries are well-known people with J ? initials.

17A. *U.S. Steel co-founder : J.P. MORGAN

36A. *"Whiplash" Best Supporting Actor : J. K. SIMMONS. Know him as Dr. Skoda on Law & Order.

59A. *Peter Pan creator : J. M. BARRIE

10D. *"Lost" co-creator : J. J. ABRAMS. So talented.

36D. *Retail chain founder : J. C. PENNEY

C.C. here.

Total six J's in this puzzle. This is tricky to design and fill, as I learned from my own J ? puzzle five years ago (the last one is so inconsistent!). Puzzles involved lots of J's, Q's, X'es and Z's are all challenging.

Ed's reveal is perfect and gives a solid rationale for this puzzle.  His fill is great too. None of the J's are stretched. All real words.

Across:

      

1. Article : ITEM

5. Die down : EBB

8. Military action toys : G I JOEs. We used to own three GI Joe style Jesse Ventura action dolls.

14. Something frowned upon : NO NO. Tiny dupe with  64. "Almost ready" : NOT YET

15. Graphic introduction? : GEO. Geographic.

16. Harm : INJURE

19. Roofer's supply : SLATES

20. "August: __ County": Meryl Streep film : OSAGE

21. Spinal column part : VERTEBRA. I used to confuse this word with VERBENA.

23. Words on a candy heart : KISS ME. Not BE MINE.

25. "CHiPs" co-star Erik : ESTRADA

27. Newspaper VIPs : EDs (Editors)

28. Crèche figure : LAMB

31. Like Parmesan cheese : AGED

32. "Didn't I tell you?" : SEE

33. Peas, for shooters : AMMO

34. Racetrack equipment : TIMERS

38. Wealthy campaign donor : FAT CAT. Thought of Bundler.

41. Picture framing materials : MATS

42. Orch. section : STR, OK, string.

45. "It's not too early to call" : I'M UP. Also got via crosses.

46. Sprain support : TAPE

47. Dove's call : COO

48. New York brewery known for its cream ale : GENESEE. Learning moment for me.

51. College choices : MAJORs

54. Turncoat : RENEGADE. Code name for President Obama.

57. "Pardon me," in Palermo : SCUSI. Or SCUSA.

58. Singer Warwick : DIONNE

61. "Imagine so" : I GUESS

62. Bird on Australia's coat of arms : EMU

63. Some celebs have delicate ones : EGOS

65. Dollop : DAB

66. Took off : WENT

Down:

1. Humor for a select few : IN JOKES. To avoid the IN dupe, INS. is clued as (35. MetLife's business: Abbr.). Insurance.

2. On the open deck : TOPSIDE. Also got via crosses.

3. All together : EN MASSE

4. Classic music synthesizers : MOOGS

5. __ McMuffin : EGG. 86-year-old Warren Buffett goes to McDonald's for breakfast every morning. This lady is 105 years old, and she eats bacon every day. So what's the secret to long life?

6. Cleaver nickname : BEAV

7. Talus or radius : BONE

8. Central points : GISTS

9. Small bay : INLET

11. Serious injustice : OUTRAGE

12. What may be charged for books? : E-READER. Nice clue.

13. French possessive : SES. We also have 29. Bordeaux buddy : AMI

18. Sleep acronym : REM

22. Pickett's Charge soldier : REB (Rebels)

24. Nightmare loc. of film : ELM ST

26. Website pop-ups, e.g. : ADs

30. Matriarchal nickname : MOMMA

33. Wanted poster initials : AKA

34. __ pole : TOTEM

37. AAA handout : MAP

38. Newton fruit : FIG

39. Explorer Vespucci for whom the New World was named : AMERIGO. Chinese characters for United States is below, literally "Beautiful Country".

40. Turn a deaf ear to : TUNE OUT

42. Cause of calamity : SCOURGE. Another great word.

43. Twisting force : TORSION

44. Most cheerful : ROSIEST

46. Twinings product : TEA. Some tea bags can be toxic. Drink loose tea.

49. Sixth __ : SENSE

50. Cast out : EGEST

52. Simile words : AS A

55. Played mixes at mixers, briefly : DJ'ED

56. Jane Austen novel : EMMA

58. Racket : DIN

60. Mac : BUB

Two crossword notes:

1) The 40th American Crossword Puzzle Tournament (March 24-26, 2017) will be held at the Stamford Marriott in Stamford, Connecticut. For those who attend, I hope you won't miss the Cru Dinner organized by the great Mike Alpern. Always makes me smile to see the Crossword Pope.

The Cru Dinner officially kicks off the tournament and is a great opportunity to meet with constructors and fellow solvers. And as a newbie, you'll always get a welcome gift! The space is limited, so be sure to contact with Mike (alpernm@aol.com) as soon as possible.

Not sure if Rich competes this year. He was absent last year.

Rich Norris, Mike & Kim,  ACPT, 2008

2) A few days left to sign up for Peter Gordon's 2017-18 Fireball Newsflash Crosswords. You get 20 puzzles from the master for $7. As I mentioned last year, Fireball Newsflash are mostly of LAT Tuesday level difficulty. Every puzzle features super fresh entries and fun clues.

3) Happy 90-year old birthday to Jean, a long-time crossword solver. Her local paper in Fargo carries LAT crosswords, and she solves it every day.