Friday, March 31,2017, Andrew Woodham

Title: It is Greek to me

I love this first time puzzle from Andrew Woodham, who we invite to stop by and tell us more. As you all know I love word play puzzles and this adds a new variation by using sound alike Greek letters to replace words in known phrases. Each of the three themers uses two letters to replace the beginning of each phrase. The reveal is the simple referential answer GREEK LETTERS. We also have some nice fill RECEIVE,  LAB TEST,  ZEROES IN,  SHOTGUNS, SNARE DRUMS  and LIQUID SOAP to finish off this debut. Many of the short fill are clearly clued to make sure this Friday is not too easy.

20A. Unused car using some 56-Across? : NU ALPHA ROMEO (12). NEW ALFA ROMEO is clued appropriately.

35A. Movies using some 56-Across? : PSI PHI FILMS (11). SCI-FI FILMS

42A. Compulsive sort using some 56-Across? : PI RHO MANIAC (11). PYROMANIAC.

56A. "Antigone" characters? : GREEK LETTERS (12).

The 2500 plus year old play by Sophocles is the somewhat hidden reveal.

Across:

1. Serious service : MASS. Religion, no comment.

5. Toaster opening? : HERE'S. My first thought was "popup."

10. Moxie : ZEAL. Meh.

14. Settled down : ALIT.

15. Treasure : ADORE. Je t'aime, je t'adore.

16. Crop, say : EDIT. Pictures.

17. Taboo : NO NO.

18. Parade instruments : SNARE DRUMS. Begun with snare drums, but they were led by  trombones.

22. It can be bid : ADIEU. Hopefully is a fond one.

23. Coin toss winner's option : RECEIVE. NFL.

27. Large Eurasian group : SLAVS. But where are the Northern SLAVS?

31. Very, to Puccini : ASSAI. Italian word.

32. DJIA company alphabetically following Home Depot : IBM. The THIRTY.

38. PC alternatives : MACS.

40. Dreamers have big ones : IDEAS.

41. A scarf can protect it : NAPE.

45. Yahoo! alternative : MSN. Nope, replaced by Microsoft Edge.

46. "Silas Marner" author : ELIOT. This woman who reminds me of Amy Farrah Fowler.

47. Static source : DRYER.

49. Doctor's order : LAB TEST. I have had more than my share this year.

52. Latin dance : SAMBA. Samba is a Brazilian musical genre and dance style, with its roots in Africa via the West African slave trade and African religious traditions, particularly of Angola and the Congo, through the samba de roda genre of the northeastern state of Bahia, from which it derived. Wiki.

60. Dawn, for example : LIQUID SOAP.

63. Place for pins and needles : ETUI.

64. Amazon ID : ISBN.  International Standard Book Number.

65. Unlimited free mileage pioneer : ALAMO. Part of the building of a success story for the Florida based COMPANY.

66. Mapmaking name since 1872 : RAND. Cannot forget McNally.

67. What much insurance covers : LOSS.

68. Family nicknames : NANAS.

69. Wild plum : SLOE.

Down:

1. Heavenly food : MANNA.

2. Audibly : ALOUD.

3. Decalogue delivery site : SINAI.  Deca=10: Logue=laws.

4. Wraps not made in delis : STOLES. Do women wear them any more?

5. Jumble : HASH.

6. Poet __ St. Vincent Millay : EDNA. She wrote, " My candle burns at both ends; it will not last the night; but ah, my foes, and oh, my friends -- it gives a lovely light!"

7. 2013 Katy Perry chart-topper : ROAR.

8. Diamond mishap : ERROR. Baseball.

9. Teacher's note : SEE ME. The dreaded note.

10. Focuses (on) : ZEROES IN. Back again. Maybe as wiki suggests the phrase comes from adjusting a sighting mechanism of a firearm to minimise the discrepancy between where the sight points and where a bullet lands on a target. 12D. Focus : AIM. clecho

11. Part of an academic address : EDU.

13. 62-Down protectors : LTS. Since most quarterbacks are right handed, the "blind side" tackle is critical.  LINK. 39D. Common football passing formations : SHOT GUNS. 62D. Snap receivers: Abbr. : QBS.

19. It may be served from an orange-handled pot : DECAF.

21. Orange stuff : PULP.

24. Faith with Five Pillars : ISLAM. Faith, Charity, Praying, Pilgrimage, and Fasting. More religion, no comment.

25. Sirens : VAMPS.

26. Innsbruck iron : EISEN. Now we have German this week.

28. "... __ sure you know" : AS I'M.

29. "Livin' la __ Loca": Ricky Martin hit : VIDA. Dupe? 44D. "__ la vie" : C'EST. Whatever happened to Ricky?  LINK.

30. Lighten one's wallet : SPEND.

32. Press : IMPEL.

33. Sri Lankan pop music : BAILA. No idea. Anyone get this without perps?

34. Periodic McDonald's pork sandwich : MCRIB.

36. What alopecia sufferers lose : HAIR.

37. "My word!" : I SAY.

43. Cheri of "SNL" : OTERI. She is a little hyper for me.

48. Yelp users : RATERS. True but ich.

50. 65-Across choice : SEDAN.

51. Roadster maker : TESLA. Wow,  not on my list. LINK.

53. Music genre word : METAL.

54. Musical Mars : BRUNO. Any watching the new Season of The Voice?

55. Better half? : A-SIDE. Nice rendition of the oft forgotten A-SIDE.

57. Zen riddle : KOAN.

58. Buddhist teacher : LAMA.

59. "Beowulf," for one : EPOS. A singular epic poem..

60. Adjective for rapper Jon or Kim : LIL.

61. Tonic go-with? : ISO. Made famous with gloves.

Hard week healthwise, but we are hanging in. Enjoyed the diversion; hope you all did. Lemonade out.

Note from C.C.:

Splynter (Richard) and I made today's The Chronicle of Higher Education  "Shellacked" puzzle. You can click here to solve it. Congrats on your crossword debut, Splynter!

Thursday, March 30th 2017 Richard F. Mausser

Theme: Quadratic Locations - Four quadrangles, four seats of learning as the grid-spanning hint tells us:

39A. What the groups of circled letters graphically represent : UNIVERSITY QUADS

The schools in question are Tulane, Rice, Temple and Yale. Here's Rice:

I enjoyed the symmetry in this construction - two six- and two four-circle themers located in opposite corner blocks, the "quad quads", two intersecting 15's, both college-themed, and the journey around each quadrangle starts at the north-west corner. There's a lot else to like with the lively longer entries - two each of ten, nine and eight letters and very few threes.

I was surprised to find that "TOTAL BASES", "FINAL FOUR" and "NY JETS" have only been seen once before in the LAT crossword since the Cruciverb database records began.

Let's see what else we've got:

Across:

1. "Yeah, sure!" : PSHAW!

6. Some CPAs and MBAs : CFOS. Top Bean Counter. Sorry, Chief Financial Officer.

10. __ bean : FAVA. LIMA or SOYA are also possibilities - you need more than the "A" before deciding.

14. What choir members have to carry : A TUNE, Not "A NOTE" then. Quick work with the "backspace" key fixed that one.

15. Lined up, with "in" : A ROW. So when you have your ducks in a row, what happens? I've always wondered.

16. 2001 Winslet/Dench title role : IRIS. Novelist Iris Murdoch and her lifelong relationship with her husband. I might need to go back and re-watch this one.

17. Hero makers : DELIS. Food! You need a big appetite for one of these. Classic ingredients are meat, cheese, tomato, green pepper, lettuce and Italian dressing on a baguette. Innumerable variations abound.

18. Window shopper's buy : PANE. Nice.

19. Bottle part : NECK. The only other bottle part I can think of is the "punt", the deep indentation at the bottom of a wine bottle.

20. Double-helix molecules : DNAS

21. Stat for which Babe Ruth's 457 is the single-season record : TOTAL BASES. The 1921 season. He also set the record for extra base hits that year.

23. Site of many Ansel Adams works : YOSEMITE. Iconic photography from this fella:

25. Online chortle : LOL. Laughing Out Loud.

26. Wide awake : ALERT

28. Joan __ : OF ARC

32. Aplenty : GALORE

36. Carmelite, perhaps : NUN

38. Muffin topper : OLEO. I wanted OREO first. I'm guessing this reference is to a dollop of margarine on an English muffin. The splendidly-named Hippolyte Mège-Mouriès invented oleomargarine in France back in 1869.

42. Labyrinth : MAZE

43. Plop down : SIT

44. Legal scholar : JURIST. Not a juror. An expert in or a writer on law.

45. "Obsessable series" movie channel : STARZ. Thanks, crosses.

47. What "two" meant to Paul Revere : BY SEA. One if by land, I believe. "The British are coming!" Three if by air, in my case.

49. Bow __ : TIE

51. Billboard charts : HIT LISTS. My friend Fred Bronson writes the weekly Chart Beat column in "Billboard" magazine.

56. Tart vodka cocktails : LEMON DROPS

60. Petunia part : STEM

61. Greenish blue : CYAN

62. Use the escalator, about half the time : GO UP. Go down, roughly the other half, unless you ride up and take the stairs down.

63. Plant swelling : EDEMA

64. What a stet cancels : DELE. Editing marks. Does anyone edit manuscripts this way any more? I know print newspapers moved to digital production a long time ago.

65. Alternatively : ELSE

66. Cheap mags : PULPS

67. Old jet-set jets : SSTS. Concordes. The USSR brought out a strangely-similar looking aircraft that the UK media nicknamed "Concordski". Sadly the second production aircraft crashed while performing at the Paris Air Show in 1973, killing the six-person crew and eight people on the ground.

68. Bob or dog attachment : SLED

69. Canines, e.g. : TEETH

Down:

1. Irrigated grain field : PADDY

2. Courtroom figure : STENO

3. Hippy dances? : HULAS

4. Italian cookie flavoring : ANISE

5. Filmmaker Craven : WES

6. Holly Golightly's creator : CAPOTE. Truman's short story Breakfast at Tiffany's adapted as a screenplay and starring one of my all-time favorite actresses, the lovely Audrey Hepburn. I love this scene.

7. Place for annual pledging : FRATERNITY HOUSE. I liked that the two 15-letter grid spanners crossing each other have a college theme.

8. Chaplin of "Game of Thrones" : OONA

9. Balloon : SWELL

10. Elite Eight survivors : FINAL FOUR. Topical NCAA Basketball reference. This year's Final Four face off this Saturday with South Carolina vs. Gonzaga followed by Oregon vs. North Carolina.

11. War god : ARES

12. Target of many a New Year's resolution : VICE

13. Poses : ASKS

21. Floor installers : TILERS

22. Savior of Scout and Jem, in "To Kill a Mockingbird" : BOO. A good excuse for some super-cheeerful Britpop from the early 90's courtesy of The Boo Radleys

24. Filly, eventually : MARE

27. Mild rebuke : TUT

29. End of a ball game? : ALAI. Tricky clue. The ball-wall game Jai Alai.The ball can travel up to 188mph. it's 3/4 the size of a baseball and harder than a golf ball. It was bad enough getting hit by a squash ball back in the day.

30. Great American Ball Park team : REDS. Cincinnati, Ohio.

31. COLA component : COST. Cost Of Living Adjustment. Nice clue.

32. 69-Across holders : GUMS

33. Vet school subj. : ANAT.

34. Joel's "Cabaret" co-star : LIZA. Ms. Minnelli was a gimme, but I had to go and look up Joel. Joel Grey, he played the Master of Ceremonies.

35. Hinted-at hidden meanings : OVERTONES

37. AFC East team : NY JETS

40. Sis or bro : SIB.

41. Grade of excellence: Abbr. : QUAL. Quality, a "degree or standard of excellence, esp. a high standard".

46. Cab alternative : ZIN

48. Opposite of guzzled : SIPPED

50. Cube's dozen : EDGES

52. Expectant mom's words : IS DUE. I went for "I'M DUE". Not sure about "is due".

53. Inscribed pillar : STELE

54. Lead on : TEMPT. 

55. Blockbuster : SMASH

56. Some TV screens : LCDS

57. They work better when they focus : EYES. Unless you're trying to "see" one of those Magic Eye posters that gave us all fits in the 1990's. Here's one that resolves pretty quickly:

58. Dairy Queen order : MALT

59. Lucky streak : ROLL

63. Skillful, facetiously : EPT. "Opposite" of "inept". I like these "false" opposites. Mt. Etna is definitely "ert", unlike Vesuvius, and I hope my blogging is "ane" rather than the alternative!

With that, here's the grid!

Steve

Wednesday, March 29, 2017, Jeff Stillman

TITLE - BROADWAY

Husker Gary here, taking you on a tour of Jeff's pleasant Humpday offering. He takes the word WIDE and spreads it out in two different arrangements (2/2 and 1/3) and then provides fill in the divide to literally cause WIDE to be SPREAD out as you can see in the grid below:

The clincher is his reveal

64. Far-reaching ... and a literal feature of the answers to starred clues : WIDESPREAD - The insatiable Emerald Ash Borer that arrived here in crates on the coast from Asia is WIDESPREAD and still expanding

THEME FILLS:

17. *Rain-X auto product : WIPER BLADE - This is not a Rain-X product but ya gotta love it!

21. *Manhattan theater district locale : WESTSIDE - So, you want to see Hamilton at The Richard Rogers Theater on Manhattan's WESTSIDE tonight? No problem, StubHub can get you in the very back starting at $965 per seat

40. *Electrician's basic knowledge : WIRING COLOR CODE - The only one I know is black to black, white to white and ground to ground. BTW, I always turn off the breaker!

54. *Many a military spouse : WAR BRIDE - Although told not to, Japanese women did fraternize with "the enemy" and tens of thousands of them became WAR BRIDES

Now let's see how Jeff filled in those WIDESPREAD spaces in the rest of the puzzles

Across

1. Anemic : WEAK

5. Dukes not among royalty : FISTS - Our cwd friend Burt Lahr dared anyone to put up their Dukes! I resisted putting in DAISY Dukes.

10. Huge production : EPIC - Ben Hur always leaps to my mind

14. Rod in a hot rod : AXLE

15. Kate's sitcom pal : ALLIE

16. Pilaf base : RICE

19. Like port, usually : AGED - If you can spring for those Hamilton tix, maybe this 70-year-old Port in a handblown bottle for $965 would also interest you

20. Lacking a key : ATONAL

23. Proofer's mark : STET

25. Feathery layer : HEN

26. Oomph : PEP

29. Set apart from the group : ISOLATE - The Amish practice of shunning even your own children seems particularly cruel to me

33. Org. with the staff of Aesculapius in its logo : AMA - This doctor's group might also call this the staff of Caduseus 

36. Big name in gas : AMOCO

38. Slam-dance : MOSH - Ya gotta know going in what could happen!

43. See 22-Down : ELKS and 22. With 43-Across, fraternal order : THE

44. Mane area : NAPE

45. Like some buckets : OAKEN

46. Cotillion girl : DEB - An anachronism? 

47. Move more product than : OUTSELL - Here's the rankings

49. Absorb, as a cost : EAT

50. Nonpro sports gp. : AAU - Kobe Bryant hates the Amateur Athletic Union BB program because it makes kids play all year long

52. Trapper's trophy : PELT - Something I could never do

59. Subtle difference : NUANCE - The NUANCED looks of Meryl

63. Continental coin : EURO

66. Brought up : BRED

67. Like nocturnally counted critters : OVINE - One sheep, two sheep...

68. Unrestrained party : ORGY

69. Cotton bundle : BALE - Tote that barge and lift this

70. Archibald and Thurmond of the NBA : NATES - "Tiny" NATE Archibald played here  before they moved to Sacramento

71. Water testers : TOES - I have put my "TOES in many waters" with varying results.

Down

1. Bedtime drink, in totspeak : WAWA - Don't we all remember Gildna Radner when we hear this?

2. Freeway sign : EXIT

3. Chop House dog food brand : ALPO

4. Laments loudly : KEENS - An old Irish or Scottish term for screams of women heralding a death OR a card in a Duel Decks Game

5. Sources of morals : FABLES

6. Not in the pink : ILL

7. Cabbage dish : SLAW - KFC has some great SLAW

8. Laundry room brand : TIDE

9. Views : SEES

10. Dry-__ board : ERASE

11. Risky purchase, metaphorically : PIG IN A POKE - Have you ever used Craig's List?

12. Tea preference : ICED

13. Relinquish : CEDE - Land CEDED in my state

18. Be frugal with : RATION

24. Alley scavenger : TOMCAT 

26. Handled clumsily : PAWED - "Honest, I was just reaching for the popcorn!"

27. Writer Zola : EMILE

28. Special-interest government spending : PORK BARREL - Some say he got as much as anybody

30. Aerial maneuvers : LOOPS

31. Not paying attention : 
ASLEEP

32. Howe'er : THO

34. Greek sorceress : MEDEA - The tale of her and Jason would make for a great soaper - Ημέρες των ζωών μας (Days Of Our Lives)

35. Cut taker : AGENT

37. Sue Grafton's "__ for Corpse" : C IS - In my last writeup, I posited Sue could have used C AS IN Corpse

39. 1988 Motown acquirer : MCA - ...and then there was a suit and then...

41. Safari grazer : GNU - There's a bottomless pit of these 

42. Arrive by auto : ROLL UP

47. Sharer's word : OUR

48. You can see right through them : LENSES

51. Dwelling : ABODE

53. Deck that's worth a fortune? : TAROT

54. "Dragnet" star Jack : WEBB

55. Subtle glow : AURA

56. Triumphant shout : I WON - Said by 1 of every 76,000,000 lottery players

57. One who insists on the spotlight : DIVA

58. Ready for print : EDIT - Even Tom had to EDIT

60. Fictional sleuth Wolfe : NERO - Not the piano player or the Roman emperor 

61. "La __ aux Folles" : CAGE

62. "Grand" ice cream brand : EDY'S

65. Denver-to-Des Moines dir. : ENE


Now, how 'bout some WIDESPREAD and far ranging comments:

A few pix from our trip last week to D.C.

This is Joann and I at the WWII monument with the Lincoln Memorial in the background. If you go to D.C. take the night tour as it is an entirely different world.

This is Joann and I with U.S. Senator Ben Sasse at the Nebraska Congressional Breakfast. We have known Ben since he was nine and I started calling him Senator Sasse when he was in grade school!

Here we are with our Congressman Jeff Fortenberry. Our daughter has had three of Jeff’s girls in fourth grade at St. Joe’s in Lincoln. 

Tuesday, March 28, 2017 C.C. Burnikel

Theme: Epistles - Two across, two down, and one reveal.

17A. *Seeks shelter: TAKES COVER. Cover letter.

38A. *Bob Marley togetherness classic: ONE LOVE. Love letter.

11D. *System that gets goods to customers: SUPPLY CHAIN. Chain letter.

25D. *Major golf tournament won five times by Tom Watson: BRITISH OPEN. Open letter.

61A. Stationery that may include a company logo ... or what the ends of answers to the starred clues can be?: LETTERHEAD

Argyle here. C.C. puts us back on the path to crossword normalcy.

Across:

1. Like some benefit golf tournaments: PRO-AM

6. Baby bed: CRIB

10. Deadly snakes in hieroglyphics: ASPs

14. "It matters to me": "I CARE"

15. Italian money until 2002: LIRA

16. Tackle box item: LURE

19. Samoa's capital: APIA

20. "__ side are you on?": WHOSE

21. Not up to snuff: SUBPAR. But subpar might be good in the British Open.

23. Pierced ear part: LOBE

26. Actor Jared: LETO. Busy man. IMDb

28. Conceals in one's hand: PALMS

29. Tactical advancements: INROADS. Did You Know? Inroad is a combination of in and road, both of which are pretty mundane, as far as words go. But the first-and oldest-meaning of inroad hints at a meaning of road other than the "way for traveling" one. Beginning back in the days of Old English, road referred to an armed hostile incursion made on horseback. (Raid comes from this use of road and also formerly specified incursions on horseback.) Road has lost all of its former violent connotations, and inroad is shedding its as well. While inroads are often made at the expense of someone or something, they are at times simply advances, as when an artist is said to be making inroads into a community. ~ Merriam-Webster

31. Like slugs: SLIMY

33. Jellyfish bites: STINGS

34. Thrilla in Manila boxer: ALI

35. Stop stalling: ACT

37. Wee one: TOT

41. Mag mogul often seen in pj's: HEF. Hugh Hefner.

43. Letters in geometry: PIs. Pi for breakfast?

45. Duracell size: AAA

46. Ritzy spread: ESTATE. Oater for ranch.

48. Ivory and Coast, for two: SOAPS. Get it? Ivory Coast.

50. Tom Brady, notably: PATRIOT. Quarterback for the New England Patriots.

51. Garden bug: APHID

53. Airline to Tel Aviv: EL AL

55. "The Piano" actress Paquin: ANNA. (11 years old in the Piano, 1994)

56. "Just my luck!": "POOR ME!". Alas and alack.

58. La Scala solos: ARIAs

60. Prime for picking: RIPE

66. "Got it": "I SEE"

67. Dole (out): METE

68. Chill-inducing: EERIE

69. Camera part: LENS

70. Toboggan, e.g.: SLED

71. Second or sixth president: ADAMS. John Adams or John Quincy Adams.

Down:

1. Mango discard: PIT

2. Color TV pioneer: RCA

3. Sturdy furniture wood: OAK

4. "Is it a go for tonight?": "ARE WE ON?"

5. Sports jersey material: MESH

6. Wraps up: CLOSES

7. Fastener for Rosie: RIVET

8. Rancor: IRE

9. Pub crawl stops: BARS

10. Montgomery's home: ALABAMA. The state's capital; tricky clue.

12. Trojan War king: PRIAM. Whose side? Troy. (Hi, Agnes)

13. Chars: SEARS

18. Reason for a heating bill spike: COLD SNAP

22. Wire service org.: UPI. (United Press International)

23. Most wanted __: LIST

24. In the lead: ON TOP

27. Nobel Institute city: OSLO

30. Back in the day: AGO

32. Habitually misrepresent one's true self: LIVE A LIE

34. Pie __ mode: À LA

36. Wyoming's Grand __ National Park: TETON

39. Lighten (up): EASE

40. Md. winter hours: EST. Maryland/Eastern Standard Time

42. Spanakopita cheese: FETA

44. Evening affairs: SOIRÉEs

47. Seriously vandalized: TRASHED

49. USN bigwig: ADM. Navy Admiral

50. Took different paths: PARTED. Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -- I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference. ~ Robert Frost

51. Month with showers: APRIL

52. Composure: POISE

54. Foamy pick-me-up: LATTE

57. Tall shade trees: ELMs

59. Environs: AREA

62. Slender swimmer: EEL

63. Pitcher's stat: ERA. (earned run average)

64. Asset at the archery range: AIM

65. __ Moines: DES

Argyle