Saturday, Apr 8th, 2017, Mike Buckley

Theme: Spiral Galaxies

Words 66 (missing F,J,Q,X,Z)

Blocks: 36

I did not recognize the name of the constructor, but I did see the unique grid, and my first thought was that it was one of those layouts that make it impossible to move from one corner to another because a lack of word connections - but then I got to 4a, 34a, etc, and realized we had ourselves a "theme". One I picked up on right away, because I am a nerd, and I love watching shows on astronomy, so I knew the "local group", and the reveal at 56a.  A nifty spiral shaped pattern to go along with the theme, with triple 9-letter corners and 8-letter tie-ins between them.

4a. Largest galaxy in the Local Group : ANDROMEDA

34a. With 35- and 36-Across, second-largest galaxy in the Local Group : THE

35a. See 34-Across : MILKY

36a. See 34-Across : WAY

56. By some calculations, projected fate of 4-Across and 34-/35-/36-Across in three to four billion years : COLLISION

 More Here

 O                       ~!

      N               D

          W  a   R

            w A r

         W   a    R

     N                D

O                         ~! 

ACROSS:

 1. Mirthful sounds : HAs

13. Stop : AVERT - I tried CEASE

16. Strains at the balcony : SERENADES

17. "Birth of the Cool" trumpeter : DAVIS - a WAG, but today's difficulty level seemed lower, probably due to the cool theme

18. Protesters, in '60s slang : PEACENIKS

19. Talmud letters : ALEPHs

21. Cheerleaders may raise it : MORALE - and a few other things, too

22. Crashing and burning : TANKING

24. Urban legends website : SNOPES

25. Lobby, often : ANTEROOM

27. Saturn SUV : VUE

28. Trail for a hound : SCENT

29. Zaps : TASES - I had LASES first

31. Ne'ertheless : THO

37. Poetic twilight : E'EN

38. Japanese box lunch : BENTO - filled via perps; did not know this 

39. Elemental makeup : ATOMS

41. With 14-Down, "Iron Man" of sports : CAL - with 14. See 41-Across : RIPKEN - Junior, who played 2,632 consecutive MLB games for the Baltimore Orioles - the Wiki

42. Is demanding : ASKS A LOT

44. Friday revelation? : I'M A COP - "Just the facts, ma'am" - but never spoken in the show

47. Had some impact : HIT HOME

48. Treat with scorn : DERIDE

49. Something hit on a range : DRIVER - oops, not TARGET

50. News dispatch lead-ins : DATELINES

53. Deli qty. : ONE lb

54. Test : CHALLENGE

55. Intensifying exclamation ending : SIREE - yes----

57. SOP part: Abbr. : STD - Standard Operating Procedure

DOWN:

1. Sampled some : HAD A TASTE

2. Serious downfall : AVALANCHE

3. Whitney Houston appeared on its cover in 1981 : SEVENTEEN

4. Critter in Egyptian art : ASP

5. Born identity intro : NÉE

6. Wee nips : DRAMS

7. Carry on? : RECONVEY

8. Weighty : ONEROUS - oops, not OMINOUS

9. Marvel Comics hybrid supervillain : MAN-APE - never heard of  'him'

10. Roman magistrate : EDILE

11. Fakes on the ice : DEKES - oh we are there~!  The Stanley Cup playoffs begin~!

 Top Ten Shootout Dekes

#3 is unbelievable

12. Pack animal : ASS

15. Brando wore one in "Streetcar" : T-SHIRT

20. __-cone : SNO

23. Finally became a member : GOT IN

26. Valletta is its capital : MALTA

30. Trifling amount : SKOSH

31. 2008 Phoenix/Paltrow romantic drama : TWO LOVERS

32. Brunch order : HAM OMELET

33. Precious gem source : OYSTER BED - and featured in the lyrics of a Blue Oyster Cult song, aptly titled "Blue Oyster Cult" on their 1988 concept album Imaginos

@0:55

35. Earworms, say : MELODIES - I read this as EARTHworms, even after I solved it and thought, is that a typo~?

38. Rod-shaped bacteria : BACILLI

39. Minute Maid Park team : ASTROs

40. Sesame seed paste : TAHINI - I was stuck on HUMMUS, which is chick peas

41. "The Office" star : CARELL - spelled it wrong; CARREL

43. Rib : KID

44. State with a 45-mile Canadian border : IDAHO - I took a train ride from Ronkonkoma LI through Chicago all the way to Seattle back in 2003, and sadly I fell asleep for that 45 mile part of the journey, so I "missed" Idaho; I did pass through Minnesota, C.C.

45. Calcium, e.g. : METAL

46. Former Finnish coin : PENNI

50. XX x XXXV : DCC - Roman math, 20 x 35 = 700

51. Id controller : EGO

52. Sanders or Cruz: Abbr. : SENator

Splynter 

Friday, April 7, 2017, Jeffrey Wechsler

Title: JW picked this one as title and reveal- OY VEY.

In this puzzle, the exasperation that causes people to use this expression comes from the placement of OY in various known clauses -- and each groan-inducing result.

The themers are a bit inconsistent, with TOMBOY oddly clued and OYSTER breaking the second word. However that one is also my favorite image.  JW has a wonderful knack for making the puzzles challenging and interesting. Here we have the array of fill from all over the language. PHOTON, MANILA,  YODELS,  NUBILE, TWO DAYS,  BUG EYED, GO TO CHURCH, and LOCAL PRIDE are the showpieces. 

17A. Young Pharaoh's mischievous playmate? : TOMBOY OF KING TUT (15). In my world tomboys are young lady tweens or teens who prefer roughhousing to cotillions.

25A. Overly sweet fruit? : CLOYING  PEACHES (14). Never had one.

43A. Useless metallurgical product? : ALLOY FOR NAUGHT (14). Really fun.

56A. Small shellfish of high quality? : PRIME MINI-OYSTER (15). As I said the one I thought was best presentation of the theme. And the reveal-

35A. Apt cry in reaction to four puzzle answers? : OY VEY.

Across:

1. Chanel product : SCENT. I spent way too much time trying to think of a five letter perfume.

6. Father of Hector : PRIAM. Back again with the trouble making son. 55D. Paris' realm : TROY.

11. Interruption : GAP.

14. Give the green light : ALLOW.

15. "The Flintstones" co-creator : HANNA.  Part of the dynamo team HANNA-BARBERA that dominated cartoon production for many years.

16. Martial arts accessory : OBI. Sash. 

20. It's on display while boasting : EGO. Love the clue.

21. Eccentric : DOTTY. I love the old words.

22. Stephen Colbert forte : IRONY.

23. Papuan food staple : SAGO.

24. Solar prod. : ELECtricity.

31. Features of a Los Angeles aerial view : POOLS.

32. Charged thing : ION. Simply wonderful.

33. Chekov colleague : SULU. Do I need to mention Star Trek? 6D. Laser particle : PHOTON. Yes they are used in future torpedoes.

34. Line on a globe : ARC. latitude, longitude.

37. One in a cage : RIB. More fun cluing of 3 letter fill.

38. Carson predecessor : PAAR. I get Jack often; I wonder when he will be forgotten.

40. "Norma __" : RAE. Sally Field got her first Oscar.

41. Salad garnish brand : BACOS.

47. Coll. employee : PROFessor.

48. Motivate : URGE.

49. Helped create, in a way : SIRED. Does this count for humans?

51. Hold for another time : TABLE.

53. "Law & Order: SVU" rank : SGT.

59. Succor : AID.

60. Parking garage component : LEVEL.

61. Keats' Muse : ERATO. Not exclusively.

62. Montpelier-to-Providence dir. : SSE. An interesting mini-clecho.

63. Ski resort near Montpelier : STOWE. The closest nice resort when I was a youngster.

64. In la-la land : DITZY. One of the all time best....LINK.

Down:

1. Opposite of starve : SATE.

2. Obstruct : CLOG.  Like a toilet.

3. Saint Erasmus of Formia, familiarly : ELMO. Think fire. LINK.

4. San Francisco's __ Hill : NOB.

5. Weekend, usually : TWO DAYS. Duh! Almost fooled me.

7. Large quantity : RAFT. I guess less than a boatload?

8. Black : INKY.

9. "Wheel of Fortune" purchase : AN I.

10. Capital south of Taipei : MANILA. Seems to be due south. I have friend who is getting married in Taipei - sadly I must miss the ceremony.

11. Seek a higher authority? : GO TO CHURCH. Fun deception.

12. Have __ in the oven : A BUN. typical of 50's euphemisms.

13. "How unfortunate" : PITY. Tis a pity.

18. Hindu ascetic : YOGI. Berra?

19. Athenians, to Parisians : GRECS. French for Greeks.

23. Four after do : SOL. Re, mi, fa, sol....

24. Selection word : EENY.  meeny.

25. Foundation of many islets : CORAL. LINK.

26. What a homecoming parade generates : LOCAL PRIDE. Only four hours long.

27. Alms provider : GIVER. For the poor....

28. "Hop-Frog" author : POE. You might like it as we enter the literary corner. LINK.

29. Literature Nobelist of 1948 : ELIOT. From Cats to prizes for T.S. The year I was born.

30. Fills in : SUBS. CSO to HG, and I'll have a veggie.

31. Literary sobriquet : PAPA. When I had the beard some called me PAPA. I think C.C. has some pics.

35. "Carmina Burana" composer : ORFF. Music continues our high brow journey. LINK.

36. Former Rocket Ming : YAO. My wife is Thongyao - in Thai yao means young.

39. "Air Music" composer : ROREM. Our friend Ned.

41. Obviously astonished : BUGEYED. Cartoonish.

42. Vital statistic : AGE.

44. Some Alpine entertainment : YODELS.

45. Like Victoria's Secret models : NUBILE. Nubile historically meant of marriage age.

46. Woody offshoot? : ARLO. Cute way to clue the Guthries.

49. Getaway options : SPAS.

50. Camera lens feature : IRIS. She comes with every camera and cleans the lenses.

51. Blessing for a couch potato : TIVO. Did you KNOW?

52. One way to start : ANEW.

53. ER shout : STAT.

54. Stan with a sax : GETZ. Oddly Dancing with the Stars began on Monday with BASSO NOVA.

57. Exchanged handshakes : MET.

58. Indian honorific : SRI. Sanskrit śrī, literally, beauty, majesty

Our Friday regular, JW delivers a fun challenge with some compelling word pictures. He has so many variations on the add letter(s) puzzles that is the type  I look for first in blogging his work. Wish me luck. Lemonade out.

 Okay I found one....

Thursday April 6th 2017 Kurt Krauss

Theme: Quaffer's Quintet - four slang terms for overindulging in the demon drink and a fifth in the reveal.

17A. *Judy Blume genre : KIDDIE LIT. She's prolific. At least 29 published novels.

25A. *Got from the cloud? : DOWNLOADED. Everything's going to "the cloud". Be wary about data security, it's out of your hands. The only person who can get files off my hard drive is me.

36A. *Like much Chinese cooking : STIR-FRIED. Food! Get a big steel wok from your local Chinese restaurant supply store. Don't get a non-stick one, you need to be able to push food up the sides and have it stay there.

51A. *Three-year school, commonly : JUNIOR HIGH. Is this still a thing? Haven't they been Middle Schools for quite some time?

61A. Some football linemen ... and what the answers to starred clues have? : TIGHT ENDS

Kurt gives us a Thursday theme which is a dipso's delight. I like the reveal - all the ends of the other themers are synonyms for the start of this one. Nicely done.

Across:

1. Highlands hat : TAM. O'Shanter, formally.

4. Serenade, as the moon : BAY AT. First thought was "howl at" but I ran out of space.

9. Pearl seeker : DIVER

14. Botanist Gray : ASA.  Influential professor of botany at Harvard.

15. Naproxen brand : ALEVE

16. "__ Mio" : O SOLE. Let's go with Luciano Pavarotti.

19. Bags with handles : TOTES

20. Calendario start : ENERO.

21. Sierra __ : LEONE

23. Former Radiohead label : EMI

24. __ Valley: Reagan Library site : SIMI. Here in Southern California. It's a beautiful spot.

27. Not having the know-how : UNABLE

29. Locomotive, e.g. : ENGINE

30. Compose, in a way : PEN

31. Single-celled creature : AMEBA. I cannot get used to seeing this spelling. I don't bat an eyelid at the other British/American variations now, but I still want to see AMOEBA or AMŒBA

35. Sinusitis docs : ENTS. Ear, nose and throat specialists.

39. Reebok rival : PUMA

42. Dapper : NATTY

43. Cal. pages : MOS.

46. Like : AKIN TO

49. Unite securely : CEMENT

55. Julie's "Doctor Zhivago" co-star : OMAR

56. Subj. with unknowns : ALG.

57. "Cool!" : NEATO!

58. Concert venue : ARENA

59. Softens : MELTS

63. 1999-2004 Olds : ALERO

64. Vast, in verse : ENORM. 

Sole Positive of Night!

Antipathist of Light!

Fate's only essence! Primal scorpion rod -

The one permitted opposite of God!-

Condenséd blackness and abysmal storm

Compacts to one sceptre

Arms the grasp enorm-

From Ne Plus Ultra, by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

65. How-__: do-it-yourselfers' buys : TO-S

66. Printing flourish : SERIF. Times Roman has them. Arial doesn't. Before these japes were common, in 1977 the Guardian newspaper in the UK published a seven-page special supplement on the idyllic island of San Seriffe in the Indian Ocean. It was April 1st, and because no-one in the print media had done anything like this before, everyone fell for it.

67. Freelancer's supply: Abbr. : SASES. They call them SAEs in the UK, the "self" part of the address is assumed.

68. Fused : ONE

Down:

1. Occupies oneself with, as a hobby : TAKES UP

2. Just plain silly : ASININE. Nice word.

3. Mob inductee : MADE MAN

4. Scott of "Arrested Development" : BAIO

5. Tavern favorite : ALE

6. Mello __ : YELLO

7. "__ From the Bridge": Miller : A VIEW. Arthur Miller's two-act play. The first staging was a one-act verse drama which didn't have much success, so Miller went back to the drawing board.

8. Wyoming county : TETON

9. Act grandmotherly toward : DOTE ON

10. Metric lead-in : ISO-.  The "plank" is a good example of an isometric exercise.

11. Elected : VOTED IN

12. Gold or silver : ELEMENT

13. Lives : RESIDES

18. Trifle : DRIB. I think I can picture a drib, but I'm not sure what a drab looks like.

22. N.Y. Mets division : N.L.E. Baseball's National League East. Opening Day is looming.

25. __-glace: rich sauce : DEMI. Food! French reduction sauce usually used as a base for other sauces, such as a red wine glaze. If you don't want to use veal stock, use chicken stock and throw a pinch or two of gelatin in there to get that silky texture of veal.

26. Got on in years : AGED

28. Long. counterpart : LAT. Note the period in the clue. Longitude and Latitude.

32. Coastal eagle : ERN

33. Museum curator's deg. : B.F.A. Bachelor of Fine Arts.

34. Oils, e.g. : ART

36. __-Flush: household cleaner : SANI. Hesitated over SANI or SANO at first.

37. Bite symptom : ITCH

38. Network logo : EYE. CBS Television.

39. Overnight bag item, maybe : PAJAMAS

40. Elvis played one in "Blue Hawaii" : UKULELE. I had the misspelt "UKELELE" at first which led me down a SENIOR HIGH rabbit hole for a couple of minutes.

41. One working the crowd : MINGLER

43. Souvenir : MEMENTO

44. With no end in sight : ON AND ON

45. Berlin boulevard : STRASSE. "Straße" on the street signs:

47. Myriad : TONS OF

48. Pay dirt : ORE

50. "Encore!" : MORE!

52. Can't take : HATES

53. Turner autobiography : I, TINA

54. "We Got the Beat" band : GOGOS. Nit alert - the band name was "The Gogos".

58. Casino fixtures : ATMS. They don't take deposits.

60. Part of TNT : TRI-. Trinitrotoluene, not Turner Network Television. The former makes more of a bang.

62. Charlemagne's domain: Abbr. : H.R.E. Holy Roman Empire, as we all know by now.

The 2017 Masters Golf starts today. I'm looking forward to the tournament, as well as listening to Jim Nantz and his reverential whispering on CBS at the weekend.

Here's the grid!

Steve

Wednesday April 5, 2017 Mark MacLachlan

Theme: THREE LITTLE LETTERS.  Each theme entry begins with a three letter combination that is repeated, in order, at the end of the entry.  The closest I could come to a theme song is Three Little Words, Eight Little Letters.  Sometimes you just have to make do.  Take three minutes to give it a listen.

Hi Gang, JzB here, as you have probably already guessed.  The Three Little words in the song are: "I love you." A bit of trivia I picked up researching this post is that it was also the name of a 1950 movie about Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby. the guys who wrote the song. Ironically, they didn't like each other very much.  My last blog also involved letters in threes.  Maybe this is my new assignment.  Let's delve into the theme. 

17 A. *Process of electron gain or loss : IONIZATION.  Chemistry or Physics?  Either way, I get a charge out of it.  Yes, I'm positive!

24 A. *Beneficial substance in berries : ANTIOXIDANT.  Chemistry or Biology?  Oxidation is a process that might or might not involve IONIZATION.  Either way, an ANTIOXIDANT protects something else from being oxidized by getting oxidized itself.  Greater love no molecule hath!

34 A. *Eating : INGESTING.  Taking something, such as an ANTIOXIDANT into the body, by swallowing or absorption.  Yet another physical process.

48. A *London subway system, with "the" : UNDERGROUND.   Here we have a place about which I know very little.  Maybe Steve can help.  It is the main setting of Neil Gaiman's strange novel Neverwhere, in which people lost from normal society find an existence in an alternate reality.

57 A. Each answer to a starred clue begins and ends with identical ones : THREESOMES.  A group of three people or things doing something together.  What they are doing here is acting as bookends.  What else can we find?

Across

1. Chickens (out) : WIMPS.  Usually a noun, but one may WIMP out, so OK.

6. Lay eyes on : ESPY.  This word, ultimately of germanic origin, comes to us via Old French.  I remember my college German Professor remarking that Old French was Latin spoken badly by Germans.  Compare to "spy." 

10. Judge's setting : BAIL.  Not a location, but a quantity of money set by the judge, paid to assure that an accused person does not run off.

14. Like kindling when lit : AFIRE.  Flaming A-word.

15. Advil target : ACHE.  Analgesic for pain relief.

16. Insulate, as a jacket : LINE.  Install a layer of lining for added warmth.

19. Killer whale : ORCA. Aquatic predator.

20. Cereal with lemony lemon and orangey orange flavors : TRIX.  As I recall, they're for kids.

21. Falling-out : RIFT.  Can't we all just get along?

22. Bryn Mawr undergrads : WOMEN.  This is a women's liberal arts college named for the Pennsylvania town in which it is located.  The name means "Large hill" in Welsh.

23. Have a bawl : SOB.  "Clever clue," he cried.  

26. Lacking the skill : UNABLE.   We all have our limits.

28. Not as much : LESS SO.

29. Katy who voiced Smurfette in "The Smurfs" : PERRY.  I did not know that.

30. "Jeopardy!" creator Griffin : MERV.  Nor that.

33. Takes off the shelf : USES.  If one is able.

37. At the center of : AMID.  Surrounded.

40. Compete in a sack : RACE.  The infamous sack race.

41. Lets up : EASES.

45. Asian rice porridge : CONGEE.  Never heard of it.  Is it congealed?

47. Show up : ARRIVE.  Make an appearance.

52. Bus. card info : TELephone number.

53. Highly recommends : TOUTS.

54. "Monday Night Countdown" airer : ESPN.  All sports, all the time TV network.

55. Cruciverbalist Reagle of "Wordplay" : MERL.   We all knew this - right?  What you might not have known is that he retained all rights to his puzzles, and was thus able to make a living exclusively from puzzle construction.   Sadly, he passed away in August, 2015 from a sudden onset of pancreatitis.

56. Danish shoe company : ECCO.  A family-owned company founded in 1963.    They opened their first retail outlet in 1982.  Products, now including other leather goods, are sold in 14,000 sales points in 88 countries.

59. Big bunch : SLEW.  Derived from the Irish word sluagh, mid 19th century.

60. Golf game spoiler : RAIN.  Baseball, too.

61. Sailor's "Halt!" : AVAST.

62. Gull relative : TERN.  Shore birds.

63. Start of a preschool song : ABCD.  Four little letters?  Probably not.  Nor this one, I'm guessing.

64. __-Bismol : PEPTO.  Pink stuff for an upset tummy.

Down

1. Watches late TV until a teen comes home, say : WAITS UP.   Probably impatiently.

2. "From my perspective ... " : I FOR ONE.  

3. Hotel room amenity : MINIBAR.  Contains small, overpriced liquor bottles.

4. Amount to pay in Calais : PRIX.  The French price.

5. "__ who?" : SEZ.  Users of American slang, that's who.

6. Absorb the loss : EAT IT.  More American slang, for taking a financial loss.

7. "The Martian" genre : SCI-FI.  Science fiction.

8. Snapchat upload : PHOTO.  Pictures.

9. Nikkei index currency : YEN.  Japanese money

10. Diabetic's concern : BLOOD SUGAR.  The amount of glucose present in the blood stream.  Values outside the normal range can indicate a medical condition.

11. High behind a front, e.g. : AIR MASS.  A body of air with horizontally uniform temperature, humidity and pressure.

12. Holy smoke : INCENSE.  A substance burned for it's sweet aroma.  As the clue indicates, it is often associated with solemn religious ceremonies.

13. Campsite shelters : LEAN-TOS.    Simple structures composed of a slanted roof-wall, with or without 2 side walls.  The fourth side is open, generally oriented away from the prevailing winds. 

18. Former Education secretary Duncan : ARNE.   Does anybody remember this man who served from 2009 through 2015?  Does anyone know for sure which name goes first or last?  It goes like this: ARNE Duncan.

22. Golfer Michelle : WIE.   [b 1989] She announced she was turning pro a week before her 16th birthday, and joined the PGA tour in 2009.  Here are some highlights from last year.

24. Kirk __, first movie Superman : ALYN.  He appeared in serialized Superman movies in 1948 and 1950.

25. Last Super Bowl won by the Giants : XLVI.    The game was played on Sunday, Feb. 5, 2012 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.    Eli Manning was the MVP as the Giants beat the Patriots 21-17.

27. Capital of Barbados : BRIDGETOWN.  Located at the southwest corner of this island nation.  I had no clear idea of where Barbados is.  It is the eastward-most of any island in that part of the world.

30. "Tell __ story" : ME A.  Once upon a time . . .

31. PC key : ESCape.

32. MapQuest output: Abbr. : RTE.  Way Frm Pt A to Pt B.

35. Oldest Brady boy : GREG.  Played by Barry Williams

36. Geeky sort : NERD.

37. Most severe : ACUTEST.  In this sense, experienced to an extreme degree.   Is this word the awkwardest?

38. Accessory for Mr. Peanut : MONOCLE.

39. Ambien, vis-à-vis sleep : INDUCER.  It aids in falling asleep, but not in staying there.  But still can cause residual drowsiness the following morning.

42. Webpage index : SITE MAP.

43. "Into Thin Air" peak : EVEREST.  Book and movie of the same name that attempt to recreate the disastrous events of a climb that occurred on May 10, 1966.

44. Does business with : SELLS TO.   Or buys from.

46. Workplaces for LPNs : ERS. Licensed Practical nurses and Emergency Rooms.

47. Green Gables girl : ANNE.  An 11-year-old orphan girl mistakenly sent to Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, a brother and sister team who were expecting a boy to help on their Prince Edward Island Farm, in Lucy Montgomery's 1908 novel.  The story has been adapted many times into movies and plays.

49. Post-op therapy : REHAB.

50. "Hamlet" courtier : OSRIC. A superficial, shallow and insincere plotter.

51. Flip over : UPEND.

55. Bit of chess action : MOVE.  Almost - but not quite - always involves a single piece at a time.

57. __-la-la : TRA.  Sing-song syllables.

58. Con man's target : SAP.  An easy mark.

That wraps up another Wednesday.  Hope all your letters are lining up.

Cool Regards!
JzB

Note from C.C.:

1) Happy Birthday to dear Irish Miss, our loving & witty Agnes, who cares a lot about everyone on our little corner.

Eileen (sister of Agnes) & Agnes

2) Happy Birthday also to Abejo (Bradley), who's always busy volunteering for various causes. Abejo is Persian for "beer". Bradley worked in Iran for a few years.

Bradley and his Tuba, Church Fat Tuesday Event