Saturday, Apr 15th, 2017, Roland Huget

Theme: None

Words: 70 (missing V,W,X)

Blocks: 27

Second Saturday from today's constructor this year, and looking over that puzzle, I noted that I had one cheat - well, there was none of that today. I did have a slow start and some vague cluing which was not that vague once I realized my first thought was the right answer.  The NW corner was last to fill in, and I had just enough in my wheelhouse to make this a challenge, but doable.  Quad 9's and triple 7's in the corners of this grid;  I am working from my desktop "tower" computer for the first time this week, and it takes some getting used to with the much wider monitor - 25 whole inches - and the "big buttons" keyboard.  My laptop has Windows XL, which Firefox no longer supports, so the internet was crashing too often.  The technological turnover in devices these days is sometimes too fast....anyway, some of the longer answers;

19. Asylum seeker : IMMIGRANT - we'll open with a musical refernce

The Immigrant Song

14. Candidate for Photoshop : EYESORE - forget the fact that this is also a courthouse, but to me, a real eyesore....

57. Carousel riders : SUITCASES -got it because I was not thinking of little kids on a carousel - it was because Airplane~! was on TV yesterday;

37. Water or gas : UTILITY - makes me think of Monopoly

or this one - warning~!

ACROSS:

1. Nevada's state flower : SAGEBRUSH - guess there's not a lot to choose from in plants out there

10. Yippie Hoffman : ABBIE

15. Silver tongue : ELOQUENCE

16. Like some winds : REEDY - my first thought, but thought it was too seedy

17. Becomes ripe : MATURATES

18. "Joyful, __ nations, rise": carol lyric : ALL YE

20. Walk quartet : BALLS - drew a complete blank, even after I finished, but then I finally got the V-8 can moment and figured out it's a baseball reference; see 11d.

21. Rathskeller turndown : NEIN - I spelled it 'backwards', which didn't help - we have a running gag at the poker table that there's a German playing when a "nine" comes out - get it~?

22. In silence : MUTELY

24. Half of Bennifer : JLo - Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck

25. "Inferiority complex" coiner : ADLER - pondered FREUD

27. "Unfaithful" co-star : GERE

28. Hold 'em holding : PAIR - I tanked in last week's game - and we're not playing tonight

29. Calif. NHL team, on scoreboards : LA Kings - who did not make the playoffs this year, but beat the NY Rangers for the Stanley Cup in 2014.  The Rangers gave it away last night to the Canadiens

30. How many TV shows are aired : IN HD

32. Liftoff sensation : G-FORCE

34. Record flaw : BLOT - ah, a 'criminal' record, not an LP

35. Moonraker, for one : SAIL - got stuck in James Bond mode

36. "You kiss by the book" speaker : JULIET - got it from -U--ET

39. Solar __ : CELL - not WIND

40. Word heard before a pistol fires : SET - ready, set, go~!

43. Heavy traffic may affect them, briefly : ETAs

44. Buddy : CHUM

46. Seriously hurts : MAIMS - had it in, took it out, put it back

48. First date concern : ZIT - first dates these days don't concern zits - compatibility seems to be the big issue at my age

49. Civil War battle site : SHILOH

51. Tahari of fashion : ELIE

52. Young would-be 19-Across in 2000 news : ELIAN

54. River across Quebec, in Quebec : St. LAURENT

56. Overindulgence : BINGE

58. Business that requires browsing : eTAIL

59. Lily's "Laugh-In" operator : ERNESTINE

60. Janitor's supply : LYSOL - oops, I threw in an "S" at the end thinking it would be plural

61. Collector's targets : DEADBEATS - I tried "WHOLE SETS", which fit, but seemed awkward

DOWN:

1. Pioneering : SEMINAL

2. Oakland's county : ALAMEDA - pretty good WAG from some crossings

3. Dairy line? : GOT MILK~?

4. Like some mounts : EQUINE

5. Hamlet : BURG - not TOWN

6. Prepare for a new assault : REARM

7. Innate : UNTAUGHT

8. Like many candles : SCENTED

did you see the candles~?

9. Hawthorne's Prynne : HESTER - forced high school reading - The Scarlet Letter

10. Sheikdom of song : ARABY

11. Coach of Nadia and Mary Lou : BELA - the "A" was my last fill, and I guessed

12. Protective display cover : BELL JAR

13. Charmingly rustic : IDYLLIC

23. By the book : LEGAL

26. Get to : RILE

28. Campaign pro : POLitician

31. V-shaped cut : NOTCH - I have finally gotten around to building my entertainment center after months of planning - the unit divides my space into "living room" and "bedroom"; I mounted the TV and the fake fireplace on a swivel, can see both from either room now

33. Thin coat : FILM

34. Grafton's "__ for Burglar" : B IS

35. Pasta ingredient : SEMOLINA - my first thought, but was not jibing with my crossings

36. Biblical wife of Ahab : JEZEBEL - good WAG from the "J" and the "L"

38. Selena and others : LATINAS

39. Lab dish subject : CULTURE

40. Historical Oder River region : SILESIA - filled via perps

41. Distinguished : EMINENT

42. Flies over Africa? : TSE-TSES

45. Sounded displeased : HISSED

47. Make bubbly : AERATE

49. Fishhook connector : SNELL

50. More than a little unpopular : HATED

53. Currency exchange fee : AGIO - hah~!  I knew this~!

55. Sch. in the same system as Berkeley : UCSB - somehow I managed to try U CAL, but it helped

Splynter

Friday April 14, 2017 Mark McClain

(Note from C.C.: Lemonade just had a surgery for his severe sciatica pain last Friday. He's now at home recuperating. He already got the post started, so I'll just complete rest. Let's send Lemonade all our healing thoughts and wish him a quick recovery. We need the good old Lemonade back talking about puzzles his way!)

Title: NOPE!

Our new friend Mark McClain delivers a fun comparatively easy Friday. The letters "PE" are removed from common phrases to reveal a new entertaining phrase. What makes the puzzle elegant is the first two relate to bad people and the next two are golf-related. I am not sure I have seen a "remove letters" that was so precise. CAD CRUSADER required perps but that opened the rest. There were few 3/4 letter fill and some glitz with 6/7 fill. I liked TUM TUM, MIRREN, TRISTE, ERRATIC, RETINAS and TRUISMS. He does this all in a nice pinwheel. Well let's get to it.

17A. Insensitive zealot? : CAPED CRUSADER (11). Batman (a good guy) is replaced with a CAD (a bad guy). Nice.

56A. Reprobate's regular expense? : SINNER'S REPENT (11). Yes sinners must find a place to live.

10D. Golf course equipment of the future? : FLYING CARPETS (11). Having both seen and done bad driving on the golf course, the thought of crazy golf throwing clubs also in the sky woth a golf cart is frightening.

25D. What many golfers regularly engage in? : THE PAPER CHASE (11). 1973 film. Par chase accurately describes what most golfers seek. Birdies and eagles are icing on the cake

And the reveal:

66A. Casual refusal ... and, another way, a hint to this puzzle's four longest answers : NOPE. Puzzle falls into place with the correct parsing of this word.

On to the rest.

Across:

1. Tablet input : DATA. Your handy i- or Samsung product.

5. Stick (on) : PASTE.

10. Groovy : FAB. Properly cluing this out of use with a passe clue.

13. "The Quiet Man" co-star : O'HARA. Maureen. LINK.

15. Take in, maybe : ALTER. I was thinking duping someone at first.

16. Mauna __ : LOA. 120 feet lower than one of the other volcanoes that are the creation of Hawaii.

19. Wine bottle figs. : YRS. A CSO to our wine peddler Chairman Moe, who can discuss vintages as long as you listen.

(OK, C.C, starts here)

20. Asian capital : HANOI.

21. Where Gauguin painted "Woman With a Flower" : TAHITI.. Here's the painting.

23. Lays to rest : INTERS

26. Eye parts : RETINAS

27. Gung-ho : RAH RAH

28. Concurrent with : DURING

29. Poetic praise : ODE

30. Like Mandarin Chinese, linguistically : TONAL. Mandarin has four tones. So same spelling MA can have four different meanings. In First Tone (Level), MA means "Mother". In Second Tone (Rising), MA means "Hemp" or "Numb". In Third Tone (Falling/Rising), MA means "Horse". In Fourth Tone (Falling), MA means "Scold". This chart has an extra one, but it sounds the same as the First Tone. Dear Jayce knows them all.

32. '80s-'90s slugger Fielder : CECIL. Dad of Prince Fielder.

35. Popular wine region : NAPA

37. Summer Triangle twinkler : DENEB

39. All there : SANE

40. View : SLANT

42. Get rid of : SCRAP

44. Rotation meas. : RPM

45. Downgrade, maybe : RE-RATE.

47. Tot's indigestion area : TUM TUM. We also have 59. Toddler's downtime : NAP.

49. Grows periodically : ACCRUES. As interest.

51. Sad, on the Seine : TRISTE. Je suis triste sans toi.
  
52. Sweater wool : MOHAIR

53. Rodeo critter : STEER.

55. Item under a top : BRA

61. Funny pair? : ENS. Letters in Funny.

62. Like Mexico's Pyramid of the Magician : MAYAN

63. Part of UTEP : TEXAS

64. Whiskey option : RYE

65. Rested : SLEPT. How many hours of sleep do you get daily?

Down:

1. Bashful comrade? : DOC. Seven Dwarfs. Comrade always makes me think of China & Russia. That's how my Dad and his colleagues addressed one another.

2. "I thought so!" : AHA.

3. 1860s White House boy : TAD. Lincoln's son.

4. Tell, memorably : ARCHER. William Tell.

5. Part of UTEP : PASO.

6. Fronton game word : ALAI. Jai alai court is called "Fronton".

7. Kind of deviation: Abbr. : STD

8. Wobble : TEETER

9. Unpredictable : ERRATIC

11. Big artery : AORTA

12. Rationale : BASIS. Rationale is a favorite word of my old boss. 

14. Genesis mount : ARARAT

18. Like wild horses : UNSHOD

22. Duncan of baking fame : HINES. Wow. Never heard of it. I never bake cakes.

23. Shackles : IRONS

24. Clay-court legend : NADAL. "The King of Clay"

26. Yardstick : RULER

28. Reel, for one : DANCE. Hi there Yellowrocks!

31. Fledgling launching spots : NESTS. This clue made me smile.


33. Feedback : INPUT

34. "I wanna try!" : LEMME.

36. End of __ : AN ERA.

38. Frying preparation : BATTER. Hmm, tempura.

41. Self-evident actualities : TRUISMS

43. Least spoiled : PUREST

46. Ham's accessory : AERIAL

48. "The Queen" (2006) star : MIRREN (Helen). Amazing actress.

49. Color in "America the Beautiful" : AMBER. "For amber waves of grain..". I got via crosses.

50. Like many bar jokes : CORNY

53. Blow a fuse : SNAP

54. Canvas shelter : TENT

57. Actress Carrie who was married to Dick Cavett : NYE. Stranger to me.

58. Skeletal opening? : EXO. Exoskeletal.

60. Japanese market letters : TSE. Tokyo Stock Exchange. Nikkei Index.

Lemonade & C.C.

Thursday, April 13 2017 Matt Skoczen

Theme: Blue Clues! Here's my friend who sniffed out the theme:

64A. Hint in a specialty crossword, and, literally, what's found in 17-, 20-, 38- and 59-Across : CRYPTIC CLUE

17A. Infomercial promise : MIRACLE CURE

20A. Powerful 1970s Pittsburgh defensive line, familiarly : STEEL CURTAIN. Tough crowd. Very tough.

38A. "The Card Players" artist : PAUL CEZANNE. These guys.

59A. Sticker on store fruit : PRODUCE LABEL. The process by which Chiquita gets a label on each banana was a closely-guarded secret when it was introduced in 1963.

So, we've got four scrambles of the word CLUE in the theme entries, and the reveal describes this as cryptic. I've got a little problem with this - cryptic crosswords have many devices and traditions, and a scramble is one small and rarely-used convention. Anagrams, yes. Also, the adjacent extra "C" and "E" in MIRACLE CURE and STEEL CURTAIN respectively bothered me a tad. However, easy to be a critic, hard to be the originator.

Across:

1. Jackson with a 1972 Lifetime Achievement Grammy : MAHALIA. "The Queen of Gospel."

8. Rx watchdog : FDA. I just switched my Rx's from one pharmacy chain to another. You'd have thought it would have been a straightforward process. Not so much.

11. Wing : ELL. Wing of a house. Took me a while to see this.

14. Most sober : GRAVEST

15. Curved part : ARC

16. Md. neighbor : DELaware. Maryland neighbor.

19. Md. neighbor : WVA. I had the "W" and was struggling to see how Washington, DC could be abbreviated "in the language," then West Virginia popped into my head.

22. Didst whack : SMOTE. Best clue/answer of the day. Love this one.

25. Spot checker? : VET. My Dog, Spot. When I worked at Warner Bros. one of the theatrical executives was fired for joking in a keynote that the movie was re-titled "My Lunch, Spot" for release in the Philippines.

26. One-named Deco master : ERTE

27. Swiss river : AAR

28. Loot : ROB

31. Storm warning : THUNDER

33. Pair : DYAD. Our educators would describe students working together in pairs as "dyad pedagogy."

35. Algonquin Round Table member, e.g. : WIT

37. Role for Dustin : RATSO. Hoffman in Midnight Cowboy. What a great performance.

42. Amu __: Asian river : DARYA. Thank you, crosses. It's a big bugger at 1,491 miles. I'd have thought I'd have heard about it before now.

44. Verizon subsidiary : AOL

45. Undertaking : TASK

48. Anka song with the phrase "Kiss me mucho" : ESO BESO. Muchos gracias, cruces.

51. Soccer chant : OLÉ. Let's revisit the World Cup in 2014 in Rio.

53. Loving murmur : COO

54. A giraffe has a long one : MANE. Hand up for NECK first. Then TAIL. Finally got there.

55. Org. concerned with briefs : ABA. American Bar Association.

57. "Swing Shift" Oscar nominee : LAHTI. Tried LATTI. was wrong.

63. Fill in (for) : SUB

68. Actor Wallach : ELI

69. Jeans name : LEE

70. Like some lunch orders : ON TOAST. Lunch? I'd more associate this with breakfast. My favorite breakfast in the UK - black pudding (blood sausage) and scrambled eggs on toast.

71. "Amen!" : YES!

72. Inject : ADD

73. "Seems that way to me" : I'D SAY SO

Down:

1. "Mrs. Miniver" studio : MGM. Waited for crosses. Could have been RKO.

2. 2001 W.S. champs : ARIzona Diamondbacks.

3. Guffaw sound : HAR

4. Stop at sea : AVAST. Usually followed by "Me Hearties". Heave-to didn't fit.

5. Hopkins role : LECTER. The gourmand Hannibal. I never asked for any of his recipes.

6. Scotland's Arran, e.g. : ISLE

7. Perfectly, with "to" : A TEE

8. Leak source : FAUCET

9. Diminutive celeb sexologist : DR RUTH

10. Taiwanese PC maker : ACER

11. Pirate on the Queen Anne's Revenge : EDWARD TEACH. Fondly known as Blackbeard. Learning moment, but solid crosses did most of the work. I was almost Natick'ed at LAHTI though.

12. Descendants of a son of Jacob and Leah : LEVITES. This area caused me the most trouble. Tried SEMITES first.

13. Venezuelan cowboy : LLANERO. Learning moment which contributed to my puzzlement in the north-east.

18. MDL ÷ X : CLV

21. Studio occupant : TENANT

22. Glum : SAD

23. Kentucky Derby time : MAY. Coming up soon, the self-proclaimed "most exciting two minutes in sports."

24. Latin "pray for us" : ORA PRO NOBIS. I dragged this one kicking and screaming out of the deep recesses of my brain - as a kid I was hauled by my ear to Mass in Latin every Sunday. Is this a fair entry though?

29. Barn __ : OWL

30. Light source : BIC. Hold up your lighter and rock on! Heineken claimed, tongue in cheek, they were responsible for the phenomenon. You can hold up an iPhone app now instead of a Bic.

32. Banquet dispenser : URN

34. Futon kin : DAY BED

36. Sweet __ : TEA

39. OPEC member : UAE. United Arab Emirates, member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries.

40. Madhouse : ZOO

41. The lot : ALL

42. Portrayer of "McDreamy" on "Grey's Anatomy" : DEMPSEY. No clue. Thank you, crosses.

43. Typically : AS A RULE

46. Boozer : SOT

47. Colorful carp : KOI

49. Revered : SACRED

50. Was loyal to : OBEYED

52. Picks : ELECTS

56. High point of a European trip? : ALP

58. Foil giant : ALCOA

60. Golden St. campus : UCLA

61. Yours, to Yves : A TOI. Very glad I learned French in High School and I've been to the country enough times to have a very basic but working knowledge.

62. Tie up : BIND

65. Not of the cloth : LAY. The non-clerical hoi-polloi. This one bothered the purist in me a little - "a man of the cloth" might be described as mild slang for the clergy, but a layperson is not at all a slang term.

66. __ Nimitz : USS. I thought this carrier was retired, but it is now the oldest-serving carrier in the US fleet, operating out of Kitsap naval base in Washington State.

67. DDE's command : ETO. Dwight D. Eisenhower in command of the European Theater of Operations in World War Two. Question - since the location was Europe, should it be "Theatre?" Answers on a postcard please.

Wednesday April 12, 2017 Neville Fogarty

Theme:  BLOOD TYPE (62A. Classification suggested by the beginning of 17-, 25-, 37- and 53-Across)

17A. Dean's list honorees : A STUDENTS. C.C. told me Neville Fogarty is a young math professor.

25A. Thiamine and riboflavin : B VITAMINS.

37A. Two-variable marketing experiment : A/B TESTING. Never heard of this experiment.

53A. First novel in Willa Cather's Great Plains trilogy : O PIONEERS!.

Hello everyone, Boomer here. 

A typical puzzle for me. I struggled with a few answers. I did  get 1-Across immediately. Speaking of 1-Across, I heard on the radio yesterday that each World Champion ring awarded to Cubs players and staff will contain 108 diamonds to commemorate 108 years of futility !  I realize that diamonds come in all sizes and you may need a microscope to see all of them but it still seems excessive.  I wonder how many packages of Wrigley gum could be purchased for what one ring cost. 

Across:

  

1. They broke their 108-year World Series drought in 2016 : CUBS

5. Medical picture : X-RAY -I think former Twin Oswaldo Arcia is now an Ex-Ray.

9. Gives out : EMITS - I think Oswaldo had an "E - Mitt" (E-9)

14. Lustrous gem : OPAL - October birthstone

15. "Bloom County" reporter : MILO - Bloom County does not appear in the Minneapolis paper.        Google helps.

16. Very small : MICRO - Could be the size of the Cubs ring diamonds.

19. Pasture sound : BLEAT - If you keep your goats and lambs in the pasture, not in the kitchen.

20. Add to the pot : STIR IN - my first thought was RAISE.

21. Electronic sci-fi antagonist : HAL - If the clue was Barney Miller, I would have got it right away.

23. "¡Dios __!" : MIO

24. Cannes cup : TASSE

28. FBI operative : AGT Of course this is abbrev. for AGENT.  What is Special about them, I don't know.

29. Number before vier : DREI - I was never good at foreign stuff.

31. Spring bloomer : AZALEA - Mindful of the hours we spent watching Augusta National last weekend.

32. Flip (through) : LEAF - Okay, leaf can be a verb.  I rake the nouns plenty though.

34. Son of Zeus and Hera : ARES

36. In tune : ON KEY - Hopefully "America the Beautiful" is sung that way in the 7th inning on Sundays.

40. Diving bird : GREBE - Not familiar with this bird.

43. Way out yonder : AFAR - Does anyone ever use the word "Yonder" anymore ?

44. Inscribe : ETCH - If you have an Etch, Scretch it.

48. After morays, say : EELING - This word threw me.  I am Minnesotan and some folks fish for eelpout.  That might be called eeling, I don't know.

50. Mined matter : ORES - Sorry but I always thought that the plural of ORE is ORE.

52. Mexican gold : ORO

55. Apartment sign : TO LET - This has changed to "Now Leasing" here in the North.

57. Go bad : ROT

58. Under the weather : ILL

59. Javier __, first Spanish actor to win an Oscar : BARDEM. Husband of Penelope Cruz.

60. "Good __!" : GRIEF - Famous words of Charlie Brown.

65. Not always helpful reply to "Who's there?" : IT'S ME

66. Like bad fried food : OILY - Some people like greasy French fries, which makes it good fried food.

67. Shed tools : HOES

68. Early fur trader : ASTOR- The original John (Johan) Jacob Astor abandoned fur trading around 1830 and made a fortune investing in real estate in New York City.  Hmmmm Remind you of anyone?

69. Ties the knot : WEDS

70. Joint possession word : OURS

  

Down:

1. Like beachfront property : COASTAL - Of course, here in the land of 10,000 lakes we have miles and miles of beachfront property, but nothing coastal.  And the only Tide we have is in the grocery store in a red plastic jug. 

2. Steal the spotlight from : UPSTAGE

3. Cuban dictator overthrown by Castro : BATISTA - Wow, there's a name out of the past.  I was nine or ten years old.  No one had ever heard of Fidel.  I wonder when we will be able to by those great cigars again.

4. Nasty remarks : SLURS

5. Marvel Comics mutants : X-MEN - I remember when Comics were 10 cents.

6. __ Tin Tin : RIN - Everyone remembers a TV dog, but tell the truth - how many of you remember Fulgencio Batista ??

7. PC key : ALT - Of course my first thought was ESC.

8. Super Mario World dinosaur : YOSHI - The lovable character from the original Nintendo.  Everybody had one.  Heck I had one and I was 40 years old!

9. Decorate elaborately : EMBLAZON - I always thought "emblazon" meant fire.

10. End of a general's URL : MIL

11. Low-fat frozen dessert : ICE MILK - Let's all go to the Dairy Queen.

12. Many a new hire : TRAINEE - Do you suppose a railroad engineer was ever a trainee ?

13. "If you will" : SO TO SAY - Must be a California clue, I have never said "So to Say".

18. Fizzled out : DIED

22. __ crossroads : AT A

25. First interracial coed college in the South : BEREA - An interesting school South of Lexington, KY.  I think C.C. and I may have passed through Berea on I-75 one time on a trip to Myrtle Beach.  All Berea students are on scholarship.

26. Tries to win : VIES FOR

27. Canine ailment : MANGE - This is bad stuff.  I once had a Cocker Spaniel inflicted with it. 

30. Chinese zodiac animal : RAT -  I am sure C.C. can tell you when the year of the Rat will be. (or was)

33. One-named Italian male model : FABIO - This guy made millions by wearing other peoples clothes.  Nice job !!

35. "The Fault in Our __": 2014 film : STARS

38. Nickname for a 2000s tabloid item : BENNIFER. Ben and Jennifer.

39. Anger : IRE

40. Black Sea republic : GEORGIA

41. Police paperwork : REPORTS

42. High-and-mighty sort : ELITIST - One more "T" and you have an anagram of a golf ball.

45. "Just like I said" : TOLD YOU

46. Climbing plant : CREEPER - Since 1-Across was Cubs, check out the outfield walls at Wrigley for creepers.

47. Disordered yet appealing person : HOT MESS - Sorry I did not get this one, hope you did.

49. Salon application : GEL - Maybe hair Gel for Bryce Harper ??

51. Dutch town : STAD

54. Nudge : ELBOW - I have seen elbow fouls called in the NBA.  Trust me, they were not nudges.

56. Weed B Gon maker : ORTHO - Nice title.  I have tried many types, but the dandelions seem to always win.  No problem though - C.C. thinks they are pretty flowers.

59. School restroom sign : BOYS - Not sure what the signs are in South Carolina, but they claim they are fixing it.  Money talks - the NCAA said "Fix it or we are gone". (Correction: North Carolina.)

 61. Confessional rock genre : EMO - I was not aware however this is also an anagram of a Stooge.

63. Fabrication : LIE

64. Not up-to-date : OLD

Boomer