Thursday May 25th 2017 Victor Barocas

Theme: Occupational Apt-itude Three materials are paired with one of three artisans:

18A. Virginia politician for whom a university is named : GEORGE MASON. Their men's basketball team made it to the Final Four in the NCAA tournament in 2006 having never won a game in March Madness before. Quite the story.

24A. Magical literary orphan : HARRY POTTER. I've vaguely heard of him; he's a wizard or something.

33A. "Close to You" singer : KAREN CARPENTER. Lovely voice. Passed away sadly young.

42A. "Westworld" actress (who complements 33-Across?) : EVAN RACHEL WOOD. I always hesitate with her first name.

47A. 1960 Olympic boxing gold medalist (who complements 24-Across?) : CASSIUS CLAY. He fought as a light-heavyweight in 1960.

60A. "Basic Instinct" star (who complements 18-Across?) : SHARON STONE. I won't mention the infamous (or famous) leg-crossing scene. Ooops - I just did.

Clever puzzle from Victor. I thought I'd spotted the theme after the first two entries and when I filled in the third I wondered why no-one had done this theme before. Then came the fourth and the clever symmetry. Slick stuff. A whopping 72 letters of theme-age doesn't leave a lot of room for much in the way of long fill, but there's some nice 7's and 5's to keep thing ticking along. Let's take a look.

Across:

1. Reggae relative : SKA. It's Madness, I tell you.

4. Amount before deductions : GROSS. Nicely matched with 62D.

9. Unpleasant : HARSH

14. "U R funny!" : LOL!

15. Vital supply line : AORTA. Vital? I'd say.

16. Throat dangler : UVULA. Lovely word this, but - what on earth is it for?

17. Bran source : OAT

20. Ride on runners : SLED

22. __ Testamento : NUEVO. That's a new one on me.

23. Custard base : EGG. Food! The French call it "Crème anglaise". My mom used to make it from powder out of a tin. I don't think the French would have been impressed.

27. Meeting vote : YEA

28. Falls phenomena : MISTS. Here's one from Iceland at Skogafoss. Pretty.

39. Old World Style sauce : RAGU. Food! The stuff in the bottle is labelled "Old World Style". The made-from-scratch recipes such as ragù alla bolognese don't bear a whole lot of resemblance. There are many claims for the "original" recipe Bolognese, but the official version resides in the Bologna Chamber of Commerce placed there by the Accademia Italiana della Cucina, so that one seems pretty legit.

40. Formal orders : DICTA

41. Pet peeve? : FLEA

45. Analyze, in a way : PARSE

46. __ Lingus : AER

55. Like the name "Will," for an estate lawyer : APT. Or "Bill" for any kind of lawyer.

58. Get behind : TRAIL

59. If-then-__: programmer's flow : ELSE.

IF
    DAY="THURSDAY"
THEN
    BLOGGER:="STEVE"
ELSE
    BLOGGER:=!"STEVE"
ENDIF

64. Letters between names : AKA

65. Where "Ratatouille" was cooked up : PIXAR. The studio. Food! I really wanted PARIS for this as that's where the movie was set but was dissuaded by the R which I had in place.

66. Refuge : HAVEN

67. Came together : MET

68. Not at all trustworthy : SLIMY

69. Glacial ridge : ARÊTE. Here's the North-East arête back in 1921.  A lot less traffic on the mountain back then.

70. Agency creations : ADS

Down:

1. Walk through puddles : SLOSH. Wellington boots are handy for a good puddle-sloshing.

2. It isn't really a bear : KOALA. Still cute.

3. Make different : ALTER

4. __ order : GAG

5. Sushi topper : ROE

6. Home of Stephen King's alma mater : ORONO. I only learned this from crosswords.

7. Structural support : STRUT. Should really be a strutural [sic] support in my book.

8. "Full House" star Bob : SAGET

9. "Think of it as an indulgence" : HUMOR ME

10. Oscar-nominated director DuVernay : AVA. Thank you, crosses.She won Best Director at Sundance in 2012, the first African-American woman to win the award. She comes from down the road in Long Beach and graduated UCLA.

11. Subterfuge : RUSE. Great word, subterfuge. Latin subterfugere ‘escape secretly,’ from subter- ‘beneath’ + fugere ‘flee.’

12. Uphill climb : SLOG

13. Pal around (with) : HANG

19. Big night : EVE

21. Dress rehearsals : DRY RUNS

25. "__-haw!" : YEE

26. It is really a bear : PANDA. Also cute.

29. Effective, as a rule : IN FORCE

30. D-Day city : ST LÔ. The city was practically destroyed in prolonged fighting during the 1944 liberation of France.

31. Set up for a drive : TEED

32. Mrs., in Madrid : SRA

33. Polynesian intoxicant : KAVA. This almost foxed me due to the EVAN name uncertainty.

34. Seaweed product : AGAR

35. Pres. title : C.I.C.
.
36. Günther's gripe : ACH!

37. Hwy., e.g. : RTE.

38. Micronesian republic : PALAU

39. Weightlifter's unit : REP

43. Parish house : RECTORY. Home to a rector. A parson lives in a parsonage, a vicar in a vicarage, a dean lives in a deanery and a priest lives in a priestary - wait no, in a presbytery, just to spoil things.

44. Director Anderson : WES

48. Prince Valiant's son : ARN. Thank you, crosses. Never saw the TV series.

49. Beyoncé's "I Am... __ Fierce" : SASHA

50. Lute kin : SITAR

51. "How do __ thee?" : I LOVE. From Elizabeth Barrett Browning's 43rd sonnet:

Let me count the ways. 

I love thee to the depth and breadth and height My soul can reach, 

when feeling out of sight For the ends of being and ideal grace. 

I love thee to the level of every day's Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light. 

I love thee freely, as men strive for right.

52. Camel relative : LLAMA

53. Sought answers : ASKED

54. "I Am of Ireland" poet : YEATS

55. Nile hazards : ASPS

56. Knight who co-founded Nike : PHIL. He's worth a couple of bucks now. I bought a pair of Nike running shoes back in 1982. The sole of one came unglued within a week and the store refused to exchange them. I never shopped there again and I've never bought a pair of Nikes since.

57. One in an airport line : TAXI

61. Bash : RAM

62. Amount after deductions : NET

63. Chemical suffix : -ENE

Here's the grid, and that's it from me!

Steve

Wednesday May 24, 2017 C.C. Burnikel

Theme: CONNECTS THE DOTS ( 37. Makes sense of a situation ... and, literally, what the quartet of answers to starred clues does) - DOT spans across each theme entry.

18A. *Submarine weapon launcher : TORPEDO TUBE

20A. *Catchall phrase : AND OTHERS

53A. *Martial arts maneuver : JUDO THROW.  For a ground finish.

57A. *Guacamole source : AVOCADO TREE

Hello everyone and welcome.  Boomer here, live from Minnesota.  No 300's to report, no hole in one to brag about. 

Across:       

1. "No great shakes" : MEH - Questionable word

4. Croque madame meat : HAM- Almost a backward 1-Across.

7. Red Cross supply : PLASMA

13. Often hoppy brew : ALE

14. "The Reader" actress Lena : OLIN

16. Yell : HOLLER - Give a holler for the Minnesota Twins.  First place in the AL Central.  But it's a long season.

17. Vote of support : YEA - Just a fancy word for "Yes".  I think Congress invented it, or made it up. 

22. Pyeongchang's peninsula : KOREA - I cannot figure out how so many men and women from South Korea make a fortune in the U.S. playing golf, while North Korea spends its time and money on weapons.

23. Parts of hearts : ATRIA

24. Satisfied sighs : AAHS

26. Find a place for : USE

27. Country that shares a 3,300-mile border with Argentina : CHILE - I have a golf buddy named Jorge who is from Chile.  Great guy and a good bowler as well.

29. Quiet time at day care : NAP

32. iPhone talker : SIRI

34. Small battery size : AAA - overused in crosswords, but sometimes you need three vowels back to back to back.

35. Works on one's plumage : PREENS

40. "Anchors __" : AWEIGH - I learned something, I always thought it was Anchors Away.  Now I wonder what aweigh means ??

41. Leaves for socials? : TEA - Another frequent crossword filler

42. Sweater, usually : KNIT - Is a knitting needle a Knit Pick ?

43. Legal profession : BAR - the legal exam is a bar.

44. Mocha's land : YEMEN- When I see coffee, I think of Brazil - but yes, Yemen produces mocha coffee.

46. Bespectacled friend of Snow White : DOC - Did you know that Dwarfs and Dwarves are both accepted plurals of Dwarf.  Doc is the only one of seven who is not named with an adjective.  If you did not know this important fact of life, you may be Dopey.

47. Bun or beehive : UPDO - I cannot believe this is a word.

48. Praline piece : PECAN - Remember Jimmy Carter?  He and Miss Lillian raised pecans in Plains, Georgia. Not sure if he made as much money as when he was President, but he never called anyone a nut. 

50. "I __ thought of that" : HADN'T

59. Cleanup hitter's stat : RBI. Here I am in uniform for the Hopkins Babe Ruth League age 13 or 14. In my 15-year-old year, Honeywell no longer sponsored and my team became Hopkins Merchants. I think I was #10 Center Drug.

60. Illuminated like some domed structures : TOP-LIT

61. Crumb carriers : ANTS- spend their lives under hills. 

62. Told too often, as a joke : OLD - Reminds me of Milton Berle who told the same jokes for years.

63. Snarky expressions : SNEERS

64. East, in Munich : OST - I was in Munich once.  Oktoberfest 1969. Never liked the taste of beer, but still had a good time.  

65. Short shirt : TEE - No Way - Tee Shirts are not short. 

Down:

1. Early Yucatán dweller : MAYA- I would have clued "Miss Moore of the Minnesota Lynx".

2. Justice Kagan : ELENA - Supreme woman of the high court!

3. Eye candy : HEAD-TURNER - Atlanta Braves owner

4. Eye candy : HOTTIE

5. Wahine welcome : ALOHA - A bit generic.  Wahine is a woman, normally a girlfriend or a wife

6. Swampy ground : MIRE

7. Prof.'s degree : PHD - A PHD is a doctor of Philosophy.  Why is it not DPH ?

8. "Listen to me!" : LOOK HERE - When I was in Tennessee, many of the good old boys would say "Lookie here".

9. Choir voices : ALTOS - Sopranos never fits.  I was a Bass. Not a fish. 

10. Disparaging remark : SLUR

11. "Don't Let __ Lonely Tonight": James Taylor : ME BE

12. General vicinity : AREA - Ground that Byron Buxton covers in center field.  "Put me in coach, I'm ready to play--Today". John Fogarty

15. "TED Radio Hour" broadcaster : NPR 

19. Morales of "NYPD Blue" : ESAI - Constructors love those four letter names with three vowels.

21. Family name of three popes : ORSINI - I'll take your word for this

25. Greek leader? : ALPHA - Second letter is BETA.  I have also found it interesting that  ALPHABET is our word for the whole bunch

27. Laser pointer chaser : CAT

28. Quickness : HASTE

29. Crayola shade similar to Atomic Tangerine : NEON CARROT - Amazing!  When I was a kid we had red blue green yellow orange purple, etc.

30. Opposing : ANTI

31. Wordless whisper : PSST

32. Wound covering : SCAB - Never liked this word.  BandAid did not fit.

33. Skunk River state : IOWA - Somewhere south of me.  Land of pork and corn - yum.

34. Needed a massage : ACHED

36. Subject of the musical "Mayor" : ED KOCH - presided at Simon and Garfunkel's Concert in the (Central) Park.

38. Carrier to Cairo : EGYPTAIR - I wonder if they overbook and drag people off their planes.

39. Much-used base : TEN - I would clue "Number of pins in a rack".

45. Magic spell : MOJO

46. Not fancy at all : DETEST - For those of you who might detest this puzzle, Take up Golf and see how you like that.

47. "I give!" : UNCLE - I wonder if pro wrestlers hollered this when caught in a four figure leg lock.

48. Keats and Yeats : POETS -  He's a poet but he don't know it, but his feet show it--- they're long fellows.

49. Highborn : NOBLE - We have a "Noble Avenue" a half mile from our house.  I think you have to be a Duke or Earl to live there.

50. They're sometimes felt : HATS

51. Mary Kay rival : AVON

52. Lowdown : DOPE - Finally, and adjective for me preparing this blog.

54. Actress Hagen : UTA

55. Beijing-born Bond villain : DR NO - Roger Moore, RIP

56. Off-target : WIDE - An adjective for my golf shots.

58. Rehab hurdle : DTS

Boomer

Notes from C.C.: 

 

1) The Sixth Minnesota Crossword Tournament will be held at the beautiful Landmark Center in Saint Paul on Sunday, June 11, 2017. 

Constructors include Christopher Adams, George Barany, Victor Barocas (also our editor), David Hanson, Andy Kravis, Mark McClain, Andrea Carla Michaels, David Liben-Nowell, Tom Pepper, Andrew J. Ries and our own Jeffrey Wechsler, who's flying to MN again this year to help the tournament. Hope to see some of you there.

2) Indie 500 Crossword Tournament will take place on June 3, 2017. Angela Olson Halsted is PuzzleGirl who used to run the LA Confidential blog.

2) To foodies on our blog, hope you check out "The Gefilte Manifesto: New Recipes for Old World Jewish Foods", co-authored by Liz Alpern, daughter of the great Mike Alpern, who organizes the annual Cru Dinner. Liz appeared on the cover of last month's Hadassah Magazine. What fish is that?

Tuesday, May 23, 2017 Ed Sessa

Theme: Two Different Words That Start With The Same Two Letters - La/La

20A. *Teaching aid for learning foreign tongues: LANGUAGE LAB

59A. *Deep blue gemstone: LAPIS LAZULI

5D. *Superboy's girlfriend: LANA LANG

11D. *Satisfaction after setbacks: LAST LAUGH

35D. *Cowboy star with a bullwhip: LASH LARUE

41D. 2016 Best Picture (no, wait; it wasn't!) ... and a fitting place for the answers to starred clues?: LA LA LAND

Argyle here. All the other letters except J and Q. Entries in rows: 2, columns: 4. Cute reveal.

Across:

1. Place for wet cannonballs: POOL

5. Volcanic rocks: LAVAs

10. Move like a river: FLOW

14. Vineyard unit: ACRE

15. Plant used in tequila production: AGAVE

16. Spencer of "Good Morning America": LARA

17. Really wiped out: BEAT

18. Private's denial: "NO SIR!"

19. Like many resold items: USED

23. Tot's piggy: TOE

24. Like an accurate hockey shot: ON GOAL

25. Arbor Day month: APRIL

27. Brute: BEAST

30. Tackled, as a task, with "at": HAD A GO, hopefully done...

33. With competence: ABLY

36. Orderly: NEAT

38. "__ I lie to you?": WOULD

39. Spy org. created under Truman: CIA. (Central Intelligence Agency)

40. Appetizer often served with duck sauce: EGG ROLL

42. Prefix with centric or caching: GEO

43. Dermatologist's surgical tool: LASER

45. "__ girl!": ATTA

46. "Believe" singer: CHER. The song featured audio processor software, Auto-Tune, which became known as the "Cher effect".

47. Theater guides: USHERs

49. Sun-related: SOLAR

51. Plunders: LOOTS

53. Died down: ABATED

57. Place to de-stress: SPA

62. Angelic glow: AURA

64. Dreadlocks wearer: RASTA

65. "__ la Douce": IRMA. (1963 romantic comedy starring Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine)

66. Essential point: CRUX

67. Promotional connection: TIE-IN

68. Black, to a poet: EBON. Shakespeare's jet?

69. Ship's backbone: KEEL

70. Mortimer on Bergen's knee: SNERD

71. See 63-Down: ROSE. 63-Down. With 71-Across, rocker whose first name anagrams a West Coast airport code: AXL. (LAX / Los Angeles Airport)

Down:

1. Picasso who painted Gertrude Stein: PABLO

2. Arctic or Indian: OCEAN

3. Sumatran ape: ORANG. (orangutan)

4. Allow to pass: LET GO BY

6. Intensely excited: AGOG

7. Ming museum piece: VASE

8. Hometown of St. Teresa: ÁVILA, in 52-Down. Iberian Peninsula country: SPAIN

9. High-ranking angel: SERAPH

10. Winter ailment: FLU

12. Layered cookie: OREO

13. Get one's tootsies wet: WADE

21. Dubai's fed.: UAE. (United Arab Emirates)

22. Saloon slugfest: BRAWL

26. Altar words: I DO

28. Sonic the Hedgehog game company: SEGA

29. Small fruit pies: TARTs

31. Pure joy: GLEE. Eating tarts.

32. What the nose knows: ODOR

33. Civil rights gp.: ACLU. (American Civil Liberties Union)

34. Skewed view: BIAS

37. Terrier on the Yellow Brick Road: TOTO. Not in Kansas.

40. Filmdom's Flynn: ERROL

44. Fair-hiring letters: EEO. (Equal Employment Opportunity)

46. Comparatively outlandish: CRAZIER

48. Inaugurates: STARTS

50. Case workers' org.?: ABA. (American Bar Association)

54. Supercharger: TURBO

55. "St. __ Fire": ELMO'S

56. "Cheers" waitress: DIANE. (Shelley Long) Different bar from 50-Down.

57. Potato holder: SACK

58. Like 24-karat gold: PURE

60. "__ skies of blue and clouds of white ... ": "What a Wonderful World": I SEE

61. Recipe instruction: STIR

Argyle

Monday, May 22, 2017 Jake Braun

Theme: Play Ball! - Choose your team.

69A. Sports org. for the players that begin the answers to starred clues: MLB. Major League Baseball

17A. *Found middle ground: MET HALFWAY. New York Mets.

39A. *Hockey rink divider: RED LINE. Cincinnati Reds.

58A. *Shaft from the sun: RAY OF LIGHT. Tampa Bay Rays.

10D. *"Unforgettable" crooner: NAT KING COLE. Washington Nationals.

25D. *Jimmy Olsen, notably: CUB REPORTER. Chicago Cubs.

26D. *"The Tonight Show" host after Johnny Carson: JAY LENO. Toronto Blue Jays.

Argyle here. Symmetry! Pin wheel with a bullseye. Consistency! All three letter teams. A reveal tucked in the SE corner. Quantity with quality and a couple of learning moments. Yes, I liked this puzzle(Can you tell?).

Across:

1. Task: JOB

4. Suddenly paid attention: SAT UP

9. Take __: snooze: A NAP

13. Wows: AWEs

15. One may drift in from the kitchen: AROMA

16. Scarlett's plantation: TARA

19. Caesar's stunned words: "ET TU!?"

20. Dirt road depressions: RUTS

21. Tots' three-wheelers: TRIKEs

23. __ Wall Street: 2011 protest: OCCUPY

26. Kind of delinquent: JUVENILE

28. Resort island near Venezuela: ARUBA

29. Chart with roads: MAP

30. Rainier or Rushmore: Abbr.: MTN. (mount)

31. Sad sound: SOB

32. "It's my call": "I SAY SO"

35. Eye provocatively: OGLE

38. Corn serving: EAR

41. 102, to Caesar: CII

42. 69-Across list of games, briefly: SKED. MLB

44. Garden-tidying gadget: WEEDER

45. Texter's "Holy cow!": "OMG!". (Oh my God)

46. In favor of: PRO

48. Suffix with chlor-: INE

49. __ Waldo Emerson: RALPH

51. Reach a total of: AMOUNT TO

54. Self-effacing: MODEST

55. Friendliness: WARMTH

56. Temporary calm: LULL

57. FBI employees: AGTs.

64. Fictional pirate often addressed as "Mr.": SMEE. Capt. Hook's bo's'n.

65. Like basic wall switches: ON/OFF

66. Boyfriend: BEAU

67. "B.C." cartoonist Johnny: HART

68. Would like: WANTs

Down:

1. Rush hour tie-up: JAM

2. Have to pay: OWE

3. Racetrack risk: BET

4. Like many pretzels: SALTY

5. Cousins of woofs: ARFs

6. Stranded motorist's need: TOW

7. Actress Thurman: UMA

8. Fee-based home entertainment: PAY TV

9. Eroded, as savings: ATE INTO

11. Soviet cooperative: ARTEL. One of the learning expo's. "The Artel (association) is another term for the collective ownership and operation of industry. It is one of the oldest and most widespread institutions in Russia." ~ Manya Gordon. Even the Wiki page is short.

12. Temporary stop: PAUSE

14. Foundation plant: SHRUB

18. Live-in household helper: AU PAIR

22. Sleep stage: REM. (rapid eye movement)

23. Desert respites: OASES

24. Sound from a lily pad: CROAK

27. Opportunity for growth: UPSIDE

29. Finally arrived: MADE IT

33. Stitch: SEW

34. Winner's number: ONE

36. Uneven gaits: LIMPS

37. Quarterfinal contestants count: EIGHT

40. Jazzman Garner: ERROLL

43. Percussionist's kit: DRUM SET

47. Toronto's prov.: ONT. (Ontario)

50. Actor's unwritten line: AD LIB

51. Flooded: AWASH

52. Igneous rock, once: MAGMA

53. Fielder's assist, e.g.: THROW

54. Bobbles: MUFFs

56. Hit high into the air: LOFT

59. Santa __ winds: ANA

60. Partner of hither: YON

61. Precious stone: GEM

62. Uncooperative "2001" computer: HAL

63. Spot for a bath: TUB

Please excuse my abbreviated version today. I lost my Google Chrome bowser somehow.

Argyle