Thursday, January 11th 2018 C.C. Burnikel

Theme: Yes, you can .. Of course you can - do all these things that the theme suggests:

17A. Step on it : WELCOME MAT. Mine reads "Hello!" when you walk in, "Goodbye!" when you leave.

39A. Sleep on it : BUNK BED

62A. Count on it : TALLY SHEET. This one looks serious:

11D. Bet on it : HORSE RACE

35D. Bank on it : POOL TABLE. Bank shot. Satisfying if you pull it off.

Very nice theme from C.C. - the theme is in the clues rather than the solutions, and both across and down. They both play their part in a fun puzzle. I liked TALLY SHEET particularly

Across:

1. Splendor : POMP

5. Lara Croft targets : TOMBS. Lara Croft, Tomb Raider. I had a maquette of her on my desk when I worked at Warner Bros. Of course, it was all in the cause of accuracy with merchandise product development.

10. In that case : THEN

14. Jamba Juice berry : ACAI. This, or Goji. Wait for the crosses.

15. "Tommy" is one : OPERA. The first "rock opera". Here's Elton John as the Pinball Wizard.

16. Chewy Hershey candy : ROLO

19. Activates, as a security system : ARMS

20. Tossed course : SALAD

21. Company that introduced Styrofoam : DOW. Really? That's a new one. I'd have guessed 3M if someone held my feet to the fire.

22. Spacek of "Bloodline" : SISSY. Ha! I had you at "Spacek".

23. Things to avoid : NO-NOS

25. Foamy pick-me-up : LATTE

27. Defeat decisively : TROMP. There's something very satisfying about this word, especially the past tense "trompled".

30. Tied in the harbor : MOORED

33. Flowing garment : CAPE

36. __ Paulo, Brazil : SÃO. The first time I flew into here I was stunned by how large the city is. I had no idea.

37. Roman poet who coined "carpe diem" : HORACE

Be wise, strain the wine; and since life is brief, prune back far-reaching hopes! 

Even while we speak, envious time has passed: 

seize the day, putting as little trust as possible in tomorrow!

38. Creator of Iceland's Imagine Peace Tower : ONO

41. "SNL" writer/actor Michael : CHE

42. "Becket" star : O'TOOLE

44. Auction ending? : -EER

45. Inert gas : NEON

46. Not very often : SELDOM

47. Like some poll questions : YES/NO

49. Youngsters : TYKES

51. Hamlet cousins : TOWNS. Very nice. First I had my mind running down the Shakespeare track, then the stogie (Hamlet was a brand of cheap cigar in the UK.) The commercials were fun. Here's a 1977 example.

54. Put down : ABASE

56. Crone : HAG

59. Knuckleheads : TWITS

61. Wild bunches : MOBS. Mobs of twits? That would be scary.

64. Lawn pest : MOLE

65. "That's too bad" : AW, GEE!

66. It might be a whole lot : ACRE. That's a good-sized lot in my part of town: 6,000 square feet is normal. An acre is 43,460 - quite some difference.

67. Follow instructions : OBEY.

68. Covert agent : PLANT

69. Safari shelter : TENT

Down:

1. Bear feet : PAWS

2. Aquaman's realm : OCEAN

3. __ Cup: classic candy in a yellow wrapper : MALLO. Thank you, crosses.

4. Hot and spicy : PICANTE. My first thought with the "P" in place was PIQUANT. French comes before Portuguese in my mind.

5. Young Spider-Man portrayer Holland : TOM. Merci, les croix.

6. Pundit's piece : OP-ED

7. Short note : MEMO. Because "Grace" didn't fit.

8. Wild fight : BRAWL

9. Suppressed, with "on" : SAT

10. False friend : TRAITOR

12. Shade trees : ELMS

13. Way too interested : NOSY

18. Dumpster output : ODOR

22. Put up with : STOOD

24. "Well, sorrrr-ry!" : SO SUE ME!

26. Massachusetts college or its town : AMHERST. I had AMHURST at first, which made BUNK BED a little troublesome. Bunk Bud?

28. "Holy smokes!" : MAN!

29. Stir : POKEY. Slangy "Jail". Good Thursday-level clue.

31. Letter between Delta and Foxtrot : ECHO. At Atlanta-Hartsfield airport, the "D" stop on the tram is announced as "D-David" as too many passengers were alighting thinking they were at the Delta Airlines terminal. There, you get Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, David and Echo.

32. "It Ain't All About the Cookin'" memoirist Paula : DEEN. She is a true culinary colossus. Here's her recipe for "English Peas" from her Food Network website:

Ingredients
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
2 cans (14 1/2-ounces) English peas, drained
Directions
Melt the butter in small pot and add the peas. Cook over medium heat until peas are warm.

Wow. Genius.

33. Pigeon calls : COOS

34. Poker stake : ANTE

39. Chap : BLOKE

40. Cause of a buzz : BEE

43. Adventurous trip : ODYSSEY

45. "Another problem?" : NOW WHAT? Welcome to my world.

48. Forget-me-__: flowers : NOTS

50. Shoulder warmer : SHAWL

52. Jenna, to Jeb : NIECE.When I see "Jeb", I immediately think "Clampett", which is hopeless because he was a "Jed". These two are members of the Bush clan.

53. Unsmiling : STERN

54. Firing range supply : AMMO

55. Doofus : BOOB. Stop snickering at the back.

57. Pond plant : ALGA

58. Small valley : GLEN

60. Editor's mark : STET. As you were!

62. You may feel one on your shoulder : TAP

63. Even so : YET

I'm heading back from the frozen East Coast to unpack the scarf and gloves and pack for warmer Delhi tomorrow. However, the weather summary, usually "cloudy", "sunny", "rain" or similar shows "smoke". That's a first! If all goes well, next week's blog will be from the Taj Mahal, and that's not the Indian restaurant in Westwood.

As much flying as I do, I never fail to be in awe of nature. Here are the Rocky Mountains last Monday from 38,000 feet on my flight from LA to New York. I love the window seat.

Keep well, everybody! Get a flu shot if you've not had one yet. This winter's strain is a nasty one.

Steve

Wednesday, January 10, 2018 Paul Coulter

Theme: Why should you never starve at the beach?  Because of all the sand which is there.  [Let the groaning begin.] Three common sandwich fillings are wrapped up inside the theme answers, in each split across the two word fill.  Let's have a taste.

20 A. Blindsided : CAUGHT UNAWARE.  Thus, by surprise.  The infallible internet tells me that UNAWARE is an adjective, but CAUGHT needs an adverb complement - in this case, UNAWARES. I am not making up this not.  Anyway, TUNA is a common sandwich filler, popular with both humans and felines.

33 A. Pumpkin pie maker's tool : NUTMEG GRATER.  A handy little gadget that comes in many designs and varieties.  NUTMEG is not just for deserts, though.  It goes wonderfully with pasta, spinach and Gruyere cheese.  Trust me on this one.  Concealed in this answer is an EGG.  I have not tried this with NUTMEG.  Could be promising.

41 A. One of a global septet : NORTH AMERICA. The other 6 continents are South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and Antarctica.  HAM is of course another classic sandwich filler.  I like mine grilled with Swiss cheese.  Perhaps another NUTMEG opportunity?

And the unifier, or in this case, container -- 56. Flatbread lunch items ... and, as shown by circles, what 20-, 33- and 41-Across are? : SANDWICH WRAPS.  Typically, these are some variety flat bread, literally rolled and wrapped around the filling.

Hi, gang, JazzBumpa here.  Let's head for the dining room and see what else Paul has cooked up for us.  Bon appetit!

Across

1. Share-a-ride pickup hrs. : ETAS. Estimated Time of Arrivals.  Er - Times of Arrival. 

5. Go wild with Wild Turkey, say : TOPE.  Drink to excess, especially if done on a regular basis.

9. Golden Horde member : TATAR.  It's complicated.

14. Pope __ VI (1963-'78) : PAUL.   Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, as Pope, continued and implemented the ecumenical reforms started under Pope John XXIII. 

15. Copied : APED.  APE see, APE do.

16. Be nuts about : ADORE.  

17. "The Simpsons" bus driver : OTTO.

Lovable stoner 

18. Drink garnish : RIND.  Citrus, typically.  Or possibly melon.  I don't claim to know all.

19. Old-time actress Shearer : NORMA.  An accomplished performer who was nominated for 5 Oscars, and best actress winner in 1930 for THE DIVORCEE.

The Queen of MGM

23. "Let's see ... " : HMM.  Thoughtful non-comment.

24. German city on the Danube : ULM.  Along with Regensburg, Passau, Donauschingen, Ingolstadt and Donauwörth, all of which have far to many letters.

25. Set ablaze : IGNITE.  Arson is suspected.

28. The hit in the baseball mantra "A walk is as good as a hit" : SINGLE.  Just as good in the lead off spot.  Not so much with a man on 3rd and two outs.

30. Sugar source : CANE.  Here in the midwest, BEET also works.

32. Cultural funding gp. : National Endowment for the Arts.

36. Beef inspection org. : United States Department of Agriculture.

39. 401(k) alternative, for short : Individual Retirement Account.  N. B. Abrvs. in. Cl. & Ans.

40. __ stick: incense : JOSS.  A thin stick made of paste and a fragrant substance burnt before a Chinese idol.  News to me.

46. Suffix with percent : -ILE.  Each of the 99 intermediate values that divide a frequency distribution into 100 groups.

47. College city on I-35 : AMES. Located in the center of Iowa, and home to Iowa State University.

48. Sharp : SHREWD.   Mentally.

52. Yom Kippur month : TISHRI.  From an Akkadian root meaning "beginning."   The first month of the civil year and 7th month of the eclesaitical year in the Hebrew calendar.

54. "Who am __ judge?" : I TO.  Who, indeed?

55. China's Chou En-__ : LAI.  Or Zhou Enlai, first Premier of the People's Republic of China, and a highly skilled diplomat.

60. Work really hard : SLAVE.  I don't suppose working hard at surfing counts.

62. '60s-'70s pitcher nicknamed Blue Moon : ODOM.  Johnny Lee ODOM, b. 1945 won three consecutive World Championships in 1973-4-5 with the Oakland A's.  He also had a pretty sever substance abuse problem.

63. Huge : EPIC.  

64. Awards for Asimov et al. : HUGOS.  Named for HUGO Gernbach, founder of the magazine Amazing Stories, they are presented each year at the World Science Fiction Convention.   Isaac Asimov is an American biochemist who became a science-fiction and then non-fiction author and editor of hundred of books

65. Computer list : MENU. Or cafe.  We do have a sandwich theme!

66. Concerning : AS TO.  In re:

67. Suits : EXECS.  Corp big wigs.  I've met a few and was not impressed.

68. Musically low : BASS.  

69. Floral neckwear : LEIS.  Flower garlands associated with Hawaii.

Down:

1. Geological timespans : EPOCHS

2. Woven Japanese mat : TATAMI

3. Colorful period : AUTUMN

4. Plod (through) : SLOG

5. Small pastry : TARTLET

6. Poppy drug : OPIUM

7. Keystone State Ivy : PENN

8. Scandinavian literary work : EDDA

9. Brightly colored songbird : TANAGER

10. Deck out : ADORN

11. Attacked with gusto : TORE INTO

12. Limb with biceps and triceps : ARM

13. "In Dreams" actor Stephen : REA

21. Netflix competitor : HULU

22. Flying aid : WING

26. Light shirts : TEES

27. All __: listening : EARS

29. Annoying bug : GNAT

30. First known asteroid : CERES

31. Lab gel : AGAR

34. Play charades, say : MIME

35. Open just a crack : AJAR

36. Ton, for one : UNIT

37. Songs for one : SOLI

38. Equestrian event : DRESSAGE

42. Equestrian equipment : HARNESS

43. In the center of : AMID

44. Panama landform : ISTHMUS

45. Grub : CHOW

49. Go by : ELAPSE

50. Elk : WAPITI

51. Where much Bee Gees music was played : DISCOS

53. Mayhem : HAVOC

54. Graphic symbols : ICONS

57. Berth before birth : WOMB

58. It can come to mind : IDEA

59. Concrete : REAL

60. Cow or sow : SHE

61. Unilever soap brand : LUX

Well, that [ahem] WRAPS is up for another Wednesday.  Sadly, no love for peanut butter.  Hope you didn't EAT A TON.

Cool regards!

JzB

Tuesday, January 9, 2018 ~ Bruce Venzke & Gail Grabowski

Theme: TCOB - "Taking Care of Buisness"

17A. *Crimes of violence, e.g.: SERIOUS OFFENSES. Serious business.

23A. *Jungle gym: MONKEY BARS. Monkey business.

37A. *Not-so-humorous humerus spot: FUNNY BONE. Funny business.

54A. *Young boy's role model: BIG BROTHER. Big business.

61A. Fledgling enterprise ... and what the first word of the answers to starred clues can literally do: START-UP BUSINESS

Former businessman Argyle here. Great puzzle from Bruce and Gail. Two spanners and triple seven letter columns in all the corners. A few nuggets to crunch on.

Across:

1. Groups of orcas: PODs

5. Quaint "Holy moly!": "EGAD!"

9. Teases: JIVES. 1928, "to deceive playfully", like gibe but not as mean.

14. Scott Turow memoir: ONE L. Crossword staple, "The Turbulent True Story of a First Year at Harvard Law School"

15. Stubborn critter: MULE

16. Calendario page: ENERO. Spanish for this month, the one named after Janus.

20. School sport, or its setting: TRACK

21. Inheritance recipient: HEIR

22. "Singin' in the Rain" dance style: TAP. What a production number! I found this tidbit: "The title number, filmed on a street set two blocks long on the MGM backlot, took seven days to film, with six hours of fake rain each day. The water was mixed with milk to make it show better on camera, but the mixture made Kelly’s wool suit shrink. The perpetually drenched Kelly had a bad cold and fever the whole time. Dancers Gwen Verdon, Jeanne Coyne, and Carol Haney dubbed Kelly’s tap sounds and splashing noises in post-production." >Huffington Post<

  

26. Operatic princess: "AIDA". Verdi opera.

27. Mo. with no holidays: AUG. (August) But there are some observances. Link

28. Patriotic org. since 1890: DAR. (Daughters of the American Revolution)

29. Lightly colored: TINGED

31. Fraction of a min.: NSEC. (nanosecond) A very small fraction of a minute, I'd say.

33. Go quickly: RUSH

36. Golden __: seniors: AGERS

40. Formal will?: SHALL. A small misdirection, following 'seniors'.

43. Trampled (on): TROD

44. Doesn't keep up: LAGS

48. Lightweight straw hat: PANAMA

50. Swiffer product: MOP. Any personal reviews?

52. Divide before the deal: CUT

53. Departure notice?: OBIT

58. Game with matchsticks: NIM. Link

59. "Catch a Falling Star" singer Perry: COMO

60. Verdi opera "__ Miller": LUISA. Not seen here nearly as much,if at all, as "Aida". Wiki link.

65. __ limits: extremes: OUTER

66. The life of Riley: EASE

67. Folk singer Burl: IVES. Too late for one of his many Christmas songs.

68. Snorkeling spots: REEFs

69. Inventor's spark: IDEA

70. Formally surrender: CEDE

Down:

1. One who "rings twice," in an old film: POSTMAN. The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946 film) A short clip.

2. Burdensome: ONEROUS

3. Drive up the wall: DERANGE

4. Smooth-talking: SLICK

5. Avian Aussie: EMU

6. Astronaut Grissom: GUS

7. "Welcome to Oahu!": "ALOHA!"

8. Schedule for later: DEFER

9. Boo and hiss: JEER

10. Stopover with a "keeper": INN

11. Slight trace: VESTIGE

12. Barnes &amp; Noble Nook, for one: E-READER

13. Steel wool scrubbers: S.O.S PADS

18. Gave one's blessing to: OKed

19. It may be pumped in victory: FIST

24. Knitting need: YARN

25. Full force: BRUNT

26. Well-behaved tot: ANGEL

30. English golfer Poulter: IAN. Leaving no doubt he's English.

32. Key equivalent to B: C FLAT

34. Damascus is its cap.: SYR. (Syria)

35. Weapon in a 1952 test: H-BOMB

38. Einstein's birth city: ULM

39. Baking-soda-in-the-fridge target: ODOR

40. One buying time, perhaps: SPONSOR

41. Regular patron: HABITUÉ

42. Bring to life, as cartoons: ANIMATE

45. Accomplish: ACHIEVE

46. Acted desperately on "Jeopardy!," perhaps: GUESSED

47. German street: STRASSE

49. "__ Ben Adhem": ABOU

51. __ sci: POLI

55. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame architect: I.M. PEI

56. Spoil: GO BAD

57. Roman garment of yore: TUNIC

59. NBA big men: Abbr.: CTRs. (centers)

62. Whistler between baskets: REF

63. Take advantage of: USE

64. Beach house view: SEA

Argyle

Monday, January 8, 2018 ~ Parikshit S. Bhat

Theme: Parental Guidance - Two word phrases that fit the P and G format.

21A. Admit to wrongdoing in court: PLEAD GUILTY

31A. Location-based smartphone game release of 2016: POKÉMON GO

41A. Similar set of individuals: PEER GROUP

52A. Inland sea between Iran and Saudi Arabia: PERSIAN GULF

41D. Like many animated films ... and a hint to 21-, 31-, 41- and 52-Across: PG-RATED

Argyle here. Straight forward letter plus letter puzzle. There are four of them and a neat reveal. I think the column crossings were intentional. (See grid) It's also a pangram.

Across:

1. Green gem: JADE. Tori earrings.

5. Actress Greta: GARBO

10. Ponzi scheme, for one: SCAM

14. Boy in "The Kite Runner": AMIR. Book, film, play. Wiki link

15. Toward the back: AREAR

16. When tripled, a 1970 WWII film: TORA. Roger Ebert review.

17. Spanish "nothing": NADA

18. Free, in France: LIBRE

19. Reddish-brown horse: ROAN

20. Israeli submachine gun: UZI

23. Embark from a dock: SET SAIL

25. Spaniel's welcome: ARF

26. Indian-born storekeeper on "The Simpsons": APU

27. Bening of "American Beauty": ANNETTE

35. Half a bray: HAW. HEE being the other half.

36. Radio knob: TUNER

37. 1998 biopic about model Carangi: GIA. She died at 26. (1986)

38. Travelocity ad figure: GNOME

40. Ctrl-__-Delete: PC reboot combo: ALT. Mine starts Task Manager.

43. Reveal: DIVULGE

46. Help: AID

47. Negative connection: NOR

48. Climbing plant: CREEPER

57. Dockworkers' gp.: ILA. (International Longshoremen's Association)

58. Soothing plant extract: ALOE

59. Pageant headgear: TIARA

60. Prefix with lateral: EQUI

61. Arctic seabird: SKUA. "Oh yeah?" "Yeah!"

62. No __ sight: END IN

63. Bugs Bunny adversary Elmer: FUDD

64. Smartphone message: TEXT

65. Gave medicine to: DOSED

66. Golf ball supports: TEEs

Down:

1. Two-faced god: JANUS. January's namesake.

2. Fill with wonder: AMAZE

3. Completed the task: DID IT

4. Significant period: ERA

5. Steel-gray metallic element: GALLIUM. Element in many semiconductors.

6. Disney mermaid: ARIEL

7. Country star McEntire: REBA. And TV.

8. The __: Shakespeare: BARD

9. Pizza herb: OREGANO

10. Conflict: STRIFE

11. Like much fall weather: COOL

12. "I smell __!": A RAT

13. Lots of: MANY

21. Daily news source: PAPER

22. Coffee vessel: URN

24. Japanese alcoholic beverage: SAKE

27. Ice cream thickener: AGAR

28. Old-style you: THOU

29. Pack (down) firmly: TAMP

30. Sheep girl: EWE

31. Sheepdog from Hungary: PULI. Cute when they're puppies.

32. Being aired: ON TV

33. S-shaped molding: OGEE

34. Never, in Dortmund: NIE. Germany.

36. Little bit: TAD

38. Bereavement: GRIEF

39. Bump on a branch: NODE

42. Floral wreath: GARLAND

44. Remove from office: UNSEAT

45. Law, in Lille: LOI. France.

48. Madame of physics: CURIE

49. Arouse, as interest: PIQUE

50. Avoid capture by: ELUDE

51. Surprise attacks: RAIDS

52. Good old days: PAST

53. Actress Sommer: ELKE

54. Gumbo thickener: ROUX. (equal parts of flour and fat by weight) Moi?

55. El __: weather phenomenon: NINO

56. Wanders restlessly: GADS

60. Baby newt: EFT

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to Patti Varol, Rich's assistant and editor for the Crosswords Club. Like Rich, Patti is incredibly efficient, patient and generous with her time. She is also sharp-eyed and notices every little dupe that might have escaped constructors. In one of the Club puzzles, Patti clued BLOG as [L.A. Times Crossword Corner, e.g.]. She does lots of little things for constructors. Thank you, Patti!