Monday, February 12, 2018 ~ Jerry Edelstein

Theme: An Honest Puzzle - Would I lie to you?

16. Trifling matters: PENNY ANTE STUFF. Penny ante is the smallest ante in poker; Lincoln Penny.

27. Focal point in a theater: CENTER STAGE. Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts is a 16.3-acre complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood in New York City.

34. John Paul Jones was a commander in it: CONTINENTAL NAVY. Lincoln Continental: luxury car from Ford.

42. May observance for those who died in military service: MEMORIAL DAY. Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

54. Statesman born 2/12/1809 whose surname can precede the starts of four long puzzle answers: ABRAHAM LINCOLN

Argyle here. Happy Birthday, Abe. I'm sure we can come up with a cake for you.

Across:

1. Send (to), as an inferior place: RELEGATE

9. Partner of Paul and Mary: PETER. Peter, Paul, and Mary.

14. Trite: OVER-USED

15. WWII bomber __ Gay: ENOLA. This answer isn't trite but is over-used.

18. Iroquois enemies: ERIEs

19. Editor's "never mind": STET

20. IRS form IDs: SSNs. (Social Security number)

21. One out on the lake, e.g.: BOATER

24. Cookie holder: JAR

29. That girl: SHE

32. 18-wheeler: SEMI

33. Tablet with Mini and Pro versions: iPAD

39. Chevy subcompact: AVEO

40. Rowlands of "The Notebook": GENA. "The Notebook" is a 2004 film based on the 1996 novel by Nicholas Sparks. Interesting concept.

41. Originally named: NÉE

46. Two-__ tissue: PLY

47. Troubled state: UNREST

48. Has a midnight snack, say: EATS

52. __ upon a time ...: ONCE

53. Kate's TV sidekick: ALLIE

59. Señor's squiggle: TILDE

60. Schemed: CONNIVED

61. Bottomless chasm: ABYSS

62. Ones storming the castle, say: INVADERS. Hagar the Horrible's forte.

Down:

1. Lassos: ROPES

2. Activist Medgar: EVERS. Civil rights activist assassinated in 1963.

3. Russian Revolution leader: LENIN. Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, better known by the alias Lenin as we learned recently.

4. Diving seabirds: ERNEs

5. Fellows: GUYS

6. Busy __ bee: AS A

7. Bill with Hamilton on it: TEN

8. NYC summer hrs.: EDT. (Eastern Daylight-savings Time)

9. Be a nuisance to: PESTER

10. Goes in: ENTERS

11. Promote big-time: TOUT

12. North Pole worker: ELF

13. U.K. flying squad: RAF. (Royal Air Force)

17. East, to 48-Down: ESTE. 48-Down. Legendary Spanish hero: EL CID

21. "__ there, done that": BEEN

22. "I've got this round": "ON ME"

23. Prickling with excitement: ATINGLE

24. Tokyo's country: JAPAN

25. Tequila source: AGAVE

26. Color again, as hair: REDYE

27. TV forensic series: CSI. (Crime Scene Investigation)

28. __ Pan Alley: TIN. The collection of New York City music publishers and songwriters.

29. Rascal: SCAMP

30. Ramshackle home: HOVEL

31. Hostile force: ENEMY

35. In addition: TOO

36. Kennedy and Koppel: TEDs

37. Gray's subj.: ANAT. (anatomy)

38. Dismiss from work temporarily, with "off": LAY

43. Put spots in magazines: RUN ADS

44. Foot's 12: INCHES

45. Side squared, for a square: AREA

49. "__ like ours / Could never die ... ": Beatles: A LOVE

For educational purposes only. Do not use commercial.

50. Flooring specialist: TILER

51. Mails: SENDS

52. Paris airport: ORLY

53. Kendrick of "Twilight": ANNA. No idea about her or "Twilight".

54. One step __ time: AT A

55. Baby's spilled food protector: BIB

56. 1101, to Romans: MCI

57. Chaney of horror: LON

58. Bill for mdse.: INV. (invoice)

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to dear LaLaLinda, who used to post regularly on our blog. Health issues have prevented her from engaging with our little Corner community actively, but she still solves puzzles daily and reads our blog.

Sunday February 11, 2018 Ed Sessa

Theme:  "Substitute Measures" - The measure in each theme entry is replaced by its homophone or a sound-like word.

23A. Measly treat for Polly? : GRAM CRACKER. Graham cracker. Polly want a cracker.
 
32A. Work required to raise kids? : FAMILY JOULES. Family jewels.

41A. Advantage in kickboxing? : FEET OF STRENGTH. Feat of strength.

62A. The buying power of cash? : WATTS IN YOUR WALLET. What's in your wallet?

86A. Cub soda? : LITER OF THE PACK. Leader of the pack.

94A. Polished pearls? : GLAZED CARATS. Glazed carrots.

110A. Bad snippets of Miss Muffet's memory? : SPIDER BYTES. Spider bites.

Mr. Ed never disappoints. What a great mix of various measurements.

As I mentioned before, LAT Sundays often have 144 or 142 words. Ed gave us a 140 today.  It's just that hard to reduce 2 or 4 words from a 21*21. You've got to have Ed's Saturday themeless skills to pull off a low count Sunday. Ed is also a fantastic clue writer.

Across:
     
1. Hindu "sir" : BABU. As seen on "Seinfeld". Also 11. Hindu title : SWAMI

5. Beaucoup : A LOT OF. Tiny clue/answer dupe with 80. Lots (of), as cash : A WAD
 
11. Engineer's details : SPECS

16. Shortening letters : ETC. Also 67. "More than I can list" abbr. : ET AL

19. Abba not known for singing : EBAN. Abba Eban, Israel's first UN representative.

20. From the top, to Tiberius : DE NOVO

21. "Yes __": 2008 campaign slogan : WE CAN. Also  60. 2012 presidential candidate : ROMNEY (Mitt)

22. Boomer's kid : XER

25. Marinade used in Spanish cooking : ADOBO. I saw Adobo sauce in Aldi.

26. __-Magnon : CRO

27. Lizard-like amphibian : SALAMANDER. Great fill. We also have 52. Small 27-Acrosses : NEWTS

28. Latin trio word : AMAS

29. Breakers in semis : CBERS

31. Ceremonies : RITES
  
35. Decked out : ADORNED

38. Sextet in the Senate : TERM

39. Levelheaded : SANE

40. Math useful for cooks : RATIOS. I often cook by feel. Chinese cooking is very simple.

47. Fragrant compound : ESTER

48. Ancient jewelry staples : BEADS

49. Be an incredible speaker? : LIE. We also have 53. Snake oil hawker, say : CON MAN

50. President Taft's birthplace : OHIO

51. Not dressed for swimming, generally : SHOD
 
56. Wing : ELL

57. They're heard in herds : MOOS

59. Straight : TRUE

67. Like much folk music : ETHNIC

69. Face or race : MEET


70. Mad king of the stage : LEAR

71. One in a golfer's bag : TEE. Boomer now uses 3-1/4 inches tall tees, Gary/TTP!

72. Certain winner : SHOO IN

74. Some 'Vette roofs : T-TOPS

77. Musical ending : CODA

81. Divided sea : ARAL

83. Crowded-room atmosphere : FUG. Is this word familiar to you? Never heard of it.

84. Longtime name in catalogs : SEARS

85. "The Exorcist" actor Max von __ : SYDOW. Also a stranger to me.

90. Former mid-sized Chevy : LUMINA

91. "A creel of __, all ripples": Sylvia Plath : EELS

92. Fruit pastry : TART

93. Reddened, perhaps : RIPENED. Wish I could live near a persimmon tree again.

99. Barbecue brand : WEBER

100. Popular type : ROMAN. And 108. Popular type : ARIAL

101. Cleanup hitter's stats : RBIs

102. Milk choice : ONE PERCENT

107. Non's opposite : OUI

111. Topper for Rumpole of the Bailey : WIG

112. Thicket of trees : COPSE

113. Persevered in : KEPT AT

114. Traveler from 76-Down : MORK. 76. Home to 114-Across : ORK

115. Sign before Virgo : LEO

116. Lugged : TOTED

117. Treatment for some causes of backache : INSOLE. Boomer's back pain was completely gone after having tart cherry concentrate. Alas, his elbow/shoulder pain persist. Too much bowling.

118. Puts to bed : ENDS

Down:

1. Assumes the point of, as a question : BEGS

2. Start of a magical chant : ABRA

3. Canaanite idol : BAAL

4. Certain singles bar frequenter, in theory : UNMARRIED MAN

5. Spot charges : AD RATES

6. Showed bias : LEANED

7. How many boxed sets are recorded : ON CDS

8. Blackjack table gratuity : TOKE

9. Puts too much in the fishtank : OVER-FEEDS

10. On behalf of : FOR
 
12. Organ part : PEDAL

13. Coral reef, e.g. : ECOSYSTEM. Another sparking fill.

14. Hailed wine? : CAB. OK, Cabernet.

15. Cool, colorful treat : SNO-CONE

16. Reign supreme : EXCEL

17. Land at Orly? : TERRE. Just "land" in French.

18. Dracula repellent : CROSS

24. Key with three flats : C MINOR

28. Shells on Omaha Beach : AMMO

30. Good, in Guadalupe : BUENO

33. Painting and dancing : ARTS

34. Preserves holder : JAR. So what's your favorite peanut butter brand? Here's mine. Chunky.

35. Trojan War god : ARES

36. Mrs. on a spice rack : DASH

37. Germany's von Bismarck : OTTO. D-Otto's wife speaks fluent German. Her mom and brother live in Germany.

38. Suckling's milk source : TEAT

41. How many are chosen? : FEW. But few are chosen.

42. Ground grain : FLOUR

43. Muscle-bone connection : SINEW

44. Belgian treaty city : GHENT

45. 4-point F, for one : TILE

46. Word with Ghost or Grail : HOLY

48. First lady before Mamie : BESS. Truman.

52. Tally-keeping cut : NOTCH

53. Wine label word : CRU

54. City NW of Marseille : ARLES. The cover of my compact mirror

55. Pelican St. acronym : NOLA

58. Mayberry tippler : OTIS

59. Little one : TOT

61. Marvin Gaye classic subtitled "The Ecology" : MERCY MERCY ME. Great 12.

62. Gluten source : WHEAT

63. Texas Hold 'em declaration : I'M OUT

64. Mustang sally? : NEIGH. Googled afterwards. Sally means "outburst" here.

65. Tokyo dough : YEN

66. Hurdle for Hannibal : ALPS

68. Actress Hatcher : TERI

73. Ad-libbed : OFF-SCRIPT

74. Unwraps excitedly : TEARS OPEN

75. Political asset : TACT

78. One-eyed Norse deity : ODIN

79. Ready to eat : DONE
 
82. '90s daytime talk show : LEEZA (Gibbons)

84. Brief quarrel : SPAT

85. Unrivaled : SUPERB

87. Bring to life, in a way : RE-ENACT
 
88. From the past : OLD

89. Ones affected by bad weather, briefly : ETAs
 
90. First word in France's motto : LIBERTE. Liberté, égalité, fraternité.

93. Opposite of pass : REPEAL

94. One might elicit a nervous "Nice dog" : GROWL

95. "Taxi" dispatcher : LOUIE. Now you won't see LOUIE C.K. in crosswords again.

96. La Paz paisano : AMIGO

97. Belittle : ABASE

98. Nettled : RILED

99. Single-minded about : WED TO

103. Little snorts : NIPS

104. Berkshire school : ETON

105. Socially awkward one : NERD. Guess who coined this word? Dr. Seuss.

106. Sounds of disapproval : TSKS

109. Jack, jill or joey : ROO

110. One of a pair on a rack : SKI

Look what I finally found: Picture of Lucina. I think Dave 2 asked for this weeks ago. Lucina was a Sister of the Precious Blood Community.

 Lucy as Novice/ Lucy with Mom and sister Marge

Saturday, February 10, 2018, Michael Wiesenberg

A SURE BET

Today's constructor is a man  from Calgary who wears many hats in the world of games. Michael is not only a masterful puzzle maker, he is also a renowned expert in poker. He made his living playing poker for 10 years before turning to technical writing in the computer field. C.C.'s 2009 interview with Michael

Here are some long fills that are always helpful on a Saturday excursion:

1. Empathetic words : I CAN RELATE

12. Disappointed observation : IT'S NOT HERE - and now a "I CAN RELATE" for my lovely bride

16. Revelation setting : ARMAGEDDON - One of its portents in Rev. 17  is a prostitute riding a seven-headed monster. Yikes!

10. Sitcom sidekick whose wife sometimes calls him by his last name : ED NORTON - You can hear Ralph call him NORTON throughout this all-time funny scene. You won't spend a funnier four minutes today!

11. Bit of bun flavoring : SESAME SEED - C'mon, you all know the words to this ad with SESAME SEED at the end. Go ahead and see how fast you can say/chant it!

Now let's sit in to see what else Michael has dealt us this week:

Across

11. RSVP part : SIL - Répondez S’IL vous plaít. Some say that nowadays no response to this implies you are attending

14. One may run for a week : PERSONAL AD - Yeah, they're lined up around the block!

15. Townshend of The Who : PETE

17. Olympus neighbor : OSSA (alternate name Kissova) - A four-hour drive

18. Put forth : SAY

19. Metro __ : AREA

20. Grounded : ON LAND - Huh?

22. Horoscope heading : SIGN

23. Wish for : DREAM OF

24. Subject for Linnaeus : BOTANY - His classification system works for animals too like our Lily

27. Relocate in, as after one's career : RETIRE TO - We are RETIRED TO where we grew up with no regrets. Dorothy was right.

28. Maternally related : ENATE - My love of crosswords is directly related to the ENATE side of my family 

29. "Dead Souls" novelist : GOGOL - A remorseless satire of imperial Russian venality, vulgarity and pomp. Ok, raise your hand if you have read this and let me get a count...

30. "Billions" network, briefly : SHO - Showtime 

31. Fake out : DEKE - The old "hidden ball" fake out

32. __ legend : URBAN - Nope, an URBAN legend according to Snopes.com 

33. Sugar source : BEET

34. Sugar suffix : OSE

35. Some pretenders : SNOBS - Prius owners? 😊

36. Membre de la famille : FRERE - Did anyone ever find out if Brother John was asleep  (Frère Jacques, Dormez-vous?)

37. Celebration honoring a saint : FEAST DAY - Feb. 10th is the FEAST DAY for St. Scholastica, Virgin

39. Crossed at a shallow spot : FORDED - Juilius Caesar FORDING the Rubicon

40. Rocky of song : RACCOON - A silly Beatle song

41. Munich title : HERR 

42. Home of Canada's Parliament : OTTAWA

43. Secular : LAIC - Acts performed by the laity

44. Phased-out refrigerant compound : CFC - ChloroFluoroCarbon was said to be a danger to the ozone layer

47. "__Language": 1993 comedy best-seller : SEIN - Yeah, that makes sense

8. Pierce portrayer : ALDA - Another sitcom legend

48. Ecstatic : BLISSED OUT - I guess if you can be STRESSED OUT...

51. Amor counterpart : EROS

52. Game with wagering restrictions : LIMIT POKER - Gee I wonder where a POKER reference came from. 😏

53. Three-part fig. : SSN - Mine starts with 507. Yours?

54. Bit of rifle range debris : EMPTY SHELL - Shirt seen on some shooting ranges

Down

1. Draft orders : IPAS - India Pale Ale'S

2. "Juno" actor Michael : CERA - Michael's character Paulie and Juno had a situation to deal with

3. Fighting group : ARMY

4. Govt. employer of mathematicians : NSA

5. Treatment for losing one's head? : ROGAINE - Reviews I read said it works for only a small part of the population

6. Going concern? : ENERGY

7. Like a full hold : LADEN and 35. Put in a hold : STOW- Like here in the Mayflower

9. Eastern way : TAO

13. In danger of being ticketed : LEAD FOOTED - You are busted!

15. Magnetic? : POLAR - Poles on the Moon are not magnetic

21. First name in astronautics : NEIL - His biography I recently read revealed him to be  a much better astronaut than husband or father

22. Stuff : SATE - Maybe I didn't need the large box of popcorn

23. "The Dance Class" painter : DEGAS - Impressionism at its best

24. Easy Street kin : BED OF ROSES - Mena Suvari in American Beauty (repeat from Argyle's Monday's puzzle)

25. Most bicycles : ONE SEATERS - Unless you're dating this girl name Daisy

26. Do something : TAKE ACTION

27. "Forbidden Planet" robot : ROBBY - 98% on Rotten Tomatoes

29. Punster's reward? : GROAN - But, he's a GROAN man!

32. Impossible : UNDOABLE

33. Cold reaction : BRRR - Heard outside the Super Bowl last week!

36. Grasping pair : FORCEPS

38. Input methods : SCANS - Here's a SCANNER I always have with me

39. Full of pluck : FEISTY - FEISTY O's manager Buck Showalter meets an equally FEISTY umpire. Oh yeah, Buck also got tossed out of the game

41. "Rumor __ ... " : HAS IT

43. Favor one side over the other : LIMP - A lot of us here know a) the character below with a LIMP, b) who the other characters are and c) the name of the show

44. Fountain choice : COKE - You might have to ask a jerk for one

45. Drive : FUEL - These can FUEL dreams

46. PC key under Shift : CTRL

49. Airport in Peru's cap. : LIM

50. [Head slap] : DOH

All in, I'll bet that you liked Michael's puzzle. Call? 

DA GRID

Friday, February 9, 2018, Jeffrey Wechsler

Title: Forget the carbs, I am hungry! Call Entenmann's.

For all of you who were wondering where our Friday friend JW has been hiding in 2018, he is back and presents the third visual puzzle that has been constructed for our consternation. We have 13 (!) clues which consist only of a number. Good news though, we get a reveal! Oops, not helpful yet. Must solve and wait for perps. Hmm, three letter fill at 26 and 52 across. 26- nope not there. 52? Ahh- BUN! 41- ROLL! Eureka! Thirteen is a baker's dozen. Ta-dah- bakery items! This was a struggle in places, but I am a big fan of most of the goods here, especially a warm buttery CROISSANT and a moist SCONE. What are your favorites? The rest was in my wheelhouse, with SUK requiring all of the perps. The purists will hate the themers being so short and having non-theme fill longer words, but I enjoyed BELDAME, BOSNIAN, CAT SCAN, DEEPENS, ELOCUTE, QUIETED, BLINDERS, and CITY PLAN as fun but challenging fill. I applaud Jeffrey for finding 13 items that not only fit the theme, but allow him to build a classic grid with complete thematic symmetry. A puzzle that completely depends on perps and the reveal...

I wonder if the grid was inspired by The Cross of Salem, also known as a pontifical cross because it is carried before the Pope. This is  - after all a CROSSword puzzle.

Anyway on to the solve.

1A. #1: MUFFIN (6). RECIPE. opposite 70A. # 10: DANISH (6). RECIPE.

7A. # 2: BRIOCHE (7). RECIPE. opposite 69A. # 9: BISCUIT (7). RECIPE.

24A. # 3: TORTE (5). RECIPE. opposite 53A. # 8: DONUT (5). RECIPE.

26A. #4 : PIE (3). RECIPE. opposite 52A. # 7: BUN (3). RECIPE.

37A. # 5: CAKE (4). RECIPE. opposite 41A. # 6: ROLL (4). RECIPE.

14D. # 11: BAGEL (5). RECIPE. opposite 51D. # 13: SCONE (5). RECIPE.

20D. # 12: CROISSANT (9). RECIPE. the center.

The reveal:
38A. It's a bit more than it sounds, and hints at this puzzle's theme: BAKER'S DOZEN (11). Wal-Mart sells their doughnuts 13 to a box. Let's get cooking with the solve.

Across:

14. Crone: BELDAME.  Finally a clue, but not a gimme fill. This archaic WORD is clearly a Friday Saturday fill. A very hard start.

15. Sarajevo citizen: BOSNIAN. The country is Bosnia and Herzegovina. LINK.

16. Gets to: ATTAINS.

17. Settled down: QUIETED.

18. Merry, in Metz: GAI. Metz is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Located near the tripoint along the junction of France, Germany, and Luxembourg, the city forms a central place of the European Greater Region. Wiki. 55A. Pique-nique setting : PARC. French.

19. Prog. formally reinstated at Harvard in 2011: ROTC. Reserve Officer Training Corps programs were another casualty of the Vietnam War. LINK.

21. Hotel experience: STAY.

22. Sturdy trees: ELMS. Dutch elm disease as a problem but the TREE is making a return.

29. Future D.A.'s hurdles: LSATS.

31. Future salmon: ROE. Fish eggs.

32. Troubles: ILLS.

33. Belg. locale: EUR.

35. Travel guide listing: INN.

43. MS-__: DOS. Recently popular fill.

44. Party bowlful: DIP.

45. Goddess usually depicted holding an ankh: ISIS. This EGYPTIAN. And the Symbol which is also a CROSS.

46. "M*A*S*H" rank: Abbr. : MAJ. Random, but better than E-______?

48. Some archaeological sites: TOMBS. King Tut was actually named Tutankhamun. Mini-theme?

56. Karate training site: DOJO. Dōjō (道場) is a Japanese term which literally means "place of the way." My brother created one in the 60s in our hometown.

59. Lose steam: TIRE.

61. __ Speedwagon: REO. Musical interlude, only 1 hour and 20 minutes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqRpzyWJ5vM

62. Becomes more complex: DEEPENS.

65. High-tech med. procedure: CAT SCAN. What you need to KNOW.

67. Police actions: ARRESTS.

68. Speak well in public: ELOCUTE. Elocution from Latin elocution-, elocutio, from eloqui. Elocute is a back word from elocution.

Down:

1. Most of the periodic table: METALS.

2. __ Thule: distant place in medieval geography: ULTIMA. You want to ARGUE the point?

3. HHS agency: FDA. Health and Human Services.

4. Sunny: FAIR.

5. "You are!"retort: I'M NOT. Are too!

6. Argonaut known for wise counsel: NESTOR. He was a member of Jason's crew before the Trojan War. LINK.

7. Cookout fare, briefly: BBQ.

8. Awaken : ROUSE.

9. "Ya think?" : IS IT? I SIT? Isis' sister?

10. Fit-for-service designation: ONE-A. I have my draft card from the 60's somewhere.

11. Urban design: CITY PLAN. Pompano Beach is working on their PLAN.

12. "Some __ meat and canna eat": start of the Selkirk Grace: HAE. This probably predates Robert Burns. One of my favorite modern detectives is Hamish MacBeth, so I know the word.

13. Conclusion: END.

23. Lifts: STEALS.

25. Have an inclination: TEND.

27. Variety: ILK. I always like this word.

28. Language suffix: ESE.

30. Czech composer Josef, son-in-law of Dvorák: SUK. All perps for this MAN.

32. Frozen treat: ICEPOP. Would you like to read the HISTORY of the Popsicle?

34. Like half of Poland's flag: RED.

36. Silent assent: NOD.

38. Horse racing accessories: BLINDERS. The reason WHY.

39. Ex-quarterback Tony: ROMO. He has done well in his SECOND CAREER.

40. Clearasil target: ZIT.

41. Cookout morsel: RIB. I am not sure a rib is a morsel.

42. Brutus Buckeye is its mascot: Abbr. : OSU. The Ohio State University. Oklahoma State last week, perhaps Oregon State next.

47. Really pumped: JUICED. Not to be confused with juiced by steroids.

49. __ Aurelius, second-century Roman emperor: MARCUS. One of my favorite EMPERORS.

50. What a sprinter might run out of : BREATH.

53. "__ know you?" : DON'T I.

54. Musical nonsense syllables : TRA LA.

57. Intl. energy group: OPEC.

58. Bach's "__, Joy of Man's Desiring" : JESU. I had no idea and it seems counter-intuitive.

60. Hugh Laurie's alma mater: ETON. One of the myriads of foreign-born actors who portray US Americans on television.

62. Unit of hot mustard, for most: DAB. Not for Asians or me.

63. NW Penn. airport: ERI. A CSO to many who comment here.

64. Aircraft in the Smithsonian Inst. collection: SST.

66. Chem., for one : SCI. Abbreviation - abbreviation.

Well JW is back in business. I liked the grid, the theme, and the reveal. A note from C.C. below, which I echo. Lemonade out.

Note from C.C.:

Happy birthday to dear Splynter (Richard), who turns 47 years old today. Splynter was our trusted Saturday guide for a long long time. Hope all's well with your new job and new home, Splynter. Don't forget your friends here at the Corner. Visit us from time to time.