Saturday, Jan 7th, 2017, David Steinberg

Theme: None

Words: 72 (missing J,X)

Blocks: 27

  Ouch.  Not a good way to start this year's Saturday puzzling.  I had a nearly blank grid after the first Across and Down passes, with "MOET" and BIC" my only fills; then I tried a few WAGs, and the bottom started to fill in.  Worked my way up the sides, where MAESTRO got me into the NE, but 24d. was a total blank - and so on came the red letters, and I have to call Fun SPONGE on too many answers - even ones I got ( I am looking at you, 55a.).  Argh~! - yet ironic that I finished within my personal time.  Oh - and one Google cheat - might as well own up to a complete crash and burn....Near perfect symmetry in the grid spoiled by fill that carried a cringe factor (*) too high.  Nothing longer than 8 letters;

2*. "100% juice smoothie" brand : ODWALLA - not a chance in millions was I getting this - California west coast thing, I guess

14. Investor's concern, familiarly : P/E RATIO - thought it was "----TAX" at first

39. Club attention-getter : PERFUME - ah that kind of club - there was once a fragrance named "Escape" that made me swoon; it's not the scent or the liquor that gets my attention now....

 43. CIA nickname : LANGLEY - Just finished "The Broker", John Grisham, featuring his CIA director Teddy Maynard, who's home base was frequently referred to as "Langley"

ONWARD~!
(redacted)

ACROSS:

1. "Easy!" : "NO SWEAT~!"

8. Scary high : BAD TRIP

15. Facebook co-founder Saverin : EDUARDO - my Google cheat; I am not on Facebook, and don't "tweet" either

16. Come by : ACQUIRE

17*. Soccer blunder : OWN GOAL - my dad would be so upset - he lived for soccer, and I never heard this phrase before

18. Arabian matchmaker : BREEDER - argh~!  Horse talk

19. Site of many '60s tours : 'NAM - ah, not a musical tour, as I was thinking

20. Spread out : SPLAYED - dah~!  Not ARRayed

22. MPG-estimating org. : EPA - I pondered this, and left it blank

23. Kiddie lit count : OLAF - not in my 'ute' - the Wiki

25. Provisions : TERMS

26. Eponymous 18th-century wine trader Claude : MOËT

27. Story featuring Paris : ILIAD - ah, the character, not the city

29. Govt. agency with domestic field divisions in 15 states : DEA - perps left me with D - A

30. Pacific island overrun by wild chickens : KAUA'I - I figured it was Hawaiian, but LANA'I was all I could think of

31. Original "SNL" cast member : RADNER - Gilda - got it once I had the --D--R

33. Godfather cocktail ingredient : AMARETTO - never had one; my first attempt had "----MIX"

35. Lump : GLOB - dah~! Not Blob

37. Wally who played himself in the "Taxi" episode "Latka's Cookies" : AMOS - never watched, but I can see the "Famous Amos" connection

38. Wine drink : SPRITZER

42. Forest weapon : ANTLER

46. Social group : PEERS - I tried CASTE

47. Wite-Out maker : BIC

49. Do away with : ERASE - hesitated on the first pass with this inkling

50. __ health : ORAL - I take good care of my teeth, but my gum is starting to bother me between my last two molars

51. Inexpensive vodka : POPOV - vodka was never my drink, so I pondered STOLI - 12 year anniversary tomorrow

53. Currently playing : ON TV

54. Draft letters : NFL - argh~! football sports draft

55*. Acid test supply : pH PAPER - I filled this in and said "no way"

57. "Wow!" : "GEE~!"

58. Colorful holiday candy : GUMDROP

60. First name in dognapping : CRUELLA - 101 Dalmatians

62. Stem (from) : EMANATE

63. Get gray gracefully : AGE WELL

64. Old Roman adviser : SENATOR

65. Early arrivals : RED-EYES

DOWN:

1*. "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" genre : NEO-NOIR - got the NOIR from perps, but nothing made any sense

3. Raisin brand : SUN-MAID - ah, this company I know of

4. Reaction to a treat, maybe : WAG - oops, not "ARF"

5. Lover of Psyche : EROS

6. One way to cope : ADAPT

7. Sounded : TOLLED - I had ---LED; Called, Yelled~?

8. 2008 Poehler/Fey comedy : BABY MAMA

9. Real estate measures : ACRES - clecho with; 21d. Real estate measure : AREA - one outdoor, one indoor

10. Removed for a rules violation, briefly : DQ'ed - my online search pulled up dq'd, no "E" - short for disqualified

11. Day of the wk. : TUEsday - blank, I had a one-in-seven shot; give me a "U" and....

12. Weather : RIDE OUT - the verb, not the noun

13. Emphatic words : "I REPEAT"

24*. Obsessive young devotee : FAN GIRL - ugh.  Never heard the term - but it was a movie from last year

26. Baton holder : MAESTRO

WTF~?

28. Benching targets, briefly : DELTS

30. Greenland currency : KRONE

32. Waitress in the comic strip "Shoe" : ROZ

34. Doctors' org. : AMA - oooh~! A gimme~!

36. Certain jazzman : BE-BOPPER

38. They hold water : SPONGES - FUN Sponges do not

40. Quiche shunner, in an '80s best-seller : REAL MAN - ah, did not know it was a book - the Wiki

41. Longtime morning host : RIPA - made me take out STOLI

44. One-named "American Boy" singer : ESTELLE - almost all perps

45. Lets out : REVEALS

48. Wheels of justice? : COP CAR - har-har

51. A filter may be used to produce it : PHOTO

52. Edge : VERGE

55. Start to fall? : PRAT

56. Regretted : RUED

59. Some trial evidence : DNA

61. Rebus animal : EWE

Splynter

Friday, January 6, 2017, Gary Schlapfer & C.C. Burnikel

Title: Why don't your glasses fall off? The NOSE knows!

Almost as if planned, JzB lauded puzzles which use different definitions for the same word on Wednesday. So like magic, C.C. and Husker Gary are here with a classic example of that type of puzzle. Actually there are many other meanings for bridge - part of a musical composition - part of a guitar - and the above referenced nose. This team picked two grid spanners and two 13s to pack in the theme. All four definitions are fair and took time to come up with the symmetrical fill. They managed some fun fill like INGEST, GO FAST,  G-SUITS, TOSTADA, THE WIRE, I GOTTA RUN and DUDE RANCH. As always with a C.C. monitored puzzle there are some great clues. Let's get to work!

17A. Bridge : CARD GAME FOR FOUR (15). One of my favorite card games.

23A. Bridge : HELMSMAN'S POST (13). The Captain  often is there as well, ask Sulu.

52A. Bridge : RIVER CROSSING (13). We still have a few covered bridges in Connecticut. LINK.

62A. Bridge : DENTAL APPLIANCE (15). I had one that fell out.

Across

1. Carnival Cruise Line headquarters : MIAMI. The ultimate gimme for me; I live in South Florida and I have been to their offices having owned a travel agency.

6. Net gain? : GOAL. Punny!

10. One often taking a bow : GIFT. Yes, this time it is BOW (o) not BOW (ow).

14. How many crosswords are solved : IN PEN. In ink, with a pen? Or maybe they are referring to incarcerated people.

15. Plot to plow : ACRE. nice!

16. Creepy look : OGLE.

20. Young Skywalker's nickname : ANI. He was played by a boy named Jake Lloyd. As Dr. Frak N. Furter would say " FAME is fleeting..."

21. "At Wit's End" columnist Bombeck : ERMA.

22. Like Cheerios : OATEN. Entering the food zone.

27. Liked a lot, with "up" : ATE.

28. Taqueria order : TOSTADA. See three foodies in a row. I think the word just means "Toasted."

31. A3 or Q7 : AUDI.

34. Leave : DEPART.

37. Whistle-blower : REF. Very cute clue.

38. Way around the block? : SHUNT. Wonderful, how to avoid an arterial blockage.

40. Luau band : LEI. How many have been to Hawaii?

41. Meatball medium : SAUCE. Food. Gravy to many Italians.

43. Roll in the yard : SOD. Again nice phrasing.

44. Inn crowd option : RAMADA. More puns.

47. Cause of some closings : SNOW.

48. HBO drama set in Baltimore : THE WIRE.

50. __ Friday's : TGI.
.
58. Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque prayer : OMANI. One from Oman. Oman is an absolute monarchy. The Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said has been the hereditary leader of the country since 1970.  Sultan Qaboos is the longest-serving current ruler in the Middle East,  and sixth-longest current-reigning monarch in the world.

60. Sci-fi navigator : SULU. I told you could ask him.

61. Gen __ : XER.

66. Number of times a horse can enter the Kentucky Derby : ONCE. As a three year old.

67. "Dies __" : IRAE.

68. Copy, in a way : TRACE.

69. Essen's region : RUHR.

70. Celebrate an anniversary, say, with "out" : DINE.

71. Secretly watch : SPY ON.

Down:

1. Hebrew prophet : MICAH. ONE of 12 minor prophets in Judaism, but embraced by Christianity.

2. Absurd : INANE.

3. __ fool : APRIL.

4. Club __ : MED. All inclusive vacation, now with 68 locations, including LINK.

5. Take in : INGEST.

6. Harmful ray type : GAMMA. Just ask Bruce Banner!

7. More than 70% of Earth's surface : OCEAN.

8. Lab greeting : ARF.

9. "Ars gratia artis" is written in an arc around his head : LEO. MGM Lion.

10. Zoom along : GO FAST.

11. "Time for me to split" : I GOTTA RUN.

12. Smoke passage : FLUE.

13. Gull relative : TERN.

18. Carrying, so to speak : ARMED.

19. Hen holders : ROOSTS.

24. Common street name : MAIN.

25. Strait-laced : STAID.

26. __ ejemplo : POR. For example...not too hard

29. Geometric art style : DECO. Art is always fun. LINK.

30. Several : A FEW.

31. Start of a subordinate title: Abbr. : ASST.

32. "You meant 8 p.m. not a.m.?" : UH OH.

33. Vacation spot with horseback riding : DUDE RANCH.

35. Toon often seen in a hunting hat : ELMER.

36. Shelled veggie : PEA.

39. "Jeopardy!" staple : TRIVIA.

42. Flaws and all : AS IS. Many homes and used cars are sol this way.

45. Is for everyone? : ARE. Really cute clue.

46. Bikini in the Pacific, e.g. : ATOLL. Well used by the military. 

49. It starts a bit before Christmas : WINTER. 4 days, C.E.

51. Astronauts' gear : G-SUITS. From our resident astronaut we have  an anti-gravity garment worn by fighter pilots. When they are pulling positive G's, the suit inflates and prevents blood from pooling in their feet and legs which would cause them to lose consciousness. NASA astronauts also wear g-suits when they experience Orthostatic Intolerance. LINK

53. Channel with a "Congressional Chronicle" online archive : C-SPAN.

54. Kolkata cash : RUPEE. No more Calcutta.

55. Slangy refusal : IXNAY. Pig latin...

56. Wafer brand : NECCO.  HG? Those of us of an age...



57. Place to find a flag : GREEN. Another HG moment with a golf course clue.

58. Le Pew's defense : ODOR.  Pepe.

59. Dish list : MENU.

63. Limit : LID. Put a lid on it!?!

64. Jackie O's second : ARI. Aristotle Onassis.

65. "Shirt Front and Fork" artist : ARP. Jean Arp or Hans Arp (16 September 1886 – 7 June 1966) was a German-French sculptor, painter, poet, and abstract artist in other media such as torn and pasted paper. When Arp spoke in German he referred to himself as "Hans", and when he spoke in French he referred to himself as "Jean".

What a great way to start my 2017 blogging. Thanks and thank you all. Lemonade bad sciatica and all saying see ya.

Thursday, January 5th 2017 Morton J. Mendelson

Theme: Emoticon Explications :)

Four theme phrases clued by their emoticons:

17A. >:-(  I'M REALLY FURIOUS

25A. :-(  WHAT A DOWNER

47A. ;-)  JUST KIDDING

60A. :-O  THAT'S SURPRISING!

Four emoticons - these ones are described as "sideways, Latin only". These were the first, simple ways of denoting a facial expression in textual form and used in early chat rooms. They've now developed into a quite complex sub-language, and also sparked the development of the graphical emojis that you find on your mobile phone.

One of my favorites is the portrait of Homer Simpson  ~(_8^(I)

This puzzle looks to be the LA Times debut for Morton, so congratulations are in order. He's been published in the New York Times prior, but I can't see any history in the LAT. Four nice in-the-language phrases matching the facial expressions.

Let's see what else we've got:

Across:

1. Gucci of fashion : ALDO

5. Manual reader : USER

9. Certain highlands musician : PIPER. The Great Highland bagpipes, the ones you're probably most familiar with, are inflated by blowing down the chanter. Irish pipes use a bellows instead, so all those pipers you see on St. Patrick's Day are using the wrong instrument. Also, this tune, which you also hear a lot on March 17th is called "Scotland the Brave". Never ceases to amuse me.

14. Celebrity : LION. This is our local celebrity lion - the mountain lion which hunts in Griffith Park.

Photograph by Steve Winter/National Geographic

15. Salon service : PEDI

16. Eco-friendly spa brand : AVEDA.  Salon brand also - they make hair products as well.

20. Gazpacho ingredient : TOMATO' Food! Basic recipe, I give mine a bit of zing with a dash of balsamic and Worcestershire sauce (repeat after me - wuster sauce, not war-sester-shyre!)

21. Grammatical unit : SENTENCE

22. Make up for skipping classes, perhaps : CRAM. I did my fair share of this back in the day.

24. Scholar's deg. : PHD. 

30. Carpooling calc. : ETA. I think this refers to the time you're going to get picked up when you're part of a carpool. Makes a change from the airport clues though.

33. Frigid end? : AIRE

34. Straight man : STOOGE. Were the Three Stooges all straight men? Patricia Heaton from "Everybody Loves Raymond" was one of the best.

35. Bust : NAB

36. Vegetation : FLORA

38. Tarzan creator's monogram : ERB. Edgar Rice Burroughs. He owned a ranch a few miles from me in the San Fernando Valley, which is now the neighborhood named "Tarzana".

39. Virus named for a Congolese river : EBOLA

41. Trains above the road : ELS. Giving Ernie a rest today.

42. Allows to attack : LETS AT

45. "Smack That" rapper : AKON. Thank you, crosses.

46. Manhattan part : RYE. Bartenders tell me that the only cherries that you should use are the ones made by Luxardo. Cheers!

49. Pro : FOR

50. Cabinet dept. with an Office of Science : ENER. A guess, but seemed reasonable.

51. Dined at a table for one : SAT ALONE

56. Near-failing grade : D-MINUS

62. Reached, as expenses : RAN TO

63. Veiny cheese : BLEU. Food! Here's English Stilton, "The King of Cheeses".

64. Work with needles : KNIT

65. Med. specialty : OB-GYN

66. Couture line : SEAM. Nice clue/answer combo.

67. Gels : SETS

Down:

1. Came to rest : ALIT

2. Long drive? : LIMO. Took a couple of beats to see this one.

3. Brown digs? : DORM. Brown University.

4. Many an Albee play : ONE-ACTER. I tried ONE-ACTED first which had me looking sideways at "FLODA"

5. Puts on the internet, e.g. : UPLOADS. Like I'll do with this blog in a few minutes.

6. Poivre companion : SEL. I was given a set of electric pepper and salt grinders this Christmas, appropriately made by Peugeot, a French car company. What a car manufacturer is doing making kitchen equipment I have no idea.

7. Slow Churned ice cream : EDYS. Dreyer's out here in the West. Same stuff.

8. Swarming (with) : RIFE

9. Where many aces can be seen : PAR THREE. Most holes-in-one on the golf course come on the shorter par-3 holes. I've never made one, but I gave a club to a friend of mine, and he hit a hole-in-one with it the very next time out on the course. I claim an assist.

10. Like some academic walls : IVIED. Some baseball grounds too, Wrigley most famously.

11. Menial worker : PEON

12. Part of NEA: Abbr. : EDUC.

13. Demolish, in Devon : RASE. "Fawlty Towers" was based on a hotel in Torquay in Devon, which is a long way round of saying that John Cleese would be called John Cleeze here.

18. Gillette brand : ATRA

19. Remove wooden pins from : UNPEG

23. Sacred songs : MOTETS. Learning moment. I knew the word, I didn't know that they were sacred.

25. Mass consumption? : WAFER. Nice. Communion wafer.

26. Like links-style golf courses : HILLY. "Hilly" isn't the first adjective I'd choose to describe a links course. The Old Course at St. Andrews, the most famous of them all, is as flat as a pancake.

27. Sprang up : AROSE

28. Razzie Award adjective : WORST

29. Easy to prepare, as desserts : NO-BAKE

30. Mushroom in Asian cuisine : ENOKI. Food! I'm getting full here. Also known as enokitake, Great in noodle bowls.

31. Raptor's weapon : TALON

32. Go out with __ : A BANG

37. "The Jazz Singer" singer : AL JOLSON

40. Applicants with low credit scores, to loan officers : BAD RISKS

43. Dutch banknotes : EUROS

44. Günter Grass novel, with "The" : TIN DRUM

48. __-plié: ballet movement with knees half-bent : DEMI. Not known, but the "half-bent" makes this easy to guess.

49. Like marbled steak : FATTY. Food! I cooked a prime rib roast on New Year's Day. I dreamt about it last night. I wonder about myself sometimes.

* For extra credit, what's unique about the word "dreamt" in the language?

51. Houston pro, locally : 'STRO. Baseball's Astros. We had the long version of the name yesterday.

52. Captain who says, "For hate's sake I spit my last breath at thee" : AHAB. From "Moby Dick."This monomaniac was in our "Captains" puzzle a couple of Thursdays back.

53. Sharp flavor : TANG

54. Well-used crayons : NUBS

55. Creator of Perry and Della : ERLE. Crosses for me. Perry Mason, Della Street, Erle Stanley Gardner.

57. Diamond complement : NINE. I had to stare this one down before the penny dropped. Nice players on a baseball team.

58. Minute, e.g. : UNIT

59. Some NCOs : SGTS

61. __ shooter : PEA

That wraps it up for me. Time for dinner!

Steve

Wednesday, January 4, 2017 Ed Sessna

Theme: FLIGHTS OF FANCY.  We'll let Frank take it away, and save the unifier for last.



20 A. Gathering for February's big game : SUPER BOWL PARTY.  A group of friends might get together to watch the game, and there is a certain culinary item, to be identified in good time, which might be consider traditional for the event.  It is related to the city of Buffalo, though their team is about as likely to show up there as the Lions.  At least the Lions squeaked into the play-offs this year.   Fivethirtyeight.com gives them a 29% chance of getting past the Sea Hawks and <1% chance of winning the SUPER BOWL.  I love their optimism.

38 A. George Washington never slept there : THE WHITE HOUSE.  This has been the presidential residence since John Adams occupied it in 1800.   George Washington was the first president after the adoption of the Constitution, serving from 1789 to 1797.  The interior of the original structure was destroyed by the British during the war of 1812, but reconstruction began almost immediately.  An addition on the western side of the building was completed in 1901.  An addition on the east side, now used as the visitor's entrance, was completed in 1942. More on these later.

58 A. Heavenly protectors : GUARDIAN ANGELS.  Since antiquity, ANGELS have been believed to be spiritual beings that are superior to humans in power and intelligence.  The Christian concept of their hierarchy and duties was largely developed in the 5th century.  A GUARDIAN ANGEL is presumed to watch over and guide a specific person, group, or nation.  When anthropomorphized in art and literature, they are generally conceived as having certain anatomical features that are not characteristic of human kind.  So ---

At last, the unifier: 70 A. What 20-, 38- and 58-Across have in common : WINGS.  

After Mantha's game winner in O/T

The PARTY WINGS come from chickens, and are deep fried and served with sauces, originally vinegar and cayenne pepper based, but now existing in a variety of types, flavors and heat intensities.

From Wikipedia

The WHITE HOUSE east and west WINGS,as mentioned above.

Details

ANGELS are generally pictured with enormous WINGS sprouting from where their shoulder blades ought to be.  How they get into those robes is a bit of a mystery.

Two kids, one ANGEL - don't ask

Hi gang, and happy New Year.  JazzBumpa here to take you soaring through Ed's entry. This is pretty much my kind of theme, with a common word displaying a few different meanings. Let's launch into it!

Across

1. "Scrubs" nurse married to Dr. Turk : CARLA.   TV show that ran from 2001 to 2010.  I only watched it a few times.

6. Suddenly became attentive : SAT UP.  And took notice.

11. Letter addition letters : PPS.  Post Scripts.  I wanted PS'S.

14. They may be gray : AREAS.  Found in many regions of thought and philosophy.

15. Make one of many : UNITE.

16. __ polloi : HOI.  Ordinary folk  .  .  .

17. Brown bread : TOAST.  S/B browned bread.

18. Files in a recycle bin : DELETIONS.   Computer files.

22. Exploit : USE.

23. Flooring choice : OAK.  

24. Irish lullaby syllables : LOORA.

26. Colombia neighbor : PERU.   South American countries.

28. Lead-in for jet or prop : TURBO.  Airplane propulsion systems.

32. Gritty genre : NOIR.  Crime fiction characterized by fatalism, cynicism and moral ambiguity.

33. Second of three O's : TAC.  In the game of noughts and crosses, aka tic-tac-toe, played on a hash tag grid.

35. Job rights agcy. : EEOC.  Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

37. Adobe file format : PDF.  Portable Data File

42. Singer Carly __ Jepsen : RAE.  Canadian singer/song writer who has won many awards.

43. Sainted fifth-century pope : LEO I.  Pope from 440 t0 461.  An Italian aristocrat who persuaded Attila the Hun to not attack Rome in 452.

44. Novelist Deighton : LEN.  Acclaimed spy novelist, military historian, cookery writer and graphic artist.

45. Publication sales fig. : CIRCulation.

47. 1983 60-Down winner Tom : SNEVA.  Also known for his several crashes, holding the record for the most crashes during the Indianapolis 500 race.  The most notable was in 1977, when his car got ripped in half.

49. Siouan tribe : OTOE.  A semi-nomadic people who lived along the Missouri River, farming and hunting buffalo.  With or without the terminal E they populate far more crossword puzzles than do the Iroquois.

53. Big aluminum producer : ALCOA.  Foiled again!

55. Yale Blue wearer : ELI.  The nickname for the Yale student.

57. Took cover : HID.

63. Fleeting affair : DALLIANCE.  A fling.

64. "The Maltese Falcon" actor Peter : LORRE.  Speaking of film NOIR - this 1941 adaptation of Dashiell Hammett's 1929 novel stars Humphrey Bogart as detective Sam Spade and Mary Astor as his femme fatal client.  

65. French season : ETE.  Summer.

66. Pianist Watts : ANDRE.

A short excerpt

67. Bubbling hot : ABOIL.  A dreaded A- word.  Dreaded because they are almost never used in actual conversation, thus not really in the language, except perhaps at the fringe.

68. Director Anderson : WES.  Known for The Royal Tenenbaums, Moonrise Kingdom, The Grand Budapest Hotel, and several others.

69. Seven-__ cake : LAYER.  Rich desert.  Have a narrow slice.

Down

1. Takeout packet : CATSUP.  Side vegetable to go with your happy meal.

2. Stir to action : AROUSE.  Excite or incite.

3. One with a sickle : REAPER.   He can be grim.

4. Operate using a beam : LASE.   Using a LASER in a surgical or commercial operation.

5. Houston pro : ASTRO.   Baseball - many long and dreary months away.

6. Daily paper logic puzzle : SUDOKU.  Numbers in a box.

7. From the beginning : ANEW.  All over again.  Devja vu, anyone?

8. Dough drawer : TILL.  Cash register drawer; dough, as in bread, so to speak.

9. Sch. near the Rio Grande : University of Texas at El Paso. 

10. Iris part : PETAL.  Flower, not a portion of the uvea.  Anyway, I went into a blind ally with sepal.

11. Occasions that usually elicit big smiles : PHOTO-OPS.  Chances for publicity pics.  Say cheesy.

12. Fair activity for kids : PONY RIDE.  Activity at the fair, not necessarily in a fair way, which would involve golf.  This is getting rough.

13. One of the fam : SIS.  I have one.  No bro, though.

19. Waffle maker : IRON.  Batter up!

21. Baker's units : BATCHES.  As, frex, of cookies, from my SIS.

25. "Walk me!" : ARF.   Dog speak.

27. 4 x 4, briefly : UTE. Sports Utility Vehicle.

29. Tighten, as laces : RETIE.  Shoe business.

30. Nectar eater : BEE.

31. French "Wowza!" : OOH LA LA.

34. Leather punch : AWL.  Small pointed tool used to pierce holes.

36. Miler Sebastian : COE.  British inner of 4 Olympic gold metals in 1980 and '84, who went on to be a member of parliament from 1992-97.   Now he is a chancellor at Loughborough University and chairman of the British Olympic Association.

38. Follow too closely : TAILGATE.  Alternatively, a pre-game outdoor party that might involve WINGS.

39. Mythical hero with a labor force? : HERCULES.  He was forced to perform 12 labors, involving a great deal of murder, theft and mayhem.   Sneaky clue.

40. Electrified particle : ION.  An atom or molecule either having or lacking one or more electrons from its neutral state.

41. Colorful card game : UNO.

Now available on game consoles

42. LG rival : RCA.

46. Early steam engine fuel : COAL.

48. Facade : VENEER.   This is a stretch.  A VENEER is a thin layer of fine wood applied over a not so fine wood, while a facade is the front of a building.  Either might also indicate an outward appearance designed to conceal something that is probably dishonest or unpleasant.

50. Charlize of "Monster" : THERON.  A movie about that rare aberration - a female serial killer.  Quite a transformation for this role.

Monster movie

51. Coastal fuel extractor : OIL RIG.  We won't talk about the spills.

52. 1950s disasters : EDSELS.  This classic car a disaster?!?  Oh, come now.

54. Easy-to-read font : ARIAL.  Like this.

Not like this

56. Marriage acquisition : IN-LAW.  Relatively speaking.

59. Perfumery that created Tabu : DANA.   House of DANA perfumery was established in Barcelona, Spain in 1932.  the headquarters moved to Paris, then to the U.S. during WW II

60. 200-lap race, briefly : INDY. The Indianapolis 500.

61. 43,560 square feet : ACRE.  Or, 1/640 Sq. Mi.

62. Asian desert : GOBI.  Spanning northwestern China and southern Mongolia.

63. Grass coating : DEW.  Droplets of condensed water.

As you have probably guessed by now, I usually just WING it on these write-ups.  Hope this one didn't ruffle your feathers.

Cool regards!
JzB

Tuesday, January 3, 2017, Gerry Wildenberg

Theme: See The Light

18. Damning evidence : SMOKING GUN. SUNLIGHT

23. Angler's end-of-line item : FISHING LURE. FIRELIGHT

34. Birchbark mover : CANOE PADDLE. CANDLELIGHT

51. Underground violent-weather refuge : STORM CELLAR. STARLIGHT

57. Bits of extra information ... and a hint to this puzzle's circles : SIDELIGHTS

Melissa here. Clever theme - the circled letters (above in red) on the outsides of the theme answers spell out kinds of LIGHT.  WOW this was beyond a Tuesday level for me and it took me forever to get traction. The first word I felt certain of was 16A EAGLE and then 3D AMNESIAC. I hobbled along from there. Is it wrong that I got all the alcohol references immediately? ROSSI, ALES, GIN.

Across 

1. "C'mon, be __" : A PAL. Tried REAL first.


5. Flightless South American bird : RHEA


9. Clay pigeon hurlers : TRAPS. Trapshooting.


14. Cookbook author Rombauer : IRMA. Not ERMA.


15. Brand at Petco : IAMS


16. Highest-ranking Boy Scout : EAGLE


17. Flutist Herbie or novelist Thomas : MANN



20. Heavy hammer : SLEDGE. Peter Gabriel’s music video for Sledgehammer still holds the record for most awards a single video has won, at nine.


22. Gives holy orders to : ORDAINS

26. Scratch (out) : EKE. Misdirection, made me think of crossing out a word on paper.


27. Burger topper : ONION


28. Currently popular : HOT


29. Martini's partner in vermouth : ROSSI


31. "The Crying Game" actor Stephen : REA


32. Sign between Cancer and Virgo : LEO


33. Sunday bench : PEW

39. "That's amazing!" : WOW


40. Wyo. neighbor : IDA


41. Musician's deg. : MFA. Master of Fine Arts.


44. Big strings in the orchestra : CELLI. Not HARPS.


47. TV's Arthur : BEA


48. "24" superagent Jack : BAUER


50. Half a patriotic cheer : USA



54. Garb for the slopes : SKI WEAR


56. "__ Fideles": Christmas carol : ADESTE



60. Aptly named pope : PIUS


61. Chihuahua lady friend : AMIGA


62. Conception : IDEA


63. Coastal city : PORT


64. So far : TO NOW.  Not AS YET.


65. Brewpub pours : ALES


66. Snack machine inserts : ONES

Down

1. Focuses on, as a goal : AIMS FOR


2. Nutty confection : PRALINE


3. Many a soap opera character, after a blow to the head : AMNESIAC. Funny.


4. Lookout's cry : LAND HO. I was thinking along the lines of aiding and abetting, not ships.


5. Awake and about : RISEN


6. Virginia __ : HAM


7. Expressive rock genre : EMO


8. Invite to a movie, perhaps : ASK OUT


9. Offered in payment : TENDERED


10. Sitar music : RAGA


11. Texas A&M team : AGGIES


12. Plops (down) : PLUNKS


13. Martial arts instructor : SENSEI


19. Like some outlet store mdse. : IRR. Irregular.


21. Bombay Sapphire, e.g. : GIN. 


24. Clarified butter : GHEE. So good.


25. More eccentric : LOOPIER. Not LOONIER.


30. Big-eyed bird : OWL


32. Feeling blue : LOW. Not SAD.


33. High-tech appt. book : PDA


35. Hole-making tool : AWL


36. Legal deterrent to loud neighbors : NOISE LAW


37. Podcast comic Carolla : ADAM


38. Liquid-in-liquid suspension : EMULSION


42. Main movie : FEATURE


43. Puts the cuffs on : ARRESTS


44. Verbally abuse, informally : CUSS AT. Not FUSS AT.


45. __ Pie: ice cream treat : ESKIMO


46. Stocked for future use : LAID IN


47. Noble Italian house that produced two popes : BORGIA. House of Borgia.


48. Sleeping spot : BED


49. Embattled Syrian city : ALEPPO. So sad.


52. Mai __ : TAI


53. Spanish homes : CASAS


55. "And away __!" : WE GO


58. Good cholesterol, for short : HDL. High-density lipoprotein.


59. Three-way intersection : TEE

Monday, January 2, 2017 Neville Fogarty

Theme: Fowl Play - And not the cooped-up chicken counting card game.

20. Longtime navigation method: DEAD RECKONING. Dead Duck

36. Rabbit's foot, perhaps: LUCKY CHARM. Lucky Duck

42. Toy sold in eggs: SILLY PUTTY. Silly Goose

56. Kids' game hinted at by the starts of 20-, 36-, and 42-Across: DUCK, DUCK, GOOSE

Argyle here. Nifty Monday from Neville. He is usually later in the week. The four long columns stitch it all together.

Across:

1. Plus: ALSO

5. Kernel-less picnic discards: COBS

9. What judges wear: ROBES

14. In a little while: SOON

15. "Once __ a midnight dreary ... ": UPON. 51-Down. Award named for Poe: EDGAR

16. Kick out of the country: EXILE. Perhaps to end up on the following.

17. Spring break destination, perhaps: ISLE

18. Nevada gambling city: RENO

19. Like thickets: DENSE

23. List of mistakes: ERRATA, in subsequent edtions.

24. Golf scorecard figure: PAR

25. Med. condition with repetitive behavior: OCD. (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder)

28. Tries to be heard in a noisy room: YELLs. Because "Psst!" won't cut it.

31. Save: RESCUE. Dogs, cats, winos.

33. Rascals: CADs

38. Geometry calculations: AREAs

40. Small battery: AAA

41. Body part often sculpted: TORSO

45. Paradise: EDEN

46. Et __: CETERA

47. Puts a tight lid on: SEALS

49. First st., alphabetically: ALA.

50. "__ you serious?": ARE

52. "Hold on a second": "NOT YET"

60. Reeves who played "Ted" in "Bill &amp; Ted" films: KEANU. Excellent!

62. High spirits: GLEE

63. Bit of deception: RUSE

64. Clark's exploring partner: LEWIS

65. Author Rice: ANNE

66. Like 2, 4, 6, and so on: EVEN

67. "The Count of __ Cristo": MONTE

68. Charlie Brown's "Phooey!": RATS. Classic.

69. Erotic: SEXY

Down:

1. Parenthetical remark: ASIDE

2. What a two-fingered "L" represents: LOSER. "Let's not be L7." (square)

3. Word with panel or power: SOLAR

4. Limited-time retail offer: [ONE DAY SALE]. But wait! Call in the next 15 minutes...

5. Panacea: CURE-ALL

6. Oil-exporting org.: OPEC. (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries)

7. Hit on the head: BONK

8. Poke around: SNOOP

9. Forward, as mail: REDIRECT

10. Plow-pulling animals: OXEN

11. Church game handout: BINGO CARD

12. Golfer Ernie: ELS

13. Recognize: SEE

21. I-95, e.g.: Abbr.: RTE

22. __ a soul: NARY

26. Evil legacy: CURSE

27. Evil spirit: DEMON

29. Maui party: LUAU

30. Sings like Ella: SCATS

32. Retail outlets with many loafers?: SHOE STORES

33. First to stab Caesar: CASCA. Publius Servilius Casca was the first to strike Caesar with a dagger. (Even Lila Cherry used this on a Monday.)

34. Animated film mermaid: ARIEL

35. 1973 #1 hit for Helen Reddy: DELTA DAWN. Remember?

37. "Kiss Me __": KATE. A musical version of The Taming of the Shrew.

39. New York university city: SYRACUSE

43. Picnic area: PARK

44. Baseball's Bronx Bombers: YANKEES

48. Calculator function: LOG

53. "__ Lost That Lovin' Feelin'": YOU'VE. Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield, The Righteous Brothers.

54. Devereux's earldom: ESSEX. Obscure reference to an opera by Gaetano Donizetti, 1837, maybe? Link

55. So, so small: TEENY

57. Inch or mile, e.g.: UNIT

58. Forearm bone: ULNA

59. Dollar fraction: CENT

60. Merged Dutch airline: KLM. KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, legally Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij N.V. Air France–KLM merger.

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

Argyle