Sunday, February 5, 2017, Don Gagliardo and C.C. Burnikel

TITLE: SOUNDS ABOUT RIGHT

Did one of these wonderful toys ever find its way into your home? When the string was pulled and released, it played the sound of the animal selected by the center arrow.

Don and C.C. took the premise of this toy and turned it into a  very clever gimmick for today's puzzle. They took some common phrases that contain an animal and made a silly phrase using the SOUND associated with that animal in place of the animal's name. How cool is that? No reveal was necessary as you can see in these theme fills.

21. Sign of a lawn tractor problem? : HISS (SNAKE) IN THE GRASS - I don't care to be close enough to hear this sound

26. Inhospitable medical fraud? : COLD QUACK (DUCK) - Not a frigid fowl!

41. Landscaping mulch specialists? : BARK (DOG) HANDLERS - Uh, who's handling who?

67. "Ahooga!" producer? : SILLY HONK (GOOSE) and 119. Posting that periodically reposts itself? : MIGRATORY TWEET (BIRD) - If they went south this winter and I didn't, how come they're SILLY? A specific and general bird reference. 

71. Hard golf club to swing? : GRUNT (PIG) IRON - An intermediate product of the smelting of iron ore usually shaped in ingots 

96. Excitement about the producer of the original "Charlie's Angels"? : SPELLING BUZZ (BEE) - Dirt on Aaron Spelling or attempts on these words

111. Playful crib liner? : SQUEAK (MOUSE) PAD - Here's an adversarial one

Now let's see what else Don and C.C. have for us in this, uh, HOOT of a puzzle:

Across

1. Director's shout : ACTION - Clint Eastwood doesn't shout this because, "It even makes the horses nervous." He simply says "Begin".

7. Sulky-pulling horse : PACER

12. Woods on a tee : TIGER - Tiger's meteoritic career seems to be flaming out

17. With alarming suddenness : WHAMMO

18. Independent African nation since 1993 : ERITREA - Do you know where it is on this map? The answer is under the grid at the bottom of this write-up.

20. Arizona neighbor : SONORA

23. Frigid : ARCTIC

24. Iowa's state tree : OAK

25. Bucket list items, say : GOALS

28. __ Schwarz : FAO - I'll bet you know this movie, the star on the right and the song they are playing in this scene at the FAO Schwarz Toy Store.

30. Plant with edible leaf sheaths : LEEK

32. Clump on a lawn : TUFT

33. Org. that dropped "Lawn" from its name in 1975 : USTA - Grass/Lawn tennis surfaces used to be the most common but are rare now due to maintenance costs

34. Flexible pronoun substitute : HE OR SHE - Have you ever been to a Gender Reveal Shower?

37. Exit : LEAVE

39. Number for a pair : DUET

43. One way to learn : ASK

44. Like the viva voce part of some exams : ORAL - Latin for "with living voice"

48. 15-member sports org. : ACC - Clemson won the ACC and National Championship this year

49. Dorm room, perhaps : STY

50. Some float in place with the tide : PIERS

52. Irish brew : RED ALE

54. Pampas birds : RHEAS

57. Make more attractive : SWEETEN

59. "Sagwa, the Chinese Siamese Cat" author : AMY TAN

60. Restless desire : ITCH - Tom Ewell is the other person in this iconic scene from The Seven Year ITCH

63. MGM motto word : ARS

64. Bottled surprise : GENIE

66. Pet Shop Boys label : EMI

73. Sch. in Tempe : ASU

74. Island veranda : LANAI - Word I learned on The Golden Girls

75. Anti-bullying ad, e.g. : PSA

77. 2014 "Cosmos" presenter __ deGrasse Tyson : NEIL

78. Register, as a sale : RING UP - I'll bet C.C. knew the umpire just did RING UP this batter

80. Sounded displeased : SNORTED

83. Did pre-heist planning at : CASED

87. How some goods are quickly sold : AT COST 

88. See eye to eye : AGREE

89. Director DuVernay : AVA

92. Conceptual artist Yoko : ONO

93. Ritz alternative : HI HO

94. Schubert's "The __ King" : ERL - Not on my playlist

100. '70s jazz band Spyro __ : GYRA

102. Model X maker : TESLA

103. Type of counter seen in kitchens? : CALORIE - High tech method using your 108. Part of iOS : SYST

104. Vogue rackmate : ELLE - My subscription has lapsed

106. Make a move : STIR

110. "Monsters, __" : INC

113. "The game didn't go well" : I LOST

115. "Top Hat" studio : RKO

118. Card game with tricks : EUCHRE - Contents of a standard EUCHRE deck

124. Common boot feature : LACING - One question in a recent survey asked whether I UNLACE my shoes when I remove them. I do. You?

125. August birthstone : PERIDOT - New word for me

126. Sherpas' language : NEPALI - Mt. Everest is Sagarmāthā in NEPALI 

127. Moves like a monarch : FLITS

128. Rent-a-car choice : SEDAN

129. Swimmer's bane : CRAMPS


Down

1. Dr. Seuss title ender : A WHO

2. Seed used in smoothies : CHIA - Also a funky gift

3. Group on a mission : TASK FORCE

4. Uses Facebook Chat, briefly : IMS

5. "Jeepers!" : OMIGOSH

6. Ill-advised move : NO NO - Trying to dunk over LeBron James

7. Market before building : PRESELL

8. 2008 bailout beneficiary : AIG

9. Shaq's pos. : CTR

10. Obama __ : ERA

11. Get out of a pickle : RESCUE - This guy did not get out of one

12. __ wrench : TORQUE

13. Held at the station : IN CUSTODY

14. Suggested subtly : GOT AT

15. Former "Weekend Today" co-host Hill : ERICA

16. Pool triangle : RACK

18. Jennifer of "Zero Dark Thirty" : EHLE

19. Starting with : AS OF - AS OF today there are 44 days until Spring!

20. Down : SAD

22. Scout's find, ideally : TALENT

27. Old Fords : LTDS - 1984 Ford LTD Crown Victoria 

29. Genesis vessel : ARK

31. One with lasting merit : KEEPER

32. Den focal point : TV SET

34. I-beam relative : H BAR - An I-beam on its side?

35. Every partner : EACH - EACH and every one of  you

36. Takes in : HAS

38. Ovine sign : ARIES

40. Poland neighbor : UKRAINE - Probably easier to spot than ERITREA

42. Prefix with -lexic : DYS

43. Voice of the difficult homeowner in "Up" : ASNER

45. Yelp contributor : RATER

46. Enterprise rival : ALAMO

47. October Revolution figure : LENIN

51. The Skatalites music genre : REGGAE - Pioneers of Ska music

53. Ipecac, for one : EMETIC

55. Be on the disabled list, say : AIL

56. Galaxy Note accessory : STYLUS

58. Transitional state : WAKING

61. Local branch : CHAPTER

62. Doll : HON

65. Blue __: German wine brand : NUN

67. She played Buffy : SARAH - After seven seasons, she had become "annoyed" with the role

68. Question in Matthew : IS IT I - Engendered by Jesus' statement "The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with Me will betray Me"

69. Day break? : LUNCH

70. __ cavity : NASAL

72. Stevedore's org. : ILA - Brando won an academy award playing Terry Malloy who took on the ILA

75. Gets ready to operate : PREPS

76. Braces (oneself) : STEELS

79. Return from searching? : GOOGLE HIT

81. Brian who has coached two Olympic skating gold medalists : ORSER and 85. Longtime Wyoming senator Mike : ENZI - Two names I didn't know and will forget

82. Indian lentil stew : DAL

84. Chip flavoring : SOUR CREAM

86. Nap : DOZE

90. Spoils recipient : VICTOR

91. Ducks, on ESPN crawls : ANA - The Anaheim Ducks NHL team

95. Farrier's tool : RASP

97. Overdo the flattery : LAY IT ON - The master

98. Shiny craft store supply : GLITTER

99. It's good in Quebec : BON

101. Itches : YEARNS - ITCHes is both fill and clue today 

102. Cleans : TIDIES

104. The same : EQUAL

105. "All My Children" Emmy winner on her 19th try : LUCCI

107. Pipe smoker's gadget : TAMP

109. Tab target : SLOT

111. __-starter : SELF

112. Brewery unit : KEG

114. Media player command : SYNC

116. Large seaweed : KELP

117. Spunkmeyer of cookie fame : OTIS

120. Hurdle for srs. : GRE

121. Disencumber : RID

122. Govt. lawyer : ADA

123. Employment org. created in 1935 : WPA

Here's the grid and if you wish to comment, we will  not say, uh, NEIGH:

Eritrea from 18 Across

Saturday, Feb 4th, 2017 David C. Duncan-Dekker

Theme: DCDD

Words: 68 (missing J,X,Z)

Blocks: 33

Well I just about smoked through this puzzle, despite having no answers for the first three long Across fills. A pinwheel grid with triple 10-letter corners meant easier 4-letter fills for crossings, and some of them were too much of a 'gimme' for a Saturday construction.  Hey, they gotta throw us a bone once in a while, no~?  Very few proper names, I knew all of them, and several other clues were in my wheelhouse as well.  One from each corner;

1. Runway covering : TARMACADAM - here I thought this was redundant, as TAR and MACADAM were the same thing, but I went looking and discovered I was wrong

57. Flipper, for one : BOTTLENOSE - I started with "TV----", but 'character' was too long; for some reason, I thought dolphins were "bottleNECK".  Ooops

So Long, And Thanks For All The Fish

13. Not yet on the shelves : UNRELEASED - my book is unreleased - and uh, unwritten, right now....

24. 1956 rockabilly hit : BE-BOP-A-LULA - before my time, but the phrase appears in this song, which I have linked before, but I think it's worth hearing again

The Afterlife

Paul SimONWARD~!

ACROSS:

11. Border : ABUT - dah~! Not EDGE

15. Hedge : EQUIVOCATE

16. Mellow, with "down" : TONE

17. Source of sweet-scented spice : NUTMEG TREE

18. Car alarm : HORN

19. What suspects may be charged with : TASERS - suspect or perp~?  One can be a suspect without getting tased in the process - I hope

20. Grease, often : FAT

21. Squeezed (out) : EKED - gimme

22. Something else : LULU

23. First name in legal fiction : ERLE - his Wiki

24. Good yield : BUMPER CROP

Looks like it's gonna be a good year~!

30. Not a good look : LEER - gimme

31. Made possible : ENABLED

32. Pan Am competitor : TWA - ugh.  I tried UAL, then NWA, and finally got it right

34. Darken, in a way : TAN - ooh, I was close with DYE at first

35. Ordered : BOSSED - yesterday my senior boss thought he'd tell me how to load one of my trucks - so I said to him "why don't you just go sit in the office~?"

36. Manage poorly : ILL USE

38. Leftover bit : ORT - gimme

39. Kid's cry : "MOM~!"

41. Dresses : ATTIRES - ah, the verb, not the noun

42. Like some horses : PIED - pondered "ROAN"

44. Hunting dogs : COONHOUNDS

46. Business opening : AGRO - thought it was agrI, but....

47. Letter-shaped fastener : T-NUT

48. Depict artistically : LIMN

49. Certain game extensions, briefly : OTs - the NY Rangers won in OT on Thursday

50. Force user : OBI-WAN - I use the Force - it keeps me sober

56. Hand or foot : UNIT - measures, not "limbs"

59. "Constant Craving" singer : LANG - k.d., and I remembered this song

60. Police may look for one : EYEWITNESS

61. Gucci or Rossi : ALDO - perps

62. Some talk show personalities : RADIO HOSTS

DOWN:

1. Big top, e.g. : TENT - gimme

2. Water color : AQUA

3. Groovy things : RUTS - "LPs" was too short

4. Street performer : MIME - gimme

5. Claim : AVER

6. Minor players : COGS

7. Perform : ACT - gimme

8. War-torn Sudanese region : DARFUR - featured in this song from Thievery Corporation

9. Got stuffed : ATE A LOT

10. Join for a drink, say : MEET UP WITH - only if it's coffee - OK, Diet Coke, too

11. Close behind : AT HEEL

12. Library feature : BOOK RETURN

14. Gentle quality : TENDERNESS

22. Flat-panel TV component : LCD - had in, took it out

25. Hardly fresh : UNORIGINAL

26. Code-breaking game with colored pegs : MASTERMIND - ah, I remember this game, but I never played it

27. __ Kids: "Sesame Street" brand : PBS - perps

28. Am or Fm : ELEMent - almost got me; I went with BAND first, but this is Americium and Fermium

29. Fictional Soviet sub : RED OCTOBER - I can think of a more difficult way to clue this on Saturday - e.g. "sub captained by Ramius"

33. Chorus line? : ALTO

37. Voice of Master Viper in "Kung Fu Panda" films : LIU

40. Flamenco guitarist Carlos : MONTOYA - perps gave me MONT---, and given the occupation/first name....

41. Social worker? : ANT - gimme

43. "What's the rush?" : "DON'T GO...."

45. Kicked to the curb : OUSTED

50. A little of this, a little of that : OLIO - I have not seen this in a puzzle for a long time - but I don't get to the weekday puzzles much

51. One of the March sisters : BETH - I had the -ET-, so I figured BETH was a good choice

52. __ time : IN NO

53. Tribulations : WOES

54. No. 2 : ASST. - Always reminds me of Dr. Evil

55. Headland : NESS - new definition for me

58. Light head? : TWI - twilight; second "lead-in" clue in the grid (46a.), which is unusual

Splynter

Friday, February 3, 2017 Jeffrey Wechsler

Title: Do you recycle?

Our 2016 frequent Friday filler JW is back for his first of the new year. He circles his wagons to give us 4 themers, 2 grid-spanning wrapped around a middle reveal which is a must to locate the theme if you did not have circles. With circles, this solved itself.

17A. "Epic fail!" : THAT WAS TERRIBLE (15).WASTE Management dominates the collection business in SoFla.

25A. Like some cheddar : EXTRA SHARP (10). TRASH to me doesn't have the smell.

52A. Electrical backup supplies : SPARE FUSES (10). REFUSE is an old fashioned word, and somewhat timely. This is not a political comment but a quotation. "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" Emma Lazarus, the base of the Statue of Liberty.

60A. Two of the three founders of the Distilleria Nazionale di Spirito di Vino : MARTINI AND ROSSI (15). DROSS is also fancier, and brings to mind dregs, or mineral waste, scum formed on the surface of molten metal. (various sources).
The reveal:

36. "I don't believe a word!" ... or, the truth about this puzzle's circles : IT'S ALL GARBAGE (13).

As with all JW puzzles, we have some new stuff like SETTERS,  TANGLES,  THE TIDE,
MAHI MAHI,  AT A LIMIT,  GET UPSET and  ENCLOSES.

Barry G., where are you, I have some circles for you? For the rest, here is what I see.

Across:

1. Suggests, with "of" : SMACKS. Really tough place to start, it smacked of Friday difficulty.

7. Cashbox feature : HASP.

11. Wagner's "__ Rheingold" : DAS. Morse loved this music.

14. Uses Blue Apron, say : EATS IN. This COMPANY has created a niche for the millennials to feel good about eating at home without having to shop or make decisions.

15. Baseball family name : ALOU.

16. Space bar neighbor : ALT. Both sides.

20. Lady Gaga's "__ It Happens to You" : TIL. An emotionally charged topic, which you may want to AVOID.

21. Presidential nickname : IKE. My earliest memories are of this non-politician as president. I have a vivid mental picture of his photo on the wall of Big Brother Bob Emery's wall.

22. Makeup remover : TISSUE. Simple and probably factually correct.

23. Put out : EMIT.

28. "Ghostbusters" actor : RAMIS. This enormously talented man wrote many of the best comedies. LINK. He also appeared in many of them. TRIBUTE.

30. Shanghai-born ex-NBA center : YAO. At seven feet six inches he stood out even in the NBA.Sadly his feet could not support his 311 pounds-running and jumping, even as size 18.

31. German : Kopf :: French : __ : TETE. A heady clue for sure.

32. Does really well : SHINES.

34. U.S. intelligence org. : NSA.

42. Deborah's "The King and I" co-star : YUL. I got to see him perform in a revival of the King and I on Broadway. It was awesome.

43. Clearly presented : COGENT. Law school is intended to teach the ability to present cogent arguments.

45. Removed : SHED. Picture a child coming in from the cold removing his garments, or for the romantic, the trail of clothing leading to the bedroom.

49. Nation SE of Cyprus : LEB. Anon? Is the SE a clue that this is an abbreviation?

51. Item on a chain, perhaps : WATCH.

55. One may be broken : RULE.

56. Afghanistan's national airline : ARIANA. My learning moment, as despite past experience with owning a travel agency, I was not aware of this AIRLINE.

57. Northwest Passage explorer : RAE. A pioneer and the SUBJECT of controversy.

59. Word with hole or holder : POT. So sweet.

64. Bridge action : BID.

65. Brown family shade : ECRU.

66. "I'm on board" : AGREED.

67. Década division : ANO.

68. Food buyers' concerns : DYES.

69. Scary flier : TSETSE. The return of the dreaded fly. See 2D. Polynesian catch : MAHI MAHI.

Down:

1. English hunters : SETTERS. There are many kinds but the ENGLISH are hunting dogs.

3. Unable to increase : AT A LIMIT. New fill, but I am not sure.

4. Mo. hours : CST. Central Standard Time.

5. Christchurch native : KIWI. New Zealand.

6. Common animal kingdom tattoo subject : SNAKE.

7. Bowler, e.g. : HAT.

8. Cakes go-with : ALE. Only because I have blogged so much of JW did this make sense. His love of Shakespeare dredged this LINK from memory.

9. In a way, in a way : SORTA.

10. One unlikely to experiment : PURIST.

11. Uses a 22-Across on, as tears : DABS AT. Yes many a tissue gets used with certain movies. What are your favorite tearjerkers?

12. Come-hither quality : ALLURE.

13. Dear : STEEP. Really needed perps; we do not use dear to mean expensive much any more.

18. Hot : SEXY. Do you all watch the Victoria Secret TV specials?

`
19. "__ serious?" : IS HE?

24. Pantry stack : TINS. More from across the pond, as in the USA we stack cans..

26. Picks a fight (with) : TANGLES.

27. Civil rights icon Parks : ROSA.

29. Red __ : SEA.

33. Calculating : SLY.

35. Chip shot path : ARC. Anyone watching Tiger playing in  the desert?

37. Ripsnorter : LULU. Two old fashioned words.

38. Bit of Christmas morning detritus : BOW. Ribbons, boxes etc.

39. Thickening agent : AGAR. Time to refresh our recollection of this secret AGENT.

40. Flip : GET UPSET.

41. Goes around : ENCLOSES. Another harder to parse until it is filled by perps.

44. SEC powerhouse, familiarly : THE TIDE. The Crimson Tide from Alabama. One of the schools i mentioned in first ever Corner post.

45. Runner's woe : SPRAIN.

46. Shag, e.g. : HAIRDO. Same # of letters as CARPET. I blame Dorothy Hamill.

47. Part of Q.E.D. : ERAT.

48. Like some court motions : DENIED.

50. "Feel the __": 2016 campaign slogan : BERN. Now this is clearly political.

52. Iconic Rio carnival activity : SAMBA. They have an annual competition where they appear to spend all their money n the headdress, and not on any other clothing. R-RATED.

53. Like : FANCY. More old fashioned fill that you may or may not fancy.

54. Nasser's successor : SADAT. Anwar Sadat, here is a LIST.

58. Physics units : ERGS.

61. Fight cause : IRE.

62. Mozart's birthplace, now: Abbr. : AUStria. He was born in Salzburg. LIFE.

63. Natural resource : ORE. There's gold in them thar hills!

After so many Fridays, solving JW feels right; I think i have a sense of his sensibilities- like cakes and ale- maybe NC and Steve will chime in. In the meantime, thanks for reading and do not forget to use our sponsors. lemonade out.

Thursday, February 2, 2017 Chuck Deodene

Theme: Yadda Yadda Yadda. You add a "YA" to a name or a phrase. Hilarity ensues.

17A. Headline during an African wildfire season? : KENYA BURNS. Ken Burns. Documentary film maker.

61A. Collector of some Spanish art? : GOYA GETTER. Go-getter. To the delight of teenage boys in art class everywhere, Goya painted two versions of his Maja. One clothed, the other markedly less so. Here's one version:

10D. Artist Jasper during his tropical period? : PAPAYA JOHNS. Papa John's. Pizza purveyor. The artist Jasper Johns is fond of this somewhat gloomy pose:

25D. Farmer's possible reply to "What beans are you planting this year?"? : I RECKON SOYA. I reckon so. Food! I'm very partial to steamed edamame, sprinkled with sea salt.

The reveal across the middle of the puzzle tells us:

39A. Casual parting ... and a hint to this puzzle's four longest answers : SEE YA

Straightforward enough theme. You always know the kind of thing you're looking for when you see clues in the interrogative. Two 10-letter themers across, two 11-letter downs and one reveal across the middle. There's some nice longer fill too, let's see what we've got.

Across:

1. Brewski : SUDS. Cheers!

5. Scrubland succulent : AGAVE. Tequila!

10. Skate park protection : PADS

14. "__ something I said?" : IS IT

15. Bounded : LOPED

16. Settled on the tarmac : ALIT

19. "¿Qué __?" : PASA

20. Peach or orange : HUE

21. Snitch : RAT

22. Rental duration : TENANCY. This was a poser before the crosses helped out. I was thinking rental cars, not apartments. Two Days? Maybe. Fortunately I wasn't convinced.

24. Former NASCAR Cup sponsor : SPRINT

26. Pass along : RELAY

27. Go over again : RE-READ

29. Kind of key : MAJOR. As opposed to minor.

33. Bro : MATE. Hmmm. Transatlantic synonymia. I think I just invented a great new word.

36. Tolkien villain : ORC. Generic one of about three trillion, if the computer graphics were to be believed. There were two in the book who actually had names, but I think they were cut from the movie script.

37. "This feels familiar" feeling : DEJA VU. Very apt - today is Groundhog Day. That was a fun movie, starring Bill Murray and Andi McDowell.

38. Corner office fig. : EXEC. utive. I had a corner office on the Warner Bros. lot overlooking the Western backlot which did not befit my station. I kept very quiet about that mistake by corporate real estate.

41. Had too much : OD'ED. This is on my personal "banned" list.

42. Satisfies, as thirst : SLAKES. You can also match-make calcium oxide and water to produce calcium hydroxide with judicious use of this verb.

44. Reduction : CUT

45. Attending : HERE. Little odd. "I'm here" and "I'm attending". One is not quite like the other.

46. Fable teller : AESOP

47. "Challenge accepted!" : GAME ON!

49. West Coast pro : NINER. Ah, the might Santa Clara 49ers. Funny how they didn't change their name when they moved.

51. Possible reason for an empty seat : NO-SHOW

55. Picture of health? : CAT SCAN

58. Profession, casually : BIZ

59. Hosp. area : I.C.U.

60. __ clarinet : ALTO

64. Tactic : PLOY

65. Barn-raising sect : AMISH

66. Latin I word : AMAS. What? Latin "CI" word I could understand. Latin "I" possessive is wrong, so that can't be it. Amo, amas, amat - I love, you love, he/she/it loves, Help me out here. Typo?

67. County bordering Sonoma : NAPA. A favorite destination. I tasted a fabulous gin which was distilled in Napa the other day. I didn't know there are a few distilleries in the region.

68. Core belief : TENET

69. Out of shape : BENT. Like me, about "OD'ED"

Down

1. Punjabi monotheists : SIKHS

2. Burn through : USE UP

3. Eatery often named for its owner : DINER. We've got Mel's and Paty's in my neighborhood. Here's Paty's - get the corned beef hash and fresh orange juice. Oh, and a pint of coffee.

4. Foul spot : STY

5. Seemingly eternal burden : ALBATROSS. From "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner":

Ah! well a-day! what evil looks 

Had I from old and young! 

Instead of the cross, the Albatross 

About my neck was hung. 

6. Joint ailment : GOUT

7. Abbr. in car ads : A.P.R. Usually more than you expected.

8. Unloaded a burden : VENTED

9. Old lemon : EDSEL

11. Cumming of "The Good Wife" : ALAN. Thanks, crosses. This chap, born in Scotland:

12. CD part : DISC. Not deposit.

13. Sit tight : STAY. In 1977 I was living in a one room rental (called a bed-sit) in London. In winter, I heated the room by turning on the oven and leaving the oven door open. I had a record player and this classic from "Running on Empty" by Jackson Browne.

18. "Rule, Britannia" composer : ARNE. Thomas. I've used up my music link quota. Google "Last Night of the Proms Rule Britannia 2009" if you want to see some seriously-British flag-waving.

23. License info : NAME

26. Pit visitor : RACE CAR

28. Before, poetically : ERE

30. Green gem : JADE

31. Wrapped up : OVER. It's over.

32. Deserving a slap, maybe : RUDE

33. Badlands landform : MESA

34. Shaft with bushings : AXLE. Thought "American Spelling", went with AXEL. Obviously wrong. Fixed it.

37. Couple's break from the kids : DATE NIGHT

40. "Delish!" : YUM

43. Amazing, in dudespeak : EPIC

47. Biological map subject : GENOME

48. Slime : OOZE

50. Pester : NAG AT

52. Card table request : HIT ME

53. Where some large schools may be found : OCEAN

54. Rathskeller fare : WURST. A bar in the basement of a German city hall (Rathaus). We Americans added the "h" so as not to deter the diners or drinkers.

55. Aye-catcher? : CAP'N. Best clue of the day. Very nice.

56. Trattoria's "in the style of" : ALLA. More Food! What better excuse than to link to the quite splendid Lego animation of Eddie Izzard and the "Death Star Canteen". (R18 for language, REveryone for humor).

57. Firebird roof option : T-TOP. Subtle, understated vehicle from Pontiac.

58. Military center : BASE

62. Half a cosmic whole : YIN. Meet Yang.

63. Check : TAB. That's my cue - Check Please!

Aaaaaaand  - the grid.

Steve

Wednesday February 1, 2017 Ed Sessa

Theme: POPTASTIC (64A) Portmanteau word describing some great music ... or, initially, four answers in this puzzle)- This seems like a word made up by a balloon seller.

17A. Type of film industry contract : PAY OR PLAY

24A. M&M's choice : PLAIN OR PEANUTS. This one puzzled me.  Cocktail hour has Peanuts, but M&M choices are Plain or Peanut used as adjectives.  No "S" but I suppose it was added to keep the grid symmetric.

39A. Academic ultimatum : PUBLISH OR PERISH. Academic excuse - "My dog ate my homework"

51A. Shopper's decision : PAPER OR PLASTIC. When I was younger, the choices were "Paper or Paper"

Hello puzzle masters.  Boomer here.  I know you all want to know how I bowled Monday night. 258-299-254-239 in the Twin City Masters League. The first three game set (811) was only my 5th career 800 series.  Rare set for many bowlers.  On with the show ....

Across:  

1. Memo phrase : IN RE. Usually I just see "RE" on business letters and memos

5. Music-playing Apple : iPOD

9. Improvises musically : SCATS. I have never heard this - "Have Simon and Garfunkel play it" did not fit in the grid.

14. Primary : MAIN

15. "__ Lisa" : MONA. Have Nat King Cole sing this

16. Many a jukebox tune : OLDIE. Actually a mere Jukebox is an Oldie, but I remember dropping a few quarters in them because I am an oldie also.

19. Capital south of Moscow : BOISE. Yeah, I did a double take too.  This Moscow is a city in Northern Idaho near the Washington border.  Like you all, I have never heard of it.  (Used Google).

20. Former justice Antonin : SCALIA. May he rest in peace.

21. Musician's suffix : IST.  Cleverist use of a non-word.

23. Make (one's way) : WEND. A poet's favorite but I don't normally hear it.

27. Solidify : SET. Ladies, think twice before you go to the beauty parlor to get your hair set.

28. "High Voltage" band : AC/DC. Very popular among people younger than I.

29. Starting on : AS OF.  Not my favorite two word fill.

33. Soft shot : LOB. You don't see this much in tennis.  I watched a match the other day and most shots were 100 mph.

35. Mothers of Invention leader : ZAPPA. The only person who has children named Dweezil and Moon Unit.

43. Early computer : ENIAC

44. Quite small : WEE. Aye Scottie! Wear a kilt when using this word.

45. Gear on slopes : SKIS. Credit Chad Mitchell Trio. "Well they called him super skier, when he sat upon the sun deck, for they thought that he would never take a spill.  When they finally brought him down they had to use three toboggans, to carry all the pieces off the hill."

46. Coral formation : REEF

49. Cavity filler's org. : ADA. If they can use Moscow, Idaho... Why not clue this as a small town in northern Minnesota ??

58. Smelting waste : SLAG

59. Neighbor of Turk. : SYR

60. Poke fun at : NEEDLE

62. Dutch city, with "The" : HAGUE. I think the UN has a court there (not tennis or basketball).  For serious international business.

66. Modify : AMEND

67. Not yours, in Tours : A MOI. Seems like crossword constructors always have to toss a couple of foreign words at us.

68. Singer k.d. : LANG

69. Superlatively bad : WORST

70. Short period of time, for short : NSEC. Another non word copout.

71. Long period of time : AGES. Or 100,000 billion NSECs.

Down:

1. They're hard to sit for : IMPS. Unless this is an anagram, I assume they are talking about babysitting.

2. Rights org. since 1909 : NAACP

3. Saudi currency : RIYAL  There are 100 Halalas in a Riyal.  Not sure how many Halalas needed to buy a barrel of oil.

4. Name on a 1945 bomber : ENOLA. The actual name on this B-29 was Enola Gay.  Not a great chapter in American History as the plane carried an atomic bomb which was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan.

5. Populates, as a grand jury : IMPANELS

6. D.C. insider : POL. An abbreviation mostly used by CNN, FOX. and MSNBC.

7. Studio sign : ON AIR

8. Place for some serious me-time : DAY SPA. Not sure about "Day Spa".  Is there also a "Night Spa"??

9. Break down : SOB.  Crying - can also be an anagram (oh never mind)

10. High-occupancy vehicles? : CLOWN CARS. I have never heard of these.  Someone hit the Comments section and tell me what a Clown Car is.  Does Ronald McDonald own one??

11. "Farewell, ma chère" : ADIEU. Okay, a foreign word that everyone knows.  Many people wish they would have said "ADIEU" instead of "I DO".  Nah Just kidding.

12. Naysayer's contraction : 'TISN'T - Looks made up to me.

13. Future flowers : SEEDS

18. Social reformer Jacob : RIIS.  Some historical guy from the 19th Century.

22. Noir sleuth : TEC  ??? Got me again

25. Texter's "however" : OTOH.  I do not tweet or text - and if you do please do not text and drive at the same time.  "On the other hand" if you do, I don't think I can make it to your funeral.

26. Cooper's tool : ADZE - this is a big ax.  I have no idea what a cooper is unless it's a farmer building a home for chickens.

 
29. Lummox : APE

30. Source of awakening rays : SUN

31. Back-tied sash : OBI. Also Mr. Wan Kenobi in Star Wars.

32. Distress signal devices : FLARE GUNS

34. Fiddler's need : BOW

36. Dental suffix with Water : PIK. Independent company founded in 1962.

37. Pressure meas. : PSI. Per Square Inch, I think

38. Sounds of relief : AHs

40. Cupcake finisher : ICER. Finish making or finish eating?

41. Twitter handle word for a celeb, perhaps : REAL, Sorry I do not tweet, nor do I follow @real others

42. Overly focused on minor rules : PEDANTIC. Never heard this word.  Sorry

47. Lip balm brand derived from "evolution of smooth" : EOS. Same with this one. Google Images show this.

48. Skillet : FRY PAN

50. On a cruise : ASEA

51. Dismissive word : PSHAW. This is an interesting word.  Not sure why the "P" is there 

52. Mission on a commemorative 1936 stamp : ALAMO. "High up Santa Ana, we're killing your soldiers below, so the rest of Texas will know .... and remember the Alamo."

53. Beeper : PAGER

54. Providers of senior moments? : PROMS. Of course this refers to High School Seniors, not Medicare seniors (like me).

55. Inventor Nikola : TESLA. My career was with an Electric Company, and I have heard of this guy.  He was an inventor who diddled with alternating current. 

56. "Hi! I'm ... " badge : ID TAG

57. Patsy of country : CLINE.  It's Crazy to go Walkin' After Midnight.  You may Fall To Pieces.

61. Heart tests, briefly : ECGs. Also known as an EKG but the puzzle needed a C.

63. Del. summer hrs. : EDT. Daylight Saving Time will be here again shortly.  I am so old that I remember when Minnesota did not have Daylight time, so when the East Coast set their clocks ahead, we had to adjust our TV viewing time.  (Channel 4 or 5)

65. "The Fall of the House of Usher" author : POE. The last clue on this recap- "Quoth the Raven - Nevermore".

Boomer

Note from C.C.:

Melissa just visited her daughter and granddaughter, who was born last August. Look at these adorable pictures. So cute!