Friday, September 15, 2017, Mark McClain

Title: Am I coming or going?

After more than 7 years of blogging puzzles, I do not often need the reveal to understand the theme. Mark got me, even though I knew the likely theme fill made no sense, I did not get what they had in common until the reveal. Telling us to break 58A into three words gave me DRAW TO WARD, and after a slow brain moment the light bulb went on - DRAW backwards is WARD. GAB becomes BAG and the rest fell into place. To maintain consistency, Mark has the second word reverse in the first two themers and and the first word reverses in the next two. The grid with many three and four letter fill makes this a fair test for Friday even before you deduce the reversal. Also it features many witty clue/fill combinations. Ringing organ? : EAR; Taking something badly? : THEFT - come to mind. That did not leave much room for other sparkle, but Mark did include SAPPORO, SATISFY, DYSTOPIAN and RAISE CAIN.

18A. Chat at the supermarket checkout? : GROCERY GAB (10). Grocery Bag jumped out at me as soon as I had the reveal.
-
24A. Marsh bird with uncontrollable urges? : COMPULSIVE RAIL (14). Compulsive is a word most often seen with Liar and Gambler.

38A. Way into Wayne Manor? : BAT KEYS (7). Tab Keys are very important when typing. The shortest fill, BAT to TAB.

51A. Work of a major opera house villain? : EVIL FROM THE MET (14). I watched this SHOW when it aired Live starting in 1977 trying to appreciate opera.

58A. Attract ... or, as three words, sequence change with a hint about 18-, 24-, 38- and 51-Across : DRAW TOWARD (10). If you suss this as DRAW to WARD, you see that this is a word reversal puzzle.

The rest...

Across:

1. Alan of "Tower Heist" : ALDA. It is amazing how well he has played smarmy bad people in this and other projects. A Stiller connection.

5. Partridge family tree? : PEAR. Not sure which family this refers to, the TV series or the Christmas chant.

9. Eliot's Bede : ADAM. This was the first novel published by George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans). Silas Marner and Middlemarch were her best.

13. He shared the AP Driver of the Century award with Andretti : FOYT. A. J. was a major STAR. when I was growing up.

14. Consumed : EATEN.

16. Con __: tempo marking : MOTO. The word has the same stem as motion but what does it mean in MUSIC?

17. Museum figure : BUST. Tempting...

20. Bigelow offering : TEA.

22. "Utopia" author : MORE. Is this the first fantasy novel? Was his Utopia appealing?  What about 3 Down?

23. Request on "ER" : MRI.

28. Oldest Japanese beer brand : SAPPORO.

29. Discounted by : LESS.

30. Cut out : OMIT.

31. Trivial amount : SOU. Although the French sou as a coin disappeared more than two centuries ago, it is still used to mean of little value. (various).

33. __ science : EARTH. Needed perps.

37. Paella veggie : PEA. Not a dish I cook, but here is a RECIPE.

41. "Eureka!" : AHA. Another made up word, but I guess they all are.

42. Legendary first name in skating : SONJA.  The second name was HENIE. A reminder to some of us of Clear Ayes. 48D. 42-Across' homeland : NORWAY.

44. Northwest Passage explorer : RAE. A true PIONEER.

45. Cinco times dos : DIEZ. Purists would prefer "cinco veces dos."

46. Noodle bar order : UDON.

49. Fulfill : SATISFY.

55. Animal house : DEN.

56. Pertaining to : IN RE.

57. SHO-owned cinematic channel : TMC. The Movie Channel, not TCM or AMC.

62. Not at all tough : EASY.

65. Skye, for one : ISLE.

66. Card worth a fortune? : TAROT.

67. Stir up : RILE.

68. Slender swimmers : EELS.

69. Sweet tubers : YAMS.  Can you pass the QUIZ?

70. Winter coat : SNOW. Another nice one.

Down:

1. Laughlin in Tex., e.g. : AFB. Air Force Base.

2. He often batted after Babe : LOU. Gehrig.

3. Like "The Hunger Games" society : DYSTOPIAN. Should this be included when you have 22A?

4. Tackle : ATTEMPT.

5. Wood fastener : PEG.

6. Ringing organ? : EAR. I like this clue, not the phenomenon.

7. Physics class topic : ATOMS.

8. Cringe : RECOIL.

9. Youngest of the "Little Women" : AMY. Meg. Margaret is the oldest of the March sisters, Jo. Josephine is the second oldest March sister, Beth. Elizabeth is the third eldest sister, Amy. The youngest, Amy is the pet of the family.

10. Article of faith : DOGMA. I liked the movie.

11. Arcade giant : ATARI.

12. Exxon follower? : MOBIL.

15. Guts : NERVE.

19. Giant in little candy : REESES.  Pieces. Phone home.

21. GI's address : APO.

24. Typical Hitchcock role : CAMEO. Stan Lee has taken over as king of the Cameos.

25. Celestial bear : URSA.

26. Take from a job : LOOT. Oh, that kind of job.

27. Johannesburg's land: Abbr. : RSA. Republic of South Africa, home to constructor and blogger Gareth Bain.

28. Finishes (up) the gravy : SOPS.

32. Former SSR : UKRaine.

34. Go ballistic : RAISE CAIN. A THEORY.

35. Taking something badly? : THEFT. Not new but still witty.

36. Unclear : HAZY.

38. Mismatch : BAD FIT.

39. __ Coast : EAST. WEST?

40. Repeated word in the Beatles' "She Loves You" : YEAH. yeah, yeah.

43. National Ice Cream mo. : JULy. Y abbreviate?

45. Aids for romantic evenings : DIMMERS.

47. Hedger's last words : OR NOT. This fill is absolutely correct, or not.

50. Vietnamese holiday : TET.

51. __ Bauer : EDDIE. The STORY.

52. Part of a song : VERSE.

53. Collectively : IN ALL.

54. Anne of comedy : MEARA. Wife of Jerry, mother of Ben; sadly she died in 2015.

59. Director Craven : WES. Unlike  Hitchcock and Stan Lee, Craven (who also died in 2015) often played himself in movies.

60. Danube Delta country: Abbr. : ROMania.

61. Drying-out hurdle : DTS. Delirium Tremens. I had a math teacher, first period, my junior year in high school who brought his coffee to class in a cup and saucer and the sound of his shaking was unnerving before 8 AM.

63. __-mo replay : SLO.

64. Taxus shrub : YEW. They look like junipers but the yew berry has a poisonous seed instead of the base for gin.

I am always curious when we have a theme like this one, as some of our crowd wants only clues and fill and no theme, while others love creativity. Thank you Mark; hope all are well. Lemonade out.

 Note from C.C.: 

Lemonade is safe and sound. His power was finally back last night. He also has a new grandson, who was born on Wednesday Sept 13, 2017. So sweet! You can click here to see more pictures of his beautiful grandkids.

Thursday September 14th 2017 Clive Probert

Theme: "T" Times - punning clues to a phrase with an added "T".

20A. Place to mingle on the slopes? : SINGLES T-BAR. There's an aprés-ski joint in Val d'Isère called "Dick's T-Bar." I had many a post-piste pick-me-up  there back in the 80's. The bar has outlasted the T-bar style lifts. Those things were tricky.

34A. Misplace a casual top? : LOSE YOUR T-SHIRT. Two theme entries in one T-shirt:

39A. Take Rover to Ruth's Chris? : GIVE A DOG A T-BONE. Funny how many people want to call this steakhouse chain "Ruth Chris's".

53A. Dinosaur family drama? : OEDIPUS T-REX My ex and I named our daughter "Jocasta". Then I read the play. Hmmm. Rated "R" for family unpleasantness (the play, not my daughter). She didn't hold a grudge.

Clever by Clive not just to add a "T" to a phrase, but to find four "T-hyphen" in front of the final word of the phrase. This kind of consistency is really difficult to strive for - you can start out with a seed entry that sets you on your way, and then find yourself compromising when you can't find much else that fits the plan.

Fresh fill, including GIRLRIEND, LOW VOLTAGE, SNARFS and TROUGHS. A lot to like. Let's see what else we've got to talk about:

Across:

1. Superhero attire : CAPE

5. Six-footers at parties : SUBS

9. Parakeet quarters : CAGES

14. "You can say that again!" : AMEN!

15. St. Paul's architect : WREN. The City of London's cathedral. Wren lived across the river in Southwark so that he could monitor progress. This is Herbert Mason's iconic photograph taken during the Blitz in WW2:

16. Important fruit in the Mediterranean diet : OLIVE

17. Novelist Morrison : TONI. One of America's literary greats.

18. Zaragoza's river : EBRO. Zaragoza in Spain, not Mexico.

19. Harder to come by : RARER

23. Legal deg. : LLB

24. Big hand measurement: Abbr. : MIN.

25. Gobble (up) : SNARF. Great word. Almost onomatopoeic.

27. Octet since 2006 : PLANETS. Poor Pluto.

31. Shakespearean call to arms : ALARUM. "To Arms!". The stage direction "Alarums and Excursions" indicates that the assembled throng of extras need to start running around grabbing spears and what-not and calling "To War!" and the like.

36. "I saw the opening __ of hell": "Moby-Dick" : MAW

37. "Straight Outta Compton" role, familiarly : DRE. The good Dr. I met Andre when we were pitching software to his Beats Music brand. Smart guy.

38. Word with head or roll : EGG

46. Dull : STODGY. Hopefully, not your egg rolls.

47. Run things? : ERRANDS

48. Doone of fiction : LORNA. Based in the West of England. A good read!

50. NBA tiebreakers : OT'S. Basketball overtimes.

51. Balderdash : ROT

59. Major mess : SNAFU. I like the "Major=Military" connection in the clue. People will have you believe that the "F" means "fouled". Don't fall for it. Situation Normal, All [insert preferred word here] Up.

61. Universal donor's type, briefly : O-NEG

62. Support person : AIDE 

63. One with a strict diet : VEGAN. I'm on a strict diet too - I call it the Food! diet. You won't catch me eating anything else.

64. Boring : BLAH

65. Pass the bouncer : GO IN. BYPASS the bouncer would be "sneak in".

66. Respond to a charge : PLEAD. Pleading ignorance was a loophole that was closed many moons ago.

67. Hearing things : EARS. Fun clue.

68. Singer James : ETTA. Could also be "RICK". So steady on there, Turbo, wait for the crosses.

Down:

1. Subjects of many viral online videos : CATS. This might not fall strictly into the genre, but it's still a treat - a UK commercial for milk. I love it.

2. Mine, in Marseille : A MOI

3. The Quakers of the Ivy League : PENN. Penn State are the Nittany Lions. They sound more fun.

4. Conundrums : ENIGMAS. "It is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma". Winston Churchill's assessment of Russian foreign policy in 1939. Also - here's "Nimrod", one of Elgar's "Enigma Variations". Quite beautiful.

5. "American Gods" leprechaun Mad __ : SWEENEY. Thank you, crosses. Neither novel, author nor character have never even come close to knocking at the door of my wheelhouse.

6. Metro areas : URBS. Subs and Exes. Sounds like an adult novel.

7. Muppet with a unibrow : BERT

8. Elitists : SNOBS

9. Western pens : CORRALS

10. In the style of : A LA. Mode. King. Food!

11. Sweetheart : GIRLFRIEND

12. Robbie's daredevil father : EVEL

13. Many a Montenegro resident : SERB

21. One-fifth of a limerick : LINE. Take it away, Owen KL

22. Art school subj. : ANAT. omy

26. Cheering sound : RAH!

27. Hair piece : PLAIT

28. Relatively safe, as electricity : LOW VOLTAGE. Wasn't the Van de Graaf generator that I stuck my hand on in high school which set my hair on end generating 50,000 volts? At a micro-amp, I seem to remember. Or something. Anyway, it didn't kill me. Stick your tongue on a 12V car battery and it's a different story.

29. Flap : TO DO

30. Tidal peril during a storm : SURGE and the anagram hot on the heels ....

32. More than asks : URGES

33. Board rm. session : MTG. Often "bored room". Too many meetings, too much decision paralysis.

35. Bring up : REAR

36. British racing cars : MG'S. Originally an abbreviation of "Morris Garages", now long lost to history. One of these chaps is either over-cautious or terribly rash, vis-à-vis headgear:

40. Old name of Tokyo : EDO

41. Bad way to run a ship : AGROUND. Usually leaves a mark not easily buffed out.

42. Unit of force : DYNE

43. Low-pressure systems : TROUGHS

44. Cricket clubs : BATS.

45. Performing : ON STAGE

49. Southwestern brick : ADOBE

51. Invitation letters : RSVP

52. Scott Turow memoir : ONE L. Harvard Law School freshman year. Published in 1977, apparently many first-year law school students still read it as part of their prep.

54. Getting pictures of the Hollywood sign, say : IN L.A. My local landmark. I still want to get up close, but the arrest/fine/night in jail isn't worth it.

55. Nectar flavor : PEAR

56. Sidesplitter : RIOT

57. Menu including Cut and Paste : EDIT

58. "Hercules" character who got her own show : XENA. She was the honorary starter at a charity golf tournament sponsored by Universal that I played in at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena a few years ago. There were more mulligans taken on that tee than I've seen before or since.

60. Drone regulator: Abbr. : F.A.A

A belated and heartfelt thank you to everyone for the birthday wishes on Tuesday - I've been up to my ass in alligators at work this last couple of weeks so I didn't have time to stop by on the 12th. My friend Jill took me to my favorite Indian restaurant, and a hot, spicy and merry time was had by both of us.

That leaves the grid - so here it is!

Steve

Wednesday, September 13, 2017 - Adam T. Cobb

Theme -- Hey, what's in this drink?  Here we have a complex theme: circled letters [and good luck if you didn't get the circles, since the letters are scattered] within the theme entries are anagrams of hidden words.  And better yet, the hidden words are liquid assets [so to speak] of the things in which they are hidden. 

17. Name on a two-liter bottle (and what's inside) : ROYAL CROWN.   ROYAL CROWN, is, of course, a brand name and COLA is the generic name for the product variety.

23. Independently owned suds producer (and the suds in question) : MICROBREWERY.  MICROBREWERIES are independently owned and operated purveyors of craft BEERs and ales.  The quaffs that they offer typically have more flavor and character that what you find in mass produced products from the big, international BREWing companies.  I'm a fan of Bell's Two-Hearted Ale.

38. Where Starbucks began (and a product it popularized) : SEATTLE.  LATTE's are not unique to Starbucks, but you certainly can get one there.  Our wildly over-achieving oldest granddaughter is, among other things, a certified barista and trainer at Starbucks.  A LATTE is a coffee drink made with espresso and steamed milk.

49. Pepperidge Farm treat (and its ideal companion) : MILANO COOKIE.  This is a sandwich COOKIE with a dark chocolate inner layer between two flat biscuits.  It's marketed to adults, but even they can enjoy a nice cold glass of MILK with it.

And the unifier -- 59. What's clued in parentheses for each of four answers, and found in corresponding sets of puzzle circles : MIXED DRINK.  This is an in-the-language phrase indicating a libation made with alcoholic spirits and some sort of mixer, such as some flavor of soda.   Here, the word MIXED is a hint that the letters of the respective DRINKS have been scrambled.

Hi gang, JazzBumpa here, your host for today's adventure in a glass.   Let's pop a few lids and see how this tastes.

Across

1. Green Angry Birds animals : PIGS.  I dunno.  Never played the game.

5. Salon style : PERM.   Short for PERManent wave.

9. "Jabberwocky" opener : 'TWAS.  This poem by Lewis Carroll is included in Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There, from 1871,

’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
      Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
      And the mome raths outgrabe.

13. Les __-Unis : ETATS.  United States in French.

15. Eye layer : UVEA.  This includes the iris, which displays eye color.  Brown-eyed people like me have irises pigmented with melanin.  Blue eyed people have no little or no pigment in their irises.  They appear blue due to Rayleigh scattering - the same optical phenomenon that makes the sky appear blue.  Other colors are due to combination effects from various levels of melanin and collagen, which causes Mie scattering. 

You view the UVEA

16. "For __ jolly ... " : HE'S A. Good fellow, and I can't deny it.

19. Double-crossers : RATS. Figuratively speaking

20. Like microwavable meals : PRE-MADE.  

21. Valued caches : TROVES.  Have you ever seen the word TROVE not associated with some sort of treasure?

26. Parthenon goddess : ATHENA.  From Greek mythology, the goddess of wisdom, craft and war..

29. "How cool!" : NEATO.

30. Length of most TV dramas : HOUR.

31. WWI battleship Graf __ : SPEE.  Read about it here.

33. Kin by marriage : IN-LAW.  

37. CIO partner : AFL.  The American Federation of Labor merged with the Congress of Industrial Organizations in 1955.  The organization is made up of 56 national and international labor unions.

40. __ snail's pace : A TA.   Moving slowly.

41. Note above A : B FLAT.  It's enharmonic equivalent, A Sharp is rare, but I have encountered it already this week.

43. Snoop (around) : NOSE.  Because that is what gets poked into a place, whether it belongs there or not.

44. Blockage : CLOG.

45. Slangy "It's cool" : NO BIG.  I guess the "DEAL" is implied.  Anyway it's not a problem.

47. Currently combusting : ABLAZE.  On fire, right now.

53. Novelist Waugh : EVELYN.  Arthur Evelyn St. John Waugh [1903 - 1966] was a prolific English journalist, and author of novels, biographies and travelogues.

54. Scolds harshly : BERATES.  You could be BERATED if your behavior were less than A-rated.

58. Jones with a locker : DAVY.  The origins of the phrase are unclear.  DAVY Jones' locker is the bottom of the sea, where the remains of drowned sailors and sunken ships find their final resting place.

62. Don Juan's mother : INEZ.  I only know this from crosswords.

63. Just : ONLY.  Only this article can do it JUSTice,

64. __ protector : SURGE.  A device to shield your electronic items from potentially damaging power fluctuations.

65. Give a darn : CARE.  Be concerned. There is a lot to CARE about these days.

66. Horseshoes turn : TOSS.  Having your turn at the game of tossing horse shoes.

67. Dijon dad : PERE.  More French.

Down

1. Cop's quarry : PERP.  The PERPetrator of a crime.   Or, in Corner lingo, a word in a puzzle that is PERPendicular to a given word.

2. "Like __ lump ... " : IT OR.  Take it or leave it.

3. Marvin of Motown : GAYE. [1939-1984] He was a singer, song writer and producer who helped create the Mo-Town sound.  Sadly, he was killed by his own father who shot him when he tried to intervene in an argument between his parents.



4. Speech therapist's challenge : STAMMER.  Speech with involuntary pauses and repeated initial consonant sounds.

5. More virtuous : PURER.  Like even whiter snow.

6. President Morales of Bolivia : EVO.  Juan Evo Morales Ayma [b 1959] has been president since 2006.

7. DVR "back up" button : REWind.

8. Chanted word : MANTRA. A word or sound repeated as an aid in achieving a meditative state.

9. Add, as a shrimp to the barbie : THROW ON.  Aim carefully when adding a shrimp to the grill.

10. Go this way and that : WEAVE.   Zig-zag.

11. Autumn bloom : ASTER.  The name is derived from the Greek word for star, due to the shape of the bloom.

No - they are not daisies

12. Flip : SASSY.  Said of disrespectful back-talk.

14. "'And hast thou __ the Jabberwock?'" : SLAIN.  A bonus mini-theme.

“And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
      Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!”
      He chortled in his joy.

18. Music box? : CD CASE.  Protective box for music medium storage.

22. Deal with, as loose laces : RETIE.  Which is why I prefer slip-ons.

24. "Almost there!" : ONE TO GO.  I associate this phrase with American football, in a situation when one one yard is needed for a first down.

25. Borscht veggies : BEETS.  I think it was on a long-ago Rocky and Bullwinkle episode when one of the characters said, "When it comes to borscht, you can't beat soup!"

26. Quaker captain of literature : AHAB. Pursuer of the great white whale, Moby Dick.  I didn't recall him being a Quaker.

27. Fashionable Brit : TOFF.  A derogatory stereotype for an aristocratic Brit is what I found.  Perhaps Steve can explain.

28. Ship frame : HULL.

32. Freak out : PANIC.

34. 2016 Best Picture nominee "__ Land" : LA LA.  2016 movie, 2017 Oscar nominee.



35. All-inclusive : A TO Z.  Everything from A cups to Zebras.

36. Salary : WAGE.  Not exactly.  Wages are based on actual hours worked, while a salary is a fixed amount per week or month, irrespective of actual time on the job.

38. Like a path that's cobbled together? : STONY.    My favorite way of thinking about a cobblestone path.

39. Allowed to get out : LEAKED.  As information, not caged animals.

42. Examine in detail : ANALYZE.

44. Go from cloudy to fair : CLEAR UP.  Better weather.

46. Wisecrack : BON MOT.

48. Tweeters : BIRDS.  Not stereo speakers.

49. Physician at the front : MEDIC.  In the military.

50. The first Mrs. Trump : IVANA.

51. Prying tool : LEVER.  A beam or rod pivoted on a fulcrum.

52. Acts like a good dog : OBEYS.  Sits, begs, and rolls over.

55. Lose steam : TIRE.  Get used up.

56. Elec. or mech. expert : ENGR.  Engineers.

57. __-Ball: arcade game : SKEE.   The game is played by rolling balls up an incline and scoring points by having the balls fall into holes with different values.

60. Suffix with concert : -INO.  A concertino is either a composition that is a smaller version of a concerto, or a subsection of an orchestra that is featured in a composition.

61. Big tee sizes : XLS.  Extra Larges.

That wraps another Wednesday.  With the libation of your choice, a toast to all.  It's always 5:00 somewhere.

Cool regards!
JzB

Tuesday, September 12 2017, Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: There's No Telling

17. With 61-Across, dubious tabloid image : UNIDENTIFIED

61. See 17-Across : FLYING OBJECT 

25. Call to a police hotline, possibly : ANONYMOUS TIP 

36. 1972 chart-topper for the band America : A HORSE WITH NO NAME 

51. Emmy-winning travel and cuisine show hosted by Anthony Bourdain : PARTS UNKNOWN 

Melissa here.

Interesting that there is no reference to the theme in the clues - no starred clues, and no reveal. Which is fitting because the theme answers are all about keeping mum.

This may have been the fastest Tuesday solve ever.

Across       

1. Attack vigorously : ASSAIL

7. Insurance company's concern : RISK

11. "Now I get it!" : AHA

14. Dry-eyes solution : SALINE

15. __ Picchu : MACHU

16. Female GI in WWII : WAC. Women's Army Corp.

19. Curved line : ARC

20. '50s president, initially : DDE. Dwight D. Eisenhower

21. 20-Across nickname : IKE

22. The Congo, formerly : ZAIRE

24. Tycoon Onassis : ARI

29. Hits the tarmac : LANDS

31. Very long time : EON

32. Attention-getting whisper : PSST

33. Elect to office : VOTE IN

35. Spouse : MATE

43. Storyteller __ Christian Andersen : HANS

44. Key of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony : D-MINOR

45. Relaxing venues : SPAS

49. Train cos. : RRS

50. Likely will, after "is" : APT TO

56. Canon SLR camera : EOS. Everyone I know just uses their phone for taking pictures now.

57. Get the better of : OUTDO

58. "If you ask me," briefly : IMO. In My Opinion.

59. Like this crossword ans. : ACR. Across.


60. Hole in __ : ONE

67. ATM maker : NCR

68. Poke fun at : TEASE

69. Thingamabob : DOODAD

70. Bashful : SHY

71. Sleep in a tent, say : CAMP

72. Dries out, with "up" : SOBERS

Down:

1. Sch. with a Tempe campus : ASU. Arizona State University.

2. She plays Dr. Cristina Yang in "Grey's Anatomy" : SANDRA OH

3. Stirred up a cloud of dust at, as a base : SLID INTO

4. Staff helper : AIDE

5. Suffix with hero : INE

6. Bolshevik leader : LENIN

7. Battle of Britain fliers: Abbr. : RAF. Royal Air Force. Always makes me think of Roald Dahl.

8. Here, to Henri : ICI. French.


9. Female pronoun : SHE

10. Invasive Japanese vine : KUDZU. I used to use Kudzu fragrance in my massage oil blend - the scent is lovely. Interesting Smithsonian article.


11. Anticipates : AWAITS

12. Poll founder Louis : HARRIS. So this is who the Harris Poll is named after.


13. Receive willingly : ACCEPT

15. Personal bearing : MIEN

18. Ring ref's decision : TKO. Technical Knock Out.

23. Snake that bit Cleopatra : ASP

24. Thomas __ Edison : ALVA

25. Tag sale words : AS IS

26. Irish poet : YEATS

27. Cloth-eating insect : MOTH

 
28. Upright : ON END

30. German article : DER

34. Jacket style named for an Indian leader : NEHRU

35. Capital of Belarus : MINSK

37. Say "Watch it" to : WARN

38. Arabian Sea nation : OMAN

 

39. Little bite : NIP

40. Go before : ANTECEDE

41. Auto, to a Brit : MOTOR CAR

42. Love god : EROS

45. Cereal utensils : SPOONS

46. Beer gut : PAUNCH

47. Blood carrier : ARTERY

48. Criterion: Abbr. : STD. Abbreviation, not an acronym. Standard.

52. The third letter of 13-Down (but not the second) : SOFT C. I should know this sneaky clue by now.

53. Work starting hour : NINE

54. Texter's "Crikey!" : OMG

55. Forest : WOODS

 

59. "This is __ for Superman!" : A JOB

62. Grassy expanse : LEA

63. Candied veggie : YAM.

64. Web access co. : ISP. Internet Service Provider.

65. Scarer's shout : BOO

66. NFL scores : TDS. Touchdowns.

Note from C.C.:

1) I mentioned a few weeks ago that Melissa had a car accident. She was driving her brother's truck to take care of some business in California. Her brother Rick wrote this moving article about the truck and what really matters. I remember the day Melissa let me know the accident and how important the truck was to her and Rick. It makes me cry.

2) Happy 58th birthday to dear Steve, our incomparable foodie and our tireless Thursday Sherpa. Steve travels extensively for his work, so many of his blogs are written from airports or whatever city he's staying.

Steve and his friend Jill, June 12, 2016

Tea at The Queen Mary

Monday, September 11, 2017 ~ Gail Grabowski & Bruce Venzke

Theme: Florida - WATERLOGGED ... prescience?

17A. 24-hour broadcaster that keeps you up-to-date: NEWS CHANNEL

23A. Music from Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey et al.: BIG BAND SOUND

39A. Ship's area for medical assistance: SICK BAY

50A. Singer dubbed "King of Country": GEORGE STRAIT

62A. Saturated like the ends of 17-, 23-, 39- and 50-Across?: WATERLOGGED

Argyle here, high and dry. Wide-open grid. The reveal feels a little off for coastal features usually filled with water all the time anyway. No, I don't have a better idea.

Across:

1. Amount to: COST

5. Evening affair: SOIRÉE

11. Cavern critter: BAT

14. Clarinet cousin: OBOE

15. Many charity golf tournaments: PRO-AMs

16. Wall St. specialist: ARB. (arbitrager)

19. CBS police series with three spin-offs: CSI. (Crime Scene Investigation)

20. Moog, briefly: SYNTH. (synthesizer: electronic musical instrument)

21. Detroit NFLer: LION. Are you ready for some football?

22. Hershey's toffee bar: SKOR. Crossword favorite.

26. Chintzy: CHEAPO

29. Type of waste pump: SUMP. Waterlogged, I'm afraid.

30. Buyer's financing: LOAN

31. Army installation: BASE

35. Last Marx brother, alphabetically: ZEPPO. Herbert Manfred Marx, youngest of the Marx Brothers

38. Well-suited: APT

41. Spy novelist Deighton: LEN

42. Bette's "Divine" nickname: MISS 'M'. (Midler)

44. Bills at bars: TABS

45. Almanac tidbit: FACT

46. Long-running dispute: FEUD

48. Braggart's retort: "I CAN SO!"

55. Doctor Zhivago's love: LARA

56. Island band The __ Men: BAHA. Waterlogged Bahamian band?

57. Garlicky mayo: AIOLI. I like it.

61. Musician's suffix: IST

64. Lawn coating: DEW

65. Exercise pieces: ETUDEs

66. Russian range or river: URAL

67. Symphonic gp. inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017: ELO. (Electric Light Orchestra)

68. Head out: DEPART

69. Start of a choosing rhyme: EENY

Down:

1. Pen occupants: CONS. Incarcerated.

2. Do what's asked: OBEY

3. Scattered, as seeds: SOWN

4. Nuclear restraint topic: TEST BAN

5. Globe shape: Abbr.: SPH. (Sphere)

6. Dental care brand: ORAL-B

7. Ancient Aegean land: IONIA

8. Talked nonstop: RAN ON

9. Removes errors from: EMENDs

10. Bilingual subj.: ESL. (English as a Second Language)

11. "Just in case" strategy: BACK-UP PLAN

12. Fiery crime: ARSON

13. "Fun, Fun, Fun" car in a 1960s song: T-BIRD

18. Greenside golf shot: CHIP

22. "Win __, lose ... ": SOME

24. Mongolian desert: GOBI

25. Postwar supermodel Parker: SUZY

26. Mollusk in a red or white linguine sauce: CLAM

27. Arizona native: HOPI

28. Consumes enough to nourish mother and unborn child: EATS FOR TWO

32. Play a part: ACT

33. Calypso cousin: SKA

34. Recede, as the tide: EBB

36. Lats relatives: PECS. (Latissimi dorsi and pectoralis major muscles)

37. Not fooled by: ON TO

39. Highly self-satisfied: SMUG

40. Singapore's continent: ASIA

43. Blood bank supply: SERA

45. Exhaustion: FATIGUE

47. Candidates' face-off: DEBATE

49. "So long, Paulo!": "CIAO!"

50. Soar without effort: GLIDE

51. Painter's stand: EASEL

52. Stopped slouching: SAT UP

53. Silents star Bara: THEDA

54. Not as prevalent: RARER

58. Kid lit monster: OGRE

59. Low-fat: LEAN

60. In an aimless fashion: IDLY

62. Married: WED

63. WWII carrier: LST. (Landing Ship, Tank)

 Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to dear Husker Gary, from whom I learned what patience, compassion and creativity are. Thanks for being here for us, Gary!

Gary and Joann, June 25, 2017

Sunday September 10, 2017 Pam Amick Klawitter

Theme: "Top Choice"- Each theme entry is punnily clued as "Hairdo for....".

22. Hairdo for experts? : WHIZBANGS

24. Hairdo for gadget lovers? : THINGAMABOB. Looks simple. But lots of work involved in this one.
 

36. Hairdo for sportscasters? : FOOTBALL HIGHLIGHTS. Shown in above picture.

59. Hairdo for certain Germans? : FRANKFURTER BUN. I like messy buns.

81. Hairdo for daring gymnasts? : DOUBLE BACKFLIP. This was once popular in China also.

103. Hairdo for economists? : INFLATIONARY SPIKES

122. Hairdo for wickerworkers? : BASKET WEAVE

125. Hairdo for burglars? : CRIME WAVE

The hair-related words are all last words or last parts of a word. Quite consistent.

So nice to see Pam back. She's a total pro. This is her 29th puzzle on our blog. She mostly focuses on Sunday grids. Interesting. I just checked her label on our blog. She never made a themeless grid. 

Look at her cool hair. 

Across:
    
1. "Dallas" was one : SOAP. And 11. 1-Across plot staple : AMNESIA

5. Like much cheese : AGED

9. Improv style : SCAT

13. They're surrounded by agua : ISLAS

18. Developer's plot, perhaps : ACRE. Boomer and I have been enjoying this 130-acre nature center. Mostly cushioned ground, super friendly to Boomer's legs/hips.

19. Round number? : ZERO. What a great clue.

20. Dingbat : SCHMO

21. Ohno on skates : APOLO

26. Roll at a nursery : SOD

27. Honored athlete : ALL-STAR. When did you get into tennis, Big Easy?

29. John in Dublin : SEAN

30. Flier over Hawaii : NENE

31. It may follow you, but not me : ARE. Also 85. You and me, say : PAIR

32. Tricks : RUSES

34. Old German leader : KAISER

43. Only NFL coach with a perfect season : SHULA (Don)

44. Undistinctive marks : CEEs. And 124. Symbol of peace : VEE

45. "No man __ island ... ": Donne : IS AN

46. "With enough courage, you can do without a reputation" speaker : RHETT. To Scarlett.

50. Sounds of uncertainty : UMs

51. Household hisser : RADIATOR

54. Enzyme ending : ASE

56. Oil-rich fed. : UAE

57. System of values : ETHIC

63. Secretly includes in the 108-Down loop, briefly : BCCs. And 108. It clicks open : EMAIL

65. Ambien maker : SEARLE

66. "__ gonna happen" : AIN'T

67. U2 philanthropist : BONO

70. Work on, as a soundtrack : REDUB. Also 109. Watch again, as a movie : RESEE


74. Having less vermouth, as a martini : DRIER

75. "Family Guy" creator MacFarlane : SETH

76. Footnote word : IDEM

77. More work : UTOPIA. Tricky clue. Thomas More.

79. Gossip : DIRT

86. Car shopper's option : LEASE

89. Andorra's cont. : EUR

90. That, in Mexico : ESA. Also 2. Eight, in 14-Down : OCHO. 14. See 2-Down : SPANISH

91. Emphasized, in a way : ITERATED

93. Chihuahua cheer : OLE

95. Prefix with sphere : TROPO. Also 69. Logical opening? : NEURO 116. And Start to bat? : ACRO. All O-ending prefixes.


97. "I'd consider __ honor" : IT AN

100. French honey : AMIE

101. Seaman's shout : AVAST

107. 2017 Masters champ Garcia : SERGIO. Finally won the Masters this year.

110. P.C. Wren protagonist Beau __ : GESTE

111. Energy Star co-creator, familiarly : EPA. Wiki says Energy Star "was created in 1992 by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy".

112. Skunk River city : AMES

113. VMI program : ROTC

115. Three-layer fishing net : TRAMMEL. Never heard of this word.

119. Changeable border : HEM. Another great clue.

127. Words with wait or state : LIE IN

128. California cager : LAKER

129. Painter Magritte : RENE

130. Tough test : ORAL

131. Disney princess from Avalor : ELENA

132. Neverland pirate : SMEE

133. Binged (on), as junk food : OD'ed

134. Took off : WENT

Down:

1. Wise words : SAWS. My motto: when in doubt, listen to D-Otto. Life or crosswords. But not sports or fashion.

3. Dry as dust : ARID

4. 90-year-old mint : PEZ. I did not know the age. But I see Pez dispenser at the flea market all the time.

5. Rhododendron variety : AZALEA

6. Short title for Lee : GEN'L

7. Bits of work : ERGs

8. Old-fashioned do? : DOST. Not hair do.

9. Ivy, e.g.: Abbr. : SCH

10. Woodworking tools : CHISELS
 
12. Roman wrap : TOGA

13. Sevillian soy? : I AM. Googled afterwards. "Soy" is Spanish for "I am".
 
15. Places to see studs : LOBES

16. On one's own : ALONE

17. Like the designated driver, by design : SOBER

20. Gymnast Kerri who performed an iconic vault in the 1996 Olympics : STRUG. Iconic picture. 

23. Uncivilized : BARBARIC

25. Sarcophagus symbol : ANKH. Sarcophagus is a new word to me. Stone coffin.

28. Grain appendage : ARISTA. Learned from doing crosswords.

31. NBA's Hawks, on scoreboards : ATL

 33. Avoided on the job : SHIRKED

35. "__ Grows in Brooklyn" : A TREE

36. Coll. football's Seminoles : FSU

37. "Alas!" : OH ME. Not AH ME.

38. Toss from office : OUST

39. Calculator feature, for short : LCD

40. First name in Norse navigators : LEIF

41. Half an approval : HEAR. I used to think it's "Here, here".

42. Twisted : GNARLED

47. 1978 Broadway jazz revue : EUBIE. Music by Eubie Blake. Learning moment for me.

48. Tease : TAUNT

49. First of the second nine : TENTH. 10th hole on back nine. Golf. Really miss TTP on the blog.


52. Grows : ACCRUES

53. Switch positions : ONs

55. Clean and then some : STERILE

58. Cold War concern : H-BOMB

60. Much : FAR

61. Mentalist Geller : URI

62. Selassie worshiper : RASTA

64. Put a price on a flight? : SET BAIL. Nice fill/clue.

67. High-end hotel amenity : BIDET. My ex had this in his apartment. I never asked him what's the use.

68. Sussex smell : ODOUR
 
71. 1988 Ryan/Quaid remake : D.O.A.

72. Short lines at the register? : UPC

73. Two-piece suits : BIKINIs

78. Where to see a wake : AFT. Oh, boat.
 
80. Still-life fruit, perhaps : RED APPLE

82. "Ghost Town" (2008) actress : LEONI (Téa)

83. Almost a ringer : LEANER. Horseshoes shot.

84. "Joy of Cooking" writer Rombauer : IRMA. Thinking of our Florida regulars.

87. Seriously overcharge : SOAK. Not bill-related.

88. End of a threat : ELSE

92. "Brat Farrar" novelist : TEY (Josephine).

94. Saturn drivers? : ETs. The planet. Not the car. 

96. Deflategate concern : PIGSKIN

98. Ring duo : TAG TEAM

99. Had dessert, in a way : ATE CAKE. Mid-Autumn Festival is coming. The local Asian store here is already displaying mooncakes. It's normally sold in a pretty tin with a picture of moon goddess Chang'e. Quite pricey. Wish they sell individual one.

102. Itinerary word : VIA

104. Frontier protection : FORT

105. Polecat cousin : OTTER. We also have 114. Hogwarts messengers : OWLS. And 119. Fabled favorite : HARE
 
106. Looked to be : SEEMED

107. Polecat cousin : SABLE
  
117. '60s TV talking animal : MR ED

118. Go for the gold : MINE

 120. Politico Bayh : EVAN

121. Dripping sandwich, maybe : MELT. Have any of you tried Bánh mì?

 

123. Bambi's aunt : ENA
 
126. "That's really something!" : WOW

C.C.

Saturday, Sep 9th, 2017, C.C. Burnikel

Theme: C.C.C.W~!

Words: 70 (missing J,Q,X,Z)

Blocks: 31

Does it seem like the puzzles get harder as the year moves along the same as the week goes~?  This was the second Saturday puzzle in a row that beat me up, and this one feels a little harsher, like being attacked by friendly fire, coming from our hostess C.C.  In fact, I've gone so far as to coin a new term; STOG.  That is, I went Straight TO Google for several answers, as the cluing today was, at least for me, rather vague.   Oh well.  Red-letters, too.  C.C.'s last LA Times Saturday construction, back in June, was doable, at least.  Nothing intimidating about the grid, with two 11-letter spanners and two 15-letter climbers;

7. "Way to go!" : "NOW YOU'RE COOKING~!" - Quite a few "quote"(*) clues in today's grid, too

8. Dancers seen in strips? : THE CHIPPENDALES - har-har~!

for the ladies

take it all Off WARD~!

ACROSS:

1. End with force : STAMP ON - RAID kills bugs dead, too

8. Percussion instrument : TIMPANI - instrument heard here in a John Bonham drum solo from Led Zeppelin's CODA album; the pedal timpani is a tune-able drum

starts @ 0:42

15. Contemporary of Plácido : LUCIANO - Domingo, and Pavarotti, two-thirds of The Three Tenors; I can never remember the third guy....him

16. Went deep : HOMERED - no C.C. crossword is complete without a baseball reference

17. Agitated : IN A STEW - my NW was blank, so I tried "-ED" at the end.  Bzzzt.

18. Like the flame at Graceland : ETERNAL

19. Singing voice, informally : PIPES - I exercised my pipes at karaoke two weeks ago

20. Workout spot : YMCA - gritted teeth.  I really hoped this was not going to be "YOGA", as I had the Y--A, but when it filled I thought we needed an abbr. somewhere for Y.M.C.A

22. Ax : FIRE

23. Quick-footed : SPRY

24*. "I'm amazed!" : "OOH~!" - not "WOW~!"

25. Springfield bar : MOE'S - 'Simpsons' clue. 

26. Traditional March 14 servings : PIES - totally stumped me at first; it's not the Ides - the 15th, and not St. Pat's - the 17th.  It was only when I mentally pictured the date as 3.14 that "Pi" hit me like the V-8 can

27. Venus, when appearing as the morning star : LUCIFER - learning moment.  I did not know this was a translation of a Biblical reference, here

Venus is part of a planetary alignment 23 sep 2017

29. Paradise in "On the Road" : SAL - Jack Kerouac

30. Minor employment needs, in some places : WORK PERMITS - I had to get a work card at 16yrs old to go to work at the now defunct Grossman's lumber company

34. Longtime NBC hit : SNL - I'd like to thank everyone who enjoyed picking up on my mistake regarding last week's "SNL" clue

35. Blow away : AWE

36. Pittsburgh's __ Park : PNC

37. Thanksgiving, e.g.: Abbr. : THUrsday - yup.  I figured HOLiday was not good enough today

38. Helpful program for frequent fliers : TSA PRE-CHECK

41. Give under pressure : SAG - I pondered BOW

42. Joan of Arc, for one : HEROINE - I filled in HERETIC for some reason

43. Fill up : SATE

44. Close buds : BROS - not PALS

46. Hardly fresh : OLD

47. Father's ceremony : MASS - that kind of father

48. The first "A" in A.A. Milne : ALAN - Alexander is the second "A"

49. Great Plains st. : OKLAhoma

50. Maestro Doráti : ANTAL - first totally STOG clue

52. Trattoria staple : RAVIOLI

54. Theater originally lit with oil lamps : La SCALA

56. Enter covertly : CREEP IN - I had SNEAK to start

57. Self-gratifying pursuit : EGO TRIP - had EGOTISM to start - that's 5/7ths 4/7ths correct....phew

58. Picking up : SENSING - I'm sensing it's time for a pic for the guys

59. Law groups : SENATES

DOWN:

1. Space for a ship : SLIP - I could not get BERTH out of my head; PIER and DOCK seemed off

2. They started the Arab Spring : TUNISIANS - More recent than I realized

3. Like Pentatonix performances : A CAPPELLA - totally STOG.  I know what pentatoniC means, but I had to look up this group

4. Unlikely GoFundMe supporters : MISERS

5. One taking a fall : PATSY

6. Table for __ : ONE - I of course, went with TWO.  God help me, the blue-eyed girl has come back into my life, once again....WC might understand my dilemma

9. Little bit : IOTA

10. Fr. title : MME

11. Put on : PERFORM

12. Jack's links rival : ARNIE - golfers.  I have not gotten out since the one time I played on vacation in three weeks - and it showed

13. Almost reaches : NEARS

14. Like some chatter : IDLE

21. Ridicule : MOCK

25. Pharmaceutical giant : MERCK

26*. Whisper from a cheater, maybe : "PSST~!"

27. Decrease : LOWER

28. Place for the undecided? : FENCE - clever.  I went with LIMBO.  Really.

30. Hawked stuff : WARES

31*. "Good first step" : "IT'S A START."

32*. "Not true!" : "THAT'S A LIE~!"

33. Knight who co-founded Death Row Records : SUGE - totally STOG, but it filled via perps

39. Impostors : PHONIES

40. Barrier for Sisyphus : HILL - the name to me always implies a female, though I know the -US ending in Latin is masculine.  Ergo, I did not recall this classic myth

43. Safe havens : SANCTA - dah~! Another ending that was not the typical plural "S", which fooled me

44. Play loudly : BLARE

45. "Ungainly fowl" of poetry : RAVEN

47. __ jar : MASON - dah~!  Not SWEAR, not JELLY

48. Lob paths : ARCS - made me change my SNEAK IN at 56a.

49. Lena of "The Unbearable Lightness of Being" : OLIN

51. Napkin holders? : LAPS - cute

53. Coty subsidiary that makes nail polish : OPI - never heard of this; another STOG had it not filled via perps

55. Brandy statistic : AGE

Splynter