Saturday, March 10, 2018, Daniel Nierenberg

A THEMELESS SATURDAY FROM DANIEL NIERENBERG

Daniel's pleasant Saturday offering was fun to do and provided a nice learning moment for landlocked Husker Gary! I had never heard of a 13. Boat-lifting device : DAVIT before but I found this picture of several DAVITS that were attached to lower the too few lifeboats on the Titanic. White Star had installed extra DAVITS for when rules were changed to require more lifeboats but those extras were empty on this maiden voyage of this "unsinkable" vessel. 

Let's see what else Daniel has for us on National Pack Your Lunch Day! I'll trade you my Fritos for a Hostess Cupcake! Across

1. Oceanic ecosystem : MARINE BIOME - Here's some biodiversity in a MARINE BIOME. There is probably no 46. Deep-water fish : OPAH in here

12. Common intruders : ADS - They not only interrupt the Super Bowl, they cost millions to air

15. Mexican sugar substitute : AGAVE NECTAR - There's something besides tequila made from Agave plants. Who knew?

16. Home Depot purchase : SAW 

17. Black-necked flier : CANADA GOOSE - Our golf course is rife with them and they are aggressive in the spring when their goslings are running around 

18. Knoxville energy agcy. : TVA - Part of FDR's alphabet programs that supplies power to parts of Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi,Kentucky, Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia.

19. Sportscaster Andrews : ERIN - Andrews 

20. Bradlee in "The Post" : BEN - A movie with some people  named Hanks, Streep and Spielberg

21. 2013 Culinary Hall of Fame inductee : EMERIL

23. Key used in shortcuts : ALT- Here's what I get when I hit the ALT/Option key with each letter of the alphabet on my MacBook Pro - å∫ç∂´ƒ©˙ˆ∆˚¬µ˜øπœ®ß†¨√∑≈¥Ω

24. Word of warning : PRIVATE - PRIVATE Property

25. Downer at a party? : DEBBIE - An unfortunate alliteration for all DEBBIES

29. Waterside accommodations : BOATEL - Someone has turned 7 defunct boats into floating accommodations  just south of NYC

30. Not dense, in a way : RURAL - Once you get past Omaha and Lincoln in my state, things really thin out

31. Lindy relative : JITTERBUG

34. Deuterium discoverer Harold : UREY - Deuterium was first known as heavy hydrogen but now we call it an isotope. TMI?

35. They usually have spines : CACTI

36. Ornate metalware : TOLE - My first thought was of trays like this

37. Spots for sports stands : GOAL LINES - Perhaps the most famous GOAL LINE STAND was in the 1967 "Ice Bowl" between the Cowboys and the Packers. Game time temp was -15˚F. Bart Starr followed a Jerry Kramer block on Jethro Pugh into the end zone for a Packer win

39. Forks over, formally : CEDES

40. Collaborate : TEAM UP

41. "Even so ... " : AND YET - Rex Harrison sings, "I know that I could always be that way again , AND YET..." Next line and song's title?

42. "Thunderball" setting : BAHAMAS

44. Try hard (for) : GUN - Every college class I took had a hated GUNNER. "Sir you forgot to give us an assignment!"

45. Had taken, as a portrait : SAT FOR

46. Tagged, perhaps : OUT - Got 'em! The shortstop started celebrating before he even made the tag.

47. Territorial marking : POST - Yeah, I thought of another way to mark territory too

51. It may build up gradually : IRE

52. Skeet participant : TRAP SHOOTER - As done north of the border at the right? 😜

55. Styling creations : DOS - HAIRDOS that is

56. Italian cooking staple : TOMATO PUREE

57. Tolkien creature : ENT

58. Mall attraction : ANCHOR STORE - Brick and mortar stores are under assault by technology these days


'Down


1. Medieval weapon : MACE 

2. Seaweed product : AGAR - A gelling agent seen at the top of this recipe

  3. Indian palace resident : RANI

4. One of the Karamazovs : IVAN - Ivan Fyodorovich Karamazov and Alexi Fyodorovich Karamazov 

5. "Deliverance" co-star of Jon, Burt and Ronny : NED - The less said about poor NED Beatty's fate the better!

6. Allow : ENABLE - Last week a former student invited us to see him work as a "bull fighter" at a PRCA Rodeo in Council Bluffs, IA.  We saw him ENABLE a lot of cowboys to get away from some very nasty animals! What a way to make a living. He did get a bad sprained ankle that night but the show had to go on then and the next night also as the cowboys really depend on him and his partner.

7. Cause : BEGET - Some books of the Bible recount a lot of BEGETTING

8. Small program opener : ICON - On all our electronic desktops

9. Plains tribe : OTO

10. Classy wheels : MASERATI - You can drive this off the Omaha MASERATI lot today

11. Religious recluse : EREMITE - Merriman Webster - One that retires from society and lives in solitude especially for religious reasons. You're welcome. 

12. Vehicle for some spiritual experiences : ASTRAL BODY - Google if you're interested

14. Depressed area : SWALE

22. Turned inside out : EVERTED - The most common ankle injury is an inversion not an EVERSION

23. Not feel well : AIL

24. Mrs. __, head of the kitchen in "Beauty and the Beast" : POTTS - Literally a Tea POT voiced by Angela Lansbury

25. Numb, in a way : DRUG

26. Marseilles money : EURO -  €1,00 = $1.25

27. Erratic driver's comeuppance, perhaps : BREATH TEST

28. Pungent spice : BAY LEAF - Here seen adorning a Margherita Pizza

29. __ tendinitis: arm muscle ailment : BICEP - If it hurts, STOP!

31. Two-faced deity : JANUS

32. 1997 film character getting a lot of buzz? : ULEE - (Short for Ulysses) Our cinematic bee keeper Peter Fonda

33. Heroic adventure : GEST - Gary Cooper played one of the three GESTE brothers in this film and he does carry out a BEAU GESTE to protect his aunt's reputation 

35. 1931 Oscar-winning Western based on an Edna Ferber novel : CIMARRON - Two very different posters for the same movie

38. "Raging Bull" boxer : LAMOTTA - A 1980 role for Robert DeNiro portraying Jake LAMOTTA

39. "Wolf" channel : CNN - Wolf Blitzer. Tricky, tricky!


41. Mailer, for one : AUTHOR - Norman Mailer - This NASA guy would really like to read Mailer's article that postdates the Moon landing by a month. YES, we really went!!

42. Something in back of a hit? : B-SIDE - Elvis and the Beatles had lots of A and B Sides that were both hits

43. Packer quarterback Rodgers : AARON

44. Feature of Sousa's music : GUSTO - The March King was the "Rock Star" of his era

47. Sulk : POUT

48. Catchall survey opción : OTRO - Other in Spanish 

49. Carnival draw : SEER - Do you remember the Tom Hanks movie where Zoltar was the carnival SEER?

50. Street adornment : TREE 

53. "Preacher" network : AMC - Make you wanna tune in?

54. Black __ : OPS

DA GRID

What say you?

Friday, March 9, 2018, Alex Bajcz

Title: Sounds like fun.

Alex B. makes his second 2018 appearance and his first Friday since his debut in 2013. That one also had sound alike fill. Here the premise is simple - one word in a known phrase is replaced with its homonym and clued for maximum comedic effect. Unlike some puzzles depending on pronunciation, there really should not be any regional complaints about the word choices. I enjoyed the choices and the rest of the puzzle.

20A. What Darwin did aboard the Beagle? : WRITE OF PASSAGE (14). RITE of passage,  a French term innovated by the ethnographer Arnold van Gennep in his work Les rites de passage, "The Rites of Passage." The Beagle is particularly notable for carrying the naturalist Charles Darwin on her second voyage. The voyage played a pivotal role in the formation of Darwin's scientific theories on evolution and natural selection. Wiki et al.

25A. London supermarket sections? : BRITISH AISLES (13). British ISLES birthplace of our Steve, Nicecuppa, Truebrit and others at the corner. There are MANY.

48A. Tie shoes professionally? : KNOT FOR PROFIT (13). NOT for profit, the silliest one. I suppose a manservant -valet - might be one who knots for profit.

55A. Lacking a critical watch-making supply? : OUT OF HOUR HANDS (14). Out of OUR hands, the most clever as you need both minute hands and hour hands to make an analog watch.

There is a boatload of sparkly fill, CHAFE AT,  LAFITTE , MODULES,  NOT NICE, AIR LANES, TEST RIDE, GREAT STUFF and ICE SKATING. Let us solve/

Across:

1. In need of mopping: SPILT. My childhood refrain from the sweet boys at school:
Hasten Jason, Get the basin. Oops slop, get the mop. There is more to the song.

6. Apple app mostly replaced by Messages: i CHAT. iChat is a discontinued instant messaging software application developed by Apple Inc. for use on its Mac OS X operating system

11. Clock std. : GST. Not sure about this one; maybe Greenwich Standard Time?

14. Some plankton: ALGAE. Yummy for a whale tummy.

15. Iconic Vivien Leigh role: O'HARA.

16. 2014 World Cup Final host: RIO. The site of the World Cup and the Olympics.

17. Bungles: GOOFS.

18. Stable moms: MARES. Really fun misdirection.

19. "What is THAT?" : EEK. A mouse. HMM.

23. Far from fresh: TRITE.

24. Reduced to crumbs, perhaps: EATEN.

30. Behaved like a lovestruck heart: RACED.

31. Lakeside temperature gauge? : TOE. Also useful in catching water mocassins.

32. End: STOP.

35. Love interest for WALL-E: EVE.

36. Word that may follow a president's name: ERA.

39. Carrier merged with Delta since 2010: NWA.

41. Game with Reverse cards: UNO. My grandmother loved playing cards, cribbage when I was young, and as she got older she fell in love with UNO.

42. '50s sitcom name: DESI. Arnaz.

44. Something to wrestle with: ARM. You want to WATCH.

46. Figure out: INFER.

52. Walking aid: STAFF. We have so many here with canes or sticks, including yours truly, I use
a collapsible tartan cane.

54. Distributed: DEALT.

60. Hitter's stat: RBI. Runs Batted In.

61. Sometimes plucked instrument: CELLO. Clecho- 8D. Plucked instrument: HARP.

62. Dorothy, to Em: NIECE. Aunty 'Em.

64. Common base: TEN.

65. Impulses: URGES.

66. Showman's talent: ECLAT. This back, can ELAN be far behind?

67. Braz. neighbor: ARGentina.

68. Flirt: TEASE.

69. "Voting Rights Trail" terminus: SELMA. Want to read this STORY.

Down:

1. Sink: SAG. Two weeks in a row.

2. Slam (into) : PLOW.

3. Movie lab helper: IGOR.

4. Battle of New Orleans pirate: LAFITTE.

                                                                          Laffite

5. Short Golf drive? : TEST RIDE. The Volkswagon model.

6. Insect with eyespots on its wings: IO MOTH. I hope John Lampkin stops by with insight.

7. Be irritated by: CHAFE AT.

9. Region: AREA.

10. Academic hanger : TASSEL. Cute clue.

11. "Nice work!" : GREAT STUFF.

12. Onslaught: SIEGE.

13. Symbolic yet insubstantial: TOKEN.

21. München cubes: EIS. Even in German it probably upsets Tin.

22. RSVP holders: SAES.  I know it as SASE. But I guess they are not providing any stamp.

25. Word after well or ill: BRED.

26. Techno club event: RAVE. I never understood the rave; wrong generation.

27. Winter recreation: ICE SKATING. I enjoyed the skating this year at the winter Olympics.

28. Solar wind particle: ION.

29. Use a needle: SEW.

33. R.E.M.'s "The __ Love" : ONE I.

34. Cargo pickup site: PORT.

37. Ubiquitous rodent: RAT. I hope not.

38. Warning sound, perhaps: ARF.

40. Southwest routes: AIRLANES. The Luv airline.

43. Recon target: INFO. I wanted INTEL.

45. Interchangeable components : MODULES.

47. Mean: NOT NICE.

49. Lumber remnant, in Liverpool: OFFCUT. Definition of offcut. chiefly British. : something that is cut off (such as a waste piece of lumber).

50. Ascended again: REROSE. Meh.

51. "Blast it!" : PAH. Definition: an exclamation used to express disgust or contempt.

52. Wavering word: SORTA.

53. Potato or yam: TUBER.

56. "Try this": HERE.

57. Contemporary of Nadia : OLGA. Korbut.

58. Computer giant: DELL.

59. In retrospect, it may have sounded too good to be true: SCAM. If it does it is.

63. SFO posting : ETA. Airport code for San Francisco.

Do not forget to change your clocks Sunday and enjoy the extra sunshine. At least those who live in sunny climes. Thank you Alex and all who read. Lemonade out.

Thursday March 8th 2018 Brian Thomas

Theme: The Shape of Water - Best Picture Oscar shout-out! H₂O is the theme, the entries moving from "H" to "O", left-to-right.

18A. *Hobbyist's broadcasting equipment : HAM RADIO "describes the use of radio frequency spectrum for purposes of non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, private recreation, radiosport, contesting, and emergency communication." So now we know, which just begs the question - what is "radiosport"?

27A. *Drama in the Nielsen top 10 four times during the '70s : HAWAII FIVE-O. "Book 'em Danno. Murder One". Here are the opening credits, containing at least two continuity goofs.

47A. *Ball of fire : HUMAN DYNAMO. I don't think this comic book character scaled the dizzy heights of the other superheroes from Marvel and D.C. Comics:

60A. *"Oh boy, it's starting!" : HERE WE GO! British soccer fans would sing this to the tune of "Stars and Stripes Forever". "Here we go, here we go, here we go, here we go, here we go, here we go-oh". Repeat ad nauseam.

69A. Liquid whose chemical formula is a homophonic hint to the answers to starred clues : WATER

Neat puzzle today from Brian - one of those simple yet satisfying themes which almost make you wonder why you didn't think of it yourself. The theme entries are nice and fresh, and there are some lovely longer entries in the downs which I always enjoy. Let's explore the fill:

Across:

1. Vaccine pioneer Salk : JONAS. I confidently had JONAH, which had me wondering what "HIN" was doing when that showed up.

6. Biblical verb : HATH. Went with HAST. Should have waited.

10. Sever, with "off" : LOP

13. "The Good Wife" wife : ALICIA. Thank you, crosses. I'm hopeless with most TV and movie-related fill.

15. Irrawaddy River locale : ASIA. Myanmar, formerly Burma. My father was posted to Burma for part of WWII, he spoke fondly about the country, even though he wasn't there in exactly the best circumstances.

16. Hubbub : ADO

17. Grilled sandwich : PANINI. Panini are also a company that publishes sports stickers and trading cards. I'm not quite sure how, but I got sucked into collecting all the players, badges and stadia of the last soccer World Cup in 2014. It became quite an adventure.

20. Checked out : EYED

21. Gather : REAP

23. Domestic sock eater? : DRYER. I've got one brown sock sitting lonely and forlorn on the top of my dresser right now. I didn't even know I had brown socks.

24. Storied climber : JILL. Heading up the hill with her compadre Jack. I'm still confused as to why you would head up a hill to collect water, surely you're more likely to find it in the valley below? The things that keep me awake at night ..

26. Little limb : TWIG

32. Special __ : OPS

35. Mets modifier of 1969 : AMAZIN' They won the World Series in only their eighth season as a Major League Baseball franchise. I was at MLB HQ last week - here's part of the main lobby:

36. Noggin : BEAN

37. Case in Lat. grammar : DAT. Dative. In order - nominative, vocative, accusative, genitive, dative, ablative. Thank you, grammar school Latin class.

38. Twit : DITZ

39. Cuts and pastes, say : EDITS

41. Trellis climber : VINE

42. Corner PC key : ESC Didn't even have to look! What does a Mac have in the corner?

43. Expert : WHIZ

44. Mysterious girl on "Stranger Things" : ELEVEN. Thanks again, crosses.

46. "Zip it!" : SHH!

49. "No __!": "Sure!" : PROB!

51. Lose one's coat : SHED

52. Moves to the melody : SWAYS

54. "__ Encounter": SeaWorld show : ORCA. A somewhat discredited destination now.

56. Shakespearean "You as well?" : ET TU? Brutus becomes Brute in the vocative. Latin class today.

62. First words : INTROS

64. Muffin grain : OAT

65. Believe : HOLD

66. Wind farm blades : ROTORS

67. Like some grins : WRY. Also broad grins. Any other offers of grin descriptors?

68. People : ONES. What? This is obscure, to say the least.

Down:

1. Zinger : JAPE

2. Body wash brand : OLAY. I didn't know this was a body wash, I only know the brand for face cream.

3. Largest single-digit square : NINE. One, four and nine.

4. Genre incorporating elements of funk and hip-hop : ACID JAZZ. New to me. Fresh fill to the LAT.

5. Transgression : SIN

6. "LOL" : HA HA

7. "Right away!" : ASAP!

8. Dickens boy : TIM. Tiny Tim, a character in the novel "A Christmas Carol".

9. Taxing and successful : HARD WON

10. Coventry rider : LADY GODIVA. Here's a statue representing the legendary ride in the city itself.

11. Dog that licks Garfield : ODIE

12. Low-quality : POOR

14. Where many missed connections occur : AIRLINE HUB. I''m generally pretty lucky making my connections. I came close to missing my flight to Delhi last month, my inbound from LAX to Newark arrived almost 90 minutes late, eight of us were running through the airport from one end of Terminal C to the other. No chance of that today, I'm on an up-and-back to San Francisco.

19. MLB's D-backs : ARI. Arizona on scoreboards.

22. 2003 holiday film : ELF

25. IV lead? : III. Roman numeral progression, I, II, III, IV. Nice clue.

26. Bouffant feature : TEASED HAIR

27. Flame-haired villain in Disney's "Hercules" : HADES. More help from the crosses.

28. Mennonite sect : AMISH

29. Super Bowl gathering, e.g. : WATCH PARTY. I think this expression is new to me. I've heard of a gamewatch event, but not a watch party. Fresh fill, this hasn't been used in the LAT before.

30. Mediterranean vacation island : IBIZA. A popular destination beginning in the 80's for house music aficionados. Most of the nightclubs play house.

31. Zoo doc : VET

33. "The Hunger Games" land : PANEM. Thank you, crosses.

34. __ pad : STENO

40. Barely lit : DIM

41. Blood feud : VENDETTA

43. List of notables : WHO'S WHO. Most industries have a "vanity" Who's Who publication that you can pay a fee to have your profile included.

45. Soap chemical : LYE

48. Defense advisory gp. : N.S.C. National Security Council.

50. __ whiskey : RYE

52. Thing to put on : SHOW

53. Put on : WEAR

54. Look bad? : OGLE. Fun clue. I think I might have written it as "Bad look".

55. Slender cylinders : RODS

57. Budweiser Clydesdales' pace : TROT

58. Shredded : TORE

59. TASS country : USSR. The news agency TASS from the now-defunct USSR

61. Many years : EON

63. "Spring the trap!" : NOW!

I think that's it from me today. I just need to post the grid and I'm finished!

Steve

Wednesday, March 7, 2018, Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: PUT YOUR FOOT DOWN

4. Sunday dinner side dish : ROASTED POTATOES

6. Driving : AT THE WHEEL

 
10. Summer Olympics event since 1996 : BEACH VOLLEYBALL

 
31. Gravy thickener : CORNSTARCH

61. Body part whose parts are aptly found at the bottom of this puzzle's four longest answers : FOOT

Melissa here. Not only are the theme answers all down, but also all except one are positioned at the very bottom of the grid. Nice.

Across:

1. Drone sound : WHIR. Not BUZZ.

5. Spicy dip : SALSA

10. French flag couleur : BLEU

14. Parade celebrity : HERO

15. Cotton swabs : Q-TIPS. Appropriately, right next to ...

16. Pair on a Disneyland hat : EARS

17. Verdi highlight : ARIA

18. It's prohibited on many highways : U-TURN

19. Vast landmass : ASIA

20. Musical Christmas staple : MESSIAH. Handel.

22. Culinary student's assent : YES CHEF

24. Native American symbol : TOTEM

 
26. Bit of cheer? : RAH

27. 22% of the U.S. Senate : WOMEN. Appropriately right next to ...

30. WWII female : WAC. Women's Army Corps was the women's branch of the United States Army.

32. Program breaks : TV ADS

36. Enthusiastic : AVID

37. "Good Lord!" : OH GOD. That's what he said.

39. Miscellany : OLIO

40. [Uh-oh!] : GULP

41. Big name in threshers : DEERE

42. In __ of: replacing : LIEU

43. City ENE of Reno : ELKO. Perped.

44. One of pop music's Papas : DENNY. Dennis Doherty was a founding member of the 1960s musical group The Mamas & the Papas.

 

45. Permits : LETS

46. Takes a load off : RESTS

48. Mil. officers : LTS. Lieutenants. 

49. High-IQ group : MENSA

50. Perilous hisser : ASP

52. In check : AT BAY

54. Succeeding like nobody's business : ON A TEAR. Wictionary definition: Engaged in a continuous, fast-paced procession of actions or events, especially with favorable results.

58. Like most kosher frankfurters : ALL BEEF

62. Water sport : POLO

63. Only inanimate zodiac sign : LIBRA

65. Iams alternative : ALPO

66. "Quite so" : TRUE

67. Historical period : EPOCH

68. Slimming procedure, briefly : LIPO

69. Shopping club : SAMS

70. Swearing-in rituals : OATHS

71. For fear that : LEST

Down:

1. "Careless Whisper" pop group : WHAM

2. "__ comes trouble!" : HERE

3. Eye part : IRIS

5. Weightlifting maneuver : SQUAT

7. "Elementary" co-star Lucy : LIU

8. Nimble : SPRY

9. Ed with seven Emmys : ASNER. The first actor to win an Emmy award in both comedy and drama genres for the same role (for the character Lou Grant in both The Mary Tyler Moore show and Lou Grant). List of awards and nominations received by Ed Asner.

11. Word with back or whip : LASH

12. Historic canal : ERIE

13. "Aim High ... Fly-Fight-Win" military org. : USAF

21. Non-neutral atom : ION

23. Took a load off : SAT

25. Purplish hue : MAGENTA

27. Ante, e.g. : WAGER. Ohhh ... I was thinking the prefix.

28. Small egg : OVULE

29. Takes full advantage of : MILK. EXPLOIT didn't fit.

33. From far away (perhaps very far) : ALIEN

34. See 51-Down : DIETS
and 51. With 34-Down, really retro eating programs : PALEO

35. "The March King" : SOUSA. John Philip Sousa composed 136 marches, including Semper Fidelis (1888), which became the official march of the U.S. Marine Corps. You may recognize The Liberty Bell as the theme song for Monty Python's Flying Circus. "And now for something completely different:"

37. Unexpected : ODD

38. Susan of "L.A. Law" : DEY

47. Ottawa-to-NYC dir. : SSE

49. Prefix with ware : MAL

53. Vague discomfort, with "the" : BLAHS

54. Makes a choice : OPTS

55. Romance writer Roberts : NORA

56. Grad : ALUM

57. Longtime "Live!" host : RIPA

59. Author Wiesel : ELIE. "We must not see any person as an abstraction. Instead, we must see in every person a universe with its own secrets, with its own treasures, with its own sources of anguish, and with some measure of triumph."

60. Omar of "Shooter" : EPPS. Never heard of this USA Network series.  It originated as a film in 2007, where the role of Bob Lee Swagger was played by Mark Wahlberg. That film is actually based on the book Point of Impact by Stephen Hunter, which is inspired by a real Vietnam sniper. More here.

64. Plant sci. : BOT. Short for botany.

Tuesday, March 6, 2018 ~ Bill Zagozewski

Theme: Timely - SPRING is placed ahead of the last word in the theme answers.

20A. Have things finally go one's way: CATCH A BREAK. Spring Break.

36A. Mosquito-borne disease: YELLOW FEVER. Spring Fever.

42A. Engage in hard-nosed negotiations: PLAY CHICKEN. Spring Chicken.

56A. Make an annual clock adjustment ... and what the end of 20-, 36- and 42-Across may literally have: SPRING AHEAD

Argyle here. Bill is averaging a puzzle a year.

Across:

1. Easy thing to do: SNAP

5. Lobster serving: CLAW

9. Great time: BLAST

14. Skin opening: PORE

15. Tra-__: refrain syllables: LA-LA

16. Main artery: AORTA

17. Snapchat co-founder Spiegel: EVAN. Only 27 years old.

18. Cyberzine: eMAG

19. Parakeets' quarters: CAGEs

23. Photo __: media events: OPS

24. Charged particles: IONs

25. Intl. news broadcaster: VOA. (Voice of America)

27. Singer's quavers: TRILLS

30. Recently: AS OF LATE

35. Harry's pal Weasley: RON. Harry Potter books.

38. Penne __ vodka: ALLA. Penne alla vodka is a pasta dish made with vodka and penne pasta, usually made with heavy cream, crushed tomatoes, onions, and sometimes sausage, pancetta or peas. Wikipedia

40. Singer Damone: VIC

41. Trig ratio: SINE

47. "Just a __!": SEC

48. Dress-for-success accessory: POWER TIE

49. New York Giants legend with 511 career home runs: MEL OTT. Cool! Whole name.

51. Used a bench: SAT

52. Location: SITE

53. Sponsors' spots: ADs

62. Georgia state fruit: PEACH. But do you dare eat a peach?

64. Smell: ODOR

65. Gold rush animal: MULE

66. "Orange" tea grade: PEKOE

67. Kind of pittance?: MERE

68. The "A" of NEA: ARTS. (National Endowment for the Arts)

69. Drive too fast: SPEED

70. New England NFLers: PATS

71. Barnes & Noble reader: NOOK

Down:

1. Job detail, for short: SPEC. Specification.

2. Old Chevy: NOVA. Production‎: ‎1961–1979; 1985–1988. The 1985-88 Chevrolet Nova was a joint venture between General Motors and Toyota.

3. "I smell __!": A RAT

4. Crossword solver's choice: PENCIL

5. Remove dirt from: CLEANSE

6. Petting zoo youngsters: LAMBS

7. Bygone apple spray: ALAR

8. Regular pay: WAGE

9. "Not so close!": "BACK OFF!"

10. Extended pd. away from work: LOA. (Leave Of Absence)

11. Golden Fleece ship: ARGO

12. How-to instruction: STEP

13. Soviet news agency: TASS. Founded in 1902, Tass is the fourth largest major news agency.

21. Sanctified: HOLY

22. Declare emphatically: AVOW

26. Drinks in schooners: ALES

27. Maria von __, family singers' matriarch: TRAPP

Trapp Family Lodge, Stowe, Vermont

28. Rich boy in "Nancy" comics: ROLLO

29. Groom's new relative: IN-LAW

30. Author Hoffman: ALICE. Bio.

31. Foot cover: SOCK

32. French dispatch boat: AVISO. An oldie but goodie.

33. Guiding principle: TENET

34. Standing tall: ERECT

37. Heinz varieties count, to Caesar?: LVII. (57)

39. Those in favor: AYEs

43. Failed suddenly, as a laptop: CRASHED

44. URL letters: HTTP. URL yesterday, HyperText Transfer Protocol today.

45. Political fugitives: ÉMIGRÉS

46. __ profit: make money: NET A

50. __ Brothers: defunct financial firm: LEHMAN

52. Equine outburst: SNORT. Play this good and loud; see who comes to find out what is happening.

53. iPhone downloads: APPs

54. __-sea diver: DEEP

55. Drink with sushi: SAKE

57. Frolic in a lively way: ROMP. Too much sake?

58. Thinking output: IDEA

59. Currency named for a continent: EURO

60. Choir voice: ALTO

61. Student's workplace: DESK

63. Runner Sebastian: COE. He ran a sub-4-minute mile. Roger Bannister was the first person to run a mile under 4 minutes. He died Saturday.

Argyle

Monday, March 5, 2018 ~ C.C. Burnikel

Theme: Them's the Breaks - Target word(DEAL) is split with some letters stating a theme answer and the remaining letters closing the theme answer. Also known as bookends.

16A. *Kaput: DEAD AS A DOORNAIL

19A. *Life in a breakfast bowl, say: DRY CEREAL

22D. *Oral health care network: DELTA DENTAL

25D. Negotiations killer ... or, in a way, what each answer to a starred clue is: DEAL BREAKER

Argyle here with our award-winning constructor. The puzzle has vertical symmetry and one spanner.

Across:

1. The Bounty, e.g.: SHIP. There was a mutiny of the Bounty.

5. Remote control targets: TVs

8. Landowner's document: DEED

12. Subtle glow: AURA

13. Spruce oneself up: PRIMP. To titivate.

15. Addresses with forward slashes: URLs. (Uniform Resource Locator)

20. Move like a crab: SIDLE. Walk especially sideways or obliquely.

23. Often-stubbed digit: TOE

24. Black Russian liquor: VODKA. It's just vodka and Kahlua.

28. Nivea competitor: AVEENO. Skin care products. 63-Across. Body covering: SKIN

30. Invalidate, as a law: REPEAL

31. Rapper __ Wayne: LIL

32. Disney's title lamp rubber: ALADDIN

36. Sailor's agreement: AYE

37. Stage designs: SETS

39. Emulate flowers on a hot day: DROOP

40. Source of linen: FLAX

41. "Dilbert" creator Scott: ADAMS

43. "Little Women" woman: MEG. Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy.

44. Spongy cake laced with rum: BABKA

45. Scammer's targets: DUPEs

47. Step in a flight: STAIR

49. West Coast state: OREGON

51. Everglades waders: EGRETS

54. Layer of eggs: HEN

55. Target practice props: TIN CANS

59. "__ you awake?": ARE

60. Software test version: BETA

62. "M*A*S*H" actor Elliott: GOULD. From the movie. Trapper John.

64. Racetrack shape: OVAL

65. Homer Simpson's wife: MARGE. She of the blue hair.

66. Four-legged companions: PETS. Also known as our overlords.

67. Give a holler: YELL

68. In the future: AHEAD

69. Gratis: FREE

Down:

1. Pathetic: SAD

2. Tint: HUE

3. Nest egg acronym: IRA. (Individual Retirement Account)

4. Ping-Pong need: PADDLE

5. Piece of land: TRACT

6. Instagram upload: VIDEO

7. Messy campfire snack: S'MORE

8. Firestone competitor: DUNLOP

9. Pitching stat with a decimal point: ERA. In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine. TMI?

10. Inventor Whitney: ELI.  Best known for inventing the cotton gin.

11. Broadband option, for short: DSL. (Digital Subscriber Line)

13. Maj. for a future shrink: PSY. Psychology.

14. "The 18-Down" poet: POE. 18-Down. "Nevermore" speaker: RAVEN

17. Structure with skyboxes: ARENA

20. Dip for chips: SALSA

21. Like the outfield walls at Wrigley Field: IVIED

26. Whitewater craft: KAYAK

27. Amazon Echo Dot's voice service: ALEXA

29. Well-worn: OLD

30. Harshly criticize: RIP. I had RAP crossing ALADAN. Oops.

33. Octopus' eight: ARMS

34. Deer mom: DOE

35. Dalmatians, e.g.: DOGS

38. Far from self-effacing: SMUG

40. Inside the foul line: FAIR

42. Dalmatian marking: SPOT

44. Hefty supplies?: BAGS. This could have been another baseball reference.

46. Hard puzzle: ENIGMA

48. Watched over: TENDED

49. "This could be a problem": "OH BOY"

50. Christopher of "Superman": REEVE

52. Done to death: TRITE

53. Sight or smell: SENSE

56. First matchmaker?: NOAH

57. Make better: CURE

58. Tiny pond growth: ALGA

61. "__ in favor, say 'aye'": ALL

63. Coppertone letters: SPF. (Sun Protection Factor)

Argyle

Sunday, March 4, 2018 John Guzzetta

Theme: "Island Hopping"- Seven islands are hopping in the grid.

24A. Preliminary negotiations : INFORMAL TALKS. Malta. With the L in 22A: "I didn't mean that":  NOT REALLY and 25A. - : TALKS

48A. Former Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale component : VERBAL IQ. Bali. With the A in 43. Italian peaks : ALPS and 50A. - : LIQ

51A. Fluorescent bulb element : KRYPTON GAS. Tonga. With the O in ' 44. "Seriously?" : YOU DO? and 52A. - : NGAS

67A. "On the Good Ship Lollipop" performer : SHIRLEY TEMPLE. Leyte. With the Y in 63. Fine-grained wood : YEW and 69. - : TEMPLE

84A. Lesser clergy member : MINOR CANON. Minorca. With the R in 81A. Show some teeth : GRIN and 86A. - : CANON

88A. Confirmed : BORNE OUT. Borneo. With the N in 82. Washington soccer team : DC UNITED and 89. - : EOUT

110A. Check out a wreck, perhaps : GO SCUBA DIVING. With the B in  105. Lacking what it takes : UNABLE. And 112. - : ADIVING. Cuba.

 As I mentioned before, Across Lite can't handle no clues, hence the "-" in the last part of each theme entry.  

Amazing grid from John! The starting & ending phrases are all symmetrically placed. I especially loved those few where the finishing parts are real words, like TALKS, TEMPLE and CANON.

Tons of sparkling long fill, despite various theme restrictions.

Across:    

1. Pond organism : ALGA

5. Traffic sound : BEEP

9. Spin, for one : CYCLE

14. Niger neighbor : MALI. Ali Farka Touré!

18. Slight mitigation? : NO OFFENSE. And 20. One dressed for dinner? : CAESAR SALAD. And their symmetrically partners: 115. Babysitters' woes : HOLY TERRORS. 119. Romcom, perhaps : DATE MOVIE. Gorgeous 11's.

23. Defense opponent, briefly : ASSISTANT DA

27. Bivouac structure : TENT

28. Sportage automaker : KIA

29. Olympic skater Ito : MIDORI. We see ITO more often.

31. Mag. edition : ISS

33. Obliterate : ERASE

37. Blow bubbles into : AERATE

40. Canberra school : UNI. University.

41. Benjamin of "Private Practice" : BRATT. He was in "Law & Order" also.

46. Teachers' org. : NEA

53. Functions : OPERATES

55. Ring holders : TOES. Tiny dupe with 26. "Single Ladies (Put __ on It)": Beyoncé hit : A RING

56. Fish eggs : ROE

58. Toffee candy bar : SKOR

60. Alloys, e.g. : MIXES

61. Corner office execs : CEOs

62. Word spoken con affetto : CARA.  Google Translate "Con affetto" means "with love". Looks like "with affection" to me.

64. Sleep it off : SOBER UP. Also 72. Youth support group : ALATEEN
 
66. "Shame!" : TSK

71. Tach figure : RPM

74. Antique : OLD

76. Storage facility sometimes found underground : SILO

77. New Mexico's __ Ski Valley : TAOS. Never skied. You?

78. "What __": "Ho-hum" : A BORE

79. Scoop : INFO

80. Part of TNT : TRI

90. Balaam's mount : ASS

91. Vade __: handbook : MECUM, New phrase to me.

92. Old Vatican bread : LIRE

94. Port of __: Trinidad and Tobago's capital : SPAIN

96. Fashion initials : YSL. Lovely.

98. Hundreds, slangily : C SPOTS

102. Plane wing parts : SLATS

104. Driver's lic. figure : HGT

107. Mauna __ : LOA

108. Blood prefix : HEMO

121. Piton user : MOUNTAINEER. Looks dangerous.

122. How titles may be written : INITALICS

123. Sludge : OOZE

124. Wonder Woman's __ of Truth : LASSO

125. Chinese: Pref. : SINO. We also have 6. China's Zhou __ : ENLAI

126. From Denver to Topeka : EAST

Down:
 
1. Golfer Sorenstam : ANNIKA. She is a special VIP during the annual 3M Championship here in MN.

2. Canadian coin : LOONIE

3. Had success : GOT FAR

4. Picked hairdo : AFRO

5. Classic "Star Trek" order : BEAM ME UP
 

7. Night school subj. : ESL

8. Manning in Nationwide ads : PEYTON

9. Amontillado holder : CASK

10. Base reply? : YES SIR

11. "__: Miami" : CSI

12. Final part of a task : LAST STEP

13. Art Deco artist : ERTE

14. Watchword : MANTRA

15. PC space bar neighbor : ALT

16. Bloke : LAD

17. Early civil rights activist __ B. Wells : IDA. Wiki says she "was an African-American journalist, newspaper editor, suffragist, sociologist, feminist, Georgist, and an early leader in the Civil Rights Movement. She was one of the founders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1909."

19. Pro, country-style : FER

20. Colombian city : CALI

21. Clear-minded : SANE. Nothing seems to rattle D-Otto. 

30. Pair : DUO

32. Relish : SAVOR

34. ATV part : ALL-TERRAIN

35. Watches secretly : SPIES UPON

36. Legal titles: Abbr. : ESQs

38. Actor Lew : AYRES

39. Some action figures : TOYS

41. Successful shot : BASKET

42. Vocal effect : TREMOLO

45. Subway line with a Yankee Stadium stop : D TRAIN. Have any of you been to the Yankee Stadium?

47. "Whoa!" : EASY

49. Payoff : BRIBE. Common practice in my first job near Tsingtao. My boss knew how to bribe those local mayors.

51. "Laughing" Australian bird : KOOKABURRA

52. "SNL" alum Kevin : NEALON

54. Paul Bunyan tool : AXE

55. Chicago Museum of Science and Industry showpiece : TESLA COIL. Got via crosses.

57. Bobby on the ice : ORR

59. Has a loan from : OWES TO

61. Windy City transp. org. : CTA. Chicago Transit Authority.

62. Frito-Lay product with a spokes-feline named Chester : CHEETOS

64. Put together, as film : SPLICE

65. U.K. heads : PMs

67. __ A: Italian soccer league : SERIE. New to me also.

68. "The Simpsons Theme" composer Danny : ELFMAN

70. 105-Down launch : MIR. And 105. 70-Down launcher : USSR
 
73. Slew : TON

75. "... the worst thing you can __ nothing": Teddy Roosevelt : DO IS

77. Clobber : TROMP

79. Attaché attachment : ID TAG

81. African bovines : GNUS

82. Two-baggers: Abbr. : DBLS. Doubles. Also 91. Commissioner's Trophy org. : MLB

83. High : EUPHORIA

85. Timberlake's former band : NSYNC

87. Approve : ACCEDE TO

 93. Welding fuel : ETHYNE

95. "And So __": Billy Joel song : IT GOES. Rare 6-letter partial.

97. Riyadh residents : SAUDIS. One of our readers lived there for a few years as a diplomat.

99. Kid-lit pig : OLIVIA

100. Elixirs : TONICS

101. Like the best wisdom : SAGEST

103. Paving stone : SETT. Regular in our old Wayne R Williams days.

106. Classic language : LATIN

109. Dinner, for one : MEAL

111. It has a Double Stuf variety : OREO. Three characters in Chinese. O RE O. The first character and the last one are the same.

113. The Beatles' "__ Loser" : I' M A

114. Burrowing rodent : VOLE

115. Aetna offering : HMO

116. Tic-tac-toe win : OOO

117. Spanish light : LUZ. New to me also.

118. ER workers : RNs

120. Young Skywalker's nickname : ANI

Mike Alpern told me that only three spots remain for the Cru Dinner. So email Mike (alpernm@aol.com) now if you don't want to miss the chance to mingle with other solvers and constructors.

C.C.