Saturday, March 24, 2018, Debbie Ellerin and Jeff Chen

A THEMELESS SATURDAY WITH DEBBIE AND JEFF

Debbie Ellerin and Jeff Chen have collaborated on this wonderful puzzle on National Chocolate Covered Raisin Day. Yum! Horizontal and vertical stacks are very impressive to me. There was also ample supply of Saturday subtleties such as the fabulous 45. Kvetching chorus : OYS.

Husker Gary here today saying OY Vey, let's hope we can make this a kvetching-free zone today as we are now officially in the season of spring!

Now let's see what else this wonderful duo has for us today:

Across

1. __ bar : TAPAS - Hispanic noshes

6. Line used when wrapping? : THAT'S THAT - What we bloggers might say after we wrap up reviewing a puzzle

15. Singer whose three studio albums have numerical titles : ADELE - A woman with a glorious voice and a plethora of vowels in her name

16. Was bugged : WORE A WIRE - Just speak into my shirt

17. Remove, as a corsage : UNPIN - Be careful how you're pinning and unpinning that corsage, Buster!

18. It has a climbing route called "The Nose" : EL CAPITAN 

19. Crude : TASTELESS - That may have been funny years ago but... 

21. Den denizens : CUBS - Saw them play the Royals in beautiful Sloan Stadium in Mesa, AZ on a beautiful 60F day last Sunday. The surrounding area is called Wrigleyville like it is in Chicago surrounding Wrigley Field. 

22. Nice assent : OUI - Yes in Nice, France!

23. League of Women Voters co-founder : CATT - Carrie Chapman CATT. Progress!

24. Assists a chef : PREPS - For me that would be, "Get out the ketchup, Gary!"

26. White House advisory gp. : NSC - JFK and his National Security Council in October 1961 during a very tense time in American history

27. Six-pack group : ABS - Here's how to work on your abdominal muscles 

28. Fighting chance : BOUT - What many consider the greatest and most brutal BOUT of all time. Joe Frazier's corner quit after the 14th round which gave Ali a TKO but Ali was begging his corner to "cut off his gloves" so he could quit but Joe beat him to it.

29. Comics shriek : YEOW

31. The African Queen, for one : STEAMBOAT - Bogie and Hepburn suffered many physical ailments making this movie in the brutal Belgian Congo

35. Former first daughter : MALIA and 2. To an annoying degree : AD NAUSEAM - I had _ U L I _ (JULIE Nixon) for the name for awhile because  I thought AD NAUSEAM ended in UM.

37. Make a call : OPT

38. Conqueror of Valencia in 1094 : EL CID

40. Brain in many an Asimov story : MAIN FRAME - Not exactly a MAIN FRAME but here is Isaac Asimov pitching a computer. Hey, authors have to eat too!

43. British title : DAME

44. Part of a flute : STEM - How 'bout a Champagne flute with a hollow STEM

47. __ shooter : PEA 

48. Buzzed : TIPSY

50. Pokémon that evolves to Kadabra : ABRA - Yeah, I knew that! 😛

51. Org. concerned with child support : PTA - Mrs. Johnson "socked it to the Harper Valley PTA"

52. Singer Vannelli : GINO - 65-yr-old GINO was performing in Scottsdale just after we left this week

53. 1995 AFI Life Achievement Award recipient : SPIELBERG - His first movie was Amblin' which he wrote, directed and edited with $15,000. I can't pick a favorite of his movies  but Apollo 13 is right up there.

55. Spidey sense, basically : ALARM BELL

58. Skateboard leap : OLLIE - Mass OLLIES

59. Stopped taking orders : WENT ROGUE - I did this at several points in my life which almost all turned out to be bad decisions 

60. Home of Armani and Prada : MILAN - Do they sell at Kohl's?

61. News credential : PRESS PASS - Where/when they wore them.

62. Place on a pedestal : EXALT


Down

1. Scientific name involving a repeated word : TAUTONYM - New word for me but you see an example at the bottom of this chart

3. What Brad's Drink became : PEPSI COLA - Invented in 1893 in New Bern, N.C. 

4. Settled down : ALIT

5. Elder or Younger Roman writer : SENECA - PLINY was not only wrong, it was one letter short

6. Modern-day eruption : TWEET STORM - Today everybody has an opinion and an electronic forum

7. "The Planets" composer : HOLST - It has seven movements - one for each planet except the one we inhabit

8. Story lines : ARCS - The ARC in the movie Apollo 13 quickly changed from getting to the Moon to getting back to Earth safely

9. It can be green, red or yellow : TEA - I'll bet a bunch that C.C.'s house does not contain a TEA bag 

10. Con's mark : SAP

11. Hyphenated word in a Hawthorne title : TWICE TOLD - An 1837 compilation of short stories he collected over the years

12. Put the bite on : HIT UP - Every year we get HIT UP for these delights. Gotta love the Thin Mints

13. Many Scheherazade characters : ARABS - A Rimsky-Korsakov symphonic suite based on The Arabian Knights

14. XXX, perhaps : TENS - Olympic judges at the Roman Colosseum? 

20. Big dogs : LABS and 24. Little dog : POM - Here's a cross of a Golden Lab and a Pomeranian. 

25. Self-Operating Napkin creator Goldberg : RUBE - Here it is!

28. Rides with wing-shaped tailfins : BAT MOBILES - There's more than one?

30. Game including golf and bowling : WII SPORTS

32. Taker of ppm measurements : EPA - The Environmental Protection Agency decides how many parts per million of any stuff can be in any other stuff

33. Barbershop quartet style : A CAPPELLA - A wonderful scene and fabulous music!

34. Race against the clock : TIME TRIAL - Omaha has been the site of the TIME TRIALS for the U.S. Olympic Swim Team for years.

36. Outdoor party crashers : ANTS

39. Buster? : DEA AGENT - Busting drug rings

41. "Bossypants" memoirist : FEY -Tina FEY is a funny woman

42. Fictional governess : EYRE - A mousy governess who softens the heart of her employer soon discovers that he's hiding a terrible secret. 

46. Rita Hayworth's title princess : SALOME - Her Salome dress recently sold at auction for $15,000. (Talk about contrast to Jane Eyre!)

48. Building subcontractor : TILER 

49. Just plain silly : INANE

50. Outstanding : A PLUS 

52. Be a looky-loo : GAWP - Of course I thought it was GAWK first



53. Genesis creator : SEGA

54. "Disarming Iraq" author Hans : BLIX - He was also the first western representative at the Chernobyl disaster site

56. Ceremonial title? : MRS - On What's My Line, Emcee John Daly's first question of a woman contestant after she signed in was, "Is it Miss or MRS. ______"?

57. Jazz genre : BOP- Or BEBOP 

What say you?

DA GRID

Friday, March 23, 2018, Samuel A. Donaldson

Title- Do not pass over this puzzle.

A bit early but still a timely reference to the story told in Exodus of Moses leading the Israelites from Egypt, and the reveal - parting the RED SEA. In Samuel's version, the parting is done by a black square. In each paired across theme fill the first ends with RED, black square, then SEA. With that back drop it is no surprise that Sam has included various religious and political references. There are many really sparkly fill that complete this friday grid.

ESSENCE, PERIDOT,  POACHED,  PREYS ON, ASPIRE TO, CLEAVAGE, MAMMA MIA,  PAUL RYAN, ENCROACHED,  MERIT BADGE


1A. Flintstones Vitamins option: FRED (4). 5A. Chicago Eight defendant: SEALE (5).

20A. Turned tail: RAN SCARED (9). 22A. Like some underbellies: SEAMY (5).

51A. Needed an eraser: ERRED (5). 52A. Herbs and spices: SEASONING (9).

62A. Ready to drop: TIRED (5). 63A. Burn a little: SEAR.

and the reveal

35A. Emulate Moses ... and what four black squares do in this puzzle: PART THE RED SEA (13).

Across:

10. B.C. law enforcers: RCMP. Royal Canadian Mounted Police. LINK. Hey Eh.

14. Big name in denim: LEVI. Strauss, and a bonus fill as this is one of the 12 tribes of Israel.

15. Dental restoration: ONLAY. Your Dentistry 101 LESSON.

16. Cause of some bad apples?: ALAR. More properly known as Daminozide, quite the scandal at the time.

17. Has to pay: OWES.

18. Part of a script: SCENE.

19. Cyber phenomenon: MEME.  Did you know it is an element of a culture or system of behavior that may be considered to be passed from one individual to another by nongenetic means, especially imitation? Dictionary.

23. Memphis-to-Atlanta dir. : ESE.

24. Big fuss: ADO.

25. With "the," what a boxer doesn't want to hit?: CANVAS. Reminds me of Joe PALOOKA.

26. Pulse: THROB.

28. High points: ACMES.

31. Latin I word: AMO amas, amat.

32. Prepared, as eggs for eggs Benedict: POACHED.

34. Votin' nay: AGIN.

38. Like a breeze? : EASY.

39. August birthstone: PERIDOT.

40. "How you doin'?" : SUP.

41. Lost patience: HAD IT.

42. "The Beauty Myth" author Wolf: NAOMI. Naomi R. Wolf is a liberal progressive American author, journalist, feminist, and former political advisor to Al Gore and Bill Clinton. Wolf first came to prominence in 1991 as the author of The Beauty Myth. Wikipedia. No politics.

46. Chip off the old block? : SLIVER.

48. Annoyed exclamation: BAH.

50. Greek god of the wild: PAN. This DEITY, but no religion.

55. Bill __ Climate Lab: former exhibit at Oakland's Chabot Space & Science Center: NYES. The Science Guy.

56. Awaits decision: PENDS.

57. Brief refusal to "Are you hungry?": I ATE.

58. Nineteenth Amendment campaigner: CATT. The Amendment that gave women the right to VOTE.

59. Rolex rival: OMEGA.

60. Gillette offering: ATRA.

61. Book of Mormon prophet: ENOS. No religion.

Down:

1. Daisy component: FLORET. Tricked me with Flower at first.

2. Clean some more: REWASH.

3. Plane, for one: EVENER. The meh of the day.

4. Ph.D. hurdle: DISSertation.

5. "I feel your pain": SO SAD.

6. Went too far: ENCROACHED. That is why you need to get a survey before you buy Property.

7. Protected, in a way: ALEE.

8. Succeed in getting: LAND.

9. Word with private or public: EYE.

10. Collegian's diet staple: RAMEN. That is how they use their NOODLES.

11. Rift: CLEAVAGE. Not the first definition I think of for cleavage. This COLLECTION is for all.

12. "Money, Money, Money" musical: MAMMA MIA.

13. Exploits: PREYS ON. This fooled me for minute, reading it as one word.

21. Henry __ Lodge: WWI senator: CABOT. I grew up in the sphere of these Boston Brahmin families who intermarried to consolidate power. However, it was not the Lodges in a famous quote, "Here's to dear old Boston, The home of the bean and the cod, Where Lowells speak only to Cabots, And Cabots speak only to god."

22. Swedish carrier: SAS. Scandinavian Airlines.

25. Surrendered: CEDED.

27. Nashville highlight: OPRY. As in Grand Old.

29. "SNL" alumna Oteri: CHERI. Classic corssword fill.

30. Scout's honor? : MERIT BADGE. Cute.

33. How some bonds are purchased: AT PAR.

34. Movie role for Skippy: ASTA. Skippy has his own IMDB PAGE.

35. Speaker after John Boehner: PAUL RYAN. So much politics to avoid.

36. Shoot for: ASPIRE TO.

37. Air Force pilot who became a pop star: DON HO. His BIO.

38. True nature: ESSENCE.

41. "__ give you the shirt off his back": HE'D. Give anything and everything one possesses. For example, Tom is truly generous-he'll give you the shirt off his back. This hyperbolic idiom was first recorded in 1771.

43. Morphine, e.g.: OPIATE.

44. It's repeated a lot: MANTRA. Om, om, om.

45. Ready to go: IN GEAR.

47. Kevlar products: VESTS.

49. Mideast ruling family name: ASSAD. The FAMILY.

52. Rest area heavyweight: SEMI. For those who did not like MACK.

53. Cabinet dept. : ENERgy.

54. Long and Vardalos: NIAS.

The pictures are backwards which I did not realize until now, but I am too lazy to change.









56. Winner's gathering: POT. Well, maybe now that they have legalized marijuana- oh, you mean a poker pot, Never mind.

Mr. Donaldson always delivers a good workout and a fun puzzle. I hope you all had as a good a time as I did. Lemonade out.

Thursday, March 22 2018 Robert & Marlea Ellis

Theme: Odorless Wine - or "no nose". Actually, the reveal explains the theme nicely:

64A. Taboos, and a hint to the four longest puzzle answers : NO-NOS. Phrases which lose the opening "no"; and so we have

17A. Soda fountain come-on? :  [NO] GREAT SHAKES. Make three at once with this handy device on your countertop:

26A. Earthquake coverage? : [NO-]FAULT INSURANCE. You'd thing you'd need fault insurance in my home state. California isn't one of the no-fault insurance states.

43A. List in a quiz program recap? : [NO] QUESTIONS ASKED. Nice clue.

56A. Lower hulls fortified? : [NO] HOLDS BARRED. I think I'd have looked for a more elegant clue here. "Lower hull" seems a little contrived.

There was a similar theme by Jim Page in the NYT a few years ago, but he clued his theme entries as if they still had the "no" attached.

Let's see what jumps out in the fill:

Across:

1. Fall face first while skiing, say : EAT IT. I've done many a face-plant on and off piste.

6. Mighty silly : APISH. Nice word, took a while for me to see it.

11. Part of ROM: Abbr. : MEM. Read-only memory. Which leads me to the question - how do you get anything into read-only memory? We should be told.

14. Longest-serving prime minister of India : NEHRU. He of the eponymous jacket. India's first PM.

15. Austrian actress Berger : SENTA. Completely unknown to me, but the crosses filled her in.

16. Kanye West's "I __ God" : AM A. Nailed it! Thank you, crosswords past.

19. Monarch catcher : NET. Butterfly net.

20. Brooklyn Dodgers legend Campanella : ROY. Imaginatively nicknamed "Campy".

21. In questionable taste : TACKY

22. All excited : AFIRE

24. Radiant glow : AURA

25. Italian cheese : ASIAGO. Oddly, I always thought it was Spanish. Learning moment for me.

31. Aids in illegal activity : ABETS. I see "aid" as a synonym, but the crime is "aiding and abetting", so there must be a difference. We need legal help to explain this one.

32. Roberts of "That '70s Show" : TANYA. She's had some "work" done since this shot was taken, as a Google image search will confirm.

33. Comic Martha : RAYE. Thank you, crosses. Proper names are not my forte.

34. One-named singer with 15 Grammys : ADELE

36. Neeson of "Love Actually" : LIAM

40. Continue gabbing : RUN ON

42. Ship's seepage : BILGE. In the sub-lower hull.

47. Latin ballroom dances : TANGOS

48. Berlin octet : ACHT. Eight, in Essen, and elsewhere.

49. One of a Dumas trio : ATHOS. The Three Musketeers. Athos, Porthos and Aramis. D'Artagnan wasn't a musketeer when he met the three.

50. Civil rights leader Chavez : CESAR. 

52. __-tip steak : TRI. This cut of beef is unknown many places other than the West Coast. It's a triangular cut from the bottom sirloin, hence the name - it has three "tips".

55. Barnyard sound : MAA. It's a more accurate representation of the sound than "baa" although the latter is more commonly-used. "Maa maa black sheep, have you any wool?" doesn't have the same ring to it.

59. Directional suffix : ERN

60. Missouri tribe : OSAGE

61. Not-giving-up phrase : I HOPE

62. Completed : DID

63. Fishing boot : WADER

Down:

1. Career for a sci. major : ENGR. Engineer. Definitely not my favorite fill.

2. Flight-related prefix : AERO-

3. Unspecified folks : THEY. I had THEM first, but the baseball great Rom [sic] Campanella fixed that.

4. Sportswriter Berkow : IRA. Boxing, baseball, basketball among other sports. He was jointly awarded the Pulitzer Prize for journalism in 2001. Great writer.

5. Clucks of disapproval : TUT-TUTS

6. __ School: art movement featuring NYC scenes : ASHCAN. I've no idea how I knew this. Here's "McSorley's Bar" by John French Sloan.

7. Top out : PEAK

8. Very dark : INKY

9. Abbr. in some Québec addresses : STE. Ste. Jean sur Richelieu, par example.

10. Contributes : HAS A SAY

11. Oscar-nominated "Flashdance" song : MANIAC. I preferred "Flashdance .. What a Feeling" myself. In fact, let's have a Flashdance Flashback.

12. Arise : EMERGE

13. San __, California : MATEO

18. Asian dress : SARI

23. Contender for the crown : FINALIST

24. Steve Rogers, for Captain America : ALTER EGO

25. Composer of the opera "Alfred" : ARNE. Thomas Arne's score for the opera about Alfred the Great. The libretto was written by David Mallet and James Thompson. We'll have a test on this tomorrow, so pay attention.

26. At a distance : AFAR

27. Chicago-based law org. : ABA. At least this week's clue allows for no ambiguity, unlike last week's interpretation which brought all the knuckle-dragging anons out of hiding.

28: Illegal fwy. maneuver : UEY

29. Court worker : STENO

30. Co. that merged with Continental : UAL. United Airlines. My carrier of choice. It's been a good week not to be travelling, bad weather all over the place.

34. Queen's subjects : ANTS

35. "And how!" : DO I!

37. Sort : ILK

38. Sit in a cellar, maybe : AGE

39. Club __ : MED. Are they still going? Not seen these resorts advertised for quite some time.

41. Base entertainment : USO SHOW

42. Persian Gulf monarchy : BAHRAIN

43. Persian Gulf native : QATARI. I enjoyed the proximity of this clue pair.

44. Release : UNHAND

45. Egyptian leader for whom a lake is named : NASSER. Formed by the damming of the Nile at Aswan. It's the largest man-made lake in the world. The lake, was formed, that is, not the leader. The leader was formed by Mr. and Mrs. Nasser, presumably.

46. Union foe : SCAB

47. Gained control of : TAMED

50. Dressed : CLAD

51. Advantage : EDGE

52. 1982 sci-fi film : TRON. Plus the recent reboot Tron: Legacy in 2010.

53. Defaulter's risk : REPO

54. Time to beware : IDES. More ides. Shame there wasn't a month named "Tides". Then, when it was close to the middle of the month, you'd be able to say "The Ides of Tides Bides". Thank you, I'm here all week.

57. Spanish she-bear : OSA

58. Frat letter : RHO.

And - here's the grid, stick a fork in me, I'm done.

Steve

Notes from C.C.:

1) Argyle still has his phone off the hook due to the pain meds, but I'm in contact with his sister Klista. Santa is doing OK. Please continue keeping him in your thoughts and prayers.

2) Happy Birthday to dear PK, who turns 77 today. So happy that she's now on the blog regularly. PK is a Preacher's Child, but PK also stands for Passionate Kisser, and she's passionate about many subjects. She's always so attentive and observant. She was a reporter before.

3) Agnes just asked about Melissa's granddaughter Jaelyn yesterday. Here is a sweet picture of Melissa's daughter and Jaelyn. Look how she has grown.

Wednesday, March 21 2018, Mark McClain

Theme: CHECKING IN- The first words can be CHECKED.

17. *Many a museum piece : OIL PAINTING. Oil Check.

36. *Choice spot at the opera : BOX SEAT. Checkbox.

11. *Family crest : COAT OF ARMS. Coat check.

27. *Ellington genre : SWING MUSIC. Check swing. (Baseball.)

56. Words to a server ... or a hint to the first words of the answers to starred clues : CHECK PLEASE.
 

Melissa here. I struggled more than I should have with this one, due to a handful of tricky clues and a few unknowns. The theme didn't help with solving much because sometimes CHECK preceded the first word of the answer, and sometimes it followed. Only short a Q and Z of a pangram.

Across        

1. Jordan's capital : AMMAN

6. Amounts to : COSTS

11. Cleveland hoopster : CAV

14. Tour leader : GUIDE

15. Popcorn brand whose logo resembles a movie marquee : ACT II

 
16. Corrida cheer : OLE

19. "MSNBC Live" co-anchor Velshi : ALI

20. Big Dipper's constellation : GREAT BEAR

 
21. Birth-related : NATAL

23. Couple of gags? : GEES. Wording of clue seems odd. Couple IN gags would make more sense.

24. Tied-on protectors : APRONS

25. Without : ABSENT

28. Not even close : WAY OFF

30. Vise features : JAWS

31. British nobles : EARLS

32. Roger Federer's org. : ATP. Association of Tennis Professionals (males). Female counterpart is WTA (Women's Tennis Association), founded by Billie Jean King in 1973.

35. French buddy : AMI. AMIE is the feminine form.

38. Pi follower : RHO

39. Stood for office : RAN

40. Powerful Japanese dog : AKITA. Much like yesterday's SHIBA INU.

41. Black bird or black cat, to some : OMEN

42. Go round and round : GYRATE

44. Messed (up) : LOUSED

46. Obtain : COME BY. Stumped me.

48. Is not misused? : AINT. Nice clue.

49. Very serious, as a water shortage : ACUTE. Medically speaking, ACUTE does not always mean serious, but indicates sudden or recent onset - as opposed to chronic, which is long-lasting.

50. Blunder : FALSE STEP

55. Humanities degs. : MASE. Master of Arts in Special Education. Not sure why this clue is plural. (Correction: the answer is MAS. Master of Arts. Thanks, everyone.)

58. "The Book of __": 2010 Denzel Washington film : ELI

59. Exorbitant interest : USURY

60. Ceremonial place : ALTAR. I like this clue 💕.

61. Fond du __, Wisconsin : LAC

62. Closed : ENDED

63. Braid : PLAIT

Down

1. Twittering : AGOG. In this internet age, twittering has a new meaning.

2. "Studies in the Sierra" writer John : MUIR. Originally appeared in 1874 and 1875 as a series of seven articles in the Overland Monthly, which were later (1915 to 1921) reprinted in the Sierra Club Bulletin. 

 
3. Fitbit unit : MILE. Not STEP.

4. Much of the Sunday paper : AD PAGES. Not ADVERTS.

5. Spruce (up) : NEATEN

6. Walking sticks : CANES

7. Penta- plus three : OCTA

8. Cup-a-Soup direction : STIR

9. Pewter component : TIN

10. Footpath aid : SIGNPOST 

12. Poe's middle name : ALLAN

13. Concealing accessories : VEILS

18. "Probably not" : I BET. Sneaky because it's sarcasm - normally "I bet" indicates total agreement.

22. "Wanna go out?" response : ARF

24. Protagonist of Auel's "Earth's Children" novels : AYLA

25. Somewhat open : AJAR

26. Auburn rival, familiarly : BAMA

28. Squander : WASTE

29. Surface product : AREA. For rectangles and squares - height x width = AREA. Area calculator.

31. Bright word in a dark theater : EXIT

33. You, back in the day : THEE

34. Koi habitat : POND

36. Kansas City cuisine : BARBECUE. Variation is BARBEQUE. That and a Z would make for a pangram.

37. Not bad : OKAY

41. Fly off the shelf faster than : OUTSELL

43. To date : YET

44. Struggle with sisters? : LISP. Great clue.

45. 400 meters, on many tracks : ONE LAP

46. It has one hump or two : CAMEL

47. Florida's __ National Forest : OCALA

48. Binder for some paints : ALKYD. New to me.

50. 2017 FX miniseries subtitled "Bette and Joan" : FEUD. Anyone watch this series?

51. Spacious lot : ACRE

52. Part of TTFN : TATA

53. Actor Morales : ESAI

54. Cheeky : PERT

57. QVC sister station : HSN. Home Shopping Network.

Tuesday, March 20, 2018 C.C. Burnikel

Title:  Intravenous Therapy

Four down answers hiding IV:

 

3D. Handheld cleaner :   MINI VACUUM.

9D. 2006 cop drama set in Florida :   MIAMI VICE.

31D. Reagan Library site :   SIMI VALLEY.

34D. Like much Norton software :   ANTI-VIRUS.

And the reveal:
24D. Hosp. fluid-administration methods hidden in 3-, 9-, 31- and 34-Down : IV DRIPS.

TTP here after being called up from the minor leagues.  Honored to be asked.  Delighted it's a C.C., but unfortunate timing as I think of our dear friend Argyle.

ACROSS:

1. Affectionate sideline greeting : HI MOM.  The stereotypical shot of the football player waving to the camera and mouthing the words after a big play. You tend to see these in televised coverage of college bowl games. 

6. "I understand now!" : AHA.   Often an exclamation.  I understand now (revelation) the effort and skills required to blog the puzzle.  Plenty of first-time blunders and some AHA moments along the way.  I'm looking forward to Argyle's return. 

 9. Mud bath coverings : MASKS

14. Gal pal, in Genoa : AMICA.  Female friend in Genoa, Italy. 

15. Searchlight used by Gotham police : BAT-SIGNAL.  Police Commissioner Gordon most often used the BatPhone in the ABC TV Series. BAT-SIGNAL   

17. One changing pitches : TUNER.  Piano tuner comes to mind.

18. "Are you declining?" : IS THAT A NO ?   Please clarify your position.

19. "Tell me!" : SPILL IT !   Yes or no !   

21. Response to a tasty treat : YUM.   Yum! Brands was renamed from Tricon Global Restaurants, Inc,  in 2002 to match its NYSE ticker symbol.   It is based in Louisville, Kentucky.  Yum ! sounds better to me. 

22. Understand : GET.  Clecho with 6A, but perhaps without as much excitement.  Are you picking up what I'm putting down ?

23. "Va-va-__!" : VOOM

24. Long Island town : ISLIP

26. Dog-tired : BEAT

28. 605, to Seneca : DCV.   The person, not the people.  Roman philosopher and statesman.  He would have read 605 as DCV in Roman numerals. D = 500, C = 100,  V = 5. 

30. Stop, to swabs : AVAST

33. Circle segment : ARC

34. "Humble" home : ABODE.  Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home.

36. "Why would __?" : I LIE. The question, "Why would I lie ?" was asked eight times in The Tubes 1983 Top 10 hit "She's a Beauty."  The music video became an MTV staple. Not going to link it.   

37. Dealer's query : YOU IN ?   Yes ?  Then ante up. 

39. Class with smocks : ART

40. Punctuation in many lists : COMMA

42. Sign of disuse : DUST

43. Like yoga teachers : LITHE

45. Many a craft beer, for short : IPA - India Pale Ale

46. Online box filler : EMAIL

48. Cough up the cash : PAY.   Lucina, I imagine that ESL students might struggle with idioms.

49. Enterprise rival : AVIS. 

50. KitchenAid appliances : OVENS.  One of many countertop and major appliances bearing the company name.    "I don't care what you call it, but I know it's the best kitchen aid I've ever had!"  That was purportedly the response of the wife of a Hobart Company exec after she received and used a prototype mixer.  Paraphrased from Wikipedia.  

52. __ colada: rum drink : PINA.  The "Pina Colada" song by Rupert Holmes is actually entitled "Escape." 

54. Old vitamin bottle no. : RDA

57. Shiba __ : Japanese dog : INU.   A spitz breed of dog of Japan.  INU is the Japanese word for dog.

  

58. Scored well under par, in golf lingo : WENT LOW.    A PGA Tournament television color commentator's standard, often used in describing the leader's 18 hole score relative to par.  

61. Bart Simpson's "Holy cow!" : AY, CARAMBA! 

64. "Love Me Like You Do" singer Goulding : ELLIE.  Knew neither her nor the song "Love Me Like You Do", but with 1,702,176,952 views (and counting) of the official video,  I decided to listen.

65. Apple Store support station : GENIUS BAR

66. Preps, as potatoes : PEELS.  Peeling potatoes on KP duty probably means using one of these.  50 to 60 pounds peeled in a jiff on the 6460.  Beetle Bailey and Sad Sack would have loved one of these.

Irish Miss, does your sister rent one of those for her St. Patrick's Day gatherings ? 

67. Icon tappers : USERS

68. Bashful : SHY

69. Risky rendezvous : TRYST.   "At a bar called O'Malley's..." in the song "Escape."

DOWN:

1. Fashionable Kentucky Derby array : HATS.   Fashionable hats will also be on display at the upcoming royal wedding. 

2. "My turn to bat" : I'M UP.   Baseball lingo with the "to bat" modifier.

4. Spotted wildcat : OCELOT

5. Thomas of "That Girl" : MARLO

6. Somewhat : A BIT. 

7. Polishes off : HAS.   Food or drink.   Finishes. 

8. Legal dept. staffers : ATTYS.  Attorneys, abbreviated.

10. Star's rep. : AGT.  Representative, Agent.  Probably didn't need clarification.

11. Hose mishap : SNAG.  Hose inconvenience ? Kink ?

12. Welles' "Citizen" : KANE.  Orson Welles, "Citizen Kane."  The classic.  A Viewer's Companion to 'Citizen Kane' by Roger Ebert.

13. Schedule opening : SLOT. 

16. Six-time Super Bowl coach Don : SHULA.  One with the Baltimore Colts.  Five with the Miami Dolphins.  Born near Abejo's lake, but on the Ohio side, near Painesville.

20. Website with film profiles : IMDb.  Internet Movie Database. 

25. __ Alto, Calif. : PALO.  Silicon Valley.

26. Tampa __ Buccaneers : BAY.  I love puzzles.  They can take you from the Silicon Valley to the Gulf Coast of Florida in seconds.

27. Slowly wear away : ERODE

29. West Virginia natural resource : COAL. Just read that as of 2014, twenty-five states produced coal.

32. Allegro, largo, lento, etc. : TEMPI.  The plural of tempo. 

35. Bluesy James : ETTA

38. Japanese golf great Aoki : ISAO.  Isao Aoki with Arnold Palmer.  

He credits watching Arnold Palmer for giving him the inspiration to pursue a golfing career.  "Isao Aoki only plays with golf balls marked with the number 5.  That number is pronounced “Go” in Japanese and it also represents the worst score he wants to make."  He was elected into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2004.  Source - World Golf Hall of Fame.

41. Remote batteries : AAs

44. Promote aggressively : HYPE

47. Dunham and Olin : LENAs.  New York born actress Lena Dunham and Sweden born actress Lena Olin.

49. Buck horn : ANTLER

51. Anesthetizes : NUMBS

53. Bumbling : INEPT

54. Sauce brand with an accent on its last letter : RAGÚ.


55. Salon colorings : DYES

56. OXY 10 target : ACNE

58. Suspicious (of) : WARY

59. Art store buys : OILS

60. Wild or Old area : WEST

62. Balloon filler : AIR.   Hot Air Ballon Rides near Chicago, and other local sightseeing deals,  as seen on Groupon.

63. Scrooge's scoff : BAH

Argyle,  come back soon. 

See all y'all later n'at.

Notes from C.C.:

1) TTP (Took the Plunge) has kindly agreed to take the Tuesday helm while Argyle is recovering from his surgery. TTP has been with the blog since 2012. He quietly helped me navigate many troubled spots, often behind the scenes with various technical issues. Without him, we might still be in the Google Hell. And many of the comments on old blog posts might never see the light of day.

2) Happy 80th birthday to dear Spitzboov (Al), a big milestone! Al has been with our blog for a long time. His posts and emails are often knowledgeable, witty and light-hearted, befitting his rascal avatar.  Al served in the Navy Reserve for over 20 years and retired as Commander. Thanks for being part of our family, Commander Al! Boomer and I are always proud of the flag you gifted me, the best in the neighborhood.  

Argyle and Spitzboov

(August 23, 2014, Washington County Fair)

3) Happy Birthday to John28man as well! How are you doing lately, John?

Monday March 19, 2018 Bruce Venzke & Gail Grabowski

Theme: DOUBLE DATES (61. Two-couple outings ... and what the answers to starred clues are?) - Both words in each theme entry can precede "date".

 20A. *Begin preparing an evening meal : START DINNER. Start date. Dinner date.

 11D. *Downpour : HEAVY RAIN. Heavy date. Rain date.

 35D. *Steaming morning mugful : HOT COFFEE. Hot date. Coffee date.

Boomer here.

Good morning or afternoon (as the case may be) and a shout out to our normal Monday morning quarterback, Argyle, under care in the hospital.  Best wishes and I am sure the crossword enthusiasts that frequent this blog hope you are back soon, so they won't have to put up with me.
  
Across:
        
1. Bird's crop : CRAW

5. Pols with a donkey symbol : DEMS - I cannot imagine two more questionable logos than a donkey and an elephant but it is what it is.  I think Seinfeld jokes about it.

9. Specialized, committee-wise : AD HOC - I believe this is Latin for something.  But Latin is a dead language, as dead as dead can be.  First it killed the Romans, and now it's killing me.  (From my high school days).

14. Operate with a beam : LASE 

15. Natural burn soother : ALOE - Of course.  What would a crossword puzzle be without a four- letter word with three vowels ?

16. Set of beliefs : CREDO - more Latin

17. "__ That a Shame" : AIN'T - I think Fats Domino said it first.  Is Fats his real first name?

18. "Hold your horses!" : WHOA

19. Cybercommerce : E-TAIL - a clever spin word (not really a word) selling things on the internet (Like maybe on eBay which is not really a word either)

23. Nov. 11 honoree : VET - Yes I am and thankful for all the freebies offered on that day.

24. Capital of Minn. : ST PAUL - We Minnesotans had no trouble with this clue.

25. Taxi driver : CABBY

27. Many a '50s pompadour sporter : GREASER - I don't know.  A pompadour is more like a Bryce Harper do while a greaser is more of a Fonz'.

30. Catastrophic 2017 hurricane : IRMA

33. "The fresh air is delightful!" : AAH - Or the first part of a sneeze.

36. Suffix with Jumbo : TRON - Seen now at most Ballparks

37. Spreads apart, as one's fingers : SPLAYS

39. Hunt like a cat : PROWL

41. Internet connectivity delay : LAG - Or Tiger Woods laying up on a par five.

43. "The Waste Land" poet T.S. : ELIOT

44. Tennis great Gibson : ALTHEA. Ann Marie Johnson's role In the Heat of the Night.

46. Starlet's goal : FAME

48. Org. with Bulls and Bucks : NBA - Chicago/Milwaukee connection.

49. Bonkers : LOCO

50. Tart plant stalk diced for pie filling : RHUBARB - A conversation between Earl Weaver and Ron Luciano.  (May they rest in peace)

53. A : Z :: alpha : __ : OMEGA - We just returned from an OMEGA reunion in Las Vegas.  It stands for Older More Energetic Graybar Associates.

55. Originate (from) : DERIVE

59. Arctic toymaker : ELF - I thought Santa made the toys, The elves just helped.  But I have never been to the North Pole.  But I live in Minnesota - weather is the same.

64. Civilian attire : MUFTI

66. Wordsmith Webster : NOAH - I think it was clued this way because no one knows if that other Noah had a surname.

67. Hertz fleet : CARS

68. Spring for a meal : TREAT

69. Fish in some cat food : TUNA - Cat Food ????  I don't like the clue.  I grew up on tuna sandwiches, tuna casserole, and tuna salad, and I never meowed once.  So there.

70. Otherwise : ELSE

71. Oozes : SEEPS

72. "Don't go" : STAY

73. Actress Cannon : DYAN - Was married to Cary Grant but it only lasted about 3 years.

Down:

1. Yearbook section : CLASS - "And the class of all of us was just part of history".

2. Grammy winner Bonnie : RAITT. She loves Minnesota and will be here for a concert this June.

3. "It's __": "No problem" : A SNAP - Sounds like an insurance company with a duck spokesman.

4. Counter-wiping aid : WET RAG - I guess two three letter words are okay.

5. Procrastinator : DAWDLER

6. Pre-college, briefly : EL-HI - Short for Elementary and High School, but I have never heard it.

7. Cow's hurdle, in rhyme : MOON - Where Alan Shepard played golf.

8. Mystical gathering : SEANCE

9. Severe, as criticism : ACERB

10. "__ & the Women": 2000 Gere film : DR T

12. "Garfield" dog : ODIE - Good old crossword Odie, another four letter word with three vowels

13. Future stallion : COLT - OR an Indianapolis football player.

21. Slowpoke in a shell : TURTLE

22. Body parts that may be pierced : EARS - I am so old that I remember when ears were the ONLY thing that people had pierced.  Just two extra holes in the head.

26. List of charges : BILL - OR a Buffalo football player

28. Big name in ISPs : AOL - An acronym for "America on Line".  Internet pioneers for sure.

29. Chaotic mess : SNAFU - I am sure every high school graduating class had a fellow with this nickname, and I don't think he liked it.

31. "Butt out," for short : MYOB. Mind Your Own Business. True, but I like Ben Franklin's motto "Mind your Business" which was used on a coin.

32. Dog in old whodunits : ASTA - From "The Thin Man" Movie.  I am not old enough to remember the movie, but I seem to remember a TV series of the same name, with a dog of the same name also.

33. "C'mon, be __!": "Little help, please!" : A PAL

34. Woody's son : ARLO - Take the "City of New Orleans" train to "Alice's Restaurant" and get anything you want.

38. Looked closely : PEERED - OUCH - for a moment I thought this was another two- three letter word answer.

40. "To __ it may concern" : WHOM

42. Yak it up : GAB

45. 2012 Affleck thriller : ARGO. I did not see the movie, but I have corn starch of the same name in my cupboard.

47. Seized the opportunity : MADE HAY - and speed it up will ya'

51. Favorite hangouts : HAUNTS

52. Prepared (oneself), as for a jolt : BRACED - You may leave he orthodontist this way.

54. Does film splicing, say : EDITS

56. Lombardy's land : ITALY. Change the Y in the clue to an I and you have Green Bay Wisconsin.

57. Vice __ : VERSA

58. German steel town : ESSEN - I never visited this town,  I was further North in a small town called Hardheim.

59. Rescue squad VIPs : EMTS - I keep posting that EMT is Electrical Metallic Tubing but nobody listens.

60. Light, to a moth : LURE - NO, NO, This an implement used to catch fish (not tuna) in Minnesota !!

62. Match in a ring : BOUT - I remember when these were on free TV every Friday night.  I think it was sponsored by Gillette.

63. Singer Del Rey : LANA

65. Bojangles' dance genre : TAP - Nope, Mr. Bojangles did a soft shoe dance.

Boomer

Notes from C.C.:

I still have not been able to talk to Argyle. The phone is still off the hook. But Jennifer, Argyle's friend, told me that he is getting clearer and stronger. He even asked about me yesterday. So it's all good and comforting. She said they don't know how long he'll be in the hospital, but the next step is a rehab facility.

Sorry I don't have more information. I"ll let you know the exact surgery once I get Argyle's OK.

Dear Santa

Sunday March 18, 2018 Matt McKinley

Theme:   "PT Exercise" - P is converted into T, changing spelling as needed.

23A. Most highly regarded seasoning? : TARRAGON OF VIRTUE. Paragon of virtue.
 
46A. Brusque orchestral violinists? : TERSE STRINGS. Purse strings.

67A. Actress Helen with her personal programmer? : HUNT AND TECH. Hunt and peck.

91A. Kids responsible for breakfast bread? : TOASTER GIRLS. Poster girls.

114A. Well-ventilated chef's hat? : TOQUE FULL OF HOLES. Poke full of holes.
  
36D. Chocolate-loving gang? : COCOA TOUGHS. Cocoa puffs.

42D. Measurement for meat rotating on a spit? : ROAST TORQUE. Roast pork.
   
Four first-word changes. Three last-word changes. All went through considerable spelling changes while the sound remain the same. So consistent. Very creative approach.

I never head of "Poke full of holes", I figured it's "Pocketful of holes", which actually has plenty of  Google support. Then I asked D-Otto about the extra sound drop.

Across:       


1. Peaks : ACMES

6. Two-letter pop group : ABBA

10. Prepares potatoes, in a way : WHIPS. Here is how D-Otto prepares his potatoes. Authentic! Boomer said the dumplings we had in one of the buffets were made of potato flakes.

15. Card in a wallet : VISA

19. Zagreb native : CROAT

20. Vanishing sound : POOF

21. Seating option : AISLE. Boomer's spot. He needs to stretch often. So I'm always in the middle.

22. It gives you the big picture : IMAX

26. Side : EDGE

27. Call for icing, maybe : SWELL UP

28. Author Binchy : MAEVE

29. Limo amenity : MINI BAR

31. Literally, "shady side" : YIN. So in winter, I eat adzuki bean soup (Yang). In summer, I have mung bean soup (Yin). I don't really see the differences, but I was told to do so from an early age.

32. Like two Beethoven piano sonatas : IN E

33. Groom on a 1952 Life cover : ABNER. Stumper.

34. B, in a sandwich : BACON

37. Bridget Riley's "Movement in Squares," e.g. : OP-ART

40. 23rd of 24 : PSI. Greek alphabet.

41. Gets more friendly, with "up" : WARMS

45. __ collar : ETON

49. Alley in comics : OOP

50. Soft shoe : MOC

51. Portends : BODES

52. Bush boss : REAGAN. Bush Sr. So sad his reputation is tainted now.

53. Singer DiFranco : ANI

54. Card game shout : UNO

55. "Trinity" novelist : URIS

56. "__ Not There": Zombies hit : SHE'S

58. Child with a sponsor, maybe : GODSON

60. Homer's "Northeaster," for one : SEASCAPE

62. Wall covers : PANELS

65. Quick quality : WIT

66. Italian noble family : ESTE

70. One of a program dozen : STEP. Now AA has branches in China. We also have 78. Lit : SOUSED
 
73. Big-eyed bird : OWL

75. "Tristram Shandy" author : STERNE

76. Bag by the barbecue : CHARCOAL. Also in my face wash.

 
81. Honey beverage : MEAD

82. "Hamilton" award : TONY

83. 97-Across output : RTE. And 97. See 83-Across : GPS

84. Holiday drink : NOG

85. Knockoff hr. : FIVE PM. Mine is often 4:00pm.

88. Glittery rock : GEODE

89. Logician's letters : QED

90. Granite St. campus : UNH. University of New Hampshire.

94. Town : BURG

95. Low choristers : BASSI
 
98. Golf bag set : IRONS

99. "Not a chance!" : MY EYE

100. Pie nut : PECAN. Do you have Sweetgreen in your area? We don't. They have so many nice & hearty salad bowl choices.

102. Kiss at the mall, briefly : PDA

103. Security briefing org. : CIA

104. Lunch with fish : TUNA SUB

107. Large crosses : ROODS

109. Head honcho, e.g. : MAGNATE

113. Finished : OVER

117. It's often stained : DECK. Oh hey, I fixed our deck hole last year at the guidance of D-Otto and TTP.

118. Language that gives us "kayak" : INUIT

119. "The Clan of the Cave Bear" author : AUEL

120. Old Eurasian rulers : TSARS

121. Wine adjective : OAKY

122. Ideal areas : EDENS

123. Letters before Q? : LGBT. LGBTQ.

124. Limited-choice, as a question : YES-NO. Big Easy, at The Orleans, the extremely slow internet connection is part of the "Resort fee". You can also pay an extra $10/day, then you can have faster connection, download speed up to 25 Mbps. I think TTP has the fastest download speed in our corner.

Down:

1. John follower : ACTS

2. Sticking point? : CRAW

3. Extra : MORE

4. Near the start : EARLY ON

5. Yalta Conference notable : STALIN

6. Informal pricing words : A POP

7. __ vivant : BON

8. High time : BOOM

9. __ de coeur: amorous relationship : AFFAIRE. Funny how we write "heart" so differently.

10. Forgo : WAIVE

11. Put on : HIRE

12. Musician's suffix : IST. Oh, like pianist.

13. Pipes and such : PLUMBING

14. Welcome : SEE IN

15. Former "Today" co-host : VIEIRA

16. Source of film trivia : IMDB

17. Complex story : SAGA

18. Lumberyard supplier : AXER. Gluey fill.

24. Staple __ : GUN

25. Doesn't hold back : VENTS

30. Ski resort refreshment? : NEW SNOW. Still plenty of snow on our ground. No more please!

33. It borders three oceans : ASIA

34. Mystify : BEMUSE

35. Does penance (for) : ATONES

37. Rex in the classics : OEDIPUS

38. It may be given with a bow : PRESENT

39. Saddlebag carrier : ASS

40. Radio tuning shortcut : PRESET. Our Chrysler van clock loses a few minutes every year, so weird.

43. Like many Bing Crosby records : MONO

44. Slant : SPIN

46. Sacred scroll : TORAH

47. Got hot online : TRENDED. I figure those bitcoin mining machines get hot all the time, since mining is a 24/7 job.

48. Joke : GAG

51. Florida NFLer : BUC

56. Words often about details : SPARE ME. Guilty of oversharing at times. Forgive me.

57. Yogi Bear co-creator : HANNA

59. CD part : DISC

61. Bastes, say : SEWS

63. Talking point? : LECTERN. Great clue.
 
64. Educates : SCHOOLS

68. Lures : TEMPTS

69. Straights and flushes : HANDS

71. Place to grab a bite : EATERY. Really miss those neighborhood dim sum places in Guangzhou. So affordable. So fresh.

72. Promise : PLEDGE

74. Randy Johnson and Aroldis Chapman : LEFTIES. Kids these days probably don't know Sandy Koufax. We also have 88. Nats pitcher González : GIO

77. Deli choice : RYE

78. Oscar __ : SNUB

79. O'Neill's daughter : OONA

80. Giuseppe's god : DIO. Italian for "god".

86. Wanderer : VAGABOND

87. 80%-Disney-owned channel : ESPN
 
92. Done with : RID OF

93. Slow and steady : GRADUAL. My speed.
 
94. Just barely, at the track : BY A NOSE

96. Animated : SPARKY

99. Powerful : MIGHTY

101. Adorable one : CUTIE. Do you have these sweet Cuties in your local grocery store?

102. "Dead __ Society": 1989 film : POETS

103. Half-__: coffee order : CAF

104. Stink : TO DO

105. Middle eye layer : UVEA

106. Part of the woods? : NECK. Neck of the woods.

107. Really mess up : RUIN

108. Hit hard : SLUG

109. Shed : MOLT

110. Start of a sad tale : ALAS

111. Bird related to the noddy : TERN. Unfamiliar with "noddy". Jet black.

112. Brand that's a homophone of its company's initials : ESSO. Standard Oil.

115. N.Y. neighbor : QUE

116. Where some pounds are spent: Abbr. : LEB. I thought Lebanese use lira.

I'm so glad that PK's grandson Aaron has bounced back and Agnes' brother Jack (a retired firefighter) is responding better to the new antibiotic. Also relieved that Santa's surgery went smoothly and he's stable. Thanks for the love and care you've shown to our blog regulars. This means a lot to me.

I've removed last Sunday's puzzle from the cloud. Just email me (crosswordc@gmail.com) if you still need the PDF file. Please don't blame Rich Norris. It's the paper's fault. Rich won't make mistakes like this.

C.C.