Sunday February 15, 2015 Amy Johnson

Theme:  "Hail to the Chief" - Each theme answer is clued as if it's related to a US president.

24A. Presidential thoroughfare? : MADISON AVENUE.  Wiki says that Madison Square is named after President Madison. I presume it's the same for the Avenue.

39A. Presidential records? : LINCOLN LOGS. Named after President Lincoln.

54A. Presidential teams? : BUSH LEAGUE. Unrelated to President Bush. So works perfectly as a theme answer.

71A. Presidential horse? : FORD BRONCO. Ditto this one.

83A. Presidential quintet? : JACKSON FIVE. Ditto this one.

102A. Presidential resistance? : GRANT IMMUNITY. This one is the best with the original "Grant" as a verb.

3D. Presidential tweet? : WASHINGTON POST

50D. Presidential stand-ups? : GARFIELD COMICS

This type of theme works the best when the key words in the original phrases have nothing to do with the presidents. But it's impossible to come up with a set for Sundays.

I like the clue angle, and the grid only has 140 words (same as Marti's last week). You can be assured that I'll rack it up to 144.

Across:

 

1. Chauffeur's ride : TOWN CAR. Lincoln!

8. Glass-tinting element : COBALT

14. Pin sites : ALLEYS. Bowling pins.

20. Otter's prey : ABALONE. I don't think I had abalones before. You?

21. Key of Beethoven's "Für Elise" : A MINOR. Had ?MINOR. Then waited.

22. Fly under the radar : LIE LOW

23. Splits evenly : BISECTS

26. __Kosh B'gosh : OSH

27. Bigger fish to fry? : KEEPERS. Nice clue.

29. Ask : POSE. As a question.

30. Chem class suffix : IDE

31. Mayberry kid : OPIE

33. Bard's "bleak" : DREAR

34. Dieting setback : GAIN

36. Surname preceder, perhaps: Abbr. : INIT. Oh, middle initial.

37. It may be a hit : SONG

38. Brewery container : VAT

42. Spurs to action : GOOSES

45. Rookie rockers' recordings : DEMOS

46. Major __: Sherwood Forest attraction : OAK. Hey, I know it.

47. Beach house features : STILTS. I did not know those supporting posts are called stilts also.

48. Subdued : MUTED

49. Dome of the Rock floor plan shape : OCTAGON. Wiki said Dome of the Rock is "Jerusalem's most recognizable landmark".  Hahtoola & Yellowrocks must have visited the place.

53. Horatian works : EPODES

56. Botanist Gray : ASA

57. "Writing on the wall" word : MENE. Full message here:

58. What some buds detect : TASTE. Taste buds.

59. Fed. collection agency : IRS. Boomer had to get D-Otto's advice for some deduction issue.

60. Hugging duo : ARMS

61. Sandra Denton, in a hip-hop trio : PEPA. I always thought Salt-N-Pepa is a duo. No idea about their real names. So which one is Pepa?

62. Hunting wear : VESTS

63. Irish nationalist Robert : EMMET. Unknown to me.

65. Usually fuzzy tabloid pics : UFOs

66. Seacrest's show, to fans : IDOL. Ryan Seacrest.

67. Bend's state: Abbr. : ORE. Hope the ousted governor is not from Bend.

68. Mild oaths : DRATS

69. 1492 Bahamas lander : NINA

70. Children's author Asquith : ROS

74. College address ending : DOT EDU

76. Poncherello portrayer on "CHiPs" : ESTRADA (Erik)

78. Itty-bitty : EENSY

79. Trail-making mollusks : SNAILS

80. "... further __ ..." : ADO

81. Word with free or secret : AGENT

82. Addressed the nation, say : ORATED

87. SADD concern : DWI

88. Like raw silk : ECRU. I haven't had mulberries for years.

91. 1997 film apiarist : ULEE. Ulee's Gold.

92. Camembert's department : ORNE. Got via crosses. I know it starts with O though.

93. Obsessed (on) : DWELT

95. Springfield's only tavern : MOE'S

96. H.S. equivalency test : GED

97. Poet Teasdale : SARA

99. "Cloud Shepherd" sculptor : JEAN ARP. Full name for a change.

101. Spartan Stadium sch. : MSU

106. Less likely to be named homecoming king : NERDIER

108. "Because you're worth it" company : L'OREAL. Do you have The Body Shop in your area? It's owned by L’Oréal. Wish we had one in MN.

109. Late news time : ELEVEN

110. A pad may protect it : KNEECAP

111. English assignments : ESSAYS

112. Like subarctic winters : SEVERE. I wonder how those pioneers survived the Minnesota winters.

113. Certifies : ATTESTS

Down:

1. They're off-limits : TABOOS. And 25. It's off-limits : NO NO

2. San Luis __, Calif. : OBISPO

4. Marlins' div. : NLE. National League East.

5. Prepare to fire : COCK

6. Got in the game : ANTED

7. Books : RESERVES

8. Charged : CAME AT

9. Horoscope columnist Sydney : OMARR. Learned from doing xwords.

10. eBay offers : BIDS

11. "Star Wars" saga nickname : ANI. Darth Vader's boyhood nickname.

12. Spanish article : LOS

13. Hot spot, with "the" : TROPICS

14. Troubled word : ALAS

15. Like much radio : LIVE

16. Boo Radley creator Harper : LEE. Now we have a better way to clue the dreaded partial SET A.

17. Current phenomenon : EL NINO

18. Cat's "Get it?" : YOU DIG?

19. Gummy bears and such : SWEETS

28. Snow __ : PEAS

32. Perfect self, in psychoanalysis : EGO IDEAL. Too sophisticated for me.

34. Dreidel letter : GIMEL. Another unknown. One of the four Hebrew letters.

35. Battery terminal : ANODE

36. "Past Imperfect" memoirist Chase : ILKA

39. Underworld river : LETHE

40. Exodus insect : LOCUST

41. Hoops Hall of Famer Thurmond : NATE

43. Fútbol cheer : OLE

44. OH and OK : STS (States)

45. Cleans with Old English : DUSTS. Holy smokes! Never heard of Old English.

47. Olympic pool sights : SPEEDOS

48. Requirement : MUST

49. Fiends of fantasy : OGRES

51. Notable Mormon family : OSMONDS. The Donny & Marie show in Flamingo costs $90.

52. Junkanoo parade city : NASSAU. OK, Wiki says Junkanoo is "a street parade with music, dance and costumes in many towns across The Bahamas every Boxing Day  & New Year's Day". Learning moment for me also.

53. Ottoman, e.g. : EMPIRE

54. Predicated : BASED

55. "We __ please" : AIM TO. A special "Thank you" to Gary for blogging last Sunday's puzzle and Argyle for snipping several Answer Grids and taking care of the blog while I was away.

58. __ cotta : TERRA. A must-see if you visit Xi'an.

60. Uncle Henry's wife : AUNTIE EM

62. Practice with dolls : VOODOO

63. Physicist Mach or artist Max : ERNST

64. Eponymous store founder : MACY. Macy's left our ghetto area a while ago.

68. "No man is an island" poet : DONNE

71. Rages : FADS

72. Word from a proctor : BEGIN

73. Kent portrayer on the big screen : REEVE

74. Modern evidence : DNA

75. Muffin grain : OAT

77. Toothed tool : RAKE

79. Major tea exporter : SRI LANKA. Look at this list. I'm surprised that Kenya is a major tea exporter as well.

81. Some chalets : A-FRAMES

82. John Irving's "A Prayer for __ Meany" : OWEN. Hi there Owen!

83. Manage, as multiple tasks : JUGGLE. I can only focus on one thing at a time.

84. Final Olds models : ALEROS

85. Sources of aromatic wood : CEDARS

86. "Cheers" shout : NORM

87. Wrestler Johnson, a.k.a. The Rock : DWAYNE. I often confuse him with Vin Diesel.

89. Move to a new table : RE-SEAT

90. Takes by force : USURPS

93. Hardly encourage : DETER

94. Nottingham's river : TRENT

97. Court postponement : STAY

98. Needs a doctor, maybe : AILS

99. Baloney : JIVE

100. __-à-porter: ready-to-wear : PRET. I also loved the movie. Our crossword buddy Stephen Rea is in it.

103. Teachers' org. : NEA

104. Suffix meaning "little" : ULE. As in globule.

105. Calif. neighbor : NEV

107. Fourth grade? : DEE. The fourth letter in grade. (Edited letter: ABCDF grading! Holy smokes!)

Happy Birthday to Hondo (Skip)! Are you still attending the card shows in winter time? Hope you can cruise away from the cold winter soon.

Left to Right: Marti, Dudley, Hondo & Montana

C.C.

Saturday, Feb 14th, 2015, Brad Wilber

Theme: None

Words: 72 (missing J,Q,Z)

Blocks: 30

  Oh well, no theme this week.  So I will make one up.  We're going with a "romantic" music montage for today;  Triple 11-letter and almost triple 10-letter corners, nothing longer, and just a few proper names to annoy today - and a lot of French.  Happy Valentine's Day - for those who celebrate....  ;7P [ note: I had some trouble with the video links when I was posting the blog. ]

63. Soft Cell hit with the lyric, "Once I ran to you, / Now I'll run from you" : TAINTED LOVE

3. Campaign team member : SPIN DOCTOR

 Two Princes - Spin Doctors

44. "__ in April never came so sweet": Shak. : A DAY - do you know the connection to this video~?

Ugh.  Saturday, the 14th

DRAWNO

ACROSS:

1. Airline to Trondheim : SAS - I went with KLM to start

4. Grounds for an umpire's warning : RACKET ABUSE - thought this was a baseball umpire at first; then I thought of John McEnroe, but this guy - I've been there, only it's a goalie stick and a defenseless post

15. Nile Valley threat : ASP

16. What beeps may be : EMAIL ALERTS

17. Pandora's Tower platform : Wii - Don't know this game, but I do love Pandora - the internet radio - not the jewelry; my new phone has a L-O-O-o-o-n-g lasting battery, so I can listen for hours - makes me sad that I spent $75 on an MP3 player a month ago

18. Collar attachments : DOG LICENSES

19. Jackson's second vice president : VAN BUREN - I knew this; watched the History channel series on the presidents, and these two men had a run that was seen again with Reagan/Bush; the VP just couldn't live up to the "original"

21. Packed in more than : OUT ATE

22. One whose work is at an end? : INDEXER

23. Respecting : AS TO

24. Winnings, eventually : POT - and a referential clue at; 56d. 24-Across starter : ANTE

25. Eleanor's mother-in-law : SARA - this to me was utterly vague; I guess you had to be there to understand this was the Roosevelts.  I thought it might have been Biblical, for all I know

27. Home of Appalachian State Univ. : N CAR - been a rough academic year

31. Georgia crop : PECANS - OK, so I put COTTON in to start - does my "C" count at all, D-Otto?

34. Celebratory : GALA

36. Emulating : À LA

37. Tell : RAT

38. Triceps-strengthening equipment : CURL BAR

40. Small magazine inserts : BBs - ah. Not ADS - the gun kind of magazine

41. Montana motto word : ORO - I seem to get this a lot

42. Soloist in Tchaikovsky's "Swan's Theme" : OBOE - WAG; I doubt it was "DRUM"

43. Old connection method : DIAL-UP

45. Amt. rarely charged : MSRP - Manufacturer's "Suggested" Retail Price

47. Classic film curtain tugger : TOTO - Wizard of Oz

49. JFK, but not LAX : DEMocrat; JFK, the man, not the airport

50. "Keep dreaming!" : "AS IF~!" - sha~!

52. The Thrilla in Manila, notably : REMATCH

56. View from Yerevan, Armenia : ARARAT - the mount(ain), which is a dormant volcano, and resting place of Noah's Ark (but not the "lost" ark of the covenant)

59. Hype : BALLYHOO - OK, here's some blatant V-day hype

60. Hourly-rate offerer, often : NO-TELL MOTEL - think they're as booked as the restaurants today~?

62. Girl rescued by Uncle Tom : EVA

64. Chemin de __ : FER - um, OK.  I had to know, so I looked it up; literally, it's Frawnche for "lane of iron" - a railway

65. Dreamy looks : EMPTY STARES - meh, not quite the same in my book.  I'd like to see a girl get a dreamy look when she thinks about me - and would rather it not be an empty stare....

66. Venture : TRY

DOWN:       

1. 2009 horror film sequel : SAW VI

2. Far East fruit : ASIAN PEARS

4. Updike's "Rabbit __" : REDUX - this followed up with the next clue = Rrrrr

5. "L'elisir d'__": Donizetti opera : AMORE

6. Heat or Magic : CAGERS - I went with NBAers first; the Miami Heat and Orlando Magic, two basketball teams in Florida - neither are doing well, but then again, the Knicks....I don't care for the game, but the owner of the restaurant I'm working at does

7. Potter's heat source : KILN

8. Biblical mentor of Samuel : ELI - oh, here's the Bible clue....

9. Dish served in an edible bowl : TACO SALAD - nailed it; I like the one from Taco Bell

10. Early seal hunter : ALEUT - educated WAG, since ESKIMO wouldn't fit

11. "Kramer vs. Kramer" Oscar-winning director : BENTON

12. __ Major : URSA

13. Editorial cancellation : STET - oops, went with DELE first

14. Forum infinitive : ESSE

20. Software version : BETA

23. Desert mount : ARAB - not the desert mountain - q.v. 56a.

26. Lace protector : AGLET - that thingy on the end of your shoelaces

28. Bad reception? : CABLE THEFT - clever

29. Record protector : ALBUM COVER - what's your favorite~? 
     I am trying to decide; this one's up there

30. Speak like Vito Corleone : RASP - didn't think it would be "LISP"

31. Limo destination : PROM

32. Many a PX customer : NCO

33. DVD menu option : SUBTITLES

35. 1968 groom, familiarly : ARIstotle, JFK's 'replacement'

39. It may be pitched : ROOF

46. Rear : PARENT - I get it, but....

48. One on the stump : ORATOR

51. Off-color : SALTY

53. Sorbonne enrollee : ELEVE - more Frawnche (student)

54. Lille lasses: Abbr. : MLLES - still more Frawnche (mademoiselles)

55. Grizzled : HOARY

57. Leave the path : ROAM

58. Left __: rewarded : A TIP - eh.

59. Incan army weapon : BOLA - well, there you have it, Lemonade~!

61. Colorado Rockies schedule letters : MDT - more mountains, but in daylight saving time now

Splynter

Note from C.C.:

 

Happy Birthday to dear Marti, our multi-talented & loving Thursday Sherpa and friend.  I'll forever cherish a thoughtful letter Marti wrote to me when I asked her a rather personal question "Do you believe in God?" 

Marti has been through a lot in life. She probably went through more pains than most of us did. Yet she remains optimistic and positive. Her mere presence on the blog is a huge comfort to me. 

I'm so lucky to have you on our team, Marti. You're our sunshine.

Oh, look at this! Allen bought Marti these beautiful red roses. The cat thought it's for her.

Friday, February 13, 2015, Mark McClain

THEME: This is one of those times where the reveal is better than anything I can think of to describe this letter replacement puzzle, which only requires remembering how to parse reveal clues.

63A. Modernize, in a way ... and when divided into three parts, a hint to the answers to starred clues : RE TO OL (6).

This is Mark's second puzzle for me to blog; his first publication was an LAT I wrote about on October 3, 2014 which involved adding DD into phrases. He since has had other publications, and while he stopped by to introduce himself, he did so a week after the puzzle, so in case you missed it,  here are his words. About myself? I've enjoyed xwords for many years, but just started tinkering around with constructing late in 2013 and started submitting puzzles early this year. This puzzle was actually made in March 2013, but went through a revision with Rich and was finally approved in June. I've had 8 puzzles approved for publication, including one in collaboration with Brad Wilber, who has been a great source of encouragement and knowledge. We started our dialog a few months ago when he approved one of my puzzles (scheduled for December). I live in Salem, Virginia, in the mountains near the Appalachian Trail and Blue Ridge Parkway. Both my long-time partner Diana Christopulos and I and do volunteer work for a number of local organizations. He has a website: LINK.

In every theme answer an 'in the language' phrase which includes the letters RE together in that order, are replaced with OL, in that order- RE to OL. The placement of the RE/OL is different in each of the theme answer; some of the fill is humorous, some functional.. The inclusion of the asterisks and the reveal made this one of my faster Friday solves, but then again, I am not a very fast solver, so....Many three and four letter fill for a Friday, with some nice medium fill like AIR RAID, ‘FRAID SO, IRIDIUM, MIRAMAR, SEE THRU, SORRIER, LHASA APSO, OUT SHOOTS.  let's see the theme and more....

19A. *Site of preserved ancient gaucho weapons? :LA BOLA TAR PITS (13). La BREA Tar Pits

are in one form or another very common in crosswords.  BOLAS is a nasty weapon; I am not sure if the singular is a legitimate word.

32A. *Hip curriculum? : COOL COURSES (11). CORE Courses are the basic ones you need for your degree.

41A. *Second-hand seat? : THRIFT STOOL  (11). The Thrift STORE has become  big business in the US. They used to be second hand stores when I was a kid.

54A. *Heroine in a reprised fairy tale? : OLD RIDING HOOD (13). My favorite of the theme, and I am sure by now she is the one in bed waiting for her granddaughter.

We revealed the reveal above...

Across:

1. Word with cake or meal : OAT.

4. Doctrinal suffix : ISM.

7. Pat Nixon's real first name : THELMA. I guess she chose Pat, because like most Thelmas, she hated her name. LINK. My ex-mil, Sue, is also a Thelma.

13. Classic sci-fi play : RUR.

14. Tres equivalent : DREI. Spanish to German number 3. An outlier....(sorry brain semi-functional)

15. Clinton's birth name : RODHAM. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing, did any others recall that Bill was born William BLYTHE, also 6 letters?

16. Bush spokesman Fleischer : ARI. Staying with politics, Alex....

17. Part of DAR: Abbr. : AMERican. Daughters of the American Revolution. My third and fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Sochor was a proud member; she was in her 80's, frail, and as a very small child I thought the name was literal.

18. Busy enterprise? : APIARY. It be where they have bees and Sherlock Holmes. Leading to...

22. Grouse : BEEF. Can't complain about this clue/fill.

23. Humana option : HMO. Health Maintenance Organization; I just joined their gold plus plan.

24. Cut (it) : HACK. He just couldn't hack it as a salesman.

27. Blitz : AIR RAID.

31. MLB "minors" : AAA. Triple A baseball is the highest of the minor leagues which now go from rookie to A, AA and AAA; no more D leagues.

36. Banned chem. pollutant : PCB. PolyChlorinated Biphenyl; the initialisms adding up.

37. Protective bauble : AMULET.

38. Capital SE of Tallahassee : NASSAU. Capital of the Bahamas.

40. GPS datum : LATitude. Not a CSO to the LA Times.

45. Canadian sentence enders? : EHS. But a CSO to our resident Canadian.

46. Worse : SORRIER. State of affairs?

47. __ Men: "Who Let the Dogs Out" band : BAHA.

49. Andalusian aunt : TIA. Spanish.

50. Emerald City princess : OZMA. The dedicated fans of L. Frank know this half-human, half fairy GIRL.

59. "Ditto" : I DO TOO.

61. Thought : IDEA. Not to be parsed I, DEA.

62. French handle? : NOM. Just  French meaning "name." 21D. Versailles rulers of old : ROIS. French for kings. And42D. Roast, in Rouen : ROTI. This is one time where the accent would help. Rôti.We all remember that the accent is replaced with an "s" in many americanized versions of French words as explained by Kazie..

64. Functions : USES.

65. One of quarterback Archie's boys : ELI. With Peyton, the fading Manning brothers.

66. Lover's request : KISS ME. Often followed by, "you fool."

67. Stylish, once : MOD. Ah, the days of the mods and rockers.

68. Symbiont on "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" : DAX. probably the most interesting and complicated CHARACTER(s) in the Star Trek universe. Realy only one DAX but two hosts....And the similar 14D. Indian lentil stew : DAL. A much harder clue than Delta. All perps. A CSO to my twin Vidwan and Mangesh Sakharam Ghogre.

Down:

 1. Colgate competitor : ORAL B. Even with the O from OAT, my inclination was CREST.

2. Halos : AURAE.

4. Culinary author Rombauer : IRMA. So many to chose from.

5. Sexy, in some ads : SEE THRU. Click if you want to see an EXAMPLE. (for the guys)

6. San Diego Marine Corps station whose name means "sea view" : MIRAMAR. Living in So.FLa. this is a gimme (a) we have a city with the name (b) you hear "mira" a billion times when people want you to look at something or understand something.

7. Trick : TRAP. Not synonymous for me, but it was easy fill.

8. Arizona natives : HOPI. We studied this tribe extensively in my undergraduate sociology classes. And a token cross reference. 3D. 8-Down, e.g. : TRIBE.

9. Archie's wife : EDITH.

10. Himalayan canine : LHASA APSO. This breed's HISTORY is interesting. Also see Caleb and Baha men.

11. Spoil : MAR. Mira! Another one.

12. '70s White House daughter : AMY. Where is she NOW?

20. Taking everything into account : OF ALL. Huh?

25. Evergreen bean : CACAO. Of course we love chocolate, and especially the fine aroma beans from Ecuador.

26. Capital where Pashto is spoken : KABUL. With all the years of war, this should be easy.

28. Rhyme $yndicate Records founder : ICE-T. Not to be confused with Grammy host ICE CUBE. Sorry Tin.

29. Certain IRAs : ROTHS. Names for Senator William from Delaware, also home to Joe Biden.

30. Driller's prefix? : DENTI.

32. Biblical spy : CALEB. Interesting and CONFUSING part of the story of Moses, which happens to be where the cycle of reading the Torah is now. Caleb (which means dog; see Baha Men) was perhaps one of the 12 spies.

33. Home of the Beef, an indoor football team : OMAHA. How perfect; I must get an email per week from Omaha Steaks. Now we would know how to answer when Clara Peller asked her famous question.

34. Makes more baskets than : OUTSHOOTS.

35. Fund drive appeal encl. : SASE. Self Addressed Stamped Envelope.

39. Eponymous brewer Bernhard : STROH.

43. Atomic number 77 : IRIDIUM. Was that easy for you science guys? Not the part of the periodic table that I remember.

44. "'Tis true, sorry to say" : FRAID SO.

48. Certain choristers : ALTOS. Why not chorusters?

51. Subdivided : ZONED. Zoning is part of the process, but a previously zoned property can be subdivided.

52. Scratch : MOOLA. Another interesting word, and one of questionable HERITAGE.

53. Blend : ADMIX. This is a real word, on its own, why I do not know.

55. Not a happy fate : DOOM. Doctor, doctor...

56. Function : ROLE. Super-villain.

57. Mandatory item : NEED. The Avengers? Fantastic Four?

58. It can be natural : GAS. Crepitation? LISTEN? (15:17).

59. Vex : IRK. Yes, vexsome.

60. Agnus __ : DEI.  Ah, we finish with classic crosswordese.

Well this was a real admix of information which brought out the linker in me; thanks Mark and I hope you all aol golat. Lemonade, out.

Thursday, February 12, 2015 Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: "Fair and Square"

55. Urban centers, and what this puzzle's circles represent : TOWN SQUARES.

7 randomly selected towns are formed into squares in the grid, as shown by the circled letters. God bless, if you didn't have the circles:
LIMA
OSLO
FLORENCE
PISA
RENO
BRASILIA
BUDAPEST

I am not sure if they qualify as towns - most of them are pretty big cities, IMO.

The grid shows right to left symmetry, but not top to bottom. Not much else stood out for me, which can be a good thing. Let' see where else Jeffrey takes us on his world tour.

Across

1. Popular : LIKED.

6. Scale syllables : LAs.

9. Drives away : SHOOS.

14. Simple-living sect : AMISH. It all began with a schism of Swiss and Alsatian Anabaptists let by Jakob Ammann. Which explains why they speak a form of German called Pennsylvania Dutch.

15. Guitar attachment? : IST. Guitarist.

16. Pope John Paul II's given name : KAROL. Karol Józef Wojtyła.

17. Warm-water ray : MANTA.

18. Ziegfeld with follies : FLO.

19. Donald Jr.'s mom : IVANA.

20. One of the deadly sins : ANGER. Along with pride, covetousness, lust, gluttony, envy, and sloth.

21. What a flap may cover : EAR.

22. Four-time Emmy winner for Outstanding Drama Series : LA LAW.

23. Longtime Lehrer partner : MACNEIL. They first teamed up to cover the Watergate hearings for PBS in 1973.

26. __ spoon : GREASY. Ah, so here's the GREASY fare I was looking for last week!

29. Coniferous secretions : RESINS.

33. "The imperious __ breed monsters": Shakespeare : SEAS. From "Cymbeline."

34. New England food fish : SCROD. In New England, the term is usually taken to mean "fresh catch of the day," and could be haddock, cod or other whitefish.

36. Goes bad : ROTS.

38. Edible pockets : PITAS.

40. Sign before Virgo : LEO.

41. Canadian bottle size : LITRE. Canadians spell it the same as the British do.

42. Computer text code : ASCII.

43. Sturdy tree : ELM.

44. Bond's car starter? : ASTON.-Martin.

45. Pi-sigma link : RHO.

46. "Life Is Good" rapper : NAS.

48. Pig's digs : STY.

50. Lacking a mate : ODD.

51. Broadway songwriting team __ and Ebb : KANDER. No clue. I should know them, though, because "Cabaret" and "Chicago" are two of my favorite musicals.

53. Starts from scratch : REDOES.

59. Start of a spell : ABRA.cadabra...

61. Dome openings : OCULI. Like this one in the Pantheon in Rome.

62. Melville's Billy : BUDD.

65. China neighbor : LAOS.

66. Fabric information spot : LABEL.

67. Ruse : TRAP.

68. 1953 Caron film : LILI.

69. Helps with the dishes : DRIES. I just throw them in the dishwasher.

70. Michaelmas mo. : SEPT. A celebration of the Archangel Michael, it occurs on September 29th.


Down

1. Priest from the East : LAMA.

2. Mogadishu-born model : IMAN. Thank you, Lucina. I now remember her name without hesitating!

3. Wenceslaus, e.g. : KING. Wenceslaus I was a duke, assassinated in a plot by his brother. He was elevated to sainthood and given the title of KING posthumously.

4. Acapulco-to-Oaxaca dirección : ESTE. OK, I totally blew my Spanish quiz last week, so here I'm given another chance.  I'll guess: EAST? (I have a 1 in 4 chance of getting it right!)

5. Greg's sitcom wife : DHARMA. The sitcom ran from 1997-2002. Jenna Elfman is still acting, but not with her previous success on this show. Thomas Gibson has had a bit more success, and can be seen on "Criminal Minds."

6. Series of biological stages : LIFE CYCLES.

7. C.S. Lewis lion : ASLAN. In "The Chronicles of Narnia," Aslan is the only character to appear in all seven books.

8. Shelf-restocking sources : STOREROOMS.

9. Résumé essentials : SKILLS.

10. "__ Nagila" : HAVA.

11. Unwritten : ORAL.

12. Chaplin granddaughter : OONA.

13. Diner side : SLAW.

24. Animal in some of Aesop's fables : ASS.

25. Mil. roadside hazard : IED. Improvised Explosive Device.

26. Teahouse hostess : GEISHA.

27. Certain exterminator's concern : RAT CONTROL.

28. Morales of "La Bamba" : ESAI.

30. Pupil controller : IRIS.

31. Having second thoughts : NOT TOO SURE.

32. Took steps : STRODE.

33. Bit of inspiration : SPARK.

35. Baha'i, e.g.: Abbr. : REL.igion.

37. Ships : SENDS.

39. Strength : SINEW.

41. Cake section : LAYER.

47. Composer Schoenberg : ARNOLD. Here is a very good version of the orchestral prelude to his "Gurre-Lieder" by the Berlin Philharmonic orchestra.

49. Gets behind : TRAILS. And a semi-clecho at 54-Down. Results of getting behind : DEBTS.

52. "__ say!": parental warning : DO AS I. (..."not as I do!")

56. Dueling memento : SCAR.

57. Android media console brand : QUBI. I can honestly say that I have never...ever...seen this word before. It was a crowdfunded startup and was supposed to come out in 2013. But I don't see any current news for it. Does it actually exist?

58. 1997 Fonda role : ULEE.

59. The whole lot : ALL.

60. Chinese-born actress __ Ling : BAI. Her Chinese citizenship was revoked because of her role in "The Red Corner," since the film was critical of Human Rights abuses in China.

63. Fist bump : DAP.

64. Combo vaccine, for short : DPT. Diptheria, pertussis (whooping cough) and tetanus. The MMR (Measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine is making headlines lately.


That's it for this week!
Marti

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to dear LaLaLinda, who has not been active on the blog lately due to a health setback. Last month Linda also lost her beloved cat, who was a close companion to her for the past 16 years. (Edited later: the past 17 years) Let's send Linda our positive thoughts and make today extra special for her.

Wednesday, February 11, 2015 Peter A. Collins

Theme: "WHY, WHY?" you wonder.  Let us consult the WISE MEN.   I'll defer the complete explanation till we get to the unifier.

17 A. *Motown Records founder : BERRY  GORDY.    Yeah, I wanted BARRY.  From back when Motown was a thing.  You can read his interesting story here.

24. A *Cubs broadcaster known for singing along with "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" during the seventh-inning stretch : HARRY CARAY.   Iconic baseball announcer.    Hard to believe he's been gone for 17 years.

52 A. *"That'll Be the Day" singer : BUDDY HOLLY.   Charles Hardin Holley, died in a plane crash in 1959.

Some bitter irony in these lyrics

62 A. *Longtime "60 Minutes" closer : ANDY ROONEY.   Purveyor of whimsical satire on trivial every-day issues.

3 D. *"The [52-Across] Story" Oscar nominee : GARY BUSEY.

Corrupting the very foundation of America

35 D. *"Football Night in America" analyst : TONY DUNGY.  Also the very successful head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1996 to 2001, and the Indianapolis Colts from 2002 to 2008.

Wiki

And the unifier:  39. Biblical trio ... and a homophonic hint to the answers to starred clues : WISE MEN.  The Christian Bible does not name them, but they are traditionally considered to be Caspar, Balthazar, and Melchior.  As you are probably aware, these names sound nothing like those in the theme fill, so we'll have to look in another direction for our homophone.  Let's see -- what sounds like WISE?  WhY are You looking at me that waY?    AHA! That's it - the plural of the letter Y, the terminal letter for each theme guY's first and last name.  Are these Y'S MEN noted for their wisdom, or are they just WISE guYs?   You be the judge.

Hi gang, JazzBumpa here, not feeling particularly WISE with all the trouble I had sussing this theme.  With 6 theme names and a unifier, this is extraordinarily thematically rich.  Let's see how the rest of this puzzle rolls

Down

1. Audio problem : LAG.      AKA Latency.   The time gap between responses in a remote live broadcast.   Ideal is under 10 milliseconds.

4. Finish paying a bill, perhaps : LOG OFF.   If you do your financial transactions on line.

10. Controlled : CALM. Not a common condition while watching sporting events.

14. Radio host Glass : IRA.  This American Life on NPR.

15. Ethically indifferent : AMORAL.   He just don't care.

Amoral Amphibian is refugee from MI

16. Adidas rival : AVIA.   Sports shoes.

19. Baptismal basin : FONT.   To wash away sins.

20. Spanish royalty : REYES.

21. Oceanic reflux : EBB TIDE.   Reflux threw me.  Could this be the result of acid rain?

 For slow close dancing

23. Jessica of "Dark Angel" : ALBA.    She got her start on this TV show.

Uncomfortable Heroine 

27. Mental grasp : UPTAKE.

29. McCain or McCaskill: Abbr. : SENator.  Not a shared name this time, but a common title.

30. Tummy muscles : ABS.   ABdominalS.

Low Body Fat

32. Circular gasket : O-RING

 Can you find the one die cut flat gasket?

34. Time at the inn : STAY.   Overnight, breakfast included.

38. Shad eggs : ROE.   This presumed delicacy is the egg sack from an otherwise useless fish; and it is akin to a mouthful of fishy-tasting grit. It is only available in April at Joe Muir's and it's not on the menu.  You have to ask for it.  I made the mistake of doing that once.

Every bit as appetizing as it looks

42. Have a mortgage, e.g. : OWE.  I OWE, I OWE, so off to work I go.

43. Send to the canvas : KAYO.  Knock Out.

45. Graceful swimmers : SWANS.

Grace

46. Pull down : NET.  Earn, so to speak.  NET profits = revenues - expenses.

47. Dorm monitors, briefly : RA'S.   Resident AssistantS.

50. Windpipe, e.g. : AIRWAY.  Important step in CPR is to make sure the AIRWAY is clear.

56. Grand Forks locale: Abbr. : North DAKota.

59. "It's finally clear to me" : I SEE NOW.  At last.  Slow on the UPTAKE?

60. Accustom : INURE.  I associate this with becoming accustomed to something unpleasant.

61. Sushi option : TUNA.   Pick your fish

66. Follow, or follower : TAIL.  To follow is to TAIL; the follower is a TAIL. If you pay someone to follow somebody again is that a retail RETAIL?

67. Listen to, as a podcast : TUNE IN.

68. Bearded beast : GNU.

I've got gnus for you

69. Suburban street liners : ELMS.  In those halcyon days of yore.  Are there any left?

70. Physical jerks : SPASMS.   Brief involuntary muscle contractions.

Do these physical jerks suffer from SPASMS?

71. Blather : YAP.    Running on at the mouth.

 Down

 1. Heavenly scales : LIBRA.   Astrology.

Balance?

2. Spinning : AREEL.   Clear enough, I guess, but in a brief search I couldn't find a definition or anything on usage.

4. Big name in chips : LAYS.  Computers?   Poker accessories?

Crunchy snacks

5. Texter's "Unbelievable!" : O.M.G.  Oh My Gosh/Golly/Goodness.  Does that cover it?

6. Icky stuff : GOO.   Oh my GOO?   That can't be right.

7. Rink legend Bobby : ORR.    One of hockey's all time greats.

His Story

8. Sound system control : FADER.   A device for varying sound [or light] intensity.

9. Spacecraft data-collection passes : FLY BYs.    A flight past a target point to gather information.

10. Lounging robes : CAFTANS.

 The mysterious Verys

11. To have, in Le Havre : AVOIR.   All perps.  French.

12. Lavin or Blair : LINDA.   Here is where they share the name.   A pair of actors.   One was the eponymous ALICE of the TV series, and the other was the demon posses child in The Exorcist.

13. Swabby's chum : MATEY.   Sea slang.  Swabby's obese chum is a vast MATEY.

18. Gather : REAP.  AS a harvest.

22. Abbr. in ancient dates : B.C.E.   Before the Common Era.   Our high school memories aren't that ancient.

24. Mata __ : HARI.    "Margaretha Geertruida "Margreet" Zelle MacLeod (7 August 1876 – 15 October 1917), better known by the stage name Mata Hari, was a Frisian exotic dancer and courtesan who was convicted of being a spy and executed by firing squad in France under charges of espionage for Germany during World War I."

25. Words before and after "is still" in "As Time Goes By" : A KISS.

Sam Played It

26. Time extension? : RENEWAL.   Extending a subscription to Time magazine.

28. Garage service : TOW.

30. Storied vessel : ARK.  Noah's big boat.

31. Flapper's wrap : BOA.   A decorative feathery scarf.

 Retro

33. Google Apps component : G-MAIL.

36. Knock the socks off : AWE.    O.M.G level impression.

37. Still : YET.

40. Professor 'iggins : 'ENRY.     My Fair Lady.

41. Sydney is its cap. : NSW.  New South Wales, Australia.

44. Tough times : ORDEALS.   Things to become UNURED to.

48. Writer Rand : AYN.  The Fountainhead, Atlas Shrugged.

49. Young pigs : SHOATS.

51. Latin word on a cornerstone : ANNO.   The year of construction.

52. Please, in Potsdam : BITTE.

53. Same as always : USUAL.

54. Jeans material : DENIM.  Blue pants fabric.   And, a homophone clecho  ---

63. Genes material : DNA.   DeoxyriboNucleic Acid.   The stuff of life.

55. Come clean : OWN UP.   I couldn't suss this expression as a kid.  I guess you need to own your actions.

57. Place for matches : ARENA.  Sporting event venue.

58. Light a fire under : KEY UP.

60. Charged atoms : IONS.

64. "I'm listening" : YES.  I'm all ears.

65. Grand Canyon viewing spot : RIM.

Watch your step

Well, that was a fine Wednesday with some great musical interludes.   Now I hope you all know Y. 

Cool regards!

JzB

 

 

Tuesday, February 10, 2015 Kevin Christian

Theme: 11-13-11 - You don't need to be a yegg to crack these combinations.

17A. Computer user's combination : CUT AND PASTE

39A. Computer user's combination : POINT AND CLICK

64A. Computer user's combination : DRAG AND DROP

Argyle here with Kevin. We haven't seen him in awhile but we're glad to have him back. And since you are probably computer savvy or you wouldn't be here, I won't explain the combos. Let's just say there is a beauty in the tightness of this theme, clues and answers.

Across:

1. Waned : EBBED

6. "Boyhood" actor Ethan : HAWKE. Any reviews?

11. Taking a personal day, say : OFF. Strange entry.

14. Emancipation Proclamation subject : SLAVE

15. Tale of Achilles and Agamemnon : ILIAD. The Odyssey and the Iliad are among the oldest extant works of Western literature. (On my reading bucket list. ;-) )

16. Bro : PAL

19. Green prefix : ECO

20. Gallery display : ART

21. Pinnacle : TOP

22. Accustoms (to) : ENURES

24. Wan : PALE

26. Pen points : NIBs. Fountain pens, not the ball point kind.

29. They may be run at bars : TABS

30. What potatoes and needles both have : EYES. Sewing needles, not the hypodermic kind.

31. AT&T, briefly : TELCO. Shortened version of TELecommunications COmpany

33. Nebraska tribe : OTOE. They reminded me; no ERIE today.

34. Biblical beast : ASS

36. Waikiki's island : OAHU

38. Aegean island : IOS

43. 14-time NBA All-Star Duncan : TIM. He played his entire career for the San Antonio Spurs. That's something.

44. Washing machine filler : LOAD

45. Anthem contraction : O'ER

46. Indian princess : RANI

48. Rainbow maker : PRISM

 

50. Leave out : OMIT

54. Have __: be connected : AN IN

55. Boy with a dragon, in a Disney classic : PETE

56. Wine region near San Francisco : NAPA

57. Part of USSR : SOVIET

60. Louis XVI, for one : ROI. (King)

62. Resistance measure : OHM

63. "Game of Thrones" airer : HBO

68. Spot for a Bluetooth headset : EAR

69. United Arab Emirates city : DUBAI

70. Cat-__-tails : O-NINE. (whip)

71. Dr. of rap : DRE

72. Pine (for) : YEARN

73. Modern surgical tool : LASER

Down:

1. Get away from it all : ESCAPE

2. DVD alternative : BLU-RAY

3. War movie scene : BATTLE

4. Actress Gabor : EVA

5. Bit of progress : DENT

6. Many a Woodstock attendee : HIPPIE

7. In the style of : À LA

8. Ill. neighbor : WIS. Illinois/Wisconsin

9. Prince William's wife : KATE. Cheeky, she is Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge.

10. Genesis garden : EDEN

11. Like Verdi's most famous works : OPERATIC

12. Subject of the 2010 film "The Social Network" : FACEBOOK

13. Follows dental advice : FLOSSES

18. "Please continue" : "DON'T STOP"

23. __-Aztecan: language family : UTO

25. Actor Morales : ESAI

27. Dagwood's wife : BLONDIE

28. Big bunch : SCAD

32. "Give me a break!" : "OH, COME ON!"

35. NBC show with skits : SNL

37. Suffix with glob : ULE

39. Place for cocktails and music : PIANO BAR

40. Hardly a picky eater? : OMNIVORE

41. 50+ org. : AARP. Formerly the American Association of Retired Persons, now simply AARP, Inc.

42. Waffle maker : IRON

43. Vandalized : TRASHED

47. Pasta suffix : INI

49. Muscle injury : STRAIN

51. New Zealand natives : MAORIs

52. Samsung Galaxy competitor : iPHONE

53. Mess (with), as a lock : TAMPER

58. Whirlpool : EDDY

59. T, on a test : TRUE

61. Fan mail recipient : IDOL

65. Lawyer's gp. : ABA. (American Bar Association)

66. Long-snouted fish : GAR. Ugly but Native Americans used the scales of the gar as arrowheads. Tough.

67. "CSI" evidence : DNA

 

Argyle