Wednesday, August 17, 2016, Patricia Moran

TITLE: HOUSE PARTY

Patricia has given us a lovely Wednesday puzzle where she starts two or three-word phrases with a word or words that are an architectural style of a house. Patricia used no reveal for her theme but I have one for you as I have pictured some famous TV houses, in the styles our constructor has chosen, and their addresses. The names of each TV show associated with these houses are revealed just above the grid at the end of this write-up *.

THEME ANSWERS:

20. Period preserved by a district in Williamsburg, Virginia : COLONIAL TIMES - A COLONIAL house on 211 Pine Street, Universal Studios Backlot 

29. Title character in a Beatles "White Album" song : BUNGALOW BILL - A BUNGALOW house on 619 S. Runnymeade Avenue, Evansville, 35. Ill. neighbor : IND

46. Snacks with a New England lighthouse on the package : CAPE COD CHIPS - A CAPE COD house on 1164 Morning Glory Circle, West Oak Street, Burbank, CA

56. Dip for veggies : RANCH DRESSING - A RANCH house on 11222 Dilling Street, North Hollywood, California

Husker Gary here, admitting that I did have some issues but came away with a very satisfying "got 'er done". E-TOLL, THANK U and BUNGALOW BILL made for a slow NE.

Across

1. Paper unit : SHEET 

6. "Never Wave at __": Rosalind Russell film : A WAC - A forerunner of Private Benjamin?

10. Trash transport : SCOW - In NYC many of these SCOWS unloaded at Fresh Kills, Staten Island which is to be converted into a park 3X bigger than Central Park

14. Software security update : PATCH

15. Capitale in which "La Dolce Vita" was filmed : ROMA

16. Top-rated : A-ONE

17. Lanai hi : ALOHA - It means hello, goodbye and please check the oil!

18. Soft-spoken painter Bob : ROSS

19. Macramé feature : KNOT

23. Subj. for many an au pair : ESL

24. Ornamental pond fish : KOI

25. Denver-to-Chicago dir. : ENE - A compass heading of 67.5˚

26. Buf-__: facial sponge brand : PUF

32. Treadmill setting : PACE - Our crossword Corgi friends keeping the PACE

36. Doone of fiction and cookies : LORNA

37. Green subj. : ECOL

38. Drained of color : ASHEN

41. Spring : LEAP

42. __ Peachik: flavored vodka : STOLI

44. Tic-tac-toe loser : OXO 

45. Glorifying works : ODES

50. Colour ending : ISE

51. Bump-log link : ON A

52. Mama bear, in Mexico : OSA - Que mamá OSA tiene tres cachorros (That mama bear has three cubs)

53. Newscaster Lindström : PIA - Here shown at the right with her mother Ingrid Bergman who deserted Pia and her dad to marry Roberto Rossellini when Pia was 10. They reconciled when she was 18.

60. Fervor : ZEAL

62. Oodles : A LOT

63. Frugal sort : SAVER

64. "What's gotten __ you?" : INTO - Did you see The Exorcist? The animations I could have posted grossed me out!

65. Predecessors of euros : LIRE

66. Get together in secret? : ELOPE

67. Delight : GLEE

68. Finish a flight : LAND

69. Morning blend : LATTE


Down

1. One usually follows a comma : SPACE

2. Los Angeles Angels, in sportscasts : HALOS

3. Traveling convenience : E-TOLL -Pay up or else...

4. Reverberate : ECHO

5. 1998 Alanis Morissette hit : THANK U

6. Calls before a criminal court : ARRAIGNS

7. Knitting supply : WOOL

8. Dutch beer named for a river : AMSTEL

9. Monaco attraction : CASINO

10. Benefit : SAKE

11. Partnered in crime : CONSPIRED - A none too bright group who CONSPIRED. One of them, however, did change history

12. Lennon's widow : ONO

13. Just painted : WET

21. Ancient Aegean region : IONIA

22. Cry softly : MEWL

27. Arm bones : ULNAE - Bumping ULNAE

28. Book jacket parts : FLAPS

29. "Beauty and the Beast" beauty : BELLE

30. __ committee : AD HOC - Latin for "for this"

31. Ties with clasps : BOLOS

32. "My Cousin Vinny" star : PESCI - Eating his first grit

33. Fill in for : ACT AS

34. Play well with others : COOPERATE

39. Advised urgently : EXHORTED

40. __ pollution : NOISE

43. Desktop image : ICON - The ICONS on my messy desktop

47. Readily available, as a doctor : ON CALL

48. Bright bloom : DAHLIA

49. Bunch : PASSEL

53. Basketball move : PIVOT - Here is a 360 degree PIVOT and "nothin' but net!"

54. Klutzy : INEPT

55. Say yes : AGREE

57. Salve additive : ALOE

58. Michael who played Worf on "Star Trek: T.N.G." : DORN - We baseball peeps know Corbin Bernson's movie DORN better

59. Spanish parlor : SALA

60. Sharp turn : ZIG

61. Shutterfly order: Abbr. : ENL



Now, we will take input from our learned solvers who I know will follow HOUSE RULES:

*Theme house answers

20. COLONIAL - Leave It To Beaver

29. BUNGALOW - Roseanne (Recently for sale for $129,000)

46. CAPE COD - Bewitched

56. RANCH - The Brady Bunch

THE GRID

Tuesday, August 16, 2016 Patti Varol

Theme: Discrete Approach - Catching someone's eye but hiding it in the theme entries.

17A. Annual Time honoree: PERSON OF THE YEAR. Hey

27A. Nickname of a Nobel-winning novelist: PAPA HEMINGWAY. Ahem

47A. Doesn't get confused, as facts: KEEPS STRAIGHT. Psst

60A. Verbal nudge found in each set of puzzle circles: ATTENTION GETTER

Argyle here. This is Patti's second Tuesday in two weeks. A bit funky but fun.

Across:

1. Sherbet flavor: LIME

5. Exhalation of relief: [SIGH]

9. Rumor, to a rumor mill: GRIST

14. With 5-Down, "Spanglish" actor: ADAM. 5D. See 14-Across: SANDLER

15. Capital of Samoa: APIA

16. Vitality: [OOMPH!]

20. "__ who?!": SEZ. "Sez me; that's who!"

21. Throw in: ADD

22. Selection for a reading: PASSAGE

23. Like LAX and JFK: INTL. Airports that are INTernationaL.

25. __ colada: PIÑA

26. Plant, as seed: SOW

31. Under the intended pitch: FLAT. (music)

32. DVR button: REC. (record)

33. Mogadishu is its cap.: SOM. (Somalia)

34. "Shush!": "CAN IT!"

36. Concern for an orthodontist: GAP

38. NFLer again in 2016: LA RAM

42. Old tape initials: VHS. Video Home System (VHS)

44. Detective Spade: SAM. Can you remember his comic book ads for Wildroot Hair Tonic?

46. Greek letter that would be last in English: ZETA

50. "The Greatest" boxer: ALI

52. __-chic: hippie-influenced fashion style: BOHO. "BoHo" is an abbreviation of Bohemian Homeless. Much, much more in this Wikipedia entry. Fashion

53. Knee-baring skirt: MINI

54. Letterman's successor: COLBERT. Stephen Colbert.

56. Like a texter who types ":-(": SAD

57. Winter illness: FLU

63. Trusty mount: STEED

64. Advertising award: CLIO

65. Gradually withdraw: WEAN

66. Makes by working: EARNS

67. Green Hornet's sidekick: KATO

Van Williams Bruce Lee Green Hornet 1966

68. Betting numbers: ODDS

Down:

1. Gym class punishment, perhaps: LAPS. I remember them well.

2. Cannes concept: IDÉE

3. Oft-molded almond confection: MARZIPAN. We see it often in the bithday cakes that show up here. (Thank you, CED)

4. Ambulance letters: EMS. (Emergency Medical Services)

6. Apple with earbuds: iPOD

7. Picture file suffix: GIF. (Graphics Interchange Format)

8. Something stuck in a bonnet: HATPIN. Both are vintage now. Well, except for Hat Day at the Saratoga flat track.

9. Misses military roll call, maybe: GOES AWOL

10. Rob __: cocktails: ROYs. Ruination of a good Scotch.

11. "Whatever works": "I'M EASY". But I'd have a Rob Roy if you're buying.

12. Wolfgang Puck's restaurant: SPAGO

13. Pitched: THREW

18. Inaugural recitation: OATH

19. Puts on the museum wall: HANGs

24. One born there: NATIVE

25. "Guernica" muralist Pablo: PICASSO

27. Rank below cpl.: PFC. (Private First Class)

28. __ française: À LA

29. "Family Guy" daughter: MEG

30. Like the '69 N.Y. Mets: AMAZIN'

35. Diver's sickness: THE BENDS

37. Bit of butter: PAT

39. Found a new home for, as an unwanted present: REGIFTED

40. Olympics entrant: Abbr.: ATH. (athlete)

41. Yoga class need: MAT

43. Baseball or golf: SPORT

45. Nearsighted cartoon character: MR. MAGOO

47. Off-__: askew: KILTER. See 25-Down.

48. Cornball routine: SHTICK

49. Executive's confidante: AIDE

50. Make __ for: argue in favor of: A CASE

51. Ton of, slangily: LOTTA

55. "It's __ fun": BEEN

56. Foul mood: SNIT

58. Set the pace: LEAD

59. Coffee servers: URNS

61. Suffix with pay or Cray: OLA

62. Couple: TWO

Argyle

Monday, August 15, 2016 Mark McClain and Andrea Carla Michaels

Theme: TNT - Three word phrases with initial initials of T A T

20. Painful reality that one doesn't want to face: THE AWFUL TRUTH

28. Close enough to share intimate secrets: THICK AS THIEVES

47. Features of many mountain roads: TWISTS AND TURNS

57. 1984 #1 hit for Cyndi Lauper: TIME AFTER TIME

71. Body art, briefly ... and, initially, a hint to this puzzle's four longest answers: TAT

Argyle here but it should have been Steve! Sports and airports and FOOD! Oh My! Some of the clueing is Thursday level, too.

Across:

1. Scale readings: Abbr.: WTs. And sure, I wanted LBs first.

4. Pau or Marc of the NBA: GASOL crossing 4D. London airport: GATWICK

My personal Natick: The Gasol brothers are professional basketball players from Spain. Gatwick is UK's 2nd-largest airport but I only knew of Heathrow.

9. Roofing material: PITCH

14. Snicker syllable: HEH

15. Essential acid, familiarly: AMINO

16. Online cash-back deal: E-BATE

17. WSW's opposite: ENE

18. Giveaway bags: TOTEs

19. Lone Star State: TEXAS

23. Bite-sized fish dish: SUSHI with 21D. 23-Across tuna: AHI

24. Bond creator Fleming: IAN

25. "I thought so!": "A-HA!"

33. Didn't toss out: KEPT

34. Vigilant: ALERT

35. 2015 award for Steph Curry: ESPY. He is another pro basketball player.

39. Have a craving (for): YEARN

42. Crucifix letters: INRI. “Iesvs Nazarenvs Rex Ivdaeorvm” (Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews)

43. Skin irritations: SORES

45. Slips that promise payment: IOUs. (I Owe You)

53. Walk-__: small roles: ONs

54. British ref. work: OED. (Oxford English Dictionary)

55. March b-ball tourneys, casually: NCAAs. (National Collegiate Athletic Association)

62. Nest sound: CHIRP

64. Start to type?: PROTO. (prototype)

65. Chaney of horror films: LON

66. Tapered boat: CANOE

67. Five minutes past a quarter of: TEN TO. A bit convoluted clue.

68. "Patience __ virtue": IS A

69. Use up money: SPEND

70. Cook, as mussels: STEAM

Down:

1. Stimulates, as an appetite: WHETS

2. Basic training command: "TEN-HUT!". Stand at attention.

3. "Good grief!": "SHEESH!"

5. "I __ the opinion ... ": AM OF

6. In __: unmoved: SITU

7. New law student: ONE L

8. Went berserk: LOST IT

9. Porky Pig's girlfriend: PETUNIA

10. "Yeah, right!": "I BET!"

11. Financial shelter: TAX HAVEN

12. Windy City "L" operator: Abbr.: CTA. (Chicago Transit Authority)

13. Stag party attendees: HEs

22. Cheering word: RAH

26. Münster mister: HERR

27. Italian wine region: ASTI

29. __ lime pie: KEY

30. Big primate: APE

31. Laundry day target: STAIN

32. Quarterback Manning: ELI

35. This, in Spain: ESTO

36. Scattered, as seed: SOWN

37. Uncorrupted: PRISTINE

38. "Of course!": "YES"

40. Angler's pole: ROD

41. Cashew or almond: NUT

44. Trod heavily: STOMPED

46. Solarium: SUNROOM

48. Set eyes on: SEE

49. Responds well to change: ADAPTS

50. Sales slip: Abbr.: RCT. (receipt)

51. Stick the landing, say: NAIL IT

52. Stuffed Indian pastry: SAMOSA

56. Parisian political body: SENAT

58. Get the creases out of: IRON

59. Stew (over): FRET

60. "When you hear the __, please leave your message": TONE

61. Jazzy James: ETTA

62. Emails a dupe to: CCs

63. WWII General __ Arnold: HAP

His Story

Argyle

Sunday August 14, 2016 Garry Morse

Theme: "Stop, Thief!" - Each them entry is punnily reinterpreted as if the thief indicated in the clue stole the item.

23A. The liquor store thief __ : BOOSTED SPIRITS. Totally different spirits. Nice.

35A. The restaurant thief __ : GRABBED DINNER

95A The gym thief __ : LIFTED WEIGHTS. Too heavy to steal.

 

113A. The art thief __ : KNOCKED OFF WORK. Different "work" as well.

16D. The condiment thief __ : PINCHED SALT. I use "pinch of salt".  Not "Pinch salt".

29D. The chocolate thief __ : STOLE KISSES. Different "kisses" as well.

 

50D. The poultry thief __ : POACHED EGGS. Here the original noun phrase became a verb phrase.

67D. The casino thief __ : SWIPED CARDS. The casinos probably give those playing cards away.

 

The theme reminds me of some of the John Lampkin Sunday puzzle. Tons of fun. 

The grid is also nicely designed. We don't often see four Across and four Down themer placement, unless there are some intersections going on.

Across:

       

1. Carrier with only kosher meals : EL AL

5. Vamoosed : FLED

9. Classic name in shoes : MCAN. Not AVIA or NIKE.

13. Place of worship : CHAPEL. Not CHURCH.

19. Default consequence : REPO

20. Have standing : RATE. Can you give me an example of how the clue/answer match?

21. "Gotcha" : AH SO. Rarely do we see this entry now.

22. Oscar nominee in four different decades : DE NIRO. Not STREEP.

26. Present for Garfield? : CATNIP. Cute clue.

27. With great skill : EXPERTLY

28. They may be run off : COPIES. And 89. Maker of 28-Across : XEROX

30. Reduces to small pieces : RICES

31. Browser's destination : SITE. Thankfully Explorer still exists in Windows 10 after the upgrade.

32. Farm house : COOP

33. Bit of clothing : STITCH

40. Surg. areas : ORs

41. Diminish : EBB

44. Rolled down the runway : TAXIED

45. Means of access : INs

46. Horror film sounds : WAILS

48. One looked up to : IDOL. Or HERO.

49. Mt. Hood's state : OREG

50. Creator of one who pondered "Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore"

: POE. The Raven.

51. Secret supply : CACHE

52. "Even __ speak ... " : AS WE

53. Really poor : SAD

54. Enter with rage : STORM IN

57. "The Ballad of John and __" : YOKO. Are you familiar with May Pang?

59. Hand on deck : MATE

60. "SNL" parody Baba __ : WAWA

61. Player's fixed contribution : ANTE. Oh poker.

63. Fire sign? : PINK SLIP. Great clue also.

65. Element #33 : ARSENIC

68. Some selective socializers : SNOBS

70. Lawmaking bodies : SENATES

71. Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium city : NEW DELHI. I like trivia clue.

73. Trade : SWAP

74. Unlikely : SLIM

75. All in : AVID

76. Rivulets seen after swirling, to a wine taster : LEGS. Unfamiliar with the term.

78. Exam in which letters are read : EYE TEST. Simple in retrospect.

80. Rockies hrs. : MST

83. Casual pace : LOPE

84. Discourage : DETER

86. Trig. ratio : COS. Cosine.

87. Copacetic : JAKE. I did not know the meaning of "Copacetic" or this "Copacetic" meaning of JAKE.

88. Signed, say : OK'ed

90. RSVP part : SIL

91. "I was evidently mistaken" : SO IT IS. Got via crosses.

93. Goal for a H.S. dropout : GED

94. Coll. conferral : DEG

98. Priests, e.g. : CLERGY

101. Pinot __ : GRIS. Not NOIR.

102. Unfavorable aspects : ILLs. Tricky little clue.

103. Debussy's "__ de Lune" : CLAIR

105. Great Plains language family : SIOUAN

107. Got rid of : UNLOADED

111. Stereotypical long beard grower : HERMIT

 115. Salad veggie : ENDIVE. Both are called Endives. The curly one is a bit bitter. By the way, Lucina, I buy taro roots at our local grocery stores.

116. Quito's land: Abbr. : ECUA

117. Reason for an admonition : NO NO

118. Mother of Charlie Woods : ELIN. I know Tiger has two kids. Did not know their names: Same & Charlie.

119. Nail or tack : FASTEN. Verb rather than noun.

120. Court period: Abbr. : SESS

121. Growl : GNAR. Never heard of this word before. 

122. Overrule : DENY

  

Down:

 

1. Kathryn of HBO's "Oz" : ERBE

2. 16th-century pope : LEO X

3. Each : A POP

4. Gets routed : LOSES BIG. Sparkly fill.

5. Bit one's nails, perhaps : FRETTED

6. Served, as soup : LADLED

7. Online handicraft market : ETSY

8. Bank acct. starter : DEP. OK, deposit.

9. Color from the French for "chestnut" : MAROON. Learning moment to me.

10. Michigan native : CHIPPEWA. Also 24. Five Nations unit : TRIBE

11. Bubbly region : ASTI

12. Aroma detectors : NOSES. Looking forward to receiving  this soybean paste.  Hopefully it's as good as my grandma's. It's definitely an acquired taste/smell. 

13. Atlanta-based health agcy. : CDC

14. Game with tricks : HEARTS

15. Playful : ANTIC

17. Cleveland's lake : ERIE

18. Trims, as branches : LOPS

 

25. Screen array : ICONS

 

32. Movie houses : CINEMAS

34. Org. with complex forms : IRS. I don't recall my Dad paid any taxes when he worked. But his salary was low. For a long period it was RMB49/month. About $8. But everything was free then. You did not need to pay for housing, medical bills, education, etc.

35. Classic Pontiacs : GTOs

36. __ avis : RARA

37. Cut : AXED

38. A-line designer : DIOR

39. Suggestive : RACY

42. Pee-wee Herman accessory : BOW TIE

43. Substitutes for bad words : BLEEPS

47. Restaurant with a smile in its logo : IHOP. Unaware of their new logo. I went there once. Ages ago.

48. Start of a Seuss classic : I AM SAM

 

51. Toronto skyline landmark : CN TOWER

54. Well-thought-out : SANE

55. Woven fabric : TWILL

56. Stopping points : INNs

58. First-year law students : ONE-Ls. Doesn't the L stand for Law?

60. __ bliss : WEDDED

62. Auction site : EBAY

64. Heal, as broken bones : KNIT

65. Not digital : ANALOG. I have to change battery for my Timex every year. Is it the same case with you?

66. Bridge violation : REVOKE

69. Genus subdivision : SPECIES

72. Eisner's Disney successor : IGER (Bob)

77. Small-runway mil. craft : STOL. Short TakeOff and Landing. Gluey fill.

79. Gave it away : TOLD

80. Adding and subtracting : MATH

81. "SNL" staple : SKIT

82. Hardy's "Pure Woman" : TESS

85. Meager : EXIGUOUS. Not a word I use.

87. Cut in tricky patterns : JIGSAWED

89. Millennial's parent, briefly : Xer

90. Perform horribly : STINK

91. Bring on the market : SELL FOR

92. __ Olay : OIL OF. Just Olay now.

94. Originate (from) : DERIVE

96. Brawl : FRACAS

97. "Little Women" co-star of Kirsten, Claire and Trini : WINONA. Got via crosses.

99. Allowable extreme : LIMIT

100. "Holy cow!" : YIKES.  Try this color-blindness test if you can spare one minute. I tested twice, the first time it says I'm a Tritan, the second time it says I'm normal. D-Otto is a strong Deutan. Sounds like a giant.

103. Restaurant opener : CHEF. Normally.

104. Actress Olin : LENA

106. At a former time : ONCE

107. Japanese noodle : UDON. This and Soba.

108. Give sparingly : DOLE

109. Yeats' home : ERIN

110. Big Apple fashion initials : DKNY. Widely copied in China.

112. Common base : TEN

114. Course with vocab. : ENG

C.C.