Sunday, August 28th, 2016, Don Gagliardo and C.C. Burnikel

TITLE: WARM RECEPTION

The lovely pairing of Don and C.C. never wears out its WELCOME and today they present us with a  very entertaining Sunday puzzle where the word WELCOME can be an ADDITION to each of the last words of eight phrases to make another phrase. Their gimmick is revealed in:

119. Breath of fresh air ... or, literally, what the last word of eight long Across answers can be : WELCOME ADDITION - This is what Lily has been to us two empty-nesters!

23. Town gathering place : COMMUNITY CENTER - WELCOME CENTER. You're in the Army now...

29. Bathroom safety feature : SHOWER MAT - WELCOME MAT for Henry Hill at end of Goodfellas 

45. Gardener's purchase : SEED PACKET - The WELCOME PACKET - What each new prisoner gets from the Federal Bureau of Prisons

55. Fixture on many a cattle drive : CHUCK WAGON - 1956 edition of the WELCOME WAGON in Richmond, Indiana 

70. Purpose of some government credits : TAX RELIEF - WELCOME RELIEF provided by a squirrel chiropractor 

84. Astrological sector : ZODIAC SIGN - A very famous WELCOME SIGN

93. Hidden : OUT OF SIGHT - A WELCOME SIGHT in many "oaters"

109. Source of many breaking stories : YAHOO NEWS - WELCOME NEWS - It's gonna end in 71 days!

Across

1. "Thunderstruck" band : AC/DC

5. Alberta resort town : BANFF

10. Heavenly spheres : ORBS

14. Caps' partners : GOWNS

19. Manhattan or Queens, briefly : BORO - Borough

20. City NW of Orlando : OCALA

21. Bryan's "Breaking Bad" role : WALT - Suiting up to cook some meth for altruistic reasons

22. Formed for a specific purpose : AD HOC

26. Dough : MOOLA

27. Bombards with bogus offers : SPAMS

28. One of a toon septet : DOPEY

31. Highway deterrent : RADAR - They got me for doing 39 mph in a 30 mph zone last week but I kept my hands on the wheel, was very respectful, took full responsibility and got off with a warning

33. Arabian Peninsula port : ADEN

35. Acidity levels: Abbr. : PH'S

36. Pennant trio? : ENS - PENNANT

37. Sherpa's domain: Abbr. : MTN - A human pack mule

38. Ivory or Coast : SOAP

40. Lions' homes : DENS

43. "Eureka!" : AHA

48. Witch's familiar, maybe : CAT - I got CAT incidentally and then went to the web to find out what the heck this is - A familiar or familiar spirit is a supernatural being that helps and supports a witch or magician. In western culture this is usually a black CAT. 

49. Shtick figures : COMICS

53. Coastal flier : ERN

54. Eurasian capital : ANKARA - The capital in this capital is the Turkish Lira

57. Jet with suits? : CESSNA - This $23.6M Cessna Citation can hold 12 "suits"

59. Eastern way : TAO

61. Remains in the cooler : DOES TIME

62. "You're on!" : ITS A DEAL

66. Cardinal, e.g. : BIRD

67. Some NASA missions : EVA'S -Extra Vehicular Activities are just that - ACTIVITIES that occur outside the space craft during a NASA mission. Nit, nit, nit...

68. Fleeces : ROBS

72. Artist's choices : HUES

73. Bamboozle : DUPE

74. Teased : RODE

75. Retail focus : CONSUMER

77. "Priest" in a Nash poem : ONE-L LAMA

79. Runway retiree of '03 : SST

80. Cantaloupe cousin : CASABA - I can never discern much taste to them

86. Disc golf starting point : TEE PAD

90. Friend of Harry : RON - No clue on Harry Potter characters but it filled itself in

91. Guarantee : ENSURE

92. Place to see a facial mask : SPA

95. Bummed : SAD

96. K follower : MART

98. Acting opportunity : ROLE - Guess who was the first choice for the ROLE of Forrest Gump

99. __ Spiegel: German magazine : DER - The Mirror

100. Attention that can help healing, briefly : TLC

103. Kettle cover : LID - An idiot who looks like me once made popcorn in a kettle sans LID. 

105. Titicaca, por ejemplo : LAGO - El LAGO Titicaca se encuentra entre Perú y Bolivia (Lake Titicaca is located between Peru and Bolivia)

107. Bacon with six degrees? : KEVIN

113. Italian-born three-time Oscar winner : CAPRA - It Happened One Night, Mr. Deeds Goes To Town and You Can't Take It With You

115. Night fliers : MOTHS

118. It helps when picking up : PRONG

122. Rice/Lloyd Webber musical : EVITA

123. Sheikh, e.g. : ARAB

124. "__ Fire": Denzel Washington movie : MAN ON - 39% on Rotten Tomatoes. "Shamelessly manipulative and sadistically violent", said one critic

125. Visiting the Getty Mus., say : IN LA

126. Business bigwig : BARON

127. Workout stat : REPS

128. Santa __ racetrack : ANITA

129. Training locale : CAMP


Down

1. Basics : ABC'S

2. Joint venture : CO-OP

3. Boots brand with Bouncing Soles : DR MARTENS - DOC MARTENS didn't fit

4. Charge : COMMAND - The most infamous Charge COMMAND in American history?

5. "___ voyage!" : BON

6. Heavy metal relative : ACID ROCK - There's just something wrong about hearing The London Philharmonic playing Light My Fire.

7. Brussels-based defense gp. : NATO

8. Pest control device : FLY PAPER

9. Confronted : FACED

10. Beat year after year after year ... : OWN

11. "Phooey!" : RATS

12. "This is disgusting!" : BLEH

13. Sharpening tool : STROP - Can you spot the one in this picture?

14. Many unscripted programs : GAME SHOWS

15. Gas additive, perhaps : ODOR

16. Incredulous response : WHO ME? 

17. Pitching legend Ryan : NOLAN - A punching expert too!

18. Improvises with nonsense syllables : SCATS

24. Amer. currency : USD

25. Set one's sights on : EYED

30. Hit hard : WHACKED

32. Yoga poses : ASANAS

34. Maker of Candy Buttons : NECCO - The Candy Shoppe at the New England Confectionary COrporation in Revere, MA

37. Little more than : MERE

39. Preceder of an alt. name : AKA

41. "I'm gonna pass" : NAH

42. Schoolwork : STUDIES

44. Dabblers : AMATEURS - Ed McMahon always told Johnny that drinking on New Year's Eve was for AMATEURS

45. Short time : SEC

46. Short breaths : PANTS

47. Turkic Russian : TATAR

50. "Enough already!" : I GIVE - Tap Out today

51. Deep sleeps : COMAS

52. Mario Paint console, initially : SNES - Can you read Super Nintendo Entertainment System?

56. Greek vacation isle : CORFU

58. Composer with a Helsinki academy named for him : SIBELIUS - Born in  Hämeenlinnain 1865 and died in Järvenpää   in 1957

60. Smart guys? : ALECS

63. Basic matter : ATOMS and 82. Nobelist who developed a model for 63-Down : BOHR - I taught the BOHR ATOM for years

64. Arp's school : DADAISM

65. Palindromic file extension : EXE

66. Storage unit : BIN

68. Talk nonstop : RUN ON

69. Pro-and-con newspaper pair, perhaps : OPEDS

71. Powerball, e.g. : LOTTO

72. Flip side? : HEADS

73. Catch a few z's : DOZE

74. Entered quickly : RACED IN - What are heroic first responders did when others ran from the Trade Center Buildings

76. VirusScan developer : MCAFEE

78. "60 Minutes" correspondent : LARA LOGAN

79. Traffic tangle : SNARL

81. Pope Francis' birthplace : ARGENTINA - A young Jorge Mario Bergoglio and his family in Buenos Aires

83. Sugar bowl visitor : ANT

85. H.S. benchmark : GPA

87. Pole, for one : EUROPEAN

88. WWII venue : ETO

89. Circle in a fabric pattern : POLKA DOT

94. Harebrained : IDIOTIC

97. It's filled and folded : TACO

100. Not exactly high-strung : TYPE-B

101. Tadpole, say : LARVA

102. Group in robes : CHOIR

104. Big name in Scotch : DEWAR

106. __ ray : GAMMA

108. ROTC school near D.C. : VMI - It became co-ed in 1997

110. Not tricked by : ONTO

111. Are no more : WERE

112. "__ That Bass": Gershwin song : SLAP

114. Hindu princess : RANI

116. __ oak: Mediterranean tree : HOLM

117. Start of a gridiron play : SNAP - QB should be on the same page as the center

120. "48 Hours" airer : CBS

121. It might be recombinant : DNA

Any and all are WELCOME to offer any comments:

THE GRID

Saturday, Aug 27th, 2016, Pawel Fludzinski

Theme: None

Words: 70 (missing F,J,Q,V,X)

Blocks: 28

  Mr. Fludzinski returns with another Saturday LA Times grid, a little over a month since his last construction.  I re-read that blog, and had a repeat solving experience - switching between across and down.  In fact, I was so eager to switch back to across from the down that I never actually read the last two 'Down' clues; when it came to the write up, I didn't recognize the entries at all....Relatively smooth solve, under my personal time, with the proper names were helped along by the perps.  Triple and almost-triple 10-letter corners, plus four 8-letter answers on the inside;

 1. Parent of 66-Across : BABY BOOMER - ugh, a circumreferential clue to start; it was the second half that got me the answer here

66. Child of 1-Across : MILLENNIAL

26. Ramshackle : DECREPIT - the image this word conjures up

48. Iconic Ansel Adams photograph shot in Hernandez, New Mexico : MOONRISE

moONWARD~>!

ACROSS:

11. Jobs creation : IMAC - I tried iPod; not fooled by the reference to Steve Jobs

15. As it happens : IN REAL TIME

16. It can tide you over : NOSH

17. Exercise regimen : DAILY DOZEN

18. Ending to avoid? : ANCE - avoidance

19. Commemorative pillar : STELA - pondered TOTEM, but that was in last week's puzzle - and then it appeared here anyway @ 29d.  I did however, fill in STELE at first

20. Accords : ENTENTES - oops, I had DEtentes at first

22. Piccadilly Circus statue : EROS - dredged this one up from the depths of my crossword solving brain

25. Anesthetizes : DEADENS

30. Refuse : DROSS

31. Link letters : URL - ah.  I tried PGA for golf links

32. Thin feathered flier : ARROW - at first I thought we were looking for some sort of bird; got it after some thought

34. Pop music sleepyhead : SUSIE - I still have no clue what this refers to; I found a Susie Sleepyhead teddy bear....the second "S" was the only non-crossing unfilled

36. Youngest player to join the 600-HR club : A-ROD

38. Snowmen? : YETIs

40. Trade staple : TOOL - I am looking into refrigeration classes this coming winter/spring, as it's the only industry area I am unfamiliar with at the restaurants.  There are some specific tools for this trade, too, and I don't own them - yet

41. Sore __ : LOSER - had it, put it in, took it out because of 26d.

43. Teeth in Torino : DENTI

45. ICU VIPs : RNs

46. Transplant, in a way : REPOT

50. Preserves flavor : APRICOT - Dah~!  preserves the noun, not the verb

52. Part of a Simon & Garfunkel quartet? : SAGE - clever; the others being parsley, rosemary and thyme

53. Railroad worker : TRACKMAN

55. Pass a second time : RELAP

59. Custom : WONT - I tried NORM

60. Olympics event since 2000 : TRAMPOLINE

63. Seraph, to Sylvie : ANGE

64. "The Decay of Lying" author : OSCAR WILDE

65. Swamp thing : REED - not this Swamp Thing

DOWN:

1. Contractors' proposals : BIDS - part of my business also, and the hardest for me - getting the right number for both myself and the client/customer

2. Body lang. : ANATomy - I pondered ASL, American Sign Language, but it didn't jibe - or fit

3. French wheel : BRIE - ah.  Roue is Frawnche for wheel; cheesy reference....

4. See 6-Down : YELLER - paired with; 6. With 4-Down, Fred Gipson book that won a 1957 Newbery Honor : OLD

5. Region including Napa : BAY AREA

7. Tribe that met with Lewis and Clark in 1804 : OTO

8. 1987 Masters champ Larry : MIZE

9. Polish, in a way : EMEND

10. Let : RENTED

11. "It was a very brief visit" : IN AND OUT

12. Education innovator : MONTESSORI - big help in the NE - my friend from Ohio was once a participant of this system

13. Climbs : ASCENSIONS - makes me think of a Blue Öyster Cult song

lyric @ 0:24

14. Mating game : CHESS - D'oh~! couldn't think of any "dating game"....

oh, this kind of mate

21. Canal zones : EARS - clever

23. Country music venue : OPRY

24. Brought into being : SIRED

26. Part of DINK : DUAL - I was told it was "Double Income, No Kids", which meant the answer was "KIDS"; so that messed me up for a long time

27. Likely to be off : ERROR PRONE

28. A short distance : CLOSE RANGE

29. Venerated symbol : TOTEM - here it is again~!

33. Skid row figures : WINOS - I never made it to "Skid Row"....but damn close

35. Ultimatum end : ELSE - "or else~!!!"

37. Portrayed : DEPICTED

39. Old portico : STOA - another one I dredged up

42. __ bottom : ROCK

44. Like some hairs : INGROWN

47. Drum kit component : TOM-TOM - Pawel likes his drums - he had a snare drum reference in the last Sat puzzle

49. Catch at the shore : REEL IN - wasn't sure about this answer; you would still reel in from a boat, right~?

50. Openly hostile : AT WAR

51. Low bones : TARSI

54. Substance in the sea's H2O : NaCL

56. Taylor of "Say Anything..." : LILI - I thought it was LORI, but the last "I" helped - 100% 50% correct

57. Time-half link : AND A - time-and-a-half, which I get after 5hrs at UPS - each day, and I pretty much go over every day during the summer - and now I am on vacation until after Labor Day - yay~!

58. Outer cover : PEEL

61. __ du pays: homesickness : MAL - never even saw this clue....

62. Historic leader? : PRE - nor this one; Pre-historic

Splynter

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to Lemonade (Jason), who's been guiding us with the Friday puzzles since March 2010. So much has changed the past 6 years:: Charlotte was born. He had a health scare. He was remarried. Harper was born. But Lemonade's dedication to this blog and his passion for blogging remains unchanged.  Thanks for always being here for us, Lemonade!

Lemonade and his lovely wife Oo, Dec 21, 2014

Charlotte, Dad, Harper & Grandpa Lemonade

Friday, August 26, 2016, Jeffrey Wechsler

Title: Oh U! Where did U go now?

Rich really is making my life easy with JW and Bruce dominating the Friday landscape. They have many stylistic similarities which makes sussing the theme easy. The first themer jumped out at me, I saw the gimmick of removing the letter "U" to create a new fill with a witty clue. JW has put together a consistent theme with each two word fill having a second word which is a five letters with the "U" in the middle that is removed (missing). That took extra effort. We on the other hand  get a bonus Friday reveal. We have lots of foreign languages, multi-word fill and Friday trickery. All in all, a good time. We have some very sparkly fill: CARHOPS, AREOLAE, A TAD OFF, ARM BONE, BEVELED, BOASTED, CASUAL SMILE and GET A SHOT OFF. (Were you put off by the two offs?)

17A. Fishing spot for vacationing Londoners? : BRITISH POUND (11). What is the difference between a Pond and a Lake?

20A. Legwear for air travelers? : BOARDING HOUSE (12). Like this imagery...Splynter, ok?

54A. 007 returning from assignment? : HOMEWARD BOUND (12). Bond, James Bond.

60A. Vacant look? : STERILE GAUZE (11). A very Sterile clue.

And the centrally placed grid-spanning reveal...
39A. Retirement party remark ... or a homophonic hint to four long Across answers : YOU WILL BE MISSED (15).

Across:

1. Sonic employees : CARHOPS.

8. Shrinking section at Barnes & Noble : CDS. I have not bought one in years.

11. Bit of wit : GAG. Palindrome.

14. Anatomical rings in irises : AREOLAE. I cannot find our seminal picture that C.C. links. Latin.

15. Earth-moving tool : HOE. No Don Imus humor here, please; especially not next to Areolae and...

16. Reproductive cells : OVA. Latin.

19. Upset, with "over" : TIP. Think apple cart...verb not adjective.

22. Ruff stuff : LACE. Think ruffle..

New                                                                         Old

25. Lacking : FREE OF.

26. Not quite right : A TAD OFF.

30. Until now : SO FAR.

33. P replacers, in some lineups : DHS. This clue is just a tad off, as the Designated Hitter only replaces the Pitcher in the batting order, not the lineup. But then again the lineup is the batting order. I have successfully confused myself.

34. Woman's name meaning "white" : BIANCA. Shakespeare anyone?
"I am no strumpet; but of life as honest
As you that thus abuse me."

38. Smooth, perhaps : PAVE.

42. Epps of "House" : OMAR.

43. Computer conveniences : MACROS. We use word perfect for legal docs and macros are a necessity.

44. [That's kinda funny] : HEH. Heh...

45. Sylvester's genus : FELIS. Latin: Felis catus.

47. Radius, e.g. : ARMBONE. A subtle shout out to me, as that is the bone which has the oblique fracture.

49. "The Great Escape" setting : STALAG. A classic movie, which inspired the music and perhaps Hogan's Heroes. POW camp. German short for Kriegsgefangenen-Mannschafts-Stammlager.

53. Lots : A TON.

59. "... __ quit!" : OR I!

64. Toondom's Phineas, to Ferb : PAL. I never have seen this SHOW.

65. Strauss' "__ Heldenleben" : EIN. Strauss was also a very famous conductor, but he does not seem very happy.

66. Like the edges of some mirrors : BEVELED.

67. Dodge City-to-Topeka dir. : ENE.

68. Mining supply : TNT. Explosive idea.

69. Talked big : BOASTED.

Down:

1. Waiter at a stand : CAB. Trickeration.

2. LAX stat : ARRival.

3. Bonn : König :: Lisbon : __ : REI. German : Portugese: KING

4. Place of rapid growth : HOTBED.

5. Miscellany : OLIO. The word of the Corner. And, 57D. Muffin go-with : OLEO.

6. "¿Qué __?" : PASA. Spanish.

7. Very, in Vienna : SEHR.  I grew up hearing, "sehr gut."

8. "Carmina Burana" performers : CHOIR.

9. "It tolls for thee" poet : DONNE. To CA and all of you...
No man is an island,
Entire of itself.
Each is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manor of thine own
Or of thine friend's were.
Each man's death diminishes me,
For I am involved in mankind.
Therefore, send not to know
For whom the bell tolls,
It tolls for thee.

10. Wetlands grasses : SEDGES.

11. Beat the buzzer, say : GOT OFF A SHOT. JW loves his multi-word fill. And basketball? 21D. Court action : HOOPS.

12. National alternative : AVIS. Rental car companies, not airports.

13. Show wonder : GAPE.

18. Email attachment : PDF. While we create in word perfect, we send out Portable Document Format.

22. After "Our" and with 54-Down, title for the Virgin Mary based on an 1871 apparition : LADY OF. 54D. See 22-Down : HOPE. Between the politics and the religion this is a hard one to blog. LINK.

23. Where many strikes are called : AT HOME. Baseball.

24. Subtle come-on, perhaps : CASUAL SMILE. Like below.

27. Geisha accessory : OBI. Sash, like above.

28. Thin coating : FILM.

29. WWII White House dog : FALA. FDR's dog.

31. Johnson & Johnson brand : AVEENO. They make nice products but the name reminds me of the haunting Hebrew prayer, "Our Father, Our King."

32. Hard-working "little" folk tale critter : RED HEN. A LINK for all of our teachers.

35. "30 Rock" network : NBC.

36. Michael of "Arrested Development" : CERA.  A very busy career, I loved JUNO and SUPERBAD.

37. __ vincit omnia : AMOR. If you know Latin, then you know love conquers all. 50D. Forum language : LATIN.

40. Work on a novel : WRITE. Sounds like fun....

41. System of thought : ISM.

46. Carpenter's array : SAW SET. I was not impressed with this fill until after I was done. I checked and found 492 million links! I will those let who can, explain it all.

48. Access requirements : BADGES. I used to have many of these. LINK.

51. "__ you done yet?" : AREN'T.

52. E. Berlin's land : GDR. German Democratic Republic.

55. African city on the Mediterranean : ORAN. In Algeria and more geography I do not know.

56. Romaine relative : BIBB. Lettuce pray, or is that religion.

58. St. Petersburg's river : NEVA. New to me. READ?

61. Space bar neighbor : ALT.

62. What's found in central Arizona? : ZEE.

63. Byrnes of '50s-'60s TV : EDD. An early TV heart throb.

Then    Now

Speaking of now, it is time for me to post and await your pleasure. Thanks again for the show Jeffrey, and thank you all for watching. Lemonade out.

Thursday, August 25th, 2016 Max Carpenter

Theme: Celiac-Safe: None of the theme entries contain any of the letters G-L-U-T-E-N

17A. GLUTEN-free fare : SWORDFISH. The Andrea Gail which featured in the book and movie "The Perfect Storm" was a swordfishing boat.

26A. GLUTEN-free fare : BABY BACK RIBS. Food! I cook my ribs sous-vide and finish them in a searing-hot oven. Barbecue purists would cry "foul" but I'd back 'em in a blind tasting against anyone!

47A. GLUTEN-free fare : SHRIMP SCAMPI. Classic Italian-American dish of shrimp sautéed in olive oil, garlic, onion and white wine. In Italy, scampi are actually a specific kind of shrimp, also known variously as langoustines, Norway lobsters or Dublin Bay prawns.

Back off, buddy, I've got claws!

61A. GLUTEN-free fare : ROCKY ROAD. A dessert of marshmallow, chocolate and nuts; usually served up as a variety of ice-cream.

I was a little underwhelmed by this theme when I first looked at it - four foods or preparations which happen not to have any one of six letters, but the more I thought about it the more I liked it - the dishes themselves (depending on how the swordfish is prepared, most typically grilled) are actually gluten-free.

Plenty of Food! references to keep me happy too!

Max is also known for a puzzle where the gimmick was that each "W" letter was written out literally as a double-U. It's pretty certain that's the only time you'll see POUUUUOUU in a grid.

Let's see what else catches the eye today.

Across:

1. Not very exciting : DRAB

5. "__ the east, and Juliet ... " : IT IS

9. King whose gift became a curse : MIDAS

14. Tiny bit : IOTA

15. One pulling in pushers : NARC. Slang drug dealers gives us a slang narcotics officer.

16. Amtrak express : ACELA

19. 1983 Woody Allen film : ZELIG. The Z was my last fill, I was distracted for a while by the baseball ex-commissioner Bud SELIG and I'm not an expert on Polish dances.

20. Schoolyard "I'll show you!" : CAN TOO

21. Scholarly : ERUDITE

23. Like some headphones : ON-EAR. 30D's BOSE make mine - noise-cancelling for the plane.

24. Better at heeling, say : TAMER. Is Fido tamer or just better trained if he heels when commanded?

32. "GoodFellas" fellowship : MOB

35. Breaks : GAPS

36. Duffel bag filler, in a thriller : RANSOM

37. Sandwich guy? : EARL. The Earl of Sandwich who, as legend would have it, invented the sandwich when he didn't want to leave the card table to eat dinner and had his meat brought to him between two slices of bread.

39. Take care of : SEE TO

41. "Don't forget ... " : ALSO

42. Singer Nicks : STEVIE. Here's Ms. Nicks back in her Fleetwood Mac days singing "Rhiannon".

44. Modernists, informally : NEOS

46. Mind reader? : EEG. Nice! Brain scan.

50. Alma __ : MATER

51. Lacking the knack : INEPT

55. Supposed bringer of bad luck : EVIL EYE

59. Mimosa family tree : ACACIA. Likes a dry climate and often grows alone.

60. Gas used in flashtubes : XENON. The flash in your camera or your smartphone is a flashtube.

64. Chilean range : ANDES

65. K thru 12 : EL-HI

66. Radius neighbor : ULNA. Forearm bones.

67. "It could happen" : MAYBE

68. Father of Thor : ODIN

69. Padre's brothers : TIOS. Uncles, in Spanish.

Down:

1. Summer genre : DISCO. The singer Donna, not the season.

2. Atkinson of British comedy : ROWAN.  I prefer his "Blackadder" characters over the "Mr. Bean" persona. Check out the clips on the BBCWorldwide channel on YouTube.

3. More than just apologize : ATONE

4. Bill for shots : BAR TAB

5. Scoop or poop : INFO

6. With 63-Down, meditative discipline : TAI

7. Org. that takes many forms : I.R.S.

8. Blueprint : SCHEMA

9. Lively Polish dance : MAZURKA. I vaguely remembered this from the song "The Waiter, the Porter and the Upstairs Maid" sung by Bing Crosby in "The Birth of the Blues"

10. Like most cupcakes : ICED

11. Pastrami provider : DELI. I started the process of making pastrami yesterday. It'll be ready in around 22 days - it's the kind of thing you need to plan in advance!

12. Came down : ALIT

13. Guru : SAGE

18. Bandanna kin : DO-RAG

22. Place for family game night : REC ROOM

24. Arial, for one : TYPE. I was fixating on "The Tempest" at first and trying to come up with a four-letter word for "sprite" or "nymph".

25. Attendance record spoiler : ABSENCE

27. Regular hourly rate : BASE PAY

28. Genetic letters : RNA

29. Any one of the Arans : ISLE. Three islands off the west coast of Ireland in Galway Bay. Not to be confused with the Isle of Arran which is a Scottish island in the Firth of Clyde.

30. Big name in audio products : BOSE

31. Beijing blight : SMOG. I was lucky enough to visit Beijing during the Summer Olympics in 2008 when there was no smog - industry was shut down and car usage was restricted in the month leading up to the Games to clear the air. I thought the city was beautiful.

32. Serious disorder : MESS

33. Swear words? : OATH

34. Fox's title : BRER

38. Year in Nero's reign : LVI. He lasted as Roman Emperor from LIV through LXVIII and then committed suicide.

40. Run like heck : TEAR

43. Epic : IMMENSE

45. High on the Scoville scale : SPICY. It is if you equate spice with heat. Most spice mixtures aren't hot at all. The hottest I have is ghost pepper, three or four times hotter than a habanero, so it packs quite a punch.

48. Multichannel : STEREO

49. Making no progress : IN A RUT

52. Bacteria in a produce recall : E.COLI.

53. Brahms' instrument : PIANO

54. Proud cries : TADAS. Finishing moment for many online crossword solvers.

55. Teacher's handout : EXAM. Tried TEST. Didn't work.

56. __ cava : VENA. As well as the familiar blood vessel, this is also a winery in the Valle de Guadaloupe, Mexico.

57. May race, familiarly : INDY. The Indianapolis 500, more formally.

58. "Stay (I Missed You)" songwriter Lisa : LOEB. One of those songs that I know, but had no idea what it was called, nor who sang it.

59. Like, with "to" : AKIN

62. Out of use : OLD

63. See 6-Down : CHI

I think that's about it from me - have a nice day, all y'all and heeeeere's the grid!

Steve

Wednesday, August 24, 2016, Gail Grabowski and Bruce Venzke

Theme: WITH APPROPRIATE ACTIONS.  The word WITH is inserted into familiar 2-word phrases, yielding a new 3-word phrase.  In each instance, the first word, originally functioning as a noun, is verberized in a way that is synonymous the verb "tweak" in its respective clue.  "Tweak" means to make some kind of adjustments to something.  As an exercise, the interested reader might want to reimagine yet another set of meanings, in which the first words are reverted back to noun status.  Thus endeth my longest ever theme exposition.

17. Tweak some violin holders? : FIDDLE WITH CASES.  Musical instruments are fragile and have specially designed cases to protect them.  One may tweak them, I suppose.  And violins are FIDDLES, so it's all good.

All kinds of prices

27. Tweak some church chimers? : TINKER WITH BELLS.  So - what does this bring to mind?  TINKER BELL or Quasimodo?  And what does this say about you?  No need to answer.

Attitude

The original

49. Tweak some ski parkas? : MESS WITH JACKETS.  A MESS JACKET is a formal waist coat.  One may tweak it, but the connection to skiing is lost on me.  

63. Tweak some business outfits? : MONKEY WITH SUITS.  Remember dress for success - navy blue suit, white shirt and rep tie?  [Too often worn by human rep-tiels, but that's another story.]  This is known in the vernacular as a MONKEY SUIT.  You can change his coat and alter its pants.

Pin stripes

Well, these are cleverly constructed, and all four theme answers are grid-spanning.  Three of the four make a tight set.  Maybe there's a point to MESS JACKET that I'm missing; but it doesn't seem to quite fit the pattern.

Hi gang - JazzBumpa here.  Let's FIDDLE WITH this puzzle, see if anything rings a BELL, and hope it's not a MESS that makes MONKEYS of us all.

Across

1. Just open : AJAR.   Opened slightly, not recently.

5. Hot under the collar : ANGRY.  Perturbed.

10. Loot from a heist : HAUL.  Slang for a robbery and the stolen goods.

14. Dainty trim : LACE.  Comes in many styles and designs.

15. West Indies volcano : PELEE.   On the Island of Martinique, 4583 foot elevation.

16. Site of Napoleon's first exile : ELBA.   Able was I ere I saw ELBA.

20. Maker of many kitchen rolls : ALCOA.  Aluminum foil, that is, not little bread-like items.

21. Wall St. deal : Leveraged Buy Out.   This is the purchase of a controlling share of a company, by its management or an outside investment firm using borrowed money.

22. Baking soda targets : ODORS.   Keeps your fridge fresh.

23. Like used fireplaces : ASHY.  A word you may well never see again.

25. Tach nos. : RPMs.  Revolutions Per Minute, a measure of the rotational speed of a mechanical component.  In an automobile, the RPMs of the crank shaft are displayed by the tachometer.

34. Brit. record label : EMI.  Originally an acronym for Electronic and Musical Industries.

35. A few bucks? : DEER.  Male animals of the family Cervidae.  Finding this answer did not take a lot of doe.

36. Fuss over : DOTE ON.  Treasure, cherish and be uncritically fond of.

37. Part of a sitcom farewell : NANU.    Poignant clip.

39. Pulled off : DID.  Accomplished

41. Spot for a 48-Across : SOFA.   Not a NAP spot for me.  Puts a crook in my neck.

42. Representatives : AGENTS.   A person who acts on behalf of another.

45. Nintendo rival : SEGA.  They went out of the game console business in 2001, but remain the world's most prolific arcade producer.

48. Short snooze : NAP.  Not for me.  I sack out for at least an hour.

52. __ helmet : PITH.  AKA the sola topi, a light weight cloth covered head covering made originally from the pith of the sola, an Indian swamp plant of the pea family.  Cork-like substances from other plants may also be used

53. Pre-coll. catchall : EL-HI.   Referring to ELementary and HIgh school education, my dear Watson.

54. Torch job : ARSON.  The crime of burning down a bulding.

57. And such: Abbr. : ETC.  And so on, yadda, yadda, yadda.  Abbr. for ET Cetera, from Latin for "and the rest."

59. Trims, as a lawn : EDGES.  Along the walkways, ETC.

66. Arctic formation : FLOE.  A sheet of ice that calves off a glacier.

67. Transparent : SHEER.  Rather like LACE.

Should be found here, but it sheer isn't

68. Scientology guru Hubbard : L. RON.   Famous writer and highly influential charlatan.  Notably, he briefly commanded two ships during WW II, but each time was relieved of this duty because his superiors found him to be incapable.

69. Like most fairways, daily : MOWN.  Short cut grass on a golf course.

70. Some Parliament members : LORDS.   House of Lords and House of Commons.

71. A whole bunch : TONS.  Slang for lots and lots.

Down

1. NATO alphabet starter : ALFA.  This exists so that "critical combinations of letters and numbers can be pronounced and understood by those who exchange voice messages by radio or telephone regardless of language barriers or the quality of the communication channel."   See the whole series here.

2. Monopoly corner : JAIL.  Neither Free Parking, Go, nor the awful Go To Jail square fit.

3. Adapter letters : AC-DC.  Alternating and Direct electrical Current.

4. New Jersey's state tree : RED OAK.   Michigan's is Eastern White Pine.  I'll let you guess Ohio's.

5. Chest thumper : APE.

More romantic than you thought

6. One recently hitched : NEWLYWED.   Successful chest thumper, perhaps.

7. Smooth-talking : GLIB.

8. Parting shot : RETORT.   Not necessarily parting.  Could be any sharp or wittily incisive response.

9. Slangy "Sure" : YEH.  Uh-huh.

10. Hands-free devices : HEADSETS.   Devices that hold earphones and a microphone in place on a user's head.

11. To boot : ALSO.   Originally, something extra thrown into a bargain, from Old English bōt, meaning "advantage" or "remedy."  Ultimately of Germanic origin.

12. Lyft rival : UBER.  Both are app-based ride sharing protocols connecting passengers with available drivers.

13. Scottish miss : LASS.  A young lady,  Not to be confused with Swiss Miss, a chocolate-flavored drink.

18. Performed light surgery on? : LASED.   Performed surgery with a laser.

19. Jazz club performers : COMBO.  Small group of musicians.

24. Eur. power until 1806 : HRE.  I had no idea that the Holy Roman Empire existed that long.  It reached its greatest geographic extent in the 13th century, and had been losing bits and pieces since.

26. Third deg.? : PHD.  After B.S [everyone knows what that stands for;] and MS [more of the same;] comes PHD [Piled Higher and Deeper.]  The cynical view is that one advancing in specific studies gets to know more and more about less and less, until s/he knows everythign about nothing.

27. Midmorning hr. : TEN AM.  Time for a coffee break.

28. Reflection : IMAGE.  What you see in the mirror.  But the mirror sees you!

29. Little League teams : NINES.  For a baseball team at any level, the synecdoche is a NINE.

30. Like Oscar Wilde : IRISH.  Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde [1854-1900] was a playwright, novelist, essayist, and poet.  His most famous works are The Importance of Being Earnest and The picture Of Dorian Gray.  He spent time in prison for being homosexual, a crime at that time. After his release he felt London for Paris, where he died, destitute.

31. Big name in spaghetti westerns : LEONE.  Sergio, [1929 - 1989] an Italian film producer, director, and screen writer, made famous in the mid 60's by his low budget, Italian-made movies about the American old west starring Clint Eastwood.

32. OK for dieters : LO-FAT.  Or lo-cal.  Needed perps to tweak my answer.

33. Breaks like a branch : SNAPS.  As a branch from a tree in high wind.  Or, sometimes, even the trunk.

38. Implied : UNSPOKEN.  Or, at least, not spoken of directly.

40. Down in the dumps : DEJECTED.

43. Shipping department supply : TWINE.  To tie things up.

44. Lab order? : SIT.  Command to a Labrador Retriever.

46. Milk purch. : GALlon.   Note Abrvs. 

47. Feels the pain : ACHES.  Remember when Bill Clinton said, "I ACHE with you?"

50. "My Generation" band : THE WHO.   KIDULTS?

51. Portmanteau for a grown-up who hasn't yet grown up : KIDULT.   Not familiar with this term.  But my motto is,  "What I lack in youth, I make up for with immaturity. " I did grow up once, didn't like it, and I'm never doing it again.  So maybe I qualify.

54. Switch on a boom box : AM FM.  Note that "switch" here is a noun not a verb.  Toggling it actuates either of two different radio frequency bands.

55. Caramel-filled candy : ROLO.  Shaped like an inverted bucket, this candy is chocolate coated caramel.

56. Put one over on : SNOW.  An attempt to fool or mislead somebody.

58. Stadium ticket specification : TIER.   A seat grouping at some range of elevation. 

60. Copter's forerunner : GIRO.  More formally, autogiro or autogyro - a type of aircraft with both a powered propeller, as in a typical airplane, and an unpowered set of rotor blades that rotate in the slip stream to provide lift.   One was first flown in January, 1923.  The first operational helicopter was built in Germany in 1936.

61. David Cameron's alma mater : ETON.  Any hint of a 4-letter British school, plug it in.

62. Three-part figs. : SSNS.  Social Security Numbers, portrayed as 123-45-6789.

64. Monogram on some pricey handbags : YSL.  The initials of Yves Saint Laurent.  I never understood why putting some foreign guy's name or initials on an article could inflate its purchase price by some high multiple.

65. Store door nos. : HRS.  Hours that they are open for business.

That wraps it up.  I had my nits, but this is a fine puzzle, brought to you by two of the best names in the field. Hope you enjoyed it.

Cool regards!
JzB

Tuesday, August 23, 2016 Lila Cherry

Theme: Vowel Progression - The first two consonants stay constant while the vowel progresses from A to U.

17. Missouri's largest metropolis: KANSAS CITY

22. First leg of racing's Triple Crown: KENTUCKY DERBY

34. 1990 comedy about a detective posing as a teacher: "KINDERGARTEN COP"{

46. Oslo attraction honoring Heyerdahl's expedition: KON TIKI MUSEUM

53. "Roots" hero from Gambia: KUNTA KINTE

Argyle here and "Really Rich". No reveal needed. Tricky construction; harder than the solving I'd say. The pool of words that would fit the grid is quite shallow. The fill for the most part is kindly.

Across:

1. Opinion piece: ESSAY

6. Resident's winter expense: HEAT

10. Formal agreement: PACT

14. Apartment agreement: LEASE

15. Waist-measuring unit: INCH

16. River through Spain: EBRO. Northern Spain.

19. Israel's Barak: EHUD. Wiki bio.

20. Costa __: RICA

Would you like to stay there?

21. Cooking-with-garlic enticement: AROMA

26. Prepare for the gala: DRESS UP

28. Signaled on stage: CUED

29. "Sure, sure": "I BET"

30. Sagan of "Cosmos": CARL

31. Place to relax: SPA

39. Suffix with Japan or Brooklyn: ESE

40. Water conduit: MAIN

41. Greek war god: ARES

42. Entertained with a tune: SANG

43. Unfavorable reputation: BAD NAME

50. Run __ of the law: AFOUL. Run afowl of the law is funnier.

51. Old Norse explorer: ERIC

52. Ball of smoke: PUFF

59. Mil. flying branch: USAF. (United States Air Force)

60. "Say that's true ... ": "IF SO..."

61. Water from France: EVIAN

62. Vietnamese holidays: TETs

63. Haunted house sound: MOAN

64. Fix errors in, as software: DEBUG

Down:

1. Antlered grazer: ELK

2. Aegean, for one: SEA

3. __ Bernardino: SAN

4. Braying beast: ASS

5. Longs (for): YEARNS

6. Minor setback: HICCUP

7. Room-size computer introduced in 1946: ENIAC

8. Perform on stage: ACT

9. Biblical "your": THY

10. Looked intently: PEERED

11. Hate: ABHOR

12. Speck of bread: CRUMB

13. Start of the rest of your life, so it's said: TODAY. "Today is the first day of the rest of your life."

18. In __: as found: SITU

21. One-named singer: ADELE

22. New Hampshire city: KEENE

23. Founded: Abbr.: ESTD. (established)

24. 1980s Chrysler line: K CAR. I had one that was a fantastic beater.

25. Mongolian tent: YURT

26. What Brinker's boy plugged with a finger: DIKE

27. Score-producing MLB stats: RBIs. (Run Batted In)

30. Is able to: CAN

31. "Get lost!": "SCRAM!"

32. Words from Wordsworth: POEM. Come forth into the light of things, Let Nature be your teacher. ~ William Wordsworth, 1770 - 1850

33. Church recess: APSE

35. Online message: EMAIL

36. Corporal or colonel: RANK

37. 1958 Chevalier musical: "GIGI". "Thank Heaven for Little Girls" – Sung by Maurice Chevalier

38. Half of Mork's sign-off: NANU

42. Fills with feathers, as a pillow: STUFFs

43. Richard who married Liz Taylor ... twice: BURTON. They sold a lot of tabloids in their day.

44. Cambodia's continent: ASIA

45. Knocked down: DECKED

46. Done for: KAPUT

47. Helpful: OF USE

48. Jack Sprat's diet restriction: NO FAT. His wife could eat no lean.

49. High-IQ group: MENSA

53. Actress Novak: KIM

54. Sci-fi aircraft: UFO. (unidentified flying object)

55. "__ seen worse": I'VE

56. Penpoint: NIB

57. Greek cross: TAU

58. Subj. with writing exercises: ENG. (English)

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to Tinbeni, who has been with our blog since 2009. I'll be toasting you with the Golden Milk when sun sets today, Tinbeni!

Monday, August 22, 2016 John Doering Sr. and C.C. Burnikel

Theme: Want fries with that? - There are four types orders to be found in the circles and the circles are on each side of the theme entries.

18. Paper or plastic choice: GROCERY BAG. Gag order; no discussing the current case to the press.

24. Waitstaff boss: MAÎTRE D'HÔTEL. Mail order.

40. Misfortune: BAD LUCK. Back order; what happened to your mail order.

51. Popular climb from Lone Pine, California: MOUNT WHITNEY. Money order, to pay for your mail order that has been back ordered.

62. Fries, slaw, etc. ... and what this puzzle's circles represent: SIDE ORDERS

Argyle here. C.C. has her latest protégé in tow and provided us with a doable Monday but with circles. Lack of circles shouldn't have slowed things up very much, I would imagine. Still, it's more fun with them.

Author:

1. D.C. fundraisers: PACS. (political action committee)

5. Throat-clearing word: [AHEM!]

9. Square root of 64: EIGHT

14. Marathon aftermath: ACHE

15. Singer Horne: LENA

16. Versailles send-off: ADIEU

17. Moscow: nyet :: Berlin: __: NEIN

20. Detective Pinkerton: ALLAN. C.C. worked for Pinkerton's at one time. The founder(Allan) of the Detective Agency was long gone by then.

22. Protest singer Phil: OCHS. He died in 1976 at the age of 35.

23. "Okay, __ do it!": LET'S

27. Gravy container: BOAT

28. Cocktail: DRINK

31. Online company with many drivers: UBER. Now they want to do away with the drivers.

33. Tot's piggies: TOES

37. Religious symbols: ICONS

39. "__ culpa": MEA

42. Tales of __: misfortunes: WOE

43. Bamboo eater: PANDA

45. Watson of "Harry Potter" films: EMMA. She looks different now.

46. Learning by memorization: ROTE

47. Carrier that added "ways" to its name in 1997: USAir

49. Butter toffee bar: SKOR. Still chewing on this one.

57. Car rental giant: AVIS

60. Most of the Jolly Green Giant's laugh: HO HO

61. "Done!": "THERE!"

65. "Terrible" tsar: IVAN

66. Coral island: ATOLL

67. West Point initials: USMA. (United States Military Academy)

68. Take a break: REST

69. Oater law group: POSSE

70. Gas company with toy trucks: HESS. They got rid of their gas stations but still sell the toy trucks.

71. Neighborhood: AREA

Down:

1. Old TWA rival: PAN AM

2. High-speed Amtrak service: ACELA. A made-up name.

3. Legumes used in cook-offs: CHILI BEANS

4. McCain or McConnell: SENATOR

5. Math subj.: ALG. (algebra)

6. King of Judea: HEROD

7. Firstborn son of Cain: ENOCH. Bible study: quiz later.

8. Ultra-manly: MACHO

9. Corn piece: EAR

10. Peaceful: IDYLLIC. In my local area, the corn is idyllic; grown up tall and the ears are filling out but beware, the choppers are coming.

11. Barb: GIBE

12. Furnace output: HEAT

13. Harbor craft: TUGS

19. Cornerstone abbr.: ESTD. (Established)

21. Gun lobby org.: NRA. (National Rifle Association)

25. Kett of old comics: ETTA

26. Christine's lover in "The Phantom of the Opera": ERIK

29. Ultimatum words: NOW OR NEVER

30. Tie the __: marry: KNOT

31. Strike caller: UMP

32. Older brother of Jeff Bridges: BEAU

34. "__ to Billie Joe": ODE

35. Large shade tree: ELM

36. Total in math: SUM

38. "Understand?": "SEE?"

40. Scott of "Happy Days": BAIO. "Chachi" Arcola is the younger cousin of Fonzie.

41. Flea market payment: CASH

44. Ones "in distress" in old films: DAMSELS

46. Tax-sheltered nest egg: ROTH IRA

48. German coal valley: RUHR. Haven't seen the valley in awhile.

50. Modeler's buy: KIT

52. "Obviously, Einstein!": "NO DUH!"

53. "__ are the times that try men's souls": Paine: THESE

These are the times that try men's souls. In the course of our nation's history, the people of Boston have rallied

Bravely whenever the rights of men have been threatened. Today, a new crisis has arisen. The Metropolitan

Transit Authority, better known as the M. T. A., is attempting to levy a burdensome tax on the population in the

Form of a subway fare increase. Citizens, hear me out! This could happen to you!

54. Early-bird catches: WORMS. Did you catch an ear worm from the above intro?

55. Rub out: ERASE

56. Gossipy sort: YENTA

57. Without delay, in memos: ASAP. (as soon as possible)

58. Don Corleone's first name: VITO

59. Nuptial vows: I DO's

63. Barcelona cheer: ¡Olé!

64. Carrier to Copenhagen: SAS. Scandinavian Airlines

Argyle

Note from C,C.:

John Doering Sr. is our own witty Jayce, who speaks fluent Chinese and understands every quirky thing I say. Jayce also learns super fast and is lots of fun to work with. 

Congratulations on your LAT debut, dear Jayce!

Jayce
Picture was taken in June 2013 in a hotel in Santa Barbara where Jayce and his wife were enjoying a week of vacation with his son and his family.