Friday, September 16, 2016, Mark McClain

Title: Has anybody seen my T?

Mark is back for his eighth LAT of the year and second this month. I have not had him on a Friday since August 2015. This time we have four starter words in phrases all containing the sound o͞ot derived from the letters "UTE" and Mark then removes the "T" and uses the resulting o͞o sound to select words which will combine with the rest of the phrase to make a new phrase clued wackily. Easier to see than explain. Two are the first word, two are the last word, the only outlier is MAGIC LUTE which maintains the spelling "ute"unlike the other three. We also have no hint or reveal, so you have to 'hear' the gimmick to find the theme. We do have some fresh fill like BLOW BY,  SAY BOO (BUTE?),  RED CAP,  DEUCES, DAYTONA, WHITNEY,  ORCHARD and TIDIEST. On with the show...

20A. Number on some beer bottles? : BREW STRENGTH (12). Brute strength. Craft beer tends to be very strong.

35A. Washateria wear? : LAUNDRY SHOE (11). Laundry chute. We have garbage chutes here.

42A. Musical work played where Brits go? : LOO CONCERTO (11). Lute concerto.

59A. Smokeless chimney duct? : THE MAGIC FLUE (12). The magic flute.

Across:

1. Shot in the dark : STAB. My favorite Shot In The Dark

5. Mild expletive : DANG.

9. Contraction used with "up" : WHAT'S. Doc.

14. Confining room : CELL.

15. River originating in Manchuria : AMUR. I wonder how many remember this river from the Wednesday the 7th puzzle.

16. Assails : HAS AT.

17. Woodstock performer before Joan : ARLO. I will not repeat my comments about this performance. Joan Baez was awesome.

18. Sci-fi guru : YODA. And  47A. Sci-fi craft : POD.

19. Rodeo maker : ISUZU. I still miss Joe.

23. Make even the slightest comment : SAY BOO. I do not want to hear a word, not even Boo!

24. Hall of Famer Musial : STAN. Stan the man; I was lucky enough to have watched him and Ted Williams, Mickey Mantle and so many more.

25. Some suits, briefly : VPS.

28. Egg foo __ : YUNG. Some HISTORY.

30. Depot worker : REDCAP. Train depot; bus depot?

32. Flight regulatory org. : FAA.

38. "__ turca: allegretto": Mozart rondo : ALLA. A second helping of Mozart.

40. "Is that __?" : A NO. Yes.

41. Floor option : TILE.

48. Exotic journey : SAFARI. Zambia.

49. Kennel calls : YIPS.

51. Terrestrial wiggler : EFT. The clue is open, but it is the juvenile stage of a newt.

52. Storm sound : CLAP. Of thunder.

55. Jefferson bills, slangily : DEUCES. LINK.

61. Courts in some hotels : ATRIA.

64. Bend for a swan, maybe : PLIE.

65. Woodworking tool : FILE. Last week I had rasp.

66. Contemporary of Beethoven : WEBER. This MAN.

67. Trouser parts : LEGS.

68. Chatted with online : IM-ED.

69. Quirky : WEIRD.

70. 2015 World Series-winning manager Ned : YOST. No relation to 1960's Tiger third baseman Eddie Yost.

71. Much of the MTV generation : XERS.

Down:

1. Natural skin protection : SCABS. Protection?

2. __ firma : TERRA.  The dry land on Earth. Latin.

3. Way in the back, often : ALLEY.

4. Pass easily : BLOW BY. Appropriate next to...

5. Prestigious NASCAR venue : DAYTONA.

6. Lima love : AMOR.

7. Many Renoirs : NUDES.

8. Foster __: sunglasses brand : GRANT.

9. Self-titled 1987 pop album : WHITNEY.

10. Diner concoction : HASH.

11. Phil Mickelson's alma mater: Abbr. : ASU. Arizona State University. Phil won a PGA tournament while still a student. The STORY. 25 years ago.

12. Toon devil : TAZ.

13. "The Simpsons" disco guy : STU.

21. Subject of an evil negotiation : SOUL.

22. "Dumb and Dumber" actress : GARR. No recollection of her in that movie.

25. Parental control device : V-CHIP.

26. Italian soccer great Rossi : PAOLO. This football STAR.

27. Dash datum : SPEED.

29. Tortilla chip topper, informally : GUACamole.

31. It's not observed in P.R. : DST. Daylight Savings Time.

32. Pseudo : FALSE.

33. "Half __ is ... " : A LOAF. Is better than a single croissant. Not to be confused with....

34. On high : ALOFT.

36. San Antonio-to-Dallas dir. : NNE.

37. Small craft : DORY. All you need to KNOW.

39. Picasso's here : ACA.

43. Picking site : ORCHARD.Not your nose.

44. Giza's river : NILE.

45. Like the maximum sum : TIDIEST. Odd clue/fill but we all have heard of having a tidy sum.

46. Multinational energy gp. : OPEC. Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries

50. Less, when added? : SUFFIX. My favorite clue.

53. To an adequate degree : AMPLY.

54. __ diet : PALEO. A diet based on the types of foods presumed to have been eaten by early humans, consisting chiefly of meat, fish, vegetables, and fruit, and excluding dairy or grain products and processed food. wiki.

56. Versifier's weather : CLIME. This is used to rhyme with time and sublime in the psalms.

57. Calculus pioneer : EULER. Do you math wizzes find Euler fun? Here is a LINK that I found amusing.

58. Origins : SEEDS. Nice clue/fill.

59. Echelon : TIER.

60. Touring jobs : GIGS.

61. "What a darling baby!" : AWW. My girls, Harper will be one year old in 12 days...amazing.

62. Golfer's support : TEE.

63. Cred for bringing someone home : RBI. Cred tells you this is going to be an abbreviation.

Mark is one of the constructors who does stop by so let him know what you think. He made my mind jump all over the place and slid in a few really hard combinations, but  in the end it felt smooth, now if I could only think of a phrase that works with CUTE/COO. Loved the Mozart. Thanks all, Lemonade out.

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to our witty D-Otto (Tom)! Like Argyle, Tom never failed to give me quick and reliable feedback on an iffy crossword entry or clear up a confusing Podcast reference. I can't imagine where this blog would be without his and TTP's guidance a few years ago. Thanks for always being here, Tom!

 

Thursday, September 15th 2016 C.C. Burnikel

Theme: Scrubbing Bubbles - the circles all contain the brand name of a soap, as the reveal neatly explains:

40A. Speaker's stand ... or what each set of circled squares graphically represents : SOAP BOX

A neat Thursday from C.C. The four soap brands ZEST, DIAL, DOVE and LAVA are found clockwise in the puzzle's circles. I use Irish Spring, but have been known to eat Dove, of course(!) that's the chocolate version.


I was given the nickname "Soapbox" many years ago when I worked for Warner Bros. in London due to my penchant for sounding off on pretty much any subject. A couple of my friends still call me that even though I think I've tamed the "haranguing" beast.

Some fun stuff in the fill, let's go take a look.


Across:

1. Host of "Late Night Joy" : BEHAR. Not exactly a stranger to the soapbox herself.

6. Pennant contest : RACE. C.C. takes precisely two clues to get a baseball reference in!

10. Herbal seed used in smoothies : CHIA

14. Truly impress : AMAZE

15. Screen image or screen idol : ICON

16. Called : RANG. "You rang. M'Lord?"

17. Eleventh hour : LAST SECOND. If it's the last second, that really is taking the eleventh hour down to the wire.

19. Language of Pakistan : URDU

20. Beach toy : KITE

21. "Otello" composer : VERDI

22. She played Jackie on "Nurse Jackie" : EDIE. Actress Falco. Never saw the show myself. She looks a little glum.

23. Age of Reason philosopher : LOCKE. "The mind is furnished with ideas by experience alone" according to John. Serious-looking cove:

25. Short fiction : NOVELLAS. Cunning use of the plural form of "fiction."

27. Sloth and envy : SINS. Deadly ones at that.

29. First name in scat : ELLA

30. Super __ : PAC

33. Words after save or take : A SEAT

36. Afghan capital : KABUL. Three neighbors referenced today - Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.

39. Lamb nurser : EWE

42. Mama bear, in Baja : OSA

43. Sauce made with pine nuts : PESTO Three Food! items one after another across the grid. I don't think I'll be eating all three together though.

45. Roll dipped in wasabi : SUSHI

46. __ cabbage : RED

47. Drawn tight : TAUT

49. Big name in golf clubs : PING. The company started out making a single type of putter. The club actually did "ping" when the ball came off the face, hence the name.

51. Bugs' voice : MEL BLANC.

55. Storied monsters : OGRES. Shrek didn't seem so bad as ogres go. There's always one or two that give a group a bad name.

58. Airline known for tight security : EL AL

59. About : CIRCA

61. Algerian seaport : ORAN. In Arabic وهران Arabic crosswords are solved from right to left, I assume?

63. Humorist Barry : DAVE

64. Unparalleled : ONE AND ONLY

66. Plugging away : AT IT

67. Heated contest, in more ways than one : MEET. Great clue. At an athletics or swim meet. The heats lead to the finals, which lead, hopefully, to a heated contest for the medals. Favorite clue/answer of the day.

68. Aquafina rival : EVIAN. I drink good old Los Angeles Tap.

69. Some skinny jeans : LEES

70. Torah cabinets : ARKS

71. Like a neglected garden : WEEDY

Down:

1. Refuse to, with "at" : BALK. We add an unnecessary "U" in England. Of course we do. I thought C.C. might have snuck in another baseball reference here.

2. Outlook messages : EMAIL. More fun with plural forms the same as the singular.

3. Lacks choices : HAS TO

4. Quetzalcoatl worshipers : AZTECS

5. High-__ image : RES

6. Jasmine __ : RICE Food! I use it when I cook Thai curries, the flavor is a nicely-scented contrast to the curry. If you've got jasmine growing in the garden, pick a couple of the flowers for garnish.

7. Part of an autumn stash : ACORN

8. Many a beach rental : CONDO

9. Bitter green in mixed greens : ENDIVE. This is making me hungry.

10. Fur-loving de Vil : CRUELLA. Delightful character from Disney's "101 Dalmatians"

11. Work that may be imposed with a prison sentence : HARD LABOR

12. 29-state country : INDIA

13. Feverish bouts : AGUES

18. "Still ... " : EVEN SO

24. Honda Fit competitor : KIA SOUL. A little on the boxy side. I've driven a couple recently as rentals from Hertz. They're not exactly the peppiest of cars that I've experienced.

26. Warning sign in the Rockies : ELK XING.

28. High waters : SEAS

30. Abundance in the cheerleading squad : PEP

31. Reverence : AWE

32. Observation with a sigh : C'EST LA VIE

34. Kwik-E-Mart clerk : APU. "The Simpsons" store owner. He's from INDIA originally.

35. Kitchen amt. : TBSP. Three tsps in a tbsp.

37. Take for a sucker : USE

38. Little fellow : LAD

41. Many an Indian fan : OHIOAN. Aha! Baseball is back. The Cleveland Indians.

44. Computers that travel well : TABLETS. My iPad didn't travel very well when I dropped it poolside on vacation in Mexico. I got the screen repaired but it was never the same again.

48. Puget Sound city : TACOMA. I was just on the Puget Sound a couple of weeks ago. Here's a picture from that little jaunt, it was a beautiful day.

50. It's on the record : GROOVE. Quick - how many grooves are there on an average LP?

51. Wartime award : MEDAL

52. Fill with joy : ELATE

53. Forty-__ : NINER. The LA Rams got off to a great start on Monday against the Niners - not.

54. Links hazard : CREEK

56. Banks with a statue at Wrigley Field : ERNIE. Nailed it! Counting three baseball references so far!

57. Course with leaves : SALAD

60. Jazz lovers : CATS

62. Part of a Wall St. address : NY NY "... it's a wonderful town, the Bronx is up and the Battery's down, the people ride in a hole in the ground ...."

65. Meadow drops : DEW

I think that's it from me. I had the pastrami I started (four weeks ago) for dinner last night. Not *quite* as good as Katz's deli on the lower East Side in Manhattan, but close enough! Enjoy your day, everyone.

Steve

Note from C.C.:

Here are a few sweet family photos from Yellowrocks (Kathy). She said:

"While we were down the shore last week, my older son David and his wife Motoko stayed in Wildwood, too. We spent the evenings together going out for delicious seafood. Here are some pics of David, Motoko, Alan and me. Alan is the one with the mustache."

Motoko (David's wife)  & Alan

Yellowrocks, Alan & Motoko

Yellowrocks and son David

David, Yellowrocks and Alan

Wednesday, September 14, 2016 Gail Grabowski and Bruce Venzke

Theme: I'M SO ANGRY I COULD JUST  .  .  .  The second word of common two-word phrases is transformed from a plural noun to a singular verb, which is a synonym for displaying anger.  

20. Tailpipe emission : EXHAUST FUMES.  In the industry, we really do call them tail pipe emissions, as per the clue, but do not get angry if someone wants to use alternative terminology.

28. Tug-of-war injuries : FRICTION BURNS.  Abrasions caused by harshly rubbing the skin against some surface, in this case a rope.  Losing the war adds insult to injury, whicj does nothign good for one's disposition.

42. Hair-smoothing hairs : BRUSH BRISTLES.  When, for example, a cat is disturbed, the hairs of it back will stand upright, hence the reference.  I was surprised that there actually are boar BRISTLE hair brushes, and am chagrined that I did not know this.  How cilia me!   

47. Shellfish cookouts : SEAFOOD BOILS.  Here's a recipe.   Of course, the sea creature most likely to be angry is the crab.

Hi gang, JazzBumpa here.  Hope you're all in a good mood, and nothing in this puzzle perturbs you today.

Down

1. Hershey's toffee bar : SKOR.  Sold in the U. S. since 1981, originally as competition for the Heath bar, which Hershey acquired along with the Leaf candy company in 1996.  Both are still available.

5. Res __ loquitur: the thing itself speaks : IPSA.  Latin.  I'll let our legal scholars expound on context.

9. Online shopping mecca : E-MALL.  A web site that displays catalogues for various suppliers and charges a commission for sales.  Seriously - this is a thing?

14. Chip in a chip : ANTE.   This one baffled me for a while, but sticking with the theme concept of noun-verb interchangeability, we see chip presented first as a verb and then as a noun.

15. Seasonal song : NOEL.  Christmas season.

16. Hunky-dory : A-OKAY.  All systems are go.

17. Start of a knitting project : LOOP. Now Gail and Bruce are just needling us.

18. Prefix with space : AERO-.   The complete word refers to technology and industry related to aviation and space flight.

19. Dry Italian wine : SOAVE.  Meaning pleasant or agreeable, this white wine is from the Veneto region around Verona.

23. Hot state : IRE.  More anger, spilling out from the theme.

24. Beatty/Hoffman box office flop : ISHTAR.  A 1987 action comedy about two inept lounge singers who book a gig in Morocco and stumble into a 4-way cold war standoff.   Widely considered to be one of the worst films ever made.

32. Former fillies : MARES.   Now we're just horsing around.  [See what I did there?]

34. Ready for a refill : EMPTY.  Like a beer glass.

35. Freelancer's email attachment: Abbr. : INV.  A freelancer works by the job, rather than for a specific employer, then sends the client an INVoice.  

36. Glider on runners : SLED.  For fun on a snowy hill.

37. Flowing garments : CAPES.  Short, sleeveless cloaks.

Not always appropriate

38. Sonar signal : BLIP.

39. Word in a bride's bio : NEE.  Referring to her maiden name.

40. Went a-courting : WOOED. 

C'mon Frog; I'll buy you a beer.

41. Two-time US Open winner : SELES.   Monica [b 1973] won 8 grand slam singles titles before her 20th birthday, and was the No. 1 player in the world in 1991 and 1992.

45. Library machine : COPIER.

46. "__ the Walrus" : I AM.  

Stunning low fidelity

54. Medicare prescription drug section : PART D.

57. Pre-coll. : EL-HI.  Elementary and High school come before college.

58. Brandy bottle letters : VSOP.   Very Superior Old Pale, refers to a blended cognac that must be aged in oak casks for no fewer than 3 years.  Most houses age longer than the minimum period.

59. Prospero's servant : ARIEL.  A [non-alcoholic] spirit who had been trapped in a tree, now bound to Prospero, who freed him.  Ariel causes the eponymous tempest in act one of Shakespeare's play.

60. Highest sudoku digit : NINE.  Numbers in rows, columns and boxes.

61. Hip bones : ILIA.  The largest and uppermost bone of the pelvis.

62. Free, in France : LIBRE.   Alas, the puzzle is not free of French.

63. Armoire feature : DOOR.   An armoire is a free-standing wardrobe closet.

64. Counting-out word : EENY.  Meeny, miney  .  .  .

Down

1. Cyber Monday event : SALE.  Marketing ploy in the U. S. to get people to shop on line the Monday after Thanksgiving.

2. Fort with lots of bars : KNOX.  Gold bars, not jail cell bars. 

3. "Then again," in tweets : OTOH.  On The Other Hand  .  .  . she had warts.

4. Fixed : REPAIRED.  Corrected an inoperative condition, quite the opposite of 53D.

5. "Be right with you" : IN A SECond.  

6. Pound, but not ounce : POET.  Ezra [1885-1972] Also a noted racist and fascist sympathizer.  Very complex figure.

7. Medieval laborer : SERF.  The lowest level of feudal society and economics.  [Anyone who is interested can find my thoughts on the topic here.  Caution, though- one cannot delve into the history of economic systems without also considering politics.  That's taboo here, but not at the link.  My ideas might put you in the state of today's theme. Caveat lector. You have been warned.]

8. Six-time All-Star Moises : ALOU.   Baseball player, 4 letters, plug in ALOU and move on.  Coincidentally there are 4 of them: Dad Felipe, and bros. Matty and Jesús. Three letters, it's OTT.

9. Slips past : EASES BY.

10. __ pork: Chinese dish served with pancakes : MOO SHU.  Shredded pork with vegetables and seasonings.

11. Letters often after a perp's name : AKA. Also Known As.

12. Loo : LAV.  Personal comfort station.

13. Corrosive substance : LYE.  Sodium hydroxide [NaOH], and that's the truth.

21. "Exodus" author : URIS.  Leon [1924 - 2003]  The book was published in 1958, and made into  major motion picture in 1960.

22. Money makers : MINTS.  Where currency is manufactured

25. Warbles : TRILLS.   Yes, you can do this on the trombone.

Yeah, I can do this, too

26. Musical set in an orphanage : ANNIE.  Based on the comic strip Little Orphan Annie.

27. Replies to an invite, for short : RSVPs.  Abreviated French, meaning please respond.

28. Make available : FREE UP.

29. "__ coffee?" : TEA OR.  Beverage choices.

30. Louvre Pyramid architect : I M PEI.  [b 1917] Designer of many famous projects throughout the world.

31. Pages with views : OP-EDS.  Located OPposite to the EDitorial page.

32. Rachel Maddow's network : MSNBC.  News, politics and opinion and politics.

33. Final Olds made : ALERO.  Maybe it IS your father's Oldsmobile.

37. Charming snake? : COBRA.  A snake just right for charming, if you have the right skill set.

38. 2007 animated film in which Sting voices himself : BEE MOVIE.   Never saw it, but this is brilliant casting.

40. Coax : WHEEDLE.  Using endearments or flattery - a manipulative ploy.

41. Big chunk : SLAB.  

43. Many a bridesmaid : SISTER.  Sadly COUSIN also has 6 letters.  It's all relative, I guess.

44. Less cluttered : TIDIER.   Neatness, peeps!

48. Shift (for oneself) : FEND.   To provide for or defend oneself.  I'm not getting "shift" as a meaning here.

49. Hodgepodge : OLIO.   Melange.  I'm pretty sure I've never seen "OLIO" outside of a puzzle or this website.

50. "How awful!" : OH NO.  Bad news.

51. Cruise stop : ISLE.   Port of call.

52. Pork choice : LOIN.  Well CHOP also has 4 letters.   The LOIN comes from along the top of the RIB cage.  On which, more later.

53. Do a vet's job : SPAY.  Gender neutralization of your pet.  

54. Chum : PAL.  Buddy, bro, homie, peep.

55. NPR journalist Shapiro : ARI.

56. Bone in a cage : RIB.  See, I wasn't Loin - I mean Lyin', nor was I ribbing you about anatomy.  OTOH, I wanted to come up with a picture of a trombone in a cage - 'cuz, of course I would.  Sadly, the best I could do is these guys behind a wrought iron fence.

The other "Sliders"

Well, that wraps it up.  I had my moment of confusion but am not upset.  Hope the rest of your day keeps you on an even keel.

Cool regards!
JzB

Tuesday, September 13 2016, Neville Fogarty

Theme: A guy walks into a bar ... 

18. How some sloganed T-shirts should be washed : INSIDE OUT. Inside joke. 

 

27. 1998 Bullock/Kidman film involving witchcraft : PRACTICAL MAGIC. Practical joke.

44. Going to the grocery store, the bank, etc. : RUNNING ERRANDS. Running joke.

59. Unsportsmanlike behavior : DIRTY POOL. Dirty joke.

67. Some speeches open with them ... as do this puzzle's four longest entries : JOKES

Melissa here. Got the joke as soon as I had INSIDE OUT and JOKES filled in. A few unknowns but mostly smooth sailing.

Across 

1. Oodles and oodles : SCADS. Started off in the red by entering LOADS here.

6. Airport idlers : CABS. Pictured stranded travelers. 

10. Poetic foot : IAMB. After years of crosswords, this is finally a gimme for me.

14. Kemper of "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" : ELLIE. Who?? Had to look it up to learn about this series, originally on NBC then sold to Netflix.

  

15. Wintry coating : HOAR. The first time I read this word was my senior year in high school, when I was fascinated by the true story of mystery writer Agatha Christie who disappeared for 11 days in December of 1926. Reports were that she was seen after her car broke down, with her hair covered in hoar frost. 

16. Tennis court surface : CLAY

17. Work with a loom : WEAVE

20. Toddler's taboo : NO-NO

21. Ocho minus cinco : TRES. Spanish.

22. More than rotund : OBESE

23. Baltic Sea capital : RIGA

25. RC or Pepsi : COLA. Have to wait for perps to decide - SODA or COLA?

33. Metal-rich deposits : LODES

34. Chicken chow __ : MEIN

35. Catch : NAB

37. Dollar competitor : AVIS. Rental car companies.

38. High in the sky : ALOFT

40. Flag Day month : JUNE

41. Maiden name intro : NEE

42. Clicker's target : ICON. Clicker on a mouse, icon on a computer screen.

43. Not at all excited : BORED

48. Word on a shoppe sign : OLDE

49. Data set average : MEAN

50. "Gone With the Wind" family name : OHARA

53. Uno card : SKIP. Perps to the rescue, haven't played Uno in eons.

55. Knight's weapon : MACE

61. Divided island of Southeast Asia : TIMOR. Needed help with this one, too.

62. Twistable cookie : OREO

63. Ritz-Carlton rival : OMNI

64. Scent : AROMA

65. Chestnut horse : ROAN

66. "And away __!" : WE GO

Down

1. Mended using stitches, with "up" : SEWN

2. Elizabeth Taylor role, informally : CLEO

  

3. Economist Greenspan : ALAN

4. Acts like Elizabeth Taylor? : DIVORCES. Love this clue.

5. "Understand?" : SEE

6. Former French president Jacques : CHIRAC

7. Top-notch : A-ONE

8. Symbol for the lower piano music part : BASS CLEF

9. __ Lanka : SRI

10. Swelling reducer : ICE BAG

11. Medicinal houseplant : ALOE

12. Rodent in a German lab : MAUS. German for mouse. Had no idea.

13. Data unit : BYTE

19. Ken or Daria of financial journalism : DOLAN. Total unknown. Anyone know of this couple?

21. __ Friday's : TGI

24. "__ all good" : IT'S

26. Leave out : OMIT

27. Word after floor or flight : PLAN

28. Mars explorer : ROVER. Cool.

29. "So long!" along the Seine : ADIEU

30. In the middle of : AMONG

31. Preserve, as ashes : INURN

32. Did some wickerwork : CANED. From this website: "Is it Wicker or Cane? Did you know wicker or wicker work is a weaving method not a material?  Wicker work can be accomplished with many types of material, some man made and some natural.  Chair cane is actually the peeled inner skin of the rattan vine...read more...

  

36. Hotel count : BEDS. Prison count, too.

38. Corrosive liquid : ACID

39. In need of a friend : LONESOME

40. Surrealist painter from Barcelona : JOAN MIRO. Learning moment. Recognize some of the art, never knew the artist.

42. Subsurface woodwork decoration : INLAY. The Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, California is known for the hand-inlaid parquet floors.

43. Bikini top : BRA

45. Big name in antivirus software : NORTON

46. Estevez of "The Breakfast Club" : EMILIO. Second from left. 

47. Hollywood agent : REP

50. Scent : ODOR

51. "Big Hero 6" hero : HIRO. Disney movie.

52. Neck of the woods : AREA

54. Classic arcade game Donkey __ : KONG

56. Every which way : AMOK

57. Obedience school command : COME. Tried STAY and HEEL first.

58. Historic periods : ERAS

60. Comics punch sound : POW

61. __ Mahal : TAJ

Monday, September 12, 2016 Brock Wilson

Theme: 2 by 6 - Six theme entries that start with the same two letters.

16A. Crustacean catcher: LOBSTER POT

25A. Weapon in Clue: LEAD PIPE

42A. Slip for a tardy student: LATE PASS

55A. Decorator's wall prettifier: LATEX PAINT

10D. Backyard bash: LAWN PARTY

32D. Keats or Byron, e.g.: LYRIC POET

55D. Collectors' albums ... and a hint to six puzzle answers: LP's

Argyle here. Quantity over quality. A simple two letter theme(but six of them) with a grid that is compartmentalized makes this a stiff Monday. This Brock's third puzzle and perhaps his most complex yet. Not very many names which will make some happy. With LP's as the unifier, I should find some album songs to post. Update: I didn't find much.

Across:

1. Is blessed with, as talent: HAS

4. Creator of Finn and Sawyer: TWAIN, Mark.

9. Leave rolling in the aisles: SLAY

13. That, in Spain: ESA

14. "Olde" store: SHOPPE

15. Ring over an angel: HALO

18. Out of town: AWAY

19. Intent: PURPOSE

20. OB/GYN procedure: AMNIO. (amniocentesis)

21. Hiding spot for a cheater's ace: SLEEVE

22. Put off bedtime: STAY UP, but after 4 hours....

27. Brewery product: ALE

30. "Defending our rights" org.: ACLU. (American Civil Liberties Union)

33. Electrified atoms: IONs

34. Scans for injured athletes, briefly: MRIs. (Magnetic Resonance Imaging)

35. __ Mawr College: BRYN. Welsh for "big hill".

36. Piece of pizza: SLICE

37. To-do list entry: ITEM

38. Worse-than-one's-bite quality: BARK

39. Online TV giant: HULU. Any users?

40. Since, in a holiday song: SYNE

41. Fifi's friend: AMI

45. Like the Arctic, compared to most of the planet: COLDER

47. Two-base hit: DOUBLE

51. Debate issue: TOPIC

53. Illness characterized by a red rash: MEASLES

54. Soon, to a bard: ANON

58. Subtle look: PEEK

59. Lion groups: PRIDES

60. Former AT&T rival: GTE.  formerly General Telephone & Electric Corporation (1955–1982)

61. Former fast planes: SSTs. formerly SuperSonic Transport

62. Unemotional: STOIC

63. Bladed gardening tool: HOE. Ah, groundbreaking invention.

Down:

1. Makes a difference: HELPS

2. "I won't tell __!": A SOUL

3. Buffalo hockey player: SABRE

4. Title venue for Hemingway's old man: THE SEA. If you meant, like me, to read it, well, here it is. The Old Man and the Sea.

5. Sported: WORE

6. Kindle download: APP

7. Wall St. debut: IPO. (initial public offering (IPO) first time that the stock of a private company is offered to the public)

8. Volleyball barrier: NET

9. SeaWorld star: SHAMU

11. Jai __: ALAI

12. String-around-your-finger toy: YOYO. Toy of the moment.

14. Cooking appliance: STOVE

17. Explore caves: SPELUNK. "cave, cavern," c.1300, from Old French spelonque or directly from Latin spelunca "a cave, cavern, grotto," from Greek spelynx (genitive spelyngos). An adjective, speluncar "of a cave" is recorded from 1855. ~ Online Etymology Dictionary.

20. Sailor's word of obedience: AYE

22. Information that ruins the ending: SPOILER

23. Costner/Russo golf film: TIN CUP. ¡Golfers!

24. Basilica recess: APSE

26. Water down: DILUTE

28. Bank claim: LIEN

29. Salinger's "With Love and Squalor" girl: ESME

30. Palindromic pop group: ABBA.  No links to albums allowed.

31. Study all night: CRAM

34. Pageant title with 51 contestants (the 50 states plus D.C.): MISS USA

36. Roe source: SHAD

42. Partners' legal entity: Abbr.: LLC. (limited liability company)

43. Madison Ave. bigwig: AD EXEC

44. Most TV "operas": SOAPS. Remember this one?

46. Sounds from sties: OINKS

48. "Mutiny on the Bounty" captain: BLIGH

49. Slow movement: LENTO

50. Perfumer Lauder: ESTÉE

51. Four-note lights-out tune: TAPS

52. Singles: ONEs

53. Prefix with care: MEDI

56. Gallery collection: ART

57. Chihuahua uncle: TIO

               Chihuahua City, Chihuahua State, Mexico.

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to dear Steve, who's blogged for us from all over the world. Has any of you ever tried his mayo recipe? So simple. So delicious. I halved everything the second time, as I could not use up the amount the first time. How long do you keep yours, Steve? One article I read suggests that home-made mayo is good for 3 days.