Tuesday, September 20 2016, Patti Varol

Theme: Watch Your Step!

17. Adjusted sales figure on which some royalties are based : NET RECEIPTS. SAFETY NET.

28. Wood-finishing tool : BELT SANDER. SAFETY BELT.

37. Brass instrument played like a trumpet : VALVE TROMBONE. SAFETY VALVE.

45. Long, narrow mollusks : RAZOR CLAMS. SAFETY RAZOR.

60. Motto for the cautious ... or a hint to the starts of 17-, 28-, 37- and 45-Across : SAFETY FIRST

Melissa here. Straightforward theme, although I needed 60A to get it. Kept wondering what a VALVET was before the rest of 37A filled in. 

Across 

1. Pilothouse wheels : HELMS. Started off with an unknown - the clue meant nothing to me. A d'oh moment later.

 
6. Sphere in a library : GLOBE
 
11. Cheering syllable : RAH 

14. Use a broom : SWEEP
 
15. Lubricate again : RE-OIL
 
16. Touchdown approx. : ETA

19. Bus. get-together : MTG
 
20. Gentle touch : CARESS
 
21. Letter that opens with a click : EMAIL
 
23. Headache treatment : ASPIRIN
 
26. Concerning, on memos : IN RE. In Regard.
 
27. Seasonal bug : FLU

33. Tennessee senator __ Alexander : LAMAR. Unknown.
 
36. Zoo critter with striped legs : OKAPI

42. "Sure, I'll give you a ride" : GET IN
 
43. Sleep audibly : SNORE

 
50. Hotel divs. : RMS. Rooms.
 
51. Poet Khayyám : OMAR
 
52. Place for meditation : YOGA MAT
 
55. Intense personality : TYPE A
 
57. Response to a clever put-down : OH SNAP!
 
59. Actress Hagen : UTA. Learning moment.

65. Washington MLBer : NAT. Washington Nationals.
 
66. Mount in Exodus : SINAI
 
67. Lucky break : FLUKE
 
68. Genetic info letters : DNA
 
69. Seagoing mil. training group : NROTC. Naval Reserve Officers Training Corp.
 
70. Spine-tingling : EERIE   

Down

1. QVC rival : HSN. Home Shopping Network.
 
2. Baaing mom : EWE
 
3. Tennis do-over : LET

 4. Gracias, across the Pyrenees : MERCI
 
5. Hurled weapon : SPEAR
 
6. "The Heart of the Matter" novelist Graham : GREENE

7. Hawaiian floral rings : LEIS
 
8. "Uh-oh!" : OOPS
 
9. Stand-up routine : BIT


 
10. Besides : ELSE
 
11. Send back, as to a lower court : REMAND 

12. Clothing : ATTIRE
 
13. "Marvelous" Marvin of boxing : HAGLER
 
18. Bed with high sides : CRIB
 
22. Yellow "Despicable Me" character : MINION
 
23. CIO partner : AFL
 
24. Balkan native : SLAV
 
25. Shoe company with a cat in its logo : PUMA
 
29. Doone of Exmoor : LORNA

 
30. Ref's ruling : TKO. Technical Knock Out.
 
31. Retired newsman Donaldson : SAM
 
32. LAPD alerts : APB'S
 
34. 1990s veep : AL GORE
 
35. Camper driver, for short : RV'ER
 
38. And so on: Abbr. : ETC
 
39. Shop __ you drop : TIL
 
40. Par : NORM
 
41. Clever Bombeck : ERMA 

44. Contractor's fig. : EST
 
45. Portly : ROTUND
 
46. "The Joy Luck Club" novelist : AMY TAN
 
47. Mexican revolutionary played by Brando : ZAPATA

48. Word before "Pizza" or "River," in film : MYSTIC
 
49. PlayStation maker : SONY. This was my one wrong entry - tried SE for SEGA. Nope.
 
53. Social faux pas : GAFFE
 
54. Lots and lots : A PILE
 
56. Part of AAA: Abbr. : ASSN
 
57. Point __ return : OF NO
 
58. Qualifying race : HEAT
 
61. __ conditioner : AIR
 
62. Capek's robot play : RUR. Another learning moment.

63. Slide down the slopes : SKI
 
64. Collarless shirt : TEE

Monday, September 19, 2016 Grant Boroughs

Theme: ARR! - I'll be hornswoggled; it's International Talk Like a Pirate Day 2016.

17A. Ship-fouling organisms, on Talk Like a Pirate Day?: BARRNACLES

32A. What kids ask on a long trip, on TLAP Day?: "ARR WE THERE YET?"

38A. Ship's right-front section, on TLAP Day?: STARRBOARD BOW

57A. Cold northern region, on TLAP Day?: THE ARRCTIC

3D. Food storage area, on TLAP Day?: LARRDER

40D. Bill for drinks, on TLAP Day?: BARR TAB

ARRgyle here, matey and we have a new skipper, Cap'n Boroughs. I feels he's done a fine job and if'n ya don't arrgree, you'll hang by your thumbs from the yarrdarm 'tils we get back in port. If you check among the booty, you will find many seafaring entries.

http://fotoforum.fr/photos/2014/02/04.5.jpg

Across:

1. Dangerous wind for small boats: GALE

5. "You're gonna need a bigger boat" movie: JAWS. Completely off-script ad-lib.

9. Barbecue rod: SPIT

13. Actor Sharif: OMAR

14. Verbal exams: ORALS

16. Actress Lollobrigida: GINA

19. Lights-out tune: TAPS

20. Horse hue: ROAN

21. Spyglass component: LENS

23. With 48-Down, mediocre: NOT 48-Down. See 23-Across: SO HOT

24. "Alas ... ": "SADLY..."

26. Cry of fright: [EEK!]

27. Burning: AFIRE

29. Key lime __: PIE

30. Pigpen: STY

31. Story surprises: TWISTS

36. What George Washington could not tell, according to folklore: A LIE

37. Oregon Trail wagon pullers: OXEN

43. Sends to the Hill: ELECTS

45. Agrees to: OKs

46. Wonderment: AWE

47. Wood-shaping tool: LATHE

48. Urgent distress signal: S-O-S

49. When right turns are sometimes permitted: ON RED

51. Tax agcy.: IRS. (Infernal Revenue Service)

52. Dire fate: DOOM

54. Two of a kind: PAIR

55. The color of tropical seas: TEAL

61. "The Sopranos" actress Falco: EDIE

62. Human trunk: TORSO

63. Ring of light: HALO

64. Flatfish sometimes served stuffed: SOLE

65. Recipe amts.: TSPs. (teaspoon)

66. Online auction site: EBAY

Down:

1. Dollop: GOB

2. Doctors' org.: AMA. (American Medical Association)

4. Swashbuckler Flynn: ERROL

5. __ of 6-Down: French heroine: JOAN

6. 5-Down of __: French heroine: ARC. (Joan of Arc)

7. Minnesota's state fish: WALLEYE

8. Like a smooth-sailing clipper ship: SLEEK

9. Rank above cpl.: SGT. corporal/sergeant

10. One tickling the ivories: PIANIST

11. Sitting at the dock of the bay: IN PORT

12. Tries a bite of: TASTES

15. Taxpayer ID: SSN

18. Dissenting vote: NAY

22. Fictional Tom or real-life Diane: SAWYER

24. Massage facility: SPA

25. Balloon filler: AIR

26. Old anesthetic: ETHER

28. Wicked one: FIEND

30. Mixes: STIRS

31. __ Hold 'em: TEXAS. Poker game.

33. Enjoy, as television: WATCH

34. Overjoyed: ELATED

35. Chess castles: ROOKS

38. Shove off: SET SAIL

39. Post-WWII babies: BOOMERS. CSO.

41. Be indebted to: OWE

42. Married: WED

43. Upper crust groups: ELITEs

44. Rio Grande city: LAREDO

49. Rowboat propeller: OAR

50. Specialized market segment: NICHE

53. Giants slugger Mel: OTT

54. All in favor: PROs

56. Director Ang __: LEE

58. Deadly snake: ASP

59. Dockworkers' org.: ILA. (International Longshoremen's Association)

60. Playfully shy: COY

Argyle

Sunday, Sept 18, 2016 Paul Coulter

Theme: "Doctor Hoodoo" - An rhyming syllable is added to the last word of each theme entry.

 

23A. Wimpish newspaper writer? : EDITORIAL WIENIE. Editorial we.

36A. Corleone family member providing free downloads? : SONNY AND SHAREWARE. Sonny and Cher. Sonny is the hot-tempered brother killed by the rival mob.

59A. Succeed after leaving the band? : REAP WHAT YOU SOLO. Reap what you sow.

 

87A. Gardening during karate training? : RAKING IN THE DOJO. Raking in the dough.

103A. Old Aspen music maker? : ROCKY MOUNTAIN HI-FI. Rocky Mountain High.

126A. "The comedian just wasn't funny"? : NOT MY CUP OF TE-HEE. Not my cup of tea.

As the title "Doctor Hoodoo" ("Doctor Who") subtly hints, all the last words go through spelling change before the extra syllable is added. The theme really needs an creative mind to make it happen.

I was in a Vietnamese-style mooncake coma and stalled quite a few times in the solving. I thought the extra syllables might spell out something. Asked Argyle, who said he saw nothing special.

Across:

1. Agcy. that does searches : TSA

4. Curry spice : CUMIN. Also the essential seasoning in Xi'an style shish kabob. Lots of hot red peppers too.

9. Letter-moving gp. : USPO

13. Kind of cookie? : SMART. Sweet clue.

18. Song and dance : RIGAMAROLE. Not a word we often see in grids.

21. Auction cry : SOLD

22. Have second thoughts : WAVER

 25. Patsy's "Ab Fab" pal : EDINA. I only know the city Edina here in MN.

26. Divvy up : ALLOT

27. Bourbon and others: Abbr. : STs

28. Small birds with complex songs : WRENS

29. Fit the facts : ADD UP

30. Home on the range : TEEPEE

32. Mine, in Marseilles : A MOI. Alliteration.

34. Winter Palace resident : TSAR

44. Bowlers, e.g. : HATS

48. Biol. or chem. : SCI

49. With 17-Down, warning cry : IT'S A. 17. See 49-Across : TRAP

50. Heather family shrubs : ERICAs. Learning moment for me.

51. Blew it : ERRED

53. Bermuda Triangle locale: Abbr. : ATL

55. Comes down with : GETS

58. "JAG" spin-off : NCIS

64. Katniss' "Hunger Games" ally : PEETA. Another learning moment.

65. South Carolina river : SANTEE. I only know PEE DEE.

66. Foreword : INTRO

67. Closet concern : MOTH

69. Muddy home : STY

70. Game ragout : SALMI.  Never heard of it. Wiki says this: A salmis is a preparation from classical French cooking. When a roast or sautéed piece of meat is sliced and reheated in sauce, the result is a salmis.

72. Fields who founded Mrs. Fields : DEBBI

74. Carpet manufacturers' contraptions : LOOMS

76. It's generally higher on the hwy. : MPG. Also 14. Highway safety org. since 1980 : MADD

78. Fuzz : LINT

80. Bring up : RAISE

82. Vehicle with caterpillar treads : SNO-CAT. Oh, that's interesting trivia.

85. Jays and Rays : ALERS. Every puzzle needs a few glue entries.

90. Jupiter's wife : JUNO

91. Emperor after Claudius : NERO

92. "Your point being ... ?" : SOO. Not AND,

93. Driver's choice : SEDAN

94. Good-for-nothing : OTIOSE. Not a word I use.

96. PGA part: Abbr. : ASSN

100. __ de coeur: pained outburst : CRI

102. Insignificant : MERE. Not PUNY or TINY.

108. Desolate : LORN

109. Hammett hound : ASTA

110. Soft sweater : ANGORA

115. Ocean ring : ATOLL

119. Champagne buckets, e.g. : ICERS. I guess so.

121. Medicinal amt. : TSP

124. "America's Funniest Home Videos" host : SAGET

125. Craze : MANIA

129. Long-distance commuter's community : EXURB

130. Actress Gershon : GINA

131. Capital on the Danube : BRATISLAVA. Slovakia's capital. Great fill.

132. Japanese-American : NISEI. Or ISSEI.

133. Painful rebuke : SLAP. I thought it might be ET TU.

134. Common thing? : SENSE

135. Came upon : MET

Down:

1. Late October option : TREAT. Felt silly not nailing it.

2. Move furtively : SIDLE

3. Quick : AGILE

4. It's driven : CAR

5. "The Haj" novelist : URIS (Leon)

6. Zoo barrier : MOAT

7. "And how!" : I'LL SAY

8. Just out : NEW

9. Log-in requirements : USER IDS

10. Loudness unit : SONE

11. Statue base : PLINTH. Consonants-heavy.

12. Black Sea port : ODESSA

13. One on the stand : SWEARER. Same letter count as WITNESS.

 

15. All fired up : AVID

16. Eye care solution brand : RENU

 

19. Crowning : ATOP

20. Tiny particles : MOTES

24. "Forget it!" : I WON'T

31. Daybreak goddess : EOS

33. Printemps period : MAI. May. Printemps is also a huge department store in Paris. I got this double-layered chiffon top there at the end of last century. Gosh, been so many years. It still fits nicely. The colors probably confuse D-Otto.

35. Chariot-riding god : ARES

37. Sweet Sixteen org. : NCAA

38. Capone colleague : NITTI

39. Starch-producing palm tree : SAGO

40. Press release? : WINE. Great clue.

41. Online security feature : ACCESS CODE. Great fill.

42. "Something to Talk About" singer : RAITT (Bonnie)

43. Bacon serving? : ESSAY. Francis Bacon.

44. Half a matched set : HERs

45. Atlas stat : AREA

46. Like some organisms modified in labs : TRANSGENIC. Got via crosses.

47. Anatomical walls : SEPTA. Plural of septum.

52. Fixates (on) : DWELLS

54. "Casino Royale" Bond girl Vesper __ : LYND. Played by Eva Green. This girl might be Splynter's type.

56. 20th-century blight victim : ELM

57. Item on a belt : TOOL

60. Spherical opening? : HEMI. Not ATMO.

61. "SNL" castmate of Ferrell and Gasteyer : OTERI

62. Name of eight popes : URBAN

63. Pulitzer-winning Ferber novel : SO BIG. Nailed it.

64. Calls : PHONES

68. Baloney, to Brits : TOSH. I thought it's BOSH.

71. As to : IN RE

73. Sister of Osiris : ISIS

75. Data transmitter : MODEM

76. Very important : MAJOR

77. Demotion in 2006 news : PLUTO

79. Bluejacket : TAR.  I did not know "bluejacket" means sailor, Spitzboov!

81. Methuselah's father : ENOCH

83. A bit cracked : AJAR

84. Color quality : TONE

86. Hornswoggle : ROOK.  Is "Hornswoggle" a word you use in your daily life?

88. Zen riddle : KOAN

89. Doughnuts, shapewise : TORI

91. Captain of the Nautilus : NEMO

95. Class guides : SYLLABI

97. Astronomer's aid : STAR MAP

98. Pert : SASSY

99. It might be picked : NIT

101. "__ tree falls ... " : IF A

104. Circular gaskets : O RINGS

105. Straighten out : UNCOIL

106. Simple life some strive to get back to : NATURE. It feels good to be off line one day a week.

107. Tech. schools : INSTs

111. Highlands native : GAEL

112. Early Irish alphabet : OGHAM. Maybe Irish Miss knows. Never heard of it.

113. "Still Me" memoirist : REEVE (Christopher)

114. Bothered big-time : ATE AT

115. "Right on!" : AMEN

116. Curbside call : TAXI

117. Responsibility : ONUS

118. Old Italian capital : LIRE

120. Italian hot spot : ETNA

122. Cross : SPAN

123. Kitties : POTS

127. It has an eye on television : CBS. Simple in retrospect.

128. "Shame on thee!" : FIE. This clue makes me smile.

C.C. 

Saturday, Sep 17th, 2016, Mark Diehl

Theme: None

Words: 66 (missing Q,X,Z)

Blocks: 27

 This is my first puzzle from Mark Diehl, and when I checked, his last and only two contributions to the LA Times were both Saturday constructions, both before my blogging time.  See here and here.  With no experience to go on, I simply plugged away at any clues I might have had a shot at.  Some proper names slowed me down, and ultimately, I had to cheat for one cel with red-letters.  Dang.  Big chunky corners, two 12-letter spanners and two 10-letter climbers;

26a. Formulation in Newton's "Principia" : LAW OF GRAVITY - I knew what we were looking for, but I waited to see where the word "GRAVITY" would fall

See "The Law" @ 2:05

35a. Height is an exception to it : "I" BEFORE "E" RULE - Height, weight, eight - yeah, it's wEIrd.  More of a guideline, really

15d. "Paradise Lost" style : BLANK VERSE - I did not know anything about this style; it has no rhyme, but a steady meter

21d. One whose business is growing : DIRT FARMER - I filled in the "FARMER" part, and waited.  Basically a poor farmer.  We have lots of sod farms here on L.I., and after harvest, it looks like they're in the dirt farming business

dOwNWARD gravity~!

ACROSS:

1. Studio department : CASTING - I contemplated "COSTUME", and that would have been 100% 42% correct

8. Fills with mortar, as tile : GROUTS - don't tell me - I just finished my bathroom, which I built from the plumbing up; I happen to like tiling, as opposed to just installing a plastic surround.  Here's a pic; I noticed that "Picasa" is no longer - it's all about Pinterest now

14. Invite : ASK OVER - and they consistently, politely decline....

15. Traditional slow cooker : BEAN POT

16. 1963 Best Actor : POITIER

17. '70s-'80s sitcom roommate : LAVERNE - ah, yes, the other one was Shirley - and Lenny was their friend, played by Michael McKean, who played David St. Hubbins of Spinal Tap fame

18. "By all means!" : "INDEED~!"

19. Central California county : MARIPOSA - the second half was perps, the first half a WAG about a place that I seemed to have heard of before

20. Contract details : TERMS - oops, not ITEMS

21. Slips on : DONS

22. Put down : LAID

23. Latin I word : AMO

24. Pen output : OINK - I did not know which "pen" this was; the writer's ( BOOK, e.g. ) or the farm one; it was the latter

25. __ warning : EARLY - I had -A-L- and thought it was "FALSE" - but FASLE looked wrong....

30. Jokingly : IN SPORT - ooops, not 'in sHort'

31. "Coming Out of the Dark" singer : ESTEFAN - Gloria, half perps and WAGs

37. Stylish beach resorts : LIDOS

40. Sanctuary part : APSE - ah, but which the part of the church~? APSE or NAVE~?

41. Eponymous 2001 album : J.Lo

42. MBA subject : ECON - good WAG on my part

43. Part of a name on the 1989 album "Dr. Feelgood" : CRÜE - Nailed it - I can't help it - these guys defined the whole 80's big hair thing, and the music was good, too.  In fact, the first puzzle Mark Diehl had for the LA Times featured "TEN SECONDS" as an answer - and here's Mötley Crüe's version

44. Congo jungle denizen : CHIMP

46. Sprint and others : TELECOMS - I went with TELCOMS, and found it too short

48. Ice cream baron William : DREYER

49. NSA home : Ft. MEADE

50. "You had your chance!" : "TOO LATE~!"

51. Certain permit holder : LEARNER - driving permits

52. Pitching pro? : AD WOMAN - ooh, nice gender misdirection.

this is one gorgeous ad woman

53. Mahmoud's PLO predecessor : YASSER

54. Lose freshness : GO STALE

DOWN:

1. First person indicator : CAPITAL I

2. Without dissent : AS ONE MAN

3. Rundown areas : SKID ROWS - Ironically, I thought this was SKI related, but it certainly helped to correctly guess the first 3 letters

4. Revered emblem : TOTEM - popular lately

5. Brown is one of them : IVIES - I knew where this was going, but was reluctant to fill in "IVIES"

6. Triage basis : NEED

7. Lab warning : Grr - the LABrador breed

8. First, second and third : GEARS - and many more, depending on the car.  My crappy work van has a hard time getting out of second gear; I have to get to 42mph.  Reminds me of this song

9. Norah's dad : RAVI - it took a moment to remember Norah Jones' dad is Ravi Shankar;  her Wiki

10. Like solitaire : ONE-PLAYER

11. Hue and cry : UPROAR

12. Uvula neighbor : TONSIL

13. Regular : STEADY

19. Bart Simpson's grandma : MONA - I dredged this one up from the cerebral depths

24. No gentle giant : OGRE

25. Novel ending : ETTE - novelette; I submitted a short story to Dan's Papers Literary Contest, but I didn't win - read more here,  Sep 9th issue, pg 32

27. First book of the Great Plains trilogy : OPIONEERS - no clue, and the "P" was "H" for my first guess

28. Key chain attachments : FOBS

29. "Say no more" : "I SEE."

32. Roller coaster named for a mountain : FUJIYAMA - mostly perps and a WAG - not a big roller-coaster fan

33. Like some storage shelves : ALL METAL - and F%*&ing heavy when they ship thru UPS

34. Wetsuit material : NEOPRENE - nailed it - big help in the SE

36. Sonata, e.g. : OPUS - toyed with "AUTO", since it's a Hyundai

37. Heave : LET FLY

38. Summer beverage : ICE TEA - I've come to accept the missing "D"; look away, Tin~!

39. Middle Eastern stuffed vegetable dishes : DOLMAS - ah, yes, I've had them, and they're good - I get the vine leaf stuffed with rice

43. Software whiz : CODER

44. They're often involved in murders : CROWS

45. Serf of Sparta : HELOT

47. Mr. Peanut trademark : CANE

48. Doofus : DODO

50. Touch and go? : TAG - the game - "you're IT~!"

Splynter

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