Thursday, November 5th 2015 Gerry Wildenberg

Theme: Instrumentals - three four-letter music-makers hidden in the theme entries

17A. What a party crasher may get : CHILLY RECEPTION. You get frozen out of conversations and given the cold shoulder.

27A. 19th-/20th-century South African conflicts : ANGLO-BOER WARS. I knew the Boer Wars, I didn't realize the official name included the Anglo bit.

49A. Horror movie characters : LAB ASSISTANTS. Drinking green fuming solutions or stitching together stolen body parts. Cheerful characters, generally.

65A. Film score component, and a hint to words hidden in 17-, 27- and 49-Across : INCIDENTAL MUSIC. Horror movie lab assistants often get a healthy dose of this.

Cue music "Dah dah DAH!"

Morning! Simple enough theme (and a bit of a horror movie mini-theme) today. I'm not sure if I missed something terribly subtle and clever with this puzzle; if I did it went way over my head. A couple of grid spanners, two 13's and a lot of shorter stuff gives us this 78-worder. Let's see what else pops out.

Across:

1. Luxurious : POSH. Hmm. Not sure about this definition of posh. Dressy, upper-class, hoity-toity social circles say "posh" to me.

5. Decorative bedroom item : SHAM. Do Hormel make throws? Spam shams?

9. As such : PER SE. When Thomas Keller, chef and owner of The French Laundry in the Napa Valley was opening his new restaurant in New York, he didn't have a name for it until he realized he kept saying that "it wasn't going to be like The French Laundy, per se". So he called it Per Se.

14. Morales of "Jericho" : ESAI

15. Improbable : TALL. Like a tale or a story.

16. Without stopping : ON END

20. French room : SALLE. I tried SALON first which needed correcting later on.

21. Signifies : MEANS

22. Nuggets' org. : N.B.A. Denver's pro basketball team.

23. Air traveler's concern, briefly : E.T.A. Usually at least half-an-hour later than scheduled in my experience.

25. Mil. group that "teaches you to lead" : R.O.T.C.

33. "Stupid me!" : DOH! Homer Simpson's favorite exclamation.

34. Unlikely prom king : NERD

35. Chocolate-covered caramel treats : ROLOS

38. Starting from : AS OF

40. Event with arguments : TRIAL

43. Habit : WONT

44. NFL's winningest coach : SHULA. Don Shula had 347 victories, 71 with the Baltimore Colts and the remainder with the Miami Dolphins. He also coached the Dolphins to the NFL's only perfect season in 1972 with a 17-0-0 record.

"This isn't one of our plays. In fact I've no idea what it means, either"

46. In the way indicated : THUS

48. Support : AID

53. Jog : TROT

54. Petty with hits : TOM. His band, the Heartbreakers, helped a little too.

55. Shindigs : DOS

58. Occupied : IN USE

61. Shows of crowd approval : ROARS

68. "Sweeney __ the Nightingales": Eliot poem : AMONG. Crosses for me. A happy tale of murder and deceit, apparently.

Apeneck Sweeney spread his knees

Letting his arms hang down to laugh,

The zebra stripes along his jaw

Swelling to maculate giraffe.

69. Newbie : TYRO

70. Italian meat sauce : RAGÙ. Food! Ragù alla bolognese is a well-known variety.

Mmmmm - Spam-free

71. Do not disturb : LET BE

72. Promote : SELL

73. Inbox clogger : SPAM. Food? Named for the Monty Python sketch where a diner featured Spam, usually unwanted, in every dish.

Down:

1. Lats relatives : PECS. Your back muscles, the latissimus dorsi, and your chest muscles, the pectoralis major. Anatomy class dismissed.

2. Workplace welfare agcy. : O.S.H.A. I've stopped thinking of this an an abbreviation. Occupational Health and Safety Administration to give it it's official name.

3. Caravel mover : SAIL. Does the sail move the ship or does the wind do it? Discuss.

4. Jewish campus organization : HILLEL. No clue, but the Beth Hillel Temple is just down the street from me which gave me a hint as to what this might be.

5. Mess of a place : STY

6. Hurt : HARM

7. Out of the wind : ALEE. See what good your sails do you when you're out of the wind.

8. Celtics coach before Rick Pitino : M.L. CARR. Complete unknown for me. Boston's NBA coach from 1995-1997. He made a bit of a hash of the last year, leading the Celtics to their all-time worst season record of 15-67. Oops.

9. Lady Gaga, for one : POP STAR. And quite the diva. I love her music and theatrics. She's a great talent.

10. Tolkien forest creature : ENT. The good three-letter Lord of the Rings thing. The bad LOTR three-letter thing is an orc.

11. Trigger guide : REIN. Fun clue. Trigger was stuffed and used to be on display at a museum in Missouri. When the museum closed, Trigger fetched over $250,000 at auction.

"Don't worry, I'm eating my bedding. Makes me cheaper to stuff when the time comes"

12. Uppity type : SNOB

13. "Giant" author Ferber : EDNA

18. Give away : LET ON

19. Sufficient, to Shakespeare : ENOW

"If we are mark'd to die, we are enow
To do our country loss; and if to live,
The fewer men the greater share of honour." 
-  King Henry V. 

24. Provide the bank layout to, say : ABET

26. Brag : CROW

27. Court figs. : A.D.A.S Assistant District Attorney(s)

28. Snack : NOSH

29. Horror movie character : GHOUL. More incidental music fodder. Wooo eeee oooo ooooooo ...

30. Hockey legend : ORR

31. Polishes in publishing : EDITS

32. Memorial __ Kettering: NYC hospital : SLOAN

36. Sleep __ : ON IT

37. EPA issuances : STDS. The Environmental Protection Agency publishes standards for clean air, water and what-not.

39. Uninspired : FLAT

41. Tuna type : AHI

42. Unbridled desire : LUST. Or what happens to Trigger when you take his reins off?

45. Shorten : ABRIDGE

47. Assault : STORM. No horror movie is complete without villagers, pitchforks, torches and a good old-fashioned evil house-storming.

"Let us in! We want to see Igor!"

50. First-rate : A-ONE

51. Double exposures? : STUNTS

52. Affairs of the heart : AMOURS

55. Dashboard feature : DIAL

56. "I'll pay" : ON ME

57. 2013 Wimbledon champ Andy Murray, e.g. : SCOT. Aye. Rumor has it he keeps his balls in a sporran.

59. Eye problem : STYE

60. Title outranking viscount : EARL. Outranked in turn by a Marquess. Someone's always one-upping you in the peerage stakes unless you happen to be King.

62. Memo letters : ASAP. Everyone's always in a hurry.

63. Capital west of Moscow : RIGA. Capital of Latvia on the Baltic Sea. Nice looking place. Google Maps tells me it's 573 miles from Moscow and it takes about 11 hours to drive.

That's one lovely railway station.

64. Bathtub buildup : SCUM. Eww.


66. Bach's "Mass __ Minor" : IN B. He wrote a bunch of masses in all sorts of keys (F major, A major, G major, G minor) but they were short masses. The B Minor mass was the only full-length one.

67. Texter's "What a riot!" : LOL. Laughing Out Loud.

Have a great Thursday. Happy Guy Fawkes' Day to Nice Cuppa and any other Brits on the blog - "Remember, remember the fifth of November, gunpowder treason and plot".

Steve

Oh, and here's the grid:

Wedneday, November 4, 2015 Kurt Krauss

Theme:  DUPES.  The first word of each theme answer is a synonym for some kind of easily targeted victim.  

16 A. *Sneaky blow : SUCKER PUNCH.  A SUCKER is a gullible or easily deceived person.  The related PUNCH is a cowardly hit, often from behind, delivered to an unsuspecting opponent.  

55 A. *Peanuts : CHUMP CHANGE.  A CHUMP is a foolish or easily deceived person.  CHUMP CHANGE, aka peanuts, is an insignificant amount of money.  But, insignificant to whom?  YMMV.

10 D. *Place for brooding : PIGEON COOP.  Nice word play.  Brooding is the hatching of birds' eggs, and, in another context, thinking deeply about some troublesome matter.  A PIGEON is someone easily swindled, or the victim of a con man.  Cf Bernie Madoff.

26 D. *"Walkin' After Midnight" singer : PATSY CLINE. Ms Cline provides our theme song.  

A PATSY is someone taken advantage of, either by cheating or taking the blame for something. Again, YMMV, but for my money this is the only theme answer that really closely corresponds to the unifier fill.

35 A. Easy mark ... and a hint to the starts of the answers to starred clues : FALL GUY.   A scapegoat.   I don't really see a FALL GUY as an easy mark for a swindle - though all the other theme entries do fit that description.  So the whole thing seems a bit askew to me.  Or am I being too persnickety?

Hi Gang - JzB here, taking the FALL on another Wednesday.   My nits aside, this is a nicely constructed puzzle, with a pinwheel theme arrangement and the unifier in the middle.   Let's take a spin and see what else we can uncover.

Across

1. See-through kitchen supply : SARAN. Polyvinylidene chloride [PVDC] was discovered accidentally in 1933.  It makes a great kitchen wrap because of it's low permeability, even in a thin layer.  So it preserves freshness by keeping flavor in and moisture and oxygen out

6. Mythical king of the Huns : ATLI.  This guy, also known as Atilla, was a very real leader of the Huns in the mid-5th century.  He does appear as ATLI in Norse mythology hundreds of years later.

10. Kitchen spray : PAM.   Comes in 8 varieties.

Non-stick stuff

13. Flared dress : A-LINE.

Shaped like an A

14. Ancient Greek theater : ODEUM.  I thought it was ODEON.  Needed perp help.

15. Land in l'océan : ILE.  A French island.

18. Some kitchen appliances : GEs.  General Electric products.

19. Did a slow burn : SMOLDERED.

20. Passengers in flight, often : USERS.  I haven't flown in many years.  Can you use your electronic devices in the air?

22. Cyberspace marketplace : EBAY.

23. Snobbish : SNOOTY.   Said of those who look down their noses.

24. Chopper : COPTER.   

Lift and thrust supplied by rotors

27. Mount Hood's state : OREGON.

Things to do there

29. Prominent periods : ERAs.  History.

30. Keep the censor busy : SWEAR.  Use bleepable language.

31. The NBA's Kevin Love, e.g. : CAV.  I recognize the name, but not being up on NBA players didn't know if he was a CAValier or a MAVerick.

34. Alternative to dis? : DAT.  For this and THAT.  Pretty lame entry.

37. Dressing ingredient : OIL.  From olives, vegetables or seeds.

38. High rails : ELs.  ELevated trains, as in Chicago.

39. Bassoon cousins : OBOES.   Both are double reed instruments.

40. Vending machine buy : SODA.  

41. "Absolutely!" : YOU BET.   For sure!

43. Kicked off the flight : BUMPED.   So your seat can be given to someone more important.  Another reason not to fly.

45. Well-protected : SECURE.

47. Sweater outlet? : PORE.  Not a discount clothing store.  The opening in your skin from which perspiration exudes. 

48. Island nation near Sicily : MALTA.   Not YALTA, on the mainland of Crimea.

49. Get in the game : SEE ACTION.  Players who are not starters often get to SEE ACTION at some point in the game.

54. Form 1040 calc. : AGI.  Adjusted Gross Income.

57. Nickelodeon pooch : REN.  Along with Stimpy, who is alleged to be a cat.

REN is on the left

58. Spine-tingling : EERIE.  We should be safe now that we're past Halloween.

59. Hawaii or Alaska, on many a map : INSET.

60. Number before quattro : TRE.  French? Italian?  Why is "number" in English?

61. Editor's "Let it stand" : STET.   Ignore any correction or alteration.

62. Hoopster Archibald and rapper Dogg : NATES.  I'll admit I don't know these guys.  I had NATE Silver last Wednesday and resisted the urge to link to the song I composed and arranged for my grandson of the same name.  This time I'm FALLing for it.

Schoolcraft Jazz Band Chicago Tour - Spring, 2011

Down

1. Back talk : SASS. Rude and impudent.

2. Homecoming guest : ALUM.   One who graduated from the place of interest.

3. Affluent, in Andalusia : RICO.    Rich in Spanish.

4. Low socks : ANKLETS.

Low down high fashion

5. (If) required : NEED BE.

6. Together, musically : A DUE.  Literally, for two, from the Italian.  Taken to mean all the players with a given part, such as the first violins.  They often sit two to a stand, but that might just be a coincidence.

7. Watch over : TEND.   As livestock, children or a bar.

8. Director Jean-__ Godard : LUC.  Of whom I know nothing.  With the mythic ATLI, the cross became my natick.  Misspelling ODEON didn't help, either.  

9. "Can't wait to eat!" : I’M HUNGRY.

11. Watchful : ALERT.

12. Embarrassing, as a situation : MESSY.  

14. Nashville attraction : OPRY.   It's grand.  And old.

17. Bring up : REAR.   As children.

21. Great Lakes' __ Canals : SOO.  Located along the St. Mary's river between the upper peninsula of Michigan and Ontario, Canada, the canals connect Lakes Superior and Huron.

Bypasses a 21 foot drop

23. 10-time All-Pro linebacker Junior : SEAU.

24. Hand over : CEDE. As territory, to a superior force.

25. Taken by mouth : ORAL.  As medication.

27. Young hooter : OWLET.   An owl hatchling.  What were you thinking?

28. Rules, briefly : REGS.   Regulations.

30. __ gin fizz : SLOE.   The SLOE is the drupe of the blackthorn bush.   SLOE gin is made by soaking the drupe either in actual gin or cheaper grain neutral spirits.  Sugar is added to aid in the extraction, or corn syrup to get really cheap [and vile.]  The fizz is a drink made with this concoction,  plus lemon juice and carbonated water.  

32. Trusted underling : AIDE.   A good one might make you a nice cocktail.

33. Prince who inspired Dracula : VLAD.  Posthumously named "The Impaler."

35. Loser only to a straight flush : FOUR ACES.   Poker hands.

Or these guys

36. Calais cleric : ABBE.   French abbot

40. "The Bartered Bride" composer : SMETANA.

42. Away : OUT.  As in OUT of the office, or OUT of town.

43. Former U.K. carrier : BOAC.   British Overseas Airways Corporation, formed in 1940 by the merger of Imperial Airways and British Airways Limited.  In 1974 it was combined with British European Airways to form British Airways.

44. Mischievous boy : URCHIN.   Or girl.

45. Snazzy-looking : SMART.  Sharply dressed.

46. Ready and willing : EAGER.  Let's go!

47. Love-crazy Le Pew : PEPE.  Possibly the most DF cartoon character.

Both a skunk and a wolf

49. "Absolutely!" : SURE.

50. Give out : EMIT.  As the sun's rays or a skunk's odor.

51. Scientific acad. : INST.  Academy and Institute.

52. Architectural S-curve : OGEE.   Commonly an S curve, but more generally, any profile with a reverse bend.

Gothic

53. Fishing gear : NETS.  Rods, reel, bait, pole, hook, lure  .  .  .

56. Riled (up) : HET.   Past tense of heat, in dialect.  First known use was in 1909.

Well, that wraps it up.  I had a nit or two, but overall, a pretty good outing.

I learned while doing the Boston Globe puzzle on Sunday that the British term for a sucker is a LOLLY.  So - would someone who silences a dupe in London be a LOLLY GAGGER?   No - wait - that's the other kind of sucker - hard candy on a stick.  So, never mind.

I'll just show myself the door.

Cool regards!
JzB

Tuesday, November 3, 2015 Bruce Haight

Theme: H-D - Heavy Duty Harley-Davidson Hot Dogger (Hipster Doofus)

17A. Just swell : HUNKY-DORY. (The Phrase Finder)

21A. Serious romantic outing : HEAVY DATE

28A. Pursue and catch : HUNT DOWN

37A. Stylist's appliance : HAIR DRYER

49A. Yosemite granite formation : HALF DOME. (Photo)

56A. Sitcom with Richie and the Fonz : HAPPY DAYS. (1974 to 1984)

62A. Lowe's rival : HOME DEPOT. (home improvement retailer)

71A. How many TV shows are shown, and a hint to the seven longest across answers' common feature : IN HD. (in High Definition)

Argyle here. What may be lacking in quality is more than made up in quantity. Seven theme entries; an interesting collection. Some fill that might trip up a tyro but veterans should suss easily.

Across:

1. Woman who turns up in Rick's gin joint : ILSA

5. 41st or 43rd president : BUSH

9. National park in the Canadian Rockies : BANFF

14. __-chef : SOUS

15. One of Pittsburgh's three rivers : OHIO. 2 into 1. The Ohio River is formed by the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers.

16. Like a loud crowd : AROAR

19. Itsy-__ : BITSY

20. Generous __ fault : TO A

23. Hot beverage server : TEA URN. A change-up from the coffee urn.

26. Personal ad abbr. : SWF. (Single White Female)

27. Sawmill input : LOG. Lumber output.

31. South Seas wrap : SARONG

33. Freshman and sr. : YRs. (years)

34. Aussie hoppers : ROOS

36. Affected coyness, with "the" : CUTES

40. Hot under the collar : HET UP

43. Button pressed for silence : MUTE

44. Pal of Huck : TOM. Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn

47. Cellphone reminders : ALERTS

52. Dues payer: Abbr. : MEM. (member)

53. Chocolate pooch : LAB

55. Like Huck and Yosemite, nounwise : PROPER names.

60. Hosp. trauma centers : ERs

61. Outwit : ONE-UP

66. Ionian Sea island : CORFU

67. Spellbound : AGOG

68. Mickey and Mighty : MICE

69. Cheez Whiz company : KRAFT

70. Shakespearean villain : IAGO. Iago is Othello's trusted advisor but is not to be trusted.

Down:

1. "More or less" suffix : ISH

2. Gehrig who usually batted after Ruth : LOU. Yankee's

3. Baskers' acquisitions : SUNTANS

4. Invite to the movies, say : ASK OUT

5. Gym specimen : BOD. Both words are shortened.

6. "Oops!" : "UH, OH!"

7. Father : SIRE

8. Georgetown team : HOYAS

9. Youthful countenance : BABYFACE

10. Saharan : ARID

11. Very few : NOT A LOT

12. Slick trick that's "pulled" : FAST ONE

13. Prepare a sunny-side-up breakfast : FRY EGGS

18. Three feet : YARD

22. Bugs and Rabbits, e.g. : VWs. (Volkswagen cars)

23. Your, of yore : THY

24. Where It.'s at : EUR. Italy/Europe

25. More formal "Me neither!" : "NOR I!"

29. Wriggly bait : WORM

30. "Ya think?" : "NO DUH!"

32. 1921 robot play : R.U.R. (Rossum´s Universal Robots)

35. Span. miss : SRTA. Señorita

37. "Ben-__" : HUR

38. "Well said" : "APTLY PUT"

39. Business review website : YELP

40. Pork knuckle : HAM HOCK

41. Rigby of Beatles fame : ELEANOR

42. Egg-based paint : TEMPERA. Don't try to fry it.

44. Some English, at Wimbledon : TOP SPIN

45. Cockney abode : 'OME

46. Body of eau : MER. French water/sea.

48. Unhappy : SAD

50. Mister Rogers : FRED

51. Scale starters : DO RE MI

54. Religion founded in Persia : BAHA'I

57. Drag on a cigar : PUFF ergo 59D. Urban haze : SMOG

58. Flexibility-improving discipline : YOGA

63. Swelled head : EGO

64. Scot's "Oh my!" : "OCH!"

65. Actor Knight : TED. from the Mary Tyler Moore Show.

Argyle

Monday, November 2, 2015 C.C. Burnikel

Theme:            X

17A. *Guys' hair coloring product : JUST FOR MEN. X-MEN, an odd assortment of superheroes.

39A. *Radioactive emission : BETA RAY. X-RAY

11D. *Root source for a database : MASTER FILE. X-FILE One of several "unsolved files" made famous by Mulder and Scully. It is said the FBI started the term, "X-FILE".

29D. *Big place to play online : YAHOO GAMES. X-GAMES Extreme sports.

62A. Hard-to-define element, or a hint to what can precede each last word in answers to starred clues : THE X FACTOR

Argyle here, and no surprise, C.C. Nice crunch for a Monday.

Across:

1. Bit of talk show self-promotion : PLUG

5. Judean king : HEROD

10. "Hurry up!" : "C'MON!"

14. Real snoozefest : BORE

15. Native New Zealander : MAORI. Queenstown Bay, New Zealand

16. Angelic aura : HALO

19. Cruise stop : ISLE

20. Dry, as bread : STALE

21. Maui memento : LEI

22. Kind of computer error that may cause data loss : FATAL

23. Steel-cut grain : OAT

25. Eccentric person : ODD ONE

27. Chain with headquarters at One Geoffrey Way, Wayne, N.J. : TOYS 'R' US. Geoffrey is their mascot.

31. Former Southwest subsidiary : AIRTRAN. Part of Southwest Airlines now.

34. Give __ on the back: praise : A PAT

35. Criticize nonstop : NAG. Cute pairing with above.

37. Hold in, as a sneeze : STIFLE

38. Cheering word : [RAH!]

41. Suffix with percent : ILE. (percentile)

42. Defeats soundly : TROMPS

44. Actress Ullmann or Tyler : LIV

45. Ran off : FLED

46. Informer, to a cop : STOOLIE

48. Allergy stimulants : POLLENS. Can't be many pollens left now.

50. Pig noises : GRUNTS

52. "__ is me!" : WOE

53. Sends junk e-mail to : SPAMS

55. Busy pro in Apr. : CPA. (Certified Public Accountant)

57. Digilux 3 camera maker : LEICA

61. Red "Sesame Street" puppet : ELMO

64. Bank claim : LIEN

65. Bluesy Memphis street : BEALE

 

 

 

66. Danish shoe brand : ECCO

67. Not as much : LESS

68. Made inquiries : ASKED

69. Like plow horses : SHOD. They don't wear ECCO.

Down:

1. Sandwiches with Jif, briefly : PBJs. Jelly or jam, it's all good.

2. Rude dude : LOUT

3. Heavenly bear : URSA

4. "Beat it!" : "GET LOST!"

5. Gp. with a copay : HMO. (health maintenance organization)

6. Countess' spouse : EARL

7. Lover of Juliet : ROMEO

8. Crispy Crunchies! fries maker : ORE-IDA. Not just Tater-Tots.

9. Noisy clamor : DIN

10. Ristorante red : CHIANTI

12. Southwestern pot : OLLA

13. Holiday season : NOEL

18. Emotion causing quaking : FEAR

22. Winks count : FORTY. Short nap.

24. Listens to, as a radio station : TUNES IN

26. Repudiate : DISAVOW

27. Fruit pastries : TARTS

28. Eye-fooling genre : OP ART

30. Minded the kids : SAT

32. "Magic in the Moonlight" director Woody : ALLEN

33. Food, shelter, etc. : NEEDS

36. Cowboy's lady : GAL

39. Nearly excellent grade : B PLUS

40. Tear apart : RIP

43. Latter-day Saints : MORMONS

45. Defrauds : FLEECES

47. Carves in stone : ETCHES

49. "Copacabana" temptress : LOLA

51. Command to Spot : "SPEAK!"

53. Go like hotcakes : SELL

54. Ballerina's bend : PLIÉ

56. Wheel-connecting rod : AXLE

58. Restless desire : ITCH

59. Chanel of perfume : COCO

60. Yankee with more than 3,000 hits, familiarly : A-ROD. "Alex" Rodriguez.

62. Schedule abbr. : TBA. (To Be Announced)

63. Nourished : FED

Argyle

Sunday Nov 1, 2015 Jacob Stulberg

Theme:"Repossessed" - Theme entries are all in the pattern of A's B + B's C, but each B's C now belongs to A.

 22A. Cheap metal lacking an owner? : NOBODY'S FOOL'S GOLD. Nobody's Fool. Fool's gold.

 38A. Victims of a physicist's scam? : SCHRODINGER'S CAT'S PAWS. Schrodinger's cat. Cat's paws.

 54A. Rich kind of cake baked by a newspaper employee? : PRINTER'S DEVIL'S FOOD. Printer's devil is a new term to me. See here. Devil's food.

 79A. Easy jobs that are meant to be? : DESTINY'S CHILD'S PLAY. Destiny's Child. Child's play.

95A. Singer Clooney's delicate flowers? : ROSEMARY'S BABY'S BREATH. Rosemary's Baby. Baby's breath. I grokked the theme when this answer emerged. My solving is always very jumpy.

116A. Aristocrat's sunrise-to-sundown trip? : LORD'S DAY'S JOURNEY. Lord's Day. Day's journey.

Only 6 entries, but they occupy a total of 108 theme squares. I'll definitely need 144 words for anything over 100.

This grid is solidly made. Look at the lower right corner. So smooth and clean.

Across:  

1. Highlander : GAEL

5. Nile dangers : ASPS

9. Cold __ : CALL. Not CASE.

13. Muslim dignitary : EMIR

17. Peak west of the Ionian Sea : ETNA

18. Hoops : B-BALL. My dad loved NBA games and could name those top players easily. Those two characters are Chinese for Jordon.

19. Like kiwifruit : OVOID

21. Tiny arachnid : MITE

25. How many modern TV shows may be seen : IN HD

26. "Maybe" : I'LL SEE. I could not parse my own answer.

27. Swinging time? : AT BAT. Nailed it.

28. "Twittering Machine" artist : KLEE

30. "I'll throw your dagger __ the house": "Twelfth Night" : O'ER

31. "Rock 'n' Roll Is King" gp. : ELO

32. Power dept. : ENER

34. Home of Lihue Airport : KAUAI. Got via crosses.

36. Private student : TUTEE

43. Topiary trees : YEWS

44. Organ to lend or bend : EAR

45. 82-Down's river : ARNO. And 82. European city whose university was officially established in 1343 : PISA Also 61. 2006 World Cup champion : ITALY

46. Drags to court : SUES

 

47. Enjoyed the lake : SWAM. Also 11. Gaze over, as a lake : LOOK ACROSS

50. Sushi option : EEL

51. "True Detective" network : HBO

52. Classic Ford : T-BIRD

60. Spanish article : LAS. And 106. Apennines article : UNA

 

62. Playground retort : ARE SO

63. Big rigs : SEMIS

67. Subject of Odysseus : ITHACAN

69. Fangorn Forest denizen : ENT. The Lord of the Rings. 

70. Most intimate : CLOSEST

72. Show gratitude to : THANK

73. "Step __!" : ASIDE

76. State as fact : CLAIM

78. Like : A LA

83. "Same here" : DITTO. Not ME TOO.

85. Some smartphones : LGs

86. Lift or squat : REP Also 5. Crunched muscles : ABs

87. Belief systems : ISMs. Funny to look back on all the Marxism, Leninism, Maoism I was taught in school. 

88. Dance in a pit : MOSH

89. Arrange in a cabinet : FILE

91. Chat : JAW

92. Major Pa. and N.J. routes : TPKs

101. Conductor Walter : BRUNO. Got via crosses.

102. Blender brand : OSTER

103. Land east of the Urals : ASIA

104. Symbol of strength : OAK

107. Hit the road : WENT. Tricky tense.

109. On edge : TESTY. Oh, TTP, my Google is back. I was on edge for two days. Changing Google Instant predictions to "Never" solved my blank page problem. But the Adobe Flash continues to crash for my Firefox, even if I have the updated version. OK with Boomer's Explorer.

112. Loser's fatal mistake? : SNOOZE. You snooze, you lose. I thought it might be diet-related.

114. Airman or seaman : RANK

119. "Good one!" : NICE!

120. Daft : INANE

121. Bad lighting? : ARSON. Nailed it.

122. Ire : BILE

123. Heap : SLEW

124. What leaders hold : SWAY. Easy in retrospect.

125. Nincompoop : BOOB

126. One may start with the striking of a gavel: Abbr. : SESS (Session)

Down:

1. Spirit in a bottle : GENIE

2. Chain components, perhaps : ATOLLS. Island chain.

3. As a whole : EN BLOC

4. China neighbor : LAOS. Lots of people speak French there.

6. "The Snows of Kilimanjaro" setting : SAFARI. I wanted SAHARA.

7. Garden area : PLOT

8. Housekeeper's bete noire : SLOB

9. Bill sharer : CO-STAR. Movies.

10. Part of ERA: Abbr. : AVG

12. Dramatist Hellman : LILLIAN

13. Longtime Brit. music label : EMI

14. Mythical creature in Dante's "Inferno" : MINOTAUR

15. Words that have a ring to them? : I THEE WED. Nailed it.

16. Right : REDRESS

18. "Toodle-oo!" : BYE NOW

20. NASA was formed during his admin. : DDE. I thought it was established in JFK era.

23. Company excelling in many fields? : DEERE. Nice clue.

24. L.A. athlete : LAKER

29. Reputed UFO fliers : ETs

33. Magazine VIPs : EDs

35. In working order : USABLE. Not STABLE.

37. Advantages : UPSIDES

39. Choir selection : HYMN

40. Far from flush : NEEDY

41. It's quite a blow : GALE. Another great clue.

42. "Africa" band : TOTO

47. Divide into shares : SPLIT. I wanted ALLOT.

48. Ire : WRATH

49. Tyler who voices Lana on "Archer" : AISHA. Co-host of CBS's morning show "The Talk". Nice bouncy hair.

50. Bilingual subj. : ESL. Clue & answer dupe partly.

51. "Java" jazzman : HIRT

53. Upper garment parts : BOSOMS

55. Traveler's purchase : TICKET. 56. 55-Down datum: Abbr. : ETA

57. Charged, infantry-style : RAN AT

58. Wind farm features : VANES

59. __ point : FOCAL

64. They often have multiple courses : MEALS. Reminds me of the traditional Chinese wedding in countryside & the sumptuous meals. My youngest aunt was carried in a Jiao like this on her wedding day.

65. Imam's faith : ISLAM

66. Goes nowhere : STAYS

68. "What happened next?" : AND THEN

69. Nestlé dessert brand : EDY'S

71. Tupperware topper : LID

74. Novelty item with an eyeglasses variety : SILLY STRAW. Total stranger to me.

75. Drink, e.g. : INGEST

76. Like Bit-O-Honey candy bars : CHEWY

77. Impudence : LIP

80. Talk show furniture : SOFA

81. Dungeness delicacy : CRAB

83. Epitome of deadness : DOORNAIL

84. Distribution : ISSUANCE

88. Homer Simpson's boss : MR. BURNS. I just love this corner.

90. Some decals : IRON-ONS

91. Two-time NFL sacks leader __ Allen : JARED. He was a Viking before? No idea.

92. "Conan" channel : TBS

93. Pen : PRISON

94. He played Klaatu in "The Day The Earth Stood Still" (2008) : KEANU

96. Shorten, in a way : MOW

97. Designer Johnson : BETSEY. Drew a blank as well. Nice straight hair. The power of flat iron.

98. States as fact : SAYS SO

99. Multimetallic Canadian coin : TOONIE

100. Nut trees : HAZELS

105. "Flowers for Algernon" author Daniel : KEYES

108. Nutmeg State collegian : ELI

110. "Born From Jets" sloganeer : SAAB

111. Newbie : TYRO

113. Solar system components : ORBS

115. Garden district on the Thames : KEW

117. Forensic ID : DNA

118. Snow or nose follower : JOB. This type of "what or what follower" clue & fill-in-blank with multiple answers like "Cold ___" are not as easy as they seem.

Below is more detailed information on Crossword LA tournament. Go there and get those fantastic puzzles.

I'd like to thank Barry G, D-Otto and Splynter for test-solving my puzzle and giving me constructive feedback. Also for the unsung hero Todd McClary for helping me shape the puzzle. Todd came up with the smooth upper left corner.

C.C.


Message from Alex Boisver/Elissa Grossman:

"Hi all.

The Crosswords LA tournament was just held (October 24), at the Fowler Museum at UCLA, and featured new puzzles from some top constructors.  Just as we do every year, we are selling the puzzles from the tournament, with some proceeds going to support the local Reading To Kids charity.  In addition, we're selling what we're calling a "mega pack" -- all the crosswords from the tournament, plus some bonus puzzles.  It's $6 for the basic pack, $8 for the mega pack, and full details are below. If you're interested, head over to http://crosswordnexus.com/store.

The basic pack includes (all puzzles in PUZ and PDF format):

- Warm-up puzzle (Andrea Carla Michaels and Joel Elkins)

- Puzzle 1 (C.C. Burnikel)

- Puzzle 2 (Jeffrey Harris)

- Puzzle 3 (Sam Donaldson)

- Puzzle 4 (Patti Varol)

- Puzzle 5 (Trip Payne)

- Finals Puzzle (easy and hard versions -- Doug Peterson)

- Tie-breaker puzzle (Ronald Allen)

The mega pack includes all the above, plus:

- Team puzzle race (John Doppler Schiff)

- Bonus crossword (Erik Agard)

- *Outside The Box Preview Rows Garden Puzzle (Joon Pahk)

- *Diagramless Kickstarter Preview (Brendan Emmett Quigley)

- Kaidoku (Alex Boisvert)

*These two puzzles have previously been published at joonpahk.com and Brendan's diagramless kickstarter, respectively.  All others have never before been published.

Thanks!"

Saturday, Oct 31st, 2015, Julian Lim

Theme: Happy Halloween~!

Words: 70 (missing X )

Blocks: 27

  We last saw today's constructor on a Saturday way back in January; I mention this not only because it's true, but I had just returned from upstate NY where my friend Garry has his wind- and solar-powered cabins - and this weekend I move into his house in Flanders. As for the puzzle, I was hoping it would not be too much of a brain-drain.  Gave myself a pat on the back for getting thru most of the gird, but it was a WAGfest in the NW.  Triple 9's crossing triple 7's in the corners are make for one of the worst kinds of grid - it usually means proper names/two-word answers/extreme vagueness;

1. Reaction to a piece of cake : NO PROBLEM - I seriously considered "YUM YUM YUM" because I had the "M"; I also pondered "LET THEM", as in "eat cake"

29. Amazon visitor's need : WEB ACCESS - hmmm, which Amazon~? The River, or the "go-to" online site for shopping~?

46. "Sure, let's!" : "I'M UP FOR IT~!"

60. Attempt : HAVE A GO AT - user-friendly vowel/consonant grouping; have a "goat~?"

ONWARD~!

ACROSS:

10. Ustream offering : NET TV - oops, not VIDEO

15. Hyperlink feature : UNDERLINE - frequently seen in email addresses, between parts of names; john_doe@crossword.com

16. Missouri River city : OMAHA

17. Qatar-based broadcaster : AL JAZEERA - the Wiki (From C.C.: I think this underline is what 15A refers to, right, TTP/D-Otto?)

18. Equate : LIKEN

19. Org. concerned with pedagogy : NEA - $2 word for the method of teaching

20. Parliament : London :: Storting : __ : OSLO - sounded Scandinavian

21. "As if I care!" : "BITE ME~!"

22. Blending aid, briefly : CAMO - short for camouflage, Frawnche for "smoke in the face"

24. Not high : SOBER - 3,949 days and counting

26. Some univ. proctors : TAs

27. Balances (out) : EVENS

32. Make easier to eat, as fruit : DESEED

34. Noted source of rubies and sapphires : SRI LANKA

35. French vineyards : CRUS

37. Rank quality : ODOR - my first thought was about smell, but I ended going with ONE-A....bzzzt~!

38. Like some courses : REQUIRED

42. Cannonball consequence : SPLASH

48. Knighted conductor : SOLTI

49. "'I __ you liked your drink,' sez Gunga Din" : 'OPE

50. Confines : CAGES

52. Farm food : SLOP

53. Ford model : TAURUS

56. Senate minority leader : REID

58. Otolaryngologists, e.g.: Abbr. : DRs - long word for a short abbr.

59. Patronized, in a way : ATE AT

62. It's open at the end of the fall : CHUTE - ah, parachute - at least you hope it's open at the end....

63. Cattle site : OPEN RANGE

64. Works with keys : TYPES

65. Microbrewery product : WHEAT BEER - ooh, I was close with CRAFT beer

DOWN:

1. Far from clear-cut : NUANCED

2. Like some new mothers : ON LEAVE

3. "Death Comes to Pemberley" author : P.D. JAMES - utter WAG from mostly perps; a link to her website

4. "In Dreams" actor : REA - we saw him last week

5. Ingredient in some Italian wedding soup : ORZO - the little bits of pasta; I like the little bits of meatball; interesting fact about the soup's name origin here

6. Approve : BLESS

7. Hide : LIE LOW - oops, not LAY low

8. Covers up, in a way : ENROBES - I like when confectioners "enrobe" their treats in chocolate

9. Word of apology : MEA - we also saw this last week

10. __ me tangere : NOLI - Latin for "touch me not" - new to me - some history

11. Put out : EMIT

12. Stop for a bit : TAKE TEN

13. 1994 Jim Carrey film : THE MASK

14. Samuel Barber opera : VANESSA - WAG

21. Intertwines : BRAIDS - pondered SPOONS first

23. Like some hotel room coffeemakers : ONE CUP - I had one in my room when I stayed in Delaware

25. River from Cantabria to Catalonia : EBRO - ha-HA~! Nailed it from crossword experience~!

28. Finishing stroke : SERIF - TAP-IN (golf) fit, too, but it wasn't working for me

30. Old cobblestone road sounds : CLOPS

31. Mexican novelist Fuentes : CARLOS - WAG and perps

33. Large pigs : DUROCS - new to me; I only know this Durock

36. Shot contents : SERA - ah, the needle kind of shot

38. Babysitter's reading, at times : RIOT ACT - LULLABY and WANT ADS fit, too

39. Therapist's asset : EMPATHY - I pondered "GOOD EAR" to start

40. What waiters often do : QUEUE UP - those who wait; I spent 90mins in DMV to register my van yesterday - with no signal for my cell phone

41. The "rh" in "rhapsody," e.g. : DIGRAPH

43. Wrapping words? : "ALL DONE~!"

44. Cloud function : STORAGE - the web-based servers kind of cloud; RAINING did fit, tho

45. Cool cat : HIPSTER

47. Tube : TEE-VEE

51. Italian town with a biannual horse race : SIENA - perps

54. Give stars to, say : RATE - OK, how would you rate her~!?

55. Salt Lake City team : UTES

57. Dash : DART

60. wiki__: collection of online manuals : HOW

61. Jaw : GAB

Splynter

Note from C.C.:

Crosswords LA puzzles are available here. $8 for the whole pack plus some bonus puzzles. All proceeds go to Reading for Kids charity.