Wednesday, November 25, 2015, Victor Borocas

THEME: BABY I'M YOURS!

Victor's clever Thanksgiving Eve offering takes the phrase BODY AND SOUL and uses these words to precede corresponding words in two-word fill phrases. 

17. Yorkshire pudding or bangers and mash : ENGLISH FOOD or 

BODY ENGLISH (Yaz '75)

SOUL FOOD (Beats Haggis!)

31. Game-ending declaration : CHECKMATE or

BODY CHECK

SOUL MATE (Mine!)

49. Genre of the '60s hits "Pipeline" and "Wipe Out" : SURF MUSIC or

                                                         BODY SURF

SOUL MUSIC

THEME REVEAL:

65. Wholeheartedly, or words that can precede the first and second parts, respectively, of 17-, 31- and 49-Across : BODY AND SOUL - Also a 1930 Jazz Standard covered recently by these two

Across      
   
1. Stop the launch : ABORT - When things aren't AOK

6. Perfume compound : ESTER

11. Sailor : TAR

14. Off-the-cushion shot : CAROM - What the hockey players are doing above

15. Usually multilayered dessert : TORTE

16. Load off one's mine? : ORE - C'mon, that's cute!

19. Sundial topper : XII - Oh my, I'm late, it's V after XII already!

20. Classic Belafonte song opening : DAYO - Heard in baseball parks today because fans want the runner to come home (Daylight come and me wan' go home)

21. Not tricked by : ONTO - Fool me once...

22. Homeric classic : ILIAD

24. Where heros are made : DELI

26. __ button : PANIC 

28. Sufferer healed by Jesus : LEPER - There's a powerful scene in the 1959 movie Ben-Hur showing a LEPER colony

35. Bledel of "Gilmore Girls" : ALEXIS 

37. Creative output : ART

38. Where billions live : ASIA - Over half the world lives inside this circle

39. Watch someone's kids : SIT - Care.com says the avg. babysitting rate is $13/hr

40. Lightweight shirts : CAMISES - I had a great time looking for examples but I'll leave it to you

43. Television : SET

44. Ellington's "Take __ Train" : THE A - "Soon you'll be on Sugar Hill in Harlem"

46. "Et alia" lang. : LAT

47. Letter-erasing key : DELETE

52. Wyoming's __ Range : TETON

53. Benjamin of "Law & Order" : BRATT - What a team!

54. Ibuprofen target : ACHE 

56. Trapdoor location : FLOOR - "Uh, we decided to work as a duo"

58. Capital south of Lillehammer : OSLO - "How do I clue thee? Let me count the ways?"

60. Ottawa-based law gp. : RCMP

64. Not in the clergy : LAY

68. __ well : OIL - Awl if you're from the oil patch 

69. Actress Téa : LEONI

70. "Inferno" poet : DANTE

71. Opposite of post- : PRE - Way to go, Paul (whoever you are)!

72. Diving ocean birds : ERNES

73. Prince Charming's mount : STEED - One cartoonish member of the RCMP had a STEED he named, uh, Horse

Down

1. More than just passed : ACED

2. See 25-Down : BANA - Okay

3. Frenzied revelry : ORGY

4. Low-tech card file : ROLODEX

5. "No more details, please" : TMI - "Then after they opened my lower colon..."

6. Sharing a common culture : ETHNIC

7. Low on the Mohs scale : SOFT - From talc to diamonds

8. Highway officers : TROOPERS - For a real time warp hoot, play these episodes on YouTube!

9. WWII area : ETO - European Theater of Operations

10. Symbol of losses : RED INK - Ken (64A) was in the (68A) business and accumulated a lot of this

11. Dead weight in a portfolio : TOXIC ASSET - Owning a company with a lot of 10D

12. Opera number : ARIA

13. Senator Harry : REID

18. Sun, in Sonora : SOL - A sunny taco?

23. Peru's largest city : LIMA - 73F forecast for today

25. With 2-Down, "Hulk" star : ERIC - Okay

27. Did something : ACTED - Carpe Diem for crying out loud!!

28. Endures : LASTS

29. Philanthropist Yale : ELIHU - Some on his campus want its John C. Calhoun Resident College renamed 

30. "Everybody Loves Raymond" actor : PETER BOYLE

32. French-speaking island country : HAITI - Annual per capita income is $350

33. Connect with : TIE TO - A POSSE might TIE their STEEDS TO this

34. Consumed : EATEN

36. Pierre's toast : SALUT - or "à votre santé" - To your health!

41. Elephant ancestor : MASTODON

42. Son of Adam : SETH - Genesis says when  Adam was 130 yrs. old, he  had SETH to replace Abel

45. __-American : AFRO

48. Ogles obliquely : LEERS AT

50. Sculptor's medium : MARBLE - The David took Michelangelo 2 years after he took over the project

51. French port on the Strait of Dover : CALAIS - One ETO strategy was to convince Hitler that D-Day would occur at the much closer Calais. p.s. Do you see some cwd friends on this map?

55. Sell a bridge to, say? : CON

56. Producer's nightmare : FLOP

57. Hideaway : LAIR - Remnants of Hitlers first military headquarters - The Wolf's LAIR

59. Word sung after the ball drops : SYNE

61. Construction area marker : CONE

62. Remote button : MUTE   

63. Begged : PLED

66. Not 'neath : OER

67. Canine doc's deg.? : DDS - Am I the only one who chose DVM first?

Arts/Sports crossover - I'll bet most of you know the Broadway play where Joe Boyd (Avg. Joe?) received a BODY to be a great baseball player by selling his SOUL to the devil.

Tuesday, November 24, 2015 Gail Grabowski and Bruce Venzke

Theme: Edit - ED is added to the first part of each plural compound noun and formed three synonyms for "tired". Each new entry is then clued humorously.

20. Tired bowling groups? : BUSHED LEAGUES. Bush Leagues

38. Tired janitors? : DRAINED CLEANERS. Drain Cleaners

56. Tired groupies? : EXHAUSTED FANS. Exhaust Fans

Argyle here. A few trouble spots but an amusing theme. Seven X's on the way to a pangram.

Across:

1. Alter, as a pet : SPAY

5. Coif adjusted with a pick : AFRO

9. Less uncertain : SURER. More certain.

14. Bring under control : TAME

15. Bar sign light : NEON

16. Goodnight girl of song : IRENE. Recorded under one of those bar lights.

17. Poolside hue : AQUA

18. Big reference vols. : OEDs

19. Utah city near the Golden Spike : OGDEN

23. Unconvincing excuse, probably : LIE

24. Ballot markings : Xes

25. Not strict at all : LAX

26. __ Mahal : TAJ

29. Go on until : END AT

31. Buzzers around blossoms : BEEs

33. Cornfield construction : MAZE. They are very creative.

34. Antianxiety drug : XANAX. First released by Upjohn and now a part of Pfizer.

36. Relationship __: Facebook feature : STATUS

42. Automatons : ROBOTS

43. Refuge in a desert : OASIS

44. Physics particle : ATOM

45. It's pitched at camp : TENT

47. Security concerns : LEAKS

51. Beer, to a Brit : BEV. Short for Beverage.

52. Driver's license datum : SEX

53. Cooler in a cooler : ICE

55. Lucy of "Elementary" : LIU. On CBS.

60. Plastic alternative : PAPER

62. Give kudos to : LAUD

63. Common conjunctions : ANDs

64. Construction site sight : CRANE

65. Shoreline-altering phenomenon : TIDE

66. Item on an actor's résumé : ROLE

67. Scarecrow stuffing : STRAW

68. Vehicle in many a Jack London story : SLED

69. Black gem : ONYX

Down:

1. Place for ponies : STABLE

2. Anna of "True Blood" : PAQUIN. Canadian-born New Zealand actress. "True Blood" is on HBO.

3. Brought a smile to : AMUSED

4. Slangy assent : "YEAH"

5. Battery pole : ANODE

6. Experiences regret : FEELS BAD

7. Biked : RODE

8. Marked down : ON SALE

9. Sitting Bull's tribe : SIOUX

10. Hard-to-resist impulse : URGE

11. Republican-voting area, on an election map : RED STATE

12. Peoria-to-Detroit dir. : ENE

13. Neurotic toon dog : REN and Stimpy.

21. Not destroyed or lost, as an old document : EXTANT

22. Fuels (up) : GASSES

27. France's Cote d'__ : AZUR

28. Zooey's "New Girl" role : JESS. Zooey Deschanel / Jessica Day

30. Geometric truth : AXIOM

32. Prior prisoner, for short : EX-CON. (convict)

33. Pastor's abode : MANSE. Echo of Sunday.

35. Lipton rival : NESTEA

37. Kept tabs on from behind : TAILED

38. Hardly eye-catching : DRAB

39. Repetitive learning technique : ROTE

40. Better than expected : ABOVE PAR

41. North-south coordinate : LATITUDE. Partnered with longitude.

46. Rejoices : EXULTS. Exalt is to hold in high esteem.

48. Post-rehab support group : AL-ANON

49. "Thank you __, ma'am" : KINDLY

50. English Channel county : SUSSEX

52. "The Taming of the __" : SHREW

54. Formally gave up : CEDED

57. Powerful TV princess : XENA

58. Breeze (along) : SAIL

59. Casino game : FARO. An old card game but casinos probably have figured a way to increase the house cut.

60. HP products : PCs

61. Word after clip or pop : ART

Argyle

Monday, November 23, 2015 Clement McKay

Theme: Just a Theory - Tribute puzzle.

17A. Online matchmaker : eHARMONY

22A. = : EQUALS SIGN

34A. "U Can't Touch This" rapper : MC HAMMER

46A. Looked ready to fight : SQUARED OFF

53A. See 42-Down : EINSTEIN

42D. With 53-Across, physics Nobelist who devised the formula that begins 17-, 22-, 34- and 46-Across : ALBERT

Argyle here. Rows: 15, Columns: 14, Words: 73; did you notice? A bit more serious than Clement's first puzzle. link here.

Albert Einstein's paper “Does the Inertia of a Body Depend Upon Its Energy Content?” was published in the journal "Annalen der Physik" on November 21, 1905.

Across:

1. Popeye's nemesis : BLUTO

6. Electrolux, briefly : VAC. (vacuum cleaner)

9. Nos. on beach lotion labels : SPFs. (Sun Protection Factor)

13. Pachelbel composition : CANON

14. Tel Aviv's country: Abbr. : ISR. (Israel)

15. Opera highlight : ARIA

16. Small thicket : COPSE

19. "Look before you __" : LEAP

21. School course with slides : BIOLOGY

25. Lawyer's charge : FEE

26. Carry with effort : LUG

27. Partner of hither : YON

28. For the lady : HERS

29. Inlaid designs : MOSAICS

32. Apple music players : iPODS

36. Web destinations : SITES

38. Worded : PHRASED

42. They're usually divided into scenes : ACTS

43. Wisecracking West : MAE

44. MLB's Indians, on scoreboards : CLE. (Cleveland Indians)

45. __ Vegas : LAS

50. Obscure from view, as in an eclipse : BLOT OUT. or Wite-Out, as in ....

52. Continually : EVER

55. Vacant : EMPTY

58. San __: Riviera resort : REMO

59. Ambient music pioneer Brian : ENO

60. Bete __ : NOIRE. French: literally, black beast (a person or thing strongly detested)

61. Tijuana three : TRES

62. Athletic center : GYM

63. Pig's sniffer : SNOUT. Ever had them pickled?

Down

1. Secretly keep in the email loop, for short : BCC. Blind carbon copy; semi-CSO to our leader.

2. Philosopher __-tzu : LAO

3. Disconnects from the outlet : UNPLUGS

4. Where sailors go : TO SEA

5. Ryan or Tatum : O'NEAL. Father and daughter actors.

6. Compete : VIE

7. Hearth receptacle : ASH BIN

8. Online guy with a list : CRAIG. Started in 1995.

9. O.T. prophet : SAML. (Samuel)

10. Reviewed for errors : PROOFED

11. Piano players? : FINGERS. Cute one.

12. Make a proposer smile : SAY YES. Crosses eHarmony. Also cute.

18. Director Howard : RON. Little Opie all grown up.

20. Gives a pep talk, with "up" : PSYCHS

22. Stately tree : ELM

23. Status __ : QUO

24. Slugger Sammy : SOSA

28. Bar mitzvah dance : HORA

30. Bill totals: Abbr. : AMTS. (amount)

31. Cocktail rocks : ICE

32. Announcement upon arrival : "I'M HERE!". No ice at Tinbeni's.

33. For each : PER

35. Movie-rating org. : MPAA. (Motion Picture Association of America)

36. Like large reptiles, compared to smaller ones : SCALIER

37. "My treat" : "IT'S ON ME"

39. Many a November birth, to astrologers : SCORPIO

40. Helper for Santa : ELF. I had to let this little guy go.

41. Dict. entry : DEF. (definition)

43. Problem on the Caine : MUTINY

46. Drunkard : SOT

47. Captain of the Caine : QUEEG. He was the real problem but not a sot.

48. Coin toss call : EVENS. I'd say "TAILS".

49. Exorcism target : DEMON

51. General __ chicken : TSO'S

54. __ de plume : NOM. Pseudonym adopted by an author

56. Capote nickname : TRU. Real name, Truman Streckfus Persons. Bio

57. To this point : YET

Argyle

Sunday Nov 21, 2015 Pam Amick Klawitter

Theme: "Forced Re-entry" - REE sound is added to each theme entry, changing spelling as needed.

23A. Forgetting to put the milk in the fridge? : GROCERY NEGLIGENCE. Gross negligence.

51A. Backdrop for a gangster film? : CRIME SCENERY. Crime scene.

83A. Warning sign for an art dealer? : FORGERY AHEAD. Forge ahead.

111A. Well-protected garment room? : BULLETPROOF VESTRY. Bulletproof vest.

16D. A little Egyptian magic? : SORCERY OF THE NILE. Source of the Nile.

 

37D. Well-designed room for a tot? : PRACTICAL NURSERY. Practical nurse.

I like 23A and 16D the best, as the transformed words and the old ones have different roots. But not many nouns ending in workable *RY, so Pam's choices are rather limited.

Maybe I've had Paris/Brussels in mind the past days. Noticed quite a few PARIS (5D. Métro home) ties, with mostly alliterative clues:

43A. Between, in Bordeaux : ENTRE

86A. French royalty : NOBLESSE

12D. Brest brainstorms : IDEES 

30D. Mer shade : AZUR 

33D. Seine sun : SOLEIL

70D. Reims rejection : NON

112D. Fleur-de-__ : LIS. Or LYS at times.

Across:

1. Italian seaport : BARI. Easy start. Otherwise, I might not have got BUG (1D. Spy's favorite plant?).

5. Lupone on Broadway : PATTI

10. Alligator relative : CAIMAN

16. Old boomer : SST. Old and retired.

19. Conversant with : UPON

20. Like most people : ASIAN

21. Shout from Speedy Gonzales : ANDALE. "Hurry up" in Spanish.

22. "... the native hue of resolution / Is sicklied __ with the pale cast of thought": Hamlet :

O'ER

26. HDTV brand : RCA

27. Flights connect them : STORIES. Lovely clue.

28. Country rocker Steve : EARLE

29. Actress Dash : STACEY. No idea. She looks familiar though.

31. Sail support : MAST

32. Blue state : SADNESS

34. Pieces of pizza in Plymouth? : ZEDS. Just the two letters in pizza.

35. Secures, as a package : TAPES

38. "Arbitrage" star : GERE. All crosses.

39. Words from the unconvinced : OH SURE. Not "I doubt".

42. "Catch-22" pal of Yossarian : ORR

46. Religious zeal : IDOLATRY

49. Omani money : RIAL

54. __ bran : OAT

57. Treat made with ground almonds : MACAROON. Yeah, Paris!

59. Succeeds : MAKES IT

60. Some PX patrons : PFCs

61. Braid, e.g. : ENTWIST. Not a word I use. Twist, yes.

62. Top (out) : MAX

63. Agent : DELEGATEE. Not a word I use. Delegate, yes.

65. Rascally sort : IMP. Hi there, Spitzboov!

66. Price place : TAG

67. Jump in the pool, perhaps? : BET. Tricky little clue.

68. Durable wood : ASH

69. Another time : ONCE AGAIN

73. "The Beverly Hillbillies" dad : JED

74. Blood-filtering organs : SPLEENS

78. Sound of the wind, perhaps : MOAN. All crosses.

79. Skin blemish : AGE SPOT

81. Working for Christmas, say : SEASONAL

82. NBC weekend fixture : SNL. Marc Maron finally got his white whale.

 

85. In __: unmoved : SITU

88. Auditing giant __ & Young : ERNST And 91. Credit __: Zurich-based financial group : SUISSE. Both have offices in Guangzhou.

90. Delay : LAG

92. Razor brand : ATRA

94. Wiesbaden wheels : OPELS

96. PC key : CTRL

97. Honeymoon options : SAFARIS. Where did you spend your honeymoon?

101. Islamic branch : SHIA

103. Mary Hartman portrayer Louise : LASSER. Stranger to me. Wiki said she was married to Woody Allen for a few years.

106. Desi's daughter : LUCIE

107. Players with masks : GOALIES. Hello, Stud! You really do have it.

110. Keats' "__ to Psyche" : ODE

115. Flat filler : AIR. Tire.

116. Panini cheese : ASIAGO

117. Skateboarding leap : OLLIE

118. Pro foe : ANTI. Also 55. Pro : ACE

119. Round Table knight : KAY. King Arthur's foster brother.

120. Trojan War sage : NESTOR

121. Pops, to tots : DADAS

122. Bread often served with ghee : NAAN. Muslims in China make this kind of naan. It's not brushed with ghee, nor does it have any dairy ingredient. Delicious though.

Down:

2. Car loan nos. : APRS. Annual Percentage Rates.

3. Cheer : ROOT

4. It's often personal : INCOME

6. So far : AS YET

7. Spam holders : TINS. Real spam. Steve loves Spam musubi.

8. The Wizard of Menlo Park, initially : TAE

9. Ready to roll : IN GEAR

10. Stone memorial : CAIRN. Just pile of stones.

11. Right __ : ANGLE

13. Part of many superhero names : MAN. Tiny dupe with 50. Posse members : LAWMEN

14. World Series qualifier: Abbr. : ALCS. American League Championship Series.

15. Hair removal choice : NEET

17. Break away : SECEDE

18. Cube holders : TRAYS. Ice cubes.

24. Clean the slate : ERASE

25. Work on the docks : LADE

32. Come across as : SEEM

35. "It Wasn't All Velvet" memoirist : TORME. Easy guess due to "The Velvet Fog" nickname.

36. Suffix with Unit : ARIAN. Every Sunday puzzle has a few "Meh" entries.

38. It might be silly : GRIN

40. Twain contemporary : HARTE

41. Disorderly digs : STY

44. Boot camp VIPs : NCOs

45. Word with turkey or fox : TROT

46. "That's disgusting!" : ICK. Have any of you had Durian before? It smells awful, banned on some planes, trains. So tasty. Pricey too.

47. Formally turned over, as land : DEEDED

48. Beginning : ONSET

52. Periodical with a URL : EMAG

53. Early rock horn : SAX

56. "Four Quartets" monogram : TSE

58. Big name in morning talk : RIPA

60. Leisurely walks : PASEOS. Not a word I use.

62. Parsons' places : MANSES

64. Sadie Hawkins Day suitors : GALS

66. Supermodel Cheryl : TIEGS. She grew up here in MN.

67. Testing stage : BETA

69. Meditation sounds : OMS

71. Suffolk slammers : GAOLS. Alliteration again.

72. Matches : AGREES

73. Something to jump for : JOY. What I did when Rich accepted my first puzzle. 

74. John in Dublin : SEAN

75. Protective sports equipment : PADS

76. Birth-related : NATAL

77. Wallops : SLUGS

80. Start to date? : PRE. Predate.

81. Hospital fluids : SERA

83. Some NFL ball carriers : FBS (Fullbacks)

84. Towel specification : HER'S

87. Spa supplies : OILS

89. Fabric often decorated with pastoral scenes : TOILE

 

91. Arenas : STADIA

92. "What __!": "I've been had!" : A RIP

93. Steering apparatus part : TIE ROD

95. Pal : PAISAN. This looks like PAYSAN, French for "peasant".

96. Potter's made him invisible : CLOAK. Harry Potter.

98. __ once : ALL AT

99. En __: on a streak, in sports slang : FUEGO. "Fire" in Spanish. Not slang in our little household.

100. One with a part : ACTOR. Nailed it.

101. Balkan capital : SOFIA

102. They're loaded : HAVES. All crosses.

104. "Voice of Israel" author : EBAN (Abba).

105. Sly tactic : RUSE

107. Olympian's prize : GOLD

108. Italian hot spot : ETNA

109. Miss, overseas: Abbr. : SRTA

113. Ending with pay : OLA

114. Yang counterpart : YIN. Dates and ginger are Yang. Cucumbers and most green veggies are Yin.

How do you normally prepare hard-boiled eggs? Do you remove eggs from heat as soon as water comes to a boil like this one? I just cook them in hot boiling water for 10 minutes, but can never get an easy-to-peel perfect egg. 

C.C.

Saturday, Nov 21st, 2015, Bruce Venzke

Theme: None

Words: 70 (missing F,Q,X,Z)

Blocks: 36

 Second time in 6 weeks for a Bruce Venzke puzzle - and another relatively quick solve for me - lots of "gimme" clues and answers for a Saturday.  Unlike that last puzzle, however, this one had several proper names, and those fills were the only ones that left me stumped; and since they crossed in two places, I had to cave in to red-letters for ONE lousy cell.  Oh well.  Two triple spanner stacks and a very cool looking grid;

1. Amuse to the hilt : LEAVE IN STITCHES

16. Goth is a subgenre of it : ALTERNATIVE ROCK - I prefer the "goth" at 8d.

17. Tax inequity : MARRIAGE PENALTY - seems like a redundant phrase - but I am biased from my short-lived 2yr marriage

58. Slide rules, for example : ANALOG COMPUTERS - the abacus is another

64. Borrower's protection : INTEREST RATE CAP

65. Some emcees : TOAST MISTRESSES - new to me, but it seemed logical

ONW

A   R
D ~ !

ACROSS:

18. Blotter name : ALIAS - oops, not aliBI - but I was 100% 60% correct

19. These, overseas : ESTOS - threw in estAs, and that was close enough; and on this I'm 100% 80% correct

20. Film lioness : NALA

23. Financial shellacking : BATH

25. T-__ : BIRD - not BONE, and not BILL; I had an '86 4spd 4cyl turbo coupe - nice

in this color, no less

28. Where surfers look for bargains : eMALL - internet surfing

30. With 34-Across, China's locale : EAST

34. See 30-Across : ASIA

35. Logician friend of Einstein : GÖDEL - did not know this one, but I was vaguely familiar with the crossing ADLER; more on Kurt here

36. Give (out) : DOLE

37. Chinese dish eponym : TSO - one of my favorite dishes, General Tso's Chicken

38. Swansea-born : WELSH - bottom left, not far from Cardiff

39. Got used up, with "out" : RAN

40. Scary St. Bernard of fiction : CUJO - one of the first books I ever read

42. Beyond chunky : OBESE

43. Dough dispensers : ATMs

44. Try : HEAR - as in court

45. Not seen as frequently : RARER

46. Amphora, e.g. : VASE - I like the sound of "amphora"

47. Requires : ASKS

49. Dino, __ & Billy: '60s band that included sons of two musical celebs : DESI - a healthy WAG after I had the D--I; more here

51. Sentry's stint : WATCH

54. Is charismatic : HAS IT - I am lacking in the "charisma" department, but I "has it" in other areas; I had to wire a series of cabinet lights at my friend's new house, but I cannot run extension cords in the wall - so I came up with this clever solution

DOWN:

1. Monastery figure : LAMA

2. It has blue-striped jets : EL AL

3. Abruzzi bell town : ATRI - poetic; more here

4. Tara feature : VERANDA - Gone With the Wind

5. 1974 pension plan legislation : ERISA - seen this B4 in crosswords, but it filled via perps today

6. Words with stew and pickle : IN A

7. Bug : NAG

8. __-Chapelle: historic Paris church : STE - spectacular; I love Gothic Cathedral architecture; if you have the time, here's a link to a great show about the building achievements of the time - I like the demonstration at 24:30

9. Track advantage : TIP

10. "__ Got a Secret" : I'VE

11. Belief : TENET

12. Surprised at the party : CRASHED

13. "Dateline NBC" anchor Lester : HOLT

14. Prefix with -plasm : ECTO

15. "The __ the limit!" : SKY'S

21. Investigator's data gathering : LEGWORK - this kind of investigator

22. Low life : AMOEBAS

23. Consecrated : BLESSED

24. Attendant to a man : ALL HERE

25. Baker's quantity : BATCH

26. Send forth : ISSUE

27. Spanish wine region : RIOJA - filled via perps

29. Freud contemporary : ADLER - as I have said here before, there's a book on personality types that I frequently use to understand why people behave as they do

31. Inner tube? : AORTA - har-har

32. Verbal attacks : SLAMS

33. It may be perfect : TENSE

41. Forecasters : ORACLES

43. Flies : AVIATES

48. Insufficient : SHORT

50. "On the Beach" novelist : SHUTE - the "S" was a WAG

51. What early arrivals often have to do : WAIT

52. Cornerstone word : ANNO

53. "So long!" : "TA-TA~!"

55. Moments : SECS

56. "Dies __" : IRAE

57. Recipe abbr. : TSPS

59. Special someone : GEM - here's my "gem" for the week

60. Show with many spin-offs : CSI

61. USAF commissioning prog. : OTS - Officer Training School

62. He played Clubber Lang in "Rocky III" : Mr. T - I pity the fool....

63. Links figure : PAR

Splynter

Friday, November 20, 2015, Jascha Smilack

Theme: Re-imagine and laugh

It has been five years since we last saw this Harvard grad here at the corner. I did not remember much except his distinctive name. His two publications in the LAT back in 2010 were both add on themes, but this is played strictly for laughs with three phrases clued with amusing recasting of the meaning of the words. There are only three themers so there is room for some other long fill, but instead Jascha chose to create a Friday pangram. We do have fresh fill like BURQUA, QUOTABLE,  WIZARDRY ARCSIN, SPUDS, HYPOS,  JARGON. If you get the humor you will have fun.

20A. One keeping tabs on the best man? : TOASTER TIMER (12). Best man proposes a toast....the phrase sounds a bit forced.

36A. Portrait artist at a gym? : SWEATER DRAWER (13). The guy with his pad watch the people sweat and making pictures.

53A. Coach for a newspaper employee? : PRINTER TONER (12). Back in the gym getting the little printer in shape.

Across: 

1. Traditional Islamic garment : BURQA. No politics.

6. Big fish : OPAH. We had this fish in a Bruce Haight in October that I blogged.

10. Literary group? : ARTS.

14. On the bad side (of) : AFOUL. He ran afoul of his in-laws.

15. Brazos River city : WACO. Two weeks in a row.

16. Skin malady : CHAP. Half a shout out to me.

17. Primus or Helena, in a classic play : ROBOT. Another R.U.R. reference.

18. Tan relative : ECRU.

19. Cord for Ford, perhaps : TYPO. Cute and much better than an old Gerald campaign slogan.

23. Preserve, in a way : ENCASE.

26. Strict : SEVERE.

27. Feed, but not food : VERB.Really nice misdirection.

28. Ready to pick : RIPE.

32. Court period: Abbr. : SESSion.

33. Abbr. in a footnote : ET AL.

34. Of a battery terminal : ANODAL. Cathodal?

41. Tank type : SEPTIC.

42. Optimist's words : I CAN.

44. Frequent fliers : JETS.

47. Where to see decorative nails : TOES.

48. Defense choice : ZONE. This answer works both for football and basketball.

49. Biblical prophet : SAMUEL. WIKI.

51. Roma's home : ITALIA.

57. Jamaican fruit : UGLI.

58. Bucks' pursuits : DOES. A little sex for a Friday as the deer become dear.

59. Augment : ADD TO.

63. Off : DO IN.

64. Impedes, with "up" : GUMS. a four letter word!

65. Haunted house sound : CREAK.

66. Start of a run, maybe : SNAG. Nylons not exercise.

67. Big show : EXPO.

68. Sources of shots : HYPOS. Hypodermics.

Down:

1. Shut out : BAR.

2. Mars rover? : UFO.

3. Fleece : ROB. Golden?

4. Like Twain and Wilde, e.g. : QUOTABLE. Nice misdirection.

5. Chorus section : ALTOS.

6. Is short : OWES. I am short.

7. Agreement : PACT.

8. One of 640 in a square mile : ACRE. How many in a section?

9. Quite a while : HOURS. Eh.

10. Prone to heavy market trading : ACTIVE. Stock market.

11. Poet's stock-in-trade : RHYMES. Shout out to Owen and where are you Chairman?

12. Narrows : TAPERS.

13. Fern seed : SPORE.

21. Gas up? : AERATE. AIR

22. Palo Alto-based automotive company : TESLA. Go SEE.

23. First lady? : EVE. Used before but cute.

24. Has left to spend : NETS. Not gross.

25. Dad or fish preceder : CRAW. Very southern.

29. Clumsy : INEPT.

30. City south of Lisboa : PORTO.

31. Murphy who voices Donkey in "Shrek" : EDDIE.

35. Inverse trig function : ARCSIN.

37. Plus : ASSET.

38. Potter's specialty : WIZARDRY. Not ceramics but Harry.

39. Earth sci. : ECOLology.

40. Indian royal : RANI.

43. "Great Public Schools for Every Student" gp. : NEA.

44. Tongue : JARGON.

45. Victim of Iago : EMILIA. Her maid, his wife. Our Friday Shakespeare.

46. What some forks are used for : TUNING. Nice deception.

49. Taters : SPUDS.

50. Overhang : LEDGE.

52. Show : TEACH. We have many here at the Corner.

54. Béchamel base : ROUX. For all our cooks and Louisiana denizens.

55. Sub : TEMP. HG is our resident expert at working as a SUBstitute teacher.

56. Bone, to Benito : OSSO. Straight Italian

60. Bank statement abbr. : DEPosit.

61. Lao Tzu principle : TAO. We have discussed before but if you want you can READ.

62. Sanctions : OKS. The nice meaning of the word,

Sorry, still dealing with sick brother. Remember thanksgiving is coming and let's take time to thank C.C.  for the Corner and the joys of life. Lemonade out.

Thursday, November 19th 2015 Ed Sessa

Theme: Disturbed night - the theme entries share a jumbled word as explained in the reveal

20A. Kiss a frog, so it's said : BREAK THE SPELL. "Someday my prince will come", or, as the photographer said to her assistant waiting for a delivery from the lab "someday my prints will come".

27A. All out : AT  FULL SPEED. That's fast!

45A. Evasive language : DOUBLESPEAK. There's an annual Doublespeak Award for truly excellent new examples. One of my favorites is the "meaningful downturn in aggregate output" phrase coined by the then-Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan to avoid saying "recession".

56A. Snoring, e.g., and a literal hint to what's hidden in 20-, 27- and 45-Across : SLEEP DISORDER. Tends to cause a mood disorder in one's bed-mate.

Hola! Steve here with a very fresh and interesting offering from Ed Sessa. There's a whole slew of words or phrases that you don't see around crossword-land too often including all of the themers, plus LIMBO POLE, REPULSION and SPIDERY. Good stuff.

Elsewhere there's some neat cluing misdirection, some frankly baffling stuff and everything in between. Let's check it out.

Across:

1. __ Men, pop band whose name derives from its members' homeland : BAHA. Bahamian-origin band formed in London.

5. Bit of a speech : WORD

9. Prolonged look : STARE

14. Instruments for Israel Kamakawiwo'ole : UKES Here's the Wonderful World/Over The Rainbow mash-up from IZ.

15. Case for notions : ETUI. Yikes, this one's a doozie! Notions in the sense of small items like buttons, threads and ribbons. That's a pretty obscure definition.

16. Attach : AFFIX

17. Bar for some dancers : LIMBO POLE. The dance originated in Jamaica where it was popular at wakes.

19. "The Grand Budapest Hotel" actor : DAFOE. I loved the movie.

22. Org. that holds your interest? : S AND L. I was staring at this wondering what on earth a SANDL was when I realized that it needed spaces. Savings and Loan.

23. LBJ agency : OEO. Somewhere, a black and white snack is missing its "R". The Office of Economic Opportunity.

24. Reuters competitor : UPI. The wire service United Press International.

32. Complain : CARP

36. Attic forager : RAT

37. Family nickname : AUNTY

38. Went too far with : OVERDID

40. Street vendor's snack : PRETZEL

42. Cosmetic surgeon's procedures, briefly : LIPOS. The quite charming process by which you get fat vacuumed out of you.

43. Nursery supply : SOD. Nothing to do with babies. Grass.

44. Salts : TARS. Ahoy, Matey!

49. NBC sketch comedy : SNL

50. Portuguese king : REI

51. Not connected : APART

61. Case study? : TRIAL. A case comes in for some close scrutiny when it goes to trial.

63. Like one who really gets IT? : TECH SAVVY. When I meet someone socially for the first time I never tell them I work for a tech company, because then I generally get asked questions about what's wrong with their computer/printer/iPad.

64. Sea divers : LOONS

65. Switch ending : -EROO

66. Carpe __ : DIEM. Seize the day. Carpe Carp - Seize the fish. Carpe No Oil - Seize the engine.

67. Cuban music genre : CONGA

68. Daly of "Judging Amy" : TYNE. Thank you crosses. Never heard of him/her or the show/movie. I should go look it up.

69. Everyone, in Essen : ALLE. Curiously, ALLES is the singular form, familiar from the German National Anthem line: "Deutschland, Deutschland über alles". Funny old language, German.


Down:

1. Light sources : BULBS

2. "Ran" director Kurosawa : AKIRA

3. Ones with fab abs : HE-MEN

4. Similarly sinful : AS BAD

5. Broke down : WEPT

6. "Then again," in tweets : OTOH. On the other hand

7. Dismiss : RULE OUT

8. Fuel type : DIESEL. Last time I was in England I rented a stick-shift Audi with a diesel engine. I was really impressed by the performance - now we all know why.

9. "Soldier of Love" Grammy winner : SADE

10. Nonstick cookware brand : T-FAL. Don't buy a non-stick wok, you want to be able to push food up the side and have it stay there.

11. Anti-consumerist portmanteau popularized in a 2001 best-seller : AFFLUENZA. Great word. The book was "Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic".

12. 2011 animated film set in Brazil : RIO

13. PC file extension : EXE An executable file on a PC. Mac computers also have executable files, but they're named differently.

18. Stillwater's state: Abbr. : OKLA

21. Capitol insider : POL

25. Novelist De Vries : PETER. "Life is a zoo in a jungle".

26. Pastoral poems : IDYLS

28. Athlete lead-in : TRI-. I'm thinking about revisiting my triathlon days by competing again in 2016. I might have to go and lie down until the urge goes away. It's been 25 years since the last one.

29. It's not hot for long : FAD

30. Submission encl. : SAE. Stamped, Addressed Envelope in England. I didn't encounter the "SASE" version until I moved to the US.

31. Last stroke, usually : PUTT. It's a shame to be remembered for a missed putt, but this is one of those iconic moments. Bernhard Langer's miss in the 1991 Ryder Cup meant that the USA took the trophy from Europe after a decade of domination by the Europeans.

32. Common maladies : COLDS

33. French postcard word : AVION. Hmm. You used to stick "Par Avion" labels on mail that was going by air (par avion). Quite what this has to do specifically with a postcard I'm not sure. Do postcards always go by air? Peculiar clue.

34. Utter disgust : REPULSION

35. "No __!" : PROB.

39. ISP alternative : DSL. Now this one is flat-out weird. An ISP is an Internet Service Provider, such as AOL. DSL stands for Digital Subscriber Line, which is a physical means of connecting to your ISP. One is not an alternative to the other. What am I missing?

40. Author of macabre tales : POE. We had his monogram yesterday.

41. Old cereal box stat : RDA. Recommended Dietary Allowance. They're called RDI's now - Recommended Daily Intake - apparently.

43. Weblike : SPIDERY. I always associated SPIDERY with writing, not with webs, but I'll treat this as a learning moment.

46. Before, of yore : ERE

47. Largish jazz ensemble : SEPTET. Depends on your definition of an ensemble. To a full orchestra, a septet might be construed as "smallish".

48. Maxwell Smart's nemesis : KAOS. From the TV series "Get Smart".

52. "The Devil Wears __" : PRADA. Another cracking movie.

53. Motrin competitor : ADVIL

54. Party hearty : REVEL. Another odd one. I've heard of a "reveller" before, but never seen REVEL used in the sense of an individual.

55. "Go ahead, make my day!" : TRY ME

57. Lana of Superman lore : LANG. Compare and contrast with Lois Lane.

58. Film feline : ELSA. The lioness from the movie "Born Free".

59. Silhouette of a bird, for Twitter : ICON

60. You might pick up a pebble in one : SHOE

61. Attention from Dr. Mom : TLC

62. Milne marsupial : ROO. This original by Ernest Shepard, not the abominable Disney mockery of the character:

That should do it from me for today. I'm off for a trip back to the old country tomorrow for a few days, apparently just in time for some really atrocious weather. I'm staying in Bloomsbury over the weekend, home to yesterday's Virginia Woolf. I'll follow this advice:

Toodle-oo!

Steve