Tuesday, May 3, 2016 Janice Luttrell

Title: Word Combinations - The first word of the first three long climbers can be placed ahead of the word, FIGURE.

3. Manual transmission : STICK SHIFT. Stick Figure

9. Husband of a fabled storyteller, in an L. Frank Baum title : FATHER GOOSE. Father Figure

24. One on the FBI's "Most Wanted" list : PUBLIC ENEMY. Public Figure

31. Ship's bow decoration ... and, literally, the first word of 3-, 9- and 24-Down : FIGUREHEAD. 3-, 9-, and 24-Down are the FIGURE HEADS.

Argyle here. Neat getting the reveal into the last spot. I had 3-Down and 24-Down filled in and looked for a theme. I thought I had it but thought, "EWW!". They had TICKS and LICE. I was relieved to find there weren't any more, shall we say, nits.

Across:

1. Old West chasers : POSSE

6. Child in the kitchen : CHEF

10. Sleep under the stars, with "out" : CAMP

14. Stage performer : ACTOR

15. Dance often accompanied by a ukulele : HULA

16. Heavenly bear : URSA

17. A Marx brother : CHICO

18. Be the lookout for, say : ABET

19. Angler's gear : REEL

20. Sounds of time : TOCKS. I know where the TICKS are.

21. Pretense : CHARADE

23. Hold on to : KEEP

25. 43-Down alum Cheri : OTERI. "Saturday Night Live" alumna, Cheri Oteri.

 

26. __ of thousands : CAST

28. GM labor group : UAW. (full name: International Union of United Automobile, Aerospace, and Agricultural Implement Workers of America)

30. Seaman's double-breasted jacket : REEFER. This link may be TMI but interesting. LINK



 

 

34. "Excuse me?" : "HUH?"

35. Fit for the task : ABLE

36. Upscale chocolate brand : GODIVA

37. Bush spokesman Fleischer : ARI. White House Press Secretary.

38. Take to the skies : FLY

39. Letters in some email addresses : AOL

40. Ring insert : GEM

41. Spotted cats may be spotted on one : SAFARI. Cool cross with AFRICA.

43. Column-lined walkway : STOA

 

44. Game name often shouted during play : UNO. Kids love this game.

45. Like grams and liters : METRIC

46. Wii forerunner : NES. (Nintendo Entertainment System)

47. __ and crafts : ARTS

48. Immune system component : T-CELL

50. Otherwise : ELSE

52. Miss Teen USA contest, e.g. : PAGEANT

55. Cigar remains : ASHES

58. Proctor's handout : EXAM

59. Like a frittata : EGGY

62. Talk show interviewee : GUEST

63. Height: Pref. : ALTI. (altitude)

64. Glutton's demand : MORE. Was Oliver a glutton then?

65. Use a soapbox : ORATE

66. Some undershirts : TEEs

67. The "Y" in YSL : YVES. (Yves Saint Laurent)

68. Honda Accord, e.g. : SEDAN

Down:

1. Treaty : PACT

2. Tres y cinco : OCHO. 3+5=8 (Cinco de Mayo Thursday)

4. Place for a plug : SOCKET

5. Unevenly notched, as leaf edges : EROSE

6. "__-ching!" : CHA or "KA-ching!

7. Wheel center : HUB

8. Vote into office : ELECT

10. Like a spicy Indian chicken dish : CURRIED

11. Locale : AREA

12. Teacher's graduate deg. : MSED. The Master of Education (M.Ed., Ed.M., M.A.Ed., M.A.E., M.S.Ed., M.S.E., or M.Ed.L.)

13. Lacking color : PALE

22. Colored part of the iris : AREOLA. I'm confused; the iris is the colored part of the eye. I did enjoy searching for an image of an AREOLA though but nothing iris related showed up.

25. What borrowers do : OWE

26. Deep gap : CHASM

27. Surrounding glows : AURAE

29. Prince __ Khan : ALY

32. Blessed __ : EVENT

33. 1990s Philippine president : RAMOS. Fidel V. Ramos, Wiki LINK.

35. Kilimanjaro's locale : AFRICA

39. Wolfed down : ATE

42. Greek goddess of the hunt : ARTEMIS

 

43. NBC sketch series, briefly : SNL

47. Guarantee : ASSURE

49. Statehouse official: Abbr. : LT.GOV. (lieutenant governor)

51. Old Nigerian capital : LAGOS. 1991, the Federal Government was relocated to Abuja. However, Lagos still remains the financial center of the country.

52. __ moss : PEAT

53. Wheelbarrow shaft : AXLE

54. Scandal suffix : GATE

56. This, to a señora : ESTA

57. WWII machine gun : STEN. British tommy gun.

60. LSAT cousin : GRE. (Graduate Record Examination)

61. Word of assent : YES, and a roundabout way of saying I'm done.

 

Argyle

Monday, May 2, 2016 Jeff Stillman

Theme: No Reveal Monday - Point/Counterpoint.

19A. "Fiddler on the Roof" song : SUNRISE / SUNSET

31A. Like businesses specializing in international trade : IMPORT / EXPORT

40A. Beatles hit that begins, "You say yes, I say no" : HELLO / GOODBYE

54A. Like some government partnerships : PUBLIC / PRIVATE

Argyle here. This is different; there are many things I could link but little that I need to. I'll search for some pretty pictures.

Across:

1. "Dragnet" star Jack : WEBB

5. Campus military prog. : ROTC. (Reserve Officers' Training Corps)

9. Die-hard : AVID

13. Gillette razor : ATRA

14. Bridal path flower piece : PETAL

15. Hindu princess : RANI

16. Apply crudely, as paint : DAUB

17. Samuel on the Supreme Court : ALITO. Conservative.

18. To be, to Tiberius : ESSE. Oh, to be a Star Fleet Captain!

Captain James Tiberius Kirk

 

22. "What a relief!" : "AHH!"

24. Continental trade gp. : EEC. (European Economic Community)

25. Ritzy residence : ESTATE

26. Corned beef-and-Swiss sandwich : REUBEN

28. Quantities: Abbr. : AMTs. Amounts.

30. '60s hallucinogen : LSD. (Lysergic acid diethylamide)

34. Second in command: Abbr. : ASST. (assistant)

Number Two

 

35. Golfer's concern : LIE

36. Convenience : EASE

45. Sci-fi saucer : UFO

48. Bears or Cubs : TEAM

49. At the back of the pack : LOSING

50. Poe's "The Murders in the Rue __" : MORGUE

52. ATM access code : PIN

53. __ Moines : DES

58. Hipbone parts : ILIA

59. "__-ho!" : HEAVE

60. European capital west of Helsinki : OSLO

63. No longer working: Abbr. : RET'D. (retired)

64. Forgetting to carry the one, say : ERROR

65. In the sack : ABED

66. Scots Gaelic : ERSE, Hey, Derek Bowman, that's close to ARSE.

67. Sheep fat : SUET

68. Unit of force : DYNE. Repeat from the 19th.

Down:

1. Fistful of bills : WAD

2. Approx. landing hour : ETA

3. Quick reviews, as before a test : BRUSH-UPs

4. Hindu title of respect : BABU

5. Archaeologist's find : RELIC

6. Big name in elevators : OTIS

7. London gallery : TATE. Tate Modern opened in 2000.

 

8. In the vicinity of : CLOSE TO

9. "__ you clever!" : AREN'T

10. Feudal servant : VASSAL

11. Enlarged map segments : INSETS

12. Cut down on calories : DIETED

14. PepsiCo, to Quaker Oats, e.g. : PARENT

20. __-do-well : NE'ER

21. SALT I participant : USSR

22. Opera solo : ARIA

23. Garment edges : HEMS

27. This and that : BOTH

28. Geometric given : AXIOM

29. Video file format : MPEG

32. Jazzy Fitzgerald : ELLA

33. Kennedy and Turner : TEDs

37. Obeys, as rules : ABIDES BY

38. "Auld Lang __" : SYNE

39. Brain scans, briefly : EEGs. Have at it.

41. Small needle case : ETUI

42. Freeloaders : LEECHES

43. Twist who asked for some more : OLIVER

44. Chaplin of "Game of Thrones" : OONA

45. Judge at home : UMPIRE

46. More unpleasant : FOULER. Not the batter staying alive? Ok, more unpleasant for the pitcher.

47. Planetary paths : ORBITS

51. Air freshener brand : GLADE

William Shayer: Resting In A Wooded Glade

 

52. Turn on one foot : PIVOT

55. Ecuador neighbor : PERU

 

56. In very short supply : RARE

57. Creek croaker : TOAD

61. "Dancing With the Stars" judge Goodman : LEN. A professional ballroom dancer.

62. Keats' "To Autumn," e.g. : ODE. Bah! Wrong time of year.

Ode to Spring

 

 

Argyle

Sunday May 1, 2016 Kathleen Fay O'Brien

 Theme:  "Floss" (F-loss). F sound is dropped from the start of one word in each theme entry.

 

23A. Perfect apartment deal? : GOLDEN LEASE. Golden Fleece.  For Jason and the Argonauts.

25A. Saying "Break a leg," say? : STAGE RITE. Stage fright.

46A. Plumbing school basic? : WRENCH LESSON. French lesson for Splynter.

71A. Traditional wisdom about hustlers? : DANCE LORE. Dance floor.

95A. Astronomers' monthly reading? : ORBS MAGAZINE. Forbes magazine.

119A. Song about a yellow ribbon? : OAK BALLAD. Folk ballad.

123A. Hooting, mostly? : OWL LANGUAGE. Foul language.

  

35D. Supply at the thermometer factory? : READY MERCURY. Freddie Mercury.

40D. Beet-flavored drink? : ROOT COCKTAIL. Fruit cocktail.

What a great title. I recall kicking around  a "Drop the f-bomb" idea with Don G ages ago.

All theme entries go through spelling changes. Very consistent. Kathleen dropped three F sound from the last word, 6 from the first word. No odd man out.

Across:    

1. Some "No Passing" road sections : ESSES

6. Journalist Roberts : COKIE

11. Tests with printed patterns, briefly : ECGs. Had to wait for the C as I just could not nail CATTY (12D. Showing one's claws, so to speak).

 

15. "Phooey!" : DANG. And 34. "Phooey!" : NERTS

19. 1814 treaty site : GHENT. Treaty of Ghent.

20. Dadaism pioneer : ERNST (Max)

21. Worn item that actually originated in Ecuador : PANAMA HAT. I'd have chickened out and broke this answer and LIE AROUND (125A. Relax) into two entries.

26. "TMI!" : SPARE ME

27. __ Authority : PORT

29. Minor adjustment : TWEAK. Rich often tweaks 50% of the clues. I fare slightly better on Sundays. But totally suck on Mondays/Tuesdays.

30. Descendant of Sperry Rand : UNISYS. Unknown trivia to me.

32. Likely to pry : NOSY

38. Traditionally red structure : BARN

41. Roller with leaves : TEA CART. Tea leaves.

43. Situation of intense scrutiny : HOT SEAT

45. Preview to a view, for short : IMO. Tricky clue.

 

49. Islands staple : TARO

50. "__ here!" : LOOKEE

52. Glide on powder : SKI. Did not think of snow.

53. Portent : OMEN

55. N.L. lineup absentees : DHs.  Also 74A. Ernie Banks epithet : MR. CUB And 17D. 2015 N.L. MVP Bryce Harper, e.g. : NAT

56. Highly values : ESTEEMS

58. The 114th began in 2015 : CONGRESS. So the Supreme Court is older than Congress?

62. "Roundabout" rockers : YES. Unfamiliar with the band or the song.

63. Flip over : CAPSIZE

66. It has all five black keys in its scale : D FLAT. Got via crosses.

67. Singer Mann : AIMEE

69. Black, in verse : EBON

73. Go like hotcakes : SELL

76. Karnak's country : EGYPT

77. "Please help me out" : BE A DEAR

80. Sound of fear : EEK

81. Sunday dinner entrée : RIB ROAST. We don't have a traditional Sunday dinner. How about your family?

84. Little shooter : MINICAM. Great clue.

87. Traitor : RAT

88. Scottish hillside : BRAE

89. Lager alternative : ALE

92. Working : ON DUTY

93. Top-billed : STAR

 

100. CD-__ : ROM

101. Canton natives : OHIOANS. I always think of Guangzhou when I see "Canton".

 

103. Key part of Bruce Wayne's wardrobe : BATSUIT

104. 10001 letters : NY NY. Zip code.

105. "M.O." rapper : NELLY

106. Many a reception : GALA

107. Emulate Cher in the '70s : GO SOLO. Also 130. Cher's former partner : SONNY

110. __ law : LEASH

113. Valley where David fought Goliath : ELAH. Valley of Elah.

115. Came out : EMERGED

 

126. Backs (away) : SHIES

127. Ottoman Empire founder : OSMAN

128. Banned apple spray : ALAR. And 122D. Banned bug spray : DDT

 129. Part of Q.E.D. : ERAT

131. Storage facilities : SHEDS

Down:

1. They're usually broken before use : EGGS. Also got via crosses. D'oh!

2. Mom-and-pop enterprise : SHOP

3. Ward of Hollywood : SELA

4. Evasive strategy : END RUN

5. Dutchman who painted "The Surprise" : STEEN. Can you link "The Surprise" painting for me?

6. Frozen pizza brand : CELESTE

7. Rock to refine : ORE

8. Hiker's burden : KNAPSACK

9. Schoolyard retort : IS SO

10. Infinite : ETERNAL

11. Some 45-rpm records : EPs

13. Nibble : GNAW

14. Wise one : SAGE

15. Most gloomy : DARKEST. Don't lose hope.

16. Sushi fish : AHI. Not our regular EEL.

18. Old AT&T rival : GTE

22. Was serious about : MEANT

24. Abbr. for people with only two names : NMI. I don't have middle name.

 

28. Raced : TORE

31. Desires : YENS

33. Rd. atlas listings : STS

36. Chapel Hill athlete : TAR HEEL

37. Eponymous Fox weekly news show : STOSSEL (John). Never watched his show.

38. Anger : BILE

39. Biblical prophet : AMOS

42. Stylish : CHIC

43. Betting favorite, often : HOME TEAM

44. People : ONES

46. Cry : WEEP

47. Radiation units : REMs. Learned from doing xwords. Never know what it stands for.

48. Like a June day, to Lowell : SO RARE

51. Reeves of "John Wick" : KEANU

 

54. Codebreaker's org. : NSA

57. "May I approach" court conferences : SIDEBARS. Tiny BAR dupe with ROLLBAR (94. Racecar safety feature) 

 

59. "Awake and Sing!" dramatist : ODETS (Clifford)

60. Patriots' org. : NFL

61. Goo amount : GLOB

64. Croatian capital : ZAGREB. Tinbeni's old haunt.

65. Companion of Ares : ENYO. I forgot. We had this sometime ago.

68. "Again ... " : I SAID

69. "Nature" author : EMERSON

70. Live partner : BREATHE. Live and breathe.

72. Tax season VIP : CPA

75. "I need a short break" : BRB (Be Right Back)

78. Belmonts frontman : DION

79. Kin of -trix : ENNE. Or ETTE.

82. Golfer's choice : IRON

83. Luggage danglers : TAGS

 

85. Loads : A TON. Not A LOT.

86. "Goodness!" : MY MY. And 117. "Goodness!" : EGAD

90. Texas Air Force base : LAUGHLIN. Well, gimme for D-Otto and Anon-T. Unknown to me.

91. He played Emile in Broadway's "South Pacific" : EZIO (Pinza). I only watched the movie "South Pacific". I talk like Bloody Mary.

 

96. Agcy. that aids start-ups : SBA

97. Guy : MALE

98. Stumped : AT A LOSS

99. "Piece of cake" : IT'S EASY

102. Annually : A YEAR. A partial.

104. "I have time" : NO RUSH

106. Togo neighbor : GHANA

108. Every, in an Rx : OMN. I won't dare to put this or TER in a grid. Rich just told me he would not allow DAMN any more.

109. The 5,922 of a Taj Mahal model : LEGOS

111. Natural balm : ALOE

112. Mark indicating a musical phrase : SLUR

114. Dr. Seuss's "Horton Hears __" : A WHO

116. Phone download : GAME

118. TV sites : DENS

119. Ipanema greeting : OLA

120. Confine to bed, maybe : AIL. Boomer had to take a cane when we walked yesterday. His right hip gave him so much pain. He normally toughs it out the elbow and shoulder pain. This hip pain is something else.

121. Mauna __ : KEA

124. Novelist Deighton : LEN

C.C.

Saturday, Apr 30th, 2016, Derek Bowman

Theme: 15x16 Triple-stack Debut~!(?)

Words: 75 (Pangram~!)

Blocks: 38

  Quite an effort for a debut (at least a debut for the LA Times).  I did not recognize the author's name, and I do not see his name on the blog list of constructors.  I dove right in and didn't see the triple-stack in the center, but I did sense that the grid was slightly w-i-d-e-r than our normal fare.  And a pangram, to boot~!  I finished under my personal time, but I have to confess two Google look-ups; both proper names.  Oh well, still a good solve, and a fun puzzle as well.  Just a tad too many proper names, I thought.  The triple-stack;

34. Capital near Las Vegas : SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO - it fit, so I went with it, and it was a good guess

41. Popular software for gamers : ADOBE FLASH PLAYER - a bit deceptive, since I am not a gamer, but I need the software to view certain YouTube videos

42. Variety show on which "The Honeymooners" began as a skit : CAVALCADE OF STARS - my house mate Garry was standing over my shoulder while I was solving, and at 69 years old, didn't know this one - until I told him the answer later.  It filled via perp(endicular)s

ACROSS:

1. Protests by not taking any courses? : FASTS - I tried SIT IN, as in students who audit classes, but don't "take" them

6. Floorboard hardware item : BRAD - as a carpenter, I end up using brads in most finishing work

10. Cloaks : VEILS

15. Top dog : ALPHA - my supervisor at UPS is a mere 21 years old, but he's got a need to prove he's the "alpha" male on the line; it's not working for him

16. Western city with an annual balloon race : RENO - filled via perps

17. She slugged a sheriff in "Selma" : OPRAH

18. Pick up : LEARN

19. Big story : EPIC - dah~! Not SAGA

20. With 13-Down, "Unfaithful" Oscar nominee : DIANE; 13. See 20-Across : LANE

21. Waits on hand and foot : CATERS TO - I pondered this, but waited

23. "Pity" : TSK

25. Proof letters : Q.E.D.

26. Not much power : ONE WATT - Garry owned "Go Solar" before retiring; everything is about watts and volts in his business

27. "Never Cry Wolf" author Farley __ : MOWAT - cheat #1; I had MO_AT

29. "__ tree falls ... " : IF A - if a man speaks, and there's no woman around to hear him, is he still wrong~?

30. Significant period : ERA

31. __ moment : A-HA

43. Buddy : MAC - argh~! Not PAL

44. Former court gp. : ABA - American Bar Association; I looked on Wiki, but couldn't find out why it is "former"

45. Big name in outdoor gear : REI - this has become a popular crossword clue/answer

46. Pope John Paul II's given name : KAROL

48. "Ready for business" sign : NOW OPEN

52. Toon that debuted in the 1954 cartoon "Devil May Hare" : TAZmanian Devil

55. "Hyde Park on Hudson" subj. : FDR - the movie starred Bill Murray

56. Peak : HIGH NOTE

57. Hardly warm : ALOOF

59. Comet competitor : AJAX

61. Secretary of war under Teddy : ELIHU - look up #2

62. Language that gives us "mako" : MAORI

63. Accept : TAKE

64. Tears down, in 65-Across : RASES - the British version of RaZes

65. North Sea county : ESSEX - when it's at the bottom of the grid, it's a safe guess to go with ESSEX, which is letter-friendly

66. Inspected : EYED - I'm a licensed Home Inspector, and a free-lance leg inspector....

67. Decorative pitchers : EWERS - another letter-friendly bottom answer

DOWN:

1. Gandolfini's TV wife : FALCO - "The Sopranos", which I didn't watch, but I knew the stars; made me change my NW across answers

2. "Yond Cassius has __ and hungry look" : A LEAN

3. Sudden rush : SPATE

4. Obeyed a fishing regulation : THREW IT BACK

5. Marin County seat : SAN RAFAEL

6. Football's Favre : BRETT

7. Tow job, for short : REPO

8. Singer DiFranco : ANI

9. BBC hero since 1963 : DOCTOR WHO

10. Screwdriver part : VODKA - I went with "BLADE" - the tool, not the drink. 

11. Commercial prefix with Pen : EPI - EPIpen

12. Big oil exporter : IRAQ

14. Lose : SHED - like pounds; today I'm at 180, about the lowest I've been in 25 years - lost the long hair, too

22. It may be swiped at work : STAFF CARD - I have an ID card to get on the UPS property, but I don't swipe it

24. Lowland amphibian : SWAMP FROG

27. 1980s attorney general : MEESE

28. Attorney's specialty : TAXATION LAW

32. Simple greeting : "HI-YA~!"

33. Big name in PCs : ACER

34. Ink __ : SAC - took too long to dawn on me

35. Actor Driver of "Girls" : ADAM - my mind was stuck on Minnie

36. Salmon choice : NOVA

37. Involved : ELABORATE - the adjective; this is an involved construction

38. Athlete known as "The King of Clay" : NADAL - I knew we were looking for a tennis star, but I don't watch enough to know which one is the 'king of clay'

39. Absent : ELSEWHERE

40. Logical operators : ORs

47. Pin, say : AFFIX - the verb

48. Rejected : NIXED

49. Self-confidence : POISE

50. Wild blue yonder : ETHER

51. City across the Rhine from Düsseldorf : NEUSS

52. Hardly boundary-pushing : TAME

53. "Poor me!" : ALAS

54. Places with exhibits : ZOOS

56. Cod relative : HAKE

58. Mt. Hood setting : OREgon

60. Colorful flier : JAY

Splynter
 

Note from C.C.:

I can't believe Splynter's transformation. Here he is a few years ago.
 

 

Here is the 180-pound Splynter. Click to enlarge. New face. New hair. What's the logo on your shirt, Splynter?

Friday, April 29, 2016, Jeffrey Wechsler

Title: Cereal killer on the loose...

Wow! Three JW puzzles in succession and each one a completely different look. Today is totally silly, taking a single letter out of a cereal name to create a very foolish sounding concoction. If he had some deep meaning for the theme I missed it. I found this just plain fun. Lots of substantial and original fill with some Friday words interspersed and his usual multiple word fill. PARFAIT,  ON A RIDE,  LAVORIS,  FLORIST,  I'LL HIDE,  CLEANER, SETTERS, TRADE IN,  PLANARIA, DERRIERE,  INCHOATE,  ROPE KNOT, ON RECEIPT and  ARTICHOKE are all great. So get your milk, and pull up a chair.

18A. Knockoff cereal? : FROSTED FLAKES (12). They're grrrreat.

28A. Cold cereal? : PUFFED RICE (9). Tasted like air.

37A. Recalled cereal? : FROOT LOOPS (9). Pure sugar.

48A. Prohibited cereal? : RAISIN BRAN (9). The healthy alternative.

57A. Mystery cereal? : SHREDDED WHEAT (12). The classic.

Across:

1. Did a gondolier's job : POLED. Venice (Vennis) anyone?

6. Wedding planner's contact : FLORIST. I loved our wedding flowers.

13. Like antique watches : ANALOG. Not digital.

15. Freshwater flatworms : PLANARIA.  Ucky but interesting to study WORMS.

16. Hiker's challenge : RAVINE. A deep narrow steep-sided valley, esp one formed by the action of running water.

17. Caboose : DERRIERE. Not of the train, but of the body. French.

20. Swift's medium : AIR. Tom Swift?

21. Runner in the Alps : SKI. Nice misdirection.

22. Expire : CEASE.

26. "And if __, no soul shall pity me": King Richard III : I DIE. They did not pity RIII even after Shakespeare tried to help. RGIII anyone?

32. Charged wheels : TESLAS. Electric cars.

35. With 24-Down, course for future pundits : POLI. 24D. See 35-Across : SCI. Political Science.

36. Hägar creator Browne : DIK.

40. "Get off the stage!" : BOO. Hiss.

43. Corrida figure : TORO. The bull.

44. Philosophers' subject : ETHICS.

51. "Ex's & Oh's" singer King : ELLE.

52. MetLife competitor : AFLAC. Insurance companies.

53. Span of note : ERA.

56. Court mulligan : LET. The odd tennis do over on your first serve.

62. Disorganized : INCHOATE. Really more unformed than disorganized, especially in the law.

65. Emmy-winning role for Julia : ELAINE Benes.

66. Mooring hitch, for one : ROPE KNOT. As opposed to a rope loop?

67. More thoughtful : KINDER.

68. Deal on a lot : TRADE IN.

69. Round components, maybe : BEERS. Whew, half done, let me get this round.

Down:

1. Baskin-Robbins offering : PARFAIT. I never knew they had these.

2. Enjoying the amusement park : ON A RIDE.

3. Brand that's swirled, not swallowed : LAVORIS. From my childhood; kids in school drank it for the alcohol content. Scope really derailed this brand, I think.

4. Eero Saarinen and others : ELIS. More references to Yale University; he graduated from their school of architecture in 1934.

5. They're forbidden : DON'TS.

6. Little nipper : FLEA. Too many choices.

7. Frolic : LARK.

8. How some deliveries are paid : ON RECEIPT. COD?

9. Brought up : RAISED.

10. Choler : IRE.

11. Mr. Bumble, to Oliver Twist : SIR.

12. __ Bo : TAE.

14. "The Big Bang Theory" figure : GEEK. Rhymes with 25D. "That's scary!" : EEK. 54D. Be offensive, in a way : REEK. Did you watch GOT and the REEK?

15. Freebie from Adobe : PDF. Portable Document Format.

19. Go down : DIP. Love these two together.

23. Prop up : AID.

27. Middle-earth figure : ELF.

29. __ point: with limitations : UP TO A. A partial?

30. Rock's __ Fighters : FOO. When Cobain died, his drummer founded THEM.

31. Penguin's perch : FLOE. Sorry Tin, but it is ice.

33. Edible thistle : ARTICHOKE. Man there is so much more to this thistle (say that fast) than just using it as part of a dip. It has HEART. We miss you marti.

34. "Just another minute" : SOON.

38. Spheroid : ORB. JW tends to bunch his threes to get long fill in the other direction.

39. Ewe or sow : SHE.

40. It may be wired : BRA.

41. Boor : OAF.

42. Peanut product : OIL.

45. Offer to a potential seeker : I'LL HIDE. I did love hide and seek in the back yard.

46. Dry __ : CLEANER.

47. English and Irish : SETTERS.

49. Like some beauty contest winners : SASHED. JW used this image recently.

50. Neighbor of Homer : NED. Flanders on the Simpsons.

55. Response to a heckler : AD LIB.

58. Indian royal : RANI.

59. "The most private of private schools," to Hugh Laurie : ETON.

60. Rizzoli of "Rizzoli & Isles": Abbr. : DETective.

61. Decrease : WANE.

62. NYC subway : IRT.  Interborough Rapid Transit was a private company until bought by the city in 1940.

63. "__ will I" : NOR. Talk about your obscure clue/fill combos. Am I missing a famous quote?

64. IRS employee : CPA. Certified Public Accountant.

Back from a wonderful brief vacation in Denver with both sons, dil and granddaughters. This lighthearted effort is just what I needed coming back on short rest. I hope you had fun and enjoy the rest of April. Lemonade out.

Note from C.C.:

Here are a few great photos from Lemonade's Denver trip.

My day started with this

Thursday, April 28th 2016 C.C. Burnikel

Theme:

3D. Singer whose last name is Pig Latin for a slang word for "money" : ANITA O'DAY. The crosses filled most of entry for me, but it took me the longest time for the penny to dop - I was trying to figure out the slang word DANITAO and why I'd never heard of it. Then I saw "last name" in the clue and D'OH! - "dough". Cool clue.

7D. Toyota Center team : HOUSTON ROCKETS. I know only a few any of the sponsored arenas beyond the ones in my own city, but a few crosses and I can usually get the team pretty quickly. I know that the baseball Houston Astros play at Minute Maid Park, but that's because I was at a hotel last year two steps from the stadium and I could see it from my room.

14D. Activity for some ex-presidents : LECTURE CIRCUIT. I'm sure they're all tremendously interesting.

34D. London locale that's a music industry eponym : ABBEY ROAD. I've done the famous "Beatles Walk" on the pedestrian crossing outside the studio, but, (of course) when I was younger and lived a mere two miles away I was way too cool for school to do that. Ah, the ignorance of youth! Here's a setup shot:

and the reveal:

23D. Appears unexpectedly, and a hint to this puzzle's circles : CROPS UP.

Nice one from C.C. - some great long downs and two sets of double-stacked 9's in the acrosses. Both ANITA O'DAY and LECTURE CIRCUIT are first-timers to appear in the LAT, you can't get much fresher than that. However - one quibble. If I were to ask a farmer what crop he was growing, I'd be happy to hear RICE, CORN and RYE, but if I was told OAT I'd wonder how many milli-ounces of yield was expected. However, I tend to forgive quibbles about circle entries (cirquibs?)  because they don't affect the clue or the answer.

Let's see what else catches the rye - I mean eye:

Across:

1. Detergent with Oxi Booster : ERA. If you say so. I'm not brand-conscious with laundry detergent, I get whatever is discounted at Ralph's when I need some.

4. DVD precursor : VHS

7. Scout, to Tonto : HORSE

12. "Face the Nation" group : PANEL

15. "My mom's gonna kill me!" : I AM SO DEAD. Fun entry.

17. Uncle relative? : I GIVE

18. Golden Globe, e.g. : STATUETTE. Awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for excellence in film and TV.

19. Nail care target : CUTICLE

21. Congressional period : SESSION

22. Vocal quartet member : ALTO

23. Use WhatsApp, say : CHAT

24. Junior nav. officer : ENS. Naval Ensign, from the old French "enseigne". Also the flag flown from the stern of a ship.

25. Long time follower : AGO

27. Manipulator : USER

29. Cut : LOP

31. Roll of dough : WAD

32. Popular weekend destination for many Northern Californians : RENO. Across the border in Nevada. Gamblin' an' boozin' an' such.

33. Deceitful : SNEAKY

37. Remove : ERASE

39. Drop (out) : OPT

41. Russian lettuce? : RUBLE

42. Fog machine substance : DRY ICE. Carbon Dioxide cooled to around -110F.

No self-respecting 70's rock band would be seen dead on stage without it. Here's Led Zeppelin rocking the CO2.

44. Average : SO-SO

46. Ballerina's hairdo : BUN

47. Prohibit : NIX,  Funny, I used Pig Latin "ixnay" in the blog last week.

48. Offensive to some, for short : UN-PC. People get offended by MacBooks? Oh - wait. Not politically-correct.

49. Rescue squad initials : EMS

50. ___ Fridays : TGI

53. Speak harshly : RASP

55. ''Fine by me'' : OKAY

57. Salon piece : ARTICLE. Wig? Toupée? Oh - "salon" in the literary gathering sense.

59. Swallowed one's pride : ATE CROW

62. Chinese cooking staple : PEANUT OIL

64. "__ were the days" : THOSE

65. Not working : AT LEISURE

66. "Lone Survivor" military group : SEALS. From the movie adaptation of the book by Marcus Luttrell. Many current and ex-members of the elite forces are upset by the proliferation of "insider" books being published as they feel it damages the esprit de corps without which the units could not function.

67. Speak, old-style : SAY'ST,

Quince: What say'st thou, bully Bottom?

A Midsummer Night's Dream, I, iii William Shakespeare

68. Not strict : LAX

69. One of two in Pompeii : DOT. I missed this until the write-up - the crosses filled it in for me. Funny clue - two dots over two "i"s.

Down:

1. "Paradise Lost," e.g. : EPIC

2. Marinara brand : RAGU. I never buy it, it takes about 60 seconds to make your own. A can of San Marzano tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, chilli pepper, salt, dried oregano, give it a whizz with your stick blender and bingo! Cleanup takes 20 seconds. No-brainer.

4. Workshop gadget : VISE. Spelt VICE in England. This bilingual thing is tough.

5. Derby or boater : HAT

6. Huge success : SMASH

8. Laudatory verses : ODES. Sometimes written on Grecian urns. No?

9. Tighten, as laces : RETIE

10. Kept quiet : SAT ON

11. Paradises : EDENS

13. Really bad : EVIL

16. Good buys : STEALS

20. Get rid of : LOSE

25. Knocked out : AWED

26. "Tootsie" actress : GARR. Thank you, crosses.

28. Co-producer of the art rock album "High Life" : ENO. Busy chap, Brian.

30. Little, in Marseille : PEU. Stumped me for a moment - not petit/petite? Ah - a small amount, un peu. You can also have "un petit peu" if you're going extra-small.

35. "America's Got Talent" judge Heidi : KLUM. One of my friends sometimes handles security for her. He says she's completely down-to-earth. Here she is wearing a body-paint swimsuit for "Sports Illustrated".

36. Deep desires : YENS

38. Lust, e.g. : SIN

40. Weigh station unit : TON

43. Praises : EXALTS

45. Pick out of a crowd : SPOT

50. Spanish appetizers : TAPAS. They were originally simple slices of bread you put over your wine glass to keep the flies out, then the bars started dressing 'em up with a smear of this and that. "Tapa" means "cover".

51. Actress Scacchi : GRETA

52. Birthplace of the violin : ITALY

54. Peninsular capital : SEOUL

56. Icy Hot target : ACHE

58. Supermodel Sastre : INES. Crosses. I'm not too up on my supermodels, although Heidi Klum is in my "known" category.

59. Longtime teammate of Derek : ALEX. I tried A-ROD first. Gong! Wrong!

60. Nobel Peace Center locale : OSLO

61. From Green Bay to St. Paul : WEST

63. Often rolled-over item : IRA

Here's the grid, with the circles for those of you who didn't get them:

Have a great day. I'm going to "The Happiest Place on Earth" today (Disneyland, not my kitchen!) with my daughter who is visiting from London. 

Steve