Monday, June 6, 2016 Janice Luttrell

Theme: Fresh start to the week - The start of the unifier can also be the start to the start of the theme entries.

17A. Enter like a debutante : BREEZE INTO. Fresh Breeze.

23A. Keep a lawn moist : WATER THE GRASS. Fresh Water

53A. Deflate the overconfidence of : CUT DOWN TO SIZE. Fresh Cut.

63A. New beginning ... and what the first words of 17-, 23- and 53-Across can literally have : FRESH START

Argyle here. I started an expo but spent my time on the write-up instead.

Across:

1. Single-celled lab specimen : AMEBA

6. Sultan of __: Babe Ruth : SWAT

10. Machine-mixed ice-cream beverage : MALT. Okay, snack time. 30A. Ring-shaped fried veggies : ONIONS. 40A. Round veggie : PEA. 69A. Roast, on le menu : RÔTI(rôti de bœuf). 44D. Asian dish topped with crushed peanuts : PAD THAI. 46D. Cereal served hot : OATMEAL. 50D. Fish eggs : ROE. 51D. Absorbs with bread, as gravy : SOPS UP. Some poi? 67D. Island party : LUAU. Thirsty? 21A. Toga party barrel : KEG

14. Sun-bleached : FADED

15. Pass in soccer but not in football : KICK

16. Singer India.__ : ARIE. 61 Rampy, if you're still with us, there's a nice Corvair in the video.

19. Debussy's "Clair de __" : LUNE

20. Focus of psychoanalysis : SELF

22. Vinyl collectible : ALBUM

27. Comedy duo Key & __ : PEELE. Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele.

29. Midday snooze : SIESTA

32. __ on the back : PAT

33. Sting operation : TRAP

37. Where Hillary was a sen. : NYS. (New York State)

38. Airer of old films : TCM. (Turner Classic Movies)

42. Best pitcher in the rotation : ACE

43. Shocked reaction : GASP

45. Brazilian port : RIO



The beach looks clean here.



47. Search __: online tool : ENGINE

49. WrestleMania venues : ARENAs
 

52. Electroshock weapon : TASER

57. __ of the Union address : STATE

58. Velocity meas. : MPH

59. Pilate's "Behold!" : "ECCE!"

62. Georgia __ : TECH. Georgia Institute of Technology, one of the oldest and most respected polytechnical universities, is in Atlanta.

66. Vicinity : AREA

68. Hog hangouts : STIES

70. Shrill bark : [YELP!]

71. "Peter Pan" girl : WENDY

Down:

1. Homes for mil. jets : AFBs. (Air Force Base)

2. Female horse : MARE

3. Flower in a "Sound of Music" song title : EDELWEISS

4. Bovine hybrid : BEEFALO. Leftover from Sunday's puzzle?

5. Wood shaper with a broad blade : ADZ

6. Slalom racers : SKIERS

7. Men's dress shoe : WINGTIP

8. Work onstage : ACT

9. Boxing ref's ruling : TKO. (technical knockout)

10. Teen hanging out among shoppers : MALL RAT

11. Netherlands Antilles resort island : ARUBA

12. Lucy's blanket-toting brother : LINUS. "Peanuts" Their last name is van Pelt.

13. Swarms (with) : TEEMS

18. __ out: barely make : EKE

22. Ten-percenter: Abbr. : AGT. (agent)

24. Circus covering : TENT

25. Unlikely auto trade-in : HEAP. They have been known to have been donated to charities with a considrable inflated value.

26. Lauder of cosmetics : ESTÉE

27. Vintage video game : PONG

28. One-named Irish singer : ENYA. She did "Orinoco Flow" and Orinoco was in Sunday's puzzle.(part of a clue)

31. Carpentry fastener : SCREW

34. Engage in high jinks : RAISE CAIN

35. Unpopular spots in school? : ACNE

36. Social equal : PEER

39. Wisc. neighbor : MINN.

41. Not in favor of : ANTI

48. Texarkana daily : GAZETTE

53. Certain red giant : C STAR

54. In __: not yet born : UTERO

55. "Be silent," in music : TACET. Akin to TACIT.

56. "Be silent!" : "SHH!"

60. Rep on the street : CRED. (credibility)

61. Website featuring handicrafts : ETSY.com

63. Angler's lure : FLY

64. Deeply regret : RUE

65. NNE's opposite : SSW

Argyle

Sunday June 5, 2016 Paul Coulter

Theme: "Hybrid Crossings" - Each Down theme entry crosses the hybrid word it forms. Like so:

22A. Without 3-Down, artful deception : SMOG (Smoke + Fog) AND MIRRORS. 3D. Driving hazard : FOG. Original phrase is "smoke and mirrors"'

37A. Without 32-Down, stinging insects : ORANGE (Yellow + Red) JACKETS. 32D. __ alert : RED. Yellow jacket. 

52A. Without 30-Down, separate matter altogether : MULE (Horse + Donkey) OF A DIFFERENT COLOR. 30D. Critter orchestrally imitated in Grofé's "Grand Canyon Suite" : DONKEY. Horse of a different color.  Both DONKEY and SPOON intersect two themers.

 

73A. Without 76-Down, arrive where one must decide between options :

COME TO A SPORK (Spoon + Fork) IN THE ROAD. 76D. Aid in a stirring experience : SPOON. Come to a fork in the road.

 90A. Without 90-Down, be evasive : SKORT (Skirt + Shorts) THE ISSUE. 90D. Golfer's garb : SHORTS. Skirt the issue. = Skort.

110A. Without 100-Down, classic children's novel : CHARLOTTE'S BLOG (Web + Log)  100D. Shipboard account : LOG. Charlotte's Web.

Heavy themage. Grid spanners are OK for 15*15, but somehow they're tougher to deal with for a Sunday puzzle. And Paul has added pressure of making the intersection work.

You might think those Down themers are short and won't present too much problem for the constructor. But they must intersect with the hybrid words. FOG cannot cross the O in MIRRORS. RED can not cross the E in JACKETS.

Brilliant construction. I'm totally in awe.

Across:       

1. Personal ad abbr. : SWF. The movie is scary.

4. Dry and crack : CHAP

8. Film rating org. : MPAA

12. Muse of comedy : THALIA. Needed crossing help.

18. 1986 Gene Hackman film : HOOSIERS. What's your favorite Gene Hackman movie?

20. Paths for three-pointers : ARCS

21. "The Truth About Cats & Dogs" genre : ROM-COM

 

24. Gone : USED UP

25. Usher's creator : POE. Googled afterwards. Not familiar with the short story "The Fall of the House of Usher".

26. Actress Hatcher : TERI

27. Left end? : IST. Leftist.

28. "The X-Files" extras : G-MEN. Normally a clue for ETS.

29. Shallow crossing point : FORD

31. Dress : ENROBE

33. Cocktail hour array : DIPs. Was picturing drinks.

34. Prefix meaning "bee" : API

 

41. Bit of public relations deception : SPIN. Also 70. Trickery : DECEIT

42. Discussion group : PANEL

44. Ran quickly : DARTED

45. Others, on the Orinoco : OTRAS. Or OTROS.

46. Revealing, as some gowns : BACKLESS. So pretty.

49. Name again : RE-APPOINT

57. Maker of ProX skin products : OLAY. Gimme for ladies.

58. Where balls are often caught : MIDAIR

59. Catch but good : NAIL

60. Engine part : CAM

61. "The Waste Land" monogram : TSE

63. The King : ELVIS

65. "Errare humanum __" : EST. Latin for "to err is human".

66. Poll no. : PCT (Percent)

69. Ratted : TOLD

72. Field of study : AREA

80. Original model : ARCHETYPE. Great entry.

81. It counts : NEATNESS. Not abacus.

82. Gave a darn : CARED

83. Lazy : OTIOSE. Not a word I use.

88. Repeated phrase in Ecclesiastes : A TIME. Stumped me.

89. Latin wings : ALAE

94. U.K. award : OBE. Or MBE.

95. Vulnerable bone for a catcher : SHIN

96. Uncommon : SCARCE

97. Poet Silverstein : SHEL

101. Valhalla VIP : THOR

102. Cholesterol initials : LDL

103. "Momo" author Michael : ENDE.  Have any of you read the book?

106. Winner's medalla : ORO

107. Unlike golf, as a rule : INDOOR. We had a indoor driving range near Fleet Farm. Gone now. Also 98D. Stroked into the cup : HOLED

 

114. Absolute ruler : DESPOT

115. Native Rwandan : HUTU

116. Religious dissensions : HERESIES

117. Little hooters : OWLETS

118. Blood type, briefly : O NEG

119. Giant great : MAYS (Willie). Quite a few baseball references in this puzzle.

120. Poem originally performed with music : ODE

Down:

1. Stubby-legged Capp critter : SHMOO. Forgot. We had him before. Wiki says "Shmoos are delicious to eat, and are eager to be eaten."

2. Beau : WOOER

4. Theater : CINE

5. "The Birds" actress : HEDREN (Tippi)

6. Strong-__ : ARMING

7. Telepathy, e.g. : PSI. I don't get it. I wanted ESP.

8. Popular chocolate treat : MARS BAR

9. Defend from attack : PROTECT

10. Spanning: Abbr. : ACR (Across)

11. Biblical beast : ASS

12. One-ups : TRUMPS

13. Takes to the cleaners ... or cleans : HOSES. Great clue.

14. "Right on!" : AMEN

15. Readout using polarized light, briefly : LCD

16. Chit : IOU

17. Band aid : AMP. Great clue also.

19. Rested, in a way : SAT

22. Sunscreen letters : SPF

23. Spanish wine region : RIOJA. Got via crosses.

28. "Scram!" : GIT

33. Pfeiffer of TV's "Cybill" : DEDEE. Sister of Michelle Pfeiffer.

34. Patriots' Day month : APRIL

35. Bench site : PIANO. Piano bench.

36. Orch. component : INSTR. OK, instrument.  Gluey entry.

38. Move, to a Realtor : RE-LO

39. Hebrew leader? : ALEF. First Hebrew letter.

40. LPGA star Cristie : KERR. She's Boomer's favorite LPGA player.

41. Happy hour seat : STOOL

42. Zahn of TV news : PAULA. Lots of names in Downs. Besides the above HEDREN, KERR, DEDEE, we also have 50. Actress Bening : ANNETTE. 54. Three-time Masters winner : FALDO (Nick). 56. Former NBA center Dampier : ERICK. 75. Hal of the 1985 World Champion Kansas City Royals : MCRAE. 77. Czech hockey player Nedved : PETR. 78. Lukas of "Witness" : HAAS. 110. Comic Margaret : CHO. Korean CHO is same as Chinese Zhao or Chao (as in Elaine Chao).

43. "That shut her up like __": Tennessee Williams : A CLAM

45. Footnote abbr. : OP. CIT.

46. Bowl game star, briefly : BMOC. "Big Man on Campus"

47. Like some service : SAME DAY

48. Reagan prog. : SDI (Strategic Defense Initiative)

51. Fund-raising gps. : PTAs

53. Chemical suffix : IDE

55. Half a sawbuck : FIVER

61. Schlepped : TOTED

62. Place for a coin : SLOT. Boomer was solving the NYT crossword in our local paper, then told me that Will Shortz made a big mistake in the clue for GRANT [50s president]. He said Grant's presidency was in 60s and 70s. Ha ha.

64. Tre + tre : SEI

66. Preface : PROEM. Not INTRO.

67. Break off : CEASE

68. Small amounts : TADs

69. Little laugh : TEHEE

71. Setting for Dickens : INN

72. __ Army: links group : ARNIE'S. Finally met with Jack Nicklaus last summer. He was so easygoing.

73. Tree with pods : CACAO

74. GUM rival : ORAL B

79. Disbelieving accusation : ET TU

84. Words said while stretching, maybe : IT'S LATE. Great clue/fill.

85. Non-Rx med : OTC DRUG. Four consonants in a row.

86. Formal will : SHALL. Got me last time.

87. Always, in verse : E'ER

 

91. White wine aperitif : KIR

92. Summer cooler : ICE TEA. I've started to use ICE TEA rather than ICED TEA. Easy to say without the extra D in ICED.

93. Halter? : SENTRY. Halt-er.

95. Photograph : SHOOT

 99. Uneven, as a leaf's edge : EROSE

 

101. Drink too much : TOPE

104. Odd couple? : DEES. The two letters.

105. Letter with curves : ESS

107. Altar avowal : I DO

108. Green : NEW

109. Internet access letters : DSL

111. Follower of Attila : HUN

112. Omega, to a physicist : OHM

113. Many a Wikipedia article : BIO

Happy Birthday to dear TTP, who saved this blog from Google Hell a few years ago. TTP is a computer expert, also a sports nut. He has astonishing knowledge on baseball & football & bowling. He and his wife are avid golfers and gardeners. TTP also does his own home improvement projects. He's also a great cook. Now, Dave, find that perfect cake!

C.C.

Saturday, Jun 4th, 2016, Gareth Bain

Theme: None

Words: 72 (missing B,J,Q,X)

Blocks: 32

  This would have been an even quicker solve had it not been for the rash of proper names - and the fact of the matter is that it's the "Bain" of today's offering from Gareth.  Not only did I count 13 or more in the puzzle, but they crossed, too, and if you didn't know, well, then, you just didn't know.  And I did not know three squares, which I have to call fun-sponge on.  Not a particularly intimidating grid, with 2 11's and 2 10's in the Across, and paired 10's in the Down;

25. Film for which Anthony Quinn won an Oscar : VIVA ZAPATA - Never saw the movie, but there is this clip from Ocean's 13 which I did know - and proper name #6

11. 1980s scandal : IRAN-CONTRA - I remembered this news item from my high school days, with Oliver North and (a gratuitous leg image of) Fawn Hall; my earliest recollection of "news" was ABSCAM, and Claus von Bülow's trial

26. Angel on one's shoulder, so to speak : INNER VOICE

56. Genre of Madonna's "Ray of Light" album : ELECTRONICA - I thought this referred to her "gospel" album, Like A Prayer, but no.  I do remember this song, and it's along the lines of the "electronica" I listen to these days.  The Wiki on "Ray of Light"

blONdeWARD~!

ACROSS:

1. Indian state bordering Bhutan : ASSAM - filled via perps; proper name #1

6. Lab glassware eponym : PETRI - OK, a proper name, but I knew this one (#2)

11. AOL, e.g. : ISP - Internet Service Provider

14. Bridges : SPANS - got it; the verb, not the noun(s)

15. Hamal's constellation : ARIES - thought I got it with "ORION", and it jibed with POPS, ERAT, and TIN....but left me with a mess at the end - and proper name #3

16. Indianapolis' __ Dome : RCA - #4 or....

17. 2008 Jack Black title role : KUNG FU PANDA - #4~?

19. Shipping nickname : ARI - OK, I tried UPS....more at 41d.

20. Considers with disdain : SNEERS AT

21. Spoke quietly? : SIGNED - Sign language, very cute

23. Sch. with a Riverhead campus : LIU - Uh, OK, drew a blank on this one - and I literally live like 5 miles from it; in my defense, it's on the Suffolk County Community College Campus - #5~?

24. Lure : SEDUCE - dah~! Had ENTIce

30. Author Morrison : TONI - #7

32. Benz finish : ENE - too bad the space wasn't longer, as I was thinking "clear coat" - the 'finish' on a Mercedes-Benz.  Nope, just BenzENE

33. Tender in Warsaw : ZLOTY - thought it was a kopek - #8

34. Proceeds : WENDS - I had "GAINS", as in the proceeds from a sale

35. Georgia of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" : ENGEL - proper name #9, filled via perps

37. Bapt., e.g. : RELigion

38. Austrian composer Webern : ANTON - proper name #10; via perps

39. Pet problem? : PEEVE - not fooled

40. Some cake layers : TIERS

42. Grill guard : U.S. :: __ bar : Australia : ROO - Nailed it, but not too hard to figure out.  I know what an automotive grill(e) guard is, and just expanded the idea....

43. Span. title : SRTA

44. Holder of an affectionate message : CANDY HEART

46. Destructive type : VANDAL

48. JFK, for one : DEMocrat

49. Tidbit : MORSEL

50. Most like a dive : SEEDIEST

55. Richard __ : III - I had it, then took it out because it didn't jibe with EMI at 58a.

58. Longtime Elton John label : MCA - dah~!! Not EMI

59. Show shown over : RERUN

60. Discussion venue : FORUM

61. Poetic twilight : E'EN

62. Fluid accumulation : EDEMA

63. Ridges on the neck : FRETS - I was in the wrong wheelhouse when I filled in MANES, which I knew was wrong, but....and then when the answer was revealed, I felt even sillier, since I play guitar....

DOWN:

1. Wants in payment : ASKS - tragedy has struck; my Dodge Stratus snapped a ball joint on Sunday, and because of various other ailments, I think it's time to upgrade; 293,475 miles, and it does not owe me anything.  Now I am looking for a Dodge Caravan, and they are ASKING for $10-13K, used

2. Like some flax : SPUN

3. Levelheaded : SANE

4. German chancellor Merkel : ANGELA - proper name #11

5. "The Magic School Bus" teacher : Ms. FRIZZLE - never heard of the book, show, or her; the Wiki - and proper name #12

6. Family nickname : PAPA - yeah, POPA is not quite right

7. Proof word : ERAT - part of Q.E.D., frequently seen in crosswords

8. Element in some solder : TIN

9. Site of a major part of the Bible? : RED SEA - RODS-- was just not going to give me any positive result - and "part(ing)" should have clued me in

10. Start of a repeat : "I SAID..."

12. Bug barrier : SCREEN DOOR

13. Like a pro : PAID

18. Everyday : USUAL - here's the "usual" gratuitous leg image

22. "__ Morgen!" : GUTEN - das German~! (see, I can knock more than just Frawnche)

24. Arranged : STYLED

25. Nixon and Ford : VEEPS

27. Flier's request : VEGETARIAN

28. Classical entrance : PORTAL - I want a drawbridge and gate on my castle home when I build it

29. Used the dining room : ATE IN

31. Tot's rebuttal : "IS NOT~!!"

34. Cleaned : WASHED OFF

36. Novak's TV partner : EVANS - no clue, but a good WAG on my part - #13

41. Its first truck was a Ford Model A : RYDER - I did not know this; UPS' first vehicle was a Model T car

44. Canceled due to rain, say : CALLED

45. Key of Sibelius' First Symphony : E MINOR - you know the drill; fill in -M--OR, and wait; once I got "SEEDIEST", I knew it was not MAJOR

47. Big name on the farm : DEERE

49. One apparently trapped behind glass : MIME - couldn't find a Spinal Tap link

50. Pond build-up : SCUM

51. Peak west of the Ionian Sea : ETNA

52. The Auld Sod : EIRE

53. Rabbit's tail : SCUT

54. Highland tops : TAMS

57. "And Venus sets __ Mercury can rise": Pope : ERE

Splynter

Friday, June 3, 2016, Elliott M. Abrams

Title: Sh......

What I perceive is a debut puzzle for Mr. Abrams gives us words beginning with SH (sound)(vowel) in progression. A very straight forward puzzle with a very fast solve time and a mini-theme of Hawaiian words. I know of an Archaeology Professor who wrote about historic architecture in the MAYAN culture. My oldest wrote about ancient architecture in his time studying in that field. Anyway, on to the puzzle...The theme fill except OVERWHELM are all new to the LAT.  The rest includes forty-six 3/4 letter fill, many of which are common crossword fodder. I am always impressed with those  who grid their own first effort.  I enjoyed the puzzle, especially all the Js. After last week's pangram, we are just a Q short this week.

18A. Shaq : EX-NBA CENTER (11). Shaquille is a very entertaining guy.

24A. Sheik : ARAB NOBLE (9).Sheikh, Shaik, Shayk, Shaykh, Shaikh, Cheikh, and Shekh— is an honorific title in the Arabic language. wiki

37A. Schick : RAZOR BLADE MAKER (15). The "C" makes this the outlier, This may have been his seed entry. If he chose SHI... maybe: Shirk: LIE DOWN ON THE JOB. Of course that would cause a complete rewrite. Life is not easy.

49A. Shock : OVERWHELM (9). All perps

55A. Shuck : OPEN OYSTERS (11).My first thought was corn, but I do not eat shellfish.

Okay on to the meat of the puzzle...

Across:

1. Backtalk : LIP.

4. Went into second, in a way : SLID. A gimme for the baseball crowd.

8. Energy units : JOULES. I love J words: It is equal to the energy transferred (or work done) to an object when a force of one newton acts on that object in the direction of its motion through a distance of one metre (1 newton metre or N·m). It is also the energy dissipated as heat when an electric current of one ampere passes through a resistance of one ohm for one second. It is named after the English physicist James Prescott Joule (1818–1889) wiki.

14. She played Mia in "Pulp Fiction" : UMA. She died and came back.

15. Mackerel relative : TUNA. I forgot that.

16. Opposite of down : ACROSS. Crossword inside joke

17. AWOL pursuers : MPS. Military Police. Probably not a legitimate plural.

20. Combat : BATTLE.

22. Long, on Lanai : LOA. Then an immediate clecho 23A. Hi, on Lanai : ALOHA.

30. Exceptional : RARE.

31. Team members : OXEN. Cute yoke.

32. "Darkness at __": Arthur Koestler novel : NOON. In 1998, the Modern Library ranked Darkness at Noon number eight on its list of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century. I never read it. The novel was written in German. wiki

33. Fortress of Solitude statue honoree : JOR-EL. Since the creators were both Jewish, they named their central family EL אֵל. Did you know Superman had his own WIKI?

35. Formal assessment : REPORT. I am not the report type. Michelle does lots of them for clients.

41. Calls up : EVOKES.

42. Pip : BEAUT.

43. Mudville number : NINE. How many players on the field in baseball.

44. 2015 Emmy winner for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series : VEEP. Not only born into a fabulously wealthy family but in her third Emmy winning series, JULIA is one lucky woman.

45. Wheels : RIDE. Nice ride...

52. Hardly a socialite : LONER.

53. It may be humbly held in hand : HAT. Nice cluing.

54. Stumble : FALTER.

61. Nixon admin. creation : EPA. An environmental CRUSADER when politics made some sense.

62. __ effect : RIPPLE. Not to be confused with the butterfly effect.

63. Israeli writer Oz : AMOS.  Hid views are not always popular. LINK.

64. Nothing but __ : NET. Steph Curry...Game 1, he was not good but they won.

65. Church symbols : SPIRES.

66. Not for here : TO GO. They added to go service at the Cattleman.

67. Helical strands : DNA. Helix like.

Down:

1. Like the vertebrae directly above the pelvis : LUMBAR. Where by herniated discs live.

2. 1958 Chevy debut : IMPALA. Remember it well.

3. Sermon giver : PASTOR.

4. Inscribed stone : STELA. Put in STELE for some reason but ALOHA came along.

5. Elegance : LUXE. adjective: 1. expensive and of high quality; luxurious. "the luxe 65-room Four Seasons hotel" noun: 1. luxury.

6. Comfort __ : INN.

7. Touch : DAB.  I have Brylcreem regularly.

8. Biblical twin : JACOB.

9. Large amount : OCEAN. This area was the hardest for me because of this, but I do know thr phrase from books and HEADLINES.

10. "Thou," in the Keats lines "When old age shall this generation waste, / Thou shalt remain ... a friend to man" : URN. Of the Grecian variety. Most think is it "TO" but is ON.

11. Building site : LOT.

12. End of much language? : ESE. Meh, but I guess better than ease south east.

13. Kazakhstan, once: Abbr. : SSR.

19. Late actor Rickman : ALAN. A recent DEMISE. I loved most of his work, especially Galaxy Quest.

21. 1989 Jack Nicholson role : THE JOKER. Everone thought he was great until Heath Ledger came along.

24. Double __ : AXEL. I do get many figure skating fill.

25. Mark down, perhaps : RE-LABEL. Remarkable, Mabel.

26. Keeping the beat? : ON PATROL. Police walking the neighborhood.

27. Secure, as a room : BOOK. So many ways online now.

28. Past wisdom : LORE.

29. __'acte : ENTR. French for between the Acts, i.e. intermission.

31. Mars and others : ORBS. A simple definition.

34. Vein yield : ORE. Bloody cute clue!

35. Get as a return : REAP. What you sow....

36. Aussie runner : EMU.

37. Nevada city on I-80 : RENO.

38. Tel __ : AVIV.

39. Defense choice : ZONE. Football and basketball.

40. Consider : DEEM. Again.

44. Dachshund docs : VETS. We had dachshunds. One of our wiener dogs ate so much she became a knockwurst.

46. Plan : INTEND.

47. Become more heartfelt : DEEPEN.

48. Printing problems : ERRATA. Placed in a book to apologize for errors.

50. __ milk : WHOLE. Random.

51. Last Reconstruction president : HAYES. Rutherford B. All you need to KNOW.

52. Rodeo rope : LASSO.

54. One that may be transformed by a kiss? : FROG.

55. Scenes of many stitches: Abbr. : ORS. Operating Rooms.

56. Knight supporter? : PIP. Very tricky for me, but not for Gladys.

57. Prefix with genetics : EPI. I becoming more convinced this must be the same man. I did not know: Epigenetics is the study of heritable changes in gene expression (active versus inactive genes) that does not involve changes to the underlying DNA sequence — a change in phenotype without a change in genotype — which in turn affects how cells read the genes. Wiki.

58. "All Things Considered" home : NPR. National Public Radio.

59. Many a pro athlete's pride : TATtoo. Really?

60. Rock genre : EMOtional.

Always exciting to welcome a new constructor to Friday. Thank you Elliott and I hope you all had as much fun as I did. Lemonade out.

Notes from C.C.:

1) Happy Birthday to our talented Owen, who does not celebrate his birthdays. But you're special to us, Owen! So lucky that you found us and continue to entertain us despite your personal struggles.

Owen & his wife Brenda (Feb 28, 2009)

2) Indie 500 crossword tournament will be held tomorrow (June 4) in DC. You can click here for details. See here for the constructors. See Angela Olson Halsted, Misty? That's PuzzleGirl. Other constructors include Andy Kravis, Neville Fogarty, Erik Agard, Joanne Sullivan, Lena Webb, Kameron Austin Collins and Sam Trabuccob.

3)  The fifth Minnesota Crossword Tournament will be held at the Landmark Center in St. Paul on June 12th, 2016 Sunday. Please click here for more details. Here is the direct registration link. Entry fee is only $20 per person.  

Don G and I teamed up again this year. Other contributors (all LAT/NYT constructors) include George Barany, Victor Barocas (also our editor), Tom Pepper, Andrea Carla Michaels, David Liben-Lowell, Michael David, Johanna Fenimore, Andrew J Ries, David Steinberg (Yay!) and our own Jeffrey Wechsler, who is flying from New Jersey to volunteer for the event.

Thursday, June 2nd, 2016 Peg Slay

Theme: Peg Opts In - Four STOP anagrams coming together at the crossroads.

A three-part reveal across the bottom of the grid, then two horizontal themers and two vertical ones meeting in the middle.

62A. With 63- and 64-Across, meeting place suggested both literally and graphically by this puzzle's circled letters : FOUR and

63A. See 62-Across : WAY and

64A. See 62-Across : STOP. These don't exist in England. Here in Los Angeles we call 'em "All Way Stops", so that slowed me up a little. Here's one on my street:

36A. Vessels on carts : TEAPOTS. CSO to Nice Cuppa!

37A. Tennis lob strategy : TOPSPIN. Both Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf had fearsome topspin lobs. I wonder if they have "best lob" competitions at home - loser does the chores for a day.

5D. Popular reading in New York and Washington : THE POST. I think it's fair to say that one of these publications is not remotely like the other.

41D. Pandora alternative : SPOTIFY. I use the free version of Pandora - the ads aren't intrusive enough to make me want to pay for a subscription. I've just started using the YT Music app from YouTube - I like it so far.

Lawks-a-mercy, this one took me way longer than usual for a Thursday. I was staring down a whole lot of white space wondering where my next fill was coming from. Stubborn chipping away got me there in the end, but phew! Very nice concept from Peg with both wordplay and a visual element. Some really nice long non-theme fill, especially INCOGNITA.


Peg is a frequent contributor to the daily discussion here at the Corner under the moniker C6D6 Peg - C.C. posted an interview with her last year over on the sidebar.

Across:

1. Word with time or money : PLAY

5. Greek cross : TAU

8. Cameo shape : OVAL. Cameo brooch.

12. It may be straight : RAZOR. One of these. I've been tempted in the past to get one just for the retro feel of it, but considering I regularly stab myself with my kitchen knives it's definitely for the best that I've resisted.

14. Ostracize : SHUN

15. Spy follower? : WARE. Computer nastiness.

16. Expenditure : OUTGO. Hmmm. Outgoings, sure. Outgo? Not sure.

17. Home to Mykonos and Milos : AEGEAN SEA. We used to charter a sailboat and sail the Aegean on summer vacations. Beautiful islands, especially the smaller ones with little tourism.

19. Concocts : DREAMS UP

21. Broad panoramas : VISTAS

22. Anatomical pouch : SAC

23. Sanctioned : ALLOWED

25. __ lab : DNA

26. Condensed, for short: Abbr. : SYN. I'm starting to be able to spot the "synonym" cluing, finally! Condensed : Short.

27. Schooner part : MAST. Schooners have at least two masts, that's a lot of sail and rope-work, especially for a gaff-rigged example like this one. I certainly didn't sail one of these in the Aegean. I stuck to single mast, one mainsail and one jib/genny, Bermuda-rigged.

31. Woman undercover : INCOGNITA. Fun, I'd not come across this before in the "undercover" sense; I have seen it on old maps - "Terra Incognita"

35. __ String : SILLY

39. Made a bad call, say : ERRED

40. Park that opened in April 1965 : ASTRODOME. Houston. Nicknamed "The 8th Wonder of the World" when it opened. Disused at the current time.

42. Unkempt dos : MOPS

43. Christian denom. : BAP. tist.

44. Guatemala gold : ORO

45. Election check : RECOUNT

47. Simile center : AS A

50. Improvises : AD LIBS

54. Like the water in a Simon & Garfunkel song : TROUBLED. Simon and Garfunkel's "signature" song. Written by Paul Simon, sung solo by Art Garfunkel.Never gets old.

56. Laundry challenge : SOIL STAIN. This stuff gets great reviews.

58. New home subcontractor : TILER

59. De Tocqueville thought : IDÉE. He wrote a lot about American democracy in the 1800's.

"The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public's money."

60. Lummoxes : OAFS

61. Online jotting : E-NOTE

Down:

1. Nudges : PRODS

2. Actress Dern : LAURA. Who? I didn't recognize the name, but looking her up I find she's been in a bunch of movies that I've seen.

3. Ancient Texcoco native : AZTEC

4. __ mat : YOGA

6. National Mustard Day mo. : AUG. Apparently the Soilove above is no good at getting mustard stains out, but then again I don't think anything can do that particular job.

7. Like some parallel bars : UNEVEN. I always thought they were called "asymmetrical bars" but I guess gymnastics coaches and commentators got lazy at some point. Here's the amazing Olga Korbut in the 1972 Olympic finals. The "Korbut Flip" (at 0:08 in the video) was viewed as one of the most dangerous moves in gymnastics. It probably still is - you miss the catch and it's 10 feet straight down to the mat.

8. Has : OWNS

9. Immense : VAST

10. Rest __ : AREA

11. Grazing sites : LEAS

13. Neptune or Mars : ROMAN GOD

14. "Better Call __" : SAUL. Crosses for me. An AMC TV series which is a spin-off from "Breaking Bad".

18. Pitch in : AID

20. Approach to a subject : SLANT

24. "Father Knows Best" actress Jane : WYATT. Thank you, crosses. I felt like I needed one of these today with all the crossing help I required:

25. Figures (out) : DOPES

27. Perform improperly : MISDO. Probably my least favorite entry today. Merriam-Webster has it as "obsolete". I have it as "crosswordese".

28. Iams competitor : ALPO

29. Svelte : SLIM

30. River to the North Sea : TYNE. Newcastle's river in the North-East of England. I was born on Tyneside in South Shields. The region's Geordie accent is renowned for being very difficult for non-Geordie folk to understand.

31. Agenda bullet : ITEM

32. 300-pound Wolfe : NERO. Crosses for me. I think I've seen the name before but definitely is not one at the forefront of my mind.

33. Trivial objection : CARP. We never do that here, of course.

34. Half-brother of Ishmael : ISAAC

35. GMC Terrain, for one : SPORT UTE. Short for "Sports Utility Vehicle", which is long for "SUV".

38. Maine college town : ORONO. Thank you, crosswords past.

43. Impart : BESTOW

45. NFL ball carriers : RB'S. Running Backs.

46. Footed vases : URNS

47. Deal out : ALLOT

48. Handle : SEE TO

49. Seller of TV time : AD REP. Tried AD MAN first. Was wrong.

50. "Yeah, right!" : AS IF!

51. Extinct bird : DODO

52. Stead : LIEU

53. Actor Robert of "The Sopranos" : ILER. Finally remembered this gentleman. Nailed it!

55. Recycling containers : BINS

57. TourBook-issuing org. : AAA. They also come in mobile and online versions now.

and .... I think that does it for me. Here's the grid.

Steve