Tuesday, August 30 2016, Timothy L. Meaker

Theme:

20. Ship that's safe for an ocean voyage : SEAWORTHY VESSEL

37. Barrel roll or wingover : AIRSHOW MANEUVER

48. Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, for one : LANDMARK VERDICT

62. With 65-Across, military specialist : NAVY

65. See 62-Across ... and an acronym of the starts of 20-, 37- and 48-Across : SEAL

Melissa here. Got hung up in a few spots today. WOW, what a clever and patriotic theme, which didn't dawn on me until 62A and 65A were filled in. Three grid-spanning theme answers with the two reveals perfectly placed in the southeast corner - very impressive. From Wikipedia: "The SEALs are trained to operate in all environments (Sea, Air, and Land) for which they are named."

Across

1. "Big bad" pig harasser : WOLF

 5. Paper Mate products : PENS

9. Dictation pro : STENO

14. Milky gem : OPAL

15. Frenzied : AMOK

16. High fly to the shortstop : POPUP

17. __ and dine : WINE.

18. Optimistic : ROSY

19. Wear down : ERODE

23. Teller of macabre tales : POE

24. Tokyo, once : EDO

25. Student's assignment : REPORT

29. See 47-Across : BIGS. All perps.

31. Indy 500 stat : MPH

34. Nebraska city near Boys Town : OMAHA

35. O'Hara plantation : TARA

36. Pepsi, e.g. : COLA. Tried SODA first.

40. Award for 46-Down : CLIO

41. Apron tops : BIBS

42. Stair part : TREAD

43. "For __ a jolly good fellow ... " : HE'S

44. Long skirt : MAXI

45. Conceited : CHESTY. If you say so.

46. Objective : AIM

47. With 29-Across, baseball's major leagues, in slang : THE. I suppose the baseball fans knew this right off the bat. Me, not so much.

57. San Antonio mission : ALAMO. Surprisingly small in person.

58. The "kid" in "Here's looking at you, kid" : ILSA

59. "I smell __!" : A RAT

60. "Homeland" actress Claire : DANES

61. Trio minus one : DUET

63. Supremes singer Ross : DIANA

64. CPR pros : EMT'S

Down

1. Bowls over : WOWS

2. Mayberry tyke : OPIE

3. Turner of "The Postman Always Rings Twice" (1946) : LANA

4. Took to the sky : FLEW

5. Stereotypical cracker requester : PARROT

6. Chew the scenery : EMOTE

7. Grab a bite : NOSH

8. Grey Goose rival : SKYY

9. Takes chances with a radar trap : SPEEDS

10. Art class form : TORSO

11. Long verse : EPOS. What?

12. Sans clothing : NUDE

13. German automaker : OPEL

21. Daytime TV mogul : OPRAH

22. One who shuns all animal products : VEGAN

25. Raid victim : ROACH. Nice clue.

26. Writer Zola : EMILE

27. Eiffel Tower city : PARIS

28. Extremely : OH SO

29. Disney deer : BAMBI

30. Investments for the future: Abbr. : IRAS

31. Relocates : MOVES

32. Accordion fold : PLEAT

33. "Tess of the d'Urbervilles" author Thomas : HARDY

35. Candy sold in pairs : TWIX

36. Restore to health : CURE

38. 44th president : OBAMA

39. Bygone anesthetic : ETHER

44. Brunch cocktail : MIMOSA

45. Doesn't play fair : CHEATS

46. Madison Ave. figures : AD MEN

47. RCA product : TV SET

48. TV "angel" Cheryl who replaced Farrah Fawcett : LADD

49. Jai __ : ALAI

50. Gram : NANA

51. Hitchhiker's hope : RIDE

52. Model Heidi : KLUM

53. Dapper fellows? : DANS

54. "Dies __": hymn : IRAE

55. Vena __: major blood line : CAVA

56. Texter's sign off : TTYL

Monday, August 29, 2016 Jerry Edelstein

Theme: Monday? - A single word can be added to the front of five other non-related words.

63A. United stand ... and what the first part of the answers to starred clues literally can have: COMMON FRONT

17A. *Cost of shares on the exchange: MARKET PRICE. Common Market.

41A. *U.S./USSR conflict: COLD WAR. Common Cold.

11D. *Element in an executive compensation package: STOCK OPTION. Common Stock.

25D. *Drive to do the responsible thing: SENSE OF DUTY. Common Sense.

27D. *"So long": "GOOD DAY". Common Good.

Argyle here. It may just be me but I felt this was meant to be later in the week.

Across:

1. Illusions in a stage act, collectively: MAGIC

6. Muslim leaders: IMAMs

11. Place for a massage: SPA

14. Twist: GNARL

15. French Revolution radical: MARAT. Jean-Paul Marat.

16. Put a strain on: TAX

19. Tip jar denomination: ONE

20. Miffed: SORE

21. Gizmos: DEVICES

23. __ buco: veal dish: OSSO

26. Director Lee: ANG

28. Student's workplace: DESK

29. Guttural "Psst!": "AHEM!"

30. Wedding vows: I DO's

32. Condemn: DOOM

34. Most rational: SANEST

36. Nobel Peace Prize city: OSLO

38. Jack-in-the-box sound: [POP!]

40. Drips in the ICU: IVS. (Intravenous)

43. Give it a go: TRY

44. Witness: SEE

45. Yankee slugger, to fans: A-ROD

46. Area of expertise: MÉTIER. French

48. Sound from Leo: ROAR

50. Twist, as water-damaged floorboards: WARP

52. Sharpen: HONE

53. World Cup soccer org.: FIFA. (Fédération Internationale de Football Association)

55. "__-hoo!": YOO

56. 1946 N.L. RBI leader Slaughter: ENOS

57. Part of a chess match when most of the pieces are off the board: END GAME

60. "__ the mornin'!": TOP O'

62. Sch. run by Mormons: BYU. (Brigham Young University)

68. Track transaction: BET

69. Wabbit-hunting Fudd: ELMER

70. Fragrant wood: CEDAR

71. Pig's home: STY

72. Officials who have their faculties: DEANs. Cute.

73. Hit hard, biblically: SMOTE

Down:

1. Leo is its logo: MGM

2. California's Santa __ River: ANA

3. Long-jawed fish: GAR

4. Annoying: IRKSOME

5. Egyptian queen, familiarly: CLEO. (Cleopatra VII Philopator)

6. Loom on the horizon: IMPEND

7. St. Patrick's mo.: MARch

8. Very dry: ARID

9. Sprayed in defense: MACED

10. Longshoreman: STEVEDORE

12. Window glass: PANE

13. Lumberjacks' tools: AXES

18. Double agent: TRAITOR

22. Prefix with metric and bar: ISO

23. Desert retreat: OASIS

24. Norelco product: SHAVER

31. U-turn from NNE: SSW

33. Rita with an Oscar, Emmy, Tony and Grammy: MORENO. West Side Story's  Anita.

35. Like Al Capone: SCARFACED

37. Ridicule satirically: LAMPOON

39. Combustible funeral piles: PYREs

42. Under a quarter-tank, say: LOW

47. Geometry proposition: THEOREM

49. Bailed-out insurance co.: AIG. (American International Group, Inc)

51. Copter blades: ROTORS

54. Whac-__: arcade game: A-MOLE

57. Diminishes: EBBS

58. Russian denial: "NYET!"

59. Actress Stone of "Birdman": EMMA

61. Low-ranking GIs: PFCs. (Private first class)

64. Guys: MEN

65. Prefix with meter: ODO

66. __ King Cole: NAT

67. Italian three: TRE

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

I hope you can click here and sign the petition calling for price reduction for EpiPens, which have surged to $600/pack without any justification. The CEO's salary rose over 600% since 2007, when Mylan bought EpiPen.

Sunday, August 28th, 2016, Don Gagliardo and C.C. Burnikel

TITLE: WARM RECEPTION

The lovely pairing of Don and C.C. never wears out its WELCOME and today they present us with a  very entertaining Sunday puzzle where the word WELCOME can be an ADDITION to each of the last words of eight phrases to make another phrase. Their gimmick is revealed in:

119. Breath of fresh air ... or, literally, what the last word of eight long Across answers can be : WELCOME ADDITION - This is what Lily has been to us two empty-nesters!

23. Town gathering place : COMMUNITY CENTER - WELCOME CENTER. You're in the Army now...

29. Bathroom safety feature : SHOWER MAT - WELCOME MAT for Henry Hill at end of Goodfellas 

45. Gardener's purchase : SEED PACKET - The WELCOME PACKET - What each new prisoner gets from the Federal Bureau of Prisons

55. Fixture on many a cattle drive : CHUCK WAGON - 1956 edition of the WELCOME WAGON in Richmond, Indiana 

70. Purpose of some government credits : TAX RELIEF - WELCOME RELIEF provided by a squirrel chiropractor 

84. Astrological sector : ZODIAC SIGN - A very famous WELCOME SIGN

93. Hidden : OUT OF SIGHT - A WELCOME SIGHT in many "oaters"

109. Source of many breaking stories : YAHOO NEWS - WELCOME NEWS - It's gonna end in 71 days!

Across

1. "Thunderstruck" band : AC/DC

5. Alberta resort town : BANFF

10. Heavenly spheres : ORBS

14. Caps' partners : GOWNS

19. Manhattan or Queens, briefly : BORO - Borough

20. City NW of Orlando : OCALA

21. Bryan's "Breaking Bad" role : WALT - Suiting up to cook some meth for altruistic reasons

22. Formed for a specific purpose : AD HOC

26. Dough : MOOLA

27. Bombards with bogus offers : SPAMS

28. One of a toon septet : DOPEY

31. Highway deterrent : RADAR - They got me for doing 39 mph in a 30 mph zone last week but I kept my hands on the wheel, was very respectful, took full responsibility and got off with a warning

33. Arabian Peninsula port : ADEN

35. Acidity levels: Abbr. : PH'S

36. Pennant trio? : ENS - PENNANT

37. Sherpa's domain: Abbr. : MTN - A human pack mule

38. Ivory or Coast : SOAP

40. Lions' homes : DENS

43. "Eureka!" : AHA

48. Witch's familiar, maybe : CAT - I got CAT incidentally and then went to the web to find out what the heck this is - A familiar or familiar spirit is a supernatural being that helps and supports a witch or magician. In western culture this is usually a black CAT. 

49. Shtick figures : COMICS

53. Coastal flier : ERN

54. Eurasian capital : ANKARA - The capital in this capital is the Turkish Lira

57. Jet with suits? : CESSNA - This $23.6M Cessna Citation can hold 12 "suits"

59. Eastern way : TAO

61. Remains in the cooler : DOES TIME

62. "You're on!" : ITS A DEAL

66. Cardinal, e.g. : BIRD

67. Some NASA missions : EVA'S -Extra Vehicular Activities are just that - ACTIVITIES that occur outside the space craft during a NASA mission. Nit, nit, nit...

68. Fleeces : ROBS

72. Artist's choices : HUES

73. Bamboozle : DUPE

74. Teased : RODE

75. Retail focus : CONSUMER

77. "Priest" in a Nash poem : ONE-L LAMA

79. Runway retiree of '03 : SST

80. Cantaloupe cousin : CASABA - I can never discern much taste to them

86. Disc golf starting point : TEE PAD

90. Friend of Harry : RON - No clue on Harry Potter characters but it filled itself in

91. Guarantee : ENSURE

92. Place to see a facial mask : SPA

95. Bummed : SAD

96. K follower : MART

98. Acting opportunity : ROLE - Guess who was the first choice for the ROLE of Forrest Gump

99. __ Spiegel: German magazine : DER - The Mirror

100. Attention that can help healing, briefly : TLC

103. Kettle cover : LID - An idiot who looks like me once made popcorn in a kettle sans LID. 

105. Titicaca, por ejemplo : LAGO - El LAGO Titicaca se encuentra entre Perú y Bolivia (Lake Titicaca is located between Peru and Bolivia)

107. Bacon with six degrees? : KEVIN

113. Italian-born three-time Oscar winner : CAPRA - It Happened One Night, Mr. Deeds Goes To Town and You Can't Take It With You

115. Night fliers : MOTHS

118. It helps when picking up : PRONG

122. Rice/Lloyd Webber musical : EVITA

123. Sheikh, e.g. : ARAB

124. "__ Fire": Denzel Washington movie : MAN ON - 39% on Rotten Tomatoes. "Shamelessly manipulative and sadistically violent", said one critic

125. Visiting the Getty Mus., say : IN LA

126. Business bigwig : BARON

127. Workout stat : REPS

128. Santa __ racetrack : ANITA

129. Training locale : CAMP


Down

1. Basics : ABC'S

2. Joint venture : CO-OP

3. Boots brand with Bouncing Soles : DR MARTENS - DOC MARTENS didn't fit

4. Charge : COMMAND - The most infamous Charge COMMAND in American history?

5. "___ voyage!" : BON

6. Heavy metal relative : ACID ROCK - There's just something wrong about hearing The London Philharmonic playing Light My Fire.

7. Brussels-based defense gp. : NATO

8. Pest control device : FLY PAPER

9. Confronted : FACED

10. Beat year after year after year ... : OWN

11. "Phooey!" : RATS

12. "This is disgusting!" : BLEH

13. Sharpening tool : STROP - Can you spot the one in this picture?

14. Many unscripted programs : GAME SHOWS

15. Gas additive, perhaps : ODOR

16. Incredulous response : WHO ME? 

17. Pitching legend Ryan : NOLAN - A punching expert too!

18. Improvises with nonsense syllables : SCATS

24. Amer. currency : USD

25. Set one's sights on : EYED

30. Hit hard : WHACKED

32. Yoga poses : ASANAS

34. Maker of Candy Buttons : NECCO - The Candy Shoppe at the New England Confectionary COrporation in Revere, MA

37. Little more than : MERE

39. Preceder of an alt. name : AKA

41. "I'm gonna pass" : NAH

42. Schoolwork : STUDIES

44. Dabblers : AMATEURS - Ed McMahon always told Johnny that drinking on New Year's Eve was for AMATEURS

45. Short time : SEC

46. Short breaths : PANTS

47. Turkic Russian : TATAR

50. "Enough already!" : I GIVE - Tap Out today

51. Deep sleeps : COMAS

52. Mario Paint console, initially : SNES - Can you read Super Nintendo Entertainment System?

56. Greek vacation isle : CORFU

58. Composer with a Helsinki academy named for him : SIBELIUS - Born in  Hämeenlinnain 1865 and died in Järvenpää   in 1957

60. Smart guys? : ALECS

63. Basic matter : ATOMS and 82. Nobelist who developed a model for 63-Down : BOHR - I taught the BOHR ATOM for years

64. Arp's school : DADAISM

65. Palindromic file extension : EXE

66. Storage unit : BIN

68. Talk nonstop : RUN ON

69. Pro-and-con newspaper pair, perhaps : OPEDS

71. Powerball, e.g. : LOTTO

72. Flip side? : HEADS

73. Catch a few z's : DOZE

74. Entered quickly : RACED IN - What are heroic first responders did when others ran from the Trade Center Buildings

76. VirusScan developer : MCAFEE

78. "60 Minutes" correspondent : LARA LOGAN

79. Traffic tangle : SNARL

81. Pope Francis' birthplace : ARGENTINA - A young Jorge Mario Bergoglio and his family in Buenos Aires

83. Sugar bowl visitor : ANT

85. H.S. benchmark : GPA

87. Pole, for one : EUROPEAN

88. WWII venue : ETO

89. Circle in a fabric pattern : POLKA DOT

94. Harebrained : IDIOTIC

97. It's filled and folded : TACO

100. Not exactly high-strung : TYPE-B

101. Tadpole, say : LARVA

102. Group in robes : CHOIR

104. Big name in Scotch : DEWAR

106. __ ray : GAMMA

108. ROTC school near D.C. : VMI - It became co-ed in 1997

110. Not tricked by : ONTO

111. Are no more : WERE

112. "__ That Bass": Gershwin song : SLAP

114. Hindu princess : RANI

116. __ oak: Mediterranean tree : HOLM

117. Start of a gridiron play : SNAP - QB should be on the same page as the center

120. "48 Hours" airer : CBS

121. It might be recombinant : DNA

Any and all are WELCOME to offer any comments:

THE GRID