Thursday February 11, 2010 Nancy Salomon

Theme: LOVE IS ALL AROUND (38 Across: 1968 Troggs Top 10 hit, and a hint to the hidden puzzle theme in the answers to starred clues) - All two-word theme answers start with LO and end with VE.

17 A. *"Get going!": LOOK ALIVE. Sounds from the past, Dennis?

24 A. *1986 Pulitzer-winning Western novel: LONESOME DOVE. By Larry McMurtry, made into a TV movie.

53 A. *Gunpowder, e.g.: LOW EXPLOSIVE. I didn't know this was a real term: They are compounds where the rate of decomposition proceeds through the material at less than the speed of sound. The decomposition is propagated by a flame front (deflagration) which travels much more slowly through the explosive material than a shock wave of a high explosive.

65. *Duffer's thrill: LONG DRIVE. Until it goes into the damn sand trap that some sadist figured out was exactly where a person would land on a par 5 double dog-leg. Not that I'd know about that, mind you...

Hi, all, Al guest blogging today.

A tricky puzzle, I thought. (18D. Big-time:) A LOT of clues seemed specifically designed to be misleading today. The theme actually helped me in a couple places today.

Across :

1. Holy pilgrimage: HADJ. Muslim obligation to visit Mecca at least once in their lifetime.

5. Kids' getaway: CAMP. Hello Mudda, Hello Fadda, here I am at, Camp Grenada.

9. "Gimme a break!": AW MAN

14. Nobelist Wiesel: ELIE

15. "This looks like trouble": UH-OH

16. Leonard Marx, familiarly: CHICO. The pianist Marx brother with the silly hat.

19. Peyotes, e.g.: CACTI. Lophophora Williamsii, the source of mescaline. Err, I've heard...

20. She played Donna in the film "Mamma Mia!": MERYL (Streep). Convincing actor, not nearly as convincing a singer. My wife and daughter liked the movie more than I did, but it was OK, I guess.

21. Sinus specialist, briefly: ENT. Ear, nose, and throat doctor. Not to be confused with an enterologist, who treats gastric problems.

23. Baseball Hall of Famer Speaker: TRIS. I only know him from crosswords.

28. Feel the heat: SWELTER. Not doing much of that lately.

31. Food critic Sheraton: MIMI. No Wiki entry?

32. "Bingo!": AHA. On the nose.

33. X-Games bike, briefly: BMX. Bicycle motocross. (an X is a cross).

35. Run at a red light?: IDLE. Hyper-milers turn the engine off.

44. Jeans joint: SEAM

45. Yield to gravity: SAG. Do you throw 'em o'er your shoulder, like a continental soldier...What? I meant ears, of course...

46. Sportage maker: KIA. An example of an SUV, or UTE.

47. Fresh response: SASS.

50. Serious-and-funny show: DRAMEDY. A portmanteau of DRAMA and COMEDY.

57. They're not returned: ACES. Tennis, volleyball, etc. serves.

58. Bosox great: YAZ. Carl Michael Yastrzemski. Also a birth control drug getting a lot of heat and lawsuits filed due to reputed side-effects.

59. Comforting comment: IT'S OK.

63. Parts partner: LABOR I worked at a Ford dealership parts counter for too long in an earlier life.

68. Native Alaskan: ALEUT

69. Treater's words: ON ME. A Spiller's words, too.

70. Persian Gulf land: IRAN.

71. __ and all: WARTS. I fully accept you, even with all your faults.

72. Prime minister before Rabin: MEIR. Golda.

73. Ancient British Isles settler: CELT. Celtic Woman


Down:

1. Bridge position: HELM. Aboard a ship, not the card game east or west seat, as I first wanted.

2. Burn balm: ALOE

3. Fashionable Christian: DIOR

4. Stevenson physician: JEKYLL. Dr. Henry. And Edward Hyde.

5. __-de-sac: CUL literally "bottom of the bag". A dead end.

6. Yellowfin tuna: AHI. Becoming a victim of overfishing.

7. Changes places: MOVES

8. Rising star: PHENOMenon

9. N.C. State's conference: ACC. Atlantic Coast Conference, A collegiate athletic league consisting of: Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Miami, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Wake Forest.

10. "Who, me?": WHAT'D I DO? Quite a few vernacular entries like this today.

11. Tiny: MICRO

12. When Brutus sees Caesar's ghost: ACT IV.

13. Hullabaloo: NOISE

22. "I didn't need to know that," informally: TMI. Too Much Information.

25. Birds' bills: NEBS.

26. Humorist Bombeck: ERMA

27. Islamic leader: EMIR

28. __ soda: SAL. Washing soda, sodium carbonate.

29. Grinch victims: WHOS. Dr. Seuss Christmas classic.

30. Place for Christmas lights: EAVE. Anyone else fall for the trap at first and put "tree"?

34. Tee choices: XLS. T-shirts, not golf tees for once.

36. Gospel writer: LUKE.

37. Camelot lady: ENID. Wife of Geraint in the Aurthur legend. I think she moved to Oklahoma eventually.

39. Removes gently: EASES OUT. umm, err, nope, not going there.

40. Eye-opening theater: IMAX. Image MAXimum.

41. Fellows: LADS

42. Rural prefix: AGRI. As in agriculture. Could have been AGRO as in agronomy.

43. Beatles' "A __ in the Life": DAY. I read the news today, oh boy.

48. Security threat: SPY. Actually in the computer world, the largest security threat is the legitimate users being naive, or simply not being careful

49. Course for weavers?: SLALOM. Skiing course, tricky clue.

51. Fired up: AVID

52. Like some weights: METRIC

53. Bochco series: LA LAW. How did Laurie Partridge ever find time to study law with all the touring her family did?

54. City NW of Orlando: OCALA. Near Silver Springs Park.

55. Brand on a patio, maybe: WEBER. Anyone still use charcoal for grilling anymore?

56. Hole site: OZONE. Another hot debate along with global warming.

60. Foal's parent: SIRE. Had MARE at first.

61. Rink, often: OVAL

62. Canterbury's county: KENT

64. Some NFL linemen: RTS. Right Tackles.

66. Feature of a two-ltr. monogram: NMI. No Middle Initial.

67. Neighbor of Aus.: GERmany. Austria's two-letter abbreviation is AT. Can you imagine if someone named Dot worked at the Austrian Department of Transportation and had to tell someone her email address? dot@dot.gov.at (say it out loud).

Answer grid.

Al

Wednesday February 10, 2010 Don Gagliardo

Theme: Nice Things - Common English nouns rooted in French. All playfully clued as if they were things from the French Riviera resort city Nice.

17A. Nice retinue?: ENTOURAGE. Like those bodyguards/nannies following the Jolie/Pitt clan.

21A. Nice nonpro?: AMATEUR. Bobby Jones is probably the most famous amateur athlete.

26A. Nice keepsake?: SOUVENIR. Lots of Twins 1987 World Series souvenirs in our house.

39A. Nice stand?: ETAGERE. The knickknack holder.

48A. Nice behind?: DERRIERE. And THONG (40D. It doesn't cover much of a 48-Across). Wish I had a "Nice behind".

55A. Nice rubdown?: MASSAGE

62A. Nice walk?: PROMENADE

24D. Nice squad?: BRIGADE. This word does not sound French, does it?

Bonus fill (The "l'amour" seeking skunk):

34D. With 53-Down, French toon who would be right at home in this puzzle?: PEPE

53D. See 34-Down: LE PEW

Nice puzzle, oui? Kazie should enjoy this one, given her passion for word origins and her mastery of French.

As Salinger did with silence, Don "Hard G" Gagliardo made an art of this often employed "Nice something" gimmick. Eight of the theme entries in perfect symmetry. Bravo Zulu! I think my favorite all time French wordplay is SEINE, clued as "Flower in Paris" or "Parisian Flower". Flow-er, thing that flows.

I also loved some of the long Down entries today, US TREASURY (28D. Govt. note issuer) in particular. I don't believe I've seen it in any grid before. Freshness (known known, not unknown unknown fresh words) is a big factor in my enjoyment of a puzzle.

As usual, Don has kindly provided us with a note of how he came up with the theme. I've attached it at the end of my write-up.

Across:

1. Struggle (through), as a tedious book: WADE. Or "... as a LAT Friday/Saturday puzzle".

5. Leatherworking tools: AWLS

9. Sheriff's star: BADGE

14. Incur additional cell phone charges, perhaps: ROAM

16. Gonzalez in 2000 headlines: ELIAN. I was still living in China. But the INS raid photo was everywhere.

19. Mel, "The Velvet Fog": TORME

20. Slob's opposite: NEATNIK. And TITANIC (45. Ill-fated vessel). Don't see K sound ending words in grid often.

23. Filmdom's Lupino: IDA

24. 'Hood bud: BRO

25. Prefix with mom, coined after historic 2009 births: OCTO. Prefix for "eight". The annoying Octomom.

30. Dying-out sound: PFFT. Gone!

32. Riddle: POSER. Puzzling stuff.

35. "Dropped" drug: LSD. The Timothy Leary drug.

38. Space bar neighbor on a PC: ALT. Had to look at my keyboard.

41. Wall St. news: IPO (Initial Public Offering). Or Hawaiian for "sweetheart". Hey, Ipo!

42. Spoil: MAR

43. "Thanks __!": A HEAP. Not an expression that I use.

44. Old beaker heaters: ETNAS. Named after the Sicily volcano.

46. Within: Pref.: ENTO. Opposite of EXO.

50. Actor Morales: ESAI

52. Phillies' div.: NLE (National League East). Shout-out to the big Phillies fans: Dennis & Barry Silk.

54. Tiny amount: BIT

57. Played some jazz numbers, say: DID A SET. Put ED at the end immediately. Dummy!

61. "__ be seeing things": I MUST

64. Ship-finding acronym: LORAN. Long-RAnge Navigation.

65. Overhang: EAVE. Not fond of singular form.

67. Refuse: SAY NO

68. "__ in Rome ...": WHEN. Do as the Romans do.

69. Site of a Lincoln profile: CENT

Down:

1. Small songbird: WREN. Look at how erect this wren's tail is. Has to be a "he", right, Lois?

2. Primo: A-ONE

3. Entered material: DATA

4. Eliciting feeling: EMOTIVE. Only know emotion.

5. Vikings running back Peterson who holds the NFL record for yards rushed in a single game: ADRIAN. Gimme for me/Jeannie/KQ. Lots of Adrian Peterson jersey wearers here in Minnesota.

6. Unsound, as an argument: WEAK

7. Relay race part: LEG

8. Asparagus unit: SPEAR. How do you like your asparagus prepared, Mainaic?

9. __ blocker: BETA

10. Umpteen: A LOT OF

11. Privileged connection: DIRECT LINE. The "Cold War connection" is HOT LINE.

12. Whole range: GAMUT. No A TO Z today.

13. It began on viernes in 2010: ENERO. Spanish for "January". Easy guess. I did not know viernes means "Friday".

18. Take in too little: UNDEREAT

22. One with a long face: MOPER

26. Cybertrash: SPAM. Irritating!

27. "Return of the Jedi" green-skinned dancer: OOLA. No idea. Why is she green-skinned? One O short of OOOLA, Alley Oop's girlfriend.

29. "Dies __": IRAE. Literally "wrath". "Dies Irae" = Day of Wrath. The Requiem Mass hymn.

31. Full scholarship, e.g.: FREE RIDE. Chinese government paid all my university education.

36. Have heated words: SPAR

37. Two tablets, say: DOSE

47. Maxima maker: NISSAN. Literally "Made in Japan". The Japanese Kanji character for SAN means "produce/make".

49. Cleanup hitters, briefly: RBI MEN. Like Justin Moreau, Twin's RBI man.

50. Actor Jannings and pianist Gilels: EMILS. Only know Emil Jannings, the first ever Oscar winner (1928).

51. South Pacific island nation: SAMOA. Capital is Apia.

56. Periodic table fig.: AT. NO. (Atomic Number)

57. Peace symbol: DOVE

59. "East of __": EDEN. The John Steinbeck novel. James Dean starred in the movie. Pretty good.

60. Means of determining proficiency: TEST

63. Cheer syllable: RAH

Constructor's note:

"The inspiration for this puzzle comes from Rich himself. Rich is adept at making a clue sound like it is going to be one thing, and it takes a clever turn. For example, in his puzzle from the Crosswords Club in January, a clue was “Plan for a chair”. Our minds are so attuned to thinking of “plan” as a verb in that situation that we read the clue and go “Huh?” The answer is AGENDA.

One tactic that has been employed by the LA Times puzzles that got me so many times was to start a phrase with the word “nice”, and then go on to describe some object that turns out to be French. “Nice hat” is CHAPEAU. “Nice house” is MAISON. I don’t know if those words actually appeared, but one can understand the effect. So after falling for this gag umpteen times, I decided to take it a step further. What if the word in French was actually a word that we use in English? So that is simply the basis of this puzzle. It still hasn’t cured me of seeing “Nice” and thinking in English, because we really do think reactively and quickly. By the way, the French place “Nice” is not pronounced like our English “nice” (it sounds like niece).

Answer grid.

C.C.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010 Julian Lim

Theme: A AND E (61A: "Dog the Bounty Hunter" network, and a hint to the theme in this puzzle's four longest answers) - Two-word familiar phrases starting with letters A & E.

17A: Using a treadmill, e.g.: AEROBIC EXERCISE. They mean actually using the machine for something besides throwing your clothes on.

26A: Regional air travel brand since 1984: AMERICAN EAGLE. Operating over 1,800 flights a day, serving 159 cities across the USA, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean, American Eagle is considered to be the world's largest regional airline system. Red, white and blue planes.

43A: Aviator who said "the lure of flying is the lure of beauty": AMELIA EARHART. Earhart was the first woman to receive the Distinguished Flying Cross, awarded for becoming the first aviatrix to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She set many other records before disappearing on a flight over the Pacific, attempting to fly around the world

56A: Movie DVD special feature, perhaps: ALTERNATE ENDING. Some have multiple endings and you can choose which one you want.

Argyle again.

I keep looking for something more from the theme but I don't see it. Hm-m-m, 28 A's and 26 E's. Help me out C.C., is that a lot?

Across:

1A: Part of DMV: MOTOR

6A: Need a backrub, say: ACHE

10A: "__-daisy!": UPS-A. And 39A: "__ boy!": ATTA. 13D: "Hang on __": A SEC. All partials.

14A: Nobel Peace Prize winner Root: ELIHU. In 1912, as a result of his work to bring nations together through arbitration and cooperation, ELIHU Root(1845-1937) received the Nobel Peace Prize.

15A: Walk like a drunk: REEL

16A: Entre __ (between us): NOUS. (French)

20A: 29-Down, for one: DOE. 29D: Bambi's aunt: ENA

21A: The Beatles' "__ Loser": I'M A

22A: Relating to flight technology: AVIONIC

23A: Laurel and Getz: STANS. STAN Laurel, comedian with his partner, Oliver Hardy. STAN (The Sound) Getz, was a jazz saxophone player.

31A: Either Bush, e.g.: TEXAN. And KARL (51D: Bush advisor Rove). A Bush echo.

32A: Round-buyer's words: "ON ME". Music to my ears.

33A: Baker's meas.: TSP. (Teaspoon)

36A: Leftover bits: ORTS. Scraps from the table.

37A: "I don't think so!": "NO WAY!"

40A: On the authority of: PER

41A: Friend: CHUM

42A: Vietnamese, e.g.: ASIAN

47A: Corp. heads: CEOs

48A: Hospital staffer: NURSE

49A: Beer unit: SIX- PACK

52A: Former telecom giant: GTE

53A: Former Pakistani president: ZIA. General Muhammad ZIA-ul-Haq was the sixth President of Pakistan from 1977 to his death in 1988.

59A: Encircle: GIRD. Where we get girdle from.

60A: Fiber-rich food: BRAN

62A: Many MP-3 player batteries: AAAs

63A: Game with six colorful characters: CLUE. Miss Scarlet, Professor Plum, Mrs. White, Mr. Green, Mrs. Peacock(blue), and Colonel Mustard. The movie had three alternate endings. (For bonus points, name the butler.)

64A: Google alternative: LYCOS. Anyone have experience with it?

Down:

1D: Honeyed liquor: MEAD

2D: Land O'Lakes product: OLEO. And real butter, too.

3D: Run out of gas: TIRE. Automotive clue?

4D: "I've got you now!": "O HO!"

5D: Add insult to injury: RUB IT IN

6D: Major or Minor tarot card group: ARCANA. The trump cards and the Fool are "the major arcana" while the ten pip and four court cards in each suit are called minor arcana.

7D: So-so mark: CEE

8D: Penta- plus one: HEXA-. "Six" prefix.

9D: Mt. Fuji statistic: ELEV (Elevation). Or any mountain.

10D: Dweebish: UNCOOL

11D: Leaves for the holidays?: POINSETTIA. Nice misdirection. Leaves is noun here. Named after J. R. Poinsett (1799–1851), American minister to Mexico, who discovered the plant there in 1828. (Didn't know that.)

12D: Sleeping girl in an Everly Brothers hit: SUSIE. Clip They were Marine Reservists and there is a picture of them, with guitars, in their Dress Blues.(@ 0:44)

18D: All-in-one Apple computer: iMAC

19D: Crest: RIDGE

23D: Mmes., in Madrid: SRAS

24D: Kids' outdoor winter project: SNOW MAN. Bet there are a lot of them out there.

26D: Resting on: ATOP

27D: Trifling: MERE

28D: Old-time breaking news cry: "EXTRA, EXTRA!"

30D: Actress Adams of "Enchanted": AMY. Growl

34D: Marquee name: STAR

35D: Gasp: PANT

37D: Org. with Senators and Capitals: NHL. National Hockey League teams, the Ottawa Senators and the Washington Capitals.

38D: Québécois's approval: "OUI". What you might here from a Montreal Canadiens player. (Note the spelling.)

39D: Queens tennis stadium: ASHE. Named for tennis great, Arthur Ashe.

41D: Civil rights activist Chávez: CÉSAR. Mexican labor leader and civil rights activist.

42D: Munitions center: ARSENAL

44D: Bermuda rentals: MOPEDS. Here is a cute one.

45D: University of Oregon city: EUGENE

46D: Museo hangings: ARTE. Museo is Spanish/Italian for "museum".

47D: Eyelashes: CILIA

49D: The Star Wars films, e.g.: SAGA

50D: "Squawk Box" network: CNBC

53D: Brass component: ZINC. An alloy of copper and zinc used to make trombones.

54D: Prefix with China: INDO

55D: Awfully long time: AGES

57D: Fraternity letter: TAU. And shaped like a cross.

58D: Word before break or care: DAY

Answer grid.

Argyle

Monday, February 8, 2010 Jerome Gunderson

Theme: SHOOTING STARS (55A: Meteors, and what 20-, 28- and 48-Across all are) - Three diversely famous people known for their shooting skill.

20A: Pool legend portrayed by Jackie Gleason in "The Hustler": MINNESOTA FATS. The Hustler is a 1961 American drama film. It stars Paul Newman as Eddie Felson and Jackie Gleason as Minnesota Fats. "Fast Eddie" desires to prove himself the best player in the country by beating legendary pool player "Minnesota Fats."

28A: NBA center who was a three-time MVP: MOSES MALONE. A three-time NBA MVP and one of the NBA's 50 greatest players, Malone had a twenty-one year career in professional basketball. Although he was a high scorer, he is more famous for his rebounding (getting the ball after a shot misses). He currently resides in Sugarland, TX, a suburb of Houston. Quote: "What am I doing? I’m doing nothing, just relaxing and enjoying life. I did 21 years of hard labor in the NBA, invested my money right, so I’m set. I earned the right to relax and enjoy, you know?"

48A: Wild West show markswoman: ANNIE OAKLEY. She was an American sharpshooter. Oakley's amazing talent and rise to fame led to a starring role in Buffalo Bill's Wild West show. Using a .22 caliber rifle at 90 feet, Oakley reputedly could split a playing card edge-on and put five or six more holes in it before it touched the ground. (1860 – 1926).

Argyle here.

Without 55A, I'm not sure I would have made the connection. I felt the construction was uneven for a Monday. Mostly easy-peasey entries but a few tough ones, i.e.: 9A: John who married Pocahontas: ROLFE or 8D: Old music halls: ODEONS.

Give us your opinion; that is what we're here for.

Across:

1A: Grandmotherly nickname: NANA. Certainly better than the recent NANNIE.

5A: Hershey's caramel candy: ROLO

14A: The yoke's on them: OXEN. A spin on "the joke's on them."

15A: In the sack: ABED

16A: Sci-fi staple: ALIEN

17A: Small salamander: NEWT. A young NEWT is an eft.

18A: Therapist's response: "I SEE". And "How do you feel about that?"

23A: 1860s White House nickname: ABE. (Honest ABE Lincoln)

26A: Pecan or cashew: NUT

27A: Mingle at the party: MIX. If we all got together, would it be mixed nuts?

37A: Shoe without laces, e.g.: STEP IN

38A: Emulate Rembrandt: ETCH

39A: Holliday of the Old West: DOC

41A: Lady's man: GENT

42A: It's in the eye of the beholder: BEAUTY. Check out the daisies at the bottom.

45A: Caveman Alley: OOP. Cute clue. Alley OOP was/is a comic strip character known for riding on his dinosaur with his girlfriend, Ooola.

51A: __ Lanka: SRI

52A: Food from a shell: EGG

54A: Immigrant's subj.: ESL. (English as a Second Language)

61A: Dog from Wales: CORGI. Used for herding.

62A: Supermodel Macpherson: ELLE. Another candidate for areoles?

63A: Hops drier: OAST. Easy for me. Difficult for you?

67A: Age, as tires: WEAR

68A: "__, be a pal!": C'MON

69A: Actress Zellweger: RENEE

70A: Stitches: SEWS

71A: Mild-mannered Clark: KENT. Superman's secret identity.

Down:

1D: Oui's opposite: NON

2D: Gave the __: fired: AXE

3D: Arizonan's neighbor: NEW MEXICAN

4D: Naysayer: ANTI

5D: Word with trout or sherbet: RAINBOW

6D: Fixated: OBSESSED. Like some of our anons.

7D: Majors and Trevino: LEES. Lee Majors is an actor; Lee Trevino is a professional golfer. (Senior Circuit now.)

9D: Sound from a woodpecker: RAT-A-TAT

10D: Name of several Norwegian kings: OLAF

11D: Peru's capital: LIMA

12D: Tootsies: FEET. I disagree; tootsies are just the toes to me.

13D: Conclusions: ENDS

21D: War site during LBJ's presidency: NAM. (Vietnam)

22D: Antacid brand: TUMS

23D: One-celled organism: AMOEBA. Finally with the extra "O".

24D: Attacked by Dracula, say: BITTEN

29D: Novel on the Net: E-BOOK

30D: Kid's interlocking block: LEGO

31D: Ali Baba's magical command: "OPEN SESAME"

32D: California NFL team, briefly: NINERS. San Francisco Forty Niners.

33D: Involve: ENTAIL

35D: Feng __: Chinese aesthetic system: SHUI. Literally translates as "water".

40D: Picnic side: COLESLAW

43D: Line on a golf course schedule: TEE TIME

44D: Hindu mystic: YOGI

46D: Tin alloys: PEWTERS

49D: Former V.P. Spiro and family: AGNEWS. (Nixon's V.P.)

50D: Affirmative vote: YEA

55D: Al Capone feature: SCAR

56D: Sock darner's target: HOLE. This is an interesting darner's egg; if you could afford a Sterling silver egg, why not buy new socks?

57D: Algerian port: ORAN

58D: Giant who's not jolly: OGRE

59D: Joy: GLEE

60D: Heavy metal is a subgenre of it: ROCK

64D: Leif, to Eric the Red: SON. Norse explorers.

65D: Blowup letters?: TNT

Here is Jeannie's Daisies painted by WM. Also, Happy Two Year Anniversary with Crossword Corner, Crockett! Here is his first ever comment.

Answer grid.

Argyle

Sunday February 7, 2009 Dan Naddor

Theme: Heros Welcome - SUB (hero sandwich) is inserted into familiar phrases.

23A. Confidential town green projects?: (SUB) ROSA PARKS. Base phrase is civil rights activist Rosa Parks. "Sub rosa" is literally "under the rose" in Latin. From the old practice of hanging a rose over a meeting as a symbol of confidentiality.

28A. Inferior salad dressing ingredient?: (SUB)STANDARD OIL. Standard Oil.

33A. What a white flag indicates?: COMBAT (SUB)MISSION. Combat Mission.

50A. Pine tar?: BATTING (SUB)STANCE. Batting Stance. Baseball players use pine tar (substance) to improve grips on balls/bats.

65A. Early 1600s threat to the English throne?: KING JAMES (SUB)VERSION. King James Version. King James reigned from 1567 to 1625.

82A. Government overseer of the mortgage crisis?: (SUB)PRIME MINISTER. Prime Minister.

94A. Dannon disciples?: YOGURT (SUB)CULTURE. Yogurt Culture. The good bacteria, right, Al?

101A. Bookkeeper's gift?: (SUB)TOTAL RECALL. Total Recall.

115A. Sensational sapphire, say?: (SUB) LIME STONE. Limestone.

Just what we always expect from Dan Naddor: heavy themage, fun & long theme entries and playful clues. All of the SUBs are nicely sandwiched in. Yogurt Culture is the only base phrase I am not familiar with. I also did not know that the plural form for hero is heros when it means hero sandwiches.

Jazzbumpa should love this puzzle. Lots of music references in the grid:

41A. Musical work: OPUS

54A. Song for which Pavarotti won a 1980 Grammy: 'O SOLE MIO. Here is a clip. Italian for "My Sun".

58A. "Evita" role: CHE. The "Evita" narrator.

119A. Stereo knob: TREBLE

6D. "Red Seal" record co.: RCA

17D. "Dedicated to the __ Love": 1960s hit: ONE I. Easy guess.

31D. Very, in music: ASSAI (uh-SAHY). What's Italian for "enough"? Similar to Assai, isn't it?

33D. Jazzy Laine: CLEO. Nope. Complete stranger.

50D. Key with five sharps: Abbr.: B MAJ. I blanked.

51D. Concert souvenirs: STUBS

70D. Jazz club unit: SET

99D. Tuba's first note?: OOM. Oom-pah is the rhythmical sound made by a tuba.

My favorite clues today are the three with "it":

21A. It's not free of charge: ION. Ion is charged atom.

27A. It might be a bust: STATUE. Indeed.

35D. It may be held at lunchtime: MAYO. Related to today's SUB theme.

Across:

1. Zingers: BARBS

6. Dennis in comics, e.g.: RASCAL. Shout-out to our morel guy Dennis who loves flying United. And URCHIN (43D. Ragamuffin).

12. Phone button letters: GHI. The 4 button.

15. Prince William's alma mater: ETON

19. Voodoo relative: OBEAH (OH-bee-uh). In West Indies. I can never remember this sorcery name.

20. Iron target: CREASE. Was imagining a golf iron.

22. One of a 15th century trio: NINA. Columbus's ship.

25. Old English pub proprietors: ALEWIVES

30. Gillette razor: ATRA

45. Slightest: LEAST

46. Metallic money: SPECIE. The coined money. Same root as species?

47. Chaperon: ESCORT

49. Big name in ice cream: EDY. Edy's. To be exact.

57. U.S. security: T-NOTE. Treasury security.

60. "Tahitian Women on the Beach" artist: GAUGUIN (Paul). Here is the painting.

64. Trounce: WHIP

71. Divide: PART

72. Wave through, as at a guard station: LET PASS

73. Reef dweller: EEL. Did not know eels dwell in reefs.

74. "Just as I thought!": OHO

75. Grave: ACUTE. As in grave/acute shortage of food/medical supplies in Haiti.

77. Hostage negotiator's group: SWAT TEAM

88. Letters before F?: TGI. Oh, TGIF. I wanted CDE, thinking of alphabet.

89. Vehicle with caterpillar treads: SNO-CAT. No idea. Why "caterpillar treads"?

90. Wicker material: RATTAN

91. Procyon or Canopus: F STAR. Always at a total loss of the star classification.

93. Vittles: EATS

99A. Welsh actress Tessie: O'SHEA. Sorry, don't know you. I am used to Milo O'Shea clue. Also not familiar with LILI (109D. Taylor of "Six Feet Under"), which is often clued as "Leslie Caron film". CLEO (33D) also has also a new clue today. Rich Norris is in "Change I Can" mood.

100. Next in line: HEIR. In line to succeed a title.

110. Looked like a wolf: LEERED

114. '60s Defense secretary: MCNAMARA (Robert)

117. Server of many kosher meals: EL AL. The Israeli airline.

118. Sylvester, to Tweety: TAT. Puddy Tat (pussy cat). Not familiar with "The Sylvester and Tweety" at all. Filled in SLY.

120. Malfunction: ACT UP

121. Sing the blues: WAIL. Mournfully. Nice clue.

122. That, in Tijuana: ESO. Or ESA.

123. Becomes pervasive: SETS IN

Down:

1. Head honcho: BOSS. We often see the abbreviated EXEC.

2. Touch: ABUT

4. Drinkers may run them: BAR TABS

5. Berate loudly: SHOUT AT

7. Some dadaist works: ARPS. Jean Arp. Dada pioneer.

8. 12-time Pro Bowl NFLer Junior: SEAU. Now with the Patriots. I simply remember his name as S-EAU.

9. Low-__ diet: CARB

10. Solicits: ASKS

11. For fear that: LEST

12. Designer Versace: GIANNI. Only know his surname.

13. Not abandon, as principles: HOLD TO

14. Sincerely: IN EARNEST

15. Seat of Oklahoma's Garfield County: ENID. Four letter Oklahoma name, what else could it be?

16. Modern recorder: TIVO

18. Cosmos' org.: NASL (North American Soccer League). I've never heard of NY Cosmos.

24. Spanish muralist: SERT (José María).

26. Like some humor: WRY

29. DDE opponent: AES (Adlai E. Stevenson)

34. Refs. that take up lots of shelf space: OEDS. OED = Oxford English Dictionary.

37. Get in the pool: BET. Of course I was thinking of swimming pool.

38. Old AT&T rival: MCI. Now Verizon.

39. "There's no __ team": I IN. Said Michael Jordon.

40. Line part: Abbr.: SEG

41. Andean stew veggie: OCA. Learned these veggies from doing crossword.

42. Something to save for a rainy day: PONCHO. Use ponchos as raincoat?

44. Expensive: STEEP

48. Fr. holy woman: STE (Sainte)

52. Place to get your B.S.: UNIV

53. Token concession: BONE. Throw a couple of bones. Got me.

55. Navel buildup: LINT

56. Tiny bit of work: ERG. The tiny work unit. Fraction of a joule.

60. "__ while they're hot!": GET 'EM

61. Nile biter: ASP. Play on "nail biter".

63. Gloomy guy: GUS

64. Chamberlain of the NBA: WILT. Braggart.

65. Hawaiian priest: KAHUNA. Hey, finally a Hawaiian reference.

66. Collection in which Asimov's story "Robbie" appears: I, ROBOT

68. Hand (out): METE

69. Keister: REAR

71. Riders after robbers: POSSE

75. Heavenly altar: ARA. Latin for "altar".

76. Carthage, for one: CITY STATE. I peeked at the answer sheet.

77. Attempt: STAB

78. Lusty lass: WENCH. I don't associate wench with "lusty".

79. Words following Casca's "Speak, hands, for me!": ET TU. "Et tu, Brute?". Was unaware of what preceded Caesar's last line.

80. Food thickener: AGAR

81. Bog down: MIRE

83. Staples staples, briefly: PCS. The office staples at Staples.

84. Discount rack abbr.: IRR

87. Disco __ of "The Simpsons": STU

91. Charges: FLIES AT. New idiom to me.

92. Track straightaway: STRETCH. Racing track?

95. Mitchell family: O'HARAS. Margaret Mitchell. "Gone With the Wind''.

96. Trattoria dessert: GELATO

97. Former Mideast inits.: UAR (United Arab Republic). The union between Egypt and Syria from 1958 to 1961. Don't confuse it with UAE (United Arab Emirates)

98. River to the Ubangi: UELE (WEY-luh). Probably only Barry Silk knows. He used it in an old TMS puzzle before. UELE is on the upper right corner. The word Ubangi is on the upper middle part, under "Central African Republic".

101. Diving duck: SMEW

102. Bruins' home: UCLA

103. __ B'rith: B'NAI. Literally "Sons of" in Hebrew. B'nai B'rith = Sons of the Covenant. Strange apostrophes.

104. Towering: TALL

105. Round nos.: ESTS (Estimates)

106. Restore to health: CURE. HEAL too.

107. Aid's partner: ABET

108. Overseas bar degs.: LLBS. In England. Barrister's deg.

111. Memorization: ROTE

113. Interior, e.g.: Abbr.: DEPT. Department of Interior.

Just discovered Frenchie's blog this morning. Nice photos.

Answer grid.

C.C.

Saturday February 6, 2010 Barry Silk

Theme: None

Total words: 68

Total blocks: 30

Terrific pair of grid-spanning 15-letter Down entries:

3D. "You may be asking too much": THAT'S A TALL ORDER. Me finish a Barry Silk themeless sans cheating? That's a tall order!

12D. Leader played by Rod Steiger in the 1981 Libyan film "Lion of the Desert": BENITO MUSSOLINI. Nickname Il Duce ('The Leader"), which appears as a crossword fill sometimes. But never his full name. Refreshing! I've never seen the movie. But Libya was an Italian colony during WWII.

Both of them intersect with what I think the seed entry of this puzzle: WAXING GIBBOUS (36A. Phase in which the moon's right half is mostly visible in the Northern Hemisphere). See this sequential order.

Except the lower left corner, the triple stacks of 7s in other three quadrants all posed various troubles for me. As the norm with Barry Silk puzzle, there are always new words/names for me to learn. And the clues. Tricky clues. I've now fully realized how it's the cluing that makes a puzzle more difficult. Misdirections aplenty.

Across:

1. Where some colonies are studied: ANT FARM. Ant colonies. I was thinking of the political colonies.

8. Milky Way cousin: MARS BAR. The chocolate bar. Of course, I fell into the Milky Way galaxy trap.

15. "Ditto": SO HAVE I. One letter too short for MOI AUSSI.

16. Eisenhower library site: ABILENE (AB-uh-leen). In central Texas. Where Eisenhower attended high school. Stumper for me. (Corrected later: It's Abilene, Kansas. Thanks, Windhover).

17. Turkish travel shelters: IMARETS (i-MAHR-et). No idea. It's Turkish for "building".

18. Año's 52: SEMANAS. Spanish for "weeks". New word to me also.

19. Final touch on a letter?: DOT. This letter refers to i, right?

20. Stretched: CRANED. Stretched the neck.

22. Weaken: WILT

23. While beginning: ERST. Erstwhile.

25. River to the Baltic: ODER. The German/Polish border river.

26. TV host Pennington et al.: TYS. Host of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition". Unknown figure to me.

27. Mail-order pioneer: SEARS

29. "Sands of Iwo Jima" director Allan: DWAN. I wanted ALDA.

31. Creep: BOZO. "Creep" has a pervert meaning to me. Not bozo though.

32. Word with bar or god: TIKI. Funny clue.

34. Carnegie associates: STEELMEN

38. "Franny and Zooey" author: SALINGER. Timely entry. So many curses in "Catcher in the Rye".

39. Scraps: ROWS. Put down ORTS.

40. Energy company founder Halliburton: ERLE. Who knows? OK, Dick Cheney!

41. Initial step, metaphorically: A TO B

43. Passover month: NISAN. The Seder month.

46. Old Eastern capital: EDO. Tokyo, before 1868. Why is Eastern capitalized?

47. Genre of the 1963 hit "Wipe Out": SURF. Here is a clip. Barry loves "The Beach Boys".

49. Extent of damage: TOLL

50. Hair line?: PART. The clue works well without the question mark too.

52. Auto debut of 1958: IMPALA. And MASERATI (8D. Luxury car with a trident emblem). The latter is alien to me. Owned by Fiat.

54. Practiced profession: LAW. Alliteration.

55. Pyrenees republic: ANDORRA. The tiny Tiny country between France and Spain.

57. Cold War link: HOT LINE. "13 Days" is a great movie about Cuban Missile Crisis. The hot line worked!

59. Emblem of power: SCEPTER

60. "Honey, I Blew Up the Kid" star: MORANIS (Rick). Nope. His face does looks familiar though.

61. Most clipped: TERSEST

62. T.E. Lawrence, for one: ARABIST. A specialist in Arabic culture. T.E. Lawrence is of "Lawrence of Arabia" fame. I confused him with D. H. Lawrence.

Down:

1. Spoken thoughts, in a way: ASIDES. I don't quite get the clue.

2. "Enough!": NO MORE

4. Successful way to go?: FAR. "Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far."

5. Paris preposition: AVEC. Voulez-vous coucher avec moi (ce soir)?

6. In again: RETRO. Like baseball jerseys.

7. Get a wrong number: MIS-ADD. Not telephone number!

9. Retired: ABED. Retired to bed! Man, sure need to have a different mind to solve a Saturday.

10. Volcano part: RIM. Clueless. All I know about volcano is the Holy Hotwick hot flow-er lava.

11. Potluck dish: SLAW

13. Breaks down: ANALYZES

14. Leans against, perhaps: RESTS ON

21. Usenet message repository: NEWSGROUP. Usernet newsgroup.

24. "The Honeymooners" role: TRIXIE. Could only think of Ralph/Alice.

28. Pelt: SKIN

30. First st. to join the Union after the end of the Civil War": NEBR. New trivia to me.

31. Mess up: BLOW IT. I did, with this puzzle. However, there's some greatness in my wrongness.

33. Co-worker of Igor and Frau Blücher in "Young Frankenstein": INGA. No idea. Played by Teri Garr.

35. Dark, in verse: EBON. Black, poetically.

36. Pre-combat ritual: WAR DANCE

37. 2008 Steve Carell film based on a '60s sitcom: GET SMART. Nailed it. Silly movie.

38. Overlook, as a fault: SEE PAST

42. Hindu god of creation: BRAHMA. The Hindu "Creator". Vishnu is the Preserver and Shiva the Destroyer.

44. Self-titled 1991 debut album: ALANIS. From Alanis Morissette.

45. Padres' div.: NL WEST. National League West. Always prepared to have a baseball or Philadelphia reference in Barry's puzzle.

48. Stun: FLOOR

51. Lids: TOPS

52. Gets hot: IRES. Ire is always a noun to me.

53. Popular blade: ATRA. The Gillette razor.

58. Research facility: LAB. A rare "honest" and straightforward clue.

Answer grid.

C.C.

Friday February 5, 2010 Gary Cee

Theme: BE ON THE BALL (38A. Demonstrate effectiveness, and a literal hint to the puzzle theme found in the answers to starred clues) - The embedded word BE in each theme answer is placed directly above/on the embedded BALL in the grid. See the circled illustration.

14A. *First family member: ABEL. The middle son of Adam and Eve. Biblical "First family".

17A. *Old street corner singer: BALLADEER

21A. *Arthur in a dress: BEA. I know Bea Arthur. But why "in a dress"?

25A. *Receptacle for choice slips: BALLBALLOT BOX

47A. *Brit. award: OBE (Order of the British Empire)

55A. *Danseur noble's partner: BALLERINA. Danseur noble is male ballet dancer.

62A. *Ball honorees: BELLES. Ball should not be in the clue as it's part of the theme answers.

65A. *Southwestern horseman: CABALLERO. New word to me. Hey, Chuck of the West!

A solid CEE, Gary! It would be utterly cool if all the embedded BEs in the grid followed the same pattern. The "starred clues" in the unifying theme answer did not prevent me from noticing the BEs in OBESE (70. Extra large?) or BENT (25. Inclination). They went rogue.

I'll still shout an OLE (6D. 65-Across's "Bravo!") for the creative theme concept and for including our unofficial blog mushroom MOREL (8D. Provençal cuisine delicacies) in the grid. Don't know why they are "Provençal cuisine delicacies". Morel are prized every where, with the delicate flavor and high prices. Maybe because the French put morels in coq au vin?

You might have noticed that not all the theme answers are symmetrical, unlike the Will Nediger "Watch the Birdie" puzzle we had last June. Birdie is ONE UNDER PAR in golf. And Will put ONE under PAR in 10 different places, all symmetrically. Just perfect. Like today's explanatory answer BE ON THE BALL, Will's ONE UNDER PAR is also positioned in the very heart of the grid.

An easier Friday for me. Thee/four letter fill aplenty. My favorite clue today is PICABO ( 11D. Street going downhill?). Picabo Street was a skier. Her name is pronounced like "Peekaboo".

Across:

1. __ St Ives: Cornwall museum: TATE. I only knew the two Tate galleries in London (Tate Britain and Tate Modern). Wikipedia says the Tate also has a museum in Liverpool.

5. Drift: ROAM

9. Caught on video: TAPED. Poor John Edwards.

15. Muppet who testified before Congress: ELMO. In 2002. For increased funding in music education. Nice to learn this trivia.

16. Spry: AGILE

19. Director De Mille: CECIL. His last film is "The Ten Commandments".

20. Keys: ISLETS

23. Orkan sign-off word: NANU. Mork always signs off with "Nanu-nanu" ("goodbye"). From "Mink & Mindy". Learned from doing crossword.

27. Publisher often seen in PJs: HEF. Hugh Hefner. Publisher of the "Playboy".

28. Park, in NYC: AVE. Park Ave.

30. Cpl.'s superior: SGT

31. Valuable rock: ORE. Wrote down GEM first.

32. Mine entrance: ADIT. Like this.

34. Cover letter letters: ENC (Enclosed/Enclosure)

36. Diamond stat: ERA

42. Farm dweller: ANT. Ant Farm. Got the intersecting A from TEA (33. Drink from a bag) quickly, so I did not think of EWE or anybody else.

43. Musical ability: EAR

44. D.C. fundraisers: PACS (Political Action Committees)

52. Eastern principle: TAO. Literally "way" in Cantonese. Mandarin Chinese is DAO. Japanese is do, as in Judo ("gentle way").

54. "Murder, __ Wrote": SHE

58. Eucharist plate: PATEN. To put bread on. I simply forgot.

60. Culinary author Rombauer: IRMA. Author of the "Joy of Cooking". I tend to mix her up with Erma Bombeck the humorist.

61. 63-Across hdg.: ENE. And STORM (63A. Besiege)

67. Musher's wear: PARKA

68. Abbr. that shortens text: ET AL

69. Gossip columnist Cassini: IGOR. Brother of OLEG, the only Cassini I know of.

71. Con: SHAM. So is SCAM first.

72. Three-part nos.: SSNS. Social Security Numbers.

Down:

1. "Bewitched" role: TABITHA. No idea. I've only heard of ENDORA.

2. Hangdog: ABASHED. See unabashed more often.

3. Lie: TELL A FIB.

4. Actress Barkin: ELLEN. Somehow I don't think she is Dennis's type.

5. Ruby and others: REDS. My first reaction was DEES.

7. Microscopic organism: AMEBA

9. Middle x: TAC. "Middle x" in the game of Tic- Tac-toe. And ALGEBRA (22D. Course with x's). Nice x echo.

10. One taking a little off the top?: AGENT. Delicious clue!

12. Emma's "Sense and Sensibility" role: ELINOR. Played by Emma Thompson.

13. Ritzy: DELUXE

18. Aleutian island: ATKA. Or ATTU.

26. Other, in Spain: OTRA. Sometimes it's OTRO.

29. Risky undertaking: VENTURE

35. Fidel's friend: CHE (Guevara). Fidel Castro. Not dog.

37. Finsteraarhorn, e.g.: ALP. Finsteraarhorn unknown to me. The highest peak of the Bernese Alps. Located in S central Switzerland.

39. Start of many a story: ONCE. Once upon a time.

40. "Do I dare to __ peach?": Eliot: EAT A. I know what's going on in your mind, Argyle!

41. Near-exhaustion metaphor: LAST LEGS. Idiom: on one's last legs.

45. Root for: CHEER ON

46. Radar guns, e.g.: SENSORS

47. San Luis __, California: OBISPO. Literally "bishop" in Spanish.

48. Bill for shots: BAR TAB. Drink "shots".

49. Author Leonard: ELMORE. He once said "Try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip."

51. Chops finely: MINCES

53. European auto: OPEL. Still belonged to GM, after the turmoil.

56. Carefree diversions: LARKS

57. Bard's "below": 'NEATH

59. "__ forgiven": ALL IS

64. West who said "To err is human, but it feels divine": MAE. Lois is the Mae West of our blog.

66. Repeated nursery rhyme opener: BAA. "Baa, Baa, black sheep...". No nursery rhyme in my childhood. Brought up by my grandma who was completely illiterate.

Thank you for the nice comments on my husband's blogging yesterday. He had fun reading them last night.

And to those who still google the old "Star Tribune Crossword Corner" blog title or the current "LA Times Crossword Corner" to find us every day, why not come to the Comments section and let your voice be heard? Here is detailed instruction on how to get your profile and turn blue. Come join us for the fun!

Answer grid.

C.C.

Thursday February 4, 2010 James Sajdak

Theme: ??? - I had to stop to think about the theme title but it never came to me. I guess I forgot to start up again.

17A. Start of a quote: DID YOU EVER

23A. Quote, part 2: STOP TO THINK,

38A. Author of the quote: A.A. MILNE

51A. Quote, part 3: AND FOR GET TO

60A. End of the quote: START AGAIN

Boomer here.

I was not thrilled with this quote theme, even though the constructor worked "Author of the quote" into the center of grid, a significant improvement over the old formulaic Alan Olschwang style Thursday quip under Wayne R. William regime: Start of quip/Part 2 of the quip/part 3 of the quip/end of the quip.

I did like the baseball references:

5A. Grass surfaces: TURFS - Interesting that the Twins are opening Target Field in a couple of months. They are calling their new surface grass. They've been playing on artificial TURF in the Metrodome for years.

52D. 'Stros, for example: NLERS - Tired of seeing the non-existing ALERS and NLERS in crosswords? Houston Astros belong to the National League.

62D. Baseball's Cobb and Cline: TYS - HOFer Ty Cobb is one of only two players to amass over 4000 hits in his major league career. Ty Cline kicked around the majors for 12 years and amassed only 437 hits. Neither was Buster Brown's dog.

Across:

1. Clip contents: AMMO

10. Whirlpool: EDDY. I think a whirlpool is called an Eddy because of Eddie Fisher, Debbie Reynolds' first husband and Liz Taylor's fifteenth or so. Because when you fish for sunfish and hook one, they tend to swim in a tight circle and create an eddy.

14. Wagered: LAID. Bet didn't fit. Normally when you LAY a bet you are giving odds.

15. Slanted: ATILT. Something to avoid when playing pinball.

16. Like undecorated walls: BARE. Goldilocks encountered three of them.

19. Slammer at sea: BRIG. Hoosegow didn't fit. "Slammer" slang for "prison". BRIG is sailor's prison.

20. VIP roster: A LIST. Is there a "B" list? I'm probably on it, but not on the first page.

21. With no margin for error: EXACTING

26. Grifter's easy mark: LIVE ONE. Bernie Madoff and Tom Petters found a few.

29. Prohibition action: RAID. I'm picturing Elliot Ness with a spray can of insect repellent.

30. It's gnus to the lions: PREY. Since there is no NFL team called the gnus, I'm afraid Detroit will need to look for different prey. Nice gnus/news wordplay.

33. Pilgrim's destination: MECCA. Plymouth Rock didn't fit.

42. Photographer Adams: ANSEL. His photos are all black and white. Kind of like Minnesota streets in the winter.

44. Curly poker?: MOE. And STOOGES (45D. Curly group?) - Larry, Moe, and Jack were the original Stooges. Curly came along later Wup, Wup, Wup, Wup.

45. Geisha's cupful: SAKE. Japanese rice wine.

46. Ragtime piece that became Vincent Lopez's theme: NOLA. Also a city in Louisiana - good luck in the Super Bowl!

49. Hit, as flies: SWATTED. The sultan of swat was Babe Ruth. He hit some BIG FLIES!

54. Quivering: AFLUTTER. Peanut sitting on a railroad track. Heart was all aflutter. Train came rolling down the track, Choo Choo peanut butter.

55. Salad bar pair: TONGS

59. Cuernavaca crowd?: TRES. Spanish for "three". Idiom: Three is a crowd. Cuernavaca is in Central Mexico.

63. Raced: TORE

64. "Whoopee!": OH BOY. One of Buddy Holly's early hits. One day after the anniversary of the day the music died. Feb 3, 1959.

65. Logician's word: ERGO. "Cogito, ergo sum". I took four years of Latin in HS and I still don't understand it.

66. Empire until 1991: Abbr.: USSR. I thought an empire needed an emperor. Russia had a Premier, but I guess he thought he was an emperor.

67. Doesn't put anything away for a while?: FASTS. Put away: eat.

68. Harbor hauler: SCOW

Down:

3. Skirt length: MIDI. I don't see these much any more. Passing fad?

4. Homeric inspiration for Joyce's "Ulysses": ODYSSEY. Also the name of a putter. I think the PGA still allows them, as long as there are no square grooves.

5. Ancient cross shape: TAU. Greek T is cross-shaped.

6. Beehive State native: UTE. I don't know why Utah is the Beehive state, it just is.

7. Bit of bridge-building hardware: RIVET. Many are still wishing they had used stronger ones on the I-35W bridge over the Mississippi.

8. Biceps, e.g.: FLEXOR. MUSCLE fit nicely into the little boxes. I had to use Wite-Out later.

9. Sedimentary rock layers: STRATA. Also a Top Flite golf ball brand

10. Good time for a beachcomber: EBB TIDE. Looking for Sharks' teeth.

11. "Splish Splash" singer: DARIN (Bobby). More famous for "Mac the Knife". "Oh the shark has, pretty teeth dear, and he shows them pearly whites......"

12. Manhattan, for one: DRINK. The best is a VO Manhattan on the rocks with a little bit of cherry juice. One's the limit if you're driving.

13. Safecracker: YEGG. This is a real word?

18. Name of four Holy Roman emperors: OTTO. Also the name of SGT. Snorkel's dog.

22. Doorbell sound: CHIME. Our doorbell goes "ding dong".

24. Four-F's opposite, in the draft: ONE A. I was ONE A once. Then I became PVT.

25. Wave maker: PERM. I wanted to put a part of a boat here. I don't have enough hair to think about a permanent wave.

26. Women's links gp.: LPGA. Great players. Now that Annika has retired, the door is open for the next wave of stars. No squared grooves though - that's cheating.

27. Pressing need?: IRON. Missed the boat. This is an LPGA tool of the trade.

28. Examiners of boxers: VETS. So when Mike Tyson bit Evander Holyfield's ear, did he go to the Vet?

35. Greek salad slice, briefly: CUKE. Not sure why it has to be a Greek salad. I put cuke slices on lots of things.

36. Like good bourbon: AGED. Many things get better with age.

38. High, as a kite: ALOFT. Avoid Charlie Brown's Kite-Eating Tree though.

39. Get rid of: LOSE

40. Ex-Speaker Gingrich: NEWT. Are his eyes used in witches brew?

43. Retail computer buyer, e.g.: END USER. When I buy a computer I use the whole thing, not just one end.

47. Much: LOTS OF

48. First name in soul: ARETHA (Franklin)

53. Up for __: GRABS

54. Alaskan island closer to Russia than to Alaska: ATTU. Maybe that's where Sarah Palin goes to see Russia.

56. DEA raider: NARC

57. Cautionary data entry acronym: GIGO (Garbage In, Garbage Out). OK, if you say so.

58. Winter blanket: SNOW. I'm familiar with that. I've shoveled the blanket a few times this year.

61. Twaddle: RAT. No idea. When we ratted on someone, it was called tattle. (Corrected later: The answer is ROT, not RAT).

Welcome back, Papajim! Your blue profile is still there.

Answer grid.

Boomer