Friday February 19, 2010 Dan Naddor

Theme: AGELESS (39D. Eternal, and a hint to this puzzle's phonetic theme) - The AGE sound is dropped from each familiar phrase.

17A. Newly certified coroner's assignment?: FIRST MORGUE. First Mortgage.

24A. Lord's ointment?: NOBLE SALVE. Noble Savage.

34A. Mutt with a conscience?: MORAL CUR. Moral Courage.

38A. Sitting Bull telling raunchy jokes?: RAW SIOUX. Raw Sewage. On my breakfast table?

50A. Taxi with no empty seats?: STUFFED CAB. Stuffed Cabbage.

58A. Topping for schnitzel?: VIENNA SAUCE. Vienna Sausage.

(Today's puzzle analysis is provided by John Lampkin, who gave us the wonderful "Waiting for the Great Pumpkin" puzzle last year.)

Thanks, C.C., for inviting me to share my thoughts as a fellow constructor of LAT puzzles.

Those who know Dan's catalogue will recognize his work immediately - seven clever and amusing theme entries, stacks of white on the sides, and mostly sparkling fill with witty clues. How did he do it?

This is a "drop-a-letter-string" idea, and one game that's fun for solvers to play is "How many more can we think of that Dan didn't use?" Typing in *AGE at morewords.com kicks out 411 words that end in AGE. Among them is BANDAGE. Dropping the AGE gives us BAND which seems that it would work with ACE BAND or some such. But wait! That won't work because Dan took one more step. His new phrase involves a homophone. The SAV in SAVAGE became SALVE, the COUR in COURAGE became CUR, and so on. It is this twist that makes this a Friday and not a Wednesday puzzle.

Continuing our search, we see MARRIAGE. That will work! We can get (the elusive but possible) HAPPY MARRIAGE which will become HAPPY MARE: Kentucky Derby winner, perhaps? Readers, how many more can you find?

A good crossword succeeds on several levels. It's lively and fun, educational, clever, and visually pleasing. My own taste is to avoid "cheater squares" whenever possible. Imagine how much more elegant the grid would look without those single side blocks and the blocks at the end of 30A and its mate! Dan probably tried, but wound up with cruddy fill. There is usually a tradeoff, and clean lively fill trumps all. Perfection in art is elusive, yes?

There is another element that can elevate a good puzzle to a higher stature - emotional engagement. Most of you know that Dan recently succumbed to illness and passed away and that this is another opus posthumous. Art gives us a glimpse into the life of its creator. His first theme entry is FIRST MORGUE, which he surely knew was an ironic and poignant foreshadowing. Sigh.

Bottom line: Once again I am impressed by Dan's craftsmanship and deeply moved by his humanity.

Across:

1. Unceremoniously breaks up with: DUMPS. And ENDS IT (26D. Breaks up). How sad!

6. 1996 film that won Best Original Screenplay: FARGO. Made by the Coen brothers, the pride of Minnesota.

11. Pro bono TV ad: PSA (Public Service Announcement)

14. As a friend, to François: EN AMI. En = As.

15. Greg Evans comic strip: LUANN. I've never heard of this comic strip.

16. Pumpjack output: OIL

19. Wash. Nats' division: NLE (National League East)

20. Daffy duo?: EFS. The letter F (spelled as "EF") appears twice in Daffy.

21. Generation: ERA

22. In pursuit of: AFTER

29. Isn't wrong?: AIN'T. Grammatically wrong.

30. Flood deterrents: DRAINS

31. Words spoken with a yawn, perhaps: IT'S LATE

33. TV palomino: MR ED. The talking horse: "A horse is a horse, of course, of course ..."

35. Annoying negotiator: STALLER. Oh, like those congress filibusterers.

42. Cops may keep them on suspects: TABS. Idiom: Keep tabs on = keep track of.

46. Rabbitlike rodents: AGOUTIS. I can never remember this word. Dictionary says they are destructive to sugar canes. Here is a photo John Lampkin snapped in Trinidad a few years ago. He loves nature photography.

47. Gulf War reporter Peter: ARNETT. When he was with CNN. I've heard several in-depth interviews with him.

49. Peddle: VEND

53. Disappointed postgame comment: I LOST

55. Back muscle, for short: LAT. Short for latissimus dorsi.

56. Nest builder: ANT. Thought ants build hills rather than nests.

57. Seventh-largest st.: NEV. Don't know this trivia.

63. Legal ending: ESE. Ending of the word legalese.

64. Bugs once sought by cops: MORAN. A Chicago Prohibiton-era gangser. Nicknamed Bugs. Gang slang for "completely crazy". Stumped me.

65. Havens: OASES

66. Old map inits.: SSR (Soviet Socialist Republic)

67. Steamed: ANGRY

68. Take forcibly: WREST

Down:

1. Stand up for: DEFEND. "Get up, stand up, stand up for your rights..." Love Bob Marley.

2. Combat outfit: UNIFORM

3. Candy "whose success is out of this world": MARS BAR. Now called Snickers Almond in the U.S.

4. Downing St. bigwigs: PMS (Prime Ministers)

6. Botanist's study: FLORA

7. Hearing-related: AURAL. Sometimes the answer is OTIC.

8. Wiper: RAG. The cleaning cloth.

9. Migratory African critter: GNU. Curvedly horny.

10. Fit to serve: ONE A

11. Firebird maker: PONTIAC. I like C/K ending words.

12. Guest letter?: SILENT U. The U is silent in the word Guest.

13. Siren, for one: ALERTER. And earlier STALLER. One ER suffix enough in the grid.

18. Predicament: MESS

23. Pride follower, so they say: FALL. "Pride comes before fall".

25. It's not true: LIE. So, "True Lies" is an oxymoron.

27. Baroque stringed instrument: VIOL. In the 16th and 17th centuries.

28. Raison d'__: ETRE. Satori is the raison d'être of Zen.

32. "No Exit" dramatist: SARTRE. Womanizer! My brother loves his "Being and Nothingness".

34. Half of MMCXX: MLX. Don't like the MX repetition, and crossing STALLER, a word no one ever says, in the center it's even worse.

36. "What I look forward __ continued immaturity followed by death": Dave Barry: TO IS. Dennis might have quoted this line in his Words of Wisdom once. He loves Dave Barry.

37. Hung. neighbor: AUST. Austria. I blanked, but then enjoyed the vague naughtiness.

38. Coulees: RAVINES. Coulee is a new word to me. Same pronunciation as coolies.

40. Convinced: WON OVER

41. Brewski: SUDS

44. Unsatisfying response to "Why?": BECAUSE. Nice clue.

45. Positions: STANCES

47. Aqua Velva competitor: AFTA. Punning on "after". The after shave lotion.

48. Exam given intradermally, for short: TB TEST. Tuberculosis Test. Obtained the answer from crosses.

51. Like the nerve near an arm bone: ULNAR

52. Rear: FANNY

54. "South Park" rating: TV MA. Mature Audiences. Got me again.

59. H+, for one: ION. Charged atom.

60. Work unit: ERG. From Greek Ergon, literally "work".

62. Rhine feeder: AAR. Sometimes it's AARE. Rising in the Bernese Alps and flowing to the Rhine.

Answer grid.

John & C.C.

PS: Please click here for John's "Waiting for the Great Pumpkin" puzzle. Here is the answer.

Thursday February 18, 2010 Damon J. Gulczynski

Theme: THE LINE (42D. Bettor's concern, which can follow each half of the answers to starred clues)

22A. *In the netherworld: DOWN BELOW. Down the Line. Below the Line.

34A. *Use bank "protection": OVERDRAW. Over the Line. Draw the Line. Bank overdraft protection.

53A. *Place where a driver may be required to stop: CROSSWALK. Cross the Line. Walk the Line.

3D. *Climber's support: TOEHOLD. Toe the Line. Hold the Line.

A special 16*15 grid. One extra column to accommodate the even-numbered central theme entry OVERDRAW.

I am not familiar with "The Line". Is it sports betting? I could only think of "The Odds".

This theme resembles Pancho Harrison's "Time and Time again" and Bruce Venzke's "Room" we had earlier this month: the unifier can follow each word of the theme entries. Very neat concept & solid theme answers. But a few groaner affixes (Four *ER suffix) as well.

Across:

1. One might read "Mom," for short: TAT. Tattoo. Gnarly start for me.

10. "Cheers" bartender: SAM. I've never watched "Cheers".

13. Green opening: ECO. Prefix (opening) meaning "green". I can hear Jazzbumpa groan.

14. Pained expression: GRIMACE

16. Trac II successor: ATRA

17. H-1 in HI, e.g.: Abbr.: RTE. I had no idea that H-1 is in HI (Hawaii).

18. Dye, usually: RECOLOR. And REHEEL (20. Do a cobbler's work).

24. Think the world of: ADORE

25. Pocket protector contents: PENS

26. Clinton was one: YALIE. Both of the Clintons went to Yale.

27. Ginormous: COLOSSAL. Nice word.

29. Lets out, maybe: ALTERS. Was thinking of "lets out" a secret. Not tailoring.

30. Some defensive linemen: ENDS

31. Storm part: EYE

32. Eggs, to Agrippa: OVA. Latin for "eggs". Agrippa was the Roman general who defeated Mark Antony and Cleopatra.

33. Lions, on a scoreboard: DET (Detroit). Detroit Lions. Why are they so bad?

36. Hist. majors' degrees: BAS

39. Allotment word: PER. Four rows of 3-letter words in Across entries.

40. Coll. dorm overseers: RAS (Residence Assistants)

41. 1944 invasion city: ST. LO. In red color. The nearby city CAEN also has 4 letters.

45. Like some bands: ONE-MAN

47. Super trendy: ULTRA HIP

49. Hackneyed: BANAL

52. Sharp-crested ridge: ARETE. Often simply clued as "Mountain ridge".

55. Cheshire Cat, notably: SMILER. The Cheshire Cat is a character from "Alice in Wonderland". He grins frequently.

56. Bat head?: ACRO. The "head" (start) of the word Acrobat.

57. Wrap up: ENVELOP

61. Do over: ITERATE

62. Indian bread: NAN. And SARI (41D. Indian garb). Indian echoes.

64. Hi-__ graphics: RES

66. Antiquity, once: ELD

Down:

1. Cookout site: TERRACE

2. Responded to, as a stoolie's tip: ACTED ON

5. Songwriter Jacques: BREL. Probably the most famous Belgian singer/songwriter.

6. Incite to pounce (on): SIC

7. Bun-making site: SALON. Was picturing bakery "bun", not hairdo.

8. Tugs' burdens: SCOWS

9. Shore flier: TERN

10. Delayed: STALLED

11. Large wardrobe: ARMOIRE. Only know the clothes meaning of wardrobe, not the cabinet.

12. Star of "I'm No Angel" (1933): MAE WEST. Full name is always desirable. A shout-out to our birthday girl Lois, the Mae West of our blog.

15D. Builder of tiny cities: MODELER. And PAYER (25D. One treating).

16. Persistently bothered: ATE AT

21. Love personified: EROS. Greek god of love.

23. Corporate rule: BYLAW. Dictionary defines it as "A law or rule governing the internal affairs of an organization".

28. Number of Sinbad's voyages: SEVEN. Oh, I was ignorant of his total voyages.

29. Nautical "Hold it!": AVAST

32. Advanced exams: ORALS

34. Australian exports: OPALS. Opal is Australia's national gemstone. Kazie has linked a few fantastic opal pictures in the past.

35. More lit: DRUNKER. Lit is a slang for "drunk". The only adjective *ER suffix.

36. Lynx family members: BOBCATS

37. Lawlessness: ANARCHY

38. Ladies of Spain: SENORAS. Nice to see SRA's full form.

43. Word-for-word: LITERAL. "Word for Word" is also a weekly program from American Public Media. One of the few Podcast I listen to.

44. Either 2 in 2 + 2 = 4, in math: OPERAND

46. Street boss?: MASON. Because mason lays brick on the street? (Updated later: Perry Mason is the boss of Della Street. Thanks, Anonymous @7:08am).

48. Like wheelchair-accessible entrances: RAMPED

50. "Inferno" author: DANTE. Waiting for Jerome to use "Hell of a writer" clue.

51. Reindeer caretakers, traditionally: ELVES

54. River dam: WEIR. New word to me.

55. Explorer Hernando de __: SOTO. The first European (Spanish) to explore Florida.

58. Thighs, at times: LAP

Happy 30+20+4-10+20-5+1-9+3-5+6+7-2+1st Birthday, Lois!

Answer grid.

C.C.

Wednesday February 17, 2010 Pete Mitchell

Theme: VOLLEYBALL GAME (54A: Activity that involves the first words of 20-, 29- and 47-Across)

20A. How some scary things go: BUMP IN THE NIGHT. A volleyball player's most important skill is bumping - passing a volleyball by bouncing it off his or her extended forearms.

29A. Not subject to change: SET IN STONE. Setting is snapping the ball upward with two hands to set up a spike.

47A. Some stilettos: SPIKE HEELS. Spiking is sending the ball forward and downward over the net by striking it overhead with an open hand.

melissa bee blogging.

According to Wikipedia, 'Volleyball has been contested as an indoor sport at the Summer Olympic Games since 1964. Beach volleyball was introduced at the 1992 Games, and has been an official Olympic sport since 1996.'

In his interview with Concord Monitor, today's constructor Pete Mitchell mentioned that one of his hobbies is playing volleyball. He used to blog the Sun Crosswords (edited by Peter Gordon). Pete's mom Sheida stopped in our blog once last March (9:34am, the 7th from bottom up). Quite a few of our regulars started on March 2, 2009. KQ, tFrank, Andrea, etc.

Across:

1. Whack, biblically: SMITE

6. Condescending sort: SNOB

10. Kodak rival: FUJI

14. Brightly colored tropical fish: TETRA

15. Chaplin's last wife: OONA. Oona O'Neill, daughter of playwright Eugene O'Neill, and Charlie Chaplin's fourth wife. Unusual inconsistency, last name clue/first name answer.

16. Road for Pilate: ITER. Literally "road" in Latin.

17. "That's __ trick!": A NEAT

18. Cutting-edge Motorola phone? RAZR. Like this.

19. Statistician's input: DATA

23. Nous minus moi? TOI. (French) Us - me = you.

24. "The loneliest number," in a 1969 hit: ONE. Three Dog Night.

25. Wasted, as a chance: LOST. Sing it, Jeff.

35. "I wish!": IF ONLY

37. On the calmer side: ALEE. Away from the wind.

38. Floors, briefly: KOS. My favorite clue. Boxing term, Knock Outs (or Knocks Out). Can cause temporary unconsciousness. So can this.

39. Wolfgang Puck's restaurant: SPAGO. Beverly Hills, Maui, Las Vegas, and Beaver Creek.

40. Third qtr. start: JUL. The third quarter of a calendar year is made up of July, August, and September.

41. Talons: CLAWS. Golden Eagle.

43. Male in an alley: TOM. Tomcat.

44. Cognac initials: VSOP. Very Superior Old Pale. Cognac is a type of brandy that is produced only in the Cognac region of western France. Time for a new avatar, santa?

46. More work: UTOPIA. Very tricky, got me. Saint Thomas More's classic masterpiece.

50. Not easy to see: TINY

51. Crimson opponent: ELI. A nickname for a Yale University student, after Yale benefactor Elihu Yale. Crimson refers to Harvard.

52. Not quite oneself: OFF

62. Perfume holder: VIAL

63. Tobacco unit: LEAF. Quite large.

64. Like chalet roofs: EAVED. Lovely.

65. Be sore: ACHE. Time for your massage.

66. Take a shot: DARE

67. Word after sing or string: ALONG. For dennis, because i know you like it when pink appears.

68. Nerve opening? NEUR. Used in the formation of compound words, e.g., neural, neurology, neuritis.

69. Lose fur: SHED

70. Common asset? SENSE. Common sense.

Down:

1. Rough guess: STAB

2. See 3-Down: MENU

3. Unit on a 2-Down: ITEM

4. Ambush: TRAP

5. Weird Al Yankovic spoof of a Michael Jackson hit: EAT IT

and 26. King ___ (Michael Jackson): OF POP

6. Airman's assignment: SORTIE

7. Early boat builder: NOAH

8. Quatre + sept: ONZE. French numbers: Four + Seven = Eleven.

9. With no exceptions: BAR NONE

10. Act nervously: FIDGET

11. Home to Zion National Park: UTAH. Stunning.

12. Rocker Joan: JETT. I Love Rock and Roll.

13. Brokerage statement subj., perhaps: IRA. Individual Retirement Account.

21. Overly curious: NOSY. Also nosey.

22. Bat's prey: INSECT. The best natural insect control.

25. Leans, as a ship: LISTS

27. "Ditto": SO AM I

28. "Star Trek" sequel, for short: TNG. The Next Generation.

and 45. "Star Trek" defenses: SHIELDS

30. Brownish gray: TAUPE

32. Giraffe cousin: OKAPI

33. Hopeless: NO WIN. A hopeless/no-win situation.

34. Exam type you can't guess on: ESSAY

36. Apollo 13 commander Jim: LOVELL. Played by Tom Hanks in the 1995 movie.

40. Average guy? JOE. Average Joe.

42. Auction unit: LOT

46. Defunct gridiron org.: USFL. United States Football League, 1983-1985.

48. Sullivan's charge in "The Miracle Worker": KELLER. Anne Sullivan was Helen Keller's teacher.

49. Emulated a couch potato: LOAFED

53. Canine woes: FLEAS. Inside, outside, you go where you please, I give you love, you just give me fleas.

54. Guilty pleasure: VICE. Do you have any?

55. Iolani Palace site: OAHU. The only official state residence of royalty in the United States, ʻIolani Palace was the official residence of the Hawaiian Kingdom's last two monarchs--King Kalakaua, who built the Palace in 1882, and his sister and successor, Queen Lili`uokalani.'

56. "Uh-huh": YEAH

57. In one's birthday suit: BARE

58. "The Wizard of Oz" family name: GALE. Dorothy Gale.

59. Bard's river: AVON. William Shakespeare is known as the "Bard of Avon".

60. Clothing store department: MEN'S

61. Fringe: EDGE

62. U-Haul rental: VAN. Four V* words in this puzzle.

Answer grid.

melissa

Tuesday, February 16, 2010 Nancy Kavanaugh

Theme: THEY'RE DRAWN (61A: What you can say about sketches, and about the answers to the starred clues) - Theme answers all can be drawn, but with a different nuance.

17A: *Relaxing soak: NICE HOT BATH. Even more luxurious if someone else draws the bath for you, eh?

26A: *Great concert turnout: LARGE CROWD. Attracted to an event.

39A: *Many an exec's remuneration: SIX FIGURE SALARY. Most of us struggle to draw five figures.

51A: *Unlucky selection: SHORT STRAW. This is to physically draw a straw from a group of equal length straws except for one. Used to decide by chance who has to do something nobody wants to do.

Rather unique to have DRAWN apply to the three full theme answers & a fuller defining entry placed at the bottom of the grid.

Barry Silk did a DRAW puzzle for NYT in 2008. The unifying DRAW is clued as "Something you can do to the starts of ....". BATH TOWEL/CURTAIN CALL/BLANK EXPRESSION are among his theme answers.

Argyle here.

I suppose the breakfast factor (nothing disgusting at the breakfast table, when most are doing the puzzle) precludes the mention of DRAWN AND QUARTERED. You all have finished your breakfast, I hope.

A tick harder than Monday's. Still some Crosswordese and famous people but, hey, no Roman numerals.

Across:

1A: Western Florida city: TAMPA

6A: Rice-__: A-RONI. A nice bicoastal start.

11A: Air gun ammo: BBs

14A: Catherine of "Beetlejuice": O'HARA. as Delia.

15A: Binary system digits: ZEROS. And 46A: Binary system digits: ONES.

16A: Exercise unit: REP. (Shortened repetitions)

19A: Brew in a yard: ALE. A yard (or yard glass) is a very tall glass used for drinking beer or ale.

20A: "Just __ suspected!": AS I

21A: "... have you __ wool?": ANY Windhover?

22A: Company whose calling is calling: AVON. Their ads often started with, "AVON Calling"

23A: Bio kin: CHEM. (Biology) (Chemistry) And 55A: Course with many problems: MATH. (Mathematics)

29A: Sympathetic connection: RAPPORT

31A: Cease: STOP

32A: Blood system letters: A B O

33A: Confirmation, e.g.: RITE. (Religious)

35A: Outperforms: BESTS

43A: Work with hair: STYLE

44A: Pre-coll. catchall: ELHI. (Elementary-High school) A bit of Crosswordese.

45A: Bit of Internet mirth: LOL

49A: Pulls an all-nighter: BONES UP

56A: Hip-swiveling dance: HULA

57A: Beachgoer's shirt: TEE

58A: Rioting group: MOB. Creating 67A: Free-for-all: MELEE

60A: Former California fort: ORD

66A: NFL's Cardinals, on scoreboards: ARI. Arizona.

68A: McDermott of "The Practice": DYLAN. Don't look if you don't like a hairy chest.

69A: Soap-making need: LYE

70A: "__ my case": I REST

71A: Figure out: SOLVE. Great ending entry!

Down:

1D: Heavy weight: TON

2D: Bigeye or yellowfin, at a sushi bar: AHI. More CWese.

3D: Cheese partner: MAC. (Macaroni)

4D: Radio signal booster: PRE-AMP

5D: Sighs of contentment: AAHs. When Cruciverb came back online.

6D: HIV-treating drug: AZT. AZidoThymidine is a nucleoside analog reverse transcriptase inhibitor. (I have no idea what that means.)

7D: Masonry-reinforcing rod: REBAR

8D: Tree-dwelling apes: ORANGS. (Orangutans)

9D: "Almost ready--be patient": "NOT YET"

10D: Suffix with Brit: ISH

11D: "Top Chef" network: BRAVO

12D: Downstairs, at sea: BELOW. On board ship.

13D: Blow, as dough: SPEND

18D: Well driller: OILRIG

22D: Skin care maven Adrien: ARPEL

23D: Uncouth: CRASS

24D: Good thing to kick: HABIT

25D: Hobbyist's glue: EPOXY

27D: Westernmost Aleutian island: ATTU. From whence you can see Russia.

28D: Kurt of Nirvana: COBAIN

30D: Point in the right direction: ORIENT

34D: Preceding, in poetry: ERE

36D: Tex-Mex dip: SALSA

37D: "Rainbow" fish: TROUT

38D: Mythical air dweller: SYLPH. If anyone has a good knowledge of this term, please enlighten us.

40D: Regional plant life: FLORA

41D: Corsica neighbor: ELBA. Napoleon's exile.

42D: Skeptic's demand: "SHOW ME!"

47D: Her book is read during the Jewish holiday Purim: ESTHER

48D: "Remington __": STEELE. Television series, broadcasted on NBC, 1982 to 1987. It starred Stephanie Zimbalist as private detective Laura Holt and Pierce Brosnan as a roguish former white-collar thief and con man who assumed Remington Steele's fictitious identity. Ms Holt had named her agency "Remington STEELE" because she felt she would get more business if it was thought to be run by a man. It was a dated concept even back then.

50D: Pre-fetus stage: EMBRYO

51D: Shallow sea area: SHOAL

52D: Speed things up: HURRY

53D: Song from the past: OLDIE

54D: Three-time N.L. stolen base champ José: REYES. (New York Mets)

59D: Gambler's concerns: ODDS

61D: Pa. plant in the 1979 news: TMI. (Three Mile Island) Nuclear incident.

62D: Like Gen. Powell: RET.

63D: Every last one: ALL

64D: Sound file suffix: WAV

65D: L.A.-to-Helena dir.: NNE

Answer grid.

Argyle

Monday, February 15, 2010 Jack McInturff

Theme: BRAVE NEW WORLD - The ends of theme answers sequentially spell out the title of the novel written by ALDOUS HUXLEY (53A: Author of the novel indicated by the ends of 20-, 32-and 39-Across).

20A: Baseballer with a tomahawk on his jersey: ATLANTA BRAVE

32A: "Like I haven't heard that before": "WHAT ELSE IS NEW?"

39A: 4x platinum hit single co-written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie: "WE ARE THE WORLD"

Argyle here but I'd rather be abed. Cruciverb had no new puzzle and I finally went back to my old (and slower) method of retrieving clues and answers. So unless C.C. fills it out, it will be thin commentary today.

Feel free to add what you want to the blog. That is where some of the best info comes from anyway!

Across:

1) Put__: sail: TO SEA

6) Lyricist Sammy: CAHN

10) Word of woe: "ALAS!". We haven't had "Alack" lately.

14) "Lost" network: ABC-TV

15) "Milk's favorite cookie": OREO

16) Stoicism founder: ZENO. The stoic Zeno of Citium. Don't confuse him with the other Greek philosopher Zeno of Elea.

17) Upright or grand: PIANO

18) Office divider: PARTITION

22) Opposite of NNW: SSE

23) Myrna of "The Thin Man": LOY. Quite a few people today and echos of recent puzzles, too.

24) Sharpshooter Annie: OAKLEY

28) Corp. boss: CEO

29) Sawyer's buddy: FINN

31) Ore-__, maker of frozen potatoes: IDA. Ore-Ida, portmanteau of Oregon & Idaho.

35) Eyelid woe: STYE

37) Covert govt. group: CIA

38) Nights, to poets: EENS

44) PC key: ALT

45) Actress Natalie: WOOD

46) IM company: AOL

47) Diving seabird: PETREL

49) 24-hr. cash source: ATM

50) Watch chain: FOB

57) Actor's asset: GOOD LOOKS

60) Smallest: LEAST

61) Exile isle: ELBA. For Napoleon.

62) Run away: FLEE

63) Bring together: UNITE

65) Abstain from food: FAST

66) Painful spots: SORES

Down:

1) Spanish snacks: TAPAs. Interesting.

2) "In memoriam" news items: OBITS

3) Weighing device: SCALE

4) Sicilian erupter: ETNA

5) "Anne of Green Gables" setting: AVONLEA

6) Insured patient's outlay: CO-PAY

7) Many an Iraqi: ARAB

8) German "Mister": HERR

9) Zero: NOT A ONE

10) Pontiac SUV named for an early Mexican: AZTEK

11) Hawaiian garland: LEI. And UKES (55D: Hawaiian strings). For our Hawaiian gang.

12) It starts with enero: ANO. enero is Spanish for "January".

13) Trinity member: SON

19) Russian prince known as "Moneybag": IVAN I

21) Horn beep: TOOT

25) Ruled, as a writing pad: LINED

26) Genesis garden: EDEN

27) Deviates from a course: YAWS

28) Sonny's partner: CHER. Sonny & Cher.

29) Popped (out), as to the outfield: FLIED

30) "__ Mommy kissing ...": I SAW. Tryst?

32) Lawman Earp: WYATT

33) Bounce back: ECHO

34) Auction off: SELL

35) Exchange: SWAP

36) Prefix with conference: TELE

40) "The Seven Year Itch" actor Tom: EWELL. Famous scene

41) Rebuked: TOLD OFF

42) Promise in court: OATH

43) Remus' twin: ROMULUS. Founder of Rome.

48) Speeder's downfall: RADAR

49) Useful quality: ASSET

50) Knack: FLAIR

51) West, to a Spaniard: OESTE

52) Computer memory units: BYTES

54) "Return of the Jedi" dancer: OOLA

56) Strange: Pref.: XENO. Or "Foreign prefx.:". As in Xenophobia.

57) Jewelry stone: GEM

58) Corrida cheer: "OLE!"

59) "Madama Butterfly" sash: OBI

Answer grid.

Argyle

Sunday February 14, 2010 Natalie Dyvens

Theme: Crazy Love - All of the 13-letter theme answers are anagrams of VALENTINE'S DAY. In cryptic crossword, the word "crazy" is an indicator of an anagram.

24A. Run-down old Roman truck?: SEEDY LATIN VAN. Run-down = Seedy.

32A. Tax expiration headline?: LEVY IS AT AN END

59A. Out-of-work Baltic natives?: NEEDY LATVIANS. Latvia is in the Baltic region.

80A. Attack the Falkland Islands' capital?: INVADE STANLEY. Stanley is the capital of The Falkland Islands, an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean. Who knows?

106A. Cowgirl in a crib?: TINY DALE EVANS. Dale Evans is crowned as "Queen of Cowgirl".

118A. Some gondola passengers?: LADY VENETIANS. Gondolas are widely used in Venice.

16D. Shrink everyone wants to be like?: ENVIED ANALYST

58D. This puzzle's theme - each of seven answers is a 77-Down of it: VALENTINE'S DAY

And non-symmetrical cross-referenced ANAGRAM (77D. Roped, to Pedro). Roped is an anagram of Pedro. Plus a hidden 13-letter VALENTINE'S DAY anagrammed constructor's name - Natalie Dyvens. Is that you, Rich?

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone. And Happy Chinese Spring Festival! 新年快乐! 恭喜发财!

Today is Dennis's two-year anniversary with the blog, so we decided to team up and co-write today's puzzle analysis. (No, C.C. decided. And it's now 2 am and I'm still writing.)

Very creative theme concept, perfect for Valentine's Day, but it also results in some strained theme answers. A necessary sacrifice for a "crazy" theme. Both of us thoroughly enjoyed this puzzle and were amused and entertained by many clues.

Across:

1. Register: SIGN IN. Reminds Dennis of the old 'What's My Line' show -- "mystery guest, sign in please."

7. '70s-'80s FBI sting aimed at corrupt politicians: ABSCAM. Got several Philly politicians in that one, including the late Congressman John Murtha.

19. Frito-Lay corn snacks: CHEETOS. Dennis loves the crunchy ones, as opposed to the puffy ones.

21. Secret: ARCANE. Same root as the "tarot card group" ARCANA, which stumped many of us last time.

22. Biden predecessor: CHENEY (Dick). No one's idea of a great hunting partner. He definitely knows the Halliburton founder ERLE.

23. Crisis phone service: HOTLINE. From Dennis: I could've used it for several clues in this one.

26. Ajar, in poems: OPE. As in open, which is not necessarily ajar.

27. Drudge: SERF

29. Salem-to-Portland dir.: NNE

30. CNN launcher: TBS. Turner Broadcasting System launched CNN in 1980.

31. Desperate: DIRE. As in dire straits.

36. Start of a French oath: SACRE. "Sacre bleu!". Mild French profanity. Literally "sacred blue!"

38. Sailing or whaling: ASEA. Clever rhyming.

39. CFO's degree, maybe: MBA. The constructor opted CFO rather than CEO for the clue to avoid duplication with the answer CEO (37D. Co. leader), who more often has the MBA degree.

40. Chelsea zoo opening?: ZED. The opening letter of "zoo" is Z, which is pronounced as ZED in Chelsea, England.

42. Mug with a hinged lid: SEIDEL. German for beer mug. Rooted in Latin "Situla" (bucket). New word to both of us.

45. "G.T.O." singers __ & the Daytonas: RONNY. A gimme for Dennis, both because the car's a favorite of his and the time-frame of the song. GTO is often clued as "Ronny and the Daytonas hit"

47. Million-millennia period: AEON. A variant spelling of eon.

48. Schooners' contents: ALES. Then we also have PALE DRY (71A. Ginger ale type). A regretable clue/answer duplication. Ginger ale was created in 1904 by Canadian pharmacist John J. McLaughlin.

50. 10th century Norwegian king: OLAV I. Jeez, just how many Olavs were there up there, besides Jerome's grandpa?

51. Numerical entry aid: KEYPAD. Dennis wishes his laptop had one.

53. A big fan of: INTO. Dennis is currently into Wendy's doubles. The hamburgers, that is.

55. Quick cut: SNIP

56. Service abbr.: NAV. The Navy. The Marines are a department of the Navy. The men's department. A joke, of course - all the services are equally great and equally important.

64. Jolson and Jarreau: ALS

65. List ender: Abbr.: ET AL. From et alii; "and others".

67. "__ you sure?": ARE: From Dennis: C.C., are you sure you want me blogging?

68. Stephanie's dad: EFREM. Efrem Zimbalist Jr. A Purple Heart recipient from WWII. Loved him in 77 Sunset Strip and The FBI, two '50s/'60s-era TV series.

69. Easy to use: WIELDY. Hardly ever used. Its antonym, unwieldy, is quite common.

73. Not seen as much: RARER

74. Near the beginning: EARLY ON

75. Bullfight cheer: OLE OLE. Did the duplication fool anyone else? Wasn't expecting six letters.

76. English cattle breed: DEVON. Named after the English county where the breed was first developed. Are they used in Wendy's doubles, Windhover?

77. Flying stat.: ALT (Altitude). Kinda critical to flight.

78. Electronics time meas.: MSEC (Microsecond). Any more, it's all about nanoseconds. FYI, a nanosecond is to a second what a second is to 30 years.

79. Salon acquisition: TAN

84. __-80: old computer model: TRS. An early model (late '70s) from Radio Shack (Tandy Corporation).

85. Like SFO and LAX: INTL. Both San Francisco and Los Angeles have international airports.

87. Senior housing?: DORM. College seniors, of course.

88. Scottish property owners: LAIRDS. Scottish variant of LORD (108D. Titled nobleman)

90. All-time Blue Jays' winningest pitcher Dave: STIEB. Pronounced like "Steeb". A gimme for both of us.

94. Cranberry sources: BOGS. Nice spin on "Cranberry sauces". Got lots within an hour of Dennis's place.

95. Golfer's problem: SLICE. Yeah, most golfers are slicers. Some are hookers. Dennis has a feeling C.C. isn't cursed with a slice or a hook.

99. Medieval estates: MANORS. Here is a good example.

101. D.C. player: NAT. Washington Nationals, the perennial doormat of the NL East.

102. Berne's river: AAR.. Should be a gimme for most by now.

103. Auth. of many quotes?: ANON. Becoming a four-letter word on the blog.

104. Scandal-plagued giant: ENRON. Dennis feels "Scandal-plagued" is a bit of an understatement. .

111. Egg holder: NEST. Clever.

113. Clear: RID. Verb "clear".

115. John, to Paul: LOO. John is a slang for "toilet/LOO". We've seen "John, to Ringo" gimmick before. Did anyone not think of the Beatles first?

116. "__-Dick": MOBY. DFettes, what was your answer?

117. Morgantown sch.: WVU (West Virginia University).

122. Graceful antlered critter: ROE DEER. A Eurasian species of deer. Pretty common in crosswords. They do look graceful.

124. Head cases?: CRANIA. Literally yes. Plural of cranium, the "case" of our heads.

125. Renoir subject: BATHER. See this picture. "Degas subject" would be DANCER.

126. "Let's Make a Deal" option: DOOR ONE. Of three. You could keep the prize you'd won or gamble and take what was behind doors one, two or three. C.C. has never watched "Let's Make a Deal".

127. Most insidious: SLYEST. Or SLIEST.

128. Risky dates: TRYSTS. Really? Why risky? Isn't it just a meeting between two lovers?

129. Barely made a ripple in, as during a dive: KNIFED. Very difficult to do properly. The meaning is new to C.C.

Down:

1. Bookman: SCHOLAR. Dennis's initial reaction was something CPA-related.

2. "God willing!": I HOPE SO

3. Settle a score: GET EVEN. "Revenge is a dish best served cold."

4. Donizetti aria "Regnava __ silenzio": NEL. "Regnava nel silenzio" is literally "reigned in silence"/"silence reigned' in Italian. NEL is "in the".

5. Response at the door: IT IS I. If someone said that at Dennis's door, he'd leave it closed.

6. Canonical hour: NONES. Dictionary says it's usually the ninth hour after sunrise.

8. Three-time Oscar-winning character actor Walter: BRENNAN. Tied with Jack Nicholson for most Academy Award wins by a male actor.

9. Hollywood shooting: SCENE

10. Concerto's extended solo passage: CADENZA. From Old Italian, cadence. Dennis has one of those in my office. Oh wait -- that's a credenza.

11. To some degree: ANY. Weak to Dennis.

12. Soften: MELT. Doesn't strike Dennis as synonymous. OK with C.C.

13. Takes the role of: ACT AS

14. How-hot-it-feels meas.: THI (Temperature-Humidity Index)

15. They can climb the walls: TENDRILS. Love Morning Glories.

17. Close: NEAR

18. Force unit: DYNE. Fraction of a newton. Another frequent crossword visitor.

20. Fluids in shots: SERA. Plural of serum.

25. Six-pack makeup: ABS. They're in there somewhere.

28. NSA headquarters site: FT MEADE. South of Baltimore.

33. Pull hard: YANK

34. "Gin __ meet ...": Burns: A BODY. No idea. From Burn's poem "Comin' Through the Rye".

35. Drop off: DELIVER. Nice deception.

41. Leisure fabric: DENIM. Nothing says leisure like jeans..

43. Villain: EVIL DOER. Hmmm... why does this sound familiar?

44. Fakes it, in a way: LIP-SYNCS. As in Milli Vanilli.

46. Longing: YEN

47. Mimic's talent: APERY

49. Concourse locale: Abbr.: STA (Station)

52. Time for an audit: YEAR- END. Dennis is not sure he agrees with that one.

54. Miraculous way to walk?: ON WATER

56. It's a family affair: NEPOTISM. Like what Kim Jong-Il practices.

57. Mythological woman raised by hunters: ATALANTA. Greek myth. The only woman who sailed with Jason & the Argonauts for the Golden Fleece.

60. Time off: LEAVE. Is this ever used outside of the military?

61. Fuzzy dos: AFROS

62. 16th century council site: TRENT. Council of Trent (1545-1563). The Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church.

63. Round Table title: SIR. Knights of the Round Table.

66. Heavenly lion: LEO. The constellation.

70. Shade provider: ELM

72. Caesar's 551: DLI. The obligatory Roman Numeral clue.

73. Lamb, e.g.: RED MEAT. Dennis was thinking something related to the essayist Lamb. Faked himself out.

74. Onetime immigration center __ Island: ELLIS

76. "Mack the Knife" singer: DARIN (Bobby). Huge back in Dennis' day.

81. OED unit: VOL (Volume). OED = Oxford English Dictionary.

82. Plenty: A LOAD. No, not touching it.

83. NFL rushing nos.: YDS (Yards)

86. Price of many operas: LEONTYNE. American Soprano Leontyne Price, best known for the title role of Verdi's Aida. Tricky placement of "Price" at the beginning of the clue.

89. Czech, for one: SLAV. Ok, this one's getting a little tiresome.

91. "It's sooo cold!": BRR. We both can relate.

93. SUV part: UTILITY. SUV = Sport Utility Vehicle.

94. Weapon attached to a rifle: BAYONET

96. Amazed by: IN AWE OF

97. Meet: CONVENE. Usually a committee or something similar.

98. Made certain: ENSURE. Insure too.

100. Not happy with: SORE AT

105. Diarist Anaïs: NIN. Erotic diaries.

109. Online read: E-BOOK. We both still prefer the real thing.

110. "I've got my __ you!": EYE ON. "Hands" didn't work, unfortunately, for Dennis. Lots of fill-in-the-blanks in this grid.

111. World Series qualifying matchup, briefly: NLCS (National League Championship Series)

112. Sandwich guy?: EARL. Earl of Sandwich, who popularized sandwich in England.

114. Owed money: DEBT

119. Haze reduces it: Abbr.: VIS (Visibility)

120. Sailor: TAR. GOB is also a slang for "sailor".

121. Many Soc. Sec. recipients: SRS (Seniors). Raising hand.

123. Soft & __: deodorant: DRI

More from Dennis:

Today, in addition to Valentine's Day, is National Organ Donor Day. An excellent idea on at least two levels ...

Today's Words of Wisdom: "Don't get sucked into doing a Sunday blog for C.C. when you have to be up at 5:30am the next morning." - guess who

Answer grid.

Dennis & C.C.

Saturday February 13, 2010 Mark Diehl

Theme: None

Total blocks: 25

Total words: 66

This grid looks so clean, with no cheater/helper square. Only 25 black squares, the fewest I've seen in a LAT puzzle. The word count is quite low too.

Some of entries are quite fresh, and I love the clever use of "er" in the below clues:

13D. Old rubber?: ALADDIN. Rubber, one who rubs. When Aladdin rubs his oil lamp and magic appears.

38D. Art that requires a folder: ORIGAMI. Folder, one who folds. Not the portfolio folder.

But too many ER suffixes in grid answers:

53A. New __: AGER

63A. Wooers, perhaps: SERENADERS

40. Flautist: TOOTLER

43D. Slumber party?: SNOOZER. Party here means "participant". Great clue.

44D. R&D employees: TESTERS. Clue is asking for an abbreviated answer.

Tough slog today. Totally out of sync with this constructor Mark Diehl. We definitely do not speak the same language. Troubles everywhere.

Across:

1. Blended condiment: GARLIC SALT. Awesome answer.

11. Tricked twin: ESAU. He was tricked into selling his birthright to his brother Jacob. For some lentil soup.

15. She received a Best Actress nomination for "A Man and a Woman": ANOUK AIMEE. Always nice to have a full name. We often see AIMEE clued as "French Actress".

16. Not sharp: DULL

17. 2005 award for Leigh Ann Hester, the first woman to win it since WWII: SILVER STAR. I've never heard of Leigh Ann Hester, who was awarded the star for her heroic actions in Iraq War. Dennis has a Purple Heart.

18. "My word!": I SAY

19. Corner piece: ELL

20. Blind dates, e.g.: SETUPS

21. Youngsters: TADS. Learned this "youngster" meaning last time it appeared in the grid.

22. Auvers-sur-__, where van Gogh spent his final days: OISE. A commune in the northwestern suburbs of Paris. Stumper. I only knew he did not die in Arles.

24. Prompter's cue: TEN SECONDS. Cool answer.

26. Common front: UNITY

28. Royale or Flying Cloud: REO. Wikipedia says REO's two most memorable cars were its Reo Flying Cloud introduced in 1927 and the Reo Royale 8 of 1931.

29. Bushmiller who created the comic "Nancy": ERNIE. Nope. He's not in my memory bank.

30. Campus big shot, often: SENIOR. BMOC (Big Man On Campus) used to befuddle me.

32. Finns' neighbors: RUSSIANS. Too many space for my first reaction: SWEDES.

34. Take into custody, in a way: CUFF

36. "Toodles!": TATA. Wikipedia says "Toodles!" is a shortened, more casual version of the French expression à tout à l'heure (Anglicized as "toodle-oo"), meaning "goodbye". I am surprised I've never heard of it before.

37. Bikini feature in a 1960 hit: POLKA DOT. "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini".

41. NASDAQ neighborhood: WALL ST. So simple in retrospect.

45. Dizzy: AREEL. Or A-REEL like A-LOP, Argyle?

46. Napoléon or Yves, e.g.: NOM. Both French given names.

48. Despicable sort: SWINE

49. Parts of feet: LITTLE TOES. Came to me with difficulty.

52. Deal busters, at times: EGOS. True.

54. Magic 8 Ball maker: MATTEL. Have yet to see HASBRO in a LAT puzzle.

56. "Joking!": NOT

57. Author Hoag: TAMI. Saw her name mentioned in blog Comments section a few times.

58. Provide armed forces for: MILITARIZE

60. Enclosed in: AMID

61. Weather station gadget: ANEMOMETER. Wind-speed measuring instrument. Anemo is a prefix for "wind".

62. Related business products: LINE

Down:

1. Like neon: GASEOUS. Or INERT.

2. Polyurethane compound: ANILINE. Used in dyes. I only know ANIL, which is clued as "Indigo dye source" sometimes.

3. Arrives at last: ROLLS IN. Can you make a sentence for me?

4. Word on a candy heart: LUV. Timely. With the Valentine's Day tomorrow. I LUV U!

5. Turner and others: IKES

6. Proofreader's mark: CARET. ^

7. Moon Unit, to Dweezil: SISTER. Both Frank Zappa's kids. Very strange names.

8. Radio part: AM TUNER

9. Is dramatically revealed to, with "at": LEAPS OUT

10. To the point: TERSE

11. Opinion page perspective: EDITORIAL WE. Shouldn't it be "Opinion page pronoun"? "Perspective" is asking for a "view", no?

12. Foster title girl: SUSANNA. I am totally confused by the clue. Does it refer to this Susana Foster? Why "title girl" in the clue? (Updated later: The title girl refers to the song "Oh! Susanna" by Stephen Foster. Thanks, Al!)

14. Rutherford's predecessor: ULYSSES (Grant)

23. Disneyland's Matterhorn, once: E TICKET RIDE. I peeked at the cheat sheet.

25. Fronton gear: CESTAS. The jai alai on his right hand. Fronton is an arena for jai alai. New to me.

27. Southern address: YOU-ALL.

31. Rural mail letters: RFD (Rural Free Delivery)

33. Took in: SAW

35. "Suspicion" Oscar winner, 1941: FONTAINE (Joan). Sister of Olivia de Havilland. Both still alive.

37. Like some consonants, as the nasal "n": PALATAL

39. McCartney hit about his relatives: LET 'EM IN. Here is the clip. Doesn't ring a bell.

42. Soft coal: LIGNITE. Another new word. Lign(i) a prefix for "wood".

47. Period of self-indulgence: ME TIME

50. Samms and Lazarus: EMMAS

51. Not likely to be talked out of: SET ON. Obtained the answer from crosses. I don't like two SETs in one grid. See also 20A.

55. High holy man?: LAMA. Lamas live in Tibet, the highest region on earth, hence "High" in the clue?

59. Elmo's color: RED

Answer grid.

C. C.

Friday February 12, 2010 Kurt Mengel and Jan-Michele Gianette

Theme: Alter E (go) - Letters EE in the second word of a familiar phrase is changed to EA. Long E sound remains.

20A. Theft with a clean getaway?: STAINLESS STEAL. Play on Stainless Steel. "Clean" = STAINLESS.

25. Filling the shelves with no leftover merchandise or space?: STOCKING FEAT. Stocking Feet. Not a familiar expression to me.

47A. Loud signal when the fries are done?: POTATO PEALER. Potato Peeler. Groan on pealer.

55A. Yoko?: JAPANESE BEATLE. Japanese Beetle. Has Yoko Ono ever been referred to as a Beatle?

English is complicated. EE, EA, EI (Conceit), IE (Chief), EY (Key) all have the long E sound. So can letters E (Me) and I (Unique).

An easier than normal Friday for me. Maybe I mind-melded with the two constructors from the very start. Thoroughly enjoyed this puzzle.

Tricky & entertaining clues like AESOP (14A. Fabulous storyteller) aplenty. "Fabulous" here doubles as the adjective of fable and "incredible". Superb clue. AE here has a long E sound as well.

Across:

1. Big theme park star: SHAMU. SeaWorld star.

6. Fancy dance: BALL

10. Cookie fruit: FIGS. Fig Newton.

15. Reed instrument: OBOE

16. Katz of "Hocus Pocus": OMRI. "Sheaf of grain" in Hebrew. I can never remember his name. He's in "Dallas" also.

17. Mill input: GRIST. Gristmill.

18. Two-time 1980s skating gold medalist: WITT (Katarina). Got her name from crossings. German figure skater.

19. German wheels: OPEL

23. Bruise treatment: ICE

24. Corpulence: OBESITY

30. Manx, for one: CAT. The tail-less cat.

31. Insult: SLUR

32. Attractive locale: MECCA. Struggled with the answer. Tricky crossing clues.

36. Short range: A TO B

38. Play for time: STALL. Like filibuster.

41. [It's gone!]: POOF. Put in PFFT first.

42. No-frills: BASIC

44. Word repeated in a famous FDR quote: FEAR. "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."

46. St. whose northernmost division is Boundary County: IDA (Idaho). Drew a blank.

51. Without means of support?: BRALESS. Nailed it.

54. Mil. rank: SGT

60. Take too much of, briefly: OD ON. OD = Overdose.

61. Fictional plantation: TARA. In "Gone With the Wind".

62. They have their pride: LIONS. Pride = a group of lion.

65. __ Valley: Reagan Library site: SIMI. I mentioned this trivia in my writeup before.

66. 1940s-'50s NFLer __ "Crazylegs" Hirsch: ELROY. Nicknamed for his unusual running style. Total stranger to me.

67. Turndowns: NOES. Always thought the plural for NO is just NOS.

68. Carrier since 1948: EL AL. Israel achieved its independence in 1948 too. I liked trivia clues.

69. Heads to sea: SAILS

Down:

2. Bierce defines it "His": HERS. In his "The Devil's Dictionary", Ambrose Bierce defines "Hers" as "His". What does it mean? I don't get it.

3. "__ stands now ...": AS IT

4. Inlaid work: MOSAIC

5. Market advances: UPTICKS. Stock market, right?

6. Get a spare, perhaps: BOWL. My husband just bowled a 793 series.

7. Irish Rose's guy: ABIE

8. Plenty: LOTS OF

9. Doesn't bother with: LETS BE

10. Suspense movie sound: FOOTSTEP. Vivid clue. I can almost hear the sound.

11. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame architect: I. M. PEI. I was unaware that PEI designed the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He was born in Guangzhou, where I lived before moving to the US.

12. Epithet for many leaders, with "the": GREAT. Like Alexander/Catherine the Great.

13. Frivolous: SILLY

21. Diamond et al.: NEILS. Neil Diamond. I was thinking of the gemstone diamond of course.

22. Mine stratum: SEAM. New definition of seam to me.

25. Line crosser of a sort: SCAB

27. Plains natives: OTOS

28. Enthusiast: NUT

29. Plant connection: GRAFT. Didn't come to me readily.

33. Prepare to strike, snake-style: COIL. Very descriptive clue. Nice S alliteration.

34. It can't be understood until it's broken: CODE. Got me again.

35. Whence the wise men?: AFAR. This refers to the three wise men traveled afar to see infant Jesus, correct?

37. Some crop dusters: BIPLANES

40. End: LAPSE. End here is a verb (expire), isn't it?

43. Either of two filmmaking brothers: COEN. They grew up here in Minnesota.

45. Grandly entertains: REGALES

48. Fly over Africa?: TSETSE. Great clue. I am glad the old TMS "Half a fly?" days are over.

49. Go after with vigor: ASSAIL

50. Hun king: ATTILA. Attila the Hun.

51. He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame the same year as Billie Jean: BJORN (Borg). In 1987. Easy guess.

52. Music player: RADIO

53. Strike __: model: A POSE. Nice pose.

57. Leave in a hurry, slangily: BAIL

58. Actress Petty: LORI. No idea. Looks like Buddy Holly's glasses.

59. Hydroxyl compound: ENOL. Four-letter compound is always ENOL.

63. Method: Abbr.: SYS (System)

Answer grid.

C.C.